Read recent Success Stories from businesses in LIC who have taken advantage of our free one-on-one business assistance
While public programs are available to help NYC manufacturers remain competitive by adopting advanced technologies and increasing local production, they can be difficult for businesses to navigate on their own. White Coffee, a wholesale coffee importer, roaster, and distributor, learned about the NYCEDC funded NYC Ops21 program at one of our business seminars. Following the seminar, we connected the business with ITAC (Industrial and Technology Assistance Corporation), the program administrator, and helped it successfully apply for grant funding to upgrade their IT systems. This project increased their data storage capacity by 300%, which led to a significant reduction in inventory and $77K reduction in monthly estimated operating costs.
Moving a business to a new space can be challenging, especially with the many procedures, paperwork and red tape that can slow down the process. After the lease on their long-time location expired, Raj’s Indian Kitchen, a local eatery, needed to quickly transition to a nearby storefront, a process that required FDNY approval. Unfortunately, a city-wide delay on FDNY approvals threatened to stall this process, and the business’s operational continuity. When LICP found out about Raj’s problem, our Business Assistance team reached out to our contacts at the FDNY, helping to shorten the approval process by seven weeks. Throughout the process, the team assisted the business with a variety of other questions and concerns, helping them to relaunch their restaurant successfully this fall.
National Distribution Alliance, a newspaper wholesaler, was experiencing persistent and heavy flooding when it rained. The flooding affected other Review Avenue businesses, the sheriff, and cars in traffic. The problem became progressively worse and even light rain resulted in regular disruptive flooding. Standing water often gathered in the road and on the sidewalk, hiding potholes and uneven surfaces, which was dangerous for oncoming traffic and pedestrians. The condition was worse in winter when the puddles froze into ice. National Distribution Alliance reached out to the Business Assistance Team after many attempts to address this issue with the City. We used our connections with DEP, DOT, and the Mayor’s Office to expedite this issue. We worked with inspectors to investigate the road and surrounding catch basins and to correctly diagnose the cause. As a result of coordinating with the business owner and City agencies, a section of the underground rain water drain was unclogged and the flooding issues were resolved and the business owner’s operations were restored.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on all small businesses. In response to this unprecedented time, we have helped businesses applying for a range of public and private assistance, including the NYS COVID-19 Pandemic Small Business Recovery Grant Program. Our Business Assistance team proactively reached out to Kidmoto Technologies, a mobile app connecting families with young children seeking taxis to licensed and insured livery drivers, that seemed like a great fit for this program. We explained the application process, answered application questions, and helped submit the online application. Ultimately, we successfully helped Kidmoto Technologies apply for and receive $31K in grant funding.
Wonton Food Inc., one of the largest manufacturers of noodles, wrappers, and fortune cookies in the United States, was experiencing operations disruptions due to parked cars obstructing their loading area. The lack of parking regulation has obstructed trucks from backing up into their loading space and has been a source of safety concern and accidents. With nearly 100 employees that work to run a 24/7 operation, the need to solve these issues were critical to Wonton Food Inc.’s business. After a number of attempts to address the issue, Wonton Food Inc. reached out to our Business Assistance Team. Utilizing our connections with the Department of Transportation, we expedited this issue and worked with engineers to survey the surrounding area for parking regulation change. Through coordination with Wonton Food Inc. and DOT, a truck loading zone was installed within a month of approval and business operations were restored without further disruptions.
Getting a Certificate of Occupancy is a milestone many businesses find challenging. When the owners of John Brown BBQ (previously Mothership Meat Company), the successful BBQ restaurant on 44th Drive, were opening a second restaurant in LIC, they reached out to the Business Assistance Team at Long Island City Partnership to resolve the hiccups of this vital build out phase. On three occasions, the project stalled for more than two weeks because of a site designation that needed to be resolved with the Department of Environmental Protection. The business also needed assistance at times with expediting site inspections and plan reviews with the Department of Buildings. Each time, we used our working relationships with local agencies to help the business resolve these issues. The owners receive a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy opened in a new location at 27-20 40th Avenue.
Purchasing new equipment is a serious capital investment and a major operational challenge. The project often comes with a significant upfront cost that is prohibitive for many businesses. Quadlogic Controls, a manufacturer of building electrical meters in business for more than 35 years, needed to upgrade a key piece of equipment employed in its production lines. This new piece of equipment will allow the company to remain competitive in a fast-changing marketplace and keep 80+ jobs in Long Island City, Queens. After some internal planning, Quadlogic had a good estimate of the cost to carry out this major equipment upgrade. However, the big challenge was coming up with the funding. They reached out to the Long Island City Partnership for help with identifying government grant and incentive opportunities to help bring down the cost of the entire project. Through our relationship with the Workforce Development Institute (WDI), LICP was able to connect Quadlogic with WDI's Regional Director for New York City and help submit a grant application. As a result, Quadlogic received $18,000 of funding for purchasing materials and parts to implement the equipment upgrade project.