Courtesy QEDC
Guttmann Aims to Be ‘Unfair Advantage’ for Queens Entrepreneurs
By MOHAMED FARGHALY
mfarghaly@queensledger.com
Ben Guttmann has been named the new Executive Director of the Queens Economic Development Corporation (QEDC), marking a generational leadership change at one of the borough’s most vital economic organizations. Guttmann succeeds longtime director Seth Bornstein, who stepped down after over four decades with QEDC, including 16 years as executive director.
“The world would be better off if it were more like Queens,” Guttmann declared in a message announcing his appointment. “Queens is the truest version of the American Dream. This is where you can be from anywhere and become anything.”
A Queens native who grew up in Long Island, Guttmann returns to lead an organization he’s long been connected to—first as a supporter, then as a board member, and now as its executive director.
“When I had my agency, we, years ago, we did some pro bono work with QEDC,” he said. “I’ve known Seth and the team for a long time. I’ve actually been a board member for about seven years.”
Guttmann co-founded the marketing agency Digital Natives Group, which he ran for a decade before selling it several years ago. “We had some really great clients, from the NFL to I Love New York to Grand Central,” he said. “It was a really fun journey.”
He has since worked as a consultant, written a book, and returned to his alma mater, Baruch College, as a marketing professor. That marketing expertise, Guttmann said, is already shaping his vision at QEDC.
“Part of my background is in marketing, right? So I ran a marketing agency for over a decade, and I teach marketing at Baruch,” he said. “I thought it was really important to help tell our story with a little bit more clarity.”
The story he wants to tell is one of a thriving, pluralistic borough. “Our mission is to make Queens thrive,” Guttmann wrote in his announcement. “But our real goal is to be the unfair advantage for why Queens thrives.”
Founded in 1977, QEDC supports entrepreneurs across the borough, offering everything from business counseling and educational workshops to incubators, reentry programs, and vendor markets. Its programs serve more than 3,000 individuals annually.
“You want to start a pizza place in Forest Hills, or a barber shop in Corona or, you know, a yoga studio in Jamaica,” Guttmann said. “You can call us up. You can talk to experts for free. You can get technical assistance. You can get access to resources that help you realize whatever your dream is.”
The organization is particularly focused on supporting immigrant, minority, and historically underserved entrepreneurs.
“That is absolutely our bread and butter of what we’re trying to do,” Guttmann said. “We work with community partners across the borough, in every corner, every neighborhood, to make sure that we’re capturing everybody who’s interested in thriving in Queens.”
Asked what success looks like in the coming years, Guttmann emphasized outreach and results.
“You know success is going to be that we continue to deliver the results that we’ve been delivering for a long time and to reach more and more people,” he said. “The product of Queens is too good. The opportunity here is too good for us to keep it a secret.”
“I’m grateful to my predecessor, Seth Bornstein, for the incredible legacy he leaves behind after more than 40 years with the organization,” said Guttmann, reflecting on the leadership transition at the Queens Economic Development Corporation. Bornstein’s decades-long tenure included roles as both staff and board member, culminating in 16 years as executive director, during which he played a central role in expanding QEDC’s impact across the borough. Guttmann acknowledged the weight of following in those footsteps, noting that Bornstein’s institutional knowledge and deep ties to the community helped make QEDC a vital force for local entrepreneurs and neighborhood development.
Looking ahead, Guttmann says his team will continue to evolve with new branding, a refreshed website, and programs that reflect a rapidly changing city.
“We’re entering an environment where federal funding is no longer guaranteed,” he said. “It’s very important for us to be out there more to tell our story and to try to get as much support as possible.”
Despite these challenges, Guttmann says Queens is exactly the right place to build the future. “This is the kind of place that allows people to do things that, you know, that very few other places allow you to do.”
As he put it on day one to his team, “We want every other community to wish they had a group like ours.”
