The second Institute of Concessions cohort. Courtesy of the Port Authority of NY and NJ.

By Jean Brannum | jbrannum@queensledger.com

Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to add information about an additional Institute of Concessions in-person event. 

Want the chance to bring your business to one of the world’s busiest airports? You have an opportunity to learn about the art of moving and managing your airport business at the JFK Airport Institute of Concessions. 

The Institute of Concessions has had two sessions of classes to help nearby business owners learn how to bring their goods and services to new JFK establishments. The third cohort starts Oct 1 and ends Dec 12. The deadline to apply is Sept 10 and applicants can expect to hear back by Sept 23. 

Dianna Rose, a business owner herself and consultant for the program, explained in an information session the requirements for the program. 

Retail, food, and beverage businesses that are certified or eligible to be certified as a Minority and Women-Owned Business or Airport Disadvantaged Business Enterprise certified are encouraged to apply. Preferred businesses have also operated for at least three years, and make at least 1500 transactions per month. Local chains may also be eligible. Rose highlighted that there is a strong need for retail businesses. 

There are also two tiers for businesses that are eligible for the program. Tier one includes businesses in zip codes that surround the airport and tier two businesses are outside of those zip codes but in Queens. 

The IOC selected 15 businesses to be a cohort. Selection is based on numerous factors such as business location and the business type. 

The 10-week program uncludes six weeks of classroom modules. These modules teach owners about running an airport business, which carries unique factors, Rose said. Unlike businesses outside of airports, businesses in airports have to comply with security restrictions and the customer profile is different. 

“While your customer base may be a familiar face, someone that knows you, someone that lives in the community, your customers at the airport are not going to have that same dynamic,” Rose said. 

Once the cohort finishes the modules, the remaining four weeks include an airport tour, panel discussions and a mock Request for Proposal (RFP), which is a pitch to the Port Authority and terminal partners to run their business at JFK. The program does not guarantee a spot at JFK, but participants have a chance to practice creating and presenting an RFP before making their own. Businesses do not have to participate in the program to submit an RFP.

The Institute of Concessions launched in July 2023 to drive local businesses into JFK. All terminals will have concessions opportunities. Supporters for the project include JFK Millenium Partners, New Terminal One, JFKIAT, Delta Airlines, and American Airlines. Other terminals are also potential spots for businesses. 

The institute is part of the JFK Redevelopment Program. The idea came from the Community Advisory Council, which is chaired by Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. and Congressman Greg Meeks, according to Stacey Gilbert, Senior External Relations Client Manager for the Port Authority.

The advisory council and the Port Authority work together to expand community outreach and improve community involvement in JFK programs. 

Richards touted the program as a way to show off the diversity of Queens residents. 

“Queens truly is ‘The World’s Borough,’ and the IOC will help our borough’s business owners successfully market authentic Queens foods, beverages, and retail products to the global travelers who shop at JFK Airport’s concessions,” Richards said. 

To learn more about the program, you can attend one of two in-person information sessions at Greater Nexus in Jamaica. The first one is on Sept. 5 at 6 pm, and the second is on Sept 9 at 5 pm. 

A physical rendering of the new Ravenswood generating station, which will use power generated from an offshore wind farm to power homes across the city.

By Jean Brannum | jbrannum@queensledger.com

RISE Light & Power submitted a proposal to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority to fund the waterfront at the Ravenswood Generating Station, which is tied to the Renewable Ravenswood Project.

RISE Light & Power is working on the Renewable Ravenswood Project and the Queensboro Renewable Express, which will transform the fossil fuel energy plants into a wind-powered energy hub. However, this proposal is to revitalize the ports on the waterfront for the necessary vessels to maintain the wind farm and generating station. The port already exists, but the funding will lead to necessary renovations.

Also in the proposal is a joint project with the Oceantic Network, an organization that focuses on using offshore wind power in supply chains. The unique partnership will provide mentorship and business attraction to the Long Island City Industrial Business Zone. Laura Rothrock, President of Long Island City Partnership, said that she looks forward to collaborating with RISE to bring green energy to local businesses.

The Renewable Ravenswood project overall will also employ people who live in the NYCHA complexes around the generating station. The station has been a historical source of pollution and contributed to high asthma rates in the area deemed “asthma alley.” Wil Fisher, director of external affairs at RISE, said that the upcoming wind farm will create union jobs and empower NYCHA residents.

“It’s a value for us to have a big pool of talent right across the street,” Fisher said.

Fisher said that he expects to get a response from NYSERDA by the fourth quarter of this year.

Stephen Weiner in the Queens Ledger newsroom. Credit: Jean Brannum

By Jean Brannum | jbrannum@queensledger.com

Trust, estate planning, and estate litigation lawyer Stephen Weiner is vying to become the next Surrogate Court judge for Queens. Weiner is the Republican counterpart to Cassandra Johnson, who has been endorsed by the Democratic Party and beat Wendy Li in the primary election. 

Weiner wants to become the Surrogate Court judge because he believes he can improve the court using the best practices from other counties and believes his experience as an attorney makes him a prime candidate.

Weiner grew up in the Bronx and moved to Sunnyside in 1982 to be with his wife. During his time at Columbia Law School, he volunteered for the Harlem Legal Aid Society. He started his own practice in 1993 and handles cases in the Surrogate Court. He highlighted his experience with grieving families and tough cases as one of his qualifications to be judge. 

“I have experienced what’s realistic in the wills-and-estates world, and what can’t be done. I have sensitivity. There are people, represented and unrepresented, who come in front of the surrogate, and they all need to be listened to.”

Weiner has experience with families at their toughest times, and with making tough decisions. Sometimes people take advantage of their elderly family members, or the deceased drastically changes their wills at the last minute. The adult guardianship system in Tri-State area courts was exposed for corrupt practices that led to elder abuse in an ABC7 Eyewitness News investigation.

In his personal life, Weiner has also dealt with the Surrogate Court. He became a standby guardian for his stepson with special needs. 

“If I’m sitting up there as surrogate, I’m a person who knows from the same experience, what parents of developmentally disabled people have to deal with.”

On the subject of his opponent, Cassandra Johnson, Weiner said he has nothing personal against her but did tout his experience as a reason to vote for him over Johnson. Weiner pointed out that Johnson became a licensed attorney in 2007, 22 years after Weiner became one. Johnson currently serves as a Supreme Court judge in Southeast Queens. 

Johnson beat her Democratic opponent, Wendy Li in the primary. Li was known for having strong ties with the Chinese-American community and wanting to improve translation access. Weiner said that he agrees with Li’s points about translation and hopes to reach the Chinese-American community before the election. 

“If you’re gonna have due process, you can’t have a person who is unable to communicate in English, stranded in front of the judge,” Weiner said.

Another one of Li’s platforms was the need for diversity in the Surrogate Court. Johnson also spoke about this issue. Weiner said he is against prejudice of any kind and argued treating people individually was the best way to address discrimination in the court. 

“I want to approach each person as an individual. That’s my philosophy, one by one.”

If he becomes the next Surrogate Court Judge, unlike his opponent, Weiner would only be able to serve four years due to the mandatory retirement age of seventy. This is shorter than the 14-year term standard for the court. Weiner said that he is content with a shorter term and it seems right for him. 

The Surrogate Court judge is in a unique spot, politically. The judge cannot speak publicly about political issues or endorse political candidates. The judge is forbidden from directly soliciting campaign donations and cannot bow to the preferences of political parties. 

Weiner became a registered Republican, making him a black sheep among a family of Democrats. He volunteered for Former Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s campaign in 1993 and joined Yale Students for Ronald Reagan when he attended the university. 

He hopes to win votes from both parties in the upcoming election. His sister, a Democrat, contributed to his campaign even though she lives in another state. He is grateful to the Republican party for nominating him as well. To win the election, he will need votes from Democrats, but as judge, he would be nonpartisan, Weiner said. 

“I’m not going to be looking at people’s Republicans or Democrats in the court. This is not a political court.”

Read about Cassandra Johnson on Queensledger.com