queens chamber of commerce Archives

Queens Chamber of Commerce Hosts New Member Introduction

Oona Milliken on August 23, 2023

By Oona Milliken | omilliken@queensledger.com

In a packed conference room in the Queens Chamber of Commerce Office, business owners passed their business cards around the room. The monthly event is organized by the Chamber of Commerce for new members to help introduce them to the organization and meet other people in the borough. Jef Gross, Manager of Media Relations for the Chamber, introduced the members to the website, how to post events online and how to submit stories for the monthly Queensborough Magazine.

According to Gross, benefits of being a member of the Chamber include connecting with other business owners and helping individuals begin the process of growing their business. Gross said other commerce chambers in New York City do not get the same level of benefits as they do in Queens, and that the new members orientation is just one example of that.

“We provide opportunities in Queens that other boroughs do not provide.” Gross said. “Individuals will join organizations and there isn’t even an orientation. This gives them a little footing, a sense of direction.”

According to Brendan Leavy, Business Development Manager for the Chamber, Queens has a strong potential for growth in technology, infrastructure and real estate expansion as well as healthcare services. Leavy said that due to the aging population in Queens, a lot of healthcare providers see opportunities to grow their practices. Two business representatives at the event were based in the healthcare sector, Praxis Health Technology and Northwell Health.

“When you have 2.3 million people, aging, also aging in place and not going to Florida, that has tremendous impacts on the healthcare system,” Leavy said. “In the room was Northwell Health, the largest healthcare provider in the state, they have over 80,000 employees…That’s bringing new jobs to Queens.”

Henk Guitjens, Director of Marketing at Corporate Loss Prevention Associates Inc., and attendee of the new member introduction event, said that he appreciated the efforts of the Queens Chamber of Commerce in order to connect businesses in the borough.

“I found it very well prepared, and I was impressed with the 20 plus people in the room. They covered everything in an hour, and I say, I was impressed, better than the experiences at some other chambers,” Guitjens said. “The opportunity to work with other members, their willingness to make introductions, which of course other chambers have…but [the Queens Chambers] also have a substantial staff.”

According to Shahriar Hossain, Business Recovery Specialist for the Chamber, Queens is unique because it has a large economic hub while still keeping a calmer, more family-oriented feel that other boroughs do not have. Hossain said he thinks that the technology sector in Queens has the potential to blossom in coming years, and that the Chamber is trying to facilitate that growth via business incubators in order to attract more tech companies.

“I think tech is going to be huge in terms of development,” Hossian said. “The Chamber actually has five tech incubators that we’ve opened throughout the borough in Jamaica, Far Rockaway, Jackson Heights, and one in Queens College.”

*Editors Note: BQE Media is the publishing partner of This is Queensborough Magazine

Meet Flushing’s Adult Day Care Owner

Matthew Fischetti on June 29, 2023

By Matthew Fischetti | mfischetti@queensledger.com

New Yorkers are getting older. But that’s exactly where Adult Day Care Centers, like Big Apple Adult Day Care Center, can come into play.

Adult Day Care Centers like the one Anna Lo operate in Flushing, helping provide seniors with access to socialization through programming like dancing or helping them get medication or groceries.

“When you’re taking care of patients, It’s also like taking care of seniors, because they have a lot of illnesses, a lot of paperwork, documentation,” said Lo, who used to manage medical offices prior to entering the adult day care industry.

In essence, Adult Day Care centers can serve as a supplement to long-term care placement, which has been projected to be short 1.5 million workers needed to attend to the aging population, according to a report published in Crains New York. Lo said in her interview that social day care works as a package in the state – on days seniors don’t have home health aides they have social day care and vice versa.

“This adult day care program is actually to help the government take care of the seniors that are coming on. There’s, a lot of baby boomers who are going into retirement age. And so, you know, as they get older, they’re going to need more and more assistance with daily living activities, such as bathing, going to see the doctor, cooking and housekeeping,” said Lo.

At Lo’s locations, the adult day care centers offer a variety of services: including computer lessons, mahjong, dance lessons, chinese calligraphy, beadwork, tai chi and much more. Once a month members of the center get together and put on a show.

“They take a lot of pride in that,” Lo said. “They really put on a professional show. And I take pride in that in my center because we just, we actually give them in their golden years. A beautiful place for them to come and to live their best life.”

One thing Lo said she hopes to see in the industry’s future is tighter vetting of adult day care centers, as some are only a fraction of the space and don’t provide the same standard of care that her center does.

Lo said that the Queens Chamber of Commerce was incredibly helpful getting the day care to operate during Covid, when Suzan King from the Chamber helped connect her with different grants and low interest loans to secure her nearly 10,000 square foot space.

Lo also expressed the sheer confusion industries like hers faced during the pandemic, with seniors worried about contracting covid from home health aides.

“So it was a really dangerous time that we’re living in. And a lot of people didn’t know what to do. But social adult daycare has really helped the seniors stay alive and also get groceries,” she said. “We help seniors, we got groceries for seniors. And we delivered it to seniors’ homes along with their meals.”

Queens Chamber of Commerce hosts Business Persons of the Year 2022

Jessica Meditz on December 14, 2022

By Jessica Meditz

jmeditz@queensledger.com

Loycent Gordon, owner of Neir’s Tavern in Woodhaven, with their mascot.

Last Tuesday, some of Queens’ most prominent movers and shakers were honored by the Queens Chamber of Commerce at their 2022 Business Persons of the Year Awards Gala.

Family, friends, partners and sponsors gathered at Terrace on the Park in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park to honor seven influential business people in the borough: Serge Abergel, CEO of Hydro Québec Energy Services; Rachelle Antoine, Manager External Affairs & Community Outreach Manager at Port Authority of New York & New Jersey for the JFK Redevelopment Program; Kevin O’Connor, CEO of DIME Community Bank; Loycent Gordon, owner and proprietor of Neir’s Tavern; Dr. Stacie NC Grant, Community Advisory Council Facilitator for the JFK Redevelopment Program; Peter Kapsalis, CEO and owner of Cine Magic LLC Studios; and Dr. Edwin Simpser, president and CEO of St. Mary’s Healthcare System for Children.

Queens Chamber of Commerce’s President and CEO Tom Grech also took the opportunity to applaud how far Queens has come since the pandemic, bouncing back from many losses in the business community.

Tom Grech, CEO and President of the Queens Chamber of Commerce, took the opportunity to applaud how far Queens has come since the pandemic.

“Queens turned the corner starting in early 2022 with COVID in the rearview mirror and our momentum has only

grown since then,” Grech said in a statement.

“Just over the past few weeks, we have learned about a new soccer stadium, 2,500 deeply affordable housing units, a new hotel and school at Willets Point, a well-deserved final approval of Innovation QNS in Astoria and a signed contract and start to the redevelopment of JFK,” he continued. “All-in, these public and private investments total near $25 billion…and all in Queens.”

Before the seven business people received their awards, the Queens Chamber surprised its Chief Operating Officer, Joanne Persad, with an honorary Business Person of the Year award for her hard work and dedication to keeping all things running smoothly.

The Queens Chamber of Commerce is at the forefront of major projects in Queens, including the massive $18 billion JFK Redevelopment Program — in which honorees Antoine and Grant play major roles in. Both women feel incredibly honored to have received the award.

“It’s humbling to know that others see your efforts in trying to create space for others…Even during COVID, keeping the community encouraged through a very challenging time by offering free resources and using media as a way to connect and to create space for a very confusing time we were all witnessing,” Grant said. “I believe wherever you live, you should also serve — and it’s my honor to serve Queens.”

Dr. Stacie NC Grant

Throughout the evening, attendees and honorees remarked about the beauty of Queens’ diversity, and how every person has their own story to tell.

Kapsalis, of Cine Magic LLC Studios, recalled how his parents emigrated to the U.S. from Greece with just $17 in their pockets, and is proud to now be the owner and CEO of a roughly 100,000-square-foot studio operation in Long Island City.

Neir’s Tavern owner and proprietor, Loycent Gordon, reflected on his experience as an immigrant who arrived in the U.S. at the age of 10, and struggled academically. He went on to preserve the well-loved establishment in the community, after it was at risk of shuttering after an increase in rent.

“I came into Neir’s Tavern seeing that it was going to close. The long forgotten place that was special, just as I felt I was, but wasn’t given the love,” Gordon said. “This was my opportunity to give back. What if I could save one of America’s oldest places as an immigrant, as my service.”

After the awardees delivered heartfelt speeches upon accepting their awards, the energetic crowd of attendees danced the night away, looking forward to the advancements in tech and business to come into the borough they call home.

Queens Chamber of Commerce Hosts New Member Introduction

Meet Flushing’s Adult Day Care Owner

Queens Chamber of Commerce hosts Business Persons of the Year 2022

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