2009 Neighborhood Achievement Awards

The Neighborhood Achievement Awards annually honor the individuals, businesses and groups who share SBS's commitment to building neighborhoods, creating jobs, and opening opportunities for New Yorkers.

The Development Award
The Partnership Award
The Workforce Innovation Award
The Small Business of the Year Award
The M/WBE Advocate of the Year Award
The Placemaking Award
The Leadership Award
Norman Buchbinder Neighborhood Beautification Award

The Development Award honors a business or organization that has completed a new real-estate development or re-adaptive use project that has delivered tangible benefits for the neighborhood, such as greater employment opportunities and economic or cultural activity.

Bronx Library Center, Bronx

Leslie Harrison, Chief Librarian

"Utilizing green building technology and providing space for mixed uses, the Bronx Library Center is an icon for the community. We are proud to deliver community-building programs and services to the 1 million plus visitors that we serve each year." -Michael Alvarez

When the Bronx Library Center opened in January 2006, it tripled the size and doubled the collection of its predecessor, the Fordham Library Center. The New York Public Library’s first green building, the Center features an adult reading and writing center, technology workshops for all ages, career counseling, a children's reading room, an outdoor reading terrace and a performance space. In an effort to reflect the ethnically diverse community around it, the library’s collection has material in Chinese, French, Russian and Vietnamese. The building also houses a Latino and Puerto Rican Cultural Center. Located in the heart of the Bronx, the library serves as a vital resource to the immigrant community and as a center for literature, culture and art.

The Partnership Award honors a joint endeavor between businesses, or civic, commercial, or development organizations, whose partnership has brought new benefit and services to the community. Examples include local hiring programs, business/education partnerships, cultural events, the rehabilitation of a park or public space, or a unique community outreach effort.

Heart of Brooklyn: A Cultural Partnership

Ellen Salpeter, Director, Heart of Brooklyn; Carol Enseki, President, Brooklyn Children’s Museum; Scot Medbury, President, Brooklyn Botanic Garden; Daniella Fairbairn, Community Outreach Manager, Heart of Brooklyn

"Heart of Brooklyn, working together with local stakeholders, has broken new ground for community development, as well as cultural partnerships. This award recognizes that business-cultural collaborations can provide the backbone for sustained economic revitalization, and acknowledges Prospect Heights as a vibrant cultural and commercial destination." -Ellen Salpeter

Heart of Brooklyn (HOB) is a partnership of the leading cultural institutions in central Brooklyn, including the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, the Brooklyn Museum, the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, the Brooklyn Public Library, Prospect Park and the Prospect Park Zoo. HOB is committed to strengthening the neighborhoods of central Brooklyn and making its world-class collections and historic treasures more visible and accessible. HOB transformed Washington and Vanderbilt Avenues by organizing a new merchants association and spearheading district marketing efforts. Their efforts have proved extremely successful, with over 40 new businesses opening in the area since 2005. Heart of Brooklyn is a unique example of how cultural institutions and communities can work together to catalyze community development and stimulate the local economy.

The Workforce Innovation Award honors an organization or business that, through pioneering a creative and effective approach to workforce development (e.g. training programs, recruitment and hiring), has developed a model that has enhanced their community and provided a model for others to emulate.

Goodwill Industries of Greater New York and Northern New Jersey

William J. Forrester, President/CEO

"Goodwill Industries promotes the dignity of work, encouraging ‘a hand up, not a hand out.' Through our workforce development services and our commitment to the communities we serve, Goodwill Industries has enhanced the quality of life for our constituents." -William J. Forrester

Goodwill Industries of Greater New York and Northern New Jersey seeks to improve the lives of people through job training, job placement and educational advancement programs. Goodwill has a strong presence throughout all five boroughs. In Brooklyn and the Bronx, Goodwill manages the Workforce1 Career Center in downtown Brooklyn and the Back to Work Center in Hunts Point. Both Centers provide a full array of employment services including career advisement, job search counseling, and skills training. New Yorkers can also access training opportunities so that they can find employment, earn higher wages and become more self-sufficient. Annually, Goodwill Industries of Greater New York and Northern New Jersey serves over 75,000 people and places over 10,000 in jobs.

The Small Business of the Year Award honors an entrepreneur whose business has significantly improved its neighborhood or demonstrated outstanding commitment to the community through offering new or enhanced products and services, generating new activity on a commercial strip, attracting new businesses to the area, or providing exceptional employment opportunities.

El Nuevo Delicoso Restaurant

Ruperto Morocho, Owner

"My experience as a business owner demonstrates that success cannot be achieved without a strong commitment to improving your community." -Ruperto Morocho

El Nuevo Delicioso provides the South Bronx community with healthy and delicious alternatives to the fast food establishments that dominate the neighborhood. In 1993, Ruperto Morocho, an Ecuadorian immigrant, opened El Nuevo Delicioso on 149th Street and Third Avenue. He opened a second location around the corner in 2005. The two restaurants employ 12 people full time, many of them recent arrivals to the United States. Mr. Morocho has cultivated personal relationships with residents, neighborhood-based organizations and his local church in his efforts to unify and strengthen the South Bronx community.

The Greene Grape

Jason Richelson, Owner

"The Greene Grape makes eating healthy convenient and easy by bringing fresh, seasonal, handcrafted food and wine from around the world to a corner store in Fort Greene, Brooklyn." -Jason Richelson

Greene Grape Provisions and Greene Grape Wine Store opened at a time when there were many vacant storefronts in Fort Greene, bringing products such as fresh meat, fish, bread, cheese and quality wines to the neighborhood for the first time. The two stores employ over 50 people, many of them local residents, and offer livable wages, access to healthcare, paid time off, and training opportunities. By offering the best, freshest ingredients, and developing a knowledgeable staff to teach customers tips on cooking, the Greene Grape stores help encourage healthy eating in the Fort Greene community. The Greene Grape stores have contributed to the overall renaissance of Fort Greene, and have helped inspire other businesses to open in the now-vibrant neighborhood.

BoConcept New York

Niki and Shaokao Cheng, Co-owners

"The expansion of BoConcept not only allows us to offer design furniture to five New York City neighborhoods, but also has become a vehicle for us to help shape and improve communities. We are honored to be recognized by New York City and to receive this award." -Shaokao Cheng

Niki and Shaokao Cheng opened their first BoConcept store in 2003 to offer minimalist, chic furniture to New Yorkers. During the first year, the couple worked around the clock, with no heat in the store because they could not afford it. They have since opened four more BoConcept stores in Manhattan and Brooklyn. When opening a new location, the couple often chooses under-developed neighborhoods. BoConcept stores have proven to be retail anchors, paving the way for other stores to open, improving commerce and increasing economic opportunity all around.

Hot Bread Kitchen, Ltd

Jessamyn Waldman, Executive Director

"We are honored to receive this award as we strive to preserve foreign culinary traditions, diversify the local organic food industry and ultimately create better lives for foreign-born women in New York City." -Jessamyn Waldman

Hot Bread Kitchen (HBK) provides a range of ethnic specialty breads to New Yorkers while enabling immigrant women to break the cycle of poverty. Owner Jessamyn Waldman founded HBK in an effort to create more opportunities for immigrant women, who often have limited job prospects due to language barriers and lack of education. At HBK, female immigrant employees bake breads using traditional recipes from their home countries. Proceeds from the sale of the breads are then used to train these employees in the skills necessary to succeed in the culinary industry. HBK improves the lives of employees, customers, and community members by employing a market-based approach to social justice.

Pastosa Ravioli Of West Brighton

Vincent D’Antuono Sr., Owner

"This honor reflects not only the hard work and dedication of myself, my family and my staff but also the loyalty, appreciation and patronage of my West Brighton customers. I pride myself on being an instrumental visionary supporting small local businesses which leads to a community rich in loyalty, tradition and growth." -Vincent D’Antuono Sr.

Vincent D’Antuono has built Pastosa Ravioli, the restaurant he owns in the West Brighton area of Staten Island, into an extremely successful business; lines often stretch around the corner in the holiday season. But rather than simply focus on his own business, Mr. D’Antuono has become an advocate for the West Brighton community, consistently finding ways to help other local businesses succeed. Not only was Mr. D’Antuono instrumental in the creation of Staten Island’s first Business Improvement District, he also takes time to help local business owners find new ways to improve their bottom line. Mr. D’Antuono has worked tirelessly to make his community a better place to live, work and shop.

The M/WBE Advocate of the Year Award honors an individual, business, or organization whose leadership within the M/WBE community has encouraged entrepreneurship among other women and minorities and whose success has strengthened New York City’s small business landscape.

ACCION USA

Gina Harman, President and CEO

"It has been ACCION’s honor to serve NYC’s small business community for nearly two decades. By providing affordable credit and financial education services, we will continue to empower local entrepreneurs to build strong businesses, create jobs and be a force for positive change in our city’s neighborhoods." -Gina Harman

ACCION provides loans and financial literacy for disadvantaged business owners throughout New York City. About 94 percent of ACCION’s customers are minorities, 75 percent are immigrants and 40 percent are women. ACCION targets entrepreneurs who do not qualify for loans from mainstream banks; many borrowers do not even have bank accounts. Since 1991, ACCION has made over 11,000 loans, awarding more than $76 million to low-income individuals. Without ACCION, these entrepreneurs might be forced to abandon their business or turn to loan sharks for funding. ACCION gives them the opportunity to start and grow their business, provide diverse goods and services and contribute to the rich culture of New York City.

The Placemaking Award honors an individual or organization that has completed a project which increased the visibility, stature, and overall identity of a neighborhood, resulting in greater visitation and economic activity. Examples include: capital improvements, special events, promotional campaigns, or other unique efforts that have attracted significant attention and participation.

Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership

Michael Blaise Backer, Executive Director

"The 'Home Grown and Locally Owned' campaign reinforces the reality that the success of our small businesses and the vitality of our neighborhood are closely intertwined." -Michael Blaise Backer

The Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership created the Home Grown & Locally Owned marketing campaign to showcase Myrtle Avenue’s business community. Featuring the personal stories of entrepreneurs who have invested their time, energy and money in building their small business, the campaign leverages the historic “mom and pop” character of Myrtle Avenue. Launched in January 2007, the campaign has increased local awareness of new business openings on Myrtle Avenue, broadened residents’ familiarity with local business owners, and increased foot traffic on Myrtle Avenue. Pedestrian counts have increased by nearly 30 percent over the last two years! The Home Grown & Locally Owned campaign brands the corridor as the local “Main Street” of choice in downtown Brooklyn.

The Leadership Award honors an individual or organization who has demonstrated outstanding leadership over the course of their career in advancing the development or overall economic welfare of a New York City neighborhood. Candidates may be from the business or civic community, and must demonstrate success at bringing together different stakeholders.

Bishop Mitchell G. Taylor

"Public housing neighborhoods should be places of true opportunity where every child has access to a first-rate education, every worker has access to a job that pays a living wage and all residents have access to basic goods and services. It has been my life's work to achieve this vision and I remain steadfast in my belief that together we can and will achieve it." -Bishop Mitchell G. Taylor

Bishop Mitchell G. Taylor is a forty-year resident of Long Island City, and has dedicated his life and career to serving his community. Bishop Taylor is the Senior Pastor of the Center of Hope International (COHI), a non-denominational church adjacent to Queensbridge Houses, one of the largest public housing developments in the country. In 2004, convinced that a single church would not be able to handle all the issues facing public housing residents, Bishop Taylor founded the East River Development Alliance (ERDA), an alliance of local leaders, educators, business owners and residents. Under Bishop Taylor’s leadership, ERDA has provided residents in four public housing neighborhoods with the tools and resources necessary for self-sufficiency and economic mobility. Bishop Taylor’s organizations have produced measurable outcomes for some of the most underserved people in Queens.

Norman Buchbinder Neighborhood Beautification Award recognizes an individual, business or organization that has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to highlighting and enhancing the look and feel of a neighborhood. The award is presented in memory of Norman Buchbinder, a co-founder of the Union Square Partnership, the city’s first Business Improvement District, and founder of the Village Alliance BID.

IKEA Brooklyn

Luis Fernandez, IKEA Brooklyn Deputy Store Manager

"One of IKEA's core philosophies is 'To create a better everyday life for the many'. We believe that we will only achieve this hand in hand with our community. Involvement in our neighborhood is not something cosmetic to offer an impression of good corporate character but rather an essential part of IKEA's mission." -Luis Fernandez

During its first year of operation, IKEA Brooklyn has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to its surrounding Red Hook neighborhood by creating a public esplanade along the waterfront. Visitors and residents enjoy the esplanade, which features a paved bike and walkway, extensive new foliage and landscaping, well-lit seating areas and a publicly accessible pier extending into the Erie Basin. IKEA restored cranes, preserved shipyard artifacts, and constructed maritime mementos to highlight the unique past of the site. To improve transportation options and reduce customer reliance on automobiles, IKEA Brooklyn secured extensions of bus lines from the MTA, partnered with New York Water Taxi for ferry service and provided its own dedicated shuttle buses and bike parking. By working in partnership with its residential and business neighbors, IKEA Brooklyn has fostered a unified community.

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR GENEROUS SPONSORS

Citi and Con Edison

AND THE 2009 SELECTION COMMITTEE

Dr. Mitchell Moss
Henry Hart Rice Professor of Urban Policy and Planning
New York University Wagner School of Public Service

Eileen Auld
New York State Community Relations Director
Citi

David Margalit
Deputy Commissioner, Business Development Division
NYC Small Business Services

Frances Resheske
Senior Vice President of Public Affairs
Con Edison

Maria Torres
Chief of Staff
Economic Development Corporation