Bronx Chamber of Commerce - Bronx Business News You Can Use

Upcoming Events, Legislative News, Grant Opportunities, & More

(Friday) Extra, Extra Click here for this week's video: Small Business Security Initiative Launched Sorin Honored - Bronx Week Business Luncheon Sylvan Learning Center Opens in COOP City The Bronx Chamber Celebrates Community Partners Bronx Tech Week Kick-Off Legislative & Advocacy Updates Open Street Dining Regulations Retail Theft Report Released Minimum Wage Upcoming Events Community Day of Action - Mott Haven, 5/20/2023 at 9am - Graham Triangle at 138th Street Exploring Makers & Breweries, 5/23/2023 at 6pm - The Bronx Brewery Emerging Professionals: Navigating Financial Literacy, 6/1/2023 at 5pm - 138 W. Fordham Road Joseph P. Kelleher Memorial Golf Tournament, 6/20/2023 - Trump Links at Ferry Point

SMALL BUSINESS SECURITY INITIATIVE LAUNCHED

Supporting Bodegas and Corner Stores - Small Business Security Initiative The Bronx Chamber of Commerce joined NYS Assemblymember Amanda Septimo, Dr. Meisha Porter of The Bronx Community Foundation, Francisco Marte of the NYS Bodega Association, the Association of Yemeni American Businesses, YAMA, and the NYS Supermarket Association to launch a $1 million pilot program to strengthen security and public safety among bodegas in The Bronx, Washington Heights, and East Harlem. The initiative will support installation of panic buttons, enhanced camera equipment, upgraded Point of Sale systems, and deeper communication with violence interrupters and law enforcement. This pilot program hopes to be expanded Citywide and is part of a cohesive policy and funding program to support small businesses. Grant applications for the program go live on June 1st and will be available through the Assembly member's office or by visiting The Bronx Community Foundation. For more information, email: communications@bronxchamber.org

SORIN HONORED DURING BRONX WEEK SMALL BUSINESS LUNCHEON

Honoring Leaders in Business - Bronx Week 2023. Our very own President Lisa Sorin was honored alongside Dr. Meisha Porter, The Bronx Community Foundation and Lourdes Zapata, SoBRO during the 2023 Business Luncheon hosted by Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, the BOEDC, and the Bronx Council on Tourism. Businesses from throughout the borough gathered and networked at the AB1 facility in Hunts Point as part of Bronx Week 2023. For more information on Bronx Wee visit: www.ilovethebronx.com

SYLVAN LEARNING CENTER GRAND OPENING IN COOP CITY

Hats off to Sylvan Learning Centers on the Grand Opening of the new center at COOP City, 115 Dreiser Loop! The Bronx Chamber team was delighted to join Chamber member Sylvan Learning on the opening of the new center. Joined by NYS Senator Jamaal Bailey and NYC Councilmember Kevin Riley we celebrated this vital learning center and it's impact on the Bronx. For more information: Email: sbrn@bronxchamber.org

MORMILE HONORED BY VISIONS GONZALEZ HONORED BY MONROE COLLEGE FOUNDATION BRONX CHAMBER TEAM CELEBRATES COMMUNITY PARTNERS

The Bronx Chamber of Commerce joined leading community organizations from throughout New York City and Westchester County in recognizing Bronx Chamber leaders and Board members. Chamber Chairperson, Anthony Mormile, SVP at Orange Bank & Trust was awarded during the VISIONS organization's community gala at Pelham Bar and Split Rock Golf Course. Chamber Board member, Greg Gonzalez, Owner of MPG, was honored by the Monroe College Foundation during Thursday evening's annual gala celebration.

Tony Billups, Director of Communications at the Bronx Chamber of Commerce, with Eileen Torres, Esq. , CEO of Bronx Works, during their annual gala benefit at the New York Botanical Garden. Stephen Jerome, Anthony Mormile, Greg Gonzalez, John Bonizio, and friends during the 2023 Monroe College Benefit Dinner.

Darry Saldana, Bronx Chamber Business Development Director, Lisa Flores, Director of the Mayor's Office of Contract Services, and Chanel Perez, Chamber M/WBE Program Officer at the launch of the Latino Economic Empowerment and Development launch reception. Michael Brady, SVP of Economic Development and Policy, with community partners and developers during the 2023 Gilbane Taste of Spring reception.

BRONX TECH WEEK LAUNCHED

Celebrating Bronx Tech and Businesses. The Bronx Chamber's Small Business Resource Network team partnered with community organizations for the Bronx Tech Summit hosted by Chamber member Sankofa Haus on Third Avenue in the South Bronx. The evening built on week long events focused on lifting tech and entrepreneurial voices throughout the borough and included a business idea launch panel with local experts supporting the tech and innovation space. For more info: SBRN@bronxchamber.org

NYC BEST PROGRAM & AVENUE NYC - MOTT HAVEN SUPPORT 138TH STREET BUSINESSES

Putting Small Businesses First The Bronx Chamber of Commerce Avenue NYC Program Manager, Tony Billups, accompanied NYC Department of Small Business Services' NYC BEST team along the 138th Street Corridor in the Mott Haven section of the South Bronx. The program educates business owners on free services available through their program. This program and tour was provided as part of the Bronx Chamber's NYC BID Day celebration - acknowledging the importance of our City's commercial corridors. During NYC BID Day, Chamber team members visited every business improvement district and emerging district to offer Bronx Chamber services and promote the Small Business Resource Network and Avenue NYC Program. Services include: ️Getting Licenses & Permits Faster  ️Avoiding Fines & Violations ️Understanding City Requirements  ️Preparing for Inspections For a list of services, visit NYC.GOV/NYCBEST

LEGISLATIVE & ADVOCACY UPDATES

OPEN STREETS DINING LEGISLATION  The new law will also include seasonal roadway dining from April through November as part of the permanent transformation of our streets. How this process is managed will be determined in the future by the Department of Transportation rule making process.   And outdoor dining will now be legally available to restaurants in all neighborhoods across the five boroughs, and no longer primarily concentrated south of 96th Street in Manhattan like it was before the pandemic.   Here are additional highlights of the agreed upon outdoor dining program, which still must be enacted by the Mayor and City Council before taking effect:    The outdoor dining license fee will be $1,050 for a four-year license. Previously it was a similar amount, but the fee was paid every two-years. License renewals will also be every four- years.     The consent fees will range from $6 per square foot to $18 per square foot in areas north of 125th Street in Manhattan and the other boroughs. Previously it was $30 per square foot. 80% of the city will pay the lowest $6 per square foot rate. The rest of Manhattan will pay $31 per square foot. Previously it was charged at $40 per square foot. So, a HUGE reduction in fees!     The fees for the roadway dining will be proportionally less because it's permitted only eight months a year.     Applications will no longer require plans to be prepared by a professional architect or engineer saving additional monies.     The required approval by the Landmarks Preservation Commission in the old sidewalk cafe law has been restricted compared to their authority under the pre-pandemic sidewalk café law, both by shortening the amount of time they must sign off on applications and by clarifying their limited jurisdiction over outdoor dining applications as they generally have no impact on landmark buildings or neighborhoods. This will speed up the process for restaurants and reduce bureaucracy.     Hours of operation will be 10:00 a.m. to midnight.     First time violations will get an opportunity to cure with no fine.     And very importantly, there will be a transition period where every business that currently has a permit under the emergency Open Restaurants program will continue to be able to operate until their application under the new law is acted upon by the city. (There will be a time by which the applications must be filed after the new law goes into effect. If a business doesn’t file an application by that deadline, they can no longer offer outdoor dining.) This is a huge win, so businesses don’t lose out on months of outdoor dining as they and the city transitions into the permanent program.       There is also a lengthy transition period for the existing roadway dining structures operating under the emergency Open Restaurants program. Non-compliant structures must be removed by November 1st, 2024. However, many will be removed sooner when their application is acted upon if the structure does not comply with the new Department of Transportation rules which will be adopted in the future.      There will be a variety of temporary outdoor dining permits available in the future. The first temporary permit will be issued to a new tenant if the premises had a licensed outdoor cafe within the prior two years, as long as it is essentially the same setup as the one previously licensed. The second temporary permit will be for new applicants who will not have to wait the full lengthy amount of time to receive a revocable consent and can get temporary permission to operate sooner while their application is pending.     Future increases to the consent fees will require the Mayor’s administration to go back to the City Council for approval. They only have the right to solely increase consent fees for the limited enclosed sidewalk cafes that remain every four-years.   IMPORTANT: While we believe sidewalk cafes will look like they did under the pre-pandemic program, it is IMPORTANT to note that we do not know yet what the design guidelines will be for roadway dining structures, however we know they will not allow fully enclosed structures like some restaurants currently have. We will work with the Department of Transportation on the development of the design guidelines, including requirements for four months that roadway dining will not be allowed.

MINIMUM WAGE Update - The following is the negotiated Minimum Wage increase that will be enacted in the state’s FY24 budget:   ·     MINIMUM WAGE: In New York City the hourly minimum wage will increase from $15 to $17 according to the following schedule:    $16 on and after January 1, 2024     $16.50 on and after January 1, 2025   $17 on and after January 1, 2026   Beginning on and after January 1, 2027, the minimum wage will be adjusted annually according to the consumer price index (“CPI”). Increases can be suspended if certain downward economic conditions occur. We hope that by indexing the minimum wage to the CPI, businesses can better plan for smaller automatic annual increases to the minimum wage based on actual economic factors, compared to much larger ad-hoc increases seen in New York City every handful of years based on political battles and negotiation, not the economy.   TIP CREDIT will be adjusted annually, pegging it at 2/3 the applicable general minimum wage listed above.  NYC Department of Consumer Affairs Update - The Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) enforces NYC’s Third-Party Food Delivery Service Laws, which cap the fees that third-party delivery apps can charge restaurants. The laws require DCWP to issue a report on the fee caps and DCWP would like to hear from you to inform our recommendations.   Please find attached a flyer on how you can provide feedback on the City’s fee caps and email RuleComments@dcwp.nyc.gov by Friday, May 26, 2023 with your comments. For the complete Bronx Chamber Events Calendar, featuring educational workshops, networking events and other opportunities hosted by the Chamber, its members, & partners, please visit and bookmark our website events calendar link in your browser - new events are added weekly!