The Bronx Chamber of Commerce - Bronx Business News You Can Use

 

(Friday) Extra, Extra Click here for this week's video: Business to Business Networking on City Island 138th Street Merchant Association Convenes Stakeholders for Public Safety BXL Business Incubator Grand Opening in the HUB at 149th Street UniFirst Grand Opening NYC Restaurant Week Legislation & Advocacy Dining Out NYC Proposed Rules NYC Citizen's Budget Commission Survey NYC SBS Fund Finder Launched Loss Prevention Technology Survey Upcoming Events MGM Supplier Diversity Procurement Webinar, virtual,11/14/2023, from 9am - 10am Veteran's Day Luncheon - Honoring All Who Served, in-person, Pasquale Rigoletto, 2311 Arthur Avenue Bronx, NY. 11/15/2023 from 12:00pm - 3:00pm

CITY ISLAND BUSINESS TO BUSINESS  NETWORKING

The Bronx Chamber of Commerce hosted a Business to business-to-business networking event on City Island at the acclaimed Porto Fino's Restaurant on the waterfront. Members and guests learned about small business offerings, the Small Business Resource Network, and M/WBE certification and opportunities and discussed the need for coalition building on City Island. This event is part of a series of networking and educational opportunities in partnership with Councilmember Velasquez. For more information: sbrn@bronxchamber.org

138th MERCHANT ORGANIZING FOCUSES ON PUBLIC SAFETY

138th Street Merchants organize for the commercial district. Business owners came together with NYPD to discuss the newly formed Merchant Association, pubic safety goals, and opportunities for the area. Led by the Avenue NYC - Mott Haven program, year three, focuses on building sustained systems to keep building the area's momentum. For more information? AvenueNYC@bronxchamber.org

BXL BUSINESS INCUBATOR OPENS IN THE HUB

The Bronx Chamber team joined BOC's executive director Nancy Carin, Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson, and community leaders for the ribbon cutting of BOC Network's BXL Business Incubator at the HUB. Located in the busiest commercial district in the Bronx, the BXL incubator will provide growth space and services for entrepreneurs who seek opportunities to grow to scale. To learn more about these programs, email: sbrn@bronxchamber.org

UNIFIRST WELCOMED TO THE BRONX GRAND OPENING

Welcome to the Bronx  Congratulations to Unifirst Corporation on their grand opening on their new facility here in the Bronx. The Bronx Chamber team with our Executive Committee welcome UniFirst to the borough. UniFirst Corporation, a North American leader in providing customized business uniform programs, facility service products, and first aid and safety services, is excited to announce the grand opening of its new uniform service facility in the Bronx.  The 42,000-square-foot facility is dedicated to serving businesses in the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and portions of Nassau County.

NYC Restaurant Week Launches This is reminder to our hospitality sector businesses that NYC Restaurant Week registration is now open for the Winter 2024 program, taking place January 16th – February 4th, 2024. NYC Restaurant Week is designed to attract travelers and locals to restaurants across the City while offering incredible value on multi-course dining. If your restaurant has participated before and would like to do so again, please log in to the members-only section of nyctourism.com and complete the registration form. If your restaurant is new to the program or would like more information, please complete this interest form and a member of NYC Tourism will be in touch. Early Bird Registration ends October 31. Any questions may be sent to nycrestweek@nyctourism.com.

LEGISLATION & ADVOCACY

“Dining Out NYC” Proposed Rules The Adams administration is launching an engagement campaign on proposed rules for “Dining Out NYC,” the city’s permanent outdoor dining program. Under the program, outdoor dining will be permitted year-round on the sidewalk and in the roadway between April and November. The rules include a fee structure with varying rates based on location and setup size, design requirements, and siting criteria. The first approved Dining Out NYC setups are expected in spring 2024.

Citizens Budget Commission, or CBC for short, has long advocated for regular citywide resident surveys to help assess how the city is performing and inform city budgets. This ensures that New Yorkers’ input helps drive decisions at City Hall. If your household has received this notification, do not pass up this rare chance to provide feedback on the quality of life and government services in NYC. Please don’t let this opportunity slip by! Respond now by visiting the provided URL, scanning the QR code on the postcard, or dropping a completed survey in the mail. For more information, Click Here

NYC Funds Finder NYC's Department of Small Business Services (SBS) and Next Street announced the launch of a new platform connecting small businesses with trusted resources they need to open, grow, and maintain their business. The user-friendly platform – NYC Funds Finder is where small businesses can review funding options, including loans and grants, and request free 1-on-1 financing assistance from the SBS team.  NYC Funds Finder is a partnership between SBS and Next Street and the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth. Next Street Scale, the platform that powers NYC Funds Finder, was created to address the hurdles that small businesses, especially those run by women and minorities, face in accessing the resources required to grow their business and build wealth.

LOSS PREVENTION TECHNOLOGY SURVEY Loss Prevention Technology Survey, The Bronx Chamber of Commerce and our partners have issued a brief survey titled, "The Future is Here for Retail Theft Prevention." The survey seeks to understand business needs in the area of retail loss prevention. Take the Survey - Click Here

MAYOR ADAMS LAUNCHES NEW WHATSAPP CHANNEL TO COMMUNICATE DIRECTLY WITH NEW YORKERS

 

English and Spanish Channels Available

New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced the launch of the New York City Government WhatsApp Channel, available in both English and Spanish, to expand and enhance direct communication between the Adams administration and New Yorkers via one of the top-five most used apps in the world. Beginning today, Friday, October 27, 2023, the Channel will provide subscribers with updates directly from the Adams administration, information about city services, and content about New York City’s communities, activities, and culture.

 

WhatsApp is used by 2.4 billion people worldwide and more than 98 million people in the United States, making it a key communication platform for immigrant and international communities within New York City, where approximately 40 percent of the population was born outside of the United States. WhatsApp introduced “Channels” this summer as a new product, and it’s already being used by private companies, celebrities, sports teams, and newspapers around the world to reach tens of millions of people.

 

“Our administration is ‘Getting Stuff Done,’ and we want to tell New Yorkers what we are doing and how it can improve their quality of life,” said Mayor Adams. “Our administration is committed to reaching all communities that call New York City home, including immigrant and international communities who already use WhatsApp daily to communicate daily. This outreach in English and Spanish is one more way we’re making sure New Yorkers know what their government is doing for them and how to access services, engage in events, and learn about great things happening in New York City.”

 

“This administration is making communication with all New Yorkers a top priority, so we’re using one of the most popular communication tools in the world to get it done,” said Deputy Mayor for Communications Fabien Levy. “Just like I communicate with friends and family over WhatsApp, so do millions of other New Yorkers, and we’re excited to test out this new platform to share so much of how our city continues to deliver for New Yorkers every day. From direct e-mailing via the ‘Hear From Eric’ to SMS texting via ‘Text With Eric’ to the ‘Get Stuff Done-cast’ podcast and ‘Hear From The Mayor’ monthly call-in radio show, we are constantly adding new ways to reach New Yorkers and get their feedback.”

 

“In order to build stronger connections with the people we serve, we have to go directly to where New Yorkers stay connected with family and friends,” said Chief Technology Officer Matthew Fraser. “Mayor Adams’ new WhatsApp Channel is another important step in our continuing efforts to democratize access to information and raise awareness of all the impactful work this administration is getting done on behalf of New Yorkers.”

 

Today’s announcement builds on a series of actions taken to fulfill Mayor Adams’ vision of making this administration the most accessible in the city’s history. In August, Mayor Adams launched “Text With Eric,” an SMS-based communication program to converse one-on-one with New Yorkers about anything they want to discuss. In July, Mayor Adams launched “Hear from the Mayor,” a live, call-in radio show where New Yorkers can regularly call in and discuss issues they care about with the mayor. In January, Mayor Adams launched both “Hear from Eric,” an email-based direct communications program designed to reach New Yorkers where they are about local issues and priorities, as well as the “Get Stuff Done-Cast,” a podcast where he highlights the amazing things New Yorkers from all walks of life are doing to push New York City forward every day. Additionally, in May, Mayor Adams kicked off “Talk with Eric,” the administration’s second series of at least nine community town halls following last year’s successful series of eight “Community Conversations on Public Safety.”