This is Queensborough November Edition

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT & CEO

Gratitude

There are so many reasons to embrace the month of November. Change of the season reveal ing the beautiful fall foli age, we’re one month closer to wrapping up the year, and most important is the spirit of thanks which is a remind er to be grateful for our many blessings.

Respectfully during this time, we pause in celebration to honor our American veter ans for their patriotism, love of country, and sacrifice for the common good.

This month Queens Chamber will honor our heroes by hosting Supporting Veteran Business Owners, a procurement and certifica tions event. NYC Department of Veterans’ Services Commissioner and friend of

the

THOMAS J. GRECH PRESIDENT & CEO

along with individuals from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will discuss pub lic private sector procure ment opportunities as well as certifications for Veteran small business owners. A very special way to pay trib ute to those who served their country.

It wouldn’t be November without Howard Beach Holiday Lights on Cross Bay Boulevard. Queens Chamber will proudly co-sponsor this 2022 holiday celebra tion. Council Member Joann Ariola and local business es in the Howard Beach CD 32 area look forward to you joining them for this won derful display of lights and sound.

Please visit our web

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR

site www.queenschamber.org for more details and informa tion about these and numerous other events as well as resourc es available to support our local businesses.

I live every day in gratitude for the opportunity to serve as President CEO of this amaz ing organization. I’m thankful to each of you for continuously sup porting the Chamber.

Take a moment during this month to give thanks for all you’ve been blessed with in anticipation for what’s to come.

Remember QUEENS Strong!

Fall Back, Moving Forward

The first Sunday of November is the one day of the fall season that impacts more people than you might think. Daylight-Saving Time, when we move our clocks back one-hour ends on that day. It’s origin stems from an effort to conserve energy and a desire to match daylight hours to times when most people are awake.

Regardless how many day light hours you have, make it priority to maximize hours available every day by tap ping into resources to enable forward movement of your organization. The Queens Chamber can be one of your resources and be essential for you as a business owner. They develop programing designed to guide you down a path to long term sustainable success.

A couple of upcoming events come to mind which drive my point home. Perhaps you’re in the early stages

of creating your new business. The Nuts & Bolts of Starting a Business webinar would be ideal as it offers aspiring entrepreneurs the step-by-step process for devel

oping your written business plan, which we all know is the founda tion of every great organization. This presentation is in conjunc tion with NYIT Center for Human Resource Studies and Dispute Resolution Institute of New York. Don’t miss out on this opportunity.

ness owners. For details, please visit our website www.queen schamber.org.

Thank you for your continued support and being the best part of what we do on behalf of the Queens business community.

HOWARD GRAF CHAIRPERSON

If by chance you’re a non profit organization, “The Strength of Queens Nonprofit” presentation hosted by Queens Chamber Not for Profit committee and featuring Susie Tanenbaum, Director, Nonprofit Opportunities of Queens Borough President’s Office. This is a unique opportunity for nonprofits and small businesses to forge mutually beneficial collabo rations. Mark your calendars and join the conversation. These are just a small sam ple of the events and resourc es made available to you as Chamber members and busi

Join the Queens Chamber of Commerce today.

To sign up, visit queenschamber.org

Chamber James Hendon and Council Member Vickie Paladino

QUEENS QUICKLY Chic New Cafe Opens in Forest Hills

By Jessica Meditz jmeditz@queensledger.com

All coffee lovers of Forest Hills and its sur rounding communities now have a brand new cafe to add to their lists.

Forest Cafe, located at 68-04 Burns Street, celebrated its grand opening on Saturday, Oct. 9, inviting the community into their spacious, bright and comfortable location.

The cafe is powered by the family-run staff of sisters, Julie and Nina Fung, and Nina’s fian cé, Paul Shim.

The trio has been residents of Forest Hills for about a decade, and are proud to serve their neighbors and the community they call home.

“Since we've been residents of Forest Hills for such a long time, we've always wanted a cozy cafe in the neighborhood to be able to study and work,” Julie Fung said. “Earlier this year, we saw this place and we just had a very clear vision of what we wanted it to be.”

The space, decorated in a trendy, minimal ist style with pops of green both in the form of plants and the canopy exterior, offers a peace ful and cozy atmosphere for patrons.

Fung describes the cafe’s interior as a combi nation of Japanese and Scandinavian influenc es, and a mixture of all their decorative tastes.

There is ample seating for guests, including booth-style tables, stool seats, window bench es and two cushioned chairs situated by a cof fee table.

Also a plus is the complimentary Wi-Fi offered to patrons, as well as outlets to charge electronic devices.

“We really hope this place becomes an oasis for the Forest Hills community, for our friends, family or really just anyone who's looking to

stop by,” Fung said. “We wanted to make our cafe as peaceful as possible, which is also why we love this location so much. It's tucked away from the hustle and bustle of Austin Street, while still being in the heart of Forest Hills.”

Forest Cafe offers a variety of drinks, including classic espresso drinks, such as Americanos, macchiatos, cortados, cappuccinos and lattes.

The drinks are made with Project X Coffee beans, which are inspired by Japan, grown in Brazil and roasted in Chicago.

They’re also excited to share some signature drinks, including their Forest latte, iced shaker ato, ube latte, matcha latte, hojicha latte and a homemade iced tea.

The cafe’s namesake beverage is their signa ture latte that’s made with organic maple syrup, a hint of cinnamon and can be served hot or iced.

As for food, they serve croffles, which is a hybrid of a croissant and a waffle. They explained that the croffles are made fresh daily, and come in the flavors of plain, pista chio, Nutella or s'mores.

The team hopes to expand their menu soon, hopefully to include more savory items, as well as possibly obtaining a liquor license to experi ment with drinks in the future.

“We make a lot of drinks at home that we've never been able to share publicly, or they’re hard to find. We have our own twist on these drinks, so that's also what we wanted to pro vide,” Shim said.

“We enjoy seeing people drinking these drinks and enjoying it, and if it can get any better, we'd love to work on it,” he continued. “We all just love food, drinks and sharing it with others. It's a love language.”

Living in the neighborhood for some time, all three team members love the beauty and the friendly, community atmosphere Forest Hills has to offer.

“I actually wouldn't mind staying here for the rest of my life, to be honest, Fung said. “I might wander here and there, but I think I'll always want to come back to Forest Hills.”

“Our goal for this cafe is to become a staple in this neighborhood, a landmark. For example, if you're in Forest Hills, you know about Forest Hills Stadium,” she added. “That’s how big we want to grow this place to be.”

Forest Cafe is open seven days a week, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

For more information, visit @forestcafenyc on Instagram, or stop by Forest Cafe to wel come the business to the neighborhood.

QUEENS QUICKLY Dogtopia opens in Long Island City

By Alicia Venter aventer@queensledger.com

Dog daycare and spa Dogtopia has established its first location in Long Island City, franchised by two animal lovers who decided to leave their office jobs to find work that they were passionate about.

Sheena Mehta and Nancy Guo, both in their 30s, opened their first location in Long Island City on Sept. 6 at 5-49 49th Ave. When Mehta spoke with the Ledger on Oct. 17, she and her partner were opening their second location in Clinton Hill.

Choosing Long Island City was purposeful, as Guo had lived there for a number of years and “saw the city really transform.” Given her knowl edge of the community, It just made sense, Mehta explained, for them to open their first location in Long Island City.

“Being close to the water made us realize that there’s a huge dog community,” Mehta said. “It just made the perfect first location for us to dive right in.”

Providing dog care in New York City does not come without its challenges, Mehta explained. Animals need open space, which can prove diffi cult in the dense city. Their Long Island City loca tion, she shared, has 5,000 square feet for “the dogs to just run around.”

Though there is certainly a great amount of fun that can be had in caring for the animals — such as an employee dressing up as a hot dog for

As such, each “coach” that works for them must go through 30 to 40 hours of training in order to be in the room with the dogs.

“It’s so they understand when a dog is in dis tress, when two dogs don’t get along, how to break up a scuffle and how to deal with dogs with severe separation anxiety,” Mehta said. “We are seeing a lot of pandemic pups that have never been left alone. They just don’t know how to cope with that. Daycare is a great way to start socializ ing them.”

For full transparency between customer and daycare, owners can watch their animals at any time through a webcam. The first step when a customer puts their animal into daycare at

Dogtopia is to go through “a meet-and-greet.” The dog undergoes an evaluation to see how they interact with the staff and other dogs. Once that is complete, the owner has access to the app on their phone to see their animal is in a safe environment.

“We want to make sure that you are complete ly comfortable before leaving the most precious thing to most people in our care,” Mehta said. “Transparency is what we strive for above all.”

One thing an owner will never see, Mehta said, is their animal being disciplined. There are cor rection tactics, but the tactics are nothing harsh, she described.

Mehta and Guo both decided they want ed to become owners of a Dogtopia during the pandemic.

“We were both working jobs in finance, sitting behind a desk, and it was the time that everyone, it seemed, was getting a dog,” Mehta said. “We said maybe this is the point at which we leave our cor porate jobs and do something that we’re actually very passionate about.”

That was two years ago. Now, Mehta and Guo can proudly boast that they followed their pas sions, and have two daycare centers to take care of and devote their time to the animals that they love.

To check out LIC’s Dogtopia, visit their Instagram page @dogtopiaoflic. They can be reached at lic@dogtopia.com and 917-277-4020. Visit the Dogtopia corporate website at www.dog topia.com.

Take out the papers and the trash!

By Billy Wood news@queensledger.com

At the beginning of this month, the Department of Sanitation kicked off the curbside composting program for all of Queens County, with pick-ups scheduled on recycling days.

Compost pertains to items such as food scraps and leaves that are thrown out, but can be put in soil to help plants grow.

Therefore, it’s better for the environment because it makes for less waste in landfills and reduces the release of methane into the air.

“One-third of what New York residents throw out is compostable,” said Allie Gumas, senior manager of drop off and community composting at the Department of Sanitation.

“If you want to throw in your meat, diary, and other food scraps we will take that,” said Gumas. “You are giving it to us already, it is just a matter of it getting composted or not.”

As things continue to return to how they once

were pre-COVID, Gumas and others are hand ing out fliers and mailers to help spread the word. They want everyone to know about the compost ing program.

“For now, we are still supplying free brown bins to the buildings that want to start participat ing,” she said. “It is like when recycling was first rolled out in the late ‘80s early ‘90s because they were giving out recycling bins.”

Curbside composting is not something new to the city. It began in Staten Island in 2013. Eventually, some neighborhoods in Queens did have compost service, but due to the pandemic, the funding had to be reallocated and composting was halted.

“It is important that we do organic recycling,” said Gary Giordano, district manager of Queens Community Board 5. “It is 30 percent of the waste stream of NYC.”

One of the biggest expenses for the Department of Sanitation is the waste export. According to The Council of the City of New York, the budget

for 2022 will be increased to $448.2 million.

“We need that composting. It will save the city a lot of money and even more important is that it is important for the environment,” Giordano said.

While it is still too early to get the data on the amount of homes that are making use of the curb side composting program, the department is hop ing a high number of residents are participating.

The program will be on hiatus from the last week of December through March for winter preparation. During those months, they will look into the data to see how much yard and food waste they receive. Once they have more informa tion they will then gauge how they should move forward with this relatively new program.

While there will be no pick-ups during those months, there will be drop-off locations through out the city that will accept your compost.

For information about drop-off locations, please visit https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/dsny/ site/services/food-scraps-and-yard-waste-page/ nyc-food-scrap-drop-off-locations

“National Hot Dog Day” last week — the priority for Mehta and Guo is that the animals are safe.

A ‘SLICE’ OF QUEENS

Visit Jamaica for Really Good Pizza?

By Robert Intellisano

When you think of Jamaica, Queens and food, you usually think about excellent soul food, Caribbean jerk chicken and tasty Asian and Indian food. After all, Jamaica consists of primarily African Americans, Caribbean/West Indians, Hispanics, Asians, and Southeast Indians. There are also pockets of South and Central Americans, Bangladeshis, and Sri Lankans. Pizza is an afterthought at best.

The word “Jamaica” was derived from the “Jemeco” or “Yamecah” Indians who first lived there. Jamaica has a long-storied history since it was settled under Dutch rule in 1656. It was originally called “Rustdorp” (meaning rest town) before it took its current name.

As per Wikipedia, Jamaica Village was the first incorporated village on what was then Long Island in 1814, with its boundaries being the pres ent-day Van Wyck Expressway (on the west) and Jamaica Avenue (now Hillside Avenue) on the north, to Farmer’s Boulevard (on the east) and Linden Boulevard (on the south) which is now St. Albans.

Jamaica is in Queens Community Board District 12 and home to the John F. Kennedy International air port and several important govern ment buildings, such as the Queens Supreme, Civil and Family courts as well as the New York Racing Association. The Jamaica train sta tion is also a critical hub for the sub way, Long Island Railroad and the Air Train to JFK airport.

Famous people hailing from Jamaica, Queens include but are not limited to, writer Jimmy Breslin, rap pers Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and Trinidadian Nicki Minaj, former NBA player and coach, Mark Iavaroni, Fred Trump Jr. (older brother of Donald Trump) and American Founding Father and U.S. Constitution framer and signer Rufus King!

The King Manor, also known as the Rufus King House, is a histor ic house at 150th street and Jamaica Avenue, where it still stands today and

is being refurbished. It was an honor to be invited to visit the “King Manor Museum” this summer courtesy of Board President Walter Sanchez!

One of the cool things about writ ing the “A SLICE of Queens” month ly column is that I run into people that feel like they must tell me about their favorite local slice spot! This month is no different.

Two years ago, I was referred to Jonathan Karten, Court Officer, who was in the market for life insurance by his BFF, Brendan Leavy, the Queens Chamber of Commerce Business Development Manager. Most conver sations with me will eventually evolve to pizza, so I invited Jonathan and to meet at Nick’s Pizza in Forest Hills.

Jonathan, now a friend and fellow foodie, had been touting “Margherita Pizzeria” as the go-to favorite local slice spot for him and his fellow court officers. Since 1966, Margherita has been located at 163-04 Jamaica Avenue and Guy Brewer Boulevard. It is a short walk from the Queens Family Court building.

Margherita is a hidden gem that you would drive or walk right past (which I did), that features a mid-level chewy crust (not thin and not thick) with a gooey cheese. If you are the type that likes a chewy instead of crunchy crust, this spot is for you! We ordered a well-done pie (see picture).

Margherita is a tiny location that is cash only and has no restroom or parking. There are 5 small tables in the back, along with an old-school

1960’s countertop, as most customers buy slices to grab and go. Pies can be ordered in advance. Jonathan, Brendan and I had a grand time there, even on a rainy Monday afternoon.

Sitting Just 2.7 miles from Margherita is Gaby’s Pizza, so it had to be tried! Gaby’s Pizza (technically in Hollis) Is located in the Fran Hill strip mall that sits less than 2 miles from the St. John’s University campus at 204-23 Hillside Avenue and Francis Lewis boulevard. Gaby’s is less than 3 miles from the new UBS Arena, so it is a great place to stop before an Islander game or a show.

Gaby’s is a family-owned restau rant operated since 1964 by own ers Guerrino and Andre LoGuidice, Orlando Correale and Gerome Seidita. Brothers Guerrino and John LoGuidice founded the pizzeria in 1964 after migrating from Rome, Italy. The original location was in the same strip mall just 4 storefronts down. It was a small place with booths, a few tables and a jukebox that played tunes for 10 cents.

It was in December of 2021, one month before I started the first pizza column when I asked the Queens Chamber of Commerce’s Chief Operating Officer Joanne Persad her favorite Queens slice spot and she imme diately said Gaby’s! Gaby’s still uses their original ingredients, and their cheese is aged in their on-site refrig erators. The dough is stretched out in olive oil and topped with sauce made from import

ed tomatoes from Italy before being baked on a specially made screen. I found their thin crust version of the grandma slice to be very good!

The current location seats about 80 customers and there is plenty of park ing available. In 2007, Gaby’s was selected by the Rachael Rae show to compete against Chicago pizza, and Gaby’s won! As per their website www.Gabyspizza.com they have been invited to Good Day New York on Fox 5 to deliver pizza to veterans on Memorial Day and in 2017 they were ranked in the top 3 of ALL pizzerias in the tri-state area by ABC News.

Other than delicious pizza, anoth er thing I like about Gaby’s is their commitment to the local commu nity. They sponsor Little League baseball and fund raisers in their local Jamaica, St. Albans and Hollis communities.

The bottom line is, there is fantas tic pizza across this great diverse bor ough of Queens no matter where you go!

Try pizza in Jamaica, Queens and let me know what you think at Rob@ InsuranceDoctor.us.

Since 1966, “Margherita Pizza” has been serving N.Y. style slices and pies on Jamaica Avenue.

Robert Intelisano with Brendan Leavy from the Queens Chamber and Jonathan Karten, Court Officer

GREEN SPOTLIGHT Reliable Power Alternatives Corporation

The Queens is Green Initiative works to connect Chamber mem bers and industry leaders in an effort to help businesses become more energy efficient and ensure that Queens is leading the way in the fight against climate change. Through educating, advocating and networking the Queens is Green Initiative strives to make Queens the greenest county in the largest city in America.

This energy partnership will help Queens Chamber members conserve energy and save money. Bringing together Chamber mem bers Reliable Power Alternatives Corporation, SUNation Solar Systems, Green Energy Technology, CPower Energy Management, National Grid and Con Edison, we will help our businesses become more energy efficient and assure that Queens is the greenest and most energy efficient borough and county in New York.

This month’s Green Spotlight fea tures the work of Chamber mem ber Reliable Power Alternatives Corporation.

Because of the Queens is Green Initiative Reliable Power & the Queens Chamber of Commerce has developed the nation’s first ‘Green Energy Aggregation Pool”. As one of the largest energy consultants in the US.

We strive to bring the advanced savings programs for our custom ers. Some of which include many of the largest energy users in the country.

However, in many cases the small to medium size commercial busi nesses didn’t have the buying power to access these savings programs.

This is why RPAC created the first Aggregation Pools in the industry which great success. And after years of garnering savings for our thousands of customers. We created the RPAC 100% Green Energy based Program. RPAC cares about the environment and is committed to bringing 100% green energy aggregation to the local Queens community.

The renewable pool is a true green energy product, and cus tomers who participate in RPAC Aggregation Pools can source 100% renewable electricity through the purchase of Green-e Renewable Energy Credits to reduce carbon emissions.

Some key points:

• Customers will fully avoid the “Scope 2” carbon emissions from electricity consumption from the grid

• Demonstrate your commit ment to green energy with certified REC’S

• Our seamless process makes it easy to join

• The Green Energy Pool has zero long term commitments, and you can leave at any time of move to a non-green fixed rate

Please call one of our analysts to see how easy it is to be green with the QCC & RPAC!

RPAC Contact Info: 516-2288000 or rfrazier@rpac.net.

QUEENS CHAMBER NEWS & EVENTS

Group Hails Heroes Making a Difference

On Thursday, Sept. 22, an orga nization that helps law enforce ment officers, honored a few exceptional individuals instrumen tal to their cause.

The mission of ‘Peer to Peer’ Post Tour Processing is a bit different than so many oth ers that work on behalf of law enforcement.

Their unique mission is cen tered around finding a safe place for support for officers, sharing experiences on their daily tour on a confidential virtual ‘zoom-like’ platform that helps police officers to process unusual experiences of the day.

“We all should understand the trauma police officers go through

on their job each day,” said TTM PTP president and founder Dr. Robyn Cannariato. “That daily exposure accumulates over time. Talking about it and sharing it with others in a peer-to-peer bub ble is changing lives, and we’re glad to help.”

Cannariato herself is a retired police officer. She and her team are passionate about changing this terrible trend of officers who die by their own hands following incidents involving enforcement action.

This night the group honored a number of individuals at Russo’s on The Bay in Howard Beach.

Leanne Simonsen, wife of Detective Brian Simonsen, a

42-year–old NYPD veteran who was killed in February of 2019 while responding to a robbery at a T-Mobile store on 120th Street in Richmond Hill, spoke at the event. Simonsen talked about her strug gle to go on.

“Without the support of some of the people in this room,” she said, “I don’t know if I’d be here.”

There wasn’t a dry eye in the room as Simonsen poured her heart out to the 150 people at the event.

Also honored was a face Queens Chamber members are familiar with: Tommy DiMisa.

DiMisa works for Vanguard, an employee benefits consulting firm, with a niche in non-profits.

“Tommy is a special person,” said Cannariato. “His under standing of mental health and his work with non-profits like ours is exemplary.”

Philip Schoppmann received the Meritorious Service Award. A board member of TTM PTP, he is also a trainer in the Suffolk County PD and in doing so he spends most of his time work ing on the mental health of police officers.

“Peer support teams are a vital part of a police officer’s men tal well being,” he said. “It’s quite important that we not only provide education, but also resources for law enforcement, first responders and their families.”

Queens businesses express concerns over cost of congestion pricing plan

Queens-based businesses are concerned about the impact con gestion pricing will have on their bottom line, according to survey results released on Oct. 12 by the Queens Chamber of Commerce.

The survey found that over half of the respondents (54 percent) were concerned about losing cus tomers as a result of congestion pricing.

“The results of this survey reflect the concerns small busi nesses have shared with us over the MTA’s plans to implement congestion pricing. There is legit imate concern that this plan will impose significant costs on doing business in the outer boroughs, making it more difficult to attract and retain customers and employ ees. While encouraging more peo ple to use public transit, reduc ing congestion and raising money to fund necessary infrastructure improvements are worthy goals, we have to consider the reality that small businesses are facing,” said Tom Grech, President and CEO of the Queens Chamber of Commerce.

The survey showed that:

• Over 80 percent of respon dents were aware of the details of the MTA’s plan to implement congestion pricing.

• Over 76 percent of respon dents would not be able to recoup the cost of toll charges onto their customers.

• Over 54 percent of respon dents were concerned about the loss of customers because of these new tolls.

• Half of all respondents are concerned about losing employees whose commute might be affected by conges tion pricing.

Northwell, Queens County Farm Museum announce community collaborative

On National Farmer’s Day on October 12, which pays trib ute to the hardworking farmers around the country at the height of the harvest season, Northwell Health and Queens County Farm Museum announced a new com munity collaborative and stra tegic alliance to advance health priorities.

This includes healthy eating and access to healthy food in an effort to curb diabetes, obesity, cancer and improve maternal and mental health while serving economical ly disadvantaged and minoritized communities across the greater New York region.

This five-year collaboration between the Queens County Farm Museum, which showcases 325 years of farming through edu cational programming, public events, its farmstand program and local food work, and Northwell, New York State’s largest private employer and health care provid er, is a strategic alliance that will help instill healthy values for New Yorkers while providing oppor tunities for the next generation of New Yorkers to work and learn from both historic institutions.

Four pillars of this new allian cen include having access to agri culture through education, vol unteer and apprenticeship-based opportunities, a new sensory experience program and “farmto-table” — Northwell will pro cure farm fresh food from Queens County Farm Museum for its patients and staff to reinforce healthy eating.

For more information on Northwell Health, visit www. northwell.edu.

For more information on Queens County Farm Museum, visit www. queensfarm.org.

COVER STORY

LIC Partnership looks to expand

President Laura Rothrock shares her plans for the future

By Alicia Venter aventer@queensledger.com

As Long Island City expands, the Long Island City Partnership President Laura Rothrock has her hands full. Beginning in September, Rothrock has taken the mantle of an organization unlike any other in Queens, offering aid to local businesses, members and stakeholders to Long Island City.

The mission of the partnership, which is the neighborhood development organization for Long Island City, is to advocate for the economic development of the community. The partnership is a member and sponsor-based organization.

The partnership, which also manages a busi ness improvement district (BID), which began in 2005, has shown its strength in the past year. In the 2022 fiscal year, which runs from July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022, there were 30 new businesses opened in the BID’s boundaries. That is a record number, which Rothrock noted

is interesting given the residual effects of the pandemic.

“It’s been a tricky time economically, but peo ple have long-term confidence in Long Island City, which is great,” Rothrock said.

The BID’s core services include marketing, sanitation, beautification and public safety.

Through their services, 204 businesses were assisted with permit approval, access to financial and payment plans set up with Con Edison with in the fiscal year.

“A BID is only a piece of what we do,” Rothrock said. ”We do a lot with a limited budget.”

The LIC BID has a texting service to directly connect with the community regarding their ser vices. Rext LICBID to (929) 269-8848 for more information.

The organization provides business services to six different zip codes, helps community mem bers navigate the city agencies, manages a mar keting team and holds events. A key initiative for

the partnership is marketing for stakeholders and so locals can see the services offered nearby.

“We’re really unique because we are the most mixed use community in the country,” Rothrock said. “We want to be able to promote that more.”

The partnership has their marquee event soon — the LIC summit is on Tuesday, Nov. 15.

The event will be a panel discussion — with speakers including Councilwoman Julie Won and Queen Borough President Donovan Richards — on how being a mixed-use neighborhood has contributed to the resiliency of the community, as well as Long Island City’s future.

The LIC Summit will be held at the Museum of the Moving Image, beginning at 8:30 a.m. Tickets can be purchased through the LIC Partnership website, licqns.com.

There are typically four major events held by the partnership, such as the Real Estate Breakfast held in March. These events, Rothrock said, bring a “signature program” for the partnership.

Working with elected officials such as Won

COVER STORY

Rothrack applauds LIC’s resilience

— who is on the board of the part nership automatically as the coun cilwoman for the area — and the Borough President’s office, the part nership is able to connect with the local residents in the community as well as the businesses it serves.

“Even though we are a business organization, we also want to col laborate with the residents and that we’re promoting the local retail business to the residents,” Rothrock said.

Her last job was as a con sultant at Nicholas and Lence Communications. Prior to this, dur ing the Bloomberg Administration, she worked at the Department of Small Businesses Services and man aged the BID Program. As such, she has experience both as a pri vate consultant and within the government.

The organization is working on two BID expansions, one towards the west and one to the east, past Sunnyside Gardens. Stakeholders outside of the Long Island City BID boundaries expressed the need for supplemental services, the part nership website stated, to address the changing needs of the neigh borhood. If all goes through, the BID assessment budget will double through this growth.

It will be under “the BID umbrel la,” Rothrock said, but given the dif ference in the neighborhoods, each sub-district needs its own budget and planning to meet its needs.

The expansion to the east is in the industrial area of Long Island City, and it has no residents.

“For all intents and purposes, we’re one BID, but [the east expan sion] will have its own budget and slightly different services, because the services needed in the industrial area are different,” Rothrock said.

It is a very lengthy process to expand the BID, Rothrock said, beginning with a planning phase that took the partnership approxi mately two years to complete.

The outreach phase has begun, which included four public forums, and soon the planning will enter

the legislative phase.

Proposed west expansion

Proposed east expansion into the industrial zone.

Rothrock’s experience prior to becoming President allowed her to transition easily into the role.

The biggest controversy in Long Island City is Innovation QNS, which the partnership has expressed support of through testi fying at the city council meetings.

“We’re hoping that they reach an agreement, because it really would be a missed opportunity if the proj ect didn’t go through,” Rothrock said.

However, Rothrock expressed how the organization is apoliti cal and non-partisan — Innovation QNS does not fall within the

boundaries of the BID, and they purely look at the project as a way for the community to grow eco nomically, as well as gain quality of life improvements such as new open space.

More information about the LIC Partnership can be found at www. licqns.com

QUEENS CHAMBER NEWS & EVENTS Chamber CEO, Electeds Celebrate Opening of Goldfish Swim School

By Jessica Meditz jmeditz@queensledger.com

Goldfish Swim School commemorated the recent grand opening of its Glendale location inside The Shops at Atlas Park with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Nov. 2.

Staff members, community supporters, local elected officials and even their mascot, Bubbles, joined in on the celebration of the neigh borhood’s new addition. The Glendale loca tion marks the third Goldfish Swim School in Queens, with the others located in Astoria and Flushing.

Dedicated to teaching children between the ages of four months and 12 years of age the life-saving skill of swimming, Goldfish Swim School strives to do so in a fun, friendly and safe environment.

Parents in the community have expressed their need for a local swim school for years, accord ing to Rafael Gonzalez, the location’s general manager.

“We’re very prideful that we’re physically here, to help with the mall and to service the community,” he said. “We’re very happy to fill the need of the community, and hope to contin ue working with community outreach, our local partners here, and have fun in the water.”

Gonzalez added that Goldfish Swim School operates on a proprietary corporate swim structure, meaning that all swim instructors

are taught how to properly teach their swim curriculum.

The team focuses on teaching the Science of SwimPlay®, which involves interactive swim lessons encouraging education and skill-building in a play-based environment.

They offer swim education to children of all experience levels, from parent and child classes to Swim Force, which Gonzalez described as a “mock interpretation of a swim team” for their most advanced swimmers.

Held in partnership with the Queens Chamber of Commerce, President and CEO Tom Grech emphasized that the addition of a new busi ness in the borough expands job opportunities for residents and further meets the needs of the community.

Goldfish Swim School currently has 35 employ ees and seeks to expand to 50.

Atlas Park General Manager Peter DeLucia congratulated them on their opening and noted that Goldfish went through a difficult process before opening on Oct. 6, citing DOB-related issues, construction delays and the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s a great team here,” DeLucia said. “I’ve been very impressed with their operations; they’re great partners.”

According to the CDC, more children ages one to four die from drowning than any other cause of death in the U.S.

New York State Senator Joseph Addabbo

and Councilman Robert Holden both stressed the importance of water safety for young chil dren, and thanked Goldfish Swim School for the valuable services and skills they provide to the district.

“Up in Albany, we have about three pieces of legislation that talk about water safety in terms of saving a life,” Addabbo said. “Somebody could drown in just three inches of water. We’re all about fun, but just as we look at water safety here, you can also be responsible for saving a life.”

Gonzalez said that the swim school sees between 300 and 350 children within a given day, and that enrollment is up to 1,840 member ships, with anticipation to hit 2,000 in the com ing weeks.

The facility offers an indoor swimming pool heated year-round, a state-of-the-art water puri fication system, a viewing area for parents, mod ern training equipment and tools, a private space for parties and events, an in-house snack bar and shop and a hair drying station, swimsuit dryers and private changing rooms.

Goldfish Swim School’s Atlas Park location is open from 3:45 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. It is located where The Fair used to be, across from HomeGoods and to the left of Ulta Beauty.

Parents can visit goldfishswimschool.com/glen dale or call 929-294-7489 to register their young one for classes.

From left to right: Councilman Robert Holden, Goldfish mascot Bubbles, Queens Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Tom Grech and Atlas Park General Manager Peter DeLucia

On Monday, October 17, dozens of business and tech leaders gath ered for a tech mixer in Jamaica hosted by the Queens Chamber of Commerce, Queens’ oldest and larg est business association, and Greater Nexus, a recently opened 10,000 sq.ft. coworking space managed by the Greater Jamaica Development Corporation. Leaders from Queens’ burgeoning tech scene networked and heard remarks from Tom Grech, President and CEO of the Queens Chamber of Commerce, Justin Rodgers, President and CEO of the Greater Jamaica Development Corporation and Jason Myles Clark, Executive Director of Tech:NYC.

“The tech scene in Queens is strong and growing with startups and established companies looking for space and seeking out like-mind ed businesses to aid their expansion. We created Greater Nexus to be that resource,” said Justin Rodgers, President & CEO of Greater Jamaica Development Corporation. “Thanks to our partners at the Queens Chamber and Tech:NYC for showcasing opportunities to do busi ness in Jamaica.”

"The Greater Nexus space is a boon for economic opportunity in Jamaica and Southeast Queens. As a Jamaica native, I couldn’t be more excited for its impact. New York's tech sector is already a lead ing driver of the city's economy, and its continued growth in Queens and the greater NYC region is essential to tech reaching its full potential. Affordable workspaces like Greater

Nexus will be important in support ing the growth of startups and other businesses in Queens and cultivat ing the leaders of New York's bur geoning tech sector,” said Jason Myles Clark, Executive Director of Tech:NYC.

“With our diversity, education sys tem and transportation network, Queens has everything tech compa nies – from start ups to established industry giants – need to grow and thrive. The Queens Chamber and the Queens Tech Council are dedi cated to supporting a strong tech ecosystem throughout Queens. We are delighted to be here in Jamaica, at the beautiful Greater Nexus, to connect with tech lead ers in Southeast Queens. I want to thank Justin Rodgers and Jason Myles Clark, two wonderful part ners in fostering the growth of tech in our borough,” said Tom Grech, President and CEO of the Queens Chamber of Commerce.

The Chamber launched the Queens Tech Council in February 2021. Council members include rep resentatives from Google, Facebook, Amazon, Pursuit, LIC Partnership, Greater Jamaica Development Corporation, Crown Castle, JetBlue Ventures, Cornell Tech, and The Business Incubator Association of New York State. They recent ly announced the launch of an Incubator Spaces Program, which will provide free office space to selected tech start ups at Greater Nexus, and other sites throughout the borough.

Photo credit: Dezirae B Multimedia (Dezirae Bradley)

QUEENS CHAMBER NEWS & EVENTS

Most Small Firms Underestimate Cyber Attack Costs & Recovery Time

By Gerry Dolan, AVP Select Commercial Lines, USI Insurance Services, LLC

According to the US National Cyber Security Alliance, 60% of small businesses that suf fer a cyber attack go out of business within 6 months.

However, a new survey has found that most small businesses greatly underestimate the recovery costs after a company is hit by a cyber attack, as well as the time it takes to recover.

Nationwide Insurance’s “Agency Forward” survey found that 40% of small business own ers estimate that a cyber attack would cost their organization less than $1,000, and 60% said it would take less than three months to fully recover. Those are significant underestimates, and it reflects how little most owners know about the true effects of these increasingly sophisticated attacks.

The rose-colored view is complicated by the fact that small businesses are now the main tar get of cyber attacks, particularly those involv ing ransomware. As a result, many companies are not taking the appropriate steps to guard against attacks, and may also forgo securing cyber insurance.

And that can be a mistake as the average cost of a cyber-attack claim is between $15,000 and $25,000, according to Nationwide. Additionally, the average recovery time for a business after an event is 279 days, according to the insurer. But many never recover.

Nationwide found that about 28% of small business owners said they have cyber coverage, compared to 71% of middle-market businesses.

Cyber-attack costs can mount quickly. After an attack and assessing the damage, a business may be faced with a number of expenses for:

• Systems and operational recovery,

• Data restoration,

• Addressing reputational damage, and

• Legal costs.

Worse yet, most small companies have not installed safeguards to protect against attacks. The survey found that:

• Only 48% of small business owners said they felt prepared to prevent a cyber attack (compared to 83% of mid-sized firms).

• 56% said they conducted cyber-security training at least once a year (94% of midsized firms hold training).

Protection against attacks

Malware is the largest threat, with the small business sector accounting for 50 to 70% of attacks. Malware is software — such as virus es and ransomware — intentionally designed to cause disruption and damage to a computer or network, or to gain unauthorized access to pri vate information.

You can thwart the criminals by:

Educating your employees: Regularly update your staff on new security protocols. The more your employees know about cyber attacks and how to protect your data, the safer your business will be. Send out regular reminders not to open attachments or click on links in e-mails from people they don’t know or expect.

Implementing safe-password practices: Have employees use complicated passwords and change them regularly every 60 to 90 days. Using robust security platforms and proto cols — That includes installing web application firewalls and using secure payment gateways if you accept credit cards online. Your website hosting company should regularly patch securi ty vulnerabilities, and you should ensure that all computers have antivirus software installed.

Regularly backing up all data: That includes databases, financial files, human resources files and accounts receivable and pay able files.

Cyber Insurance

Even with the protections in place, companies still can suffer an attack. If it’s a ransomware attack, your systems may be unusable until the ransom is paid.

Fortunately, cyber insurance can help pay for the costs associated with an attack, includ ing expenses related to recovery, lawsuits and ransoms.

Coverage will differ from one carrier to anoth er, so it pays to call us at 516-779-4281 to dis cuss your options.

Gerry Dolan, AVP Select Commercial Lines, USI Insurance Services, LLC

QUEENS CHAMBER MEMBER NEWS

Quality Healthcare in our community

By George Onuorah

EMU Health, a multi-special ty outpatient medical facility in the Glendale section of Queens, NY, has partnered with Rothman Orthopedic Institute, a global lead er in the treatment of musculoskel etal issues. This new affiliation is the latest step by EMU Health in pursuing its stated goal to continue to elevate the level of health care available to the previously under served Queens community.

“Rothman Orthopedic special ists will now be seeing patients at EMU Health in Queens,” explained Daniel Lowy, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of EMU Health. “This move will bring further highlevel quality care to patients and their families in our greater Queens area.”

“We are really excited about

the continued growth of Rothman Orthopedic Institute in the New YorkCity market,” said Alexander R. Vaccaro, MD, PhD, MBA, President of Rothman Orthopedic Institute, Richard H. Rothman Professor and Chairman of the Department of Orthopedics, and Professor of Neurosurgery at Thomas Jefferson University and Hospitals.

“Partnering with EMU Health will provide patients in this region access to some of the best orthope dic providers in theworld, and we look forward to bringing the best musculoskeletal care to the Queens community.”

This affiliation with Rothman Orthopedic represents the latest initiative by EMU Health to con tinue growing its world-class med ical and patient care offerings in Queens, through recruitment

of eminent physicians as well as broader collaborations with other leading medical organizations and entities.

“Our vision at EMU Health is to provide all residents of the various communities in queens with the highest quality medical and sur gical services," said Efrat Yaish, Chief Clinical Executive and Principal at EMU Health. Yaish noted that this new affiliation with Rothman Orthopedics is anoth er significant step in pursuing that vision, enabling EMU Health to further expand its resources and services in the realm of musculo skeletal subspecialties, consulta tions, diagnostics, treatments, and surgeries.

“When selecting a health partner, it is important that the goals, val ues and vision of patient care are perfectly aligned,” said Christopher T. Olivia, MD, CEO of Rothman Orthopedic Institute. “EMU Health is an ideal partner for their com mitment to bringing high-quality orthopedic services to the commu nities, the very principles Rothman Orthopedics was built on.”

“Making a positive difference in the community has been a key

imperative in the founding and growth of EMU Health,” Lowy added, “and we’re proud to feel that our Glendale home is not only bringing an expanding set of worldclass medical care to Queens fam ilies, but is emerging as a lead ing medical treatment destination across the entire NYC Metro area.”

About EMU Health:

EMU Health is a five-year-old multi-specialty outpatient medical facility under article 28, consist ing of an ambulatory surgery center (AAAHC accredited) and a special ty care center consisting of ortho pedics, general surgery, women's health, interventional radiology & cardiology. Since its inception, the facility has strived to make worldclass medicine locally available to Queens residents, and continually recruits top physicians from around New York City to bring their tal ents to the Queens community.

For information or to reach our specialists: Phone: 718-850-4368 Email: appointments@ emauhealth.com

Dr. George Onuorah is the co-founder of Our World Media, a print and digital magazine of editorial and political commentaries, ar ticles, essays and interviews. He wrote the book “The Political Diary of a Rising Son”

QUEENS CHAMBER MEMBER NEWS

Healing Generational Trauma Begins with Healthy Young Minds

By William Weisberg, Ph.D., Executive Director, Forestdale Inc.

The events of the pandemic have brought upon us unprecedented times where our resilience – as individuals and as a society – has been tested. This resilience is par amount in determining how one will thrive following such devasta tion and loss. While we recognize the atrocities of loss and grief have been known to mankind through out the course of human existence, we also know that the mark of such trauma can be life-changing, trig gering anxiety, fear, hopelessness, anger, frustration, resentment, and pain. Thriving beyond trauma requires a hope for better.

However, oftentimes, it is not without a lot of effort that indi viduals remain hopeful in the midst of oppressive circumstanc es. Additionally, oppressive cir cumstances – particularly over an elongated period – can impact the structure of the brain and central nervous system. This altered bio logical structure can exist in one’s genes and be passed along to the next generation.

Generational trauma is the idea that descendants of a person who has had a threatening experi ence may show the adverse emo tional and behavioral response to the experience, similar to those of the ancestor who experienced the event. Behavioral responses may include shame, anxiety, guilt, depression, substance abuse, diffi culty with attachment to others, and more. Initial research concentrated on descendants of survivors of the Holocaust and Japanese-American internment camps. However, the concept has now broadened to include indigenous populations and communities of color in American society.

The impact of a traumatic event that adversely affects one’s cogni tive and emotional well-being can be inherited for three or more gen erations. Healing from trauma in the present offers benefits beyond one’s lifetime, preventing the poten tial transmission of emotional dys regulation to one’s descendants.

How does healing happen?

To heal trauma is to create a safe space where trust can be reinstated. Safe spaces that are geographical and relational offer the opportuni ty to heal from trauma. Unpacking the trauma, the underlying reason, and how to prevent recurrence is also healing.

Creating safety for oneself is the foundation for healing and resil iency. One’s ability to process a past trauma, understand the experi ence, and protect oneself from more adversity is the crux of how one recovers from what occurred and begins to trust, engage, and thrive again.

The process of recovering from trauma can occur with guidance from trained professionals who understand human cognition and emotion. Mental health services are a prime modality for facilitating trauma recovery.

We, at Forestdale, Inc. – a social service organization housed in Queens and Brooklyn with the mis sion to ensure that children and families have fundamental assets needed to thrive - provide services to children and families that disrupt generational trauma and the cycle of events and behaviors that cre ate adversity in the life of a child and family; ultimately, providing supports that lead to social, emo tional, and economic stability and advancement for families who are child welfare system-involved and beyond.

One form of intervention that is highly effective at resolving genera

tional trauma is dyadic therapy – a form of treatment that actively sup ports parent-child attachment. One in four children, ages 3-5, are esti mated to struggle with psychosocial stress. Additionally, in the United States, more than 792,000 children have entered foster care services in the past year, indicating expo sure to separation, loss, and trau ma at a young age. Yet, interven tions for emotional health are often postponed until older ages due to limited relevant interventions and the dearth of clinicians with quali fied training for psychotherapeutic approaches for young children.

Forestdale, Inc. is expanding men tal health services for children, ages 0-5, with plans to provide evidencebased dyadic therapist for young children. These therapies are root ed in attachment theory – which supports the idea that young chil dren need a healthy relationship their caregivers to thrive emotion ally. The objective of these thera pies is to strengthen the child-care giver bond.

Given that dyadic developmen tal psychotherapy is still relatively new as a practice – formed in the 1980’s by Dan Hughes, a clinical psychologist - there is still more to learn concerning the most effective interventions for specific diagno

ses. Therefore, offering a few key evidence-based dyadic interven tions developed in the past 30 years by esteemed experts in child devel opment positions providers well to best service the needs of children, families, and communities.

As we, at Forestdale, expand upon our dyadic work with children and their caregivers, we look forward to further contributing to the evidence that these interventions offer lifealtering results for families – secur ing attachment, promoting nurtur ance, enhancing a child’s sense of security and self-esteem. We con sider ourselves privileged to be part of such important work for the bet terment of children, families, and communities.

Dr. William Weisberg, Ph.D.

QUEENS CHAMBER NEWS & EVENTS

Investing During Volatile Markets

Understanding the stock market’s unpredict able tendencies is a challenge during the best of times. But what happens when price swings grow abnormally large? It is essential for investors to understand how market volatility affects them and their investments.

Volatility: Definition and Causes

It is in the stock market’s nature to fluctuate sharply during the short term, making volatil ity inevitable. The market’s volatility is mea sured by its standard deviation, how spread apart the data is from the expectation. Periods when prices fall or rise quickly cause spikes in volatility that take time to revert back to the norm. While driven by a number of factors, uncertainty is a primary culprit. But what drives uncertainty? Everything from emotional responses from investors to differing opinions from experts.

Investors tend to overreact to specific events in the market, causing a contagion-like epi sode that spreads from one institution to another.

The 24-hour news cycle and differing opin ions from market experts also complicates matters. Emotional reactions along with oversaturated financial information drive volatility.

Investment Strategies for Volatile Markets

Investors must understand their personal risk tolerance levels to succeed during vola tile times.

Remaining disciplined to proven strategies can be effective, but regular audits of your portfolio and adjusting your risk tolerance lev els accordingly is also prudent.

The investor must determine whether a con servative or aggressive investing strategy is right for them.

A conservative approach might call for minor portfolio adjustments while still focus ing on the long term. On the other hand, an aggressive risk-taking strategy may focus on capitalizing on the highs and lows of volatile markets.

Either way, understanding personal risk tol erance and is crucial.

Investors who want to take advantage of volatile times may consider the following strategies:

• Dollar-cost averaging involves invest ing small incremental amounts instead of committing all of the capital at once. This reduces investor risk because total capital is never fully at risk.

• Adjusting stops and targets to reflect a stock’s price range can also be an effec tive strategy. Consider using the Average True Range (ATR) to monitor a stock’s average price over time when adjusting your stops and targets. ATR tries to show the commitment of traders. Large or increasing ranges can indi cate that traders may continue to bid up or sell down a stock. A decreasing range can suggest waning interest.

• Portfolio rebalancing is the strate gy of buying and selling bits of a portfolio to return each asset class to its original propor tion. This method also works if the investor’s risk tolerance level has changed and the port folio needs to adjust similarly.

In Conclusion

It is the stock market’s nature to be volatile over the short term.

Staying informed, understanding your risk tolerance, and sticking to your long- term goals and planning is usually in your best interest.

The investing experts at Prudential can help guide you through volatile times.

This article was written by Advicent Solutions, an entity unrelated to Prudential. ©2021 Advicent Solutions. All rights reserved.

Prudential Advisors Gary Kreps Financial Advisor 212-817-3911

As a valued neighbor of the Holiday Inn Express Maspeth, we would like to offer you a 15% Local Loyalty discount.

Pick up a Local Loyalty card at a participating Maspeth business, and present it at our front desk to receive your special 15% OFF rate! Scan the barcode to see the list of participating businesses.

QUEENSBOROUGH CALENDAR OF EVENTS

NOVEMBER

SUPPORTING

VETERAN BUSINESS OWNERS

November 15, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. PJoin NYC Department of Veterans’ Services Commissioner James Hendon, Council Member Vickie Paladino, representatives from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and leading procurement officers as they discuss public sector and private sector procurement opportunities and certifications for Veteran small business owners in Queens and New York City. This is a complimentary event that is open to all. Light refreshments will be served.

American Legion Edward M. McKee Post 131. 1020 Clintonville Street, Whitestone Register at queenschamber.org

THE STRENGTH OF QUEENS NONPROFITS

November 16, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Queens Chamber Not for Profit committee presents: “ The Strength of Queens Nonprofits”. Our nonprofit organizations are indispensable partners with government in the delivery of essential services, and they contribute signifi cantly to our local economy. Susie Tanenbaum, Director of Nonprofit Opportunities at the Queens Borough President’s Office, will pro

vide an overview of the local nonprofit land scape.She will be joined by a panel of Queens nonprofit leaders from diverse service sec tors who will share their expertise. During the Q&A, attendees will have a chance to ask the nonprofits questions and also explore ways that small businesses and nonprofits can forge pro ductive and mutually beneficial collaborations.

VIRTUAL Register at queenschamber.org

JOB FAIR - HELPING TO CONNECT NEW YORKERS WITH STEADY EMPLOYMENT

November 18. 10:00 p.m. - 2 p.m. New York State Senator Joseph Addabbo, Jr is proud to present the return of his in person annual Job Fair on Friday, November 18, 2022 at the Resorts World Casino in South Ozone Park in Queens.

Resorts World Casino NYC, 110-00 Rockaway Blvd, South Ozone Park Register at queenschamber.org

DECEMBER

BUSINESS PERSON OF THE YEAR AWARDS

December 6, 6:00 p.m. - 11 p.m.

The Queens Chamber of Commerce is thrilled to announce our 2022 Business Persons of the Year Awards!

This year, we again have honorees who exem plify business acumen, street smarts, hard work, success and doing well by doing good. Join us at the elegant Terrace on the Park on Tuesday, December 6th.

In an effort to bring holiday cheer to those who are less fortunate, we will be hosting our 2022 Toy Drive. New, unwrapped toy donations will be greatly appreciated.

Toys will be collected at our registration table the night of the event.

Terrace On the Park, 52-11 111th Street, Flushing Register at queenschamber.org

MORNING SPEED NETWORKING 2.0

December 8, 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

This fast paced networking event will definite ly take you out of your comfort zone. It’s guar anteed to build your professional network and increase your business bottom-line. We’ll keep you on your toes...literally.

The Café at Bulova Corporate Center 75-20 Astoria Boulevard, Jackson Heights Register at queenschamber.org

By Rob MacKay, Director Public Relations, Marketing & Tourism, Queens Economic Development Corporation

For many Queens residents, October is the best month of the year. It begins with colorful leaves and ends with spooky scenes.

In between, it explodes with apple picking, hot cocoa, pumpkin spice products, and cuddling to stay warm.

It’s also a great month for local activities with everything from a moonlight maze to forest bathing on the schedule.

To find out more, please read on.

Illuminate the Farm

Nov. 11 - Jan. 8

A luminescent display inspired by theme parks and Chinese myths and legends, along with illuminated tunnels, rideable swings, and more. Queens County Farm Museum, 73-50 Little Neck Pkwy., Glen Oaks.

IT’S IN QUEENS!

I Hate Models + Shlømo + Kyruh

Nov. 11 @ 10 pm.

France’s I Hate Models is a mar quee name in Neo-Rave sound. He deejays with his countryman Shlømo, a pillar of the thriving Techno Underground in Paris, and NY’s Kyruh.

Knockdown Center, 52-19 Flushing Ave., Maspeth.

Baldwin vs. Buckley

Nov. 11-Nov. 12.

The 1965 televised debate between intellectual heavyweights James Baldwin and William F. Buckley Jr. is restaged in an intimate perfor mance. Showtimes are Nov. 11 at 8 pm and Nov. 12 at 3 pm and 8 pm.

Queens Theatre, 14 United Nations Ave. S., Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

NEA Jazz Masters: The Blues Feeling

Nov. 12 @ 8 p.m.

A one-of-its-kind concert featur ing a very talented groupof NEA Jazz Masters.

Queen County Farm Museum will be hosting a light display through Jan. 8! Come check out Illuminate the Farm.

Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd.

Action Songs/Protest Dances

Nov. 12, Nov. 13 @ 3 p.m.

The world premiere of a show conceived, directed, and choreo graphed by Edisa Weeks. It features five songs commissioned by com posers/musicians Taina Asili, Spirit McIntyre, and Martha Redbone. Three are inspired by the life,

speeches, and writings of civil rights activist James Forman (1928-2005), whose personal archives are housed at the Queens College Rosenthal Library. The other two are about social justice. Shows are at 3 pm.

LeFrak Concert Hall, 153-49 Reeves Ave., Flushing.

Retrospective on Noriaki Tsuchimoto

Nov. 12 - Nov. 27

Watch works by Japanese docu mentarian Noriaki Tsuchimoto, whose Minamata films earned him a reputation as the preeminent chronicler of life in the wake of industrial disaster. He also worked in Siberia and Afghanistan during a career spanning the 1960s through 1980s.

Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35th Ave., Astoria’s Kaufman Arts District.

Devil Woman (Obeah Woman) Part 3

Nov. 12 @ 8 p.m.

Dion TYGAPAW McKenzie pres ents this three-part opera using Techno as the main genre. The work forms a sonic narrative that draws from the island of Jamaica’s musical heritage, referencing national, patriotic, and tradition al songs. It centers on the unsung national hero Queen Nanny of the Maroons.

Queens Museum, NYC Building, Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Come

see classic cars in Bayside on Nov. 13 at a Vintage Car Show.

IT’S IN QUEENS!

Vintage Car Show

Nov. 13 @ 9 a.m.

Ride back in time with the Bayside Historical Society’s classic car show. A variety of vintage and antique automobiles will be on the lawn.

The Castle, 208 Totten Ave., Fort Totten, Bayside.

Drip City Market Sneaker Convention

Nov. 13 @, noon.

This sneaker-and-hat-convention features the hottest kicks, clothes, and accessories from more than 200 vendors.

Resorts World New York City, 110-00 Rockaway Blvd., South Jamaica.

LIC Summit

Nov. 15 @ 8:30 a.m.

From mixed-income housing to world-class retail, LIC has become a quintessential live-work-play hub. This day-long summit, organized by LIC Partnership, explores the investments in physical and social infrastructure needed to maintain momentum and how LIC can be a model for economic recovery.

Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35th Ave., Astoria’s Kaufman Arts District.

Studio Museum Artists in Residence 2021-22 Nov. 17 - Feb. 27, 2023.

This exhibition marks the fourth year of a partnership between The Studio Museum in Harlem, the Museum of Modern Art, and MoMA PS1. It features new work by the 2021–22 cohort of Studio Museum’s Artist-in-Residence pro gram: Cameron Granger; Jacob Mason-Macklin; and Qualeasha Wood.

MoMA PS1, 22-25 Jackson Ave., Long Island City.

The Murphy Beds

Nov. 18 @ 7 p.m.

A night of tremendous Irish folk music with harmonies and deft instrumental arrange ments on bouzouki, guitar, and mandolin.

New York Irish Center, 10-40

Jackson Ave., Long Island City.

Queens Hip-Hop

Nov. 19 @ 1 p.m.

Celebrate National Hip-Hop Month by celebrating several 1990s Queens artists with music, craft microphone-making, and take-home trading cards.

King Manor Museum, 150-03 Jamaica Ave.

NY Son Jarocho Festival

Nov. 19 @ 1 p.m.

A full day of performances con cludes a week-long celebration of

Son Jarocho, the music, dance, and culture of Veracruz, Mexico. Caña Dulce Caña Brava is the headliner.

Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd.

An Evening of Chamber Music

Nov. 19 @ 7:30 pm.

Musica Reginae Artistic Director Barbara Podgurski plays works by Fauré, Ravel, and Brahms on piano with Robert Burkhart on cello and Sarah Pratt Parsamian on violin.

The Church-in-the-Gardens, 50 Ascan Ave., Forest Hills.

Pre-Thanksgiving Nature Walk

Nov. 20 @ 1 p.m.

A guided walk in Alley Pond Park with a seasoned staff member.

Alley Pond Environmental Center, 224-65 76th Ave., Oakland Gardens.

An Afternoon of Chinese Theater

Nov. 26 @ 3 p.m.

The Chinese American Arts Council offers a program featur ing Peking Opera, The Story of Song Jiang, and Yan Poxi, as well as a special performance by Tong Xiao Ling Chinese Opera Ensemble: Peking Opera, Farewell My Concubine.

Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd.

Holiday Wreath Making Workshop

Nov. 27 @ 11 a.m.

Create a festive wreath using fresh cut pine, fir, and other evergreens.

Queens Botanical Garden, 43-50 Main St., Flushing.

More information is available at https://bit.ly/3JABukh.

Techno is the main genre as the three-part Opera Devil Woman (Obeah Woman) on Nov. 12.

Flushing Town Hall will host An Afternoon of Chinese Theater on Nov. 26.

QUEENS CHAMBER PARTNERS & AFFILIATES

82ND STREET PARTNERSHIP

37-06 82nd Street, Jackson Heights, NY 11372

Executive Director: Leslie Ramos 718.335.9421 82ndstreet.org

QUICK GLANCE: Budget of $224,000 with more than 200 businesses under its umbrella. The dis trict is on 82nd Street from 37th Avenue to Baxter Avenue. The board meets quarterly with the annu al meeting in June.

ASIAN AMERICAN FEDERATION

120 Wall Street, 9th Fl., New York, NY 10005 aafederation.org

QUICK GLANCE: The Asian American Federation’s mission is to raise the influence and well-being of the pan-Asian American community through research, policy advocacy, public awareness and organizational development. Established in 1989, the Federation is a panAsian non-profit organization representing a network of community service agencies in the Northeast. These agencies work in the fields of health & human services, education, economic development, civic participation, and social justice.

BAYSIDE VILLAGE BID

213-33 39th Avenue, Bayside, NY 11361 Executive Director: Christine Siletti 718.423.2434 info@baysidevillagebid.com

QUICK GLANCE: Budget of $218,000 and over 350 members. Founded in 2007, the BID includes commercial property owners and residents on Bell Boulevard between 35th Avenue and Northern Boulevard, as well as a block east and west on 41st Avenue.

BAYSIDE BUSINESS ASSOCIATION

41-16 Bell Boulevard, Bayside, NY 11361 President: Ed Probst Vice President: Judith Limpert 718.229.2277 info@baysideba.com baysideba.com

QUICK GLANCE: Founded in 1997, the Bayside Business Association services all of Bayside business to address issues and concerns those businesses have with regards to running their businesses.

ACCOMPANY CAPITAL (FORMERLY BCNA)

78-27 37 Ave., Ste. 1 Jackson Heights, NY 11372

Business Development: Tshering Gurung 347.730.6468 tgurung@accompanycapital.org

QUICK GLANCE: Accompany Capital is an award-winning Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) and Small Business Administration (SBA) micro lender that pro vides small and micro business owners in New

York City with low-cost loans, access to business training & technical assistance, and one-on-one counseling.

Accompany Capital has disbursed over $34 mil lion in loans and assisted over 10,000 immigrant and refugee entrepreneurs in New York City since its founding as Business Center for New Americans (BCNA) in 1997, as well as provid ed workshops and one-on-one advice on busi ness management and marketing to over 10,000 businesses.

BUSINESS OUTREACH CENTER NETWORK (BOC, INC.)

85 S. Oxford Street #2 Brooklyn, NY 11217 718.624.9115 bocnet.org

QUICK GLANCE: Business Outreach Center Network’s mission is to improve the economic prospects of traditionally underserved groups, with a focus on low- and moderate-income entrepreneurs and their communities, and thereby create genuinely brighter futures. At the heart of our mission is the belief that whatever their differences, people and communities share a common goal: to achieve economic stability and growth. Working in partnership with culturally diverse individuals and organizations in support of this shared goal is the hallmark of BOC.

CHHAYA CDC 37-43 77th Street, #2 Jackson Heights, NY 11372 718.478.3848 chhayacdc.org

QUICK GLANCE: Core to our strategy is organizing and advocating for systemic changes that remove the barriers to well-being, housing stability, and economic mobility for our communities. For over 20 years, Chhaya has served tens of thousands of individuals and led the charge on key policy issues for immigrants, such as basement legalization, language access, tenants’ rights, and more.

CHINATOWN DISTRICT MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION (CHINATOWN PARTNERSHIP) 217 Park Row, 2nd Floor, Suite 9 New York, NY 10038 chinatownpartnership.org

QUICK GLANCE: Chinatown Partnership, led by Wellington Chen, was formed in 2006 as new start-up from grounds up to bring residents, business owners and community groups together to rebuild Chinatown following 9/11, and to preserve the neighborhood’s unique culture while ensuring its vitality in the future through strategic positioning.

With the highly popular Weekend Walks street festive series, Mid-Autumn Festival, One Day in NYC, annual Beautification/Earth Day, East West

Parade with Little Italy, Double Valentine’s Day to promote the softer side of Chinatown and the Jewelry District and all the cafes, eateries in the area. Explore Chinatown marketing initiative, Lunar Stages outdoor film screenings, and Taste of Chinatown street events, Chinatown Partnership helps promote the area as a special destination to live, work, and visit.

FOREST HILLS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

PO Box 751123, Forest Hills, NY 11375

President: Leslie Brown 718.268.6565 FHChamber11375@gmail.com FHChamber@aol.com

QUICK GLANCE: Re-formed in 1995, the group has over 225 members. Chamber meetings are held on the last Wednesday of the month at 9 a.m. at the West Side Tennis Club, 1 Tennis Place, in Forest Hills.

GATEWAY JFK

Interim Executive Director: Barbara J. Cohen 516.730.3400 info@GatewayJFK.org GatewayJFK.org

QUICK GLANCE: Formerly the Greater JFK Industrial BID and founded in 2016, the group seeks to provide support to the off-airport air cargo and services district through supplemental services and improvements, technical and profes sional services for its members, and advocacy and administration.

GREATER FLUSHING CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

39-01 Main Street, Suite 511, Flushing NY 11354 Executive Director: John Choe john@flushingchamber.nyc 646.783.8985 flushingchamber.nyc

QUICK GLANCE: Founded in 2014 and repre senting over 200 businesses.

GREATER JAMAICA DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

90-04 161st Street, Jamaica, NY 11432 President: Hope Knight 718.291.0282 gjdc.org

QUICK GLANCE: Founded in 1967, the group has 75 members. GJDC’s work expands econom ic opportunity and improves quality of life for the ethnically and economically diverse residents of Jamaica and for the region at large, which benefits from rational, well-planned, and sustainable met ropolitan growth.

GREATER WOODHAVEN DEVELOPMENT CORPORATIONWOODHAVEN BID

QUEENS CHAMBER PARTNERS & AFFILIATES

84-01 Jamaica Avenue, Woodhaven NY 11421 718.805.0202

gwdcbid@hotmail.com woodhavenbid.com

QUICK GLANCE: Budget of $257,000 with more than 350 businesses under its umbrella on Jamaica Avenue from Dexter Court to 100th Street. They are providing free benches for store owners along Jamaica Avenue. They also provide 2.5 and 5 per cent home improvement loans.

JAMAICA CENTER BID

161-10 Jamaica Avenue, Suite 419 Jamaica, NY 11432

Executive Director: Jennifer Furioli 718.526.2422

jamaica.nyc

@JamCenterBID (Twitter)

@jamcenterbid (Instagram)

@Jamaica Center BID (Facebook)

QUICK GLANCE: Founded in 1979, the Jamaica Center BID serves over 400 businesses on Jamaica Avenue between Sutphin Boulevard and 169th Street. With a budget of over $1 mil lion, the BID’s goal is to promote and maintain Downtown Jamaica as a thriving business hub and an enjoyable destination to shop, work, live and visit.

JFK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

P.O. Box 300687, Jamaica, NY 11430

Executive Director: Clorinda Antonucci

President: Al DePhillips

Vice President: Joseph Morra JFKCoCExec@gmail.com jfkairportchamberofcommerce.org

QUICK GLANCE: Founded in 1978, the group has over 200 members. The chamber was chartered in 1978 by a group of business people in and around JFK Airport. It is the only airport in the nation to have its own Chamber of Commerce. The cham ber seeks to create an environment in which mem bers of the business community can work together to enhance the growth, well being and economic development of the airport community and its avi ation industry.

LONG ISLAND CITY PARTNERSHIP 718.786.5300 longislandcityqueens.com

QUICK GLANCE: Founded in 1979, the Long Island City Partnership advocates for economic development that benefits LIC’s industrial, com mercial, cultural and residential sectors. The goal is to attract new businesses to the neighborhood, retain those already here, welcome new residents and visitors, and promote a vibrant and authentic mixed-use community. The LIC Partnership oper ates the LIC Business Improvement District and the LIC Industrial Business Zone.

MASPETH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

P.O. Box 780265, Maspeth, NY 11378

President: David Daraio 718.335.1300 maspethchamberofcommerce.org

QUICK GLANCE: Founded in 1953, they have 120 members and a budget of $115,000.

MASPETH INDUSTRIAL BUSINESS ASSOCIATION (MIBA)

BOC: 96-11 40th Road, Corona, NY 11368

Coordinator: Quincy Ely-Cate 718.205.3773 qelycate@bocnet.org mibanyc.org

QUICK GLANCE: Covering roughly 600 busi nesses with 30 active members, the Maspeth Industrial Business Association provides a col lective voice in advocating the needs and inter ests of industrial and manufacturing business es in Maspeth. They help companies in the Maspeth Industrial District in developing work force, accessing tax credits, obtaining financing, navigating government regulations and, in some cases, finding real estate.

MIDDLE VILLAGE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

79-47 Metropolitan Ave., Middle Village, NY 11379

President: Salvatore Crifasi 718.894.8700 Sal@Crifasi.com

QUICK GLANCE: Budget of $8,000 with 35 busi nesses under its umbrella. Formed in 1929. MVCC meets annually and focuses on the Metropolitan Avenue shopping district between 69 and 80th streets. The mission is to improve the area and assist local businesses if they have any concerns or needs.

718.366.3806

QUICK GLANCE: Budget of $500,000 with over 300 retail and service businesses under its pur view. Board meetings are held four times a year with the annual meeting in June. The district includes Myrtle Avenue in Ridgewood between Fresh Pond Road and Wyckoff Avenue. Program support is provided by the Ridgewood LDC.

QUEENS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION

12-55 Queens Boulevard, Room 309 Kew Gardens, NY 11424

Executive Director: Seth Bornstein 718.263.0546 queensny.org

QUICK GLANCE: Budget of $1.5 million and a resource for over 2,000 businesses in the borough of Queens. Register online for upcoming virtual events, including:

ROCKAWAY BUSINESS ALLIANCE info@rockawaybusinessalliance.org

QUICK GLANCE: Budget of $40,000 and a resource for over 200 businesses. The Rockaway Business Alliance was founded in 2012 after Hurricane Sandy. RBA’s vision is to create busi ness corridors that are clean, safe, and welcoming, with shopping, dining, attractions, and engage ment for the local community and the visitors drawn to Rockaway’s beaches and open spaces.

ROCKAWAY DEVELOPMENT & REVITALIZATION CORPORATION

1920 Mott Avenue, Far Rockaway, NY 11691

President: Kevin Alexander 718.327.5300 www.rdrc.org

MURRAY HILL

MERCHANTS ASSOCIATION OF NY

P.O. Box 1897 New York, NY 10156 212.886.5867 murrayhillnyc.org

QUICK GLANCE: Murray Hill is a unique residential neighborhood in midtown Manhattan. While there is no formal boundary for the neighborhood, the area served by The Murray Hill Neighborhood Association and its sister organization the Manhattan East Community Association (MECA) extends from Fifth Avenue eastward to the East River and from 42nd Street down to 26th Street (encompassing the 10016 postal code).

MYRTLE AVENUE BID 62-14 Myrtle Avenue, Ridgewood, NY 11385 Executive Director: Ted Renz

QUICK GLANCE: Founded in 1978, the Rockaway Development & Revitalization Corporation (RDRC) was established to promote the revital ization of the Rockaway’s economic base and neighborhoods by creating long-standing partner ships with city and state agencies.

ROCKAWAY EAST MERCHANTS ASSOCIATION (REMA4US)

1032 Beach 20th Street Far Rockaway, NY 11691 rema4us.org

QUICK GLANCE: REMA 4 US, Inc. seeks to engage in economic development and revitaliza tion in the Rockaway Peninsula. To strengthen our community revitalization programs and communi ty development efforts in the Rockaway Peninsula REMA works alongside businesses, civic groups, government agencies, and non-profit organiza tions. REMA works to inform the public about opportunities that exist to strengthen the commu nity, and to create a welcoming and safe environ ment to help expand economic opportunity in the Rockaway Peninsula.

IS

MAJOR CORPORATE

Clear Channel Outdoor 99 Park Avenue, 2 nd Floor New York, NY 10016 https://clearchanneloutdoor.com

Contact: John Moyer, johnmoyer@ clearchannel.com

At Clear Channel Outdoor, we’re always ready to partner with our customers to successfully navigate the uncertainty of challenging times. From our digital products to our data solutions to our marketing and creative teams to our programmatic opportunities, our unparalleled resources are road-tested and deliver value to our customers that keep businesses moving forward.

CORPORATE

CBIZ Marks Paneth 685 Third Avenue New York, NY 10017 http://www.cbiz.com

Contact: Herbert Chain, Herbert. chain@cbiz.com

At CBIZ, your team starts with your local professional but expands far beyond there. An entire group of specialized experts across the country stands ready to ensure all of your specific, unique business needs are met.

H2M architects + engineers 230 West 38 th Street, 14 th FL New York, NY 10018 https://www.h2m.com

Contact: Robert Ikes, rikes@h2m. com H2M is a multi-disciplined professional consulting and design

STEINWAY ASTORIA PARTNERSHIP BID

NEW MEMBERS

firm. With a long history of client service, we consistently meet tough architectural, engineering, and environmental challenges head on. From treatment facilities to firehouses, from land surveying to road reconstruction, and from site assessment to remediation, our firm has helped design and build many communities.

MedRite

40 West 57th Street New York, NY 10019 https://www.medriteurgentcare.com

Contact: Danielle Secor, dsecor@ medrite.com

Our patient come first. We aim to provide personalized, exceptional care with a first- class experience. When it comes to your health, +MEDRITE is here for you.

Perch Advisors LLC 169 Beach 124 th Street Rockaway Park, NY 11694 https://www.perch-advisors.com

Contact: Jeanette Nigro, jeanette@ perch-advisors.com Perch Advisors is a WBE certified, New York City based economic development consulting firm focusing on bringing equitable solutions in the nexus of where communities meet – residents, business, jobs, and the built environment. Our philosophy is "people first." Our work is centered on how organizations, people, neighborhoods, and government interact in an equitable and sustainable way in order to achieve outcomes for all.

SMALL BUSINESS PARTNERS

B Gym Club

19-02 Whitestone Expressway Suite #301 Whitestone, NY 11357 https://www.bgymclub.com

Contact: Lou Martin del Brio Douse, deluchbrio3@gmail.com

Bizcom Global Ventures 43-20 57 th Street, F12 Woodside, NY 11377 http://www.bizcom-global.com

Contact: Abul Hussain, usabizcom@ gmail.com

BTB Renovations 72-45 60 th Lane Glendale, NY 11385 https://www.btbrenovations.com

Contact: Alias Melendez, btbrenovations718@gmail.com

Credit Repair Boss 333 Earle Ovington Blvd, Suite 402 Uniondale, NY 11553 https://www.creditrepairboss.com

Contact: Caitlin Seo, caitlin@ creditrepairboss.com

Empire Security & Protection LLC 70-64 Kissena Blvd, 2 nd /3 rd FL Queens, NY 11367

Contact: Joel Pennyfeather, contact@ empiresecurityny.com

ERA Torvice Realty 219-21 Jamaica Avenue Queens Village, NY 11428 http://www.eratopservice.com Contact: Melissa Gomez, melissagomezera@gmail.com

European Johnny’s Café

60-39 Fresh Pond Road Maspeth, NY 11378

Contact: Marta Pawelic, eurojcafe@ gmail.com

K’Essential Blends 241-11 144 th Avenue Rosedale, NY 11422 http://www.kessentialblends.com Contact: Kerensa Ward, wardkerensa@gmail.com

JMV Architect, PLLC 38-39 Bell Boulevard, Suite 350 Bayside, NY 11361 http://www.jmvarchitect.com

Contact: Jacqueline Velez, jackie@ jmvarchitect.com

NY Building Systems Consultant Inc. 147-28 Hillside Avenue, 2F Jamaica, NY 11435 http://www.nybscinc.com

Contact: Md Islam, ringkon98@ gmail.com

USI Insurance Services 725 RXR Plaza, East Tower Uniondale, NY 11556 https://www.usi.com

Contact: Gerard Dolan, gerard.dolan@ usi.com

Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens 21-12 30 th Road Astoria, NY 11102 https://www.bgcqueens.org

Contact: Costa Constantinides, costa@ varietyboysandgirlsclub.org anthonyferrante@gmail.com

QUEENS CHAMBER PARTNERS & AFFILIATES

25-69 38th Street, Suite 1C, Astoria 11103

Executive Director: Marie Torniali 718.728.7820 info@steinwaystreet.nyc steinwaystreet.org

QUICK GLANCE: Founded in 1991, the BID has over 300 mem bers. The Steinway Street Business Improvement District encom passes all 300 business located on Steinway Street from 28th Avenue to 35th Avenue. National chain stores

such as Victoria’s Secret, The Gap, Benetton, and Express are side by side with local family-owned shops.

SUNNYSIDE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

PO Box 4399, Sunnyside, NY 11104

President: Vanessa Ceballos 718.729.4688 sunnyside-chamber.org

QUICK GLANCE: With an annual budget of $55,000, the chamber is an organization built around assist ing and helping local business and professionals by providing resources

to increase business, safety and his torical preservation throughout the neighborhood.

SUNNYSIDE SHINES

45-56 43rd Street, Sunnyside, NY 11104

Executive Director: Jaime-Faye Beam 718.606.1800 director@sunnysideshines.org sunnysideshines.org

QUICK GLANCE: The BID has a budget of approximately $480,000 with more than 250 businesses under its umbrella. The mission of Sunnyside Shines is to invigorate

and enrich the economic life of the neighborhood by creating a safe and dynamic commercial district.

SUTPHIN BOULEVARD BID

89-00 Sutphin Boulevard, Suite 204C Jamaica, NY 11435

Executive Director: Glen Greenridge 718.291.2110 sutphinblvdbid@verizon.net

QUICK GLANCE: The BID was founded in 2004 and represents 134 businesses, 56 properties and 39 prop erty owners along Sutphin Boulevard between Hillside Ave. and 94th Ave.

EXECUTIVE COMMMITEE EXECUTIVE STAFF

SENIOR ADVISORY COUNCIL

QUEENSBOROUGH (ISSN0033-6068

Elmhurst NY 11370-1131.

Periodicals postage paid at Flushing NY and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Queens Chamber of Commerce 75-20 Astoria Blvd., Suite 140, East Elmhurst NY 11370-1131.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Salvatore Crifasi

1st Equity Title & Closing Services

A&L Cesspool Services Corp

A+ Technology & Security

AARP

Abrams Fensterman Ads Engineers, DPC

AES

Allied Risk Management, Inc

Amna Construction Corp

Andromeda Antun’s of Queens Village

APC Specialist LLC

ARK Import Export Center, LLC

At Your Side Home Care Service

Avison Young

Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP Balkan Sewer and Water Main Service

Barn Truck Rental

Barone Management LLC

Berkshire HathawayHomeservices

Laffey International Realty Blumenfeld Development Group, Ltd.

Broadway Stages

Brooklyn Tile and Design

BRP Companies

Bulovas Restorations Inc

Capital One Bank Carben Construction Inc.

Carter Milchman and Frank

Catholic Charities Brooklyn & Queens

Catholic Health CBRE

CDS-Mestel Construction

Center for Automotive Education and Training

Century Development Group

Cerini and Associates, LLP.

Certilman Balin Adler & Hyman, LLP

Champion Elevator Corp.

Ciampa Organization

Cine Magic LIC Studios, LLC

Cipico Construction, Inc.

Coastal Flooring Solutions Combs & Company

COMMITTEE LEADERSHIP

CORPORATE

MEMBERS

Community Care Rx INC

Cornell Tech

Cornerstone Land Abstract Cort

CPower Energy Management

Crann Integrated Solutions

Crescent Properties, Inc

Cross County Mortgage LLC.

Crown Castle

Crystal Window & Door Systems, Ltd

Dedline AV

Diehl & Sons Inc. D.b.a New York

Freightliner

Direct Clean Service Solutions

E-J Electric Installation Co.

Elite Builders and Management EMCOR NY/NJ

EMU Health

ENP Environmental, Inc.

ENT and Allergy Associates, LLP EW Howell Construction Group

First Central Savings Bank Forest Hills Financial Group, Inc.

Gil-Bar Industries, Inc.

GOLDEN AGE HOME CARE INC

Goodwill Industries NYNJ

Graf & Lewent Architects

Greater NY Automobiles Dealers Association

Grubb Properties

HANAC, Inc.

HE2PD, Inc.

Healthy Corner Pharmacy

Heatherwood Communities

Himmel + Meringoff Properties

Holt Construction Corp HQUS DBA Hydro Quebec

Hugh O’Kane Electric Co., Inc.

IKEA Queens

INDA, Association of Nonwoven Fabric Industry Inggroups

Innovo Property Group J Strategies, Inc

J.W. Hampton Jr. & Co., Inc.

Jamaica Multiplex Cinemas / Show case Cinemas

James E Fitzgerald

Janney Montgomery Scott

Jason Office Products

QSIDE Federal Credit Union

Queens College CUNY

Queens Community House

R.A.M.S. Mechanical Inc.

RBH Restaurant LLC.

Red Eye Group LLC

Regal Heights

REIL Capital

Renaissance New York Flushing Hotel At Tangram

Ripco Investment Sales

Ronald Fatoullah & Associates

Rosco Inc.

Royal Waste Services

Russo’s on the Bay

RXR Realty

Samaritan Daytop Village Securitech Group, Inc.

Signature Bank

Silvercup Studios

SkyTrac Access Group, LLC

SL Green Realty Corp.

SourceBlue

Spectrum Reach Spoton Squad Security Inc.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Adrienne Whaley

Queens Underground Black & Brown Film Festivals

queensunderground718@gmail.com

Kelsey Brow King Manor Museum director@kingmanormuseum.org

BANKING & LAW

Paul Harrison Chase paul.harrison@chase.com

Jackie Harounian Wisselman, Harounian & Associates jackie@lawjaw.com

COMMUNICATIONS

Jake Oliver

Anat Gerstein jake@anatgerstein.com

Henry Ramos Dedline AV henry@dedlineav.com

HEALTHCARE & WELLNESS

Bert Lurch

E Central Medical Management bertl@ecmmgt.com

Prabhleen S. Virk Citrin Cooperman pvirk@citrincooperman.com

ENERGY

Marshall Haimson E-Capital Development marshall@e-capitaldevelopment.com

Jay Solly Sol Strategies jaypsolly@gmail.com

ENTREPRENEURSHIP & INNOVATION

Bill Staniford Rentigo bill@staniford.com

Ryan Letts Cleonmaye Corporation rletts@cleonmaye.com

FAMILY-OWNED BUSINESSES

Chad Callahan Plaza College cec4@plazacollege.edu

Michael Shoule JW Hampton mikes@jwhampton.com

FOOD, BEVERAGE & HOSPITALITY

Jim Quent Statewide Public Affairs jquent@statewidepublicaffairs.com

MANUFACTURING

Lina DeLaCruz

Control Electropolishing Corp. lina@controlpublishing.com

Azra Khalfan-Kermali Plaques by Azra azra@azra.com

NOT FOR PROFIT

Larry Grubler

Transitional Services of NY lgrubler@tsiny.org

Christine Deska BellesBoard/Nonprofit Sector Strategies christine@nonprofitsectorstrategies.org

REAL ESTATE

Martin Cottingham Avison Young martin.cottingham@avisonyoung.com Kevin Louie RIPCO klouie@ripcony.com Michael Wang Project Queens michael@projectqueens.com

TECHNOLOGY

Sean C. O’Rourke Combs & Company sorourke@combsandco.com

TRANSPORTATION

Phil Jones LIME philip@li.me

JGM Construction Development, LLC

Kasirer, LLC

Kaufman Astoria Studios, Inc.

KMN Builders, Inc.

Krispy Kreme

Lenoblelumber Co

Levine Builders

Liberty Ashes Inc.

Littler Mendelson, P.C.

Lyons Mortgage Services, Inc. M&J Commissary Inc.

Macerich

Madison International Realty MediSys Health Network

Mega Contracting Group LLC

Mesirow Financial

Molloy College

Mount Sinai Hospital of Queens

Mr. T Carting Corp.

NBCUniversal Nelson + Pope

New York + Atlantic Railway

New York Crystal Cleaning

New York Life Insurance Company

New York State Energy Coalition, Inc.

NOLA CONSTRUCTION INC

Nonprofit Sector Strategies, PBC

Northwell Go Health Urgent Care

NYEEQASC, LLC

Omni Funding Corp. of America

Onegroup

Patrick B. Jenkins & Associates

PGA Mechanical Contractors, Inc.

Ponce Bank

Praxis Public Relations

Priority 1 Security LLC

ProCleanings Co

Prospect Cleaning Service, Inc.

St. Francis Preparatory School St. John’s Episcopal Hospital St. John’s University

Standard Group

Starbucks Corporation

Stellar Global Trading Inc

Structural Engineering Technolo gies, P.C.

Sullivan Engineering LLC

SUNation Solar Systems

Target

The Durst Organization

The L Grp

The Liquidity Source

The Sandhu Group

Triumvirate Environmental Tully Environmental Inc. Ultrasound Solutions Corp.

United Airlines

United Public Adjusters & Apprais ers, Inc.

Universal Healthcare US Bank

Valley National Bank

Vassilaros & Sons Coffee

Vista LIC Hotel, Best Western Premier Collection

VOREA

W & M Fire Protection Services

Waste Management of New York LLC Watch Guard 24/7

Waymo

Webster Bank

WellLife Network White Coffee Corp

Wisselman, Harounian & Associ ates, P.C.

YMCA of Greater New York / Queens Branches

Zara Realty

Kenneth J. Buettner

Stephanie Baldwin

Chad E. Callahan

David Diraio Steven DeClara

Richard Dzwlewicz

Charles Everett, Jr. Joseph R. Ficalora Tamara Gavrielof Howard Graf Fran Gross

Raymond Irrera Kenneth Koenig

Lorraine Chambers Lewis

Bert Lurch Meredith Marshall Carl Mattone

Patricia Mezeul

Melinda Murray-Nyack Maria Odysseos

Stephen Preuss Nash Roe

Jeffrey Rosenstock

Juan Santiago Thomas Santucci Mark Scheinberg

Caryn Schwab Sher Sparano Michelle Stoddart

Terri Thomson Henry Wan Mark Weprin Patrick Yu Daniel Zausner

Howard Graf

Chairperson

Richard Dzwlewicz Vice Chair

Patricia Mezeul

Treasurer Nash Roe Secretary

Patrick Yu Associate Treasurer Michelle Stoddart Associate Secretary Thomas J. Santucci Immediate Past Chair

Thomas J. Grech President & CEO Joanne M. Persad Chief of Operations Arlene Diangkinay Financial Controller

Neil Wagner Business Service Program Manager

Brendan Leavy Business Development Manager Jacqueline Donado Strategic Program Coordinator Jef Gross Manager of Committee Development

William Blake Dominick Ciampa Joseph Farber Louis D. Laurino

Jeff Levine Joseph M. Mattone, Sr

is published 12 times a year for $12.50 annual ly by the Queens Chamber of Commerce of the borough of Queens. 75-20 Astoria Blvd, Suite 140, East

Vincent L. Petraro, Esq. George Rozansky Gerard Thornton

NONPROFIT NEWS

Computer Engineering comes to Vaughn

By Alicia Venter aventer@queensledger.com

Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology, less than a mile from LaGuardia Airport, has expanded to offer a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering for its undergraduate students. With the option of having a concentra tion in cybersecurity, the program — which began accepting stu dents this past fall semester — is a reflection of how quickly the field is growing.

“What we have been doing is engaging with cybersecurity firms, working with companies that [themselves] work with cybersecu rity firms and anything around the industry,” said Chaundra Daniels, Director of Career Services at Vaughn College.

Vaughn College caters its educa tion to provide its students with the edge in obtaining jobs in the avia tion and engineering industries. It was ranked as the top college for social mobility in 2022-2023 by the U.S. News and World Report and was ranked by the New York Times as the #1 college for upward mobil ity rate.

What makes Vaughn special, Daniels describes, is its ability to “be in a niche market” — the aero nautics market.

As such, much of the comput er engineering program is devel oped around the unique students at Vaughn who chose the college to stay within some aspect of that spe cific job industry.

As Vaughn College highlights on their website, information security is a business that has been predict

ed to cost companies as much as $1.75 trillion.

The job field of information secu rity analysts has a projected growth rate of 35 percent over the next nine years, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

According to Daniels, there has never been a greater time for Vaughn to offer a bachelor’s degree

MAJOR CORPORATE MEMBERS

in computer engineering.

“The industry is based on this,” she said, snatching her phone and waving it in the air. “Everything is done through this. It used to be based on the computer. But this is a mini-computer,” she said. “To have a generation that endured a pandemic —that was home, doing nothing but everything on this — we have to keep our cyberspace secure. We are right on time, and we are excited about what we are developing. We are seeing that our students know what they want.”

The computer engineering cur riculum focuses on two concentra tions: cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.

For more information on the computer engineering program at Vaughn College, visit www.vaughn. edu.

MAJOR CORPORATE MEMBERS

We hope you are enjoying the newly designed, expanded Queensborough, the monthly publication of the Queens Chamber of Commerce. We, the Chamber, direct and approve all content deciding what stories are covered in each issue, editing all copy and forwarding information that is contained in the publication. BQE Media produces it for the Chamber. We look forward to continuing to highlight the outstanding business persons, services and activities that make our borough unique. We welcome all your letters, manuscripts, etc. Please send all materials to the Queens Chamber of Commerce at 75-20 Astoria Boulevard, Suite 140, Jackson Heights, NY 11370 or call 718.898.8500 for more information. We reserve the right to edit for space limitations. Your support of the magazine is critical to its success. We encourage you to include Queensborough in your advertising plans. To place your ad, please call BQE Media at 718.426.7200.