Business Persons of the Year .................................................................... 10

BUSINESS PERSONS OF THE YEAR Chamber Honors Influential Business People in Queens

play major roles in. Both women feel incredibly honored to have received the award.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Honoree Serge Abergel – Hydro Quebec joined by Walter, Costa Constantinides and Tom Grech.

Joanne Persad, COO, was all smiles as she was named honorary business person f the year. Vincent Levien (left) with Bill Driscoll.

COVER STORY Moya’s dream of a soccer stadium comes to fruition

By Matthew Fischetti mfischetti@queensledger.com

In the 1920s, F. Scott Fitzgerald looked at the industrial section of Queens known as Willets Point and saw the Valley of Ashes. But when Councilman Francisco Moya looked at the cadre of auto body shops, he saw something else: an opportunity.

Moya, a 48-year-old native of Corona, was first elected to the state assembly in 2011. One of the first things he did in office — before even receiving official stationery — was compile a list of five things he wanted to accomplish with his chief of staff. Near the top of that list was bringing a soccer team to New York City.

A decade later, Moya can cross that goal off his list. On November 16, Mayor Eric Adams, Moya, and Queens Borough President Donovan Richards announced that the New York City Football Club will privately finance a new 25,000 seat stadium with 2,500 affordable homes (with no market rate components), a 650-seat school, and a 250-room hotel to boot. The project is estimated by the mayor’s office to generate $6.1 billion in economic impact over the next 30 years, creating 14,200 construction jobs and 1,550 permanent ones.

This hasn't been the first time a politician has tried to redevelop the area. Bloomberg successfully passed a rezoning that would have brought a mall but the development failed after legal challenges.

Moya is a certified football fanatic: his office is adorned with signed jerseys encased in frames, soccer balls sit on his couches and a big photo of him and his father at a FC Barcelona match hangs above his head.

In an interview, Moya emphasized that having the right partners were instrumental in accomplishing such a deal.

“We looked at just getting the right partners with NYCFC, who basically came in and shared the same idea in philosophy of, ‘we want to build a neighborhood.’ It's just not a soccer stadium. It's not

Moya has vied for the Willets Point stadium since he entered public office.