THIS IS QUEENSBOROUGH
queenschamber.org
BUSINESS HEROES OF THE YEAR
CHAMBER HONORS COVID BUSINESS HEROES
The Queens Chamber of Commerce held its first Business Heroes of the Year awards ceremony at Terrace on the Park, honoring 11 leaders in business who helped the borough and city weather the COVID-19 pandemic. Here’s a little background on each honoree:
MELVA MILLER ABNY
Melva Miller is CEO of the Association for a Better New York (ABNY), a nonprofit dedicated to strengthening the city’s neighborhoods and supporting large and small businesses. A Laurelton native, Miller’s roots in Queens have led her to hold several senior economic development roles during her career, as well as previously serving as the deputy borough president. She oversaw the creation of the Jamaica NOW Action Plan, and was also lead organizer of the Western Queens Tech Strategic Plan, which promoted equitable growth of the Long Island and Astoria tech ecosystem. A part of ABNY since 2018, Miller led the organization’s outreach efforts for the 2020 Census. Miller also conceptualized ABNY’s “Black Leadership in New York City: Conversations on Power, Politics, and Racial Justice,” a six-part discussion series regarding systemic racism and economic inequality in New York City. With a proven track record developing and implementing effective community development strategies in the non-profit sector and in public service, Miller collaborates across diverse constituencies to envision and launch effective programs. Miller holds a Bachelor’s degree from John Jay College, a Master’s
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degree in social work from Hunter College School of Social Work, and a second Master’s degree in Philosophy from the Graduate Center at the City University of New York (CUNY). She is also a Ph.D candidate in the Social Welfare program at CUNY’s Graduate Center with the research topic of stakeholder participation in community economic development.
RACHEL KELLNER AIGNER CHOCOLATES
When Rachel Kellner and her husband Mark Libertini purchased Aigner Chocolates on Metropolitan Avenue in Forest Hills seven years ago, their top priority was to maintain the same quality and freshness of the sweets that the business is known for. From decadent marzipan to Star Wa r s - t h e m e d chocolates for kids, Aigner is the go-to stop for many residents of Queens. F o r t u n a t e l y, COVID-19 did not stop Kellner and her husband from running their business. If anything, the pandemic provided them with alternative methods to do so, as well as new outlooks on what they could do for the community during a time of isolation and uncertainty. “During COVID, there wasn’t a lot to look forward to, and there wasn’t a lot of joy that people were experiencing,” said Kellner. In response, Aigner Chocolates held various events, including Halloween and Christmas experiences for families. Kellner said the proudest moment for her business was the Rainbow Bunny Exchange initiative, where she collected drawings of rainbows with uplifting messages for healthcare workers from neighborhood children in exchange for a chocolate bunny pop. Three-hundred drawings in total
were collected and given to Elmhurst Hospital to create a mural, and it’s still there today. Aigner Chocolates has also generously donated to local hospitals and organizations including Queens Community House, Queens Center For Progress and Long Island Jewish Forest Hills, all while celebrating the business’ 90th anniversary during the height of COVID-19. “Part of our mission and our vision is to make the world a better place through sharing the tradition of our chocolates and carrying that on,” said Kellner. “We felt it was our obligation to spread joy and provide healing, because there’s something really healing about food.” Kellner said that she and her husband are very excited to be recognized by the Queens Chamber of Commerce for their contributions to the borough, but feel it was their responsibility to do those things — recognition or not. “It’s an honor to be recognized for everything that we did, but we just feel so good about how we were able to help and heal in our own way, and using chocolate to do that,” she said.
duced 3,000 ventilators. The success of the ventilator project led Boyce Technologies to develop an automated N95 mask assembly line. Boyce Technologies also designs and manufactures emergency response systems, intercom systems, security alarm systems, radio and wireless networks and customer information display systems. The company was awarded a contract to make emergency intercoms for New York subway stations, and oversaw the development of the Help Point units and underground radio systems. A graduate with a Master of Professional Studies from New York University, Boyce previously served as the COO to E.A. Technologies, Inc., where he designed security and communications systems. An Oyster Bay native, Boyce also serves on the executive board of the Long Island City Partnership and the Manufacturing and Industrial Innovation Council.
CHARLES BOYCE BOYCE TECHNOLOGIES
NUPUR ARORA QUEENS CURRY KITCHEN
Seeing his work impact the lives of others is what motivates Charles Boyce, founder and president of Boyce Technologies Inc. With facilities located in the heart of Long Island City, Boyce has been focused on the custom manufacturing and the design of products that have a major impact in the transit security and communications industries since 2008. Boyce Technologies answered the call to manufacture FDAapproved ventilators at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. They became the only non-medical equipment producing company to mass produce FDA-approved ventilators in just 30 days. Typically, ventilators takes a year to produce. In the end, the company pro-
Queens Curry Kitchen is the brainchild of Nupur Arora, which was born out of the pandemic. Being an experienced home cook for several years with a published book and a spice company already under her belt, Queens Curry Kitchen, a food delivery service, began with a simple phone call. A man from Long Island asked Arora if she could cook and deliver food for his elderly parents in Rego Park, who were unable to cook for themselves. Arora accepted the challenge,
