BROOKLYN News for Brooklyn businesses
November/December 2018 • Vol 100, Issue 6
New President and CEO Takes the Helm at Brooklyn Chamber T
he Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce has a new thought leader sitting in the corner office and it’s a name that is familiar with the renaissance of Brooklyn. Hector Batista began his career in Borough Hall, where he served as Director of Real Estate for the Brooklyn Economic Development Corporation, Director of Economic Development and Director of Development and Finance, over the course of nine years, for former Brooklyn Borough President Howard Golden. Batista is the first Hispanic President to serve in the Chamber’s 100-year history and was recently honored at City Hall by the Black, Latino & Asian Caucus (BLAC) as they celebrated the Hispanic roots and contributions by community leaders. He gave his first official address, as the Brooklyn Chamber President and CEO, during the Annual Meeting and Trade Show held on October 24 at Gargiulo’s Restaurant in Coney Island. As the son of a man who owned a small business, Batista has an appreciation for the challenges the business community faces every day and wants to make sure the membership knows the Chamber is there for them to help with those challenges. He wants the organization to focus on serving members – the small, medium and large companies – by proactively growing and supporting them through programs, service and advocacy. He plans to strengthen many of the established programs such as workforce development, neighborhood entrepreneurship and Brooklyn-made certifications, but he will also be setting other goals and implementing more strategies during his first 100 days at 335 Adams Street. He will soon experience the Brooklyn Chamber’s advocacy efforts on a federal level as he leads a delegation on a two-day legislative trip to Washington, D.C. where members will meet with elected officials and heads of agencies to discuss federal legislative issues that could affect their businesses. The Federal Legislative Agenda will be available on ibrooklyn. com as will the State Legislative Agenda following the Chamber’s trip to Albany in March. Batista leads all three arms of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, including its 501c (3) corporation, the Brooklyn Alliance, and its Community Development Financial Institution, Brooklyn Alliance Capital Inc. He will continue to work closely with the Board of Directors of all three organizations, with Brooklyn’s small businesses, elected officials and other Continued on Page 5
Chamber Program Spotlight
Chamber News
Brooklyn-Made
6
From Our Members
Brooklyn Newsmakers
Meet the Writers
8
9
Photo Gallery
Chamber Out… And About
14-15
Explore Brooklyn
Exploring all that Brooklyn Has to Offer
16
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