For businesses, it’s all systems grow

by Tom Grech

The last few years have been difficult for our local economy and sadly, we’ve seen too many beloved community institutions close their doors to customers for good. But as we chart our recovery, there are reasons to be optimistic, particularly here in Queens. From our diversity, to our thriving arts and culture scene, to our seven colleges and universities graduating students companies want to hire, to our world-class transportation infrastructure, Queens has everything businesses need to grow and thrive.

These are the reasons that Amazon initially chose Long Island City as the location for its second headquarters, and everything that appealed to the tech giant is still here today. Queens is well positioned to foster a thriving tech ecosystem.

Supporting that ecosystem requires more than just attracting the world’s most prominent tech companies to Queens. We also need to do everything we can to help homegrown startups succeed. There is no better way to do that than through tech incubators. The Queens Chamber of Commerce and the Queens Tech Council have launched incubator spaces in the Rockaways and Jamaica with plans to open several more in the coming months. tribute more than $72 billion in economic activity to the metropolitan area and employ nearly 50,000 people. Thanks to Gov. Hochul and our friends at the Port Authority, we are now seeing exciting investments in our airports. The $9.5 billion New Terminal One project at JFK will create 10,000 new jobs and contracting opportunities for minority- and womenowned businesses.

These incubators offer complimentary office space, mentorship and other business resources for tech startups to help grow the sector from the ground up. Perhaps most importantly, these incubators offer the opportunity for collaboration between some of the brightest minds in the industry.

Beyond the residents they employ and the businesses they contract with, our airports are vital for us to attract and grow businesses.

Future Cooperation

Our transportation infrastructure sets tech, and all industries in Queens, up for success. Queens is the “Aviation Borough,” and LaGuardia and JFK have long been vital to our local economy. The two airports con-

They allow Queens-grown companies to access global markets. At our recent Queens Business Expo, we heard from representatives from a number of foreign governments who cited our airports as a reason foreign companies looked to Queens as a place to gain a foothold in North America.

They also support another industry crucial to Queens — tourism. Visitors from around the world come here to experience international cuisine and world- class attractions. Recently The New York Times listed 19 Queensbased restaurants in the top 100 list of all restaurants across New York City. We have dozens of museums and parks to enjoy.

Additionally, Willets Point is one of the world’s premier destinations for sports entertainment, with the Mets ($338 million) and the US Open ($750 million) generating over $1 billion in economic impact annually. The redevelopment of the neighborhood will bring the world’s game to the World’s Borough, with the opening of a state-of-the-art soccer stadium that New York City Football Club will call home. The project, which includes 2,500 affordable homes, is expected to generate $6.1 billion in economic impact over the next 30 years, creating 1,550 permanent jobs and 14,200 construction jobs.

For months, Steve Cohen and his team have been working with the community and neighbors on a vision to transform the 50 acres of asphalt parking around Citi Field with new public green space, thousands of new and permanent jobs, and entertainment that will bring people to the area every single day of the year. This would be transformative for not just the surrounding neighborhoods but our entire borough with serious economic impact and community benefits.

There are a lot of exciting things happening in our borough at the moment, but what makes me most optimistic about the future of Queens is the entrepreneurial spirit I see every day. People from all over the world, in every industry, are determined to grow their businesses and live the American dream in our community. That grit and determination puts us in a position to succeed. Q

Tom Grech is President and CEO of the Queens Chamber of Commerce.