Comptroller Stringer, 2nd Annual Brooklyn Made Awards headline Brooklyn Chamber’s Annual Meeting

October 31, 2014 Brooklyn Daily Eagle

New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer was the keynote speaker at the Brooklyn Chamber’s annual meeting Wednesday night. AP Photo/Evan Agostini

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The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce hosted its 2014 Annual Membership Meeting & Trade Show on Wednesday night at Gargiulo’s Restaurant in Coney Island, featuring New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer as the keynote speaker.

Stringer noted that the Chamber “plays a crucial role in the economic life of this borough and our city,” and added, “My office is always open to the thousands of small business owners who contribute so much to our city’s fiscal health and future economic success.”

The event drew nearly 500 attendees, and also included the Chamber’s Year in Review, Board Elections and the 2nd Annual Brooklyn Made Awards.

During the meeting, the Brooklyn Chamber announced that it provided $8.3 million in financing to small businesses across the borough in the past 12 months, including re-launching 33 Sandy-affected businesses by awarding more than $5.7 million through the Hurricane Sandy Business Loan and Grant Program — which accounts for roughly half of the entire city’s totals through this program.

The Chamber also insured the lives of 3,241 people as the Kings County Navigator for the Affordable Care Act and through its Brooklyn Healthworks Program, and has visited with more than 240 businesses in nine different neighborhoods via its Chamber on the Go Program.

“The Brooklyn Chamber is not only the largest Chamber of Commerce in New York State, but we’re the most active as well,” said Carlo A. Scissura, President & CEO of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. “Brooklyn and our businesses are the best in the world, so they deserve the best services too.”

“The largest accomplishment of 2014 has been the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce’s achievement of representing all of Brooklyn,” said Chamber Board Chair Denise Arbesu. “Great efforts were made this year in working and assisting local BIDs and Chambers into the Brooklyn Chamber family, in particular, in historically under represented areas such as East New York, Bushwick and Bed-Stuy. It is gratifying to see the power of one Brooklyn fulfilled, so we are now of and for the entire Borough of Brooklyn.”

Along with the 2nd Annual Brooklyn Made Awards, the Brooklyn Chamber announced the creation of the Brooklyn Made Certification Program, designed to recognize products made in Brooklyn, with Brooklyn materials, and by Brooklynites. In only five months, nearly 130 businesses have already been certified as Brooklyn Made.

The Brooklyn Made Awards concluded the evening, and honored the top Brooklyn products of 2014 in the categories of food, beverage, design, fashion, technology and MWBE. This year’s winners — which were chosen by an independent jury — are: Michael’s of Brooklyn (food), Brooklyn Winery (beverage), Brooklyn Research (tech), DerDau Boots (fashion), Uhuru Design (design) and Brooklyn Flavors (M/WBE).