GRADUATES OF BEDC’S ENTREPRENEUR ASSISTANCE PROGRAM HONORED

BROOKLYN, NY, May 23, 2003 - Brooklyn Economic Development Corporation (BEDC) honored nine graduates of its Entrepreneur Assistance Program, an intensive 15-week training program, and the program’s instructor at its Entrepreneur Spirit Awards Ceremony on May 22, 2003, at Brooklyn Borough Hall.

"In the 10 years that BEDC has offered the Entrepreneur Assistance Program, more than 700 individuals have graduated and many of these graduates are here with us today," said Joan Bartolomeo, BEDC president.

BEDC’s first Entrepreneur Spirit Award honorees were selected because they "represent a wide spectrum of business enterprises and they have all worked hard to meet their goals," she said.

Ms. Bartolomeo discussed the importance of small businesses to the economy of Brooklyn. She said that 400,000 people who live in Brooklyn, work in Brooklyn, and of that number 200,000 people are employed by small businesses operated by entrepreneurs like those who have graduated from BEDC’s Entrepreneur Assistance Program.

Huey-Min Chuang, director of business and economic development for Empire State Development Corporation, said that one out of two employees in the United States works for small businesses. She said her agency has been committed to supporting the Entrepreneur Assistance Program for 12 years and during this time in New York State, the entrepreneur training programs have served 15,000 entrepreneurs who have started 3,600 businesses that have generated $130 million in increased sales.

Michael Smith, assistant commissioner, New York City Department of Small Business Services congratulated the honorees and said that his agency was available to help small businesses in New York City thrive. "You had at one time a vision of what you wanted to do in life and you had the intelligence to be part of this Entrepreneur Assistance Program," he said.
BEDC staff members presented Entrepreneur Spirit Awards recognizing "innovation,
imagination, and achievement" to the following graduates of BEDC’s Entrepreneur Assistance Program (full biographies are attached):

• Monique Greenwood, CEO of Akwaaba Enterprises, Inc., which operates inns in Bedford Stuyvesant, Cape May, NJ, and Washington, DC, and owns restaurants and real estate in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. Ms. Greenwood was former editor-in-chief of Essence Magazine, but left the publishing world to run her business full time because, she said "the best promotion is self employment." BEDC’s Entrepreneur Assistance Program helped her transition from a weekend entrepreneur to a full-time entrepreneur. "Business owners are the real American idols," she told the audience.
  
• Ava Selby, owner of Adonijah Health Food Store in Brooklyn, praised BEDC’s staff for helping her understand how to manage her finances, which then enabled her to buy a building and launch her business. Ms. Selby said she was flattered "for BEDC to honor me when they have done so much for me."
  
• Astrudge McLean and Eddie Mark, managers and owners of Sign-A-Rama, Brooklyn. Ms. McLean said that she and Mr. Mark had previously worked for a merchant’s association and attended the entrepreneur training class to better understand their clients. They learned a great deal about running a business in a very short period of time and decided to start their own business. "It is one thing to say ‘I want to own a business’ and another to say ‘I am a business owner,’ "Ms. McLean said.
  
• Loren Michelle and Gregg Stegeman, co-owners of Naturally Delicious, caterers in Brooklyn, met while taking BEDC’s entrepreneur class and decided to become business partners and open their catering business together. "In the first class I met another chef (Mr. Stegeman) who had worked in some really great restaurants," Ms. Michelle recalled. "I thought he would either be my competition or my partner. I’d like to thank BEDC for offering great programs for entrepreneurs."
  
• Miguel A. Huaman, a Brooklyn resident who is the owner of Gente, a clothing store in Manhattan, said he received excellent advice from the program’s instructor, Ed Rutland, that he carries with him always, a paper with the phrase "Go to Work" in bold letters printed on it. In addition to attending the training class, Mr. Huaman received a World Trade Center disaster loan from BEDC because his business was hurt by the September 11 attacks.
  
• Paul North, owner of Your Office U.S.A., an office suite franchise, Brooklyn, was unable to attend but his business partner and wife, Maria Romero, accepted the award on his behalf. Ms. Romero said BEDC helped Mr. North select a location in Brooklyn for their business, which has been a great success and is expanding.
  
• Caylin Sanders, founder and president of EscapeMaker.com, a travel Web site, Brooklyn, was unable to attend the ceremony.
  The Entrepreneur Spirit Instructor’s Award was presented to:
  
• S. Edward Rutland, who has taught BEDC’s Entrepreneur Assistance Program for four years. He encouraged the graduates to lobby elected officials to ensure that quality training programs like the Entrepreneur Assistance Programs continue to receive funds and help future entrepreneurs.

Support for the ceremony and luncheon and the Entrepreneur Assistance Program were generously provided by: Empire State Development Corporation; U.S. Small Business Administration; New York City Department of Small Business Services; J.P. Morgan Chase Foundation; American Express Foundation; Robert Hebron, Ingram & Hebron Realty; Charles F. Koehler, Community Capital Bank; Stuart Leffler, Con Edison; Christine Wimpenny, Citibank; Alison Tocci, Time Out New York Magazine, and Loretta Mathushek, HSBC Bank USA.

BEDC, a private, nonprofit organization, was established in 1979 to stimulate Brooklyn's economy and create job opportunities for the borough and its residents. BEDC has evolved into a multi-service, business-consulting agency, serving more than 1,000 clients annually and offering comprehensive economic development services. More information is available at www.bedc.org.

Biographies of the BEDC Entrepreneur Spirit Honorees

• Monique Greenwood, chief executive officer of Akwaaba Enterprises, Inc.
  Author, editor, innkeeper, restaurateur, community leader, wife and mother, Monique Greenwood is a master multi-tasker with a vision. The former editor-in-chief of Essence magazine is now chief executive officer of Akwaaba Enterprises, Inc., a collection of companies specializing in hospitality, food service, real estate development, and home accessories. Akwaaba owns and operates three bed and breakfast inns: Akwaaba Mansion in Brooklyn, NY; Akwaaba by the Sea in Cape May, NJ, and the new Akwaaba D.C. in Washington, D.C. In addition, Monique and her husband, Glenn Pogue, own Akwaaba Café, an elegant 72-seat restaurant in Brooklyn. Monique believes we can reclaim our communities, block by block, and she and her husband are doing just that. Their business, Akwaaba Properties, owns the block of Lewis Avenue, between MacDonough and Decatur Streets in Brooklyn, where they have developed the Shops of Lewis Avenue. Featured are commercial tenants who own and operate Brownstone Books, the Parlor Floor Antiques, Jones Barber Shop, Marlene’s Hair Salon, and Mirrors Coffee House, which is owned by Monique’s 11-year-old daughter, Glynn. A magna cum laude graduate of Howard University and an alumna of the Program for Developing Managers at Simmons Graduate School of Business, Monique is a highly sought after speaker on personal success and entrepreneurship. She is the author of the best-selling book "Having What Matters: The Black Woman’s Guide to Creating the Life You Really Want."
• Caylin Sanders, founder and president of EscapeMaker.com
  Caylin Sanders, founder and president of EscapeMaker.com, launched her business in September of 2000. Focusing on destinations within 500 miles of the New York City metro area, the site has established itself as the leading online guide to local weekend getaways and daytrips within the Northeast. Caylin, originally from Los Angeles, attended Drew University in Madison, NJ, majoring in theatre and art. After graduating from Drew in 1995, Caylin moved to Brooklyn and worked in sales and marketing and design for firms like Time Warner-DC Comics and JP Morgan. In her spare time, she explored the surrounding area on local weekend getaways and daytrips. After debilitating carpal tunnel surgery prevented her from intensive computer work, Caylin devised a way she could re-enter the workforce by using her sales and marketing experience to start her own local travel business. In early 2000, Ms. Sanders attended entrepreneur training classes held by BEDC that connected her with S.C.O.R.E. and Community Capital Bank, which approved a $100,000 loan to get her business started. She currently employs two people full time and a host of freelancers from her storefront office at 180 5th Avenue in Park Slope, Brooklyn.
• Ava S. Selby, owner of Adonijah Health Food
  For 14 years, Ava S. Selby has owned Adonijah Health Food Store, 202 Utica Avenue, a community based store that sells mainly loose herbs and vitamins. She is an active member of the community that not only attends to the health needs of the people, but their personal needs, too. Within the store itself, she and God attend to the needs of the seniors by helping with clerical tasks, taxes, shopping, food, and clothing. They also operate a mission, in which people living in a number of foreign countries as well as New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina are supplied with food, clothing, furniture, and cars. Her store also serves as a drop off point for those who donate goods. She is developing a ministry where youth, no matter how they dress, can come into the house of the Lord and be taught his Holy Word. She received her education and training from Empire State College, BEDC, and Emmanuelle Pentecostal Seminary.
• Astrudge McLean and Eddie Mark, owners and managers of Sign-A-Rama
  Astrudge McLean and Eddie Mark are the owners and managers of Sign-A-Rama, a Brooklyn company they founded in 1999 that manufactures and produces signs and creates logos and designs for customers. Prior to founding their business, Astrudge was an executive administrative assistant at major corporations and had served as a commercial liaison at Astella Development Corporation, Brooklyn. She has a BA from New York University, and is vice president of the Bayview Gardens Home Owner Association. Previously, Eddie was a community organizer with Astella Development Corporation for 10 years. He graduated from the City College of New York and received a certificate in Community and Economic Development from Pratt Institute. Eddie is a member of Community Board 13, member of the 60th Precinct Community Council, president of the Neighborhood Improvement Organization, vice president of Friends of Kaiser Park, and a board member of You Gotta Believe.
• Loren Michelle and Gregg Stegeman, co-owners of Naturally Delicious
  Located in the heart of Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, Naturally Delicious has been planning and catering events since 1997. Naturally Delicious offers full service event planning including organizing professional service staff, coordination of all rentals, and referrals for flowers, photos, and music. Its all-occasion catering ranges from intimate dinner parties, cocktail parties for 500, elaborate and stylish weddings, corporate events, photo shoots, and food styling to all-day consecutive events. A Culinary Arts Institute graduate, Loren deepened her commitment to culinary excellence during her time working as a chef at the Quilted Giraffe, which was one of New York's most influential and innovative four-star restaurants. She went on to work at Gotham Bar & Grill and then the Water Club, where she was the executive pastry chef. Loren is a member of the James Beard Foundation, Woman's Chef Collective, National Restaurant Association, and Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Gregg honed his skills in some of the best restaurants in the country, most of them in New York City. From Raoul's, the Soho bastion of French bistro fare, to restaurants including Bouley, the Maurice, Gotham Bar & Grill, and Nosmo King, Gregg has relied on his chef's training, love of fine food, and respect for different cuisines to create outstanding, high-quality fare. As the chef and co-owner of Naturally Delicious, Gregg draws on his long-held commitment to the freshest produce and ingredients, taking his cues from local farmer's markets and the foods of the season.
• Miguel A. Huaman, owner of Gente
  Miguel Huaman is the owner of Gente, a women and men's clothing store located at 215 Thompson Street in the Village. Gente has been nominated as one of the 500 best stores in New York City by New York magazine for three consecutive years. Miguel moved to New York in 1986 from a small city in Peru called Puno and attended college in New Jersey. In the summer of 1987 Miguel began working for International Charm in Chinatown, where he assisted the business owner as a salesperson, cashier, and soon after manager of the business. In the summer of 1996, Miguel purchased one half of International Charm, and in 1997, renamed his portion Mundo NY. From the experience he learned from his previous employer, Miguel managed to build up Mundo NY. In March of 1998, Miguel opened his second store in the Village named Gente. Miguel attended BEDC’s Entrepreneur Assistance Program in September 2002 where he learned the aspects maintaining a successful business, as well as being a successful business owner. Miguel has a lot of dreams and has succeeded successfully in reaching his goals.
• Paul North, owner Your Office USA
  Prior to opening the Your Office USA business center at 111 Livingston Street in downtown Brooklyn, Paul was a consultant with a financial software company and traveled extensively both nationally and internationally. In many cities he worked in his hotel room, had meetings in coffee shops, and spent too much time at copy shops. He eventually discovered that there were business centers that could provide offices to work or meet in, as well as provide a business address, telephone answering, and administrative support. When his company downsized and he decided to start his own business, he signed up for a franchise with Your Office USA. While attending the Entrepreneur Assistance Program at BEDC, the staff helped him with his business plan and assisted with the search for office space in downtown Brooklyn. The business center has been open four years and has provided office and meeting space and services to hundreds of businesses.