Annual Event
The Excellence in Business Award goes to…

On Thursday, June 12, 2008, the Local Development Corporation of East New York (LDCENY) paid tribute to several business men and women in the course of its annual Excellence in Business Awards celebration and networking event held at the beautiful Palm House of the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens.

Each year the LDC honors individual business men and women who are either its clients or whose business success is a source of inspiration to other businesses. Jorge Madruga, a partner with Jackson Development received the Businessman of the Year Award. Jack Abel, CEO of Watermark, Ltd. received Manufacturer of the Year and Paul Viera, founder of IDL Communications was recognized as Entrepreneur of the Year. The Rising Star Award went to Michelle Lewis, founder of Scooter Food for dogs. Reginald Lowe, Sr. of Morray Electric Corporation received the Lifetime Achievement Award and past Chair Gail Davis received the Board of Directors Award. Last but not least, Maritza Marengo, a fashion designer, received The Maria Padilla-Orasel Award, named in memory of the late champion of small business ownership.

......................................................................................

Fifth Total Woman Business Conference
Think Big, Think Smart!

The Fifth Total Woman Business Conference hosted by the Local Development Corporation of East New York (LDCENY) at Long Island University, Downtown Brooklyn, was a Total Success! Entrepreneurs and aspiring business owners participated in this unique event. The conference started with a keynote presentation by Lisa Delaney, author of Secrets of a Former Fat Girl: How to Lose Two, Four (or More!) Dress Sizes—and Find Yourself Along the Way. The audience could relate to Lisa Delaney’s personal journey of learning to take care of herself and the simple and important secrets she shared, on how she lost 70 pounds and kept the weight off after 20 years. Council Member Charles Barron encouraged the entrepreneurial women to get involved in politics to help grow their businesses.

The most popular workshops included “Alternative Sources of Financing”, composed by a panel which taught women about microloans, business plan competitions and grants for women; “The Future is Now! Blogging, Podcasting and Social Networking”, provided by Jennifer Shaheen, The Technology Therapist; and “Sales: The Lifeblood of Your Business” workshops offered by Prudential Financial and LDCENY. Participants had the opportunity to learn the secrets of exporting; of securing government contracts as a joint venture with representatives from the U.S. Small Business Administration and the Empire State Development Corporation; of selling on eBay and having an online presence; of writing the elevator pitch and of getting equity and debt financing to grow their businesses.

In addition, the luncheon keynotes included Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, who shared the political issues affecting small businesses; Carmen Wong Ulrich, author of “GENERATION DEBT: Take Control of Your Money” (Warner Books), who offered advice on how to prepare oneself in a recession; and Terrie Williams, Public Relations Specialist and Author, who talked about her fourth book, “Black Pain: It Just Looks Like We’re Not Hurting” and encouraged women to make time for themselves.

During the breaks throughout the day, the conference participants were able to visit the exhibitors, a combination of event sponsors and small business owners selling their crafts: custom jewelry, custom handbags, soaps and scrubs, essential oils, T-shirts, event planning, ceramics pieces and much more.