THE BUTCHER’S BUNDLE
4 (5 oz.) Butcher’s Cut Filet Mignons
4 (4 oz.) Boneless Pork Chops
4 (4 oz.) Omaha Steaks Burgers
4 (3 oz.) Gourmet Jumbo Franks
4 (2.8 oz.) Potatoes au Gratin
4 (4 oz.) Caramel Apple Tartlets
Omaha Steaks Seasoning Packet
$238.91* separately
COMBO PRICE
$6999
+ 4 MORE BURGERS FREE
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New boss at Small Biz. Svces.
stresses greater equality
Jonnel Doris, Senior Advisor, Director Mayor’s Office of M/WBEs portrait on Friday, Nov. 2,
2018.
BY ANGELICA ACEVEDO
Jonnel Doris is starting his tenure as the new Small
Business Commissioner at a crucial time for
small businesses in Queens and New York City
as a whole.
After taking over the role from Gregg Bishop
— who will serve as senior adviser for small business
COVID-19 recovery — about a week ago, Doris said
supporting small businesses in every community is
at the front of his agenda.
“The challenges that small businesses face every
day are the same challenges that they face now, but
these challenges are so much more acute and so
much more real because of the environment that
we’re in,” Doris said. “And so we are going to deepen
our reach, particularly in communities that are
underserved, and ensure that we are making sure
our resources are being distributed out to them in
an equitable way.”
Prior to his role as SBS commissioner, Doris led
the Offi ce of Minority and Women Owned Enterprises,
the fi rst of its kind in NYC’s history. There,
he helped Minority Woman-Owned Business Enterprise
(MWBE) get certifi ed and navigate the city’s
processes, which totaled 9,800 fi rms and $14.6 billion
investment within four years.
And before that, he was the chief diversity offi
cer for the Governor’s Offi ce of Storm Recovery
(GOSR), a $4.4 billion program that reached 36
counties. He managed seven programs, including
the Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprise,
Fair Housing, Equal Opportunity, American
Disabilities Act and Limited English Profi ciency
programs.
When de Blasio announced Doris’ new role on
May 11, he asked him to start from scratch. When
asked what that means for SBS, Doris noted that
COVID-19 has completely upended the way they do
business and conduct their outreach.
“We normally did most of our work in person,
and when you do business and training, they were
MICHAEL APPLETON/MAYORAL PHOTOGRAPHY OFFICE
generally in person — but we’re in a new era,” Doris
said. “So most of what we’re doing is being done
remotely.”
SBS has a number of services for small businesses
and job seekers. Most of their work consists of
helping small businesses understand paperwork and
apply for funds and loans to continue operating or
start an enterprise. According to Doris, they have
about 40 lenders they work with throughout the
year, and last year they connected businesses to $70
million worth of funds.
In an effort to help small businesses during the
COVID-19 pandemic, SBS is managing two relief
programs: NYC Business Continuity Loan Fund
and NYC Employee Retention Grant.
SBS has given 293 businesses the NYC Business
Continuity Loan Fund, which makes up $16.7
million of the $20 million program. For the NYC
Employee Retention Grant, they’ve approved 3,200
businesses, or $23.4 million of the $40 million program.
As of May 13, Manhattan-based shops have received
approximately 54% of the grants, followed by
Brooklyn with 24%, Queens with 17%, and Staten
Island and the Bronx with 3% each, according to
SBS.
For the loans, Manhattan again leads with approximately
60% of loans going to their small businesses,
followed by Brooklyn with 21%, Queens
with 12%, Staten Island with 4% and the Bronx
with 2%, according to SBS.
Doris noted that more than 50% of the loans went
to minority or women-owned businesses.
More at amny.com.
Schneps Media May 21, 2020 25
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