Quantcast

Liu addresses L.I.C. trade show

The Long Island City Business Development Corporation (LICBDC) held its annual trade show and luncheon recently, which was highlighted by keynote speaker City Comptroller John Liu along with the over 100 energetic local businesses.
The kinetic event, held at Terrace on the Park in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, was considered enormously successful by many of the businesses that attended the trade show.
“This was a great event and a great turnout,” said Neil Levin a 10-year veteran of the trade show, member of the LICBDC board of directors and vice president of Webline Designs, which had a booth.
The show had wide variety of local businesses that ranged from major corporations like TD Bank and Citi, to small, locally owned businesses like NYC Lighting, a solar energy lighting company or Filter Fresh Coffee Service, which had one of the largest groups gathered around their stand as they were offering free samples of coffee, hot chocolate and cappuccino.
The trade show, held on November 17, featured over 140 businesses from the Long Island City area and helped put these businesses in contact with potential customers and other businesses. More than 3,500 people attended the event.
Dan Miner, senior vice president of business services, said, “We’re in the business of giving people a great day for business networking.”
The meeting of National Grid and Green Mountain Graphic provided a perfect example of the networking prospects available at the trade show.
“We’re a business to business company, and we’re looking for opportunities here” said Eric Greenberg, owner of Green Mountain Graphic, a designer, manufacturer and installer of signs. As he finished saying this a representative from National Grid came over to discuss a new banner and sign they needed.
Many other businesses there were also able to find common goals.
Frank Kiernan client manager of the Bubble Gum Print Corporation, a design and print firm said, “Because we always have so much wasted paper, we’re taking that wasted paper and turning it into sketch books. We spoke with the Boys & Girls Club while we were here and are looking to work directly with them, making sketchbooks specific to them.”
For Patricia Olmstead of Urban Explorations Inc., a landscape design business, the show provided a chance to get new inspiration. “We want to get new ideas, concepts and technology,” she said. “How can I look at my business in a different way?”
Following the trade show was the luncheon. In addition to Liu, Borough President Helen Marshall also spoke, as well as the award winners.

Liu spoke of the opportunities for business the LICBDC and the trade show provide. He also talked about Long Island City’s growth and its attraction for businesses of all kinds.
“You can see a play, you can eat some of the city’s finest foods, you can find a contractor, you can find a distributor, you can watch movies, you can shoot movies, you can see some of the best view of the New York City skyline,” said Liu, mentioning just some of the many opportunities Long Island City provides.
“The entire city has its eyes on Long Island City,” added Liu.
The Green Business Award was presented to Brooklyn Grange Farms, an organic farming business located on New York City rooftops. Head Farmer Ben Flanner accepted the award, thanking the LICBDC for their help and support and saying he “just wants to cover the city’s roofs with farms.”
“In the Long Island City community, we’ve met a lot of good people and hundreds of people have come by to volunteer from the community,” said Flanner, also, mentioning they grew over 12,000 pounds of vegetables over the summer.
The William Modell Community Service award was presented to Assemblymember Catherine Nolan of District 37, which covers many neighborhoods in western Queens, including Long Island City.
“Long Island City is a great place to work, live, play, learn and we just keep going forward,” Nolan said.
A thought shared by Marshall. “Long Island City is on the move!” she said while extolling the many things going on currently in Long Island City. “I’m very proud of Queens, I’m particularly proud of Long Island City.”
LICBDC is a nonprofit local development corporation founded in 1979. They work to assist businesses in the Long Island City area by advocating for economic development that benefits Long Island City’s industrial, commercial, cultural and residential factors, according to their web site.