Queens Bronx Builders Association

Building Businesses Slowly Improving - Builders Cautiously Optimistic

October 25, 2012 / Jackson Heights / Queens Business / Queens Buzz. I attended the Queens Bronx Builders Association Trade Show at the LaGuardia Marriott this evening. The show included between two and three dozen exhibitors showing just about everything and anything you might need to build a building. I went to get some sense of the mood of the building trades, given the economy has been the focus of many folks’ attention since the financial debacle of 2008.

The sense I got from most was that, while things are not great like they had been before the bust, they had ‘hit bottom’, and things appeared to be steadily improving. Most of the folks I spoke to were cautiously optimistic, saying they had some really good days but they also had some really slow days. A few of the people I spoke to were downright bullish. Only two people told me that things were still very rough out there.

As you know, this is not a scientific survey, but the joking around left me with the sense that what I had been told was somewhere in the reality ballpark.

Click here to read a report about the Queens Bronx Building Association Trade Show in Queens.

Home Improvement & Contractors In Queens

This section is dedicated to home & building improvment in Queens, Astoria, Long Island City, LIC, Sunnyside, Woodside, Jackson Heights, Flushing, Corona and Jamaica.

Click here to view reports on building and home improvement / contractors in Queens.

Economic Outlook 2012 - Queens Economy

Federal Reserve Economist Discusses 2012 Outlook At LIC Partnership Breakfast

February 13, 2012 / Long Island City / Queens Business / Queens Buzz. I attended a lecture given by New York Federal Reserve Economist Rae Rosen at the LIC Partnership breakfast in Long Island City. In the lecture the economist talked about many of the critical factors that would play a role in the outcome of how the economy would perform in 2012. How these factors play out will ultimately impact the kind of economic year Queens, NYC and NYS will have in 2012.

U.S. Economic Performance in 2012 Vs Averages

The U.S. economy grew 2.8% in the fourth quarter, ending the 2011 year on a strong note, after a slow beginning. For 2012 the consensus forecast is between 2.5% to 3%, with the highs above 3% and the lows just above 1% which still implies a growth year. The U.S. average growth rate since the end of WWII has been about 3.28%. According to one report I read, the probability the U.S. will slip back into recession has fallen to 23%.

Click here for our report of the lecture given by Federal Economist Rae Rosen at the LIC Partnership breakfast in February 2012 - Queens Economic Forecast 2012.

Small Business Financing In Queens NYC

SBA In Queens & Business Outreach Center In Corona

January 31, 2012 / Corona / Queens Business / Queens Buzz. Last summer I decided to take Queens Buzz through the SBA process to raise capital to raise capital and to provide a description of the process that a new or struggling enterprises must go through in order to obtain non-traditional funding.

Over the course of the past decade, government and non-profit organizations have increasingly become aware of the importance and value of helping new and small businesses survive and thrive as a means of retaining and creating jobs within communities. In the current economic environment, helping these small companies is critical to accelerating the current economic recovery.

I entered the process of seeking a loan in July of 2011 ... click here to read more about the Business Outreach Center in Corona Queens. The photo above was taken at a 2012 seminar sponsored at the Business Outreach Center in Corona Queens entitled Financing Your Business.

A Titan In Our Midst

Titan & Optima Foods - Greek Food In Astoria Queens

Astoria / Queens Buzz. Astoria has long been known as the Greek section of Queens and NYC. And for nearly 30 years Titan Foods has been serving the Greek section of Queens and NYC with imported Greek food. In 1991 Optima Foods, which is owned by the same folks as Titan, began operating as a mid sized importer and since that time has grown to become one of the leading distributors of Greek food along the eastern seaboard of the United States.

Click this link to read the full story about Titan Foods - Greek food stores in Astoria Queens.

Manufacturers & Wholesalers In Queens

This section is dedicated to manufacturers and wholesalers in Queens, Astoria, Long Island City, LIC, Sunnyside, Woodside, Jackson Heights, Flushing, Corona and Jamaica.

Click here to view reports on manufacturers and wholesalers in Queens.

Viva La Comida - 82nd Street - Jackson Heights

82nd Street Partnership Hosts Festival At Dunningham Triangle

September 24, 2012 / Jackson Heights / Food in Queens / Queens Buzz. On Friday evening the 82nd Street Partnership hosted Viva La Comida at Dunningham Triangle on 82nd Street at Baxter in Jackson Heights. The event was a fun, quirky preamble to the Hispanic Month activities that officially began on Sunday with the Hispanic Day Parade [click for Hispanic Day Parade report & photos].

I arrived while it was still light out. City Councilman Danny Dromm, Seth Taylor and City Councilmember Julissa Ferreras were standing for photos sandwiched between two men who’s names I will try to obtain and post at a later date. A performance by the youngsters from the Mestizo Art Center followed, much to the delight of the warm and enthusiastic crowd.

I made my way over to the food trucks where I tasted some delicacies and met interesting people … click here to read the rest of our report on Viva La Comida festival hosted by the 82nd Street Partnership in Jackson Heights. The photo to your left was taken from the inside of the Solber Pupusa food truck at the Viva La Comida festival on 82nd Street in Jackson Heights.

Queens County Employment Bests NYC

Queens is one of NYC’s Top Employment Performers

December 19, 2012 / Queens Neighborhoods / Employment in Queens / Queens Buzz.   Tis the season to be jolly and reflect on what’s happened economically over the past year while contemplating and planning for what lies ahead.  To that end we did a bit of research into Queens current economic trends, specifically in the employment area.

Queens Employment & Economy is Diversified

Queens has a relatively diversified employment base.  Queens County industries include: 1) transportation facilities such as JFK and LaGuardia Airports, Long Island Railroad stations, a network of MTA subways and buses, and a network of federal, state and local roadways,
2) energy infrastructure including two major power plants along the East River,
3) a growing hospitality section including hotels, a large casino, two horse race tracks, a major league baseball team, thousands of small to large retailers,
4) an array of about 2,200 restaurants,
5) a full service construction industry,
6) some light manufacturing and
7) government / social services / education as Queens is home to about a dozen hospitals [both private & public] and over three hundred public schools.

Click here to read our report on employment, unemployment & industry in Queens. 

Queens State of the Borough Address 2012

Boro President Helen Marshall Informs Us We’re Holding Our Own

January 24, 2012 / Flushing / Queens Government & Economy / Queens Buzz. Today I attended the Borough President’s State of the Borough Address in the Colden Auditorium at Queens College in Flushing. Queens College President Dr. James Muyskens opened the program, followed by City Council Speaker Christine Quinn.

There were hundreds of people in attendance. The audience included government officials, members of the police, fire and sanitation departments, a number of community board members, educators, healthcare administrators as well as members of the press.

Helen Marshall’s address covered education, healthcare, parks, the economy, business, development, aviation [the airports], culture, historic preservation and awards to a few denizens of the borough for outstanding work. In the photo Queens Borough President Helen Marshall looks a graphic which includes the plans for the new technical center planned for Roosevelt Island by Cornell University and Technion. Click here to our report with photos of the Queens State of the Borough Address 2012.

MTA - #7 Subway Line in Queens

Service Disruptions On #7 Subway Line - Dec 2012 - Mar 2013

December 26, 2012 / Long Island City / Queens Business / Queens Buzz.  There will be service disruptions on the #7 subway line in Queens from Dec 2012 to March 2013.

Click here to read our report about the #7 Subway line service disruptions in Queens Dec 2012, Jan 2013, Feb 2013 & Mar 2013.

MTA - #7 Subway Line in Queens

Service Disruptions On #7 Subway Line - October / November 2012

October 4, 2012 / Long Island City / Queens Business / Queens Buzz.  There will be service disruptions on the #7 subway line in Queens during October & November of 2012.

Click here to read our report about the #7 Subway line service disruptions in Queens October / November 2012.