On January 13th, 2015, the NYC Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) announced SoBRO as the winner of a $100,000 grand prize for the third annual Competition To Help Reach Immigrant Ventures and Entrepreneurs (THRIVE). The competition is designed to address practical struggles faced by immigrant entrepreneurs in starting, operating and expanding their businesses in New York City. 

On December 18th the SoBRO family came together to celebrate their many accomplishments in 2014.  The SoBRO Masked Benefit Ball: Unmasking the Bronx: Community. Business. Culture, our 42nd annual benefit, was a huge success with hundreds of New Yorkers gathering at the New York Hilton Midtown to celebrate the South Bronx.

SoBRO Board and staff are deeply saddened by the passing of Herb Sedler, 84, a former SoBRO board member and a champion for the revitalization of our community.  As the founder of Paper Enterprises, a Port Morris-based supplier of paper products to the food services industry, Herb created jobs and helped the South Bronx economy for decades.  SoBRO President/CEO Phillip Morrow noted: “Herb did not leave the Bronx when the going got tough.  His business sustained thousands of Bronx families over the last five decades but this was not enough for Herb.  He worked tirelessly to revitalize the South Bronx by joining forces with organizations like SoBRO and providing leadership and guidance to those with whom he shared a common vision.” Sedler is survived by his wife, a retired New York City schoolteacher; his son Jordan, president of Paper Enterprises; and his daughter Lauren, an art historian and dealer in Bath, England. He also leaves behind four grandchildren, Alex, Jesse, Oliver, and Victoria.  We at SoBRO are forever grateful for his service to our organization; Herb will be missed.

SoBRO will act as a key partner on two projects that have been selected for funding under the Neighborhood Challenge Innovation Grant competition spearheaded by the NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS). Winners of the competition were announced at the former Bronx Borough Courthouse on Thursday, January 15th.

The two awarded organizations with which SoBRO are partnering are: The Neighborhood Plaza Partnership (NPP),  and No Longer Empty (NLE). NPP is a program of The Horticul­tural Society of New York, is dedicated to helping neighborhoods transform reclaimed streets into vibrant public spaces. NLE is a non-profit organization that activates public engagement with contemporary art through curated, community-responsive exhibitions and education programs that revive underutilized properties.

NYCEDC, in partnership with SoBRO, BOEDC, and BOC Network, is providing qualified small industrial businesses the opportunity to learn growth strategies from industry experts during a yearlong program called the Industrial Growth Initiative. 

SoBRO’s business incubator, the Venture Center, hosted a networking event for Bronx businesses that are currently tenants at the Venture Center or are interested in the space. Over 40 guests mixed, mingled,  made connections, and enjoyed Asian fusion fare catered by local restaurant Ceetay. SoBRO also announced upgrades to the 14-year-old incubator, including aesthetic changes like fresh paint in the hallways and meeting areas, and structural changes like renovations to units on the first floor. In addition, the basement will now house a T-shirt printing press that SoBRO’s Transformation Academy students will use to gain experience in operating a small business.  The Venture Center is home to over 30 businesses.

Over 30 industrial businesses and energy sector professionals came together at NYSERDA’s Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Breakfast at the SoBRO Center on Wednesday, February 4th. Topics focused on how to enhance industrial buildings’ power reliability through weather events like Superstorm Sandy using the CHP system. Attendees learned how this can help them to continue operating even when the grid goes down more reliably than standby generators and while saving money.

With the recent formation and development of the United Business Cooperative, SoBRO has been steadily increasing efforts to support the sustainability of small businesses, recognizing their powerful impact on revitalization of a community overall. Reflecting our achievements in the restaurant sector, SoBRO applauds the efforts of a new organization, NYC Food For All People, for marrying sustainability with the fight to end hunger. Food For All People supports restaurants and retailers that serve people in need by providing resources for growth and promotion in the form of consumer guidelines. To learn more about Food For All People, visit http://www.foodforallpeople.org/