PACC Looks to Aid Small Navy Yard Businesses

The Pratt Area Community Council (PACC) is exploring its options to help small businesses in the Brooklyn Navy Yard thrive by establishing a network of support for business owners to rely on and help fellow entrepreneurs, PACC's Executive Director Deb Howard told Patch.

She said of the 275 businesses in the Yard, 250 are comprised of five or less employees. "This would be a pilot [program] to work with those businesses to combine services. We're going to be exploring a cooperative membership or association where these issues and tasks could be shared. We thought we'd start with a  showroom if possible." 

"We do a lot of small business counseling and we think we can do a lot for the businesses in the navy yard," she said, noting PACC has developed a partnership with the Navy Green site just opposite of the Navy Yard. "There's a large storefront there, and one issue we surveyed from businesses in the Navy Yard is that they didn't have a sales yard."

Howard said the space PACC has looked at across from the Navy Yard is a contendor to serve as a showroom for businesses. "So far we've had very positive feedback," she continued. "We've talked to 12 businesses at this time."

This outreach has been made possible by a recent grant awarded to PACC by Bank of America. The company’s Neighborhood Builder award honors nonprofit organizations that help create economic and socially vibrant communities with $200,000 in unrestricted funding and leadership development. 

"The benefit of this award is that it really gives organizations like PACC a chance to explore new possible areas of work to be done [that falls under the] terms of our own core work that we do," Howard said.

Jeff Barker, New York City president, Bank of America, told Patch what while the bank does not have "hard and fast criteria" to follow when selecting recipients, there are certain points an organization has to hit to be considered. 

"We want to make sure the organization has a good track record, that they've been efficient, that what they've done in the past is measurable, and that it's benefitted the community," Barker said. "And they answer the question, 'What will you do with this money?' and that has to resonate."
 
On a personal level, Barker told Patch the organization has be able to use the grant in a monumental way. "My person feeling is that I think the award has to be transformational," he said. "It has to take an organization to the next step."

And PACC has plans to utilize the funds in such a way. 

Next year, the organization will celebrate its 50th anniversary, and Howard said par of the grants will help with entering the next phase of PACC's development. 

"We will be going through a strategic planning process next year, and part of the funds will be going to help on that level," she said. "We may be rebranding, or looking for a new home," she said, noting the organization is currently spread out in four offices.

"Moving into the future, PACC is responsive to where the community is now," she said. "Our service area has enlarged since where we started, and theres a lot we'd like to accomplish."