Dear New Yorker,
As we begin to wrap up 2011, the NYC Council and I wanted to take this moment to wish all of our community food members the healthiest and happiest of holidays!
We've made a lot of exciting progress on the food front this past year, thanks to people like you, and we look forward to continuing our work together in 2012 and beyond.
Below are a few important food-related items that we wanted to share before everyone breaks for the holidays, including our FoodWorks first year progress report, information about our recently announced $8 million Small Manufacturing Investment Fund, and details about an upcoming opportunity for NYC-based food manufacturing businesses.
If you have any questions about the items below, please don't hesitate to email me directly at speakerquinn@council.nyc.gov .
Thanks so much and enjoy the holidays!
Best,
Chris Quinn
Speaker
FoodWorks - First Year Progress Report
Last week I was invited to appear on the Leonard Lopate Show to give an update on our FoodWorks plan for improving New York City's food system.
More than just a report gathering dust on a shelf, FoodWorks has served as a roadmap for creating real and lasting change throughout each phase of the system.
Working with city agencies, advocates and communities across the five boroughs, we've already made significant progress on more than half of the 59 initiatives outlined in our FoodWorks plan.
And we can already see the way our food system has changed for the better.
By encouraging the growth of regional farms, supporting local food manufacturers, identifying ways to improve food industry infrastructure, reducing harmful byproducts of manufacturing and increasing access to nutritious food citywide, we've made positive, long-lasting change in the way our food is produced, distributed, processed, consumed and disposed of.
You can catch the entire segment online here . And, if you have time, check out our FoodWorks - First Year Progress Report. This three-page report tracks all of the important changes that we've made to the City's food system since the release of our FoodWorks plan one year ago. To read and/or download a copy, click here .
City Council & Mayor's Office Announce $8 Million Small Manufacturing Investment Fund
As part of our work with the Mayor's Office to help strengthen and grow the City's industrial sector, we are encouraging food manufacturers and other eligible businesses to apply to our $8 million NYC Council Small Manufacturing Investment Fund.
New York City was once home to thousands of manufacturing firms and hundreds of thousands of good-paying manufacturing jobs. While we have lost many of these firms and jobs over the last fifty years, we now have the opportunity to capitalize on our resurgent small manufacturing sector and reestablish New York City as the center for 21st century manufacturing. Our Small Manufacturing Investment Fund will help to do this by providing capital for the reactivation and modernization of empty factories into spaces that are well-suited and affordable for small manufacturers.
This past week, the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to renovate existing industrial space in the five boroughs for small manufacturing and related uses. Preference will be given to respondents that meet certain criteria, including those with not-for-profit status and property located in current Industrial Business Zones and Industrial Ombudsman Areas. Awards range from $1 million to $2 million, and the RFP will remain open on a quarterly rolling basis until all funds have been allocated. The first quarter deadline is Tuesday, March 13, 2012.
A copy of the RFP is available at www.nycedc.com/rfp . NYCEDC strongly encourages interested respondents to attend one of their information sessions, the first of which will be held on Tuesday, January 31, 2012, at 10 am at 110 William Street in Lower Manhattan. If you would like to attend this session, please RSVP to IndustrialSpaceModernizationRFP@nycedc.com no later than Friday, January 27th.
If you have any questions about the RFP or our Small Manufacturing Investment Fund, please feel free to contact Katie Codey in the NYC Council Policy Division at 212-788-9144. She can also be reached by email at kcodey@council.nyc.gov .
Fancy Food Show
I'd like to thank everyone who attended the City's first annual Food Manufacturer Business Expo and Networking Event in October.
With over 150 companies in attendance and workshops on topics ranging from local sourcing to various real estate options, we hope participants found the expo to be a valuable resource to support the growth of your business.
As part of our continuing effort to help strengthen the food manufacturing industry, the NYC Economic Development Corporation (EDC) has partnered with the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade (NASFT) to create a unique opportunity that will be offered to four select New York City-based food manufacturing firms.
NYC-based food manufacturing business can now apply for an all-expense paid trip to showcase their product in a city-sponsored booth at the NASFT 2012 Summer Fancy Food Show . A premiere international food trade event, the 2012 show is expected to connect more than 15,000 buyers to 250,000 specialty food products. NYCEDC will fund and coordinate the design, marketing, and promotion of the booth, annual membership dues, and travel costs to Washington, DC.
Applicants will be selected by a panel of local industry experts to go before the NASFT membership committee in spring 2012. The committee will select four businesses to receive a one year NASFT membership, as well as an all-expense paid trip and a showcasing booth at next summer's Fancy Food Show.
As part of our commitment to expanding access to new markets for immigrant entrepreneurs, immigrant-owned businesses are strongly encouraged to apply.
To obtain an application, please visit NYC Specialty Food Competition or call (212) 312-3627.