More weather by AccuWeather®

INITIATIVE FOR A COMPETITIVE BROOKLYN TO HELP CREATE JOBS AND RAISE STANDARD OF LIVING

Photographs by Kathryn Kirk

In photo 1 (from left to right): Small Business Services Commissioner Robert W. Walsh, Borough President Markowitz, EDC President Joan Bartolomeo, Senior Vice-President and Director of Bank of America Maurice Coleman, and BAM President Karen Brooks Hopkins.

“Everyone knows Brooklyn is a great place to live, but we want them to know it’s a great place for business as well,” said Borough President Marty Markowitz, who is co-chairing the Initiative for a Competitive Brooklyn along with Stanley Brezenoff, President/CEO of Continuum Health Partners. “In choosing Brooklyn, ICIC clearly understood our boundless potential. The ICB planning process has stimulated Brooklyn leaders to conceive many new opportunities for growth and development. Making this plan a reality will further enhance our quality of life, create jobs, and make Brooklyn an even more vibrant place to live and work in the decades to come,” continued Markowitz.

On Wednesday, March 9, the Initiative for a Competitive Brooklyn (ICB) released its comprehensive recommendations to enhance the competitiveness of Brooklyn businesses while creating jobs in four industries: health care, tourism and arts, real restate and construction, and food processing. Harvard Business School Professor Michael E. Porter of the Boston-based Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC) presented the plan to Brooklyn business and civic leaders at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. Other speakers included ICB Executive Committee Member and NYC Department of Small Business Services Commissioner Robert W. Walsh and ICB Steering Committee Member and Brooklyn Economic Development Corporation President Joan Bartolomeo.

Launched in October 2003, ICB is a partnership between the Borough President’s Office, the Brooklyn Economic Development Corporation and Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC). The group engaged over 200 private, public and civic leaders to develop a market-based strategy to build on Brooklyn's competitive advantages. Founded by Dr. Porter, ICIC is a national non-profit organization that is working to revitalize inner cities across the country.