Mayor Adams Appoints Dynishal Gross as Small Business Services Commissioner, Announces new Tools to Continue Driving Down Storefront Vacancies and Keeping Commercial Corridors Safe

September 17, 2024

SBS Awarding Nearly $5 Million in Neighborhood Revitalization Grants to Support Small Businesses, Create a Safer, Cleaner City
Storefront Vacancy Rate Posts Third-Straight Quarter of Decline Reaching 11.15 Percent, Keeping Neighborhoods Safe and Lively
New York City Has Reached Record Number of Small Businesses, With 55,000 Starting in First Two-Years of Adams Administration

NEW YORK - New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced the appointment of Dynishal Gross as the commissioner of the New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS). Gross, a veteran of the department who previously served as acting commissioner and executive deputy commissioner, will lead the more than 350-person agency charged with creating the environment to support small businesses, spur job growth, and build thriving neighborhoods across the five boroughs.
Mayor Adams and SBS Commissioner Gross today also announced new milestones in storefront vacancy declines, with new tools to continue the city's progress in making commercial corridors safer and more vibrant across the five boroughs. Nearly 40,000 storefronts have opened since the start of the Adams administration, and the storefront vacancy rate has dropped for three consecutive quarters to 11.15 percent in Quarter 2 of 2024 from 11.6 percent in Quarter 4 of 2023, with storefront vacancy rates lower than pre-pandemic levels in several boroughs and neighborhoods. To continue building on this work, the administration is awarding $4.8 million to 64 neighborhood organizations to bolster commercial corridors, improve quality of life, and help keep communities safe.

"Small businesses are the beating heart of our economy, pumping life into commercial districts and communities across the five boroughs," said Mayor Adams. "As we continue to break our own private-sector jobs records, improve Black and Latino unemployment, and drive down storefront vacancies, there has never been a more important time to double-down on our commitment to small businesses and connect them with the resources they need to thrive and grow in New York City. I cannot think of a better leader to steer SBS through this critical next chapter than Commissioner Gross, who is an economic development expert, battle-tested, and has served small businesses and New Yorkers well for her entire career."

"The New York City Department of Small Business Services under the Adams administration has played a major role in driving the city's ongoing economic recovery, strengthening the city's commercial corridors, bolstering the city's small business community, and connecting jobseekers to opportunity, and I have no doubt that Commissioner Dynishal Gross will take the agency to even greater heights," said Deputy Mayor for Housing, Economic Development, and Workforce Maria Torres-Springer. "Dynishal is a focused and compassionate leader who has shown, time and again, her unwavering commitment to improving the economic potential of the city's entrepreneurs and workers, and I am thrilled to work with her to continue delivering for the city's small business community."
"When diverse New Yorkers pursue and achieve their dreams of business ownership, New York City wins," said SBS Commissioner Dynishal Gross. "When our workforce system makes strong matches between businesses and jobseekers, New York City wins. And when commercial corridors across the five boroughs shine at the intersection of commerce and community, New York City wins. With mission-driven partners, inside and outside of government, and infinite good work to be done, I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to lead the work of the Department of Small Business Services, and its amazing staff, in pursuing equity of opportunity for all New Yorkers."

New York City has reached a record of 183,000 small businesses across the city - the most in its history - with 55,000 - one in four - small businesses created in the first two years of the Adams administration alone. The Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island all have vacancy rates below 9 percent with Manhattan seeing the biggest drop in vacancy over three quarters by nearly 1.3 percentage points. The Bronx storefront economy has reached 91.8 percent occupancy, a full recovery from COVID-19. The new data, drawn from the city's data partnership with Live XYZ, indicates the robust business environment, revealing one in three active storefronts have been created since Mayor Adams took office. Industries with the highest growth include restaurants and hospitality, with over 7,000 new storefronts since Quarter 1 of 2020; groceries and convenience stores with over 4,500 openings; and barber shops and hair salons, business and professional services, and health care storefronts with over 2,000 new openings each.
As part of today's announcement, the administration is awarding $4.8 million to 64 neighborhood organizations to facilitate merchant organizing and the development of small business improvement districts (BIDs). Merchant Organizing Strategic Impact Grants will go to 11 neighborhood-based nonprofit organizations to both form new merchants associations and support existing ones. Projects and services will align with best practices outlined in SBS's Comprehensive Guide to Starting a Merchants Association, and include initiatives such as merchant engagement and demonstration initiatives that showcase the long-term advantages of local organizing. These efforts may include supplemental sanitation, beatification, and business attraction strategies. The following 11 organizations will receive a combined $930,000 in grants:

• Bangladeshi American Community Development & Youth Services
• Brooklyn Alliance
• Harlem One Stop
• Hope Community Inc.
• Inwood Merchant Association
• Kingsbridge Riverdale Van Cortlandt Development Corp.
• Korean Community Services of Metropolitan New York
• Queens County Chamber of Commerce Foundation
• Queens EDC
• SIEDC
• Street Vendor Project

BID Development Grants will be disbursed to nine community-based development organizations (CBDOs) to fund the staffing, planning, and implementation of new BID formation. The following nine CBDOs will receive a combined $495,000 in grants to begin the BID formation process:

• Alliance for Coney Island
• Carnegie Hill Neighbors
• CLOTH
• Cypress Hills LDC
• Davidson Community Center
• Gowanus Canal Conservancy
• REMA4US
• Staten Island Chamber of Commerce
• Uptown Grand Central

Citywide Small BID Support Grants will go to 44 organizations to help small BIDs with technical assistance, including consultations, workshops, and planning. The following organizations will receive a combined $3,388,000:

• 82nd Street BID
• 86th Street Bay Ridge BID
• Atlantic Avenue BID
• Bay Ridge-5th Avenue BID
• Bayside Village BID
• Bed-Stuy Gateway BID
• Belmont BID
• Brighton Beach BID
• Capitol District DMA (161st Street BID)
• Castle Hill BID
• Central Fulton Street (FAB Fulton) BID
• Church/Flatbush Avenue BID
• Columbus Avenue BID
• Downtown Flushing Transit Hub BID
• East Brooklyn BID
• Flatbush-Nostrand Junction BID
• Forest Avenue BID
• Grand Street BID
• Hub-Third Avenue BID
• Kings Highway BID
• Lenape Bloemendaal DMA (Columbus Amsterdam BID)
• Montague Street BID
• Morris Park BID
• Mosholu Jerome East Gun Hill Road DMA (Jerome-Gun Hill)
• Myrtle Avenue BID (Queens)
• Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership (BID)
• New Dorp Lane District (BID)
• NoHo BID
• North Flatbush Avenue BID
• Park Slope-5 Avenue BID
• Pitkin Avenue BID
• South Shore BID
• Southern Boulevard BID
• Steinway Street BID
• Sunnyside Shines BID
• Sunset Park BID
• Throggs Neck BID
• Washington Heights BID
• West Shore BID
• West Village BID
• Westchester Square BID
• White Plains Road BID
• Woodhaven BID
• Woodhull Community DMA (Graham Avenue BID)

To date, SBS has awarded over $30 million in grants to neighborhood organizations citywide since the beginning of the Adams administration, bringing the current total to $35 million. The latest round of grants reflects the Adams administration's commitment to community-centered neighborhood development and public realm improvements, and follows recommendations laid out in the "New" New York Action Plan by putting money directly into the hands of the residents, community leaders, and business owners who know the unique needs of their streets and commercial corridors.
Under the Adams administration, SBS has also helped deliver more than $265 million in grant and loan funding directly to small businesses; served more than 188,000 New Yorkers looking for work, skills training, and workshops through Workforce1 Career Centers; and cut red tape to help small businesses open faster and save millions in fines and violations. In addition to providing more than $35 million in grants to support BIDs and other local organizations, city efforts have saved businesses $45 million to date by cutting fines and fees, supporting business compliance, and implementing a one-time liquor license fee waiver. SBS has also served 5,600 entrepreneurs with free legal support through its Commercial Lease Assistance program.
These efforts, combined with the administration's "City of Yes for Economic Opportunity," reflect Mayor Adams' commitment to growing the city's economy, promoting new small businesses and job creation, and filling vacant storefronts. Under the Adams administration, one-in-six businesses in New York City have launched, small businesses with fewer than 50 employees account for approximately half of all new jobs created, and storefront vacancy rates in several neighborhoods and boroughs have fallen to pre-pandemic levels.
About Dynishal Gross
Dynishal Gross has held dual roles as Acting Commissioner and Executive Deputy Commissioner at SBS since June, responsible for overseeing the agency programs supporting small businesses, government contractors, jobseekers, and commercial corridors citywide. Earlier in her SBS tenure, Commissioner Gross served as Deputy Commissioner for the Division of Economic and Financial Opportunity, and Assistant Commissioner in the Division of Business Services.
Commissioner Gross' career in public service includes five years of work for members of the New York City Council, including serving as Director of Legislation and Budget for the chair of the Committee on Small Business.
She holds a B.A. in Africana Studies from Cornell University, an M.P.A. from Baruch College, and a J.D. from Columbia University School of Law.
"I extend a big and well-deserved congratulations to Dynishal Gross on her appointment by Mayor Adams to Commissioner of the New York City Department of Small Business Services," said Andrew Rigie, executive director, NYC Hospitality Alliance. "I've witnessed Dynishal tirelessly serve and support our city's small businesses for many years and have no doubt that she will continue to elevate SBS in this leadership role to ensure small businesses across the five boroughs have the support from local government they need to open, grow and succeed."

"The Staten Island Chamber of Commerce has developed a strong relationship with the Department of Small Business Services," said Linda Baran, president and CEO, Staten Island Chamber of Commerce. "Dynashal Gross has demonstrated true leadership and possesses a strong grasp of the complex environment that surrounds the small businesses in our community. We look forward to continuing to work together in support of small businesses with Dynishal at the helm and congratulate her on the new position!"

"Brooklyn has been leading the way in new business formations since COVID-19, and we are excited that Mayor Adams has chosen Dynishal Gross as the next commissioner of the New York City Department of Small Business Services," said Randy Peers, president and CEO, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. "Nobody understands the better the challenges that our small businesses face better than Dynishal, and we are looking forward to strengthening our partnership under her leadership."

"We are thrilled to see the New York City Department of Small Business Services investing over $4.8 million into neighborhood development grants that will empower organizations across the city to strengthen their local economies," said Tom Grech, President and CEO, Queens Chamber of Commerce. "In Queens, our small businesses are the backbone of vibrant communities, and these resources will help them continue to grow, innovate, and thrive. The reduction in storefront vacancies across the city is a testament to the resilience of our business owners and the targeted support they've received. We are excited to work with Commissioner Gross and her team to build on the progress we have made, and we congratulate her on this well-deserved appointment."

"We are thrilled that the mayor has formally selected Dynishal Gross as the new SBS Commissioner," said Jessica Walker, president and CEO, Manhattan Chamber of Commerce. "Dynishal is a true veteran of the agency and knows it incredibly well. She is best positioned to maximize its capabilities and help small businesses flourish at this critical time, as evidenced by today's exciting programmatic announcements."

"The Bronx Chamber is delighted to see the positive impact of SBS's initiatives, particularly in our borough," said Lisa Sorin, president, Bronx Chamber of Commerce. "These grants will empower local businesses and create a more vibrant community. We commend SBS for their leadership and commitment to the Bronx. We also want to congratulate our new SBS Commissioner; we look forward to working closely with you and your team in support of our small businesses."

"The NYC BID Association applauds Mayor Adams for appointing Dynishal Gross as the new SBS Commissioner," said Robert J. Benfatto and Erin Piscopink, co-chairs, NYC BID Association. "We have worked with Commissioner Gross for years and are thrilled to have her experience, passion, and dedication in this role moving forward. We look forward to continuing to work with her to support small businesses, expand BID operations, and continue to reduce storefront vacancies across our great city."

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