Grant City Business Recovers Costs Thanks to Chamber’s Support

By Michael Anderson, Staten Island Chamber of Commerce

Chamber President and CEO Linda Baran (left) and Michael Anderson (right) with Advance Lock & Key and representative from Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s office (second from left) during an outreach visit earlier this summer.

When Hurricane Sandy struck, Advance Lock & Key was among the many Staten Island businesses left reeling. The longtime Grant City company was devastated by floodwaters, forcing an enormous cleanup that required ten dumpsters just to clear the damage. Like many small businesses, they absorbed the costs and kept going, helping others in the community even while rebuilding their own operation.

More than a decade later, Advance Lock & Key finally had a chance to recoup some of those storm-related expenses, thanks to help from the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce. Through the Chamber’s outreach, owner Thomas King learned about a grant program from the NYC Department of Small Business Services designed to help businesses in flood-prone areas invest in resiliency. With guidance from the Chamber, he applied—and was recently reimbursed for nearly $2,500 in upgrades that will help safeguard the business against future disasters.

When original owner Thomas King was first informed by the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce about a reimbursement grant from the NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS) to support small businesses in New York City floodplains in becoming more resilient in the face of natural disasters, he was certainly interested. Michael Anderson, the Chamber’s Small Business Resource Network (SBRN) Supervisor, visited the business during outreach to inform him about the grant.

“I thought it was an opportunity to get something done and they were paying attention to my business,’ said King. “I thought it was really interesting that they’re finally coming and recognizing all the businesses that were hit by the flooding and how it hurt people.” 

After finding out the business was eligible by checking the NYC Flood Hazard Mapper or the NYC Stormwater Resiliency Maps, he decided to apply. The next step involved having experts review the location, business operations, and insurance needs to provide personalized recommendations that help reduce the risk to the business and/or property in the event of disruptive events. Participants can receive a maximum reimbursement of $5,000 based on those recommendations. 

“I felt very comfortable with them coming in,” said King. “They gave me a big selection of items and I was able to pick out things that would be best for my business.” 

After King purchased the equipment and made copies of the purchase, the credit card receipt, and proof of payment, he came back to the Chamber for assistance. Anderson was able to assist in the process by contacting SBS several times and sending over any needed documents.     

“The Chamber told me about the program. I’ve never applied for something like this in my lifetime – this is the first time I’ve ever received anything, to be honest with you. I thought it was a little bit more complicated until I started doing it,” said King. “They were very good at telling me what needed to be done and assisting.”   

With all the paperwork completed, Kain was recently reimbursed nearly $2,500 for his purchases of new technology items for Advance Lock & Key. 

“It was a nice ending for something bad that happened,” he said. 

The BPREP grant is still available for any small businesses located in New York City floodplains. To be eligible, your business and/or property must be located in an area at risk of flooding according to the NYC Flood Hazard Mapper (select "Future Floodplain 2050s" layer) or the NYC Stormwater Resiliency Maps (select "Moderate Flood (2.13 in/hr) with 2050 Sea Level Rise" layer).

For more information, please contact Leslie Rivera at the Chamber at 718-727-1900 ext. 1002, or email her at lrivera@sichamber.com.