Established in the Fall of 2024, the Southeast Queens Business Incubator (SEQBI) is a comprehensive business growth program that includes a rigorous 8-week course focused on management operations, budgeting and accounting, marketing, e-commerce, supply chain management, and access-to-capital solutions. Each class is intentionally designed to build on the previous class, requiring Fellows to commit to 100% class attendance, complete class assignments, and successfully demonstrate how they will use the tools, resources, and newly acquired skills in their growth plan.
The SEQBI Program is funded by a generous grant from Resorts World New York City. Since opening in October 2012, Resorts World has supported over 200 community-based organizations in Queens by donating over $3 million to support their mission driven programs and services. To learn more about how Resorts World NYC is supporting our community click on Resorts World Gives.
The goal of SEQBI is to build the capacity of Southeast Queens businesses to compete for new business, contract, and procurement opportunities happening throughout Southeast Queens and surrounding neighborhoods. This includes the JFK Redevelopment, Arverne East, Resorts World NYC Expansion, NY Football Club Stadium projects.
These Queens-based projects will need a plethora of business-ready construction, security, hospitality, food and beverage, transportation, media communications, concession operators, maintenance, building and office suppliers, logistics, and professional service (finance, insurance, real estate) businesses to fill these opportunities.
Several key features of the Course include:
- A curriculum-based course developed by York College SBDC, Modern Community Capital, and RDRC.
- Business owners, or Fellows matched with a business advisor from one of several New York State Small Business Development Centers (SBDC ‘s) – York College SBDC, Pace University SBDC, or Farmingdale State University SBDC.
- Workshops on a range of “how to” topics that include social media, artificial intelligence, LivePlan, Canva, and PowerPoint.
- SEQBI Café Hours for Fellows to receive additional assistance with course materials and assignments, connect with colleagues, and practice their ‘pitch’.
- Assisting Fellows with MWBE, ADCBE, DBE, VDBE certification applications through our business partners’ network.
- Exclusive opportunities to meet and interact with decision-makers of major corporations through our business partners network and business mixer events.
Fellows are required to develop their business growth utilizing their newly acquired tools, resources, and skills. Once completed, Fellows are invited to transform their growth plans into a five-minute ‘pitch’ presentation that is then evaluated and ranked. The top four ranked presentations are then advanced to the SEQBI Pitch Competition Final to compete for $12,000+ in business investment grants (1st place: $5k, 2nd place:$4K, 3rd place:$3K).
Pictured: Kevin Alexander, RDRC President & CEO and Michelle Stoddart, Resort World NYC Senior Vice President of Community Development
“SEQBI represents a public-private partnership that was first envisioned by then City Councilman James Sanders, Jr. who established a business incubator pilot program with RDRC in the early 2000’s. Always a champion of minority and local business development, Senator Sanders, Jr. spearheaded the launch of the SEQBI in 2024, not as a pilot, but as a comprehensive business development program” stated Kevin W.Alexander, MPA, President & CEO of Rockaway Development & Revitalization Corporation.
In our first 9 months (three sessions), SEQBI has enrolled 60 businesses, and graduated a total of 45 – that represents a 75% completion rate. RDRC projects that it will graduate a total of 60 businesses by the end of the fourth (Winter 2025) session.
SEQBI has also granted a total of $36,000 to nine (9) Pitch Competition Winners, and projects an additional $12,000 to three (3) additional Fellows by the end of fourth session.