[Fredslist] Gothamite Jack Friedman named Person of the Year by Queens Tribune

[Corey Bearak]

Congrats to my friend, Gotham Towers member Jack Friedman, executive director of the Queens Chamber of Commerce (with which Gotham holds a January 27 networking events at ResortsWorld NY at Aqueduct), on being named person of the year” by the venerable Queens weekly, the Queens Tribune <http://queenstribune.com/jack-friedman-providing-leadership-for-the-boroughs-businesses/?sthash.rsWdWHrF.mjjo>.

Jack Friedman: Providing Leadership For The Borough’s Businesses

Posted on December 31, 2014 <http://queenstribune.com/jack-friedman-providing-leadership-for-the-boroughs-businesses/> by tribune <http://queenstribune.com/author/tribune/> in Feature <http://queenstribune.com/category/feature/> 	with 0 Comments <http://queenstribune.com/jack-friedman-providing-leadership-for-the-boroughs-businesses/#respond>
BY STEVEN J. FERRARI
Editor-in-Chief

In selecting an individual to honor as our “Person of the Year,” we typically look back over the calendar year to find a person or organization that has stood out in some way over the previous 12 months.

With Jack Friedman, the executive director of the Queens Chamber of Commerce, we are honoring not only the hard work and dedication he showed during 2014. Bestowing him with the honor of “Person of the Year” is a gesture of thanks for all he has done for Queens in his role at the Chamber and his work ensuring that the Borough will continue to grow in the years to come.

Friedman has been an active member of the community all his life, working with civic and religious groups to affect positive change. His business career began when he opened a video store in Bayside in 1983. In 1985, he added a one-hour photo business to his repertoire. After closing the two businesses in 1994 due to health concerns, he moved on to work in a variety of other fields, including serving as chief of staff to then-Councilman David Weprin.

In 2007, he was hired to serve as the Queens Chamber of Commerce executive director.

“When this job became available, it was the culmination of all those other jobs coming together,” he said.

Over the last seven years, he said, the Chamber has built upon its already-strong reputation to create an environment where business owners can find an advocate to help them grow.

“The Chamber has become more prominent in the Borough as a go-to place for business issues,” Friedman said. “It’s now a true voice for business issues, and I’m not sure that happened before.”

He noted that with the potential for the development of up-and-coming business hot spots like Long Island City, especially within the growing tech sector coming out of the new Cornell Technion Center on Roosevelt Island, Queens is set to become the next “place to be” in the City.

“It’s not outside the realm of possibility that places like Google and Amazon are going to want a site close to Cornell Technion,” he said, adding that the proposed developments in Western Queens could benefit greatly from the influx of tech sector businesses. “They’re going to need places for housing and for established commercial centers.”

Under Friedman’s direction, the Queens Chamber of Commerce has taken on a dedicated advocacy role on business issues, not just within the Borough, but throughout the City. He credits the Chamber with taking a lead role in the City avoiding Congestion Pricing – a plan to charge a fee for vehicles travelling into the central business district in Manhattan – as well as working with the City Council Speaker on paid sick leave legislation.

“Our voice was respected enough that our concerns were listened to,” he said.

The Chamber’s executive director said that the diverse nature that makes up the Borough becomes both a blessing and a challenge when trying to create new Business Improvement Districts. While the diverse neighborhoods have a sense of community unto themselves, many of the larger immigrant communities are insular and difficult to penetrate due to a fear of the unknown. Friedman said the Chamber has worked hard to alleviate some fears that many small businesses have about the nature of the BIDs.

Friedman said the BIDs have been successful in teaching small businesses about City rules and regulations, and that education pays off when a merchant avoids fines for things he may not have been aware of otherwise.

In addition to the Chamber’s continued work to help Queens businesses, Friedman said that the Borough is aided now by having “a Borough President who gets it,” referring to Melinda Katz. He said that he believes that the stature of Queens will continue to grow in the coming years, as Queens begins to promote its standing as “The World’s Borough.”

“We’re not going to be ‘The Other Borough’ anymore,” Friedman said.

Reach Steven J. Ferrari at (718) 357-7400, Ext. 122, email sferrari at queenstribune.com or @stevenferrari.

- See more at: http://queenstribune.com/jack-friedman-providing-leadership-for-the-boroughs-businesses/?sthash.rsWdWHrF.mjjo#sthash.rsWdWHrF.QhC9vcdw.dpuf

Corey B. Bearak, Esq.
Government & Public Affairs Counsel
Networker of the Year-2012| co-chair, GOtham GREEN | Gotham Towers | LI Legal | co-chair, Brooklyn Power Breakfast | co-chair, Staten Island Gotham  | Gotham Sponsorships Chair
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