Brooklyn, NY (July, 2016) ~~ Gail Davis, a native of Brooklyn and former board chair of the Local Development Corporation of East New York (LDCENY), has been named Director of the Women's Brooklyn Enterprise Center (WBEC), a Women's Business Center sponsored in part through a cooperative agreement with US Small Business Administration (SBA) and hosted by the LDCENY.
The WBEC, which has operated since 2000, has provided services to thousands of women and minority business owners through assisting them in starting and expanding their businesses. With its cadre of passionate business counselors, LDCENY provided a wide array of free programs, including workshops and seminars, and one-on-one counseling and coaching services, to more than 1800 entrepreneurs and small business owners, in 2015.
For Ms. Davis, the new position brings her full circle to the organization wherein her own business, The Winning Image, was established, in 1989. During her employment at LDCENY, that year, she recognized that most of the promotional materials utilized by the minority business owners who came to the LDCENY's Entrepreneurial Assistance Program (EAP) reflected a clear lack of visual professionalism and effective design.
Davis, drawing upon her own fashion design background, stepped in to assist with marketing, and helped the aspiring entrepreneurs to establish effective brand identities, providing logos, stationery, brochures, flyers and any other materials needed for application to print formats. Her firm's motto, at the time, was: "We make you look good on paper!" The work done by Davis' firm was soon recognized through design awards such as PRAME (Public Relations, Advertising and Marketing Excellence) and a Congressional Record Award from former Congressman Edolphus "Ed" Towns.
Commenting on Davis' new role, LDCENY Executive Director Sherry Roberts said, "Gail is no stranger to the LDCENY. She has history with the organization; she knows the community and understands the needs of the businesses. Her commitment to excellence and her unique brand of creativity is reflected in every project she has ever done, and we welcome her as a valuable asset to all that we do for our business owners."
In her previous position as Project Manager for Commercial Revitalization at the LDCENY, Ms. Davis collaborated with a team of graphic designers and researchers and a community coalition to create a visual advocacy campaign, "We Mean Business," to prepare merchants on several East New York commercial corridors for the new rezoning plans coming to the area. The effort resulted from a Neighborhood Challenge grant sponsored by NYS Economic Development Corporation and NYC Department of Business Services.
"For me," said Davis, "this is a remarkable opportunity to continue the legacy of leading an award-winning Women's Business Center with an outstanding staff that cares deeply, works tirelessly and goes the extra mile for small businesses to be successful."
To find out more information about the LDCENY and its many business programs and services, visit
www.ldceny.org
or call 718.385.6700 ext. 24.
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About the LDCENY
Since 1979, the LDC of East New York has serviced thousands of entrepreneurs and business owners and continues to provide business services and financial education programs with notable impacts, in addition to housing readiness and housing development programs. Over the years, the LDC has expanded its programs to include not only business issues, but also other aspects of the community, including commercial revitalization of local shopping corridors, and wealth building and management for low-to-moderate-income residents. The LDCENY's motto: "Growing Businesses. Changing Lives. Strengthening Communities" reflects the growing demand for such services in East Brooklyn.
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