The Industrial Growth Initiative is a two-phased growth strategy program for the City’s small industrial businesses. It is a pilot partnership between New York City Economic Development Corporation and Next Street that engages leaders of small to medium-sized industrial companies with an interest in building capacity and growing their businesses.

The program began with a business reflection workshop held in each of the five boroughs. Through a subsequent application, select businesses participated in Future Focus, a workshop series dedicated to a combination of topics that explore various aspects of “what it takes” to scale a business, including:

• strategic and financial planning,
• organizational development and maximizing leadership’s effectiveness,
• key barriers to scale and some approaches for overcoming these barriers,
• steps CEOs can take to ensure that all aspects of their business are aligned.

Leveraging capabilities developed during this program, Future Focus participants developed a comprehensive business plan to guide their company through its next stage of growth. These plans were then reviewed by an expert panel of judges:

• Ron Walker, Managing Partner and President of Next Street,
• Gregg Bishop, Deputy Commissioner of NYC SBS and
• Jason Goodman, Founder and CEO of 3rd Ward

The businesses with the three top plans, as selected by a panel of expert judges, will receive $50k to kick start the implementation of their business growth plans.

Finalist businesses include:

• ALL NATURAL PRODUCTS INC (DAVIDOVICH BAKERY), QUEENS│Kate Kznizhina
  Manufacturer of respected and recognized artisanal bakery products baked in Queens and distributed internationally
• BROOKLYN SODA WORKS, BROOKLYN │Antonio Ramos
  Manufacturer of handmade carbonated fruit juices and artisanal soda currently available on draft at select locations and through wholesale keg distribution
• CJ RECHT, MANHATTAN | Mindy Recht
  Artisanal jewelry company creating edgy and modern handmade wares available in boutiques and department stores throughout the country
• EAST COAST CULTURES (KOMBUCHA BROOKLYN), BROOKLYN | Jessica Childs
  Supplier of top quality, all natural Kombucha beverages and Kombucha brewing kits
• MEURICE GARMENT CARE (HUNTS POINT LINEN), BRONX | Wayne Edelman
  Commercial dry cleaning brand of Meurice Garment Care, a leading garment, accessory and interior cleaning firm in New York
• GLATTWATER TECHNOLOGIES, QUEENS | Jacob Lach
  Manufacturer of a faucet-mounted filter initially developed to keep crustaceans out of the City’s tap water for the community that keeps kosher  
• GM PRINTING, QUEENS | K.Y. Chow
  Commercial printing and design operation, certified MBE, focused on the government and corporate markets
• INDEPENDENT KITCHEN AND BATH, STATEN ISLAND | Michael Bobin
  Wholesaler of kitchen and bath remodeling materials providing in-house design and fabrication services
• KD DIDS INC, BRONX | David Lee
  Designer and manufacturer of premium quality knits for movement and fashion sold by retailers worldwide
• KINGS COUNTY JERKY CO., BROOKLYN | Chris Woehrle
  Manufacturer of all natural, 100% grass fed beef jerky growing from direct to consumer sales to wholesale through retailers and distributors nationwide  
• KNIGHT CONSTRUCTION, STATEN ISLAND | Rick Javier
  Construction and environmental remediation firm providing full service general contracting to the public and private sectors throughout the tri-state area

The Industrial Growth Initiative is one of 22 initiatives to strengthen and support the industrial sector announced by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg in June 2011.