It is with deep thanks and appreciation that we pause this night to honor your support and success. From beginning as a model for small business development that would provide a broad range of services in a single location, Jamaica Business Resource Center has become a leading organization in providing access to contracts, training, funding and other support services necessary for small, minority-and women-owned businesses to succeed.

Because of the rapid development occurring throughout the New York metropolitan area, we are faced with unprecedented opportunities. These include there-building of the World Trade Center site and lower Manhattan; the expansion of the Nets stadium in Brooklyn; the great activity throughout the borough of Queens including the growth in Long Island City and expansion of the airports; as well as many other development opportunities. The mission of the Board of Directors of JBRC is to implement programs that ensure the broad participation of our clients in these programs. We are committed to success for our clients and success for the development projects. Therecord has shown that we can grow together by providing excellent service through a comprehensive strategic program.

The success of JBRC is due to its people. I salute the board of directors for their leadership, the staff for its entrepreneurial spirit and focus, its clients for their commitment to providing the highest quality services, and our partners in industry that have successfully included small, minority and women owned businesses in procurement opportunities through their supplier diversity programs.

The success of JBRC and its vision for the future is deeply rooted in hard work and commitment to the advancement of its client base and all entrepreneurs. We thank all of the partners that have invested in this vision, including governmental entities, major corporations, small businesses, foundations, and community developers. The board would like to especially thank Rev. Dr. Floyd H. Flake, Timothy Marshall and the JBRC staff for their leadership and commitment.

We, the Board, salute all of the participants in JBRC’s programmatic activities. It has been a pleasure to serve you and we look forward to an even brighter future as JBRC significantly increases its $300 million of economic impact during our second decade of operations. Thank you for letting JBRC be a part of the economic development success in the New York metropolitan area as well as nationally and internationally.