Our 6th SBA Award
Our 6th SBA Award
This week, the Business Center for New Americans (BCNA) was honored by the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) New York District Office with a Special Achievement Award for having made the most microloans with SBA Funds in New York City. The event which was sponsored by the New York Business 
Development Corporation (NYBDC), was held at the Harvest Room in Jamaica. John Mallano, Lead Lender Relations Specialist at the SBA’s NY District Office, presented the awards. Leonid Ostrovsky, Managing Director at BCNA, and Maria Paulino, Loan Officer, received the award on behalf of BCNA.
Of the $11 million in microloans made by BCNA to businesses in New York City since 1998, 1734 loans, totaling $9 million dollars, have been made using SBA funds. This was the 6th time we’ve received the award and while we’re proud of our achievements, we also see it as an incentive to continue to partner with the SBA to ensure that micro-businesses in New York City have access to credit.
Our congratulations also go to the eighteen other financial institutions that were honored for various achievements in lending to micro and small businesses in New York City. The awardees included two of our funders, Empire State Development Corporation, which received a Pinnacle Award, and Citibank which received a Bronze Award. They and all the other awardees deserve not only our congratulations, but our heart-felt thanks for making New York a better place for small and micro business owners and therefore a richer and more diverse community.
We very much appreciate the support of the SBA staff at the local office and at the main office in Washington, D.C., in helping us achieve our goals and are looking forward to continuing the partnership for a highly successful 2014 as well.