long branch newsletter april 2016 final
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Volume 9
Supported by:
Long Branch Business League Issue 3 April 2016 Long Branch Business League
Join the Business League
Over the last four years the Long Branch Business League, with its Dis-cover Long Branch! initiative, has gradually built a more exciting im-age for Long Branch commerce. We brought the community the suc-cessful Super-Block Party last May; we started a Salsa Night series this September and we have helped install art work.
What is more, the Business League's newsletter keeps you up-to-date on important events, local business news, and business tips.
What are the benefits to you of membership? Preferred access to store design improvements Assistance with marketing and business planning Help with Enterprise Zone tax credit applications Greater visibility in business league marketing materials
And with big changes coming to our area because of the Purple Line, now more than ever we need to stand together to make sure all of us benefit from the expanded customer base the Purple Line will bring.
Making Long Branch successful for everyone.
IN THIS ISSUE
LEDC in Long Branch
Page 1
Sustainable Long Branch Loans
Page 1
Major Grant Received
Page 2
Earth Day this April 23!
Page 2
Neighborhoods Join Forces?
Page 3
Resources
Page 4
Resources:
Small Business Development Center
SBDC provides counseling and classes. Coun-
selors speak Spanish and other languages.
301-403-0501x11
7100 Baltimore Ave, Suite 303,
College Park, MD 20740
Enterprise Zone Tax Credit Program
Access to County tax credits for real estate
improvements and employee hiring.
Mr. Pete McGinnity
240-777-8126
Montgomery County Council
240-777-7900
Department of Permitting
Responsible for all permits to make property
improvements and signage.
permittingservices.montgomerycountymd.gov
240-777-0311
DED’s Small & Minority Business Empowerment
Resources and training for small businesses.
Judith Stephenson
240-777-2012
Montgomery County Police
Non-emergency dispatch for Long Branch:
301 279-8000
All emergencies: 911
Montgomery County (All other services)
For all Montgomery County services there
is now a single number you can call, this
includes bulk trash pickup
(5 requests annually)
311 (English)
311 + 1 (Español)
Department of Liquor Control
DLC licenses and regulates businesses that
sell alcohol, and provides education and
assistance to businesses and their
employees.
Emily DeTitta
240-777-1904
Business League April Gathering
Wednesday, April 6, from 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
El Golfo Restaurant, 8739 Flower Avenue
Guests Speakers: Healthy Long Branch; LegalShield; and Kathy Stevens, director,
Montgomery Coalition for Adult English Literacy
Long Branch Business News, a monthly publication , Paul Grenier, Editor 301-622-2400, x 41 [email protected]
When Isis Salmeron spoke at the Long Branch Business League’s March 2 meeting, she made a point, right from the start, of explaining who their clients are.
“Though we are called the Latino Economic Development Center, in fact, we work with all businesses, and not just Latino clients,” said Salmeron.
LEDC provides technical assistance – for free – and also provides business loans. Their goal is to serve small businesses that might have a hard time getting a loan elsewhere. It’s very hard to get a bank loan today, Salmeron said. Qualification require-ments have become extremely strict.
It is not easy these days for a small business to get a loan at a rate as low as three or four percent for up to fifteen years.
But such loans are available, as a group of Long Branch business owners learned at the March 2
LEDC: ‘We Serve All Long Branch Businesses’
Carlos Perozo, President Long Branch Business League [email protected]. 301-587-4829 or 301 812-4141
See Low Rates, p. 3
See LEDC p. 2
Loan Rates for ‘Sustainable Long Branch’ Attractive
Business League meeting at El Golfo Restaurant.
In fact, such loans are available to small businesses, developers and property owners in neighborhoods,
From right: Colleen Cord-Malone
(DHCD), Isis Salmeron (LEDC), Ada Villa-
toro (el Golfo), Renato Mendoza (CASA)
LEDC, which is a non-profit, makes loans in a personal and flexible way. “The main thing for us is see-ing the entrepreneurial spirit, along with knowledge of the industry,” Salmeron said.
If a potential lender has a good “character,” she said, even a previ-ous bankruptcy “can be OK.” LEDC has no minimum credit score requirement, but low credit will affect the interest rate. There is also a collateral requirement (paid-off vehicles and business assets are accepted).
Present rates vary between 8% and 14%.
LEDC’s loan program picks up where the more complex, but lower-rate, DHCD’s BusinessWorks pro-gram (see story, bottom of page 1) leaves off.
The average LEDC loan is $15,000, though loans as small as $5,000 are available, with $50,000 being the maximum.
Business League President Carlos Perozo, at a recent meeting of area non-profits, spoke highly of ZP Tax’s experience with LEDC.
“They helped me understand what changes I needed to make — I mean, aside from the loan, to improve my business. They were fantastic,” he said.
Note: In addition to its main office in Washington, DC, LEDC also has a technical assistance center near Long Branch in Wheaton at 11002 Veirs Mill Rd, Suite 503.
Contact Ms. Isis Salmeron at: 202 540-7430 or [email protected].
LEDC, from page 1
3
DiscoverLongBranch.com DiscoverLongBranch.com
DHCD Loan Program
such as Long Branch, that Maryland designates as ‘Sustainable Communities’.
The program, which was described in detail at the Business League meeting by Colleen Cord-Malone, is run by Maryland’s Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD).
Colleen said DHCD wants to encourage neighborhoods like Long Branch to grow, especially through ‘adaptive re-use’ – in other words, by improving and fixing what is already there. Another goal of the loan program is to encourage additional investment from private and commercial sources.
Since 1996, DHCD’s Neighborhood Busi-nessWorks program has made over 600 loans, mostly to small businesses, but also to non-profits.
Loan rates vary between 3—12% depending on risk, collateral, and potential revitalization impact, among other factors.
The program is designed for loans of $35,000 or more. Another big plus for this loan program: the fees are very limited. But expect to spend some time on all the paperwork.
For more information: Colleen Cord-Malone, [email protected] (Phone: 301-429-751)
(Low Rates, from page 1)
Regional Center, CASA, Explore
Neighborhood Hub Cooperation, Trust
On Thursday, March 10, Business League President Carlos Perozo
represented Long Branch at the concluding meeting of south-
County small business districts that, over the past few months, have
been exploring ways to collaborate.
The meetings, which were organized by CASA and the Silver Spring
Regional Center, discovered common problems and opportunities
facing commercial areas, like Long Branch, that serve as — or should serve as — their neighborhood’s social and commercial hubs.
In addition to Long Branch, participating neighborhoods included
Takoma-Langley Crossroads, Fenton Village, Montgomery Hills,
Four Corners, and Brookville Road.
CASA’s Zorayda Moreira-Smith noted that business owners in all
these areas have similar approaches to learning. Most prefer to
learn from other businesses similar to themselves. And many are
unaware of what resources are available to them from service
providers such as LEDC, SBDC, and others.
“Long Branch faces the challenges of becoming a destination as a
place,” said Zorayda. “And there are also parking challenges for people who want to do multiple tasks – with the construction of the
Purple Line, this is a warning of problems to come, ” she added.
The March 10 discussion, which took place at Silver Spring Civic
Center, and was moderated by the Center’s director Reemberto
Rodriguez, was lively and, as diplomats say, ‘frank.’ Some small
business participants made clear that they are nervous about the
future, and not sure whom to trust outside the business sector.
“Building trust takes time,” Zorayda said. “It is not just knowing
someone’s name, but knowing what they care about, what they
value.”
Carlos Perozo agreed, pointing out that it has taken years, in some
cases, to gain the trust of local businesses in Long Branch. What made the difference was being able to point to concrete results,
“such as all the new artwork and flowers that we put there.”
Montgomery Housing Partnership’s Paul Grenier said that he hoped the initiative would continue: “All of these areas share common problems and need a political voice.” The way to build trust, he added, is to “get problems solved.”
A follow-up survey of participants will determine next steps.
Long Branch has its murals, Seattle has its troll.
If you have ideas for place-making, contact us!
(See back page for phone contact numbers).
Healthy Long Branch Gets Major Grant
Trinity Health, one of the country's largest health systems, has awarded a
Montgomery County collaborative $500,000 per year for 3—5 years to implement
a range of public health strategies in the County — including in Long Branch.
One of the key partners in the collaborative that received the grant is Healthy
Long Branch, a health improvement alliance brought together by the Long
Branch non-profit CHEER. Its director, Bruce Baker, regularly attends Long
Branch Business League meetings.
According to Baker, Healthy Long Branch will be working to involve residents all
over Long Branch and partners such as MHP and the Long Branch Business
League “to make Long Branch a healthy, thriving community.”
Representatives of Healthy Long Branch will provide further information about
this exciting development at the April 6 Business League meeting (see bottom of
p. 1 for details).