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JAMAIC
2011 ANNUAL REPORT
WALK THIS WAY
INTRODUCTION
85,000 people do it every day… walk down Jamaica Avenue
in search of the city’s best bargains and latest urban fashion
trends. So this year’s annual report will take you along on a
stroll down Jamaica Avenue to experience why Jamaica Center continues to grow as a shopping destination.
Some may ask how the BID keeps this downtown district bustling. A lot of it
happens quite organically. But indeed a lot of it is based on 32 years of experience, programming, coordination, and advocacy by the BID.
This past year has been marked by many new, exciting changes for the organization—we have created a new mission statement, welcomed new staff,
introduced a new sanitation company, and even launched new marketing initiatives, including an evening street festival, a shopping spree raffle, and a photo
tourism campaign.
But not only have we undertaken organizational changes, we have also been
inspired to witness the changes happening in the district itself. This year, the
highly anticipated opening of Applebee’s was marked with lines out the door
and around the corner. The ever-popular shopping destination, Gertz Mall, received a major facelift that brightened the corridor. Additionally, a key capital
initiative—to replace the outdated traffic and streetlights throughout the district—commenced during the spring.
While we are excited to see the district continue to grow and change, we have
also worked diligently to identify and strengthen the core programming that
has served the BID successfully for so many years. Our ValueCard program and
Sidewalk Sales Days, for example, continue to be staple promotional tools for
the district.
In addition, we have placed a keen focus on building partnerships with local
community groups and technical assistance providers, such as NYC Business
Solutions Center, Greater Jamaica Development Corporation, and conEdison,
to increase our capacity to assist our businesses and improve the district’s
retail mix.
Indeed, this year has been a special blend of collaboration and innovation. So as
you stroll through the pages of this annual report, we are proud to reflect back,
look forward, and continue on Jamaica Center’s journey to new horizons.
Michael Hirschhorn
President
Laurel Brown
Executive Director
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MISSION POSSIBLE
At the heart of an organization is its
mission statement—the call to action
that drives the organization’s programs,
financial choices, and decision-making.
One of the goals that the BID set out for
FY2011 was to review the then-current
mission statement and determine if it
needed to be updated. To do that, the BID
enlisted the advice of an expert strategic
planning consultant. The result is a
concise, yet clear and powerful statement
of the BID’s mission and vision:
Old Mission Statement
“The Jamaica Center Improvement Association (the
Business Improvement District, i.e. BID) was created
in 1979 by state legislation and is a not-for-profit,
tax-exempt organization, funded by special assessments paid by the property owners. The district
encompasses Jamaica Avenue from the west side
of 169th St. to the east side of Sutphin Blvd. and
Union Hall St. from Jamaica to Archer Avenues. We
are joined by the Sutphin Blvd. BID on the west end
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and by the 165th St. Mall Association at the intersection of Jamaica Avenue and 165th St. to create a
harmonious greater Jamaica area with mutual goals
and objectives—to provide supplemental services to
the district; sanitation services, litter and graffiti removal, maintenance of sidewalk brick pavers; pruning and watering of trees; promotion and marketing
through a variety of initiatives; and act as an advocate on behalf of this urban downtown in the heart
of Queens.”
New Mission Statement
“Founded in 1979, the Jamaica Center Business Improvement District seeks to make the Jamaica Center
business district a thriving business hub and an enjoyable destination to shop, work, live, and visit.
The BID’s core programming includes four strategic
initiatives:
†
Enhance: Ensure that the district is attractive,
welcoming, safe, clean, and graffiti-free.
†
Promote: Conduct creative district marketing
campaigns, host special events, and encourage
tourism.
†
Coordinate: Align the district’s retail mix with
shopper preferences and connect district businesses with the resources needed to succeed.
† Advocate:
Champion for public improvements,
capital investments, and economic development
initiatives in the downtown.”
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JAMAICA CENTER BEAUTIFUL
The BID’s Clean Team
With over 85,000 people visiting Jamaica Avenue
each day, keeping this mile long district clean is
no small task. Yet, each day the Jamaica Center BID
manages to do just that.
For nearly 16 years, the BID has contracted with
Queens-based company, Academic Stone, to provide
various sanitation services—street cleaning, graffiti
removal, and power washing—to the district. But in
May of this year, the contract with Academic Stone
suddenly and unexpectedly ended.
The BID staff worked diligently to identify a company
that could adequately service the demands of this
busy district. Ultimately, the BID decided on the
nationwide sanitation company, Block-by-Block
(BBB), whose cleaning resume reads like the “Who’s
Who” of business districts—including Flushing and
Chinatown, NYC; Georgetown, Washington DC; and
Downtown Crossing, Boston.
Picking up right where Academic Stone left off, the
nine member crew from Block-by-Block cleans the
district throughout the day, sweeping the sidewalks;
bagging, re-lining, and cleaning the district’s 73
trash receptacles; carting the trash to a local waste
facility; and removing graffiti, stickers, and posters.
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Clean Sidewalks
With Block-by-Block at the helm, the BID ended
this fiscal year with a full-scale power washing and
gum removal initiative. The labor-intensive task of
removing gum deposits and other grime from a two–
mile stretch of sidewalk will soon yield pristine and
inviting sidewalks for our many visitors. At the time
of printing, the power washing project was still in
progress.
New Streetlights
We are also delighted to announce that the work to
replace the old, outdated street and traffic lights
along Jamaica Avenue and Union Hall Street with
new decorative fixtures has begun.
This announcement comes after several years of
lengthy approval processes and zealous advocacy
on the part of the BID, 165th Street Mall, Greater
Jamaica Development Corporation, NYC Economic
Development Corp., NYC Dept. of Transportation,
Queens Community Board 12, Queens Borough
President Helen Marshall, and financial and other
support by Assemblyman William Scarborough,
Councilman James Gennaro, and Councilman Leroy
Comrie.
BY THE
NUMBERS
n 6–9 sanitation
crew members
n 330 sanitation
hours logged
per week
n 2.5 tons
of garbage
removed
per day
n 20 posters &
stickers removed
per day
The street light project is the latest phase in a larger
collaborative initiative by the BID and other area
stakeholders to continue to enhance and develop
downtown Jamaica.
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MARKETING JAMAICA CENTER
Information is power and innovation is
key—when it comes to our marketing efforts, that has been the BID’s motto for
the past year.
BY THE
NUMBERS
n 6,532
average
monthly
website visits
n Jamaica
Center
BID Shopping
Guide is the
top website
download
n Homepage,
Directions, and
ValueCard are
the most popular
web pages
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Research and Data Driven Marketing
This year the BID seized the opportunity to reach
shoppers and tourists more effectively by using data
and research to ground its marketing initiatives. The
first place we started was our website. Recognizing
how important our online presence is, the BID
hired a web consultant to identify ways to optimize
its online presence. The result was a number of
pointed suggestions to make the website even more
informative, engaging, and interactive—a project
which the BID is currently implementing.
Moreover, as part of its popular ValueCard campaign
that was launched Fall 2009, the BID collected and
processed nearly 1,200 shopper surveys to learn
who our shoppers are, where they come from, and
how they are hearing about the district. This direct
insight into our shoppers’ preferences allowed the
BID to innovate impactful new marketing programs,
which are described in more detail.
Mother’s Day Shopping Spree
What better way to underscore all of the great
shopping opportunities in Jamaica Center than to
give loyal shoppers a chance to do what they love
most… shop Jamaica Avenue! That is just what the
BID did for Mother’s Day this year.
Twelve businesses in the district donated $1,000
worth of gift cards and prizes for the shopping
spree. In turn, the gifts were given out to five lucky
shoppers, with the grand prize winner receiving
$500.
The resounding feedback from businesses and
customers alike was that the Mother’s Day Shopping
Spree program was a great promotion and should be
continued next year.
Union Hall Street Thursdays
If Jamaica Center has 85,000 visitors during the
daytime, imagine how lively it can be at night. That
was the theory behind the launch of “Union Hall
Street Thursdays”—a collaborative effort between
the BID, Greater Jamaica Development Corporation,
Applebee’s, and Councilman Leroy Comrie, to
enliven Jamaica Center at night.
BY THE
NUMBERS
n 12
businesses
donated nearly
$1,000 in prizes
n 3,800
fliers
were distributed
to shoppers to
promote the
program
n 459
shoppers
entered into the
raffle
n5
very happy
winners walked
away with great
prizes
For three Thursday evenings in June, Union Hall
Street was transformed into a lively street festival,
complete with café seating, festive lighting, food
and beverages from Applebee’s, and live music.
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In addition to providing access to Union Hall Street,
the BID also sponsored maintenance services,
promotional materials, and entertainment for the
event. A first-of-its-kind for the district, the festival
quickly gained in popularity. Businesses, area
residents, and workers have reached out to the BID
in record numbers requesting that the program be
extended. The BID plans to oblige.
The Photography Project
If one picture is worth 1000 words, then we might
just be the next Shakespeare… This year, the BID
teamed up with a professional photographer to
create a portfolio of captivating photographs of
the people, businesses, and destinations that make
Jamaica Center, Jamaica Center.
The result was a vivid mosaic of photographs that
captures the energy and essence of the district
and that can be used for years to come in various
marketing campaigns for the organization.
Oldies But Goodies
While the BID has introduced a number of new
marketing projects this year, the BID also continues
to rely on its staple promotional programs for district
marketing:
† ValueCard:
provided thousands of shoppers
with a free discount card featuring discounts
up to 20% to dozens of participating Jamaica
Center businesses
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†
Banners: branded Jamaica Center by maintaining
52 branded seasonal banners throughout the
district*
†
Sidewalk Sales Days: hosted 11 long weekends
(44 days total) for merchants to bring savings to
shoppers outdoors
† Ambassador
Program: through summer,
spring, and fall, our friendly greeter welcomed
visitors to the district to answer questions,
provided directions, and distributed business
promotional materials
†
Holiday Lights: brightened Jamaica Avenue and
Union Hall Street with 40 decorative lighting
displays during the winter holiday season
†
Santaland: Santa Claus listened to the wishes of
children and took pictures with families during
this month long festival
†
Historic Walking Tours: hosted two walking
tours of the district’s magnificent and historically
significant properties for nearly 70 tourists
*The banner program was temporarily suspended in
Spring 2011 when the streetlight project began, but
will continue once the new lights are complete.
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ADVOCATING FOR
JAMAICA CENTER
Business Networking Series
For the second year in a row, the BID collaborated
with the Sutphin Boulevard Business Improvement
District to host its business networking series. This
two-part series connected business owners and managers with city agency representatives, local elected
officials, and other businesses and non-profits to
network, answer questions, and discuss issues that
impact their bottom line. Growing in popularity, each
event this year had between 50–75 participants.
Retail Development
Achieving an ideal retail mix for a district takes keen
strategy and outreach. That is why in FY2011 the
BID partnered with the Greater Jamaica Development
Corporation to attend the International Council of
Shopping Centers (ICSC)’s New York conference.
This annual conference is one of the premier retail
conferences in the country. Through this collaborative effort, the BID was able to get information about
retail opportunities in the district directly into the
hands of retailers that the BID had previously identified as ideal additions to the district.
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As a result of these types of initiatives on the part of
the BID, year after year, the district continues to welcome great retailers. This year, the BID counts Applebee’s and GNC, amongst its ranks of new retailers.
Policy and Planning
Working with our partners in the Downtown Jamaica
Parking Coalition, the Dept. of Transportation (DOT),
and the City of New York more generally, the BID has
been a staunch advocate of the need for improved
parking and transportation access downtown.
So when DOT announced an initiative to improve the
intricate bus system in downtown Jamaica, the BID
played an active role in the planning and strategy
process. The BID shared its comments and suggestions at numerous meetings to ensure that the business community’s interests were adequately incorporated into the planning and strategies.
The BID also went one step further. The BID coordinated with DOT to conduct door-to-door outreach to
the businesses in the district, to hear their specific
concerns about parking, deliveries, and bussing issues along Jamaica Avenue. As a result of these efforts, DOT was able to receive direct feedback from
a dozen businesses in the district; the businesses
appreciated being included in the process. As of
printing, the DOT had not released its final determinations on the study.
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FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Summary of Financial Statements prepared by Skody, Scot & Company, CPAs PC.
A copy of the complete audited financial statements is available upon request.
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15
APPROVED BUDGET FY2012
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
BID Directors
& Officers
Harlan Wolfson,
Elbentino
165th Street Mall
Improvement Association
President
Michael Hirschhorn,
Jenel Management
New York City Mayor
Michael R. Bloomberg,
Ex-Officio
Greater Jamaica
Development Corporation
Vice President
Aaron Schwartz,
Francmen Realty LLC
Queens Borough President
Helen Marshall,
Ex-Officio
Treasurer
Norman Fairweather,
First Presbyterian Church
New York City Comptroller
John C. Liu,
Ex-Officio
Secretary
Michael Mattone,
Mattone Group Jamaica
BID Staff
Jerry Black,
Parsco Realty
Rose Boord,
Jamaica Paint
BJ Group,
Danice Stores
Elia Hajjar,
Venus Sales
Daniel Kulka,
KJL Realty
Martin Marcelle,
Carver Bank
George Silva,
J.W. Mays
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Laurel Brown,
Incoming Executive
Director
Workforce 1
NYC Business Solutions
Center
conEdison
Reconstruct Art
NYPD 103 Precinct
Other BID Advocates
Community Board 12
Councilman Leroy Comrie
Brigit Pinnell,
Outgoing Executive
Director
Councilman James Gennaro
Valerie Stevens,
Executive Assistant
State Senator
Shirley Huntley
Tyrone Burton,
Ambassador
Assemblywoman
Vivian Cook
BID Partners
Assemblyman
William Scarborough
NYC Dept. of Small
Business Services
Sutphin Boulevard
Business Improvement
District
Queens Borough President
Helen Marshall
Congressman Gregory Meeks