Brooklyn entrepreneur celebrates grand opening of $12 million complex on atlantic avenue in brooklyn

Donovan Communications

718-399-2122
BROOKLYN ENTREPRENEUR CELEBRATES GRAND OPENING OF

$12 MILLION COMPLEX ON ATLANTIC AVENUE IN BROOKLYN
BROOKLYN, NY―October 23, 2006―More than 500 community and business leaders, elected officials, and friends joined Gilbert Rivera, his family, and staff on October 20 to celebrate the opening of a new $12 million building supply facility in the Ocean Hill-Brownsville section of Brooklyn.
The 132,000 square foot complex at 2120 Atlantic Avenue doubles the capacity of the two businesses Mr. Rivera founded, Park Avenue Building and Roofing Supplies and AM&G Waterproofing. It also gives a commercial boost to a stretch of Atlantic Avenue that connects Brooklyn and Queens, bringing more than 50 new jobs to the area and introducing a large new retail outlet to the neighborhood.
On hand to celebrate were numerous government officials, who at the ribbon cutting ceremony, spoke warmly of the Rivera family’s accomplishments. Speakers included Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz; Dan Doctoroff, Deputy Mayor for Economic Development, and Rebuilding; New York City Comptroller William C. Thompson; U.S. Rep. Nydia Velazquez; and Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce President Kenneth Adams.
“Gil Rivera and Park Avenue Building and Roofing Supplies are helping Ocean Hill-Brownsville and all of Brooklyn reap the benefits of our borough’s ongoing renaissance,” said Brooklyn Borough President Markowitz. “So many prestigious projects — from the Time Warner Center to MoMA to Hearst Towers — are being built with supplies from Gil’s operation, we might have to start labeling them “Made in Brooklyn!”
The Atlantic Avenue project is the result of five years of planning and private investment by the Rivera family, which has been operating businesses in the Bedford Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn for over 25 years.

“I’m proud of what we’ve built here, and I want this building to be an anchor on Atlantic Avenue,” Mr. Rivera said. “We believe this community is a prime area for economic development, and we hope to see this community grow and flourish in the next few years.”

As part of a decades-long tradition of supporting local organizations, the Rivera family and senior staff made presentations exceeding $100,000 to the Girl Scout Council of Greater New York; Boy Scouts of America, Greater NY Councils; 79^th Precinct Youth Council; Teachers Preparatory School Scholarship Fund; Shirley Chisholm Cultural Institute for Children, Inc.; Stephen Gaynor School; Brooklyn Friends School, Cornerstone Baptist Church, and 100 Hispanic Women.

Media Contact: Gail Donovan

Donovan Communications

718-399-2122

“We’re opening a second store in a complex at 2074 Atlantic Avenue that will focus on commercial customers and carry a broader product line,” Mr. Groeninger said. “The self-contained compound will feature a dedicated, state-of-the-art warehouse that will enable us to load contractors’ supplies onto trucks in a designated off-street loading area and get customers out of the facility faster.”

• 
  A complete fleet of trucks to satisfy contractors’ needs at construction sites will be available including 4-story booms, 6-7-8 story booms, flatbeds, including a flatbed with a spider, tracker trailer for large deliveries, vans for small deliveries, and dump trucks for sand.
  
• 
  Benjamin Moore “Destination Stores” will be installed in the new Atlantic Avenue store and the Bedford Stuyvesant store, which will feature an extensive paint selection.
  
• 
  Both stores will offer an inventory of Pittsburgh Paint.
  
• 
  The Atlantic Avenue site will provide 30 off-street parking spaces for customer loading.
  
• 
  Park Avenue will offer continue to offer a complete inventory of masonry products and metal decking, and building materials, lumber, plywood, dry wall, and insulation, pointing, and waterproofing materials.
  
• 
  A larger tool selection will be offered, including Milwaukee, Bosch, and Makita products.
  
• 
  As part of Park Avenue’s continuing commitment to safety, its line of safety products will be expanded and will include products offered by 3M and Brady Glo™ photoluminescent exit path markings that meet the requirements of New York City Local Law 26.
  

The Atlantic Avenue store will be open from 6:30 am to 6:30 pm, Monday through Friday, 7 am to 1 pm on Saturday, and closed Sunday.

Donovan Communications

718-399-2122

donovancom@aol.com
BEDC STUDY OF OCEAN HILL/BROWNSVILLE HIGHLIGHTS
EXPANSIVE BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN AREA

Study Released at Economic Development Breakfast Hosted by Local Business Leader

BROOKLYN, NY, May 19, 2006— A  bookstore, sit down restaurant, bank, health club, and department store are among the retail stores and services sought by residents in a section of Ocean Hill-Brownsville, according to a study commissioned by Brooklyn Economic  Development Corporation (BEDC).

Findings from the BEDC study were released Friday, May 19, 2006, at a Community Development Breakfast at the site of one of Brownsville's newest investment projects―the 32,000 sq foot warehouse of Park Avenue Building and Roofing Supplies, LLC.

The event, called Meeting the Needs of a Growing Ocean Hill/Brownsville, marked the completion of the first phase of a $12 million, 132,000 square foot new headquarters at 2074 Atlantic Avenue for the businesses of local entrepreneur, Gilbert Rivera. Mr. Rivera, the founder of Park Avenue Building and Roofing Supplies and AM&G Waterproofing, sponsored the discussion, attended by local business, religious and political leaders. 

"Our study identified positive changes taking place in Ocean Hill-Brownsville including new housing, rising property values, and an influx of new residents with higher incomes,” said Joan Bartolomeo, BEDC president.  Speaking about the event's sponsor, she added, “Mr. Rivera’s new facility on Atlantic Avenue is an example of the exciting new development taking place here, and will serve as an anchor for future development in the area.”

Park Avenue Building and Roofing Supplies is moving its headquarters from Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, to Oceanville-Brownsville because the neighborhood is centrally located, with room to expand.  Mr. Rivera's companies employ more than 250 people and have already hired residents of Ocean Hill-Brownsville to work on the foundation of the Atlantic Avenue facility.  The company plans to open its new headquarters in Fall of 2006, offering a showroom for commercial building supplies, offices, a warehouse, and off the street parking.

“We looked at Ocean Hill-Brownsville and recognized an opportunity,” Mr. Rivera said. “This is a growing neighborhood and we want to be part of it, just like we were on Park Avenue in Bedford Stuyvesant. When we first moved to Bedford Stuyvesant, we were surrounded by vacant lots and abandoned property and we worked to change that. We hope to do the same thing in Ocean Hill-Brownsville."

Mr. Rivera credited public officials at the city, state, and federal level for making his   company's move to Brownsville possible, and added that he’s looking forward to collaborating with the local business community, schools and organizations to fulfill the promise of Ocean Hill-Brownsville.

BEDC’s study of Ocean Hill-Brownsville, which was prepared by consultants from New York University’s Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, found that the neighborhood’s population is rising faster than the population of Brooklyn as a whole due to the construction of thousands of new homes in recent years, and that additional retail services are needed to serve the growing population.

The study found that the community has certain characteristics that make the area suitable for new business development:  

· An aggregate income of $340 million, distributed among the area’s 31,000 relatively  

· A high proportion of vacant lots.

· A high number of newly constructed homes.

· Local religious institutions own and lease out many properties.

· Consumers and  residents that are dissatisfied with the quality and types of goods and services offered and would like to see new businesses such as a bookstore, diner/sit down restaurant, florist, coffee shop, children’s store, gift store/card shop, bank, health club, and art supplies store.

To gather data for this study, BEDC surveyed residents and retail businesses in an area bordered by Fulton Street, Rockaway Avenue, Eastern Parkway Extension, and Buffalo Avenue. Surveys were mailed to about 600 businesses. Separate surveys were mailed to 900 homeowners in the area to gather additional information about local spending habits, services used, and the types of stores or businesses shoppers would like to see in the area.

A copy of the full report and the survey results are available on BEDC’s Web site at www.bedc.org.

Park Avenue Building and Roofing Supplies is  the only certified Minority/Women Owned  Business Enterprise supplier of structural steel in the tri-state area, and a  direct distributor of Sika Products, Laticrete, Ardex, Henry Adhesives, Benjamin Moore Paint, Glen Gery Brick, Johns Manville Roofing, Pittsburgh Paints, and  other top brands of building supplies. Park Avenue also carries flooring, lumber, roofing materials, brick and more. Park Avenue currently operates a store at 525 Park  Avenue in Bedford Stuyvesant, which will remain after their Atlantic Avenue showroom opens. For more information, see www.parkavenuebuilding.com.

AM&G Waterproofing is one of New York  City’s premier exterior restoration companies and experts  in waterproofing. The firm has provided its services to many of the city’s most prized landmarks from Carnegie Hall to the AT&T  Building to the San Remo Apartments  on Central Park West. For more information, see www.amgwaterproofing.com. 

BEDC, a private, nonprofit organization, was established in 1979 to stimulate Brooklyn's  economy and create job opportunities for the borough and its residents.  BEDC has evolved into a multi-service, business-consulting agency, serving more than 1,000 clients annually and offering comprehensive economic development services.  More information is available at www.bedc.org.

Contact: Gail Donovan

Donovan Communications

Contact: Gail Donovan

Donovan Communications

718-399-2122

Contact: Gail Donovan

Donovan Communications

718-399-2122

Donovan Communications

718-399-2122
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MINORITY BUSINESS LEADER

PRAISES MAYOR BLOOMBERG’S NEW LEGISLATION
BROOKLYN, NY—January 9, 2006—Gilbert Rivera, the founder of two Brooklyn-based certified minority-owned businesses, Park Avenue Building and Roofing Supplies and AM&G Waterproofing, praised Mayor Michael Bloomberg for signing recent legislation in which the Department of Small Business Services will expand its efforts to certify minority- and women-owned firms.
“Mayor Bloomberg has demonstrated once again his commitment to increasing opportunities for all New Yorkers in all boroughs by working to expand the number of minority- and women-owned businesses that are certified to do business with the City,” Mr. Rivera said. “I’m grateful the Mayor is identifying ways that these businesses can work with the Department of Small Business Services, become certified, and ultimately increase their market share.”
Mr. Rivera serves on the Mayor’s Minority and Women Business Enterprise Advisory Board, which was created by Mayor Bloomberg in 2004 to bring leaders in the minority and women business community together to advise him on policies and programs affecting their bottom line.

“This is a great piece of legislation,” Mr. Rivera continued. “It can lead directly to increased revenues for women and minorities in the construction industry because the City budget contains billions of dollars in capital projects.”