Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano announced Friday that the county is establishing a center dedicated to assisting the reconstruction and recovery efforts of businesses affected by Hurricane Sandy.
Eligible businesses may also be able to receive up to $99,000 of financial assistance to be used toward their recovery efforts, Mangano said.
“Getting Nassau County businesses reopened is an absolute priority and we believe our dedicated program will assist those affected businesses with their recovery and reconstruction, efforts,” Mangano said.
“I urge any affected business in Nassau County to call or email a soon as possible," Mangano said. "We will have economic development professionals available to provide the necessary instructions.”
The Nassau County Industrial Development Agency will staff the program, which includes a dedicated phone number and email address for business owners to use for inquiries about business continuity and recovery issues, the release said.
Small businesses could be eligible to receive $99,000 of financial assistance to be used toward their recovery efforts, through the Nassau County Industrial Development Agency through its LEADs (Local Enterprise Assistance and Development Services) program.
The program provides eligible small businesses with up to $99,000 of financial assistance through a sales tax exemption on any furniture, fixtures, equipment and material purchased for repair and reconstruction, according to the release.
The LEADS program targets small and mid-size businesses—those with 100 or fewer employees, who account for 60 percent of Nassau County’s workforce. The Nassau LEADS program is a clearinghouse for all economic incentives, relief and programs available to small business at the federal, state, county and local levels.
“Nassau LEADS is a one-stop shop for economic development assistance,” said Nassau IDA Executive Director Joseph Kearney.
Businesses should call (516) 571-1745 or email LEADS@NassauIDA.org. An economic development professional will respond within 24 hours.
