BOC Capital Corp.

BOC Network's #AdvocacyDay in Albany was a success! A huge thank you to our local Senators, Assembly Members, and Legislative Budget Directors for taking the time to learn about the incredible work our counselors do to support small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs in their districts. Thanks to their continued support, small business development organizations and #CDFIs (BOC Capital Corp.) can provide essential resources, funding, and guidance—helping businesses grow, create jobs, and strengthen our communities. Lemma Strategies Inc. New York State Senate New York State Assembly Nancy Carin Rodney Santiago

CDFIs are catalysts for economic growth in underserved communities, maximizing every federal dollar invested. Our work at Opportunity Finance Network helps sustain this impact. Join us in thanking Congress for continuing the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund)'s $324 million budget, and learn how you can help protect future funding! https://lnkd.in/ewVgUx-p #CDFI #CDFIFund #EconomicDevelopment

With CDFIs recently making national headlines, it's more important than ever to highlight the unique role they play in strengthening our financial ecosystem. That’s why, in the next installment of our CDFI 101 series, we’re answering a key question: What makes CDFIs different from traditional banks? While traditional banks are structured to maximize returns for shareholders, CDFIs are structured to maximize impact for communities & borrowers. Instead of making lending decisions based solely on credit scores or collateral, CDFIs take a mission-first approach, offering flexible financing, customized support, and access to resources designed to help organizations and individuals grow and thrive. They expand access to capital, support job growth and wealth creation, and uplift communities that are often challenged to access financing through mainstream lenders. ?? How FCI Embodies the CDFI Difference ? Expanding access by rethinking risk – FCI provides fair, flexible, responsible capital to organizations and projects that strengthen communities, even when they don’t fit the more rigid requirements of traditional financial institutions. ? Hands-on Borrower Support – Our borrowers receive ongoing 1-on-1 financial guidance, technical assistance, and connections to resources that help them scale their impact through our unique Borrower Support Program. ? A bridge to long-term financial stability – We expand access to capital for communities that have historically faced barriers to traditional lending, empowering our borrowers to build lasting financial security. ??Bottom line? CDFIs like FCI don’t just provide funding, we build relationships. We walk alongside our borrowers, equipping them with the tools to succeed well beyond the loan approval process. FCIs goal is not to be a long-term lender, but to help our borrowers strengthen their financial position so they can successfully access capital through traditional financial institutions in the future. Learn more about how CDFIs strengthen communities at https://lnkd.in/gFkB-TQT Today, the future of the CDFI Fund is uncertain. Encourage your elected officials to protect CDFI Fund by using the digital tools from Opportunity Finance Network's Policy Action Center to make calls and send letters of support: https://lnkd.in/eHzV6sP3

“History doesn’t repeat itself but it often rhymes.”?This observation, often attributed to Mark Twain, reminds us not just of the cyclical nature of community development, but also of the resilience of our movement. ? Just a week before the start of the 2025 NYS CDFI Coalition Conference, we learned that CDFIs were considered – by some – just another example of government waste, fraud and abuse. Uncertainty around future support for the CDFI Fund colored our discussion of CDFIs’ efforts to develop and sustain resilience in the communities they serve at our statewide conference - but we know that when we come together in community, there’s very little that can stop us. As Aisha Benson said in her welcoming remarks, “This will not be the last statewide conference of the NYS CDFI Coalition – we’ll see you next year.” View a recap of our 2025 Conference here. https://lnkd.in/g8-vEwPE

OFN, our members, and our allies are getting results: Republican and Democratic Members of Congress are standing up for #CDFIs and the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund) following last week's executive order threatening critical funding. Read the article from Newsweek here: https://bit.ly/4kZqnnA Thank you to the 23 Senators who are urging the administration to protect the CDFI Fund. CDFIs are a common ground issue - fueling small business growth, homeownership, and economic opportunity in rural, urban, and Native communities. Visit OFN's Policy Action Center to take action now to support the CDFI Fund: https://bit.ly/43Q4BtY #ProtectTheCDFIFund

Thank you to US Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) for fighting to #SAVEtheCDFIFund, and for giving us an opportunity to add to his news release. “Support from the CDFI Fund allows us to maximize our impact in New York's low-income areas - urban, rural and everywhere in between,”?said Colleen Ryan, consulting executive director of the NYS CDFI Coalition.?“Local CDFIs develop unique programs and tailored resources by leveraging federal dollars with private capital. These grants are not spent down, as traditional grants are. Instead, as loans are repaid, the funds are recycled into new projects. In addition to lending, we offer technical assistance to our borrowers to help them develop much-needed housing, build businesses, and revitalize neighborhoods. We urge continued support for the CDFI Fund, which provides consistent return on investment.” Please repost, share, comment, interact - help us keep the momentum going! https://lnkd.in/gpvmmE6V

Success is often built from teams, and the companies we interviewed affirmed this. This toolkit is for business leaders and support professionals interested in implementing actionable strategies to improve employee recruitment, onboarding, and retention. Thank you to the companies and partners below who informed this resource! Join us on March 25 and 27 learn more about discovering, hiring, and retaining employees from NYC's diverse talent pool. RSVP: March 25, 9-10 am https://lnkd.in/eH4QG2NY March 27, 9-10 am https://lnkd.in/eqAKfeSv Boyce Technologies, Inc., Brooklyn Brewery, Collab-Orators, DutchX, New York Embroidery Studio, Business Outreach Center Network, Evergreen Exchange, ITAC, Jeff Bergstein, Kearns & West, Southwest Brooklyn Industrial Development Corporation, Trucking Association of New York, Workforce Development Institute (WDI)

? ICYMI: Wind Connections #4 is out. Our latest edition, available here https://shorturl.at/xLam7, features Kleinberg Electric, a WBE-certified electrical contracting resource that provides services for complex infrastructure and transportation projects throughout the metropolitan region. Learn how this 46-year-old family business navigated their entrepreneurial journey from garage to a team of 90+ based in Brooklyn and Queens, leveraged their certification and union membership to secure key contracts and build a strong workforce, and how their extensive experience in solar and wind projects prime them to capitalize on emerging opportunities in the offshore wind sector. Learn more about Kleinberg Electric's work at https://lnkd.in/gp6KzGcd ?? Subscribe to Wind Connections and stay updated on the latest in NYC’s offshore wind scene! https://shorturl.at/B3CKc Southwest Brooklyn Industrial Development Corporation; BOC Capital Corp.; Phil Rugile

When you have a great mentor, who guide’s you in the right direction Alex Mesonzhnik BOC Capital Corp.Nancy Carin Radhika Joshi Michaela Meneghini Lauren Evans New York City Economic Development Corporation Today, I completed my final exam for the EDC MWBE Capability two-month course—fingers crossed! As a growing firm in both the public and private sector, establishing a strong foundation is essential, and so is continuously building upon it as the company expands. Mukarram Ahmed, MS CH.CO.INC #MWBE #NYCConstruction #SmallBusinessGrowth #BuildingTheFuture #PublicPrivatePartnerships #ConstructionIndustry #NYCBusiness #MinorityOwnedBusiness #WomenOwnedBusiness