Our Mission:
Southwest Brooklyn Industrial Development Corporation (SBIDC) provides advocacy and services to help businesses in the Sunset Park, Red Hook and Gowanus neighborhoods grow and create employment opportunities for local residents
More about SBIDC :
SBIDC is a local economic development corporation serving the businesses and residents of the Sunset Park, Red Hook and Gowanus neighborhoods of Brooklyn, New York.
Since the organization's inception in 1978, SBIDC has been a driving force in the improvement of the Southwest Brooklyn economy by delivering a wide range of business services to local firms and acting as an advocate for business interests. Additionally, SBIDC provides local residents with employment services and advocates for local improvements that improve the quality of life for residents and businesses alike.
Working class neighborhoods like Sunset Park, Red Hook and Gowanus face a number of challenges such as high levels of poverty and joblessness and low levels of education. Many neighborhood residents do not speak English well or at all. Although these factors limit employment opportunities for neighborhood residents in many industries, they are not necessarily barriers to entry for blue-collar industrial jobs.
Jobs in the industrial sector have fewer barriers to entry (such as English literacy and formal education requirements) and are generally of high quality. As wage disparity in New York City continues to grow, retaining and increasing quality working class jobs is key to diversifying and stabilizing the local economy. Working class jobs, including manufacturing and other forms of industrial employment, help to stabilize the regional economy by providing a secure source of tax revenues and employment that is less susceptible to market fluctuations than other industry sectors. Additionally, manufacturing has traditionally served as the first rung of opportunity on the social and income ladder for newly-arrived immigrants. Learn some more interesting facts about manufacturing in Southwest Brooklyn here.
Download SBIDC's 2007 Annual Report Here.
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