Queens Gazette

Winners Of QEDC’s 16th Annual StartUP!


Queens Economic Development Corporation (QEDC) Executive Di­rector Seth Bornstein (r.) with Courtney Stern.

Queens Economic Development Corporation (QEDC) Executive Di­rector Seth Bornstein (r.) with Courtney Stern.

The Queens Economic Development Corporation (QEDC) just announced the four winners of the 16th an­nual Queens StartUP! Business Plan Competition, a five-month challenge-and-instruction course sponsored by Resorts World New York City. Each winner receives $10,000 to jumpstart their new business.

Adelaide Paul, who was born in Dominica but lives in Cambria Heights, took first place in the “Food” category with her Dekkade Foods seasoning brand. This tropical blend of all-natural herbs and spices adds aroma and flavor to marinades, pesto, sauces, and meat.

In the “Technology” category, Courtney Stern and Broad Channel resident Sondra Young won for Park Watch, a free app that helps motorists find free street parking.

Astoria-based Eli Goldman and Tikkun BBQ re­ceived top honors in the “Community” category. Gold­man makes and sells delicious smoked meats from a pickup truck and donates half of the proceeds to local charities, such as Safe Horizon, Make-A-Wish Founda­tion, and the Astoria Food Pantry.

QEDC Executive Director Seth Bornstein (l.) with Adelaide Paul.

QEDC Executive Director Seth Bornstein (l.) with Adelaide Paul.

The champions in the “Sustainability” category were Aimee Wu and Nancy B Uddin from XING Stu­dios. The Flushing-based fashion label pays above-mar­ket wages to local seamstresses to produce made-to-order clothing from upcycled fabrics.

Over the course of this year’s StartUP! competi­tion, about 200 participants received technical assistance and training on such business topics as operations, mar­keting, and financial statements, while also enjoying ac­cess to advice from experts. Then, many of them submitted business plans to selected judges, who deter­mined the winners.

“Since entrepreneurs are the bedrock of the bor­ough’s economy, I congratulate and commend this year’s StartUP! winners and wish them the best of luck in the fu­ture,” stated Queens Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Seth Bornstein. “And as always, I wholeheartedly thank Resorts World New York City, which has supported QEDC in so many ways since its opening. Finally, if anybody has an idea for a new busi­ness, please consider enrolling in the next StartUP! program this fall.”

Founded in 1977, QEDC strives to create and retain jobs through programming that assists small businesses, encourages entrepreneurship, and promotes our community with an emphasis on supporting those of low-to-moderate income, women, minorities, and immigrants. For more information on QEDC and StartUP!, visit Queensny.org.

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