14 FEBRUARY 9 - FEBRUARY 15, 2018 BROOKLYN MEDIA GROUP
Brooklyn Army Terminal introduces
micromanufacturing hub for smaller businesses
Photo courtesy of the Brooklyn Army Terminal
The Brooklyn Army Terminal has introduced a micromanufacturing hub for smaller businesses.
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Sunset Park’s Brooklyn Army Terminal
(BAT) has welcomed more
new businesses into its massive
55-plus-acre space.
BAT and the New York City Economic
Development Corporation
(NYCEDC) recently announced the
opening of a new micromanufacturing
hub at the complex that will
provide smaller industrial manufacturing
spaces for companies that want
to locate there.
Julie Stein, senior vice president
and executive director of Sunset Park
for NYCEDC, discussed the model and
what it means for BAT’s future.
"When we get inquiries for new
space, we make sure that the companies
coming in align with the tenanting
strategy,” she said.
The new hubs range from 1,500-
5,500 square feet, and are designed for
growth-stage businesses to be able to
move in quickly.
“Historically, our spaces have been
more in the 20,000-40,000 square foot
range, but a lot of the demand in the
market right now is for these smaller
spaces,” Stein explained. “We carved
up some large spaces into smaller
manufacturing units to accommodate
manufacturing businesses that are
maybe coming out of an incubator or
shared space or working out of their
apartment and are looking for a bitesize
amount of space.”
The core four tenanting strategy is
key, said Stein.
“It includes traditional manufacturing,
which would be your woodworkers,
jewelry-makers and machinists,”
Stein said. “Another is advanced
manufacturing. These are companies
that may use robotics, CNC machines
or laser cutters in their build-up. The
third category is food manufacturing
and the fourth is Made in NYC which
is our umbrella term for garment manufacturing
and TV/media production
companies.”
Construction on the micromanufacturing
hub began over the summer.
EDC started leasing space in the last
quarter of 2017.
BAT has already announced signed
leases with four new tenants in the
hub. They include Green Mustache,
a local, certified woman-owned producer
of organic green smoothies and
snacks; Poursteady, a Brooklyn-based
manufacturer of commercial coffee
equipment that brings speed, precision
and reliability to coffee retailers,
and a better cup of coffee to their
customers; Mudo Fashion, a business
that offers contracting services such
as sewing, cutting, fusing and care
label printing; and Rvinyl, a small,
employee-owned company that designs,
manufactures and sells vinyl
vehicle wraps, dash kits, and tints for
windows, headlights and taillights.
“We’ve seen a tremendous amount
of demand for the space,” Stein added.
“It’s moved really quickly and we are
happy the types of companies align
with our core four tenanting strategies.
We’ll have additional clusters
that we can fill. This is the direction
that the market is going in so we’re
trying to make that happen.”
So far, the tenants, some of which
are still moving in, have been thrilled
with the space, said Stein.
“I’ve had a chance to tour the spaces
and the experience they’ve had so far
has been really great,” she said. “It’s
unique to be able to find these small,
subsidized spaces. We’re also able to
wear our policy hats to give affordable
rent in order to create jobs. So I think
they’re grateful for the affordability
of the space as well as the ability to
interact with each other. When we
talk about BAT, we want to talk about
a campus friendly both to working
families and entrepreneurs. I think
you can do that in this hub in different
ways. We are bringing companies that
are in their growth stage so there are
a lot of opportunities."
That includes opportunities for
employment — including hiring local
residents — that start right at BAT.
"We have a WorkForce 1 center on
campus that helps job placement,"
Stein noted. "Our tenants do a really
good job of utilizing the connections
they can make for people seeking jobs
in the industrial sector."
The mayor has also been a supporter
of the project, Stein said.
"The de Blasio administration has
been really invested in BAT and the
success of the space and has already
invested over $100 million," said Stein.
Companies interested in the space
should visit www.bat.nyc.