Borough biz booster awards entrepreneurs
Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce toasts members at its annual Winter Gala
BY MAYA HARRISON
It was an award-winning party!
Hundreds of the borough’s top
business leaders gathered at Downtown’s
Brooklyn Bridge Marriott hotel
on Feb. 25 to celebrate local entrepreneurs
at the Brooklyn Chamber of
Commerce’s annual Winter Gala — an
evening chock-full of merriment, music,
and quality hobnobbing, according
to an attendee.
“It was an amazing event. There
were great networking opportunities,
and the violinist was incredible,” said
Ernesto Perez-Mir, vice president and
chief nursing offi cer at Methodist Hospital.
Spectrum News NY1 anchor Pat
Kiernan emceed the festivities, and
presented several awards to notable
Chamber supporters, including the
President and Chief Operating Offi
cer of Investors Bank, Domenick
Cama, who won the Corporate Titan
of the Year Award; legal eagle and Senior
Partner of Davidoff, Hutcher and
Citron LLP, Sid Davidoff, who took
home the Power Broker of the Year
Award; and the founder and owner
of children’s learning center Eladia’s
Kids, Eladia Causil-Rodriguez, who
received the Outstanding Small Business
Owner of the Year Award.
The Chamber’s recently appointed
President and Chief Executive Offi cer,
Hector Batista , and its Chairwoman
Ana Oliveira, presented each honoree
with a trophy, with Batista telling the
crowd of roughly 400 movers and shakers
that the award winners — and all
(From left) Caroline Pardo of Terra CRG, left, and Susan Doban of Doban Architecture sampled the gala’s food and drink offerings. Nikkie Byrd, left, and Sherese Bernard of Altice USA were
all smiles at the party inside the Brooklyn Bridge Marriott hotel. Batista, left, and Councilman Chaim Deutsch enjoyed the bash.
COURIER L 20 IFE, MARCH 8–14, 2019 PS
members of the business-boosting
group — play a vital role in keeping
Kings County’s economy strong, and
helping small mom-and-pop shops
thrive.
“Brooklyn’s business community
has driven the borough’s emergence
as an economic and cultural force, and
the Chamber’s Winter Gala is a celebration
of that. As New York’s economy
continues to evolve, the Brooklyn
Chamber of Commerce will advocate
for businesses and help them adapt to
the changing landscape,” Batista said.
This year’s fund-raising gala raised a
whopping $280,000, according to Chamber
spokesman Michael Johnston, who
said the money would support the organization’s
future programming and initiatives
to support borough entrepreneurs.
Brooklynites making a buzz
HONORARY TRIO: From left, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce Chair Ana Oliveira celebrated with honorees Eladia Causil-Rodriguez, founder
and owner of Eladia’s Kids; Domenick Cama, president and chief operating offi cer at Investors Bank; and Sid Davidoff, senior partner at
Davidoff, Hutcher & Citron LLP; along with Chamber head Hector Batista. Photos by Trey Pentecost
(From left) Gala emcee, NY 1’s Pat Kiernan, posed with Oliveira and Batista as they welcomed guests to the Feb. 25 event. Ernesto Perez, Loren Avellino, and Amanda Donikowski of New
York Presbetyrian Hospital had a great time.