Long branch newsletter september 2015 final

Volume 8

Supported by:

Long Branch Business League Issue 6 September 2015 Long Branch Business League

Join the Business League

Over the last four years the Long Branch Business League, with its Dis-cover Long Branch! initiative, has gradually built a more exciting im-age for Long Branch commerce. We brought the community the suc-cessful Super-Block Party last May; we started a Salsa Night series this September and we have helped install art work.

What is more, the Business League's newsletter keeps you up-to-date on important events, local business news, and business tips.

What are the benefits to you of membership? Preferred access to store design improvements Assistance with marketing and business planning Help with Enterprise Zone tax credit applications Greater visibility in business league marketing materials

And with big changes coming to our area because of the Purple Line, now more than ever we need to stand together to make sure all of us benefit from the expanded customer base the Purple Line will bring.

Making Long Branch successful for everyone.

Carlos Perozo, President Long Branch Business Leagues [email protected]. 301-587-4829 or 301 812-4141

IN THIS ISSUE

Water Main Breaks

Page 1

Rainbow Laundry Wins Prize

Page 1

League Gets Purple Line Update

Page 2

Thank You Capital One

Page 2

Way-finding Maps Installed

Page 2

AmeriCorps to the Rescue

Page 3

Park Spruced up

Page 3

Resources:

Small Business Development Center

SBDC provides counseling and classes. Coun-

selors speak Spanish and other languages.

[email protected]

301-403-0501x11

7100 Baltimore Ave, Suite 303,

College Park, MD 20740

Enterprise Zone Tax Credit Program

Access to County tax credits for real estate

improvements and employee hiring.

Mr. Pete McGinnity

[email protected]

240-777-8126

Montgomery County Council

[email protected]

240-777-7900

Department of Permitting

Responsible for all permits to make property

improvements and signage.

permittingservices.montgomerycountymd.gov

240-777-0311

DED’s Small & Minority Business Empowerment

Resources and training for small businesses.

Judith Stephenson

[email protected]

240-777-2012

Montgomery County Police

Non-emergency dispatch for Long Branch:

301 279-8000

All emergencies: 911

Montgomery County (All other services)

For all Montgomery County services there

is now a single number you can call, this

includes bulk trash pickup

(5 requests annually)

311 (English)

311 + 1 (Español)

Department of Liquor Control

DLC licenses and regulates businesses that

sell alcohol, and provides education and

assistance to businesses and their

employees.

Emily DeTitta

[email protected]

240-777-1904

Business League September Planning Brunch*

Tuesday, September 1, from 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

El Golfo Restaurant, 8739 Flower Avenue

*Coffee and light breakfast items served Long Branch Business News, a monthly publication , Paul Grenier, Editor 301-622-2400, x 41 [email protected]

It looked like a geyser to Carlos Perozo,

Business League president and owner of

nearby ZP Tax. According to Helen

Kim, of Reliable Dry Cleaners, it was

more like a tsunami.

Whatever it looked like, the water main

break that flooded Flower Avenue on Wednesday, August 12 was a frighten-

ing event for Long Branch business

owners.

According to Perozo, the main’s ‘break’

was more like an explosion. Bits of mud

and concrete were flung hundreds of

See Main Break, p. 2

feet away from ‘ground zero,’ which

was right in front of Reliable Dry

Cleaner’s storefront.

“It’s amazing that no one got hurt,”

Perozo said. “It was like a bomb.”

The flooding caused water damage

to several stores, especially to Adarash Ethiopian Market and the

Flooding on Flower Brings Quick Response

Workers repairing broken main on Flower Ave.

Rainbow Laundry Wins

$2,000 Award

On July 22, Rainbow Laundry

received the Step Up for Small

Business Award, worth $2,000,

from Sam’s Club in recognition of

its contribution to the Long

Branch community. Rainbow’s

after-school tutoring program, started in January 2015, has

already received national

See Award, p. 3

Flower Liquor store.

Reliable Dry Cleaners also suffered

damage, but would have suffered

much more if not for the quick

assistance from Nicholas Ali of

Ocean City Seafood. Nicholas came

running as soon as he heard the explosion. He placed huge sacks of

rice right in front of Reliable Dry

Cleaner’s door, which proved quite

effective at keeping the water out.

Businesses on the east side of

Flower Avenue stayed dry but did

lose running water for most of the

day. Around 12 noon Ada

Villatoro, owner of El Golfo

Restaurant texted: “OMG. We can’t

open! No water.”

Fortunately, response from the local Fire Department and WSSC was

very fast. “They got here in a couple

of minutes,” Perozo noted. Within

an hour the water flow had stopped.

This is the second major water main break to damage Long Branch businesses this summer. In July a major main break flooded Piney Branch road near the popular res-taurant Pupuseria Azucena.

Thanks Capital One Bank

A special thanks goes to the Capital One Bank on Arliss Street for a grant of $400 to support the hang-ing flowers on Flower Avenue.

Way-finding Maps Are Up!

The long-awaited maps of Long Branch business services are now up at two Long Branch bus stops.

Thanks to Stacy Coletta (DOT) and the architect-interns at MHP for making it happen!

Main Break, from p. 1

3 2

DiscoverLongBranch.com DiscoverLongBranch.com

MTA Updates Business League on Purple Line Rainbow Laundry Honored At the July 14 Long Branch Business League meeting and first annual ‘New

Member Breakfast,’ the MTA’s Mike Madden said he had “good news” for Long

Branch: the Purple Line is moving forward. And it’s still going to be 16 miles

long with 21 stations.

To save costs, there will now be train service every 7.5 minutes, instead of the

originally planned six minutes. “It’s still better than buses,” Madden said.

Because the Purple Line is moving forward, the MTA spokesperson said that the process of acquiring real estate and making offers to property owners is going to

proceed. In fact, some 15 to 20 properties have already been acquired by the

state. The anticipated start time for construction is the end of 2016, with service

on the train line beginning in 2021.

Community Advising Teams (CATs) made up of residents and business owners

in the community will be formed in order to troubleshoot any problems that

come up during the construction process.

Madden added that some $1.4 billion worth of construction will take place,

which will bring more demand for local services from those doing the work.

“That’s a lot of lunches being purchased. There are some big opportunities

here,” Madden said. Some other key points:

While generally enthusiastic about the coming Purple Line, some of the local

Long Branch businesses in attendance voiced concerns about how businesses

will be protected from other risks to their viability. Being assured that their

entrances won’t be blocked is very important, but not necessarily enough, they

said.

How best to address these and other concerns will be on the agenda of the

Tuesday, Sept. 1, Long Branch

Business League meeting (see Ad,

page 1).

For additional Purple Line info:

[email protected]

En Espanol: 443-451-3705

Volunteers Ride into Town

(well, Long Branch, anyways)

This September, ten AmeriCorps volunteers

arrive in Long Branch to help with a range of

important tasks. The first of these: carrying out

a survey of 200 households in the area south of

Piney Branch Road.

An identical survey — part of a national

program studying neighborhood success — was

carried out by MHP in fall 2013. The survey

gathers general information about local safety,

satisfaction with local commerce and services,

and levels of citizen involvement.

The volunteers will also carry out the annual

Long Branch business survey and organize an

outdoor celebration — tentatively scheduled for

Saturday, Oct. 3. The volunteers, all 18 - 24

years old, are part of the AmeriCorps National

Civilian Community Corps. Meet them at the

Sept. 1 brunch at El Golfo’s (see Ad, page 1).

Flower Avenue Park Improved

Thanks to Parks Director Mike Riley and the good offices of Councilmember Tom Hucker, Flower Avenue Park is getting a much needed overhaul.

In August, the park was thoroughly cleaned and bushes and branches removed, greatly improving visibility. Brighter lighting is next on the to-do list.

Also coming soon: additional work to stop the overflow of water from the park to the nearby parking lot. Despite efforts last fall, water run-off remains a tricky winter problem at the site.

“They work fast!” noted Business League President Carlos Perozo, who met with Parks engineers on Thursday, Aug. 13 to point out areas needing attention at the park. Less than a week later the cleanup work was already completed, he noted.

.

attention in American Coin-op Magazine.

At the July ceremony, a sample award check was presented to

Mr. and Mrs. Kim by Sam’s Club Manager Brian Rising.

Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot also honored Rainbow

Laundry with an official Proclamation.

Washington Adventist University (WAU) business students,

led by business school professor Kimberly Pichot, were the creative team behind Rainbow’s recent successes and they

were also honored at the ceremony.

The WAU student volunteers’ projects have ranged from

offering a local small business symposium on branding,

strategic marketing and social media to helping Rainbow

Laundry become profitable by rebranding the business, paint-

ing and cleaning the store, and developing the after-school

tutoring program for the children of Rainbow’s customers.

Also present at the award ceremony: Reemberto Rodriguez, Director of the Silver Spring Regional Center; Washington Adventist University President Weymouth Spence, and Craig Zucker, assistant to Comproller Franchot and State Delegate for Maryland District 14.

Award, from p. 1

Nok Kim (second from right) holding copy of award check. Also

pictured (from left): WAU President Weymouth Spence, Maryland

Comptroller Peter Franchot, Mi Kim.

Access will be maintained to all businesses at all times during construction;

MTA can stop construction at any time if necessary to resolve problems;

During construction, access to Arliss Street will be off Piney Branch Rd.

Mike Madden (in background) speak-

ing at July 14 meeting at El Gavilan