Queens left out of federal small business relief, says Queens Chamber CEO

President and CEO of the Queens Chamber of Commerce Tom Grech. Courtesy of the Queens Chamber of Commerce

By Rachel Vick

The federal government has excluded Queens small businesses from a sweeping relief package designed to boost local firms, according to the head of the Queens Chamber of Commerce.

Tom Grech, president and CEO of the Queens Chamber, said the federal government has dispensed few Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP, checks and is failing the business community in Queens, the epicenter of the coronavirus crisis.

“To date, I have not spoken to a single small business that has gotten a single cent from the Paycheck Protection Program. This is unacceptable,” Grech said. “Action needs to be taken now to save small businesses in Queens, and across the country.”

Grech joined three members of Congress — U.S. Reps. Carolyn Maloney, Gregory Meeks and Tom Suozzi — and various local business owners to discuss federal resources at a virtual conference Tuesday afternoon. Small Business Administration Economic Development Officer Peter Fehnel also joined the call.

Suozzi pledged to help fund local business in the next federal relief package. 

“We’re putting a lot of pressure on so that the smaller small businesses are getting funded in the next round,” Suozzi said.  “We have to fight on all fronts for New York.”

The three lawmakers said “micro businesses” — small shops with only a handful of employees — have faced the greatest challenges to accessing loans. 

Some have been unjustly turned away by banks when they apply for loans, Maloney said.

When the SBA processes loan applications, they move through a queue, which means business receiving money on a first-come, first-serve basis, Fehnel said. Loan applications take about three weeks to process, but business owners can determine whether their application is being processed if their credit score was checked, he added.

He also advised business owners to start a separate checking account with the loan money to keep track of everything they receive and maximize reimbursement.

Businesses in need should be prepared to apply for the next round of funding and assemble all necessary paperwork as soon as possible, Meeks said.

“[Small businesses] are the lifeblood of our county,” Meeks said. “We cannot exist without you. We’re here to make sure we serve you and the people you employ.”