Bronx Week features contest for small business owners to grow their companies

BRONX (WABC) — It’s Bronx Week and Thursday is all about celebrating and building a better future for small business owners.

Eyewitness News met some restaurant owners and sampled some of their amazing menu items last week.

Back in March, the Bronx Economic Development Corporation (BXEDC) invited small business owners to submit proposals detailing how they would spend $10,000 to grow or expand their business.

Out of 108 entrants, five will be at Yankee Stadium to present their proposals before a panel of judges.

The first-place winner gets $10,000, while the second and third-place winners get $2,000, and the fourth and fifth-place winners get $500.

The businesses (in no particular order) are:

1. Green Canvas Productions – A media production company – Owner: Gregory Hernandez

2. Scigene – A virtual reality start-up – Owner: Vicente Navarro

3. Mario’s Restaurant – Legacy Restaurant in the Bronx’s Little Italy section – Owner: Regina Delfino

4. Gomez Design Studio – A Custom Woodworking Company – Owner: Tiffany Gomez

5. Bronx Native – Bronx-based clothing line and store – Owner: Amaurys Grullon

Eyewitness News caught up with two of the finalists. They described what they do and how they would use the money.

“It’s a virtual reality STEM education platform and we want to train new workers of the 21st Century using virtual reality so they can interact with the curriculum and actually experience what they are learning,” said Michael J. Brenner, of Scigene.

“If I win we would use the money to put it back into our business because a lot got neglected during COVID time,” said Regina Delfino, Mario’s Restaurant. “We want to make it asthetically good for people to come.”

One thing is for sure, all of the businesses want to bring a positive impact to their community.

“If you think about the history of the Bronx, we’re just continuing the next chapter,” Brenner said.

You can learn more about Bronx Week here: https://www.ilovethebronx.com/bronx-week

ALSO READ | Portal that connects NYC to Dublin shuts down to address ‘inappropriate behavior’

———-

* More Bronx news

* Send us a news tip

* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts

* Follow us on YouTube

Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News

Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.