Reviewers work one-on-one with business owners

"Bedlam."

That's what Beth Tontreau says she expected to find when she headed downtown to apply for a WTC Business Recovery Grant for her small SoHo graphics design firm, which was hit hard by the events of 9-11. "And I thought I'd be waiting there for hours," she added.

Early this summer, Ted Fischer, president of C.T.F. Print Inc., saw a notice in the newspaper about the recovery center and the grants, but he was hesitant to accept federal aid. "I went down there and I expressed my feelings about wanting to be patriotic and not take money, but they told me not to be silly -- that they had money and that's what it was there for," Fischer said. "They understood what I was talking about, but they also understood what they were doing." Less than a month after he submitted his application, a check was deposited into his bank account. In a follow-up letter of appreciation to center employees, Fischer wrote, "Thanks for making what could be an unpleasant situation … easy!"

Intake center reviewers pour over applications

The center was created to help Lower Manhattan businesses apply for two types of federal grants:  the WTC Business Recovery Grant and the Small Firm Attraction and Retention Grant. The Business Recovery Grant, awarded to any business located south of 14^th Street with fewer than 500 employees on September 11, 2001, provides compensation for three to 25 days (depending on proximity to the WTC site) of lost revenue resulting from the terrorist attack. The Small Firm Attraction and Retention Grant Program, designed to provide an incentive for small businesses to remain in or relocate to downtown Manhattan, awards a per-employee incentive grant of $3,500 or $5,000 for businesses with fewer than 500 employees that commit to remaining in Lower Manhattan for at least five years.

"I've helped self-employed people, mobile street vendors, writers, dance companies, printers, traders, brokerage companies, beauty salons, restaurants, cleaners, shoe companies, non-profits," noted Valerie Macklin, a reviewer at the center. For each category she listed, she remembered the faces and names of people she'd helped. "I've had stories," she said, shaking her head. "You get people who saw it happen, others who just missed being in the towers themselves, and then you have the people who are affected by the economics of it all. I have literally had quite a few people cry in front of me."

An important part of every reviewer's job is to listen. "You listen and you help when you can," said Steinberger. But where reviewers can be the most help is in compiling complete applications.

"Our job is to explain the grant programs and help people collect all the documents they need to submit a complete application," said Macklin.

Both grant programs require a completed and signed application and the submission of several documents -- including copies of leases, utility bills, tax forms and cancelled rent checks. Macklin strongly recommends that applicants first visit the center to determine which documents are needed, go back to their businesses to collect the documentation, and then return to Rector Street, where a reviewer will walk them through the application process. "It's rare for people to come in with everything that they need - it happens maybe five to 10 percent of the time," said Macklin. By making an initial trip to talk with a reviewer about all that's needed, business owners end up saving time in the long run, she said.

The application for the Business Recovery Grant, which is awarded for days of lost revenue, also requires that business owners perform an economic loss analysis and submit an estimated total loss figure. "Sometimes businesses really need to think that part through," said Steinberger. For cases in which calculating loss is less than straightforward, reviewers are on hand to help. "Lots of people freak out about that part," said Macklin. "But it's really not bad -- we'll walk you through it," she said. 

For the Partnership for After School Education (PASE), a non-profit organization, calculating economic loss was not as easy as simply demonstrating reduced revenue. "We were closed for two months, and we needed to show the gap that was created when we couldn't do all of our fundraising," said Robert Hansen, development director at PASE. "We went down there [to 2 Rector Street] and they were able to clearly explain what we needed to do," he said.

Eight to 15 reviewers are available to work on applications daily, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Wednesday, the center is open late, until 8 p.m. Each application is scrutinized carefully by two reviewers for completeness, then sent to the ESDC's midtown office for processing. Completed applications are processed within four to six weeks, though turnaround sometimes can be even faster, said Steinberger. The time it takes to complete an application depends on the preparedness of the applicant. "If you have everything you need, we can get it done in five to 10 minutes," said Macklin.

Time for smiles as applications get completed

For business owners who haven't yet applied for the federal grants, it's not hard -- and it's not too late. Applications for WTC Business Recovery Grants will be accepted through December 31, 2002. And the Small Firm Attraction and Retention Grant Program will run through 2004. For more information on the grant programs and application requirements check the ESDC website, call the ESDC hotline at (800) ILOVENY or better yet, visit the Rector Street reviewers yourself.