Local Businesses Receive First Batch of Economic Development Grants

Sunset Park Manufacturer Receives Grant to Expand Business

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Cotronics Corp, a family-owned manufacturer of high temperature adhesives in Sunset Park, is among the first recipients of National Grid’s new Economic Development Grant Program which is designed to support sustainable development, energy efficiency and the use of new and renewable energy technologies to retain and create jobs for the local community. Since National Grid’s Economic Development Program was implemented this year, five projects in the New York City metropolitan area have received grants totaling $400,000.

“National Grid has a strong commitment to its customers and communities and our new customized economic development programs will create jobs and help improve the vitality of the communities where we live and work,” said Ken Daly, President, National Grid in New York. “The new programs build on the success and lessons learned from our ground-breaking Cinderella Program and Superstorm Sandy Emergency Economic Development Program.”

Cotronics, a second generation business, started as a company focused on making adhesives for the aerospace industry. National Grid’s $15,000 Economic Development Grant for Natural Gas Manufacturing Productivity will enable Cotronics to work with the Industrial and Technology Assistance Corporation (ITAC) to customize a new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software system. The system will allow Cotronics to centralize their customer relationship management process (CRM), supply chain and quality control functions. Cotronics will be able to develop and test new products 35 percent faster than their current system, increase productivity by 10 percent and grow their customer base.

“We are thrilled to assist Cotronics in the implementation of their ERP system — an important initiative that may have otherwise been delayed due to competing priorities and limited resources. Our partnership with National Grid is critical in that it allows us to widen the scope of projects that we undertake with our clients, resulting in increased sales, optimized processes, and of course jobs. That National Grid programs are also straightforward from an administrative perspective is also a significant advantage," said Kinda Younes, Executive Director, ITAC.

“Our company has been facing increased levels of competition in a tough economic environment. In order to maintain our competitiveness and profitability we needed to be able to restructure our operations through the use of an ERP system,” said Renee Bernstein, President of Cotronics. “The National Grid grant has enabled our company to move forward with our work with ITAC to implement a customizable system that can combine design, manufacturing and distribution of products into one operating system.  We don't believe we would be able to undertake this necessary project without the award.”

National Grid’s Economic Development Program offers matching grants up to $500,000 for eligible projects that help retain and create quality jobs, promote sustainable development and incorporate energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies. The program supports a menu of initiatives at various levels including:

• Urban Revitalization – an expansion of the long-standing, widely recognized Cinderella program, to support the redevelopment of vacant commercial and mixed-use buildings and revitalization of distressed commercial districts
• Infrastructure Assistance – a new capital investment incentive to help offset the cost of upgrading gas infrastructure for growing commercial and industrial customers
• Brownfield and Industrial Building Redevelopment – two new programs to support remediation and redevelopment of brownfield sites and vacant commercial/industrial buildings, respectively
• Sustainable Gas and Economic Development – designed to complement the company’s Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) demonstration projects in New York
• Manufacturing Productivity – productivity improvement and growth projects for small and medium sized manufacturers that use gas in their processes
• CleanTech Incubation – an innovative grant program to support new incubator facilities and programs that promote start-up and growth of clean energy and other high-tech businesses
• Cooperative Business Recruitment– cooperative marketing initiatives between National Grid and economic development partners

Cotronics will receive a National Grid Manufacturing Productivity matching grant during an event at the utility’s office in MetroTech on November 14 from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. The event, in partnership with ITAC, will be an opportunity for New York City manufacturers to learn about National Grid’s new Economic Development Program, the company’s energy efficiency initiatives, matching grant opportunities with ITAC’s economic and community development programs and other resources.