Seedco serves job seekers, workers, employers, families, small businesses, veterans, and others.  Read testimonials and success stories from the people whose lives we have touched.

• Tax Credit Helps Mother with Education Expenses January 20, 2012 Yanira Rodriguez is a mother of two who lives in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Upper Manhattan. When tax season comes around, she often takes advantage of free Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) programs to file her taxes.
• At Any Stage, Small Businesses Can Receive Help December 13, 2011 Seedco operates three NYC Business Solutions Centers under contract to the NYC Department of Small Business Services. The types of businesses that are serviced by the Centers vary greatly in terms of size, service and scope. Maria’s Café, a minority, women-owned restaurant in the East Village, secured additional financing assistance through a referral by the Upper Manhattan center.
• Consulting and Technical Assistance Testimonial: Corp. for Ohio Appalachian Development December 12, 2011 “We enjoyed working with Seedco as a new partner. Team members were extremely helpful and always professional.”
  
  -- Kelly Kupcak, Corporation for Ohio Appalachian Development, Cleveland, OH
• One-on-One Assistance Helps Restaurant Open Earlier Than Expected November 30, 2011 The Washington Heights neighborhood in upper Manhattan isn’t known for its healthy food options, but entrepreneur Alex Peralta is starting to change that. In January 2011, the Dominican Republic native opened Pick and Eat, the first all-natural restaurant in the neighborhood. Pick and Eat serves fresh, healthy food, as well as organic beer and wine.
• Consulting and Technical Assistance Survey Highlights November 28, 2011

  According to a recent survey of Seedco's Consulting and Technical Assistance clients:

  • - 97 percent of Seedco are “extremely likely” to recommend Seedco to a colleague or organization seeking technical assistance, training, and/or consulting services.
  
  
  • - 97 percent are “extremely likely” to apply the knowledge acquired from working with Seedco in their daily responsibilities.
  
  
  • - 95 percent were “extremely satisfied” with the level of expertise and professionalism exhibited by their Seedco project manager.

   

• Employer Testimonial: STK Meatpacking Rooftop and Hotel November 28, 2011

  "The team at NYC Business Solutions has been instrumental in recruiting the talent of our staff for all our venues in New York. They know exactly what types of people fit each venue and bring them right to us. They have been our saviors when needing help with recruiting strategies, postings, on-site during open calls, screening resumes and setting up interviews."

  Keitha Francis, HR Director, STK Meatpacking Rooftop and Hotel, Gansevoort Hotel, New York City
• Seedco Partners with Local Organization to Help a Student Denied Food Benefits October 19, 2011 A student in Savannah, Ga., had applied for SNAP food supplement benefits through an organization that partners with Seedco to administer EarnBenefits, a technology and case management tool that connects qualified individuals to a range of public and private benefits for which they are eligible. Her application was denied, which prompted the partner nonprofit to reach out to Seedco for investigative help.
• Unemployed Father Receives Assistance October 11, 2011 Mr. S came to the Upper Manhattan Workforce1 Career Center without any hope for job prospects. Unemployed and looking for assistance, he was referred to a Seedco Single Stop EarnBenefits Specialist, who worked with him to see what benefits he may qualify for.
• Employer Testimonial: Donna Bell Bakeshop October 5, 2011 "Seedco and its operated NYC Business Solutions Center has been an enormous resource while starting our own business. Our bakery acquired top notch employees who are still working with us today and we look forward to hiring other pre-screened qualified candidates through this time saving service. Many thanks to Seedco and NYC Business Solutions for their support, guidance, and professionalism in helping small businesses like ours succeed." -- Darren Greenblatt and Matthew Sandusky, Owners, Donna Bell Bakeshop
• Consulting and Technical Assistance Testimonial: Boston Mayor’s Office of Jobs and Community Services September 28, 2011

  “I thought the Seedco staff were very professional and easy to work with. Ultimately, I had a very positive experience and I was pleased with what our organization gained from the partnership.”

  --Matthew Bruce, Mayor’s Office of Jobs and Community Services, Boston, MA, Consulting and Technical Assistance client

• Improving services at the Louisiana Workforce Commission September 5, 2011 In recent years, federal funding for workforce development has declined while the struggling economy has put more people out of work. Facing the need to do more with less to help the unemployed while maximizing internal efficiencies, the Louisiana Workforce Commission (LWC) turned to Seedco for assistance in 2010.
• Small Business Launch: Casacao August 30, 2011 Inspired by the memory of her grandfather, Marlene Parron started Casacao to honor and continue the vibrant multigenerational business farming cacao in the Dominican Republic. Casacao coordinates the farming and manufacturing of fair-trade cacao powder and retails it both online and throughout New York City.
• Employer Testimonial: IHOP Restaurants August 10, 2011 “I wanted to personally thank you and your team for the weeks of tireless support. Your assistance in our new endeavor on 14th Street has made the project successful thus far."
  
  Ed Scannapieco, President, IHOP Restaurants
• Employer Testimonial: Fairway’s Expansion August 8, 2011

  "The NYC Business Solutions Center helped us at Fairway coordinate one of the most successful recruitment and job fairs we have ever held. From the high-quality candidates you were able to find and pre-screen, we were able to hire over 100 people in one day."

  Ruth McMonigle, Human Resources Director, Fairway Group Holdings Corp.

• Seedco Financial Success Story: Subzero August 4, 2011 Subzero was founded in 2003 by Gregory Iovine, a Brooklyn native with two decades of experience in construction and fleet management. The growing company produces and installs custom refrigerated and insulated commercial truck and van liners. The business originated when Iovine was asked by a client to outfit a van with an insulation and refrigeration system and saw a market opportunity to develop a superior product and service.
• Seedco Financial Success Story: Freret Street Po-Boy and Donut Shop July 21, 2011 Troy Rhodies was having a difficult time securing stable employment in New Orleans given his exoffender status. Encouraged by his family, he decided to pursue an opportunity to open up a po-boy restaurant in the moderate-income neighborhood of Freret Street in uptown New Orleans. Po-boys are traditional submarine sandwiches native to Louisiana. They almost always [...]
• Advancing Careers through Green Jobs Training July 15, 2011 When Anthony Watkins, 33, was laid off from his job as a sheet metal roofer in Memphis, Tenn., he decided it was a good time to go back to school. While enrolled in Southwest Tennessee Community College’s architectural engineering program, he learned about the Southern Energy Training Consortium (SETC) grant program. The SETC is a unique partnership among Seedco, the Memphis BioWorks Foundation, and the area’s community colleges that is helping prepare a new workforce for green jobs.
• A Happy Homeowner in Harlem July 8, 2011 Owning a home was just a dream for Nichol King for many years. But in 2006, she finally committed to homeownership and began the process by meeting with a housing counselor at Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement, Inc. (HCCI), a member of Seedco’s National Housing Counseling Network in New York City. Working with a counselor at HCCI, King learned everything from budgeting to mortgage shopping. But in September 2007, only one month after purchasing a home in Harlem, King was laid off from her job of 10 years.
• Success Story: Angela July 3, 2011 Angela, a returning US Army veteran, was fortunate enough to find a job in Atlanta, GA after returning from her tour of duty serving our country. But soon after she began working, she realized that as a single, working mother she still needed to supplement her cash flow.
• Seedco’s EarnBenefits program works to improve quality of living June 17, 2011 Seedco’s clients overcome a variety of financial challenges to make ends meet. A young, employed client had been asked to reduce his hours at work, and was starting to feel the financial strain. Soon after, he was diagnosed with a heart disease, and reached out to Seedco’s EarnBenefits team for assistance with applying to SNAP supplemental food benefits.
• EarnBenefits Helps Mother and Baby Access Health Care, Nutrition June 1, 2011 A single, expectant mother in Atlanta, Georgia was referred to Seedco. She was five months pregnant yet had not been seen by a physician – putting her unborn child at risk.
• Seedco Celebrates AmeriCorps Week May 23, 2011 Seedco celebrated AmeriCorps Week from May 14 - 21, 2011 an annual event which spotlights the service of AmeriCorps members and alums in their communities.
• Telecom Transport Services, Inc. May 12, 2011 Telecom Transport Services started as an expedited ground service moving and storage carrier but has since blossomed into a full-service custom transport business that specializes in delivery and disposal of telecommunications and electronic equipment. In 2010, Telecom Transport Services needed to relocate to a 7,500 square foot warehouse, hire a warehouseman and truck driver, and lease new equipment.
• Client keeps home thanks to the EarnBenefits program March 23, 2011 Seedco’s EarnBenefits clients are our best ambassadors. In Georgia, a single client on disability assistance had heard about EarnBenefits, which connects eligible individuals and their families to a range of public and private benefits, through a family member. Within 30 days, he was approved for SNAP food supplement benefits, which helped ease some of his financial burden.
• Child Care Assistance Eases Burden on Atlanta Grandmother February 12, 2011 Although her income is modest, Mary Harris, a custodian for the Atlanta Workforce Development Agency (AWDA), assumed she would never qualify for benefits to help support herself and her 2-year-old granddaughter, who has lived with her since birth.
• Employer Testimonial: Eataly January 5, 2011 "When the Seedco-operated NYC Business Solutions Center approached us about helping out with the hiring process at Eataly, we were somewhat skeptical. I can not tell you how large a help they have been in pre-screening applicants and finding us the right people."
  
  Adam Saper, Chief Financial Officer, Eataly
• Seedco Provides New Green Building Skills and Tools for Women in Louisville December 1, 2010 In fall 2010, Seedco's Consulting and Training team completed a green jobs training pilot in Louisville, Kentucky, aimed at connecting women to training and employment opportunities in the growing field of energy efficiency. Funded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the program trained and certified approximately 30 women in the Louisville area as Building Performance Institute (BPI) certified Building Analysts.
• EarnBenefits Helps Ease Burden for a Family Who Never Thought They’d Need Help November 1, 2010 Ms. M, a mother of three, had a successful career as a bank secretary and her husband worked in the building trades. They had never needed help before, and were usually the family others could turn to in their time of need. Sadly, Ms. M became very ill and was unable to work. In addition, her husband was laid off and searched for new work unsuccessfully for months.
• Tennessee Program Offers Lifeline for Flood Victims, Unemployed Residents October 1, 2010 Millington, Tennessee – a suburb of Memphis – was already struggling with an unemployment rate higher than the national average when the area was hit with heavy rains and floods in May 2010. The floods left many residents in need of critical assistance, from housing and household goods, to food and clothing. A short-term jobs [...]
• Down East Seafood, Bronx, NY September 2, 2010 Funding from Seedco Financial helped Edward Taylor, owner of Down East Seafood, to purchase the first first fully electric medium-duty delivery truck in New York City, dubbed “Big Green.” Taylor started Down East Seafood in 1990 with a $500 investment and a single van. He built his company into a $20 million business that cleans, prepares, packages and delivers seafood.
• Helping the Jimenez Family Save for the Future August 30, 2010 Immigrants from the Dominican Republic, Teofila and Alfredo Jimenez are determined to build a better life for their three children in the Bronx. In spite of challenges the family has faced making ends meet, their financial situation has improved through their successful participation in Opportunity NYC's Family Rewards program.
• Career Advancement for Melanie Jones June 15, 2010 Melanie Jones, 28, left her job at a dollar store in Memphis, Tenn., because her low salary made it impossible to pay her daily living costs. "I was then a welfare recipient, trying to get more hours at my job, but also unable to work at getting a new job with new skills," says Jones. She was referred to one of Seedco's partners in Memphis, Community Services Agency. As a Seedco participant, Jones received career development training to improve her employability, enhance her income and find a permanent, long-term career; something she was having a hard time doing.
• A Green Career Path for Razzy Bradford May 28, 2009 Seasonal snow removal for the Department of Sanitation was a nice paycheck for Razzy Bradford, a 26 year-old man from Coney Island, Brooklyn, but it wasn't providing a real future. By chance, Bradford saw a flier at his local public library that changed his life: Construction 101, Weatherization, and Work Readiness Training.