NYCEDC Launches First-Ever ‘Economic Mobility Networks’ to Connect Sunset Park, Hunts Point Residents to Jobs in Green Economy, Life Sciences, and Technology

Southwest Brooklyn Industrial Development Corporation, Greater Hunts Point Economic Development Corporation Awarded $1.4M Each to Lead Workforce Development Coalitions

NYCEDC’s Workforce Investments Complement 'Harbor of the Future’ Projects Underway at South Brooklyn Marine Terminal, Brooklyn Army Terminal, and Hunts Point Peninsula

NEW YORK, NY—New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) today announced two $1.4 million awards to launch its first-ever “Economic Mobility Networks” in Sunset Park and Hunts Point, which will connect New Yorkers to good jobs in the fast-growing green economy, life sciences, and technology sectors at major NYCEDC project sites across the city. 

The first awardee is the Southwest Brooklyn Industrial Development Corporation (SBIDC), which will lead the Sunset Park Economic Mobility Network, partnering with Brooklyn Workforce Innovations (BWI), Opportunities for a Better Tomorrow (OBT), Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator, Solar One, the Chinese-American Planning Council, and the Center for Family Life to connect Sunset Park residents to internships, apprenticeships, and careers at nearby NYCEDC sites, including one of the nation’s largest offshore wind ports at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal and the BATWorks climate innovation hub at the Brooklyn Army Terminal (BAT).

In the Bronx, the Greater Hunts Point Economic Development Corporation (GHPEDC) will lead the Hunts Point Economic Mobility Network. GHPEDC’s WorkforceBX team will partner with The Point CDC, The Hope Program, Bronx River Alliance, Rocking the Boat, Fulton Fish Market Cooperative, Empire Clean Cities, Workforce1 ITC, and the Hunts Point Longwood Community Coalition to connect locals to careers at the Hunts Point Food Distribution Center, including potential opportunities at a future Hunts Point Marine Terminal. 

“The Economic Mobility Networks are about opportunity and prosperity for the residents of Sunset Park and Hunts Point,” said NYCEDC President and CEO Andrew Kimball. “Credible, trusted community organizations will connect locals to careers in manufacturing, industrial, tech, green economy, and maritime industries based at major NYCEDC sites, including the offshore wind port at the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal, the Brooklyn Army Terminal, and the Hunts Point food hub. That’s a win for underserved New Yorkers and residents of neighborhoods we serve to access local jobs as well as for innovative companies who need talent.”

Each network will operate for a 4-year period, leveraging coalitions of local, trusted community organizations to engage at the grassroots level, setting a new precedent for bottom-up, community-led workforce development. NYCEDC is in the process of planning additional Economic Mobility Networks for Red Hook and the North Shore of Staten Island. 

“We’re proud to lead the Sunset Park Economic Mobility Network in collaboration with our trusted community partners,” said Jesse Solomon, Executive Director of SBIDC. “This effort is about thoughtfully designing workforce programs and partnerships that reflect the real opportunities growing along our industrial waterfront—from offshore wind to climate innovation. It’s also about ensuring that Sunset Park residents have clear, coordinated pathways into those careers and a meaningful role in shaping the future of their local economy.” 

“GHPEDC is thrilled to be selected to lead this new and exciting workforce initiative for Hunts Point,” said Don Eversley, Executive Director of GHPEDC. “Building smart pathways and calibrated training opportunities will give South Bronx residents more access for to the thriving Hunts Point business sector.”

The Economic Mobility Networks will help advance Mayor Adams’ “Green Economy Action Plan,” a first-of-its-kind plan that lays out a roadmap for growing the city’s green economy, invests in jobs and sectors that help the city combat climate change, and positions New Yorkers to benefit from the nearly 400,000 projected green-collar jobs in New York City by 2040. Today's announcement also builds on NYCEDC's “Blueprint for Blue Highways” released last week, which provides a strategy to create up to 8,000 new jobs by moving freight by waterways instead of roadways, projecting a total of 117,000 jobs across Blue Highways sectors by 2035. The Economic Mobility Networks also deliver on key objectives of the “Hunts Point Forward” vision and the broader “New New York” plan to deliver equitable opportunity and workforce programs to underserved New Yorkers.

Today’s announcement builds on the Adams administration’s broader economic vision to build a more inclusive economy that offers robust pathways to opportunity for economically disadvantaged New Yorkers. Recent progress includes:

• In November of last year, Mayor Adams announced that the City delivered more than 15,000 apprenticeship opportunities in less than three years—more than halfway to the administration’s moonshot goal of creating 30,000 apprenticeships by 2030.
• In September, the Mayor and NYC Talent announced nearly 8,500 job-seeking New Yorkers were connected to employment, free training, and workforce development resources over six months through the “Jobs NYC” initiative – a multi-pronged citywide effort to reduce barriers to economic opportunities and deliver workforce development services directly to communities across the five boroughs that are experiencing high unemployment.
• Last June, the Mayor launched the City’s first-ever community hiring effort, prioritizing NYCHA residents and other underserved New Yorkers for employment opportunities created by $1.2 billion in City contracts.
• Last January, the Mayor announced the Harbor of the Future initiative -- a reimagined network of innovation and growth across New York City’s waterways. Beyond BATWorks, the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal, and the Hunts Point Food Distribution Center, the Harbor of the Future also includes a modern maritime port and vibrant mixed-use community hub at the Brooklyn Marine Terminal in Red Hook; the Science Park and Research Campus in Kips Bay in Manhattan; new sustainable housing and public space on the North Shore of Staten Island; and an anchor research and educational partner with the New York Climate Exchange on Governors Island.

“Brooklyn's waterfront green economy is growing quickly, and Sunset Park residents deserve a real stake in that future,” said New York State Senator Andrew Gounardes. “This program is a special opportunity to connect community members with good jobs in renewable energy, life sciences, and tech that support their families and grow our economy. This is how we build an economy that works for all New Yorkers. Thanks to NYCEDC for launching this important program, and congratulations to SBIDC and their partner organizations for winning this grant and taking on this project.”

“The new Economic Mobility Networks are investments in opportunity that are critical to the present and future of our city and its residents,” said New York City Department of Small Business Services Commissioner Dynishal Gross. “Promoting and providing access to emerging jobs and industries will change the lives of New Yorkers and maximize the shared impact of our adult workforce system on New York City's economy.”

“The launch of Economic Mobility Networks, which will leverage trusted local partners to build workforce development hubs in Brooklyn and the Bronx, will position New Yorkers for good paying careers with employers at NYCEDC sites in critical sectors such as the green economy, technology, maritime, and life sciences,” said Doug Lipari, Acting Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office of Talent and Workforce Development. “This innovative approach invests directly in the communities that need these resources the most and will make our City's economy most prosperous and inclusive.” 

“Brooklyn Workforce Innovations (BWI) is proud to deepen our long-standing commitment to Sunset Park residents through this new Economic Mobility Network,” said Aaron Shiffman, Executive Director at BWI. “For years, we’ve worked to connect local talent to promising careers, and now we’re excited to stand alongside SBIDC, NYCEDC, and partners to help ensure our neighbors can access new opportunities in the maritime sector, advanced manufacturing, and clean tech. By leveraging the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal and the Brooklyn Army Terminal as engines of inclusive growth, we can build accessible pathways into the industries powering New York’s future.”

“For over 40 years, OBT has proudly served the Sunset Park community by connecting local residents to economic opportunity,” said Greg Rideout and Evelyn Ortiz, Co-Chief Executive Officers at OBT. “We’re excited to deepen this work with SBIDC and our other partners through the Economic Mobility Network and BATWorks, ensuring our neighbors are ready for careers in the green economy, life sciences, and tech sectors.”

“For decades, a complicated and sometimes messy give and take has defined the relationship between Hunts Point's residential core and the vast industrial zone that encircles it,” said Paul Lipson, Co-Principal at Barretto Bay Strategies. “With few exceptions, the residents of Hunts Point and the neighborhood's industrial businesses have been the closest strangers, sharing a peninsula but little else. The planned Economic Mobility Network will begin the hard work of repairing that rift, catalyzing opportunities for meaningful economic participation and mutual success for residents and businesses alike. A new walk-to-work employment model promises to lift household incomes, build a local talent pool to address workforce needs, and forge a new shared future for the people of Hunts Point—its workers, its residents, and its business owners.”

About NYCEDC
New York City Economic Development Corporation is a mission-driven, nonprofit organization that works for a vibrant, inclusive, and globally competitive economy for all New Yorkers. We take a comprehensive approach, through four main strategies: strengthen confidence in NYC as a great place to do business; grow innovative sectors with a focus on equity; build neighborhoods as places to live, learn, work, and play; and deliver sustainable infrastructure for communities and the city's future economy. To learn more about what we do, visit us on Facebook, X, LinkedIn, and Instagram.