Voted Small Business of the Year 2010 by the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce!

The New York Grant Company. founded in 2002, is a team of experts in economic incentives who know how to expedite the process of applying for available benefits, maximize clients' awards, and bundle benefits wherever possible to help clients grow and succeed. The company also handles all follow up compliance to ensure that clients receive full and prompt benefits within program rules and deadlines.

Dozens of economic programs exist to incentivize businesses and other organizations to relocate, renew, expand, create jobs or make investments in New York and elsewhere. Multiple federal, state and local agencies oversee and implement these programs, and the process is a maze. Deadlines, regulations, eligibility landmines, paperwork, red tape, bureaucracy--Who needs it? Who has the time or expertise to manage this, much less follow all of the rules to ensure maximum and timely receipt of all available awards and track every program that comes into being? The New York Grant Company specializes in cutting through the red tape so that clients can focus on running their businesses, while we do the work to make sure that our clients receive every dollar on the table for them.

Ann Kayman, Esq.
Chief Executive Officer & Principal

Voted "2009 Enterprising Woman of the Year" by Enterprising Women Magazine.

Ann Kayman has 13 years of experience in economic development in New York. She served for four years in the Giuliani and Bloomberg Administrations as chief of Business Development and Senior Vice President of the New York City Economic Development Corporation. EDC is the City's primary portal to the business community.

Ann led a team that attracted record numbers of businesses to New York from around the world. She also directed relief efforts to help more than 20,000 small businesses recover and rebuild after September 11th. Ann is conversant with dozens of available economic incentive programs, and with the federal, state, and local agencies that manage them. She is also an expert on lease structuring, real property tax, commercial rent tax, sales tax, administrative procedure, and green finance.

Ann is also a lawyer with 26 years' experience practicing as a corporate lawyer and litigator in New York. Prior to working with the City, she practiced at two major law firms in Midtown Manhattan, where she represented national and international clients in complex cases.

Ann earned her B.A. magna cum laude from Barnard College of Columbia University in 1982, and her J.D. cum laude from Case Western Reserve University School of Law in 1985. In 2008, Ann engaged in the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School.

Ann serves on the Boards of Directors of the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce, the Intelligent Communities Association, and Envirolution.org, a green jobs training and development organization. She is the first Co-Chair of the Green Finance Subcommittee of the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce. She also serves on the Chamber's Green Design & Construction Subcommittee and Green Steering Committee, as well as the Energy and Sustainability Committee of the Building Owners and Managers Association, and the Downtown Committee of the Real Estate Board of New York.

Ann serves on the Advisory Board of the Women's Leadership Exchange. She and her team are also active members of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, Staten Island Chamber of Commerce, Professional Women in Construction, International Facilities Managers Association, CoreNet, US Green Building Council, Urban Green Council, New York Executive Council, Alliance for Downtown New York, the Long Island City Partnership, the NYS Restaurant Association, and the Food & Beverage Association.

Ann's work has been profiled in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Crain's New York Business, Site Selection Magazine, CBS Radio, Close Up TV News, and many trade publications. She is a regular writer on the subject of economic zones and incentives for Thomson - RIA's national Multistate Journal of Taxation and Incentives. Ann is also a regular speaker at leading business conferences and seminars on the subject of economic development incentives, "green finance," ARRA stimulus funds and related topics.

Marsha Parris
Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President

Marsha manages the day-to-day operations of the New York Grant Company across all of its service offerings and functions. She is also a top business developer and serves as program supervisor for all junior and mid-level staff. Marsha has processed literally hundreds of client applications for benefits through the bureaucratic maze, often solving the unsolvable and most complex cases, while managing the process to insure utmost client benefit, quality performance, and prompt turnaround.

Marsha comes to NYGC with extensive prior experience in both the public and not-for-profit sectors, having served as benefits administrator for the US Social Security Administration, as well as at Pratt Institute and Medgar Evers College in operational and marketing roles.

At Pratt, Marsha was Operations Manager for the Bursar's Office, where she designed and impletmented new policies and procedures to provide total client satisfaction. At Medgar Evers, Marsha served in the marketing and public relations department, producing all print and media communications for the college.

A native of Grenada, Marsha was graduated summa cum laude from Medgar Evers College of the City University of New York, where she earned her bachelor's degree in Marketing and her associate's degree in Business Administration. Marsha also holds a Master's Degree in Design Management from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn.

Marsha is integrally involved in all aspects of the the New York Grant Company's business, serving clients with exceptional skill, developing new business and service lines, and overseeing staff to ensure the highest levels of client service.

Brent Samuel
Senior Business Analyst

Brent is responsible for processing clients' applications for a variety of grants and incentives throughout New York City. This includes applications under the Lower Manhattan Commercial Revitalization Program, the Small Firm Assistance Program, the New York City Commercial Expansion Program, the New York State Excelsior Jobs Program, and the Relocation Employment Assistance Program, among others.

A native of St. Vincent in the Grenadine Islands, Brent started as an intern at the New York Grant Company in November 2007 and has been promoted four times through hard work, dedication, integrity, team spirit, talent, and results. He is truly an exceptional young man.

Brent is currently an honors student completing his degree at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York.

Donald Glassman
Senior Business Analyst & Director of Research

Donald joined the company in early 2009 and brings with him an amazing skill set in high level research, writing and analysis. Donald is a professional archivist by background, having earned his Master's Degree in library science from Queens College as well as a Master's in English from Brooklyn College, and having served as the official Archivist for Barnard College of Columbia University for eight years prior to joining NYGC.

Donald has performed extensive research over the past three years on ARRA stimulus funds and "green" incentives, as well as all new and developing national, state, and local incentive programs. He manages and updates the New York Grant Company's proprietary database of federal, state, and local econonomic programs--including grants, tax breaks, and subsidies in over 100 program areas. In addition to everything, Donald has created and now manages NYGC's incentive library which accumulates, both in print and electronic form, all of the major economic incentive programs in the New York and nationwide.

A native of Brooklyn, Donald is fluent in Mandinka and Spanish, and consistent with his "green" expertise, he rides his bicycle to and from work every day.

Prior to working as the Archivist for Barnard, Donald was a photo archivist for the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. He also worked in various capacities in records management at CUNY's Graduate School, the New York Historical Society, and Yeshiva University. He is a longstanding member of the American Library Association, the Society of American Archivists, and the Metropolitan Archivists Round Table.

Ridhima Nayyar, LEED Green Associate
Senior Green Analyst

Ridhima researches and applies for energy related and "green" incentives at all governmental levels and works with clients to maximize benefits across a variety of programs, which ensuring full compliance with applicable rules and regulations. She also guides the company and its clients on compliance with NYC's new Greener, Greater Buildings legislation, energy conservation measures, sustainability best practices, and energy related standards and developments in the field. She has performed the Local Law 84 benchmarking analysis and Energy Star analysis for dozens of City buildings, both commercial and residential. She has also performed extensive energy auditing work and has taught green jobs trainees and performed as a mentor for trainees in energy auditing and efficiency techniques.

Prior to joining NYGC, Ridhima worked as an Energy Efficiency Specialist for Envirolution.org, a not-for-profit green jobs training and development organization. She also formerly worked as a Research Associate for the Institute of Market Transformation (IMT) in Washington, DC, as well as a trainee engineer for ShapoorjiPallonji and Co., Litd. of Mumbai, India. Ridhima earned her MS degree in Environmental Systems and Risk Management from SUNY's College of Environmental Science and Forestry in 2011, and her BS degree in Civil Engineering from Mumbai University in 2007. Ridhima has dedicated her career to merging best practices in energy efficiency with traditional concepts of construction in civil engineering. She is certified as BPI BA as well as LEED GA, and is fluent in English, Hindi and Marathi.

Pinar Guvenc
Junior Analyst and Business Development Associate

Pinar has recently joined the company as of September 2011. She researches and applies for economic incentives for the company's clients and helps the company identify and cultivate new business opportunities and clientele. Pinar was born in California and grew up in Turkey, where she was graduated with high honors from Bilkent University, receiving her Bachelor's of Science degree in Industrial Engineering. In August 2011, Pinar earned her Master's Degree in Economics and Finance from Southern Illinois University in Edwardsville and has now moved to New York City full-time.

Previously, Pinar worked as an International Trade Assistant for the Illinois Small Business Development Corporation International Trade Center. There, she performed market research and provided export assistance for businesses throughout Southern Illinois. Pinar speaks fluent Turkish and some French. She now proudly represents the New York Grant Company as a new member of the Turkish American Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TACCI).

Jonathan Breshin
Energy Analyst and Business Development Associate

Jonathan is an energy expert, analyst and business developer who assists the New York Grant Company on a variety of energy efficiency and sustainability projects for building owners and managers. As an operating engineer and specialist in building performance, Jonathan has particular expertise in building systems, energy auditing, retro-commissioning and retrofits, solar PV and solar thermal, as well as NYC's new Greener, Greater Buildings legislation. Jonathan teaches "green" electrical retrofitting for Solar One, an authorized contractor for the State of New York Energy Research & Development Authority (NYSERDA). A member of the Local 94 Operating Engineers Union, Jonathan has performed work as operating engineer for commercial buildings, as well as work as a building mechanic and electrician. Jonathan earned his AOS degree in Electrical Construction, Instrumentation and Controls at SUNY in Delhi, New York in 2001.

Ruth Rizzo
Bookkeeper & CRT Specialist

With over twenty years' experience in tax and bookkeeping, Ruth services all of the firm's bookkeeping, collections and accounting needs. Ruth is also responsible for more than 50 clients' quarterly and annual NYC Commercial Rent Tax filings and exemptions claims. She has singularly created a variety of techniques to expedite the filing of such claims, to maximize clients' benefits, and to help make sure that clients pay the right amount on time. A native of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn and resident of Staten Island, Ruth has a husband of 28 years and a daughter of 23 years. From 1999 through 2007, Ruth was with the Staten Island Yankees (Yankees Minor League or "A Team")--as their bookkeeper! She has more than 20 years' experience as a bookkeeper.

Angela Franco
Director of Marketing and Business Development

Angela joined the company in 2011 as Director of Marketing and Business Development. She brings over 20 years' experience in marketing, sales and communiciations to the New York Grant Company, helping to create all of the company's marketing material and business development packages.

A consummate direct marketer, copywriter and corporate communications specialist, she is an active member of the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce Green Business Committees and the Staten Island Green Business Initiative. Angela is a “greenie” who has raised her children to be ecologically aware and socially responsible. She also holds a seat on the executive board of a non-profit organization called Partnership for Student Advancement that provides skills assessment and coaching for the city's at risk youth.

Stephanie Rodriguez
Intern

Stephanie has worked as an intern for the company for the past two years and has just recently graduated from the John V. Lindsay Wildcat Academy Charter School in lower Manhattan. NYGC is proud to be participating in the Academy's acclaimed Internship Program for City youth. Moreover, we are grateful for Stephanie's many contributions to our daily work as she begins to prepare for her new life in college.

Additional Staff & Freelancer resumes available upon request.
Projects at the New York Grant Company often require us to call upon special experts and grant writers as the clients' needs dictate. We are proud to have a stable of such talented people whom we may call upon when the job needs it.