Nassau County establishes business recovery program

Nassau County is establishing a business recovery program to help with the reconstruction and recovery of businesses affected by Hurricane Sandy. The program will make financial assistance available to eligible businesses.

“Getting Nassau County businesses reopened is an absolute priority, and we believe our dedicated program will assist those affected businesses with their recovery and reconstruction efforts,” County Executive Ed Mangano said.  “I urge any affected business in Nassau County to call or email as soon as possible. We will have economic development professionals available to provide the necessary instructions.”

The Nassau County Industrial Development Agency will staff the program, which includes a dedicated phone number and email address for business owners to use for inquiries about business continuity and recovery issues.

In addition, eligible small businesses may receive up to $99,000 of financial assistance through the IDA's Local Enterprise Assistance and Development Services, or LEADS, program, which allows a sales tax exemption on any furniture, fixtures, equipment and material purchased for repair and reconstruction.

The program also provides access to and guidance in navigating New York state and federal business reconstruction and recovery programs.

The LEADS program targets businesses with 100 or fewer employees, which account for 60 percent of Nassau County’s work force. 

“Nassau LEADS is a one-stop shop for economic development assistance,” said Nassau IDA Executive Director Joseph Kearney.

Businesses should call (516) 571-1745 or email LEADS@NassauIDA.org. An economic development professional will respond within 24 hours.