Photo by Síle Moloney
Our Bronx and the Bronx Economic Development Corporation (BXEDC) hosted the inaugural Bronx Economic Development Summit on Friday, June 5, and Saturday, June 6, convening practitioners, planners, elected officials, national thought leaders, and Bronx community leaders, all focused on advancing a long-term economic development strategy for the borough.
Founded in 1974, Our Bronx (formerly the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition) is a 5,000+ member-led, grassroots organization that brings together diverse peoples and institutions to advance racial justice and economic democracy to transform the Bronx and beyond.
Photo by Síle Moloney
“For two days, we learned from economic development leaders, workforce partners, labor, small businesses, and public officials who reinforced what communities across the country have shown: when residents are engaged in shaping economic strategy, the results are stronger, more durable, and more widely shared.” said Sandra Lobo, executive director of Our Bronx.
“The ideas and priorities surfaced at the Summit will directly inform the Bronx’s first Comprehensive Economic Strategy, a roadmap that will align partners around a clear set of strategies, projects, and measures of progress. We’re deeply grateful to our partners at BXEDC for co-organizing this milestone, as well as the elected officials, local stakeholders, and national organizations whose participation help move this work forward,” she added.
Photo by Síle Moloney
Meanwhile, The Bronx Economic Development Corporation (BXEDC) is a 501(c)3 non-profit that leads economic development policy in The Bronx, with a specific focus on providing capital access to small businesses.
BXEDC’s core mission is to strengthen and expand current Bronx-based businesses and to provide incentives to encourage businesses to establish or relocate to The Bronx. Founded over 40 years ago, The BXEDC has consistently worked to make The Bronx a better place to live and own a business.
Winston Peters, president of the BXEDC, said for years, Bronx residents, workers, faith leaders, labor advocates, small business owners, and community organizations had laid the groundwork for a stronger and more inclusive economic Bronx economy. “The summit brought local and national voices together to share strategies and strengthen the relationships needed to move from planning to implementation,” he said. “We thank Our Bronx, our elected leaders, and the practitioners and organizers who joined us, and we look forward to continued collaboration as we roll out the first-ever Bronx Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy later this year.”
Photo by Síle Moloney
The summit, held at the Andrew Freedman Home in the Concourse section, featured keynote speeches from local and national thought leaders, breakout sessions highlighting economic strategies from The Bronx and across the country, and opportunities to engage with emerging priorities for a more resilient, and environmentally sustainable Bronx economy.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, and Council Member Pierina Sanchez (C.D. 14), as well as representatives from local and national organizations attended and delivered keynote speeches.
The mayor said, “Together, we are building a new future for the Bronx: one where working people have a real voice in shaping the economy they power every day. I was proud to join leaders, workers, small business owners, and community advocates at the inaugural Bronx Economic Development Summit, where we advanced an economic vision rooted in the needs and aspirations of Bronx residents. He added, “Our administration is putting economic democracy, community ownership and shared prosperity at the center of our affordability agenda. Because the people who build this city deserve a meaningful stake in its future.”
Photo by Síle Moloney
Our Bronx officials said the summit marked a key milestone in the process to complete The Bronx’s first federally certified Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS), a long-term, blueprint for economic development in the borough expected to be finalized later this summer. They said the convening provided an opportunity for stakeholders across sectors to learn, connect, and help inform the strategy before it is completed. They said the public review period continued through the end of June.
According to Lobo, throughout the summit, participants explored a central question: What would it take to create an economy where the wealth generated in The Bronx stays in The Bronx and benefits the people who live and work here?
She said what emerged was a powerful convergence of ideas, lived experiences, and proven models, and added that conversations reinforced the simple truth that working people create the wealth of The Bronx. She said despite this, too often, the benefits of that labor are extracted rather than reinvested in our communities.
Photo by Síle Moloney
Lobo said building a stronger Bronx economy meant addressing the challenges families face today, including housing affordability, quality jobs, thriving commercial corridors, and environmental resilience, while transforming the systems that have contributed to generations of disinvestment and inequity.
She said the summit was just the beginning of a new phase of action. She said in the months ahead, Our Bronx would continue working with The Bronx Economic Development Corporation and residents, community organizations, businesses, institutions, and public partners to move the Bronx’s first Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy from vision to implementation.
Our Bronx officials said since 2019, community, faith, and labor organizations have worked together to develop a unifying vision for the future of the Bronx economy rooted in shared prosperity, community wealth building, environmental sustainability, and long-term resilience.
In 2024, with a planning grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration, Our Bronx officials said Our Bronx and the BXEDC partnered to coordinate and advance this vision with an expanded set of partners representing government, finance, business, real estate, workforce development, education, culture, and more.
Photo by Síle Moloney
For her part, Gibson said “Economic development in the Bronx must be shaped by the people who live, work, build, and invest in our communities every single day. This summit brought together local and national leaders, small business owners, labor partners, planners, and community stakeholders to have meaningful conversations about creating a stronger and more resilient Bronx economy for generations.”
She added, “As we continue developing the Bronx’s first Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, we are ensuring that this roadmap reflects the voices, priorities, and lived experiences of our borough while positioning the Bronx for long-term growth and opportunity. Thank you to Our Bronx, BXEDC, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and every partner and participant who contributed to this important milestone for our borough.”
Photo by Síle Moloney
In the context of news of the summit, the Morris Park BID shared the following comments online, “Political manifesto of a single organization, far cry from the quality of the Brooklyn strategy, 12 Bronx BIDs not even referred to in the report, written by undergrad visiting student. Probing questions on methodology dismissed, and those asking them denied access to the conversation i.e. Morris Park BID representing the largest job center in the Bronx and 12% of the borough’s iobs.”
The comments continued, “Those loud on ‘equity and inclusion’ very comfortable with inequity and exclusion when questioned on conflicts of interest and competence. Ideological report intended to serve political and material interests of NWBCCC, via BXEDC, a publicly funded but opaque and unaccountable entity (unaffiliated with NYCEDC). Bronx taxpayers pay BXEDC salaries and rent in the BP’s office. No reports, ever.”
The comments continued, “No concept of public realm, no infrastructure analysis, no industrial clusters, no strategic investments, no tech or AI, life sciences and healthcare sectors the Bronx excels in. Fundamentally anti-business and all about “shared ownership” with NWBCCC, of course. No wonder the federal agency paying for this fun – EDA – is slated for termination in the FY27 federal budget – page 14. https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/budget_fy2027.pdf“
Another person commented online, saying, “”federally supported”?! I guess now we know why Our Bronx negotiated a deal with the monopoly and MAGA mega donor Live Nation. Aside from Live Nation being public donors they are also the beneficiaries of quid pro quo from the Federal branch, receiving a corporate pardon from Trump just a few months ago! Our Bronx is complicit in selling out Bronx assets to benefit Donald Trump, his maga cult and his gaggle of corporate groupies.”
Norwood News reached out to both Our Bronx and the Office of the Bronx Borough President to ask if they had any comment. Lobo responded, saying, “Our Bronx remains focused on the work of building a more inclusive, resilient, and community-rooted economic future for the Bronx. For more than 50 years, our organization has worked alongside Bronx residents, faith leaders, tenants, young people, workers, small businesses, and community institutions to advance community priorities with integrity and accountability. That same commitment has guided our participation in the Bronx Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy process.”
She added, “The Economic Development Summit was part of a federally supported, borough-wide planning process led in partnership with the Bronx Economic Development Corporation. The process has engaged a broad cross-section of Bronx stakeholders and is intended to surface shared priorities, strengthen local economic opportunity, and ensure that communities most impacted by disinvestment have a meaningful voice in shaping the borough’s future.”
She concluded, “We welcome rigorous questions, public dialogue, and constructive engagement about the work. Our focus remains on the substance of the process, the priorities Bronxites have identified, and the long-term investments our communities deserve.”
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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.