Appointments

Thank you for your interest in making an appointment with us. For the duration of the pandemic, note that all appointments are virtual. Please review the advisors that are available below, and then click the “Book Now” button at the bottom to make an appointment with an advisor who can help you.*

*In order to make an appointment with Ricardi Calixte, please email him directly at rc@queensny.org.

Alfonso Zhicay – Consulting Business Advisor

  • Kitchen organization
  • Catering planning from the kitchen
  • Liquor license adviser
  • Hospitality manners
  • How to correctly design and build a kitchen
  • Fluent in Spanish

Andrea Ormeño – Director, Women’s Business Center

  • Early stage start ups, especially those women-owned and those of low/moderate income
  • Business planning
  • Financial projections
  • Business Loans
  • Assistance registering a business**
  • Fluent in Spanish

Bhavna Punjwani – Director Entrepreneur Assistance Center 

  • Early stage startups 
  • Business planning, especially the food industry 
  • Market testing, branding 
  • Assistance registering a business** 
  • Fluent in Hindi

David Manrique – Consulting Business Advisor

  • Branding for Restaurants and Food Businesses
  • Instagram and Digital Strategy
  • Content Marketing
  • Content Creation
  • Fluent in Spanish

Edgard Hernandez – Consulting Business Advisor 

  • Business Structure
  • Business agreements and Contracts
  • Home Improvement Contract License
  • M/WBE certification
  • Employee classification
  • Proposal development
  • Business insurances
  • Home Improvement Work Permits
  • Business Operations
  • Government Contracts
  • Business Strategy and planning
  • Fluent in Spanish

Ken Motschwiller – Consulting Business Advisor 

  • Business
  • Accounting

Janet Tanguay – Consulting Business Advisor 

  • New York State MWBE (minority- and women-owned business enterprise certification) & procurement
  • General start-up questions (legal, accounting, marketing, sales, advertising, social media)
  • Specialize in working with creative entrepreneurs (artists, musicians, actors), food-based companies and the LGBTQAI+ community
  • Goal setting and strategic planning including vision boarding and mind mapping and business pitch competitions
  • Connecting entrepreneurs with NYS network of businesses and entrepreneurs

Jill Frechtman – Consulting Business Advisor

  • Specialize in helping food brands stand out in a crowded market
  • Brand strategy, brand positioning, and storytelling
  • Packaging and label design
  • Sales and marketing strategy including farmers markets, trade shows, and national rollouts
  • Assistance with streamlining business operations for more efficient, profitable product offerings, pricing, and production
  • Marketing strategy including content, social media, and email marketing
  • Trade show and pop-up market sales and marketing strategy, especially for product-based businesses

Larry Sokol – Consulting Business Advisor 

  • 30 years experience in banking for small to mid-sized commercial and real estate clients
  • Knowledge of bank processes for providing credit, and how banks analyze cash flow
  • Knowledge of not for profit financing, and how banks analyze not for profits
  • Understanding of available small business grants and crowdfunding
  • Knowledge of SBA programs

M. Mero – Assistant Director of Business Services 

  • Business Registration
  • EIN
  • Sales Tax ID

Monique Perretti – Consulting Business Advisor 

  • Marketing: planning and strategy for all phases of business 
  • Social Media Strategy and Content
  • Digital Marketing- Website, Ads, etc.
  • Brand/Voice consistency across all platforms

Ricardi Calixte – Consulting Business Advisor 

  • MWBE registration for NYC & NYS 
  • Fluent in Creole

Roy Pellicano – Consulting Business Advisor 

  • Business planning 
  • Digital strategy
  • Strategic business planning outlines
  • Digital transformation and Internet based strategies to increase revenue
  • Review business concept
  • Operating plans for optimal output

Sarah Liu – Director, Partnerships & StartUP! Business Competition 

  • Startup idea testing and Lean Startup experiments design 
  • Digital marketing campaign strategy for early stage startup businesses 
  • Assistance in pitching and fundraising 
  • Assistance with incorporation and business registrations** 
  • Fluent in Mandarin

Thomas Farrell – Consulting Business Advisor  

  • Legal assistance 
  • Contracts 
  • Permits 
  • Licensing 
  • Please note that Tom is only available on Thursday mornings

**Assistance in registering a business can include: determining the status: sole proprietor, partnership, corporation, LLC including S-corp status; obtaining an IRS Tax ID; NYS Sales Tax ID; Permits & Licenses