( ENSPIRE Community Spotlight ) Nadege Fleurimond of BunNan Received The Dr. Luc El-Art Severe Grant
On July 24, the Kappa Beta Sigma Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc., Brooklyn Sigmas, hosted the 4th Annual Dr. Luc El-Art Severe Small Business Recovery Grant Awards Celebration & Press Conference. This event honors the memory of Dr. Luc El-Art Severe’s advocacy for the small business community in Brooklyn and across New York state. The event featured unique insights from elected officials, past grant recipients, and this year’s recipient, Nadege Fleurimond of BunNan. The celebration targeted the community and how support from locals in entrepreneurship and business leadership drives economic betterment. Powered by the Brooklyn Sigmas’ Bigger and Better Business Committee, the event honored local business leaders, sparked future entrepreneurship in Brooklyn, highlighted local success stories, and strengthened Brooklyn’s small business economy.
We spoke with Bigger and Better Business Committee Chair Orane Gordon about the evolution of the Dr. Luc El-Art Severe Small Business Recovery Grant and the advocacy they do for the awards and the small business community. In addition, he explained the purpose of the Bigger and Better Business Committee and how they measure the local economy support. Furthermore, he shared a success story from the Dr. Luc El-Art Severe Recovery Grant and how it continues to foster entrepreneurship. Gordon continued further and explained the impact the grant and Brooklyn Sigmas’ support have on the local small business economy. Lastly, he conveys the message about community-led initiatives and their driving force for economic betterment in the Brooklyn community.
How has the Dr. Luc El-Art Severe Small Business Recovery Grant evolved over the last four years, and what advocacy do you do to be the driving force behind the awards and the small business community?
To combat ongoing economic uncertainty, the Small Business Recovery Grant was established in 2021 in honor of our late brother, Dr. Luc El-At Severe, who has expanded to offer crucial funding to all certified Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBEs) in Brooklyn. Carrying on, Bro. Severe’s lifelong mission of entrepreneurial empowerment, the program was initially created to address pandemic hardships but now provides a lifeline to entrepreneurs navigating new challenges from inflation to global instability. To date, the initiative has awarded more than $10,000 in grants to help Brooklyn’s entrepreneurs sustain their operations.
Can you explain the purpose of the Brooklyn Sigmas’ Bigger and Better Business Committee, and how you measure the support for the local economy?
The purpose of the Bigger and Better Business Committee is to promote economic empowerment within the Brooklyn community by promoting financial literacy and supporting small businesses, specifically strengthening Brooklyn’s minority and women-owned businesses (MWBEs). We believe that a thriving local economy is built on the success of its small businesses.
We measure our support for the local economy through both direct financial investment and the tangible success of the businesses we serve.
Our key metrics include:
- Direct Financial Support: The total dollar amount in grants awarded. To date, this is over $10,000.
- Number of Businesses Assisted: We establish Memorandums of Understand (MOUs) with local entrepreneurs to intentionally outline our relationships, holding both parties accountable for our goals of helping them sustain operations, retain staff, and navigate economic challenges.
- Business Sustainability: The most important metric is qualitative: the stories of survival and growth from our grant recipients. The ultimate measure of success is a local business that remains open and thriving, in part because of this support.
How do success stories like the Dr. Luc El-Art Severe Small Business Recovery Grant teach us, and how does the grant program keep nurturing future entrepreneurship in Brooklyn?
The success stories teach us a vital lesson: targeted investment combined with community visibility creates a powerful ripple effect. A single grant doesn’t just save one business; it provides a blueprint for others and inspires confidence in the local economy.
We nurture future entrepreneurship by sustaining that ripple effect in two key ways:
- Creating Role Models: Each grant recipient becomes a tangible success story, proving to aspiring entrepreneurs that their goals are achievable. Today’s recipients are tomorrow’s mentors and the most visible proof that the ecosystem works.
- Building the Pipeline: We actively partner with NYC Small Business Services (SBS) to guide new entrepreneurs through the MWBE certification process. This provides a clear pathway for them to become eligible for future support, building a foundation for the next generation of Brooklyn business leaders.
What are the most impactful ways this grant and the support from the Brooklyn Sigmas have on the recipients and their ability to strengthen the local small business economy?
The grant’s impact comes from its holistic approach. We combine the funding with three pillars of support that directly strengthen both the business owner and the local economy:
- Financial Stability (Survive): The grant provides immediate capital for urgent needs like payroll, rent, or inventory. This stabilizes the business, keeping jobs and services rooted in the community.
- Visibility & Advocacy (Grow): We use our platform to promote our recipients actively. This storytelling brings them new customers and community recognition, which are essential for long-term growth and expansion.
- Capacity Building (Thrive): Beyond funding, we connect owners to a network and resources. This helps them build capacity, scale their operations, and become more resilient pillars of the neighborhood economy.
That combination is the key. By helping a business owner survive today and grow tomorrow, we ensure that money, talent, and opportunity continue to circulate right here in Brooklyn.
What message do you want to convey to the Brooklyn community and future entrepreneurs about community-led initiatives in driving economic betterment?
When neighbors invest in each other, we not only strengthen businesses but also build confidence, foster relationships, and take ownership of our economic future. Programs like the Dr. Luc El-Art Severe Grant demonstrate that even small acts of collective support can sustain a business, inspire the next entrepreneur, and catalyze a single success into momentum for an entire community.
Every time we shop locally, attend a grant event, or champion a small business, you are actively shaping the economic health of our neighborhood.
The Annual Dr. Luc El-Art Severe Small Business Recovery Grant Award is bringing assistance to old and new entrepreneurs in the Brooklyn community. Beyond financial assistance, its purpose is to drive economic betterment for small local businesses. Because a business thrives on community and people. Through the Celebration and Press Conference hosted by Brooklyn Sigmas this year, its consistency helps business leaders thrive and receive the assistance they need to strengthen Brooklyn’s local success stories. For more information on the Dr. Luc El-Art Severe Grant, click here. Interested in learning more about the Kappa Beta Sigma Chapter? Visit https://www.brooklynsigmas.org/.
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