New York Congressional District #7

District Success Story:
Squar-Pix

In November 2012, the Brooklyn SBDC met with Mohammad Ikhmines and his partner Frank Iqbal; owners of Eye Graphics, a business located in the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn. The thriving printing and graphic design company sustained significant damage from Hurricane Sandy. The owners struggled through the rebuilding process, which involved applying for an SBA disaster assistance loan. Their 50 hours of work with SBDC Advisor Pascual Castano to assemble the loan application was rewarded when the owners of Eye Graphics finally received approval and eventually disbursement of an SBA loan for $750,000. Mohammad and Frank lost significant business due to down time caused by Hurricane Sandy, and decided to restructure their organization by re-naming it and moving it to a new location. The rejuvenated enterprise is now called Squar-Pix, and it is located at 384 Broadway in Brooklyn. During the early part of 2015, the Squar-Pix owners recognized they needed further capitalization. With help from Advisor Castano, they applied to New York City to secure funding made possible by HUD’s Community Development Block Grant program for businesses impacted by the disaster. In September 2015, they were approved for a loan of $200,000, which they immediately used to upgrade the equipment in their restored graphic design shop. While this dynamic duo is making great strides in the rebuilding process, they are still experiencing growing pains as they re-group and re-brand. The assistance they have received from the SBA, SBDC, and the NYC Sandy Assistance programs have been instrumental in their evolving success story!