Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce moves to Industry City

After over 100 years in Downtown Brooklyn, the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce is packing up its offices on Adams Street and heading south. The organization is moving to Industry City in Sunset Park, becoming one of the largest tenants at the rapidly growing campus.
The chamber will occupy over 10,000 square feet in one of Industry City’s 16 buildings, a 30 percent increase in space from the organization’s old offices.
Chamber president and CEO Randy Peers believes the new space will help the chamber bounce back after the pandemic and bring the organization closer to its constituents beyond Downtown Brooklyn.
“Brooklyn’s economy is comprised of innovative small businesses, including many minority and immigrant-owned companies more typically found at Industry City and throughout every neighborhood across the borough,” Peers said.
“Industry City is truly an economic engine for Brooklyn, and its diverse tenant mix of manufacturing, retail, hospitality, tech, fashion, design, and MWBEs reflects our business community,” he added. “Plus, its vibrant, amenity-rich environment is strategic for attracting top minds and talent to the organization.”
Andrew Kimball, CEO of Industry City, sees the chamber’s arrival as a benchmark in the growth of the former industrial complex.
“Simply said, having the Brooklyn Chamber as an anchor tenant at Industry City is a big deal and testament to our extraordinary growth as a small business mecca and hub for Brooklyn’s innovation economy,” Kimball said. “With their services on-site, the chamber will be an even greater asset to our tenants helping countless small businesses thrive in their markets and reach new heights.”
While many of Brooklyn’s businesses suffered during the pandemic, Industry City miraculously managed to continue growing, leasing out over 500,000 square feet to new tenants in 2020 alone. The complex is currently on pace to lease out even more space in 2021.
Industry City’s growth comes a year after a plan to rezone the complex failed. The project would have seen the campus’ zoning modified to allow for new construction, commercial space, and academic facilities, but was opposed by local activists and politicians, who believed the project would have led to more gentrification and displacement in the district.