KRVC received considerable resources from the New York City Department of Small Business Services to support commercial revitalization, beautification and branding initiatives on the Marble Hill commercial corridor. Specifically, KRVC received an Avenue NYC Grant, a Neighborhood Design Lab Program Grant, and a Neighborhood360 Fellowship Grant. The Avenue NYC Grant was used to produce events and implement all our programs to support the merchants. Through the Neighborhood Design Lab Program, KRVC worked with the World Studio Foundation, the merchants in Marble Hill and other stakeholders, to develop a logo and branding strategy for the Marble Hill Merchants Association.
The bold, new Merchants Association logo was released in June 2018, when KRVC team also welcomed Camelia Tepelus. Camelia started on June 25th and is the NYC Small Business Services Neighborhood360 fellow placed at KRVC, focusing on improving the Marble Hill business district. She is a highly accomplished non-profit manager with extensive experience working at the intersection of business and human rights in the US and internationally, specializing in corporate responsibility strategy, grant writing and program management. Before joining NYC SBS, she served as State Policy and Program Development Director at ECPAT USA (End Child Prostitution and Trafficking), supporting businesses to develop socially responsible policies and strategies to combat human trafficking. A Romania-native also fluent in Spanish, Camelia traveled the world before finding her home in NYC since 2004. Camelia lives in Riverdale with her family and is excited about the NYC SBS Neighborhood360 opportunity to support business development in our community and the KRVC overall program.
