Optimum grants $5,000 to 20 Suffolk small businesses

A $5,000 grant will help Burger Boys and Bar and Grill build an outdoor patio for more event seating, while Save the Great South Bay plans to buy oyster cleanup and remediation supplies. Those are two of the most visible Suffolk County payoffs from Optimum Business’s third annual L.O.C.A.L. Small Business Grant Program, which gave $5,000 checks to 20 Suffolk businesses and 20 Nassau businesses at a Bethpage ceremony on June 16.

The program, whose name stands for Lifting Our Community Businesses Across Long Island, is run by Optimum Business and the Long Island Association with support from the LIA Foundation. Outreach also came through the Long Island Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Long Island African American Chamber of Commerce. Two additional businesses are slated to receive $20,000 grand prizes later this year.

Suffolk’s winners stretched across the county and across business types, from Big Ruthie’s Soul Food and Bricks and Minifigs West Babylon to West Door Yoga + Wellness, Southampton Playhouse, Northport Fitness Studio, Pride Embroidery, Three Village Farmers & Artisans Market and Tiki Boat Long Island. Other Suffolk recipients included Christie Jones Studio, Empire Girls Wrestling Club, Gema's Childcare II, Great South Bay Dance, GrowinShade Plant Shop, Long Island Publicity, Lucero Taxes, LTV Studios, North Shore Bicycle Club, Panoramica and Sweet Arts of Northport.

The grant money is designed to do more than pad a balance sheet. For Burger Boys and Bar and Grill, the funding is tied to new outdoor seating that can support events and bring in more customers during the busy summer months. For Save the Great South Bay, the grant will go directly into environmental work tied to oyster cleanup and remediation, a reminder that local business support in Suffolk often spills into bays, beaches and waterfront communities.

Stacey Sikes, chief executive of the Long Island Association, said the recipients reflect the entrepreneurial spirit, creativity and resilience of Long Island businesses. Andrew Rainone, Optimum’s senior vice president of national business sales, said the company is investing in small businesses that help communities grow and thrive. Lawrence Waldman, the association’s board chair, said small businesses make up the majority of businesses on Long Island and are essential to job creation.

The ceremony underscored how small grants can translate into immediate summer payoff: a patio built, supplies purchased, and local storefronts and services strengthened across Suffolk.