Scissura looks back at four years as Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce president

He will take helm at NYC Building Congress in January

November 17, 2016 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Carlo Scissura says he is proud of his accomplishments at the Chamber. Eagle file photo by Paula Katinas

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Carlo Scissura, who has served as president and CEO of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce since 2012, confirmed to the Brooklyn Eagle on Wednesday that he is leaving his job to take a post as the president of the New York City Building Congress.

“I’m very excited about this new opportunity to do things on a citywide basis,” Scissura told the Eagle in a phone interview.

Scissura’s last day at the Chamber will be Dec. 16. He will start his new job at the NYC Building Congress on Jan. 9. “I want to take a little time off before starting my new position to spend some time with my family,” he said.

Crain’s New York Business was the first to report of Scissura’s impending departure from the Chamber in an article posted to its website on Tuesday.

Scissura, a lawyer who lives in Bay Ridge, first arrived at the Chamber in 2012, following a stint as chief of staff to Marty Markowitz during Markowitz’s tenure as borough president.

Scissura said he is proud of his accomplishments as the leader of the Chamber, an organization dedicated to promoting businesses in Brooklyn.

Under his watch, the Chamber tripled its membership. “My number one goal was to increase the membership and we have done that. We went from about 720 members when I arrived to a little over 2,200 members now,” he said.

The membership has also expanded beyond the downtown Brooklyn area to encompass businesses in all parts of Brooklyn, he said. “We have attracted members from Williamsburg, Bushwick and East New York. We have proven that we are more than just a downtown centered organization. We are an organization that truly reflects the borough’s diversity. We empower businesses across the borough.”

During Scissura’s tenure, the Chamber moved its headquarters to 335 Adams St., expanded its outreach to elected officials, created a tourism website, www.explorebrooklyn.com, and sponsored a series of events that included meet-and-greet cocktail receptions in all corners of the borough to give business owners a chance to get to know each other and network.

Scissura, who has a reputation for being politically astute, has also made sure to keep in close touch with lawmakers at the city, state and federal levels to make them aware of the needs of businesses owners large and small.

“We have held a Brooklyn Night in Albany for many years. I’m proud to say that we now have a Brooklyn Night in Washington,” he said.

The Brooklyn Night events are important, Scissura said, because they give businesses a chance to promote their products to a wider audience.

Scissura credited the Chamber’s board of directors and its staff with the success the organization has seen over the past four years. “We have built a great team. And the board has understood new ways of thinking. You have to think outside-the-box to help an organization grow and move forward,” he said.