For many, Hurricane Sandy was more than just an inconvenience. Survey the wreckage of seaside communities such as Long Beach, the Jersey Shore, and Fire Island for first-hand evidence of the havoc natural disaster can wreak. However, take a closer look and it becomes clear that residential areas were not the only places affected by the storm. In Manhattan, many businesses were put out of action, whether due to flooding, loss of electricity, or an overall sense of panic. In the midst of a recession, any loss of revenue is bound to sting entrepreneurs, non-profits and corporations alike.

Fortunately, New York City Seminar and Conference Center, located in the heart of the Flatiron District/Chelsea area, was on hand to assist businesses of all kinds in continuing their operations with a minimum of disruption and a semblance of normality, all for value prices. NYCSCC’s friendly and dedicated staff was on hand to set up rooms according to the unique specifications of their diverse clientele. Ample supplies of technical equipment (laptops, projectors, video conferencing) allowed companies forced out of their own buildings to prosper even as much of the city remained at a standstill.

Gil Roman of Microtech PC Labs, a training facility located in the storm-ravaged Financial District, sat down with Eric Shapiro of Flatiron Hot! News and Bulletin to explain how NYCSCC provided a much-needed solution to a business catastrophe.

Can you tell us about your company?

I’m Gil Roman and my position is technical manager for a training facility called Microtech PC Labs downtown on 90 Broad Street. We’re a training facility that has 13 different classrooms. We have clients there who do our training. We primarily host; we provide everything for a software company; we provide everything that they need to have a class. They sign up the students and provide the instructor. We provide the room with all the computers and the computers are set up to their specifications for that class. Everyone is different; everybody has different needs. We have a bunch of facilities all over the country.

What happened during Hurricane Sandy?

Nobody expected the building to flood. We heard about things; windows getting broken, stuff getting thrown, but we didn’t expect that much water would get to us. We’re in a location which is closer than the east river. We’re sort of in the middle between the Hudson River Battery Park Side and the East River. According to the weather man, the water was too much and it flooded from both ends. So it filled the building up like 35 ft of water. They have a basement, a sub-basement and a lobby, and I heard it was 4-5 ft in the lobby, so that meant no power, no nothing.

What were the potential losses due to the storm?

We have 13 classrooms and we’re usually at least 75% booked to fully-booked and we have the same clients that are their every week, like Sales Force, VM Ware, and they train at all our other facilities. They had people signed up for classes and people that paid already.

What happened after the storm?

By the Friday after Sandy hit, we found out that our building was going to be out of commission for a while. That meant we couldn’t hold classes there. I think in about two or three days we had managed to secure spaces at NYCSCC to hold our classes. It all happened pretty quickly and you guys were available.

How did NYC Seminar and Conference Center help?

They wanted me to come down and make sure that a class had all the software and everything and that they were ready to go for the class. So I got with Kazem and he showed me that NYCSCC had the software. You’re pretty fast; I thought I was going to have to wait before I could see all that stuff, but you were ready to go. Great! I thought I was going to come here and they weren’t going to have anything ready for me to look at. Instead, I found guys that were friendly, knowledgeable, and on the ball. Everything was ready to go.

NYCSCC was available right away, on short notice, with all the necessary equipment and classrooms that mimic our classrooms. We want our client to come here and not have that much of an adjustment. And you guys have everything that’s needed for an event here.

Would you recommend NYCSCC for other companies that need space on a short-term basis?

If you need space on short notice, I would recommend NYCSCC. They have everything needed to host events of all different types on a short-term basis for value prices.

Are you part of a business that is struggling with down time after Hurricane Sandy? Visit NYC Seminar and Conference Center for event space, meeting rooms, and conference room rentals for modern New York businesses or call them at 800-326-5494.

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