Steven and Marion Piazza built Majestic Vending from a $50 gum machine into a major NYC metro business, then used SBA disaster loans to rebuild after Hurricane Sandy destroyed their operation in Tompkinsville, Staten Island. They also delivered water and helped neighbors recover.
Questions this video answers
More than 100,000 disaster loans.
$5.2 billion.
About one-third.
2012.
Since 1998.
Chapters
SBA's low interest disaster loans make individuals, nonprofit organizations and businesses of all sizes whole again. Within the past five years alone, SBA has approved more than 100,000 disaster loans for a total of $5.2 billion. A huge chunk of these loans, about a third of them, were made after Hurricane Sandy in 2012, like the one made at this year's Phoen award winner since 1998, the SBA has presented the Phoenix Award to business owners and individuals who displayed courage, resourcefulness and tenacity in the aftermath of a disaster while contributing to the rebuilding of their community. This year's Phoenix Award winner for outstanding small business disaster recovery has survived not one, but two horrible disasters. And like the Phoenix that rises from the ashes, Majesta came back stronger with an unwavering desire to serve their own community.
My name is Steven Piazza from Majestic Vending and Services Incorporated.
My name is Marion Piazza. I am the co owner, co founder and the CEO of Majestic Vending and Services, Inc. We are a full service.
Vending company that supplies offices, businesses and local homes.
My husband and I are a team and we each have our strengths and weaknesses.
I'm here because of the sba. First dealings with the SBA was the loan I got to buy this building. Majestic was started with the $50 bubble gum machine that I bought from a.
Friend of mine and we were able within a few short years to go for now servicing the New York City metropolitan area and we've been able to grow 250%. Hurricane Sandy to Majestic was devastating. We had suffered severe damage not only in our building but outside our building because our equipment was at our customers and we had to think about how we were going to rebuild.
They were affected by it, but still they kept going down to the beach and helping in any way they could.
We knew that there had to be people that needed water and if they couldn't get to us, we would bring it to them. We're the type of people where we don't take no for an answer. We never back down from a challenge and in this particular case, this was just something that we wanted to be a part because this is who we are. It was just a natural occurrence for us to continue to serve our community. We were able to write grants, we were able to help those that were in need, those that were unfamiliar with where they can get help.
The SBA has helped Mary Ann many times originally to buy the building that she occupies.
Two years later they helped us further by getting a capital loan. After 911 after Hurricane Sandy the SBA provided funding and secured financing for us in order for Majestic to get back on our feet and to move forward.
She reached out to the SBA and was the recipient of a disaster alarm. This is Tompkinsville, Staten Island. It's a great place.
It is a small community with a huge reach. Everyone chips in. It's all hands on deck and we found our place in the community.
I not only work here, I consider myself a part of this community. The feeling that I got when I walked in here that night, see everything that I worked for, see the back of my building collapsed and to say, wow, what do you do? I don't quit. I don't stop. And the thing that surprised me the most, I didn't only think about myself, thought about my family and I thought about my community. I said, how am I going to do this? More importantly, I knew I was going to do.
