Solar Power, Nightlife Czar, Fall Fests and Loveable Mistakes
Your weekly roundup of the latest Brooklyn business news, from The Bridge and its media colleagues
T.R. Ludwig, founder and CEO of Brooklyn SolarWorks (Photo by Patrick Smith)
A solar pioneer empowers Brooklyn rooftops. The borough president recruits business leaders for his health crusade. The cable strike grows heated. The mayor signs a bill to create an “office of nightlife.” We offer a guide to Brooklyn’s 9 coolest fall festivals. Research shows that consumers like products created by mistake. And Apple’s CEO argues that companies should get more involved in politics.
1. New podcast episode with solar pioneer T.R. Ludwig
Our podcast From Day One is a series of conversations with 12 Brooklyn entrepreneurs about how they got their start. In this episode, we find out how Brooklyn SolarWorks CEO T.R. Ludwig found a way to make solar power work on urban rooftops. Listen to the podcast. [From Day One]
2. A vegan diet saved his life. Now he wants to save yours
Diagnosed as a diabetic, Borough President Eric Adams embraced a new regime. Can he make Brooklyn a healthier place? Read more. [The Bridge]
3. The cable-workers strike grows increasingly bitter
Out of work for six months, Spectrum strikers rally in Brooklyn to raise their profile and put pressure on the company to settle. Read more. [The Bridge]
4. Mayor de Blasio signs bill to create NYC office of nightlife
The newest city agency will be controlled by a night mayor, which de Blasio described as “one of the coolest job titles you could ever hope to have.” Read more. [Brooklyn Daily Eagle]
5. 9 of Brooklyn’s coolest fests and forums of the fall
Our crisp guide to a season exploding with colorful ways to expand your horizons, whether for business or pleasure. Read more. [The Bridge]
6. A 51-story condo will replace garage with ‘Love Letter’ mural
The Macy’s parking garage in Downtown Brooklyn with artist Stephen Powers’ iconic and uplifting ‘Love Letter to Brooklyn’ will be replaced by a building with 476 condo apartments. Read more. [Brownstoner]
7. Brooklyn's Ample Hills, now in nine locations, gets a taste test
Ample Hills Creamery, born in Brooklyn in 2011, plans to raise $8 million in funding to expand beyond its nine locations. A reporter visits to see if its famed ice cream lives up to the hype. Read more. [Business Insider]
8. Research: consumers prefer products created by mistake
If you stumble on a new product by accident, go ahead and let customers know how you got there. Research shows they’ll appreciate it even more. Read more. [Harvard Business Review]
9. Here’s your chance to grow your own mushroom lampshade
Danielle Trofe, who has a studio in Brooklyn’s Industry City, offers a MushLume collection of lamps in part derived from mycelium, the filaments that make up the mass of a mushroom. Read more. [Technical.ly Brooklyn]
10. Apple's CEO on why companies should get involved in politics
“People should have values,” said Tim Cook. “Companies are nothing more than a collection of people. So by extension, all companies should have values.” Read more. [Quartz]
