Meet 4 Veteran BCL Members in Law, Manufacturing, Nonprofit, and Marketing
Did you know that in 2009, Brooklyn Creative League was one of the first coworking spaces to open in the United States? And, to top it off, it is THE original Brooklyn coworking space. We have come a long way!
A year after opening, we expanded our Gowanus location and filled the entire space by the time we opened. We expanded once again in 2015, with the same result. We have steadily grown over the years and are incredibly grateful for the members who have been with us at each stage. And as we’ve taken a moment to look back, we’re so proud to say that there are some current BCL members who have been with us since that expansion in 2015!
We’ve been introducing you to new members of the space and now, we’d like to introduce you to some BCL veterans:
Brian Esser of Law Office of Brian Esser
Brian has been a member since 2013, and is a lawyer with a solo practice focused on helping people build their families through adoption, surrogacy and assisted reproduction.
Brian says, “While it is often a happy and positive area of the law to work on, my day-to-day involves very regular tasks like drafting documents, court filings, and consults with clients. My best days are when I get to meet the new additions to my clients’ families. I’ve had sad days too when my clients experience truly crushing losses. I also do a lot of advocacy for LGBTQI families and helped lobby for the bill that legalized surrogacy in New York.”
Brian is also a notary, and we know folks at BCL are often asking for notary services, so feel free to stop by his office and get a document notarized.
Favorite lunch spot in Gowanus?
“Runner & Stone on Third Avenue has a great lunch menu and is my favorite place to meet a colleague for a casual meal,” says Brian.
Noah Janssen of JB Metalcraft
Noah, a member since 2014, sources precision metal components for American manufacturers. He says, “My company works with a network of suppliers in Asia and we manage the production, quality, and logistics. I started the company when I was living in Shanghai over 15 years ago. This year has certainly been interesting with many disruptions and soaring costs!”
Favorite lunch spots in Park Slope and Gowanus?
“Bricolage used to be my go to spot for meeting people but it’s only open for dinner now [update: they’re open for lunch now!]. Last week, I tried Salvatore’s, the new pizza place on Carroll St. that replaced the old pizza place. I’m happy to report that they do an excellent slice and the atmosphere is very Gowanus,” says Noah.
Jody Imbimbo of ReLearning Curve (non-profit) and Evaluation Savvy
Jody has been a member since 2009 and does program evaluation and applied research. She helps non-profits, government agencies and other organizations to better understand what they are doing and how to demonstrate their impact.
“Much of my work is in the education world, but I also work in community development, health, and related areas. On a typical day I spend time planning and consulting with my clients, observing all kinds of programs in schools, classrooms, or organizations across the NYC metro area, collecting and analyzing data, and writing reports or funding proposals. I feel fortunate that I am able to work with so many creative, caring and inspiring people who are working to improve people’s lives in different ways,” says Jody.
Jody doesn’t have a favorite lunch spot, but says that she loves being in the Gowanus area. We recommend checking out this blog post for some suggestions: 6 Great Lunch Spots in Park Slope and Gowanus Within a 10-minute Walk.
Joe Mefford of Ghostwheel
Joe has been a member of BCL since 2013. His work spans across sales and marketing. In addition to his work with Ghostwheel, Joe also does some development for an iOS app for the TV & Film industry called Previs Pro. In addition to this work, Joe also teaches Digital Marketing and Paid Search at New York University.
Joe doesn’t have a favorite lunch spot in the area, but you can also check out our blog posts for some more suggestions: 5 Lunch Spots Within a 10-Minute Walking Distance in Park Slope.
Are you a long-time member who would also like to be featured? Let us know and we’ll add you!
