Optimum Business and LIA Foundation Announce Recipients of Second Annual L.O.C.A.L. Small Business Grants

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40 Local Small Businesses Each Received $5,000 Grants

Optimum Business, a provider of fiber internet, mobile, and TV services throughout Long Island, in collaboration with the LIA Foundation, the charitable arm of the Long Island Association (LIA), announced the selection of grant recipients for the second annual L.O.C.A.L. Small Business Grants program. This initiative will directly allocate $5,000 grants to 40 small businesses operating across Nassau and Suffolk Counties on Long Island, aimed at supporting their growth and long-term success.

The L.O.C.A.L. (Lifting Our Community Businesses Across Long Island) grants are designed to bolster the economic prosperity of the communities these businesses serve. Each selected enterprise receives $5,000 to aid in their continued development and contribution to the regional economy.

In recognition of their achievement, these 40 grant winners were honored last week at the organizations’ 2025 Small Business Summit. Hosted by Optimum Business in partnership with the LIA Foundation, the summit was held on June 18th at Optimum in Bethpage, and provided an opportunity for the recipients to be celebrated among fellow small business owners from across Long Island.

Nassau County Winners — Optimum Business and LIA Small Business Nassau Grant Winners

Nassau Business Winners Included:

Dee’s Little Champs Daycare

Eaglewear Promotional Apparel

Engaging New Media

Fitness Fuel LLC dba B Empowered Studios

Glen Cove Massage

John Theissen Children’s Foundation

Kalakriti LLC

Long Island Meal Prep

Lovers Lane Home Décor

Minime Kiddy Daycare Inc

Moore National Facility Service

My Happy Place Daycare

My Own Lane Aquatics LLC

NOM Studios

Out There Apparel Inc. DBA Wakes and Waves

Pickles Plus

Port Washington Twin Pines Consumers Association Inc.

Smusht LLC

TrueCare

Village Wine Merchant

Suffolk County Winners Include:

American Kempo Martial Arts

Bee Bright Therapy

Cholados Y Antijitos Corp

Eastport General Store

Exoclean

Femme Sole LLC

Karen Lynch Inc. DBA Morgan’s Swan River Marina

Little Feet Big Steps

Long Island Game Farm

Manantial Cleaning Services

Minieri Riding School

NCMB Inc., My Big Fat Cookie

Ocean Fog Farm

One Love Midwifery

Peconic Escargot

Roadhouse Food Corp dba Roadhouse Empanadas

The Northport Historical Society and Museum

Think Wellness

Verapaz Express LLC

Victoria’s Helado

On hand to celebrate the awards winners were Matt Cohen, President and CEO, LIA; Andrew Rainone, Senior Vice President of National Sales, Optimum; Phil Andrews, President, LI African American Chamber of Commerce; Luis Vazquez, President, LI Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; and U.S. Representative Laura Gillen.

Optimum Business and the LIA Foundation anticipate announcing the two $25,000 grand prize winners later this summer.

Evangeline Knell

Evangeline Knell is a 3-time Prime Time Creative Arts Emmy nominee and Shorty Awards winner for her production and design direction of interactive broadcast television elements for AMC’s “Talking Dead,” Bravo’s “Watch What Happens Live,” and an interactive television execution for Sprint during a live NASCAR race on the TNT network. After a 16-year career with CNN in New York, earning 3 Peabody Awards, her extensive creative and production work has been seen on dozens of broadcast and cable networks and station groups throughout the country. A proud member of the Board of Trustees of the Heckscher Museum of Art in Huntington and a board member of the Huntington Chamber of Commerce, she is Co-Founder of Going Local Media at goinglocal.li and Executive Producer at goinglocal.tv, built for Long Island local businesses and organizations, and has been the Owner and Creative Director of Identity Digital, a long-based video production and live streaming company since 2019, supporting and amplifying community businesses and organizations through the production of innovative, engaging, and authentic content that resonates with diverse, socially connected audiences.

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