In 2003 Hecht joined the administration of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, to develop and manage a post &lt;a href="9/11"&gt;9/11&lt;/a&gt; recovery program for small businesses. As an Assistant Commissioner at the NYC Department of Small Business Services, Hecht opened Business Solution Centers around New York City, as well as developed NYC Business Express, an online portal for opening and running a business. In fall of 2006 Hecht was named Director of Business Recovery for the State of Louisiana, within the Department of Louisiana Economic Development, with the mandate to assist businesses impacted by Hurricane Katrina. Over the next two years, Hecht developed and managed the $220M Louisiana Business Recovery Grant and Loan" program], and the $9.5M Technical Assistance to Small Firms" program.