Yorktown Business Development Open House

The Yorktown Network
THE YORKTOWN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE NEWSLETTER
Connecting
your business…your community…your chamber.
P.O. Box 632
Yorktown Heights, NY 10598
Volume 16, Issue 5
DIAMOND CLUB
www.theyorktownnetwork.com
T: 914.245.4599
F: 914.734.7171
www.yorktownchamber.org
May 2014
EDITION
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Yorktown Business Development
Open House
May 9, 2014
Yorktown Town Hall, Yorktown Heights, NY
RGI Properties, Inc.
REAL ESTATE PROPERTY MANAGEMENT - LICENSED REAL ESTATE BROKERS – PROJECT MANAGEMENT
HOW YOUR PROPERTY IS MANAGED TODAY WILL DETERMINE IT S VALUE T OMORROW!
Joseph Visconti, President, Yorktown Chamber of Commerce, George Oros,
Chief of Staff, Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino, Kevin Plunkett,
Deputy County Executive, Westchester County, Hon. John Testa,
Westchester County Legislator, Jim Coleman, Executive Director,
Westchester Industrial Development Agency, Bob Fois, Westchester
One-Stop Employment Center
The President’s Column:
The Yorktown Revitalization Seminar on May 8, 2014
was one of the best seminars I have attended in a long
time. I would like to thank all the County and Town
Officials that participated in making it successful.
2014 Executive Committee
Joseph Visconti
RGI Properties, Inc.
President
Many programs were discussed and explained and
officials are available for follow up. The Chamber is making Joseph Visconti
President
the conference room available to any member wishing
meet with department heads, to further their interest in these programs.
Dr. Michael Popp
Lower Hudson Valley EAP
Vice-President
The YCC is working hard to bring these programs to the membership
however it’s the membership that needs to take advantage of these programs and use these incentives to further their business interests.
Anthony Grasso
Treasurer
Sergio Esposito
Comprehensive Computers, Inc.
Secretary
If you are interested in moving forward with any program, call the
respective director directly. Names and phone numbers are listed in the hand
outs you received at the seminar. If you have any issue in your process, you
can contact me directly at [email protected] and I will
personally assist you in your quest.
Aaron Bock
Durante, Bock & Tota, PLLC
Chairman of the Board
—•—
James Stropoli
Club Fit
Past President
Never before has the business community had such a helping hand in
the development of individual business. The Chamber, the County of
Westchester and the Town of Yorktown are all here to help stimulate your
business. Take full advantage of these programs.
Director of Operations
Nancy Stingone
Board of Directors
Thank You!
Hamed Al Akber
Paychex
Albert Capellini
Albert A. Capellini, Esq.
John Decker
Crown Security Services LLC
Eric DiBartolo
Yorktown Funeral Home
Brett Freeman
Yorktown News
Ron Guarino
Autobahn Car Repairs
Lucy Khorram
Elite Dental Studios
Barry Levin
American Solutions for Business
Barry Liebman
Yorktown Stage
George Lucciola
State Farm Insurance
RoseMarie Panio
Civic Member
Diana Penna
Field Home
Marc Saidel
Saidel and Saidel, PC
Christopher Sciarra
CS Construction and Home Improvement
Joseph J Straci
Straci’s Financial Solutions
Andrea Wagner
Wagner Web Designs, Inc.
Joe Visconti,
President
Interested in becoming a member?
Call us at (914) 245-4599
HAMLETS
The Yorktown Chamber of Commerce
Number of Employees
1 – 10
$ 250.00
11 – 25
$ 300.00
Over 25
$ 475.00
P.O. Box 632-Parkside Corner
Yorktown Heights, NY 10598
Phone: (914) 245-4599 Fax: (914) 734-7171
email: [email protected]
Website: www.yorktownchamber.org
Developers
RE Agencies
N-F-Profits
Schools
Civic Member
Barry Rost
Mohegan Lake Motors
THE
The Yorktown Network
Membership Dues
Special Membership Categories
Banks
$ 600.00
Add’l branches
$ 110.00
Member Emeritus
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Send contributions to:
Editor: Margaret Primavera
[email protected].
Publisher: The Yorktown Chamber of Commerce
Joseph Visconti, President
- Newsletter published monthly -
May 2014 •
The Yorktown Network
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Yorktown Business Development Open House
May 9, 2014 • Yorktown Town Hall
Hon. Michael Grace,
Yorktown Supervisor
Hon. Michael Kaplowitz,
Chairman, Westchester
County Board of Legislators
Joseph Visconti, President,
Yorktown Chamber of
Commerce
Ed Buroughs, Commissioner,
Westchester Department of
Planning
Jim Coleman, Executive
Director, Westchester
Industrial Development
SHOP
THE
Kevin Plunkett, Deputy County
Executive, Westchester County
HAMLETS
Hon. John Testa,
Westchester County
Legislator
RoseMarie Panio,
Yorktown Chamber of
Commerce
OF
Jay Pisco, Commissioner,
Westchester County
Public Works
Jim Ferrara, Purchasing
Agent, Westchester Bureau
of Purchase & Supplies
YORKTOWN FIRST
Bob Fois, Westchester One-Stop
Employment Center
Tony Grasso, Jim Coleman, Joseph Visconti, Tom Diana
May 2014 •
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This “Socko” Presentation
Made Me Glad that Westchester
Is Home To My Business
Grow Forth and Prosper
By Bill Primavera,
Founder, Primavera Public Relations, Inc.
The Yorktown Business Development Open House accomplished
a lot, as this special-edition Yorktown Chamber newsletter
points out. Among other things, the event reminds us that, as in
theater, there tend to be two kinds of folks in community culture: the Antagonists who forgot the lyrics to Pete Seeger's
timeless anthem, "This Land Is Your Land" -- and only chant the
verse "This Land Is My Land" -- and the Protagonists who find
constructive ways to both preserve and enhance, not isolate, the
natural beauty of our quality of life.
Costco does pretty well on its own in that department. By any
measure, it is regarded as one of the nation's most admired and
successful retailers. The "No Costco" crowd's "sky is falling"
claim that the store's presence will create traffic problems presumes it will be a very popular shopping destination. That
makes their argument a Yogi Berra oxymoron: "We don't want
any store here that so many people want to go to."
Here's an easy way to clarify the distinction between the
Protagonists who presented at and who attended the Yorktown
Business Development Open House, and the Antagonists who
reflexively oppose business improvement: The Antagonists want
no change, which means no growth, which means Opportunity
Is No Where. The Protagonists want smart growth, which means
Opportunity Is Now Here.
Bruce Apar works at Chase Media Group and is President of
Yorktown Organizations United.
YO
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My business happens to be the oldest PR firm in continuous operation in Westchester, established in 1980, but
after having participated in this informative presentation
and learning about the Business stimulus opportunities
now offered by the County, I feel that I’m at a new beginning of its development. In fact, I consider myself lucky
that, now more than ever, it is Westchester that my business calls home!
By the way, Costco was not at the Open House either. The
Yorktown Business Development Open House was expressly
designed to reach out to enterprising, hard working entrepreneurs and small businesses that could use easier and quicker
access to government resources. The goal is to stimulate more of
the local commerce that helps us all lead better and happier
lives.
CE
The highlight of the event for me was when Jim Coleman
got up to speak to describe his programs as Executive
Director, Westchester Industrial Development Agency. Jim
gave us an overview of his agency and the Local
Development Corporation, both designed to help our
businesses grow. I had a slight advantage here, having
met Jim in advance. In fact, I was at that Yorktown
Chamber networking meeting when Jim first announced
his programs. I picked up a flyer, called his office and visited to find out how I could benefit from them. I expect
to participate in two of the programs and, at this event, I
was delighted to see that he had taken care to include a
photograph of my visit in his presentation. And, the special way in which Jim delivers his message (if this were a
Broadway review, it would be described as “socko”) is
enough to get anyone’s blood pumping.
Notably absent at the Open House was the anti-development
attitude of those whose buzzwords run the gamut from Stop
and Tear it Down to Yorktown Is for Sale and the all-purpose No.
ER
RoseMarie Panio of the Chamber’s Legislative Committee,
described the benefits of belonging to the Yorktown
Chamber, and indeed, I’ve been aware of them and have
benefitted from them for some years.
The Protagonists were out in full force May 9 at the Open
House. The positive words coursing through the series of presentations tell their story: Join. Hire. Grow. Succeed. Learn.
Building. Preserving. Protecting. Financing. Purchasing. Planning.
Infrastructure. Multiplier. Promote. Progress. Revitalize.
Creatively. Innovatively.
M
During the course of the morning, we learned such practical matters as how to contract with Westchester’s
Department of Public Works from its Commissioner Jay
Pisco, and how to build a work force efficiently with the
new “Hire Westchester” and Westchester One-Stop
Employment Service from Bob Fois. Further, we peeked
into Westchester’s future with Ed Buroughs,
Commissioner of Westchester’s Department of Planning
and learned how to contract with the County’s Bureau of
Purchase and Supplies from Jim Ferrara, purchasing
agent.
Motivated by narrow self-interests that don't interest most
everyone else, the Antagonists are constantly trying to prevent
things from happening. The Protagonists strive to find ways to
stimulate economic vitality that affords the luxury of living
amidst both open spaces and a healthy, productive commercial
base. They are not mutually exclusive.
U TH
As a veteran PR guy who has planned and executed
countless seminars and conferences over a long career, I
give top marks to the triumvirate responsible for the
Westchester Business Open House: The Yorktown
Chamber of Commerce, the Town of Yorktown and
Westchester County. The event’s level of energy was evident from the moment Joe Visconti stepped up to the
microphone to announce the event’s objectives. Then,
after welcoming remarks by Supervisor Michael Grace, we
were addressed by Deputy County Executive, Kevin
Plunkett, Michael Kaplowitz, Chairman of the County
Board of Legislators and Legislator John Testa.
By Bruce "The Blog" Apar
OF COM
Bill Primavera, Founder, Primavera Public Relations, Inc.
(www.PrimaveraPR.com)
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May 2014 •
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4
t Joe Visconti,
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