December 18 , 2006
Good afternoon and welcome. A warm welcome to our elected officials, the members of the RBA Board of Directors, the RBA staff, and especially our RBA members. At this time I would like to take a moment to recognize and thank our outgoing chair Howard Hellman of Albright Electric. Howard is and has been an outstanding leader. He will be missed by myself and his fellow board members. Howard please stand as we thank you and recognize your gracious and very generous efforts you gave to our membership during your tenure.
Pablo Picasso once said that "there is only one way to see things until someone shows you how to look at them with different eyes”. This is the theme and vision I would like to commit to during my tenure the next 12 months as your chair.
The success of the Rockland Business Association has been founded and maintained with a strong, dedicated and supportive membership. A resourceful and supportive membership can only be created and sustained if the organization and its leaders are focused on how to make the membership in the RBA valuable. All our members regardless of size must feel engaged in the community of this organization. The membership must see the value in the available programs, as well as the marketing and role the RBA takes in issues that affect our members businesses.
I have three areas of concern that can seriously affect the well-being of our various businesses.
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The first is affordable health care. As your Chair, I will advocate and use the influence of the RBA to work with the New York Business Council, our elected officials and our governor elect Eliot Spitzer to bring the problem of health care costs to the forefront. I can not guarantee you that I will be successful, but I can guarantee you that I will bring ideas and solutions that if adopted and considered would go a long way to correct the problem. I strongly believe that if one is not part of the solution you are then part of the problem.
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The second will be to focus and work with other associations, the chambers of commerce and local businesses to have Rockland and the state join in a concerted effort to have Worker's Compensation Reform. I believe, that we will now have a friend in Albany named Eliot Spitzer, a man who seriously understands the heavy burden that all of us have to bear in trying to do business in an environment of excess utilization and uncontrolled expense.
Will we be successful?
That I cannot answer; what I can assure is an unrelenting lobbying, advocating and focusing effort on behalf of our membership. Our voice will be heard loud and clear on this matter. As the saying goes, There is only one way to eat an elephant; a piece at a time.
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The third and most important area is creating and streamlining opportunities for current and future members of the RBA. I am certain that you will agree that the largest customer in Rockland County is the County itself. However, it is difficult and in many instances, cumbersome to do business with the County, especially if you're a small business and do not have the staff to comply with the necessary paperwork. This is not a criticism of the process, however, what I would like to see is a streamlining of procedures so that companies who have a valuable service to provide but are understaffed, for whatever reason; could be given an opportunity to do business with the County.
If this was accomplished, it would be a win-win opportunity for both the employer and the employee, and more importantly the dollars would be spent in Rockland and stay in Rockland County for the most part, which will strengthen our economic development base.
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As a strong organization; we must have a dialogue with our elected officials. We must continuously communicate to them the concerns and needs of the business community, and why business is important for the well-being of the citizens of Rockland County. This year, we formed the Rockland Business Association, political action committee (PAC) to support candidates who understand and are focused on the success of businesses in Rockland County, we will be monitoring the positions that the various elected officials take on business issues and have our voices heard at the election polls.
Economic development a concept that can be viewed and interpreted in many ways. I like to view it as processes to not only create opportunities and employment, but to nourish and sustain established businesses regardless of size. I would like to see these business supported with technical, financial, and marketing assistance. My vision is to have the RBA be the resource for all businesses, regardless of their size as well as create an atmosphere of cooperation, effectiveness and confidence. I want the RBA to be the cutting edge organization in Rockland County, who will think out of the box. We will be sensitive not only to state and national issues, but also global issues that can affect and have a positive influence on our business environment. Rockland County in close proximity to the financial capital of the world is in a prime position to attract and persuade businesses to look at our business community as a bona fide resource for their projects and future development.
In conclusion, to many of you this might sound very ambitious. However, eagerness leads to excitement, which creates success and opens the road to greater opportunities. However you perceive success and growth, one thing is for certain and I think we can all agree; that we need to work together to make sure that Rockland continues to be a wonderful place to do business, to live and to grow our families.
Thank you.
December 18-21, 2006
RBA Honors Retiring Board Members, Welcomes May as Chairman at December Luncheon
Vision for the RBA in 2007 - Transcript of Hector May's address to the RBA
New Business Council survey:
New York State employers say health-insurance costs and costs of Workers' Comp, Energy, and Business Taxes are their top policy concerns
Big Month of Events on Tap for January
December 12, 2006
Rockland Business Association inks deal with Econnergy to add benefits for RBA members
Success is First and Foremost a State of Mind; RBA Members Enjoy a Presentation by 'Life Expert' Robin Gardner
Archived Newsletters
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