RBA holds annual expo in midst of “Panic of 2008”
By Dylan Skriloff
October 26, 2008

Businesspeople have productive day, share opinions about the economy

The Rockland Business Association’s 2008 EXPO was termed “the best yet” in a polling of exhibitors during the course of the day. They credited the “quality” of the attendees as the reason for their evaluation.

“People came to do business”, noted Al Samuels, RBA President/CEO. “They were looking for new vendors capable of delivering goods and services at attractive rates and, in general, they were seeking to establish new relationships with other area businesses,” he said.

Dave & Buster’s noted they booked 10 events at the EXPO. Trustco Bank set-up 13 appointments with prospective clients. Liberty Mutual got a major account. Joe Mikulka, Metro Pest Solutions, told Samuels and Joan Neumann, RBA VP Administration, that he exceeded the $4,000 in business he did at last year’s event.

Susan Bukler, Guest Services at Good Samaritan Hospital, had nothing but praise for the EXPO. “I thought it was wonderful. There are so many people that I’ve met here that are looking for services. It should be more expansive next year. I can’t imagine it should go anywhere but up,” she noted.

MariEllyn Dykstra-Donnellan of Dykstra Florists & Greenhouse in Chestnut Ridge had an expansive display of floral arrangements and an appetizing spread of cheese, crackers and salami to attract passerbys at the Expo. “We’re meeting a lot of fun people and we are having a great time. We haven’t done this in a number of years. I am seeing existing customers and meeting new people. It gives us a chance to show people how wonderful our designs are, such as beautiful displays for weddings and banquets. An event like this also reconnects businesses to businesses.”

And what of the economy? “As far as the economy goes I’m in a disposable income industry. We expect to see a downsize on weddings and parties. I would think for example, instead of spending $100 on a floral arrangement, people might spend $80. We do business with a lot of corporations and corporations can’t justify buying flowers when they are laying people off. On the other hand, they will still buy them because people find flowers uplifting and it increases productivity at work. To prosper in this environment though, we are going to have to penetrate new markets,” she said.

Trish Glazer, Founder of Glazer Design, said “some accounts are down. Some accounts are up. We haven’t felt too much because we’ve kept a very good mix of small, medium and Fortune 500 size businesses. We have maintained a steady income. Not that I don’t expect to feel something, but it’s stable so far due to the mix.” When asked if the situation caused her to take any response in her business, she said “in response we’ve been notifying clients of super values.”

Glazer started her company in 1997 after establishing contacts with Fortune 500 companies when she worked for a major advertising firm in New York City. Her firm focuses on “providing design services for both print and the web along with creative brand marketing and promotional products.”

She said that her company deals with multinational corporations and generally keeps abreast of global economic trends. “We import from China, so we keep abreast of our currency versus others and keep aware of regulations in China. I think a lot of the world is keeping abreast of our election. Companies are anticipating mass layoffs, cost-cutting, putting budgets on hold. People are sitting on money to see how things play out. But being in business means spending money.”

One business at the Expo had ironically been founded the same year as “the big Crash.” That was Ira Wickes Arborists, founded in 1929. Angelo Schembari III of Ira Wickes said “we survived the 1930’s giving clients good value and hard work.”

Jacklyn Buether said the same challenge exists in boom cycles and downturns. “The challenge always exists to provide value to your customers. You have to put forth the effort,” she said, adding “it’s always nice to come here and mingle and network.” Dean Dykeman, Arborist for Ira Wickes, did not sound too worried. “I’ve been through the last three stock market crashes. The crash of 1987 and 2000 and the 2002 recession. Right now it’s a down cycle.”

The government carpool agency MetroPool has had an interesting year. Their rep Paul Bertorelli, said the service was frantically busy over the summer when gas prices boomed over $4.00. “There was a near-panic.”

One company that hasn’t been suffering at all is internet provider Hudson Valley Datanet. One of their reps Chris Carr said “I haven’t felt it. Companies really need us.” Another of their reps Finny Connell said “a lot of companies may get rid of people and need to rely more on the internet.”

Bill Miller of FastSigns said he was having a good day at the Expo. “Compared to being at the desk at the store, this is a lot better. It is great to reestablish relationships.” His associate Mike Greenstein noted “the face time is good.”

Speaking of the economy Miller said, “when people are shell-shocked they don’t buy, they are tight with money.” For the most part it’s been business as usual, except for the week when the Washington bailout bill was being debated on Capital Hill. Greenstein said “for three years my phone has not stopped ringing, but for the first week in October when they were waiting for news on the bailout, that week was like a holiday. It felt like everybody was waiting for what will happen next.”

“Everyone was on pins and needles,” Miller said, adding “we think our business is a little bit counter-current. People will need to market more in a downturn. You have to differentiate yourself.”

Barbara Manson, sales rep for New York House magazine, said she was using spiritual knowledge to stave off recessionary fears in her business. “I know how things are going, but I try not to feed into it,” she said. She also said that she thought whatever happened would be for the best, as business practices would now have to improve in the future.

Bill Robbins, recruiter, SUNY Empire State said the Expo offers his school a chance to promote its 48 credit MBA program to the business community. He noted that Empire State’s MBA allows students to opt out of up to 24 credits if they can demonstrate expertise. He also said that according to the US Chamber of Commerce, 75% of all jobs in the future will require a Bachelor’s, a certificate or a license. “What has happened today is companies screen based on education,” he said.

And as far as the economy goes “education is usually a safe refuge, but this time it’s different. It’s significantly scarier from a business perspective,” he said.

WVT Business Solutions is a telecommunications company based out of Orange County that’s been in business for over 100 years. One of their reps said the company has asserted itself in response to the economic downturn. “We are expanding the footprint of phone, internet and posted IP solutions. We’ve tightened our budget and how we do business. We look at our voicemail product and have been more aggressive with that. This product is good for the economy. They can save money bundling voice data and the internet,” she said.

It wasn’t doom and gloom at Provident Bank. They brought a copy of an article published in the Times-Herald Record with them to hand out. “PROVIDENT BANK BUCKS GLOOMY NATIONAL TREND – net income UP,” read the headline.

Micheal Coogan of Michael’s & Associate’s Group Health Care said the EXPO was a success for him. “There’s plenty of people to talk to. It’s up to you if you are getting your money’s worth.”

His wisdom regarding tough economic conditions was “the harder you work, the more business you get. A slower economy means there is more need for creative ideas to provide small businesses with health care; we help them with that.

RBA Chairman Hector May said he is not panicked by “The Panic of 2008.”

“I think that the whole issue here is that number one, this is not new. We’ve had these kinds of peaks and troughs in the past. We had it after 9/11, five days of not trading. We had it in 2000; in 1987. I think the media is giving it a lot more focus now than they did back then. Banks are still lending, banks are still borrowing, people are still working. I don’t see this as doom and gloom. Yes my clients are concerned, but that is my job. I tell them to stick to the plan, that’s why we have plans, we stick to them.

“I think we are just going through a phase which unfortunately all came at once. The credit crunch, the failings of various investment houses, I think its all in the process. I don’t see anything different from the last seven downturns and recessions I’ve been involved in,” he said.

“I don’t think we are going to fall apart as a society, soup lines and all that. We are strong, we are a strong country. People are overreacting. There is still plenty of traffic, people are in stores, restaurants.”

As far as the collapse of Wall Street firms goes, May said “People purchased derivatives without checking with due diligence. They believed these banks had done the work…I was surprised because they lied (the big firms),” said May, noting as a fellow businessman he was angry at the greed and incompetence that contributed to the problem.

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At the Expo - Businesses doing business

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RBA holds annual expo in midst of “Panic of 2008” By Dylan Skriloff October 26, 2008

Businesspeople have productive day, share opinions about the economy

RBA holds annual expo in midst of “Panic of 2008”
By Dylan Skriloff
October 26, 2008