From the Publishers
A message from two local business people who saw a need for a
local business-to-business publication in Rockland County.

I hope you enjoyed the holidays. It is a special time of year for celebrating with family and friends, but it’s also the time of year when we look back and take 'stock' of what we did in 2006.

Were revenues what you projected, did investments pay off, are staffing needs being met? After you answer these questions and take a hard look at the bottom line, it’s time to move forward to ambitious goals in 2007.

As we here at Rockland Business Digest turn the 'pages' of the new year, we are also excited about 2007. We’re happy to reflect that in 2006, we launched a vital new voice to the Rockland business community. It was a great year for Rockland business, and for this magazine. The initial response was supportive and enthusiastic and we have you, the business community to thank.

How do we measure success? For one, we launched our magazine and web site in 2006. And what a launch it was. Today, over 12,000 readers get our magazine regularly, and we have had over 80,000 hits on our web site.

We have interviewed and written about the who's who in the county. Our readers have helped us identify areas that were important to them, and The Digest has responded with informative reads on real estate, retail, HR, staffing, legal, and tax issues, and much more. The “movers and shakers” of Rockland business are found in these pages (and our web site) and they’re here to help you position your business.

Like any business, we had our share of growing pains, and in 2007, we’re working on expanding our advertising pages and our editorial reach to keep you informed of everything that’s happening in this community so you can do business better. Our mission and focus has not wavered, and that keeps us looking to the future of the magazine.

I would like to personally wish you much success in 2007 in business, heath, and happiness. Thank-you for your support! Happy New Year!

Ken Mahoney

 

What use would we get out of turning over a new year if not for the chance at hindsight and self-evaluation.

I’ve never been one to spend very much time contemplating my navel, but once a year I do try and look at the past 12 months with some measure of objectivity.

Was it a good year? A profitable one? Did you accomplish a goodly percentage of the goals you set last year? How can you improve your services? Your efficiency? Your profit margin?

Serious questions that every business owner needs to ask him/her self at least once a year. And, if you don’t come up with answers that make you happy, well, now you know what you have to accomplish this year, right?

This issue is full of thought and self-examination. Our cover story is based on answers we received when we asked many of Rockland’s prominent business people a series of questions about the coming year. Although some of the answers were what you might expect, there were a few that surprised me, triggering new paths of thought.

Along with these new thoughts came a new Chair for the RBA as well. After serving his term of office ably and energetically, Howard Hellman has handed the mantle off to his successor, Hector A. May. I enjoyed a pleasant hour interviewing Mr. May about his thoughts for the future of the county’s largest business organization. Not surprisingly, healthcare reform, manageable workman’s compensation costs and Rockland’s business environment were chief among the topics of conversation.

We’ve got some really excellent financial advice in this issue’s Ask The Experts sections that should help with some of your tougher new year decisions, so don’t miss them. Or, for that matter, any of the other numerous pieces of useful information jammed into these pages for your edification.

I’m proud to be associated with this publication and hope you get as much out of reading it as we do out of putting it all together. And don’t forget we’ve got archives of all our issues on the RBDigest web site.

Here’s to health, happiness, prosperity and the time to enjoy them.“Bon appétit!”

Steve Powell