Table of Contents
Cover Story:
Small Business is BIG Business
In Rockland, small businesses are the engine that drives the economy
RBD Round-Up:
How'd He Do That?
The interesting rise of Mal McLaren
RBD Business Survey
How do you communicate?
DEPARTMENTS:
Economic Round-Up
• The Smart Investor
Your portfolio is doing great, so why rebalance?
• Economic Viewpoint
The U.S. Attraction Factor
Business Round-Up
• Down, But Not Dirty
The best way to handle company layoffs is to provide options
• Marketing By Design
The top 15 campaigns of the last 100 years. You know them all, but why?
• Receivables
One of the largest headaches for small businesses
Ask The Experts
• Talking Taxes
• Payroll: Key Issues
• Workplace Hotline
Invest in Your Community
• Where's the Fire?
Rockland Volunteers - increasing efforts and awareness
Odds & Ends
• The Last Minute
• Rockland Newsmakers
Dedicated Section:
Rockland Business Association:
The President’s Desk
New Healthcare Tax
will hurt small and midsized businesses. Here's how.
RBA/United Way Golf Outing
The Rockland Open: Monday, May 21st
RBA Happenings
• Committee and Council Info
• Calendar of Events
• New Members
At The Last Minute:
Late-Breaking Rockland
County
News at Printing Date
Compiled by the RBD Staff
The Chamber Alliance of New York State (CANYS) sponsored its annual “New York Day in Washington” this week in Washington, D.C. NY Senators Hilary Clinton and Charles Schumer were the keynote speakers at the the event’s May 10 legislator’s breakfast. Participants had the opportunity to hear briefings on key federal issues and met with members of Congress and their key staff members. (Look for a report in RBD’s next issue.)
The agenda included:
• A legislators' breakfast at which business leaders will interact with members of New York's congressional delegation.
• Briefings by top administration officials and by leaders from the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.
• Opportunities for lobbying visits with members of New York State's Congressional delegation. A delegation from the RBA and Westchester Business Council is expected to attend.
Anthony Mingone recently announced that he is selling his Romolo’s restaurant in Congers to one of his employees, Vincent Vasti. A Rockland mainstay, popular with politicians and regular folk, Romolo’s and the Mingones are intrinsically linked to the business community and will be missed. Anthony, by the way, will be working for Houlihan Business Brokers, which sells restaurants, so you’ll see him around.
The most recent figures from the Greater Hudson Valley Multiple Listing Services found that the average price of a single-family home in the county had fallen by 2% to $480,000 from a media price of $490,000 a year ago. Does that make Rockland more affordable? Hardly. Although sales of condos had remained steady—and actually increased by a bit in the last sales period, those prices dropped 3.6% to an average of $292,000, down from $302,500.
Ramapo Town Board rejects senior project:
A proposal to build townhouses and condos on Town land to accommodate an active-adult community has been turned down by the Town Board, in a unanimous vote, which has decided against the zoning change that would have allowed the development.
Study to determine worth of non-profits:
Businesses interested in finding out how much the local non-profits they work with actually contribute to county coffers should take note: The Institute for Non-Profits will conduct a survey of Rockland nonprofit agencies to determine their economic impact on the county.
The Institute, part of Cornell Cooperative Extension, will mail out the confidential surveys in late April to more than 230 secular nonprofits. Once the data is analyzed, the Institute will issue a comprehensive report in the fall. For more information, call Paul Trader at 845-429-7085, Ext. 107.
