Table of Contents
Cover Story:
Banking On Change
Rockland’s financial institutions adapt to a changing county’s needs
Feature Story:
Give Him Credit
Palisades Federal
Credit Union CEO/President
Mark Welshoff just wants
to save you money
RBD Round-Up:
What's Your Opinion?
County Exec Signs Ban on Smoking in Cars. Do You Agree?
DEPARTMENTS:
Economic Round-Up
• The Smart Investor
Your portfolio is doing great, so why rebalance?
Retail Round-Up
• Delinquencies Decline
Credit card loan delinquencies decline In first quarter of 2007
• New In Town
Businesses opening or expanding in Rockland and Orange Counties
• Why Are The Chains Everywhere?
Retailers who reinvent themselves stay successful
Invest in Your Community
• Red Cross Honors Volunteers
Two award recipients from Rockland County
• Dress Success
Local dentist helps disadvantaged woman get her life together
• School Supplies Drive
Rockland County Board of
Realtors annual drive is here
• Non-Profit Calendar
Dedicated Section:
Rockland Business Association:
The President’s Desk
Time To Celebrate!
RBA marks 40 years of community involvement
Call For Memories
RBA asks for your help to celebrate its 40th anniversary
RBA Happenings
• Committee and Council Info
• Calendar of Events
• New Members
From The
President’s Desk
It's Time To Celebrate!
RBA Marks 40 Years of Community Service
by Al Samuels
We began as the Rockland County Association, a group comprised of the 40 leading businesses located here, in 1967. The original mission was to provide a forum for these companies to—in part— plan for the growth that already had begun with the opening of the Tappan Zee Bridge, 12 years earlier. Forty years later, the RBA is very much involved in the planning for the changes that will come with a new Tappan Zee Bridge. But, instead of 40 companies, we are just under 1,000. Instead of looking 50 years “down the road,” we're looking 125 years into the future. And, instead of only being concerned about our community, we are, today, concerned about our region.
This small example fairly accurately describes the maturation of our association and the
significance of our involvement in the life of our community. From relatively humble beginnings,
we have grown into an organization representing a large constituency and offering programs that are comprehensive and sophisticated.
Economic development and public policy concerns are our major issues and in addressing them we deal with sharp differences in membership loyalties— loyalties based on the size of member companies, as well as loyalties based on differing socio-political ideologies.
Our Board is a policy making body that deals with large, big impact issues. The RBA staff deals with the myriad details of accomplishing the objectives set forth by the Board. We are comprised of many varied committees organized around divisions and councils, much like subsidiaries of a major corporation. And, they enjoy a sense of autonomy within the organization, with leadership coming from our volunteer chairs.
The differences between 1967 and 2007 are profound. Today, the RBA is acknowledged as a leading business advocate in New York. We have strong ties to such statewide groups as the Business Council of NYS, the Chamber Alliance of NY and the Employer Alliance for Affordable Healthcare. Additionally, we enjoy representation in many of our leading agencies: Workforce Investment Board; NYSTAR Regional Partnership; I-287 Tappan Zee Bridge Task Force; Leadership Rockland; Police Chiefs Foundation of Rockland County; Dominican College Business Advisory Committee and the Solid Waste Management Authority's Waste Wise Committee.
The RBA is a vital part of our county, our region and our state. We have reason to be proud of our involvements and our accomplishments. We have reason to celebrate. And, that's exactly what we're going to do from September to December. We are going to celebrate 40 years in four months.
We have an Anniversary Committee working with Joan Neumann, our VP Administration, planning events and programs. If you'd like to be part of this effort, call Joan. Our September General Membership function will be a champagne breakfast at the beautiful Rockland Country Club. Our Annual Celebrity Dinner will feature Rob Riggle, comedian and political satirist, from Saturday Night Live and The Daily Show. Our EXPO will again be a regional event involving our colleagues from the Mahwah Regional Chamber of Commerce. And, we're holding it at the magnificent Marriott Park Ridge which gives us more booth space and the opportunity to add a hot, new component, a “Green Aisle,” dedicated to companies with products and services designed to help you respect our environment.
We're considering another Holiday Roast of “yours truly” to raise money for our local charities; some special after-hours events and some surprises. We're grateful to you (and all previous members) for helping us get this far. We hope you'll join us in celebrating the results of your participation in helping to make us the great organization that is today's RBA.
Al Samuels
President/CEO, Rockland Business Association
