Volume 2, Issue 3
Table of Contents

Cover Story:
Taking Rockland’s Pulse
When it comes to healthcare, the prognosis is good for Rockland County

Feature Story:
Trends In Senior Living
From home health care to hospice care, assisted living to nursing homes, find out what's right for you

RBD Round-Up:
RBD's First Annual Small Business Awards
We’re looking for you! Find out more about our new awards program—and how to nominate a small business

DEPARTMENTS:

Economic Round-Up
• The Smart Investor
How should you manage your retirement?

Retail Round-Up
• The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
Retailers expect respectable sales as shoppers head into the holidays

Business Round-Up
• Things You Should Know
The County hires a new health commissioner, Wyeth celebrates the century mark
• Marketing By Design
The fine art of advertising
• Rockland Newsmakers

Ask The Expert
• Limited Liability and Company Retirement Plans

Dedicated Section:
Rockland Business Association:

The President’s Desk
It’s Been A Very Good Year...and It Ain’t Over Yet

Marking a Milestone
The Old 76 House in Tappan becomes the RBA’s 1,000th member.

RBA Happenings
• Committee and Council Info
• Calendar of Events
• New Members

Publishing Information
Rockland Business Digest, LLC

Co-Publishers:
Ken Mahoney & Steven Powell

For complete publishing information, please click here.

In September, we celebrated our 40th anniversary. And, we're continuing the celebration through the end of the year. In October, we reached the coveted 1,000 member mark. And, we've already gone beyond that; we're on our way to 1,100.

Our EXPO was a sell-out and that was after increasing the number of exhibitors, over last year, by 39 percent. We're ahead of projections on Annual Dinner sales and we now expect 400 in attendance.

Our leadership in legislative advocacy is both acknowledged and resented. And, that means we're doing our job. We were a significant participant in the efforts to reform the state's onerous Permanent Partial Disability provisions of Worker's Compensation; we continue our advocacy for a new Tappan Zee Bridge with a mass transit component that would provide a one-seat ride into Rockland so we can tap into NYC's workforce; we continue to promote the county's tourism efforts through our Hospitality and Tourism Alliance and we've become increasingly more involved in the issues facing the North Rockland business community. We're also involved in the myriad issues associated with our water and energy needs. And, we committed to working with Pattern for Progress to create a better regional environment for all the businesses of the Hudson Valley.
And, yet, there's so much more to be done. We still need workforce housing, dramatic change in the healthcare system and an understanding by elected officials that they can't keeping buying votes from unions and other special interest groups with our money.

Recently, I was privileged to hear an address by Alair Townsend, 2007 recipient of the Corning Award for Excellence. It was, by far, the best business presentation I have ever heard. It was a no-nonsense, straight from the shoulder assessment of our problems running businesses in New York and what had to be done to correct the inequities and the inefficiencies. Alair recently retired as Publisher of Crain's NY Business and had been Deputy Mayor of NYC during the Koch Administration. She understands government and she appreciates business. In her address, she outlined an eight-point program that must be pursued by business if we are to flourish in NY. She graciously granted me permission to present her thoughts in this column.

"We need to press for:
1) Campaign finance reform to make unions subject to the same rules as businesses.
2) Enactment of a more affordable pension tier for all new government workers, and elimination of the power of the state to liberalize local pensions.
3) Tort reform, which among other things will reduce health care costs.
4) Medicaid reform, so that New York no longer spends more than twice the per-capita average for the country.
5) Giving a nonpartisan commission, rather than the legislature, the power to draw the boundaries of legislative districts.
6) A more transparent and democratic budget process.
7) Reform of state labor law, so that the Taylor law and Triborough Act no longer make it impossible for local officials to negotiate contracts for municipal workers that are fairer to taxpayers. And
8) Reform of the Wicks law, so that public construction projects can be managed more cost-effectively."

She went on to say: "One of the things I learned over the years is that businesses and businesspeople are expected to carry a lot of water. In addition to providing jobs, we are expected --and do-- contribute generously to universities, hospitals and social service programs of every kind. We carry this water because it is the right thing to do. I have also learned that nobody else will carry OUR water and represent OUR interests. So we have to do it for ourselves. No government agency can provide what we do. What we ask is a reasonable climate in which to do it."

Amen, Alair. The RBA is committed to addressing each of your points and standing up for the rights and considerations to which we as businesspeople are entitled.


Al Samuels
President/CEO, Rockland Business Association