Dear Merchants, Business Owners, and Fellow Members:
I am writing this message in my home office, and the ground is covered with snow. We were very lucky last winter with the snow-free weather that we had, but I guess that Mother Nature has other ideas for this year. The good news is that we are only forty days away from spring and longer days. I, for one, cannot wait.
The January General Meeting was moved to Zoom for obvious reasons. The participants had a great time and all went well. My thanks to Robert Zabbia for setting up the Zoom codes on his account and hosting the meeting on his laptop. Our next General Meeting will be an evening meeting held on February 25, 2021 at 6:30 PM via Zoom. The Zoom link has been e-mailed out and is also posted on our website.
The February Board Meeting went very well. We are excited to announce our new CPA firm, Suzanne M. LoBiondo, CPA P.C. Suzanne is a good friend of mine and also my high school classmate. They are already at work and we look forward to a great relationship with them.
Reminder to all that if you have yet to pay your membership dues, please do so as soon as possible, as we are watching all expenses due to the pandemic. All revenue that comes in helps to keep our budget balanced. If you have a problem, call me at (516) 633-1435, and we can discuss your options.
We are currently looking into filing for the next round of PPP monies from the Phase 2 rollout by the federal government, and we hope for positive outcomes on that as well.
Our Super Raffle drawing was held, and the big winner was Chamber member Karen Cass. She and all of the other winners were drawn at the January General Meeting, and then announced to all by e-mail. Best wishes to all who won, and Kudos to Past President Patty Orzano for doing a great job organizing this raffle. Patty is very dedicated to the Chamber, and I thank her for her commitment to all that she does.
I have decided to dedicate our February General Meeting to all of the ladies of the Chamber, being that it is St. Valentines month. I appreciate all of the women-owned businesses in the Chamber, as well as the wonderful and supportive spouses of our Chamber members and Board Members. My heartfelt thanks to all.
The rest of my message is dedicated to some of our Board Members who are very devoted to our Chamber.
Our Third Vice President is Robin Hepworth who is the owner of Robin Joy Photography and also an assistant at the Massapequa School District. Robin is a true professional, and her photo work is very good and always looks first class. She also works on setting up the General Meetings. Robin and Karen Gawrych always do a great job scheduling our luncheons.
Our Recording Secretary is Linda Rowse, and she takes all of our minutes for the Board Meetings. The minutes always look great, and she does a wonderful job. Linda is the Branch Manager for The First National Bank of Long Island on Broadway. The bank has a stellar reputation and the facility on Broadway enhances our community very much.
Our Acting Treasurer is Past President Gary Slavin, and he recently stepped up to take this position after it opened up. Gary has served on all facets of the Chamber, and is currently working on the PPP Program. He is a great asset to me as the President with his wise counsel and input. Gary has been a long-time Investment and Security Advisor, and he has a stellar reputation for doing fine work with all of his clients.
That is all for this month. I will speak with you all again in March.
Keith Wilson, President
Massapequa Chamber of Commerce