March 9, 2022
Dear Merchants, Business Owners, and Fellow Members:
Hope springs eternal! We are now in the month of March, and we are hoping that it comes in like a lamb, not a lion, as the expression goes. Spring is in the air, and soon all of our perennials and flowers will be growing. I hope that all had a safe winter, and that we will be enjoying the warmer weather coming soon as well as the longer days, which I love for sure.
Our February General Meeting was a complete success, and all went well at Sal’s Place in North Massapequa. The local Fire Departments were all honored, and we showed our appreciation to them for all of the protection that they afford us. This is a great annual meeting and we look forward to this every year. At the meeting, we also welcomed the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, as well as the Nassau Council of Chambers of Commerce President Frank Camarano, who spoke to our group. Frank does a great job and we were glad that he joined us that day. Congratulations also to Sal Carrillo, the owner of our host restaurant Sal’s Place, on his recent retirement.
March will be a Breakfast Meeting at CenterPoint Church. Thanks to Chris Merz, our Board Member and Assistant Chaplain, for hosting us on Thursday, March 24th at 8:00 AM. Our guest speaker is Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder. This promises to be an interesting meeting for all to attend.
Our nominations process for the new Board and Officers has begun, and Past President Patty Orzano is the Nominating Committee Chairperson. Patty and the committee will put forward the new slate for this new year. Their recommendations will be presented at the April Board Meeting and April General Meeting.
We ask all to please mark your calendars for Sunday, June 5th, as this will be our annual Chamber Festival. We will once again need all hands on deck for that day. This is our most important fundraiser and we need all to get involved and participate. Past President Tony Ventiera will be rolling out the details at our next few meetings. If anyone has a suggestion for the festival’s Grand Marshal, please contact Tony at (516) 851 – 8531 and submit your recommendation for consideration by the committee.
Our April meeting will be held on April 28th, and we will be back to a luncheon as usual. More details will follow on this.
Some of our Board Members are assisting our general member, Laura Maier, with the LLS Fundraiser that she is doing. Her goal is to raise $250,000 – so we all need to get on board and see if we can help her with this project. Laura is a great benefactor to the Chamber, and we need all to assist her in raising funds. Please stop by the Massapequa Dairy Queen and submit your donation for this most worthy cause. Donating will make you feel very good helping out. There are some other events in the community coming up in support of Laura’s fundraising efforts, so please visit the Chamber’s website and social media for details.
We hold our Random Acts of Kindness program headed by Past President Gary Slavin at our General Meetings. The program is going very well, so be sure to attend our upcoming General Meetings and see if Gary selects you to be the monthly recipient.
Our scholarship program is in full swing. Please contact Shelley at the office for details, and she will forward your request to Scholarship Committee Chairperson Karen Gawrych for consideration.
I will end with some member news. I am happy to report that Past President Denis Monette is on the mend after recent surgery. Also, we wish the former owner of Bayview Florist, Mark Marrazzo, the best on his recent retirement. And finally, congratulations to our March Member of the Month, Greg Massimi, owner of TLC Companions Home Health Care Services.
See you all “in the field,” as we say!
Keith Wilson, President
Massapequa Chamber of Commerce