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Newsday
Chamber president profile: Greater Middle Country's Jeff Freund
Published: March 28, 2012 3:13 PM
By Newsday Staff
Photo credit: Handout | Jeff Freund is president of the Greater Middle Country Chamber of Commerce. Read his profile here.
Previous community involvement:
Middle Country Children’s Soccer, board member; Middle Country Community for Smart Growth, Board Member
How many members are in your chamber?
152
When was your chamber founded?
2002
How would you describe the business community?
It is a vibrant business community with many honest, hardworking small business owners with a long history of service in the towns of Centereach, Selden, Coram and Lake Grove.
Briefly, what are the main issues for the chamber?
Involvement. More of the local businesses need to become chamber members
How has being involved in the chamber helped your business?
It has given my business greater visibility.
Ten years from now, how will things have changed?
We are hoping to have more of a small-town community atmosphere with downtown centers. We would like to see our small businesses utilized more by our community residents.
Tell us something no one knows about your community.
We have two high schools and two middle schools.
Tell us something no one knows about yourself.
I owned a landscaping business with a buddy right out of high school and ran it out of my ’65 Mercury wagon.
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Times of Middle Country
After 9/11, the New field High School Terrance D. Weldon Military Service display was set up in the building’s lobby to honor alumni and community members who have served or are serving in the military.
“It’s the rst thing they see,” said Matthew Searing, the social studies teacher who recently upgraded the display “ ey see thatthese are our kids and this is what they do.”
As part of the upgrade, Searing asked the Middle Country Chamber of Commerce for a larger display monitor in mid February. About a week later, the chamber donated a new 26-inch monitor, along with a DVD player.
“What a great cause,” chamber President Jeff Freund said in a phone interview. “We all should be honoring our military and I don’t think we can do enough for them.”
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Congratulations 2011 Chamber Award Winners Middle Country Chamber
Member of the Year Debra Timms, Kessler & Liscia CPA Middle Country Volunteer
of the Year Lenore Paprocky, Holiday Inn Express, Stony Brook Middle Country Lifetime Achievement Ron Harrington, Therese Marcel's Kitchens & Baths Middle Country Man
of the Year John Rose, Lighthouse Insurance And a special congratulations to Coach Piccininni and the Newfield Varsity coaching staff and team on their first ever LI Championship win.
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Debra Timms
The Studio Grille held a Grand Opening Celebration today. The new restaurant is located in the Independence Plaza Shopping Center in Selden.
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Dept of Energy Office of Small Business
Yesterday, President Obama announced a new initiative called Quick Pay that will cut the time it takes for Federal agencies to pay small businesses for contracted services. Now small businesses like yours can get paid faster for products and services provided to the Federal government, allowing small business contractors to invest back into the economy and create more job growth.
Read the Presidential Memorandum here.
Quick Pay will cut payment processing time in half, from 30 days to 15 days, so cash will flow to small businesses faster once the government has received the proper invoices from small business contractors. Last year the Department of Energy awarded over $7 billion in prime and sub contracts to small businesses. The Federal Government as a whole pays small businesses nearly $100 billion each year for goods and services. With Quick Pay, agencies are encouraged to take all reasonable steps to make payments as promptly as possible, improving cash flow for small businesses and providing them with a more predictable stream of resources.
As Small Business Administrator Karen Mills said, now small business contractors “can put that money towards working capital, expanding their businesses, marketing their products, and creating jobs. Their financial footing gets stronger – permanently.” Quick Pay is expected to benefit tens of thousands of small businesses.
This initiative is part of a comprehensive set of actions that the Administration is undertaking to help companies grow and create jobs, improving American competitiveness. Last week, Obama proposed the American Jobs Act, which contains several provisions to help create more jobs. Learn more about the American Jobs Act here.
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BCCC
Small Business Improvement Award-$1,000:
· Businessmay not be larger than 50 employees
· Business must be a member of their local chamber or any chamber in the Town of Brookhaven.
· That chamber must be a member of the BCCC in good standing.
· Only Business owners or main principles of the business may submit an application for the award.
· Proof of ownership or entitlement (manager, executive) must be presented with the application.
· Requests for the award will be judged by how beneficial the money will be used to improve the business. i.e. updating and purchasing equipment, capital improvements, professional services; i.e. consulting evaluations, business plans, marketing strategies, promotional advertising, signs, energy efficient improvements-lighting, insulation etc.
*Money may not be used to supplement operating expenses of the business.
*Proof of expenditure must be presented 6 months after the award, unless other pre-approved arrangements have been made.
Letters of request must be postmarked by February 23rd and maybe mailed to the BCCC, P.O. Box 126, Port Jefferson Station, New York 11776 or emailed at bransome@optonline.net **Email with be the preferred communication.
All awards will be given out at our Annual Member of the Year Reception to be held April 14, 2011.
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BCCC
BCCC Scholarship Criteria
Pasquale DeAngelis Scholarship
Value $1,000.00
· Any Town of Brookhaven 2011 graduating High School Senior
· Must be continuing their education in business-college, trade school, etc.
· Must submit a 500 word essay answering, “Why I want to continue my education in business.”
Deadline February 23rd.
Essays must be postmarked by 2/23/11 if mailed to BCCC Scholarship PO Box 126, Port Jefferson Station, New York 11776 or emailed at bransome@optonline.net
Judging for scholarships takes place March 2, 2011
Awarded at our Member of the Year Reception April 14th
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George Fleckenstein, owner of the local Fish Window Cleaning
franchise was presented the Greater Middle Country Chamber of
Commerce Member of the Year award at the Brookhaven
Chambers of Commerce Coalition 11
th Annual Outstanding Member
of the Year Awards Reception. He has operated the Centereach
business and has been active in the chamber for seven years,
currently serving as vice president of the 200 member chamber.
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The Greater Middle Country Chamber welcomes Denny's Restaurant to the chamber and to the community. They will be holding their Grand Opening Celebration on Monday, March 15th at 8:00 AM.
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By Tom Donohue, President and CEO, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
January 5, 2010
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2010 must become the year of free enterprise--the year when Americans get back to their roots, back to work, and back on the right track.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has a singular focus in 2010--advancing policies that will create jobs and get the economy moving again. In fact, we'll need to create 20 million jobs in the next decade to restore those lost during the recession and keep up with a growing population. This is the most urgent task facing the American people, who have been hit hard by this devastating recession.
Government can help in times of trouble, but in the long run, only free enterprise can create the jobs we need. American free enterprise--based on individual initiative, hard work, freedom of choice, and the free exchange of trade, capital, and ideas--has been the greatest job-creating machine in history. It can meet today's job challenge, but only if we have the policies allowing it to work its wonders.
That's why the Chamber is kicking our American Free Enterprise. Dream Big. campaign into high gear this year. We are reminding all Americans that job-creating free enterprise requires trade policies to allow us to double our exports in five years; fiscal responsibility to prevent the growing government from stifl ing the free economy; infrastructure policies to free up private capital to repair roads, bridges, and power lines; tax reform to encourage investment and growth; and education changes to better prepare workers for 21st century jobs.
We launched this campaign with national advertising and more than 80 events from coast to coast. The response has been tremendous. Through our free enterprise Web site, Facebook page (15,000 fans and counting), and Twitter and YouTube presence, it's clear that the free enterprise message strikes a powerful chord in troubled times. More than 300,000 Americans have signed up to support free enterprise, and we expect the numbers to grow as we carry the campaign to communities throughout the nation.
America is at a crossroads--faced with a choice between ever-expanding government or policies based on free enterprise values. We intend to see that our country makes the right choice, and that we always remember that free enterprise is the best source of the jobs, innovation, and opportunities that we urgently need.
2010 must become the year of free enterprise--the year when Americans get back to their roots, back to work, and back on the right track. We experienced some dark days in 2009, and, at times, it seemed like the government was running the economy. But the economy belongs to us--the American people. We can steer its direction and usher in its renewal. We invite you to join our campaign by going to www.FreeEnterprise.com.
Free Enterprise And Economic Renewal
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Portnoy Messinger Pearl & Associates, Inc.
Governor Patterson signed an amendment to Section 195 of the NY Labor law which will take effect on Monday, October 26, 2009. For employees hired on or after October 26, 2009, the amended law requires employers to:
- Notify all new employees in writing at the time of hiring of the rate of pay and of the regular pay day designated by the employer.
- Furnish each employee with a statement with every payment of wages, listing gross wages, deductions and net wages, and upon the request of the employee furnish an explanation of how such wages were computed;
- Notify employees in writing or by publicly posting the employer's policy on sick leave, vacation, personal leave, holidays and hours.
Notification must be in writing. For non-exempt employees the notice must include the overtime rate (as well as the regular hourly rate). Additionally, an employer will be required to obtain from each new hire an acknowledgement of receipt of such notice.
The obligation to advise employees when they lose medical coverage is still in effect. Payroll records retention is still recommended for six years.
Failure to comply will result in first violation fines of $1,000, second violation fines of $2,000 and for third and subsequent violations, fines of $3,000.
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Long Island Business News
by Michael H. Samuels
Published: October 12, 2009
As a way to help revitalize development along Middle County Road, the Town of Brookhaven has created a new program to give developers and businesses incentives to come back to the dilapidated area.
The Brookhaven Initiative for Growth (BIG) program is designed to spur economic growth and jobs by streamlining the regulatory process for development projects.
To qualify, projects must agree to have at least 25 percent of their construction workforce be Brookhaven residents. They also would pay a voluntary contribution to the town’s Parkland Reserve Fund and other contributions required by town code.
The BIG Plan Pilot Project will identify projects along Middle County Road where land use applications could be processed between 100 days and six months. Those projects that opt into the program will receive all relevant decisions on their zoning, subdivision and site plan applications in an expedited manner.
“The BIG Plan Pilot Project gives us the tools to make positive change in our community through redevelopment of commercial areas, such as the Route 25 Corridor in the center of our Town,” said Councilwoman Kathleen Walsh, the town’s deputy supervisor.
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Times of Middle Country
Selden civic: Plans and bans
Citgo pitches station redesign; lawmaker touts campaign against toy-like lighters
http://www.northshoreoflongisland.com/Articles-i-2009-10-01-81612.112114-sub18238.112114_Selden_civic_Plans_and_bans.html
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WINGMAN, two time national champion of the National Buffalo Wings Festival, held its grand opening celebration on Friday, August 14th. WINGMAN is located in Independence Plaza in Selden. The chamber wishes them well with their first Long Island location.
Visit www.wingmanwings.com for menu & to order online.
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The Reading Improvement Center of Centereach, held its Grand Opening celebration on Saturday, June 13, at 1:00 PM. Their new location is 2645 B Middle Country Road, Centereach. Board members Ron Harrington, Laura Satchwill and Kerry Baardsen were on hand to help commemorate this event.
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The Town of Brookhaven
Department of Housing, Community Development
and Intergovernmental Affairs
Would like to share with any one interested in the
County of Suffolk Office of Community Development
HOME Down Payment Assistance Program
The County is once again conducting an extensive campaign to promote the
DOWN PAYMENT ASSISTANCE FOR FIRST-TIME HOMEBUYERS
Any eligible persons interested in applying should call the
Suffolk County Community Development Office
(631) 853-5705
Eligibility Criteria
1. Be a First-Time Homeowner- as defined by HUD as a household that has not owned a home during the three-year period immediately prior to the purchase of a residence with HOME Funding.
2. Be a low to moderate-income household- prospective applicants must have an annual income not exceeding 80% of the median income as determined by HUD.
3. Have tax returns and or pay stubs that document a minimum annual household income of at least $ 30,000.00.
4. Attend mortgage counseling at a not-for-profit housing agency.
5. Occupy the property as your Principal Residence.
6. Not have entered into a Contract of Sale to purchase a home prior to the May 1, 2009 start of the program.
7. Currently Live or Work in SuffolkCounty as of April 1, 2009.
Assistance available: 75% of the down payment, to a maximum of $12,000.00 or $14,000. 00 will be provided to eligible homebuyers to assist with the purchase of a primary single family residence.
***Applications are available by mail only through the SuffolkCounty office of Community Development. All applicants must currently live or work in the SuffolkCounty Consortium***
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Congratulations to former Greater Middle Country Chamber president and current board member, Sandra Feinberg.
Sandy was recently honored at the Brookhaven Coalition of Chambers of Commerce - 2008 Member of the Year.
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Chamber
Sandy Feinberg was presented with the Greater Middle Country Chamber "Member of the Year" Award by Legislator Brian Beedenbender at the February 17th chamber luncheon. Sandy will be honored at the Brookhaven Coalition of Chambers of Commerce Dinner at the Holbrook Country Club on April 2nd.
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