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President's Message
I am pleased and excited to inform the membership that our new Executive Director is David Kennedy! David has an immense amount of passion for the Greater Patchogue area, he is very familiar with the community and wants to focus on the strengths that Greater Patchogue has to offer and is able to understand the needs of the business community.
David's mission is to see how our Chamber can serve its' members better and will be working with our Executive Committee and Board of Directors to develop new programs to benefit our members and the community.
The Search Committee received an overwhelming response to the position and were pleased to have such a great pool of experienced applicants to choose from. Our Board is confident that David Kennedy's experience and enthusiasm is an excellent match for the position of Executive Director. Please join the Board of Directors in welcoming David to our organization.
The Alive After Five® Committee is very busy preparing for Patchogue's largest summer street festival. We are seeking volunteers to help work the Chamber's booth at the event. With the high costs of advertising, this is a great opportunity to promote your business for free while supporting the Greater Patchogue Chamber of Commerce. Members who volunteer are encouraged to bring their brochures, flyers and business information to our booth during the hours you volunteer to distribute to thousands of visitors from all over Long Island. For more information on this opportunity, please call the office at 631-207-1000 or email info@patchogue.com.
For our members in the Downtown Patchogue area, the Chamber has been notified by the Fifth Precinct that there will be an increase in police presence from the hours of 4PM and 4AM for the summer months.
Also in the Downtown area, you can now find the parking signs placed throughout the village to help your patrons find all of the available parking lots. These blue signs provided by the Village of Patchogue and the Business Improvement District, direct visitors to each of the lots on the North and South side of Main Street and are a welcome addition especially with the busy summer months ahead.
I hope everyone enjoys the onset of summer and remember to take advantage of our amazing waterfront community, Davis Park beaches, and all that Patchogue has to offer!
Jacqueline Hensley
President
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Welcome to Executive Director David Kennedy!
A lifelong resident of the Village of Patchogue, David Kennedy has made being involved and engaged with his hometown a priority. Interwoven with his professional career has been a passion for Patchogue he can't help but share with all he encounters. As the new Executive Director of the Greater Patchogue Chamber of Commerce, David looks forward to bring this passion to work full time.
Holding a degree in Political Science and History, David has had a near two-decade career in Local and State Government. He has previously served as Long Island Deputy Director for The New York State Assembly Minority Conference, Deputy Spokesperson for the Town of Brookhaven and Chief of Staff for Brookhaven Town Councilman Kevin McCarrick. More recently David has been employed in the private sector as Sales Manager for Top Catch Seafood of Brooklyn and Customer Service Specialist for RJM Acquisitions in Syosset.
David's first major involvement with Patchogue was as an elected Village Trustee from 1996-2000. In that capacity David chaired the creation of the Patchogue Riverfront Redevelopment Plan that still serves as a blueprint Patchogue River development initiatives.
David is a long standing Civic Member of the Chamber and a past member of the Chamber Board of Directors and Executive Board, serving as Corresponding Secretary, Recording Secretary and Vice President. Right up to present time, David has served as Chair or member of numerous local committees and civic organizations.
David's love and commitment to Patchogue is only surpassed by his love and devotion to his family. David's partner in everything is his wife Betsy Ambrosio and he is the Proud Father of Zachary and Alex.
David's professional background has been focused in service and outreach. Through this he has acquired excellent administrative and communication skills that will be a huge benefit to the Greater Patchogue Chamber of Commerce.
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Retirement Party for Gail Hoag
A surprise retirement party was recently held at the BrickHouse Brewery for former Executive Director Gail Hoag. Thank you Gail for 15 years of service to the Chamber and your community!
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2013 Blessing of the Fleet
On Sunday, June 2, Deacon Marty McIndoe (left) from St. Francis de Sales Church and Reverend Ernesto Sanchez and son (right) from the United Methodist Church helped to bless the Patchogue River and all boats that troll its' waters. This is an annual tradition that helps kickoff the summer season along the riverfront.
Many thanks to Mark Miller and the Waterfront Committee for once again arranging the event.
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25th Annual HIA Tradeshow
For the second year in a row, to promote the Patchogue businesses and upcoming events, the Patchogue Village Business Improvement District, the Chamber, and the Village of Patchogue had a booth at the HIA business tradeshow and conference at Suffolk County Community College. |
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Award Granted to Patchogue Historical Society
The Grant Committee recently facilitated an award from Suffolk County Legislator Rob Calarco to the Greater Patchogue Historical Society.
The $10,000 grant will help fund the design, printing and distribution of a large reference map of the Greater Patchogue area showing past and present historic structures with captions about each site. It will also assist with the construction and placement of two or more historic markers at appropriate locations and allow the purchase of a laptop computer and projector for portable historic presentations and for the inventory of the Society's artifacts. |
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Ribbon Cutting Ceremonies
Congratulations to owner Barbara Guerra (center) of Dahlia Fashions on her Grand Opening! The contemporary women's clothing store was recently relocated to 89 East Main Street.
Congratulations to owner Ronny Samouhi (left) of Ronny's Jewlery on his Grand Opening! The jewelry store is now located at 2 South Ocean Avenue.
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Networking in June
The Greater Patchogue Chamber of Commerce recently held the First Annual Inter-Chamber networking event with the Bellport Chamber of Commerce at the Bellport Country Club.
During the breakfast meeting, GPCC 2nd Vice President Melissa Kuehnle was one of the guest speakers and did a presentation on how social media can help your small business.
The networking events for July and August will be announced shortly.
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Fourth of July Parade
Join the Patchogue Lions Club for the Annual Fourth of July Day Parade on historic Main Street in Downtown Patchogue. For over 50 years the Patchogue Lions Club has coordinated and sponsored this parade to honor Independence Day.
The parade will be held on Thursday, July 4th at 10:30am on Main Street from West Street to Rider Avenue. The reviewing stand will be set up at Capital One Plaza to announce all of the parade participants.
The Greater Patchogue Chamber is encouraging members to decorate your windows in patriotic fashion to support the parade and Independence Day. We hope to see you there!
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