To our valued chamber members, I am excited to be writing this, the first of my President’s Messages to you. As the POB Chamber’s fifth leader, I stand on the shoulders of those who came before me: Francesca Carlow, Gary Epstein, Elan Wurtzel and our outgoing president, Andrew Lamkin, who successfully guided us through the last four years, two of which were uniquely challenging.
I know you join me in thanking them for their tireless efforts to establish this organization as a force in our community and as one of the leading chambers on Long Island. Thank you also to the current board of directors for supporting my election to this new role. I look forward to working with our newly appointed executive vice president Alan Goldberg and the entire board over the next two years to advance the chamber’s ongoing mission; to strengthen existing relationships – and forge new ones — among our valuable members and within the POB community.
Let me be “straight forward,” regarding some of my goals. Our primary purpose as an organization is to help the Plainview Old-Bethpage community thrive and while doing that, grow our businesses through networking. With family first followed by our livelihoods, we then have our chamber responsibilities. Since our time dedicated to the chamber is limited, I aim for all of us to use it as efficiently and effectively as possible. That said, as each board member focuses on their individual roles, I encourage them to recruit the talents and abilities of our membership at large. This can only serve to benefit us all.
More specifically, as social media becomes more integral to overall business growth and success, I intend to improve our chamber’s use of this important tool to better serve members. As for our civic role, we will certainly continue to support a local charity each year (from September to June). I am proud to report that our members and the POB community has been especially generous with our last charity, Rebecca Koltun/ Help Hope Live. We raised over $14,000 in less than a year – a record for our charitable efforts. I hope we can continue this path when we choose a new charity later this summer.
In closing, please know that I am invested in this town and this community. I was raised in Plainview and my wife Lauren and I moved back here to raise our children in 2005. They both attend Plainview-Old Bethpage schools and we are members of the Plainview Jewish Center where I serve on the board. When I joined the Plainview-Old Bethpage Chamber of Commerce in 2016, I quickly became involved in various activities and committees. In May 2017, I was voted to the group’s board of directors and have eagerly led or participated in various committees and projects since then. I am now honored to serve as the chamber’s president.
Please reach out to me anytime with your feedback, concerns or ideas. This is your chamber and your opinions are very valuable. I look forward to seeing you at the next networking event on July 13th and at our September Kick-Off membership meeting on the 21st.
I hope you and your families enjoy a safe and fun summer.
Thank you,
David Weinstein, POB Chamber President
Straight Forward Media, Founder and CEO