BottomL ine DUTCHESS COUNTY REGIONAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
2015 ATHENA HONOREES PROFILED See bios on pages 7 - 10
The
NOVEMBER 2015
Contact Breakfast to feature 3 local school superintendents Myth and Reality.” Tickets to the breakfast are $25 in advance for members or $30 for walk-ins. Nonmembers may attend for $35. Call 845-4541700 ext. 1000 to RSVP or click on the “register” button in the event listing at dcrcoc.org. November’s Contact Breakfast is sponsored WILLIAMS by Sedore & C o mp a ny, CPAs. With offices in Poughkeepsie, Fishkill and Port Jervis, Sedore is a full-service CPA firm that provides accounting and consulting services to businesses, nonprofit organizations, municipalities and individuals in Dutchess, Orange,
Ulster, Putnam, Westchester and Rockland counties. For more about Sedore & Company, CPAs, call 845-485-5510 in Poughkeepsie, 845-897-1040 in Fishkill, or visit www.sedoreco.com. Small Business Saturday, coming up on November 28, will also be acknowledged at the breakfast. Small Business RYCHCIK Saturday is a campaign the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce partners with American Express to encourage people to shop in their own communities to support local businesses. The Chamber’s Nonprofit Committee will be recognized at
the event. This committee provides resources and opportunities for individuals in nonprofit and community service organizations to better utilize their Chamber membership and improve their effectiveness. The Children’s Home of Poughkeepsie and Legal Services of the Hudson Valley will have nonprofit WALKLEY tables at the breakfast. The Chamber’s Ambassador committee has partnered with Dutchess Outreach to collect canned and dry goods at the Contact Breakfast. There will be a box on the way into the breakfast at the Poughkeepsie Grand Hotel where
Enjoy after hours networking in southern Dutchess
N
ovember’s Business After Hours sponsored by N&S Supply will be held from 5-7 p.m. Thursday, November 12, at Hudson’s Ribs & Fish, 1099 Route 9, Fishkill. Unlike most Business After Hours, this one is scheduled on a Thursday. Both Chamber members and Business After Hours sponsored by
nonmembers are welcome at this networking event featuring complimentary hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar. A fourth-generation family business, N&S Supply was founded by Louis Nussbickel during the Great Depression as a second-hand retail business called “Lou’s New and Used” that operated out of a small shed in Fishkill. As the business grew, Nussbickel recognized a need for the distribution of plumbing and heating supplies in the upstate New York market. In 1946, the business was incorporated as N&S Supply, which stands for Nussbickel & Sons. Over the years, N&S became a full-line HVAC distributor as well as adding four plumbing showrooms. The
Contact Breakfast sponsored by
donations can be deposited. There will also be a collection box for cell phone recycling at the breakfast as part of the Chamber’s drive to benefit The Chamber Foundation, Inc. So if you have any old or outdated phones at home, bring them with you. The cell phone recycling effort is sponsored by Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp. and Quality Environmental Solutions & Technologies, Inc.
Message From The Chair ........................... 2 Message From The Chamber President ........... 4
Upcoming Events .................................... 5
Member News.......................................11
Workforce news .....................................13
Foundation news ...................................15
company now has seven locations throughout the Hudson Valley and Southeastern Connecticut. To learn more about N&S Supply, call 845-896-6291 or visit www.nssup ply.com. Do you have old or obsolete cell phones cluttering your house? Bring them with you. November’s
Firmbach & Firmbach Certified Public Accountants
Business After Hours will be the last one to include a collection box for cell phone recycling as part of the Chamber’s drive to benefit The Chamber Foundation, Inc. The cell phone recycling effort is sponsored by Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp. and Quality Environmental Solutions & Technologies, Inc.
A Fa mily A cc ou n tin g p rac tic e Our family has been serving the Hudson Valley’s Accounting needs for the last 50 years.
Call and ask for Karl or Rudy 845-454-5440 w w w . F i r m b a c h C P A s . c o m
PK-0000205949
W
ant to know more about our local school districts and the challenges they face? Then consider attending the November Contact Breakfast from 7:30-9 a.m. Wednesday, November 18, which will feature talks by three local superintendents on a variety of education-related topics. Dr. Nicole Williams of the Poughkeepsie City School District will speak about, “Thinking Differently to Achieve Success and Doing Business with a School District.” Dr. Greer Rychcik of the Hyde Park School District will speak about shrinking enrollment and the impact/ opportunities for businesses and communities. Dr. Barbara Walkley of Beacon City School District will speak about “Common Core: