LIA elects seven new board members from major Long Island institutions.
New members represent higher education, research, defense and accounting.
Leaders elected to help bolster economic growth and competitiveness.
LIA says new voices will support innovation and small-business success.
The Long Island Association recently elected seven new members to its Board of Directors. The new board members serve in higher education, accounting services, scientific research and defense manufacturing, bringing expertise in their fields.
These members, all from organizations that were already represented on the board, were elected to support the LIA’s mission to advance regional economic and business development.
“We are excited to welcome these accomplished and knowledgeable leaders to the LIA Board of Directors,” Lawrence Waldman, chairman of the LIA, said in a news release about the board members.
“Their leadership and industry expertise will bring fresh perspectives and help guide our mission to strengthen Long Island’s competitiveness and economic resilience,” he added.
The board members include Dr. Jerry Balentine, president of New York Institute of Technology, with a campus in Old Westbury; Damon Brady, product line director of BAE Systems, with locations in Greenlawn; Andrea Goldsmith, president of Stony Brook University; John Hill, interim director of Brookhaven National Laboratory; Craig Savell, managing principal of the New York metro region of Baker Tilly, which includes offices in Uniondale and Melville; Christopher Storm, interim president of president of Adelphi University, whose main campus is in Garden City; and Jerry Ward, office managing partner of Ernst & Young, with a location in Jericho.
The LIA’s Board of Directors comprises “a cross-section of our region’s leading industries and institutions, and these new voices will contribute to the LIA’s efforts to ensure a thriving economy,” Matt Cohen, president and chief executive of the LIA, said in the news release.
“The work of the new board members at their respective companies and organizations is critical to both the growth of our innovation economy and success of small businesses, and we look forward to having their input as we advocate for a prosperous Long Island,” he said.
More than 700 community and business leaders attended the event.
Clark discussed focus, leadership, and challenges in professional sports.
She highlighted her foundation’s work supporting youth and communities.
WNBA star Caitlin Clark made her first visit to Long Island on Wednesday, speaking before more than 700 local leaders at the Long Island Association’s annual fall luncheon at the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury.
They were there to glean insights from the 23-year-old Indiana Fever guard, who spoke about basketball, leadership, coaching and more.
In a one-on-one conversation with Matt Cohen, president and CEO of the Long Island Association (LIA), Clark spoke about the benefits of focus and passion for the game.
“I really love my craft, and I love getting better at it,” she said, adding that not everyone shares the same passion for putting in the hours at the gym to excel.
Clark holds the distinction of being the youngest and first female professional athlete to address the LIA’s fall luncheon, an event typically featuring political leaders, authors or athletes.
On Wednesday, LIA Chair Larry Waldman told the crowd that this year the organization is taking “a break from politics,” which won applause in the room.
Cohen has described Clark as a “transformational figure” in sports who “has in many ways transcended the sport of women’s basketball, and she’s changed the economics of the league.”
In Woodbury on Wednesday, Clark said that she considers New York a top place to play basketball, adding that the crowd and support here are “really fun.”
Still, she said there are challenges that sports fans may never see. For example, injuries and setbacks bring disappointment, she said. But those experiences have helped her “become a better teammate,” she added.
She emphasized the importance of showing up for teammates, saying, that often “those are the teams that win at the end of the day.”
A businesswoman and philanthropist, Clark said earning her degree in marketing at the University of Iowa help her in these roles. Now with partnerships with such companies as Nike and Gatorade, Clark stressed the importance of collaborating with “brands that align with who I am.”
Asked by Cohen if she had any advice for some of the university leaders at the luncheon about working with student athletes, Clark pointed out that the athletes are typically 22 years old and younger who are beginning to find their footing. Support from coaches and university leaders can help young athletes navigate their paths, she said.
Philanthropy through the Caitlin Clark Foundation, Clark said, is a highlight for her. The nonprofit aims to “uplift and improve the lives of youth and their communities through education, nutrition and sport,” according to the foundation. The organization has installed athletic courts in Iowa and Indianapolis for kids to play sports, orchestrated backpack giveaways and more.
Giving back, she said, was part of her upbringing.
Clark often steered the conversation back to her family, who kept her grounded as a young athlete.
She offered advice to young athletes today.
“Just enjoy it,” she said.
Pointing out that it wasn’t that long ago since she was a high school athlete, she reflected on those days, calling them “some of my best memories.”
Bring grit and determination, but also foresight and grace. Surround yourself with people who have your best interests at heart. Celebrate the wins, and reassess the mishaps. And consider an exit strategy while keeping an eye out for new opportunities.
These are just some of the takeaways from soccer legend David Beckham, who spoke before a group of about 700 business leaders and also young athletes at the Long Island Association luncheon at Woodbury-based Crest Hollow Country Club last week.
To achieve great heights, Beckham said, it helps to love what you do.
“It takes sacrifice and dedication, and hard work, but also you have to enjoy it,” he said. “Unless you’re enjoying it, don’t do it, because at the end of the day you have to enjoy what you do.”
Once that highest level is achieved, focus and hard work keep you in the game, Beckham said.
It helps, too, to negotiate contracts with the most potential. For example, when joining the LA Galaxy, Beckham signed a deal that included a cut of the sales of tickets, jerseys, beer, hot dogs and more, according to published reports. The contract also contained a clause that enabled Beckham to purchase a Major League Soccer team for “a set fee of $25 million” when he retired, according to The Athletic, a sports publication.
Now, Beckham is a co-owner of Inter Miami CF, and having recruited soccer icon Lionel Messi from Argentina, the “club’s value could skyrocket from approximately $585 million to over $1 billion,” according to Yahoo!Finance.
Even at this level, a leader’s grit and determination remains one of the most critical assets.
Take Messi. Beckham said he is “the first person in training, and he is the last person out of training. He is 36 years old. He’s won every major tournament and trophy that you can. But he’s still the hardest working. He’s still the most dedicated…that tells you how much work it takes. But he still also has a lot of fun doing it.”
Grace and charm help, too, when conducting business. At the luncheon, Beckham thanked LIA President and CEO Matt Cohen, and the audience for attending, adding a bit of humbleness.
“I do want to thank you all for giving up your morning to be here today, and also to listen to me talk up here,” Beckham said.
Matt Cohen and David Beckham. Photo by Judy Walker
That humbleness permeated the luncheon interview even when highlighting some of the most powerful moments on the field. For example, Cohen referenced a winning goal Beckham had shot from 50 feet away for Manchester United.
“Some people consider that the greatest goal of all time,” Cohen said. “Do you share that sentiment?”
“I’m not sure about that, but it was a pivotal moment, really, in my career,” Beckham said.
And while that goal opened many avenues, Beckham remains grateful for the people who kept his best interests at heart.
He said he was “lucky” that Manchester United had Alex Ferguson as a manger.
“He protected me on every level,” Beckham said, including keeping him from talking to the media during the early winning moments of his career.
Beckham continued to seek to surround himself with people he trusted and whose work he admired. Consider, for example, his four-part documentary series currently airing on Netflix.
“I always said if I was going to do it, I would do it properly,” he said about filming the series.
“It was quite a difficult two-and-a-half years of filming,” Beckham said. “We did 55 hours of filming and Fisher Stevens was a director.” Beckham is a fan of Stevens, an actor and filmmaker, who won an Oscar for his 2010 documentary, “The Cove,” and, according to published reports, was recommended by Leonardo DiCaprio, who had worked with Stevens on two environmental documentaries.
The Beckham series looked at some of the roughest moments for the soccer superstar, including England’s World Cup match against Argentina in 1998. That was when Beckham was red-carded for deliberately kicking the back of Diego Simeone’s leg. England’s World Cup hopes were crushed, and Beckham instantly went from hero to villain.
David Beckham playing for Real Madrid in 2007. (AP Photo/Paul White)
Asked at the luncheon about that moment, Beckham said, “I always say there’s not one thing that I regret in my career. That moment was a difficult moment. And of course, I wish it never would have happened, but it happened for a reason, and it’s taken me a long time to find out why: It pushed me into a place where I had to grow up as a person, as a player, and become stronger.”
As for planning an exit strategy, Beckham said he’d planned in advance, keeping an eye out for new opportunities.
When he did exit in 2013, Beckham received a standing ovation from stadium fans. At last week’s luncheon, he grew teary viewing a clip of him bidding farewell to fans and teammates. He’d never expected to get emotional about hanging up his cleats. But, he said, “even now, I still miss the game every single day.”
Moving forward, Beckham looked to existing business partnerships, and developed new ones.
“I always prepared myself for that moment to jump into something else. And the thing that I jumped into straight away” was his already-established business through which he served as an ambassador for various brands, he said. “I have a great team in London, with which I’ve surrounded myself.”
His post-soccer career includes partnerships with Adidas, Diageo, H&M, L’Oreal and Tudor, as well as Sands, the company that is seeking to build a casino at the Nassau Hub and was the luncheon’s presenting sponsor.
Beckham believes in giving back, both at a charitable level in his ambassadorship with UNICEF, and in cultivating a love of U.S. soccer.
His work includes increasing the sport at a grassroots level, starting with youth leagues.
Here, he said, “soccer has a real opportunity of growing, even bigger than it is.”
“I’m always looking for what’s next,” he said. “So I’ll continue to be passionate about building this game because it’s a game that I love. And the reason I wanted to own a team in America is because I believe in this country. I’ve always loved this country.”
A new effort is underway to support East End businesses that are members of the Long Island Association, the region’s largest business group.
The LIA is launching a program to connect those businesses – large or small – with the organization’s resources. The LIA’s East End Business Support Program includes opportunities to foster business relationships, promote the companies through the LIA’s digital communications and events, and connect with key government and non-government partners and resources.
The LIA announced the new program Thursday at Atlantis Banquets & Events in Riverhead at a luncheon called “The Future of Business on the East End.”
“The LIA’s goal is for all of the businesses on Long Island to be able to access our network of support – from Floral Park to Montauk, and everywhere in between. That’s why we are bringing the LIA to the East End to continue to grow its diverse economy,” Matt Cohen, president and CEO of the Long Island Association, said in a statement.
The LIA also announced the creation of an East End Committee for its members to be co-chaired by LIA Board members Kristen Reynolds, president and CEO of Discover Long Island, and Kevin O’Connor, CEO of Dime Community Bank. The committee will hold its meetings on the East End, rather than at the LIA’s offices in Melville, and will examine issues related to the growth of the East End economy.
Businesses operating in the five East End towns (East Hampton, Riverhead, Southampton, Southold, and Shelter Island) with 10 or fewer employees can receive a complimentary six-month LIA membership if they sign up prior to Aug 31. Businesses can also access information about the East End Business Support Program by visiting the new LIA webpage www.longislandassociation.org/east-end/, which also lists partner organizations that support the East End’s economic development.
“As an LIA Board member and a representative for Long Island’s tourism industry, I applaud this new LIA initiative that spotlights local businesses and the important impacts of the tourism economy on the East End,” Discover Long Island President and CEO Kristen Reynolds, said in a statement. “I am honored to co-chair the LIA East End Business Committee, and I look forward to amplifying the needs of this critical economic driver.”
“I am extremely excited to be co-chairing the LIA’s East End initiative with Kristen Reynolds, which will be making professional resources more accessible to East End businesses,” Kevin O’Connor, CEO of Dime Community Bank, said in a statement. “As the CEO of on organization that has a 100-plus year history of supporting neighborhood businesses, Dime Bank will be actively promoting LIA’s new program and membership options to our local customer base,”
Stakeholders gave the LIA’s new program high marks.
“Agriculture is a critical driver of Long Island’s economy, and we at the department work hard to create and support programs that boost these local food and beverage businesses and help connect them with new opportunities,” Richard Ball, New York State agriculture commissioner, said in a statement. “The work of the East End Business Support Program aligns closely with our mission of promoting local producers, and we commend the Long Island Association for helping to ensure that Long Island’s agricultural community can continue to thrive.”
“The Town of Riverhead is literally the gateway to the East End and in recent years has become a top destination, not only to visit but to conduct business,” Connie Lassandro, president of the Riverhead Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement. “These businesses are the very backbone of our downtown and the surrounding towns. Riverhead is a community rich in diversity with an abundance of wineries, breweries, waterways and restaurants. These assets along with great leadership provide tremendous opportunity for businesses, entrepreneurship and residents to prosper,”
“As Long Island and in particular the East End continues to evolve it is great to see the LIA evolve and bring the valuable and needed resources to our East End businesses,” Juan Micieli-Martinez, president of the board of directors of the Long Island Farm Bureau, said in a statement.
“Our family of restaurants is excited to be a part of the expansion of the LIA. We are looking forward to helping connect the hospitality industry on the East End with LIA members and resources for a more fruitful tomorrow,” Tora Matsuoka, a partner of Seasoned Hospitality, said in a statement.
Thursday’s event also a featured on a presentation from Newsday on growth opportunities form industries in aquaculture, fisheries, marine construction, maritime transportation, offshore wind, marine research, and tourism and recreation.”Our extensive research provides a new way for Long Island to grow its economic base, especially on the East End, by using the waters that surround our island,” Rita Ciolli, the director of Newsday’s nextLI project, said in a statement.
The event included a discussion on agriculture, food and beverage, tourism and small business.
Clean energy and water. High-tech innovation. Next-generation jobs, thanks to investments in science and technology.
These are some of the big priorities elected officials and leaders presented to the business community during Long Island Association’s 2023 State of the Region on Friday. Held at the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury, the event drew more than 1,100 people.
The region is benefitting from federal, state and local dollars, officials said.
“Long Island is going to be the capital for offshore wind, not just in New York but the whole country,” U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer told the crowd.
The Senate majority leader said innovations such as offshore wind would fuel new companies and “new frontier jobs,” and that federal bills provided money for training for these jobs.
“Once we have these windmills installed, the price [for energy] isn’t going to go up and down the way we have suffered through in the last few years, and the way it has been through our history,” he said.
He also said that the CHIPS and Science Act, signed into law by President Joe Biden in August, “is the largest down payment in a long time” in technology and innovation.
And with the region’s high tech research centers, including Cold Spring Harbor Lab and Brookhaven National Laboratory and Stony Brook University and others, “Long Island can be a center of chip-related research and production,” with the centers in the region already “cutting edge in the world,” and poised for growth.
He said the same levels of opportunities were present in medical science, including at Northwell Health.
In Suffolk County, the Midway Crossing Ronkonkoma – accessible by highway, rail and air – would fuel innovation, with Northwell Health and Applied DNA already committed to building there, said Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said,
Right now, there is a “unique, once in a generation” level of “cooperation and coordination that I’ve never seen in a project of this significance,” Bellone said, referring to efforts by labor, business, academia and elected officials. “They’re putting politics aside. They made the decision that Long Island’s future is more important.
And he said, protecting the environment and water quality is a “bipartisan commitment” that has public support, he said.
Schumer said there was money to provide “real sewage systems in places that don’t have them” and that would prevent aquifer contamination and protect surrounding bays and waters, including Long Island Sound.
“What happens on the federal, state, and local levels of government impact us here on Long Island, and that’s why the LIA will continue to play its role as a primary advocate for our region’s economic advancement and successful business community,” said LIA President and CEO Matt Cohen.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, addressed the group by video. He was unable to attend the State of the Region breakfast “due to a family obligation” that was scheduled earlier last week, “but due to airline cancellations had to be postponed and couldn’t be changed,” Cohen said.
In the video, he said would present a plan for the redevelopment of the Nassau County Hub.
Schumer said the region has to do more about housing, allowing the private sector to more affordably build “a lot more housing.”
Cohen said the LIA would pursue “economic development opportunities to address challenges like our high cost of living, developing more affordable housing options, expanding our commercial tax base through helping grow businesses, and retaining young professionals to keep Long Island vibrant and sustainable.”
Cohen pointed out that the LIA has long-supported fostering “a clean energy economy. He said that “South Fork Wind is projected to power Long Island homes by the end of this year and other are in the pipeline to serve our region.”
What’s more, New York State has allocated $350 million to “new state economic development funds being invested in our region, some of which has already been awarded to Northwell’s Feinstein Institutes, Long Island University, Farmingdale State College, and Stony Brook University with Brookhaven National Lab.”
But, he said, that “we also need to ensure the Long Island region gets an equitable share of funding and attention from all levels of government. We have sent much more to DC and Albany every year than we get back and it’s time we change that.”
