The Business Council of Westchester

Feeding Westchester and BCW Partner on Tour and Presentation to Elected Officials BCW Member Feeding Westchester and the Business Council of Westchester partnered on November 14 to host State Senate and State Assembly Westchester elected officials for a tour of Feeding Westchester’s expanded space in Elmsford and to discuss the upcoming state budget. Feeding Westchester CEO Karen C. Erren, partners and colleagues in the room highlighted the increased need throughout the County. Attendees included Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins; Senator Nathalia Fernandez; Senator Shelley Mayer; Senator Peter Harckham Staff member Tito Davila; Senator Jamaal Bailey; Assemblywoman Amy Paulin staff member, Brenna Pearlstein, Deputy Director of Communications; Assemblywoman MaryJane Shimsky; Assemblyman Chris Burdick staff member Heather Lackey Chief of Staff; Assemblywoman Dana Levenberg Chief of Staff Victoria Cafarelli; Assemblyman Steve Otis; Assemblyman Matthew Slater and Assemblyman J Gary Pretlow Among the presenters were BCW Executive Vice President & COO John Ravitz, BCW Vice President of State Government Affairs Andra Horsch; Cynthia B. Knox of Caring for the Hungry & Homeless of Peekskill (CHHOP); Jackie Agudelo of United Community Center of Westchester, Inc.; Dan Egan & Alyssa Harrynanan of Feeding NYS; Abbie Watts of Community Food Advocates of NYC and John Sears and Michael W. Haynes of Long Island Cares, Inc | The Harry Chapin Food Bank. Feeding Westchester is also a member of the BCW Legislative Enhanced Advocacy Program (LEAP). Read the entire article on our website: https://lnkd.in/emsKM8Pf

Annual Dinner Honors Broadway Set Designer and County Executive The Business Council of Westchester honored the accomplishments of Hudson Scenic founder Neil Mazzella and outgoing Westchester County Executive and Congressman-elect George Latimer at its annual dinner. The November 14th event at the VIP Country Club in New Rochelle drew about 500 attendees who celebrated the BCW’s accomplishments, including a year of artificial intelligence-related programming; a State of the Economy series focused on transformational development; new start-ups joining the Westchester Innovation Network; the launch of the Westchester Clean Energy Action Coalition; and the debut of the BCW Podcast Network. Read the entire article on our website: https://lnkd.in/evR5JEpD

Senator Gillibrand Promotes Cyber Service Academy at Pace University U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand joined New York State Assemblymember MaryJane Shimsky and educators to encourage Pace University students to apply to the DoD Cyber Service Academy scholarship program, which provides full college tuition in return for public service in the Department of Defense (DoD) or the Intelligence Community (IC). Successful applicants will serve one year in the DoD or the IC as a civilian employee for each year of their scholarship. “Cyberattacks are growing in size and scope, posing a serious threat to the U.S. economy and critical infrastructure. That’s why recruiting and training the next generation of cybersecurity professionals is vital,” said Pace University President Marvin Krislov. “Pace is proud to partner with Senator Gillibrand and the federal government on the Cyber Service Academy program, which creates opportunities for our students while strengthening the nation’s cybersecurity workforce.” Interested students should go to https://lnkd.in/egenn2tC and click on the DoD Cyber Scholarship Program link to apply. This page will continue to be updated as the DoD refines its application process. The application for the 2025-2026 academic year is open through February 1, 2025. BCW Executive Vice President & COO John Ravitz attended the evevnt and toured the Cyber Service Academy. Read the entire article on our website: https://lnkd.in/eaq9kXkE

American Christmas Celebrates Grand Opening of Holiday Lane With the holidays just around the corner, BCW Member American Christmas recently celebrated the grand opening of its popular Holiday Lane with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and tour. The event held November 7 was attended by local dignitaries, elected officials and Executive Directors of three nonprofit organizations that will benefit from 100% of the net ticket sales. Located at 30 Warren Place in Mount Vernon, American Christmas has been designing and installing the world’s most iconic holiday displays for over 50 years. In New York those include landmarks like Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall, Macy's, Cartier, Harry Winston, Ralph Lauren, and J.Crew, to name just a few. Across America, they work in 30 states and decorate some of the most prestigious locations including, Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. Read the entire post on our website: https://lnkd.in/eEZ92rU8

Westchester Business Showcase Westchester Marriott Hotel Tarrytown, NY SPONSORS Chairman Sponsor The HEINEKEN Company Education Sponsor The College of Westchester Small Business Sponsor Webster Bank Communication Sponsor Verizon VIP Reception Sponsor Eagle Business Machines Entertainment Sponsor Empire City Casino by MGM Resorts Energy Sponsor Robison Oil Audio Visual Sponsor Corporate Audio Visual Services Media Sponsor Westfair Business Journals Hospitality Sponsor NY Hospitality Group - Sam's of Gedney Way, Caperberry Events and The Great American BBQ Co. Marketing & PR Sponsor Thompson & Bender Event Partners BuzzPotential Clancy Relocation & Logistics Madison Approach Staffing Inc Sharc Creative Inc VeeKast Westchester Marriott Smart Insights and AI Innovations to Transform Marketing Westchester Marriott Hotel Sponsored by Verizon Moderator Liz Bracken-Thompson Partner Thompson & Bender Panelists Andrew Castellano Owner/CEO Sharc Creative Inc Katy Dwyer Founder & Creative Director KDD Marketing Ronnie Ram President & CEO Inspiria Outdoor Advertising Elena Rivera-Cheek, MBA Founder & Chief Executive Officer C&A Digital Paul Tyler Head of Enterprise Marketing & Innovation Zinnia

Smart Insights and AI Innovations to Transform Marketing Westchester Marriott Hotel Sponsored by Verizon Moderator Liz Bracken-Thompson Partner Thompson & Bender Panelists Andrew Castellano Owner/CEO Sharc Creative Inc Katy Dwyer Founder & Creative Director KDD Marketing Ronnie Ram President & CEO Inspiria Outdoor Advertising Elena Rivera-Cheek, MBA Founder & Chief Executive Officer C&A Digital Paul Tyler Head of Enterprise Marketing & Innovation Zinnia

BCW Podcast Network The Member Spotlight - Episode 6 with host Linda Tyler and featuring guests Dan Casterella & David Milowitz Be sure to catch this month’s episode of Member Spotlight! Host Linda Tyler - Vice President of Membership, is joined by Dan Casterella, CEO of American Christmas, and David Milowitz, Creative Director of ESP Creative . Together, they explore: event creation and planning, the magic of American Christmas decorations, innovative immersive event technology, top customer service practices, and strategies for leading successful teams. Don’t miss this insightful and inspiring conversation! Listen here: https://lnkd.in/ege-EiYr Produced by Sharc Creative Inc Executive Producer Amanda DePalma of The Business Council of Westchester

Thank you to our Chairman of the Board, James Schutzer of JDM Benefits, an Alera Group Company for all that you do for the BCW.

Welcome to new member Alyssa Gelbard and Point Road Group to The Business Council of Westchester.

Thank you to Sunni Lampasso, PsyD, ACC of Shaping Success for attending our Evening Networking reception at 222Mills Yonkers. We are also grateful for your kind words and we thank you for your efforts and committment to the BCW. Sponsors Empire City Casino Playland Progressive Computing, Inc. Webster Bank Hosted by 222Mills Yonkers