The Franklin Square Chamber of Commerce kicked off the New Year with their annual installation dinner at Brasas Peru Bistro on Jan. 16.
About 40 FSCC members attended the event and watched their newly elected board members be sworn into office by three county officials Assemblyman Ed Ra, Legislator John Giuffre and Councilman Thomas Muscarella.
The restaurant, which is a new member of the FSCC, served a full dinner to guests that included steak, chicken, salads and dessert, along with beer and wine.
Domenico Ciaccio, the FSCC secretary, started the night off with a short introduction, welcoming new and existing members. Afterward, members were called up to the front of the restaurant in groups to be sworn into office. Giuffre swore in the officers, Muscarella swore in the directors, and then Ra swore in the president, Santino Sarrica.
Sarrica said the annual dinner is an opportunity for FSCC members to mingle, network and facilitate new business. As part of his speech, Sarrica recounted, he emphasized the importance of local businesses and announced plans to revitalize commerce in Franklin Square’s local market during his 2025 term.
The FSCC had already begun an overhaul of the chamber last year, Sarrica explained. “2024 was a year of transformation for the Franklin Square Chamber of Commerce,” he said. “We basically rebranded and brought the chamber into the 21st century.”
Among these changes were a rebranded logo, a new website and a dedicated CRM system that creates a hub for Franklin Square business owners and allows members to update their own information.
The FSCC currently has 170 members, but Sarrica said his goal is to increase membership to 300 by the end of the year. There are over 1,100 businesses in Franklin Square, he pointed out, and he hopes to boost the chamber’s participation with new members in a community-wide collaboration.
“The biggest success of the chamber is the rejuvenation of the board,” Sarrica said. “We have a lot of new members who have a sense of pride and fulfillment. We wanna make the chamber the best we possibly could. That’s really the goal.”
Sarrica said the funds raised through their $200 annual membership fee go toward festivals and beautifying initiatives in Franklin Square.
Last spring, he explained, the FSCC sponsored a free festival in Rath Park that included rides, games, bouncy houses, food trucks, dancing, music and a local comedian, Anthony Rodia, who ran a joke contest for children.
The FSCC also organized a “Light Up the Square” project this past holiday season in which 35 light-up snowflakes were secured onto poles along Franklin Square’s stretch of Hempstead Tpke.
In return for a business owner’s membership fee, Sarrica said the chamber helps businesses secure grants through PSEG and the Town of Hempstead to improve things like their business facades and sidewalks.
Sarrica said the chamber does a lot of advertising on social media, such as Facebook and Instagram, which is also a huge benefit to businesses in the community. And, with the new CRM system, there is also an online platform for businesses to see other members of the chamber and network for more business opportunities.
The chamber also does monthly general meetings where they discuss updates and current events that members can collaborate on to help boost each other’s businesses.
Business owners can apply for membership on the chamber’s website, FranklinSquareChamber.com.