Friday, February 14, 2025
At the Rockville Centre Chamber of Commerce’s monthly meeting, the members of the executive board and the board of directors were reinducted.
The executive board includes President Ed Asip, Vice President Donna Einemann, Secretary Carol O’Leary and Treasurer Tom Bogue.
Mayor Francis Murray swore in the members on Jan. 22, and voiced the village’s support for the organization.
“We are pro-chamber, our board, and I hope you see that,” Murray said. “Ed and I have lots of meetings together, and I think Ed’s doing a great job.”
At the meeting, at MacArthur Park restaurant, Asip recapped the organization’s achievements over the past year while looking ahead to its goals for this year.
“I want to get you energized,” he told the members, “because 2025 is going to be a big deal.”
Among the chamber’s accomplishments in 2024 were many firsts that it hopes to continue. The first village Restaurant Week was held last year, as well as the first Art Walk, showcasing local art. The Art Walk, Asip said, led to discussions of a potential street fair in the Long Beach Road area.
There was also the chamber’s first June Fest, which Asip said was a hit. “What June Fest was important for is we leveraged other events going on in the village,” he said. “We leveraged the village car show, we leveraged the Odd Fellows corn hole tournament, and that’s what we seek to do.”
Asip underscored the chamber’s goal of helping businesses stay connected to the community, so they can get involved in ongoing events and offer special promotions and creating unique experiences.
As part of its growing partnerships, the chamber is expanding its collaboration with Molloy University. “We’re reintroducing, expanding the ‘communiversity’ program,” Asip said at the meeting. “We’re working closely with the Molloy Career Center,” and the initiative will help connect the college to the surrounding community.
The chamber’s social media improvements and successes were also a highlight of Asip’s address, as he noted that the group’s posts reached over 7,000 people and continue to generate buzz for local businesses and events. It’s a “phenomenal communication mechanism,” he said, and he emphasized the chamber’s growing marketing efforts.
Einemann, who coordinates the chamber’s events, outlined its plans for 2025. Among the highlighted upcoming events is a Valentine’s Day Giveaway, sponsored by the Northwell Health Katz Institute for Women’s Health, aimed at engaging the community while collecting contact information to stay in touch with local residents. “The goal is to connect our community with our commerce and create more opportunities for engagement,” Einemann said.
She shared some ideas for additional community events, including a March Madness-themed pub crawl and a cocktail dinner in April, which will sell 300 tickets for $100 each for a chance to win a 50/50 prize.
“The goal is to put you front and center every month with something fun,” Einemann told her colleagues, “so that when they experience Rockville Centre, they feel our vibrancy.”
