Thursday, October 1, 2026
An experienced team is again at the helm of the Rockville Centre Chamber of Commerce, which held its installation dinner, attended by nearly 80 people, on Feb. 15 at Dino’s Restaurant on Sunrise Highway.
Larry Siegel, owner of At Your Service Transportation, was sworn in to a second two-year term as chamber president by Councilman Anthony Santino. He said he will guide the chamber in working to return Rockville Centre to the shopping mecca it once was.
“My goal this year is to bring more merchants to the chamber. Over the years the chamber has become filled with a lot of professionals. I think that the retail merchants need to band together to revitalize the business district. With the new administration eager to be involved with the business district, it’s a win-win situation for everybody.
“In the long term,” Siegel said, “we hope to make Rockville Centre the shopping haven it used to be.”
Joining him on the chamber’s executive board were 1st Vice President Barbara Goldfeder, of Coach Realtors; 2nd Vice President Paul Cronen of Valley National Bank; Treasurer Scott McGrath of Community National Bank and Secretary Karen Resnick, the Rockville Centre Herald’s account executive — all of whom were sworn in by Mayor Francis Murray. Margarita Fox of Mercy Medical Center is the group’s immediate past president.
In addition to the longtime chamber members on the executive board, and the many who will reprise their roles on its board of directors, Deputy Mayor Nancy Howard also swore in a number of newcomers on Wednesday night — a fact not lost on Resnick.
“For me, the chamber has always, and will always be about networking and building relationships,” she said. “Our membership has continued to grow and it’s especially nice to see so many new businesses that have recently opened and joined the chamber.”
Among those newly inducted are Brian Upton of Advance Formal Wear; Greg Schaeffer of Better Home Healthcare; Mike Goldberg of Budget Print Center; Tom Breidenbach of Kollner’s Prime Meats; Cynthia Metzger of Molloy College and Lisa Spatz of Turnabout Plumbing. They join fellow returning board members Craig Rossein of Automated Merchant Services; Chuck Chardell, owner of Chardell Interiors; Sue Briedenbach of Elite Limo; Jeff Novak, owner of J. Novack Designs; Linda Roldan of First National Bank of Long Island; Gary Marks of Shenker, Zacarese and Marks; Yndiana Seltzer of Sparks Unisex and Phyllis Candella, who will serve as the chamber’s community liaison.
“It was a low key dinner,” said Siegel. “The food was excellent, everything was great — Mike and Ralph [of Dino’s] went out of their way to make it special.”
In addition to the induction ceremonies, the evening included a speech by Murray, who recapped highlights from his State of the Village address, and a performance by stand-up comedian Paul Bond. Following a long-standing tradition, Siegel presented the Barbara Klein Memorial Service Award to Chuck Chardell, for his exemplary service and dedication to the Chamber of Commerce.
