WCA in the News

The Welcome Home Westchester Campaign (WHWC) has called on local officials not to wait for action from New York state on housing but to move now on their own to address the county’s housing needs.

As New York state continues on its mission to meet clean energy goals, the real estate industry in the Lower Hudson Valley is embracing a new mindset — with hopes of reducing carbon emissions.

To harness the promise of the ACP, the Westchester County Association together with the STEM Alliance and other partners launched two first-of-its-kind, digital connectivity initiatives, the Yonkers-based YZone and the county-wide Connect Westchester.

It’s hard to believe in this age of hyper-connectivity, but about half a million people living in New York City and its suburbs still lack access to high-speed broadband despite more than a decade of state and federal programs that have poured billions of dollars into closing the digital divide.

With the rapid rise of AI, remote work, sustainability, and cybersecurity, remaining up-to-the-second with business trends is not only smart, it can make or break a company.

Beginning in 2022, the Westchester County Association’s Healthcare Talent Pipeline Program placed and trained 100 workers with regional healthcare providers. The initiative funded by a grant from Westchester County has an annual economic impact of more than $3.5 million.

Brightcore is just one of numerous players in Westchester County creating a more sustainable future. The reasons why are obvious to anyone paying attention to recent climate “events” — a mushy word for disasters, like excessive heat, flooding, smoky air, and others, that are becoming more frequent and severe.

The purpose of the partnership is to work collaboratively and in a coordinated fashion to respond to the severe lack of housing in Westchester County for people at a wide range of income levels by advancing a pro-housing agenda through legislative and regulatory means at the state, county and local levels.

At the recent Westchester County Association’s 73rd annual leadership event Michael N. Romita, WCA president and CEO, announced two new WCA-led initiatives designed to extend the impact of the organization.

The Westchester County Office of Economic Development (OED) and Westchester County Association (WCA) today announced the Westchester Healthcare Talent Pipeline Program (HTPP), which launched in spring of 2022, has connected 101 hires to employment.

White Plains, New York - (November 10, 2023)….Over 450 members of Westchester’s professional community packed the Westchester Marriott ballroom on November 9th for the Westchester County Association’s 73rd annual leadership event.

White Plains (October 12, 2023) More than 300 job seekers lined up to meet with over 40 employers and resource providers at a regional career fair October 12 at the Westchester County Center in White Plains.

Connect Westchester is Westchester County’s Office of Economic Development’s new initiative to bridge the digital divide through providing essential digital resources, education and affordable internet access to low-income residents.

White Plains, New York - (September 22, 2023)…In his keynote address at WCA’s “Toasting to a Healthy Westchester,” Michael J. Dowling, CEO, Northwell Health appealed to 250 key leaders in healthcare and business attending this annual dinner to try to solve what he called the social determinants of health, such as gun violence, poverty, obesity, and drugs and alchohol abuse. “If we don’t solve theses issues, we will never improve the health status of Americans,”he said, citing the pressures facing the industry today.

White Plains, New York -- (June 5, 2023) Close to 200 business, nonprofit, and government leaders attended the WCA’s 2nd Annual Sustainable Business Conference hosted in partnership with Pace University’s Elisabeth Haub School of Law. The event, held June 1 at the law school, focused on new opportunities in sustainable investing and real estate, navigating an evolving regulatory landscape, and the connection between sustainability and diversity, equity and inclusion. New this year, a “Sustainability Bootcamp” workshop served as a primer for businesses of all sizes to get started with practical tools to develop a sustainability program.

White Plains, New York - (December 8, 2022) Susan Fox, WCA Board Chair, President & CEO, White Plains Hospital, and Michael N. Romita, President, and CEO of the Westchester County Association (WCA), announced this week that the WCA, the county’s premier business membership organization, will welcome eight new board members representing important industry sectors to bolster the WCA’s economic development and advocacy work.

White Plains, New York - (November 21, 2022)…. Westchester’s professional community packed the Westchester Marriott ballroom on November 17th for the Westchester County Association’s annual leadership dinner to honor Westchester’s most influential leaders and celebrate another year of impactful work by the WCA, the region’s premiere business advocacy and economic development organization.

White Plains, N.Y. (February 25, 2022) During the Annual County Executive’s Breakfast hosted by The Westchester County Association (WCA) on Thursday, February 24, 2022 at the Sleepy Hollow Hotel & Conference Center in Tarrytown, New York, County Executive George Latimer and WCA President & CEO Michael N. Romita jointly announced the launch of the Healthcare Talent Pipeline Program (HTPP).

The Westchester County Association (WCA) joined community leaders from Nonprofit Westchester (NPW), the Building and Realty Institute of Westchester and the Mid-Hudson Region (BRI), the Construction Industry Council of Westchester and Hudson Valley (CIC), and the Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors (HGAR) to put forth an advocacy letter urging government officials to find statewide solutions to Westchester’s housing crisis.

Yonkers, N.Y. – Today, the Westchester County Association joined community leaders, elected officials, and project partners in a press conference at the Yonkers Public Library to highlight the latest developments since the launch of the Y-Zone (Yonkers Zone), a broadband pilot program funded by US Ignite and Schmidt Futures as part of Project Overcome.

New York Blood Center is declaring an emergency due to a significant drop in blood donations before and after Memorial Day weekend. In the past three weeks, donations have been 2,100 units short of what is needed to meet hospital demand, placing a strain on the region’s blood supply heading into the summer months that are typically marked by a spike in traumas. Donate now!

Sustainable Westchester invites building owners in Yonkers and Peekskill to respond to a Request for Information for the REACH Offering, which aims to decarbonize buildings and assess the feasibility of connection to a municipality-led Thermal Energy Network. Register for an informative webinar about this cost-cutting service on June 20 at 11 a.m.

At its May 29 gala, United Hebrew honored longtime leader, Rita Mabli, for her 45 years of service—providing exceptional care to seniors in Westchester and for her leadership in the senior care industry. The organization also unveiled a fresh, new logo and tagline, "Where Seniors Thrive," positioning the organization as a model for integrative senior living.

The Hudson Valley's premier financial institution has announced that Senior Vice President Anthony Pili will serve as Chief Innovation Officer, a newly created position responsible for ensuring the Bank remains a leader in providing its clients with the latest in banking technology.

Join us on June 13, when 11 of the county’s most groundbreaking tech startups will pitch their ventures at the Element 46 Tech Accelerator Powered by Cela Innovation’s Spring 2024 Demo Day. Space is limited, register today!

Kudos to WCA board member Scott A. Edelman, CPA, MBA, CFE on being named Burke Rehabilitation Hospital's Executive Director. He brings a wealth of experience and institutional knowledge, having served in an array of leadership positions for Burke, a leading provider of physical and medical rehabilitation, research and graduate medical education, for more than 25 years.

WMCHealth’s Westchester Medical Center has achieved Level 4 accreditation by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers (NAEC).The Level 4 accreditation from the NAEC is granted to centers that have the professional expertise and facilities to provide the most advanced medical evaluation and treatment for patients with complex epilepsy. Level 4 is the highest designation given by the NAEC.

Manhattanville University has been selected to receive a grant of $997,439 from the New York State Office of Strategic Workforce Development and the State University of New York. The grant will fund the proposal, “Teaching Assistant to Teacher of Record: Investing in Our Local Workforce,” as part of the Education Workforce Investment Alternative Teacher Certification Program. Kudos!

Amanda De Alem, M.S. ’13, CCC-SLP, TSSLE-BE opened Speech-Language Lilies in January 2024 and offers services in Spanish, Portuguese, and English. The practice is the culmination of a lifelong dream and a desire to fill a need in the community, as well as a tribute to De Alem’s late sister, Lillian, who passed at the age of 22 after a lifelong battle with brain cancer.

WCA members Simone Development Companies and Fareri Associates joined with Release Recovery at Purchase Professional Park to celebrate the ribbon cutting of the mental health company’s new 7,698 SF outpatient facility at 3020 Westchester Avenue on March 20th. This is Release Recovery’s first outpatient treatment facility in New York State. Read more here.