WCA in the News

WCA President & CEO Michael N. Romita said: “This is a solid and thoughtful budget. It includes a decrease in property taxes while boosting reserves.”

It was a night to reflect on leadership and legacies as the Westchester County Association held its 72nd annual dinner Nov. 17 in the ballroom of the Westchester Marriott in Tarrytown.

Dear County Executive Latimer, Commissioner Drummond, Budget Director Soule, and Chair Borgia: Westchester’s housing shortage is decades-long in the making and continues to be a serious impediment to economic growth and community vitality. It remains a shared challenge for our businesses, nonprofits, workers, residents, and local municipalities.

Long Island and Westchester build housing at some of the lowest rates of any suburban area in the country, fueling high rents and home prices across the region.

The newly passed federal Inflation Reduction Act, a climate, health and tax measure, will bolster New York's efforts to aggressively reduce carbon emissions under the state's own landmark 2019 Climate Act. Some in the business community have been slow to embrace the pathway to a clean-energy economy. They view New York's ambitious road map as impractical, unrealistic and threatening to the state's economic future. However, indictments of the council's work coupled with calls to amend the underlying state statute are shortsighted and misdirected. Either we face the economic realities of climate change and address them head-on or we pay an even greater price in the long run.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic took root in 2020, Bona Fide Masks has provided national distribution of masks direct from manufacturers Powecom, DemeTECH, Chengde and Harley.

The newly passed federal Inflation Reduction Act, also known as the Climate, Health, and Tax Bill, brings an end to decades of national legislative inaction on climate change.

The Harvard Business School defines sustainability in business as doing business without negatively impacting the environment, community or society as a whole. For the Westchester County Association (WCA), sustainability no longer is something its members can afford to keep off their radar screens and deal with only when unavoidable.

Members of the public expressed both support and criticism for proposed amendments to White Plains’ zoning ordinance during a public hearing at the White Plains Common Council meeting on June 6. Michael Romita, President and CEO of the Westchester County Association, voiced his support for the proposed amendments to the ordinance, citing their forward-looking nature.

With clean energy in the spotlight more and more, job opportunities in this sector look promising in Westchester and beyond.

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.

St. Thomas Aquinas College is thrilled to announce a new partnership with Montefiore Nyack Hospital designed to make affordable undergraduate and graduate degrees accessible for the hospital’s employees.

ENR New York, a key publication covering the regional engineering and construction industry, announced LeChase Construction Service as its 2024 New York Contractor of the Year.

Salem Hills Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center received the 2024 AHCA/NCAL Silver National Quality Award. This recognition signifies their commitment to continuous improvement in quality care. The award evaluates long-term care organizations based on rigorous performance standards.

Westchester County’s Element 46 Tech Accelerator, Powered by Cela, is now accepting applications from innovative tech startups for its next cohort. Chosen startups will experience a 10-week accelerator program that features a key curriculum, connections to investors and mentors, and more. The program will culminate with a Demo Day in November. 

Orange Bank & Trust Company announced that Michael Coulter has retired from the role of Chief Lending Officer. He will continue as an Executive of the Bank, in a part-time position, as Strategic Lending Relationship Officer, managing top client relationships as well as business development.

New York Blood Center recently declared a blood emergency due to dangerously low supply levels. Fox 5 New York featured moving stories of a donor and recipient as part of the network's special series, 'The Gift of Life.'

Westchester Magazine honored CClean's CEO Joseph Pizzimenti as a 2024 Healthcare Hero for his extraordinary efforts during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. He was recognized for his efforts to keep the county’s hospitals, medical facilities, and therapeutic private schools clean and safe, which protected public health and prioritized healthcare workers' safety and comfort.

Phelps Hospital unveiled an $8.8M renovation of its fifth-floor medical/surgical unit, featuring 15 new, state-of-the-art single rooms with private bathrooms and Hudson River views, and dedicated comfort care rooms for end-of-life and palliative care. News 12 covered the upgrade, which speaks to the hospital's initiative to modernize and enhance the patient experience.

All aboard! Helicopter charter company Blade debuts a new, luxury bus service this summer to deliver passengers from Hudson Yards to the Hamptons. Blade partnered with The Jet on the Hamptons Streamliner, featuring 45-degree reclining seats, espresso martinis, PopUp Bagels, and Sweetgreen salads. Read about the posh new route in The New York Times' Style section.

Congratulations to Bridget Gibbons, Westchester County Government’s Director of Economic Development, who has been appointed to the NYS Economic Development Council (NYSEDC)’s Executive Committee. The NYSEDC promotes the economic development of the state and its communities. Gibbons was elected to the organization’s Board of Directors in 2021 and is currently serving her second term.