Farmingville, NY – On September 27, Supervisor Mark Lesko and Bruce Newman, President of the Brookhaven Business Advisory Council, met with the press prior to the start of the Brookhaven Business Advisory Council’s (BBAC) 7th Annual Building Business in Brookhaven Expo to announce a number of BBAC initiatives to promote business in Brookhaven. They were joined by Councilman Tim Mazzei and Congressman Tim Bishop.

“Every year the Brookhaven Business Advisory Council’s event gets bigger and we hope that tonight’s event will lead to some productive networking. The BBAC is doing such great work reaching out to our businesses in the Town to help them grow and succeed. The BBAC’s survey last year found that 84% of the Town’s small businesses find Brookhaven a positive place do business, and we will continue to make sure Brookhaven has a business-friendly environment,” said Supervisor Mark Lesko.

“The BBAC is always at the forefront of helping businesses grow and thrive in Brookhaven Town,” said Councilman Mazzei. “I thank the council members for creating these initiatives and taking a leadership role in working to get the economy back on the right track during these touch times.”

"The role of the Brookhaven Business Advisory Council has never been more important. I am confident that through their hard work and creative initiatives the Town of Brookhaven will lead the way to economic recovery in the region," stated Councilwoman Kepert.

"Today's announcements demonstrate the creative thinking and determination of our council members to make Brookhaven Town the place to do business," said Bruce Newman, President of the BBAC. "Our initiatives strive to inform and provide a common voice to more than 20,000 businesses that operate in the Town."

The BBAC initiatives announced at the press conference include:

Seventh Annual Building Business in Brookhaven Expo

The Building Business in Brookhaven Expo is an annual “trade show” type event held at Town Hall that brings local Brookhaven businesses and Town departments together for open discussion and networking. This year’s event featured 85 vendors and included dozens of local, regional and national companies that service businesses in Brookhaven Town. Vendors included Bethpage Federal Credit Union, Brookhaven National Laboratory, CHASE Bank, Citibank, Community Development Corporation of Long Island, New York State Department of Labor, and Suffolk Federal Credit Union. The expo offers businesses an affordable way to demonstrate their products and services to other businesses and people who are looking for business opportunities in Brookhaven Town. Attendees also had the opportunity to meet with representatives from the NYS Small Business Development Center, the Small Business Administration, and Brookhaven Town. Supervisor Mark Lesko and Congressman Tim Bishop delivered opening remarks at the event.

Second Annual Survey of Brookhaven Businesses

This year the BBAC will distribute its Second Annual Survey of Brookhaven Businesses to hundreds of business across the Town. The survey will gauge the economic condition of Brookhaven businesses, evaluate their sentiment and measure the general activity of businesses. This year, the survey will once again cover three categories, including Demographics, Operations, and Strategic Planning. It will be sent to businesses owners throughout Brookhaven Town in October and results will be published in the spring of 2012. The data will be collected, aggregated and analyzed by the accounting firm of Cerini & Associates LLP in conjunction with Pandora Marketing Consultants. Both companies will assist in production of the final results booklet. The businesses who participate in the survey will answer questions relating to their revenues, plans to expand or downsize, their confidence in the Long Island and National Economy, and how they feel about doing business in Brookhaven, among others. One of the highlights of last year’s results was that 84% of the respondents believed that Brookhaven is a good place to do business.

BrookhavenBAC.org

In September, the BBAC launched www.brookhavenBAC.org, a central resource of information for the various BBAC sponsored projects, including the Building Business in Brookhaven Expo, BBAC Annual Survey of Businesses, “Brookhaven: Getting Down to Business,” the BBAC television program and more. It provides businesses with a way to register and receive periodic updates on matters of interest to the Town’s business community. The website also has comprehensive information about the Brookhaven Town Industrial Development Agency, the Town’s Department of Economic Development, the latest news and useful links. The website includes links to the BBAC Facebook page, Twitter, Linkedin and YouTube, where the new television program, “Brookhaven: Getting Down to Business” will be available for viewing.

“Brookhaven: Getting Down to Business” TV Show

The BBAC has completed four episodes of the new television program, “Brookhaven: Getting Down to Business.” The show, which is produced by the BBAC at Stony Brook University television studios, features one-on-one interviews and roundtable discussions with business and community leaders from Brookhaven Town. The first program to air includes a full half hour with Supervisor Mark Lesko, who discusses a number of his initiatives including Blight to Light and Accelerate Long Island. The host of the program is BBAC member Brian Cohen.

Guide to Starting a Business in Brookhaven

“The Guide to Starting a Business in Brookhaven: What to Do and Where to Go” is a valuable resource that helps budding entrepreneurs work through their ideas, considering issues such as viability, competitors, market demand, business structure, financing, accounting and tax reporting. The questions raised and exercises provided in the guide encourage prospective business owners to think through their ideas thoroughly. Existing small business owners who may have skipped over some of these steps when starting their businesses may find it useful to review this guide. Rich with resources to assist in business plan writing, market research, marketing, management, and obtaining financing, this handbook offers the tools and information vital to starting a successful business in the Town of Brookhaven.

The Brookhaven Business Advisory Council serves as the business liaison to the Supervisor and Town Board. The council is comprised of business owners and professionals who serve on a volunteer basis. The Council’s key function is to assist Town government by disseminating information to and from the business communities. They also help to compile information on business in Brookhaven Town, and develop and implement public information programs to educate the business community regarding outreach programs and assistance available to them. For more information about the BBAC, please contact Lisa Mulligan, Director of the Town of Brookhaven’s Division of Economic Development at (631) 451-6563.

Division of Public Information * Office of the Supervisor
One Independence Hill • Farmingville • NY 11738 • Phone (631) 451-6595 • Fax (631) 451-6258