Chamber welcomes two new directors to its board

The Rockville Centre Chamber of Commerce swore in two new directors — Phil Hammond of PH Consulting and Media and Joshua Haan of Energy Fitness — and welcomed new members at its annual installation meeting on Feb. 1 at MacArthur Park restaurant and bar.

Mayor Francis Murray officiated the ceremony, after which he shared a few words with the local business community, which he referred to as the “backbone” of the village.

“Unless you own a business, you know how hard it can be. You don’t know how much money is coming in the door. Sometimes you don’t know if you’re going to make payroll. You really don’t know and it’s so hard,” Murray said. “I can’t thank you enough for choosing Rockville Centre to have your businesses and care about the people who live in this village and the people in the surrounding areas who come into your stores and businesses.”

Rockville Centre schools Superintendent Matt Gaven and South Side High School Principal Patrick Walsh also attended the event in the hopes of interacting with some of the local businesses to encourage them to hire local interns from the high school’s IB Business program.

“We think this could be mutually beneficial,” Gaven said. “The kids are super passionate and enthralled with ideas of future business.”

According to Gaven, the program has seen an active interest among students, growing from only 25 members to more than 140 in just a few years. As part of the program, the school offers seven different courses including marketing, accounting, business law, career and financial management and more. This also includes the school’s new Virtual Enterprise course, which provides students with all of the functions and demands of a real business.

Membership in the Rockville Centre Chamber of Commerce continues to grow. In the past year, it has added more than 17 new businesses and organizations into its ranks, including Aflac, Bigelow’s New England Fried Clams, Bagelry RVC, Buoy 4, Flora Beauty, Floor Decor, Intuitive Integration, House of Health, Hot Yoga 4 You, SIBSPlace, Mojo RVC, Touch of Silver Jewelery, Trident Phsyical Therapy, Balance Podiatry, Personal Training Institute, Dime Community Bank, and the Rockville Centre Education Foundation.

For more info about the Chamber of Commerce, upcoming meetings, events, or access to its member directory, visit RockvilleCentreChamberofCommerce.com.

–Daniel Offner

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