LEADING WITH VISION AND INSPIRATION

Congratulations Steven for your well-deserved recognition as a 2023 Blank Slate Media Top Business Leader of Nassau County.

The Nassau County Industrial Development Agency (NCIDA) is proud to honor Steven Krieger, President & CEO of B2K Development, for his leadership and dedication to the growth and sustainability of Nassau County’s economy and the support of developments, programs and services that improve the quality of life for all of us on Long Island. Throughout his impressive career of over three decades, Steven has been a leader in identifying innovative real estate opportunities that create value and benefit for the region.

Steven is also committed to giving back to community. He lends his time, knowledge and resources to numerous organizations on Long Island, including the Long Island Housing Partnership, Long Island Builders Institute, Vision Long Island and the Long Island Real Estate Group.

We applaud Steven’s leadership in the development of Isla Blue and Ocean Breeze, bringing hundreds of condominiums and apartments to the City of Long Beach with NCIDA support.

The Nassau County IDA Board Members and executive team would like to congratulate all the honorees of Blank Slate Media’s 2023 Top Business Leaders of Nassau County. Together we are creating a robust and sustainable future for Nassau County and the entire Long Island region.

Anne N. Brigis is the president and chief executive officer for the YMCA of Long Island since 2012.

She passionately supports the Y’s areas of focus – youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. As a result of her commitment to excellence, she established the Great South Bay YMCA facility in Bay Shore, in the 1990s as

KEN BRESLIN PRESIDENT | BRESLIN REALTY DEVELOPMENT CORP.

Kenneth Breslin has been president of Breslin Realty Development Corp. located in Garden City for over 10 years.

During that time the firm has focused on retail growth across the tri-state area and has represented well over 100 national and regional retail clients, including amongst others The Home Depot, Stop n Shop, Lowe’s Home Improvement, Walmart, T.J.Maxx, Trader Joe’s, Orange Theory, PM Pediatrics and Starbucks Coffee.

Ken is an attorney and is admitted to the bar in the states of New

The firm has focused on retail growth across the tristate area and has represented well over 100 national and regional retail clients.

York and New Jersey. Kenneth Breslin founded Breslin Realty Inc., the brokerage division for Breslin Realty Development Corp, and in 2011 launched and co-founded Sa- bre Real Estate Group. Ken’s professional affiliations include serving as a director of the Long Island Real Estate Group and the Association for a Better Long Island.

ANNE N. BRIGIS

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exercise, recreational sports and enrichment programs. She is also leading the vision for a state-of-theart, $50 million health and wellness facility in Wyandanch.

Anne has also helped facilitate large-scale renovations and additions to YMCA facilities. These projects included the 11,000-squarefoot expansion of the William and Martha Entenmann Pavilion at Great South Bay YMCA, focused on providing high-quality child care, the Patchogue Family YMCA, the Sammis Children’s Center at the Huntington YMCA, the Martone Children’s Center at the Glen Cove YMCA, and the YMCA Boulton Center for the Performing Arts—a $2.5 million performing arts center.

In 2018, Anne was honored with two prestigious honors awards for her incredible efforts and dedication to empowering youth, fostering wellness, and facilitating economic growth throughout Long Island.

She was named one of Long Island’s Power Women in Business by the Long Island Press, and recognized as Distinguished Leader by the Advancement for Commerce, Industry and Technology (ACIT).

Service and Leadership Achievement in 1998 and 2004.

She was awarded the “Save a Child” Award from the Rotary Club Gift of Life in 1993 and Long Island Business News’ “Top Women of 2007”. In 2010, she was unanimously selected as the YMCA Boulton Center for the Performing Arts “Ambassador of the Arts.”

Employee Benefits Management committee; in addition to a number of other Y-USA Committees.

Anne lives happily with her husband Anthony, in Sea Cliff. Her daughter, Joy, and her husband, John Paradise, live in Northport; and her son, Nicholas, and his significant other, Annie, reside in NYC. For over 100 years, The YMCA the association’s childcare incubator – home to full day childcare, afterschool childcare and UPK. Among the YMCA’s most recent accomplishments under Anne’s leadership, is a 30,000-square-foot healthy living center, a standalone extension of the Huntington YMCA.

The facility offers preventative health/wellness programs, group

Anne was presented with the Long Island Press award at the 2017 Power Women in Business Awards & Networking Event and the ACIT award at the organization’s Distinguished Business Leaders & Awards Luncheon.

Anne’s exemplary leadership has been recognized by the Association of YMCA Directors for Outstanding

As an integral part of the Y’s leadership team for over 30 years, and throughout her tenure, Anne has demonstrated a unique ability to lead, inspire, and think innovatively. Her institutional knowledge, internal and community relationships, and leadership skills enable her to bring the YMCA of Long Island to new heights.

Anne began her service as an associate director for Bethpage Federal Credit Union in 2013 and was elected to the board in October 2015. She has chaired the nominating and governance committees of the credit union; and presently serves as vice chair of the board. Anne has also served as chair of the New York State Alliance of Ys; chair of the Y of Long Island has offered programs and services that support health and wellness, youth development, and is a center for community life.

“I believe every community deserves a Y. I expect the next five years will be filled with opportunities to grow and thrive. We will work hard to drive innovation, program excellence, and operational strength for our Long Island communities.”

“My advice for other business owners is to be courageous, authentic, bold and kind. It’s important to remain flexible and agile in today’s ever-changing landscape. Let’s commit to working together to make Long Island a better place to live,

Long Island Contractors’ Association Executive Director Marc Herbst would like to congratulate all the other incredible nominees who were named Top Business Leaders of Nassau County.

Robert Ciatto is the president/ chief executive officer of Adults and Children with Learning and Developmental Disabilities, one of the largest non-profit agencies in the state of New York.

Mr. Ciatto is responsible for the strategic direction of the organization, providing innovative leadership and assuring the integrity and effectiveness of the agency’s wideranging programs.

Under Mr. Ciatto’s leadership, ACLD supports more than 1,300 children and adults with autism and learning/developmental disabilities and their families throughout Nas- sau and Suffolk counties.

Mr. Ciatto also directs the activities of more than 1,200 employees at over 100 program sites, including community residents and apartment programs.

With a distinguished career in the non-profit sector spanning more than 30 years. Mr. Ciatto has dedicated his entire professional life to ensuring that individuals with special needs receive the services and attention they need and deserve. His commitment to operational excellence has earned him a well-earned reputation as a trailblazer offering compassionate, visionary leadership.

ROBERT CIATTO PRESIDENT AND CEO | ACLD

Mr. Ciatto joined ACLD in 2014 as assistant executive director. In that role, he was instrumental in the exceptional growth of ACLD’s residential program, expanding from 29 homes to nearly 50 homes today.

In addition, Mr. Ciatto managed the agency’s programs, including residential and day services, community habilitation, children’s services as well maintenance, information technology, purchasing and human resources.

He played a key role in ACLD’s annual budget process and setting the agency’s strategic plan.

Prior to joining ACLD, Mr. Ciatto spent more than two decades with AHRC-Nassau, joining initially as a direct support professional and ultimately rising to the post of senior director of business operations.

Mr. Ciatto is a recipient of the 2021 Schenps Media Healthcare Hero Award for his leadership through the pandemic; a 2022 honoree of the Long Island Herald’s Excellence in Healthcare Awards, Long Island Business News’ Executive Circle Winner in 2020, and he has been named to Long Island Business News’ Top Healthcare Executives in 2021 and 2022.

Mr. Ciatto’s professional affiliations include memberships in the

InterAgency Council, Advance Care Alliance of New York (ACA/NY), New York Disabilities Association and the Long Island Alliance.

He was previously a member of the National Association for the Dually Diagnosed. Active in the community, Mr. Ciatto is a longstanding supporter of the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation as well as Italian-Americans in Government Inc.

He also donated his time to support youth and coach in the Connetquot Youth Baseball Organization and Youth Flag Football for the Sports Arena and i9 Sports.

Mr. Ciatto holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from SUNY-Old Westbury and earned his Master of Science degree in Mental Health Counseling from LIU Post. Mr. Ciatto resides with his wife and son in Ronkonkoma.

How do you see your business evolving due to the changing times?

The major challenge in our field is the workforce. Our industry continues to deal with evolving issues such as staff shortages and lack of funding to support salary increases. Funding has always impacted us, but it is at the forefront now as we deal with inflationary costs and the workforce shortage.

Because the increased housing market has also impacted us, and there is no increased funding stream, we have to continuously think outside the box and create new revenue streams. We have to do more outreach in the community and improve our marketing efforts to bring in more like-minded people to the organization who can support our mission.

What advice would you give other business owners?

No matter what obstacles are thrown in your direction, you need to consistently stay true to the mission of your organization or business and still have the ability to adapt and pivot. It’s vital to see the bigger picture within the organization, the economy, revenue streams and funding.

In this day and age, it is vital to collaborate with your peers in the field—brainstorm and share ideas; focus on your workforce, not just the salaries. It is also important to reflect on what benefits you can offer to your employees and what type of culture you can develop in your organization so that people enjoy being at work.