More than 100 business leaders and BCW members attended a special reception at iPark in Yonkers on Thursday to get a behind-the-scenes peek at the Great Point Studios/Lionsgate facility that is transforming Yonkers into Hollywood on Hudson. Great Point Studios CEO Robert Halmi, Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano and New York State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins attended the evening reception, where they described a city that is quickly becoming the East Coast equivalent of Burbank, California, a satellite community of Los Angeles where many media and entertainment companies operate production facilities. Halmi, a Westchester County native, has repeatedly stated that […]

The BCW’s Westchester Innovation Network (WIN) recently paired the technology company Lessonbee with the Yonkers Housing Authority (YHA) to provide Gen Z residents with wellness education. As part of the WIN partnership, Lessonbee piloted its subscription-based content at one of YHA’s largest housing developments, a complex serving more than 1,700 families. Often, its young residents lack positive role models that can provide accurate health information. “Young people have a lot of questions about their health and well-being and our tenants often don’t know where to turn to find that information,” said Wilson Kimball, President and CEO of YHA. “Lessonbee provided […]

The Business Council of Westchester was among 37 leading business organizations that represent thousands of businesses statewide calling on Gov. Kathy Hochul to allocate resources in the Fiscal Year 2023 budget to address the state’s outstanding federal Unemployment Insurance advance that is leading to the highest possible state UI taxes, an Interest Assessment Surcharge, and increased federal UI taxes. The letter noted that nearly three years after the pandemic, employers, particularly small businesses, continue to face unprecedented challenges. “According to NFIB’s Small Business Economic Trends (SBET) report, 30 percent of small business owners reported that inflation was the single most […]

The BCW has joined with BCW Member Iona University in New Rochelle and Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario to produce the Westchester Innovation Network (WIN) Implementation Guide, a roadmap for transforming Westchester County into a hotspot that attracts and nurtures innovative companies. The guide, which will be released in mid-2023, is designed to serve as a resource for elected officials, business leaders and municipal planners who want to remove barriers and create incentives for attracting innovators. “We could have hired a consultant to put together a set of recommendations that will go on a shelf and collect dust,” said […]

This week, BCW Member HEINEKEN USA announced the release of “Fostering Belonging & Inclusion in the Alcoholic Beverage Industry,” the second report within its ongoing Behind the Label program. Expanding on last year’s gender diversity findings, the report draws on alcoholic beverage employees’ perspectives on bias and inclusion in the industry, and how organizations can address both to improve belonging across the workforce. In looking at employees’ experiences, the research showed that a majority (86%) say they have experienced some type of personal bias during their time in the industry. These employees recognize that efforts are being made to address these issues and 70% say they are […]