Less than two months after opening his platform to the public, Westchester Innovation Network (WIN) participant Michael Berlingo is seeing his vision for a student-centric workforce materialize rapidly. His company, Starteryou, began as a pilot program last year with White Plains High School arranged by WIN. The employment platform has now expanded into a growing network involving major local institutions like Pace University and Purchase College—and possibly future work with White Plains High School. So far, the platform has registered over 1,000 students and 65 companies. One of Berlingo’s primary motivations is that traditional job platforms don’t fit young people’s […]

The Business Council of Westchester recently joined a broad coalition of organizations across New York’s economic sectors urging Gov. Kathy Hochul to veto the New York Health Information Privacy Act (NY HIPA). “While we fully support the goal of safeguarding sensitive reproductive and gender-affirming care data, this legislation has expanded dangerously beyond its original purpose. As drafted, NY HIPA creates an unprecedented privacy regime that reclassifies routine consumer transactions—such as purchasing common household goods—as “regulated health information,” read the letter. The bill creates fatal operational flaws, including overbroad definitions of health data that encompass IP addresses and location indicators, and […]

The BCW and BCW Member Feeding Westchester recently held an important and timely community hunger and budget discussion with Westchester’s State Delegation.     The senior team at Feeding Westchester provided the delegation members with an update on the work they did to provide services during the recent government shutdown. With nearly 3 million New Yorkers – including 1 in 3 households in Westchester County struggling to afford food each day – Feeding Westchester outlined to the state legislators their top priorities.  They include:  Fully fund both the Hunger Prevention Nutrition Assistance Program (HPNAP) and Nourish NY (NNY) at $75M […]

Approximately 50 Westchester school officials gathered at Southern Westchester BOCES on November 14 for the School Energy Saving Seminar hosted by the Business Council of Westchester’s (BCW) Clean Energy Action Coalition (CEAC). The morning event presented a deep dive into the energy efficiency programs and funding opportunities available from key state partners: Con Edison, the New York Power Authority (NYPA), and NYSERDA. “Schools can be a pro-active force in helping to build the county’s new renewable energy infrastructure,” said BCW Executive Vice President and COO John Ravitz. A Con Edison representative kicked off the discussion by illustrating the tangible benefits […]

The complexities of business mergers took center stage on Monday at the Business Council of Westchester’s (BCW) Valley Bank Leadership Conversation. Moderated by BCW President Marsha Gordon, Mergers in Motion: Transforming Organizations through Business Combination invited regional business leaders to share insights drawn from their experiences as strategic acquirers, owner-sellers, and trusted advisors. The event at Kanopi in White Plains underscored the vital role of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in shaping Westchester County’s economic landscape. The discussion addressed the critical importance of non-financial due diligence, preserving legacy, maintaining company culture, and strategic negotiation. The panelists emphasized that successful combinations hinge […]