I am sharing some exciting and significant leadership transition news with you today. John Ravitz, the organization’s distinguished Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, will retire effective December 31, 2026, after fifteen years of dedicated service to the Westchester business community. Noam Bramson, the former Mayor of New Rochelle, has been named Executive Vice President, Government Affairs and Economic Development, and will assume the role beginning July 1, 2026. We will all miss John deeply. He has been a role model not only for our organization but for business associations throughout the state and beyond, setting the gold standard for […]

MorDance has been awarded a $2 million Capital Projects Fund grant from the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) to support the development of the MorDance Performing Arts Center in Dobbs Ferry, marking a major milestone in the organization’s continued growth and commitment to arts education, performance, and community engagement throughout Westchester County. The funding, announced as part of New York State’s ongoing investment in arts and cultural infrastructure, will help bring to life a permanent home for MorDance’s expanding programs and services. The future MorDance Performing Arts Center will feature professional dance studios, a flexible black box theater, […]

A historic Yonkers property that housed a string of popular restaurants over the years has been given a new life as a self-storage facility, the latest development by Hampshire Management Company, which owns and operates a commercial real estate portfolio across the tri-state area. This is the company’s first self-storage project. CubeSmart Self-Storage will serve as Hampshire’s third-party property manager.   After being vacant for more than 15 years, 1113 Central Park Avenue was purchased by Hampshire in 2020 and repurposed from its original retail use to commercial/industrial use. The 164K-sf building spans 5 stories and includes more than 1,100 climate-controlled […]

Twelve members of the Westchester County Board of Legislators joined the Business Council of Westchester’s Political Leadership Series Board of Legislators Breakfast on Wednesday, with much of the conversation centered on a major theme: affordability for employers and residents. BCW Vice-President and COO John Ravitz began the panel by noting that the breakfast panel was a continuation of the BCW’s close work with past chairs of the Board of Legislators that has created a robust line of communication. “It’s helped because they’ve invited us to go to their committee meetings to give our thoughts on specific pieces of legislation,” said Ravitz. […]

Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano joined executives from Marx Realty (MNPP), community leaders, and elected officials on May 29th to celebrate the groundbreaking of two new retail buildings that will anchor the next phase of redevelopment at the iconic Cross County Center. The 58,000-square foot expansion project includes the construction of a 14,000-square-foot retail building and a two-story, 44,000-square-foot flagship retail building on the center’s north lot, along with underground parking and a dramatic new 4-acre park designed to enhance customer and community experience. The new buildings represent one of the most significant additions to Cross County Center in decades and mark the first […]

This week, The Business Council of Westchester proudly joined the celebration of New York Tech Week by launching a special social media campaign highlighting the innovators, organizations, institutions, and leaders, helping shape the future of technology, innovation, and economic growth throughout Westchester County and beyond. Throughout the week, we explored a variety of sectors where technology is transforming industries and creating new opportunities, from biotechnology and healthcare to quantum computing, education, entrepreneurship, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. We were honored to feature insights and perspectives from an outstanding group of organizations and institutions driving innovation across our region, including: Regeneron, SEEQC, Thalle […]