The Salvation Army in West Nyack has turned 12,000 square feet of its headquarters into a “conference environment like no other,” says Maj. John Hodgson, an Air Force veteran and director of the Crestview Conference Center.
On the third floor of the Salvation Army”™s eastern territory headquarters in West Nyack, decades ago the home of the St. Regis Paper Co., the conference center was mostly used for internal meetings and functions until the arrival of Hodgson two years ago, which prompted the new name, a marketing team and a determined effort to turn the space into a state-of-the-art and unique conference center with turnkey services and competitive pricing, Hodgson said.
- Salvation Army Maj. John Hodgson addresses a crowd at the Crestview Conference Center in West Nyack.
“We see the conference center as a service to the community because we are the Salvation Army, and the Salvation Army is here to help people,” he said. “We operate the center as a nonprofit entity, which enables us to provide a very attractive pricing structure that is well-suited for the area”™s nonprofits, businesses and organizations of all sizes.”
Crestview can suit the needs of groups from five to 200 and has services such as pre-meeting planning assistance, built-in audio-visual equipment in all meeting rooms with on-site support, unlimited business center use, free Wi-Fi, free covered parking, a private entrance and a selection of meals from breakfast through dinner prepared by professionally trained staff.
What makes the conference center different is not its amenities but rather the relationships the organization fosters with its clients.
“We are not out to get money out of people,” Hodgson said. “All of our clients know our first names, we know their families, they know our families ”” it is a really nice atmosphere.”
As a nonprofit, the Salvation Army is able to offer more flexible pricing options than a for-profit conference center.
“We work with people”™s budgets ”” especially with not-for-profits. We understand because we are one, we know how tight money is,” he said.
Recently, Crestview hosted a group of 200 World War II veterans and their families for an informational conference on the Honor Flight, a program that provides travel to veterans to view their respective memorials in Washington, D.C., at no cost.
Crestview also has developed a relationship with the Rockland Business Association, which has yielded numerous events and connections through its network of more than 750 members, Hodgson said.
Despite a growing clientele averaging two events per day, Crestview is not able to cover operating expenses through clients alone and is supported by the Salvation Army, Hodgson said.
“Someday we have had seven, sometimes none,” he said. “If I have four, five groups here every day maybe I could.
“Again our goal is to be a service to the community, not just to make money.”
