Poughkeepsie”™s Chamber of Commerce celebrated its 100th anniversary in style Nov. 20 at the city”™s newest Hudson River showplace, the Grandview. The event featured century-old memorabilia, a Hudson Valley milk “champagne” toast and a plentitude of plaques and proclamations honoring the milestone.
The guest speakers were U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer and Paul Speranza Jr., board chairman for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and senior executive for Wegman Food Stores.
Schumer delivered kudos to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PA) for getting the long-awaited connector road between Interstate 84 and Stewart International Airport opened in time for Thanksgiving travelers.
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He applauded the PA”™s intention to appoint a citizens advisory panel, expressing hope the PA will take the surrounding communites”™ concerns  into serious consideration while building out the 2,400-acre airport. “Make no mistake, Stewart is an important economic engine, but it must embrace smart growth initiatives and concern for the beautiful area called the Hudson Valley,” Schumer said.
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Schumer said a rail link connecting the airport to New York City is a priority, and  pledged to secure funding for a one ride rail commute from the west side of the Hudson River into New York City.
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Schumer said improving  transportation for the west side of the Hudson was a must for Orange and Rockland residents, who now  navigate a maze of changes to get from west to east  Many make the daily commute by car, which is not a solution to the problem as far as Schumer”™s concerned.
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“Dutchess has direct access to train service, but it”™s a different story for the other side of the river,” Schumer said. A one-ride commute from Stewart into Manhattan would be “a tremendous shot in the arm for the entire region, particularly the counties currently without the transportation opportunities available in Dutchess. The Hudson Valley is the fastest growing area of the state, but its public transportation infrastructure needs to be drastically updated.”
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Schumer compared Orange and Sullivan counties”™ Route 17 interchange to the West Side Highway and he proposed widening the future Interstate 86 to three lanes in each direction from its current two.
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He praised Poughkeepsie”™s bus link between Ulster and the Poughkeepsie train line and pledged to be a staunch supporter of Walkway Over the Hudson on the Poughkeepsie-Highland Railroad Bridge, which the senator foresees as a “national tourism destination.” Schumer pledged to do all he can to make sure it is ready for the 2009 Henry Hudson quadricentennial celebration. The Dyson Foundation has already committed $1.5 million for a feasibility study of the proposed mile-plus, 212-feet-high walkway project.
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Schumer favors a repeal of the so-called death tax, “which can literally mean death for the small business owner leaving the family business to the next generation. By the time they pay it, there is no business left to carry on in many cases.” He spoke of working to eliminate the alternative minimum tax, “which was conceptually aimed at the very wealthy, the people who make the kind of money Warren Buffett makes. Now the tax is affecting people in the $50,000-a-year salary bracket. That was not its original intent and it”™s not acceptable, but that is what has happened.”
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Schumer told the business leaders who packed the Grandview that in order to eliminate the death tax, he and peers must create another source of revenue to replace it. Just how Congress intends to accomplish that goal has not been hammered out, but Schumer hoped it would be a bipartisan effort and said the alternative minimum tax would remain frozen through 2008.
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Speranza travels the country speaking to the more than 3,000 local and state chambers who are members of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Speranza, a senior executive for Wegman”™s Food Stores, says his company”™s philosophy, the “power of one,” can be extrapolated out to every business and every employee that is part of an organization, whether there are five or 35,000 employees.
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Wegman, said Speranza, makes $4 billion a year and has thousands of employees nationwide. He said its corporate philosophy is based on good employee relations. “Employees come first. If we care about of our employees, our employees care about our customers, and that lets our bottom line take care of itself.” Â Speranza said Wegman has been cited many times by both Fortune and U.S. News & World Report as one of the top employers in the U.S. He believes the reason for so much positive recognition is company”™s philosophy.
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As an example of the power of  Wegmans”™s “power of one” philosophy, its  Rochester store instituted a program to keep at-risk teens from dropping out of school and ultimately dropping out of society. Pairing them with a mentor, “a friend, someone to talk to, a shoulder to cry on,” Wegman also offered a part-time job. The results were exceptional for the students and for the city of Rochester. Crime decreased dramatically. as did the city”™s dropout rate. Now run by the Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection, Wegman”™s program increased the city of Rochester”™s graduation rate from 30 percent to 70 per cent. “Many of the students who worked with us part-time stayed on after graduating high school and 80 per cent of those high school graduates continued with higher education. Some have remained with the company and have become valued employees.”
“One person making an investment in another: that is the power of one,” said Speranza. “And every person in this room is capable of making that happen.”
Speranza cited success in Wegman”™s “healthy eating program” among its employees in Rochester. “We turned it into a competition, dividing employees into groups and recognizing those who had met goals. It does make a difference in people”™s lives if they take a proactive approach to their own health, giving people a sense of responsibility for themselves. They, in turn, pass that on to the next person. Again, the ”˜power of one”™ can be a powerful tool.”
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