Special evening for 27 family-owned businesses

At the Westchester County Business Journal”™s inaugural award program recognizing family entrepreneurs, three winners will be chosen from 27 finalists at a ceremony Nov. 7 in Mapleton at Good Counsel in White Plains.

The Family-Owned Business Awards came about after much discussion on how to honor the businesses that are the backbone of the local and national economy. Studies show that family businesses account for 50 percent of U.S. gross domestic product and for nearly 80 percent of all new job creation in the nation.

Anthony Davidson, the dean of the School of Graduate and Professional Studies at Manhattanville College and program judge, will lead the program with a discussion on family-owned businesses.

Since joining Manhattanville in the summer of 2011, Davidson has made moves designed to increase the college”™s reputation as an attractive destination for post-graduate business training.

Prior to coming to Manhattanville, he served for more than a decade as dean of the School of Continuing and Professional Studies in business and a clinical professor at New York University.

In addition to Davidson, the judges for the event are Marsha Gordon, president and CEO of The Business Council of Westchester, and John Ritacco, president and CEO of CMS Bank. Each of the judges will be on hand to speak and present an award.

Three winners will be chosen from the 27 finalists in the following categories:

Ӣ In business for 5-25 years

Ӣ In business for 26-50 years

Ӣ In business for 51-plus years

The event begins at 5:30 p.m. For reservations, please contact Holly DeBartolo at hdebartolo@westfairinc.com.

The finalists are: