[Fredslist] Gothamite in the News

[Corey Bearak]

Nice article in Queens Chronicle on Queens Chamber ED Tom Grech, a 2014 Gotham Green Award® winner and member of our tribe

http://www.qchron.com/editions/queenswide/biz-booster-brings-energy-to-the-job/article_aab37509-7099-583e-a73c-aef5d2be82dd.html <http://www.qchron.com/editions/queenswide/biz-booster-brings-energy-to-the-job/article_aab37509-7099-583e-a73c-aef5d2be82dd.html>

Rather than "pollute" Fredslist, please email your congrats to tgrech at queenschamber.org <mailto:tgrech at queenschamber.org> 
Biz booster brings energy to the job
by Peter C. Mastrosimone <mailto:PeterM at qchron.com>, Editor-in-Chief | Posted: Thursday, February 11, 2016 10:30 am

Biz booster brings energy to the job 1
Queens Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Tom Grech would like to see Connecticut officials trying to lure businesses out of New York go back to their own state.
While Queens Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Tom Grech says he doesn’t make political statements, it would seem unlikely that he’d “feel the Bern,” as supporters of democratic socialist Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential run like to say.
“I’m a capitalist,” Grech said without reservation during a recent interview. “I want people who join the Queens Chamber of Commerce, whether it’s at the introductory level, the corporate, or the major corporate, to feel that they’re getting their money’s worth — and that’s why I’m so adamant about them being able to reap the benefits of being a chamber member.”
And he’s ecstatic about the job he took last July, leading the nearly 1,000-member chamber.
“It’s the best job I’ve ever had,” he said. “I love every minute of it.”
Just as Borough President Melinda Katz has her mantra “If it’s good for families, it’s good for Queens,” Grech says, “If it’s good for businesses in Queens, it’s good for the Queens Chamber of Commerce.”
One way he’s working to make sure members get the best bang for their buck is focusing on the chamber’s committees, such as those for energy, real estate, manufacturing, education and restaurants and hospitality that zero in on one sector of the economy. Among the new panels being established now are ones for the nonprofit sector and healthcare and wellness, and the Information Technology Committee will be renamed and refocused.
“I think the committees are a great way to engage people,” Grech said.
Grech is an Astoria native — his parents were introduced at the 16th birthday party of future City Council Speaker Peter Vallone Sr. — and now lives in Malverne, LI. He comes from the energy sector, most recently handling business development for CCI Energy Solutions, a firm that helps building owners and managers convert from heavy heating oil to cleaner alternatives including natural gas.
Regarding energy production, Grech said he likes the use of geothermal heating, which uses buried water pipes to draw heat from below ground, and that in 30 years or so technology will allow solar and wind power to be more competitive with fossil fuels.
He thinks that “over the course of time” New York State should allow hydrofracking for natural gas in certain areas upstate, a position opposed by most city officials fearful of water contamination; and that the Indian Point nuclear power station should not be shut down until another source is online to provide 25 percent of the city’s electricity, as the plant does.
Energy of another kind is something Grech exudes, with his rapid speech and quick answers to every question posed to him during the interview with the Queens Chronicle editorial board.
Asked about the new city law barring supermarkets that buy out competitors from firing any employees for 90 days, Grech said it’s “one I have a hard time getting my head around” and an example of “too much governmental control.”
He also opposes the Move NY plan that would impose tolls on the now-free East River bridges, including the Ed Koch-Queensboro. The proposal’s backers say other bridge tolls would be lowered in a trade-off, but that doesn’t do anything to sell Grech on the idea.
“We have people knocking on our doors and saying, ‘We’re not sure the people promulgating that understand that my delivery trucks, my service trucks, make multiple trips on a daily basis over the 59th Street Bridge into Manhattan.’ How do we address that? That’s an issue where we came out and said we’re opposed to congestion pricing if it’s not going to add value to the people that pay those tolls every day.”
One new regulation he’s undecided on — which so far has been blocked by court action following an industry lawsuit — is the “Styrofoam” ban, which would force a change in how many businesses package food and drinks.
One focus of the chamber, Grech said, is hitting the streets to see what small business owners in particular could use help with, such as restaurants looking to maintain their Grade A rating.
And he recommended that elected officials do the same, to hear the concerns of mom-and-pop merchants and other entrepreneurs firsthand.
“It would behoove anybody that’s involved with setting policy in the City of New York to go out and understand the true need of the business people, the people who own businesses, who put their life savings at risk to go do the things they do,” he said.
On one issue always controversial in Queens, Grech said he does not believe the borough is overdeveloped, “as it stands now.” But he said infrastructure such as the subway system does need to be improved as more large buildings go up.
Asked about Katz’s touting of Jamaica as a place ripe for revitalization — and the concern that the area has been called the next big thing in the past, without seeing the promised turnaround — he said her focus on it will make the difference.
“I’m a big fan, a big believer in what Borough President Katz is trying to do,” he said. “I think she’s dead-on right and focused on getting Jamaica developed.”
One thing he’s not a big fan of is the influx to New York of Connecticut officials “with bags full of money to cover relocation expenses” trying to get businesses here to move there.
And “the funny part,” he added, is that the Constitution State runs radio ads trying to lure businesses by saying they’ll be near to New York. “My perspective is, why leave in the first place?”
Corey B. Bearak, Esq.
Government & Public Affairs Counsel
Networker of the Year-2012| co-chair, GOtham GREEN | Gotham Towers | LI Legal | co-chair, Brooklyn Power Breakfast | co-chair, Staten Island Gotham  | Gotham Sponsorships Chair
P.O. Box 135, Glen Oaks, NY 11004
(718) 343-6779 ♦ facsimile (888) 379-3492
Corey at CoreyBearak.com <mailto:Corey at CoreyBearak.com> ♦ StrategicPublicPolicy.com <http://strategicpublicpolicy.com/> ♦ Bearak on Twitter <http://twitter.com/Bearak>
Author, The Public Ought To Know <http://intelligentarts.net/the-public-ought-to-know>, available on Kindle <http://tiny.cc/lt6wpx> and Nook <http://tiny.cc/wx6wpx> and Apple devices <https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-public-ought-to-know/id945807340?mt=11>
If you receive this email and did not request it, please reply and I will kindly remove your email address from the list.
This Internet Email Transmission may contain Confidential or Privileged Information which is intended only for use by the individual or entity for which the transmission is addressed. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, dissemination, copying or distribution of this transmission is strictly prohibited. If you have received this transmission in error, please notify this office by telephone immediately so that we can arrange for the return of the documents to us at no cost to you.
[sent from my MacBook Pro]

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://www.gothamnetworking.com/pipermail/fredslist/attachments/20160211/ce9fbf5f/attachment.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 56bcbec9bf5ba.image.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 44114 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://www.gothamnetworking.com/pipermail/fredslist/attachments/20160211/ce9fbf5f/attachment.jpg>