Westhampton Beach Business Alliance Event Rescheduled

WESTHAMPTON BEACH, NY — The first ever networking dinner of the new Westhampton Beach Business Alliance was rescheduled due to Wednesday's storm.

The meeting will now take place Thursday at 6:15 p.m. at The Claddagh, located at 141 Montauk Highway in Westhampton Beach. The meeting will feature guest speaker John Kennedy, Suffolk County Comptroller, Department of Audit and Control.

According to member and local business owner Elyse Richman, the Westhampton Beach Business Alliance was formed to support the local businesses who were seeking an alternative.

The group's first meeting was held at Simon's Beach Bakery Cafe in November, with more than 30 businesses and Westhampton Beach Village Mayor Maria Moore in attendance, Richman said.

So far, membership dues are not being charged to join the Alliance. "As we build momentum we will see where this takes us," Richman said. "Ideas will come from the needs we all see as businesses owners."

Top priorities, she said, will be promotion via social media marketing, networking dinners and events.

"As mom and pop owned businesses we all bring our own special talents to the table . Together with forward thinking and hard work we can promote our businesses and village as a great place to visit, work and live," Richman said.

And the time is right, she said, for new ideas. "There is a renaissance going on at the moment in the village with a new supermarket, a new shopping center on Sunset about to open and a new building under construction at the corner of Main Street and Library Avenue. There are developers that believe in this village," she said.

Also under discussion, she said, are a Main Street revitalization plan and the possibility of sewering "down the road." The idea of sewering has been pitched for years but so far has not come to fruition.

The goal of the new organization, Richman said, is to help keep business owners informed on news and events that will impact them.

Dinner costs $30; for reservations and information, email whbbusinessalliance@gmail.com.