Joseph Garofalo
Northport Baptist Church
Website: www.nbc.org
He's back. After taking a brief hiatus when his son, James, was born, Joe Garofalo rejoined the HIA Board of Directors in 1999. He had stepped down only six months before his term as President would have ended to enjoy the newest member of the Garofalo family. James is four years old now and starting pre-school in September, but Joe is busier than ever. But, back in 1997 Joe took a step back and prioritized his obligations: growing family, growing business, and comittments to business and professional associations. All required setting a balance. "I'm still in that mode a little bit," he said. "I have to re-examine everything and get back to basics on a regular basis." Joe's family moved to Commack from Valley Stream just after he finished high school. Today, Joe and his wife Karen, a computer consultant to medical companies, still call Commack home. After completing two years of study at SUNY Old Westbury, he started his advertising career at Long Island Business News in 1979. He continued his studies at New York Institute of Technology while working and earned a degree in marketing and communications. It's not surprising that Joe chose to attend a Long Island academic institution since his business is writing about and promoting Long Island as a business and visitor destination. "I never really thought about going off-Island for college," he recalled. "I enjoy the Island, in fact, now I make my living talking about how great Long Island is. A benefit of writing about Long Island is he has come to learn a lot about it. Some of our publications deal with history," he noted. "So I guess we know more facts and figures than most people." In 1986 a friendship became a partnership when Joe and LIBN co-worker, Bob Lipper, formed Island Metro Publications. Fifteen years later they now produce eight publications including This Month on Long Island and the Long Island Travel Guide (produced for the Long Island Convention and Visitors Bureau). Their newest enterprise, Inside Long Island Parks, has just made its debut. The glossy magazine, which is distributed free to everyone who purchases a Nassau, Suffolk or New York State Park Pass, is a cooperative venture with Newsday featuring parks in both counties. Over the past 15 years a lot has changed on the Island and their publications reflect those changes. "Tourism, went from being an infant to becoming the largest industry on Long Island," Joe said. "We've watched it evolve and in some way participated in its growth." Similarly, they reported first-hand on our declining dependence on the defense industry. "What we've seen is the Island begin to embrace technologies that were apart from defense contracting." Ever since Island Metro Publications joined the HIA in 1991 Joe has been a very active member. As Chairman of the Business Development Committee early on, he was elected to the Board in 1992, ultimately rising to Secretary and Vice President before becoming President. The number of committees grew over that period and two new committees were spun off of the Business Development Committee during his tenure. Now called the International Trade Committee, the Export Committee began as a sub-committee of Business Development. Similarly the Education Committee had its roots in the Business Development Committee but had such important and valuable work to do that the HIA decided to make it a separate entity. Joe also volunteers for the fledgling Atlantic Philharmonic which gave its premier performances at Hofstra University's theater and the Patchogue Theater over Memorial Day weekend. As a member of its Board of Directors, Joe is very proud of how far the orchestra has come in the two short years since it was formed. Their next season will begin in October, and if the first concert offerings are any indication, he is sure it will be a resounding success. Joe was also recently appointed to the Board of the SUNY Old Westbury College Foundation. The board has undergone a major restructuring in the past few months and according to Joe the new College President, Dr. Calvin Butts, will quickly get the Foundation back on track. He's especially pleased to be helping the school he once attended. While family will always be their first priority, the Garofalos are very active in their church. Members of the Northport Baptist Church, where Joe plays guitar during Sunday School services, they participate in a number of the Church's ministries. And despite being active in the HIA, he found time to serve on the Board of the Long Island Convention and Visitors Bureau for the past six years. "My tenure with the HIA has been invaluable for my business - both directly and indirectly through contacts I've made and some of the things I've learned in seminars," Joe said. "I've been able to learn a lot from other members and being on committees that has helped me develop my own business know-how."
|
