August 1999

Chapter Happenings

Mid Hudson

By Gary J. Cassiello, Mid Hudson Chapter president

Greetings from the Mid Hudson Chapter. Located in the Hudson Valley, our chapter encompasses Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, and Ulster counties. We are the home of Franklin Roosevelt's birthplace; George Washington's last headquarters (yes, he did sleep here); the Catskill Mountains; and Palisades Center, the nation's second largest indoor mall. Our chapter's membership is mostly made up of small firms, sole proprietors, and members in industry. This means our members tend to be independent thinkers with diverse needs. In order to meet the needs of our members, we have restructured the Mid Hudson Chapter's activities to include more outreach by its committees, better CPE, and more social activities.

1999­2000 will see our committees reach out to its members and the community. We are encouraging members to call fellow members on committees for help in solving technical problems, hiring and retaining staff, practice management problems, succession planning, and the like. Committees also will offer bankers, lawyers, and the community access to committee members for assistance in technical areas (e.g. What is your interpretation of this new FASB or tax law?) and community service.

Our better CPE is coming from two sources. FAE has pledged, and delivered, more and better programs. At the chapter level, we will put on programs of local interest such as tax benefits in Economic Development Zones, sales tax issues, and medical consolidations.

Finally, our social activities for the year will include a golf outing, a dinner for bankers and lawyers, a scenic boat trip up the Hudson sponsored by our Young (and energetic) CPAs, and a trip to Yankee Stadium.

We could not meet the demands of this full schedule without the people who volunteer their time and talents to our chapter. I am fortunate to have the services of the officers, committee volunteers, and the board to assist us in the coming year.