WESTWOOD—The Greater Pascack Valley Chamber of Commerce marked Small Business Month on Friday, May 8, with a morning program at the Westwood Public Library focused on practical resources for local businesses—and closed with a leadership transition intended to build on the chamber’s recent momentum.
Anthony Rizzo of Pascack Valley City Lifestyle was elected president of the chamber, succeeding Tony Pallogudis, who has led the organization through a period of renewed activity and stronger monthly turnout.
Rizzo said the chamber has grown significantly over the past several years, with meetings that once drew “five or six people” now regularly bringing out 20 to 30 attendees.
“The key is that we want active members,” Rizzo said. “We’re really looking for active members in the community that want to give back to the community and really help the small businesses.”
The chamber, which serves Emerson, Hillsdale, Montvale, Old Tappan, Oradell, Park Ridge, River Vale, Washington Township, Westwood and Woodcliff Lake, brought in speakers from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority and the Bergen County Division of Economic Development for a resource-heavy presentation on grants, technical assistance and business support.
Michelle Osorio, senior small business liaison with the NJEDA, outlined several state programs, emphasizing that many are noncompetitive: businesses that meet the qualifications and submit the required paperwork can move through the process without competing against other applicants.
Among the programs discussed was the NJEDA’s small business lease grant, which can help businesses that sign a new five-year commercial lease for street-level space of at least 250 square feet. Osorio said the program can pay 20% of annual lease payments for the first and second years, though she noted funding is currently limited.
She also highlighted the small business improvement grant, a reimbursement program that can cover 50% of eligible costs, up to $50,000, for façade improvements, furniture, fixtures and equipment. Osorio said the program is also open to home-based businesses, making it useful for entrepreneurs such as photographers or other professionals who have purchased equipment to operate their business.
Another program, the small business e-commerce support program, drew particular attention. It offers eligible restaurants, retailers and personal-care businesses help with websites, online ordering, booking platforms and search engine optimization, at no cost to the business, through approved consultants.
“For restaurants, retail and personal care businesses, this is low-hanging fruit,” Osorio said in substance, urging attendees to share the information with business owners who may not know the help exists.
The NJEDA presentation also covered a main street acquisition support grant, which can reimburse up to $50,000 in closing costs for businesses that purchase commercial property they will occupy, and a liquor license grant aimed at small restaurants purchasing certain inactive licenses.
Osorio also pointed business owners toward free and low-cost help from the New Jersey Small Business Development Center network, the Women’s Business Center and SCORE for those who need assistance with applications, business plans, marketing or other support.
Michael J. McPartland, deputy director of economic development for Bergen County, followed with county-level resources, including the Business Resource Network, a partnership with Bergen Community College that pairs local businesses with student interns to help with projects such as social media and marketing.
McPartland also encouraged businesses to use bergenforbusiness.com, which includes data tools to help companies compare their market position and identify opportunities. He said the county is also working on DiscoverBergenCounty.com, a platform intended to help visitors locate local businesses as major events bring more people into the region.
The morning also included chamber announcements, member updates and discussion of upcoming events, including a joint networking event with the Mahwah Regional Chamber of Commerce at Five Dimes Brewery in Westwood on June 4, the chamber’s Citizen of the Year event in October, and the presentation of scholarship awards at area high schools.
Rizzo moreover invited members to share a call for applications in the 2027 cohort of Bergen LEADS, the civic and professional development arm of Bergen Volunteers. The program’s application deadline is May 15.
Pallogudis said he was pleased to see Rizzo step up to the presidency.
“I’m just glad, three years ago, I asked him to be the vice president,” Pallogudis said, adding that the transition was part of the plan for continuity.
Rizzo said the chamber’s value is in connection, visibility and mutual care.
“We support each other, which is first and foremost,” he said. “We’re always looking to have events different places. If it’s a business that has a space that can host an event, that’s a great opportunity as well.”
Members also elected, by acclamation: Ralph Crespo, vice president; Greg Giardino, secretary; and Kenneth Baron, treasurer.
Disclosure: The Press Group, publisher of Pascack Press and Northern Valley Press, is a member of the Greater Pascack Valley Chamber of Commerce. The newspapers did not participate in the vote for the chamber’s Board of Directors.