Long Island Association

Long Island Association
Name	Long Island Association
Founded	1926
Headquarters	Melville, New York
Region served	Nassau County; Suffolk County; New York City
Leader title	President and CEO
Leader name	Kevin S. Law

Long Island Association is a regional business lobbying and economic development organization serving Nassau County and Suffolk County on Long Island. Established as a private sector convener, it brings together stakeholders from corporations, universities, labor unions, local government, and philanthropy to promote infrastructure investment, workforce development, and fiscal policy priorities. The organization engages in public-private partnerships, publishes research reports, and advocates before state and federal bodies including the New York State Legislature and the United States Congress.

History

Founded in 1926, the group emerged amid interwar regional planning conversations involving figures linked to Robert Moses projects and suburban expansion associated with the Long Island Rail Road and parkways. Throughout the mid-20th century the association intersected with redevelopment initiatives tied to the Sunken Meadow State Park era and the rise of Mitchell Field conversions. In the 1970s and 1980s it responded to fiscal crises that also engaged actors such as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Post-2000 activity included collaboration with institutions like Stony Brook University, Hofstra University, and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory on research and technology commercialization, and engagement with federal recovery programs following events like Hurricane Sandy.

Mission and Activities

The association's stated mission emphasizes regional competitiveness, workforce readiness, and quality-of-life enhancements through advocacy with entities such as the New York Power Authority and the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ). Programming has included convenings with corporate members from finance centers comparable to NASDAQ-listed firms, partnerships with nonprofit actors like United Way affiliates, and research distribution to policy forums including the Brookings Institution and regional planning bodies. It runs advisory councils on sectors represented by hospitals like Northwell Health, technology incubators connected to Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, and ports associated with the Port of New York and New Jersey.

Organizational Structure and Leadership

Operated as a membership-based nonprofit, governance comprises a board of directors drawn from CEOs of corporations, higher education provosts, and labor leaders from locals that interact with groups like the Service Employees International Union and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Executive leadership has included figures with experience in state-level offices and federal agencies such as former staff with ties to the New York State Department of Economic Development and the United States Small Business Administration. Committees align with sectors represented by members from the Long Island Rail Road, healthcare systems like North Shore-LIJ Health System (now Northwell Health), and development firms active in Hempstead and Islip.

Policy Initiatives and Advocacy

The association has lobbied on tax policy matters impacting entities such as Empire State Development Corporation and has advocated for transportation investments with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. It has promoted infrastructure priorities including airport access involving John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport, freight improvements connected to the New York and Atlantic Railway, and resiliency measures in response to storm damage from events comparable to Hurricane Irene and Hurricane Sandy. Policy initiatives have intersected with energy debates involving the New York Independent System Operator and environmental regulation debates with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

Economic Impact and Programs

The organization sponsors economic development programs that coordinate with research centers such as Stony Brook University Research Foundation and workforce pipelines tied to community colleges in the SUNY system. Initiatives have targeted small business support similar to Small Business Administration programs, technology commercialization like efforts at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, and transit-oriented development near stations on the Long Island Rail Road. It publishes economic indicators used by municipal planning departments, chambers of commerce such as the Hempstead Chamber of Commerce, and investment offices considering projects in areas near Garden City and Patchogue.

Membership and Partnerships

Membership spans corporate entities, academic institutions, healthcare systems, labor unions, and nonprofit organizations, including partners comparable to JP Morgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, regional utilities akin to PSEG Long Island, and universities like Hofstra University and Stony Brook University. Partnerships extend to regional planning agencies such as Nassau County and Suffolk County planning departments, transportation authorities like the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and philanthropic actors similar to the Robin Hood Foundation and local community foundations.

Criticism and Controversies

Critics have challenged the association's positions on tax incentives and development subsidies that mirror debates involving the Empire State Development Corporation and private developers, arguing such policies favor large corporations over small businesses or affordable housing advocates like Coalition for the Homeless. Environmental groups have contested its stances when clashing with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation on coastal development and resiliency. Labor advocates have occasionally disputed its workforce policy proposals in the context of negotiations with unions such as the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

Category:Organizations based in New York (state) Category:Business organizations