Frank Urso has been the president of the Syosset Chamber of Commerce since its inception three years ago. He recently stepped down turning the chamber's presidency over to Jerry Siegel.

In September of 1997, a group of 20 local merchants, including Urso, met with now Nassau County Presiding Officer Judy Jacobs (D-Woodbury) who got the chamber back together, as it had been dormant for approximately 18 years.

Immediately, Urso took a leadership role in the newly founded Syosset Chamber of Commerce. He decided to do something for the holidays in Syosset and thus began the annual tradition of a holiday lighting ceremony in downtown Syosset. "That first holiday ceremony was made possible because of all of the merchants," said Urso.

In January 1998, the Chamber's by-laws were already in place, as members had been working on them for three months. At that first Jan. meeting, Urso was elected president of the chamber.

The goals Urso set at the beginning of his term, he feels, he has more than exceeded. "We got tremendous contributions from the merchants and we now work closely with many civic groups including Residents for a More Beautiful Syosset," said Urso. "We have made great strides bringing in new business and we have also made a community that merchants can be proud of."

Another major goal set by the chamber was to get the membership up to 200 and that was accomplished. Also, the Village Planning Committee was formed and, according to Urso, they have done an excellent job with the parking situation.

"People are getting used to seeing a town come alive now and they are used to the events that we have planned, like the holiday festivities," said Urso. "Before, nothing was going on and no one wanted to take charge. Syosset was not something that merchants could be proud of like they are now."

After three years of service, the responsibilities became exhausting to Urso, who is the co-owner and broker at Long Island Reality, Inc. in Syosset, the president of the North Shore Realtors Association and the President of the Sons of Italy of Syosset. These responsibilities, on top of spending time with his family, became overwhelming.

"It was my choice to step down as president," said Urso. "There were too many phone calls and too many demands. The president of the chamber of commerce is sometimes mistaken for the mayor of Syosset - residents asked for me with every little thing that went wrong. I just thought it was time that someone else step in. We built a strong program and a good base for them to start with."

Jerry S. Siegel is now the new president of the chamber. "Jerry has a strong background in management and he should fit into the program very well," said Urso. "He is an executive type of person who has a lot of programs in mind that he wants to get going with. He is going to be more of a full-time president."

To help alleviate some stress from the position of president, the chamber decided to elect two vice-presidents and now there is a vice president and a first vice president.

Urso is still a member of the board of directors and known as past president to members of the chamber. He will be contacted many times for his extensive knowledge of what has taken place in the past.

Urso will also be involved with the new businesses entering Syosset and will be in charge in the local grand openings. When a new business opens in town, the chamber does the publicity and holds a ribbon cutting ceremony. "I stepped down, but I want to still be involved in the community," said Urso."