As New York moves forward with a regional restart initiative to reopen business across the state, Assemblyman Doug Smith (5^th Assembly District) today announced a newly appointed Emergency Small Business Task Force comprised of local business leaders across his district.

Smith said, “Our district has been at the epicenter of this pandemic. Countless families in our community have lost loved ones from this terrible virus. Today, I am announcing the creation of an Emergency Small Business Task Force with professionals who live, work, and have dedicated much of their lives to building our community. The purpose of this task force will be to facilitate an exchange of ideas, resources, and recommendations between the business community and elected officials at the state and local levels.”

Smith has made several well-known appointments to this task force, which consists of respected business owners across the community including:

• Chairman James Cotgreave, Cotgreave Insurance Agency, Ronkonkoma
• Rick Ammirati, Holbrook Chamber of Commerce President
• Kevin Hyms, Ronkonkoma Chamber of Commerce President
• Lenore Paprocky, Middle Country Chamber of Commerce President
• Michael Wentz, Farmingville Chamber of Commerce President
• Diane Caudullo, Medigas Service and Testing, Centereach
• Kevin Guilfoyle, Realty Solutions of LI, Holbrook
• Thomas Lohr, TechWorks Consulting, Ronkonkoma
• Marisa Pizza, SBS Promo, Farmingville

Task Force Chairman Jim Cotgreave said, “Each member of this task force is indirectly connected to hundreds, if not thousands, of business owners in our region. We expect to become a resource for area businesses and each other. The next several weeks will be the most crucial period to mitigate local economic damages in the wake of this crisis.”

Smith concluded, “Fifty-percent of New Yorkers are employed by a small business, this task force will be a resource for our local employers to safely reopen and get our people back to work as soon as possible.”