It was a celebration of perseverance, entrepreneurship and accomplishment; the elements necessary to operate a successful business and help create a thriving, beneficent community were heralded last week by Rocky Point Sound Beach Chamber of Commerce at their annual gala and awards night.
Attended by local officials, community groups, and the business owners who make up the heart and soul of their thriving community, the event honored more than a dozen chamber achievement and honor award recipients. With names such the Hallock Lifetime Service Award, named in honor of one of the area’s early settlers, and the Cordwood Achievement Award, a recognition of the community’s history as a rich source of natural resources, the accolades went to a select group of distinguished citizens.
“The honors given to these residents show how important it is to support our community and our local merchants,” said Brookhaven Councilwoman Jane Bonner, a gala attendee, who noted how the entrepreneurs persevered through the COVID crisis and emerged on top. “They never lost their commitment to our community and they never stopped caring about us. It is wonderful that so many are being recognized.”
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Councilwoman Jane Bonner, RPSB Chamber President Gary
Pollakusky, and local business & community award winners
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Pollakusky, whose primary business is the full-service advertising organization Media Barrel LLC, helps lead a number of chamber events throughout the year including annual festivals, parades, art shows, live music, theater, history reenactments and holiday celebrations. “The gala and its honorees exemplify what makes a community vibrant and strong,” the chamber president said. “They are the heartbeat of Rocky Point and Sound Beach.”
The chamber’s Business of the Year Award went to Steve DeLuca and Dan Antino, owners of the Handy Pantry stores. “They kept their stores open during the COVID pandemic and made sure we had the essentials needed to survive,” Pollakusy said. “They are indeed our home pantries and went above and beyond in making sure we were taken care of.”
Receiving the Ralph Sorli Excellence in Service Award was retired Suffolk Officer Eric Dorfman, who was serving in the 6th Precinct when he helped deliver a baby boy in distress. Responding to a call from a Farmingville home, Dorfman and his partners cut and clamped the baby’s umbilical cord which was wrapped around his neck. They cleared the baby’s airway and were recognized for saving his life. After being forced to retire after a terrible on-the-job vehicle accident and months of rehabilitation, Dorfman focused on his community with involvement in fund raising and other activities. The award is named for county police officer Sorli who, after responding to a break in at a Rocky Point service station while off duty in 1977, was struck and killed as he crossed Route 25A.
The chamber’s Distinguished Public Service Award went to state Senator Anthony Palumbo, a former prosecutor in the Suffolk District Attorney’s Office who also served in the state assembly. The Senator has been an outspoken advocate for Suffolk County taxpayers and a strong proponent of law enforcement and the area’s first responders. As the ranking minority member on the senate Codes Committee, he has led the fight against the dangerous bail reform laws and is a vocal opponent of the anti-police rhetoric and policies coming out of Albany.
The founder of the Rocky Point Historical Society, Natalie Aurucci Stiefel, was honored with the Point of Light Award. Stiefel has been dedicated to preserving and illuminating the area’s rich heritage having helped preserve the 1721 Noah Hallock Homestead, a local landmark on both the state and national Registers of Historic Places. She has also been a driving force in recognizing and remembering residents who have served in our nation’s wars, according to Pollakusky.
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RPSB Chamber President, Gary Pollakusky announces
business and community awards
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Food for the gala was provided by Spiro Karachopan of the Sea Basin and Spiro’s Restaurant. He was the recipient of the Hallock Lifetime Service Award for his support and generosity toward his community. Tilda's Bake Shop provided the desserts for an event that was made possible by chamber member donations. “These folks have been supporting our community for as long as they have been in business,” the chamber president said. The event was held at the North Shore Beach Property Owners Association clubhouse.
The 2023 Chamber Award Winners are:
Business
Business of the Year | Handy Pantry | Steve Deluca & Dan Antino
New Business of the Year | Island Empanada | Roy & Kathy Pelaez & Jim Stevenson
Hallock Lifetime Service Award | Spiro Karachopan
Moeller "Spirit of Sound Beach" Award | Sound Beach Property Owners Association | Nicole Dionne-Kehlenbeck
Tuthill "Spirit of Rocky Point" Award | Personal Fitness | Ed Darcey
Not-For-Profit of the Year | Long Island Lending A Helping Hand | Dawn Lang & Donna McCauley
Major Benefactors Honor Award | Tuscany Market | Tom O'Grady
Cordwood Achievement Award | Sunburst Tree Experts Inc | Dave Jenkins
Cordwood Achievement Award | Streeff Tree Experts Inc | Martin & Jeanette Streeff
Community Service
Volunteer of the Year | Kathleen Elizabeth Weber
Commitment to Community Award | Nicole Aretz
Point of Light Award | Natalie Aurucci Stiefel, Rocky Point Historical Society
Distinguished Public Service Award | Senator Anthony Palumbo
Joseph A. Edgar "Service to Rocky Point" Award | Chief Sean McCarrick, Rocky Point Fire Department
William Harrison "Service to Sound Beach" Award | Chief Darran Handshaw, Sound Beach Fire Department
William Harrison "Service to Sound Beach" Award | Darryl Blasberg, Sound Beach Fire Department
Ralph Sorli "Excellence in Service" Award | 6th Precinct Officer Eric Dorfman, Suffolk County Police Department