The Syosset Chamber of Commerce has built a well-deserved reputation in the community and new president Jim Tinnelly hopes to continue to enhance the great opportunities the chamber has to offer.

With the New Year brings a new president for the Syosset chamber and Tinnelly took over for Jerry Siegel, who boasted a successful year as president in 2002.

Tinnelly first got involved with the chamber when he attended a meeting approximately four years ago. He stopped in to a meeting after reading about it in the local paper and liked what he saw, "It was a good crowd and seemed like a viable organization so I decided to join and get involved," he said during a recent interview with the Syosset-Jericho Tribune.

After being a member for a year, Tinnelly took his post as second vice president and he was then bumped up to first vice president after another year. Tinnelly continued to move up the ranks in the chamber and is now president.

Tinnelly realizes the great success that the chamber has had over the last few years and plans to continue that. He has set some goals for himself and also for the chamber that he would like to implement over this next year.

He plans to expand the chamber's reach and to continue to expand the chamber's tradition of quality community and business events. "I also want to work closer with elected officials and improve the safety, appearance and business-friendly environment of the greater Syosset area," said Tinnelly, who also plans to improve the chamber's profile and strengthen ties with community leaders in the area and neighboring chambers of commerce.

"If more of us work together to improve the business and general environment, we can do more," said Tinnelly. "We want to encourage people to shop locally."

Tinnelly plans on expanding on the many events that the chamber hosts every year. There will still be a golf event and a holiday party, but Tinnelly hopes to add more networking parties this year. "The networking parties have been very successful and fun in the past," he said.

Although the name is the Syosset Chamber of Commerce, the chamber encompasses Jericho and Woodbury as well. "Syosset is the anchor for the three hamlets," said Tinnelly referring to Jericho and Woodbury. "I think Syosset pulls things together. We can't include everyone's name in the title of the organization, but businesses in those areas would benefit from the chamber as well."

Tinnelly is proud of the fact that more than 65 percent of the chamber's board this year are residents and/or past residents of the community. "We are not just people who come here to do business and leave. We have a stake here," said Tinnelly who has been a resident for 25 years and also has his business here.

Tinnelly's business, JT Financial Services, focuses on financial planning and financial services. He is a certified financial planner and trained through the Adelphi and C.W. Post systems. He also has an income tax preparation business and looks at people from a tax and an investment standpoint.

For more information about the chamber, or to join, call Jim at 496-4622 or Tricia Shannon at 921-5046 for an application.

The Syosset Chamber of Commerce meets on the second Thursday of each month at 7:30 a.m. for networking and 8 a.m. for the regular meetings. The meets are held at the Casey Center at St. Mary's Children and Family Services, 525 Convent Road in Syosset.