History

LIA Timeline

1926-Small group of business leaders meet informally for four years before incorporating as the Long Island Chamber of Commerce on July 26, 1926

1926-Meade Dobson, a former reporter for a New York magazine, was hired by the Chamber's Board of Directors as the first managing director. He would serve for 26 years.

1926-The Chamber's first offices are established at 20 West 34th Street in Manhattan.

1926-1927-Arthur S. Somers, a prominent member of the New York City Board of Education is the first Chamber President.

1928-The Chamber, which is now made up of 800 members and 10 special committees, sponsors the first Long Island Convention. More than 350 people representing civic organizations and communities on the Island attend. Robert Moses is a guest speaker.

1929-Chamber offices moved to the Pennsylvania Building at 225 West 34th Street, Manhattan, and leased through the Long Island Rail Road.

1930-Long Island Chamber creates its first Long Island office in the Nassau-Suffolk Bond Building located at 471 Franklin Avenue, Mineola. While keeping Manhattan as main office.

Early 1930s-Chamber successfully lobbies for the extension of Sunrise Highway through Suffolk County.

1936-Organization's names officially changed to Long Island Association.

Late 1930s-LIA supports dedication of 17,000 acres in Nassau and Suffolk for recreational use, including Jones Beach State Park and Robert Moses State Park Country Club.

1939-LIA raises $30,000 for the Long Island Exhibit at the World's Fair in Flushing. LIA reps hand out 50,000 informative booklets about Long Island.

1941-LIA creates Committee on Promotion, which publishes a Long Island guide book and the magazine Long Island Forum.

1944-45-To help soldiers make the transition to home life, LIA sponsors successful forums on small businesses, realty, and post-war education, which were attended by thousands of Long Islanders.

1947-Successful stockbroker Edward F. (E.F.) Hutton is guest speaker at the LIA's annual meeting.

1949-The LIA formally resolves to move its headquarters from the Pennsylvania Station location to the Garden City Hotel, and focus efforts on the two counties of Nassau and Suffolk.

1951-LIA with help from Hofstra, Adelphi and then Long Island Agricultural and Technical Institute, surveys 750 firms. The compiled data forms the most comprehensive report on Long Island industry to date.

1953-LIA initiates Long Island Hall of Fame. First members were William Floyd, Walt Whitman, Robert Moses, Theodore Roosevelt and noted historian Benjamin Thompson.

1954-LIA opens branch office in Patchogue.

1956-LIA represents more than 1,600 businesses

1959-LIA moves its offices to 230 Old Country Road in Garden City. The organization forms its first Government Affairs Committee and is influential in forming Long Island Better Business Bureau.

Early 1960s-Transportation concerns are a top priority for the LIA. A study by the Area Development Council of the LIA reveals that the Island's industrial expansion had set records among the eastern states of the U.S.

1966-LIA officially changed its name to the Long Island Association of Commerce and Industry and relocated to its headquarters to Jericho Turnpike in Westbury.

1966-LIA supports Brookhaven National Lab's efforts to be designated to build a 200 billion electron volt accelerator by the Atomic Energy Commission.

1968-William J. Casey, CIA Director in the mid '80s, was elected the LIA's 17th president.

1970-LIA holds its first World Showcase at the World Trade Center.

1973-The Association supports legislation to standardize educational goals in public elementary and secondary education.

Mid-late1970s-LIA's Environmental Task Force conducted several studies regarding development of the Long Island Sound shoreline. Transportation issues involve supporting a cross-Sound bridge and Concorde landings at JFK airport.

Early-1980s-LIA supports development of off-shore drilling, new power plants and solar energy.

1983-LIA merges with Long Island Committee for Action and Walter Oberstebrink is elected as the Association's first full-time president.

1986-Long Island Magazine is launched by the LIA.

1987-Long Island economy on a fast track despite the closing of Fairchild Republic and downsizing at Grumman, Eaton/AIL and Unisys.

1988-Recognizing the need for affordable housing on the Island, the LIA Housing Committee spawns the Long Island Housing Partnership. Board of Directors adopts a position paper on Shoreham stating, "the plan is too costly for ratepayers."

1991-Long Island Economic Summit held bringing together business, government, civic and labor leaders to discuss, "Long Island's Economic Future." Summit helps create the New Long Island Partnership, a private-public partnership created to advance the economic development goals of the region.

1994-LIE HOV Lane from exits 49-57 open. Commuters were reluctant to use the lane at first.

1994-LIA moves into expanded and modernized facility at 80 Hauppauge Road in Commack-the organization's current home.

1994-LIA launches the LIA Health Alliance, New York State's first and the nation's largest, regional health care purchasing cooperative.

1994-In planning for the 1994 Summit, the LIA holds open meetings in each of the Island's 13 townships in order to hear issues from the public on taxes, jobs and education. The input from the meetings in addition to 16 regional studies and recommendations from the 1991 Summit were compiled to create more than 250 agenda items on the Long Island Action Plan

1995-LIA launches its website www.longislandassociation.org.

1995-Project Long Island launched-the LIA's economic development effort aimed at revitalizing the Island's high tech manufacturing sector.

1996 LIA instrumental in creating legislation to establish the All School Voting Day to encourage more public participation by having all school districts vote on the same day.

1997-Long Island Software and Technology network (LISTnet), an independent, not-for-profit organization committed to promoting Long Island as a high tech region and representing its information technology companies, is created by the LIA.

1997-First time survey of LIA membership is conducted which identifies networking and lobbying as top member priorities.

1998-LIA holds the first annual Long Island Corporate Gold Championship at the Meadow Brook Club in Jericho.

1999-LIA is active organizer to help bring the Empire State Games to Long Island for the first time.

1999-The LIA launches the Long Island Works Coalition, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to uniting Long Island businesses, educators, parents and students is an effort to address the skilled workforce shortages in our region.

2002-LIA Partners with Newsday to publish BusinessLI Magazine.

2003-LIA creates Long Island Goals Conference bringing together the region's leaders in business, academia, technology and myriad other areas to review current issues and provide proactive solutions.

2005-LIA moves its offices from 80 Hauppauge Road in Commack to its current location at 300 Broadhollow Road in Melville. The move is lauded by members who like the new centralized location.

2006-With American Image Publishing, the LIA publishes "Long Island: Reflections on a Miracle," a coffee table book about the history of Long ISland, its people and places. The book is written by Gary W. Wojtas and features the photography of Bruce Bennett studios.

2006-LIA and Long Island Business News enter into a new aagreement to publish Long Island Magazine. The publication's content is upgraded to become more of a Long Island lifestyle publication.

2006-LIA celebrates its 80th anniversary as Long Island's leading and largest business organization.

2007-LIA upgrades and re-launches its website, changing the name to LIAonline.org. New site, developed by Invision, is more user friendly and provides many networking opportunities for members. Also highlights LIA's newest level of membership, emembership.