Yorktown Chamber to Merge with Larger Hudson Valley 'Gateway' Organization

YORKTOWN, N.Y.—The Yorktown Chamber of Commerce is set to merge with the Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber of Commerce, according to an announcement from Karen Trendell, the organization’s president, sent in an email to the membership on Nov. 13.  

Set to transition at the start of the New Year, the combined organization will be known as the Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber. 

“Over the past few years, the Yorktown Chamber of Commerce has achieved remarkable milestones,” said Trendell, who is an unpaid volunteer leader of the organization. “As we assess our progress and engage in collaborative discussions with neighboring chambers, it has become clear that the time is right to explore new opportunities for growth and impact.” 

Founded in 1945, the Yorktown Chamber of Commerce promotes the economic development and growth of the town’s five business hamlets: Mohegan Lake, Shrub Oak, Jefferson Valley, Crompond, and Yorktown Heights. The chamber coordinates promotional programs and membership benefits with the goal of not just creating community connections, but also supporting local businesses.

Trendell was elected president in February 2022 after joining the chamber in 2020, where she assumed a board of director’s role and a seat on the Arts & Culture Committee, Yorktown News previously reported.

In the announcement, Trendell shared her hopes for the move, saying she believes it will benefit members and the organization, aiming to create stronger ties between the town and the broader Hudson Valley region. 

“By combining forces with the Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber, we will have access to a broader range of resources, programs and services designed to support and grow local businesses,” she wrote. She added that she believes “a consolidated chamber will represent a larger, more diverse business community, amplifying our collective voice and influence within the region. This will enable us to better advocate for the needs of our members and attract new businesses and investment to Yorktown.” 

The Yorktown Chamber of Commerce, Trendell said, has 204 members, and the Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber of Commerce has about 392 members.

Trendell said the merger will improve operations and efficiency. 

“A unified chamber will allow us to streamline operations, reduce redundancy, and focus on delivering high-impact initiatives that directly benefit our members,” she wrote to Yorktown Chamber members. “This efficiency will enable us to better serve you and address the challenges facing our business community.”

While Trendell said feedback from current members has thus far been positive, some Yorktown business leaders mourned the loss of a chamber centered on the local community.

Joe Visconti, a former president of the Yorktown Chamber, said he is disappointed with the move—and the state of the chamber. 

“The issues surrounding the chamber problems stem from poor management as seen by the influence shown by even suggesting a merger with HVGC,” Visconti said to Yorktown News. “Simply put, under these circumstances, the Yorktown Chamber will cease to exist one year from merger day.” 

During his and Michael Popp’s administration, Visconti said the chamber was “a healthy and vibrant, well-oiled machine.” 

At that time, he said the chamber had nearly 500 members and produced a festival that “donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to various charities.” Visconti said that the organization at the time ran 11 events each year, as well as 12 networking meetings. Both, he said, brought around 40 new members each time. 

“If this merger goes through, I will seriously consider resurrecting the old team and starting over,” he said. 

‘A unified chamber will allow us to streamline operations, reduce redundancy, and focus on delivering high-impact initiatives that directly benefit our members.’

—Karen Trendell

President, Yorktown Chamber of Commerce

Town Councilman Sergio Esposito, also a former president of the Yorktown Chamber, said he would continue to support the organization, but opposed the merger. Esposito first joined the chamber in 2008 and went on to serve in a number of roles, first as secretary, then vice president, and eventually, assumed the role of president.

He helped lead the town’s business community through the pandemic, offering training and details on the PPP (Paycheck Protection Program) loan process. During that time, Esposito said businesses from other towns looked to the Yorktown Chamber for guidance. 

Esposito recalled back in 2008, the chamber was “not doing well because of the death of Mr. [Jospeh] Roma.” 

Visconti, according to Espositio, purchased the name from Joseph Roma’s wife Grace for one dollar and resurrected the chamber, which he said has flourished and has maintained its mission to help the Yorktown business community thrive and prosper. 

Conversations surrounding a merger, Esposito said, are not new. 

“The question of a merge has been around for many years and has always been routinely dismissed,” he said. “ In the past, we always felt that we would not be able to offer the hyper-focus on our community that would be needed if not through a hyper-local organization.”

Despite this, he believes the move is well-intentioned. 

“The current chamber administration wants what is best for our community as a whole and would not do anything that would have a negative impact on our community in any way,” Esposito said. “I will continue to support the organization and I look forward to hearing further details about the merger.” 

When asked for a response to the concerns raised by her predecessors, Trendell sent the following statement:

“I can lay out all the positives of this decision, that is the easy part,” she wrote. “But in full transparency, it has been a difficult one to make, and one that was not made lightly. However, after careful consideration, the decision to merge with the Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber of Commerce will ensure Yorktown’s strong representation while providing members with greater resources, expanded reach, and long-term sustainability. 

“I understand and respect the concerns raised, including those from past presidents Joe Visconti and Sergio Esposito, and I struggled with this decision myself. However, gone are the days of a well-staffed office and steady sponsorships to support overhead. For the past three years, we have grown and led this chamber on the backs of volunteers, which is admirable but simply not sustainable. While I deeply respect their past leadership, they have not been active members or engaged with the chamber during my tenure as president, and I believe if they had all the details, they would understand this is the right decision for our community at this time.” 

While the announcement from Trendell last week was fait accompli (she said “it’s a go” when asked if there was a chance this doesn’t happen), she nevertheless solicited feedback from the members. 

“Your input is invaluable as we embark on this new chapter for our chamber and our community,” she wrote. 

A Google form provided in the announcement asks members to indicate whether or not they are in favor of the consolidation and leaves space for written feedback and opinions to be considered during the decision process.

“We are confident that this consolidation will bring immense value to the members of the Yorktown Chamber of Commerce and the businesses we serve,” Trendell wrote. “Over the coming months, we will be developing the most efficient and effective move-forward plan for Yorktown and HVGC to ensure a smooth transition to integrate our operations in a way that maximizes benefits to our members.” 

Brett Freeman contributed to this report.