Rockland County connects companies with incentives, programs and services that encourage business attraction, retention and expansion. Discover why so many companies have chosen Rockland County as their home!
Businesses of all sizes from a broad range of industries thrive in Rockland. Take a look at some of these company stories and read their testimonials on why Rockland is a great place for business! Does your company have a great story? Reach out and let us know!
“Rockland is sophistication, art, fashion, poetry, malls, young people, older people with stories. It’s culture, it’s religion, it’s diversification, it’s bright, and it’s beautiful.”
– Hope Wade
Hope Wade Designs was founded in 1991, after owner Hope Wade was laid off from a graphic design job. She needed to quickly design a dress to wear after receiving a last-minute gala invite. Hope stunned everyone at the event with her design, and friends began commissioning her to design dresses, for which she charged only $50 each!
A graduate of The Cooper Union, she had no formal training specifically in fashion design, and initially relied on the cutting and sewing skills she learned from her mother. Since then, Wade has built a name for herself in the world of fashion.
Her designs have been worn by many celebrities, most notably Darlene Love, who has worn Hope Wade Designs during performances on The Late Show with David Letterman Show and at The White House. Wade was also a top three finalist of Project Runway: A Critique by Tim Gunn,Wade has shown her designs on the runways of New York Fashion Week, London Fashion Week, and Caribbean Fashion Week in Kingston, Jamaica.
Being immersed in the creative community in Rockland County, Wade recognized that the region had enough resources, talent, and drive to have its own Fashion Week. Thus, in 2019, she founded and produced the very first Rockland Fashion Week. Celebrating its 5th Anniversary this year, Rockland Fashion Week brings together hundreds of spectators, designs, and models to the Palisades Center annually. In a bold move, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Wade opened a storefront boutique, Hope Wade Designs, which continues to thrive today in the artsy village of Nyack.
Unsurprisingly, she serves on the board of directors of the Nyack Business Council.Wade’s strong ties in the community have continued to drive her success. Leadership Rockland, the Arts Council of Rockland, and the Jamaican Civic & Cultural Association of Rockland (JAMCARR), where she serves as President, are just a few of the groups in which she is involved.
Her fundraising and service efforts have led to numerous awards and recognition, including the first Woman of Distinction Award by the State Assembly District 97 of New York, the Woman of Achievement Award from the Rockland Business Women’s Network, and most recently, the prestigious Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award.
Wade proudly noted the reasons why Rockland is the right place for her business in a piece about her in Hudson Valley Magazine: “Rockland is sophistication,” she enthuses. “Rockland is art, fashion, poetry, malls, young people, older people with stories. It’s culture, it’s religion, it’s diversification, it’s bright, and it’s beautiful.”
“Rockland County is a unique and supportive place to do business. Rockland’s nonprofit community has long-standing relationships with businesses. Collaboration is part of our culture.”
– Carlos Martinez, LMSW, Executive Director
BRIDGES is a community-based, peer-driven, cross-disability, not-for-profit organization dedicated to advocacy and leadership on behalf of people with disabilities, Veterans, and people formerly justice-involved. BRIDGES is one of 41 Independent Living Centers (ILC) operating in New York State under the auspices of New York State Education Department (NYSED). Each ILC adheres to a national philosophy of Independent Living (IL) that seeks to empower individuals with disabilities to make autonomous decisions regarding all aspects of living and advocating to ensure equal access to opportunities desired.
BRIDGES provides a broad range of programs and services, including peer counseling; independent living skills training; information and referral; transition support; transportation to and from medical appointments for Veterans to VA Hospitals in Montrose and Castle Point; and administers several grants to support access to employment and minor home repairs and renovations to foster accessibility.
BRIDGES has established strong partnerships within the business community. Businesses look to BRIDGES for education, support, and guidance on matters related to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Through its Entrepreneurship Incubator, a partnership with M&T Bank and Dominican University, business leaders mentor up-and-coming entrepreneurs as they work towards financial independence. BRIDGES also operates three “Independence Cafes,” which provide employment, as well as opportunities to showcase entrepreneurs and employers of people with disabilities, veterans, and people formerly justice-involved.
For more information about BRIDGES and how business partnerships contribute to their success, visit www.bridgesrc.org.
“Rockland County affords Werfen tremendous access to the talent and specialized skills needed to operate at a high level of excellence. The community provides a wonderful quality-of-life, with proximity to robust cultural opportunities, making the location desirable to employees. Additionally, the pro-business environment, focused on workforce development, provides opportunities for economic growth, and an active forum with local businesses to share input into policy development.”
– Scott Case, General Manager
Founded in 1966, Werfen is a worldwide developer, manufacturer, and distributor of Specialized Diagnostic instruments, related reagents, automation work cells, and data management solutions for use primarily in hospitals and independent clinical laboratories. The Company’s clinical areas of focus include Hemostasis, Acute Care Diagnostics, Transfusion, Autoimmunity and Transplant diagnostics. Werfen operates directly in more than 30 countries and in more than 100 territories through distributors.
Our facility in New York is the Technology Center for Hemostasis and Blood Gas Reagents. Here, we harness our passion for innovation to develop and manufacture reagents for use in our analyzers.
Bronx River Bottling, LLC is a family business that is owned and led by Rivka and Tami Bezborodko, a mother and daughter team. Manufacturing is part of the family history dating back to Russia in 1865 and Rivka and Tami are dedicated to preserving this legacy with a WBENC-certified women owned company.
The company was rededicated during COVID to produce high quality gourmet sauces and marinades in Valley Cottage, NY. With a passion for sourcing domestically, Bronx River Bottling is maintaining the made in America prestige. Dedicated to entrepreneurs and sauce innovators, Bronx River Bottling manufactures so that their customers can focus on growing sales. When asked why the company chose to move to Rockland County, Tami cited the well-networked business community and the location among the top reasons. The company has been happy in their new location since 2020. And, we agree with their company motto… ”Life is better with a little sauce!”
Indus Precision Manufacturing, Inc., is a full-service machine shop that provides a high-quality manufacturing service to customers in various industries across the country. Indus Precision Manufacturing, Inc., works with a diverse range of products and materials based on their collection of machining and engineering talent. Founded in 1997 in Congers, New York by Abraham Mathew, Indus Precision Manufacturing, Inc. started out as a one-room tool and die shop. Today, this family-owned and operated company has grown to fill a 15,000 square foot facility with over 20 machines.
“Rockland County has proven to be an excellent location for Indus,” according to Director of Operations, Manoj Mathew. “This is due to many reasons including proximity to New York City, accessibility to major highways and bridges, and opportunities across the Tri-state area. Our family is also in Rockland therefore making it easier to balance work/life or be accessible if needed.”
Indus Precision Manufacturing, Inc.
50 N. Harrison Ave., Suite 9
Congers, NY 10920
(845) 268-0782
www.indusmfg.com
“Rockland County’s competitive real estate pricing, prime location and access to readily available infrastructure are the attributes that have helped our company grow quickly over the years. Today, Caribbean Food Delights is largest frozen food manufacturer of Jamaican style patties in the world. I am proud to call Rockland my home!”
– Sabrina Hosang-Jordan, CEO
When the HoSang family needed a place to expand their frozen food division, Caribbean Food Delights, Rockland County came highly recommended by their realtor. The fascinating attributes for the frozen food manufacturer were the competitive real estate pricing, prime location and access to readily available infrastructure, which allowed them to scale quickly.
Since then, it’s been 28 glorious years in Rockland! Currently, Caribbean Food Delights is the largest frozen food manufacturer of Jamaican style patties in the world! Caribbean Food Delights has taken advantage of the numerous business opportunities, connections and corporate partnerships the county offers, earning a good corporate citizen reputation in philanthropy and giving back. Equally, their CEO Sabrina HoSang Jordan, a resident of Rockland for over 15 years, has also made quite an impact in the county, where she sits on numerous non-profit boards.