Long Island's Brightest High School Students to Compete in the Fourth Annual Business Leadership Competition

The Young Professionals Chamber of Commerce ("YPCC"), a program of the Huntington Township Chamber of Commerce, hosted their Fourth Annual Business Leadership Competition at the Huntington Townhouse on Wednesday November 29th. Over 150 high school students from Commack, Elwood John Glenn, Half Hollow Hills East, Harborfields, Manor Plains, Northport, Walt Whitman, and Wilson Technological Center participated in this event.

The competition provided students the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge through presentations in the categories of Fashion Marketing, Hospitality Services, Advertising, Graphic Design, Real Estate, Sports Management, Sports Marketing, Entertainment Marketing, E-Commerce, Entrepreneurship, and Job Interview.

"I am proud of the tremendous success our competition has achieved," said Linda Mitchell, Executive Director of the YPCC. "In the last four years we have expanded the number of students that compete - clearly demonstrating the value and impact that a program like this can have for our local students, teachers and school districts. I'm always proud to witness first-hand the outstanding knowledge, confidence and composure of our future business leaders and it is wonderful to see the incredible work and wonderful presentations that each student demonstrates".

This event was made possible through the generosity of this year's sponsors: Assemblyman Andrew Raia, Briarcliffe College and Home Depot Commack South who helped defray the cost of the breakfast, the presentation luncheon, backpack bags for the participants and the award plaques. 2006

YPCC Business Leadership Competition Winners
Fashion Marketing: First Place Alexis Raia/Nicole Como Walt Whitman High School Second Place Nikko Siragusa/Laurel Martello Northport High School
Hospitality Services:First Place Dan Gerber Half Hollow Hills East Second Place Doug Mace Wilson Technological Center
Advertising First Place Caitlin Meuser/Katelyn Simone Walt Whitman High School Second Place Kayce Turner/Shannon Honeywell Harborfields High School Honorable Mention Niki Montazaran/Stavros Christophorou Commack High School
Graphic Design: First Place Suzy Peng/Angela Kim Elwood John Glenn High School Second Place Steven Intrabartola/Ryan Chatel Commack High School
Sports Management: First Place Matt Lubrano/Justin Saslaw Walt Whitman High School Second Place Andrew Benin/Armaan Gupta Commack High School
Sports Marketing: First Place Steven Haber Walt Whitman High School Second PlaceCory Ryan/Sam Ware Northport High School Honorable Mention Kyle Hall Northport High School
E-Commerce:First PlaceMatt Giambrone/Mike Abbene Walt Whitman High School Second PlaceVinny Benini/Dave Johnson Northport High school
Entrepreneurship: First PlaceRolanda Nelson/Meghan Debbie Elwood John Glenn High School Second Place David Rosen/Jenna Petsche Harborfields High School Honorable Mention Zaina Khan/Maria Reyes Wilson Technological Center
Entertainment Marketing: First PlaceSarah Miranda/Meghan DePace Northport High School Second PlaceMatt Kojac/Billy Richards Commack High School
Real Estate: First Place Ashley DiMattei/Salman Malik Commack High School Second Place Dan Levine/Zack Kiel Half Hollow Hills East High School
Job Interview (9th and 10th Grade): First Place Pavit Lamba Commack High School Second Place Desirae Lonetto Wilson Technological Center
JobInterview (11th and 12th Grade): First Place Ariel Durgana Commack High School Second Place Jennifer LaCara Walt Whitman High School
Job Interview: First Place James O'Connell Elwood John Glenn High School School Place Jeffry Nunez Manor Plains High School

The judges for the event included David Birnbaum, HSBC; Andrea Brovetta, Coach Realtors; Dominick Citera, AXA Advisors,LLC; John Cunningham, LI Pulse Magazine; Barbara DeMatteo, Portnoy, Messinger, Pearl & Associate; Eirika Edwardsen, Blackstone Steakhouse; Christopher Erckert, EVO Network; Aaron Foss, Alegean; Tara Filasco, You're Invited Too; Maureen Leslie, Adelphi University; Laney Liner, Poeticpetals, ltd.; Christopher LoPinto, Expert Travel Services; John McQuaid, Sylvan Learning Center; Manisha Narwani, Newsday; Alyssa Nightingale, Nightingale & Nightingale; Ellen O'Brien, Huntington Chamber of Commerce; Phil Perlman, Big Ideas; Cheryll Seaman, LI Pulse Magazine; Maria Sneden, Coach Realtors; Barry Sosnick, Five Towns College; Rachael Stalter, Dave & Busters; Dr. Lois Stein, Adelphi University; Melissa Trentadue, Newsday; David Walsdorf, Walsdorf Insurance Agency; Stacy Zager, Briarcliffe College.