Louis M. Panacciulli has just completed a three-year term as president of the Mineola Chamber of Commerce.  Prior to that, he served three years as vice president.

As president, Louis led the chamber board through many business and community events throughout the Village of Mineola. One such event is hosting the chamber’s monthly dinners, which are held in many of the village restaurants.

These dinners provide valuable networking opportunities for the chamber’s membership.

Invited guests and elected officials also present information on new legislation, services, and other relevant business topics. Member speakers are always given the opportunity to talk about their businesses as well.

Each year, the chamber awards a scholarship to a deserving graduate from Mineola High School and Chaminade.

These students receive awards of $2,000 each to show our appreciation for their hard work and ability to overcome obstacles in their young lives. We hope that this award makes their transition to college and career life a little easier.

The highlight of our year is the annual fall street fair, which takes place on Jericho Turnpike in the center of Mineola Village.

Each year, over one hundred vendors, members, service organizations, and food trucks line the street with their tables.  Live entertainment runs the entire day and thousands of residents and visitors attend the festivities.

Storefronts along Jericho remain open on this Sunday and enjoy the extra foot traffic the street fair generates.

The main goal of the Mineola Chamber of Commerce is to support the village’s business community. In addition to our larger projects, the chamber holds ribbon-cutting ceremonies for new businesses and promotes these and other member events through social and print media.

Of course, there are parades, sponsorships, holiday lighting programs, and our annual Wall of Honor ceremony, which chooses a deserving person, past or present, who has made a significant contribution to the Village of Mineola.

Louis is responsible for rewriting and developing the chamber’s by-laws and has provided the fiscal leadership necessary to successfully present these chamber events.

Louis worked for the Mobil Oil Corporation as a marketing representative, followed by a career in sugar commodities, working for a major sugar refinery in Yonkers and then as vice president of Lombard World Trade on John Street in NYC.

Louis ran his own company, JLB Commodities, for four years, and after his children finished college, he pursued his first love, music education.

Louis holds degrees in music education from Pace College, and New York University as a post-graduate.  He maintains his position as an adjunct professor in the music department of Nassau Community College and retired from full-time teaching in 2015 when he accepted a position on the Mineola Chamber Board.

Louis is the co-founder, conductor, and music director of The Nassau Pops Symphony Orchestra, a 60-piece symphony offering a repertoire of music from Broadway, television, and film.

The orchestra performs throughout Nassau and Suffolk counties and has built a reputation of community service performing benefits for local charities.

The orchestra’s most recent effort was this past October at the Tilles Center.  The orchestra and special guest Tony Danza raised $30,000 for Cerebral Palsy of Nassau County.

Louis is most proud to be honored as a top business leader. He thanks God for all of His blessings. Louis currently resides in Franklin Square.

My advice to other business leaders:  Keep your eye on the ball!