Chamber honors Andrew Langus

CPA named Small Businessperson of the Year

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Longtime East Meadow resident Andrew Langus was honored on Oct. 17 by the Nassau Council of Chambers of Commerce as the community’s Small Businessperson of the Year.

Langus, who attended the now defunct Prospect Avenue Elementary School and Woodland Middle School before graduating from East Meadow High School in 1968, received his award at the 30th Annual Small Businessperson of the Year and Legislative Breakfast at the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury. Chambers of Commerce from across the county attended the breakfast, each with their own honoree.

Langus, 63, founded his own accounting firm, Andrew M. Langus, CPA, more than 30 years ago in Garden City. He joined the East Meadow Chamber in 2000, and is also a past president of the East Meadow Kiwanis Club. He is a longtime member and a board of director of the East Meadow Jewish Center, where he had his bar mitzvah as a child.

He received his Bachelor’s degree in accounting from Rider University, and his Master’s in taxation at Pace University. He is also an adjunct professor at Hofstra University, teaching accounting and taxation.

His two children, Jared, 37, and Allison, 35, are also East Meadow High School graduates.

At his accounting firm, Langus said he serves many clients in East Meadow, and has helped jumpstart many East Meadow businesses, which he said is very rewarding for him.

East Meadow Chamber President Stephen Haller, who selected Langus for the honor, said Langus serves as the Chamber’s personal accountant, and also helped the organization obtain its tax-exempt 501(c)3 status, helping them save a lot of money.

Haller said he enjoys rewarding members who he believes have not received the proper acknowledgement for their longtime service, and that Langus fit the bill. “He was deserving of the award because of his community service,” Haller said.

Langus, who recently moved to Great Neck, said he enjoys being an active community member. As a Kiwanian, he participates in the group’s food basket delivery to local families in need, which the group does three times a year, around Thanksgiving, Christmas and in April for Easter and Passover.

He said he’s also helped facilitate large donations to Kiwanis to help kids attend Kamp Kiwanis, which sends children to camp who otherwise would not have the financial means to do so.

Langus regularly delivers speeches to local community groups on the importance shopping locally. “Its very important to me that the small businesses in the East Meadow community are healthy and grow,” he said, “because it makes the community very healthy as well.”