The East Meadow Chamber of Commerce starts the year with a remarkable milestone in celebrating its 70th anniversary, while welcoming this year’s chamber president, Ross Schiller of Ross L. Schiller & Associates P.C., a local real estate, trust and asset protection legal practice.
The new executive board will start 2026 strong at its annual Installation of Officers and Directors at the Coral House in Baldwin on Jan. 23.
“This is our 70th year, which is a true milestone,” he said. “The chamber not only looks to the past for guidance, but we look to the future and to all the events the chamber runs throughout the year, and our history really helps define who we are.”
Schiller has been a chamber member for seven years in addition to involvement in multiple other community groups including the East Meadow Kiwanis Club.
“It’s going to be a nice year for the chamber,” he said. “We’re looking to do many new things, and one of the important things that I want to do is (focus) on helping our small businesses and helping our local communities. I want to bring that; I want to do even more to bring that all together.”
Among the programs Schiller intends to support are various networking initiatives, including strategies for businesses to survive and thrive in 2026.
“We’re encouraging people to get more involved, and if they need the Chamber’s help, to reach out to us,” he said. “I’m trying to model our chamber in a way that we can provide for businesses the things that they need, whether it’s going to be brand new training on technology or A.I., introducing people to insurance programs, operating lines of credit, different things that can really help a business.”
Past President James Skinner Sr. is the owner of A&C Pest Management, a three-generation family business in East Meadow. Skinner, who was the president in 2001, encouraged other businesses in the region to join the chamber.
“Not every business in East Meadow belongs to the chamber of commerce,” he said. “It’s unfortunate because they really should… One of the biggest things that I’ve gotten at the chamber of commerce was mentors.
“I had other business members in the community who became longtime friends, who would sit there and be able to ask them a question. I think that’s where a lot of people miss out.”
This year’s 2026 Man of the Year Honoree is Past President Richie Krug Jr., a real estate associate broker as a part of the RTK Realty Group with Coldwell Banker American Homes. A lifelong East Meadow resident, Krug is heavily invested in supporting the community.
“I live here, I work here, and I give back here,” he said. “I was born and raised in East Meadow, and I chose to continue to raise my family here. My children are 10 and eight, Christian and Mackenzie — They walk the same elementary school hallways that my wife and I walked as children as well.”
Working with the chamber is an important way for Krug to keep fostering a healthy community for decades to come.
“70 years, holy moly, I’ve only been alive for 38 of them, but that’s a big deal and a true testament to how the community continues to work together to better itself year after year,” he said. “To have and to have Ross at the helm for year number 70, I couldn’t think of a better person… Listening to Ross over the course of the last few months, the ideas that he has coming down the pipeline are certainly going to bring that to the next level.”
Friends for a Beautiful East Meadow recently honored Krug with a $5,000 grant as a part of its Long Island Board of REALTORS, Inc. Spirit Award. The grant goes towards a charity of the honoree’s choosing.
For more information about the East Meadow Chamber of Commerce, visit EastMeadowChamber.com.
