The Long Island Association Celebrates its Centennial in 2026

The Long Island Association Celebrates its Centennial in 2026

The region’s leading business organization that advocates for economic growth launches its 100th anniversary celebration

Melville, NY – The Long Island Association (LIA), a non-profit and non-partisan organization, today announced the celebration to commemorate its 100th year of advocating for the region’s business community and economy. 
Originally called the Long Island Chamber of Commerce, the organization was created to “tell the world about Long Island," according to an April 1926 New York Times article, and promote its special quality of life and the significant opportunities for business expansion. It was a priority for the nascent organization to attract companies from New York City to locate on Long Island and encourage new infrastructure and roadways to spur population growth.
 
Over the past 100 years, Long Island has transformed from potato farms and beach cottages on the cusp of becoming America’s first suburb, to an economic engine unto itself that is recognized for world-changing technological breakthroughs, international companies in sectors including manufacturing and life sciences, prestigious academic institutions, vibrant downtowns with small businesses, and thriving tourism and cultural attractions. The LIA’s regional leadership has played a direct role in shepherding progress by urging for government policies and funding that created jobs for people who sought the suburban way of life. 
 
Since 1926, the LIA has transformed as well, maintaining advocacy at its heart and securing billions of dollars in investment for economic development while introducing unparalleled opportunities for businesses to network and build relationships to accelerate their growth. This includes the annual luncheons with speakers including former Presidents, Vice Presidents, Governors, and sports legends, and new initiatives through the LIA Foundation, the not-profit’s charitable arm, that support small businesses operating in Nassau and Suffolk Counties through direct grants.
 
Today, the LIA debuted its new 100th anniversary logo that illustrates how the organization is a beacon for Long Island. Over the next year, the LIA will commemorate its Centennial by sharing important moments in its past, present, and future on its new 100th anniversary webpage – www.longislandassociation.org/lia100 - and on its social media channels, featuring key accomplishments.
 
The festivities will culminate in a Centennial Celebration on November 4, 2026, that will be guided by a newly formed Centennial Committee of the Board of Directors and honor business leaders who have played a key role in the ascendance of the LIA.
 
Matt Cohen, President & CEO of the Long Island Association, said, “Over the course of a century, the Long Island Association has played an instrumental role in transforming the region from a bedroom community of New York City to a dynamic, vibrant place to call home with its own diverse, bustling economy that offers exciting opportunities for professional success. With a proven legacy of accomplishments, our nationally recognized organization will continue to capitalize on our assets, confront various challenges, and ensure that Long Island’s future is bright, sustainable, and maximizes our full economic potential.”
 
Larry Waldman, Chair of the Long Island Association said, “For an organization to last 100 years, it must have a clear mission that is achievable with strong leadership that advances its goals. The LIA has been a staple of Long Island and influential in ensuring our region’s success because it was and continues to be driven by the business community who help usher in continued economic growth. Our economy doesn’t shape us, we shape it, and it’s up to us to ensure that we can create jobs – the best social program - and people can afford to live in this beautiful place we call home.”
 
The bylaws of the Long Island Chamber of Commerce were adopted by the founding Board of Directors on July 1, 1926, and the name was changed to the Long Island Association Inc. in June 1934. From its beginning, the LIA has been a partnership of a cross-section of all industry types and sizes collaborating to address issues impacting Long Island’s growth, and the earliest known “convention” of regional business leaders was held in 1928 at the Hotel Pennsylvania in Manhattan (where the organization was originally headquartered) to examine challenges and discuss solutions. Some of the issues that were discussed in 1928 included highway traffic, parks, public health, sanitation, agriculture, and aviation. Today, the LIA is laser focused on ensuring that we can address the existential cost-of-living crisis on Long Island, which is more acute in our region than other places in the state and country, and grow the private sector by helping them to innovate and create jobs.