Great Neck businessman Hooshang Nematzadeh said he was ready to work with local officials to mediate a remedy for the storefront vacancies that have plagued local business districts following his election last week to a two-year term as president of the Great Neck Chamber of Commerce.
During the chamber’s meeting last Thursday at The Inn at Great Neck, Nematzadeh succeeded Valerie Link, an account executive with Anton Publications, who served as the organization’s president for the past six years.
Nematzadeh was previously the chamber’s first vice president and has been a part of the organization for the past nine years.
“I like to make an impact and I like the chamber to make an impact,” he said. “We want to increase our membership. That’s a priority for us and help the new businesses in any way we can – in terms of guidance, in terms of participation, in terms of encouragement, in which ever way we can.”
Nematzadeh is president of Nemat Homes, a Great Neck business which develops and manages multi-family homes.
A native of Mashad, Iran, Nematzadeh first emigrated to the United States when he attended the University of Miami in 1961. He graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University with a bachelor of science degree in aeronautical engineering and later earn an MBA from the University of Bridgeport.
Aside from his career in developing local housing, Nematzadeh is a member of the Village of Kings Point Planning Board and is the executive vice president of the Iranian Jewish Federation of New York.
The Kings Point resident is also a member of the central board of the United Mashadi Jewish Community of America and is the chairman of its public affairs and higher education committee.
With an array of experience in business and local government at his disposal, Nematzadeh said he is ready to tackle the demands of leading the chamber of commerce.
“I have been part of the chamber for a number of years and of course it’s an honor,” Nematzadeh said. “I see it as an opportunity to help the community of course.”
And as president of the chamber, Nematzadeh said his primary focus will stay with generating business opportunities along Middle Neck Road.
“I think primarily the problem that we are facing right now is high vacancy rates of stores along Middle Neck Road,” Nematzadeh said. “This is to me a problem and a priority for the chamber to work with the local governments to alleviate this problem.”
Those vacancies reach anywhere between 11 to 20 percent of the local store fronts, depending on the section of Middle Neck Road in question, Nematzadeh said.
“To me, this is priority No. 1 for the chamber to tackle in cooperation with the local government and villages,” he said.
The first thing Nematzadeh said he plans to advocate for, in order to reduce accelerated local storefront vacancy rates, is a drop in taxes.
“Currently, the rate of taxation is so high that the landlords are unable to provide enough incentive for business to stay or attract businesses,” he said. “Of course, nationally we are in a slump. Of course, we’re in a recession. Our region is suffering, but the high rate of taxes under properties for the stores on Middle Neck Road and areas in Great Neck are ranging everywhere from $10 to $15 per square foot.”
With rent, which Nematzadeh said ranges anywhere from $18 to $30 per square foot for local businesses, the incoming chamber president also suggested another adjustment to be made to help local merchants.
“What I have advocated is for local village and county (officials) to work with incentive zoning to provide a return on real estate development investments in such a way that the developers or landlords can return part of it to their tenants as a partial abatement,” Nematzadeh said.
Nematzadeh said it is a plan similar to ones implemented in New York City.
“We advocated that and some of the villages are receptive to that and there are some movements to that, but we have to partner with the local villages and government to bring it to a faster pace of implementation,” he said.
With nearly a decade of working the chamber behind him, Nematzadeh is ready to begin the next chapter of his tenure with the organization.
“Our primary purpose,” he said, “is to promote business in Great Neck in our nine villages.”
Other chamber officers inducted during the meeting were, first vice president Dennis Grossman, second vice president Steven Tuchler, third vice president Joe Glenn, secretary Elliot Rosenblatt and treasurer Steven Kocoris.
