Good afternoon.

Hi, I'm Catherine White, Executive Director of the New Rochelle Chamber of Commerce, and I'm proud to welcome everyone here to the opening of the Tennis Innovators Academy.

This is a great day for New Rochelle.

It's got so many New Rochelle connections, it's hard to even get them all in one sentence.

But we're thrilled to see a facility built by a New Rochelle developer, a business that is now new to New Rochelle, but also collaborates with another New Rochelle chamber member, North End Fitness, in their fitness center, and then all the New Rochelle people who are already members and playing tennis.

So it's a great day for Neurochell, and we're so thankful for everyone coming out.

With that, I'd like to introduce the number of guests who've come out today with us.

Of course, first we have Mayor Nadir Ramos Herbert.

We have Todd Costado, Deputy City Manager.

We have Adam Solgado, he is the executive director of the IDA, and of course, Commissioner of Development.

Also from Development, Deputy Commissioner for Haventura, Director, Kevin Jimenez, Mariana Huseba, Small Business Relations.

We have Kevin Kane, Director of Planning and Sustainability.

From the IDA itself, we have the chair, Robert Balashandron.

We have Felon O'Malley.

From City Council, of course, we're well represented here today.

We have Matt Stern.

We have Shane Ocean Loyer, who is also an IDA member, and we have Martha Lopez, who is also the director of women in minority owned businesses for Westchester County.

Speaking of Westchester County, we also have Sherry Asher here with us today.

She is the director of policy and programs for small businesses in chambers of commerce in Westchester County.

We have Terry Clements, who is Westchester County legislator here with us today.

We have also chamber members Carol Borella, Glenny Orojas, and President of Iona University, Dr.

Seamus Carrie.

We also have great support today here from New Rochelle Police, so NRPD shout out.

Thank you for always supporting us.

Of course, we wouldn't be here today without the managing partners.

We have from the young companies Bob Young, Donna Young, and Connor Young.

And of course, the man of the hour from the Tennis Innovators Academy, Cesar Andrade.

So welcome everyone, and thank you all for coming out to support.

Now I'd like to bring up Mayor Yadira Ramos Herbert to say a few words of welcome.

Thank you, Catherine.

Dressed a little less uh mayoral today because tennis is my arguably one of my loves.

I played in high school, college, stopped and picked it up through COVID.

Um and it's taught me so many lessons, fitness, mental health, and friendships.

But what I really love about the project that Bob Young and Caesar have brought here, in addition to just another way for residents to be fit, be healthy, build community, is they're also going to give back to our kids from the school district and from the community.

They're still working out some of the details.

But I learned how to play tennis through a free program in Queens called the New York Junior Tennis League, and it changed my life.

Tennis would have otherwise have been prohibitive.

So I'm excited that some of our kids are going to get introduced to tennis and maybe find another lifelong love like I have.

So thank you, Bob.

Thank you, Caesar.

Thank you to young families for just always investing in your community.

You really do.

You invest, you bring really great quality opportunities for us to come together, and we're lucky to have you.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mayor.

And now the chair of the IDA, Robert Balaschandrin.

Thank you.

Wow.

Right.

I mean, honestly, everyone stop and just take a look at what we have here.

It's phenomenal.

And it's just shows a lot of things.

One, partnerships.

Nothing can be done by yourself.

And all for the little kids listening out here, you have to understand it's not about you, it's about others.

And when you work together, here's an example of some of the great things you can do.

So on behalf of the IDA board, we are thankful and look forward to continuing partnerships with private sector and our government partners.

So congratulations to everyone.

Thank you, Rob.

And now I'd like to bring up Sherry Asher from Westchester County Government.

Hello, New Rochelle.

This is this place is magnificent.

Really, really beautiful.

We've been greetings from the county executive, who is always happy when new businesses choose Westchester to open and when businesses in Westchester work together because it is, as you said, it's all about community.

And when everybody comes together, the private sector, the government, the nonprofit sector, it's to the benefit of everybody.

This is a beautiful facility for the entire community.

And right now that's what we need.

We need spaces and places that are safe, places and spaces that allow kids to have activities, to meet each other, to meet each other in spaces that maybe they didn't know existed.

I too was introduced to tennis in Brooklyn with free programs, and it it meant a lot to me as well.

But this is a wonderful, wonderful occasion.

Thank you, Sherry.

I'd also like to point out that we've just been joined by the Neurochel Fire Commissioner, Andy Sandor.

Yay Chief?

We all feel very secure now.

Okay.

Of course, now I'd like to just bring up the co-managing the managing partners, which would be Bob Young and Caesar.

I guess Bob, if you would like to speak first, that would be great.

Thank you everyone for coming.

Very much appreciate the partnership with the city and uh and our staff was uh excellent.

I want to thank uh our financing partner uh Tompkins Community Bank, uh Gary uh Grandstaff is here today.

And um if someone told me in 1976 when I was sitting somewhere over here with my wife to be at our prom that we thought we would do something here, I thought you'd be crazy.

But uh my heart and Caesar uh has been a great friend of ours, and uh we look forward to uh for the community to enjoy the place.

Thanks.

Caesar, if you'd like me to say a few words.

Sure.

Um first I'd like to take credit for the mayor's speech because I warmed her up right now.

Great volley drill.

It went really well.

Nice job.

Um I mean, first and foremost, thanking the city of New Rochelle, of course, to all of you for your support um through this project.

Um the IDA, the uh Department of Development, of course, mayor, Mayor Ramos was um everyone really chipped in to make this a great success.

Um we have Gary Grandstaff, like Bob said from Tomskin Tompkins, it's been a great uh support.

Uh Dave DeMilly, I don't know if he's here, but um everyone who chipped in for this uh has been nothing less than uh helpful, supportive, and it makes the process a lot a lot better and easier.

Um we are very excited about what we've built here.

Bob, our partners, everyone um is an amazing job to get to this point.

And what we're really excited about, like Mayor Ramos said, is not only uh for these programs and the academy programs that we offer, but we're really excited about being able to give back to the community, to the elementary schools in New Rochelle, to the high school team, elevate the team to to new heights, and um that's what we're here for, and we will stick to that mission.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Don't go too far, Bob and Caesar.

We just have a little presentation from the Chamber of Commerce by Glenny Rojas, just presenting our little certificate.

Well, first of all, thank you so much for choosing your Rochelle, and on behalf of the New Rochelle Chamber of Cambridge, we want to give you the certificate.

And we're here to support you.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.