Meeting colors

OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony for Tennis Innovators Academy in New Rochelle - January 23, 2026

Meeting Portal — Friday, January 23, 2026

BodyNew Rochelle, New York

SessionMeeting Portal

DateFriday, January 23, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 8:38

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:05

Good afternoon.

0:06

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.

0:20

This is a great day for New Rochelle.

0:22

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

0:26

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.

0:43

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

0:47

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

0:51

Of course, first we have Mayor Nadir Ramos Herbert.

0:54

We have Todd Costado, Deputy City Manager.

0:58

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

1:05

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

1:14

We have Kevin Kane, Director of Planning and Sustainability.

1:17

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

1:22

We have Felon O'Malley.

1:25

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

1:28

We have Matt Stern.

1:30

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.

1:41

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

1:46

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

1:53

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

1:58

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

2:05

Seamus Carrie.

2:07

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

2:12

Thank you for always supporting us.

2:16

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

2:20

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

2:27

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

2:36

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

2:40

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

2:45

Thank you, Catherine.

2:47

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

2:54

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

2:58

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

3:02

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.

3:15

They're still working out some of the details.

3:17

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.

3:22

Tennis would have otherwise have been prohibitive.

3:25

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.

3:31

So thank you, Bob.

3:32

Thank you, Caesar.

3:33

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

3:37

You really do.

3:38

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

3:43

Thank you.

3:47

Thank you, Mayor.

3:48

And now the chair of the IDA, Robert Balaschandrin.

3:54

Thank you.

3:56

Wow.

3:57

Right.

3:58

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

4:02

It's phenomenal.

4:03

And it's just shows a lot of things.

4:07

One, partnerships.

4:09

Nothing can be done by yourself.

4:12

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

4:17

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

4:21

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

4:31

So congratulations to everyone.

4:37

Thank you, Rob.

4:38

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

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Economic Development█████████████████████████████████████████████68%

Public Engagement█████████████████████32%

Summary of Proceedings

Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony for Tennis Innovators Academy

On January 23, 2026, city and county officials, community leaders, and the public gathered in New Rochelle, New York, to celebrate the opening of the Tennis Innovators Academy. The event featured remarks from Mayor Yadira Ramos Herbert, members of the City Council, the Industrial Development Agency (IDA), Westchester County representatives, and the facility's managing partners. Speakers highlighted the collaborative effort between the private sector, government, and nonprofits, and emphasized the academy's commitment to providing youth tennis programs and giving back to the local school district.

Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony Highlights

Catherine White, Executive Director of the New Rochelle Chamber of Commerce, welcomed attendees and noted the many local connections: a New Rochelle developer built the facility, the business is new to New Rochelle, and it collaborates with another chamber member, North End Fitness.
Mayor Yadira Ramos Herbert shared her personal love for tennis and praised the project for offering fitness, mental health, and community building. She highlighted that the academy will give back to children from the school district and community, recalling her own introduction to tennis through a free program in Queens.
Robert Balaschandrin, Chair of the IDA, emphasized the importance of partnerships and working together, thanking the private sector and government partners.
Sherry Asher, Director of Policy and Programs for Small Businesses and Chambers in Westchester County, conveyed greetings from the County Executive and noted the need for safe spaces for kids to engage in activities.
Bob Young, Managing Partner, thanked the city staff, the financing partner Tompkins Community Bank, and reminisced about attending his prom in the area in 1976.
Cesar Andrade, Managing Partner, thanked all supporters and expressed excitement about giving back to the elementary schools and the high school tennis team to elevate their program.
Glenny Rojas of the New Rochelle Chamber of Commerce presented a certificate of recognition to the academy.

Key Outcomes

The Tennis Innovators Academy officially opened, offering tennis programming for residents and community outreach to local schools.
The facility was developed in partnership with the City of New Rochelle, the IDA, the Department of Development, and Tompkins Community Bank.
Managing partners committed to providing free or subsidized youth tennis programs, following the model that introduced Mayor Herbert to the sport.
No formal votes or decisions were taken; the event was a ceremonial ribbon-cutting.

Meeting Transcript

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.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI

TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com