To turn the program over to the City of Peekska.

We thank them in advance for their presentation.

Mayor Vivian McKenzie.

Good morning, everyone.

So Carol has set the tone, so I know I have three seconds to be up here to say welcome to you.

And that's all that I need.

We want to say from the city of Peekskill, thank you so much for coming out so that you can see the new things and exciting stuff that's going on in our city, and I want to thank our staff for putting this together and being here today.

At this time, I'd like to introduce the rest of the council to you.

So, council, would you please stand so everybody can see who you are?

We have Deputy Mayor Patricia Riley, Councilwoman Kathy Talbot, Councilman Brian Fasson, Councilman Charles DeGrucio, Councilwoman Beverly Chang, and Councilman Darren Riger.

And we'd just like to say we're here to serve you.

We love that we're in our great firehouse, and I now turn this over to our city manager to move us along this morning.

Good morning, Peakskill.

Peak Skill, yes.

So I am it's so wonderful to see so many familiar faces here today.

My name is Matt Alexander, and I'm proud to serve as the city manager for the city of Peakskill.

Thank you for taking the time to be with us here this morning.

First of all, I would like to thank the Glue that holds this all together, and that's my assistant, Stephanie Romero.

If you could stand up.

I'd also, for this presentation, I uh we were incredibly helped by Cherice and Patrick from Events to Remember.

We have Jesse Girolla here for for as our videographer, and he always does a great job.

And we'd especially like to thank our hosts, the fire department of the city of Peakskill.

Thank you for letting us use this space.

But we're a team here in Peakskill, and uh our team is incredible, each and every one of them.

They each do such a good job for us every day, and I'd like to ask all of the staff of the City of Peakskill to please stand.

I uh this makes uh my job so much fun every day.

I love talking to each and every one of them, and they bring so much energy to the city, and I very much appreciate them.

I also appreciate our boards and commissions who give of themselves uh their their time and their expertise.

If you're on a board or commission for the city, would you please stand and be acknowledged?

We thank you for all you do.

So uh so there's only a few of them here today, but I can tell you the city of Peakskill has 90 volunteers who sit on different boards and commissions for the city, and we appreciate each and every one of them.

I'd also like to say for this presentation, I'd like to thank Carol Sammel, Jonathan Zamora, Matt Rudikoff for all that they did to put this together.

I really thank you.

I think you've got a great presentation.

Today is really about one simple question.

Uh why do people say yes to peep to Peakskill and why do they keep saying yes?

And over the course of this program, you'll hear that answer again and again from many different perspectives.

You'll hear it from business owners who choose to open here, from partners who continue to invest here, and from city staff who work every day to make Peakskill where people feel welcomed, supported, and inspired to grow.

Peakskill is a city with a strong sense of identity, proud of our history, energized by our present, and deeply focused on our future.

We are a city that values creativity, diversity, and opportunity.

We believe those values are strongest when they are shared.

What makes Peakskill special isn't just one thing, it's the people who live here, the businesses that took a chance here.

It's our downtown, our waterfront, our arts and culture, our natural setting, and the way all those pieces come together to create a city that feels real, connected, and alive.

But we also know this a strong city doesn't happen by accident, it happens through partnership.

That's why a conversation is so important.

We want to hear directly from you, our business community about what's working, what's resonating, and where we can grow together and even what's not working.

And because most successful cities are the ones that listen, collaborate and evolve alongside the people who invest in them.

You'll hear today about the investments we're making in our downtown and waterfront.

You'll hear about how we're strengthening infrastructure, supporting small businesses, activating public spaces.

You'll hear about how we're celebrating culture, creativity, and community from public art and performances to global events like the World Cup and milestones like America 250.

You'll also hear something new.

How we're telling Peak Skills' story more boldly and more clearly through our new brand and through Destination Peak Skill.

This is about giving our city a digital front door and giving our businesses new tools to reach regional audiences and connect with visitors in meaningful ways.

But today is not just about what the city is doing, it's about what we can do together.

Because the city and its businesses work in alignment when we share a vision, amplify each other's stories, and collaborate intentionally.

We all benefit.

We bring more people downtown, we extend visits, we create more opportunity, and we strengthen the local economy in ways that are sustainable and inclusive.

So as you listen today, I encourage you to think about how your business fits into the larger story.

Where do you see opportunity?

Where do you want to partner?