Queens Chamber golf outing a smashing success

Hundreds of business leaders attended the Queens Chamber of Commerce’s Golf Outing and Dinner at the North Hills Country Club.

The annual event raised money for the Queens Chamber of Commerce Foundation, which supports causes such as hurricane relief efforts in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico.

The golf outing also honored three leaders in the legal and public service fields: Queens District
Attorney Richard Brown, former Queens Chamber president Albert Pennisi and attorney Sean Crowley.

Brown, who grew up in Cambria Heights, was first elected as a Justice of the Queens Supreme Court in 1977.He has served as the borough’s district attorney since 1991, winning re-election seven times.

Crowley, brother of Congressman Joseph Crowley and a Woodside native, is currently a partner in the office of Davidoff Hutcher & Citron. He has been deeply involved in numerous legal and community organizations in Queens.

“Without business being strong in our county, what do we have?” Crowley said when accepting his award. “We wouldn’t have the jobs for our children, the economic base we need to grow. “We have a tremendous amount of exciting things happening in Queens,” he added. “For myself, working in the development world, there’s so much going on.”

Pennisi has been an active member of the Queens Chamber since 1985, most recently serving as its president from 2009 to 2015. He is currently special counsel at Daniels Norelli Cecere & Tavel, practicing real estate law and working with developers, builders and contractors.

He spoke about the importance of the Queens Chamber foundation, which gives scholarships to students studying business.

“These students are the people who are going to be the future entrepreneurs, business executives and owners,” he said. “We’ve given out a number of these over the years. That will be done again this year.”

While accepting the honor, Pennisi said it’s “not a personal award,” but rather a reflection of the work of the chamber.

“I believe I’m standing in for the entire board and members of the Queens Chamber of Commerce,” he said. “Without the membership and the board, we couldn’t be successful at what we do.

“You’re just a keeper of the award,” he added. “It’s really an award for the entire chamber.”