Page 13 - Westchester County Economic Development Guide 2013

he best communities – like the best
workplaces – offer the elements
necessary to successfully blend a
personal and professional life.
Headquartered in Westchester, IBM ensures
that its employees find meaning in not just their
work but also in their lives outside the office.
“We have created an On Demand Community
to help employees identify and find volunteer
opportunities,” says Sheila Appel, Manager,
Corporate Citizenship & Corporate Affairs for
IBM. “By integrating community service into
an employee’s work, you can encourage them to
do something meaningful, to help communities
and to improve the skills of the workforce at the
same time.”
IBM was recognized with the Hall of Fame
award for Corporate Citizenship by The Business
Council of Westchester in the Spring of 2010.
At Berkeley College’s Westchester campus,
Cynthia Rubino knows a little bit about the
importance of getting involved; her father,
Joseph Delfino, was the mayor of White Plains
for 12 years. “If you want to get entrenched in
the community and help create a better quality
of life, you can,” Rubino says. “In other places,
it can be difficult to acclimate. What you’re
afforded by being a part of this community is a
sense of being part of the community.”
Westchester offers outstanding schools – some
of its high schools rate among the nation’s top
performers – and neighborhoods with a variety
of housing options and plenty of recreational
activities, perfect for growing families. Those
who prefer a more urban vibe find everything
from artists’ lofts in White Plains to riverside
apartments in Yonkers. Small-town charm
abounds in villages and hamlets.
“People can find housing of all sorts within a
reasonable travel distance from work, and that’s
a huge advantage,” says Dr. Philip J. Wilner,
M.D., Vice President and Medical Director of
Behavioral Health for NewYork-Presbyterian
Hospital/Westchester Division.
The quality of life available in Westchester
is quickly becoming apparent to the next
generation of business professionals.
Tim Jones, Chairman of the Westchester
Coalition for Business Development, has been
listening to what younger workers want. “They
have different values; some things are a higher
priority to them, and we need to understand and
accept that. We’ve been hearing that open space
is important and economic and ethnic diversity
is important to this generation, and those are
things we offer.”
Quality of Life
Sheila Appel, IBM
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