Long Island Entrepreneur Hits Milestone

remembers the day she started the Long Island Entrepreneurs Meetup group. She was without a job, new to the United States only gripped with the love of work and networking and achieving the American dream.

“I can’t believe it’s been five years,” Osinga-Bisk said. “It seems like only yesterday that I started this. The first meeting had five people and the second had three,” Osinga-Bisk said. “But from then on it grew to 10 people, then growing to about 20 people.  Now on average, there are about 40 people that come to the meetings every week.”

On Tuesday night, the group celebrated its fifth anniversary at the in Plainview. About 50 members enjoyed a buffet style dinner with cocktails, door prizes and raffles and guest speaker, Ted Fabis, from MTS Mobile Marketing.  Members were also given the opportunity to mingle with other Long Island business owners, swap business cards and talk about their business in a two to three minute speech in front of the group.

“This is not a sales talk,” Osinga-Bisk told the crowd. “This is a business talk. It gives you an opportunity to get your business name out there.”

Osinga-Bisk came to the United States in January 2004. About a year later, she met her husband Howard Bisk and began to pursue her dreams of having her own day care center. She said Long Island Entrepreneur group was created October 13, 2006, out of necessity, an effort that would allow her to combine her resilient work ethic with her dedication to children.

“I came here from Holland and I didn’t have a job, didn’t have a green card, didn’t really have too many choices,” Osinga-Bisk explained. “So I figured I would have to create a group on my own that gave me the chance to give myself opportunities.”

All of her hard work seems to be paying off. Three months ago, Osinga-Bisk opened her own daycare, Learn and Play Levittown and has already been nominated as one of the best daycares on Long Island by the Long Island Press. “I’m so proud that not only has the group been nominated for Best of Long Island for the second year in a row, but so has my day care and it has only been open for three months.”

The Long Island Entrepreneurs group meets the second Tuesday of the month and follows the platform of dinner and networking, followed by a guest speaker and door prizes and raffles.

Rev. Diana Moore, the owner of Light Teacher, has been a member of the group for over a year. She  said this crowd is a great place to interact with other business owners and network for other potential opportunities.

“This group is great,” she said. “It’s all about the different people you can meet and the different contacts you can make.”

Peter Marcano, an independent agent for New York Life, attended the dinner for the first time Tuesday night. While he is not currently a member, Marcano said he plans on joining the group in the future.  

“Who knows,” Marcano said. “Depending on how the membership process goes, I plan to check it out more and more. I just want to be part of something where you can make key contacts.”

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