Local Business Owner Named to National Small Business Association Leadership Council

Risa B. Hoag, President of GMG Public Relations in Nyack, was recently named to the National Small Business Association (NSBA) Leadership Council. NSBA is the nation’s oldest small-business advocacy organization and operates on a staunchly nonpartisan basis. Hoag, a recognized leader in the small-business community, joins the NSBA Leadership Council alongside other small-business advocates from across the country as they work to promote the interests of small business to policymakers in Washington, D.C.

“As a small-business owner, I see daily the importance of being engaged and proactive when it comes to laws and regulation,” stated Hoag. “Joining NSBA’s Leadership Council will enable me to take our collective small-business message to the people who need to hear it most: Congress. I look forward to working with small business owners across the region and ensuring their concerns are heard by decision-makers.”

Hoag founded GMG Public Relations in 1991 and has more than 35 years of experience in public relations and marketing. Prior to founding GMG, she was a Director of Public Relations and Marketing with Ernst & Young in White Plains. She is a past president of the Westchester Association of Women Business Owners and the Rockland Business Women’s Network. She is a co-founder of the Nanuet Chamber of Commerce, a board member of the Rockland Community Foundation, a former board member of Meals on Wheels in Rockland and has served on the board of the Orange & Rockland Community Investment Committee. She recently chaired the Marketing and Communications subcommittee of the Clarkstown Business and Economic Development Advisory Council.

Hoag is a member of the Public Relations Society of America and a recognized seminar leader, presenting numerous public relations, marketing and social media workshops across the tri-state area. She is a member of the 2018 Class of Leadership Rockland and was the recipient of the RBWN Service Woman of the Year Award in 2017. She has served as a mentor to Rockland Community College students and to female students through The Gerald P. Buccino Center for Leadership Development at Seton Hall University's Stillman School of Business. She was honored with the 2019 Lillian Vernon Award for Community Service from the Women’s

Enterprise Development Center and received a 2019 Distinguished Service Award from the County of Rockland for her dedication and community service.

Hoag joined the NSBA Leadership Council as part of her efforts to tackle the critical issues facing small business, including tax reform, regulatory restraint, health care costs and how access to capital will impact small business. The NSBA Leadership Council is focused on providing valuable networking between small-business advocates from across the country while ensuring small business a seat at the table as Congress and regulators take up key small-business proposals.

“I am proud to welcome Risa to the Leadership Council,” stated NSBA President and CEO Todd McCracken. “She came to us highly recommended, and I look forward to our coordinated efforts for years to come.” For more on the NSBA Leadership Council, please visit www.nsba.biz

GMG Public Relations, a NYS Certified WBE and registered agency with sam.gov, is a multiple award-winning public relations and advertising agency and one of the most respected marketing firms serving the tri-state area. Services include marketing consultation, public relations, advertising services, graphic design, video and photography services, and social media support. Representative clients include Rockland Community College, PXG in New Rochelle, Wallauer Paint & Design Centers, Christmas in America in Mt. Vernon, Penguin Rep Theatre in Stony Point, Westchester Children’s Association, world-renowned violinist Judy Kang, Roost Restaurant and Union Arts Center in Sparkill, Catholic Charities Community Services of Rockland, Statewide Abstract in White Plains, and Veolia. GMG is known for creativity, tenacity, integrity, and extreme hands-on support. To learn more about GMGPR visit www.gmgpr.com