Lucy Gair Rosen has made it her work to help others have successful businesses as the founder of The Business Development Group, Inc. and Women on the Fast Track.
A native of Albuquerque, New Mexico, Rosen moved to New York when she was 25 years old. She settled in Manhattan and started her agency on 7th Avenue, where she remained for 13 years. In 1995, after seeing a need for it, Rosen brought The Business Development Group to Long Island.
The Business Development Group has “all the components that help a business run a business.” Some of the services that it provides are public relations, marketing, special events, business building, graphic design and web design, among various other services.
As a single mom with a 12-year-old daughter, Rosen said that she wanted to create an agency that was women-friendly and mom-friendly. She employs 11 women, many of whom have children, who she said are all very talented at the work they do. Rosen, a resident of Oceanside, said that her proudest accomplishment has been creating an agency the way in which she did, which allows her “to really be a mom to my kid.”
In 1986, Rosen also founded the organization Women on the Fast Track. She said that, upon moving to Manhattan, she realized that she did not really know anyone and was soon meeting other women her age who did not have a support network. Women on the Fast Track was initially started with eight women from different industries and has now grown to having about 15,000 members.
There are 14 members in each group of Women on the Fast Track. They meet once a month for an hour and a half, which is used strictly for networking.
Aside from the work that Rosen does involving the business world, she is also highly active in the community. Once a year, with the help of her employees, a not-for-profit organization is selected by The Business Development Group to receive a Gratitude Award and a year’s worth of services.
“I’ve always been real involved in the community,” Rosen said, adding that if she and her group can help they will. “We have a hard time saying no.”
Rosen’s other involvement includes being on the board of the Long Island Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and The Women’s Financial Group.
When it comes to The Business Development Group’s success, Rosen said that the key is “probably the fact that we go above and beyond the traditional P.R. (public relations) and marketing agency.”
“We always under-promise and over-deliver,” Rosen went on to say. “A big part of what we do is connect people with other people. We are constantly thinking of new and innovative ways to market our clients beyond the traditional press release or traditional ad in a newspaper.”
Rosen said that in the future she hopes to do more public speaking and training sessions. She said that she loves to speak to rooms full of people, giving “how to” lectures, and talking about what networking really is. She also said that she wants to continue to attract the best and brightest talent along with the best clients.
The Business Development Group is located at 585 Stewart Avenue, Suite 430 in Garden City. For more information, call 516-222-0236 or visit www.businessdevelopmentgroup.com. For more information on Women on the Fast Track, visit www.womenonthefasttrack.com.
