The Nassau Council of Chambers of Commerce held their 35th annual Small Businessperson of the Year and Legislative Breakfast on Oct. 18 at the Crest Hollow Country Club. Each chamber of commerce was given the opportunity to honor a member from their board. This year, the Port Washington Chamber of Commerce honored Drina
Scheiber, who currently sits on the board of directors for Port’s chamber.
In 2003, after graduating college, Scheiber began working for her families business, The Bart Group, which is located in Port Washington. The Bart Group is a full service merchant services provider. The Bart Group provides businesses of all sizes and types to accept credit/debit card payments as well as check acceptance in an safe and cost-friendly manner.
“I was out of college and still trying to figure out how I would work in the world of summer camp for the rest of my life. I loved working with the kids and families,” Scheiber said. “I parlayed my communicative skills from that world over to the customer support side of The Bart Group and learned how the payment processing world works from the ground up. From the cheese lady at the farmers market, to large multi-location retailers to hospitals, stadiums and restaurants, we are committed to helping Port Washington, Long Island and businesses across our country get the most knowledgeable merchant service available,” Scheiber said.
Scheiber is heavily involved in the community, and stated that the best part of her job is working with her customers.
“I have been working with a number of clients since the start and dearly enjoy checking in and assisting those longtime clients. New clients are wonderful and the surprise in their voice when they realize that we try and get to know our clients businesses and who they are as people really brings our whole mantra of being a white-glove boutique merchant processing company to life.”
The small businessperson of the year award honored business people from each of the almost 50 local chambers of commerce.
“It is a true honor to have been given the small business person of the year award from our wonderful chamber of commerce,” Scheiber said. “I became more involved with the chamber through Harborfest, when I took on the role as craft fair chairperson in 2017. I find the chamber to be an incredibly important part of Port Washington and Long Island as a whole. Shop small, work small.
Aside from her position as executive director for the Bart Group, Scheiber is also the co-founder of the WithinReach Foundation, a 501C3 nonprofit organization, which provides full scholarships to adult learners who have obtained their high school equivalency qualifications to attend CUNY colleges.
“My close friend, Jane Tarica was teaching these students to pass their exams and she would call me with stories about her students,” Scheiber said, “[The stories] would make anyone grateful for even the smallest creature comforts in life and we found ourselves saying, ‘we have to do something to help as many of these deserving students continue their educational dreams. WithinReach Foundation is truly a labor of love and shows great respect for those who work hard for everything they have in life.’”
Scheiber also enjoys spending time with her two small children, her “incredibly supportive” husband, her wonderful families and amazing friends. She also has a consultancy with Rodan+Fields, where she helps people look great and feel great and is also the president of the parent board of my son’s pre-school in Port Washington.
The next meeting of the Board of Directors of the Port Washington Chamber of Commerce will be on Tuesday, Nov. 12, at 8 a.m. at f.i.s.h. on main restaurant, located at 286 Main St. All are welcome to attend.
