The Long Island Association board today elected Bethpage Federal Credit Union CEO Kirk Kordeleski as its chairman and streamlined its committees to create a more focused approach and reach out to small as well as large companies.

The organization, which also unveiled a new website and logo along with the slogan Leading Long Island,” named Kordeleski to a three-year term after Brian Cullen of King Kullen Grocery Co.’s term ended.

“As the leading business organization on Long Island, the LIA brings organizations together, not only so we speak together as one voice, but to ensure that small and large companies collaborate,” Kordeleski told a crowd of about 800 at the group’s annual meeting at the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury.

The chief of the Bethpage-based credit union described an organization he said would serve the interests of businesses large and small.

“We will work to help every business owner prosper,” Kordeleski said. “This organiz

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How long does a tax refund take after you file Canadian income tax?

When you get your Canadian tax refund depends on when and how you filed your Canadian income tax return.

The Canada Revenue Agency advises that they usually process paper tax returns in four to six weeks. Canadian income tax returns that are filed electronically are processed faster, within two weeks.

However, realistically, you can’t expect a Canadian tax refund before March at the earliest, even if you filed your tax return in January, because the Canada Revenue Agency doesn’t start processing income tax returns until mid-February.

Having your Canadian income tax return chosen for review can slow down the Canadian tax refund process.

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Drinks giant Diageo today said sales in the UK were falling behind its continental neighbours – although Britons are still lapping up vodka and Baileys.

Smirnoff and whiskey and cream-based liqueur Baileys remained popular in the six months to December 31, but overall sales still declined in the UK and were flat in Europe, which was supported by double-digit growth in France and Germany.

Diageo, which saw a 12% rise in pre-tax profits to £1.8 billion in the period, said UK sales were hit by a decision to hold firm on prices and cut the number of promotions.

Elsewhere, Latin America remained the company’s strongest market with 23% sales growth, compared with 12% growth in Africa, 10% in Asia and 5% in North America.

Diageo is exposed to several struggling eurozone economies, such as Spain, Greece and Ireland, which have all posted declining sales as the wider problems flowing from the sovereign debt crisis lead to a squeeze in consumer spending.

Andrew Morgan, Diageo Europe president, said: “The economic environment, particularly in southern Europe, has impacted our performance in Western Europe, while in the emerging markets of Europe we have delivered strong growth.”

Smirnoff vodka was up 8% in the period, driven by sales in the UK and Germany, while Captain Morgan grew by 25% in the region, although it has a relatively small hold in Europe compared with regions like the US.

The company, which employs 20,000 staff worldwide, has fully integrated its recently bought Mey Icki raki brand in Turkey as it looks to increase its exposure overseas.

Diageo, which sells its drinks in 180 countries across the globe, also has high exposure to emerging markets which have supported the half-year performance.

In Africa, Guinness sales were 10% ahead, while scotch label Johnnie Walker was up 32% and in Latin America the performance was driven by a 32% rise in Smirnoff sales.

Shares in Diageo fell more than 1% after the trading update was published.

Allowing a small business to expand, without keeping a close eye on how efficiently it is run, is a common error made by small business owners. As more staff are hired, and departments start getting bigger, tasks that used to need a few spread-sheets and a filing cabinet suddenly seem disorganised. ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems are becoming the preferred method for many growing businesses when this situation arises, so here are 5 tips to consider when making the move to ERP:

1. ERP systems allow every department in a business to access and update a common database and every department has a unique ‘module’ to access the database with. By having each department using a system that is the same, data is more easily transferred between departments and efficiency is improved. Now,

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The New York Giants’ Victory Parade through New York City. Photo: AFP

NEW York mayor Michael Bloomberg said the city had the Blues this week. It may have appeared an odd statement if you saw footage of the euphoria that spilt out into the city’s streets after the Giants won the Super Bowl. But he was referring to ”Big Blue”, the Giants’ nickname.

The team returned to New York on Tuesday and a million people lined the streets for a parade.

As I watched Giants quarterback Eli Manning and coach Tom Coughlin hold up the Vince Lombardi trophy while drowning in a never-ending stream of ticker tape, it was evident that Super Bowl means big business in the United States.

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Video Marketing on YouTube is a must for small businesses and startups in 2012. YouTube videos are longtail pieces of marketing content that can drive organic traffic to your website for many years to come. Here are 15 tips to know about marketing on YouTube.

1. Anyone Can Do a Video

The best part of YouTube Marketing is you do not need to hire models, buy fancy equipment, or have a baller studio. Most of the “highest viewed” videos are shot by a simple cell phone or webcam. Another option for those who are camera shy is to use Powerpoint or a similar program to make the presentation. Use

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