Mike Zaro Built Rockland Connected to Close the Gap Between People

Mike Zaro describes himself plainly: athlete, artist, entrepreneur, someone who finds it hard to draw inside the lines. That combination turns out to be the entire blueprint for Rockland Connected LLC, the community platform he co-founded and the project he is most focused on building right now.

The idea started smaller. Zaro wanted to bring local entrepreneurs together to network and talk business. But early feedback pushed the scope wider. What struck him most was hearing the same thing from people across different age groups: we need more of this, we want to know what's going on but don't know how to find it. He and his team took that in and, as he puts it, "decided to go all in and make it happen."

The platform that emerged is built around three groups: athletes, creatives, and entrepreneurs. The athlete section gives a clear picture of what the experience is meant to feel like. A user can search for games, meet people, compete, and log stats. From there they move into a player hub to track practices, nutrition, and workouts. A leaderboard component lets them see who holds the top spot in the gym. Highlights from across the community are available to watch, and members can share their own. The goal Zaro describes for someone leaving that section: "I was seen, I saw, and I got better."

That same framework, competition, visibility, growth, and connection, is what Rockland Connected intends to build out for its creatives and entrepreneurs sections as well.

The platform also includes a Rockland County directory meant to supply local information in an organized way, adding a practical layer alongside the community and development features.

Zaro credits the three sides of his own identity for shaping the project. The entrepreneurial mindset gives him product focus. His background as an athlete and a creative helps him understand what is actually missing for people in those communities. And belonging to all three, as he sees it, lets him experience Rockland from different angles at once.