Mike Zaro Built Rockland Connected Because He Couldn't Find Anything to Do

Mike Zaro had a simple problem: he wanted more to do in Rockland County and had a hard time finding it. He couldn't easily locate local events, figure out what might interest him, or connect with others who shared those interests. So he built something. "I found it difficult to find what's going on in town," he says. "I realized if I'm feeling this way others probably are too. Then I started to build it."

Rockland Connected began as a directory, one central place for businesses and events across the county. As the scope came into focus, the platform expanded. "We realized there was so much going on in Rockland that I had never known about," Mike says, "and we decided to start to spread awareness through stories and local spotlights highlighting the amazing people doing amazing things in our county." The interview feature you're reading right now is part of that same effort.

Getting there required trimming down. The early challenge wasn't finding ideas, it was having too many at once. "Putting my ego aside and scaling back the site so it's simple and easy to understand is tough but necessary for a project like this to scale," Mike says. "You can't do everything at once despite the ambition and eagerness. Things just take time to grow." He describes the whole process as trial and error, and doesn't treat that as a temporary phase. It's still how the project operates.

The platform's editorial scope is deliberately broad. Entrepreneurs and business owners have been among the first to reach out. Artists and event organizers are part of the mix on the creative side, and Mike says he hopes to venture further into athletic stories. "Anything that is worth sharing we are open to working on getting it out to our community," he says. The only real requirement is that someone has something worth sharing.

Early response from the community has provided some reassurance. Rockland Connected has received support from its first clients and members, and Mike notes that people have also mentioned the need for something like this in the county. "It's an amazing feeling to be appreciated for the work you're doing," he says. A lot of that feedback, he adds, confirms they are working in the direction the community needs.

Sitting for this interview was its own kind of adjustment. "This side of the interview feels strange," Mike says. "I'm usually the one coming up with the questions." He found it a useful way to organize his thoughts about a project that means a lot to him. Being the subject, he says, made him think harder about how to build a service that is simple and useful for everyone in the community.