Crossroads: Noreen Carro, LMN Printing Co.

Noreen Carro,vice president of LMN Printing Co., based in Valley Stream, a certified female- and minority-owned company.

Economic outlook: "We're having a tough time. It's going to take a while to rebuild. . . . We have to pull together."

Jobs outlook: Jobs of the future will come from small business.

I believe the challenges that Long Island faces with regard to the economy, in the future, [are] that we have to make sure we can build again.

You're going to still see your mechanic companies. You will see a lot more health groups are opening up, small little clinics all over the place. I still see attorneys and lawyers and your nail salons. I don't think we're going to have the Grummans that we used to; I don't think that's part of it. But I see small banks opening up in the community and I see it growing from there. I don't see anything different with regard to jobs; I just see more of them in smaller clusters.

"We . . . have a great diversity of people, between religions and gender and ethnicity. I think that you're going to see more businesses popping up here. . . . I think in the next 25 years, Long Island will be terrific. It's terrific now. It's just going through a hard period.