About Us
The Long Island Council: Powered By A Sense of Duty
The Long Island Council was formed in 1948 under President J. Edward Adams to strengthen the bond between The Navy League of the United States and the burgeoning Long Island defense industry. Today, Council membership is composed of a broad scope of organizations, former military personnel and dedicated civilians. The Council has had significant impact on Long Island, with perhaps the most visible example being the launch of the Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyer, the USS Michael Murphy, named in honor of Congressional Medal of Honor winner Navy SEAL Lt. Michael Patrick Murphy for his heroic actions during Operation Red Wings in Afghanistan.
Long Island Council Corporate Members:
- Arnold Standard Cos
- BAE Systems
- Business Lens
- Cox & Company, Inc.
- Curtiss-Wright
- East/West Industries, Inc.
- Progressive Marketing Group, Inc.
- Retlif Testing Laboratories
- SilverSEAL Corporation
- Voyages of Discovery
Leadership
Roger Noakes
Roger Noakes came to the USA from the UK in the mid-1970s and spent 20 years working for Harman International, in the consumer electronics division. His work, primarily in sales and training, began in the USA and spread to global markets as the company acquired international brands. He formed his first private company in 2000, Noakes Enterprises, to build custom business software for emerging markets. Five years later he pioneered TeamLogic, a remote IT management business for small companies which now includes several hundred TeamLogic IT franchisees throughout the United States. He recently founded Business Lens, a company missioned with providing defense subcontractors with cybersecurity compliance services.
As a passionate and avid lifelong sailor, Mr. Noakes founded the 501c3 non-profit “Sailing Nada Adventures Inc.” and “Voyages of Discovery” as a vehicle to inspire adolescent youth with courage, confidence and character through multi-day offshore sailing adventures. It is through supporting Long Island US Naval Sea Cadet Corps with these services that he became involved in the Navy League of the United States. Today, Voyages Of Discovery supports not only USNSCC cadets but also Wounded Warriors Project Veterans, Long Island-based BSA troops and other ad hoc veterans groups.
Roger has been married to his wife Nancy for 40 years and they have 5 children. In humbly accepting the role of President of the Long Island Council of the Navy League of the United States, he stated that this was just like starting a new business. It will require commitment and tenacity to rebuild a hugely valuable entity for Long Island, our sea service focused businesses, active service members, youth and veterans of all ages.
Owen Watford
Owen W. Watford joined Retlif Testing Laboratories in 2001 as Sales Director with a concentration in the maritime and aerospace industries and the rapidly expanding homeland security industry. Mr. Watford is currently Business Development Manager for the venerable testing firm which was formed in 1978 and is headquartered in Ronkonkoma, New York.
Owen has served in the product compliance testing business for over 45 years starting as a laboratory technician with Aero Nav Laboratories in 1974. His area of expertise in Environmental Simulation Testing originated with compliance testing and evaluation of products to military, commercial and industrial standards. This type of testing includes Climatic Environment, Shock & Vibration, Noise, Explosive Atmosphere, Salt Fog and many more.
Owen’s transition from the laboratory to the business sector encouraged him to secure his Bachelor’s in Business Administration (BBA) at Adelphi University in 1987. Today Owen is an active member of many organizations including American Society of Naval Engineers (ASNE), Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME), the Navy League of the United States (Long Island Council President 2012-2014 and current National Board Director), Institute of Environmental Sciences and Technology (IEST), and the Association of the United States Army (AUSA).
