Long Island small business experts came together on April 3 totalk economy, growth and the findings from a small business surveyfrom Bethpage Federal Credit Union.

The panel discussion, which took place at the Long IslandAssociation headquarters in Melville, N.Y., includedrepresentatives from several area organizations and from about 50local businesses.

The talks focused on small businesses' increased optimism aboutlocal and national economies, their reported better financialhealth, and other key findings revealed by owners and executives onLong Island, who participated in a telephone study sponsored by the$5 billion Bethpage Federal Credit Union in Bethpage, N.Y.

The credit union released the survey's results in March. The Stony Brook University Centerfor Survey Research conducted the survey, collecting data from 603small businesses with annual revenues up to $10 million.

Among the findings from Bethpage FCU's survey, 27% rated thenational economy as very or fairly good, up from less than 10% in2012. Nearly a third (32%) rated the Long Island economy as very orfairly good, up from 19%.

Fifty percent of executives surveyed said they were very orsomewhat optimistic about Long Island economic business conditionsover the next 12 months, which was a substantial increase from 37%who reported last year, according to Bethpage FCU. As a result, 64%of business executives rated their current financial status aspositive, up from 52% last year.