OUR Communities: Attorney Janet Esagoff connects the Villages of Great Neck
By Salomé Davoudiasl
When the pandemic left storefronts shuttered and uncertainty filled the community, Great Neck attorney and advocate Janet Nina Esagoff decided to turn concern into action.
“It was 2021, post-pandemic, and I was on Facebook much more than I am now,” Esagoff recalled. “There was a lot of hysteria in the mom-chats about where the town was going, with a lot of closures happening.”
Esagoff had reached out to the Chamber of Commerce but quickly realized the pandemic had left many local institutions struggling. “They weren’t very operational at the time,” she said. “Covid had really affected them.”
Rather than joining the chorus of frustration and anxiety, Esagoff did what she does best, and she set out to solve the problem. Taking matters into her own hands, Janet put it upon herself to start a Facebook group called Destination: Great Neck (DGN) and quickly assembled a board to initiate better community conversations focused on how to restore economic development and viability. She recalls receiving “a lot of robust engagement through businesses and residents.”
Through the Facebook room’s traffic, Esagoff assembled a support system to plan and host community-building events. In their first year, they hosted West Egg Street Fest, a Speakeasy karaoke event, and their marquis event, “Gatsby Fest,” which is now an annual recurring event “We tried to make our mark on Great Neck’s unique and very historically relevant area,” Esagoff said. And so, they did.
That small Facebook space became a civic movement. Destination: Great Neck now serves as a hub for community pride and collaboration, complete with its own website and social media presence that goes far beyond the original Facebook group. The platform features a community blog, event spotlights, business directories, and calendars highlighting everything from mixers and street fairs to retail updates and local initiatives. As Esagoff describes it, the goal is to “organize people’s opinions” and foster meaningful connections. “One of the first things we noticed is that Great Neck is lacking in hometown pride,” she said.
Outside of Destination: Great Neck, Esagoff is the founding member and managing attorney of P.C. (ELG), based in Great Neck. Admitted to the New York State Bar in 2010 and the U.S. Supreme Court, she practices real estate, business law, and civil litigation, and describes herself as a “Licensed Problem Solver.” Her firm operates under the motto “Do Law. Differently,” emphasizing transparent flat-fee billing and a pragmatic, client-focused approach. Her professional excellence has earned her repeated recognition by Super Lawyers (2013–2025), as well as honors including Nassau County Woman of Distinction and Outstanding Women in the Law.
As both an attorney and entrepreneur, she sees small businesses as vital to Great Neck’s future. “I own a small business, my own law firm,” she said. “I really love my town...It’s changed on my watch, and I feel like we can turn it around a bit. I’m not one of those people who will just lament and complain.”
That optimism and determination fuel her belief in tools like OUR, which empower residents and leaders to collaborate through data and dialogue. “I believe Great Neck needs the OUR app,” Esagoff said. The OUR Great Neck community was launched by her nonprofit and is already gathering feedback from residents, business owners and others. “One of the challenges of Great Neck is there are nine villages and no one in charge. It’s a very diverse town, and we need one voice. People in charge can take the OUR data and make real change with it.”
Through her leadership and initiative, Esagoff continues to model what OurCo stands for: listening, engaging, and transforming community insight into meaningful action.
