Rest in Peace, Raymond J. Keating

By SBE Council at 21 July, 2026, 2:40 pm

Raymond J. Keating, our exceptional and devoted Chief Economist at SBE Council for more than 30 years, passed away on July 11. Indeed, Ray’s death was unexpected. His family, colleagues and friends are mourning his passing, but we will continue to remember the extraordinary contributions he made in both his family and professional life.

As noted in his official obituary: “Raymond was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, uncle, economist, author, and man of Christian faith. He will be remembered for his keen intellect, professional accomplishments, dry humor, wide-ranging interests, and unwavering devotion to his family.”

At SBE Council, Ray’s work and influence spanned every issue impacting the health and vibrancy of entrepreneurship, small business, and the broader economy. Ray’s expertise brought him to Capitol Hill many times where he testified before Congress, and within federal government agencies and the White House where he regularly briefed members of the Administration. He was a literal machine in producing research studies, reports, Op-Eds, booklets, letters to Congress, media releases, analyses, blog posts and other content in support of SBE Council’s mission to protect small business and promote entrepreneurship. People always marveled at Ray’s prolific nature and the quality of his work, and rightly so.

Ray tackled policy at the local, national and international levels with great passion, where he applied free market principles to the critical issues of the day affecting entrepreneurship and small business growth. Whether those issues involved health care, energy, taxes, regulation, trade, technology, innovation, intellectual property, capital formation, monetary policy, government spending and more, Ray’s writing and content helped to explain seemingly complex issues in simple and common-sense terms to help SBE Council win key policy battles across our 30-plus year history.

Beyond his daily work product that SBE Council members enjoyed regarding the latest economic data, market trends, or actions taken by government officials, Ray authored several booklets and regular reports that have had a profound and long-lasting impact within the policy space. For example:

SBE Council’s long-running “Small Business Policy Index” helped state officials (and the media and voters who scrutinize them) determine individual state competitiveness based on various policy measures. What started as an Index with 10 policy measures, grew to one with 55 in the final edition in 2018. The Index also sparked the creation of many other state-type rankings by media and public policy organizations.

SBE Council’s Unleashing Small Business Through IP: The Role of Intellectual Property in Driving Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Investment (second edition, 2016) provided insight and hard data on the role of IP in our economy. The book highlighted IP’s impact on innovation, entrepreneurship, investment and small business growth. Moreover, it shed light on the heavy toll of IP theft and the need for the enforcement of IP rights.

Outside of SBE Council, Ray produced many books such as, 10 Points from Walt Disney on Entrepreneurship, The Weekly Economist: 52 Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist, “Chuck” vs. the Business World: Business Tips on TV (2011), U.S. by the Numbers: What’s Left, Right, and Wrong with America State by State (2000), New York by the Numbers: State and City in Perpetual Crisis (1997), and D.C. by the Numbers: A State of Failure (1995). His Pastor Stephen Grant book series – a thriller and mystery series that follows the adventures of a former Navy SEAL and CIA operative who is a pastor – includes 19 books in total.

Ray authored hundreds of articles and Op-eds under the SBE Council byline and also wrote a newspaper column for Long Island Business News for seven years, previously for Newsday on Long Island for more than 11 years, and for the New York City Tribune for two years. He also served an adjunct business professor at Dowling College for a decade.

Ray’s most important role was that of family man. He was the beloved husband of the late Beth Sue Keating, née Partlow, and the loving father of David Keating and his wife, Mikayla, and Jonathan Keating. He was the cherished grandfather of Phoebe, Lydia, and Elizabeth Keating. Family came first, and he built his work and activity around his wonderful Keating clan.

Ray’s family has created a wonderful tribute page that conveys the various things Ray held most dear. It reflects a life well lived and one that his family is deeply proud of. All of us at SBE Council send our prayers and condolences to Ray’s sons and the Keating family.

A funeral service will be held on Saturday, August 15, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. at St. John Lutheran Church in Sayville, New York. Burial will follow the service.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. Mark Lutheran Church in North Tonawanda, New York, where Raymond’s son David serves as pastor. Donations may be made online at: https://www.stmarknt.org/donate

RIP Ray.