Crain's New York Business articles from April 2006

Crain's New York Business archives from April 2006

going under: bankruptcies soar.(News)
April 3, 2006... bankruptcy filings increased greatly last year in the two federal court districts that cover New York City and nearby suburbs as debtors rushed to file before tougher rules took effect in the middle of October. Filings are expected to fall...

The Best of Bob Lape.(restaurants review)(Brief article)
April 3, 2006... Following are hotel-based restaurants reviewed recently by Bob Lape. Peacock Alley (2 1/2) Lobby, the Waldorf-Astoria, 301 Park Ave. (at East 49th Street), Manhattan. (212) 872-7335. Four years and $5.5 million later, the signature...

Looking for ad giants' wisdom.(Viewpoint)
April 3, 2006... Byline: Scott Donaton William b. ziff stood at a podium on the stage of the grand ballroom of New York's fabled Waldorf-Astoria hotel in 1992. The hundreds of people grouped around tables in front of him were there to celebrate as he...

Talk radio's leading lady; Veteran journalist learns ropes of a.m. talk; trouble with co-host downplayed.(Business Lives)(Donna Hanover)(WOR Radio Networks)
April 3, 2006... Byline: Matthew Flamm In addition to a stint as First Lady of New York City, Donna Hanover has been many things, including a Rockette for a day and Jimmy Carter's evangelist sister in the movie The People vs. Larry Flynt. But since...

Scholastic suffers another sinking spell; Harry isn't enough when key unit flags; debt downgraded.(News)
April 3, 2006... Byline: Matthew Flamm For venerable children's book publisher Scholastic Corp., there are two seasons. There's the one when a new Harry Potter novel hits the streets and the entire world focuses on the magical goings-on at Hogwarts School....

BoNY's sudden spurt a chance to cash out; Costs are rising, businesses volatile at underperformer.(Bank of New York Co)
April 3, 2006... Byline: Aaron Elstein According to Wall Street legend, before Alexander Hamilton headed off to his losing duel with Aaron Burr, the Bank of New York Co. founder told his board not to do anything until he got back. Up until last week, when...

WOMEN'S WORK Help wanted.(Women's Campaign Fund)(Brief article)
April 3, 2006... The election of Christine Quinn (below) as City Council speaker isn't the only gender milestone in the council. Sixteen of the other 50 members are women, and many of them are reaching leadership positions. Among Manhattan members, Inez...

Albany's budget of bribes.(Viewpoint)
April 3, 2006... The budget passed by the state Legislature last week represents political bribery at its most extreme. The business community must respond. It's hard to know what's more important: immediately lobbying Gov. George Pataki to reject the plan...

At Deadline.(New York Community Bank and Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now in contract)(Attorney General is delaying state approval of the pending merger between the Health Insurance Plan of New York and Group Health Inc. Mr. Spitzer)(National Hockey League is in talks to lease 60,000 square feet at the New York Times Building at 620 Eighth Ave )
April 3, 2006... New York Community Bank and the community organization Acorn are nearing an agreement that calls for the bank to more strictly enforce the "good repair'' clause in mortgages. The housing advocates hope the move will force landlords to fix...

Studios uneasy about cuts; City's opposition to tax incentives could halt filming.(News)
April 3, 2006... Byline: Miriam Kreinin Souccar Studio executives and film production officials are increasingly worried about whether the city will renew its wildly successful tax incentive program for television and movie production in New York. The...

Journalism as a collected work.(Viewpoint)(avoiding plagiarism in journalism)
April 3, 2006... Byline: Greg David Plagiarism is very much in the news. The authors of a book claiming that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene have sued the publisher of The Da Vinci Code, arguing that its author, Dan Brown, stole their concept--as if...

Chinese workers getting burned; Authorities probe agencies as waiters, cooks are exploited in out-of-town jobs.
April 3, 2006... Byline: Lisa Fickenscher Three weeks ago, Xi Wang Yu boarded a bus in Chinatown and headed to High Point, N.C., for a cook's job that promised a $2,600 monthly salary and a six-day work week. Four days later, he was in jail. The...

The Insider.(Briefs)(Eliot Spitzer )
April 3, 2006... Byline: erik engquist and anne michaud Spitzer busy managing message In an era when politicians are packaged and filtered by political consultants, New Yorkers can be sure that the Eliot Spitzer (above) they see in campaign commercials...

STATE BUDGET SCORECARD.(Briefs)
April 3, 2006... Atlantic Yards Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (right) and Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno set aside $33 million for Brooklyn's Atlantic Yards. Developer Forest City Ratner Cos. wanted $100 million, but the allocation indicates that the two...

Rooting for Boston; Damon incites Bosox fans on Yankee turf.(Business Lives)
April 3, 2006... Byline: aaron elstein In meryl pearlstein's household, one particular subject just isn't discussed: how the Boston Red Sox pulled off the greatest comeback in the history of sports and defeated the New York Yankees to win the 2004 American...

The Weeks Ahead.(Calendar/Datebook)(Calendar)
April 3, 2006... Byline: adrianne pasquarelli this week's events april 4 Association of Real Estate Women holds lunch program on women in real estate. 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Club 101, 101 Park Ave. Fee: free for members and $100 nonmembers in...

Executive Moves.(Bain and Company Inc. appoints Tim van Biesen)(Kroll Inc appoints Andres Antonius)(Marshall and Stevens Inc appoints Neil F. Axler)
April 3, 2006... Byline: adrianne pasquarelli accounting & consulting Bain & Co.: Tim van Biesen, 39, was promoted to partner, health care practice, from manager. Kroll Inc.: Andres Antonius, 36, was promoted to president, consulting services,...

Glitzy room sets gold standard; New York Palace's Gilt showcases contemporary food; complicated dishes.(Business Lives)
April 3, 2006... Chef paul liebrandt (Atlas, Papillon) is back in town, orchestrating exhilarating culinary concerts at Gilt, the elegant new occupant of half of the former Le Cirque 2000 space. The name pays tribute to the Gilded Age of the late 19th...

3 owners lifted by downtown rebound; Brookfield, Swig, Rudin filling their commercial space.(Real Estate Report)(Paradysz Matera)
April 3, 2006... Byline: Jean Ende Desperate to find a larger home to accommodate their firm's growth, executives at media broker Paradysz Matera launched an all-out search last year. Their quest took them to midtown, the Village, Brooklyn and even New...

City gets torts in order; Lawyers clearing backlog while reducing payouts.
April 3, 2006... Byline: Tommy Fernandez A decade ago, the lawyers who toiled in defense of New York City were drowning in a flood of 60,000 lawsuits over broken sidewalks, gaping potholes and rundown schools. Each workday brought about 30 new cases. The...

Merchants put fringe area on map; Concerted action boosts Columbia Street.
April 3, 2006... Byline: Cara S. Trager Molly franklin believes that there's strength in numbers. So last year, she signed up her bar for no fewer than three neighborhood pub crawls, in which participants sampled the wares of three taverns along a...

Post-trauma recovery; NYU Medical Center plans major projects after messy divorce; needs new CEO.(N)
April 3, 2006... Byline: Gale Scott NYU medical center is embarking on ambitious plans for its future as a single medical complex now that its divorce from Mount Sinai Medical Center is nearly final. With its finances in good health as a result of the...

Nasdaq courts Chinese; Seeks listings from mainland firms; competition from NYSE, Hong Kong.(News)
April 3, 2006... Byline: Samantha Marshall When grentech made its debut on Nasdaq last Wednesday, analysts were expecting good things from another sexy China play. But the initial public offering surprised even the biggest Sino bulls when the tech company...

New suiter.(The Hat Box)(Brief article)
April 3, 2006... Byline: tom fredrickson David Nathan, 24, sales manager at The Hat Box, a 5,000-square-foot Brooklyn haberdashery serving Orthodox Jewish men and boys. The season The store does 30% of its annual sales in the weeks before Passover,...

GAINS MAKE YEAR GOOD FOR MOST.(Real Estate Report)(Brief article)
April 3, 2006... the new york area's top 25 architecture firms enjoyed another year of growth, although not as good as the previous year. While 22 of the firms posted increases in their local employee ranks in 2005, gains were generally smaller than in the...

BANKS TAKE TOP SPOTS.(Chase, Wachovia, Bank of America, Commerce and North Fork)
April 3, 2006... When apparel retailer Eddie Bauer left behind a 6,000-square-foot store on the corner of East 69th Street and Third Avenue last year, the location drew strong interest from retailers such as J. Crew and Ann Taylor. Then another crew of bidders...

Rents have doubled and even tripled in some areas.(Rockefeller Center)(Scoop/NYC)
April 3, 2006... Byline: andrew marks Redefining the top tier Nowhere are rents giddier than on Fifth Avenue from Rockefeller Center up to 59th Street. Just five years ago, a prime location on that desirable strip could be had for the then-astronomical...

Soaring store rents; Huge run-up reshapes New York's shopping landscape; many local retailers face being priced out of prime locations.
April 3, 2006... Byline: Andrew Marks The vast bulk of California Pizza Kitchen's outlets are on the West Coast, but lately it hasn't seemed that way to Mark Frankel, the chain's real estate director. He's spending most of his time right here. "New...

SEEKING TOP ENTREPRENEURIAL FIRMS; SMALL BUSINESS AWARDS.(Small Business Awards)(Brief article)
April 3, 2006... Crain's new york business is seeking nominations for its 11th annual Small Business Awards. The six winners will be recognized for their entrepreneurial excellence. To be eligible, firms must be for-profits that have been in business for...

CRAIN'S PROVIDES REAL ESTATE NEWS ONLINE AND VIA E-MAIL; www.newyorkbusiness.com.(www.newyorkbusiness.com)(Brief article)
April 3, 2006... NEWYORKBUSINESS.COM, Crain's Web site, offers free e-mail alerts with breaking news on commercial and residential real estate. Visitors to the site can also sign up to receive company-specific alerts that provide news on a particular brokerage...

WANTED: general manager.(Brief article)
April 3, 2006... Byline: amanda fung COMPANY Dow Jones Online JOB DESCRIPTION Oversee Dow Jones & Co.'s Web sites, including Wall Street Journal Online, MarketWatch.com, Barron's Online and other Journal-branded sites MOST IMPORTANT TASKS Increase...

Dimon bests rivals with branch deal; Gaining 300 BoNY outlets would hurt Wachovia, boost J.P. Morgan in burbs.(Bank of New York)(Jamie Dimon)
April 3, 2006... Byline: Tom Fredrickson J.P. morgan chase & co. has watched for years as smaller, nimbler competitors snatched its customers. Now the giant, with $1.2 trillion in assets, is poised to do something that no small fry could hope to...

Past & Future.(Art auctioneer's shares to a five-year high)(Brief article)
April 3, 2006... In midtown last week, collectors bid feverishly at Sotheby's much-awaited auction of contemporary Chinese art. Meanwhile, downtown, collectors of a different sort drove the art auctioneer's shares to a five-year high. The stock closed on Friday...

New York, New York.(Fashion ambassador)
April 3, 2006... Byline: edited by Valerie Block Fashionista does indoors Vivienne tam (above) is taking her first stab at interior design at the hotel where she is dubbed the "fashion ambassador.'' The Mandarin Oriental New York retained the...

How do you get a real customer service rep?(Customer relations)(Brief article)
April 3, 2006... Try to interrupt the computer. As soon as it instructs you to press a number, punch zero multiple times or the pound key, then zero. Or say something it doesn't expect to hear--maybe your favorite obscenity. If you confuse the computer, it will...

Commercial condos offer new downtown office choice; Landlord converts floors on Maiden Lane; high tech on lower 6th Ave.
April 3, 2006... Business owners have a new option to buy a piece of lower Manhattan. Six floors of the 17-story office tower at 125 Maiden Lane, between Pearl and Water streets, have been converted to commercial condominiums. The condos, which will total...

Developers put focus on retail; Move to maximize store space, court top chains; sell off leases as packages.(Real Estate Report)
April 3, 2006... Byline: J. Alex Tarquinio Developer joe moinian is looking for a few good retail tenants to occupy 200,000 square feet in his residential tower on the corner of West 42nd Street and 11th Avenue. What's unusual about his quest is that the...

Queens Crossing gets under way; TDC's new project a fit with Flushing Commons; B'klyn derelict's reprieve.(TDC Development International)
April 3, 2006... Anticipating explosive growth in downtown Flushing, Queens, TDC Development International has unveiled details on another building in the neighborhood, this one a 12-story tower across the street from the firm's Flushing Commons project. ...

CORRECTIONS.
April 3, 2006... Barnes & Noble has signed a lease at 270 Greenwich St., at the corner of Warren Street. The address was given incorrectly in a March 27 item. George Marquez is vice president of education and career development at the South Bronx Overall...

HOW SHOULD GOV. GEORGE PATAKI HANDLE THE BUDGET? CRAIN'S ONLINE POLL.(In the Markets)
April 3, 2006... The Legislature passed a $112 billion budget that raises spending by 6%, adds billions in debt to build schools in New York City, cuts property taxes and restores many items in the budget that the governor wanted eliminated. Mr. Pataki should...

The Best of Bob Lape.(restaurants evaluated)(Peacock Alley, Capital Grille, Lever House Restaurant evaluated)(Brief article)
April 10, 2006... Following are recent reviews of other restaurants in well-known or landmarked midtown office buildings and hotels. Peacock Alley (2 1/2) Lobby, the Waldorf-Astoria, 301 Park Ave. (at East 49th Street), Manhattan. (212) 872-7335. Four...

Office rents going sky-high; Properties in short supply; Manhattan prices seen rising 20% by year-end.(Brief article)
April 10, 2006... Byline: Julie Satow New york's businesses had better get ready for skyrocketing rents. The price of commercial office space in Manhattan will spike by as much as 20% by year-end, say market experts. Landlords inked 15 leases at $100 a...

NYC: A College Town.(News)
April 10, 2006... Students continue to want to come to New York City for their higher education. Applications for the freshman class that will enter in September rose at virtually all of the major colleges and universities in the city.

Executive Moves.(Business Lives)(HSBC Securities USA Inc. appointed Nancy Del Genioas managing director)(United States Trust Company of New York appointed Evelyn B. Tressitt as vice president)(D'Agostino Supermarkets Inc. promoted Stephen D'Agostino as director)
April 10, 2006... Byline: adrianne pasquarelli accounting & consulting Schonbraun McCann Group: Harvey Weinreb, 56, joined as principal. He had been a tax principal at Ernst & Young. Deborah S. Friedland, 39, joined as director and co-head of...

The Weeks Ahead.(Business Lives)(Calendar)
April 10, 2006... Byline: adrianne pasquarelli This Week's Events april 11 Young Mortgage Bankers Association holds lunch program on out-of-town investors. 11:45 a.m. to 1:45 p.m., Union League Club, 38 E. 37th St. Fee: $50 members in advance; $65...

Couples come out at work; Gay and lesbian unions mesh with company culture.
April 10, 2006... Byline: gale scott When CNBC reporter mike huckman returned to work after marrying his sweetie, Cablevision reporter John Klekamp, he got an unexpected reception. Anchor Sue Herera and colleagues had ordered a three-tiered wedding cake and...

Hybrid car sales not up to speed; Demand tops supply in NY; more models, lower costs sought.(News)
April 10, 2006... Byline: Tommy Fernandez Meredith williams loves her hybrid car and is happy to talk up its energy-saving virtues. Two years ago, the Wall Street executive bought a Toyota Highlander with an engine fueled by gas and electricity,...

Which Immigration Proposal Do You Support? Crain's Online Poll.(In the Markets)(Brief article)
April 10, 2006... New Yorkers favor a combination of registering illegal workers already in this country and tightening border security, according to a Crain's online poll. Here's how 758 visitors to NewYorkBusiness.com answered: "Cracking down on the...

New York, New York.(Briefs)(smokinggun.com)(Barney's Inc.)(Restaurateur Merrin, Jeremy buys Columbia University hang out)
April 10, 2006... Byline: edited by Valerie Block Smoking Gun site shoots higher Court tv's smokinggun.com will soon be firing shots across the media universe. The muckraking Web site, which exposed the lies in the best-selling substance-abuse memoir by...

EVOLVING ETIQUETTE.(Business Lives)(Brief article)
April 10, 2006... The workplace confusion over same-sex marriages is due to the fact that the etiquette surrounding such unions is still evolving, says Meryl Cohn, a Massachusetts-based columnist who writes under the name "Ms. Behavior'' for gay- and...

Tea leaves look good for Hain Celestial; Health brands maker gains on acquisitions, new products barrage.(In the Markets)
April 10, 2006... Byline: Tommy Fernandez All the stars seem to be aligning nicely for shareholders of Hain Celestial Group, whose 30-plus health brands include Celestial Seasonings teas, Terra Chips snacks and Soy Dream beverages. Last January, the...

CENTRAL PARK SHARES BOUNTY.(News)(Brief article)
April 10, 2006... Corporations aren't the only entities supporting small parks around town. This year, Central Park began sharing its largesse with its less fortunate neighbors. The Central Park Conservancy is taking about $400,000 out of its annual $25...

Hot Jobs.(Business Lives)(Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts Inc.)(Brief article)
April 10, 2006... Byline: miriam kreinin souccar WANTED: Vice President, Concert halls and operations COMPANY Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts Inc. JOB DESCRIPTION Responsible for operations on the Lincoln Center campus MOST IMPORTANT...

Firms give greenbacks to city's small parks; Corporate donors find fulfillment, more bang for buck in improving underfunded spaces.
April 10, 2006... Byline: Miriam Kreinin Souccar Time warner inc. is backing a brand-new program to bring free theater to the city's parks this summer. Don't look for the curtain to rise in Central Park, however. The performances will be held in two...

Tote designers had funding in the bag; Built NY.(Small Business Report)
April 10, 2006... Byline: elizabeth macbride Three years ago, Aaron Lown and John Swartz had a flash of inspiration that led them to introduce one of the hottest home accessories of the past few years. The two designers, who are aficionados of unusual...

Turning sock store into a test lab; Ovadafut.
April 10, 2006... Byline: elizabeth macbride Wayne Brittingham, a Dallas-based management consultant, walked into the Ovadafut sock showroom on East 40th Street because he'd heard about the socks' superb fit. Predictably, he asked for several pairs in tan...

CORRECTIONS.
April 10, 2006... The photo of Rick Shapiro in the March 27 "New York, New York'' column should have been credited to Steven Polatnick. NASD is the owner of the OTC Bulletin Board. The ownership of the service was misstated in an April 3 story on Nasdaq.

City crafts plan for S.I.'s Homeport; Zoning will allow for residences, stores; more buildings at Bronx office complex.(Staten islanders)
April 10, 2006... Staten islanders could be forgiven for their muted reaction when Mayor Michael Bloomberg, delivering his latest State of the City address on their home turf, pledged to break ground soon at the Homeport. They've heard it before. Progress on...

Hotels, union look headed for showdown; Little progress is made in opening round of talks; July 1 deadline.
April 10, 2006... Byline: Lisa Fickenscher Crucial talks between New York City hotel executives and union leaders started last week, but the two sides made little progress and are girding for a possible strike this summer. Over two days of meetings, the...

School for autistic kids books space; Largest facility in U.S. to open this fall on E. 30th; stationer inks 2nd SoHo deal.
April 10, 2006... A for-profit education company will open the country's largest school for autistic children this fall. The Rebecca School has signed a 20-year lease for 61,000 square feet at 40 E. 30th St., between Park Avenue South and Madison Avenue. ...

Death watch: Which magazines are next? Industry headed for major correction as ads drop off, readers go to Web.(News)
April 10, 2006... Byline: Matthew Flamm The last few months have been busy ones for the Grim Reaper, as one high-profile magazine after another has fallen into his clutches. Budget Living, Cargo, ELLEgirl and Celebrity Living have all made the journey to...

Innovation, NYC style.(Small Business Report)(Brief article)
April 10, 2006... Byline: elizabeth macbride Late last year, a report by the Center for an Urban Future warned darkly that New York City could lose its creative edge because fewer artists, designers and other imaginative people are coming here to start...

Growth Tales; key strategies used by young firms.(Small Business Report)
April 10, 2006... Byline: Lisa Goff Getting a coffee break by eyeing pros It pays to study the master. That's why during late 2002, Jonathan Rubinstein spent a solid month of eight-hour days in a series of Starbucks outlets. "I sat as close to the cash...

Public images fixed here; New marketing chief will use ethics learned from father to restore scarred Marsh.(Business Lives)(Marsh and McLennan Companies Inc.)(Ernst & Young L.L.P.)
April 10, 2006... Byline: Aaron Elstein When james Speros' father, a Greek immigrant, sat his 8-year-old son down for a "talk'' one day, the former Golden Gloves boxer and restaurant owner proceeded to scream at the boy, warning him to never do anything to...

Tips ; Establishing procedures is key to controlling receivables.(Small Business Report)(Rasheed Ali gives tip for squeezing cash out of tardy customers)
April 10, 2006... Byline: Tina Traster Rasheed ali was appalled when he was brought in to assess a Manhattan gym chain's accounts receivable. A quarter of the members weren't paying dues--and management didn't even know about it. Mr. Ali, president of...

Luger's success is matter of habit; Famed eatery's business is great, but making changes is hard.(Small Business Report)(Peter Luger )
April 10, 2006... Byline: Victoria Rivkin Restaurant owner Marilyn Spiera has it made. She never has to worry about a slow day, much less a slow week. Year in and year out, she serves almost 400,000 customers--and turns a nifty profit in the process. She...

WEEK IN REVIEW: Katie Couric jumping to CBS.
April 10, 2006... Byline: from staff reports and bloomberg news reports Katie Couric (above) said she's leaving NBC's Today show after 15 years to become the first woman to anchor a network evening newscast. In accepting a CBS salary near her current $13...

SEEKING TOP ENTREPRENEURIAL FIRMS; crain's SMALL BUSINESS AWARDS.(News)(Mark Oldman and brothers )(Samer and Hussam Hamade)(Brief article)
April 10, 2006... Crain's New York Business is seeking nominations for its 11th annual Small Business Awards. The six winners will have distinguished themselves by showing a pattern of growth in their business and by contributing to the quality of life of their...

What type of umbrella is best for a rainy day?(Business Lives)(Brief article)
April 10, 2006... The fabric of the umbrella is not important, the frame is. Your best bet is a full-size, tall stick umbrella with a fiberglass frame. Stay away from aluminum frames. You want the umbrella to have at least eight ribs. If you want to buy a...

Baby products firm taps deep skills pool; Skip Hop.(Small Business Report)
April 10, 2006... Byline: elizabeth macbride Two years after launching a line of stylish polyester and cotton diaper bags with an innovative strapping system that allows them to go quickly from stroller to shoulder, Michael and Ellen Diamont decided to...

Duo goes to mat with many makers; Chilewich.(Small Business Report)
April 10, 2006... Byline: elizabeth macbride A company that expects sane people to pay $525 for a 6-foot by 9-foot woven vinyl rug, or even $11 for a placemat made of the same mundane material, needs to have its products made to exacting standards. For...

G-III's new wrinkle; Apparel firm's deal with Wal-Mart takes it beyond lagging outerwear market.(News)(G-III Apparel Group Ltd)(Wal-Mart Stores Inc.)
April 10, 2006... Byline: Elisabeth Butler G-iii apparel group's Seventh Avenue offices boast an eight-floor maze of showrooms, each reflecting the look of its respective brand. Calvin Klein's starkly modern showroom features white walls and black...

One smart Cookie's; Local kids' retailer aims to create a national brand.(News)
April 10, 2006... Byline: Elisabeth Butler Cookie's kids department store is not a familiar shopping destination for most Manhattanites. But tap on any mom's shoulder in downtown Brooklyn or the Bronx, and she'll point the way. After opening its sixth...

Past & Future.(In the Markets)(Dow Jones and Company Inc.)(Brief article)
April 10, 2006... Enough already. Last week, the stock of Dow Jones & Co. got slapped with a sell rating by Merrill Lynch, two weeks after Moody's slashed the publisher's credit rating. Next week will be DJ's turn, when new Chief Executive Richard Zannino...

Brasserie gets some finessing; New chef at popular midtown spot riffs on bistro fare; sound can be over the top.(Business Lives)(Restaurant review)
April 10, 2006... Byline: Bob Lape Guests making triumphal entrances before cameras trained on the pale-green glass ramp into Brasserie don't wait long to see themselves on television. Captured images of the restless and hungry appear on monitors placed...

NY auto business gets new lease on life.(New York state)(Brief article)
April 10, 2006... Byline: tommy fernandez Automotive leasing has returned with a vengeance to New York state. Leasing accounted for 43.6% of all new-car transactions in the New York area last month, according to the Power Information Network, a division...

ABT taking big leap; Finances in order, company wins major grant to aid national strategy.(American Ballet Theatre )
April 10, 2006... Byline: Miriam Kreinin Souccar For the first few years of this decade, American Ballet Theatre was the poster child for how not to run an arts organization. Though the quality of its performances never wavered, ABT whipped through...

Perfect fit.(Brief article)
April 10, 2006... Byline: elisabeth butler Mary-Evi, 46, a fit model, tries on designers' samples and critiques the fit for comfort. Then pattern makers create other sample sizes proportionate to her finished size 8 fit. The numbers At 5'8'', Mary-Evi...

Zone lender learns its lessons; 4 years after shutdown, Brisc back in action.
April 10, 2006... Byline: Tina Traster When carlos aguila jr. decided to open his fourth health food store in two years, he knew that it might be a struggle to find a loan. Though his Karrot Health Food stores in Brooklyn and Washington Heights were doing...

Don't put zoning up for sale in NY.(New York)
April 10, 2006... Byline: Alair Townsend Memo to Mayor Bloomberg and Council Speaker Quinn: Get a grip on this community benefits agreement thing. It's out of control. So-called community groups have been negotiating commitments for all sorts of...

Katie's what evening news needs.(Viewpoint)(Katie Couric )
April 10, 2006... Byline: Valerie Block Les moonves may not know much about radio, but he sure knows network television. Putting David Lee Roth behind Howard Stern's microphone has been a fiasco. But the CBS Corp. chief's move to fill the anchor chair...

OUTSIDE ASSISTS.(Small Business Report)(Coface Group and Atradius)(Brief article)
April 10, 2006... Think about using a factor--firms that pay cash upfront for accounts receivable with a viable promise of payment. A business sells invoices to a factor at a discount, usually 80% to 90% of the total owed plus fees, depending on the volume of...

STUDENTS SEEK HOST BUSINESSES; exploring careers.(News)(Brief article)
April 10, 2006... The greater new york councils Exploring program is seeking businesses to host educational sessions offering high school students the chance to explore various industries and make better decisions about possible career choices. The...

Prosecuting AG candidates.
April 10, 2006... Can anyone name all the candidates running to succeed Eliot Spitzer as New York attorney general? (Hint: There are seven.) Can anyone list the important issues in the race? The answers, except for the most dedicated political junkies, will be...