Crain's New York Business articles from January 2004

Crain's New York Business archives from January 2004

Medicaid hit list picking up allies; Runaway costs pressure legislators to rethink reform.(News)
January 5, 2004... Byline: mary sisson Under intense pressure to reform New York's expensive Medicaid program, Albany legislators and Gov. George Pataki are most likely to agree on shifting some costs to the state from local governments and adopting a...

State making headway against auto claims fraud; Crackdown yields results as costs fall; insurance chief seeks lower rates.(News)
January 5, 2004... Byline: tommy fernandez New York's crusade against auto insurance fraud is finally bearing fruit, as injury claim costs decline and Insurance Superintendent Gregory Serio pledges to push overall rates down. Claim costs in the state...

Brokerages close door to new soldiers; Youth, inexperience a big barrier as firms await signs that NY rebound is certain.(Real Estate)
January 5, 2004... Byline: john kimelman Daniel Richman had no idea how important his 2001 summer internship at Hunter Realty Organization would prove to be. Though Mr. Richman had never closed a deal, the firm hired him in July 2002, following his...

Joel Klein outlines school assignments; crain's breakfast forum, jan. 27.(News)
January 5, 2004... Schools chancellor joel klein will discuss changes he is seeking in the teachers contract, reforms he is making in the city's school system and his future plans at the next Crain's New York Business forum on Tuesday, Jan. 27. The Klein...

Boost for 5 industrial firms; City gives real estate, sales tax benefits, energy breaks.(Real Estate)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2004... The New York City Industrial Development Agency has approved assistance for five industrial companies to help them remain or expand within New York City. The aid will take the form of real estate and sales tax benefits, discounted energy costs...

New York, New York.(Briefs)
January 5, 2004... Towels still up for grabs? Selling merchandise such as bathrobes and even beds is old hat for many of the city's better hotels-except the Waldorf-Astoria. That quietly changed when the 111-year-old hotel began marketing the Waldorf...

The rules Crain's lives by.(Viewpoint)
January 5, 2004... Byline: Greg David The arrival of the new year seems an appropriate time to state what Crain's New York Business is, as well as our journalistic philosophy. Each week, we try to provide a look at the most important issues affecting...

Even out of office, Nixon had something to hide.(Viewpoint)(Richard Nixon)
January 5, 2004... Byline: James Brady As the presidential election year begins, it surely seems dated to bring up the name of Richard Nixon. Yet the old rascal retains a fascination for us. Most recently with the latest release of another batch of Nixon...

New managing editor.(News)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2004... Emily DeNitto has been promoted to managing editor of Crain's New York Business effective Jan. 1. Ms. DeNitto had been deputy managing editor and succeeds Elizabeth MacBride, who is relocating to State College, Pa., for personal reasons....

Landlords fill prescription for ailing market; Give top doctors their pick of office space in best buildings.(Real Estate)
January 5, 2004... Byline: christine haughney Noting that the commercial real estate market remains weak, landlords who once sniffed at doctors looking to rent space are welcoming these tenders of the hobbling and age-defying. Prominent Manhattan...

Superstores forced to think outside big box; NY's low ceilings, columns, tight spaces pose costly challenges to prefab chains.(Real Estate)
January 5, 2004... Byline: judy temes When construction workers dug a five-foot-deep hole in the basement floor for what will be an escalator in the new home of Home Depot on West 23rd Street, they found a stream running underneath the Chelsea thoroughfare....

The Crain's beat sheet; Editors, Reporters.(News)
January 5, 2004... PUBLISHER/ EDITORS Alair Townsend / Publisher e-mail: ATownsend@crain.com Writes every-other-week column on public affairs. Greg David / Editor e-mail: GDavid@crain.com In charge of all editorial operations and...

Stock Watch: Satellite radio firm's stock flying out of orbit; Two deals boost Sirius' price, but skeptics say this sky has ceiling.(Stocks)
January 5, 2004... Byline: anita jain Sirius satellite radio inc. was one of New York City's best stock performers last year, even before two big deals lifted its shares in the last two weeks of holiday trading. It began 2004 with a bang when its shares...

New Executive: Raises sales, takes helm; Newsweek publisher plots new advertising course to continue revenue increases.(Profiles)
January 5, 2004... Byline: mary sisson It's fair to say that Patrick Hagerty, the newly appointed U.S. publisher of Newsweek, has advertising sales in his blood. His father owned an ad agency, and though "he told me not to go into advertising,'' says Mr....

Steakhouse not quite prime time; Benny's offers good meat and wine, comfort and a crack staff, but little else.(Dining/Restaurant Review)(Benny's Steakhouse)(Restaurant Review)
January 5, 2004... Byline: bob lape The new year seems an apt time to greet Benny's Steakhouse, a father's dream and a son's hope. The father is Bruno Selimaj, whose Bruno Ristorante on East 58th Street has 25 years under its belt. The Benny for whom the new...

Executive Moves.(Profiles)
January 5, 2004... Byline: adrianne pasquarelli accounting & consulting Eisner & Lubin: Alfred Erdmann, 32, was promoted to partner. He was formerly audit manager. Protiviti Inc.: Edmund Weiss Jr., 60, joined as managing director of internal audit...

Commerce Bank goes commercial; Steps up lending to middle-market clients.(News)
January 5, 2004... Byline: tom fredrickson Commerce Bank is grabbing attention in New York for a new reason: It's becoming a force in commercial banking. Known since coming to the city in 2001 for its focus on gathering consumer deposits, the Cherry...

Medicaid curbs need tough guv.(Viewpoint)
January 5, 2004... Comptroller Alan Hevesi says that the state's expensive Medicaid system must be scaled back because New York simply can't afford what it costs. That's certainly a helpful comment from a Democrat. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver has long...

The Weeks Ahead.(Calendar/Datebook)(Calendar)
January 5, 2004... Byline: adrianne pasquarelli this week's events january 6. Rotary Club of New York holds lunch meeting on education and American economic growth. 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Princeton Club, 15 W. 43rd St., second floor. Fee: $40. (212)...

At Deadline.(Late News)
January 5, 2004... New School expands with Flatiron lease the new school university is expanding in the Flatiron district by renting 40,000 square feet of office space in the Knickerbocker Building at 79 Fifth Ave. and East 16th Street. The university plans...

Ziff Davis gets into gadgetry; Launching Sync to reach young men obsessed with digital life; crowded field.(News)
January 5, 2004... Byline: jon fine Ziff Davis Media Inc. will launch gadget-lifestyle consumer title Sync with a June-July issue. It will be its first nongaming consumer launch since 2000. Sync targets digitally obsessed young men looking for camera...

Government Alert: Electronic death registry short-circuited by mayor; Favors system, but vetoes bill with unrealistic timelines; Spitzer and Fields?(Briefs)
January 5, 2004... Byline: anne michaud Mayor michael bloomberg vetoed a bill last week that would have established deadlines for creating an electronic death registry, an innovation that supporters say is favored by medical professionals and the funeral...

State health plan limping along after 3 years; Officials see gains, plan downstate push.(News)(Healthy New York)
January 5, 2004... Byline: jacqueline s. gold When Richard Russell went looking for health insurance recently to cover the four-person staff at his residential and commercial mortgage brokerage firm, his agent recommended three different insurers. One option...

Tailoring a plan for Brooklyn.(News)(development program)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2004... The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce is using subsidies from a private foundation and the federal government to improve the appeal of Healthy New York for a limited number of companies. The chamber is now offering a product called Brooklyn...

Auto tech training center rolls forward in Queens; Dealer association addresses shortage.(News)
January 5, 2004... Byline: ralph kisiel The 650 dealers that make up the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association, feeling the pinch of a service technician shortage, have decided to take a hands-on approach to solve the problem. The association...

Free information for all site visitors; crain's on the web.(News)(Brief Article)
January 5, 2004... Crainsny.com, the web site for crain's new york Business, offers regularly updated, Web-only content for free to all visitors. Exclusive features include "On the Job With,'' in which crainsny.com interviews a different New York businessperson...

L.I. village's long haul to revitalization; Freeport's plan enters second phase.(Special Report: Commercial Real Estate)
January 12, 2004... Byline: fran hawthorne Since taking office two years ago, Nassau County Executive Thomas Suozzi has made reviving the county's morbid Main Streets a key component in his efforts to improve the local economy. The 10-year project to...

Classic dishes make diners dance in the Greek aisles; Ithaka takes quality, cordiality, clay pot cookery uptown; don't forget pillows.(Dining/Restaurant Review)(Restaurant Review)
January 12, 2004... Byline: bob lape Harry hatziparaskevas. Can there be any doubt that a man bearing such a name is one of great stature? Just signing autographs would tire mere mortals. That may be why Harry doesn't. He is a star chef who stays in the...

The big-tenant picture.(Special Report: Commercial Real Estate)(Emmes Realty Services L.L.C.)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2004... The lure of convenience and cheaper rents is proving attractive to larger tenants, too. The owners of 19 W. 44th St., a 17-floor building next door to the Harvard Club, have intentionally set out to reduce the building's number of tenants. The...

Tenant traffic flows into Transit Triangle; Midtown area's side streets draw small firms seeking reasonable rents.(Special Report: Commercial Real Estate)
January 12, 2004... Byline: daniel gross In the past 16 months, 28 W. 44th St., a 22-story building owned by Chicago-based Transwestern Investment Co., has witnessed about as many small arrivals as a maternity ward. In 2003, law firm Lustig & Brown took 9,700...

Suppliers pack Queens warehouse area; Space scarce, rents high in Maspeth; rail tunnel would increase demand.(Special Report: Commercial Real Estate)
January 12, 2004... Byline: jeremy quittner Maspeth, Queens, may not be the center of New York City life, but it just so happens to occupy the geographical center of the five boroughs. With such a perfect location, Maspeth finds itself in a real estate...

Post-Sept. 11 demand skips Jersey Gold Coast; Acres of empty space, bargains for small tenants.(Special Report: Commercial Real Estate)
January 12, 2004... Byline: victoria rivkin After Sept. 11, some in the real estate community thought businesses would flee lower Manhattan for New Jersey. But the promises of the Gold Coast, as Jersey City's riverfront development is referred to, have not...

Hip-hop power trio drives new beat for New York; From Bronx turntables to midtown boardrooms.(Special Report)
January 12, 2004... Byline: ylonda gault caviness and catherine curan Everybody looks like somebody in this star-kissed crowd on an autumn New York night. Baggy-jeaned boys, miniskirted model types and middle-aged men in suits all seem glamorous as the...

Real estate news online; www.crainsny.com.(Special Report: Commercial Real Estate)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2004... Crainsny.com, the web site for crain's new york Business, offers three exclusive features in its "Real Estate'' section. "Real Estate People'' keeps you informed about awards, events and other happenings. "Deal of the Week'' is an in-depth...

Bluefly shops brand-new job to fashion a new brand ID; Seeks marketing chief with deep experience; Y exercises a search.(Workplace)(Column)
January 12, 2004... Byline: tom fredrickson Bluefly inc., which operates a Web site that sells deeply discounted fashion apparel, accessories and housewares, is looking for a highly experienced marketing executive. At minimum, the job will consist of...

The Weeks Ahead.(Calendar/Datebook)(Calendar)
January 12, 2004... Byline: adrianne pasquarelli This week's events January 13. The Work Talk Times holds program on increasing your income. 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., St. Jean Baptiste Church, Community Center, 184 E. 76th St. Fee: suggested donation of...

Executive Moves.(Profiles)(KMM Consultants)
January 12, 2004... Byline: adrianne pasquarelli accounting & consulting KMM Consultants: Kamran Mirfakhraie, 45, is founder and president of the new project and construction management consulting firm. He had been a vice president at RC Dolner. ...

Government Alert: Compromise may lead to REAP revival.(Briefs)
January 12, 2004... Bloomberg, Silver smooth out deal; tax revenue at center of arena negotiations Mayor michael bloom- berg and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver have settled their differences over the Relocation and Employment Assistance Program, insiders...

Taking stock of floor traders.(Viewpoint)
January 12, 2004... Many of New York's most important politicians and a group of high-powered business executives gathered on Wall Street last week to say they support the floor traders who make the New York Stock Exchange work. There's no doubt the stock exchange...

Rise in revenue, expectations.(Viewpoint, fiscal spending)
January 12, 2004... Byline: alair townsend City tax revenues are coming in above budgeted levels. The scramble to whack up the "windfall'' is in full gear, even though the budget picture for the next few years still looks ugly. Good times-or as is the...

Keeping things cooking; Restaurant Associates veteran moves up to market, expand merged company.(Profiles)
January 12, 2004... Byline: lisa fickenscher When nick Valenti, chief executive of Restaurant Associates/Patina, decided to relinquish the title of president last month, he looked no further than his protege, Richard Stockinger, to replace him. "I can't...

Banks facing reality check; Shrinking deposits could force mergers.(News)
January 12, 2004... Byline: tom fredrickson After growing more than 40% over three years and fueling a banking boom, bank deposits peaked late last year and ended 2003 with their first down quarter of the millennium. Deposits declined from late in the...

Work visas could add local tax revenue, jobs; Immigrants plan offers gains; cost, paperwork threaten small firms.(News)
January 12, 2004... Byline: tommy fernandez President George W. Bush's plan to offer temporary work visas to illegal immigrants was generally greeted with enthusiasm by foreign workers who would gain legal footing and the ability to travel freely back and...

Liberty Bond plan builds up opposition; NY asks for extension and financing shift from commercial to housing development.(News)
January 12, 2004... Byline: anne michaud City and state officials are seeking a five-year extension of the federal Liberty Bonds program that would include a doubling of the amount that can be used for housing, a move that alarms some residents and business...

Not all are whooping it up.(News)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2004... First it was the cruise ship fiasco. Now some of Manhattan's hotels have another reason to feel brushed off by the 2004 Republican National Convention. The RNC told city officials last year that it would require about 22,000 hotel rooms at...

Private schools use extra credit for expansion; Cheap money backs creative projects.(Special Report: Commercial Real Estate)
January 12, 2004... Byline: stan luxenberg In the basement of the Calhoun School, music students work to master the baritone saxophone and clarinet, while upstairs, workers with sledgehammers pound away. The contrasting sounds are all part of a typical...

Bottom line not a top concern.(Special Report: Commercial Real Estate)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2004... Contractors say that working on a school renovation differs from commercial projects, because developers of the latter are more focused on the bottom line. In negotiations, schools are usually represented by the boards of trustees and...

Profiting from a roof with a view; Observation decks, communications sites add revenues; supervision needed.(Special Report: Commercial Real Estate)
January 12, 2004... Byline: matthew flamm It took more than two years of planning and design work, and it will require close to two more years of construction. The owners of 30 Rockefeller Center won't even talk about how much money their indoor-outdoor,...

A fortunate agreement.(Special Report: Commercial Real Estate)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2004... White Plains Mayor Joseph Delfino has been the major force behind the city's turnaround. He has aggressively pursued notable retailers, personally courting Louis Fortunoff to build on the abandoned site where Saks Fifth Avenue used to stand....

Workers, shoppers return to spiffed-up White Plains; Tax breaks, other incentives attract builders; 2 new retail complexes.(Special Report: Commercial Real Estate)
January 12, 2004... Byline: tina traster When Fortune 500 companies, including Kraft, IBM and AT&T, downsized their workforces in the early 1990s, the outlook for White Plains was bleak. Not only were office parks vacated-the shoppers who once filled the...

Passengers grab bags of takeout for takeoff; Airport food court sales surge; eateries are favored tenants.(Special Report: Commercial Real Estate)
January 12, 2004... Byline: victoria rivkin Travelers may groan about the airlines' decision to cut back on the food they serve on domestic flights, but the concessionaires at the New York area's three major airports couldn't be more delighted. "With...

Penny ante deals for high stakes; Huge debt financing with little cash down is the rage for building acquisitions; are lenders smarter than they were in the late '80s?(Special Report: Commercial Real Estate)
January 12, 2004... Byline: andrew marks When Mitchel Maidman, president of Townhouse Management Co., bought the Chelsea Towers, a 200-unit apartment building on West 24th Street, the purchase price came to $71 million. But the acquisition cost the company a...

Joel Klein outlines school assignments; crain's breakfast forum, jan. 27.(News)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2004... Schools chancellor joel klein will discuss changes he is seeking in the teachers contract, reforms he is making in the city's school system and his future plans at the next Crain's New York Business forum on Tuesday, Jan. 27. The Klein...

Swimming against the tide.(Special Report: Commercial Real Estate)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2004... Many in the real estate industry were happy to shut the door on 2003. But there are some players whose fortunes are running well ahead of the economy. For example, a surprising number of difficult-to-lease retail spaces are finally finding...

Distinct smell of something, but not from Martha's oven.(Viewpoint)(Column)
January 12, 2004... Byline: James Brady The lawyers don't even start grilling potential jurors until next Tuesday down at U.S. District Court in Manhattan, where they're holding the criminal trial of the century, targeting the most evil, heartless, truly...

Stock Watch: Steaming ahead on shipping deals; General Maritime's larger fleet, new clients bring investors aboard.(Stocks)
January 12, 2004... Byline: mary sisson For a long time, general Maritime Corp.'s stock was a sinking ship. The Manhattan-based shipping company went public in mid-2001 at $18 per share and promptly headed for the bottom of the ocean, reaching depths...

Free trials of daily health fax; CRAIN'S PULSE.(News)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2004... Crain's new york Business offers free two-week trial subscriptions to its daily Crain's Health Pulse fax. The Pulse fax covers the business of health care, supplying information on mergers and affiliations, contracts, executive...

A little touch of ladies first: progress after years of bias; Women advance despite very sexist work climate; assist next generation.(Special Report)
January 12, 2004... Byline: catherine curan Tracey waples, the highest-ranking female executive at P. Diddy's Bad Boy Worldwide Entertainment Group, has only recently achieved enough success in the male-dominated world of hip-hop to wear form-fitting T-shirts...

From P. Diddy's lookout to a NY marketing whiz; Shawn Prez typical of hundreds of hip-hop-inspired local entrepreneurs.(Special Report)
January 12, 2004... Byline: ylonda gault caviness When it comes to reaching the hip-hop generation, traditional New York City advertising plays a role. There are billboards over the West Side Highway, subway campaigns and product samples. Then there's Power...

Hotel boom in neighborhoods; Big is out, but small projects abound in underserved areas throughout city.(Special Report: Commercial Real Estate)
January 12, 2004... Byline: louise kramer When the Mandarin Oriental hotel opened at Time Warner Center two months ago, it marked a new high in fancy accommodations in New York, with even its bathtubs boasting sweeping views of the city. The pricey...

Buildings Dept. getting up to code; Commissioner eases processes to quash corruption.(Special Report: Commercial Real Estate)
January 12, 2004... Byline: shira boss-bicak Mayor Michael Bloomberg's quest to streamline city government is being put to the ultimate test at 280 Broadway. That's where his commissioner is trying to ease the infamously bureaucratic procedures of the...

Building blocks.(Special Report: Commercial Real Estate)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2004... One of the Department of Building's largest undertakings is its effort to adopt the International Building Code, already in force elsewhere in New York state. But first, the IBC needs to be adapted for the city's unique environment. There are...

Hungry retailers pick `wallflower' partners; Long-vacant spots now attractive.(Special Report: Commercial Real Estate)
January 12, 2004... Byline: matthew flamm The owners of The Capital Grille steakhouse chain had been looking for a year and a half for the right place to open a flagship restaurant in New York City. Tishman Speyer Properties, meanwhile, had been trying for...

Nota bene: Sign subtenant first; Many firms seek tenants before moving as space glut dampens urge to gamble.(Special Report: Commercial Real Estate)
January 12, 2004... Byline: judith messina PricewaterhouseCoopers is negotiating to move its headquarters across town, but before it clinches the deal, the big accounting firm wants to make sure it has a sublet tenant for its Sixth Avenue digs. Similarly, law...

Crain's stories on databases.(Special Report: Commercial Real Estate)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2004... Crain's is available on several electronic databases for readers wishing to locate stories. Full text can be found on Nexis, Dialog, Dow Jones Interactive, Newsbank CD-ROM products and Profound. Business Dataline provides indexed coverage.

Women still knocking on corner-office doors; Only 15% of top positions held by females at creative companies: survey.(Workplace)
January 12, 2004... Byline: samantha marshall There may be hair-line cracks, but the glass ceiling is still firmly intact at some of the most creative and high-profile companies in the communications industry. Among 57 Fortune 500 companies in...

Correction.(Corrections)(Correction Notice)
January 12, 2004... Bonjour Group Inc.'s combined revenues and sales of licensed goods are estimated to have been $3.8 billion in 2003. The figure was incorrectly described in the Nov. 24 list of the area's largest privately held companies.

2003 leasing info sought; TOP OFFICE DEALS.(Workplace)(Brief Article)
January 12, 2004... Costar group inc. is compiling information for its list of the largest office leasing deals in Manhattan in 2003, to be published in Crain's New York Business on Feb. 2. Brokers and others with information on transactions that could...

Small Business: Firms find cheap solution for their staffing needs; Student interns fill the gaps while recovery takes hold.(Small Business)
January 12, 2004... Byline: tommy fernandez When demand for their documentaries surged last year, the five producers at Kaufman Films were delighted-and perplexed. They knew it would take hundreds of hours of research to prepare the new series. For...

New York, New York.(Briefs)
January 12, 2004... Byline: edited by Valerie Block Many pennies for her thoughts New York literary agent Noah Lukeman wants to turn R&B sensation Alicia Keys into a star of the publishing world-for a price. According to industry sources, Mr. Lukeman is...

RNC balloons hotel coffers early; Enjoying unexpected business in advance of GOP convention.(News)(Republican National Convention)
January 12, 2004... Byline: lisa fickenscher Eight months before the 2004 Republican National Convention hits the Big Apple, some Manhattan hotels are already having a grand old party. These hotels had counted on a strong summer because of their close...

Talk is even cheaper; Internet phone service providers line up in NY.(News)
January 12, 2004... Byline: anita jain When the adult daughter of real estate agent Cindy Wayland moved back home, the family's phone bill immediately went through the roof. That's why last spring, Ms. Wayland was among the first to sign up for a brand-new...

The Best of Bob Lape.(Dining/Restaurant Review)(Restaurant Review)
January 12, 2004... Ida Mae Kitchen-n-Lounge (2) 111 W. 38th St. (between Sixth Avenue and Broadway), Manhattan. (212) 704-0038. Chef and co-owner Kenneth Collins puts a sophisticated, upscale spin on food that was inspired by his great-grandmother from the...

At Deadline.(Late News)(meshed brief)
January 12, 2004... Wall Street's IPO ship comes in in a bullish sign for wall Street, the market for initial public offerings resumed last week-the earliest date in any year since 1990. Shares of Staten Island-based K-Sea Transportation Partners, which owns...

REBNY honors six with awards; Helmsley Distinguished Award to go to developer Larry Silverstein.(Special Report: Commercial Real Estate)(Real Estate Board of New York)
January 12, 2004... The Real Estate Board of New York will honor six members of the industry at its annual banquet on Thursday, Jan. 15. Larry A. Silverstein, president and chief executive of Silverstein Properties Inc., will receive the Harry B. Helmsley...

Bad taste left after Empire deal.(News)(Brief Article)
January 19, 2004... The atmosphere of distrust greeting the 1199 SEIU and Greater New York Hospital Association proposal largely stems from the circumstances surrounding the November 2002 conversion of health insurer Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield from a nonprofit...

Conde CEO makes ads top priority; Steven Florio's replacement needs to reignite sales, gets high marks.(News)
January 19, 2004... Byline: ann marie kerwin Charles Townsend, appointed president and chief executive of Conde Nast Publications last week, is already worried about his newest-and, many would say, most crucial-responsibility: ad sales. "I'm very focused...

Firm finds Defense Dept. sweet spot; L-3 Communications focuses on smaller projects to advance, makes acquisitions.(Finance)
January 19, 2004... Clearly, the war in iraq has been a boon for defense contractors. The trouble is, growth for many of those companies is closely tethered to a Pentagon budget that is expected to increase only about 5% per year for the foreseeable future. ...

2003 leasing information sought for Feb. 2 list; TOP OFFICE DEALS.(Real Estate)(Brief Article)
January 19, 2004... Costar group inc. is compiling information for its list of the largest office leasing deals in Manhattan in 2003, to be published in Crain's New York Business on Feb. 2. Brokers and others with information on transactions that could...

Utility sees the light, reduces debt; KeySpan sells off some noncore assets, pares what it owes; set to hike dividend.(Finance)
January 19, 2004... After keyspan corp. acquired Long Island Lighting Co. in 1998, it raised its annual dividend to $1.78 a share, marking the 23rd consecutive year the Brooklyn-based company had boosted its payout to shareholders. Unfortunately, the dividend...

New Executive: Music's next supergroup; BMG's co-counsel tackles Sony merger, helps firm adopt new business models.(Profiles)
January 19, 2004... Byline: anita jain Anne chwat, co-general counsel at BMG Entertainment, has been working 18-hour days in the office-sometimes staying overnight-as she helps cobble together a merger with Sony Music Group that would make the conjoined...

L'Oreal makes beauty mark downtown; Edgier brands move off 5th Ave.; Gates- backed nonprofit's Hudson Sq. deal.(Real Estate)
January 19, 2004... Byline: christine haughney For lipstick maven l'oreal, Fifth Avenue once seemed to be the only location to base its U.S. operations. But the conglomerate, whose products range from youthful Maybelline to grande dame Lancome, is relocating...

Citibank changes direction as it makes more SBA loans; Even more activity expected; support for federal oversight.(Finance)
January 19, 2004... Byline: tom fredrickson Citigroup is doing an about-face in its attitude toward making loans backed by the U.S. Small Business Administration-a lending program the nation's largest financial services company once avoided. In the first...

Government Alert: Madison Sq. Garden execs don't dig Jets' planned digs; May officially oppose stadium `rival'.(Briefs)
January 19, 2004... Insiders say the management of Madison Square Garden is considering announcing that it is opposed to a Jets stadium on Manhattan's far West Side. The two venues would sit just four blocks apart, and MSG executives believe that a new stadium...