Crain's New York Business articles from March 2002

Crain's New York Business archives from March 2002

timeline.
March 4, 2002... SEPT. 11: Terrorists attack the World Trade Center, wounding New York City in ways that are still being felt today. SEPT. 12: Smoke replaces a once-familiar view of the Twin Towers from the Brooklyn side. SEPT. 20: National Guardsmen...

The Weeks Ahead.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... This Week's Events MARCH 5. New York Public Library holds IRS small business tax workshop. 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM, Science, Industry and Business Library, 188 Madison Ave., room 018, conference center, lower level. Free. Preregistration...

Election day attack on NY unmakes Mayor Green; Sept. 11 events cast Giuliani as a hero, transfer his aura to free-spending Mike.(analysis of how World Trade Center attacks affected mayoral race, election of Michael Bloomberg)
March 4, 2002... On the morning of Sept. 11, political consultant David Axelrod was about to leave his home in suburban Chicago to fly to New York City. It was primary day in New York, and Mr. Axelrod was looking forward to spending the evening with his...

Survivors left behind can't replace colleagues; Those who carry on to honor the dead feel the loss of their expertise and spirit.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... After his law firm found temporary offices, Allan Fudim asked Mark Brisman's widow for a photograph of her husband. The young man was to have been Mr. Fudim's last protege, the one to whom Mr. Fudim had planned to entrust his clients when...

Broadway's plotting writes a happy ending; Mayor's interest, newfound unity saves an industry and sets example.(recovery of theatrical industry after terrorist attacks)(Statistical Data Included)
March 4, 2002... It was just two days after the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. The downtown sky was black with smoke. The city was in shock. Then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani was at the Police Academy on East 20th Street, his makeshift command center,...

New norm: more stress, softer edge; Uncertainty not good for business.(New York after September, 11, 2001)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... The biggest change for Romolo Marcucci is the faces. On his daily walk from subway to office, he notices them now, and goes out of his way to make eye contact in the blur of overcoats and steaming caffe lattes. He admits to moments of...

NYC airports lose lift as passengers balk; Miami surpasses JFK as gateway to nation; small carriers busier.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... Sadiq Faizy's grocery store in Kew Gardens Hills, Queens, used to attract a steady stream of customers who picked up dried fruit, candy and gifts for their flights out of JFK International Airport. Since Sept. 11, that traffic has all but...

City plans blitz to keep firms downtown ; Top officials vow personal visits, incentives for all to save jobs.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... The Bloomberg administration is meeting individually with the 200 downtown companies with more than 200 employees in an effort to stem the loss of workers in the area affected by the Sept. 11 terrorist attack, says Deputy Mayor Daniel...

Executive Moves.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... ADVERTISING & COMMUNICATIONS Advanstar Communications: Deborah H. Baum, 45, joined as general manager of the East Coast fashion group, a newly created position. She is works out of the New York office of the Cleveland-based company. She...

Rebuilding downtown; Crain's breakfast forum, March 26.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... The chairman of the state agency charged with , John Whitehead, will discuss the agency's work at the next Crain's New York Business breakfast forum on Tuesday, March 26. The forum will begin with a networking breakfast at 8 a.m. The...

Downtown is ruled by tourists while offices stay empty; Residential market is faring better.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 4, 2002... Six months after the destruction of the World Trade Center, downtown's office community remains decimated. Businesses have moved nearly 60,000 employees out of the area, or 15% of the neighborhood's employment base prior to Sept. 11,...

Consultants push Wall St. to leave; Downtown's losses are huge, but some companies shrug off fears, concentrate workers in midtown.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 4, 2002... When the World Trade Center was bombed in 1993, Tari Schreider, a leading expert on corporate contingency planning, was flooded with phone calls from financial firms. Wall Street executives wanted to know how much of their workforce should be...

Counterpunching promoter wins rounds near WTC; Boxing gym gets aid, rebounds.(Muay Thai kickboxing; Church Street Boxing Gym)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... It's a Friday night in late January, and martial-arts fans mill around the cavernous Church Street Boxing Gym eyeing the ring expectantly. They're a motley group, from nose-ringed teen-agers to a graying boomer sporting a fanny pack, baggy...

Darkness lingers at Ground Zero as memory of loss takes hold; Damage extends well beyond site; a few bright spots signal hope.(New York)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... People who live and work downtown can't let go of the memory of the halcyon weekend before Sept. 11. The Battery Park City Esplanade was full of life then. Children were playing along the grassy walk, under the eyes of elderly neighbors....

Enough horror for a lifetime in newsreels of a local war.(psychological aspects of viewing World Trade Center attacks)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... Cbs has been promoting yet another special about Sept. 11, promising us, six months after the attack, never-before-seen footage from a French camera crew that was actually inside the World Trade Center when the hijacked jets hit. I am sure...

Government Alert: NY lawmakers catch Enron fever; Accounting firms and nonauditing services targeted by several lawmakers.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... A series of enron-related bills, which would require accounting firms to separate their audit and consulting businesses, are being considered in Albany. Assemblyman Richard Brodsky, D-Westchester, has proposed a bill that would prohibit...

Steve Hanson lands winner in Times Sq. with Blue Fin; W Hotel hosts new extravagant and noisy duplex; seafood is the bait.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... Steve hanson is moving at warp speed. After a year of no openings-he sensed the restaurant pullback coming and pulled back-his upscale-Italian Fiamma in SoHo is opening this month, and the pied piper of hospitality is planning a Ruby Foo's...

Defenselessness teaches life's important lessons.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... Few new yorkers warm to the role of victim. We've adopted our own street-wise ways to protect our possessions and ourselves. My relationship to my purse changes as soon as I land at a local airport: I carry it closer to my body, zipper...

At Deadline.(multiple topics)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 4, 2002... Century 21 seeks workers Now that it has reopened with enormous publicity, Century 21 needs more workers for its 22 Cortlandt St. flagship store. Chief Operating Officer Raymond Gindi says that he was already 20% below his usual year-round...

Rebuilding New York on Crain's site ; Directories online.(www.crainsny.com)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... For up-to-date information about services available to companies affected by the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, visit the ``Rebuilding New York'' section at www.crainsny.com. The section also has a list of companies that are receiving loans...

Charities, feds leave small firms out in the cold; Grants too little, too complicated to plug financial holes; loans avoided.(Statistical Data Included)
March 4, 2002... Small businesses in New York City are the forgotten victims of Sept. 11. Six months after the attack that devastated this city and sent shock waves around the world, the business community in lower Manhattan is still reeling. So far,...

Liza caps hotel's rise from ashes; Attention boosts Regent; rivals move in.(wedding of Liza Minnelli, Regent International Corp.)
March 4, 2002... When Liza Minnelli and music producer David Gest say ``I do'' March 16, their star-studded wedding bash at the Regent Wall Street won't be the only cause for celebration that day. It will also be a joyful event for the hotel. After...

Companies dig deep to help families; Assistance to survivors of victims includes paychecks, health coverage.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... Larry Belinsky and Chris Quackenbush were Little League soccer dads, sharing jokes with each other while coaching the young athletes. Their kids went to the same Manhasset, L.I., school. Both worked in Manhattan, Mr. Belinsky as a...

City plans require a sense of urgency.(New York, New York)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... The outline of the bloomberg administration's strategy to save the business base of downtown and keep jobs from fleeing New York began to emerge last week. The concepts are promising, but the details must be fleshed out quickly. The...

Editor's Note.(New York City)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... One week from today marks the six-month anniversary of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. In this special issue, Crain's New York Business takes a comprehensive look at the impact of the tragedy on the city's economy, its companies...

Catering to a new crowd; Takeout sees surprise rebound.(Red Wine with Fish, Rosie's Tavern)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... Ravi Gupta took a risk three years ago that few people are bold enough to take. Disenchanted with investment banking, Mr. Gupta quit his job of five years as an associate at Prudential Securities and enrolled in cooking school. He then...

One recovery measurement for city could be 26.3 miles.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... Six months after the attack on the world trade Center, New Yorkers remain focused on loss: the 2,838 people who died at the Twin Towers; the 110,900 jobs that disappeared in New York City last year; the estimated $105 billion in economic damage...

Mental health system failing 9/11 victims; Traumatized counselors lack skills, funds.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... Months after former restaurant supervisor Larry Scheingold watched the Twin Towers crash to the ground with 76 of his Windows on the World workers still inside, he's suffering sleepless nights, bad dreams, flashbacks and moments of deep...

Euro Brokers guts it out to recoup bond business; Resolve restores pre-Sept. 11 levels.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... At 7:57 a.m. on a sunny winter morning, Gil Scharf leaves his apartment on East End Avenue. Like so many other things, his commute has changed. He hustles a few blocks to catch the 8 o'clock ferry, which smoothly sails to lower Manhattan....

Behind scenes at Risk Waters, a huge loss for Wall Street; Tech innovators were attending meeting at Windows.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... A remarkable cross section of the financial industry gathered on Oct. 24 at a memorial service for the 87 people who died at the Risk Waters conference at Windows on the World. Present were top executives from nearly all of Wall Street's...

Garment firms are torn apart; Attack puts ailing industry in dire straits; 13% drop in apparel jobs.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... Opening his wallet wide, Danny Tsui plucks out one credit card after another, tossing them down until a silvery pile of plastic glitters on his desk. Since Sept. 11, credit cards have become Mr. Tsui's salvation. As the manager of Fortune...

Economic outlook for NY brightens; Job losses to end, Wall St. improves; slow recovery already under way.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... Six months after it was nearly destroyed in the World Trade Center collapse, the Marriott Hotel in the World Financial Center is not only open, but also booked at close to its normal occupancy rate. ``We expected it would take months...

Directory: A guide to sources of help.(Brief Article)
March 4, 2002... Here is a list of loan and grant programs available to businesses affected by the events of Sept. 11. The list also appears on the Crain's New York Business Web site, www.crainsny.com, with additional information on other services available to...

AT DEADLINE.(business dealings)(Brief Article)
March 11, 2002... Downtown help Congress approved $5 billion in tax breaks to help New York City recover from Sept. 11. The main provision calls for providing a tax credit to companies south of Canal Street with 200 or fewer employees. The credit is $2,400...

Free trials of Insider.
March 11, 2002... Crain's offers free two-week trial subscriptions to The Crain's Insider, a daily fax covering government and political issues of importance to business executives, lobbyists and others interested in the inner workings of city and state...

Tisches, biotech find chemistry; Family holdings in drug, treatment research companies top $275 million.(Brief Article)
March 11, 2002... With little fanfare, New York's influential Tisch family is emerging as a leading investor in biotechnology companies throughout the country. Through a variety of investment vehicles, the four sons of Laurence Tisch are investing in...

Real Estate Watch: A breakthrough for Technology; NY Institute rents space for new offices, classrooms near Columbus Circle.(leasing agreements)(Brief Article)
March 11, 2002... New york institute of Technology is expanding its Manhattan campus. The school, which is located in the Columbus Circle area, has rented 60,000 square feet at 16 W. 61st St. for new classrooms and faculty offices. The World War I-vintage...

Crain's business lists online; Directories, research available; formats expanded for some lists.
March 11, 2002... All of Crain's New York Business' published lists and directories are available at www.crainsny.com. To purchase a business list online, go to the site and click on ``Business Lists.'' The fee is $10 per list. Several of our online lists...

Thumbscrews in greater demand; Rising late receivables force firms to hire lawyers, collection agencies.(Brief Article)
March 11, 2002... Mitchell Schrage remembers when the head of a small perfume manufacturing business handed him a napkin with some scribbling on it. The napkin, Mr. Schrage was told, was proof positive of an important agreement the businessman had just made...

Going, Going, Gone; Bankruptcies soar among entrepreneurs from retailers to restaurateurs as recession, creditors cause implosions; some can't even muster formal filings.(Brief Article)
March 11, 2002... Flush with $750,000 raised from angel investors and family members, Olivier Gers hired a staff and in March 2000 opened Odaddy.com for business. Then came the dot-com crash. Suddenly, the second infusion of cash that Mr. Gers had counted on to...

The best of bob lape.(Manhattan, New York restaurant ratings)(Brief Article)
March 11, 2002... Blue Fin (2) The W Times Square Hotel, 1567 Broadway (at West 47th Street), Manhattan. (212) 918-1400. Steve Hanson's new seafood palace is two floors of visual hyperload from any angle. Hot, hot, hot, with sound levels to match. ...

Manhattan glitz invades Polish stronghold; Brooklyn's Greenpoint sprouts tony shops; too rich for some.(Brief Article)
March 11, 2002... Back in the mid-1990s, the first signs of the new crowd of shoppers beginning to crop up on Manhattan Avenue in Brooklyn's Greenpoint neighborhood did not go unnoticed. When more and more people turned up in the area toting Fairway and...

Paperwork saves owners from a personal bust.(advantages of incorporating a business)(Brief Article)
March 11, 2002... Regardless of what industry they're in, those business owners most at risk personally are those who failed to incorporate their enterprises. ``You don't need an agreement to become a partnership,'' explains James Sarna of Sarna & Associates in...

Telling Tales.(innovative businesses)(Brief Article)
March 11, 2002... These bags were made for walking Stiletto heels have inspired innumerable fantasies, but perhaps all too few small businesses. When back problems forced Shoshanna Smith to give up her beloved high heels, the Manhattan artist found an...

New Executive: Rounding out Times Sq.; BID president increases focus on area's residential, corporate suitability.(Times Square Business Improvement District president Tim Tompkins)(Brief Article)
March 11, 2002... On a wall near tim Tompkins' desk, in his bare office overlooking the bright lights and noisy crowds of Times Square, hangs a small remembrance of serenity. It's a photograph of the Bronx River, only one of the abandoned natural areas in New...

Living wage bill's many side effects.(Brief Article)
March 11, 2002... The members of the city council, most of whom won their seats with heavy support from organized labor, are about to consider legislation that would require companies that do business with the city to pay a ``living wage.'' Before the council...

Viewing downtown's future.
March 11, 2002... The chairman of the state agency charged with rebuilding downtown, John Whitehead, will discuss the agency's work at the next Crain's New York Business breakfast forum on Tuesday, March 26. Mr. Whitehead is the former chief of securities...

New York, New York.(services for the poor and homeless)(Brief Article)(Column)
March 11, 2002... BOUTIQUE HOTEls' NEW CLIENTELE A boutique hotel chain with seven Manhattan properties has decided to devote two of its hotels to the kind of customer not likely to be seen partying at the latest trendy bo?te. Just a few months after...

Developers gamble on the Bronx; Office, retail projects booming; Manhattan sublets could offer stiff competition.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 11, 2002... To the north, a facility for the mentally retarded that's been closed since 1991 is being converted into the cornerstone of a 1 million-square-foot office complex. To the south, an urban renewal site that's sat vacant for 30 years is being...

Firms paying up, cutting down to face drought; Car washes unexpected winners.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 11, 2002... Faced with the worst drought in many years, some New York City businesses are already spending thousands of dollars to prepare for rules that will force them to drastically reduce water consumption. Other business owners, such as garden...

Ink Tank prospers with steady series; Ink Tank prospers with steady series.
March 11, 2002... By the time R.O. ``Bob'' Blechman founded his boutique animation studio back in 1979, he was already an award-winning cartoonist and illustrator. Since then, The Ink Tank has prospered because of its reputation for meticulous, high-quality...

Showbiz insider takes the stage with new outfit; Theater will spin off bigger campaigns.
March 11, 2002... When Scott Sanders first approached Alice Walker about turning her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Color Purple into a Broadway musical, she was skeptical. So Mr. Sanders pulled out a long list of female celebrities he has worked with,...

HIV's New York comeback; Researchers expect resurgence in cases; prevention failing.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 11, 2002... Brad Johnson has decided that unsafe sex is safe enough for him. For years, he had been scrupulous about wearing a condom. The 32-year-old graphic artist came out of the closet at the height of the AIDS epidemic in the late 1980s, when...

Blanketing the city; With new hotel, Starwood tops Marriott.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 11, 2002... Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. is quietly edging out mighty Marriott as the dominant hotel operator in Manhattan. Its expansion is setting the stage for a three-way pillow fight in the city's beleaguered hotel business. When the...

Business story of the year.
March 11, 2002... This was last monday and on wall street, the Dow had run up 480 points in two days. The Afghan War was becoming serious up in the mountains. Giambi had a strained hammy. And at Wollensky's Grill on East 49th Street, the lads were at evening...

Struggling Lillian Vernon browses for an ideal CEO; Strong marketing background with online sales experience preferred.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 11, 2002... Lillian vernon corp. is looking for a chief executive to reinvigorate sales at its sagging 50-year-old catalog, known for items such as gift-wrap organizers, portable wine sets and personalized Easter dolls. Lillian Vernon, who founded the...

Coach carries the trendy set; Bags new customers, keeps old; stock becomes fashionable.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 11, 2002... It's become almost ubiquitous-an elliptical letter ``C,'' repeated in an abstract pattern on the hats and handbags of fashionable New Yorkers. The ``C'' stands for Coach, and the sudden popularity of its signature pattern vividly...

Sept. 11 upheaval spawns surge in telecommuting; Bosses more likely to be open to idea; tech upgrades allow work from home.(Brief Article)
March 11, 2002... When american Express executive Mark Ryan works from home, he just has to tell his 21/2-year-old daughter one thing to keep her quiet. ``If you don't let Daddy do his work, he's going to have to go to stinky New Jersey.'' His warning...

Babies' health before politics.(HIV, pregnant women and infants)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 11, 2002... Dramatic progress on one aids front was announced recently. The percentage of mothers infected with HIV passing the virus to their babies has fallen to only 3.5% in New York state. In the early 1990s, the figure was 25%. The decline has come...

Hair salons getting the brush-off.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 11, 2002... Business drops as much as 20%; some shops offering discounts, specials Hair salons typically have sailed through recessions unscathed. No matter how much belt-tightening people do, their hair care is usually last on the list of luxuries to...

Midtown bistro reborn under new ownership; Montparnasse offers French fare at a good price; no dessert surprises.(Brief Article)
March 11, 2002... At a time when new bistros are served up almost every week, something special has happened at one that's been here awhile. Montparnasse, named for the great artistic and intellectual breeding and feeding ground on Paris' Left Bank, is enjoying...

Government Alert: Pataki pledges to renew state tort reform effort; Congressional redistricting could pave way for Lazio's return.(political briefs)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
March 11, 2002... Gov. george pataki says he will make a new push to reform the state's tort laws, focusing on capping noneconomic damage awards. The governor, speaking last week to members of the Medical Society of the State of New York, ``was very clear...

The weeks ahead.
March 11, 2002... This Week's Events MARCH 12. New York Public Library holds workshop on common mistakes on your tax returns. 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM, Science, Industry and Business Library, 188 Madison Ave., room 018, conference center, lower level. Free....

Correction.(Eric Long, general manager)(Brief Article)(Correction Notice)
March 11, 2002... The general manager of the Waldorf-Astoria is Eric Long. His name was misstated in the Feb. 25 Executive Travel special report.

Executive Moves.(Lyons Lavey Nickel Swift Inc.; Auda Group; Elderplan; Dynamics Direct Inc.; Anderson Kill & Olick)(Brief Article)
March 11, 2002... ADVERTISING & COMMUNICATIONS Lyons Lavey Nickel Swift Inc.: Suri Harris, 46, was named executive vice president, director, client services of the health care marketing and communications company. She was formerly executive vice president,...

Fleet Bank turns to the city to rescue sinking fortunes; Focuses on better customer service and an increase in SBA loan approvals.
March 18, 2002... Naomi khazouri-Zadek had never experienced anything like it. Last month, the 22-year-old from Plainview, L.I., found herself the center of attention at the exclusive Fox Hollow Country Club in Woodbury. There, in Fleet Bank's...

NY tries to hold CPAs accountable; Only 16 accountants disciplined, mostly for drunk driving charges.
March 18, 2002... Out of roughly 50,000 accountants licensed in New York, only 16 were disciplined by the state last year-most of them for drunk driving. In fact, only one was reprimanded on professional grounds. For many people, those statistics are at best...

Location, location, location.
March 18, 2002... A tug-of-war is under way in the boardroom of virtually every big financial services company in New York. The outcome will determine whether the city's economy bounces back quickly from last year's big decline or whether the rebound will be...

Burden to stress design; New planning chief wants changes tied to visual impact in big policy shift.(Amanda Burden)
March 18, 2002... Amanda Burden, the city's new planning director, expects to make design a major factor in rezoning and city approvals for new projects. Ms. Burden says that the city Planning Department will examine design issues-which she defines as the...

New York, New York.
March 18, 2002... budget hotel joins boutique center A Manhattan hotel company has decided it is hip to be square. Apple Core Hotels, owner of the city's first Red Roof Inn, yesterday opened the first Super 8 motel in New York. The 206-room property, at...

Firms rushing for downtown tax breaks; New federal credits offer best aid yet; as news spreads, more firms will stay.
March 18, 2002... Big tax breaks signed into law this month by President George W. Bush are providing thousands of lower Manhattan-based companies with a reason to remain downtown, and even to buy new equipment and to renovate their offices. The...

Government Alert: Union shifts on nursing home tax; 1199/SEIU warms to bills exempting homes from 6% levy on Medicare revenue.
March 18, 2002... In a sharp turnabout, the state's leading health care workers union, 1199/SEIU, is expected to throw its support behind Senate and Assembly bills that would exempt nursing homes' Medicare revenues from the 6% assessment imposed by the new...

No special breaks for Bloomie's.
March 18, 2002... A bloomingdale's outpost in soho would be a welcome addition to that thriving retail district. But the big department store chain, owned by the even bigger Federated Department Stores conglomerate, should receive no special tax incentives to go...

The best of bob lape.
March 18, 2002... Montparnasse (21/2) 230 E. 51st St. (between Second and Third avenues), Manhattan. (212) 758-6633. Everything you would expect in a French bistro, and more. Reunited are well-traveled hospitality pros, proprietor-host Karim El Sherif and...

From Wall St. to vampire lovers; Slump puts bankers on new paths.
March 18, 2002... Last year, Greg Williams' career took him from currency conversions to cannibalism. Mr. Williams, an erstwhile specialist in cross-border transactions, in November became the chief executive of Lot 47 Inc., a Manhattan-based independent...

Small Business: Chinese restaurant chain adds American-style link; New eatery features simple food at fair prices; will need to beat tough odds.
March 18, 2002... Albert wu has gone all-American. Eight years after he signed on with his family's chain of Chinese restaurants, he has taken that business in a completely different culinary direction. Last month, he opened Beekman Kitchen, an...

AT DEADLINE.
March 18, 2002... Tourism switch Tim Zagat is stepping down as chairman of NYC & Co., the city's convention and visitors bureau, after three years. Mr. Zagat, co-founder of Zagat Survey, the Manhattan guidebook publisher, has recommended Jonathan Tisch as...

'RING' MASTER; Huge success of New Line's pricey bet solidifies its spot at AOL Time Warner.(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... Only a year ago, the fate of one of New York's most respected film companies was in question. New Line Cinema had just released Town and Country, a $90 million flop that is still talked about in the clubby industry. Another of its...

New Executive: Achieving his book ends; Barnes & Noble COO aims to boost earnings by seeing to the retail details.(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... For many years, mitchell Klipper was the behind-the-scenes guy setting up hundreds of Barnes & Noble bookstores across the country. Now he's in the spotlight, trying to boost the earnings of the firm he helped build. As the new chief...

Tenants sparking midtown revival; But full recovery will take a year.(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... The first new prospective tenants are appearing in the midtown office market after the slowest winter since the stock market crash of 1987. After a brief surge following the attack on the World Trade Center, the midtown leasing market...

Burden-some issues.(Amanda Burden, city Planning Department issues)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... Here is what Amanda Burden says on some other controversial issues before the city Planning Department. * COOPER UNION Ms. Burden says she has ``concerns'' about Cooper Union's expansion plans. The college has proposed constructing a new...

Less pomp for Afghan war.
March 18, 2002... I've attended only one war, and that was half a century ago. So I'm hardly an expert. But I did fight in the mountains during an Asian winter against competent troops on their turf. And there's something I'd like to say about putting...

Future of downtown; Breakfast forum deadline today.
March 18, 2002... The chairman of the state agency charged with rebuilding downtown, John Whitehead, will discuss the agency's work at the next Crain's New York Business breakfast forum on Tuesday, March 26. The forum will begin with a networking breakfast...

Art of the deal aids theaters; Cultural groups get discounted space on the West Side.(Alliance of Resident Theatres-New York)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2002... The Alliance of Resident Theatres/New York is leasing 32,000 square feet of office space in the theater district that it will rent out at a discount to arts groups and small theater companies. Twelve arts organizations-including Arts...