Crain's New York Business articles from March 2009

Crain's New York Business archives from March 2009

Food trade rises in Village; Commerce pleases with modern American dishes in retro setting; wine-tasting a plus.(Commerce Restaurant)
March 2, 2009... Commerce may be lagging on many fronts, but not at Commerce Restaurant in Greenwich Village. The yearling driven by Harold Moore's upscale comfort food is doing deservedly well, thank you. The restaurant occupies vintage space long home to...

Corrections.(Correction notice)
March 2, 2009... PDI Inc.'s new CEO, Nancy Lurker, has spent 25 years in the pharmaceutical industry, most recently at Novartis. Her tenure was described erroneously in the Feb. 23 "In The Markets'' column. Residence Resource is a licensed real estate...

Pets in Peril; To pay human bills, owners forgo expensive animal treatments.
March 2, 2009... Byline: Gale scott The look on the elderly owner's face told Queens veterinarian Kathy Sevalla that her patient--a 2-year-old Chihuahua--was in big trouble. When Dr. Sevalla told the owner that treatment for the tiny dog's intestinal...

A star is shorn; `Steven Rattner's fund' can now go back to being Quadrangle Group.(News)
March 2, 2009... Byline: Hilary Potkewitz To some new yorkers with a financial bent, private equity firm Quadrangle Group has simply been known as "Steven Rattner's fund,'' after the media-savvy investment banker, Democratic fundraiser and former Lazard...

MSG's new goaltender; Network GM will use parent's sports and entertainment assets to rebuild ad revenues.(MSG Networks)
March 2, 2009... Byline: Matthew Flamm Though he has been general manager of MSG Networks for little more than a month, Dan Ronayne already seems like an old hand at running the cable television home of the New York Rangers and the Knicks. And that's not...

Restaurateurs grab chance to expand; Falling rents, higher-quality spaces spell opportunity for cash-rich few.(News)
March 2, 2009... Byline: Lisa Fickenscher When a small bookstore next to the Strip House closed recently, the restaurant's owners didn't hesitate--they grabbed the space. "It was a no-brainer for us,'' says Mathew Glazier, co-owner of the East 12th...

POLL COMMENTS: Obama has to get beyond politics.(Viewpoint essay)
March 2, 2009... The good news is that Obama has the salesmanship skills and intellect to effectively lead our nation out of this abyss, provided he puts our national interest ahead of political interests. Thus far, he has placed a far greater emphasis on...

How has Obama handled the economic crisis so far? CRAIN'S ONLINE POLL.(Viewpoint)
March 2, 2009... 481 VOTES Date of poll: Feb. 24 37% Very well. He moved quickly to get the stimulus package passed, and he addressed the housing crisis. 34% Badly. The stimulus bill won't have any near-term economic impact, and his plan to fix...

Pfizer subtracts sublease, pulling big block off market; 685 Third will house staff after drugmaker merges with Wyeth.(Real Estate)
March 2, 2009... In a rare bit of good news for the commercial real estate market, Pfizer Inc. is actually taking a huge block of sublease space off the market. The pharmaceutical giant is no longer seeking tenants for 685 Third Ave., sources say, because...

GOVERNORS ISLAND, guv's funding.(Brief article)
March 2, 2009... A City Council hearing on Governors Island scheduled for last Friday was postponed until early April, an indication that a deal to restore the island's operating funds may be close, an insider says. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver,...

The Insider.(Briefs)
March 2, 2009... Byline: erik engquist and matthew sollars For whom the MTA plan tolls Politics and Metropolitan Transportation Authority budget woes make strange bedfellows. Last week, in an effort to head off drastic subway fare increases and...

In the Markets.(Briefs)
March 2, 2009... Byline: adrianne pasquarelli Time for King Stephen to buy back battered Blackstone Castle? Back in the jurassic, in the spring of 2007, Blackstone Group Chief Executive Stephen Schwarzman appeared on the cover of Fortune, which...

STRUGGLING WITH COSTS.(Brief article)
March 2, 2009... Pet owners feel the pain of their tough decisions, too. Tom, a construction worker who in November chose to have his 10-year-old rottweiler Willie put down, still gets teary when talking about the dog. "He got bone cancer. It happened...

Meet NY's wobbliest banks; Dud investments take toll on Park Ave. Bank, even parts of Milstein family's Emigrant Bank.(News)
March 2, 2009... Byline: Aaron Elstein For those who like to withdraw cash or deposit checks in the presence of fine art, Park Avenue Bank is the place to go. A midtown branch serves as a mini-gallery, displaying everything from Old Master portraits to...

Hitting a nerve with serious news.(Viewpoint essay)
March 2, 2009... Byline: Valerie Block Fox's 24 started with promise this season but has left me cold lately. Too many absurd plot twists. ABC's Desperate Housewives is another prime-time disappointment. But one show that isn't letting me down is 60...

New York, New York.(Briefs)
March 2, 2009... Byline: edited by Valerie Block Billionaire's memoir out of focus Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen (below) is ready to write his memoir. Over the past few weeks, ICM superagent Esther Newberg has been gauging interest in a book by the...

Rebranding New York.(NYC Tourism Report)(Brief article)
March 2, 2009... Marketing execs share ideas. 1. It's up to you, New York. "Playing to the idea that with such limitless options available to tourists--whether their tastes are attuned to Broadway shows or the latest in off-Broadway theater, fine...

Misery Meter; Weekly reading on direction of the city's economy.(News)
March 2, 2009... Sure it rained dismal data--from GM's losses to plummeting housing sales--but President Obama's 52-minute speech Tuesday and the proposed $3.6 trillion budget at least held out some hope. -6.2% Rate at which the U.S. economy shrank in...

SEEKING TOP entrepreneurs IN NEW YORK CITY; CRAIN'S AWARDS.(News)
March 2, 2009... Crain's seeks nominations for its 14th annual awards for top entrepreneurs, formerly called the Small Business Awards. The six winners will have distinguished themselves by showing a pattern of growth in their businesses and contributing to...

In Albany, Silver's good as gold; Speaker rises above weaker leaders, sets legislative agenda.
March 2, 2009... Byline: Erik Engquist The governor is in free fall. The head of the state Senate is a rookie with a razor-thin majority. But one Albany leader is more powerful than ever: Sheldon Silver. The soft-spoken Assembly speaker is the last man...

In Brief.(Presidential elections)(Brief article)
March 2, 2009... Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau's decision not to seek re-election this fall has created an opening for one of the most coveted prosecutor's jobs in the country. Three candidates have already raised significant funds for a...

Spring break on a budget.(Business Lives)
March 2, 2009... Great travel deals are available through May. Travel abroad is cheaper now with better exchange rates, and you can find inexpensive lodging in hostels and boutique hotels. Miami and Las Vegas are fun for students and families, and there are...

NY's rich to feel tax bite; So too will industries that feed off them: charities, real estate.(News)
March 2, 2009... Byline: Adrianne Pasquarelli it's a challenging time for New York's affluent, eh? Judging by the tax hikes on wealthier Americans proposed last week by President Barack Obama, it's an even tougher time for the nonprofit and real estate...

A good year for wine reform.(Viewpoint)
March 2, 2009... A proposal to allow grocery stores to sell wine in New York state comes down to a choice between more competition and increased tax revenue on one hand, and continued protection for a regulated industry on the other. The plan is...

GROUND ZERO, AGAIN; Recession undermines downtown's fragile recovery.
March 2, 2009... Byline: Lisa Fickenscher Tommy krisko has been selling food from his mobile All-American Diner at Whitehall Street since 1989, catering to busy bankers and lawyers who dash out for a chicken cutlet at lunch or stop by for a bagel on their...

Fortress feeling keeps downtown off beaten path; While tourists have flooded rest of city, neighborhood has struggled to rebound.
March 2, 2009... Byline: Lisa Fickenscher The historic tip of Manhattan was largely left out of the tourist boom of the past half-decade, which brought record numbers of visitors to New York and bathed the rest of the city in cash. Plenty of tourists...

Not-for-profits throw hats in ring for stim funds; Myriad groups pitch projects large and small; confusion reigns on requirements, process.(News)
March 2, 2009... Byline: Miriam Kreinin Souccar Local nonprofits are scrambling to get a share of the federal stimulus money soon to start moving into New York state for "shovel-ready'' construction projects. The soliciting organizations range from...

The Mouth that Roared; There's nothing conservative about the boost to WABC radio from Rush Limbaugh's resurgence.(News)
March 9, 2009... Byline: MATTHEW FLAMM Rush limbaugh likes to complain that President Obama is out to destroy the capitalist spirit in America. But so far, life under socialism has been pretty good for the confrontational talk radio star. In the months...

Then & Now.(News)
March 9, 2009... '97 again? some dej views the dow jones industrial average last week tumbled below 7,000 for the first time since 1997--the era of Alan Greenspan's "irrational exuberance'' mutterings. Although stocks have lost about half of their value...

Top-exec pay train runs full steam ahead; Filings for '08 show boards doing all they can to ignore poor performance.
March 9, 2009... Byline: Aaron Elstein Amid the deepest economic collapse in generations, corporate America is coming up with a novel way to justify extravagant executive pay: Ignore the bad news. Companies that sank into the red last year are looking...

A TALE OF TWO CDs.(News)
March 9, 2009... Byline: aaron elstein Customers are pouring an unprecedented $100 billion a month into U.S. banks, many of which offer little or no payout for their savings in certificates of deposit. The big exception? Citigroup Inc. And the reason may...

executive moves.(West End Financial Advisors)
March 9, 2009... Byline: maia blume Accounting & Consulting KPMG: Lina M. Amador, 35, was promoted to audit partner from senior manager of audit. Richard Clifford, 39, was promoted to tax partner from senior manager of tax. Victor M. Cuevas,...

The Weeks Ahead.(Calendar/Datebook)
March 9, 2009... Byline: maia blume This Week's Events March 10 Church Avenue Merchants Block Association holds workshop on free money for your business. 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., 884 Flatbush Ave., second floor. Free. Preregistration required. (718)...

Dating ON A BUDGET.(Business Lives)
March 9, 2009... There are plenty of options for cheap dates in NYC. Head to Pravda, a bar on Lafayette Street, for a free Russian movie on Sundays. On Friday nights, visit MoMA for free. The Corner Bistro in the West Village has $2.50 McSorley's, and the...

Thinking like a detective.(Brief article)
March 9, 2009... If you plan to invest a fair amount of time and money in a new account, hire a licensed private investigator to do a consumer public filings check, recommends Thomas Martin, who works with many New York City clients as president of Martin...

DirecTV connects for more space.(Directv group inc. )(SBR Multisport Inc)
March 9, 2009... Entertainment company's search ends close to home Directv group inc. signed a lease for almost 13,000 square feet at 1 Rockefeller Plaza, bringing its total in the building to nearly 77,500 square feet. The satellite TV provider inked...

Vietnamese's sensuous bow; Upper West Side's BarBao has succinct menu, sexy setting; on the hook for its fish.
March 9, 2009... Byline: bob lape Michael "bao'' Huynh keeps moving right along, propelled by gifts that mark him as the most celebrated Vietnamese chef in town. If there are disgruntled teammates in his wake, there are always new partners waiting to...

The Insider.(Briefs)
March 9, 2009... Liquor stores mix it up with guv The fight over Gov. David Paterson's proposal to allow supermarkets to sell wine is escalating. Opponents posted a doctored photo on a Facebook page sponsored by liquor store owners insinuating that Mr....

Whatever floats the boats; A choppy tourist market means water-taxi exec must target the locals and craft new routes.(Business Lives)
March 9, 2009... Byline: Lisa Fickenscher Jack and conner noyes are impressed that their father is the chief operating officer of Harbor Experience Cos., which owns 10 commuter and tour boats in the city. But they wish he could be a skipper instead. ...

New York politics after Paterson.(Viewpoint)
March 9, 2009... Byline: Greg David The most important man in New York politics isn't Gov. David Paterson, whose ineptness has translated into the worst approval rating for a governor in 30 years and long odds on his re-election in 2010. Rather, it's...

The limits of soaking the rich.(Tax reform)
March 9, 2009... If barack obama has his way, the top federal tax rate for families making more than $250,000 will jump to 39.6%. If Senate Democrats prevail in Albany, the rate for those with incomes above $1 million a year will increase sharply, to 10.3%. If...

Borrowing trouble; Cash shortfall snowballs for real estate lender iStar as big-name projects morph into bad debts.(News)
March 9, 2009... Byline: Theresa Agovino And Amanda Fung Istar, one of New York's highest-flying real estate lenders--which has financed $28 billion worth of real estate projects, and whose clients range from Donald Trump to Harry Macklowe--has crashed to...

Surgeons' plans knifed by hospitals; Proposed surgery center seen as threat; insurers, employers take opposite view.(News)
March 9, 2009... Byline: Barbara Benson Two years ago, Stephen Nicholas and 13 other doctors proposed a $10 million ambulatory surgery center with six operating rooms and state-of-the-art equipment. They billed SurgiCare of Manhattan as a better...

New York, New York.(Briefs)
March 9, 2009... Byline: edited by Valerie Block Out of the river, into a book deal The hero of flight 1549 might land a book deal. Captain Chesley "Sully'' Sullenberger (left)--who piloted a crippled US Airways jet safely into the Hudson River in...

MUSEUM HANGS SOME PAPER.(Business Lives)
March 9, 2009... Mark your hand-stitched calendar: Kate's Paperie and the Angelica Berrie Foundation will sponsor "Slash: Paper Under the Knife,'' an exhibition of paper artworks at the Museum of Arts and Design, from Oct. 7 through Jan. 10. The show, which...

In Brief.(Briefs)
March 9, 2009... CB Richard Ellis Investors purchased 1540 Broadway for around 60% less than the building fetched in 2007. The independently operated subsidiary of CB Richard Ellis Inc. won't say how much it paid, but sources claim the price tag was $355...

FIRST TEST MTA rescue plan.(Metropolitan Transportation Authority)(Brief article)
March 9, 2009... The effort to stave off major fare hikes and service cuts by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has become the first major test of the newly Democratic state Senate. Majority Leader Malcolm Smith is trying to scrape together the 32 votes...

GOOD PAYOFF.(Bimmy's Food Made With Love)(Brief article)
March 9, 2009... Sometimes you have to spend to save. That's the philosophy of Elliot Fread, chief executive of Bimmy's Food Made With Love. Recently, Mr. Fread, whose 80-employee Long Island City, Queens-based food wholesaler makes wraps, salads and the...

Should the feds keep bailing out AIG? CRAIN'S ONLINE POLL.(Viewpoint)
March 9, 2009... 265 VOTES Date of poll: MARCH 2 68% No. Let it fail. It makes no sense to keep lending AIG taxpayer money. 32% Yes. It is simply too important to let fail. If AIG goes under, it will be catastrophic for the global financial...

Legroom in traveler budgets; Airlines need to fill seats, offer fliers cheapest ticket prices in a decade.(News)
March 9, 2009... Byline: Matthew Sollars A suddenly sweet wave of deeply discounted airfares--prices on some routes out of New York area airports are 50% lower than last year--offer a rare bright spot for corporate budget-cutters. And it's not so bad for...

In The Markets.(Briefs)
March 9, 2009... Time Warner lets loose the cable guy Time warner cable will complete its spinoff from Time Warner Inc. later this month, finally--yes, finally--becoming the "pure play'' cable company that investors have been clamoring for since before...

Storefront market wilts in Astoria; Demand for retail space drops, rents come down; will stimulus plan help?(Neighborhood Journal)
March 9, 2009... Until recently, Astoria, Queens, was one of the hottest retail tickets in town. To get a storefront location on Steinway Avenue, the neighborhood's main drag, store owners had to wait as long as six months. Now, 38 of Astoria's 302 businesses...

New stores forge ahead on Fifth; Projects planned before meltdown.(News)
March 9, 2009... Byline: Adrianne Pasquarelli Opening an expensive flagship in this economy should qualify an apparel company for a padded cell. Yet two retailers, Armani and Diesel, opened expansive emporiums on the midtown Fifth Avenue corridor last...

As CBS eyed dividend chop, Redstone offered an earful; Major shareholder accused of delaying cut to prop up other soured investments.(News)
March 9, 2009... Byline: Matthew Flamm At least one CBS Corp. shareholder apparently wasn't happy about management's decision last month to slash its corporate dividend by 80%. Sumner Redstone, CBS's executive chairman and owner of nearly 3 million...

"IT WILL KILL US'; East NY, Brooklyn.
March 16, 2009... Donald Foy is losing sleep. "I'm up most nights, just walking around,'' he says. "I'm worried about what's going to happen.'' The source of his unrest: Mortgage payments due on his two-family row house have shot up during the past three...

DISASTROUS TURN FOR STEAL OF A DEAL; St. Albans, Queens.(Viewpoint essay)
March 16, 2009... Kelvin Crenshaw seemed to have everything going for him. Nearly four years ago, the 47-year-old and his wife bought a two-story attached house that had been in her family for years. The price was a mere $40,000. The Crenshaws refinanced...

WORKING 2 JOBS, STILL FALLING SHORT; Springfield Gardens, Queens.
March 16, 2009... THE QUESTION PRINTED on a fluorescent pink sign attached to a lamppost caught Denise Parker's attention: "Why rent when you can own?'' In 2005, the single mother of three dialed the number on the sign and reached a real estate agent. He...

A QUICK SPIN AROUND THE BLOCK.
March 16, 2009... IN RESPONSE TO THE GROWING DEMAND for real estate auctions, the National Association of Realtors partnered with the National Auctioneers Association to develop an online course designed to introduce brokers to the process. "Real estate...

New York, New York.(New York Yankees provide services to fans)(advertising revenue report by K-Rock)(Billy Crudup and Martha Plimpton will perform in public theater plays )
March 16, 2009... Byline: Edited by Valerie Block New Jersey's own Yankee Clipper WHEN BASEBALL SEASON BEGINS next month, Yankee fans in New Jersey can sail to the new stadium to see Derek Jeter and teammates. Seastreak will transport Monmouth County...

Coney Is. plan a go, but void remains; Empty lots mean a summer bummer; Astroland to stay dark.(Brief article)
March 16, 2009... Byline: MATTHEW SOLLARS THE CITY'S plan to redevelop Brooklyn's famed but badly faded Coney Island strip took an important step forward last week when the plan was approved by Community Board 13. But with the plan's impact unlikely to be...

DAD-FRIENDLY CLASSES AND GROUPS.(Brief article)
March 16, 2009... The 92nd Street Y offers a five-week class, "New DadsDads and Babies,'' for fathers and infants, newborn to 12 months. The class meets Sunday mornings, so it doesn't interfere with Sunday-afternoon sports. Go to www.92y.org for details. ...

FACE-OFF Throwing NYS off island?(community development)
March 16, 2009... RELATIONS BETWEEN Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Gov. David Paterson, which have been growing testy recently, bubbled over last week when the mayor went public with his plan to take control of Governors Island and Brooklyn Bridge Park. The...

THE INSIDER.
March 16, 2009... Byline: ERIK ENGQUIST AND MATTHEW SOLLARS `Goodnight, Gracie' bolsters Bill CITY COMPTROLLER William Thompson (left) got a boost from last week's announcement by Rep. Anthony Weiner (right) that he won't decide for several months...

Brokerages must pay to help cover Madoff; `Bernie's tax' forces brokers to better fund anti-fraud kitty.
March 16, 2009... Byline: Hilary Potkewitz IN THE WAKE of Bernard Madoff's $65 billion Ponzi scheme, the brokerage community is about to pay for the bad behavior of one of its own. To raise enough money to cut restitution checks to Mr. Madoff's...

EconoMeter.
March 16, 2009... Weekly directional of the city's economy. Shock! Horror! For a change, most of the week's surprises came on the upsidefrom retail sales that weren't as lousy as feared, to bank profits that proved not to be an anachronism after all. ...

Ruling on rents squeezes landlords; May owe back rent; units could return to regulation.
March 16, 2009... Byline: Theresa Agovino AFTER 23 YEARS in Stuyvesant Town, Ken Chanko and his family dreaded the idea of leaving. But with the end of rent regulation for their three-bedroom apartment looming, Mr. Chanko knew there was no way they could...

Banks' efforts on mortgage relief fall flat; Obama bailout offers new hope, but process remains laborious.
March 16, 2009... Byline: Hilary Potkewitz A series of ambitious efforts launched by banks over the past six months to stem a rising tide of foreclosures have accomplished little. That is clear from foreclosure rates, which in January were up 64% from...

Big tenant renews--for short term.
March 16, 2009... Management firm Elliott Associates re-signs at 712 Fifth FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT firm Elliott Associates renewed its 40,000-square-foot lease at 712 Fifth Ave. for another two years. Sources say the rent was about $85 a square foot....

Bank-starved Bronx to get hungrier still.
March 16, 2009... Byline: HILARY POTKEWITZ WALL STREET'S not the only neighborhood where banks are closing up shop. Shock waves triggered by the financial turmoil of recent months are flowing uptown to the Bronx as well. At least eight bank branches...

ALLEGRETTI.(Brief article)
March 16, 2009... 46 W. 22nd St. (between Fifth and Sixth avenues) (212) 206-0555 www.allegrettinyc.com **1/2 Cuisine Provencal Wines 220 choices, 25 by the glass Dress No code Noise Level Lively Price Range $22-$36,...

Roaming the French Riviera; Allegretti's on the right food path, but service is often oddly inconsistent.
March 16, 2009... Byline: BOB LAPE The first signature restaurant of chef and owner Alain Allegretti, formerly of Le Cirque and Atelier, offers flavor finesse and visual style at a lower price point. His focus in this Flatiron location is on the French...

Daddy & Me! Newly jobless fathers discover ups and downs of stay-at-home life.(online Meetup group )
March 16, 2009... Byline: HILARY POTKEWITZ At first, Scott Jensen joked that he was the new "manny'' (that is, male nanny) and said he was only "baby-sitting'' his 3-year-old daughter, Heather. The former telecom chief executive lost his job in...

Give back the bailout money.
March 16, 2009... LAST YEAR, Joseph DePaolo decided that a little slice of the money from the $350 billion federal bank bailout would be a low-cost way to finance Signature Bank's plans to expand its lending. So the CEO of the middle-market lender, which...

FERRY SENDS S.O.S. NY Waterway's owner says next berth is Ch. 11.
March 16, 2009... Byline: Lisa Fickenscher WHEN CAPTAIN CHESLEY SULLENBERGER landed US Airways flight 1549 in the Hudson River in January, NY Waterway ferries arrived at the scene within minutes, fishing 142 of the 155 airline passengers from the icy water....

Pols' dream world impedes recovery.
March 16, 2009... Byline: ALAIR TOWNSEND THE BAD NEWS just won't quit. A midtown tower bought for $950 million in 2007 recently sold for about $350 million. The New York Times Co. has suspended its dividend; CBS has reduced its dividend. ...

Frederic Seegal: Back to where he began; Former Lehmanite reconnects, 37 years later, with mentor at Peter J. Solomon.
March 16, 2009... Byline: AARON ELSTEIN In 1972, novice banker Frederic Seegal took a job with Peter Solomon, a big shot at Lehman Brothers. His pay: $150 a week. Thirty-seven years later, Mr. Seegal, now a successful dealmaker in his own right, is...

Broadway bet paying off; In previews, West Side Story packing them in; no shortage of investors.
March 16, 2009... Byline: Miriam Kreinin Souccar WHEN KEVIN MCCOLLUM DECIDED to stage a revival of West Side Story, he was embarking on new territory. The Broadway producerwho has had a string of original hits such as In the Heights, Avenue Q and...

IN BRIEF.(UJa-Federation Of New York)(survey of restaurants that allow diners to get their own boose)(Pfizer Inc awarded Executive Jeffrey Kindler high compensation )(Brief article)
March 16, 2009... THE UJA-FEDERATION OF NEW YORK IS THE LATEST MAJOR NONPROFIT TO BE HIT BY THE deepening recession. The local agency, the largest in the national network, is laying off 52 employees, about 11% of its staff. Fundraising pledges have dropped 10%...

Tax hike is textbook politics; Working Families Party rallies popular support, legislative action in Albany.
March 16, 2009... Byline: Erik Engquist NEW YORK'S CHATTERING CLASSES are no longer debating whether state income taxes will be jacked up on high earners. Now the only question is by how much. And the creditor blamefor successfully framing the debate goes...

THIS WEEKS AHEAD.(Calendar)
March 16, 2009... Byline: MAIA BLUME March 17 Camba holds workshop on how to buy a home. 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., 884 Flatbush Ave., second floor, Brooklyn. Free. Preregistration required. (718) 282-2500. March 17 Fashion Institute of Technology...

EXECUTIVE MOVES.
March 16, 2009... Accounting & Consulting Ernst & Young: Michael S. Solender, 44, joined as Americas vice chair and general counsel. He was formerly executive vice president and chief legal officer at Washington Mutual Inc. KPMG: David B. Elsbree, 39,...

Sewing up the teen retail market; Aeropostale gains share with low prices, stylish duds; bit of patience helps.
March 16, 2009... Byline: Adrianne Pasquarelli IN AN INCREASINGLY dismal retail environment, teen chain Aeropostale stands out as a statistical freak. As many of its rivals crash and burn, Aeropostale's earnings for the fiscal year ended Jan. 31 actually...

Personnel file.
March 16, 2009... COMPANY Peter J. Solomon & Co. TITLE Senior adviser AGE 61 RESUME President, Wasserstein Perella HOBBIES Golf, visiting art galleries FAVORITE RESTAURANTS Chanterelle, Le Bernardin

GE's stock slam brings breakup to light; Finance unit sinks shares; NBC sale could bolster battered balance sheet.
March 16, 2009... Byline: Aaron Elstein INSIDE GENERAL ELECTRIC CO., the conglomerate's various business lines are known as "bubbles.'' So many are popping simultaneously that GE's future is in jeopardy. Last week the once bluest of blue chips lost the...