Crain's New York Business articles from September 2008

Crain's New York Business archives from September 2008

Designer Drama.(Business of Fashion Report)
September 1, 2008... The extravaganza that is New York Fashion Week comes with high drama, high stakes--and a high price. At Bryant Park, the tents alone go for about $25,000 to $50,000, and production costs easily triple that amount. As designers display...

Label pairs backers' bucks with an intimate style; On verge of big time, founder sticks to roots, keeps her cool; needs to build on potential.(Business of Fashion Report)
September 1, 2008... Byline: Ylonda Gault Caviness Some designers get by on their business sense; others, their fashion sense. But often, the key to success is plain old common sense. That's why Rachel Roy will not tent her collection in Bryant Park, the...

Employment firm growing in Times Square; New space will let BountyJobs Inc. hire 12 more workers.(Real Estate)
September 1, 2008... Bountyjobs inc. is quadrupling its space with a five-year lease for a total of almost 9,400 square feet at 230 W. 41st St., between Seventh and Eighth avenues. Asking rent was $48 a square foot. The company, which connects employers and...

Financially sound designer gets back in glitzy game; Returns to world stage with a bang; hopes to prove its renewed prowess.(Business of Fashion Report)
September 1, 2008... Byline: Tina Traster Luca orlandi, an Italian textile scion, built his Luca Luca brand independently and quietly. Although his clothes adorn the likes of Halle Berry, Paris Hilton and Beyonce, he seldom seeks the limelight. Except at...

New York, New York.(Briefs)(McCainSpace.com)(Editorial)
September 1, 2008... Byline: edited by Valerie Block The Internet is a series of tubes Sen. john mccain admits that he's not particularly computer-savvy. He's not the most popular presidential candidate on the Web, either, with fewer than 250,000 friends...

Those serving now in need; Agencies face worst crunch in decades, scramble for ideas.(Hard Times for Nonprofits)
September 1, 2008... Byline: Daniel Massey And Miriam Kreinin Souccar In may, the trustees and top executives of Citymeals-on-Wheels gathered to make the toughest decision in the agency's 28-year history. The organization has lost nearly $800,000 in...

Executive Moves.(Business Lives)
September 1, 2008... Byline: sarah studley Accounting & Consulting Citrin Cooperman & Co.: F. Wayne Holton, 65, was promoted to chief executive from partner. Holtz Rubenstein Reminick: John Basile, 46, joined as partner. He had been a partner at Hays...

In the Markets.(Briefs)
September 1, 2008... Byline: Erik Ipsen Bond insurer worth avoiding When a stock is beaten down as far as that of bond insurer MBIA Inc., any good word can touch off an explosion. Sure enough, its shares have soared 231% in the past month on the news that...

A page from Obama's playbook; $2.5M shortfall and cuts spur marketing blitz, Web revamp and microgiving pilot.(Hard Times for Nonprofits)
September 1, 2008... Byline: Daniel Massey In each of the past few years, the Children's Aid Society spent only a fraction of the $100,000 budgeted for marketing. But this year, faced with a $2.5 million fundraising shortfall, the group is spending more than...

Verizon searches for new horizons; Wireless carrier opens platform; exclusive deal with Google on the way.(News)
September 1, 2008... Byline: Amanda Fung Verizon wireless and Google Inc. could seal a deal that would make the tech giant's search engine a featured service on all Verizon cell phones by year end. The potential partnership highlights Verizon's efforts to...

WANTED: director of engineering.(Business Lives)
September 1, 2008... Byline: amanda fung COMPANY Yodle JOB DESCRIPTION Oversee and manage a team of 10 software engineers at a Manhattan-based startup MOST IMPORTANT TASKS Recruiting talent, motivating the team and leading design system architecture...

The Insider.(Briefs)
September 1, 2008... Byline: Erik Engquist and Matthew Sollars Hillary becomes Dems' Rules girl Many of Sen. Hillary Clinton's supporters, still smarting from their candidate's narrow defeat, have won a partial victory in an effort to ensure that no one...

The Weeks Ahead.(Calendar/Datebook)(Conference news)(Calendar)
September 1, 2008... Byline: maia blume & sarah studley This Week's Events September 3 New York Public Library holds information session on business startup resources and services. 3:15 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., 188 Madison Ave., lower level. Free. (212)...

GROUP SEEKS HOST BUSINESSES; exploring careers.(News)
September 1, 2008... The Greater New York Councils' Exploring program seeks businesses to host sessions offering high school students the chance to explore various industries and make better decisions about career choices. Exploring puts together groups of 15...

FREE TRIALS OF ONLINE NEWSLETTERS; online political news from crain's.(News)
September 1, 2008... Crain's offers readers free two-week trial subscriptions to its online newsletters, Crain's Health Pulse and The Crain's Insider. Pulse deals with the business of health care. It gives details on mergers, contracts, companies' executive...

ACCESSORIES ADORN THE RACKS.(Business of Fashion Report)
September 1, 2008... Byline: adrianne pasquarelli Henri Bendel is not holding back. Crossing the threshold of the gracious Fifth Avenue specialty store, shoppers find a larger-than-life assortment of bright beaded necklaces, vividly colored handbags and chunky...

At Deadline.(Late News)
September 1, 2008... The future of the Parkway Hospital should become clear soon. The Queens hospital, slated to close by Sept. 30 as a result of a Berger commission mandate, has been lobbying fiercely to remain open. If the hospital does close, it has to give...

HARD TIMES AT NONPROFITS; Gifts dwindle, costs increase and further cuts loom.(News)
September 1, 2008... The most vital charities in New York--those that provide food, shelter and other services to the city's neediest--are facing their worst crises in memory. Because of the economic downturn, such nonprofits have lost millions in funding, forcing...

Malcolm in middle moves Willets Point; State senator gets parties together; deals expected soon.(News)
September 1, 2008... Byline: Daniel Massey The icy relationship between the city and landowners in Willets Point, Queens, is beginning to thaw, leading some to believe that the pace of property acquisitions in the area, slated for redevelopment, will pick up....

Selling ticket licenses adds up.(Viewpoint)
September 1, 2008... Holders of season tickets for the New York Giants and New York Jets--or at least those quoted in the press in recent weeks--are outraged that they are being forced to buy personal seat licenses to keep their tickets. Here's an economics lesson...

U.N. nod to eateries; Convivio, Padre Figlio gain approval of diplomats and nabe; loud when full.(Business Lives)
September 1, 2008... The united nations is seldom unanimous on anything, but two new Italians in the neighborhood are winning great approval as delightful dining destinations for diplomats and everyone else. Convivio supplies splendid southern spin in the...

The limitations of term limits.(Viewpoint)
September 1, 2008... Byline: Alair Townsend Mike bloomberg appears to want a third term as mayor. It's causing a kerfuffle in some quarters because the city voters twice said they wanted local officials limited to two terms, a maximum of eight years. I'm with...

Buyers pooling resources; Joint ventures allow purchasers to put more money down on building deals.(News)
September 1, 2008... Byline: Theresa Agovino With financing still expensive and difficult to obtain, Manhattan office buyers are increasingly creating joint ventures to acquire properties. Last week, a partnership between Sherwood Equities and an unnamed...

Hands-on hostess.(Business Lives)(TriBeCa restaurant)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Byline: sarah studley Karen Waltuck, 55, loves working with people. As the co-owner, with her husband David, of Chanterelle, she keeps everything running smoothly at the TriBeCa restaurant. perfect match A native of New York, Ms....

Get out of town! Gothamites trade in success for simple life.(Business Lives)
September 1, 2008... Byline: MATTHEW FLAMM Writer and entrepreneur Penelope Trunk moved to New York from Los Angeles seeking fame and fortune in the world of Internet startups. Ten years later, she was a columnist and blogger with a national following and an...

Should the Jets and the Giants sell stadium seat licenses? CRAIN'S ONLINE POLL.(Viewpoint)
September 1, 2008... 189 VOTES Date of poll: Aug. 26 47% No. It's pure greed. They have fans over a barrel because demand for season tickets is so high 41% No. Fans aren't owners; why should they shell out money up front to pay for the stadium? ...

2008 Watch.(News)
September 1, 2008... It's considered a given in political circles that Michael Bloomberg will still be mayor on Jan. 1, 2010, if he decides he wants to be. It's almost certain that the City Council will agree to revise the term limits law to allow him a third term...

Brooklyn Bridge Park draws protest from local politician; Insists area residents get shortchanged; too late to turn back.(Neighborhood Journal)
September 1, 2008... Byline: Matthew Sollars Brooklynites have been waiting patiently for over two decades for a park to be built on the abandoned docks below the Brooklyn Heights Promenade. Now that work on the park has actually begun--in the form of...

Increased designer-retailer hookups defy results; Mizrahi-Target synergy sought, but sales may not spark.(Business of Fashion Report)
September 1, 2008... Byline: Catherine Curan The fashion set is a notoriously biting clique. So early this year, when news of a partnership between luxury designer Norma Kamali and Wal-Mart Stores hit the blogosphere, the posts were less than charitable toward...

Detour to the Garden; MSGE charges exec to expand and export productions; thought she'd left biz behind.(Business Lives)
September 1, 2008... Byline: Hilary Potkewitz When melissa Miller Ormond was a freshly minted college grad with a degree in political science, she headed to Washington, D.C., hoping to land an internship. "I told my parents I was going into politics,''...

The puzzle of pleasing over-35s; Hipper approach needed to lure turned-off, time-starved group.(Business of Fashion Report)
September 1, 2008... Byline: ylonda Gault Caviness All across the country, Lloyd Boston keeps meeting the same woman. Whether she's an at-home mom or a career woman, she is juggling half a dozen roles. She has confidence, she has money and she has sex appeal,...

Condo glut builds; Owners cut prices, switch to rentals; impact uneven.(News)
September 1, 2008... Byline: Theresa Agovino When columbia university announced last week that it had bought a brand-new condominium building in Riverdale to house faculty and students, Vasco Da Silva cheered. It's not that he has any particular affection for...

Lawyers lose jobs; Wall St. the culprit; Firms dependent on waning financial deals shed attorneys; chance to cherry-pick.(News)
September 1, 2008... Byline: Hilary Potkewitz Lawyers are following bankers, as usual--right out the door. In the wake of massive layoffs on Wall Street, law firms have been quietly letting go of staffers whose services are no longer needed now that...

Time marches from the terminal onto the Web; Longtime watch shop in New York landmark expands service online.(Small Business)
September 1, 2008... Byline: Damian Ghigliotty Central watch Band Stand has been in business selling and repairing watches for 56 years at the same location in Grand Central Terminal, but when it came time to expand, the owners looked elsewhere. Not to...

STARS ATTRACT THE MOST MONEY.(Hard Times for Nonprofits)
September 1, 2008... Byline: MIRIAM KREININ SOUCCAR While many of the city's 25,000 nonprofits are finding it tougher than ever to raise money, high-profile arts institutions and major universities seem immune to the economic downturn. In fact, some...

HealthFUL treats for the lunch box.(Business Lives)(high fibre diet for children)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... i recommend foods that are high in fiber, such as Gnu snack bars. Other choices, like low-fat string cheese, offer calcium and protein. Even popcorn, which is a whole grain, has seven grams of fiber per cup. Stay away from the 100-calorie snack...

Cleaning up through war against germs; EquipSystems disinfects, maintains inventory on facilities' odd schedules; looking to wider market.(Small Business Report)
September 8, 2008... Byline: steve garmhausen Staff morale rose noticeably after EquipSystems cleaned and refurbished equipment at Atlanta Medical Center earlier this summer. Among other things, the company degunked the wheels on I.V. poles. "When a nurse...

Advertising Supplement: Holiday Party Guide.
September 8, 2008... See publication for the following articles: Planning an Office Holiday Party Should you have a theme for your holiday party? Designing a tablescape

Best of Bob Lape.(Business Lives)(Restaurant review)
September 8, 2008... Byline: Bob Lape Ammos (3 stars) www.ammosnewyork.com 52 Vanderbilt Ave. (between East 44th and East 45th streets), Manhattan. (212) 922-9999. Wunderkind chef David Ogren brings real creative fire to the handsome...

NY Sun's prospects for money to save paper cloudy at best; Backers hard to find in bad climate; a small audience.(News)
September 8, 2008... Byline: Matthew Flamm The new york sun will not set quietly. Executives from the money-losing broadsheet continued to search for new investors last week after announcing in a front-page letter on Thursday that the Sun would cease...

A salutary nudge.(Small Business Report)
September 8, 2008... having unhealthy workers can mean paying higher premiums. Take such preventative steps as offering smoking cessation programs, a workplace Weight Watchers, health club access, free flu shots and online health assessments from a site such as...

Putting on the glitz; Nearly 1,000 fashionistas pitch in for big event.(Business Lives)
September 8, 2008... Byline: ADRIANNE PASQUARELLI For most, September marks an end to summer's carefree reprieve of beach weather and relaxed vacations. For Alycia Randise, a 26-year-old Brooklyn resident who spends the year working behind the counter at...

In no hurry to drop gas surcharges; Businesses wary of cutting add-ons for fuel costs; some pad profits.(News)
September 8, 2008... Byline: Matthew Sollars Many new york businesses are in no rush to roll back surcharges they imposed when fuel costs skyrocketed earlier this summer, even though prices have dropped more than 10% since peaking in mid-July. The...

Antunes named editor of Crain's; CNNMoney.com vet joins on Oct. 6; David becomes editorial director.(News)
September 8, 2008... Xana antunes, formerly executive editor of CNNMoney.com and editor of the New York Post, has been named editor of Crain's New York Business. Ms. Antunes' appointment is effective Oct. 6, when she will take charge of the paper's 33-person...

Open source lab open for business; Joint venture facility at CUNY for city, state departments.(News)
September 8, 2008... Byline: Amanda Fung New york's technology geeks got a new playground last week: the New York City Open Source Solutions Lab, launched by the City University of New York and giants Red Hat Inc. and Intel, the first such facility in town....

Should Bloomberg clarify his position on term limits? CRAIN'S ONLINE POLL.(Viewpoint)
September 8, 2008... 180 votes Date of poll: Sept. 3 40% Yes. Elected officials need to know if the law is going to be changed so they can make plans about running for re-election. 20% Yes. Mayoral candidates in particular need to know, because if Mr....

Kids' hospital on tap? 2 Brooklyn facilities may join forces; could rival city's major sites.(News)
September 8, 2008... Byline: Elizabeth Macbride Maimonides Infants and Children's Hospital and SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn are exploring the idea of creating a boroughwide pediatric hospital. Discussions have been "very preliminary,'' says...

In the Markets.(Briefs)
September 8, 2008... Byline: edited by Robert Hordt One Wall Street firm worth a look Shares in Lazard Ltd. sank 11% last week on news that some executives were selling stock they inherited from the firm's initial public offering three years ago. That...

The Insider.(Briefs)
September 8, 2008... Byline: Erik Engquist and Matthew Sollars Arena to miss its start date Forest city Ratner still insists that it can break ground on its Brooklyn basketball arena this year. Reality says otherwise. It will be at least 2009 before state...

Little fallout for Rangel; Criminal charges, censure unlikely for congressman after tax revelation.(News)
September 8, 2008... Byline: Erik Engquist The revelation that Rep. Charles Rangel failed to declare rental income from his vacation property won't cost him his seat in Congress or chairmanship of the House Ways and Means Committee, but it does provide...

Stepping into big shoes; Steven Madden chief focuses on licensing deals, sagging margins; new designs needed.(Business Lives)
September 8, 2008... Byline: Adrianne Pasquarelli When Steve Madden returned to work in 2005 after more than three years in prison for stock fraud and money laundering, most people expected him to eventually take over the helm of his eponymous footwear and...

Hot Jobs.(Business Lives)
September 8, 2008... Byline: amanda fung WANTED: chief financial officer COMPANY NexCen Brands Inc. JOB DESCRIPTION Oversee financial operations at the Manhattan company, which buys and manages global retail brands MOST IMPORTANT TASK Help the...

The GOP's New York fantasy.(Viewpoint)
September 8, 2008... Only days before the Democrats met in Denver, a Siena College poll reported that Sen. John McCain trailed Sen. Barack Obama in New York by the surprisingly narrow margin of 8 percentage points. Last week, following their boisterous confab in...

Jobs up in Harlem, outer boroughs; Gains over past decade are outside Manhattan; losses posted downtown.(News)(Brief article)
September 8, 2008... Byline: Elisabeth Butler Cordova New york city gained 256,000 jobs during the past decade, primarily because of growth in Harlem and neighborhoods outside Manhattan. A report issued by the Center for an Urban Future notes that four ZIP...

RUNWAY NEWCOMERS.(Business Lives)
September 8, 2008... New Designers making their runway debuts are hot commodities at this year's shows, running Sept. 5 through Sept. 12. SoHo-based Thuy Diep, a Vietnamese-born designer known for her floaty fabrics, exhibited her spring line Sunday evening. In...

Tilting funds at windmills; Ardour Capital's business in alternative energy allows it to thrive as most of Wall Street languishes.(Small Business Report)(Ardour Capital Investments)
September 8, 2008... Byline: steve garmhausen You may not find windmills in New York City--yet--but you will find Ardour Capital Investments, which is prospering as an investment bank for the green revolution. The five-year-old firm specializes in...

Building on diplomacy; Forging consensus, soothing egos falls to manager Levien & Co.(Small Business Report)
September 8, 2008... Byline: steve garmhausen Most of New York City's businesses are subject to the ebb and flow of the economy, but a lucky few, including construction project manager Levien & Co., can swim against the tide in tough times. Three-quarters...

Crunch derails Spanish developer; Newcomer closes only one of 6 deals, loses 3 deposits.(News)
September 8, 2008... Byline: Theresa Agovino Executives at Renta Corporacion Real Estate SA thought its strategy of flipping buildings would work perfectly in Manhattan, a market overflowing with buyers and capital. Since setting up shop here about a year ago,...

New York, New York.(Briefs)(Apple Computer Inc. iTunes Music Store's ToneMaker)(New York Foundation for the Arts' jobs Web site)(launch of Edible Manhattan)
September 8, 2008... Byline: edited by Valerie Block Radio DJ turns TV star The angie martinez show took a big step closer to becoming a reality. "New York, New York'' wrote in June that the Hot 97 disc jockey (right) was shopping a show. Well, BET just...

North Africa not so far away; Nomad joins trend with flavorful dishes and tabs that are easy on the wallet.(Business Lives)(Restaurant review)
September 8, 2008... Restaurants of diverse African lineage are flowering in Manhattan. Nomad, a North African specialist, is thriving in the East Village. Factor in hummus havens, and the movement is clear. Nomad features foods of Morocco, Tunisia and...

Distasteful truths and consequences.(Viewpoint)
September 8, 2008... Byline: Greg David Businesspeople in New York long for a third term for Michael Bloomberg. With the possible exceptions of entrepreneurs in Willets Point, cigarette vendors and restaurateurs who don't want to disclose the number of...

Dentsu's ad campaign; Agency uses parent's power but aims to leave its shadow.(News)
September 8, 2008... Byline: AMANDA FUNG When tim andree took the helm of the U.S. operations of Dentsu Inc. two years ago, the Manhattan-based ad agency was a small, relatively unknown shop, and it was facing huge expenses. It was also lost in the shadow of...

NO LONGER SECOND FIDDLE; CEO's tech focus helps exchange make inroads.(News)
September 8, 2008... Byline: aaron elstein In mid-july, Chief Executive Robert Greifeld claimed a big victory in Nasdaq's long-standing war with the New York Stock Exchange: His marketplace surpassed the exchange as the place where the NYSE's blue-chip...

Term Limits.(Briefs)(government offices)(Brief article)
September 8, 2008... One would think the debate over term limits would be low-hanging fruit for good-government groups. Well, think again. "The situation is ambiguous from a good-government point of view,'' says Susan Lerner, executive director of Common Cause...

ELECTIONS Insurgents struggle.(Briefs)
September 8, 2008... A number of local seats are being contested Tuesday, and though no incumbents are expected to lose, the political cognoscenti will be watching closely. Here's a snapshot of some key races. Congress Rep. Ed Towns, D-Brooklyn, vs. Kevin...

Delia's finds new color; Clothing company joins `in' crowd with trendier styles; plans 2 new stores.(News)
September 8, 2008... Byline: Adrianne Pasquarelli A little color goes a long way in today's gray economy. Retail and direct-marketing company Delia's Inc., long lacking appealing duds for 12- to 19-year-olds, has added brights to its whites, and its prospects...

Legal education provider wins case for more space; Practising Law Institute expands on 7th Ave.; building's largest tenant.(Real Estate)
September 8, 2008... Practising Law Institute, the largest tenant at 810 Seventh Ave., just signed a five-year lease for an additional 11,000 square feet, bringing its total in the building to almost 90,000 square feet. The provider of continuing education...

Foreclosure fallout hits businesses; Unable to tap home equity, Jamaica owners turn to forgotten program.(Neighborhood Journal)
September 8, 2008... The high rate of foreclosures in Jamaica and its surrounding neighborhoods in southeastern Queens is taking its toll on small business owners, many of whom use home equity loans for funding. With property values in the area slipping and banks...

At Deadline.(Late News)(GFI Capital Resources Group's joint venture with The Carlyle Group)(Artists for Change's art auction)(Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's ticket sale )
September 8, 2008... GFI Capital Resources Group and The Carlyle Group are forming a $300 million joint venture to buy distressed residential apartment buildings. The venture will leverage that cash to buy $1.2 billion worth of properties. GFI, a Manhattan-based...

Best of Bob Lape.(Business Lives)(Directory)(Brief article)
September 15, 2008... Other American, regionally influenced restaurants. Allen & Delancey (3) www.allenanddelancey.net 115 Allen St. (at Delancey Street), Manhattan. (212) 263-5400. The four-star Monteverde team does double duty with a comfortably...

Cable networks' towers of babble.(Viewpoint)
September 15, 2008... Byline: Valerie Block Radio makes a clear distinction between news and talk. WINS gives you the world in 22 minutes; WABC's hosts pontificate. Maybe it's time the cable news networks made their own distinctions. CNN, MSNBC and Fox News...

Might as well jump; Designers, stores hope new take on '80s staple will fly off spring shelves.(News)
September 15, 2008... Byline: Adrianne Pasquarelli Ladies, the jumpsuit has returned. And, just like a paratrooper, it's taking the fashion world by storm. Both new and established designers featured the one-piece item in a variety of styles--from strapless...

At Deadline.(Late News)(5,000 techies for Web 2.0 Expo)(ITT Sheraton Corp. promotes its new wi-fi service)(bookstores in New York form trade alliance for its promotion)
September 15, 2008... First there was Client 9. Now there's Hospital Executive 2. As speculation swirls around the identity of the hospital executive named in the criminal complaint against Assemblyman Anthony Seminerio, industry insiders say the scenario outlined...

Remaining lenders hike demands, yet land deals; Ranks thinned by Wall St.'s pullback, creditors bet only on sure things; sales fall.(Real Estate Report)
September 15, 2008... Byline: Andrew Marks in june, Metropolitan National Bank made a move that has become increasingly unusual: It agreed to lend $40 million to a developer converting a Class B office building on Park Avenue into office condominiums. Mark...

Affordable builders escape worst of the market woes; Though slower, projects proceed because funding, tenants are assured.(Real Estate Report)
September 15, 2008... Byline: Stan Luxenberg When blue sea Development Co. renovated a 200-unit building on West 134th Street in Harlem last year, it added such amenities as a landscaped plaza. Though the credit crunch has sidelined many market-rate residential...

Cosmetic changes; Tough times call for injectables instead of lifts.(Business Lives)
September 15, 2008... Byline: alix strauss Dtermined to erase her brow and smile lines, Judy Gattegno recently faced a tough choice as she sat in the Upper East Side office of plastic surgeon Dr. Yael Halaas. Should she cut or fill? A full face-lift offered a...

MOOD-LIFT.(Business Lives)(Brief article)
September 15, 2008... It's no surprise that people are more concerned about their jobs in hard times. "When they're worried about that, they want to look good and project a vibrant, energetic and youthful appearance,'' says Dr. Andrew A. Jacono, a facial...

Construction is up against a wall; High interest rates, new requirements make financing deals hard to come by.(Real Estate Report)
September 15, 2008... Byline: Andrew Marks As hard as it is for developers to line up funding to purchase buildings these days, their predicament still pales in comparison with that facing builders. In a market where construction costs are still sky-high and...

City beefs up its defense.(News)
September 15, 2008... Byline: Hilary Potkewitz After years of chipping away at the amount New York pays in legal claims, the city Law Department saw that improvement vanish in one fell swoop this year in several settlements stemming from the catastrophic Staten...

COURTING CHINA.(Real Estate Report)
September 15, 2008... In recent years, Chinese buyers have been so active in the industrial space market that some brokers have hired Chinese speakers to help win that business. Nine years ago, CB Richard Ellis Inc. hired Dorothy Chuang, who is fluent in...

The Insider.(Briefs)(David Paterson at Crain's Breakfast Forum)(rules for term limits)(United Food and Commercial Workers International Union's meeting)
September 15, 2008... Byline: Erik Engquist and Matthew Sollars Governor rouses business owners Only last spring, David Paterson was unknown to the business community, toiling in obscurity as a lieutenant governor following two similarly powerless decades...

Do you expect a neck-and-neck presidential race? CRAIN'S ONLINE POLL.(Viewpoint)
September 15, 2008... 378 votes Date of poll: Sept. 10 31% Yes. John McCain's choice of Sarah Palin was a stroke of genius and has gained him more support among voters 23% Yes. The Republicans are running a much better campaign and getting their...

Toy seller FAO Schwarz a bigger player in building; After large deal with Macy's, signs lease to double its space on Sixth Avenue.(Real Estate Report)(Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations)
September 15, 2008... Toyland's headquarters is expanding, and it's not at the North Pole. FAO Schwarz signed a 10-year lease that will more than double its office space at 875 Sixth Ave. to nearly 18,800 square feet. The asking rent for the space at the...

Smoking required.(Business Lives)(Blue Smoke)(Fette Sau)
September 15, 2008... Byline: steven a. shaw it took a while, but serious barbecue, slowly smoked over wood coals, is now widely available in New York City. Here are five spots where you can sample the real thing. Dinosaur Bar-B-Que opened by John...