LI Business News articles from February 2005

LI Business News archives from February 2005

Commentary: Mayor Bloomberg is out of touch with Albany...and reality.
February 4, 2005... Byline: John Kiernan For many of us who have worked in and around the state Legislature for many years, it's baffling to see so many New York City mayors who fail to understand how the legislative body really works. That includes the...

Commentary: Fond memories of New York Legislature's late Phil Bisceglia.
February 4, 2005... Byline: Jerry Kremer According to official records, there are 38,000 people who earn a living as legislative staff members in Washington. In Albany, it's estimated there are 5,500 staffers. So it's hard to believe that once upon a time...

Teachers Federal Credit Union should officially hit $2B mark in coming months.
February 4, 2005... Byline: David Reich-Hale Only months after Bethpage Federal Credit Union hit the $2 billion mark, Teachers Federal Credit Union is closing in on the same accomplishment. Teachers Federal's assets increased 9.5 percent in 2004 to close...

NJ-based Commerce Bancorp continues expansion on Long Island.
February 4, 2005... Byline: David Reich-Hale While Cherry Hill, N.J.-based Commerce Bancorp continues its expansion on Long Island - the bank plans to open 11 new branches here in 2005 - it also has designs on other markets this year. For instance,...

Mortgage Bankers Association bullish on 2005.
February 4, 2005... Byline: David Reich-Hale The Mortgage Bankers Association is projecting strong economic growth through 2007, with gross domestic product growing at a rate of about 3.5 percent annually. The GDP is expected to grow slightly more than...

Great Neck-based Juniper Group says Rx is broadband focus.
February 4, 2005... Byline: Ken Schachter For a company with about 30 employees as of mid-2004, Juniper Group has had its fingers in a lot of pies. The Great Neck company's Juniper Pictures unit has sought to deal film rights to the home video DVD,...

Brookhaven National Lab puts $26.7M into LI economy.
February 4, 2005... Byline: Ken Schachter Brookhaven National Laboratory bought $26.7 million in supplies and services from Long Island businesses in fiscal 2004, a 20.3 percent increase over the previous period, the lab reported. Out of the laboratory's...

LI-based Netsmart Technologies inks $619K contract.
February 4, 2005... Byline: Ken Schachter Great River-based Netsmart Technologies Inc. has signed a healthcare software contract valued at more than $619,000 with Butler Hospital in Providence, R.I. The supplier of software for health and human services...

Long Island artist commissioned by NASA to paint X-43 scramjet.
February 4, 2005... Byline: Ken Schachter Perhaps it's only fitting that a Long Island artist would do a rendering of the world's fastest aircraft - developed in large part on Long Island. Barbara Ernst Prey has been commissioned by NASA to paint the X-43...

ATM oversight, fines and fees eyed in Nassau County.
February 4, 2005... Byline: Claude Solnik Nassau County Legis. Craig Johnson, D-Port Washington, has proposed a measure to initiate county oversight of automatic teller machines within Nassau borders. The "ATM Safety Act" would require all ATMs not owned...

Big media backs cameras in NY court case.
February 4, 2005... Byline: Claude Solnik Court TV now has a bevy of high-powered supporters in its case before the New York Court of Appeals seeking to bring cameras into New York State's courts. The Manhattan-based network received double-barreled...

State Bank of Long Island holding legal trade show.
February 4, 2005... Byline: Claude Solnik State Bank of Long Island is holding a free trade show for attorneys next month, complete with a lecture given by former Suffolk County Executive Robert Gaffney. The daylong event is slated for Feb. 16 at the...

Shore Pharmaceutical signs lease for space in Plainview.
February 4, 2005... Byline: Nick Anastasi Shore Pharmaceutical, a division of Covington, Ky.-based Omnicare Co. (NYSE: OCR), has signed a long-term lease for 40,000 square feet of industrial space that will keep the provider at 55 Ames Court in Plainview. ...

New York housing market sets record in 2004.
February 4, 2005... Byline: Nick Anastasi Sales of existing single-family homes in New York surpassed 103,000 to set a new annual record in 2004, according to the Albany-based New York State Association of Realtors. The latest number represents a 17 percent...

Long Island's largest residential developer offers one-stop shopping.
February 4, 2005... Byline: Nick Anastasi With its latest sales and design center, The Beechwood Organization, the Island's largest residential developer, is aiming to give Long Islanders a one-stop home-buying experience. "We house mortgage services,...

NorthMarq Capital of Jericho arranges more than $10M in financing.
February 4, 2005... Byline: Nick Anastasi NorthMarq Capital of Jericho has arranged $10.3 million in financing for three separate properties in Great Neck, Hicksville, Manhasset and Westbury. In the largest transaction, NorthMarq's Ernest DesRochers and...

Long Island-based Wee Creations now offering sewing workshops, build-your-own stuffed animal program.
February 4, 2005... Byline: Adina Genn In the early 1990s, Barbara Mount dabbled in the doll-accessory business by selling hand-stitched outfits at craft fairs. But by 1997, she went full-time and opened a shop called Wee Creations. Now Mount's back on...

Syosset Chamber of Commerce swears in president.
February 4, 2005... Byline: Adina Genn The Greater Syosset Chamber of Commerce is holding its 7th Annual Installation Dinner on Thursday, Feb. 10, at the Woodbury Country Club, beginning at 6:30 p.m. There Jim Tinnelly, a certified financial planner with...

Retailers gear up for Valentine's Day shoppers.
February 4, 2005... Byline: Adina Genn With Valentine's Day around the corner, retailers are gearing up for what the National Retail Federation calls the third-most popular card-sending holiday after Christmas and Father's Day. The NRF's predictions?...

Great Neck's Grill 25 names new general manager.
February 4, 2005... Byline: David Reich-Hale The hierarchy isn't all that's changed at Great Neck's Grill 25, according to Julie Stamm, who became the restaurant's general manager this year. Stamm said the restaurant has gone from making 10 dinners on a...

First National Bank of Long Island names new vice president.
February 4, 2005... Byline: David Reich-Hale The First National Bank of Long Island hired Sean O'Connor as vice president in the commercial real estate department. He previously worked for Chase, Commerce Bank and EAB, and last year was Long Island...

Stony Brook University names new visiting professor in English department.
February 4, 2005... Byline: Henry Powderly Howard Schneider, former editor-in-chief at Newsday, was named visiting professor in the English department at Stony Brook University. He will teach a course on the ethics and values of the American press and will...

East Northport resident earns designation of registered financial consultant.
February 4, 2005... Byline: Henry Powderly William Becker earned the designation of registered financial consultant by the International Association of Registered Financial Consultants. The East Northport resident is president of Be Prepared Financially Inc.

LI medical facilities announce staffing, personnel changes: February 4, 2005.
February 4, 2005... Byline: Henry Powderly South Nassau Communities Hospital named Ruth Ragusa vice president of organizational effectiveness. She joined the hospital in 2001 as vice president of performance improvement. The hospital also appointed Dr....

Mineola-based Forchelli, Curto, Schwartz, Mineo, Carlino & Cohn names new partner.
February 4, 2005... Byline: Henry Powderly Richard A. Blumberg was named partner at Mineola-based Forchelli, Curto, Schwartz, Mineo, Carlino & Cohn. He works in the law firm's real estate, land use and zoning division. Additionally, John-Paul Iannace...

LI nonprofits announce staffing changes: February 4, 2005.
February 4, 2005... Byline: Henry Powderly Nancy Pfeffer, past annual fund director for the Long Island Children's Museum, was named executive director of Long Island Women's Agenda. Mineola-based Family and Children's Association announced several new...

LI technology firms announce personnel changes: February 4, 2005.
February 4, 2005... Byline: Henry Powderly Symbol Technologies hired Michael Muller as vice president of the Asia-Pacific region, where he will develop Symbol's Enterprise Mobility Business. Muller, who previously worked for Hewlett-Packard, will relocate to...

LI's Jamesport vineyards names new winemaker.
February 4, 2005... Byline: Henry Powderly Jamesport vineyards hired Leslie Howard as its new winemaker. He has worked as assistant winemaker at Bedell Cellars and Wolffer Estate, two other East End vineyards.

Commentary: How to write a comprehensive job description.
February 4, 2005... Byline: Vikram Rajan Many small-business owners on Long Island find it difficult to attract and retain the right kind of people for the positions they seek to fill. That's because finding qualified people begins with creating...

Long Island chef fights despair, cooks up new business.
February 4, 2005... Byline: Adina Genn In June 2003, Mark Chabus opened Heavenly Chef, a provider of catering services and cooking lessons. A couple of months later, he launched ForkandKnife.com, an online retailer of chef-approved cooking utensils. That...

Boys and girls club: keeping LI kids busy.
February 4, 2005... Byline: Ken Cerini In a collaborative effort between parents, the community, businesses and politicians, the creation of the North Shore Boys & Girls Club became a reality. "As parents, we're always worried about what our kids are...

The Preservation League of NY State seeking nominations for awards.
February 4, 2005... Byline: Henry Powderly The Preservation League of New York State is seeking nominations for its 2005 Excellence in Historic Preservation Awards. Nominees can include municipalities, organizations, grassroots preservationists, consultants,...

Ridgewood Savings Bank gives money to The Nature Conservancy.
February 4, 2005... Byline: Henry Powderly The Nature Conservancy received a $2,000 grant from the Ridgewood Savings Bank to curb the spread of weeds throughout Long Island. The money will support training and field equipment for the Nature Conservancy's...

Hagedorn Little Village School in Seaford obtains $10K grant.
February 4, 2005... Byline: Henry Powderly The Hagedorn Little Village School in Seaford obtained a $10,000 grant from Future and Options for Kids to purchase eight Light SPEED Systems that will help disabled children hear in the classroom. The devices...

Long Island nonprofit holds Valentine's Day Open House at animal shelter.
February 4, 2005... Byline: Henry Powderly The Bide-A-Wee Home Association, a not-for-profit organization that provides shelter and care to homeless animals, is holding a Valentine's Day Open House Feb. 12 and Feb. 13 at its Wantagh animal shelter. All...

Central Business Systems donates Data Security Kit to Suffolk County.
February 4, 2005... Byline: Henry Powderly Central Business Systems donated a Data Security Kit to the Economic Opportunity Council of Suffolk County to help them comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. The kit overwrites data...

Suffolk County Exec. Levy's mixed-use development proposal draws interest.
February 4, 2005... Byline: Nick Anastasi Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy's eyebrow-raising proposal to use county land for mixed-use development, including affordable housing, has attracted interest from parties as diverse as defense contractors and a...

After $7M settlement, Chasanoff Properties sells LI industrial assets.
February 4, 2005... Byline: Claude Solnik After winning a $7 million settlement against a former tenant of its Inwood Industrial Park, Chasanoff Properties Inc. has sold four buildings in the park totaling nearly 300,000-square-feet to the principals of Ben...

Electric transmission cable linking N.J. to LI runs into delays, escalating costs.
February 4, 2005... Byline: Claude Solnik A massive electric transmission cable that would link New Jersey to Long Island may have run aground even before construction begins. The Neptune Regional Transmission Grid said delays and escalating costs by the...

Tour boat seeks to link Northport and Norwalk.
February 4, 2005... Byline: Claude Solnik A Connecticut-based excursion boat operator is seeking docking rights in the Village of Northport to carry tourists across the Long Island Sound. Barry Natale, president of Stamford, Conn.-based Sound Navigation,...

Nassau lawmaker: Navy site unsafe for housing.
February 4, 2005... Byline: Nick Anastasi Nassau Legis. Ed Mangano has vowed to block plans to build affordable housing at a former Grumman facility in Bethpage, one of the largest tracts of undeveloped land in the county and, arguably, Nassau's best hope to...

LI telecom maverick ushers in 'Napster' for phone members.
February 4, 2005... Byline: Ken Schachter In another technological challenge to traditional phone service, telecom maverick Jeff Pulver has launched a new service dubbed Bellster that he bills as "half Napster and half party line." The free service...

LI bed-and-breakfasts work to attract year-round business.
February 4, 2005... Byline: David Reich-Hale It's a familiar dream: Give up the rat race, move to a resort area and run a bed and breakfast. Only that wasn't the plan for Ellen Carbonell, a psychotherapist who ran a practice in Chicago until 2002. ...

Great Neck-based company hired to work security on reality show.
February 4, 2005... Byline: LIBN Staff When you're a CEO shooting "The Rebel Billionaire: Branson's Quest for the Best," the reality show airing on FOX, whom do you turn to for security? In this case, Sir Richard Branson, the chairman of the Virgin Group...

NY-based Cablevision subsidiary locks in key distribution agreements.
February 4, 2005... Byline: LIBN Staff Yes, Cablevision Systems may be selling its satellite operations, but that doesn't mean it can't build its programming for other satellite companies. Rainbow Media Holdings, Cablevision's programming subsidiary,...

New study offers look at today's small-biz owners.
February 4, 2005... Byline: Adina Genn Who are today's small-business owners? According to a new study, they're more likely to be married, have children and own a home. The survey, conducted by California-based credit bureau Experian, found that...

Long Island-based Hot Rocket Marketing sold for $3.5M.
February 4, 2005... Byline: David Reich-Hale Online media and advertising agency Hot Rocket Marketing Inc. has been sold to Pearl River, N.Y.-based Traffix Inc., for $3.5 million. Hot Market President and CEO Mark Colacioppo, who started the company in...

Long Island Power Authority eyeing fuel-cell project.
February 4, 2005... Byline: LIBN Staff The Long Island Power Authority said it's looking for a firm to install and operate fuel cells that would produce up to 10 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 10,000 homes. LIPA Chairman Richard Kessel made the...

Miracle-Gro co-founder dies at 89.
February 4, 2005... Byline: LIBN Staff Horace Hagedorn, who co-founded the plant food company Miracle-Gro, died at his home in Sands Point at 89. Hagedorn was the marketing and business genius behind the popular Miracle-Gro brand, which includes the...

New Wal-Mart slated for Riverhead.
February 4, 2005... Byline: LIBN Staff Wal-Mart, the Bentonville, Ark.-based big box retailer, has plans to build a new store on County Road 58. The world's largest retailer already has a store in Riverhead along CR 58, east of the traffic circle at...

Standard Microsystems Corp. pays $6M to settle dispute.
February 4, 2005... Byline: LIBN Staff Shares of Standard Microsystems Corp., a maker of input-output devices for computers, announced that it paid $6 million to Analog Devices Inc. to settle a patent dispute and raised its revenue guidance for the fourth...

NY-based Henry Schein Inc. approves two-for-one stock split.
February 4, 2005... Byline: LIBN Staff Medical products distributor Henry Schein Inc. has approved a two-for-one stock split, the company announced. The board green-lighted the split in the form of a stock dividend to take effect Feb. 28 for shareholders...

Melville- based North Fork Bancorp shares up 5.2%.
February 4, 2005... Byline: LIBN Staff Shares of North Fork Bancorp. Inc. (NYSE: NFB) headed northward this week, soaring 5.2 percent to $28.52 after the firm reported strong earnings and success in integrating GreenPoint Financial into its operations. ...

Commentary: State of NY should commit funds to clean up former Kings Park Psychiatric Center.
February 4, 2005... Byline: LIBN Staff Here's something of a shocker: Yet another developer is willing to take a chance on the former Kings Park Psychiatric Center. You'll remember that Long Island's LAMB Acquisitions took a shot at developing the site,...

Commentary: Information czar for Suffolk County is welcome idea.
February 4, 2005... Byline: LIBN Staff One of Steve Levy's many good proposals in his state of the county address was the creation of an information czar to help residents and businesses get access to more public information through Suffolk County's Web site....

Bank of America sponsors Staller Center at Stony Brook Univ.'s 2004-2005 season.
February 4, 2005... Byline: Henry Powderly Bank of America is taking on the role of sponsor for the Staller Center at Stony Brook University's 2004-2005 season. This year's shows include Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night."

Long Island students visit Panama Rainforest -- via satellite feed.
February 4, 2005... Byline: Henry Powderly The Ward Melville Heritage Organization's Educational and Cultural Center took 300 students to the Panama Rainforest - by satellite feed. The interactive video conference to Barro Island, a tropical rain forest...

Operator of LI's largest incinerator to be acquired by New Jersey-based company.
February 4, 2005... Byline: Claude Solnik Here's proof that gold can be plucked from mounds of garbage. American Ref-Fuel Holdings Corp., which operates Long Island's largest incinerator in Westbury, has agreed to be acquired by Fairfield, N.J.-based...

Commentary: It was a miracle to have met Horace Hagedorn.
February 4, 2005... Byline: John Kominicki I first encountered Horace Hagedorn at the Met. My new friend David Salten had invited us to a performance of Rigoletto and he wondered whether he could bring along another couple for dinner beforehand. "I...

Commentary: The Eagles lost, but Peterson looks for victory in Nassau County.
February 11, 2005... Byline: John Kiernan On Sunday, we crowned the New England Patriots the Super Bowl champions when they beat the Philadelphia Eagles by a score of 24-21. But the championship didn't come easily, and the march toward victory started on the...

Commentary: An expert's guide to 'surviving' the political afterlife.
February 11, 2005... Byline: John Kiernan There's an old saying among former politicians that there's a "life after politics." People who have served in public office often move on to bigger and better things. So let's name a few. Let's start with former...

Sen. Hillary Clinton backs smart-growth legislation.
February 11, 2005... Byline: LIBN Staff Federal funding should be used to advance "smart growth" and mixed-use development, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said at a Long Island Housing Partnership symposium. Speaking before several hundred people at the...

Cablevision co-founder John Louis Tatta dies at 84.(Obituary)
February 11, 2005... Byline: LIBN Staff Cable television pioneer John Louis Tatta, 84, who joined with Charles Dolan to found Cablevision Systems and served as its president for more than a decade, has died of complications from bone cancer. In 1966, Tatta...

Mixed decision in Symbol Technologies IP case.
February 11, 2005... Byline: LIBN Staff In an interim ruling, an arbitrator found that Metrologic Instruments Inc. failed to pay royalties on three products covered by a licensing agreement with Symbol Technologies Inc., the companies announced. The...

North Fork Bancorp expands equipment-leasing subsidiary.
February 11, 2005... Byline: LIBN Staff North Fork Bancorp's equipment leasing and finance subsidiary, All Points Capital Corp., announced that it has opened an office in Seattle. Richard Kurz, who worked for Washington Mutual Equipment Finance and Safeco...

Hauppauge-based Comtech's stock rises after it wins $13.5M contract.
February 11, 2005... Byline: LIBN Staff One of the big price-per-share winners on Long Island last week was Comtech Telecommunications Corp. (Nasdaq: CMTL). The same week that Comtech announced it had won a contract worth up to $13.5 million for high-power...

Commentary: Long Island moves one forward, two back.
February 11, 2005... Byline: LIBN Staff It was a decidedly mixed bag on the economic development front this week. First the good news: Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Rep. Peter King are teaming up to introduce a major revision to federal economic...

Commentary: Senator Clinton sets stage for Long Island revitalization.
February 11, 2005... Byline: Martin Cantor Give Sen. Hillary Rodham-Clinton some credit. She came to Long Island to listen. At a symposium organized by the Long Island Housing Partnership, panels participated in what Clinton called "the start of a...

Hauppauge-based People's Alliance Federal Credit Union celebrates its 65th anniversary.
February 11, 2005... Byline: David Reich-Hale Nick Lacetera was 24 years old when he took a job as a loan counselor with the Pan-American Federal Credit Union in 1964. "We had 13 employees at the whole credit union, so we all helped each other out," he...

CPA firm Holtz Rubenstein Reminick merges with forensic examiners.
February 11, 2005... Byline: David Reich-Hale CPA firm Holtz Rubenstein Reminick LLP has rolled Rand Consulting Group Inc.'s business into its own. The merger expands Holtz Rubenstein's existing litigation and valuation services group. As part of the...

Woodbury-based Comverse Technology markets service to defend against cellular spammers.
February 11, 2005... Byline: Ken Schachter Tormented by pitches for Viagra, mortgages and get-rich-quick schemes in your computer in-box? Watch out. Your cell phone may not be far behind. Carriers such as Verizon Wireless are preparing for an onslaught...

Cablevision continues to market Voom satellite TV service.
February 11, 2005... Byline: Ken Schachter Cablevision Systems (NYSE: CVC) may have agreed to sell its Voom satellite and bandwidth to EchoStar for $200 million, but it continues to market the satellite TV service on the www.voom.com Web site. One deal...

Hauppauge-based computer terminals and manufacturing services provider changes lenders.
February 11, 2005... Byline: Ken Schachter Boundless Corp., a Hauppauge-based provider of computer terminals and manufacturing services, has changed lenders. The company, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2003, has agreed to a "debtor-in-possession"...

Bay Shore ferry terminals to Fire Island to provide wireless service.
February 11, 2005... Byline: Ken Schachter Wireless hotspots continue to proliferate on Long Island. And that means travelers to Fire Island will be able to get more than chowder as they wait for their ferry at the Bay Shore terminal. Fire Island Wireless,...

Ward Melville High School wins Science Bowl at Brookhaven National Laboratory.
February 11, 2005... Byline: Ken Schachter A dynasty may be brewing at Ward Melville High School. For the second year in a row, the school won the Regional Science Bowl at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Ward Melville emerged from a field of 20 schools...

Long Island governmental agencies announce staffing changes: February 11, 2005.
February 11, 2005... Byline: Ken Schachter State Sen. Michael Balboni, R-East Williston, has been named a senior fellow of George Washington University's Homeland Security Policy Institute. William Nuti, CEO of Symbol Technologies, and Vincent Frigeria,...

Long Island-based Rechler Equities reports fast leasing start to 2005.
February 11, 2005... Byline: Nick Anastasi Rechler Equity Partners is reporting a fast start for leasing in 2005, having completed more than 61,000 square feet of lease transactions in January within its 5.9-million-square-foot industrial portfolio, according...

Lynbrook-based Lighthouse Real Estate Ventures completes $70M in deals.
February 11, 2005... Byline: Nick Anastasi M. Robert Goldman & Company Inc. of Jericho has concluded three transactions for Lynbrook-based Lighthouse Real Estate Ventures valued at $70 million, completing an assignment that began at the end of 2003. ...

Cost of Long Island office space a bargain compared to prices in other major cities of the world.
February 11, 2005... Byline: Nick Anastasi The cost of office space on Long Island is on the rise, with an overall asking rent of $27.42 per square foot. But that's an absolute bargain compared to the prices for office space in the economic epicenters around...

Village of Mineola files suit to block sale of county building.
February 11, 2005... Byline: Claude Solnik Consider it a massive fight over a parking space - or 1,500 of them. The Village of Mineola has filed a lawsuit to block Nassau County's sale of the Department of Health and Human Services Building and parking...

Suffolk County legislature proposes law to require carbon monoxide detectors.
February 11, 2005... Byline: Claude Solnik If Suffolk County has its way, some residents there may soon be able to breathe a little easier. The county legislature has proposed a law that would require all heating system conversions in the county to include...

Two Long Island residents plead guilty to selling coins over the phone at inflated prices.
February 11, 2005... Byline: Claude Solnik Two Long Island residents have pled guilty to misdemeanor charges that they and their Port Jefferson-based businesses broke the law when they sold coins over the phone at inflated prices. Paul M. Blaney, 51, of...

Long Island company offers business executives free computer training seminar.
February 11, 2005... Byline: Adina Genn On Feb. 4, 40 executives from Long Island's top companies attended a free, daylong seminar at the Westbury campus of New Horizons Computer Learning Centers. Their mission? To learn SharePoint, software that's built into...

Owner of golf academy in Kings Park offers unconventional instructional golf videos.
February 11, 2005... Byline: Adina Genn There are traditional instructional videos and DVDs about golf, and then there's "Golf: Stripped Down to the Basics," the first in a series by Peter Stern, the owner of Peter Stern Golf Academy in Kings Park. "It's...