LI Business News articles from February 2007

LI Business News archives from February 2007

Levitt Corp. sold to Fla.-based BFC Financial Corp.
February 1, 2007... Byline: David Reich-Hale Levitt Corp., which built up Levittown immediately after World War II, has been sold to Florida-based BFC Financial Corp. for $286 million. The company is best known on Long Island for placing homes on...

Southampton Community Preservation Fund to buy Hampton Bays camp from the Girl Scouts.
February 1, 2007... Byline: Dawn Wotapka Hardesty The Southampton Community Preservation Fund this week signed a deal to buy the 65-acre camp in Hampton Bays from the Girl Scouts of Nassau County for about $16.5 million. The deal will close by July 1. The...

Maureen Borzacchiello breaks a million in revenue.
February 2, 2007... Byline: LIBN Staff Maureen Borzacchiello finally did it: She broke a million in revenue, a goal she talked about to LIBN in September. Borzacchiello, owner of Lynbrook-based Creative Display Solutions, was one of five women accepted in...

NY Institute of Technology adds to board of trustees.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II The New York Institute of Technology in Old Westbury named Rory J. Cutaia to its board of trustees. He is the founder of The tel Group, a telecommunications company.

Bohemia-based P.W. Grosser Consulting names director of HR.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II Bohemia-based P.W. Grosser Consulting named Deanna M. Lantieri director of human resources.

Long Island medical facilities announce staffing changes: February 2, 2007.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II Joseph A. Quagliata, president and chief executive of South Nassau Communities Hospital, was elected treasurer of the Healthcare Association of New York State. The Nassau Health Care Corp. named Anthony...

Long Island law firms announce staffing changes: February 2, 2007.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II The Great Neck firm of Garfunkle, Wild & Travis named Terence A. Russo a senior attorney in the firm. He works in the firm's health care, compliance and technology practice group. The Uniondale firm of...

Long Island nonprofits announce staffing changes: February 2, 2007.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II Wildlife advocacy organization The WILD Foundation named Douglas A. Cooper to its board of directors. Cooper is a co-managing partner of the Uniondale law firm of Ruskin Moscou Faltischek. Jim Fleming of...

The Roosevelt Strategy Group names senior VP.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II The Roosevelt Strategy Group named Frank Tassone senior vice president in charge of client communications. He is a former aide for the Suffolk County Legislature.

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory scientist honored by National Academy of Sciences.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory scientist Gregory J. Hannon was honored by the National Academy of Sciences for his work regarding ribonucleic acid interference.

Advancement for Commerce, Industry and Technology honors Parabit Systems founder.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II The Advancement for Commerce, Industry and Technology honored Rob Leiponis, founder and owner of Parabit Systems, for his accomplishments.

This is not your big brother's online enterprise.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Claude Solnik At age 26, Chris Lopinto has already started two companies. The 2002 graduate of the Rensalear Polytechnic Institute envisioned sweet success - Amazon meets Google meets MySpace - when he started a consulting firm...

Fear not, LI entrepreneur: You are not alone.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Claude Solnik When Angela Kovler decided to start her own landscaping business, she had a head start. A man who'd already built a successful landscaping company agreed to work for her. Not only would he potentially bring in...

Ones to watch: February 2, 2007.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Claude Solnik Dr. Eugene L. Antenucci Founder, Huntington Bay Dental Antennuci, an attending dentist at Montefiore Hospital and Medical Center, leads a dental practice comprised of 22 professionals specializing in preventive,...

Keeping their scientific eggs in Stony Brook's basket.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Claude Solnik Mark Alvarez is in a bind. He needs a reagent to conduct DNA testing, and it's not the kind of thing you pick up at CVS. No need to worry. Alvarez simply walks down the hall to his business neighbor, Applied DNA,...

New automated horn making up for shortage of military buglers.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Ross Daly Dennis Sullivan lifts the bugle to his lips and pauses. The mournful tones of "Taps" flow. Sullivan is no musician. He doesn't play the tune. Instead, it comes from a small electronic device tucked into the bell of...

'Taps' has roots in bloody Seven Days battle.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Ross Daly The spare, 24-note song known as "Taps" was written in July 1862, in the aftermath of the Seven Days battle of the Civil War. Wounded Union Gen. Daniel Butterfield thought the traditional bugle call at the end of the...

Suffolk County sets new standard in Canon USA deal.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Dawn Wotapka Hardesty When it comes to the largest economic package in its three-decade history, Suffolk County's Industrial Development Agency wants one thing clear: It isn't offering Canon USA a $35 million handout. The IDA...

LIPA Chairman Kevin Law: There's still a chance for KeySpan's Melville plant.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Carl Corry Newly minted Long Island Power Authority Chairman Kevin Law says he will reconsider a proposed but never built power plant on Spagnoli Road in Melville as part of a broader effort to shutter or replace the Island's...

LI company formerly known as Reckson Associates now known as RexCorp Realty.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Dawn Wotapka Hardesty As he prepares for his company's next act, Scott Rechler has picked a name fit for royalty. The company formerly known as Reckson Associates Realty Corp. is now known as RexCorp Realty. "Rex," of course,...

Hi-Temp's Island dreams light a fire in Babylon.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Dawn Wotapka Hardesty Perhaps Long Island has it in for New Jersey. When local leaders learned Canon USA was eyeing the Garden State, the Suffolk Industrial Development Agency offered up to $35 million in tax breaks to keep...

New global positioning system geared toward helping the blind.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Ambrose Clancy When Heidi and Bruno travel, Bruno takes the lead - but like a lot of males he never checks a map. Don't blame him, though. Bruno's a dog, and "the dog can't read," said Heidi Vandewinckel, who is blind. ...

Deadbeat ads: Why advertising agencies eat debt.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Ambrose Clancy When an advertising agency gets stiffed by a client, it doesn't tell Junior and Sonny to take the deadbeat out back to straighten him out with a sock full of rocks. Even if that's the first thing to cross their...

More bodies coming to Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
February 2, 2007... Byline: LIBN Staff It's not just bricks and mortar - people are also being added to Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory's ambitious plans to cure severe illnesses. As reported Dec. 1, the lab has launched a $200 million effort to build a...

Families that work together ... well, it ain't easy.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Claude Solnik Michael and Brenda Perry's children grew up in two homes: their house, and Perry's Florist in Lake Ronkonkoma. "They took their first steps here," said Michael, remembering his children's days inside the store and...

Island entrepreneurs find inspiration by California dreamin'.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Adina Genn Carol Fealey believes Marshall Rosenberg changed her life. Inspired by Rosenberg's book, "Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life," Fealey enrolled at the Center for Nonviolent Communication in La Crescenta,...

2 minutes with Laura Cassell, chief executive, Catholic Charities, Diocese of Rockville Centre.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Claude Solnik Laura Cassell leads the Hicksville-based charity into its 50th anniversary, half a century of helping Long Islanders face problems such as lack of affordable housing and issues associated with aging. With more than 60...

Commentary: Caveat on Industrial Development Authority coup.
February 2, 2007... Byline: LIBN Staff As much as we'd like to applaud Suffolk County's Industrial Development Agency for tying strict job-growth benchmarks to a deal to bring Canon to Melville, the arrangement isn't as innovative as some would like it to...

A primer on the FMC's 'Bill of Rights'.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Alfonse D'Amato The Fair Media Council posted a Media Bill of Rights on its blog recently, and it requires reprinting in good old-fashioned ink. In the interest of complete accuracy, it's really not about the media's rights, which...

Commentary: A primer on the Fair Media Council's 'Bill of Rights'.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Alfonse D'Amato The Fair Media Council posted a Media Bill of Rights on its blog recently, and it requires reprinting in good old-fashioned ink. In the interest of complete accuracy, it's really not about the media's rights, which...

Commentary: Albany: Honeymoon's over, get ready to rumble.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Jerry Kremer This is the week when the irresistible force meets the immovable object. Governor Spitzer, meet the state Legislature. New governors come into office with their own agenda, and almost always that agenda conflicts...

Commentary: Energy independence, the elusive dream.
February 2, 2007... Byline: James L. Larocca During his six years as president, George W. Bush has from time to time made energy policy proposals with the stated aim of reducing America's crippling and dangerous dependence on foreign oil. That the proposals...

Commentary: Mixed results set the tone of 2007 Index.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Nancy Rauch Douzinas How is Long Island doing? Our economy continues to grow, but shows signs of weakness. Our population continues to diversify, but we're losing young adults as housing affordability weakens. We have high...

Out East: February 2, 2007.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Jeff Miller Surprise wine wedding unites Pindar, Martha Clara In 1486, Elizabeth married Henry VII and the great English houses of York and Lancaster were aligned. In 1920, Douglas wedded Mary, uniting the Hollywood names of...

Long Island Financial Briefs: February 2, 2007.
February 2, 2007... Byline: LIBN Staff IRS takes workshop for charities, churches to the Web The Internal Revenue Service has launched a new Internet-based version of its popular Exempt Organizations Workshop covering tax compliance issues confronted by...

Long Island Technology Briefs: February 2, 2007.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Ross Daly A new day dawns as Carle Place schools go solar The Carle Place School District has dedicated new solar energy arrays installed under a LIPA rebate program, the first such project in a public school on Long Island....

Long Island Real Estate Briefs: February 2, 2007.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Dawn Wotapka Hardesty Verbal volleys fired in LI's new retail war The nationals have discovered retail space. CB Richard Ellis and Cushman & Wakefield, two worldwide brokerage giants, are beefing up their local retail...

Long Island Legal Briefs: February 2, 2007.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Ross Daly As usual, Island jury awards set no records in 2006 It's not much, by the eye-popping standards of juries in other parts of the country that routinely pass out multimillion-dollar awards, but the $1.5 million awarded...

Long Island Medical Briefs: February 2, 2007.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Claude Solnik Southampton Hospital dives into digital mammography A set of technological triplets has been delivered to Southampton Hospital. The East End health-care provider has installed a trio of digital mammography...

For John Basedow, it's television marketing made simple.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Adina Genn You know John Basedow. The new-agey, blue-eyed blond with the six-pack abs? The one who hawks Fitness Made Simple videos on ESPN, CNN and VH1? Yeah, that guy. Basedow, who operates Fitness Made Simple in Massapequa,...

How to ... Protect your company from a disaster.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Bernadette Starzee As a business owner, you hope for a long and prosperous life for your company. But as you hope for the best, you must prepare for the worst, to ensure your company's survival in the event of total or partial...

New York Bankers Assn. elects chairman.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II Thomas M. O'Brien, president and chief operating officer of State Bank of Long Island, was elected chairman of the New York Bankers Association at the banking trade group's annual legislative conference in...

Long Island financial firms announce staffing changes: February 2, 2007.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II Lake Success-based Grassi & Co. named Jed P. Dallek tax partner in the firm. He earned his master's degree in taxation from Pace University. Grassi & Co. also named Adam Wolf director of marketing and...

A pro's circuitous route to self-employed nirvana.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Adina Genn As much as Peter Fasulo enjoys the art of selling, he loves training sales reps even more. In the 20 years he spent in corporate sales, training became his passion. "I really liked watching people's sales go up," he...

English as a first language can be hard, too.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Ken Cerini Whether it's reading from a grocery list, filling out paperwork at the doctor or simply writing a note to your child's teacher, proper literacy skills are absolutely essential to almost any lifestyle. To many, these...

Long Island Nonprofit Briefs: February 2, 2007.
February 2, 2007... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II Ooh la la The South Fork Breast Health Coalition will hold its "Love Life Lingerie Fashion Show" Feb. 8. But this is not your average fund-raiser fashion show: Each runway model is either a cancer survivor...

Ex-CEO of Pall Corp. dies.(Obituary)
February 5, 2007... Byline: David Reich-Hale Abe Krasnoff, who spent more than four decades at Pall Corp., including 20 years as its chief executive, has died after a long illness. He passed away Friday, a company spokeswoman said. Krasnoff joined...

Jaco Electronics to distribute embedded computing products from Evalue Technology Inc.
February 5, 2007... Byline: David Reich-Hale Electronic-component distributor Jaco Electronics said Monday it has agreed to distribute embedded computing products from Evalue Technology Inc. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Joel Girsky, Jaco's...

Medical Action crushes estimates.
February 7, 2007... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II Shares of Medical Action Industries jumped nearly 9 percent Wednesday after the maker of disposable medical products posted a fiscal third quarter profit 32 percent greater than the year prior. Medical...

Catholic Health "BBB plus" ratings affirmed.
February 7, 2007... Byline: David Reich-Hale Fitch Ratings on Wednesday affirmed its "BBB plus" rating on the Catholic Health Services of Long Island's $443.2 million bonds issued by the state of New York. The "BBB plus" rating is supported by CHSLI's...

Lower quarter for Getty Realty Corp.
February 7, 2007... Byline: David Reich-Hale Getty Realty Corp. said after market close Tuesday that earnings slipped to $9.8 million for its quarter ended Dec. 31. Earnings for the same period in 2005 had been $11 million. The company blamed the...

Long Island Association's chief economist endorses Canon deal.
February 8, 2007... Byline: Dawn Wotapka Hardesty Canon USA's proposed relocation to Melville would be a multi-billion dollar boon for Suffolk County and deserves tax breaks, according to a report by Pearl Kamer, the Long Island's Association's chief...

Hauppauge Digital gains on robust sales of its TV receiver.
February 8, 2007... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II Hauppauge Digital on Thursday said it more than doubled its fiscal first quarter profit on robust sales of its TV receiver. The Hauppauge company said for the quarter ended Dec. 31 net income was $2.2...

Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy: Gas points for residents.
February 8, 2007... Byline: Ross Daly A proposal in Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy's state of the county address could see residents collecting tax credits on their credit card spending, which they can then put toward filling up the gas tank. ...

Village of Hempstead board approves $2 billion downtown revitalization project.
February 8, 2007... Byline: Dawn Wotapka Hardesty The Village of Hempstead board approved a $2 billion downtown revitalization project Tuesday night. The Main Street development is expected to include more than 2,500 condominiums, a performing arts center...

Pharmaceutical company Aceto Corp. falls short of second quarter profit estimates.(Financial report)
February 8, 2007... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II Pharmaceutical company Aceto Corp. said Thursday the weak U.S. dollar compared to the Euro and the Chinese Yuan caused it to fall short of its second quarter profit estimates. For the quarter ended Dec. 31,...

Mainstream medicine reconsidering alternative medicines and treatments.
February 9, 2007... Byline: Claude Solnik Tom Doran wishes he wasn't home the day the gunman came to his door. Doran was a therapist in a hospital detoxification ward that made the mistake of posting staff names and addresses on an employee bulletin...

Critics: N.Y. state's angioplasty report gives a partial picture.
February 9, 2007... Byline: Claude Solnik A state rating of angioplasty results cited Long Island institutions for both good and poor results, igniting a debate over the accuracy of the ratings. The report, released in November by the New York State...

N.Y. safeguards citizens by requiring certification for acupuncture and certain "oriental medicine".
February 9, 2007... Byline: Claude Solnik You've decided to go to an acupuncturist or Asian Bodywork therapist. But how can you know if the "expert" you're seeing is a professional or a pretender? There are safeguards in place, at least when it comes to...

Ones to Watch: Long Island Health Care.
February 9, 2007... Byline: Claude Solnik Taryn Birkmire Executive director, Recco Home Care Service Inc. Birkmire is at the helm of a Massapequa-based home-care company with five branches, including three on Long Island. Now she's taken on the...

Some Long Island hospitals embrace new mandates, some don't.
February 9, 2007... Byline: Claude Solnik While challenges to the state's Commission on Healthcare Facilities in the 21st Century - a.k.a. the "Hospital Closing Commission" - work their way through court, some Long Island hospitals are following through on...

N.Y. lawmaker no longer seeks to divide Stony Brook University Hospital from its medical school.
February 9, 2007... Byline: Claude Solnik State Senator Kenneth P. LaValle fired a shot across the bow of Stony Brook University Hospital last November when he called for the hospital to split from Stony Brook's medical school, but it looks like Stony Brook...

Professionals comment on neatness and organization in the workplace.
February 9, 2007... Byline: Ambrose Clancy A shot has been fired across the bow of neat freaks, but Felix Ungers here and elsewhere have no intention of striking their colors - laundered and ironed, of course. The recently published "A Perfect Mess: The...

Long Island towns, villages crack down on illegal apartments.
February 9, 2007... Byline: Dawn Wotapka Hardesty The Village of Lindenhurst has joined a handful of local municipalities forbidding real estate agents from listing or showing houses with illegal apartments for rent or sale. According to the Lindenhurst...

At Newsday, 'innovative' ads are a cover story.
February 9, 2007... Byline: Carl Corry Joining the likes of the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and the L.A. Times, Newsday has begun placing advertisements on its section covers, space once considered sacred for news content. The move comes as...

Few men become professional organizers, but that may be changing.
February 9, 2007... Byline: Ambrose Clancy It's a man's world, but not when it comes to professional organizing. The New York Chapter of the National Association of Professional Organizers lists 117 members, but only seven are men, with no male NAPO members...

Nassau County: First five certified for Empire Zone credits.
February 9, 2007... Byline: Dawn Wotapka Hardesty Cove Acquisition Corp. was eyeing a Pennsylvania relocation when it was promised tax breaks to stick around. Now the Freeport maker of wire-forming products says it will invest about $3.8 million in...

Melville-based manufacturer and distributor of eyeglasses is confident in the future.
February 9, 2007... Byline: Ambrose Clancy While some predict eyeglasses in the near future will be as over as monocles on a string, the principals at Marchon Eyewear predict their business will continue to thrive. As the largest manufacturer and...

Brookhaven National Laboratory secures collider funds.
February 9, 2007... Byline: Ross Daly With new federal funding all but assured, Brookhaven National Laboratory's scientists are eagerly gearing up to run a series of experiments on the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. Work on the RHIC had been threatened...

Long Island Business News Follow Ups: February 9, 2007.
February 9, 2007... Byline: LIBN Staff The waiting game A man used to waiting, Nahason Orenge is being tested once again. Orenge is patiently waiting to be reunited with his wife, whom he hasn't seen in two years. As reported Dec. 15, Orenge - a...

Long Island Angel Network ready to begin moving forward.
February 9, 2007... Byline: Ross Daly Investors interested in supporting startup companies will gather next week to move the Long Island Angel Network forward. The Angel Network will work to put budding technology entrepreneurs in touch with investors who...

Merchants help to transform Huntington Town Hall for wedding marathon.
February 9, 2007... Byline: Ambrose Clancy It's that time of year again in Huntington, when local business will transform a functional government venue into a bright bower for lovers, filled with sweet things to eat, see and smell. "It's like a wonderland...

Medical spas are fast-growing trend.
February 9, 2007... Byline: Adina Genn On Long Island, you can have your teeth bonded, duck in for a quick hair-restoration consult and settle in for a relaxing massage, all under one roof. Or you can get a chemical peel from your internist; you might...

Interview with Christopher Hahn, chief Nassau County deputy executive.
February 9, 2007... Byline: Ambrose Clancy On March 1, Christopher Hahn, 35, will exit the hand-to-hand combat of politics for the less bloody world of not-for-profit charity. Currently the chief deputy county executive for Nassau County, Hahn will take the...

Commentary: The good, the bad.
February 9, 2007... Byline: LIBN Staff Here's the good news: Blacks and Hispanics are making headway into the homeownership ranks on Long Island. According to U.S. Census data analyzed by the Long Island Regional Planning Board, the percentage of black...

Commentary: The big business of football is fine, for now.
February 9, 2007... Byline: John Kiernan President Calvin Coolidge was once quoted as saying "The business of America is business." Last Sunday, the eyes of America were on Miami and the Super Bowl, and if anyone ever doubted that major league sports were...

Commentary: A constitutional convention won't fix Albany.
February 9, 2007... Byline: Jerry Kremer When it comes to the way business is done in Albany, everybody and their cousin wants reform. Professors, good government groups and editorial boards all say the state capital is dysfunctional, and they all have a...

Commentary: Urban-centric budget falls short.
February 9, 2007... Byline: Martin Cantor What a week this has been for the Long Islander psyche. First, the Rauch 2007 Long Island Index confirmed that Long Islanders love where we live, but as each year passes we find it more difficult to afford it. ...

Commentary: Long Island: Smarten up on Smart Growth.
February 9, 2007... Byline: Eric Alexander Ten years ago, we'd have never expected that 70 percent of our young people would plan to leave Long Island. Concurrently, 10 years ago, if you proposed Smart Growth projects on Long Island, you were laughed out of...

Long Island Financial Briefs: February 9, 2007.
February 9, 2007... Byline: LIBN Staff Deduction calculator a boost to online IRS toolkit The Internal Revenue Service is providing a new online tool to help individual taxpayers determine whether they might benefit by electing to deduct their state and...

Long Island Technology Briefs: February 9, 2007.
February 9, 2007... Byline: Ross Daly Melville's CosmoCom inks a new VoIP partnership CosmoCom, a Melville firm that supplies software to run call centers, has announced a partnership with Newport Beach, Calif.-based BandTel, a leading provider of Session...

Long Island Real Estate Briefs: February 9, 2007.
February 9, 2007... Byline: Dawn Wotapka Hardesty Digging deep to solve EPCAL's underground tank mystery Several snapshots - and unlimited determination - salvaged a major deal for Kevin Welsh. The Zere Real Estate Services broker was set to close on...

Long Island Legal Briefs: February 9, 2007.
February 9, 2007... Byline: Ross Daly Garden City 'saint' nabs Bar's professionalism award A Garden City criminal law attorney won the New York State Bar Association's Attorney Professionalism Award at the bar's annual meeting in Manhattan. The award...

Hauppauge-based accounting firm succeeds with ad campaign featuring tango dancers.
February 9, 2007... Byline: Adina Genn Lou Fuoco wanted a memorable ad campaign. Otherwise, he figured, why bother? The owner of Hauppauge-based accounting and business consultancy the Fuoco Group LLP initially rejected every idea his ad agency proposed. He...