LI Business News articles from July 2005

LI Business News archives from July 2005

British judge rules against E-Data in patent infringement suit.
July 1, 2005... Byline: Ken Schachter A legal haymaker thrown by a British judge has knocked E-Data Corp. back on its heels in its patent-infringement campaign against some of the world's largest corporations. Last month, E-Data, a "patent troll"...

Albanese Organization Inc. transforms commercial building into Long Island's first "green" office.
July 1, 2005... Byline: Dawn Wotapka Hardesty To the untrained eye, it looks like just another building renovation. But that untrained eye wouldn't spot the system to catch and reuse rainwater, or the pricey filters to cleanse the air. And who could...

Suffolk County delays rollout of new data system because of Freedom of Information Law fears.
July 1, 2005... Byline: Ken Schachter Suffolk County has put on hold its rollout of what officials call a first-in-the-nation online system for property records amid fears that outsiders could use the state Freedom of Information Law to pry open the...

Is interest-only mortgage boom a bust in the making?
July 1, 2005... Byline: David Reich-Hale Interest-only mortgage sales have more than doubled nationwide, giving people a crack at ownership at a time when home prices continue to soar. The product allows the mortgage holder to pay only the interest...

Long Island MacArthur Airport wants share of Olympic traffic if NYC lands the games.
July 1, 2005... Byline: Heather Fletcher With only days remaining until the International Olympic Committee chooses a host city for the 2012 games, Long Island MacArthur Airport is attempting to grab a share of the air traffic if the Big Apple pulls out a...

Despite the fees, U.S. Small Business Administration's loan volume increases.
July 1, 2005... Byline: Adina Genn Thanks to a U.S. Small Business Administration loan he obtained in January, Michael Kreisberg opened Syosset-based Haircut Stadium, a haircut venue geared for men, in March. But the application fee coupled with...

Real estate investment firm Ivy Realty to acquire MetLife building on Long Island.
July 1, 2005... Byline: Dawn Wotapka Hardesty Real estate investment firm Ivy Realty Services is in contract to acquire MetLife Inc.'s signature building overlooking the Long Island Expressway for about $15 million. MetLife, which has occupied the...

Interview with Northrop Grumman executive, Phil Teel Jr.
July 1, 2005... Byline: Ken Schachter In the realm of Long Island business, Northrop Grumman's top regional executive is a player. By dint of history (Long Island was Grumman's birthplace) and heft (2,600 employees in Bethpage and Melville), the sector...

Group home in Glen Cove challenges Nassau property taxes.
July 1, 2005... Byline: Heather Fletcher As a not-for-profit organization, Bethpage-based Family Residences and Essential Enterprises says it shouldn't pay property taxes on its Glen Cove home for people with mental challenges and developmental...

Suffolk County hires new chief information officer.
July 1, 2005... Byline: LIBN Staff Five months after calling for a chief information officer in his state-of-the-county address, Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy has found his IT "czar" at North Hempstead Town Hall. Sharon Cates-Williams will be...

Koch Records to release new album by "American Idol" contestant William Hung.
July 1, 2005... Byline: LIBN Staff Off-key but endearing former "American Idol" contestant William Hung is making another assault on our eardrums thanks to Port Washington-based Koch Records. The record company is about to release a new album,...

Best-selling author Jim Collins' book highlights how good firms rose to greatness.
July 1, 2005... Byline: Adina Genn Best-selling author Jim Collins' "Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don't" is a must-read, business leaders say. The text highlights 11 out of 1,435 established firms that Collins and his...

Lisa Sicurelli named director of sales for Manhasset-based Ambassador Abstract.
July 1, 2005... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II From broker to title closer, Lisa Sicurelli has held many seats at the closing table. She has handled residential as well as commercial deals on Long Island. And on June 13, Sicurelli was named director of...

Port Washington offers residents maritime lifestyle, good schools, efficient commute to Manhattan.
July 1, 2005... Byline: Bernadette Starzee Port Washington is home to a diverse populace, who are drawn to its maritime lifestyle, good schools and efficient commute to Manhattan. "There's a strong element of the water in this area," said Michael...

Long Island accounting firms announce staffing changes: July 1, 2005.
July 1, 2005... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II Syosset-based Feldman, Meinberg & Co. named Fred Spivak managing director of its management consulting division. He had been a managing director with a Manhattan-based consulting practice. Woodbury-based...

Long Island financial firms announce staffing changes: July 1, 2005.
July 1, 2005... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II Commerce Bank named James F. Morris vice president of real estate lending for the bank's Long Island market. He had been a commercial appraiser at Goodman-Marks. Long Island Development Corp. received the...

Long Island law firms announce staffing changes: July 1, 2005.
July 1, 2005... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II Uniondale-based Rivkin Radler named John M. Wagner partner in its real estate, zoning and land use practice group. He had been with a smaller, East End firm and was special counsel to the Village of Greenport...

North Bellmore-based Executive Limousine names Allen Schwartz customer account manager.
July 1, 2005... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II North Bellmore-based Executive Limousine named Allen Schwartz customer account manager. He had been a senior customer service executive at several technology corporations on Long Island and Connecticut.

Long Island not-for-profits announce staffing changes: July 1, 2005.
July 1, 2005... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II Marilyn Monter Witthuhn, vice president of the Holiday Organization, was named to the board of directors at Planned Parenthood of Nassau County. Marilyn A. Proios, chief executive and executive director of...

Ryan McCormick named one of "15 to Watch" by PR News.
July 1, 2005... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II Ryan McCormick, communications manager for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society's Long Island chapter, was named one of the "15 to Watch" by PR News.

Century 21 Laffey Associates Fine Homes & Estates names Margaret Lavin sales associate.
July 1, 2005... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II Greenvale-based Century 21 Laffey Associates Fine Homes & Estates named Margaret Lavin sales associate. She had been an associate with Claire Brook Properties in Locust Valley.

Holtsville-based Symbol Technologies names Elise Kirban chief ethics and compliance officer.
July 1, 2005... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II Holtsville-based Symbol Technologies named Elise Kirban chief ethics and compliance officer. She joined Symbol in 2004 from International Paper Co.

Spark Development Center in Lynbrook helps kids with disabilities succeed scholastically.
July 1, 2005... Byline: Adina Genn Imagine sitting in school and only understanding every third word the teacher spoke. Most likely, you'd have difficulty with the teacher's lesson. Out of boredom or frustration, you might disrupt the class. Or maybe...

Long Island Fund for Women and Girls closes in on million-dollar mark.
July 1, 2005... Byline: Ken Cerini Thanks a Million!" is this year's theme for the Long Island Fund for Women and Girls, an organization that awards grants to women's groups dealing with a myriad of women's issues. Since its inception in 1991, the Fund...

Long Island Women's Agenda adopts early care and education as a key focus.
July 1, 2005... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II The Long Island Women's Agenda, a not-for-profit agency that seeks to address women's issues and create programs that empower Long Island women, has announced a new campaign and adopted early care and education...

Oysterponds Historical Society to open exhibit of historic Long Island photographs.
July 1, 2005... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II The Oysterponds Historical Society will open an exhibit of historic Long Island photographs July 2, to run until Oct. 2. The exhibit will feature many photographs taken by local photographers almost a century...

Nassau County Museum of Art offers antique appraisal.
July 1, 2005... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II The Nassau County Museum of Art will hold its Antique and Art Evaluation Day on July 22. Collectors may bring antique jewelry, furniture and art to be evaluated by Bonhams Auctioneers and Appraisers of New York...

Long Island groups receive grants and scholarships: July 1, 2005.
July 1, 2005... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II * Employees of Garden City law firm Margolin, Winer & Evens raised $3,000 for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation at its annual bowl-a-thon. * Medford-based Gershow Recycling awarded six $500 scholarships to...

2005 law school graduates, the "9/11 class," are bonded together by post-Sept. 11 experiences.
July 1, 2005... Byline: Claude Solnik When Suman Home graduated from New York University in 2001 with a bachelor's in marketing and management, his eyes were trained on the suits of Madison Avenue more than law suits. But then came 9/11, and amid a...

Summer associates programs give law students, firms a head start.
July 1, 2005... Byline: Claude Solnik John Chiara hasn't even taken the bar exam yet, but he's already in the thick of things when it comes to law. Fresh from finishing his second year at Hofstra Law School, Chiara is a summer associate at Jaspan...

As NY state raises passing standard for the bar exam, academics, students bristle.
July 1, 2005... Byline: Claude Solnik Having just earned his law degree from Hofstra University this June, Mark El-Deiry, like other law school graduates throughout New York, plunged right back into his studies to prep for the July 26-27 bar exam. ...

NY Court of Appeals upholds ban on TV cameras.
July 1, 2005... Byline: Claude Solnik The state's highest court has ruled against Court TV in its effort to end a half-century-old ban on cameras in its trial courtrooms. The June 16 Court of Appeals ruling followed oral arguments heard April 27 in...

Ending marriages between business partners becoming a more common occurrence.
July 1, 2005... Byline: Heather Fletcher Matrimonial lawyers say sometimes company breakups can be more hideous than divorces. But ironically, ending marriages between business partners can be quite, well, businesslike. "Spouses who were also business...

4 Long Island firms added, 4 more drop off Russell indexes.
July 1, 2005... Byline: Claude Solnik It's a wash. Four Long Island firms have been added and four have been dropped from the Russell 3000 and Russell 2000 indexes as part of the lists' annual updates by market capitalization. Real-estate...

Pending interstate wine sales law awaits signature of NY governor.
July 1, 2005... Byline: Heather Fletcher Despite the hype surrounding a pending state law legalizing direct interstate wine shipments, Long Island vintners are still waiting to let the celebratory reds and whites flow. On June 24, state legislators...

Symbol Technologies cuts second-quarter revenue forecast, eliminates 700 jobs.
July 1, 2005... Byline: Ken Schachter Symbol Technologies Inc. will cut about 700 jobs, including 150 on Long Island, and take restructuring charges of $75 million to $95 million in an effort to save about $15 million per quarter, the company announced....

Chairman of Long Island Power Authority calls for property-tax repeal.
July 1, 2005... Byline: LIBN Staff In the 2004 tax year, the Long Island Power Authority paid $316.8 million in property taxes - more than any entity on Long Island. But as a nonprofit municipal utility, LIPA Chairman Richard Kessel believes the energy...

Computer Associates weighs name change.
July 1, 2005... Byline: LIBN Staff Computer Associates International Inc. is considering changing its name. A company spokeswoman confirmed that the company is thinking about adopting "CA," commonly used as a company nickname, as its formal name. ...

Orthotics and skincare product maker Langer Inc. targets acquisitions.
July 1, 2005... Byline: LIBN Staff Orthotics and skincare product maker Langer Inc. has hired investment banking firm Morgan Joseph & Co. Inc. to help identify and complete acquisitions. The firm said it is targeting companies involved in consumer and...

Cablevision Systems' stock rockets up 21 percent after spin-off proposal.
July 1, 2005... Byline: LIBN Staff What a week for Cablevision Systems Corp. (NYSE: CVC) shareholders. The company's stock rocketed 21 percent to $32.47 after the founding Dolan family proposed spinning off its cable networks and sports teams, while...

Commentary: Government must help in casino fight.
July 1, 2005... Byline: Martin Cantor Make no mistake about why the Shinnecock Indian Nation went to court to secure what they believe is their rightful title to land that is now the Town of Southampton. It's all about money. You can't blame the...

Commentary: CNN, out-foxed by Fox News, cancels Capital Gang.
July 1, 2005... Byline: John Kiernan Last Saturday night I watched the final show of CNN's "Capital Gang." I have been a viewer since the show first went on the air 17 years ago. I enjoyed the show because it had a new format that was more interactive and...

Commentary: New York's horse-racing scene has gone lame.
July 1, 2005... Byline: Jerry Kremer Of all the animals that inhabit the earth, I guess I like the horse the best. Sometimes in the presence of a horse, I feel a certain strength that I don't get from humans. Horses can be fun to watch, whether galloping...

GreenPoint name to be switched over to North Fork name in Long Island by year's end.
July 1, 2005... Byline: David Reich-Hale The GreenPoint name, already wiped from Manhattan's streets, will be erased from Long Island's banking landscape by year's end, according to John Adam Kanas, the chief executive of North Fork. "We're in the...

JPMorgan Chase places ATMs inside every Duane Reade store, including 13 Long Island shops.
July 1, 2005... Byline: David Reich-Hale JPMorgan Chase has placed ATMs inside every Duane Reade store, including the Manhattan-based drug store's 13 Long Island shops. The 216 Duane Reade ATMs nearly double Chase's New York area network, which will...

IRS increases its number of small business audits.
July 1, 2005... Byline: David Reich-Hale The Internal Revenue Service has struggled to find ways to catch unreported income or fabricated expenses at small businesses. So in an attempt to bridge that gap, the Small Business/Self Employed division of...

Queens-based Ridgewood Savings Bank launches a mobile banking center.
July 1, 2005... Byline: David Reich-Hale Ridgewood Savings Bank, which has seven branches on Long Island, has launched a mobile banking center. A 40-foot-long, 8-foot-wide and 12-foot-high mobile facility will wheel itself to three Nassau County locations...

Fairfield Properties hires smart-growth organization to help it with Rocky Point development plan.
July 1, 2005... Byline: Dawn Wotapka Hardesty Four years ago, Fairfield Properties pitched a 186-unit luxury rental complex on 33 sandy acres in Rocky Point. To say the community rallied against it would be an understatement. Fairfield "walked into a...

Tritec Real Estate Co. leases space in Hauppauge to ePlus Technology.
July 1, 2005... Byline: Dawn Wotapka Hardesty Roughly a year after it purchased a 60,000-square-foot building on 125 Kennedy Drive in Hauppauge, Tritec Real Estate Co. Inc. snagged its first client: technology solutions provider ePlus Technology Inc. The...

Zere Real Estate Services Inc. in Ronkonkoma amasses a variety of sales.
July 1, 2005... Byline: Dawn Wotapka Hardesty Things have been busy for Zere Real Estate Services Inc. in Ronkonkoma. In Bohemia, Michael Zere led Home Depot's kitchen refacing division to 12,000 square feet of industrial space, Con Pak LLC to 10,000...

Long Island Commercial Real Estate Briefs: July 1, 2005.
July 1, 2005... Byline: Dawn Wotapka Hardesty *Talon Air, a leader in luxury air charters, just opened a 40,000-square-foot hangar at Republic Airport in Farmingdale - the airport's first expansion in three decades. The facility will serve hundreds of...

Helicon Therapeutics is staying put in Long Island, executive says.
July 1, 2005... Byline: Ken Schachter Despite hints to the contrary from one of the most influential scientists of last century (and perhaps this one, too), Helicon Therapeutics is staying put. So says John Tallman, the company's chief executive. ...

Long Island's Dowling College retools, emerges as marine sciences contender.
July 1, 2005... Byline: Ken Schachter Stony Brook University's takeover of Southampton College's undergraduate marine sciences program was headline news in 2004. The merger, which received state approval early this year, means Stony Brook can offer...

CMP Media launches B-to-B Webcast for technology professionals.
July 1, 2005... Byline: Ken Schachter CMP Media has rolled out what it calls the first daily B-to-B television show on the Web for technology professionals. On-air talent for the 6- to 8-minute show is drawn from CMP's stable of technology...

Huntington-based Halenet Inc. launches new podcast focused on VCs, entrepreneurs, startups.
July 1, 2005... Byline: Ken Schachter Gregory Galant, the young chief executive of Huntington-based Halenet Inc., a Web design firm and Internet service provider, has launched a podcast centered on entrepreneurs, venture capitalists "and others involved...

Presidents of CPI Aerostructures and Intellidyn Corp. get Ernst & Young entrepreneur honors.
July 1, 2005... Byline: Ken Schachter Edward Fred, president and chief executive of Edgewood-based CPI Aerostructures Inc., and Peter Harvey, president of Bethpage-based Intellidyn Corp., have won Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year awards for the...

Long Island attorneys taking eminent domain seriously.
July 1, 2005... Byline: Ken Schachter Despite the Supreme Court's decision saying private developments can serve a public purpose - economic development - Long Island lawyers don't predict a governmental rush to take private land by eminent domain. ...

Two Long Island law firms undergo complete renovation of their facilities.
July 1, 2005... Byline: Heather Fletcher By this fall, elevator rides will be optional at Jaspan, Schlesinger, Hoffman in Garden City. As part of a $1 million renovation project, contractors will bore through the floor to build a central staircase...

St. Francis study: CT scanning predicts cardio problems.
July 1, 2005... Byline: Claude Solnik Think that high cholesterol, smoking and age are the top ways to predict the likelihood of a heart attack? Guess again. CT scans that show the initial hardening and clotting of arteries are the most accurate way...

Catholic Health Services unites its two homecare operations under one organization.
July 1, 2005... Byline: Claude Solnik Catholic Health Services has united its two homecare operations under one umbrella organization with common management. Although Rockville Centre-based CHS said it hasn't executed a formal merger, it created...

North Shore-LIJ has 72 on New York Magazine's annual list of top doctors.(Directory)
July 1, 2005... Byline: Claude Solnik Seventy-two doctors from North Shore-LIJ made it onto New York Magazine's much-touted annual list of top doctors, including many from the system's hospital for children. The magazine placed 26 doctors affiliated...

Reckson Associates poised to own bulk of office space at LI's Mitchel Field.
July 8, 2005... Byline: Dawn Wotapka Hardesty Maybe it should be renamed Reckson Field. With news that Reckson Associates Realty Corp. is negotiating to buy EAB Plaza in Uniondale, the Melville-based REIT is poised to control a bulk of the Mitchel...

Bethpage Federal Credit Union re-issues cards after security breach.
July 8, 2005... Byline: David Reich-Hale Bethpage Federal Credit Union is issuing 7,000 new debit and credit cards after the accounts were exposed to potential fraud due to a security breach at a third-party processor of payment card transactions in...

Study shows small biz outlook hits 8-year low.
July 8, 2005... Byline: Adina Genn The economic climate for small business is at an eight-year low, according to a new federal study. Based on economic indicators, the Small Business Index issued by the House Small Business Committee dropped to 71.83...

LI's Brookhaven National Laboratory studying gold ions' behavior at high speeds.
July 8, 2005... Byline: Ken Schachter Fulvia Pilat likes fast cars. She drives a two-seat Mercedes SLK convertible with a six-speed stick that moves like a panther closing in on its next hot meal. The Italian-born physicist at Brookhaven National...

North Hempstead's new info line slowed as feds snail-mail funding.
July 8, 2005... Byline: Heather Fletcher Here's the 411 on the 311 system in North Hempstead: The new phone line has been put on hold for yet another month because the federal government is slow in making its payments. "We're going to turn it on...

U.S. grounds biz aircraft deduction.
July 8, 2005... Byline: Ken Schachter High-flying Long Island executives may have their wings clipped after Washington pulled the plug on a tax benefit for corporate aircraft entertainment trips. Previously, the government allowed companies to deduct...

2-minute drill with Sharon Cates-Williams, N. Hempstead's IT Dept. commissioner.
July 8, 2005... Byline: Heather Fletcher Sharon Cates-Williams' soul searching after the Sept. 11 terror attacks led her out of a high-ranking job in the private sector and into a job closer to her Medford home and her church in Westbury. ...

Anticipating a hockey season, NY Islanders adding staff.
July 8, 2005... Byline: Claude Solnik One season after the National Hockey League cancelled the entire season over a contract dispute with its players, the league's teams are optimistic about a return to the rink. And in anticipation, the Islanders...

Fire victims find a safe haven in LI hotel.
July 8, 2005... Byline: Claude Solnik By the time Anita Denton made it back to her Hauppauge home in February after a call from a neighbor told her the structure was on fire, she found she had no home left. The house burned down after a contractor hit a...

Another Long Island company relocates to Manhattan.
July 8, 2005... Byline: LIBN Staff Another prominent Long Island company has left the Isle for space with a 212 area code. CoActive Marketing Group has moved its headquarters from Great Neck to Manhattan and is seeking to lease part or all of its...

DHB Industries chairman granted warrant to buy 1.5M shares.
July 8, 2005... Byline: LIBN Staff Long Island's most highly compensated public company executive in 2004 is adding to his riches. David H. Brooks, DHB Industries chairman and chief executive officer, on July 1 was granted warrants to buy 1.5 million...

Syosset-based Feldman, Meinberg & Co. starts consulting division.
July 8, 2005... Byline: David Reich-Hale Syosset-based accounting firm Feldman, Meinberg & Co. has launched a management consulting division to help compete with bigger rivals. The unit, FMS Consulting, will specialize in operational analysis,...

Mortgage refinancing cools a bit, but still hot.
July 8, 2005... Byline: David Reich-Hale Jericho-based Premium Capital Funding once depended on refinance activity for 90 percent of its mortgage business. That number is lower now, but still "a real big part of our business," said Adam Brown, a vice...

NY-based HSBC grows in Garden State.
July 8, 2005... Byline: David Reich-Hale HSBC, like many other New York-based banks before it, has decided that New Jersey is a natural extension. The bank with the ninth-largest deposit base on Long Island opened its first branch in New Jersey last...

U.S. amends Computer Associates indictment.
July 8, 2005... Byline: Ken Schachter Federal authorities filed an amended indictment against a former executive at Computer Associates and the software maker restated its first quarter guidance. CA said it continued to forecast revenue of $910...

Feds block KeySpan R.I. plan.
July 8, 2005... Byline: LIBN Staff The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission rejected KeySpan Corp.'s proposal to upgrade and expand its existing liquefied natural gas facility in Providence, R.I. KeySpan is seeking to renovate the facility and accept...

1-800-Flowers.com doubles stock repurchase plan.
July 8, 2005... Byline: LIBN Staff 1-800-Flowers.com Inc. is doubling the company's existing stock-repurchase authorization to $20 million. Through the end of June, the Westbury company spent about $9.5 million under its earlier program and purchased...

Griffon subsidiary wins up to $50M contract.
July 8, 2005... Byline: LIBN Staff Griffon Corp. subsidiary Telephonics Corp. has won a subcontract for helicopter radar hardware that could be worth more than $50 million, the company announced. Under a subcontract with Ottawa, Ontario-based General...

LI-based CoActive Marketing Group narrows loss.
July 8, 2005... Byline: LIBN Staff Promotions company CoActive Marketing Group Inc. narrowed its fourth-quarter loss to $154,000 from $1.3 million a year ago as sales jumped 49 percent to $20 million. The firm said excluding one-time charges related...

LI-based Forest Laboratories board member steps down.
July 8, 2005... Byline: LIBN Staff Forest Laboratories Inc. said Phillip M. Satow has resigned from its board to avoid a potential conflict of interest. A former Forest executive vice president, Satow is now the chairman and chief executive officer of...

Shares of LI-based Lifetime Brands rise 9%.
July 8, 2005... Byline: LIBN Staff Shares of kitchenware firm Lifetime Brands (Nasdaq: LCUT) rose 9 percent last week to $19.98, one week after the company agreed to buy the dinnerware assets of Susquehanna Pfaltzgraff Co., a York, Pa.-based conglomerate...

Commentary: Suffolk County, Brookhaven Town mishandled housing raid.
July 8, 2005... Byline: LIBN Staff In the latest installment of Farmingville's day-laborer saga, this much is certain: Government authorities should have done a better job of preparing for the aftermath of their raid on a home that housed as many as 60...

Commentary: Justice O'Connor's swing vote is gone.
July 8, 2005... Byline: E. Christopher Murray Although speculation surrounding the expected resignation of U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Rehnquist has created headlines, the departure of Sandra Day O'Connor could have far more impact on the Supreme...