LI Business News articles from June 2003

LI Business News archives from June 2003

Massive $50m PRC proposed for East Moriches.
June 6, 2003... EAST MORICHES - Three Garden City businessmen are proposing a $50-million, 596-unit luxury planned retirement community that residents would rarely need to leave. Backers say the project, known as Heritage Square at East Moriches, would be...

Food chain.
June 6, 2003... Nestled among tech companies near Uniondale, Hain Celestial Group almost seemed out of synch with progress in the late 1990s. People even urged CEO Irwin Simon to transform his foods company into more of a tech enterprise. But that chorus...

GC Hotel harnessing Belmont.
June 6, 2003... ELMONT - Jose Santos, dressed in a business suit and a tie bearing the image of Funny Cide, stood in the Garden City Hotel earlier this week, beaming about his chance to go down in horseracing history. "Win or lose, it's going to be a great...

Schein back on buying binge.
June 6, 2003... MELVILLE - After taking a four-year break from acquisitions, Henry Schein Inc. has returned to the strategy that built it into the largest dental and medical products distributor in the world. Schein recently announced deals to snap up two...

O&B goes for new HQ.
June 6, 2003... YAPHANK - Over and Back Inc. is in contract to ac-. quire 6.9 acres of commercial property at the Sills Industrial Park, where it plans to build a new 92,900-square-foot, $5.5 million base of operations. The new space, which will front on...

Hicks dates back to 1853, still sprouts.
June 6, 2003... WESTBURY -- In 1853, Isaac Hicks began selling fruit trees and berry bushes to his neighbors. It was six years before the Gold Rush. One hundred fifty years later, Hicks' descendants -- unbowed by the recent heavy rains -- are...

Ex-Reuters exec joins WINK board.
June 6, 2003... COLD SPRING HARBOR -- In his first move since exiting Reuters in April, Lewis Knopf has signed on to the advisory board of WINK Interactive, a Cold Spring Harbor startup that provides "personal portals" for Web-enabled mobile phones. ...

Access Direct nabs J.C. Penney space.
June 6, 2003... FARMINGDALE -- Direct mail giant Access Direct Systems has signed a deal to sublease 100,000 square feet of industrial space at 185 Price Parkway from J.C. Penney. Access will continue to operate from the 75,000 square feet of mixed space...

Sales tax slaps retailers.
June 6, 2003... RIVERHEAD -- After a slow winter season, Long Island retailers could be in for yet another setback with the reintroduction of sales tax on clothing on June 1, according to one trade association. Considering that New York is "surrounded by...

Teel: coalition may have to reach off LI.
June 6, 2003... BETHPAGE -- The regional coalition of companies seeking a slice of the multi-billion-dollar homeland security pie may have to embrace firms outside Long Island, a top Northrop Grumman executive acknowledged. The Long Island Partnership for...

Freedom fighter.
June 6, 2003... When national security officials shut down Republic Airport in the wake of Sept. 11, Bill McShane sprang into action. The 44-year-old president and co-founder of Long Island Jet Center had just invested $2 million to update operations at...

Summer's legal eagles: firms use associate programs for scouting.
June 6, 2003... UNIONDALE -- Fifteen years ago, Ken Novikoff was a student at Washington College of Law who proudly landed a summer associate position at Rivkin Radler, Long Island's largest law firm. The young law student thrived in the program and was...

Chills, thrills for Acclaim. (Follow Up).
June 6, 2003... Investors in Acclaim Entertainment have had the kind of thrill ride you might associate with, well, a video game. From June 4, 2002, when the stock closed at $4.91, to the 86-cent close on Tuesday, June 3, shareholders had seen their shares...

Weight loss program. (Follow Up).
June 6, 2003... Weight Watchers International Inc. CEO Linda Huett is sliming down, at least when it comes to stock in her firm. Huett recently said she plans to exercise options to sell 105,000 shares, or 15,000 shares each month for seven months,...

Van Son Holland ink targets larger commercial presses.
June 6, 2003... MINEOLA -- As ink jets transform computers into printing presses and photocopiers churn out four-color documents, Van Son Holland Ink Corp. has been forced into a new market. The Dutch company, which employs about 70 at its U.S....

1984: NYIT takes plunge in Central Islip. (LIBN at 50 1953-2003).
June 6, 2003... In the late 1970s, Central Islip's future looked as bleak as the enormous psychiatric hospital disintegrating in its heart. Once the community's largest employer and the second largest institution of its type in the world, Central Islip...

Grumman property sale to be reviewed. (Week in Review).
June 6, 2003... The Nassau County Legislature will take additional time to review bids for the sale of the former Northrop Grumman facility in Bethpage after questions were raised regarding the long term effects of the sale. At a legislative meeting in...

Cablevision to spin off satellite business. (Week in Review).
June 6, 2003... In an apparent concession to Wall Street, Cablevision Systems Corp. announced plans to spin off its nascent direct-broadcast satellite service along with the Clearview Cinemas theater chain. The tax-free spin-off to Cablevision shareholders...

Judge puts smoking ban on hold. (Week in Review).
June 6, 2003... A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction halting the enforcement of Nassau County's smoking ban. The ban, which took effect March 1, was challenged by a group of bar, diner and restaurant owners who argued the law was vague and would...

SCCC names new president. (Week in Review).
June 6, 2003... Shirley Robinson Pippins, a community college leader in Virginia, has been named president of Suffolk County Community College, becoming the first woman and the first African American to lead the college in its 44-year history. Pippins,...

LI Economic Indicators.
June 6, 2003... LI Economic Indicators Unemployment -- Nassau/Suffolk 2002 April 3.9 May 3.9 June 4.2 July 4.6 Aug 4.3 Sept 4.1 Oct 3.7 Nov 3.9 Dec 3.9 2003 Jan 4.5 Feb 4.2 Mar 3.9 April...

Everyone's pushing walkie-talkie service. (High Tech).
June 6, 2003... The "push-to-talk" feature on phones of Nextel Communications has made that cellular provider popular with workers on construction sites, bond traders on Wall Street and others who crave an instant connection with a designated group. But...

Web version launched of ACCPAC software. (High Tech).
June 6, 2003... Computer Associates subsidiary ACCPAC International Inc. has rolled out an Internet-based version of its Simply Accounting business software. CA has shifted its marketing strategy from outright sales to licensing deals. The change was...

Certilman will chair $2.2m LIMSAT drive. (High Tech).
June 6, 2003... Morton Certilman, senior partner of Certilman Balm Adler & Hyman, has been named the chairman of the $2.2 million' capital campaign for the Long Island Museum of Science & Technology. Certilman, who also is chairman of the Long Island...

Medical Action lands on BusinessWeek list. (High Tech).
June 6, 2003... Where are the hot growth companies on Long Island? Two area companies made BusinessWeek's listing of 100 Hot Growth companies and neither of the bean stalks came from the IT sector, which has been the seedbed of many pedal-to-the-metal...

Poll: sharp decline reported in computer-crime losses. (High Tech).
June 6, 2003... Financial losses from computer crime plummeted in 2002, according to businesses polled in an annual survey. Losses fell to $202 million, according to 530 respondents. That compares to losses of $456 million reported by 503 companies polled...

Leaders Heroes. (Molloy College).
June 6, 2003... Kevin Rooney Chief Executive Officer Oil Heat Institute of Long Island Hero: Gov. Adlai E. Stevenson II Although he is largely forgotten, (expect by political junkies like myself), Governor Adlai Ewing Stevenson II of Illinois once...

Savino installed as president of Nassau Bar Association. (Law).
June 6, 2003... William Savino, managing partner of Uniondale-based Rivkin Radler, was installed as president of the Nassau County Bar Association this week. Savino, who will serve a one-year term, said he would use his leadership role to provide...

Ruskin Moscou represented seller in EAB Plaza deal. (Law).
June 6, 2003... Ruskin Moscou Faltischek represented Coliseum Towers Associates in the consortium's recent sale of EAB Plaza in Uniondale to Galaxy LI Associates. Partner Eric C. Rubenstein, who spearheaded the contract negotiations for Coliseum Towers,...

Meyer Suozzi partner honored. (Law).
June 6, 2003... Bernard S. Meyer, partner in Mineola-based Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein, will be awarded the 2003 Judge Learned Hand Award by the Long Island chapter of the American Jewish Committee June 12. The award is given by AJC to leaders in the...

Scully Scott hires ceramic engineer. (Law).
June 6, 2003... Harry Hild, a ceramic engineer, has joined the Garden City-based intellectual property law firm of Scully, Scott, Murphy & Presser. Hild will assist in patent prosecution and opinions and intellectual property audits for a variety of Scully...

Clintrak's new HQ set to open in Sept. (Structures).
June 6, 2003... RONKONKOMA - Citing dramatic growth that has swelled the size of its staff, Clintrak Clinical Labeling Services is preparing to move to a new $5.5 million, 45,000-square-foot headquarters facility that will more than double the size of its...

D'Angelo Sandwich plans to take a big bite out of LI. (Real Estate).
June 6, 2003... D'Angelo Sandwich Shops, a Dedham, Mass.-based operator and franchisor of more than 200 quick-service restaurants in the Northeast, plans to open as many as 25 stores on Long Island. The move is part of a strategic growth plan that includes...

Breslin Realty lands major Starbucks deal. (Real Estate).
June 6, 2003... Starbucks Coffee Co. of Seattle, Wash., has appointed Garden City-based Breslin Realty as its real estate broker for Nassau and Suffolk. Starbucks presently has 55 stores on Long Island and plans to continue an aggressive growth strategy...

Sutton & Edwards plays a role in three deals totaling 40,000 sq. ft. (Real Estate).
June 6, 2003... Sutton & Edwards Inc. represented 175 Dixon, a real estate holding company, in the sale of a 20,500-square-foot industrial building at 175 Dixon Ave. in Amityville. In that $1.9 million transaction, Sutton & Edwards' Lee Spellman...

BOMA LI hosts breakfast with Balboni. (Real Estate).
June 6, 2003... State Sen. Michael Balboni, R-Mineola, is scheduled to speak at the next meeting of the Building Owners and Managers Association, Long Island chapter, June 13. The event is set for 8:30 a.m. at the Hilton Huntington. Balboni, who is...

REPI and ABLI to examine Island's real estate climate. (Real Estate).
June 6, 2003... On June 5, the Real Estate Practitioner's Institute of Long Island and the Association for a Better Long Island held a presentation, "Island of Change," a two-part public panel discussion concerning the various aspects of Long Island's real...

Top 10 LI residential sales.
June 6, 2003... (By sale price) 1. Forest Drive, Sands Point - $1,850,000. Agents: Daniel Gale MacCrate Real Estate, Harding Real Estate. Taxes: $24,092. 2. Tulip Drive, Lloyd Neck - $1,342,500. Agent: Daniel Gale Agency. 3. Burtis Lane, Syosset -...

U.S. Trust names Long Island managing directors. (Finance).
June 6, 2003... Manhattan-based U.S. Trust, the venerable wealth management company with over $80 billion in assets, has named two new managing directors for its Long Island office, located in Garden City. Robert A. Karson, of West Babylon, and John D....

IRS mails checks; posts tables. (Finance).
June 6, 2003... The Internal Revenue Service announced that beginning in July, New York taxpayers that claimed a child tax credit on their 2002 tax returns will automatically be sent an advance payment of up to $400 per child. The money reflects the 2003...

SEC adopts financial provisions. (Finance).
June 6, 2003... The Securities and Exchange Commission voted to adopt the internal control provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, requiring the management of each company to state that they've maintained internal control over a public company's financial...

Insurance installation. (Finance).
June 6, 2003... The Independent Insurance Agents' Association of Suffolk County recently installed its new officers and directors in a ceremony at Atlantis Marine World in Riverhead. John V. Stype, of the Neefus-Stype Agency, became president of the...

Growth strategies: a door opener joins a deal closer.
June 6, 2003... Lucy Rosen and Tracey Gittere immediately connected when they first met at a business function in 1999. Before they chatted, Rosen, president of Garden City-based The Business Development Group, had already taken note of Gittere, then-senior...

Five things you didn't know about.
June 6, 2003... Mark Smith / Co-Owner of Nick & Toni's, Nick & Tom's Cafe, Rowdy Hall, Villa Italian Specialties and La Fondita (1) He sold socks before he sold burgers. Selling hosiery was not without its challenges. The buyers changed frequently, so it...

Read. (Tool Box).
June 6, 2003... Broadbandits: Inside the $750 Billion Telecom Heist Jon Wiley & Sons; $24.95 Om Malik examines the financial fraud and power plays that brought down the telecom industry. Hug Your Customers: The Proven Way to Personalize Sales and...

Surf. (Tool Box).
June 6, 2003... www.cnevents.com A source that puts together investors and growing companies. www.thebluebook.com The electronic version of The Blue Book, providing construction industry leads.

Distribution. (Newsmakers).
June 6, 2003... TNT International Express, an express distribution, logistics and international mail company in Garden City, appointed Peter Reed as vice president of sales and marketing. Reed will be responsible for the company's U.S. sales expansion....

Finance. (Newsmakers).
June 6, 2003... Commerce Bank named Karen G. Meraglia as manager of its branch in Floral Park, which is under construction. Meraglia, of Douglaston, will be responsible for new business development, consumer lending and managing the store's personnel and...

Franchise. (Newsmakers).
June 6, 2003... TruFoods, a management company for Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips, Pudgie's Famous Chicken, Wall Street Deli and BurritoVille based in Lake Success, promoted Ritu Dewan to executive vice president and chief operating officer. Dewan will be...

Health care. (Newsmakers).
June 6, 2003... The Center for Specialized Veterinary Care and the Compassionate Care Center in Westbury hired Dr. Gerald Post as the staff's oncologist. Post is a diplomat of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine and the founder and...

Law. (Newsmakers).
June 6, 2003... Jantra Van Roy, of Manhasset, was elected a partner at NYC-based Zeichner Ellman & Krause. She joined the firm in 1993 and was most recently of counsel. Van Roy has represented financial institutions as a commercial litigator...

Marketing. (Newsmakers).
June 6, 2003... Dana Schreiher joined The EGC Group of Hicksville as an account executive. She will supervise advertising, marketing and interactive media projects for several of EGC's retail and consumer clients. Schreiber, of Holbrook, has more than 20...

Not-for-profit. (Newsmakers).
June 6, 2003... Albrecht, Viggiano, Zureck & Co., a certified public accounting firm in Hauppauge, announced that Charles M. Mattern will be honored by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society -- Long Island Chapter. Mattern was invited to become a member...

Real estate. (Newsmakers).
June 6, 2003... Coach Realtors, the exclusive affiliate of Christie's Great Estates, named Andrea Kozlowsky managing director of its Port Jefferson branch office. Kozlowsky is a licensed associate broker, a certified residential relocation specialist and a...

Breit checks in to Long Island office. (Li Business People on the Move).
June 6, 2003... Michael Breit, an audit and advisory business services partner, transferred from Ernst & Young's New York City office to its Long Island office in Melville. Breit, of Roslyn, serves a diverse group of public and private companies, has...

Environmental consultant aims to clean up Long Island. (Startups).
June 6, 2003... Soren Suver moved to Huntington from Arizona after his wife accepted a job offer on Long Island in January 2002. That March, he opened a project and engineering management consultancy. Through his extensive list of worldwide contacts,...

CFO on call. (Startups).
June 6, 2003... When the finance department of Mediware Information Systems relocated to Chicago, George Simolin, the company's controller at the time, decided he was staying put. Contemplating his next move, he conducted some online research about launching a...

Biz Calendar.
June 6, 2003... FRIDAY, June 6 LIMBA, Tom Williams of Cornell Cooperative Extension. MacArthur Holiday Inn, Ronkonkoma, 8:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m., fee. Call (631) 757-6663. MONDAY, June 9 LI Center for Business & Professional Women, "Negotiating...

Launching a business with low-ball pricing can backfire. (On Small Biz).
June 6, 2003... Without a doubt, one of the hardest parts of starting a consulting or professional practice is the art -- there is no science -- of pricing your services. That's the subject of this week's e-mail: QUESTION: I've just left corporate America...

Study: malpractice caps fail to hold premiums down. (Health Care).
June 6, 2003... Caps on non-economic damages alone won't cure rising medical malpractice premiums, according to a new independent study. Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.-based Weiss Ratings Inc. this week became the latest voice in the acrimonious debate over...

Intercounty names new prez. (Health Care).
June 6, 2003... Intercounty Health Facilities Association has named Robert Heppenheimer, executive director of Sunrise Manor Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Bay Shore, as president. Manhasset-based Intercounty is an association of 56 nursing homes...

Stony brook wins approval for cancer program. (Health Care).
June 6, 2003... The Stony Brook University Hospital Cancer Care Program has received a new three-year approval from the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons as a teaching hospital-level program. Stony Brook is the only Suffolk County...

Mather teams with SCCC. (Health Care).
June 6, 2003... John T. Mather Memorial Hospital plans to provide scholarships for 15 licensed practicing nurses trained at Suffolk County Community College to become registered nurses. The hospital already runs a program through which it provides free...

Gentiva greenlights buy-back. (Health Care).
June 6, 2003... Home health service provider Gentiva Health Services Inc. has approved the repurchase of up to 1 million shares, or nearly 4 percent of its 26.7 million shares. The Melville-based company said it made the decision based on the belief that...

Stocks report.
June 6, 2003... ADVANCERS Synergx Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: SYNX) announced it had closed on an investment in Secure 724 LP, an Ontario company that develops wireless technology that submits alarm information to clients via pagers or cell phones. Shares...

Vanderbilt planetarium lets firms seize the sky. (Marketing).
June 6, 2003... Companies can now splash their name and logo among the stars. In its latest fundraising drive, the Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum is letting firms project their name and logo on its planetarium's domed 60-foot Sky Theater ceiling before...

WLIR repositions. (Marketing).
June 6, 2003... It plans to stay true to its alternative rock format, but WLIR-92.7 FM is seeking to reposition itself with new program directors, a new slogan and some shifts in its music mix. The station hired Jon Daniels and Andre Ferro as co-program...

Business Development group signs Valerie Zurblis. (Marketing).
June 6, 2003... The Business Development Group has hired Valerie Zurblis, a PR pro with more than 20 years experience, as director of new business. Zurblis joined the Garden City-based firm after working as director of marketing and public affairs at...

Patent of the week.
June 6, 2003... Pat. No. 5,567,956 02 Long Island inventor Peter C. Rao, of Lake Grove has invented a drain lock to prevent the unauthorized removal of drain screens. Drain screens can be an effective way to prevent large undesirable pieces of trash or...

$60,739 grant for breast cancer program. (Not-for-Profits).
June 6, 2003... The Adelphi New York Statewide Breast Cancer Hotline and Support Program received a $60,739 grant from the Greater New York City Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. The grant will be used to expand the program's...

Walk steps up with $90,000. (Not-for-Profits).
June 6, 2003... The ninth annual Families Walk for Hope recently held at Mather Hospital raised $90,000 for the Fortunato Breast Health Center breast cancer treatment at Mather Hospital in Port Jefferson. Repeating as the top fundraiser this year was...

ARC/Nassau's new youth volunteer program. (Not-for-Profits).
June 6, 2003... The American Red Cross in Nassau recently formed a youth volunteer summer program to provide youngsters from 14 to 18 with volunteer options during summer vacation. In recognition of this new program, ARC/Nassau will host a Summer Youth...

Outing produces $31k for Y programs. (Not-for-Profits).
June 6, 2003... Old Westbury Country Club was the setting for Mid-Island Y Jewish Community Center's 2003 "Fore! The Kid in All of Us" golf outing, which raised $31,000. All proceeds from the event will be directed toward providing vital social services...

Concert benefits Christa House. (Not-for-Profits).
June 6, 2003... Christa House -- The Jerry Hartman Residence in West Babylon will host its fourth annual Spring Renewal Concert June 12 at Hecksher State Park's Chapin Rainbow Stage in Huntington. The event begins at 6 p.m.; the concert at 7:30 p.m. ...

Waterfront Center houses raft of heritage. (Not-for-Profits).
June 6, 2003... The Jakobson Shipyard in Oyster Bay was once at the center of Long Island's shipbuilding industry, but changes in the industry left the future of this valuable waterfront site in question. Concerned citizens of Oyster Bay, who feared that the...

Events Calendar.
June 6, 2003... FRIDAY, June 6 United Way of LI, Dollars for Scholars Casino Night. Melville Marriott, 7:30 p.m.-11:30 p.m., fee. Call (631) 940-3734. SATURDAY, June 7 Body Positive, fundraiser honoring LI Network for Community Service. East...

Playing hardball. (Opinion).
June 6, 2003... SUNY Stony Brook is on the right track in aggressively pursuing 314 acres owned by Gyrodyne Co. of America that lie on the western border of the university's campus. That property would provide flexibility as the school seeks to expand its...

Evian summit matters to Long Island. (Opinion).
June 6, 2003... Long Island exports more than $4.5 billion a year. That represents about 4 percent of the regional economy, which means that the Island has much at stake in decisions reached at the global economic summit taking place this week in Evian,...

Stakes high in LI's 'off-off-year' election. (Commentary).
June 6, 2003... This past Tuesday, the 2003 political season officially began with the first day to circulate nominating petitions. But even as thousands of volunteers started to obtain signatures for the candidate or candidates of their choice, a tremendous...

Political party bosses are a dying breed. (Commentary).
June 6, 2003... What word do you think best describes all of the following people? J. Russell Sprague, Joseph Carlino, Joseph Margiotta, Erastus Corning, Mayor Richard Daley, and a fellow named Tweed. If you say "boss," you are correct. At one time in the...

Bankers take full credit in 2002 pay. (A Special Report: Economic Update).
June 6, 2003... Last year's executive compensation on Long Island went straight to the bank - literally. Ten of 2002's 25 highest paid Long Island public company executives came from area banks, more than doubling their showing from the year before. Many...

In economic dip, biz owners look to networking groups.
June 6, 2003... NEW YORK -- Michael Eigen, a New York jeweler, grew nervous last year as his sales slipped along with the economy. He had exhausted contacts made through family and friends and he didn't want to spend heavily on advertising. Seeking a way...

Satellite radio gears up for automaker push.
June 6, 2003... NEW YORK -- Satellite radio comes from space bearing gifts: 100 digital channels with eclectic music options and few or no commercials, beamed directly to cars and home stereos throughout the continental United States. Less than a year...

Sale of development rights one way to save the farm.
June 6, 2003... NEW SCOTLAND, N.Y. -- Indian Ladder Farms has been in Peter Ten Eyck's family since his grandfather began growing apples on the fertile ground west of Albany in 1914. So when he needed money to modernize, Ten Eyck resisted temptations to...