LI Business News articles from June 2008

LI Business News archives from June 2008

Nassau, Suffolk to challenge Census counts.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Michael H. Samuels The leaders of Nassau and Suffolk are challenging the U.S. Census Bureau, claiming the counties have been undercounted from 2000 to 2007, which could result in less money coming in from Washington. Nassau...

Preliminary property tax report calls for 4 percent tax cap in N.Y.
June 3, 2008... Byline: Michael H. Samuels The state Commission on Property Tax Relief released its preliminary report Monday, calling for a 4 percent property tax cap, an expanded state circuit breaker and prohibiting unfunded state mandates. Our...

N.Y. Gov. Paterson plans to introduce property tax cap to Legislature.
June 3, 2008... Byline: Michael H. Samuels Gov. David Paterson plans to introduce a bill to the state Legislature this week to implement a property tax cap in the state, and he's willing to call a special legislative session to make sure the bill is voted...

County comptrollers in N.Y. see troubles ahead in 2009.
June 3, 2008... Byline: Michael H. Samuels While Nassau and Suffolk counties' finances are in fine shape for 2008, a number of challenges could hamper them in 2009, county comptrollers Joseph Sawicki and Howard Weitzman said Tuesday morning. The...

Lebenthal & Company banks on Riverhead Resorts.
June 4, 2008... Byline: David Winzelberg Riverhead Resorts has signed Lebenthal & Company as its investment banker, according to an announcement from the Weber Law Group Wednesday. Weber Law partners Don Secunda and Mitch Pally, who represent the...

Marcum & Kliegman buy boosts its Long Island forensic accounting team.
June 4, 2008... Byline: Laura Glasser Marcum & Kliegman is expanding its forensic accounting division eightfold on Long Island, a region where white-collar fraud has made headlines over and over again. The Melville-based accounting firm on June 1...

Penny pinchers: Long Island discount stores.
June 6, 2008... Byline: Ambrose Clancy Economics quiz: What do Kellogg's Tony the Tiger, actress Sarah Jessica Parker, upgrading computers and the New York City subway system have in common? They're all connected to businesses that are flourishing in...

Construction grinds to a halt on LI.
June 6, 2008... Byline: David Winzelberg Tighter credit, long permit waits and the skyrocketing cost of doing business are forcing Long Island construction companies to look elsewhere for work. Everything is off to a slow start this spring, said Ruth...

Contractors' cash crunch.
June 6, 2008... Byline: Laura Glasser A Hauppauge-based check-cashing shop is getting a big lift from local construction companies that need fast money to pay invoices and employees. Bridge Capital Solutions said many builders are so strapped that...

Long Island nonprofits squeezed.
June 6, 2008... Byline: Ambrose Clancy Long Island nonprofits are facing a crisis, as the sagging economy has forced many public and private donors to limit how much money they give to the organizations. Unfortunately the economic turmoil also means...

Commentary: As a generation passes, here's thanks for the memories.
June 6, 2008... Byline: John Kominicki We lost some great ones over the past week. Yves Saint-Laurent, who convinced us that safari wear was cool, and so dressed a generation of journalists heading off to be imbedded. Bo Diddley, member of the...

Marcum & Kliegman purchase boosts LI forensics team.
June 6, 2008... Byline: Laura Glasser Marcum & Kliegman is expanding its forensic accounting division eightfold on Long Island, a region where white-collar fraud has taken down some of its biggest companies. The Melville-based accounting firm on June...

Long Island steakhouse caters to carnivores with a conscience.
June 6, 2008... Byline: Bernadette Starzee Yes, you're eating cow. But the steak at Plainview's Maxwell and Dunne's was never introduced to antibiotics, steroids or growth hormones. Last month the pricey eatery crowned itself America's first...

The LIBN Briefcase: June 6, 2008.
June 6, 2008... Byline: LIBN Staff Recycle here No longer do you need to feel bad about purchasing a new appliance and not knowing what to do with the old one. Now, big-box electronics retailer Best Buy is going to set up in-store drop-off...

Sale of shuttered Port Washington health club hamstrung by zoning.
June 6, 2008... Byline: David Winzelberg This is the latest in LIBN's occasional series, Abandoned LI - about those commercial Island eyesores that never seem to find, or hold onto, the right tenant. Oddly enough, Joseph Israel didn't figure on...

Two minutes with Stan Gregor of Wachovia.
June 6, 2008... Byline: Claude Solnik Banks target a wide range of clients, but Stan Gregor specializes in working with the wealthy. He took his current title at Wachovia nearly a year ago, first working on Long Island before heading for the firm's...

Commentary: Slashing gas tax would fuel futility.
June 6, 2008... Byline: LIBN Staff So gas prices are about $4.20 per gallon on Long Island, high enough to force motorists to curtail vacations, day trips and other excursions on which they spend money. To that end, New York lawmakers had debated...

Commentary: And now it's on to November.
June 6, 2008... Byline: Richard Kessel It looks as though this year's elections and candidates for president on down are pretty much set. Except for a few local primaries, the candidates have been designated by most of the major parties, and the...

Wave goodbye to the Foley revolution.
June 6, 2008... Byline: Michael H. Samuels Brian X. Foley's rise as a revolutionary who would change the way government was run in Brookhaven is coming to a quick and not very subtle end. It's an unceremonious fall for the former Suffolk County...

Commentary: Who profits from NFPs?
June 6, 2008... Byline: Robert Andrew Wild Those of us in business and the professions understand profit. But who needs the nonprofit organization? Is it just the poor, the sick, the handicapped and the disadvantaged? No, we all do. We need...

Commentary: In Albany, this is when the work gets done.
June 6, 2008... Byline: John Kiernan If you want to learn how quickly the state Legislature can act once it decides to move on an issue, you should spend the next two weeks in Albany. The Legislature is scheduled to meet for eight more days beginning...

Commentary: For the GOP, McClellan's timing is terrible.
June 6, 2008... Byline: Jerry Kremer The year 2008 hasn't been a particularly good one for the Republicans. A president with low approval ratings, an unending war in Iraq, skyrocketing gasoline prices and now a new tell-all book by former press secretary...

Commentary: Blakeman casts net westward.
June 6, 2008... Byline: Rick Belyea Can Bruce Blakeman, a former Long Island suburban Republican politician, win the GOP nomination for mayor of the City of New York? In a political environment where a governor and congressman have been upended by...

Commentary: Out East: June 6, 2008.
June 6, 2008... Byline: Jeff Miller Memorial Day shows a kinder, soberer East End Wintertime, and the livin' is easy for East Enders. For a few months, the roads and the checkout lines at the market are mostly empty. Then Memorial Day arrives like an...

Long Island Financial Briefs: June 6, 2008.
June 6, 2008... Byline: Laura Glasser State foreclosure taskforce sets its sights on Nassau Operation Protect Your Home, a statewide initiative sponsored by the New York State Banking Department, members of the state Senate, lenders and housing...

Long Island Real Estate Briefs: June 6, 2008.
June 6, 2008... Byline: David Winzelberg Listingbook offers way to search for homes online Call it virtual realty. Introduced to Long Island just six months ago, an interactive service called Listingbook is bringing buyers, sellers and their...

Long Island Medical Briefs: June 6, 2008.
June 6, 2008... Byline: Alison Snyder Senate gives Hofstra $25M to help build med school Hofstra University received a $25 million capital grant last week to help it build its medical school, a partnership between the university and the North...

Look big, spend small.
June 6, 2008... Byline: Ambrose Clancy Be cautious or be bold? Or be both? When starting a business or nursing one with growing pains, owners can be caught in the brave-vs.-guarded dilemma. But Stacey Williamson believes when it comes to your...

Nassau County Bar Association president keeps running.
June 6, 2008... Byline: Alison Snyder NAME: Peter H. Levy POSITION: President ORGANIZATION: Nassau County Bar Association THEME: Balance Garden City attorney Peter H. Levy has been elected president of The Nassau County Bar Association. Levy has...

Long Islanders On the Move: June 6, 2008.
June 6, 2008... Byline: Alison Snyder Arts The Great Neck Arts Center has promoted Georgia Vahue to gallery director. She will maintain the exhibition program and development of an artist registry. She has been development director at the center for...

Long Island Environmental Briefs: June 6, 2008.
June 6, 2008... Byline: Bernadette Starzee The cuddly face of environmentalism Individuals can make a difference in the fight against global warming. That's the message behind National Grid's Power of Action branding campaign, which the utility...

Commentary: In Congress a few good small business bills remain.
June 6, 2008... Byline: Raymond Keating Can Congress do anything right? It's a reasonable question given the long track record of congressional incompetence. Business owners particularly have to wonder. After all, while most members of Congress say...

Commentary: Mental health stalwart survives and thrives.
June 6, 2008... Byline: Kenneth R. Cerini A group of eighteen women in 1913 met in Lawrence every Monday to decide which families in the community were in need of support. The Peninsula Counseling Center - then called the Relief Association of Lawrence -...

Long Island Nonprofit Briefs: June 6, 2008.
June 6, 2008... Byline: Alison Snyder United Way gets fed grant United Way of Long Island's emergency food and shelter program will receive $1.23 million in federal grants this year, a 1 percent decrease from last year. Nassau County was awarded...

Scoring points for the environment.
June 6, 2008... Byline: Claude Solnik Circulo de la Hispanidad, a community center being built in Hempstead, exemplifies Long Island's future. It's not because of its Hispanic name, despite the growing Hispanic community here. The plan is for the...

Saving the earth just an added bonus for solar energy.
June 6, 2008... Byline: Bernadette Starzee Many of The Solar Center's customers care about the environmental impact of their energy use, said George Engelbrecht, director of marketing for the Denville, N.J.-based marketer of solar-energy systems, which...

How green is your office?
June 6, 2008... Byline: Claude Solnik When you're buying furniture and office accessories, such as keyboard trays, you may want to kick the tires, so to speak. They're probably comfortable and durable. But are they green? Humanscale, like so many...

A green industry begins to sprout on Long Island.
June 6, 2008... Byline: Claude Solnik A new generation of green businesses is springing up on Long Island, often selling environmental products online and occasionally in storefronts. They're helping people save money on their electric bill and showing...

Ones to Watch: Long Island Engineering Firms.
June 6, 2008... Byline: Claude Solnik Steven A. Fangmann Executive Vice President Dvirka and Bartilucci Consulting Engineers In addition to his high rank at this Woodbury-based firm, Fangmann has made a name for himself, winning recognition for his...

Suffolk County lowers fine, may settle illegal immigrant case.
June 9, 2008... Byline: Michael H. Samuels Suffolk County has once again reduced the fine against North Star Concrete, the only company caught in County Executive Steve Levy's controversial 2006 crackdown on companies hiring illegal immigrants. North...

State Supreme Court Justice upholds Syosset mall.
June 10, 2008... Byline: David Winzelberg State Supreme Court Justice Jeffrey Spinner has ordered the Town of Oyster Bay to issue a special use permit to Taubman Centers, a move that gives its proposed, and long debated, shopping mall in Syosset a green...

New York-based Gyrodyne eminent domain case delayed.
June 11, 2008... Byline: David Winzelberg Eighteen months after Stony Brook University took 245.5 acres from Gyrodyne Company of America through eminent domain, the school continues to construct two buildings on the site. St. James-based Gyrodyne...

Long Island marinas gassed.
June 13, 2008... Byline: David Winzelberg Rising gas prices are keeping Long Island boaters at bay and causing sales to slip at area marinas. Consider this: With current gas prices, filling up the tank in a Chevy Tahoe costs about $110, but filling a...

Hauppauge-based Bactolac Pharmaceutical wins, scores benefits at last.
June 13, 2008... Byline: Michael H. Samuels The Suffolk County Legislature has approved expanding an Empire Zone boundary that will allow Bactolac Pharmaceutical to build a 44,000-square-foot facility in Hauppauge. The county legislators had pressured...

A shift for Long Island's subprime peddlers.
June 13, 2008... Byline: Laura Glasser With the no credit, no worries mortgage market gone until further notice, Long Island's subprime lenders are changing course in order to survive. Instead of peddling risky subprime and adjustable rate loans, these...

Commentary: Dear Presumptive Democratic Nominee Obama:.
June 13, 2008... Byline: John Kominicki Perhaps you remember me? You sent me an autographed photo and a nice letter for my 50th birthday a couple years ago. This was before you'd rolled out the whole change thing, but I was impressed nonetheless. I...

Stony Brook University's new degree tackles nursing shortage.
June 13, 2008... Byline: Alison Snyder Stony Brook University has launched a doctorate degree program in nursing practice, a move it hopes will help quell the health care industry's nursing shortage. The lack of nursing faculty in schools is at the...

Long Island Hispanics sending less across the border.
June 13, 2008... Byline: Laura Glasser The rising cost of necessities and a crippling housing slump is taking a sizeable chunk out of the money local Hispanics send to their families abroad. In New York, just 53 percent of Hispanics said they were...

Bottom's up: Long Island man develops Hangover Buster.
June 13, 2008... Byline: Ambrose Clancy The Poles wake up to what they say is a howling of kittens. The French greet the morning with a wooden mouth and a hair ache, while the Danes get carpenters in the forehead. English speakers the world over call...

Gyrodyne eminent domain case delayed.
June 13, 2008... Byline: David Winzelberg Eighteen months after Stony Brook University took 245.5 acres from Gyrodyne Company of America through eminent domain, the school continues to construct two buildings on the site. St. James-based Gyrodyne...

The Long Island Business News Briefcase: June 13, 2008.
June 13, 2008... Byline: LIBN Staff HD on the way Verizon announced that in early July it will start rolling out new high-definition channels, the first sign of progress since it told FiOS subscribers to expect 150 HD channels by the end of 2008. ...

Two Minutes with Robert M. Scheiner of Melville-based H2M.(Interview)
June 13, 2008... Byline: Claude Solnik Scheiner has spent more than 20 years at Melville-based engineering, architecture and environmental consulting firm H2M. During that time he formed and grew its architectural and structural groups. LIBN spoke with...

Commentary: Taxed out.
June 13, 2008... Byline: LIBN Staff So this is what we've waited for? Six months after then-Gov. Eliot Spitzer set up a task force to revolutionize how property taxes are paid in New York, here's what the gutsy members have come up with: A school...

Commentary: Suozzi's commission falls short.
June 13, 2008... Byline: Martin Cantor That big thud you heard from Albany was the Suozzi Commission's report on cutting property taxes landing on the governor's desk. After all the hype, the commission recommendations will not bring permanent property tax...

The power of a real plan.
June 13, 2008... Byline: Mark Seratoff To the Editor: Long Island Power Authority chief executive Kevin Law has several valid initiatives for the new Long Island Power Plan and I support them. A diversified portfolio of energy sources, including...

Commentary: So much for women's lib, as Hillary drops out.
June 13, 2008... Byline: Rosalie Osias Sleep well in Chappaqua, Hillary Clinton. You didn't personally fail in your lost bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. Your bickering advisors didn't fail you. Your morphing messages didn't fail you....

Commentary: President Bush has failed, and he's gone missing.
June 13, 2008... Byline: Jerry Kremer It's the middle of June. Our country is staggering from high gasoline prices, a weak stock market and the tremors of a war that most Americans want ended. Something is missing. Yes, where is the president of the United...

Commentary: Bishop's mistake.
June 13, 2008... Byline: Frank Seabrook After nearly a decade of outrage, law-abiding taxpayers are finally being heard. Every elected official, both Democrats and Republicans, can hear them. All of them except Rep. Tim Bishop. In the year 2000, former...

Commentary: Out East: June 13, 2008.
June 13, 2008... Byline: Jeff Miller On Shelter Island, an issue that is hardly all wet Here we go again, said the letter headline in The Shelter Island Reporter. The tone was clear: Something unpleasant this way comes. What could it be?...

Long Island Financial Briefs: June 13, 2008.
June 13, 2008... Byline: Laura Glasser Venture capital grinding to a halt for LI companies When it comes to venture capital, Long Island can't catch a break. According to the latest MoneyTree Survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers, only one Long Island...

Long Island Real Estate Briefs: June 13, 2008.
June 13, 2008... Byline: David Winzelberg Investment banker picked for EPCAL ski mountain Riverhead Resorts has hired Lebenthal & Company as its investment banker, according to an announcement from the Weber Law Group. Weber Law partners Don...

Long Island Medical Briefs: June 13, 2008.
June 13, 2008... Byline: Alison Snyder Simon says: Focus research, and find cures for diseases Stony Brook University held its annual Life Sciences Summit last week, hosting more than 300 people from the pharmaceutical industry, research organizations...

West Babylon's NR Tech Racing: A business driven by a love of cars.
June 13, 2008... Byline: Ambrose Clancy A Long Island motorhead from the cradle, Chris Miller always wondered why male members of his family didn't convert their shared passion for everything automotive into a livelihood. A favorite uncle answered him...

Long Island Association gets new VP.
June 13, 2008... Byline: Alison Snyder NAME: Daniel Perkins TITLE: Vice President of Governmental Affairs ORGANIZATION: Long Island Association RESPONSIBILITY: Long Island Advocate Daniel Perkins is the newest kid on the LIA block. As vice president...

Long Islanders On the Move: June 13, 2008.
June 13, 2008... Byline: Alison Snyder Accounting Mark A. Plostock was named one of the Top 50 IRS Representation Practitioners by CPA Magazine. He is a tax manager at Israeloff, Trattner & Co., where he is responsible for tax compliance and planning....

Commentary: Silly season stretches all year around in Congress.
June 13, 2008... Byline: Raymond Keating No name-calling. That's what my parents taught, and I tell my children the same thing. Calling people dumb or stupid is out of bounds. Such terms are not found in the economist's lexicon either. Still, though,...

How To...Get a commercial loan.
June 13, 2008... Byline: Bernadette Starzee Getting a business loan is not as easy as it would have been a year ago. The current credit crisis has made banks more discriminating. In order to make the cut, you will have to convince a lending institution...

Commentary: An ounce of prevention.
June 13, 2008... Byline: Kenneth R. Cerini When it comes to drug and alcohol prevention, Long Islanders don't have many options. While treatment and rehabilitation centers are available, very few places - if any - focus on preventing a problem before it...

Long Island Nonprofit Briefs: June 13, 2008.
June 13, 2008... Byline: Alison Snyder Two habitat homes for mothers Homes were built in honor of Mother's Day as part of Habitat for Humanity of Suffolk's Women Build and Affordable Housing programs for two Bellport mothers and their children. ...

Reading, writing and relevance: A real- world education in Long Island.
June 13, 2008... Byline: Claude Solnik Schools adopt career-based curricula to prepare tomorrow's workforce. Long Island schools are gearing up for a revolutionary change in how information is delivered in the classroom. They're looking at an...

Companies plug LI's brain drain.
June 13, 2008... Byline: Claude Solnik The 2007 valedictorian at Half Hollow Hills East high school and a Harvard freshman, Jason Berkenfeld isn't your typical student. But in at least one way, the tall, slim former president of numerous clubs may be...

Stony Brook University: Growing tomorrow's scientists.
June 13, 2008... Byline: Bernadette Starzee Given the well-documented dearth of scientists in the United States, Long Island's labs, through various programs for middle and high school students, are doing their part to pique young people's interest and...

High schools get a leg up on business competition.
June 13, 2008... Byline: Claude Solnik In addition to sports teams, high schools field business teams in prestigious competitions, thanks to an organization known as the Distributive Education Clubs of America. According to its Web site, DECA is an...

Long Island firms: profiting from privatization.
June 20, 2008... Byline: Claude Solnik Certain things are better done in private, especially for companies. More organizations are opting for the private life free from regulation and the tyranny of the quarterly mindset, as they seek to snag bigger...

Ones to Watch: Long Island Accountants.
June 20, 2008... Byline: Claude Solnik Wayne K. Berkowitz Partner Berdon At this Manhattan firm with a Jericho office, Berkowitz can point to a background that makes him stand out among most CPAs. An accountant and an attorney, Berkowitz heads this...

What's cooking in Long Island's backyards.
June 20, 2008... Byline: Bernadette Starzee For some Long Islanders, backyard entertaining isn't about firing up an ordinary barbecue. Outdoor kitchens, some featuring high-end stainless steel appliances and granite countertops, are a growing trend, as...

Long Island housing: In one hand and out the other.
June 20, 2008... Byline: Bernadette Starzee Buying and selling at the same time is always tricky. A few years ago, when many homes received multiple offers their first weekend on the market, Long Islanders were pretty much assured that they could sell...

Looking to live in Searingtown.
June 20, 2008... Byline: Bernadette Starzee Searingtown doesn't have a strong identity. In fact, it doesn't even have its own zip code. But buyers nonetheless seek out the residential hamlet in the town of North Hempstead for its location and school...

Gold Coast gem.
June 20, 2008... Byline: Bernadette Starzee A holdover from Long Island's Gold Coast era, this grand colonial sits on five waterfront acres. Built in 1900, the seven-bedroom, 4.5-bath home is within the Bay Crest Historic District, a small enclave of...

Setting the stage for buyers to buy on Long Island.
June 20, 2008... Byline: Bernadette Starzee In the glory days of just a few years ago, new constructions were selling before they were built. Now, fully finished, grand new homes are sitting on the market, sometimes for a year or more, before they're...

Commentary: A united voting bloc.
June 20, 2008... Byline: Bradley L. Gerstman Elections at every level of government have a big influence on the business climate. The ability of businesses to innovate, expand, operate in a reasonable regulatory environment and keep more profits are...

Commentary: Judge should not champion his own pay raise.
June 20, 2008... Byline: John Kiernan At the very outset, I would like to stress that the trial and appellate judges of New York deserve a hefty raise. I believe their salaries should be at least $175,000 per year, and I agree that they should not have to...

Commentary: Paterson surprises, thrives under spotlight.
June 20, 2008... Byline: Jerry Kremer He's not just another pretty face. He doesn't stand out in a crowd. He wasn't a logical choice to be New York's lieutenant governor. He is now the governor of New York, and the next two-and-a half years promise to be...

Commentary: Exxon's gas dump.
June 20, 2008... Byline: Michael L. Faltischek The recent announcement by ExxonMobil of its intention to dispose of owned and leased service stations may seem innocuous at first, but it will in fact present real challenges for our region. With more than...