LI Business News articles from March 2007

LI Business News archives from March 2007

Glen Cove-based Photocircuits to shut down.
March 1, 2007... Byline: Ross Daly Photocircuits, a Glen Cove manufacturer of circuit boards in business since 1951, will end all operations within 45 days. Managers gathered the more than 700 employees at the company's 23-acre facility to break the...

Law firms across Long Island welcome their new slate of partners.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Claude Solnik In an annual ritual that's part prestige, part power and part inside baseball, law firms across Long Island have welcomed their new slate of partners. From East Meadow to Woodbury, here's a sampling of attorneys...

For would-be partners at Uniondale's Rivkin Radler, the waiting is the hardest part.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Claude Solnik November 27, 2006, was a real nail-biter of a night for Joe Poe and Laurine Rubin. The two sat in their offices at Uniondale's Rivkin Radler, waiting to find out whether they would be named partners, and tried to...

Broadwater proposal would have major impact on lobster industry in Long Island Sound.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Ross Daly John German is not one to mince words: He doesn't work well with others. "I'm out there minding my own business, fishing," he says. "I don't get along that well with people, and all of a sudden, I'm in the middle of...

New York-based EDO Corp. appoints retired U.S. Air Force general to its board.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Ambrose Clancy New York-based EDO Corp., which has extensive operations in North Amityville, has a spy in its midst. EDO recently announced the appointment of a man who has spent years in the world of espionage to its board of...

Workers charged with stealing scrap metal from Medford-based Gershow Recycling.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Carl Corry A pair of workers embezzled more than $250,000 from Medford-based Gershow Recycling by stealing truckloads of scrap metal to sell to outside vendors, Suffolk District Attorney Tom Spota charges. Anthony C. "Rocky"...

Long Island-based Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory copes with federal cuts.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Ross Daly Poised on the brink of historic medical breakthroughs but faced with declining government funds, officials at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory are pressing for private donations. Traditionally, about 60 percent of the...

Demand for on-site services picks up on Long Island.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Ambrose Clancy The last Long Island doctor to make house calls probably made them in a brand new Studebaker. A fading memory is the only place the milkman still makes early-morning rounds. But if you need a suit, or a...

Carl Corry leaves Long Island Business News for News 12 Interactive post.
March 2, 2007... Byline: LIBN Staff Long Island Business News Editor Carl Corry has left the paper to help lead the interactive operations at the Cablevision Systems Corp. subsidiary News 12 Networks. Corry will oversee the Web sites and other...

Long Island Business News Follow Ups: March 2, 2007.
March 2, 2007... Byline: LIBN Staff Reel deal? After celebrating the work of local filmmakers, Debra Markowitz now celebrates her own work. Last month, the Nassau County film commissioner published a new novel, "Naked in the Rain," about a romance...

U.S. Commerce Department helps to increase Long Island firms' awareness of international markets.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Ross Daly It's a big world out there, so the Long Island Software and Technology Network is launching a group to increase local firms' awareness of international markets. Spearheading the effort is Shakir Farsakh, director of...

Despite core business growth, Bethpage-based Cablevision posts 4Q loss.(Financial report)
March 2, 2007... Byline: Ross Daly A combination of New York Knicks-related personnel costs, higher interest expenses and a heavy contract dispute pushed Cablevision to a fourth-quarter loss, despite growth in its core cable television business. The...

Long Island entrepreneurs: Daring to dream, risking it all.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Adina Genn Long Island is full of risk-takers. Starting a business takes more than hopes and hard work; it takes guts and it takes money, and a willingness to bet everything you have on a dream. The challenges are daunting and...

Interview with president of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in LI, Queens, and Hauppauge.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Dawn Wotapka Hardesty There's a new guy in town: Joe Mamone is now president and chief operating officer of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage's operations in Long Island, Queens and Hauppauge. He comes from Coldwell Banker New...

Commentary: Healthy ideas.
March 2, 2007... Byline: LIBN Staff If ever there was a time to consider universal health care, the time is now. Proposed multi-billion-dollar cuts to Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements at the federal and state level will lead to worse financial crises...

Commentary: Sheriff, it's high noon on State Street.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Alfonse D'Amato As evidenced by his effective tenure as attorney general, Eliot Spitzer is comfortable in the role of sheriff. Continuing the role as governor, Spitzer intends to knock some heads, confront Albany "gunslingers"...

Commentary: Now boarding: A rendezvous with history.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Jerry Kremer I love history. Being attached to an historic event is exciting. I was at Roger Clemens's 300th victory at Yankee Stadium. I remember seeing John F. Kennedy in a convertible on a rainy Sunrise Highway in Freeport,...

Commentary: Where have all the children gone?
March 2, 2007... Byline: James L. Larocca It is sometimes said that the East End and the rest of Long Island don't have much in common. It's not true when it comes to the out-migration of our sons and daughters, who are being driven away by the high...

Commentary: Time to cure Long Island's health-care system.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Nancy Rauch Douzinas Four-year-old Corey was feverish, congested, having trouble breathing. He barely slept last night. In the morning, his worried mother took him to the emergency room. Charlene is an asthmatic. There are many...

Commentary: Out East: March 2, 2007.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Jeff Miller The wild and wacky mystery of East End real estate Real estate and construction are the wind and tide of the East End economy. When they're going well, you sail. When they're not, you sit. These days, those who...

Long Island Financial Briefs: March 2, 2007.
March 2, 2007... Byline: LIBN Staff Venture money streams in as investors look to deal Venture capitalists invested $25.5 billion in 3,416 deals in 2006, realizing a 10 percent increase in the number of deals and a 12 percent increase in dollar value,...

Long Island Technology Briefs: March 2, 2007.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Ross Daly Keeping an Eagleye on possible computer imposters Everyone who uses a computer does so in subtly different ways: different keystroke speeds, different mouse acceleration, different clicking patterns, different Web...

Long Island Real Estate Briefs: March 2, 2007.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Dawn Wotapka Hardesty Housing slump hits home: Huttig departing Hauppauge The nation's housing slump just slammed the local industrial market. In 2005, Huttig Building Products Inc., a major distributor of millwork,...

Long Island Legal Briefs: March 2, 2007.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Ross Daly Nixon Peabody partner becomes a national leader A Long Island partner in the law firm Nixon Peabody has been named to the firm's national leadership. Joe Ortega will be the practice group leader for its products...

Rockville Centre-based Tauscher Cronacher Engineers tries host of new initiatives.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Adina Genn Nineteen-fifty-seven marked the beginning of the region's housing boom and the launch of Rockville Centre-based Tauscher Cronacher Engineers, a firm widely credited as the market's first home-inspection expert. ...

How to ... Choose an HR consultant.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Bernadette Starzee A human resources consulting firm can function as an extension of your company. But because your employees will associate the HR firm with your company, it's important to choose one whose corporate culture and...

Mitchell H. Pally named partner in charge of government relation at Weber Law Group in Melville.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II Mitchell H. Pally was named partner in charge of government relation at Weber Law Group in Melville. He joined the firm as partner in 2006. Prior to joining Weber, Pally was vice president for government...

Long Island educational institutions announce staffing changes: March 2, 2007.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Kathy Lombardo Joanne DeFeo was named comptroller of Nassau Community College in Garden City. DeFeo will supervise the accounting department, serve as liaison for external audits and prepare the college's year-end financial...

West Islip-based HFB Advertising offers old-fashioned marketing.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Adina Genn Harris Brown longed for variety. A specialist in print advertising, Brown found that his in-house art director position had become monotonous. So he walked away from the comforts of corporate life and his regular...

Interview with past board chairman of N.Y. State Association of Health Care Providers' LI Chapter.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Ken Cerini When it comes to caring for our loved ones' health, one thing always seems to hold true: There is no place like home. The New York State Association of Health Care Providers and its approximately 500 offices are...

Childhood obesity prevention groups form in New York state.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Kathy Lombardo Childhood obesity rates have tripled over the last 30 years, resulting in lower life expectancies and more chronic disease. In November, the first New York State Childhood Obesity Prevention Invitational Summit...

New York State Health Foundation grant to fund mobile dental unit for Long Island.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Kathy Lombardo A New York State Health Foundation grant to the United Way of Long Island will wind up benefiting the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System. The grant will fund an 18-month operation of North Shore-LIJ's...

Long Island food rescue organization needs volunteers to drive its vans.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Kathy Lombardo Island Harvest, a busy Long Island food rescue organization, needs volunteers to drive its vans. Volunteers should have a clean driver's license and be willing to donate up to six hours a day. They should be able...

Huntington Hospital offers health care scholarships.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Kathy Lombardo Ten $500 scholarships are available to graduating seniors who attend private or public school within Huntington Township and are college bound for a career in health care. Huntington Hospital is investing in the...

Huntington Arts Council to showcase four artists at Fresh Air exhibition in Melville.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Kathy Lombardo The Huntington Arts Council will showcase creative work from four prominent member artists at a special Fresh Air exhibition at the Art-trium gallery in Melville. The Fresh Air Exhibit is scheduled to open March...

Long Island financial firms announce staffing changes: March 2, 2007.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Kathy Lombardo Citibank in Port Jefferson has named Kenneth Ruland financial center manager. Ruland has been with the bank for three years. His most recent position was business banking officer before enrolling in the bank's...

John T. Mather Memorial Hospital in Port Jefferson names Richard M. Savino to board.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Kathy Lombardo John T. Mather Memorial Hospital in Port Jefferson has named Richard M. Savino to the board. He specializes in minimally invasive surgery and joint replacement and computer assisted surgery. Savino is a...

Long Island law firms announce staffing changes: March 2, 2007.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Kathy Lombardo The Mineola firm of Meltzer, Lippe, Goldstein & Breitstone has named Avi Z. Kestenbaum partner. He had been an associate in the firm. Meltzer Lippe also named Alan Rubenstein, Naomi T. Maryles, Alexander Leong...

Long Island non-profits announce staffing changes: March 2, 2007.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Kathy Lombardo Sid Jacobson Jewish Community Center in East Hills has named Dennis Feuerstein program director of special needs populations. He had been senior supervisor of residential habilitation for The National Institute for...

Long Island real estate firms announce staffing changes: March 2, 2007.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Kathy Lombardo Melville-based Cushman & Wakefield named Phil D'Avanzo director. He had been an associate director of the firm. The Woodbury-based CB Richard Ellis named Scott Miller vice president of the firm's Long Island...

Dean Aaron Twerski leaves Hofstra University.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Ross Daly Hofstra University named profesor Nora V. Demleitner interim dean of its law school, effective immediately. Demleitner takes over for departing Dean Aaron Twerski, who earlier announced his resignation following...

Hauppauge-based Audiovox buys European firm.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II Audiovox Corp. on Monday said its German subsidiary Audiovox German Holdings GmBH completed its acquisition of Oehlbach Kabel GmBH, a European maker of electronics accessories. Audiovox paid $6.6 million,...

Manhattan-based SL Green Realty Corp. is coming to Long Island.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Dawn Wotapka Hardesty It looks like Reckson buyer SL Green Realty Corp. is coming to Long Island after all. The Manhattan landlord is in contract to buy One and Two Jericho Plaza in Jericho, which total about 650,000 square...

Nassau County exec and Hempstead mayor to discuss development plan at public meeting.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Dawn Wotapka Hardesty Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi and Hempstead Village Mayor Wayne J. Hall Sr. are holding a public meeting Monday night to discuss revitalizing Franklin Avenue and updating the village's Comprehensive...

Woodbury-based Delta Financial Corp. posts higher profit.(Financial report)
March 7, 2007... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II Delta Financial Corp., an originator of mortgage loans, said Wednesday its fourth quarter profit gained 40 percent, despite increased struggles facing the mortgage industry. The Woodbury-based company, for...

Brooklyn-based Keyspan, Grid sweeten deal.
March 8, 2007... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II National Grid, the British utility planning to takeover KeySpan, said it will pass on its merger savings to Long Island ratepayers if the New York Public Service Commission approves the deal. In a PSC...

Long Island law firms announce staffing changes: March 9, 2007.
March 9, 2007... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II The East Meadow firm of Certilman Balin Adler & Hyman named Yale Pollack an associate in the firm. Pollack had worked closely with the firm's labor and employment partners through his participation in Touro Law...

Long Island non-profits announce staffing changes: March 9, 2007.
March 9, 2007... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II Long Island Children's Museum in Garden City named Donald R. Vogel director of development. He had been director of advancement for the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Stony Brook University. ...

Long Island real estate firms announce staffing changes: March 9, 2007.
March 9, 2007... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II Garden City-based Breslin Realty Development has named Judy Pascucci manager of acquisitions and development. Pascucci is a 26-year veteran of the real estate industry. Robert Gaffney, president of Dowling...

RexCorp Realty offers Riverhead town board $100M for 755 acres.
March 9, 2007... Byline: Dawn Wotapka Hardesty Scott Rechler stressed his local ties Friday when his development team offered Riverhead's town board $100 million for 755 acres at the Enterprise Park at Calverton, where it plans a $1 billion project. ...

Garden City-based Lifetime Brands to buy Ekco S.A.B. stake.
March 9, 2007... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II Lifetime Brands on Friday said it agreed to buy a 29.9 percent stake in Ekco S.A.B, a Mexico City-based manufacturer of cookware, kitchenware and cutlery. Monetary terms of the deal were not released. ...

Long Island non-profits miss the boat on matching donations.
March 9, 2007... Byline: Claude Solnik When CA employees donate to charity, they have a partner in philanthropy: the company. Islandia-based CA matches employee contributions, doubling the amount employees fork over to the charities of their choice....

For some, a grave situation can be good news.
March 9, 2007... Byline: Claude Solnik Richard Grafer, the head of Port Washington-based investing firm Pathway Investments LLC and a former Arthur Andersen partner, has long donated to charities. But his biggest gifts will be from the grave. Grafer,...

'Good' year for LI food banks, from one point of view.
March 9, 2007... Byline: Jeff Miller While some causes struggle to gain traction on Long Island, some, such as Island Harvest, roar along in the fast lane. Last fall, the anti-hunger agency was on target to reach 7 million pounds of food rescued from...

Ones to Watch: Long Island Non-Profits.
March 9, 2007... Byline: Claude Solnik Dr. Deborah Byrnes Director, Elder Watch Byrnes has an increasingly important role on Long Island, leading a not-for-profit that provides services to improve the quality of life for the area's homebound and frail...

Congratulations on your big award, now pay up.
March 9, 2007... Byline: Jeff Miller "What? Are you serious? Person of the year? Well, I don't know what to say! Thank you! What an honor!" Pause. "Beg pardon? I didn't catch that." Pause. "Like what? Uh huh... sponsor a table at the gala... list of...

Workers' rites.
March 9, 2007... Byline: Ross Daly and Dick Dahl Wen attorney Robert Lipman first began offering employee training in 1997, almost 100 percent of the focus was on sexual harassment. That's still the spotlight, but the training has undeniably expanded...

In banking, it's rob the other guy.
March 9, 2007... Byline: David Reich-Hale Joseph DePaolo is a thief, and he's proud of it. The chief executive at Signature Bank has made a habit, and a successful business practice, of stealing bankers from rival financial firms. He's about to strike...

Unions wait as A&P bags Pathmark in Long Island.
March 9, 2007... Byline: Ambrose Clancy It will either create the fourth largest company on Long Island in terms of employees, or a lot of people are going to be looking for work. At least one analyst expects supermarket closings on Long Island,...

The Rehabilitation Institute leases in Westbury.
March 9, 2007... Byline: Dawn Wotapka Hardesty In one of the biggest leases announced in what has started off as a slow year, The Rehabilitation Institute has inked a deal for nearly 40,000 square feet of industrial space in Westbury. The Institute...

Pondering who really won in Old Plainview.
March 9, 2007... Byline: Dawn Wotapka Hardesty In a classic case of "be careful what you wish for," local civics have torpedoed a massive development pitch - but they could wind up with sterile office buildings and McMansions instead. Charles Wang and...

Just cutting costs is not health-care reform for N.Y.
March 9, 2007... Byline: Ambrose Clancy Hospital administrators, aligned with the state's leading health-care workers' union, have been conducting an air war against Gov. Eliot Spitzer. On Wednesday, they sent in the infantry. With a statewide TV...

Long Island Financial Briefs: March 9, 2007.
March 9, 2007... Byline: LIBN Staff Moody's ready to introduce new bank-rating actions Starting this week, Moody's Investors Service will begin the rolling out of a series of rating actions for all Moody's-rated banks in conjunction with the...

Long Island Real Estate Briefs: March 9, 2007.
March 9, 2007... Byline: Dawn Wotapka Hardesty Incentives meet potential as Islip IDA greets Sunrise The Sunrise Business Center, a factory-turned-office-park, just navigated its way into a PILOT program with the Town of Islip's Industrial Development...

Long Island Technology Briefs: March 9, 2007.
March 9, 2007... Byline: Ross Daly Island woman among first with new glucose monitor A 26-year-old woman from Shirley is among the first in the nation to use a new type of continuous glucose monitor to manage her diabetes. The monitor that Heather...

Long Island Legal Briefs: March 9, 2007.
March 9, 2007... Byline: Ross Daly Another first for the Hofstra University law school Hofstra University has named its first-ever female law school dean: Professor Nora V. Demleitner, who takes over as interim dean effective immediately. ...

Something blue: Sagging LI wedding industry fights back.
March 9, 2007... Byline: Adina Genn The average Long Island couple spends more than $30,000 on their wedding, and local companies are vying for a piece of the action. The Garden City Hotel and Fortunoff, for example, on March 15 will announce the...

Designing woman: Lemmermann named marketing, sales representative by Melville-based T. Weiss Realty.
March 9, 2007... Byline: Kathy Lombardo Kristin Lemmermann was named marketing and sales representative by Melville-based T. Weiss Realty. She will coordinate and supervise the real estate firm's marketing efforts and TOTUS Business Centers, which are...

On the move.
March 9, 2007... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II COMMUNICATIONS Melville-based CosmoCom announced several appointments. Luciano Dolenc has been named country manager for Brazil. He has over 24 years of technical, sales and marketing experience in...

L.I. entrepreneur says it's OK to dream big - just don't give up that day job.
March 9, 2007... Byline: Adina Genn The steady paycheck. The benefits. Maybe even genuine love for whatever brings in your primary income. It's tough to give up the day job when starting a new venture. Some entrepreneurs never intend to do that, even...

Spreading kidney disease funds (and awareness).
March 9, 2007... Byline: Ken Cerini They keep your blood and body clean and chemically balanced. They help you make red blood cells, maintain healthy bones and control your blood pressure. They're only about the size of your fist, but their failure results...

Long Island Nonprofit Briefs: March 9, 2007.
March 9, 2007... Byline: Kathy Lombardo Kids lead autism effort Syosset-area students are selling raffle tickets to benefit autism awareness and research. Sean, Ryan and Kyle Haber, students of the Harry B. Thompson Middle School in Syosset, are...

Unanimous praise for workers' comp deal in N.Y.
March 9, 2007... Byline: Ross Daly Legislation that will raise benefits to workers while reining in costs to businesses under New York State's workers' compensation system is winning widespread praise. The state Senate and Assembly passed the bill...

Long Island Business News Follow Ups: March 9, 2007.
March 9, 2007... Byline: LIBN Staff SearchHelp hits Target SearchHelp Inc., a Syosset maker of Web-based parental control software, has inked a deal to sell a version of its Sentry product line at 1,500 Target stores nationwide. As previously...

Will title insurance become the art world's new darling?
March 9, 2007... Byline: Dawn Wotapka Hardesty Steven Spielberg got bad news last week, and it wasn't a recap of how "Munich" did at the box office. Turns out the director, an avid collector of Norman Rockwell's slice-of-Americana paintings, had...

Internships in Long Island grow in industries that really need them.
March 9, 2007... Byline: Adina Genn Internships may be an antidote to the region's talent shortage, and then some, but they can also help businesses appeal to larger audiences, tap younger markets and tackle long-range projects. Interest in interns is...

Interview with Robin Rokuson, partner, tax department, Gettry Marcus Stern & Lehrer, Woodbury.
March 9, 2007... Byline: David Reich-Hale As a tax partner at Gettry Marcus Stern & Lehrer, Robin Rokuson is often saddled with telling clients they have tripped the alternative-minimum tax. The AMT was created in the 1960s as a way to keep the super-rich...

Commentary: Missing link.
March 9, 2007... Byline: LIBN Staff Conspicuously absent in all the important talk about the Nassau Hub, so far at least, is any significant mention of transportation. That's a mistake. If the Hub is to become the high-density destination it's been...

Commentary: Army tries Hevesi-style crisis control.
March 9, 2007... Byline: John Kiernan Watching political and governmental events unfold for the last 35 years has been a fascinating experience. There are always surprises that seem to come out of left field. Many times the surprises are scandals or a...

Commentary: Spitzer has already set himself apart.
March 9, 2007... Byline: Jerry Kremer It's a little more than two months since Gov. Eliot Spitzer took office. Have things changed in such a short time in Albany? You bet they have. Spitzer is not the first governor in state history to have an...

Commentary: Murray handled building fiasco well.
March 9, 2007... Byline: Martin Cantor In the media feeding frenzy that comes with uncovering abuse of office by a public official, it's easy to overreact about the goings on in the Town of Hempstead Building Department. After the dust has cleared, it...

Letter: Article perpetuates cellular phone myths.
March 9, 2007... (Editor's note: The following letter refers to an Associated Press article published on the Long Island Business News Web site, www.libn.com.) To the Editor: The article Shell Game, dated Jan. 14, 2007, perpetuates a myth about cell...

Letter: Seviroli shows how Empire Zones work.
March 9, 2007... Dear Editor: Congratulations to Garden City-based Seviroli Foods for growing it's business and creating jobs on Long Island (A quest to become the big cheese, March 2). Fourteen months ago, New York State created an Empire Zone in...

Commentary: Out East: March 9, 2007.
March 9, 2007... Byline: Jeff Miller Building permits: Toughing it out on the East End It happens all the time. You're in the line at the deli and you overhear a remark like this: "Only two months? It took me two years to get a building permit!"...