LI Business News articles from May 2007

LI Business News archives from May 2007

Dolans make private play for Cablevision.
May 1, 2007... Byline: David Reich-Hale A little more than three months after a committee of independent Cablevision directors rejected an attempt by the Dolan family to take the cable operator private, a report tonight said a deal could be near...

North Shore University Hospital names executive director.
May 1, 2007... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II The North Shore University Hospital, which is part of the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System, said Tuesday it named Susan Somerville executive director, effective immediately. Somerville had been...

Melville-based Park Electrochemical gains.
May 1, 2007... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II Park Electrochemical, a maker of materials used in telecommunications devices and circuit boards, on Tuesday said its fourth quarter profit fell 26 percent because a hefty income-tax charge offset sales gains....

Bethpage-based Cablevision's going private.
May 2, 2007... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II Third time's a charm. A little more than three months after a committee of independent Cablevision directors rejected the second attempt by the Dolan family to take the cable operator private, a deal has...

Brookhaven's big-box idea.
May 3, 2007... Byline: Dawn Wotapka Hardesty Big boxes better beware of Brookhaven. The town, in a move it says will protect both the environment and mom-and-pop retailers, said super-sized stores now need a special permit. The Town Board this week...

LI Assn., N.Y. League of Conservative Voters to address region's economic, environmental woes.
May 3, 2007... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II The Long Island Association and the New York League of Conservative Voters on Thursday said they have joined forces to create a "comprehensive agenda" to address the region's economic and environmental woes....

Uniondale-based Arbor Realty reports first quarter net income.(Financial report)
May 4, 2007... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II Arbor Realty said on Friday its first quarter net income rose 9 percent on healthy growth in its loan portfolio. For the quarter ended March 31, Arbor posted a profit of $16.8 million compared to a profit...

Volinski joins Greenport-based Peconic Landing.
May 4, 2007... Byline: Kathy Lombardo Peconic Landing in Greenport named Darryl Volinski director of environmental services. Volinski had been operations manager and life safety officer for Belvedere Property Management.

Jill Rosen-Nikoloff named director of workforce housing in Suffolk County.
May 4, 2007... Byline: Kathy Lombardo Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy named Jill Rosen-Nikoloff director of workforce housing. She had been a partner for the Mineola-based law firm of Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein.

Long Island health care facilities announce staffing changes: May 4, 2007.
May 4, 2007... Byline: Kathy Lombardo Virginia Peragallo-Dittko, director of Winthrop University Hospital's Diabetes Education Center in Mineola, was named outstanding educator in diabetes by the American Diabetes Association. She has served as director...

HEALTH CARE.
May 4, 2007... Byline: Kathy Lombardo Virginia Peragallo-Dittko, director of Winthrop University Hospital's Diabetes Education Center in Mineola, was named outstanding educator in diabetes by the American Diabetes Association. She has served as director...

Shoemaker joins Farmingdale-based Delta Computer Group.
May 4, 2007... Byline: Kathy Lombardo Farmingdale-based Delta Computer Group named Kerri Ann Shoemaker regional sales executive for the West Coast. She had been involved with the sales and marketing of high speed inkjets and laser printers for commercial...

Yaphank-based Insula-Dome Skylights promotes Schupp.
May 4, 2007... Byline: Kathy Lombardo Insula-Dome Skylights in Yaphank named David J. Schupp regional sales manager of the Long Island, Upstate New York and New Jersey territories. Schupp, who had been the Long Island region territory manager, is pursing...

Long Island nonprofits announce staffing changes: May 4, 2007.
May 4, 2007... Byline: Kathy Lombardo William J. Forrester, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Goodwill Industries of Greater New York and Northern New Jersey, received the Outstanding Association Executive award from the New York...

Long Island real estate firms announce staffing changes: May 4, 2007.
May 4, 2007... Byline: Kathy Lombardo Robert F. Sheehy, executive vice president of Cushman & Wakefield, was named branch manager for the firm's office in Melville. Sheehy will focus on business development and recruitment while continuing to service the...

Island's hospitality network is crammed with tales of the rich and famous.
May 4, 2007... Byline: Claude Solnik What do Johnny Cash and Margaret Thatcher have in common? Bob Hope and Howard Stern? George Washington didn't sleep here, but Jack Nicholson did. Long Island is no stranger to celebrity, and neither is its hotels....

Long Island hotel occupancies, rates on the rise.
May 4, 2007... Byline: Claude Solnik Long Island hotel occupancy and room rates are doing better than national and state averages, but they're nothing to write home about. Island-wide occupancy edged up from 66.7 percent in 2005 to 67.9 percent in...

Ones to Watch: Long Island Hospiality Firms.
May 4, 2007... Byline: Claude Solnik Chris Drago Director of food and beverage, Roslyn Claremont Hotel In addition to being in charge of food and beverage for the hotel, Drago oversees Cristina's, the hotel's restaurant, and the hotel's catering...

This was Yaphank.
May 4, 2007... Byline: Ambrose Clancy Lucille Stroud recalls when Nazis marched through the streets of Yaphank. Yes, Nazis. In Yaphank. Every place has a past that if examined, will at best be embarrassing and at worst reveal horror. Yaphank, which...

Storm clouds hovering over LI economy?
May 4, 2007... Byline: David Reich-Hale First the good news: Long Island added more than 11,000 new jobs in the first quarter of 2007 and unemployment is at a stellar 3.7 percent. As for the bad... well, do you have some time? Local companies are...

Rough seas ahead for the LI's boating industry.
May 4, 2007... Byline: Ambrose Clancy The business of boats is becalmed. With the industry drifting - hoping for fair winds when the late spring, summer and fall seasons kick in - those in the boating business are recounting a depressing tale....

Hofstra University in LI eyeing medical school.
May 4, 2007... Byline: Ross Daly Hofstra University is in talks with North Shore Long Island Jewish Health System on a proposed jointly run medical school. Hofstra President Stuart Rabinowitz confirmed that the university was in talks with the...

N.Y. Gov. Spitzer plan for judges wins split vote.
May 4, 2007... Byline: Ross Daly Local attorneys are giving mixed reviews to Gov. Eliot Spitzer's proposal to move New York to a system of appointed judges instead of the current method of elections. Spitzer's call last week to amend the state...

Location, location location becoming trend for gyms in LI.
May 4, 2007... Byline: Dawn Wotapka Hardesty For years, Long Island's gyms were relegated to tired buildings off the beaten path, but that idea went out with leg warmers and aerobics. Today's pumped-up operators want their cavernous workout...

Financial firms slow down LI index.
May 4, 2007... Byline: David Reich-Hale Banks continue to drag down the LIBN 40 Index. Though the index is up 6 percent for the year, outperforming the bellwether Dow Jones industrial average and S&P 500, bank stocks continue to plummet. The three...

Many hotels in LI offer glitz and glamour.
May 4, 2007... Byline: Claude Solnik Your home may not be your castle, but for the right price, your hotel room can be. Guests at Oheka Castle - named, in shorthand, for one-time owner Otto Hermann Kahn - can call the top-end Olmstead Grand suite...

Online 'tours' help hotels around the country bring in new business.
May 4, 2007... Byline: Claude Solnik The visitor arrives at the front desk with an almost spooky sense of deja vu. The lobby looks familiar. So does the room, and the swimming pool. It's... like... the traveler had... been here before... And in a...

Hospitality's health in LI boosted by successful spas.
May 4, 2007... Byline: Claude Solnik Executives at Gurney's Inn in Montauk always knew their 1,000-foot stretch of beach was a major asset, but they really struck gold when they harnessed its water power about 25 years ago. In 1978, Gurney's opened a...

Commentary: Last chance for preservation.
May 4, 2007... Byline: Richard Amper Last month, the Long Island Pine Barrens Society released a report titled "On Course for Failure: A Call to Action on Land Preservation," chronicling the history of land preservation on Long Island. The report found...

Long Island Real Estate Briefs; May 4, 2007.
May 4, 2007... Byline: Dawn Wotapka Hardesty Fairfield knows what it can (and can't) do in Melville On Long Island, the Fairfield name is practically synonymous with residences, and rightly so - the 33-year-old family-run company has about 5,000...

Commentary: Out East: May 4, 2007.
May 4, 2007... Byline: Jeff Miller Realtors looking to cash in with record-setting rentals That rumble you hear is the annual stampede of city-dwellers pounding eastward to lock up summer rentals. It's almost always a mad dash, but even more so...

Long Island Legal Briefs: May 4, 2007.
May 4, 2007... Byline: Ross Daly Old friends return to Meltzer Lippe's labor group Meltzer Lippe Goldstein & Breitstone LLP has added seven attorneys in recent months to give the Mineola law firm a robust labor and employment practice. In...

Long Island Technology Briefs: May 4, 2007.
May 4, 2007... Byline: Ross Daly Report: NY is one of the nation's top 'Cyberstates' A report by the American Electronics Association details New York's role as one of the leading states in the high-tech sector. The report, titled "Cyberstates...

Exhibitions, tradeshows in U.S. rebounding from 9/11 lows.
May 4, 2007... Byline: Adina Genn If John Pelosi didn't exhibit at tradeshows, his business would slide. As the owner of Miller Place-based New York Barrier Reef Pools and Custom Masonry, Pelosi needs that "one-on-one, personal time" in front of...

Brian T. Neal now pitching for Medford-based Prudential.
May 4, 2007... Byline: Kathy Lombardo Prudential CRES Commercial Real Estate in Medford named Brian T. Neal licensed real estate sales associate. Neal will be responsible for office and retail sales and leases, as well as vacant land and investment...

On the move.
May 4, 2007... Byline: Kathy Lombardo ACCOUNTING John J. Piccinnini, a certified public accountant who resides in Massapequa, was named partner in the law firm Citrin Cooperman & Co. ADVERTISING Susan Singer of All Ways Advertising in...

How to ... Choose a labor law firm.
May 4, 2007... Byline: Bernadette Starzee When it comes to employment law, an ounce of prevention is worth pounds of cure. You can cut down on the costly prospect of shoveling out fines, back-pay awards and punitive damages by setting up and maintaining...

Advertising in LI: The power of positive word-of-mouth.
May 4, 2007... Byline: Adina Genn A little positive reinforcement never hurts. And for a fledgling enterprise, an encouraging nod from the marketplace can be the affirmation that proves a business concept holds promise. For Jo-Ann Stokes, the...

Long Island Business News Follow Ups: May 4, 2007.
May 4, 2007... Byline: LIBN Staff Coming together Leaders from all walks of life, between 35 and 55 years old, are continuing to find common ground and wrestle with regional issues. As reported in Long Island Business News Feb. 16, the Energeia...

The children of divorce have a hero in Garden City.
May 4, 2007... Byline: LIBN Staff A thousand hours and countless cases later, attorney Lewis Edelstein is being honored for his volunteer efforts. Edelstein, 60, a solo practitioner in Garden City, will be the first to tell you he started working pro...

Interview with Tariq Khan: President of United Franchise Owners of LI and N.Y.
May 4, 2007... Byline: Claude Solnik Tariq Khan - whose trade association represents the owners of nearly 200 7-Eleven stores in Suffolk, Nassau and New York City - doesn't smoke. But he's fired up over Nassau's and Suffolk's consideration of a tax that...

Interview with Joe McNulty: Executive Director, Helen Keller National Center.
May 4, 2007... Byline: Ken Cerini Imagine losing both your sight and your hearing - a nightmarish world of darkness and silence that can send chills up any spine. Thousands of people around the world suffer from being both deaf and blind, and if not for...

Long Island Non-profit Briefs: May 4, 2007.
May 4, 2007... Byline: Kathy Lombardo Newsday provides some goodness to go Island Harvest in Mineola received $15,000 from Newsday Charities, a fund of the McCormick Tribune Foundation, to help support The Kids Alliance Weekend Food-To-Go program....

Piccinnini joins N.Y.-based Citrin Cooperman & Co.
May 4, 2007... Byline: Kathy Lombardo John J. Piccinnini, a certified public accountant who resides in Massapequa, was named partner in the law firm Citrin Cooperman & Co.

Susan Singer of Melville-based All Ways Advertising honored.
May 4, 2007... Byline: Kathy Lombardo Susan Singer of All Ways Advertising in Melville received the Diamond Award from the Specialty Advertising Association of Greater New York.

ELDER CARE.
May 4, 2007... Byline: Kathy Lombardo Peconic Landing in Greenport named Darryl Volinski director of environmental services. Volinski had been operations manager and life safety officer for Belvedere Property Management. Peconic Landing in Greenport...

N.Y. Gov. Eliot Spitzer proposed significant changes to Wicks Law.
May 4, 2007... Byline: LIBN Staff Gov. Eliot Spitzer has proposed significant changes to the so-called Wicks Law, a 1912 measure that was designed to ensure fair play on government construction projects but now costs New Yorkers hundreds of millions of...

Commentary: Energy Efficiency: Time for talk is over.
May 4, 2007... Byline: John Kiernan This week, several of Long Island's elected officials tried to raise the public's concern about our dependence on foreign oil. State Sen. Dean Skelos, joined by Long Island colleagues Charles Fuschillo, Owen...

Legislative raises on shaky ground in N.Y.
May 4, 2007... Byline: Jerry Kremer When the founding fathers assembled in Philadelphia in 1776, the historians described them as citizen legislators. The group included farmers, doctors, lawyers, teachers and other assorted professionals. They met...

Commentary: 'No Child' clock ticking.
May 4, 2007... Byline: Martin Cantor The recent revelation of possible tampering of student test scores in the Uniondale School District underscores the pressure that schools are under to meet standards established by the 2002 federal "No Child Left...

Jericho-based Griffon Corp. eyes private move.
May 10, 2007... Byline: Claude Solnik Griffon Corp. is considering taking itself private amid mounting pressure from discordant investors unhappy with the defense contractor's financial performance and chief executive Harvey Blau. Manhattan hedge fund...

Commentary: The Federal Reserve wisely holds the line.
May 11, 2007... Byline: LIBN Staff The Federal Reserve voted to hold the fund rate at 5.25 percent this week, despite growing signs that inflation is on the rise. We enthusiastically support the Fed's decision to leave rates alone, if only because the...

Commentary: Joining the anti-Gonzalez chorus.
May 11, 2007... Byline: Alfonse D'Amato Washington consumes headlines with the voracious appetite of a prehistoric raptor. Stories pop up and dominate media coverage for days, perhaps a week, and then recede, making room for the next shattering headline....

Commentary: 'Bushitis' is making the GOP sick.
May 11, 2007... Byline: Jerry Kremer There are all types of allergies. Some people are affected by hay fever. Cut grass can make people itchy and uncomfortable. And last week, 10 Republican politicians displayed their total discomfort with being anywhere...

Commentary: McCain suffers from selective vision.
May 11, 2007... Byline: James L. Larocca As John McCain continues his long slide from the lead for the Republican nomination for president, historians may well look back at April 1, 2007, as the day the Arizona senator's 2008 effort began to fly off the...

Commentary: Good intentions, but HIPAA hurts.
May 11, 2007... Byline: Donnalynn Darling The tragedy at Virginia Tech might have been avoided were it not for the well meaning federal statutes that blocked the shooter's parents from finding out about what now appears to have been a long history of...

Commentary: Out East: May 11, 2007.
May 11, 2007... Byline: Jeff Miller A critical juncture (and when isn't it?) for Riverhead "Downtown Riverhead is a sleeping giant." People have been writing that, or something like it, for decades. I know, because I wrote it myself more than once...

Long Island Technology Briefs: May 11, 2007.
May 11, 2007... Byline: Ross Daly Motorola tech chief offers life lessons to math kids Motorola's enterprise mobility business in Holtsville was host recently to about 70 top math students from school districts across Long Island. The students...

Long Island Real Estate Briefs: May 11, 2007.
May 11, 2007... Byline: Dawn Wotapka Hardesty Leviton ponders Queens escape, and eyes Melville Is 201 North Service Road in Melville poised to go solo? Maybe. The real estate community is buzzing that electric powerhouse Leviton Manufacturing is...

More LI judges are retiring their robes for private work.
May 11, 2007... Byline: Claude Solnik When clients listen to advice from C. Raymond Ratigan, a partner at Ruskin Moscou Faltischek in Uniondale, they're not only hearing an attorney's perspective. They're hearing from a judge. Ratigan, who served as a...

Finding 'fault' with New York State divorce laws.
May 11, 2007... Byline: Claude Solnik Jeffrey and Paula E. Molinari had the best of intentions when they took their wedding vows. But like so many couples, they discovered that intentions don't always make for strong unions, and "'til death do us part" is...

For some attorney in LI, managing partner is only the beginning.
May 11, 2007... Byline: Claude Solnik Once an honorable culmination of proud legal careers, the role of managing partner has morphed into a new beginning. There was a time when a majority of managing partners, after reaching that professional summit,...

Ones to Watch: Long Island Law Firms.
May 11, 2007... Byline: Claude Solnik David J. Abeshouse Principal, The Law Offices of David Abeshouse Just as the solo can be the high point in a symphony, solo legal practitioners can be key players on Long Island. Abeshouse, who goes solo in...

N.J.-based Martindale-Hubbell's offers peer review for legal profession.
May 11, 2007... Byline: Claude Solnik A new kind of "Hubble telescope" is focused not on heavenly bodies, but on lawyers. New Providence, N.J.-based LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell's peer review system has become an increasingly important way of judging...

In many ways, Bay Shore is back.
May 11, 2007... Byline: Dawn Wotapka Hardesty Seven years ago, Gina and Lenny Jaworowski had their hearts set on opening a restaurant, but they were young with not much of a bank account, severely limiting their options. They could, however, afford...

Equity funds on insurance feeding frenzy.
May 11, 2007... Byline: The Associated Press Lured by willing sellers and returns that can reach 40 percent, private equity firms have discovered a new market: business insurance. In recent months the flood of equity cash has washed over some of Long...

Facing heat, Jericho-based Griffon Corp. eyes private move.
May 11, 2007... Byline: Claude Solnik Griffon Corp. is considering taking itself private amid mounting pressure from discordant investors unhappy with the defense contractor's financial performance and chief executive Harvey Blau. Manhattan hedge fund...

PricewaterhouseCoopers names Salerno top LI partner.
May 11, 2007... Byline: LIBN Staff PricewaterhouseCoopers partner Paul Salerno will take over as head of the Long Island branch next month, replacing Douglas Kurz, who has reached PWC's mandatory retirement age of 60. Kurz held the managing partner...

CLK/HP grabs another piece of Melville.
May 11, 2007... Byline: Dawn Wotapka Hardesty Commercial real estate partnership CLK/HP is in contract to acquire a 125,000-square-foot Class B property on Broadhollow Road in a deal that expands the Woodbury-based firm's reach in Melville. Craig...

LI culinary schools stepping up to meet demand of high-end food.
May 11, 2007... Byline: Ambrose Clancy It's fundraising night at the New York Institute of Technology, and the school's venerable de Seversky Center ballroom glows softly with candlelight as murmuring swing flows from a jazz quartet. The crowd is...

LIBN welcomes New York Times veteran.
May 11, 2007... Byline: LIBN Staff Replacing a great reporter is never easy, but picking up someone with 20 years' experience writing for The New York Times certainly soothes the sting. This week, Long Island Business News bids a fond farewell to real...

Long Island Business News Follow Ups: May 11, 2007.
May 11, 2007... Byline: LIBN Staff Western Mig A year ago, Richard Migliore was thankful to be on a horse as Belmont Park opened its 2006 season. The Babylon native had suffered devastating injuries in 2004 and 2005; two accidents left him with...

Hempstead-based lawyer Lance D. Clarke prepares diversity blitz.
May 11, 2007... Byline: Ross Daly It's one small step for minority attorneys. Hempstead-based lawyer Lance D. Clarke, who is about to become the first African-American chief at the Nassau County Bar Association, is keenly aware of the challenges...

Can the LI manufacturing industry save itself by retooling?
May 11, 2007... Byline: Ambrose Clancy Twenty years ago, there were 170,000 paychecks generated by Long Island's manufacturing industry. Today, less than half that many workers man local factory floors. No surprise. While manufacturing still...

Caithness taps veteran Long Island Lighting Co. construction manager.
May 11, 2007... Byline: Ross Daly Larry Britt, a longtime engineer with the Long Island Lighting Co., has been named the construction manager of the planned Caithness power plant in Yaphank. His job is to make sure the project stays on budget and on...

Interview with Dr. Steven Strongwater, chief executive of LI's Stony Brook Univ. Hospital.
May 11, 2007... Byline: Claude Solnik Dr. Steven Strongwater is at the top of a 504-bed institution that employs 4,800 professionals, treats roughly 400,000 patients annually and operates with a budget of about $725 million. After recently completing his...

Long Island health care facilities announce staffing changes: May 11, 2007.
May 11, 2007... Byline: Kathy Lombardo HEALTH CARE Melville-base health-care products distributor Henry Schein has announced several staff changes and appointments. Susan Vassallo was promoted to vice president of corporate communications. She...

Mickelson joins Melville-based Cook, Hall & Hyde.
May 11, 2007... Byline: Kathy Lombardo Cook, Hall & Hyde named Daniel V. Mickelson account executive serving its commercial insurance division. He had been sales executive for Kornreich-NIA Group.

Long Island Legal Briefs: May 11, 2007.
May 11, 2007... Byline: Ross Daly The Supremes make 'drastic' changes to patent laws The U.S. Supreme Court issued two important rulings last week limiting the power of patents. In the case with broader applications, the court made it more...

Bay Shore company says if at first you don't succeed says to ... plan, plan again.
May 11, 2007... Byline: Adina Genn Robert Bertuglia Jr. didn't like what he was seeing, so he went with Plan B. In 2001, Bay Shore-based cleaning and maintenance firm Laro Service Systems hit $80 million in revenues, moved its headquarters to...

How to ... Choose a financial advisor.
May 11, 2007... Byline: Bernadette Starzee Life takes financial planning - for future concerns such as college and retirement, as well as for the here and now. But when it comes to dealing with finances, many people feel intimidated by what they have...

Project GRAD Long Island grabs CPA for board slot.
May 11, 2007... Byline: Kathy Lombardo Project GRAD Long Island in Roosevelt, an independent nonprofit education-reform organization, has elected Larry Waldman to its board of directors. Waldman is a certified public accountant and the partner in...

Fritz, Rothwell join the Uniondale law firm Farrell Fritz.
May 11, 2007... Byline: Kathy Lombardo The Uniondale law firm Farrell Fritz named Debbie Chun an associate in the firm's commercial litigation department. Chun received her law degree from Brooklyn Law School, where she was the recipient of the Philip...

Two Huntington-based startups saving the world, even one client at a time.
May 11, 2007... Byline: Adina Genn Two Huntington-based entrepreneurs are pushing for positive change that will not only benefit their individual bottom lines, but might make the world a better place. Catherine M. Mullahy aims to revolutionize at-home...