LI Business News articles from November 2007

LI Business News archives from November 2007

Putting famed Garden City Hotel for sale piques worldwide interest.
November 1, 2007... Byline: David Winzelberg The Nelkin family's decision to put the famed Garden City Hotel on the block has piqued worldwide interest-including that of RexCorp capo Scott Rechler. It's where Corny Vanderbilt took tea and where Charles...

Hauppauge-based Audiovox buys battery firm.
November 1, 2007... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II Audiovox Corp. on Thursday said it agreed to purchase Technuity, a maker and supplier of batteries and power products for consumer electronics, for $16.5 million. The Hauppauge-based company also agreed to buy...

Cablevision upping its cable rates by 4.7 percent.
November 2, 2007... Byline: LIBN Staff Expensive entertainment The news that Cablevision was upping its cable rates by 4.7 percent caused a collective groan from consumers who think they already pay too much for cable TV services. Cablevision...

Long Island health care facilities announce staffing changes: November 2, 2007.
November 2, 2007... Byline: Erin E. Edmonds Good Samaritan Hospital of West Islip appointed Dominick L. Alese vice president of administration. Prior to his new position, Alese served three years as vice president of administration for St. Charles Hospital in...

Long Island law firms announce staffing changes: November 2, 2007.
November 2, 2007... Byline: Erin E. Edmonds Farrell Fritz of Uniondale hired Brian C. Doyle as counsel in its Bridgehampton office. Prior to joining Farrell Fritz, Doyle was an associate at O'Shea, Marcincuk & Bruyn of Southampton, where he handled...

Jensen joins Jericho-based Purolator USA.
November 2, 2007... Byline: Erin E. Edmonds Jericho-based Purolator USA hired John Jensen as director of sales. In the newly created position, Jensen will be responsible for the company's overall sales effort, including setting and establishing sales...

Long Island commercial real estate brokers remain cautiously optimistic.
November 2, 2007... Byline: David Winzelberg Long Island commercial real estate brokers remain cautiously optimistic heading into the end of the year, despite a rosy outlook from the Federal Reserve, which believes the market will continue to benefit from...

Commentary: Poor planning is the culprit, once again.
November 2, 2007... Byline: Nancy Bauch Douzinas A Brentwood truck-rail freight facility proposed by the state Department of Transportation would take more than 5,000 trucks off Long Island's roads daily, cut travel delays, lower emissions, improve air...

Commentary: Island demographics add up to trouble.
November 2, 2007... Byline: Martin Cantor It is no secret that Long Island is getting grayer, but quantifying how gray has been another story - until now. A Dowling College analysis, "Aging on Long Island: A Crisis in Its Infancy," shows that the only...

Commentary: Where's Newt Gingrich when you need him?
November 2, 2007... Byline: John Kiernan If anyone questions why the Republican Party developed the reputation during the last 20 years of being the political party that had positive ideas and new policies, just take a look at what is happening to the nice...

Commentary: The 'real' thing: Who is, and who isn't?
November 2, 2007... Byline: Jerry Kremer The events of the past two weeks bring to mind one word - "real." Lately, whether it's politics or sports, everyone is battling over the issue of who is and who isn't. This great debate can't be illuminated until...

Long Island Medical Briefs: November 2, 2007.
November 2, 2007... Byline: Alison Snyder Cuomo takes on Empire, HIP/GHI on doc ranking Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is targeting two of Long Island's biggest health insurance companies in his ongoing scrutiny of doctor-ranking programs. Cuomo...

Commentary: Out East: November 2, 2007.
November 2, 2007... Byline: Jeff Miller Flighty Hamptons real estate defies logic, once again Q: What does Hamptons real estate have in common with the rare blue morpho butterfly? A: They're both big, gaudy and extremely hard to pin down. Take,...

Long Island Real Estate Briefs: November 2, 2007.
November 2, 2007... Byline: David Winzelberg Ghoulish forecast turns commercial brokers green Just a few days shy of Halloween, Sally Wilson painted a very scary picture of the future for 200 brokers, developers and industry suits. Gathered at Oheka...

Short-term pain, long-term gain for Long Island-based MedNet Tech.
November 2, 2007... Byline: Ambrose Clancy If you believe in your plan, have patience - even to the point of paying topflight employees more than what you're making. That's one strategy John Pellman, chief executive of MedNet Technologies, put in play to...

Knapp joins Holbrook-based law firm Germano & Cahill.
November 2, 2007... Byline: Erin E. Edmonds NAME: Marie E. (Mea) Knapp POSITION: Counsel LAW FIRM: Germano & Cahill P.C. HOMETOWN: Northport Holbrook-based law firm Germano & Cahill has hired Mea Knapp as counsel. She will work with real estate...

On the move.
November 2, 2007... Byline: Erin E. Edmonds ACCOUNTING Baldwin resident Marc Newman has been named associate managing partner of New York City-based Anchin, Block & Anchin. In this role, Newman will direct the firm's practice growth efforts and manage...

For Manhattan-based Apollo, a deal at deadline?
November 2, 2007... Byline: David Winzelberg The final stumbling block in redeveloping a big swath of Riverhead's downtown may have been removed. Actually, annexed. Manhattan-based Apollo Real Estate Advisors, the master developer on the project, and...

Long Island Development Corp. expects increased activity as banks turn away small businesses.
November 2, 2007... Byline: Laura Theis As banks tighten their standards in the wake of a credit crisis that has led to thousands of layoffs, small business lenders are preparing to pounce. The Long Island Development Corp., for one, expects increased...

Commentary: The future of the NY workforce? Check out Nebraska.
November 2, 2007... Byline: John Kominicki A flurry of e-mails over last week's column that ranged from "a brilliant satire on the futility of regional planning" to "I'm coming down there with an ax handle to show you what brain drain is really all about."...

Corporate suits down, but not on LI.
November 2, 2007... Byline: Laura Theis Corporate lawsuits on Long Island are going against the grain. For the 2007 fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30, Houston, Texas-based international law firm Fulbright & Jaworski reported the first national drop in...

N.Y. State Department of Taxation gets serious.
November 2, 2007... Byline: Ambrose Clancy The taxman is coming, and he's not waiting until April 15. The New York State Department of Taxation is getting serious about collecting taxes on the sales of big-ticket, out-of-state purchases consumers have, to...

New Jersey-based JH Cohn stands by former N.Y. Yankees corporate pitchman.
November 2, 2007... Byline: Laura Theis Joe Torre wasn't good enough for the New York Yankees, but JH Cohn's decided not to kick him to the curb. The New Jersey-based accounting firm said this week it would keep the deposed Bombers manager as its...

Long Island Business News Follow Ups: November 2, 2007.
November 2, 2007... Byline: LIBN Staff No debate date for Hofstra - yet Hofstra University will have to wait a few more weeks before learning if it's been selected to host a presidential debate next year. As reported in April, Hofstra was the only...

Allied Pediatrics of New York unite to save their bottom lines.
November 2, 2007... Byline: Alison Snyder Rising operation costs and stagnant insurance reimbursement rates are assaulting doctors' bottom lines, with pediatricians among the hardest hit. It's a financial dilemma with few solutions - including, for some,...

Interview with Colin Goddard: Chief executive OSI.
November 2, 2007... Byline: Alison Snyder Colin Goddard joined OSI in 1989 and became the company's chief executive in 1998. As CEO, he has led OSI through the approval process to launch the company's flagship product, the cancer drug Tarceva, as well as the...

Commentary: Along the road, hope for growth in Long Island.
November 2, 2007... Byline: LIBN Staff Here's something new: Long Island's government bodies are working together to better attract businesses that bring high-skill jobs to our region. We're not kidding - it's happening. And it should happen more. ...

Commentary: How To...Choose a hospital.
November 2, 2007... Byline: Bernadette Starzee No one wants to think about checking into a hospital. But if a hospital procedure is on the horizon for you, rest assured that Long Island has many excellent facilities. While the number of choices can be...

Commentary: Levine on Leadership.
November 2, 2007... Byline: Stuart Levine With more work, less people, scarcer resources and lightning-speed technology, there's never enough time - creating increasing demands on both your professional and personal lives. This is the No. 1 retention...

Commack-based movie-maker banking on lights, camera, real estate.
November 2, 2007... Byline: Ambrose Clancy Hector Gavilla wants to sell you a house without giving you vertigo. He's not talking about the woozy feeling the ordeal of buying property often causes - it can be disorienting, navigating that maze of banks,...

Interview with Robert Budd: CEO, Family Residences and Essential Enterprises Inc.
November 2, 2007... Byline: Kennth R. Cerini One of the greatest challenges for any individual with a disability is being accepted not only by one's peers, but by the community at large. Family Residences and Essential Enterprises Inc. recognizes this and has...

Long Island Nonprofit Briefs: November 2, 2007.
November 2, 2007... Byline: Erin E. Edmonds ISA boosts education effort The Institute for Student Achievement was awarded a $10,000 grant from Melville-based Arrow Electronics. In support of its partnership with Wyandanch and Hempstead high schools,...

Long Island Financial Briefs: November 2, 2007.
November 2, 2007... Byline: Laura Theis LICA changes structure, targets more investor activity The Long Island Capital Alliance is restructuring its annual capital forum. The organization, designed to join capitalists with companies in need of...

Long Island Technology Briefs: November 2, 2007.
November 2, 2007... Byline: Alison Snyder The future is now with CMP Internet investigation In 15 years, the Internet has been transformed from a technology of the future to a staple of daily life. The way we work, learn, interact and even shop will never...

Extraordinary offices on Long Island.
November 2, 2007... Byline: LIBN Staff It's never a typical day at the office for some Long Islanders. While most people head to work in box-like buildings, others set up shop in unusual spots that suit their business and corporate culture or solve zoning...

Digital era delivers democratization of in-office music.
November 2, 2007... Byline: Claude Solnik Say goodbye to Muzak. The days of listening to orchestral versions of popular tunes piped in throughout the office are drawing to a close. More and more, employees are turning on iPods, listening to iTunes and mixing...

Choosing the right lease in LI: the devil's in the details.
November 2, 2007... Byline: Claude Solnik Leasing is rapidly replacing purchasing as the procurement norm. Steven Orenstein, senior vice president of Manhattan-based Sterling National Bank and its leasing division, Sterling Bank Leasing, explained the...

Garden City Park firm says without training, tech devices can't fulfill their promise.
November 2, 2007... Byline: Claude Solnik Richard Lindner, major accounts manager for office equipment leasing and sales firm US Business Technology in Garden City Park, has seen a growing technology gap. But it's not the one between the technology haves and...

Baldwin resident named associate managing partner of NYC-based Anchin, Block & Anchin.
November 2, 2007... Byline: Erin E. Edmonds Baldwin resident Marc Newman has been named associate managing partner of New York City-based Anchin, Block & Anchin. In this role, Newman will direct the firm's practice growth efforts and manage the Anchin wealth...

Torgersen joins Oyster Bay branch of State Bank of Long Island.
November 2, 2007... Byline: Erin E. Edmonds State Bank of Long Island appointed Theodore Torgersen vice president and officer in charge of its Oyster Bay branch. In this position, Torgersen, previously a branch manager at Chase, will be responsible for...

Long Island educational institutions announce staffing changes: November 2, 2007.
November 2, 2007... Byline: Erin E. Edmonds Patricia Natale was appointed administrative assistant for discipline at Lindenhurst Middle School. Prior to her promotion, Natale taught sixth-grade science for 12 years. The Lindenhurst School District also...

Long Island government institutions announce staffing changes: November 2, 2007.
November 2, 2007... Byline: Erin E. Edmonds Mitchell Pinckney has been named executive director of corporate relations of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for the New York metropolitan area. A former franchise owner of Adecco and former business consultant for...

Islandia-based software company CA Inc. announces promotions.
November 5, 2007... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II Islandia-based software company CA Inc. on Monday announced three upper management appointments, including a new manager for its public sector business. Pat Gnazzo, the company's former senior vice...

Lake Success-based Broadridge Financial beats estimates.
November 7, 2007... Byline: Laura Theis Shares of Lake Success-based Broadridge Financial Solutions jumped 10 percent Wednesday after it said fiscal first quarter earnings sailed past analysts' estimates. The company's stock (NYSE: BR) was up $1.77 to...

Woodbury-based Delta Financial tumbles after layoffs.
November 8, 2007... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II Shares of Woodbury lender Delta Financial tumbled nearly 27 percent Thursday after it announced a massive spate of layoffs. Delta's stock fell $1 to trade at $2.68, a new 52-week low. In August, Delta, which...

The First of Long Island Corp. posts profit rise.(Financial report)
November 8, 2007... Byline: Laura Theis The First of Long Island Corp. announced Thursday that net income for the third quarter rose 3 percent year over year. The bank's third quarter net income was $2.98 million compared with $2.88 million in the same...

PSC slams Albany's Niagara Mohawk Power Corp.
November 8, 2007... Byline: Henry E. Powderly II The New York State Public Service Commission on Thursday fined Albany's Niagara Mohawk Power Corp., which is owned by National Grid, $8.8 million for poor service quality upstate. The PSC said the British...

Professional etiquette: Rules of engagement.
November 9, 2007... Byline: Ambrose Clancy Do you wait for a woman to extend her hand or just shake away? Are doggy bags OK at a business lunch - and what about martinis at a networker? And "business casual" - isn't that a contradiction in terms? ...

Small Business Investment Expansion Act of 2007 clears way for venture capitals.
November 9, 2007... Byline: Laura Theis A new bill that would allow more small businesses with venture capital backing to tap into federal grants is facing stiff opposition from groups that argue VCs could take advantage of loans designed to help the mom and...

Long Island Financial Briefs: November 9, 2007.
November 9, 2007... Byline: Laura Theis Simple60 looks to cash in on the baby boomers Melville-based reverse mortgage company Lender Lead Solutions has found a way to cash in on aging baby boomers. The company introduced a new product, called...

Long Island Technology Briefs: November 9, 2007.
November 9, 2007... Byline: Alison Snyder Modest start, big goals for LIFT's new startup fund The Long Island Forum for Technology is launching a "seed" stage investment fund geared to "relight the fires of innovation" on Long Island, according to...

Commentary: Out East: November 9, 2007.
November 9, 2007... Byline: Jeff Miller Agricultural wish list in East End powwow "In a place where development pressure is tremendous, we need all the help we can get." That remark from Peconic Land Trust founder and President John Halsey captured...

Long Island Medical Briefs: November 9, 2007.
November 9, 2007... Byline: Alison Snyder Au natural: Conventional dentistry meets pomegranate Many of today's trends lean toward the "natural," and even the health-care industry is not immune. Natural childbirth - as in drug-free delivery - remains a...

Hard work, product knowledge and good fortune for president of Massapequa Park-based company.
November 9, 2007... Byline: Ambrose Clancy You never know whom you're talking to. Ezra J. Green uses this simple phrase, often employed as a finger-shaking exercise by overly protected mothers, as a reminder that growing your business can sometimes result...

DiNatale is all art in Lindenhurst.
November 9, 2007... Byline: Erin E. Edmonds NAME: Joseph DiNatale POSITION: Practical Arts Chairperson, Lindenhurst Senior High School and Middle School HOMETOWN: Bay Shore Lindenhurst Senior High School and Middle School has appointed Joseph DiNatale as...

Joseph Sassone joined JRS Architect as office manager and project manager at the firm's Long Island corporate headquarters in Mineola.
November 9, 2007... Architecture/ Construction Joseph Sassone joined JRS Architect as office manager and project manager at the firm's Long Island corporate headquarters in Mineola. With more than 18 years of architectural experience, Sassone will oversee the Long...

Batteries included in this powerful business plan for Batteries Plus store in Huntington Station.
November 9, 2007... Byline: Ambrose Clancy The average American is battery-operated, so Thomas Renner is looking to cash in. Renner - owner of the month-old Batteries Plus store in Huntington Station along with his brother, Bill - says average Americans...

Commentary: How To...Choose a payroll services firm.
November 9, 2007... Byline: Bernadette Starzee Your employees expect to be paid the right amount and on-time, come rain, sleet or natural disaster. So does the IRS. Because of the importance of keeping both happy, you need to carefully choose a payroll...

Surprise as Community Preservation Fund tax fails in Brookhaven.
November 9, 2007... Byline: David Winzelberg The defeat of Brookhaven's proposed 2 percent real estate transfer tax was the biggest surprise of an otherwise predictable Election 2007. Usually overwhelmingly popular with homeowners, Island open space...

LI market primed for Wachovia?
November 9, 2007... Byline: David Reich-Hale Wachovia Corp. didn't morph from sleepy southern bank to national powerhouse by finding cozy corners and busy intersections to open branches. The nation's fourth-largest bank did it by acquiring giants, turning...

Commentary: Would Robert Moses have climbed this mountain?
November 9, 2007... Byline: John Kominicki Is it just me, or have the big thinkers been sipping too heavily on the Red Bull? In the past several months they have offered us a floating energy plant in the Sound and a giant racing stadium in Riverhead,...

Mead Market: Long Island Meadery owner is clearly besotted by the Middle Ages.
November 9, 2007... Byline: Ambrose Clancy "Oh, Thane of Suffolk, where can I find the noble meadery?" "Well, stranger of the public road, in the fair macadam fields of Holbrook, in yon office park hard by Veterans Highway, the meadery awaits." Paul...

Accounting deadline looms for small firms.
November 9, 2007... Byline: Laura Theis Three years after Sarbanes-Oxley created a slew of new work for accounting firms, accountants are gearing up for another helping of Sarbox assignments. This time, it's small public firms facing a Dec. 15 deadline...

Smaller banks in LI hoping for more commerce.
November 9, 2007... Byline: Laura Theis TD Financial Group's decision to acquire Commerce Bancorp might have led to some upset stomachs at the company's corporate headquarters. But for regional banks on Long Island, the word was met with loud cheers. ...

Long Island Business News Follow Ups: November 9, 2007.
November 9, 2007... Byline: LIBN Staff Union, contractors joust over janitors Local 32BJ of the Service Employees International Union is back at it. In February, we told you about 32 office cleaners fired from their jobs in an East Meadow office...

Sales commissions: The writing's on the wall for N.Y. State Labor Law.
November 9, 2007... Byline: Gregory Zeller It's a labor law meant to protect salespeople, their companies, or both. It's championed by both sellers and managers, or neither. And it's going to change the face of sales commissions in New York. Or not. ...

Hauppauge-based Crosstex International sees cash in staph infection apprehension.
November 9, 2007... Byline: Alison Snyder Crosstex International smells an opportunity in the recent clamor over drug-resistant staph infections. The headlines of the past few weeks might pay off for the Hauppauge-based company, which manufactures...

Interview with Ari Sonesh, founder of founded Melville-based CosmoCom.(Company overview)
November 9, 2007... Byline: Alison Snyder Ari Sonesh founded Melville-based CosmoCom in 1996 and has grown it from the stereotypical garage operation to a worldwide company. CosmoCom's Internet-based technology for call centers was one step ahead of the...

Sassone joins JRS Architect in Mineola.
November 9, 2007... Byline: LIBN Staff Joseph Sassone joined JRS Architect as office manager and project manager at the firm's Long Island corporate headquarters in Mineola. With more than 18 years of architectural experience, Sassone will oversee the Long...

Commentary: A horse of another color.
November 9, 2007... Byline: Kennth R. Cerini The horse is a kind, majestic and elegant creature unlike any other - loyal in sport, in leisure, in work and, according to Katie McGowan, executive director of Camp HorseAbility, in providing therapeutic services....

Long Island Nonprofit Briefs: November 9, 2007.
November 9, 2007... Byline: Erin E. Edmonds BOA Backs Girl Scouts For years, the motto of the Girl Scouts of Suffolk County has been "Where Girls Grow Strong." This ideology will continue, thanks to a $10,000 grant from the Bank of America Charitable...

Long Island architecture firms announce staffing changes: November 9, 2007.
November 9, 2007... Byline: LIBN Staff Joseph Sassone joined JRS Architect as office manager and project manager at the firm's Long Island corporate headquarters in Mineola. With more than 18 years of architectural experience, Sassone will oversee the Long...

Commentary: More to come.
November 9, 2007... Byline: LIBN Staff No surprise, in hindsight, that mortgage lenders made plenty of terrible financial decisions leading up to the collapse of the subprime market. Now, however, we're learning that banks and their partners were just as...

Commentary: Repowering ain't easy, but it's necessary.
November 9, 2007... Byline: Richard Kessel Leaves on many Long Island trees haven't fallen, signaling yet another late autumn. It should be apparent that we're experiencing significant seasonal changes that can't be chalked up to a "once a decade" aberration....

Business must act now to save the future.
November 9, 2007... Byline: Mathew Crosson To the Editor: John Kominicki's column (The future of the NY workforce? Check out Nebraska, LIBN, Nov. 2) was spot on. But it's not just political leaders who need to step up to deal with the workforce issues...

Repowering is the way to go.
November 9, 2007... Byline: Mark Seratoff To the Editor: Energized in Stony Brook (LIBN, Oct. 19) is a positive sign that renewable, non-polluting energy (like wind and solar), energy conservation and efficiency are much more than personal choice - they...

Time to invest in state infrastructure.
November 9, 2007... Byline: Bruce Ventimiglia The recent bridge collapse in Minnesota reminds us of our own disaster when a New York State Throughway span collapsed in 1987, taking six lives. These tragedies highlight our ongoing dependence on a sound and...

Levy's all wrong on redevelopment.
November 9, 2007... Byline: Clifford Sondock To the Editor: Steve Levy's letter (Exec champions growth through redevelopment, LIBN, Oct. 26) calls the redevelopment of pre-developed areas the panacea for Long Island's stifled growth. I disagree. Long...

Commentary: Different heroes on similar missions.
November 9, 2007... Byline: Alfonse D'Amato Two men of World War II died last week. One helped bring World War II to an end; the other helped us remember the bravery of an entire generation. Paul Tibbets Jr. was at the tip of the nuclear spear in 1945. He...

Commentary: Fear-mongering and other scary stuff.
November 9, 2007... Byline: Jerry Kremer Halloween is over, right? The frightening ghosts, goblins and skeletons are back in the storage room until next year. So, why are the president of the United States and the GOP candidates for the White House still...

Long Island Real Estate Briefs: November 9, 2007.
November 9, 2007... Byline: David Winzelberg Fixing the flooding, in a roundabout way Anyone who's tried to navigate northern New York Ave. in Huntington in a heavy rain knows a Bayliner does better than a Buick, with knee-high water masquerading as a...

Science teacher at Half Hollow Hills High School in LI honored.
November 9, 2007... Byline: LIBN Staff Half Hollow Hills High School science teacher Chrysi Notskas was given the "Women of Distinction" award by Assemblyman Thomas McKevitt. Notskas, also the director of research, has many distinguished accomplishments,...

Long Island health care facilities announce staffing changes: November 9, 2007.
November 9, 2007... Byline: LIBN Staff Ray Luttinger was appointed the coordinator of the Infection Control Unit at John T. Mather Memorial Hospital in Port Jefferson. Luttinger will help ensure that appropriate infection-control policies and procedures...

Many LI law firms believe pro bono is good business.
November 9, 2007... Byline: Claude Solnik Lawyers often save clients' necks, but Elizabeth G. Land, an associate at Nixon Peabody, helped save someone's life a few weeks ago. On October 19, she and attorney David Feldman scored by helping a woman from Tibet...