JULY 2016

MONTHLY
UPDATE

www.sibiztrends.com

ON THE JOB
See this months movers and shakers.

SIBOR members
lobby in Albany
Representatives from the Staten Island Board of Realtors were
among hundreds of REALTORS
from throughout New York state
who spent a recent day in Albany
advocating for a statewide firsttime homebuyer savings account
program, among other legislative priorities.
The convergence May 24 in the
state capital was part of Lobby
Day, an annual advocacy initiative of the New York State Association of REALTORS.
SIBOR joined NYSAR in urging Realtors and members of the
public to take action by contacting state legislators to support
and pass the NY First Home savings account proposal.
The proposal, sponsored in the
New York State Legislature by
state Sen. Betty Little and Assemblyman Phil Ramos, would function as a dedicated savings account for individuals planning to
buy their first home. The tax-free
savings account would help to
cover costs associated with the
purchase.
It would allow individuals to
put away up to $5,000 ($10,000 for
couples) per year in a designated
savings account to be used solely
for costs associated with the purchase of a first home, explained
Sandy Krueger, CEO of SIBOR.
These funds would be deductible
on state personal income taxes,
and the principal and any gain
would be tax free.
While in Albany, the SIBOR
contingency met with Assembly
members Ron Castorina (RSouth Shore, Staten Island),
please see BRIEFS, page 2

PAGE 15

REAL ESTATE NEWS

Capturing Millennials on Staten Island.
PAGE 9

SCORE
Should you design your own website?
PAGE 6

Chamber High School Golf Invitational

STEVE WHITE/Business Trends

The Staten Island Chamber of Commerce held its 3rd annual Chamber High School Golf Invitational at La
Tourette Golf Course. Pictured from left are Annamarie Gentile, chair of the Chamber board, with first-place
girls winner Kelli Anderson of St. Joseph by the Sea, second-place girls winner Priscilla Hemway of St. Joseph
Hill Academy and third-place girls winner Angela Masseria from Tottenville High School.

SINFPA searching for new leader

By KRISTEN DOWD
Business Trends
For the past decade, Staten Island NFP Association has been giving a voice to the Is-

In the spotlight
See photos from last months
Business to Business Expo.
PAGE 8

lands nonprofit sector.

The association provides professional development and technical assistance services
to its more than 150 nonprofit members, helping guide groups in fundraising, develop-

ment, management issues and more.

SINFPA serves as a common voice and resource for the Islands nonprofits to grow, deplease see LENZA page 4

2 BUSINESS TRENDS JULY 2016

Weddings
Sweet 16s
Anniversaries
Birthday Parties
Much much more!
..................................

statenarts

Steve White
6 Genesee Avenue
Staten Island, NY 10308
Phone: 718.317.5025
Cell: 917.446.4029
Email: statenarts@aol.com

BRIEFS

Staten Arts Photography

Michael Cusick (D-Mid-Island,

Staten Island), Nicole Malliotakis

www.statenartsphotography.com

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(R-East
Shore,
Staten
Island/Brooklyn),
Matthew
Titone (D-North Shore, Staten Island) and state Sens. Andrew
Lanza (R-Staten Island) and
Diane Savino (D-North Shore,
Staten Island/Brooklyn).
The Staten Island advocates in-

Continued from page 1

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cluded Krueger; Claire Bisignano

Chesnoff, president of SIBOR;
Greg Sokol, SIBOR presidentelect; Sari Kingsley, SIBOR past
president and vice chair of the organizations Legislative Committee; John Vernazza, SIBOR past
president and National Association of REALTORS liaison to
Donovan; Dawn Carpenter, a
SIBOR past president serving in
the capacity of NYSAR presidentelect; Phyllis Cangro; and Justin
Ray.

South Shore Business

Incubator is ready
The South Shore Business Incubator is ready to launch. Located within the Annadale Business
Center building at 847 Annadale
Road, the South Shore Business
Incubator offers a unique opportunity for start-up and growing
firms to a secure professional location, in a dynamic building
without staining their budget.
The Staten Island Economic
Development Corp. is proud to announce the first members of the
South Shore Business Incubator:
Anthony Bellini, Attorney at
Law; Unique Event Productions;
and Cleaner Days.
Anthony Bellini is a real estate
attorney and litigator with 15
years of experience serving the
Island. With an opportunity to expand to the South Shore location
without the initial start-up cost of
setting up and staffing an office,
The Annadale Business Center
offered the perfect solution.
In turning his passion into his
own DJ/event production company, Greg Costa searched for a location to give his business the presence he needed.
Trying to find the perfect office location is far from an easy
task. When I learned about the
South Shore Business Incubator, I
knew it was the right place for
Unique to grow. I chose to locate
my office with them because it
was a professional setting that
gave Unique Event Productions
the flexibility and capital headroom from the very start, Costa
said.
The entrepreneurship team of
please see BRIEFS, page 5

4 BUSINESS TRENDS JULY 2016

Lenza departs but future bright for SINFPA

LENZA
Continued from page 1

velop and sustain their impact on

the quality of life on Staten Island, Mindy Duitz said. It was
founded in 2006 by a group of
nonprofit leaders supported by
funders and elected officials who
saw the need for a formal network

to serve this growing sector of the

Island's business and service infrastructure.
Since May, Duitz has been serving as the interim executive director for SINFPA after the departure of longtime executive director Vin Lenza. The association is
in the process of vetting candidates to lead SINFPA into its second decade after a successful first
10 years under Lenzas leadership.

Parisi Rampulla & Lenza, P.C.

78 Martin Avenue | Staten Island, NY, 10314

(718) 761-3333
Short Sales, Mortgage Modification,
Foreclosure Defense

Lenzas departure,
executive director search
After SINFPA was founded in
2006, Lenza was hired as the first
executive director of the association in May 2007 after working for
the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation.
After nine years successfully
leading and shaping the organization, he made a personal decision
to begin a new career, Duitz said,
adding Lenza is currently enrolled in a program to become an
RN.
Whether with SINFPA for
years or months, members agree
they will miss Lenzas leadership.
The community is extremely
sad to see him go, program manager Shamise Quinn said. He
was such a good person and he actually played a huge role in sustaining relationships between
SINFPA and different not-forprofits across the Island He really dedicated a lot of his time
and skill into this organization in
order for it to succeed.
Program manager Laura Delprete-Conde credits Lenza with
understanding what it is like to
be a working parent and never
making her choose between her
family and her job.
Hes probably one of the best
people Ive ever worked for, Delprete-Conde said. Whoever is
going to take that seat has big
shoes to fill.
While Duitz agrees Lenza will
be a hard act to follow, she is excited to see what a new leader brings
to the association.
Following the first and longtime leader of an organization is
always somewhat daunting. That
person has an intimate knowledge of the history, as well as the
members and the community
that is unique, Duitz said. However, with a strong base and mission in place, it will be exciting
for a new leader to move SINFPA
into its second decade and continue to shape a vision for the future.
Lenza could not be reached for
comment.
Duitz has been enjoying her
time serving as interim executive
director for SINFPA. Her transition to the team was seamless,

starting the week after Lenza left

in the middle of May.
I have enjoyed re-immersing
myself in all things Staten Island,
having come to the Island in the
late 70s as the first director of the
Staten Island Childrens Museum. After a long career in the museum field, I have been working
most recently as a nonprofit management consultant and an interim executive director for arts and
education organizations, so helping SINFPA is a good fit, Duitz
said.
If all goes according to plan, a
new executive director should be
chosen by the end of August.
Duitz said they have received excellent applicants, and interviews
will take place over the next two
months.
The board is seeking a good
leader who understands the nonprofit world and is committed to
the collaborative spirit that defines the Staten Island community, Duitz said. As a small organization, SINFPA works with many
partners and will be looking for
someone who enjoys managing
all the details as well as shaping
the vision.

COAD, COOP and a future vision

There are two main projects
under the umbrella of SINFPA
the long-established Staten Island
Community Organizations Active in Disaster, and the newer
venture, Staten Islands Community of Opportunity Partnership.
The Staten Island COAD is a
coalition of nonprofit and civic
organizations dedicated to building organizational resiliency to
sustain critical operations in
times of crisis. It was founded
after Superstorm Sandy.
About 20 nonprofits got together during Sandy to assist Staten
Island residents. They did things
like providing services, food,
counseling, mental health help
things of that nature, DelpreteConde said. After Sandy, those
same 20 nonprofits realized that
they wanted to make a more cohesive plan and they wanted to provide their A-game. They formed
the Staten Island COAD.
Delprete-Conde came in as the
COAD project manager six
months after the group was

founded. She said COAD creates

relationships between nonprofits
and agencies, which is invaluable
during a disaster. During a crisis,
they can reach out to one another.
All of this really started from
the support of the Staten Island
Foundation. They heard of this
idea and they said, Were going to
support it and see where you go
with it, Delprete-Conde said.
Theyve really let us run with it,
and weve developed this project
that other agencies are looking to
model.
Staten Islands COOP is an education initiative headed by
Quinn. The programs goal is to
ensure Staten Island youth and
their education is a top priority.
Were utilizing our collective
impact framework to increase
successful outcome in early care
and education, Quinn said.
Were working with other nonprofits to implement strategies
and make Staten Island youth
more successful.
While the ultimate goal is to
tackle the cradle to career, K-12
spectrum, COOP is geared toward children from birth through
third grade. COOP is in its beginning stages and in the process of
building a steering committee.
We already have a handful of
local community representatives
that are committed and want to
see this project move forward,
Quinn said. Were welcoming
anyone who has a passion for creating more opportunities for education for the youth of Staten Island.
Both COAD and COOP will be
building in the future, and as far
as the future of SINFPA as a
whole, Duitz said the association
is looking to move forward, too.
SINFPA has the opportunity
to expand its reach through collaboration with like organizations citywide and in the region,
deepen professional development
for its members, and advocate for
the value and impact of the nonprofit sector to the Island and the
city as a whole, Duitz said.
For more information about
the Staten Island NFP Association, visit www.sinfpa.org or visit
the group on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/StatenIslandNFP.

JULY 2016 BUSINESS TRENDS 5

Monthly Update
BRIEFS
Continued from page 2

Edward Jorge and Saul Martinez

combines youth, energy, enthusiasm and know-how as they are
launching their cleaning service,
Cleaner Days. With plans to grow
and franchise their business, the
South Shore Business Incubator
at the Annadale Business Center
building provides the team the
launching pad of space, mentorship and exchange of ideas that is
integral in any small business.

Three accepted into

GrowSI program
Cheech A' Cini's Italian Grill,
Kills Boro Brewing Company and
Meet My Build have been accepted as participants of the GrowSI
program.
As Staten Island continues to
develop, an increasing number of

individuals have opened new

businesses.
Many of these new businesses
lack the resources to sustain their
growth and scale their business.
According to Gallup, roughly 50
percent of new businesses in the
U.S. fail within their first five
years.
In response to this, the Staten
Island Economic Development
Corp. has launched GrowSI,
which offers one year of free
membership and mentoring opportunities to new businesses.
Cheech A' Cini's Italian Grill's
mission is to cater the New
York/New Jersey area with a
gourmet Italian street food experience, by bringing them the old
world taste with a modern touch.
They obtain all of their products
from locally sourced vendors,
while always producing a substantial portioned, quality product at a bargain price. Their priorities are to provide consistent
products with excellent customer
service in a well-maintained envi-

ronment for both guests and team

members.
Kills Boro Brewing Company
is comprised of the passion project of three Staten Island home
brewers and a restaurant owner.
They combine the talents of
award-winning brewers from
Staten Island while providing a
wide variety of exquisitely crafted beers aimed to enrich any beer
drinkers experience. The brewery will be attached to the restaurant Crafthouse, with a glass wall
that will give diners a view of the
brewery's operations. They'll
start with four beers: a coconut
cream ale, a white IPA, a foreign
extra stout and a pale ale with
Galaxy hops.
Meet My Build is an online bidding marketplace. MMB will redefine the way local contractors and
distributors work together by
connecting them through an online marketplace where they can
manage, organize, bid and buy
materials for home and commercial building.

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6 BUSINESS TRENDS JULY 2016

in our opinion
66 Willow Avenue
Staten Island, NY 10305
718-775-3154

Secede from NYC?

Full secession not good, but we should continue to fend for ourselves
esidents of Great Britain last
month voted to leave the European Union. The now infamous Brexit, as its being called,
sent shockwaves around the world,
and emphasized that the majority of
people in Britain even if it was just
a small majority felt like they could
do better on their own than as a part of
a larger union of nations.
This sort of sounds familiar here in
Staten Island, a place that has been
dubbed, infamously, the forgotten
borough of New York City. We often
get overlooked for public funding from
the city for initiatives as important
as public transportation, for example
and we often get overshadowed by our

bigger siblings in Manhattan and

Brooklyn.
Those leading the resurgence
throughout Staten Island are doing
their best to overcome all that, and
prove to the rest of the city and to
the rest of the world that were not
to be forgotten.
City Councilman Joe Borelli thinks
the Brexit should serve as motivation
for Staten Island residents. Borelli
posted an op-ed recently, citing a vote
cast in 1992 when two-thirds of Islanders voted to secede from New York
City. Were not so sure a full-scale secession from New York City is in Staten Islands best interest, but we do
agree with the message that Borellis

suggestion sends: That we, as Staten

Islanders, need to fend for ourselves.
We need to not complain when we are
overlooked or forgotten, but rather
take the bull by its horns and do something about it by ourselves, for ourselves.
A drive around the Island will show
you that weve been doing a pretty
good job of that over the last few
years. Five years from now, Staten Island will look much different than it
does now, and thats because of the
hard work of our Islands leaders and
businesses. Maybe then, when the dust
is settled, the rest of the city will recognize us. If not, so be it; were Islanders!

JOE EISELE
Publisher
TIM RONALDSON
Executive Editor
STEVE COPPOLA
Director
RICHARD GRADO
Director
ROBERT CUTRONA
Director
LAWRENCE RAMPULLA
Director
JANET WARREN DUGO
Publisher Emeritus
DAN McDONOUGH, JR.
Chairman
Business Trends is mailed each month to the
business and community leaders of Staten
Island. To be added to the mailing list, email joe@sibiztrends.com. To submit a
news release, email news@sibiztrends.com.
For advertising info, call 718-775-3154 or
email joe@sibiztrends.com.

Should you design your own small business website?

By BRIDGET WESTON POLLACK
If youre starting a new business, you
can quickly get caught up in developing
the visual aspects of your concepts. Branding and having a web presence are important (and exciting!), and there are thousands of designers out there who have created beautiful products for their clients.
But do you need to spend hundreds or
thousands of dollars on a web design made
from scratch? If youre bootstrapping, that
kind of investment might be out of the
question right away. If youre not sure if
you should spend money on a web designer
think about these three situations where
doing it yourself could be a great option.

When you need it quick

Working with a web designer can be an
amazing experience, but that quality work
takes time. Consider your upcoming product launch or special event before you get
quotes from a designer. From concepting to
wireframing to content development, the
process of taking a website from idea to

live site can take weeks or months.

If your deadline is approaching and you
need a web presence, it makes sense to take
the DIY route. Even grabbing a domain
and putting up a landing page can help solidify your web presence.

When you want something simple

If youve thought about your future web
presence and dont expect it to be very active, the DIY route might suit you well. If
you primarily communicate through social networks such as Facebook or Instagram, consider still setting up a website as
a hub for the various ways customers or
clients can reach you. Even a simple Wordpress-based site can accommodate an
events calendar, news page or basic blog
format.

When you dont need ecommerce

Heres one to think long and hard about:
Will you ever consider offering ecommerce
for your products or services? Depending
on the complexity of your sales funnel,

adding ecommerce to your website down

the line could present big challenges for a
web design novice. Simple web sales setups
such as Big Cartel or Squarespace can satisfy a lot of ecommerce needs you may
want to add to your site; if youre using a
platform such as Etsy, you may not want to
integrate ecommerce at all.
A few more things to consider before
you start laying out your DIY site:
Are you patient? DIY website builders
such as Squarespace, Wix, Weebly and Virb
look easy, but it still takes time to master
the learning curve and get your site looking just right. These platforms offer helpful
tutorials to create a visually pleasing website and work through some of the common kinks, but it may still take some trial
and error or even time consulting forums to overcome any tricky obstacles.
Do you have an eye for design? With all
the possibilities available in a plug-andplay web design tool, you might be tempted
to get carried away. Make sure the colors,
style and navigation of your site match

your brand and the goals of your organization. Putting together a website is the perfect time to remember the saying, When
in doubt, leave it out! Do you have time to
make changes and updates on your own?
Nows the time to schedule regular updates
to your website, or assign this task to someone on your team. Even if youre not posting to a blog regularly, youll need to make
sure your hours, contact information, policies and other pieces of information are
accurate. Not sure how much time or
money you should spend building the online presence for your new company? Talk
to a SCORE mentor who can guide you
through this exciting time.
Bridget Weston Pollack is the vice president
of marketing and communications at the
SCORE Association. In this role, Bridget is responsible for all branding, marketing, PR and
communication efforts. She focuses on implementing marketing plans and strategies for the
organization to facilitate the growth of
SCOREs mentoring and trainings services.

8 BUSINESS TRENDS JULY 2016

Business to Business Expo

STEVE WHITE/Business Trends

Staten Island businesses came together in the largest exclusive Business to Business Expo to date on Staten Island. Included in the event were representatives from international, national and regional businesses.
Coming from as far as China, Japan and Germany, and throughout the United States, these businesses met
to form relationships and further the economic growth and vitality of the Island. Pictured clockwise, from
above: Julia Catalano and Stacey Petrov of Digital Edge, Chamber Chair Annamarie Gentile, Chamber President and CEO Linda Baran, and Robin Lefkowitz of Northfield Bank; William Fritz, president of CUNY College
of Staten Island, discusses the importance of advancing technology and business education at the university; (inset) Sandra DeNovellis, U.S. marketing director of Telehouse International Corp.; Sal Sottile, of Sottile
Security International; Expo attendees crowd a room for a breakout presentation; Bob Cutrona, of Project
One Services Inc.; and Reba Sherman of Atlantic Business Products greets an Expo guest.

JULY 2016 BUSINESS TRENDS 9

Capturing the attention of

Millennials on Staten Island
By JAMES PRENDAMANO
Millennials may be the most
misunderstood generation since
the concept of labeling generations was adopted. That may be
due to the fact that Millennials
are by nature, anti-label. This
well-educated, progressive group
of young adults born between
1981 and 1997 came of age during
a financial crisis which may explain why they are more fiscally
conscious than some may believe.
Their fiscal awareness is an offshoot of their social responsibility, which is what has helped to elevate second hand boutiques, organic coffee shops, farmers markets and community gardens.
According to the U.S. Census
Bureau, there are 92 million Millennials living in America, surpassing Baby Boomers by 15 million. One of five New Yorkers are
Millennials. Twenty-nine percent
of them are choosing to live at
home beyond age 30. They currently spend approximately $600
billion annually and, according to
Accenture Consulting, will spend
$1.4 trillion by 2020.
Though Millennials are the
most technologically connected
group, according to iModerate Research Technologies, 82 percent
thought it was important for
brands to have brick and mortar
stores in which to spend their dollars, even though they use technology to compare prices and
product value.
As they come of age, Millennials are changing the way we do
business in America, which explains why the nations largest financial firms are devoting serious resources to collecting and
analyzing data about their habits.
Goldman Sachs and PWC are
significantly focusing on Millennials and what makes them tick.
According to a Goldman Sachs
data story, Millennials owe approximately $20,000 in student
loans and are less likely to seek
ownership of anything, be it cars,
homes or music. According to
Goldman Sachs, only 39 percent
of Millennials nationwide own
homes.

This generation of tekkies

are more inclined to share than
possess which has retailers, developers and real estate investors
rethinking their projects.
Historically, young people seeking to live on their own have left
Staten Island due to the lack of
rental units available and because the social experience they
were seeking was hard to come
by.
Urby Staten Island by Ironstate Development Company, may
be one of the greatest examples of
a multi-unit residential complex
that is perfectly geared toward
Millennials on or off Staten Island.
This 900 unit mixed use project
is located on Front Street a
block away from the Staten Island
Railroad and two stops away from
the free Staten Island Ferry.
Located in historic Stapleton,
an area which was the retail hub
of Staten Island a century ago,
this socially responsible residential complex will provide young
renters with an organic farm and
farmer in residence, an organic
caf with chef in residence, pet
friendly apartments with plenty
of built-in storage to reduce the
need to invest in furniture, a sizeable pool and high tech fitness
center all located along a beautiful, public waterfront esplanade.

In short, Urby Staten Island was

designed to make life in New York
City easier to enjoy.
Casandra Properties has been
working with Ironstate Development Company and BFC Partners
to relaunch Stapleton as a place
where Millennials will be comfortable living. Our team is working with established restauranteurs, retailers, service providers,
investors, government officials
and business organizations who
understand the value of this
emerging neighborhood and are
seeking to connect with a generation of forward thinking individuals who pride themselves on respecting the history of the place
they call home.
As a company, we have spent
the last 30 years promoting Staten
Islands retail potential. With the
second highest median family income and the fastest growing population, Staten Island is certainly
New York Citys next hot borough, and with Staten Island Millennials living at home longer, the
North Shore is the place to be if
you want to capture their attention.
James Prendamano is a managing
director for Casandra Properties,
Inc., Staten Islands premier real estate firm, specializing in all facets of
transactional real estate.

When the news is sweet,

We Tweet!
When the news is bitter,

We Still Twitter!
Follow us at
twitter.com/sibiztrends

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10 BUSINESS TRENDS JULY 2016

Miss New York State

718-273-1200

STEVE WHITE/Business Trends

Camille Sims (Pride of New York) won the Miss New York State title
at the St. George Theater.

12 BUSINESS TRENDS JULY 2016

WEEKLY MEETINGS
MONDAY
Bus. Outreach Ctr of SI/WBCLDC
Small Bus. Counseling
MWBE/BOC Capital: WBCLDC, 705
Forest Ave., 2nd Fl. By appointment
only. For info, call 718-816-4775.
Kiwanis Club of Richmond Co.:
LaFontana Restaurant, 2879 Amboy

Rd. 7 p.m. Call 718-420-1966.

College of S.I., Small Bus. Dev. Ctr.
Business Counseling: CSI, 2800
Victory Blvd. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. No
charge. For info, call the SBDC at
718-982-2560.

TUESDAY
Greater New Dorp Networking
Group: 8 a.m. Perkins, 1409 Hylan
Blvd. For information, call Steve
Lombardo at 718-702-8623.
Richmond Business Connections:
Z One, 1821 Richmond Ave. 8 a.m.
For information, call Ronald P.
Cutrone at (347) 258-8131.
SI Business Friends: 7:30 - 8:45
a.m. Hilton Garden Inn, 1100 South
Ave. For information, call Dr. Richard
Bove at 718-938-5978 or visit
www.sibfnetwork.com.
Bus. Outreach Ctr of SI/WBCLDC
Small Bus. Counseling
MWBE/BOC Capital: WBCLDC, 705
Forest Ave., 2nd Fl. By appointment
only. For info, call 718-816-4775.
Direct120.com, Ultimate Think
Tank: Lorenzos, 1100 South Ave. For
info, visit www.direct120.com.
Kiwanis Club of South Shore:
LaFontana, 2879 Amboy Rd. 7:30
p.m. For info, call 718-370-2770.
SCORE Business Counseling: S.I.
Bank & Trust, 1550 Richmond Rd. 9
a.m. to noon. No appointment necessary. No charge. For info, call 718727-1221.
Business Guild I of the S.I. Chamber of Commerce: Hilton Garden
Inn, 1100 South Ave. 7:45 a.m. Members and invited guests only. Call
Michael Anicito at 646-606-2111.
Business Network Intl. (BNI) Network Alliance Chapter: Z-One
Lounge, 1821 Richmond Ave. 7 to
8:30 a.m. For info, call Timothy
Houston at 718-981-8600.
Rotary Club Staten Island: LiGrecis Staten, 697 Forest Ave. 12:30 to

1:30 p.m. Members and guests welcome. For info, call 718-370-3140.
College of S.I., Small Bus. Dev. Ctr.
Business Counseling: Chamber of
Commerce, 130 Bay St. 9 a.m. No
charge. Call 718-982-2560.
College of S.I., Small Bus. Dev. Ctr.
Business Counseling: CSI, 2800
Victory Blvd. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. No
charge. Call the SBDC at 982-2560.

WEDNESDAY
Bus. Outreach Ctr of SI/WBCLDC
Small Bus. Counseling
MWBE/BOC Capital: WBCLDC, 705
Forest Ave., 2nd Fl. By appointment
only. For info, call 718-816-4775.
Richmond County Referral Source:
Comfort Inn. 7:00 to 8:15 a.m. For
info, email jcmexp@aol.com
Staten Island Business Council:
Andrews Diner, 4160 Hylan Blvd. 7
a.m. Members and invited guests
only. For info, call 347-855-4488 or
send an e-mail to info@sibizcouncil.com.
Bucks Business Network: Hampton Inn, 1120 South Ave. 7:45 a.m.
For info, call 718-351-2557 or visit
www.sibucks.com.
Kiwanis Club of Brighton: Jodys
Club Forest, 372 Forest Ave. 7:30
p.m. For info, call 718-348-0505.
Kiwanis Club of North Central:
LiGrecis Staten, 697 Forest Ave.
7:30 p.m. Call Len Bosso at 718-4427804.
Gateway Rotary Club: LaStrada,
139 New Dorp Ln. 7:15 p.m. For info,
call 718-447-1509.
SCORE Business Counseling:
Chamber of Commerce, 130 Bay St.
9 to 11:30 a.m. Appointment necessary. No charge. Call 718-727-1221.
E.L.I.T.E. (Executive, Leadership,
Interactive, Team, Effort) Networking Group: 1110 South Ave. 8
please see EVENTS, page 16

PROFESSIONAL WEBSITES.
PEASANT PRICES.

JULY 2016 BUSINESS TRENDS 13

Nicotras present grants

Special to Business Trends

Philanthropists Richard and Lois Nicotra (center) gathered with 61 of The Lois & Richard Nicotra Foundation grant recipients at the Commons Caf on June 2 to present them with nearly $50,000 in awards
and scholarships. All of the profits from the Nicotras' COMMONS caf in Bloomfield contribute to the
funding for these non-profit organizations and scholarship recipients. Since 2011, The Lois & Richard
Nicotra Foundation has awarded a total of $482,699 to more than 240 non-profit organizations and
scholarship recipients.

Realtors Challenge Cup places emphasis on kids

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Special to Business Trends

The Staten Island Board of Realtors recently held its 2016 Realtors' Challenge Cup fund-raiser to benefit
a new Kids Against Cancer unit at Staten Island University Hospital Northwell Health, Ocean Breeze.
Gathering for the event, which attracted scores of golfers to the Grand Oaks Country Club, Huguenot,
are, from left, Ron Molcho, golf outing chair; Sandy Krueger, SIBOR CEO; Dawn Carpenter, a SIBOR past
president and president-elect of the New York State Association of Realtors; and Realtor Michael Gentilesco.

Story
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Architects: D
Drafting
rafting n
narratives
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hat p
propel
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Smart businesses
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Smart
Learn how
how you
you can
can do
do the
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at: woden.me
woden.me
Learn

14 BUSINESS TRENDS JULY 2016

Richmond Co. Medical Society officers

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Michael Gaffney, Esq. 718-815-6400 mgaffney@thegaffney.lawfirmcom

Richmond County Medical Society had its 210th annual dinner meeting and installed new officers for 2016-2017 at the Grand Oaks
Country Club. Pictured, from left, are Dr. Radha Syed, secretary; Dr.
Salvatore Volpe, president-elect; Dr. Florence Shum, former president; Dr. Deborah Aanonsen, 210th president; and Dr. Simon Kokkinakis, vice president. Not shown is Dr. Sangita Parab, treasurer.

JULY 2016 BUSINESS TRENDS 15

on the job
BOARD MEMBERS
Staten Island University Hospital
Frank J. Besignano will chair
Staten Island University Hospitals board
for the next
year.
Reelected with
Besignano to
serve
the
second year
of a twoyear
term
are John W.
Alexander,
Besignano
vice
chair,
along with Michael Caridi,
William Fritz, J. Joanquin Gonzalez, Laura Lauria, David Lehr,
Linda Manfredi, Ronald Mazzucco, Patrick McDermott, Frank
Patafio, John Shall and Paula
Dunn Tropello. From Northwell
Health are Robert Chasanoff and
Ralph Nappi. Directors Emeritus
include Roger Acker, Stanley Applebaum, Alan Chopp. Gary Geresi, Edward Messier and Frederick
Volk.

The boards re-election was announced at SIUHs Annual Meeting on May 24 followed by Northwell Health approval at the June 7
Annual Meeting. SIUHs board
serves as the hospitals Executive
Committee on the larger board of
Northwell Health chaired by
Mark Claster.
Besignano, a career banker, is
business development manager
for Signature Bank. Prior to this
position, he spent 25 years with
Staten Island Bank & Trust and
was a member of the executive
management team.
He has served on the SIUH
board since 2004, bringing his expertise to its finance, compensation, audit and compliance committees. He also is a member of
the health system's finance committee.
SIUHs board is comprised of
leaders in business, education
and health care who volunteer
generously of their time and expertise in guiding the course of
health care at the hospital and in

the community.
NEW OFFICERS
Staten Island Childrens Museum
The board of directors of the
Staten Island Childrens Museum
elected new officers and trustees
during their annual meeting on
Monday, June 20.
The museum announced the
election of a new president of the
board, Lisa Laub.
Stepping down is Monica Petraglia McCabe, Esq. a partner at
Phillips Nizer LLP specializing in
intellectual property and entertainment law. McCabe served as
president of the board for the past
two years. The board thanked her
for her thoughtful, strong leadership.
She also led the museum
through the development and
opening of the new Garden Terrace exhibit that transformed a
2,000 square-foot concrete terrace
into a green space with nature inspired activities and hands-on
play.

Under her leadership, the museum expanded its STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art
and math) offerings, including
new science programs for elementary schools at PS74 and PS38
as well as for families visiting the
museum, Executive Director
Dina Rosenthal said.
Having served on the board as
a trustee, officer and president
since 1997, Petraglia will continue
to serve the board.
Ten current trustees were
sworn to additional three-year
terms: Kerri Bringslid, Esq.,
Renee Fiduccia, Mark Irving,
Mugdha John, Leslie Kasegrande, Esq., Lisa Laub, Bonnie
Lauder, Monica McCabe, Esq,
David Oldham and Cathy
Pimpinella.
The museum is actively seeking new members to help the museum continue to diversify and
grow into the future.
Three
members,
Patrick
Raftery, Anne Boyle and Janet
Trzaska, have stepped down from

the board. The board offered a

very special thank you Trzaska,
whose mother, Judy Myers, was
an original founding member of
the museum. Judys Book
Nook, a cozy hide-away reading
corner in Block Harbor, was
named in her honor. Trzaska continued her mothers legacy of
service to the museum, and the
entire Staten Island community
is thankful for the familys commitment to our children.
Laub, newly elected president
of the board, received her MPA
from the Rockefeller College of
Public Affairs and Policy in Albany. She is a community and
civic volunteer. She and her husband John are proud parents of
three daughters, and the family
resides on Grymes Hill.
This years slate of officers also
includes: Vice President Alfredo
P. Conti, Esq., an attorney in private practice; Vice President Gina
Laine, first vice president and
please see JOB, page 17

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16 BUSINESS TRENDS JULY 2016

Weekly Meetings
EVENTS
Continued from page 12
a.m. New members welcome. For
info, call 347-273-1375.
College of S.I., Small Bus. Dev. Ctr.
Business Counseling: CSI, 2800
Victory Blvd. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For
info, call 718-982-2560.

THURSDAY
Bus. Outreach Ctr of SI/WBCLDC
Small Bus. Counseling
MWBE/BOC Capital: WBCLDC, 705
Forest Ave., 2nd Fl. By appointment
only. For info, call 718-816-4775.
Kiwanis Club of Staten Island:
LiGrecis Staten, 697 Forest Ave.
7:30 p.m. For info, call 718-967-4345
or kiwanisclubofstatenisland.com.
Rotary Club of South Shore: Mansion Grand, 141 Mansion Ave. 12:15
p.m. For info, call 718-987-2061 or
visit southshorerotary.org.

Rotary Club Mid-Island: New Dakota Diner, 921 Richmond Ave. 7:30 to
9:00 a.m. Call 718-981-0700.
SCORE Business Counseling: SI
Bank & Trust, 1550 Richmond Rd. 9
a.m. to noon. No appointment necessary. No charge. Call 718-727-1221.
Rotary Club of North Shore: LiGrecis Staten, 697 Forest Ave. 7 p.m.
For info, call Christine DeHart at
718-448-4725.
Business Network Intl. (BNI) High
Achievers Chapter: PKs Restaurant,1281 Arthur Kill Rd. 7 to 8:30
a.m. For info, call Timothy Houston
at 718-981-8600.
Business Guild II of the S.I. Chamber of Commerce: Hilton Garden
Inn, 1100 South Ave. 7:45 to 8:45
a.m. Members and invited guests
only. For info, call Lou Rizzo at 718490-0057.
Business Guild III of the SI Chamber of Commerce: Hilton Garden
Inn, 1100 South Ave. 8 a.m. New
members welcome. Call Nick Testa
at 646-823-4494.
College of S.I., Small Bus. Dev. Ctr.

Business Counseling: CSI, 2800

Victory Blvd. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For
info, call 718-982-2560.
Community Emergency Response
Team (CERT): 7 p.m. For info. and
locations, call John Tidona at 4487160 or portrichcert@yahoo.com.

FRIDAY
Bus. Outreach Ctr of SI/WBCLDC
Small Bus. Counseling
MWBE/BOC Capital: WBCLDC, 705
Forest Ave., 2nd Fl. By appointment
only. For info, call 718-816-4775.

SATURDAY
SCORE Business Counseling: St.
George Library, 5 Central Ave. 10
a.m. to noon. Appointment necessary. No charge. Call 718-442-8560.
SCORE Business Counseling: Richmondtown Library, 200 Clarke Ave.
10 to 11:30 a.m. Appointment necessary. For info, call 718-668-0413.

JULY 2016 BUSINESS TRENDS 17

On the Job
JOB
Continued from page 15

marketing director for Richmond

County Savings Bank; Vice President Leslie Kasegrande, Esq. an
attorney with Russo, Scamardella
& DAmato, P.C.; Treasurer Janet
Alexander, a certified public accountant; and Secretary Kerri
Bringslid, Esq. a lawyer and partner in the firm Crawford
Bringslid Vander Neut LLP.
STEVEN KORKOWSKI
Staten Island Economic
Development Corp.
The Staten Island Economic
Development Corp. recently welcomed
Steven Korkowski of
Sweetbrook
Nursery &
Garden Center as its
newest CIGI
member.
Sweetbrook NursKorkowski
ery & Garden Center seeks to provide the
highest quality landscape design
and construction services on Staten Island, as well as the greater
New York Area, by serving its
clients honestly, with integrity
and hard work.
They strive to provide the best
professional effort on behalf of
their clients and do so while also
respecting the needs of the environment.
Korkowski is a fourth generation Staten Island native, Monsignor Farrell graduate and holds a
business management degree
from the College of Staten Island.
He has been in the landscaping
industry on Staten Island for
more than 16 years. His expertise
varies from custom landscape design and installation both commercial and residential, as well as
extensive knowledge of horticulture.
Korkowski has been junior
partner at Sweetbrook Wholesale
Garden Center for the past four
years.
His portfolio includes rooftop

plantings in the New York metro

area and caters to homeowners as
well as celebrity clientele.
CELINA RAMSEY
Staten Island Economic
Development Corp.
The Staten Island Economic
Development Corp. recently welcomed Celina Ramsey
of Staten Island
Performing
Provider
System as a
Health
&
Wellness
Professionals Council Ramsey
member.
Staten Island Performing Provider System
is an alliance of clinical and social service providers focused on
improving the quality of care and
overall health for Staten Islands
Medicaid and uninsured populations, which include more than
180,000 Staten Island residents.
SI PPS is one of 25 groups
across New York State working
on the state Department of
Healths Delivery System Reform
Incentive Payment program.
SI PPS is co-led by Staten Island University Hospital and
Richmond University Medical
Center with more than 50 partners, including 10 skilled nursing
facilities, 13 behavioral health
providers, four home health care
agencies and a wide range of
community-based clinical facilities, treatment centers, social
service agencies, primary care
physicians and medical practices
across the Island.
ARLENE SORKIN
Staten Island Economic
Development Corp.
The Staten Island Economic
Development Corp. recently welcomed Arlene Sorkin of IlluminArt Productions as an Executive
Womens Council member.
IlluminArt Productions, a nonprofit organization, was co-founded in 2002 by Sorkin, executive
producing director, and Patty
Ceresnie, artistic director emeriplease see JOB, page 18

18 BUSINESS TRENDS JULY 2016

On the Job
JOB
Continued from page 17

tus, both residing in a Michigan

suburb of Detroit. After Sorkins
move to Staten Island in
2005, she became director of JCC
Maccabi
ArtsFest at
the Jewish
Community
Centers Association but
Sorkin
she had always wanted to bring IlluminArt
to New York and did so in 2010.
Programming has continued in
New York exclusively since 2013.
IlluminArt now travels to
schools and community organizations to perform plays about antibullying, violence prevention, the
consequences of underage and
excessive drinking, and the dangers of prescription drugs and
heroin.
Since they write original plays
they also teach play-writing to
students 8-88 years of age.
BRIAN LICATA
Staten Island Economic
Development Corp.
The Staten Island Economic
Development Corp. recently welcomed Brian
Licata
of
United Activities Unlimited as a
Business
Council
member.
United
Activities
Unlimited,
Licata
Inc. is a Staten
Island
community-based agency that
provides educational, recreational, counseling and social programs for children and young
adults.
Licata is the deputy director of
workforce development for the
Summer Youth Employment Program for United Activities Unlimited.

Right on track

Prior to joining UAU, he was a

director of Out of School Time
programs. He has been involved
in grants that unite the public
schools and non-public schools in
an effort to enhance their use of
technology in the classroom.
Licata received his BA from the
College of Staten Island, attended
Touro College and is pursuing his
school building leaders masters
from St Johns University.
FAZIDA ISHMAEL
Avon
Avon representative Fazida
Ishmael from Staten Island has
been recognized by Avon as one of
the beauty company's top performers in the United States. In
honor of this achievement, the
company awarded Ishmael, and
each of the nation's most distinguished performers in sales or
leadership, a trip to Las Vegas to
celebrate their success at the annual President's Recognition Program Celebration.
"These outstanding Avon representatives demonstrate inimitable passion for and commitment to our brands and our purpose, and I couldn't be more
proud to honor them," said Margaret Gramann, head of sales,
North America, Avon. "The entrepreneurial spirit and eagerness
to lead and mentor others displayed by Fazida align with the
values Avon was founded upon,
and these impressive achievements are proof that work can be
fulfilling, both personally and financially.
I sincerely hope that aspiring
entrepreneurs in the Staten Island community will be inspired
by the success that Fazida has
achieved with our company and
perhaps even feel empowered to
pursue a career that brings them
just as much fulfillment."
The elite group of Avon Representatives honored at PRPC celebrated its accomplishments with
a four-night trip to Las Vegas
from April 1-5.
During the trip, they enjoyed a
guided tour of Red Rock Canyon,
time to explore many of the shops
and sites along the Las Vegas
Strip and a special Gala Recognition Dinner hosted by Avon executives.

Special to Business Trends

Gathering for Victory State Banks recent racetrack-themed Employee Appreciation Party at Casa
Belvedere, Grymes Hill, are, from left, Ralph Branca, president and CEO of Victory State Bank; Joe
LiBassi, chairman of VSB Bancorp Inc., the one-bank holding company for Victory State Bank; and the
events committee members: Philip Stropoli, first vice president, branch administration; Elizabeth Scarano, senior vice president and COO; Michael Colacurto of customer service; jockey-outfitted Anna
Williams, first vice president; Spencer Diel, junior underwriter; Jo Ann Mauro, human resources assistant; Maria Biggica, teller; and Rosmerys Perez, assistant vice president, human resources.

NTAC hosts 9th Annual Gala

ZELLA JONES/Special to Business Trends

Rev. Dr. Valerie Oliver-Durrah is pictured with the faith leaders who were recognized at the Neighborhood
Technical Assistance Clinics 9th Annual Gala. The honorees, from left, included Rev. Darryl Frazier, pastor, Majority Baptist Church; Bishop Dr. Ebony Kirkland, chairman/CEO, Worldwide Association of Small
Churches; Rev. Dr. Robert M. Waterman, pastor, Antioch Baptist Church of Brooklyn; Rev. Dr. Cheryl Anthony, pastor, JUDAH International Christian Center, Inc.; and Bishop Victor A. Brown, pastor, Mt. Sinai
United Christian Church. In addition to recognizing the faith leaders, Mayor David N. Dinkins, 106th
mayor of New York City, received the Thurgood Marshall Lifetime Leadership Award.