JUNE 2011

Help is www.brooklynbiztrends.com

coming BITS & BYTES

Technologies for small business.
PAGE 6

to COACH’S CORNER
Are you Rave-Worthy?

Brooklyn NON-PROFIT MATTERS

Networking works.
PAGE 5

Satellite office PAGE 5

Published by Elauwit Media
of SBDC on 3rd
Avenue to provide
free business Happy anniversary
counseling
By TIM RONALDSON
Business Trends

Small businesses in Brooklyn’s

portion of the 13th Congressional
District are underserved no
longer. With the opening of a
satellite office on 3rd Avenue,
small business owners in the Bay
Ridge area will have easy access
to the myriad of free services the
Small Business Development
Center provides.
The new office, located in the
Sovereign Bank building at 9512
3rd Ave., will be manned three
days a week by George Telmany,
an award-winning SBDC busi-
ness consultant, and will operate
as part of a well-established office
over the bridge in Staten Island.
“For me, it’s a great opportuni-
ty for us to be able to leverage our
experiences with what we’ve been
able to do in this area,” said Dean
Balsimini, head of the SBDC of-
fice headquartered at the College
of Staten Island.
A few years ago, Balsimini and
his staff conducted a study to in- JANET DUGO/Business Trends
vestigate areas in Brooklyn that A contingent of Dyker Heights elected officials dropped by Boulevard Books & Cafe on 13th Avenue to congrat-
were underserved by the SBDC ulate owner Tatiana Nicoli on the occasion of the one-year anniversary of the business. Pictured, from left, are
because of the borough’s im- state Sen. Martin Golden, state Assembly member Nicole Malliotakis, Nicoli, and Congressman Michael Grimm.
mense size.
An office already existed on

Does NYC need living wage law?

Chapel Street in downtown
Brooklyn, but businesses in Bay
Ridge, Bensonhurst, Dyker
Heights and Gravesend were left
out in the dark.
Following the signing of the
Small Business Jobs Act of 2010,
Balsimini submitted a proposal to
Proponents say it’s necessary, opponents say it will stunt business growth
open the 3rd Avenue satellite of-
fice, allowing the center to double By TIM RONALDSON quire businesses that receive government fi- Chamber, like our sister organizations and
its footprint and serve the rough- Business Trends nancial assistance to pay employees a “living other business organizations, is concerned
ly 600,000 residents in that area of wage” equal to $11.50 per hour, effectively about the bill – its breadth, its impact and its
Brooklyn. At a time when new jobs are needed to raising minimum wage for these employees potential to create bureaucracy.”
“I am comfortable in that sce- help resurrect the local economy, business by $4.25. Opponents of the proposal say it would sti-
nario, where I am coordinating organizations say another proposed City “It’s a very well-intentioned bill, but at the fle job growth, discourage employers from
with a specific community that is Council bill could not only stunt growth but end of the day, there’s a cost to this,” said expanding or moving into the city and dam-
also set it back. Carl Hum, president and CEO of the Brook-
please see SBDC page 4 The bill in question, Intro 251-A, would re- lyn Chamber of Commerce. “The Brooklyn please see WAGE, page 7

PRSRT STD
US POSTAGE Pink & Black Tie Gala
PAID The Brooklyn office of the American
BELLMAWR, NJ Cancer Society hosted annual event.
PERMIT NO. 1239 PAGE 8

Chamber announces winners
of Building Brooklyn
The Brooklyn Chamber of Com-
merce announced the 13 winners of
the 2011 Building Brooklyn Awards.
The winners represent an inspired,
creative mix of projects that enrich
the borough’s neighborhoods and
economy.
“The 2011 Building Brooklyn
Awards nominations represent an ex-
citing project pool,” Brooklyn Cham-
ber President Carl Hum said. “We saw
a number of applications this year of-
fering new and innovative open space
options to Brooklyn residents and visi-
tors and a great deal of historic
restoration and adaptive reuse. We
look forward to celebrating, for the
first time, this year at the Brooklyn
Academy of Music.”
An independent, 11-member panel
of Brooklyn-based architects, plan-
ners, economic development experts
and city officials selected the winning
projects.
Projects were judged on a list of cri-
teria including: design excellence, pos-
itive economic impact, enhancing
neighborhood services and amenities,
context to the surrounding communi-
ty and sustainability.
The awards will be presented on
July 14 at the Brooklyn Academy of
Music. The 2011 awardees are:
1.) 184 Kent Avenue, Adaptive Reuse
2.) Newton Creek, Civic and Institu-
tional
3.) Pratt Institute- Myrtle Hall, Edu-
cation
4.) Erasmus Hall High School, His-
toric Preservation
5.) Brooklyn Brewery, Industrial
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6.) 28 Old Fulton Street, Interior
Renovation
7.) Brooklyn Ecopolis, Mixed Use
8.) Phoenix Beverages, National
Grid Award for Energy Efficiency
9.) Brooklyn Bridge Park, Open
Space
10.) Wyckoff Exchange, Retail
11.) The Domenech, Residential: Af-
fordable
12.) Clinton Rising, Residential:
Low Rise
13.) Mason Fisk, Residential: Multi-
Family
In addition to recognizing these 13
projects, the Chamber will honor Jed
Walentas, a principal at Two Trees
Management Co. LLC, and Deb
Howard, executive director of Pratt
Area Community Council.
For more information, visit
www.buildingbrooklynawards.com or
contact Lori Raphael at (718) 875-1000
ext. 140 or via e-mail at
lraphael@brooklynchamber.com.
Outreach Center Network
holds BOC Awards 2011
The Business Outreach Center Net-
work held the BOC Awards 2011 to cel-
ebrate the successes of immigrant en-
trepreneurs and local small business-
es.
The event was chaired by Edward
Odom, vice president of community
development at Citi, and featured
Robert A. Annibale, global director,
Citi community development and mi-
crofinance, who spoke on the critical
role that local organizations like BOC
play in supporting community devel-
opment through financial inclusion,
business counseling and small busi-
Serving Brooklyn for 37 years
ness and microenterprise develop-
ment. This year’s major event spon-
sors included Citi, JP Morgan Chase,
Aetna, Capital One and Con Edison.
Nearly 200 BOC Network support-
ers including local government repre-
sentatives, community partners and HOW TO REACH US
BOC clients attended the event. The 347-682-4867 fax: 347-682-4867
Entrepreneurial Achievement award WHOM TO ASK FOR
was presented to Vincent Cuccia and Janet Warren Dugo, Publisher
Alex Bartlett, owners of Planet Pep- ON THE WEB
per Inc., a Brooklyn-based business. www.brooklynbiztrends.com
Northfield Bank reports for EMAIL DIRECTORY
newsroom: news@brooklynbiztrends.com
the first quarter of 2011 advertising: ads@brooklynbiztrends.com
publisher: publisher@brooklynbiztrends.com
Northfield Bancorp Inc., the hold-
DROP US A LINE
ing company for Northfield Bank, re-
Business Trends welcomes suggestions and comments from
ported basic and diluted earnings per readers – including any information about errors that may call
common share of $0.12 for the quarter for a correction to be printed. Send your comments to
ended March 31, as compared to $0.08 news@brooklynbiztrends.com, or call 347-682-4867.
for the quarter ended March 31, 2010.
SUBSCRIPTIONS
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maintain our allowance for loan losses news release and photos to the editor at the below address, or
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Total assets increased $108.6 mil-
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4 BUSINESS TRENDS — JUNE 2011
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Business help is on the way
SBDC
Continued from page 1
functioning separately from the
main community,” Telmany said.
“I am very familiar with the
small business community and
their issues.”
The SBDC’s main goal is to cre-
ate and retain jobs in Brooklyn,
Telmany said.
The office is hoping to obtain
about 150 clients and have a $2
million economic impact in its
first year of existence.
“That may be a little difficult
for me in the first year, but I think
reaching the economic goal is
possible,” he said. “In fact, there’s
a good chance that we could do
better than.”
Based on his past success, Tel-
many isn’t just blowing smoke.
He has experience running a
satellite SBDC location in South
Hampton, where, in 10 years, he
was able to lead an effort that gen-
erated a $25 million economic im-
pact with more than 100 start-up
businesses and more than 50 ex-
isting businesses that expanded.
For his efforts, he won two nation-
al and five New York state SBDC
awards.
In total, Telmany, Balsimini
and the other staff who will run
Bay Ridge’s SBDC office have
more than 160 years of experi-
ence in counseling and business
management.
The SBDC helps create and re-
tain jobs, creating a lasting eco-
nomic impact through its free
mentoring services. The 24 loca-
tions throughout the state do one-
on-one counseling, group semi-
nars and workshops, and general-
ly work with entrepreneurs of
start-ups and existing businesses
to help them succeed and “make
their dreams a reality,” Balsimini
said.
Small businesses are also able
to receive planning expertise
through the SBDC that they oth-
erwise might not be able to afford,
allowing these entrepreneurs to
make informed business deci-
sions based on realistic projec-
tions.
Telmany stressed that this is
free counseling for the entrepre-
neurs; all they have to do is “put
in the time.”
Telmany said the biggest per-
sonal challenge to the new posi-
tion would be learning the Brook-
lyn marketplace and the cus-
tomer base of his clients. In
South Hampton, the SBDC busi-
ness clients were generally deal-
ing with a higher-end customer,
and as a result, their services
were catered to that type of per-
son.
It will be similarly important
to understand the customer base
of the 13th Congressional District
– what types of people live here,
what businesses already exist in
the area and how people can
reach outside their marketplace
with online resources - so that the
office can serve its businesses
well.
“When I understand it, then I
can enlighten my clients as to
how that connects to their suc-
cess,” he said.
Immediately, Telmany said it
would be important for him to get
the word out to let prospective
businesses know that the new
SBDC has opened. He has al-
ready contacted Congressman
Michael Grimm and state Sen.
Martin Golden for help with out-
reach services. In addition, he
will network at local business
events to become entrenched in
the community.
“I think the real challenge is
the initiation of letting people
know that there is free assistance
to them and that there’s an expe-
rienced advisor there for them,”
he said.

Are you Rave-Worthy?
By BILLY SPARKLE
When I was working for Antho-
ny Robbins, we were introduced
to a concept called “Raving Fans.”
A Raving Fan is more than just
your typical customer. A Raving
Fan is someone who thinks so
highly of your products and serv-
ices that they literally cannot stop
talking about you. They’re the
ones from whom a significant
portion of your new customer
base tends to flow.
Those of us who have Raving
Fans are deeply grateful for their
impact on our businesses. Those
who don’t have them, certainly
wish they did.
Presuming you’re somebody
who wants to have Raving Fans,
the question I have for you is this:
Are You Rave-Worthy?
If you aren’t sure, here’s a use-
ful test: If you don’t already have
Raving Fans, you’re probably not
Rave-Worthy. But don’t worry; the
good thing about not already
being something is that you can
become that something.
So how does one become Rave-
Worthy? That’s a great question
and I’m glad you asked.
If you want to become Rave-
NON-PROFIT MATTERS
Networking
works
By VALERIE OLIVER-DURRAH
We are living in a world where
we should make every encounter
count. Strategic and effective net-
works are ones that help us with
our bottom line, regarding all as-
pects of our lives, including work,
play, family, building neighbor-
hoods and discovering ways to
give back. Below are a few bene-
fits of networking. If networking
is done correctly you can discover
and learn about:
n Employment or job related
information
n New friends
n Special deals
n Places to go
n Places not to go
n Strategic partnerships to
support your efforts
Drop us a line
Want to send a news item or photo to Business Trends?
Email: news@brooklynbiztrends.com
Mail: Business Trends, 66 Willow Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10305
COACH’S CORNER
Worthy, it’s useful to have some
role models.
Think of a company or a per-
son that you absolutely love doing
business with. Perhaps a busi-
ness that provides you with ex-
traordinary customer service.
When you interact with them,
what is it that you like about
them so much? What makes you
want to continue doing business
with them? Is this a company that
you would refer your sister,
spouse or mother to? Why is that?
What is it about them that instills
such confidence in you?
By taking notice of what
makes Raving Fans out of us, we
will gain insight into what will
make Raving Fans out of our cus-
tomers. By adopting the qualities
that show up in the people and
companies that we love doing
business with, we will be creating
our own special group of Raving
Fans.
For the next few weeks, take
notice of the instances where you
receive extraordinary customer
service. Write down the qualities
and/or behaviors you appreciate
about the companies you love
doing business with. Then invest
n New focus/new people who
can help you “open” doors
n Best volunteer models (best
practices)
n And, yes, even a York Marriott Brooklyn Hotel offers ele-
husband/wife/mentor/confidant
Networking works! Require-
ments: You need to be open, have
a smile and a strong handshake,
and, most importantly, don’t for-
get your business card and to cre-
ate a way to stay connected.
Valerie Oliver-Durrah is president
and chief executive officer of the
Neighborhood Technical Assistance
Clinic, where she works to support
organizations and leaders who seek
to address the needs of underserved
communities. She may be reached at
valerie@neighborhoodclinic.org.
JUNE 2011 — BUSINESS TRENDS 5
your energy into developing and
expanding these qualities and/or
behaviors in your own business.
This is how we become Rave-Wor-
thy.
And remember, your No. 1 Rav-
ing Fan has got to be you. If you
aren’t happy with the way you
conduct your business, you’re
going to find it hard to talk about
your business to others. So fall in
love with your business. Adopt
the qualities that you deem to be
Rave-Worthy. And watch as a host
of Raving Fans grows up around
your business that can’t stop talk-
ing about you.
Coach Billy works with highly com-
mitted men and women to produce
unprecedented results in their busi-
nesses and their lives. Learn more at
www.billysparkle.com or contact
Billy at billy@billysparkle.com.
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6 BUSINESS TRENDS — JUNE 2011 EDITORIAL

JANET WARREN DUGO

Publisher

ALAN BAUER General Manager & Editor

STEVE MILLER Executive Vice President
ED LYNES Vice President of Sales

Directors
STEVE COPPOLA RICHARD GRADO ROBERT CUTRONA LAWRENCE RAMPULLA

in our opinion

Here we go again
City Council needs to slow down

W
e have one word for the members of City Council:
Relax. While you might think you can solve all the
world’s problems with the stroke of a pen, the reality
One size fits all
By ROBERT CUTRONA
is that you cannot. As much as we, your constituents, might ask This story is about classic
management principles that
you to do so, we truly don’t expect you to right all the wrongs
apply across a broad spectrum of
out there. disciplines. Whether involved
Last month, debate on the City Council’s proposed bill, Intro with a space program or run-
ning a manufacturing or service
251-A, heated up. If passed, the measure would require all com- firm, these principles apply.
panies that receive government financial assistance to pay a None of these are revelations,
but in our hustle-bustle daily
“living wage” to employees equivalent to $11.50 per hour, or haste, it’s worthwhile to revisit
$4.25 more per hour than the state’s minimum wage. them.
Recently, I attended a seminar
If you are a tenant in a building that received qualified finan- presented by former astronaut
cial help, you’d have to pay your employees this living wage as Story Musgrave, an incredibly
accomplished man who flew six
well. Oh, and sub-contractors – like your cleaning crew and Apollo missions, is a trauma sur-
landscapers – would also be paid that same living wage. geon, runs three different busi-
nesses and has earned seven
Borders a bit on the ludicrous, no? Seems like if I were open- graduate degrees. The leader-
ing or re-locating a business, I’d shy away from places like eco- ship, teamwork and motivation-
al principles he applies to his
nomic development zones that are likely to have received gov-
NASA and other work can be ef-
ernment financial assistance – not what the city would like to fective tools in our daily respon-
hear, huh? – or, worse yet for NYC, I’d consider opening up shop sibilities.
The first principle, vigilance,
in Jersey instead. is important during normal
This bill intends to protect low-wage workers who, in some times but absolutely crucial dur-
ing economic downturns. We
cases, are being paid even under the state’s minimum wage. must laser focus on every aspect
That’s not a laughing matter; it’s a serious problem that needs of our businesses - sales, re-
sources, spending and cash flow.
to be fixed. But a wide-sweeping living wage bill is not the way
to do it.
What makes City Council members think that just because
this legislation would require higher minimum wages and
“stringent” reporting requirements that the problem would go
away? The businesses that are guilty of paying less than mini-
Technologies for small business
mum wage are breaking the law as it is now, so what would By BILL DUBOVSKY
make them abide by the city’s new rules?
Situation
We’re not sure how to definitively solve the problem, but we
Starting a new small business
know this way stinks. can be a daunting, confusing and
expensive proposition. What
technology you choose depends
DAN McDONOUGH, JR. Co-Chairman & Chief Executive partly on your business model.
RUSSELL CANN Co-Chairman & Chief Financial Officer People starting as consultants,
MICHAEL LaCOUNT, Ph.D. Vice Chairman brokers, or other knowledge
www.elauwit.com workers / professionals should
An “early-warning” or “red flag”
system is mandatory toward pro-
viding timely notice of any im-
pending problems. If we do not
have a handle on where our
money is going each month, it’s
too late to figure it out at year-
end.
Musgrave also talked about
simplicity and standardization.
All projects can be broken down
into manageable steps with at-
tendant timeframes for comple-
tion. We should also make a
practice of having back-ups for
people, equipment and data.
Nothing interferes more with
project completions than equip-
ment being down or an experi-
enced employee being unavail-
able.
Musgrave also reminded us
that attaching completion dates
to each task or step is critical to
getting the project completed on
a timely basis. Task completion
schedules provide specificity,
serve as a target and give us the
ability to monitor progress.
Again, simple stuff but impor-
tant.
The final principle that Mus-
BITS & BYTES
consider starting with good com-
munications tools, deferring on
anything that does not affect the
customer. That being said, I
would suggest a very comfort-
able chair (refurbished Aeron
from Amazon.com), an inexpen-
sive large work surface with
great lighting (big tables and
clamp-on desk lamps from Ikea),
and a large HDTV/computer
grave discussed was “mission
spirit,” which is the pulling to-
gether of all the stakeholders,
project people, staff, employees
and crewmembers into a goal-di-
rected team. This begins with a
clear and very specific commu-
nication of objectives and sched-
ules from the lead person to all
others involved. The initial and
subsequent communications
flow should invite participation,
empower people to get involved,
build an “espirit de corps” and
develop for all involved a passion
for and emotional investment in
the project. Passion is conta-
gious; if you are fired up, all oth-
ers involved will be fired up.
This is team building at its best.
As mentioned previously,
these tools are not unique but
time-tested effective principles
that are totally doable. They
worked well for the NASA proj-
ects and there is no reason why
they will not work effectively for
us.
Robert Cutrona, president of
Project One Services, is a director
of Business Trends.
monitor (at least 24” diagonal,
Costco), good speakers (for webi-
nars, conference calls, Skype,
etc., Bose) and a separate or
wireless keyboard and mouse to
attach to your notebook comput-
er. These are valuable as you can
be more effective if you’re com-
fortable.
please see BITS page 8
 JUNE 2011 — BUSINESS TRENDS 7

Does New York City need a living wage law?

will naturally increase. However, centives that are offered locally its stature, their presence in the Bloomberg will be necessary – re-
WAGE the only way for competition to
increase is to create business con-
help lower the barriers to doing
business here. Hum also said the
city might not be as robust as pos-
sible because of the effects of the
mains to be seen.
“Right now, it’s a matter of fur-
Continued from page 1
ditions that allow businesses to wage gain that other cities experi- bill. ther education,” Hum said.
flourish, not stunt growth like the enced after instituting living Opponents of the proposal let “We’re thankful the Speaker was
age the city’s manufacturing sec- bill could do. wage bills has been offset by job their voice be heard at a City able to hold the hearing and have
tor and affordable housing indus- “New York City is a different loss. Council hearing a few weeks ago, all sides come out with their
try, while imposing “significant” creature than Pittsburgh or San Hum said that larger employ- hoping to convince members that views on this.
administrative burdens on large Francisco, just in terms of the ers have expressed concern about there are fairer ways to accom- “We understand that this is a
and small businesses throughout fact that the cost of doing busi- the living wage bill to him and the plish the bill’s goals. But whether well-intentioned bill, but I think
the city. ness in New York City is pretty Chamber. While these companies that will be enough to make them that the way it’s written and the
If passed, the bill would affect high,” Hum said. know they need to have a pres- change their mind – or whether a way it’s presented, it will end up
recipients of government finan- The government financial in- ence in New York City because of veto from Mayor Michael hurting those it intends to help.”
cial assistance for job creation
and economic development, in-
cluding the recipients’ tenants,
sub-tenants, fee holders, contrac-
tors or sub-contractors. If a prop-
erty owner received government
financial assistance, then, the
building’s landscapers, doormen,
window washers and retail stores
would be required to pay the liv-
ing wage to all their employees -
both part- and full-time, tempo-
rary, seasonal and permanent.
Backers of the bill say it is nec-
essary to curb a growing problem
in New York City. According to a
recent National Employment Law
Project report, there are about
317,000 low-wage workers in the
city, and about one in five are paid
less than the required minimum
wage. The report, which surveyed
1,432 low-wage city workers,
found that more than half of the
workers are underpaid by more
than $1 per hour, and approxi-
mately 25 percent are denied
overtime.
“A substantial body of evi-
dence shows that living wage
policies create good jobs without
hurting the economy,” said Paul
Sonn of the National Employ-
ment Law Project. “The key ques-
tion facing the City Council is
why New York can’t do what Los
Angeles and San Francisco have
been doing for years: focusing
tax-payer subsidies for job cre-
ation on businesses that pledge to
create quality jobs for local resi-
dents.”
As defined by the proposal, fi-
nancial assistance would include
grants, bond financing, tax abate-
ments and exemptions, tax incre-
ment financing, filing fee
waivers, energy cost reductions
and environmental remediation
costs. In addition to paying the
living wage, affected businesses
would be required to keep strin-
gent records of their employees
as well as their contractors for at
least 30 years, which opponents
say will cause a disincentive to
create jobs and lead to higher un-
employment.
“This bill will prevent, or at the
least delay, development proj-
ects…(in) New York City as a
whole,” said R. Randy Lee, chair-
man of the Building Industry As-
sociation of New York City. “Who
would apply for a city subsidy
when the subsidy will actually in-
crease the cost of the project?”
What helps low-wage earners
is a very robust economy, Hum
said; as more competition is cre-
ated in the marketplace, wages
 8 BUSINESS TRENDS — JUNE 2011
Technologies for small biz
BITS
Continued from page 6
What is it?
Technology tools and services
are the most important part of
any enterprise. Start with a good
smart phone and a monthly plan
that works for you. There are pros
and cons for each wireless carri-
er.
I’m a bit partial to AT&T at the
moment for their GSM technolo-
gy which allows for simultaneous
voice/data use as well as “emer-
gency use” offshore.
A smart phone such as the
iPhone or an Android model is
the core of a mobile knowledge
professional. This device can be
linked seamlessly with your note-
book, tablet, or with the cloud and
is your link to the world by pro-
viding Internet access, database
of prospects/ vendors/ clients,
video, audio, entertainment,
GSM, photos, scanning, dictation,
conference calling, news and in-
formation and the list goes on. I
like iPhone4 (and iPad2) for the
fact that if it’s lost or stolen, you
can either trace and find it or
wipe the data remotely so that no
one else can gain access to it.
Depending on the size of your
organization, you may need addi-
tional telecom services for busi-
ness telephone, toll-free service,
possibly fax, security, credit card
NOW OPEN!
Brooklyn Office
Sovereign Bank Building
9512 Third Avenue
For information or appointment
718-982-2560
www.csi.cuny.edu/SBDC
%$#"!# ""#""#"###"##""
machine, and broadband Internet
access for email, website, etc. You
can get POTS lines (Plain Old
Telephone Service), the most ex-
pensive telephone service, but
very reliable and will work even
when the Internet is down or
when there is a power failure.
VoIP (Voice over Internet Proto-
col) or managed services work
over the Internet and can be your
best buy giving you the most ver-
satile services, but require UPS
(Uninteruppted Power Supply) to
provide temporary service dur-
ing a power outage.
How it works
It is possible to only purchase
Broadband Internet service and
run simple VoIP telecom services
over it. Vonage, Ooma and others
are available for about $10-
$30/month per line. I have two-
line Ooma for $9.99/month set to
ring to my iPhone when I’m out of
the office.
If I don’t recognize the CID I let
the call go to Ooma’s cloud voice
message box, and deal with the
message later. Fax services can be
purchased for $8/month saving a
separate phone line charge – espe-
cially if you don’t fax that often.
Some business can use lines for
multiple functions: fax, credit
card, and emergency backup.
What you need
Besides your smart phone and
carrier plan, the most important
service you need is a reliable and
fast broadband connection. De-
pending on where you are locat-
ed, your choices could include
DSL (digital subscriber line),
Cable Broadband, Verizon FiOS,
or T1 line. In general, DSL is ubiq-
uitous, least expensive, and slow-
est services for accessing broad-
band digital services. The other
three technologies are all good
and are chosen by what’s avail-
able in your area, speed of con-
nection required and throughput.
Pink & Black Tie Gala
The Brooklyn office of the American Cancer Society hosted its annu-
al Pink & Black Tie Gala at Steiner Studios. The star-studded event
features celebrity auctioneers, dinner and dancing to raise funds to
support ACS services in Brooklyn. Pictured, from left, are Tamara
Smaller businesses may choose
based upon price.
Where to get it
DSL and T1 service can be pur-
chased from telecom service
providers. Cable Broadband can
be obtained from Time-Warner
Cable or Comcast. Verizon pro-
vides FiOS.
How hard is it to use?
Using a VoIP solution running
on broadband does require some
technical ability. If your service
goes down because of a broad-
band glitch, you need to reboot
your phone modem to get back on
line. I have my Ooma backed up to
my mobile phone in case of a
problem.
Pros
Lower costs, ultimate versatili-
ty, portability.
Cons
There are infrequent hic-
coughs in any broadband service
and you need to know what to do
when it occurs.
Bottom-line
Get a good smart phone for you
and the members of your “orga-
nization.” For many small con-
sultants and knowledge profes-
sionals, FiOS or Cable Broadband
will work fine, are reliable and
cost effective. For businesses that
cannot get these services, DSL
can be an alternative and T1 or
larger circuits will probably be
the best choice for larger organi-
zations.
Bill Dubovsky has a proven track
record of business success spanning
over 30 years in helping hundreds of
organizations improve their prof-
itability. He founded Comtel Informa-
tion Services, a telecommunications
services brokerage. He may be
reached at bill@comtelinfo.com or
at 800-213-4884.
JANET DUGO/Business Trends
"#"

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 ality Stacy London of TLC’s “What Not To Wear” and Jodi Gordon.
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10 BUSINESS TRENDS — JUNE 2011

Visit us on the Web at www.brooklynbiztrends.com
on the job
DAVID MUESSEL
CPEX Real Estate Services
CPEX Real Estate Services an-
nounced the hire of David Mues-
sel as managing
director of office
sales. Muessel
brings more than
25 years of real es-
tate and business
experience to
CPEX. Prior to
Muessel joining CPEX, he
spent several
years representing clients in vari-
ous commercial sales and lease
transactions throughout Manhat-
tan and Dutchess County. In addi-
tion, he has owned and operated
several businesses including a
very large commercial landscape
company in Texas and a variety
of Northeastern based business-
es. Muessel graduated from Bing-
hamton University. He earned his
MBA at Northeastern University
and also holds numerous profes-
sional certifications. An active
member of several local charita-
ble organizations and policy com-
mittees, Muessel also serves as a
trustee of one of the largest green
industry educational founda-
tions.
CENGIZ SENDOGDULAR
CPEX Real Estate Services
CPEX Real Estate Services an-
nounced the hire of Cengiz
Sendogdular. He joins CPEX as a
development and conversion as-
sociate to help promote the re-
search, marketing and sales ef-
forts. Prior to joining CPEX,
Sendogdular was a business ana-
lyst for ArcelorMittal, the largest
steel producer in the world. He
also worked at Johnson & John-
son on their Centocor Ortho
Biotech Capital & Fixed Assets
team as part of a cooperative edu-
cation experience. Sendogdular
earned a Bachelor’s Degree of
science in finance with a concen-
tration in real estate from Penn-
sylvania State University. He was
a member of the Delta Sigma Pi
business fraternity and served as
the vice president chair of profes-
sional events.
EILEEN PERALTA
Northfield Bank
Northfield Bank announced
that Eileen Peralta has joined the
bank as a vice
president and
branch manager.
Peralta will man-
age Northfield’s
newly-opened
Dyker Heights
branch, located at
Peralta the intersection of
86th Street and
15th Avenue. Peralta will be re-
sponsible for the day-to-day oper-
ations of the branch along with
developing new business in the
area. She began her banking ca-
reer in Brooklyn at Dime Savings
Bank and most recently was an
assistant manager at Sovereign
Bank. She attended Borough of
Manhattan Community College.
 JUNE 2011 — BUSINESS TRENDS 11

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OF NY PRESIDENT
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