And the winners are...

The Chamber announces the 2012

Building Brooklyn Award winners.
PAGE 9
JULY 2012
BITS & BYTES
A change in Bits and Bytes.
PAGE 6
BUSINESS CALENDAR
See this months events.
PAGE 5
COACHS CORNER
Make sure you have the right tool.
PAGE 4
www.brooklynbiztrends.com
Special to Business Trends
A ribbon cutting ceremony and Grand Opening celebration for Northfield Banks new Boro Park office was held.
The branch is located on the corner of 46th Street and 13th Avenue. During the event, Northfield made a dona-
tion to the Yadeinu School and Yeshiva & Mesivta Wiznitz of USA. Northfield Bank now has 25 branch locations
in Staten Island, Brooklyn and New Jersey and plans to open three additional locations by the end of 2012.
Northfield Bank celebrates new branch
P r e - s o r t e d
S t a n d a r d
U S P o s t a g e
P A I D
W i l k e s - B a r r e , P A
P e r m i t 9 0
By TIM RONALDSON
Business Trends
How can Bedford-Stuyvesant
age friendly? Thats the key ques-
tion that the newly-formed Aging
Improvement District aims to an-
swer.
As part of the Age-Friendly
NYC initiative, the Bed-Stuy dis-
trict will be the third aging im-
provement district in the city, the
first outside Manhattan, engaged
with addressing how a particular
community can better serve its
aging population.
While the districts aim is to
improve the neighborhood so that
every person who is living there
has an excellent quality of life, its
leaders say it will build on the
successes of the first two districts
one in East Harlem and one on
the Upper West Side to address
concerns for the communitys in-
creasing older population. Out of
approximately 140,000 residents,
Bed-Stuy has 13,000 older adults, a
number that jumped dramatical-
ly from the 2000 Census to the
2010 Census and is still climbing.
Mayor Michael Bloombergs of-
fice has estimated that by 2030,
there will be more older adults
than school-aged children in New
York City.
To make sure that, at the end
of the day, our neighborhood is a
A new aging
improvement
district in
Bed-Stuy hopes
to find the answer
to that question
please see AGING, page 11
What
do our
elders
need?
By TIM RONALDSON
Business Trends
In less than 100 days, the long-anticipated
and highly-publicized Barclays Center will
officially open in Downtown Brooklyn with a
Sept. 28 concert put on by the boroughs own
Jay-Z.
The Center is set to host more than 220
events in its first year, more than any other
venue in its inaugural year, with acts such as
Andrea Bocelli and Justin Bieber, boxing
matches and college basketball games, fami-
ly shows and professional hockey games,
and, of course, every home game of the soon-
to-be-relocated Brooklyn Nets.
The $1 billion arena will offer 18,200 seats
for basketball games, up to 19,000 seats for
concerts, and feature Jay-Zs 9,000-square-
foot restaurant, the 40/40 Club.
Its a project that continues to bring atten-
tion to Brooklyn, which has already seen a
serious uptick in recognition over the last
couple years.
We anticipate nothing but positive eco-
nomic impact, said Lori Raphael, director of
external affairs for the Brooklyn Chamber of
Commerce. We believe that Barclays Center
has been really open about their intentions
about being an economic driver in Brook-
lyn.
The positive economic impact has already
Nothing but net for Barclays Center
It opens in less than 100 days, and its already had a positive impact on Brooklyn
please see BARCLAYS, page 2
begun to be realized, even before
the arena has opened its doors to
the public.
Partnerships have already
been formed with local business-
es, such as The New York Mar-
riott at the Brooklyn Bridge,
which was named the Official
Hotel of the Center.
Local vendors are receiving se-
rious consideration to showcase
their products as possible offer-
ings inside the arena, Raphael
said, with two Chamber members
in the final stage of negotiation
for the sale of their food products.
In addition, Chamber members
with real estate holdings are see-
ing a significant amount of inter-
est in the value of both their
properties and their businesses
in the surrounding areas.
Raphael said officials at the
Barclays Center have done an ex-
cellent job of keeping the Cham-
ber and other local organizations
in tune with everything that has
been going on at the Center. They
have disseminated RFPs when
they have come up for contract,
for example, allowing businesses
in many sectors the opportunity
to acquire more work from ex-
terminators to uniform cleaners
to janitorial workers.
Were making those introduc-
tions, Raphael said. Were find-
ing that the (Barclays Center)
staff has been very receptive to
our members and partner com-
munity groups. Theyve been
very accessible.
Back in April, Mayor Michael
Bloomberg and Forest City Rat-
ner the Brooklyn-based develop-
er of the arena announced that,
when fully operational, the Bar-
clays Center will employ up to 800
event-day workers, 1,850 part-time
workers and 150 full-time work-
ers.
And the best part for Brooklyn
is that priority for these jobs has
been, and will continue to be,
given to local residents of Com-
munity Boards, 2, 3, 6 and 8; grad-
uates of Brooklyn United for In-
novative Developments Training
Program; and New York City
Housing Authority residents of
Ingersoll, Whitman, Farragut, At-
lantic Terminal, Wyckoff Gar-
dens, Warren Street, Lafatette
Gardens and Gowanus Houses.
The total commitment to this
neighborhood is staggering,
NYCHA Chairman John B. Rhea
said at an April press conference.
Especially the effort that the
team at Forest City Ratner has
done to connect local residents to
meaningful employment with
real opportunities for growth, not
just here at the arena, but be-
yond.
Concerns always arise with
any new development, Raphael
said, especially one of this magni-
tude, but because of the Barclays
Centers premier location adja-
cent to Atlantic Terminal, Brook-
lyns largest transportation hub
the usual primary concerns of
traffic and congestion should be
easy to handle.
The foot traffic that should be
generated by the Barclays Center
will provide an incredible op-
portunity for surrounding busi-
nesses and the boroughs bur-
2 BUSINESS TRENDS JULY 2012
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Nothing but net
BARCLAYS
Continued from page 1
please see BARCLAYS, page 8
By BILLY SPARKLE
When I was a boy I was trying
to fix something on the front part
of my bike. I went through every
tool in my toolbox and couldnt
find a single thing to help me with
what I was trying to do. So I went
to my neighbor who lived across
the street. He worked for the
phone company and in his base-
ment was every kind of tool imag-
inable, so he was sort of the
neighborhood handyman every-
one would go to whenever one of
us couldnt figure out how to fix
or build something. I told him
what I was trying to do and he
said Ive got just the thing. He
returned moments later with a
tool that I had never seen before. I
asked him what it was called.
This was literally 30 years ago
and I dont recall his answer.
Nonetheless, I returned to my
backyard and, to my amazement,
was able to make the adjustments
on my bike that just a few min-
utes ago seemed impossible. Plus
it only took a minute!
When I returned with the tool I
was grinning from ear to ear
(now I could ride my bike). I said
to my neighbor, Wow, Glenn, Im
amazed at how easy that was!!!
To which he replied, Any job is
easy when you have the right
tool. This is a phrase that Ive
thought about many times since
then. Any job is easy when you
have the right tool.
We all deserve the very best
lives that were capable of creat-
ing. With the right tools, we can
create in months what wouldnt
have been possible in years. My
own experience has shown me
that using the right tools (in what-
ever aspect of life Im creating
something) is the greatest act of
self-directed love that I can take.
Whereas using the wrong tool is a
sort of masochistic activity; often
making the job more difficult,
time-consuming and maybe even
impossible.
So whats the right tool for the
job youre working on now? Bear
in mind that a tool isnt limited to
an object one finds in a tool box.
A tool can be a technique, a per-
son, a process, or even a concept.
One of my favorite tools is the act
of Repetition. I find that when
Im trying to create a result in
some aspect of my life, Repetition
is often the tool that gets the job
done.
How often have we tried some-
thing onceor even for a little
whilebut then stopped (for ex-
ample going to the gym, making
sales calls, etc.)? Whereas had we
continued the activity by apply-
ing the tool of repetition, we
would have experienced the re-
sults we wanted to obtain. I have
found that it is only through repe-
tition that many of our goals can
actually be accomplished. So this
month I wanted to offer you a fun
way to apply the tool of repetition
to whatever it is that youre work-
ing on.
Right now if you go to my web-
site (www.billysparkle.com) and
look at the row of tabs, youll see
a tab titled Motivation all the
way to the right.
Click on this tab and youll
open a page that contains three
inspirational videos. Along with
the videos, youll also find a chal-
lenge.
I dont want to spoil the sur-
prise so Ill leave it up to you to
discover what the challenge is. I
will give you a hint: the challenge
will help you to develop your
Repetition Muscles.
So enjoy the videos, have fun
and rememberany job is easy
when you have the right tool.
Coach Billy works with highly com-
mitted men & women to produce un-
precedented results in their busi-
nesses and their lives. Learn more at
www.billysparkle.com or contact
Billy directly via email at
billy@billysparkle.com.
4 BUSINESS TRENDS JULY 2012
The right tool
COACHS CORNER
National Grid renews its
commitment to City Year
City Year, an education-focused
nonprofit organization that
unites young leaders for a year of
service to keep students in school
and on track to graduate, an-
nounced a renewed, multi-year
international commitment from
National Grid. National Grid will
help support City Year programs
at schools in Brooklyn, Boston,
Providence and London.
In Brooklyn, National Grid
sponsored City Year AmeriCorps
members at P.S. 213 New Lots Ele-
mentary School in East New
York, where they help students
improve attendance, behavior
and educational performance.
The sponsorship also includes
volunteer opportunities for Na-
tional Grid employees. In Brook-
lyn, National Grid will increase
its donation to $300,000 to City
Year over three years.
Drop us a line
Email: news@brooklynbiztrends.com
Mail: Business Trends, 66 Willow Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10305
RESUME
WRITING HELP
EVERY TUESDAY
Time: 6:00 p.m. 7:30 p.m.
Location: Business Library, 280
Cadman Plaza W. at Tillary St.
For information, call 718-623-7000
BNI PROSPERITY
EVERY TUESDAY
Time: 7:00 a.m. 8:30 a.m.
Location: Floridian Diner, 2301 Flat-
bush Ave.
For information, call 718-981-8600
BNI MONEY MAKERS
EVERY WEDNESDAY
Time: 7:00 a.m. 8:30 a.m.
Location: Bridgeview Diner, 9011 3rd
Avenue
For information, call 718-981-8600
BNI BROWNSTONE
BIZ CONNECTIONS
EVERY THURSDAY
Time: 7:00 a.m. 8:30 a.m.
Location: Juniors Famous Restau-
rant, 386 Flatbush Ave
For information, call 718-981-8600
SCORE BUSINESS
ASSISTANCE FOR
ENTREPRENEURS
MONDAY- FRIDAY
Time: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 10
a.m. 2 p.m., Tuesday, Thursday 1
p.m. 3 p.m.
Location: Business Library, 280
Cadman Plaza W. at Tillary St.
For information, call 718-623-7000
INDEP. ORDER
OF ODDFELLOWS
LODGE #409
FIRST AND THIRD MONDAYS
Time: 8:00 p.m.
Location: Temple Shalom, 2075 E.
68th St.
For information, call Alan Rada at
917-755-3915
BROOKLYN HEIGHTS
TOASTMASTERS
FIRST, THIRD THURSDAYS
Time: 7-9 p.m.
Location: Historic Plymouth Church
For information, call 718-797-2246
Location: Downtown Brooklyn
For information, visit
www.brooklynbusinessbase.com
BROOKLYN
BUSINESS BASE
BUSINESS EXCHANGE
BREAKFAST
WEDNESDAY, JULY 11
Time: 7:45 a.m. 9:15 a.m.
For information, visit the website
www.brooklynbusinessbase.com
SCORE SEMINAR:
BUILDING AN
AFFORDABLE WEBSITE
THURSDAY, JULY 12
Time: 1:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m.
Location: NYPL, 188 Madison Ave.,
NYC
For information, call 212-264-4507
2012 BUILDING
BROOKLYN AWARDS
THURSDAY, JULY 12
Time: 6:00 p.m. 9:30 p.m.
Location: The Liberty Warehouse,
260 Conover St.
For information, visit
www.brooklynbuildingawards.com
CHAMBER: WOMENS
GUIDE TO MONEY
MATTERS LUNCHEON
WEDNESDAY, JULY 25
Time: 12:00 p.m. 2:00 p.m.
Location: Water Street Restaurant,
66 Water St.
For information, call 718-522-6254
BROOKLYN BUSINESS
BASE EVENING
NETWORKING EVENT
WEDNESDAY, JULY 25
Time: 7:00 9:00 p.m.
Location: Boerum Hill area
For information, call 212-937-7911
JULY 2012 BUSINESS TRENDS 5
The best first step to saving money by reducing energy costs
is the free NYSERDA energy efficiency study. t provides a
comprehensive evaluation to identify cost-effective methods
to reduce energy use and cost, and to identify economically
viable improvements that will yield substantial energy savings.
The study (valued at $1,500) is available whether your
business or not-for-profit owns or leases your facility and is
free if your average electric demand is less than 100kW
(approximately $75,000 in annual electricity expense).
The SBDC makes it easy by filling out the state's online
Consolidated Funding Application for you. We can also help
you obtain generous financial incentives to implement the
recommended energy-efficiency measures. n addition, there's
low-cost financing available for energy upgrades.
CONTACT U8 TO GET YOUR
B
R
O
O
K
L
Y
N
FREE
NY8ERDA ENERGY
EFFCENCY 8TUDY
Call us and meet George Telmany,
our Business Advisor, TODAY!
BrookIyn SateIIite Office
718-619-5603
718-982-2560
Staten IsIand SBDC at CSI
Business Calendar
Time Warner serving ice cream
Time Warner Cable is bringing
back a summer favorite this year
that will help New Yorkers stay
cool and support museums
throughout the city. The Time
Warner Cable ice cream truck
will make appearances around
the city and, for a suggested dona-
tion of $1, will serve up ice cream
treats.
The ice cream truck can also be
reserved for New York City-area
events being held June 28 through
August 26.
To request the ice cream truck,
call (877) SMMRTWC (877-766-
7892).
All of the ice cream trucks
proceeds will be donated to local
museums, including the Chil-
drens Museum of Manhattan,
Staten Island Childrens Muse-
um, Brooklyn Childrens Muse-
um and the Museum of the Mov-
ing Image in Queens.
FIRST Robotics will be the ben-
eficiary of proceeds gathered
from events in Mt. Vernon, Hud-
son Valley, and Bergen and Hud-
son counties in New Jersey. The
ice cream truck last year raised
$15,000 to support science pro-
grams at local museums.
The beneficiaries provide pro-
grams for young people that con-
nect to math and science. It ties
into Time Warners philanthrop-
ic initiative, Connect a Million
Minds, which is designed to in-
spire the next generation of prob-
lem solvers by connecting young
people to the wonders of science,
technology, engineering and
math.
in our opinion
6 BUSINESS TRENDS JULY 2012
66 Willow Avenue
Staten Island, NY 10305
347-682-4867
JANET WARREN DUGO
Publisher
TIM RONALDSON
Executive Editor
STEVE COPPOLA
Director
RICHARD GRADO
Director
ROBERT CUTRONA
Director
LAWRENCE RAMPULLA
Director
DAN McDONOUGH, JR.
Chairman
Business Trends is mailed each month to the
business and community leaders of
Brooklyn. For advertising information, or to
be added to the mailing list, e-mail
janet@brooklynbiztrends.com or call 347-
682-48678. To submit a news release, please
email news@brooklynbiztrends.com.
By BILL DUBVOSKY
Situation
I appreciate the feedback, comments,
suggestions and ideas that readers have af-
forded me since starting this column in
2006. My vision was to act as your human
browser/server, by reviewing useful tech-
nology that businesspeople and profession-
als didnt have the time to learn about, ex-
plain emerging technology and concepts
simply, and to give examples of how to
practically use appropriate products and
services in your organization and life. I
have also answered many questions via
email and by phone.
What is it?
I would like readers input to tweak
Bits and Bytes to make it more useful and
entertaining. Besides suggesting subjects
for articles, past ideas have included Tech
Tip of the Month, Apps Update (a heads-
up about good and useless apps), reviews
of social media-social bookmarking sites,
scam alerts, and technology trends. Al-
ready on the to-do list is a review of mo-
bile 4G technologies and tablet based writ-
ing apps.
How it works
Please email me at
billdubovsky@gmail.com with any ideas,
suggestions, or feedback you have and let
me know if I have your permission to use
your email address or name when respond-
ing or crediting your contribution in print.
Whats new?
By the end of the year, billdubovsky.com
will be online, which will contain all my
Bits and Bytes articles and product re-
views, along with Quickie Media Reviews,
which are approximately 55 word reviews
of important business and personal devel-
opment books, websites, portals, videos,
white papers and slide shows. I am also
available as a presenter to your business or
professional organization to discuss tech-
nology, marketing and management chal-
lenges.
Bottom-line
Technology and business models are
changing faster and faster. More than ever
we can use collective help to separate what
is really useful and what is a fad. With your
participation and support I will endeavor
to provide an understandable thumbnail
sketch of technology and business trends
and how they can affect your life and busi-
ness. Follow-up to last months article on
choosing a new laptop Do you still need
a computer when smart phones and tablets
are getting so powerful and popular?
Apple has released its new Macbook Pro
and while it looks amazing it seems a bit
expensive. If you want to purchase one for
a student or an educator, educational pric-
ing is available at www.apple.com and can
save you about $200 off a computer, as
much as 50 percent off software, and you
will receive a free $100 Apple gift card for
each machine. Some MacBook Pro buying
tips: Since youll probably be using iCloud
or some form of cloud storage, you proba-
bly dont need a lot of local storage (unless
you keep very large music, photo and video
libraries on your device). Thats one rea-
son why Apple didnt offer a built in optical
drive on these new models. Many users
will just download what they need to work
on or take with them, and back up or
archive to the cloud. These users could
probably go with the new 15 MacBook Pro
with Retina display, the standard proces-
sor, and upgrade to 16GB SDRAM (cant
have too much memory and youll proba-
bly need it for future applications), stan-
A change in Bits and Bytes
BITS & BYTES
Telecom Tech Tip of the Month
Email Essentials, Part 1. If you manage multiple email accounts and are using Outlook,
Mail, or other calendar-planner-productivity tools, a simple technique you may want to
consider is using each of your email addresses for different purposes. I have one for
shopping and deals which gets me coupons, Yelp, etc. Another is a Yahoo account that I
give out for things Im iffy about. My business has two: one for vendors to contact me
and the other for customers and prospects. I have separate accounts for students to con-
tact me. I use my gmail account as my personal account and have a joint account for
house related info. This really makes it simple to clean up when someone sends you the
same info to several emails and makes spam management much easier.
please see BITS, page 7
The time is now!
All of Brooklyn, not just the tech gold coast, should benefit from tech
N
ew York City, under the
Bloomberg administration,
has been making bold moves
to establish itself as a major hub for
the high-tech industry.
An example is the development of
the Tech Triangle connecting the
DUMBO, Navy Yard and Downtown
areas here in Brooklyn in order to pro-
vide space for all the tech industry
that is overflowing out of DUMBO.
On the heels of these efforts comes
the recent announcement of new ini-
tiatives to expand the citys broadband
connectivity, to support the growing
tech sector.
The goal is to get hundreds of build-
ings wired and certified over the next
two years, and to get tens of thousands
of permits issued more efficiently.
To that, we say Bravo!
Frequently cited as a major stum-
bling block to economic development
here in New York is the massive
amount of bureaucratic red tape en-
countered by those wishing to do busi-
ness.
So this initiative comes as a breath
of fresh air.
Now, the question is, how does
Brooklyn fit into this picture? The ob-
vious areas for such development like
the Tech Triangle will no doubt get
the lions share of this support, and
rightfully so.
The continued growth in that area
will do good things for Brooklyns
economy.
But a part of the initiatives also in-
volves increasing broadband access to
underserved areas.
So we hope that Brooklyns many
civic and economic leaders, along with
its elected officials, will pull together
to come up with a comprehensive plan
to get these services placed in a strate-
gic way to benefit the entire borough,
not just the tech gold coast.
JULY 2012 BUSINESS TRENDS 7
dard 256GB Flash Storage (my old
machine has a 100GB drive and I
still have about 7GB left at most
times) for $2,399 retail.
If you want to connect to stan-
dard analog projector, smart
board, and other non-Apple moni-
tor, you should probably purchase
the mini-display port to VGA
adapter which is about $29. If you
feel the need for an optical drive
to read or burn CD/DVDs, you
can order an external drive for
about $80. I should receive the de-
vice about mid-July and Ill let
you know more.
Bill Dubovsky - Comtel Information
Services, has a proven track record
of business success spanning over
30 years in helping hundreds of or-
ganizations improve their profitabili-
ty. He is the principal technology
specialist with Comtel Information
Services, a New York based telecom-
munications consulting firm, and an
adjunct lecturer in business at the
College of Staten Island, C.U.N.Y.
Contact him at
billdubovsky@gmail.com.
Change
in Bits
BITS
Continued from page 6
Prompt
changes name
Over the past three decades,
Prompt Mailers has grown into
much more than a lettershop of-
fering clients access to increas-
ingly sophisticated services such
as data modeling, QR codes, and
mobile and integrated marketing
campaign deployment.
Recently, the company unveiled
a new logo and an official name
change to Prompt Direct to more
accurately reflect the scope of its
services.
The name was chosen to lever-
age the considerable reputation
Prompt has built during its 35-
year history, while reflecting the
full scope of its services. Long-
time Prompt client Vanguard Di-
rect handled the rebranding for
Prompt.
Prompt Direct unveiled the
new brand during its 11th Annual
Marketing Education Seminar
held at the New York Athletic
Club. A new website is also in the
works, with an expected launch
date this summer.
Drop us a line
Email: news@brooklynbiztrends.com
Mail: Business Trends, 66 Willow Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10305
8 BUSINESS TRENDS JULY 2012
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geoning tourism industry,
Raphael said, but shes not sure
the arena, in and of itself, will be
an attraction for business expan-
sion within the borough. What it
will do, she said, is add to the al-
lure of what is rapidly becoming
a well-known and desirable place
to live, work and play.
Last October, GQ magazine
named Brooklyn The Coolest
City on the Planet, thanks in no
small part to the development
thats popping up seemingly
everywhere. Downtown Brooklyn
has become an area with expo-
nential 24-7 usage with an un-
precedented level of residential
use, university expansion and
hotel openings that were never
here before.
The stadium is almost like an
addendum or a capping to this
trajectory that was already hap-
pening. People are coming here
anyway, Raphael said. The
recognition of whats here has
been many years in the making.
Nothing but net
BARCLAYS
Continued from page 2
Chamber launches Good Help job initiative
The Brooklyn Chamber of
Commerce announced the re-
launch of the Chambers Good
Help job placement initiative.
Good Helps mission is to help
Brooklyn businesses find, hire
and retain qualified workers.
Through a comprehensive suite
of services, Good Help both finds
jobs for Brooklyn residents and
saves businesses valuable time
and resources in the search for
qualified candidates. The Brook-
lyn Chamber of Commerce offers
these services at no cost to all
Brooklyn businesses.
Prospective candidates are re-
ceived through network partners
including non-profits, employ-
ment and training agencies, pro-
prietary schools, colleges, NYC
public programs, community and
faith based organizations, and
elected officials. Candidates are
carefully screened to determine
their qualifications and only the
individuals matching the specific
job description are referred to the
business for consideration. There
are more than 200 organizations
within the Chambers partner
network that refer jobseekers for
openings at Brooklyn businesses.
In just over two months since
the programs re-launch, Good
Help has received an overwhelm-
ing response from the communi-
ty, partnering with more than 20
businesses on nearly 50 job open-
ings.
For more information, call
(718) 875-1000.
JULY 2012 BUSINESS TRENDS 9
We teach your home and business how to act -- whether you're there or not --
by installing a Control4, one-touch automation system.
These are just some of the money-saving, convenient, safety-related actions that will happen
automatically:
LIFE MADE EASY
With APB S.E.L.E.C.T. Automation
S ecurity & Cameras & Remote Monitoring
E nergy Monitoring & Management
L ighting Controls
E ntertainment (Home Theaters)
Computer Networks
T echnology of Tomorrow
Visit our showroom
(by appointment only)
APB Security Systems, Inc.
2047 Victory Boulevard
Staten Island, NY 10314
718-698-8244
SECURITY & SAVINGS
Upon leaving your home, thermostats are pre-pro-
grammed to save heating and air conditioning costs.
Lights will alternate at night to simulate occupancy. All
lights will go on if an alarm triggers and a recorded mes-
sage is blasted to a burglar. Upon returning, selected
lights will automatically light your home.
CONVENIENCE & SAVINGS
One button puts your home in vacation mode
(HVAC, Lighting, Power-Consumer Electronic
Devices, etc. are programmed to save
money). One button activates all holiday
lighting, and you may heat your pool from
your phone.
ENTERTAINMENT
One remote controls all audio
and video throughout your
home from a few televisions
to a complete home theater
room.
ENERGY MONITORING &
MANAGEMENT
We let you monitor every circuit
in your home or business to help
isolate the waste and begin sav-
ing on electricity consumption.
NYS Dept of State Lic #12000034292
Control4 Authorized Dealer
Member NARI-HIC of
Staten Island and CEDIA
The Brooklyn Chamber of
Commerce announced the 12 win-
ners of the 2012 Building Brook-
lyn Awards.
An independent, 11-member
panel of Brooklyn-based archi-
tects, planners, economic devel-
opment experts and city officials
selected the winning projects.
Projects were judged on a list of
criteria including design excel-
lence and innovation, economic
impact, sustainability, urban con-
text/design, contribution to
neighborhood, and the most im-
portant but least definable quali-
ty, Brooklyn-ness. Winners
were selected from a highly com-
petitive pool of nearly 50 nomi-
nees.
The 2012 Building Brooklyn
Awards Winners are:
n BLDG 92 Civic and Institu-
tional
n Red Hook Initiative Commu-
nity Development
n Medgar Evers College Aca-
demic Building I Education
n Restoration Plaza Open
Space
nDumont Green National Grid
Award for Energy Efficiency
n Janes Carousel Recreational
Facility
nDekalb Market Retail
n Atrium House Residential
Single Family
n Liberty Apartments Residen-
tial Affordable Housing
n97 Crooke Avenue Residential
-Supportive Housing
n Third + Bond Residential
Low Rise
n 220 Water Residential
Multi-Family
In addition to recognizing
these 12 projects, the Chamber
will honor Michelle de la Uz, Ex-
ecutive Director of the Fifth Av-
enue Committee, and David Von
Spreckelsen, Senior Vice Presi-
dent of Toll Brothers City Living
at the awards ceremony to be held
Thursday, July 12, from 6 to 9:30
p.m. at The Liberty Warehouse on
Conover Street.
For more information, contact
Lori Raphael at (718) 875-1000 ext.
140 or send an e-mail to
lraphael@brooklynchamber.com.
Chamber announces winners
of Building Brooklyn Awards
Drop us a line
Email: news@brooklynbiztrends.com
10 BUSINESS TRENDS JULY 2012
around BROOKLYN
Special to Business Trends
Students in St. Francis Colleges Management program have again achieved top rankings in Glo-Bus, a
competitive simulation of the digital camera industry that is widely used in advanced courses by col-
leges and universities worldwide. Students were ranked against the scores of more than 2,300 similar
company teams from 145 colleges and universities around the globe who were simultaneously competing
during the spring semester. As a major requirement of the capstone course for senior level candidates for
a degree in Management, students assume the roles of the chief strategy, marketing, and operational of-
ficers of their camera company. They make a multitude of production, marketing and financial decisions
over a simulated ten-year period in competition with the other members in their class and are measured
on key success metrics that are important in the business world. Pictured, from left, are Team An-
gelus members Michael Lubelli, Matthew Anderson, Matthew Sutterlin and Daniel Petsche.
Special to Business Trends
Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis (center) presented a citation in honor of the Armys 237th birthday
to, from left, SSG Williams, SPC Helms, COL Gould, SFC Dahl, SSG Cha, and SGT Fleming. Fort Hamilton,
as the U.S. Armys lone presence in New York City, arranged for soldiers to visit community events
throughout the five boroughs in accordance with the celebrations theme of honoring the Soldiers, Fam-
ily Members, Civilians, and Community Members who make our Army the Strength of the Nation.
Special to Business Trends
St. Francis College presented one of its most successful alumni, Barbara G. Koster 76, senior vice presi-
dent and chief information officer at Prudential Financial, with an honorary degree and the creation of a
scholarship in her name at the Colleges 51st Annual Charter Award Dinner. Donors at the dinner con-
tributed more than half a million dollars for the College, with part of that going to help fund the new Bar-
bara G. Koster 76 Scholarship. Pictured, from left, are Diana Koster, Kathryn (Koster) Howard, Bob
Koster, Barbara G. Koster 76, St. Francis College President Brendan J. Dugan 68, and Chairman of the
Colleges Board of Trustees, John F. Tully 67.
Special to Business Trends
As part of their commitment to making a difference in the communi-
ties in which they live and work, National Grid employees volun-
teered for the Bed-Stuy Campaign Against Hunger SuperPantry to
help feed families in Brooklyn. They sorted fresh and frozen produce
and assisted with food distribution. BSCAH helps more than 9,000
families each month with enough food for more than nine nutritious
meals. Pictured, from left, are Sonya Johnson, Ruchi Shah, Johanna
Chung, Robert Foster and Katherine Smith.
Special to Business Trends
Borough President Marty Markowitz was awarded an Honorary De-
gree and real estate developer and philanthropist John Loconsolo
was presented with the St. Clare Medal of Service at St. Francis Col-
leges 128th Charter Day. Shortly after receiving the award, Mr. Lo-
consolo established the Victoria Loconsolo Foundation Scholarship,
which will help pay tuition for two St. Francis College juniors who at-
tended a Catholic school in the Brooklyn Diocese. Pictured, from left,
are Loconsolo, Markowitz and St. Francis College President Brendan
Dugan.
wonderful place to live, we need
to address our senior popula-
tion, said Melissa Lee, executive
director of the Bed-Stuy Aging
Improvement District.
Over the last six months, board
members of the district and local
community associations have
been planning and coordinating
efforts for what the district
should look like, Lee said. Staffers
have conducted significant com-
munity outreach, interviewing
local seniors to find out what has
been working well and what has
not.
From their research, they set-
tled on eight focus areas for the
district the conversion of Social
Security and other federal bene-
fits to digital-only formats; stay-
ing healthy by building a food se-
cure community; providing safe
and affordable housing; enhanc-
ing transit opportunities and the
communitys walkability; extend-
ing recreational and cultural ac-
tivities for seniors; organizing
community advocacy programs;
supporting local businesses to be-
come age-friendly; and designing
plans and programs to make sen-
iors feel safe.
Its becoming increasingly dif-
ficult for our seniorsto live in
Bed-Stuy. And we dont want to
lose them, said Lee, who served
as the managing director of the
Coalition for the Improvement of
Bedford-Stuyvesant for three
years.
To address some of these con-
cerns, the district hopes to not
only cater to the many seniors
who still live an old fashioned
lifestyle, but also educate and as-
sist them with new opportunities.
Lee said the district intends to
partner with local banks and
other community institutions to
host a learning campaign for digi-
tal-only banking, hold food advo-
cacy programs and work on food
delivery initiatives so there are
increased options for healthy
foods to seniors, enhance side-
walks and increase the amount of
public seating, and coordinate the
voice of seniors to give them a
platform on which to speak.
The district has concluded its
planning phase and is beginning
to roll out implementation. Over
the summer, Lee and her staff
will draft an official implementa-
tion plan, which could be com-
pleted as early as next month.
In the meantime, the district
will begin unveiling parts of the
program, such as senior swim
hours at the Kosciusko Pool start-
ing on July 10, and a partnership
with a company that will bus sen-
iors to The Brooklyn Academy of
Musics senior cinema days.
When the full action plan be-
gins, Lee said one of the biggest
focal points will be on Bed-Stuys
commercial corridors, which are
the heart of the community.
The district wants to ensure the
regions retail zones are respon-
sive to seniors and their needs, so
they will soon start working with
merchant associations to make
sure stores are age friendly,
which could include allowing sen-
iors to use their restrooms, re-
configuring storefronts if neces-
sary and possible, and allowing
for more public seating.
Seniors have a strong concen-
trated buying power in the com-
munity, and they will spend
money. We want to make sure
they spend it local, she said. Its
a reciprocity. We know our com-
mercial districts are the heart of
our community, but they wont be
successful unless they have a
strong customer base. It would be-
hoove them to make appropriate
concessions or improvements to
cater to that segment of Bed-
Stuy.
Lee said the districts progress
so far can be attributed in no
small part to its community part-
ners, city agencies and funders,
specifically The Fan Fox and
Leslie R. Samuels Foundation.
But, of course, continued funding
and support is always a challenge,
so the district is constantly
searching to align itself with as
many groups as possible.
No one organization can do it
alone, she said. We want to
make sure that were all working
together in a coordinated and
strong effort.
While the planning phase is al-
ready complete, the district is still
trying to collect names and con-
tact information of seniors in
Bed-Stuy who are in need of serv-
ices or who want to be actively en-
gaged in the program. They have
a very strong partnership list, Lee
said, but they could always use
more help.
By the end of the year, Lee said
she hopes that every older adult
will be aware of the local Aging
Improvement District and that
their lives will be better off be-
cause of it. While there are no of-
ficial plans for future districts
throughout the city, Lee believes
Bed-Stuys version could be a per-
fect model for duplication.
We hope that other communi-
ties throughout the city can fol-
low suit, she said.
So how can Bed-Stuy age
friendly? Lee says it can be done
by paying homage to a generation
that paved the way for the rest of
the communitys opportunities
and ensuring that its seniors are
not forgotten.
Bed-Stuy is among one of the
most culturally and politically
significant communities in all of
New York City. This is a commu-
nity that has been built on active,
civically-engaged members who
fought hard for their rights, Lee
said. We owe our seniors in this
community a lot, and we want to
make sure they reap the benefits
of all the work theyve done.
JULY 2012 BUSINESS TRENDS 11
How can Bed-Stuy age friendly?
AGING
Continued from page 1
Northfield to go fully public
Northfield Bancorp, Inc., the
parent company for Northfield
Bank, announced that it will reor-
ganize into a fully public stock
holding company.
As a result of the companys
adoption of a Plan of Conversion,
it has terminated its current
stock repurchase plan. Transac-
tions contemplated by the Plan of
Conversion are subject to ap-
proval by various bank con-
stituencies and the Board of Gov-
ernors of the Federal Reserve
System. It is anticipated that spe-
cial meetings to complete the ap-
proval process will be held during
the fourth quarter of 2012. For
more information, contact Steven
Klein at (732) 499-7200 ext. 2510.