Wendy Aglietti New Chairman of Guiding Eyes for the Blind; JCPenney Aids White Plains YMCA

REVOLVING DOOR

PEOPLE

The Westchester Bank has appointed Patricia Cappelletti vice president, branch manager of the bank’s newest full-service branch location in Thornwood. Cappelletti brings 35 years of banking experience. A longtime Westchester resident, Cappelletti has served with many local organizations including HOPE Community Services, Midnight Run, Meals on Wheels, Junior Achievement, Literacy for Kids, Westchester Food Bank, and various women’s networking groups.

The United Way of Westchester and Putnam Board of Directors has named a new chair, while also welcoming five new members who will join a board of professionals who are committed to improving the education, income, and health of residents in Westchester and Putnam Counties. They include:

  • Anthony Maucieri, White Plains: Maucieri is the 26-year-old founder and president of East Hill Cabinetry, a redesign and renovation firm specializing in kitchens, bathrooms, and handcrafted custom cabinetry.
  • Bert Askwith, Harrison: Born in 1911, Askwith has been a generous donor and committed supporter of United Way’s initiatives toward community betterment for more than 70 years. He is the founder of Campus Coach Lines, a charter bus company that he formed while attending University of Michigan.
  • Lawrence Ruggieri, Yorktown Heights: A native of the Bronx, Ruggieri serves as a director in the brokerage services group Cushman & Wakefield, from the firm’s Rye Brook office. Ruggieri has worked in the real estate industry for more than 13 years and has exclusively represented more than 10 million square feet of Class-A office space in Westchester. 
  • Thomas Carey, Cortlandt: A lifelong resident of Cortlandt, Carey is vice president of the Westchester-Putnam Central Labor Body and works as a business agent for Local 21 Plumbers and Steamfitters in Peekskill.
  • Patrick Plunkett, New York, NY: Plunkett joined Metropolitan Realty Group in 2009 as a director and now serves as a partner in the firm. He leads all efforts on deal origination and new business for Metropolitan, which provides affordable housing to residents in the New York metro area and currently manages more than 5,000 units.

Gregory D. Bassuk has been named chair for the United Way of Westchester and Putnam’s board, of which he has been a member since 2010. Bassuk is chief operating officer and co-founder of IndexIQ, a US-based asset-management firm providing alternative investment mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, separately managed accounts, and model portfolios. Bassuk earned the 1990 United States Young American Medal for Service, awarded by the President of the United States to only two individuals each year.

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Webster Bank, a regional bank serving businesses and consumers from Westchester to Boston announced the appointment of Colin Eccles as executive vice president and chief information officer. With more than 25 years of banking industry experience, Eccles served as CIO for the past four years at Umpqua Holdings in Portland, Oregon, successfully delivering on a series of electronic banking solutions, including mobile banking. A native of South Africa, Eccles worked for the First National Bank of South Africa before joining Dallas-based Hogan System.   In addition, Maria Freburg, vice president, market manager in Westchester/Lower Fairfield County, has joined Webster’s Business and Professional Banking team in the Westchester market effective February 1.

Accounting firm Marks Paneth & Shron has appointed Larchmont resident Paul Bercovici, LLB, principal in the tax practice. Bercovici advises US-based and foreign clients on international tax issues associated with living in and outside of the United States. He also assists foreign and domestic corporations with structuring their US and offshore operations. He joined MP&S in 2009 and holds a bachelor of commerce from the University of Toronto and a bachelor of laws from the University of Windsor. Bercovici is a member of the New York State Bar Association, the International Fiscal Association (USA Branch), and the International Tax Institute.

Dr. Iris Pagan, a former teacher whose experience also includes working for the White Plains Youth Bureau, has been named head of Westchester County’s Youth Bureau. In her role, she will lead the County’s efforts to partner with nonprofit agencies to provide programs and services that encourage healthy lifestyles and position youngsters for success in life. A graduate of Pace University in White Plains, Pagan also holds a masters and doctorate from Columbia Teachers College. Fluent in Spanish, Dr. Pagan previously served with the White Plains Youth Bureau and as a teacher with the French American School of New York.

Michael Masch has been named vice president for finance and chief financial officer at Manhattan College. A Philadelphia native, he most recently served as chief financial officer for the School District of Philadelphia, the nation’s eighth largest public school system with 156,000 students in district-operated schools, 46,000 in charter schools, and nearly 20,000 district employees. In that role, Masch oversaw all financial administration and operations of the district.  

The Ritz-Carlton, Westchester, has promoted Kate Tierney to sales manager, group. Tierney began her career with The Ritz-Carlton as a market research analyst/sales assistant with The Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City, in Arlington, Virginia, in 2005 and was promoted to sales manager in February 2012. She joined The Ritz-Carlton, Westchester, as a senior sales manager. In her position, she will be responsible for soliciting and managing group sales opportunities. 

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Wendy AgliettiWendy Aglietti

Bedford resident Wendy Aglietti has been elected chairman of Guiding Eyes for the Blind by the organization’s Board of Directors. A board member since 2007, Aglietti has long been at the forefront of fundraising efforts for the renovation and expansion of the Canine Development Center in Patterson, New York, a project estimated at $8 million.

WTP Advisors named two new partners, who have joined the firm’s Tax Advisory Leadership. Jeff Malo, a former litigator at the US Department of Justice Tax Division, currently leads WTP’s US Research and Experimentation Tax Credit Services, and co-leads WTP Interest & Penalty Advisors. Ron Hodgeman leads WTP Exchange, the Like-Kind Exchange affiliate company of WTP Advisors.  

The Bristal at White Plains, a new assisted-living community that offers memory care as well as enhanced levels of care, has announced the appointment of Christine Ramirez as sales coordinator. Prior to joining The Bristal, Ramirez served as activities director at The Atria Woodlands in Ardsley and The Kensington in White Plains. She has also served as activities director at Maplewood Senior Living in Newtown, Connecticut.

Artist Rhonda Hamilton, owner of Just Funki Handcrafted Wearable Art in New Rochelle, has joined the board of directors of the New Rochelle Council on the Arts for 2012-13. The NRCA also elected its officers: President Judith Weber, Vice Presidents Theresa Kump Leghorn and Linda Tarrant-Reid, Secretary Angela Derecas Taylor, and Treasurer Billie Tucker. In addition, the Board of Directors recently voted to add two new members to its advisory board, Art Director and President of the New Rochelle Art Association Jesse Sanchez and entrepreneur Eric Woolin, president of Incoming Tide Entertainment LLC.

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NEW BUSINESSES, RELOCATIONS, OPERATIONS 

The USGA has announced that Mamaroneck’s Winged Foot Golf Club will host the 2020 US Open, marking the sixth time the club has held the event and the 20th US Open to be played in the State of New York. The last time the US Open was held at Winged Foot was 2006, when Phil Mickelson suffered a dramatic collapse on the 18th hole to hand the trophy to Australian Geoff Ogilvy. 

DelBello Donnellan Weingarten Wise & Weiderkehr, LLP (DDWWW), a Westchester-based general practice law firm, has merged with boutique bankruptcy law firm Rattet Pasternak LLP. Rattet Pasternak’s six attorneys have become the Bankruptcy Practice Group of DDWWW. The merger is the latest expansion of DDWWW, which now has 10 practice groups with 31 attorneys, including 15 litigators. The firm’s practice areas include real estates banking, commercial finance, commercial litigation, corporate law, government relations and economic development, personal injury law, and matrimonial and family law. 

White Plains Linen | LINENS à la Carte, a supplier of fine linens for leading restaurants and caterers, has expanded its product line of specialty linens, providing more than 1200 new patterns and designs. Based on a new alliance with Total Table, one of the larger special-event linen rental companies in the Northeast, the company now has access to a vast assortment of inventory, with a warehouse of over 30,000 square feet. 

Concordia College–New York announced today the introduction of a new accelerated master of science in business leadership degree, the second master’s degree program for the college. The program will teach students the leadership, management, problem-solving, communication, staff-development, and entrepreneurial skills needed to become successful and ethical business leaders.

KUDOS

The Building & Realty Institute of Westchester and the Mid-Hudson Region presented a $10,000 check to benefit the Westchester County Disaster Recovery Fund, which was set up by Westchester County Executive Robert P. Astorino in partnership with the United Way of Westchester and Putnam to help provide long-term assistance to County residents in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy. 

Hudson Health Plan is the only Medicaid managed-care organization to receive a three-star rating in “overall satisfaction” from its members in the Hudson Valley in the 2012 Consumer Guide to Medicaid Managed Care in the Hudson Valley, recently published by the New York State Department of Health. Hudson earned its three-star rating by performing significantly better than the statewide average in both customer service and member satisfaction. 

The White Plains YMCA has received a $5,000 grant from jcp cares, jcpenney’s new charitable giving program, to provide school-aged children with financial assistance to attend after-school programs at the Y. This gift provides children in the White Plains community who otherwise could not afford to participate with access to life-enriching afterschool programs.

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BIZ BUZZ: ​OUR BUSINESS BLOG

Accelerator Network Fast-Tracks PlanGuru; No New Casinos in the Cards for Westchester; and New York State Residents Go ‘All In’ for the 2013 Real Estate Market.

PlanGuru, a new software company that produces budgeting/forecasting/financial-planning software for businesses and nonprofits, is the first company to emerge from the vetting process of BLUEPRINT Accelerator Network, which was created to speed the growth of promising, early-stage companies committed to growing in Westchester County. The Accelerator is an important component of the WCA’s BLUEPRINT for Westchester, an initiative intended to spur economic development and job creation in Westchester County. For the next year, PlanGuru will receive, at no cost, 1,635 square feet of office space donated by Reckson, a Division of SL Green Realty Corp., as well as pro bono marketing services courtesy of Harrison Edwards Inc. and search engine optimization (SEO) services from Search Smart Marketing. In addition, PlanGuru will receive legal services and accounting services from partners in the Accelerator Network, and mentoring from the County’s top corporate executives.

Upstate New York seems to have trumped the Lower Hudson Valley as the destination for one of the state’s first three casinos. In his State of the State Address on January 9, Governor Andrew Cuomo said he planned to locate three casinos in “upstate New York” in order to drive traffic to economically struggling areas. New York currently operates nine racinos (combo race track/casino), including Empire City at Yonkers Raceway, which seeks to develop into a full-service casino by adding table games in addition to its existing video lottery terminals. 

According to a Siena College real estate sentiment report, New Yorkers in all regions are viewing the real estate market positively for the first time in three years, including increased optimism about housing values. The report found that for the fourth quarter in 2012, the overall confidence score about the housing market increased by 11.9 points from the previous quarter.

According to Don Levy, director of the Siena Research Institute, “For the first time in this study’s history, dating back to the first quarter of 2010, New Yorkers as a whole and in every area of the state say that the market has turned and that values over the last year have improved.”  The state’s overall current sentiment score is 5.1 points, which indicates people are expecting the housing market and property values to increase during the next year. 

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HOT PROPERTIES—914INC.’S COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE SHOWCASE

Property: 120 Bloomingdale Rd,
White Plains 
Brokered by: Faros Properties LLC
(212) 229-8700 and Caspi Development, LLC,
(914) 694-8300  
Availability: 50,000 square feet, including a 20,000-square-foot full floor that is divisible
Selling points: A 1950s art deco former headquarters of Nestle. Flexible floor plans, a private roof deck, onsite property management and concierge, 24/7 building access, and a private 100-car parking deck. Current tenants include the New York State Department of Labor, Nationwide Insurance, Byram Healthcare, Oxman Tulis Kirkpatrick Whyatt & Geiger LLP, and Keller Williams Realty White Plains. The building will undergo extensive renovations to the interior, exterior, courtyard, and roof; renovations are targeted for completion by fall 2013. 
Downside: Located outside of city center, but a free shuttle bus is planned.  

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914 DATEBOOK—UPCOMING BUSINESS EVENTS 

TUESDAY, 2/12/13
Celebrate Your Heart 

Professional Women of Westchester and Professional Women of Putnam co-host this event, the proceeds of which will benefit the American Heart Association. Guest Speaker Dr. Carolyn Davis will discuss the relationship between heart health and stress. Enjoy raffles, red hair extensions, and more. The Winery at St George, 1715 E Main St, Mohegan Lake; $15 per person, includes appetizers. Cash bar. Register online.

WEDNESDAY, 2/13/13
The ABCs of Mutual Funds and Exchange Traded Funds

Jointly presented by The Center for Financial and Economic Education at Westchester Community College and the Chappaqua Library, this session will be offered at 7 pm at the library (195 S Greeley Ave). This session is free and open to the public. Ann Herrero, financial advisor at Edward Jones, and Tony Devito, PhD, financial advisor, will conduct the workshop. For more information, call the Chappaqua Library at (914) 238-4778, ext.119, or the Center for Financial and Economic Education at (914) 606-5627.

WEDNESDAY, 2/27/13
What You Should Know About Choosing a Financial Advisor 

Jointly presented by The Center for Financial and Economic Education at Westchester Community College, the event will be offered at 7 pm at the library, (195 S Greeley Ave). This session is free and open to the public. Marie DeCaprio will conduct the event. For more information, call the Chappaqua Library at (914) 238-4778, ext. 119, or the Center for Financial and Economic Education at (914) 606-5627.

WEDNESDAY, 2/27/13
Franchises: Are They Right For You?

Presented by Score Westchester, this event explores how a franchise business can serve as a licensing system by which the owner (licensor or franchisor) of a product or service licenses others to market his or her product or service within a defined territory. (120 Bloomingdale Rd, White Plains, 1 – 3 pm). Call (914) 948-3907 or visit scorewestchester.com for details. 

THURSDAY, 3/14/13
Legal Basics for Freelancers + Small Businesses w/ Zak Shusterman

This workshop will cover legal basics that everyone working independently or running a small business needs to know. You’ll learn about the most common business structures and how they can protect you, your assets, and the life of your business. W@tercooler (21 N Broadway, Tarrytown, 7 – 8 pm; $20 for non-members; $15 for members).  Register here.

THURSDAY, 3/21/13
914INC.’s Building a Successful Business

Experts from the fields of accounting, law, commercial lending, marketing, and more will be leading this power breakfast/panel discussion hosted by 914INC. that will tell you all about how to start and grow a successful company. (DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Tarrytown, 455 S Broadway, 7:30 – 9 am). Guests can register free online, but seating is limited. Register at pr@westchestermagazine.com.

Do you have tips, scoop, or gossip concerning business in Westchester? If so, our INComing blogger, Lisa Cesarano, is all ears. Please email her with a short pitch to 914incoming@gmail.com.

Upcoming events should be submitted no later than Sunday, February 10, to be considered for the February 19 edition. Please submit business-related events only; no fundraisers or consumer events.

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Our Westchester Home Builders Awards take place on April 4!

Our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Forum is March 14!

Unveiled: A Boutique Bridal Brunch is February 25!

Our Best of Westchester Elimination Ballot is open through March 6!

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