REVOLVING DOOR
People
This month the JCC of Mid-Westchester announced the election of a new board of directors.
Karen Spar Kasner of Scarsdale was elected president of the board. Kasner is an experienced attorney who is also a trustee of the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services.
Andy Benerofe of Purchase and Wayne Goldstein of Mamaroneck were also elected as treasurer and secretary, respectively. Also installed to the board of directors were Eileen Bloom, Scarsdale; Ron Burton, New Rochelle; Ophira Cukierman, Scarsdale; Gennifer Geller, White Plains; Loren Gilberg, Scarsdale; Roger Kahn, Scarsdale; Suzan Rozin, Scarsdale; Debbi Schrag, New Rochelle; Jacques Steinberg, Larchmont; Marcy Vinder, Scarsdale; and Jennifer Weinberg, Scarsdale.
The Club at Briarcliff Manor, a senior living community under development in Briarcliff Manor, announced that Terry Minervini has joined their organization as a senior living counselor. In this role she is responsible for creating, building, and maintaining relationships with future residents who may be looking to move to the community.
Prior to joining The Club, Minervini worked at continuing care retirement communities in Westchester and Fairfield counties, including Kendal on Hudson in Sleepy Hollow. She was most recently employed at The Watermark in Connecticut, where she served as a sales counselor and assisted in the organization and implementation of marketing events for seniors. Originally from Yonkers, Minervini currently resides in New Fairfield, Connecticut, with her son, Tyler.
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Brandy Pearson |
Somnia Anesthesia, an anesthesiology practice management company based in New Rochelle, announced the expansion of its recruitment team with the appointment of Brandy Pearson to the newly created role of director of national recruitment and Hayley McGowan as senior recruiter.
Pearson, who has more than eight years of national, senior-level business development experience in anesthesia services, will direct clinical recruitment of anesthesiologists and certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) as well as recruitment for all corporate positions
McGowan joins Somnia with 12 years of recruiting experience including nine years in anesthesia services as senior account manager, trainer, and regional account director. She has expertise in meeting the recruiting needs of large, high-demand, multi-specialty work sites including university systems and ambulatory surgery centers.
New businesses, relocations and operations
Members of the Westchester Putnam Association of Realtors, the Rockland County Board of Realtors, and the Orange County Association of Realtors voted this month to merge into a single entity, the Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors.
The merger, which will be effective Jan. 1, 2012, will create one of the largest realtor associations in the nation, with a membership of nearly 10,000.
As part of the merger agreement, the Orange and Rockland groups will dissolve into the Westchester Putnam Association, which will seek approval from the National Association of Realtors to change the name to the Hudson Gateway Association of Realtors.
The new group will maintain its White Plains headquarters with additional offices in Goshen, Putnam County, and in either West Nyack or Pearl River in Rockland County. Beginning in 2012, WPAR Deputy CEO Richard Haggerty will take the reins of the new association.
Robison Energy, LLC, the largest combined gas, oil, and electric company in metro New York, is expanding its regional presence with the launch of its new division, Original Energy. This energy systems consultancy and provider of natural gas offers services to commercial and residential customers in the metro area. Original Energy is headed by business partners David Singer (President) and Jim Slattery (Vice President), who are backed by a team of seasoned energy professionals.
The Westchester Medical Pavilion, a new medical office complex in White Plains, has announced the signing of approximately 22,000 square feet in new leases, renewals, and expansions.
Medical and dental practices signing new leases at the complex include Upper Cervical Chiropractic; AP Progressive Dental; Scott Newman, MD; Westchester Cardiac Associates; and Sports Care Physical Therapy. In addition to the new leases, tenants signing renewals include Kenneth Goldman, MD; John Farella, MD; Joseph Tartaglia, MD; and George Owens, MD. Hospice and Palliative Care of Westchester signed an expansion for an additional 4,401 square feet for their administrative and nursing facilities currently located at the complex.
More than 92 percent of the space on the lobby level through the fourth floor has been leased. Among the medical tenants with offices in the building is the NYU Langone Medical Center’s Department of Orthopaedics’s Westchester location.
The Westchester Medical Pavilion is currently bringing online an additional 28,000 square feet of medical office space on the ground level
Kudos
White Plains Hospital was recently awarded with two prestigious honors.
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G. Lamont Blackstone |
The hospital received the Consumer’s Choice Award from the National Research Corporation, a healthcare research firm. The hospital is a nine-time winner of the award, which recognizes quality and image in healthcare by the Nebraska-based research corporation. The award is given based on a questionnaire of approximately 250,000 households in the New York area and is shared with a select group of other hospitals across the country.
WPH was also named one of the top 100 Hospitals for Patient Experience by Women Certified. This is the first time White Plains Hospital has received the honor from Women Certified, a Florida-based organization that awards businesses and brands based on customer experience.
Dr. Barney Newman of Mount Kisco, chief medical officer for the WESTMED Medical Group, was recently named a winner in the medical director category for the national 2011 Dorland Health People Awards. Dorland Health is a leading media publisher in the healthcare business information industry. The People Awards honor healthcare professionals in 18 categories across a variety of settings within the U.S. healthcare system for leadership, creativity, and program innovation. Winners were announced at a recent awards luncheon at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.
The International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) announced it has awarded the William M. Sulzbacher Government Relations Leadership Award to G. Lamont Blackstone, a Mount Vernon-based shopping center and economic development professional. The award is designed to recognize an outstanding government relations volunteer.
Blackstone is a longtime ICSC volunteer and the principal of G.L. Blackstone & Associates, a commercial real estate development consulting firm specializing in urban markets, public-private partnerships, and energy expense solutions for commercial property. He also has served as co-chairman of the ICSC New York state government relations committee and held multiple leadership positions on the ICSC Alliance Program.
SCENE & SEEN – Our business blog
December is not only a time for sleigh bells and lighting the menorah, but also for line items and discretionary funds.
Yes, it’s budget season again in Westchester County, and County Executive Robert Astorino on November 22 announced details for his executive budget for 2012. The budget will feature no increase in the county property tax levy and cuts spending by $100 million.
Astorino’s proposed $1.689 billion budget also keeps Playland open and the Bee-Line Bus service intact. The proposal reduces the workforce 7.5 percent by eliminating 367 jobs, including 210 by layoff.
To protect the county’s three AAA bond ratings, Astorino’s proposal institutes a major financial reform by not using any of the county’s fund balance, the so-called rainy day fund, to balance the operating budget. Under the proposed budget, the fund balance would be maintained at its 2011 level of $110.4 million for its intended purpose of funding unforeseen situations and emergencies, according to Astorino.
Every $5.5 million in net spending amounts to about a 1 percent increase in the county property tax levy, according to the county government website. Even with no change in the tax levy, some property owners may find their taxes go down, others up, due to variations in assessing practices from community to community that are “evened out” through the state’s equalization rate.
The budget must still be approved by the Democrat-controlled county legislature.
In other county news, 43 honorees were named to the Westchester Senior Hall of Fame this month. Dr. Olivia J. Hooker of White Plains, a civil rights and women’s rights advocate for most of her 96 years, will receive the top honors at the 29th Annual Westchester Senior Hall of Fame Awards Luncheon on December 2 at the Westchester Marriott in Tarrytown.
The county department of senior programs and services established the hall of fame in 1982 and since that time more than 900 seniors have been inducted.
Seniors are nominated to the Hall of Fame by members of the community and winners are selected by a screening committee composed of Hall of Fame members and the DSPS staff.
The names of Hall of Fame winners are engraved on plaques that are permanently displayed at the DSPS office in Mount Vernon
Meanwhile, The Westchester Bank celebrated its White Plains branch’s second anniversary and continued growth. The branch has garnered over $70 million in deposits this year, a nearly 30 percent increase from total deposits the year before, and has 829 total accounts.
This past June, The Westchester Bank celebrated its third year in business. The bank, which has locations in Yonkers and White Plains, currently has $250 million in assets. Total deposits for the two branches surpassed the $200 million mark for the first time in the bank’s history.
“We are very proud of the fact that since entering this strategically important market just two years ago we have established a growing and loyal customer base of local businesses,” said John Tolomer, President and CEO of The Westchester Bank. “Our focus on providing customers with highly personalized service and the latest technology has clearly resonated with area businesses.”
On the healthcare front, Stellaris Health Network and Aetna announced a new multi-year agreement that will keep all four of the Stellaris Health Network’s Westchester County hospitals in Aetna’s network. Aetna’s commercial and Medicare health plan members will be able to continue receiving covered inpatient and outpatient healthcare services at preferred, in-network rates.
The new agreement involves the Lawrence Hospital Center, Northern Westchester Hospital, Phelps Memorial Hospital Center and White Plains Hospital Center. The agreement also keeps the employed and voluntary physicians and health care providers at the Stellaris hospitals as participating network providers.
Under the new agreement, Aetna will provide performance-based incentives to the Stellaris Network for both quality of care and efficiency, such as reductions in readmissions for the same injury or illness. Models for rewarding demonstrated quality and outcomes will serve as a framework for Aetna’s partnerships with other community hospitals and systems.
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HOT PROPERTIES – 914INC.’s commercial real estate showcase Property: 3 International Dr, Rye Brook Brokered by: SL Green. Ted Grogan, Vice President, (914) 872-4744, ted.grogan@slgreen.com Availability: 5 units ranging from 2,888 square feet to 6,774 square feet, asking price is $27/square foot. |
Selling points: This Energy Star label facility consists of six Class A office buildings set on 72 acres in the village of Rye Brook, bordering Greenwich, CT. The facility is located in a prestigious corporate neighborhood surrounded by Pepsico, Morgan Standley, Paul Tudor Jones, and many others. Recently over $3 million has been spent on the Park’s buildings and grounds, including beautifully upgraded lobbies and landscaping.
914 DATEBOOK – Upcoming Business Events
TUESDAY, 12/06/2011
Business Breakfast Dialogue – 7:30 – 9:15 am, Antun’s of Westchester, Elmsford. This event, sponsored by the Business Council of Westchester, will focus on teamwork and be led by Wendy Kaufman of Balancing Life’s Issues. Through discussion, interactive exercises, and a debriefing session, the event will explore how teams can work together most effectively and learn how to apply successful team concepts and strategies in very practical ways. For more information visit events.westchesterny.org.
THURSDAY, 12/08/2011
Women in Business – 914INC. magazine hosts a luncheon honoring the 28 women selected for its new cover story: Westchester’s Most Accomplished Women Entrepreneurs (AWE), featuring keynote speaker (and AWE honoree) Chris Madden. The luncheon will be held at the Crowne Plaza in White Plains. For more info or to purchase tickets, visit westchestermagazine.com/womeninbusiness
THURSDAY 12/15/2011
Tools to Run an Efficient Bankruptcy Practice – 6 – 7:30 pm Cabanillas & Associates, 245 Main St, Suite 210, White Plains.
Join the Westchester Women’s Bar Association for this roundtable discussion on the ins and outs of running a successful bankruptcy practice. If interested in attending, please rsvp by December 8 to Wendy Marie Weathers at wweathers@cabinallaslaw.com
Employee Handbook and Social Media Policy Essentials – 6 – 6:30 pm, Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber of Commerce, 1 South Division St, Peeksill. The Hudson Valley Gateway chamber hosts this event, which discusses the purpose and importance of having an employee manual and social media policy, an overview of the required elements when creating these policies, and the pitfalls to be wary of in policy-making. For more information visit hvgatewaychamber.com.
Business Council of Westchester’s 2011 Holiday Blast – 5 – 7 pm Westchester Marriott Hotel, 670 White Plains Rd, Tarrytown. The Business Council of Westchester invites those interested in this opportunity to celebrate the holiday season with fellow members, make new contacts, and enrich existing relationships. Members, friends, and guests are invited. Register online at events.westchesterny.org/
MONDAY, 1/16/2012
Martin Luther King Jr. Legacy Youth Awards Luncheon – 11:30 am – 2:30 pm, DoubleTree Hotel, Tarrytown. The African American Men of Westchester will host this 11th annual event, which is in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. and recognizes young people who perform outstanding service for their community.
Youth are able to self-nominate or nominate a peer for The MLK Legacy Youth Award. However the AAMW do require an adult endowment of any self or peer nomination by an adult familiar with the project undertaken by the individual. For more information, visit aamw.com.
Do you have tips, scoop, announcements, or gossip concerning business in Westchester? If so, our INComing blogger, Bryan Yurcan, is all ears—please email him at 914INComing@gmail.com
