Revolving Door
PEOPLE
Dna public relations (dna), an award-winning beauty and lifestyle firm headquartered in Rye, recently appointed Mount Kisco resident Barbara Accetta account director. Accetta previously led a varied roster of accounts as a senior account manager at a PR firm in Mount Kisco.
In addition to her work with United Way of Westchester and Putnam following Hurricane Sandy, Accetta co-spearheaded the highly successful “T.A.G. You’re It!” integrated campaign for the Westchester Children’s Museum at Playland Park. Dna represents more than 25 national brands aligned with Walmart, CVS, Target, Sally’s, Ulta, Sephora, and other retailers, as well as salons, spas, and specialty stores.
The Foundation of Hudson Valley Hospital Center has appointed two new members to its board of directors: Jim Coleman, director of Westchester County’s Industrial Development Agency and health professional Loretta Rodriguez-Lagonia.
Coleman, a former chief of staff for State Senator Greg Ball, has had a long career working for large corporations including PepsiCo, Altria, and American Express, where he was responsible for business development, sales, consulting, and marketing. In March, Coleman was charged with helping lead the County’s economic development efforts as head of its IDA.
With an extensive background in the healthcare field, Rodriguez-Lagnonia is an adjunct professor at Mercy College, where she serves as a distance-learning instructor in the Master of Science/Organizational Leadership program. She also works as an executive administrator for the Lagonia Law Office in Yorktown Heights.
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Westchester/Hudson Valley Chapter has announced its Executive Leadership Committee for the 2013 Light The Night Walks, which fund research and support services for people battling cancer. This year’s executive committee members include co-chair Lauren McKeon of White Plains, vice president at Morgan Stanley (Purchase) and co-chair Liz Nunan of Pawling, New York, vice president of global business development at Houlihan Lawrence (Rye Brook).
Select others named were: Leslie Baran of Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics (Tarrytown); Leslie Blanco-Ishoo of Key Bank (Tarrytown); Gary Crisci of Morgan Stanley (Purchase); Chuck Del Priore and Jeannine Foxx of Meridian Risk Management (Pelham); Steven Klapow of Berlin Productions (White Plains); Christina Rae of Buzz Creators (Valhalla); Robert Santoriella of The Law Office of Robert P. Santoriella, PC (Larchmont)
Attorney Zak Shusterman has joined Tarrytown-based W@tercooler as an equity owner in the company, which provides co-working space for Westchester freelancers and small enterprises. The Sleepy Hollow resident will work with the W@tercooler team on its expansion plans and licensing model, as well as spearheading new event concepts. His law practice focuses on trademark, patent, and intellectual property law, as well as business structuring, start-ups, and non-profits.
Village Social Chef Mogan Anthony will appear on Food Network show Chopped Thursday, June 13 at 9 pm. Anthony previously worked at Jean-Georges in Manhattan and Barcelona Restaurant & Wine Bar in Greenwich.
KUDO​S
The Greyston Foundation, a social-enterprise organization in Yonkers, raised a record $455,000 for its community work at its annual benefit May 22 that celebrated the culmination of its 30th year operating.
Special honorees at the gala, held at Yonkers’ X2O Xaviar’s on the Hudson, were Jeffrey Koslowsky, former Greyston Foundation board chairman, managing member of New York’s Indigo Asset Management and CFO of Advocate Brokerage in Scarsdale, and Sandy Loewentheil and Ron Moelis, co-founders of L+M Development Partners in Larchmont. L+M recently partnered with Greyston to open a 92-unit, $32 million multifamily housing development in Yonkers.
Kim Jacobs, executive director of Community Capital New York, an alternative Hudson Valley lender, will receive the seventh-annual Stanley Schear Leadership Award on June 13. The $3,500 award will be presented at the Westchester Senior Housing and Services Coalition’s breakfast ceremony at the White Plains Public Library. Stanley Schear, a leading Westchester advocate for affordable, racially indiscriminate housing who passed away in 2006, had been the Senior Housing and Services Coalition’s guiding spirit.
On Friday, May 17, the Westchester Children’s Association was one of three Westchester-based non-profits to receive Westchester Toyota’s Give-Back Charity Award. The ceremony was held at the Westchester Toyota dealership on Central Park Avenue in Yonkers. Westchester Children’s Association’s Director of Development Betsy Steward accepted the $500 check on behalf of WCA.
W@tercooler, the shared co-working space in Tarrytown, marked its 2nd anniversary with a ’70s-style soirée on May 31 at their loft-like workspace at 21 North Broadway. The company, which offers freelancers, independent workers, consultants, and small businesses memberships for ad-hoc desk space and conference room use, is owned by Jenifer Ross of Sleepy Hollow, who also launched Tarrytown Third Fridays, an ongoing event that brings art, culture, and commerce together in the downtown.
NEW BUSINESSES, RELOCATIONS, OPERATIONS
In a voluntary bankruptcy proceeding, Sound Shore Health System in New Rochelle will be acquired by Bronx-based Montefiore Medical Center. According to the two hospitals, Montefiore has agreed to buy Sound Shore’s assets and assume certain liabilities. Sound Shore Health System President and CEO John Spicer says Montefiore will invest more than $60 million in Sound Shore’s restructuring and has committed “a significant amount of resources” to upgrade facilities in New Rochelle and Mount Vernon.
The Sound Shore system, which includes Sound Shore Medical Center and Schaffer Extended Care Center in New Rochelle and Mount Vernon Hospital and the Dorothea Hopfer School of Nursing in Mount Vernon, will continue to operate business-as-usual until the acquisition is complete. The deal is expected to close by year-end 2013, subject to bankruptcy court and regulatory approvals. A purchase price was not disclosed.
The Center for Autism and the Developing Brain, a new $11 million facility created in partnership with New York Collaborates for Autism and located on the 214-acre White Plains campus of NewYork-Presbyterian and its medical school affiliates, Weill Cornell Medical College and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, has opened to serve local individuals and families affected by Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs).
The center provides comprehensive state-of-the-art psychological, medical, and allied professional services and long-term on-site treatment for persons of all ages living with ASDs and other developmental disorders of the brain and aims to be a centralized resource for patients and families, linking them with service providers, schools, and community organizations.
Employing a brightly colored village theme, the space features 30-foot-high ceilings, natural lighting, and other autism-friendly design elements, including a small healing garden, soft carpeting and cork flooring, and other soundproofing features.
Cooper’s Mill opened its barn doors at 670 White Plains Road in Tarrytown on Thursday, May 30. The new “farm to fork” restaurant offers a diverse menu, from signature flatbreads to fresh vegetable dishes and meat and seafood entrées sourced from local purveyors. Chef Iain Falconer is a former sous chef at Todd English’s Olives in Manhattan and most recently served as chef at Sweet Grass Grill in Tarrytown.
Purchase-based IntegraMed Fertility has launched the Attain Fertility Playlist Challenge. The month-long contest, with a grand prize of a getaway for two, aims to help couples dealing with infertility find a way to get the romance back into their relationships by building playlists of their favorite love songs, and will also provide educational information about fertility issues.
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BIZ BUZZ
OUR BUSINESS BLOG
Cuomo Offers Tax Exemption for SUNY-Partnered Businesses
PLUS: HUD responds to Astorino’s objections over fair-housing settlement; and a local coalition tells Albany to “Stop.”
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo‘s new Tax-Free NY plan to turn the state’s college campuses into tax-free business incubators would allow new businesses, or businesses that create new jobs through collaboration with SUNY programs (outside of New York City), to operate for 10 years, on or within a mile of those campuses, free of state and local taxes.
The plan will offer tax-free campus space to job-creating businesses that start, relocate, or expand there and partner with their SUNY hosts. Eligible businesses, which would include companies with a relationship to the academic mission of the host university, would pay no sales, property, business, or corporate taxes, and their employees would be exempt from state income taxes for a decade, the governor announced recently.
Deputy Secretary of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Maurice Jones visited White Plains on June 4 to clarify the department’s view of the HUD-Westchester County 2009 fair-housing settlement, saying HUD is ready to work with the County, but seeks accountability.
The visit came in response to recent speeches by County Executive Rob Astorino, who says HUD is pushing the boundaries of the settlement by ordering the County to build 10,000 units of housing and trying to dismantle local zoning. Jones disputed those claims, noting he is looking for a “serious analysis” from the County on zoning, and that his goal is for the County to comply so that HUD can release millions of dollars in federal housing grants that have been held up by the contention.
A grassroots coalition of Westchester citizens, schools, businesses, and local governments is standing together to send a message to Albany: “Stop Taking Our Power.” The call for reform applies to the allocation of local tax dollars and citizens’ ability to grow local businesses and create jobs.
Intending to pass meaningful mandate-relief, the campaign launched in late May with members from the Westchester County Association; the Westchester-Putnam School Boards Association; the Westchester Municipal Officials Association; The Lower Hudson Council of School Superintendents; the Westchester-East Putnam Regional PTA; and Westchester County officials, with support from County Exec Rob Astorino.
The initiative encourages constituents to visit stopalbany.com and click to send a letter to their state representatives on the cause’s behalf.
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HOT PROPERTIES
914INC.’S COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE SHOWCASE
Property: 25 Main St, Tarrytown
Brokered by: Betsy Sawyer Gaylin, E.A. Sawyer Gaylin Management (914) 262-6205
Description: Turn-of-the-century building in the heart of the village. Space is currently built out with a small lobby in front and a large open space in the back.
Availability: 2,000 square feet; $24/sq-ft per year
Selling Points: The space is currently zoned for cold-food prep, retail, and office use. Located on scenic Main Street, with lots of street traffic, restaurants, shops, galleries, and attractions. Steps from the train, Tarrytown Music Hall, and the Hudson.
Downside: Village parking can be a challenge.
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914 DATEBOOK
UPCOMING BUSINESS EVENTS
WEDNESDAY, 6/12/13
Grow Your Business: Social Media Marketing Made Simple
SCORE Westchester. 120 Bloomingdale Rd, White Plains; 1 – 3 pm. Free. Today’s businesses need to be aware of all the social media avenues people are using to make buying decisions. In this seminar, you will learn best practices for Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn and what it takes to quickly implement them.
WEDNESDAY, 6/12/13
Webinar: The ABCs of Starting Your Own Business
SCORE Westchester. Remote. 1 – 2 pm. Free. Starting your own business is a lot of work; get expert advice in this webinar. Learn all about the ins and outs of starting a new business from two, experienced SCORE counselors, who will share their knowledge about all the factors that you will need to consider.
WEDNESDAY, 6/26/13
Business After Business at Cross County Shopping Center
Cross County Shopping Center, 8000 Mall Wlk Yonkers, private VIP tent near Gap and Victoria’s Secret. 5 – 7 pm. Join the Business Council of Westchester for a festive cocktail and networking party. As a bonus, enjoy music from bands Sway (featuring CBS News Anchor Lou Young) at 6:30 pm, opening for the B Street Band at 7:30 pm, as part of the shopping center’s SummerFest 2013 events program. Register at westchesterny.org.
MONDAY, 7/18/13
CenterLight Health System Golf Classic
Century Country Club/Braeburn Country Club, Purchase. 10 am – 7 pm. This golf outing will benefit CenterLight Health System, a non-profit provider of long-term care and rehabilitation services in Westchester and the New York metro-area. Full-day event includes brunch, refreshments, golf trick-shot entertainment show, cocktails, dinner, awards presentation, and raffle.
Do you have tips, scoop, or gossip concerning business in Westchester? If so, our INComing blogger, Lisa Cesarano, is all ears. Please e-mail her with a short pitch to 914incoming@gmail.com.
Upcoming events should be submitted no later than Sunday, June 16, to be considered for the June 25th edition. Please submit business-related events only; no fundraisers or consumer events.
