People
Jonathan Cortell, vice president of L&M Development Partners, Inc., New York City, has been elected to the Yonkers Downtown BID board of directors as a Class A member, the group has announced.
At L&M, Cortell has been responsible for developing affordable, mixed-income, and market-rate housing and is currently working on transactions in downtown Yonkers, New York City, and Orange, New Jersey. Prior to joining L&M in 2005, he spent nearly six years at the New York State Housing Finance Agency, serving for a time as the agency’s vice president and director of development. He also worked at the New York City Independent Budget Office and at Duvernay & Brooks, a real estate financial advisory and development firm with primarily public housing authority clients.
James Dixon has been named Chief Legal Counsel for Valhalla-based ConEdison Development, which develops renewable and energy infrastructure assets, and ConEdison Energy, a wholesale energy company. In this capacity he will oversee the legal services for these two companies, which are subsidiaries of Consolidated Edison, Inc. In addition, he assumes responsibility for compliance activities for all of ConEdison’s Competitive Energy Businesses.
Dixon previously served as Vice President of Energy Services for ConEdison Solutions, an energy services company that is also a subsidiary of Con Edison. He had previously held the position of Vice President and General Counsel for that company.
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Jeffrey Dziak |
The Ritz-Carlton, Westchester, has announced that Jeffrey Dziak has been named general manager.
Dziak has worked with The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company for 19 years and comes to The Ritz-Carlton, Westchester, from The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes, where he had worked as hotel manager since 2008. Prior to that, Dziak worked with The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island; The Ritz-Carlton, Phoenix; The Ritz-Carlton, Huntington Hotel & Spa; and The Ritz-Carlton, Cleveland.
In his new position, he will be accountable for all operations of the luxury hotel and two residential towers totaling 362 units. Dziak has lectured at The Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center, the Rosen School of Hospitality, and the University of Arizona. He holds a BA from Cleveland State University.
New businesses, relocations, and operations
The commercial real estate investment team of Faros Properties and Gould and Company have announced the launch of an extensive multi-million-dollar renovation project and leasing and marketing initiative at the International Corporate Center at Rye, a 171,000-square-foot office property located at 555 Theodore Fremd Avenue, which was acquired this year. The firm simultaneously announced the signing of two new office leases. The Dorf Law Firm, LLP, expanded and relocated from Mamaroneck and signed a lease for 15,832 square feet on the third floor. TMG Energy will relocate from Manhattan, and signed a long-term lease for 3,768 square feet on the building’s second floor. TMG is a stealth energy company led by Edward Miller, a member of the Advisory Board of Hudson Clean Energy Partners.
White Plains Hospital recently welcomed Obstetrics & Gynecological Partners to its group of integrated physician practices, White Plains Hospital Physician Associates. This recently formed division of the hospital aligns local physicians with hospital services and enables physicians and the hospital to share information, promote growth, better utilize resources, and expand quality care to its fullest potential. The practice provides routine OB-GYN screenings for women and manages complicated reproductive health issues as well. An estimated 650 babies are delivered by these physicians each year, many of whom are born after some form of high-risk pregnancy related to maternal age, illness, or other conditions that require additional monitoring. Low-risk pregnancy patients who desire a more holistic approach to childbirth often work with nurse midwife Lucy Milne under the oversight of the medical team. In addition to pregnancy, childbirth, and routine follow-up care, the physicians in the group also have extensive expertise in infertility, pelvic rehabilitation, and complex gynecological and robotic surgery.
The Flying Pig, a Mount Kisco landmark, has announced that it will be closing at the end of the month. Kisco Foods, LLC, which owns and operates the establishment, said the final meals would be served December. 31. The Flying Pig opened in 2000 in the Mount Kisco Metro-North train station specializing in organic and locally sourced foods. After its first five years, the restaurant outgrew the tight quarters at the train station, which offered only 15 tables. In 2006, it relocated to 251 Lexington Avenue as The Flying Pig on Lexington with seating for 100.
Cabbage Hill Farm, also located in Mount Kisco, has provided many of the meats and other organic foods used at The Flying Pig as well as other regional restaurants. The farm will not be closing.
The decision to close the restaurant results from a combination of factors, including the pressures resulting from the prolonged recession, said the owners.
So raise a glass of Hudson Valley-made wine and take a bite of locally grown, grass-fed steak for the passing of The Flying Pig.
Kudos
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Ian Ceppos |
Leslie Tayne, a Long Island attorney who also has offices in White Plains and Mount Kisco, was recently honored with a Leadership in Law Award in the Sole Practitioner category by the Long Island Business News. The awards were created to recognize individuals who dedicate themselves to excellence and leadership in both the legal profession and in their communities. The award is offered in several different categories, including Sole Practitioner, In-House Counsel, and Unsung Heroes, among others. The Leadership in Law Award recipients were selected by a committee of business leaders based upon the biographical information sent reflecting career and professional accomplishments. The award recognizes experience, dedication, hard work, skill, tenacity and excellence.
Ian Ceppos, a senior associate at CB Richard Ellis, has been appointed vice president of the board of directors of the Building Owners and Managers Association of Westchester County.
As VP, Ceppos will be responsible for building a stronger organization, which effectively addresses current and future needs of the members and the industry. In the absence or inability of the president to serve, he will perform the duties of the president, or in the event the office of the president becomes vacant, Ceppos will succeed to that position. In addition, he will serve as a voting member on the board of directors. He previously served as secretary of the board in 2010.
Through the State’s Regional Economic Development Council Awards, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo awarded $67 million to the Mid-Hudson region—$38 million of which is targeted to projects in Westchester to help stimulate economic grown and job creation. Of that sum, $4 million is earmarked for the development of a biotech incubator center at New York Medical College. Other projects funded include waterfront redevelopment in the county’s river towns and Sound Shore communities, affordable housing, cultural restoration projects, green energy, and job training initiatives. Business Council of Westchester President/CEO Marsha Gordon served on the Mid-Hudson Regional Council, and was co-chair of its strategies/clusters working group.
Westchester’s burgeoning bio-med scene got more good news last month when Tarrytown-based Regeneron announced that the FDA had approved its EYLEA (aflibercept) Injection for the treatment of patients with neovascular (wet) Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD). The drug was approved at a recommended dose of 2 milligrams every four weeks for the first 12 weeks, followed by 2 mg every eight weeks.
The approval of EYLEA was granted under a Priority Review, a designation that is given to drugs that offer major advances in treatment, or that provide a treatment where no adequate therapy exists.
Regeneron, the state’s largest biotech firm, began its operations 22 years ago and has grown exponentially since then, employing more than 1,000 workers.
“This approval is an important step forward for Regeneron and for patients suffering with wet AMD, the most common cause of blindness in the U.S. in older adults,” says Leonard S. Schleifer, M.D., Ph.D., president and CEO of Regeneron. “We thank the patients and clinical investigators who participated in our clinical studies, the FDA, and the Regeneron employees who helped make this day possible. Now that EYLEA is approved, we plan to make EYLEA available to patients within the next few days.”
Westchester County has long been known as a business and finance hub, but the Golden Apple is also a formidable force in the arts. Speaking at a public hearing in White Plains on the 2012 county budget, ArtsWestchester’s past Board President Stephen Dishart made the case that funding for arts programs should not be cut due to their economic impact on the area. Dishart, citing a report issued by Creative Industries, said that Westchester County ranks 13th in the number of people employed by arts businesses per capita, ahead of Cook County in Chicago and King County in Seattle. Westchester ranks 16th in the number of arts businesses per capita, ahead of Monroe County, New York, and Dallas County, Texas. The arts, he said, account for nearly 5.4 percent of the 61,214 local businesses and 3 percent of the 444,866 people employed in the county. Both of these findings are larger than the national average.
It was a rewarding Turkey Day for many who are less fortunate in Westchester, thanks to the good work of volunteers from the Westchester Hotel Association and the Food Bank for Westchester. The WHA donated 1,212 pounds of food and $670 to the Food Bank.
The cash donation is being matched by the Food Bank’s Lanza Grant which will run through January 2012.
In addition to the hotel group’s donation to the Food Bank, WHA member Inn on Hudson donated turkeys to the Jan Peek House, and the Inn’s restaurant cooked a Thanksgiving dinner for the residents of the Jan Peek House one day before Thanksgiving. Jan Peek is a safe haven for the area’s homeless men and women, and its 19-bed facility is open 365 days a year, providing shelter, food, and a conduit to comprehensive support services.
Iona College also took part in the spirit of giving, donating 116 Thanksgiving food baskets to three local charitable organizations: Hope Community Services of New Rochelle, Greystone Foundation Child & Youth Services, and the Bronx-based Abraham House. More than 100 clubs, organizations, administrative offices, and academic departments at the school donated the baskets of food. This annual initiative has been a tradition at Iona for more than 10 years. Each gift basket contained a gift certificate for a turkey, and approximately 20 other items to complement a typical Thanksgiving dinner, including an assortment of canned goods and ingredients for desserts and beverages. This holiday donation drive is sponsored each year by the Center for Campus Ministries.
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Property: 545-547 Saw Mill River Rd, Ardsley
Brokered by: NAI Friedland Realty |
Availability: 34,000-square-foot building with professional office suites ranging from 195 square feet to 1,653 square feet. Asking rent is $3,200 per month
Selling points: This is a professionally maintained building with elevator use and 24-hour access. There is ample onsite parking and easy access to all major highways in the area.
Buying Vs. Leasing
A look at that perennial dilemma in Westchester’s commercial real estate market.
THURSDAY, 12/15/11
Business Council of Westchester Holiday Blast— 5-7 pm, Westchester Marriott Hotel, 670 White Plains Rd, Tarrytown
Members, friends, and guests are invited to The Business Council of Westchester’s annual Holiday Blast for an opportunity to celebrate with fellow members, make new contacts, and enrich existing relationships. The event will be preceded by a new member orientation from 4 to 5 pm. For more information, visit events.westchesterny.org/sbaweb/events/events.asp?&id=1&wpid=-101&details=true&cale_id=493&newsession=FALSE&sid=453500092
MONDAY, 12/19/11
Yorktown Chamber of Commerce Annual Holiday Party—6 pm, Yorktown Elks Lodge, 590 Wavery Rd, Yorktown. The Yorktown Chamber will host its annual holiday party. For more information, call (914) 254-4599.
TUESDAY, 12/20/11
2012 Financial Market Discussion and Networking Breakfast—7:30 am, Applebee’s Restaurant, 2 Executive Plz. The Yonkers Chamber of Commerce is hosting this breakfast featuring Bryan Piskorowski, director of market analysis, Thomas Brady Financial Advisors, who will be speaking on the 2012 market outlook. There will also be networking opportunities. To register, call the Chamber office at (914) 963-0332.
THURSDAY 12/22/11
When is it OK to Raise Prices?—8-10 am, 1 S Division Street, Peekskill. Join the Hudson Valley Gateway Chamber of Commerce for this business breakfast event featuring Jim Sandler of KM Consulting to learn how to effectively implement a price raise, and the right time to introduce the price increase. To register, visit http://www.hvgatewaychamber.com/events/2011/12/workshop-when-it-ok-raise-prices
SATURDAY 1/14/12
Martin Luther King, Jr., Day of Service—8 am-5 pm, at various locations. Consider taking this opportunity to spend a day of volunteer service in your community in the spirit of the late civil rights leader, Martin Luther King, Jr. The Westchester County government suggests those interested in participating contact The Volunteer Center of United Way for events in your area. For more information, visit http://www.volunteer-center.org.
TUESDAY 1/16/12
11th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr., Youth Legacy Awards Luncheon—11:30 am – 2:30 pm, DoubleTree Hotel, 455 S Broadway. The African American Men of Westchester will host this event to honor the legacy of Dr. King by recognizing young people for their service to the community. For more information, or to nominate a youth, visit aamw.com
ONGOING
Know a Wunderkind? You, perhaps? Nominate an under-30 county business professional (including yourself) for 914INC.’s second annual Westchester Wunderkinds. For more info or to make a nomination, visit https://westchestermagazine.com/914-INC/Premiere-2010/Wonderful-Wunderkinds-Form/
