Staten Island Chamber of Commerce

Effective Blogging

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:34:05 GMT

When creating a blog make sure to create a blog that is not self- serving. Leave the sales pitch on the sales floor. Potential clients will read blogs that are either educational or of a topic that is relevant to their specific needs. Use relevant content and proper keywords throughout your blog. This will enable Google to match your keywords in a search and thus the result will be bolded keywords. Bolded keywords will gain your blog more traffic which in essence will drive your sales up.

Keep in mind that each time that you blog that you must always use the same keywords. Utilizing the same keywords will strengthen the familiarity of your brand and will enable the clients to become familiar with your products and/ or services in a casual successful way. Blogging is a simple way for you to reach your clients without being invasive or aggressive. One of the benefits of blogging is that you will develop casual and friendly relationships with the clients from the past, present and future.

Another important factor in blogging is the title. Make sure that your title is appealing. Use a slight variation of the title each time you blog. Remember, that title should be catchy as you are using the blog to attract new customers. Feel free to adapt and change your blog title slightly with effective content.

Time and frequency are also factors in a successful blog. Business blogs traditionally are most successful when posted during business hours Tuesday thru Thursday. My recommendation is to blog once every 3 weeks to keep your clients interested. If you post weekly, your blog will become a nuisance and will not be read. Remember, you are performing a service that is supposed to be of interest and beneficial to the clients. If you develop a strong marketing program that involves blogging you will see an increase in revenue.

Christine Fiorenza Account Executive SI Parent Magazine 347-581-5022 Christine@siparent.com President Business Guild 1

Casale Jewelers teams up with wedding professionals for a second annual couples competition to win a $10,000 engagement ring

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:05:09 GMT

GET READY TO “RACE FOR THE RING”:

SECOND YEAR RUNNING!

Casale Jewelers teams up with wedding professionals for a second

annual couples competition to win a $10,000 engagement ring

[Staten Island, New York] – February 9, 2012- Cory Schifter, owner of Casale Jewelers, is hosting the second annual Race for the Ring, a social media based competition where five couples will have to complete five challenges with one couple winning a stunning $10,000 engagement ring. The contest will start on March 1^st and couples can find all details on how to enter via the Casale Jewelers Facebook page. The race date is May 3^rd and will begin at Nicotra’s Ballroom at the Hilton Garden Inn, Staten Island and end at Casale Jewelers with a proposal.

The contest requires couples to use Facebook to post a picture and get friends, family or anyone to vote on their photo. Couples must be over 21 years of age and cannot be married or engaged. The couples will have until March 31^st to obtain as many “votes” as possible. The top ten couples with the most “votes” will move on to the next round and ultimately five couples will participate in the May 3^rd “Amazing Race” style competition.

Schifter shared, “We’re promoting teamwork. What better way to start a life together than racing as a perfect team?” Schifter is passionate about this event and looks forward to sharing a special moment with the winning couple. He’s also gathered a team of Staten Island based event specialists who will sponsor contests and prizes for the contestants. In addition to Nicotra’s Ballroom, other participating businesses are: Hilton Garden Inn, Partners in Sound Productions, A.F. Bennett, Clark’s House of Flowers, Uniquely Yours, Industry Magazine, Joey G. Video Production, YourFavorIt, Dante Tuxedos, and NYC Arts Cypher.

“An engagement is something special that couples will remember for the rest of their lives. This is something they can talk about for years to come.” Cory says, “The contest is like any relationship: you have to put in a lot of effort for it to work, but in the end you learn to work together. Plus, one lucky couple will start their lives together with a free $10,000 ring.”

Established in 1986, Casale Jewelers is one of the leading family operated retail jewelry stores on Staten Island. Casale Jewelers received the “Best of Staten Island” award in Jewelry repair and “Best Company to Work For” in 2011. They have built a relationship with the community through their Dongan Hills store as well as through charitable works.

Celebrate Black History Month

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:36:20 GMT

Chamber and Advance honor outstanding business leaders

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 16:02:02 GMT

STATEN ISLAND N.Y. - The Staten Island Chamber of Commerce and the Staten Island Advance honored 10 business and community leaders at the annual Louis R. Miller Business Leadership Awards Breakfast on February 16 at the Hilton Garden Inn.

Honored were: Vittorio Asoli, Trattoria Romana; Dominick J. Brancato, New York Center for Interpersonal Development; Dr. Tomas Morales, The College of Staten Island; Elizabeth Egbert, Staten Island Museum; Brian & Michael Farley, Hudson Elevator Group; MaryLee Montalvo & Marlene Markoe-Boyd, MLM Public Relations; John E. Nikolai, Jealan Fireplaces; and Chris Williams, Williams Eye Works.

Over 300 gathered to congratulate and support this year's deserving recipients, and enjoyed presenters Frank Scarangello, Tom Scarangello, Al Lambert, and Ted Maloy as they roasted and paid tribute to the honorees and their many accomplishments in the Staten Island community and beyond.

This year's Awards Breakfast was co-chaired by Glen Cutrona of Glen V. Cutrona Associates, and Janet Langton-Magnuson of Scaran and AAA Thrifty Exterminating. They led the 2012 Louis R. Miller Awards Selection Committee, whose members are John J. Amodio, TD Bank; Carol L. Dunn, Staten Island Inter-Agency Council For Aging Inc.; Harold C. Kaplan, ABCO Refrigeration Supply Co. of Staten Island Inc.; Donna Long, The Grace Foundation; Dina R. Rosenthal, Staten Island Children’s Museum; and Kenneth Schneider, P.A.C. Plumbing, Heating, and A.C.

Before the presentation of the awards, artist Fred Sklenar presented the Chamber with a portait of Louis R. Miller, who had mentored Sklenar in his marketing business. Miller was an active and exceptional business professional who gave so much to the Staten Island community. Every year, the Chamber and the Advance honor business professionals in his memory.

This year's award ceremony was a great success. We congratulate all of this year's outstanding honorees, and wish them only the best in their future endeavors. To view more photos from this year's awards breakfast, visit our facebook page by clicking here.

**All photos courtesy of Steve White**

10 are honored with Louis R. Miller leadership award

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:16:14 GMT

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Being recognized by your peers is an absolute honor, even if that recognition happens only a few short hours after the sun comes up.

But the 8 a.m. time slot did not stop 300 people from filling a room at the Hilton Garden Inn, Bloomfield, to recognize 10 remarkable Staten Island businessmen and businesswomen as part of the annual Louis R. Miller Business Leadership Award Breakfast.

This year’s honorees are: Vittorio Asoli, Trattoria Romana; Dominick J. Brancato, New York Center for Interpersonal Development; Dr. Tomas Morales, The College of Staten Island; Elizabeth Egbert, Staten Island Museum; Brian and Michael Farley, Hudson Elevator Group; MaryLee Montalvo and Marlene Markoe-Boyd, MLM Public Relations; John E. Nikolai, Jealan Fireplaces, and Chris Williams, Williams Eye Works.

A West Brighton resident, Miller was a tireless community activist and local leader, known for his contributions to small-business development. He died in 1994 at age 93.

The event is co-sponsored by the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce and the Advance. This year’s breakfast included a few firsts: Glen Cutrona shared co-chairing duties with new co-chair Janet Langton-Magnuson. Al Lambert and Ted Maloy joined the cast of veteran heavyweight presenters, Scarangello brothers, Frank and Tom, and the biggest surprise: the unveiling of a portrait of Miller done by Fred Sklenar, son of Peggy Sklenar, the first woman named to the Chamber board of directors and the first elected board chair.

Sklenar recounted how Miller spent a year consulting him for his marketing business. He said Miller taught him many successful business techniques.

“He took on the task of tutoring small businesses over the years and he went on to become a Staten Island legend and the best small-business guru ever,” said Sklenar, just before unveiling the lifelike portrait and garnering applause.

The portrait will hang in the Chamber’s headquarters, said Linda Baran, Chamber President/CEO.

Cutrona spoke highly of the recipients, “all of whom are special deserving people, and I am pleased this year’s recipients are joining so many others who all make our community a better place to be,” he said.

After all the pleasantries, the honorees endured some good-natured roasting coupled with plenty of compliments from their presenters.

Singer Al Lambert got everyone to stand and sing, “That’s Amore” in honor of Italian chef Vittorio Asoli before joking that when people want real Italian food Asoli, “sends them to over to Brioso Ristorante in New Dorp.”

Tom Scarangello noted that John Nikolai said fireplaces have been his passion for the past 35 years. “How sad is that?” quipped Scarangello, noting Nikolai likely got a smile just watching the old holiday Yule Log burn on WPIX.

“It is flattering and an honor to be part of this group. You don’t realize how powerful it is until you are there,” noted honoree Dominick Brancato.

“Lou Miller embodied integrity, professionalism and goodness, and to receive an award in his name is a tremendous honor,” said honoree Ms. Montalvo.

The honorees also received citations from Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis, who attended.

To read this article at its source, click here.

Business Workshops and Seminars: The week of 2/13/2012

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 17:46:51 GMT

Business Education on Staten Island

Wednesday, February 15, 2012 ~ 10am to Noon
Financing for Small Business/Alternative Lending
WBCLDC 705 Forest Ave, 2nd Fl, S.I., NY 10310
Limited Seating ~ Call: (718) 816-4775

Wednesday, February 15, 2012 ~ 7pm to 9pm
Netpreneurs – Best Practices for Your Online Biz
WBCLDC 705 Forest Ave, 2nd Fl, S.I., NY 10310
Limited Seating ~ Call: (718) 816-4775

Thursday, February 16, 2012 ~ 7pm to 9pm
Maximize Your Income and Save Towards Retirement –
As a Small Business Owner or Entrepreneur
WBCLDC office ~ 705 Forest Ave, 2nd Fl, S.I., NY 10310
Limited Seating ~ Call: (718) 816-4775

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2012 - 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM
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Legislative Updates: February 14, 2012

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:51:47 GMT

Port Authority Update

On February 28, the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce and local business owners will meet with Pat Foye of the Port Authority and Ken Adams from Empire State Development to discuss the toll impact on local businesses. Attendance at this meeting is by invitation only. If you have any information you would like to share demonstrating the effect of the toll increase on your business, such as EZPass statements or other toll and trucking information, please call the Chamber at 718-727-1900 or email info@sichamber.com.

Pay Notice Repeal

Pursuant to the Wage Theft Prevention Act, employers in NY have to prepare an annual wage notice for each of their employees. This notice must be signed, collected by the employer, and retained for six years. Members of the NY State Legislature, including Staten Island Assemblyman Lou Tobacco, have introduced legislation to repeal this part of the Wage Theft Prevention Act. Read the Chamber’s letter supporting the repeal here. The Chamber encourages you to contact your elected representatives and tell them what you think about this repeal. You can take action here.

Check Your Notice of Property Value. It Determines the Amount of your Real Estate Taxes! Deadline: March 1st

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:28:53 GMT

Every year the Chamber receives inquiries when and if a business' real estate taxes increase. Members who wish to dispute it often miss the deadline and therefore have to wait one year to challenge the issue.

Please read the following information so you do not miss the deadline!

Everyone who owns property in New York City should have received a Notice of Property Value. This notice determines the property taxes for this year. The deadline for challenging this assessment is March 1, so please carefully inspect the document and the attached explanation. If you believe that your Market Value is incorrect, you can fill out a Review of Property Value form available at http://nyc.gov/html/dof/html/property/property_val_appeals.shtml.

If you think that your Assessed Value or Exempt Value is wrong, you can find information on filing a protest with the NYC Tax Commission on their website at http://www.nyc.gov/html/taxcomm/html/forms/forms.shtml.

Have Questions? Attend this Seminar!

The Finance Department will be holding a session on property taxes at 350 St. Mark's Place, 4th Floor, Room 400 (at the corner of St. Mark's and Hyatt Street) on

Thursday, February 16th at 10:00am.

9 to receive Business Leadership Awards during breakfast meeting at the Hilton Garden Inn

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 20:13:24 GMT

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Nine Staten Island business leaders will be recognized for their contributions during the annual Louis R. Miller Business Leadership Awards Breakfast held on Feb. 16 at 8 a.m. in the Hilton Garden Inn, Bloomfield.

Miller, a businessman and community leader, was known in the borough for his contributions to small business development. Often using his extensive business experience to mentor others, Miller was considered a quintessential teacher in all aspects of business operations, management and entrepreneurship.

A West Brighton resident, he was also known as a tireless community activist, who often volunteered with and supported a wide variety of charitable, cultural and educational institutions.

He died in 1994 at age 93.

The event is co-sponsored by the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce and the Advance. The event co-chairpersons are Glen Cutrona, head of the selection committee, and Janet Magnuson. The presenters are: Tom Scarangello, Frank Scarangello, and first-time presenters Al Lambert and Ted Maloy.

This year’s recipients represent either businesses or not-for-profit agencies selected in the “Emerging,” “Established,” “Master” and “Not-For-Profit” categories. Winners are profiled in the Advance.

Honorees are chosen by the Louis R. Miller Award Selection Committee. The award is open to both chamber and non-chamber members. Nominations are accepted year round.

Tickets are $50 for Chamber members; $75 for non-members. Reservations are needed. Phone the Chamber at 718-727-1900 or register online at www.sichamber.com. The Hilton Garden Inn is located at 1100 South Ave.

To read this article at its source, click here.

Chamber's Business After Hours Series Kicks-Off at the South Fin Grill

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:43:36 GMT

About 100 Chamber members and business owners gathered at the South Fin Grill on February 9th to kick-off the 2012 Business After Hours Series. While enjoying drinks and great hor d'oeuvres, members were able to network and make connections in a relaxed and casual atmosphere.

NY Youth Works Program

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:18:36 GMT

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signed the NY Youth Works Program into law on December 9, 2011 to encourage businesses to hire unemployed, disadvantaged youth. The program will support job training and employment for eligible youth ages 16 to 24, who live in the following areas of New York State:

· New York City

· Town of Hempstead

· Buffalo

· Rochester

· Syracuse

· New Rochelle

· Mount Vernon

· Yonkers

· Schenectady

· Albany

· Utica

· Town of Brookhaven

For Businesses – Your business can earn tax credits of up to $4,000 for hiring eligible youth between January 1, 2012 and July 1, 2012. Your business must be certified to participate in the program, and the process is easy. More details: https://labor.ny.gov/careerservices/youth-tax-credit.shtm

COAHSI represents Staten Island as a Naturally Occuring Cultural District

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:37:59 GMT

The Council of the Arts and Humanities for Staten Island (COAHSI), is proud to be representing Staten Island as a Naturally Occurring Cultural District (NOCD) in the City of New York, joining FAB, Queens Museum, El Museo del Barrio, and many others. This opportunity was made possible with fudning from eight federal agencies, including the National Endowment for the Arts.

A Naturally Occuring Cultural District (NOCD) supports existing neighborhood cultural assets rather than imposing arts institutions somewhere new. Developing a better understanding of NOCDs citywide can provide a framework to recognize and support a more inclusive, equitable vision of a neighborhood's culture. One such area that will benefit is the St. George neighborhood, where community initiated cultural cluster have befun to form, and will only continue growing.

COAHSI is honored to be a part of this movement, and is excited about the opportunities this presents to Staten Island. With the NOCD, we hope to forge strong partnerships betwee arts groups, businesses, and the local community, and we hope to grow stronger awareness of the cultural life that can be found in St. George and other neighborhoods and communities on Staten Island.

Tackling Youth Substance Abuse Initiative Formed

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:08:34 GMT

You are probably only too familiar with the awful state of youth substance abuse on Staten Island. The Staten Island Advance has done a wonderful job keeping us aware of the tragic impact on our families. In response to the frightening statistics facing us all, The Tackling Youth Substance Abuse (TYSA) Initiative has been formed.

TYSA is a cross-sector coalition aimed at driving major improvements in youth substance abuse in Staten Island, with the ultimate goals of decreased use of alcohol and prescription drugs and youth making healthy choices overall. Many individuals, organizations and agencies from across the community, have already joined in the effort to work toward a common vision and set of goals towards decreasing youth substance abuse in Staten Island. Involvement spans borough, city and state agencies, treatment providers, prevention providers, youth development organizations, pharmacies, law enforcement, education, hospitals and other medical professionals, philanthropy, and more. TYSA need the voice of the local business community to be heard in order to be successful. They are currently looking for business community representatives to join this effort. There are likely to be many business people who are deeply committed to the cause but may not be aware of this effort. TYSA’s work so far is exciting and is developing a very solid foundation. If you are interested in learning more about the effort please call Laila Modzelewski, Take Care Staten Island Coordinator, at (lmodzelewski@health.nyc.gov).

How the current Euro crisis affects travel

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:31:10 GMT

How does the current euro crisis affect you and your travels? The politicians and bankers are all worked up, but will the euro zone's current economic turmoil have any significant impact on visitors from North America? Certainly, the euro is under threat, and because Europe is such an important destination for visitors from North America, what happens to the currency is important. But few analysts are looking into the possible impacts on visitors—so we’ll do that for you right here.

Impact on you
The main impacts of any euro zone failure scenario would fall on Europeans. For visitors, the impacts would probably be transitory and fairly minor:

In Euro Zone Countries: Fracturing of the euro zone could lead, at least for a few years, to better exchange rates against the dollar, favoring U.S. travelers. But shifts would probably be relatively small and relatively slow, and Europe would not turn into a "budget paradise" to any significant degree.

In Defaulting Countries: Just about anything could happen. A devalued currency, if it remains stable, could mean really good deals for visitors. For several years following the 1997 Asian financial crisis, for example, much of Southeast Asia became a real bargain for visitors from strong-currency countries. That would be a best-case scenario. Runaway inflation, on the other hand, makes travel more difficult. Travel businesses in affected countries try to peg local prices to dollars or euros and transact as much business as they can in hard currencies.

What really matters to visitors
Decisions by tourists whether to visit a given country or area are much more affected by what happens in the streets than by what happens in the banks. Travelers to Greece these days are more concerned about getting caught in civil unrest than they are about low prices; despite some good resort deals, travelers avoid Mexican bordering cities because they really don't want to become collateral damage in a drug war. Those developments, rather than exchange rates, are likely to govern tourism patterns over the coming years.
The lesson for most North Americans: Don't figure on any big changes in costs of visiting most of Europe, one way or the other. Keep a close eye on the headlines to avoid visiting places where you might encounter violence. And if you have to prepay more than a few hundred dollars, buy cancel-for-any-reason trip insurance so you, not the bean counters, can decide how to respond to what happens on the ground.

Visit Contrino Travel's facebook page here!

Protecting small businesses

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:45:52 GMT

The members of the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce were singing the blues at the group’s fourth legislative breakfast on Friday.

The annual gathering is intended to allow business owners to convey their concerns and priorities to borough lawmakers, and they certainly had a lot on their minds.

Not surprisingly, a major complaint was about the high cost of providing health care for employees, which is a universal problem these days.

Dave Rampulla, owner of Ferry Ads, said, “I can’t keep raising my rates to pay for health insurance, and keep my customers. It’s an unsustainable business model.”

But the business people also lamented the additional burdens placed on them by the city and state in the form of higher tolls, increased fees and fines and other cost increases, despite Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s boast about no tax hikes.

State and city government is forever finding new ways of extracting money from them other than taxes.

For example, the Parks Department can now charge a property-owner as much as $30,000 to remove trees. Similarly, the Department of Buildings can now impose a $1,000 fine for violations if required paperwork is not hand-delivered to its Manhattan office.

We’ve written often in this space about myriad, often picayune violations with which city Health Department inspectors can slap restaurant-owners. It’s become clear of late that these violations and accompanying steep fines are more about raising revenue for the city than they are about protecting the restaurant-going public’s health.

Steve VillaMarin of Villa Marin Buick GMC struck a familiar chord when he said of sky-high bridge tolls, “It puts me at a competitive disadvantage to make bids against the other boroughs and New Jersey.”

Everyone who lives on Staten Island has complained about having to pay high tolls and excessive city fines, but for these business owners these costs accumulate quickly, cut into their bottom lines and threaten their businesses’ very survival.

And these are the people who hire and retain employees; our borough’s and our region’s economic recovery depends on their businesses thriving.

Ironically, even as so many small business owners are approaching the breaking point in this rugged economy, some pandering politicians are looking to add another big brick to their load.

Despite having failed at passing legislation two years ago, a number of members of the New York City Council have resurrected a bill which would require companies with 20 or more employees to provide nine days of paid leave to all employees; companies with between five and 19 employees would be required to provide five paid leave days.

It sounds like a compassionate policy, but could very well have the opposite effect than sponsors of the bill expect.

Frankly, the bill is motivated by the same silly “progressive” thinking that says that all employees are victims of evil employers, who can easily afford to give them paid days off.

That’s simply a childish view of economic reality. Many small business owners are operating on the margin as it is. If they’re forced to pay employees for days on which the employees produce nothing, their costs will go up.

If these business owners do manage to stay in business despite being saddled with enforced paid leave, they’ll have to cut costs elsewhere, including personnel costs. This will mean fewer job openings at the worst possible time.

Council Speaker Christine Quinn, citing the potential for the loss of tens of thousands of jobs in the city, wisely quashed the paid-leave bill when it last came up in 2010.

This time around, Ms. Quinn says the goals of the sponsors are “laudable,” but added that “small businesses are hanging by a thread,” and insisted the measure would “cost us jobs and cost us small businesses and their future in tough economic times.”

The speaker is absolutely right. The unintended consequences of this bill would be disastrous for small businesses that are already taking it on the chin because of other costs. We hope that she again nips this initiative in the bud before it gains any political traction.

To read this article at its source, click here.

Business Owners Meet With Officials At Staten Island Chamber Of Commerce Breakfast

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:46:21 GMT

NY1 VIDEO: Businesses owners voiced their concerns to elected officials Friday at an annual breakfast organized by the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce.

Help put wind in our sails, Staten Island business owners ask legislators

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:18:05 GMT

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- It’s tough enough keeping a small business afloat in this soft economy.

But add to that ever-shifting government regulations, with their fines and fees, the skyrocketing cost of employee health care and such borough-specific zingers as bridge tolls, and it’s no surprise local business owners gave an earful to borough lawmakers yesterday at the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce’s fourth annual legislative breakfast.

“It’s very difficult to be in business in this environment,” said Bob Cutrona, owner of Project-One Services, addressing the city, state and federal legislators and their representatives and the crowd of roughly 150 Chamber members at the Old Bermuda Inn, Rossville.

After sharing his tale of working harder than ever for a shrinking profit margin, he asked how many in the audience were actually doing better economically than in 2005.

Only three hands went up.

The longtime role of small businesses as jobs creators is undermined by the high cost of health care, said speaker Dave Rampulla, owner of Ferry Ads, describing how it is more affordable simply to bring on contractors. “I can’t keep raising my rates to pay for health insurance, and keep my customers,” he said. “It’s an unsustainable business model.”

Barbara Neijidi, owner of Di Sara restaurant in New Dorp Beach, said her business is jeopardized by what she characterized as punitive inspections by the city Health Department. Steve VillaMarin of VillaMarin Buick GMC spoke about the painful bridge tolls, and how potential future hikes also affect business: “It puts me at a competitive disadvantage to make bids against the other boroughs and New Jersey.”

Undermining an already weak housing market, a new regulation now allows the city Parks Department to charge as much as $30,000 for removing trees, said Bob Kelly of Master Real Estate. Kevin Lenning of SCARAN appealed to lawmakers to do something about the city Department of Buildings, which has been known to levy a $1,000 fine for violations unless paperwork is hand-delivered to Manhattan.

City agencies have made some improvements to expedite business, said Borough President James P. Molinaro, describing video conferencing technology that should speed the city’s sluggish permitting process.

“You want results, usher in a new mayoral administration,” quipped City Councilman James Oddo (R-Mid-Island/Brooklyn), urging Chamber members to hold mayoral candidates’ feet to the fire in 2013. “I like Mayor Bloomberg, but when he comes here he is treated like a rock star and not challenged on the issues. You have to challenge these folks.”

State Sen. Diane Savino (D-Brooklyn/North Shore) and Assemblyman Lou Tobacco (R-South Shore) had very different takes on the ways increasing the minimum wage would affect the business community. Sen. Savino supported the move afoot in Albany, saying “raising the floor will raise the ceiling,” while Tobacco vowed to campaign against it.

The Chamber does not have a position on minimum wage; a survey is still out to its members on the question, said its president, Linda Baran.

“We have a good group of elected officials on Staten Island who I feel do support us,” she said, noting ongoing dialogue with lawmakers can only improve prospects for local business.

To read this article at its source, click here.

Staten Island Chamber of Commerce inducts officers, new board members

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:07:39 GMT

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Civil Court Judge Orlando Marrazzo swore in officers and members of the board of directors of the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce and the board of directors of the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce Foundation at the organizations' end-of-January meeting, held at the Vanderbilt at South Beach.

New members joining the board of directors are: John Atkins, New York Container Terminal; Dean Balsamini Sr., Small Business Development Center, representing the College of Staten Island; Annamarie Gentile, supervising partner at Angiuli & Gentile, who was also inducted as an executive officer; Joan Risko, SI Bank & Trust, a division of Sovereign Bank, and Victor Vientos, National Grid.

Returning to the board are: Michael Assenza, vice president, Stat-Land Security Services; Allen Bentson, Allen C. Bentson Agency; Josh Caplan, Time Warner Cable; Gail Castellano, Richmond County Savings Bank; Joseph Doolan, TD Bank; Timothy McGovern, United NY Sandy Hook Pilots; Natalie Medina-Risano, Verizon; Anthony Mulholland, Staten Island Advance; Frank Pentecost, Consolidated Edison; Roger Prince, Port Authority of NY/NJ; Frank Scarangello, SCARAN; Ken Schneider, P.A.C. Plumbing,Heating & A/C; Joseph Tornello, Meals on Wheels of Staten Island; Mark Tranchina, The Vanderbilt at South Beach; and Ed Wiseman, Historic Richmond Town.

The current officers are: Board chairman, Solomon Chemo, who is managing principal with The Richmond Group Wealth Advisors; chairman-elect, Ralph Branca, president and CEO, Victory State Bank; executive officers Glen Cutrona, president of Glen V. Cutrona Associates; Ms. Gentile, and general counsel Bruce G. Behrins, attorney with Behrins & Behrins.

Joining the Chamber Foundation board are Dominick Brancato, executive director of the New York Center for Interpersonal Development, and Donna Long, executive director of the G.R.A.C.E. Foundation.

Continuing on the foundation board are: Chairwoman Rosemarie Scampas of Inform Business; Cutrona; Kenneth Doherty of Northfield Bank; William Dubovsky of Comtel Information Services; Ms. Gentile; Joseph Sciame of St. John's University, and John Vento of John C. Vento, CPA.

To read this article at its source, click here.

Restaurants under siege

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:48:04 GMT

Owners of restaurants across Staten Island are getting fed up with the city Department of Health over its appetite for collecting fines. Enough is enough, they say, and it’s not hard to understand why.

Their justifiable complaints — echoing those of eateries citywide — have to do with the flawed system of letter grades being enforced by relentless inspectors.

It goes far beyond the need to ensure safe dining for restaurant-goers. As we have said before, it looks suspiciously like the city is using the inspection system to cash in at the expense of restaurants that are under its thumb.

“It’s a common theme, these overzealous inspections,” said Linda Baran, president of the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce. “It’s at the point where businesses are saying these fines and fees hamstring them.”

So much so that the City Council is to hold hearings in the next several weeks on the growing crisis.

Calling it a sign “we’ve hit a raw nerve,” Speaker Christine Quinn has noted that over 1,000 restaurant owners have responded to a survey by the Council in advance of the hearing. The Island’s Chamber of Commerce has urged its 55 restaurant members to join in.

Since 2010, the Health Department has required food-service establishments to post letter grades of A, B or C that reflect their cumulative scores on sanitary inspections.

The system, which assesses points for a wide variety of violations, encompasses restaurants, coffee shops, bars, nightclubs, cafeterias, retail bakeries and fixed-site food stands.

But the nitpicking inspections, purportedly performed to ensure food safety, have, at the hands of some bullies working as inspectors, turned into dogged searches for picayune technical violations that have nothing to do with consumer health.

The explanation for this hyper-vigilance is that all violations, serious or not, carry steep fines that are often all out of proportion to any supposed risk. And somehow, successive inspections by the same inspectors seem to turn up entirely new lists of petty offenses that generate new fines.

¦Critics insist that this increasingly harsh enforcement has as much to do with fine revenue as safety and the numbers bear out their charge. The Department of Health hauled in over $42 million in fines in fiscal 2011, more than twice the amount it collected back in 2005.

In fiscal 2011, restaurant fines increased nearly $10 million (or almost 25 percent) from the year before.

Why the sharp increase in fine revenue? Have restaurants become that much dirtier?

This isn’t the first time we’ve asked the question.

“It’s like they’re printing money and we’re the printing press. Soon they’re going to kill the goose that laid the golden egg,” James McBratney, head of the Staten Island Restaurant and Tavern Association, has said. “They are doing this entirely under the guise of protecting the public health and it’s a farce; their true mission is to raise money.”

Mr. McBratney and others in his 100-plus member association say the outcome of health inspections can differ wildly, sometimes depending how rules are interpreted, the extent of the review or even the mood of the inspector.

The fact is, restaurants on Staten Island have fared the best of all boroughs under the vague and largely useless letter grading system. Nearly 79 percent of the more than 700 restaurants here have been able to earn an “A” rating.

Yet the situation remains dire citywide.

Health inspectors shuttered over

1,500 restaurants at one point or another during fiscal 2011, a rise of more than 17 percent from the year before. They include several popular and reputable eateries on Staten Island, affecting owners, employees, their families and all the businesses that provide goods and services to these restaurants.

Sure, some of these 1,500 places were sloppy and deserved their fate, but how many of these establishments became casualties simply because they were targeted by overzealous martinets in the employ of the Department of Health?

The City Council is right to intervene before the situation gets even worse.

To read this article at its source, click here.

Chamber's Employer Resource Council hosts seminar on effective interviewing skills

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:06:07 GMT

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- On January 31, the Staten Island Chamber's Employer Resource Council (ERC, formerly Staten Island JSEC) hosted speaker and career coaching expert Connie Tanasoulis-Cerrachio.

At the Joan and Alan Bernikow JCC, around 50 business leaders and professionals gathered to learn about hiring the RIGHT PERSON for the RIGHT JOB, selecting the right interview team, crafting the right interview questions, and quantifying a candidate's performance.

Thanasoulis-Cerrachio, a partner at SixFigureStart career coaching, has run staffing efforts at Fortune 500 companies for 25 years, including Citigroup, Pfizer, and Merrill Lynch. She brought her wealth of knowledge and experience to Chamber members looking to hone their interviewing skills, and answered questions on everything from finding the intangible skills in applicants to the legalities of interview questions.

This educational seminar was sponsored by the ERC, whose mission is to provide quality programs and initiatives that develop a skilled and educated workforce, meet the workforce needs of employers, and improve life circumstances by helping to prepare both employers and employees with the right tools to succeed. If you are interested in learning more about the ERC, or want to find out more about upcoming Chamber workshops, visit www.sichamber.com.

Congratulations to Paramount Oral Surgery of Staten Island on Grand Opening

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:13:29 GMT

Chamber President Linda Baran welcomes new member Paramount Oral Surgery at their Grand Opening celebration!

Visit Paramount's facebook page and like them today!

Michael and Brian Farley are the Louis R. Miller Business Leadership awards winners

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:45:10 GMT

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- They have made elevators their passion and, in doing so, Michael and Brian Farley have provided a much smoother ride for millions who never even think twice about stepping inside an elevator and pushing a button to get to the next level.

The father and son team respectively have become the latest recipients for the Louis R. Miller Business Leadership Award in the Established category.

Located at 963 Van Duzer St., Stapleton, this locally-based elevator contractor is a highly sought-after company which provides elevator maintenance and modernization as well as new elevator construction.

Anyone living and or working within New York City and the larger metropolitan area has likely ridden one of their elevators without even realizing it. They have installed and modernized elevators in numerous notable locations including Grand Central Station, Newark Airport, Jones Beach Theater, Coney Island Ball Park, and are currently installing a glass observation elevator at the World Trade Center site.

"We have built more than 400 elevators in schools and subway stations. Next time you ride on a subway and see a glass elevator, it's a good chance we installed that elevator," said Brian Farley.

Additionally, they provide elevator maintenance in over 500 schools and private buildings throughout the city.

Michael Farley originally opened his own elevator business in 1971.0 The elder Farley sold the business in the late 1980s. Father and son then joined with a third partner, Tom Lionetti, acquiring the former Action Elevator, Inc. in 1993. The younger Farley took over as president and CEO in 1995. In 2007, the name was changed from Action Elevator, Inc. to Hudson Elevator Group.

"We felt the name Hudson Elevator Group had a local flavor and better represented the mature company we have become," said Brian Farley.

Mature it has. The company currently has 56 employees and their client list includes the New York City Department of Education, Department of Citywide Administrative Services, Department of Design and Construction, the city Housing Authority, the School Construction Authority, Dormitory Authority State of New York, the MTA, and Metro North.

Farley stressed the company's main focus is providing new elevator construction in public buildings. The projects his family are most proud of are the Grand Central Terminal elevators, the Newark Airport glass elevator and the sanitation garage where, "we built 40,000-lbs. capacity elevators capable of lifting garbage trucks," he said.

Additionally, the company recently donated and installed an elevator in the specially-constructed Prince's Bay home of Army hero Brendon Marrocco, a former Army specialist and war hero, who is the first U.S. soldier ever to survive a quadruple amputation.

"We recently have been involved in the installation of more complex elevators," noted Farley. "We are focused more on custom elevators with glass walls and ceilings. We are pre-qualified to work in almost every city and state agency in New York."

Hudson Elevator Group is family-owned and operated with several Farley family members all involved in running the company.

For himself, Brian Farley said he grew up watching his father work in the elevator industry and like any father and son relationship it inspired and helped define his future.

"I carried his tool box when I was 12 years old," recalled Farley, noting that included even when his father was called to fix an elevator in the middle of the night. "From the age of 15, I worked on fixing and installing elevators every summer and during each school vacation," he added.

After graduating college, Farley said he worked on Wall Street for a time, but admitted, "I could not stand being chained to my desk," promoting him to go into the family business.

He said one of the tougher sides of the business is that there is no safety net or corporate parent to rely on during tough times. But that also has an upside, since the family is involved hands-on, "We are actually engaged in determining the success of our company," he delighted.

Farley said a hallmark of the company is the personalized care and attention they provide to customers; he noted that safety and energy efficiency are paramount in their business.

"We look forward to many more years in the industry by growing slowly, increasing efficiencies and separating ourselves by providing superior customer service," he said. "By customer service we mean educating building owners on vertical transportation options and providing hands on assistance during the installation process and finally staying current with maintenance and code requirements to make sure customers have a properly working and safe elevator."

Farley added that the business allows for the opportunity of providing a good quality of life for his family as well as for his employees.

The Farleys, at a glance

Father-and-son team Michael and Brian Farley run Hudson Elevator Group

Michael Farley

Position: Executive vice president

Family: Has been married to his wife, Beth, for 45 years.

Brian Farley

Position: President and CEO

Family: Has four children with wife Susan -- two sons, Michael and Sean, and two daughters, Sara and Lauren. Lives on the North Shore.

Community activities: Member, Snug Harbor Cultural Center; member, Staten Island Economic Development Corporation; member, former Staten Island Film Festival, member, Soup Kitchen of Stapleton U.A.M.E. Church, member, board of directors, Staten Island Zoo; member, board of directors, Camp Good Grief.

Education: Graduate, St. Peter's Boys High School; Penn State University.

To read this article at its source, click here.

Behind NYC's restaurant grades, Department of Health inspectors are scrutinized

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:41:48 GMT

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- For more than a half century, Mauro's was a landmark in New Dorp Beach.

But after its owner and famous namesake died in 2004, the restaurant struggled to survive under new management and eventually closed.

When Barbara Nejeidi and Mubera Selimi purchased the restaurant in late 2010, they hoped to breathe new life into the community -- renaming it Di Sara and dedicating much of their savings to the venture. A growing roster of customers was glad to see the neighborhood perk up around Di Sara. Plans were under way to purchase the building.

All that changed with an off-hours visit earlier this month by an inspector from the city Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, resulting in Di Sara's immediate, 30-day closure. Unlike most restaurant closures, this one wasn't based on sanitary issues like evidence of mice or insufficient refrigeration.

While Di Sara had previously earned a B grade, it was closed for "interfering or obstructing the duties of a Health Department officer." "There were no health concerns; they said it was just an obstruction," said Ms. Nejeidi, recounting how an inspector knocked on the locked doors at 2:30 in the afternoon Jan. 4, posing as a civilian asking to use the restroom.

After spotting cooks doing prep work in the kitchen before the restaurant's 5:30 opening, she flashed her badge and started an inspection.
Because neither owner was on site, a worker tried to stop the inspection from proceeding, Ms. Nejeidi said.

Details about the altercation vary, depending on who is doing the telling. But it's clear to Di Sara's owners that the decision to close was based solely on a worker's attitude.

Ms. Nejeidi said she has accrued $10,000 in debt from canceled parties and lost business. She said she had hoped to be back in business by the Super Bowl on Feb. 5, but is waiting for the Health Department to schedule a required reinspection.

"It's a neighborhood place. All we were trying to do was to make a living and make the neighborhood a little nicer," said Ms. Nejeidi. "We worked really hard to build up the Di Sara name for over a year; to close us for 30 days is very harmful."

If the restaurant does not reopen, its closure will do more than squash two old friends' dreams; the effects will ripple into the community and larger economy. Jobs will evaporate, food suppliers will lose contracts, a property will continue to linger on the market, and a vacancy will pockmark the streetscape. It will also mean less tax revenue for the city.

"The inspection is supposed to be about public safety and public health; it should not be punitive. If there are issues with the establishments, the guidelines should be clear and they should be given the opportunity to correct them," said Councilwoman Debi Rose (D-North Shore), who has worked with dozens of borough restaurant owners, enraged over what they call inconsistent rules for inspections and untenable fines. "The loss of these small businesses results in a decrease in the local economy."

A City Council hearing to be held late next month or in early March will drill down on the Health Department's 2-year-old letter grade system, which brought the city $42 million in fines last year, more than double the $20 million restaurant owners paid in 2005.

More than 1,000 restaurant owners citywide have already responded to a to a survey sent out in advance of the hearing, something Speaker Christine Quinn called a sign "we've hit a raw nerve."

Earlier this month, the tiny Coffee & Tea Market in West Brighton closed its doors due to unpaid fines to the department. Though the neighborhood spot had consistently earned A's, the owner said he could not keep up with fines that accrued with every minor violation. "It's a common theme, these overzealous inspections," said Linda Baran, president of Staten Island Chamber of Commerce.

"It's at the point where businesses are saying these fines and fees hamstring them. They can't spend money on inventory and improvements. If a restaurant closes, it affects everybody in the community."

The Chamber has reached out to its 55 restaurant members to make sure they fill out the City Council-generated survey.

"The Health Department's food safety program works to protect the public from restaurant-related foodborne illness by inspecting restaurants, providing inspection results to the public and closing restaurants that present a risk to public health," said Susan Craig, a spokeswoman for the Health Department.

Five restaurants in the borough are currently listed on the Health Department website as closed for a range of violations, including such few stomach-turning offenses as mice, flies and improper refrigeration.

"Restaurants that get A's on inspection do not pay fines," Ms. Craig said. "Our hope is to see only A's in restaurant windows."

She said the worker who closed Di Sara for "obstructing" the inspection was following state law. An inspection can be conducted any time there is food preparation under way, she said.

She could not say the amount the restaurant will have to pay in fines.

"It makes you feel bad to see it empty," said Rudy Mienert, who lives around the corner from Di Sara in New Dorp Beach, and became a regular customer soon after it opened. "It was pretty depressing when Mauro's was closed; the whole neighborhood was sad. It was a sign of the bad economy when something like that goes out of the neighborhood. We were really glad when Di Sara came in."

Meanwhile, in West Brighton, neighbors around Coffee & Tea Market on Forest Avenue, are wondering how long the boarded-up storefront will remain, and whether another chain store will eventually move in to fill the void. After 15 years in business, the cozy, independent coffee house was emptied out last week after owner Theodore David accumulated what he said was nearly $20,000 in fines to the Health Department.

"It was a small, community coffee shop, where you would go in get your cup of coffee, read your paper," said Loretta Cauldwell, executive director of the Forest Avenue Business Improvement District. "This is a great loss."

"Now the landlord has an empty shop, and a vacancy is never good for the neighborhood. The food establishments, all of them, are being bombarded by fines upon fines. They've been holding on, but the smaller you are, the more it is going to hurt you, and after a while you can't hold on."

To read this article at its source, click here.

YPG Business Tip: Tips for Smart Charitable Giving

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:12:46 GMT

Each year, charitable organizations find themselves facing a dilemma – how to handle shrinking public funding vs. increased demand of services. The best way to counteract this is to turn to individuals like you to make a contribution. With so many organizations out there vying for your attention (and dollars), it can be overwhelming to choose which ones to support.

Before you write those checks or click on that “donate now” button, take a few minutes to make an informed decision.

· Do the organization’s priorities match your own? Visit their web site or contact them for more information about their programs and services.

· Is that donation really tax-deductible? Not every tax-exempt organization qualifies to receive tax-deductible charitable contributions. To check if an organization is eligible to receive tax-deductible charitable contributions, visit www.irs.gov/charities/article/0,,id=96136,00.html.

· Can I deduct my donation if I receive a ‘free’ gift? If you receive something in exchange for your gift (such as a shirt, bag, etc.), the amount of your tax deduction is reduced by the fair market value of the item you received. You can always turn down the incentive item if you wish to claim a deduction for the full amount of your gift.

· Skip the event and write a check. Special events (galas, golf outings, etc.) are typically an inefficient way to raise money. Not only do these events come with costly expenses (invitations, food/drinks, etc.), but planning a special event often diverts staff time away from the charity’s mission. If you really want to help, stay home, order in and make a donation directly to the charity.

For more information and tips, visit: www.ag.ny.gov/publications/2011/Publications/Tips_on_Charitable_Giving_brochure_2011.pdf

Also, check out Philanthropedia’s “Guide to Better Giving” here: www.myphilanthropedia.org/guide_to_better_giving

YPG Helping Hands

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:48:55 GMT

In the coming weeks, the Young Professionals Group will be launching its "Helping Hands" program. This program offers the efforts of the YPG Volunteer Team to organizations holding community based events, veteran events, business improvements, and clean ups.

Our team will assist in the set-up, break down, transportation, heavy lifting, or whatever is needed on the day of the event.

This is a great opportunity for all young professionals to get more involved in and the help improve the community. Gain experience within community organizations and help make a difference. To get more involved, you must be a business professional on Staten Island between the ages of 21 and 40. Please contact the Chamber at (718) 727-1900 for more information.