Business Trends_September 2015.pdf

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SEPTEMBER 2015

BITS & BYTESIs it time for Apple Watch?

PAGE 6

MONEY TALKSUnderstanding long-term care

PAGE 8

ON THE JOBSee this month’s movers and shakers.

PAGES 18-19

www.sibiztrends.com

Special to Business Trends

The Rotary Club of Staten Island, with support from Con Edison, hosted students from P.S. 8 at the club's an-nual Ecology Day at the Staten Island Mall.

Rotary Club hosts Ecology Day

Business MeetingsCheck out our monthly listing andattend a meeting on Staten Island.

PAGE 4

SBA, SBDC to host

employment workshopIf you are retired and seeking

to re-enter the workforce, or em-ployed and dreaming of beingyour own boss – and need guid-ance – you’ll want to mark yourcalendar for a workshop Sept. 24.

The free event, sponsored bythe U.S. Small Business Adminis-tration and the Staten IslandSmall Business DevelopmentCenter, can be your first step to-ward understanding what it takes

to launch a new career as a busi-ness owner.

Titled “The Encore Entrepre-neur: Your Second Career,” theseminar will cover a range of es-sential topics, such as how to fundyour business; budgeting consid-erations and the basic skills re-quired for operating an enter-prise.

Featured speakers will includeConnie Thanasoulis-Cerrachio,co-founder of career-coachingfirm SixFigureStart; SolomonChemo, certified financial plan-ner and managing partner, TheRichmond Group Wealth Advi-sors; representatives from theSBA; and experts from the bank-ing, small business and franchis-ing communities.

“Career transitions and busi-ness start-ups are challenging bynature,” said Dean L. Balsamini,director of the SBDC at the Col-lege of Staten Island. “Fortunate-ly, the journey can be eased with

the assistance of experts.”The Sept. 24 seminar will take

place 8:30 a.m. to noon in theKnights of Columbus Hall, 22Hillside Terrace, Great Kills.

For pre-registration, Christine

please see BRIEFS, page 2

MONTHLY

UPDATE

By TIM RONALDSON Business Trends

Staten Island’s North Shore is goingthrough quite the transformation.

Construction on the New York Wheelbegan last month, with construction fences

erected and shovels in the ground for a proj-ect slated to open in 2017. All around the site,improvements are happening in the boroughto prepare for the projected influx of visitorsexpected.

One of the first improvements to be com-pleted will be celebrated this month, when on

Sept. 19, the new home of the Staten IslandMuseum at Snug Harbor will open to thepublic with inaugural exhibitions and a rib-bon-cutting ceremony.

“We are ecstatic to be opening the doors to

please see MUSEUM page 21

SI Museum to celebrate Snug Harbor opening


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2 BUSINESS TRENDS — SEPTEMBER 2015

Purelis of the SI SBDC may bereached at (718) 982-2495, or

emailed [email protected].

Big savings withHospitality 10 CardEnjoy a meal at one of Hospi-

tality 10 Card’s participatingrestaurants, save a few dollarsand help fight pediatric cancer – all with a plastic card. Hospitality10 Card popped up on the StatenIsland dining scene in July 2014and had an amazing year of growth. They now have 35 partici-pating establishments includingone retail wine shop (Honor

Wines), a winery (Staten IslandWinery) and are corporate spon-sors of the 2015 Staten Island Yan-kees.

The concept is straightforwardand effortless. Enjoy a meal atone of the participating restau-rants, when the check comes, putyour Hospitality 10 Card andform of payment inside the bill,and the server takes care of therest.

Staying true to its principlesand focusing on the local commu-nity, in late May, Hospitality 10Card teamed with The ServiceAuxiliary of Staten Island Uni-versity Hospital. The focus is tohelp raise money for the newKids Against Cancer PediatricOncology Center at SIUH.

The Staten Island UniversityHospital Service Auxiliary is theoldest continuous auxiliary in theUnited States, and is celebratingits 152nd anniversary in 2015. TheKAC is a philanthropic non-profit

charity dedicated to supportingfamilies fighting against pedi-atric cancer. The new center is en-visioned as a place where chil-dren can be treated close to homebut yet far removed from theirdisease. Some features include aone-wall fish tank, a running wa-terfall with teens’ corner, interac-tive video and IT wall with touchscreens, as well as an expositionof fluttering butterflies.

The price of the card is $29.99for a one-year membership. There

is a potential savings calculatorfor people to check if the mem-

bership is right for them.In this upcoming year, Hospi-

tality 10 Card plans to raise thou-sands of dollars for the PediatricOncology Center, double the sizeof its participants (restaurants),develop an app and grow its newcorporate and professional mem-berships. You can learn more andbecome a member at www.hospi-tality10card.com.

SBS launches onlineportal for M/WBEs

The New York City Depart-ment of Small Business Services

announced the launch of an on-line tool enabling Minority andWomen-owned Business Enter-prises to certify and re-certify on-line, check the status of applica-tions and update their businessprofiles to better promote them-selves to buyers.

To assist firms with the certifi-cation process, SBS offers a rangeof support services includingworkshops on selling to govern-ment and one-on-one assistancefrom experienced client man-agers.

Certified M/WBEs can alsotake advantage of free Compete toWin services offered by SBS, in-cluding programs to assist withbond readiness, contract financ-ing, teaming and mentorship.M/WBEs are also eligible to par-ticipate in the city’s Corporate Al-liance Program, which trains andconnects city-certified firms withprivate sector contract opportuni-ties, as well as Strategic Steps for

Growth, a nine-month businessmanagement course for M/WBEsoffered by the city in partnershipwith New York University.

The NYC Online CertificationPortal can be accessed atnyc.gov/certifyonline. Firms in-terested in certifying as anM/WBE or participating inM/WBE programming, can learnmore by calling 311, visitingnyc.gov/getcertified or meetingwith a client manager at one of the city’s seven NYC Business So-

lutions Centers located in all fiveboroughs.

BRIEFSContinued from page 1

Monthly Update

Visit us online at www.sibiztrends.com


3/24

SEPTEMBER 2015 — BUSINESS TRENDS 3

STEVE WHITE/Business Trends

A ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the grand opening of Richmond County Savings Bank's newbranch in Tottenville was held on Aug 24. Pictured, seventh from the left is Linda Baran, president andCEO of the S.I. Chamber of Commerce; Branch Manager Rita Pirrone (with scissors); Gail Castellano, re-gional manager; and Assemblyman Joe Borelli, with employees of the bank.

Richmond County Savings opens new branch


4/24


MONDAYBus. Outreach Ctr of SI/WBCLDCSmall Bus. Counseling –MWBE/BOC Capital: WBCLDC, 705Forest Ave., 2nd Fl. By appointment

only. For info, call 718-816-4775.Kiwanis Club of Richmond Co.:LaFontana Restaurant, 2879 AmboyRd. 7 p.m. Call 718-420-1966.

College of S.I., Small Bus. Dev. Ctr.Business Counseling: CSI, 2800Victory Blvd. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nocharge. For info, call the SBDC at718-982-2560.

TUESDAYGreater New Dorp Networking

Group: 8 a.m. Perkins, 1409 HylanBlvd. For information, call SteveLombardo at 718-702-8623.

SI Business Friends: 7:30 - 8:45a.m. Hilton Garden Inn, 1100 SouthAve. For information, call Dr. RichardBove at 718-938-5978 or visitwww.sibfnetwork.com.

Bus. Outreach Ctr of SI/WBCLDCSmall Bus. Counseling –MWBE/BOC Capital: WBCLDC, 705Forest Ave., 2nd Fl. By appointmentonly. For info, call 718-816-4775.

Direct120.com, Ultimate Think

Tank: Lorenzo’s, 1100 South Ave. Forinfo, visit www.direct120.com.

Kiwanis Club of South Shore:LaFontana, 2879 Amboy Rd. 7:30p.m. For info, call 718-370-2770.

SCORE Business Counseling: S.I.Bank & Trust, 1550 Richmond Rd. 9a.m. to noon. No appointment nec-essary. No charge. For info, call 718-727-1221.

Business Guild I of the S.I. Cham-ber of Commerce: Hilton GardenInn, 1100 South Ave. 7:45 a.m. Mem-bers and invited guests only. CallMichael Anicito at 646-606-2111.

Business Network Int’l. (BNI) Net-work Alliance Chapter: Z-OneLounge, 1821 Richmond Ave. 7 to8:30 a.m. For info, call TimothyHouston at 718-981-8600.

Rotary Club Staten Island: LiGre-ci’s Staten, 697 Forest Ave. 12:30 to1:30 p.m. Members and guests wel-come. For info, call 718-370-3140.

College of S.I., Small Bus. Dev. Ctr.Business Counseling: Chamber ofCommerce, 130 Bay St. 9 a.m. No

charge. Call 718-982-2560.College of S.I., Small Bus. Dev. Ctr.Business Counseling: CSI, 2800Victory Blvd. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nocharge. Call the SBDC at 982-2560.

WEDNESDAYBus. Outreach Ctr of SI/WBCLDCSmall Bus. Counseling –MWBE/BOC Capital: WBCLDC, 705Forest Ave., 2nd Fl. By appointment

only. For info, call 718-816-4775.Richmond County Referral Source:Comfort Inn. 7:00 to 8:15 a.m. Forinfo, email [email protected]

Staten Island Business Council:Andrew’s Diner, 4160 Hylan Blvd. 7a.m. Members and invited guestsonly. For info, call 347-855-4488 orsend an e-mail to [email protected].

Bucks Business Network: Hamp-ton Inn, 1120 South Ave. 7:45 a.m.For info, call 718-351-2557 or visitwww.sibucks.com.

Kiwanis Club of Brighton: Jody’sClub Forest, 372 Forest Ave. 7:30p.m. For info, call 718-348-0505.

Kiwanis Club of North Central:LiGreci’s Staten, 697 Forest Ave.7:30 p.m. Call Len Bosso at 718-442-7804.

Gateway Rotary Club: LaStrada,139 New Dorp Ln. 7:15 p.m. For info,call 718-447-1509.

SCORE Business Counseling:Chamber of Commerce, 130 Bay St.9 to 11:30 a.m. Appointment neces-sary. No charge. Call 718-727-1221.

E.L.I.T.E. (Executive, Leadership,Interactive, Team, Effort) Net-working Group: 1110 South Ave. 8a.m. New members welcome. Forinfo, call 347-273-1375.

College of S.I., Small Bus. Dev. Ctr.Business Counseling: CSI, 2800Victory Blvd. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Forinfo, call 718-982-2560.

THURSDAY

Bus. Outreach Ctr of SI/WBCLDCSmall Bus. Counseling –MWBE/BOC Capital: WBCLDC, 705Forest Ave., 2nd Fl. By appointmentonly. For info, call 718-816-4775.

Richmond Business Connections:Z One, 1821 Richmond Ave. 8 a.m.For information, call Ronald P.Cutrone at (347) 258-8131.

Kiwanis Club of Staten Island:LiGreci’s Staten, 697 Forest Ave.7:30 p.m. For info, call 718-967-4345or kiwanisclubofstatenisland.com.

Rotary Club of South Shore: Man-

sion Grand, 141 Mansion Ave. 12:15p.m. For info, call 718-987-2061 orvisit southshorerotary.org.

Rotary Club Mid-Island: New Dako-

WEEKLY MEETINGS

please see MEETINGS, page 15


5/24


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FLINT GENNARI/Special to Business Trends

John Amodio was named a Rotarian of the Year nominee by Rotary International District 7230, in recog-nition of his 36 years of service as a member of the Rotary Club of Staten Island. Amodio also serves aschairman (since 1997) of the Staten Island Rotary Foundation, and started the club's high school levelInterAct Clubs at New Dorp High School and Susan Wagner High School. Pictured, from left, are Rotari-ans Linda Baran, Amodio and Don Lee.

John Amodio named Rotarian of the Year nominee


6/24

in our opinion

Shovels are in the groundProgress can be viewed at Wheel construction site


Much has been written on

these pages about the pend-

ing construction of the New

York Wheel on the North Shore and

what it will do for Staten Island. We’ve

talked the project itself and its direct

impact on tourism; we’ve talked its

ripple effect on businesses in the im-mediate area; and we’ve even talked

about how others outside the immedi-

ate zone can capitalize on the project.

Until now, though, the Wheel has

been just that – talk. In September

2012, Richard Marin, the Wheel’s CEO,

announced at a press conference with

then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg that

the Wheel was coming. But now, we

can see with our own eyes that it real-

ly is happening.

Construction fences were erected

around the site last month, and shov-

els have hit the ground – the first step

in an estimated two-year-long con-

struction process that will see the

world’s largest observation wheel

open sometime in 2017.

Wheel officials will be back in frontof the City Planning Commission next

week because the developer has pro-

posed changes to the original plan that

includes increasing the height of the

parking garage and eliminating wind

turbines and solar panels on the site,

in addition to other items. This may

just be a formality, but we hope the

changes don’t hold up the project any

longer.

We’re very excited to see what the

Wheel has to offer, and we’re especial-

ly excited to see what it will be able to

do for our beloved Island.

Staten Island for so long has needed

a project such as the Wheel to bring

visibility to the borough. This is not to

say other projects such as the Empire

Outlets or the Staten Island MarineDevelopment or the Teleport didn’t

vastly improve the Island. It’s that,

quite obviously, those projects don’t

have the sex appeal the Wheel does to

outside influences.

So while we always advocate for any

project that improves our borough,

and there have been many recently, we

are simply over-the-top ready for the

Wheel to open.

Is it 2017 yet?

66 Willow Avenue

Staten Island, NY 10305

718-775-3154

JOE EISELEPublisher

TIM RONALDSON

Executive Editor

STEVE COPPOLA

Director

RICHARD GRADO

Director

ROBERT CUTRONA

Director

LAWRENCE RAMPULLA Director

JANET WARREN DUGO

Publisher Emeritus

DAN McDONOUGH, JR.

Chairman

Business Trends is mailed each month to t he

business and community leaders of Staten

Island. To be added to the mailing list, e-

mail joe@sib iztrends .com. To submit anews release, email [email protected].

For advertising info, call 718-775-3154 or email [email protected].

By BILL DUBOVSKY

Situation

Communicating and comput-ing are continually becomingmore personal. It’s been predictedthat future clothing will containsensors that will be able to moni-tor our health in real-time andeven get us help if we have ahealth emergency.

The Apple watch gets us closerto Dick Tracy’s two-way wrist-radio and may even help us with

health monitoring and emergen-cies as apps progress.

What is it?

The Apple watch is a seamlessdevice that works with and is up-

dated with an iPhone 6. New, na-tive software, watchOS2, will beout this fall, which promisesfaster, more powerful apps, en-hanced communications options,with new looks and uses for thewatch face.

I cannot even list all the thingsthis device can do in this brief ar-ticle, so check it out atwww.apple.com for details andvideo.

How it works

The watch comes in two sizes(38mm and 42 mm) and has threedifferent “Editions” that vary bysize, finish and bands. The capa-bilities of all devices are identi-cal. The least expensive Edition is

the watch Sport, which is $349 forthe 38 mm model and $399 for the42 mm model. The top-of-the-linewatches are $10,000 and $12,000,respectively.

Major functionality includes:seeing your schedule and havingit silently remind you by “tap-ping” your wrist when you havean appointment, get a notifica-tion, text or call.

You can make and receive callsfrom a favorite list or by askingSiri to make the call for you.

Emailing and keeping in touchwith friends, family and associ-ates is easy with a list of relevant,preset replies.

Transit info and GPS mapsshow you the best route from

your current location to whereyou need to go (very useful). Youcan draw and send color sketches,messages or even your heart rateto other Apple watch users. Per-haps the coolest app is Apple Pay.I can use my American Express,Visa and soon Discover card sim-ply by passing my watch over theApple Pay device at stores andrestaurants that accept it – no re-membering to bring your card orrisk having it breached.

Each watch has a Taptic En-

gine, Digital Crown, accelerome-ter, heart rate sensor, speaker andmicrophone. According to Apple,“The Ping app uses the ac-celerometer to measure the speedof your golf swing, the Strava app

uses the heart rate sensor to gath-er and display data during work-outs, and Insteon app lets you usethe Digital Crown to control yourhouse lights.”

Also, it is a very accuratewatch that never needs to be ad-

justed!

What you need

All of the Apple watch Editionsare technically the same and willwork with an iPhone 6.

The main difference between

them are the watch cases andstraps, which can be as inexpen-sive as the sport model, the moreclassic look, and the top-of-the-

Is it time for the Apple Watch?BITS & BYTES

please see BITS page 10


7/24


8/24

By WILLIAM J. MARCOAddressing the potential threat

of long-term care expenses may

be one of the biggest financialchallenges for individuals whoare developing a retirement strat-egy.

The U.S. Department of Healthand Human Services estimatesthat 70 percent of people over age65 can expect to need long-termcare services at some point intheir lives. So understanding thevarious types of long-term careservices – and what those servic-es may cost – is critical as you

consider your retirement ap-proach.Long-term care is not a single

activity. It refers to a variety of medical and non–medical servic-es needed by those who have achronic illness or disability – most commonly associated withaging.

Long-term care can include

everything from assistance withactivities of daily living – helpdressing, bathing, using the bath-

room, or even driving to thestore – to more intensive thera-peutic and medical care requir-ing the services of skilled med-ical personnel.

Long-term care may be provid-ed at home, at a community cen-ter, in an assisted living facility orin a skilled nursing home. Andlong-term care is not exclusivelyfor the elderly; it is possible toneed long-term care at any age.

Long–term care costs vary

state–by–state and region–by–re-gion.The national average for care

in a skilled care facility (single oc-cupancy in a nursing home) is$87,600 a year. The national aver-age for care in an assisted livingcenter (single occupancy) is$42,000 a year. Home health aidescost an average of $20 per hour,

but that rate may increase when alicensed nurse is required.

Often, long-term care is provid-

ed by family and friends. Provid-ing care can be a burden, howev-er, and the need for assistancetends to increase with age.

Individuals who would rathernot burden their family andfriends have two main options forcovering the cost of long-termcare: they can choose to self-in-sure or they can purchase long-term care insurance.

Many self-insure by default – simply because they haven’t

made other arrangements. Thosewho self-insure may depend onpersonal savings and investmentsto fund any long-term care needs.The other approach is to considerpurchasing long-term care insur-ance, which can cover all levels of care, from skilled care to custodi-al care to in-home assistance.

When it comes to addressingyour long-term care needs, manylook to select a strategy that mayhelp them protect assets, preservedignity and maintain independ-

ence.If those concepts are impor-

tant to you, consider your ap-proach for long-term care.

William John Marco is a certifiedwealth strategist with Marco WealthStrategies Group, located at 114Seguine Ave. in Staten Island. He canbe reached at (718) 967-3106 [email protected].

8 BUSINESS TRENDS — SEPTEMBER 2015'$#/ && ++& *$&

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Understanding long-term care



9/24


10/24

line appointments in 18k gold.

Where to get itApple Stores or at

www.apple.com.

How hard is it to use?Apple sales folks will get you

up and running in about 20 min-utes or less, or you can take a freeclass at the store, or watch demosand receive training on the web-site.

ProsI have been using my Apple

watch since early July and am im-pressed. It is excellent for earlyadopters like me who want to takecharge of their exercise routines,use Siri on-the-fly, receive notifi-

cations, schedules, weather, texts,calls, news, etc., without havingto take out the iPhone.

It’s great when I raise my wristand say “Hey Siri call home” or“Hey Siri how do you spell ‘what-ever’?” and it does. Or even justanswer my phone, receive or senda text or email.

I can feel good that I accom-plished my daily calorie burn,steps walked and other physicaldata points or need to do better to-morrow.

I would imagine it would bevery useful in any emergency.

ConsI felt that the limited 18-hour

battery life was going to be anissue, but it’s not. If I put my

watch on at about 6 a.m. and takeit off about 10 p.m., I still haveabout 50 percent charge left. Un-less you leave it on 24 hours per

day, that should not be an issue.You can set it by your bed innightstand mode and get a fullcharge in about 30 minutes. WhileI do use the large typeface andbright-screen option, it may behard for some users to read.

Bottom-lineI love it, but it’s not for every-

one. It is ideal for iPhone 6 userswho want more than a dedicatedfitness device. It does change your

daily routine and habits for thebetter and that might be annoy-ing for some. I believe that as thetechnology matures, most peoplewill be using a wrist mobile de-vice integrated with a smartphone. It is just another reasonwhy iPhone 6 and the iTunes net-work operating system are sounique, powerful and popular.

Bill Dubovsky is an entrepreneur,educator, and technology reviewer.

He teaches at the CSI, School ofBusiness, CUNY, and at Wagner Col-lege, and is a telecom/network con-sultant with Comtel InformationServices. Contact him [email protected] or onLinkedin.


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BITSContinued from page 6

Is it time for Apple Watch?



11/24

By BARTON HOROWITZ President, Relevant

Public Relations

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – Aleader of one of China’s largestproperty-listing websites for over-seas buyers will be among the in-ternational business stars taking

center stage at a Staten Islandbusiness event Sept. 30.Simon Henry, co-founder and

co-CEO of Juwai.com, will pro-vide attendees of the ninth annu-al Staten Island Board of Real-tors® (SIBOR) Global Real EstateSymposium with a gateway forsharing international real estateinformation.

The much-anticipated confer-ence also will feature Staten Is-land Borough President James S.Oddo; Amir Sagie, deputy consul

general of Israel in New York;Richard Marin, president andCEO, New York Wheel; JosephFerrara, BFC Partners; ElysaGoldman, Triangle Equities, anda host of notable experts dis-cussing topics ranging from localreal estate development to oppor-tunities in the global market-place.

Juwai.com is an authoritativesource for global property in Chi-nese, with over 2.4 million proper-ty listings spanning 58 countries.The site embraces over 12,000 cur-rent news stories, country buyingguides, education and emigrationarticles, along with one of thelargest Chinese social media com-munities focused on internation-al property.

TOP INTERNATIONAL BUYERSIn 2014, five countries account-

ed for 51 percent of all purchasesin the United States by interna-tional buyers: China, Canada,

Mexico, India and the UnitedKingdom, according to the Na-tional Association of Realtors®(NAR) 2015 Profile of Home Buy-ing Activity of International

Clients.For the first time, buyers from

China exceeded all other coun-tries in terms of units purchasedand dollar volume, purchasing anestimated $28.6 billion worth of property.

“As the allure of Staten Islandcontinues to grow among foreigninvestors, it makes good sense forreal estate professionals and oth-ers to set their business sights onthe international marketplaceand gain a better understandingof how it operates,” said SandyKrueger, CEO of SIBOR. “Our an-nual symposium, titled this yearas Global Connect, is designed tohelp New York professionals startor further advance their ability towork with foreign buyers andsellers.”

WHERE AND WHENThe Sept. 30 conference will

take place 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. inThe Vanderbilt at South Beach,300 Father Capodanno Blvd., Stat-en Island.

The day will include a wealth

of information and networkingopportunities.

TIMING IS RIGHTThe 2015 symposium is arriv-

ing at a particularly opportunetime for local business people,said Global Connect ChairmanRon Molcho, a SIBOR director.

“This year’s symposium,which comes as SIBOR preparesto celebrate its 100th anniversaryin October, is underscored by a re-cent flurry of major developmentprojects on Staten Island’s NorthShore, healthy home sales in theborough and an uptick in rev-enues within the internationalreal estate arena,” Molcho said.

As the dollars generated in theUnited States from internationalhome buyers increase, so does theinterest of Staten Island real es-tate professionals seeking to gaina share of this growing segment.

The total volume of U.S. salesdollars generated from interna-tional home buyers grew 13 per-cent last year, according to NAR.For the period of April 2014

through March 2015, total inter-national sales were estimated at

$104 billion, compared to the pre-vious year's estimate of $92.2 bil-lion. This represents 8 percent of the total existing-home sales dol-lar volume.

WIDE RANGE OF TOPICSGlobal Connect, said SIBOR

President Dil Gillani, “is a must-

attend event for Realtors andbusiness people who are deter-mined to expand their influenceon an international scale. Theknowledge shared on this day willbe priceless.”

Experts at the symposium willcover a range of topics, such as:Building a Global Real Estate Net-work; Servicing Overseas In-vestors and Consumers; Workingwith Global Realtors; Addressingthe Needs and Wants of Millenni-als; Staten Island Rising; Modern-

ization of Staten Island’s NorthShore, and more.

SIBOR

Connect to global market Sept. 30

during Island real estate conferenceSpeakers to include co-founder of major Chinese property-listing website; borough president, international business experts


Audience members receive business-enhancing information during a presentation at SIBOR’s Global Real

Estate Symposium in 2014.

please see PURCHASE, page 12


12/24

SIBOR

DISTINGUISHED PRESENTERS

Additional presenters andpanel members will includeDanielle Grossenbacher, BrownHarris Stevens, InternationalReal Estate Federation (FIABCI)world president; Vanessa Saun-ders, Global Property SystemsReal Estate; Roseann Farrow,Roseann Farrow Seminars; Katie

Kue Hwa Kao, North AmericaReal Estate Investment Group(NAREIG); Nino Perdomo, Es-panol Realty Ltd.; Yoshi Takita,Keystone Realty U.S.A.; IsabelZenocratti, NAREIG; FarookMahmood, Silverline Group; R.Randy Lee, Esq., Leewood RealEstate Group; Assaf Epstein,NADLAN 2000 Real Estate, Israel;Sari Kingsley, Sari Kingsley RealEstate Ltd.; Raj Rajpal, WellsFargo Home Mortgage; BarbaraSchmerzler, U.S. Homefinders

Inc.; Tony D’Anzica, DynaMaxRealty NYC Inc.; Christopher Gill,A-Nah Residences; Joel Hewish,United Global Capital Pty Ltd;Aldo Iemma, Empire State RealtyServices; Michael L. Schneider,Schneider Realty Services; RickWohlfarth, Wohlfarth & Associ-ates Inc.; Jennifer Snyder, Mar-keting Ideas for Agents; RichardE. Dun, Robert DeFalco Realty;Queeny Duong, Citizens Bank;Kristina Gershteyn, Robert De-Falco Realty; Joseph M. Lebron,RE/MAX Metro; Kai Wong, Dou-glas Elliman; Steve Maggi, Esq.,SMA Law Firm; SusanMerdinger Greenfield, BrownHarris Stevens; Zhen (Jackie)Huang, Esq, Menicucci VillaCilmi PLLC; Vanessa Saunders,Global Property Systems Real Es-tate; Peter A Alongi, HSBC BankUSA; Ryan Dudley, FriedmanLLP; Bruce Feffer, Esq., Eaton &Van Winkle LLP; Margaret Ling,Esq., First Nationwide Title

Agency LLC; Robert L. Oppen-heimer, RE/MAX Fortune Prop-erties; Frank Rizzo, CornerstoneRealty Partners, Inc; Dawn Car-penter, Dawning Real Estate Inc.;Len Garcia-Duran, New York City

Department of City Planning;Frank Naso, Building IndustryAssociation of New York City

Inc.; John Pitera and James Pren-damano, Cassandra Properties,and Varun Sanyal, Staten IslandEconomic Development Corp.The presenting sponsor of SIBOR’s ninth annual Global RealEstate Symposium is VanguardFunding LLC.

TICKET INFORMATIONFor ticket information and pur-

chases contact Annmarie Izzo atSIBOR by phone, 718-928-3223, or

email, [email protected] The Staten Island Board

of REALTORS® (SIBOR)Marking its 100th anniversary

in October 2015, the Staten IslandBoard of REALTORS® (SIBOR)is the largest not-for-profit profes-sional and trade association inStaten Island, N.Y.

SIBOR exists to enhance theability and opportunity of itsmembers to conduct their busi-ness successfully and ethically,

and promote the preservation of the public’s right to own, transferand use real property. Comprisedof approximately 1,800 members,SIBOR serves real estate agents,brokers and affiliated profession-als throughout the borough andsurrounding areas. SIBOR is theprovider of the Staten Island Mul-tiple Listing Service Inc. (SIMLS),which works as a clearinghousethrough which more than 250local real estate firms exchangeinformation on properties theyhave listed for sale. Together, itsmembers participate in over 3,000real estate transactions everyyear.

All SIBOR Realtors belong tothe New York State Association of REALTORS® (NYSAR) and theNational Association of REAL-TORS® (NAR).

SIBOR may be reached at 718-928-3220 and viewed online atwww.SIBOR.com. SIBOR mayalso be visited on Facebook at

“Staten Island Board of Realtors”and “SIBOR 100” (showcasingsome of the organization’s latesthighlights and accomplish-ments), and on Twitter via@SIBOR.

PURCHASEContinued from page 11

Purchase tickets


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SIBOR

Housewarming

traditions fromaround the worldSTATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The

saying goes that all real estate islocal, but that does not mean thatall homebuyers are local. Accord-ing to the National Association of Realtors® 2015 international

homebuyers report, global buyersspent an estimated $104 billion onhousing in 2014, an increase of more than $10 billion from theprevious year.

“We live in an internationalmarketplace, and U.S real estate isextremely attractive to foreignbuyers,” said Dil Gillani, presi-dent of the Staten Island Board of Realtors (SIBOR).

“International buyers recog-nize the country’s attractiveprices, economic stability and

well-defined property rights as anamazing opportunity for invest-ment in their future.”

As more international buyersbecome a part of the fabric of American communities like Stat-en Island, they bring with themtheir many traditions and cus-toms – including those that goalong with moving into a newhome.

SIBOR has pulled together afew common housewarming tra-ditions from around the globe,which you may want to use towelcome friends, family or neigh-bors into their new home:

Russia. According to Russiancustom, a cat should cross overthe threshold of the new home be-fore anyone else enters. This issaid to ensure that the homeown-ers will have a happy and pros-perous life.

Thailand. Thai tradition dic-tates that visitors should bring anew homeowner three items:

Rice, water and a knife. The riceand water are so that food will al-ways be plentiful and the home-owner will know prosperity, andthe knife is to protect them from

any evil spirits.There is also a traditional cere-

mony known as ‘Sen Wai JourTeen,’ during which the home-owner asks the ‘Lord of the Land’and any restless ghosts and spir-

its in the vicinity for protectionthrough an offering of food andwater, flowers and incense.

China. Before moving into anew home, Chinese custom is toshine a light in every corner, clos-et and wardrobe of the house.This is said to let any lingeringspirits know that it is time toleave and how to find the way out-side.

France. When construction of anew home is finished, the Frenchthrow a traditional party called

the ‘pendre la cremaillere,’ literal-ly meaning ‘to hang the chimneyhook.’

The phrase comes from me-dieval times when it was custom-ary to invite over everyone whotook part in the building of thehouse and eat dinner as a gestureof thanks.

The food would be cooked in alarge pot over a fire, where thechimney hook could be used toraise or lower the pot to heat orcool the food.

India. In India, it is consideredlucky to move into a new houseon Thursday, while Friday andSaturday are the unluckiest daysto move.

There is also the ceremonialhousewarming known as ‘GrinhaPravesh,’ during which, in someparts of the country, a cow is al-lowed to walk through the housefirst, bringing good fortune to thehomeowners.

Buying a home in a foreign

country can be a complicated andtrying process, and Staten IslandRealtors® have the expertise toserve clients in a variety of inter-national real estate transactions.


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SIBOR

Report: Internationalbuyers embrace

higher-priced U.S. properties

International buyers tend tospend significantly more than theoverall average house price whenpurchasing a property in theUnited States.

The average price being paidfor a U.S. property by foreign buy-ers is $499,600, while the overallaverage home price in the UnitedStates is $255,600, according to theNational Association of REAL-TORS® (NAR) 2015 Profile of Home Buying Activity of Inter-national Clients.

Chinese buyers typically pur-chased the most expensive prop-erties, at an average price of $831,800. For the period of April2014 through March 2015, total in-ternational sales in the UnitedStates were estimated at $104 bil-lion, compared to the previousyear's estimate of $92.2 billion.This represents 8 percent of thetotal existing-home sales dollar

volume, according to NAR.

The poll also found that 35 per-cent of Realtors® reported work-ing with an international clientin 2014, up from 28 percent in2013. About 46 percent of report-ed international transactionswere intended for primary resi-dences, 20 percent for residentialrentals, and 26 percent for invest-ment rentals, vacation homes orboth.

Global buyers also purchasedproperties for commercial rentalsand as residences for childrenstudying in U.S. educational insti-tutions. Indian buyers were themost likely to purchase a primaryresidence (79 percent), whileCanadian buyers were most like-ly to purchase property as a vaca-tion home (47 percent).

The majority of internationalpurchases (55 percent) were madewith all-cash, compared to about25 percent of all purchases made

by domestic buyers.


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ta Diner, 921 Richmond Ave. 7:30 to9:00 a.m. Call 718-981-0700.

SCORE Business Counseling: SIBank & Trust, 1550 Richmond Rd. 9a.m. to noon. No appointment nec-essary. No charge. Call 718-727-1221.

Rotary Club of North Shore: LiGre-ci’s Staten, 697 Forest Ave. 7 p.m.For info, call Christine DeHart at718-448-4725.

Business Network Int’l. (BNI) HighAchievers Chapter: PK’s Restau-

rant,1281 Arthur Kill Rd. 7 to 8:30a.m. For info, call Timothy Houstonat 718-981-8600.

Business Guild II of the S.I. Cham-ber of Commerce: Hilton GardenInn, 1100 South Ave. 7:45 to 8:45a.m. Members and invited guestsonly. For info, call Lou Rizzo at 718-490-0057.

Business Guild III of the SI Cham-ber of Commerce: Hilton GardenInn, 1100 South Ave. 8 a.m. Newmembers welcome. Call Nick Testaat 646-823-4494.

College of S.I., Small Bus. Dev. Ctr.Business Counseling: CSI, 2800Victory Blvd. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Forinfo, call 718-982-2560.

Community Emergency ResponseTeam (CERT): 7 p.m. For info. andlocations, call John Tidona at 448-7160 or [email protected].

FRIDAYBus. Outreach Ctr of SI/WBCLDCSmall Bus. Counseling –

MWBE/BOC Capital: WBCLDC, 705Forest Ave., 2nd Fl. By appointmentonly. For info, call 718-816-4775.

SATURDAYSCORE Business Counseling: St.

George Library, 5 Central Ave. 10a.m. to noon. Appointment neces-sary. No charge. Call 718-442-8560.

SCORE Business Counseling: Rich-

mondtown Library, 200 Clarke Ave.10 to 11:30 a.m. Appointment neces-sary. For info, call 718-668-0413.


MEETINGSContinued from page 4

Weekly Meetings


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On Saturday, Aug. 8, the Tobacco-Free Staten Island team attendedthe Beacon Christian Community Health Center Annual Wellness andFitness Fair in Mariners Harbor. Pictured, from left, are Catalino JrArroyo Andes, Mariners Harbor Resident Tenants President KikoCharles, Assemblyman Michael Cusick, TFSI Community Engage-ment Lead Josephine Bosco and Dr. David Kim of Beacon ChristianCommunity Health Center.

Tobacco-Free Staten Island

STEVE WHITE/Business Trends

Corey Schifer, with Vicky Romeo, donated jewelry to Gianna Nicole'sHeart of Hope Foundation, which helps children battling cancer. Theevent was held at the El Caribe in Brooklyn.

Casale donates jewelry

s t a tenar t s

Staten Arts Photographywww.statenartsphotography.com

Steve White

6 Genesee Avenue

Staten Island, NY 10308

Phone: 718.317.5025Cell: 917.446.4029Email: [email protected]

Weddings

Sweet 16’s

Anniversaries

Birthday Parties

Much much more!..................................

Visit us online atwww.sibiztrends.com


17/24


18/24


FAZIDA ISHMAEL

Avon Products Inc.

Avon representative FazidaIshmael from Staten Island hasbeen recognized by Avon Prod-

ucts, Inc., as one of the beautycompany's top representatives inthe U.S. In honor of this recogni-tion, the company rewarded Ish-mael with a trip to Los Angeles tocelebrate during the annual Pres-ident's Recognition Program Cel-ebration.

During the trip, she enjoyed aguided tour of Hollywood fromRodeo Drive to the Sunset Strip,as well as a day of fun in the sunat Santa Monica Beach and a seatat a gala recognition dinner, host-ed by Avon executives.

CHRISTOPHER HELLSTROM

Staten Island Arts

Staten Island Arts announcedChristopher Hellstrom as the newexecutive director. After a rigor-ous search of more than 100 can-didates, the Board of Trustees se-lected Hellstrom for his success-

ful development efforts serving atthe Greenbelt Conservancy

where hewas instru-mental in

obtaininggrants, spon-sorship,partnershipand fundingopportuni-ties to im-prove pro-gramming,

educational facilities and equip-ment to maintain the picturesque2,800-acre Greenbelt park.

“The board is thrilled to have anew executive director in place,and we are ready to move forwardwith an aggressive new five-yearstrategic plan for Staten islandArts,” said Diane Kramer, presi-dent of the Board of Trustees.“We are at a crucial point in thehistory of this organization, andChris is uniquely qualified tolead.”

Prior to his experience at the

Greenbelt Conservancy, Hell-strom was the New York StatePublishers’ representative for thenonprofit Oxford UniversityPress, and a staff writer for the

office of the mayor. He alsoserved on the Board of Staten Is-land Shakespearean Theatre andis a board member of the All Is-land Kiwanis Club. Hellstromholds a doctorate in English liter-ature from St. John’s Universityand a master’s degree in liberalstudies from the College of StatenIsland. He lives in the Tottenvillesection of Staten Island with hiswife Erika Schaefer-Hellstromand his two daughters.

NEW BOARD MEMBERS

Staten Island University Hospital

Following the annual meetingof Staten Island University Hos-pital’s Corporation and Board of Directors, Board Chair Frank J.Besignano announced the slate of board members continuing theirservice to the hospital for a termof office ending in June of next

year.SIUH board officers were sub-

sequently approved at the Juneannualmeeting of

the NorthShore-LIJHealth Sys-tem. As aNorth ShoreHealth Sys-tem hospital,SIUH’sboard func-tions as the

executive committee on the larg-er health system board chaired byMark Claster.

In addition to Besignano’s re-election to a one-year term aschairman, board members elect-ed to the 2015-16 board include:John W. Alexander, vice chair,along with Michael Caridi,Robert Chasanoff, Alan Chopp,William J. Fritz, Joaquin J. Gon-zalez, Laura Lauria, David W.Lehr, Linda Manfredi, RalphNappi and Paula Dunn Tropello.

Honorary chairs include Roger E.Acker, Gary M. Geresi, Ronald J.Mazzucco, Patrick J. McDermott,Edward Messier, Francis J. Ro-mano and John M. Shall.

“The SIUH board is diverse andis comprised of leaders in busi-ness, education and health care,”Besignano said.

“You have to realize that boardmembers are volunteers from thecommunity who give generouslyof their expertise in whatamounts to hundreds of hours of service, and they confront com-plex issues that help guide thecourse of the hospital and healthcare on Staten Island.”

KARA CRISCITIELLO

Sundog Theatre

Sundog Theatre has an-nounced a new board member,Kara Criscitiello.

Criscitiello has substantial ex-perience in the litigation of per-sonal injury, negligence and mu-

on the job

Hellstrom

please see JOB, page 19

Besignano


19/24


$ 8 5 0 V

A L U

APB Security & Home Automation2047 Victory Boulevard Staten Island NY 10314

(718)698-8244www.apbsecurity.com

nicipal liability actions in NewYork State. In addition, she hasexperience handlinglandlord/tenant, trusts and es-tates, and guardianship matters.She graduated from New YorkLaw School in 2012.

She is a member of the NewYork State Bar Association, Stat-en Island Women’s Bar Associa-tion, Richmond County Bar Asso-ciation and American Bar Associ-ation. Further, she is an advocatefor animal rights as a member of the Animal Legal Defense Fund.

In her downtime, Criscitielloenjoys teaching theater classesfor children and volunteeringwith the Staten Island SpecialOlympics.

In addition, Criscitiello is anhonorary member of Vietnam

Veterans Chapter 421 as recogni-tion for her service to the Viet-

nam Veter-ans in her

community.She joins

the existingboard of di-rectors thatincludes Ex-ecutive Di-rector SusanFenley,Board ChairJason Wal-

ters, Adele Carbonella, MarjorieHack, Michael Coppotelli,Danielle Iacoviello, Jonathan B.Lipschitz, John Scamardella Sr.and Pablo Vengoechea.

Sundog Theatre, Inc. is a not-for-profit resident performingarts organization in Staten Islandthat provides entertainment foradults and children and actingclasses for young people.

The theater presents contem-porary and original theatre and

provides touring performancesand education programs that sup-plement classroom curriculathrough theater, dance, visual

arts and music that make learn-ing come alive.

STEPHEN SIMONE

Five Star Professional

Five Star Professional recentlyannounced Stephen Simone,Mortgage Tech Home Finance,has been chosen as one of NewYork City’s Five Star MortgageProfessionals for 2015.

Five Star Professional part-nered with New York magazine torecognize a select group of NewYork City-area mortgage profes-sionals who provide quality serv-ices to their clients.

Less than 1 percent in the areawere selected. Simone is featured,along with other award winners,in a special section of the Oct. 5issue.

The Five Star Mortgage Profes-sional award program is conduct-

ed in more than 30 marketsthroughout North America.Mortgage professionals are meas-ured using an objective, in-depth

research methodology with sig-nificant focus on customer feed-back and overall satisfaction.

Five Star Professional has beenconducting market research todefine and promote professionalexcellence in service profession-als since 2003.

Mortgage professionals are

awarded based on an in-depth re-search process. Thousands of consumers are contacted to ratetheir mortgage professional on

evaluative criteria including cus-tomer service, integ rity, commu-nication and overall satisfaction.Beyond a qualifying client evalu-ation score, professionals areevaluated on objective criteriasuch as experience, productionlevels and disciplinary and com-plaint history.

JOBContinued from page 18

On the Job

Criscitiello

PROFESSIONAL WEBSITES.

PEASANT PRICES.


20/24

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SEPTEMBER 2015 BUSINESS TRENDS 21


21/24

our new museum on the groundsof Snug Harbor this fall,” said In-terim President and CEO CherylAdolph. “We have been workingso hard in preparation for thismoment and are elated to shareour extensive collection with thepublic.”

The city Department of Cultur-al Affairs, the City Council andthe Office of the Borough Presi-dent funded a large part of the

renovation project, almost $27million of the $31 million total.Other private support helpedcomplete the project. The muse-um is holding a community cam-paign to raise the remaining$300,000 for the new exhibitions,which includes $250,000 for theElizabeth Egbert gallery – namedin honor of the museum’s formerpresident and CEO who passedaway last August.

“Staten Island is going through

a major transformation right nowas people are exploring theirneighborhoods, their city, theirhistories and discovering howtruly incredible this borough is,”Adolph said.

“We welcome the curious doersand thinkers from all over NewYork City and beyond to findthose dynamic connections be-tween natural science, art andhistory that we have been collect-ing for them since 1881.”

The opening of the museum’s

new home in Building A of SnugHarbor has been a “dream” 50years in the making, officials

said. Museum members helpedsave the nationally significanthistoric site from demolition in1965. Now, the museum will relo-

cate to the building, which wasoriginally built in 1879 on the 83-acre site.

The new space will providemore than 18,000 square feet of usable space, including four cli-mate-controlled galleries, an au-ditorium and performance venue,and classroom space for schoolfield trips. It will be the first his-torical landmark building on theIsland to establish LEED Goldcertification, utilizing a “closedloop geothermal system” to use

the earth and a series of circulat-ing pumps to heat and cool thebuilding to boost efficiency andreduce operational costs of thebuilding’s heating and coolingsystems.

To complete the project thisway, the project team, GluckmanMayner Architects, had to re-move the entire interior exceptone historic staircase, which leftonly the original exterior walls.Also kept from the original struc-

ture were the landmark windows.Museum officials hope the ren-ovation will continue to provideborough residents and visitorswith a wonderful place to cele-brate the Island’s history and art,while also taking advantage of the increased projected visitors tothe North Shore. Snug Harbor islocated only two blocks from theFerry Terminal.

Founded in 1881, the museumserves more than 219,000 adultsand school children at the muse-

um and in the community.“We are on the precipice of

major change for the North Shore

of Staten Island,” museum BoardChair Ralph Branca said. “As thefirst new cultural developmentalong that corridor, the Staten Is-

land Museum is happy to usherin the wave of tourism and com-merce that is undoubtedly headedour way.”


Bill Bergman, Vice President, Leasing

(718) 263-3800 x 307

[email protected]

118-35 Queens Blvd., Forest Hills, NY 11375

www.muss.com

Parisi Rampulla & Lenza, P.C.78 Martin Avenue | Staten Island, NY, 10314

(718) 761-3333

Short Sales, Mortgage Modification,Foreclosure Defense

MUSEUMContinued from page 1

Museum to celebrate opening

22 BUSINESS TRENDS SEPTEMBER 2015


22/24


When the news is sweet,

We Tweet!

When the news is bitter,

We Still Twitter!

Follow us at

twitter.com/sibiztrends

!!#"


Gathering for Victory State Bank’s recent Hawaiian-themed Employee Appreciation Party at the StoneHouse at Clove Lakes are, from left, Ralph Branca, president and CEO of Victory State Bank, and theevent’s committee members: Richard Boyle, Anna Williams, Philip Stropoli, Elizabeth Scarano, LauraHumphries, Jo Ann Mauro, Maria Biggica and Rosmerys Perez.

Victory State Bank employee appreciation


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