business trends_december 2015.pdf

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By TIM RONALDSON Business Trends

The focus on shopping local over the lastfew years has seemed to pay off. While bigbox stores and retail chains across the coun-try have touted Black Friday, Cyber Mondayand holiday shopping deals in every mediumavailable, consumers remain focused onspending money locally.

Each year, the National Federation of In-dependent Businesses and American Ex-press releases a Small Business SaturdayConsumer Insights Survey, and this year, inits fourth iteration, the survey shows con-sumers understand the importance of keep-ing their shopping dollars local.

The survey found that 80 percent of con-sumers are willing to pay slightly more foran item if it is purchased from a small, inde-pendently-owned retailer as opposed to on-

line or at a larger retailers. On average, con-sumers are planning to do 35 percent of theirholiday shopping at small businesses.

For Small Business Saturday specifically – which was the Saturday after Thanksgiving – the survey found that 45 percent of con-sumers who planned to shop on the day

planned to spend more this year than theydid last year, and 64 percent are motivated bythe contributions small businesses make totheir community.

“Small Business Saturday has grownevery year and it's been a big boost to Main

DECEMBER 2015

BUCKS BUSINESS NETWORKClub honors local veterans.

PAGE 16

SCOREDon’t want until spring to plan for taxes.

PAGE 6

WEEKLY MEETINGSCheck out this month’s happenings.

PAGE 10

www.sibiztrends.com

STEVE WHITE/Business Trends

At the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce "Shop Small Business" kick off at Casale Jew-elers are, from left, Ed Burke, deputy Staten Island borough president; Anna Marie Gentile,

chairwoman of the Chamber; Cory Schifter, owner of Casale Jewelers; and Linda Baran,president and CEO of the Chamber.

Celestial BallCollege of Staten Island Foundationto honor four at annual ball.

PAGE 4

Guarnieri new prez/CEO

at Empire State BankEmpire State Bank announced

that Anthony P. Costa, chairmanand co-CEO, will retire on Jan. 1from both the bank and thebank’s holding company and ESBancshares, Inc. Costa, one of theorganizers of the bank when itopened in 2004, said he felt it wastime to retire and enjoy other in-terests.

David Freer, Jr., the company’svice chairman, said: “Tony was

the bank’s first chairman andchief executive officer and a driv-ing force behind its organization.Tony’s contribution to our organ-ization has been inestimable.Without him, the bank would notbe what it is today. With morethan 45 years of experience inbanking and a lifetime of rela-tionships in the Hudson Valley,Tony will be sorely missed.”

Prior to starting the bank,Costa served as president andchief executive officer of AtlanticState Financial, a risk manage-ment company, and Atlantic StateMortgage Corp., a licensed mort-gage bank. From 1990 to 1994,Costa served as president andchief operating officer of FirstInter Bank Corp. Costa has morethan 45 years of banking experi-enced, and his experience as chief executive officer of three finan-cial institutions and one mort-gage bank have provided theboard with invaluable expertise.

The board also announced thatPhilip Guarnieri, who togetherwith Costa started the bank in2004, will be promoted from presi-dent and co-CEO to president andCEO of both the holding compa-

please see BRIEFS, page 2

MONTHLY

UPDATE

please see SHOPPING, page 14

Shop local focus is working


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2 BUSINESS TRENDS — DECEMBER 2015

ny and the bank effective Jan. 1.Guarnieri has more than 30 yearsof experience in banking, and heserves as a director on numerousbusinesses, economic and non-profit boards.

SI Museum partners withConEd for STEM DaysRecently, the Staten Island Mu-

seum helped launch Con Edison’sSTEM Days Out at its new loca-tion on the grounds of Snug Har-bor. Museum educators met withthe enthusiastic students from IS75 to explore the inaugural ex-hibits and get focused on learn-ing.

The museum was awarded$25,000 from Con Edison to con-duct seven STEM (science, tech-nology, engineering and math)lessons for middle school youth.STEM Days Out are presented bythe Staten Island Museum’s edu-cation and science staff and heldthe first Wednesday of the month,from October through May at theStaten Island Museum at SnugHarbor, 1000 Richmond Terrace.

The museum will collaboratewith Staten Island MakerSpacewhere participants will tour theirnew mobile STEAM (science,technology, engineering, art andmath) Wagon. In addition, stu-

dents will receive hands-on, inter-disciplinary lessons that inte-grates humanities and the arts.The museum is taking reserva-tions, and teachers can sign uptheir classes by contacting themuseum’s education departmentat (718) 483-7103.

Upcoming programs include:• Feb. 3: STEAM Wagon with

Staten Island MakerSpace andMetal Embossing

• March 2: STEAM Wagon withStaten Island MakerSpace andDoodle ‘Bots

• April 6: STEAM Wagon withStaten Island MakerSpace and

Bottle Rockets• May 4: STEAM Wagon with

Staten Island MakerSpace andLittleBit

“Students will see and touchexhibits that they don’t have intheir classrooms,” said HilaryAyala, Con Edison director of strategic partnerships. “This is achance for us to support teachersand students in our localschools.”

“We are so pleased to have theopportunity to provide STEMprogramming to local schoolsthrough the support of Con Edi-son,” said the museum’s Managerof Education Christine Szeluga.“By providing STEM educationfor students, especially for middleschool youth, Con Edison STEMDays Out will spark a great inter-est in science, technology, engi-neering and math and offer op-portunities students may nothave otherwise had.”

Con Edison provides morethan $10 million in financial andin-kind contributions to studentsand nonprofits in New York Cityand Westchester that enhanceSTEM education. Funding in-cludes support for scholarships tostudents majoring in STEMfields, as well as program supportfor summer internships and year-round programs benefitting un-derprivileged and minority stu-dents.

Santa Claus returns toApplebee’s this monthSanta returns to Applebee’s

restaurants this December asApple-Metro, Inc., owners and op-erators of Staten Island’s Apple-bee’s Grill & Bar restaurants, an-nounce the 19th Annual Break-fast with Santa Claus to benefitseven Staten Island-based agen-cies helping children with a myri-ad of services including autism,substance abuse, recreational andeducational issues and more.Breakfast will be offered on Sat-urday, Dec. 12 and Sunday, Dec. 13at Applebee’s at the Staten IslandMall and on Sunday, Dec. 13 at theApplebee’s restaurants in NewDorp, Graniteville and near theOuterbridge. The donation is $15per person. Tickets must be pur-chased in advance. Call (718) 412-3156. Tickets are now available.Checks should be made payable toStaten Island Rotary Foundation

BRIEFSContinued from page 1

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4/20

By LUIS FONESCA JR. Special to Business Trends

With 2015 coming to a close,

most annual events have alreadytaken place. With the calendar

just turning to December, someevents wait until the very endand, of course, the College of Staten Island has saved the bestfor last.

On Dec. 12 at Richmond Coun-ty Country Club, CSI is hostingits sixth annual Celestial Ball.This event honors four worthypeople while also raising money.This year’s honorees include Dr.

Wilma L. Jones, associate deanand chief librarian at the Collegeof Staten Island; Cesar J. Claro,president and CEO of the StatenIsland Economic DevelopmentCorporation; Dr. Christine D. Cea,research scientist at the NewYork State Institute for Basic Re-search in Developmental Disabili-ties; and Edward Burke, Staten Is-land deputy borough president.

These are all very deservinghonorees and their resumesspeak for themselves; however,

with an event such as this, thepeople expected to attend makethis event even grander. Whenasked where the charitable dona-tions would be going, KhatmehOsseiran-Hanna, vice presidentfor institutional advancementand external affairs, said, “Pro-ceeds go directly to the college.”

Knowing the education marketand how it is, one can easily as-sume any donations are greatlyappreciated. The CSI website of-

fers vast information on the ballitself, including all of the hon-orees and short biographies onwho they are as well as how tomake donations. That might be

the most important aspect of thisball in its entirety.

“This year’s ball will feature asilent auction in an effort to raisemore money,” said Osseiran-Hanna, which would echo thesentiment that anything the“sponsors” are willing to donateis more than greatly appreciated.

Being this is an annual event,the effort to raise more money forthe college becomes greater everyyear, along with the hope for more

people to attend.“We are hoping for about 250

people. Last year we had about200,” Osseiran-Hanna said.

Dr. William J. Fritz, presidentof CSI, will be presenting awardsalong with Marilyn Caselli, sen-ior vice president of customer op-erations.

“I think it’s really importantthat Marilyn Caselli is there,” Os-seiran-Hanna said. “She is a Stat-en Island native and resident andshe has been chair of the ball for

a long time.”The Celestial Ball might seem

as any other fundraising event,but with 2015 coming to a close, itis the final one of the year. It con-tinues to raise money for the col-lege while also acknowledgingcertain people for their tremen-dous work, contributions and ca-reers. The donations go to the col-lege to produce more young menand women who can hopefullyone day receive awards of their

own.For more information on theCelestial Ball, visithttp://www.csi.cuny.edu/celes-tialball.


When the news is sweet,

We Tweet!

When the news is bitter,

We Still Twitter!

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CSI to honor four at sixthannual Celestial Ball Dec. 12


5/20

DECEMBER 2015 — BUSINESS TRENDS 5

FLINT GENNARI/Special to Business Trends

Dolores Morris, a sixth generation Staten Islander, award winning TVproducer and author of a book, “The Soldier That Wagged Her Tail,”recounted her dad William A. Morris, Jr.'s time serving during WorldWar II, the segregation that occurred in the armed forces during thattime and the story of his constant companion, a dog named Trixiewho found him in England and stayed alongside him throughout thewar. Here, Morris accepts a plaque from Rotary Club of Staten IslandPresident Frank Scarangello for being a guest speaker for the club.

Dolores Morris speaks to Rotary


6/20

in our opinion

Shop local!This holiday season, support local businesses


Tis the season, as they say. ‘Tis

the season to be jolly. ‘Tis the

season to bundle up and drink

hot chocolate. ‘Tis the season to spend

extra time with loved ones. ‘Tis the

season to start your holiday shop-

ping – if you haven’t already. And ‘tis

the season to shop local.

We are officially in the middle of the

holiday shopping season, but if you

were out and about last month, you

probably noticed holiday decorations

and specials at stores throughout the

Island.

Much of the attention of the holiday

shopping season falls on two days –

Black Friday and, now, Cyber Mon-

day – but don’t forget to shop local for

your holiday gifts.

Keeping your spending dollars on

the Island has immense benefits on

the local economy.

Even companies as large as Ameri-

can Express are touting the impor-

tance of shopping local. The company

started the now well-known Small

Business Saturday – the Saturday

after Thanksgiving, the day after

Black Friday – in 2010 to promote

small businesses. Studies have found

that almost $6 billion is spent at small

businesses on that day each year!

A vibrant and successful local busi-

ness community has a trickle-down ef-

fect on our own pockets. Just think:

• Successful local businesses make

other businesses want to locate in our

neighborhoods.

• More businesses equals more rata-

bles, which, in turn, lowers our taxes.

• The more ratables we have, and the

lower our taxes are, the more attrac-

tive the Island becomes to future resi-

dents.

It all starts with you. If you have a

choice between buying a gift at a big

box store or a local mom-and-pop, sup-

port your neighbors by making that

purchase locally.

Our small businesses are already

fighting an uphill battle against the

marketing dollars of the big box

stores.

Let’s all help them out by opening

their doors and opening our wallets to

them. We can make it a truly happy

holiday season.

66 Willow Avenue

Staten Island, NY 10305

718-775-3154

JOE EISELEPublisher

TIM RONALDSON

Executive Editor

STEVE COPPOLA

Director

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Director

ROBERT CUTRONA

Director

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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 BRIDGET WESTON POLLACK SCORE

Are you preparing now for tax-season success in thespring? Our latest podcast episode tackles a ton of tax-re-lated questions for small businesses so you can stress lessover the next few months. Host Dennis Zink teamed upwith Burt Seither, SCORE mentor and vice president at1800Accountant, for expert advice.

Starting and growth both require attentionIf you’re just starting a business, Seither says now’s the

perfect time to think about your business structure. Whileit doesn’t cost anything to set up a sole proprietorship, thisentity is taxed very heavily. “It can leave you scratchingyour head at the end of the year, saying ‘What happened toall my money?’” he said.

An LLC or S-corp may be a better option for you. Seitherdoesn’t advocate for a one-size-fits-all approach, but notesthe simplicity of maintaining an LLC, which as a hybridentity doesn’t come with an inherent tax structure. Thatmeans you get to choose which set of tax forms – sole pro-prietor or corporation – you use at the end of the year.

You need to choose within 75 days of forming your LLCby making an entity classification election. But if youmiss the window – Seither said a lot of people don’t know

about it – you can make that classification between Janu-ary and March of the following year. Once you decide on amethod of taxation, you must maintain that method for atleast five years.

Consult with an attorney or other professional to deter-mine the best filing option for you.

For the veteran business owner, remember that thereare initial investments, and losses are normal for the firstfew years of a business. “It doesn’t mean you’re not suc-cessful or you’re not making money,” Seither said. Don’tforget that you’re probably reinvesting a lot of your rev-enue into your business to help it grow.

Tax-time red flags

Seither offered a number of red flags the IRS is watch-ing out for in your tax filings.

While some business expenses can be deducted immedi-ately, some pieces of equipment may depreciate over timeand be deducted over the course of a few years. Talk toyour accountant or other professional before making a

large purchase for your business.Seither advises against abusing “meals and entertain-

ment” deductions. For a new business owner, it can be fun

to put a business lunch or outing on your card and write itoff. But you can only deduct 50 percent of these socialmeetings. Seither recommends writing details of themeeting or event on the back of the receipt that you fileaway, on paper or electronically, for use at the end of theyear.

If you bank electronically or pay for most expenses on acompany card, remember that bank and credit card state-ments are not enough documentation for the IRS if you getaudited. Err on the side of having more information thanless, Seither noted, by retaining itemized receipts along-side your monthly statements and accounting softwarerecords.

“Pick and choose your deductions wisely and under-

stand not only the benefits of writing off or claiming a de-duction, but also the potential consequences.” Seithersaid.

Above all: Partner with a professional, whether a CPA,

Don’t wait until spring to plan for tax success

please see TAX, page 11


7/20


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STEVE WHITE/Business Trends

The grand opening of “Bee Tween” a tween fashion boutique, was held recently at 646 Forest Ave. in

West Brighton. Pictured, from left, are Dominick Detore, daughter Jeannie Detore, store manager, JanineDetore, owner, and Janine's sister, Angela Raiola.

Be Tween celebrates ribbon cutting

Send us your news

Have a news item to send to Staten Island Business Trends?Drop us an e-mail at [email protected]


9/20


FLINT GENNARI/Special to Business TrendsFrom left, Linda Ollis, Rotary Past President Linda M. Baran, BobOllis and President of the Rotary Club of Staten Island FrankScarangello are pictured at the Rotary Club of Staten Island meet-ing where Baran and Ollis were given a donation of $10,000 by themembers of the Rotary Club of Staten Island toward the monumentthat was unveiled at the Michael J. Petrides School to honor theirson, Sgt. Michael Ollis. Michael Ollis was killed in Afghanistan aftershielding a Polish soldier from a bomb from the suicide bomb of aninsurgent. The monument includes names and faces of eight otherStaten Islanders killed while serving in Afghanistan or Iraq.

Rotary donates to monument

Visit us on the Web at www.sibiztrends.com


10/20

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

Kiwanis Club of Richmond Co.:LaFontana Restaurant, 2879 Amboy

Rd. 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 at

718-982-2560.

TUESDAYGreater New Dorp NetworkingGroup: 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 ThinkTank: 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. Nocharge. 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 appointmentonly. 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. 7

a.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.

THURSDAYBus. 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-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.


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WEEKLY MEETINGS

please see MEETINGS, page 11


11/20


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, 2800

Victory Blvd. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Forinfo, call 718-982-2560.

Community Emergency ResponseTeam (CERT): 7 p.m. For info. and

locations, 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 10

Weekly Meetings

accountant or enrolled agent, soyou have a trusted person to callon when you have a question orconcern.

“Don’t view the money you’repaying that [professional] as anexpense,” Seither said. “View it

as an investment.”

Bridget Weston Pollack is the vicepresident of marketing and commu-nications at the SCORE Association.In this role, Bridget is responsible forall branding, marketing, PR and com-munication efforts. She focuses onimplementing marketing plans andstrategies for the organization to fa-cilitate the growth of SCORE’s men-toring and trainings services.

TAXContinued from page 6

Don’t wait ‘till springto plan f or ta x success


12/20

for the benefit of the agencies.The following agencies will re-

ceive proceeds from these events:Camelot Counseling, CommunityResources, GRACE Foundation,Have a Heart Foundation, Staten

Island Children’s Museum, Stat-en Island YMCA and United Ac-tivities Unlimited.

The breakfast includes Frenchtoast, eggs, bacon, sausage, hotbeverages and juice, donated andserved by Apple-Metro, Inc. staff who volunteer their time and tal-ents each year.

Last year, more than $10,000was raised and distributed amongagencies serving children. Alongwith breakfast, each child will

have a visit with Santa.All proceeds from these break-fast events will be distributed tothe seven Staten Island children’sorganizations that provide educa-tional, recreational and counsel-ing services to Staten Island Chil-dren.

The times and locations are asfollows:

• Saturday, Dec. 12, 8:30 a.m. – 10am., and Sunday, Dec. 13; Apple-bee’s Grill & Bar, Staten IslandMall, 2655 Richmond Ave.

• Sunday, Dec. 13, 8:30 a.m. – 10am., Applebee’s Grill & Bar, Ex-pressway Plaza (located in Gran-iteville), 1451 Richmond Ave.

• Sunday, Dec. 13, 8:30 a.m.-10a.m.. Applebee’s Grill & Bar.Outerbridge. Veteran’s Road West

• Sunday, Dec. 13, 8:30 a.m. – 10am., Applebee’s Grill & Bar, NewDorp, 430 New Dorp Lane

Collaborative Law Grouphosting holiday partyThe Collaborative Law Group

is hosting a holiday party for in-terested professionals, such asCPAs, financial advisors, Real-tors, appraisers, attorneys, psy-chologists and social workers,who want to learn about the col-laborative process and our group.

Please join us on Thursday,Dec. 3 at 6 p.m. at Mario’s, 1657Richmond Ave. Tickets are $35per person. Please make checks

payable to Staten Island LawGroup and forward to Anne-Louise DePalo, 94 Hancock St.,Staten Island, NY 10305.

Any questions, please call (718)351-3748.

The guest speaker will beJames Sexton, Esq., of the Associ-ation of Collaborative Lawyers of Rockland & Westchester and Cer-tified Parent Coordinator.

Executive Club elects

new officers, directorsThe Executive Club of Staten

Island elected 2016 officers and di-rectors at its Nov. 11 meeting.Those elected are as follows:

Officers:President: Cory Schifter,

Casale JewelersVice President/President-

Elect: Regina Boukhvalova,Northfield Bank

Secretary: James H. Thomson,Esq., Russo, Scamardella &

D’Amato, P.C.Treasurer: John Tapinis, EA,

The Tapinis GroupDirectors:Regina Boukhvalova, North-

field BankDominick Ciccarelli, Think De-

sign ArchitectureCory Schifter, Casale JewelersJames H. Thomson, Esq.,

Russo, Scamardella & D’Amato,P.C.

Ryan J. Walsh, Walsh ElectricThe Executive Club of Staten

Island focuses on fostering itsmembers' business growththrough relationship building, ed-ucation and community involve-ment. Those interested in becom-ing a member can email [email protected] or visitwww.executiveclubofsi.com.


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

(718) 761-3333

Short Sales, Mortgage Modification,Foreclosure Defense

BRIEFSContinued from page 2

Monthly Update

Send us your news

Have a news item to send to Staten Island Business Trends?Drop us an e-mail at [email protected]


13/20


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Street America,” said NFIB CEOand President Dan Danner. “We

are very proud to partner withAmerican Express once againthis year to promote an event thatconnects American consumers

with their hometown business-es.”

In Staten Island, the contribu-tion small businesses make to theoverall community is high, as theStaten Island Chamber of Com-merce estimates that small busi-nesses are responsible for gener-ating 65 percent of all jobs in thearea.

The Chamber got involved inthe promotion of Small BusinessSaturday last month, announcingin early November a “Passport toStaten Island” contest to encour-age local shopping leading up tothe day.

The Chamber provided busi-nesses with “passports” to give toIsland shoppers.

Consumers who spent moneyin at least eight participatingshops on Nov. 28 and got theirpassports filled out were enteredto win an American Express giftcard, courtesy of the Chamber.

The effects of shopping local

are hard to ignore. The Chamberestimates that for every $100spent on local shopping, $68 is re-

turned to the community in tax-generated projects and improve-ments.

American Express created

Small Business Saturday in 2010to help small business ownersgain more customers. It’s held onthe Saturday after Thanksgivingevery year, and helps rally com-munities to support local busi-nesses.

This is the sixth year of SmallBusiness Saturday, and AmericanExpress reports that 55 percent of U.S. consumers say they areaware of the day, and 83 percentsay Small Business Saturday notonly gets them to shop local onthat day, but inspires them to doso all year long.

“Small Business Saturday is amajor part of the holiday shop-ping tradition and has become acelebration of the local smallbusiness owners that we callfriends, neighbors and family,”said Janey Whiteside, senior vicepresident and general manager of American Express OPEN. “We’reimmensely proud to be a found-ing partner of Small Business

Saturday, and it is gratifying tosee how it has become the move-ment that it is today.”


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’sAnniversaries

Birthday Parties

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

Bill Bergman, Vice President, Leasing (718) 263-3800 x 307

[email protected]

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

www.muss.com

SHOPPINGContinued from page 1

Shopping local has huge benefits

Signature Bank announced re-sults for its third quarter. Net in-come for the 2015 third quarterreached a record $96.2 million, or$1.88 diluted earnings per share,versus $76.8 million, or $1.52 dilut-ed earnings per share, for the 2014third quarter.

The record net income for the2015 third quarter, versus thecomparable quarter last year, isprimarily due to an increase innet interest income, fueled byrecord deposit growth and recordloan growth. These factors werepartially offset by an increase innon-interest expenses.

Net interest income for the 2015third quarter reached $250 mil-lion, up $44.7 million, or 21.8 per-cent, when compared with the2014 third quarter. This increaseis primarily due to growth in av-

erage interest-earning assets.Total assets reached $31.92 billionat Sept. 30, an increase of $5.97billion, or 23 percent, from $25.95billion at Sept. 30, 2014. Averageassets for the 2015 third quarterreached $31.19 billion, an increaseof $5.82 billion, or 22.9 percent.

Deposits for the 2015 thirdquarter rose a record $2.16 bil-lion, or 8.8 percent, to $26.61 bil-lion at Sept. 30.

When compared with depositsat Sept. 30, 2014, overall depositgrowth for the last 12 months was24.8 percent, or $5.29 billion. Ex-cluding short-term escrow and

brokered deposits of $4.4 billionat the end of the 2015 third quar-ter and $3.4 billion at the end of the 2015 second quarter, core de-posits increased $1.15 billion forthe quarter.

Signature Bank releasesthird quarter earnings


15/20

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Special to Business Trends

Masimmo DiDonna (Partners inSound / Carl V. Bini MemorialFund) and Mary Lou Bavaro

(Gateway Arms Realty) tookhome the titles of “Top Chef”during the North Shore Rotary’sCelebrity Chef event held Mon-day evening, Nov. 9, at LiGreci’sStaaten.

Nine Local community leadersDiane Arneth (CommunityHealth Action of S.I.), Bavaro(Gateway Arms Realty), ReginaBoukhvalova (Northfield Bank),Christine DeHart (Salmon RealEstate and Club President), Di-

Donna (Partners in Sound / CarlV. Bini Memorial Fund), NoelleGiovanniello (Pop-Star CakePops), Cory Schifter (CasaleJewelers), Jason Serapiglia(Pique Fitness) and FrankWilkinson (Rab’s Country Lanes)came together to compete in thefriendly competition for the elu-sive titles.

North Shore Rotary hosts ‘Top Chef’ event



16/20


MLM PUBLIC RELATIONS/Special to Business TrendsBucks Business Networking Group took a moment at a recent weekly meeting to thank and acknowledgetheir members who are veterans. Pictured, from left, are Dan Schiffner, U.S. Marines; George Fehling,U.S. Army; Tony Varriano, U.S. Army; and Mario Giammarco, U.S. Army.

Bucks Business Network honors local veterans

Send us your news

Have a news item to send toStaten Island Business Trends?

Drop us an e-mail [email protected]


17/20

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18/20


Special to Business Trends

The Bucks Business Networking group teamed with the mayor's office and turned its regular weeklybreakfast meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 28 into a “meet and greet” type of event with officials from a va-riety of city agencies. The agencies in attendance were Small Business Services, Department of Con-sumer Affairs, Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Buildings, Department of Healthand Mental Hygiene, Department of Sanitation, Fire Department, Department of Transportation, NYPDand the Office of Administration Trials and Hearings.

Bucks Business Network hosts ‘meet and greet’


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