business trends_july 2013

7/28/2019 Business Trends_July 2013

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JULY 2013

BITS & BYTESDyle Mobile TV hit or miss?

PAGE 6

COACHS CORNERCrazy makes the world go round.

PAGE 8

HEALTH-CARE TRENDSPrescribing the solution.

PAGE 2

www.sibiztrends.com

JANET DUGO/Business Trends

The West Brighton Community Local Development Corp. hosted its 9th annual 21st Century Business WomanConference at the Old Bermuda Inn. Along with plenty of networking opportunities, attendees participated inbreakout sessions that included a report on the upcoming Empire Outlets retail center in St. George. Pictured,from left, are Carol DiMarco of Blue Label Design, Nina Flores of the WBCLDC, Nancy Carin of the BusinessOutreach Center Network, Eileen Thornton and Helen Steblecki of lead sponsor Citibank, and Loretta Cauldwellof the WBCLDC.

21st Century Business Woman Conference

Business CalendarCheck out our monthly listing andattend an event on Staten Island.

PAGE 12

By TIM RONALDSONBusiness Trends

With summer still in its earlystages, the last thing on a high

school students mind is nextschool year. But an exciting newentrepreneurship program mightchange that.

Starting in October, 23 StatenIsland high school students willhave the opportunity to partici-pate in the Young EntrepreneursAcademy, an eight-month after-school boot camp on creating andrunning a successful business.Through YEA!, students brain-storm business ideas, write abusiness plan, interact with busi-ness professionals, pitch theirbusiness plan to potential in-vestors in a Shark Tank-like set-ting, obtain funding, legally regis-ter their business and participatein a trade show, all before actuallylaunching their own business.

Over the past seven years, theprogram has graduated close to600 students who have started 450businesses and social move-ments.

With the economy where its

at, trying to encourage more en-trepreneurship would be some-thing wed want to do, said LindaBaran, president and CEO of theStaten Island Chamber of Com-merce, which is sponsoring the

YEA!coming

to theIsland

please see YEA, page 16

By TIM RONALDSONBusiness Trends

For 10 years, the Teleport was a barrenwasteland. Two buildings totaling 300,000square feet were empty, with tenants leaving

one by one for brighter pastures in New Jer-sey, and new tenants not flocking to replacethem.

Then, in 2008, Richard Nicotra, owner ofthe nearby Hilton Garden Inn and Staten Is-land Corporate Park, purchased the former

Teleport I and II buildings, hoping to revital-ize them into a place where people wanted towork.

Today, only five years later, the buildings,now known as the Corporate Commons, are

please see NICOTRA, page 22

Teleport thriving behind Nicotra


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4 BUSINESS TRENDS JULY 2013

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A simple equationBy ROBERT CUTRONA

A lesson on how to destroy thefinancial health of a city: A goodfirst step is to have mayoral can-didates sticking it to the smallbusiness community with specialinterest giveaways, corrosive so-cial programs, and job killingideas, like a $15 per hour mini-mum wage, an expanded sick paylaw, and a ban on employerschecking the credit status of aprospective hire.

Empower city inspectors withthe authority to treat minor viola-tions as murder-one with equal-ly ridiculous fines.

Levy crushing taxes, fees, finesand tolls on the business commu-nity. Authorize the Parks Depart-ment to charge builders restitu-

tion of $30,000-plus for a singletree in the way of a building proj-ect.

Sacrifice our citizens safetyand security by diluting the effec-tiveness of the police departmentwith such failed reforms as: hav-ing monitors oversee the police;eliminating stop and frisk; andthe absolute absurdity of a lawwhich would ban police fromidentifying a crime suspects age,gender, or color (under the threat

of being sued for racial profiling,of course).

Im convinced that the mayoralcandidates are not out to do detri-ment to New York City, but theyare so driven by their desire to be-come mayor that they submis-sively kneel before one special in-

terest group after another andpromise to fulfill all of their self-serving demands regardless ofthe ultimate damage to the city.

The question the candidates re-fuse to answer is After those whoproduce value and add value tothe economy leave the city forfriendlier environs, who is goingto support those who remain?

Thus, the equation: the out-mi-gration of the value-producers re-sults in a smaller financial sup-

port base that simply cannot sup-port the wants of the remainingcommunity.

See Detroit!

Robert Cutrona, president ofProject One Services, is a director ofBusiness Trends.

IN YOUR OPINION

Job descriptions and motivationBy EUGENE GARAVENTA, PH.D.Managers often lament the

lack of motivation of their em-ployees, but often fail to realizethat they and the organizationare possible sources of this prob-lem. Research indicates that em-ployees are more motivated whenthey have specific goals and objec-tives. These goals and objectives

need to be challenging but attain-able. Goals and objectives that arevague and unattainable will frus-trate rather than motivate, withfrustration leading to dysfunc-tional behavior. Attaining goalsand being adequately rewardedtends to encourage employees tomeet future goals and objectivesand in the process increase their

motivation.There are many techniques

that an organization can utilize toincrease clarity and specificity ofexpectations for both employerand employee. Perhaps the mostfunctional are job descriptions.Job descriptions are written

please see JOB, page 19

Young Professionals happy hour

Special to Business Trends

The Chamber of Commerces Young Professional Group hosted aHappy Hour Networking Social at Ricks Cafe. Pictured, from left, areJessica Castellano of Aldo Shoes, Katrina Cirillo of European WaxCenter, Amy Lavelle of NY Center for Interpersonal Development,Eric Campione of P.A.C. Plumbing, Heating, & A/C, Lauren Joyce ofIacobellis & Joyce, CPAs, Michael Anicito of Inspire Investment So-lutions, Regina Boukhvalova of Northfield Bank, Patrick McGrade ofMcDermott & Thomas Associates, Rob Myers and Christine Crowleyof Northfield Bank, Christopher Birstler of NYC Board of Elections,and Jeff Hession of NYC Department of Sanitation.
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JULY 2013 BUSINESS TRENDS 5

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Happy Hour at Above Rooftop


The Staten Island Business Council sponsored food and raffles at a recent Happy Hour at Above Rooftop,which is fast becoming a happening scene for the business crowd on Thursday nights. Pictured enjoyingthe fine weather on the venue's outdoor terrace are, from left, Susan Anderson of the Nicotra Group,Adele McMahon of Staten Island University Hospital, and Martha Venditto of Richmond County SavingsBank.
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in our opinion

A big number with big impact


It came to our attention this month

that The Staten Island Foundation

has passed an impressive mile-

stone. Since its founding in December

1997, this mainstay of local philan-

thropy has given over $50 million to

the nonprofit organizations and serv-

ices that support its hometown. Thatsquite a number!

Originally established as the giving

arm of a local bank, in 2004 it was

spun off into a stand-alone entity and

re-named The Staten Island Founda-

tion. The heart swells with gratitude

as we think of all the good this founda-

tion has accomplished here. If youd

like to take a big picture look at it all,

visit www.thestatenislandfounda-

tion.org.

This news also brings to mind the

good works of so many others on Stat-

en Island who look after those less for-

tunate and who stand by one another

in times of crisis. And in this, the

business community is very much at

the forefront.As a chronicler of business happen-

ings here, we have been privileged

over the years to bear witness to a

great many acts of charity and philan-

thropy led by our business community.

These range from efforts on a massive

scale to smaller, but equally impor-

tant, individual acts of kindness.

There are large corporate founda-

tions, small grassroots organizations,

and everything in between. In fact,

there are so many groups of business

and professional people devoted to

charitable work on Staten Island that

there is not enough room to list them

all here.

Isnt that a happy predicament?

But they exist and, because they do,this is a better place to live, work, and

play.

So cheers to the Staten Island Foun-

dation on this accomplishment.

Thank you for all you have done and

all the good you will do in the future

for this borough that we love. And

thank you, too, to our stalwart busi-

ness community, which gives so much,

so readily.

66 Willow Avenue

Staten Island, NY 10305

347-682-4867

JANET WARREN DUGO

Publisher

TIM RONALDSON

Executive Editor

STEVE COPPOLA

Director

RICHARD GRADO

Director

ROBERT CUTRONA

Director

LAWRENCE RAMPULLA

Director

DAN McDONOUGH, JR.

Chairman

Business Trends is mailed each month to the

business and community leaders of Staten

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

mail [email protected]. To submit anews release, email [email protected].

For advertising info, call 347-682-4867 oremail [email protected].

By BILL DUBOVSKY

Did you know?I have been writing about changes in the

Internet for the last few years and its beeninteresting to see how the technology hasrolled out.

It appears that 24/7 mobile,anywhere/anything access is the direc-tion, but it seems cloudy (pun intended)to see what mix of wire (cable, fiber) andwireless (4G LTE, Wi-Fi, future wireless In-ternet) will be used and what will fadeaway.

While you can receive TV on mobile de-

vices from cable, fiber and satellite Wi-Ficonnections, and 4G LTE service (newermobile wireless and smart phones), a newtechnology, MCV, broadcasts live TV sig-nals directly from the TV transmittingtower to an adapter on your mobile device,

eliminating the Internet. Here is a brief

overview.What is it?

In 2010, some major broadcast groupscame together to develop a national mobilecontent service (Dyle mobile TV) through a

joint venture known as Mobile ContentVenture (MCV) which is comprised of Fox,NBC, ION, and Pearl Mobile DTV.

They provide digital TV programmingdirectly to portable devices using broad-cast spectrum, including live local and na-tional news, sports, and entertainment pro-gramming.

Dyle program providers and adaptermanufacturers have developed apps tomake these encrypted digital broadcastsavailable to authenticated MVPD sub-scribers for free (this year) with paid sub-scriptions starting next year similar to

satellite radio.

These apps also download programguides and timers to remind you to watch afavorite show. This content does need a pe-riodic Internet connection to update andauthenticate.

How it worksDyle technology turns your iOS or An-

droid smartphone or tablet into an overthe air portable digital TV. For example,the Belkin adapter is about 1/3 the size ofan iPhone and plugs into the standard 30-pin connector at the bottom of mostiphones or iPad.

It has its own small battery for power,and like old-school TV rabbit ears, has apull out antenna which extends to receivethe strongest signal it works best out-doors.

What you need

In order to receive Dyle programming,consumers need an adapter capable of re-ceiving mobile video broadcast (ATSC-MH), encrypted with standards-based con-ditional access, made by Samsung,MetroPCS, AudioVOX, Belkin, Elgato, Es-cort or RCA. The Samsung Galaxy S Ligh-tray 4G smartphone ($459) comes with thepreloaded Dyle mobile TV app built-in noadapter necessary.

How to get itAmazon.com has several devices rang-

ing in price from $86 to $129 along with re-views. Check with www.Dyle.tv for devices,coverage maps, FAQs and availability be-fore purchasing anything.

Dyle Mobile TV hit or miss?BITS & BYTES

please see BITS, page 10


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http://www.enorthfield.com/


8/24

By BILLY SPARKLEI received an interesting piece

of coaching the other day and Iwanted to share it with you. I waswith some friends and one

woman was telling us about

changes she wanted to make inher career. She also was letting usknow about all the excuses andreasons she had been using tohold back. At this point anotherfriend jumped in and asked herthe question: Are you playing towin or are you simply playing tonot lose?

What a magnificent question!Are you playing to win or are youplaying to not lose?

The next day I was on the

phone with a client and at onepoint she said, Billy I hope youdont think that Im crazy. Towhich I replied Its far too latefor that. Im already clear yourecrazy. We both had a good laughover that one and then I went onto say, But thats okay, Im crazytoo. So are all my clients. Youdhave to be crazy to want to be theowner of your own business andtake on all the challenges thatcome along with it.

The thing is, in my mind, crazy

is a good thing. Crazy makes theworld go round and I mean thatliterally. Remember ChristopherColumbus? Here was a man whowas crazy enough to believe theearth was actually round. And hewas willing to sail three boats offthe edge of the earth just toprove it. The Wright Brotherswere crazy enough to believe theycould create a machine thatwould fly. In fact, many of my rolemodels Martin Luther King,

Abe Lincoln, Bill Gates, Steve

Jobs, and others were crazyenough to believe in their convic-tions. And they were crazyenough to take the actions thatwere necessary to bring their vi-sions to the masses. Heck, AbeLincoln went so far as to engagein a war against half of his owncountry. If that isnt crazy then Idont know what is.

Which leads me to this monthsCall to Action: Embrace yourcraziness. Rather than holding

back out of fear that others willthink youre crazy, embrace it. Becrazy enough to believe in your-self and in your visions. Take thesteps that are necessary to bringthose visions to fulfillment. Dontask if anyone agrees with you.Dont look around to see if any-one else is doing it. You knowwho you are. You know what youwant. What is it going to take?

Thats what being crazy is. Thewillingness to ask yourself thequestion what is it going to take

and the discipline to heed the callof the answer to that question.Embrace your craziness. Stopplaying to not lose and startplaying to win.

Coach Billy works with highly com-mitted men & women to produce un-precedented results in their busi-nesses and their lives. Learn more atwww.billysparkle.com or contactBilly directly via email [email protected].


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How hard is it to use?

Once installed, its like using ahand-held TV.

Pros

The idea is promising live TVwithout dependence on an Inter-net connection. Sounds good foremergency use whencable/fiber/electricity are down

and you cant use your regularTV to get information, or if youare outdoors for a sporting event,picnic, camping, commuting, etc.

Cons

Currently very limited broad-cast coverage and none outsidethe U.S.

As of July, there are only 5

channels in the NYC/NorthernNJ area: WNYE, FOX-WNYW,NBC-WNBC, Qubo-WPXN, and

Telemundo-WNJU with extreme-ly limited reception on Staten Is-land (mostly north shore facingManhattan). The other boroughsshow better coverage.

Bottom-line

I believe that Dyle TV is cur-rently too limited for most view-ers.

If your bus or ferry commutepasses through the coverage zone,if you like the programming cur-

rently available, if you dontmind taking a chance on a futurebuild-out and expanded channelofferings, and if you understandthat you will have to pay a month-ly fee starting next year, then con-sider taking the plunge.

Most of us should probablytake a wait and see position andlook at the future build-out, ex-

panded programming choicesand pricing before deciding.

For more informationSearch for Dyle TV on

www.google.com andwww.YouTube.com, and go towww.dyle.tv, for more info.

Contact me via email [email protected] withyour feedback, experiences andquestions.

Bill Dubovsky - Comtel InformationServices, has a proven track recordof business success spanning over

30 years in helping hundreds of or-ganizations improve their profitabili-ty. He is the principal technologyspecialist with Comtel InformationServices, a New York based telecom-munications consulting firm, and anadjunct lecturer in business at theCollege of Staten Island, C.U.N.Y.Contact him [email protected].

Dyle Mobile TV

BITSContinued from page 6


11/24

Deadline August 30

To obtain a Nomination Form,visit http://bit.ly/13C953C or call 718-477-1400
http://bit.ly/13C953Chttp://bit.ly/13C953Chttp://bit.ly/13C953Chttp://bit.ly/13C953C


12/24

WORKSHOP: NYC REG.ECON. DEV.

COUNCIL FUNDINGAPPLICATIONTUESDAY, JULY 9

Time: 10:00 a.m.

Location: College of Staten Island,2800 Victory Blvd.

For info., call 718-477-1400 x823

NYS WOMEN, INC.

(RICHMOND CNTY.)WEDNESDAY, JULY 10

Time: 6:30 p.m.

Location: Bella Vita Caf, 1919 HylanBlvd.

For information, call 718-816-5991

HIC MONTHLY MTG.WEDNESDAY, JULY 10

Time: 7:00 p.m.

Location: LiGrecis Staaten, 697Forest Ave.


RICHMOND CNTY.BANKERS ASSOC.WEDNESDAY, JULY 10

Location: Mikes Place, 4677 HylanBlvd.


POWERFUL YOU!THURSDAY, JULY 11

Time: 7:00 p.m.

Location: Richmond Diner, 3954Richmond Ave.


SI CHAMBER:BUSINESS BEFORE

HOURSTUESDAY, JULY 16

Time: 8:00 a.m.

Location: Silver Lake Golf Course,915 Victory Boulevard


NYS WOMEN, INC.(STATEN ISLAND)

TUESDAY, JULY 16Time: 6:30 p.m.

Location: LiGrecis Staaten, 697


Business Calendar

please see EVENTS, page 13
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Forest Ave.


BUSINESS LEADERS

TOASTMASTERS

WEDNESDAY, JULY 17

Time: 7:00 p.m.

For information, call Fran Okeson at718-753-8006

NETWORKING PLUS

THURSDAY, JULY 18

Time: 8:15 a.m.

Location: Golden Dove, 3281 Rich-mond Ave.


JCC: GOLF

& TENNIS CLASSIC

MONDAY, JULY 22

Time: 10:30 a.m.

Location: Richmond County CountryClub


NEW DAY

TOASTMASTERS

THURSDAY, JULY 25

Time: 7:00 p.m.

Location: SI Univ. Hosp., SeaviewAve.


24-7

NETWORKING SALES

MONDAY, JULY 29

Time: 9:00 a.m.

Location: Z-One Restaurant, Rich-mond Ave.


WORLD OF WOMENMONTHLY MTG.

MONDAY, JULY 29

Time: 7:00 p.m.

Location: Marina Grand, MansionAve.



Business Calendar

EVENTSContinued from page 12
http://www.rumcsi.org/http://www.rumcsi.org/


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http://www.aboverooftop.com/


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HONORS

lia sophia

Lia sophia announced top hon-ors for its Excellent BeginningsProgram Achievers for outstand-

ing sales accomplishments andprofessionalism.

Having just joined the fashionjewelry business, Tricia Curulliand Karen Hahl-Eisensein ofStaten Island have earned this ac-complishment in the first 15weeks by attaining certain saleslevels and by sharing lia sophiawith other new advisors. Theplan celebrates the success of ad-visors who stay on track in thefirst four months in business.

OFFICERS

New York Centerfor Interpersonal Development

The New York Center for Inter-personal Development an-nounced the election of officers toits Board of Directors as well asthe election of a new member tothe board.

Michael P. OBrien of GrymesHill was newly-elected to the posi-tion of chairman. Maryann Lau-ria of Eltingville was re-elected

vice chairman. Michael Curley ofWest Brighton was elected secre-tary, and Robert Gould, also ofWest Brighton, was elected treas-urer.

Maureen DeAngelo of WestBrighton was newly-elected to theboard.

OBrien is an attorney and co-founder of O'Brien & Jacobs,PLLC. He also works as a SpecialAdvisor for New York State Sena-tor Diane J. Savino. In addition tohis role as Board Chairman atNYCID, OBrien is actively in-volved with the New York StateBar Association, the RichmondCounty Bar Association, and OurLady of Good Counsel Parish.

Lauria is a consultant special-izing in fundraising and commu-nications. Formerly she was theDirector of Corporate and Foun-dation Relations for the College ofStaten Island in Willowbrook.Lauria, a member of NYCIDsboard since January 2009, re-

ceived her Masters of Public Ad-ministration in health policy andnonprofit management from NewYork University and her Bache-lors in business administrationin marketing and law from Pace

University.Lauria has volunteered her

time for other organizations suchas Community Health Action ofStaten Island and the Manhattan

office of the American Cancer So-ciety.

Curley is a vice president pri-vate client advisor to Chase In-vestment Services Corporationand has a long history in the fi-nance industry having worked forBernard Herold and Companyand with Smith Barney.

Gould is a senior manager forNational Grid. He is the priorchairman for the New York StateCredit and Collections Commit-tee. He received his Masters ofBusiness Administration and hisBachelor of Science with honorsin computer science from St.Johns University.

DeAngelo is vice president branch manager of NorthfieldBank. Prior to this position, shewas a vice president - branchmanager for SI Bank & Trust. Sheattended the business program atthe College of Staten Island andthe professional banking pro-gram at Fairfield University.

NEW BOARD MEMBERS

Harbor Lights Theater Company

The Harbor Lights TheaterCompany announced the electionof two new board members: JayQuinones and Theresa Sarrica.These two new board members

join current HLTC board mem-bers Jules Nasso, Michelle De-Santis, and Bonnie Pitera.

Jay Quinones resides inPrince's Bay with his wife andthree daughters. He is a graduateof Tottenville High School and isthe owner of Jay-Quin Contract-ing Inc. Theresa Sarrica, a resi-dent of Annadale since 2001,brings two decades of experiencein fundraising and marketing forthe not-for-profit sector to theHarbor Lights Theater Company.She recently served as director ofcommunications for the NewYork City Department of Fi-nance.


on the job
http://www.aboverooftop.com/


16/24

program here on Staten Island.Baran first came across YEA!

two years ago when she attendeda presentation on the program ata U.S. Chamber of Commerce

conference. Immediately, it was aprogram that interested her, andshe knew her members wouldhave interest as well, since theywere already looking for ways toget involved with the Islandsschools.

Instead of re-inventing thewheel, we were able to find some-thing that works, she said. Its away of engaging the businesscommunity with the school sys-tem here in Staten Island.

YEA! will give students real-lifeexperience in the business world.Business owners will participateas guest speakers, workshop advi-sors and even as potential in-vestors to the students businessideas.

Baran said she received adviceon the program from a chamberof commerce in the Rochesterarea, who said their experiencewith YEA! was positive. Theirprogram received great commu-nity recognition for its success in

building the participants self-es-teem and creativity.

One student proposed a busi-ness that would produce decalsfor students to use in their lock-ers that was so well received it ledto the creation of an online busi-ness.

Thanks to funding through theCity Council and a $2,500 scholar-ship from the U.S. Chamber,

Baran said the YEA! program isfree for student participants. Theonly cost for the students is a $25application fee. Incoming sopho-mores and juniors are eligible toapply, and the Chamber has al-ready received a number of appli-cations. Space is limited to only 23students for the upcoming year,Baran said, so she expects the ap-plication process to be competi-tive.

Now that it has received sup-port from the Islands publicschool system, which is reallyexcited to get the program start-ed, the Chamber is initiating apush to get more businesses in-volved, Baran said; they are look-ing for potential speakers, in-structors, people with businessplanning experience and loca-tions to host field trips.

Ultimately, the idea is to openstudents minds to career paths,bringing out creativity they maynot have known they have, and

getting them to think outside thebox to forge new opportunities.

I want to engage young peo-ple, Baran said. If we couldspark some interest for people toopen businesses here on Staten Is-land and stay here on Staten Is-land, that would be good for us.


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

(718) 761-3333

Short Sales, Mortgage Modification,Foreclosure Defense

MUSSDEVELOPMENT LLCBUILDING NEW YORK CITY SINCE 1906

CONTACT USNICHOLAS J. FORELLIVice President

(718) 263-3800 [email protected]

statenartsStaten Arts Photographywww.statenartsphotography.com

Steve White

6 Genesee Avenue

Staten Island, NY 10308Phone: 718.317.5025Cell: 917.446.4029Email: [email protected]

WeddingsSweet 16s

Anniversaries

Birthday PartiesMuch much more!

..................................

YEA! coming to the IslandYEA!

Continued from page 1

Send us your Staten Island newsHave news youd like to share with us and the Staten Islandcommunity? Drop us an email at [email protected] .
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17/24

Here's a revenue-boosting

opportunity that may be flying

under the radar of your business

or professional networking circle.

Decades-old Dome Property Man-

agement, one of the largest and

most respected companies of its

kind in the New York metropoli-

tan area, is offering an unprece-

dented opportunity for a limited

number of vendors and mer-

chants to share in their success.

The newly introduced Dome

Savings Club gives businesses the

opportunity to expand their cus-

tomer bases for free. Theres

absolutely no catch: You simply

agree to provide an attractive dis-

count to club participants on the

Dome Savings Clubs Offer

Board. That's it. Nothing more. A

nominal one-time set-up fee,

which includes a place on the

clubs online Offer Board, is the

only cost. This is a winning situ-

ation for everyone involved, said

Michael Motelson, president of

Dome Property Management.

ALL PARTIES BENEFIT

Here's why:

(1) The businesses in the Dome

Savings Club may incorporate

marketing incentives that work

best for them, such as dollars-off

or percentage-savings discounts,

free gifts or services, or other

strategies that have successfully

worked for them in the past. They

will enjoy a huge audience com-

prised of well over 10,000 potential

customers at over 100 Dome-man-aged communities, and are

included in the clubs online mar-

keting efforts.

(2) Homeowners and communities

under Domes management bene-

fit from the dollars they save on

top-quality products and services.

(3) Dome Property Management,

notably Staten Islands premier

property management company,

benefits from directly interacting

with the business community and

providing a greatly appreciated

advantage to the many condo com-

munities it services.

Founded in 1987, Dome Proper-

ty Management manages over 100

condominium and homeowners

association communities, mostly

on Staten Island, and is the

biggest such operation in the bor-

ough. Dome provides comprehen-

sive property management servic-

es to many types of properties and

complexes, from under 10 to more

than 500 units, and includes many

building types and individually

owned homes. For now, the Dome

Savings Club is being marketed

solely to its Staten Island condo

communities.

DISTINGUISHED

MEMBERS

Time Warner Cable was the first

to participate in the club, with an

offer to supply participating

condo residents a savings of more

than $60 per month with bulk-rate

pricing. Additional members

include national companies, such

as Wells Fargo Home Mortgage,

and reputable local merchants,

such as Jealan Fireplaces. Even

Dome itself has joined in by offer-ing preferred pricing and

enhanced services to the residents

of participating communities.

Now that the word is out, it is

likely representatives of the auto-

motive, banking, medical, finan-

cial and restaurant industries will

soon come on board. Dome should

also expect to hear from numer-

ous home-services businesses,

such as landscaping, contracting,

plumbing, electrical, woodwork-

ing, painting, multi-service and

product suppliers, and others.

Given the assortment of com-

munities and properties we man-

age, and the many goods and serv-

ices they and their residents con-

sume, businesses offering a widearray of products and services

can benefit from participating,

said Enid Motelson, senior vice

president of Dome Property Man-

agement.

SOLID REPUTATION

IS A MUST

If you are interested in participat-

ing in the Dome Savings Club as a

merchant or vendor, be aware that

not every business wil l qualify.

Only businesses with a stellar

reputation for product, customer-service and integrity will be con-

sidered, Michael Motelson said.

By simply providing a discount to

Domes customers in these tough

economic times, quality mer-

chants, service providers and ven-

dors can strengthen the loyalty of

their existing customers and

attract and build relationships

with new prospects.

For additional information,

Dome Property

Management may be reached at

718-605-2500,

e-mail at DomeProp@

DomeGroup.com, and

visited online

at www.DomeGroup.com. TheDome Savings Clubs Offer

Board can be found at

www.DomeGroup.com/dscOffers.

The company is headquartered at

109 Winant Place,

Staten Island, NY 10309.

Current Participants:

Dome Savings Club connects businessesto thousands of potential customers for free

The Tides at Charleston, the first active-adult community of its kind in metropolitan New York, is one of over 100 condominium and home-

owners association communities benefitting from the extensive services provided by Dome Property Management.

Dome Property Management provides com-

prehensive property management services

to many types of properties and complexes,

from under 10 to more than 500 units, and

includes many building types and individual-

ly owned homes.


18/24


We teach your home and business how to act -- whether you're there or not -- by installing

a Control4, one-touch automation system.

These are just some of the money-saving, convenient, safety-related actions that will happen automatically:

LIFE MADE EASYWith APB S.E.L.E.C.T. Automation

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T echnology of Tomorrow

Visit our showroom

(by appointment only)

APB Security Systems, Inc.

2047 Victory BoulevardStaten Island, NY 10314

718-698-8244

SECURITY & SAVINGSUpon leaving your home, thermostats are pre-programmed tosave heating and air conditioning costs. Lights will alternate atnight to simulate occupancy. All lights will go on if an alarm trig-gers and a recorded message is blasted to a burglar. Upon re-

turning, selected lights will automatically light your home.

CONVENIENCE & SAVINGSOne button puts your home in vacation mode(HVAC, Lighting, Power-Consumer Electronic De-vices, etc. are programmed to save money). Onebutton activates all holiday lighting, and you mayheat your pool from your phone.

ENTERTAINMENTOne remote controls all audio andvideo throughout your home froma few televisions to a completehome theater room.

ENERGY MONITORING &MANAGEMENT

We let you monitor every circuit inyour home or business to help isolate

the waste and begin saving on elec-tricity consumption.

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718.980.0770

AIA meets with Congressman Grimm

GEORGE CHU MEDIA/Special to Business Trends

Members of the Staten Island Chapter of the American Institute of Architects met at Bocelli's Restau-rant and had a presentation and exchange with Congressman Michael Grimm. In attendance, from left,were Jeff Geary, George Turner, Congressman Grimm, James Oliva and Anselmo S. Genovese.
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19/24


statements that identify the tasks,duties, activities, and results re-quired for successful perform-ance of a particular job. They arenot especially difficult to prepare,rarely exceeding one page, andprimarily formatted utilizing bul-let points. The description of a

job can be formulated by inter-viewing employees and supervi-sors, and direct observation ofemployees at work. These docu-ments are essential at variousstages of the managementprocess.

During employee recruitmentand selection, the job descriptionprovides a basis for realistic jobpreviews. Realistic job previewsprovide candidates with both thepositive and negative aspects ofthe job prior to making an offer ofemployment.

At times employers may be

tempted to minimize the negativeaspects of a job in order to enticethe applicant into accepting theposition.

This tactic may appear benefi-cial to the organization, but usu-ally will only serve to create dis-satisfied employees. Dissatisfiedworkers tend to be disillusionedand less committed to the organi-zation and its goals. In addition,these employees have a higherturnover rate and increase yourhuman resource costs. Realistic

job previews reflect an organiza-tions honesty, which may also im-pact motivation and organiza-tional commitment.

A critical aspect of successfulmanagement is the periodic eval-uation of employee performance.Although there are various meth-ods to evaluate employee per-formance, regardless of the tech-nique utilized, it is essential, bothethically and legally, that employ-ees be evaluated solely on their

job performance and behavior di-rectly related to the job.The use of job descriptions in

the performance evaluationprocess creates a sense of fair-ness, as employees are aware of

the criteria by which they will beassessed. In addition, the exis-tence of job descriptions tends to

prevent or at least minimize jobambiguity. Job ambiguity resultsfrom workers and managers hav-ing different perceptions of ex-pectations associated with a par-ticular position. Under these cir-cumstances it is quite possiblethat an employee can exert agreat deal of effort, but not attainthe desired outcome, resulting ina negative performance evalua-tion. Conflicting perception of de-sired work behavior can be asource of frustration by both em-ployees and managers. Employeefrustration is a major contributo-ry factor to dissatisfaction, whichcan result in low output, low qual-ity of output, absenteeism, late-ness, and high employeeturnover.

Employee performance re-views are historical personnelrecords, which should be used inmaking decisions impacting em-ployees. Rewards, promotions,transfers, training and termina-

tion should not rely on vague rec-ollections, emotions and anec-dotes, but rather on specific datacontained in the performanceevaluations.

Equitable treatment of employ-ees is a major determinant of em-ployee morale and commitmentto the organization. Performanceevaluations directly related to jobdescriptions are excellent sourcesof evidence if an organizationspersonnel decisions are chal-lenged in a judicial and/or ad-

ministrative venue.The creation and communica-

tion of specific employee per-formance expectations can proveto be a vital contributor to in-creased employee motivation, jobsatisfaction, and an improved se-lection and recruiting process,and can serve as a red flag indi-cating possible training deficien-cies. Creating job descriptions isboth relatively simple and inex-pensive, and the benefits justify

their preparation and utilization.

Eugene Garaventa is a professor ofbusiness at The College of Staten Is-land. He may be reached at (718)982-2963.

Job descriptions

JOBContinued from page 4
http://www.the350project.net/


20/24


DIVORCE?

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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. For info, 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.

TUESDAYBus. 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: Lorenzos, 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. Forinfo, call Jim Thomson at 718-442-0900.

Business Network Intl. (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-cis 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. For info, call the SBDC at718-982-2560.

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.

WEDNESDAYBus. Outreach Ctr of SI/WBCLDCSmall Bus. Counseling

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

Staten Island Business Council:Lorenzos at Hilton Garden Inn, 1100South Ave. 7 a.m. Members andinvited guests only. For info, call 347-855-4488 or send an e-mail [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: JodysClub Forest, 372 Forest Ave. 7:30p.m. For info, call 718-348-0505.

Kiwanis Club of North Central:LiGrecis Staten, 697 Forest Ave.7:30 p.m. For info, call Len Bosso at347-592-1937.

Rotary Club of Gateway: The LakeClub, 1150 Clove Rd. 7:15 p.m. Forinfo, call 718-447-1509.

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

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

Rotary Club of South Shore: Mari-na Grand, 141 Mansion Ave. 12:15 p.m.For info, call 718-987-2061 or visitsouthshorerotary.org.

Rotary Club Mid-Island: New Dako-ta Diner, 921 Richmond Ave. 7:30 to

9:00 a.m. Call 718-981-0700.

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

Rotary Club of North Shore: LiGre-cis Staten, 697 Forest Ave. 7 p.m.For info, call Chris Williams at 718-442-9047.

Business Network Intl. (BNI) HighAchievers Chapter: PKs 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 Bob Williams at646-284-7206.

Business Guild III of the SI Cham-ber of Commerce: Hilton Garden

Inn, 1100 South Ave. 7:30 a.m. Newmembers welcome. Call MelodyMinkoff at 718-370-0040.

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 718-448-7160 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. For info, 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.

WEEKLY MEETINGS

Want to be listed?

Have a meeting youd like to list in our monthly Weekly Meetingsfeature? Drop us an email at [email protected] with the name

of the meeting, time, day, location and contact information.

Night of Island Originals

Special to Business Trends

Staten Island Photographer and Artist Flint Gennari participated inthe St. George Theatres Night of Island Originals recently. Hisartistic renderings of local musicians were on display in the lobbyand mezzanine of the theater.

Visit us on the Web at www.sibiztrends.com



21/24


Commercial/Residential Renovations

Additions, Extensions, Roof Raisings

Custom Carpentry/Artistic Wood-Working

Finished Basements Repairs/Handyman Services

Rockscapes, Cultured Stone Installs

Fire/Flood Restorations

Call Bob or David

718-761-8390

Insured. Bonded.References Available.License #1015742

Our Prices Fit Your Budget

Project-One Construction Services

.--,+**)('&%$#-*"-&!)"'-.&-

Located a short distance from Albany, NY, Stuyvesant Outdoor Adventures offers custom tailored

packages and accommodations for serious and casual hunters alike. All of our packages include afull hunting excursion, licensed guide, field dressing, as well as all meals and accommodations atour newly remodeled lodge - Stuyvesant Manor; the former estate of Hollywood Icon Sidney Poitier -which is also licensed as a bed and breakfast.

Whether you're looking for a short getaway, a corporate retreat, a camping weekend or even a seminarwith guest speakers and instructors, Stuyvesant Outdoor Adventures is a perfect spot.

HIC hits the links


The Home Improvement Contractors of Staten Island hit the links at their annual golf outing at theSouth Shore Golf Course. Proceeds from the day will benefit the Cooley's Anemia Foundation. Pictured,from left, are: HIC Vice President Bob Bernabe of Bernabe Home Improvements; HIC President LanaSeidman of Gregg Mechanical Corp.; HIC Executive Director Nina Shea; HIC Secretary Dave Mangan ofWoodperfect Custom Floors; and HIC Treasurer Peter Monzi of Shamrock Paints.

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Become a

DOME SAVINGS

CLUB VENDORand reach thousands

of potential customers!

For more information, call

(718) 605-2500www.domegroup.com

Dome Property Management - managers ofover 100 condo and homeowners associationcommunities - is now accepting vendors andmerchants to participate in the Dome SavingsClub, an "offer board" of discounted servicesand products for the communities it serves.

Join national companies like Time WarnerCable, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage and localbusinesses like Jealan Fireplaces and The PoolTherapist. To learn more, visit the Offer Boardat www.DomeGroup.com/dscOffers.

90 percent leased.What makes me proud is

when I get into the glass elevatorsat those buildings and I look outat the parking lot, and I see itfilled with cars, Nicotra said. Ithink about the 10 years whenthere was not a car in that park-ing lot.

When he bought the buildings,Nicotra said they were like a

scene from the Twilight Zone:There were desks, coffee cups, pa-pers, pens and furniture but nopeople. And it had been that wayfor 10 years, ever since AT&T andits 3,000 employees moved fromthe Teleport to New Jersey in2001.

The ripple effect of losing3,000 people was devastating tothe economy. For 10 years, it juststood that way, Nicotra said.

Losing a large business and

that many workers hurt sur-rounding Staten Island business-es. Hotels and restaurants hadfewer frequenters, and stores hadfewer shoppers. With the Teleporta desert when he took over own-ership of the buildings, Nicotraknew he needed to make changes.

The first major move was loos-ening the onerous security atthe Teleport, working with the

Port Authority, which he said un-derstood the dilemma. Tight secu-rity was once necessary at the

Teleport because of the satellitedishes located there, but they had-nt been around for years, so theregulations were outdated.

The second change Nicotramade was developing the Tele-port into an attractive place fortenants and their employees towork. He used his background asthe former owner of EverythingYogurt to open the CommonsCaf, a healthy breakfast andlunch spot that eliminated com-plaints from tenants about lack of

amenities, put 25 people to workand, at the same time, donated allthe profits - $106,000 in the firstyear to non-profit organizationsin the community.

I was a tenant in 200 mallsaround the country (with Every-thing Yogurt), and for the mostpart I was treated like garbage,Nicotra said. I come from thephilosophy that I would treat mytenants like kings, and thatswhat I do. You cant be a great

landlord unless youve beenabused by landlords, and I haveover the years. My tenants growwith me and they stay with me,and thats why we are doing sowell.

Nicotra has plans to expandthe Teleport even further. Thereis land around the buildingswhere he could build, and hescurrently investigating the possi-

bility of doing so.But make no mistake, the of-

fice market in Staten Island is

tough. The rents that you can getand the cost of building is tough.But this is where we live; this iswhere we do business, Nicotrasaid. We could make a lot moremoney if we built a building inBrooklyn or Manhattan, butthats not where we live. Weresatisfied with what we havehere.

Nicotra is busy with his otherprojects, as well. Opening twomore Staten Island locations forCommons Caf as well as fran-

chising the operation are in theworks, as is opening a high-endpizza and pasta restaurant in theCorporate Park that will operateon the same theory of donatingprofits that Commons Caf does.

Over at the Hilton, Nicotrabuilt a new tower, adding fivefloors of bigger guest rooms andsuites, a two-story ballroom and arooftop bar called Above that isa combination of Manhattan,Paris and Las Vegas, he said.

Even though his situationlooks rosy, Nicotra is quick toadmit that times remain challeng-ing. While the Teleport is 90 per-cent leased and expansion is onthe horizon, hes concerned aboutpoaching tenants from otherparts of Staten Island. All his cur-rent tenants are from the Island theyre not attracting outsiders.

We want more blood, fresher

blood, to come in, and were justnot getting that on Staten Island,he said. The tolls continue to kill

us. I think that has a devastatingeffect on our economy and willcontinue to. It affects us in ourwedding business, our room busi-ness. Its cheaper to stay in a hotelin New Jersey than it is to pay thetolls to come to us, then pay thehigher room rate to stay with us.The tolls are really keeping oureconomy in check. Were becom-ing more and more isolated here.Were becoming more and morecannibalistic here.

While Nicotra admits he could

make more money elsewhere, hesays he remains committed toStaten Island because this iswhere hes from; its where hisgrandparents came in 1910, andits where his family has chosento stay.

But improving his communitytakes time, work and dedication.He spends $100,000 each yeardoing maintenance, plantingflowers and trees along South Av-enue, with the goal to make it the

Park Avenue of Staten Island.His next vision is to commissiona famous artist to develop sculp-ture along the medians of SouthAvenue to welcome travelers asthey arrive.

It makes my heart sing whensomebody says I go out of myway to drive down South Av-enue, he said. Were here toraise the bar here.

Teleport thriving behind Nicotra

NICOTRAContinued from page 1

Northfield Bank Founda-tion announced that it willprovide $40,000 for infrastruc-ture repairs to the Rose Gar-den at Snug Harbor CulturalCenter & Botanical Garden.

The quarter-acre Rose Gar-den, in the shadow of the Gov-ernor's House, was establishedby the Staten Island BotanicalGarden in 1993.

In the past five years, theoriginal wooden trellis workhas fallen into disrepair andthe fountain has ceased tofunction.

The renovations are under-way and expected to be com-plete in the next several

months.Snug Harbor Cultural Cen-ter & Botanical Garden is thelargest ongoing adaptive reuseproject in America.

It consists of 23 historicalbuildings, nine distinctivebotanical gardens and 10 acresof wetlands on a unique 83-acre campus in Staten Island.

NorthfieldBank

helpingRoseGarden
http://www.siedc.org/


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http://www.siedc.org/


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business trends_july 2013

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