Networking, Networking, Networking

News, , ,

In a recent Forbes article, seven Forbes New York Business Council members put out their recommendations for New York annual events they find useful:

  1. Philip Smith of PJP Marketing Inc. recommends the Affiliate Summit East for digital marketing
  2. Henry Croft of Henry’s recommends the annual Raw Wine fair for networking in the industry.
  3. Yana Zaidiner of Token Payments Inc. says New York has too many wonderful opportunities to just recommend one and that it really is industry dependent.
  4. Steven Libman of Integrity Holdings Group, LLC recommends his annual joint chamber event on the beach attended by local chambers of commerce for networking and fun.
  5. Peter Renzulli of Bookkeepers To Go Inc., likes the Casino Night for Garden of Dreams event.
  6. Sergio Mannio of Sergio Mannio Studio believes the NYCxDESIGN provides a wonderful way for designers to see what others are doing locally and globally.
  7. Yasir Ali of Rivews recommends industry-based events such as those on Facebook, Meetup and Eventbrite.

New York City and Disability Infrastructure

Infrastructure, ,

New York City’s disabled are fighting for better wheelchair access on the streets. As such, they will participate in the third annual Disability Pride Parade. Problematic issues include: the subway (only 25% of 472 stations are wheelchair accessible); elevators in general (fix problematic ones, maintain existing ones and build new ones, while updating info on new app); fix and improve Access-A-Ride (which enables disabled users to get rides without making reservations/shared rides and is cheaper); continue to improve on cab-wheelchair accessibility (which is due to be halved in the next 2 ½ years) and more.

However, it’s not all doom and gloom.  According to the recently published Performing Disability. Dance. Artistry report, found that:

“the dance makers found New York City newly brimming with opportunity for disability arts, spurred in part by a growing advocacy movement, engaged government leadership, an expanding pool of interested funders, and effective promotion and program development furthered by Dance/NYC and partners such as Disability/Arts/NYC Task Force.”

However, there is still much work to be done since the report also found that:

“participants experienced significant barriers to successful performances, from inaccessible facilities and transportation options to extreme financial demands placed on disabled touring artists and subtleties of audience engagement.”

When Cheesecake Becomes “Everything”

Restaurants, , ,

If you’re looking for the best of the best in your New York cheesecake, apparently these days if you find yourself in NYC, then there is no place better than Manhattan’s Madison Avenue’s Eleven Madison Park.

At first,  it appears that you’ve ordered something not particularly out of the ordinary; simply a slice of classic NY cheesecake.  But forget the sweet; this is something entirely different as you will find as you first dig in. Which was perhaps what made the EMP (the name given to the restaurant by those “in the know”) its fine dining reputation.

Remember the firs time we indulged in the “everything” bagel?  How did we feel?  Well, take that to the next level and you may have the stirrings of understanding of the cheesecake from EMP.  Simply put, it is described here as:

“cream cheese contains pureed white asparagus, which renders it both complex and delicate. Atop the cheesecake are thinly sliced layers of smoked sturgeon – a mainstay in New York delicatessens – and a heaping of caviar. Then there are the condiments: pickled daikon radish and pickled white asparagus, each served in ornamental caviar tins. A mussel-and-sturgeon sauce offsets the richness of the course with a light saltiness.”

So it’s perhaps not surprising that when you Google it you’ll just find 4.5 star ratings from Trip Advisor and ExploreTock and that it has earned the Number 1 spot on the World’s 50th Best Restaurants!

M&A’s in New York

News, , ,

Lots of business movement in New York.  Here we look at AppNexus and Health Plus Management.

Having earned a reputation as “one of the hottest names in the ad tech industry” following its 2014 $1.2 billion VC valuation, it was hardly surprising that it was going to go to the next level of being sucked up by a major corporation or going public.  In this case it is AT&T which reaps the benefit in its alleged purchase deal worth approximately $1.6 billion.    The idea behind this purchase is AT&Ts bringing AppNexus into its newly created advertising and analytics business.  The move is also indicative of AT&Ts recognition of the importance of voluminous customer data to more effectively sell adds in various formats.

Moving to a completely different industry we learn of the recent plans by Health Plus Management LLC to purchase Advanced PMR Management.  According to CEO and founder of Health Plus, Stuart Blumberg:

“Advanced PMR epitomizes stellar services and consummate patient care. We are thrilled to take on management and support of APMR and we expect tremendous success in working together to develop APMR into a strong, multi-specialty, platform for best in class rehab care in NJ.”

This move will create the environment for Health Plus’s development of a presence in New Jersey, in a way that it has done since its establishment almost two-and-a-half decades ago.

 

Benefits of Running a Business in NYC

Economy, , ,

While Silicon Valley has for many years been the preferred choice of location for business development and operation, it seems that New York City is now being propelled as a great alternative.  According to a recent article in Business Insider by Zoë Bernard, here are some of the reasons why:

  1. One of the world centers for fashion and finance
  2. Fantastic pool of talent
  3. Venture capital environment with the likes of Hercules Capital, Insight Venture Partners and BetaWorks.
  4. Startup scene there has a real sense of community spirit with mentorship programs such as Oceans.
  5. Female founders have traditionally done well in NYC.
  6. Quite simply, because it is anywhere but Silicon Valley and that alone gives it an edge.

In addition, just looking at real estate transactions in the area over the last few years one can see the improvement in living and working conditions in NYC.  For example, a decade ago, it was not at all easy to get financing for mortgages due to the fiscal crisis.  But now, according to 3 World Trade Center developer Larry Silverstein, that has all changed.  With 40 percent occupancy already, he pointed out that “these buildings never stay empty for long.” And corporations will want to go there since they “need technology and you can only get technology in brand-new buildings.”

Furthermore, as Alexandros Washburn said, every time there’s a crisis with New York, it bounces back, concluding that: “Every time it’s comes back with a better balance, more richness in the types of buildings that are here, the types of open spaces.”

Caribbean Week New York

Entertainment, , ,

New York City has a substantial Caribbean-American residency.  As such, the Caribbean Week New York that begins tomorrow is very well-received and attended.

Organized by the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), this is a great bolster to the economy with the attraction of VIPs, diplomats and others to the city to enjoy the free Revival for the Caribbean affair.  It will take place in Manhattan’s Financial District at 225 Liberty Street in the Meredith Global Corp’s 5th floor auditorium.

Programs include: “Revival for the Caribbean,” “Rum & Rhythm Benefit and Auction,” “Celebrity Chef Program” and more.

New York State, Taxes, Money

Economy, , ,

New York’s Environmental Protection Fund has made $350,000 available to supplement protection Hudson River’s natural resources.  This money – delegated by the DEC Hudson River Estuary Program – will be used to enhance water quality; counter flooding; conserve wildlife habitat.

in an effort to protect annual tax levy increases, the New York property-tax cap (that was implemented 7 years ago) puts a 2 percent cap/rate of inflation (whichever is lower) on taxes.  How does this impact us now?  For the 2018-19 academic year, average school districts cap is around 2.9 percent thanks to the exemptions with around 98 percent of districts being compliant.

According to NY Association of School Business Officials Executive Director Michael Borges:

“Although school districts have a higher cap this year than last, higher health and pension costs, coupled with economic instability due to federal policy changes, create an uncertain fiscal picture for school districts. Stable, adequate and equitable state funding is more important than ever.”

Freedom Day in New York City

Featured, , ,

South African diplomats expressed gratitude to New Yorkers and the City of New York as they marked Freedom Day.  In this SABC Digital News video, we learn of the appreciation South Africans expressed at the support of the community around the world in the role it played in eliminating apartheid.

Around 200 people assembled to mark the day in NY which was attended by Sherwin Bryce-Pease, Chef de Cabinet to Antonio Gutteres UN Secretary General Maria Luiza Viotti, South African model and Miss Universe Demi-Leigh Nel Peters, Aziz Pahad, Johannesburg West Highlands MP.