Crain's New York Business back issues from April 2009:
Taking off the ritz; With occupancy rates slumping, posh hotels offer discounts, deals.
Apr 06, 2009 ... Byline: Lisa Fickenscher The white house and congress say corporate executives on the dole shouldn't be bunking in luxury hotels. But the truth is that four- and even five-star Manhattan hotels are a steal these days. Deals offering everything from 50% off the room ...
Who will fight for NY's future?
Apr 06, 2009 ... New yorkers angered by the reckless budget adopted in Albany last weeka group that surely includes every thinking businessperson in the statemust decide what can be done to change direction. The answer is to find the right champion for governor, and understand the true lessons of Eliot ...
IN THEMARKETS.
Apr 06, 2009 ... Goldman snacks: smaller portions from the i-bank's profit kitchen Not even mighty Goldman Sachs is being spared the misery that has consumed Wall Street. Last week, it was reported that top investment banker Bryon Trott was leaving to start his own shop with help from longtime ...
High Line park's opening raises Chelsea's hopes for better times; Stylish site may draw crowds, but will it be gravy train?
Apr 06, 2009; ... Byline: Amanda Fung In less than two months, the first part of the High Line, the city's first elevated park, will open to great fanfare in West Chelsea. The hyperstylish new park, which sits atop a 1.5-mile section of a former freight railway line, will mark the ...
GROUP SEEKS HOST BUSINESSES.(Greater New York Council)(Brief article)
Apr 06, 2009 ... The Greater New York Council's Exploring program seeks businesses to host sessions offering high school students the chance to explore various industries and make better decisions about career choices. Exploring puts together groups of 15 to 25 students. They meet at the ...
Financial firm's downtown digs; Landlord's effort to court Avalon Partners pays off.
Apr 06, 2009 ... Byline: Amanda Fung Avalon partners inc. is relocating to new digs in the financial districtjust a few blocks away from its current office at 60 Broad St. The Manhattan-based investment firm, founded in 1996, has signed a lease for 9,000 square feet at 30 Broad St., ...
FULL-SERVICE BROKERAGES SAY THEY CARE ABOUT TENANTS, TOO.(Brief article)
Apr 06, 2009 ... Full-service firms, which represent both landlords and tenants, scoff at the notion that they are any less interested in pressing their tenant clients' cases than firms that represent only occupiers of space. "You have two things in this business, your reputation and your ...
Comfort shoe firm eases into space.
Apr 06, 2009 ... Byline: Adrianne Pasquarelli Footwear retailer Eneslow is stepping out on Second Avenue, just in time for its 100th anniversary. The company, which specializes in orthopedic shoes, signed a 15-year lease for its second Manhattan location, taking 2,000 square feet at 1504 Second ...
Four neighborhoods roll with punches; Recession hits some locations harder than others.
Apr 06, 2009 ... Byline: AMANDA FUNG For years, developer Leib Puretz dreamed about transforming St. George, Staten Island's commercial and governmental hub, into a place where Wall Street professionals could settle down in luxury condominiums. He planned to lure them with striking views of the ...
EXECUTIVE MOVES.(Fxfowle Architects)
Apr 06, 2009 ... Byline: Maia Blume Accounting & Consulting Grant Thornton: Peter Scalise, 36, joined as executive director, strategic federal tax services practice, and research and development tax credit leader, Northeast region. He previously was senior manager and thought leader ...
A different kind of measurement.
Apr 06, 2009 ... Byline: Greg David The dry statistics issued by government aren't the only economic indicators. In New York, things like private school applications and the public library expansion are worth watching because of what they tell us about future trends and about New Yorkers' ...
HOT JOBS.
Apr 06, 2009 ... Byline: Miriam Kreinin Souccar WANTED: Sales Director COMPANY BBC Worldwide Americas JOB DESCRIPTION Leading a team of five that sells BBC footage and photos MOST IMPORTANT TASK New business development CREDENTIALS NEEDED Experience ...
Big insurers may need U.S. lifeline; MetLife, Pru, others see losses overwhelm their cash cushions.
Apr 06, 2009 ... Byline: Aaron Elstein Life insurance companies were some of the most enthusiastic consumers of Wall Street's most toxic junk during the boom years. Now they're suffering a most serious case of indigestion: They face billions worth of investment losses that threaten to wipe out ...
Drugstores' retail prescription; As other stores close, chains scoop up space and expand selections in push for market share.
Apr 06, 2009 ... Byline: Adrianne Pasquarelli Coming to a corner near youanother chain drugstore. Scores of clothiers and eateries in the city have closed in the past year, succumbing to the dismal retail environment. But pharmacy outlets are on the rise. More than two dozen have ...
DEMOCRATIC AGENDA Smooth sailing?
Apr 06, 2009 ... With the state budget doneat least until tumbling revenues compel lawmakers to revise itthe new Democratic majority in the Legislature will turn its attention to a slew of bills that had been blocked by Senate Republican leaders, now out of power. lThe Healthy Teens Act will be ...
Security company doubles footprint.
Apr 06, 2009 ... Byline: Theresa Agovino Touchcom inc. will be doubling its space when it moves into 7,500 square feet at 118 W. 22nd St. in May. The provider of building security systems signed a five-year lease for the entire 10th floor of the property, between Sixth and Seventh ...
Pizza cooks in Hell's Kitchen.
Apr 06, 2009 ... Byline: Adrianne Pasquarelli Rents might be dropping in SoHo, but they're holding firm in trendy Hell's Kitchen. Pizza Plus NYC recently signed a 10-year lease for 800 square feet at 707 Ninth Ave., between West 48th and West 49th streets. The deal was completed near the asking ...
A MAN FOR OUR TIMES; Developer's socially conscious model is green in more ways than one.
Apr 06, 2009 ... Byline: THERESA AGOVINO Many new buildings blossomed in Harlem during the boom, but the year-old David and Joyce Dinkins Gardens on West 153rd Street stands out. The seven-story brick property is a state-of-the-art green building, whose 86 affordable units include 26 reserved ...
The Insider.
Apr 06, 2009 ... Byline: Erik Engquist A winyes, a win for governor Empowered by a landslide election win and off-the-charts approval ratings, Eliot Spitzer stormed into Albany two years ago demanding health care reforms that would purportedly save hundreds of millions of dollars and ...
EconoMeter.
Apr 06, 2009 ... Weekly shift in city's business climate. Euphoria came cheap last week as investors got excited over auto sales data less dismal than forecast, signs that deeply discounted houses can be sold, and indications financial panic is passe. -67% Drop in sales of ...
Personnel File.
Apr 06, 2009 ... COMPANY Simulmedia TITLE Founder and chief executive AGE 45 RESUME ...
Dave Morgan: Self-starter is at it again; Seasoned entrepreneur launches high-tech promo project in risky medium: television.
Apr 06, 2009 ... Byline: Kira Bindrim Startup veteran Dave Morgan is once, twice, three times an entrepreneur. Two years after the sale of two online ad businesses he foundedTacoda to AOL for $275 million, and 24/7 Real Media to WPP Group for $649 millionMr. Morgan is poised to launch his third ...
Health Net of the Northeast targeted by EmblemHealth; Acquisition would boost membership; 2 other possible bidders.
Apr 06, 2009 ... Byline: Barbara Benson Emblemhealth, parent of Group Health Inc. and HIP Health Plan of New York, is mulling a bid for the assets of Health Net of the Northeast, according to a source briefed on EmblemHealth's plans. Health Net's operation in the area is shrinking and is widely ...
Corrections.(Correction notice)
Apr 06, 2009 ... Zanaro's restaurant in White Plains was designed by Haverson Architecture and Design in Greenwich, Conn. The information was misstated in the March 23 ...
MANAGEABLE STRAIN.
Apr 06, 2009 ... Late nights at the office and minimal conversation may sound like an itemized guide for divorce. But the seasonal habits of CPAs won't doom a marriage, says Mel Schwartz, a Manhattan psychotherapist and author of The Art of Intimacy, the Pleasure of Passion. "CPAs' ...
In Brief.
Apr 06, 2009 ... State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is investigating complaints by local wine- makers who say liquor store owners have threatened to boycott their products. "We've been told it is an investigation at this point,'' says Jennifer Carlson, who represents a coalition of winemakers and grape ...
New York, New York.
Apr 06, 2009 ... Byline: edited by Valerie Block Yanks tickets to highest bidder Baseball season starts today, and it will soon be apparent whether C.C. Sabathia (left) and Mark Teixeira are worth their millions. It's already clear that Yankees' season-ticket holders are ...
Bad reception at Channel 4; Berman out as station tries to recast local news.
Apr 06, 2009 ... Byline: Matthew Flamm Last week, local fans cried foul when sportscaster Len Berman announced that he would no longer be "Spanning the World'' on WNBC but would instead be joining a recent exodus from the station that has included half a dozen well-known reporters and anchors. ...
Car Talk.
Apr 06, 2009 ... The U.S. auto industry's many problems don't just affect Detroit. Here are some of the ways that New York is as much a car town as a subway city. The New York International Auto Show is the biggest car confab in the U.S., with 1.2 million visitors and $112 million in spending by ...
A builder's mentality; Trade group's first female leader knows jobs are priority No. 1.
Apr 13, 2009 ... Byline: Theresa Agovino Denise richardson knows how a sour economy affects construction workers' families. When she was growing up near Providence, R.I., her father, a window installer, was jobless for months during tough times. That sent her mother to work and upended the ...
HITS & MISSES.
Apr 13, 2009 ... Beautifiers' go-between finds style A brief stint at a talent management agency in the late 1990s helped Robin Krasner discover her calling. In 2000, she founded IgroupNYC with a handful of set designers and stylists. "These artists had regular clients, so I started ...
For Love or Money.
Apr 13, 2009 ... A new survey from personal finance Web site Minyanville finds that the drooping economy is adversely impacting people's sex lives. About 17% of respondents say their love lives ...
But will the Boss show up?
Apr 13, 2009 ... Tongues will be wagging at The Kristen Ann Carr Fund's annual gala this year. Founded by Bruce Springsteen's co-manager Barbara Carr and her rock writer husband, Dave Marsh, the fund raises money for research into deadly sarcoma, a disease that claimed the life of the couple's daughter. ...
From doomsday to Earth Day.
Apr 13, 2009 ... Byline: Valerie Block My carbon footprint is smaller than that of many Americans. I walk to work and don't own a car. I recycle my table scraps at the Union Square Green Market compost stand every week. And I grow a vegetable garden on my terrace each summer. But ...
Downtown gets Italian hospitality.
Apr 13, 2009 ... The financial district is about to get its first family-style Italian eatery. In May, Peter Poulakakos, the entrepreneur behind a string of successful lower Manhattan restaurants, including Bayard's, will open Harry's Italian. The new spot is named after Mr. Poulakakos' partner and father, ...
Where to walk on the wild side.
Apr 13, 2009 ... The empire state building, Times Square and a Broadway play are must-sees for city visitors. But radio talk-show host Curtis Sliwa (below) is betting that tourists will also pay to see a seamier side of the Big Apple. The New York personality and Guardian Angel founder just ...
RECYCLING Retrofitting city's law.
Apr 13, 2009 ... Twenty years ago, the city passed a law establishing municipal recycling. Its goal was to divert 25% of the residential waste stream by 1994. The rate today is a meager 17%. The Bloomberg administration and the City Council are beginning negotiations on a revision of the ...
Correction.(Correction notice)
Apr 13, 2009 ... JetBlue Airways' shares closed on Friday, April 3, at $4.41. The information was ...
Stemming Wall St. exodus; NYC dilemma:how to keep all that talent in town.
Apr 13, 2009 ... Byline: Aaron Elstein Lots of people cope with tough times by quaffing a cold beer or two. Drew Weinstein hopes folks will soon reach for one of his. Mr. Weinstein, who last October lost his job as a research analyst at investment bank Cowen & Co., has said goodbye to ...
Did we hit bottom yet? Local economy shows signs of life; mayor declares turning point is here.
Apr 13, 2009 ... Byline: Daniel Massey For months after Wall Street's collapse last fall, client orders at the New York offices of staffing agency Robert Half International dried up, while inquiries from job seekers skyrocketed. After the new year, the dynamic slowly started to reverse: Fewer ...
IMAX scores big with Monster hit; 3-D fans, expansion to multiplexes put struggling outfit on turnaround path.
Apr 13, 2009 ... Byline: Matthew Flamm Last month, the animated movie Monsters vs. Aliens scored the biggest opening weekend for a 3-D film and gave studio DreamWorks Animation SKG the biggest weekend debut of 2009. But that was nothing compared to what the movie did for IMAX Corp., ...
TheLadders.com escalates presence; Hot job site expands in Hudson Sq., preps for a larger home.
Apr 13, 2009 ... Byline: theresa agovino The employment site TheLadders.com, dedicated to $100,000-a-year-plus jobs, leased another 14,400 square feet in the Hudson Square area, bringing its total office space to roughly 60,000 square feet in three buildings owned by Trinity Real Estate. ...
Turning around Old Navy's; Economy major obstacle as Gap's once-hip value division revamps.
Apr 13, 2009 ... Byline: Adrianne Pasquarelli Old navy recently launched a campy commercial campaign featuring talking mannequins. Reviews are mixed, but the TV spots are garnering buzzsomething the ailing chain has not been able to do for some time. "They're doing something that's ...
A bigger imprint for digital imager.
Apr 13, 2009 ... Byline: amanda fung Eye2eye digital wants to boost the company's profileand impress clients, of coursewith new office space in the garment district. The year-old firm, which provides digital imaging services for print and Web media clients like Limited Brands and ...
Apparel shop finds ready-made space.
Apr 13, 2009 ... Byline: adrianne pasquarelli Women's apparel boutique Helianthus signed a seven-year lease for 500 square feet on the ground floor of 196 Spring St., between Sullivan and Thompson streets. The asking rent was $204 a square foot. The space, which includes a ...
IN BRIEF.
Apr 13, 2009 ... New York City's municipal hospitals will lose $277 million in state Medicaid funding in fiscal 2010. They lost $66 million in fiscal 2009. The New York City Health and Hospitals Corp.'s 11 facilities are shouldering a disproportionate 56% of the $232 million in net Medicaid cuts to city ...
Supporting SMALL BUSINESS.
Apr 13, 2009 ... Despite claims that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act largely ignores smaller firms, the law contains a number of provisions that could help entrepreneurs, including: Injecting $730 million into the Small Business Administration *$375 million for temporary ...
THE INSIDER.
Apr 13, 2009 ... Byline: Erik Engquist and Daniel Massey Bloomie's blooming spring campaign Even considering the spending standards of Mayor Michael Bloomberg's past campaigns, his spring blitz of television commercials has some political consultants shaking their heads. Says the ...
Money man's payday; Mario Gabelli appears to be Street's best-compensated.
Apr 13, 2009 ... Byline: Aaron Elstein It looks as if the title of best-paid chief executive on Wall Street belongs to money manager Mario Gabelli, who took home an impressive $46 million last year. The founder of Gamco Investors Inc.'s pay package dwarfs that of many leaders at much ...
Searching stimulus for a boost; Some find little direct impact, but plan could unclog credit.
Apr 13, 2009 ... Byline: Kira Bindrim In the past three months, Greenhouse IT's credit line has been reduced three times by American Express. The eight-person company, which provides flat-rate technology services to small and midsize businesses, has renegotiated vendor contracts and trimmed ...
The trouble with Larry; Why Silverstein refuses to cave on WTC terms.
Apr 13, 2009 ... Byline: Theresa Agovino Sitting in his corner office with stunning views of downtown and the harbor, Larry Silverstein exudes a been-there, done-that calm. About to turn 78 next month, he has spent the last eight years enduring bruising battles with government officials over his ...
Personnel file.
Apr 13, 2009 ... ORGANIZATION General Contractors Association of New York TITLE Managing director AGE 49 ...
Fordham's lessons for NY.
Apr 13, 2009 ... Wall street's recovery is in serious doubt. Clearly, New York City's economy must become more diversified. But do New Yorkers understand what it will take to help make that happen? A key test comes in the next few weeks, when the Planning Commission and the City Council vote on Fordham ...
Job-hunt treadmill; Multiple callbacks often lead nowhere.
Apr 13, 2009 ... Byline: HILARY POTKEWITZ After rigorously preparing for dozens of interviews in the 15 months since her position was eliminated, Suzanne Grossberg feels that she's running in place. She wakes up every day right where she started: unemployed. Ms. Grossberg, a former ...
NEW YORK MEDIA COMPANIES WANT IN ON THE E-READER CRAZE.
Apr 20, 2009 ... Byline: Matthew Flamm Just the mention of e-readers used to put media executives to sleep. Then in 2007, Amazon introduced the Kindle, and a year later, Oprah Winfrey endorsed it. Sales spiked, and the Kindle sold out. Now media big shots spend their sleepless nights scheming to ...
The insider.
Apr 20, 2009 ... Byline: Erik Engquist and Daniel Massey Keeping a lid on pension scandals Revelations of corruption under his predecessor do not justify ending sole trusteeship of the $120 billion state pension fund, said state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli (below). ...
Taking a huge hit while they're down; Battery Park City condo owners fight 100%-plus spikes in ground fees.
Apr 20, 2009 ... Byline: Amanda Fung In two years, residents of Liberty Terrace, a 25-story condominium in Battery Park City, will see their monthly charges increase by at least $240. Just down the block, 154 residents at Battery Pointe will be hit with a similar spikeroughly a 20% increasea ...
GILLIBRAND TOUR Tension persists.
Apr 20, 2009 ... House members from New York who snubbed the press conference introducing Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (below) in January have barely warmed to her. Their appearances with the new senator have been limited, despite ample opportunities as Ms. Gillibrand's listening tour crisscrosses the state. ...
Fortitude in shaky sectors.
Apr 20, 2009 ... Byline: Amanda Fung After more than a decade at Citigroup, Lisa Fitzig raised her hand when buyouts were offered last January. She has taken a big pay cut in the short term, but doesn't regret her decision to become a real estate broker at The Corcoran Group. "I saw ...
Building a better springboard.
Apr 20, 2009 ... Byline: Amanda Fung Since Mark Rywelski left the hospitality industry last year to take an entry-level job at a public relations company, he has been living paycheck to paycheck. Mr. Rywelski's previous job as a server at some of the city's trendiest celebrity-owned restaurants ...
Hanging hopes on a hobby.
Apr 20, 2009 ... Byline: Hilary Potkewitz Among the things Karl Miller got for his 50th birthday last spring was a pink slip. His contract at Freddie Mac was cut, after he'd spent two years helping to fix the company's troubled accounting processes. His next gig was to have started in September ...
From dream job to happiness.
Apr 20, 2009 ... Byline: Hilary Potkewitz Having paid her dues handling publicity for the Ann Arbor Film Festival in Michigan and then for a wedding-cake maker, Kristin Darga finally landed her dream job: working in publicity for Columbia Pictures in New York City. She enjoyed the ...
Blogger with a business plan.
Apr 20, 2009 ... Byline: Matthew Flamm In the six months since he lost his job as national theater editor of trade paper Back Stage, Leonard Jacobs has turned a hobby into a nascent business. The Clyde Fitch Report, his three-year-old blog about politics and the artsnamed for a ...
Surprisingly Well Paid Government Jobs.
Apr 20, 2009 ... The days when federal government workers gave up high pay in exchange for job security are gone. Government workers will never pull down millions. But many state, city and federal government jobs in New York pay surprisingly well and include benefits that surpass those of the private ...
It's bad, but not that bad.
Apr 20, 2009 ... The official Bloomberg administration forecast predicts that the city will lose about as many jobs in this recession as it did in the 1988-92 downturn. However, two noted local ...