JUNE 2015

Lets play
more
than just
baseball

www.sibiztrends.com

ON THE JOB
See this months movers and shakers.
PAGE 2

SCORE
Dont start a business without a plan.
PAGE 6

TAX TALK
By TIM RONALDSON

Does the other tax apply to you?

Business Trends
PAGE 5
For the Staten Island Yankees,
the timing could not be any more
perfect.
Nostalgic Partners purchased
the Baby Bombers the Short
Season Class-A affiliate of the
New York Yankees in 2012, and
attendance at the ballpark continued to dip, dropping 44 percent
from 2009 to 2013.
A year-and-a-half ago, the team
hired Steven Violetta, a 30-year
veteran of professional sports
front offices, to take the reigns as
its new CEO to improve attendance at Richmond County Bank
Ballpark and increase the teams
visibility in the community. Violetta has helped to do that, stopping the bleeding with attendance, as he says, and building
the fan base back to previous levels.
The CEO, who has worked in
the front offices of the Detroit
Red Wings, Nashville Predators
and Pittsburgh Penguins of the
National Hockey League, and the
San Diego Padres of Major
League Baseball, was turned on
to the position with the minor
league Staten Island Yankees because of the opportunity it provided.
First and foremost, I was really intrigued with what was happlease see YANKEES, page 9

SIEDC hosts seminar with NYC comptrollers office

JANET DUGO/Business Trends

The Staten Island Economic Development Corp. hosted a seminar for members led by the NYC Comptrollers
Office outlining the ways to do business with city agencies. Pictured, from left, are Kevin Elkins of the Comptrollers Office, Laurette Steele of Neighborhood Housing Services, Paul Rotondi of Galli Engineering, Khadija
Niang of Neighborhood Housing Services, John Tardy of JVN Restoration, Michael Mistretta of Time Warner
Cable, Carra Wallace and Wendy Garcia of the Comptrollers Office and Arthur Skip Luke of Time Warner
Cable.

Decisions are in businesses hands

By TIM RONALDSON
Business Trends
New York City Councilman Steven Matteo
is putting the future of his districts neighborhoods in the hands of business owners
and community members.

Business Calendar
Check out our monthly listing and
attend an event on Staten Island.
PAGE 3

Matteo, who represents the mid-Island

District 50, has helped start four communitybased groups to spur economic activity in
corridors throughout his district.
Too many times, small businesses are hit
with fees and taxes. What I want to do is
change that relationship and prove to small

businesses in Staten Island that government

can be a partner and that we can be helpful,
he said.
The best way to change that perception,
Matteo said, was to go to business owners
please see MATTEO page 17

2 BUSINESS TRENDS JUNE 2015

on the job

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Visit us online at www.sibiztrends.com

FRANK WILKINSON
Rabs Country Lanes
Frank Wilkinson, owner of
Rabs Country Lanes, has been
elected president of the United
States Bowling Congress. He has
served as USBC vice president
the last two seasons.
Wilkinson has been involved in
the sport most of his life. He
joined the USBC board as a youth
committee representative in 2010
and currently serves as the Youth
Committee chair. He was elected
to the Bowling Proprietors Association of America board in 2014
as a USBC representative and has
been a director on the National
Council of Youth Sports since
2012. He is a Youth Education
Services Committee member for
the New York State USBC and
also serves on the Staten Island
USBC board.
He has received many honors,
including the Staten Island Chapter of the American Cancer Society Distinguished Community
Service Award in 2012, and in 2013
received the NYS USBC Youth
Leaders Bridging the Gap Award
and the Staten Island Small Business of the Year award presented
by the City of New York. He recently was recognized as one of
Staten Islands Top "20 Under 40"
leaders in business by the Staten
Island Economic Development
Corporation.
The United States Bowling
Congress serves as the national
governing body of bowling as recognized by the United States

Olympic Committee.
DR. GARY REICHARD
CUNY
The CUNY Board of Trustees
Committee on Faculty, Staff, and
Administration officially
recommended the
appointment
of Dr. Gary
Reichard to
serve as the
Colleges
new provost
and senior
Reichard
vice president for academic affairs.
Reichard has a long career in
higher education, spanning a 40year period. He retired from the
California State University system after 12 years of service combined in both faculty and administrative roles. After retirement,
he held several interim provost
and vice president for academic
affairs positions through the Registry for College and University
Presidents including interim
provost and vice president for Academic Affairs at California State
University, Dominguez Hills. He
is currently finishing a term as
interim provost and vice president for academic affairs at California State University, Maritime
Academy.
In addition to California State
University, where his roles have
predominantly consisted of academic affairs administration, Re-

ichard held faculty positions at

The Ohio State University, University of Delaware, University of
Maryland College Park and Florida Atlantic University. Reichard
holds a BA from the College of
Wooster, an MA from Vanderbilt
University and a Ph.D. from Cornell University.
PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENT
Victory Worldwide Transportation
Victory Worldwide Transportation, Inc. of Staten Island, an
agent of United Van Lines, has
been honored by the worldwide
transportation company for exceptional professional achievement.
Victory Worldwide received the Presidents Club
Award, $2 million level - honoring
agents who have generated at
least $1 million in sales for the
United system during the past
year.
JOSEPH J. LIBASSI
Victory State Bank
Joseph J. LiBassi, the founder
of Victory State Bank, has been
named chairman of the Board of
Directors of The Italian Cultural
Foundation at Casa Belvedere.
With deep connections to
Grymes
Hill,
where
Casa
Belvedere is located, LiBassi is
looking forward to his new chairmanship. "As an American of
Italian heritage, I am excited to be
a part of the Casa Belvedere
Board of Directors We will proplease see JOB page 12

JUNE 2015 BUSINESS TRENDS 3

Business Calendar
YMCA COUNSELING
SERVICE BRUNCH
SUNDAY, JUNE 7
Location: Hilton Garden Inn
For information, call 718-227-3200

JCC GALA
TRIBUTE DINNER
SUNDAY, JUNE 7
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Location: 1466 Manor Rd.
For information, call 718-475-5200

SI CHAMBER: BUS.
AFTER HOURS
TUESDAY, JUNE 9
Time: 6:00 8:00 p.m.
Location: SI Yankees, 75 Richmond
Terr.
For information, call 718-727-1900

RICHMOND CNTY.
BANKERS ASSOC.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10
Location: Mikes Place, 4677 Hylan
Blvd.
For information, call 718-370-7037

NYS WOMEN, INC.

(RICHMOND CNTY.)

For information, call 718-816-5991

CHAMBER GOLF OUTING

Weddings
Sweet 16s
Anniversaries
Birthday Parties
Much much more!
..................................

Steve White
6 Genesee Avenue
Staten Island, NY 10308
Phone: 718.317.5025
Cell: 917.446.4029
Email: statenarts@aol.com

Location: Richmond County C.C.

For information, call 718-987-8872

THURSDAY, JUNE 11
Time: 12:30 p.m.
Location: LaTourette Golf Course
For information, call 718-727-1900

JACQUES MARCHAIS
MUSEUM TIBETAN
TWILIGHT
THURSDAY, JUNE 11
Time: 6:30 9:00 p.m.
Location: 338 Lighthouse Ave.
For information, call 718-987-3500

INDEP. ASSOC.
OF ACCOUNTANTS
THURSDAY, JUNE 11
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Bocelli, 1250 Hylan Blvd.
For information, call 718-948-0810

POWERFUL YOU!
(SOUTH)
THURSDAY, JUNE 11
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Giulianas, 4105 Hylan
Blvd.
For information, call 718-608-1640

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Location: Bella Vita, 1919 Hylan Blvd.

MONDAY, JUNE 15

AMERICAN CANCER
SOCIETY GOLF OUTING

statenarts
Staten Arts Photography
www.statenartsphotography.com

please see EVENTS, page 16

!
$

$ "

Phone: 718-354-4026
#

4 BUSINESS TRENDS JUNE 2015

WEEKLY MEETINGS

Cash Is King
For small-business owners, understanding cash flow can literally be the
difference between survival and failure. In fact, Allbusiness.com listed
cash flow problems among the top 10
reasons why small businesses fail.
Simon Shkolyar, owner of The Interface Financial Group in Staten Island,
points out that
most people believe
that cash flow problems occur in businesses with slow
sales, but rapid
growth can also
trigger a cash
deficit.
There is a difference between profit
and cash flow that
small-business owners should understand, Shkolyar said. Even businesses with great sales can get into a
cash crunch waiting to get paid.
Watching the inflows and outflows of
cash in your business is a critical
management tool that small business
owners can forget.
Shkolyar offered the following tips for
business owners to keep the money
flowing properly:
Develop a cash flow statement: A
cash flow statement enables a business owner to analyze cash flow over

MONDAY

time.
Accelerate cash receivables: Provide
incentives to your customers for paying early. Accelerate the billing
process by sending out bills weekly instead of monthly.
Slow down payables: Establish trade
credit with suppliers. Negotiate longer
payment terms.
The Interface Financial Group offers a service called
invoice discounting through which
it provides cash for
a small percentage
of accounts receivable. The IFG program
allows
businesses to use
the service as often
as they would like without commitment.
To learn more about this service, call
Simon Shkolyar at 718-668-0099 for
more information.

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Visit us online at www.sibiztrends.com

Become a

DOME SAVINGS
CLUB VENDOR
and reach thousands
of potential customers!

Bus. Outreach Ctr of SI/WBCLDC

Small Bus. Counseling
MWBE/BOC Capital: WBCLDC, 705
Forest Ave., 2nd Fl. By appointment
only. 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, 2800
Victory Blvd. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. No
charge. For info, call the SBDC at
718-982-2560.

TUESDAY
Greater New Dorp Networking
Group: 8 a.m. Perkins, 1409 Hylan
Blvd. For information, call Steve
Lombardo at 718-702-8623.
SI Business Friends: 7:30 - 8:45
a.m. Hilton Garden Inn, 1100 South
Ave. For information, call Dr. Richard
Bove at 718-938-5978 or visit
www.sibfnetwork.com.
Bus. Outreach Ctr of SI/WBCLDC
Small Bus. Counseling
MWBE/BOC Capital: WBCLDC, 705
Forest Ave., 2nd Fl. By appointment
only. For info, call 718-816-4775.
Direct120.com, Ultimate Think
Tank: Lorenzos, 1100 South Ave. For
info, visit www.direct120.com.
Kiwanis Club of South Shore:
LaFontana, 2879 Amboy Rd. 7:30
p.m. For info, call 718-370-2770.
SCORE Business Counseling: S.I.
Bank & Trust, 1550 Richmond Rd. 9
a.m. to noon. No appointment necessary. No charge. For info, call 718727-1221.
Business Guild I of the S.I. Cham-

ber of Commerce: Hilton Garden

Inn, 1100 South Ave. 7:45 a.m. Members and invited guests only. Call
Michael Anicito at 646-606-2111.
Business Network Intl. (BNI) Network Alliance Chapter: Z-One
Lounge, 1821 Richmond Ave. 7 to
8:30 a.m. For info, call Timothy
Houston at 718-981-8600.
Rotary Club Staten Island: LiGrecis Staten, 697 Forest Ave. 12:30 to
1:30 p.m. Members and guests welcome. For info, call 718-370-3140.
College of S.I., Small Bus. Dev. Ctr.
Business Counseling: Chamber of
Commerce, 130 Bay St. 9 a.m. No
charge. Call 718-982-2560.
College of S.I., Small Bus. Dev. Ctr.
Business Counseling: CSI, 2800
Victory Blvd. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. No
charge. Call the SBDC at 982-2560.

p.m. For info, call 718-348-0505.

Kiwanis Club of North Central:
LiGrecis Staten, 697 Forest Ave.
7:30 p.m. Call Len Bosso at 718-4427804.
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 necessary. No charge. Call 718-727-1221.
E.L.I.T.E. (Executive, Leadership,
Interactive, Team, Effort) Networking Group: 1110 South Ave. 8
a.m. New members welcome. For
info, call 347-273-1375.
College of S.I., Small Bus. Dev. Ctr.
Business Counseling: CSI, 2800
Victory Blvd. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For
info, call 718-982-2560.

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

Bus. Outreach Ctr of SI/WBCLDC

Small Bus. Counseling
MWBE/BOC Capital: WBCLDC, 705
Forest Ave., 2nd Fl. By appointment
only. For info, call 718-816-4775.
Richmond County Referral Source:
Comfort Inn. 7:00 to 8:15 a.m. For
info, email jcmexp@aol.com
Staten Island Business Council:
Andrews Diner, 4160 Hylan Blvd. 7
a.m. Members and invited guests
only. For info, call 347-855-4488 or
send an e-mail to info@sibizcouncil.com.
Bucks Business Network: Hampton Inn, 1120 South Ave. 7:45 a.m.
For info, call 718-351-2557 or visit
www.sibucks.com.
Kiwanis Club of Brighton: Jodys
Club Forest, 372 Forest Ave. 7:30

Bus. Outreach Ctr of SI/WBCLDC

Small Bus. Counseling
MWBE/BOC Capital: WBCLDC, 705
Forest Ave., 2nd Fl. By appointment
only. 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:
LiGrecis Staten, 697 Forest Ave.
7:30 p.m. For info, call 718-967-4345
or kiwanisclubofstatenisland.com.
Rotary Club of South Shore: Mansion Grand, 141 Mansion Ave. 12:15
p.m. For info, call 718-987-2061 or
visit southshorerotary.org.
Rotary Club Mid-Island: New Dako-

Dome Property Management - managers of

over 100 condo and homeowners association
communities - is now accepting vendors and
merchants to participate in the Dome Savings
Club, an "offer board" of discounted services
and products for the communities it serves.

Join national companies like Time Warner

Cable, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage and local
businesses like Jealan Fireplaces and The Pool
Therapist. To learn more, visit the Offer Board
at www.DomeGroup.com/dscOffers.

For more information, call

(718) 605-2500
www.domegroup.com

please see MEETINGS, page 8

JUNE 2015 BUSINESS TRENDS 5

Does the other tax apply to you?

By JOHN J. VENTO
You may not have heard much
about the alternative minimum
tax since the American Taxpayer
Relief Act of 2012. That law established AMT exemption amounts
and indexed them to inflation.
But the AMT is still around
and still capable of increasing the
tax you owe. Thats because AMT
rules do not allow many of the exclusions, deductions, and credits
available under regular income
tax rules. Eliminating these benefits means more of your income
is subject to AMT.
For example, say you itemize
and deduct certain taxes paid
when you calculate your regular
income tax liability. State or local
income taxes, real estate taxes, or
personal property taxes are not
deductible under AMT rules.
Lower deductions equal higher
income for AMT purposes.
How do you know if AMT rules
apply to you? Potential triggers
include large itemized deductions
such as taxes, as well as certain
income, such as the exercise of
incentive stock options. Other
items can affect your exposure
too. For instance, personal exemptions are disallowed under

AMT rules. If you claim many exemptions, you may be subject to

the tax.
Generally, the best way to determine if you owe AMT is to
work through the calculation. To
do that, you start with your adjusted gross income for regular
tax purposes.
Next, you adjust for items that
are either not allowed for the
AMT, or are calculated differently.
Then you subtract the AMT exemption. For 2015, the exemption
starts at $53,600 when youre filing single and $83,400 when
youre married filing jointly.
(Note: The exemption phases out
as your AMT income increases.)
Finally, you multiply any remaining amount by AMT rates, which
begin at 26 percent, and compare
the result to your ordinary income tax. You pay the higher
amount.
AMT applies to your business
as well as your personal tax return. In both cases, certain income, exclusions, deductions and
credits receive different treatment than they do for regular income tax. Youll need to perform
separate calculations and maintain separate records.

John J. Vento is a certified public

accountant in private practice and
president of Comprehensive Wealth
Management, Ltd. He may be
reached at (718) 980-9000 or via
email at john@ventocpa.com.

Now Available
ASE
FOR LE

ASE
FOR LE

St. George - Professional Office Building. Great

Visibility from Victory/Bay Street signage exposure. Heavily traveled location via
car/buses/walking and near Ferry terminal.
Currently available: 2nd flr Office - 2 rooms with
hardwood floors. Rooms can be combined.
$1,000+electric 2nd flr Office - 4 rooms. Hardwood floors, kitchenette. close to courts, restaurants, shopping. Bay Street signage
exposure. $1300+electric Call Jennifer x13

West Brighton - Forest Avenue Professional Office Building

---Desk space available
---Private office available
Convenient location near corner of Bement Avenue. Rent includes: Use of conference room, parking, and utilities.
Monthly rent $300.00 to $900.00 Call Robert x17

ASE
FOR LE

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FOR LE

St. George - One of a kind duplex unit

available for immediate occupancy. 6
bedrooms, 3 full bathrooms, eat in
kitchen with stainless steel appliances, cherry wood cabinets, granite, Jacuzzi tub & soaking tub, wet bar, formal living/dining rooms, heated sun porch, stackable
washer/dryer hook-ups, large garden & use of driveway. In
home with old world charm located in the historic district
of St. George. Walking distance to SI Ferry & public transportation. $4,700.00 per month, heat included.

St. George - A newly renovated 4-story 80,000 sq. ft.

"Class A" mid-rise office building with an average floor
plate of 20,000 sq.ft. Landlord will build to suit. Suites
from 500 sq. ft. - 20,000 sq. ft. Full floor plates available
for immediate occupancy. On-site parking & security. Call
Rob for details.

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Your gateway to better business and better living on Staten Island
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6 BUSINESS TRENDS JUNE 2015

in our opinion

The momentum is building

F

or at least the last decade, Staten Island has watched as socalled outer-borough areas
with direct, relatively quick transportation links to Manhattan have
flourished. Neighborhoods that once
consisted mostly of decaying industrial buildings have been transformed
into thriving communities. Think
DUMBO, Williamsburg, and Red Hook
in Brooklyn, and Long Island City in
Queens.
Many here have rightly wondered
when something similar would occur
on Staten Islands north shore. After
all, it has all the attributes that worked
for those outer-borough hotspots. The
ferry provides a direct link to the
City. There is a wealth of land and
under-utilized real estate assets. And
rental and purchase prices are substantially lower than on comparable

sites in Manhattan.
Its been only in the last few years or
so that we have seen the placement of
building blocks that portend the type
of growth and development that has
taken place elsewhere. First and foremost, there was the finalization of
plans to redevelop the old Navy Homeport site in Stapleton. After a series of
fits and starts, the contract was ultimately awarded to Ironstate Development, the team that helped transfigure
the waterfronts of Hoboken and Jersey City.
This was followed by the announcement of the big New York Wheel and
Empire Outlets projects in St. George.
While these latest two developments
are just beginning to break ground,
Ironstates URL Staten Island, a
mixed-use Urban Ready Living environment aimed at luring young profes-

sionals to take up residence on Staten

Island, is well underway and inching
toward completion.
And now we are starting to see the
trickle-down effects of these projects.
It was lately reported that New York
mega-developer Steven Wu, through
Edgewater Plaza Loft LLC, has purchased the 268,000 square foot waterfront office building called Edgewater
Plaza in Clifton for a whopping $21.5
million. Wu is known for jumping on
emerging New York City markets.
We may not all have the means of
Mr. Wu, but if off-Island investors are
seeing the potential here, shouldnt we
local Staten Island business people be
capitalizing on it as well? We urge you
to not let this unique moment in time
pass without at least exploring ways to
jump in and participate in the north
shores renaissance.

66 Willow Avenue
Staten Island, NY 10305
718-556-4200
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, email janet@sibiztrends.com. To submit a
news release, email news@sibiztrends.com.
For advertising info, call 718-556-4200 or
email janet@sibiztrends.com.

Business plan dont start a business without it

People with GPS units in their
cars love the convenience of simply entering locations and receiving step-by-step directions for getting there safe and sound.
Entrepreneurs have their own
GPS to help find small business
success - the Business Plan. But
unlike its electronic counterparts, a business plan doesnt
come with a pre-programmed
route to Easy Street. Its up to
every aspiring small business
owner to collect and analyze information related to a small business idea. Only then can one determine the best way to get that
idea from Point A to Point B and
beyond.
The prospect of preparing a

business plan may seem rather

intimidating. Though it does require a lot of time and effort,
most aspiring entrepreneurs
soon find the exercise enjoyable
and self-sustaining; the more they
explore the opportunities and
challenges for their idea, the
more they want to know. They
also realize that just as a poorly
programmed GPS will result in
getting lost, a poorly prepared
business plan will doom their
small business dreams.
Preparing a business plan has
never been easier. There are plenty of software tools and templates
available to guide you through
the various sections (e.g. the market analysis; the proposed compa-

ny description, organization, and

management; customer base; financial projections; etc.).
Theres also room for creativity, particularly since the business
plan may be used to get banks and
other potential investors excited
about supporting your venture.
For that reason, entrepreneur
and nationally syndicated columnist Rhonda Abrams suggests
spicing up a business plan with
features such as PowerPoint
slides, relevant charts and graphics, and even a website or video.
Whether you present your
plan in person or by email, readers attention spans are short,
Abrams explains. You need to
get key information across quick-

ly.
And just as in-car GPSs require
regular updates, a business plan
is a work in progress. Thats because a small business should always evolve and adapt in response to national and local economic changes, new technologies,
and shifts in consumer preferences.
Abrams suggests the following
schedule for business plan reviews/updates:
Annually. A basic evaluation.
Look for changes in your target
market, areas that may need to be
reprioritized, and ways to improve the efficiency of your operations.
Every three to five years. A

more comprehensive review

where the goal is significant
growth in sales or revenue.
After a major shift in your industry or other critical event. Examples include a new regulatory
requirement, a natural disaster
or act of terrorism, entry of a
major new competitor, etc.
For more information, visit
www.ScoreStatenIsland.org
or
call (718) 727-1221.

Send your news

Have news or an opinion to
share with Business Trends?
Email: news@sibiztrends.com.

8 BUSINESS TRENDS JUNE 2015

Weekly Meetings
MEETINGS
Continued from page 4

WEDNESDAY

June 17, 2015

Grand Oaks Country Club
11:30am Check-In & Lunch
1:00pm Shot Gun
5:30pm Beer Garden Cocktail Hour
6:30pm Buffet Dinner & Clambake
Not a golfer, but would still
like to join in the day and
honor John Nikolai?
Then join us for dinner only!

Sponsorships still available

$85

For more information, call 718-356-2323 or email narihic@gmail.com

ta Diner, 921 Richmond Ave. 7:30 to

9:00 a.m. Call 718-981-0700.
SCORE Business Counseling: SI
Bank & Trust, 1550 Richmond Rd. 9
a.m. to noon. No appointment necessary. No charge. Call 718-727-1221.
Rotary Club of North Shore: LiGrecis Staten, 697 Forest Ave. 7 p.m.
For info, call Chris Williams at 718442-9047.
Business Network Intl. (BNI) High
Achievers Chapter: PKs Restaurant,1281 Arthur Kill Rd. 7 to 8:30
a.m. For info, call Timothy Houston
at 718-981-8600.
Business Guild II of the S.I. Chamber of Commerce: Hilton Garden
Inn, 1100 South Ave. 7:45 to 8:45
a.m. Members and invited guests
only. For info, call Lou Rizzo at 718490-0057.
Business Guild III of the SI Chamber of Commerce: Hilton Garden
Inn, 1100 South Ave. 8 a.m. New
members welcome. Call Nick Testa

at 646-823-4494.
College of S.I., Small Bus. Dev. Ctr.
Business Counseling: CSI, 2800
Victory Blvd. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For
info, call 718-982-2560.
Community Emergency Response
Team (CERT): 7 p.m. For info. and
locations, call John Tidona at 4487160 or portrichcert@yahoo.com.

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

SATURDAY
SCORE Business Counseling: St.
George Library, 5 Central Ave. 10
a.m. to noon. Appointment necessary. No charge. Call 718-442-8560.
SCORE Business Counseling: Richmondtown Library, 200 Clarke Ave.
10 to 11:30 a.m. Appointment necessary. For info, call 718-668-0413.

JUNE 2015 BUSINESS TRENDS 9

Lets play more than just ball

YANKEES
Continued from page 1
pening here with the Wheel and
the mall, he said. It looked like
a really good ground-floor opportunity. Ive been doing this since
1986, and you always look for
where can I go and have an impact? Where can I go and leverage
the upside?
Violetta thought the development in the Yankees backyard of
the North Shore is huge. He
also fell in love with the ownership group of the team, and likes
its vision.
And its the Yankees and its
New York, so you cant ignore
that, he said.
While Violetta would like to see
the Baby Bombers win championships in the New York-Penn
League every year, he also realizes that Minor League Baseball
is about more than wins and losses. Its about having fun, growing
attendance, seeking new avenues
for revenue and being a better
community partner.
I think weve made good
progress in some areas. Certainly
we have some work to do yet, and
were not as far along as weve
hoped to be at the end of last year,
(but) I think weve brought a
whole new energy, he said.
As a minor league team, the
Staten Island Yankees have more
flexibility in terms of promotions. Last year, for example, the
team set the Guinness World
Record for having the most people
in one place wearing a fake mustache an item the team handed
out to the people who attended
the game. This year, the team has
promotional nights planned to attract more fans Staten Island
Sports Hall of Fame Night on Saturday, June 28; #beatBRKLYN
Night on Friday, July 17, when the
team takes on its heated rival, the
Brooklyn Cyclones; and Game of
Thrones Night on Saturday, Aug.
8, when the team will change its
name for the game to the Staten
Island Direwolves and wear
unique jerseys that recognize the
hit HBO series.
The team has also established

unique sponsorships such as one

with Williams Eye Works, which
sponsors the umpires lineup.
Violetta said the team is doing
a good job of boosting attendance
at the 7,171-seat ballpark, but
there are still challenges ahead.
Like most teams in sports,
Fridays and Saturdays are much
more attractiveand were no
different than the Detroit Red
Wings. Its those Tuesdays when
youre down to 2,000 (in attendance), he said.
There are various ways to increase attendance, Violetta said,
such as fun promotions, new concession offerings and boosting
group ticket sales for outings of
20 or more people. But he realizes
that for the organization to be
truly successful not just on the
field, it needs to expand its offerings at the ballpark.
Violetta is excited for the
Wheel and outlets to open so the
team can attract some of the huge
influx of tourists projected to
visit the new developments, but
he also said the team is not waiting for them to open to make
changes.
One thing we cant do is sit
back and wait until the first quarter of 2017, he said. We need to
be ramping up.
In January, the Staten Island
Yankees hired a full-time director-level employee to chase nothing but non-baseball related
events. One of its largest such
outings happened just last month
the Brewfest & Wing Showcase
on May 2. The team also recently
hosted an event where more than
2,000 people paid $30 each to participate in a live, human video
game where teams solved puzzles
to escape from a room.
The team plans to look into
hosting everything from boxing
matches to outdoor circuses, and
needs to search for 24-7, 365 programming for the ballpark in the
off-season, which makes up most
of the calendar since the team
plays games for only four months
out of the year.
I think theres a market here
for private events whether its
corporate softball games, graduations, even bar mitzvahs and wedding rehearsals, Violetta said.
In terms of baseball-related ac-

tivity, the Staten Island Yankees

are already beginning to ramp up
for when the Wheel and outlets
open. The organization recognizes the majority of visitors to
the Wheel will take the Staten Isplease see YANKEES, page 13

10 BUSINESS TRENDS JUNE 2015

Chamber YEA students head into the Shark Tank

STEVE WHITE/Business Trends

Students participating in the Chamber of Commerces Young Entrepreneur Academy went head-to-head
with some local business leaders in an event modeled on the popular television program Shark Tank,
presenting their business proposals in hopes of gaining support. Pictured are the students (back row)
and sharks (front row). Young entrepreneur Sydney Kennedy (6th from left) walked away with the top
prize.

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2047 Victory Boulevard Staten Island NY 10314

(718)698-8244
www.apbsecurity.com

JUNE 2015 BUSINESS TRENDS 11

Nictoras host quarterly employee luncheon

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On the Job
JOB
Continued from page 2
mote and preserve the richness of
the Italian cultural heritage,
while also restoring a significant
and magnificent National Historic
Landmark
Building,"
LiBassi said.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Historic Richmond Town
Historic Richmond Town has
appointed three new members to
its Board of Directors.
Dawn Reid-Green is the immediate past president of the Staten Island Womens Bar Association,
member of the Independent Judicial Election Qualification Commission-Second Department, and
past vice president of Jack and
Jill of America-Brooklyn Chapter. She serves as Kings County
Unit Chief with the New York
City Transit Authority where she
supervises a staff of 15 attorneys,
paralegals and interns on the
handling of pre-trial aspects of
civil litigation. Reid-Green has a
bachelors of arts degree in sociology with a concentration in
criminology and a juris doctor in
law and jurisprudence from the
State University of New York at
Buffalo.
Donna M. Scimeca is the CORE
Program and Learning Community coordinator at the College of
Staten Island.
She was the architect of the
Core for Veterans program, a restricted registration section for
military veterans. She launched
the CSI/National Park Service Internship Program in partnership
with the Education Department
at CSI and the National Park
Service.
Nicholas Mele is the principal of
Edwin Markham Middle School
(IS 51) and co-founder of the
North Shore Principals Association.
He is the primary architect of
new school wide initiatives such
as professional learning communities, advisories, response to intervention, online learning, regents classes and a new dual language magnet program.

JUNE 2015 BUSINESS TRENDS 13

Play more than just ball

NAT'S MENS SHOP

Work Uniforms Casual Wear

YANKEES
Continued from page 9
land Ferry to get to the borough,
and will have to walk right past
the ballpark to get to their destination. As such, the team has reopened its ticket window in right
field now, so passersby will know
its an available attraction by the
time 2017 rolls around.
Inside the park, Violetta said
the team is building up other
parts of the ballpark with new attractions such as Craft Beer Central, which features five to six
craft beer providers, and a barbecue stand that offers fare such as
chicken and bacon in a waffle
cone.
Were not waiting for the
Wheel to get here, he said.
Were going to creep out down
that right field line, adding things
every year, so when 2017 gets
here, its like a carnival midway.
Violetta also said the team
hopes to attract international visitors to a ballgame at the park,
since they are baseball-crazed
fans as well. The Yankees are
working with the marketing team
at the Wheel to get promotional
material about the Staten Island
Yankees out to prospective visitors.

The construction phase for the

Wheel is going to provide a bit of
a challenge for the team, Violetta
said, especially since it is located
in the direct line of the construction site. Parking for this season
will be a challenge, so the team
notified its season ticket holders
of changes in parking last November, and began communicating the issue to the public about a
month ago. The Yankees will also
have parking ambassadors on site
to help people get to the park from
other lots.
The Wheel development team
has assured the Yankees there
will never be less than 850 parking spots available in the left-field
lots every day, no matter the stage
of construction. There are also
other lots available on the other
side of the Staten Island Museum. Violetta said the team has received wonderful cooperation
from the city, the Wheel and other
entities. Four parking lot owners
have agreed to stay open late on
game nights and cap parking
prices at $8.
Everybody that weve needed
to help us put a parking plan together have been more than cooperative, he said.
Ultimately, Violetta said his vision would be to get to the point
where the team is attracting 5,500
to 6,000 people to every game,
with the team running a prof-

itable operation while having fun

and creating memories for people.
Getting to that point, he said,
will obviously take time, but with
the right strategy, there is plenty
of opportunity with the development on the North Shore.

Carhartt Timberland Dickie Red Wing

Embroidery & Screen Printing

718-442-1698
Pat Silvestri, Proprietor

81 Port Richmond Avenue

Staten Island, NY 10302

Northfield LDC providing

energy-reducing service
Northfield Home Performance,
part of the Northfield Local Development Corp. on Staten Island,
is working with the Association
for Energy Efficiency, the administrator of the Con Edison and
National Grid energy-efficiency
programs, to provide no-cost energy-reducing service to the Staten Island community.
The program offers no-cost gas
and electric efficiency measures
for apartments in residential
buildings with five to 75 units.
Customers can get no-cost installation of high-efficiency showerheads, faucet aerators, compact

fluorescent light bulbs and smart

strips. These energy efficient upgrades save water, reduce utility
bills and can increase the value of
an apartment building or complex.
National Grid and Con Edison
also offer rebates and incentives
for energy-efficiency projects in
common areas. Interested property owners and landlords can
contact Northfield Home Performance at (718) 442-7351 ext. 241
to schedule an appointment or
contact the Association for Energy Efficiency at (800) 427-6318 for
further information.

Bill Bergman, Vice President, Leasing

(718) 263-3800 x 307
bbergman@muss.com
118-35 Queens Blvd., Forest Hills, NY 11375
www.muss.com

14 BUSINESS TRENDS JUNE 2015

Parisi Rampulla & Lenza, P.C.

Z Optical celebrates grand opening

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(718) 761-3333
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STEVE WHITE/Business Trends

Owner Sergio Plisetsky (center) cut a symbolic ribbon to celebrate the grand opening of his new business, Z Optical, on New Dorp Lane.

16 BUSINESS TRENDS JUNE 2015

Business Calendar
Forest Ave.
For information, call 718-984-3294

EVENTS

SI UNIV. HOSPITAL GOLF,

TENNIS, BOCCE OUTING

Continued from page 3

CHAMBER
CAPTAINS RECEPTION
MONDAY, JUNE 15

NATL. LIGHTHOUSE
MUSEUM WHALES
& COCKTAILS
FRIDAY, JUNE 19

Time: 5:00 8:00 p.m.

Location: 561 Richmond Terr.
For information, call 718-727-1900

FREE MICROSOFT
EXCEL TRAINING
MON. & TUES., JUNE 15 & 16
Time: 6:30 p.m. 8:30 p.m.
Location: SIBOC, 705 Forest Ave.,
2nd Fl. Rear
For information, call 718-816-4775

NYS WOMEN, INC.

(STATEN ISLAND)

Time: 6:00 10:00 p.m.

Location: American Princess,
departing Stapleton Homeport
For information, call 718-390-0040

ALICE AUSTEN HOUSE

30TH ANNIV. GALA
SATURDAY, JUNE 20
Time: 6:30 11:30 p.m.
Call 718-816-4506 x17

Time: 12:00 p.m.

Location: LiGrecis Staaten, 697

BINI MEMORIAL FUND

GOLF OUTING
Location: S. Shore Golf Course
For info., email info@binifund.org

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DIV
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Location: Richmond County C. C.

For information, call 718-226-6331

5-PART FREE
QUICKBOOKS TRAINING
JUNE 22, 24, 25, 29, 30
Time: 6:30 8:30 p.m.
Location: SIBOC, 705 Forest Ave.,
2nd Fl. Rear
For information, call 718-816-4775

MEALS ON WHEELS
SUMMER SOIREE
TUESDAY, JUNE 23

MONDAY, JUNE 22

TUESDAY, JUNE 16

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For information, call 718-727-4435

24-7 NETWORKING SALES

MONDAY, JUNE 29
Time: 9:00 a.m.
Location: Z-One Restaurant, Richmond Ave.
For information, call 973-697-8872

WORLD OF WOMEN
MONDAY, JUNE 29
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Mansion Grand, Mansion
Ave.
For information, call 718-948-8175

JUNE 2015 BUSINESS TRENDS 17

Matteo empowers community

MATTEO
Continued from page 1
and tell them he wanted to re-direct tax money into some of his
commercial corridors. That way,
the business owners themselves
could use the money for various
items they felt important such
as community cleanups, security
services, marketing and anything
else they think would benefit
their corridor.
I want to bring economic vitalityto corridors on Staten Island, he said. We want Staten
Islanders to stay on Staten Island
and shop on Staten Island.
With help from Borough President James Oddo for whom he
served as chief of staff for nine
years when Oddo held a council
seat Matteo helped create the
New Dorp Lane Merchants Association two years ago as his first
foray into the corridors initiative.
Not long after, the Victory Boulevard Merchants Association was
created with the same idea in
mind.
Matteo and his staff first selected a president of a steering
committee for the association,
then together they helped pick
members of the committee who
would guide the group on what
they wanted to accomplish. A
member of Matteos staff sits on
each of the steering committees.
In just two years, the associations have worked with Matteos
office to do community cleanups,
get new waste and recycling bins
on the roads, contract their own
cleanup crews and even host
events.
If you look at both, you can
see the difference in terms of
cleanliness. Its been night and
day, Matteo said.
In April, New Dorp Lane hosted its first Restaurant Crawl to
bring more walking traffic to the
corridor.
Ive never seen that many people walking down New Dorp
Lane, he said. It was inviting,
and it showcased our great small
businesses along New Dorp
Lane.
Matteo is happy with how the

two merchants associations have

progressed in their first two years
of existence, and he believes its
because the people who are invested most in the community are
able to make decisions for its future.
Its been exceptional. I have

great steering committees. I have

great business owners that not
only care about their businesses
but care about other businesses
and the surrounding areas, he
said. They know their businessplease see MATTEO page 18

18 BUSINESS TRENDS JUNE 2015

Matteo empowers
corridors, community
MATTEO
Continued from page 17

es best. I tend to let them have

their voiceand work together
with them on what they want to
accomplish.
Following in the footsteps of
the merchants associations on
New Dorp Lane and Victory
Boulevard, two new groups have
been formed the Midland Avenue Local Development Corporation and the Richmond Road
Merchants Association.
While still in their infancy
stages, Matteo said both groups
will have similar goals to the ones
already started finding ways to
determine whats best for the corridor and how to bring economic
vitality to the area.
The first step, he said, is meeting with business owners, telling
them what the association is all
about and letting them know that
he and his office arent looking
for resources, but rather participation to accomplish goals they
set. Midland Avenue is hoping to
start
with
cleanups
and
streetscape of the corridor to
show people theyre open for business, theyre resilient and theyve
recovered
from
Superstorm
Sandy.
I think thats extremely important for Midland Avenue,
Matteo said.
Midland Avenue is in general
phases of planning, such as
thinking about what to market to
the public and how to do so. The
LDC has started to meet regularly
as a group, and Matteo expects
plans to ramp up in the near future.
Richmond Roads major challenge is dealing with the high volume of traffic and figuring out
how to get drivers to pull over,
park, get out of their car and shop
and eat along the road. While the
group isnt meeting regularly just
yet, Matteo expects them to start
doing so soon.
Matteo said he doesnt push the
groups in his corridors to do any-

thing specific. If they want to

progress from a merchants association or an LDC into a non-profit organization or Business Improvement District, he certainly
would help them do so. But the ultimate decision on how the group
operates and where it goes is up
to the members of the steering
committee and the community at
large.
The associations and committees give the corridors a unique
voice on topics such as sanitation,
safety, marketing and other quality-of-life issues.
They can speak with one
voice and let myself, my office
and other offices know what their
needs are, he said.
Matteo believes his district has
been playing catch up all these
years with the quality of roads,
and he said the only way to address the issue is a full-scale repaving. Its why Matteo was very
excited about the May 21 announcement from Mayor Bill de
Blasio that the city will be investing $242 million in repaving and
maintaining the citys roadways,
repaving more than 1,200 lanemiles in the coming year, giving
each borough more crews and
bringing almost 80 percent of the
citys streets to the best condition level.
We have to make sure we have
safe, smooth, driveable roads, and
that benefits all of Staten Island,
Matteo said. We need to bring
the additional resources and
make the re-surfacing a reality
and to actually re-pave our
roads.
While Matteo is looking to expand the merchant groups already in operation, and start others if there is a need, he said constituent services in general is the
backbone of his office.
We need to make sure we are
here every day to help our constituents, Matteo said. Part of
changing perception of government and small business is to
trust one another, and I believe
were doing that. They trust that I
have their best interest in mind,
and I trust that they know whats
best for their corridors.