who’s who11 candace j. gomez ond, choenec ing 12 sami b. groff elter, ippe, oldstein reitstone, 12...
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WHO’s WHOWomen in
Professional ServicesA LONG ISLAND BUSINESS
NEWS SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT
2020
BEYOND THE NUMBERS Long Island
New York www.avz.com
From A to ZWe’ve GotYou Covered
in Women in Professional Services
WHO’s WHOin Women in Professional Services
INDEXINDEXINDEX
Never backing down on new challenges, Long Island’s business women are stepping in to create solutions when it comes to serving clients during these unprecedented times. In this Who’s Who in Women in Professional Services section, some of the region’s top business women discuss how they are bringing balance and perspective to businesses across Long Island as they face challenges brought about by the pandemic.
— Lisa Morris Josefak
3 CARRIE C. ADDUCI
Certilman Balin Adler & Hyman, LLP
3 LINDA ARMYN
Bethpage Federal Credit Union
4 MICHELLE AULIVOLA, ESQ.
Long Tuminello, LLP
6 ANNAMARIE BONDI-STODDARD, ESQ.
Pegalis Law Group, LLC
6 ANDREA M. BRODIE
Abrams, Fensterman, Fensterman, Eisman,
Formato, Ferrara, Wolf & Carone, LLP
7 CHRISTINE BRUNQUELL
Lewis Johs Avallone Aviles, LLP
8 AMELIA CHIN, EA, FCCA
Mazars USA LLP
8 CARA CRONIN
Cronin & Cronin Law Firm, PLLC
9 THERESA A. DRISCOLL
Moritt Hock & Hamroff LLP
9 LISA EPSTEIN, CPA
Albrecht, Viggiano, Zureck & Company, P.C. (AVZ)
10 MICHELLE E. ESPEY
Farrell Fritz, P.C.
10 NICOLE S. FORCHELLI
Forchelli Deegan Terrana LLP
10 LAURA MILLER FRIED, CPA
Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein, P.C.
11 CANDACE J. GOMEZ
Bond, Schoeneck & King PLLC
12 SAMI B. GROFF
Meltzer, Lippe, Goldstein & Breitstone, LLP
12 KATHERINE A. HEPTIG
Rivkin Radler LLP
13 NICOLE KUREK
H2M architects + engineers
14 MONICA LACROIX-RUBIN
BNB Bank
14 JACQUELYN L. MASCETTI, ESQ.
Herman Katz Cangemi Wilkes & Clyne, LLP
15 MARYELLEN MCKEON
Engel Burman
15 MELISSA NEGRIN-WIENER
Genser Cona Elder Law
16 RHONDA PIERSON-DELORENZO
Flushing Bank
16 VANESSA PUNZO, CPA
Grassi
16 LISA M. RICCIARDI, CPA, CCA
Marcum LLP
16 ERICA RICE, CPA
Berdon LLP
17 MELISSA SANDERLEAF
Ruskin Moscou Faltischek P.C.
17 LYNN SENKO
Worth Property Management
18 JACQUELINE SILVEY, ESQ.
NAM (National Arbitration and Mediation)
18 STEPHANIE TANZI
Harris Beach PLLC
18 DAVI TSERPELIS
City National Bank
CARRIE C. ADDUCICertilman Balin Adler & Hyman, LLP
Carrie C. Adduci is an associate in the Real Estate Practice Group at Certilman Balin Adler & Hyman, LLP in East Mead-ow. Adduci concentrates on acquisitions, sales and refi nances of commercial and residential properties. She also represents developers with regard to the sale of their newly constructed residential homes.
The diffi culties caused by the pandem-ic hasn’t changed Adduci’s perspective on how she and the fi rm service its clients.
“Pandemic or not, my perspective is, and always will be, that I strive to provide excellent customer service and superior legal work to our clients, no matter what,” Adduci said. “What did change was how that service was logistically provided, and the efforts I took to ensure our excellent customer service and superior legal work was not impacted by the pandemic. I’ve had to be extremely fl exible and creative to get work done.”
“This pandemic has only solidifi ed my perspective that there is no obstacle that cannot be overcome, as long as all parties are willing to work together,” she said.
Prior to joining the fi rm, Adduci was a real estate associate at a small Long Island law fi rm. In this position, she rep-resented and advised purchasers, sellers, landlords and tenants in a variety of com-mercial and residential real estate trans-actions, including real property and co-op-erative apartments.
Adduci earned a juris doctor, cum laude, from St. John’s University School of Law. She was managing editor of St. John’s Law Review and vice co-chair of the Public Interest Committee. She also helped her peers to strengthen their writing skills, as a consultant in the Writing Center.
St. John’s Law School awarded Adduci with a Merit Based Scholarship, the ALI-ABA Scholarship and Leadership Award, as well as the St. John’s Gold Pro Bono Service Award.
Adduci served as a law clerk at the Cook County Offi ce of the Public Guardian
in Chicago, Illinois. She was designated a guardian ad litem and attorney for chil-dren involved in protective proceedings in Cook County Juvenile Court.
She also earned a Bachelor of Sci-ence, summa cum laude, from St. John’s University with a major in legal studies and a minor in theology.
Adduci is admitted to practice in the state of New York and is a member of the Nassau County Bar Association and New York State Bar Association.
Certilman Balin Adler & Hyman, LLP is among Long Island’s largest full-service law fi rms and has offi ces in Nassau and Suffolk Counties. Its 15 practice areas in-clude real estate, real property tax certiora-ri and condemnation, cooperative and con-dominium, land use, environmental law, corporate/securities, litigation, commercial lending, labor relations/employment law, bankruptcy and debtor/creditor rights, nonprofi t/tax exempt and religious organi-zations, trusts and estates, elder law, tele-communications law and criminal law.
LINDA ARMYNBethpage Federal Credit Union
Linda Armyn is senior vice president of corporate affairs at Bethpage Federal Credit Union (Bethpage), where she began her tenure in 2001. Armyn leads corporate communications, public relations, crisis planning, business & community develop-ment and government relations.
During her years at Bethpage, assets have grown from $1.1 billion to $9.9+ bil-lion. With Bethpage’s CEO and its leader-ship team, Armyn has spearheaded stra-tegic efforts to make Bethpage a premier community fi nancial institution on Long Island, and among the largest credit union in New York State and in the nation.
Armyn played an integral role in two mergers that led to Bethpage’s expanded charter in 2016 and becoming Northwell Health’s Credit Union in 2017.
The last six months brought on chal-lenges, but also many opportunities to look at things differently, Armyn said.
to b
e aw
are
of what
is g
oing
on and to
offer
OPINIONGUEST VIEW
GUEST VIEW
farmers’ season and giving those farmers a more reliable source of income.
“My job was to buy products from dozens of local farmers,” Jones said.
She was looking to take her CSA skills and use them in a new way. She thought of Angstadt and another cheesemaker she had met in her old job: Sue Miller of Birchrun
stands or craft brewers, which support “buy local” efforts.
Having a variety of pickup locations in the region helps the Collective’s members spread their cheese sales farther than they could on their own.
Subscriptions can be picked up in two Berks County locations — Hidden River
instead of competitively to boost the entire industry by sharing tips and efforts.
ships’ kind of thing,” she said. “We all benefit from a stronger cheese industry.”
regional leader in the craft cheese industry. They aren’t planning any major expansion.
DAIRY GODMOTHERS
FOOD BUSINESS
instead of competitively to boost the entire industry by sharing tips and efforts.
“It’s the whole ‘a rising tide raises all ships’ kind of thing,” she said. “We all benefit from a stronger cheese industry.”
Jones said the trio is focused on being a regional leader in the craft cheese industry. They aren’t planning any major expansion.
to make her cheeses,” Stricker said.Stricker said the extra money a cheese-
maker like Angstadt is willing to pay repre-sents a needed boost for small farms like his.
“It’s a huge benefit to us when a local business like that uses our product,” he said. “It’s essential to find someone making a higher-end product to compete.” <
OPINION
GUEST VIEW
meant to engage the group – ask ques-
tions, post a quiz or host a ‘meet this goal’
leadership and a few employees to brain
storm the best ways to get the message out.
Julie Lando is the owner and president of GRIT
Marketing Group, a marketing and communica
tions firm with offices in York and Lancaster.
GUEST VIEW
DAIRY GODMOTHERS
NEWSMAKERS
for any topic: if it’s strictly about one thing,
the business might lose the interest of its
Internal communications centered around
health and wellness can make or break pro-
gram participation. Get together with HR,
leadership and a few employees to brain-
storm the best ways to get the message out.
•
Julie Lando is the owner and president of GRIT
Marketing Group, a marketing and communica-
tions firm with offices in York and Lancaster.
OPINION
centers would not only be devastating to the
many hardworking physicians in our com
-
monwealth but their patients as well.
For the sake of the health and wellness of
our comm
onwealth, I hope my colleagues in
Harrisburg listen to our physicians and their
patients and reject this tax. •
State Rep. Greg Rothman (R) represents the 87th
House District, which is in Cumberland County.
GUEST VIEW
THE WHITEBOARD
plans, including Aetna, Capital Blue
Cross, Highmark and UPMC Health
Plan for all services. Changes in the
relationship between Highmark
and UPMC in the greater
Pittsburgh and Erie areas will not
affect the relationship between
UPMC Pinnacle and Highmark.
We look forward to continuing
to care for all of our patients in
2019 and beyond. To learn more
about full, in-network access to
UPMC doctors and hospitals, call
our toll-free help line at 1-833-
879-5013 or visit UPMC.com/
Choice2019. Philip W. Guarneschelli,
President and CEO
UPMC Pinnacle
TO THE EDITOR
OPINIONGUEST VIEW
retirement plans. There are many details to consider when acquiring a company. Understanding the seller’s retirement plan and how it will fit within the current ben-efit structure is vital to success.
If retirement plans are not considered upfront, executives may learn that the ac-quired company has an underfunded pen-sion plan – which can be a deal breaker – or that the seller’s 401(k) plan does not meet compliance standards.
ment plan. However, operating multiple plans can be burdensome and expensive, and nondiscrimination testing is needed if employees are receiving different benefit packages.
If the buyer is going to terminate the seller’s plan, this decision should be made and the process initiated before the com-panies merge. If the acquired company’s 401(k) is terminated after the transaction, the seller’s employees will face a one-year
one plan to operate – and it also avoids the negatives of plan termination.
The risk associated with merging are the unknown factors of the seller’s plan. Has it always operated in compliance with all the complex rules associated with retirement plans? If not, the buyer’s plan would be at risk.
Before deciding how to handle the sell-er’s retirement plan, the buyer will need to perform exhaustive due diligence. This
stages of an M&A. Though the evaluation process can be lengthy, it’s better to an-ticipate issues that could arise, instead of realizing them in the midst of the merger when it might be too late.
•John Jeffrey is a consulting actuary, specializing in retirement plan consulting and post-employ-ment health care benefits, for Conrad Siegel, which is based in Susquehanna Township, Dauphin County.
GUEST VIEW
retirement plans. There are many details to consider when acquiring a company. Understanding the seller’s retirement plan and how it will fit within the current benefit structure is vital to success.
If retirement plans are not considered upfront, executives may learn that the acquired company has an underfunded pension plan – which can be a deal breaker – or that the seller’s 401(k) plan does not
plans, including Aetna, Capital Blue
meet compliance standards.
The Central Penn Business Journal will cor-
rect or clarify mistakes made in the publica-
tion. If you have a question, please call the
awarded $55 million in tax credits to the
Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency’s
Commonwealth Cornerstone Group, based in
Harrisburg.
Commonwealth Cornerstone’s executive
director Charlotte Folmer said the funding
will help the nonprofit tackle a hefty pipeline
of projects seeking funding.
“We have over 40 projects requesting
over $700 million,” she said, noting that the
requests come from across the common-
wealth.
Folmer said she hopes the tax credits will
be able to support about seven projects this
The investors receive tax credits in return,
which count against their federal income
taxes.Investors can receive credits totaling 39
percent of their investment. They can use the
credits over seven years as such: 5 percent
per year for the first three years and 6 per-
cent for the next four years.
Folmer said it will be several weeks until
Commonwealth Cornerstone receives its
Cornerstone poured $10 million in tax cred
its into the project, while Community First
added another $8 million.
Folmer said project announcements could
come this fall.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
retirement plans. There are many details to consider when acquiring a company. Understanding the seller’s retirement plan
The Central Penn Business Journal will cor
The Central Penn Business Journal will cor
rect or clarify mistakes made in the publica
rect or clarify mistakes made in the publica
tion. If you have a question, please call the
tion. If you have a question, please call the
day p
asse
s, Pen
nsylv
ania
seem
s to b
e fal
ling
furt
her b
ehin
d in d
evel
oping
a dom
estic
For now
, th
e as
soci
atio
n isn
’t as
king
Pennsy
lvan
ia’s
lead
ers
for
much
– e
xcep
t
to b
e aw
are
of what
is g
oing
on and to
offer
support
as
idea
s dev
elop,
seve
ral
people
said
. One
goal
is to
cre
ate
a w
orkin
g gr
oup
with
in th
e st
ate
avia
tion c
aucu
s –
a le
gis-
lativ
e gr
oup – t
o dev
elop a
road
map
that
would
“id
entif
y fu
nding
opportuniti
es t
o
support
crit
ical
dro
ne in
frast
ruct
ure,”
the
train
ing
and c
ertifi
catio
n pro
gram
and a
re
curr
ently
enga
ged w
ith a
pilo
t pro
gram
as-
sess
ing
effici
enci
es fo
r the
use o
f dro
nes fo
r
3D m
odelin
g of s
tock
piles,
exca
vatio
ns and
road
way
slid
e ar
eas,”
she
said
in a
writ
ten
resp
onse to
ques
tions.
Flyin
g into
new
role
s
Seve
ral a
ttendee
s at
the
June
11 e
vent
said
they
thin
k st
ate
lead
ers
will
be
sup-
portiv
e of i
deas t
o exp
and d
rone
progr
ams
both w
ithin
sta
te a
genci
es a
nd with
com
-
mer
cial
applic
atio
ns once
they
under
stan
d
Task
s such
as b
ridge
insp
ectio
ns or a
eria
l
surv
eys
that
once
took
wee
ks t
o conduct
can n
ow b
e done
in a
day
or s
o, D
ay s
aid.
Farm
ers,
utiliti
es a
nd oth
ers h
ave
seen
how
drones
can re
duce th
e co
sts o
f pro
ject
s and
insp
ectio
ns. Th
ey a
lso h
ave
wei
ghed
the
li-
abili
ty ri
sks a
nd real
ized
they
are
bet
ter o
ff
Gove
rnm
ents
, how
ever
, see
m to
hav
e a
Flahiv
e sa
id. Th
e co
mpan
y now
does
work
for a
num
ber o
f diff
eren
t clie
nts, i
ncludin
g
const
ruct
ion c
ompan
ies,
utiliti
es a
nd gov-
ernm
ent a
genci
es.
The
opportuniti
es fo
r cre
atin
g new
jobs
and busi
nesse
s ar
e va
st,
said
Alber
t R.
Sarv
is, a
n ass
ista
nt pro
fess
or of g
eosp
atia
l
tech
nology
at H
arris
burg U
niver
sity
of S
ci-
ence
and T
echnolo
gy. H
U h
as a
dapte
d its
geosp
atia
l pro
gram
s to
incl
ude th
e use
of
drones
and h
as sp
onsore
d sum
mer
cam
ps
for
studen
ts i
n hig
h sch
ool an
d mid
dle
school t
o enco
urage
inte
rest
in th
e tec
hnol-
ogy, S
arvi
s sai
d.
Oth
ers p
ointe
d out that
dro
nes h
ave b
een
used in
the fi
lm an
d tele
visi
on indust
ries,
as
wel
l as i
n surv
eyin
g ra
il lin
es a
nd in p
olice
and e
mer
gency
applic
atio
ns, su
ch a
s riv
er
resc
ues. O
ne st
ory to
ld d
uring
the
June
11
even
t was
how
cattl
e had
ruin
ed a
portio
n of
a fa
rmer
’s cr
ops. A d
rone
was
able
to a
sses
s
the
tota
l dam
age,
whic
h hel
ped ju
stify
the
insu
rance
clai
m.
Then
ther
e ar
e th
e sp
in-o
ff busi
nesse
s.
Ryan B
oswel
l is
the
Philadel
phia-b
ased
sale
s m
anag
er fo
r Phas
eOne
Indust
rial,
a ca
mer
a co
mpan
y bas
ed in
Colora
do.
PhaseO
ne ca
mer
as ca
n be outfi
tted on
David H
eath, d
irect
or of t
he PA D
rone A
ssocia
tion, p
repare
s to m
ake rem
arks a
t Dro
ne Advoca
cy D
ay June 11
in H
arrisb
urg. H
eath and o
ther
support
ers h
ope to enco
urage st
ate le
aders to
support
the g
rowin
g dro
ne indust
ry.
PHOTO
/THOM
AS A. B
ARSTOW
“We’v
e rec
ently
advan
ced
our oper
ator t
rain
ing an
d
certi
ficatio
n progra
m an
d
are c
urrently
engag
ed w
ith
a pilo
t pro
gram
asse
ssin
g
efficie
ncies f
or the u
se of
drones
for 3
D modeli
ng of
Dauphin County grew by 8,997 people.
What’s happening nationally?The census data confirmed that coun-
ties with the largest numeric growth are located in the south and the west. In fact, Texas claimed four out of the top 10 spots. Looking at population growth by metropolitan area, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas had the largest numeric growth, with a gain of 131,767 people, or 1.8 percent in 2018. Second was Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Arizona, which had an increase of 96,268 people, or 2.0 percent. The cause of growth in these areas is migration, both domestic and international, as well as natural increase. In Dallas, it was natural in-crease that served as the largest source of population growth. For Phoenix it was
Charleston, West Virginia (-1.6 percent); Pine Bluff, Arkansas. (-1.5 percent); Farmington, New Mexico (-1.5 percent); Danville, Illinois (-1.2 percent); and Watertown-Fort Drum, New York (-1.2 percent). The population decreases were primarily due to negative net domestic migration.
North Dakota was home to the fastest-growing county. Among counties with a population of 20,000 or more, Williams County, North Dakota, claimed the top spot as the fastest-growing by percent-age. This county’s population rose by 5.9 percent between 2017 and 2018 (from 33,395 to 35,350 people). The rapid growth Williams County experienced was due mainly to net domestic migration of 1,471 people in 2018. The county also ex-perienced growth between 2017 and 2018
and 1,661 (or 52.9 percent) lost popula
tion. Though there has been more growth
than decline overall, the numbers indicate
that this can easily shift year over year.
A deeper dive into the census data
reveals several demographic changes
impacting commercial real estate develop
ment: household formations, aging baby
boomers, growing millennials, women
in the workforce and migration toward
the South. Today’s demographic changes
present challenges for commercial real
estate developers, but they also offer lu
crative opportunities to firms creatively
adapting to new demands.•
Mike Kushner is the owner of Omni Realty Group, a real estate firm in Harrisburg. He can be reached through www.omnirealtygroup.com�
So, if you’re planning a merger or acqui-sition, consider the retirement plans now to avoid a headache later on.
If the transaction is a stock acquisi-tion – where the buyer takes full owner-ship of the selling company – the buyer then assumes all of the seller’s liabilities, including its retirement plan. The buyer has three options for how to handle the acquired company’s retirement plan. It can either maintain its own plan and the
restriction before being able to join the buyer’s 401(k) plan, losing out on a full year of tax-efficient savings and employer contributions.
The main advantages of termination are that employees can be integrated into the buyer’s plan with one benefit structure for all; there is only one plan to maintain; and the risk of any liability transfer into the buyer’s existing plan is avoided. The downside is that the employee accounts
includes confirming past operational and procedural compliance, making sure all plan documents are up-to-date, and confirming general compatibility between the plans. Examples include reviewing nondiscrimination testing results from recent years, the seller’s fiduciary oversight practices, administrative operations such as distributions, payroll and loan processes, and fulfillment of government reporting requirements.
Retirement plans should be piece of M&A puzzle
In 2016, as fate would have it, an old friend of Angstadt’s, Alex Jones, a prominent organizer of commu-nity-supported agri-culture programs in the Greater Philadel-phia area, had just left a job with a CSA.
In a typical CSA, a group of farmers connect with a group of consumers who want to buy fresh, local produce. They sell shares of their fu-ture crop to the con-sumers, who then pick up weekly or monthly boxes of the farmers’ latest crops, sharing both the risk and the rewards of the
once-a-month pickup of two pounds and four varieties of cheese for four months
to $280 for a twice-monthly pickup of one-and-a-half pounds and three varieties of cheese for four months. CSA packages gen-erally run from five to six months. The current package is shortened since the current CSA season has already begun.
Customers pick up their orders at participating loca-tions. Most are busi-nesses that focus on
local craft foods and products like farm
in the CSA to give customers more options.
ing with a sheep farmer to blend sheep and cow milk together to make a creamy Camembert-style cheese.
lovers into die-hard cheese fans.
in this area like it is in Europe. We don’t want people to see cheese as a guilty pleasure, but as a food you eat every day,” Angstadt said. “This is a way to grow the cheese community.
sity,” added Jones. “When they go to the grocery store they feel they have to get produce and bread … we want them to think of fine cheese like that, not as a luxury.”
growing in much the same way the craft beer industry has developed and grown, with those in the industry working cooperatively
Honey-Bell is a brie-style cheese made by Stefanie Angstadt in her Oley creamery. PHOTO/SUBMITTED
Craft-beer boom spurs local hops farmers
By Jason Scott
jscott@cpbj.com
Pennsylvania leads the nation in craft-
beer production.
But while more beer is being brewed in
places like Carlisle, Harrisburg and York,
brewers here must rely on some key in-
gredients that often travel long distances.
One is hops, which are not widely
grown in Pennsylvania, or on the East
Coast in general.
In fact, most hops come from Washing-
ton, Oregon and Idaho, which account for
the majority of the country’s hop produc-
tion. Washington alone has about 40,000
acres of hops.
Two Cumberland County hop farmers
are hoping to claim a piece of that market
and inspire other Pennsylvania farmers to
consider cultivating the crop for breweries
in Pennsylvania.
“It’s a niche thing. Not too many peo-
ple do it,” said Michael Reifsnyder, who
planted 3,400 hop plants on his 15-acre
West Pennsboro Township property in
2017.
A big reason for the lack of new hop farm-
ers is difficulty in getting started and com-
peting with larger established operations.
“These local houses are up against com-
panies that can reach a better economy
of scale, plus have quality control proce-
dures and logistics plans that have been
in place for decades,” said Brandalynn
Armstrong, co-owner of Zeroday Brewing
in Harrisburg. “It makes it harder for the
But Reifsnyder, who retired in 2011
from the U.S. Navy after 22 years of service,
took a chance on hops after experiment-
ing with grapes and asparagus on his
Carlisle-area farm, dubbed GEMS Farm.
He also saw success at nearby hop yard
Sunny Brae Farms and thought his farm
could provide complementary varieties of
fresh local hops to small breweries.
He and his wife, Sharon, along with
their two teenage daughters, maintain
the hop yard, which is entering its second
year of harvest. GEMS currently grows five
varieties of hops on 3.25 acres, but the plan
is to eventually grow to seven acres, plant
a wider variety of hops and reach more
“Expansion is on our radar,” he said.
ders recently purchased equipment that
will allow them to pelletize dried hops
— meaning to grind them into powder
and press them into small pellets. Pellet
ized hops have a longer shelf life and are
what many brewers rely on throughout
the year.
The farm’s hop yard could yield about
5,000 or 6,000 pounds of hops this year.
GEMS expects to pelletize the majority
of its hops this year after selling almost
all of its harvest last fall to local breweries
making wet-hopped beers — also known
as fresh-hop beers that use hops fresh off
the vine.
Wet-hop batches of beer can use five
to 10 times as many hops as pelletized
batches.
Local brewers say they are eager to buy
more local ingredients, including hops,
on one or two acres and not pelletizing.
Mike and Sharon Reifsnyder stand in the hop yard of their West Pennsboro Township
farm. They began growing the crop in 2017 in a bid to make locally grown hops more
available. PHOTO/MARKELL DELOATCH
Camembert-style cheese.Ultimately, their goal is to turn cheese
lovers into die-hard cheese fans.“We want to cultivate the cheese culture
in this area like it is in Europe. We don’t want people to see cheese as a guilty pleasure, but as a food you eat every day,” Angstadt said. “This is a way to grow the cheese community.
“People don’t see fine cheese as a neces-sity,” added Jones. “When they go to the gro-cery store they feel they have to get produce and bread … we want them to think of fine cheese like that, not as a luxury.”
Miller sees the craft cheese industry growing in much the same way the craft beer industry has developed and grown, with those in the industry working cooperatively
premium for the milk,” she said.Her sources include Spring Creek Farm in
Wernersville, an organic dairy farm.Greg Stricker, a partner in Spring Creek,
said he pays special attention to the milk he produces for Angstadt.
“I always try to make the highest-quality milk, but we try to concentrate on making a milk that is higher in protein and butter fat to make her cheeses,” Stricker said.
in the CSA to give customers more options.For example, Miller is currently work
ing with a sheep farmer to blend sheep and cow milk together to make a creamy
ees. Those who are engaged at work will go
the extra mile and demonstrate increased
productivity, which shows up in a compa-
ny’s profitability, turnover numbers, safety
incidents and quality.
Communication is key for an employee
health and wellness program and for a
business overall. Looking to a professional
communicator for ideas and best practices
will help streamline communications sur-
rounding such a program and lead to more
engaged, healthier employees.
What can you do?
• Talk about the rewards – not only for
their personal lives, but rewards of the
program. What’s in it for them can be a
powerful motivator to expand participa-
tion. That participation, in turn, can build
a team atmosphere and lead to higher
engagement. • Consider health and wellness ambas-
sadors. Peer-to-peer communication is
powerful and partnering with passionate
team members to communicate can re-
move the paternalistic factor.
• Connect the dots for employees to the
bigger corporate picture. Participation in
wellness programs has the potential to de-
crease company health benefit costs over-
all, which in turn could make a difference
in employees’ premium or out-of-pocket
health care costs.
an ongoing campaign to share bits and
pieces of information, or a web page to
view the full information when employees
are interested and have time.
• Have a sense of humor when commu
nicating. Loosening up a formal approach
can go a long way to creating engagement
with the communication and getting on
board with the program.
• Make it a two-way conversation. Ask
employees what program components
they’d like to see. Find out what might mo
tivate them to participate. Ask for ideas on
communicating the details to staff.
• Use social channels to help spread
the word. Whether its an internal social
tool such as Slack or Yammer or a closed
group on Facebook or LinkedIn, encour-
age employees to share pictures of their
healthy choices and/or program partici-
pation. Build a little competition between
company segments and offer content
meant to engage the group – ask ques
tions, post a quiz or host a ‘meet this goal’
challenge.
whole audience.
Internal communications centered around
health and wellness can make or break pro
gram participation. Get together with HR,
leadership and a few employees to brain
storm the best ways to get the message out.
FOOD BUSINESS
Craft-beer boom spurs local hops farmers
By Jason Scott
jscott@cpbj.com
Pennsylvania leads the nation in craft-
beer production.
But while more beer is being brewed in
places like Carlisle, Harrisburg and York,
brewers here must rely on some key in
gredients that often travel long distances.
grown in Pennsylvania, or on the East
By Stacy WescoeBridgeTower Media
Stefanie Angstadt started making cheese as a hobby soon after graduating from col-lege in 2008.
After a few years she knew it was some-thing she wanted to do full time.
She opened Valley Milkhouse in a former dairy farm in Oley in 2014 and began to manufacture and sell her cheeses profes-sionally.
Not a dairy farmer, herself, she partnered with other small Berks County dairies to buy fresh warm milk “straight from the udder.”
Her cheeses — mostly a mix of softer and aged styles — were a hit.
“We make everything by hand. It’s very good cheese so there is a demand,” Angstadt said.
In fact, demand often outpaced her sup-ply. Nonetheless, she struggled with the lo-
Hills Farm in Chester County.Jones pitched the idea of using the CSA
format to develop a new way of selling craft cheese to cheese fans. That led Jones, Ang-stadt and Miller in 2016 to create the Collec-tive Creamery CSA, based out of Angstadt’s Oley creamery, with Jones as the operations manager and Angstadt and Miller as the two primary cheese makers.
“We thought between the three of us, we could pool our resources and move beyond farmers markets,” Angstadt said.
According to Jones, the trio didn’t invent the idea of a cheese-based CSA. But, she said, “A cheese CSA is still pretty unique.”
Jones said it also makes sense.“You can get subscriptions for anything
today — dog products, beauty products —why not cheese?” she said.
A profitable boostThe Collective Creamery is now heading
Brewing Co. in Douglasville and Covered Bridge Farmstand in Oley — and at one location in the Lehigh Valley — Bonn Place Brewing Co. in Bethlehem. Other pickup locations are in the Chester County and Philadelphia areas.
By having a wider client base, the chee-semakers also are able to offer more variety. Angstadt and Miller rotate between six varieties of cheese, including Angstadt’s Witchgrass, her version of a French Valen-cay cheese, and Miller’s Clipper, an aged raw-milk cheese. They also reach out to other cheesemakers in other regions, hop-ing to include their specialty craft cheeses
But they are on the lookout for more pickup locations along their current route and for pockets of cheese lovers who may want to get in on their offerings.
“We have to be lean and use the resources we have,” Jones said.
One secondary benefit to the women’s
Specialty cheese biz taps into local dairies
From left, Sue Miller, Stefanie Angstadt and Alex Jones brought together their collective talents to form the Collective Creamery CSA in 2016. PHOTO/SUBMITTED
“You can get subscriptions for anything today — dog
products, beauty products — why not cheese?”
— Alex Jones, Collective Creamery CSA
FOOD BUSINESS
Craft-beer boom spurs local hops farmers
By Jason Scott
jscott@cpbj.com
Pennsylvania leads the nation in craft-
beer production.
places like Carlisle, Harrisburg and York,
brewers here must rely on some key in
a fa
rmer
’s cr
ops. A d
rone
was
able
to a
sses
s
the
tota
l dam
age,
whic
h hel
ped ju
stify
the
Then
ther
e ar
e th
e sp
in-o
ff busi
nesse
s.
Ryan B
oswel
l is
the
Philadel
phia-b
ased
sale
s m
anag
er fo
r Phas
eOne
Indust
rial,
a ca
mer
a co
mpan
y bas
ed in
Colora
do.
PhaseO
ne ca
mer
as ca
n be outfi
tted on
our oper
ator t
rain
ing an
d
certi
ficatio
n progra
m an
d
are c
urrently
engag
ed w
ith
a pilo
t pro
gram
asse
ssin
g
efficie
ncies f
or the u
se of
drones
for 3
D modeli
ng of
The Collective Creamery is now heading into its third year. And while it is still just a small part of each of the cheesemakers’ business, it is an important one.
By eliminating the middleman, the chee-semakers get more of the profit.
Angstadt said her profit margin is gener-ally about 15 percent to 20 percent on the roughly $150,000 in gross sales she has in a year. That makes it a challenge to maintain a capital-intensive operation. Anywhere she can improve the profit margin is a boost.
Profits on the CSA vary from month to month, but she said they tend to average at the higher end of her overall profits.
The current CSA package from the Col-
Brewing Co. in Douglasville and Covered Bridge Farmstand in Oley — and at one location in the Lehigh Valley — Bonn Place Brewing Co. in Bethlehem. Other pickup locations are in the Chester County and Philadelphia areas.
By having a wider client base, the cheesemakers also are able to offer more variety. Angstadt and Miller rotate between six varieties of cheese, including Angstadt’s Witchgrass, her version of a French Valencay cheese, and Miller’s Clipper, an aged raw-milk cheese. They also reach out to other cheesemakers in other regions, hoping to include their specialty craft cheeses
ply. Nonetheless, she struggled with the logistics of getting the cheese she was making to the people who wanted it.
While around 80 percent of the cheese she makes is sold wholesale to markets and
talents to form the Collective Creamery CSA in 2016.
to b
e aw
are
of what
is g
oing
on and to
offer
support
as
idea
s dev
elop,
seve
ral
people
said
. One
goal
is to
cre
ate
a w
orkin
g gr
oup
with
in th
e st
ate
avia
tion c
aucu
s –
a le
gis
lativ
e gr
oup – t
o dev
elop a
road
map
that
would
“id
entif
y fu
nding
opportuniti
es t
o
support
crit
ical
dro
ne in
frast
ruct
ure,”
the
asso
ciat
ion sa
id in
a fa
ct sh
eet.
The a
ssoci
atio
n isn’t
aski
ng for n
ew re
gu-
latio
ns, poin
ting o
ut that
dro
nes ar
e reg
ulat-
ed b
y th
e Fe
deral
Avi
atio
n Adm
inis
tratio
n,
or FA
A, whic
h contro
ls U
.S. a
irspac
es a
nd
alre
ady
require
s co
mm
erci
al d
rone
opera-
tors
to g
et a
lice
nse.
But that
does
n’t m
ean th
ere
is n
o room
for
actio
n on t
he st
ate
leve
l. In
Oct
ober
2018
, Pen
nsylv
ania
law
mak
ers
passe
d Act
78, w
hich li
mits
the
abili
ty o
f munic
ipal
i-
ties
to r
egula
te u
nman
ned a
ircra
ft unle
ss
auth
orized
by t
he st
atute
.
Local
juris
dictio
ns ofte
n move
to p
ass
ordin
ance
s that
can in
terfe
re w
ith co
mm
er-
cial
oper
ators
, sa
id D
avid
Day
, ex
ecutiv
e
vice
pre
siden
t at
Key
stone
Aeria
l Surv
eys
resp
onse to
ques
tions.
Flyin
g into
new
role
s
Seve
ral a
ttendee
s at
the
June
11 e
vent
said
they
thin
k st
ate
lead
ers
will
be
sup
portiv
e of i
deas t
o exp
and d
rone
progr
ams
both w
ithin
sta
te a
genci
es a
nd with
com
mer
cial
applic
atio
ns once
they
under
stan
d
the
potentia
l.
Task
s such
as b
ridge
insp
ectio
ns or a
eria
l
surv
eys
that
once
took
wee
ks t
o conduct
can n
ow b
e done
in a
day
or s
o, D
ay s
aid.
Farm
ers,
utiliti
es a
nd oth
ers h
ave
seen
how
drones
can re
duce th
e co
sts o
f pro
ject
s and
insp
ectio
ns. Th
ey a
lso h
ave
wei
ghed
the
li
abili
ty ri
sks a
nd real
ized
they
are
bet
ter o
ff
using
drones
.
Gove
rnm
ents
, how
ever
, see
m to
hav
e a
higher
hurd
le t
o ove
rcom
e w
hen li
abili
ty
conce
rns a
re ra
ised
, Day
said
.
Seve
ral e
xper
ts n
oted th
e co
ncern
s ca
n
be ea
sed o
nce t
he optio
ns ar
e ca
refu
lly
wei
ghed
. For e
xam
ple, t
he ris
ks to
surv
ey a
utility
line t
raditi
onally
would
invo
lve w
ork-
utility
line t
raditi
onally
would
invo
lve w
ork-
utility
line t
raditi
onally
would
invo
lve w
ork
ers
using
ladder
tru
cks
to e
xam
ine
high-
Ryan B
oswel
l is
the
Philadel
phia-b
ased
sale
s m
anag
er fo
r Phas
eOne
Indust
rial,
a ca
mer
a co
mpan
y bas
ed in
Colora
do.
PhaseO
ne ca
mer
as ca
n be outfi
tted on
vario
us dro
nes to
do a
var
iety
of w
ork fo
r
gove
rnm
ents
, quar
ry o
perat
ors a
nd util
ity
com
panie
s, am
ong oth
ers,
Boswel
l sai
d.
vario
us dro
nes to
do a
var
iety
of w
ork fo
r
gove
rnm
ents
, quar
ry o
perat
ors a
nd util
ity
com
panie
s, am
ong oth
ers,
Boswel
l sai
d.
Acco
rdin
g to
th
e asso
ciation
, d
ron
es
will off
er $82.1 billion
in econ
omic b
enefi
ts
and
create 100,000 new
jobs in
the U
nited
States alone b
y 2025. The asso
ciation’s goal
is to encou
rage state leaders to su
pp
ort
the d
evelopm
ent of a d
rone in
du
stry – or
un
man
ned
aircraft systems, as th
ey are
more form
ally know
n – b
ecause oth
er states
already are d
oing so.
For examp
le, New
York is pu
tting u
p $30
million
to pay for a 50-m
ile un
man
ned
air
corridor b
etween
Syracuse an
d R
ome, th
e
association
said. O
ther states h
ave becom
e
federal test sites for th
e dron
e ind
ustry,
wh
ile others h
ave been
joinin
g regional
partn
ership
s to develop
initiatives. A
s each
day p
asses, Pen
nsylvan
ia seems to b
e falling
furth
er beh
ind
in d
evelopin
g a dom
estic
dron
e ind
ustry, ob
servers said.
For n
ow, th
e associatio
n isn
’t asking
Pen
nsylvan
ia’s leaders for m
uch
– except
to be aw
are of wh
at is going on
and
to offer
sup
port as id
eas develop, several p
eople
said. O
ne goal is to create a w
orking grou
p
with
in th
e state aviation cau
cus – a legis
lative group
– to develop
a roadm
ap th
at
wou
ld “id
entify fu
nd
ing op
portu
nities to
sup
port critical d
rone in
frastructu
re,” the
association
said in
a fact sheet.
The asso
ciation isn
’t asking for n
ew regu
lations, p
ointin
g out th
at dron
es are regulat
ed b
y the Fed
eral Aviation
Ad
min
istration,
or FAA
, wh
ich con
trols U.S. airsp
aces and
already req
uires com
mercial d
rone op
era
tors to get a license.
Bu
t that d
oesn
’t mean
there is n
o room
for action on
the state level. In
Octob
er
2018, Pen
nsylvan
ia lawm
akers passed
Act
78, wh
ich lim
its the ab
ility of mu
nicip
ali
ties to regulate u
nm
ann
ed aircraft u
nless
auth
orized b
y the statu
te.
Lo
cal jurisd
ictions often
move to p
ass
ordin
ances th
at can in
terfere with
comm
er
cial operators, said
David
Day, execu
tive
vice presid
ent at K
eystone A
erial Surveys
based
in P
hilad
elph
ia. That m
akes edu
ca
tion critical, h
e add
ed.
DRON
Econtinued from
page 1
into its third year. And while it is still just a small part of each of the cheesemakers’ business, it is an important one.
By eliminating the middleman, the cheesemakers get more of the profit.
Angstadt said her profit margin is generally about 15 percent to 20 percent on the roughly $150,000 in gross sales she has in a year. That makes it a challenge to maintain a capital-intensive operation. Anywhere she can improve the profit margin is a boost.
Profits on the CSA vary from month to month, but she said they tend to average at the higher end of her overall profits.
The current CSA package from the Col
ply. Nonetheless, she struggled with the logistics of getting the cheese she was making to the people who wanted it.
While around 80 percent of the cheese she makes is sold wholesale to markets and
for
actio
n on t
he st
ate
leve
l. In
Oct
ober
2018
, Pen
nsylv
ania
law
mak
ers
passe
d Act
78, w
hich li
mits
the
abili
ty o
f munic
ipal
i
ties
to r
egula
te u
nman
ned a
ircra
ft unle
ss
auth
orized
by t
he st
atute
.
Local
juris
dictio
ns ofte
n move
to p
ass
ordin
ance
s that
can in
terfe
re w
ith co
mm
er
cial
oper
ators
, sa
id D
avid
Day
, ex
ecutiv
e
vice
pre
siden
t at
Key
stone
Aeria
l Surv
eys ab
ility
risk
s and re
aliz
ed th
ey a
re b
ette
r off
using
drones
.
Gove
rnm
ents
, how
ever
, see
m to
hav
e a
higher
hurd
le t
o ove
rcom
e w
hen li
abili
ty
conce
rns a
re ra
ised
, Day
said
.
Seve
ral e
xper
ts n
oted th
e co
ncern
s ca
n
be ea
sed o
nce t
he optio
ns ar
e ca
refu
lly
wei
ghed
. For e
xam
ple, t
he ris
ks to
surv
ey a
utility
line t
raditi
onally
would
invo
lve w
ork
ers
using
ladder
tru
cks
to e
xam
ine
high-
noting is that the counties have main-tained the same order of ranking based upon population for eight-plus years. For example, in 2010 the counties in order of smallest population to largest were Cum-berland, Dauphin, York and Lancaster. This is the same ranking we see in 2018,
Mike Kushner
2018 was a banner year for mergers and acquisitions. Global M&A activity was the second highest on record, with deals totaling $2.72 trillion. Looking ahead, 76 percent of top executives at U.S. compa-nies expect to close more deals this year than last, and a majority predict these deals will be larger, according to a report from Axios. These compa-
Retirement plans should be piece of M&A puzzle ders recently purchased equipment that
will allow them to pelletize dried hops
— meaning to grind them into powder
and press them into small pellets. Pellet-
ized hops have a longer shelf life and are
what many brewers rely on throughout
The farm’s hop yard could yield about
5,000 or 6,000 pounds of hops this year.
GEMS expects to pelletize the majority
of its hops this year after selling almost
all of its harvest last fall to local breweries
making wet-hopped beers — also known
as fresh-hop beers that use hops fresh off
Wet-hop batches of beer can use five
to 10 times as many hops as pelletized
Local brewers say they are eager to buy
more local ingredients, including hops,
on one or two acres and not pelletizing.
“The vast majority of local hops are
brewed in late summer or early fall for
wet-hop beers,” he said. “That has been
the big limitation.”
The Millworks and other breweries said
they would like to buy more local hops
year round, especially pelletized hops, to
support farmers.
“I think brewers absolutely want to use
it,” Musselman said, noting the differences
in smell and taste between East and West
Coast hops.
But Musselman said he expects local
hops would cost more than those from
larger West Coast suppliers, given the
lower hop volumes at local farms. Nev
ertheless, he said he would still buy local
hops for special PA Preferred brews, i.e.,
beers made with Pennsylvania-produced
agricultural commodities, like hops or
grain.
Victor Shaffer and Andrew Lyons start
ed growing an acre of hops outside of
Mechanicsburg last year. Their company,
called Lion Bines Hop Farm, is expected to
produce a partial harvest of hops this year
and a full harvest next year. Mike and Sharon Reifsnyder stand in the hop yard of their West Pennsboro Township
farm. They began growing the crop in 2017 in a bid to make locally grown hops more
Lancaster-based RGS Associ-
ates named Jake Krieger proj-
ect landscape architect. He has
a bachelor’s degree from Temple
University. Matthew Fauth was
named a computer aided drafting
and design designer. He also is a
sergeant in the National Guard. He
has an associate degree from York
Technical Institute. Upper Dublin Township, Mont-
gomery County-based McMahon
Associates Inc. named Christo-
pher K. Bauer an associate. He is
general manager of the Camp Hill
office. He has more than 20 years
of project management and trans-
portation engineering experience
and has helped municipalities
through their responsibilities as
local project sponsors on state
and federally funded projects. He
also serves municipalities’ day-
to-day traffic consulting needs.
He is a professional engineer and
professional traffic operations
engineer. Swatara Township-based Skelly
and Loy named LeShelle Smith
marketing spe-cialist. She will be
responsible for graphics coordi-
nation, including preparation of
brochures, charts and exhibit ma
terials. She will
branch’s operational proficiency
and mentor her financial center
team. Most recently, she was a cor-
porate social responsibility super-
visor and head teller II with First
National Bank. She has a bach-
elor’s degree from York College.
Lower Allen Township-based
Members 1st Federal Credit
Union named
Alma Jimenezbranch manager
of the location
inside the Gi-ant Foods store
on East Market
Street, York. She
was a branch
manager for PNC Bank. Manheim Township-based
Ambassador Advisors LLC named
Christopher R. Coolidge chief
investment of-ficer. He leads
the wealth man-agement depart-
ment and works
with various oth-er departments.
He is a chartered financial analyst
charterholder. Manheim Township-based
RKL Wealth Management LLC
named William M. Onorato a
senior wealth
strategist. He will
advise high-net-worth families
on multigenera-tional planning,
legacy planning,
business succes-sion and estate
planning. He has 25 years of es
tate planning and wealth strategy
with customized financial solu-
tions. She has 25 years of banking
and financial services experience
and was a financial adviser with
Smoker Wealth Management.
She has bachelor’s and master’s
degrees from Ashford University.
Laura J. Melfi was named senior
vice president and cash manage-
ment officer with Mid Penn’s First
Priority Bank division. She will be
based in Chester County and con-
tribute to deposit growth through
business development activities.
She will also generate fee income
through cash management prod-
ucts and services, and expand and
retain customer relationships. She
has 43 years of financial services
experience. CONSTRUCTIONLancaster-based
Wohlsen
Construction Co. named Manuel
Maza project
manager and es-timator. He was
project engineer.
He has a bache-lor’s degree from
Millersville Uni-versity.
York-based Wagman Construc-
tion Inc. named Joe Corson direc-
tor of business development for
Maryland. He will
expand the firm’s
participation in
o p p o r t u n i t i e s
and enhance
client relation-ships throughout
Maryland. He has
30 years of con-struction industry experience. He
has a bachelor’s degree from the
University of Baltimore. EDUCATION
Harrisburg-based Pennsyl-
vania Public Utility Commis-
sion named Amy S. Goldman
of Philadelphia and Matthew
Hrivnak of Cumberland County
members of the Pennsylvania
Telecommunications Relay Ser-
vice Advisory Board. Goldman
has been a public member of the
board. She is a speech-language
pathologist, has conducted
trainings on the importance of
telecommunications for those
with disabilities and has been
involved with the administra-
tion of Pennsylvania’s telecom-
munications device distribution
program. Hrivnak will represent
the PUC’s Bureau of Consum-
er Services on the board. He
is manager of compliance and
competition in the bureau’s pol-
icy division. Harrisburg-based State Civil
Service Commission named Te-
resa Osborne of Lackawanna
County a commissioner. She was
secretary of the Pennsylvania De-
partment of Aging. HEALTH CARE East Pennsboro Township-
based Geisinger Holy Spirit
named Dr. Ming Jang a member
of Geisinger Ho-ly Spirit Primary
Care. He will see
adult patients
and specialize
in geriatric care.
He was a clinical
assistant profes-sor of medicine
in the division of geriatric medi
cine at the University of Pennsyl
vania’s Perelman School of Medi
cine. He has a medical degree
from Drexel University College
family law experience. She has a
bachelor’s degree from the Col-
lege of William and Mary and a
law degree from Dickinson School
of Law.
Susquehanna Township-based
Mette Evans & Woodside named
Matthew D. Co-ble a sharehold-
er. He represents
insurance com-panies, fraternal
benefit societies,
insurance pro-ducers and third-
party administra-tors in insurance regulatory, trans-
actional and litigation matters.
MARKETINGLancaster-based Godfrey
named Luke Weidner an asso-
ciate creative director. He will
oversee message unification and
brand consisten-cy and align cre-
ative resources
with project and account needs to
ensure efficien-cy. Most recent-
ly, he was the design manager
for Artisanal Brewing Ventures.
Weidner has a bachelor’s degree
from Penn State. NONPROFITSPhiladelphia-based Pennsyl-
vanians for Modern Courts named
retired Judge Lawrence
F. Stengel a board
member. He is a shareholder
with Manheim
Township-based
Krieger
Fauth
Kuhn
Jimenez
CoolidgeMaza
Corson Jang
Coble
Weidner
noting is that the counties have maintained the same order of ranking based upon population for eight-plus years. For example, in 2010 the counties in order of smallest population to largest were Cumberland, Dauphin, York and Lancaster. This is the same ranking we see in 2018,
Mike Kushner
2018 was a banner year for mergers and acquisitions. Global M&A activity was the second highest on record, with deals totaling $2.72 trillion. Looking ahead, 76 percent of top executives at U.S. companies expect to close more deals this year than last, and a majority predict
Retirement plans should be piece of M&A puzzle GEMS expects to pelletize the majority
of its hops this year after selling almost
all of its harvest last fall to local breweries
making wet-hopped beers — also known
as fresh-hop beers that use hops fresh off
Wet-hop batches of beer can use five
to 10 times as many hops as pelletized
Local brewers say they are eager to buy
more local ingredients, including hops,
in smell and taste between East and West
But Musselman said he expects local
hops would cost more than those from
larger West Coast suppliers, given the
lower hop volumes at local farms. Nev
ertheless, he said he would still buy local
hops for special PA Preferred brews, i.e.,
beers made with Pennsylvania-produced
agricultural commodities, like hops or
Victor Shaffer and Andrew Lyons start
ed growing an acre of hops outside of
Mechanicsburg last year. Their company,
called Lion Bines Hop Farm, is expected to
produce a partial harvest of hops this year
and a full harvest next year.
with large amounts of information. People
digest details in small chunks, so consider
an ongoing campaign to share bits and
pieces of information, or a web page to
view the full information when employees
are interested and have time.
• Have a sense of humor when commu-
nicating. Loosening up a formal approach
can go a long way to creating engagement
with the communication and getting on
• Make it a two-way conversation. Ask
employees what program components
they’d like to see. Find out what might mo-
tivate them to participate. Ask for ideas on
a hands-on workshop for growing veg
etables or herbs. At GRIT, team members
in the wellness program are walking miles
(via a step tracker) to earn a free airplane
ticket to anywhere in the world. The more
creative and out-of-the-box the program,
when paired with easy ways to participate,
the more people will want to take part.
• Stay diverse with your communica-
tions focus. If there is a large subset of
staff who bike to work, that’s great, but if
that’s all communications are about, the
company risks losing support from other
parts of the employee base. The same goes
for any topic: if it’s strictly about one thing,
the business might lose the interest of its
whole audience.
Internal communications centered around
health and wellness can make or break pro
gram participation. Get together with HR,
leadership and a few employees to brain
year. It is my hope that the House Republican
Caucus, along with the Pennsylvania Medical
Society and other medical-service advocates,
will prove once more that this tax would be
detrimental to Pennsylvania surgery patients.
First, this tax would cause ASCs to be un-
able to afford state-of-the-art equipment.
Such equipment allows them
to have higher
productivity and healthier patients, but under
ters than they do at general hospitals. Medic-
aid patients face 50 percent lower costs and
patients with comm
ercial insurance plans
pay as low as 25 percent the costs of a hospi-
In addition to saving patients money, these
practitioners also save Medicare $2.3 billion
a year on just the 120 most-com
mon proce-
dures that Medicare patients receive, accord-
ing to UC Berkeley.
UC Berkeley noted in a recent study that
in 2015, Pennsylvania ASCs saved Medicare
$32.6 million on cataract procedures, $1.3
million on upper GI procedures and $6.9 m
il-
lion on cystoscopy procedures.
If the Wolf adm
inistration’s tax proposal
were to be enacted, the Pennsylvania Am-
bulatory Surgery Association, along with a
coalition of state medical societies, warn that
up to 25 percent of these centers may need
to close – pushing thousands of patients into
costly general hospitals and forcing centers to
withdraw from M
edicaid.
This ASC tax would be a blow to com
peti-
tion and innovation in health care. By tying
the invisible hand of the free market in health
care with burdensome taxes, we get less
Another tax on these ASCs would not only
cost the state Medicaid system
, it may even
I urge my colleagues in the Pennsylvania
House and Senate to vote against this proposal
and I urge Gov. Wolf to visit an ASC like W
est
Shore Endoscopy in Cumberland County to
learn about the progress that is being made by
these entrepreneurial physicians and nurses.
As I meet with physicians and patients in
my district, such as those at W
est Shore En-
doscopy, I have been amazed at the benefits
of their innovative approach.
We all can relate to the phrase, “Surgery is
only minor if it happens to som
eone else.”
Nobody wants to be told they need surgery
and they especially do not want an unpleas-
ant surgery experience.
Thanks to ASCs, thousands of Pennsyl-
vanians have been given a convenient and
quality outpatient experience with positive
outcomes and speedy recovery in the com
fort
of their own homes. A double tax on these
centers would not only be devastating to the
many hardworking physicians in our com
monwealth but their patients as well.
For the sake of the health and wellness of
our comm
onwealth, I hope my colleagues in
Harrisburg listen to our physicians and their
patients and reject this tax.
State Rep. Greg Rothman (R) represents the 87th
House District, which is in Cumberland County.
technology to treat the most
advanced diseases. However, even
positive change can cause confu
sion. I’d like to take a moment to
clarify a question involving health
insurance plans accepted at UPMC
Pinnacle. UPMC Pinnacle hospitals and
outpatient clinics continue to
accept most major insurance
plans, including Aetna, Capital Blue
Cross, Highmark and UPMC Health
Plan for all services. Changes in the
relationship between Highmark
and UPMC in the greater
Pittsburgh and Erie areas will not
affect the relationship between
UPMC Pinnacle and Highmark.
with large amounts of information. People
a hands-on workshop for growing veg
etables or herbs. At GRIT, team members
in the wellness program are walking miles
(via a step tracker) to earn a free airplane
If there’s one constant in health
care, it’s change. UPMC’s invest-
ment in southcentral Pennsylvania
has brought positive change to
our region, including new, highly
specialized services, thousands of
new providers and leading-edge
technology to treat the most
advanced diseases. However, even
positive change can cause confu-
sion. I’d like to take a moment to
clarify a question involving health
insurance plans accepted at UPMC
UPMC Pinnacle hospitals and
outpatient clinics continue to
TO THE EDITOR
2018 was a banner year for mergers and acquisitions. Global M&A activity was the second highest on record, with deals totaling $2.72 trillion. Looking ahead, 76 percent of top executives at U.S. compa-nies expect to close more deals this year than last,
these deals will be larger,
from Axios. These compa-nies, and others around the globe, turn to M&A deals to increase market share and improve their
Throughout the M&A process, executives are hyper-focused on company synergies and big-picture goals. As a result, one very important fac-tor often goes overlooked – the employer’s
So, if you’re planning a merger or acqui-sition, consider the retirement plans now to avoid a headache later on.
If the transaction is a stock acquisi-tion – where the buyer takes full owner-ship of the selling company – the buyer then assumes all of the seller’s liabilities, including its retirement plan. The buyer has three options for how to handle the acquired company’s retirement plan. It can either maintain its own plan and the seller’s plan separately, terminate the seller’s plan, or merge the seller’s plan into its own plan.
If the buyer decides to maintain both plans, the newly acquired employees can either be offered the same benefits they had previously, or a new formula for their employer benefits. Maintaining both plans can provide employees continuity of ben-efits with no impact to the buyer’s retire-
restriction before being able to join the buyer’s 401(k) plan, losing out on a full year of tax-efficient savings and employer contributions.
The main advantages of termination are that employees can be integrated into the buyer’s plan with one benefit structure for all; there is only one plan to maintain; and the risk of any liability transfer into the buyer’s existing plan is avoided. The downside is that the employee accounts become immediately accessible. So, if not rolled over into an IRA or other retirement plan, employees could squander retire-ment assets and face penalty taxes for early distribution.
The final option – merging the seller’s and buyer’s plans – requires that both plans be the same type and have a similar plan design. This option can be efficient and cost-effective – one benefit structure,
includes confirming past operational and procedural compliance, making sure all plan documents are up-to-date, and con-firming general compatibility between the plans. Examples include reviewing non-discrimination testing results from recent years, the seller’s fiduciary oversight prac-tices, administrative operations such as distributions, payroll and loan processes, and fulfillment of government reporting requirements.
Many companies partner with an out-side consultant to conduct a thorough benefit plan review and help determine the best option. When experts are engaged from the start, they can help ensure the transition is smooth and employees have a clear understanding of the benefits with their new employer.
An organization’s retirement plan should be a consideration from the early
JohnJeffrey
2018 was a banner year for mergers and acquisitions. Global M&A activity was the second highest on record, with deals totaling $2.72 trillion. Looking ahead, 76 percent of top executives at U.S. companies expect to close more deals this year than last, and a majority predict these deals will be larger, according to a report from Axios. These companies, and others around the globe, turn to M&A deals to increase market share and improve their business models.
Throughout the M&A process, executives are hyper-focused on company synergies and big-picture goals. As a result, one very important factor often goes overlooked – the employer’s
, Suzanne Fischer-Huettner
Copyright 2019 by BridgeTower Media. All rights reserved.
Volume 35, Number 23. Reproduction or use, without permission,
of editorial or graphic content in any manner, including electronic
reproduction, is prohibited. For licensing, reprints, e-prints and
plaques, email larnold@bridgetowermedia.com. Authorization to
photocopy articles for internal corporate or instructional use may
be obtained from the Copyright Clearance Center at 978-750-8400.
CENTRAL PENN BUSINESS JOURNAL (ISSN1058-3599) is pub-
lished weekly except for the first week of July, the last full week of
November and the last full week of December by BridgeTower Me-
dia, 1500 Paxton St., Harrisburg, PA 17104-2633. The periodical post-
age is paid at Harrisburg, PA and at additional mailing offices. POST-
MASTER: Electronic ACS Service requested. Send address changes
to: Subscription Services, PO Box 1051, Williamsport PA 17703-9940
Central Penn Business Journal cannot be responsible for the
return of unsolicited material with or without the inclusion of a
stamped, self-addressed return envelope. Information in this publi-
cation is gathered from sources considered to be reliable, but the ac-
curacy and completeness of the information cannot be guaranteed.
No information expressed herein constitutes a solicitation for the
direct loans to businesses, with volume rising
from about $10 million to $30 million in the
past three years.
The nonprofit also has opened new loan offic
es in Allentown and Philadelphia where it would
like to add more people to expand lending.
“We expect to go deeper into markets we are
in,” Betancourt said.
But depth, he said, requires a bigger team.
That starts at the executive level.
In addition to adding new execs, the non-
The investments typically will flow through
what are known as qualified opportunity funds.
Community First has been working to develop
such funds, which could work in combination
with other state and federal incentives.
Among the most notable of those is the
Tax credit plan
After being shut out in the last fund-
ing round in 2017, Central Pennsylvania will
receive a share of 2018 tax credits under a
new round of funding from a federal program
designed to support large urban redevelop-
ment projects: the New Markets Tax Credit.
The U.S. Treasury Department last month
awarded $55 million in tax credits to the
Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency’s
Commonwealth Cornerstone Group, based in
year — likely mixed-use, commercial and
community service projects — with a focus on
those that exceed $5 million.
Developers often have to spend more
money to buy and fix up vacant and blighted
properties than they can expect to get back
in rental rates once construction is complet-
ed. The New Markets program takes private
equity from investors, usually banks, and
turns that money into gap financing to help
developers offset some of the construction
costs and keep rents in line with what a local
real estate market can support.
The investors receive tax credits in return,
which count against their federal income
Investors can receive credits totaling 39
percent of their investment. They can use the
federal allocation, the organization’s eighth.
The previous seven allocations have helped
fund 38 developments in the state, including
the Hamilton Health Center in Harrisburg,
Lancaster’s Keppel Building and the renova-
tion of Gettysburg’s Schmucker Hall.
In the meantime, officials are narrowing
down mixed-use and commercial projects
across the state that could receive the tax
credits. Part of that selection process could
include working with Lancaster-based
Community First Fund, which did not receive
tax credits this year but has its own backlog
of projects.
The two midstate nonprofits have part-
nered on tax-credit projects in the past,
including the redevelopment of the former
Bulova building in Lancaster. Commonwealth
Cornerstone poured $10 million in tax cred-
its into the project, while Community First
added another $8 million.
Folmer said project announcements could
and acquisitions. Global M&A activity was the second highest on record, with deals totaling $2.72 trillion. Looking ahead, 76 percent of top executives at U.S. companies expect to close more deals this year than last, and a majority predict these deals will be larger, according to a report from Axios. These companies, and others around the globe, turn to M&A deals to increase market share and improve their business models.
Throughout the M&A process, executives are hyper-focused on company synergies and big-picture goals. As a result, one very important factor often goes overlooked – the employer’s
, Suzanne Fischer-Huettner
, Suzanne Fischer-Huettner
Copyright 2019 by BridgeTower Media. All rights reserved.
Copyright 2019 by BridgeTower Media. All rights reserved.
Volume 35, Number 23. Reproduction or use, without permission,
Volume 35, Number 23. Reproduction or use, without permission,
of editorial or graphic content in any manner, including electronic
of editorial or graphic content in any manner, including electronic
reproduction, is prohibited. For licensing, reprints, e-prints and
reproduction, is prohibited. For licensing, reprints, e-prints and
plaques, email larnold@bridgetowermedia.com. Authorization to
plaques, email larnold@bridgetowermedia.com. Authorization to
photocopy articles for internal corporate or instructional use may
photocopy articles for internal corporate or instructional use may
be obtained from the Copyright Clearance Center at 978-750-8400.
be obtained from the Copyright Clearance Center at 978-750-8400.
CENTRAL PENN BUSINESS JOURNAL (ISSN1058-3599) is pub
CENTRAL PENN BUSINESS JOURNAL (ISSN1058-3599) is pub
CENTRAL PENN BUSINESS JOURNAL (ISSN1058-3599) is pub
CENTRAL PENN BUSINESS JOURNAL (ISSN1058-3599) is pub
CENTRAL PENN BUSINESS JOURNAL (ISSN1058-3599) is pub
lished weekly except for the first week of July, the last full week of
lished weekly except for the first week of July, the last full week of
November and the last full week of December by BridgeTower Me
November and the last full week of December by BridgeTower Me
dia, 1500 Paxton St., Harrisburg, PA 17104-2633. The periodical post
dia, 1500 Paxton St., Harrisburg, PA 17104-2633. The periodical post
age is paid at Harrisburg, PA and at additional mailing offices. POST
age is paid at Harrisburg, PA and at additional mailing offices. POST
MASTER: Electronic ACS Service requested. Send address changes
MASTER: Electronic ACS Service requested. Send address changes
to: Subscription Services, PO Box 1051, Williamsport PA 17703-9940
to: Subscription Services, PO Box 1051, Williamsport PA 17703-9940
Central Penn Business Journal cannot be responsible for the
Central Penn Business Journal cannot be responsible for the
return of unsolicited material with or without the inclusion of a
return of unsolicited material with or without the inclusion of a
stamped, self-addressed return envelope. Information in this publi
stamped, self-addressed return envelope. Information in this publi
cation is gathered from sources considered to be reliable, but the ac
cation is gathered from sources considered to be reliable, but the ac
curacy and completeness of the information cannot be guaranteed.
curacy and completeness of the information cannot be guaranteed.
No information expressed herein constitutes a solicitation for the
No information expressed herein constitutes a solicitation for the
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WHO’SWHO
LONG ISLAND BUSINESS NEWS I Special Advertising Section I August 2020 I LIBN.COM I 3
“To face the challenges of the pandemic, we pivoted quickly to fi nd productive ways to serve our members, she said. “Bethpage found ways to transition our members’ routine in-person appointments to virtual meetings, while making them feel as com-fortable and assured as possible,” she said. “This included expanding our banking ser-vices to virtual community webinars, bank at work presentations, account and loan appointments and loan closings.”
“We also swiftly enhanced our digital services, which were supported by video technology and one-on-one phone calls to provide the best personalized service that our members count on,” Armyn said.
“Self-serve options alone don’t suffi ce when it comes to a person’s fi nances,” she said. “Complementing remote virtual sup-port with a personal touch is key.”
Armyn has developed some of Beth-page’s most popular community outreach initiatives and branding campaigns, in-cluding the noted Bethpage Cares pro-gram. This successful philanthropic effort invests more than $2 million annually to communities of modest means. In 2019, Armyn and the Bethpage team collabo-rated with Suffolk County to bring a Bike Share program, known as Bethpage Ride, to Suffolk County for the fi rst time. In 2020, Armyn introduced the Bethpage Dif-ference Makers Program to foster youth volunteerism in the community.
Of the many signifi cant branding ini-tiatives developed and managed by Linda, including the naming of Bethpage Federal
Credit Union Ballpark (home to the Long Island Ducks), the most visible is the an-nual Bethpage Federal Credit Union Air Show at Jones Beach.
Armyn is a member of the Credit Union National Association (CUNA) Political Grass Roots Network and MAPs Advisory committee, NYCUA Government Affairs Committee and the National Association of Federal Credit Unions (NAFCU) leg-islative committee. On Long Island, she serves as a board member for the YMCA LI, Cradle of Aviation, Mentor NY and Child Care Council of Suffolk. In 2014, she was appointed by Governor Cuomo as a member of the Stony Brook University Presidents Council and in 2016, to the NY Regional Economic Development Council for Long Island (REDCLI) and currently serves on both.
She has been honored by local organi-zations, including the YMCA of LI, Amer-ican Heart Association and Education and Assistance Corporation (EAC). Most re-cently, she was honored as a 2020 Athena Leadership Award Finalist.
Armyn is a graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park and earned a master’s degree in corporate communica-tions through Northeastern University.
Bethpage Federal Credit Union is a premier fi nancial institution committed to enriching the lives of its members, em-ployees and the communities it serves for over 75 years. Voted the 3rd Best Compa-ny to Work For in New York State by the New York State Society for Human Re-
sources Management and the Best Place to Work on Long Island by Newsday’s Top Workplaces Poll, Bethpage is a federally chartered credit union, available to peo-ple nationwide who open a $5 member-ship account.
Bethpage’s digital platform allows members to bank from anywhere. Beth-page is a part of the national CO-OP net-work that gives members access to their accounts at over 30,000 free ATMs and 5,000+ shared branches across the U.S. As a fi nancial cooperative, Bethpage offers competitive rates, low fees and world-class service, plus a full menu of personal and commercial fi nancial services.
MICHELLE AULIVOLA, ESQ.Long Tuminello, LLP
Michelle Aulivola, Esq. is a partner at the law fi rm of Long Tuminello, LLP in Bay Shore. She joined the fi rm in 2006 as an as-sociate and became a partner in 2012.
Aulivola conducts all aspects of general civil litigation matters in state and federal court from inception to conclusion, includ-ing draft of pleadings and motions, discov-ery, depositions, hearings and trials. She also prosecutes and defends appeals and
provides representation to attorneys and other professionals facing grievance inves-tigations and/or disciplinary proceedings.
Aulivola was appointed as referee and receiver by the Suffolk and Nassau Su-preme Courts. She also manages adminis-tration of fi rm personnel, vendor relations and contracts and compliance matters.
Aulivola earned a juris doctor from Hofstra University School of Law and a bachelor’s degree in social sciences, inter-disciplinary from SUNY Stony Brook.
She is admitted to practice in the state of New York and before the Eastern Dis-trict of New York and the U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit.
Long Tuminello, LLP has been pro-viding legal services to the Long Island community for nearly 40 years. The fi rm has earned its outstanding reputation by working closely with clients to understand their legal needs and help them achieve their goals.
As a full service law fi rm, Long Tumi-nello provides legal counsel to individuals and businesses in a wide range of practice areas, including criminal law, matrimo-nial and family law, civil and commercial litigation, bankruptcy, professional disci-plinary actions, estate planning and pro-bate and business transactions.
Long Tuminello provides its clients with representation using a team ap-proach that leverages the strengths and in-depth experience of its attorneys. This collaborative approach enables the fi rm to secure positive results while adding value,
Congratulations
harrisbeach.com | 516.880.8484ALBANY BUFFALO ITHACA LONG ISLAND NEW YORK CITY ROCHESTER
SARATOGA SPRINGS SYRACUSE WHITE PLAINS NEW HAVEN, CT NEWARK, NJ
333 Earle Ovington Blvd, Suite 901, Uniondale, NY 11553
to our colleague Stephanie L. Tanzi on being recognized in this year’s
Who’s Who in Women in Professional Services
in Women in Professional ServicesWHO’SWHO
4 I LONG ISLAND BUSINESS NEWS I Special Advertising Section I August 2020 I LIBN.COM
Flushing Bank’s Business Value Program rewards
new Complete Business Checking customers
with a gift card valuedup to $1,500.1,3
Doing Business Has Its Rewards
Open a new Flushing Bank Complete Business Checking account and you will be eligible to receive a gift card valued up to $1,500.1,3
Plus, all new business checking accounts can get a CASH BONUS up to $200.1,2
For more information speak with a Flushing Bank representative, call 800.581.2889(855.540.2274 TTY/TDD) or go to FlushingBank.com.
1) New business checking account with new money only. Existing business checking account customers are not eligible. A new business checking account is defined as any new businesschecking account that does not have any authorized signatures in common with any other existing Flushing Bank business checking account(s). An existing checking customer is definedas anyone who currently has or has had a Flushing Bank checking account within the last 24 months. New money is defined as money not currently on deposit with Flushing Bank. 2) Youmust deposit a minimum of $100 to open a business checking account. No minimum balance required to be eligible for the Bonus. You will receive $100 for the completion of 5 debit cardpurchases. And $100 for the completion of 5 online banking bill-payments via Flushing Bank’s Online Banking portal. Each debit card purchase and each online bill-payment must be $25 ormore and must be completed prior to 60 days after the account is opened. THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT A BUSINESS CHECKING CUSTOMER CAN RECEIVE IS $200. The compensation will becredited to the checking account on or about the end of the month following the completion of the qualifying transactions. A 1099 will be issued. Other fees and restrictions may apply. 3)A minimum opening deposit of $15,000 is required in the Complete Business Checking account to qualify for the Value Program gift card. The gift card tier is based on the 90-day averagebalance of the new Complete Business Checking account. The minimum 90-day average is $15,000 to qualify for the minimum gift card tier. The 90-day average balance tiers and single load12-month Visa® gift card values are as follows: Tier 1: $15,000 - $24,999 a $200 gift card, Tier 2: $25,000-$74,999 a $350 gift card, Tier 3: $75,000-$149,999 a $600 gift card, Tier 4: $150,000 - $249,999 a $1,000 gift card, and Tier 5: $250,000+ a $1,500 gift card. Notwithstanding the Business Value Program, a minimum deposit of $100 is required to open the Complete Business Checking account. All offers are subject to change and termination without prior notice at any time. Speak with a Flushing Bank representative for more details. Flushing Bank is a registered trademark
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Who's Who Women in Professional Service BVP Ad 8.28.2020 Issue.indd 1 8/19/2020 2:00:28 PM
and earning its clients’ trust.The fi rm is proud of the high legal and
ethical standards it has established and the tradition of excellence it works hard to maintain. The fi rm is composed of attor-neys who are recognized as experts in their fi eld. Among its members is a former presi-dent of the Suffolk County Bar Association; a member of the Judicial Screening Com-mittee; a former member of the Grievance Committee for the Tenth Judicial District; a managing director of the Lawyer’s Assis-tance Foundation; and current members of the board of directors of the Suffolk County Matrimonial Bar Association.
ANNAMARIE BONDI-STODDARD, ESQ.Pegalis Law Group, LLC
Annamarie Bondi-Stoddard, Esq. is managing partner at Pegalis Law Group, LLC in Lake Success. She represents pa-tients in medical negligence cases focusing on women’s health issues, children’s birth injuries, cancers, surgical and neurosur-gical cases, and medical specialty cases where negligence is involved.
Over the last 30 years, Bondi-Stod-
dard has developed an encyclopedia-like knowledge of medical terms, and is lead-ing advocate of being a proactive patient. She lectures on patient safety and medi-cal malpractice for community groups and law industry professionals.
During the pandemic and shutdown of courts, Bondi-Stoddard spends much time reassuring her clients as to what they can expect going forward.
“The delays which we are experiencing are likely going to add years to litigation, which already is a lengthy process,” she said. “Presently, there is no timetable for the resumption of civil jury trials and the discovery process is signifi cantly delayed, as attorneys and the courts attempt to de-velop a new normal for virtual court ap-pearances and depositions.”
“Clients and their families are already dealing with the fi nancial burdens asso-ciated with medical expenses, loss of em-ployment due to injuries, and caring for loved ones,” Bondi-Stoddard noted. “They want to know when they will have their day in court. Unfortunately, that question cannot be answered with any certainty, other than to reassure them that we are doing everything we can to achieve the justice they seek.”
Bondi-Stoddard was named the 2020 “Lawyer of the Year” on Long Island by U.S. News-Best Lawyers® for Plaintiffs Medical Malpractice. In addition, she is one of only 5 percent of all U.S. attorneys
to be listed in Best Lawyers©, and has been named to that list every year since 2007.
She has been recognized as one of the New York Metro Super Lawyers® List for 13 continuous years.
Bondi-Stoddard has served as an offi -cer on the New York State Trial Lawyers executive board, as well as dean of the New York State Trial Lawyers Institute. The Long Island Press honored her with its “Long Island Power Women in Busi-ness” Award in 2019 and 2018. She was also recently named a Top Women in Law by Hofstra University, and awarded the Corporate Leadership Recognition Award from United Cerebral Palsy of Nassau.
She supports the American Heart As-sociation’s Go Red for Women Movement. She has written extensively on medical malpractice in publications such as the Long Island Corridor Journal of Strategic Alliances, and The New York Law Journal.
Bondi-Stoddard is a member of New York State Trial Lawyers Association, Nassau-Suffolk Trial Lawyers Associ-ation, Nassau County Bar Association, Nassau County Women’s Bar Association, the American Association for Justice, and the New York State and New York County Bar Associations.
Bondi-Stoddard earned a law degree from Boston University, and an under-graduate degree from Seton Hall Univer-sity as a summa cum laude, with depart-mental honors.
Pegalis Law Group, LLC represents people suffering as a result of medical er-rors and catastrophic personal injury. The fi rm obtains justice for its clients after hospitals, doctors, medical personnel, con-struction companies, or automobile driv-ers commit avoidable errors that cause its clients life-altering harm. The fi rm is known for discovering avoidable negli-gent acts even in the most complex cases. It continues to obtain some of the largest verdicts and settlements in New York State history for victims of negligence and substandard care.
ANDREA M. BRODIEAbrams, Fensterman, Fensterman, Eisman, Formato, Ferrara, Wolf & Carone, LLP
Andrea M. Brodie is a partner in the family law group at Abrams, Fensterman, Fensterman, Eisman, Formato, Ferrara, Wolf & Carone, LLP (Abrams Fenster-man) in Lake Success.
As a matrimonial attorney, it is more important than ever to fi nd creative ways to communicate with clients, Brodie said.
“It is challenging to schedule a tele-phone call to discuss custody or other sen-
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In addition to its health law practice, the firm has law departments chaired by recognized leaders in their fields in ar-eas such as matrimonial and family law, mental health law, corporate and securi-ties, insurance defense, estate planning and administration, commercial litigation, guardianship law, employment law, real estate law, elder law, transportation law, health care fraud, white-collar criminal defense, appellate and municipal law.
CHRISTINE BRUNQUELLLewis Johs Avallone Aviles, LLP
Christine Brunquell is human resourc-es administrator for Lewis Johs Avallone Aviles, LLP. With over 25 years of experi-ence in the field, Brunquell’s profession-alism has supported her in successfully overseeing all aspects of the firm’s HR Department for almost two decades of her career.
Brunquell’s ability to flourish and transform with the firm while business steadily expands is a true testament to her values of employee retention and profes-sional growth. As a seasoned HR admin-
istrator, she believes in the strength of an empowering work culture.
Brunquell’s intuitive nature and opti-mism define who she is in all aspects of her life.
“Although I would generally describe myself as a hands-on and open-door col-league, parent, and friend, this recent turn of events in the nation has inspired me to become even more compassionate, available, and patient with those I care for in my life,” Brunquell said. “I understand there are individuals who have previous-ly found it difficult to ‘roll with the times,’ and might be struggling to accept these historical barriers our country continues to break through by the day. I encourage these individuals to always search for the silver lining during these unfamiliar and uncertain times. We are all going through this together, and we will be stronger to-gether in the end.”
Brunquell is an avid volunteer in the community. For 10 years, Christine was the driving force of an annual district-wide one night school event, averaging 900 guests and showcasing interactive educa-tional exhibits. She also conducts annual food and clothing drives with her family for her local parish.
Brunquell initially studied psychology at SUNY New Paltz for two years before earning a bachelor’s degree in marketing at the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC. Prior to the firm, she held a market-
sitive issues when there is lack of privacy at home, or parents are juggling remote working/learning for multiple members in the household,” she said. “Clients have greater demands at home, so I do not want to be an additional burden in a post-COVID world.”
“The key to this time is flexibility to best accommodate the needs of each client: en-gaging in remote notary witnessing, meet-ing with clients at their homes, scheduling video conferences for those who do not feel safe coming to an office, and/or coordinat-ing times to communicate outside of ‘nor-mal’ business hours,” she said.
Prior to joining Abrams Fensterman, Brodie worked at another prominent fam-ily law boutique firm as senior associate with an emphasis almost exclusively on family and matrimonial cases.
While in law school, Brodie interned for Hon. Jeffrey S. Brown in the Nassau County Supreme Court Matrimonial Cen-ter, Hon. Conrad D. Singer in the Nassau County Family Court, and the Coalition Against Domestic Violence. She also rep-resented children in abuse and neglect cases, as well as special immigrant mat-ters in Nassau and Queens Family Courts as part of Hofstra’s Child Advocacy Clinic.
Brodie is involved in numerous legal organizations and associations including her role as president of the Nassau Coun-ty Women’s Bar Association’s Executive Committee and member of the Matrimo-
nial Committee of the Nassau County Bar Association.
She has earned many recognitions, most recently as an Outstanding Woman in Law by Hofstra University School of Law in 2017, 40 Stars Under 40 by Star Network (The Queens Courier) in 2016 and Top 40 Under 40 by The National Advocates in 2015 through 2017. She has also been selected as a “Rising Star” in New York Family Law by “Super Law-yers” since 2013.
Brodie earned a juris doctor from Hof-stra University School of Law with a con-centration and Citation of Excellence in Child and Family Advocacy. She graduat-ed, magna cum laude, from the University of Arizona as an inducted member into the scholastic honorary, Phi Beta Kappa, and a president and provost scholar. Brodie is admitted to practice law in the State of New York and the District of Columbia.
Abrams Fensterman, one of the larg-est full-service law firms on Long Island, serves clients throughout the New York metropolitan area from offices on Long Island, Brooklyn, Manhattan and White Plains and serves upstate New York from its Rochester office.
The firm is a leader in representing health care providers in all aspects of health care law. Clients include nursing homes, hospitals, home care companies, physicians, ambulatory surgery centers, dentists, podiatrists and chiropractors.
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LONG ISLAND BUSINESS NEWS I Special Advertising Section I August 2020 I LIBN.COM I 7
ing position at a highly sought after qual-itative and quantitative market research company. She joined Lewis Johs Avallone Aviles in 2001 as payroll administrator and was quickly promoted to human re-source administrator.
Founded by 4 attorneys focused on solving client problems with an empha-sis on quality and excellence, that vision continues at Lewis Johs Avallone Aviles, LLP, 27 years later — with more than 70 attorneys and offi ces on Long Island, New York City and Westchester.
Whether counseling to avoid litigation or aggressively preparing a case for trial, Lewis Johs’ experienced attorneys work with clients to develop plans that meet their needs. Its attorneys handle cases that range from straightforward legal matters to the most complicated cases imaginable.
From its inception, Lewis Johs has steadily gained a reputation as a skilled and dynamic law fi rm. Because of its size, stability, and carefully managed growth, Lewis Johs boasts the most talented law-yers with specifi c skill sets. The fi rm has grown as its clients have expanded, adding practice areas along the way. Commercial litigation, real estate, insurance defense, trust and estates and elder law are among its areas of expertise.
Private clients, insurers, third-party administrators, hospitals, nursing homes and other healthcare providers, banks, corporations, manufacturers, construction companies, municipalities, credit unions and other fi nancial institutions all turn to Lewis Johs for help.
Lewis Johs provides small-fi rm, cli-ent-centric service with the support, breadth, backup and resources of a large fi rm. Each client is treated as if it is the fi rm’s only one and many consider Lewis Johs’ attorneys as trustworthy friends.
AMELIA CHIN, EA, FCCAMazars USA LLP
Amelia Chin, EA, FCCA is a tax man-ager at Mazars USA LLP in Woodbury. Chin is an experienced global mobility specialist, assisting high net-worth glob-al citizens and global mobility program management and implementation for multi-national companies.
Chin’s experience includes developing global mobility policy, global compensa-tion management, internal controls, over-all cost management for international as-signments and annual home/host country individual income tax compliance. Her expertise lies within many areas includ-ing consumer products, pharmaceuticals, medical supplies, media, hospitality, in-dustrials professional services, fi nancial services, multi-national enterprises and global citizens.
Chin possesses jurisdictional expertise within North America (NAFTA), Europe, Asia and the Caribbean, including special category workers and related reporting.
Working in the global space, virtual teams and workspace have been common place for quite some time, Chin noted.
“However, during the global pandemic we extended this to our client deliverables in order to maintain seamless services to clients regardless of their locations/lim-itations during the shutdown,” she said. “Also, the unique scenarios which con-tinue to arise, means that we continue to leverage our internal network of experts to ensure that we are providing current perspectives in this changing landscape. Teaming virtually has allowed us to maintain our go to market endeavors and helped further integrate global training opportunities.”
Chin is an Enrolled Agent and member of the Association of Chartered Certifi ed Accountants.
Mazars USA LLP is a high-performing accounting, tax and consulting fi rm with signifi cant national presence in strategic U.S. geographies. Since 1921, the fi rm’s professionals have leveraged technical industry expertise to develop customized solutions for clients, create value, and op-timize their performance.
Mazars USA LLP offers a broad array of industry specialists providing services to growth-oriented enterprises and indi-viduals. As the independent U.S. member fi rm of Mazars Group, the fi rm delivers seamless access to the expertise of 24,400 professionals in 91+ countries.
At local and global levels, Mazars USA LLP is proud of building diverse and re-warding experiences for its people, clients, and for the communities it serves.
CARA CRONINCronin & Cronin Law Firm, PLLC
Cara Cronin is a partner at Cronin & Cronin Law Firm, PLLC and head of the fi rm’s New York City offi ce. Cronin has extensive experience representing com-mercial property owners in tax certiorari matters in Nassau County, Suffolk Coun-ty, New York City and upstate New York.
As a result of Covid-19, landlords will be entitled to signifi cant property tax re-ductions, Cronin said.
“In order to pursue these reductions, our fi rm initiated new internal systems to track vacancies, rent deferrals details, rent reductions, as well as other property expenses that have been impacted,” she said. “Since these items are ever changing, we have dedicated time and expertise to keeping up to date with the status of the fi nancial situation for each property.”
“By regularly updating this data we are able to effectively analyze and communi-cate the full and ongoing impact of COVID in real time,” Cronin noted. “This allows us to demonstrate why our clients are entitled to relief and maximize the property tax re-ductions that commercial properties so des-perately need in these diffi cult times.”
Prior to joining the fi rm in 2011, Cronin worked in Washington, DC at the Nation-al Republican Congressional Committee. She continues to be involved in politics and has acted as a consultant to several State Senate campaigns on Long Island.
Cronin is on the executive board of the
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in Women in Professional ServicesWHO’SWHO
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Long Island Real Estate Group (LIREG), an organization that provides the real estate industry and allied trades with a platform for real estate-related charitable giving and networking.
She is also on the board of directors for The Safe Center Long Island (TSCLI), a creation of two former non-profit agencies that separately served victims of domestic abuse and child abuse.
Cronin is a former board member of the Nassau County Women’s Bar Association (NCWBA) where she served as the Nassau Chapter Delegate. She was honored by the NCWBA in 2016 with the Bessie Ray Gef-fner, Esq. Memorial Award.
Cronin is a member of the New York State Bar Association, the New York City Bar Association, the Nassau County Bar Association and the Suffolk County Bar Association. She earned a bachelor’s de-gree from Washington and Lee Universi-ty and a juris doctor from the Maurice A. Dean School of Law at Hofstra University.
Cronin & Cronin Law Firm practices exclusively in the area of Tax Certiorari, protesting the real property tax assess-ment and condemnation for commercial properties throughout New York State. Its attorneys have extensive experience rep-resenting prominent developers, national tenants, and many of the largest proper-ties in the State of New York. Cronin & Cronin Law Firm, based in Mineola, rep-resents property owners in tax certiorari and condemnation proceedings in Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester Counties, as well
as New York City and upstate New York.
THERESA A. DRISCOLLMoritt Hock & Hamroff LLP
Theresa A. Driscoll is a partner at Moritt Hock & Hamroff LLP in Garden City where she serves as chair of the firm’s Bankruptcy Practice Group. Driscoll concentrates her practice in the representation of corporate debtors, lenders, trustees and unsecured creditors in all aspects of financial restruc-turing including workouts, chapter 11 cas-es and bankruptcy litigation.
During the past 15 years, Driscoll has aided in the successful reorganization of businesses in chapter 11 and also has obtained favorable outcomes for creditors, including lenders, in distressed situations. She has significant experience conducting 363 sales of businesses in chapter 11, as well as representing trustees and defen-dants in adversary proceedings in bank-ruptcy courts throughout the country.
Prior to joining the firm in 2008, Driscoll was an associate at Willkie Farr & Galla-gher LLP in New York. She is admitted to practice in New York and admitted to the U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York.
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Driscoll earned a juris doctor, cum laude, from St. John’s University School of Law and a bachelor’s degree from Villano-va University.
She is a member of the Turnaround Management Association – Long Island Chapter, serves on its board of directors and is the current Chapter President. She is also a member of the American Bank-ruptcy Institute and is a Second Circuit Editor for the ABI’s online Circuit Court Reporter, Volo.
Among her recognitions, Driscoll was named a 2020 SFNet Top Women In Com-mercial Finance and the list of New York Super Lawyers® in 2017 and 2016.
Moritt Hock & Hamroff LLP is a full service, AV-rated commercial law firm with 20 areas of practice and 75+ attor-neys. The firm is based in New York with offices on Long Island and in New York City as well as in Florida and provides a wide range of legal services to businesses, corporations and individuals worldwide.
LISA EPSTEIN, CPAAlbrecht, Viggiano, Zureck & Company, P.C. (AVZ)
Lisa Epstein, CPA is an accounting and auditing manager at Albrecht, Vig-
giano, Zureck & Company, P.C. (AVZ). With more than 23 years of experience, Epstein provides accounting and auditing services to a variety of industries, includ-ing nonprofits, governmental entities, lo-cal municipalities, employee benefit plans, wholesale and retail distributors, and manufacturing.
While servicing clients has always been the cornerstone of AVZ’s business model, the COVID pandemic has put a spotlight on using any methods available to main-tain these relationships, Epstein said.
“Consistent, thorough, communication that leaves no doubt in our clients’ mind that we are here for them is critical,” she said. “This ‘new normal’ has required us all to look at alternate ways of meet-ing and communicating. We have spent countless hours meeting with our clients remotely and virtually not only to ensure that we are servicing them properly, but more importantly to allay their fears and/or guide them through the resources avail-able to help them survive and many cases thrive in this new world. Our ability to re-main nimble for our clients, our firm and our families is of paramount importance as we all work together to see this pan-demic through to the end.”
“Our clients are our greatest resource – regardless of what’s happening in the world; that philosophy has never and will never change,” Epstein noted.
Epstein joined AVZ in 2018. She began her career in public accounting with a mid-sized New York City based firm in 1995.
WHO’SWHO
LONG ISLAND BUSINESS NEWS I Special Advertising Section I August 2020 I LIBN.COM I 9
Her professional affi liations include the American Institute of Certifi ed Public Accountants (AICPA) and the New York State Society of Certifi ed Public Accoun-tants (NYSSCPA). Epstein is a member of the Board of Directors of the Mid-Island Y JCC as well as a member of their Audit and Finance Committees.
Epstein earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Binghamton University.
AVZ is one of the largest certifi ed pub-lic accounting fi rms on Long Island provid-ing a wide range of fi nancial, accounting, auditing, tax and consulting services to a variety of businesses and industries. AVZ serves a myriad of clients primarily on Long Island — and has been doing so for more than 70 years.
With offi ces in Hauppauge and New York City, AVZ considers itself a partner in growth for privately held businesses, not-for-profi t organizations and govern-ment agencies. AVZ is an independent member of BKR International, a leading global association of independent account-ing and business advisory fi rms represent-ing the expertise of more than 160 mem-
ber fi rms with over 500 offi ces in over 80 countries around the world.
MICHELLE E. ESPEYFarrell Fritz, P.C.
Michelle E. Espey is a partner in the tax group at Farrell Fritz, P.C. in Union-dale. Espey counsels clients on a broad range of tax matters, from representing individuals and businesses in all stages of federal, state and city tax disputes to advising clients on tax aspects of various transactions. She also advises not-for-profi ts on issues related to their tax ex-empt status.
Delivering superior legal services in the midst of a pandemic has unquestion-ably necessitated a new way of thinking and greater fl exibility, Espey said.
“Clients have had many questions about the tax breaks resulting from pandemic-re-lated legislative and administrative chang-es including tax credits, fi ling postpone-ments, the suspension of tax payments and deferral of certain tax collection and com-pliance programs,” she said. “I have relied on new and existing technology to ensure that I remain accessible to clients and re-al-time communication continues.”
“Clients, especially those who are in the midst of fi nancial crisis due to the pan-demic, need someone who will proactive-ly connect with them and really listen to their concerns,” Espey noted.
Espey is a member of the Nassau County Bar Association, the Tax Section of the American Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association, and the General Taxation Committee of the New York State Society of Certifi ed Pub-lic Accountants’ Suffolk Chapter. Previ-ously, she served as contributing editor of tax law for Business Law Today, a publication of the American Bar Asso-ciation. She is also the former co-chair of the Nassau County Bar Association’s Tax Law Committee.
Espey earned a juris doctor from Quin-nipiac University School of Law and a bachelor’s degree from College of the Holy Cross. She is admitted in the States of New York and New Jersey and the United States Tax Court.
Established in 1976, Farrell Fritz is headquartered in Uniondale, with offi ces in Albany, Hauppauge, New York City and Water Mill. The fi rm has nearly 90 attorneys across 19 practice areas.
Farrell Fritz handles legal matters in the areas of bankruptcy and restructur-ing; business divorce; commercial litiga-tion; construction; corporate and fi nance; eDiscovery; emerging companies and ven-ture capital; employment law; environ-mental law; estate litigation; healthcare; land use and zoning; New York State Reg-ulatory and Government Relations; not-for-profi t law; real estate; tax planning and controversy; tax certiorari, and trusts and estates.
Farrell Fritz attorneys take promi-nent, active roles in scores of business, legal and philanthropic organizations; numerous are recognized regionally or nationally as leaders in their fi elds. The fi rm is well known for its pro bono work, board involvement, volunteer service and substantial fi nancial support of local com-munity organizations.
NICOLE S. FORCHELLIForchelli Deegan Terrana LLP
Nicole S. Forchelli is a partner at Forchelli Deegan Terrana LLP (FDT) in Uniondale. She concentrates her practice in tax certiorari and municipal law. Her tax certiorari practice includes represent-ing a national Fortune 500 company, and other large-scale commercial clients.
Recent events has reminded Forchelli of the importance of communication with her clients, particularly through telephone
or video conference when in-person meet-ings are not possible.
“We are all dealing with extraordinary burdens, including personal and profes-sional isolation as well as economic hard-ships and health anxieties,” Forchelli said. “During such trying times, I’ve become more keenly aware that the client relation-ship is as much about providing a sense of security and comfort, which intrinsically involves an aspect of human connection, as it is about delivering successful results in the legal sphere.”
“There is no shortage of challenges fac-ing our clients and indeed everyone at the moment, but being able to establish that sense of connection is a crucial step in con-veying that those challenges can be over-come,” she said.
Prior to joining FDT, Forchelli was a trial attorney in the Brooklyn District At-torney’s offi ce. As a prosecutor she man-aged a caseload of over 50 felony cases at a time, successfully indicted over 100 cas-es in the grand jury, negotiated hundreds of successful plea bargains, did extensive preparation of police and civilian witness-es for hearings and trials, and conducted and secured convictions in a number of tri-als. She has also served as a clerk in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, Appellate Division, Second Department, where she researched many matters be-fore the court, and edited judicial opinions.
Forchelli is an expert in the fi eld and has been profi led by many publications including the New York Real Estate Jour-nal. In 2017, she was honored by Hofstra University with its “Outstanding Women in Law” award, and in 2016, she was hon-ored by RotaCare, Inc. as one of its “Cham-pions for Families.”
Forchelli attended Brooklyn Law School and earned a bachelor’s degree from Pepperdine University. She is admit-ted to practice in New York State.
Among her many affi liations, Forchelli is a member of the Nassau County Bar As-sociation, Suffolk County Bar Association, Tax Certiorari and Condemnation Bar and Women’s Bar Association.
Founded in 1976, Forchelli Deegan Terrana LLP is one of Long Island’s larg-est and most distinguished law fi rms. The fi rm employs 60+ attorneys across more than a dozen practice groups. FDT is com-mitted to providing exceptional service to a broad range of national, regional and lo-cal clients.
LAURA MILLER FRIED, CPAMeyer, Suozzi, English & Klein, P.C.
Laura Miller Fried, CPA is chief fi nan-cial offi cer at the law fi rm of Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein, P.C. She supervises, di-rects and manages the fi rm’s business op-erations. Miller Fried joined Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein in 2017 as controller and was named CFO in January 2020.
As a strategic partner to the managing director of the fi rm, she oversees all strate-gic planning and initiatives and is respon-sible for revenue forecasting and profi tabil-
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ity improvement, budget oversight, pricing and reporting. Miller Fried is also a mem-ber of the fi rm’s Lateral Recruitment Com-mittee assessing M&A opportunities.
From start to fi nish, Miller Fried’s number one priority is Meyer Suozzi and its clients.
“Whether pre-pandemic or where we fi nd ourselves today, I take pride in the work that the entire Meyer Suozzi team does to ensure our clients are pro-vided with excellence in service and le-gal expertise,” she said. “With such a sudden shift to conducting our business remotely, our fi rm pivoted easily to this new way of working while maintaining our client-centric focus. The information technology expertise in place at our fi rm allowed us to communicate daily within the Meyer Suozzi team and address all client-specifi c needs.”
Miller Fried has many years of experi-ence in the fi eld. Prior to joining the fi rm, she was director of corporate fi nance at Veeco Instruments Inc. where she was re-sponsible for all aspects of general ledger, payroll, accounts payable, operational and fi nancial reporting along with budgeting, forecasting, fi nancial and operational stra-tegic planning for the $400 million global public company.
Miller Fried earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting, with a minor in business ad-ministration from State University of New York at Albany. She is a member of the American Institute of Certifi ed Public Ac-
countants/New York State Society of CPA.Founded in 1960, Meyer, Suozzi, En-
glish & Klein, P.C. is a distinguished pro-vider of legal services, with a reputation for integrity, insight and excellent client service. Clients range from large interna-tional corporations and local businesses, to municipalities and government groups, to individual professionals. With offi ces in Garden City, New York City and Wash-ington, D.C., the fi rm provides legal advice in a wide array practice areas.
CANDACE J. GOMEZBond, Schoeneck & King PLLC
A member of Bond, Schoeneck & King PLLC, Candace J. Gomez represents school districts, private schools, colleges, universities, corporations and individuals. Gomez has successfully represented cli-ents in the courts of New York State, fed-eral court, New York State Education De-partment impartial hearings, New York State Commissioner of Education appeals and U. S. Department of Education, Offi ce for Civil Rights (OCR) investigations.
Gomez has provided general counsel services and litigation services to some
of the largest school districts and univer-sities in New York State. Her experience includes policy development, contracts, school board elections, employee disci-plinary proceedings, student residency requirements, special education and stu-dent disciplinary hearings. She also has extensive experience defending clients in a variety of civil litigation matters.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact upon every aspect of so-ciety and every client the fi rm serves, Go-mez said.
“In my capacity as an education attor-ney for K-12 public and private schools, colleges and universities, I’ve witnessed unprecedented changes that underscore the importance of fl exibility, creativity and reliability in the way in which I serve clients,” she said.
“Flexibility has been crucial as we dra-matically reimagine how schools function, while learning to pivot in response to each new executive order from the governor,” Gomez noted. “I’ve had to use creativity and a reasoned legal analysis to help my clients fi nd solutions to newly emerging problems in the absence of precedent or clear answers. And reliability has been critical as we shifted to remote locations and communicated in new ways.”
Gomez also serves as an impartial in-vestigator regarding employee complaints involving discrimination and harassment in the workplace. Her investigation expe-rience includes matters involving claims
of racial discrimination, ethnic discrim-ination, gender discrimination, sexual orientation discrimination and sexual harassment. In addition, Gomez assists employers with preventing discrimination and harassment complaints by conduct-ing anti-harassment training sessions for employees. She also advises employers re-garding the proper handling of situations before they become offi cial complaints.
Gomez has been recognized as a Rising Star on the 2018 list of New York Metro Super Lawyers. Super Lawyers lists New York’s top lawyers who have been chosen by their peers and through independent research. She has conducted numerous seminars and workshops on various edu-cation law topics.
Gomez is admitted to practice in New York State. She is chair of the Nassau County Bar Association Education Law Committee, and a member of the Long Island Hispanic Bar Association (LIHBA) Board of Directors.
Gomez earned a juris doctor from American University, Washington Col-lege of Law and a bachelor’s degree from Tufts University.
Bond, Schoeneck & King PLLC is a professional limited liability company owned by its 146 members and man-aged by a committee of seven. Since its founding in 1897, the fi rm has developed a reputation for professional excellence, integrity and success. What began as a boutique law fi rm consisting of 3 attor-
WHO’SWHO
LONG ISLAND BUSINESS NEWS I Special Advertising Section I August 2020 I LIBN.COM I 11
neys has grown to a nationally-ranked law firm of 250 attorneys.
Bond, Schoeneck & King is ranked by American Lawyer among the top 200 law firms in the nation. From its origin in Syr-acuse, NY, the firm has expanded to 11 offices in 4 states, which include offices in Garden City, NY and New York City.
The firm represents clients from across the nation in higher education, labor and employment, executive compensation, em-ployee benefits and collegiate sports law. In other areas, such as business and litiga-tion, the firm’s representation is regional in scope. Its clients include colleges and uni-versities, manufacturers, entrepreneurs and inventors, government development authorities, health care facilities, munici-palities, not-for-profit organizations, school districts, utilities, as well as individuals.
SAMI B. GROFFMeltzer, Lippe, Goldstein & Breitstone, LLP
Sami B. Groff is a partner in the law firm of Meltzer, Lippe, Goldstein & Bre-itstone, LLP in Mineola. Groff is also chair of the firm’s Environmental Practice Group. She focuses her practice on envi-ronmental issues in real estate finance and securitization, the use of environmen-
tal insurance products in business trans-actions, litigation under federal and state environmental laws, environmental insur-ance coverage litigation and regulatory compliance under federal, state and local Superfund, petroleum cleanup, Brown-field and lead paint laws.
Groff represents lenders in environ-mental aspects of commercial mort-gage-backed securities transactions (CMBS). She has represented clients in Clean Air Act enforcement actions brought by the U.S. Department of Justice, as well as insurance carriers in connection with environmental coverage disputes and property owners in disputes as to clean up obligations. She has also represented sell-ers and buyers in transactions involving properties with environmental concerns.
During these unparalleled times, Groff’s continues to provide unwavering legal support to her clients so they can focus on other concerning matters created by the pandemic.
“Most people have only a limited fa-miliarity with environmental laws,” Groff said. “Dealing with these unknowns can be very stressful. I have always felt that my job is to guide the client through the environmental aspects of their deal or dis-pute in a way that takes the pressure off of them so that they can focus on the busi-ness aspects of their transaction or on the continued operation of their business.”
“During the last few months, clients have been faced with unprecedented stressors in both their professional and personal lives,” she said. “My goal during
this time is to continue to provide clients with consistent support as to their envi-ronmental concerns, to allow them to con-tinue focusing on the varied other pressing concerns competing for their attention.”
Groff has been recognized as a New York State Bar Association Empire State Counsel Honoree for her pro bono work, including working with nonprofit organiza-tions on New York’s lead laws. She is most proud of her pro bono representation of a widowed mother with five children, seeking asylum in the United States after fleeing from persecution in their native Tibet.
She has published a book chapter on environmental insurance and articles in the New York Law Journal addressing var-ied New York insurance law topics. In her speaking engagements, she has discussed issues regarding the Clean Air Act, New Source Review, CERCLA and Brownfields.
Prior to joining Meltzer Lippe, Groff practiced environmental law in New York City at the law firm of Schulte Roth & Za-bel LLP for over 22 years.
Groff earned a juris doctor, cum laude, from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and a bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, from Touro College.
Since its founding in 1970, Meltzer Lippe has embraced a natural fusion be-tween tax, corporate law and real estate law. As a result, the firm has become a tru-ly unique source of legal counsel for public and private companies, closely held family businesses, planning for high net worth businesses and high net worth individuals.
From these initial roots Meltzer Lippe
has grown steadily and today is home to six keystone practice groups: tax, corpo-rate, real estate, trusts & estates, labor & employment, and commercial litigation. Within these groups are specialty practic-es that have been developed to meet the evolving needs of the firm’s business, com-mercial and high net worth clients. These practices include employee benefits, part-nerships, social media & privacy law, tax exempt organizations, tax controversy and wealth preservation.
The firm’s attorneys have experience in many industries and business sectors, including financial services, real estate, manufacturing, retail, security, informa-tion technology, software and healthcare.
KATHERINE A. HEPTIGRivkin Radler LLP
A partner in Rivkin Radler’s Corpo-rate, Health Services and Tax Practice Groups in Uniondale, Katherine A. Heptig focuses on transactional tax law and ex-ecutive compensation; general business law relating to corporations, LLCs and partnerships; and ERISA/employee ben-efits matters.
Heptig advises individuals and busi-nesses across a broad range of industries
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in each of these substantive areas of law in connection with corporate operations and reorganizations; sales and acquisitions of businesses; tax-free spin-offs; executive compensation arrangements; qualified and non-qualified pension and deferred compensation plans; equity, incentive compensation, change in control and severance arrangements; business suc-cession planning; executive employment agreements; shareholder and operating agreements; joint ventures; corporate gov-ernance; commercial contracts; and audit and other tax controversy matters.
Heptig advises physicians, group medi-cal practices and other types of health ser-vices clients on transactional matters from a tax, regulatory and corporate gover-nance standpoint, and she has experience establishing MSO corporate structures for licensed professionals in a variety of fields, in addition to preparing such entities for investments through private placements. She also represents not-for-profit corpora-tions on matters with respect to formation and securing tax-exempt status, as well as on operational issues, compensation mat-ters, and corporate governance.
Heptig’s attention to providing per-sonalized legal support has never been more important.
“This time has shown me that my cli-ents appreciate my personal approach to working with them,” she said. “Getting to know about their lives outside of the project we’re working on, figuring out what inter-ests them, learning about their families —
these are all things that are part of my nat-ural style of interacting with clients. That has always felt authentic to me.”
“In a time like this when so much of what people traditionally compartmental-ize has blended together (e.g., work and family; home and office), I think clients who feel seen and heard as people first and not just as another project on my list are ultimately more confident in my ability to help them prioritize or pivot, and make good decisions in a challenging business environment,” she said.
Heptig is admitted to practice in New York State and the United States Tax Court. Heptig was selected to the Super-Lawyers New York Metro Rising Stars 2014 (Business/Corporate) and 2015 (Tax) lists.
She earned an LL.M in Employee Ben-efits from John Marshall Law School, a ju-ris doctor from the University of Pennsyl-vania Law School and a bachelor’s degree from Hofstra University.
Heptig is a member of the Nassau County Bar Association and the New York State Bar Association. She is also a member of Hofstra University’s Women in Leadership Advisory Board.
Through five offices, 200 lawyers and 21 practice groups, Rivkin Radler’s attor-neys are the advisors-of-choice to success-ful individuals, middle-market companies and large corporations. Many clients have been placing their trust in the firm for more than 25 years. An unwavering com-mitment to total client satisfaction is the driving force behind the firm.
NICOLE KUREKH2M architects + engineers
Nicole Kurek is an associate and man-ager of marketing services at H2M ar-chitects + engineers in Melville. Kurek oversees the day-to-day tasks of the marketing department’s proposal, CRM, communications and the multi-media/graphics team. She leads and directs the group to achieve excellence by planning, implementing and evaluating marketing policies and procedures.
Having been with the firm for the past 22 years, Kurek has gained a strong un-derstanding of H2M’s mission, vision and values and how important it is to provide quality service to clients. Starting as a marketing assistant, her role evolved to marketing coordinator, proposal coordina-tor and then manager of proposals. Each role has given her a unique understanding of the many facets of marketing, allowing her to truly thrive in her current role of manager of marketing services.
Being an essential company during a pandemic has presented challenges, espe-cially on the marketing side, Kurek said.
“We service both internal (employ-
ees) and external clients,” she said. “Our marketing team was quick to learn ad-ditional virtual and digital ways of col-laboration with one another, to keep our communication and our projects moving along smoothly. We needed to remain in the forefront with the most current news, guidelines, and procedures in order to be there for our internal employees and our clients to help them ultimately navigate through this unprecedented time.”
“We may be using additional and new avenues to service our clients, but my perspective hasn’t really changed, I will always believe that no matter what is pre-sented to you, you always do the very best and beyond,” Kurek noted.
Kurek is an advocate for animals and volunteers as a treasurer on the board of di-rectors for the 501c3 non-profit, Yorkie911 Rescue. This organization is comprised of animal lovers who are passionate about rescuing, vetting, and re-homing Yorkshire Terriers and other small breed dogs. She also supports her husband and stepson in their involvement with the HEART in Haiti School foundation, a 501c3 non-prof-it dedicated to educating children of Haiti and empowering each student to reach their full potential. She has assisted in the fundraising efforts to construct a school and library for the children in Haiti.
Kurek is credited for the growth of H2M’s marketing department. Her good nature, attention to detail, and forward thinking methodology will continue to lead the team to the next level.
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LONG ISLAND BUSINESS NEWS I Special Advertising Section I August 2020 I LIBN.COM I 13
Celebrating over 85 years, H2M is a full-service consulting and design firm offering the expertise of more than 480 architects, engineers (water supply, civil/site, structural, M/E/P, wastewater and environmental), planners, designers, in-spectors, surveyors and scientists. The firm’s professionals combine their tech-nical experience and specialized market knowledge and respond to their clients’ needs. H2M offers a practical approach, with creative results.
H2M is proud of its long history of cli-ent service and consistent ability to meet architectural, engineering and environ-mental challenges head on.
MONICA LACROIX-RUBINBNB Bank
Monica LaCroix-Rubin is chief risk of-ficer at BNB Bank. She has over 15 years of Financial Institution Compliance ex-perience, including Compliance and BSA Officer roles at New York regional and community banks.
In her role as chief risk officer, LaC-roix-Rubin is responsible for BNB Bank’s Enterprise Risk Management Program, overseeing Regulatory and BSA Compli-
ance, Operational Risk Management and Information Security. She is also the pri-mary contact for Federal and New York State Regulatory agencies, and is on the WINS steering committee, BNB Bank’s women’s mentoring group.
LaCroix-Rubin has not allowed the pandemic to deter her from making per-sonal connections with her customers.
“These extraordinary circumstances have forced us to evolve in the way we communicate with one another and lever-age new technologies,” she said. “The wide availability of communication platforms has made it possible for us to continue to provide the personalized service we take pride in delivering to our customers and the communities we serve.”
LaCroix-Rubin began her compliance career at New York Community Bank and later North Fork Bank, where she worked as an anti-money laundering analyst. She also worked as a compli-ance manager for Integrated Compliance Solutions (now CAPCO), and performed consulting engagements including in-dependent testing and BSA transaction monitoring for several New York- and New Jersey-based institutions.
BNB Bank, established in 1910, has as-sets of approximately $6.2 billion and op-erates 39 branches across Long Island and New York City. The bank provides deposit and loan products to local businesses, con-sumers, non-profits and municipalities. BNB has a rich tradition of involvement in the community, supporting programs and
initiatives that promote local business, the environment, education, healthcare, social services and the arts.
JACQUELYN L. MASCETTI, ESQ.Herman Katz Cangemi Wilkes & Clyne, LLP
Jacquelyn L. Mascetti, Esq. is an asso-ciate at Herman Katz Cangemi Wilkes & Clyne, LLP in Melville. Mascetti handles all aspects of tax certiorari and condem-nation litigation in jurisdictions across New York. She has participated in several successful tax certiorari trials and appeals relating to a variety of commercial proper-ties, including golf courses.
Prior to joining the firm in 2013, she gained valuable experience at a boutique firm in Manhattan where she was in-volved in all phases of complex commer-cial litigation, insurance coverage issues, corporate investigations and white-collar and regulatory defense matters.
During law school, Mascetti interned for The Hon. Anthony F. Marano, Su-preme Court Justice and Administrative Judge of Nassau County.
She earned a juris doctor, cum laude, from St. John’s University Law School; a Master of Business Administration from
the McCallum Graduate School of Business, Bentley College; and a Bachelor’s Degree, magna cum laude, from Bentley College.
Mascetti is admitted to practice be-fore the courts in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.
She has published two articles: The Fifth Circuit Clarifies Who May Bring a Violation of the Automatic Stay, ABI Bankruptcy Lit-igation Committee Newsletter, Vol. 8 No. 1 (Feb. 2011); and Going for Broke in the Music Industry: Aligning the Code with the Interests of Recording Artists, Note, 19 Am. Bankr. Inst. L. Rev. 185 (2011).
Mascetti is a member of the New York Bar Association, New York City Bar As-sociation, Nassau County Bar Associa-tion, Suffolk County Bar Association, the Long Island Builders Institute and the Columbian Lawyers’ Association of Nas-sau County.
The partners of Herman Katz Cangemi Wilkes & Clyne, LLP (HKCWC) each have long standing and unique backgrounds and experiences throughout New York, as well as nationally, in the complex world of commercial real estate taxes. From its offices in midtown Manhattan, HKCWC oversees and litigates a wealth of differ-ent properties throughout New York City, from major office buildings and hotels, to large retail projects and multifamily resi-dential, to industrial and specialty proper-ty. Its Melville and Tarrytown offices serve as the hubs for the firm’s comparably di-verse portfolio of real property tax appeals on Long Island, in Westchester County,
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Brad W. Cronin Sean M. Cronin Cara P. Cronin
Raymond J. Furey Brian M. Troy
and throughout upstate New York.The fi rm represents clients at both
the administrative and judicial levels throughout New York State, as well as providing additional assistance by over-seeing properties throughout the country. The property tax business requires local expertise and experience, and HKCWC has spent decades establishing its reputa-tion in New York, and developing relation-ships nationwide to make sure the right expert is implicated in every jurisdiction. In this regard, the partners of HKCWC act as outside property tax counsel for both national and international real estate op-erations and oversee portfolios across the United States.
MARYELLEN MCKEONEngel Burman
Maryellen McKeon is senior vice pres-ident of operations for Ultimate Care As-sisted Living Management LLC – a divi-sion of Engel Burman. Over the course of more than 45 years, McKeon has distin-guished herself in the fi eld of assisted liv-ing, and has maintained a particular focus on enhancing operations in independent and enriched housing management.
McKeon joined Engel Burman in 2001 and helped establish Ultimate Care As-sisted Living Management, LLC, the team responsible for the development, construction and daily management of several upscale assisted living communi-ties – most notably The Bristal Assisted Living communities.
Throughout her career, McKeon’s mis-sion has always been to give residents the very best in services and care.
“After more than 45 years, I thought I had seen it all, yet this pandemic brought with it a new set of challenges to assisted living providers,” McKeon said. “At The Bristal, we’re always prepared to handle situations as they arise, and the outstand-ing staff is ready to do the same. Though this scenario was unexpected, the entire team went above and beyond the scope of their responsibilities, and I’m so proud of their dedication.”
“This unprecedented time has changed the landscape of our industry, yet our pur-pose and perspective hasn’t changed – we continue to serve our residents every day, exceeding the standards we pride our-selves on having established and prom-ised,” McKeon noted.
A committed advocate and sought af-ter speaker for the cause of senior living issues, McKeon has served on the board of ESAAL (Empire State Association of Assisted Living) since 2002, and today, she continues to play high-profi le roles in many of the association’s most important initiatives and infl uential committees.
At times, McKeon has simultaneously overseen over 29 communities throughout the Northeast. She was awarded Adminis-trator of the Year in 1990 by the Empire State Association – being recognized for upholding quality care, compassion and high professional standards – and has become a visible and respected authority in the fi eld. Throughout her tenure with the association, she has also co-chaired its Assisted Living Services Committee along with its Conference Committee.
Engel Burman is a Long Island-based real estate developer, builder, and manag-er who is proud to contribute to the growth of the communities they serve. Engel Bur-man created Ultimate Care Assisted Liv-ing Management to oversee operations at The Bristal Assisted Living communities. The Bristal has continued to expand, and today, Engel Burman and Ultimate Care manage 21 communities throughout Nas-sau, Suffolk, Westchester, Bergen, Passa-ic, and Somerset Counties.
MELISSA NEGRIN-WIENERGenser Cona Elder Law
Melissa Negrin-Wiener is a partner at Genser Cona Elder Law in Melville. She
manages the Government Benefi ts De-partment, concentrating her practice in the areas of asset protection, Medicaid el-igibility planning, special needs planning, estate planning, mediation, guardianships and Veteran benefi ts. Negrin-Wiener also supervises the preparation of Medicaid applications for nursing home care, home health care and community benefi ts, re-solves complex Medicaid issues and rep-resents families facing a reduction in Med-icaid home care hours and services.
Servicing clients during COVID-19 has been both challenging and fulfi lling, Ne-grin-Wiener said.
“While dealing with the enormity of the crisis, we immediately transitioned to a remote work environment,” she said. “Our fi rm provided essential services assisting clients with immediate needs, from asset protection trusts to complete estate plans to probate and estate administration upon the passing of loved ones.”
“Now many months later, we continue to support our clients virtually and have instituted a hybrid model of in-person and virtual meetings, which is working well and is here to stay,” Negrin-Wiener said. “We can support our clients however and wherever they need us. We are fully functional in our offi ce and remain totally committed to serving the needs of our cli-ents and their families as best suits their comfort level.”
Negrin-Wiener has received awards from many organizations in the areas of Leadership in Law, Top Lawyers of Long
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LONG ISLAND BUSINESS NEWS I Special Advertising Section I August 2020 I LIBN.COM I 15
Island, Top Attorney of North America, Outstanding Women in Law and Out-standing Pro Bono Attorney.
She is co-chair of Senior Dreams Come True, past charities coordinator at 100 Women Who Care About Long Island and event coordinator of Midnight Run; co-chair of the Healthcare Committee of the Hauppauge Industrial Association (HIA-LI); Suffolk County Bar Association, Elder Law Committee; and New York State Bar Association, Elder Law and Trusts & Es-tates Sections.
Negrin-Wiener earned a juris doc-tor from Hofstra University Maurice A. Deane School of Law and a bachelor’s de-gree from Binghamton University.
Genser Cona Elder Law is an award winning law firm that concentrates in the areas of elder law, estate planning, es-tate administration and litigation, special needs planning and health care law.
Celebrating over 20 years in practice, Genser Cona Elder Law is proud to be recognized for its innovative strategies, creative techniques and unparalleled legal skills combined with unwavering tenacity that is completely focused on its paramount objective – not just satisfying the needs of its clients but exceeding expectations.
RHONDA PIERSON-DELORENZOFlushing Bank
Rhonda Pierson-Delorenzo is vice president at Flushing Bank. She joined Flushing Bank in 2015 as branch man-ager for the newly-opened RXR Plaza branch. In 2019, she was promoted to area manager, responsible for the bank’s Long Island branches.
These challenging times have only strengthened Flushing Bank’s commit-ment to its customers and community as a whole, Pierson-Delorenzo said.
“Through appointment banking, cus-tomers can meet with branch members, in which they continue to open new deposit accounts, as well as close on traditional loans, including lines of credit and mort-gages,” she said. “Additionally, at a time when the health and safety of the commu-nity is never more vital, Flushing Bank launched a line of robust digital services. This digital transformation allows custom-ers to easily bank from the comfort and safety of their homes, any time of day.”
“With branches on Long Island and in Queens, Brooklyn, and Manhattan, Flush-ing Bank offers the peace of mind that comes from partnering with a neighbor-hood bank that has a community-based approach of “Small enough to know you. Large enough to help you.’” Pierson-Delo-renzo said.
Pierson-Delorenzo has extensive expe-rience in the financial services industry promoting excellence in customer service and deepening customer relationships. Prior to joining Flushing Bank, she spent 15 years with Citibank N.A., where she held numerous roles, including financial center management and regional sales and service support manager.
Flushing Bank is a New York State-chartered commercial bank in-sured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. The bank serves consum-ers, businesses, professionals, corporate clients, and public entities by offering a full complement of deposit, loan, equip-ment finance, and cash management ser-vices through its banking offices located in Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and on Long Island.
As a leader in real estate lending, the bank’s experienced lending teams create mortgage solutions for real estate owners and property managers both within and outside the New York City metropolitan area. Flushing Bank® is an Equal Housing Lender. The bank also operates an online banking division consisting of iGObank-ing®, which offers competitively priced de-posit products to consumers nationwide, and BankPurely®, an eco-friendly, healthi-er lifestyle community brand.
VANESSA PUNZO, CPAGrassi
Vanessa Punzo, CPA is an audit man-ager at Grassi and works with clients pri-marily in the not-for-profit industry. Punzo has experience auditing a variety of in-dustries including religious organizations, institutions of higher education, local and governmental units, and other health care and human services organizations.
Punzo demonstrates her expertise in the auditing practice area, which encom-passes financial reporting, preparation of financial statements and tax prepara-tions. She has worked very closely with the firm’s special needs clients and has developed strong technical knowledge of the CFR. Punzo works closely with clients to better their businesses and provide in-sight on the tools they need to move for-ward — and the Covid-19 pandemic has only deepened this bond.
“Working with nonprofit clients, I have always felt a personal connection to their missions and am naturally driven to learn more about the challenges and opportuni-ties they face and how I can help them re-main sustainable,” Punzo said. “This pan-demic has brought so many uncertainties that have shown me just how important this client-advisor relationship is. With-out it, I would have not been aware of the obstacles and behind-the-scenes factors that influence their success, nor been able to make important recommendations for maintaining their organizational focus.”
“Through Zoom meetings, frequent phone calls and a united purpose, I have built an even stronger sense of empathy and emotional connection to helping these clients keep their missions alive, especial-ly during these times when their commu-nities need them the most,” Punzo said.
Punzo also presents in-house and CPE based training sessions. She is also in-volved with other staff in the firm, where she is a frequent mentor.
Punzo earned her degree from Stony Brook University and is a licensed CPA
in New York State. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the New York State Society of Certified Public Accoun-tants (NYSSCPA).
Grassi is a leading provider of adviso-ry, tax and accounting services for busi-nesses and individuals. Grassi advisors specialize in providing industry-specific business consulting, audit, tax, and tech-nology services to key market sectors, including construction, architecture and engineering, not-for-profit, healthcare, manufacturing and distribution, financial services, real estate, cannabis and more. With offices in Jericho, Ronkonkoma, New York City, White Plains and New Jersey, the firm advises clients across the New York metro area and throughout the United States.
LISA M. RICCIARDI, CPA, CCAMarcum LLP
Lisa M. Ricciardi, CPA, CCA is a part-ner Marcum LLP’s Accounting Services Group, providing auditing, accounting, consulting and tax services to individuals and businesses. She is an expert advisor to clients in construction and construc-tion-related industries and has a strong background serving manufacturers, not-for-profit organizations, professional ser-vice firms and wholesalers.
Ricciardi joined Marcum after the firm joined forces with Castellano, Korenberg & Company in 2020.
Ricciardi holds the designation of Certified Construction Auditor (CCA), granted by the National Association of Construction Auditors (NACA) for those professionals who focus on accounting, au-diting and consulting within the construc-tion industry. She is a frequent lecturer and author on topics of accounting and auditing for the construction industry, as well as asset protection, estate planning and business succession.
She has been honored by many organi-zations for her business acumen. Among her recognitions, Ricciardi was named a Businesswoman of Excellence by the Na-tional Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) and a Woman of Dis-tinction by the Town of Oyster Bay.
Her contributions to the community include the Interfaith Nutrition Network (The INN), Nontraditional Employment for Women (NEW), Toys for Tots Toy Drive, and Contractors for Kids. She serves as a committee member for The INN’s Annual Lunch Fundraiser and serves on the board of Homecoming Farm, where she volun-teers at farm events and fundraisers.
Ricciardi earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Hofstra University.
She is a member of many professional and civic associations including the Amer-ican Institute of Certified Public Accoun-tants (AICPA), New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants (NYSSC-PA), Construction Financial Management Association, Long Island Contractors As-
sociation and the National Association of Women in Construction.
Marcum LLP is among Long Island’s largest accounting firms and one of the largest in the nation, with offices in major business markets throughout the U.S., as well as select international locations. A re-cent merger with Castellano Korenberg & Co. further expands Marcum’s leadership as a premiere construction industry ser-vice provider.
ERICA RICE, CPABerdon LLP
Erica Rice, CPA is an audit princi-pal at Berdon LLP, a CPA and advisory firm with offices in Jericho and New York City. Rice plays an integral role is the firm’s Employee Benefit Plan Practice. Rice has particular expertise in audit-ing and accounting for single and multi-employer employee benefit plans, labor unions, and not-for-profit organizations. Rice has more than 15 years of profes-sional experience and works closely with clients to help ensure that they fulfill gov-ernment compliance requirements, limit exposure to penalties and leverage ways to increase efficiency.
Among her areas of expertise include executing all phases of audit engagements, including planning, team supervision, and client relations; payroll compliance audits; preparing financial statements, assisting clients in Department of Labor (DOL) examinations; governmental reporting — Forms 990, 990PF and 5500; preparing Form LM-2 for labor unions as required by the DOL; and responding to IRS and DOL notices on behalf of clients.
Rice also develops education programs on auditing best practices for the firm and regularly trains staff of all levels on the intricacies surrounding employee benefit plan auditing processes. Furthermore, she serves as mentor to junior team members.
Rice has always created genuine con-nections with clients, but during the pan-demic this helps ease their concerns.
“These days, we’re all sharing the same deeply human fears,” she said. “It’s im-portant to recognize that clients are facing the same struggles — about their health, their money, their future. They appreciate having someone they can reach out to for reliable answers to fundamental questions during this uniquely uncertain period.”
Rice is a member of the American In-stitute of Certified Public Accountants, New York State Society of Certified Pub-lic Accountants and Girl Scouts of Nas-sau County.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in ac-counting from the University of Albany, and is licensed as a certified public accoun-tant in New York.
Berdon LLP is consistently ranked among the nation’s top CPA and adviso-ry firms. With over 400 professionals and staff clients can access a comprehensive array of accounting, tax, financial, and management advisory services. Through its specialized expertise and dedicated
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service teams, Berdon advises on almost every aspect of a business at any stage of development — from startup through growth, diversifi cation and succession.
Berdon is a recognized leader in ad-vising the real estate industry and works with numerous businesses in the manu-facturing, retail and professional services sectors as well as high net worth individu-als and labor unions. If needs cross inter-national borders, Berdon service extends worldwide through membership in TIAG, a global alliance of more than 115 indepen-dent accounting fi rms in over 65 countries.
MELISSA SANDERLEAFRuskin Moscou Faltischek P.C.
Melissa Sanderleaf is an associate at Ruskin Moscou Faltischek P.C. where she is a member of the fi rm’s Litigation De-partment.
Sanderleaf is a commercial litigator with signifi cant experience before both federal and state courts. In addition to her litigation practice, she has also handled arbitrations and mediations of complex disputes. Sanderleaf counsels and advo-cates for clients on a variety of matters regarding complex commercial and res-idential real estate, general commercial contracts, trade secrets, copyrights and trademarks, as well as fi nancial and busi-ness related disputes.
The fi rm’s clients have had to make in-numerable adjustments to their business models to address the current pandemic,” Sanderleaf said.
“My goal has been to make their legal representation one less item of concern and change,” she said. “I try to accomplish this by making the shift to exclusively virtual communications as seamless as possible, by for example setting up virtu-al document sharing platforms, preparing work product well in advance of deadlines and, as always, keeping the client updated along the way.”
“During these diffi cult times, and likely well into the future, technology and effi -ciency will be key to maintaining not only a stable work environment but strong cli-ent relations,” Sanderleaf said.
Sanderleaf earned a juris doctor from St. John’s University School of Law and an undergraduate degree from Fordham Uni-versity, where she graduated cum laude. While in law school, she was a member of the St. John’s Law Review, a student run organization that publishes scholarly arti-cles of legal signifi cance across all topics.
Prior to joining Ruskin Moscou Fal-tischek, Sanderleaf was a general com-mercial litigation associate at Seyfarth Shaw LLP in New York City.
She is admitted to practice in the State of New York, the U.S. District Courts for the Southern
District of New York and the Eastern District of New York and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
Sanderleaf is a member in the New York State Bar Association and the Amer-ican Bar Association.
With more than 70 attorneys, Ruskin Moscou Faltischek has built a reputation as one of the region’s leading providers of innovative legal services. Cornerstone groups in all major practice areas of the law are represented at the fi rm, including corporate and securities, fi nancial ser-vices, commercial litigation, intellectual property, health care, real estate, employ-ment, not-for-profi t, cybersecurity and data privacy, energy, and trusts and es-tates. Clients include large and mid-sized corporations, privately held businesses, institutions and individuals.
LYNN SENKOWorth Property Management
Lynn Senko is president of Worth Prop-erty Management in East Meadow. Sen-ko’s experience in real estate and property management began when she worked with her father, who launched Worth Real Es-tate in 1962. Senko highlights her success from the education she received from her father. Now, after 30 years, she owns and operates her own property management and real estate brokerage fi rm devoting her time to her clients.
Senko has earned the respect of her clients by working tirelessly on their be-half and by always offering them candid advice. She has provided quality service to build long relationships with clients and has maintained those relationships by communicating effectively.
The company always ensures the safe-ty and well-being of its clients and staff, Senko said.
“We are following CDC guidelines as far as social distancing, disinfecting the offi ce and allowing one person with a mask to enter the offi ce at a time,” she said. “If the client does not have a mask, we supply them with one, as well hand sanitizer.”
“On the real estate side, our closings during this time have been challenging but we’ve made it work through emails, zoom calls and even occasional parking lot closings,” Senko noted.
“On the commercial property manage-ment side, we are educating all our coop, condo’s and tenants on New York protocol on how to keep your property safe by fol-lowing a CDC guidelines,” Senko said.
“In the end, we have to be fl exible and accommodating to the needs of others,” she said.
Senko volunteers her time to the orga-nization Gift of Life. She is a member of the National Association of Realtors, Long Island Board of Realtors and is MLS. Sen-ko earned a master’s degree in deaf edu-cation, focused in special education and teaching from Adelphi University.
Worth Real Estate is a family-owned and operated real estate company serv-ing the tri-state area for over 50 years. Since its founding in 1960, Worth has grown from a small real estate offi ce to a multi-faceted real estate company with expertise in construction, development, property management, tenant relation-ships, contract services, landlord repre-
LONG ISLAND BUSINESS NEWS I Special Advertising Section I August 2020 I LIBN.COM I 17
WHO’SWHO
sentation and real estate transactions.Launched by Arthur Asdourian, Worth
has strived to provide the best real estate services to Long Island. Asdourian has made connections with some of the coun-try’s biggest companies and introduced them to the Long Island market by pro-viding them with premier addresses and location. Today, Asdourian and the Worth team continues to use this level of profes-sionalism and experience to close all deals no matter the size.
JACQUELINE SILVEY, ESQ. NAM (National Arbitration and Mediation)
Jacqueline Silvey, Esq. is general coun-sel of NAM (National Arbitration and Mediation). Silvey is involved in various management operations of the company including panel development, oversight and implementation of commercial and employment dispute resolution initiatives, the creation and implementation of vari-ous rules of procedure, and the general business affairs of the company.
Silvey reports directly to NAM’s Pres-ident and Chief Executive Offi cer Roy Israel, and works closely with NAM’s Sr. Vice-President of Finance Patricia Gi-uliani-Rheaume in the area of corporate governance. She also oversees neutral re-cruitment throughout the United States and internationally. Silvey joined NAM in 2007 as staff counsel.
Providing top quality Alternative Dis-pute Resolution (ADR) services has always been a primary focus at NAM, Silvey said.
“With the onset of Covid-19 and the shut-down of the courts, the need to pro-vide ADR services to our clients was great-er than ever,” she said. “NAM was able to immediately and seamlessly transition all arbitration hearings and mediation con-ferences from in-person to virtual hear-ings, which, in turn, allowed our clients to continue to handle and resolve cases at a time when many businesses were unable to operate.”
“NAM offers four video platforms — Zoom, Webex by Cisco, Skype, and Blue-Jeans by Verizon,” she said. “In fact, we deploy a non-standard videoconference technology security confi guration through Zoom so that the hearings are HIPAA compliant. At NAM, it’s all about meeting and exceeding our client’s needs.”
Silvey is a frequent lecturer on various legal and arbitration issues. She has been a panel member and moderator on the subject of arbitration and mediation nu-merous times throughout her career, both on a regional and national level. Addition-ally, she has been an invited guest speaker by many of the nation’s largest law fi rms to discuss industry specifi c developments, as well arbitration and mediation services
for certain practice areas. She will be moderating the upcoming September 17 national Law.com webinar on “Labor and Employment.” Silvey has been published on both a regional and national level on several occasions.
Prior to joining NAM, Silvey was a senior litigation associate and house counsel for Chubb Insurance Company representing the carrier’s corporate in-sureds under their respective directors’ and offi cers’ liability policies. Her clients included board of directors and corporate entities in matters involving the manage-ment and operation of the corporation, with primary focus on labor and em-ployment, cooperative and condominium housing and contractual matters. She has litigated in the Federal Courts- Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, The New York State Courts and various city and state agencies.
Silvey’s legal career began at the law fi rm of Wagner, Davis and Gold, PC, a general practice law fi rm formerly located in New York City.
Founded in 1992, NAM is recognized for its customer service and exceptional panel of arbitrators and mediators. NAM works with more than 10,000 commer-cial entities, including more than 50% of the Fortune 100 companies. NAM of-fers litigants a nationwide panel of more than 2,600 top-tier former judges and legal practitioners uniquely qualifi ed to facilitate the resolution of disputes in a private forum.
NAM maintains rosters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and in major cities around the world, with specifi c exper-tise in the areas of complex commercial, construction, employment, entertain-ment, fi nancial services, international, insurance, medical malpractice, personal injury, professional liability and real es-tate dispute resolution. NAM is known as a valuable resource for parties seeking cost-effective alternatives to expensive and time-consuming litigation.
STEPHANIE TANZIHarris Beach PLLC
Stephanie Tanzi is an associate at the law fi rm of Harris Beach PLLC in Union-dale and a member of the fi rm’s Munici-palities and Local Agencies Industry Team and Business and Commercial Litigation Practice Group.
Tanzi has a diverse legal background in business and commercial litigation, municipal law, health care and other civil matters. She represents corporate institu-tions and private individuals in complex commercial litigation and defense litiga-tion claims. She also represents munic-ipalities in all aspects of municipal law,
including litigation, employment law and local governance.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Tanzi has had to tackle a wider range of legal questions to better serve her clients.
“I’ve had to analyze unique legal prob-lems regarding temporary suspensions and modifi cations of state law, particu-larly affecting municipal agencies,” Tanzi said. “The pandemic has sharpened how I serve my clients in that I am now re-searching and analyzing legal issues and solutions on a continuum, as circumstanc-es have been ever evolving.”
“The current health crisis has also al-lowed me to build on my communication skills,” she said. “With events moving so quickly, it’s become crucial to provide more frequent updates — constantly striv-ing to advise my clients and assist in their business operations, but in a wholly virtu-al context.”
Tanzi is admitted to practice in New York State and before the U.S. District Court, New York - Eastern District and U.S. District Court, New York - South-ern District.
She earned a juris doctor from Wash-ington and Lee University School of Law and a bachelor’s degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University.
Harris Beach and its subsidiaries provide legal and professional services to clients across New York state, as well as nationally and internationally. The fi rm’s Long Island offi ces have been at the forefront of some of the largest eco-nomic development projects in the region and has expanded its capabilities in the areas of real estate fi nance, public fi -nance for public entities issuing general obligation and revenue bonds, and serv-ing the needs of multinational corpora-tions with their intellectual property and corporate law needs.
Statewide, the fi rm’s more than 210 law-yers and consultants practice from offi ces in Albany, Buffalo, Ithaca, Long Island, New York City, Rochester, Saratoga Springs, Syracuse, and White Plains, as well as from offi ces in New Haven, CT and Newark, NJ.
DAVI TSERPELISCity National Bank
Davi Tserpelis is senior vice president and business banking manager at City National Bank. Tserpelis opened City National Bank’s Melville offi ce in 2017. She leads a team of experienced business bankers, providing advice on best practic-es with solutions to grow and protect fam-ily businesses, including fi nancing, cash management, investments and interna-tional trade.
Tserpelis has 30 years of commercial lending and banking experience. Prior to
joining City National, she was senior vice president with Astoria Bank’s Long Island business banking team. She was also se-nior vice president on Citibank’s Long Is-land business banking team.
Providing continuous and valuable services to clients is a top priority — even during a pandemic, Tserpelis said.
“COVID-19 has not changed my per-spective, but supported it,” Tserpelis not-ed. “A company is only as strong as its colleagues, and those strengths have be-come even more apparent during the pan-demic. This is certainly an unprecedented and challenging time for so many of our clients, but it has shone a light on our ded-ication at City National to being there for our clients every day and adding substan-tial value.”
“We will continue to support every client as they pivot through the opportu-nities and threats that the pandemic has thrust upon them,” she said. “We’re grate-ful to have forward-thinking leaders and great technology and banking tools here at City National that have enabled us to provide seamless support both remotely and in person.”
Tserpelis has served various not-for-profi ts including The Book Fairies, Amer-ican Heart Association and Jericho Public School. She is co-founder and secretary of the board from Middle Market Alliance of Long Island. She has been honored with many recognitions including Long Island Press’ Long Island Power Women in Busi-ness Award.
City National Bank offers a full com-plement of banking, trust and investment services through locations in Southern California, the San Francisco Bay Area, Nevada, New York City, Nashville, At-lanta, Minneapolis, Washington, D.C. and Miami (City National Bank does business in Miami and the state of Flor-ida as CN Bank). With $69.1 billion in assets as of April 30, 2020, City National Bank provides banking, investment and trust services. In addition, the company and its investment affi liates manage or administer $76.9 billion in client invest-ment assets.
Over 5,000 City National colleagues deliver highly personal service and com-plete fi nancial solutions to entrepreneurs, professionals, their businesses and their families. Despite COVID’s effort to derail business as usual, City National has con-tinued expanding on the East Coast, open-ing two new offi ces in New York City in July, to serve the luxury residential and upscale commercial neighborhoods of No-Mad and Flatiron. The bank now has fi ve offi ces in Manhattan and one Long Island offi ce in Melville.
City National is a subsidiary of Roy-al Bank of Canada (RBC), one of North America’s leading diversifi ed fi nancial services companies. RBC serves more than 17 million personal, business, public sector and institutional clients through offi ces in Canada, the United States and 34 other countries.
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