Professional Documents
Culture Documents
MONTHLY
UPDATE
www.sibiztrends.com
ON THE JOB
See this months movers and shakers.
PAGE 9
TAX TALK
Be aware of new overtime rule.
PAGE 2
Gotham Motorcycles celebrated its one-year anniversary recently. Pictured at the event, from left, are Sopranos actor Tony Sirico, Kevin McVicar, the winner of a 2014 KYMCO scooter, and Gotham Owner Mark Crescitelli. For the full story, see page 10.
Danger! Danger!
Protect your business from the
dangers lurking online.
PAGE 6
sports fans and best place to live, a lot of people would argue.
But a far more proud and important honor
was bestowed upon the city earlier this summer best possible place to be a female entre-
preneur.
Dells Women Entrepreneur Cities Index
ranked New York City No. 1 on its list of best
please see CITY page 14
(718) 761-3333
By JOHN J. VENTO
A new overtime rule takes effect on Dec. 1, and the Department of Labor estimates that
more than 4 million workers will
become entitled to overtime in
the first year of the change. If
your employees are included in
that number, now is the time to
begin preparing. Here's what you
need to know.
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The background
The Fair Labor Standards Act
mandates the federal minimum
hourly wage and time-and-onehalf pay for hours worked beyond
40 in a week. The act exempts certain white collar workers and
highly compensated employees
from both the minimum hourly
wage and the time-and-one-half
rules. These workers are collectively classified based on duties
and level of earnings. Though job
titles do not determine status,
What's changing
The new rule doubles the annual salary level for the white collar
exemption from $23,660 to $47,476,
or $913 per week.
For highly compensated employees, the total annual compensation level required to claim the
exemption rises from $100,000 to
$134,004.
These salary levels will increase every three years, beginning on Jan. 1, 2020.
How to prepare
Some of your employees may
move from exempt to non-exempt
status. The only way to be sure is
Monthly Update
BRIEFS
Continued from page 1
Now Available
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Tekamorphosis II to be
held Sept. 17
Neighborhood Services
dinner dance Oct. 20
Eden II Programs
fundraiser Sept. 18
Our Knowledge, Experience, Teamwork + Integrity =
718-273-3800
www.gatewayarmsrealty.com
IlluminArt Productions, the local non-profit that addresses social issues through theater, recently premiered a new play tackling the heroin crisis on Staten Island. It is designed to provide youth and parents
with the tools and knowledge they need to prevent drug abuse. Pictured at the debut of Prescription for
Addiction are members of the Susan Wagner High School theater program - who helped write the play along with IlluminArt's touring company.
in our opinion
66 Willow Avenue
Staten Island, NY 10305
718-775-3154
JOE EISELE
Publisher
TIM RONALDSON
Executive Editor
STEVE COPPOLA
Director
RICHARD GRADO
Director
ROBERT CUTRONA
Director
LAWRENCE RAMPULLA
Director
JANET WARREN DUGO
Publisher Emeritus
DAN McDONOUGH, JR.
Chairman
Business Trends is mailed each month to the
business and community leaders of Staten
Island. To be added to the mailing list, email joe@sibiztrends.com. To submit a
news release, email news@sibiztrends.com.
For advertising info, call 718-775-3154 or
email joe@sibiztrends.com.
Stay alert
One of the toughest parts of avoiding cybercrime is keeping up with the changing
landscape of how we do business online.
By staying up to date with business news,
youll help yourself stay aware of potential
threats to your cybersecurity system.
Not sure if youre doing enough or
the right things to protect your small
business?
Get in touch with a SCORE mentor, who
can help you review your practices.
Bridget Weston Pollack is the vice president
of marketing and communications at the
SCORE Association. In this role, Bridget is responsible for all branding, marketing, PR and
communication efforts. She focuses on implementing marketing plans and strategies for the
organization to facilitate the growth of
SCOREs mentoring and trainings services.
Steve White
6 Genesee Avenue
Staten Island, NY 10308
Phone: 718.317.5025
Cell: 917.446.4029
Email: statenarts@aol.com
statenarts
it is a win/win for everyone involved. Retailers get the foot traffic, attractions get to be a part of
the co-op marketing program,
landlords get higher rent and
shoppers/attraction users get
everything they want all in one
Instagram-worthy place.
When Pokemon Go was
launched, it became an instant
craze, demonstrating that children as well as adults, still enjoy a
good game of Hide and Go
Seek. The game is so popular
that the NYPD recently sent out
an alert reminding people to be
careful as they cross the street
and parents to lift an eye off their
phone now and then to be sure
that their children are still safely
with them. Pokemon Go has captured the attention of the world
and has marketers scrambling to
figure out how they can use it in
their daily promotions before the
craze dies down. For real estate
brokers and retail leasing professionals, the lesson to be learned
by Pokemon Go and other interactive games and attractions is
that no matter the age or the geographic location around the
world, humans enjoy an escape
from their daily routine, and
whether that escape is physical or
virtual, they are willing to join in
to have some fun. When landlords offer entertainment and
dining along with shopping in
their retail centers, they will be
able to command higher prices
for their retail leases.
James Prendamano is a managing
director for Casandra Properties,
Inc., Staten Islands premier real estate firm, specializing in all facets of
transactional real estate.
on the job
ADRIAN WILTON
Staten Island Economic
Development Corp.
The Staten Island Economic
Development Corp. recently welcomed Cigi
member
Adrian
Wilton
of
Living
Restoration.
Living
Restoration
was founded
in 2011 with
the mission
Wilton
of promoting sustainable building practices, community development and urban agriculture. It is a collaborative of
green roof, environmental, architecture and marketing professionals that specialize in the design,
installation and maintenance of
urban agricultural spaces.
It works with building owners,
urban farmers, educational institutions and food service establish-
ing agency providing small businesses with high-quality, professional media services at an affordable rate.
ELIZABETH BENNETT
Staten Island Arts
The Staten Island Arts Board of
Directors recently announced the
selection of Elizabeth Bennett as
its next executive director.
We are delighted to have Elizabeth joining the organization. She
has a long history with Staten Island Arts and with many of our
key stakeholders, Board President Diane Kramer said. We are
entering a critical point in our
history with all of the rampant
development on the North Shore,
and Ms. Bennett will help position Staten Island Arts in the
thick of things.
Of her new position, Bennett
recently remarked, I am thrilled
and honored to join the board and
staff at Staten Island Arts. Some
of the most satisfying work I enjoyed at the NYC Department of
Gotham Motorcycles
celebrates one year
SCORE is the most recognized and utilized provider of
FREE Confidential Mentoring and Educational services to Americas small businesses.
PROFESSIONAL WEBSITES.
PEASANT PRICES.
718-273-1200
From left, James ONeill of Councilman Steven Matteos office, Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis, Amy Peterson, Anthony Reinhart
of state Sen. Andrew Lanzas office, Stacey Sclafani of Congressman
Dan Donovans office and Nicole Romano speak in front of an abandoned home in New Dorp Beach.
Committee, and their owners will
be invited to apply to the Build it
Back Acquisition Program for
further eligibility review, benefit
determination, acquisition offer
and closing.
The methodology for determining which neighborhoods to target for this pilot resulted in a
focus on Sandy-impacted neigh-
WEEKLY MEETINGS
MONDAY
Bus. Outreach Ctr of SI/WBCLDC
Small Bus. Counseling
MWBE/BOC Capital: WBCLDC, 705
Forest Ave., 2nd Fl. By appointment
only. For info, call 718-816-4775.
Kiwanis Club of Richmond Co.:
LaFontana Restaurant, 2879 Amboy
Rd. 7 p.m. Call 718-420-1966.
College of S.I., Small Bus. Dev. Ctr.
Business Counseling: CSI, 2800
Victory Blvd. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. No
charge. For info, call the SBDC at
718-982-2560.
TUESDAY
Greater New Dorp Networking
Group: 8 a.m. Perkins, 1409 Hylan
Blvd. For information, call Steve
Lombardo at 718-702-8623.
Richmond Business Connections:
Z One, 1821 Richmond Ave. 8 a.m.
For information, call Ronald P.
Cutrone at (347) 258-8131.
SI Business Friends: 7:30 - 8:45
a.m. Hilton Garden Inn, 1100 South
Ave. For information, call Dr. Richard
Bove at 718-938-5978 or visit
www.sibfnetwork.com.
Bus. Outreach Ctr of SI/WBCLDC
Small Bus. Counseling
MWBE/BOC Capital: WBCLDC, 705
Forest Ave., 2nd Fl. By appointment
only. For info, call 718-816-4775.
Direct120.com, Ultimate Think
Tank: Lorenzos, 1100 South Ave. For
info, visit www.direct120.com.
Kiwanis Club of South Shore:
LaFontana, 2879 Amboy Rd. 7:30
p.m. For info, call 718-370-2770.
SCORE Business Counseling: S.I.
Bank & Trust, 1550 Richmond Rd. 9
a.m. to noon. No appointment necessary. No charge. For info, call 718727-1221.
Business Guild I of the S.I. Chamber of Commerce: Hilton Garden
Inn, 1100 South Ave. 7:45 a.m. Members and invited guests only. Call
Michael Anicito at 646-606-2111.
Business Network Intl. (BNI) Network Alliance Chapter: Z-One
Lounge, 1821 Richmond Ave. 7 to
8:30 a.m. For info, call Timothy
Houston at 718-981-8600.
Rotary Club Staten Island: LiGrecis Staten, 697 Forest Ave. 12:30 to
1:30 p.m. Members and guests welcome. For info, call 718-370-3140.
College of S.I., Small Bus. Dev. Ctr.
Business Counseling: Chamber of
Commerce, 130 Bay St. 9 a.m. No
charge. Call 718-982-2560.
WEDNESDAY
Bus. Outreach Ctr of SI/WBCLDC
Small Bus. Counseling
MWBE/BOC Capital: WBCLDC, 705
Forest Ave., 2nd Fl. By appointment
only. For info, call 718-816-4775.
Richmond County Referral Source:
Comfort Inn. 7:00 to 8:15 a.m. For
info, email jcmexp@aol.com
Staten Island Business Council:
Andrews Diner, 4160 Hylan Blvd. 7
a.m. Members and invited guests
only. For info, call 347-855-4488 or
send an e-mail to info@sibizcouncil.com.
Bucks Business Network: Hampton Inn, 1120 South Ave. 7:45 a.m.
For info, call 718-351-2557 or visit
www.sibucks.com.
Kiwanis Club of Brighton: Jodys
Club Forest, 372 Forest Ave. 7:30
p.m. For info, call 718-348-0505.
Kiwanis Club of North Central:
LiGrecis Staten, 697 Forest Ave.
7:30 p.m. Call Len Bosso at 718-4427804.
SCORE Business Counseling:
Chamber of Commerce, 130 Bay St.
9 to 11:30 a.m. Appointment necessary. No charge. Call 718-727-1221.
E.L.I.T.E. (Executive, Leadership,
Interactive, Team, Effort) Networking Group: 1110 South Ave. 8
a.m. New members welcome. For
info, call 347-273-1375.
College of S.I., Small Bus. Dev. Ctr.
Business Counseling: CSI, 2800
Victory Blvd. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For
info, call 718-982-2560.
THURSDAY
Bus. Outreach Ctr of SI/WBCLDC
Small Bus. Counseling
MWBE/BOC Capital: WBCLDC, 705
Forest Ave., 2nd Fl. By appointment
only. For info, call 718-816-4775.
Kiwanis Club of Staten Island:
LiGrecis Staten, 697 Forest Ave.
7:30 p.m. For info, call 718-967-4345
or kiwanisclubofstatenisland.com.
Rotary Club of South Shore: Mansion Grand, 141 Mansion Ave. 12:15
p.m. For info, call 718-987-2061 or
visit southshorerotary.org.
Rotary Club Mid-Island: New Dakota Diner, 921 Richmond Ave. 7:30 to
9:00 a.m. Call 718-981-0700.
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761-8390
61-8390
FRIDAY
Bus. Outreach Ctr of SI/WBCLDC
Small Bus. Counseling
MWBE/BOC Capital: WBCLDC, 705
Forest Ave., 2nd Fl. By appointment
only. For info, call 718-816-4775.
SATURDAY
SCORE Business Counseling: St.
George Library, 5 Central Ave. 10
a.m. to noon. Appointment necessary. No charge. Call 718-442-8560.
SCORE Business Counseling: Richmondtown Library, 200 Clarke Ave.
10 to 11:30 a.m. Call 718-668-0413.
718-698-3462
Themesongpublishing@yahoo.com
Call Today!
888-985-0425
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