SPEAKERS BIO'S

Paul Adler
Sr. Executive Managing Director of Rand Commercial Services
Co-Managing Partner of Blackacre Partners

Paul Adler is the Sr. Executive Managing Director of Rand Commercial Services and is Co-Managing Partner of Blackacre Partners along with Debra Rothberg. Paul's extensive knowledge of the Hudson Valley, and his decades of experience in Commercial Real Estate & Development and environmental remediation make him an industry leader and innovator.
Paul Adler has served in numerous governmental, public, civic, charitable and professional organizations in New York State. Paul earned his BA from Pace University, Masters Public Administration from Long Island University, and his Juris Doctorate from Pace University School of Law.

The Rand Commercial Services team loves Yonkers and has become one of its biggest cheerleaders. In the first quarter of 2010 alone, Paul Adler and his colleague, Nick Spano were responsible for the former Jewish Guild for Blind at $14 million dollars to a nursing home operator and placed the property back on the tax roles. Paul was responsible for the sale of the former BICC/Phelps Dodge Wire Plant on Alexander Street at $22 million dollars and he and his Blackacre Partner, Debra Rothberg arranged for the privately funded remediation of this 30 acre waterfront site to the tune of $65 million dollars and plans to be ready for development in 2011. Please welcome Paul Adler as he and his Team stand ready to meet you real estate & environmental needs.

Honorable Philip A. Amicone
Mayor, City of Yonkers

Philip A. Amicone is the forty-first Mayor of the City of Yonkers. He took office January 1, 2004 after serving eight prior years as the city’s Deputy Mayor. Under his stewardship, New York’s fourth largest city has experienced its strongest economic growth in almost a century, with record employment and dramatic improvements to city programs and services.
Mayor Amicone, a Republican, has led an aggressive economic expansion that has brought in new jobs and revenues to the city. His fiscally conservative policies have restored stability to city finances, while his leadership and accountability continue to build a stronger neighborhood school system. Mayor Amicone has also implemented a number of new initiatives that have improved quality of life and public safety for Yonkers’ nearly 200,000 residents.

As Deputy Mayor, Amicone was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the city agencies and departments. Prior to becoming Deputy Mayor, he was Commissioner of Buildings for the City of White Plains. Before his tenure White Plains, he worked for The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Mayor Amicone is a licensed Professional Engineer. He was awarded a Bachelor of Civil Engineering from Manhattan College and a Masters of Civil Engineering from New York University. In 1970, he married Kay Terry Amicone. They are the proud parents of three sons: Joseph, Brendan and Matthew. He and Kay are also the proud grandparents of three grandchildren: Julia, Ryan and Caroline.

Rob Astorino
Westchester County Executive

Rob Astorino was elected in November 2009 after running a successful campaign to streamline county government and bring tax relief to homeowners and businesses. His message resonated with voters across Westchester as he was elected with 58 percent of the vote. Astorino was first elected to public office at age 21, serving as a member of the Mount Pleasant Board of Education. During his tenure, he also served as the board’s vice president. He went on to serve for 12 years as a councilman on the Mount Pleasant Town Board, including six years as deputy supervisor. In 2003, he was elected to the Westchester County Board of Legislators. Before taking office as County Executive on Jan. 1, 2010, Astorino had a long career in the radio industry. He was the station manager and program director of The Catholic Channel on Sirius-XM Satellite Radio and hosted a weekly radio show from St. Patrick’s Cathedral with the archbishop of New York. In 2001, he helped launch ESPN Radio in New York. He became the station’s senior producer, and was executive producer of “The Michael Kay Show.”

He has also held a wide range of volunteer and civic positions. He has served on the Westchester Business Council’s Government Action Committee, the Mount Pleasant Rotary, the North Castle Land Trust, and the Hudson Valley Greenway. He also served two terms as vice chairman of the Westchester County Board of Ethics. Astorino earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications at Fordham University, where he also minored in Spanish and Political Science. In 2001, he studied in Barcelona, Spain, and received a Spanish Immersion Diploma from the Enforex School of International Studies.

The county executive is a lifelong resident of Westchester. He and his wife, Sheila, live in Hawthorne and are the parents of three young children: Sean, 6; Kiley Rose 4, and newborn, Ashlin Grace.

Joseph V. Apicella
Senior Vice President
Cappelli Enterprises

Mr. Apicella is a Senior Vice President with Cappelli Enterprises where he has been responsible for the acquisition, approval and construction of over $2 Billion worth of projects in his ten years with the firm. Projects include: Ossining Harbor Square (a 150 unit luxury condominium, retail and park complex on the banks of the Hudson River); Yorktown Trump Park Residence (a 141 unit luxury age restricted community); Trump Plaza New Rochelle (a 187 unit luxury condominium project and another venture with the Trump Organization); and City Center White Plains (a 750, 000 square foot mixed use project that includes 300 luxury rental units, 212 unit Trump Tower and The Lofts, and many national retailers). He is currently leading the efforts of Struever Fidelco Cappelli LLC's $3.1 billion redevelopment in downtown Yonkers.

Prior to joining Cappelli, Mr. Apicella was the Assistant Director for Waterfront/Downtown Development in Yonkers and before that the City's the Downtown Manager. He is a licensed Professional Real Estate Appraiser in the State of New York. Mr. Apicella holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science and a minor in Business Administration from Mercy College. He serves on many civic, social and business groups including; Westchester Land Trust, The NYS Assessor's Association, New Rochelle Chamber of Commerce, New Rochelle BID (Founding member), Greater Ossining Chamber of Commerce and the Yorktown Chamber of Commerce.

Thomas C. Blum
Channel Capital LLC

November 2001 to Present
Mr. Blum provides capital raising, M&A and advisory services to small companies and also makes angel investments. Examples of projects include:

• Raised over $1.9 million of financing for Supertron Technologies, Inc. an early-stage medical device company making MRI coils and continue to advise on venture capital.
• Long-term advisor to Innovative Stone Inc., a leader in the granite industry, including a recapitalization, a major business expansion and a $6 million private equity raise
• Advisor to a Detroit-based software company on sale and capital raising transactions
• Advisor to an Internet-based financial services company on venture capital raise
• Financial advisor to a leading company in the anime and manga industry
• Advisior to a Brooklyn-based medical services company
• Advised a New York bank on disposition of mortgage origination operations completed in February 2004
• Advised AthenaHealth, Inc. on a $6 million mezzanine financing completed in October 2003 and continue to be long-term consultant to company
• Raised $1 million for a healthcare IT company start-up in late 2004
• Advised a group seeking to finance the purchase of a public media company in 2003
• Advised a New York bank on the acquisition of a commercial mortgage bank in 2003
• Advised Landauer Metropolitan, Inc, a $35 million New York home healthcare company on a $12 million recapitalization, which included an $8 million private equity completed in
  Dec. 2002
• Advised a debt collection agency on capital raising in 2002
• Provided services to a Canadian investment company regarding a commercial mortgage REIT structure in 2002
• Advised Conti Liquidating Trust in several areas, including Empire Funding Corp., an Austin-based mortgage lender in 2001 and 2002

Board Member of Landauer Metropolitan, Inc., Interactive Frontiers, Inc. and Supertron Technologies, Inc. Angel Investments in nine companies since 1998, and active in pursuing opportunities to expand investment portfolio. Member of Tri-State Private Investor Network and New York Angels.

Columbia Financial Partners October 1998 - October 2001
Partner with Alan Fishman in the private equity investment firm Columbia Financial Partners. Mr. Fishman was previously Vice Chairman/CFO of Chemical Bank. Columbia made investments in the P&C insurance and financial technology areas, and considered investments in commercial real estate, auto finance, aircraft leasing, home equity lending, commercial finance and several non-financial businesses.

Columbia Financial was retained in July 1999 to manage the workout/reorganization of ContiFinancial Corp., a NYSE listed home equity lender. Mr. Fishman became the CEO and Mr. Blum ran strategic activities at Conti, including the restructuring and sale of its primary businesses, management of the commercial mortgage activities and the sale of several subsidiaries and assets. Conti and its subsidiaries filed Chapter 11 in May 2000.

Bear Stearns & Co. September 1996 - September 1998
Managing Director in Financial Institutions Investment Banking Group. Originated and helped execute M&A, equity, high yield debt and securitization transactions for commercial and consumer finance companies, banks and REITs.

Salomon Brothers Inc August 1984 - August 1996
1993 - 1996 Vice President in the Financial Institutions Group responsible for specialty finance companies. Clients included Transamerica, BankAmerica, GE Capital, Financial Federal, Associates, CIT, MBNA and others. Involved in numerous commercial and consumer finance M&A transactions and capital raising projects. Also covered financial guaranty industry, including IPO of FSA.

1989 - 1992 Ran Salomon’s Asian Financial Institutions investment banking based in Tokyo. Clients included Japanese City Banks, Trust Banks and Long-Term Credit Banks, insurance companies and finance companies, plus financial institutions in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Thailand, Korea and Taiwan. Advised Japanese banks on U.S. and European investment opportunities and helped develop Asian securitization market.

1986 - 1988 Helped pioneer the securitization market for commercial mortgages. Executed public, Euro and private placement transactions exceeding $10 billion for life insurance companies and banks. Involved in IPOs of mortgage REITs and MLPs.

1984 - 1985 Generalist in the Mortgage Finance Group
1980 - 1982 Financial Analyst in the M&A Group

Education:
Harvard Business School, Master of Business Administration, 1984. Graduated with high honors.
Princeton University, Bachelor of Science in Engineering, 1980. Magna Cum Laude. Freshman and Varsity Crew team (four years). Tower Club.

Hobbies include golf, skiing and sailing.

Kevin T. Cacace
Yonkers Chamber of Commerce

Kevin T. Cacace has served as President of the Yonkers Chamber of Commerce since 1998. Prior to assuming the role of President, he served as Vice President of Economic Development. The Yonkers Chamber of Commerce serves as the guardian and voice of the business community in the fourth largest city in New York State. Mr. Cacace serves as a Board Member of the St. Joseph’s Medical Center Housing Development Fund Corporation, The Family Service Society of Yonkers and the vice-president of Queen’s Daughters Day Care Center.

Mr. Cacace believes that education is linked with business success, and serves on the Policy Board for the Yonkers Federation of Teachers and the Advisory Board for the Lincoln High School Academy of Finance. He is also a Board Member of the Occupational/Educational Chapter of the Yonkers Public Schools. Aside from his professional responsibilities, Mr. Cacace is an active member of the East Yonkers Boys & Girls Club, Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick, and the Enrico Fermi Scholarship Fund. Mr. Cacace is a lifelong Yonkers resident. He and his wife, Claudia, have three children: Laura, Matthew, and Mary. Mr. Cacace holds an AAS degree from SUNY-Delhi.

Zenaida Chape
Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Assistant Director of Outreach

Zenaida Chape’ is the Assistant Director, Outreach Programs for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority - Office of Civil Rights. In this capacity she plays an instrumental role in the development and implementation of key aspects of the MTA’s Disadvantaged-Minority-and Women-owned Business Programs and its outreach efforts to the business community. Ms. Chape’ has been recognized for her outstanding service in providing assistance to small to mid-size firms in accessing contracting opportunities within the authority and for coordinating Diversity projects and events for MTA headquarters. Ms. Chape’ was most recently nominated to the Chair of the Competitive Edge Conference Planning Committee. A conference headed by a conglomerate of city and state agencies whose mission is to promote up-to-date contracting opportunities and workshops for the minority
business community.

Ms. Chape’ manages the customer service component of the MTA D/M/WBE program that include developing, conducting, and leading focused training workshops as well as participation in trade shows, conferences and meetings where targeted entrepreneurial groups can best be reached. Through her dedicated expanded outreach efforts in the area of recruitment and development of qualified minority firms, the MTA has maintained a high level of participation on the part of D/M/WBEs. In addition to her responsibilities, Ms. Chape’ is the associate editor of Action News, an MTA newsletter specifically geared to the minority business community. She is also an instructor for the MTA-sponsored PREP (Preparing for Profit) Program.

Prior to joining the Office of Civil Rights, Ms. Chape’ was Manager of Workforce Diversity for MTA, Metro-North Railroad. Her past experience as Executive Vice President for Administration and Finance in a minority-owned firm has afforded her the opportunity to understand and work with the many challenges and needs that minority firms encounter on a day-to-day basis. She has received various awards such as “The Caribbean American Chamber of Commerce Business and Community 2003 Women History Maker”, Apples in Gratitude Award through the Manhattan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, a 2006 recipient of the New York State Governor’s Harriet Tubman Spirit Award, 2006 Dominican Times Magazine Latina Trendsetter Award, the African American Chamber of Commerce of Westchester and Rockland County Women’s History Month Award, Recipient of the 2007 “Hispaniola Services International Woman’s Day” Award and the 2008 NYS Assembly Puerto Rican/Hispanic Legislative Task Force MWBE Leadership Award. Zenaida is also a mother of three children and a grandmother of two baby girls and a boy.

Michael M. Clay
Director, Opportunity Programs Group
mclay@ dasny.org
www.dasny.org

Michael serves as the Director of the Opportunity Programs Group for the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY) located in the corporate headquarters in Albany, N.Y., where he directs a staff of 18 professionals who facilitate and advocate for Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprises (M/WBE) participation within DASNY. Michael functions as DASNY’s internal consultant on M/WBE participation in Construction, Professional Services and Commodity procurement statewide. He has 24 years of progressive, diverse management in small business development, M/WBE compliance, Affirmation Action, Labor Relations, Purchasing and Contract Administration. Prior to his tenure at DASNY, Michael served as Director, of the Office of Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprises for the NYS Office of General Services. Michael attended Seton Hall University, School of Business, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Management and Industrial Relations.

2009 Awards received:


• New York State Federation of Hispanic Chambers of Commerce "M/WBE Advocate Award"
• The New York State Chapter of the National Association of Minority Contractors, Inc. "Equal Opportunity Advocate Award"
• Jamaica Business Resource Center "Public Sector Advocate Award"
  
  

2010 Award received:


• African American Chamber of Commerce of Westchester and Rockland Counties, Inc.
  "Ten Most Influential Blacks"

Dr. Charles DiComo
Vice President of Operations

Dr. DiComo has been with Aureon since its inception in 2001 as its Senior Scientist, Head of Operations and recently Director of Laboratories. He was instrumental in the site search, the original design and build-out of the corporate offices and CLIA-certified / CAP-accredited clinical laboratories, including the company’s Prognostic/Diagnostic Services and R&D facilities. Dr. DiComo is currently Aureon's Vice President of Operations overseeing day-to-day commercial operations, sales and customer support, corporate compliance and the intellectual property portfolio. Prior to joining Aureon, Dr. DiComo was Laboratory Head/Research Associate in the Division of Molecular Pathology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center as a Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Research Special Fellow. In this capacity, Dr. DiComo managed and coordinated day-to-day operations of the molecular and histopathology laboratories, assisted in the scientific direction of post-doctoral fellows, graduate students, and technicians, conducted independent research as part of the New York p53 Consortium, and developed state-of-the-art molecular pathology methodologies in conjunction with Dr. Carlos Cordon-Cardo. Prior to MSKCC, Dr. DiComo was a Damon Runyon-Walter Winchell Fellow at Columbia University in the Department of Biological Sciences with Dr. Carol Prives. Dr. DiComo completed his graduate studies at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories through a joint program with the University of New York at Stony Brook. His work has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals, such as Clinical Cancer Research, Oncogene and Cell. Charles holds a B.S. in Molecular and Cellular Biology and an M.S. in molecular and cellular genetics from Long Island University – C.W. Post Campus, as well as a Ph.D. in Genetics from the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Laurence P. Gottlieb
Director of Economic Development
Office of the County Executive

Appointed in January 2010 by then newly elected Westchester County Executive Robert Astorino, Laurence P. Gottlieb joined the administration as Director of Economic Development, bringing to the office over 20 years of experience as a top management executive in several major corporations, public affairs agencies and a global non-profit organization. He has served as a senior counselor to CEOs on a broad range of subject areas, including media and government relations, marketing, sustainability issues, corporate social responsibility, crisis communications and outreach across the digital divide. Mr. Gottlieb is responsible for attracting, developing, retaining and growing business in Westchester’s $26 billion economy (over 400,000 employees) for the benefit of all County residents. Both the Office of Tourism and Film, as well as Westchester’s Industrial Development Agency, report to him.

Before joining Westchester County, Gottlieb was the New York Market Leader and a Managing Director for the largest public relations agency in the world, Burson-Marsteller, as a key member of their global public affairs practice – specializing in energy and infrastructure development. His clients were a diverse mix of major domestic and global corporations, institutions of higher learning, government agencies, national coalitions, non-government organizations and eco-entrepreneurs.

Before joining Burson, he was Director of Communications for Entergy Nuclear, the second largest owner and operator of nuclear power plants in the United States. Prior to Entergy, Mr. Gottlieb was the Director of Marketing for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, responsible for global branding and marketing. Mr. Gottlieb also held the top communications position with several other firms including regional fuel provider, Castle Oil; international computer training developer, MicroVideo Learning Systems; and full-service communications company, The Seroka Group.

Mr. Gottlieb has received numerous industry awards and recognition for his work, including the Edison Electric Institute’s first–ever Advocacy Excellence Award, PR News’ Public Affairs Campaign of the Year Award and Hermes Creative Award for interactive tool development. Mr. Gottlieb was honored in 2007 with the Kids Xpress’ 1st Touch the Sky Award for his dedication to their award-winning child literacy program, as well as the Pajama Program’s Family Man of Westchester Award. He has been a recent guest speaker at numerous conferences, including the Yonkers Green Business Summit and International Restaurant & Foodservice Show; speaking on environmental trends and their impact on business. He is equally a sought-after instructor for various business trade groups and community organizations; teaching corporate positioning, crisis communications and public relations to for- and non-profit executives.

Mr. Gottlieb is a Pace University cum laude graduate, and completed the Harvard Business School’s first-ever Executive Education Program on Corporate Social Responsibility. He is board president of the Westchester Economic Development Council, an executive board member of the Westchester Business Council, a board member of the Westchester/Putnam Workforce Investment Board and remains a pro-bono advisor to several non-profit agencies throughout the region.

Roger J. Hsu
The Port Authority of New and New Jersey

Roger Hsu is the General Manager, Office of Business and Job Opportunity for The Port Authority of New and New Jersey. His office has corporate responsibility for Minority, Women, Disadvantaged and Small Business Programs. He has been employed with the Port Authority for over thirty years, initially in the Finance Department where he served as a Financial Analyst and later as an Internal Consultant with the Management Services Department, where he was responsible for conducting organizational alignment reviews. Subsequently, as a Project Economist, he recommended the creation of an International Trade Division with special emphasis on the emerging Asian market. His market analysis foretold the growth and importance of trade with China that would be to the future of the Authority. Mr. Hsu joined Business and Job Opportunity in 2001 as Manager of Policy Development and Statistical Reporting, where he was responsible for managing the agency's disparity study. In 2005, Roger was promoted to Manager of Business Utilization and Reporting. In this position, he worked closely with the agency's procurement and construction managers to identify projects where M/WBEs could work as prime contractors for the Port Authority and, to ensure participation of M/WBEs where subcontracting opportunities existed.

Roger holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from Kean University with major in Management Science and Economics. He is also a Green Belt in Six Sigma as well as a Certified Compensation Professional.

Evan Inlaw

Evan Inlaw graduated from Fordham University with a B.S. in Psychology (1988) and State University of New York at Buffalo School of Law (1991). During school, he was honored with a Teaching Scholarship, and the Robert J. Connelly Trial Technique Award. In 1992, Mr. Inlaw was admitted to practice law in New York State, thereafter, he was also admitted to practice in Federal Court, Second Circuit, Southern District.

After law school, Mr. Inlaw joined a mid-sized, medical malpractice/insurance defense firm in Manhattan for a year. And, for five years, he taught Business Law courses part-time as an adjunct professor for both Iona College in New Rochelle, New York, and Concordia College in Tuckahoe, New York. In 1993, Mr. Inlaw opened his first law office in Yonkers, New York. And, over the past 17 years, he developed a thriving practice in the areas of real estate transactions, probate, wills and trusts, criminal defense, business start-up’s and civil litigation. Mr. Inlaw prides himself on giving personal attention to every matter. A positive attitude, determination, experience, knowledge, use of computer technology and attention to detail are keys to his success.

Over the years, Mr. Inlaw has:

1. assisted many individuals and companies with buying or selling residential and commercial property, refinances, leases landlord and tenant disputes, and real estate–related litigation (trial experience).

2. probated multi-million dollar estates, and drafted wills and trusts for clients with multi-million dollar assets.

3. obtained successful results for clients arrested for various crimes in lower Westchester County, the Bronx and Manhattan (significant trial experience).

4. handled numerous business sales/purchases, incorporations, partnership agreements and dissolutions, contracts and leases. Sound legal advice is the trademark of Mr. Inlaw’s practice, and that is also what keeps his clients coming back for more. What separates Mr. Inlaw from many of his competitors is the combination of transactional experience with his strong litigation background. Many lawyers process transactions for clients, without an in-depth understanding of what to do should a legal transaction end up in court. Without that understanding, it is impossible to give legal advice of the same caliber as Mr. Inlaw’s. Mr. Inlaw is truly an authority in the legal fields of real estate, business law, criminal defense & civil litigation, probate, wills, and trusts.

Dahlia Kang

Dahlia Kang focuses on generating investment opportunities and conducting analysis of emerging information technology companies in New York and New Jersey. She also specializes in interactive marketing, digital media, wireless, enterprise infrastructure and networking communications.

Prior Experience:
Dahlia has over 5 years experience in marketing for the media, e-commerce, and interactive marketing industries. Dahlia was a marketing manager for NBC Cable Networks during the rebranding of CNBC, the launch of MSNBC and ShopNBC, and the acquisitions of Telemundo and USA. Dahlia also has experience in the financial field as an accountant in A/P management.

Education:
BA, BGS Honor Society, NYU Stern School of Business BA, Princeton University.

Larry Kalish

Larry Kalish is the Director of Marketing and Outreach for The Tech Garden. His goal is to promote economic development throughout New York State by helping upstate and downstate companies form economic and technical partnerships to take advantage of regional strengths to grow their businesses. Larry joined the Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce in 2002, when he was named Regional Director of the Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program. He has managed the Long Island, New York City, and Lower Hudson Valley region, and has grown a strong network of economic development organizations and small technology companies. He is a sales and marketing executive with extensive experience in the high-technology and communications industries. Larry was previously with Ericsson as a Global Account Manager for a client offering a worldwide VOIP communications network. Prior to that, Larry worked for NEC America where he served as the Director of Business Development for 14 years, where he helped introduce many new technologies to the US market. Larry began his career as a Components Engineer for Xerox Corporation. He was one of the first engineers to make a successful transition into sales, achieving Presidents Club status in his first full year of equipment sales. Larry holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and an MBA from Rochester Institute of Technology.

Louis C. Kirven III
Commissioner, Planning/Development
City of Yonkers

Lou Kirven serves as Commissioner and is responsible for the leadership and overall direction of the City of Yonkers Department of Planning and Development. Lou oversees business/economic development and attraction, residential and public facility development activities, strategic master planning, financial and real estate portfolio management and intergovernmental relations. Lou is a graduate of Simon’s Rock, Tufts University and Georgetown University Law Center. Lou serves on the Boards of the Westchester Community College Foundation and the Fairchester Chapter of the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) and is a member of the Urban Land Institute (ULI).

John M. Genovese
Senior Vice President, Development
Macerich

As senior vice president of development, John Genovese is responsible for the strategic direction and management of various development projects within Macerich’s national portfolio of retail shopping centers consisting of approximately 80,000,000 square feet of retail space in 24 states. During his tenure at Macerich, he has overseen the development and enhancement of various retail projects throughout the United States. Major projects include the redevelopment, renovation and expansion of Pacific View, Washington Square, and Fresno Fashion Fair. Genovese holds a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology and a Master of Business Administration from the J.L. Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. An active member of the International Council of Shopping Centers, Genovese serves on the Centerbuild Conference Committee and was recently appointed to the admission and governing committee overseeing the preparation of a new ICSC professional designation. In his spare time, Genovese enjoys traveling around the world and golfing. He currently lives in Marina del Ray, Calif.

Lash Green

Lash Green is the Director, Office of Business and Job Opportunity for The Port Authority of New and New Jersey. His office has corporate responsibility for Minority, Women, Disadvantaged and Small Business Programs. He has been employed with the Port Authority for twenty years, initially in the Human Resources Department where he served as a Business Planner and later as Manager of Organization Planning and Policy Development, where he was responsible for the review and revision of HR policies and procedures. Mr. Green joined Business and Job Opportunity in 1993 as Manager of Program Development where he was responsible for developing managing programs to expand the capacity of minority and women owned business to win contracts for Port Authority projects. His Program Development responsibilities also included labor force programs, which focused on expanding the participation of minorities and women in the construction trades. Lash was later promoted to Manager of Business Utilization. In this position he worked closely with the agency’s procurement and construction managers to identify projects where M/WBEs could work as prime contractors for the Port Authority and, to ensure participation of M/WBEs where subcontracting opportunities existed.

Lash chaired the Community Oversight Committee for the Airtrain Terminal at Jamaica Station. This project exceeded its M/WBE participation goals, while winning the Construction News 2004 Project of the Year Award of excellence. He also co-chaired the committee responsible for overseeing the agency’s most recent Disparity Study, which continues to support preference programs for M/WBEs and was adopted by the Port Authority Board of Commissioners.

Lash was promoted to General Manager in 2005, when the Division became a part of Real Estate Development. In that position he is responsible for functions leading to the increased utilization of M/WBEs in all Port Authority construction and procurement contracting. Lash holds a Master of City and Regional Planning Degree from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Sociology from Ramapo College of New Jersey.

Franklin Madison Jr.

As Managing Director and Director of Technology Programs at the Industrial and Technology Assistance Corporation of New York (“ITAC”) he is responsible for the strategic development and implementation of new initiatives to grow high-technology firms in NYC. As a trusted advisor to CEOs of high tech companies in areas as diverse as cleantech, virtualization and defense technologies, Franklin provides strategic guidance for business plan development; capital formation; technology transfer commercialization opportunities and critical partnerships. Madison’s venture capital experience on the advisory boards of Greenhills Ventures LLC; SJF Advisory Services (The consulting arm of SJF Ventures); SpringLab and most recently as a founding member of NYCSeed an early stage fund targeting software developers in partnership with The Polytechnic Institute of NYU; The New York City Investment Fund and The New York State Foundation for Science Technology and Innovation.

Franklin has served on the Board of Directors of the MIT Enterprise Forum NYC Chapter; and as a past Secretary and Treasurer of Games 4Change, Inc. (part of the Serious Games Initiative) who forges links between the electronic and casual game industry to benefit education, training, health, and public policy. For the past ten years Franklin served on the Board of Directors for battery technology market entrant Gaia Power Technologies. He currently sits on the Boards of EcoLogic Solutions and Sollega; both cleantech startups in NYC and is an advisor to EnergyHub whom he partnered with Con Edison and was named a Best Invention of 2009 by Time Magazine. Franklin currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Institute of Play which developed a high-technology chartered Middle School (Quest2Learn) which opened in Fall 2009.

In 2001 Madison was named one of Crain’s Tech 100, a listing of the Top 100 individuals in technology in New York City as chosen by Crain’s NY Business. He has provided advise to the City, State and Universities on technology based economic development (TBED) and has served on Mayor Bloombergs Telecommunications Policy Advisory Group. He has also served as a Judge for the New York Academy of Sciences Innovation in Industry Award for 2008 and 2009. Franklin has partnered for twelve years with the FastTrac program of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation for Entrepreneurial Studies and has taught hundreds of CEO’s how to be better entrepreneurs.

Jeffrey Marks

Mr. Marks has more than 25 years experience assisting early-stage businesses. During the last 15 years, he has acted as a CEO and chief business and funding strategist for many companies, including his own. In 1989, Jeff founded JDR Marketing, a direct marketing and telemarketing company that serviced Fortune 500 Corporations. The company was sold for more that $100M to NCO Group in 1999. In 2002, Mr. Marks founded the Westchester Business Accelerator with the overall goal to facilitate funding and provide business mentoring services for early-stage companies. Mr. Marks has participated as an angel investor in many seed stage investments. Mr. Marks holds a Bachelor Science in Economics from Rutgers University, Cook College.

Richard D. Matwes
Senior Real Estate Representative
Wakefern Food Corporation

Richard has been with Wakefern his whole business career for 32 years. He started his career in the Advertising Dept and worked his way up to Supervisor of the Production Dept where he was responsible for the printing and distribution of all the Shop Rite newspaper ads throughout the seven state region. His next position at Wakefern was as a Research Analyst in the Market Research Dept. where he was responsible for compiling Site Analysis reports for potential new Shop Rite that were proposed to be built.

For the past 25 years, Rich’s position at Wakefern has been Senior Real Estate Representative. He is responsible for locating, evaluating and negotiating leases for all new and replacement ShopRite and Price Rite locations in New York State, New Jersey and Staten Island. Richard has been a vital contributor in the development of 43 Shop Rites and 28 Price Rites throughout his real estate career at Wakefern ShopRite/ Wakefern Food Corporation has been a proud sponsor of Special Olympics NJ since 1988. Rich is one of the lead volunteers for this event. He devotes a great deal of time and effort into making the event a positive one for all the participants. Richard graduated with a BS in Business Administration from Trenton State College. He and his wife Lorrie reside in Springfield, NJ.

Walter E. Maxwell
Associate Director for External Affairs
NYC Department of Small Business Service

Walter E. Maxwell is the Associate Director for External Affairs within the Division of Economic and Financial Opportunity (DEFO) at the NYC Department of Small Business Services. Walter represents the NYC Department of Business Services in all aspects of the agency’s expanded involvement in minority and women-owned business programs at related events, conferences and workshops. He is also one of the agency’s primary outreach contacts at procurement related events.

Walter has been employed at DSBS since 1997 were he began as a procurement specialist. In that capacity, he assisted New York City based manufacturers and wholesale distributors in their efforts to locate and obtain Federal, State, and Local government contracts. His primary duties involved counseling and advice to new vendors on the public procurement process. Walter’s background at DSBS also includes positions within the Vendor Initiative Division, the Executive Volunteer Corps and the Street Vendor Review Panel (SVRP). Prior to government service at DSBS, he had a fifteen-year work history in Real Estate and Finance. He was a Senior Financial Accountant at Cushman & Wakefield, Inc. handling a commercial property portfolio of more than thirty properties. Before that, he was employed as an Assistant Manager of Retail Credit Collections for Marine Midland Bank, N.A.

Angelo Martinelli
Chairman
Gazette Press Inc.
16 School Street
Yonkers, NY 10701

Angelo Martinelli is Chairman of the Board of Gazette Press Inc., a business he purchased in 1948. He is also Chairman of the Board of four magazines: Delaware Today, Mainline Today, Hudson Valley and Westchester Magazine. He is also Chairman of the Board of Suburban Marketing Corp, the Yonkers Chamber of Commerce, and the Yonkers PAL. Mr. Martinelli sits on the Board of Hudson Valley Bank, Hudson Valley Holding Corp. and Hudson Valley Investment Corp. Mr. Martinelli served six terms as Mayor of the City of Yonkers. During this time he developed an enviable record of attracting new businesses to the City of Yonkers. These included Saks Fifth Avenue, Loral Electronics, Kawasaki Rail Car Industry, Robert Martin, Caldor’s and Alexander’s Department Stores.

As Chairman of the Yonkers Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Martinelli continues to display leadership in promoting the City of Yonkers and encouraging new development and new businesses in our city. During his career, Mr. Martinelli has been involved in a number of charitable and professional organizations including: President, Police Athletic League of Yonkers; President, Women’s Institute of Yonkers; President, Queens’ Daughters Day Nursery; Board Member, St. Joseph’s Medical Center; Board Member, Westchester’s Visitor’s and Convention Bureau; Member of Knights of Columbus and the Order of the Knights of Malta; Chairman, St. Patrick’s Home Advisory Board; Chairman, Yonkers Chamber of Commerce.

Mr. Martinelli has received numerous awards. The following is but a partial listing: “Man of the Year,” Jewish Community Center of Yonkers; the first “Friends of Education” award, Yonkers Federation of Teachers; Public Service Award, Municipal Housing Center Tenants Council; “Man of the Year,” B’nai B’rith Organization; Loyalty Day Award, Veterans of Foreign Wars; Citizenship Award, National Afro-American Labor Council of Westchester; Public Service Award, Puerto Rican Community Council, Spanish Community Progress Foundation and “Father of the year” for the American Diabetes Association. Mr. Martinelli attended Syracuse and Rutgers Universities. He was conferred with an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters by Mercy College in 1984. He served in the United States Army from 1944 to 1946. Mr. Martinelli and his wife Carol have been married for 59 years and reside in Yonkers. They have six sons, eleven grandchildren and one great grandson.

Jeanne Martinelli

Jeanne Martinelli is a lifetime Yonkers resident and currently the Director of Marketing for the Yonkers Chamber of Commerce. She is in charge of all membership drives in the Yonkers Business Community for the Chamber, and the event coordinator including monthly networking breakfasts, annual Women in Business Luncheon, Annual Business Hall of Fame Dinner, Annual Golf Outing and Evening Networking Receptions. She supervises the Chamber Newspaper Publication, The Progress, including sales, editorial content and layout. She is a Board of Directors member for Westchester Community College Yonkers Extension Site, St. Joseph’s Medical Center Senior Housing Board and the Community Planning Council of Yonkers. She and her husband, Chief Judge Michael Martinelli, reside in Yonkers. They have two children and one grandson.

Council Member Patricia McDow
City of Yonkers

Council Member Patricia McDow has been a part of the Southwest section of Yonkers since 1978. She is proud to have served as the City’s first female Majority Leader from January of 2006 through December of 2007. She continues to serve her constituents as the elected Council Member for District One and has represented the residents of the First District since 2004. District One is located in the southwest section of Yonkers, and includes the Yonkers Waterfront, as well as a breadth of other housing communities – small neighborhoods, multi-family apartments, large building complexes, the government center and Downtown Business District. As a Council Member representing these communities, Council Member McDow’s goals are to insure that the people of Yonkers are considered first when job opportunities are made available, that they are given the opportunity to obtain a quality education, and to maintain affordable housing opportunities in her community. Council Member McDow describes her highest priority as informing and empowering her constituents. Her dedication to engaging the communities she represents has prompted her outreach efforts to take a multilevel and multimedia approach. She holds frequent Town halls meetings, maintains important information for residents on her personal web site (www.patriciamcdow.com), sends out monthly e-mail newsletters, and maintains a Community Services Committee Advisory Board. Ms. McDow serves as Chair of the Yonkers City Council’s Committees on Community Services, Intergovernmental Relations, and Legislation & Codes. As Chair of the Community Service committee, Ms. McDow has implemented programs such as the Strategic Business Alliance of Yonkers (SBAY); a Minority and Women-Owned Business Organization, which was created to assist business owners who live or operate their business in the City of Yonkers; implemented a “Love Thyself Stop The Violence Day” in the City of Yonkers, to teach young adults that there alterative ways to express anger; developed a News Log for the Democratic Council; formulated a Community Services Committee Advisory Board; developed a Neighbors Helping Neighbors Program; and created an Online Community Newsletter. Patricia is currently assisting in the development of the Council’s Website and E-mail project, Fire Safety/Prevention Road Show and a Grandparents Forum. Patricia McDow firmly believes that “in order to be successful, you must empower yourself so that you can empower others.” To that end, she is active in many Civic and Business partnerships – such as the Yonkers Chamber of Commerce, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, and the Women in Business Committee. She also serves on many boards - such as Yonkers Downtown Waterfront BID; the Yonkers YMCA ; Sister to Sister International; Jewish Board for Children and Family Support; The Bronx, Manhattan, Yonkers M29 Joint Monitoring Committee; GrandPower advocacy project Advisory Committee, Gang & Violence Prevention Task Force and the Yonkers Sewage Treatment Advisory Group. She is an active member of the Democratic Party serving as District Leader. As the State Committee Chair, she sits on the Westchester County Democratic Committee and on the Yonkers Democratic Executive Committee and is an officer of the New York State Reform Caucus Committee.

Patricia’s community service includes volunteering as a mentor in the Martha Sloan Greenwalt Young Women's Mentoring Program, and as a member of the Yonkers Chapter of the NAACP. Ms. McDow is a board member of the Westside Youth Tennis Organization and Westchester County Women's Advisory Board. As an active member of her sorority Delta Sigma Theta, Inc., Patricia works on numerous community projects throughout Westchester County. A native New Yorker who was born in Brooklyn and raised in Manhattan & the North Bronx, Patricia attended New York City public schools. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Early Education N-6 from SUNY New Paltz and her Master of Arts Degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology from C.W. Post College. She has worked as a Speech Pathologist at Rockland Children’s Psychiatric Hospital and the Northport V.A. Hospital. As a New York State Licensed teacher, she has taught in both the Mount Vernon and Greenburgh School Districts. In 1985, Patricia decided to follow in the footsteps of her mother and become an entrepreneur. She returned to school to develop a trade in skin and nail care. As a licensed nail technician and licensed esthetician, Patricia developed her own line of cosmetics: TriciaCosmetics.com.” In addition, she is the Founder and President of TriciaBusinessImage.com, a web development and consulting firm located in Yonkers.

In addition to her active community outreach, such as her monthly e-mail newsletters and personal web site (www.patriciamcdow.com), Patricia McDow, maintains regular office hours and can be reached at her City Hall Office (40 South Broadway, Room 407, Yonkers, New York, 10701)

Self Employed:

• Tricia Business Image.Com, Web Site Development

Professional Licenses:


• New York State Teaching License N-6
• New York State Notary License
• New York State Nail Specialty
• New York State Esthetics

Memberships:


• Delta Sigma Theta, Inc.
• Democratic Club
• African-American Chamber of Commerce

Board Memberships:


• Westchester Women's Advisory
• YMCA
• Sister To Sister International
• Westside Youth Organization
• Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services
• The Bronx, Manhattan, Yonkers M29 Joint Monitoring Committee

Hobbies: Tennis, golf, scuba, reading and horse back riding.
“The future belongs to those who prepare for it today.” - Malcolm X

Michael Melnicke

Mr. Melnicke is the owner of Regency Extended Care Center. Originally from Los Angeles, California, he has resided with his wife and children in Brooklyn, NY, since 1976. He received his bachelors degree from Telshe College in Cleveland, Ohio, and is a licensed nursing home administrator in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, California and Florida. Mr. Melnicke gives generously of his time, and his Board member appointments include Peninsula Hospital Center and Long Island University. Most notably he is Ambassador at Large for the Nation of Grenada. He also serves as Chaplain for the City of New York, Rockland County, New York State Police Department, and has been a founding force in the establishment of chaplaincy programs throughout New York State.

P. Gilbert Mercurio

P. Gilbert Mercurio has been the Chief Executive Officer of the Westchester County Board of Realtors, Inc. and its subsidiary, the Westchester-Putnam Multiple Listing Service, Inc. since 1980. The Board is one of the largest local Realtor organizations in the country, representing over 6,500 real estate licensees and members of allied real estate professions in the Westchester region. The Westchester Board, together with the Putnam County Association of Realtors, owns and operates the Westchester-Putnam Multiple Listing Service, Inc., a real estate listing database service with more than 825 participating real estate offices. The Board also provides a Commercial and Investment Division, real estate education through the School of Real Estate, arbitration services, legislative advocacy, and a monthly newspaper, Real Estate In-Depth.

From 1973 to 1980 Gilbert was Director of Research and Planning for the Westchester County Association and the World Trade Club of Westchester. Previously he was an urban planner for a private consulting firm as well as the Bergen County and Westchester County Planning Departments, the latter from 1970 to 1973. His urban planning degree is from the School of Architecture of Columbia University. Gilbert has an extensive record of participation in the business and civic life of Westchester County including former service as a Director of the Westchester Housing Fund, Westchester Housing Forum, Westchester Equity Fund, and Westchester Partnership for Economic Development; Chairman of the Urban Centers Task Force of the Westchester 2000 project; President of a White Plains neighborhood association; member of the original County Commission on the Homeless, White Plains Planning Board, Housing Action Council, and White Plains Housing Information Service, among many other organizations. He is also active in his Realtor association management profession. He has served on many committees of the New York State Association of Realtors including Executive, Finance, and Legislative Steering Committee, and he is the founding chairman of the Association Executives Committee of that organization. He holds the Omega Tau Rho designation of the National Association of Realtors for exceptional service to that organization .Gilbert is a 1968 combat veteran of the Vietnam conflict and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal. He and his wife, Sharon, have three grown children and have resided in White Plains since 1970.

Larry Mentzer

District Vice President, Macys Metro New York Larry has been with Macys since 1992 and currently is the District Vice President for Macys with responsibility or 11 stores in the metropolitan New York area. The Metro NY District is the largest volume producing District in the United States. Macys currently operates over 800 stores in 69 districts. Larry's primary responsibility is Driving sales - improving the customer shopping experience - and delivering the profit plan by implementing the companies My Macys strategy. My macys is a localization effort to ensure that each store has an assortment that is congruent with what the local customer expects to find in her macys. In addition to leading 11 stores - Larry also has a team of 4 District directors responsible or Operations - Loss Prevention - Human Resources and Visual Execution reporting to him as well as a team of District merchants and planners - all focused on improving the shopping experience and driving sales. Larry graduated from Youngstown State University in 1989 with a Bachelors degree in Advertising / marketing. He and his wife Linda reside in East Windsor, New Jersey.

Brian Model

Brian is responsible for Stonehenge Capital's Early Stage and Start-Up investment activities in New York State. Stonehenge currently has 8 active Early Stage and Start-Up portfolio companies in New York. He has been with the firm since 2001. Prior to joining Stonehenge, Mr. Model spent 12 years in the retail industry as Founder of a men’s sportswear e-tailer, Vice President and Merchandise Manager of an upscale multi-store apparel retailer in New Jersey and as a graduate of the Macy's Executive Training Program in San Francisco. Brian received his undergraduate degree in Economics from Duke University. He has an MBA with Honors from Columbia Business School in Finance and Technology.

Brian is active in the regional venture investing community, speaking at events sponsored by UVANY (the Upstate Venture Association of New York), the Business Council of New York, the Silicon Alley Entrepreneurs Club and Columbia Business School. Brian has served as a judge for business plan competitions and venture financing events sponsored by the Empire State Venture Group, UNYTECH, SIIA (Software & Information Industry Association), NY Venture Summit, The Wharton School, and Columbia Business School. In addition, Brian serves as a mentor for Columbia Business School’s Lang Fund.

Luann Parker

Luann Parker has spent the last 3 years with Clearview Cinemas overseeing their real estate portfolio of 48 units within the NY metro area. She is responsible for new real estate and construction development, acquisitions, lease management, property management, facility upgrades and surplus property management. Clearview is a wholly owned subsidiary of Cablevision Corporation which offers the optimum reward benefit (i.e., free Tuesdays) to its subscribers visiting any Clearview location.

Prior to Clearview, she spent 7 years at Yum brands moving up the ranks to become their Director of Real Estate & Construction for the northeast corridor where she was responsible for development of 20-30 KFC, TB and PH company units annually. During her time there, she also oversaw all lease, property and surplus management of Yum’s 5000 plus company operated restaurants. While she enjoyed a fruitful tenure at Yum, her fast food beginnings were at McDonalds Corporation where she was responsible for real estate development in several boroughs of NYC, namely Manhattan.

Although Luann has spent half her career in the food industry, she began her real estate career within Macy’s real estate department the day after their Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in Jan 1992. She had the opportunity to assist with the company’s reorganization, dispose of underperforming assets and work on the Macy Furniture Store expansion program in the northeast as the chain emerged from bankruptcy to merge with Federated Dept Stores.

Anthony J. Peterson
Project Associate, Affirmative Action Department
Hugh L. Carey Battery Park City Authority

Anthony Peterson is a Project Associate with the Affirmative Action Department for the Hugh L. Carey Battery Park City Authority (BPCA), A New York State public benefit corporation whose mission is to plan, develop and maintain a balanced community of commercial, residential, retail, and park space within its designated 92-acre site located on the southern tip of Manhattan. Mr. Peterson is responsible for ensuring the Authority’s compliance with Article 15a which requires state agencies to award a portion of their contracts to certified minority and women-owned business enterprises (M/WBE). He also alerts qualified M/WBE’s to contract opportunities with both the Authority and its tenant developers. He has been a key figure in the planning and coordination of numerous workshops intended to provide information and opportunities to M/WBE’s, such as the annual Competitive Edge Conference attended by several hundred businesses owners and various state and local agency representatives.

Mr. Peterson began his relationship with BPCA / Battery Park City Park Corp. (BPCPC) in June 1987 as a part-time employee. Over the years he grew to the position of Recreation Leader for BPCPC, then Recreation Site Supervisor for BPCA while also working as the Affirmative Action Department’s Project Associate on a part-time basis. During that period, he assisted in obtaining contracts totaling over $41 million for M/WBE’s in 1999 alone. He was then hired as a full-time Project Associate. Through the years, Mr. Peterson has watched Battery Park City develop into the thriving business and residential community it is today. Mr. Peterson resides in Nassau County with his wife, Antoinette and two kids.

Stephanie Pierce
Client Development Director
Stamford Towers
750 Washington Boulevard
Stamford, CT 06901
230-975-6017
stephanie.d.pierce@citi.com

Stephanie Pierce, SVP, Region Manager for Citibank's Commercial Banking Group. Stephanie is responsible for a team of nine Relationship Managers/ Business Development Officers who cover the Westchester, Rockland and Connecticut marketplace. She and her team support our existing client base in these markets, as well as prospect for new business clients. Stephanie has 19 years experience in banking, with the last 10 years working here at Citi. She brings a wealth of knowledge regarding all commercial banking products, including depository, lending, cash management and investments to take care of all her client's needs.

William T. Regan
Deputy Mayor
City of Yonkers
40 South Broadway
Yonkers, NY 10701

William T. Regan was appointed Deputy Mayor of Yonkers in January 2004. He brings with him more than thirty years of service in local government including Westchester County, the City of Yonkers as Assistant to the Mayor and Assistant City Manager, and as Village Administrator for North Tarrytown. Just prior to returning to Yonkers City Hall, Mr. Regan was Administrator for the Village of Bronxville for ten years. Born and raised in Yonkers, Bill Regan has a Master of Public Administration from New York University. He served with the United States Marine Corps from 1966-1969. For the past twenty years he has resided in Yonkers with his wife, Francine, and two daughters, Kim and Courtney.

Alexander Sajdak

Mr. Sajdak is the Administrator of Regency Extended Care Center. He was born and raised in the city of Yonkers, attending St. Casimir Grammar School, and Sacred Heart High School. He received his undergraduate degree from SUNY Purchase and his MBA from Pace University. He is a Board member of the Yonkers Chamber of Commerce and Sacred Heart High School in Yonkers.

Nancy A. Shenker
Founder & CEO
theONswitch®

Since starting theONswitch in 2003, Nancy has helped a wide range of businesses launch, re-brand, and flourish. Prior to starting her venture, she worked in various business development and marketing positions, had bottom-line responsibility, and is experienced in all media (print and electronic) and companies of all sizes. Although Nancy was raised in the “traditional” media era, she has embraced the web as a critical brand- and revenue-building medium, and theONswitch has succeeded in using combinations of “old and new media” to deliver huge increases in lead volume and sales for a variety of businesses, including real estate, health and wellness, food, retail, education, and others. Her clients include small start-ups, as well as large national brands. Among her corporate accomplishments is the launch of Citibank’s Connecticut branches. She also developed a proprietary database system to identify new retail customers, researched and launched numerous new products/services, played a lead role in MasterCard’s “Priceless” campaign roll-out and managed event marketing for the world’s largest producer of business trade shows, spanning 40 industries.

She holds an AB in English and Psychology from of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and a Graduate Diploma in Book Publishing from New York University. She also completed Kellogg’s Executive Communications program and teaches Marketing at New York University. In addition to serving as the President of the Westchester/Fairfield Chapter of Women in Communications, Nancy is a member of the Westchester Business Council and the Westchester County Association, and is a Contributing Editor for the New York Enterprise Report, the Putnam Examiner, and Canada Camps magazines. She has been published and quoted in The New York Times, Smart Money TV, Business Week, Enterpreneur.com, Brilliant Results, The Stamford Advocate, the Westchester Business Journal, AT&T’s and Lowe’s websites, and other publications.

She is the co-author of Your Handy Dandy Guide to the Web, an overview of web development and author of Your Handy Dandy Guide to Trade Shows and the 10 Volts tip series (www.10volts.com). Her involvement in new media and social networking is significant, and she speaks frequently to business groups and associations on new media and viral marketing. She serves on the Board of Yonkers Partners in Education.

Richard Sosnovy

Richard Sosnovy is the Vice President of Real Estate at Dress Barn, Inc., a woman’s apparel retailer headquartered in Suffern, New York. Dress Barn, Inc. is a publically traded company with over 2,400 stores. He has been with Dress Barn for over 19 years. His principal duties include site selection and lease negotiation. Prior to working at Dress Barn he has worked for such retailers as Weight Watchers International, Linens & Things and Loehmann’s. Richard has been an active participant in the ICSC over the last 20 years. He has served as New York Idea Exchange and Deal Making Co-Chair, Retail Runway Co-Chair and recently as New York State/Northern New Jersey State Director. Richard received his BS in Business Administration from Fairleigh Dickinson University

John Swagerty
Vice President, Retail Development, Forest City Ratner Companies

Spent 8 years with Forest City Ratner Companies, working on Ridge Hill the entire time (among other projects) Involved with the approvals, design, budgeting, financing, and corporate reporting of the project Graduate of Yale University, Master’s Degree in Real Estate from NYU.