CRAINSNEW YORK BUSINESS

Grocers latest target for lawsuits P. 5 | “Crazy” ideas to x transit and housing P. 7 | Brooklyn blogger gets local scoop P. 32

NEW YORK BUSINESS®®®® DECEMBER 4 - 10, 2017 | PRICE $3.00

Our annual ranking of the city’s 100 most innovative, inclusive and empowering PAGE 14 VOL. XXXIII, NO.49 WWW.CRAINSNEWYORK.COM employers

NEWSPAPER

P001_CN_20171204.indd 1 12/1/17 8:14 PM DECEMBER 4 - 10, 2017 CRAINSNEW YORK BUSINESS

FROM THE NEWSROOM | BRENDAN O’CONNOR | MANAGING EDITOR IN THIS ISSUE

The power of naps 4 IN CASE YOU MISSED IT 5 RETAIL “TO EXPAND nap capabilities.” at’s how an executive at 6 WHO OWNS THE BLOCK Tishman Speyer, one of the city’s largest commercial land- 7 URBAN PLANNING Corporations lords, recently described one reason behind the rm’s plans must lead to enhance the “tenant wellness” oerings at 30 Rockefeller 8 SPOTLIGHT the way on equal pay Center. ose plans are part of a broader eort aimed at help- 10 ASKED & ANSWERED ing more of Tishman’s multitude of city properties qualify 12 VIEWPOINTS for Fitwel certication, an increasingly popular scoring sys- FEATURES tem that rates a building’s wellness amenities, similar to how LEED certication measures environmental sustainability. 14 BEST PLACES TO WORK IN NYC Fitwel categories range from the prevalence of signs encouraging tenants to wash their hands or take the stairs Millennials want to to the availability of lactation rooms and air-purication systems. As of early November, more than 300 buildings “be working where across North America had applied for or earned a Fitwel there’s an overt ranking, according to Joanna Frank, president and CEO of emphasis on quality the Center for Active Design, the New York–based non- prot spearheading the program. of life.” And that’s a P. 32 C. ZAWADI MORRIS Judging from the plethora of amenities oered by the good thing companies on this year’s Best Places to Work list (starting 32 GOTHAM GIGS on page 14), more are on the way. “Millennials want to be 33 SNAPS working where there’s an overt emphasis on quality of life,” Frank told Crain’s senior reporter Daniel Geiger last month. “Companies are realizing they need to oer it to 34 FOR THE RECORD attract and retain talent.” 35 PHOTO FINISH

So while workers of a certain generation may snicker at the concept of unlimited CORRECTION vacation days, in-oce yoga classes and dedicated nap rooms, those perks are and The budget for a ood-protection plan for Red will continue to become a routine part of New Yorkers’ work-a-day lives. Hook is $100 million. That information was And that’s a good thing. While the companies on this year’s list represent a range misstated in “Possibility of more change ripples through Red Hook,” published Nov. 13. of industries—from accounting to nance, health care and construction—they also share a common commitment to the well-being of their employees. By supporting a work environment that values transparency, self-reliance, diversity, innovation and empowerment, these businesses generate gains beyond the bottom line and help en- sure that New York City will continue to be the capital of the business world. For the record, I’ve yet to work at a company that provides space for naps. But I’m no stranger to the benets of taking one. Back when I worked at ESPN the Magazine, I would oen take advantage of the couch in my boss’s oce to grab a little midday ON THE COVER shut-eye. More oen than not, he’d be in his oce during those times, but we were PHOTO: ISTOCK comfortable enough with the arrangement that it never warranted much discussion. CRAIN COMPOSITE Of course, when folks who didn’t know us so well would happen by, they would in- variably comment on the absurdity of it. Turns out, we were just ahead of the times.

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CONFERENCE CALLOUT JAN. 25 Go to CrainsNewYork.com CRAIN’S BUSINESS READ Mayor Bill de Blasio BREAKFAST FORUM announced senior staff changes. Deputy State Senate Majority Leader > Mayors Anthony Shorris John J. Flanagan will be on and Richard Buery will hand to discuss area politics, leave their posts while remedies for transit crises Emma Wolfe will become and priorities for the start chief of staff. of New York’s legislative session. ■ Tech companies, including homegrown Etsy and Shutterstock, pushed the Federal NEW YORK ATHLETIC CLUB Communications Commission to preserve the net neutrality rules established by the 8 to 9:30 a.m. Obama administration. [email protected] ■ Maimonides Medical Center will lay off up to 200 employees to cut costs. Vol. XXXIII, No. 49, Dec. 4, 2017—Crain’s New York Business (ISSN 8756-789X) is published weekly, except for double issues the weeks of June 26, July 10, July 24, Aug. 7, Aug. 21 and Dec. 19, by Crain Communications Inc., 685 Third Ave., ■ A pair of Manhattan landlords reached New York, NY 10017. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY, and additional mailing of ces. Postmaster: Send address changes to: Crain’s New York Business, Circulation Department, 1155 Gratiot Ave., Detroit, MI 48207-2912. a $1 million settlement with City Hall after For subscriber service: Call 877-824-9379. Fax 313-446-6777. $3.00 a copy, $99.95 one year, $179.95 two years. they were caught running illegal hotels. (GST No. 13676-0444-RT) ©Entire contents copyright 2017 by Crain Communications Inc. All rights reserved. BUCK ENNIS, NYC.GOV

2 | CRAIN’S NEW YORK BUSINESS | DECEMBER 4, 2017

P002_CN_20171204.indd 2 12/1/17 8:19 PM WHAT’S NEW DECEMBER 4, 2017

AGENDADebate the details, not the premise: Region must accommodate growth

coping out the long-term future of New York City is no small undertaking, so the Regional Plan Association could be forgiven for taking 21 years and nearly 400 pages to do so. And it was worth the wait, as the century-old think tank came up with 61 Srecommendations to make the metro area better for the next generation. One of them, however, was rejected in a New York minute: closing the subway system on weekdays from 12:30 a.m. to 5 a.m. so repairs and WORK TO DO: maintenance can be performed faster and more cheaply (see page 7). e A new blueprint explains how mayor called a 24/7 subway a “birthright,” and criticism echoed across the transit social media. “RPA board members and ocers need to take the subway system could be modernized aer midnight and see that they’re jammed with working New Yorkers, in just 15 not the leisure classes who attend cocktail parties and galas,” Columbia years. history professor Mitchell Moss tweeted. e numbers don’t lie, though. Only 1.5% of weekday trips are taken a more nimble, cost-ecient way to move people around at 2 a.m. during those four and a half hours. RPA is right to ask whether the other e other ideas in the massive blueprint also merit consideration. We 98.5% would be much smoother if maintenance crews could clean and x worry, though, that many New Yorkers do not agree with its premise: that tracks uninterrupted ve nights a week. While the Metropolitan Transpor- the city and region must accommodate growth. ey believe preserving the tation Authority nixed the idea, it has previ- status quo will keep New York from becom- ously cited a lack of capacity when shiing Only 1.5% of subway trips occur late ing more unaordable. In fact, it will do the track-work funding to other purposes. Per- opposite. We must do more of what made the haps it’s time to admit that was an excuse to at night. If crews could work then, the region great—build and connect train lines pay for Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s pet projects. other 98.5% could be much smoother and erect housing alongside them. And we To be sure, New Yorkers treasure know- must upgrade existing infrastructure, which ing that no matter when they reach a plat- requires money and inconvenience. form, a train will eventually come. But late nights on the subway are of- e bottom line is, something needs to change. New York cannot let ten an adventure. Long waits are routine, and no one can gure out the housing demand keep outpacing construction nor wait an estimated 50 intermittent closures from the MTA’s confusing signage, especially aer years just to replace the antiquated signals that cause so many subway de- a night on the town. Street trac is light during the wee hours, so buses— lays. RPA says its plan will yield a modern transit system in only 15. If the which should be trackable by Uber-style smartphone apps—might well be MTA or the politicians have a better way, let’s hear it. — THE EDITORS

FINE PRINT After ve years of debate, the City Council approved legislation last week requiring construction cranes to be taken out of commission after 25 years. Old cranes can develop hard-to-detect weaknesses, require additional maintenance and run on obsolete technology—all of which make them less safe as time goes on. A leading contractors’ association supported the law.

BY GERALD SCHIFMAN STATS

25 WORDS OR LESS DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY TO ALLEVIATE THE CITY’S housing crunch, apartments could be built in commutable suburbs—particularly on parking lots near AND THE C We have synthetics. train stations. But there are hurdles. “We have drugs. We have the opioid epidemic. Bingo is ITY not a threat to the Number of residents that Square feet of land used solely new homes on these lots young people of for parking within half a mile of would accommodate commuter rail stations 662K New York.” 1M —State Sen. Robert Ortt on a new Portion of commuter rail station Nassau County train station % areas with sewers where Gaming Commission rule forbidding areas with sewers and zoning allowing for apartment buildings 16 multifamily housing is forbidden people under 18 from playing bingo 47

GETTY IMAGES ADDICTED TO NUMBERS? GET A DAILY DOSE AT @STATSANDTHECITY. SOURCE: Regional Plan Association

DECEMBER 4, 2017 | CRAIN’S NEW YORK BUSINESS | 3

P003_CN_20171204.indd 3 12/1/17 8:49 PM AGENDA ICYMI CRAINSNEW YORK BUSINESS president K.C. Crain senior executive vice president Chris Crain group publisher Mary Kramer

EDITORIAL Councilman’s rushed rezoning managing editor Brendan O’Connor assistant managing editors Erik Engquist, stalls tower in progress Jeanhee Kim, Robin D. Schatz copy desk chief Telisha Bryan AST WEEK City Councilman Ben Kallos shepherded art director Carolyn McClain photographer Buck Ennis through his chamber a 10-block rezoning of the Sutton deputy web editor Peter D’Amato Place area that will result in shorter and squatter build- senior reporters Joe Anuta, Aaron Elstein, L Matthew Flamm, Daniel Geiger ings than are currently allowed. He said they would t in with the reporters Jonathan LaMantia, Caroline Lewis varied character of the tony enclave without sacricing too much data reporter Gerald Schifman of the square footage that could be built in the future. While that columnist Greg David sounds like reasonable planning, his motivation was far dierent. contributors Tom Acitelli, Theresa Agovino, Will Bredderman, Yoona Ha, Miriam Kereinin Kallos and a group of residents known as the East River Fi ies Souccar, Cara S. Trager, Alliance wanted to zone out of existence a luxury condo tower to contact the newsroom: being built along East 58th Street. www.crainsnewyork.com/staff 212.210.0100 So blatant was their gambit that the City Planning Commis- 685 Third Ave., New York, NY 10017-4024

sion put a clause in the rezoning to protect the 800-foot project. OBJECT OF IRE: Gamma’s under-construction tower no ADVERTISING longer complies with zoning. For now. But Kallos removed it and fast-tracked his legislation’s approval www.crainsnewyork.com/advertise to ensure the developer, Gamma, could not complete a founda- advertising director Irene Bar-Am, 212.210.0133, [email protected] tion in time to squeak in under the old zoning rules. e company protested. “In order to accelerate the process senior account managers so that the project can be stopped 15 days before its completion,” Gamma said, “the council has allowed multiple Lauren Black, Zita Doktor, Rob Pierce, Stuart Smilowitz violations of [its] own rules.” senior marketing coordinator Gamma complained that the rezoning would put its construction crew out of work just before the holidays and Charles Fontanilla, 212.210.0145 possibly until June, when it expects to win the right to proceed from an appeals panel. But the episode shows the [email protected] sales coordinator Devin Arroyo, council’s willingness to bend the very rules it o en accuses developers of skirting. Extell Development recently 212.210.0701, [email protected] led plans for a 775-foot building that would be the Upper West Side’s tallest (see Who Owns the Block, page 6). CUSTOM CONTENT Extell purchased air rights that it contends allow its project to be built without council approval. Councilwoman director of custom content Helen Rosenthal Patty Oppenheimer, 212.210.0711, begged to dier. “I will ght this current proposal with every tool at my disposal,” she said. [email protected] As the latest round in the bare-knuckle brawl that is New York City development has shown, that may include custom project manager Danielle Brody, taking tactics right out of an adversary’s playbook. – JOE ANUTA [email protected] EVENTS www.crainsnewyork.com/events director of conferences & events People of interests DATA POINT Restaurant Law Center over a statute Courtney Williams, 212.210.0257, Shared-workspace startup WeWork ac- that requires fast-food operators to [email protected] OF THE 17 LARGEST BUS quired Meetup, a social network that deduct contributions to nonprots, manager of conferences & events allows people with similar interests to SYSTEMS IN THE U.S., NEW YORK claiming it steers dues to entities such Adrienne Yee, [email protected] events coordinator Ashlee Schuppius, get together. Meetup’s 35 million mem- CITY TRANSIT IS THE SLOWEST. ITS as the Service Employees International [email protected] bers run the gamut from cra speople Union. to drone racers. BUSES AVERAGE 7.4 MPH, WITH AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT British entrée group director, audience development MANHATTAN’S BRINGING UP THE Jennifer Mosley, [email protected] A Koch-fueled good Time Hudson Yards added a London-based Meredith Corp., with nancial backing REAR AT AN AVERAGE OF 5.5 MPH. hospitality giant to its menu. Rhubarb REPRINTS reprint account executive Lauren Melesio, by the Koch brothers, bought Time Inc. will open a 5,800-square-foot eatery 212.210.0707 for $2.8 billion. Time’s stable of People, at the Shops & Restaurants at Hud- Sports Illustrated and Fortune, among He’s leaving his 10-year-old startup “af- son Yards mall. e main course is a PRODUCTION production and pre-press director others, now comingles with Better ter months of reection” on his ambi- 10,000-square-foot dining and event Simone Pryce Homes & Gardens and Family Circle. tions.” Yahoo, which is now under the space on the 92nd oor of 30 Hudson media services manager Nicole Spell Koch Equity Development handed Mer- Verizon subsidiary Oath, bought Tum- Yards. – CHRIS KOBIELLA SUBSCRIPTION CUSTOMER SERVICE edith $650 million in preferred equity to blr for $1.1 billion in 2013. www.crainsnewyork.com/subscribe consummate the marriage. Payment in Kind [email protected] 877.824.9379 (in the U.S. and Canada). Getting to the bottom of the hole story Manhattan-based Kind Snacks is selling $3.00 a copy for the print edition; or $99.95 Hornblower, operator of the six-month- a minority stake to Mars. Kind is report- one year, $179.95 two years, for print old NYC Ferry, is under a Mayor Bill de edly valued at more than $4 billion. e subscriptions with digital access. Blasio–mandated investigation a er one purveyor of M&M’s and Snickers bars Entire contents ©copyright 2017 ferry crashed, ve were dry-docked be- is hoping to make the healthy-snack Crain Communications Inc. All rights cause of leaks, and the U.S. Coast Guard brand a major global player. reserved. ©CityBusiness is a registered ordered another three out of service. trademark of MCP Inc., used under license New York’s honed-down newspaper agreement. Buzz saw Tronc is slimming the struggling Daily CRAIN COMMUNICATIONS INC Digital publisher BuzzFeed is cutting News by eliminating senior ad salespeo- chairman Keith E. Crain 8% of its global workforce, mostly in ple—including two execs—and trim- vice chairman Mary Kay Crain its U.S. client service, ad solutions and ming the nance and IT departments. Born to run and run and run president K.C. Crain senior executive vice president Chris Crain marketing areas. In Europe, editorial e editor-in-chief, investigations edi- Spingsteen on Broadway has been secretary Lexie Crain Armstrong staers are taking the blade. is aects tor and deputy editor are also leaving at extended again at the Walter Kerr editor-in-chief emeritus Rance Crain roughly 100 people in a company that the end of the year. eatre, through June 30. e show chief nancial of cer Robert Recchia was hoping to go public. was originally slated through Nov. founder G.D. Crain Jr. [1885-1973] Pulling a fast one 26 and then stretched to February, chairman Mrs. G.D. Crain Jr. [1911-1996] Blogging out e city and its consumer aairs com- when the Boss will get a break be- David Karp, founder and CEO of blog missioner are being sued by the Na- fore taking the stage again in March.

GAMMA REAL ESTATE, GETTY IMAGES GAMMA REAL ESTATE, service Tumblr, is deleting his posts. tional Restaurant Association and the

4 | CRAIN’S NEW YORK BUSINESS | DECEMBER 4, 2017

P004_CN_20171204.indd 4 12/1/17 8:52 PM AGENDA RETAIL

New York stores caught in web of litigation Lawsuits slam businesses for websites unusable by the blind BY AARON ELSTEIN

er President George H.W. Bush signed the bins, executive director of the Lawsuit Reform Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990, Alliance of New York. “We support the ADA, but a businesses spent big sums installing wheel- law with such good intentions cannot be allowed to chair ramps and clearing impediments that be exploited so a few law rms can turn a prot.” Aprevented disabled people from entering their stores and oces. But many rms never got around to mak- $16,000 a pop ing their websites usable for the blind—an emerging Gottlieb said he and other lawyers are not reaping issue in this era of e-commerce. large sums because the ADA bars damages from being Now a Manhattan lawyer is hauling local companies awarded in these suits, most of which are settled out into court over this. Jerey Gottlieb last week brought of court. Attorneys who le these cases are allowed to suits against grocers Fairway Market, Gris tedes and pursue collection of their legal fees, which the Law- Key Food for operating websites that allegedly violate suit Reform Alliance said are about $16,000 per case. the ADA. He has led about 25 similar cases in recent Plaintis are allowed a maximum of $500 per settle- months, court records show. ment under New York law. “All we are asking is [for] these companies [to] “ese cases are not about money—there are no fulll their legal and moral obligation,” said Gottlieb, windfalls to be had here,” Gottlieb said. “Frankly, whose oce is in the Gramercy area. my rst reaction when I learned about this [website SITES TO THE BLIND: Software that would make websites Scores of New York companies, ranging from Bul- accessibility] problem was surprise that it’s still a ADA-compliant can cost $100,000. gari to Zabar’s, have been sued for failing to make their problem.” website ADA-compliant, according to records in Man- e race to the courthouse turned into a frenzy hattan federal court. Staten Island–based Key Food starting in June, a er a case involving a Florida su- the Florida trial, although an expert for the plainti and Manhattan-based Fairway and Gristedes did not permarket went to trial and a federal judge ruled the reckoned it could be done for as little as $35,000. respond to requests for comment. retailer’s website had to be as accessible as its stores. Gottlieb, who runs a two-attorney rm with his e business community is not pleased to be on the In August a federal judge in Brooklyn ruled a blind daughter that specializes in consumer and employ- receiving end of this litigation wave. plainti had a “substantive right” to use an art-supply ment law, expects to remain busy ling suits because “Bombarding businesses with a bunch of law- retailer’s website. he thinks 90% of business websites violate the ADA. suits to get quick settlements is not the purpose of Installing so ware that makes a website accessible “Companies have had 27 years to comply with the the ADA, and it doesn’t make the internet more ac- to the blind costs as much as $100,000, according to law,” he said. “ey can’t argue this is something they cessible for the visually impaired,” said Tom Steb- an expert who testied on behalf of the defendant at didn’t know about. ” ■

At last, relief from dreaded rent tax Smaller shops spared by bill BY WILL BREDDERMAN In connecti on with the acquisiti on of First Niagara Financial Corporati on by KeyCorp, and SOME 1,800 SHOPS, RESTAURANTS and other Man- pursuant to an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justi ce, KeyBank Nati onal Associati on hattan businesses will no longer have to pay the com- off ers the properti es listed below for sale, assignment or sublease to interested depository mercial rent tax, thanks to a bill passed by the City insti tuti ons off ering deposit and credit products and services. These properti es are currently Council last week and backed by Mayor Bill de Blasio. uti lized as bank branches where existi ng branch operati ons are, subject to regulatory approval, e measure, pushed by Manhattan Councilman Daniel Garodnick and the Manhattan Chamber of ceasing as of the close of business on December 8, 2017. KeyBank Nati onal Associati on, through Commerce, raises the threshold for paying the 3.9% local brokers designated below, will entertain off ers on these properti es from qualifi ed depos- tax, which currently hits all businesses between 96th itory insti tuti ons and, subject to Department of Justi ce approval, from non-depository bidders Street and Murray Street paying more than $250,000 should no commercially appropriate off ers from qualifi ed depository insti tuti ons be received. a year in rent. Beginning July 1, those with rents of up to $500,000 a year will be exempted, while about 900 KeyBank Lease Local Contact Company Branch Address City State Zip Interest Expirati on Broker Phone Email Address Name brick-and-mortar establishments earning $5 million Name Date Name Number to $10 million and/or paying $500,000 to $550,000 in Buff alo rent will receive a credit against the excise. Cushman Tyler Pine Ave 2407 Pine Ave Niagara Falls NY 14301 Leased 9/30/2021 Wakefi eld 716-878-9625 tbalenti [email protected] “Anyone with eyes to see knows there is a crisis Balenti ne Pyramid with our mom-and-pop stores,” de Blasio said at a Northtown Cushman Plaza Richard press conference, alluding to their closures across the 3051 Sheridan Dr Amherst NY 14226 Own N/A Wakefi eld 716-852-7500 [email protected] (Eggert Schechter Pyramid city. “We have to right a wrong here.” Sheridan) e new law, which the mayor previously resisted Hudson because it will cost the city $36.8 million in tax reve- Valley Perlmutt er Spring David nue in scal 2019, marks the rst breath of relief for 193 Route 59 Spring Valley NY 10977 Leased 8/31/2019 Properti es, 914-262-0026 david@perlmutt erproperti es.com Valley Perlmutt er businesses paying the impost since 2001. e city in- Inc Yon- Perlmutt er David troduced the tax in 1963 to plug budget gaps but ex- kers-Water- 66 Main St Yonkers NY 10701 Leased 2/28/2020 Properti es, 914-262-0026 david@perlmutt erproperti es.com Perlmutt er empted businesses outside the most prosperous areas front Inc Perlmutt er Oakwood David of Manhattan in the 1990s. Since then, the number of 2515 South Rd Poughkeepsie NY 12601 Leased 6/30/2018 Properti es, 914-262-0026 david@perlmutt erproperti es.com Commons Perlmutt er businesses hitting the $250,000 threshold has explod- Inc ed, said Garodnick, who proposed his bill in 2015. Rochester Cushman Mount 3603 Mount Read Chris “Every year of inaction by the city has basically been Greece NY 14616 Leased 5/31/2030 Wakefi eld 585-248-9426 [email protected] Read Blvd Guinta a tax hike on small businesses who were never meant Pyramid to be aected by this tax in the rst place,” he said. ■

DECEMBER 4, 2017 | CRAIN’S NEW YORK BUSINESS | 5 AGENDA WHO OWNS THE BLOCK REAL ESTATE

50 W. 66TH ST.

Race to build Upper West Side’s tallest tower Extell Development wants to reach 775 feet on West 66th Street, but getting to 670 feet is proving dif cult enough

BY TOM ACITELLI

200 AMSTERDAM AVE. n Nov. 27 Extell Development Co., Lincoln Square Synagogue’s Orthodox congre- one of the city’s more proli c devel- gation sold what was then a 12,000-square- opers, unveiled plans for what would foot site that included 200 and 208 Amster- be the tallest tower on the Upper dam Ave. to Manhattan-based ownership group American Continental Properties for $27.7 mil- OWest Side: a 775-foot residential spire on West lion in 2007. The sides also swapped parcels 66th Street between Columbus Avenue and Cen- across West 66th Street. Using air rights, Amer- tral Park West. ican Continental assembled a development site 47 W. 66TH ST. of about 100,000 square feet. But the neighborhood’s City Council member, It was that site that New Jersey-based SJP The 14-story, nearly 434,000-square- Helen Rosenthal, quickly labeled the plan a “clas- Properties, the private development rm that foot building is one of a handful that Walt Disney Co. subsidiary American sic bait-and-switch.” She was referring to Extell’s Steven Pozycki founded, and Japanese develop- er Mitsui Fudosan acquired for $275 million in Broadcasting Co. owns in the area. earlier plans for a 25-story building on the site, 2015. The pair plans to build a 670-foot, 112- Others include 147 Columbus Ave., which it assembled through a partnership with unit condo tower with views of Central Park and 77 W. 66th St. and 54 W. 67th St. the Hudson River. The building at 47 W. 66th St., which another landowner on the block and through $202 serves as ABC News headquarters and million in air-rights deals with the Jewish Guild which in 2014 was named for Barbara for the Blind, at 15 W. 65th St., and  e Walt Dis- Walters, went up in 1979. ney Co., which owns properties in the area. “At 775 feet, this building is far too tall for the context of our neighborhood, overshad- 180 AMSTERDAM AVE. owing nearby buildings and Central Park,” Lincoln Square Synagogue 36-40 W. 66TH ST. Rosenthal said in a Nov. 29 statement. “It is acquired this site from Ameri- Manhattan-based Megalith Capi- 175 feet taller than the highest building in can Continental Properties for tal Management, which Sam Sidhu $10.8 million in 2007. A new the area, located at 69th and Amsterdam.” founded in 2009, bought this trio of synagogue opened in 2013.  e height of Extell’s project—50 W. 66th of ce buildings from Disney for $85 St.—would surpass even the proposed height million in 2014. They totaled 16,746 square feet. In late 2015 Megalith of 200 Amsterdam Ave., a few blocks north- led plans for a 262-foot, 160-unit west. At a planned 670 feet, that condo tower had apartment building in place of the been slated to become the Upper West Side’s tallest properties. That has since morphed into a proposal for a 775-foot tower in building. partnership with Extell Development. As with Extell’s building, the scale of 200 Am- sterdam is only possible through air rights—in- 44 W. 66TH ST. cluding some from West End Avenue, one long block away.  e acquisitions allowed developers In December 2014 Extell Development bought this 12,537-square-foot syna- 15 CENTRAL PARK WEST SJP Properties and Mitsui Fudosan to expand gogue from Congregation Habonim for their tower’s zoning lot to 100,000 square feet even $45 million. Extell has partnered with With the nancial backing of Gold- man Sachs, developers Arthur and though its footprint would be 10,800. (Both build- Megalith Capital on what would be the Upper West Side’s tallest tower. A syn- William Lie Zeckendorf in 2004 ings’ assemblages involved deals with local syna- agogue will be incorporated into that bought the land for this condo, which gogues.) development. then included the May ower Hotel,  e Amsterdam building faced strong opposi- from the Goulandris shipping clan for $401 million. Construction started tion from elected o cials and some residents con- the following year on what became cerned that the developers had violated building one of the most expensive and remu- codes and failed to provide su cient open space. nerative condo buildings of the pre- recession era. Fifteen Central Park  e Buildings Department halted construction in West opened in 2008, just as the real July as a result, though a subsequent audit cleared estate market crashed. the way for the project to proceed.  at decision is 1865 BROADWAY likely to be appealed. Will 50 W. 66th St. face similar obstacles? Extell Real estate investment trust AvalonBay beat out about 25 other bidders in early 2015 for the nearly did not respond to requests for comment about its 175,000-square-foot, 12-story building that was timeline on the project or Rosenthal’s opposition. then the longtime headquarters of the American It has yet to le its plans formally with the city. ■ Bible Society. The society used the $300 million that AvalonBay paid to relocate to Philadelphia. The REIT is building a 416-foot, 160-unit condo tower in its place. It’s supposed to be nished be- fore the end of 2019. GOOGLE MAPS, SNOHETTA.COM

6 | CRAIN’S NEW YORK BUSINESS | DECEMBER 4, 2017

P006_CN_20171204.indd 6 12/1/17 4:06 PM AGENDA URBAN PLANNING

New plan to keep city from becoming exclusive Nonpro t’s “crazy” ideas would x transit and housing by 2040 BY MATTHEW FLAMM AND JOE ANUTA

ew York City will be under- with no power to implement anything, mined by both its problems but it is inuential enough that the and its success if it does not seeds it plants sometimes germinate. change course, a new re- Nport argues. Getting there e latest once-in-a-generation e road to a better New York area, analysis by the Regional Plan Associa- according to RPA’s fourth regional tion warns that if the metropolitan area plan and rst since 1996, begins with does not rethink its transportation net- cutting transit-construction costs, re- work and accommodate growth, it will forming transportation bureaucracies PENNED IN: The report suggests ways to improve the logistics of Penn Station. increasingly become like San Francisco: and collecting fees for driving, green- a city accessible only to the wealthy and house-gas emissions and development to those willing to endure a horrendous that benets from rail improvements. troduction of platform barriers. ese by activating vacant or extra space commute. Next come unifying Metro-North, the glass and steel walls, with doors that line in apartments and homes, encourag- To that end, RPA made 61 recom- Long Island Rail Road and New Jersey up with the trains’, would reduce deaths ing development and reforming rules mendations addressing everything from Transit, extending Amtrak’s Gateway and track res by keeping people and that have prevented denser housing— the subway’s troubles to its expectation tunnel project to Queens and Long Is- litter o the tracks. ey would also cut either indirectly or by design. While that climate change will literally sub- land, and lengthening subway lines in noise and improve temperature control. the tristate area will need 2 million new merge New Jersey’s Teterboro Airport. every borough. e MTA wouldn’t be the only in- dwellings to curb the housing crisis and e proposals aim to make the region A Port Authority bus terminal stitution with a reduced role. e Port accommodate growth over the next 25 more equitable, prosperous, sustain- would be built in the Javits Convention Authority would become a regional years, the organization contends that able and healthy over the next quarter- Center’s basement, while the agency’s infrastructure bank, with separate, cor- success is within reach. century. Boiled down, the goal is to existing depot on West 42nd Street porate entities focused on operating e biggest chunk of new housing keep the city from running out of room. and Eighth Avenue would remain. the agency’s assets, such as the airports is under our noses. By allowing single- “We looked at the growth we had Penn Station would become a through- and the PATH line. At the same time, family homes to rent out extra space over the prior 25-year period,” said station instead of a terminal, undoing though Teterboro Airport will be sac- such as a basement or garage, the region RPA President Tom Wright. “We add- many of the logistical knots plaguing riced to the rising waters of global could add around 500,000 units without ed 1.8 million jobs and about 3 million the nation’s busiest transit hub. (“Half warming, a big chunk of the Meadow- putting a single shovel in the ground, people.” But through 2040, growth rates of the trains in and out of Penn Station lands would become a national park— according to the report. for the city are projected to fall by half, are empty,” Wright noted.) e Hud- the rst designed to alleviate the eects A pilot program in East New York, and not because people and businesses son River would get another tunnel, at of climate change. Brooklyn, is already looking at legaliz- don’t want to move here. West 57th Street. By 2040 the expanded e recommendations, Wright ac- ing basement apartments, though the “It’s because we don’t have the ca- regional rail lines would serve an addi- knowledged, sound “a little crazy.” project is a low priority for the de Bla- pacity for them,” Wright said. tional 1 million people. Indeed, the report reads like alterna- sio administration. Such initiatives of- e plan, which centers on trans- And the entire subway system could tive-reality ction for urban-planning ten face resistance from communities portation and housing, calls for in- be rebuilt in 15 years—not the 50 cur- junkies. But some of what it recom- whose fears include competition for vestments and regulatory changes that rently projected just to replace the anti- mends has been achieved in other plac- parking, increased strain on infrastruc- make growth inclusive and day-to-day quated signals. e expedited schedule es—and past RPA proposals initially ture and an inux of lower-income resi- life manageable. RPA is a nonprot would be made possible by a Subway written o have come to fruition, in- dents. In addition, some experts believe Reconstruction Public cluding Hudson Yards, the AirTrain to that many informal apartments are al- Benet Corp., sidestep- Kennedy airport and the Second Ave- ready occupied, and legalization would SWEET HOMES: ping the Metropolitan nue subway. make them more expensive and take With demand Transportation Author- New Yorkers—including MTA Chief away “housing of last resort” for people soaring for middle-income ity’s cumbersome proj- Executive Joseph Lhota and Mayor Bill who need it. housing like ect-delivery process. de Blasio—gave a cool reception to one Another quarter-million apartments Stuyvesant Town, e upgrades would recommendation: shutting down the could be built by allowing multifami- RPA is suggesting include making all 472 subway on weeknights between 12:30 ly construction on the parking lots of innovative solutions. stations wheelchair- a.m. and 5 a.m., when just 1.5% of commuter rail stations, according to the accessible by the 2040s the system’s 5.7 million daily rides are report. Communities in places like Long (up from just 82 to- taken, to facilitate repairs and mainte- Island have historically resisted apart- day). Platforms would nance. A beefed-up bus service would ment buildings and craed strict zoning be widened, with take its place, beneting from light codes specically to prevent their con- newsstands moved to street trac in the wee hours. struction and keep out the people who mezzanines, while con- Few transit systems in the world op- would live in them. voluted stations like erate around the clock. “We think the Loosening zoning across the board Union Square would era of the 24/7 subway has come to an would also spur production, especially be made column-free end,” Wright said. if the region adopted a mandate that and navigable. Stations new projects include aordable hous- would be quieter, fol- Higher ceiling for housing ing, similar to New York City’s Man- lowing a transition to A pandemic housing shortage will datory Inclusionary Housing program, vibration-free tracks; strangle the region’s economy and pun- adopted in 2016. cooler in the summer, ish low-income residents unless govern- e RPA also suggests initiatives that once subway cars get ment reforms outdated laws and allows would have a big impact in New York regenerative brakes more construction, the RPA plan pre- City, such as taxing pieds-à-terre and va- that transfer heat en- dicts. cant land to encourage more productive ergy to a battery rather e 376-page document charts a uses, undoing a state limit on how big than onto platforms; blueprint on how area municipalities apartment buildings can be and curbing

BUCK ENNIS and safer, with the in- can collectively create 1 million units the renting of homes to tourists. ■

DECEMBER 4, 2017 | CRAIN’S NEW YORK BUSINESS | 7

P007_CN_20171204.indd 7 12/1/17 8:41 PM AGENDA SPOTLIGHT SMALL BUSINESS

The revolution will be insured Manhattan startup looks to disrupt the commercial insurance market for small businesses BY AARON ELSTEIN

efore breaking into the insurance business, about the only thing Inaki Berenguer knew about business insurance was that it was a pain in the neck to get. A serial entrepreneur looking for his next venture, he decided to take a shot at disrupting that placid world by launching CoverWallet. BToday the enterprise has about 65 employees in its Greenwich Village head- quarters, plus another 20 technology and so ware development staers in Be- renguer’s native Spain, and has attracted thousands of small-business clients. e rm raised $31 million in venture capital from investors, including Fred Wilson’s Union Square Ventures and Starr Cos., the insurer run by former AIG Chief Maurice “Hank” Greenberg. is includes $18.5 million CoverWallet raised in October from Foundation Capital, a Silicon Valley rm that also in- vested in On Deck Capital and other lending startups that have gone public. CoverWallet specializes in selling liability and property insurance to busi- nesses, such as restaurants and barber shops, that have 25 employees or fewer and are too small to attract most big carriers. e opportunity before Beren guer is vast. While insurers annually collect around $100 billion in premiums from small businesses, no one rm dominates the market, and a report by McKinsey last year found that almost 40% of sole pro- This is about the prietorships don’t have commercial coverage. While ATMs and apps have made most bank only insurance tellers redundant and many Wall Street jobs “ have been automated, small-business insur- of ce you will nd ance is o en sold as it always has been: by bro- where agents are kers working in storefronts. at’s the business Cover Wallet aims to capture. in their 20s “Inaki and his team have the opportunity to build something in the insurance business that’s THE MIDDLEMAN: as large and impactful as Kayak or Expedia in travel,” said Rodolfo Gonzalez, a Berenguer’s company, Foundation Capital partner. CoverWallet, removes the onerous task of lling CoverWallet doesn’t write policies. Rather, it acts as a broker that connects out long applications small businesses with carriers and collects a fee. Its secret sauce is its ability to for businesses seeking quickly scour through reams of data to give insurers the information they need insurance. to provide a policy quote. Berenguer said thousands of small businesses have gotten insurance through his rm, whose open oor plan and Astor Place loca- tion imbue that distinctive startup vibe. “is is about the only insurance oce you will nd where agents are in their 20s,” he said. Berenguer noted that TurboTax took o because the paperwork required by the IRS is so cumbersome. A similar scenario takes place with commercial insurance. Historically, insurance providers have long application forms that business owners have to ll out no matter what kind of company they run, but Berenguer, who has a Ph.D. in engineering, said his rm can lter out unneces- sary questions and oer a quote in as little as three seconds. If applicants provide the geographic location of their business, plus a tax identication number that shows their nancial history, CoverWallet can assess a risk prole with sucient accuracy that the insurers it has partnered with will write a policy. “e truth is, a lot of small-business policies are quite commoditized and losses are relatively rare,” Berenguer said.

Track record While investors may envision CoverWallet becoming the next big thing for business insurance, Berenguer’s goal is to have his rm dominate the small- FOCAL POINTS business insurance world like QuickBooks does accounting and Square pay- ments. It sounds ambitious, but Berenguer has a good track record of putting ideas into action and making his dreams pay o. NAME CoverWallet In 2009 he co-founded a rm in SoHo called Pixable, a photo-management INDUSTRY Insurance app that helped people sort photos and videos on Facebook and other social media, that was acquired by Singapore-based SingTel for $26.5 million in 2012. LOCATION Astor Place Berenguer then started caller-ID rm Contactive, which compiles information FOUNDED 2015 about callers from Facebook, LinkedIn and Yelp in real time so that salespeople REVENUE Undisclosed know more about who they are talking to before answering the phone. at rm GROWTH RATE 800% from 2016 to 2017 was acquired in 2015 by Massachusetts-based inkingPhonesNetworks for an undisclosed sum. PROFITABLE? No Gonzalez, the venture-capital investor, believes CoverWallet can mature into EMPLOYEES 85 a publicly traded company worth vast sums. Berenguer is on board with that. MANAGEMENT Co-founders Inaki Berenguer and Rashmi Melgiri Before relocating to its current address, CoverWallet was based in the Financial District, and every day he would pass the New York Stock Exchange. “I would MAJOR INVESTORS Foundation Capital, Starr Cos., Union Square Partners

BUCK ENNIS see that building and say to myself, One day we could be there too.” ■

8 | CRAIN’S NEW YORK BUSINESS | DECEMBER 4, 2017

P008_CN_20171204.indd 8 12/1/17 2:51 PM The art of inspiring employees to execute a new strategy Insights from a transformation expert

hen business leaders come up Crain’s: What is the number one mistake you way. Without substantive response to the cynicism in a see companies make in communicating a new preemptive way, the new strategy will merely be lipstick with exciting new initiatives and strategy to their team—and how can this mistake on the pig and will be less likely to take hold. fi nd opportunities in an uncertain be avoided? W Crain’s: Why is it important for a company to environment, putting those plans in motion Lior Arussy: The mistake is that they communi- ensure employees are on board with the overall can be a diffi cult undertaking. One challenge cate change as a fi nal decision with the expectations strategy? Once a company takes the steps to acti- that employees will follow it in a uniformed way. For vate employees, what does success look like? is persuading employees to change the way employees to be fully engaged, it is imperative that they think—and work. leaders start the process earlier and get employees into Lior Arussy: The simple truth that most executives the decision-making and change design process. Only have yet to internalize is that their organization is not active engagement in designing the path to change will the sum total of their decisions. It is the sum total of the So how can companies get employees on board with prevent employees’ resistance and reluctance. front-line employees’ decisions. These are the peo- new growth strategies? Crain’s recently spoke with ple who truly execute strategies. We have seen many Lior Arussy, founder of Strativity Group, a custom- Crain’s: Some employees have a fear of change. well-designed strategies dying on the vine in well-oiled er experience design and transformation fi rm in How can employers help them get past the fear corporate bureaucracies not visible to the CEO. the Greater New York City area, for his insights on and see the opportunities that change will bring? how executives can best engage their employees in Engaging employees is not optional or a nice to have. adopting new strategic directions for their compa- Lior Arussy: Our studies indicate that oftentimes It is the core of a strategy’s success. Engage them, and the fear of change is not because of the unknown fu- it will be accelerated. Do not and you will end up with nies. Arussy is a leading global authority on customer ture, but rather the designation of the past as a mistake. something very different from what you intended— experience and transformation who has guided some After all, why else do we need to change? Any change most likely a strategy that will not differentiate you in of the world’s best-known brands—including John- program must be developed on the foundation that we the marketplace. son & Johnson, Mercedes-Benz and MasterCard—in respect past performance and are evolving from it or building a customer experience focused on loyalty developing new approaches, as opposed to making a Success looks like a company that is ahead of its com- and recurring sales. radical departure from the past. Employees who were petitors delivering happy experiences to satisfi ed loyal emotionally invested in performing in a certain way for customers. It looks like employees taking the initiatives years need to realize and feel that their past perfor- and creating profi table results through meaningful mance was positive and the change is simply an adapta- performance. In short, it amounts to exceptional results, tion in order to stay relevant in the marketplace. meaning profi table growth.

Crain’s: What are the fi rst things you ask to determine whether a company needs to do more to engage employees in the execution of a new strategy?

Lior Arussy: I use what I call the cynicism meter. I ask employ- ees and executives to assess the level of cynicism in the organiza- Lior Arussy tion: On a scale of 1 to 10, with one Founder, Strativity Group being ‘No cynicism exists among us’ and 10 being ‘We are full of cynics,’ where would you place the organization? Crain’s: Many companies are changing their strategic direction to keep pace with rapid devel- Often the response is 12. Cynical opments in the economy. What is the best way to organizations are not ready for get employees on board with the changes—and change. Employees are stuck in a excited about making them a reality? state of disappointment and lack of vision and will not let go of it to engage in new performance. Exceptional Experiences Lior Arussy: In a world in which authority has shift- ed from centralized, hierarchical models to distributed, Cynicism is like cancer to orga- collaborative models, employees now act as a source of nizations seeking to evolve and Culture y esin authority not just a labor force. stay relevant in their competitive landscape. It has to be addressed Accelerated ransormation It is therefore imperative for employers to include em- head-on and be recognized as an ployees in the decision-making process, not just in its obstacle to introducing the new deployment. Employees need to understand the why and relevant. When designing the behind the change and be actively involved in crafting communication and training for a the path to how to execute it. It is employees’ active new strategy, organizations need to engagement in the process of change that can lead to communicate the ‘why’ before the inspired performance in executing it. ‘how.’ This step enables employ- ees to understand the rationale This is a radical change from the traditional approach to for the new strategy. Any cynical Ampl if y the change management, in which a few executives made voices mentioning a lack of staffi ng H uman E x perience the decisions and thousands of employees followed or budget, or expressing a lack of their lead. In a distributed authority model, all employ- trust in management, need to be strativity.com ees are part of the decision. addressed as well, in a credible

An Advertising Supplement to Crain’s New York Business

Ask_The_Expert_Strativity.indd 1 11/21/17 3:37 PM AGENDA ASKED & ANSWERED BANKING INTERVIEW BY AARON ELSTEIN

ANDREA JUNG GRAMEEN AMERICA

fter resigning as Avon’s CEO nearly six years ago, Andrea Jung changed the direction of her career and in 2014 became president and CEO of Grameen America. The nonpro t lender specializes in small Companies need to Aloans to poor women launching and running businesses, such ensure equal pay for as a cupcake bakery or a sewing school. The bank has served “ 50,000 women in New York and is expanding nationwide. every job. That doesn’t require legislation. It requires corporate After 20 years at the top of the corporate world, why microlending? responsibility I met Grameen’s founder, Muhammad Yunus, in 2008, not long after he received the Nobel Peace Prize for his success in helping women in Bangladesh get out of poverty. I could see his idea had interesting possibilities in the United States. Avon was all about empowering women to start businesses. Grameen is similar.

How can you pro tably lend to such high-risk borrowers? A whole lot of human interaction explains why 99% of our loans get paid back. We make small loans, typically about $1,500, and they mature in six months. More important, our loan of cers visit members every week. Our members are highly motivated to repay us because the alternative is paying usurious rates to someone else. Seventy- ve percent come back for a second loan.

Is this business sustainable? If we stopped growing now, by 2019 we’d be a sustainable oper- ation. But we want to grow, because the need is great. We serve DOSSIER 50,000 women in New York, but 1 million women here and 43 million across the country live in poverty. WHO SHE IS Presi- dent and chief executive, Aren’t competitors trying to muscle in? Grameen America The degree of interaction [with borrowers] necessary doesn’t COMPENSATION make this kind of lending attractive to banks or ntechs. For $1 a year banks, it’s hard to serve the poor in a cost-effective manner in LOAN PORTFOLIO light of their regulatory burdens and cost-cutting measures. $59 million in 2016, a 32% increase over the The president isn’t exactly friendly to many of your typical borrowers. Are previous year clients afraid to seek loans due to deportation worries? EMPLOYEES 166 We haven’t seen that. One thing about New York is everyone is AGE 58 welcome here. The administration is interested in economic devel- GREW UP Toronto opment; the way to do that is helping small businesses grow. A big piece of that is nancial inclusion. If every business that employs RESIDES Manhattan at least 10 people hired one more, we’d solve unemployment. EDUCATION Bachelor’s in English, Princeton University You’re on the board of Apple. The tech industry has a well-known problem HUMBLING EXPERIENCE attracting and keeping female employees. What can be done? Jung literally started at the bottom, The most important thing is the expectation that there will be di- stocking shelves in the basement of versity in the set of job candidates. That takes rigor, and it starts Bloomingdale’s. She thought the job was from the top. The European Union a few years ago said companies beneath her Ivy League education, but needed a certain percentage of women in senior jobs. Daimler, her mother urged her to stick with it. where I’m also on the board, wondered how to nd women inter- BRAND LOYALTY She still uses Avon ested in the automotive sector. Sounds hard, right? Yet it wasn’t cosmetics, including a lipstick devel- long before Daimler was nding and hiring excellent applicants. oped during her tenure in the color President’s red. It costs about $4. Change that was happening at a glacial pace suddenly sped up. “It wears the same as—I say better than—$45 lipstick.” Should similar mandates be required here? GETTY IMAGES If you wait for the law, you’re going to wait a long time. The other issue is women getting paid less than men for the same work, which I experienced in my younger years. Thirty years later, it’s unacceptable that this is still an issue. It doesn’t take very much work for a company to ensure that for every single job there is equal pay. How much is it going to cost? This doesn’t need legis- lation—this is a fairly simple thing that corporate leaders have a responsibility to x. ■

10 | CRAIN’S NEW YORK BUSINESS | DECEMBER 4, 2017

P010_CN_20171204.indd 10 12/1/17 10:52 AM his year will go down in history as a year of disasters, both natural and man-made. Which is why in today’s world there is no one season to focus Ton giving. Being socially responsible, caring for the environment and making charitable donations should be year-round endeavors of every New Yorker, and especially every company that operates in and around New York City. Not only do corporate responsibility and charitable giving feel good to the people inside those companies that make them part of their business model, they make good business sense, too. In a study titled “The Impact of Corporate Sustainability on Organizational Process and Performance,” researchers Robert G. Eccles, Ioannis Ioannou and George thefl oatinghospital.org/donation/ Serafeim, from Harvard Business School and London Business School, provide evidence that doing good is good for business. According to the study, “Firms that Become part of The Floating Hos- pital’s NYC-wide e‡ orts to ease the embrace corporate social responsibility practices significantly outperform rivals that lives of families living in homeless don’t embrace those practices, as measured by both financial and stock market shelters and DV safe houses. returns. Firms with a history of commitment to sustainability and social issues also boast more long-term employees, investors and place a greater emphasis on making nonfinancial disclosures.” Crain’s Custom offers the following 2017 Giving Guide to showcase nonprofits that are working with New York-area companies —and around the world—to deliver much-needed community support.

bbrfoundation.org ioby.org/donate ujafedny.org

100% of your contributions for re- ioby mobilizes neighbors who have UJA-Federation of New York cares search are invested in research good ideas to become powerful citi- for Jews everywhere and New York- grants awarded to scientists working zen leaders who plan, fund and make ers of all backgrounds, responds to to improve treatment and ultimately positive change in their own neigh- crises close to home and far away, develop cures and methods of pre- borhoods. and shapes our Jewish future. And it vention for people living with mental starts with you. Join us! illness.

AngelsinAfrica.org WeAreBCS.org nvld.org

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Crain's Giving Guide 2017.indd 1 12/1/17 1:18 PM AGENDA

For Cuomo’s re-election, CUOMO’S APPROVAL RATING Approve Disapprove only a landslide will do 52% 51% 50% 49% The governor’s recent tactics all have one objective in mind 46% 38% 40% 38% 34% 31%

IN A MOVE orchestrated veat that Donald Trump’s election last behind the scenes by year shows such condent predictions Gov. Andrew Cuo- can be wrong. mo, the two warring Trump himself is the most import- April 2016 July 2016 Dec. 2016 March 2017 July 2017 Democratic factions ant reason Cuomo (and other Demo- in the state Senate an- crats) should do well in 2018. e latest SOURCE: Quinnipiac University Poll nounced a truce last Quinnipiac poll showed only 29% of week. For the gov- state voters approve of the president; GREG DAVID ernor, unifying the his rating in New York City is the low- always cultivated private-sector unions, feat last month in his re-election bid Democrats est Quinnipiac has ever seen and his siding with the construction knocked him out of the running for is about ticking o anoth- for a sitting president. As elec- trades in the 421-a tax break ght Cuomo’s seat. Republican state Sen. er item on his quest to win % tions in Virginia and New Jer- means they owe him. His war with the John DeFrancisco of Syracuse said he re-election in a landslide next sey demonstrated, these anti- public-sector unions is long in the past. is interested. He’s not exactly a house- year and position himself as a Trump voters are angry and His passage of the $15 minimum wage, hold name. Others prefer Westchester 29TRUMP’S 2020 presidential contender. will show up at the polls in paid family leave and other progressive businessman Harry Wilson, who has It might seem that Cuomo approval rating large numbers for an o -year objectives means he won’t face a signi- said he would spend $10 million of his is vulnerable. His approval in New York election. cant challenge from his le ank. own money. Of course, it doesn’t bode rating fell dramatically during Money is a close second. Ditto for the business community. well that he lost a race for an open the summer as voters decided e governor had more than Business leaders in New York take great state comptroller post in 2010 to the to blame him for the transit mess in the $25 million in his war chest even be- care not to oppose incumbents likely almost-unknown omas DiNapoli. city, according to a Quinnipiac poll. fore his California fundraising trip last to be re-elected. Cuomo also has done But again, the governor is seeking a Other polls also put his rating below month. Cuomo can probably double nothing to antagonize them. landslide. e events of the next year 50%, which traditionally signals that an that amount between now and next e likely Republican candidates will tell whether he can achieve one. ■ incumbent is in trouble. But here are November if he needs to. don’t exactly ll him with fear or ve reasons why the governor is likely Unions and other progressives are others with enthusiasm. Westchester GREG DAVID blogs regularly at to cruise to a third term—with the ca- in the Cuomo camp. e governor has County Executive Rob Astorino’s de- CrainsNewYork.com.

Climate change gets short shrift in speaker’s race The next council leader must take bold action on crucial issue BY MARITZA SILVA-FARRELL

limate change is one of the ing from buildings, we will only meet most urgent threats facing our climate targets if buildings dramat- New Yorkers. Five years ago ically lower their energy consumption. Superstorm Sandy brought e council can mandate energy- Cmassive ooding and exposed deep eciency standards in the city’s largest inequities in our city’s infrastructure, buildings, limiting their use of electri- CHOKE HOLD: housing and economy. Low-income city and fossil fuels. e goal should be Electrifying the city’s exhaust-belching bus waterfront communities continue to to reduce energy consumption across eet is imperative to be the most vulnerable to storms. ey the entirety of every building while cre- meeting the mayor’s should be at the forefront of our city’s ating thousands of career-oriented jobs climate goals. climate policymaking, not relegated to in energy eciency across a range of the margins. occupations and professions, and pro- e next City Council speaker, elect- tecting a ordable housing. plan commits to an 80% sustainable infrastructure that will reduce car- ed in January, will play a make-or-break Electrify buses. Major changes to the mode share by 2050, meaning that four bon emissions from landlls. e City role in dening New York’s response funding and operation of our transit of every ve trips a New Yorker takes Council will oversee legislation for this to climate change. Yet the issue has re- system require state action. A million- will be by foot, bicycle or public transit. new system and should ensure that it ceived scant attention in the race for aires tax to pay for mass-transit needs Introduce zoning for commercial includes strong standards for protect- this powerful post. approval from Albany, and congestion waste. Half of the city’s waste comes ing the environment and commercial- e council has enormous say over pricing might as well. e next speaker from commercial entities such as stores, waste workers. land use, zoning, buildings and oth- will play a critical role in strengthening restaurants and oce buildings. Collec- With climate change ravaging the er areas of policy that a ect our city’s city and state collaboration to advance tion of this garbage is very inecient. planet, our coastal city hangs precari- greenhouse-gas emissions, which come such bold policies and move us toward About 80 carting companies travel ously in the balance. e next council from three main sources: buildings, a clean-energy economy. across the city each night, with up to speaker must pursue a robust agenda to transportation and waste treatment. Yet there is still a lot that can be done. a dozen haulers operating on some protect our city and prepare our com- Here are a few key ways the next speak- e next speaker should champion leg- blocks. And the recycling rate for com- munities for the extreme climate events er can reduce them. islation to electrify the city’s bus system, mercial waste is at best 30%. of the future. ■ Clean up dirty buildings. To his cred- following on the heels of Los Angeles’ e mayor has committed to a new it, Mayor Bill de Blasio has a clear plan e ort to create a zero-emissions eet. zone system that will cut commercial- Maritza Silva-Farrell is executive direc- to align New York City with the Paris is would be a major step toward mak- waste truck trac by up to 68% and tor of ALIGN, an alliance of community climate accord. With nearly 70% of our ing New York’s transportation system dramatically increase recycling rates. and labor organizations committed to a

BLOOMBERG city’s greenhouse-gas emissions com- more sustainable. e mayor’s climate It will incentivize investments in new just and sustainable New York.

12 | CRAIN’S NEW YORK BUSINESS | DECEMBER 4, 2017

P012_CN_20171204.indd 12 12/1/17 12:23 PM VIEWPOINTS

Bad call: City’s wireless plan strangles economic growth Restricting mobile data in Manhattan is the wrong way to address inequality BY CARLO SCISSURA AND JESSICA WALKER

BUSY SIGNAL: A alk around any Man- building communities. We have seen Every day city agency limits hattan neighborhood rsthand how critical wireless con- 1.6 million peo- cellular networks below 96th Street, and you will see dozens nectivity is to the more than 100,000 ple commute to where smartphone of people talking or typ- businesses in Manhattan alone. Busi- jobs there from use is heaviest. ingW on a wireless device. Almost 80% of nesses increasingly rely on it for email- the other bor- New Yorkers own a smartphone, and ing, processing transactions and more. oughs and near- an unprecedented level of network Many entrepreneurs depend on apps to by areas, making New York County the dinner table. e economic bene ts of capacity is needed to handle the web grow their customer base and be paid nation’s largest commuter destination. these activities are staggering. In 2016 sur ng, live streaming and app use that right on their smart devices. And as the is inux of workers doubles the pop- tourists injected $43 billion in direct now permeate our lives. city grows, wireless coverage is crucial ulation of Manhattan during the work- spending into our economy and were When carriers’ systems are over- for residential and commercial devel- day. ese commuters need wireless responsible for 15,000 added jobs. loaded, speeds drop and service is dis- opment. More reliable wireless capaci- connectivity to work and to commu- Limiting the number of small cell rupted. But the city’s Department of ty will make Manhattan exponentially nicate with their families. Restricting networks in Manhattan is counterpro- Information Technology & Telecom- more attractive for investors because it it prevents carriers from meeting the ductive to our entire city’s economic munications can help improve service. will meet the needs of a diverse work- growing needs of residents, workers growth. is restriction hurts busi- DoITT decides whether to let wireless force. DoITT’s restriction on small cell and businesses. nesses and their employees and hinders infrastructure providers and carriers networks in Manhattan will hurt busi- Manhattan also requires increased investment. Our workforce wants and lease the tops of utility poles and other nesses and the workers they employ. network capacity as the city’s tourism deserves a robust wireless infrastruc- infrastructure in the public right of way We urge the agency to reverse course. hub. Last year a record 60.5 million ture. As demand for wireless capacity to install small cell networks. ese net- Its decision to limit small networks tourists came to New York City. As increases, City Hall and DoITT should works are a discreet and targeted way in Manhattan is ostensibly an eort home to 83% of the city’s hotels and act quickly to ensure that coverage and of expanding wireless capacity in areas to push investment to the other bor- countless attractions, Manhattan re- capacity keep pace with our growing where more and more people are using oughs. While this is a noble goal—and ceives the majority of these visitors. economy. ■ cellular networks. We urgently need we support investing in small cell net- Tourists bring economic development, more of them. Yet the agency is restrict- works across New York—the restric- but they also bring their wireless de- Carlo Scissura is president and CEO of ing their expansion below 96th Street. tion ignores the fact that demand for vices, which they rely on to do every- the New York Building Congress. Jessica Our organizations represent thou- increased wireless capacity is highest in thing from sharing sel es to nding Walker is president and CEO of the sands of members in the business and Manhattan. their lodging to reserving a pre-theater Manhattan Chamber of Commerce.

FROM OUR READERS Protect Citi Bike, tenants

THE ARTICLE “NYC weighs be required to support a NOTHING BUT HOT AIR legalizing dockless bike necessarily low-margin Airbnb pretends to be a share” [Nov. 27] was business model. mom-and-pop shop [op- disturbing. Our nonpro t Today Citi Bike is not ed, “When hotels scape- Partnership Fund has a viable business in every goat home sharing, New lent $5 million to nance community, so its expan- Yorkers lose,” Nov. 27], but Citi Bike’s expansion into sion requires both public that’s true only if you con- lower-income communi- subsidy and a reasonable sider ex-Trump campaign ties. Our investment, like period of exclusivity. e chairman Paul Manafort, that of founding sponsor emergence of dockless who used questionable OPEN SOLICITATION Citigroup, presumed that systems was not con- money to illegally rent a universal bike system templated when we properties on Airbnb, a BEGINS NOVEMBER 27, 2017 would be a public-private invested in Citi Bike. e father gure. ousands of venture that extends the elimination of parking illegal commercial opera- public transportation spaces to make room for tors use the site to hijack network to include this bike docks is obviously our aordable housing, The Empire State Connector is a 1,000 healthy, economical and a political challenge, but while Airbnb takes its cut. environmentally sensible unrestricted bike drop- Just two days aer MW, bi-directional HVDC transmission alternative. os have created even its top New York ocial To its credit, Citigroup more serious issues in claimed the city needs line that will provide a direct connection has committed more other jurisdictions. is is Airbnb to be more aord- than $100 million in a a new wrinkle that needs able, the city won a $1 between Upstate New York and New high-risk sponsorship to to be carefully reviewed million settlement against York City. The Empire State Connector is launch and expand Citi and tested before we illegal Airbnb commer- Bike. Now that the pop- jeopardize the hard-won cial hosts. Airbnb caters projected to be in service in 2022. ularity of the system has success achieved by the to wealthy operators like been demonstrated, with public-private partnership Manafort. It drives up as many as 70,000 rides a that has made Citi Bike a rents and puts aordable day, we all would like to resounding success. housing for true moms www.ESCsolicitation.com see Citi Bike rolled out KATHRYN WYLDE and pops at risk. to every neighborhood— President and CEO MICHAEL MCKEE [email protected]

BUCK ENNIS even where subsidy will Partnership for New York City Treasurer, Tenants PAC

DECEMBER 4, 2017 | CRAIN’S NEW YORK BUSINESS | 13

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REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL PUBLIC & LEGAL NOTICES Prospect Park Alliance is requesting Notice of Qualification of SBM EAST proposals for catering services at the 54TH LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Boathouse and/or the Picnic House in Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/09/17. Office location: NY County. Prospect Park, Brooklyn. For details visit LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on www.prospectpark.org/boathouserfp 06/03/16. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail proc- ess to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), PUBLIC & LEGAL 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207. DE addr. of LLC: CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., NOTICES Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., Notice of Qualification of NEIGHBORLY 489 Fifth Ave., NY, NY 10017. Pur- INVESTMENTS LLC Appl. for Auth. filed pose: Real estate. with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/19/17. Office location: NY County. Notice of Qualification of SUGAR HILL LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on OFFSHORE ONE PPW HOLDINGS, LLC 08/21/17. SSNY designated as agent Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of LLC upon whom process against it of NY (SSNY) on 10/20/17. Office loca- may be served. SSNY shall mail proc- tion: NY County. LLC formed in Dela- ess to the LLC, 335 Madison Ave., 4th ware (DE) on 10/18/17. Princ. office of Fl., NY, NY 10017. DE addr. of LLC: LLC: 256 W. 116th St., 2nd Fl., NY, NY c/o Corporation Service Co., 251 Little 10026. NYS fictitious name: SUGAR Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. HILL OFFSHORE ONE PPW HOLDINGS I. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal whom process against it may be St., Ste. #4, Dover, DE 19901. Pur- served. SSNY shall mail process to pose: Any lawful activity. Attn: Margaret B. Grossman at the princ. office of the LLC. DE addr. of LLC: c/o Corporation Service Co., 251 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF LE CHIEN Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. BLEU NY LLC. ARTICLES OF ORGANIZA- Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State TION FILED WITH THE SECRETARY OF of the State of DE, Div. of Corps., John STATE OF NEW YORK (SSNY) ON G. Townsend Bldg., Federal & Duke of 7/7/2017. OFFICE LOCATION. NEW York Sts., Dover, DE 19901. As YORK COUNTY. SSNY IS DESIGNATED amended by Cert. of Amendment filed AS AGENT UPON WHOM PROCESS with SSNY on 11/08/17, the entity will AGAINST IT MAY BE SERVED. SSNY no longer be using fictitious name. Pur- SHALL MAIL A COPY OF ANY PROCESS pose: Any lawful activity. AGAINST THE LLC SERVED UPON HIM/HER TO: MR. YUON LEE JOUNG, 214 W. 16TH STREET APT 1S NEW Notice of Formation of SHF TANYA TOW- YORK, NY 10011. PURPOSE: ANY LAW- ERS LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. FUL ACT OR ACTIVITY. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/31/17. Of- fice location: NY County. SSNY desig- nated as agent of LLC upon whom proc- Notice of Qualification of Danskammer ess against it may be served. SSNY HoldCo LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with shall mail process to: c/o Settlement PUBLIC & LEGAL NOTICES Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on Housing Fund, Inc., 247 W. 37th St., 10/12/17. Office location: NY County. 4th Fl., NY, NY 10018. Purpose: any Notice of formation of Honeybee Grate- Notice of Formation of FORT-ROYAL LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on lawful activity. ful. Art. of org. filed with the SSNY on USA, LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. 09/07/17. SSNY designated as agent 9/17/17. Office location: NY County. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/06/17. of LLC upon whom process against it SSNY has been designated as agent Office location: NY County. Princ. of- may be served. SSNY shall mail proc- Vinum LLC Art. Of Org. Filed Sec. of upon whom process against it may be fice of LLC: 455 Central Park West, ess to c/o Corporation Service Co. State of NY 2/15/2017. Off. Loc.: Rich- served. The P.O. address to which the Ste. 3L, NY, NY 10025. SSNY desig- (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207- mond Co. SSNY designated as agent SSNY shall mail a copy of any process nated as agent of LLC upon whom 2543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 upon whom process against it may be against the LLC served upon him/her, process against it may be served. Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. served. SSNY to mail copy of process and principal biz. add. of the LLC, is 2 SSNY shall mail process to Davidoff Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State to The LLC, 338 Graham Ave, Staten Is- Gold St #603 NY, NY 10038. Purpose: Hutcher & Citron LLP, Attn: Steve of DE, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE land, ny 10314. Purpose: Any lawful any lawful act or activity Spanolios, 605 Third Ave., NY, NY 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity. act or actiity 10158. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Joseph A. Racanelli MD PLLC Filed 10/19/17 Office: New York Co. SSNY Notice of Qualification of RGN- designated as agent for process & HAUPPAUGE I, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed shall mail to: 1107 Park Avenue, New with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on York, NY 10128. Purpose: Medicine 10/25/17. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 10/23/17. Princ. office of LLC: 15305 NOTICE OF FORMATION OF Cannon Advi- Dallas Pkwy., Ste. 400, Addison, TX sory, LLC. Arts of Org filed with the 75001. SSNY designated as agent of Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on LLC upon whom process against it may 11/1/17. Office loc: NY County. be served. SSNY shall mail process to SSNY has been designated as agent c/o Corporation Service Co, 80 State upon whom process against it may be St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of served and shall mail copy of process LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE against LLC to US Corp. Agents, Inc 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of 7014 13th Ave., #202, BK, NY 11228. State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE Purpose: any lawful act. 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice is hereby given that a license, 1133 ST. JAMES LLC, Arts. of Org. filed Serial #1305143, for wine and beer with the SSNY on 08/24/2017. Office have been applied for by the under- loc: NY County. SSNY has been desig- signed to sell wine and beer at retail in nated as agent upon whom process a restaurant under the Alcoholic Bever- against the LLC may be served. SSNY age Control Law at 1167 2nd Ave., shall mail process to: Kew Manage- New York, NY 10065, county of New ment Corporation, 1123 Broadway, Ste York, for on premises consumption. 407, NY, NY 10010. Purpose: Any Law- Duo Lin, NEW ATAMIC INC, DBA: ATAMI ful Purpose.

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PUBLIC & LEGAL NOTICES

Notice of Formation of 10 East Ever- Notice of formation of Samantha Cara, NOTICE OF FORMATION OF The Yoga Notice of Qualification of NOELLE ART green LLC. Arts. of Org. filed Secy. of LLC. Arts of Org filed with Secy. of Stat and I LLC. Articles of Organization filed PARTNERS, L.L.C. Appl. for Auth. filed State of NY (SSNY) on 10/3/17. Office of NY (SSNY) on 6/13/17. Office loca- with the Secretary of State of NY with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on location: NY County. SSNY designated tion: NY County. SSNY designated (SSNY) on 08/22/2017. Office loca- 10/19/17. Office location: NY County. as agent of LLC upon whom process agent upon whom process may be tion: NEW YORK County. SSNY is desig- LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on against it may be served. SSNY shall served and shall mail copy of process nated as agent upon whom process 10/17/17. SSNY designated as agent mail process to: c/o Kamber Manage- against LLC to US Corp. Agents INC, against it may be served, SSNY shall of LLC upon whom process against it ment Company LLC, 551 Fifth Ave., 7014 13th Ave. #202, Brooklyn, NY mail a copy of any process against the may be served. SSNY shall mail proc- Ste. 2200, NY, NY 10176. Purpose: 11228. Purpose: any lawful act. LLC served upon him/her is: Legalinc ess to c/o Corporation Service Co., 80 any lawful activity. Corporate Services Inc. 1967 Wehrle State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE Notice of Qualification of ELEVEN RISK Drive, Suite 1 #086, Buffalo, NY addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wil- SOLUTIONS, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed 14221.The principal business address mington, DE 19808-1674. Cert. of Notice of Qualification of DANSKAMMER with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on of the LLC is: PO Box No. 3021, NEW Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, Div. HOLDINGS LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with 11/20/17. Office location: NY County. YORK, NY 10163-3021. Purpose: any of Corps., 401 Federal St., Dover, DE Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on LLC formed in Texas (TX) on lawful act or activity. 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity. 10/12/17. Office location: NY County. 03/27/17. Princ. office of LLC: 8101 LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on Viola Ave., Lubbock, TX 79424. SSNY Notice of Formation of Simpli Digital 09/07/17. SSNY designated as agent of designated as agent of LLC upon whom Notice of formation of WILLIAMS, BAI- LLC. Arts of Org filed with Secy of State LLC upon whom process against it may process against it may be served. LEY & ASSOCIATES, LLC . Arts. of Org. of NY (SSNY) on 9/13/17. Office loca- be served. SSNY shall mail process to SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corpo- filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) tion: NY Co. SSNY designated agent c/o Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 ration Service Co., 80 State St., Alba- on 9/14/2016. Office location: NY upon whom process may be served and State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE ny, NY 12207-2543. Cert. of Form. County. SSNY designated as agent of shall mail copy of process against LLC addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls filed with TX Secy. of State, Rolando LLC upon whom process against it may to principal bus. address: 45 Tudor City Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Pablos, 1019 Brazos St., Austin, TX be served. SSNY shall mail process to Place, #907, NY, NY 10017. Purpose: Form. filed with Secy. of State of DE, 78701. Purpose: Any lawful activity The LLC 244 5th Ave Suite W-235 NY, 401 Federal St., Dover, DE 19901. Pur- any lawful act. NY 10001. Purpose: Any lawful activity. pose: Any lawful activity. Notice of Qualification of MUIRFIELD GSE GP, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Notice of Qualification of RIDGEVIEW Notice of Qualification of ALGONQUIN NOTICE OF FORMATION OF New York Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on PROPERTY OWNER, LLC Appl. for Auth. PEAK LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Medical Surgeons PLLC. Articles of 11/15/17. Office location: NY County. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on Organization filed with the Secretary of LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on on 11/10/17. Office location: NY Coun- 11/13/17. Office location: NY County. State of NY (SSNY) on 10-24-2017. Of- 11/03/17. Princ. office of LLC: Attn: ty. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on fice location: NEW YORK County. SSNY Geoffrey Stern, 280 Park Ave., NY, NY 09/29/17. Princ. office of LLC: 667 08/18/17. SSNY designated as agent has been designated as agent upon 10017. SSNY designated as agent of Madison Ave., 19th Fl., NY, NY 10065. of LLC upon whom process against it whom process against it may be LLC upon whom process against it may SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon may be served. SSNY shall mail proc- served. The Post Office address to be served. SSNY shall mail process to whom process against it may be ess to c/o Corporation Service Co., 80 which the SSNY shall mail a copy of the LLC at the princ. office of the LLC. served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE any process against the PLLC served DE addr. of LLC: c/o Corporation Serv- Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., addr. of LLC: c/o The Corporation Trust upon him/her is: National Registered ice Co., 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilming- Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of Co., 1209 Orange St., Wilmington, DE Agents, INC., 1118th Ave New York ton, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, 19801. Cert. of Form. filed with Jeffrey New York 10011.The principal busi- Secy. Of State of the State of DE, Div. DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with W. Bullock, Div. of Corps., John G. ness address of the PLLC is: 128 E. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg., Fed- Secy. of State of DE, 401 Federal St., Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 62nd St A, New York New York 10065. eral & Duke of York Sts., Dover, DE Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any law- Purpose: any lawful act or activity. 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Any lawful activity. ful activity.

DECEMBER 4, 2017 | CRAIN’S NEW YORK BUSINESS | 31

P030-31_CN_20171204.indd 27 12/1/2017 2:35:32 PM GOTHAM GIGS

BROOKLYN UNCOVERED: Morris aims to tell the full story of the BY LANCE PIERCE neighborhoods she calls home.

Getting the whole scoop Dismayed by crime-focused coverage of her community, a Bed-Stuy writer founded a hyperlocal news site

awadi Morris worked in media relations for more “My goal was to get an underserved community to feel C. ZAWADI MORRIS than a decade before writing her rst news arti- they can engage with the news and current events without cle—and it was published in e New York Times. feeling like they’re being targeted,” she said. “To let people AGE 47 “It was unpaid, but I didn’t care,” she said. It was start seeing themselves as part of the fabric of society.” BORN Chicago Zlate 2008 and Morris was running her own PR rm in Bed- Originally from Chicago, Morris did not grow up in a RESIDES Bedford-Stuyvesant ford-Stuyvesant when she saw a Times ad seeking contrib- family that discussed current—or even past—events, which EDUCATION Bachelor’s in business utors for its new neighborhood blogs. is why she didn’t learn until age 17 that her great-grand- and Spanish, University of Illinois At the time, Morris recalls, she was frus- parents, Big Mama and Bud, played a role at Urbana-Champaign; master’s in journalism, Northwestern University trated by the way the media covered the My mission is in a pivotal event of the Civil Rights era. “ Medill School of Journalism Brooklyn neighborhoods that have been her to uncover the On the phone one day, Big Mama an- PERSONAL TOUCH Morris is home for almost two decades. “We know diamonds in nounced, “Some people called asking undaunted by the shuttering of local there’s crime, but there are other things too,” the community about dem boys. ey’re making a movie.” news sites DNAinfo and Gothamist. she said. “I made it my mission to uncover ” “Dem boys,” Morris’ mother explained, “Hyperlocal news doesn’t scale. Au- the diamonds in the community.” referred to three civil rights workers who thentic local news is about develop- Keeping her day job, she became an unpaid Brooklyn came to Neshoba County, Miss., in 1964 to register black ing local relationships.” stringer for the paper. In 2010 she was hired as Bed-Stuy voters. Big Mama and Bud hosted two of them at their TRAINING BKReader offers 10-week internships to college editor at AOL’s Patch, lling the homepage with stories home. While driving out of town, the three activists were students interested in media ca- about local businesses and personalities. Readership grew. kidnapped and murdered by members of the Ku Klux Klan. reers. About 25 interns have cycled In 2013 Patch suspended its coverage for several e movie turned out to be Mississippi Burning, and its through the program. months, but Morris found enough advertising support 1988 release had a profound eect on Morris. She start- TEACHING Morris teaches media from local merchants and civic leaders to launch her own ed doing family research while in college, traveling to the courses at RestorationArt Youth news site, BKReader, which she still runs from her home. South to interview relatives, and plans to write a book. Arts Academy in Bed-Stuy and Now in its fourth year, BKReader covers central Brook- “Black families don’t like to talk about painful histories,” after-school workshops called Young Journalists in Training through the lyn, with four freelance reporters posting six to eight pieces she said. “But we are all tied to these stories, and that his- city Department of Cultural Affairs.

BUCK ENNIS a day. She said it gets 35,000 to 45,000 unique hits a month. tory plays a role in who we are today.” — HILARY POTKEWITZ

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Floating on air During New York Public Radio’s Nov. 13 gala, President and CEO Laura Walker announced the nonpro t had received a $10 million pledge from the Jerome L. Greene Foundation. It will be used to expand NYPR’s journalism, music and live programming, and is its fourth major gi from the foundation since a $6 million contribution in 2006. “At every moment of transformation, when we ran toward the future and disrupted ourselves, the Jerome L. Greene Foundation has been right there by our side,” said Walker.

NYPR trustees and gala co-chairs Susan Solomon and John McGinn at the event, held at 583 Park Ave. It brought in $1.6 million

NYPR trustee MaryAnne Gilmartin, president and chief executive of Forest City New York; Laura Walker; Christina McInerney, president and chief executive of the Jerome L. Greene Foundation; and NYPR board chair Mayo Stuntz, founding member of Pilot Group and operating partner at Bessemer Venture Partners, at the celebration.

Five new lions of literature 100 years of serving the elderly e Hebrew Home at Riverdale raised $3.4 million at its centennial gala. Board chairman Jeffrey Maurer, founder and CEO of Evercore Wealth Management; his wife, Wendy; Icilda McCarthy, a longtime nurse at the home; and Daniel Reingold, At its Nov. 6 Library Lions gala, the New York Public Library honored theater president and CEO of director, playwright and artist Robert Wilson, 14th Librarian of Congress Carla RiverSpring Health, the Hayden, Pulitzer Prize–winning author Colson Whitehead, journalist and author home’s parent organiza- Tom Brokaw and Pulitzer Prize–winning author Michael Chabon for their tion, attended the event contributions to the city and its cultural community. at the American Muse- um of Natural History.

Farooq Kathwari, chair- man, CEO and president of Ethan Allen Interiors, and his wife, Farida, at the Nov. 12 fundraiser.

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer; ABC News correspondent Deborah Roberts; her hus- band, Today co-host and weatherman Al Roker; NYPL President and Chief Executive Tony Marx; and his son, Josh, analyst at Evercore Partners, attended the party in the library’s Stephen A. Schwarzman Building. e event raised more than $2 million.

TODD FRANCE FOR THE HEBREW HOME AT RIVERDALE, VLADIMIR WEINSTEIN/BFA.COM, ANGELA PHAM/BFA.COM, MICHAEL PRIEST PHOTOGRAPHY ANGELA PHAM/BFA.COM, RIVERDALE, VLADIMIR WEINSTEIN/BFA.COM, TODD FRANCE FOR THE HEBREW HOME AT SEE MORE OF THIS WEEK’S SNAPS AT CRAINSNEWYORK.COM/SNAPS. GET YOUR GALA IN SNAPS: EMAIL [email protected].

DECEMBER 4, 2017 | CRAIN’S NEW YORK BUSINESS | 33

P033_CN_20171204.indd 33 12/1/17 3:35 PM FOR THE RECORD*

NEW IN TOWN to $50,000 and liabilities of Estate brokered the deal ■ Target Health renewed its ■ Kinderhook Industries ■ e Beekman Group $10,000,001 to $50 million. between the tenant and the lease for 11,284 square feet signed a sublease for 10,786 agreed to take 7,803 square ■ Buck Mason developers, Curbcut Urban at 261 Madison Ave. e square feet at 505 Fifth Ave. feet at 530 Fifth Ave. e 235 Elizabeth St. ■ Navillus Tile Inc. Partners, Platinum Realty pharmaceutical research e private-equity rm will private-equity rm plans Because the Los Angeles– d/b/a Navillus Contracting and RW Real Estate Group. company will continue to occupy the entire 25th oor to move from 489 Fih based e-tailer has sold about 633 Third Ave. occupy the 23rd and 24th of the 26-story building. e Ave. once construction is 100,000 T-shirts to Lower e construction com- ■ Levi’s agreed to take oors of the 28-story build- asking rent for the nine-year completed. Avison Young Manhattan residents since pany led for Chapter 11 17,250 square feet at 1535 ing. Norman Bobrow & Co. deal was in the $80s per brokered the deal for the it was founded in 2013, bankruptcy protection Nov. Broadway. e denim brand represented the tenant. e square foot. JLL brokered landlord, RXR Realty. Cush- the men’s basics label has 8. e ling cites estimat- plans to move from 1501 landlord, Sapir Organiza- for the subtenant. Savills man & Wake eld represent- opened a brick-and-mortar ed assets and liabilities Broadway and open its new tion, was represented in- Studley represented the sub- ed the tenant. e asking shop in Nolita. of $100,000,001 to $500 location by the end of next house. e asking rent was landlord, American Capital rent for the eight-year lease million. year. Cushman & Wake eld $75 per square foot. Strategies. was $85 per square foot. ■ ■ Butcher & Banker represented the tenant. e 481 Eighth Ave. ■ The New Gethsemane landlord, Vornado Realty For the rst time in 37 years, Baptist Church Trust, represented itself. the former Manufacturers 203-209 Rochester Ave., e asking rent was not DEALS ROUNDUP Trust Co.’s bank vault under Brooklyn disclosed. TRANSACTION SIZE BUYERS/ the New Yorker hotel is e church led for TARGET/SELLERS [IN MILLIONS] INVESTORS TRANSACTION TYPE accessible to the public. e Chapter 11 bankruptcy ■ Privé Revaux signed a steakhouse that has opened protection Nov. 14. e short-term lease for 5,396 Toshiba Corp. $5,347.0 Ef ssimo Capital Management GCI Pte Ltd.; King Street Capital in the Hell’s Kitchen space ling cites estimated assets square feet at 120 W. 42nd Management LP (Manhattan) nods to its past with re- of $1,000,001 to $10 million St. e low-priced eyewear Time Inc. (Manhattan)/BlackRock $3,073.3 Meredith Corp. SB M&A stored safety-deposit boxes and liabilities of $500,001 e-tailer plans to keep its rst Fund Advisors; Deutsche Investment throughout. to $1 million. e creditors brick-and-mortar agship Management Americas Inc. (Manhattan); with the largest unsecured open through March, with J.P. Morgan Investment Management Inc. (Manhattan); JANA Partners LLC ■ Cachet Boutique NYC claims are David Bowen, the option to extend. e (Manhattan); Liberty Media Corp. 520 W. 42nd St. owed $132,000; Pettus & asking rent was $625 per Inkia Energy Ltd., Latin American $1,627.0 I Squared Capital Advisors FB M&A e Shanghai-based Williams, owed $19,000; square foot. RKF represent- and Caribbean businesses/Inkia LLC (Manhattan) hotel-management rm and McCoy Consultants, ed the tenant. JLL represent- Energy Ltd. opened its U.S. agship in owed $4,500. ed the landlord, Callahan SeaStar Solutions Inc./ $875.0 Dometic Group AB (publ) SB M&A Midtown with amenities Capital Partnership. American Securities LLC (Manhattan) including a boccie court and COMMERCIAL Clopay Plastic Products Co. Inc./ $475.0 Berry Global Group Inc. SB M&A a heated sky deck. Rooms STOCK TRANSACTIONS Griffon Corp. (Manhattan) start at $329 per night. ■ Dwight Capital agreed ■ Seritage Growth to take 20,000 square feet Jiangsu Man Yun Software $120.0 Tiger Management Corp. GCI Technology Co. Ltd. (Manhattan) ■ The Leasing Gallery Properties (SRG-N) at 787 11th Ave. e real at Exhibit Bruce Berkowitz, a major estate nance and invest- Recro Pharma Inc. $100.0 Athyrium Capital Management GCI 60 Fulton St. stakeholder of the company, ment rm plans to occupy LP (Manhattan) e Heller Organization sold 27,100 shares of com- part of the 10th oor of Legal Shield Holdings (proprietary) $86.5 Riskowitz Capital SB M&A opened a leasing oce for mon stock for $40.93 per the 10-story building. e Ltd./Trustco Group Holdings Ltd. Management LLC (Manhattan) (20%) Exhibit, a 23-story luxury share Nov. 13 in a transac- company is relocating from apartment development in tion worth $1,109,203. He 250 W. 55th St. e asking Altona Mining Ltd./Matchpoint $67.0 Copper Mountain Mining SB M&A Investment Management; Morgan Pty Ltd. the Financial District with now holds 3,739,550 shares. rent for the 10-year lease Stanley Investment Banking and 120 units and 6,000 square was $85 per square foot. Brokerage Investments (Manhattan); feet of retail space. ■ BlackRock Capital CBRE brokered the deal for Perpetual Ltd. Investment Corp. (BKCC-O) the landlord, e George- Battery Energy Storage Solutions Ltd. $66.2. Tiger Infrastructure Partners GCI Board member Mark Lies town Co. Savills Studley LP (Manhattan) MOVES AND EXPANSIONS bought 50,000 shares of represented the tenant. The Warehouse/Angelo, Gordon & Co. $59.0 TH Real Estate SB M&A common stock for $6.72 (Manhattan); APF International ■ Kylie Cosmetics per share Nov. 14 in a ■ e New York City Kaseya Ltd. (Manhattan) $45.0 National Pensions Reserve GCI 608 Fifth Ave. transaction worth $336,105. Department of Citywide Fund e youngest Jenner’s pop- He now holds 155,000 Administrative Services Leeds Park, North Charleston, S.C. $42.0 LRC Opportunity Fund LLC SB M&A up shop in Midtown will be shares. signed a 20-year deal for (Manhattan) open through Dec. 20. Two 16,927 square feet at 118-35 new lip kits will be sold only ■ Alcentra Capital Corp. Queens Blvd. It plans to TerrAscend Corp. $41.1 Canopy Growth Corp.; GCI Canopy Rivers Corp.; at this location. (ABDC-O) occupy the ground oor of JW Asset Management LLC CEO David Scopelliti sold the 17-story building. e (Manhattan) ■ Reformation 1,500 shares of common asking rent was in the high 105,713-square-foot of ce building $33.0 Banyan Street Capital SB M&A 39 Bond St. stock for $7.10 per share $30s per square foot. CBRE at 9350 S. Dixie Highway, Miami/Delma e womenswear brand Nov. 15 in a transaction represented the tenant. JLL Properties Inc. (Manhattan) known for its owery dress- worth $10,650. He now represented the landlord, Refresh Club Inc. (Manhattan) $32.0 New Enterprise Associates; GCI es opened its third shop, in holds 7,900 shares. Muss Development. WeWork Management LLC NoHo. Unlike its other loca- (Manhattan) tions, this store operates like ■ USA Halal Foods signed Selected deals announced for the week ended Nov. 23 involving companies in metro New a showroom. Shoppers can REAL ESTATE a deal for 12,590 square feet York. “SB M&A”: Strategic buyer M&A represents a minority or majority acquisition of exist- try on samples and place at 179-17 149th Ave. e ing shares of a company without the participation of a financial buyer. “FB M&A”: Financial orders online through touch RETAIL wholesale distributor of ha- buyer M&A represents a minority or majority acquisition of existing shares of a company with the participation of a financial buyer. “GCI”: Growth capital investment represents new ■ screens on the walls. Regal Entertainment lal food plans to move from money invested in a company for a minority stake. SOURCE: CAPITALIQ Group signed a deal for 47-00 Northern Blvd. and 38,000 square feet at 38-01 occupy the entire building BANKRUPTCIES Queens Blvd. e movie near John F. Kennedy Inter- GET YOUR NEWS ON THE RECORD theater will occupy part national Airport. Harvest * To submit company openings, moves or real estate deals, or to receive further information, ■ Downtown Taxi of the ground oor and International brokered the ABOUTemail [email protected] SECTION. Management the entire second oor of deal for the tenant. NAI 20 E. 86th St., Apt 9F the 12-story development, Long Island represented the For the Record is a listing to help businesspeople in New York nd opportunities, potential new clients and updates on customers. Bankruptcy lings from the eastern and southern e company led for called e Sunnyside. e landlord, Seagis JFK. e districts of New York are listed alphabetically. Stock transactions are insider transactions at Chapter 11 bankruptcy asking rent for the 20-year asking rent for the deal was New York companies obtained from Thomson Reuters and listed by size. Real estate listings protection Nov. 6. e ling deal was around $75 per from $16 per square foot to are in order of square footage. cites estimated assets of $0 square foot. Rimco Real $20 per square foot.

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Ticket delivery ith delivery and e-hail services clogging city streets, the windshields and doors of commercial trucks are sporting anW increasingly expensive look: reams of orange parking summonses. “We have 11 vehicles, and tickets are a mon- strosity of a problem,” said Louis Rozzo, presi- dent of sh wholesaler F. Rozzo & Sons. “If you have to make a delivery, you can’t park around the block when the chef is yelling for his seafood.” In December 2015 the company’s month- ly penalties peaked at $3,000. But since then Rozzo has managed to chop that tab to about $1,000. He joined the city’s eet program, which slashes his nes based on various factors in exchange for his declining to contest the viola- tions. He also buys prepaid parking cards so his drivers can spend time in commercial zones. And he hosts a companywide competition: A $250 bonus goes to the driver who amasses the fewest tickets each month. “Some drivers get very competitive, but others know they can’t win,” Rozzo said. “e Midtown drivers get the most tickets because they’re trying to make their deliveries as quick as possible.” — GERALD SCHIFMAN BUCK ENNIS

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