Infit Nutrition Opens Its Doors in Glendale

QUEENS CHAMBER MEMBER NEWS INFIT NUTRITION OPENS IN GLENDALE

BY BENJAMIN FANG

Glendale’s newest health and nutrition-focused store celebrated its official grand opening over the weekend.

Infit Nutrition, located at 69-44 Cooper Avenue, offers a variety of products to help customers live a healthy lifestyle, whether their goal is to lose weight, gain weight or boost their energy.

Among the options on the menu are low-calorie, low-sugar and high-protein smoothies, teas, bowls and other specialty drinks and snacks.

Owner Jonathan Acosta, who opened Infit Nutrition in January, said the smoothies taste like ice cream and their teas taste like juice, but are all healthy. He said they put aloe in many of their products because it helps clean out the digestive system and burn fat.

“We want people to have healthier options,” he said.

Acosta said since changing his own diet, he has lost more than 100 pounds.

“I feel amazing,” he added. “I want people to feel the same.”

Acosta, who lives in Flushing, spent nine months looking for possible locations for his healthfocused business, but couldn’t find many affordable options. His aunt, a Glendale resident, suggested that he look in the neighborhood.

When he found the corner store that would become Infit Nutrition’s future home, Acosta said he liked the area because it looked like a calm space where people would gather.

He also saw that there was no nearby competition to what his new store would offer.

“I want to create that family environment where people can come, sit down and have a conversation,” he said.

The process to open the new storefront was “a little tedious” and time-consuming, Acosta said, which included figuring out the permit process and how to comply with government regulations.

Though it only took him a few months to open, Acosta said he had the advantage of collecting the information before really starting the process.

“If I didn’t look this up months before I planned on opening, I wouldn’t be open today,” he said. “It was definitely a battle, but I was persistent and wanted to do it.”

Acosta also had the help of dedicated friends, some of whom came after work or worked overnight to help him renovate, decorate and prepare for the store’s opening.

He also enlisted the help of the Queens Chamber of Commerce, which he joined last March after hearing about the organization from his friend. Acosta said the chamber gave him a lot of guidance on support systems, filing taxes and finding elected officials to attend the grand opening.

“They walked me through everything,” he said.

Infit Nutrition already has a robust social media presence, including more than 1,180 followers on Instagram. Acosta said 93 percent of customers who walk in say they’ve seen the new business on Facebook or Instagram.

“Social media has been major,” he said.

Assemblyman Mike Miller (second from left) presented a proclamation to Infit Nutrition owner Jonathan Acosta (third from left) during the grand opening celebration.

The Glendale store owner said he also plans to use social media platforms as a space to solicit feedback and suggestions from customers. That way, he said, customers will feel their voices are heard.

Acosta said he intends to make Infit Nutrition more of a community space, hosting monthly events. They’ve already planned a sip-and-paint night on February 28.

“We want the community to come in, bond and get to know who we are,” he said. “We want to be the middleman to connect people.”

Though the business just opened, Infit Nutrition hopes to be a mainstay in Glendale for years to come.

“We’re here to stay,” Acosta added.

FACTS VS. CRITICAL THINKING

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19

“People who are critically thinking are not afraid of failure,” he said. “Don’t be frozen in place by the fear of failure.”

Bienstock broke down the process of critical thinking into five separate steps. The first is to “inform and describe,” where a person asks questions to better understand an issue.

The next step is to “discover and explore.” The NYIT professor said that means staying focused on the issue and keeping your “eye on the ball.”

The following step is to “negotiate and cooperate,” which includes considering what other people have to say and exploring “without any preconceived notions.” That’s followed by “test and review,” in which a person objectively weighs the facts and evidence.

The final step to critical thinking is to “integrate and apply” formulated ideas into new understandings.

“If we change the way we look at things, this is a process we’re going to be doing continuously in life,” he said.

Bienstock said there are ways to improve one’s critical thinking skills, including practicing, thinking several steps ahead and keeping one’s ego in check.

He also encouraged attendees to be in tune with their emotions, always ask questions and to even set aside time to think.

The professor noted that one problem with education today is that students are only learning facts, but not critical thinking or analyzing.

“We know we don’t know things, that’s the point,” Bienstock said. “If we know we don’t know something and try to discover the information, we can go through the process.”

“It’s a liberating way of thinking about the world,” he added.

QUEENS CHAMBER MEMBER NEWS

JGM ENTERS THE FIELD OF GREEN TECHNOLOGY

John M. Comack recently launched a new electric charging station company, Green Energy Technology (GET), as an extension of JGM Construction Development, which is based in New York and Long Island. The move addresses a changing economy as it pivots from fuel-based to electric supply.

GET is focused on last-mile trucking, hotels and high-end retail, with an expanding market nationwide. A turnkey solution offers direct manufacturer participation, engineering, financing, installation and day two servicing.

GET coordinate all government rebate programs, carbon credits

ASCE CENTENNIAL AWARDS

BY MICHAEL PERLMAN

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Metropolitan Section hosted its annual awards presentation at the Museum of the City of New York on February 27.

The historic setting was ideal to celebrate the ASCE Met Section’s 100th anniversary of honoring organizations that have shaped the city for generations.

ASCE was founded in 1852 to develop leadership, advance technology, advocate lifelong learning, and promote the engineering profession.

With over 5,000 members, the ASCE Met Section, founded in 1920 with 248 original members, is one of the largest and most active sections in the nation.

“It is through the hard work of thousands of engineers over the past 100 years that we have been able to provide these services and post thousands of technical lectures and training sessions for our members, making sure we’re technically savvy and have the information to build in this great city,” said John C. Deerkoski, Centennial Reception chair and ASCE Met Section past president.

The Port Authority of NY & NJ will celebrate its 100th anniversary next year, and executive director Rick Cotton was the event’s keynote speaker.

Cotton explained that the Port Authority is two years into a $37 billion, ten-year capital plan and record levels of investment. One priority is transforming the city’s two airports into 21st century aviation hubs competitive with the world’s best airports.

“We are investing $8 billion, with close to three-quarters of the funding from the private partners, and rebuilding LaGuardia Airport from the ground up,” Cotton said.

“At JFK, we will go from 6 million square feet of terminal facilities to more than 9 million square feet including 4.5 million square feet of new terminal space and roadway network,” Cotton ADDED. “At the center of the airport, we plan to develop a new ground transportation center and public plaza with the potential for retail, dining, and entertainment.”

2020 WINNERS

In the agency category, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey was awarded, while ACEC New York was awarded in the organization category.

College and university awardees were Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, NYU Tandon School of Engineering, Columbia University–The Fu Foundation School of Engineering & Applied Science , New York City College of Technology, Manhattan College, The Cooper Union, and The City College of New York Grove School of Engineering.

Engineering firm awardees were WSP USA, Hardesty & Hanover, Lockwood, Kessler & Bartlett, Inc., AECOM, Mueser Rutledge Consulting Engineers PLLC, STV, Greeley and Hansen, HNTB Corporation, Gannett Fleming, and HDR.

Contractor awardees were Kiewit, Tutor Perini Corporation, Skanska, E-J Electric Installation Co., Weeks Marine, Inc., Bancker Construction Corp.

and retrofit all lighting upgrades. The company will be offering cogeneration options in the future with channel partner’s. Comack started JGM in 2008 to provide outstanding construction services, work with a budget and schedule, and build a quality projects for its clients. JGM is a hands-on team of highly qualified construction professionals with a wide range of over 30 years of construction expertise.

They specialize in preconstruction, cost control, project management, and keeping an eye towards the quality of work in every scope and size.

JGM Construction Development has over ten years of experience working with minorities and women-owned businesses, providing mentoring and assistance in the construction management and bidding process to ensure a level

JOHN M. COMACK

playing field.They are also working with Disadvantaged Veterans (DVA) to include them in upcoming projects, helping them improve technical and business skills and project management, which helps their businesses operationally, ultimately benefitting the entire industry.

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NONPROFIT NEWS

NY EDGE BRINGS HISTORY TO LIFE AT LGA

BY SARA KREVOY

In honor of Black History Month, students from New York Edge, the largest after-school programming provider in the five boroughs, organized an exhibition of their own culturally inspired art.

Students put together a body of work that explores African American roots within a range of disciplines, from sports to arts to STEM. The pieces themselves, which are displayed in the students’ respective schools, are interpretations of the history incorporated into their curriculums.

Through a collaboration with the Port Authority and LaGuardia Airport, New York Edge displays students’ creations and artistic process to the community in a special presentation at the airport’s Marine Air Terminal.

“We should celebrate it 365 days a year, because the influence of Africans in the Americas is that important and that integral to how this country was developed, and how it moves on fulfilling its prophecy,” said Assemblyman Jeff Aubry at the opening ceremony last Friday.

“You come from a rich history,” he told the kids. “It belongs to you, you’re a part of it and you should take pride in it.”

The celebration also featured powerful step performances by two all-girl teams from New York Edge. Step dance is a collection of rhythms made with dancers’ hands and feet, while at the same time mixing in chants or calls with the music.

As an art form, step derives its origins from Colonial times, when slaves used movements and sounds to communicate when speaking was prohibited. It also allowed slaves to hold on to aspects of their tribal dance traditions from home.

Each passing generation added new components to the movements and sounds, from black WWII veterans bringing a more military edge to influences from Motown and hip-hop genres.

In the late 1960s, the dance style made its way to college campuses, as historically black fraternities and sororities began to embrace step in their organizations.

For New York Edge CEO Rachael Gazdick, the exhibition is as much about honoring Black History Month as it is about acknowledging the students as the next generation of excellence.

“When we look at black history we are looking at the greats, but in this room today we also have those greats,” said Gazdick. “The exhibit that you see is the students celebrating their elders, celebrating folks from the past and folks in the present. They are our future.”

Kimorah, 9, and Isabella, 8, of Far Rockaway were part of a group that studied Brooklyn-born artist Basquiat. The girls and their classmates learned about the artist’s fearless forays into neo-expressionism and abstraction, many of which used heads and skulls as a focal point.

“Even when people shut him down, he didn’t believe in what they said,” Kimorah explained. “He still kept his head up and did what he felt was comfortable for him.”

For the exhibition, they created

a replica of Basquiat’s head out of clay made by mixing flour and water.

“I think about how he was expressing himself in his art,” added Isabella, revealing how she feels when looking at her group’s finished piece. “And even though we know he’s dead, we will still remember him because of the work we did here.”

Both girls said they had a lot of fun with the exhibition, and with all the other activities they experience at New York Edge.

“I like everything,” “I like the fact that we get to hang out with our friends,” Kimorah said. “We don’t get into arguments, because we all share and work together, as our art shows. And we are always confident in what we do, even if we don’t achieve something. Say we lose a game for example, we will still be proud because we tried.”

New York Edge is a nonprofit that seeks to bridge the opportunity gap for more than 40,000 underserved students across 150 schools, preparing them for success through programs designed to improve academic performance, as well as health, wellness and selfconfidence.

During the ceremony, New York Edge presented interim general manager of LaGuardia Airport Tony Vero with a piece of art from the exhibition as a show of thanks for showcasing the students’ work.

With a headquarters in Woodside and a large percentage of its members residing in Queens, Gazdick says the borough is where New York Edge’s “heart and soul” is based.

She explained that partnering on this event with LGA seemed like a natural progression, a sentiment that was expressed by airport officials as well.

As a part of the ongoing $8 billion project to redevelop the entire airport, LaGuardia set up a community outreach team in order to promote simultaneous growth of surrounding neighborhoods.

Part of that includes working with local organizations and initiatives to host events like the one on Friday, in addition to educating residents on the employment and small business opportunities that arise from the project.

“We want folks to understand what’s happening here at the airport,” Vero said, “and to understand the opportunities that brings to the community.”