Crain's New York Business, December 9, 2024 by crains-new-york-business

YES, AND...

If you know about improvisation, you are likely familiar with the concept of “Yes, and...”

In improv, you acknowledge what has already happened (that’s the “yes”) and add something (that’s the “and”).

City medical groups expand into the suburbs

Major systems grow their footprints as outpatient care becomes more popular

By Amanda D’Ambrosio

Mount Sinai is taking its medical services beachside.

e Upper East Side-based health system opened a primary care walk-in clinic in Long Beach last week, o ering wellness visits, vaccines and acute care for injuries and illnesses to residents and beachgoers right o the boardwalk. e clinic, a liated with Mount Sinai South Nassau, is located inside a luxury condo building called e Breeze, which o ers oceanfront rentals and amenities like an onsite dog park, heated pools and re pits.

e clinic is Mount Sinai’s latest project in a growing medical village on the island, which includes a multi-specialty medical arts pavilion, a freestanding emergency room and another primary care practice. Mount Sinai has invested $47.6 million in Long Beach since 2016, when Hurricane Sandy decimated the former hospital Long Beach Medical Center.

Mount Sinai isn’t the only city-based medical center expanding outside the ve boroughs. e city’s largest health players, including NYU Langone, New York-Presbyterian and Monte ore, are doubling down on projects on Long Island and in

So while the “yes” for famed improv group Upright Citizens Brigade was a pandemic shutdown and an ownership change, the “and” is a new 10,000-squarefoot, three-level space at 242 E. 14th St. in the East Village.

UCB is now the largest commercial

tenant in a Stellar Management-owned building that also houses a KFC, a nail salon, and a 99-cent pizza shop. Gone are the lockers and mirrors of the former tness center, and in are a ground- oor

check-in area and small black-box theater, a mezzanine level featuring merch sales and a bar (opening once UCB’s beer and wine license is approved), and a main theater on the bottom level with a thrust stage and a seating capacity of 130.

It’s all far slicker than the theater’s former Chelsea home with its mismatched seats and view-challenging column.

UCB also now operates a training center across 14th Street and another facility Behind the next act for improv incubator Upright Citizens Brigade

An improv scene from “ASSSSCAT,” the premiere show at UCBNY’s grand opening in September, featuring Jeff Hiller (from left), Sasheer Zamata, James Austin Johnson, Shannon O’Neill, Zach Cherry, Anthony Atamanuik, Chris Gethard and Michael Hartney COURTESY OF UPRIGHT CITIZENS BRIGADE

Amount Mount Sinai has invested in Long Beach since 2016.

Mount Sinai in Long Beach | MOUNT SINAI

By Lou Harry

Mayoral candidates want to turn empty subway retail into social service hubs Broadway League names new president

By Jack Grieve

The theater industry’s national trade association has a new president.

The Broadway League, which represents theater owners, producers, presenters and more, announced Dec. 2 Jason Laks will fill the leadership position previously held by Charlotte St. Martin since 2006. Laks has been serving as interim president since St. Martin stepped down in February. Laks first joined the organization in 2012 and previously served as executive vice president and general counsel. He was to take over last week, The Broadway League said in an announcement.

In a written statement, Kristin Caskey, chair of The Broadway League’s Board of Governors, said, “After a national search and extensive interview process, we believe Jason is the right leader for the League at this critical time in our industry.”

“Jason’s detailed knowledge of the industry, rich relationships with membership, and steadfast commitment to the health of Broadway — both in New York and on the road — make him an ideal choice,” she added.

Laks wrote “the League represents people from all corners of this industry, and I’m ready to work with our members and our partners to lead us to new heights.”

The announcement comes as Broadway hopes to finally close the curtains on years of pandemic-related woes. As Crain’s reported last month, early data for the season suggests theater activity is basically back to pre-Covid levels, at least for now.

Correction

The annual plan pricing for privacy app Cloaked is $95.99 or $239.99 for a family of four. Also, Cloaked has secured $34 million in funding. These figures were incorrect in “Startup aims to make users invisible online” in the Nov. 25 issue.

By Caroline Spivack

The candidates vying to replace Mayor Eric Adams in June’s primary have sweeping visions to get homeless New Yorkers out of the subway and into housing and hospitals, but are offering few details on how the city would pay for their ambitious plans.

Proposals to address the chronic challenge of unhoused and mentally ill people bedding down in the city’s subway took center stage during a Dec. 2 candidate forum hosted by the Riders Alliance, a mass transit advocacy group. Three of the seven declared candidates backed the idea of using empty retail space in the subway to create social service hubs as a sort of jumping off point for clinician outreach and linking New Yokers with services.

The candidate forum gathered Democrats Comptroller Brad Lander, Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani, state Senators Zellnor Myrie and Jessica Ramos, and former Comptroller Scott Stringer; white collar attorney Jim Walden, who is running as an independent, also joined.

Lander made the bold but improbable pledge to end street and subway homelessness of severely mentally ill people during his ad-

ministration. The crux of the matter, he said, is a need to develop more low-income housing and ease the bureaucratic hurdles the unhoused face in getting off the street and into apartments.

Few details offered

One approach would be to expand Housing First, a city pilot program that immediately connects chronically homeless New Yorkers with housing without first requiring them to enter shelter or graduate through a series of programs, argued Lander. He said his campaign intends to release a fleshed out housing plan with cost and logistics in the coming months.

Meanwhile, Ramos, Mamdani and Walden each pushed the idea of repurposing unused retail space in the subway, owned by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, as social service centers. None detailed how staff and services for such centers would be financed, or if they have approached transit officials on the authority’s willingness to pilot a program in unused subway retail. Their campaigns did not immediately respond to questions seeking specific proposals.

Ramos called for the creation of

“social service help desks” at all 472 stations in the system and also utilizing empty MTA spaces in major stations, such as a now-vacant Times Square shop.

“Even if it takes a little time, the idea is to coax them into the services,” said Ramos. Walden echoed the concept of essentially creating community centers in the subway, describing such spaces as a way to eventually connect people to long-term housing.

Mamdani pointed to the Hub for Hope model in Philadelphia’s

SEPTA metro system, and said he’d seek to copy and expand the effort in the boroughs. The citybacked Hub for Hope program occupies an 11,000-square-foot space in a metro station where staff year-round offer grab-and-go food, showers, laundry, transit to shelter and case management; the program dates back to 2011.

“So many of those [subway] stores are gone and those are places that we can actually offer services,” said Mamdani. “I do believe that that is part of what we have to do.”

MTA’s $250 million Help Point intercoms bogged down by prank calls, report says

By Caroline Spivack

The vast majority of calls through the MTA’s ubiquitous blue-light Help Point intercom system aren’t from riders seeking assistance — they’re prank callers and transit workers performing checks, according to an audit published Nov. 26 by the MTA’s Inspector General.

The audit advises MTA officials to consider scrapping the system, noting other faults as well including an inability to prioritize emergency calls. But the agency instead intends to invest in the $250-million network as part of a $79 million upgrade to the authority’s communications and equipment.

Some riders may find the intercom boxes a reassuring touchpoint. The system features more than 3,000 intercom boxes topped with recognizable blue lights in all 472 subway stations, with a red button for riders to report an emergency and a green button to request information.

About 28% of the roughly 140,000 calls made through the intercom boxes from May through October in 2023 were calls from customers in need of assistance, noted the audit, which suggested it may be time for the authority to retire the network: “Given the changing nature of technology

and the challenges of managing the Help Point system, NYC Transit would benefit from evaluating alternatives.”

The MTA contracted Queensbased Boyce Technologies to install the Help Points in stations in 2011, and finished rolling out the system in 2018, as a way for riders to get help and access information underground, since subway stations didn’t widely have cell phone service and free wireless internet until 2017.

Add cameras to boxes?

One way to curb the swell of fake calls, the report suggests, is for the authority to add cameras to the boxes so that the transit workers who answer calls can identify

repeat pranksters, and determine which calls are worth their time.

Separately, the system’s software does not prioritize emergency calls, for things like an injured passenger or someone on the tracks, over calls seeking more mundane information, like specifics on service disruptions, according to the audit. The calls are queued on a first come, first served basis. Even though transit workers can see which calls are coming in over the emergency or information lines, the system as designed does not allow for calls to be answered out of the order in which they were received, according to the audit.

A “known technical glitch” will also sometimes cause calls to drop; from May through October 2023, the report found that the sys-

tem dropped some 3,900 calls. The authority is planning $79 million in new upgrades to its communication systems, including the Help Points, as part of a proposed MTA plan to modernize the region’s transit infrastructure — transit officials say the scope of those upgrades are still being determined.

In a statement, MTA spokeswoman Meghan Keegan described the Help Points as a way to “supplement police presence and the 911 system that’s accessible to anyone with a phone.” The authority is currently evaluating ways to improve the intercom network, she added.

Transit advocates, in the meantime, are calling on the MTA to ensure any new investments in the system include reprogramming the software to prioritize emergency calls.

Danny Pearlstein, policy and communications director with the commuter advocacy group the Riders Alliance, said the large amount of pranksters meddling with the Help Points does not negate the good they do for straphangers calling with real issues.

“This can provide another angle for outreach,” said Pearlstein. “Just like with emergency brakes, the fact that there are pranks doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have the technology available to us.”

New Yorkers walk past an empty storefront in the 42nd Street–Bryant Park subway station. | CAROLINE SPIVACK

Jason Laks BROADWAY LEAGUE

A glowing blue Help Point intercom at the Times Square subway station BUCK ENNIS

Charlotte St. Martin

Holiday shoppers flock toward nostalgia

Young people’s obsession with the trends of yesteryear boosts market for secondhand merchandise

By Jack Grieve

If you are among the millions of Americans who have been holiday shopping recently, chances are you have already encountered the trend: everything old is new again.

Lines are out the door at record shops. Vintage sections stretch across clothing stores. Lifestyle brands now carry film cameras and typewriters. It all seems as in-demand as the new iPhone.

And while pop culture has long romanticized the past — “nostalgia sells” is like a cliché in retail marketing — the appetite for things old now exceeds “Abbey Road” album covers and bell-bottom jeans. Young people are obsessed with looking and living like it’s yesteryear.

“Everyone’s talking about vintage,” said Fashion Institute of Technology professor Shawn Grain Carter. “Young people, Gen Z in particular, are referencing the ’80s (in their dress), and these references, to them, are very nostalgic and exciting.”

As Carter sees it, the motivators are twofold. First, there is an ethical aspect. “Young millennials, as well as Gen Z, are very concerned with sustainability, circularity in fashion, and it’s kind of like this anti-fast fashion trend that is really promoting resale merchandise,” she said.

The second driver, Carter said, is that kids think their parents are cool, or at least used to be. (Yes, really.) The digital generation longs for the social connections their parents experienced before social media. Today’s teenagers and 20-somethings did not grow up as “mallrats,” for example, but many wish they did. In turn, they romanticize the lifestyle their parents lived when they were younger and want to replicate their vision of

what mall life looked like, hence the return of garb like platform shoes, varsity jackets, biker shorts and checked outerwear, all of which are popular right now.

The lure of the past extends beyond fashion. Carter said it is the same reason young people want to own records again. “Everything is on their mobile device through social media, so to see a record player with an LP vinyl album is just amazing because they are used to Spotify.” Vinyl records surpassed CDs as the most popular physical album format in 2022 and now account for $1.2 billion in revenue for the music industry.

It is also omnipresent at so-called third places, or locations outside work and home where people gather. Social spaces increasingly look like they did in the latter half of the 20th century. Roller rinks are popping up everywhere from downtown Detroit to Bushwick. Jukeboxes are back at new bars. Young people want to hang out at bowling alleys and arcades again.

gan, called Elderly Instruments. The shop specializes in used and vintage fretted instruments, and second-generation owner Lillian Werbin says business is booming. “This is something we’re really focused on,” she said, referencing particularly high demand in the secondhand market. “That’s in our annual plan for the year.”

Instrument aficionados are intrigued by high quality products that have proved to survive the test of time, Werbin said, but others are simply attracted to the oldschool aesthetic. She said some customers just like the idea of displaying vintage items in the backdrops of their Zoom calls.

“There’s a difference between something that is retro and something that is old and something that is vintage. [For an item to truly be vintage] it really has to reflect the cultural ethos of a past era.”

Shawn Grain Carter, FIT professor

“Young people want community, they want connection,” Carter said. “All of this gives them an opportunity to feel like they’re part of something bigger.”

The vintagification of pop culture has made secondhand stores across industries some of the hottest shopping spots.

For proof, look no further than the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s 2023 top small business, a music store in Lansing, Michi-

“People inherently want to seem interesting and creative,” she said. “It’s a conversation piece, and I think people want to present a certain side of themselves.”

Elderly sells new instruments, too, but Werbin said used and vintage products are preferable from a business perspective because she is not constrained by a manufacturer’s suggested retail price. “You can control the margin,” she said of secondhand items, “so in terms of interest, it’s not just the consumer, it’s also the store.”

Much of the same is true for the popular Gotta Groove Records in Cleveland. “Demand has increased every year we’ve been in business, but especially in the last four or five years, it has really exploded,” said owner Matt Earley. “It’s really a younger demo-

graphic fueling it the most.”

The secondhand industry scaled 15 times faster than the rest of retail in 2023, according to online marketplace ThredUp and retail analytics firm GlobalData. The U.S. market alone will account for an estimated $50 billion in gross merchandise value this year; by 2028, their analysts expect that figure to be upward of $70 billion.

Mixed bag cost-wise

The consumer side of nostalgia shopping is a mixed bag cost-wise. Thrifting can be quite economical. Used clothes are donated or sold to stores for cheap, so retailers can then flip the product at a low cost. Buying vintage is often much more expensive because vintage stores seek out unique, high-quality articles.

“There’s a difference between something that is retro and something that is old and something that is vintage,” Carter, the FIT professor, said. For an item to truly be vintage, “it really has to reflect the cultural ethos of a past era.”

Young people do have at least one way to find authentic vintage for cheap, though. “You can raid your parents’ closet or attic and find this stuff,” Carter said. “All of that is probably there.”

Plus, storage boxes house not just hidden gems but history lessons, too. “You will find vintage opportunities from your parents’closet that represent their adolescence, their youth, when they met, when they had their first kiss, when they went to the prom,” she said.

“And that’s what young people want today. They want to see what it was like when you didn’t have cable television and you didn’t have a cell phone.”

Lillian Werbin and her father, Stan, of Elderly Instruments | eLDerLY INSTr UmeNTS

Disposable cameras are among the items making a comeback. JAcK GrIeVe

What’s trending? Check your attic. Records are back, like these on sale at Urban Outfitters, as are platform shoes, film cameras and so much more from yesteryear. JAcK GrIeVe

New owner of 1950s Midtown office tower seeks to keep it as is

AmTrust has bet $66 million on a Lexington Avenue property amid a tenuous recovery for the commercial sector

By C. J. Hughes

Converting offices to apartments will likely get easier now that lawmakers approved the zoning-loosening package known as City of Yes.

But don’t count out old, empty and plain-looking office buildings just yet. As tenants take advantage of vacancy-prompted rent reductions to trickle back to Manhattan from Brooklyn, some developers like AmTrust Realty Corp are investing in so-called Class B sites with the aim of keeping them commercial.

Last month the landlord shelled out about $66 million for 360 Lexington Ave., a 1950s structure in Midtown Manhattan whose 24 floors at the time of the deal were posting a hefty vacancy rate of 60%, according to AmTrust executives.

“We think it makes more sense to keep it as an office building,” said Jonathan Bennett, the president of AmTrust, which has opted for conversions at other addresses. “It was an incredible opportunity at the price.”

Indeed, the building, which AmTrust acquired for much less than half of the $180 million paid by its former owner, the beleaguered landlord Savanna, seems like a steal.

But Bennett was also drawn to No. 360’s fundamental qualities such as its close proximity to Grand Central Terminal and the Queens-Midtown tunnel, making it a fairly easy commute from the suburbs.

Of course, those aspects couldn’t prevent the property from becoming hollowed out in the first place. But Bennett believes the work-from-home “fad” that doomed so many sites has almost run its course in the face of what he calls an imminent recovery. “It turns out, this was just another cycle,” he said, “even though it doesn’t always feel like a cycle when you are in it.”

Since his deal to buy No. 360 was finalized just weeks ago, AmTrust has signed several leases, Bennett added, though he declined to be specific. And with plans to invest “millions and millions of dollars” in a new facade for white-brick 350 Lexington, as well as new conference centers and other amenities inside, the building’s future is promising, he added.

To be sure, office buildings in Manhattan are still far emptier than they were pre-pandemic. In November the borough’s availability rate stood around 17%, according to data from the brokerage Colliers, much tighter than its 10% rate right before the pandemic.

But a recent burst in tenant demand from law firms, tech businesses and transportation companies has put 2024 in position to be Manhattan’s strongest year of office leasing since the preCovid year of 2019, Colliers said.

101 PARK AVE.

Considered one of the most-coveted office addresses south of Grand Central, this 48-story, 1.3 million-square-foot angular tower, which was developed and is owned by H. J. Kalikow & Co., has nevertheless suffered notable vacancies in recent months. An affiliate of hedge fund Tiger Management decamped from a 53,000-square-foot berth in September, and Morgan Stanley is planning to exit a 49,000-square-foot space this month. Bond rating agency KBRA had predicted the tower would have a steep 14% vacancy rate with the departures. But Kalikow Executive Vice President Richard Nasti told Crain’s that a flurry of recent deals had erased some of the deficit, and the tower was 92% leased as of early December. Kalikow refinanced the site in 2018 with a $365 million note from Bank of America, according to the city register. Amenities at the highrise, whose triangle-shaped plaza is a familiar local cut-through, include a two-year-old branch of Five Iron Golf, a 30,000-square-foot, third-floor space with 15 golf simulators. Also onsite is The AKC Museum of the Dog, a six-year-old offshoot of office tenant American Kennel Club that spans two floors. One of its exhibits, on display through Jan. 5, celebrates famous White House canines. Kalikow, a fourth-generation firm that dates to 1927, developed No. 101 in 1982 after razing several prewar structures. If No. 101 triggers a sense of deja vu upon entering, it may be because the tower has served as a location for dozens of TV shows, music videos and movies, including 2012’s “The Amazing Spider-Man” — appearances for which H. J. Kalikow collects small fees.

This 16-story, 173-room lodging, The Renwick, has had some rocky years since its 2016 opening. Plans to open a homeless shelter in the building in December 2020 encountered fierce local pushback and were scrapped a few months later. The fracas also exposed tensions between some of the parties that control the prewar 76,600-square-foot site in the opaque and complicated arrangement typical of city hotels. Shell company Bedford-WCR LLC, the apparent landlord, which could not be reached for comment, claimed then that its deal to lease the hotel for 99 years prohibited its use as a shelter. Its critique was apparently directed at New York investor Meadow Partners, the entity in control of the building at the time, according to the city register. But in 2022 a partnership of Los Angeles-based Republic Investment Co. and city-headquartered Capstone Equities, a frequent investor in the hospitality sector, took over the site in a $16 million deal, the register shows. The least-expensive room available for Dec. 6, a 280-square-foot berth with two beds, was asking a base rate of $863 for the night, according to the hotel’s website. The ground-level retail space has also seen turnover. Bedford & Co., a restaurant channeling the lodging’s previous name, Hotel Bedford, arrived in 2015 but shut its doors for good during Covid. Agency of Record, a “vinyl lounge” bar featuring DJs most nights, replaced it in fall 2023.

344 LEXINGTON AVE.

For years, a crumbling facade marred this five-story, 20-foot-wide walkup building, while its long-closed sidewalk-level restaurant, Shalom Bombay, was a mess of graffiti. Its owner, Silvershore Properties, may have been putting off improvements with the hope that the city’s sweeping Midtown East rezoning to allow taller spires in the area would give No. 344 a chance at a new chapter. Indeed, comments submitted by a Silvershore representative as lawmakers were mulling the plan pushed for inclusion of the building, but officials ultimately did not extend the rezoning’s coverage area to it. Now apparently controlled by Sean Sedaghatpour’s Long Island-based Elisheva Realty through a limited liability company called Hasham Is Great (Hasham is a Hebrew word for God), No. 344 did finally get a reboot this year as a dorm for women students at Yeshiva University. As part of the renovation, Sedaghatpour reduced the number of upstairs rooms from 15 to nine, Department of Buildings records show, and the site’s outside walls are now white stucco. Students pay $15,500 a year to live at the address, which received its certificate of occupancy in July and is now called 39th Street Residence Hall.

360 LEXINGTON AVE.

“We purchase buildings in down cycles, where there is a lot of fear, uncertainty and doubt,” said Jonathan Bennett, the president of AmTrust Realty Corp., a 31-year-old firm that in November spent $65.5 million for this 1959 office building struggling with empty floors. Its office tenants include Kenneth Park Architects, which has leased space in the postwar tower since 1996, as well as commercial builder Plaza Construction, Alzheimer’s-focused nonprofit CaringKind and law firm Kriss & Feuerstein. Three of the building’s four retail spaces are leased, all to chains: outposts of Starbucks, European Wax Center and MakiMaki Sushi. Savanna took a massive loss on the property after paying $180 million for it in 2019 in a deal that included a $110 million mortgage from Barclays bank, according to the city register. The more than 60% drop in price between now and five years ago might be explained by the pandemic, though the office market was slumping even before Covid hit. The firm that sold it to Savanna, AEW Capital Management, paid Himmel & Meringoff Properties about $130 million for the property in 2008, while Himmel & Meringoff had spent $62 million to acquire it in 2003, the register shows. AmTrust plans to revamp the site but will keep it as offices.

355 LEXINGTON

348 LEXINGTON AVE.

Included in the vast portfolio amassed by brothers Sol and Irving Goldman in the mid-20th century is this 11-story, 47,400-square-foot site, which also goes by 124 E. 40th St. The Goldmans, who owned this site like others through shell companies, are represented on No. 348’s deeds as Dupont Associates and Newport Associates. Lining the upper floors of the mixed-use prewar tower are medical offices, including for chiropractors, midwives and dentists. Modest stores ring its base, though a decades-old diner, Bloom’s New York Delicatessen and Restaurant, went dark before the pandemic and has yet to be replaced. After the Goldman brothers died, their hundreds of buildings wound up controlled by two companies: BLDG Management, which is operated today by Irving’s son Lloyd Goldman, and Solil Management, which had been run by Sol’s children Jane and Allan until Allan’s death in 2022. His passing touched off an inheritance court battle royale in which Allan’s son Steven Gurney-Goldman and Jane’s sister Amy Goldman Fowler jointly accused Jane of low-balling the values of their real estate to shortchange them, though a judge later nixed the claim.

If 360 Lexington had a twin, it might be this site right across the street, a postwar office building with about two-dozen stories and a notable vacancy rate. Developed in 1959 by the Rudin family, which still owns the 22-story tower today, the 270,000-square-foot building is currently 84% leased, according to commercial real estate database CoStar. Among the half-dozen spaces on the market is an 11,000-square-foot berth on the 15th floor. Asking rents at the white-brick building, where Rudin carved up floors into smaller suites more than a decade ago to attract smaller tenants, are around $55 per square foot, CoStar says. The building did score a major tenant recently. Applause, a Massachusetts-based firm that evaluates corporate websites, including AI offerings, inked a deal in 2022 for a 17,500-square-foot space, its first New York presence. A FedEx branch occupies No. 355’s storefront. In the 1970s, the building’s 19th floor housed the offices of the Amtorg Trading Co., the official trade group of the Soviet Union, the communist government that previously controlled Russia. Amtorg coordinated the export of caviar, furs and lumber.

This four-story prewar building layers three small apartments atop a longtime wine store. But the second-story space, which features an unusual picture window, appears to be used as an office, according to the brokerage Compass, which is listing the entire building for $9 million. Any buyer also has the option of acquiring No. 345 paired with next-door 347 Lexington, a three-story site with a bagel shop, for a total of about $18 million. A 54,000-square-foot commercial tower could rise in their place, Compass says. Officially, No. 345’s seller is Gally River Corp., though the entity appears to be a holding company for the Callaghan family, whose name has appeared on deeds for the 20-foot-wide, nearly 3,000-square-foot building for more than five decades. An Irene Callaghan signed loan documents in recent years. The store, aptly called The Wine Shop, has been located in the building since at least the early 1980s, according to news clips, which seems to qualify it as one of the neighborhood’s oldest surviving businesses. City officials put 345 Lexington’s market value for the current fiscal year at $1.6 million, down from about $2 million last year.

AVE.

118 E. 40TH ST.

345 LEXINGTON AVE.

BUCK ENNIS, GOOGLE m APS

NYU Langone director of digital pathology discusses step into modernity

This fall, NYU Langone Health digitized its pathology program, transitioning from physical glass slides for roughly 200,000 patients across its hospitals and practices.

The conversion was part of a multiyear effort to upgrade a model that had not changed much in over a century. It places the health system among a minority of large medical institutions that have fully adopted the new technology. The leaders of the transition say it will make diagnosing diseases more ef cient and could position the health system to join a wave of institutions hoping to take advantage of machine learning to improve pathology.

The health system, whose annual operating revenue totaled $14.2 billion, according to its latest nancial statement, has a multi-year partnership with Dutch multinational Philips to implement new technology, but would not say how much it cost. Dr. Syed T. Hoda, director of Digital Pathology, Clinical and Bone and Soft Tissue Pathology at NYU Langone, spoke with Crain’s about the shift and the impact it could have on patient care and doctor ef ciency. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. By |

What is notable about this new step?

Pathology as we know it is rooted in the mid-1800s, the start of diagnostic surgical pathology using a microscope to look at human tissue to diagnose a disease. Since that time, the bulk of that work across the world has been done using a standard method of glass slides being read on a microscope to render a diagnosis. Essentially then all of human disease was de ned using that medium. is is the rst major change in this specialty since. rough the years there have been a lot of other things that

have happened, like molecular testing and blood testing, but all of that was still done through this medium.

What exactly is digital pathology?

Instead of using this microscope, we will be using a digitized image of that glass slide, similar to when radiology lms were actually physical lms. When I was a fellow in 2010, the radiologist would walk into my o ce cubicle and show me an x-ray of a patient and hang it up onto a light box and display it there. What we’ve been doing is something similar all these years.

What doors does that open? ere are so many advantages to having digital media. I’m a bone and soft tissue pathologist, so I specialize in really rare tumors. I look at cases for our campus in Long Island, for example. Before [this shift], they would have to package up physical glass slides with paperwork…a process of days to get me a set of slides from Long Island. is changes instantly. As of the moment they can digitize slides, I just click a button and I’m looking at a patient. E ectively I can provide a patient care, 50, 60, 100 miles away instantly without any delay. For patients, it opens up

Ethan Geringer-Sameth

a whole new horizon of getting the right person looking at your biopsy or sample.

What does the program model look like?

is was rst introduced to people in the mid-2000s as a future technology that was emerging in pathology. e problem was that not a lot of places were doing it. In terms of larger academic institutions like ours, it’s really a handful and possibly single digits that’s actually integrated it, got it up and running and has adoption by all of the doctors and sta . Part of that problem is the

logistics of the IT development and integration are heavy. It also requires a lot of nancial resources and personnel resources.

Computer analysis of large datasets is being deployed everywhere. What do you think the potential is here? ere’s really an abundance of diagnostic tools that are available. I envision that there would be a cockpit of tools to help me do certain tasks…Maybe an AI tool or a computerized tool can make it easier for me to do a doublecheck for quality or to con rm certain things I look for.

Dr. Syed T. Hoda | NYU LANGONE HEALTH

Cuomo has weaknesses as mayoral candidate

Former governor is no lock to win support from the Jewish community, as some felt they were targeted by Covid restrictions

Andrew Cuomo, the disgraced former governor, seems to inch closer and closer to running for mayor.

He clearly hoped Mayor Eric Adams, indicted on corruption charges in September, would resign, triggering a special election. Cuomo, for now, seems less enthusiastic about taking on Adams directly. But he may have no choice if he wants to run in 2025: Adams has pleaded not guilty, and seems committed, for now, to battling the charges.

But let’s say Cuomo runs anyway. He has clear strengths as a mayoral candidate. He enjoys universal name recognition and shouldn’t have much trouble fundraising. ough he re-

who remember his tenure fondly. Adams’ incompetence has created a hunger for an experienced executive, and Cuomo ran the state for more than a decade. ere wouldn’t be much of a learning curve at City Hall. Cuomo’s potential weaknesses will have less to do with the scandals that drove him from o ce — voters, in 2024, seem less concerned by #MeToo-style controversies — and more with those that arose in the rst year of the pandemic. ough he was hailed as a national hero in the early months of 2020, his conduct that year proved scandalous in a way that could permanently damage him.

He enacted a policy that sent Covid patients back to nursing homes, then his aides covered up evidence showing a spike in the death toll there. He took an enormous sum of money to write a pandemic memoir as New Yorkers su ered and died. All of this will be back in the spotlight if he decides to run.

State enforcers focused on yeshivas and synagogues, and “red zone” designations indicating higher caseloads seemed to impact the Jewish community.

signed in a sexual harassment scandal, there are enough average New Yorkers and business leaders

A Cuomo mayoral bid would rest on support from the outer-borough Black community — Adams’ base — and Orthodox Jews. Cuomo, for his en-

tire career, has been proudly supportive of Israel, and he has even joined Benjamin Netanyahu’s legal defense team as the embattled prime minister faces arrest warrants from the International Criminal Court over his military’s conduct in Gaza following the Oct. 7 attacks. On paper, strong backing from the Hasidic and Orthodox Jewish communities of Brooklyn and Queens seems like a given.

Covid restrictions

But follow local Jewish leaders, and a very di erent narrative emerges: A select number are quite mad at Cuomo. ey believe that in October 2020, Cuomo unnecessarily targeted them with Covid restrictions. ey are bitter that state enforcers focused on yeshivas and synagogues, and “red zone” designations indicating higher caseloads seemed to impact them in particular.

ey believe, based on his public remarks at the time, that Cuomo was blaming the Orthodox Jewish community for the spread of the virus. Religious leaders felt the imperious governor cut them out of any real dialogue.

e validity of these criticisms

can be debated. If Cuomo runs, he will certainly have to answer for them. What’s obvious, though, is not all Jewish leaders are greeting the prospect of a Cuomo mayoral bid with open arms. It’s plausible that in the neighborhoods of Midwood, Borough Park and Williamsburg, Cuomo’s team will have to do a great deal of relationship-mending to win votes. e leaders will forgive him if he’s contrite enough.

Will Cuomo, who is loath to admit error, actually do this? Will he even run? A mayoral bid is risky.

Cuomo would be a front-runner but no shoo-in. A crowded, ranked-choice vote Democratic primary could lead to the other candidates piling on him and lowering his favorability ratings further. Ranked-choice voting makes it harder for polarizing candidates to win.

Cuomo still has time to decide on whether to enter the race. Much of the early months will have to be spent on image repair. It’s doable, if far from simple. Ross Barkan is a journalist and author in New York City.

Despite tree- lled public space, IBM of ce tower at 590 Madison struggles to retain private tenants

By Aaron Elstein

e IBM Building at 590 Madison Ave. has one of the nest amenities in the city: A 8,200 squarefoot park-like atrium with a 65-foot high glass ceiling, with dozens of chairs and tables available to everyone.

“A tree- lled conservatory and public living room rolled into one,” is how the space was described in Privately Owned Public Space: e New York City Experience, a book written in 2000 by the Department of City Planning, the Municipal Art Society, and urban planner Jerold Kayden.

But it seems peerless public space has only so much allure among the tenants upstairs. IBM has cut its footprint by more than half, to 50,000 square feet, because it has been transferring sta from its namesake building to a new ofce two miles south at 1 Madison Ave. Morgan Stanley has moved out of 50,000 square feet at 590 Madison, and law rm Crowell & Moring, which had 100,000 square feet, relocated to 2 Manhattan West when its lease expired earlier this year.

As of June, the 42-story, 1 million square-foot Class A tower at the corner of East 57th Street was 77% leased, according to a report last month from bond-rating rm KBRA, which rates its $650 million mortgage “underperform.” e building matches the area’s o ce vacancy rate of about 23%, according to Cushman & Wake eld, indicating 590 Madison isn’t all that di erent from nearby o ce towers that are relatively distant from both Grand Central Terminal and Penn Station.

Investing in amenities

590 Madison’s owner, the State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio, didn’t respond to an email seeking comment. It appears to be investing in amenities to be enjoyed by tenants and their guests. New features to be unveiled in spring include spaces with “elements of ease and room to entertain,” according to the building’s website.

590 Madison is one of several Midtown o ce towers to provide privately owned public space, or POPS. Others include the neigh-

boring Trump Tower and Sony Building at 550 Madison Ave. ese spaces exist thanks to a 1961 program in which the city permitted developers to build taller if they agreed to create publicly accessible plazas or arcades. Developers built an extra 16 million square feet of o ce and residential space, the equivalent of six Empire State Buildings. Nearly 600 POPS sprang up, mostly in Midtown and Lower Manhattan, but many of them were small and not especially pleasant places to spend time.

“Although the zoning deals produced an impressive quantity of public space, they failed to yield a similarly impressive quality of public space,” the Municipal Art Society wrote.

In 2015 Donald Trump rode down the escalator to Trump Tower’s public space and declared his candidacy for president. e public gardens on the fourth and fth oors that Trump installed so he could build a taller tower are currently under renovation, a security guard told a visitor Nov. 26. Escalators to the gardens are blocked by a velvet rope.

But 590 Madison “epitomized the ideal of an inclusive, non-commercial, privately owned public space in the heart of the city,” the city, Municipal Art Society and Kaden wrote. ey praised the Ohio teachers pension fundowned space for its bamboo trees, granite ooring, and serrated roof with criss-crossing white metal tubing.

“ e glass-covered atrium re-

mains an aesthetically dramatic, yet peaceful room,” they wrote. Evidently others nd it appealing, too. In September luxury retailer LVMH agreed to lease about 100,000 square feet of o ce space at 590 Madison that used to be occupied by IBM. LVMH might also take retail space that’s to be vacated by Bonhams, an auction house planning to relocate to 111 W. 57th St.

Ross Barkan

The Orthodox Jewish community believes that in October 2020, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo unnecessarily targeted them with Covid restrictions, writes columnist Ross Barkan. | BLOOMBERG

The public atrium at 590 Madison Ave. BUCK ENNIS

Every Brand has a Story; Let Us

Help Tell Yours

From long-form narratives to market research to turnkey event production, Crain’s Content Studio creates meaningful experiences to expand your reach and connect you with your target audience.

Mayoral candidates should first assess current subway homelessness strategies

When mayoral candidates gathered last week to present their visions for transportation in the city, it was no surprise that a dominating topic was addressing homelessness on the subway. Candidates seemed to gravitate toward expensive new programs — including adding “Help Desks” in every station to provide mental-health and other services. But an obvious solution was absent from the litany of big ideas: audit existing programs and partners to ensure the hundreds of millions of dollars the city is spending are being spent wisely.

ree of seven candidates endorsed the idea of utilizing empty retail space in the subway to create social service hubs to connect New Yorkers with services, as Caroline Spivack reported on page 2.

Comptroller Brad Lander went as far as to pledge to end street and subway homelessness of severely mentally ill people during his tenure, in part by expanding Housing First, a city pilot program that immediately connects chronically homeless New Yorkers to housing.

e candidates did not address how

they planned to fund their visions and did not acknowledge the city’s investment in an alphabet soup of programs, pilots and initiatives to solve the problem. at list is growing every year: ere’s the Subway Co-response Outreach Teams (SCOUT) for example, intended to help the most troubled clients who are acutely psychotic with clinicians and police. en, the Partnership Assistance for Transit Homelessness (PATH) aims to utilize po-

lice, the Department of Homeless Services, and the city’s public hospitals to connect unsheltered New Yorkers to housing and care.

e Safe Option Support teams (SOS), set up by the state, are made up of medical professionals, social workers, and other service providers and are meant to work with city agencies to nd placements and other services for homeless individuals. Assertive Community Treatment teams (ACT), also from the state, take a “whole team” approach to treating serious mental illness by providing care in a community vs. hospital setting. e Behavioral Health Emergency Assistance Response Division (B-HEARD) is a mental health-centered response to 911 calls, designed to mimic a similar program in Eugene, Oregon.

New York’s congestion pricing program is a win for the well-being of children

As a parent, worrying about my kids’ health is a constant, and more than anything, clean air is essential to protecting their health. When congestion pricing was paused this summer, it interrupted what would have been one of the nation’s most transformative public transportation policies in the nation. It also set back New York’s e orts to improve air quality and tackle climate change, issues that disproportionately put our most vulnerable populations, like our children, at risk.

Last month, on the heels of the presidential election, the Governor announced that she is bringing the program back on January 5, providing a much-needed environmental victory when the future is uncertain. With all signs pointing to go, including approval from the federal government, there is hope for the future of our children and their wellbeing.

Tra c congestion is not just an inconvenience — it’s a public health crisis, and we’ve known about its e ects for years. Over 15 years ago, the Environmental Defense Fund published ‘All Choked Up,’ a landmark report that showed living close

to a congested roadway increases exposure to health-harming pollutants. Now, decades down the line, EDF analysis using new data on near-roadway tra c exposure shows that nearly 70% of the 675,000 New Yorkers who call the congestion pricing zone their home live within 100 meters of a high-tra c road, where they are likely to be exposed to the highest concentrations of tra c pollution. ese areas are home to many seniors and children, as well as facilities that cater to vulnerable populations, like schools, playgrounds and hospitals.

e health consequences of these emissions are no secret, which is why Moms Clean Air Force mobilized 60 members to testify to EPA in support of strong Clean Cars and Truck standards and submitted over 10,000 written comments. Breathing nitrogen dioxide, a trafc-related pollutant, can lead to asthma in children, and recent data on pollution and asthma in the United States nds that within the congestion zone, nitrogen dioxide pollution contributes to around one in ve new childhood asthma cases a year. In addition to causing asthma, evidence points to tra c-related air pollution in-

creasing risk of respiratory infections in children, along with cardiovascular mortality, lung cancer risk, and heart disease risk among adults.

New York is one of the most congested cities in the world and addressing this issue both in and outside the congestion pricing zone will require solutions beyond just congestion pricing. However, revenue from this initiative will help transform our air quality problems into a more manageable challenge.

Reduce harmful vehicle pollution

e program is expected to generate hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for projects that reduce harmful vehicle pollution in our most vulnerable communities through bus electri cation, installing truck charging infrastructure, and electrifying refrigeration units in the Bronx.

Tra c emissions also extend beyond local concerns. e transportation sector is the second largest source of emissions in New York State, making pollution reduction in transportation key to ghting climate change and creating a better future for our children — and congestion pricing is a critical part of that e ort. With fewer cars on the road and greater investments

e city also relies on a vast web of nonpro t partners to address homeless outreach, many of which frequently raise their hands for additional funding. Mayoral candidates should continue to push the city’s partners, some of which have funneled taxpayer dollars towards hefty executive pay and nepotistic hiring practices, to ensure the public’s dollars are being put to good use before investing further.

Solving this dilemma is critical for businesses increasingly calling their workers back to the o ce. An MTA survey shows that at the top of riders’ wish list for taking the train more often is “fewer people behaving erratically” on the train.

To be sure, subway homelessness — particularly among individuals with serious mental health issues — is a complex problem that warrants creative approaches. For any mayoral candidate, e ectively tackling this issue is a critical test of leadership. Candidates must rst evaluate programs in the works so they can double down on those that work and redirect resources away from failing strategies in favor of new ideas.

in our public transit system, we have a real opportunity to slash emissions and improve health outcomes for New Yorkers.

A new federal administration is coming that has vowed to end congestion pricing and roll back environmental protections, so our local and state leaders must take action to safeguard our health. Governor Hochul must do everything in her power to ensure congestion pricing is turned on by her promised date to provide faster commutes for millions of New Yorkers while building a more sustainable and resilient city that ensures a healthier future for all.

Our children should not have to grow up waiting for cleaner air. New York can rise to this moment, reducing pollution, ensuring safer streets, and providing its residents with e cient and reliable public transportation today — for a healthier, stronger, and more resilient New York.

magazine stand in the Lexington Avenue

Ali Simpson is senior manager for eld campaigns for Moms Clean Air Force

Cars drive under cameras on a congestion pricing toll gantry in Manhattan. | BUCK ENNIS

New Medicaid bill would expand access to mental health care. Hochul should sign it.

Anew Medicaid bill will cross Gov. Kathy Hochul’s desk before yearend, handing her a pivotal opportunity to widen access to mental health care throughout the state — including in New York City, where the need is urgent.

Sponsored by state Sen. Samra Brouk, chair of the Senate Mental Health Committee, and Assemblymember Harry Bronson, the legislation would enable Licensed Creative Arts Therapists to bill Medicaid for their services.

As director of Music Therapy at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, serving 2,500 clients across nearly 50 sites around the city, I urge the governor to sign this promising legislation.

velopmental differences, their age or their unique experience of trauma.

Music therapy is one of five disciplines that comprise the New York State Creative Arts Therapy license (along with dance/movement, art, drama, and poetry therapies). It is a highly effective, evidence-based, clinical discipline, and it is especially well-suited for those who struggle to participate in traditional talk therapy — be that because of their physical or de-

PERSONAL VIEW

In my work, I have witnessed moments of profound transformation, healing, and social connection: a child with selective mutism able to express themself through singing and songwriting; seniors in residential memory care who reclaim periods of lucidity when making music as a group; and young people in the city’s shelter system processing their displacement through beat-making and freestyling.

During our sessions, clients actively engage in the creative process within a safe, therapeutic relationship that helps them to integrate self-reflection with self-expression and work toward healing.

Unfortunately, those most in need of these impactful therapies are too often denied access to care due to lack of coverage, and nonprofit providers are increasingly limited in the financial aid we can offer as demand for our services continues to rise.

The growing mental health crisis im-

pacting our nation’s young people, including New York City’s youth, has been widely reported. As one of the only arts therapy providers in New York City schools, BKCM has seen this crisis up close.

Quality mental health treatment

Today’s children and teens are living through compounding tragedies, including the pandemic, a climate crisis, and a terrifying, unrelenting outbreak of school shootings. These young people, and their families, deserve access to quality mental health treatment to help them process, cope, and overcome.

Yet pediatric mental health providers are in short supply nationwide. In New York City, programs like TeenSpace, the free telehealth service Mayor Adams launched last year, have attempted to address this gap, but TeenSpace is limited in who it can support and how.

While our program at BKCM has been able to serve a wide range of New Yorkers through grants and fundraising, this model is neither sufficient nor scalable without the ability to bill Medicaid.

As the Mayor’s Offices for Economic Opportunity and Community Mental

Health reported together, New Yorkers face a dual challenge when seeking mental health care: There is a shortage of available mental health providers in the city, and only a “small number of those take Medicaid and other forms of insurance.”

LCATs, as the second largest group of mental health practitioners in the state, should be leveraged. There are more than 2,000 LCATs in New York offering individual, group, and family psychotherapy in all manner of settings, and we are eager to bring our unique qualifications to care for low-income New Yorkers previously shut out from our services.

Governor Hochul should not hesitate to sign the new Medicaid bill into law. In doing so, she would begin to right longstanding inequities and finally expand access to life-changing creative arts therapies for New York’s most underserved populations.

Brooklyn College prepares students for business careers

This winter and spring, thousands of students across New York will decide if and where to attend university. But for many, the choice to pursue college is weighted by serious concerns about rising costs and a lifetime of debt.

The average cost of college in the U.S. is more than $38,000 annually — which has doubled in the past 25 years. It is magnified at some selective institutions, where costs can now exceed six figures. In New York, costs of a four-year degree can exceed more than $500,000, nearly 10 times the state’s average salary.

These rising costs are one of the leading reasons college enrollment has declined. In Fall 2022, there were 896,000 students enrolled across all postsecondary institutions in New York state — the lowest total enrollment over a 50-year period. This was the result of a near 14% drop in enrollment in the state’s public schools. But college still remains the training ground for many jobs that are gateways to the middle class.

into some of our most important industries and the ability of future workers to afford them.

But it wasn’t always this way. For most of the second half of the 20th century, attending a four-year university was an affordable pathway to prosperity. Following the end of World War II, the G.I. Bill reduced the cost for veterans to attend college. In 1970 the average tuition at a four-year institution was $5,990 (adjusted for 2023 inflation), in 1990 it was still only $8,969 (adjusted for 2023 inflation). The result of college affordability was a skilled workforce that enabled a robust middle class and fed national economic expansion.

public affairs and policy for Aon.

This was an era of great social mobility — which is a person’s ability to improve their socio-economic conditions compared to that of their parents and grandparents. Today, that social mobility is at risk. For the first time since 1971 the share of Americans considered “middle class” has shrunk by 10%.

Opens door to the middle class

From hundreds of conversations with New York prospective students, we understand that those deciding between college and the workforce have one issue on their minds: is the cost worth the benefit? Students want to know their investment will result in a meaningful career and support a good life that meets the city’s high cost of living. At Brooklyn College, the payoff is clear: graduates earn an average of $41.2K more a year than their counterparts with only a high school diploma. That’s more than $1.7M over a lifetime.

The Brooklyn College ROI remains robust and relevant through evolving partnerships with the private sector and large employers, particularly with financial and professional services firms like Aon.

scholarships and providing job opportunities, but acting as close collaborators on the course curriculum itself. This fall, Brooklyn College and Aon launched an innovative risk management concentration in the Business School where students learn about emerging trends like cyber risk and intellectual property protection. The program results in job opportunities, networking, and on-the-job training, strengthening Brooklyn College’s value to students while expanding Aon’s pool for entry level talent. To date Aon has granted over 60 scholarships, internships and fulltime jobs to Brooklyn College students, and we’ve seen other members of the professional services industry, including KPMG and PwC, collaborating with Brooklyn College in the same way.

Look beyond the usual suspects

Employers in accounting, health care and education struggle to find skilled workers while other companies scramble for tech talent to adapt to the artificial intelligence age. We have a disconnect between the cost of the colleges that feed

And as potential entrants to the middle class opt out of college, this also puts New York City and the U.S. as a whole at a disadvantage in the competitive — and global — market for talent. But the solution is hiding in plain sight. It just requires new partners to collaborate to create success.

Over the last five years, Aon and Brooklyn College have forged a collaboration that goes beyond the traditional relationships between employers and campuses — one that focuses solely on the final product of the education — the graduating student. Aon has invested over $1 million working side by side with Brooklyn College students and faculty, not only funding

The fundamentals of the Aon and Brooklyn College model are not unique and can be replicated by other universities in our city. We need to disrupt the status quo that has employers hiring from a small spectrum of talent and graduates. This not only increases one of New York’s greatest achievements, social mobility, but delivers to businesses a great diversity of thought and wide range of talent. Leaders must think beyond where they usually invest. Changing the status quo will take work, but the work is worth it. Through effective collaboration, students can start college with the confidence their degree is the beginning of a lifetime of value.

Michelle J. Anderson is the president of Brooklyn College and Bridget Gainer is the global head of

Toby Williams is the music therapy director at Brooklyn Conservatory of Music and a licensed creative arts therapist.

CONSTRUCTION

Shawmut Design and Construction

Shawmut Design and Construction has expanded its Large Project Division, welcoming 23-year industry veteran

Kasia Mickowska as project executive and 40-year industry veteran Thomas Howard as senior MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing) manager. As project executive, Mickowska oversees her projects’ entire office and field teams, acting as key owner liaison for clients to ensure their goals are achieved. As senior MEP manager, Howard leads MEP budgeting efforts, bringing best practices for preconstruction planning and project execution. Mickowska has managed construction of ground-up towers and major projects in healthcare; Howard’s portfolio includes healthcare and education facilities—both have worked on projects for NYU Langone Health.

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

CONSTRUCTION

Shawmut Design and Construction

As it expands its Large Project Division, Shawmut Design and Construction has promoted 20year industry veteran Brian Troast to senior director of construction operations. Starting at Shawmut as senior project executive, Troast is now responsible for leading teams in preparing and executing the highest level of technical project delivery through every phase of work. A specialist in high-rise construction, Troast has worked on iconic projects including One Vanderbilt and 550 Madison Avenue.

LAW

Barnes & Thornburg LLP

Trish Lilley has joined Barnes & Thornburg as the firm’s Chief Marketing & Business Development Officer. Trish leads the firm’s client and alumni relations programs, marketing initiatives, and business development efforts. She is an active member in the global legal community and an internationally recognized advocate in leveraging digital media to enhance visibility and strengthen client relationships.

LAW

Latham & Watkins LLP

Jim Fogarty has joined the New York office of Latham & Watkins as a partner in the Structured Finance Practice. Jim represents private equity sponsors, private capital lenders, financial institutions, asset managers, and corporates in complex structured and securitization transactions, including whole business securitizations, liability management transactions, rental car securitizations, collateralized loan obligations, collateralized bond obligations, as well as related regulatory matters.

LAW

Latham & Watkins LLP

Megan Behrman has been elected a partner at Latham & Watkins LLP in New York, effective January 1. A member of the Securities Litigation & Professional Liability Practice and Litigation & Trial Department, she represents individuals, emerging companies, financial institutions, and multinational corporations in shareholder derivative litigation, complex civil disputes, and US and foreign regulatory investigations and enforcement actions.

LAW

Latham & Watkins LLP

Thomas Engelhardt has been elected a partner at Latham & Watkins LLP in New York, effective January 1. A member of the Mergers & Acquisitions and Private Equity Practice and Corporate Department, he represents private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies, as well as publicly traded and privately held businesses, in mergers and acquisitions; sales, dispositions, and carve-outs; investments; reorganizations; and general corporate matters.

LAW

Latham & Watkins LLP

Nathan Taylor has been elected a partner at Latham & Watkins LLP in New York, effective January 1. A member of the Complex Commercial Litigation Practice and Litigation & Trial Department, he represents clients in state and federal courts, as well as in US and international commercial arbitrations, and has successfully tried numerous cases to verdict.

LAW

Latham & Watkins LLP

Hanyu (Iris) Xie has been elected a partner at Latham & Watkins LLP in New York, effective January 1. A member of the White Collar Defense & Investigations Practice and Litigation & Trial Department, she advises financial institutions, fintech companies, and individual clients in regulatory inquiries and enforcement actions by the Department of Justice, SEC, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and other federal agencies as well as in securities and complex commercial litigation.

LAW

Vinson & Elkins

Marisa Antonelli, a commercial litigator in Vinson & Elkins’ New York office, has been promoted to the firm’s partnership, effective Jan. 1, 2025. Her diverse litigation practice includes commercial disputes, securities litigation, shareholder activism, and corporate governance matters in trial and appellate courts across the country. Marisa also represents public and private companies, as well as board committees, in internal investigations, including in response to investigations by the SEC.

LAW

Vinson & Elkins

Leila Ravi, a finance lawyer in Vinson & Elkins’ New York office, has been promoted to the firm’s partnership, effective Jan. 1, 2025.

Leila represents investors, developers, lenders (including banks and institutional investors), sponsors and borrowers in various types of domestic and cross-border finance and M&A transactions, with a focus on the development, financing, acquisition, disposition and restructuring of major energy and infrastructure projects.

LAW

Latham & Watkins LLP

Annelise Karreman has been elected a partner at Latham & Watkins LLP in New York, effective January 1. A member of the Project Development & Finance Practice and Finance Department, she advises sponsors, lenders, private placement investors, equity investors, and developers in complex development, financing, acquisition, and divestment transactions in the energy and infrastructure industry.

LAW

Latham & Watkins LLP

Ed Comber has been promoted to counsel at Latham & Watkins LLP in New York, effective January 1. A member of the Structured Finance Practice and Finance Department, he represents sponsors, issuers, borrowers, banks, underwriters, placement agents, investors, lenders, funds, and other financial institutions in a variety of structured finance, securitization, and secured financing transactions.

LAW

Latham & Watkins LLP

Pelin Serpin has been elected a partner at Latham & Watkins LLP in New York, effective January 1. A member of the Data & Technology Transactions Practice and Corporate Department, she advises clients on technologyrelated transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and strategic alliances.

LAW

Latham & Watkins LLP

Hana Nah has been promoted to counsel at Latham & Watkins LLP in New York, effective January 1. A member of the Capital Markets Practice and Corporate Department, she represents issuers and underwriters in complex debt and equity capital markets transactions, including investment-grade and high-yield debt offerings, liability management transactions, acquisition financings, IPOs, and SEC and stock exchange-related matters.

Latham & Watkins LLP

Thomas Pearce has been promoted to counsel at Latham & Watkins LLP in New York, effective January 1. A member of the Environment, Land & Resources Practice and Litigation & Trial Department, he represents clients in complex environmental litigation and regulatory matters, including those involving contaminated sites, emerging contaminants, and natural resource damages, and advises on environmental issues in transactions.

Mickowska Howard

NOTABLE LEADERS IN ACCOUNTING, CONSULTING & LAW

It’s not an exaggeration to say that accounting, consulting and law are the cornerstones of our city’s $1.2 trillion (and growing) economy. In 2023, the professional and business services sector comprised 42% of total jobs in New York City alone. These crucial fields are far more than the sum of their employment ranks and income tax receipts: Their financial, strategic and legal acumen enable untold commercial activity in the region, shaping New York City’s business landscape and allowing enterprise to thrive.

With this in mind, we present our 2024 Notable Leaders in Accounting, Consulting and Law. The 101 honorees featured here are advising in high-stakes and high-profile cases, growing legal practices, leading restructurings, providing tax and advisory services, working on digital finance and lending solutions, and more. Not only do they excel in their fields, but they embody the spirit of New York in their creativity and achievement.

METHODOLOGY: The featured honorees were put forward for consideration by their peers, companies and acquaintances. Crain’s New York Business editors then selected these nominees based on their demonstrated accomplishments, professional success and meaningful contributions to their respective industries, as represented in the eligibility section of their nomination form.

Elizabeth Abel

Senior vice president, CCS Fundraising

Scope of work: As a senior vice president at the global consulting firm CCS Fundraising, Elizabeth Abel plans and leads fundraising campaigns for nonprofits. Managing a portfolio of 10 client partnerships and a team of professionals, Abel has led campaigns that collectively secured more than $1 billion in philanthropic capital.

Biggest professional win: Abel led a $100 million campaign to scale a renowned advocacy organization. During this multi-year project, she worked with leaders to develop the strategies, infrastructure and operations to secure transformational philanthropic investments.

Other contributions: Abel has taught a philanthropy course at the University of Pennsylvania since 2019. She has also mentored young women of diverse backgrounds who are pursuing careers in the social impact sector.

Michael Aiello

Corporate department chairman, Weil, Gotshal & Manges

Scope of work: Michael Aiello serves as corporate department chairman at the law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges. This position includes management of 26 transactional and finance practice groups. He is also a member of Weil’s management committee.

Biggest professional win: Aiello guided The Home Depot in its $18.25 billion acquisition of SRS Distribution, increasing the home improvement company’s addressable market by $50 billion to $1 trillion. The deal, which closed in just three months, marks the largest exit by a private equity firm to a strategic buyer.

Other contributions: Aiello works with the Georgia Innocence Project to exonerate wrongfully convicted individuals. He also began Weil’s relationship with Global Citizen, which aims to end extreme poverty.

Lara Abrash

Chair of Deloitte US, Deloitte

Scope of work: Lara Abrash is the chair of Deloitte US, the largest professional services organization in the country with more than 170,000 professionals. In her current role, Abrash is responsible for leading the board of directors, governing all aspects of the organization.

Biggest professional win: Abrash led the launch of Making Accounting Diverse and Equitable, Deloitte’s $75 million commitment to fueling greater racial and ethnic diversity in the accounting profession. Since its inception, MADE has accelerated progress by addressing societal barriers faced by racially and ethnically diverse talent and attracting students to the accounting field.

Other contributions: Abrash’s passion for sports and diversity, equity and inclusion come together through her involvement with the Jackie Robinson Foundation.

Todd Alexander Partner,

Norton Rose Fulbright U.S.

Scope of work: A partner at Norton Rose Fulbright’s New York office, Todd Alexander represents developers of and investors and lenders to infrastructure and other energy-related projects, including solar and wind. His practice is active in the U.S., as well as in Canada, Japan and Latin America.

Biggest professional win: Alexander recently closed one of the largest projects of his career, the Sunzia Wind and Transmission. This was the largest renewable energy project ever built in the U.S.

Other contributions: Alexander hosts his firm’s podcast, “Currents,” which has produced nearly 270 episodes and is released bimonthly. With more than three million downloads, the podcast brings information about developments in the renewables sector to the public.

Jonathan A. Adelsberg

Partner, co-chair of the real estate department and chair of leasing, Herrick Scope of work: At the law firm Herrick, Jonathan A. Adelsberg is a partner, co-chair of the real estate department and chair of leasing. He focuses his practice on real estate transactions including sales, acquisitions, large-scale developments, financings, workouts, restructurings, leases, joint ventures and construction projects.

Biggest professional win: With Adelsberg as lead, Herrick is representing the Hunts Point Produce Market Cooperative in redeveloping the Hunts Point Produce Market together with the New York City Economic Development Corporation.

Other contributions: Adelsberg serves on the board of directors and executive committee of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York City, which advances the values and security of the Jewish community.

Judith Archer

Co-partner-in-charge, New York, Norton Rose Fulbright US Scope of work: Judith Archer has served as co-partner-incharge of the law firm Norton Rose Fulbright’s New York office since 2021. Overseeing more than 385 lawyers and business services professionals, Archer is responsible for handling administrative matters, implementing rules and policy changes, integrating new partners and associates, coordinating office events and supporting business services personnel.

Biggest professional win: Archer was instrumental in creating the firm’s New York Women’s Initiative and the Women in Norton Rose Fulbright Network. She was involved in helping the firm reach its goal of 30% female participation on management committees.

Other contributions: Archer previously served as chair of the New York City Bar Association’s women in the legal profession committee.

Arthur Aidala

Managing partner, Aidala, Bertuna & Kamins

Scope of work: As a managing partner at Aidala, Bertuna & Kamins, Arthur Aidala has grown the firm from a solo practice to an outfit with nine partners and 20 additional lawyers and support staff across Manhattan, Brooklyn and Long Island.

Biggest professional win: In April 2024, the New York State Court of Appeals overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, ruling that Weinstein was not given a fair trial because the trial court admitted evidence that was not relevant to the case. Aidala argued the case before New York’s highest court.

Other contributions: Aidala raised $50,000 for The Guild for Exceptional Children and is a member of the board of directors for The Christian J. Santo Foundation.

Roger G. Arrieux Jr. East region market leader and New York managing partner, Deloitte

Scope of work: Roger G. Arrieux Jr., east region market leader and New York managing partner at Deloitte, holds more than 35 years of professional services expertise in finance, risk management, regulatory compliance and business strategy.

Biggest professional win: Arrieux Jr. drives regional growth by collaborating with 20 managing partners across 48 offices in the east region. His work also includes active engagement on marketing, public relations and speaking engagements.

Other contributions: Arrieux Jr. chairs the Black Achievers in Industry steering committee and the Braven New York board. He also serves on the national board of directors of A Better Chance and the Greater YMCA of New York.

Rollo Baker

Founding partner, Elsberg Baker & Maruri

Scope of work: Rollo Baker is a founding partner at Elsberg Baker & Maruri, a trial and arbitration firm that launched in February 2024.

Biggest professional win: In the short time since its launch, Baker has already led Elsberg Baker & Maruri in high-profile litigation matters. Most notably, he is representing defendants Douglas Schadewald and Daniel Spottiswood in a matter against proprietary trading firm Jane Street Capital involving a high-speed options trading strategy. An April 2024 ruling in Baker’s clients’ favor on this matter was widely reported by the media.

Other contributions: Baker mentors the firm’s associates and shapes the next generation of trial lawyers, inspiring associates to cultivate litigation styles that reflect their individuality and creativity.

Michael Barasch

Managing partner, Barasch & McGarry

Scope of work: A managing partner at the law firm Barasch & McGarry, Michael Barasch is an advocate for 9/11 victims. He played a pivotal role in securing passage of the Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, named after his client, NYPD Detective James Zadroga, whose autopsy definitively linked the toxins to 9/11 illnesses.

Biggest professional win: Barasch played a pivotal role in the 2023 passage of New York’s 9/11 Notice Act.

Other contributions: A 9/11 cancer survivor, Barasch supports the American Cancer Society by hosting webinars on survivors’ rights and donating to key events. In addition, he has served on the board of directors for the Urban Justice Center since 1997.

Jeremy Barber

Partner, Wilkinson Stekloff

Scope of work: Jeremy Barber is a partner at Wilkinson Stekloff and manages the law firm’s active pro bono practice. He was the lead trial counsel defending the fintech company Plaid against trademark infringement claims brought by PNC Bank.

Biggest professional win: Barber managed the trial team representing the National Football League and its 32 member clubs in a class action lawsuit brought by Sunday Ticket subscribers seeking more than $21 billion in damages. He played an integral role in laying the groundwork for the ultimate victory.

Other contributions: Barber is currently working with Lambda Legal on post-conviction litigation in Florida and previously represented an incarcerated individual in Maryland in support of his federal excessive force claim.

NOTE WORTHY

37%

Eric Bergner

Leader of the digital and technology transactions group, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips

Scope of work: Eric Bergner is leader of the digital and technology transactions group at the law firm Manatt, Phelps & Phillips. He is a trusted partner for digital media companies as they navigate new technological and regulatory landscapes relating to content distribution.

Biggest professional win: Bergner has been the go-to attorney for Samsung in content deals, including its recent integration agreements with Spotify and Amazon, and has previously represented Samsung in distribution deals with Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime and Hulu. He also represented the Women’s Sports Network in sponsorship and content license agreements.

Other contributions: Bergner has written articles for industry-leading publications.

Matt Barr

Co-chair of the restructuring department, Weil, Gotshal & Manges

Scope of work: Matt Barr is co-chair of the restructuring department at the law firm Weil, Gotshal & Manges and a member of the management committee. He has led many of the largest restructurings in the past decade.

Biggest professional win: Barr led the team that advised Talen Energy in its approximately $5 billion Chapter 11 filing. He struck critical deals with creditor groups and orchestrated novel restructuring and capital raising measures, reducing Talen’s debt and securing new equity while providing $1.55 billion in equity capital to pay off senior creditors.

Other contributions: Barr serves on the boards of the greater New York chapters of the American Red Cross and the National Kidney Foundation.

Neil Barr

Chair and managing partner, Davis Polk & Wardwell

Scope of work: Neil Barr is chair and managing partner at the global law firm Davis Polk & Wardwell. He was elected to lead the more than 1,000-lawyer firm in 2019, and since then Davis Polk has consistently executed on a long-term strategy that helped the firm outperform the market.

Biggest professional win: A highlight among the transformative deals on which Barr has advised was representing Josh Harris and partners on their $6.05 billion acquisition of the Washington Commanders, the largest-ever purchase price for a professional sports franchise. Other contributions: Barr is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and sits on the board of directors of the Partnership for New York City, chairing the compensation committee.

37% of New York State Bar Association members are women. (Forbes)

William Bernstein

Leader of Manatt Health and chairperson of the board, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips

Scope of work: William Bernstein is leader of Manatt Health and chairperson of the board at the law firm Manatt, Phelps & Phillips. He is a trusted advisor for health care organizations of all types — including provider organizations, managed care companies and financial institutions — with a focus on advancing digital innovation and improving access to care.

Biggest professional win: Bernstein is leading a cross-functional team of Manatt lawyers and consultants in advising the leadership of the New York eHealth Collaborative, a nonprofit working in partnership with New York State to improve care and reduce costs through health information exchange.

Other contributions: Bernstein is chairperson of the Center for Democracy and Technology.

Erica Berthou

Member of the executive committee and partner, Kirkland & Ellis

Scope of work: At the law firm Kirkland & Ellis, Erica Berthou is a member of the executive committee and a partner in investment funds. Over her career, she has counseled U.S. and international sponsors on hundreds of billions of dollars of fund formations across a variety of strategies.

Biggest professional win: Berthou has run some of the most complex fundraisings to date, including Oaktree Capital’s $15.9 billion distressed debt fund, Blackstone’s $7.1 billion energy transition credit fund and TPG’s $7.3 billion global climate-focused fund.

Other contributions: Berthou is a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network and has served on the board of the USA Cycling Foundation.

Craig Bitman

Partner, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius

Scope of work: Craig Bitman is a partner at the law firm Morgan, Lewis & Bockius and leader of the employee benefits and executive compensation practice. He oversees lawyers who counsel clients on benefit plan design, implementation and administration. Bitman is also a go-to lawyer for businesses, trusts and individuals seeking guidance on complying with evolving rules governing compensation, health and welfare, and retirement plans.

Biggest professional win: A large, quasi-governmental federal agency selected Bitman to do the fiduciary training for its $15 billion pension plan’s board of governors.

Other contributions: Bitman, who is legally blind, mentors law students with disabilities and frequently speaks on accessibility issues affecting the legal community. He co-leads his firm’s Disability Awareness Lawyers Network.

Kevin Brown

Americas Consulting – business planning, reporting and analysis solution leader, EY

Scope of work: Kevin Brown is business planning, reporting and analysis solution leader for Americas Consulting at EY. He helps finance leaders drive business-value creation with technology and AI-enabled automation, process automation, operating model transformation and data solutions. Brown is responsible for working with industry leaders from each of the sectors that EY serves.

Biggest professional win: Brown led the development of a custom diagnostic solution to help private equity funds assess the financial capabilities of their portfolio companies.

Other contributions: Brown is on the board of Roundabout Theatre Company, the board of visitors for the Howard University School of Business and the advisory board for Black Theatre United.

Mary Rose Brusewitz

Member-in-charge of the New York office, Clark Hill

Scope of work: Mary Rose Brusewitz is member-in-charge of the New York office at the law firm Clark Hill, working on international and domestic financing and investment transactions, including project and structured financings and impact investing. She represents banks, for-profit institutions and nonprofits.

Biggest professional win: Brusewitz was key to the evolution of MFX Solutions, which supports impact investors with affordable currency hedging products and currency risk management training. She assisted the company in structuring a guaranty product to support MFX’s ability to provide hedging products.

Other contributions: She was a member and chair of the compliance panel of the policy compliance mechanism of the Inter-American Development Bank.

Nichol Chiarella

Partner, Citrin Cooperman

Scope of work: At the professional services firm Citrin Cooperman, Nichol Chiarella is a partner and leader of the mergers and acquisitions tax practice. She manages transaction tax matters for private equity funds, corporations, LLCs and partnerships, offering tax planning, structuring and compliance support for buy-side, sell-side and restructuring transactions.

Biggest professional win: Chiarella built Citrin Cooperman’s mergers and acquisitions tax practice from the ground up. Starting two and a half years ago, she launched the practice with a grassroots approach and successfully expanded it to a team of seven full-time mergers and acquisitions tax professionals, who on average hold 10 years of experience.

Other contributions: Chiarella leads Citrin Cooperman’s global diversity, equity and inclusion initiative, CC EDGE.

Michael Coffey

Founding partner, Coffey Modica

Scope of work: Michael Coffey is a founding partner of law firm Coffey Modica. Boasting more than 150 verdicts, he is both an experienced trial attorney and a serial legal industry entrepreneur, having previously launched and scaled an East Coast practice for a California defense firm.

Biggest professional win: Annually, Coffey and his team lead or are parachuted into more than 100 high-risk cases with claims from $10 million to $250 million across the nation.

Other contributions: Coffey served on the military academy selection committee for Annapolis, West Point and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. In addition, he was elected president of the Norwalk, Conn., city council and named city fire commissioner.

Lee M. Cohen

Chief executive officer, LMC Advisors

Scope of work: Lee M. Cohen is chief executive officer at LMC Advisors, where he leads with both strategic direction and dedication to growth. Cohen, who founded the firm in 2010, is responsible for overseeing a team of more than 120 employees.

Biggest professional win: Joining Ascend’s growth platform in June 2023 has been a significant win for the firm under Cohen’s leadership, reducing turnover, bringing in advanced resources and opening new pipelines of opportunity.

Other contributions: Cohen’s community service earned him the Arthur J. Dixon Public Service Award from the New York State Society of CPAs. He is a board member of Sephardic Bikur Holim, one of the largest social services agencies in Brooklyn.

CRAIN’S PARTNER

Wendy E. Cohen

Managing partner of the New York office, Katten Muchin Rosenman

Scope of work: At the law firm Katten Muchin Rosenman, Wendy E. Cohen serves as managing partner of the New York City office. She is the first woman in that role, overssing 206 of the firm’s 700-plus attorneys, including leaders of core national practices such as insolvency and restructuring and financial markets.

Biggest professional win: Cohen has been the go-to attorney for various asset management clients for decades, helping them navigate a host of operational considerations.

Other contributions: Cohen is co-chair of Legal Peer Advisory Group at 100 Women in Finance. She has provided pro bono assistance to help New York City students create the nonprofit Females in Finance.

Jennifer Conway

Partner, Davis Polk & Wardwell

Scope of work: A partner at the law firm Davis Polk & Wardwell, Jennifer Conway heads the global executive compensation practice. She advises on employee benefit matters across transactions such as mergers and acquisitions, spinoffs and initial public offerings.

Biggest professional win: Conway led the executive compensation team advising ExxonMobil on its $59.5 billion acquisition of Pioneer Natural Resources in October 2023. She advised ExxonMobil on the change in control protections Pioneer had adopted for its senior executives, participating in negotiations over ExxonMobil’s commitments to Pioneer’s workforce.

Other contributions: Conway is actively involved in Davis Polk’s pro bono practice, serving on the team that advised the Prison Journalism Project. She has been a featured speaker at numerous industry events.

Corinna Creedon

Managing director, Forvis Mazars

Scope of work: Corinna Creedon is a managing director at the professional services network Forvis Mazars, leading the New York City office’s nonprofit practice. She holds more than two decades of experience as a finance executive and has provided interim and outsourced chief financial officer services to a wide range of organizations.

Biggest professional win: In 2023, in response to marketplace need, Creedon launched the digital technology strategy and innovation team, which supports clients throughout the lifecycle of their digital transformations.

Other contributions: Creedon is a member of the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants and sits on the board of The Book Fairies, a nonprofit that aims to enhance literacy in underserved communities.

Eileen Crowley

Audit and assurance partner, vice chair, U.S. transportation, hospitality and services leader, Deloitte & Touche

Scope of work: At Deloitte & Touche, Eileen Crowley serves as audit and assurance partner, vice chair, U.S. transportation, hospitality and services leader. In this role, she leads overall sector strategic direction and drives go-to-market strategies for Deloitte’s businesses. Crowley oversees a team of 6,000 professionals.

Biggest professional win: Through Deloitte’s research into the future of travel, Crowley has focused on insights and strategies to address the coming changes in travel, including climate headwinds and new technologies. Other contributions: Crowley mentors young women on how to succeed in managing demanding careers and personal lives. She is a frequent speaker at the NYU International Hospitality Investment Conference.

2 states

Shawn Crowley

Partner, Hecker Fink

Scope of work: Shawn Crowley, a former federal prosecutor, is currently the youngest female partner at the law firm Hecker Fink. She manages a diverse criminal practice, having successfully guided dozens of clients through investigations and prosecutions since she joined the firm in 2020. Crowley also advises clients in defamation, harassment, discrimination and employment matters.

Biggest professional win: Crowley was co-lead trial counsel representing E. Jean Carroll in her sexual assault and defamation trials against Donald Trump in 2023 and 2024, securing jury verdicts of $5 million and $83 million, respectively.

Other contributions: Crowley sits on the board of Legal Services NYC, a nonprofit that provides free civil legal assistance to low-income people in New York City.

William Curtin

Partner, Sidley Austin

Scope of work: A partner at Sidley Austin, William Curtin helps lead the global law firm’s restructuring group, a role that includes responsibility for business development and staffing. He leverages experience as a bankruptcy regulator and litigator with the Department of Justice to offer clients solutions in restructuring matters.

Biggest professional win: After Eiger BioPharmaceuticals filed for Chapter 11, Curtin and his team obtained confirmation of the company’s Chapter 11 plan. The plan is the culmination of a successful case which allowed for the continued production and distribution of Zokinvy, the only drug available to treat the fatal childhood disease Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome. Other contributions: Curtin serves on the Eastern District of New York Bankruptcy Court’s Chapter 11 advisory committee.

More than a quarter of all U.S. lawyers are located in two states: New York and California. (American Bar Association) NOTE WORTHY

Pierre Debbas

Managing partner, Romer Debbas

Scope of work: Pierre Debbas is a managing partner and founding member of Romer Debbas, a real estate law firm. He focuses on the purchase and sale of commercial and residential real estate in New York City and the representation of cooperative and condominium boards, foreign investors and small businesses.

Biggest professional win: In 2024, Debbas represented the purchaser of a residential property in the Hamptons that sold for $88 million, the largest residential deal in the firm’s history. This transaction led to the launch of Romer Debbas’ Hamptons office.

Other contributions: Debbas sits on the board of the Global Fund for Widows, a nonprofit empowering widows and female heads of households, predominantly in developing countries, to overcome poverty.

Mylan Denerstein

Partner and co-partner-incharge of the New York office, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher

Scope of work: Mylan Denerstein is a litigation partner and co-partner-in-charge of the New York office at the law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. She has reinforced the office’s commitment to pro bono service and is global chair of the firm’s diversity committee.

Biggest professional win: Since 2022, Denerstein has served as the court-appointed independent monitor of the New York City Police Department, where she is responsible for making sure the department implements court-ordered reforms. She leads a team working to determine that officers engage in constitutional stops, frisks and searches.

Other contributions: Denerstein sits on the boards of the American Red Cross of Greater New York and Sanctuary for Families.

Ira Dizengoff

Partner, Akin

Scope of work: Ira Dizengoff is a partner at the law firm Akin, respected for his restructuring expertise. He is known for his representations of creditors’ committees and ad hoc groups in high-profile, multibillion-dollar restructurings spanning multiple jurisdictions and industries. Dizengoff serves on Akin’s management committee.

Biggest professional win: In one of the highest-profile restructurings in recent history, Dizengoff led the representation of an ad hoc group of unsecured noteholders in the Chapter 11 cases of Frontier Communications. He guided the group through several restructuring scenarios to right-size Frontier’s $17 billion capital structure.

Other contributions: The nonprofit Her Justice, which provides pro bono legal services to low-income women, honored Dizengoff at its annual benefit.

Jon Dorf

Managing partner, Dorf Nelson & Zauderer

Scope of work: Jon Dorf, a founder of the law firm Dorf Nelson & Zauderer, serves as managing partner and co-chair of the commercial real estate department. Under his leadership, the firm handled major transactions and opened new offices in Manhattan and New Jersey, increasing attorney capacity and integrating areas such as cybersecurity and artificial intelligence law.

Biggest professional win: Dorf guided the firm in its efforts to become the first nationwide to receive the Gender Fair Certification in 2019.

Other contributions: Dorf, who serves on the board of trustees of Albany Law School, is a member of the board of directors of the Business Council of Westchester and a board member of the Westchester Medical Center Foundation.

Mark Dunec

Senior managing director, FTI Consulting

Scope of work: Mark Dunec is a senior managing director for FTI Consulting. He is also co-leader of the real estate valuation services group, managing a team of eight that has handled more than $8 million of engagements over the past 12 months. Dunec specializes in real property and debt valuation and due diligence for financing, recapitalization, asset and entity restructuring, and repositioning.

Biggest professional win: Dunec researched and authored a peer-reviewed white paper for the Counselors of Real Estate titled “Active Versus Passive Real Estate Appreciation in Real Estate Litigation.”

Other contributions: Dunec is a member of the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest New Jersey, among other communal and civic engagements. He also mentors emerging professionals.

David Elsberg

Founding partner, Elsberg Baker & Maruri

Scope of work: David Elsberg is a founding partner at Elsberg Baker & Maruri, a New York trial boutique that he launched earlier this year. He represents a wide variety of clients, including private equity, venture capital and hedge funds and their portfolio companies in disputes around duciary duties, corporate governance, control contests, corporate-entity “divorces,” crisis management and bankruptcy.

Biggest professional win: Elsberg won a major trial on behalf of Athilon Capital Corp. and its board of directors, defeating claims that sought hundreds of millions of dollars in damages.

Other contributions: Elsberg has an extensive pro bono practice representing individuals who face legal problems but who do not have the means to pay.

Carlos Ferreira

Managing principal for the northeast, Grant Thornton

Scope of work: Carlos Ferreira is managing principal for the northeast at the accounting rm Grant Thornton. He works alongside leaders in New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts to ensure all audit, tax and advisory clients receive personalized and valuable services. This role encompasses everything from sales to strategy execution to individual client service.

Biggest professional win: As Grant Thornton was closing a transaction with a leading investment rm, Ferreira helped build widespread buy-in and awareness of what the deal meant for his colleagues and their career opportunities. He has helped close more than 1,000 transactions.

Other contributions: Ferreira was previously a board member for the New York City chapter of Association for Corporate Growth.

Anthony Fiori

Senior managing director and lead of the business strategy, policy and analytics unit at Manatt Health, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips

Scope of work: Anthony Fiori is a senior managing director and lead of the business strategy, policy and analytics unit for Manatt Health at the law rm Manatt, Phelps & Phillips. He has played an integral role in building the practice and its investments, especially for life sciences, academic medicine, states and digital health.

Biggest professional win: Fiori was instrumental in driving better access to behavioral health care in New York and nationwide, designing effective, integrated models serving vulnerable populations.

Other contributions: Fiori serves as vice president and a member of the board of directors of Scouting America’s Greater New York Councils.

Jaci Flug

Partner, Greenspoon Marder

Scope of work: As a partner in the law rm Greenspoon Marder’s hospitality, alcohol and leisure industry group, Jaci Flug navigates complex legal landscapes for tech startups and major brands. She manages industry and regulatory affairs while also fostering key relationships with regulators and trade associations.

Biggest professional win: As general counsel at Drizly, Flug played a pivotal role in developing a regulatory-compliant e-commerce platform that transformed the alcohol industry. She led government affairs efforts to legalize alcohol delivery across numerous states, establishing a legal framework for unlicensed tech companies in the heavily regulated beverage sector.

Other contributions: In her pro bono work, Flug represents domestic violence asylum seekers on behalf of Catholic Charities of New York.

Brian Francese

Principal, Baker Tilly

Scope of work: Brian Francese is a principal at Baker Tilly, the advisory, tax and assurance rm. He heads the assurance practice in the New York metro area and leads the e-commerce and large retail industry practice. Francese’s experience lies primarily in serving private equity and family ofce-backed portfolio companies.

Biggest professional win: Francese led a team of specialists across geographies, industries and practices to secure a new global family of ce client.

Other contributions: Francese authors thought leadership pieces focused on private equity and family of ce-backed portfolio companies. He serves on the audit committee of a local organization and is also a member of Baker Tilly’s diversity, inclusion, belonging and societal impact group, known as Supporting Opportunity, Advancement, and Recognition.

EisnerAmper Congratulates 2024 Notable Leaders in Accounting, Consulting, and Law

Charles Weinstein Chief Executive Oﬃcer Eisner Advisory Group LLC

Partner

NOTABLE LEADERS IN ACCOUNTING, CONSULTING & LAW

Demetrios

Frangiskatos

Assurance national managing principal for operations, BDO USA

Scope of work: Demetrios

Frangiskatos is assurance national managing principal for operations at BDO USA, which provides assurance, accounting, tax and advisory services. He oversees more than 5,000 professionals, including audit quality, strategy, operations and independence, and BDO’s audit and accounting, SEC and global services offerings.

Biggest professional win:

Beginning in July 2025, Frangiskatos will be elevated to the role of assurance national managing principal, in which he will lead BDO USA’s assurance practice and join the firm’s executive team.

Other contributions: He has raised funds in support of women’s cardiovascular health while serving on the Long Island executive leadership team for the American Heart Association.

Andrew Freedman

Co-managing partner and chair of the shareholder activism practice, Olshan Frome Wolosky

Scope of work: At the law firm Olshan Frome Wolosky, Andrew Freedman serves as co-managing partner and chair of the shareholder activism practice. He has guided landmark proxy contest wins, including Starboard Value’s historic full-board takeover of Darden Restaurants.

Biggest professional win: Freedman guided Browning West to a historic proxy contest victory at Gildan Activewear, which was described by some as the largest in a decade. Numerous media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal and CNBC, reported on the victory.

Other contributions: Freedman, who has served on the board of the East Midtown Partnership, is a frequent contributor to major publications on topics ranging from shareholder activism to corporate governance.

Amit Gaba

Growth leader for finance and lending platform, EXL Service

Scope of work: Amit Gaba serves as growth leader for finance and lending platform at EXL Service, an analytics and digital solutions company. He spearheads the growth of the digital finance and lending solutions business, including developing and scaling next-generation AI-powered finance solutions across insurance, banking and health care. Gaba also works closely with business leaders on strategic mergers and acquisitions initiatives in the organization.

Biggest professional win: As the principal financial advisor to India’s Ministry of Railways, Gaba secured key collaborations for India’s first private-public railway line and raised funding for a landmark station redevelopment project.

Other contributions: Gaba is a founding member of AIMC, which provides AI and machine learning opportunities for students.

Jonathan Gardner

Managing partner, Labaton Keller Sucharow

Scope of work: Jonathan Gardner, a managing partner at the law firm Labaton Keller Sucharow and an executive committee member, is responsible for establishing and executing the firm’s strategic priorities. His leadership focuses on advancing business initiatives and fostering a culture of performance, collaboration and collegiality.

Biggest professional win: Gardner has secured a series of notable victories throughout his career, including a historic $1 billion settlement against Dell on behalf of shareholders.

Other contributions: Gardner is an active member of the Federal Bar Council, the New York State Bar Association and the Association of the Bar of the City of New York. A sought-after thought leader, he is a regular speaker at industry panels and mentors young professionals.

Neil Garfinkel

Managing partner, Abrams Garfinkel Margolis Bergson

Scope of work: Neil Garfinkel is the co-founder and managing partner of the law firm Abrams Garfinkel Margolis Bergson. He also serves as broker counsel to the Real Estate Board of New York, hosting a daily hotline for members and publishing two columns per week.

Biggest professional win: A fair housing class Garfinkel created for real estate licensees to meet their New York State continuing education requirements received an award from the Association of Real Estate License Law Officials.

Other contributions: Garfinkel sits on the executive advisory board of the Jewish Grad Organization and is an active member of the Long Island Board of Realtors. He is active in the Heroes to Heroes Foundation.

Irina Gershengoren

Partner, EisnerAmper

Scope of work: Irina Gershengoren is a partner in the financial services group and sits on the financial services advisory board at the audit, accounting and tax services firm EisnerAmper. She holds more than 27 years of experience serving alternative investment clients including hedge funds, private equity funds and venture capital funds.

Biggest professional win: Gershengoren mentors staff, focusing on areas such as networking, industry organizations and leadership. She contributes to firm growth, leading initiatives and strategies for operational team support, emerging markets and technology solutions.

Other contributions: Gershengoren is treasurer for the Association for Corporate Growth’s Connecticut chapter and an active member of the Hedge Fund Association.

Jamie Gershkow

Partner-in-charge of the New York office, Stradley Ronon

Stevens & Young

Scope of work: Jamie Gershkow is a partner-in-charge for the law firm Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young’s New York office. She advises investment companies, investment advisers and independent trustees on regulatory and compliance matters involving federal securities laws.

Biggest professional win: Gershkow advised the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association’s asset management group on a comment letter submitted to the SEC on its rule proposal for money market funds.

Other contributions: Gershkow was previously co-head of events and education for the New York chapter of Women in ETFs and a founding member of the Philadelphia chapter. She supports WE in championing diversity by developing talent and honoring successful women in the industry.

Joseph Giampapa

Managing director and regional tax practice leader, CBIZ

Scope of work: Joseph Giampapa leads a team of 330 tax professionals at the professional services company CBIZ as managing director and regional tax practice leader. He mentors staff and has grown the New York region’s $64 million tax practice by 30% since he began leading it in 2022.

Biggest professional win: When Marks Paneth joined CBIZ in 2022, Giampapa’s approach to change management helped guide people through the transition. In the years since, his leadership has helped all of CBIZ adopt the go-to-market strategy that Marks Paneth successfully used.

Other contributions: Giampapa serves on the board of Engine 24 Ladder 5, which provides resources to firefighters who were on the ground during 9/11.

$212,000

Mark Greene

Partner, head of the corporate department and leader of the international practice, Cravath, Swaine & Moore

Scope of work: At the law firm

Cravath, Swaine & Moore, Mark Greene serves as partner, head of the corporate department and leader of the international practice. He represents multinational industry leaders, emerging companies and entrepreneurs in connection with mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance and securities matters, including advising on cross-border and domestic transactions, private equity deals, complex restructuring transactions and more.

Biggest professional win: Greene represented Mylan in its $50 billion combination with Upjohn, the off-patent branded and generic medicines business of Pfizer, forming Viatris.

Other contributions: Greene is a trustee of the Randall’s Island Park Alliance.

Greg Gutzler

Partner, DiCello Levitt

Scope of work: A partner at DiCello Levitt, Greg Gutzler leads the law firm’s efforts to protect victims of sexual abuse. He helps lead the financial fraud litigation team and manages a docket of fraud, price-fixing and other claims exceeding $1 billion.

Biggest professional win: Gutzler is lead counsel in a New York federal civil suit involving a massive sex trafficking case: Representing more than 130 of Peter Nygard’s victims, Gutzler’s investigation helped lead to Nygard’s 2020 indictment by the Department of Justice, 2023 ruling for extradition to the U.S. and 2023 guilty verdict in Toronto.

Other contributions: Gutzler founded the nonprofit Justice for Our Daughters, which provides a holistic approach to stop sexual predators and combat sexual exploitation.

Sandra Hauser

Partner and head of the U.S. commercial litigation practice, Dentons

Scope of work: Sandra Hauser is a partner and head of the U.S. commercial litigation practice at the law firm Dentons. She also serves on the firm’s global board, global litigation and dispute resolution leadership team and is a member of Dentons’ U.S. region board.

Biggest professional win: Hauser defeated two major, high-exposure class actions brought against MetLife, a client of the firm.

Other contributions: As chair of the board of the National Center for Law and Economic Justice, Hauser successfully litigated a class action under the Americans with Disabilities Act against the Suffolk County Department of Social Services, advocating for public benefits applicants needing reasonable accommodations.

Sandra Goldstein

Partner, Kirkland & Ellis

Scope of work: Sandra Goldstein is a litigation partner at Kirkland & Ellis’s New York office and a member of the law firm’s executive committee. She has a broad litigation practice, focusing on securities, mergers and acquisitions, and commercial disputes.

Biggest professional win: Goldstein had two major victories for Constellation Brands. In March 2023, she secured a unanimous verdict after a two-week trial against Grupo Modelo, which is owned by Anheuser-Busch, by persuading the jury that hard seltzer is beer under the applicable contract. In March 2024, Goldstein successfully argued the defense of the Second Circuit appeal, advancing several arguments for Constellation.

Other contributions: Goldstein serves on the boards of several nonprofits, including NYU School of Law’s board of trustees.

Christopher Gorman

Partner and real estate department co-chair, Adler & Stachenfeld

Scope of work: Christopher Gorman is a partner and co-chair of the real estate department at the law firm Adler & Stachenfeld. Clients depend on Gorman for market intelligence and creative solutions to highly complex issues. He manages more than 40 attorneys and is a member of the management committee.

Biggest professional win: Gorman has guided the real estate department and clients through a challenging year in the industry, closing more than $3 billion in transactions in 2024. Under his leadership, the firm’s clients include institutional players such as Faropoint, Cross Lake Partners and RXR.

Other contributions: Gorman has supported various charitable organizations through his clients, such as SparkYouth NYC, Covenant House and City Harvest.

Giuliano Iannaccone

Chair of the international and retail practices and co-chair of the Italy practice, Tarter Krinsky & Drogin

Scope of work: Giuliano Iannaccone is chair of the international and retail practices and co-chair of the Italy practice at the law firm Tarter Krinsky & Drogin. He serves as a legal and business advisor for Italian and other European companies seeking to launch and expand in the U.S.

Biggest professional win: Iannaccone has been a top business origination partner for the past decade. The firm’s founders invited Iannaccone to assume permanent leadership on the executive and compensation committees.

Other contributions: Iannaccone co-founded Talenti in Corso, a mentoring program for Italian students, and serves on the board of the nonprofit Friends of Teach for Italy.

David Ivill

Partner, McDermott Will & Emery

Scope of work: David Ivill is a partner at the law firm McDermott Will & Emery, serving as the practice area leader for health care private equity and overseeing the New York health industry advisory group as partner-incharge.

Biggest professional win: Ivill is leading Northwell Health’s acquisition of Nuvance Health, a significant and highly complex hospital system transaction. This has necessitated obtaining multiple Certificates of Need in both New York and Connecticut, as well as reaching settlement agreements with the attorneys general of both states.

Other contributions: Ivill is a member of the American Health Lawyers Association and the Healthcare Private Equity Association. He was named McDermott’s Mentor of the Year in 2022 and serves on Lehigh University’s dean’s advisory council.

Marc Jaffe

New York office managing partner, Latham & Watkins

Scope of work: Marc Jaffe serves as New York office managing partner at the law firm Latham & Watkins. He leads more than 830 lawyers and balances leadership responsibilities with his capital markets practice. Jaffe advised on Saudi Aramco’s $29.4 billion initial public offering.

Biggest professional win: Jaffe helps drive Latham’s successful recruiting program. Since 2021, nearly 60 lateral partners and counsel have joined in New York; since 2019, the size of Latham’s summer associate class has nearly doubled, as has the number of summer associates recruited from the top five law schools.

Other contributions: Jaffe received the Judge Learned Hand Award from the American Jewish Committee for his civic, educational and charitable work.

Jeffrey

Kessler

Co-executive chairman, Winston & Strawn

Scope of work: Jeffrey Kessler is co-executive chairman at the law firm Winston & Strawn. He is a leading antitrust, sports law and trial lawyer. Kessler has served as lead counsel in complex antitrust, sports and intellectual property litigations, and has represented U.S. and international companies in criminal and civil investigations in the antitrust, sports law, trade and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act areas.

Biggest professional win: Kessler’s team secured a $2.75 billion settlement — among the largest antitrust settlements in history — in back-damages to current and former college athletes, a landmark case that established the right of college athletes to share in the revenue generated by their activities.

Other contributions: Kessler is a lecturer-in-law at Columbia Law School.

Hongjo Kim

Managing director, CBIZ

Scope of work: Hongjo Kim is a managing director at the professional services company CBIZ. He organizes and develops cross-functional teams across audit, tax, valuation and risk advisory services to serve U.S. subsidiaries of Korean global companies and Korean American-owned businesses.

Biggest professional win: Kim built the Korean Services Group from the ground up, leading more than 20 professionals together across audit and other functions. Thanks to his leadership, CBIZ became the first accounting firm aside from the Big Four to establish a KSG team dedicated to serving Korean business communities.

Other contributions: Kim is currently active in the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants as well as the Korean Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Clifford Kirsch

Partner and lead of the investment services group, Eversheds Sutherland

Scope of work: Clifford Kirsch is a partner and lead of the investment services group at the law firm Eversheds Sutherland. He empowers his attorneys to advise clients in key areas of financial services regulation, including artificial intelligence, crypto and climate change.

Biggest professional win: Kirsch was instrumental in successfully advocating for various industry positions that were finalized as part of the SEC’s Regulation Best Interest standard of conduct that was adopted in 2019.

Other contributions: In partnership with Legal Services of New Jersey and the Julia Anne Kirsch Foundation, Kirsch helped launch a pro bono project that helps families obtain guardianship over their disabled children when they turn 18.

Natalie Kotlyar

National managing principal for industry groups, BDO USA

Scope of work: Natalie Kotlyar serves as national managing principal for industry groups at BDO USA, which provides assurance, accounting, tax and advisory services. She has driven growth and empowered retailers with solutions for navigating challenges such as supply chain issues and evolving customer preferences.

Biggest professional win: In June 2024, Kotlyar was unanimously elected to serve as the chair of BDO USA.’s national board of directors. A member of the board since 2020, Kotlyar is the second woman to reach this echelon.

Other contributions: Proficient in Russian and Hebrew, Kotlyar is her firm’s country coordinator for Eastern Europe and Israel, serving as an ambassador for business investment in those regions.

Schuyler Kraus

Partner-in-charge of the New York and Washington, D.C., offices, Hinshaw & Culbertson

Scope of work: Schuyler Kraus is partner-in-charge of the New York and Washington, D.C., offices of the law firm Hinshaw & Culbertson. He manages more than 50 attorneys and plays a significant role in firmwide hiring and lateral recruitment in the northeast.

Biggest professional win: Kraus led the expansion of practice capabilities to include employment, insurance and privacy. He also helped orchestrate the opening of the firm’s New Jersey office.

Other contributions: Kraus co-founded and served as co-president of Cardozo Advocates for Battered Women. He is a member of the New York Mortgage Bankers Association and serves on the compliance committee of the New York City Bar Association.

Michael Lefkowitz

Managing member, Rosenberg & Estis

Scope of work: Michael Lefkowitz is a managing member at Rosenberg & Estis, a real estate law firm. He leads a team of more than 90 attorneys and oversees the firm’s transactional department. Lefkowitz is a trusted advisor to New York City’s top developers, helping them navigate evolving regulatory and market shifts.

Biggest professional win: Lefkowitz led efforts in facilitating an $89 million C-PACE loan. The deal helped retrofit 111 Wall Street to meet New York City’s energy efficiency standards under Local Law 97.

Other contributions: Lefkowitz has advanced his firm’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. He sits on the board of advisors for the Syracuse University Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs.

Joan Loughnane

Partner, Sidley Austin

Scope of work: A partner at the law firm Sidley Austin, Joan Loughnane leads teams representing corporations and individuals in enforcement matters and investigations. She recently represented Morgan Stanley in False Claims Act actions filed on behalf of five states, and represented William McGlashan in the Varsity Blues college admissions matter.

Biggest professional win: Loughnane investigated former Columbia University Irving Medical Center gynecologist Robert Hadden’s sexual abuse of his patients. Loughnane was selected to lead an external investigation of the circumstances that allowed Hadden’s prolonged abuse of patients.

Other contributions: Loughnane is a board member of the RISE Partnership, a nonprofit providing support to federal reentry courts and federal supervisees.

2%

Kirthi Mani

Managing principal and board member, CliftonLarsonAllen

Scope of work: Kirthi Mani serves as a managing principal and board member at the professional services firm CliftonLarsonAllen. She leads a team of 100 and oversees $30 million in revenue, also serving as a key member of the firm’s global advisory practice.

Biggest professional win: In just two years, Mani grew the New York practice from a 30-person team generating $6 million to a 100-person operation with $30 million in revenue. Her leadership was key in integrating a new acquisition on Long Island. Other contributions: Mani is involved in implementing the firm’s high school program in New York, addressing pipeline problems in the accounting profession and providing opportunities in underprivileged communities.

As of 2023, just 2% of all certified public accountants

Carlos Martins

Partner, Forvis Mazars

Scope of work: As a partner at the professional services network Forvis Mazars, Carlos Martins leads the U.S. national real estate practice group, providing audit, advisory and accounting services to domestic and international companies. His expertise includes validating the financial track record of real estate operators and developers and advising on provisions of partnership operating agreements. Martins has extensive experience with real estate investment companies and in fair value measurement of real estate across all property types.

Biggest professional win: Martins spearheaded the 2024 “Impact Days,” wherein New York metro employees volunteered with the firm’s nonprofit partner of the year. Other contributions: Martins is a member of the American Institute of CPAs and the Pension Real Estate Association.

Silpa Maruri

Founding partner, Elsberg Baker & Maruri

Scope of work: Silpa Maruri is a founding partner of the recently launched trial and arbitration firm Elsberg Baker & Maruri. She was previously a partner and co-chair of the Delaware practice at Quinn Emanuel. Her clients have included Elon Musk, whom she represented in Twitter v. Musk, the dispute between Musk and Twitter concerning the termination of his agreement to buy the platform.

Biggest professional win: Maruri was the lead attorney representing stockholders in In re Dell Technologies Class V Stockholders Litigation, a class action lawsuit under which Dell stockholders claimed a 2018 stock-for-stock exchange deal shortchanged them by about $34 per share.

Other contributions: Maruri is a member of the South Asian Bar Association of New York.

Glen McGorty

Partner and managing partner of the New York office and management board member, Crowell & Moring

Scope of work: Glen McGorty serves as managing partner of the New York office and a management board member at the law firm Crowell & Moring. Under his leadership, the New York office doubled in size and significantly increased the diversity of the partnership.

Biggest professional win: Recently, McGorty helped orchestrate the New York office’s move to Two Manhattan West in Hudson Yards — a significant success for the firm.

Other contributions: McGorty provides pro bono services, working on behalf of indigent criminal defendants. He is a member of the Southern District of New York Criminal Justice Act Panel, which is comprised of private lawyers with criminal defense experience.

Prakash Mehta

Partner, Akin

Scope of work: Prakash Mehta is a partner at Akin. He is a leader within the law firm’s investment management global practice group and throughout the funds industry. Mehta regularly advises prominent investors — including sovereign wealth funds, university endowments, investment banks, international organizations and other institutional investors — on sensitive multibillion-dollar private investment funds transactions.

Biggest professional win: Mehta created the Sovereign Investor Leadership Conference in partnership with Claremont Graduate University and the Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute. Other contributions: Mehta spearheaded the launch of FundSpeak, a monthly speaker series examining legislative, regulatory and enforcement priorities. He sits on the board of the U.S.-India Business Council.

Lori Marks-Esterman

Partner and chair of the litigation practice group, Olshan Frome Wolosky

Scope of work: Lori Marks-Esterman is a partner and chair of the litigation practice group at Olshan Frome Wolosky. She has been at the law firm for two decades, serving in key leadership roles on the firm’s executive and compensation committees.

Biggest professional win: Marks-Esterman represented FrontFour Capital Group and FrontFour Master Fund in a class action on behalf of Medley Capital Corporation shareholders. The case challenged a proposed three-way merger between two business development companies and their shared investment manager.

Other contributions: MarksEsterman is a member of 100 Women in Finance and co-founded Women in Alternatives. She was also recognized as a fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America.

Rosa Morales Counsel, Crowell & Moring

Scope of work: Rosa Morales serves as counsel in the law firm Crowell & Moring’s antitrust group, where she focuses on litigation and compliance matters. She represents Fortune 500 companies, boards of directors and senior executives in antitrust matters, including complex private antitrust litigation, class action defense, multi-district litigation and government enforcement actions.

Biggest professional win: Morales was part of the team that secured a significant legal victory for Princeton University when a Connecticut federal court dismissed a putative class action challenging the Ivy League’s longstanding policy prohibiting athletic scholarships under federal antitrust laws.

Other contributions: Morales serves on the executive committee of the New York State Bar Association’s antitrust section.

Ryan Moreno

Scope of work:

Deepro Mukerjee

Andrea Nixon

law firm DLA Piper (U.S.), Ryan Moreno is a finance attorney who represents banks and alternative lenders as the lead arranger in structuring, negotiating and executing a wide range of complex finance transactions.

Biggest professional win: no has worked to cultivate relationships with asset manag ers in the private credit and fund finance sectors and to transform initial engagements into longterm, institutional clients for his

Partner and chair of the intellectual property depart Katten Muchin Rosenman

serves on the diversity pipeline initiative of the New York Bar Association. He also spearhead ed his firm’s sponsorship of the Thurgood Marshall Summer Law Internship Program, which he has managed out of the New York office since 2021.

Deepro Muker jee is a partner and chair of the intellectual property department at the law firm Katten Muchin Rosenman. He has been global chair since 2021, and he leads, advises and supports three dozen attorneys across the U.S. and U.K. in Katten’s intellectual property practice, including the patent, trademark, copyright, advertising and cybersecurity

Special counsel, Wickersham & Taft

Biggest professional win: one of the country’s few plant patent lawsuits, Mukerjee’s client, a fresh produce distributor, had infringement claims dis missed regarding a specific avocado varietal and obtained a public apology from the plaintiff. Other contributions: Mukerjee is a member of his firm’s board of directors, where he guides

Scope of work: serves as special counsel at the law firm Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft and is a member of its capital markets practice. She has more than a decade of experience in asset-based lending focused on residential mortgage loans and

Biggest professional win: pandemic-era mass exodus from cities devalued office space, triggering massive implications for borrowers. As lenders’ counsel, Nixon created agreements protecting clients’ interests while considering the financial implica tions for borrowers and the structured finance industry. Other contributions: Cadwalader’s Black and Latino Association, promoting the recruitment, retention and develop ment of Black and Latino attor neys. She is co-chair of A Better Chance’s 2024 benefit dinner.

Chris Oliva

Managing director, UHY Advisors Northeast

Scope of work: Chris Oliva is a managing director at UHY Advisors Northeast and a leader in the firm’s tax practice in New York City. He works with the audit teams across the northeast region to provide technical support in relation to accounting for income taxes on many of the region’s largest private and public company clients.

Joseph Owusu-Ansah

Tax partner, KPMG

Biggest professional win: Oliva serves as the tax partner for UHY’s largest audit client, a multibillion-dollar public company. He also works alongside the audit team to address the company’s tax needs, amounting to a significant volume of revenue for UHY.

Scope of work: Joseph Owusu-Ansah is a tax partner at the professional services network KPMG, where he has provided tax compliance and consulting services for more than two decades to investment managers and their funds. He serves as the lead partner for some of the largest asset management complexes.

Biggest professional win: Owusu-Ansah has developed trusted-advisor relationships with clients and assisted them in navigating the evolving tax regulatory landscape. He maintains mentoring relationships with professionals across various levels and functions.

Other contributions: Oliva is a member of the Hofstra University Frank G. Zarb School of Business department of accounting advisory board.

Other contributions: Owusu-Ansah is involved in numerous youth development and mentorship activities, including volunteering for the Kingsbridge Heights Community Center and for Junior Achievement of New York, teaching financial literacy.

Joseph Perfetto

Assurance partner and New York metro technology and services industry leader, Forvis Mazars

Scope of work: is an assurance partner and New York metro technology and services industry leader at the professional services network

Kimberly C. Petillo-Décossard

David Pinsky

Denise Plunkett

Wesley Powell

Forvis Mazars. He focuses on the technology and life sciences sectors, providing both audit and consulting services in the areas of accounting, nancial reporting, internal control and initial public offering readiness.

Biggest professional win: Perfetto led presentations for the Practising Law Institute’s SEC Institute and authored Forvis’s inaugural edition of “SEC Comment Letter Trends: Smaller & Midsize Public companies.”

member of the American Institute of Certi ed Public Accountants as well as the New York State Society of Certi ed Public Accountants.

Kimberly C.

Petillo-Décossard is a partner at the law rm White & Case. As one of the most senior women on the mergers and acquisitions team, she has been the trusted advisor on more than 80 mergers and acquisitions transactions. Her deals span biotechnology, energy, nancial services, health care, insurance, manufacturing, media, pharmaceutical, retail and

Biggest professional win: 2021, Petillo-Décossard guided client ICON through its $12 billion

Other contributions: lo-Décossard and her husband funded and launched the Women’s Leadership Initiative at Albany Law School to deliver leadership training opportunities for students and alumni and organize networking events.

Partner and management committee member, Covington & Burling

Scope of work: David Pinsky is a partner and management committee member at the law rm Covington & Burling. He represents clients in investor-state and commercial disputes, including in connection with their exits from Russia following the Kremlin’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Biggest professional win: Pinsky led a team that obtained an arbitration award of $5 billion in 2023 for the Ukrainian state-owned oil and gas rm Naftogaz, as compensation for losses caused by the Russian Federation’s unlawful seizure of assets during the 2014 illegal occupation of Crimea.

Partner, Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider

Scope of work: A partner at Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider, Denise Plunkett chairs the law rm’s litigation practice. She handles cases in the aerospace, food, agribusiness and digital advertising industries, and is lead trial counsel to Tyson Foods in antitrust class actions claiming billions of dollars in damages.

Biggest professional win: Plunkett defended one of the world’s largest food companies in an antitrust arbitration seeking more than $400 million in damages. Plunkett’s highly diverse, 25-attorney trial team obtained a complete victory.

Partner and co-chair of the antitrust and competition practice group and the pro bono practice group,

Willkie Farr & Gallagher

Scope of work: At the law rm

Other contributions: Pinsky has won asylum and immigration relief for journalists and media professionals from Russia, Uzbekistan, Iran and Afghanistan. He is a lecturer at Columbia Law School.

Willkie Farr & Gallagher, Wesley Powell serves as a partner and co-chair of the antitrust and competition practice group and the pro bono practice group. He oversees a team of 25 lawyers who litigate high-stakes antitrust cases, advocate for antitrust agency clearance of proposed mergers and acquisitions, and counsel clients on a range of antitrust issues.

Biggest professional win: Powell has received widespread recognition for his litigation on behalf of transgender individuals seeking access to medically necessary treatment for gender dysphoria.

Other contributions: As a member of the New York State Bar Association’s antitrust section executive committee, Plunkett helped to spearhead a leadership award granting a female “rising star” attorney annual admission to the prestigious Harvard Leadership Conference.

Other contributions: Powell serves on the board of the New York City AIDS Memorial.

Shawn Regan

Partner, Hunton Andrews Kurth

Scope of work: Shawn Regan is a partner at the law firm Hunton Andrews Kurth. He leads the corporate and securities litigation and government investigations practice, which includes more than 30 lawyers. His team is responsible for a significant and growing portion of the law firm’s budget.

Biggest professional win: Regan achieved outright dismissal of a class action challenging Madison Square Garden’s use of biometric scanning at its venues. He represents Marathon Petroleum in novel tort lawsuits claiming oil companies deceptively failed to warn that fossil fuels cause climate change.

Other contributions: This month, Regan will begin a two-year term as president of the Federal Bar Council, a premier bar organization with nearly 3,000 federal court practitioners.

Alexander Reyes

Partner, leader of the financial services practice and member of the board of directors, Citrin Cooperman

Scope of work: Alexander Reyes is a partner, leader of the financial services practice and a member of the board of directors at the professional services firm Citrin Cooperman. He manages a team delivering assurance and advisory services to financial services, private equity and venture capital clients.

Biggest professional win: Reyes helped grow the financial services practice. Under his leadership, the practice experienced significant growth, both in client base and revenue, particularly within the private equity and venture capital sectors.

Other contributions: Reyes is a global board member and New York regional director for the Hedge Fund Association, co-chairing its private equity and venture capital committee.

Joshua Rinesmith

Co-chair of the land use and development practice, Akerman

Scope of work: Joshua Rinesmith is co-chair of the land use and development practice at the law firm Akerman. He leads a team of more than 50 professionals, and has advised property owners, developers, architects and engineers, guiding them through the intricacies of New York City zoning compliance and maximizing development potential.

Biggest professional win: Rinesmith represented the developer of a marine terminal in securing land use approvals from the New York City Planning Commission and New York City Council to facilitate the development of a 33-acre waterfront site on Staten Island.

Other contributions: Rinesmith presented at the New York State Association for Affordable Housing’s 25th annual conference on a variety of topics.

Nina M. Roket

Co-managing partner, member of the executive committee, co-chair of the real estate law practice and chair of the leasing practice, Olshan Frome Wolosky

Scope of work: At the law firm Olshan Frome Wolosky, Nina M. Roket serves as a co-managing partner, member of the executive committee, co-chair of the real estate law practice and chair of the leasing practice. She co-leads the loan restructuring and distressed real estate practice and chairs the hiring and women’s committees.

Biggest professional win: A real estate legal advisor to sports, entertainment, hospitality and fashion companies, Roket has worked on high-profile deals, including representing Kushner Companies in New York transactions.

Other contributions: Roket is an active member of New York Women Executives in Real Estate.

Michael J. Romer

Managing partner, Romer Debbas

Scope of work: Michael J. Romer is a managing partner at the real estate law firm Romer Debbas. He represents a broad range of clients in connection with the acquisition, sale, development and financing of commercial land residential properties. Clients include domestic and foreign individuals buying for residential or investment purposes, as well as institutional and private equity clients.

Biggest professional win: In 2023, Romer led the firm to the No. 2 overall ranking for real estate law firms conducted by The Real Deal.

Other contributions: Romer developed Real Estate Center 4 Success, an online real estate education platform geared to the New York real estate community, and is an active member of the American Bar Association.

Ekta Sahni

Global managing director of data and artificial intelligence, Accenture

Scope of work: As global managing director of data and artificial intelligence at the professional services company Accenture, Ekta Sahni has overseen data management, governance and trust capability. She works with clients to build data and artificial intelligence strategy, architecture and operating model blueprints.

Biggest professional win: After two decades in banking and financial services, Sahni successfully switched to consulting. She has driven sales, hired diverse talent and established herself in the organization as a key expert.

Other contributions: Sahni sits on the board of directors and is vice chair of Women Creating Change, a nonprofit that expands opportunities for women to become civically engaged and advocates for change.

Tracey Salmon-Smith

Partner, Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath

Scope of work: Tracey Salmon-Smith is a partner at the law firm Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath. She has led several teams totaling nearly a dozen litigators to deliver exceptional results for her clients, who mostly hail from the financial service, technology and pharmaceutical spaces.

Biggest professional win: Salmon-Smith secured a landmark litigation victory for a multinational technology company in which the jury dismissed multimillion dollar claims. This win significantly advanced Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath’s business litigation practice.

Other contributions: Salmon-Smith is a board member of Women Creating Change and currently chairs its development committee, where she helps women from underserved communities become civically engaged.

Damian Schaible

Partner, Davis Polk & Wardwell

Scope of work: Damian Schaible, a partner at the law firm Davis Polk & Wardwell, has been co-head of the 80-person global restructuring practice for more than five years. In that role, he represents strategic parties in prepackaged and traditional bankruptcies, out-of-court workouts and liability management transactions.

Biggest professional win: Schaible led an ad hoc group of creditors in connection with the Chapter 11 restructuring of Enviva Biomass — the world’s largest producer of industrial wood pellets, a renewable energy source. He advised the group in negotiating and obtaining interim approval of the $500 million debtor-in-possession financing. Other contributions: Schaible has served on the executive committees of both the American Bankruptcy Institute and the New York City Bar Association.

Steven Schlachter

Principal, Baker Tilly

Scope of work: Steven Schlachter is a principal at the advisory, tax and assurance firm Baker Tilly, where he also serves as the real estate team market co-leader for the New York business unit. He oversees a team of more than 200 professionals and advises business owners, real estate developers and operators on complex tax matters, including capital and finance structuring.

Biggest professional win: Schlachter played an integral role in merging Margolin, Winer & Evens and True Partners into the firm, expanding Baker Tilly’s capabilities. His efforts in integrating these diverse teams allowed the firm to leverage the strengths and experiences of each group.

Other contributions: Schlachter is involved in the tax section of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

$370B

The U.S. is home to more than one million management consulting firms, collectively poised to generate nearly $370 billion in revenue in 2024. (Forbes)

Latham & Watkins congratulates all of the esteemed individuals recognized by Crain’s New York Business as Notable Leaders in Accounting, Consulting, and Law, including our partner Marc Jaffe. We thank Marc for his professional excellence, inspiring leadership, and commitment to the legal community in New York and around the world.

Marc Jaffe Managing Partner of Latham & Watkins’ New York office

David Scott

Founder and managing partner, Scott+Scott Attorneys at Law

Scope of work: David Scott is the founder and managing partner of Scott+Scott Attorneys at Law. He concentrates on high-stakes commercial and complex civil litigation, including securities actions and competition damages claims.

Biggest professional win: Scott and his team, along with co-counsel, reached an agreement with Alphabet to establish a diversity, equity and inclusion fund relating to the company’s alleged mishandling of sexual harassment allegations against senior executives and an overall culture of sexual discrimination and harassment.

Other contributions: Scott is a sought-after speaker and frequently discusses securities and cartel matters at U.S. and international conferences. In addition, he and his firm support the Delaware Law Related Education Center.

Brian Seaman

Partner and chief diversity officer, Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young

Scope of work: As a partner and chief diversity officer at the law firm

Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, Brian Seaman leads diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives across nine offices, orchestrating their strategic design and implementation. As a litigator, he counsels clients in matters involving health care litigation and other commercial, civil and regulatory engagements. Seaman has a particular focus on representing insurance carriers, providers and health care systems.

Biggest professional win: Seaman transformed Stradley Ronon Steven & Young’s diversity, equity and inclusion program from being driven by its diverse and female members to being a core value for all of the firm.

Other contributions: Seaman serves as a formal mentor for associates and partners alike.

Marina Shah

Partner, Anchin

Scope of work: Marina Shah is a partner in the accounting advisory firm Anchin’s financial services group. She specializes in providing comprehensive audit and tax services for a variety of investment company structures, including domestic and offshore funds, master-feeder structures, private equity, venture capital, fund of funds and management companies. She is a founding member of the financial services women’s network at Anchin.

Biggest professional win: Shah has expanded her influence within the marketplace and the organization, demonstrating commitment to mentoring aspiring women in accounting.

Other contributions: As a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants, Shah is involved in the private equity and venture capital committees.

Tomasita Sherer

Partner, Dentons

Scope of work: Tomasita Sherer is a commercial litigation partner at the law firm Dentons. She has more than two decades of experience helping global companies resolve their business disputes in multiple business sectors, including insurance, technology, entertainment and energy. Sherer has also handled a number of intellectual property litigation and employment matters. She helps clients achieve strategic goals with her business-minded and collaborative approach.

Biggest professional win: Sherer secured summary judgment and pretrial victories for Lexington Insurance in its dispute with ski resort owner and operator Alterra Mountain, leading to a highly favorable settlement.

Other contributions: Sherer is a leader in Dentons’ practice group diversity partner program. She sits on the board of directors of the New York Women’s Foundation.

Alison Stein

Partner, Jenner & Block

Scope of work: A partner at Jenner & Block, Alison Stein works with large technology, entertainment and media companies. She co-chairs the law firm’s content, media and entertainment practice and the artificial intelligence task force and serves on the management committee.

Biggest professional win: Stein led a team that achieved a victory for ViacomCBS in a $100 million trademark dispute over the title of the MTV reality show “Floribama Shore.” After several years of litigation, the judge ruled in favor of ViacomCBS, granting summary judgment and dismissing the case entirely.

Other contributions: Stein has represented Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin and assisted artists in contract disputes. In addition, she is a board member for Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts.

Olshan

our

inspiring

Joshua Sussberg

Partner and member of the executive committee, Kirkland & Ellis

Scope of work: Joshua Sussberg is a partner and member of the executive committee at the law firm Kirkland & Ellis. He co-leads the restructuring practice and advises distressed companies in all industries, including entertainment, restaurants, health care, retail, cryptocurrency and energy. His recent representations include Altera Infrastructure, Bed Bath & Beyond, BlockFi, Celsius, Cineworld Group, David’s Bridal, Envision Healthcare Corp., Rite Aid Corp., SmileDirectClub and Voyager Digital Holdings.

Biggest professional win: Sussberg advised Cineworld Group, the world’s second-largest cinema chain operator, in its Chapter 11 filed in New York. Other contributions: A cancer survivor, Sussberg is involved in causes that support cancer research and patients.

Gabrielle Tenzer

Partner, Hecker Fink

Scope of work: As a partner at the law firm Hecker Fink, Gabrielle Tenzer has been a trusted advisor to colleges and universities in dozens of matters, guiding them through some of their most pressing legal challenges and sensitive internal investigations.

Biggest professional win: In 2021, Tenzer played a pivotal role in a team that conducted an independent gender equity review of the National Collegiate Athletics Association championships. The review resulted in the adoption of several recommendations and showed, among other things, that the Division I Women’s Basketball Championship was undervalued.

Other contributions: Tenzer was a lecturer at Columbia Law School, acting as a teacher and mentor for future legal professionals. She was also a Leadership Council on Legal Diversity fellow.

Mandeep Trivedi

Managing partner of forensics, litigation and valuation services, Citrin Cooperman

Scope of work: Mandeep Trivedi is managing partner of the forensics, litigation and valuation services practice at the professional services firm Citrin Cooperman. She leads a team of experts in delivering complex business valuations and financial analyses. With two decades of experience, she manages a team that handles a wide range of industries, including hedge funds, technology, entertainment and health care.

Biggest professional win: Trivedi mentored and nominated four directors to become partners at the firm.

Other contributions: Trivedi was previously on the boards of two nonprofits: Savvy Ladies, which provides financial education to women, and the Newark Boys Chorus School, which offers education and music training to boys in Newark, N.J.

Nicholas Tsafos

Partner, EisnerAmper

Scope of work: Nicholas Tsafos is a partner at the audit, accounting and tax services firm EisnerAmper. He is partner-in-charge of the New York region, responsible for office stewardship and growth, client service initiatives, talent maximization, and day-today operations and administration.

Biggest professional win: Tsafos founded and built EisnerAmper Global, an international network of independent member firms, which continues to benefit EisnerAmper and its clients.

Other contributions: Tsafos serves as a member of the board of directors for EisnerAmper Global and is on the board of trustees for the Village of Laurel Hollow. He has published work in his field and speaks in public forums and at seminars to promote continuous growth and thought leadership in his industry.

Molly Tucker McCue

U.S. private equity assurance leader, EY

Scope of work: Molly Tucker McCue serves as U.S. private equity assurance leader at EY, where she is also EY U.S.-East assurance managing leader. She helps the professional services network leverage assurance talent, services, best practices and thought leadership across private equity clients and their portfolio companies.

Biggest professional win: Tucker McCue helped transform the EY east region assurance practice, redefining engagement strategies and transforming the way teams work together.

Other contributions: Tucker McCue has dedicated more than 20 years to supporting children’s advocacy and civil rights causes — particularly through involvement with Court Appointed Special Advocates — actively participating in initiatives to support foster children.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Bradley Vaiana

Co-chair of the global transactions department, Winston & Strawn

Scope of work: As co-chair of the global transactions department at the law firm Winston & Strawn, Bradley Vaiana leads a team of more than 500 corporate attorneys across nine practice verticals, advising clients on strategic transactions. He has supported New York’s middle market private equity ecosystem, helping to deliver growth valued in the hundreds of billions of dollars for leading private equity firms, portfolio companies and investors.

Biggest professional win: Vaiana led the team representing private equity firm ACON Investments in the closing of ACON Strategic Partners II.

Other contributions: Vaiana is a member of his firm’s executive committee. In addition, he serves as an advisory board member for the Center for Transaction Law at Emory.

Charles

Weinstein

Chief executive officer, EisnerAmper

Scope of work: Charles Weinstein is chief executive officer of EisnerAmper, the audit, accounting and tax services firm. He is responsible for the firm’s strategic direction and is instrumental in leading organic growth and growth through mergers and acquisitions. A thought leader for the accounting community, Weinstein has been quoted in local, regional and national publications on the impact of new technologies and artificial intelligence.

Biggest professional win: Weinstein spearheaded the investment in EisnerAmper by a private equity investor group led by TowerBrook Capital Partners.

Other contributions: Weinsten is a member of the board of directors of the Legal Aid Society of New York City, where he is chair of the audit committee. He speaks publicly on accounting ethics.

Lisa Zeiderman

Managing partner, Miller Zeiderman

Scope of work: Lisa Zeiderman is managing partner of the eponymous law firm Miller Zeiderman. She employs approximately 40 people and has focused her practice on highstakes family law issues, including issues of custody and high net worth finances.

Biggest professional win: Her biggest successes are the many parents that she has helped to keep their children emotionally and physically safe, including special needs children who do not have the ability to advocate for themselves. Zeiderman has also helped many parents to get court orders so they could vaccinate their children during the pandemic when the other parent refused to vaccinate.

Other contributions: Zeiderman is board chair of Savvy Ladies, an organization dedicated to women’s financial literacy.

Dana Zukofsky

Managing director for restaurant, franchise and hospitality, Aprio

Scope of work: Dana Zukofsky is managing director for restaurant, franchise and hospitality at Aprio, an accounting and business advisory firm. With 25 years of experience in private and public accounting, Zukofsky provides advisory, accounting and consulting services focused on fostering profitability and growth for her clients. She specializes in developing solutions that promote sustainability.

Biggest professional win: Zukofsky spearheaded new strategies that increased the firm’s market share in the industry, driving double-digit revenue growth in less than five years.

Other contributions: Zukofsky serves on the Dining With Gratitude advisory board for Giving Kitchen, a nonprofit that provides emergency assistance to food service workers.

22.4% Among a group of 208 law firms, minority attorneys comprised 22.4% of lawyers in 2023, a slight increase from 21.6% the year before. (Law.com)

LARGEST TECH UNICORNS IN THE NEW YORK AREA

ResearchbyAmandaGlodowski(amanda.glodowski@crainsnewyork.com).NewYorkareaincludesNewYorkCityandNassau,SuffolkandWestchestercountiesinNewYork,andBergen,Essex,Hudson andUnioncountiesinNewJersey.DataisfromPitchBook.CompaniesareexcludedfromthelistiftheyhavenothadanupdatedvaluationafterJan.1,2023.Toqualifyforthislist,companiesmustbe headquarteredintheNewYorkareaorhaveasignificantpresenceandhaveavaluationofmorethan$1billion.Rankingisbasedonunroundednumbers.Ifthereisatie,thencompaniesareranked alphanumerically. 1. Formerly known as Gympass. See much more at crainsnewyork.com/data

CLASSIFIEDS Contact Suzanne Janik

PUBLIC & LEGAL NOTICES

Associate (Apollo Management Holdings, L.P. – New York, NY); Mult. Pos. Avail. Offer’d salary of $180k - $220k/yr. Provide the mathemat’l & quant. analysis for capital solut’ns to GPs. Position based in New York, NY; telecommuting permitted up to once per week. F/T. Resumes: pkotakonda@apollo.com. Ref JobID: 8374423.

Associate (Apollo Management Holdings, L.P. – New York, NY); Mult. Pos. Avail. Offer’d salary of $105k - $145k/yr. Manage the budget and forecasting process for expenses across the firm. Deliver monthly and quarterly business reporting and other analytics. Position based in New York, NY; telecommuting permitted up to twice per week. F/T. Resumes: pkotakonda@apollo.com. Ref JobID: 8169255.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

NYRA Bid: RFQ # 2024-0090, Screener Purchase – Belmont RFQ for the purchase and delivery of a new or gently used 733 McCloskey Trommel Screener to be delivered to Belmont Park Racetrack, located at 2150 Hempstead Turnpike, Elmont, NY 11003. M/W/DBE participation is encouraged. The bid document, including specifications and requirements, may be obtained via an email to procurement@nyrainc.com¬ or please register as a vendor on NYRA’s bidding portal at no cost. www.bidnetdirect.com/new-york/nyra.

PUBLIC & LEGAL NOTICES

Notice of Qualification of 854 PROSPECT PL, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/12/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 05/08/24. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., #4, Dover, DE 19801. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of 501 EAST 87TH, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/12/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 11/04/24. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, DE Div. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of LL MAD IRON LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/10/24. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Farrell Fritz, P.C., 400 RXR Plaza, Uniondale, NY 11556. Purpose: Any lawful activity

Notice of Formation of AK Medical Rehabilitation Services, PLLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 9/6/24. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.to 535 5th Ave, Ste 920, NY, NY 10017 Purpose: Any Lawful Activity

Notice of Qualification of 50 HST HOSPITALITY LLC

Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/23/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 08/19/24. Princ. office of LLC: 183 Centre St., 6th Fl., NY, NY 10013. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of KAYS4PRES LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY Arts of Org filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 8/26/24.Office Location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent upon who process shall be served and shall mail copy of process against LLC, to 641 E 5th St.. Brooklyn, NY 11218, USA Purpose: any lawful act

Notice of Formation of HARTFORD CT HOLDINGS LLC

Arts of Org filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/7/24. Office Location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent upon who process shall be served and shall mail copy of process against LLC, to 156A EAST 83RD STREET, NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10028, USA. Purpose: any lawful act.

Notice of Qualification of REDA 242 EAST 75 LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/13/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 11/06/24. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St. - Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of VERBITSKY CAPITAL LLC

Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/08/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 10/03/24. Princ. office of LLC: 300 Central Park West, Apt. 3K, NY, NY 10024. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the princ. office of the LLC. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State of the State of DE, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

The Annual Report of the Altschul Fund for the calendar year ended Dec. 31, 2023 is available at the principal office at 45 E End Ave., #2C, New York, NY 10028 for inspection during regular business hours by any citizen who requests it within 180 days hereof. Principal manager of the foundation is J. Altschul

Notice of Qualification of AM LENDER LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/14/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 11/12/24. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. DE addr. of LLC: CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

NOTICE OF FORMATION of MOORE CLEANER LLC Arts of Org filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 6/2/24. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent upon whom process may be served and shall mail copy of process against LLC to 228 Park Ave S, #136790, NY, NY 10003. R/A: US Corp Agents, Inc. 7014 13th Ave, #202, BK, NY 11228. Purpose: any lawful act.

Notice of App of Auth of Story Strategy Group LLC filed with NY DOS on 1/24/2023. LLC juris and date of org: D.C., 12/1/2022. Filed with Dep’y Supt of Corp, 1100 4th St, SW, Washington, DC 20024. DC Office loc: 1620 Eye St NW, Ste 900, Washington, DC 20006. NY Office loc: NY County. NY Sec of State has been designated as agent upon who process shall be served and shall mail copy of process against LLC, to; C T Corp System, 28 Liberty St, NY, NY 10028 Purpose: any lawful act.

Notice of Qualification of CADIAN SOFTWARE GP, LLC

Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/23/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 09/25/24. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Secy. of State of DE, Div. of Corps., The John G. Townsend Bldg., PO Box 898, Dover, DE 19903. Purpose: Any lawful activity

PUISSANT L.L.C. Arts of Org. filed SSNY 8/22/2024 New York Co. SSNY design agent for process & shall mail to 228 PARK AVE STE #986574, NEW YORK, NY, 10003 RA: US CORP AGENTS, INC. 7014 13TH AVE, SUITE 202, BROOKLYN, NY, 11228 General Purpose

Notice of Qualification of DAVANTI LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/11/24. Office location: NY County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 03/21/22. Princ. office of LLC: 32 Ave. of the Americas, 26th Fl., NY, NY 10013. NYS fictitious name: DVTI NY LLC. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 122072543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, 1351 W. North St., Ste. 1014, Dover, DE 19904. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of LP PRESERVATION DEVELOPER

LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/25/24. Office location: NY County. Princ. office of LLC: 116 E. 27th St., 11th Fl., NY, NY 10016. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207. Purpose: Real Estate Investment & Development

Notice of Formation of SHARAWADGI, LLC Arts of Org filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/31/24 Office Loc: NY County. SSNY designated as agent upon who process shall be served and shall mail copy of process against LLC, to 19 Stuyvesant Opal, Apt 12A, NY, NY 10009 Purpose: any lawful act

NOTICE OF FORMATION of Girl Forgive Yourself Co. LLC. Arts of Org filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 8/16/24. Office location: NY County. SSNY designated as agent upon whom process may be served and shall mail copy of process against LLC to 228 Park Ave S PMB 122264 NY, NY 10003. R/A: US Corp Agents, Inc. 7014 13th Ave, #202, BK, NY 11228. Purpose: any lawful act.

Notice of Formation of D. LOUVEL MARKETING LLC Arts of Org filed with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/28/24. Office Loc: NY County. SSNY designated as agent upon who process shall be served and shall mail copy of process against LLC, to 136 E. 76th St Apt 15E, NY, NY 10021.Purpose: any lawful act

GEORGE PRODUCTIONS, LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 10/09/24.Office: New York. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 61 Horatio Street, Apt 3G, New York, NY 10014. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

in SoHo. Its Los Angeles mainstage recently expanded to include a second stage and training center with additional classrooms.

The changes at UCB aren’t just physical. The new business structure means paying performers and coaches, introducing new initiatives to ensure the UCB community is diverse from classroom to stage (a problem that has been endemic not just of UCB but of the improv community in general), and the addition of new infrastructural opportunities like livestreaming.

There are now 15 full-time staffers including a trio of artistic directors, all with performing backgrounds.

A training ground

In the world of improv and sketch comedy, the Upright Citizens Brigade brand exists in the same echelon as Chicago’s Second City and The Groundlings in Los Angeles. Since its founding in 1999 by a group including Amy Poehler, UCB has been a training ground and showcase for the likes of Kate McKinnon, Ellie Kemper, Aubrey Plaza, Donald Glover, Aziz Ansari, and many more notables, along with an untold amount of unknowns and theatrical hobbyists. If you dropped into UCB’s pre-pandemic homes in Chelsea and, later, Hell’s Kitchen, you might have seen any of the above names exercising their make-itup-as-you-go-along skills in front of an audience that lined up down the block for its low-cost tickets, cheap beer and big laughs.

But the Covid-19 pandemic hit hard, and UCB shut down both its

New York and Los Angeles locations. In 2022, the company was purchased by Mike McAvoy, former CEO of The Onion, and Jimmy Miller, co-founder of Mosaic talent management. Backing them was Elysian Park Ventures, a

putting it under the umbrella of parent company Comedy Tent, which plans to invest in other like-minded comedy properties. Already included is Abso Lutely Productions, the film and television company behind Nathan for You and The Eric Andre Show

“The pandemic significantly impacted business stability and led to closures along NYC’s East 14th Street, resulting in a diminished nightlife.”

Laura Canty-Samuel., co-artistic director Upright Citizens Brigade

private investment firm primarily focused on sports brands.

The ownership team, which declined to share the financial details of its investment, saw the purchase as part of a broader plan,

“UCB has always had a wealth of talented performers with incredible and irreverent ideas,” said McAvoy. “Our goal is to marry these creatives with our infrastructure to develop projects that, due to restrictions baked into the current industry landscape, might have never seen the light of day. We’re committed to continuing the things that have always made UCB and Abso pioneers.”

The hope is not only to pull audiences to the facility but also have a positive impact on the neighborhood.

“The pandemic significantly impacted business stability and led to closures along NYC’s East 14th Street, resulting in a diminished nightlife,” said Co-Artistic Director Laura Canty-Samuel. “We’ve begun creating a solid relationship with NYU students, and these same students then become patrons of our neighbors. As UCB and other businesses continue to reignite the corridor as a vibrant destination where people feel safe, the success of the corridor will gain interest and foot traffic, bolstering the value of the surrounding areas as well as the position of UCB as an influential institution.”

Part of the draw in UCB’s former incarnation was the chance to spot now famous names showing up for an improv set. Though the original UCB co-founders are no longer owners, Co-Artistic Director Iliana Inocencio said that they remain connected to the theater in legacy capacities, offering their names and popping in for occasional shows as performers.

“For example, Matt Besser recently produced his show Improv4Humans at UCB NY, and Amy Poehler has dropped by to improvise at UCB LA,” she said.

“In addition to the UCB4, alumni like Aubrey Plaza, Nick Kroll, Jason Mantzoukas, and many others frequently perform in flagship shows like ‘ASSSSCAT.’”

Beyond alumni, such wellknown performers as Mike Birbiglia have made it to UCB’s stage.

“Their presence provides such a valuable opportunity for our upand-coming talent to connect with and learn from industry professionals,” added Inocencio.

Staffing levels in New York nursing homes among the lowest in the country, data shows

By Ethan Geringer-Sameth

New York nursing homes are chronically understaffed, a shortcoming enabled by pandemic-era workforce challenges and recent mandates that have never been enforced.

New York nursing homes have among the worst performance in meeting set nurse-to-patient staffing ratios in the country, with only 20% of providers meeting or exceeding federally recommended levels, according to a new analysis of federal data.

The findings from Long Term Care Community Coalition, a patient advocacy group, reflect the difficulty nursing homes report facing in recruiting and retaining staff years after the pandemic, and a lax enforcement regime of a 2022 law meant to ensure minimum levels of patient care after the coronavirus swept through nursing homes.

Forty-four percent of nursing homes fall below the new statutory requirement of 3.5 hours of nurse care per resident per day, the data showed. More than 400 are out of

compliance with the state Health Department and subject to a $2,000 daily fine, according to DOH spokeswoman Danielle DeSouza.

But no penalties have been imposed because the department has not made final determinations in any of the cases, she said.

Shortly after the law went into effect, Health Commissioner James McDonald issued a declaration that the state faced an acute labor shortage, allowing nursing home operators to apply for leniency through the second quarter of 2023.

Staffing requirements

“The Department is committed to holding nursing homes and their operators accountable for the quality of care they provide,” DeSouza said, while also “ensuring that the compliance process minimizes the burden placed on facili-

ties and guarantees that the Department enforces the statutory staffing requirements in the most equitable and appropriate manner possible.”

Asked why no penalties have been imposed since the shortage declaration and what the timeline is for final determinations, DeSouza said the department “is working to prioritize the enforcement referrals, which included consideration of mitigating factors when assessing fines.”

In April, the Biden administration set a similar 3.48 hour minimum through a rule that will take

Staten Island Ferry commuters will soon run on Dunkin

By Caroline Spivack

The Staten Island Ferry system’s concession stands are set to reopen for the first time since the onset of Covid-19 in 2020 with coffee and donuts from the Massachusetts-based chain Dunkin. The city announced Dec. 2 that it’s awarded the company a 10-year contract to sell refreshments on the system’s signature orange fleet that transports 15 million riders annually.

Under the lease, Dunkin will launch its operation within 60 days of its Nov. 20 contract signing. The agreement also allows for alcohol to be sold on the ferries, but Dunkin is still in the midst of procuring the necessary permits to sell beer, according to the Department of Transportation.

Inside two ferry boats

effect over the next two to five years.

The gold-standard cited by LTCCC is 4.1 hours, which comes from a 2001 report to Congress on the feasibility of staffing ratios needed to maintain resident well-being.

New York has lower nurse-to-patient ratios than 44 states and territories according to the LTCCC data. Nursing homes have reported certified nurse aides and registered nurses to be among the most difficult to recruit and retain positions, according to a recent survey from the Center for Healthcare Workforce Studies at SUNY Albany. That is primarily due to workforce shortages and non-competitive salaries, the study found.

Many operators have a business model dependent on low staffing, said Richard Mollot, executive director of LTCCC, because it’s one of their single biggest expenses and among the easiest to cut.

“You couldn’t put two people in a bed, you have to provide a certain amount of food, but in absence of enforcement of minimum standards of care, you can provide as little staffing as you want,” he said.

The chain is expected to initially operate stands inside two ferry boats, the Staff Sergeant Michael H. Ollis and the Dorothy Day. Additional stalls will be later added to the rest of the fleet.

The city did not disclose the deal’s value, and did not immediately return questions about the contract’s terms. The New York City Economic Development Corp. has the option to extend the lease for two additional five-year periods, for a total of up to 20 years, said city officials.

Dunkin’s selection comes after the city launched a competitive process earlier this year seeking proposals to serve refreshments to the ferry system’s riders, of which the city says there are 45,000 on an average weekday.

Over the years, vendors have served an array of food and drink on the Staten Island ferries, including soft pretzels, hot dogs, cheeseburgers and domestic beers. Standard commuter fare of coffee and donuts was also once a staple on the ferry system.

EXPAND

Westchester, creating medical hubs that save patients a trip to the city.

Northwell Health, for example, has increased the size of its medical group in Suffolk County, where some city residents have a second home along the beach, by 40% in

Hammond, a senior health policy fellow at the right-leaning think tank Empire Center for Public Policy. Outpatient clinics are often cheaper to run and have become a larger share of large hospital systems’ revenue, leading more systems to invest in their ambulatory footprints.

“They want to know when they’re in their vacation home in Southampton that if they have a heart attack, they are going to be taken care of immediately.”

Stephen Bello, Northwell’s executive director of the eastern region

the past five years, according to Stephen Bello, Northwell’s executive director of the eastern region.

“They want to know when they’re in their vacation home in Southampton that if they have a heart attack, they are going to be taken care of immediately,” Bello said.

Driving the strategy

The city’s medical systems are ramping up a tried and true strategy to build in the suburbs. Hospital groups have completed at least 85 medical construction projects in the Hudson Valley and on Long Island in the past five years, according to a Crain’s analysis of state applications to expand.

Two major shifts drive the strategy: Residents migrated out of the city and into the suburbs during the pandemic, and the ways care is delivered are changing. There’s an increasing reliance on outpatient care facilities, or places to access treatment that doesn’t require a hospital stay.

“Demand for hospital care is declining nationwide,” said Bill

They also more frequently serve New York’s large population of older adults, who are getting routine care outside of hospitals due to advancements in medical technologies that have made it possible to get procedures like joint replacements outside of typical inpatient settings.

NYU Langone, which earned $14.2 billion in total revenue this year, has completed 38 facilities in the suburbs since 2019, said James Iorio, a hospital spokesman. The Midtown-based health system has roughly 340 outpatient facilities in the city, Long Island and Westchester, and has even started to expand its footprint in Florida with a $75 million facility in West Palm Beach.

“There’s no question that it has ramped up in terms of activity,”

Andrew Rubin, NYU’s senior vice president of clinical affairs and ambulatory care said of the organization’s ambulatory growth strategy.

Rubin said that NYU has entered the “next generation” of outpatient growth, creating integrated health care hubs that can accommodate more physicians but use less real estate. The health system has added 1,000 physicians to its existing network of 4,100 between 2019 and 2024; but in the same time period, it has eliminated 20 smaller medical practices in favor of creating onestop-shop ambulatory centers where patients can see multiple

Former Upper East Side candy store site faces foreclosure suit

By C. J. Hughes

A Manhattan shopping hub once known for its chocolate bars, jelly beans and gum has found itself in an increasingly sticky situation with a lender.

The multi-floor storefront at 1011 Third Ave., home to the flagship location of sweets chain Dylan’s Candy Bar for decades, is facing foreclosure after its owner, the national developer Olshan Properties, allegedly failed to pay off the balance of a $35 million mortgage, according to a lawsuit filed Nov. 26 in Manhattan state Supreme Court.

generating only about 40% of the income Olshan needed to cover its mortgage, and the developer started missing payments in December 2023, according to Moody’s data..

The loan was officially in default by its maturity date in March, the suit claims.

In the filing, Rialto says Olshan owes $30.6 million plus interest, late charges and fees. Its effort to foreclose could result in a public auction sale to help settle the debt.

specialists under one roof.

Patients pay the price

Though hospitals have touted their ability to expand to serve more patients in the suburbs and offer consumers greater choice in health care, experts say the trend has also given them growing market power — and left patients to pay a hefty price tag.

Research shows that the larger a hospital system is, the more power it has to negotiate with insurers and secure higher prices, said Dr. William Schpero, a health economist at Weill Cornell Medical College. “Those high prices have real effects, in that they are generally passed on to consumers in the form of higher premiums.”

That consolidation has attracted the attention of lawmakers, who say that outpatient expansion has a direct impact on patients’ wallets. Manhattan Sen. Liz Krueger recently introduced a bill to cap hospitals’ outpatient costs, which she says have risen because major systems have grown their footprints in and around the city.

“When they started to do this, everybody said it was going to bring prices down,” Krueger said. “There are all of these changes that seem to consolidate health care into fewer and fewer hands, but none of it seems to be saving us money.”

Schpero added that suburban expansions also raise concerns about whether hospitals will divest from operations in urban settings –and whether that will harm the city’s health equity goals.

“I think a big question is what communities are benefiting from these services, and in what ways?” Schpero said.

But hospitals say that their suburban expansion strategy is less about market share and reimbursements and more about offering top quality services outside of New York City. “When the quality is there, people will gravitate toward that,” Bello said. “The proof is in the pudding.”

The move by special servicer Rialto Capital Advisors to take control of the Upper East Side property at East 60th Street comes about a year after Olshan had been in talks with Rialto to modify the loan. This indicates the two sides remain at odds on a repayment plan, even though foreclosure suits are sometimes leveraged as bargaining chips.

Manhattan-headquartered Olshan, which has not yet filed a legal response in the case, did not respond to an email seeking comment.

The problems for the developer seem to have begun after several tenants left, including Dylan’s Candy Bar, which in 2021 declined to renew its lease in the space where it had been based for 20 years.

Birthday party hotspot

The rainbow-hued emporium and teenage birthday party hotspot, which is owned by Dylan Lauren, daughter of fashion mogul Ralph Lauren, accounted for more than a fifth of the retail space at the sweeping site near Bloomingdale’s.

And Dylan’s hasn’t been the only big loss. The Mediterranean eatery Zavo closed in 2020, creating another major hole. The restaurant had rented about a quarter of the property, according to a DBRS Morningstar report.

By late 2022, retail rents were

A handful of stores do remain in the building, the largest of which appears to be an antiques shop from dealer John Salibello, who leases a three-storefront-wide, 15,000-square-foot berth.

Founded in 1959 by developer Mort Olshan and chaired since 2019 by his daughter Andrea Olshan, Olshan Properties developed 1011 Third Ave. in 1986. Part of the blockthrough project included the Savoy, an angular 43-story, 218-unit condo tower at 200 E. 61st St. that is not named in the current suit.

The row of mixed-use buildings on East 60th Street that is part of the case — Nos. 205, 207, 209 and 211 — contains about 25 apartments, according to the city register.

The loan at the heart of the case dates back to 2014, when Olshan borrowed $35 million at a 4.4% interest rate from Rialto Mortgage Finance, $18 million of which refinanced older debt, according to a DBRS Morningstar report. The 2014 loan was rolled into a mortgage-backed security, according to records from the city’s Department of Finance, and later assigned to Wilmington Trust, a subsidiary of M&T Bank.

Dylan’s Candy Bar also shuttered a Times Square location in 2022 and is now down to just a single city location in Hudson Yards, though the chain has other outposts nationally, including in several airports.

Ben Raindorf, an attorney with Hinshaw & Culbertson handling the case for Rialto, did not return a call by press time.

American Christmas CEO gives city rms their own holiday identity

He procures, designs and installs decorations for Mt. Vernon-based company

By | Julianne Cuba

He may not be Santa Claus, but Dan Casterella brings as much holiday cheer to the season as Old Saint Nicholas.

As the CEO of American Christmas — a Mt. Vernon-based company that procures, designs and installs holiday decorations — Casterella’s busy season basically starts in the summer and doesn’t end until long after most people have put their trees on the curb.

“Remember: What goes up must come down,” Casterella said of the twinkling lights and displays.

displays, such as Radio City Music Hall, Cartier and Saks Fifth Avenue.

Casterella grew up loving the holiday season and started decorating neighbors’ homes in his Westchester neighborhood to make some cash when he was in high school.

Now 40, Casterella has been with American Christmas for 22 years. He started when he was in college, studying marketing at St. John’s University, thanks to a family friend who worked there at the time. Casterella became so invested in the business — where he started out running errands and helping with installations — that he decided to leave school and pursue it full time.

The more than 50-year-old business does about 800 installations each year for roughly 400 clients around the country.

The more than 50-year-old business does about 800 installations each year for roughly 400 clients around the country. Some of its biggest include New Yorkbased real estate firms Tishman Speyer, Vornado and Cushman & Wakefield as well as institutions known for their festive holiday

The move paid off. Casterella was named CEO of American Christmas in 2018 after it was acquired by Austria-based MK Illumination, and he now spearheads a team of 96 full-time employees — about 340 during the peak season — that help the company take home north of $35 million each year, he said.

But Casterella hasn’t forgotten where he started. His day-to-day

can include anything from working directly with clients; handling operations, management and finances; and even climbing up on a ladder to decorate himself.

“When I’m on site, I will get involved and help,” he said. “That doesn’t mean the staff necessarily wants me to, but I get my hands dirty — whatever we have to do to deliver excellence for our clients.”

Christmas at home

Casterella also oversees the company’s several warehouses, including its agship 110,000-squarefoot facility in Mt. Vernon and sites in Memphis and Tampa.

One of the difficult parts of the job is making sure no two competing or neighboring businesses look the same and bringing to life the decorations that best suit their needs.

“Everyone wants their own identity,” Casterella said.

Casterella appreciates other holidays too. He enjoys the Fourth of July, and the company has a wholesale division that also sells decorations for Halloween and Easter, but Christmas makes up about 98%, he said.

Christmas plays a huge role in

Age: 40

Grew Up: Mamaroneck, Westchester County

Resides: Harrison, Westchester County

Family Life: The American Christmas CEO is married and has two children.

Favorite Decoration: It’s difficult for someone like Casterella to choose just one, but he loves the excitement of a gigantic Christmas tree, he said.

Out Of Office: Casterella loves to ski and snowboard, which he says are the perfect winter hobbies to complement his job. And in the warmer months, he likes playing golf.

Casterella’s life at home too, he said.

“I used to not decorate, but I have two young kids now, and they kind of beg me to do it,” he said. “So now everyone in the house gets a Christmas tree.”

Dan Casterella

Dan Casterella at American Christmas’ Mt. Vernon warehouse. BUCK ENNIS