Category: News on the Homepage

On January 22, 2021, CMM Managing Partner and HIA-LI‘s Immediate Past Board Chairman Joe Campolo moderated the 43^rd HIA-LI Annual Meeting and Legislative Breakfast, attended by over 150 members of the business community. Joe reported on Long Island’s relentless push for recovery and hope in 2021. He then led a discussion with elected officials about the issues most affecting the business community. Panelists included U.S. Congressman Lee Zeldin, Nassau County Executive Laura Curran, New York State Assemblyman Mike Fitzpatrick, and New York State Senator Mario Mattera, with additional remarks by NYS Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul and Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone. Read Joe’s full remarks below.

Good morning everyone. I’m Joe Campolo and I’d like to welcome everyone to our Annual Meeting and Legislative Program.

For the past three years, I have had the privilege of serving the HIA-LI and the Long Island business community as the Chair of the Board and it has been the honor of a lifetime. As my term as Chair now ends, and as we embark on a new and hopefully more prosperous year, I’m proud to continue to serve on the HIA-LI Board and as chair of the Long Island Innovation Park at Hauppauge task force. This task force is comprised of stakeholders and decision-makers from both the public and private sectors who will work together to help ensure the park is being utilized in the most productive way to help boost Long Island and the entire region’s economy. Unlike many other task forces, this one will be rolling its sleeves up and getting things done.

2020 tested all of us, to say the least – and things didn’t magically go “back to normal” when the calendar turned to 2021. Fortunately, Long Island has proven that we are a community of leaders. The way the business community adapted to the realities of the pandemic, took a deep breath, and kept moving forward – rather than be paralyzed by fear – is a testament to the strength of the human spirit. The dedication of our colleagues and neighbors is an example to our country and to the world. And while the national news would have us believe that humanity has turned on its head, we Long Islanders are more united than ever. We may have our disagreements, but in the end, we all have stuck together and helped each other through what will likely be the toughest year of our lives, and gave new meaning to the hashtag #LongIslandStrong.

Through it all, we have also seen that Long Island is a national model for how business and government should partner and that bipartisan cooperation with our elected officials is how we on Long Island operate and get things done. Terri [Alessi-Miceli] and I spent a good part of this past year interacting with many elected officials and agencies to advocate for the business community and never once did politics get in the way – there was only a true desire from all to want to help make our economy as robust as possible while keeping our families safe. Again, notwithstanding what the national news would have you believe, here on Long Island there were no Republicans and Democrats, only people helping other people, and families helping other families. In today’s world, this is a huge accomplishment and something we as Long Islanders should all be aware of and proud of.

So while our recovery continues to be a long and daunting road, our belief in our country and our democracy must remain strong, and we must continue to oppose injustice at every turn but also oppose hypocrisy with the same passions. Our resolve must remain fierce and our efforts must be relentless to move our economy and our initiatives forward. To help guide those efforts, we at HIA-LI are lucky to have my good friend Rich Humann, President and CEO of H2M Architects and Engineers, as our next Board Chair. Rich is a smart and well-respected leader, and, most importantly for this position, has been a tireless advocate for the Long Island and regional economy. His deep knowledge of Long Island and its infrastructure will be invaluable as we rebuild our way past COVID. And so, in our own version of a peaceful transfer of power, I’d like to introduce my friend and HIA-LI Board Chair Rich Humann.

Campolo, Middleton & McCormick, LLP, a premier law firm with offices across Long Island – and recently recognized by Forbes as a Top Corporate Law Firm in America – is delighted to announce that Donald J. Rassiger, Esq., has been promoted to Partner, effective January 1, 2021.

Leader of the firm’s sophisticated Construction group as well as Managing Attorney of its widely recognized Corporate group, Rassiger joined CMM as Counsel in 2016 and quickly became an indispensable resource for clients and colleagues alike. Having previously worked in operations and production, as well as having served as Chief Legal Officer of four companies, Rassiger has a unique understanding of the difference between business risk and legal risk. This special skill enables him to find creative solutions that achieve his clients’ desired results while complying with applicable laws, minimizing risk, and saving time and money. As a client recently described him, “Don’s ability to see where business needs intersect with legal compliance is well worth taking into your future and he can help cut the cord to the past.”

Rassiger has represented a wide range of construction clients including owners, developers, general contractors, subcontractors, engineers, architects, construction managers, and program managers, and has also negotiated countless collective bargaining agreements with union representatives. At CMM, in addition to his construction-related work, he draws on his significant experience drafting and negotiating business deals, transactions, and contracts including financing transactions, teaming arrangements, joint ventures, insurance placement, IT matters, bank loans, and construction claims. In addition, he has successfully closed over one billion dollars in M&A deals, both acquisitions and divestitures. As a member of the firm’s COVID Response Team, Rassiger has also helped many businesses renegotiate their financial instruments and bank lines as a result of the economic fallout of the pandemic.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Don as a Partner,” said Managing Partner Joe Campolo. “Not only is his well-earned promotion a milestone professional achievement for him, but also for the firm. Despite the difficulties of 2020, CMM was able grow this year and become even stronger. Don is an excellent lawyer and valued colleague, and we look forward to growing together in 2021.”

Closing out a busy year of mergers, acquisitions, and buyouts as business owners changed course in response to the pandemic, CMM has completed another deal.

In a transaction that closed just before Christmas, CMM’s Joe Campolo and Vincent Costa represented a husband and wife in their buyout of three partners in three separate sheet metal and mechanical businesses as well as a real estate holding company. Paralegal Katharine Campolo kept the deal moving by keeping track of the myriad documents related to the transaction.

“Thank you, all of you, for all your support, hard work, and most importantly friendship and guidance through this whole thing,” the client shared after closing. What a wonderful way to end a challenging year!

For guidance on your merger, acquisition, business divorce, or reorganization, please contact us today.

In a busy year for M&A despite the pandemic, CMM is pleased to announce that the firm has closed a deal involving the acquisition of RR Health Strategies, a medical coding, compliance, and operational excellence management consulting firm, by VMG Health, a leading full-service healthcare valuation and transaction advisory firm. VMG Health is a portfolio company of Northlane Capital Partners, LLC. Joe Campolo and Vincent Costa advised RR Health Strategies (“RRHS”) and its President, Pam D’Apuzzo, in the transaction.

Longtime CMM client RRHS provides a full suite of medical coding compliance focused and operational excellence management (“OpEx”) services to health systems, academic medical centers, law firms, CPA firms, billing vendors, private equity firms, and healthcare practices. D’Apuzzo and the legacy RRHS team will now lead VMG Health’s new Coding, Compliance, and Operational Excellence service line.

“RRHS is uniquely qualified to augment VMG’s existing capabilities with new, compliance-driven offerings. Pam’s industry reputation and service capabilities made RRHS a top priority to add to VMG’s platform, and our entire client base will benefit from having RRHS as part of VMG,” said Greg Koonsman, Founder and CEO of VMG Health.

“We view the strategic partnership with VMG Health as only improving our capabilities, and it will give our current clients access to VMG’s wide-range of resources. We hope to leverage the VMG Health network to expand our reach and continuously improve our service quality,” D’Apuzzo added. “Working with Joe, Vinny, and the CMM team gave me tremendous comfort and enabled me to continue focusing on running my business rather than be consumed by the day-to-day demands of the transaction. I can’t thank them enough!”

Read more about the deal here. Learn more about how CMM’s M&A team can bring value to your next deal here.

Image by Bruno /Germany from Pixabay

CMM has successfully defended our client before the New York State Division of Human Rights, culminating with the Division’s Determination and Order that a discrimination complaint be dismissed in the absence of probable cause to believe our client engaged in a discriminatory practice.

Our client, a technology company in the healthcare space, employed the claimant for less than a year, ultimately terminating the employee for poor performance. The former employee filed a claim with the Human Rights Commission, alleging that the termination was based on racial discrimination. The internal investigation by CMM’s Christine Malafi and Vincent Costa clearly demonstrated that the termination was based on poor performance. CMM submitted numerous position statements to that effect, supported by evidence including work records, our client’s need to hire a temporary worker to assist the employee in fulfilling the job duties, written warnings about the employee’s confrontational behavior, and witness statements.

After reviewing the submissions from both parties, the Division of Human Rights ultimately issued a Determination and Order dismissing the complaint, determining that there was no probable cause to support the former employee’s contention that our client had engaged in a discriminatory practice. The Order noted that “the evidence adduced does not support Complainant’s allegations of discrimination,” demonstrating the critical role that CMM’s investigation and submissions played in the case.

CMM has significant experience representing both employers and employees in employment-related investigations, claims, and litigation. Learn more and contact us today.

Long Island’s formerly best kept secret – the economic power of the LI Innovation Park at Hauppauge – is now headline news. In an editorial this week, the Newsday Editorial Board cited the LI-IPH as a prime example of how to “reuse, repurpose, and revitalize” properties. As HIA-LI Board Chairman, Joe Campolo has been instrumental in efforts to unleash the economic potential of the Park, including the development of mixed-use apartments to revitalize the site and attract the next generation of workers to Long Island.

It’s easy to spotlight the big parcels of land across Long Island that we hope someday will be home to enormously important projects, from Belmont and both Hubs, to Heartland and Calverton.

But the smaller efforts to reuse, repurpose or revitalize the older, tired parcels that dot the Island are just as critical, as building blocks for the region’s future.

Officials across the Island should start looking closely at the properties in their communities that could benefit from a similar overhaul.

They can look to Long Island Innovation Park in Hauppauge as a prime example of what’s possible. The 1,650-acre area, once known as the Hauppauge Industrial Park, has long been zoned for light industrial development, with little potential for anything new. Dozens of parcels have remained vacant; hundreds more are used for storage.

Now, Smithtown has jump-started an effort to bring retail, apartments and office space to the park. Town officials are starting small, allowing an exemption for 13 parcels, each seven acres or larger, so developers can build mixed-use commercial and residential projects on those spaces. It’s an excellent first step, especially in a town like Smithtown, where nearly 90% of housing is single-family homes and where apartments and other economic development are desperately needed.

But it must be just the beginning of bringing a mix of uses to Innovation Park and other sites like it. There are lessons to be learned, for instance, for areas like the Route 110 corridor, where two years ago Babylon Town unfortunately ended plans to rezone the East Farmingdale area.

It’s not just about remaking industrial parks. Shopping malls, stand-alone department stores and strip malls are being eyed, too. The clearest example: Seritage Growth Properties’ plan to redevelop Hicksville’s Sears site into a mix of apartments, retail and more. Look, too, at the Macy’s property in Manhasset, which is ripe for a reimagining.

Also critical: the continued redevelopment of Long Island’s downtowns. Last month, Roslyn Village became the latest to approve a rezoning, allowing as much as 60 units per acre and 40-foot tall buildings. For now, that’s limited to just two properties near the train station. Village officials should look for ways to do more.

As the coronavirus pandemic hit, several other downtown projects hit snags and delays, as meetings were put off and uncertainty reigned. We’re now seeing a restart of that work, in areas like Baldwin and Bay Shore. Local officials must move them forward, so Long Island can start its march forward, too.

— The editorial board

Read it on Newsday.

The membership of St. George’s Golf and Country Club in East Setauket has elected Joe Campolo of Stony Brook to its Board of Governors, where he will use his legal and business sense to help steer the Club through the twin challenges of the pandemic and a difficult economy.

With roles on the Long Range Planning and Membership Committees, Campolo is focused on creating a roadmap for the Club’s future. Recognizing that fostering and developing new business relationships is critical for the Long Island economy in 2020 and beyond, Joe will immediately get to work to enhance the member experience and attract the next generation of club members.

Campolo is Managing Partner of Campolo, Middleton & McCormick, LLP, a premier law firm recently recognized by Forbes as a Top Corporate Law Firm in America. In addition to running his own business and advising the who’s-who of Long Island about theirs, Campolo has kept an unyielding focus on growing the Long Island economy and investing in the community. His insight and no-fear attitude have led to some of the most significant economic initiatives on Long Island today, including the renaming, reinvestment, and rezoning of the Long Island Innovation Park at Hauppauge, the anchor of Long Island’s economy. A Marine Corps veteran, Campolo also serves on the Board of Directors of America’s VetDogs and the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind.

St. George’s was established in 1915 and has repeatedly earned a coveted spot on Golfweek’s Top 100 Classic Courses in America. 

Campolo, Middleton & McCormick, LLP is pleased to share that Partner Jeffrey Basso has earned an AV Preeminent rating in Martindale-Hubbell®, the highest possible rating from the most recognized and trusted legal directory and resource for 150 years. Ratings reflect the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary, recognizing attorneys for both ethical standards and legal ability.  Basso joins all Senior Partners as well as numerous colleagues at the firm who hold the AV Preeminent rating.

In a peer review, a fellow attorney reported, “Jeff and I have worked closely on several matters over the past two years, including two expedited matters in the Delaware Court of Chancery” [recognized as one of the nation’s most prestigious forums for business disputes]. “He is a highly knowledgeable and effective advocate who is versatile and can successfully litigate a variety of complex business disputes in a lead counsel role. Jeff is especially able to quickly cut to the heart of the matter and attain efficient, successful resolutions in the best interests of his clients.”

Basso represents business owners and partners, corporations, corporate officers, shareholders, and investors in a variety of litigation matters in state and federal court involving business and contractual disputes.  An aggressive litigator, Basso has vast experience prosecuting and defending matters involving employment contracts, non-compete agreements, trade secrets, fiduciary duty, breach of contract, hour and wage disputes, real estate transactions, investments, and construction matters. He is also experienced in representing clients in business divorce matters, including the negotiation of creative strategies to divide assets, as well as business divorce litigation. 

Read more about Basso and contact him here.

By Timothy Bolger

Mixed-use developments that blend housing and commercial real estate long built separately on Long Island are transforming not only the region’s communities and downtowns, but also its biggest industrial park, experts say.

While transit-oriented housing — apartments within walking distance of Long Island Rail Road stations and other transportation hubs — has made inroads in recent years, plans are now in the works to construct such buildings in the Long Island Innovation Park at Hauppauge. 

“It is the most exciting project I’ve been involved in in my career,” Joe Campolo, a board member of the Hauppauge Industrial Association of Long Island (HIA-LI), told attendees of the group’s annual trade show, which was held virtually Wednesday and Thursday.

The HIA-LI changed the name of the Hauppauge Industrial Park to the LI Innovation Park last year as part of its plan to reimagine the business district — the second largest industrial park in the nation after Silicon Valley — and foster the next generation of technology companies. The apartment component of that plan was hatched for the same reason local municipalities are embracing mixed-use developments: to offer affordable housing to stem the Brain Drain — the Island’s young professionals moving away due to the high cost of living.

Sixty-seven percent of millennials — people born between 1981 and 1996 — are thinking about moving off LI, according to a nextLIstudy, yet millennials will make up 75 percent of the workforce in the next five years, a Deloitte survey found, noted Terri Alessi-Miceli, president and CEO of HIA-LI.

“It’s critical to build places for them to live, to work, to play,” she said.

The HIA-LI housing plan advanced earlier this year when the Town of Smithtown reclassified zoning in the industrial park, allowing developers to apply for special exemptions to construct apartment buildings with ground-level retail space. Campolo, who’s also managing partner of Campolo, Middleton & McCormick, LLP, a Ronkonkoma-based law firm, said the change could lead to as many as 1,000 apartments in the industrial park. Plans also include a greenway connection, quality-of-life amenities, business incubators, an advanced manufacturing hub, and a workforce training center that will address filling job openings in biopharma and finance, among other issues.

Campolo shared details of the project during a HIA-LI trade show webinar titled Long Island Transformational Projects: Economic Growth for Business and our Economy, which offered an update on some of the region’s largest mixed-use developments.

DEMAND OUTPACING SUPPLY

The gap between the number of housing units needed and available on the Island is forecast to nearly double over the next decade from more than 51,000 five years ago, according to Robert Coughlan, co-founder of TRITEC Real Estate Company, an East Setauket-based developer.

Yet TRITEC, one of the region’s leading mixed-use housing builders, has added just 2,531 new multi-family home units to the region in Patchogue, Ronkonkoma, Lindenhurst, and Port Jefferson that were the culmination of 17 years of work, he added. Despite the progress, community opposition persists from anti-development Long Islanders known for Not In My Backyard sentiment, commonly known as NIMBYs.

“NIMBYism … is usually led by, in our humble opinion, misinformed and misguided people and groups,” Coughlan said. “Often these people are the same people that are getting up at public hearings and saying, ‘our prices are too high on Long Island, our taxes are too high’ … They often don’t realize that multi-use housing in their neighborhoods will raise the value of their own homes and provide alternatives for their family members.”

He pointed to historical shifts in local housing needs. Forty years ago, more than half of households on LI were nuclear families — couples and their children — and households of single people living alone made up about 10 percent of the population. Now, nuclear families make up about a third of households and singles comprise a quarter. The population shift drives the need for more multi-family housing. 

“If we don’t increase supply to meet demand, we will chase populations away,” he said.

Of course, erecting apartment buildings doesn’t happen overnight. It can take millions of dollars and three to five years of planning before even getting approval to start construction, he noted. New Village at Patchogue took eight years to get done before it opened in 2014.

Russell Albanese, chairman of The Albanese Organization, the Garden City-based developer behind the Wyandanch Rising project that is midway through building the Wyandanch Village development, added that government backing is key to getting anything this big completed.

“You cannot build affordable housing without an [industrial benefit agency] benefit for a project and you can’t do it without New York State and their housing programs,” Albanese said. “It’s very challenging but also there’s great reward in being involved in community building like this.”

ACCELERATED TRANSFORMATION

The change in LI’s housing landscape comes not only amid a demographic shift, but also a confluence of economic, social, and governmental changes rippling across Nassau and Suffolk counties since the coronavirus pandemic arrived.

The changes include an increased residential real estate demand as New York City residents move to the Island to flee the virus, an accelerated shuttering of retail storefronts as shoppers were forced to buy online to avoid COVID-19, and the rise of local government agencies modernizing their building permit application processes with online meetings as public gatherings are limited, noted Mitch Pally, CEO of the Long Island Builders Institute.

Pally added that the changes come as the New York Islanders are midway through the construction of their new home, UBS Arena, being built at Belmont Park in Elmont, which will both bring the team home to LI after a stint in Brooklyn and allow fans to take the LIRR to see games — something that was not possible when the team played at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale.

“In two years, you’ll be able to … walk out of either Bob Coughlan’s TRITEC apartment in Ronkonkoma or Russ Albanese’s Wyandanch apartment and go to the Islander game by train,” Pally said. “What a transformation of Long Island that will be for people in Suffolk County to be able to get to and from the new Islander facility at Belmont by train. It will transform the relationship with the Islanders with many people who either cannot get there or don’t want to drive there.”

Read it on Long Island Press.