Category: News on the Homepage

Demonstrating adaptability in unprecedented circumstances and a determination to keep the economy moving, CMM has just closed an M&A deal entirely remotely involving parties across multiple states.

Vincent Costa handled the transaction – the third for our client. The deal involved our New York-based client’s asset purchase of a Florida company that provides access to remote liquid tank monitoring information through web-based portals, including standard and customized hardware, software, and implementation. CMM had to be extraordinarily nimble to convert the negotiation, due diligence, and closing of a deal that would have otherwise taken place in person and complete it wholly online, without any delays.

“A very tough time trying close a deal between New York and Florida with the circumstances the country is facing,” observed the other side. “[While] it would have been much easier if we could have held a couple of face to face meetings,” CMM was determined the close the deal, and we did.

“I’m very proud of our Corporate team – which is not unusual, but this particular deal is symbolic of so much more,” said CMM Managing Partner Joe Campolo. “It not only shows our ability to adapt to the circumstances, but more importantly, is also such a positive sign that if we all keep pushing as hard as we can, our economy will recover from the coronavirus pandemic.”

Learn more about our Mergers & Acquisitions practice here.

Our healthcare workers are superheroes – our troops fighting on the front lines of the battle against coronavirus who also give us hope in these dark times. Because healthcare workers are currently consumed with the health and well-being of others, CMM Cares is focused on the needs of these superheroes themselves. 

As part of its mission to mobilize the business community for the greater good, please join CMM Cares as we partner with Stony Brook Hospital to donate comfort care items to the medical professionals fighting so hard for all of us. Comfort care items include:

• Prepackaged snacks (granola bars, power bars, pretzels, etc.)
• Bottled water
• Gum
• Candy
• Lip balm
• Tissue packs
• Hand lotion 

To donate, please drop off all items in the first-floor lobby of our Ronkonkoma headquarters at 4175 Veterans Memorial Highway starting on Wednesday, March 25 between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Our CMM Cares team will be collecting all items and delivering them daily to Stony Brook.

On behalf of our modern-day troops, our healthcare heroes – thank you.

Email our hotline: coronarelief@cmmllp.com

Visit our Resource Hub

Questions? Email vtringone@cmmllp.com

This event has ended.

In some welcome good news during this challenging time, CMM is pleased to report that our Municipal Liability team has successfully defended Riverhead’s Finest in a civil rights action.

The case stemmed from a domestic dispute incident over six years ago. A husband and wife undergoing a contentious divorce had obtained orders of protection against each other while still living together. In December 2013, an officer with the Riverhead Police Department was called to the home, as he had been several times prior. On this occasion, the husband alleged that the wife had violated the order of protection he had obtained against her. He presented the police officer with a recording of a conversation between the estranged couple about a cruise the husband had taken with a girlfriend. The police officer learned the contents of the order of protection and, upon consideration of the recording and at the request of the husband, arrested the wife for violating the terms of the order.

After her arrest, the wife was taken to police headquarters, processed, taken to local Criminal Court, arraigned, and released on her own recognizance. (The case against her was ultimately dismissed.) As a result of these events, she brought a lawsuit against the Town of Riverhead and its Police Department alleging false arrest and malicious prosecution.

Under the guidance of Scott Middleton, our team moved for summary judgment (essentially, asking the Court to dismiss the case because there are no facts in dispute). We argued that because the arresting officer had confirmed the order of protection and had been presented with the recording, that probable cause existed and thus as a matter of law, the facts could not have amounted to false arrest (or subsequent malicious prosecution). Based on CMM’s efforts, the motion was granted and the case was dismissed.

Learn more about our success representing municipalities and agencies here.

HIA-LI is leading the way to secure much-needed personal protective equipment (PPE) for the healthcare workers at Stony Brook Hospital on the front lines of the battle against coronavirus and is calling on the business community to help.

• PPE: Stony Brook is accepting donations of PPE and medical supplies including masks, gloves, gowns, ventilators, and other items. To donate, contact Joan Dickinson, Stony Brook Community Relations Director,  Joan.Dickinson@stonybrook.edu or call (631) 219-0603. Donations can be made by appointment only and at specific drop-off locations to ensure the safety of all involved and to get the supplies into the right hands immediately.

• Comfort Care Items: The Hospital is also accepting donations of “comfort care” items (socks, snacks, tissue packs, hand lotion, gum, lip balm, etc.) for these healthcare heroes – please call Joan to set up a donation appointment.

• Messages of Support for Medical Staff: Many neighbors and community groups have asked about the best way to show their support to the medical staff who are working around the clock. The easiest and most effective way to share your sentiments is through a simple cell phone video. Please email a video no longer than 20 seconds to Joan.Dickinson@stonybrook.edu. The videos will be shared throughout the hospital areas and visible as the employees move throughout their day.

• Messages for Veterans: There are residents at the Long Island State Veterans Home who miss their families but cannot have visitors because they are in a high-risk group. If you would like to send a veteran a message, please email a video no longer than 20 seconds to Jonathan Spier, LISVH Deputy Executive Director, at jonathan.spier@LISVH.org and your message will be shared on the digital boards in their facility.

“Long Islanders are strong, and we all need to work together to find solutions to the unprecedented challenges we’re facing,” said HIA-LI President & CEO Terri Alessi-Miceli. “HIA-LI is doing what we do best: building connections to make an impact.”

“Our healthcare workers are fighting this battle head-on and we all owe them our gratitude and support,” said Joe Campolo, HIA-LI Board Chairman and Managing Partner of Campolo, Middleton & McCormick, LLP. “By working together instead of panicking when things get tough, we can make things happen.”

HIA-LI is leading the effort to address the statewide shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers battling the COVID-19 pandemic by coordinating directly with state and federal officials to engage Long Island manufacturers. Terri Alessi-Miceli, HIA-LI President & CEO, and Joe Campolo, HIA-LI Board Chairman and Managing Partner of Campolo, Middleton & McCormick, hosted an all-hands-on-deck conference call today with Congressman Lee Zeldin and his key staff, who has pledged his resources to aid in this critical effort.

“Our local medical professionals are giving their all, putting themselves at risk to care for our communities’ most vulnerable. Every level of government and every Long Islander has a responsibility to do everything to keep them safe, and I applaud HIA-LI for leading by example,” Zeldin stated. “I look forward to working with them to leverage the force of Long Island’s manufacturing and its unparalleled ingenuity to rise to meet the demand for vital protective equipment for those on the front lines of this battle against coronavirus.”

The idea is to have manufacturers pause their current manufacturing – if it isn’t paused already – and go back to work to manufacture PPE. This shift would not only help ameliorate the PPE crisis, but also help these manufacturers keep their businesses afloat and their people employed. New York State is willing to provide funding for companies manufacturing the proper equipment.

“As the recognized voice for Long Island business and the steward of the economic powerhouse that is the Long Island Innovation Park at Hauppauge, HIA-LI is focused entirely on helping the business community get through this unprecedented time,” said HIA-LI’s Alessi-Miceli. “By working directly with the Governor’s office and with Congressman Zeldin to help local manufacturers join PPE relief efforts, we can help businesses weather this storm while also helping to protect our first responders.”

“Our call today shows that we are all working relentlessly to help coordinate bipartisan efforts to assist Long Island business,” said Board Chairman Campolo. “The solution is not to panic, but to work together through this crisis.”

PPE includes gloves, masks, gowns, respirators, and additional equipment critical to protect those on the front lines. Businesses interested in receiving state funding to manufacture PPE products should directly contact Eric Gertler at (212) 803-3100 or covid19supplies@exec.ny.gov.

The Governor’s office is also asking that all PPE product providers sell to the state directly through this pandemic, including any products that are nonessential or not currently used. Businesses interested in selling products to the state should directly contact Simonida Subotic at (646) 522-8477 or covid19supplies@exec.ny.gov.

Dear clients and friends:

As COVID-19 continues to impact our communities and the world, CMM has instituted a modified remote work schedule for our team members, effective March 17. Everyone’s health and safety is paramount, and like many of you, we feel that this shift is necessary to be socially responsible and do our part as global citizens.

While we may not be physically in the office, business will – and must – continue. CMM understands how critical this time is for you and your business, and we will continue to serve you without interruption. Please continue to stay in contact with the CMM team member(s) with whom you work closely, and do not hesitate to call on us for any need.

As many businesses make the shift toward remote work, the use of webinars and technology is vital to sustain momentum. Be on the lookout for information from us about webinars for you and your team to join to stay engaged. The technology in our state-of-the-art training room is also available to you should your business not be equipped to handle remote service. Please contact Lauren at lkanter@cmmllp.com to discuss your needs.

We look forward to us all emerging from this unprecedented time stronger than ever. Thank you for your confidence and trust in us.

Sincerely,

Campolo, Middleton & McCormick, LLP

By Matthew Ferremi

To celebrate family businesses on Long Island, esteemed owners gathered at the Carltun in East Meadow’s Eisenhower Park on March 4 for the inaugural Family Business Awards Gala. 

RichnerLIVE, the events division of Richner Communications and Herald Community Newspapers, hosted over 40 of Long Island’s most successful family businesses.

Managing Partner of Campolo, Middleton & McCormick, Joe Campolo, explained why an event like this matters. “The reason I decided to be a major sponsor is because I thought it was a great idea to highlight family businesses,” Campolo said. “Family businesses are so important since they are the backbone of the Long Island economy.”

The guests began the night with a networking cocktail party, that included a selfie photo booth where honorees could take group photos, along with a silent auction; a portion of ticket sales were donated to EIHAB Human Services, multicultural not-for-profit organization dedicated to serving children and adults with disabilities, intellectual behavioral health challenges, and dual diagnoses with mental health illnesses.

Nassau County Executive Laura Curran expressed her gratitude for the thriving family businesses in the county during the event. “I just want to say thank you to everybody who runs a business on Long Island,” Curran said. “On the county level, we’re working hard to create a more business-friendly environment and we need you all to keep on doing well.” 

Guests then proceeded to the dining room for dinner, keynote speech and awards ceremony. Before the awards were presented, Stuart Richner, chief executive officer and publisher of Richner Communications, described what it was like growing up in the family business founded by his parents Robert and Edith in 1964. 

“My parents saw school vacations not as a chance to get away from Long Island, but for an opportunity for me to help out at the newspaper with my brothers,” Richner said. “Leading a family business is a privilege that comes with tremendous responsibility. It is often much harder than people realize, but I absolutely love what I do.”

Bernadette Castro, the chairperson for Castro Properties, was the keynote speaker. Castro’s father, Bernard, started the furniture business, Castro Convertibles, in 1931. She acknowledged that growing up in a family business is unique. “Two words I would use to describe family business: not normal,” she said. “Business was always spoken at our home, sometimes nicely and sometimes in a not-so-nice manner depending on what the topic was. First-generation business owners like my father are consumed by their business.” 

Three major awards were presented: Legacy, to Esther Fortunoff-Greene; Green Legacy, to Stephen Hicks; and Richner Community, to Stew Leonard, Jr.

Accepting his award, Stephen Hicks, president of the Westbury-based Hicks Nurseries, explained how his family’s business, which began in 1853, has stood the test of time. 

“One word to describe lasting through four depressions, one civil war, two world wars and 31 presidential administrations is stewardship,” Hicks said. “Each generation has set out to leave the business in a better way than when they found it.” 

Legacy award recipient Esther Fortunoff-Greene, owner and president of Fortunoff Fine Jewelry, looked back on how her grandparents in Brooklyn originally started the business in 1922 before opening the Westbury store in 1964. She noted that having the freedom to make decisions in a family business is rewarding.

“What’s great about family business is that you don’t have to get permission from senior corporate powers, you can respond to changes and adapt,” Fortunoff-Greene said. “Of course family members have differing viewpoints but that’s what makes it fun.”

Richner Community Award winner Stew Leonard Jr., chief executive officer of Stew Leonard’s discussed how businesses must be able to evolve over time. “My 90-year-old father still can’t believe that 15 percent of our milk sales are from almond milk,” Leonard Jr. said jokingly. “This shows that the milk business is changing just like everything else in business. It’s important to stay in tune to what’s going on.” 

To end the evening, all the honorees were presented with crystal awards. Master of ceremonies Antoinette Biordi, of News 12 Long Island, introduced the business owners as they walked on the stage to rousing cheers.

Originally published by LI Herald