Category: News on the Homepage

By Bernadette Starzee

East/West Industries in Ronkonkoma makes aircraft seats and safety equipment for the aerospace and defense industry. Founded in 1968 by Dom and Mary Spinosa, the company is now led by their daughter, Teresa Ferraro.

“My parents never pushed me to join the family business, and I originally went into banking. But they asked me to help out one day because they were having a special event with two VIPs,” said Ferraro, speaking at HIA-LI’s recent “Get in the Head of the CEO” event.

She showed up not knowing what to expect. It turned out the two VIPs were a military pilot and copilot who had to eject from their aircraft.

“Our equipment saved their lives, and they wanted to shake the hands of every single employee,” said Ferraro, who was inspired by this event to join the family business.

Ferraro was one of the CEO event’s five panelists, who were chosen because their companies won 2019 Business Achievement Awards from HIA-LI, which looks at a number of factors, from revenue and profitability to employee engagement to community involvement and vision for the future, and performs interviews and in some cases site visits with finalists before choosing the winners.

“We decided to hold this panel discussion because you told us you wanted to get up and close and personal and understand the Business Achievement Awards winners better,” Terri Alessi-Miceli, president and CEO of HIA-LI, told the CEO event attendees, many of them affiliated with the 1,300 businesses represented by the trade group.

East/West Industries received the Business Achievement Award in the small business category (for companies with 100 or fewer employees). The company expanded in 2017 to a facility that was 50 percent larger than its previous offices and is in the midst of a three-year plan to expand its workforce by 40 percent, including a program to aggressively recruit veterans.

The award winner in the large business category was Ronkonkoma-based SUNation Solar Systems, which has installed more than 4,000 solar electric systems on Long Island since its inception in 2003. SUNation’s CEO and Co- Founder Scott Maskin was on the panel, as was Bobbianne Ng, chief financial officer for Dominican Village Independent and Assisted Living Communities in Amityville, which was awarded the nonprofit award. The panel also included Felicia Telep, director of operations and marketing for Pure Mammography, a two-year-old provider of screening mammography in a spa-like atmosphere at the Smith Haven Mall in Lake Grove, which HIA-LI named rookie of the year. Deborah Schiff, executive vice president of ambulatory strategy and business development for Northwell Health, rounded out the panel.

The New Hyde Park-based healthcare system, which is New York State’s largest private employer, was presented with a special leadership award at HIA-LI’s Business Achievement Awards.

Ferraro reminisced about how when she first joined East/West Industries 36 years ago, she wasn’t welcomed with open arms by everyone.

“Engineering, manufacturing and the military are very male-dominated industries, and, oh yeah, I was the boss’s daughter,” she said.

Her father served as her mentor, teaching her that to be successful, she needed to engage with people and listen to them.

By being a good listener, Ferraro said she was able to gain the respect of the team as she took on increasing responsibility.

“It’s not about Teresa Ferraro, it’s about the entire East/West family,” she said. “I often think back to the pilots who wanted to thank not just the president or the engineer, but every employee. Every single member of the East/West team is important.”

Schiff, too, spoke about the importance of listening.

In her role at Northwell Health, Schiff is focused on building an ambulatory network to manage the healthcare of the region.

“Every day is a new opportunity to keep my mouth shut and listen to the needs of customers and employees,” she said.

The importance of serving both customers and employees was an important part of the discussion.

“There is a common theme among the panelists,” observed Joe Campolo, managing partner of Ronkonkoma-based law firm Campolo, Middleton & McCormick, who served as moderator for the discussion. “Nobody is talking about ‘I’ or ‘me.’ Everyone here is talking about how what we do is part of a much broader mission. Successful organizations realize that as long as they are doing right by their customers, everything else will follow.”

During meetings at Dominican Village, “for any idea that we discuss, we discuss the impact it will have on our mission,” Ng said. “We want our residents to feel that this is their home, and for them to get the care they need and get to do what they enjoy.”

Ng spoke about the importance of employee satisfaction to customer service.

“If employees are happier, the residents are going to be happier,” she said. “We’re all there to serve our residents, whether we’re the dishwasher or we work in billing or marketing. If our CEO is running late for a meeting, and he’s stopped by a housekeeper, he will sit with that person to address whatever it is they need to discuss. We make sure our employees feel part of the family, and make sure each person knows their function is not just their job title, and that there is room for growth.”

Part of Maskin’s role at SUNation Solar is to serve as “chief fun officer” and to make sure every employee feels fulfilled and thrives at work.

“Our company has personality, and our team buys into the personality and our mission to do right by our customers,” Maskin said, adding that this has helped the company’s business become 65 percent referral-driven.

“Of every 100 customers, 65 come from referrals, so our cost of lead acquisition is very low,” he said.

Pure Mammography has a kiosk in the Smith Haven Mall, where the company educates people about mammography and breast health. The company, which Telep said has plans to expand to eight additional locations in 2020, seeks to make mammograms hassle-free, convenient and relaxing so that more women will choose to get them done. The mammography suite is serene and has a spa-like feeling, with TV screens with beach and mountain views, a coffee and tea bar and caring staff, Telep said.

“We want customers to feel like guests, not patients,” Telep said.

Read more here.

CMM is proud to announce that Partner Jeffrey Basso has been recognized with a Leadership in Law Award.

The Leadership in Law Awards recognize individuals whose leadership has had a positive impact on the legal profession and the Long Island community. Basso will receive his award at a ceremony on November 21, 2019 at Crest Hollow Country Club.

Basso will be honored in the Partner category in recognition of his leadership in handling client matters, managing CMM’s litigation department, and mentoring other attorneys at the firm.

An aggressive litigator, Basso has vast experience prosecuting and defending matters on behalf of business owners, corporations, corporate officers, shareholders, and investors in a variety of commercial litigation matters. He is also experienced in representing clients in business divorce matters, including the negotiation of creative strategies to divide assets, and has earned a professional certificate from the prestigious National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA) for trial skills. Basso also manages CMM’s busy litigation department, appropriately staffing matters in the most efficient way possible while also directing litigation strategy.

A leader early in his career, Basso received the Leadership in Law Award in the Associate category in 2015 in recognition of his work ethic and the example he sets for others at the firm. Many attorneys at CMM, across all practice areas, seek him out as a mentor for his ability to offer guidance while also pushing them to grow as lawyers.

CMM Managing Partner Joe Campolo was inducted into the Long Island Business Hall of Fame on November 7, 2019. This prestigious awards program honors the most influential leaders in the business community. Induction into the Hall of Fame is a high honor reserved for Long Island leaders who demonstrate a commitment to excellence. Below are the remarks Joe delivered at the induction ceremony. Read the full press release here.

First and foremost, I want to congratulate all my fellow inductees. Quite frankly, I was very surprised to be included with this group and was certain that a mistake had been made. Once I confirmed that it was not a mistake, that triggered a lot of internal struggle as to what would be my message tonight as I received this award. I of course thank my entire team at CMM, and my dear friend and co-inductee Terri Alessi-Miceli, collectively a remarkable group of professionals who inspire me every day to be my best. I would also be remiss if I didn’t thank my wife, Alyson – as difficult as I may seem at times to the folks in the business community, that is nothing compared to how difficult I probably seem to her – yet she remains my rock and inspiration and makes sure that my world is full of love and laughter.

Since notice of this award was made public, the biggest question I’ve received is “What was the criteria that was used to select the inductees?” Great question to which there doesn’t seem to be any objective answer. I don’t have the largest law firm on Long Island – that distinction goes to my co-inductee Bill Savino. I also don’t lead an organization with a large balance sheet – that distinction would go to my friends and co-inductees Jim and Bob Coughlan from Tritec. And I am clearly not the best-looking male executive on Long Island – I defer that distinction to my good friend and co-inductee Rich Humann. Having removed these categories from consideration, I desperately searched for what could possibly have been the reasons for my inclusion here tonight. And what I came up with are the following four factors that have shaped my business career.

• A burning desire to grow – 

Since leaving home at 17 to enlist in the Marine Corps, my entire life became consumed with a burning desire to grow. Prior to joining the Marines, I found myself in a world where I just didn’t seem to fit in – it was a world of reckless youth where I was surrounded by people who felt doing just enough was good enough and who looked for ways to cheat the system. Burning deep inside of me during this time, however, was the feeling that I simply didn’t belong and because I was so young and immature, I interpreted those feelings as if something was wrong with me for wanting more. Thus, I knew I needed to make a drastic change and decided to join the Marine Corps, a decision that was crucial to me finding myself and marked the beginning of my journey to this podium tonight. As a Marine I was, for the first time, surrounded by high chargers all looking to excel which brought me comfort.  It made me realize that I was not weird for wanting to spend my life pushing the limits of my God-given talents to see how far I could go. This desire now permeates every facet of my life and dictates everything I do – from who I spend time with to what I watch and read.  If I don’t feel that any of these activities are helping me grow, then I consider them a waste of my time.  This may sound harsh to some, but it simply is the product of me accepting who and what I am.

• The courage to be authentic –

For anyone who knows me, they will tell you that I am someone who strives to be fully transparent and authentic. This isn’t a shtick of mine like some performer – it’s how I am able to stay fully immersed and focused on maximizing my growth and development.  It would be impossible for me to see a clear path forward unless I am receiving genuine feedback from others, and it’s impossible to receive genuine feedback from others unless what you present to them is genuine.  But doing so isn’t easy – it’s actually scary and takes a fair amount of courage to put yourself out there and be fully exposed to others who may be hiding behind the walls of deception.  But what I have found is the more discipline I have in remaining authentic, the better the outcome, because no matter where I wind up, I never lose myself along the way.

• Having boundless energy to persevere – 

Perseverance has been a cornerstone of my career, as I have been blessed with an extremely strong work ethic that was instilled in me by my grandmother and my father. This ability to get up every day and, notwithstanding the circumstances, continue to advance the ball down the field takes an enormous amount of focus and energy. Maintaining this discipline is even more difficult because we live in the most prosperous country in the world – thus one could just do “enough” and still do well. However, the ability to persevere through boredom and adversity until one achieves their goals is what turns good business leaders into great ones.

Understanding that some balance is needed, the formula is work hard/play hard, and I do take opportunities to shut down and recharge my energies. And while I certainly have a lot of fun during those down times, I never lose sight of the fact that they are temporary fuel stations that provide me the energy I need to continue down my path.

• A promise to always do my best –

I have made a promise to myself that I will always do my best and, if I fall short, I will not make excuses but instead always strive to do better. This commitment is critical because, as humans, mistakes and failures are inevitable. And unless I am confident that I’ve done my best, such failures will lead me down a dark road of self-doubt and self-loathing. Knowing that I have done my best, however, gives me closure and shifts my internal dialogue from one of inadequacy to one of acceptance that the particular opportunity I was seeking wasn’t right for me or didn’t come at the right time. As a business leader, the most important thing to instill in my team members is an expectation that everybody will do their best and an understanding that it sometimes simply won’t work out. This builds the confidence that is necessary for business people to be able to grow and to take risks.

In closing, I would like again to congratulate all of my fellow inductees. I am proud to be sharing this spotlight with all of you tonight and look forward to us all working together to continue to make Long Island the greatest place on earth.

In another municipal victory, CMM has secured the dismissal of a lawsuit filed against longtime client the Town of Riverhead.

CMM was retained to represent the Town in a lawsuit filed by a plaintiff who claimed personal injuries stemming from a trip and fall accident on a sidewalk in Riverhead. During depositions and hearings, it became clear that the Town had never received written notice of the alleged sidewalk defect, as required by the Town Code. CMM’s Municipal Liability team, led by Senior Partner Scott Middleton, moved for summary judgment dismissing the case (essentially, requesting that the Court dismiss the case because there are no facts at issue). David Green submitted evidence with the motion papers – including deposition testimony and affidavits from Town officials – supporting the Town’s position that it had never received prior written notice of the problematic sidewalk condition. 

The Court agreed, citing well settled law that when a municipality has a prior written notice statute, that municipality may not be subjected to liability for injuries allegedly caused by a dangerous or defective condition without having received prior written notice of that condition. The Court found that the evidence CMM submitted on behalf of the Town established that there had been no prior written notice in this case, and dismissed the lawsuit against the Town.

Visit our Municipal Liability page to learn more about our success representing municipal clients.

By Jamie Herzlich

Locally, employers that made Newsday’s top Long Island Workplaces list said they use many methods to engage and reward staff that don’t break the bank.

Culture Committee at CMM

Ronkonkoma-based law firm Campolo, Middleton & McCormick promotes engagement by offering weekly training sessions where staff members train other employees in different areas; a mentoring program in which associates are mentored by partners; and a monthly development meeting for associates where they meet with Managing Partner Joe Campolo, says Director of Communications Lauren Kanter-Lawrence.

“A lot of suggestions and programs have come out of that meeting,” she says.

A “culture committee” also brainstorms about programming and events that would be motivating and engaging, including monthly team luncheons and ice cream socials. In addition, the firm has a charitable arm, CMM Cares, through which employees can get involved in volunteering, says Kanter-Lawrence.

Read more here.

Elected officials representing Long Island on a town, county, state, and federal level joined CMM Managing Partner and HIA-LI Board Chairman Joe Campolo, HIA-LI President & CEO Terri Alessi-Miceli, and fellow board members at the Board Legislative Breakfast on October 29, 2019. Joe addressed the dignitaries about the importance of tradable industries in the LI Innovation Park at Hauppauge, HIA-LI’s relentless efforts to grow these business clusters, and the areas where legislative support is critical. This type of advocacy is key to growing and building on the economic potential of the Park and the Island we call home. Below are Joe’s remarks from the meeting.

Good morning. Today we are here to discuss the newly renamed Long Island Innovation Park at Hauppauge, a tiny 11-square-mile patch of land located primarily within the town of Smithtown, with a small piece in the town of Islip. Contained within these 11 square miles are about 1,400 companies run by some of the most innovative minds in the country.

The economic output of the Park over the past few years has been well documented and discussed, as has the fact that it is the second largest industrial park in the country, the first being Silicon Valley. These facts attracted the interest of our friends at the Suffolk IDA who, along with the RPA, commissioned an Opportunity Analysis to do a deeper dive into the businesses that reside in the Park and come up with initiatives to further anchor the Park to Long Island’s revitalized economy.

In April of this year, after an almost year-long process, the IDA released the more than 160-page report, and the conclusions were staggering – in addition to verifying the prior economic analysis that had been conducted on the Park, this report also found that the Park has the largest concentration of tradable businesses not only on Long Island, but also is a full 20% above the national average for tradable business clusters. 

Why is this so monumental? Well, to a region’s economy, tradable industries are a very big deal. Every ecosystem must include non-tradable businesses – the things that directly support the personal needs of the neighborhood in which the business is located and its citizens. Thus, every community will have barbers, gas stations, delis, laundromats, 7-11s, etc. And while these businesses play an important role, they typically employ local people who don’t require enhanced skills and who on average receive lower wages. These businesses are also fully dependent on the immediate residents of that location to consume their goods or services; there is simply not a synergy of either workers or customers who are going to commute a great deal for them. Therefore, dollars from non-tradable industries are non-growth dollars – they are simply being circulated around an area, without new dollars coming in.

High performing ecosystems, however, will also include a mix of tradable businesses, which are the businesses that aren’t dependent on customers from their immediate neighborhoods to thrive – these industries include aerospace, biopharma, manufacturing, IT, and others who have chosen to be there for reasons other than direct access to customers. These businesses enhance any community they’re in because they vastly increase the local tax base by paying higher wages, which not only helps the government but also greatly stimulates the local non-tradable economy. Tradable industries also attract skilled workers to relocate here from other states and cities, which also greatly helps grow our tax base without having to continue to raise taxes – exactly what we were trying to accomplish with Amazon coming to Long Island City. An ecosystem with too few tradable businesses suffers greatly because it finds itself simply recirculating dollars rather than growing the pie – an economy with no tradable businesses will collapse, as we saw with Detroit and Flint, Michigan.  

Thus, it is imperative for sustained prosperity to cultivate and grow the number of tradable businesses in any region, causing us to look at why some areas are better than others at attracting and retaining these businesses. And as I mentioned earlier, the Opportunity Analysis has shown that while the national average for tradable business clusters is 38%, that percentage is much higher – 58% – in the Park.  Having realized this staggering disparity, a large part of the investigation into the report focused on the “why” – why is this little 11-square-mile tract of land in the middle of Long Island such a hotbed for tradable industries, and the answer, almost uniformly, was that it was due to the ability for those businesses to have access to a highly skilled workforce.

Understanding all that, we now know how critical to Long Island it is to maintain, if not grow, this high percentage of tradable business in the Park, for to lose them would be catastrophic. Tradable businesses are our only way to attract and keep the recent grads of our own educational organizations, who are all too often lured away by the glitz of NYC or Silicon Valley.

Thus, the Opportunity Analysis set forth a very detailed action plan of ways for all stakeholders – private business, government, education, and the HIA-LI – to partner together to make sure that we keep this vitality alive in our Park and on Long Island. The key strategies include facilitation of business growth; attracting and retaining knowledge workers; strengthening training and workforce development; promoting innovation and technology transfer; and connecting business, governments, and institutions.

I am proud to report that immediately following the Opportunity Analysis, the HIA-LI commissioned a Task Force comprised of Board members who are leaders in their respective fields to ensure that this critical initiative moves forward. As is typical with the HIA-LI, we have fully embraced this, have rolled up our sleeves, and are getting things done. Most recently, the action item of exploring the possibility of a workforce development center to be created in the park was presented to the Long Island Regional Planning Council, which, after testimony, declared this project one of regional significance and issued a grant to further develop the workforce initiative. We are very thankful for that support, and that initiative is moving forward as we speak. 

We are also working hard to move forward other initiatives the report identified as critical, such as a greenway connection throughout the Park, creating innovation nodes, holding job fairs and community open houses, creating a one-stop business resource center, promoting ride-sharing and establishing shuttle bus service, and enhancing work-life culture. And while this is long and daunting road, our resolve is fierce and our efforts are relentless to move this initiative forward, as we all simply have too much riding on it.

None of the progress we’ve made so far would be possible without the support, cooperation and partnership with our elected officials, and we can’t move forward without it. We need legislative support when it comes to the Regional Workforce Training Center; making zoning changes; allowing new mixed-use buildings are select locations; modifying dimensional and density regulations; and allowing new structures to be clipped on to big-box factory buildings.  

During this process I have learned that not only is Long Island a national treasure, but we are a national model for how business and government should partner, and how bipartisan cooperation and support, rather than cheap tweets or insults, is how we on Long Island operate and get things done. During this entire process there has been nothing but interest in helping on all levels, particularly from the Towns of Smithtown and Islip and the County of Suffolk.  Never once did I hear any political issue or ramification be discussed – only a true desire to help make our economy as robust as possible.  In today’s world, this is a huge accomplishment and something we as Long Islanders should all be aware of and proud of. 

Thus, in the coming weeks and months, we are going to be reaching out to all of you directly to ask for your support on this important project.

RONKONKOMA, NEW YORK – Campolo, Middleton & McCormick, LLP, a premier law firm with offices across the spine of Long Island, has been named a Newsday 2019 Top Long Island Workplace based solely on employee feedback. The anonymous survey, administered by research partner Energage, LLC, measured several aspects of workplace culture, including alignment, execution, and connection, to gauge employee satisfaction.

“There are few awards given in today’s environment that truly mean something – this is one of them as it came from a confidential vote placed by our employees,” said CMM Managing Partner Joe Campolo. “It’s something we should all be proud of, as it validates everything we set out to be as a firm.”

“My manager encourages my ideas and listens to me when I disagree or have another opinion,” reported one employee. “In past jobs, I felt like my opinion didn’t make a difference.”

CMM offers unparalleled opportunities to grow professionally, be challenged, and work with sophisticated clients and colleagues. The firm invests in employees’ professional development at all levels with training on a variety of topics. CMM’s marketing and communications initiatives have raised the bar for Long Island firms, offering superior opportunities for lawyers and professionals to gain visibility in the business community.

Giving back is an integral part of CMM’s DNA, with numerous fundraising and volunteer activities throughout the year through the firm’s charitable arm, CMM Cares. In their survey responses, employees reported a fun and active firm culture with plenty of activities for everyone. The firm rewards staff for their hard work with weekly hot breakfasts, monthly catered team lunches, an annual firm BBQ, a luxurious holiday party, and more. The firm established a Culture Committee made up of a rotating group of employees to ensure that activities are varied and to give the team a voice.

“The Top Workplaces award is about much more than recognition and celebration,” said Eric Rubino, CEO of Energage. “Our research also shows that these organizations achieve higher referral rates, lower employee turnover, and double the employee engagement levels. It just goes to show that being intentional about culture delivers bottom-line results.”

Campolo, Middleton & McCormick, LLP is extraordinarily proud to announce that Managing Partner Joe Campolo has been recognized as one of the most distinguished leaders in the Long Island business community and will be inducted into the “Long Island Business Hall of Fame” on November 7, 2019. This prestigious awards program seeks out the most influential leaders in the business community. Induction into the Hall of Fame is a high honor reserved for Long Island leaders who demonstrate a commitment to excellence.

Campolo is recognized as a Long Island “Icon,” a leading authority on negotiation, and a power player in growing Long Island’s economy.

Under his leadership, CMM has grown from two lawyers to a robust and highly respected team of over 30 lawyers servicing clients in a wide range of practice areas—and continues to grow—with a deep commitment to the community. His entrepreneurial spirit is behind critical initiatives to strengthen the Long Island business community and promote innovation, and he has spearheaded some of the most important projects in recent years to grow the economy. As Chairman of the HIA-LI Board of Directors, Campolo is the driving force behind HIA-LI’s major initiative to rebrand and capitalize on the opportunity of the Long Island Innovation Park at Hauppauge, the largest industrial park in the nation after Silicon Valley, attracting public and private dollars to support this critical economic engine.

Campolo is also a philanthropist who gives financial support and time to some of Long Island’s most impactful nonprofits, particularly those with a focus on veterans as well as the arts. Prior to starting CMM, Campolo served honorably in the United States Marine Corps.