Category: News on the Homepage

The 1,400-acre Long Island Innovation Park at Hauppauge (LI-IPH) – America’s second-largest industrial park – has elevated its brand by installing more than 400 flags bearing its name on light poles throughout the park.

The branding initiative was undertaken by HIA-LI, one of Long Island’s largest business advocacy organizations and steward for the park, formerly known as Hauppauge Industrial Park. The banner program was also supported by the Town of Smithtown, home to the large majority of the business park. Town of Smithtown workers attached the banners to town-owned light poles.

The flags, reading “Welcome to the Long Island Innovation Park at Hauppauge,” are two feet by three feet in size. Customized flags were made available for purchase by individual businesses within the park, which were quickly sold-out.

LI-IPH’s 1,400 businesses employ 55,000 people, accounting for one in 20 jobs on Long Island. The companies’ $13 billion in annual output equals eight percent of Long Island’s gross domestic product. The park is second only in size to Silicon Valley in northern California.

The impetus for the banner campaign arose from a 2019 “Opportunity Analysis” that documented the park’s status as “the center of Long Island’s current and future economy.” The study was prepared by James Lima Planning + Development and funded by the Suffolk County Industrial Development Agency and the Regional Plan Association. Among a spectrum of recommendations, the analysis advised the park to elevate its public profile and draw greater attention to its essential role in the regional economy.

“The Long Island Innovation Park at Hauppauge has no equal when it comes to generating employment and business growth in our region,” said HIA-LI President and CEO Terri Alessi-Miceli. “By reinforcing popular awareness of the park, we help set the stage for new partnerships and new achievements.”

“While the Long Island Innovation Park at Hauppauge already stands as the cornerstone of the regional economy, it also possesses great potential for further growth,” said Carol A. Allen, Chairperson of the HIA-LI board and president and CEO of People’s Alliance Federal Credit Union. “We help engender that new growth when we take steps to strengthen recognition of our identity.”

“By building the park’s brand, we better capitalize on its extraordinary, proven capacity to bring net, new dollars into the region because of the park’s high proportion of tradable businesses,” said Joe Campolo, Managing Partner at Campolo, Middleton & McCormick, LLP in Ronkonkoma and Chair of HIA-LI’s Long Island Economic Development Task Force. “The park’s ratio of revenue-generating, tradable companies is two-and-a-half times that of Long Island as a whole.”

Ms. Alessi-Miceli expressed her gratitude to HIA-LI board member Paule Pachter, CEO of Long Island Cares, Inc./The Harry Chapin Food Bank, for suggesting the flag initiative.

Kathleen DiLieto, CPA, is controller at the law firm Campolo, Middleton & McCormick, LLP (CMM). DiLieto directs all functions of the accounting department at CMM and has worked to build a strong team and collaborative, productive work environment. Her public and private sector experience enables her to analyze issues from all critical angles and work with firm leadership to effectively plan for the future.

DiLieto is responsible for all accounting matters for the firm, which has offices in Westbury, Ronkonkoma and Riverhead, including financial reporting, budgeting and forecasting, general accounting, cash and treasury management, internal control assessments, accounts receivable and accounts payable.

DiLieto has more than 20 years of accounting experience in both public accounting and private industry. She began her career at a public accounting firm focusing on audits, business consulting and tax preparation services before moving to in-house accounting roles in various industries including healthcare, manufacturing and construction.

Campolo, Middleton & McCormick, LLP is a premier law firm with offices across Long Island. Recently recognized as one of America’s Top Corporate Law Firms by Forbes, CMM is among the firm of choice for clients with respect to their most significant business transactions, challenging legal issues and critical disputes.

View the full Who’s Who book here.

Campolo, Middleton & McCormick, LLP, a premier law firm with offices across Long Island, is thrilled to announce that that Senior Partner Scott Middleton has been recognized by his peers for the tenth consecutive year to be featured in The Best Lawyers in America® in the category of Personal Injury Litigation (2024 edition). With this distinction, Middleton ranks among the top five percent of private practice attorneys nationwide as determined by a rigorous peer-review process.

For over three decades, the legal profession and the public have turned to Best Lawyers® as one of the most credible measures of legal integrity and distinction in the nation. Inclusion in Best Lawyers is based on over a million confidential evaluations by top attorneys. The Best Lawyers’ founding principle forms the basis of this transparent methodology: the best lawyers know who the best lawyers are. No fee to participate is permitted.

Middleton chairs the Personal Injury and Municipal practice groups at CMM. He handles all types of complex litigation including cases that have received local and national media coverage. Middleton also focuses on land use and zoning, for municipalities including the Village of North Haven and Town of Southampton. He has also held roles including Trustee, Mayor, Village Justice, and Attorney/Prosecutor.

Scott is a recognized supporter of the arts, particularly on the East End, serving as the President of the Board of Directors of East End Arts and supporting the Parrish Art Museum in addition to his membership on the Stony Brook University Intercollegiate Athletic Board.

Campolo, Middleton & McCormick, LLP, a premier law firm with offices across Long Island, is thrilled to announce that that Senior Partner Christine Malafi has been recognized by her peers for the seventh year in a row to be featured in The Best Lawyers in America® in the category of Employment Law – Management (2024 edition). With this distinction, Malafi ranks among the top five percent of private practice attorneys nationwide as determined by a rigorous peer-review process.

For over three decades, the legal profession and the public have turned to Best Lawyers® as one of the most credible measures of legal integrity and distinction in the nation. Inclusion in Best Lawyers is based on over a million confidential evaluations by top attorneys. The Best Lawyers’ founding principle forms the basis of this transparent methodology: the best lawyers know who the best lawyers are. No fee to participate is permitted.

Malafi chairs the Corporate Department at CMM, which was recognized by Forbes as a Top Corporate Law Firm in America. Her practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, corporate transactions, drafting and negotiating a wide range of agreements, and helping businesses navigate all types of human resources matters. She routinely represents buyers and sellers in multimillion-dollar transactions and serves in a general counsel role for many of the firm’s corporate clients. In addition to her legal work, Malafi serves on the Executive Board of Directors of Family Service League, among others.

How do you define “persuasive”? How about: it took less than 10 minutes of deliberation for the jury to find in our client’s favor after CMM’s Scott Middleton presented the case at trial. Meagan Nolan assisted in the preparation leading up to trial which proved invaluable in terms of the eventual outcome.

CMM represented the defendant in a two-day jury trial involving a side swipe accident on the Long Island Expressway in which the plaintiff struck the passenger side of the defendant’s vehicle. Our client was a limousine company and the driver of the vehicle involved in the accident, which had picked up passengers in the Hamptons and was driving them home to Queens. Middleton argued that the plaintiff, represented by a national plaintiff’s personal injury law firm, was careless and negligent in operating her car by frequently changing lanes unnecessarily and speeding.

While the plaintiff’s injuries were not addressed at trial, she claimed to have sustained multiple herniated discs as well as a severe concussion. After failing conservative treatment, the plaintiff underwent a cervical discectomy and fusion, alleging the need for future medical care and expenses. Plaintiff alleged damages in excess of $3,000,000.

After the case was given to the jury, it took only 10 minutes for them to return a verdict in favor of CMM’s client. Pursuant to the terms of a previously negotiated high-low agreement, the defendant will pay the plaintiff $75,000 – a major savings over the $975,000 the plaintiff had demanded and the $200,000 our client initially offered to settle.

Learn more about CMM’s liability insurance practice here.

Software applications that provide safety communications such as incident alerts and announcements have enabled schools and organizations to effectively handle emergency situations. Recently, CMM successfully facilitated a multi-million-dollar transaction for a software company specializing in developing this vital software for schools, healthcare facilities and various organizations. Deal team Vincent Costa, Marc Saracino, and Zachary Mike structured the complex transaction as a spinoff and a merger. CMM formed a new corporation for the seller, spun off the hardware assets, and transferred all debt, equity, and options to the newly formed corporation. The existing corporation, which now only contained the purchased SaaS assets, was merged into a subsidiary of the buyer, which became the surviving entity. Consideration for the merger was paid in cash and rollover equity at closing and an earnout based on revenues for a three-year period moving forward.

Alan Sasserath, Managing Partner of Sasserath and Co., was an integral part of the team with respect to deal structure and tax advice. Paralegal Cailey McByrne’s efforts helped push the complicated deal to closing.

CMM has the experience to handle the most complex M&A transactions. Contact us today.

Campolo, Middleton, & McCormick, LLP is proud to announce that CMM Partner David Green has been recognized by Herald Community Newspapers as a 2023 Top Lawyer of Long Island in the Litigation category. David will accept his award at the gala dinner on May 17 at The Heritage Club at Bethpage. The Top Lawyers ceremony celebrates attorneys who embody excellence in their area of legal practice and demonstrate outstanding community involvement.

David represents businesses and individuals in various areas of litigation with a particular emphasis on clients in the construction and real estate development sectors. He believes that supporting New York businesses and facilitating a robust business community is essential to the growth and advancement of Long Island.

David has spent many years fighting for his clients and developing a reputation as an attorney with knowledge, skill, and talent. His experience includes complex discovery, trials, appeals, securing settlements, and alternative dispute resolution. David is unique as a litigator in that he views litigation as one of many available legal strategies to help clients navigate a complicated legal system. His experience inside and outside the courtroom allows him to craft creative and effective solutions that help his clients save critical time and resources.

David is a key member of CMM’s Westbury office, where he is based. David is a Trustee of the Sea Cliff Village Library as well as a member of the Gold Coast Business Association.