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The Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe may not yet be open to the public, but innovation is already on full display on these hallowed grounds in Shoreham where famed inventor Nikola Tesla conducted research.

Known for his groundbreaking contributions to alternating current (A/C) electricity, fluorescent lighting, radio, and the technology behind the x-ray, wi-fi, and more, the Serbian-American inventor and engineer has been enjoying a posthumous resurgence in popularity after dying impoverished in 1943. (The 187-foot-tall broadcast tower Tesla built at the Shoreham site was torn down in 1917 for scrap to help pay Tesla’s bills at the Waldorf Astoria.)  But now, decades after Tesla’s death, Elon Musk’s celebrated electric car bears Tesla’s name in recognition of the inventor’s creation of the induction motor and A/C transmission, and Tesla is finally achieving the recognition his scientific contributions deserve.

CMM’s Marc Alessi serves as Executive Director of the Tesla Science Center, which is being developed on the Shoreham site as a technology center housing a business incubator for fledgling companies engaged in scientific research, as well as a museum dedicated to educating the public about Long Island’s rich scientific opportunities past, present, and future. The Center’s vision is to educate visitors about the magnitude of Tesla’s accomplishments right here on Long Island and their impact on modern-day life, as well as foster curiosity, experimentation, and lifelong learning.

“This isn’t just another science museum. The fact that Tesla conducted his research on these grounds sets it apart,” said Joe Campolo, CMM Managing Partner and National Advisory Board Chairman for the Tesla Science Center, who recently had the opportunity to venture behind the locked gates for a tour. Once the restoration of the complex is complete, Campolo said, “this Long Island site will be a destination for innovators and science enthusiasts around the world.”

Campolo recently worked to secure an unprecedented donation of one million dollars from CMM client Softheon, Inc. to the Tesla Science Center to help solidify Long Island’s spot in scientific history, and Peter Klein of Klein Wealth Management – HighTower Advisors is exploring partnerships with entrepreneurs and science advocacy groups to bring in additional funding. Programs planned for the site include presentations, lectures, and visiting experts; science teacher association conferences; student field trips; and science competition workshops, mentoring, and awards, as well as a permanent Tesla exhibit and a host of other rotating science exhibits.

Learn more about the story of the Tesla Science Center in these photos, and visit teslasciencecenter.org to contribute to this one-of-a-kind effort.

Marc Alessi, Joe Campolo, and Peter Klein in front of Nikola Tesla’s lab during a recent visit. The lab was designed by noted architect Stanford White.

A look at the lab from another angle. Peerless Photo also operated at this site. Next photo: Alessi, Campolo, and Klein have all taken leadership roles to make the Tesla Science Center a reality and promote Long Island’s rich scientific history.

A statue of Nikola Tesla from the Government of the Republic of Serbia peers out over the site.

A famous multiple-exposure photograph of Tesla in his Colorado Springs lab in 1899 with a “magnifying transmitter” high voltage generator. Credit: Wellcome Collection https://wellcomecollection.org/works/zncts6ch. Next photo: The broadcast tower, 1904 (photographer: unknown). The tower is long gone, but the lab still stands today.

Marc Alessi, Peter Klein, and Joe Campolo examine site plans.

Tesla is now a household name. Next photo: Planning is well underway for the restoration of the site.

Commemorative bricks surround the Tesla statue at the Shoreham site. “TO THE GREATEST MAN WHO EVER LIVED. THIS IS OUR LEGACY.”  “Master of Electricity, Man Out of Time.” “In the Space Between Intellect & Insanity Lies Genius.” Next photo: “ENCOURAGE LEARNING AND INNOVATION AT ALL AGES.”

“Tesla: Better Than the Other Guy.” Next photo: “Tesla, still getting walked on after all these years.”

CMM’s Marc Alessi has been instrumental in developing the Tesla Science Center since his service in the New York State Assembly. Next photo: “Here’s to humble scientists.”

“Never forget the underdog.” “For the love of science.” Next photo: “Tesla lives on in the hearts & minds of inventors!”

The future site of classrooms and exhibits at the Center. Next photo: This house will be reconfigured for office space.

Tesla was born in the Austro-Hungarian Empire and had both Serbian and Croatian ancestry. He emigrated to the U.S. in 1884 and ultimately became a U.S. citizen. Next photo: A closeup of part of the former site of the Wardenclyffe Tower.

Tax season may be behind them, but the team at Bohemia-based Cerini & Associates isn’t coming up for air just yet: after tax season comes Imagine season.

Six years ago, this full-service accounting firm, under the leadership of Managing Partner Ken Cerini, introduced the Imagine Awards to the Long Island nonprofit and business community. The program has quickly gained momentum. This year, the program received 177 applications and on May 1 will bestow awards on five nonprofits, recognize an additional 15 finalists, and bring over 400 Long Island business leaders together for an evening to celebrate and elevate the Island’s vibrant nonprofit sector.

Considering that servicing nonprofit organizations is a marquee component of Cerini & Associates’ DNA, it’s fitting that its visionary founder, Ken Cerini, first had an epiphany for the Imagine Awards about 15 years ago. “Things weren’t in the right place then, but six years ago, the pieces fell into place. The sector needed it,” Cerini recently told Campolo, Middleton & McCormick Managing Partner Joe Campolo, who stopped by to catch up in the hectic weeks before the event. “The NFP world can find itself in a tough spot with a storm happening due to changing government regulations, cutbacks in funding, and an increase in the demand for services – so we were looking to create a silver lining. We want to make sure the business community sees the work these organizations are doing.”

The Awards are a way of giving back to a sector that exists to give back, recognizing nonprofits in the categories of Social Impact, Innovation, Rising Star, Leadership, and, for the second year, Arts & Culture. “Collaboration is key to keep the not-for-profit sector vibrant,” Cerini explained. “The Awards encourage organizations to work together by educating them and the business community about what other organizations are doing.” Winning organizations (initially vetted by the Awards Committee and ultimately selected by a panel of high-profile judges whose identities are revealed at the event) receive a monetary prize, exposure, a professional promotional video, and opportunities to collaborate after the Awards on panels and other events.

This year, News 12’s Doug Geed will emcee the program, which raises funds through sponsorships and ticket sales. “The money we raise is then reinvested into the event and the community,” Cerini said. “Imagine, coming from the John Lennon song, is symbolic … Imagine is what nonprofits do every day; Imagining how to make a difference, change lives, and make Long Island a better place.”

Cerini & Associates’ mission to shine a much-needed spotlight on the nonprofit sector mirrors their relentless pursuit of value for their clients, which include not only major nonprofit organizations (C&A is one of the top 10 accounting firms in the New York metro area serving the nonprofit sector) but also the education sector (public school districts as well as private, special education, and charter schools) and for-profit businesses in the healthcare, technology, real estate, and construction industries. The firm, with four partners and about 50 employees, is known for its efforts to educate and provide training for their clients through seminars and publications. Not surprisingly, their clients become their ambassadors, accounting for the firm’s organic growth over the past 25 years.

CMM Live host Joe Campolo will welcome Ken Cerini to the show on May 15 for a special episode focusing on the nonprofit sector. We’re excited to hear more from this innovative leader who saw a void in the nonprofit world and filled it with an extraordinary event that empowers organizations to maximize their impact.

Joe Campolo of Campolo, Middleton & McCormick and Ken Cerini of Cerini & Associates compete in Ken’s dungeon-themed office. Next photo: Intricate designs adorn the door, chairs, and walls of Ken Cerini’s office. Who said accountants are boring?

A look at Ken’s sword collection. Next photo: Joe Campolo will welcome Ken Cerini to a nonprofit-themed episode of CMM Live on May 15.

Kim Roffi, a partner at Cerini & Associates, smiles in anticipation of the end of tax season! Next photo: At Cerini & Associates, employees are encouraged to personalize their workspaces.

Fun and games: jerseys and sports memorabilia line the walls of the office.

Imagine Awards materials past and present. In only six years, the Imagine Awards program has become a must-attend event woven into the fabric of Long Island. Next photo: Registration closes soon for the Imagine Awards! Don’t miss out – head over to http://ceriniandassociates.com/long-island-imagine-awards/ for tickets.

Innovation doesn’t always come in the form of small tech startups dotting the halls of sleek business incubators. Sometimes, innovation comes in the form of a 60+-year-old bank with 72 offices nationwide and $48.7 billion in assets.

Joe Campolo, Managing Partner of Campolo, Middleton & McCormick, recently had the opportunity to welcome West Coast-based City National Bank to Long Island. He caught up this month with Davi Tserpelis, a longtime friend of the firm and a veteran Long Island banker who recently made the move CNB to grow its Long Island presence. Tserpelis, Senior Vice President – Regional Business Banking Manager, Personal & Business Banking, is focused on building a team of CNB ambassadors as priority number one.

“The culture at CNB is to put people first,” Tserpelis explained, “and not every banker is the right fit. We look for people who want to take the time to get to know clients and get creative finding solutions for their needs. The culture is really unique – the focus is on cultivating true, personal relationships.  The CNB PRIDE statement stands for our people, relationships, integrity, dedication, and entrepreneurs and we are dedicated to our PRIDE culture.” And once on board, new team members can expect great support and tools on how to service clients the CNB way, adding client value to the many years of experience they have under their belt.

Indeed, CNB is all about customized solutions and taking a holistic approach to preserving and building a client’s wealth. Advising takes the place of product-pushing; CNB’s focus is on providing one-stop concierge services to meet all the financial and banking needs of their clients. Senior Business Banking Relationship Manager Dan Kim, who recently joined the Long Island team, said that CNB offers customized solutions he’s never seen in his 15 years in business banking.

CNB – which merged with Royal Bank of Canada in 2015 – was founded in 1954 in Los Angeles by entrepreneurs, for entrepreneurs. In the 1960s, CNB developed a reputation as a “bank to the stars,” and continued to grow in the decades since. Well known on the West Coast, the bank entered the New York City market 15 years ago, and currently has three branches and their wealth management arm there. Serving New Yorkers for the past decade and a half, CNB recognized that expanding to Long Island was a natural fit, where the financially-savvy clients the bank specializes in – sophisticated entrepreneurs, entertainment industry executives, high-net-worth individuals, and other professionals who value the “white glove touch” – abound.

CNB is investing heavily in talent to support the Long Island market, and is attracting the attention of seasoned bankers like Tserpelis who, like the bank itself, are selective about whom they do business with. “We’re looking for clients who expect and value the service experience that we offer,” Tserpelis said.

On Long Island and in Queens, the CNB team is focused on wholesalers, importers and exporters, and entrepreneurs. Business and personal banking is one unit at CNB, underscoring the bank’s commitment to serve as a one-stop solution that’s invested in its clients’ success. Their ladder logo and slogan, The way up™, are emblematic of the entrepreneurial spirit that thrives on Long Island, and we wish them all the best as they embark on their latest expansion!

Busy growing City National Bank’s presence on Long Island, team members Dan Kim and Davi Tserpelis welcomed CMM Managing Partner Joe Campolo to their office.

Davi Tserpelis, Senior Vice President – Regional Business Banking Manager, Personal & Business Banking at City National Bank, poses with her colleague Dan Kim at CNB’s New York City headquarters on Park Avenue.

How do you transition from distributing paper products stored in your mother-in-law’s garage using an old van to owning a 150,000-square foot facility and becoming one of the leading distributors of general merchandise and food throughout the world? According to David Emrani, co-founder and president of Pride Products based in Ronkonkoma: “a lot of hard work.” An engineering background, comfort conducting business across the globe, and supportive colleagues who are also family don’t hurt, either.

Joe Campolo, Managing Partner of Campolo, Middleton & McCormick, recently sat down with CMM clients and friends David and Roya Emrani, the husband and wife team behind Pride Products, and their son Dustin, the company’s VP of Operations, to learn more about their unique American success story.

Today, Pride Products operates a major warehouse and showroom on Veterans Memorial Highway near MacArthur Airport, catering to over 5,000 stores nationwide and exporting to countries worldwide. But to follow the careers of the trailblazers behind the company, you’ll need to venture beyond Long Island.

Born in Tehran, Iran, David came to the United States at age 19 and earned a B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington and an M.S. from Southern Methodist University. He began his career at Texas Instruments designing and manufacturing airport surveillance radar systems. Feeling homesick, he eventually returned to Tehran and went on to serve as a Second Lieutenant in the Iranian army. But as relations between the U.S. and Iran soured as Ayatollah Khomeini came to power, David returned to his adopted country in 1979, this time to California. He worked as a senior engineer at Litton Industries in Los Angeles. One week after closing on his house in the Golden State, his cousin invited him to Long Island to work in paper manufacturing. David took the chance.

Meanwhile, Roya had emigrated from Iran in 1976 to enter 12^th grade in the U.S., and then studied medical technology at C.W. Post. She and David later met at a party. The couple didn’t have much capital, but after working with family in New York, their entrepreneurial nature led them to strike out on their own in 1983.

Out of Roya’s mother’s garage in Plainview, the couple started selling toilet paper and tissue to restaurant suppliers and eventually to retailers, which prompted them to add health and beauty products to the mix. By 1990, they were wholesaling to retailers nationwide – notably, becoming one of the earliest local businesses to establish a direct link to China – and operated six Dollar King stores on Long Island. But as David explains, expanding national chains eventually pushed many of the mom and pop dollar stores out of business.

The entrepreneurial Emranis therefore shifted their focus to supplying to those discount stores rather than operating them, as well as wholesaling to a wide range of grocery, variety, party, and gift stores. Today, Pride Products is the best friend that retailers can hope for – supplying the best quality products for the best price. They focus on good value, high quality paper and plastic disposables, health and beauty aids, home and office supplies, housewares and hardware, and seasonal products, offered to an ever-growing list of independent retailers at a good price. The Emranis currently employ 80 people, and David estimates that he has hired an astronomical 5,000 people in his lifetime.

That’s not to say there aren’t challenges. Trucking and freight costs are high, which David predicts will force many distributors to become regional rather than national. Even ten years after the recession, consumers are still very money-conscious. Government regulation and red tape also lead to delays and expense. But there are expansion plans in the works: Dustin is working on a new division of Pride focused on selling goods directly to consumers. And going against the tide, David predicts that online shopping for value priced consumer goods will actually decrease in popularity in the next five years, as people realize they are getting a better price at brick and mortar stores. Always seeking to diversify, the Emranis are also pursuing real estate investment opportunities.

Pride Products is a fitting name for an incredible operation that started out so unassumingly, and to describe the motivating force behind a family who came to America for its entrepreneurial promise. The American dream is thriving at Pride Products.

Family affair: Dustin, Roya, and David Emrani of Pride Products in their Ronkonkoma warehouse; David Emrani, president and co-founder of Pride Products, poses with CMM managing partner Joe Campolo in Emrani’s office on Vets Highway.

Merchandise lines the shelves of the 150,000-square foot facility. These products are destined for supermarkets, discount stores, drug stores, independent retail stores, and the shelves of your home. Originally operated with one van out of a Plainview garage, Pride Products now buys in bulk, providing customers with the highest quality merchandise at the most competitive prices.

Another look at the warehouse. David Emrani was one of the first business people from Long Island to establish a direct link to China. It’s not hard to imagine the job creation spurred by a warehouse this size. Pride Products currently employs 80 people, and Emrani estimates that he has hired an astronomical 5,000 people in his lifetime.

Left: Business owners Roya and David Emrani stand proudly by a sign showing the breadth of their product offerings. Right: Born in Tehran, David Emrani came to the United States at age 19 and earned electrical engineering degrees from the University of Texas and Southern Methodist University. He returned to Iran in the mid-1970s and served as a Second Lieutenant in the Iranian armed forces. Returning to the U.S. in 1979, Emrani settled in California. He came to New York in 1981 and worked in business ventures with extended family before starting Pride Products with his wife, Roya, in 1983.

Left: Roya Emrani emigrated from Iran in 1976. Right: A group of Long Island business leaders: David, Roya, and Dustin Emrani, with Joe Campolo.

What’s the sign of a successful day at Flexible Systems? When clients don’t call.

“Our goal is to service our clients so well that they don’t need to call us,” said Marty Schmitt, one of Flexible’s three founders and partners. “When they don’t have IT problems to call about, that’s how we know we’re doing our job.”

Flexible Systems is a longtime HIA-LI member and good friend of Campolo, Middleton & McCormick, LLP, collaborating with the firm on cybersecurity panels to educate the business community, as well as servicing mutual clients. Joe Campolo, CMM Managing Partner and HIA-LI Board Chairperson, recently spoke with Schmitt about Flexible’s story, the company’s vision for the future, and the decision to call the Hauppauge Industrial Park home.

Founded in 1984 by three friends who met at Stony Brook University, Flexible is an IT support and technology consulting powerhouse based in the Hauppauge Industrial Park. The company works with clients on Long Island and beyond to help them choose the best technologies for their unique needs. Flexible also offers world-class IT support to keep networks up and running and fix any issues that may arise, but it’s their role as their clients’ tech advisors that truly sets them apart.

“We’re not just responding and reacting to problems – we’re their IT partners,” Schmitt explained. “We strategize with them about which technologies are worth the investment and help them use technology to increase their efficiency.”

Today, as cyber criminals can take down the computer systems of entire cities and major organizations seemingly at the push of a button, Flexible Systems also offers critical cybersecurity services to help businesses of all sizes keep their data safe. They work with clients to reduce the risk of falling victim to cybercrime, and also help businesses with remediation if they’ve already experienced a breach.

Flexible business development executive Kevin Edwards added, “Even the savviest companies are not always aware of the many regulations that affect their businesses and how to remain compliant.” Therefore, as part of their information security compliance services, Flexible helps clients navigate the increasingly complex web of regulations, from the household names (HIPAA) to the lesser known (the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, which regulates how consumer data is shared and safeguarded). “For smaller clients that may not have an in-house compliance or privacy officer, Flexible fills that role,” Edwards explained. Edwards participated in CMM’s series of cybersecurity seminars for the business community co-presented last year by BNB Bank, and works regularly with CMM’s cybersecurity team on compliance and remediation issues.

An active member of HIA-LI, Flexible credits the organization for fostering critical relationships and building referral networks. Flexible also appreciates HIA-LI’s extraordinary focus on supporting the businesses in the Hauppauge Industrial Park (HIP). In the “good problem to have” category, Flexible, with over 125 employees, has now outgrown the Oser Avenue facility that it moved into in 2014. In need of more space, Flexible has worked with the Suffolk County IDA to purchase a 40,000-square foot facility on Motor Parkway – double the size of its current headquarters.

It was a no-brainer for Flexible to stay in the HIP, Schmitt said. “It just makes sense for us to be near like-minded businesses of similar size – there are a lot of synergies, not to mention that the park is centrally located.” This location has helped them attract top talent from Stony Brook University and Farmingdale State College, whose graduates have impressed Flexible’s leadership team.

For those occasions when clients do have to call Flexible, “our response needs to be immediate,” Schmitt said. The company therefore always has extra headcount and continues to bet on growth. It’s a business model that’s obviously working.

Learn more about Flexible Systems at https://www.flexiblesystems.com/.

A training session underway; co-founder and Rangers fan Marty Schmitt.

Flexible’s colors feature prominently in their logo and their hallways.

College friends and business partners Joe Saggio and Marty Schmitt (not pictured: co-founder Seth Belous); Joe Saggio, Marty Schmitt, and Joe Campolo.

Kevin Edwards, Joe Saggio, Marty Schmitt, Joe Campolo.

Flexible’s outdoor patio, pictured here in warmer weather. Employees enjoy barbecues and music outdoors on Fridays during the summer – a forward-thinking approach to recruit talent and show employees how much they’re valued.