Mount Kisco business tough it out
Dr. Vijaya Nair of Essence of Life L.L.C.
It”™s safe to say that Adam Aronson is doing well.
The CEO of Mount Kisco-based Arrowsight Inc. has thrived despite, and in part because of, the Great Recession.
The company recently secured $6.75 million from investors including Oak Street Investments to further expand its services within the health care and food manufacturing markets.
Aronson founded ParentWatch, Arrowsight”™s predecessor, during the dot-com era and some years later decided to transform the consumer services company into a service provider for businesses.
“The core idea was to come up with ways to help businesses improve the productivity rates of their staff, but to do it in a way that brings a lot of positive reinforcement and morale to the work force,” Aronson said. “We wanted to steer clear of what you may intuitively think of as a Big Brother tool and see it as more of a coaching tool.”
Arrowsight provides third-party remote video auditing and software to help clients monitor things like patient safety applications and production rates.
The three markets served are food manufacturing, health care and food service industries.
Aronson said he has seen the positive face of the economic downturn.
“There has been a sharp increase,” he said of clients”™ interest in boosting productivity. “It”™s been a big driver of our business.”
The contaminated beef scares have also triggered business for Arrowsight as well as the H1N1 flu, which has heightened awareness and decreased resistance to practices Aronson works with clients on, such as monitoring hand-washing at hospitals.
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Co-Communications team members participate in a training session with  organizational specialist Bennett Neiman.
Natural growth
Like Arrowsight, the reality of economic and health crises have somewhat made a market for another Mount Kisco company, Essence of Life L.L.C.
The company since 2007 has produced and sold a line of all-natural supplements under the name Jiva, which means “essence of life.” The products are backed by the medical research of company co-founder Dr. Vijaya Nair.
“Individuals want to know how to take responsibility for their health and I think that”™s why we”™ve seen a huge surge in interest in supplements and organic foods,” she said. “Health costs are rising in this country. It”™s making people go bankrupt. Small businesses are losing a lot of money on people”™s health. It”™s a huge problem. We have to start talking and taking action.”
Dr. Nair and company Chairman Omer Rains, former California state senator, tout substances like fermented soy and curcumin to drastically reduce inflammation and they carry that belief into making the supplements.
They have done in-store demonstrations where the products are sold, such as Mrs. Green”™s Natural Market in Mount Kisco.
The supplements are spreading into stores such as Whole Foods in the Northeast.
Still, the duo recognized that supplements alone are not the end-all, be-all of a healthy lifestyle.
“There is a lot of snake oil in the marketplace,” Rains said. “We have to educate people that we”™re talking about evidence-based formulations based on scientific research accepted in the academic and medical communities.”
“We want to do more seminars and encourage debate, especially with all of the public health issues coming up,” Nair said.
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Adam Aronson in the Mount Kisco office of Arrowsight Inc.
A learning experience
On a similar note, Mount Kisco”™s Co-Communications Inc. is encouraging education and debate, but of a different breed.
Through a work-force development training grant procured by the Professional Development Center at Westchester Community College, company President Stacey Cohen is kicking to the curb the notion that a tough economy means line-item cuts to the training budget.
“I really think it”™s important to make training an ongoing initiative,” she said. “Small businesses can profit from education and learning. Some companies might look at training as an expense, but it enhances a company”™s performance and created a great energy among my staff, so it”™s a win-win.”
The company”™s first training session was a team-building workshop.
“We really sit with the organization and help them design a customized training program,” said Harry Horowitz, director of the Professional Development Center at WCC.
Professional development is critical, Cohen said, and “we all need to be aware of the opportunities that are out there for our clients.”
Cohen has noticed more opportunity on the business end.
“There is no doubt that we will have to remain cautiously optimistic, but there is a much better vibe out there,” she said. “Businesses are cautious, but in terms of companies seeking our services, there has been more activity than last fall.”