Fairfield County Newsmakers, 10.7.13

DEANE Inc. adds new design team

Stamford- and New Canaan-based DEANE Inc., creators of kitchen and room designs for 50-plus years, has recently expanded by taking on three new designers.

Ingrid Becker, Christopher Zappala and Jayne Ziegler (from left in photo) and are new to the family-owned business.

“The market picked up and we want to be ready to service our clients,” said owner Peter Deane.

Ingrid Becker brings 25 years of experience as a certified kitchen designer. She holds a degree in interior design as well as a certification in kitchen design. Specializing in creating residential kitchens and baths, her beautifully planned spaces pay close attention to useful existing features and focus on amending those that need to be changed.

For over a decade, Christopher Zappala has been a passionate kitchen and bath designer, after a career as owner and manager in his family”™s 90-year-old haberdashery business. His background is in consultative client relations.

Jayne Ziegler, a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, began her professional career selling blue jeans for Sergio Valente. She moved to the construction field where she remodeled homes for resale. Ultimately, she chose to specialize in the kitchen industry.

Feinzig to Wiggin and Dana

Law firm Wiggin and Dana ”” with offices in Connecticut, New York and Pennsylvania and employing more than 140 attorneys ”” announced Margery Feinzig has joined the firm as a partner in its New York and Stamford offices. Feinzig will be a member of the firm”™s Litigation Department, including the White Collar Defense and Investigations Practice Group.

Feinzig joins the firm after an 18-year career as a federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York where she held senior positions, including senior trial counsel and chief of the White Plains Division of the U.S. Attorney”™s Office.

“Margery is an extraordinary trial lawyer with vast experience in the courtroom trying a wide variety of important cases,” said Bob Benjamin, chairman of the firm”™s executive committee. “Adding Margery to our stellar white-collar practice group will allow us to continue to grow that practice and provide the outstanding representation that our clients have come to expect with respect to government investigations.”

Feinzig began her legal career as an associate in the New York office of Cravath, Swaine & Moore. She graduated, cum laude, from Tufts University and received her law degree from the University of Chicago Law School.

Fradkoff joins Angel

Jon Angel, president of Southport-based Angel Commercial L.L.C. announced the appointment of Lester Fradkoff as senior vice president. Fradkoff brings more than 25 years of experience in the commercial real estate industry serving Fairfield and New Haven counties. Prior to joining Angel Commercial, he was a senior vice president at Prudential Commercial Real Estate in Fairfield since 1999.

“We are excited to have Lester join our team. He is a seasoned veteran in the business who is well respected in the marketplace,” said Angel.

Angel Commercial, L.L.C. is a full-service real estate brokerage firm headquartered specializing in the acquisition, disposition and leasing of office, industrial, multifamily and retail properties on the local and national levels.

Westport-based Brody and Associates L.L.C. announced John F. Woyke recently joined the firm. Woyke brings over 40 years of experience in employee benefit law to Brody and Associates. His experience spans law, finance and mathematics. “This combined knowledge has made John uniquely positioned to advise clients in areas that involve financial projections within the boundaries of legal structures,” the firm said.

Prior to joining Brody and Associates, Woyke was principal of Towers Perrin, a management-consulting firm that specialized in Strategic Benefits Financing. There, he counseled Fortune 500 companies on employee benefit issues. A graduate of Yale University and Yale Law School, he is a member of the Connecticut and federal bars. He is familiar with all aspects of ERISA law and has authored numerous articles on employee benefits and has been quoted in publications such as Forbes, Business Week and The Wall Street Journal.

The business cycle upshifts

Franco Fellah, executive vice president at Westport-based HK Group, bore the latest good news of real estate vitality in the county, announcing leases for some 30,000 square feet of commercial property, including for JoyRide Cycle Studio, pictured, which leased 4,207 square feet of retail space at Goodwives Shopping Center in Darien.

Condon & Co. ups administrative know-how

Houston-based accounting firm Condon & Co. P.C., with an office in Ridgefield, has hired Gerald “Jerry” Cavataio to work there and to expand its expertise in the area of fund administration. Cavataio has more than 27 years of accounting, operations and financial management. He has a broad range of talents and knowledge, having worked as the CFO of several start-ups and for larger, more complex multi-strategy funds.

Rob Condon, managing shareholder, said, “We are very pleased that Jerry has joined our team and know that he will be a great addition to our talented staff in Connecticut. We opened our office serving the Metro New York area in October of 2012 and have been growing its capabilities ever since. We intend to be the premier accounting and administration firm in the area focused on assisting entrepreneurs, middle-market businesses and funds achieve their goals.”

Condon”™s Business Advisory Services group works with entrepreneurs and established middle-market companies to define and execute growth initiatives by helping with strategic planning, accounting, transactional advisory and CFO outsourcing. The team has “significant experience in private fund management, executive business and financial leadership.”

Golf benefit fueled by 9/11