Business Council honors Hall of Fame inductees

From left, James Krantz and Robert Kestenbaum, of York International Agency; Dr. Robert Amler, of New York Medical College; Rella Fogliano, of MacQuesten Development Cos.; Anthony Justic, Business Council of Westchester board chairman; Marsha Gordon, Business Council president and CEO; Fred Schwam, of American Christmas; William Flooks Jr., of Beecher Flooks Funeral Home; and Erik Esterlis, of Mindspark.
From left, James Krantz and Robert Kestenbaum, of York International Agency; Dr. Robert Amler, of New York Medical College; Rella Fogliano, of MacQuesten Development Cos.; Anthony Justic, Business Council of Westchester board chairman; Marsha Gordon, Business Council president and CEO; Fred Schwam, of American Christmas; William Flooks Jr., of Beecher Flooks Funeral Home; and Erik Esterlis, of Mindspark.

With a Broadway-themed celebration complete with a Liza Minnelli look-alike, The Business Council of Westchester on Tuesday night honored six businesses and institutions with its Business Hall of Fame awards and a Pace student  as the first recipient of a newly created scholarship for business students.

The annual event drew more than 600 people to Glen Island Harbour Club in New Rochelle, where the Business Council rolled out the red carpet for guests and entertained them with performances by Westchester Broadway Theater singers.

Winners inducted into the business membership group”™s Business Hall of Fame:

Corporate Citizenship: New York Medical College in Valhalla. Dr. Robert Amler, vice president for government affairs and professor of public health, accepted the award.

Entrepreneurial Success: Mindspark in Yonkers. Erik Esterlis, co-president, accepted the award.

Small Business Success: York International Agency LLC in Harrison. Robert Kestenbaum, CEO, accepted the award.

Women in Business Success: Rella Fogliano, president of MacQuesten Development in Pelham.

Family-Owned Business: American Christmas in Mount Vernon. Fred Schwam, CEO, accepted the award.

Chairman”™s Recognition Award: Beecher Flooks Funeral Home in Pleasantville. William Flooks Jr., funeral director, accepted the award, a new category added to the Business Hall of Fame.

Brian Patrick Fontana, an MBA student at Pace University, won the inaugural Ron Volper Family Scholarship Fund for Business Excellence.

“These winners represent all that is great in Westchester”™s business community, its economy and its future,” said Marsha Gordon, president and CEO of the Business Council of Westchester.