Wiener joins Westchester Bank board of directors
Jonathan Wiener, founder and president of Chestnut Holdings of New York, has been selected as a member of The Westchester Bank Board of Directors, effective immediately. The bank has branches in Yonkers, White Plains and Thornwood.
Wiener founded Chestnut Holdings in 1996 as a family-owned real estate investment and property management firm in the Bronx and has more than 30 years of real estate experience. He identifies and develops new business, directs the commercial and residential real estate acquisition divisions and oversees the field and property management teams in the daily operations of asset management.
“Jonathan brings outstanding credentials and is a welcome addition to our board.,” W. Thomas Clark, chairman of the board of directors of The Westchester Bank Holding Corp., said in a statement. “As a business leader who started and built his company from the ground up, Jonathan”™s entrepreneurial spirit and first-hand expertise in growing a business brings an important and shared perspective to the board. The Westchester Bank has a core understanding and appreciation of the needs of small to midsized entities. We take great pride in providing the best banking solutions to meet those needs in helping businesses throughout Westchester and surrounding communities grow. The bank looks forward to Jonathan”™s service as a valued board member.”
“It”™s an honor to be elected to the board of The Westchester Bank and a sincere privilege to serve with so many outstanding fellow board members. I look forward to being part of a team with such an outstanding and unprecedented track record of success,” Wiener said.
Wiener has partnered with the Bronx Council on the Arts and DreamYard to provide educational programs for children outside of the classroom in a local setting. He has also been involved with the SAR Academy and High School for more than 25 years.
Rand collaborates with NYC firm
Michelle Coletti of Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty”™s White Plains office, has secured an agreement with Vibe Living L.L.C. on three exclusive lease-up collaboration projects. Vibe Living is a residential real estate management firm based in New York City.
Matt Rand, managing partner of Rand Realty said, “We are thrilled that Vibe Living has chosen Michelle Coletti to represent their projects. She is an innovator with a solid record of success.”
Coletti, an associate broker, has come to be known as the “lease-up guru” for large-scale rental projects in the tristate area. In the past, she has led the charge in successful lease-ups including the Gramercy in White Plains (260 units), 66 Main on the Yonkers waterfront (190 units) and Apuovia in White Plains (30 units).
“I understand that the speed to stabilization for these buildings is key and every day represents dollars to the developer,” Coletti said. “I am extremely proud of this collaboration and what it brings to White Plains.”
There will be three separate projects in downtown White Plains slated for debut in the summer of 2014: La Gianna on Dekalb and Maple streets, The Dylan on Waller Avenue and The Reed on North Broadway, totalling 103 units.
Morgan Stanley adviser named to ”˜400 Top Financial Advisers”™ list
Morgan Stanley announced that Pleasantville resident Tony Maddalena, an executive director, wealth adviser in the firm”™s wealth management office in Purchase, has been named to the Financial Times”™ “2014 FT 400 Top Financial Advisers” list.
The list includes individuals who have a minimum of $250 million in assets under management and 10 years of industry experience. Qualified financial advisers were scored on six attributes: assets under management, assets under management growth rate, compliance records, experience, industry certifications and online accessibility. Financial advisers also had to commit to completing anonymous quarterly sentiment surveys for the Financial Times.
“I am pleased that Tony is representing Morgan Stanley Wealth Management on this list,” commented Robert Peyreigne, complex manager at Morgan Stanley in Purchase. “This is a well-deserved recognition of Tony”™s experience, professionalism and dedication to the needs of his valued clients.”
Morgan Stanley Wealth Management provides access to a wide range of products and services to individuals, businesses and institutions, including brokerage and investment advisory services, financial and wealth planning, banking services, annuities and insurance, retirement and trust services.
Guiding Eyes senior director awarded
Jane Russenberger, senior director of canine development at Guiding Eyes for the Blind in Yorktown Heights, a guide dog school, has received the International Guide Dog Federation”™s Ken Lord Award. Presented at the 2014 IGDF Seminar in Tokyo, the award is the federation”™s highest honor. Russenberger is the first female recipient as well as the first honoree outside of a training department.
Nearly 300 delegates, representing 60 guide dog schools from around the world, attended the 2014 IGDF Seminar hosted by the Japan Guide Dog Association. Guiding Eyes staff members presented papers in two of the seminar”™s six general sessions.
Named for the federation”™s co-founder and former chairman, the Ken Lord Award is a biennial award established in 2001 to recognize the lifetime commitment of an individual to the guide dog movement. Russenberger received three standing ovations from her peers for her 31 years of contributions to the field of guide dogs.
“I am deeply honored to receive this award and share it with all of my colleagues at Guiding Eyes,” Russenberger said. “We work together to achieve great things through our innovation and passion for serving people who are blind and visually impaired and families with children with autism. I am proud to be part of this wonderful organization and look forward to the journey ahead.”
“Perhaps most remarkable about Jane is her willingness to share her knowledge with guide dog schools across the globe,” said Tom Panek, president and CEO of Guiding Eyes for the Blind. “There are few guide dogs in the world today who haven”™t been touched in some way by Jane”™s research.”
Guiding Eyes”™ STEP program has been overseen by Russenberger since its inception. The program utilizes a relationship-based approach to training in which volunteers teach puppies essential skills in sequential steps.
“Jane”™s work has also been a driving force in the global movement to breed healthy guide dogs with confident, stable temperaments,” Panek said. “She is passionate about our shared mission ”“ enabling freedom for people to achieve life”™s goals.”
Print expert named COO at Chase Media Group
David Fitzmorris was recently promoted to vice president and chief operations officer of Chase Media Group in Yorktown Heights.
Fitzmorris, with 25 years of experience in printing and media services, will lead all functional departments and product groups at the marketing services provider, including commercial printing, digital advertising and tools, website development, direct mail, email, social media and mobile marketing.
“While the title is new, Dave has been acting in this capacity for quite awhile,” said Chief Executive Officer Carla Chase. “His results-oriented work ethic and organizational skills continue to create growth opportunities that benefit our entire company.”
Fitzmorris joined Chase Media in 2003. Since 2008, as operations manager for the company, he has overseen steady and sizable revenue growth in the firm”™s Chase Press division, handling print and direct mail.
Prior to Chase, Fitzmorris was director of operations at Miracle Press, a manufacturer of web offset printing equipment and services in Naugatuck, Conn., where he was responsible for the development and production of its M-series presses, marketed in the U.S., Europe, South America and Asia. He started his career in 1989 at Miracle.
He is a graduate of Central Connecticut State University and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in information technology electrical systems.
Services reaps reward
Andrea Wagner of Wagner Web Designs Inc., Danbury, Conn., was honored with a Chairman”™s Award from The Yorktown Chamber of Commerce on May 30 at Trump National Golf Club in Briarcliff Manor for her extensive volunteer efforts and participation in the chamber. She has been an active board member for six years and is the director of marketing for the chamber.
Wagner Web Designs specializes in building websites and all Web services for small businesses in the tristate area.
New White Plains manager for Rand realty
Denise Friend has been named manager of the Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty flagship office, 222 Bloomingdale Road in White Plains. Marsha Rand, managing partner of the realty firm, said Friend is a seasoned real estate veteran and “will be a tremendous asset to our organization. She is an experienced manager, sales professional and educator who is focused on delivering exceptional service to our agents and clients.”
In leadership positions for more than 20 years, Friend specializes in agent development, training, marketing and community relations. “I look forward to bringing my skill set to Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty and I am excited to assist the White Plains office agents in achieving their professional goals,” she said.
Belpedio joins WTP Advisors
John Belpedio has joined WTP Advisors, a tax and business advisory services firm for a headquartered in White Plains, to lead its national fixed asset practice and advise clients on issues surrounding federal tax depreciation. He is a cost segregation expert who spent the last 20 years in public accounting, of which the last 10 years were spent as the practice leader of fixed assets in the New York metro region.
Capital-intensive companies, such as manufacturers, retailers and utility companies, often look to offset their taxable income in current years with increased depreciation deductions. Belpedio helps them optimize their tax position through strategies including accelerating depreciation through cost segregation studies, retroactive cost segregation studies, repair studies, as well as consulting clients in the area of alternative energy sources ”“ credits and/or increased depreciation deductions.
Belpedio”™s experience includes both the tax and engineering aspects of fixed asset studies. He has completed comprehensive fixed asset depreciation and cost segregation studies on more than $10 billion in real property additions for more than 200 companies.
“This dual knowledge lends itself to several efficiencies when performing a study,” said Michael Minihan, co-founder partner at WTP Advisors. “The bottom line is that you need someone like John Belpedio who knows about both areas if you want to maximize your deductions, and firms without this skill might be leaving money on the table.”
Belpedio has more than two decades of experience in tax consulting on fixed assets for federal and state tax purposes. His industry knowledge includes professional services, manufacturing, entertainment, retail and utility companies. Prior to joining WTP, Belpedio was a senior leader in the federal tax practices at PwC L.L.P. and Grant Thornton L.L.P. in the New York metro region, where he specialized in cost segregation and repairs and maintenance studies.
A graduate of Rockhurst University, Belpedio holds a Bachelor of Science degree in finance and economics. He is an enrolled agent and a certified member of the Institute for Professionals in Taxation.
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