MCC Welcomes New Partners!

MCC welcomes the following new Bronze Partners:

Hurwitz Strategic Staffing, Ltd.

Hurwitz Strategic Staffing is a boutique executive recruiting firm serving domestic and international clients in both the corporate and non-profit sectors. Additionally, they offer career counseling services for persons at the start of their careers, as well as for established professionals, and PR consulting to help businesses and individuals obtain press coverage. Their mission is to encourage the hiring of honorably discharged veterans of the US Armed Forces and Merchant Marines. In addition to producing and hosting Bruce Hurwitz Presents on BlogTalkRadio (www.blogtalkradio.com/bhp) and the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce weekly radio show, The Voice of Manhattan Business (www.thevoiceofmanhattanbusiness.com), he also teaches Professional Development and Professional Business Development at the Mechanics' Institute of the General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen of New York City. Read more at http://www.hsstaffing.com/.



Strategies for Growth

GIL EFFRON is an experienced business advisor and marketing strategist. As founder and CEO of New York City-based Strategies For Growth, he works with established businesses as well as startups to help them avoid critical mistakes and maximize opportunities. Gil also heads his 10-Day Marketing Makeover initiative. This program is designed to help owners of small to medium-sized businesses increase sales and profitability by streamlining and shortening their sales process and installing the most appropriate and effective marketing to support that sales process. His goal is to help clients close more business in less time. His recently published book titled How to Give Your Business an Extreme Marketing Makeover explains how his 10-Day Marketing Makeover approach can be utilized easily and effectively by both startups as well as established businesses. Read more at www.gileffron.com.

http://www.manhattancc.org/common/News/articles/detail.cfm?QID=9443&classification=news&topicID=0&clientID=11001&subnav=&subsection=

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The Business Council Announces 2012 Chamber of the Year Award Winner!

ALBANY — The Business Council of New York State, Inc. is pleased to announce the 2012 recipient of the Chamber of the Year Award. This award honoring an outstanding chamber organization and leadership team is presented this year to the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce. The award will be presented at The Business Council’s 2012 Annual Meeting, following dinner on Wednesday, Sept. 19.
"The Manhattan Chamber of Commerce, led by President Nancy Ploeger has demonstrated outstanding leadership and a tremendous commitment to its members," said Heather Briccetti, president & CEO of The Business Council of New York State, Inc. “Getting the Empire State’s and New York City’s economies moving in the right direction means promoting local job creation and economic development. The Manhattan Chamber has been instrumental in the leadership of the 5 Boro Chamber of Commerce Coalitions and with 35 other City business organizations, creating a unified voice for the business community.”
“We are honored to be recognized by the Business Council and thank them for this award. The Business Council stands in support of the overall economic development for the state and creation and sustainability of a strong business community just as we try to do in Manhattan,” said Nancy Ploeger, president of the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce, “We are truly like-minded and our partnership with Heather Briccetti and her colleagues regarding state and New York City issues, once again shows the strength we have in working together for the betterment of our state’s businesses. Thank you for this exciting award!”
The Manhattan Chamber of Commerce is comprised of a cross section of member businesses ranging from sole proprietors to large corporations and conglomerates. With 10,000 members and subscribers, they represent the voice of over 100,000 companies in Manhattan and partner with over 300 diverse business organizations in New York City. Their members are part of one of the largest constituencies in the country representing approximately 1.6 million U.S. employees and approximately 4.5 million employees globally. Locally, their member companies have over 165,000 employees. And, collectively, their member companies account for over $630 billion in annual revenues.
The 5 Boro Chamber of Commerce Coalition has taken positions to oppose the paid sick day legislation being considered by the New York City Council as well as a living wage bill and other legislation onerous to the small business community.
As President of the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce, Nancy seeks to ensure the chamber becomes the voice for New York City's small businesses. She has launched a variety of economic development programs and committees and established the chamber's relationships with government officials at all levels.
Nancy is one of the founding members of the International Women Entrepreneurial Challenge (IWEC). With this program the chamber has become the catalyst which created and strengthened the global SME network of women business owners from across the globe.
The Chamber awards were created as part of The Business Council's Thirtieth Anniversary celebration in 2010. Nominations were accepted at the discretion of The Business Council and judged by an independently chosen panel. Nominees were judged on the following criteria and attributes:

• Display a positive social conscience and commitment to pro-business activities within their community and the state;
• Deliver a high level of programs and services in their community and were active in state and local business advocacy;
• Show fiscal responsibility for their members and the community and had leadership whose talent, vision, expertise, dedication and performance defined them as outstanding Chamber leaders;
• Conduct business operations within New York State for the past twelve consecutive months prior to the date of their nomination; and
• Are members of The Business Council for the past twelve consecutive months prior to the date of their nomination.

The Business Council’s 2012 Annual Meeting will be held from Sept. 19-21 at The Sagamore Resort on Lake George. Don’t miss your chance to be there! For more information and to register for the Annual Meeting click here.

http://www.bcnys.org/whatsnew/2012/090712-Manhattan-chamber-of-the-year-award.html

Great times had in NYC!

New York, NY

Although not strictly our area, we occasionally receive messages from tourists telling us what a pleasant visit time they had visiting NYC. To brighten up your day, here is one we got this morning:

I didn't know who to write, but felt I had to.  As a group of 4 women, (age 60 ish) we visited NYC last week for the first time and were pleasantly surprised.  We stayed in Times Square, but went sightseeing and found every single person we met very friendly and helpful.  Everyone from waiters to NYPD to the guys at the desk at the Rockefeller Center, were funny, friendly and made our trip memorable.  I've told everyone NYC is the friendliest city I've been to in the world, and am already planning on going back with my husband.  

-Visitor from Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada.

Action Environmental Group, Winner of the MCC 2012 Green Business Award, Empowers Lou Gehrig Middle School to Transform into a Greener Place

New York, NY.

Read how MCC 2012 Green Business of the Year, Action Environmental Group, encourages communities to become greener. Visit manhattancc.org/awards to learn more about the Chamber's annual Awards Breakfast and to read the bio of Action Environmental Group's CEO Ron Bergamini. And join the conversation on Twitter using #mccawards.

Action Environmental Group challenged four classes at the Lou Gehrig Middle School, IS 151 to develop innovative ways to teach other students and their community the value of recycling. The students created their own recycling “green machine,” a presentation to educate parents at parent teacher night, composed a song about recycling and even designated themselves to handle all recycling issues at the school.

CEO Ron Bergamini and students from the  Lou Gehrig Middle School

Nicole Simon, ranked No.1 in her eighth grade class, was part of the class who created a bake sale where recyclables were used as currency to purchase baked goods.

On September 18th, Action Environmental Group will be taking eighty middle school students from the Lou Gehrig Middle School to Yankee Stadium. Nicole, Principal Socorro Rivera of IS 151 and CEO of Action Environmental Group Ron Bergamini will be a part of the game opening ceremony. Action originally got involved with the Lou Gehrig Middle School through the Pencil Organization. The PENCIL Partnership Program matches business volunteers with public school principals based on backgrounds, interests, and goals. Partners are then empowered and supported to develop solutions that transform their schools.

NYC Launches Business Customer Service Bill of Rights

This fall, there will be an enhanced effort by the City to make the business community aware of the “Business Owner’s Bill of Rights”. Established in 2010 by City Council and the Bloomberg Administration, the Bill of Rights outlines the prompt, efficient and easily accessible services that business owners should be provided with from the City. The rights include consistent enforcement of agency rules, fair inspections and great customer service.

In June, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced the launch of the City’s Business Customer Service initiative. The initiative is part of the administration’s goal to make it easier for businesses to interact with City government by creating and institutionalizing business-friendly practices. In addition to expanding distribution of the Business Owner’s Bill of Rights the Mayor’s Office is also seeking input from business owners on their experiences through a customer survey. The online survey asks for feedback about professionalism of agencies, how clearly rules and information were communicated, and about the overall customer service experience. All comments and information submitted through the survey are confidential, unless the respondents would like to hear back from the city. Any details on the location of the business or the interaction are meant to pinpoint where the City can continue to improve service delivery. 

The Business Owner’s Bill of Rights can be found by visiting www.nyc.gov/bizrights. 

The Customer Feedback form can be found by visiting www.nyc.gov/customersurvey. (Also available in Spanish, Russian, Chinese, and Korean)

Learn more about the Business Customer Service Initiative on www.nyc.gov.

http://www.manhattancc.org/common/News/articles/detail.cfm?QID=9419&classification=news&clientID=11001&topicID=0

MCC Thanks Renewing Members For August, 2012!

MCC August Renewing Members

Contact	Company	Website
Gloria Ware	Wilbur Ware Institute, Inc.	www.wilburwareinstitute.org
Belinda Allen	Smith & Allen Consulting, Inc.	www.saci.com
Barbara Schanker	BGS Services, Inc.	www.BGSServices.com
Paul Angerame	Hatzel & Buehler, Inc.	www.hatzelandbuehler.com
Elyse Rieder	Elyse Rieder
Kazimierz Bigus	CLM NY Inc	www.cufflinksman.com
Ronald I. Frimmer, CPA	Friedman LLP	www.friedmanllp.com
Gillian Wells	Simple Solutions By Gillian Wells LLC	www.gillianwells.com
Kitt Garrett	Discover New York, LLC	www.dnykg.com
Brock Barrett	State Farm Insurance	www.brockbarrett.biz
Paul Berkman	AXA Advisors
Anil Melwani	Armel Tax & Accounting Services	www.armeltax.com
David Mayer	Decorative David	www.DecorativeDavid.com
Gregg Zuman	Revolution Rickshaws LLC	www.revolutionrickshaws.com
Martin Radensky	Martin Radensky Inc
Cesar Romero	Orbis Brynmore, Litho.	www.orbisprinting.com
Maralyn Dolan	Integrated Printing & Graphics, Inc.	www.integratedpg.com
Kyle Pennacchia	Wiss & Company, LLP	www.wiss.com
Reshard Riggins	NADAP-National Association of Drug Abuse Problems	www.nadap.org
Sunita Bajaj	MetLife Financial Group of NY	www.spg.metlife.com
Lee M. Storch	Marathon Bank of NY	www.mnbny.com
Pinar Otman	Pinair Tech Corp.	www.pinairtech.com
Judith R. Fox	Louis August Jonas Foundation	www.lajf.org
Jeff Margolis	Margolis Law	www.margolislawfirm.com
Eric Scott	Dolphin Micro Inc.	www.dolphinmicro.com
K.Y Chow	GM Printing	www.gmprintingny.com
Anthony Zaccaria	McCarter & English, LLP	www.mccarter.com

MCC Welcomes August New Members!

MCC August New Members

Contact	Company	Website
Maxwell Cane	ProTek Recycling Inc.	www.nycomputerpickup.com
Patrick Hardy	P Hardy Technologies, Inc.	www.PatrickHardy.com
Ananda Sivalingam	FEEM
Chris Castillo	CwCastle Associates	www.cwcastle.com
Erik K. Grimmelmann, Ph.D.	New York Technology Council	www.nytech.org
Ashley Bell	Second Time Around	www.secondtimearound.net
Chelsey Pendock	Innovision Advertising LLC	www.innovisionadvertising.com
Jonathan Bloch	Exchange Data International Inc	www.exchange-data.com
Jing Wang Herman	GT Forge, Inc dba Get Taxi	www.gettaxi.com
Istvan Iambor	Voltage Electric Corporation	www.voltageelectric-corp.com
Connell McGill	Enertiv, Inc.	www.enertiv.com
Georgia Benage	PGI	www.imeet.com/pgi/georgiabenage
Leila Forrence
Tomas Korb	P6PA+Architects
Orsi Soos	Black Paw Photo	www.insidebusinessnyc.com
Nina Vucetic	Nina Vucetic
Roman Chiporukha	Sentinel Solutions
Henry Tisor	Cruises Inc.	www.nyctravel.biz
Monica Slater Stokes	United Airlines	www.united.com
Gregory Hallford	LEEDing Strategies	www.LEEDingstrategies.com
Jerry E Garcia	JP Morgan Chase	www.jpmorganchase.com/corporate/Home/home.htm
Nathan Lape	New York Red Bulls	www.newyorkredbulls.com
David Fryman
Dmitriy Kheyfits	Kheyfits PLLC	www.kheyfits.com
Taner Orhan	Wallonia Trade & Investment	www.belgiantrade.net/newyork
Nathan Grant	Nespresso BIS
Fiona MacLeod	UK Trade & Investment	www.ukti.gov.uk
Elias Jaffe	Manhattan Mini Storage	www.manhattanministorage.com
Jason Stevens	Northwestern Mutual	www.jasonstevens.nmfn.com
William Giordano, Jr	UBS Financial Services	www.financialservicesinc.ubs.com/team/weinbergergroup/
Christian Karavolas	Quantum Equipment Corp.

MCC Green Business Committee: Fall events, 2012

I hope you all had a wonderful Labor Day! We are ready for the fall at MCC with a new line up of events and sub-committee meetings for the MCC Green Business Committee. Please join us for the following (and click on the links to register):

MCC Events and Committee Meetings

Wednesday, September 12th, 8-10AM MCC Quarterly Green Business Networking Event

Please join us for our signature MCC Green Business Committee event. Here is our line-up of speakers!

Peter Insalaco, Eco-Active Media, Inc.
Debra Duneier, Eco-Chi
Jennifer Donahue, New England Clean Energy Council
Lauren Dykes, WeRecycle!

Friday, September 21, 9-10:30AM MCC Green Finance Sub-Committee Meeting

For MCC members, if you have a background in finance or sustainability (or both), please join us to discuss current trends in the field.

**Stay tuned for notices about the MCC Green Energy and MCC Green Design & Construction sub-committees. More info to come!

MCC Co-Sponsored events:

Wednesday, September 19th. 8:30AM-5:30PM GoGreen ’12 New York


GoGreen ‘12 New York empowers business decision-makers with effective strategies and tools for improving environmental performance without sacrificing the bottom line. Featuring a line up of 50+ renowned regional business leaders, GoGreen ‘12 New York showcases transferrable lessons, proven sustainability solutions and high-caliber networking opportunities for New York businesses looking to save money and the planet at the same time.

Speakers:
Andrew Revkin, Author/Blogger, Dot Earth Blog, New York Times; Senior Fellow, Academy For Applied Environmental Studies, Pace University.
Pamela Gill Alabaster, Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications & Sustainable Development, L'Oréal USA

Cost: Early Bird (through 7/31): $295 Full Admission + $275 Groups of 2 or more.
Regular (starting 8/1): $325 Full Admission + $300 Groups of 2 or more
*Save $50 off registration w/the discount code 'MANHATTANCC'*

Tuesday, October 9th, 7:30AM-5PM: Sustainability Summit, 2012

The Sustainability Summit emphasis is on identifying innovative diverse small businesses and engaging industry leaders and stakeholders who support practical green initiatives and strategic partnering. Interested groups will be industry leaders, leaders in corporate America, government officials and multicultural businesses of all sizes. Discussions will also focus upon sharing successes and ideas as an incentive to create green partnerships in order to become and remain viable in the 21st century. What differentiates this Summit from others is its laser focus on exploring and resolving the sustainability concerns of both its purchasing membership and large multi-ethnic supplier base. Further, the Summit will showcase commercial sector match-making with green vendors. Numerous panel sessions are scheduled to feature prominent speakers in sustainability at varying levels that will directly address your operations and share their experiences. The Summit will also highlight stateside innovation of products and services from businesses that need access to clean tech funding through its Innovation Arena. The Summit will promote the next generation of sustainable practices and alternative energy technologies from certified businesses. More importantly, this Summit is an invitation and challenge to all enterprises for creating sustainable partnerships for supply chains and stimulating US economic growth.

We thank Con Edison Commercial & Industrial Energy Efficiency Programs for sponsoring the MCC Green Business Committee for 2012. We have an exciting year of programming coming up and thank the Green Team and Con Edison Commercial & Industrial Energy Efficiency Programs for making this possible. For more information on how you can earn cash rebates and incentives for your buildings' energy efficiency upgrades and transforming your business space into a high-performance building, contact the Con Edison Commercial & Industrial Energy Efficiency Program office at (877) 797-6347 or visit their website www.conEd.com/energysavings.