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WCBS Virtual Business Breakfast: Rising from the Depths of the Pandemic
Presented by First National Bank LI. Member FDIC.
Streaming Thursday, June 17, 2021 at 9 AM EDT
Submit your questions for Joe Connolly and the panel here or tweet us using #WCBSBizBreakfast.
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) – Many industries have gone through a seismic shift in the last 15 months, and now, business owners are looking for new growth opportunities and ideas to reinvent their companies for the post-pandemic economy.
WCBS Business Reporter Joe Connolly will host the WCBS Virtual Business Breakfast, presented by First National Bank LI, with a panel of New York business leaders in health, technology, marketing, and retail. You can stream the WCBS Virtual Business Breakfast here and the WCBS 880 YouTube channel on Thursday, June 17, 2021 beginning at 9 AM.
Dr. Alexi Nazem, M.D., MBA was ahead of what has proven to be a critical shortage in nursing staff when he founded Nomad Health in 2015. The company digitizes the healthcare hiring process to help clinicians be fully staffed while managing crises more effectively and efficiently. It also points healthcare professionals to career opportunities and higher paying jobs.
Nazem, an internal medicine specialist at Weill Cornell Medical College and an attending physician at New York Presbyterian Hospital, saw a sharp rise in demand amid the COVID-19 pandemic as hospitals scrambled to fill positions and healthcare workers from around the world stepped up to aid in the fight. His goal is to transform the healthcare industry with Nomad Health by scaling innovative solutions to issues exacerbated in the pandemic.
Shoptiques.com is a marketplace for more than 5,000 boutiques across 2,000 cities and 30 countries. This e-commerce site provides sales support to small businesses, including housing a point-of-sale system, an affordable mobile app, and an integrated marketing platform. Lindsay Lightman, Shoptiques Chief Marketing Officer, is taking the company into a new age using new technologies and proven digital strategies to help small business owners mange inventory, scale digitally, and reach new customers – essential to rise from the pandemic.
Andi Jennings owns New Jersey-based marketing agency MadCreek, LLC, which recently added digital strategy, video production and tech consulting to its traditional branding and advertising services when the pandemic accelerated a shift in consumer behavior to e-commerce. Seven of their top team members are mothers; MadCreek’s pivot into the work from home environment seemed seamless. They are sharing their expertise with their clients, including Rutgers and Seton Hall University’s athletics programs, AAA, and a number of local businesses and non-profits.
“We made them look professional so they can continue to work during the pandemic,” said Jennings. She will share how to organize your business to grow despite the economic uncertainty on the WCBS Virtual Business Breakfast, presented by First National Bank LI. Member FDIC.
You can share your questions for Joe Connolly and the panel by submitting the form on this page or Tweet @WCBS880 and @JoeConnollybiz using #WCBSBizBreakfast in your post.
MEET THE PANELISTS
About Alexi Nazem, Co-Founder & CEO of Nomad Health:
Alexi Gharib Nazem, MD, MBA, is the co-founder and CEO of Nomad Health, the first online marketplace for freelance clinical jobs. In addition to leading Nomad, he is also a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell in New York.
Previously, he led field operations for the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s successful 100,000 Lives Campaign.
Alexi trained in internal medicine at Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston after receiving an MD from Yale and an MBA from Harvard. He also holds a BS in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale.
About Lindsay Lightman, Chief Marketing Officer of Shoptiques, Inc.
As Chief Marketing Officer of Shoptiques inc., Lindsay is responsible for developing and managing the companies B2B and B2C marketing strategies; as well as identifying and negotiating strategic partnerships. This includes overseeing the Shoptiques.com marketplace customer acquisition, marketing, merchandising, and support; developing and growing Shoptiques Managed Marketing Services for luxury boutiques; and building the Shoptiques SaaS offerings designed for small business owners, focused on helping small get smarter.
Lindsay joined the company in 2018, as Head of Support & Business Development, bringing her over 7 years of experience in global marketing and relationships. In this role, Lindsay helped bring to market Shoptiques first tech product, SPOS; was tasked with bringing new business into the portfolio; and developed account management and technical support for Shoptiques VIP boutique partners.
Prior to joining the organization, Lindsay served as Director of Global Strategic Market
Development & Chief of Staff to CRO at True Fit. During her tenure at True Fit, she nurtured long-lead retail relationships with enterprise retailers like Nordstrom, Kate Spade, Ralph Lauren. Lindsay managed the global events strategy, PR and communications, and social media marketing, developed a client success program and marketing strategies for retailers to grow customer adoption of True Fit, and facilitated the onboarding of new retail brands onto the True Fit SaaS Platform.
Lindsay received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics, and Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish Linguistics from Occidental College in California.
About Andi Jennings, Founder & Creative Director of MadCreek, LLC:
Andi Jennings has spent 25 years in the advertising and design industry with the majority of her career leading MadCreek, LLC as founder and creative director.
With an award-winning design portfolio, and a history of diversity and longevity in the MadCreek client roster, their extensive, brand management experience, top-line creative direction expertise, and strategic digital and social management, allows them to stand the test of time and keep their clients current.
MadCreek’s clients include the athletic programs at Rutgers University and Seton Hall University, Union Catholic High School, AAA, Hoboken Cultural Affairs and JustinTime Foundation.
They are guided by a strong belief that their job is to function as a problem-solving tool and find ways to turn any idea into reality.
Andi recently realized that her lust for creativity and problem-solving had no boundaries. She dove into multiple labors of love, creating art societies and town-wide ‘art walks,’ managing fine artists, and co-writing children’s books. She tackled interior design projects, taught software applications, and has even written short stories and memoir essays.
Her newest adventure is co-founding “Project CheerUP!”, a positivity movement, uniting cheerleaders to “CheerUP!” the world, literally.
The WCBS Business Breakfast series with Joe Connolly is produced by Neil A. Carousso.
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An ‘I Love NY’ Campaign for New Yorkers: Why NYC’s Recovery Will be a Team Effort
By Joe Connolly and Neil A. Carousso
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — New York City is reopening, but the recovery will not be like turning on a light switch.
Despite large swaths of the economy given a green light to reopen, including sports, entertainment, culture and hospitality, there’s still much to learn about what the post-pandemic economy will look like.
The Center for an Urban Future, a non-partisan think tank that promotes local economic mobility, found technology jobs make up 40.1 percent of available positions in the city that pay more than $80,000 a year, doubling open jobs in New York’s financial industry.
“I fear the most for the lower wage workforce in New York City – many of whom are already disproportionately hurt because of the pandemic – people in restaurants, retail, nail salons, child care,” said Executive Director Jonathan Bowles on the WCBS Small Business Spotlight, sponsored by Dime Community Bank.
“A lot of them may be hurt by these structural issues like remote work,” he acknowledged.
Bowles also pointed out business travel may continue to suffer due to the convenience of remote meetings. That could hurt the hospitality sector as many businessmen and women patronize local establishments and attend Broadway shows when they’re in town.
That’s why he believes it will be up to New Yorkers to participate in their own city’s recovery by shopping local.
“New Yorkers have got to take on some of this responsibility,” Bowles told Joe Connolly and Neil A. Carousso.
He proposed an “I Love NY” campaign marketed towards New Yorkers rather than tourists to stir up Big Apple pride that has been a hallmark of the city’s resiliency and bravado through past crises.
“After 9/11, it almost felt like almost like a patriotic duty to go out and see a Broadway show. We got to make it like it’s a patriotic duty again to go out and support our small businesses more than before, because otherwise, a lot of them just aren’t going to hang on,” said Bowles.
The local business leader believes in New York’s recovery and sees the technology and healthcare industries growing as well as a variety of traditional hospitality businesses in the outer boroughs.
“We did a little analysis of new business formation in Brooklyn and found a significant increase,” he said. “Even compared to the months prior to the pandemic, new businesses are being formed and a lot of those are retail and restaurant businesses.”
Bowles calls that “encouraging” and believes foot traffic in those neighborhoods will remain elevated as a percentage of people will not return to city offices full-time. They’ll likely spend more money in their own communities.
That also means businesses will have to reinvent themselves and figure out ways to grow profit margins through parallel services.
See what it will take to get New York City moving again and the new types of businesses that are thriving on the 200th Small Business Spotlight episode above.
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WCBS 880 Weekly Rewind: Rising Crime Could Hinder NYC’s Recovery, Companies Scramble to Shore Up Cybersecurity in Wake of Colonial Pipeline Hack and How Vaccinating Kids Will Help Return to Normal
By Lynda Lopez, WCBS Newsradio 880
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — As New York City plots its recovery, crime is rising overground and underground. Plus, this week companies scrambled to beef up their cybersecurity after the Colonial Pipeline hack took the massive fuel conduit offline. And, FDA Advisory Committee Member and Infectious Disease and Vaccine Expert Dr. Paul Offit opines on how inoculating kids, who are now approved for Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, could accelerate the return to normalcy.
Hear deeper analysis of the top stories of the week and original reporting on The 880 Weekly Rewind hosted by Lynda Lopez Friday nights at 7 PM on WCBS-AM New York. Listen to this week’s full show, produced by Neil A. Carousso, on the media player above.
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Small Business Spotlight: Brooklyn Retailer Sees Sales Bump After Rent Negotiation
By Joe Connolly and Neil A. Carousso
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Local retailers are hoping to see New York City’s tourism industry bounce back this summer and more commuters flocking to Big Apple office buildings. One Brooklyn owner was able to better position himself for increased foot traffic.
Douglas Grater, owner of Something Else, an apparel and home goods store with locations in Cobble Hill and Park Slope, told Joe Connolly and Neil A. Carousso on the WCBS Small Business Spotlight, sponsored by Dime Community Bank, that the Cobble Hill store has taken the biggest hit because it relies on tourist foot traffic from Manhattan.
“I mean you have millions of tourists that maybe 10 years ago would walk across the Brooklyn bridge, take a picture, and then reverse themselves and walk right back. And now, with Brooklyn being so hot over the last 10 years, it’s really cool to continue on into Brooklyn and the flow takes them right into our shop, which is on Smith Street,” he said.
Something Else in Park Slope is in a residential neighborhood. Grater actually moved one block where he said he gets “70 percent more eye balls” on the store.
“That move was a magical move for us because it just put us on the corner of two major streets,” said Grater whose store is now on the corner of Union Street and 5th Avenue.
The 30-year retail veteran was able to negotiate with a small landlord at the new location who was willing to give him a reduced rent plus a break while non-essential businesses were shut down last spring.
“So we probably got three and a half months where we were able to move, build a new shop, get ready, and then, the second we were opened up, then that landlord started our lease,” Grater explained. “By getting out of the lease, I stopped the rent at the older store and by moving to the new store, I didn’t pay any rent.”
He says he “got lucky” because he was a good tenant. On the Small Business Spotlight, Grater advised other owners to be respectful to their landlords.
Another key to Grater’s success was liquidating old inventory and being patient, knowing the pandemic will not end overnight.
“Understand that it’s not a day-to-day or a week-to-week or a month-to-month situation; this is a 5 to 10 year plan all of a sudden,” he said.
Apparel sales at Something Else were down 30 percent before the pandemic and remained low in the last year, but now, clothing sales are increasing as New York State lifts COVID-19 restrictions.
“I’m seeing men and women starting to buy more fashionable products than just sweats and stuff,” Grater said. They’re looking to go out even in New York.
They’re dining, they’re eating outside, they’re preparing to look good. I think there’s a lot of people out there that say, ‘I need to meet a significant other and look good.’ And, I see it ticking up.”The third generation apparel business owner told Connolly and Carousso dress sales are rising along with fashionable tops for men and women. That was not the case a year ago. Candles have been the top selling home goods item at Something Else.
See advice for recovering in retail on the Small Business Spotlight video above.
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Pete Alonso Introduces ‘Polar Burger’ at Citi Field
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Get ready for Pete Alonso’s Polar Burger.
The Mets slugger has teamed up with Chef Jason Eksterowicz to create a tasty new treat that’s sure to become a ballpark favorite at Citi Field.
The Polar Burger, which makes its debut Friday at Alonso’s Arctic grill behind Section 102, features Pat LaFrieda’s black truffle blended burger patty, New York maple-spiced caramelized onions, smoked gouda cheese, lettuce, tomato, and claw sauce all on a fresh-baked brioche bun. Fans can get it with a side of Arctic Onions — polar-spiced shaved Vidalia onions and claw sauce.
The burgers cost $16.50.
During Friday night’s game, our Mets booth culinary experts, Howie Rose and Wayne Randazzo, had a chance to taste test the new ballpark menu item.
During a pre-game Zoom call Friday, the first baseman said anyone who chows down on the burger will know that they’re eating something that has his stamp of approval.
“Every little aspect of this burger, I enjoy myself,” Alonso said. “For me, I wanted to have a big twist of myself in this burger. I love truffle, I love caramelized onions, I love a nice tasty burger.”
He describes his creation as a simple yet elegant burger.
“My biggest philosophy is I want something that has simple ingredients, but also a complexity and depth of flavor — this burger hits the nail on the head,” Alonso said.
He said he’s most excited about the sustainability of the burger because all of the ingredients are New York-based products.
“Because they are local, it means you get the freshest and best ingredients,” Alonso said, adding that it was also important for him to be able to give back to local business, especially amid the pandemic.
Chef Eksterowicz said it was a “real blast” to work with Alonso on creating the burger, which he described as “awesome and just damn good.”
Neil A. Carousso produces and edits special mulit-media content for the WCBS Mets Radio Network.
