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WCBS Small Business Breakfast Showcases WeWork, AI Company & More
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (WCBS 880) — Small business owners from the Tri-State area gathered at the Meadowlands Hilton in East Rutherford, New Jersey for a morning full of networking and business tips Thursday at the WCBS Delta Dental Of New Jersey Small Business Breakfast, hosted by WCBS 880’s business reporter Joe Connolly.
“I just love these days because we get so much energy and ideas from the people here, exchanging what’s working for them and whose business is up and why,” Connolly, host of WCBS 880’s Small Business Spotlight mini-series, said.
https://www.facebook.com/wcbs880/videos/1577326709056633/
The theme of the breakfast was “How To Think About Your Business in New Ways.”
Special guests at the event included Rui Barros, Senior Vice President and Head of Operations US/Canada East/Tri-State of WeWork, as well as Tyler Mathisen, CNBC Business News Anchor. Before the breakfast kicked off, Mathisen spoke to WCBS 880’s Steve Scott on air with Wayne Cabot and Paul Murnane about the positive economic atmosphere the country has been experiencing recently.
“I am hearing optimism. I think when you hear the chairman of the Federal Reserve yesterday say that the American economy is great that is not usually what you hear from the very circumspect heads of the U.S. central banks. So when he says something like that that sets the tone and you can see it reflected here. More businesses are hiring than not hiring,” Mathisen said. “More businesses are expanding than not expanding. And so you see a lot of sort of optimism in the crowd today the turnout is good, the turnout is great.”
.@JoeConnollybiz starts the #WCBSBizBreakfast with 3 Things to Know:
1. “Small Business” is outdated. It should be called “independent business.”
2. More successful fast growing small businesses now than ever.
3. “I saw an opening” is a common theme among “Spotlight” guests. pic.twitter.com/gfqiqEzX85
— WCBS 880 (@wcbs880) June 14, 2018
Among the many successful small businesses showcased at the event was Satisfi Labs, an artificial intelligence company that “made physical location a live search engine.” Founder and CEO Don White explained how he found his unique idea and turned it into a reality.
“We saw an opening, and we looked at physical locations like a Jet game, a Broadway show, musical concert, retail store. A comment was mentioned about personalization of trying to find a person. Well when you walk into a place like that how easy is it to try and find a person? So you use artificial intelligence to enable a mobile device to locate and find things, services or purchase decisions you want to make in large physical areas. So we leverage artificial intelligence to essentially make a physical location a live search engine,” White said.
https://www.facebook.com/wcbs880/videos/1577492379040066/
Satisfi Labs, which has high-end clients including the New York Mets, has created software that allows users to find what they want when they want it directly from the source. Whether you’re a fan in a sporting arena looking for the closest peanut concession or a shopper looking for a certain shirt at the mall, users can log onto Satisfi Labs and search for their products. White explained this as training the “perfect employee,” then placing it into consumers’ phones, allowing them to find what they need immediately and without any issues.
“So it’s like training your perfect employee, putting it in your phone and then that property or asset owner is telling you what they want you to know, not a third-party search engine that scrapes websites,” White said.
To showcase his business model, White presented the “fan in a stadium” example, explaining that with Satisfi Labs spectators do not have to search all over the arena for a specific concession. Rather, they can search on Satisfi Labs’ venue information to find the exact location.
“Provide a way for you to get what you want on demand from your seat or when you’re going to the stadium so you don’t have to find a person, and you can get it all on your phone,” White said.
In addition, Gary Stout spoke about his company Buzzworthy Studio, which helps consumers expand and establish their digital brands.
This year marks the 23rd year that the WCBS 880’s Small Business Breakfast has been connecting entrepreneurs in a professional setting. It now stands as the longest running small business event series in the New York area.
For more pictures and information from the event, visit #WCBSBizBreakfast on Twitter.
Thank you for joining us at the @DeltaDentalNJCT #WCBSBizBreakfast this morning! @JoeConnollybiz is enthused about the future of “independent business” in the Tri-State. Thanks to our guests Tyler Mathisen of @CNBC @PowerLunch and Rui Barros of @WeWork! pic.twitter.com/4K2VxhWI68
— WCBS 880 (@wcbs880) June 14, 2018
Neil A. Carousso produced WCBS Newsradio 880’s multi-media coverage of the Small Business Breakfast and assisted in organizing the event in East Rutherford, NJ on June 14, 2018. All WCBS 880 videos and social media posts were written, edited and published by Neil A. Carousso.
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Stringer: City is Chronically Late in Issuing Contracts, Putting Human Services in Jeopardy
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer on Tuesday released a new report finding “pervasive” delays in the city’s contract system, particularly when it comes to human services.
The consequence, Stringer said, is that services for the homeless and other vulnerable New Yorkers are put in jeopardy.
“Thousands of nonprofits – many serving the most vulnerable New Yorkers – go unpaid for months, forced to deliver services without a registered contract. This is unacceptable,” Stringer told WCBS 880. “The very organizations that the most vulnerable New Yorkers depend on are being forced to take out huge loans, skip payroll, delaying repairs, just to deal with the shortfall in cash.”
Stringer’s report said 90.8 percent of human services contracts were submitted late for registration in Fiscal Year 2017 – half of them by six months or more. The report also said contract types across the board had extensive delays – with 81 percent of new and renewal contracts across all city agencies coming in late in FY 2017.
The report focused on Type 70 contracts, which support human services programs for seniors, children, the homeless, and other vulnerable populations. Stringer’s office found that some agencies – including the Human Resources Administration and the Department of Homeless Services – submitted all of their contracts late in 2017.
Vendors can only be paid once a contract is registered. They will be paid retroactively if a contract is late, but until the contract is submitted, the vendors are forced either to wait to begin work – which can stall projects and hike costs – or start work without the contract and take major risks, Stringer’s office said.
The stakes are particularly high for human services contractors, which execute such functions as delivering meals for seniors and providing shelter for homeless families, Stringer’s office said. The services are critical, and the contractors are often cash-strapped nonprofits with limited budgets, Stringer’s office said.
Stringer called for a series of reforms, including a contract tracking system.
“We need more transparency. We need to assign each city agency a role in contract oversight. We have to create a public tracking system to allow vendors to monitor the progress of their contracts,” he said. “It’s amazing that by the time it gets to my office, it could have been delayed for years.”
Stringer said if UPS can track packages, there is no reason that the city cannot track human services contracts.
“This is bureaucracy at its worst, and we have to smash the bureaucracy,” Stringer said, “and we’re never going to reduce homelessness if we cannot have a Department of Homeless Service agency that registers contracts on time and on budget.”
Speaking to WCBS 880 Producer Neil A. Carousso, Stringer added that his office has been in communication with Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office for “many years” about the late contract issue. When asked if de Blasio has an action plan in place, Stringer said, “Well, we’ll find out now.”
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The New Wave: The Challenge of Getting More Women Elected
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — The number of women serving in Congress and other elected positions has grown dramatically over the years, but many say progress is taking too long.
In this week’s segment of The New Wave: Women in Politics, Peter Haskell looks at calls to get more women elected to office.
When Liz Holtzman was first elected to Congress in 1972, she was one of 16 women in the House of Representatives. In the Senate, there were none at all.
Thus, Congress was just 3 percent female.
But 45 years later, there are 107 women in Congress – 20 percent.
“We’re making progress, but too slow in my opinion, and with a lot of damage to the whole society,” Hotlzman said, “because we’re losing out on the talents of extraordinary women.”
Despite the record number of women candidates, Holtzman, 76, understands the process is incremental.
“You know, it may take another 20 years before we get halfway or more, but the fact is, ultimately, progress in this is just not stoppable. It’s going to happen,” she said. “Unfortunately, it’s taking far too long. But there’s no way of stopping the progress that women make.”
Political science professor Brigid Harrison of Montclair State University thinks the timing is right.
“With the large number of retirements, what we see is that this will be an opportunity for many women to get that foot in the door, and become the incumbents that are so hard to beat,” Harrison said.
Former New Jersey Gov. Christie Whitman said it is about more than just numbers. It is about governing.
“You need more women and you need more minorities at the decision-making table, because you need that different set of life experiences; a different way of approaching problems,” Whitman said. “You can’t, in today’s day and age, there’s no one group that has all the answers.”
Another issue is misconduct. Former New York state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman resigned after being accused of dating abuse.
Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis, who ran for New York City mayor, said it matters.
“You know, there’s an attractiveness about a female candidate, and I think it’s because men seem to get themselves in trouble, you know, whether it’s sex scandals, whether it’s corruption,” Malliotakis said.
But more women running also means more women losing. Nearly 90 female candidates have already lost congressional primaries.
Neil A. Carousso produced WCBS Newsradio 880 reporter Peter Haskell’s multi-platform series titled “The New Wave: Women in Politics.” See the video piece of this installment here.
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Parade Of Ships Kicks Off Fleet Week 2018
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Anchors aweigh!
Fleet Week 2018 kicked off Wednesday with a parade of ships up the Hudson River.
https://www.facebook.com/wcbs880/videos/1554601914662446/
Eleven ships carrying 2,300 sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen are in for a week of tours and celebrations.
As WCBS 880’s Marla Diamond reported, an FDNY fire boat welcomed the sailors to New York Harbor with sprays of water. The amphibious transport dock U.S.S. Arlington from Norfolk, Virginia led the parade with Marines in their dress blues and sailors in white manning the rails past the Statue of Liberty – and saluting at the 9/11 Memorial.
Vincent Catalano of Babylon, Long Island was watching. His son, Michael, is the ship’s lieutenant commander.
This is a wonderful story. I spoke with Lt. Commander Catalano’s parents who have served just like their son. incredible people who are proud of their son & excited to finally see him. His father and I share the same alma mater – @StFrancisPrep1! #FleetWeekNYC @MDiamond8 @wcbs880 https://t.co/5OhiksCwHJ
— Neil A. Carousso (@NeilACarousso) May 23, 2018
Catalano said his son was a fan of Fleet Week long before joining the service himself.
“He loved Fleet Week. He always came down here. As a matter of fact, when the JFK was still commissioned, that’s the aircraft carrier that used to come up here, we went every year on the JFK,” he said.
Diamond earlier was scheduled to join the Marines from Camp Lejeune aboard the Arlington, but her mission out to the ship was scrubbed because of heavy fog and she watched from the Battery.
After a beautiful tour around Manhattan, the @USNavy landed its helicopter back at the heliport due to fog preventing us from landing on the USS Arlington for the Parade of Ships #FleetWeekNYC. Here’s our landing back Downtown. @MDiamond8 @NeilACarousso pic.twitter.com/bKh3p4drG4
— WCBS 880 (@wcbs880) May 23, 2018
“The ceiling was too low for the pilot to take us out to the ship,” Diamond reported.
The ship received cannon salutes at Fort Hamilton and Fort Wadsworth before headign heading toward Lower Manhattan.
The fog has lifted and we’re ready for liftoff. Listen for my reports from the #USSArlington #FleetWeekNYC @wcbs880 @NeilACarousso pic.twitter.com/6xMSdo4ncN
— Marla Diamond (@MDiamond8) May 23, 2018
Ships will be docked on Manhttan’s West Side, Brooklyn, Staten Island, the Merchant Marine Academy and the Bronx CUNY Maritime College for the 30th annual Fleet Week in New York City.
This is a chance for the men and women in uniform to get a taste of New York — the ballgames, the Statue of Liberty and of course Times Square.
Participants said they always have a fantastic experience in New York.
“This is actually my third personal Fleet Week, and each year, it just keeps getting better,” said Lt. Justin Vitalis, who is in charge of all helicopter operations for Fleet Week.
He said it was a great opportunity for the sailors, Coast Guard officers, and Marines to experience “the best city on the face of the earth,” as well as an opportunity for people in the Tri-State Area to get a feel for what it’s like to be in the service.
https://twitter.com/wcbs880/status/999287878361415680?s=21
The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum will host a series of events including a free screening of Top Gun on the flight deck, a Battle of the Big Bands music and swing dancing event, and the annual Memorial Day commemoration ceremony, featuring the unfurling of a 100-foot American flag, the playing of Taps, a ceremonial wreath laying and a 3-volley rifle salute.
Neil A. Carousso produced WCBS Newsradio 880’s digital content from Fleet Week on May 23, 2018.
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The New Wave: Stereotypes, Prejudices and Other Challenges for Women In Politics
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — With a record number of female candidates, there is talk of this being the year of the woman. But progress has been slow.
In this week’s segment of The New Wave: Women In Politics, Peter Haskell looks at the challenges women have faced in getting elected.
“We live in a world, in a culture where sexism exists,” said former New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, who has seen the challenges firsthand.
Sometimes the bias is about looks, and other times it’s about knowledge.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) (Peter Haskell/WCBS 880) Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., remembers testifying about a big defense contractor in her district.
“I finished my testimony and Congressman Lewis from California he said to me, ‘Congresswoman DeLauro, can you talk about the M1-A1 tank and the engine without looking at your notes?’ and I turned to him and I said, ‘Damn straight I can,'” she said.
“What do you make of that?” Haskell asked.
“It was just about women don’t deal with the defense industy,” DeLauro said.
She says there’s a continuing double standard.
“Women have to work harder still today. A lot of my male colleagues can stand up, and say whatever they want. They can drool on the floor of the House of Representatives and it doesn’t make any difference. Women have to know what they are talking about,” DeLauro said.
Part of the problem has been the old boys network.
“Women are far less likely to get asked to run for office by party officials, elected officials, influential community leaders,” said Jean Sinzdak, deputy director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers.
Former New Jersey Gov. Christie Whitman points to a problematic perception.
“Women will always be looked on as primary caregivers — whether it’s for children, spouses, significant others, parents it doesn’t matter. And that has engendered this idea that somehow you can’t do that and still be effective at your job, which is just simply not true,” Whitman said.
Former New Jersey Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno said when she was running for the Monmouth County sheriff’s office, she was asked, “How are you going to run a jail and run a law enforcement agency when you have three children?”
“They wouldn’t ask a man that question. They would assume a man wouild be able to do it and have children,” Guadagno said. “And my answer was: ‘The same way you do. You have a family, you have a very supportive spouse, you have help and you raise your kids.'”
Liz Holtzman, a former congresswoman and former Brooklyn district attorney, said prejudices and stereotypes are still standing in the way of women.
“There are stereotypes out there that women can’t do certain kinds of jobs, particularly executive jobs. Those stereotypes are very hard to eradicate,” Holtzman said. “We made a lot of progress. When I was first elected and took office in 1973, there was no woman on the Supreme Court; there’d been no women of any prominence holding the top cabinet positions; women weren’t heads of symphonies or univerisities. We’ve seen that change.”
Although progress has been made, Holtzman said the country still has a long way to go.
“The basic attitude is still too pervasive that women can’t do this job and women can do the job and women will do the job,” she said. “I think there’s a long way to go, and I’m very troubled and a bit disheartened by the lack of progress we’ve made in terms of changing people’s attitudes about the role of women in society.”
But Brigid Harrison, who teaches political science at Montclair State University, said she is seeing some improvements.
“Women, compared to say 20 or 30 years ago, have larger professional networks. They have more net worth and so they’re better able to fund their campaigns. They’re better able to have connections to fund their campaigns,” Harrison said.
However, there are still plenty of obstacles. Harrison said one of the greatest challenges is how congressional districts are configured.
“Twenty years ago, it may have been possible to primary an incumbent member or it may have been possible to run in a competitve district and knock off an unpopular incumbent. Today, given the sophisticated way in which mapmakers create our congressional districts — and that’s done on the state level — in about 90 percent of the seats, of Congress the winner is predetermined simply because of the partisan advantage in that district,” Harrison said. “That’s an incredible obstacle for women who are not incumbents to overcome.”
Not to be ignored is the power of incumbency. House incumbents win 95 percent of the time. If women pick up seats this year, that could help generate momentum going forward.
Neil A. Carousso produced WCBS Newsradio 880 reporter Peter Haskell’s multi-platform series titled “The New Wave: Women in Politics.” See the video piece of this installment here.
