There was an interesting and informative discussion of regional issues at the annual County Executives Forum at Dominican College on Thursday, June 7, 2018, which featured County leaders from Bergen, Orange, Rockland, and Westchester Counties.

Bergen County Executive Joseph Tedesco III said that his County is experiencing growth near transportation.  “While we were traditionally a real suburban community, with the advent of the millennials wanting to be closer to transportation hubs,  that is now moving up into Bergen County,” he said.  Tedesco is pushing for an expansion of light rail into the east side of the County.

Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus is particularly proud of the growth at Stewart Airport.  “Stewart Airport is booming.  Norwegian Airlines has double the amount of flights that are coming out of there.  You’ve got direct flights to Ireland, Scotland and Norway,” he said.  Neuhaus added that by  the end of the year,  there may be direct flights to Germany, London, and Paris as well.

Rockland County Executive Ed Day stressed that his focus has been on righting the County’s fiscal ship, economic development, and preserving Rockland.  “I’ve tried every step of the way to stay loyal to those three tenets that I ran on because frankly that’s what people voted for and I think that’s what they deserve,” he said.

Westchester’s advantages of being close to New York City with three direct train lines also mean more pressure on housing prices, according to Westchester County Executive George Latimer.  He said the  high cost of housing is one of Westchester’s biggest challenges.

The four County Executives also answered questions from business leaders in attendance, including questions about ethics, taxes, and transportation.

The Palisades Institute was created in 1990 as part of Dominican College to serve business, government, and not-for-profit organizations in Rockland and nearby counties.  The Institute encourages professionals to integrate the concepts of leadership, quality, and ethics to achieve long-term success.

Leaders of local businesses and not-for-profits were briefed on the new Federal Tax Bill during a Palisades Institute forum on March 6, 2018.   A panel of accounting experts from Grant Thornton led the discussion.

The presenters stressed that the tax bill is open to interpretation so businesses need to reach out to their tax advisors.  “Until regulations are written to give us guidance on the law, we have many unanswered questions,” said Jill Grossman, Grant Thornton Managing Director, Tax Reporting and Advisory,

One of the unintended consequences of the new tax law may be a decrease in charitable giving.  Scott Thompsett, Grant Thornton Tax Managing Director, said that’s because many more individuals are expected to take a standard deduction, rather than itemizing deductions. “The Tax Policy Center came out with a projection that they anticipate there will be $14 billion to $16 billion less in charitable giving each year because of these changes in the tax law,” said Thompsett.  He added that some people believe higher net individuals, corporations, and foundations will be more generous to charities under the new bill.

The aim of the Palisades Institute of Dominican College is to encourage leaders in business, government, and not-for-profit agencies to integrate the concepts of leadership, quality, and ethics to achieve long-term success.

 

During a Palisades Institute Forum called “Good Governance,” non-profit board members learned how to become more effective and more strategic in their planning. Presenter Michael G. Daigneault, CEO of Quantum Governance, discussed how to rejuvenate non-profit boards and how to attract millennials during the January 11, 2018 forum in the Lawrence Room of Rosary Hall.

Board members today, he said, need to think in a new way and consider three different perspectives – fiduciary, strategic, and generative.  Daigneault explained what he meant by generative thinking. “That is asking the really hard, underlying value questions surrounding your organization. Why do we exist? What are we here for?  Who are we really trying to serve?  Are we really serving them capably and well?”

The aim of the Palisades Institute of Dominican College is to encourage leaders in business, government, and not-for-profit agencies to integrate the concepts of leadership, quality, and ethics to achieve long-term success.

Jack Holt, CEO of Holt Construction, stressed that customer service should be the first priority of any business during a CEO Forum at Dominican College on November 8, 2017, which was sponsored by the Palisades Institute.

Holt Construction was founded in 1919, by Jack Holt’s grandfather and remains headquartered in Pearl River in his grandfather’s home. The company is now ranked one of the top 300 contractors in the U.S. and has offices in Manhattan, Boston, Philadelphia, Houston, Dallas, Goshen, and Newark.He explained how the company grew from its first corporate project of building 500 mouse cages for Lederle Laboratories to constructing baseball stadiums, airport terminals, hotels, and many other large projects.“It’s all about the client.We remain steadfast in our commitment to our clients – offering quality work while keeping their projects on time and on budget,“he said.

In addition to client satisfaction, Holt told the business leaders in attendance that site safety, a strong commitment to ethics, and embracing modern technology were also keys to his company’s success. He added that even as the company has grown and changed structurally, Holt Construction has continued to maintain family business values. Holt’s son and grandson also work at the company.

The aim of the Palisades Institute of Dominican College is to encourage leaders in business, government, and not-for-profit agencies to integrate the concepts of leadership, quality, and ethics to achieve long-term success.

Local businesses leaders had a lot a questions for panelists at a Palisades Institute forum that focused on how businesses can utilize the resources of a modern data center. The forum was held on October 11, 2017, at the fifteenfortyseven Critical Systems Realty (1547) in Orangeburg, NY.  The company owns, operates, and develops data center facilities around the country.  Topics discussed included safeguarding the physical security of data systems, cyber security, and the need for disaster recovery.

J. Todd Raymond, CEO and Managing Partner of 1547, said a data center can allow your business to keep running in the event of an emergency. “We’re in an environment now where we’ve had three major hurricanes in the U.S. We have fires raging out in California,” he said. “And of course, Superstorm Sandy, which drove a lot of demand for disaster recovery.”

The other panelists were: Bill Kohlman, a consultant; Alan Posner, Senior Solution Architect, VirtuIT Systems; and John Bonczek, President of Datacenter Division, 1547. Following the panel discussion, participants took a tour of the 1547 facility.

The Palisades Institute was created in 1990 as part of Dominican College to serve business, government, and not-for-profit organizations in Rockland and nearby counties. The Institute encourages professionals to integrate the concepts of leadership, quality, and ethics to achieve long-term success.

 

 

Local business leaders interested in doing work for government agencies are invited to attend “How to Make Government Your Customer” on Thursday, November 17, 2016, at Dominican College.  The program is sponsored by the Palisades Institute and will take place in the Lawrence Room of Rosary Hall, 480 Western Highway, Blauvelt, NY, with breakfast at 7:30, and the forum running from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.  

There will be two panel discussions. The first panel addressing “Steps to Becoming a Government Provider” includes: Paul Brennan, Rockland County Director of Purchasing; Paul Piperato, Rockland County Clerk; and Lin Simeti, Program Director, REDC Procurement Technical Assistance Center.

The second panel is made up of successful local government contractors who will speak about “Creating Growth and Overcoming Challenges.” Panel participants include:  Ellie Kassner, President, W.H. Kassner, Inc.; Marcelo Reggiardo, Principal,  Alianza Services, LLC;  Nick O’Brien, Vice President, Concept Print; and Harry Campbell, President, Biofeedback Resources International.

The aim of the Palisades Institute of Dominican College is to encourage leaders in business, government, and not-for-profit agencies to integrate the concepts of Leadership, Quality, and Ethics to achieve long-term success.

For more information and to register, call (845) 848-7806 or visit www.duny.edu/pi-government.

The County leaders from Rockland, Westchester, Orange, and Bergen Counties were at Dominican College on Tuesday, June 7, 2016, to take part in the annual County Executive’s Forum sponsored by the Palisades Institute.

Rockland County Executive Ed Day said New York State’s system for public assistance is a “recipe for fraud,” but said Rockland has a very aggressive Front End Detection System to root out fraud.  He also announced that Rockland County just reached a new milestone with more than 100,000 people on public assistance. “This is supposed to be a relatively wealthy suburban County,” he said. “Almost one third of our County is on public assistance.  It’s unsustainable.”

Bergen County Executive James Tedesco III talked about the upcoming referendum in New Jersey on gambling in northern Jersey and stressed that a full casino is being considered – not simply slot machines. “The way the law is being written, there has to be a $1 billion investment by the person that brings gaming to Bergen County or the Meadowlands,” he said.

Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino and Orange County Executive Steven Neuhaus also fielded questions from business leaders in attendance at the forum, which took place in the Lawrence Room of Rosary Hall.   

The aim of the Palisades Institute of Dominican College is to encourage leaders in business, government, and not-for-profit agencies to integrate the concepts of Leadership, Quality, and Ethics to achieve long-term success. 

 

The County leaders from Rockland, Westchester, Orange, and Bergen Counties were at Dominican College on Tuesday, June 7, 2016, to take part in the annual County Executive’s Forum sponsored by the Palisades Institute.

Rockland County Executive Ed Day said New York State’s system for public assistance is a “recipe for fraud,” but said Rockland has a very aggressive Front End Detection System to root out fraud.  He also announced that Rockland County just reached a new milestone with more than 100,000 people on public assistance. “This is supposed to be a relatively wealthy suburban County,” he said. “Almost one third of our County is on public assistance.  It’s unsustainable.”

Bergen County Executive James Tedesco III talked about the upcoming referendum in New Jersey on gambling in northern Jersey and stressed that a full casino is being considered – not simply slot machines. “The way the law is being written, there has to be a $1 billion investment by the person that brings gaming to Bergen County or the Meadowlands,” he said.

Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino and Orange County Executive Steven Neuhaus also fielded questions from business leaders in attendance at the forum, which took place in the Lawrence Room of Rosary Hall.   

The aim of the Palisades Institute of Dominican College is to encourage leaders in business, government, and not-for-profit agencies to integrate the concepts of Leadership, Quality, and Ethics to achieve long-term success. 

 

Business leaders attending the last Palisades Institute forum walked away with practical advice on how to be in compliance with changing regulations under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare. The forum entitled “The Affordable Care Act: Its Impact on Business Strategy and Operations” was held on Wednesday, February 24, 2016, from 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. in the Lawrence Room of Rosary Hall.

A panel of experts on the Affordable Care Act  let business leaders know what is required of them and answered questions.

The panel included:

• John Rosenberger, CPA, Tax Manager, GKG Certified Public Accountants and Business Consultants
• Matt Libby, Vice President , MDG Employee Benefit Solutions, Certified Insurance Consultants
• Stu Kornberg, Director, PayServ Corporation, Payroll Service

Topics discussed included: healthcare coverage that must be provided to employees; how to determine ACA-related “full-time equivalent” employees; how to minimize tax liability and penalties; forms that must be submitted to the federal government; and financial and human resources data and software compatibility with ACA requirements.

 

The former Publisher of Inc. Magazine shared his business insight at the Palisades Institute Forum on November 17, in the Lawrence Room of Rosary Hall.  John Tebeau talked to the business leaders and students in attendance about what makes a good leader and the different types of work personalities.   

Tebeau said throughout his career he has seen leadership styles in all shapes and sizes.   “Never underestimate who it is you are talking to.  Every relationship and personality you need to take seriously,” he said. 

Tebeau then explained the work-type personality theory of Les McKeon, who is the President and CEO of Predictable Success and has started more than 40 companies.  McKeon believes that everyone who participates in group or team work tends to act in one of three naturally-occurring styles:  visionary, operator or processor.  Visionaries generate creative ideas.  Operators translate those ideas into tasks and “get stuff done.”  Processors are compelled by data and like to bring order to the situation. The problem, said Tebeau, is that these three work personalities don’t “play well together in the sandbox.”

Tebeau said that for a team to be successful, one of the team players must also be a synergist – focused primarily on what is best for the enterprise. A synergist must be good at time management, priority management, crisis management and delegation.