A financial services company in White Plains and an auto dealership in Mount Kisco are among the nation’s top black-owned businesses, according to Black Enterprise magazine.
The magazine lists Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC, an employee-owned company that specializes in domestic equity, as the 14th top grossing company and Mount Kisco Chevrolet Cadillac as the 48th. Paradigm had $1 billion in assets under management.
Paradigm, founded in 1990 by chief executive James E. Francis, was also 14th on last year’s list. The auto dealership was 43rd last year.

Adrian Quinn, listed by the magazine as the chief executive of the auto dealership, was not at the business and could not be reached for comment. A message left for Francis was not immediately returned.

To make the list a company must be at least 51 percent black owned.

The magazine also announced its third annual list of the 40 best companies in the country for diversity and named four Westchester County companies: Pepsi Bottling Group Inc. of Somers, PepsiCo Inc. of Purchase, IBM Corp. of Armonk and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. of White Plains.

To come up with the diversity list, the magazine surveyed executives at large publicly traded companies about the suppliers they use, the makeup of their senior management team, their workers and general activities.

Dr. Amy E. Newburger, a dermatologist from Scarsdale, has been elected president of the Westchester County Medical Society, a 210-year-old organization. Newburger is the founder of Dermatology Consultants of Westchester, a six-physician practice in Scarsdale village.

The Rockland Business Women’s Network has announced that members Marilyn Davis and Nancy Passow are this year’s recipients of the networking group’s two annual awards.

Davis, partner at the Davis & Davis law-firm in New City, has won RBWN’s award for Woman of the Year; and Nancy Passow, owner of Write For You in New Jersey of Englewood, N.J., will receive the RBWN Service Award to the 130-member organization.

Davis and Passow will be presented their awards at RBWN’s annual awards dinner June 14 at Nyack Seaport in Nyack.

Tickets for the dinner are $75 and are available through June 10 by calling Lizanne Fiorentino at 845-357-3312.

For a second year in a row, a Westchester business woman is among the winners in the Make Mine a $Million Business competition, held last weekend in Atlanta.

Sharon Brown, owner of Pleasantville-based Selona (www.selonabeauty.com), a line of skin-care products sold at high-end spas, resorts and boutiques worldwide, was among eight winners in the latest round of the periodic competition, in which business owners present their business plans to judges.

Brown, who’s business is just two years old, said she expects Selona to cross the million-dollar threshold in late 2008.

The Hartsdale resident said her business has benefitted from unique circumstances that have helped promote her line, not the least of which is being included in gift bags given to attendees of the 2006 Grammy Awards.

As a winner of the “Make Mine� competition, Brown will receive a business-growth package including a $45,000 loan from Count Me In for Women’s Economic Independence, a non-profit provider of online business loans and resources for women, and a $50,000 credit line from American Express Co.’s OPEN small-business unit.

In addition, Brown will receive marketing and mentoring to aid her in growing Selona into a million-dollar enterprise.

About 200 women business owners submitted applications to compete in Altanta, of which 14 were chosen, spokesman Alex Della Rocca said. Additional contests are planned for later this year, including one in October at Pace University in Manhattan.

Last year, Lynne Lambert founder of New York City Subway Line, a Chappaqua-based business that designs subway-themed clothing items, and Elizabeth Perelstein, founder of School Choice International, a White Plains company that helps workers who are relocating overseas to find schools for their children, were among 20 women entrepreneurs who won the New York City contest.

The Make Mine a $Million Business competition was started by Count Me In for Women’s Economic Independence with support from American Express.

When Denise D’Amico joined the Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Hudson Valley nine years ago in an clerical job, the nonprofit organization was granting 48 wishes a year to sick children. Today, Make-A-Wish is granting 140 wishes and D’Amico has risen in the ranks to oversee two full-time wish coordinators in her role as director of program services. The initiative and measurable success of the 32-year-old Tarrytown resident is what landed her on this year’s “Rising Stars Forty Under Forty Awards� list from the The Business Council of Westchester, said Stacey Cohen, president of Co-Communications Inc. of Mount Kisco and a member of the award steering committee.

The awards are given each year to outstanding people under age 40 who work in Westchester County. This year’s list includes people who work in a wide array of sectors, including education, financial services, law, media and real estate. Cohen, who was an under-40 go-getter herself when she founded her public relations firm in 1997, said the winners are a “strong, smart, resourceful group of individuals.� “They are the movers and shakers in Westchester County business,� she said.

D’Amico, who volunteered at Make-A-Wish in college, said her job is a calling as well as a profession.
The most memorable wish she helped grant was for a teenager who wanted to meet the Yankees, but couldn’t get to the ballfield because he was bedridden. “It motivated him to gain strength and get out of bed for the first time in six months. He called us from the dugout and said, ‘Thank you for my wish. It saved my life,’� D’Amico said. Although he wasn’t expected to survive, the young man is in college today.

D’Amico said each wish costs an average of $7,000 to grant and she hopes the award’s attention will bring sponsors to her organization so more kids can be helped. “I put in a lot of time and hard work because it’s so important to me for each child to be granted a wish who is eligible to receive one. To be recognized for that is like granting a wish for me,� she said.

Another winner is 39-year-old Katonah resident Andrew Samalin, who started his own investment firm, Samalin Investment Counsel LLC of Mount Kisco, in April. A former senior vice president at Morgan Stanley and Wachovia, Samalin said his specialty is coordinating all the investments for his clients, including stock, real estate, mortgages and other investments. The firm, not yet 2 months old, already has more than $100 million in assets under management. “We basically act like the CFO (chief financial officer) for 100 well-resourced families, businesses and foundations,� Samalin said.

Greg Rand, chairman of the awards steering committee and managing partner at Prudential Rand Realty, said winning the award is like a pat on the back. Rand, a 38-year-old White Plains resident, won in 2005. “You’re working hard, and when you’re trying to make a name for yourself in your industry and you’re trying to outpace the herd, you are motivated by a lot of things. People don’t realize that recognition is a strong motivator,� he said.

The awards, which are sponsored by MasterCard Inc. and The Westchester County Business Journal, will be presented in a ceremony at MasterCard’s headquarters in Purchase on June 14.

Here is a list of winners:

Dana Barakat
Managing Partner
Creators Media Group
Age: 25

Gregory Bassuk
COO
IndexIQ Inc
Age: 35

Peter Belmont
Chief Financial Officer
C.W. Brown Inc.
Age: 39

Lori Bosio
Director of Communications
IBM
Age: 39

Anthony Costello
SVP Facilities Management & Building Operations
Westchester Medical Center
Age: 37

Denise D’Amico
Director of Program Services
The Make-A-Wish Foundation
Age: 32

Robert DiDonato
Vice President/Associate Broker
Prudential Rand Realty
Age: 39

Timothy Donohue
Senior Associate
Jones Lang LaSalle
Age: 27

JC Doornik
President and Chairman
Chiromission/Westchester Family Chiropractic & Wellness
Age: 35

Meghan French
Director, Government & Community Relations
Pace University
Age: 29

Gregg Garneau
Partner
Jones Garneau LLP
Age: 38

Andrea Grimaldi
Director, Volunteer Management & HR
American Red Cross
Age: 31

Al Gutierrez
Vice President
CB Richard Ellis
Age: 38

Jared Haines
President
Mercury Solar Systems
Age: 36

Lori Hall-Armstrong
Regional Representative, Westchester Rockland & Putnam
Office of Governor Elliott Spitzer
Age: 36

Donald Kelly
Managing Member
PRE Partners
Age: 33

Linda Kirkpatrick
Vice President, Investor Relations
MasterCard Worldwide
Age: 30

Peter Klein
Vice President
Fidelco Realty Group
Age: 37

Jason Levy
President
Trueview Services
Age: 26

William Marsillo
Partner
Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP
Age: 35

Alicia McAuliffe-Fogarty
Founder & Executive Director
Circle of Life Camp and Center
Age: 30

Thomas McDonough
Partner
Jackson Lewis LLP
Age: 38

Mary Lynn Mitcham
Editor-in-Chief, InTown Magazine
The Journal News
Age: 35

Bill Muzzio
Vice President Architecture and Construction Services
SL Green Realty Corp.
Age: 39

Marie Orser
Financial Officer
Westfair Business Publications
Age: 35

Matthew Parisi
Partner
Bleakly Platt & Schmidt
Age: 39

David Pellon
Director of Catering
New York Hospitality Group
Age: 37

Ingrid Richards
Assistant Village Manager
Village of Briarcliff
Age: 30

Tara Rosenblum
Reporter/Anchor
News 12 Westchester
Age: 29

Lawrence Ruggieri
Associate Director
Cushman & Wakefield
Age: 34

Andrew Samalin
President/Founder
Samalin Investment Counsel LLC
Age: 39

Anthony Schembri
Partner
Clarfeld Financial Advisors
Age: 35

Rabbi David Schuck
Pelham Jewish Center
Age: 33

Dr. Amy Silverman
Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist
New York-Presbyterian Hospital
Age: 35

Nicholas Simard
President
Bridge Business & Property Brokers Inc/NMS Holdings, Inc.
Age: 28

David Simpson
Special Assistant to Mayor Amicone
The City of Yonkers
Age: 28

Simon Vukelj
Director, Pepsi Bottling Group Foundation
The Pepsi Bottling Group
Age: 37

Francesca Weissman
Vice President Business Planning & Financial Analysis
Heineken USA
Age: 32

Kim Wheatley
General Manager
The Westchester
Age: 35

Sarah Yanosy Sreedhar
Coordinator, Sanctuary Leadership Development Institute
Andrus Children’s Center
Age: 34

Two of Westchester County’s biggest corporations have won kudos from Working Mother magazine or their efforts to attract, retain and promote minority women.

Armonk-based IBM Corp. and Purchase-based PepsiCo Inc. are among 20 companies that appear on the 2007 Working Mother Best Companies for Multicultural Women list. The contest was open to U.S. companies that filled out a questionnaire about their efforts to aid women employees who are African-American, Hispanic, Asian-American or Native American. The magazine, in its fifth year compiling the list, sees improvement for women of color, with the number of minority women in management positions increasing 16 percent between 2003 and 2006.

PepsiCo’s chief executive officer, Indra Nooyi, is a native of India. Among PepsiCo’s 60,634 U.S. employees, 1,237 are women of color and 445 are in leadership positions. The magazine cited PepsiCo’s Women of Color Multicultural Alliance, which provides a forum for minority women to raise concerns and develop skills.

Among IBM’s 131,150 U.S. employees, 10,959 are women of color and 775 are in leadership roles.
The magazine cited IBM’s recruitment efforts and noted that minority women made up 7 percent of new hires last year. Brewster resident Anita Rice, IBM’s manager for multicultural and women’s initiatives, said Big Blue has an array of leadership and networking programs for minority women that helps them find other people like themselves for inspiration. A 29-year IBM veteran and African American, Rice said she personally mentors other IBMers and has benefited from mentoring that encouraged her to take risks and strive to succeed. “What you end up finding out is that every multicultural woman has a story about where she started in the company and where she is today, and any opportunity to network is an opportunity to gain from someone else,� Rice said.

Although IBM does not have any minority women at the senior vice president level or above, there are several vice presidents in the ranks, including Westchester County employees Maria Azua, vice president of technology and innovation, and Lauren States, vice president of client value initiative.

Four area women are among the 51 winners of the 33rd annual Tribute to Women and Industry awards program sponsored by the YWCA of Bergen County, N.J. The awards are designed to celebrate the accomplishments of successful businesswomen and encourage other women to climb the corporate ladder.

The local winners are Charlene Graff of Airmont, an environmental, health and safety manager for Agfa Corp.; Susan G. Osgood of Pearl River, director of corporate human resources for Sharp Electronics; Patricia Ciardullo of New City, partner, audit and transaction advisory services, for Flackman, Goodman & Potter; and Ann Marie Leichman of New City, care center administrator of patient care services for The Valley Hospital.

The American Red Cross in Westchester County has been looking for a new chief executive officer, said F. Dianne Young, the chairperson of the chapter’s board. Young said a search committee she has formed has already held one meeting in its quest to find a chief executive skilled at relationship building, financial development, delivering services to the community and organizational leadership. William J. McGrath, of Hartsdale, a member of the board, is the chairman of the Search Committee. Those interested in applying can send a cover letter and resume to quossj@usa.redcross.org. The board fired James Dennis as chief executive in February after an audit found revenues dropped from $3.42 million in fiscal 2005 to $3.07 million last fiscal year.

Atlas Air Inc., which provides cargo aircraft and other services to major international airlines, was honored as the industry’s Best Air Charter/ACMI Operator at the 21st Annual Asian Freight and Supply Chain Awards on April 25. ACMI stands for the services provided: aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance. In addition, Atlas Air’s sister company, Polar Air Cargo, was a finalist for Best Air Cargo Carrier — North America.

Kaitlin Walsh, a Brewster resident studying abroad in Ireland, was presented last month with an “Idea of the Year Award� by the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transportation.

The award recognizes innovative solutions in the areas of logistics, air, safety and environment, sea, rail and road.

Walsh, who majors in marketing in at Fairfield University in Connecticut, took home the prize in the “rail� category for her idea to employ a reusable card for public transportation throughout Ireland. She was presented with the award in Dublin.

In her plan, the card would look like a credit card, and use radio frequency identification technology in order to allow easy boarding and convenient travel around Ireland.

Thomas P. Wiffler has been named president and chief executive of UnitedHealthcare of Illinois, the Chicago-based health insurer announced today. Most recently, Wiffler served as chief operating officer of UnitedHealthcare’s central region, having joined the company in 1999. A native of Yonkers, Wiffler earned a bachelor’s in business administration from Iona College in New Rochelle.

Joel H. Sachs, senior partner with the Keane & Beane PC law firm in White Plains, has been awarded the 2007 Above the Bar Award as Westchester County’s leading environmental attorney.

The newly created award was developed to recognize and honor outstanding legal work in Westchester.

Sachs and other attorneys will be recognized at event tomorrow evening at Pace Law School in White Plains.

Sachs serves as Bedford town attorney and as special counsel for Sleepy Hollow, where he is involved in the environmental review of the redevelopment of the former General Motors site.

Note: An item in today’s Business in the Burbs blog, based on an inaccurate news release, misidentified the winners of this year’s Averell Harriman International Trade Awards. It has since been taken down. Incorrect information also appears in today’s newspaper. The accurate information follows.

Five businesses in Westchester and Rockland counties are winners in the 12th annual Averell Harriman International Trade Awards. They are Cross Island Trading of White Plains, an importer of hardwood flooring and wood products, Importer of the Year; Nokia, a global mobile communications company that built a 100,000-square-foot office in Harrison, Foreign Direct Investment Award; Symbio Technologies of New Rochelle, manufacturer of stateless computer network products, New to International Award; Nice-Pak Products Inc., of Orangeburg, a multi-national private label manufacturer of wet wipes for baby and healthcare applications, International Company of the Year Award; and a Special Recognition Award for Bartizan Corporation in Yonkers, for its long-standing commitment to international trade within the region. The awards will be presented on May 22 at Abigail Kirsch at Tappan Hill in Tarrytown.

William Louer, a research and technology development engineer for the New York Power Authority in White Plains, recently received a 2006 Technology Transfer Award from the Electric Power Research Institute. The award recognizes his involvement in the power authority’s initiative focused on possible use of biofuel at its Charles Poletti Power Project in Queens. He was also recognized for the power authority’s work toward use of small, wood-fired combined heat and power generators.

George L. Goodman, the commercial lines manager of Lawley Richwood LLC of Elmsford, recently received the the 2007 Fredrick H. Dayton Award from the Independent Insurance Agents of Westchester County.

The award was established to recognize the achievements and contributions of members of the organization.

Goodman, a Pleasantville native, has a bachelor’s degree in business from Ithaca College. His licensing includes life, accident, health, property and casualty brokers insurance.

Goodman and his wife, Jaye, live in Ossining.

PepsiCo has been recognized for its efforts in reducing energy usage by the government’s chief environmental watchdog, the Purchase-based snacks-and-beverage giant announced today.

The Environmental Protection Agency awarded PepsiCo its 2007 Energy Star partner-of-the-year award for the company’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gases at a ceremony yesterday in Washington, PepsiCo said.

The company’s energy-management practices and investments throughout its operations reduced energy usage, saved money and kept 195 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions from being emitted into the atmosphere, PepsiCo said.

County Executive Andy Spano and environmental organization Grassroots will present Swiss Re with a “good corporate neighbor� award tomorrow morning for the company’s efforts at promoting environmentally friendly policies. Those include using organic methods to keep the landscaping of the reinsurer’s Armonk headquarters verdant.

Spano is using the ceremony to promote “green� landscaping methods as part of the county’s new global-warming initiative.

Swiss Re employees will be treated to a hybrid car show as part of the company’s “COyou2� program, which reimburses employees up to $3,300 for buying green technologies, such as hybrid vehicles and solar panels.

Berlin Productions of White Plains, a producer of Web sites, video and other visual communications, said it won a Telly Award for animation. The company produced a cartoon video that educates children on the benefits of keeping their hands clean. The Telly Awards are an international competition that recognizes TV commercials, programs, and other non-broadcast video.

More than 3,200 people got off boats that docked at the Cold Spring Boat Club last year. Once on land, many of them spent their money in restaurants, shops and other businesses.

The leaders of the club thought that was worth some recognition and suggested that members write in the club’s name on the Cold Spring Area Chamber of Commerce’s awards ballot. The drive paid off this week when the club, with more than 170 votes, received the Innovation in Business Award.

The award is for the business or nonprofit group that brings tourist traffic to the Philipstown area.
Thomas McKiernan, the commodore of the club, said folks that dock their boats there are asked to fill out slips indicating how many people are on their vessel and what they plan to do. The slips showed there were 1,021 dockings with 3,215 people.

According to their slips, the visitors planned to buy 1,880 lunches and 1,257 dinners, he said. The slips also showed that 2,178 people planned to shop, he said.

As McKiernan pointed out, there’s no way to tell precisely how much money the visitors contributed to the local economy. But common-sense estimates of how much each spent on their meals and shopping would indicate their spending ran well into the tens of thousands of dollars.

In fact, McKiernan said his figures may understate the club’s impact by about 10 percent. That’s because it’s likely that some visitors did not fill out the slips, he said.

The club, started 53 years ago, has about 160 members and maintains 76 boat slips, according to is Web site. It is run by its members.

The chamber gave its Katie O’Donnell Award of Excellence to the Guinan family, which owns Guinan’s, a bar and convenience store at the Garrison train station. John Guinan, the son of the man for whom the business is named, was among the family members on hand to receive the award even though he recently underwent an operation for brain surgery.

The Rockland Business Association’s has announced the winners of its fourth annual Pinnacle Awards:

• Chairman’s Award for overall business excellence goes to Mike Pointing, vice president and general manager of United Water, New York, West Nyack.

• President’s Award for service to the RBA goes to Barry Dorfman, sales representative, Liberty Mutual Group, New City.

• Corporate Citizenship Award goes to Active International, Pearl River.

• Women’s Forum Award for outstanding achievement by a woman-owned business goes to the Byne Group, Suffern.
• Manufacturer’s Award for business excellence goes to Wyeth, Pearl River.

• Outstanding Achievement by a non-profit organization goes to Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Hudson Valley, Tarrytown.

The awards will be presented at a gala ceremony on April 18 at the Park Ridge Marriott in New Jersey. To attend the event, or for more information, call the RBA at 845-735-2100.