PsychoGenics Inc., an Eastview-based biotechnology company, said yesterday it has entered into agreement with Cephalon Inc., a Pennsylvania biopharmaceutical company.

The pact calls for Cephalon to provide PsychoGenics with compounds believed to be useful in treating neuropsychiatric disorders.

PsychoGenics and Cephalon plan to jointly identify drug candidates suitable for clinical development, PsychoGenesis said.

If Cephalon undertakes further development of the clinical candidates, PsychoGenics will receive milestone payments as well as royalties, and vice versa.

Financial terms of deal weren’t disclosed.

White Plains-based Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. plans to open the second Element hotel in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. The hotel giant has an agreement with an affiliate of The Buccini/Pollin Group to open the hotel at the Dulles Parkway Center in Dulles, Va., in February 2010. Element Dulles North will incorporate ecologically friendly materials, including carpets made from 100 percent recycled materials and low toxicity paint, to improve indoor air quality. The 123-room hotel will include complete kitchens in all the rooms as well as oversized spa showers.

Dr. Howard Bank, a podiatrist, has begun offering his services at Com-Fit Shoes at 138 E. Post Road in White Plains, in addition to his primary office on Martine Avenue.

Bank, whose practice is known as Westchester Footcare, has built two treatment rooms at new Com-Fit Shoes location to provide on-site podiatric care.

The combination allows for one-stop shopping for adults looking for footcare as well as new shoes, according to Bank and Com-Fit owner Fred Satin.

Com-Fit Shoes occupied space in the Cross County Shopping Center in Yonkers for 22 years before moving to White Plains.

Citibank has opened a financial center at 238 North Ave. in New Rochelle. The bank will provide financial services for consumers and small businesses. Representatives can assist customers in Spanish and Creole. Hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the week, except for Thursday, when it’s open from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. The bank is open Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

1800mattress.com has opened a Mount Kisco showroom as part of its plan to expand in Westchester County following the bankruptcy and closure of Rockaway Bedding this summer. The store, at 383 Bedford Road, is the fifth in Westchester.

The chain, based in Long Island City, is also looking a several locations for future stores, said John O’Connell, senior vice president of merchandising and retail.

“We have a terrific market share in Westchester … so we feel very strongly about Westchester County,â€? he said. “We’re not going to blanket the area with a lot of showrooms, but we’re going to make sure they’re in the right places. … Because we do business three ways, we strategically place stores where the customers most need it based on the data we receive from the phone business and the Internet.â€?

The Mount Kisco store has a new design with the atmosphere of a bedroom.

“You’ll have a very intimate setting, very soft,â€? O’Connell said, mentioning decorative curtains and other bedroom decor. “We’ve kind of forgone the basic visual appearance of a retail shop. …â€?
Other Westchester locations are in Mamaroneck, Scarsdale, Ossining and Jefferson Valley.

Rack & Go, a new vehicle outfitting store that offers discounts to customers with hybrid cars, has opened at 10 Robertson Ave. off Route 119 in White Plains. The store sells and installs racks, cargo boxes, baskets, bags, hitches and trailers as well as other accessories for cars and trucks.

New York City-based Morton Williams, the family-owned chain of food markets that bought Turco’s on North Central Avenue in Hartsdale last year, will hold a grand opening Saturday at 11 a.m.

CVS Pharmacy will move into the new mixed-use building at 7 Popham Road in Scarsdale, adjacent to the Metro North train station, this month. The 15,000-square-foot retail space will replace the smaller store at 90 Garth Road in Scarsdale.
By the end of the year, CVS will move into the 16,000-square-foot space at 24 Mamaroneck Ave. in White Plains, formerly occupied by Woolworth’s and Foot Locker.

The moves were announced by the broker, Pam Bren Goldschmidt of Goldschmidt and Associates in Scarsdale.

Mary Ann Liebert Inc., a publisher of biotechnology journals, said today it has started a biotech video channel hosted on its Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News Web site (www.genengnews.com) .

“We have launched the video component to complement our print and online editions,” said John Sterling, the publication’s editor-in-chief.

The first video to run on GEN’s biotech video channel is a corporate-overview video about GE Healthcare Life Sciences.

The Piscataway, N.J.,-based unit of General Electric Co. was chosen because its business is similar in breadth to GEN’s coverage and is relevant to the Web site’s audience, the New Rochelle-based company said.

Robin Rosen, a former prop stylist, has started a home staging company called Stageffect in Mount Kisco. Home stagers redecorate homes to make them more appealing to home buyers. Rosen said she is working with homesellers and real estate agents in Westchester and Fairfield County, Conn.

Blue Chip Public Relations Inc., which specializes in providing PR and media-relations services for financial companies, announced that it has been retained by Horizon Wealth Management LLC.

Horizon, based in Baton Rouge, La., is an independent financial advisory firm that provides advice to business owners, individuals and professional athletes. It also has offices in North Carolina, Florida, Ohio and Tennessee.

Clients of Blue Chip (www.bluechippr.com), which also has an office in Greenwich, Conn., include financial advisors, private money managers, mutual funds and other financial-service providers. Horizon chose Blue Chip based on its strong ties with premier financial and trade publications, extensive knowledge of the financial services industry, and proven media results, Horizon partner Pete Bush said in a written statement.

New Rochelle has become the latest city to allow Verizon to offer its FiOS fiber-optic television service to residents. The City Council voted Thursday night to approve a franchise agreement, which now must be reviewed by the state Public Service Commission.

“It provides competition, which the city administration and officials have supported and it provides for much needed public educational and government access support,� Assistant to the City Manager Omar Small said yesterday.

The service will compete with Cablevision, which already offers service in the city of 76,000.

Verizon spokeswoman Heather Wilner said the company and the city are still putting finishing touches on the agreement before sending it to the PSC.

Cablevision spokesman Patrick MacElroy, in a statement, said Cablevision “has been successful in a market that is already highly competitive because consumers know that our picture quality, programming choices and advanced services like high-definition television and video on demand provide a home entertainment experience that cannot be matched, in addition to the fastest Internet and best voice service in the market.�

— Ken Valenti

Build-A-Bear Workshop, which allows kids to build their own stuffed animals, will open a store in the Jefferson Valley Mall in Yorktown Heights on Thursday. In a Build-A-Bear store, the customer gets to choose from more than 30 stuffed animals that they can make. The animals range in price from $10 to $25.

A new medical group of doctors from Northern Westchester officially opens on Monday.
Westchester Health Associates will feature 56 physicians from more than 22 practices in Northern Westchester. The medical group will operate a central office in the former Coldwell Banker building at the intersection of routes 22 and 35 in Katonah. That office will offer internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, orthopedics, gastroenterology, radiology and cardiology.
Group doctors will also continue to see patients at their current offices in Westchester.
By combining resources, the physicians will be able to improve patient services, aid communication between doctors and simplify access to top specialists, according to the group.
“Another of Westchester Health’s unique benefits is that patients can continue to see the physicians they’ve always known and loved in their current, small office settings, keeping the care personal and compassionate, and yet have instant access to all that a large, multi-specialty group has to offer,â€? said Dr. Peter Mercurio, president and chief executive officer of Westchester Health.

Westchester Health can be reached at 914-232-1919.

The formation of Westchester Health is the latest shakeup in physician practices in Northern Westchester. The group includes many doctors formerly associated with the Katonah Medical Group and physicians who have been practicing independently. In December, another 20 physicians at Katonah Medical Group announced plans to join Mount Kisco Medical Group, creating a practice with more than 130 doctors and seven offices.

AvalonBay Communities will break ground on its first apartment building in White Plains Tuesday. Avalon White Plains, at 27-29 Barker Ave., will have 393 luxury apartments in 14-story tower and townhouses. It will have an outdoor swimming pool and a parking garage with 535 spaces. It’s expected to be ready for occupancy next summer, said AvalonBay Development Director Rachel Loeb.

A ground-breaking ceremony will be held on the site at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday and will be attended by local officials and community leaders.

AvalonBay is an Alexandria, Va.-based real estate investment trust with rental apartment buildings in New Rochelle, Mamaroneck, Bronxville, Elmsford, Nanuet and Pomona. This new development will differ in design.

“It’s unique to us because the development has a combination of high-rise apartments, but also we’re building townhouses that are wrapped around the garage and will conceal it from view,� Loeb said. “You won’t see the garage from anywhere on the street.�

For more information, visit the Web site: avalonwhiteplains.com.

White Plains Vision Care, which offers eye exams, contact lens fittings and same-day service on eyeglasses, has opened at 148 Mamaroneck Ave. in White Plains. The center is affiliated with Larchmont Vision Center in Larchmont.

Patriot National Bank has opened a branch office in Bedford, its first in the Lower Hudson Valley, the Stamford, Conn.-based banker announced this week.

Patriot has 16 branch banks and expects to open several more this year, it said. Its only other New York location is in Manhattan.

AT&T Inc. recently opened three wireless stores at the Galleria mall in White Plains, Jefferson Valley Mall in Yorktown Heights and Palisades Center in West Nyack. The three stores offer a range of wireless products and services. AT&T has 100 retail locations in the metro New York area and northern New Jersey.

AT&T Inc. recently opened three wireless stores at the Galleria mall in White Plains, Jefferson Valley Mall in Yorktown Heights and Palisades Center in West Nyack. The three stores offer a range of wireless products and services. AT&T has 100 retail locations in the metro New York area and northern New Jersey.

A former Louisiana man whose home was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina two years ago has started a consulting business in North Salem. Delta Litigation Consulting provides research for personal injury, contract, product liability, insurance and other kinds of cases.

Gary Giewat, who runs the business, can also help lawyers with jury selection and conducting interviews after trials. Giewit was a litigation consultant in Louisiana but the hurricane forced him and his family to leave the state and stay with family in North Salem. He started the business after he and his family decided to make New York their home.