Manhattan BNI News

BNI's Official Diversity Statement


Manhattan BNI Celebrates Our Longtime Members:

More Than 20 Years: More Than 15 Years: More Than 10 Years: More Than 5 Years:
Cabot Marks
Charles Vorbach
Cliff Rubin
Eamon Walsh
Edward Smolka
Jacob Letowsky
Jacqueline Frank
Kelly Cole
Michael Calica
Randi L. Karmel
Robert Weinberg
Thomas Regalbuto
Todd Cymbol
Todd Feldman
Alan Bennett
Alex Constantopes
Andrea Wolff
Belinda Jackson
Bill Allen
Brian McCafferty
Charles M. Arnold
Christian Zebicoff
Cindy Goodman
David A. Kaminsky
David Goldstein
David Sachs
Dawn Cardi
Diana Maltz
Donald Wall
Donna Zanger
Douglas Niosi
Elisabeth M. Kovac
Gail Bass
Gary Cohen
Glenn Edelstein
Helene Pangalos
Howard Globus
James Addy
Jay Zimner
Jeff Nolan
Jeffrey Levine
Jeremy Sherring
Jimmi Circosta
John Parisi
Jolie Ann Calella
Jonathan Feinsilver
Joseph Tremiti
Joshua Spiegel
Judah P. Stoller
Keith Bebick
Keith Lulewich
Keith Philipps
Kenny Weitzman
Kwok Man
Lisa Abiraj
Manuel Mercader
Marc Silverman
Mark Chapman
Matthew Lombardi
Michael Goldfine
Naomi Halpern
Paul Babych
Peter Dressel
Phil Koeber
Richard Krasner
Robert J. Smith
Robert Russo
Ruth Baumann
Samuel Rizzo
Stacy Francis
Stefan Greenberg
Steve Millhollon
Steven Mancinelli
Stuart Tash
Terry MacAvery
Thomas Toy
Wayne Lee
William Fischer
Adrian Ozarchievici
Alan Lustrin
Alan Markowitz
Albert D'Angelo
Allan Pearlman
Amparo Vollert
Amy Noelle
Anand Kapasi
Andre Soluri
Andrew Kahner
Ariel Dybner
Barry Cooper
Benjamin Wolf
Billy Joe Young
Brett Deutsch
Brian Murphy
Brian Zimmet
Brittany Greer
C. Picara Vassallo
Carey Davis
Carol Offman
Cathy Hobbs
Christine Wong
Cliff Schneider
Conrad Strabone
Dani Nodelman
Daniel O'Hara
Daniel Vitolo
David Drucker
David Dukoff
David Gouldstone
Deborah Blumenfield
Deborah Donenfeld
Elise Langsam
Elliot Zelinger
Eric Turk
Eugene Gozenput
Fred DaCosta
Geoffrey M. Prisco
Guy Menahem
Harriet Zaffoni
Homitch Grabowski
Howard Karp
Ippei Iwashiro
Jane Becker
Janice Roven
Janine Sarna-Jones
Jarad Siegel
Jared J. Finkelstein
Jason Kapoor
Jeffrey Anderson
Jeffrey Bernard
Jeffrey Lender
Jeffrey Peyser
Jeffrey Tucker
Jeffrey Weiskopf
Jeremy Peyser
Jessica Allen
Jessica Wong
Jim Farah
Joe Dec
John Crane
John Fiorito
Jonathan Ratchik
Jordan Metzger
Joseph Benincasa
Joseph Gordon
Joseph Jones
Josh Doyle
Joshua Newman
Joshua Perlman
Juin Wang
Ken Sassano
Kristin Palmeri
Lawrence Adler
Lawrence Chaifetz
Leslie Tilles
Marc Braunstein
Mathew Goldberg
Matthew J. Fein
Matthew Kesten
Michael Bedell
Michael Knuff
Michael Lulkin
Michael Nerenberg
Michael Todd Mueller
Olga Savelov
Pamela Brenner
Paul Donas
Peter Chace
Pierre Janssen
Ralph Robbins
Ravee Shrinivas
Raymond Hamlin
Rebecca Buchanan
Richard Langsam
Rick Lasher
Robert A. Weinstein
Robert Kern Jr.
Robert Schlesinger
Robert Shapiro
Robert Soler
Ronald Rauschenbach
Rosemary DePersia
Roy Fenichel
Ryan Smith
Sally Brooke-Smith
Sandy Silverberg
Scott Valins
Serge Lazarev
Seth Hochman
Seth Kamens
Sharon Becker
Simone Assboeck
Stavros Sitinas
Stephanie Wilson
Steven Conyers
Steven D. Fleischer
Steven Esses
Susanne Schropp
Terry Ganer
Thomas Newman
Tonja Adair
Victor Deutsch
Walter VanSchaick Jr.
Wesley Stanton
William Bolls
Zack Rawlings
Aaron Krantz
Aaron Mazor
Aaron Pierce
Adam Brett Kapner
Adam Katzman
Adrian Levin
Agnieszka Chomicz-Grabowska
Akiva Cohen
Alec Dadisman
Alessandra DeLaCruz
Alex Mahgoub
Alexander Sakin
Alexandra Cohen
Alison McQueen
Alison Orlando
Alix Bien-Aime
Amy Horowitz
Anatoliy Chistov
Andrew Rosenberg
Andrew Yacyshyn
Ariel Peikes
Arthur Mandell
Audrey Schwartz
Avi Ashkenazy
Barry Koven
Bart Eagle
Ben Prusky
Bradley Ziegler
Brett Semenetz
Brian Dusseau
Brian Kaplan
Brian Rothmeier
Briana Elledge
Bryan Johnson-Xenitelis
Bryan Winston
Carl Schinina
Carlos Dolmo
Carson Alexander
Charles Rosenbaum
Chirag Mody
Christine Ricci
Christopher Howard
Christopher Milazzo
Christopher Seleski
Christopher Tsanos
Claudia Hernández
Corey Anker
Craig Faller
Craig Notte
Daniel Gotlieb
Daniel Jacoby
Daniel O'Connor
Daniel VanHall
Daniel Weber
Danielle Diaz
Darrel Upson
David Binson
David Breitstein
David Goldstein
David Klyman
David Llanos
David Perry
David Stern
David Wald
David Woods
Dean Kuhlkin
Debra Seaton
Diane Close
Dianna O'Doherty
Diego Lares
Donald Cutler
Edward Lederman
Edward Tan
Eileen Vazquez Thornton
Elizabeth Eiss
Emma Tang
Eric Lituchy
Eric Lorenzo
Eric Mendelsohn
Eric Williams
Eva Grodberg
Frank Pizzurro
Gary Ireland
Gary McNally
Gerard Dunne
Greg Smith
Guy Tomlinson
H.P. Sean Dweck
Hannah Rosenblum
Heshy Feldman
Hormuz Batliboi
Howard Glick
Ian Scott
Igor Noble
Ilan Weiser
Irina Zheleznyak
Jackie Siracuse
James Lombardo Jr.
Jason Barash
Jason Ritchie
Jason Rodriguez
Jason Wang
Jay Wright
Jeanie Engelbach
Jeff Detweiler
Jeffrey Pearson
Jeffrey Singer
Jen Lee
Jennifer Mirsky
Jennifer Wilkov
Jerry Gemignani
Joan Pelzer
Jodi Materna
Joey Antar
John Cipollone
John J. Lynch
John Mark Shaw
John Wiltshire
Jon Smilowitz
Jonathan Hoener
Jonathan Tauzowicz
Jose Gomez
Joseph Whitney
Judith Weil
Julie Alcee
Justin Waiser
Justin Weitzman
Katie McCann
Kayla Klinge
Keith Emmer
Kelley Joyce
Kenneth Traficante
Kris Nejat
Kyle Sennish
Laiby Klein
Lawrence Teitle
Lee Hendelman
Leona Krasner
Leonardo Puma
Lina Stillman
Luis (Berto) Antunano
Lynn Markel
Mahmoud Arjomand
Marc Solomon
Marcela Barraza
Margaret Enloe
Maria Octavio
Mark D. Friedman
Mark Foley
Marlon J. Altoé
Martin Novar
Mary Chandrahasan
Mary Grimm
Mathieu Aimlon
Matthew DeSantis
Matthew Masseo
Matthew Walters
Melanie Fox
Melissa Rapoport
Mia Poppe
Michael Blumenfeld
Michael Haltman
Michael Herz
Miguel Gonzalez
Mihal Gartenberg
Monica Liang-Allen
Naeem Hussain
Nancy Dale
Nandar Matari
Natanel Benisti
Natasha Moskvina
Neal Bass
Neha Bhalani
Neil Burstein
Nicolas Zapata
Nicole Fiene
Noa Lessing
Nydia Shahjahan
Omar Calderon
Patricia Goodwin
Patrick Anarumo
Paul Hyun
Peter Karoczkai
Philip Berkeley
R. Diego Velazquez
Rachel Haskell
Ralph Rodriguez
Renee Radenberg
Richard Bloom
Richard Goldstein
Richard Kistnen
Rick Biolsi
Ritu Saheb
Rob Slifer
Robert Pecha
Robert Rawdin
Robert Steele
Rosanna Roizin
Ross Arnel
Sanford Miller
Sari Rosenberg
Scott Bernstein
Scott Harris
Sean Mathey
Seaver Wang
Sebastian Triscari
Sergio Aguirre
Sibongile Yancy
Simon Barcoe
SJ Chapman
Sorel Roget
Spencer Friedman
Stan G. Horowitz
Stephen England
Stephen Goldstein
Steve Polyakov
Steven D'Andrea
Steven Geiger
Steven Golodny
Steven McMahon
Steven Seltzer
Susan May-Mclean
Susan Terwilliger
Terrylynn Smith
Thomas West
Tim Lewis
Tim Madden
Tom Costagliola
Tom Georges
Tom Hayes
Tom Oddo
Toni Dolce Bove
Tony Boehm
Tony Margiota
Ty Buckelew
Veronique Verscheure
Victoria Rivera
W. Mathew Sakkas
Wayne Wolf
William Clanton
Yishai Shapir
Yogi Patel
Zeke Zimmerman

Manhattan BNI Softball Tournament

Manhattan BNI Chapters come together for the annual softball tournament for charity! Chapters 1, 12, 53, 62, and 70 played 5 games each. Chapter 12 brought the trophy home!


Live Instagram Interview with Dr. Ivan Misner

BNI Chapter 54's Ryan Garson landed a Live Instagram Interview with Dr. Ivan Misner, "The Michael Jordan of Networking."

Click to View


National Chess Master Evan Rabin from Manhattan BNI 30 Interviews Dr. Ivan Misner


Dr. Misner brings his "Ask the Founder" Webinar to Manhattan BNI


Click to View

Ivan Misner and Manhattan BNI's Todd Cymbol and Marc Silverman
presented an "Ask the Founder" webinar for our region in September 2020


Professional Networks Are Zooming Through the Coronavirus Pandemic

Many business groups are meeting online—some gatherings have excellent results, others fall flat.

Christine Wong and Brooke Hubbard from BNI Chapter 8
are mentioned in this Wall Street Journal Article.

by Anne Kadet
May 6, 2020

When a handful of New York City businessmen met on Zoom for a 6:30 a.m. networking meeting late last month, the discussion turned to the challenges of networking itself in the coronavirus lockdown era.

“My issue is trying to find other ways to connect with people,” said Ellisen Wang, an email- marketing copywriter who lives in Queens. “I used to go to a lot of networking events and meet with a lot of business owners. Now that Covid-19 happened, I can’t really do that anymore.”

Yes, until the pandemic hit, New York City offered a truly dazzling professional networking scene. On any given day, there were dozens of breakfast, lunch and cocktail events targeting everyone from Asian professionals to pet-tech entrepreneurs. Now, in a time when people need new connections more than ever, many such gatherings have been suspended. Others carry on as Zoom meetings, with varying degrees of success.

Manhattan real-estate attorney Christine Wong says several of her networking standbys, including a women’s group and a lawyers’ community, have gone silent. Her chamber of commerce groups and Business Networking International chapter, meanwhile, moved online. “I’ve gotten stuck in the world of Zooming,” Ms. Wong said.

The move to Zoom has been smooth for some groups. At a recent meeting of Ms. Wong’s BNI Chapter 8, the business-networking program continued the same format the group followed pre-lockdown, when they met every Tuesday for breakfast at a Mexican restaurant near Grand Central. The usual 15 regulars were in attendance.

The difference: A larger showing of newcomers, as the group is waiving its usual $20 guest fee. Fresh faces included a yoga instructor, a leadership coach and a personal stylist.

“Thank you for joining us in this weird scenario online,” said chapter President Brooke Hubbard, Zooming in from her living room.

Everyone got 45 seconds to introduce themselves and make a pitch.

“Even in this trying time, there are great parts of a portfolio that have done well. Health care and technology are up for the year,” said an asset manager.

A promotional-products dealer offered a rhyme: “I love my job, I love what I do, let me get branded items for you!”

Ms. Hubbard, a social-media strategist and business owner, said these Zoom gatherings produce more post-event meetings among participants. “People can quickly hop on a Zoom call rather than finding a place to meet for coffee,” she said.

Some online networking events, however, fall flat. One gathering I attended last week, billed as a local “Entrepreneurs Referral Networking Zoom,” attracted eight participants, half of whom kept their cameras off. After introductions, an awkward silence descended.

The organizer tried prompting participants to speak: “Doug, did you want to say anything?”

“Just hi,” Doug responded.

A woman broke the lull by typing into the chat window: “I can’t get my system to work.”

Benjamin Einersen, a content strategist and agency founder who was co-organizing a fast- growing Manhattan networking circle geared toward entrepreneurs and professionals, says the move to Zoom altered nearly every facet of the enterprise, which had been drawing hundreds of guests.

Now that the meetings have temporarily gone online, they typically are drawing 20 to 25 participants. “It’s harder to get people to show up, which seems counterintuitive,” he said.

And the conversational tenor has shifted. People no longer approach with a selling mentality. They ask how they can help. “There’s a required sensitivity now,” Mr. Einersen said.

Networking chats tend to be deeper and more personal these days, as people connect over shared challenges, said Jeff Zalewski, executive partner of Performiforce LLC, an outfit hosting fee-based online networking events for New York City-area professionals. The pandemic, he said, “is getting people to slow down and communicate with their connections in a way that they should have been doing all along.”

Still, it can be hard to make connections when there are dozens crowding a Zoom room. Some networking events rely more on a guest speaker format, with a Q&A at the end.

Virtual 5 O’Clock, a free, biweekly Zoom meeting that evolved out of an informal in-person happy hour hosted by three Manhattan friends, recently featured local entrepreneur Paul Szyarto who noted that despite his rough upbringing—“dad tried to kill us”—he still managed to attend several prestigious universities, visit 30 countries, create 27 companies, raise a family and compile a “Rolodex of hundreds of billionaires.”

The secret to this transformation? Courage, he revealed, drawing on the examples of Rosa Parks and the Wizard of Oz’s Cowardly Lion.

Mr. Szyarto advised guests to be pandemic-era doers: “Don’t be a drone, be a change agent!”
While most of the 38 attendees appeared content to simply observe, there usually are many private side conversations transpiring in the platform’s chat window, with people making both business and romantic connections, said co-organizer Mindie Barnett, a public-relations executive.

When the lockdown ends, organizers say, Zoom networking will live on. While some find the medium unsatisfying or even annoying, many are loving it.

“I have my headphones, my camera of choice, I have my lights—everything I need to feel the part,” said Virtual 5 O’Clock’s co-organizer Layne Frank, a Manhattan businessman. “This is my comfort zone, my world.”

Read the article in The Wall Street Journal


A Huge Shout-Out to BNI Chapter 24's Akiva Cohen

Using his legal prowess to make the world better by helping those affected by COVID-19


Hero of the Day: NYC lawyer offers pro bono legal help amid coronavirus crisis

Courthouses are empty and proceedings delayed as the city battles the coronavirus, but Manhattan lawyer Akiva Cohen is still taking on new clients, offering free legal aid to those affected by the crisis — even as he battles the bug himself.

“I knew my business was going to be slowing down anyway, so I was going to have time on my hands,” the 41-year-old lawyer told The Post as he nursed a mild case of COVID-19.

“Times like this, everybody’s got to do what they can to help each other out. That’s really all we can do, is take care of each other.”

Cohen, a commercial litigator and intellectual property attorney, posted on Twitter on March 22 offering to help anyone with coronavirus-fueled legal issues, all pro bono.

“[New York] people—these are insane, trying times. If you need any legal help trying to deal with the impact of Coronavirus on your life or business, reach out. No charge,” he wrote.

Since then, the Long Island resident said he’s been flooded with a “crazy” level of notifications, and has begun fielding comments and messages from people in need of legal help.

“I’m just trying to get to as many as I can get to,” he said.

The altruistic attorney has been tackling issues from small business struggles to paperwork problems, something he says could be handled virtually.

“The very first real substantive response that I got a couple weeks ago was from people who were like look…we want to do healthcare proxies, but we’re in quarantine and can’t have witnesses because nobody can come in and witness it, what do we do?”

“These questions are not really questions that come up all that often in normal times,” explained Cohen, who helped the pair navigate finding a witness while staying socially distanced.

Most of the responses have come from freelancers frantic over unpaid invoices, Cohen told The Post.

“It’s mostly been, ‘Hey, people aren’t paying me,'” he said.

“You’ve got people who need to be paid but you also have people who, for legitimate business reasons, may not have the money. So you’ve got to try and walk that line of, let’s figure out what we can do here that is survivable for all of us. Because the point is, we’re all trying to survive this together.”

“When you’re talking about one of these mom-and-pop shops, you don’t want to be bringing out the bazookas and destroying their business,” he added.

The lawyer told The Post that his assistance “adds a little bit of weight” to virus-related conflicts—but for questions outside his expertise, he has no objection to calling in colleagues.

“Other attorneys have, when they saw my tweet, chimed in and said, you know what, I’d be happy to help with this if you could use the help. People are really stepping up all over the place,” he said.

“It’s good to have sort of a network of specialists that you can look to to help you answer these types of questions, and most people don’t. And that’s what I’m trying to offer people.”

His new clients have been grateful to get the legal assistance while the jury’s out, but Cohen brushes off the praise.

“People that I’ve helped and people that are just seeing this happen are like, ‘Oh my god, you’re amazing.’ … No, this is basic living-in-a-society stuff. I have the ability to help, I can do it without harming myself and my family — that’s my job.”

The veteran litigator told The Post he was especially inspired to lend a hand by family members on the front lines of the pandemic.

“My wife is a nurse, she works with chemotherapy patients. She saves lives. My mom’s a nurse, I’ve got other relatives who are front line fighting this off. If I can use this to do some level of good, that’s wonderful. I’m gonna have the time, I may as well put it to good use.”


Now, More than Ever

Business people need to network to stay in business

View Full Screen


BNI Boot Camp with Chapter 66 in Central Park

As a team building exercise BNI Chapter Super 66 lived up to its moniker and decided to enlist the help of one of its own members. Joshua Margolis who is the Founder and lead Fitness Consultant with Mind Over Matter Health & Fitness (affectionately known as M.O.M. www.mindovermatter.nyc) organized and conducted a BNI Boot Camp class in Central Park.


The purpose was two-fold. To bring about better cohesion within the chapter, and above everything else have some fun and laugh at ourselves. Suffice to say a lot of calories were burned in the process.

While most One-to-Ones happen in an office or a coffee shop, this group pushed the parameters of a "dance card." Sometimes one of the best ways to get to know another member is through exercise. Ultimately that leads to building a better relationship and a better understanding of one another. The competition, albeit friendly, that took place is yet another way. It truly brings out the best in all of us. As Joshua stated "You don't really know a person until you're in the trenches with them."

This was a perfect way to go outside the box of the typical BNI dynamic, all the while enjoying the company of one another. A good time was had by all and there were no injuries to report. Everyone walked away under their own power with most of their pride still intact. Already everyone is looking forward to the next time around.


Director Consultants from Three Continents Meet at Manhattan BNI

Nicholas GorskiDirector-Consultant, BNI Southeast France, LinkedIn
Ben PruskyDirector-Consultant, Manhattan BNI, LinkedIn
Jay KantawalaDirector-Consultant, BNI Sparkle, Mumbai South, LinkedIn


Crains NY Article

How to win business and influence people in NYC's cliquey and competitive Networking Groups

Crains Article on Manhattan BNI

Real estate attorney Jay Zimner at a BNI meeting at the Cornell Club.


Dancing the Two-Step to Growing Your Own Business

Charlene Nixon, Manhattan BNI Director Consultant, just released her newest book

BNI Members - 30% discount when purchased directly at http://aletanetworking.com/book/
Visit the website and enter Discount Code BNI30

Click to order from Amazon


BNI First Thing in the Morning

by Chapter 60's Charles DeBenedittis


BNI National Conference in Savannah, Georgia

BNI Awards at National Conference

William Bolls and Andrea Kent with Ivan Misner at the BNI National Conference in Savannah, Georgia

 

BNI Awards at National Conference

JP Pullos, Jacqueline Frank, Charlene Nixon, Michael Brathwaite, and Todd Hallinger
with Ivan Misner at the BNI National Conference Awards Dinner in Savannah, Georgia


Five Days, Five Lunches, Twenty-Seven One-to-Ones

My BNI Spring Lunch Project

by Walter C. Ramin

As a devout BNI member, I continually ask myself, “How can I pass more referrals to fellow BNI members? How can I really connect with the members that are inside my chapter, but outside my power sphere, on a deeper level?” Giver’s gain.

This is where I launched “My Spring 1-2-1 Lunch Project.”

I made five lunch reservations over the course of one week. Taking advantage of restaurant week pricing at some of NYC's best restaurants, I sent a mass email to the chapter inviting everyone to pick a day that worked for their schedule. The days filled up quickly with members claiming their seats. My lunch project was "sold out" almost instantly.

I had each lunch table full of a random assortment of BNI members, keeping the number to a maximum of 6 members. Regardless of power sphere, or industry, my goal was to dig deeper and find the unlikely connections that lie therein. I knew this time had to be valuable for everyone at the table, as well as myself, so instead of referrals which are “5’s,” I wanted to dig deeper and learn about their “1” referrals.

So, using the referral slip as a point of reference, I pointed out that a "5" on the thermometer indicated a hot referral. As an example, last week, I overheard one of my clients complaining about their office computers. They were slow and virus-ridden. I referred my chapter's IT person, Brian Murphy of Murph Consulting, whom was there the next day, fixed the problems, and collected a check. An easy "5", right?

Now, I thought, “What about the other clients I have, who one day, may need IT support?” “Could I make those introductions now?” My clients trust me. I can simply make an introduction. We all give testimonials about each other at our weekly meeting, I can give a great testimonial to my best clients about a member of BNI that could potentially be an excellent source of business. This introduction is more “You should know this person,” a “1” referral, as opposed to “This person has a problem, let’s solve it,” a “5” referral.

With this in mind, I asked everyone around the lunch table, “Who are your “1’s?” What kind of passive introductions can I make for you? Who are your best client types? With whom do you do your best work?“

What I had learned really opened my eyes and drew some great connections between our chapter members. I learned our Trust and Estates attorney would like to be introduced to Nursing Home administrators, as they are a good source of referrals to families. I learned our printer knows the ins-and-outs of print campaigns for not-for-profit organizations and would like to meet more. I learned our residential Real Estate agent would like to be introduced to other real estate agents outside of NYC because empty-nesters moving back to the city from the suburbs. I also discovered other connections such as, the matrimonial attorney refers to the mortgage broker for refinancing before a divorce and the medical marketing expert and the printer both know and want to meet pharmaceutical reps.

This project gave us the opportunity to mix it up and connect on a much different level, allowing us find these new and unlikely connections with members new and old. It was a much deeper and meaningful discovery which I know will lead to more referrals and more close business. The biggest take away from “My Spring 1-2-1 Lunch Project” was how we can not only continue to listen for new opportunities, but also be intentional and proactive in creating more opportunities for our chapter.

Walter C. Ramin is a Senior Account Manager at Merchant Department and 5-year BNI Member of Chapter 53. He loves referrals to small-to-mid sized locally-owned businesses.


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