Pelham Businesswoman to be Inducted into Westchester Business Council's Business Hall of Fame

From the BCW

The Business Council of Westchester today announced the winners of its prestigious Business Hall of Fame Awards.

This year’s honorees represent a diverse group of Westchester’s top businesses including a world-renowned technology developer, a leading holiday decorator, one of the nation’s oldest medical colleges, an affordable housing developer, a full-service insurance company and a family-owned funeral home that has operated for three generations.

Unique to this year’s Hall of Fame is the addition of the Chairman’s Recognition Award. The recipient of this inaugural award was chosen from among all of the entries received across all categories. The award recognizes a business or organization for its outstanding contributions to the community.

“We are proud to have a diverse and distinguished group of honorees that represent the best of Westchester businesses,” said Marsha Gordon, President and CEO of The Business Council of Westchester. “Our winners are a reflection of the dynamism of Westchester’s economy that is made up of everything from large corporations to family-owned businesses. We are honored to induct these companies into the 2015 Business Hall of Fame.”

The winners will be honored at the 2015 Business Hall of Fame Awards Dinner on Tuesday, April 21 at the Glen Island Harbour Club in New Rochelle. The winners in their respective categories are:

Corporate Citizenship: New York Medical College in Valhalla. Dr. Robert Amler, vice president for government affairs and professor of public health, will accept the award.

Entrepreneurial Success: Mindspark in Yonkers. Tim Allen, CEO, to accept the award.

Small Business Success: York International Agency, LLC in Harrison. Robert Kestenbaum, CEO, to accept the award.

Women in Business Success: Rella Fogliano, president of MacQuesten Development in Pelham. Fogliano to accept the award.

Family Owned Business: American Christmas in Mount Vernon. Fred Schwam, CEO, to accept the award.

Chairman’s Recognition Award: Beecher Flooks Funeral Home in Pleasantville. William Flooks Jr., funeral director, to accept award.

About the companies:

New York Medical College (NYMC) is one of the Nation’s oldest and largest private health sciences universities with more than 1,500 students, 800 residents and fellows, 2,800 distinguished faculty members and more than 15,000 living alumni. A member of the Touro College and University System, NYMC offers graduate-level degree programs for careers in medicine, public health, the biomedical sciences and the health professions. A total of 1,123 employees work at NYMC in Westchester County, which represents some $80.5 million in annual compensation.

Mindspark Interactive Network, Inc. (Mindspark) is a leading media and Internet company focused on the areas of search, applications, online dating, media and eCommerce. The Yonkers-based company is consistently ranked by Fortune magazine’s annual standings among the world’s most admired companies in the Internet Services & Retailing sector. Mindspark is home to some of the most popular and engaging mobile and digital applications in categories such as lifestyle, entertainment and utilities. Mindspark builds and strategically markets unique mobile and digital applications for audiences across a diverse range of interests. Mindspark’s product portfolio now includes more than 80 mobile and digital applications with users throughout the world.

York International Agency, LLC is a full service privately held insurance agency headquartered in Harrison. At York, a team of 42 insurance professionals represent 3,000 clients and $100 million of gross written premiums placed with various insurance companies. The company tailors risk management programs to meet the unique needs of each client. Specialty practices include Property, Casualty and Employee Benefits for businesses ranging from local sole proprietors to multi-national corporations, as well as Personal and Life insurance policies for clients within Westchester and the surrounding communities.

MacQuesten Development is a Pelham-based full-service company that includes general contracting, construction management and real estate development that consistently delivers high quality residential and commercial properties. The firm, founded in 1960, evolved from a Mount Vernon-based family construction business to a company with an unwavering commitment to improving local communities by developing superb, affordable market rate mixed-use projects.

American Christmas is the leading commercial holiday decorating firm in America. The Mount Vernon-based company designs, manufactures, installs, removes, stores and refurbishes holiday displays for office lobbies, tenant offices, hotels, restaurants, banks, theaters, retail stores, shopping centers, hospitals and television sets. Clients include Radio City Music Hall, Rockefeller Center, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, Macy’s, Cartier, Bloomingdale’s, Madison Square Garden and Uniqlo. American Christmas has 385 clients and over 525 installations. In addition, the company ships décor to over 2,000 stores throughout North America. The company was founded in 1968 by Marvin Schwam. In 1988, Fred Schwam, Marvin’s son, became the CEO and owner of American Christmas.

Beecher Flooks Funeral Home, Inc. has drawn on its three-generation pedigree to earn a reputation as one of the most compassionate, qualified funeral homes in the region. The business has been owned and operated by the Flooks family – including father, son and grandson – since its purchase in 2004, and also features two additional New York State licensed funeral directors with approximately 32 years in the industry. Together, the family has worked for a decade to strengthen their community, grow business and respect the environment, all without losing sight of their primary mission: making difficult times easier for grieving families. The non-denominational funeral home has worked with approximately 2,500 families since 2004 and is a member of several industry organizations, including the New York State Funeral Directors Association, the Metropolitan Funeral Directors Association and the Westchester Funeral Directors Association.

The winners join an impressive group. Since its inception 15 years ago, the Business Hall of Fame has inducted over 60 business leaders, including:Corporate Citizenship: New York Presbyterian Hospital, Pernod Ricard USA, PepsiCo, Heineken USA, Con Edison, Verizon, Pace University, MasterCard, Entergy, NY Life Insurance Co., IBM, The Dannon Company. Entrepreneurial Success: Tommie Copper, Robert Martin Company, Lillian Vernon, Ginsburg Development, Westchester Broadway Theater, Club Fit, Rakow Commercial Realty, Curtis Instruments, Eco-Bags, Hospitality Resource Group, Regeneron, WestMed Medical Group. Small Business Success: Acorda Therapeutics, Community Mutual Savings Bank, Designer One, Thompson & Bender, C.W. Brown, Inc., NY Hospitality Group, Proftech, LLC, Co-Communications, The Dorf Law Firm, Divney, Tung & Schwalbe, Westchester Magazine. Women in Business Success: Dani Glaser, Green Team Spirit, Lenore Minerva, Empress Emergency Medical Services; Training Dynamics; Joan Corwin, Chappaqua Transportation; Arlette Turturro, Night Owl Cleaning Services; Abigail Kirsch; Carol Greenberg, Concept CARE; Dee Del Bello, Westfair Communications; Georganne Chapin, Hudson Health Plan; Therese Ferretti, Collins Brothers Moving; Nancy Ment, Andrus Children’s Center; Molly Easo Smith, Manhattanville College. Family Business Success: Liberty Lines, Empire City Casino at Yonkers Raceway, Advocate Brokerage, Strauss Paper Co., WJ Deutsch & Sons, Artuso Pastry, Circulation Experti, Famous Famiglia, Red Oak Transportation, Berkeley College, Universal Builders Supply, Wilson and Sons Jewelers.