We invite you to connect with fellow business leaders, professionals and entrepreneurs at the upcoming JBN Virtual Business Forum & Chanukah Celebration.
The Forum will feature a conversation with Robert P. Weisz, President & CEO, RPW Group, Inc. on “Shining A Light: Empowering businesses to Innovate & Lead”, followed by breakout sessions led by industry leaders to facilitate interactive discussions on innovation, perseverance and leadership with like-minded C-suite executives and professionals.
Special Feature: Chanukah Celebration and Menorah lighting led by JBN Partner Honoree.
Thursday, December 17th, 2020 | 7th Day of Chanukah, 2nd Tevet, 5781
12:00PM-1:15PM
Location
Virtual Zoom Platform (link provided upon registration confirmation)
Couvert
JBN Partners: Complimentary | Standard: $36-$54
Featured Speaker
Robert P. Weisz
President & CEO, RPW Group
Robert P. Weisz has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of RPW Group since he founded it in 1980. Born in Montevideo, Uruguay, Robert Weisz arrived in the United States in January 1977 and started a career in the furniture industry. In 1979, he purchased his first warehouse to house his furniture company; and by 1980, Weisz was intent on creating his own commercial real estate business. Several acquisitions followed, and RPW Group was born. RPW Group is the umbrella organization of several real estate holding companies owning in excess of 3 million square feet of commercial space. Robert Weisz is the largest private owner of Class “A” office buildings in Westchester County having acquired over 60 properties and has been in business for the past 40 years. RPW has experienced tremendous growth due to Weisz’s exemplary leadership, the team’s unwavering dedication, and the company’s commitment to integrity and first-rate customer service. Weisz is considered one of the most knowledgeable executives in the industry and is a highly sought-after speaker for lectures and other speaking engagements. Moreover, thanks to the extraordinary success of RPW, Weisz is an important and well-respected figure in the Westchester community. He has been the recipient of numerous recognitions as well as receiving an Honorary Doctorate Degree of Commercial Science from Mercy College in 2014. Most importantly, Weisz contributes his influence, time and resources to noteworthy causes, actively supporting a number of philanthropic organizations, participating in various city and town committees and serving as a member of the Board of Directors of Westchester County Association, Reaching U and the Inner-City Scholarship Fund of the Archdiocese of New York City.
Moderator
Geri Pell
CEO, Pell Wealth Partners
Geri Eisenman Pell, Private Wealth Advisor and CEO of Pell Wealth Partners, a private wealth advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc., has been a financial advisor since 1986. Among numerous national recognitions, Geri has appeared on CNBC, CNN, NBC Nightly News, and Fox Business News. She has also been quoted in and written articles for The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today, Financial Planning, Financial Advisor and Registered Rep Magazines. For the past few years, Geri was a member of CNBC’s first Digital Financial Advisor Council. As CNBC worked to strengthen their digital presence, members of the Council, such as Geri, contributed to the site through guest columns and on-air appearances enriching their content as it related to real life financial planning.
Geri has had the distinct honor of being recognized as one of the Top 100 Women Financial Advisors in the country by Barron’s Magazine from 2009-20181. She was also named to the Barron’s list of Top 1,200 advisors in the country in 2014-2017, 20192. Geri was recognized as one of Financial Times Top 400 Financial Advisors from 2017-2019 and was a 2017 Brava Award Winner by Smart CEO. Most recently, Geri was inducted into the Business Council of Westchester’s Hall of Fame recognizing her professional accomplishment, community service, and leadership as their 2018 Women in Business honoree.
In 2016, Geri was recognized in an article by Westchester Magazine as one of Westchester’s 30 Most Intriguing People. Her focus is on helping high net worth clients plan their financial goals for a lifetime and beyond. She believes that when done right, financial planning can be a life changing experience, re-aligning your relationship with wealth. Geri is a firm believer in the idea that working on money, investment and family issues should be a healing, non-stress-inducing process.
As the owner of a growing and successful practice of 19 team members, including 8 financial advisors, Geri continues to travel the country as a mentor, educator, and counselor for women and new advisors on financial planning initiatives and practice management. Geri has helped to train thousands of advisors over the years through one-on-one training, partnering sessions, and large group workshops. She is extremely proud of the knowledgeable team she leads and the culture they have all created, and in 2018, Pell Wealth Partners was recognized by Investment News as one the “Best Places to Work for Financial Advisers”.
Geri is a graduate of SUNY Albany, with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting. She went on to receive a Masters of Business Administration in Finance & International Business from New York University’s highly regarded Stern School of Business in 1981. Prior to the conception of Pell Wealth Partners, Geri gained experience working in corporate finance and treasury at General Foods, Hoffmann-LaRoche, and Bristol-Myers.
Geri is member of the Global Advisory Network for World Pulse, an international organization that uses the power of interactive media to connect and bring a global voice to women worldwide. She is also President of the Board of Trustees for Treehouse Shakers, an organization that brings dance and storytelling to children. Geri is on the Westchester Business and Professional Board of UJA, is a member of the UJA Women’s Executive Counsel in NYC and a board member for the SUNY Purchase College Performing Arts Center. Other areas of philanthropic involvement include the Food Bank for Westchester & Girls Inc. of Westchester which focus on topics Geri considers important both personally, and as an investing philosophy for sustainability and environmental & governance awareness.
Always striving to achieve balance in her life, Geri’s passions include music, yoga, reading (at the beach), and traveling. Most of all, she enjoys listening to her son, Duncan play piano and guitar, and having engaging conversations with her older son, Ben who teaches History at a High School in Brooklyn.
Breakout Sessions
Moderators
Stacey Cohen
President & CEO, Co-Communications.
Stacey founded Co-Communications, Inc. in 1997, an award-winning full-service public relations and marketing firm with offices in White Plains, NY, midtown Manhattan, and Farmington, CT. Stacey began her career at Marsteller Inc. (a division of Young & Rubicam), where she was responsible for expanding the corporate communications program for advertising executives. She then held senior positions in both public relations and marketing over a six-year period at CBS/FOX Video, then the world’s largest home video company. Under Stacey’s leadership, Co-Communications has been awarded the Advertising Club’s “Best of Show” (2002, 2010, 2012) sponsored by Gannett, Forbes Enterprise Award (2006), and was inducted into the Westchester County Business Hall of Fame (2008). She was named PRSA Practitioner of the Year (2013) in recognition of her professional achievements, experience, and reputation in the profession. A TEDx speaker and staple at industry conferences, Stacey is a blogger at Huffington Post and has been featured in Entrepreneur, Forbes, Crain’s, Sales & Marketing and a suite of other national publications. She holds a B.S. from Syracuse University, MBA from Fordham University and recently completed a certificate program in Media, Technology and Entertainment at NYU Leonard Stern School of Business.
Penny Lieberman
Principal, Jackson Lewis P.C.,
Penny Ann Lieberman is a Principal in the White Plains, New York, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. Since joining the firm in 1988, she has devoted her time to representing and advising management in the for profit and not-for-profit sectors in a wide variety of employment matters with an emphasis on complex reductions-in-force, restructuring and corporate transactions, wage and hour, workplace investigations and independent contractors.
Ms. Lieberman uses an interdisciplinary approach to providing advice and counsel on the cutting edge of the reduction-in-force and workplace reorganizations employees face today. She regularly counsels on compliance with WARN and state plant closing laws, group terminations, disability management, sexual harassment and other types of discrimination, wage and hour, independent contractors, developing personnel policies and effective employee handbooks.
Ms. Lieberman also litigates before administrative agencies and state and federal courts employment claims on behalf of management, including all types of employment discrimination claims, wage-hour claims, wrongful discharge and related tort and contract claims, independent contractor claims and audits and benefits claims under ERISA. She has appeared before the United States DOL, the New York State DOL and various state departments of labor throughout the country in the defense of a broad variety of cases, representing clients in manufacturing, wholesale, retail, not-for-profit, for profit, and service industries.
In addition, Ms. Lieberman works closely with clients in developing and conducting supervisory training programs relating to various issues such as worker classification issues, sexual harassment, employment discrimination, wage-hour, lawful interviewing and discharge tactics, and handling disability-related issues. Ms. Lieberman has authored several articles and has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal and The American Lawyer and various employment law-related publications. She frequently conducts seminars and workshops on worker misclassifications reductions-in-force, avoiding discrimination and harassment in the workplace, employee handbooks and wage and hour topics.
Ms. Lieberman is active in various community and charitable organizations.
Panelists
Mitch Benerofe
Principal, Benerofe Properties Corp.
Mitch Benerofe is the Principal of Benerofe Properties Corp.
After studying for his BSCE at NYU, he worked for two years at Edwards & Kelcey – Consulting Engineers, two years at Haines Lundberg & Waehler Architects followed by fifty one years at Benerofe Properties Corp.
History of Benerofe Properties Corp:
In 1922, Sidney and Irving Benerofe started the Port Chester Lighting Fixture Company that transformed into Port Chester Electrical Construction Corp. and then into Benerofe Properties Corp., the real estate and private equity investment company of today.
Some of the better-known work of Port Chester Electrical Construction included Camp Smith (U.S. Army), General Foods’ Headquarters in White Plains, IBM World Trade Headquarters and Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant.
During the 1940’s, 50s and 60s, in addition to electrical contracting, the company acquired residential, undeveloped, commercial and office properties. Florida became an important focus for residential building in the 1950’s with the company even developing a private utility firm. Investment activities broadened in scope to include securities, venture capital transactions, real estate development and mortgage lending.
In the mid 1950’s, Sidney Benerofe’s three sons, Andrew, James and Mitchell, began working for their Dad during summers in the electrical contracting warehouse. In 1961, Jimmy joined the firm and worked in property management. In 1964, Andy joined the firmed and Mitch followed in 1970, as the business continued its expansion.
In the early 1960’s, Benerofe Properties built Kingsley House, a Mitchell Lama senior housing project in White Plains, NY. Shortly thereafter, the city of Tuckahoe chose Benerofe Properties as its Urban Renewal developer. This resourceful downtown project also included the construction of Marble Hall, a mid-rise apartment building.
The 1970’s and 1980’s were both transitional and exciting for the firm. After the death of Sidney Benerofe, Andrew and Mitchell refined operations and implemented the first urban renewal project in the city of White Plains, a retail mall. More properties were purchased in White Plains and additional shopping centers were acquired throughout the eastern third of the U.S.
Commercial and residential development continued from Florida to the Northeast. Corridor and as necessary, Benerofe Properties formulated successful re-positioning plans for those properties in need of upgrading. Also at that time, Benerofe Properties implemented a new venture strategy; investing in young companies with growth opportunities, unrelated to its real estate holdings.
Through decades of growth and transformation, the company’s core philosophy of applying strong owner energy and interest to all transactions remains a constant. Capitalizing on their experience and sound track record, Benerofe Properties has entered the new millennium committed to the continuity of building quality and pursuing solid investments.
A New Millennium and a new Generation of Benerofe’s join the business . Mark, Craig and Gary joined as the Real Estate Markets were heating up , prior to the 2008 crash . One large deal in 2005 got us all fully into the game, the $150M 25 Building Verizon Deal .
Steven Eigen
CFO, Central National Gottesman, Inc.
Steven holds both an MBA in International Business from Pace University and a BBA in Accounting from Baruch College, City University of New York. After college he spent nearly a decade in public accounting focusing on international companies, then honed his skills in financial management positions with Bayer’s flavor and fragrance division and The Economist Group.
Steven has led the financial side of Central National Gottesman as Chief Financial and Administrative Officer for 15 years, a role that includes overseeing due diligence for corporate acquisitions as well as responsibility for all financial functions.
Aside from his CNG work, Steven is also a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants. He also serves on the ADP Client Advisory Board, and is the Treasurer and Board member of a non-profit in his community.
Robert Friedland
Chairman, Westrock Development LLC
In 1971, Robert Friedland established Friedland Realty Inc. as an industrial real estate brokerage firm servicing the Bronx and Lower Westchester. The company started as a one-man operation in the basement of an office building, with a focus on industrial real estate. Forty five years later, Friedland Realty Inc is the largest privately owned commercial real estate firm in the Bronx and Westchester area, with more than twenty brokers specializing in Industrial, Retail and Office leasing and sales and investment sales
While running Friedland Realty, Mr. Friedland began a side-practice of investing in commercial real estate, often putting together syndications and other joint venture deals. For the most part, these deals were value added investments, where some level of development was done in order to make a property realize its intrinsic value. These investments proved to be extremely lucrative for both Mr. Friedland and his investors. It was a natural progression to look for value-added investment opportunities on a full time basis. In the spring of 2001, Westrock Development was created, and Mr. Friedland now serves as chairman of Westrock. During the past 18 years Mr. Friedland acquired Shleppers Moving and Storage, KIA of Old Saybrook and created Sensible Auto Lending.
Mr. Friedland earned his bachelor degree from Bard College, and received an MBA from Adelphi University. He also did graduate work in Physics at the University of Connecticut.
Mr. Friedland has been active with, just on a Jewish level, JNF, JCCMW, ADL, UJA, Temple Israel Center, Sulam Ya’akov and a myriad of other organizations. He was also an owner of the former Westchester Jewish Chronicle.
Gary Katz
Managing Partner, Downtown Capital Partners
DCP was founded by Gary Katz, who has a 24 year background as an owner of and investor in corporate and real estate assets. After graduating Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School, Gary served as a law clerk to a Federal District Court Judge, was the lead lawyer on over 30 jury trials as an Assistant District Attorney in Massachusetts, and worked as a corporate restructuring attorney at Skadden, Arps where he advised the senior management of large corporations facing periods of intense financial and operational stress and distress. Prior to founding DCP in 2009, Mr. Katz was a partner at Delaware Street Capital, a hedge fund specializing in credit opportunities.
Menorah Lighting Honoree
Lyle Domenitz
Partner, Strategies for Wealth
Lyle Domenitz is a Partner of Strategies for Wealth with offices in NYC, Westchester, Long Island, Framingham, MA, and Providence, RI. Lyle brings over 25 years of experience in the Life Insurance Industry.
Lyle is responsible for training and development at Strategies for Wealth as well as the firm’s business planning initiatives. Having successfully built and sold his first business in his 20’s, Lyle’s passion is assisting business owners with strategies to grow, maintain, and exit their business on their terms.
A native New Yorker, Lyle currently resides in Westchester, NY.
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