Hi Gotham,
Change is the only constant, and after spending over two decades in the Banking industry, I have decided to embrace this wisdom and pivot to a new path in the Not-For-Profit Industry. Although my idea of where I wanted to go was unclear at first, the desire to serve my communities remained my guiding light.
The journey to a new career path can be daunting, but I was fortunate to have a supportive network who lived by the mantra "it's better to give than to receive." These figures, including Fred Klein, Nancy Schess, Crysti Farra, David Abeshouse, Shelley Simpson, Corey Bearak, Shawn Bernabeu, Marc Halpert, Alan Schwartz, Paula Oleska, Andrew Kirwin, Tara Fappiano, Warren Bergstein, Norm Spizz, Mike Wiebe, Mitch Tobol, Ben Geizhals, William Skody, Marc Gross, Claudia Zeldin, Bobby G., and many others, provided invaluable assistance along the way.
I would like to give a special mention to Barbara Liguori a dynamic leader from my previous institution. Although she is not currently a member of our network, Barbara played a crucial role in guiding me towards my new career path. Our meeting at the 10/2 NYC Triple Cocktail Event sparked a productive discussion about my aspirations, and her immediate efforts were instrumental in securing me a position at the Business Outreach Center Network Thanks to her, I am now part of the industry I have always wanted to be a part of.
The support from the Gotham community was beyond incredible. I am usually someone who prefers to tackle such transitions independently, but a wise woman (R.R.) asked, "Why do it on your own when you have the power of networking?" I could not agree more.
With a heart full of gratitude, I wish to express my deepest thanks to the entire Gotham family. Your help has been a testament to our Gotham spirit: we take care of each other. I excitedly look forward to the ways in which I can contribute to our collective growth and success in this new phase of my career.
Reliable Ray Walcott ~ Dare To Be Great!
I recently made a change in my life that felt like I was jumping out of a plane not knowing if my parachute would open. I was soon to discover that my wonderful Gotham friends were truly my parachute. Thanks to the amazing Riva Schwartz and her network of friends, I can proudly announce my new position as Vice President and Administrator of Right at Home Long Island.
Through some very anxious and tense weeks, the caring, support and friendship of Renee Richter, Flo Feinbergand Ben Geizhals, Riva and Alan Schwartz, Corey Bearak and our very patient and confidence building Mitch Tobol, I have been able to land softly and embark on a new and exciting life and career.
Through the years I have been able to help so many people with the help of Gotham and now I have been helped beyond expectation. The value of being a Gotham member is immeasurable. Thank you to all of you!
I have 90-year old client in Wesptport, CT who needed property management help on a personal basis taking care of his house as he weakens, I asked Judy for help and by the next day she had found someone.
Gotham strikes again!
When my stepdaughter called me in near hysteria because of an unexpected flight schedule change for her upcoming trip with her husband and very young children, I advised her to reach out to Laura Avital of Mill Brook Travel who I know from our fabulous Long Island Women's group.
Laura was able to offer a much more sensible flight arrangement which is both safer and more convenient for their travel. Thank you so much Laura for your expertise and caring.
I wish I could figure out how to post a picture to this e-mail to show you the full extent of what Nancy did last night.
To say Nancy Schess went above and beyond does not adequately express what she did. My daughter is Vegan, and finding really good vegan baked goods on Long Island is almost impossible. She has a favorite baker in the City where I have been able to order birthday cakes every year.
This year was a problem—not the order, but logistically getting it here because of my schedule—so I reached out to several colleagues who I knew commuted into the city to ask if it was possible to pick up a box from Cinnamon Snail on the way home. Within moments Nancy Schess raised her hand without hesitation, and last night we met at the Hicksville Train Station at 8PM for the handoff. Nancy made my daughter’s birthday---the dozen vegan strawberry shortcake unicorn birthday cupcakes which I knew my daughter would love are here for her birthday because of Nancy’s willingness to help, and she did so with a huge smile and the continued phrase “not a problem”.
I cannot thank you enough Nancy ----you are truly amazing!!
Once again, Alan Kreit made me look like a rock star!
Friends, who were looking for a condo for their son in NYC, told me they were going to use their bank for the mortgage. I encouraged them to shop around and referred them to Alan. Not only did he get them a better deal than their bank was offering, he worked with them when they wanted to change things after the contracts were signed and stayed in constant contact guiding them step-by-step throughout the process. When the closing date was set only a few days out, Alan personally ran paperwork around so the closing wouldn't have to be postponed.
As Alan says "If you want your mortgage done right, call Alan Kreit!"
Shout out to travel agent Laura Avital (516) 295-6088 (whom I met at a Gotham meeting last month), for taking care of booking flights etc for my employees to go to a training seminar. She was delightful!
Not only did [Carol Greenwald] generously spend an exorbitant amount of time discussing a personal issue I was having but, she did it while she was away on vacation. Carol truly exemplifies the Gotham mantra that it is better to give than receive.
And, if you're an attorney and you have not used Carol's services then you're probably losing business and money. Just saying. . .
Danny does it AGAIN. Danny Mizrahi and his team at Contango IT were able to fix/handle all of our internet/security needs at Forest Hills Financial Group.
THANK YOU DANNY!
Just want to say many thanks to all who responded with contacts! Such an enormous response!
What a group! I’m humbled to be a member!
Thanks again all and have a great week—Let’s hope they can keep the trains running—on BOTH sides of the River!
Gotham Magic works again!
Many thanks to William Skody for meeting with me last year and recommending a few grassroots NYC based nonprofit organizations. One of the organizations William recommended, Culture For One, was recently approved to receive a grant from a philanthropy group I'm involved with. We would never have known about this wonderful organization had it not been for William.
William is an excellent resource for anyone involved in the not-for-profit sector. He is extremely knowledgeable and generous with his time!
Cheers,
Why I love Gotham...
Last night at 10:30 I sent a request to fredslist regarding my need to speak with someone about a technical question I had about a NYC certificate of occupancy and a condo conversion.
8:50 am today Tom Gallin from Gotham Construction group sends me the name of an expeditor, Kevin McCreesh. Spoke to Kevin, retained him for his consultation. All before 10 am!
Marty Klein, Co-Chair Gotham Dinner Group
Kris Behrman was very helpful when I needed an Excel trainer for a group of people who were being laid off.
With his patience and “get it done” attitude, he was able to convey the essential elements of Excel to some rather challenging participants.
I strongly recommend Kris for your projects.
Best wishes,
Mindy Stern
A special Thank You to Jack Halpern for all he did in my Mom's final days. If anyone has a parent or relative who is up there in age and you need any help at all he's the one. Compassionate and caring that's Jack
Thank you Jack for just being there and knowing you can be called on helped.
Jill M. Goldstein
Bill Skody has been helping my non-profit with its taxes since we incorporated, putting up with my ignorance and my tardiness, and has been as patient and professional as anyone can be. I am so extremely grateful for his assistance and guidance. Gotham really has some superstars and Bill is one of them!
THANKS A MILLION BILL!!
Steve Maggi, Esq.
No one likes to come home with on a Sunday night from after a great birthday/Valentine weekend --to find out a pipe burst under your kitchen sink and flooded/destroyed your already finished basement.
I knew I couldn't do this alone. I texted Jason, knowing he might already be on vacation. Guess what--he was on vacation and handled everything, always on top of what was needed in regards to filing an insurance claim. While I was losing my mind, he also became my therapist.
Everything from top to bottom has been clear,concise and completed.
Should this happen to you, please don't hesitate to call Jason! His number is (646-425-3711). I also referred a dear friend and they are also very happy!
Thank you Fred, for introducing and recommending Jason to me .and Jason, I can't thank you enough!
Cindy Somma
A few months ago, I had an issue with my very old Panasonic phone system. Kris Behrman answered the call and solved my problem in MOMENTS!
For the past few weeks I have been having issues with Verizon and I emailed Kris.. He asked me the right questions and now i have some more questions for Verizon. We are not done! But, if for any reason you have an issue with electronic automated systems and controls, please run and give him a call. He is well versed in system design, installations, troubleshooting, and upgrades of many types of systems new and in my case old. I know I am not finished working with Kris.
If it is electronic, Kris can help.
Thank you Kris!!
Beth Silver
A shout out for Hans Hansen!
When my foster daughter was told that she would not be receiving her student loan that I had co-signed for and Sallie Mae had accepted because her school “didn’t think she needed the money” (they didn’t even accept the amount that was her tuition!!) we were in a terrible place. In her graduation semester, she was completely flipping out with no resources to deal with this and fearing her whole college so far would be for naught.
I immediately thought Gotham. I called Hans and he called me right back. Calmed us down. Gave us sage advice. And when I spoke to the finance office - funny - they realized they had “miscalculated” and she would be getting the money.
Praise the Lord and thank you Hans!!
Ann Lindsay
Thanks to Leonard Khandros for helping! Leonard gave very simple, quick advice to help my son with his Landlord issue!
William Skody, CPA
Here’s a thundering shout out for Corey Bearak, a true friend and embodiment of the Gotham Credo “it’s better to give than to receive and what goes around comes around.”
At dinner the other night I asked him for very specific introductions and since then he hasn’t stopped delivering. This is a man who knows the whole world, is eager to share and never stops giving.
He’s a gem; if you know him you will no doubt agree, and if you don’t you ought to get to know him! Thank you, Corey.
Last week, I needed to connect a client to an employment lawyer in Denmark. Thank you to all who responded.
Anthony Verna, a member of our Dinner group, was able to make a personal introduction to a firm in Denmark that was exactly on target. Because of Anthony, I was a hero to my client.
This network is awesome!
No one likes to come home with on a Sunday night from after a great birthday/Valentine weekend --to find out a pipe burst under your kitchen
sink and flooded/destroyed your already finished basement.
I knew I couldn't do this alone. I texted Jason Greenberg, knowing he might already be on vacation. Guess what--he was on vacation and handled everything, always on top of what was needed in regards to filing an insurance claim. While i was losing my mind, he also became my therapist.
Everything from top to bottom has been clear,concise and completed.
Should this happen to you, please don't hesitate to callJason! His number is (646-425-3711). I also referred a dear friend and they are also very happy!
Thank you Fred, for introducing and recommending Jason to me .and Jason, I can't thank you enough!
A few weeks ago, I reached out to Gotham for help. I was hoping to be the most amazing Aunt and help my niece, Cate, and her fiancé, Dustin, who were going to be visiting DC today and wanted to visit the White House.
Bill Blanco responded with help and through his diligence and his wonderful son Billy, they arranged a private tour of the Capital (including behind the scenes where regular tours do not go!).
And of course Cate and Dustin absolutely loved the private tour and spending time with Billy who went above and beyond for them.
Bill and his son are true givers – they worked tirelessly to help create a special day for Cate and Dustin who just called me full of excitement to share how amazing it was and what an incredibly great guy Bill’s son, Billy is.
So a success all around: my niece had a great time and I made a new friend in Gotham: Bill Blanco.
If you have not met Bill yet, do yourself a favor and make time to get to know him – he’s someone who embodies our philosophy of “it’s better to give than receive” so let’s help do good for Bill and think of him when we can use his services so he will see that “what goes around comes around.”
Bill can be reached at:
Work Phone: 646 898 3580
Thank you Bill and thank you Billy!
Gotham & Dan Schwartz are AMAZING!
I put the request to fredslist last night, several gothamites recommended Dan.
He responded last night after 11pm(!!) and promised to look into it.
Dan looked at the CARR support system and gave us the correct info/useful info by 8:22 am!!!
THANK YOU DAN!!!
--Raj
For those of you who don’t know William Sko