Crains New York - May 21, 2012 - (Page 3)

IN BRIEF LANDLORD THOR EQUITIES IS SPENDING $5 MILLION TO RENOVATE THE SIX-FLOOR RETAIL space in the former Takashimaya Building at 693 Fifth Ave. The space had been leased to Forever 21 since 2010 through short-term deals. Thor is now searching for a long-term occupant. Average ground-floor asking rents on Fifth Avenue between 49th and 59th streets have skyrocketed 22% since last spring to $2,750 a square foot, according to the Real Estate Board of New York’s spring retail report. THE NEW YORK RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION HAS A FULL PLATE OF LEGISLATIVE ISSUES TO address in the city, from letter grades to a proposed paid-sick-days law. Now it needs to find a new executive to lead its New York City chapter. Andrew Rigie, executive vice president, left two weeks ago, according to Rick Sampson, the association’s CEO. “We are restructuring the organization,” he said. “We want to hire a trade executive who will take it to the next level.” COMMERCIAL BROKERAGE VETERAN JOSEPH HARBERT HAS JOINED COLLIERS International as president of the Eastern region. Mr. Harbert is charged with helping raise the company’s profile, especially in New York. He plans to hire more brokers and expand into new service lines. He was formerly chief operating officer for Cushman & Wakefield Inc.’s New York metro region. BY THE NUMBERS Weekly shift of the city’s economy MORE TO FEAR THAN CHEER Housing starts and manufacturing rose, and NYC job gains hit a 60-year record in April. But fears of a Greece-led European meltdown rose to a boil. RAMON RODRIGUEZ has been called a “revolutionary” by some, a “lunatic” by others. buck ennis PRIVATE-SECTOR JOBS added in NYC in April. Ten-year avg. is 10,400 Source: NYS Dept. of Labor 27,400 82M SURVEYED FACEBOOK INC. shares traded in EMPLOYEES who first 30 seconds were “unsatisfied” of company’s IPO with their current Source: Reuters positions Source: Right Management 44% The trials of a renegade CEO Combative chief shakes up troubled Wyckoff hospital Battling doctors, directors and state officials in bid to save B’klyn facility the board of trustees and ended perks— like free lunches for physicians—that divided the staff. He zealously champions the local, largely Latino and AfricanAmerican community, but has been criticized for allegedly referring to a group of well-paid doctors as the “Indian mafia.” Backers have called him a “revolutionary.” Detractors seem to prefer “bully” or even “lunatic.” A recent no-confidence vote by Wyckoff physicians underscored the degree to which Mr. Rodriguez has become a polarizing figure. “Mr. Rodriguez is a type-A-plus personality,” said a supporter, Dr. Gustavo del Toro, the hospital’s new chief medical officer. “He is aggressive, with a take-no-prisoners attitude. People are going to be See TRIAL on Page 30 HOT HOTELS As record numbers of tourists flood the city, hotels are happily cashing in on demand. Daily room rate, change year over year +6.81% +4.74% +2.82% +1.07% -1.84% 10/11 11/11 12/11 1/12 2/12 3/12 Source: PKF Consulting +5.24% ADDICTED TO NUMBERS? GET A DAILY DOSE AT @STATSANDTHECITY CORRECTIONS The plan for the Seward Park Mixed-Use Development Project is to build a complex that is 60% residential and 40% commercial. These percentages were misstated in the May 14 “LES eyes paradise rising on parking lot.” 205 Water St. has 65 condominium units. This figure was misstated in the May 14 “High-end apps emerge as ultimate sales feature.” Hockey star Rick Nash plays for the Columbus Blue Jackets. His team was identified incorrectly in the April 16 “Net results.” vol. xxviii, no. 21, may 21, 2012—Crain’s New York Business (issn 8756789x) is published weekly, except for double issues the weeks of July Fourth, Labor Day and Christmas, by Crain Communications Inc., 711 Third Ave., New York, NY 10017. Periodicals postage paid at New York, N.Y., and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to: Crain’s New York Business, Circulation Department, 1155 Gratiot Avenue, Detroit, MI 48207-2912. for subscriber service: Call (877) 824-9379. Fax (313) 446-6777. $3.00 a copy, $99.95 one year, $179.95 two years. (GST No. 13676-0444-RT) ©Entire contents copyright 2012 by Crain Communications Inc. All rights reserved. BY BARBARA BENSON Ramon Rodriguez is not your typical hospital chief. A former parole-board chairman with no medical training, he prefers khakis to pinstripes and drives a 2009 Hyundai. He’s loose-lipped and unafraid—some say crazy—to hit the “send” button on inflammatory predawn emails to his board of trustees at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in Brooklyn’s Bushwick neighborhood. In less than six months since taking over the financially troubled hospital, he’s fired nine doctors, overseen the departure of half May 21, 2012 | Crain’s New York Business | 3

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Crains New York - May 21, 2012

Crain's New York - May 21, 2012
Contents
Council Defies Mayor, Scares Business Leaders
Renegade Ceo Bucks Albany to Save His Hospital
Back to JPMorgan Chase’s Woes Have Some Local Bank Rivals Circling. in the Markets.
New York, New York
Hopes Rising Along B’klyn Waterfront in Sunset Park
Why Charlie Rangel Could Lose His Seat
Small Business
Viewpoint
Ibm Inside Big Blue’s Brain Trust, Which Pulled in More Than 6,180 Patents Last Year, the Most Ever by a Single Company. No Wonder the Stock Price Has More Than Doubled in the Past Five Years.
The List Our Annual Review of the New York Area’s Largest Publicly Held Companies, Ranked by Their 2011 Revenues.
What’s Up (And Down) at News Corp., Cbs, Bed Bath & Beyond, Vornado Realty, Mastercard, Jones Group, Revlon and Others.
For the Record
Classifieds
Real Estate Deals
The Week on the Web
Matchmakers Find Their Own Chemistry
Anne Fisher Tapping Into Human Emotions Pays Dividends
Hot Jobs
Executive Moves
Movers & Shakers Real Estate Veteran’s Surprising Switch
Gael Greene Dragonfly Lands on UES

Crains New York - May 21, 2012