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On the Mark

On the Mark is a podcast series that explores the effect the COVID-19 pandemic has had on various businesses and how companies can survive, thrive, and sometimes experience even greater success. Hosted by Howard M. Rubin, Esq., Senior Partner at Goetz Fitzpatrick LLP and sponsored by The Strategic Forum.

Browse by topic:
Real Estate  |  Construction  |  Business  |  Tech  |  Dining  |  NYC

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Real Estate | The Effect of COVID on the Real Estate Industry

In this episode, Howard interviews representatives from the investment real estate and residential real estate industries, Paul Massey, CEO and Founder of B6 Real Estate Advisors and Sarah Thompson, Co-Founder of the Leventhal Thompson Team at the Corcoran Group. These leaders in their fields share the current state of their industries and their projections of how the pandemic will alter the future of real estate in New York City.

Office Leasing | The Effect of COVID on Office Leasing

Alan Wildes, Executive Director at commercial real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield, and Andrew Levin, Senior Vice President of Leasing at Boston Properties, weigh in on how the COVID pandemic has changed the demand for office space in New York City. With vacancy rates up, asking rents down, and unemployment still a problem across the City, will demand return and, if so, when?

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HVAC | The Effect of COVID on the HVAC Industry

In this episode, Howard interviews Marc Platinsky, Vice President of React Industries, a leading Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) service contractor in New York City, and Richard Shapiro, Founder and President of the Center for Client Retention. They discuss the shift in emphasis from heating and cooling to the heightened demand for air filtration and ventilation systems as a result of the pandemic and how customer communication and education play a key role in appropriately addressing needs and maximizing market share.

Retail Development | The Effect of COVID on Retail Development

Craig Tagen, Head of Asset Management at real estate investment firm Clarion Partners, and Howard Meitiner, Managing Director at Carl Marks Advisors, share their expert insights into how the pandemic has shifted retail buying to eCommerce and whether those changes will be permanent.

With mall son the defense and even more challenges ahead, how can brick and mortar retailers reinvent themselves and what changes must they make to survive?

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NYC Retailers | The Effect of COVID on NYC Retailers

These two New York City-based retailers have been around since before the Great Depression. Clifford Korn is the operator of Acker Wines, a City fixture since 1820 and the oldest wine shop in the United States, and Ken Giddon is the co-owner of Rothman’s Men’s Clothing, founded in 1926 by his grandfather, Harry Rothman. Both weigh in on the strategies of resilience they have applied during the most recent market downturn due to COVID.

Staffing | The Effect of COVID on Staffing

Peter Goodkind, President and Founder of The Goodkind Group, one of the leading staffing organizations in New York, and Anthony Iacullo, Partner and COO, share how the staffing industry and the companies they help have been affected by the pandemic. They address how their firm has pivoted to support industries that are experiencing spikes in demand, how changes to the employment market have effected compensation, and whether working from home is here to stay.

Wealth Management | The Effect of COVID on Wealth Management

Jonathan Hochberg, Senior Partner of Regent Atlantic Capital, discusses the considerations wealthy investors are taking into account in light of the pandemic and what trends is the market seeing as a result. Jonathan has more than 25 years’ experience advising high-net-worth individuals and families in the areas of multi-generational planning and philanthropy. He also has extensive experience in both traditional and alternative investment strategies. In this episode, Howard and Jonathan discuss the changes in the wealth management industry, both from the perspective of clients and the investment firms that serve them.

Non-Profits | The Effect of COVID on Non-Profits

Irene Branche, Chief Development & Evaluation Officer for the Hope Program and Paul Neuman, Hope Program board member and Founder and Chief Inspirational Officer of Neuman’s Kitchen talk about new ways of raising funds for charity during the pandemic as well as how the pandemic introduced new challenges for their non-profit’s primary objective: training New Yorkers so they can secure sustainable employment.

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Gaming Industry | The Effect of COVID on the Gaming Industry

In this segment, digital marketing pioneer Robert Davidman joins Bill Squadron, sports media technology expert, advisor, and educator to discuss the impact of COVID on online casinos and sports betting. With the cessation of many sports in the U.S., the industry and consumers were incredibly creative in finding some sort of action. Unexpected sports like Russian table tennis and Russian short hockey became American favorites for online betting and patterns transcended their seasonal norms.

Court System | The Effect of COVID on the Court System

Trial lawyer Keith Fleischman, founding partner of Fleischman, Bonner & Rocco LLP, and Judge John Leventhal, one of the most prominent jurists in New York, weigh in on the profound impact that the increased use of technology has had on the legal process, both positive and negative. In order to avoid an enormous backlog of cases due to court closures, the judicial system had to make a number of adaptations in order to move forward during COVID. Which are temporary and which are here to stay?

Cyber Security for Law Firms | The Effect of COVID on Cybersecurity for Law Firms

Danny Mizrahi, founder and CEO of Contango IT and Sonya Williams, Cybersecurity specialist for New York-based law firm Rivkin Radler and Flight Chief in the Cybersecurity Unit of the Air Force National Guard, discuss cybersecurity in law firms. They address how phishing scams and hacking pose a serious threat to sensitive data housed in law firms’ systems and precautions that should be taken to protect the network.

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Casual Dining | The Effect of COVID on the Casual Dining Industry

In this episode, Howard interviews representatives from the casual restaurant industry Dean Jankelowitz, co-owner of the Jack’s Wife Freda restaurant chain in New York City, and Scott Rutter, a prominent CPA and Partner at Citrin Cooperman specializing in hospitality. They discuss the adaptations restaurants have had to make to keep the doors open, the restrictions they must comply with, and legislation that has been proposed and passed to help restaurant owners bridge this devastating gap.

Catering | The Effect of COVID on the Catering Industry

In this episode, Howard interviews Paul Neuman, Founder and Chief Inspirational Officer of Neuman’s Kitchen, one of the premier catering businesses in New York and Philadelphia, and Allan Kurtz, Managing Director of Gotham Hall and Ziegfeld Ballroom, prominent New York City catering and event spaces. Inextricably tied to gatherings, catering has been hit particularly hard by the fallout of the pandemic. These industry leaders describe the devastation COVID has had on catering companies, attempts to pivot and serve alternate audiences in order to survive, and what government action could do to help the industry.

Fine Dining | The Effect of COVID on the Fine Dining Industry

In this episode, Howard interviews restaurateur David Barber, Co-Owner and Co-Founder of Blue Hill, a working farm, restaurant, and consulting company supporting agriculture that positively contributes to the world's food system and Jeff Kolton, attorney and Founder of FMV LLC, a consulting firm that assists celebrity chefs and leading restaurant brands with non-traditional expansion. These leaders in their fields share the current state of an industry that has been one of the hardest hit by the pandemic and their projections of the future of fine dining establishments in New York City.

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Travel | The Effect of COVID on the Travel Industry

In this episode, Howard interviews Bill Talbert, President and CEO of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau for the past 20 years and Bruce Turkel, an expert on the drivers of economic development and a frequent guest on national news. They weigh in on the advent of videoconferencing replacing business travel during the pandemic and whether that will be an enduring change or whether business travel and face-to-face meetings will be back. If so, how or when can this happen and what will need to be different to keep people safe?

Future of NYC | The Effect of COVID and the Future of NYC

This episode features NYC icons Scott Shay, Founder and Executive Chairman of Signature Bank of New York, and John Catsimatidis, CEO at Red Apple Group with an empire consisting of grocery chains, oil refineries, real estate, and media. They discuss the roles of government in revitalizing the City and what it will take for the City that never sleeps to recover and reclaim its position as a world leader.