Rain, rain gone away: Welcome to Wednesday, dear readers, as sunshine returns to Long Island and we hurdle the hump of another busy Autumnal workweek.
It certainly has been a soggy stretch on Long Island. But this week’s nasty nor’easter has finally blown itself out, leaving nothing in our forecast but clear skies and bright socioeconomic innovation, straight through the weekend. Let’s bask.
Presents (and accounted for): According to the National Weather Service, all that rain and wind was right on target, seasonally speaking. And speaking of seasons, holiday gifting season is coming up fast!
If you’ve got, like, dozens of people (or more) on your corporate gift-giving list, consider a unique giftbox from LocaLI Bred, which stocks one-of-a-kind baskets with the very best made-on-Long-Island products. Show your clients, partners and staff how much you care with a distinctive gift (and use discount code innovateli5 through Oct. 31 to show your comptroller how much you care about the bottom line!).
Psyched up: But not for psychedelics — today, we enjoy those other kinds of edible mushrooms.
Eat up: Today is Oct. 15 and with selections this strong, we simply must lead off with today’s menu.
Not only is it the first anniversary of National Dashi Day – launched in 2024 by Japanese seasoning company Kubara Honke to celebrate the foundational Japanese broth – but it’s National Roast Pheasant Day (feasting on the tasty wild game bird, a classic European roast), National Mushroom Day (enjoying the edible fungus among us), National Cheese Curd Day (applauding what’s actually a side effect of the cheesemaking process, and quite delicious on its own) and National Lemon Bar Day (topping things off with a tangy-sweet combo of lemon custard and shortbread crust).
Wash up: With all this wonderful food on the table, good thing it’s also Global Handwashing Day – for many, a pre-dinner tradition, for others, a hygienic call to action, always keeping it clean on Oct. 15.
Light up: Also cleaning up was one Thomas Alva Edison, who flipped the switch on the New York City-based Edison Electric Light Co. on this date in 1878.
Tune up: Farther north, in Beantown, Boston Symphony Hall – still the home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras (after the New York Philharmonic) – officially opened on Oct. 15, 1900, with an invitation-only inaugural gala.
Call up: Back in NYC, Telanserphone – the pioneering American beeper service, later known as Aircall – sent its historic first commercial page 75 years ago today.
No ‘splanations necessary: “I Love Lucy” was a true classic — and made major Hollywood players of Lucille Ball (left) and Desi Arnaz.
Crack up: “I Love Lucy,” among the most beloved and influential sitcoms of all time, debuted on this date in 1951 on the CBS Television Network.
Look up out!: And it was Oct. 15, 2004, when part of a Chinese satellite fell back to Earth and crashed into a house in Sichuan Province, marking the first time a falling satellite was reported to land on a building.
For those keeping score, there were earlier examples of near-misses involving plummeting space debris – including Soviet satellite Kosmos 954, which broke up across the northern Canadian wilderness in 1978, and a 1992 incident that saw part of a Delta II rocket re-enter Earth’s atmosphere over Alabama, crash into a backyard and ricochet into a garage – but the 2004 China incident was the first recorded direct hit.
Visionary: American business executive and author Lido Anthony “Lee” Iacocca (1924-2019) – who developed the Mustang, Continental Mark III and Pinto models while serving as a circa-1960s engineer and executive at the Ford Motor Co., then rescued the failing Chrysler Corp. as CEO in the 1980s – would be 101 years old today.
A way with words: Emeril Lagasse knows his way around the kitchen — and lexicology.
Also born on Oct. 15 were Ancient Roman poet Virgil (born Publius Vergilius Maro, 70 BC-19 BC), a standout of the Augustan period; German philosopher, cultural critic, composer, poet, writer and philologist Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900), still exerting profound influence on intellectualism; American author and screenwriter Mario Puzo (1920-1999), who defined the mythology of the American crime family; Indian aerospace engineer and statesman Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam (1931-2015), the rocket scientist who became India’s 11th President; and American actress, film director and producer Carole Penny Marshall (1949-2018), who enjoyed moderate success in front of the camera and major success behind it.
Bam! And take a bow, Emeril John Lagasse III! The American celebrity chef, restaurateur and cookbook author – known as much for his catchphrases as his cuisine – turns 66 today.
Give the unrivaled restaurateur and popular television personality your best at editor@innovateli.com, where your news tips and calendar events always kick us up a notch.
About our sponsor: At Nixon Peabody, we deliver sophisticated legal services to our clients and our communities by combining high performance, entrepreneurial spirit, deep engagement and an unwavering commitment to a culture of collaboration, diversity and humanity. Visit NixonPeabody.com.
BUT FIRST, THIS
That’s a wrap: A Hauppauge-based shrink-wrap specialist will execute an ambitious $3 million facilities expansion with a nod to the Suffolk County Industrial Development Agency.
The IDA has issued preliminary approval of a tax-abatement package benefitting Source One Packaging, a distributor and converter of shrink film packaging – friend to food, beverage and pharmaceutical manufacturers and shippers across a host of other industries. The company, which has operated in Suffolk County since its 1999 launch, plans to expand its 38,695-square-foot Commerce Drive facility by 16,386 square feet and stock it with state-of-the-art equipment, while retaining 44 full-time jobs and creating four more.
The IDA will conduct a full review and final vote, but Source One President Richard Perillo – while trumpeting a “significant capital investment and physical expansion” essential to “staying competitive (and) staying in Suffolk County” – is already crediting the agency with bringing it home. “Source One is a vital link in the economic chain,” agreed Suffolk County IDA Executive Director/CEO Kelly Murphy. “We are pleased to help ensure their presence is maintained and expanded in Suffolk County and contributes increasingly to Suffolk County’s expanding manufacturing base and employment rolls.”
Hungry for more: Accomplished nonprofit leader Katherine Fritz takes the reins of Long Island Cares at a crucial moment.
Fritz like a glove: Long Island Cares-The Harry Chapin Regional Food Bank has found its new leader.
Katherine Fritz, the 501(c)3 nonprofit organization’s former vice president for development and communications, has officially succeeded longtime leader Paule Pachter as president and CEO. Pachter, who served the food bank for more than 17 years, announced his retirement earlier this year, leading to a nationwide replacement search and the Oct. 7 announcement by the nonprofit’s Board of Directors appointing Fritz as the new head honcho.
Fritz – whose long résumé includes adjunct instruction at Molloy College (now Molloy University), stints with three divisions of the American Cancer Society and a dozen years as development director for the Guide Dog Foundation and America’s VetDogs – will focus on financial and operational resilience and on executing Long Island Cares’ long-term strategic plan. “She will lead us in meeting the ever-increasing need ahead, which is what the battle against the challenging climate surrounding food insecurity requires,” noted Board of Directors President David Herold. “We believe that with her steady hand on the tiller, our mission will be advanced and the future of the people we serve will be brighter.”
TOP OF THE SITE
Moving tribute: An anti-paralysis neural interface has earned one of the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research’s biggest brains a spot in Time magazine’s first-ever Best Inventions Hall of Fame.
What are you waiting for? New episodes of “Spark: The Innovate Long Island Podcast” are on the way. Nearly five-dozen educational and entertaining one-on-ones are already in the can. Why wait?
VOICES
Voices Media Anchor David Chauvin, executive vice president of ZE Creative Communications, crops out the crap of modern marketing photography and laments a world of smartphone filters and tired event photos – all of which lacks intention, an indispensable ingredient in eye-catching PR.
Something you’d like to add? The Entrepreneur’s Edge is open for business! Innovate Long Island’s exciting promoted-content platform provides a direct link from startups, established corporations and nonprofits to our forward-thinking audience – your future clients. Progressive product to promote? Singular service to sell? Sociopolitical position to push? Here’s your chance to shine a bright light on the big picture, the little details and everything in between, from the perspective of your innovation-focused enterprise. Learn more here!
STUFF WE’RE READING
Techno-bel: The Nobel Prize in Economics goes to three scholars who champion technological innovation. Axios displays forward thinking.
Risky business: Trump’s tariffs are restructuring global AI supply chains – and what happens next is unclear. AI Magazine considers the options.
Less is more: Coca-Cola changes its convenience store strategy with “mini-can” singles. The Street has a Coke and a smile.
RECENT FUNDINGS
+ Pimly, an Illinois-based, Salesforce-built product cloud connecting products, commerce and CRM services, raised $2.25 million in funding led by High Alpha.
+ HOOTL, a Virginia-based scalable, artificial intelligence-powered platform automating healthcare insurance processing, raised $6.5 million in Series A funding led by 5IR Funds.
+ Glide Identity, a California-based digital ID security pioneer, raised $20 million in Series A funding led by Crosspoint Capital Partners, with participation from Amigos Venture Capital, Singtel Innov8 Ventures and Sir Ronald Cohen.
+ Green Cabbage, a Pennsylvania-based procurement-intelligence specialist, raised $40 million in Series B funding led by Sageview Capital.
+ Irys, a Florida-based AI-native, integration-agnostic core insurance-operating system, raised $12.5 million in Seed funding led by Markd, with participation from Deepwork Capital, Florida Opportunity Fund, Ansay & Associates, HICO Ventures and JMG Capital.
+ Amplifi Vascular, a Missouri-based med-tech focused on vein dilation and hemodialysis, raised $6.8 million in Series A funding from undisclosed sources.
Like this newsletter? Innovate Long Island newsletter, website and podcast sponsorships are a prime opportunity to reach the inventors, investors, entrepreneurs and executives you need to know – on Long Island, and soon, across New York State (just ask Nixon Peabody). Gregory Zeller can tell you more.
BELOW THE FOLD (Evil Artificial Intelligence Edition)
Terminated: AI baddies are just not as frightening as they used to be.
Real scary: With AI’s real-life threat rising, AI has become a boring movie villain.
Real soon: AI might actually destroy humanity sooner than you think.
Really real (or not): A new law requires AI to tell you it’s AI.
Real deal: Please continue supporting the fantastic firms that support Innovate Long Island, including Nixon Peabody, where nothing bests natural intelligence (and decades of sophisticated legal experience). Check them out.
