Thanks a lot: You made it, intrepid innovator! It’s Friday out there, and not just any Friday but the Friday before Thanksgiving week – and if ever the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave needed a holiday blow, baby, it’s right now.
Whether you’re putting in a half-week or taking off the whole five-day stretch, we hope you enjoy a hearty Thanksgiving filled with family and friends. That’s our plan – remember, no Innovate Long Island newsletters next week! We’ll be back Dec. 3 with your regularly scheduled Monday Calendar Newsletter … until then, be safe, be of good cheer and, above all else, be thankful for what you have!
Relish it: It might not keep until Thanksgiving, so this year, National Cranberry Relish Day might be better used for researching recipes for next week’s feast.
Holiday discount: Today is Nov. 22 – mathematically, the earliest date on which Thanksgiving can fall (though not this year, obviously, when Turkey Day actually falls on its latest possible date).
Perhaps this helps explain the slim pickings of other “holiday” observations, as planners steer clear of the Thanksgiving window: Today, all we get are road-trip-friendly Go For a Ride Day and side-dish soiree National Cranberry Relish Day, both of which have fairly obvious Thanksgiving applications.
Snow speeder: Speaking of cool rides, Wisconsin-based machinist Carl Eliason changed winter-weather travel (and recreation) forever on this date in 1927, when he patented his “motor toboggan” – recorded as history’s first snowmobile.
Pet project: Forever changing the treatment of animals – for the better – was the Humane Society of the United States, known as the National Humane Society when it was incorporated in Delaware on Nov. 22, 1954.
Lip lock: Happy anniversary, of sorts, to William Shatner and Nichelle Nichols – Captain Kirk and Lieutenant Uhura of “Star Trek” fame – who shared what’s widely credited as television’s first interracial kiss 56 years ago today. (For the record, not only was this not television’s first interracial kiss – British TV beat “Trek” to the smooch by almost six years – it wasn’t even “Star Trek’s” first interracial peck (especially if you include aliens).
Isolation innovation: There may have been some hugging and kissing at Harvard University on this date in 1969, when researchers isolated a single gene for the first time (the bacterium E. coli, for those keeping score).
Delta airliner: No, Delta never flew a Concorde … but the delta-shaped plane did set speed records for British Airways and Air France.
Fast (and furious): And it was Nov. 22, 1977, when the Concorde – after overcoming legal obstacles and grassroots protests, including an enraged motorcade winding through Kennedy Airport – began its regularly scheduled passenger service to New York from Paris and London.
Before it was finally retired in 2003, the supersonic jetliner – developed jointly by state-owned French manufacturer Sud Aviation and the British Aircraft Corp. – set the passenger-flight record for fastest Atlantic Ocean crossing: On Feb. 7, 1996, it made the eastward trip in just 2 hours, 52 minutes and 59 seconds.
By George: English novelist, journalist and translator Mary Ann Evans (1819-1880) – the Victorian Era standout known best by the pen name George Eliot, famous for numerous love affairs, staunch anti-religious views, various name changes and a lifetime of brilliant work, starting with “Middlemarch” – would be 205 years old today.
Court officer: Billie Jean King ruled women’s tennis for years, before focusing her fight on social justice.
Also born on Nov. 22 were American women’s rights advocate Abigail Adams (1744-1818), the first Second Lady, second First Lady and one of only two women to be the wife and mother of U.S. Presidents (along with Barbara Bush); American aviator Wiley Post (1898-1935), who set numerous aeronautical records and helped design pressure suits; American musician, composer, singer, songwriter, actor and lawyer Hoagland Howard “Hoagy” Carmichael (1899-1981), who defined the Tin Pan Alley era; Deer Park’s own Jack Roy (1921-2004), the disrespected standup comedian and actor remembered best as Rodney Dangerfield; and retired American aerospace engineer, U.S. Air Force officer, fighter pilot and NASA astronaut Guion Stewart Bluford Jr. (born 1942), the first (known) African American to fly in space.
Queen of Kings: And take a bow, Billie Jean King! The American former world No. 1 tennis player and lifelong gender-equality advocate – who earned 39 Grand Slam titles (including 20 Wimbledon singles and doubles crowns) and has been equally successful as a social-justice champion – turns 81 today.
Give the tennis/equal rights ace your best at editor@innovateli.com, where our net gains are measured in news tips and calendar events.
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BUT FIRST, THIS
With a cherry on top: The Nassau County Industrial Development Agency has approved a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes package that will bring new multifamily housing to Hicksville.
Hicksville-based developer Premiero Cherry LLC is planning a 35,365-square-foot residential construction on a currently undeveloped 0.4-acre parcel between 33 and 37 West Cherry Lane. Projected to generate a $10 million community investment, the construction effort will result in 20 rental units (5 one-bedroom apartments and 15 two-bedroom apartments, with three total units designated as workforce housing based on Hicksville’s Area Median Income) while creating 100 construction-phase jobs and two post-construction full-time-equivalent positions (with average annual salaries of $55,000), the IDA said in a statement.
The Industrial Development Agency granted Premiero Cherry a 20-year PILOT on Oct. 24; when it expires, the property – which currently generates only $15,604 in annual property taxes – will generate roughly $145,000 in annual taxes, according to the agency. “Retaining our residents is what keeps us stable, but attracting new ones is what drives us forward,” noted Nassau County IDA Chairman William Rockensies. “This development will be a lure for many individuals given its prime location within a bustling Nassau County downtown.”
Victory lap: New York Institute of Technology President (and soon President Emeritus) Henry Foley will step down in June after eight innovative and productive years in office.
Thanks, Hank: One of the greats of Long Island higher education is stepping down.
With “deep gratitude and appreciation,” the New York Institute of Technology Board of Trustees announced Wednesday that it has accepted the resignation of NYIT President Henry Foley, who will step down effective June 30. Foley, the former interim chancellor of the University of Missouri-Columbia who’s led the Old Westbury-based institute since 2017, will be succeeded by current New York Tech Provost and Executive Vice President Jerry Balentine.
A champion of bolstering educational instruction with advanced technologies, Foley – who’s been granted the title President Emeritus – deftly navigated the COVID pandemic, oversaw the launch of NYIT’s first PhD programs, spearheaded development of the coming-in-2025 Biomedical Research, Innovation and Imaging Center, and led campaigns to dramatically increase the university’s Hispanic and Black enrollment. “Hank presented to the [trustees] a vision and strategic plan that would position New York Tech to create the best possible student experiences,” noted Board of Trustees Chairman Peter Romano. “[He] has reignited a sense of pride among New York Tech alumni … and has energized our community as we look toward an inspiring future.”
TOP OF THE SITE
Blood money: Nearly 1 million Americans have lost their lives to opioid overdoses over the last quarter-century, and those responsible are paying billions in court-ordered penalties – but it appears local politics are interfering with how Long Island’s share is being allocated.
Grow fonder: The Innovate Long Island Newsletter will miss you, too, during our Thanksgiving week break, but we’ll be back soon. Make sure your entire innovation team is there for the big reunion – newsletter email subscriptions are always easy, easy free.
ICYMI
New York City’s congestion-pricing plan is “an affront to the hardworking families of Long Island,” according to Hauppauge-based State Sen. Monica Martinez, a vocal critic of the forthcoming downtown-driving commuter tolls.
BEST OF THE WEST (AND SOMETIMES NORTH/SOUTH)
Innovate LI’s inbox overrunneth with inspirational innovations from all North American corners. This week’s brightest out-of-towners:
From California: Campbell-based accessory-dwelling doyen Acton ADU constructs an online tool to help non-architect homeowners design their own custom structures.
From California: Santa Clara-based automaton ace Collaborative Robotics rolls out Proxie, designed to do the heavy lifting alongside human coworkers.
From California: San Francisco-based corporate-wellness wunderkind Marvellous Mage reduces professional-environment stress with yoga, Reiki, meditation and more.
ON THE MOVE
Elbert Nasis
+ Elbert Nasis has been elected to Long Island Metro Business Action’s Board of Directors. He is a partner and co-chairman of the Litigation Practice Group at Uniondale-based Forchelli Deegan Terrana.
+ Ronkonkoma-based Sasserath & Co. has hired two new tax associates: Thomas Palladino, a recent graduate of Long Island University, and Marcio Rodesno, a recent graduate of SUNY Old Westbury.
+ Jason Smith has been hired as science and stewardship manager at the Suffolk County Water Authority in Westhampton Beach. He was a biologist at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation in Long Island City.
+ Two SUNY Old Westbury administrators have been named fellows of the State University of New York’s Hispanic Leadership Institute: Lisandra Ramos, special assistant to the president for administration and initiatives, and Martha Santana, chief financial officer and vice president of business, finance and administration.
+ Michael White has been named interim director of the Waste Reduction and Management Institute at Stony Brook University. He is currently an adjunct faculty lecturer at SBU’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences and a special-projects consultant with Winter Brothers Waste Systems of Long Island.
+ Jessica DiMeo has been hired as director of marketing at the Center for Wealth Preservation in Syosset. She was director of digital marketing at Island Harvest Food Bank in Melville.
+ Robert Cooper has been hired as an organic content and social media strategist at Hauppauge-based Austin Williams. He was a social media strategist at Ronkonkoma-based Rothco.
+ Anthony Russo has been hired as managing director of retail services at Breslin Realty Development Corp. in Garden City. He was executive director of retail at Cushman & Wakefield in Manhattan.
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BELOW THE FOLD (Thanksgiving 2024 Edition)
Bird feeder: Duck, probably, and maybe some geese — but turkey was not a common game bird when the pilgrims sat down for the mythical first Thanksgiving.
Be thankful: How a sporadic celebration became the most-traditional American holiday.
Be honest: Almost every dish in your Thanksgiving buffet is historically inaccurate.
Be careful: Why avoiding politics at Thanksgiving dinner is actually a bad idea.
Be yourself: Please continue supporting the awesome agencies that support Innovate Long Island, including Brandtelling, where you’ll be thankful for honest and carefully constructed “brand stories” that set your business apart. Check them out.
