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From the intro to Bill Ravies’ new book: “The Way of the Entrepreneur”

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Bill Raveis Book Cover“I was having breakfast with a friend one winter day earlier this year at Jane’s, an outdoor café in Naples, Florida, a few blocks from my winter house in Port Royal. This enclave of 600 estates–ten and 20, 30, even 40,000-square-foot temples to capitalism at the edge of the Gulf of Mexico–is a tropical Newport, Rhode Island, and the only place of its kind on the continent. It also happens to be home to some of the wealthiest individuals and families on the planet. Many come from the world of finance and big business–investment bankers, retired corporate CEOS and CFOs, hedge fund guys–but as many are entrepreneurs, men and a few women who have built business empires (as I have) and made their fortunes in highly individual, innovative ways. They’ve all hit it out of the park.

Which is one of the main threads that run through this book: The way entrepreneurs determine their success by virtue of individualism and an unwavering belief in themselves and their passions.

The subject appears to be timely. More than ever, America is a land of limitless entrepreneurial opportunity. At the same time, it remains the immigrant’s dream, a country in which you can do anything and be anyone you want. All you have to do–aside from working really, really hard–is embrace the immigrant-like ideals of belief in oneself and one’s vision and be embraced, in turn, by family and extended family and friends.

In the end, in fact, it is that community of believers and supporters who help make American entrepreneurs what they are, not only business schools or MBA programs or investors.

It also helps, by the way, to reside outside the corporate mindset. As you’ll see, the distinction between entrepreneurs and corporate executives matters. A lot.

I’ve been out to breakfast and lunch with other business people, some of whom never make eye contact with the servers, much less engage them in conversation. But like entrepreneurs in general, I seem perpetually interested in learning about other people (and, if I’m reading Malcolm Gladwell’s David and Goliath accurately, which admittedly may be iffy, the majority of entrepreneurs are like me in another respect: We tend to be dyslexic).

So I view encounters with a waiter or waitress as an opportunity to connect not just with another human but, more often than not, with a young person who has his or her own passion, vision and dream.

Our waiter at Jane’s that sparkling, sunshiny morning was a young man in his early-to mid-20s with Slavic features and a strong Eastern European accent. His name was Piotyr–Peter, for convenience in America, he told my breakfast companion and me–and had come from Moldavia three years earlier. After hearing from a Ukrainian friend about life in Naples, he had driven 1,000 miles from Maine with his girlfriend on the dream of one day opening a restaurant of his own, and he had stayed.

“Why leave?” Peter told us. “Is so beautiful!” Then–perhaps taking in our clothes, or the Bentley parked in front, or the fact that we were free to take a late breakfast in the middle of the workweek–he voiced a sentiment that either hasn’t been uttered, or I haven’t heard, in a very long time: “Thank you,” he said, “for building this country!” He was speaking to us but he might as well have been talking to the founders of the nation and the heroes of the American Revolution, who were entrepreneurs in the truest, fiercest sense of the word.

My entrepreneurial journey happens to have been mapped through real estate and a family-owned company, but it could just as easily have been in any industry and any entity. What counts is what you bring to a business–vision, passion, imagination, determination, sheer courage–not what it brings to you.

Our young waiter is on his journey, as I was 40 years ago, practically to the day. Although I live the rest of the year in an equally exclusive community in Fairfield County, Connecticut (one of the richest communities in the United States), I grew up a town away in one of the poorest and roughest sections of one of the poorest and roughest cities in the Northeast…”

Bill Raveis’ The Way of the Entrepreneur is distributed by National Book Network (NBN) and available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble in-stores and online, and independent book stores nationally.

In 1974, Bill Raveis opened the first William Raveis Real Estate office in a room above a grocery store. Today, William Raveis Real Estate, Mortgage & Insurance is one of the top companies in the nation and a full service real estate, mortgage and insurance brokerage with over 3,600 sales associates and 114 offices throughout the Northeast, annual real estate sales of nearly $8.1 billion, 3,000 corporate relocation transferees a year and a total mortgage volume of $10 billion.

Beware of Underinsurance

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Advice from Chappaqua’s Nicolaysen Agency on Tackling Common Insurance Issues

Interview and Photos by Matt Smith

Erik Nicolaysen III (left) and partner, Randy Coon
Erik Nicolaysen III (left)
and partner, Randy Coon

In 1929, broker Erik Nicolaysen founded Erik Nicolaysen Insurance. Nearly 30 years later, in 1958, he handed the reins over to his son, Erik Nicolaysen III, who then took charge of the company. In 1972, after a lengthy period of nasty flooding resulted in significant water damage — “we would flood three or four times a year” — Nicolaysen III rebuilt the building on piles from the ground up, and renamed it Nicolaysen Insurance Agency, Inc. And, of course, both that very building and the business still proudly stand today.

Below, Mr. Nicolaysen and Randy Coon, his insurance partner since the early ‘90s, discuss the questions they receive most from New Castle families, and offer their advice on how to combat the issues these questions bring up.

What are the most pressing insurance questions or issues facing suburban families?

Nicolaysen: The question of driving, which is a problem with younger children. We do have a major problem with distracted driving and driving under the influence. There was a 14% increase in deaths by vehicle in the first six months of 2015. Additionally, though [driving under the influence of] alcohol remains an issue, now people are [driving under the influence of] other drugs and medication — that has become a growing problem as well. Even with the restriction on cell phones, etc., there are still too many accidents occurring.

Beyond that, I don’t think there are any major pressing issues. Fortunately, up here, we don’t have the same problem of hurricane damage and flood damage as they do along the Long Island shore, or on Long Island itself. It’s mainly a matter of families wanting reassurance that they have adequate insurance. [In terms of questions, homeowners are] usually looking for recommendations as to what kind of coverage is [appropriate]. They’re particularly asking for the amount they need to replace the house. It’s a lifestyle question … [we have to evaluate] do they have jewelry, fur, collectible cars? Are they into boating? That type of stuff. [Mostly, it’s] life insurance questions for families, et cetera.

Coon: I think it’s a question of home valuations: There can be a tremendous difference between market value and rebuilding cost. Of course, we see confusion from the consumer regarding the idea that they should insure for the market value of their home. We must deal with the rebuilding cost, which has a different set of criteria. I think that’s definitely the biggest issue people have when it comes to dealing with personal homeowner insurance. Again, the cost of rebuilding a home (i. e. after a fire) can be dramatically different from the purchase price of that home.

What are the biggest mistakes people make when addressing insurance needs?

Nicolaysen: Usually underinsurance. [Also] inadequate limits and inadequate coverage. Nationwide, about 50% of all homeowners are underinsured. We’ve had losses in the area, whereby [people have sued]. [Depending upon] the amount of insurance that was carried, you periodically see a lawsuit where the [insurance] company is being sued for underinsurance. But again, people take a look at cost [and set limits] and say, “well, this is the maximum I want to spend, no more,” whether or not it provides what they need.

Coon: They’re influenced by low price, which often results in underinsurance. That’s not just in terms of the dwelling limit (which helps to pay for the rebuilding and repair of a home if it’s damaged by a covered hazard) … homeowners may also neglect to insure or underinsure other items, such as collectibles, jewelry, artwork, etc.   

Nicolaysen: We see people who own their own homes and they have certain policies … [and then they] come in with minimum limits of liability, protecting them personally. Yet, they’ve got high priced cars, they’ve got a home, et cetera. Some of them may have an umbrella policy (coverage for that personal liability), but their basic auto [insurance policy] is so low, there’s a major gap between one and the other. To be properly insured, the two policies must be contiguous.

Coon: People that employ a full-time domestic have created an exposure that is not covered by a homeowner policy. As agents, we just need to address that issue to protect our clients.

Nicolaysen: [In the case of homeowners repairing damage], to bring in a contractor and rebuild from the basement up is going to cost more than what that house can sell for. So, that’s why we talk about making sure that [people] insure the value [of their home], i. e. what will it really cost to  reproduce that house? [Customers consistently] look at the sale price, and equate one as the other; that is dangerous.

How do you recommend people combat being underinsured?

Coon: I think what they should do is take a look at their total exposures, and then really determine what exposures they can self-insure or what deductible [amount] they can handle [paying before the insurance kicks in]. They can [also] increase their deductible [amount] to offset [insurance] costs, [but] that [may have] an impact with some companies [and not so much with others]. Lowering cost should include very careful consideration so as not to increase risk.

In closing, do you have any other final advice, tips, notes, or words of wisdom?

Coon: There’s no exact science to all of this. You call ten different companies and it’s more than likely that you will obtain various potential rebuilding costs. There are insurance carriers and agents that, due to competition, are willing to offer lower limits and, in turn, lower premiums to get the business. Caveat emptor!

Nicolaysen: All insurance policy contracts have a penalty clause in them, which can cause pain if you don’t insure the home to an adequate value. The insurance company won’t say, “All right, you have a $100,000 loss, but you have a half million dollar policy, so we’ll go ahead and pay the $100,000.” What they’re going to say instead is: “you should have had a million, [but] you’ve got a half a million. Therefore, we’re only going to pay you sixty or seventy cents on the dollar of your claim.” There can be a financial penalty if you don’t insure at full value.

Coon: In order to protect your assets from a lawsuit, I would recommend that the clients [make sure that their] overall personal liability limit [is] at least equal [to] their net worth. We would recommend that they leverage their insurance to protect their assets and standard of living. (This type of coverage is provided by an umbrella policy).

Nicolaysen: [I’d say] just make sure their insurance is adequate [enough] for their exposure. That’s really all there is to it.

Currently, Nicolaysen Agency, Inc. — licensed in 15 states — serves the personal insurance needs of 2000+ individuals and families. In addition to personal coverage, Nicolaysen offers business coverage and other financial services. The agency currently represents Chubb, Travelers, Hartford, GMAC, St. Paul, and Selective, to name a few, for personal lines with access to some 30 companies for commercial coverages. Nicolaysen Agency, Inc. is located at 77 S. Greeley Ave. For more information, please visit www.nicolaysenagency.com.

Greeley Grads Implore Businesses: Commit to Employ People on the Autism Spectrum

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Tracy and Luke, following their (ASTEP’s) featured presentation at LinkedIn’s InDay
Tracy and Luke, following their (ASTEP’s) featured presentation at LinkedIn’s InDay

By Tracy Powell-Rudy (née Wolff)

When I graduated from Horace Greeley High School in 1980, the national incidence rate for autism was 1 in 10,000. When my son started at Grafflin Elementary School in Chappaqua in the 1990s, it had risen to 1 in 2,500. By the time my daughter was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome (AS)+ early in the new millennium, the autism incidence rate was 1 in 150.

Today the incidence rate is 1 in 68. And today, I serve as Director of Corporate Engagement for the Asperger Syndrome Training & Employment Partnership (ASTEP).

On the surface, the statistics alone can be daunting. However, with early intervention, many children with an autism diagnosis are going on to graduate from high school, and over one-third of those high school graduates are going on to some form of post-secondary education including college*. That’s the good news. The not-so-good news: of the one-third who do attend college, 75-85% are unemployed or underemployed after graduation, compared with the 28% unemployment rate for all college graduates**.

In many ways, individuals with Asperger’s or similar autism spectrum profiles are ideal employees. They often have a solid work ethic, strongly adhere to rules and are direct and very honest. On the other hand, they can also be very literal, speak with a professorial tone and can have a hard time making eye contact. As a result, and despite the aforementioned strengths–and I speak from prior experience as principal of a retained executive search firm –AS individuals are often screened out during the initial interview process.

Greeley Grad (’80) Meets
Greeley Grad (’09)

Last fall, I met and began working with a local young man who was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome at age nine in 2000 and who, like me, also graduated from Greeley. His name is Luke Davis***.

After spending time with Luke, I was hard-pressed to understand why the unemployment rate for individuals with Asperger’s is so high. Luke, along with many other young adults who have worked closely with ASTEP, is able to navigate the complexities of a college campus and the rigors of a college curriculum at higher institutions of learning such as Rutgers, RIT, Oberlin, Brandeis, Skidmore, Columbia, and the CUNY and SUNY systems. Indeed, many colleges and universities now provide strong support programs and services for individuals with Asperger’s. Likewise, forward-thinking companies, especially those that see the benefits of creating diverse and inclusive work environments, are working towards doing the same.

“The Best Kind of Support System”

Though Luke spoke later than most children his age, today he speaks with thoughtful clarity and unique insight. Likewise, though he acknowledges that networking is not his strongest suit, Luke credits his elementary school with offering the “best kind of support system, the best kind of environment” in which to grow. He further credits his parents with making sure his education was centered on the fact that he just processed things differently than his peers did.

Luke graduated from SUNY Purchase in May of 2014 with a B.A. in Liberal Studies and has since worked in various video production internship positions. He currently works in the Document Management department at the United States Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn, where he preps case files to be digitally archived. While the position appeals to Luke as an active visual worker, and requires an acute attention to detail that most do not possess, it nonetheless quickly becomes clear to anyone lucky enough to chat with Luke that the work is not commensurate with his experience and skill set. Almost hesitantly, Luke acknowledges this. The situation reveals a few remarkable takeaways: the first is Luke’s positive yet unyieldingly honest approach. The second is a clear illustration of the underemployment issue.

ASTEP Steps In

Founded by Marcia Scheiner in 2010, ASTEP is a 501(c)3 organization providing consulting services in the form of assessment, sensitivity awareness and accommodation training, on-boarding, mentoring and recruitment to Fortune 1000 employers interested in hiring and retaining this untapped workforce. ASTEP’s mission is to improve the quality of life of individuals with Asperger Syndrome and similar autism profiles by working with employers to create inclusive work environments that lead to suitable and sustainable employment opportunities.

Making the Connection Between Employers and Recent Graduates

During the fall of 2014, Luke attended ASTEP’s Corporate Lecture Series in New York City. “Our Corporate Lecture Series provides the opportunity for a two-way interaction between employers and individuals with Asperger’s,” said Marcia Scheiner, ASTEP’s President. To date, ASTEP has held successful events in Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco, including companies such as NBCUniversal, PwC, Oracle, Cisco, LinkedIn, EY, Quirky, Barclays, Turner Sports and Northwestern Mutual.

Each two-hour event is broken down into three sections: company presentations, interactive exercises and a networking session for attendees and company representatives. To prepare student-attendees for the job search process, the program focuses on improving networking skills, refining personal career goals, understanding corporate culture and developing a personal brand as a job candidate. Companies participating in the event learn about integrating individuals with Asperger Syndrome or similar autism profiles into the workplace and the special capabilities these potential employees possess. Since its inception in 2011, over 80 students have completed ASTEP’s corporate lecture series program, and several of our client-companies have or are starting to create internships, temporary/permanent positions and mentoring programs to support the hiring of these individuals and others as a result of their work with us.

Back at their mutual alma mater, Tracy and Luke show their HGHS spirit.
Back at their mutual alma mater, Tracy and Luke show their HGHS spirit.

“Dreaming Up What Else Is Out There”

To Luke, the best thing about working with ASTEP was being able to see how various corporations function, and to see how willing they are to work with people who have disabilities. It gave him a different perspective and allowed him to understand just what kinds of possibilities are available to him –as he put it, “dreaming what else is out there.”

If he had to communicate just one thing, what would it be? Surprisingly (or not surprisingly), his response was directed at the parents of young adults with Asperger Syndrome and similar autism profiles: “Tell your children that this so-called disability does not have to hinder or inhibit them. Tell them that there are resources out there, and they do not have to fear being judged.”

I’d like to echo Luke’s sentiment and, as a parent, add a final note: if I had to communicate just one thing, I’d tell the parents that they can help drive this change. Changed attitudes lead to changed behaviors. Many of ASTEP’s relationships with employers have been facilitated by parents who are executives in Fortune 1000 companies eager to champion inclusivity around Asperger’s and similar autism profiles.

As we complete our fifth series and the holiday season approaches, all of us at ASTEP would like to extend our warmest “thanksgivings” to the many companies, parents, young adults and our countless other champions, and invite you to reach out to us to explore how to engage this untapped pool of capable and talented young adults.

+ “Asperger syndrome (AS), also known as Asperger’s syndrome, Asperger disorder (AD) or simply Asperger’s, is an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) that is characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction and nonverbal communication, alongside restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests.” Wikipedia

* Roux, AM, Shattuck, PT, Cooper, BP, Anderson, KA, et al. (2013). “Postsecondary employment experiences among young adults with an autism spectrum disorder” – Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 52(9), 931.

** BLS Monthly Labor Review, 2013

*** We respect and support Luke’s request to use an alias for his last name so that he retains control over if, when and how he discloses his diagnosis to a prospective employer.

For more information about how your company can work with ASTEP, contact Tracy Powell-Rudy at tpowell-rudy@asperger-employment.org.

Tracy Powell-Rudy (HGHS ’80) currently serves as ASTEP’s Director of Corporate Engagement. Prior to joining ASTEP, Tracy spent six years in executive search as Principal with a premier retained global search firm. Earlier, Tracy worked in technology and telecommunications leading MCI’s Northeast Division IT organization. Tracy graduated Summa Cum Laude from Manhattanville College, and has an MS in Telecommunications Management with honors from NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering. She has also served locally as both producer and board member for The Armonk Players community theater and on the CCSD’s Special Education Parent Committee. 

astep logo

 

Thank You

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THANK YOU!

We are deeply grateful to all our sponsors for their support of “Inside my New Castle.” Special thanks to Music in Chappaqua, Kiwi Country Day Camp and Chappaqua Crossing for their generous cover sponsorships, and to our real estate offices–Douglas Elliman, Houlihan Lawrence, Julia B. Fee/Sotheby’s International, and William Raveis. Each of our realtor sponsors will have guides available for prospective residents throughout the year.

Beecher Flooks Funeral Home, Inc.
418 Bedford Road
Pleasantville, NY
914-769-0001
beecherflooksfh.com		 Bet Torah Nursery School
60 Smith Avenue
Mt. Kisco, NY
914-666-7595
bettorah.org
Breeze
1 King Street
Chappaqua, NY
914-238-1900
breezegifts.com		 Camp Connection
914-273-8010
thecampconnection.com
Chappaqua Crossing
55 Station St.
Southport, CT 06890
203-354-1500
chappaquacrossing.com		 Chappaqua Paint and Hardware
59 South Greeley Ave.
Chappaqua, NY 10514
914-861-2777
ChappaquaPandH.com
Doublevision
PO Box 502
Chappaqua, NY
914-954-4770
doublevisionphotographers.com		 Douglas Elliman
101 King Street
Chappaqua, NY
914-238-3988
elliman.com
Dr. Lydia Evans
229 King Street
Chappaqua, NY
914-238-1500
lydiaevansmd.com		 Drug Mart of Millwood
Millwood Town Plaza
230 Saw Mill River Rd
Millwood, NY
914-923-9200
drugmarts.com
Emmary Day Spa
24 South Greeley Avenue
Chappaqua, New York
914 238 8830
emmarydayspa.com		 Family Britches
70 King Street
Chappaqua, NY
914-238-8017
familybritches.com
Financial Asset Management Corp.
26 South Greeley Avenue
Chappaqua, NY
914-238-8900
famcorporation.com		 Friedricks Interiors
113 King Street
Chappaqua, NY914-273-6892
friedricksinteriors.com
Hickory & Tweed
410 Main Street,
Armonk, NY 10504
914-273-3397
hickoryandtweed.com		 Houlihan Lawrence
45 S Greeley Avenue
Chappaqua, NY
914-238-4766
houlihanlawrence.com
Jodi’s Gym
25 Hubbels Dr
Mt. Kisco, NY
914-244-8811
jodisgym.com		 Kiwi Country Day Camp
825 Union Valley Road
Carmel, NY
914-276-2267
kiwicountrydaycamp.com
Makom Shalom
107 North Greeley
Avenue #183
Chappaqua, NY
914-393-9261
mymakomshalom.com		 Matero Fine Jewelry & Design
Millwood Town Plaza
238 Saw Mill River Road
Millwood, NY
914-944-1495
materofinejewelry.com
Millwood Hardware
235 Saw Mill River Rd
Millwood, NY
914-762-2828
millwoodhardware.com		 Mount Kisco Child Care Center
95 Radio Circle
Mount Kisco, NY
914-241-2135
mkccc.org
Music in Chappaqua
225 North Greeley Avenue
Chappaqua, NY
914-238-3123
musicinchappaqua.com		 New Castle Physical Therapy & Personal Training
16 Schuman Road
Millwood, NY
914-488-5440
newcastlept.net
Noelle Marie Photography
140 King Street
Chappaqua, NY 10514
914-861-8400
nomaphoto.com		 Oak Lane Child Care Center
49 Memorial Drive
Chappaqua, NY
914-238-3756
oaklaneccc.org
Old Stone Trattoria
425 King Street
Chappaqua, NY
914-238-8822
oldstonetrattoria.com		 Prescriptions for Fitness
255 King Street
Chappaqua, NY
914-238-0500
prescriptionsforfitness.net
Julia B. Fee / Sotheby’s International
Joanna Rizoulis
Amy Smith Sroka
Joanna.Rizoulis@JuliaBFee.com
Amy.Smith@JuliaBFee.com		 Rosenthal JCC of Northern Westchester
600 Bear Ridge Rd.
Pleasantville, NY
914-741-0333
rosenthaljcc.org
Salon 228
26 South Greeley Avenue
Chappaqua, NY
914-238-3172		 Samalin Investment Counsel, LLC
297 King Street
Chappaqua, NY
914-666-6600
SICounsel.com
Seven Bridges Field Club
P.O. Box 482
160 Seven Bridges Road
Chappaqua NY 10514
914-666-2102
sevenbridgesfieldclub.org		 Steffi Nossen School of Dance
Church of Saint Mary the Virgin
191 South Greeley Ave
Chappaqua, NY
914-328-1900
steffinossen.org
Tazza Café
230 Saw Mill River Road
Millwood, NY
914-488-5227
tazzacafeny.com		 Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester
220 South Bedford Road
Chappaqua NY
914-238-3928
bethelnw.org
Temple Shaaray Tefila
89 Baldwin Road
Bedford Corners, NY
914-666-3133
shaaraytefila.org		 Wags & Whiskers
392 King Street
Chappaqua, NY
914-238-0244
wagsnwhiskersdoggrooming.com
Westchester Youth Choirs
607 Millwood Road
Mt. Kisco NY
914-218-3518
westchesteryouthchoirs.com		 Whispering Pines Flower Shop
83 South Greeley Avenue
Chappaqua, NY
914-238-5661
whisperingpinesofchappaqua.com
William Raveis
75 N Greeley Avenue
Chappaqua, NY
914-238-0505
raveis.com		 World Cup Nursery School & Kindergarten
160 Hunts Lane
Chappaqua, NY
914-238-9267
worldcupschools.com
World Cup Gymnastics
170 Hunts Lane
Chappaqua, NY
914-238-4967
worldcupschools.com

Chappaqua Teens Start It Up

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Turning Point Tutors, left to right: Alex Kogan, Sami Burack, Divya Gopinath, Mel Benson, Jen Semler, Izzie Gutenplan, Calder Fontaine, Michael Doppelt, Jake Horwitz
Turning Point Tutors, left to right: Alex Kogan, Sami Burack, Divya Gopinath, Mel Benson, Jen Semler, Izzie Gutenplan, Calder Fontaine, Michael Doppelt, Jake Horwitz

by Deirdre Cohen

In today’s tough market, young people everywhere face stiff competition for local jobs. But here in Chappaqua, teens are trading in on their skills from the arts to academics to athletics to launch full-fledged businesses complete with official looking websites, business cards and mobile credit card readers. What’s more, these entrepreneurial students are offering their 
services at much lower prices than those of their adult counterparts.

Possibly the oldest and most successful student-run business in town is Turning Point Tutoring which was started five years ago by Robbie Horwitz and is now carried on by his brother, Greeley senior, Jake Horwitz. Turning Point provides some of the very best students at Greeley who know the coursework and teachers for tutoring. Approximately ten tutors are chosen through an application and interview process. Horwitz says, “What surprised me the most was how important customer service is to a business. A lot of my time is devoted to getting back to clients as fast and thoroughly as I can.” This year has been one of the company’s best. In the month of January alone, they had 108 tutoring sessions. The company is so profitable, Horwitz will continue to run it from the University of Pennsylvania next fall. www.tpointtutoring.com

Utilizing their business and athletic skills, juniors, Jake Cohen and Matt Neuberger, captains of the football and soccer teams respectively, recently launched Varsity Sports Trainers offering top Greeley varsity athletes to provide sports training for kids including one-on-one, small group training and sports birthday parties. The enterprising 17 year-olds have 13 varsity athletes on their roster, covering a wide range of sports from soccer to lacrosse to field hockey. Neuberger says, “We started our business because we saw an untapped market in Chappaqua where student athletes can work with kids at a reasonable cost.” In their first week, they booked eight training sessions and one birthday party.   www.varsitysportstrainers.com

Sophomores, Matthew Reisch and Jack Panzer, run TeenAgency, a job placement company created over three years ago by Greeley grads, Jack Strougo and David Shimer. The company connects families in the local community who are in need of a variety of services with high schoolers who can do the work. The bulk of their clients ask for babysitters and tutors, but there are also requests for unique tasks like setting up a baseball batting cage, shoveling snow and teaching violin lessons. Resich says, “With a Facebook group of 80 teen members, it’s fairly easy to find a student to do a job, and if we can’t find someone to do it, Jack or I will do the job ourselves.” They also donate twenty percent of the company’s total earnings to charity. www.Teenagency.org

Varsity Sports Trainers Matt Neuberger (L) and Jake Cohen(R)
Varsity Sports Trainers Matt Neuberger (L) and Jake Cohen(R)

Chappaqua also has creative teens that are using their artistic gifts to provide useful services and products. Like Tess Greenberg, a Greeley junior, who started a successful business called Tess Arden Photography taking pictures for small events like kids’ parties, bridal showers, christenings and confirmations. Greenberg says “I was inspired to start a business to make some money and do something I love to do.” www.tessarden.wordpress.com

Greeley grad and Duke University freshman, Carly Stern, who started College Kicks last year, uses her artistry to draw college logos and designs on canvas sneakers. “I enjoy getting immersed and lost in the project. I like to see how my designs evolve and change for every job, ” explains Stern. Each one-of-a-kind pair takes her about 5 hours to complete, the perfect side job for a busy college student. To see photos go to Instagram, @carlyscollegekicks or email her at carlyscollegekicks@gmail.com

Greeley junior and entrepreneur, Brad Neufeld invented the SCREENZ, high top basketball sneaker covers to protect expensive sneakers from bad weather. The proactive teen worked on all phases of launching a product onto the market, including, shoe design, manufacturing and marketing. Neufeld says, “the biggest challenge with introducing a new product to the market is advertising without spending tons of money. I’ve had to get creative by marketing my product at basketball tournaments, sneaker conventions and on social media.” Sold on the web, Screenz has had sales as far away as Alaska and California. www.bballscreenz.com

Carly Stern with her own College Kicks kicks
Carly Stern with her own College Kicks kicks

Although not a Chappaqua teen, Robert Karp, a senior at Briarcliff High School and one of the most accomplished young business owners in our area, counts on his Chappaqua clients for a third of his company’s revenue . As founder of Karp Enterprises, the 17 year-old frequent flyer guru runs a booming travel business, which specializes in utilizing clients’ points and miles. Karp who works approximately 20 hours a week says the key to running a business while going to high school is to learn how to work as efficiently as possible. “I learn to use every minute. When I’m on hold with an airline, I do homework. When I’m waiting in a doctor’s office, I’m returning emails and researching travel options. But I stop work at 5 p.m. every Friday and Saturday because I’m careful not to let my work over take my life.” Karp will be heading off to Cornell next fall where he plans to continue running his company. www.karpenterprises.com

Armed with a strong innovative and entrepreneurial spirit, more and more Greeley students are showing that success can come at any age. So the next time you think about shopping locally in Chappaqua, you might also want to think about hiring talented local teens.

Deirdre Cohen is an independent network news producer and the mother of two HGHS students (including one of the founders of Varsity Sports Trainers). Over the years, the Cohen family has hired many gifted students including: a jazz trio of former Greeley grads to entertain guests at a 75th birthday party and a young math whiz to take over after two adult tutors failed to do the job.