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Sunday
Aug052012

Thank You!

On behalf of everyone affiliated with Smithtown Matters I would like to thank you for your support of our E-newspaper SmithtownMatters.com.

During the first seven months of 2012 we have experienced incredible growth in the number of people visiting our site.  Every indicator - unique hits, page views, robot hits has more than doubled and in some cases tripled over last year.  We have increased the number of subscribers and advertisers as well. 

To thank you for your support, the names of our subscribers have been entered into a drawing for $10 gift cards to the Seaqua Deli in Saint James.  Each Sunday and Wednesday during August a name will be drawn randomly from our subscriber list.  The gift card winner’s name will be announced online.  The winner may contact me at pat@SmithtownMatters.com to collect their gift card.  Enjoy breakfast or lunch on Smithtown Matters.

Thanks again for your support.

Pat

If you are currently not a subscriber sign up for a free subsciption and your name will be entered into the drawing. No purchase necessary.

 

EILEEN CAUFIELD - Saint James is our first gift card winner.

 

 

Saturday
Aug042012

Nesconset's Larry Goldstein - Creating a Business with “Bite”

Spider Bite Beer brings locals a taste of Long Island

By Chad Kushins

In recent years, small-business owners of all trades have faced the daunting task of utilizing the digital age to kick-start their dream projects, while also facing the realities of an uncertain economic market.  In the case of Nesconset resident Larry Goldstein, however, there has been one business philosophy that has guided him since the beginning: share your personal passion with likeminded people, and the customers will come.  And it has been that grassroots way of thinking that has made Goldstein’s own Spider Bite Beer an instant classic among Long Island’s microbrewery fans.

Larry Goldstein

While originally from Long Island, Goldstein moved to Atlanta for a number of years in order to pursue a career as a chiropractor.  There, his own interest in “micro beers,” or those made by small, independent companies for a more personal and unique taste, only grew.  By buying kits and making his own special blends and flavors of beer at home, Goldstein slowly learned the machinations of his hobby to the point of honing a true craft.  Formally trained by the American Brewers Guild, Goldstein soon won numerous brewing awards and notices throughout the region.  It wasn’t long before friends told him how advanced and visionary his homebrews were becoming and, once back in New York, he was able to couple with a partner to bring their “Spider Bite” label to the local market in November of last year. 

Owning and running your own business may be reward enough for most people, but as Goldstein told Smithtown Matters, there’s just nothing quite like kicking back at your favorite pub, looking down the bar-top, and seeing satisfied faces sipping your home-made label.

Smithtown Matters:  Although there are plenty of specialized, micro-brew enthusiasts, many people may be intimidated in starting a business of their own, or even sharing what they’ve been creating with the public.  What were some obstacles when you were starting out?

Larry Goldstein:  Well, we’ve been officially “open” for business since November, but it certainly took a while to get anything that has to do with liquor going, in a business sense.  I actually incorporated in 2008, but there was plenty of red tape with the federal laws and the state to be worked out.  When you work within this market, they want to know where the taxes will go and things like that – and that takes a while. 

SM:  So you’ve been incorporated as a business for a while, which is something that’s key to any local-business owner when they start at the very beginning.  But, do you currently have an actual location for Spider Bite, or is this still a homebrew operation?

LG:  We’re located in Holbrook for the manufacturing, but one of the major goals that we have is to convert the location into a place that could be visited by customers, samples could be given, or events booked – very much like either the larger beer company’s home bases that are open to the public, or a winery or vineyard.  As of right now, that goal could happen by the end of the year, but it’s still in-progress.  I think there’s also a real demand for such a place; I get calls from customers all the time asking, “Is it possible to visit and try this beer or that beer?”  I’d like to be able to say yes.

SM:  That’s a good sign when people are calling to see what else you have to offer.

LG: Oh, yes [laughs].  It’s the best kind of feedback.

SM:  So, Spider Bite is officially based in Holbrook, but does that also dictate where your beer is distributed to and, ultimately, carried to meet consumers?

LG:  Well, we’re in numerous pubs and bars and beverage stores all over the island.  Restaurants, too.  I think, right now, our total reach goes from East Hampton in the east to about Westchester, going up. 

SM: So, is it fair to say that it’s a quintessential New York beer?

LG: Right, in many ways, it’s really a New York beer.

SM:  Are there plans for expansion?

LG:  Ultimately, yes.  But, you know, there is such a market here and our first order of business is to fulfill the demand of local outlets and local retailers.  That’s our plan before we expand past the state.

SM:  What made you originally want to get into brewing on a professional level?  It seems like there is a lot to learn.

LG:  Yes, definitely.  But, for a long time, I was a beer aficionado and into those “craft” beers and other microbrews.  I’ve been “homebrewing” for almost 20 years and I’ve really always been into it, into the process.  From that, I started entering into competitions and things like that.  I started to get serious about it when my wife and I were living in Atlanta for a while and I carried that interest back to New York with me.  My wife finally said, “If you really want to do this, you should.”  

SM:  Is it fair to say that you started as more of a “passionate hobbyist” then an entrepreneur with a business in mind?

LG:  Absolutely.  That’s how it started.

 

SM:  Were you involved marketing or distribution before founding Spider Bite?

LG:  Actually, no – I’m a licensed chiropractor [laughs].  I worked for someone and also had my own practice for 10 years.  But, like, on weekends or on days off, I would make my homebrews or volunteer at breweries to learn and watch. 

SM:  Was there a big learning curve when you finally turned your personal passion into a real business?

LG:  Well, there was definitely a learning curve when it came to, say, the paperwork side of founding the company.  With a product that is an alcoholic beverage, it can get pretty strict, what with label registration and things like that.  But as I moved from Atlanta back to New York and made that transition, I joined an American Breweries program and that definitely helped quite a bit, as far as formal training.  I also interned out west at West Abbey, another major brewery, in San Diego. 

SM:  As far as the business side of things, who do you work with at Spider Bite?

LG:  I have a business partner, my neighbor Anthony LiCausi, who shares the same passion about microbrews as I do.  He became very interested from the moment that I got back to New York and shared what I was up to. 

SM:  I’m interested in the product itself.  With Spider Bite, are you hands-on with the flavors, the designs, even the packaging?

LG:  Yes.  Currently, we have two beers for the summer months, and five total for commercial release.  And we’re very hand-on in every element of crafting the beers and how they are finally presented and sold.  But, those are just the finished products.  Through trial and error, we’ve probably made around 30 beers in the experimental stages, deciding on the five best for marketing.

SM:  You must have a very specific palate in order to design what beers you, personally, would like to carry your name.  What kind of brews do you like and how has that effected what you craft and sell?  Would I learn a lot about what you like by trying a Spider Bite beer?

LG:  Oh, definitely.  I like the bolder beers, something that’s a big flavor or a big style – and that’s definitely what I brew.  Even our lighter beer, the pale ale, I think it full of flavor because it’s my own preference and what I look for when I taste a beer. 

SM:  So, why Spider Bite as a name? 

LG:  Well, when we were starting the corporation in 2008, we immediately began brainstorming about the name.  At point, we were sitting outside during the summer, having a kind of unofficial meeting, and I just happened to notice that I had some bug bites along me arm – only that had a strange pattern, all in a line.  I knew then that they were from a spider and, as simple as it sounds, the brand name actually just came out of that experience!  We thought that it sounded catchy and we went with it.

SM:  What’s the best part of turning a passion into a sustainable business?

LG:  Well, there’s pleasure in the process itself, definitely.  But seeing the final product come to market and seeing it being ordered at a pub or a bar is the best feeling.  It’s up there with when people come up to me when I’m wearing a logo shirt and they not only know the beer, but they give me complements on it.  It’s a great feeling.

SM:  Any advice for people out there who have a similar passion and would like to start a business of their own, or maybe market their own personal microbrew?

LG:  It’s a broad subject, but I’ve actually already been approached by many people who want to follow through with a similar goal or market their own brew.  I think that starting small and really learning the craft at home, homebrewing your own stuff for a while, helps a lot.  You slowly learn the finer details and get better every time.  But there’s definitely a difference in making 15 gallons for you and your friends and then making the leap towards mass production.  So, as simple as it may be, my best recommendation is knowledge of the business and then, most importantly, putting out the best possible product.  That’s the key.  If you make a good product, the product will sell itself.

 

Images courtesy of Spider Bite Brewery

Spider Bite Won The F.X. Matt Memorial Cup - The best Craft Beer Brewery In NY State at the Tap New York Craft Beer And Fine Food Festival In April of 2012.

 

Tuesday
Jul312012

Special Olympics Coming To Commack

By Joe Flynn

The Spring Games event of the Long Island Special Olympics is coming to Commack on April 21st, 2013. Commack resident Debbie Virga has taken it into her own hands to coordinate this event with the Special Olympics staff, which will bring in disabled athletes from all across Long Island and possibly the Hudson Valley region. There are expected to be as many as 700 or 800 participants at this event, as well as up to 1000 volunteers from the community. The Commack School District’s Special Education Parent-Teacher Association (SEPTA) is taking the lead with Debbie in organizing the event.

The Special Olympics is an international organization designed to bring the experience of a competitive, athletic accomplishment to those with mental handicaps of any kind. It is frequently confused with the Paralympics, a similar organization whose athletes are physically handicapped. Another common misconception is that each Special Olympics event is wide-scale, selective, and infrequent, like the International Olympics, when in fact Special Olympics events occur by demand. When an enthusiastic place like Commack can be found to host a Special Olympics event, the organization works with the community to create an event. It can happen on any day of the year.

The games themselves are taken very seriously. Each athlete is registered several months in advance. If he or she is a student, as many of the competitors are, the Special Olympics works with Physical Education teachers to work a training schedule into the curriculum. The participant is then fully prepared to compete on the day of the actual event. Trainers, coaches and teachers are able to evaluate the participant’s ability, so that in a race, for example, the fastest athletes are placed with each other, but special accommodations are avoided if possible. The Special Olympics are designed to be real, professional competitions, with Section 11 officials ensuring that all typical standards are followed. This way, the participants know that they are getting the real experience. In the games, removing the handicap is empowering.

On the other hand, the Special Olympics are also designed to empower the community that hosts them. “It’s all about education and changing perceptions,” says coordinator Tim Flynn. “Many people might be sympathetic to mental disabilities, but they don’t know how to go up and talk to a disabled person. They just don’t know what to say. And of course people are forgetting how to talk to each other at all any more, now that we can just text and use the computer. But in this event the volunteers work side by side with the athletes, and they learn from each other.”

Commack is already beginning to show some enthusiasm for the project, but since most of the volunteering is expected to come from students, most of the organization and advertisement will wait until school is back in session. Geico and Huntington Honda are among the companies that have already agreed to sponsor the event. SEPTA and the Special Olympics representatives expect about 10% of the local students to get involved. In addition to the track, field events, and tennis that will be the competitions for this spring, there will also be awards ceremonies and an Olympic Village-style campus to facilitate the athletes as well as their friends and families. All community donations and support for this undertaking will be appreciated by those who get a unique chance to shine.

Tuesday
Jul312012

Suffolk County Police Marine Bureau Rescue Endangered Sea Turtle


Suffolk County Police Marine Bureau assisted in the rescue of an endangered sea turtle in the Long Island Sound last night.

Marine Bureau Police Officers David Goldstein and Matthew Funaro, while on routine patrol in the Long Island Sound, received information from a pleasure boat via the VHF radio, that a very large sea turtle was entangled in the lines of several lobster pots one mile north of Mount Sinai Harbor, at 8:40 p.m. The officers located the turtle approximately ten minutes later, and it appeared to be in distress and having difficulty breathing. The officers maneuvered their boat, M-Delta, into position and attempted to free the turtle from the lines. They managed to free one of its flippers, but due to the turtle’s size and agitated state, they were unable to remove the remaining lines.

The officers requested assistance from Marine Bureau Police Officers Michael Cappiello and Matthew Wargas, of M-Bravo, who transported personnel from the Riverhead Foundation’s Rescue Program from the shore to the scene. Using lights, cutting tools and poles, Julika Wocial, Riverhead Foundation’s Rescue Program Supervisor and Kimberly Durham, Rescue Program Director, worked with the Marine Bureau officers for over three hours and eventually freed the turtle. Wocial and Durham stated that the turtle was a Leatherback sea turtle, at least 6 feet long, and weighed an estimated 1000 pounds. They also reported this particular species is on the endangered list and that the sea turtle was a female of breeding age, making the rescue extremely important. It was reported that once freed, the turtle appeared to calm down, and it swam away on its own without further incident.

The Suffolk County Police Marine Bureau encourages all boaters to immediately report any sightings of stranded or entangled marine life so that a similar, positive outcome can be achieved.

Tuesday
Jul312012

Smithtown’s Horizons Center Has A New Home on Main Street

By Chad Kushins

For six long years, Smithtown Horizons Counseling and Education Center has had to struggle to help residents in need of their unique services – drug and substance abuse recovery, education about the nature of addiction, or sometimes just a sympathetic ear for those suffering from an addicted family member or friend.  This week, however, the town’s sole beacon of hope for recovery finds its own light at the end of a dark tunnel, as the Center makes its new and improved home on Smithtown’s Main Street.

Aside from the practical nature of setting up camp in the heart of town, Horizons’ new address of 161 East Main Street also offers a symbolic symbol of strength, understanding, and tolerance to all visitors who drive down the town’s busiest thoroughfare.  Originally existing in Town Hall upon its inception in 1979, Horizons eventually moved to its most-recognized location at 124 West Main Street in 1986. 

According to Horizons Director Elaine Economopoulos, that location was, even then, small in size and inadequate in meeting the needs of its visitors. 

“If you’ve ever been in there,” Economopoulos told Smithtown Matters, “then you’ll know that the quarters were very, very tight.  “We were very limited on space and it was inadequate in running our programs and groups – and there are many different types of groups that we offer.  We had to color-code everything as far as, ‘Okay, so your group session is here today, and next time you’ll be in this room.’  It was very tight and that made daily operations difficult.”

Economopoulos continued, “We really needed the space in order to provide ample services.  We had been leaning on the community for a very long time – running groups in the Dennison Building in Hauppauge, the Kings Park Resource Room for alliance meetings, borrowing other departments’ conference rooms – things like that.  We were forced to be all over the place.”

Economopoulos has been a part of the Horizons program since its origins in 1979, beginning as a senior counselor and clinical supervisor and eventually becoming the program’s director in 1984.  Horizons, while never in danger of closing down its town-sanctioned practice, was still forced to make compromises in its programs and group sessions offered, prompting its director and staff to seek out a new location as far back as 2007. 

“Of course, people were very kind in allowing us to use their space,” Economopoulos continued, “but that still means that their needs take priority.  And with a move like this, it involved the town and the county and state, so it became a matter of getting all the many ducks lined up … We’re fully affiliated with the town as a town program, but we also exist through state and county grants.”

According to Economopoulos, the ball really got rolling after she sent off a new grant proposal for further rent money.  In a case of both necessity and perseverance, her request led to approval for a complete relocation.  “From that point on, I was able to go to the state and express what our true needs were,” she added.  “So, we started off looking for a place to rent that the state would be willing to fund, but then when it came down to what kinds of renovations we would need, it didn’t make sense to invest in renovated a place that you’re only renting.  And that turned the whole project into ‘Let’s look for a place to purchase,’ which was better than we could have hoped.”

With the initial goal of finding a suitable location to rent, Economopoulos was aided by various town departments in researching available spaces.  “We looked at a number of buildings,” said Economopoulos, “and [161 East Main Street] really seemed like the most opportune one.  It’s right on Main Street, which means that driving, bus services, and the train station are all nearby, and when we learned that there was the possibility of purchasing, the project just grew from there.”

In preparing for the move, Horizons was aided by other town departments – the such as the Engineering Department, the Town Attorney’s Office, and the Parks Department – all of which worked with Horizons in getting both the red tape completed and in overseeing the renovations to the building.  Economopoulos added, “It was great to have all of the departments working so closely … the Building Department worked with us, Public Safety worked with us.  It was really a team effort.”

Thanks to that “team effort” and the auspices of Smithtown, Suffolk County, and New York State, Horizons was able to get its move completed in time to re-open by July 30, although an official “Grand Opening” is planned for September,  a date is yet to be announced.  For those hoping to see the new Horizons Center, or for additional information on their services, hours of operation are Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm and Fridays from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm; the office may be reached at 631-360-7578 or at www.smithtowninfo.com/HorizonsCounseling/

Horizons Counseling and Education Center is a non-profit agency providing professional adolescent and adult counseling, prevention services, and parenting workshops for the Smithtown community. It serves residents facing substance abuse problems and other damaging addictions and all services are confidential. Daytime and evening counseling groups are available by appointment only. Fees are based on a sliding scale and private insurance is accepted.