In response to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority ’s (MTA) pending budget cut and its subsequent proposal to suspend Long Island Railroad Service (LIRR) to and from Greenport on the weekdays during off season, as of February 16, Hampton Jitney has added a 4:45 a.m. trip on weekdays from Greenport to Manhattan.
In addition, Hampton Jitney will offer LIRR passengers a special introductory rate of $300 for 20 tickets if they show their February 2010 monthly railroad ticket at the Greenport or Southampton office.
“We believe that convenient and reliable transportation service helps foster economic growth.” Hampton Jitney President Geoffrey Lynch said in a press release. “As an East End business, Hampton Jitney is trying to do its part to help our region ad its residents on the North Fork.”
Hampton Jitney offers more than a dozen daily trips between New York City and the North Fork, including a 6 a.m. departure from Greenport that runs direct, non-stop service to Manhattan by 8:30 a.m., for the cost of $17.50 one-way if purchased in a 12 ticket value pack.
The Southampton Chamber of Commerce will hold a networking night on Thursday, February 25, from 5 to 7 p.m., at The Drivers Seat Restaurant in Southampton.
The cost to attend is $25 or $15 for members and includes appetizers and a raffle ticket toward a door prize. There will be a cash bar and business cards are required. Call (631) 283-0402 or e-mail info@SouthamptonChamber.com to RSVP.
Stepping Stones Farmers Market closed for the season on January 10 and will reopen in April. During the off months, market owner Sandra Lacy will take special orders for her homemade soups, fresh baked pies, cobblers, and sweet breads.
Call 283-3069 to place an order.
Hudson City Bancorp, Inc., the holding company for Hudson City Savings Bank, reported a net income increase of 18.3 percent for the year ended December 31, 2009. Net income increased to $527.2 million in 2009, up from $445.6 million in 2008. A fourth quarter net income of $136.6 million was reported; this is an increase of 9.9 percent for the fourth quarter of 2009, as compared to $124.3 million for the fourth quarter of 2008. Earnings per share increased 12 percent to 28 cents for the fourth quarter of 2009, up from 25 cents for the fourth quarter of 2008. The bank declared a quarterly cash dividend of 15 cents per share to be payable on March 2 to shareholders of record as of February 5.
Suffolk Bancorp, the holding company for Suffolk County National Bank, announced a net income of $22.5 million for the full year of 2009, down 8.7 percent from $24.6 million in 2008. However, $2.4 million of those earnings were from a nonrecurring gain from shares of Visa that were sold during the first quarter of 2008. To compare the full year of 2009 to 2008 exclusive of the Visa transaction, 2009 net income increased by 1.3 percent to $22.5 million, from $22.2 million in 2008. Net income for the fourth quarter of 2009 was $5.1 million, down 10.3 percent from $5.7 million during the same period in 2008. Earnings-per-share for the fourth quarter of 2009 were 54 cents, a decrease of 10 percent from the 60 cents earned in the fourth quarter of 2008.
Bridge Bancorp, Inc., the parent company of The Bridgehampton National Bank, reported a fourth quarter net income of $2.2 million or 36 cents per share and a yearly net income of $8.8 million or $1.43 per share, both comparable to the same periods in 2008. A quarterly dividend of 23 cents per share was declared.
Throughout Lent, February 17 to April 3, Hampton Coffee Company will offer a variety of non-meat specials on their menus.
This week the Water Mill café will feature a fish sandwich melt—a beer-battered fish fillet topped with melted pepper jack cheese, lettuce, tomato, homemade tartar sauce, and pickles, on a toasted buttered brioche bun, served with hand-cut French fries. Other specials, which are featured daily, include homemade vegetarian chili, vegetarian soups, fish and chips, vegetable and shrimp fajitas, smoked tuna salad, egg dishes, fresh salads, vegetable cutlet sandwiches and veggie burgers.
In addition to several vegetarian soup choices, the Westhampton Beach café features a tomato and mozzarella sandwich, tuna melts and a grilled vegetable panini.
Both cafés are open daily, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.. Visit HamptonCoffeeCompany.com for more information.
The Suffolk County Women Business Enterprise Coalition (SCWBEC) will host its annual Business Expo Conference and Luncheon on April 12, 2010 at the Hyatt Regency Long Island conference center in Hauppauge.
The Expo is open to the general public and the business community and will feature free professional development workshops. World-renowned business artist Elaine Thompson will be guest speaker.
Exhibitors include representatives of women-owned businesses offering a variety of products and services, public and private sector purchasing offices and business resource organizations.
Early registration for exhibitors and the luncheon is now open at a discounted rate. Exhibitors pay $110 on or before March 15. The fee includes an 8 foot table with linens and one lunch ticket. Additional lunch tickets for exhibitors are $45 on or before March 15. Thereafter, exhibitors will pay , $125 for a table and $50 for additional luncheon tickets. Also, luncheon tables of 10 are available for $400.
Sponsorship opportunities are available and pre-registration is required for the luncheon. For more information, call (631) 853-4738, e-mail info@scwbec.org or visit SCWBEC.org.
In a new partnership between Hampton Jitney Inc. and the Tanger Outlet Center in Riverhead, a Hampton Jitney shuttle service between Tanger 1 and Tanger 2 will be offered to shoppers year-round on Saturdays and Sundays, with additional days to be added during the summer months and holidays.
The Jitney also announced a new shuttle from New York City to Tanger on the Jitney’s North Fork line. The line has four pick-ups in Manhattan and one in Queens.
For more information or a complete schedule of departure times call (631) 283-4600 or visit HamptonJitney.com.
The East Hampton-based public relations firm WordHampton, specializing in social media and the hospitality industry, recently launched a free iPhone application in an effort to keep business owners informed about the world of marketing.
“It’s a new and exciting tool by which to inform people of our company and our message. We believe we’ll be creating a lot of these for clients,” WordHampton President Steve Haweeli said in a press release.
The new WordHampton iPhone “app” will feature a news section of recent blog posts by Mr. Haweeli; live Twitter updates from @WordHamptonPR; a section that features biographies of all WordHampton employees; a WordHampton PR photo gallery; a “Fan Wall” where users can post comments; and a direct e-mail mailing list sign-up. Also, there will be direct links to company’s blog, Facebook page, LinkedIn group and Twitter account as well as the Long Island Restaurant Week, Hamptons Restaurant Week and Dishing on Dining websites. In addition, there is a video gallery for 3GS iPhone users.
iPhone users may download the free WordHampton Public Relations application through the iPhone “App Store.”
For more information about WordHampton Public Relations call (631) 329-0050 or visit WordHampton.com.
The Sag Harbor Community Food Pantry has appointed lifelong local Evelyn “Evie” Ramunno as its new director.
Ms. Ramunno has worked in Sag Harbor Elementary School for more than 28 years and in her former capacity as associate director for the pantry, has been efficiently assisting in ordering food, supplies and coordinating deliveries/food donations for the pantry for the past five years.
According to a press release, the pantry will continue to serve the community with the same “neighbors helping neighbors” motto it has always had.
King Kullen Grocery Company recently presented a check for $100,000 to Little Flower Children and Family Services of New York, an organization that finds adoptive and foster homes for children on Long Island and in New York City. The money was raised through King Kullen’s annual James A. Cullen Memorial Golf Outing held in September.
Since the first golf outing was held in 1983, King Kullen has raised millions of dollars for Little Flower. “My father and mother would be proud of the 27-year history of this successful event,” King Kullen Vice President Thomas K. Cullen said in a press release. “The annual golf outing was inaugurated to carry on their support of Little Flower’s mission of uniting children with families. As a family-operated business, we at King Kullen understand the importance of family ties, and are committed to helping Little Flower Children and Family Services serve underprivileged families in our area.”
The Cullen family has also played an integral role in the construction of the eight cottages that provide a residential setting for more than 100 children and teenagers at Little Flower’s Wading River campus. “We are very grateful for King Kullen’s continued sponsorship of the annual golf outing, as well as the many other ways they support Little Flower,” Grace LoGrande, executive director of Little Flower Children and Family Services said in a press release.
Cottages & Gardens Publications has appointed Pamela Eldridge of East Hampton to associate publisher of its Hamptons Cottages & Gardens magazine. The luxury design, home and lifestyle magazine is one of several regional titles that the company publishes along with Connecticut Cottages & Gardens and Westchester Cottages & Gardens.
Previously hired as sales director at Hamptons Cottages & Gardens in 2004, according to a press release, Ms. Eldridge helped to double the magazine’s advertising pages and was integral to the magazine’s early burst of success since the publication’s launch in 2001.
Her career was in advertising for the Financial Times in New York but she gained considerable experience in advertising and communications for clients in luxury categories, most notably the jewelry segment. She was director of advertising and public relations for Verdura jewelry and prior to that a media coordinator for artisan Barry Kieselstein-Cord. Most recently Ms. Eldridge was sales director for Plum TV in East Hampton where she helped to broaden network’s home furnishings category.
“We’re very excited to have Pamela rejoining us as an integral part of our team,” Marianne Howatson, CEO and publication director of Cottages & Gardens Publications said in a press release. “She will be instrumental in helping spur continued growth for the magazine as we increase our frequency from five to seven issues in 2010.”
For more information on Cottages & Gardens Publications visit candgpublications.com.
27east on Feb 17, 2010