Crains New York - March 25, 2013 - (Page 7)

4,690 BUSINESS PEOPLE Number of new businesses incorporated in the Bronx in 2011, up 305% from 1991 Source: Center for an Urban Future EXECUTIVE MOVES Brain & Behavior Research Foundation: Dr. Jeffrey Borenstein, 54, was promoted to president and chief executive. He was previously acting president and chief buck ennis THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX: Olivia Crenshaw hasn’t been afraid to use the hard sell on her road to claiming the title of New York’s Girl Scout cookie-selling champ. GOTHAM GIGS Yes, she’s one smart cookie Girl Scout uses her savvy to become top seller Cookie buyers ‘know I’m serious and that I’m the one to trust’ Olivia Crenshaw, 11, doesn’t shy away from the hard sell. ¶ Sometimes after class at the all-girls Chapin School on the Upper East Side, the fifthgrader will head to the boardroom at real estate firm Jones Lang LaSalle. There, she presents to potential clients and, with her winning smile, closes the deal for the Girl Scouts. “I say, ‘Five boxes only cost $20. Can I help you pick out your five boxes?’ My dad calls that a presumptive close.” ¶ This year, Olivia is the top cookieselling Girl Scout in New York City. Even health-conscious New Yorkers can’t say no: The Scouts will gladly send cookies to troops overseas, she helpfully suggests. ¶ Being the best isn’t easy in New York, where 26,500 girls ages 5 through 17 sold 1.2 million boxes of cookies last year. That’s an average of 45 boxes per Girl Scout. Olivia sold 1,812. Her success is no fluke. She was the cookie queen in 2011, too: 1,651 boxes. ¶ Olivia has become a fixture in her father’s financial services firm during the cookieselling month of December. She drops boxes at her mixed-martial-arts class, sells to restaurants, cold-calls cleaners and, dressed in her green vest and sash, pitches parents in Central Park on the cookies delivered worldwide each March. ¶ “It’s hard to go door-to-door in my neighborhood because there’s doormen,” she said. ¶ Her biggest client this year was Mitti Liebersohn, a real estate broker who purchased 155 boxes. “A lot of people like to buy from a successful seller,” Olivia explained. “That helps me. They know I’m serious and that I’m the one to trust.” ¶ Over the years, she has won two iPads, season tickets to Six Flags and a Wii. But it’s the thrill of victory that feeds the fire in her belly. “It’s not about the prizes,” she said. “I feel more that I just want to be the top seller.” —annie karni executive. Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City: Wendy DeMarco, 44, was promoted to chief marketing officer at the nonprofit. She was previously director of marketing. Gerri Thomas, 30, joined as director of communications. She was previously an adjunct professor, English instructor and tutor for the English department and Office of Instructional Support at the City University of New York, College of Staten Island. Resonate: Marc Johnson, 42, joined the advertising and marketing firm as chief marketing officer, a newly created position. He was previously principal at Storyline Development, which he co-founded. eXelate: Khurrum Malik, 38, joined the smart-data and analytics company as chief marketing officer, a newly created position. He was previously vice president of marketing at comScore. Empathica: Brandi Smith, 35, joined the customer-experience management company as director of marketing. She was previously director of marketing communications at PointClickCare. Insite Security Inc.: Christopher Falkiewicz, 58, joined the security and risk-management firm as chief technology officer. He was previously Northeast manager at Bruker Daltonics. CarrotNewYork: Julie Livingston, 54, joined the advertising and marketing firm as senior director of client development. She was previously director of business development and accounts at Child’s Play Communications. Kaled Management Corp.: Hak Bin Ahn, 35, was promoted to director of sales and leasing, a newly created position, at the real estate firm. He was previously a broker. McKissack & McKissack: Steven Allen, 48, joined the construction company as director of preconstruction. He was previously project manager at KelMar Designs Inc. LPCiminelli: Cheryl Marraffino, 52, joined the construction company as director of business development, a newly created position. She was previously director of business development at Skanska USA Building. Direct Edge: Drew Carey, 35, joined the financial services company as director of connectivity market data See EXECUTIVE MOVES on Page 8 March 25, 2013 | Crain’s New York Business | 7

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Crains New York - March 25, 2013

In the Boroughs
In the Markets
Real Estate Deals
The Insider
Business People
Opinion
Alair Townsend
Greg David
40 Under 40
Classifieds
For the Record
Small Business
New York, New York
Source Lunch
Out and About
Snaps

Crains New York - March 25, 2013