Crains New York - April 22, 2013 - (Page 3)

IN THE BOROUGHS MANHATTAN Fight club’s fiercest foe: NY Upper East Side won’t hear defeat Mixed martial arts has Cuomo in its corner, but cagey Silver stands by sport’s ban BY AARON ELSTEIN Jon “Bones” Jones and Chael “The American Gangster” Sonnen will meet the press April 25 at the Theater at Madison Square Garden two days before their Ultimate Fighting Championship light-heavyweight title bout. But because professional ultimate fighting is illegal in the state of New York, the actual fight will take place in Newark. This state of affairs is nuts, argues UFC Chief Executive Lorenzo Fertitta, who has turned a sport once described as “human cockfighting” into one of the nation’s fastest-growing spectacles. For years, he has been trying to persuade New York lawmakers and the courts to let him stage his events here, which feature caged fighters who kick, punch, wrestle or even choke each other. “People in New York City can already watch our events on pay-per-view or cable or even network TV,” said Mr. Fertitta.“The only thing they can’t do is buy a ticket.” Now Mr. Fertitta is tantalizingly close to bringing a title fight instead of just a press conference to Madison Square Garden. His company, which claims UFC events would generate $100 million in Trash transfer station is a done deal, but try telling that to locals BY ANDREW HAWKINS On a recent Monday morning, a gaggle of gray-haired retirees stood out in front of Conte’s Market on the corner of East 89th Street and York Avenue talking about the usual: the weather, the traffic, the kids, the neighCOST of new bors—and, of waste-transfer course, the East station 91st Street marine wastetransfer station. NUMBER of “It’s the most trucks that will absurd idea,” utilize the facility said Michael daily Cohen, a retired advertising executive, cradling NUMBER of a fluffy white times courts have dog in his arms. ruled against Buttressing that facility opponents view, he noted that out of all the candidates running for mayor, only one, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, publicly supports the city’s decision to resurrect and expand the trash facility that has perched above the FDR Drive at East 91st Street since 1940 and was $240M 143 11 See WASTE on Page 9 See ULTIMATE on Page 40 VC honcho Fred Wilson, Gilt’s Kevin Ryan floated as mayoral hopefuls BY MATTHEW FLAMM New York City business leaders hoping to tap a mayoral successor in the mold of Mayor Michael Bloomberg turned last year to the one industry they believed could capture the hearts and minds of voters: technology. Among the names that came up, according to several sources, were Kevin Ryan, founder of e-commerce powerhouse Gilt, and Fred Wilson, managing partner of Union Square Ventures—two leaders of a tech scene that was barely on the radar in previous mayoral elections. The thinking was that, from a brand perspective, Wall Street was considered toxic whereas tech was forward-looking and a new source of jobs. Neither man was interested in Wall Street has image problems, but startups win hearts, votes running. Mr. Ryan declined to comment on the subject, and Mr. Wilson did not respond to a request for comment. But those initial overtures from traditional power brokers may not have been the last. Techies—typically apolitical and often nonpartisan and hyperrational—are increasingly jumping into the political fray. While the business community has long been wary of the current mayoral hopefuls, the tech community is particularly concerned about losing a kindred spirit, albeit an older and much richer one. Mr. Bloomberg has doted on the tech industry since the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008 made it clear that the city relied too heavily on Wall Street. Along with spurring the growth of incubators and workspaces, opening up city data to apps developers and beating the drum for the industry day and night, the Bloomberg administration led two major projects regarded as key to the sector’s future: the creation of Cornell NYC Tech, the appliedSee TECH on Page 39 STATS AND THE CITY TARNISHED: Although precious metals have been losing their investment luster for a while, gold’s value abruptly melted away last Monday. -9.3% $1,200 DECLINE in gold’s price per ounce on April 15, to $1,361.10, the biggest one-day drop since 1980 AVERAGE global production cost of one ounce $169B MARKET VALUE that companies in the FTSE Gold Mines Index have shed since the bullion peak in 2011 400 DEMAND (IN TONS) for gold jewelry in in China, the fastest-growing market in the world $973M ESTIMATED LOSS on gold last week for hedge-funder John Paulson Sources: FTSE Gold Mines Index, World Gold Council, Comex, Bloomberg istockphoto Worried over next occupant of City Hall, tech gets political ADDICTED TO NUMBERS? GET A DAILY DOSE AT @STATSANDTHECITY April 22, 2013 | Crain’s New York Business | 3

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Crains New York - April 22, 2013

Crains New York - April 22, 2013
IN THE BOROUGHS
IN THE MARKETS
THE INSIDER
BUSINESS PEOPLE
CORPORATE LADDER
REAL ESTATE DEALS
OPINION
ALAIR TOWNSEND
GREG DAVID
REPORT: GREEN NEW YORK
THE LIST
FOR THE RECORD
CLASSIFIEDS
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
SOURCE LUNCH
OUT AND ABOUT
SNAPS

Crains New York - April 22, 2013