Crains New York - May 27, 2013 - (Page 7)

$19,770 BUSINESS PEOPLE Annual per-pupil spending at NYC public schools. The national figure is $10,560 Source: U.S. Census Bureau EXECUTIVE MOVES buck ennis IN 25 YEARS as the “21” Club’s GM, Bryan McGuire has helped the club soften its rules-andregs reputation. GOTHAM GIGS Club’s GM is forever ‘21’ Nixing Fidel Castro’s lunch, and other tales ‘Low-key’ Bryan McGuire’s career has been anything but humdrum In February, Bryan McGuire marked a milestone in his career—a quarter-century as the general manager of the “21” Club, the 84-year-old former speakeasy frequented by Hollywood legends and heads of state. He celebrated by going home early. “I’ve always been a low-key guy,” said Mr. McGuire. ¶ But his career has hardly been humdrum. ¶ The 63-year-old, who lives in Westfield, N.J., fell in love with the restaurant business decades ago after serving as the Russian Tea Room’s accountant and later joining its management team. ¶ Mr. McGuire met Nelson Mandela shortly after the South African was released from prison in 1990 and came to the “21” Club to dine. A request in 1996 by the then-chairman of Time Warner to host Cuban leader Fidel Castro for lunch has been the most challenging moment of Mr. McGuire’s tenure. ¶ “I was afraid that someone would throw a bomb through our window,” he said, recalling the protests outside the United Nations, where Mr. Castro had come to speak. ¶ He avoided a dustup by treating the revolutionary like any other patron. He asked whether the Cuban leader, famous for wearing his military fatigues, had a jacket, shirt and tie. The answer was no, and lunch was denied. ¶ In 2009, the eatery, owned by luxury hospitality company OrientExpress, relaxed the dress code, giving men the choice of wearing a tie. ¶ Opening up the front of the restaurant, creating a bar and lounge area visible to the street, has helped its more casual image. ¶ “Four years ago, we weren’t even in the Zagat Survey’s top 50 most popular restaurants,” Mr. McGuire said. “But this year, we’re at No. 9. We have worked very hard to become less of a rules-and-regulations venue like ‘21’ Club might have been years ago.” —lisa fickenscher Sterling Infosystems: Clare Hart, 52, joined the background-check company as president. She was previously president and chief executive at Infogroup. Soupman Inc.: Lloyd Sugarman, 59, joined the soup retailer as chief executive. He was previously an independent multi-unit, multiconcept franchise owner. Rapid Realty NYC: Stephanie Barry, 39, joined the real estate company as chief sustainability officer, a newly created position. She was previously event coordinator and eco-consultant at City Green Life, which she cofounded. Blythedale Children’s Hospital: Dr. Scott M. Klein, 43, joined as chief medical officer and chief of pediatrics. He was previously chief medical officer for hospice and palliative care at the Visiting Nurse Service of New York. Medidata Solutions: Steve Wilhite, 60, joined the cloud-based clinical development services provider as chief marketing officer and executive vice president. He was previously chief executive at Jumpstart Automotive Group. Yodle: Eric Raab, 52, joined the advertising and marketing company as chief information officer. He was previously chief technology officer at M5 Networks. Tauriga Sciences Inc.: Michael Wolff, 72, was appointed to the board of the proprietary biotherapeutics and diagnostics company. He will continue as a partner at Eisner Amper. UrbanGlass: Cybele Maylone, 33, joined the nonprofit as executive director. She was previously deputy director at Apexart. Digitas Health: Graham Mills, 49, was promoted to managing director at the health care branding agency. He was previously executive creative director. Robin Judson Partners: Erica Kim, 40, joined the financial services recruiting firm as managing director. She was previously executive director and head of human capital at Arden Asset Management. Tidal Labs: Anthony Losanno, 33, joined the social-content company as director of sales, a newly created position. He was previously director of sales at Huddler.com. Fizziology: Will Edgar, 32, joined the business intelligence and consulting firm as director of enterprise accounts, a newly created position. He was previously senior account executive of enterprise accounts at BountyJobs.com. Avison Young: Shari Krasnow-Renzi, 46, joined the commercial real estate services firm as director of project See EXECUTIVE MOVES on Page 8 May 27, 2013 | Crain’s New York Business | 7 http://www.Huddler.com http://www.BountyJobs.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Crains New York - May 27, 2013

In the Boroughs
In the Markets
Small Business
The Insider
Business People
Opinion
Alair Townsend
Greg David
Steve Hindy
Report: Largest Companies
The List
Classifieds
For the Record
Real Estate Deals
New York, New York
Source Lunch
Out and About
Snaps

Crains New York - May 27, 2013