Neil A. Carousso produces NewsNation original “Kurt’s Country” – a celebration of country music and a slice of Americana with host Kurt Bardella.
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Small Business Spotlight: StrongArm Technologies CEO on How to Get Big Clients
By Joe Connolly and Neil A. Carousso
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — The key to business is often relationships. But, getting a foot in the door, especially with a prominent brand, is challenging.
“You have to start with the end user and you have to never lose sight of the individual at all,” suggests StrongArm Technologies CEO Sean Petterson on the WCBS Small Business Spotlight, sponsored by Dime Community Bank.
StrongArm Tech counts Walmart and Toyota North America among its clients. Walmart recently reported the Brooklyn-based tech company helped the retailer reduce worker injuries in its factories by 64 percent using StrongArm’s wearable safety devices called FUSE that utilize haptic technology to alert laborers to risk on the job by vibrating. FUSE collects real-time data so companies can make safety improvements.
“The goal for us is to not overcomplicate anything, but rather just provide small insights throughout your day so you can avoid getting hurt,” he said.
Petterson told Joe Connolly and Neil A. Carousso that the key to gaining big clients has been loyalty to their original ally within large corporations.
“They may not have the budget to take you globally with the organization, but they are the champions and they are the best voice of customer,” he explained.
“It’s almost like the old adage ‘treat your new friends like silver and your old like gold.’ That’s really how we try to operate.”StrongArm Tech’s first client eight years ago was a small charity distribution center in Upstate New York, which purchased their exoskeletons that provide ergonomic support to industrial workers lifting heavy materials.
Petterson told WCBS 880 one way they’ve been able to scale is by taking their data “a step further” to help their clients find cost savings.
“By eliminating those injuries, we don’t simply have the dollars fall on the bottom-line,” he said. “If you’re anticipating a workflow improvement, but you can’t really find the operational budget to do so, there’s a very good chance that there’s a safety ROI hidden in those numbers.”
He told Connolly and Carousso their clients have been able to increase profits and productivity by placing value in the labor system.
Petterson tells his clients “if you can measure it, you can manage it.”
New York City tech companies, like StrongArm, are booming largely because they are introducing needed solutions and upending traditional businesses that were hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.
See ways local tech companies are innovating and growing and get ideas on how to scale a business on the WCBS Small Business Spotlight video above.
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WCBS 880 Weekly Rewind: Cyberattacks on the Rise, Health Officials Warn about More Deadly Delta COVID Variant, Senate Hearing Looks at Whether College Athletes Should be Paid
Produced by Neil A. Carousso
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — McDonald’s is the latest target in a string of cyberattacks that include the Colonial Pipeline, meat supplier JBS, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the New York City Law Department. On The 880 Weekly Rewind, WCBS anchor Steve Scott talked to Max Everett, CEO of Adnovem Consulting Group and former Chief Information Officer at The White House and the Department of Energy, about the danger this new type of warfare poses to Americans.
This week, health officials are sounding the alarm about the highly contagious Delta variant that was first discovered in India during their recent surge in severe cases of COVID-19. The variant is thought to be more transmissible and more deadly than other strains of the virus. Delta has taken over as the dominant strain in the U.K. and is rising in the U.S.
Scott also spoke with Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) about whether college athletes should be compensated as the debate reaches Capitol Hill. WCBS reporter Steve Burns reports New York City’s mayoral candidates have deployed a new strategy as early voting in the city’s primary elections begin Saturday. And, WCBS reporter Peter Haskell gets a tour of UBS Arena, the next home of the New York Islanders.
Subscribe and download The 880 Weekly Rewind podcast for in-depth reporting and deeper analysis of the top stories of the week, produced by Neil A. Carousso for WCBS-AM New York.
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WCBS Newsradio 880 Wins Gracie Award for Special Report ‘Chaos in the Capitol’
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — The Alliance for Women in Media Foundation (AWMF) has announced the winners of the 46th Annual Gracie Awards.
WCBS Newsradio 880 has been honored with an award in the category Frontline – Special Report [Radio Local] for our hour-long special “Chaos in the Capitol — A Nation Divided,” anchored by Lynda Lopez.
“Chaos in the Capitol — A Nation Divided” was a collaborative effort by the WCBS 880 team in the days after the Jan. 6 Capitol riots.
The program featured firsthand accounts from lawmakers and reporters who were in the nation’s Capitol when it descended into chaos, including interviews with freshman Congressman Ritchie Torres of the Bronx, Rep. Carolyn Maloney, former Long Island Congressman Steve Israel, 20-year-old Black Lives Matter protest organizer Yahshiyah Vines and more.
WCBS Newsradio 880’s Steve Burns, Marla Diamond and Neil A. Carousso contributed reports to the special. The program was written by Martin Untrojb and produced by Carousso and Lopez.
You can listen to the Gracie Award-winning report below:
The Gracies recognize exemplary programming created by, for and about women in radio, television, cable and interactive media.
Honorees are selected in national, local and student markets, including both commercial and non-commercial outlets.
“Throughout this important year, we have enjoyed some of the most compelling content in our history. We were informed, enlightened and entertained by women in media across all platforms,” said Becky Brooks, President of the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation. “As we celebrate AWM’s 70th anniversary, we are thrilled to honor this incredible group of women who have demonstrated their commitment to sharing emotionally-charged, timely and compelling content. We look forward to reconvening in person to recognize these incredible achievements and brave storytelling.”
The Gracie Awards Gala will take place September 27, 2021 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles. It will honor some of the most talented women in television, radio and digital media, including Kerry Washington, Kelly Clarkson, Hillary Rodham Clinton, and more.
This year’s ceremony will also recognize entertainment and news programming that addressed timely topics and social issues.
Click here to see the full list of honorees.
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Small Businesses Get Boost as Commuters Return to New York City
By Joe Connolly and Neil A. Carousso
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — People returning to New York City are having real positive effects on the local economy.
“I’ve been hearing schools are reopening more, and being on the Upper West Side, that affects us because there’s a lot of families here, which is why we wanted to be here,” said Kim Duncan, owner of goldenlight visions, on the WCBS Small Business Spotlight, sponsored by Dime Community Bank.
Duncan opened the custom printing and photo store on 95th and Broadway in December 2019, just three months before the pandemic shutdown.
She thought her business would always be secure at a prime location strategically near the subway. COVID-19 has forced her to reimagine her business.“We always wanted to grow our website and our reach and be found online, but it is difficult,” she explained. “Search engine optimization is a whole world that we are exploring.”
Kim and her business/life partner Bretton May believe “failure is not an option.” Duncan told Joe Connolly and Neil A. Carousso they plan to make it work.
“I know we’ll get past this. It’s just been a really long year,” she said.
Duncan has a background in marketing and customer service and is eager to welcome people back to the Upper West Side. May is an artist who designs the store’s custom vinyl canvases.
During the shutdown, she took advantage of guidance and support through the NYC Small Business Resource Network to learn digital marketing and e-commerce. They also offer one-on-one personalized assistance with business coaching, financial planning, loans and grants.
Goldenlight visions began offering a new adjacent service that has taken off: photo tips.
“Everybody that comes in is concerned about their images,” Duncan told WCBS 880. “Our tips will help people make them better, and then, we can take it to the next level.”
Now that subway ridership is inching back to nearly 50 percent of pre-pandemic levels, some commuters are just noticing goldenlight visions for the first time.
“It’s great to finally see people where they’re coming in now saying, ‘Oh, is this new?’ And here, we’ve been here over a year and people are just finding us now,” she said.
Watch the Small Business Spotlight video above for more on goldenlight visions and Midtown’s recovery.
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WCBS 880 Weekly Rewind: Businesses May be Forced to Raise Wages as Hiring Slows
Produced by Neil A. Carousso
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Capitalism is at work.
On The 880 Weekly Rewind, Lynda Lopez talks to New York Times Economics Reporter Ben Casselman about who is benefiting in the pandemic recovery and if businesses will finally raise wages after years of stagnation as the pace of hiring slows while unemployment benefits in many cases exceed salaries. Casselman said some workers have “leverage” now.
Also on this week’s podcast, WCBS reporter Mack Rosenberg speaks with two CUNY graduates about how they’ve adjusted their career prospects in the pandemic, Naomi Osaka’s French Open withdrawal sparks a conversation on mental health and New York City’s mayoral candidates duke it out a week before early voting in the primaries.
Subscribe and download The 880 Weekly Rewind podcast for in-depth reporting and deeper analysis of the top stories of the week, produced by Neil A. Carousso for WCBS-AM New York.
