The Backup Plan October 2013

The Atlantic Yards Development Project

Forest City Ratner’s new Barclays Center was only the beginning of Bruce C. Ratner’s plans for the 22-acre development of Brooklyn’s Atlantic Yards.  The Barclays center itself is no testament to modern architecture but functionally its design is impressive, it also has been said that the aesthetic of the arena with its rust colored grid work of panels overlaying a swooping shell-like exterior is a reflection of the tough and progressive neighborhood that it dwells within.  As with anything else there are those that love it and there are those that hate it, the real question is what will the rest of the project end up looking like.

Several low and moderate-income apartment towers are also in the works as part of the deal Ratner made with the city.  Again these apartment towers are a subject for debate realizing now the extreme cost and risk of the construction of these buildings Forest City Ratner is looking to sell a 50 to 80 percent stake in the developments housing component.  This will not be the first time Ratner and his company have sought financial backing during the course of the Atlantic Yards re-development project, during the construction of the Barclays center Ratner sought financial backing from Russian Billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov.  A total of 14 apartment buildings and an office tower at the corner of Flatbush and Atlantic avenues are the end game for Forest City Ratner’s Atlantic Yards project.  Originally proposed to be completed over a 25-year span a supplemental environmental impact statement is in the works to push that timetable back 15 years or else bid out the project sites to developers who can meet the newly implemented ten year deadline.

As with all things there are advocates on both sides of the fence.  Some say Ratner is looking only to line his pockets and not taking into consideration the people or the area he is building in.  Other’s say that this project is exactly what Brooklyn needs to bring new life into the area, the buildings and development will offer housing and job opportunities to thousands, the arena (which is already a proven success) will attract sports teams (like the NY Islanders) and fans to an area that could use something new.  Only time will tell the tale, we will all just have to wait and see how successful (or not successful) Ratner’s newest projects will be.

All Star Limousine is a Long Island, New York based company with an extensive global reach; we provide expert Wedding, Special Event and Executive Travel services throughout the Tri-State area and the world. We have over 30 years of experience in the travel industry; our attention to detail, 2013 top-of-the-line vehicles and professional trained Chauffeurs set us apart from the rest!

by Jarrad Kulick 

What It Takes To Provide True Executive Car Service

All Star Limousine and All Star Limousine Worldwide never sleeps.  We are open and operating 24 hours a day 7 days a week and 365 days a year no exceptions.  We do not outsource our phone lines to a call center we do not forward the phones to an automated answering service, we have live and professional staff dispatching and booking reservations around the clock.  You can call us at 3:00am (whether that’s 3:00am London time or pacific time makes no difference) and book a car for the following day or even a few hours from the time of your call!  You can also call at that same time and reschedule an existing ride or re-route a current reservation.

If you think about that capability it is incredible.  No other company and certainly no other executive car service offers this feature.  Can you name any other organization that is fully functioning around the clock?  Can you think of another company that never closes?  There are in reality very few, perhaps certain diners or eateries but even they are the exception and not the rule.

That is what it takes to provide premiere executive car service internationally.  To be leaders in the executive transportation industry you need to keep the doors constantly open.  But it is not a matter of simply keeping the lights on.  The individuals that are monitoring the phones and the existing rides must be dedicated service professionals.  They must be trained reservationists and dispatchers.  You cannot have just anyone manning the operation during off peak hours because dropping the ball at midnight is the same as dropping the ball at noon.  In either case you are not properly accommodating a customer and for All Star Limousine that is just not acceptable. 

All Star Limousine operates at optimum efficiency 24/7/365 without exception.  We are the premier providers of executive car service internationally.  Our operators and dispatchers are dedicated service professionals who care as much about our business and our clients as the CEOs and CFOs of All Star Limousine.  Dedication, professionalism and a true commitment to excellence from upper management all the way down is what it takes to provide true executive car service and that is exactly what we do and have at All Star Limousine.

All Star Limousine is a Long Island, New York based company with an extensive global reach; we provide expert Wedding, Special Event and Executive Travel services throughout the Tri-State area and the world. We have over 30 years of experience in the travel industry; our attention to detail, 2013 top-of-the-line vehicles and professional trained Chauffeurs set us apart from the rest!

by Jarrad Kulick 

Nassau Coliseum

The Majesty of the Barclays Center will now extend into the rest of Nassau County.  On Monday September 23^rd 2013 almost exactly a year after the Barclay Center was open to the public, Bruce Ratner, the genius behind Brooklyn’s Barclay Center, and his company Forest City Ratner won the bid to renovate the 41-year-old Nassau Coliseum.  Nassau County Legislature voted unanimously and approved a $229 million bid by Ratner’s company.

The blueprints propose an impressive looking steel structure composed of an exterior latticework of beams that appear to undulate and writhe as they encompass the slightly downsized arena.  The interior will be streamlined down from 18,000 seats to a sleek 13,000 and the corridors and restrooms will all be redone.   The design proposal is nothing short of beautiful.  The question is that will the newly renovated arena be able to turn a profit and will Forest City Ratner be able to fulfill their contract and not impose upon the county or the taxpayers.  This question is in part raised due to the migration of the Islanders from Nassau Coliseum to the New Barclays Center, without 40 guaranteed events will the Arena be able to cover cost and generate the required revenue? 

Ultimately we will see, Forest City Ratner did an amazing job with the new Barclays Center and hopefully they can duplicate their success with the renovations of the iconic Nassau Coliseum.  The streamlined and aesthetically pleasing proposed changes will hopefully make up for the absence of the Islanders and their will be minimal, if any, monetary imposition on the county or the people.  The theory is sound but only time will tell, regardless, the possibilities are exciting this could mean big things for the Nassau County area.  

All Star Limousine is a Long Island, New York based company with an extensive global reach; we provide expert Wedding, Special Event and Executive Travel services throughout the Tri-State area and the world. We have over 30 years of experience in the travel industry; our attention to detail, 2013 top-of-the-line vehicles and professional trained Chauffeurs set us apart from the rest!

by Jarrad Kulick 

Twitter's Bottom line

Twitter’s initial public offering suggests a $12.8 billion value for the social media platform; the fair value of its common stock is estimated at about $20.62.  This sheds some light on the previously privately filed IPO and the veil of secrecy that has recently surrounded twitters financial situation.  Whether the companies really worth $12 billion and the stock value is accurate ultimately depends on how twitter promotes what only twitter does, the real time news and trending feature that is essentially a global town square.

What investors are afraid of is the situation that occurred when Facebook went public.  In the time since Facebook has rectified the previously horrific situation and done right by the majority of its investors but some were left with a bad taste in their mouths after the social media giant’s stock began to plummet the instant it hit the market.  Facebook was valued at substantially more and had generated far more profit then is sister platform Twitter but it had been around a little longer and its potential as an advertising platform had begun to plateau.   Most think Twitter has greater potential in part due to its unique trending feature and international accessibility.   Recently more mainstream methods of advertising have begun to embrace the social media trends and instead of looking at these platforms as rivals they (and rightfully so) have looked at these new systems as complements to their own advertising.  Two major networks, CBS and The NFL, have both made deals with Twitter and this is expected to truly bolster the already powerful platform.

It’s going to be tough to tell or to really get a 100% accurate estimate of what this company can truly do and is truly worth.  There are a couple of things that are working against Twitter, it’s unstable profitability and sporadic growth may cause potential investors to look the other way. On the other hand Twitter is able to do something that no other media platform can do, its instant news feed and trending features are wholly unique and if properly emphasized will have the capacity to do incredible things.