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very large database of customer emails. I also eat [at a lot of restaurants] in the area and when I travel, in additon to reading a lot of trade publications.
What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced?
A car drove through our window earlier this year, and that was probably one of the biggest challenges we had to over- come. The accident happened in June, which is a busy time for us. Fortunately, no one was hurt, but we literally had a car go right through the restaurant, de- stroying tables, booths, chairs, etc. We worked tirelessly for 48 hours to get the restaurant in shape to reopen.
How have your business practices evolved over the
past 30 years?
Marketing has become increasingly im- portant, because you need to keep your name out there. New restaurants open; people move into the area, and they need to know about you. It surprises me that some of my customers don’t realize I have a fish market, as well—mainly those who are not local. I use email to let customers know about new offerings and specials. We use print media, social media, and, of course, the best marketing is word of mouth.
“I’m fortunate that many of my staff members have been with me for a long time.”
Why go to the Fulton Street
Fish Market so often?
When dealing with fish, freshness is most important—but there are also different qualities of fish, similar to Prime and Choice meats. I go to the Fulton Street Fish Market because I will only buy the best fish, and the vendors at the Market know the quality I expect.
What did it mean to be honored by the New York Times in 2013, and do you plan on opening other locations?
Getting an “Excellent” from the Times confirmed that my hard work all these years has been recognized. I thought about expanding several times, but I felt I wanted to be the best at what I was doing and having multiple locations wouldn’t [allow that]. I don’t have any partners in my business, and that works well for me.
Q1 2016 www.westchestermagazine.com 19
Tech
Attack of the Drones!
Expect to see more of these unmaned aircraft in Westchester skies, as businesses reap their benefits. By Cathleen Kenney & Nick Brandi
It was only a few years ago that drones were nothing more than sexy future- tech seen only on evening-news footage from distant battlefields and in action-packed Hollywood thrillers. Today, you can pick one up at Kmart for $99.99. Naturally, unmanned aircraft have broken into the business world, too: From stunning aerial photography to automated door-to-door delivery services, commercial-use drones have really taken off.
The residential real estate market has been an important market for the proliferation of drones in Westchester. “Before drone photography, real estate firms had to hire helicopters for their photographers to take aerial pictures of the luxury homes they were market- ing,” says Joe Houlihan, managing part- ner of Houlihan & O’Malley Real Estate Services in Bronxville. “Drones not only are less expensive to fly than helicopters, they also take photos faster, from closer vantage points and without much neigh- borhood disruption.”
But real estate is not the only sector embracing drones. Amazon.com recently unveiled plans for a new drone-delivery system, Amazon Prime Air, which will provide customers with same-day deliv- ery of their orders. Meanwhile, Google’s parent company, Alphabet, has an- nounced similar plans, and Walmart has requested permission from US regulators to conduct tests.
“I’ve been getting a lot more calls re- cently to make drone-based promotional videos not only for real estate companies but also developers, sports facilities, golf courses, summer camps, and weddings,” says Vinny Garrison, who launched
Flying Films NY, his Nanuet-based unmanned-aerial-vehicle company (UAV), in 2014. Garrison added that he’s also get- ting calls from local municipalities—like Clarkstown, which had him aerially video a fireworks display, and Tarrytown, which hired him to do aerial surveys of munici- pal lots under development.
But there has been some turbulence. In December 2015, the FAA mandated that drones used for commercial purposes may be flown only by individuals with a pilot’s license and that UAV companies obtain a special exemption from the FAA to operate them. And they mean it: In October, the FAA fined Chicago-based aerial-photography company SkyPan International $1.9 million for alleged unauthorized drone flights dating back to 2012.
Garrison, however, is steadfast in his resolve not to get a pilot’s license just so he can fly drones commercially. “Everything is pointing in the direction of the pilot’s license not being necessary in the future. They’ll eventually have a ground test instead, which I think is re- ally smart,” he says.
What’s certain is that between adver- tising, promotional, marketing, and oth- er commercial applications, drones are big business. One study by international consulting firm Frost & Sullivan predicts that the commercial drone market will nearly triple in size by the year 2020 and that the nonmilitary drone market as a whole could easily swell to upwards of $10 billion.
Now that’s sexy future-tech.
FOTOLIA