Embracing March Madness
New York — March Madness is taking over at small companies that are letting employees watch the NCAA basketball tournament while they work. Staffers at the marketing company Phelps will be able to keep an eye on the games at their desks or on conference room TVs. CEO Joe Phelps said his 86 employees are hard workers, often staying late or completing projects on weekends, so he’s fine if they work a little less hard during when games...
Tampon Tax: Does Being Female in U.S. Carry Unfair Costs?
New York — Margo Seibert and Natalie Brasington don’t think women should have to pay a “period tax,” and like a growing number of other women, they are publicly questioning whether being female in the U.S. carries unfair costs. The pair are among five New York City women who filed a lawsuit last week arguing that it was unconstitutional for the state to levy sales tax on tampons and sanitary napkins while offering medical product...
New York City Eyes ‘Micro’ Apartments
New York — The apartments in a new Manhattan building boast little balconies, tall ceilings, dishwashers and storage space. All in 360 square feet or less. It’s micro-living in the nation’s biggest city, and New Yorkers could be seeing more of it. Planning officials are proposing to end a limit on how small apartments can be, opening the door for more “micro-apartments” that advocates see as affordable adaptations to a growing...
For Trump, It’s Business As Usual
Donald Trump’s statements about Muslims and Latinos have drawn widespread rebuke from politicians in both parties and many other national leaders. But the companies that do business with Trump have generally remained silent in the face of those polarizing remarks, and so far there’s little evidence that his businesses are suffering substantially as a result of his candidacy. Sales of his condominiums in New York appear normal, and...
Power Lunch: Joan Ecker, Founder and CEO of F.H. Clothing Co. in Quechee
F.H. Clothing Co., known far and wide as Fat Hat Clothing Co., started in the late 1970s as a whim born of necessity. Joan Ecker built the business from scratch and still presides over the operation from its landmark barn at 1 Quechee Main St., just off Route 4 in Quechee. Over a lunch of salmon and apple cider, Ecker discusses her company’s history, its approach to selling clothes and why she doesn’t put a lot of stock in being...
