Mergers, shifts in leadership and more–a look at 2024

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The year 2024 started with Ed Romaine taking office as Suffolk County executive, and ended with Long Islanders facing New York City congestion pricing and spotting drones across Nassau and Suffolk counties. In between, there were mergers, acquisitions, new leadership, calls for better policies and more. Here’s a lookback at just some of the headlines.

There were some big shifts in the accounting landscape. In June, Forvis, a New York-based accounting firm, acquired the U.S. unit of Mazars, whose New York offices include Syosset, to form Forvis Mazars, creating a $5 billion global network. The news included Mazars USA joining Forvis Mazars, LLP in the United States.

In November, CBIZ, a Cleveland, Ohio-based professional services advisor, completed the acquisition of the non-attest business of Marcum, which has offices in Melville, with an expected combined annualized revenue of approximately $2.8 billion.

On the legal front, in June, Forchelli Deegan Terrana (FDT), the law firm headquartered in Uniondale, added the attorneys and staff of Cronin, Harris & Associates, a real-estate tax law firm, to its existing tax certiorari practice group. Laureen Harris, who had served as senior partner at Cronin, now holds the same title at FDT. A real estate industry veteran and president of Association for a Better Long Island, Harris has extensive expertise on tax certiorari proceedings in New York State.

And partners at Harris Beach, with offices across the state and Washington, D.C., and Murtha Cullina, with offices in New England and White Plains, approved an operating agreement to govern a new, combined firm. The new firm will be known as Harris Beach Murtha, effective Jan. 1, 2025, the firms announced in July.

In December, a program aimed at cracking down on retail theft is reducing the number of incidents, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said. Participating in the program are some of the largest retailers in Suffolk, including Target Corporation, Lowe’s, Home Depot, Ulta, Marshalls, Stop and Shop, Walgreens, Macy’s, CVS, TJX companies and Burlington.

In its efforts to build a proposed multibillion casino resort, Sands Las Vegas submitted a 28,000-page draft environmental impact statement to the legislature, which unanimously confirmed that the document is complete, addressing the required topics and available for public review. The document, posted now on the Nassau County Legislature’s website, is available for public review and comment through Jan. 6.

The Long Island Association in November released its “East End Advocacy Agenda,” to address the challenges in the area, which is distinct for its agriculture, aquaculture, vineyards, tourism and transportation challenges and more.

And in banking, Bethpage Federal Credit Union announced that it is rebranding under the new moniker FourLeaf Federal Credit Union. The rebrand is expected to take effect in the first quarter of 2025.

In the education sector, Henry “Hank” Foley announced he will be stepping down on June 30, 2025, as president of New York Institute of Technology. Jerry Balentine, currently the university’s provost and executive vice president since 2022, was appointed New York Tech’s next president, effective July 1, 2025.

In May, Maurie McInnis announced she was stepping down after a four-year tenure as Stony Brook University’s president to become Yale University’s next president. Richard McCormick now serves as Stony Brook’s interim president.

At Farmingdale State College Robert Prezant began his new role as president in August. Prezant is the college’s 10th president, taking the reins from John Nader, who announced his retirement as college president last year.

In healthcare, the HIA-LI and Catholic Health announced in June an initiative to boost workforce productivity at Long Island Innovation Park at Hauppauge through a new collaboration. Innovation Park-based employees now access services from the adjacent Catholic Health Ambulatory Care.

Mount Sinai South Nassau opened a $2 million epilepsy monitoring unit in the hospital’s expanded neurosciences program in May, providing specialized diagnostic and monitoring care for people with epilepsy.

Ahead of a merger with NYU Langone Health, Patchogue-based Long Island Community Hospital performed its 1,000th robotic surgery at the hospital. The merger with NYU Langone Health is slated for 2025.

The Manhasset-based Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health’s research arm, formed the Institute of Translational Research, the organization’s sixth research institute in October. A $5 million gift from the Karches family is endowing a professor in translational research and establishing a laboratory to support the institute’s mission. The new institute is designed to advance the development of innovative therapies for diseases, bridging research with patient care.

The Stony Brook Medicine Community Medical Group continued its expansion, with at least four practices joining the health system. This includes in October when both East Setauket-based Dr. Siva Kolupoti and his practice, Three Village Medical Care, as well as the Smithtown-based practice of Dr. John Labiak joined the group.

Catholic Health named Dr. Justin Lundbye as president of Good Samaritan University Hospital in West Islip. Lundbye oversees Good Samaritan’s clinical areas and operations, focusing on enhancing patient experience and reinforcing Catholic Health’s principles.

And in December, East Meadow-based Nassau University Medical Center, a public benefit hospital treating the at-risk population in Nassau, announced new leadership. Megan Ryan is now president and CEO, a role in which Ryan had served in an interim capacity since January. Other appointments include Dr. Grace Ting as chief medical officer, and Shannon Costello as chief nursing officer. Both served in those roles in interim capacities.

In arts and entertainment, the new owner of the shuttered Beacon Theater, which first opened in 1927 in Port Washington, announced plans this fall for an estimated $15 million project that would restore and preserve the venue, transforming it into a cultural entertainment hub, including a dinner theater.

Live Nation, a live entertainment company, in September acquired The Paramount, the entertainment venue on New York Avenue in Huntington. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.