(Editor’s note: One of the good things that has come out of the pandemic is that people are reassessing their lives, including their jobs, careers and business needs. Our readers, subscribers and advertisers have been clamoring for a WAG that addresses the lifestyle of business (personal, behind-the-scenes stories of Westchester and Fairfield counties’ companies, corporations and movers and shakers) as well as the business of lifestyle brands. We’ve responded with a new WAG, online and in print now, that does just that, as you’ll see in the Editor’s Letter below.
While we’re rebranding, we’ve decided to give our readers three weekly doses of new WAG in e-newsletters that will feature provocative articles from the magazine as well as fun briefs that we like to call Waggings, as you know from our social media posts. You’ll see these newsletters in your inboxes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, beginning July 7.
So it’s “goodbye” to WAG Weekly. This will be the last one, and I’d like to take a moment to thank everyone on the WAG team who has contributed to it over the years.
That said, it’s “hello” to Afternoons With WAG. And isn’t it appropriate that we should ring out the old and ring in the new on Fourth of July weekend? Let the fireworks and celebrations begin: )
Welcome to the new WAG, offering our readers and advertisers the latest in local business and lifestyle news online as well as – hurray! – in print once again.
For the past decade, WAG has been a luxury lifestyle magazine, serving as a complement to our sister publications, the Westchester and Fairfield County Business Journals. Our sophisticated content and bold designs and layouts have earned us six New York Press Association Awards as a top magazine in nationally judged competitions.
But now we’re focusing on the business of business to meet the paramount needs of our readers and advertisers. We’re taking you behind the scenes of start-ups, companies, corporations and other ventures, providing you with a more personal and unusual look at what makes them tick. Many publications have reported on Regeneron’s development of REGEN-COV, the antibodies drug that played a key role in former President Donald J. Trump’s recovery from the coronavirus. But in an exclusive for WAG, Peter takes us inside the boutique Tarrytown pharmaceutical, so to speak, as scientists went from an “OMG” moment to “we got this,” recognizing that in the face of the pandemic’s devastating challenge, they had the tools to meet it.
Similarly, many readers are familiar with Warby Parker’s eyeglass ads. But the story of four bespectacled B school friends who wouldn’t give up on their dream of affordable eyeglasses for all and how they made it a reality is as irresistible as their new fun store in The Westchester in White Plains.
Equally unusual are two stories that have Jeremy heading to the kitchen – Royal Green Appliance Center in White Plains, which he describes as “a company that places as much emphasis on pre- and after-sales service as on the quality of the appliances it selects and sells,” and Renovation Angel in Greenwich, which repurposes luxe cast-off kitchens for your home. It’s a venture that was created by Steve Feldman, a former rock ’n’ roll DJ and recovering addict of 33 years.
He’s among the movers and shakers of Westchester and Fairfield counties whom you’ll find in the new WAG’s pages. Others include Edward J. Lewis III, the new president and CEO of Caramoor in Katonah, whose summer music festival is in full swing in person, and Stephen Lewandowski, owner and executive chef of Townhouse in Greenwich. At first glance, they wouldn’t seem to have much in common. But each in his own way combines artistic talent with a head for business and organization.
Peter Hubbell, the longtime advertising executive and Greenwich resident, is another whose creativity and analytical ability were put to good use, in his case in a career that saw him run global advertising for General Mills at Saatchi & Saatchi. Today he’s working both ends of the age spectrum in two enterprises. Apply:you helps college graduates attain the jobs for which they are uniquely qualified in a highly competitive market. BoomAgers helps top companies market to that rising, coveted demographic group – boomers.
Few people deserve to be called a mover and shaker more than developer Robert Weisz, as Phil tells us. His is a classic immigrant story, from a family furniture company in Uruguay to his RPW Group, which has more than 3 million square feet of commercial real estate in the tristate area, including 800 Westchester Ave., the Taj Mahal of office buildings. As successful as he is, that’s how gracious he is, a man whose essence is defined by family.
It’s the key to many of the people you’ll meet in these pages, like Stamford-based TV host, senior producer and influencer Donia Duchess, who joins her husband and baby in several TikTok videos that have earned her millions of eyeballs and contracts with companies like Always. It’s equally important to Wellness columnist Giovanni, who weighs in with his annual take on fatherhood, including this gem: “When I look back on my life, it’s not going to matter how many TV shows or movies I’ve been in or wrestling matches I’ve had….What truly matters is all these precious moments that we are creating every day….”
Another theme of this issue is storytelling – having a business story, telling it well and knowing how to market it. We’ve always been in the storytelling business, with great reads on food, wine, travel, antiques, beauty products, wellness and pet care, often spotlighting businesses in your own backyard.
Still, this is a whole new venture and we’re excited to have you take the journey with us.
A 2020 YWCA White Plains & Central Westchester Visionary Award winner and a 2018 Folio Women in Media Award Winner, Georgette Gouveia is the author of “Burying the Dead,” “Daimon: A Novel of Alexander the Great” and “Seamless Sky” (JMS Books), as well as “The Penalty for Holding,” a 2018 Lambda Literary Award finalist (JMS Books), and “Water Music” (Greenleaf Book Group). They’re part of her series of novels, “The Games Men Play,” also the name of the sports/culture blog she writes.
Her short story “The Glass Door” was recently published by JMS and is part of “Together apART: Creating During COVID” at ArtsWestchester in White Plains through Aug. 1. Her new story, “After Hopper,” is out from JMS Books July 17. For more, visit thegamesmenplay.com.
