April 28, 2023 By Michael Dorgan
More than 300 people attended a special event hosted by Schneps Media Wednesday night celebrating extraordinary men in their respective professional fields.
The glitzy event, called Kings of New York, took place inside the banquet hall at Terrace on the Park, located at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, and honorees included business people, community leaders, healthcare leaders, non-profit leaders, local politicians and educators from throughout New York City and Long Island.
To the backdrop of breathtaking panoramic views of the Manhattan skyline, the Arthur Ashe Stadium and the Unisphere, 40 esteemed men were presented with awards in recognition of their work and the positive impact it has had in their respective fields and communities.
Recipients included Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, radio personality Skeery Jones, and Robert Misseri, who is the co-founder of the non-profit group Paws of War, a group that places shelter dogs with U.S. military veterans to help them cope with the emotional impact of war.
Other honorees included Peter Coradi, a national business agent at the American Postal Workers Union, Kevin Alexander, the president and CEO of Rockaway Revitalization Development Corp., Charles Evdos, the executive director at RISE Life Services, and Frank Wu, the president of Queens College.
Misseri said he was delighted to receive his award, and workers from Paws of War as well as war veterans joined him on the night. Paws of War is based in Long Island.
“We are really proud to be part of this, they [Schneps Media] really are helping and combining these communities together,” Misseri said. Schneps Media promotes small businesses and local organizations across its platforms.
“Schneps Media is doing phenomenal things, not just by these honorees, but allowing us to come together, it’s wonderful,” Misseri said, noting that honorees spent a lot of time networking with each other to further grow their organizations and build valuable connections.
“We are super grateful for everything Schneps Media has done for us. It’s so important, I see the impact that Schneps Media is making in these communities, bringing these communities together, bringing organizations like ours together, it’s really making an impact… it’s really helping.”
Each honoree walked or danced down the red carpet to an award from Josh Schneps, the CEO of Schneps Media. Some honorees took to the floor wearing a crown and red gown in the high energy, fun-filled ceremony. After receiving their “Schneps Media Power Man!” trophy, recipients stood for pictures with their friends, family and colleagues. They were also presented with a citation from elected officials.
Jones, a syndicated radio personality at iHeartMedia and the executive producer of Elvis Duran & The Morning Show, was recognized for his pop culture, community and social impact.
“I’m honored to have this award,” Jones said. “I don’t know what I did to deserve this, but I guess with my team [we] are helping to make an impact on the community because of who we reach every day.”
“Socially, I’m always all over social media, I’m always highlighting local businesses and I’m a foodie, so I love going into restaurants and filming my life in and around New York City.” I’m always showcasing it; I’m always trying to prop other businesses up.”
Richards, the Queens Borough President, said he was very excited to receive his award and noted the important role local news media, and in particular Schneps Media, plays throughout the city and in the borough of Queens. Schneps Media is the parent company of more than 80 publications across New York City, Long Island, Westchester County, Philadelphia and Florida — its Queens publications include QNS, Queens Courier, Queens Post, Sunnyside Post, and LIC Post.
“It’s an honor to be here, to continue to carry on the legacy of Queens Borough presidents in Queens,” Richards said.
“I really feel like a king tonight, a king of New York, and I really want to thank Schneps Media empire for all that they do and making sure that local news is still appreciated in our city, that stories of Queens residents and New Yorkers can be told all over the city.”
Schneps Media also publishes amnyMetro and organizes more than 25 events a year to publicize, connect, and celebrate those who make meaningful contributions to business and the community. Wednesday’s annual event has been running for 15 years and was previously known as “A List.”
The Kings of New York event also included a raffle, with all proceeds going to combat food insecurity in Queens via the Zara Charitable Foundation, a Jamaica, Queens, based non-profit organization. The foundation was established by the Zara Realty Holding Corp, a local real estate company.
Amir Sobhraj and Tony Subraj, who are both co-managing partners at Zara Realty Holding Corp, were both honorees at the event. They said that the Zara Charitable Foundation would be donating all of the proceeds of the raffle to the Gaton Foundation, a non-profit group that aims to fight food poverty in Richmond Hill, Queens, after hearing that food security is a major problem in the neighborhood. The Gaton Foundation will then use the funds to distribute food to those in need.
“We are here tonight because we heard from educators at Richmond Hill High School that hunger is a big problem for students and their families,” Sobhraj. “There is a real need for food donations and a real desire to combat food inflation,” Sobhraj said.
Meanwhile, Subraj said that the Zara Charitable Foundation is also making a donation the Gaton Foundation which will increase the group’s current food distribution numbers seven-fold over the next 12 months.
Michael Serao, the executive vice president and chief administrative officer at First Central Savings Bank, said that his bank values its partnership with Schneps Media very highly.
“We are so honored to be part of this event tonight,” Serao said.
“Schneps is more than a media company, it’s a family that we have joined. And with their help and their exposure to our bank we are able to give back more to our communities.
The 2023 honorees are as follows:
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- Ryan Adams, managing director, HZQ Consulting
- Kevin W. Alexander, president & CEO, Rockaway Revitalization Development Corp.
- Eric Alstadter, partner, EisnerAmper LLP
- John Baldi, head of school, Vincent Smith School
- Anthony Beckford, CEO, founder & owner, Royalty Consulting, SoSincere Entertainment, Rated X Energy Drink
- Lionel Chitty, executive director, Nassau County Office of Minority Affairs,
- John J. Ciafone, Esq., trial attorney, Law Offices of John J. Ciafone
- Andrew Clarke, executive director, Braata Productions, Inc.
- Christian Claudio, chief, National Center for Gang Training
- Matt Cohen, president & CEO, Long Island Association
- Sean Ebony Coleman, founder & executive director, Destination Tomorrow
- Peter Coradi, national business agent, American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO
- Humphrey A. Crookendale, J.D., vice president for academic affairs, Metropolitan College of New York
- Hiram Diaz, promoter, KTOC Nationals
- Elvis Duran, host, Elvis Duran and the Morning Show
- Charles Evdos, executive director, RISE Life Services
- Robert Fonti, co-chair, Suffolk County Alliance of Chambers
- Larry Gallegos, director, public engagement, Lyft
- Jeffrey Garcia, co-founder, Latino Cannabis Association
- Dr. Stephen Greenberg, cosmetic plastic surgeon, Greenberg Cosmetic Surgery and Dermatology
- Prashantt Guptha, actor/producer
- Skeery Jones, executive producer/on air talent, iHeartMedia, Elvis Duran & The Morning Show
- Neil M. Kaufman, managing member, Kaufman McGowan PLLC
- Nabaraj KC, community leader, Hami Nepali Global
- Kenneth Mbonu, president & executive director, Flatbush Nostrand Junction BID
- Robert Misseri, co-founder, Paws of War
- Safain Naguib, assistant vice president, retail cluster manager, Ponce Bank
- Remy Raisner, founder & CEO, The Raisner Group
- Hon. Donovan Richards, Queens Borough President
- William Ricigliano, partner, Ricigliano & Filopei, P.C.
- Michael Ro, president, Champions Martial Arts
- Rich Salgado, chief communications officer, Gas It Up
- Michael Serao, executive vice president and chief administration officer, First Central Savings Bank
- Jasbir (Jay) Singh, president/publisher, Media Resources
- Amir Sobhraj, co-managing partner, Zara Realty Holding Corp.
- Tony Subraj, co-managing partner, Zara Realty Holding Corp.
- Adam Weinstein, president & CEO, Phipps Houses
- Andre D. White, executive director & CEO, Phipps Neighborhoods
- Frank H. Wu, president, Queens College
- Kevin Xue, vice president, branch manager, Flushing Bank
- Dao Yin, vice president, executive board member, New American Voters Association
