JIM CAVANAGH –
Our New Controller
North Shore Towers has a new Controller and
we would like to take this opportunity to introduce
him to our shareholders. We begin with a quote
from Glen Kotowski, our General Manager, who
will be working closely with Jim. “Jim Cavanagh
was handpicked as a suitable replacement by and
for Robert Serikstad who served as the Controller
for over 22 years. Robert retired to spend more time
with his grandchildren,” he explained.
Glen continued, “Jim, who is a Certified Public
Accountant, brings with him a wealth of experience
in both the fields of accounting and property man-agement.
After a short transition period working
alongside Robert, he appears to have hit the ground
running and is a welcome addition to the Greenthal
Management Team at North Shore Towers.”
A Controller at a co-op such as ours must help
manage and support our accounting and financial
performance. He will be working closely with Glen
and our Board Treasurer, Marty Schwartzman. At
a recent interview, I noted some of his responses
to my questions.
“I grew up in Floral Park, Queens,” Jim said, “and
attended Our Lady of the Snows grammar school
In Glen Oaks and then Holy Cross High School in
Flushing and went to Queens College.”
This genial man was delighted to tell me about
his large family, which you can ‘meet’ on this page.
He introduced me to “my beautiful wife, Christine”
whom he married in 1986 and supplied the recent
photos you see here.
Jim said, “We are the proud parents of three
children. My older daughter, Kerri Lynn, works
for the charity Cystic Fibrosis and is married to
Taliesin. She is 31 years old and made us the happy
grandparents of 2 ½ year old Tenley (a girl) and
6-month old Baylen (a boy). We are also the proud
parents of 29 year old twins. Son Jimmy is the Dean
of a Charter School in New Jersey and is also an
active member of the National Guard. My wonderful
daughter Tara works here in Floral Park for a real
estate company.”
Jim has an impressive work history. “I spent my
entire career serving the co-op and condo commu-nity
as a CPA for accounting firms that specialized
in this industry. I've also been the controller for a
management company that supervised the finances
of over 125 co-ops and condos.”
“My aim,” he said, “is to provide accurate financial
information in a timely manner to the Board of
Directors and the management team so that they
can make the best financial decisions on behalf of
the shareholders of North Shore Towers.”
Jim smiled when I asked him about his leisure
The Cavanagh Family l-r: Daughters Kerri
Lynn and Kara; Jim’s wife Chris; son-in-law
Taliesin; son Jimmy; and Jim
activities. “I played lead guitar in a classic rock and
roll cover band for a number of years which played
classic rock songs from as early as the 1960s to
more current music. My band basically played for
charitable groups as well as for friends and played
songs such as ‘Run Around Sue,’ ‘Brown Eyed Girl,’
‘Born to Be Wild’ and ‘Sweet Caroline.’ Also some
harder rock songs from bands like The Who, Bruce
Springsteen, and Tom Petty.”
He reminisced, “It was fun while it lasted, but I
had to eventually quit the band because band mem-bers
wanted to play much more frequently and at
local bars and I just did not have the time or the
desire to stay out so late on the weekends.” His
smile grew broader when he said, “I also play golf,
although I wish I were better at it.”
We are delighted to have Jim as part of our North
Shore Towers/Greenthal Management Team.
Jim and Chris Cavanagh
WHAT HAS LIFE TAUGHT YOU?
2022
February BY FRED CHERNOW
and selected twenty people and posed this question:
Now that we have entered a new year, it's a good time to
“What has life taught you?” It's interesting that more
reflect on what life has taught us in the past. Not computer
than half immediately responded to my email. I also
¢skills or a foreign language, but life lessons that guide you.
asked a few folks I ran into in the Arcade.
COURIER I went through my green NST Membership Book
Their answers are below. All have made me think of
TOWERS SHORE • “Manage to compliment someone each
day.” ~ Jane Topel
• “Encourage your kids to get a part-time
job after age 16.” ~ Harvey Solomon
NORTH • “When someone gives you a hug, let
them let go first.” ~ Mario Esposito
• “When you are paid a compliment, just
say thank you.” ~ Dan Kaplan 4 how best to lead a rewarding life. Most attached their
name. Some asked that only their initials be used. All
have some sage advice to offer.
Want to share a life lesson?
Perhaps you have a bit of advice you would like to
share with others. If you would like to contribute a
life lesson for possibly a future article, please drop me
an email at FCmemory@gmail.com or leave a note for
me at the front desk of Building One. Please keep your
advice to 25 words or less. Thank you!
• “Sad thoughts you shouldn't fetch.
Don't live life by being a kvetch.
Stay happy in the loop
And get out of that bereavement
group!!!!” ~ Vicki Mazel
• “Let refining and improving our own
life keep us so busy that we have little
time to criticize others.” ~ Ed Phelan
• “Don't let yesterday take up too much
of today.” ~ David Segal
• “Enjoy every day for they are num-bered.”
~ Leo Tujak
• “I have found that every day brings
opportunities and inspires me to
discover many new things about myself
which motivates me to look forward to
the next day.” ~ Toby Horowitz
• “Live for today because you never know
what tomorrow will bring.” ~ S.A.
• “One of my favorite sayings when things
get a bit rough, ‘This too shall pass.’”
~ Chickie Kaufman
• “Close family and very good friends are
part of the fabric of life. They are there
to share your sorrows and celebrate your
good fortune.” ~ Joan and Irwin Robinson
• “At bedtime, I think of three things
I am grateful for in my life. It helps
me enjoy a prompt and good night's
sleep.” ~ F.C.
• “Listen carefully to what people say
before responding.” ~ Terry Feit
• “If you could write a letter to the young-er
version of yourself, what advice
would you give?” ~ J.I.
• “The cheapest way to improve your
appearance is to smile more often.” ~ R.S.
• “Don't be envious or jealous of anyone.
No one's life is perfect. We all have
experienced ups and downs.” ~ Vera
Frankel
• “In life, the more you give, the more
you get.” ~ Bobby Gould
• “Proofread every email before you send
it out. That includes Spellcheck.” ~
Eli Cohen
• “Answer your phone with an enthusi-astic
voice.” ~ Shirley Marks
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