Agility, compassion, and integrity are our core strengths—and we're pretty fun to work with too.
Approach
After surveying your ongoing challenges to growth and profitability, a hybrid team of expert-level consultants is brought together to strategize a plan of action that moves you forward, then we complete the necessary work involved, together with your team, to get the work done. Our process is organic and fluid, tailored specifically to position your team to evolve.
Attitude
Imagination and momentum, humor and logic, and years of real-world experience are the gateways to breaking through. 816 New York has been a certified NYC Woman-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE) since 2017.
Support
Your team works directly with our managing director—never with an account manager. Our reputation is built on the personal nature of those relationships.
Sarah M Williams
- Risk Anticipation and Resolution
- Process Improvements
- Business Intelligence Analysis, Predictions, Data Visualization
- Storytelling and Presentations
- Internal and External Communications
- Project Development and Lifecycle
- Operations Oversight
- Customer Relationship Management
- Proposals and Procurement
- Hiring and Onboarding
- Cross-Functional Team Leadership
- Mentoring and Training
- UX and Accessibility
- Web Design and Development
I don’t have a fancy computer science degree or an MBA. While others waited tables or hung at the beach throughout undergrad, I carried a full course load, worked 30 hours per week as an editor and writer, and bootstrapped the bustling side hustle that would eventually become 816 New York. As a result, I have a couple decades of entrenched experience within a variety of industries that makes me more strategically agile, practical, and innovative than most.
Today, business intelligence analysis and continual improvement processes excite me, while I retain limited engagement with my origins in brand strategy, communications, and web development, for which I have earned high-visibility press and a few awards.
I engage and activate people. The values I offer are compassion and integrity, candor and humor—both within a team and with clients. I have a solid reputation for being flexible, efficient, and trustworthy.
I hold a BA in Philosophy from the College of Charleston, as well as certificates in Project Management, Intelligence Analysis, Business Intelligence Analysis, and Blockchain Technologies: Business Innovation and Application (MIT Sloan).
I am a Founding Member of New York Women in Business for Good, a philanthropic network of women business leaders who support select nonprofits within the New York City community, as well as an entrepreneurial mentor with Verizon Small Business Digital Ready MicroMentor.
Sarah Williams is an uber-talented, right-left brain dynamo. She's one of the smartest, most creative, most soulful people I know; I'm truly amazed that so much good stuff can fit into one person!
A curated group of senior-level professionals
Our brilliant strategic advisors have worked with organizations at the highest levels across the country. Most are entrepreneurs themselves, and they understand the cyclical challenges of growing and sustaining a small team.
Tim Lemberger
- Nonprofit communications
- Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) communications
- Media relations
- Events
- Reputation management
- Crisis communications
- Digital and print publications
Robert Elliott
- Veterans / service members mentorship and entrepreneurship
- Sustainable production models
- Agtech and agricultural engineering
- Financial and expansion management
- Business development
- Nonprofit founding and structure
- Rural growth and development
Robert Elliott returned home in 2011 from serving five years of active duty in the Marine Corps and 10 years as a contractor for the Department of Defense working with Marines. He began to farm his family’s land after attempting an unsuccessful return into the civilian world. With almost nothing but his family’s blessing, he built a small farming operation producing meats to the general public.
Soon, media outlets pursued Robert. When the stories went public, veterans across the country began contacting him to learn how to do what he did.
The basic model of The Veteran’s Farm of NC, Inc. was born. VFNC would be a place where veterans come and learn about farming and take skills and ideas back to their operations. Today, VFNC has served hundreds of veterans from basic phone calls to assist vets find resources, to one-on-one in-person counseling, full lines of agricultural equipment being used by veterans daily, and business development.
Fred Gordon
- Restaurant organization and development
- Back of house: menu pricing, management development, food costs, labor, merchant services, permits, vendor setup / delivery
- Front of house: hospitality, restaurant setup / organization, dining room, marketing strategies, brand marketing, SEO / ROI programs
While pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling at Southern University, Fred Gordon served as a waiter. Over the years he navigated through front of house management, kitchen management, and ultimately served as general manager for three of the Pappas Family restaurants. He learned countless systems, procedures, organization, and tools that help separate restaurants from their competition.
Gordon Restaurant Consulting helps restaurants to create systems, marketing strategies, management training, organization in both front and back of house, and much more. Fred, a general manager with over 18 years in the industry, has a limitless ability to bring management teams together and a keen eye for detail.
Andrew Borner
- Sales strategy
- Leadership consulting
- Customer / client relations
- Problem-solving
- Corporate culture
- Financial balance
- Insurance
From July 2002 until April 2013, prior to the inception of his successful independent agency Olde Liberty Insurance, Andrew Borner held a book of business with Liberty Mutual Insurance totaling more than $2.9 million.
Today, after 10 years of independent agency ownership, Andrew is an insurance professional, landlord, lender, and seasoned entrepreneur in various sectors.
Andrew has a Bachelor of Science in Management from the University of Connecticut, Cum Laude, a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership from Quinnipiac University, Summa Cum Laude, and an LUTCF professional life insurance designation from The American College.
Andrew prides himself on being an animal-loving, pool- and chess-playing, Ju Jitsu– and Jiu Jitsu–practicing advocate of peace and coexistence.
Got team spirit?
816 New York welcomes experienced intelligence analysts, communications experts, and management consultants. Think you have what it takes to become a member of our team of advisors?
Jonah Baker
- Animated websites, explainers, and digital signage
- WordPress, Web Apps, and Squarespace sites
- Efficient, updatable systems where design meets coding
- Digital marketing and fundraising
- Cutting-edge performance and systems for organizations
Jonah Baker has worked in advertising and tech since the 1990s. Career highlights include work for: the United Nations Environmental, International Center for Journalists, and launch work for MSNBC. He brings game-changing systems, like the pioneering global sales tool he made for Nike, to nonprofits and educational institutions.
Katie Rosenhouse
- Food product development
- Food entrepreneurship
- Recipe development and editing
- Kitchen design and staffing
- Menu development
Katie Rosenhouse’s journey began at The French Culinary Institute in NY where she received a Grand Diploma in Pastry Arts. She became a member of the school’s Advisory Board from 2010-2012. Katie has worked in the Pastry kitchens of Le Cirque, The Russian Tea Room, Geoffrey Zakarian’s Country, Olana, and the David Burke restaurant group. She has also lent her expertise as a culinary consultant, helping start-ups and established businesses with recipe development, kitchen design, and staffing.
Katie won an episode of Food Network’s “Sweet Genius,” and served as culinary producer for Seasons 2 & 3. She has appeared on The Today Show, Chopped, The New York Chocolate Show, Ehow.com, MTV.com, Howcast.com, and Martha Stewart Living Radio on Sirius XM. Her recipes have been printed in Food & Wine, Woman’s World, New York Magazine, The Daily News, Brides, The Daily Meal, The Village Voice, Edible Manhattan, Serious Eats, Eater, and she has authored several cookbooks.
Ben Paletsky
- Senior-level business strategy
- Market visibility and commercialization
- Tech / industrial product development
- Crafting visions that inspire
- Strategic development
- Designing disruptive business models
Ben Paletsky is the business world’s utility player, with spanning market expertise ranging from emerging technology, to agriculture and tourism. His ability to define product value and simplify the complexity of markets enables him to successfully assist businesses develop their strategies and align their products and services to markets where they’ll thrive.
He has been awarded Connecticut Magazine’s 40-Under-40, Litchfield County’s 50 Most Influential individuals, the Connecticut Award of Merit for Historic Preservation, and the Governor’s Rising Star in Tourism award for launching a nationally top-ranked events venue, The White Barn @ South Farms.
Within his local community, he has served as the Chairman for the Economic Development Commission and has been a Board member for the Regional Council of Governments.
Got team spirit?
816 New York welcomes experienced development, communications, and entrepreneurial specialists to our roster. Think you have what it takes to become a member of our expert team of strategic advisors?