Jewish News Business, November 20, 2017

Business in the

Jewish Community

Supplement to Jewish News November 20, 2017 jewishnewsva.org | November 20, 2017 | Business | Jewish News | 13

Business The Quality Shops celebrates 100 years in business Jewish News Staff

F

ounded as a hat store in Portsmouth in 1917 by Morris H. Rapoport, The Quality Shops is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year as a family owned and operated business. And, let’s face it, in today’s retail climate, that is a major accomplishment.

Specializing in men’s clothing and sportswear, The Quality Shops is now owned and run by the founder’s grandsons, Reid and Steve Rapoport.

The original store opened in the 300 block of High Street in Portsmouth. A second location was added in 1963 in Downtown Norfolk, and then a third in Virginia Beach in 1993. Today, two locations provide high quality men’s clothing: one in the Ghent section of Norfolk at the Palace Shops, and another in the Hilltop East shopping center in Virginia Beach.

“My dad, Herman Rapoport, went to Duke, then served as a lieutenant in the Navy during WWII. After the war, he joined his father in the business,” says Steve Rapoport.

It was really no surprise, then, that Reid and Steve would eventually follow suit.

“I joined the business full time in 1971 when I finished college at Randolph Macon,” says Reid Rapoport. “I grew up with the business—helping in the store during summers and holidays—and talking about it around the dinner table.”

Not long after graduating from the University of Miami, Steve says, “The business drew me in. I had always been in the store as a child and teen, so it wasn’t strange for me go into it.”

The Rapoport brothers attribute their business success to a lifetime of business teachings based on personal service

The Quality Shops, 1934.

14 | Jewish News | Business | November 20, 2017 | jewishnewsva.org

Reid and Steve Rapoport.

and a tradition of quality, distinctive merchandise.

And, fortunately for them, they are

compatible partners. Reid handles most of the “back office” business details, while Steve does the buying, traveling primarily to New York to visit the showrooms.

“Steve is very talented. He has a good grasp on the market and what the customers like,” says Reid. “He has a good eye.”

“The retail business has seen a lot of changes over the years,” says Steve. “Dress is a lot more casual and there’s a lot more competition from the Internet and from discounters.”

And so, The Quality Shop has “transformed our mix and inventory,” notes Steve. “You’ve got to change with the times.”

While they still sell a lot of suits and sports coats, the men take a great deal of time when selecting merchandise to discover unique lines.

“Our objective is to be as diverse as possible,” says Steve. “We offer the whole package: great quality merchandise at appropriate price points, tailoring, and personal service.”

For example, the store keeps records of clients’ purchases—which come in handy when buying gifts or repeat items.

Not only is The Quality Shop marking this major milestone in business, the stores continue to dress Tidewater men with style and distinction.

Business No Frill Bar & Grill celebrates 30th anniversary

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erry Meltsner arrived on the shores of Norfolk from his hometown of Philadelphia via Los Angeles in 1983.

His first stop in town was to run the food service operation at Stanley Peck’s Bessie’s Place, which morphed into the Boat House—a concert and party venue where Harbor Park now stands.

Meltsner’s road to Norfolk and to No Frill Bar & Grill was pretty straightforward, even though it took him from coast

to coast. His first introduction to the world of restaurants came when he was 16 and worked as a dishwasher. He knew then it was his calling (not the part about washing dishes!), so when he studied at University of Denver, his degree in business was with a major in Restaurant and Hospitality Management. After graduation, he managed a restaurant connected to the Marriott in Los Angeles. Quickly realizing that the chain-type restaurant world was not for him, Meltsner accepted

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jewishnewsva.org | November 20, 2017 | Business | Jewish News | 15

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such as our Funky Chicken Salad. We were the first to put a hot protein on a the position with Peck for Bessie’s Place, cold salad.” and the rest, as they say, is history. After In addition to the good food and memall, it’s now hard to imagine Tidewater’s ories that have emanated from No Frill restaurant scene without one of Meltsner’s Bar & Grill, the restaurant has provided eateries. tremendous support for local non-profits.

In 1986, Meltsner bought two Norfolk In fact, Meltsner has served as a member restaurants: City Subs and Dog-n-Burger. of the boards of Jewish Family Service of Then, just a year later, Meltsner opened Tidewater, Beth Sholom Village, and on No Frill Grill in an old dentist office on the executive committee Tidewater Drive. during the founding of “It was a restaurant Freda H. Gordon Hospice with no frills,” says and Palliative Care of Meltsner, hence the Tidewater. Plus, No Frill name. “Customers took has often held funda number and ordered No Frill’s position raisers for JFS. And, food. It was the first quick out of 596 restaurants No Frill’s contributions casual concept restauon Trip Advisor extend beyond the Jewish rant…before Panera and for Norfolk community. all the others.”

“No Frill Bar & Grill There, he expanded has been an important the Dog-n-Burger menu, supporter of Children’s adding such items as pita Hospital of The King’s sandwiches. The restauDaughters for nearly 20 rant moved to its current years,” says Karen Gershman, director of Norfolk location at 806 Spotswood Avenue development at CHKD. “They have given in Ghent in 1997, and a second location more than $77,000 for the kids at CHKD opened at 1620 Laskin Road at Hilltop in through their annual tradition of donating Virginia Beach in 2005. $1 for every appetizer and dessert sold in Now celebrating its 30th anniversary, the month of February. We are grateful No Frill Bar & Grill is listed as #1 out of to the whole team at No Frill Bar & Grill 596 on Trip Advisor for Norfolk. for their commitment to the health and “No Frill has found a niche in the well-being of our community’s children.” family casual category,” says Meltsner.

Other charities that have benefited “We’ve always offered a great value with over the years include SPCA, ForKids, generous portions at very reasonable Virginia Arts Festival, ODU Foundation, prices.”

Hope House Foundation, Dining Out for It’s all in the details, according to Life, and Park Place Schools.

Meltsner. “We try to pay attention to The restaurants have consistently been what customers want: quality food, great one of the go-to places for the area’s tourservice, and not be overpriced. The execuism offices. And, it’s paid off handsomely tion is what makes it work, and all three with mentions in Conde Nast’s Traveler areas are important. We weigh them all with top 15 cities with the best burgers equally.” in America, Top 10 Places to Eat on Yelp, The restaurant ownership is now a 10 Best Lunch Spots in Virginia, and family affair. Meltsner brought in his Leisure Group Travel. No Frill Grill has nephew Jon Kliner in 1988. Kliner also received favorable reviews from local oversees the Norfolk restaurant, while publications over the years.

Meltsner oversees the Virginia Beach locaBy sticking to the formula of affordably tion. “We have more than 130 employees pleasing Tidewater’s palates, delivering between the two locations and several good service, and maintaining a strong who have been with us more than 20 commitment to the community, it’s a good years,” says Kliner. bet that No Frill Bar & Grill will celebrate “Jon is creative,” says Meltsner. “He’s many more anniversaries. come up with some cutting edge items

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Business Flying high and winning gold Dusty Heist-Levine

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earing Wes Sandler describe skydiving is much like listening to Brad Pitt’s character describe fly fishing in the film, A River Run’s Through It; equal parts

science, art, adventure, and passion—and for the lucky listener, the excitement of gaining a glimpse into a world generally only seen on TV or in magazines.

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pickles, Sandler chatted about skydiving—and it was an incredible picture he painted.

The science that goes behind the fancy parachutes and wingsuits, the process of falling thousands of feet through the air while using air currents, altitude, and angles to Wes Sandler (far right) with his winning team. chart the course, perform acrobatics and more; and of course, the beauty of it. Not just in the freedom and grace of flying through the air, but in the location. Whether jumping over Virginia Beach, the Outer Banks, or the Teton Mountains; much like fly fishing, skydiving offers a perfect excuse to seek adventure in the most amazing natural settings.

What stands out most is Sandler’s passion for skydiving (otherwise known as jumping out of airplanes), which is really just to say his passion for living life to its Wes Sandler and his team in Las Vegas. fullest, for pursuing the boundaries of found themselves in first place on their what is possible. final jump, with the Russian team a hair’s That kind of passion leads people to do breath behind them. great things, and earlier this month, it led Anyone who has competed at a high Sandler to Las Vegas where he represented level knows that the greatest pressure the United States as a member of the Team is always on the person or team with USA in the FAI World Championships of the most to lose. But Sandler and Team Wingsuit Sky Diving.

USA met the challenge, completed their In only his third year of flying in a final jump with their highest score of the wingsuit (ie. one step more daring than competition, and found themselves world a parachute), Sandler was a member of a champions! three-man team competing against the It is always a matter of pride when a world’s best skydivers from USA, Britain, local excels on a national or world stage.

Norway, and Russia. The competition It’s an even bigger treat when that person lasted three days, battled tough weather, is a member of the Jewish community, and required seven competitive jumps by and it is even a bigger, bigger kavod when Sandler and his team. In each jump, the that person is making a great name for team had a 65 second window where they Jews everywhere by being a champion were judged—while hurling to the ground in such a daring and tough sport. Jews at hundreds of miles an hour—on their are known as the people of the book, but drifts, style, and camera ability. Two memapparently are also the people who can bers preformed the acrobatics, and one jump out of a plane and win gold medals. member filmed them. The team was scored Congratulations to Sandler on repreon their performance in these three areas. senting the community, bringing home In the drama that comes with highthe gold, and inspiring others to seek level competition, and in the great spirit adventure and live life to its fullest. of eternal rivalries, Sandler and his team

jewishnewsva.org | November 20, 2017 | Business | Jewish News | 17

Business Meet the Israelis bringing the ‘Start-up Nation’ to Silicon Valley Ben Sales

SAN FRANCISCO ( JTA)—When he brings Israeli entrepreneurs to Silicon Valley, Gili Ovadia gives them a list of what not to do.

Don’t interrupt. Don’t yell. Don’t

condescend to the marketing team. Don’t show up late. Don’t leave typos in your emails.

It still takes them a while, says Ovadia, before they understand how Americans work.

“Whenever I talk to Israeli companies,

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I say if you want to succeed [in tech], get your suit and come here,” says Ovadia, who heads the Israeli government’s economic and trade office on the West Coast.

“You won’t succeed with emails, phone conversations, and websites. At the end of the day, it’s personal relationships.”

Ovadia works alongside an ecosystem of Israeli entrepreneurs who have made it their mission to draw Israeli techies from Tel Aviv to the Bay Area—and to help them thrive once they are here.

Even as Israel has built a reputation as a tech hotspot, these entrepreneurs say the Jewish state is small potatoes compared to Silicon Valley, which acts as a fount for the latest innovations and startups—and, crucially, the cash that funds them.

“If you want to be a movie actor, you need to be in Hollywood,” says Daniel Shaked, who moved from Israel to Silicon Valley two years ago and is the founder of ClipCall, which connects homeowners to service professionals like plumbers and electricians. “This is the Hollywood of high-tech. In Silicon Valley there are thousands of startups looking for the same funding sources, and they’re here, next to them. They can ride a bike and meet people.”

The past five years, a network of Israeli-focused organizations has emerged in the Bay Area. Israeli Executives and Founders Forum, or IEFF, facilitates discussions between 1,200 Israelis who work in the area; UpWest Labs seeks to bring early-stage Israeli companies to the Valley.

The Israeli Collaboration Network, or ICON, connects Israeli and American entrepreneurs. J-Angels brings together Israeli and American Jewish investors.

As such, Israelis who come to Silicon Valley land in friendly territory: IEFF counts more than 100 Israeli-run startups in the Bay Area. The Israeli Consulate estimates that there are anywhere from 60,000 to 100,000 Israelis in the region, which comprises San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose and the cities around them. And as a possible sign of just how entrenched Israeli entrepreneurs have become in Northern California, after a lobbying campaign by Israeli expatriates, United

Airlines began a direct flight from San Francisco to Tel Aviv last year.

“The Bay Area has a very unique activity of Israelis,” says Oded Hermoni, IEFF’s co-chairman. “Israelis can feel at home because you don’t have to be Americanborn to be successful in Silicon Valley.”

After inventing many of the tools that make telecommuting and smart investing possible, it’s somewhat ironic that the the tech industry still places such a high premium on in-person meetings. But several Israeli techies said that old-fashioned networking is the best way to advance a career.

“It’s like saying you’re a bride and you want to find a groom in Silicon Valley,” says Darya Henig Shaked, who founded WeAct, which brings Israeli women entrepreneurs on missions to meet with investors in the Bay Area. “You need to get to know each other, to look each other in the eyes. That’s not how it works, that you ask for investors a continent away.”

After founding two successful startups and a kindergarten in Tel Aviv, Kfir Eyal, 43, figured it would be easy to land a job at a Silicon Valley tech giant like Apple or Facebook. But when he moved to the Bay Area five years ago, he spent months sending out resumes, without getting any bites. In the end, he took a senior position at a financial tech company—but only after making a connection at an Israeli poker game.

His lesson: Israeli contacts were valuable, but they shouldn’t be that difficult to make. So four years ago he started an organization called TechAviv that brought Israeli entrepreneurs together every couple of months to eat, drink, and network.

“I wouldn’t want anyone to go through this experience of ‘What do I do now that we landed?’” says Eyal, who now serves as vice president for sales and business development for CreditStacks, a startup offering credit cards to recent expats to the United States. “Now it’s become more of the norm to help people.”

But Israelis still face the acclimation challenges that Ovadia is trying to combat. Yuval Machlin, who moved to Silicon Valley two months ago, noticed

Business the difference in decibels. In Israel, when techies meet they immediately begin talking over each other. In America, Machlin says, he has walked into meetings where 30 employees are just sitting there in silence.

“Sometimes you see someone who says something you disagree with,” says Machlin, who works at Tangent Logic, a product services company. “In Israel, three seconds wouldn’t have passed and you would have interrupted him and started a discussion, which I think is more efficient. The people here know what they’re doing, and that’s proven, but it’s different. I didn’t expect it to be that different.”

Israel sees itself as the “Start-up Nation,” the title of the popular 2009 book on the country’s entrepreneurial bent, but many Israelis find it an eye-opening experience when they realize just how small their role in the world of tech really is. The Jewish state might have a good reputation, but it’s still foreign to Silicon Valley, says Moshik Raccah, a co-founder of IEFF. The qualifications that so impress Israeli investors—like service in the Israel Defense Forces’ elite 8200 intelligence unit—mean nothing to most American venture capitalists or employers.

Plus, says Raccah, Israelis have names that can be hard to pronounce.

“Our names, [like] Kochavit, how do you say that?” he says. “Even if it’s a bias people would never admit, it’s still a challenge.”

To overcome these issues, Israelis are forging connections in everyday life as well. Palo Alto’s JCC, for example, has made a special effort to cater to Israelis, and many now gather there to barbecue on Israeli Independence Day or plant trees on Tu b’Shvat, the Jewish arboreal new year. There’s an apartment complex in the town of Sunnyvale that has so many Israeli expats that they’ve nicknamed it “the kibbutz.”

Near the kibbutz is a falafel shop that

serves relatively obscure Israeli food like sabich, an egg and eggplant sandwich, and a chickpea dish called masabacha.

In Palo Alto, the more mainstream Oren’s Hummus, founded by serial tech entrepreneur Oren Dobronsky, offers creamy Israeli-style hummus in several styles, as well as coffee—Turkish and instant— imported from Israel.

But such comforts can’t erase the challenges of living an ocean and 10 time zones away. Raccah said he sees fewer Israelis making the move than in past years. In part, that’s because telecommuting has made communication easier. Also, the growth of New York’s tech scene has drawn Israelis who want to be close to the action and money, but “only” an 11-hour flight away.

“If you’re sending your CEO or BizDev team to the U.S., it’s much easier to work from New York,” Raccah says.

In San Francisco, he adds, “you have no overlap of workday and the flight is much longer.”

Still, for many Israelis, the opportunities and creature comforts provided by the Bay Area are unparalleled. There’s also the bonus of residing in one of America’s most liberal states—a situation not lost on the mostly secular and left-wing entrepreneurial set, who see the distance from Israel’s right-wing government as a bonus.

Despite these perks, however, for most of these techies, Israel is home. It’s where their families and childhood friends live; it’s where they can joke in Hebrew; it’s where they can talk over each other without getting dirty looks. The Israelis living in the Bay Area don’t rule out moving back someday—even Raccah, who moved to the area in 2001.

“We find it harder to adapt here, to say ‘I’m American,’” Raccah says. “We’ve been so indoctrinated. I’m Israeli. I want my kids to go to the army. I want to see my family every week. I want to joke in Hebrew. That’s the stuff that we miss.”

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jewishnewsva.org | November 20, 2017 | Business | Jewish News | 19

Business Business executive shares his motivational “Rules” to get on top Rule #1 - Don’t Be #2—You Get What You Work For, Not What You Wish For ISBN 978-1-947165-03-8, 2017 Hardcover ($19.99) e-book and paperback, 236 pages

T

hink of all of the people with whom you work or interact on a regular basis. Have you ever met Mr. Negative, The Critic or The Victim? You’re probably picturing one of these folks right now.

You’ll find them everywhere, in meetings torpedoing the most innovative ideas or holding court around the office water cooler. Hopefully, you will never see one in the mirror.

In a new book Rule #1 Don’t Be #2— You Get What You Work For, Not What You Wish For author Dan Milstein discusses the importance of doing everything you can to avoid negative people. “Pessimists spread negativity like the flu, and you

must limit exposure. The risk in listening to naysayers is that your own thoughts might begin to echo what they’re saying.

They have the power to adversely affect not only your outlook, but your company’s culture, reputation, and bottom line,” says Milstein.

Best-selling author, motivational speaker and business executive Dan Milstein has written this book to help people reach their highest potential.

A man known for motivating others and overcoming his own challenges to create the Gold Star Family of Companies, specializing in financial services, sports management, publishing and film production, and also the nation’s #1 mortgage lender, shares what has inspired him and how he inspires others in Rule #1 Don’t Be #2—You Get What You Work For, Not What You Wish For. Known for his own strong work ethic

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and “don’t-quit” attitude, Milstein lays out 25 Rules for how he got where he is. It’s not a soothing book of inspiration; instead it’s a motivational how-to that can propel readers from mediocre to the top of their field.

“While you’re asking whether the glass is half empty or half full, I’ve sold it,” says Milstein in his book. Mincing no words, Milstein’s chapters, titled: “Get Off the Couch,” “Failure is Your Best Teacher” and “You Can’t Stop Believing” mix an inspiring, motivational approach with his “no holds barred” work ethic.

Milstein believes no dream is too big, but he reminds readers that it’s not dreaming, but hard work and dedicated planning, that will get them where they want to go.

“By the time they have a solid ‘career,’ 97 percent of the people who have a dream will have ‘settled’ into a life of the mundane,” says Milstein in the prologue. “Only three percent of those who dreamed of pursuing their passion will be successful. What’s different about this three percent? I can tell you they weren’t born with silver spoons, and they weren’t simply luckier than the rest.”

Milstein knows something about hard work. He came to the United States at the age of 16, with only 17 cents in his pocket, when his parents fled the anti-Semitic and political persecution in Russia.

Having survived that and the Chernobyl disaster, Milstein’s biggest problem in the U.S. was learning how to navigate in high school where he didn’t speak the language. Wanting more in life and with an immigrant’s vision uncolored by entitlement, he found a job at McDonald’s and worked full time, sandwiching high school in between two shifts. The job taught him a strong work ethic that has stayed with him.

It sustained him while 62% of his industry’s competition was crashing down around him during the recession. He talks about it in his book:

“During that time, I called a company-wide meeting, and looking at the sagging shoulders and somber expressions of my people, I realized I was about to give the most important speech of my career.

I announced in a clear, strong voice that Gold Star would NOT be participating in the world’s recession. I went on to assure them that although many of their spouses and family members had lost jobs, theirs would be secure with Gold Star. I vowed that we would emerge from these trying times stronger than ever— and explained how we were going to capitalize on the recession as the platform for our growth strategy.”

That year they opened a number of branches, recruited the industry’s top talent, and significantly expanded their national footprint, growing by more than 700%. This expansion named Gold Star to the Inc. 500’s fastest growing companies in the United States. The growth was sustainable. Their business doubled the following year.

Milstein has filled the book with stories of people who are successful and have inspired him: athletes, inventors, mothers, and survivors. It’s a collage of people who have overcome great odds to realize their goals.

Even though many would consider Milstein to be at the top of his career today, he says that he never thinks of himself as successful. He is constantly working hard, striving to remain independent and always achieving. Anyone, he says, can make it. “No one is born successful. Success or failure is only determined by where you stop.”

Whether a business person looking for self-improvement, a recent college graduate entering the work world for the first time, or a person who is fed up with their current job and looking to make a change, this book is applicable. Prepare to be inspired.