Mentoring: Wisdom to share

Guiding younger people to success on the job, and in life

By Jim Smith | jim.smith@newsday.com

7:33 AM EST, February 22, 2008

Marvin Tolkin of Hewlett was in his 70s when he met Alexander Alexandrov in Bulgaria in the 1990s. Tolkin had retired as a manufacturer of girls' and women's apparel but was working as a consultant on a deal, and Alexandrov was the translator.

Tolkin was drawn to help Alexandrov. Eventually, he helped Alexandrov immigrate to America in 2000, get an MBA from New York Institute of Technology in Old Westbury and open a tax-preparation accounting business.

Alexandrov, now 36 and living in Brooklyn, said about his ongoing relationship with Tolkin, "He talks to me about his business, his life -- the right moves and wrong ones he made. I'm always using examples from his life. He made my adjustment easier. ... I started my own company ... all under his influence."

"I retired at 70 and wanted to keep being busy," Tolkin said. He estimates he's mentored 10 people, ranging in age from Alexandrov to those in their 60s. Some he met randomly, others through organizations.

"I felt I wanted to give back. I believe purpose is essential in life; staying busy is equivalent to longevity," Tolkin said. "As I'm getting older, I feel younger. If I can help them ... see where they want to go, that's great.

Although several decades younger than Tolkin, Ann McDermott, 45, of Huntington, former human resources director of OSI Pharmaceuticals Inc. and now head of the Melville firm's foundation, tells a similar story. She mentored Meaghan Maul for several summers as an OSI intern. Maul, 26, from Dix Hills, got a degree in business management from the University at Buffalo and was hired by OSI.

"We had many discussions about career," McDermott said. "She looked like someone that had a lot of potential.... For me, it [mentoring] is paying it forward. People have taken me under their wing. That's what the world of work should be."

A double bond

Maul said that, during her internship, she and McDermott worked together. "On a personal and professional level, she was able to guide me.... We had a kind of bond. My mother was diagnosed with cancer. Her father had been diagnosed with cancer. [Both died in 2003.]...Professionally, she had a lot of trust in my ability and gave me a lot of independence. She helped me gain confidence in my skills."

Not far below the surface of workplaces around Long Island, those involved in mentoring say there is a lot of it going on as veteran employees and managers, as well as those who've retired, help younger people.

Some seem natural-born mentors, eager to tell younger workers how to avoid pitfalls and achieve success -- in school, jobs, running businesses, learning English or heading nonprofits. Others find proteges through their companies or groups like 100 Black Men of Long Island, the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE), New York Cares, Literacy Suffolk Inc. or the National Association of Women Business Owners.

Paul Arfin, 67, head of Hauppauge-based nonprofit Intergenerational Strategies, an organization dedicated to civic engagement of older adults, says of mentoring, "I believe there has been an increase. Perhaps mainly in an informal way, with older workers serving in mentoring relationships with younger workers.... It's gratifying, the satisfaction of knowing they are still useful."

Some mentoring relationships have spanned many phases of the lives of both the mentor and the recipient of help. Richard Iannuzzi, 60, who heads New York State United Teachers union representing 585,000 teachers and health care professionals, has mentored Otis Scerbo, now 23, since Scerbo was in Iannuzzi's fourth-grade class at elementary school in Central Islip. Scerbo graduated from Hofstra University in May and is a substitute teacher in Central Islip. Iannuzzi said, "There was something special about Otis. You could see that, with a little support, he had great potential to be successful."

Iannuzzi arranged for Scerbo to attend a camp on the North Fork, stayed in touch, helped him apply to Hofstra and to cover expenses for tests and certifications to become a teacher.

"I was one of those students that was in trouble most of the time," Scerbo said. "He took the extra step of teaching me what is right and wrong. He put me into an after-school program where I learned to be respectful and how to make my own decisions. He taught me to be responsible. He let me come to his house. We spoke about whatever problems I faced. He played softball with me. I enjoyed being with him. He took the father role -- I didn't have that in my life." Scerbo said he'd like to be a mentor someday.

Retired business owners

Hank Brodersen, 67, of Floral Park, a SCORE volunteer and retired delicatessen restaurant owner, mentored Betsy Hall, 50, and Mindy Rogers, 51, both of East Northport, for more than a year before they opened a business, Dream Dinners, in East Northport in September. It's a meal-assembly store where customers put together dinners to be frozen at home and served later.

"After I retired four years ago," Brodersen said, "I got bored and looked for something to do." He took training with SCORE and, in the past 31/2 years, has worked with many would-be business owners in multiple hourlong sessions.

He said of Hall and Rogers, "These two ladies were never in business before. I walked them through a business plan, but they pretty much did it themselves. When I see somebody make a success, I feel very gratified."

Hall said, "He helped us organize ourselves. They were always available, Hank and Mel [Springer, also a SCORE volunteer], if we had any questions on the plan. They went over it week to week, made corrections to make it viable."

Herman Washington, 72, of East Patchogue, a retired computer information systems teacher at LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City, has mentored Sean N. Wright, 40, of Lake Grove, and Bancroft Burke, 51, of Dix Hills. All are members of 100 Black Men, which enhances educational opportunities for African-Americans.

"Those who have been active for so long need to get out of the way and support our replacements," Washington said.

"He's a good friend," said Wright, a former Newsday employee who now works in the Brentwood school district and who succeeded Washington in heading the education committee of 100 Black Men. Wright said, "He's one of the reasons I returned to school -- his encouragement and constant checking in." Wright said he plans to graduate from Adelphi in May with a business degree.

Meanwhile, Wright mentors youths 14 and older at career forums once a month. "What Herman has done for me," Wright said, "I intend to do for others."

Burke, an accountant, said of Washington, "He's a caring, conscientious person who tries to help another get where they want to go. He wants people to reach their fullest potential."

Clarice Kennedy, 43, of Lido Beach, mentored Maureen Borzacchiello, 38, of West Hempstead for a year through a connection made by their membership in the Long Island chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners.

Borzacchiello won an award in a "Make Mine a Million" contest sponsored by American Express and the nonprofit Count Me In for Women's Economic Independence. The goal was to increase a small firm's revenue to more than $1 million. Borzacchiello designs, produces and manages trade show displays.

"After meeting to set goals," said Kennedy, who runs an information technology staffing firm, "we met or spoke on the phone once a month for an hour. I've had my business 18 years and made mistakes along the way. I wanted to share what worked. The gratification for me is about giving back ...[and] seeing somebody being successful."

Sharing value

Borzacchiello recalled, "Clarice said, 'Let me share with you what's been valuable to me.' Probably the best lesson was to step back and look at the big picture, to learn how to maximize your networking time." She credited Kennedy with helping her business revenue grow from $350,000 in 2005 to end 2006 at just shy of $1.1 million, "and it's probably increased 50 percent this year [2007]."

Gail Levenson, 65, of Woodside, a volunteer for Manhattan-based multiservice nonprofit New York Cares, has worked with several clients at the Emerald Isle Immigration Center of New York in Woodside to help them prepare for citizenship tests. Two passed.

"We're helping legal residents who have green cards," said Levenson, a retired executive secretary and saleswoman. "I'm giving back. I think it's important for these people to become citizens because they've spent time here, and they love the country. I enjoy working one on one ... These people are so appreciative."

Carla Schulz, 57, a retired Verizon customer service representative from Mastic, mentors clients for nonprofit Literacy Suffolk, which uses more than 400 volunteers at six locations to help more than 600 clients learn English. One student, Maria Naupari, 42, of Mastic, worked with Schulz once a week for seven months and has completed tutor training herself.

"I'm retired," Schulz said, "and I was looking to give back to my community and do something character-building.... I'm making a difference in her life; she's making a difference in mine."

"English is my second language," said Naupari, who was born in Peru. "I want to speak so people can understand me better. She brings every week some copies of books or new words that can help me, or we talk about and practice words I don't know. We talk about applying for a job, doing a resume. We work on vocabulary; she's a good listener.... Now, I want to help other people because helping people will make me feel better."