3 LI companies named as adoption-friendly

BY CARRIE MASON-DRAFFEN | carrie.mason-draffen@newsday.com

9:24 PM EDT, May 1, 2008

For the second year in a row, three Long Island companies rank among the top 100 businesses nationwide for adoption benefits, according to an Ohio-based foundation that compiles the Best Adoption-Friendly Workplaces list.

United Business Media -- formerly known as CMP Technology -- in Manhasset, ranked No. 3; Kozy Shack in Hicksville, ranked 37; and OSI Pharmaceuticals, a Melville company, ranked 65.

The 2-year-old list is compiled by the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, named for the late founder of fast-food chain Wendy's International. Thomas was adopted and active in adoption issues.

United Business Media offers $15,000 in financial support and two weeks of paid leave.

"I think it goes back to being a family-friendly company and crediting our employees for our company's success," said company spokeswoman Alix Raine.

Kozy Shack, a dessert manufacturer, offers $7,000 in benefits and two weeks' paid leave.

OSI Pharmaceuticals offers $5,000 in financial assistance and eight weeks' paid time off.

"Becoming a new parent is a life-changing event for adoptive parents, too," said Linda Amper, who heads human resources at OSI. "And we hope that people find this time to be an invaluable bonding experience with their child."

Becky McBlair, an OSI employee in Boulder, Colo., used the company benefit to adopt her son, 20-month-old Mikal, in January. She had been his foster mother since he was 14 days old and said the financial assistance and the time off made the adoption possible.

"I wouldn't have been able to do it otherwise," she said.

The average cost of an adoption ranges from $20,000 to $25,000, according to Adoptive Families magazine. And almost half of major U.S. companies offer some adoption assistance, up from 12 percent in 1990.

To view the entire list go to: http://www.davethomasfoundation.org/Our-Work/Adoption-Friendly-Workplace/Best-Adoption-Friendly-Workplaces-List