Breaking Bread, Busting Chops and Building Business Bonds -- Every Other Month

Sep 29

2 min read

NEW YORK CITY, SEPTEMBER 28 2026 — The Sammy Tri-State Business Networking Dinner Group just convened our fifth and penultimate meeting of the calendar year.

Thirteen Sammies broke bread and built business bonds at Royal 35 Steakhouse. We got an early start outside on this fine fall day (73F) with pre-game cocktails and cigars on the patio at 4pm. We took the party upstairs to our private room at 6:08pm for extended schmoozing before sitting for dinner. Dessert was plated at 8pm but we lingered late as usual.

First timer Lee Bergstein was impressed with the structured format and formal agenda.

The AI committee put Arca, Everywhere, Jev, and Muse on our radar. Jake has been using AI to catalog, organize, and appraise his wine cabinet. Other use cases discussed: wedding planning, vacation itinieraries, household scheduling and client prospecting. Some of us are dipping our toes, others have jumped into the deep end of the pool and are building apps. The novices have coaches at their fingertips in this group.

Bridge loan film financing and QOZ's got some airtime during the alternative investments spotlight.

Jeff Beal announced during good and welfare that his grandson is pledging our Wisconsin chapter, making him a third generation Sammy. He was kvelling.

Diversity across decades and chapters is a feature of this group. Men in their twenties and thirties and boys in their sixties and seventies sat side by side like pledge brothers. And all the decades in between.

A curated agenda keeps the conversation robust and relevant. But there always seems to be time for humor, mirth and old fashioned ball-busting.

We meet bi-monthly on the last Tuesday of the month -- with the exception of our next meeting, Tuesday November 17th (to accomodate the Thanksgiving holiday). Reply to SammyTriState at Gmail dot com for an invitation.

Upcoming events are the Manhattan Happy Hour at J Kennedy's 11/12 6-8pm and Friendsgiving in November at NJIT. We've already penciled a bourbon dinner in June at Russ' house again. Thank you Fra Wohl -- and Mrs Wohl!

Like all Sammy TriState committees, the business dinner group is staffed 100% by unpaid volunteers. We budget our events to break even (with a minor surplus or loss).

PS - Fun fact: NY Knicks have been known to frequent this fine dining establishment. Sammy Tri-State congratulates them on their latest champoinship!