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M onarch W ine Em ployees H ope i o Buy The Store To Keep Their JobsBY LIZ KOCHThe Monarch Wine Company of Brooklynis considering selling its Manischewitzbrand, its best known wine, to an upstateNew York wine company, but employees ofMonarch have a much different idea for thefuture of Manischewitz and saving their 100jobs at stake in the sale.Monarch Wine is currently negotiatingwith Canandaigua Wine Company, one ofthe nation%u2019s largest sellers of wine, to buythe Manischewitz brand, a kosher wine thathas been produced in Brooklyn since 1939.Monarch is negotiating a potential $17million sale, but in a spurt of determined effort, a group of Monarch employees, led bychief chemist Victor Zylbemagel, are willing to offer up to $20 million for the brandand thereby save their jobs from travelingupstate.%u201cIf the facility here closes then workersand families who have been here for many,many years would be left destitute,%u201d saysZylbemagel, who is being joined by his wifeMiriam and investment advisor SamuelZimitvaum in putting together the purchasing offer.%u201cIf we lose the jobs here, as observantJewish people committed to Jewish community life and the education of ourchildren, we would not be able to relocate toupstate New York,%u201d he says. The companyrefuses comment, but according to Zylbernagel, severence pay would be extended tothe some 100 employees who would lose theirjobs, but that for religious reasons, findinganother place of employment will not besimple.Despite the fact that sales ofManischewitz wine have been decreasing inpast years, Zylbemagel is confident that thetrend could be reversed, and is especiallyoptimistic that the employees would function as a strong management team withtheir years of experience at the company.He sees an aggressive marketing campaignas vital for addressing changing marketneeds and points to the lack of advertisingand marketing as the crux of theManischewitz decline.He points to the company%u2019s ManischewitzCooler as an example of poor marketing.%u201cHave you ever seen a ManischewitzCooler? Distributers don%u2019t even know thatwe make it,%u201d he asks.Monarch has not responded to the offer ofnegotiation made by the employees. Marshall Goldberg, one of the principals at theBush Terminal located Monarch Wine Co.,says he is unwilling to comment on the saleof the company until the exclusivenegotiating period with Canandaigua hasended on Sept. 12. After that, says Zylbernagel, officials of the union representing thecompany%u2019s employees who have met withGoldberg, were told that Monarch management would meet with the employees toconsider the offer.%u201cPerhaps the management feels that ifthese experienced people could not makethe brand sell then how could we underlingsdo it,%u201d Zylbemagel says. %u201cHowever, we arethe people who make the wine and who theydepend on to run the company. I cry out tothe owners, take our money. It%u2019s more thananyone else is offering. We are ready tonegotiate and follow through on anything,%u201dhe says.Zylbemagel challenges any suggestionsthat the employees will not be able tomanage the company by pointing to thegiant strides they have made since thespring when the notion of buying the company first began to burgeon. Theemployees%u2019 investment advisor, SamuelZimetvaum, president of Quadrant CapitalInc., has found a group of five investorswho say they will consider a bid of as muchas $20 million for the brand.%u201cHow many times have you heard ofworkers m i our level coming up with such agreat sum in such a short amount of time insuch an organized effort?%u201d Zylbemagelasks. %u201cWe think this alone shows greatfinancial expertise.%u201dAs proof of their serious intent, Zylbernagel says the group is willing to put $1million in an escrow account. If the group%u2019sbid were accepted, Zylbemagel says newbusiness would start in January 1987, with anew attack on the market that wouldreinstate Manischewitz wine to its formerpopularity.In the meantime, however, Zylbemagel.. says, he has never worked as hard in his 22years in the company as he is working now.With the Jewish holidays looming on thehorizon, he says, the company is seeking tomake its necessary goals for the Decemberholidays before it sells the brand.A&S Plans To Open ANew Store On IslandAbraham & Straus, a division ofFederated Department Stores, Inc., hasreached an agreement to open a new A&SDepartment Store unit in Green Acres Mallin Valley Stream, L.I., later this year. Itwill be the 16th unit of the A&S chain, whichhad 1985 sales of $76.75 million.The 275,000 sq. ft. store will open in thelocation vacated by Gimbels. The agreement was entered into with the Kravco Co.,a real estate developer representing theowners, and with Gimbels Valley Stream,Inc.%u201cOur new Valley Stream location willenable us to maximize our long-termmarketing objectives and, at the sametime, strengthen our presence and uniqueposition in file Long Island market,%u201d saidChaim Edelstein, chairman of A&S.Robert J. Anderson, president of A&S,noted that the location in the Green AcresMall is %u201ca natural as well as a strategic fitfor us. We are confident that our new storewill fit smoothly into our operational structure, and will enable us to better serve ourLong Island customers by greatly enhancing our retail accessibility overall.%u201dB r o o k e S te p h e n s & A s s o c ia te sPersonal Financial Planning Investment Advisory Service Income Tax PlanningDon%u2019t Wait For %u201987 To Plan For %u201986Certified Financial PlannersNn nhnrgp For 163 Joralemon St.initial Consultation Suite 1138 Brooklyn, NY 11201All Fees Are (718) 875-2575Tax DeductibleT r a d i t i o n ...BASIMU AND THIWILLUMSSURGHSOON 6R0WING TOGETHER.Since 1876, the National League has been bringing professional baseball excitement to millions %u2014 generation after generation of fans.But twenty-five years before organized baseballwas bom, the Williamsburgh Savings Bank openedits doors to %u201cplay ball%u201d with the public. Ever since, the Williamsburgh has proved to be a pennantwinning source of home mortgages, secure savings, personal loans and friendly service.Worthwhile things endure. Baseball, since 1876 %u2014 and today more than ever the national pastime.And the Williamsburgh, since 1851 %u2014 today morethan ever helping growing numbers o f new fansbuild a brighter future.F ollow th e lea d ers! T heW illiam sburgh S a vin gsB ank b rin g s y o u N ew YorkM els baseba ll. Tune in toW H N R adio, 1050 AM .Pag* 11, The Phoanlx/Brooklyn.lnc Section Two, September 18,1986