Series 2: Business and industry, 2009-2016, inclusive

In this interview, Michael Baker briefly discusses growing up in Canada and how he got involved in retail store management. He talks in great detail about opening the IKEA in the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn; from negotiations with the City, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and the local community boards to finding bedrock for driving in anchor piles, and how the home furnishings store wanted to maintain the site's waterfront history. Interview conducted by Sady Sullivan.

In the interview, John and James Caputo talk about generations of the Caputo family and the business history of their co-owned Caputo Bakery in the Carroll Gardens neighborhood of Brooklyn. John describes the sequence of locations for Caputo's; one near Union and Hicks Streets that was shuttered because of Brooklyn-Queens Expressway construction in the 1940s, another at 332 Court Street, and the present one that faces that old address. John recalls the businesses and scenery of his youth. The two discuss how each came into the business and how modern life has eased the demands of long hours and baking business inefficiencies. The two identify evolving styles and quality of bread in the overall market and at Caputo's. James reflects on appreciating the bakery in his youth, achieving a career in finance, and returning to work with his father at the bakery. They go over their changing clientele, the staffing of a bakery, and different technologies used in the bakery's different ovens through the years. Interview conducted by Sady Sullivan and Margaret Fraser.

In this interview, Pino Deserio describes his life in the Carroll Gardens neighborhood of Brooklyn and the Italian American community's establishments there; including the Van Westerhout Mola Sport Club, established by those originally from Mola Di Bari, Italy, and the St. Stephen Roman Catholic Church. He talks about his family, immigration, and changes in the neighborhood, and also changes back in Italy, which he visits every year. Deserio gives a thorough description of all the steps necessary for getting a ship into a graving dock, a difficult process that was his responsibility by the time Todd Shipyards closed. Deserio also discusses the loss of his wife to breast cancer when she was only forty-five years old and shares his hopes for his two daughters. Interview conducted by Sady Sullivan.

During his interview, Charles Wade Sahadi (1944- ) discusses growing up in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn; the growth and expansion of Sahadi's; other businesses on Atlantic Avenue and changes to the neighborhood; the Atlantic Avenue Merchants' Association and the development of the street festival "Atlantic Antic – it's gigantic!" Sahadi also recalls visiting Lebanon for the first time, his experiences as a business leader and community member after the September 11 terrorist attacks, the changes in demand for Middle Eastern food items as non-Middle Eastern people became more aware of Middle Eastern foods. Interview conducted by Zaheer Ali.

In this wide-ranging interview, Robert "Bob" Windt shares his life's history, starting with his family's ancestral history and ending with his retirement. He describes his Austro-Hungarian Jewish heritage and his family's capture of the American dream; and racial relations in the Jewish-Italian Borough Park neighborhood of his youth. He discusses his sadness at his father's early passing; and his early experiences with the Jewish religion. Windt describes his young adulthood, including two years spent "piddling around," which led to his decision to preemptively join the Army as a flight engineer. He describes his experiences in Army training, including Officer's training at the Boca Raton Club, his commission as a lieutenant, and his disappointment over not being deployed. Windt details his start in publicity for the show business industry, selling radios and television sets for CBS-Columbia, and frequently references screen stars of the 1940s and 1950s, including Sammy Kaye, Perry Como, Joan Crawford, Arthur Godfrey, and others. Windt tells of subsequent years spent at Pepsi Cola and Rheingold Beer, including tales of insider business drama, proxy wars, ego battles, and bitter competition. He discusses the launch of his own firm, where his major contract was with Fairchild Publications. At the interview's conclusion, Windt discusses his love of baseball and his passionate distaste for the abuse of eminent domain, even when invoked for the construction of sports arenas. Interview conducted by Sady Sullivan.