nspiring Perry I

of the Sunday magazines. I cut it out, put it in my wallet, and I believe it remained there for maybe 35 years. It was written by Grantland Rice, a very famous sportswriter back in the '30s. It goes like this: 'For when the one great scorer comes to mark against your name, he marks not that you won or lost, but how you played the game.' So in terms of life, you never give up on anything. You're always giving it your best. Even if you're playing in an athletic event, you could be losing by 20 points. The score was important because you wanted to win, but there's no way you can win all of the time. It's impossible. Nobody's ever done it and nobody ever will. Accept 60-40. I've always tried to go as hard as I could, as fast as I could, until the final buzzer.

Advice from The Pro Noun

Perry's 60-40 Rule

I can't wait to get up in the morning to see what problems I can solve. Here's my philosophy on life. I've always believed, especially once I started a family, that life is 60-40. If 60% of the time, things are okay in your life, what you do is you put your two hands together and you look up and you say 'Thank You,' because the other 40% is a tough gig out there. Life is tough. It's not supposed to be easy. So you've got to accept 60-40.

Perry's Inspiration

My parents are my greatest inspiration. They were two wonderful immigrants from Greece. When they came to the United States, it was more of an integration into society. Even though we were Greek Orthodox, if my father happened to be working on a Sunday, we went to the corner church. It didn't make any difference to us. A church was a church. Even now, any major decision I make, I always say to myself, I wonder what my mom and dad would think about what I'm doing right now? It's easy after that. That applies to anything! Then in high school I had a great baseball coach, Bucky Freeman. He was in the Division I Baseball Hall of Fame. For many years I carried with me an old saying that I found in one

I have two grandchildren. So, I talk to them a little differently than I would to someone who's in high school. Their perceptions change. After high school, I would talk to somebody in college just a little bit differently as well, and tell them that they don't have to do something. If they know what they want do five or six or seven years old, that's wonderful! You never discourage them from wanting to do something aspirational. But you always want them to enjoy what h ' d i A d if h i i i h

Endless Energy for Radio

For almost 24 years, I've been doing radio. It all began when I was sitting in a McDonald's reading the Arbitron ratings for radio and tv stations in the area, which were printed back then. I saw one station in Fulton that didn't have any ratings. I decided to go knock on the door. I said, 'Is the owner here?' They referred me to a gentleman and I sat down and said 'My name is Perry Noun. I've got an idea for a morning talk show.' He said 'What kind of experience do you have?' I said 'I don't have any!' He said, 'Well, what makes you think you can do it?' I said, 'Well, I've listened to Rush Limbaugh, Tony Coarser in sports, Don Imus, and Dr. Laura Sleshinger. I think I can do it.'

So he asked for a proposal... I had no idea where to begin, but I figured it out.

Persistence Pays On the Links and in Business

I submitted the proposal. The radio station owner never got back to me. A month and a half later, after I'd called twice, I went down there and knocked on the door. I went in his office and said 'C'mon Dave, you don't even have to pay me! Just let me go on the radio for one week and you can fire me on Friday!' He started to laugh and sure enough, he said 'Okay, okay, we'll try it.' I figured I'd have a week to learn the board and how to be a radio operator. This was on a Thursday. Then he said, 'We're starting Monday morning.' I said 'What?' Monday came and I didn't have any idea what I was doing. He did the news and weather and I did a two hour morning show. I had several guests. I used to interview the chief of police, the superintendent of the schools, national authors, politicians, and on and on. Every Friday people started listening to this crazy talk show host and nearly 24 years later, I'm still going. Incredible!

The Journey with Seneca Savings

I've always been in real estate. I've always been involved with different banks. Angela Moonan, who does the storytelling for Seneca Savings, reached out to me because she loves my energy, and we've known each other for years. She thought Tee Time with the Pro Noun was a terrific environment for Seneca Savings to share some of their true, local stories, so my relationship with Seneca Savings started from there. Prepping for the show, I wanted to get a feel for what Seneca was like. As soon as I walked in their branch in Baldwinsville, I said, 'Something is different here.' It wasn't a big, huge, cold place. It didn't have 35 foot ceilings. I could tell this was a warm, hometown bank. I found out the bank's President, Joe Vitale, his office was right there in that building! And then Angelo Testani and Laurie Ucher, Senior Vice Presidents, are right there too!

You can't walk into very many banks today and talk to the president or senior vice president. But here, you can go in, if you want to make an appointment, you can talk to Joe, or Angelo, or Laurie. Just pick up the phone, make an appointment, and you're talking to the people who can make a decision. You don't have to wait for it to go to NYC, Chicago, Los Angeles, to somebody who's sitting in a 50 story office building. Barbara Clark is the branch manager in Baldwinsville. And Barbara has never disappointed me. Anytime I pick up the phone, she calls me right back. Amazing!

Perry's Life Lesson With Money

If I had it to do all over again, I would say take 10% and set it aside. Have a diversified portfolio. Stocks, bonds, whatever you can. Most people don't do that. Pay yourself first. Set 10% aside. I believe my life would've changed dramatically if I had done that. Remember... 60-40!

He passed away a few years ago. He was my mentor, my teacher for a long, long time. I learned everything he knew. From 14 to 19, that's what I did."

Making Magic In Different Ways

For the past twenty years, Virgil took his magic onto a different stage as ringmaster of Endeavor Entertainment. From party rentals, inflatables, cotton candy and all the party fixings, Endeavor Entertainment has been helping create special memories for some of the biggest days in people's lives. Birthday parties, graduations, weddings, any kind of company or family celebration, and you'll see Endeavor there. Doing exactly what the name says... working hard, supplying fun and joy in the endeavor to make the occasion magical, for all who attend.

but they look back and see those pictures and those memories. I get to see their inner child come out and experience joy. That's a beautiful thing that I help create."

Momentum

The party rental part of the business led to the wedding decor part of the business. Then that led to Virgil opening up Virgilio's Event Centre in Fulton at the old Nestle Park. "We renovated the entire property, with a lot of help from Seneca Savings. We gained momentum, one thing led to the next and there was just a progression of the business," says Virgil. I got a lot of calls for ice cream trucks. So I decided, you know what, let's take care of these customers and do something really cool and unique and something that CNY does not have. Let's combine our party rental business with the ice cream trucks. A new business was

born. Endeavor just keeps evolving, it's exciting!"

It's Not All Fun & Games... But It's Worth It

No day is the same for Endeavor. One day they could be setting up at seven o'clock in the morning at an elementary school and then coming back at two in the afternoon. The next day they could be setting up at nine o'clock at nig and tearing down at two in the morning for a prom party. It's different every single day. It's weekends too. Virgil states "Finding employees that can be flexible with their schedule, are interested and willing to load, unload, sweat, work hard... that's the biggest challenge right now."

Safety & Customer Care

Virgil is a certified ride safety inspector for the state of Pennsylvania, because Endeavor does a lot of work in PA with schools. He states that another challenge with his industry are the safety standards and the willingness of some companies to take unnecessary risks. "I don't understand how companies come in and instead of using a proper, weighted sandbag, if they're on pavement for example, they'll throw a cinder block there and tie their inflatable to a cinder block, or tie it to a fence post, or to the bumper of a truck," says Virgil. "I don't understand it. That's frustrating because as those mistakes are made by other companies, regulation will come upon us as well. But we hold ourselves to a higher standard with our company and we take it upon ourselves to do things that are not regulated here yet." Endeavor has open inspection checklists that their staff must use to make sure they follow proper safety protocols. All the time, every time.

Proud Moments

Virgil has always believed if you're going to do something, do it right. Don't do it halfway. He states "I always wanted to make sure that I was doing things to make people proud, to make my parents proud, to just be a decent human being. Some people pick on me about it, but in everything I do, I don't do anything halfway. It's full bore all the way... a thousand miles an hour!" When Virgil decided to start Syracuse Ice Cream Truck, he did just that. He got a classic '56 Ford and redid the whole thing. He had a custom trailer built. There's music, yard games... and ICE CREAM! But the last thing people talk about is the ice cream. "They love

Life Skills & Business Skills

When younger people come in to work for Endeavor, Virgil enjoys teaching them not only about how to back up a trailer, but also about how to approach a customer, looking them straight in the eye and shaking their hand. "There are a lot of life skills and business skills that unfortunately schools, parents sometimes even, don't share with kids. So being able to be a mentor in a way for a lot of the younger people that come and go, is inspiring to me."

"The more customers you take care of, the more those customers are gonna take care of you. You get out of life what you put in. The more you put in, the more you're gonna' get out."

Virgil has a little sign in his closet to serve as a helpful daily reminder. The sign reads 'Today I will do what others won't. So tomorrow I can do what others can't.' For Virgil, it's not about being better than others. "It reinforces for me that if I do the best I can today, tomorrow will turn." Virgil emphasizes that it's the consistent little things, over a long period of time that make you successful. "Just don't ever stop learning about everything you can learn about. Learn about as much as you possibly can in today's world, with YouTube and the ease of audiobooks, and everything you can get your hands on. The world is in the palm of your hand now. Just don't ever stop learning about everything. I make homemade maple syrup, I have a leather shop, I freeze dry food, I raise my own chickens. There are just so many things you can learn and share with other people!"

Excited About the Future

At Virgilio's Event Centre in Fulton, they do weddings, clambakes, company picnics, private parties. Prior to Covid, they were doing all the food, the bar, room decor, everything. Now they're just using the space as a rental space for people's parties and events.

Celebrating its' 20th year in March, Endeavor Entertainment continues to grow. Having fun in everything they do, building on what they have... that's what 2023 and beyond is all about for Virgil.

Connected with Seneca Savings through Virgilio's, Virgil appreciates the support for his growth and his dreams. Virgil met Senior VP of Retail Banking, Laurie Ucher, a long time ago. When Virgil was seeking a refinance in Fulton to do another big addition, he reached out to Laurie. They were able to build huge 'get ready' lounges for brides and grooms to have their own secure room space. They put on a 4,000 square foot patio off the back and outbuildings for storage. Virgil states "Laurie's been great to work with. Anything I ever need, she's on it. It's not just nine to five 'banker hours.' She'll text me with whatever I need, whenever I need it. A local person, local business, local bank, keeping everything local. You're greeted with a smile. The personal connection's absolutely there. We're looking for Seneca Savings to help us grow our ice cream truck business in the future. The same way I feel about making people happy at events... Seneca Savings does the same for you and your business. There are a lot of nuances to it. There are a lot of things that a bigger bank is not going to look at and take into consideration. The local, hometown people know you and know your business. They will take those things into consideration and do their best to help you. Whereas a big bank's going to look at you like you're just a number."