NNY Business December 2012 by NNY Business

Annual tech gadget gift guide page 32

December 2012

Daniel M. Myers Double Play Sports RBI Bats

Molly C. Reilly Alexandria Central

Jesse C.P. Roshia Children’s Home of Jefferson County

Jessica Hart

Michelle A. Farrell

New York State DEC

GWNC Chamber of Commerce

20 UNDER 40: NEW LEADERS,

n Biz Tech n NNY Snapshot n Business Scene n Real Estate

CLASSIC VALUES $2.95

/nnybusiness @NNYBusinessMag

Northern New York’s Premier Business Monthly Vol. 3 Issue 1 | www.nnybizmag.com

20UNDER40

NORTHERN NEW YORKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S EMERGING LEADERS

Jonathan L. Hirschey Jake R. Tibbles

Climax Paperboard

Thousand Islands Land Trust

Jennifer L. Karelus Miller Spraying Lewis County Farm Bureau

NNY Business | December 2012

Lucy M. Gerviss

Schwerzmann & Wise

NORTHERN NEW YORK’S EMERGING LEADERS

20UNDER40

Joshua Coburn U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Real Estate Division

Victoria E. ‘Tori’ Hasseler-Collins

Conboy, McKay, Bachman & Kendall

Andrea C. Bates River Hospital Foundation

Timothy P. Sweeney

Tracy L. Leonard

Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization

Tunes 92.5 WBLH Radio

December 2012 | NNY Business

20UNDER40

NORTHERN NEW YORKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S EMERGING LEADERS

Daegan A. Gonyer Blue Sphere Industries Ltd.

Blake P. Gendebien

Scott M. Wright

Pepsi-Cola Ogdensburg Bottlers

NNY Business | December 2012

Twin Mill Farms Twin Mill Lubricants Jules of Life Foundation

December 2012 | NNY Business

CONTRIBUTORS

BusIness www.nnybizmag.com

Publishers

John B. Johnson Jr. Harold B. Johnson II Lynn Pietroski is president and CEO of the Greater WatertownNorth Country Chamber of Commerce. She offers tips for businesses to rein in costs in the new year. (p. 40)

Jay Matteson is the agricultural coordinator for the Jefferson County Agricultural Development Corp. He writes about the most impressive machine that’s found on a dairy farm. (p. 41)

Michelle Collins is an advisor for the state Small Business Development Center at SUNY Canton. She shares ‘SMART’ steps to successful strategic planning. (p. 43)

Rande Richardson is executive director of the Northern New York Community Foundation. He writes about how collaboration among nonprofits is taking shape. (p. 39)

General Manager John B. Johnson

Executive Editor Bert Gault

Managing Editor Robert D. Gorman

Magazine Editor

Kenneth J. Eysaman

Associate Magazine Editor Kyle R. Hayes

Jill Van Hoesen is chief information officer for Johnson Newspapers and a 25-year IT veteran. She writes about the new Windows 8 operating system and the tablet vs. laptop debate. (p. 42)

Lance M. Evans is executive officer for the Jefferson-Lewis and St. Lawrence County Board of Realtors. He writes about how New York state leads the country in property taxes. (p. 35)

James Wright is executive director of the Development Authority of the North Country. He presents an update on regional economic development projects in NNY. (p. 38)

Kyle Hayes is associate magazine editor for NNY Business. In small business startup, he visits Bedford Creek Press, a boutique letterpress printer in Sackets Harbor. (p. 15)

MARKETPLACE Advanced Business Systems …............................. 33 A.G. Netto Realty …................................................ 36 AmeriCU Credit Union ......................................….. 55 Ameriprise Financial .........................................….. 33 Beardsley Design ..............................................….. 54 Cantwell & Associates ......................................….. 33 Center for Sight ..................................................….. 56 Cheney Tire ........................................................….. 44 Clarence Henry Coach ....................................….. 46 Clayton Dental Office .......................................….. 34 Climax Manufacturing .....................................….. 29 Convenient Storage Solutions ..........................…. 51 Development Authority of the North Country .….. 40 Essenlohr Motors ….................................................. 47 Fairgrounds Inn ..................................................….. 50 First Class Auto Sales ..........................................….. 6 Foy Agency Inc. ................................................….. 34 Fuccillo Automotive ............................................….. 9 Gerald A. Nortz Inc. ...........................................…. 34 Gold Cup Farms ................................................….. 33 GWNC Chamber of Commerce .................….. 5, 36 H&R Block ...........................................................….. 31 HighTower Advisors ...........................................….. 37

Howard Orthotics ..............................................….. 38 Innovative Physical Therapy .............................…. 39 JCJDC ..................................................................…. 53 Krafft Cleaning ...................................................….. 48 Lofink Ford Mercury ..........................................….. 50 LTI ........................................................................….. 42 Macars ...............................................................….. 14 NNY Business .....................................................….. 44 NNY Community Foundation ............................…. 31 Northstar Auto Sales ..........................................…. 55 Painfull Acres Amish Furniture ..........................…. 34 SeaComm Federal Credit Union ......................…. 52 ShredCon ............................................................…. 43 Sideline Promotions ...........................................…. 10 Slack Chemical .................................................….. 41 Three C Limousine .............................................….. 49 Thousand Islands Realty ...................................….. 36 Truesdell’s Furniture ...........................................….. 11 Watertown Evening Rotary ...............................….. 10 Watertown LDC ..................................................….. 35 Watertown Savings Bank ..................................….. 29 Westelcom .........................................................….. 53 WWTI-ABC50 ........................................................….. 8

Advertising Directors Karen K. Romeo Tammy S. Beaudin

Circulation Director Mary Sawyer

Photography

Norm Johnston, Justin Sorensen, Jason Hunter, Melanie Kimbler-Lago, Amanda Morrison

Ad Graphics, Design

Rick Gaskin, Brian Mitchell, Heather O’Driscoll, Scott Smith, Todd Soules NNY Business (ISSN 2159-6115), is published monthly by Northern New York Newspaper Corp., 260 Washington St., Watertown, NY 13601, a Johnson Newspaper Corp. company. © 2010-2012. All material submitted to NNY Business becomes property of Northern New York Newspaper Corp., publishers of the Watertown Daily Times, and will not be returned.

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12 issues are $15 a year and 24 issues are $25 a year. Call 315-782-1000 to subscribe.

Submissions Send all editorial correspondence to keysaman@wdt.net Advertising For advertising rates and information in Jefferson and Lewis counties, email kromeo@wdt.net, or call 315-661-2422 In St. Lawrence County, e-mail tbeaudin@ogd.com, or call 315-661-2512 Printed with pride in U.S.A. at Vanguard Printing LLC, Ithaca, N.Y., a Forest Stewardship Certified facility. Please recycle this magazine.

NNY Business | December 2012

>> Inside DECEMBER 2012 28

COVER |

16 20 UNDER 40 NNY Business presents 20 Northern New York emerging leaders under the age of 40. 18 18 19 19 20 20 21 21 22 22 23 23 24 24 25 25 26 26 27 27

Andrea C. Bates Joshua Coburn Michelle A. Farrell Blake P. Gendebien Lucy M. Gerviss Daegan A. Gonyer Jessica Hart Victoria E. Hasseler-Collins Ken M. & Katrina G. Hebb Jonathan L. Hirschey Jennifer L. Karelus Christina L. LeBoeuf Tracy L. Leonard Arian S. Mahmoodi Daniel M. Myers Molly C. Reilly Jesse C.P. Roshia Timothy P. Sweeney Jake R. Tibbles Scott M. Wright

SMALL BIZ STARTUP |

15 JUST GETTING STARTED A letterpress printing business gains its footing in Sackets. |

TOURISM |

28 ‘BED TAX’ BOOM Jefferson County occupancy tax collections have nearly doubled in the past decade. |

37 ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY Real estate transactions totaled $2.4m over an eightday sales period in November. |

BUSINESS TECH |

32 A VERY TECH-Y HOLIDAY Seven holiday gifts that would be perfect for any tech-savvy person on your shopping list.

REAL ESTATE |

36 JEFFERSON COUNTY Real estate transactions totaled $4.2m over a six-day period in mid-November.

AGRI-BUSINESS |

30 THE NEW CASH CROP North country farmers are making room in their fields for soybeans as exports rise. |

BUSINESS HISTORY |

52 BUILDING BIG BUSINESS Travel juggernaut Delta Airlines has roots that trace to St. Lawrence County. CONSTRUCTION |

54 NEW STORE RISING Building is under way for a new Fuccillo Dodge-ChryslerJeep dealership in Adams. December 2012 | NNY Business

NNY Business | December 2012

| INTERVIEW |

| ON THE COVER |

Editor’s Note: 20 Questions will return in next month’s issue. To read past 20 Questions with north country business leaders, visit WWW.NNYBIZMAG.COM | COLUMNS |

38 ECONOMICALLY SPEAKING 39 NONPROFITS TODAY 40 COMMERCE CORNER

41 AGRI-BUSINESS 42 BUSINESS TECH BYTES 43 SMALL BUSINESS SUCCESS

| DEPARTMENTS |

10 11 12 14 35

EDITOR’S NOTE PEOPLE ON THE MOVE ECONOMIC SNAPSHOT BUSINESS BRIEFCASE REAL ESTATE ROUNDUP

45 46 50 52 54

CALENDAR BUSINESS SCENE DINING GUIDE BUSINESS HISTORY WHAT’S HAPPENING HERE?

For this month’s cover, which is extended through page four, photographers Justin Sorensen and Jason Hunter captured black-and-white portraits of the 20 Under 40 Class of 2012 in our Watertown and Canton offices. On the cover are Michelle A. Farrell, Daniel M. Myers, Jessica Hart, Molly C. Reilly and Jesse C.P. Roshia. Chairs for the shoot were provided by Massey’s Furniture Barn, Watertown.

December 2012 | NNY Business

EDITOR’S NOTE

e are excited to present NNY Business magazine’s 20 Under 40 Class of 2012 this month. During the past four months, nominations steadily flowed in to our offices. Despite the flurry of recommendations, I also must say a heartfelt thank you to Maria Roche, Carthage, whose enthusiasm for our magaKen Eysaman zine and its 20 Under 40 program is unmatched. Without her support and energy many of the fine young leaders you’ll read about in this issue would have gone undiscovered. In October, staff from the magazine and the Watertown Daily Times reviewed a list of polished young professionals with the task of cutting the number to 20. As others will attest, it was no easier a task than when we began this program a year ago. I urge you to turn to page 16 to begin reading the 20 stories of top talent right here in Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties. Here are a few statistics about our 2012 Class of 20 Under 40: Average age of those profiled: 32.3 Median age of those profiled: 33 Youngest profiled: 19 Oldest profiled: 39 Youngest business owner: 19 Number under 30: 5 Number of small business owners profiled: 7 Number of women: 10 Number of men: 11

10 |

NNY Business | December 2012

(I know, this year’s total is again greater than 20, but it’s for a good reason.) Number of agency leaders: 2 Number of agency department directors: 2 Mid-manager or supervisor: 4 Vice president or higher: 3 North country natives: 13 Number in Jefferson County: 11 Number in Lewis County: 3 Number in St. Lawrence County: 7 Highest level of education: Juris doctorate and master’s degree; one enrolled in Ph.D. program Average level of education: bachelor’s degree Number with post-graduate degrees: 10 Indeed, the numbers alone tell an impressive story, especially the fact that 13 of those who are profiled are north country natives who have — by choice — remained in the north country or have returned to the region to live, work, raise their children and contribute to making our communities better places for all. So why another final count of 21? Enter St. Lawrence County entrepreneurs Ken and Katrina Hebb at Blackbird Café and soon, St, Lawrence Brewing Co. in Canton. The husband-and-wife duo is a team we just couldn’t separate. How could we feature one without the other? Let’s just call them our 2012 “Class Couple.” I hope you enjoy reading about this year’s great group of talented emerging leaders this month. If you come across anyone we missed, let me know at keysaman@wdt.net. Yours in business,

Two become certified dental assistants

The Thousand Islands Center of Dental Technology at the Clayton Dental Office has announced the graduation and board certification of Julie Kern and Ashley Arquitt, both career treatment coordinators at the Clayton office. Both Ms. Kern and Ms. Arquitt Arquitt earned degrees from Monroe Community College, Rochester, to become certified dental assistants. Upon graduation from MCC, both passed board certification exams on state and national levels. Ms. Kern is a Kern 1996 graduate of Alexandria Bay Central School. Ms. Arquitt is a 2001 graduate of Hammond Central School and a 2004 Jefferson Community College graduate.

Promoted to COO at Overhead Door Co.

Overhead Door Co. of Watertown has promoted Donnie Patchen to the position of chief operations officer, in addition to his current position as vice president. In his position as COO, Mr. Patchen will be responsible for all daily operations. He brings to this position 38 years of installa-

tion and management experience within the company. Overhead Door Co. of Watertown has been servicing the north country for 80 years.

Receives financial counseling certification

Lisa Wash, manager at Pioneer Services, Evans Mills, a Division MidCountry Bank, recently received Accredited Financial Counselor certification from the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education. AFC designation allows financial counselors to assist individuals Wash and families with financial decision making and achieving strategic financial goals. Ms. Wash is also a certified identity theft risk management specialist and credit report reviewer. As manager of Pioneer Services she provides free financial education, services and lending to active-duty and retired service members.

Joins legal firm

Elizabeth H. Kaskan has joined Hahn Loeser & Parks, a Cleveland, Ohio, law firm, as an associate in its litigation practice. She was admitted to the Ohio State Bar on Nov. 5. Before joining Hahn Loeser, Ms. Kaskan worked for the Pediatric Advocacy Initiative, a medical-legal partnership with the University of Michigan Law School in Ann Arbor, where she counseled low-income

clients on divorce, custody, paternity, housing and benefits issues. Ms. Kaskan earned a juris doctor degree from the University of Michigan Law School in May. She Kaskan is a magna cum laude graduate of Colgate University, Hamilton, where she received a bachelor of arts degree in 2009. She was salutatorian of Watertown High Schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s class of 2005. Ms. Kaskan, daughter of Mary M. and Michael E. Kaskan, Watertown, resides in Cleveland.

Customer service manager promoted

BlueRock Energy Inc., a privately held Syracuse-based energy services company, has promoted Laura Kauffman to the position of energy supply consultant for the north country region. Ms. Kauffman was previously a customer service manager for the company. Ms. Kauffman will service the upstate region, Jefferson, Lewis, St. Lawrence, Franklin, Essex and Clinton counties. Ms. Kauffmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new position required consulting with business owners, board members and primary decision makers on the continuous shifting of energy markets. She will be working with small businesses and large industrial corporations to produce customized energy programs. Contact Ms. Kauffman at 380-1922 or lkauffman@bluerockenergy.com.

Please see People, page 34

December 2012 | NNY Business

| 11

NNY

Economic indicators Average per-gallon milk price paid to N.Y. dairy farmers Oct. 2012 $1.82 Sept. 2012 $1.71 Oct. 2011 $1.88

3.2%

ECON SNAPSHOT

Vehicles crossing the Thousand Islands, OgdensburgPrescott and Seaway International (Massena) bridges

Source: NYS Department of Agriculture

425,914 in Oct. 2012 454,841 in Sept. 2012 431,324 in Oct. 2011

Average NNY price for gallon of regular unleaded gas

Source: T.I. Bridge Authority, Ogdensburg Bridge & Port Authority, Seaway International Bridge Corp.

Oct. 2012 $4.04 Sept. 2012 $4.03 Oct. 2011 $3.65

U.S.-Canadian dollar exchange rate (Canadian dollars per U.S. dollar)

10.7%

Average NNY price for gallon of home heating oil

12 |

(Percent gains and losses are over 12 months)

Oct. 2012 $3.92 Sept. 2012 $3.84 Oct. 2011 $3.71

5.7%

1.3%

$0.99 on Oct. 26, 2012 $0.98 on Sept. 21, 2012 $0.99 on Oct. 28, 2011 Source: Federal Reserve Bank of N.Y.

Average NNY price for gallon of residential propane

Nonagriculture jobs in the Jefferson-Lewis-St. Lawrence counties area, not including military positions

Oct. 2012 $2.96 Sept. 2012 $2.97 Oct. 2011 $3.31

91,800 in Oct. 2012 91,700 in Sept. 2012 91,900 in Oct. 2011

10.6%

0.1%

Source: NYS Energy Research and Development Authority

Source: NYS Department of Labor

Jefferson-Lewis Board of Realtors single-family home sales

St. Lawrence Board of Realtors single-family home sales

99, median price $156,500 in Oct. 2012 113, median price $145,500 in Sept. 2012 102, median price $140,150 in Oct. 2011

58, median price $75,750 in Oct. 2012 49, median price $72,000 in Sept. 2012 55, median price $80,000 in Oct. 2011

2.9% Sales

11.7% Price

Source: Jefferson-Lewis Board of Realtors Inc.

5.3%

5.5%

Price

Sales

Source: St. Lawrence Board of Realtors Inc.

NNY unemployment rates

Jefferson County Oct. ’12

9.4%

Sept. ’12

Oct. ’11

8.9% 9.1%

St. Lawrence County

Oct. ’12 Sept. ’12

9.7% 9.5%

Oct. ’11

9.5%

Lewis County Oct. ’12

8.7% 8.5%

Sept. ’12 Oct. ’11

8.6%

Source: New York State Department of Labor (Not seasonally adjusted) Note: Due to updates in some “Econ. Snapshot” categories, numbers may differ from previously published prior month and year figures.

NNY Business | December 2012

NNY

Economic indicators New automobiles (cars and trucks) registered in Jefferson County Cars 439 in Oct. 2012 459 in Sept. 2012 341 in Oct. 2011

28.7%

Trucks 122 in Oct. 2012 97 in Sept. 2012 107 in Oct. 2011

14.0%

Source: Jefferson County Clerk’s Office

Passengers at Watertown International Airport

Open welfare cases in Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties

3,164 inbound and outbound in Oct. 2012 2,670 inbound and outbound in Sept. 2012 627 inbound and outbound in Oct. 2011

1,972 in Oct. 2012 1,913 in Sept. 2012 1,905 in Oct. 2011

3.5%

404.6% Source: Jefferson County Board of Legislators

DBA (doing business under an assumed name) certificates filed at the Jefferson County Clerk’s office in November. For a complete list of DBAs filed in past months, visit us on the Web at WWW.NNYBIZMAG.COM.

Nov. 30: Lake Ontario Gift Shop, 12279 State Route 12E, Chaumont, Amanda J. Miller, P.O. Box 195, Chaumont.

S and L Contracting, 780 W. Main St., Watertown, Lorrie A. McFarland, 23319 Road 1008, Dexter.

4 Star Vehicle Storage, 13641 North St., Adams Center, Dennis E. Crowley, 10 S. Park St., Adams.

Nov. 13: 1000 Islands Fun Rentals, 65 Walton St., Alexandria Bay, Kurt Freitag, 65 Walton St., Alexandria Bay.

Mix Fit, 129 Mill St., Watertown, Alexander L. Mix, 1 Public Square, Apt. 35, Watertown.

Nov. 9: Monkey Around Ceramic, 7 Wardwell St., Adams, George Cedar Jr., P.O. Box 88, Lorraine.

Nov. 29: Snack Shack Family Fun Center, 20768 Route 12F, Watertown, Floyd W. Roberts III, 22040 Lane Road, Watertown.

Cedars Redemption Center, 7 Wardwell St., Adams, George Cedar Jr., P.O. Box 88, Lorraine.

Catz Paw Florals & Stuff, 13851 House Road, Clayton, Diane M. Jordan, 13851 House Road, Clayton.

Kitchen Kreations by the Sugah Sistahs, 13225 State Route 3, Sackets Harbor, Stephany R. Zeltwanger, 13225 State Route 3, Sackets Harbor.

JC’s Motorcycle Emporium, 24371 State Route 12, Watertown, Julie A. Carlson, 7303 Charnick Drive, Watertown.

Hayes Electronics, 23342 County Route 59, Dexter, Michael J. Hayes, 23342 County Route 59, Dexter.

Nov. 28: Merri C Apartment Rentals, 1129 Boyd St., Watertown, Merri M. Comenole, 1129 Boyd St., Watertown.

Dharma Punkz/www.dharmapunkz.org, 3221 State Route 180, LaFargeville, Christine L. Davenport, 3221 State Route 180, LaFargeville.

Mailes Song, 26261 Golden Drive, Evans Mills, Cynthia A.B. Hollows, 26261 Golden Drive, Evans Mills.

Nov. 8: Cooper Property Services, 19361 Patrick Road, Adams, Gary J. Coooper, 19361 Patrick Road, Adams.

Visions of Beauty, 27782 State Route 342, Black River, Kavon Mason and Malika Nobles, 314 Waltham St., Watertown.

Compassionate Dental Services 13619A, 111 S. Mechanic St., Carthage, Robert LaClair, 300 W. Grove St., Dexter.

Nov. 27: Matthew D. Smith Authorized Snap On Franchise, 12830 Sand Road, Adams, Matthew D. Smith, 12830 Sand Road, Adams.

OMG! Face and Body Art, 216 Arlington St., Watertown, Eldon R. Kilpatrick, 216 Arlington St., Watertown.

Nov. 26: River Hockey Enterprises, 18451 Black Creek Road, LaFargeville, Victor F. Natali IV, 18451 Black Creek Road, LaFargeville.

Nov. 7: Jan Jent Services, 55 High St., Alexandria Bay, Jayne and James Phaby, 55 High St., Alexandria Bay.

Nov. 21: Rabs Fabs, 3250 Dixon Road, Lorraine, Andrew Rabetoy, 3250 Dixon Road, Lorraine.

Warrior Taekwondo and Hapkido Academy, 210 Court St., Watertown, David J. Ortiz, 9715D King Loop, Fort Drum.

Ravenriot Designs, 16480 Churchill Road, Copenhagen, Dalton Sutton, 16480 Churchill Road, Copenhagen.

Marine Electronics and Installations of NNY, 145 N. Orchard St., Watertown, Mark A. Houghtaling, 145 N. Orchard St., Watertown

MoldTec, 823 Rutland Place, Watertown, Ernest C. Tyler, 823 Rutland Place, Watertown.

Hollywood Housekeeping, 110 Church St., Theresa, Tiffany Ducat, Theresa, Hilary Weber, Fort Drum, Kimerly Mauro, Theresa, and Katherine Kiger, Fort Drum.

Passerino Painting & Contracting, 239 Ten Eyck St., Watertown, Jon M. Passerino, 239 Ten Eyck St., Watertown. Nov. 20: K Hees Barber Shop, 32729 State Route 3, Watertown, Suk Hui Yadlosky, 114 N. Pearl Ave., Watertown. Nov. 19: Robbins Family Associates, 14471 County Route 145, Sackets Harbor, Ronald C. and Nancy M. Robbins, 14471 County Route 145, Sackets Harbor, Brian C. Robbins, 18055 County Route 75, Sackets Harbor.

Nov. 6: Outback Supply, 16640 County Route 155, Watertown, John J. Poggi III, 16640 County Route 155, Watertown. Wescott VAR and Snack Bar, 12561 Ridge Road, Suite 1B, Sackets Harbor, Lorraine Scheer, 573 LaGorce Drive, Venice, Calif. Third Eye Theater, 150 Ward St., Watertown, Michelle Maphey, 150 Ward St., Watertown.

Works of Fire Wood Creations, 1033 State St., Watertown, Joanne M. Hughes, 1033 State St., Watertown.

Inside and Out Home Inspections, 33764 Whittaker Road, Carthage, Craig A. Waite, 33764 Whittaker Road, Carthage.

Nov. 16: Christina Vernon Photography, 99037 B Mountainview Drive, Fort Drum, Christina Vernon, 99037 B Mountainview Drive, Fort Drum.

Nov. 5: The Doggie Bag, 26417 Golden Drive, Evans Mills, Kristin C. Codey, 26417 Golden Drive, Evans Mills.

RC Rentals, 166 W. Remington St., Black River, Rik Carreira, 166 W. Remington St., Black River.

Just Threads, 22440 Swan Road, Watertown, Laura L. Little, 22440 Swan Road, Watertown.

Amazing Science Parties, 30228 Ashland Road, Chaumont, John Tocornal, 30228 Ashland Road, Chaumont.

Nov. 2: Children of the World Day Care, 627 Starbuck Ave., Watertown, Ligia C. and Joseph B. Hendrie, 627 Starbuck Ave., Watertown.

Nov. 14: Aviation Solutions, 22626 Airport Drive, Dexter, Patrick T. Owen, 706 Greensview Drive, Watertown.

Nov. 1: Before and After Marine Detailing Services, 40950 County Route 3, LaFargeville, Devin T. Hurteau, 40950 County Route 3, LaFargeville.

TRANSACTIONS

DBAs

Source: Social Service Depts. of Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties

December 2012 | NNY Business

| 13

BUSINESS BRIEFCASE Waite Toyota completes dealership expansion

Waite Toyota, Watertown, has opened its new service and parts department, located adjacent to its current headquarters on Washington Street. The completed building was retrofitted from the former Davidson Ford store. Construction included enclosing an overhang on the south side of the building and adding drive-in entry for service customers. Plans for the project were originally announced in early 2011. The service center expansion not only includes drive-in service bays but an expanded waiting area with fireplace and a large reception area. Contact Waite Toyota at 788-6022 or visit www.waitetoyota.com.

Clarkson has $270m economic impact

According to a report released by the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities, Clarkson University, Potsdam, has an economic impact of more than $270 million on the regional north country economy. The report notes that the institution’s operations and jobs related to supporting student services and commercialization of research are reasons for the university’s impact. Statewide, 100-plus independent colleges and universities generate $63.2 billion in economic impact, according to the commission’s report. The 2012 number is an increase of $8.9 billion since 2009 and a $15.7 billion increase since 2007.

North country fit-friendly workplaces honored

Jefferson Community College and Stebbins Engineering and Manufacturing Co.,

14 |

NNY Business | December 2012

both of Watertown, have been designated gold-level “Fit-Friendly Worksites in 2012” by the American Heart Association. The gold status is achieved when an employer implements programs and activities to encourage physical activity, nutrition and cultural enhancements, such as on-site walking routes, healthy food choices in cafeterias and vending machines, annual employee risk assessments and online tracking tools.

California developer to build 150-unit complex

Fidelity American Holdings Corp., Laguna Niguel, Calif., is looking to break ground on a 150-unit apartment complex by spring, according to a report by the Watertown Daily Times. The potential townhouse-style apartment complex would be built on Route 11 near Walmart in the town of Leray. Last year, Fidelity American Holdings asked for $11.4 million in grants to build a total of 1,179 housing units between it and COR Development Co., Fayetteville, Morgan Management, Rochester, and Dawn Homes Management, Albany. Dawn Homes put Jefferson Apartments on hold. The 150 units in Fidelity American’s phase one feature 24 two-bedroom apartments, 114 three-bedroom apartments and 12 fourbedroom apartments. A second phase could mean 150 to 170 additional units.

Chiropractic firm opens

Renee Petitto, Gouverneur, has established Better Health Chiropractic of Watertown at 21101 State Route 12 F, Suite 5. Mrs. Petitto is a recent graduate of New York Chiropractic College, Seneca Falls, where she received a doctoral degree. She previously served in the Marine Corps and obtained a bachelor’s degree in biological studies from SUNY Potsdam, where she graduated magna cum laude.

Davidson Auto Group buys Drum Honda site

Davidson Auto Group has purchased the former Drum Honda property at 18375 Route 11, Watertown, to expand parking space at its neighboring Nissan dealership. Davidson bought the site from a company owned by Philip J. Simao, Onondaga Development LLC, for $625,000 and plans to add about 200 parking spaces to display Nissan vehicles and used cars. Davidson previously leased the building since May 2011 where the company reconditioned used cars, but needed to purchase the property to operate as a dealership and exhibit cars. Dwight E. Davidson, co-owner of Davidson Auto Group, said the dealership plans to hire anywhere from 10 to 20 employees at the expanded site, adding to the current staff of 30. New hires will mostly be salesmen and technicians.

Firm adds aquatic physical therapy

Innovative Physical Therapy Solutions, 316 Sherman St., Watertown, has begun offering aquatic therapy in addition to its current array of physical therapy options. The physical therapy firm, which is owned by Cheryl Howard, will provide individual and group therapy solutions at the downtown Watertown Family YMCA, 119 Washington St. The pool will be reserved strictly for physical therapy staff and clients by appointment in order to give one-on-one care during therapy sessions. According to a release from Innovative Physical Therapy Solutions, aquatic physical therapy benefits patients with ailments such as muscle spasms, back pain, fibromyalgia, arthritis, joint sprains, torn ligaments or balance issues. Contact Innovative Physical Therapy Solutions at 786-0655.

S M A L L B I Z S TA R T U P BUSINESS

Bedford Creek Press THE INITIAL IDEA

Lauren Eggleston, Sackets Harbor, needed an artistic outlet from her history studies during her time at Wells College, Aurora. She’d been exposed to the art of letterpress printing as a teenager, as her piano teacher’s daughter had a press of her own. As she was looking to do something a little different from her regular studies, she took up letterpress printing for herself and ended up minoring in book arts at Wells. Following her artistic instincts, Bedford Creek Press, a small run letterpress printing shop, was born earlier this year.

TARGET CLIENTELE

Those looking for custom-designed stationery, greeting cards, postcards, gift tags, mailing labels, invitations, envelopes and bookbinding. Bedford Creek Press specializes in limitedrun letterpress printing projects using an antique 1909 Chandler & Price platen press printed on high quality papers made in the United States.

THE JOURNEY

The art of letterpress printing dates back to Johannes Gutenberg and the invention of moveable type. Though the process Miss Eggleston uses to produce her one-off pieces looks archaic, with a giant spinning metal wheel and heavy printing plate, the outcome is anything but old-fashioned. “When I was attending Wells College, they had coursework that was centered around book arts and letterpress printing and I was lucky enough to start taking it when I was a freshman,” she said. Miss Eggleston continued along her printing journey by completing internships at Bixler Press and Letterfoundry, Skaneateles, and the Frick Collection, New York City, and learning from Starshaped Press, Chicago. After graduating from Wells, she decided to study geology at SUNY Potsdam. Needing an outlet for her creativity, and fueling the urge to use the antique printing press she purchased from a defunct print shop in Lowville, she now returns to her Sackets Harbor home on the weekends to fulfill orders. Orders that have included wedding invitations, Christmas

JUSTIN SORENSEN | NNY BUSINESS

“I’m building clientele by word of mouth and I would like to do work with the Seaway Trail. In the future, I’d love to be able to host classes and teach children the art of letterpress.” — Bedford Creek Press, owner Lauren Eggleston and holiday cards and a special project for the Battlefield State Historic Site in Sackets Harbor. The process of setting type and images can be time consuming, but the result is unlike anything one can find in the aisles of a drug store. Pulling from more than a dozen drawers full of type, Miss Eggleston creates her vision in either type or images, which are set in polymer at Boxcar Press in Syracuse, locked inside a chase. The chase is secured to the platen press and Miss Eggleston inks the type and images with a desired color. Depending on the project, Miss Eggleston uses the Pantone color chart to mix any color imaginable and takes several turns on the press to achieve the desired colors in the design. “You really have to learn the tricks of letterpress printing before you decide to just jump in,” Miss Eggleston said. “Printing is where the phrase ‘Mind your p’s and q’s comes from,’ because when you’re setting up type blocks those two look alike.” While Bedford Creek is currently a side project to her full-time schedule as a student, Miss Eggleston is making the investment in the business’s future. Applying for a federal employer identification number,

a doing business under an assumed name certificate and establishing a website have allowed Bedford Creek to begin building a reputation as a new business in Jefferson County that is offering a product unique to Northern New York.

IN FIVE YEARS

“In the future, I have two hopes,” Miss Eggleston said. “The first would be for the press to have its own space, its own storefront, where I can display everything we’ve done and have room to expand. Or, I’d like to invest in a flatbed cylinder press.” Despite not yet having a dedicated storefront, Miss Eggleston has begun shopping the Bedford Creek brand around to the community. A selection of her letterpress goods are available at Calla Lillies, a locally owned gift store on West Main Street in Sackets Harbor. Miss Eggleston also attended her first craft show during the preholiday shopping blitz. “I’m building clientele by word of mouth and I would like to do work with the Seaway Trail,” she said. “In the future, I’d love to be able to host classes and teach children the art of letterpress, so they can start to learn.” — Kyle R. Hayes

WHERE Sackets Harbor | FOUNDED 2012 | WEB www.bedfordcreekpress.com

December 2012 | NNY Business

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20UNDER40 NORTHERN NEW YORK’S EMERGING LEADERS

w ANDREA C. BATES — RIVER HOSPITAL FOUNDATION w JOSHUA COBURN — U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS REAL ESTATE DIVISION w MICHELLE A. FARRELL — GREATER WATERTOWN-NORTH COUNTRY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE w BLAKE P. GENDEBIEN — TWIN MILL FARMS & TWIN MILL LUBRICANTS w LUCY M. GERVISS — SCHWERZMANN & WISE w DAEGAN A. GONYER — BLUE SPHERE INDUSTRIES LTD. w JESSICA HART — N.Y. STATE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION w VICTORIA E. “TORI” HASSELERCOLLINS — CONBOY, McKAY, BACHMAN & KENDALL w KENNETH M. & KATRINA G. HEBB — BLACKBIRD CAFÉ & ST. LAWRENCE BREWING CO. w JONATHAN L. HIRSCHEY — CLIMAX PAPERBOARD w JENNIFER L. KARELUS — MILLER SPRAYING & LEWIS COUNTY FARM BUREAU w CHRISTINA L. LEBOEUF — LIGHT TOUCH ACUPUNCTURE w TRACY L. LEONARD — FORT DRUM REGIONAL HEALTH PLANNING ORGANIZATION w ARIAN MAHMOODI — SELL YOUR OLD iPHONE.COM w DANIEL M. MYERS — LOWVILLE ACADEMY, DOUBLE PLAY SPORTS & RBI BATS w MOLLY C. REILLY — ALEXANDRIA CENTRAL SCHOOL w JESSE C.P. ROSHIA — CHILDREN’S HOME OF JEFFERSON COUNTY w TIMOTHY P. SWEENEY — TUNES 92.5 WBLH RADIO w JAKE R. TIBBLES — THOUSAND ISLANDS LAND TRUST w SCOTT M. WRIGHT — PEPSI-COLA OGDENSBURG BOTTLERS AHUMANSERVICESPROFESSIONAL, a pair of attorneys, entrepreneurs, small business owners, a dairy farmer, microbrewers, a conservationist, a nonprofit director, a health care specialist, a cola bottler, a realty specialist, a radio station manager, a teacher, an acupuncturist, an environmental analyst, a field crop farmer and an events director. They are a diverse group of business and community leaders in Jefferson, St. Lawrence, and Lewis counties. Together, NNY Business magazine’s 20 Under 40 Class of 2012 easily represents a who’s who of young professionals, each working to be the best in their fields while giving more of themselves to their communities, volunteering their time to improve 16 |

NNY Business | December 2012

life for all who live in the north country. Not only are these men and women emerging leaders as judged by the staff of NNY Business, they are leaders who have caught the attention of others. All of those featured in our second 20 Under 40 issue were nominated by people outside the magazine, a fact that speaks volumes about what north country residents think of Northern New York’s future leadership. Once again, we were faced with a daunting task as we cut the list to only 20, with more than twice the number of nominations as those picked. On Dec. 13, NNY Business will recognize these 20 men and women and their companies during a special celebration at Watertown’s Hilton Garden Inn.

NORTHERN NEW YORK’S EMERGING LEADERS

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Kenneth M. Hebb

Blackbird Café St. Lawrence Brewing Co.

Katrina G. Hebb Blackbird Café St. Lawrence Brewing Co.

Christina L. LeBoeuf

Light Touch Acupuncture

December 2012 | NNY Business

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NORTHERN NEW YORK’S EMERGING LEADERS

Andrea C. Bates, 30

Joshua Coburn, 34

RIVER HOSPITAL FOUNDATION

U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS REAL ESTATE DIVISION

the drawing board, figure out what didn’t work, think it out and tweek it to make it work,” Mrs. Bates said. “I learn a lot from other people, by getting to know the people in every organization I work for. Every board member I have ever had are all passionate and organized in what they do. They set the bar high, and have shown me that if you are passionate, you will succeed.” Those board members are her role models in business, she said. From what she has learned from, she credits the success she is having at River Hospital, she said. And to hard work. “The harder I work, the more money that I raise, the better our community is served with new and improved equipment for better health care services,” she said. She was quick to add, however, that it is not her alone; it is a lot of people working together. “I never thought I would be in this position so young. It’s pretty powerful to be a part of something that makes such an impact on the community.” As she considers that thought, she brings out another, quoting from the late John R. Wooden, championship basketball coach at UCLA. “Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there.” Where does she see herself in the next five to 10 years? “Still here in the north country, working at a job that I know will make an impact on the community and getting results, and building relationships.” — David Shampine

and in-laws living in the area. “I love it here,” Mr. Coburn said. He also enjoys the area’s location, being able to conveniently travel to the Adirondacks and New York City, where he can catch Yankees games. Mr. Coburn graduated from Immaculate Heart Central School and studied at Jefferson Community College and Cazenovia College. He decided to consider real estate more seriously when he was a student at Cazenovia, pursuing it professionally while recovering from an injury and taking classes at the Professional Institute for Real Estate Training, Watertown. “I was always interested in real estate,” he said. “I had more time to learn about it, and that’s when I started up.” Mr. Coburn was drawn to real estate by his interest in architecture and in the financial aspect of property purchases. “It’s the biggest investment a person will make in a lifetime, and I’ve wanted to be a part of it,” he said. His job offers him plenty of opportunity for professional development. Since working on post, he’s been responsible for closing out 2,000 units of former Section 801 housing and has worked on the military’s domestic housing lease program in Jefferson, St. Lawrence and Lewis counties, experiences that presented challenges and delivered rewards. Striving to grow in his career, he fulfilled the duties of a civilian colleague who volunteered for a one-year assignment to serve in Afghanistan. Mr. Coburn plans on post are for the long term. Asked where he saw himself in five to 10 years, he said he hopes to still be on Fort Drum, continuing to do the real estate work he does now. “Just with a bigger office,” he said. — Gordon Block

ndrea C. Bates believes she can make a difference in her community, and she finds herself doing that right at home in the north country. “It has always been home,” she said. “This is a good place to be, and a good place to have friends.” Actually, Jefferson County became her home when she was 12, when her divorced mother, Kathy Danielson, brought her south from Canada. And while her life was with Mrs. Danielson until she HOMETOWN: Born in Toronto, Ont., was married in 2005, she recogpresently lives in Alexandria Bay nizes her father, Vic Pfeiffer in PROFESSIONAL POSITION: Executive Toronto, as the biggest influence director of development, River Hospital Foundation in her life. FAMILY: Husband, Geronimo; black “He has always reminded me lab, Magnum that if you always work hard, EDUCATION: Bachelor’s in psychology things will come together for and business, Houghton College, you. You just have to put your 2004 mind to it.” COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: MacSher Despite the miles that separate ry Library board of directors; Urban them, “we are very close.” Mission Capitol Campaign corporate Hard work is her ethic, she committee; American Association of said, and drawing off the knowl- University Women; Greater Watertown Jaycees edge and experience of others is LAST BOOK READ: “If Disney Ran Your her guide to success. “I do something and hope that Hospital: 9 1/2 Things You Would Do Differently” by Fred Lee it works. If it fails, I go back to

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s a realty specialist for the Army Corps of Engineers at Fort Drum, Joshua Coburn said his experience working with soldiers and learning their stories has increased his pride in the military and the work they do. “Seeing the full gamut of these young guys coming in, and their mind-set and the pride that they have in what they do ... a lot of that does change you,” he said. “Now when I stand for the Pledge of Allegiance, I stand a little straighter.” Mr. Coburn is responsible for HOMETOWN: Watertown handling commercial real estate PROFESSIONAL POSITION: Realty used for recruiting stations, specialist, U.S. Army Corps of Engiin an area essentially north of neers Real Estate Division, Fort Drum Manhattan. He also aids with FAMILY: Wife, Amy; parents, Suzanne properties that are used in and Frank Coburn; younger brother, housing development on post Jonah and in transactions between the EDUCATION: Immaculate Heart Central military and various private, High School; Jefferson Community Colpublic and government entities. lege; Cazenovia College Prior to coming to post, he COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: Parishioner, worked in real estate for five St. Anthony’s Catholic Church, Watertown; member, Knights of Columbus years at Coldwell Banker and Watertown Council 259, Italian was a licensed sales agent and American Civic Association; volunteer, appraisal trainee. The 34-yearBravo-Italiano Festival old Watertown native has spent LAST BOOK READ: “Killing Lincoln” by most of his life in the north country, with much of his family Bill O’Reilly

NORTHERN NEW YORK’S EMERGING LEADERS

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Michelle A. Farrell, 39

Blake P. Gendebien, 35

GREATER WATERTOWNNORTH COUNTRY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

TWIN MILL FARMS TWIN MILL LUBRICANTS JULES OF LIFE FOUNDATION

ichelle A. Farrell, the Greater Watertown-North Country Chamber of Commerce’s director of events, knows the meaning of balance. When she is not planning more than 20 chamber events, including monthly business after hours gatherings and the summer-long Washington Street farmers market, she is volunteering for her church, aiding nonprofits and getting her three daughters to bed in time to read “P.J. Funnybunny” for the hundredth time. With twin daughters Rebecca HOMETOWN: Dexter and Molly, and a teenager, Cora, PROFESSIONAL POSITION: Director Ms. Farrell knows that she is of events, Greater Watertown-North constantly setting an example for Country Chamber of Commerce them to follow. FAMILY: Daughter, Cora, 13; twins “I would have to say that my Rebecca and Molly, 8; partner, Kevin daughters are the driving force EDUCATION: General Brown High behind everything I do,” she School, associate’s in applied science, said. “They make me want to Jefferson Community College be a better person and a better COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: Parishioner mother.” and Eucharistic minister, Immaculate Ms. Farrell’s oldest daughter Conception Catholic Church, Brownis beginning to follow in her ville; Diocesan Pastoral Council, footsteps, volunteering monthly Diocese of Ogdensburg; volunteer, with the Dexter Food Pantry and Dexter Food Pantry; board of directors, even spearheading her own fun- Volunteer Transportation Center and draising effort and food drive for Jefferson gala planning committee; the pantry last year with a friend graduate, Jefferson Leadership Institute LAST BOOK READ: “I love murder mysfrom school. teries and can’t get enough cookbooks “It’s amazing how kids learn or decorating magazines.” by example and I was so proud

of her for being involved and being willing to give herself to help other people.” Ms. Farrell’s sense for business, and the ability to balance planning multiple events on a day-to-day basis, came through experience. She said that she’s worked since she was 16 years old and always working has been a learning experience in itself. “Each position you have at every company you work for, you take knowledge and you absorb a lot of it,” she said. “You gain knowledge and experience and there’s a lot to be said for hands-on learning and growing from that.” Ms. Farrell, a Dexter native, moved back to the north country from Denver, Colo., to raise her children closer to her immediate relatives and in a family-friendly area. Originally working in sales, she took a position as office manager for the chamber in 2008, being promoted to her current position soon after. “Coming to the chamber for me was an eye-opener,” she said. “I’m a one-person department. But I’ve had the great opportunity to work with and get to know all of these people within the community and work with nonprofits.” What’s her favorite event to plan throughout the year? “The Jefferson Leadership Institute is one of the best parts of my job. It’s getting our business leaders and future leaders interested in volunteering and being active within our community.” Even when her work and family schedules get a bit hectic, Ms. Farrell admits there’s one thing that keeps her sane; something a bit unexpected. “I’m a big fan of ‘80s hair bands. I love Jon Bon Jovi.” — Kyle R. Hayes

or Lisbon native Blake P. Gendebien, it was an easy decision to return to the north country to farm. “While in Atlanta, I received a phone call from my father asking if I wanted to buy the neighboring farm in Lisbon. I asked my wife Carmen if she liked the idea and she said ‘Yes.’ The rest is history,” Mr. Gendebien said. “From that point we formed Twin Mill Farms and it kick-started an interest in more business.” Northern New York’s excellent quality of life influenced Mr. Gendebien’s return to his hometown. “A few years ago, St. Lawrence HOMETOWN: Lisbon PROFESSIONAL POSITION: Co-owner County was ranked third in the Twin Mill Farms LLC; co-owner Glow U.S. to start a farm. It has a lot to offer, markets for your products Skincare and Spa LLC, Canton; owner and fertile land at a good price. The Twin Mill Lubricants; board member, quality of life is top notch,” he said. Agri-Mark Co-op — Cabot Brand The lure home also featured Cheese — owned by 1,200 dairy easy access to the St. Lawrence farmers in New York and New England River, short trips to destinations FAMILY: Wife, Carmen; sons, Miles, 9, such as Lake Placid and Ottawa, Truman, 7, and Noah 5 wonderful universities that offer EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degree in agricultural opportunities, and an unri- cultural systems management, minor in valed small public school system. business, Penn State University, State Mr. Gendebien stays connected College, Pa. to the community by hosting sevCOMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: Co-founderal open house events to show the er Jules of Life Foundation; president, public what he does, how the farm Lisbon Central School District board cares for its animals and how they of education put food on America’s table. LAST BOOK READ: “Another Monster at “There is a real need to expose the End of This Book” by Jon Stone “I our neighbors in our own commuread to my boys almost every night.” nities to the fact that farmers are experts in a variety of disciplines. Not many people realize that nearly all of the farmers in the county have degrees from major universities like Cornell, Penn State, Clemson, Virginia Tech, Purdue, Cobleskill and Kemptville, Ont. We have a story to tell and it is a very positive one,” he said. The Jules of Life Foundation is another way for the Gendebien family to immerse themselves in the community. “It allows my wife and me to have a broad reach across the county to help families get through the challenges of fighting pediatric cancer,” Mr. Gendebien said, pointing to inspirational events such as IE St. Lawrence Talent Challenge, St. Lawrence Hero of the Year and Section X Basketball Challenge. “All of the money goes toward supporting our families.” His service as school board president also has bolstered his community spirit. “It has allowed me to steer our educational community in a direction that will keep our small school vivacious and strong,” he said. As far as a significant achievement, Mr. Gendebien is still searching. “I haven’t found it yet. Once something is finished, it’s off to the next thing.” And who is his role model, “Any businessman or woman who is overtly honest, transparent and forthcoming.” As the Gendebien family strives for success and bettering their community, Mr. Gendebien expresses these words to live by, “Don’t let yourself get offended or upset. Every idea won’t be a success, not everyone will find value in what I do, and I will fall down today and probably tomorrow. The faster I move on, the less energy I waste and the more energy I can put to doing something positive.” — Paul Mitchell

December 2012 | NNY Business

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NORTHERN NEW YORK’S EMERGING LEADERS

Lucy M. Gerviss, 34

Daegan A. Gonyer, 25

SCHWERZMANN & WISE

BLUE SPHERE INDUSTRIES LTD.

ucy M. Gerviss did not set out to be a lawyer. She started in science. She designed her own major in molecular microbiology at State University at Buffalo, where she worked at the HauptmannWoodward Medical Research Institute and the university laboratory. Through her work in the lab, she became interested in forensics, which eventually led her to consider law school. Shortly after beginning studies for a law degree at the University of Miami, Ms. Gerviss was hit with another surprise: She couldn’t stand criminal law. What she discovered, however, was an affinity for tax law and conHOMETOWN: Depew, presently lives tracts. Though it was unexpected in Watertown at the time, Ms. Gerviss now atPROFESSIONAL POSITION: Attorney, tributes it to the analytical mindset probate and estate planning, she developed as a student. Schwerzmann & Wise, Watertown Ms. Gerviss was influenced by FAMILY: Four dogs and one rabbit: her mentor in college, Dr. Tom Daisy, Maddy, Dreyfus, Diamond Melendy. “He’s the one who really and Norton pushed me to design my whole EDUCATION: Depew High School; major and get into the microbiolbachelor’s degree, SUNY Buffalo; ogy field,” she said. Working with juris doctorate, University of Miami Dr. Melendy allowed her to focus COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: Past on the subjects she found most inpresident, secretary and current teresting and to study them at the member, Watertown Evening Rotary highest level. She even considered LAST BOOK READ: “The Best of Me” graduate work in the field before by Nicholas Sparks deciding on law school. Ms. Gerviss cites her early years as an attorney with providing some of her most significant career achievements. She was thrown into the deep end shortly after starting her first job at a large Miami law firm and took to the waters immediately, eventually ending up with her own caseload and staff. The science-minded tax attorney took the lessons she learned from that position with her as she returned to New York. “Life isn’t about hiding from the storm; life is about dancing in the rain,” sums up the approach Ms. Gerviss takes toward life. She has adopted this philosophy not only in her professional life, but also in her personal life. She recently completed her first half-marathon as part of the Sackets Harbor 18.12 challenge and participates in boxing training at the Black River Boxing Academy. She constantly challenges herself to live fully in the moment. It’s an attitude that she has brought to her community service as well. Looking for a way to get involved when she first landed in the north country four years ago, Ms. Gerviss struck up a conversation with someone who was interested in starting an evening Rotary club. Soon after, the new arrival became a charter member and was president within a few months. She jumped into her Rotarian duties with the same gusto she employed at the firm in Miami, helping to coordinate volunteer efforts and fundraisers. The Rotary club holds an annual raffle for a lifetime hunting license and has recently launched a partnership with Renu’e Spa to co-host an annual masquerade ball. This year the ball and the raffle together garnered more than $2,000 dollars for youth-oriented charitable organizations, including the South Jefferson Backpack Program, the Sackets Harbor Backpack Program and the Children’s Home Teen Center. For this accomplished and energetic attorney, the future holds deeper involvement in the community and continued professional success. It may also include a place in the Adirondacks where the avid skier hopes to take even more advantage of the area’s winter activities. One thing it will likely not include, however, is more dogs. “Four is enough for now,” she said. — Daniel Flatley

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hile growing up on a farm in his small New Hampshire hometown, Daegan A. Gonyer had a thought that would eventually shape his career, leading him and his ideas to Clarkson University. “There’s got to be a better way to grow plants.” Mr. Gonyer is the founder and CEO of Blue Sphere Industries Ltd., a company that designs aeroponic farming equipment. Aeroponics allows plants to be grown without soil and with very little water. HOMETOWN: Groveton, N.H., Blue Sphere’s aeroponic systems are based on an experi- presently lives in Potsdam PROFESSIONAL POSITION: CEO, Blue mental NASA prototype that Sphere Industries Ltd. and Illusion All was designed in the 1980’s. Mr. Terrain Concepts Gonyer and his team were able FAMILY: Parents, James and Roxann to work out the kinks and turn Gonyer; sister, Mandy Valdez; fiancée, it into something that could be Rachel Redden sold. EDUCATION: Bachelor’s in physics and “We’ve managed to overcome material science, Clarkson University, almost every technical issue,” Potsdam. Presently studying for a masMr. Gonyer said. ter’s degree in engineering science, The end result was a system an MBA and a Ph.D. in electrochemithat reduced water and nutrient cal physics, all at Clarkson University. consumption, while growing COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: Oversees plants 20 percent more quickly the technical aspects of the Clarkson than traditional farming, reUniversity greenhouse and mentors gardless of season. aspiring entrepreneurs through the “We can grow plants anyShipley Center for Innovation. where, continuously,” Mr. GoLAST BOOK READ: “Most of the books nyer said. “We can grow almost that I read are textbooks these days.” anything.” Mr. Gonyer started the company out of Clarkson University, with funding from the U.S. Department of Education’s McNair Scholarship Program and a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency. No stranger to small business, Mr. Gonyer founded a prototyping company, Illusion All Terrain Concepts, while in high school 10 years ago. He still oversees the company. While creating Blue Sphere Industries, Clarkson faculty and the staff of the Shipley Center for Innovation helped him realize his vision. “The Shipley Center has been an enormous help as far as figuring out the idiosyncrasies of what we have to do,” he said. He continues to study and work at Clarkson, and hopes to stay in the North Country for the foreseeable future. He plans to open a $12 million full-scale facility in Canton within the next few years. An active farming community combined with a short growing season makes St. Lawrence County the perfect testing ground for aeroponics technology. “I love the north country,” Mr. Gonyer said. “It’s one of the areas that are really in need.” He hopes to start producing and selling full-size units soon, and is already pursuing deals from interested buyers in Las Vegas and Qatar. “Hopefully in five years we’ll be able to make all of that happen,” he said.

— Jacob Tierney

NORTHERN NEW YORK’S EMERGING LEADERS

Victoria E. ‘Tori’ Hasseler-Collins, 30

Jessica Hart, 36 NY STATE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION

essica Hart has relied on a series of mentors at the state Department of Environmental Conservation to learn as much as she can from them in her 13 years at the agency. When taking on a task, Mrs. Hart, 36, a DEC environmental analyst who works in the permitting process, listens to people who know more than her, she takes their advice and then plunges into it to get it done. “Nothing ever happens unless HOMETOWN: Ellisburg you get started,” she said. PROFESSIONAL POSITION: Environmen After earning a bachelor’s tal analyst, New York State Departdegree in science from SUNY ment of Environmental Conservation Oswego, Mrs. Hart was not FAMILY: Husband, Jeremy; daughter, sure exactly what she wanted Julia, 12; son, Daniel, 8 to do until she worked on the EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degree, red wolf project for the U.S. Fish SUNY Oswego and Wildlife Service in North COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: North Carolina. Country Arts Council; Sackets Harbor Central School PTO, serving five years “I loved it,” she said as treasurer; employee assistance pro An Ellisburg native, she gram committee member and annual missed living in the north winter clothing and food drive; graducountry, so moved back home ate, Jefferson Leadership Institute and got a seasonal job at a LAST BOOK READ: “Outliers: The Story wildlife technician at the DEC, of Success” by Malcolm Gladwell where her career has progressed from there. “I have always been able to align myself with amazing mentors,” she said. Facing severe job cuts because of the state’s fiscal crisis several years ago, she was instrumental in keeping the permitting office up and running until the office was able to hire again and then became the main trainer. Looking to the future, she wants to continue up the ladder at the DEC, with hopes of someday becoming the regional permit administrator. Over the years, she’s been actively involved in the community and also believes it’s important to support local businesses. She looks up to billionaire and philanthropist Warren Buffett, CEO of Omaha-based Berkshire Hathaway, and how he has made a big imprint on the world. In June, she graduated from the Jefferson Leadership Institute, a program of the Greater Watertown-North Country Chamber of Commerce, a leadership development program that began in 1992. Mrs. Hart and others in her class spearheaded an effort to provide winter clothing and food to less fortunate children in several north country schools. In her personal life, her two children — Julia, 12, and Daniel, 8 — are the biggest inspirations in her life. “Everything I do, I do for them,” she said. “I want to make the world a better place for them now and I want to leave the world a better place for them when I’m gone.” Family has always been important for the environment expert. Her parents gave her great advice a long time ago. “Don’t worry, be happy,” they told her. — Craig Fox

20UNDER40 CONBOY, McKAY, BACHMAN & KENDALL

local attorney has followed in her father’s footsteps and now has returned home to work in his firm. Victoria E. “Tori” Hasseler-Collins said she began her educational career at Carthage Nursery School and went on to graduate from Carthage Central School in 2000. Being involved with FFA while in high school greatly changed her comfort level in public speaking and holding leadership roles. Following law school, she lived in southern Vermont for four years but wanted to return home to HOMETOWN: Carthage be closer to family. Two years PROFESSIONAL POSITION: Attorney, ago she was given that opportu- Conboy, McKay, Bachman & Kendnity and joined Conboy, McKay, all, LLP Bachman and Kendall, where FAMILY: Husband, Adam; cat, Smokey; her father, Lawrence D. Hasdog, Bandit seler, is a partner. She sees her EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degree in father as her greatest role model political science, environmental policy concentration from SUNY Cortland; in business. juris doctorate from Albany Law School “He is honest, compassionate with concentration in estate planning and dedicated to advocating COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: Member, for his clients, but balances that board of directors, Meadowbrook with the business skills necesTerrace Inc.; has given numerous sary to run a profitable and community presentations regarding sustainable business,” she said. estate planning; volunteer, Literacy of Mrs. Collins thinks her father, Northern New York along with her mother Virginia LAST BOOK READ: “The Secret” by “Ginny” have had the greatest Rhonda Byrne; “Eat that Frog” by Brian influence on her life. Tracy “They taught me the value of hard work, dedication and staying true to what you believe.” The best advice which she follows is to preserve your reputation. “Once it’s gone, you can never get it back,” she said. She sees her most significant career achievement as having helped people with legal problems. “I have helped innumerable people with their various legal challenges, including applying for social security disability benefits, buying or selling a home, navigating the probate process after the death of a loved one, and planning so that their own affairs are in order should they become disabled or die,” Mrs. Collins said. Living by the words, “Always do your best,” she said she has always strived to work hard in school and in any job she has held. She also tries to lead by example in all she does. “I interact with people from all walks of live,” the attorney said. “One of the areas I practice in, estate planning, will be pertinent to everybody at least once in his or her life and I speak to various groups and organizations to help share some basic but important information.” To stay connected to the community, Mrs. Collins said she tries to stay abreast “of community activities and hot topics, do business locally and support community events and projects.” In the future, Mrs. Collins foresees the word “partner” following her name and sees herself contributing substantially to the Conboy, McKay, Bachman and Kendall estates department.

— Elaine M. Avallone December 2012 | NNY Business

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NORTHERN NEW YORK’S EMERGING LEADERS

Jonathan L. Hirschey,35

Kenneth M., 34, and Katrina G., 34, Hebb

CLIMAX PAPERBOARD

BLACKBIRD CAFÉ ST. LAWRENCE BREWING CO.

enneth M. and Katrina G. Hebb may have been drawn to the north country for its peace and tranquility, but life has been anything but stagnant for the entrepreneurial-minded couple. Five years ago, the Hebbs opened Blackbird Café on Canton’s Main Street, a successful business venture that has helped revitalize downtown and illustrated the popularity of healthy, locally-grown food. Offering breakfast, lunch and dinner, the café’s annual gross sales have climbed to nearly half a million dollars. Recently, the couple expanded into the building’s upper floor HOMETOWN: Ken: Buena Vista, Colo.; where they opened the Parkview, Katrina: Littleton, Colo. a wine bar and catering venue. PROFESSIONAL POSITION: Entrepreneurs “We’re dedicated to a quality and co-owners, Blackbird Café and St. product and to keeping economy Lawrence Brewing Co., Canton local, which is why we buy as FAMILY: Daughter, Lexi; son, Henry. much local, organic and fair EDUCATION: Ken: Bachelor’s degree, trade products as possible,” Mrs. philosophy; MBA; Katrina: Bachelor’s Hebb said. “I think our customdegree, math and Biblical studies ers appreciate what we’re about. COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: Ken: Because we offer a product that’s Treasurer, Grasse River Heritage Area relevant to their lives, in an Corp.; Katrina: Pastor, Lisbon United atmosphere that’s comfortable and Presbyterian Church; board member, sophisticated, the model works.” Women of Grace Widows’ Fund Mr. Hebb agreed that the and member, Grassroots Community couple’s philosophy has helped Foundation them succeed. LAST BOOK READ: Katrina: “Radical “We’re certainly in this to make Homemakers: Reclaiming Domesticity a profit, but money is not the only from a Consumer Culture” by Shannon Hayes bottom line,” he said. “We’re very intentional about doing things that are interesting to us as people, creating culture and making our community a better place.” Next on their agenda is opening the St. Lawrence Brewing Co., a microbrewery planned for Canton that will brew craft beer. The couple will purchase barley, hops and maple syrup from local farmers and contracted with a local welder to produce the equipment. They hope to begin distributing beer by St. Patrick’s Day. The Hebbs first came to the north country in 2001 as garden interns at Birdsfoot Farm, an organic farm a few miles from Canton. Fresh out of college, the couple found the area a refreshing change from the suburbs of Denver, Colo., their hometown. “We fell in love with St. Lawrence County from day one,” Mrs. Hebb said. Subconsciously, Mrs. Hebb said she believes she and her husband knew they would end up creating their own jobs. “We both come from entrepreneurial families and we have interdependent and self-reliant personalities,” Mrs. Hebb noted. When an investment opportunity became available, the couple decided opening a café was the fit for them, even though neither had ever worked in the food-service industry. “We’re very interested in all things food related, and we value community greatly,” Mrs. Hebb said. “Despite this lack of experience we beat the odds because we’re willing to work hard, do the research and take the calculated risk.” The couple also credits their success to their staff and teamwork. “Without good people, small business owners can never get their head above the day-to-day, to envision the next steps,” Mr. Hebb said. — Susan Mende

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or Carthage native Jonathan L. Hirschey, there was never a question of pursuing business in the north country. “It’s home ... I feel a connection to the area and I want to see the area succeed,” said the sales account manager for Climax Paperboard. Climax specializes in paperboard manufacturing and shipping. “I started out as product coordinator and then moved into sales,” Mr. Hirschey said. He is a fourth-generation member of the Hirschey family at the company, which his great-granduncle, HOMETOWN: Carthage Samuel L. Hirschey, founded in PROFESSIONAL POSITION: Inside sales 1902. The company no longer is manager, Climax Paperboard Co., family owned, but they still mainCarthage tain a presence. FAMILY: Wife, Jessica; son, Logan, Climax Manufacturing Co. is 17 months located in Lowville with Climax EDUCATION: Deerfield Academy, Paperboard Inc. just up the river in Carthage. A third plant, Climax 1996; bachelor’s degree,Washington University, St. Louis, Mo.; MBA, WhitPackaging Inc. is based in St. man School of Management, Syracuse Joseph, Mo. University Mr. Hirschey manages inside COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: Sings sales and business development. with Turning Point Chorus, a recently “Always listening to the voice of chartered Barbershop Harmony Sothe customer is huge,” he advised. ciety, Carthage; Past Exhalted Ruler, “You have to make a product that Carthage Elks Lodge 1762; volunteer, the customer wants to buy.” Carthage Elks Lodge annual soc He maintains that the business cer shoot; judge, annual Elks Club has prospered because it does Americanism essay contest; member, not sell products that it makes; it Carthage Area Chamber of Commakes products that the customer merce; supporter, Jefferson County wants to buy. Historical Society; Hospice of Jefferson “Some businesses will say County Regatta participant ‘buy it if you want to or don’t, we LAST BOOK READ: “Socratic Selling: don’t care.’ But we try to develop How to Ask the Questions That Get the specialty products that focus more Sale” by Kevin Daley around the customer’s needs than the simple commodity of products.” It is the company that has prevailed, he said, not himself. “I can’t take credit for everything ... I certainly feel a part of that success and would obviously never take credit for it all.” Rather, he said his greatest accomplishment is what the company has accomplished. “My biggest achievement has been helping the mill become distinguished as one of the last specialty paper mills in North America.” According to Mr. Hirschey, at one time there were 22 mills along the Black River. He estimates there are two or three mills left. “We’re one of the last men standing. It’s nice.” While he does not know where his future will take him or the company, he hopes that it will keep them in the north country. “One great quote is from former president Dwight Eisenhower. He said: ‘Plans are nothing; the planning is everything.’ There it is.” If his admiration for the former president is at all telling, it could be that he also has politics in his blood. In 2011, Mr. Hirschey entered the political ring as a candidate for the Jefferson County Board of Legislators, losing by just three votes to his Democratic opponent to represent Carthage. While humbling, Mr. Hirschey said he was “encouraged by the experience” and “hasn’t ruled out” a future run for office. — Amanda Taylor

NORTHERN NEW YORK’S EMERGING LEADERS

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Jennifer L. Karelus, 33

Christina L. LeBoeuf, 36

MILLER SPRAYING LEWIS COUNTY FARM BUREAU

LIGHT TOUCH ACUPUNCTURE

transplant from Ohio has quickly established herself as a leader in the Lewis County agricultural community. Jennifer L. Karelus, who came to the north country in early 2004 to take a job as field crops educator at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Lewis County, now works as office manager at Miller Spraying, Lowville, serves as president of Lewis County Farm Bureau and helps coordinate several agriculture-based educational programs. Mrs. Karelus also helps her husband with the family farm, HOMETOWN: Lowville PROFESSIONAL POSITION: Office where they board heifers and manager, Miller Spraying and farm raise 100 acres of field crops. “The goal of educating people owner/operator FAMILY: Husband, Mark about where their food comes EDUCATION: Waynesfield-Goshen High

from can often feel like a dauntSchool, Ohio; bachelor’s and masing task,” she said. “Fortunately, ter’s degrees, Ohio State University, I’ve had the opportunity to work Columbus with some really great people, COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: President, and, together, we’ve been able to Lewis County Farm Bureau; Lewis County coordinator for Agriculture do some really neat things.” Literacy Day; involved in the Lewis It is important to continually County Family Farm Day and various learn new things, observe others other agricultural educational activities and collaborate to get things acto help people learn where food complished, Mrs. Karelus said. comes from. “The power of like-minded LAST BOOK READ: “The Poisonwood people cannot be overestimatBible” by Barbara Kingsolver ed,” she said. “The opportunity to work with other hard-working people who are interested in the same goals allows a few people to achieve more things than we’d each be able to achieve on our own. Fortunately, I met lots of great people when I worked at Cooperative Extension, I have great co-workers at Miller Spraying and I continue to meet new people all the time.” Mrs. Karelus said that she tends to get involved in projects that are basic but haven’t been done due to a lack of time, resources or other reasons. “I’ve always felt that a person doesn’t have the right to complain about something if they haven’t made any effort to fix it,” she said. “While I can’t fix everything that I’d like to complain about, I try to help fix what I can.” Mrs. Karelus said she has been fortunate over the years to work with many unique-minded people who have taught here to “question the status quo, to look at the big picture and always consider the unintended consequences.” She also cited her parents at the biggest influence in her life. “While many people have influenced me along the way, my parents not only taught me the basics of being a good person but they were also living examples of the benefits of hard work and treating others with respect,” she said. According to Mrs. Karelus, the best advice she has ever received is “Be true to yourself, and you’ll never know if you can fly if you never jump.” — Steve Virkler

Massena native who returned home in 2008 and opened her own practice says she’s proud to contribute to her community however she can. Christina L. LeBoeuf, owner and founder of Light Touch Acupuncture, 172 Main St., Massena, offers the only non-invasive digital infrared thermal imaging service in the area. The clinical imaging procedure helps detect and monitor a number of diseases and injuries, by showing thermal abnormalities HOMETOWN: Massena present in the body. PROFESSIONAL POSITION: Owner “There’s no radiation,” she said. and founder, Light Touch Acupuncture, “I feel there’s a need in the comMassena munity for a natural, non-invasive FAMILY: Father, Bob LeBoeuf; mother, service. The Hippocratic Oath Debbie LeBoeuf, and stepfather, Mike says do no harm.” Kormanyos It’s one way that Ms. LeBoeuf EDUCATION: Associate’s degree, said she’s helping the commuMohawk Valley Community College, nity after returning home in 2008 Utica; bachelor’s degree, SUNY Plattsburgh; master’s degree, Atlantic following her studies at Mohawk Valley Community College, Utica, Institute of Oriental Medicine, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. SUNY Plattsburgh and the AtlanCOMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: Contribtic Institute of Oriental Medicine, utes to local organizations, such as Fort Lauderdale, Fla. food banks. “There’s so many things I take LAST BOOK READ: “Desperation Medifor granted because it’s just what cine” by Dr. Ritchie C. Shoemaker I do,” she said. “I give a substantial discount to people who are poor. I know what it’s like to struggle. It’s not fun.” She attempts to help people in whatever ways she possibly can, even if it’s to her own detriment. “I’ve given away treatment. I’ve discounted supplements, and sometimes I give it away. The things I do are because that’s who I am. I never really thought about saying no,” Ms. LeBoeuf said. She also has done free seminars and makes donations to different organizations such as local food banks. “When there’s a big fundraiser, I put in a gift certificate. I feel like I’ll do whatever I can to give back,” she said. Ms. LeBoeuf said she initially wasn’t sure that an acupuncture practice would work in Massena. After earning a master’s degree at Atlantic Institute of Oriental Medicine, she moved to Boston and practiced there before returning home and spending a year at the Healthy Way store in the Harte Haven Shopping Center. “I wasn’t convinced acupuncture would work in Massena,” she said. However, after researching and doing a market study, and with a push from her father who is “very much into natural medicine” and her background in alternative Chinese medicine, the oldest known to man, she realized the need was there. She considers opening her practice and acquisition of the thermography equipment her biggest achievement. She stands ready to help those looking for an alternative medicine. “[Many] medical procedures have some adverse side effects. Acupuncture stimulates the body’s natural healing capabilities,” Ms. LeBoeuf said. In the future, she would like to open another acupuncture office. “I see myself opening another one that follows my principles and practices,” she said. — Bob Beckstead

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NORTHERN NEW YORK’S EMERGING LEADERS

Tracy L. Leonard, 26

Arian Mahmoodi, 19

FORT DRUM REGIONAL HEALTH PLANNING ORGANIZATION

SELL YOUR OLD iPHONE.COM

racy L. Leonard gets by on faith, family and networking. The combination of all three cornerstones has allowed Ms. Leonard to grow into a young professional that has her sights set on high success. She said she has taken notes from her biggest influence – her father, Charles W. Leonard – because he taught her work ethic when the family operated Smiley’s Subs. She said it was working as a teenager there where she saw her father’s integrity and passion for business, something she soon developed. HOMETOWN: Watertown “Being in college at JCC I got PROFESSIONAL POSITION: Recruitment involved in the college communi- program manager, Fort Drum Regional ty and got professional networks, Health Planning Organization and when I went to Oswego I got FAMILY: Youngest of five girls. Most family remains in the Watertown area into the community there,” she said. “Through my work at JCC is EDUCATION: Immaculate Heart Central School, 2004; associate’s degree, where I met Denise Young, when Jefferson Community College; bachshe was director of community elor’s degree in human development, studies. It’s about taking advanSUNY Oswego tage of opportunities and looking COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: Involved for ways to be involved. It’s about with and a member of the board of directors for multiple nonprofit agencies. networking.” Participates in numerous volunteer op Staying connected with the portunities throughout the community community is something Ms. LAST BOOK READ: “The 7 Habits of Leonard said she’ll continue to Highly Effective People” by Stephen do, and encourages others to do. Covey “I’ve grown and learned a lot from people I’ve surrounded myself with,” she said. “I surround myself with influential people who empower me. Denise has helped me see things in myself I didn’t think I could do.” Mrs. Young is the executive director of the Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization. It is there Ms. Leonard said she has experienced her most significant career achievement: making health-care education accessible. Providing that accessibility through partnership schools and organizations, she said, helps build a strong local workforce. While one of the Planning Organization’s goals is to recruit and retain local residents in the health-care workforce, Ms. Leonard said she can speak to the importance of becoming employed in your north country hometown. Having been raised in Watertown, and now living and working here today, Ms. Leonard said nothing beats the close-knit community feel. Although she lives by the motto “Leadership isn’t really the title you hold; it’s doing the best at what you’re doing,” Ms. Leonard said she is also guided by her faith. When she’s not busy with her career and numerous volunteer commitments, Ms. Leonard is involved with the Diocese of Ogdensburg and is a contributing writer for the North Country Catholic newspaper. A former JCC Rising Star award winner, Ms. Leonard said she hopes that within five to 10 years she will complete higher education, become an agency director and have a family. — Rebecca Madden

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orn in the north country, Arian S. Mahmoodi is a precocious young entrepreneur. Mr. Mahmoodi, 19, is the founder of SellYourOldApple. com, a web-based business that recycles iPhones, iPads and MacBooks. The entrepreneurial bug bit Mr. Mahmoodi at a young age. “I think the main differentiator has been fully applying myself and taking full advantage of all opportunities that I come across,” he said. “I did not waste my talent—I HOMETOWN: Potsdam applied it.” PROFESSIONAL POSITION: Founder and When he was 5, he started by CEO, www.SellYourOldApple.com, selling candy to family members. www.SellYourOldMacBook.com Later ventures included mowing and www.SellYourOldiPhone.com lawns and pet sitting, then sellFAMILY: Father, Farzad Mahmoodi, ing old video games on Amazon. mother, Terrie; sister, Taranae com. Later, he started two webEDUCATION: Presently attending Cornell sites, SellYourOldiPhone.com University’s School of Hotel Administration, Ithaca, with a concentration in and SellYourOldMacBook.com. real estate finance “At a very young age, I had COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: Various an entrepreneurial mindset and entrepreneurial ventures; company is wanted to start a business,” Mr. based in Clarkson University’s Peyton Mahmoodi said. “I got someHall Business Incubator, Potsdam what lucky; the north country LAST BOOK READ: “The Real Crash: was a great place to launch my America’s Coming Bankruptcy — How businesses. I was able to hire to Save Yourself and Your Country” by students from the local universiPeter Schiff ties to develop my website and advertising artwork.” All of this happened while Mr. Mahmoodi was a student at Potsdam Central School. He became president of his senior class and was a member of the National Honor Society chapter there. Now a thriving student at Cornell University, Ithaca, he has taken his business nationwide while maintaining his ties to Northern New York. Each customer, many of whom come back as Apple upgrades its phones and computers, is assigned an account number and is sent quotes, contracts and pre-paid postage stickers via e-mail. “By finding another home for these gadgets, we have a small impact on many communities,” Mr. Mahmoodi said. “Ultimately, all of the electronics we purchase are shipped and processed in Potsdam, which helps stimulate more economic activity in the north country.” Mr. Mahmoodi says he draws inspiration from his mother, grandfather and father, Farzad, professor of operations management and director of the global supply chain management program at Clarkson University. “My father and my grandfather have equally been my role models in business,” he said. “As businessmen, they always talked to me about various business deals they have been involved in. I learned my business acumen from these individuals and continue to learn from them.” His business involvement is no accident; Mr. Mahmoodi said he takes a proactive stance towards opportunity and success. “If your ship does not come in, swim out to it,” he said. “I never sat down and tried to think of a business to start. I simply came across an opportunity one day and decided to exploit it.” — Christopher Robbins

NORTHERN NEW YORK’S EMERGING LEADERS

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Daniel M. Myers, 38

Molly C. Reilly, 36

LOWVILLE ACADEMY DOUBLE PLAY SPORTS RBI BATS

ALEXANDRIA CENTRAL SCHOOL

othing that Daniel M. Myers has ever done has been easy, the Lowville native admitted. That hasn’t shied him away from the multiple projects he’s leading. Instead, the list keeps getting longer. He started young, tackling whatever interested him. Whether it was a two-story clubhouse at age 10, a master’s degree in another field of study, a wooden bat business in Northern New York that has bats sought after by Major League Baseball or even a community center that rivals the best in the tri-county area, Mr. Myers is HOMETOWN: Lowville involved with it all. PROFESSIONAL POSITION: Teacher, His vision and hard work Lowville Academy; founder and benefit many people in the north executive director, Double Play Sports country, but what pushed him to Community Center; bat designer and pursue his dream locally? creator, RBI Bats, Lowville, a product “I see what other parts of the with Royal Custom Cabinets and country have and feel we can have David Lapp the same or at least similar ameni- FAMILY: Wife, Victoria; daughters ties,” he said. “There is nothing Jordan, 19, and Grace, 8; son, Brett, north country people can’t do if 11; granddaughter, Kennedy, two given the opportunity.” months old Mr. Myers added that “getEDUCATION: Lowville Academy; Jefting your hands dirty and getting ferson Community College, criminal things started” is often the only justice, 1995; SUNY Oswego, public way to bring about change in a justice; master’s degree in education, positive way.” University of Biddeford, Maine His wide range of experiences, COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: Member, as a probation officer, teacher, Lewis County Youth Bureau; village coach and businessman, keeps of Lowville Recreation Committee; him in contact with people from Lowville Lions Club; director of Hoop all walks of life, with various back- Shoot tournament, Lowville Elks Club; grounds. “These interactions have varsity baseball coach, Lowville Acadafforded me an opportunity to be emy; founder, Double Play Baseball well-rounded in my approach to Camps and Clinics, Lowville T-Ball life challenges,” he said. League That knowledge has helped LAST BOOK READ: “Secrets of a Secret him launch what he deemed his Place: Keys to Igniting Your Personal most significant career achieveTime with God” by Bob Sorge and “A ment to date: the not-for-profit Purpose Driven Life” by Rick Warren Double Play Sports Community Center. Its birth was six years in the making, while the opening of RBI Bats, evolving from hobby to successful business, happened simultaneously, and “by accident.” His wife helps keep him grounded, especially when he could get carried away with a goal, but that wasn’t always the case. “I tried a couple of ventures that I felt were a great idea,” he admitted, “I even refused to listen to my wife about them ... huge mistake. I ate a lot crow after that one.” He’s now focused on expanding Double Play Sports with more health, wellness and enrichment programming, and allowing RBI Bats to grow at a manageable pace, despite being offered to sell their bats to a Major League Baseball team. “We feel we will ultimately be in a better situation down the road,” he said, about deciding to wait. But there still is more on the horizon, even if it takes a little longer to come to fruition. “I have so many ideas and things I want to accomplish,” he said, and his family and supporters will be right by his side. — Christina Scanlon

olly C. Reilly, 36, has been a political junkie since she was a youngster. The social studies teacher for Alexandria Central School has always been fascinated by politics, and her thirst for learning as an undergraduate studying political science at LeMoyne College in Syracuse gave her the know-how to pivot her career into teaching. “My interest in political science evolved from a purely self-indulgent exercise [as a student] into a useful tool by which I could help people,” said Mrs. Reilly, who went on to earn a master’s degree in political HOMETOWN: Alliance, Ohio; settled science from SUNY Albany in in Black River in 1992 2001. Along with teaching high PROFESSIONAL POSITION: Secondary school students, Mrs. Reilly also social studies teacher, Alexandria Cenis an adjunct instructor of social tral School; adjunct instructor of social science at Jefferson Community science, Jefferson Community College College. FAMILY: Husband, Clint; son, Joseph, Mrs. Reilly said her passion for 3; parents, William J. and Amy C. Flynn education was sparked during a EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degree in college internship in 1997 for the political science, LeMoyne College, Embassy of the Republic of the Syracuse; master’s degree in political Marshall Islands in Washington, science, SUNY Albany D.C. The research was about the impact of nuclear arms testing by COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: Amerithe Army that occurred in the Pa- can Cancer Society Relay for Life; Boys and Girls Club, North Country cific region, detailing the health Coordinating Council of Teachers and environmental concerns it past president; Model Schools English caused for native people. “I helped to create a permanent Language Arts and Social Sciences Curriculum Committee former chairperphoto exhibit chronicling the son; Jefferson County Democratic Comnuclear testing and subsequent mittee delegate; American Federation socio-political development of the Marshallese people,” she said. of Labor and Congress of Industrial “That research aided in the devel- Organizations Jefferson, St. Lawrence, Lewis Counties Central Labor Council; opment of educational materials Salvation Army soup kitchen; American for school children around the world. It seemed inevitable, after Political Science Association; Central New York Council for the Social Studsuch an experience, that I had to ies and New York State Council for the pursue a career in education.” Social Studies Her motivation as a teacher, LAST BOOK READ: “The Myth of the she said, is fueled by the positive impact she can make on students’ Rational Voter: Why Democracies Choose Bad Policies” by Bryan lives. High school students in her social studies classes, for example, Caplan complete an outreach project by volunteering for a swath of groups that give back to the community. “I want my students to make a difference in the world they live,” she said. “My hope is that students I teach will take what they’ve learned and ‘pay it forward.’” Citing her resilience in the face of adversity, Mrs. Reilly said her most influential role model is her mother, Amy C. Flynn. Her family moved frequently while she was growing up because her father, William J., served in the military. Her mother always had a calming influence on the family. “Supporting my father’s military career, my mother often filled the role of both parents for my sisters and me,” she said. No matter where we may have been living or moving to or how unsettled circumstances may have been, my mother always made us a ‘home.’ “I find a universal lesson in it; wherever we are, we must make it ours,” she said. — Ted Booker

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NORTHERN NEW YORK’S EMERGING LEADERS

Jesse C. P. Roshia, 31

Timothy P. Sweeney, 29

CHILDREN’S HOME OF JEFFERSON COUNTY

esse C.P. Roshia has been successful since he was in early 20s, but don’t consider him lucky. Luck had nothing to do with it. It’s motivation and drive that has propelled him in short order from an entry-level job at the Children’s Home of Jefferson County to its management team, where he now serves as director of residential services. “The best advice I ever got is that your hard work will eventually pay off,” Mr. Roshia said. “I believe that success is the result of hard work. If you find yourself in a HOMETOWN: Watertown hard situation, do your best to PROFESSIONAL POSITION: Director get out of that situation.” of residential services, Children’s After graduating from colHome of Jefferson County lege, Mr. Roshia briefly lived FAMILY: Wife, Tara; daughter, in New York City and Boston Adrienne, 1 before he took a job as a directEDUCATION: Watertown High School; care worker at the Children’s St. Lawrence University, Canton; comHome, where he had worked pleting MBA from Clarkson University, part-time while in school. The Potsdam, in May job involved overnight and COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: weekend shifts, but within four Jefferson County Youth Board; months, he was promoted to Watertown Elks Club caseworker. A little over a year LAST BOOK READ: “The Big Short: later, at age 25, he was proInside the Doomsday Machine” by moted to management as the Michael Lewis director of case work and intake and has been with the nonprofit organization ever since. “I was able to experience the big city when I was younger and it was enjoyable,” he said. “But this is where my family and friends are. It’s home. It’s comfortable.” Family is important to Mr. Roshia, who credits his grandfather, Charles Powell, with being the biggest influence on his life. “He instilled an inner drive in me,” Mr. Roshia said. “I was motivated not to let him down. Even though he’s deceased, my motivation is to make sure that he’s proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish.” His motivation also comes from the children and families he helps by “giving them the support they need to be successful.” But he realizes that this support takes a team to provide and he willingly looks to others for assistance. “I make sure before putting an idea to work that I get input from all those involved in the organization. If you don’t have their support, your ideas are not going to be successful,” he said. Mr. Roshia sometimes feels lucky, but when he does, someone — occasionally his mother — reminds him that his success is a result of hard work. “One of my favorite quotes is: ‘Life passes most people while they’re making grand plans for it’,” he said. “I really like to live for the moment and I enjoy each day. You have to keep pushing forward no matter how hard things seem at the moment.” Mr. Roshia envisions a professional future in which he serves as executive director of a nonprofit organization in Watertown, be it at the Children’s Home or possibly elsewhere. He may also eye elected office once his infant daughter gets a little older. — Brian Kelly

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NNY Business | December 2012

TUNES 92.5 WBLH RADIO

imothy P. Sweeney doesn’t believe in instant gratification. Some of the best advice he’s ever followed came from his father, John, a mentor in business and in life whose values he strives to live each day. “Finish mowing the lawn before getting a glass of water,” Mr. Sweeney said. “Don’t reward yourself before you’re done doing what you have to do. If there’s instant gratification, don’t take it.” And few could doubt that he’s rewarded himself with less fuss and fanfare than many who’ve climbed the ranks at the pace that this HOMETOWN: Somersworth, N.H.; 29-year-old has. presently lives in Watertown “Becoming a general manager PROFESSIONAL POSITION: General at 26 was a very humbling experimanager, Tunes 92.5 WBLH Radio, ence,” Mr. Sweeney said. an Intrepid Broadcasting station His ambition is tempered by an FAMILY: Parents, John and Maryann; unassuming sincerity that only a older brother, John; younger sister, handful his age could successfully Courtney; girlfriend, Hillary project. But for Mr. Sweeney, life EDUCATION: Communications and on and off the court of play — be it media studies, Penn State University work, community, charity or famCOMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: Member, ily — isn’t about projections. It’s Watertown Evening Rotary; volunteer, about living as a man in full who Big Brothers, Big Sisters; member, still has room for more, and tasting Black River Valley Club just enough of the good life to not LAST BOOK READ: “Breakfast of lose sight of the next right thing. Champions” by Kurt Vonnegut “I try to leave enough room in my cup to grow,” he said. “If your cup is too full of your own ideas, you’re not growing.” As for his business sense, like many young leaders, it has been “baptism by fire,” except he has typically been the one holding the matchsticks. “When I was in high school, I walked into every newspaper, radio and television station around carrying a yellow pad and asked them for anything I could do to prove myself,” he recalled. Since, he’s been climbing the ranks from control board operator to program manager to sales executive and on-air talent, soaking up all that he’s learned on the way to senior management. Running Tunes 92.5 makes him a bit of an underdog in a crowded north country radio market that’s dominated by conglomerates, each competing for advertising revenues and listeners. His station’s undeniably wide musical repertoire sets it apart from other stations on the dial that seek to tip their ratings based on consistent genres. On Tunes 92.5, a classic rock song easily could follow an ’80s pop hit. Its random playlist has arguably worked as it maintains year-over-year growth in revenues and a ratings share strong enough to keep it on the air. At his core, Mr. Sweeney has a genuine love for the medium, which transcends his drive to run a successful station. “Some might argue that it’s dying, but radio offers people a connection that gives them company without having someone sitting in the room staring at them.” As a general manager, he also sees tremendous opportunity to leverage his station in ways it can benefit the community. “My goal from day one has been to provide an open door venue for the community,” he said. “I don’t turn anyone away. If you have something to say, the mic is open.” As for his future, Mr. Sweeney said in the long term, he’d like to start his own company. “I’d like to own something I can call my own and let it take me wherever it takes me,” he said. — Ken Eysaman

NORTHERN NEW YORK’S EMERGING LEADERS

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Jake R. Tibbles, 28

Scott M. Wright, 36

THOUSAND ISLANDS LAND TRUST

PEPSI COLA OGDENSBURG BOTTLERS

ake R. Tibbles grew up curious about the natural world around him. Years later, the 28-year-old is now the Thousand Island Land Trust’s executive director. Now, it is his job to make people as excited about conservation as he is. “Spending much of my high school years either in the science lab or the outdoors, I began to develop a strong understanding of why the Thousands Islands region is so special,” he wrote in an HOMETOWN: Clayton email. “It was my deep passion PROFESSIONAL POSITION: Executive and affinity for our region that director, Thousand Islands Land Trust drove my pursuit of a career in FAMILY: Parents, Irene and Michael environmental conservation and Tibbles; brother, Josh land protection.” EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degree in environmental science, SUNY Cortland Mr. Tibbles’ impact does not COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: Steerjust stop at TILT, though. He is ing committee member, Thousand also involved in several local Islands Young Leaders Organization; clubs and organizations, such co-chairman, St. Lawrence Chapter as the St. Lawrence Chapter of of Ducks Unlimited; member, Clayton Ducks Unlimited, Thousand IsChamber of Commerce Winter Weeklands Young Leaders Organizaend Committee tion and the Clayton Chamber LAST BOOK READ: “Hearts, Smarts, of Commerce. Guts, and Luck: What It Takes to Be “As a steering committee an Entrepreneur and Build a Great member of TIYLO, I have been a Business” by Anthony K. Tjan, Richard part of carrying out its mission J. Harrington and Tsun-Yan Hsieh to work together for the betterment of our communities in the Thousand Islands region, with a concentration on the environmental sustainability and for the personal development of the young leaders and community members who reside here,” he said. Additionally, he has recently headed the Zenda Community Garden and the village’s first Arbor Day tree planting ceremony. He convinces others to put his ideas to work by making them excited about growth and change in the community. The best advice he followed was to view each day as an opportunity to inspire others and make oneself better. He finds inspiration through others, as well, such as his college botany professor Steven Broyles. “Early on in my college years Mr. Broyles told me that he believed that I had the potential to be a strong conservationist,” he said. “That was one of the first times that someone truly believed in me. Throughout college, Dr. Broyles was a mentor of mine, pushing me to always better myself, not only as a student and conservationist, but as a humanitarian.” Another role model is TILT founder and trustee Ken Deedy. Presently in his most successful career achievement, Mr. Tibbles cannot imagine leaving his position anytime soon. “As TILT’s mission is working to conserve the natural beauty, wildlife habitats and recreational opportunities of the Thousand Islands, I cannot conceive of a better way to protect the places that I love,” he said. — Reena Singh

cott M. Wright was born into business. After spending his childhood exploring the warehouse at Pepsi Cola Ogdensburg Bottlers, Mr. Wright went to school at Canisius College in Buffalo. After six years, he came home with a master’s degree in business. “I tried a couple of other jobs,” he said, “But it was all business training.” Citing his grandfather, Richard E. Winter, as a role model, Mr. Wright said, “I learned the books HOMETOWN: Ogdensburg from [him] when I was PROFESSIONAL POSITION: Route Super13 years old.” visor, Pepsi Cola Ogdensburg Bottlers Mr. Winter started the family FAMILY: Wife, Amy; parents, Bonnie A. business in 1943, In August it and Richard L. Wright won national recognition with the EDUCATION: Bachelor’s and master’s Donald M. Kendall Bottler of the degrees in business, Canisius College, Year Award at PepsiCo’s annual Buffalo COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: Member, convention in Las Vegas, Nev. Frederic Remington Art Museum Board Today the Ogdensburg Botof Trustees; Waterfront Committee in tlers employs 43 people. Ogdensburg “I absolutely love the area,” LAST BOOK READ: “Everyone CommuMr. Wright said. “I know it’s nicates, Few Connect: What the Most tough for a lot of other people if Effective People Do Differently” by John they don’t have jobs. I want to C. Maxwell keep jobs up here.”

As a member of the Ogdensburg Waterfront Committee, Mr. Wright said the city of Ogdensburg is sitting in a prime location for development. “I think we can lead the charge to make it more comfortable to live in,” Mr. Wright said. He said it is encouraging to see more young people staying in the area and contributing to the region’s growth. For him the St. Lawrence River is a big draw. “I spend most of the summer on the river,” he said. Mr. Wright said he enjoys staying in touch with the basics while he’s on the job. “I’m not afraid to do anything in the business,” he said. “I like being out in the trucks, learning every part of the business. I want to get my hands dirty; get out there and do stuff.” To that end, Mr. Wright said he is especially proud, not only of earning a master’s degree, but of getting his license to drive commercial trucks. Mr. Wright said he strongly advocates clear dialogue in business. “Being part of the management team, it’s just a matter of keeping the lines of communication open,” he said. He is also a big supporter of education. “Go to school,” he said. “Stick with it even when you don’t see the big picture. That was some of the best advice I ever got.” As for his drive to succeed, you could say it’s in his genes. “I get my work ethic from my father,” Mr. Wright said. “He was on the trucks. He worked his way up through. Now he is the vice president of operations.” Like his father, Mr. Wright said he plans to stick around and hopes to continue to be part of the rebirth of Ogdensburg. “It’s just a matter of trying to get things going and I think Ogdensburg is going in the right direction,” he said. — Sean Ewart

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TOURISM

‘Bed tax’ revenues nearly double $850k in ’11: Jefferson County collection bolsters tourism By DANIEL FLATLEY

NNY Business

he amount Jefferson County collects in “bed tax” every year has effectively doubled in the last decade. In 2001, it was $430,000. In 2011, it was more than $850,000. Where this money comes from and where it goes is a matter that was decided in March 1988, shortly after the first expansion of Fort Drum brought more visitors to the area. The “bed tax,” or occupancy tax, as it is formally known, is a 3 percent tax that is charged whenever a person rents a hotel room. By law, all the revenue generated by the tax must go toward promoting tourism in the region. The county retains 2 percent of the revenue to pay administrative fees; 49 percent goes to the municipality in which the hotel is located, and the remaining 49 percent stays with the county. The county has seen an explosion in hotel construction over the last five years. By the end of 2012, it will have 2849 rooms across some 91 hotels. In Watertown alone, 670 rooms have been added since 2005, resulting in an increase of more than 240,000 available nights per year. According to Jody L. Pettit, general manager of Hilton Garden Inn, 1290 Arsenal St., “Watertown is a very favorable location right now regionally because we have so much new product online at reasonable rates.” Business is good for the hotel, which takes in money from a diverse array of guests. “Weekends are about 90 percent Canadian. Weekdays right now, we are 80 percent corporate and 20 percent transient,” Mrs. Pettit said. Corporate guests, who often book extended visits, are generated by local business or are soldiers who come to train on post. The hotel is busiest in the summer and struggles a bit in the winter due to the drop-off in tourism. The municipality is free to disburse the funds as it sees fit, though money must go toward a tourism-related enterprise. Jefferson County sends the bulk of its funds to the 1000 Islands International

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AMANDA MORRISON | NNY BUSINESS

William A. Gill of Signtech, Alexandria Bay, installs decals on the main doors to the lobby of Hilton Garden Inn, 1290 Arsenal St. The hotel, which opened in 2011, is one of many in the area that stands to benefit from the tourism promotion paid for by the 3 percent Jefferson County occupancy tax. The tax on room rental is charged at all hotels with more than six units.

Tourism Council. Gary S. DeYoung, executive director of the council, said that a decade ago, the county had to use money from the general fund to meet the expenses of the tourism council. “Now, the occupancy tax more than covers what they’re putting into our program,” Mr. DeYoung said. Mrs. Pettit, who also is the vice chairwoman for the council, said she would like to see some stabilization of the market. “We could have less seasonality by having more demand. We create more demand through marketing and advertising,” she said. Toward that end, Mrs. Pettit said she would like to see the city of Watertown use a larger portion of its bed tax revenue to market the city as a destination. “In my opinion, the city should be putting a percentage annually of that fee into specific Watertown marketing. That’s what the hotels would like to see,” she said. This marketing would include targeting bus tours, associations and sports teams, pitching Watertown as a viable competitor with Utica, Syracuse and Rochester for tourists’ dollars.

The hotel, like others in the area, saw a spike in business over the Thanksgiving weekend. However, Mrs. Pettit said she also would like to see an effort to market Watertown as a year-round shopping destination. “Black Friday is one day. I have 364 more to sell,” she said. “You’re not going to be able to sustain this many hotels with a significant occupancy targeting one or two events here and there. It has to be more of a campaign towards a platform.” In its 2013 budget, Jefferson County has indicated that it expects an estimated $420,000 from the occupancy tax. Asked if the increase in occupancy tax revenue has led the county to consider rewriting the law so the funds could be used in other areas, Deputy County Administrator Michael E. Kaskan stressed the functionality and importance of continuing to support tourism promotion. “There is plenty that can be done and plenty that is done every year to promote tourism, and I think we’re spending the money wisely,” he said. n DANIEL FLATLEY is a Johnson Newspapers staff writer. Contact him at 661-2347 or dflatley@wdt.net.

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AGRI-BUSINESS

JUSTIN SORENSEN | NNY BUSINESS

Jeffrey Rudd monitors soybeans from Wood Farms in Clayton being loaded into a rail car last month at Rudd’s Town and Country Store in Watertown. Soybean exports from the north country to China are on the rise.

A homegrown export

North country farmers shipping more soybeans to China By TED BOOKER

A NNY Business

n increasing number of farmers in Jefferson County are cashing in by selling truckloads of soybeans to China. The number of 100-ton rail cars loaded with soybeans to be exported at Rudd’s Town and Country Store in Watertown is slated to triple compared with last year, store owner Jeffrey M. Rudd said. The operation is managed at a loading dock behind the store at 19748 Route 232, which is linked to the CSX Transportation rail line. Workers at the store filled five rail cars full of soybeans last month, which were taken to Syracuse during the

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evening. The beans then go to Newark, where they are shipped overseas to China. “Last year, we shipped 14 loads, and we’re already finishing our 25th load today,” Mr. Rudd said. “We might be up to 45 loads by the end of December.” Mr. Rudd, who launched the operation three years ago, said that about 15 of the county’s 30 soybean growers are participating this year, five more than last year. To sign up, farmers establish contracts specifying the amount of soybeans they will sell with a broker from Interstate Commodities of Tampa Bay, Fla., an exporting company that purchases soybeans from states across the Northeast to be shipped overseas. After soybeans are harvested in the fall, farmers deliver them at

Rudd’s to make good on their contracts. “A lot of farms are now growing soybeans as a cash crop and adding it to their rotation,” said Mr. Rudd, who’s harvested soybeans for 10 years on farms in Adams and Rodman. “Some farmers used to only harvest enough soybeans for their own farms, but this gives them more of an incentive to sell them.” Mr. Rudd doubled the size of his soybean crop to 170 acres this season by decreasing the size of his corn crop. “In the spring, corn prices were below $5, so I doubled my acres on the beans,” he said. “It’s a lucrative cash crop.” Though some cornfields suffered losses because of the drought, Mr. Rudd said, soybean crops fared better overall because

AGRI-BUSINESS they didn’t require rainfall until August, when plants start to bud. While June and July recorded low rainfall this summer, he said, August received enough to make most soybean crops successful. “The life saver was getting that rain in August because when the plants are flowering, they need moisture to pollinate,” he said, adding that most farmers harvested a healthy average of 50 bushels per acre. The season’s prices for soybeans were also a boon for farmers. While prices sank to $11 a bushel last year, the crop is now selling for about $15 a bushel. The amount farmers are paid for crops, however, varies based on the market prices when contracts are established. Mr. Rudd signed a contract in May to sell 100 tons of soybeans at $13.20 a bushel, for example, but later sold the remaining 100 acres in October at $14.95 a bushel. Deciding when to sell “is always a gamble,” he said. “The prices went above $17 in July, but I was worried we wouldn’t get enough rain at that time.” Cape Vincent dairy farmer Lyle J. Wood harvested 400 acres of soybeans this season and is partnering with Mr. Rudd to sell the crop for the first time. He locked in a contract in April to sell the cash crop at $13.35 a bushel, about $3 more than last year. And by rotating his crops from corn to soybeans, he said, the soil on the farm stays rich with key nutrients. “You get the required nitrogen in the ground that breaks up the soil,” he said. “You’re kind of jeopardizing yourself if you grow only corn, and this is a way to diversify.” Mr. Wood is one of many soybean growers who have expanded their crops in Jefferson County over the past decade. Data from the U.S. Agriculture Census show there were about 2,400 acres in the county in 2002, while there is now roughly 10,000. Since 2002, prices have roughly tripled from $5.50 to more than $15 a bushel today. “Our core group of growers have expanded their acres because the price of beans is more valuable,” Jefferson County field crops educator Michael E. Hunter said. “It was hard to justify doing it when they were at $5 a bushel.” n TED BOOKER is a Johnson Newspapers staff writer. Contact him at 661-2371 or tbooker@wdt.net.

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BUSINESS TECH

‘Tech the halls’ with gadgets Apple or Android, our annual gift guide features a few must-haves By JILL VAN HOESEN

W NNY Business

ith the 2012 holiday season in full swing, unique gifts for your hard-tobuy for on this year’s list abound. Our annual tech gift guide has a great selection of hightech gadgets that can be that perfect gift for the technically savvy or the technical novice, Android or Apple fan. TELYHD VIDEO CALLING SYSTEM Who on your list would not enjoy video calling as a way to communicate with family, friends and colleagues near and far. TelyHD lets anyone, anywhere, experience video calling from any high-definition television with HDMI input. You can even transfer videos and photos with this Android-based futuristic find that comes complete with a remote control for Skypelike calling from across the living room or the board room. (TelyHD, $249) KEYBOARD BUDDY APPLE iPHONE 5 Do you have a friend or colleague on your list who is an Apple fan and a texting addict? The innovative Keyboard Buddy Apple iPhone 5 case might be the answer. This multitasking iPhone 5 case has a backlit QWERTY keyboard that slides out and makes it easier than ever to text or answer work or play emails. With an onboard battery, chargeable by microUSB cable, for up to two-weeks of charge duration, this is the perfect gift for the plugged-in Apple person. (BoxWave, $90) ROKU STREAMING STICK Not much larger than a normal USB stick, the Roku Streaming Stick uses the new HDMI MHL standard, instantly giving any compatible television set access to all of Roku’s online content from pro-

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Clockwise, from top left, nPower PEG, Roku Streaming Stick, TelyHD Video Calling System and the Wi-Fi body scale. Opposite page, 3D printer.

viders such as Rdio, Pandora, MLB and Netflix, to name a few. The Roku requires no dedicated power, has built in WiFi and will debut for less than $100. Wi-Fi BODY SCALE The Wi-Fi body scale is a great motivational tool that can help you and up to eight others stick to your New Year’s fitness resolutions. Not only is it a digital

scale, that measures weight, fat mass and BMI, it has the capability to share your the information via a wireless connection to your iPhone, Android device, Web page or even Twitter. (Withings, $160) 3D PRINTER Do you have money to spare and a tech-savvy friend who is hard to impress? A 3D printer could be a splurge

BUSINESS TECH

that would wow even the choosiest of gadget gurus. I saw one in action at the North Country Technology Symposium in May. The Cube 3D printer is an amazing machine that can replicate anything in multi-dimensions and bring images to life like we’ve never seen before. Apps are now available for free, but the 3D printer by Cubify will set you back $1,299. nPOWER PEG The world’s first human-powered charger for hand-held electronics, the nPower PEG has arrived. The generator is you — just store the 14-ounce nPower PEG in your purse, briefcase or backpack while you walk, run or even bike during the normal course of your day. Your kinetic energy is stored for later, when you need it to charge your favorite device. (nPowerPEG, $160) POWERSKIN SPAREONE The PowerSkin SpareOne may be the lowest-tech cell phone available on the market today. The PowerSkin SpareOne has no screen, a basic number pad, and a single AA battery (preferably lithium) for power. Not designed for daily use, the SpareOne, can always dial 911 but would need a SIM card to make a regular calls. For $50, this doomsday prepper’s dream should find a home in your nearest and dearest’s first aid kit, glove box, or storm shelter, and an honorable mention in your company’s disaster recovery’s plan. n JILL VAN HOESEN is chief information officer for Johnson Newspapers and a 25-year IT veteran. Contact her at jvanhoesen@wdt.net. Her column appears monthly in NNY Business.

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PEOPLE ON THE MOVE PEOPLE, from page 11

CPH names planning, business manager

Canton-Potsdam Hospital, Potsdam, has recruited David Bender as vice president of strategic planning and business development. He will join senior leadership to develop, analyze and implement core goals that all hospitals must achieve to thrive in the health care environment. Mr. Bender will have oversight of the hospital’s Physician Practice Management Department and manage new provider onboarding, creation of an improved operating model and construction of state-of-theart facilities for the hospital’s medical staff. He formerly served as senior strategist with OptumInsight and was vice president of OptumInsight/Ingenix Consulting’s strategy and governance practice, where he led strategy projects for independent hospitals, large hospital systems and physician practices.

Elected Clarkson trustee

Mark J. Dzwonczyk of Mountain View, Calif., has been elected to the Clarkson University, Potsdam, board of trustees. Mr. Dzwonczyk is CEO of Nicholville Telephone Co., whose subsidiary, Slic Network Solutions, is providing broadband Dzwonczyk Internet access to residences and businesses throughout Northern New York with its high-speed fiber-optic network. He graduated from Tufts University with a bachelor’s degree in electrical en-

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gineering and earned a master of science degree in aeronautical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He also studied information systems at Stanford University. He will serve on the external affairs and internal affairs committees.

Agency director to retire

The board of directors for the United Way of Northern New York has announced that its chief professional officer, Jayn M. Graves, will retire June 30. Miss Graves joined the agency in 1987 and previously served as assistant development director for Planned Parenthood for six years. According to a news release, Miss Graves’s retirement has been a work in progress, and she has been “interjecting succession planning into a number of United Way issues and discussions over the past year.”

Two become licensed professional drivers

Adam Crumpton, Antwerp, recently graduated from the National Tractor Trailer School, Liverpool. He began a new career as a tractor-trailer driver for TMC Transportation upon graduation. Prior to his graduation, Mr. Crumpton was a member of the Army. He earned his certificate by completing 320 hours of training in NTTS’s commercial driver’s course. Andre Jones, Watertown, also graduated from NTTS. He began his career as a tractor-trailer driver for TMC Transportation upon graduation. Prior to his graduation, Mr. Jones worked for the U.S. Postal Service. Mr. Jones earned his certificate by completing 602 hours of training in NTTS’s advanced driver’s course.

R E A L E S TAT E R O U N D U P

We’re No. 1, but do we want to be?

ew York State leads the nation in the tax burden its citizens bear. According to the latest report from the Tax Foundation, a nonpartisan tax research group, the total state and local tax burden in 2010 was 12.77 percent of per capita income. The average tax burden in the United States was 9.86 percent. Included in the report, the Tax Foundation published a chart stretching back to 1977 that shows New York led the nation in every year except for 1984 when it was second. The Tax Foundation computes the tax burden by totaling the amount of state and local tax paid by state residents and then divides the totals by each state’s total income. Of course property tax is part of the tax burden, which, along with sales tax, is a major source of funding for municipalities, counties and school districts. These are calculated based on the assessment of a property’s value as determined by the local assessor’s office. State law requires that all properties in each municipality be assessed at a uniform percentage of market value each year. The value assessment is multiplied by the local tax rate to calculate the property tax due. The tax can be paid as part of a mortgage payment or paid directly to the local taxing authority. The law allows municipalities to offer exemptions and reductions to senior citizens, veterans and the disabled. There also is the STAR (School Tax Relief) exemption, which is an exemption for residential property that is used as the owner’s primary residence. Despite a 2 percent tax cap that was enacted several years ago, New York continues to lead the nation with the amount

of property tax property owners pay. The cap can be overridden with a 60 percent vote by the local legislative body or the budget vote in the case of a school district. In an effort to reduce the burLance Evans den on property owners, the New York State Association of Realtors joined a coalition of 11 business, local government and education organizations to launch “Let New York Work: A Common Agenda for the Common Good.” This initiative was designed to advance significant mandate relief in the state such as making the pension system predictable and affordable, cutting construction costs on public-private projects and reforming the Scaffold Law. While major reforms have yet to be enacted, there was some success with Tier VI implementation and the takeover of Medicaid growth by the state. New York’s Realtors will continue to work with this coalition next year and advocate for mandate relief for New York’s local governments and school districts. n

Janet Handschuh, Heart Homes Real Estate, Lisa L’Huillier, Hefferon Real Estate, Karen Peebles, Peebles Realty, and Walt and Gail Christensen, Christensen RealtyUSA, attended the annual National Association of Realtors conference and expo in Orlando, Fla., Nov. 6 to 12. They attended business meetings, seminars,

and networking events at the conference. n

The Tri-County Chapter of the Women’s Council of Realtors honored 68 members, or the top 20 percent of the Jefferson-Lewis Board of Realtors Nov. 29 at the Black River Valley Club. They were selected based on the number of properties they listed or sold between Nov. 1, 2011, and Oct. 31, 2012. The honorees were Britton Abbey, Roger Abbey, Mary Adair, Christopher Andiorio, Lois Aubin, Larry Boliver, Mary Britt, Vicki Bulger, Kent Burto, Patricia Calhoun, Libby Churchill, Martha Ciulla, Elizabeth Clair, Michael Clark, James Conlin, Sonia Conlin, Mark Converse, Kathy Cook, Katherine Couch, Melanie Curley, Carole Dunbar, William Elliott, Kenneth Erb, Virginia Frattali, Cathy Garlock, Matthew Garlock, Stacey Garrett, Joan Gerni LaLone, Lori Gervera, Jill Grant, Janet Handschuh, Jennifer Hebert, Les Henry, Beth Hopkins, Deirdre Hylen, Jodi Jellie, Suzanne Krouse, Jacqueline Ladue, Tyler Lago, William Leepy, Donna Loucks, Julie Lyndaker, Sandra Macy, Brenda Malone, Erin Meyer, Amanda Miller, Elizabeth Miller, Gail Miller, Gwyn Monnat, Rob Moyer, Lori Nettles, Terry O’Brien, Todd O’Donnell, Doris Olin, Karen Peebles, Lori Porter, Jeff Powell, Penny Price, Maxine Quigg, Melinda Rocker, Gayla Roggie, Nancy Rome, Jill Rosette, Tania Sterling, John Stevens, Nancy Storino-Farney, Lisa Watson and Nancy Williams. n LANCE M. EVANS is the executive officer of the Jefferson-Lewis Board of Realtors and the St. Lawrence County Board of Realtors. He has lived in the north country since 1985. Contact him at levans@nnymls.com. His column appears monthly in NNY Business.

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R E A L E S TAT E / J E F F E R S O N C O U N T Y The following property sales were recorded in the Jefferson County Clerkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office: NOV. 21: Town of Rutland: Two parcels, 2.75 acres, bank of Sandy Creek; 1.647 acres, Curtis Road, James F. Nelson and Terrie S. Nelson, Sackets Harbor, sold to James M. Marshall Sr., Copenhagen $25,000

NOV. 20: Town of LeRay: 1.77 acres, WatertownPhiladelphia State Highway No. 8105, Robert E. Lake, Calcium, sold to Caren J. Leggero, Carthage $170,000

NOV. 19: Town of LeRay: 0.862 acre, state Route 3, Andrea Barbalich, Larchmont, and Jon Barbalich, Spring, Texas, sold to Eric J. Gushlaw and Shyleigh M. Gushlaw, Watertown $110,000

n Town of Pamelia: Waddingham Road, Sean T. Pearl, Evans Mills, sold to Anthony Haines and Vanessa Haines, Fort Drum $128,000

n Town of Ellisburg: 25 acres, no address given, Jessica Joy Kedziora, San Diego, Calif., sold to Dean F. Wheeler and Kimberly A. Wheeler, Adams $125,000

n Town of LeRay: 5.80 acres, 7364 Plank Road, Jill Schafer, Calcium, sold to Diane M. Ross, Calcium $125,000

n Town of LeRay: 9.57 acres, U.S. Route 11, Lucky B. Lutz and Vickie E. Lutz, Gouverneur, sold to Terry Barnes and Lisa C. Barnes, Evans Mills $30,000

n Village of LaFargeville: Highway from LaFargeville to Stone Mills, Sean P. Hennessy and Alyssa D. Hennessy, Fort Drum, sold to Hillary M. Paladino and Michael Paladino, Chaumont $132,500

n Village of Alexandria Bay: Catherine Avenue, Lyndon H. DeCarr, Alexandria Bay, sold to Patricia Aitcheson, Redwood $80,000

n Town of Alexandria: Lot 13, Tennis Island, Paul M. Fowler Development Corp., Fayetteville, sold to John Richard Gamble and Kathryn M. Gamble, Hamlin $299,000 n Town of LeRay: 0.459 acre, Riverbend Drive West, Jean H. Kirk, Watertown, and Michael P. Kirk, Watertown, sold to Steven J. Rich and Amy K. Rich, Watertown $227,000 n Village of Sackets Harbor: 0.06 acre, 118 W. Main St., Michael W. Maloney and Laurie B. Maloney, Ellisburg, sold to Cheryl M. Payne, Sackets Harbor $130,000

n Village of Carthage: 0.25 acre, Clinton Street, Jeffrey Kimple, Deer River, sold to Jackson Thatcher, Fort Drum $193,000 n Town of LeRay: 0.486 acre, state Route 3, Karen L. Netto, Watertown, sold to Luke S. Martin and Dorcas K. Martin, Antwerp $29,000 n Town of Cape Vincent: 1.601 acres, west of Wilson Point Road, Deborah Adragna, Liverpool, sold to Daniel Augustyn, trustee, Matthew and Patricia Augustyn Irrevocable Trust, Elmira $28,000 n Town of Adams: Lot 7, Hungerford Avenue Subdivision, Judith L. Pirro, Watertown, sold to Connie R. Romeo, Adams Center $174,000

n Village of Chaumont: Two parcels, 0.3 acre, no acreage given, state Route 12E, Charles P. Calhoun, Chaumont, sold to Reginald J. Schweitzer, Chaumont $120,000

n Town of Brownville: 5.961 acres, County Route 59 (Doane Road), Carla S. Sobotka, Bunnell, Fla., sold to Shane Ryan and April Ryan, Brownville $162,000

n City of Watertown: 0.155 acre, 201-203 N. Indiana Ave., Steven J. Rich, Watertown, sold to Dylan E. Hardwick, Watertown, and Lauren M. McKinney, Watertown $135,000

Town of LeRay: 0.53 acre, LaFave Road, Bruce W. Guckelberg and Carol Guckelberg, Watertown, sold to Kyle N. Jones and Letitia C. Jones, Watertown $180,000

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NNY Business | December 2012

n City of Watertown: 0.43 acre, Michigan Avenue, Luis A. Cruz-Mendez and Carmen Ivette Bravo-Rivera, both of Watertown, sold to Aaron D. Zigler and Miranda D. Zigler, Fort Drum $142,000 n Town of Adams and Ellisburg: Two parcels, 72.10 acres, edge of Sandy Creek; 50 acres, no address given, Ronald A. McNitt and Heather L. McNitt, Adams, sold to William H. Larkin II, Adams Center $50,000 n City of Watertown: 1.14 acres, Coffeen Street, 81 Front Street Development LLC, Alexandria Bay, sold to MJCDI LLC, Watertown $1,100,000 NOV. 16: Village of Browville and Glen Park: Two parcels, 119 Woodlawn Ave., Timothy A. Granger Sr., Black River, sold to Tammy S. Randall, Watertown $110,000 n Village of Sackets Harbor: 0.460 acre, West Main Street, Richard R. Kingsbury and Constance F. Kingsbury, Sackets Harbor, sold to Brian K. Hartley, Boston, Mass. $163,000

$4,167,500 County real estate sales recorded over a 6-day period, Nov. 16-21, 2012

R E A L E S TAT E / S T. L AW R E N C E C O U N T Y The following property sales were recorded in the St. Lawrence County Clerk’s office:

dra F. Shine, Carlisle, Pa., sold to Shannon C. and Ellen B. Shine, Clifton Park $40,000

NOV. 9: Town of Oswegatchie: Unknown acres, in River Lot 1, bounded by State Road, Andrew H. and Ann A. Morley, Ogdensburg, sold to William J. and Elaine G. Seymour, Ogdensburg $240,000

n Village of Morristown: Unknown acres, in Lot 10 of Block 1, Douglas R. and Darlene E. Dilcox, Massena, sold to O’Shaughnessy and Valade Family Wealth Trust, Prestonburg, Ky. $47,000

n City of Ogdensburg: Unknown acres, in Lot 5 of Block 85, Tina A. Goodrow, Lisbon, sold to Nicholas J. Amo, Ogdensburg $47,500

n Town of Potsdam: 5.165 acres more or less, in Mile Square 41, NBT Bank National Association, Norwich, sold to North Woods Properties Inc., Canton $70,000

n Town of Pierrepont: Parcel 1) 9 40/100 acres more or less, Parcel 2) Unknown acres, both Parcels are in Township 3, Lucinda K. Hart, Canton, sold to Donald and Bonnie Tracy, Canton $30,000

n Town of Pierrepont: Unknown acres, in Section 22, bounded by Dorothy Farm, Johannes H. Dulfer, Potsdam, sold to Victoria G. Strader, Colton $90,000

n Town of Parishville: 31/100 of an acre more or less, in Great Tract 2 of Township 13, Angelo T. Landi Jr. and Bonnie S. Landi, Parishville, sold to Johannes Dulfer, Potsdam $161,500

n Village of Massena: Unknown acres, in Lot 17 of Block 41, Sylvia Hayes, Baldwinsville, sold to Timothy R. and Ruth S. Cameron, Massena $69,500

Town of Norfolk: Unknown acres, bounded by Demoff’s Lot, Dale E. Planty Jr., Norfolk, sold to Todd McElwain, Potsdam $100,750 NOV. 2: City of Ogdensburg: Unknown acres, bounded by Isabella Street and Ford Street, City of Ogdensburg, Ogdensburg, sold to United Helpers Care Inc., Ogdensburg $401,000 n Town of Canton: Unknown acres, Lot 1, Block 13, James L. and Betty J. Boprey, Rensselear Falls, sold to James D. and Yoko Thurman, Rensselaer Falls $100,000

$2,391,030 County real estate sales recorded over an 8-day period, Nov. 2-9, 2012

n Town of Norfolk: Parcel 1) 103 39/100 acres more or less, Parcel 2) 451 70/100 acres more or less, both Parcels are bounded by Marsh Ridge Road, Walter G. and Linda M. Reimer, Chase Mills, sold to Larry R. Frohock Jr. and Jannette G. Frohock, New Smyrna Beach, Fla. $193,500 n City of Ogdensburg: 2 parcels, unknown acres, in Block 315, bounded by Patterson Street and Washington Street, Bert T. Compo, Ogdensburg, sold to Scott A. and Rebecca Compo, Ogdensburg $43,500 NOV. 8: Town of Norfolk: Parcel 1) 0.93 of an acre more or less, Parcel 2) 3/4 of an acre more or less, both Parcels are bounded by Front Street, Diane F. French, Chateaugay, sold to Diana M. Jenkins, Massena $45,000 n Village of Massena: Unknown acres, bounded by Church Street, Nicole R. Harvey, Massena, sold to Massena Savings and Loan, Massena $66,700 n Village of Gouverneur: 32/100 of an acre more or less, bounded by South Street, Mary E. Terrillion, Gouverneur, sold to Arnold C. Roberts II and Jaquelyn H. Roberts (trustees), Roberts Living Trust, Richville $30,000 NOV. 7: Town of Potsdam: Parcel 1) 183 44/100 acres more or less, Parcel 2) 8 75/100 acres more or less, Parcel 3) 19 64/100 acres more or less, all Parcels are bounded by Burnham Corners, Raymond and Stephanie Hill, Norwood, sold to Peter and Margaret N. Schwartz, Westdale $210,000 n Town of Colton: 2 Parcels, unknown acres, bounded by the Trimm Road, Michael T. Johnson, Central Square , sold to Donald C. Severance and Nancy J. Farley, Colton $25,000 n Town of Norfolk: 7.80 acres more or less, in Mile Square 59, bounded by Stark Road and River Road, Richard K. and Erika A. Stratton, Whitefish, Mont., sold to Richard P. and Heather M. Gardner, Norfolk $93,000 n Town of Piercefield: Unknown acres, in Township 3, bounded by Mount Arab Road, Betty J. Heath, Great Bend, sold to Gail Alcott, Glenmoore, Pa., and Gary Clough, Cambridge, Md. $45,000 n Village of Canton: 2 Parcels, unknown acres, in Lot 9 and Lot 10, bounded by Howe Boulevard, Maynard W. Dutcher Trust, Canton, sold to Thomas F. and Bjorg K. Cunningham, Canton $170,000 n City of Ogdensburg: Parcel 1) 0.12 of an acre more or less, Parcel 2) 0.006 of an acre more or less, both Parcels are in Lot 19 and Lot 20 of Block 229, Richard J. St. Germain and Lisa M. Johnson St. Germain, Ogdensburg, sold to Adam and April M. Pirie, Ogdensburg $72,080 NOV. 5: Town of Morristown: Unknown acres, known as Raspberry Island, Alexander P. and San-

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E C O N O M I C A L LY S P E A K I N G

New York state open for business

year ago, headlines in the Watertown Daily Times read, “North country awarded $103.2 million.” Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo had announced the first Regional Economic Council Awards, and the north country was among the top four winning regions in the statewide competition. The intent of the governor’s new economic development program was to empower regions across the state to develop a regionally based economic development plan that reflected strategic priorities, not those of a state agency. This was no easy task for a sevencounty region spread across the northern tier of the state from Watertown to Plattsburgh, south to Lake Pleasant in Hamilton County. The result was an innovative plan that led to the north country receiving one of the largest awards of state funding, directed to support north country projects. A year later, what has occurred: A priority for the economy of the entire region is the retention of Fort Drum, one of the largest employers in the entire state that generates more than $1.7 billion in annual economic growth. To support this priority, the state committed revenue bonds and tax credits to the Jefferson County Industrial Development Agency to be awarded to the ReEnergy Holdings to redevelop a $34 million, 60 megawatt, biomass fuel facility at Fort Drum, creating more than 300 jobs (33 of them full time) at the plant. This initiative also led to an award of U.S. Department of Agriculture Biomass Crop Assistance Program funding for biomass fuel production at various farms, including Celtic Energy Farm, Cape Vincent, and others throughout the region. These efforts should provide jobs in biomass production that can prove to be a significant regional energy source.

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Also related to Fort Drum was the priority project of $4 million to the Development Authority of the North Country to support the need for community rental housing throughout the Jim Wright region. The projects funded are Beaver Meadows with 296 units and The Preserve at Autumn Ridge with 394 units, which received loans to facilitate construction of new rental housing. Over the course of the next two years, the additional units will come on line, with the first available next spring. In addition to construction employment, the housing combines for a $93 million investment in our community and creates permanent local property management. Many private initiatives have been leveraged by the investment of public dollars through the governor’s initiative. Examples include not only those above, but $2.25 million awarded to build a 106unit hotel in Clayton by a private firm. This facility which will foster continued economic growth in tourism along the St. Lawrence River. In Gouverneur, the community received $900,000 to upgrade an existing water distribution system for its major employer, Kinney Drugs. Construction bids will be awarded soon. And the Lewis County Development Corp. received $330,000 to begin engineering and testing at the former Lyons Falls Pulp and Paper Mill in downtown Lyons Falls. Once redeveloped, this location at the convergence of the

Moose and Black rivers will be a catalyst for future private investment, and already has attracted biofuel interest. The governor’s new process also has been responsive to changes necessary to address new challenges. For example, the state authorized $600,000 in railroad improvements to the Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority. An immediate challenge presented the opportunity for additional stevedoring jobs at the port with the delivery, staging and transporting of windmill turbines through the port. It required a new exit road be constructed at the port. The regional economic council recommended the rail project money be transferred to the road project to create immediate economic benefit. Empire State Development approved the proposal; the road was built and the jobs created. Another example of this responsiveness was the priority project funding for C-Speed. This company was going to create jobs in Potsdam and Syracuse, a multi-region project. The Potsdam initiative was discontinued. However, the funding was not lost from the region. The council reviewed a number of prospective projects and recommended funding for manufacturing projects at ACCO in Ogdensburg and Kraft in Lowville. Empire State Development also approved this recommendation and reallocation. The governor’s regional economic development approach has demonstrated success, created jobs, established regional priorities, and new regional partnerships. It is achieving its goal of “Making New York State Open for Business, Again.” n JAMES W. WRIGHT is executive director of the Development Authority of the North Country. He is a member of the North Country Regional Economic Development Council and a former member of the New York State Senate.

N O N P R O F I T S T O D AY

Agencies take steps to plan future

his fall, a consortium of local organizations took the first tangible step to lead the way to finally walk the walk to make good on the talk. After years of mulling the changing nonprofit sector sustainability landscape, Jefferson Rehabilitation Center, Credo Community Center for the Treatment of Addiction, North Country Children’s Clinic, Watertown Family YMCA, Transitional Living Services of Northern New York, Volunteer Transportation Center and Children’s Home of Jefferson County signed a letter of agreement to participate in a seven-agency operational needs assessment. Under the leadership of Jefferson Rehabilitation Center Executive Director Howard Ganter, the work already has begun. Translation: Under the “new normal” we need to look at ways to better utilize increasingly scarce resources from all funding sources. This is an encouraging sign and these organizations should be commended for leading the way. Even the funding for the assessment was done collaboratively, with both the Northern New York Community Foundation and the United Way of Northern New York sharing its cost. Over the next few months, these organizations will take a hard look at potential shared services, including vendor contracts and utilization, public relations and fundraising, quality improvement and corporate compliance, utilization of licensed professionals, human resource functions, employee benefits, information technology, accounting, billing and other back office operations. The hope is that this survey

will identify commonalities that will provide a basis to move toward meaningful collaboration in identified areas. What is the real opportunity here? I believe that if these Rande Richardson seven organizations are successful it will become a model for other nonprofit partners. It is likely that mid- and smaller-sized nonprofits could benefit most from shared opportunities for

charitable gifts have the best chance to be maximized toward mission. Those who funded the study may ultimately have an expectation that any organization asking for money be sincerely open to the possibility of collaborative partnerships. We all have a vested interest in the forward movement of this concept. Let’s keep our collective fingers crossed. Our nonprofit organizations that cover a broad spectrum of quality of life for each one of us shouldn’t fail due to an inability to be sustained. This current endeavor provides the best chance to keep that important work alive. We will all be watching and rooting for a successful outcome. As Mr. Ganter correctly stated, “the challenges being presented will require collaborative efforts to share services, staff, physical space and resources to save monies that can be put into the mission of the organizations.” He is correct. I know our north country nonprofits are passionate about their missions. I know donors want to support them. I hope they are as passionate about doing whatever it takes to preserve those missions. Ultimately, it’s about survival of the fittest. However, a changing environment doesn’t have to require that valued community resources end up on the endangered list. This endeavor may help keep some vital missions from becoming extinct.

A changing environment doesn’t have to require that valued community resources end up on the endangered list. services. Will this be easy? No. However, if we stand by the belief that mission comes first then the next dot to connect is conserving resources to sustain the mission. The group already has openly recognized that potential obstacles may include diversity of mission, changing roles and identities, possible staff rightsizing, relationships with vendors and, yes, egos. Perhaps the biggest challenge may be the failure of organizations to recognize the need to change. I look at this as a major leadership step and a chance for the nonprofit sector to show how it can be done. I also believe that funding sources in our community — including individual and business donors — may come to expect, or insist, that their

n RANDE RICHARDSON is executive director of the Northern New York Community Foundation. He is a lifelong Northern New York resident and former funeral director. Contact him at rande@nnycf.org. His column appears every other month in NNY Business.

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COMMERCE CORNER

Painlessly reduce costs in small biz

hether it is necessary due to economic challenges or because it’s good business practice, small businesses should always seek ways to reduce unnecessary overhead. It is very easy to get complacent when business is booming, but it’s difficult to recover when business may face adversity. There are several ways a business can bolster efficiencies and be cognizant of excess spending to ensure it remains solvent. This process goes deeper than reviewing travel expenses, office supplies, bartering or trading for services, or merely watching spending. Aside from being one way for a small business to decrease overhead, crosstraining employees and departments offers many benefits. It can create a team-focused atmosphere and promote an overall well-oiled operation that results in better productivity. It also can alleviate additional expenses if an employee has to take extended time off due to illness, family emergency, or any other reason. All too often, when a particular person needs to be out of work for some time, the question arises: “What will we do without them? We don’t know their job.” In an effort to be proactive versus reactive, ensure the concept of crosstraining has already been implemented. Not only will this promote continuity in the services provided, it could prevent a company from having to hire a temporary employee, using a staffing company,

or ensure the business does not have to pay overtime, all of which can become quite costly. With small businesses there may be seasons that are busier Lynn Pietroski than others. A great way to keep costs lower and ensure maximum profits is to partner with local colleges or universities for interns. Many degrees require some form of an internship, many of which are unpaid or minimum wage. Some organizations even facilitate intern-

time human resources, purchasing or IT departments. Through collaboration and sharing, the expense of the personnel cost would be better absorbed by three to four businesses. As the leader of an organization, it’s important to always be informed of all accounts receivables and ensure accounts payables are current. In most circumstances, if a business has open invoices or carries a balance on a credit card there are fees attached to these, which will increase your expenses. In addition, ensure your accounts receivables are being paid to you in a timely manner and offer a discount or incentive to those who pay early. As the fiscal year comes to a close for many small businesses, it’s a great time to look at contracts that are held with various vendors. Work with the representative from that particular business to determine what is included in your contract, what it would cost to be relieved of the contract if necessary or, if you could find the similar product with another business at lower cost, is it negotiable, and most important, is it competitive? This also is a great time to review loans or other interest-bearing accounts to ensure you are receiving the best rates. There are a number of ways to reduce costs, but all of them require research, teamwork, and proactive leadership. Most importantly, plan, budget and follow it.

There are a number of ways businesses can reduce costs, but all of them require research, teamwork and proactive leadership. Most importantly, plan, budget and follow it.

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ship programs and will share payroll costs with the business. This is not only cost effective, but an opportunity to give back to a community and provide relevant training to a potential future employee. More and more organizations within the community are seeking ways to collaborate with one another to reduce unnecessary costs or cut expenses. For example, businesses that have 10 employees or fewer may not need full-

n LYNN PIETROSKI is president and CEO of the Greater Watertown North Country Chamber of Commerce. Contact her at ceo@watertownny. com. Her column appears monthly.

AGRI-BUSINESS

A dairy machine that will astound

here would the north country be without the dairy machine? We have more than 30,000 machines located in nearly 230 businesses. The machines employ green technology to manufacture several products. Their annual economic impact totals about $400 million. The machines come in many brands, each with its own production specialty. Ayrshire, Brown Swiss, Guernsey, Holstein, Jersey and Norwegian Red are available, some producing greater quantities of product and others better suited to make superior product components. If a business is focusing on producing a product with higher protein or butterfat components, it may select the Guernsey brand. If higher production output is desired, Holstein might be a better choice. These dairy machines are biological systems fueled by biomass to supply energy needed to operate and the raw material they convert into their fluid product. Machine production is very dependent upon the quality and quantity of feedstock. High protein and carbohydrates are needed. Business owners learned how to minutely manipulate the chemistry of the system to maximize output. Correct harvest of biomass feedstock is critical. Harvests must occur at the proper time with correct moisture content to ensure the highest energy value. Generally, corn, soybeans and grass are major components of feedstock fed into the machine engine to meet demands of high production. It takes approximately 100 pounds of feedstock and 50 gallons of water each

day to maintain proper working condition of the machine engine. As with any machinery, there are many consultant businesses that are brought in to improve function. Some Jay Matteson consultants focus on the machine directly, providing services that maintain the health of biological system. Every aspect of the machine function can be assessed in detail and corrected or improved. Other consulting professionals address feedstock for machinery of the dairy business, with the goal to enable the highest quality feedstock. The facilities housing the machinery also are subject to intense scrutiny of consultants. Professionals advise dairy business owners on how to change lighting, ventilation, machinery operating space, energy and waste recycling systems to optimize product output. Advanced computer systems are employed in many businesses to aid in machinery management. The average machine takes about 15 months from creation to the first day it begins production. The average production expectancy is five years before its yield drops to unprofitable levels, although some are known to maintain production for a decade or more. Once the machine begins production it will produce two, three or four times a day

for up to 14 months. The machine is then rotated out of production for approximately two months prior to producing another highly valuable product, a close replica of itself that is then managed to become a replacement as older machines go out of production several cycles later. Once an older machine has reached the point where its yield is no longer profitable, the machine parts are harvested and used for valuable products. The machineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fluid product feeds the supply chain to other manufacturing operations. It may be packaged as is, or converted into a variety of solid products. The fluid also can be broken down into its components which are prized for use in everything from health and beauty products to pharmaceuticals. In case you havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t realized yet, this truly astounding dairy machine is the dairy cow. Because of space limitations, the total operation of the biological production system of the dairy cow and dairy farm were simplified. The point here is to illustrate that dairy farming is not an isolated activity, but a key industry upon which many other industries depend. In truth, farmers treat their dairy cattle as living creatures upon which the success of their businesses rest. But, one can read how the operation of the dairy business is not unlike many other manufacturing operations, except your machine is a living breathing biological system.

n JAY M. MATTESON is agricultural coordinator for the Jefferson County Agricultural Development Corp. He is a lifelong Northern New York resident who lives in Lorraine. Contact him at coordinator@comefarmwithus.com. His column appears monthly in NNY Business.

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BUSINESS TECH BYTES

Debate swirls around Windows 8

rofessionally or personally, the question is increasingly becoming: Laptop or tablet? It has only been a few years and the tablet has quickly become no longer a luxury, but a light mobile device with a longer battery life than most laptops. Not so quickly though, tablet use in the business environment is still mostly user driven and still proving to not be able to satisfy the whole realm of tasks and applications with which most employees are familiar. In deciding to deploy tablets in your business, first explore situations and tasks where a tablet could be used for portability and network mobility, where possibly sacrificing performance and capability is worth the convenience a tablet will provide. Tablets outscore PCs and laptops when it comes to instant on/instant off, with an iPad ready in about 10 seconds, even a SSD hard drive-equipped PC is still 20 to 30 seconds to desktop. The uncluttered user tablet interface is easier to navigate than a PC menu bar and system tray, a feature laden and equipped with so many options that most of us will never use all of them. A tablet also is smaller and much more portable than even the smallest and lightest MacBook Air. With tablet battery life running seven to 10 hours, almost double the normal laptop battery life that hovers right around five hours, and also Wi-Fi ready, tablets do become a road warrior’s dream. As good as this might sound, PCs and laptops do have strengths all their own with familiarity topping the list. Most employees are familiar with a computer’s interface and it really still is a Windows

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world for legacy applications and standard enterprise Microsoft Office file formats. This will continue until custom enterprise tablet applications are widely developed and Jill Van Hoesen deployed. Familiarity also spills over into the button clicks and mouse cursor, still making a much simpler task of cutting and pasting versus multiple finger taps, drags, holds and swipes. PCs and laptops also perform printing tasks flawlessly, as I am sure any iPad user has found. Android users have it a bit easier but still might need special adapters to complete transfers and get a print. Neither iOS nor Android has been able to break PCs dominance in connect-to-anything convenience they have come to provide. Will the launch of Windows 8 tip the scales? During an October Windows 8 launch event in New York, Microsoft CEO Scott Ballmer called Windows 8 “a radical change from previous versions of the company’s flagship operating system. Windows 8 has been recast to provide a unified interface across a range of devices, from smartphones to tablets and traditional PCs.” This will have to be driven by consumers, as Gartner analyst Peter Sondergaard predicted last month at Gartner’s IT Symposium/Expo, “any widespread corporate

move to Windows 8 won’t happen until at least 2014.” Further evidence of this trend is found in a recent Information Week survey, which revealed that “47 percent of companies have no plans to upgrade to Windows 8 and 64 percent will stick with Windows 7 as long as possible.” Peter McDougall of TechWeb.com states, “businesses will continue charging ahead with tablet apps for sales and service staff, Windows 8 success hinges on factors like app options, stability, security, usability, integration and price.” Microsoft has begun to offer some enticing deals in hopes to move consumers to Windows 8. If you purchased a new Windows machine between June 2 and Jan. 31, it can cost as little as $14.99 to upgrade, and if you have an older Windows 7 machine you can receive an online upgrade for $39.99 until Jan. 31. Beware though, as there are hardware considerations when moving from Windows 7 to Windows 8, most notably, the touch screen capability, as Windows 8 needs a minimum of five touch points rather than relying on a keyboard and mouse. Tablet, PC or even a smartphone, technology is dominating our society and people are quickly learning new user interfaces from airport check-in kiosks to automated teller machines, so when confronted with the decision of tablet, laptop or PC, examine your business processes and you will find your way to your very own hybrid mix. n JILL VAN HOESEN is chief information officer for Johnson Newspapers and a 25-year IT veteran. Contact her at jvanhoesen@wdt.net. Her column appears monthly in NNY Business.

SMALL BUSINESS SUCCESS

Simplify strategic planning process

here are a lot of things in life that we know we “should” do, but never seem to get around to. Things like cleaning out that old file cabinet, organizing tax documents before April, or updating your website. The list is different for everyone, but it’s likely that the majority of small business owners have “strategic planning” on the list. Most entrepreneurs know the value of planning, in general. It gives you direction, allows you to consider new possibilities and helps create a uniform mission among your staff, no matter how small. And yet, very few small businesses have a strategic plan — largely because strategic planning sounds scary and intimidating. If you have avoided strategic planning because you thought it had to be a long, involved process then consider these tips to help you streamline the process and make it more user-friendly. SCHEDULE IT — Time, or the lack of it, is always an issue for entrepreneurs. The only way around this challenge is to schedule time for things you feel are a priority. Actually write a strategic planning appointment in your planner or enter it in your electronic schedule. Treat is just as you would a meeting with a client or your lawyer. Avoid moving the “strategic planning appointment” at all costs. Having dedicated time to concentrate on this project will keep it on your priority list. CONTROL SIZE AND CONTENT — If you Google sample strategic plans you will psych yourself out right from the beginning. The plans you find will be anywhere from 50 up to hundreds of pages and will have full-blown market evaluation, stakeholder analysis and financial forecasts. It’s not that such extensive strategic plans don’t have value; it’s just that most entrepreneurs

don’t have time to dedicate to such a large project. Unless you have that kind of time, it’s better to aim for a scaled down strategic plan that you can complete and implement Michelle Collins quickly. SET GOALS AND OBJECTIVES — The best approach to a manageable strategic plan is to focus on goals and objectives. Goals are long range plans for things you want to accomplish; the desired end you want to reach. Objectives, on the other hand, are more short-term and are the actions and strategies you will use to achieve your goal. You’ll only need a handful of goals. This may be a difficult task if you have a lot going on in your business, but here is where the value of a strategic plan lies — it forces you to prioritize. Once you decide on the goals that you will make a priority, develop three to five strategies that you will use to help achieve those goals. Keep in mind that as you complete objectives and goals over time, you can add new ones. This way, the plan grows and evolves with your company. Evaluate your goals carefully before putting the plan into action. Use the “SMART Goals” strategy to help assure that your goals are effective. “SMART Goals” are: SPECIFIC — They state clearly what is to be accomplished and are clear and precise enough that someone can understand and act on them. MEASURABLE — They include a way

to determine whether the goal has been reached whether it be a dollar figure, a customer count or website hits. ATTAINABLE — They are reasonable expectations based on resources rather than setting standards that are out of reach. RELEVANT — They are realistic and relate to the company’s markets and internal culture and policies. TIMELY — They have a deadline, or several, that should be met to assure the company continues to pursue the goal actively. FOLLOW UP — Completing a strategic plan is a great exercise, but what really makes the process valuable is following up on the plan. If necessary, assign various objectives to specific staff or departments. Be sure to set periodic reviews so you can track the company’s progress toward achieving each goal. These reviews don’t have to be long and can even be done by email if that’s more efficient. The important thing is that someone is watching over the plan and tracking progress. If progress is not being made toward goals, the reviews provide an opportunity to rethink those goals, adjust deadlines or create new strategies for how to achieve them. Most importantly, at the end of each year evaluate what goals were or were not met. This is the opportunity to re-assess goals that have not been met and add new goals. Simplifying the strategic planning process is a good way to get the benefit of thinking strategically in a manageable way. And the best part of the process is that once it’s under way, it’s easy to keep the plan in motion, which means results are more likely to follow. n MICHELLE COLLINS is a certified business advisor with the New York State Small Business Development Center at SUNY Canton. Contact her at collinsm@canton.edu. Her column appears bi-monthly in NNY Business.

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CHAMBER / WEB DIRECTORY

NNY CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE

n CLAYTON 517 Riverside Drive, Clayton, NY 13624; 686-3771, www.1000islands-clayton.com

n ALEXANDRIA BAY 7 Market St., Alexandria Bay, NY 13607; 482-9531, www.visitalexbay.org

n GREATER WATERTOWNNORTH COUNTRY 1241 Coffeen St., Watertown, NY 13601; 788-4400, www.watertownny.com

n BOONVILLE 122 Main St., P.O. Box 163, Boonville, NY 13309; 942-6823, www.boonvillechamber.com

n GOUVERNEUR 214 E. Main St., Gouverneur, NY 13642; 287-0331, www.gouverneurchamber.net

n CANTON 60 Main St., P.O. Box 369, Canton, NY 13617; 386-8255, www.cantonnychamber.org n CAPE VINCENT 175 N. James St., P.O. Box 482, Cape Vincent, NY 13618; 654-2481, www.capevincent.org n CARTHAGE AREA 120 S. Mechanic St., Carthage, NY 13619; 493-3590, www.carthageny.com n CENTERSTATE CEO 572 S. Salina St., Syracuse, NY 13202; 470-1800, www.centerstateceo.com n CHAUMONT-THREE MILE BAY P.O. Box 24, Three Mile Bay, NY 13693; 649-3404, www.chaumontchamber.com

BIZ WEB DIRECTORY CITEC MANUFACTURING & TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS www.citec.org

CLARKSON UNIVERSITY CENTER FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP www.helpmysmallbusinesstoday.com www.facebook.com/CUEntrepCtr www.twitter.com/CUEntrepCtr

DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF THE NORTH COUNTRY www.danc.org

LEWIS COUNTY IDA www.lcida.org

n HENDERSON HARBOR P.O. Box 468, Henderson Harbor, NY 13651; 938-5568, www.hendersonharborny.com n LEWIS COUNTY 7576 S. State St., Lowville, NY 13367; 376-2213, www.lewiscountychamber.org n MASSENA 16 Church St., Massena, NY 13662; 769-3525, www.massenachamber.com n MALONE 497 East Main St., Malone, NY 12953; 1(518) 483-3760, www.visitmalone.com n OGDENSBURG 1 Bridge Plaza, Ogdensburg, NY 13669; 393-3620, www.ogdensburgny.com n OLD FORGE 3140 Route 28, P.O. Box 68

JEFFERSON COUNTY JOB DEVELOPMENT CORP. www.jcjdc.net

PROCUREMENT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE CENTER www.northcountryptac.com

SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER AT SUNY JEFFERSON www.watertown.nyssbdc.org www.facebook.com/WatertownSBDC

SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER AT SUNY CANTON www.canton.edu/sbdc www.facebook.com/CantonSBDC www.twitter.com/NYS_SBDC

Old Forge, NY 13420; 369-6983 www.oldforgeny.com

n POTSDAM 1 Market St., Potsdam, NY 13676; 274-9000, www.potsdamchamber.com n PULASKI 3044 Route 13, P.O. Box 34, Pulaski, NY 13142; 298-2213, www.pulaskinychamber.com n SACKETS HARBOR 304 W. Main St., P.O. Box 17, Sackets Harbor, NY 13685; 646-1700, www. sacketsharborchamberofcommerce.com n SOUTH JEFFERSON 14 E. Church St., Adams, NY 13605; 232-4215, www.southjeffchamber.org n ST. LAWRENCE 101 Main St., First Floor, Canton, NY 13617; 386-4000, www.northcountryguide.com n TRI-TOWN 907 Route 11 C, P.O. Box 297, Brasher Falls, NY 13613; 389-4800, www.tritownchamberofcommerce.com n WADDINGTON 38 Main St., P.O. Box 291, Waddington, NY 13694; 388-4079, www.waddingtonny.com

ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY IDA www.slcida.com

ST. LAWRENCE RIVER VALLEY REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY www.slrvra.com

U.S. SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

www.sba.gov www.facebook.com/SBAAtlantic www.twitter.com/SBAAtlantic

WATERTOWN LOCAL DEVELOPMENT CORP. www.watertownldc.com

WATERTOWN SCORE

www.scorewatertownny.org

315-661-2399 / 1-800-724-1012

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SATURDAY, DEC. 15

n Warren Miller’s “Flow State,” 7:30 p.m., Clayton Opera House, 405 Riverside Drive. A film in which Warren Miller explores “the flow state,” a place where skiers and snowboarders achieve where the faster they go physically, the slower things appear to them mentally. Cost: $12. Tickets: www.claytonoperahouse.com or 686-2200.

CROGHAN FRIDAY, JAN. 18 & SATURDAY, JAN. 19

n “Maple School,” 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, American Maple Museum, Main Street. The American Maple Museum teaches both beginners and experience maple producers the ins and outs of the business. For more information or to register, contact the museum at 346-1107 or email americanmaplemuseum@frontier.com.

LISBON SATURDAY, DEC. 15 — SUNDAY, DEC. 23

guild for $13. Contact: 212-0027.

SUNDAY, DEC. 16

n “A Holiday Celebration,” 3 p.m., Helen M. Hosmer Concert Hall, SUNY Potsdam. A presentation of classics such as Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite, Leroy Anderson’s Sleigh Ride, Victor Herbert’s Babes in Toyland, Berlin’s White Christmas and Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus by the Orchestra of Northern New York. Featuring a local high school chorus. Tickets: $22; senior citizens, $20; students, $10; children ages 12 and younger, free. Order tickets at www.onny.org.

SATURDAY, JAN. 19

n “The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales” by the Griffin Theatre Company, 3 p.m., Snell Theater, SUNY Potsdam. Sponsored by the Community Performance Series. Based on the book by the same title by Jon Scieszka. A family oriented performance loosely following the story of “Jack and the Beanstalk.” Cost: $10. Tickets: www2.potsdam.edu/cps/

THURSDAY, JAN. 31 & FRIDAY, FEB. 1

“Messiah” and other beloved carols. Cost: General admission $12; senior citizens and military, $10; Preferred seating, $14; preferred seating for senior citizens and military, $12. Tickets: www.trinityconcerts.org

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 19

n Business After Hours, 5 to 7 p.m., the Paddock Club. Sponsored by the Greater Watertown-North Country Chamber of Commerce. Admission: Members, $8; non-registered members, $10; non-members, $12. Register: www.watertownny.com or 788-4400.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 9

n “Workforce 2020,” 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Jefferson Community College. Sponsored by Greater Watertown-North Country Chamber of Commerce, Samaritan Medical Center and the Jefferson-Lewis Workforce Investment Board. Event focused on introducing careers in the north country to students in the area. Local students and businesses perform mock interviews. Those interested in participating are asked to email Michelle Farrell, director of events for the chamber, at events@watertownny.com.

THURSDAYS, JAN. 10 TO FEB. 21

n Lights on the River, 5 to 9 p.m. daily, Lisbon beach, 9975 Route 37. Family event with holiday themed light displays designed by the community with free admission, though donations are accepted for north country food pantries. For more information, contact Scott Wilhelm at scott@lightsontheriver.org.

n World Premiere Performance of Luna Negra Dance Theater with the Turtle Island Quartet, 7:30 p.m., Snell Theater, SUNY Potsdam. In a never-before-seen performance, Luna Negra Dance Theater will collaborate with two-time Grammy Award-winning Turtle Island Quartet with a dance choreographed by Fernando Hernando Magadan. Cost: $20-$25. Tickets: www.cpspotsdam.org.

LIVERPOOL

SYRACUSE

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 16

THURSDAY, NOV. 15 — SUNDAY, JAN. 6

n Wegmans “Lights on the Lake,” 5 to 10 p.m. nightly except New Year’s Even, Onondaga Lake Park. Drive-through show featuring towering holiday displays, larger-thanlife Land of Oz, fantasy forest, a Victorian village, animated scenes and a magic grand finale. Admission: Monday-Thursday, $10 per car, $4 discount for Wegmans Shoppers Club card holders; Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, $15 per car; $75 per motorcoach. Cash and check only. Information: 4536712 or olp@ongov.net or online at www. lightsonthelake.com.

LOWVILLE SATURDAY, JAN. 12

n “A Celebration of Lewis County,” 7:30 p.m., Lowville Academy and Central School. Sponsored by Lewis County Historical Society. A concert celebrating the heritage of Lewis County, the opening performance for the 2013 Black River Valley Concert Series. Tickets: Advance, $18; at the door, $20; season tickets, $115. Information: 376-8957.

POTSDAM SATURDAY, DEC. 15

n Hockey Night Fundraiser, 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 15, Clarkson University, Cheel Center. Benefits the Canton-Potsdam Hospital Guild. Tickets available through the

THURSDAY, JAN. 10

n CenterState CEO Economic Forecast Breakfast, 7:30 to 10 a.m., the OnCenter, 800 S. State St. Join CenterState CEO members, business leaders and executives for the presentation of the CenterState CEO and CenterState Chamber of Commerce 2013 economic forecast. Register by Jan. 4 at lmetot@centerstateceo.com or call Lisa Metot, 470-1870. Cost: Members, $30; non-members, $40.

WATERTOWN FRIDAY, DEC. 14

n “A Holiday Celebration,” 7:30 p.m., Dulles State Office Building, Washington Street. A presentation of classics such as Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite, Leroy Anderson’s Sleigh Ride, Victor Herbert’s Babes in Toyland, Berlin’s White Christmas and Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus by the Orchestra of Northern New York. Featuring a local high school chorus. Tickets: $22; senior citizens, $20; students, $10; children ages 12 and younger, free. Order tickets at www.onny.org.

SUNDAY, DEC. 16

n “‘Tis the Season: Messiah & Carol SingAlong,” 3 p.m., Trinity Episcopal Church, 227 Sherman St. Part of the Trinity Concert Series. Join the Sackets Harbor Vocal Arts Ensemble with conductor Richard Probert and organist Kyle P. Ramey for a Christmas Favorite. This audience-participation concert will feature the Christmas portion of Handel’s

n Entrepreneurial Training Course, 6 to 9 p.m., Jefferson Community College, Coffeen Street. Sponsored by Small Business Development Center at JCC. Area business professionals offer instruction on business related topics that aid entrepreneurs in developing sound business practices. A seven week commitment. Cost: $195. Register: 786-2233. n Business After Hours, 5 to 7 p.m., North Country Arts Council, 52 Public Square. Sponsored by Greater Watertown-North Country Chamber of Commerce. Register by Tuesday, Jan. 15. Cost: Admission: Members, $8; non-registered members, $10; nonmembers, $12. Register: www.watertownny. com or 788-4400.

MONDAY, JAN. 28

n Online Entrepreneurial Training Course, runs until May 6. Sponsored by Small Business Development Center at JCC. A 14-week online training course with seven learning modules. Video presentations and information for entrepreneurs to develop sound business practices. Cost: $195. Register: 786-2438.

TUESDAYS AND THURSDAYS, JAN. 29 TO MAY 7

n Legal Issues for Small Business, 3:30 to 4:50 p.m., Jefferson Community College. Sponsored by Small Business Development Center at JCC. Learn about choosing a business organization, zoning approval, licensing and permits, tax implications, small business contracts, small business buyouts and the legal requirements of small claims court action. Participants may attend as few as four sessions. Cost: $220. Register: 786-2233.  GOT A BUSINESS EVENT or calendar item? Email nnybusiness@wdt.net. Deadline is the 10th of each month for the following month’s issue. Visit us on Facebook at www.facebook. com/NNYBusiness or www.nnybizmag.com for events calendar updates.

COMMUNITY / BUSINESS EVENTS CALENDAR

CLAYTON

December 2012 | NNY Business

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BUSINESS SCENE Jefferson Gala at Jefferson Community College

From left, Carol McCoy, president, Jefferson Community College and husband, Don.

KEN EYSAMAN PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS

From left, Jessica Russell and Brian Dunn, Lowville. Jefferson Community College hosted its Jefferson Gala on Sunday, Nov. 11, at the college, an annual benefit for the Jefferson Community College Foundation. The event was formerly known as the Mayor’s Ball.

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NNY Business | December 2012

From left, Lydia Young, husband, Matt, and Sarah Colligan, North Country Children’s Clinic.

KEN EYSAMAN PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS

From left, Tim Sheridan, New York Air Brake director of operations, Watertown, Jim Heney, Knorr Brake Ltd. controller, Kingston, Ont., wife, Ruth, and Debra Sheridan.

BUSINESS SCENE GWNC Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours at Ramada Inn

From left, accountant Amber Brown, Watertown, and Bridget Barden, Immaculate Heart Central Schools.

From left, Andrea Kaler, Watertown Savings Bank, Michelle Miller and Deb Haley, both of Carthage Savings and Loan Association.

KEN EYSAMAN PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS

From left, Mike Engel, Erica Jeror and Matt Carter, all of Advanced Business Systems, Watertown. The Ramada Inn, Watertown, hosted the Greater Watertown-North Country Chamber of Commerce November Business After Hours on Wednesday, Nov. 14.

KEN EYSAMAN PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS

From left, Kim Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Brien, Dorothy Oatridge and Brenda Prance, all of North American Tapes, Watertown.

n LIKE NNY BUSINESS ON FACEBOOK at www.facebook.com/nny business or scan this QR Code with your smartphone for links to exclusive content, daily updates and sneak peeks of coming issues.

December 2012 | NNY Business

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BUSINESS SCENE South Jeff Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours at Barley Pub, Belleville

From left, Connie Elliott, president, South Jefferson Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, and sister, Lori Elliott Porter, Elliott Realty and banquet manager, La Bella Fonte, Adams.

KEN EYSAMAN PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS

From left, Nancy Ouderkirk, Jefferson Rehabilitation Center, Watertown, husband, Peter, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and Connie Orr, South Jefferson Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. The Barley Pub, Belleville, hosted the South Jefferson Chamber of Commerce Fall Business After Hours on Thursday, Nov. 15.

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NNY Business | December 2012

From left, Chris Castle, branch manager, Community Bank, Adams, Madison Armstrong, Vision Center II, Watertown, and Kellie Heise, Community Bank, Adams.

KEN EYSAMAN PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS

From left, Craig Storey, co-owner, Barley Pub, Belleville, Rockett Stockwell, branch manager, Watertown Savings Bank, Adams, and Tara Hess, Watertown Savings Bank Adams branch.

BUSINESS SCENE 15th Annual Zoo-To-Do Autumn Ball at Black River Valley Club

From left, Megan Converse and Michele Gefell, both of Watertown.

From left, Michelle Davidson and husband, Erick, Amy Adams and husband, Edward, all of Watertown.

KYLE R. HAYES PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS

From left, Nicole L. Peer Jareo and husband, Mark S. Jareo, both of Watertown. The New York State Zoo at Thompson Park held its 15th Annual Zoo-To-Do Autumn Ball on Saturday, Nov. 17, at the Black River Valley Club.The event benefits educational programs at the zoo and featured food from Chef Boo Wells of the Farm House Kitchen and wine from Coyote Moon Vineyards.

KYLE R. HAYES PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS

From left, Sam and Emily Burgess, both of Watertown.

December 2012 | NNY Business

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DINING GUIDE Andy’s Caribbean Cuisine 302 Court St., Watertown (315) 777-8658

Black River Valley Club 131 Washington St., Watertown (315) 788-2300

Café Mira 14 Main St., Adams (315) 232-4470

1025 Ruyi Japanese Steak House 1025 Arsenal St., Watertown (315) 405-4501

Apollo Restaurant 1283 Arsenal St., Watertown (315) 788-3569

Blue Heron 12050 Route 12E, Chaumont (315) 649-2240

Cam’s Pizzeria 25 Public Square, Watertown (315) 779-8900

1844 House “An American Bistro” 6885 U.S. Route 11, Potsdam (315) 268-1844

Art’s Jug 820 Huntington St., Watertown (315) 782-9764

Boathouse 214 W. Main St., Sackets Harbor (315) 646-2092

Cavallario’s Cucina 133 N. Massey St., Watertown (315) 788-9744

2000 Chinese Restaurant 22070 U.S. Route 11, Watertown (315) 788-2000

Bella’s Bistro 602 Riverside Drive, Clayton (315) 686-2341

Brookside Diner 1873 State St., Watertown (315) 782-9824

Cherry Tree Inn 8541 State Route 3, Henderson (315) 938-7281

A & J’s Diner 455 Court St., Watertown (315) 777-4811

Bernardo’s Pizzeria 702 Coffeen St., Watertown (315) 782-9500

Brownville Diner 114 W. Main St., Brownville (315) 786-8554

n A directory of independent restaurants, diners and eateries. Full-service restaurants

China City 1125 Arsenal St. Suite 2, Watertown (315) 788-8289 Church Street Diner 107 Church St., Carthage (315) 493-0997 Coleman’s Corner 849 Lawrence St., Watertown (315) 782-6888 Crossroads Diner 22474 U.S. Route 11, Watertown (315) 782-9591 Crystal Restaurant 87 Public Square, Watertown (315) 782-9938 Daily Buffet (Chinese) 1283 Arsenal St. Stop 8, Watertown (315) 786-8598 Dano’s Pizzeria and Restaurant 24411 State Route 971V, Felts Mills (315) 773-3266 Fairground Inn 852 Coffeen St., Watertown (315) 782-7335 Five Guys 1290 Arsenal St., Watertown (315) 221-4258 Fung Hing Chinese 225 State St., Watertown (315) 785-9689 Gary’s Restaurant 5424 Shady Ave., Lowville (315) 376-6612 G&F Italian Pizza and Restaurant 2972 E. Main St., Parish (315) 625-7177 Gold Star Deli 343 Arsenal St., Watertown (315) 782-6155 Goodfellos 202 W. Main St., Sackets Harbor (315) 646-3463

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NNY Business | December 2012

DINING GUIDE Gram’s Diner 13 Main St., Adams (315) 232-4881 Great American Grill 1290 Arsenal St., Watertown (315) 788-1234 Great Wall Chinese 300 Arsenal St., Watertown (315) 788-7668 Harby’s Hots Outer Washington Street, Watertown (315) 788-2250

Read the reviews

 Visit www.watertowndailytimes.com to read restaurant reviews by Watertown Daily Times restaurant critic Walter Siebel.

Get on the list

 Call NNY Business associate editor Kyle Hayes at (315) 661-2381or email khayes@wdt.net to have your restaurant listed in our monthly dining guide.

Pizza Shack 12699 State Route 3, Sackets Harbor (315) 646-2267

Stone Jug Pizzeria 104 Bartlett Road, Sackets Harbor (315) 646-1008

Rainbow Shores Restaurant 186 Rainbow Shores Road, Pulaski (315) 298-5110

Suk Hui Hi’s Korean 1301 State St., Watertown (315) 785-9740

Rajit 262 Arsenal St., Watertown (315) 782-5513 Ramada Inn 21000 State Route 3, Watertown (315) 788-0700

Super Wok Chinese Restaurant 20991 State Route 3, Watertown (315) 788-5389 Teriyaki Experience 21852 Towne Center Drive, Watertown (315) 785-9254

Herrings Inn 35802 State Route 3, Carthage (315) 493-9829

Limerick Hotel 16331 State Route 12E, Limerick (315) 639-6804

Resturante de Ricardo 1196 Arsenal St., Watertown (315) 788-6800

Highland Meadows Country Club 24201 State Route 342, Watertown (315) 785-0108

Lloyd’s of Lowville 7405 S. State St., Lowville (315) 376-7037

Riccardo’s Market & Deli 710 Holcomb St., Watertown (315) 782-7810

Hops Spot 214.5 W. Main St., Sackets Harbor (315) 646-BEER (2337)

Lucia’s Italian Restaurant 11613 U.S. Route 11, Adams (315) 232-2223

Riverhouse 4818 Salina St., Pulaski (315)509-4281

Maggie’s on the River 500 Newell St., Watertown (315) 405-4239

Roma Restaurant 19 Bridge St., Carthage (315) 493-0616

Mariano’s Pizza 981 Waterman Drive, Watertown (315) 788-8088

Romalato’s Gourmet Deli 450 Gaffney Drive, Watertown (315) 681-6653

Midway Ice Cream 891 Coffeen St., Watertown (315) 405-4996

Ryan’s Lookout 9290 State Route 3, Henderson (315) 938-5151

Mo’s Place 345 Factory St., Watertown (315) 782-5503

Sackets Harbor Brew Pub 212 W. Main St., Sackets Harbor (315) 646-2739

Morgia’s Pasta 22560 Fisher Road, Watertown (315) 788-3509

Sandy’s Luncheonette 5 Public Square, Watertown (315) 782-2935

Mr. Sub Sandwich Shop Public Square & Mill St., Watertown (315) 782-1760

Savory Downtown 300 Washington St., Watertown (315) 788-0272

Nu Pier 13212 State Route 3, Sackets Harbor (315) 646-3312

Sboro’s Restaurant 836 Coffeen St., Watertown (315) 788-1728

Original Italian Pizza 222 N. Massey St., Watertown (315) 786-0000

Shorty’s Place 1280 Coffeen St., Watertown (315) 782-7878

VV’s Mexican Kitchen Noble Street, Evans Mills (315) 629-4652

Papa Tino’s Pizzeria 716 Mill St., Watertown (315) 782-7272

Shuler’s Steak & Seafood 802 Mill St., Watertown (315) 782-1429

Walsh’s Pub & Grill 101 E. Main St., Brownville (315) 782-6065

Lake Ontario Playhouse 103 W. Main St., Sackets Harbor (315) 646-2305

Pete’s Trattoria 111 Breen Ave., Watertown (315) 782-6640

Soluri’s Pizza 526 Factory St., Watertown (315) 782-2888

Willowbrook Golf Club 25075 State Route 37, Watertown (315) 782-8192

Manor Country Diner Route 11, Pierrepont Manor (315) 465-4400

Pickle Barrel Cafe 32523 Route 12, Depauville (315) 686-3640

Stonefence Resort 7191 State Route 37, Ogdensburg (315) 393-1545

Wing Wagon 71 Public Square, Watertown (315) 782-1225

Home Deli Pizza & Subs 305 W. Main St., Watertown (315) 782-6340 Hot Diggity Dogs Salmon Run Mall, Watertown (315) 788-4844 Ives Hill Restaurant 435 Flower Ave. W., Watertown (315) 775-4837 Jean’s Beans 259 Eastern Blvd., Watertown (315) 788-7460 Johnny D’s 1 Public Square, Watertown (315) 782-6108 Karen & Jasper’s Bar & Bistro 1322 Washington St. Plaza, Watertown (315) 788-4110 King Star Food Oriental 22265 U.S. Route 11, Watertown (315) 786-0246 Korean Grill 525 W. Main St., Watertown (315) 681-4226 La Bella Fonte 10700 U.S. Route 11, Adams (315) 232-4842

Thailand Thai Restaurant 1857 State St., Watertown (315) 788-6688 The Place 1612 Ford St., Ogdensburg 315-393-3080 Thousand Island Club 21952 Club Road, Alexandria Bay (315) 482-9999 Tico’s Mex Mex Grill 65 Public Square, Watertown (315) 836-4778 Tilted Kilt 1050 Arsenal St., Watertown (315) 782-5458 Tin Pan Galley 110 W. Main St., Sackets Harbor (315) 646-3812 United China Restaurant 144 Eastern Blvd., Watertown (315) 782-4432 Violi’s Restaurant 209 Center St., Massena (315) 764-0329 Village Inn 8208 Main St., Harrisville (315) 543-9382

December 2012 | NNY Business

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BUSINESS HISTORY

A giant was born ‘up north’

n Delta Air Lines has roots in Ogdensburg firm

N NNY Business

orthern New York has always been the home of big businesses. Today, with the internationally-recognized Car Freshner Corp. calling Watertown home, and drugstore chain Kinney Drugs having built corporate headquarters in Gouverneur, modern day businesses are flourishing in the north country. However, there’s one international travel juggernaut that has roots in St. Lawrence County that often goes unrecognized. The Delta Air Lines that the world knows today was actually born out of a company that was started in Ogdensburg: Ogdensburg Aeroway Corp. In 1920, Thomas H. Huff and Elliot Daland, two St. Lawrence County-based engineers, founded the Ogdensburg Aeroway Corp. Lauded pioneers of their time, Mr. Huff and Mr. Daland were both educated at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Mr. Daland attended Harvard University. Newspaper reports about the formation of the company and its industry-leading inventions were oftentimes boastful and breathless. The Ogdensburg Aeroway Corp. quickly changed its operating name to Huff-Daland Aeroway Corp. and was responsible for inventing and manufacturing military airplanes, bi-planes, seaplanes and powerboats. According to a 1989 Watertown Daily Times article, which quoted the late Clarkson University Professor Emeritus Robert A. Wyant, Mr. Wyant stated that Huff-Daland produced more than 7,500 biplanes in Ogdensburg. Mr. Wyant went

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NNY Business | December 2012

PHOTO COURTESY SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM

A fully restored 1925 Huff-Daland Duster, which was manufactured in Louisiana, hangs in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Washington, D.C. The plane was a gift to the museum from Delta Airlines. The remains of two of the original 18 dusters that Huff-Daland produced stayed in storage until 1967 when Delta Air Lines selected one of them for restoration. Huff-Daland Dusters were based on a bi-plane that was manufactured in 1920 in Ogdensburg.

on to publish works on the history of HuffDaland. The basis for starting the company in Ogdensburg was simple: There were a lot of unemployed boat builders, who would make excellent airplane builders, given the planes’ wooden frames. While the Army was a frequent client of Huff-Daland, it was the company’s development of a crop duster that would bring them the most success, and eventually pave the path to becoming Delta Air Lines. In 1924, Huff-Daland crop dusters were first manufactured. The idea for a crop

duster first stemmed from the necessity for farmers to fight the boll weevil. As cotton crops were swiftly being destroyed by the invasive insects, farmers would have to crop dust manually with the help of their large farm animals. Not only was the work labor-intensive, but it took farmers quite a bit of time to cover hundreds of acres of croplands. The Huff-Daland biplanes were equipped with tanks carrying lead arsenate and calcium arsenate that could cover approximately 750 acres of land in approximately two hours, which was a drastic improvement over the 15-18 acres per

day that farmers could cover on land. The story of Huff-Daland in Ogdensburg comes to a close when the company bought property in Bristol, Pa., and moved the majority of operations to Pennsylvania. The expertise of local wood boat builders was replaced by the need for metal workers, which the population of Pennsylvania provided. The Huff-Daland manufacturing plant was located on Riverside Avenue in Ogdensburg from 1920 to 1925. The plant was replaced by the George Hall complex after the company vacated it and moved to Bristol. Though not based on St. Lawrence County any longer, Huff-Daland as a company continued to thrive. The Bristol-based company formed a separate crop dusting company, Huff-Daland Dusters, based in Macon, Ga., but eventually was moved to Louisiana. Collett Everman “C.E.” Woolman assumed the post as general manager and vice president of the division. It was Mr. Woolman who steered HuffDaland Dusters on its path to becoming Delta Air Lines. Not one for failure, a sharp decrease in company income in 1925 forced Mr. Woolman to look elsewhere for a profitable market for the company. Mr. Woolman began expanding the company’s reach in Mexico, in 1925, and Peru, in 1927. There, he and operations manager Harold R. Harris secured Peruvian air traffic rights to get the company involved in passenger service by air, according to the Delta History Museum. In 1928, Huff-Daland Dusters pilot Dan Tobin inaugurated the passenger airline service on Sept. 13. Come 1929, according to the Delta Museum, Mr. Woolman sold the South American interests and his dream of expansion for the company led to the purchase of three five-passenger, 90 mile-per-hour Travel Air monoplanes. The company name was then changed to Delta Air Service, named by Ogdensburg native Catherine R. Fitzgerald an executive secretary to Mr. Woolman after the Mississippi Delta region that the company served. On June 17, 1929, Delta flew its inaugural passenger flight from Dallas, Texas, to Jackson, Miss., with but two stops in Shreveport and Monroe, La. n BUSINESS HISTORY IS A monthly feature from the archives of the Watertown Daily Times. Visit www.watertowndailytimes.com to access digital archives since 1988, or stop by the Times, 260 Washington St., Watertown to research materials in our library that date back to the 1800s. Two works previously published in the Watertown Daily Times were used in this piece. The first, written by staff writer Brian Kidwell, was published July 28, 1991; the second was published Oct. 29, 1989, and written by staff writer Kenneth Johnson.

December 2012 | NNY Business

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W H AT ’ S H A P P E N I N G H E R E ? FUCCILLO AUTO DODGECHRYSLER-JEEP DEALERSHIP LOCATION: U.S. Route 11, Adams SIZE: 16,200 square feet COST: $1.5 million to $2 million GENERAL CONTRACTOR: D.C. Building Systems,Watertown SITE PREPARATION: Marzano Excavating, Watertown ENGINEERING/DESIGN: Aubertine & Currier Architects, Engineers and Land Surveyors, Watertown ESTIMATED COMPLETION: Spring of 2013 LOCAL JOBS: About two dozen construction jobs; 35 employees at the new dealership — Compiled by Kyle R. Hayes

AMANDA MORRISON | NNY BUSINESS

A contractor from D.C. Building Systems Inc., Watertown, installs guideposts around the exterior of the new DodgeChrysler-Jeep building site at the Fuccillo Auto Mall in Adams last month. Marzano Excavating has cleared asphalt in prepration for foundation work that is now under way.

NEXT MONTH

n our January cover story, we examine the business and economic outlook for Northern New York in 2013 with a special focus on what changes in the health care law might mean for small businesses. Also coming next month:

n BUSINESS STARTUP 101: Think you want to start your own business or buy an existing one? There is more to it than you might think. We talk with some pros who help guide us through the process. n MORE PEOPLE FLYING SOLO: As the economy slowly crawls to recovery, more people are starting their own businesses. Jefferson County posted a record year for small business start-ups. We look at the numbers, the trends and answer why. n PLUS: Small Business Startup, 20 Questions, NNY Snapshot, Economically Speaking, Commerce Corner, Business Law, Business Tech Bytes, Small Business Success, Real Estate, Agri-Business, Business History and Business Scene. n VISIT US ONLINE at www.nnybizmag.com. Follow us on Twitter for daily updates at @ NNYBusinessMag, like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/nnybusiness, and view eEditions at www.issuu.com/NNYBusiness.

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December 2012 | NNY Business

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