Strike the right balance of social media and business page 22
September 2012
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n Biz Tech n Real Estate n NNY Snapshot n Business Scene
n 20Q with NYAB’s Michael Hawthorne p. 40
Christopher T. Hall
Slic Network Solutions
Connecting the region High-speed tech key to business growth $2.95
/nnybusiness @NNYBusinessMag
Northern New York’s Premier Business Monthly Vol. 2 Issue 10 | www.nnybizmag.com
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NNY Business | September 2012
September 2012 | NNY Business
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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 writes about the history of the ATHENA Leadership Award. (p. 46)
Jay Matteson is the agricultural coordinator for the Jefferson County Agricultural Development Corp. He writes about pending changes to federal wetland regulations. (p. 47)
Sarah O’Connell is an advisor for the state Small Business Development Center at SUNY Jefferson. She writes about how new technologies can help businesses. (p. 49)
Larry Covell is a professor of business at SUNY Jefferson and an attorney. He explains the different responsibilities businesses have in commercial property leases. (p. 45)
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
Advertising Directors Jill Van Hoesen is chief information officer for Johnson Newspapers and a 25-year IT veteran. She recommends taking stock in tech as the 2013 budget season nears. (p. 48)
Lance M. Evans is executive officer for the Jefferson-Lewis and St. Lawrence County Board of Realtors. He writes about the differences in agency responsibilities. (p. 34)
Michelle L. Capone is regional development director for DANC. She writes about partnerships working to bring high-speed Internet to rural areas. (p. 44)
David Winters is a former Watertown Daily Times reporter and freelance writer who lives in Adams. He writes about a major effort to bring high-speed Internet to rural NNY. (p. 26)
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
Kyle Hayes is associate magazine editor for NNY Business. In our cover story, he features businesses that are using technology. He also writes about social media and commercial real estate (p. 14, 22, 35)
Joleene DesRosiers is a freelance writer and motivational speaker. She looks at consumerdriven changes in banking technology and examines new tech in the dental industry. (p. 24, 28)
Elizabeth Lyons is a Johnson Newspapers reporter based in Ogdensburg. She writes about Pepsi-Cola Ogdensburg Bottlers bottler of the year award. (p. 30)
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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MARKETPLACE Advanced Business Solutions ….......................… 50 A.G. Netto Realty …............ 36 AmeriCU …........................... 29 Ameriprise Financial …....… 31 Bond Schoeneck & King .….. 7 Cantwell & Associates ..….. 31 Cari-Mor …........................... 62 Center for Sight …................ 64 Clarence Henry Coach ….. 52 Clayton Dental Office …..... 43 Convenient Storage Solutions .........................….. 57 DANC …................................ 46 Essenlohr Motors ….............. 53 Foy Agency Inc. …............. 43 Fuccillo Automotive …....... 38
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GWNC Chamber .............….. 3 HighTower Advisors ........…. 23 Howard Orthotics …............ 44 H&R Block …........................ 37 Innovative Physical Therapy ..........................….. 45 JCJDC .............................….. 61 KeyBank ..........................….. 2 LaClair Family Dental ...….. 42 LoFink Ford Mercury .....….. 54 LTI ....................................….. 48 Marra’s Homecare ........….. 12 NNY Business ..….. 8, 50, 59, 63 NNY Community Foundation .....................….. 25 Northstar Automotive ...….. 56 The Paddock Club .......…... 31
NNY Business | September 2012
Painfull Acres .................….. 43 River Hospital .................….. 33 SeaComm FCU ..............….. 20 Shred Con .......................…..49 Sideline Promotions ……..... 43 Slack Chemical Co. …….... 47 Strategic Financial Solutions ……........................ 13 Three C’s Limousine …........ 55 Thousand Islands Realty …. 36 Truesdell’s Furniture .......…… 9 Watertown Daily Times .….. 58 Watertown LDC ..............….. 34 Watertown Savings Bank .... 27 Westelcom .....................….. 61 Work Well Investments ..….. 39 WWTI-ABC50 .....................….. 6
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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.
>> Inside SEPTEMBER 2012
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24
22
28
32
26 |
COVER |
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14 INVESTING IN TECH For some, betting on new technologies isn’t a gamble, it is good business sense. |
BUSINESS TECH
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21 AN APP FOR THAT APP is the new buzz word in tech today. Learn how to add one to your toolbox.
ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY |
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LEWIS COUNTY |
26 CONNECTING RURAL NNY Slic Network Solutions is installing nearly 800 miles of high-speed Internet lines.
33 A COTTAGE INDUSTRY A Copenhagen eatery has reopened with lots of history.
30 PEPSI’S TOP BOTTLER Pepsi-Cola Ogdensburg Bottlers garners national acclaim, Las Vegas style.
35 HITTING A STEADY PACE 2012 commercial, industrial real estate sales have set a pace consistent with past.
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FEATURES |
22 SOCIAL MEDIA MATTERS Facebook. Twitter. Pinterest. LinkedIn. How can you put the best to work now?
28 DENTAL INNOVATIONS One north country practice is employing cutting-edge tech alongside dental chairs.
24 TECH SAVVY BANKING North country banks are working to meet consumer demand for mobile access.
32 HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE A summer youth employment program at the Y put several in business while on vacation.
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REAL ESTATE |
BUSINESS HISTORY |
60 STORIED MANUFACTURER New York Air Brake has been a mainstay for employment through its 136 years. |
WHAT’S HAPPENING HERE? |
62 A NEW AUTUMN RIDGE Construction is under way on 394 additional apartments. September 2012 | NNY Business
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NNY Business | September 2012
| INTERVIEW |
| ON THE COVER |
40 TAKING THE REINS On July 1, Harrisville native and Clarkson University graduate Michael J. Hawthorne assumed the job of president at New York Air Brake. He shares his vision for the storied Watertown firm. | COLUMNS |
44 ECONOMICALLY SPEAKING 45 BUSINESS LAW 46 COMMERCE CORNER
47 AGRI-BUSINESS 48 BUSINESS TECH BYTES 49 SMALL BUSINESS SUCCESS
| DEPARTMENTS |
8 9 10 12 34
EDITOR’S NOTE PEOPLE ON THE MOVE ECONOMIC SNAPSHOT BUSINESS BRIEFCASE REAL ESTATE ROUNDUP
51 52 58 60 62
CALENDAR BUSINESS SCENE DINING GUIDE BUSINESS HISTORY WHAT’S HAPPENING HERE?
Photographer Jason Hunter captured Slic Network Solutions employee Christopher T. Hall, Potsdam, as he lashed up fiber optic cable along County Route 12 in Brandon last month. Slic is completing installation of 796 miles of fiber optic cable that will deliver high-speed Internet to more than 6,500 homes and businesses in St. Lawrence and Franklin counties.
September 2012 | NNY Business
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EDITOR’S NOTE
T
he evolution of technology in recent years has given way to many great innovations in business. From handheld devices like smartphones to tablet computers and global positioning systems that track inventory while it’s shipped from places like Watertown to the far-flung reaches of the country, we live in a world that is today more nimble, more accessible and faster than ever before. Oh, if only Alexander Graham Bell could see the telephones of the 21st century. I’m sure he’d be as baffled by apps and text messaging as my late father was by his DVD Ken Eysaman player and cordless phone. There’s little doubt to the truth that businesses large and small in cities and towns near and far have come to embrace technology as a means to sharpen their competitive edge, rein in costs and produce and market products that are more advanced and sophisticated than prior models. As you’ll read in this month’s cover story by Associate Editor Kyle R. Hayes, which begins on page 14, a handful of north country businesses are employing technology to bolster their brand’s impact, hone efficiencies and make an indelible mark on consumers. In a related story, we visited with a Syracuse firm that is in the business of app development and a social media consultant who helped us sort through the virtual overload that began with Facebook. In our conversation with Mandee Widrick, she shares some plain-spoken, back-to-the-basics advice that also could hold truths for the not-so-tech-savvy business operator: “It’s better to do a few
things well than a lot of things poorly.” BUSINESS SCENE — This month’s Scene section, which begins on page 52, features 57 faces from nearly 45 organizations and businesses across the north country. On Aug. 11, we joined the Jefferson County Historical Society for its Historical Society 500 donor reception at the historic Paddock Mansion. That same day, we hit the New York State Zoo at Thompson Park to revel in an annual celebration of Bobcats, Bears and Brews. Later in the month we dropped in on the Sackets Harbor Chamber of Commerce for its August Meet and Greet held poolside at Fort Pike Commons Apartments. Finally, on Aug. 16, we joined the Greater Watertown-North Country Chamber of Commerce for Business After Hours at the new Davidson Chevrolet in Watertown Center. n
n
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20 UNDER 40 — As you’ll notice on this page, we have opened nominations for this year’s NNY Business 20 Under 40 class. Thanks to the generosity of Watertown Savings Bank, the Northern New York Community Foundation and the Greater Watertown Jaycees, we are excited to again recognize Northern New York’s emerging leaders. If you know a young man or woman worthy of nomination, email me at keysaman@wdt.net. Include their age, place of employment, where they live, community and civic involvement and a brief narrative as to why they deserve recognition. Selectees will be featured in our December issue and honored during a luncheon. Read this space for more details to come in future issues, follow us on Facebook at Facebook/ NNYBusiness, or visit us online at www. nnybizmag.com.
Yours in business,
Correction In last month’s cover story about the health care’s impact on Northern New York and its economy, Gouverneur’s E.J. Noble Hospital was inadvertently omitted from the economic impact data chart that appeared on page 20. According to a June 2010 report by the Healthcare Association of New York titled “The Impact of E.J. Noble Hospital of Gouverneur on the Economy and the Com-
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NNY Business | September 2012
munity,” the hospital employs 410 people with an estimated total economic impact of $35,544,000. Its supply purchases totaled $9,579,000 and capital spending accounted for $2,218,000 of its impact. NNY Business magazine strives to publish an accurate report each month. If you spot an error of fact or omission, contact Ken Eysaman, editor, at keysaman@wdt. net or 661-2399.
PEOPLE ON THE MOVE OBGYN doctor joins Canton-Potsdam
Dr. Paul White, OB/GYN, has joined Canton-Potsdam Hospital and is seeing patients at the Women’s Room, 190 outer Main St., Potsdam. Dr. White completed medical training at Tufts Medical School, Baystate Medical Center White and University Autonoma de Guadalajara in 2000 with additional pre-internship training at New York Medical College. He completed his internship in family medicine at Southern Illinois University and an additional internship in obstetrics and gynecology at Brooklyn Hospital Center. He completed his residency in obstetrics and gynecology at University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey Medical School in 2007, serving as chief resident during his final year of residency. He is certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. White has been in private practice in general obstetrics and gynecology in California since 2007. He is accomplished in the use of minimally invasive laparoscopic and robotically-assisted surgery techniques.
Promoted at Otis Technology
Brad McIntyre has been promoted at the Lyons Falls gun-cleaning system
manufacturer Otis Technology. Mr. McIntyre has been promoted to director of international and government sales, a senior management position. He will be responsible for sales to international sporting goods customers, foreign militaries, the United State military and law enforcement agencies. Mr. McIntyre has 12 years of experience within the company in a variety of sales and marketing roles.
Honored at symposium
Clarkson University’s Egon Matijević, the university’s Victor K. LaMer Professor of Colloid and Surface Science and Distinguished University Professor, was honored in August at a special symposium at the Fall American Chemical Society National Meeting and Exposition in Philadelphia, Pa. The symposium, “Half a Century of Fine Particles Science: A Symposium in Honor of Egon Matijević at 90,” was held under the auspices of the ACS Division of Colloid and Surface Chemistry. The symposium was organized by Mr. Matijević’s colleagues, friends and mentees — professors S. V. Babu, Dan V. Goia, Sergiy Minko and Richard E. Partch of Clarkson University, and Leszek Hozer of the Dow Chemical Co. Mr. Matijević began his career at Clarkson in 1957 as a post-doctoral fellow. In 1965, he established the Institute of Colloid and Surface Science, the first of its kind in the country.
Rhonda’s Footeworks hires two teachers
Rhonda’s Footeworks, a dance stu-
Got business milestones? n Share your business milestones with NNY
Business. Email news releases and photos (.jpg/300 dpi) to editor Ken Eysaman at keysaman@wdt.net. The deadline for submissions is the 10th of the month for the following month’s issue. Photos that don’t appear in print may be posted on our Facebook page.
dio with locations in Watertown and Lowville, has hired Serena Bartholomew and Rachael Taylor as teachers. Ms. Bartholomew will teach level three and four technique in the Watertown studio. A native of Nevada, Ms. Bartholomew has been trained in jazz, ballet, hip hop, contemporary, pointe, African fusion and Tahitian. She has studied at the University of Nevada — Las Vegas in dance, stage design and productions and recently transferred to SUNY Potsdam to finish a bachelor’s degree in dance with a minor in stage design elements and a bachelor’s degree in philosophy. Her future plans include owning her own dance studio and focusing on entertainment law. Ms. Taylor will work as a full-time substitute in the Watertown studio and join the class rotation in October. Ms. Taylor has studied several dance styles with a concentration in tap. She has studied with choreographers Brian Friedman and Wade Robson, volunteered with the Immaculate Heart Central music department and has been choreographer for the Miss Thousand Islands pageant.
Consulting firm founded
Jason A. Clark, former executive director of the Massena Business Develop-
Please see People, page 39
September 2012 | NNY Business
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NNY
Economic indicators Average per-gallon milk price paid to N.Y. dairy farmers July ’12 $1.53 June ’12 $1.51 July ’11 $2.01
23.88%
ECON SNAPSHOT
Vehicles crossing the Thousand Islands, OgdensburgPrescott and Seaway International (Massena) bridges
Source: NYS Department of Agriculture
567,942 in July 2012 474,032 in June 2012 559,495 in July 2011
Average NNY price for gallon of regular unleaded gas
Source: T.I. Bridge Authority, Ogdensburg Bridge & Port Authority, Seaway International Bridge Corp.
July ’12 $3.60 June ’12 $3.66 July ’11 $3.82
U.S.-Canadian dollar exchange rate (Canadian dollars per U.S. dollar)
5.76%
Average NNY price for gallon of home heating oil
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(Percent gains and losses are over 12 months)
May ’12 $3.66 June ’12 $3.69 May ’11 $3.73
1.88%
1.51%
$1.01 on July 25, 2012 $1.03 on June 27, 2012 $0.95 on July 27, 2011
6.32%
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
July ’12 $3.06 June ’12 $3.09 July ’11 $3.19
90,100 in July 2012 91,500 in June 2012 90,400 in July 2011
4.08%
0.33%
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
125, median price $142,000 in July 2012 108, median price $125,000 in June 2012 113, median price $147,000 in July 2011
56, median price $70,750 in July 2012 56, median price $78,000 in June 2012 56, median price $72,100 in July 2011
10.62% Sales
3.4% Price
Source: Jefferson-Lewis Board of Realtors Inc.
18.52%
Sales
Price
Source: St. Lawrence Board of Realtors Inc.
NNY unemployment rates
Jefferson County July ’12
9.4%
June ’12
July ’11
9.6% 8.5%
St. Lawrence County
July ’12
11.1% 11.0%
June ’12
July ’11
10.8%
Lewis County 9.1%
July ’12
9.6%
June ’12 July ’11
8.5%
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 | September 2012
NNY
Economic indicators New automobiles (cars and trucks) registered in Jefferson County Cars 439 in July 2012 355 in June 2012 268 in July 2011
38.95%
Trucks 99 in July 2012 66 in June 2012 65 in July 2011
34.34%
Source: Jefferson County Clerk’s Office
Passengers at Watertown International Airport
Open welfare cases in Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties
3,579 inbound and outbound in July 2012 2,765 inbound and outbound in June 2012 720 inbound and outbound in July 2011
1,864 in July 2012 1,899 in June 2012 1,835 in July 2011
1.58%
397.08% Source: Jefferson County Board of Legislators
DBA (doing business under an assumed name) certificates filed at the Jefferson County Clerk’s office in June. For a complete list of DBAs filed in past months, visit us on the Web at WWW.NNYBIZMAG.COM.
Aug. 24: CJ’s Auto Sales, 808 W. Main St., Watertown, Jessica L. Jarrell, 25754 Pearl St., Watertown.
Aug. 15: Vito’s Gourmet, 3 Public Square, Watertown, Anthony V. Tarzia Jr., 313 Ten Eyck St., Watertown.
C&K Farms, 35175 Route 11, Philadelphia, Kasey Stevens, 22 Main St., Philadelphia.
Aug. 13: Peggy’s Grab N Go Cafe, 317 Washington St., Watertown, Margaret E. Perl, Marcellus.
Aug. 23: New China Wok, 5 Liberty St., Adams, Xin Qi Huang, 5 Liberty St., Adams.
Tillie’s Place, 1 Public Square, Suite 4, Watertown, Nancy Wheeler and Andrew Sylvester, Jackson Heights.
Wet Noses Floppy Ears, 10662 Duck Harbor Road, Chaumont, Nancy L. Schatz, 10662 Duck Harbor Road, P.O. Box 103, Chaumont.
JHP Cleaning, 23110 Boyd Road, Carthage, Jody M. Pierce, 23110 Boyd Road, Carthage.
Stella Gray Boutique, 174 Bowers Ave., Watertown, Christina R. Faber, 174 Bowers Ave., Watertown
Aug. 10: Hosley Motorsports, 21796 Route 177, Rodman, Logan M. Hosley, 21777 Route 177, Rodman.
Rilee’s Painting, 407 Fairview St., Watertown, Scott Thomas, 407 Fairview St., Watertown.
Home Modification Accessibility Comfort and Safety, 19821 County Route 63, Watertown, David G. Kandler, 19821 County Route 63, Watertown.
Painting Express, 1620 Huntington St. U8, Watertown, David Thomas, 1620 Huntington St. U8, Watertown.
Aug. 9: Cook’s Family Diner, Route 1, Philadelphia, Jeffery A. Cook, 34058 Carpenter Road, Antwerp.
2 Guys Automotive, 413 Factory St., Watertown, Ricky E. Frazier, 23960 White Road, Watertown.
Paper Cuts, 11537 Circle Drive, Chaumont, Sarah J. Denney, 11537 Circle Drive, Chaumont.
Aug. 22: Carthage RT Football Team, 710 Elm St., Carthage, Robert Sligar, 710 Elm St., Carthage.
Aug. 8: Al’s Wooden Boat Restorations, 36465 Middle Road, LaFargeville, Allan Van Allen Sr., 36465 Middle Road, LaFargeville.
Give Me Some Sugar, 23334 Gardner Drive, Watertown, Shelley L. Languedoc, 23334 Gardner Drive, Watertown.
Aug. 6: Monkey Paw Earthworks, 12788 Ayles Road, Adams, Morgan B. G. and Paul E. H. Fiegl, 12788 Ayles Road, Adams.
La Tack and Supplies, 20560 State Route 411, LaFargeville, Jeffrey Hunter, 20560 State Route 411, P.O. Box 271, LaFargeville.
Kadaraitis Farm, 35440 Carpenter Road, Antwerp, John R. and Lisa Kadaraitis, 35440 Carpenter Road, Antwerp.
Kipp’s Cafe, 24479 State Route 411, LaFargeville, Sara Kipp, 36278 Hagen Road, LaFargeville.
Aug. 3: Lynn’s Handyman Service, 740 S. Massey St., Watertown, Lynn J. Macnay, 740 S. Massey St., Watertown.
Talk Dirty to Me, 258 Champion St., Apartment 106, Carthage, Andrea R. O’Neil, 258 Champion St., Apartment 106, Carthage.
USA Soccer Camps, 13 Antwerp St., Philadelphia, Christopher Pacilio, 13 Antwerp St., Philadelphia.
Aug. 20: Hawk Entertainment, 11665A Osprey Loop, Watertown, Jeffrey A. Hawk, 11665A Osprey Loop, Watertown.
Jo Jo’s Kreations, 25278 Mullin Road, Dexter, Amy Baker, 25278 Mullin Road, P.O. Box 494, Brownville.
Tina’s Painted Lady, 34354 State Route 126, Carthage, Tina M. Olley, 34354 State Route 126, Carthage.
Aug. 2: Thomas B. House III, 13731 Greene St., Adams Center, Thomas B. House III, 13731 Greene St., Adams Center.
Aug. 17: Stephenson’s Polar Bear Concessions, 16668 Route 11, Watertown, Debra L. Stephenson, 16668 Route 11, Watertown.
Aug. 1: Woodland Creek Designs, 22531 Alexandria Street Road, Carthage, Andrew J. and Amy Lou Bayliss, 22531 Alexandria Street Road, Carthage.
Club Enlightenment, 29 Empsall Plaza, Suite 29, Watertown, Ervin J. Best and Gerald A. Lacey, 29 Empsall Plaza, Suite 29, Watertown.
Adirondack Fishing Kayaks, 37097 Morgan St., P.O. Box 434, Theresa, Gregory R. Parmes, P.O. Box 434, Theresa.
Aug. 16: PT Movers, 856 S. Massey St., Watertown, Philip D. Farmer, 856 S. Massey St., Watertown.
Top Dog Concessions, 109 St. Lawrence Ave. E., Brownville, Kevin A. Thompson, 109 St. Lawrence Ave. E., P.O. Box 316, Brownville.
TRANSACTIONS
DBAs
Source: Social Service Depts. of Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties
September 2012 | NNY Business
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BUSINESS BRIEFCASE
PHOTO COURTESY POTSDAM CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
From left, Gregory Bouchard, Potsdam Knights of Columbus, Fred Hanss, Potsdam planning office, Fredrick Cliff, owner, St. Lawrence Optical, Tim Gardner, owner, St. Lawrence Valley Roasters/Jernabi Coffeehouse, Jessica Berkman, Time Warner Cable Media Sales, and Janice Adderley, the UPS Store.
St. Lawrence Optical opens in Potsdam
The Potsdam Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Aug. 9 for St. Lawrence Optical, 11½ Main St., located on Fall Island across from Trinity Episcopal Church. Licensed optician Frederick Cliff owns
St. Lawrence Optical, which provides eye exams, glasses, sunglasses, contact lenses, repairs and adjustments. Contact St. Lawrence Optical at 2749181 or stlawrenceoptical@gmail.com for more information or an appointment.
Ogdensburg salon opens
p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to noon Saturday and Sunday.
Busy Corner Tanning, 230 Ford St., Ogdensburg, is open for business. The tanning salon is owned and operated by Caitlin and Keith Morgan, who also own Busy Corner Café, 234 Ford St. The business is a former doctor’s office with separate rooms for three stand-up tanning chambers and two beds for lying down. It is open from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30
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NNY Business | September 2012
Ogdensburg Chamber honors United Helpers
United Helpers Management Co., 732 Ford St., and Deborah L. Aldrich, 920 Ford St., both of Ogdensburg, have been recognized by the Greater Ogdensburg Chamber of Commerce for improvements
to their properties and the effect on the city’s image. Every six weeks during the warmer months, the Greater Ogdensburg Chamber of Commerce recognizes one business and one residence for improvements to their properties through the chamber’s Gateways and Corridors Committee. United Helpers was chosen based on the work of grounds crews to remove overgrown trees, repaint a porch, install new railings, hang flowers and install a new sign on the property. Ms. Aldrich was recognized for the work done to her property over the past three years, installing new windows and siding, restoring the front porch and planting flowers. The Gateways and Corridors Committee, formerly the Ford Street Committee, recently agreed to expand the scope of its efforts beyond Ford Street to include State Street, Main Street, Canton Street, Fine Street and New York Avenue.
Neurology practice plans expansion
North Country Neurology, a Watertown-based practice, will add more than 6,000 square feet to its Washington Street facilities. The current space is 3,600 square feet and will be expanded to more than 10,000 square feet at a cost of $1.2 million. The practice, owned by Dr. Abdul Latif, is adding space to accommodate two new neurologists with various neurology sub-specialties who will join the practice by July 2013. Dr. Latif has been practicing in Watertown for more than 18 years and has treated more than 36,000 patients with a variety of diagnoses and diseases,
BUSINESS BRIEFCASE including chronic neck and back pain, migraines, strokes, seizures, epilepsy, neuromuscular disorders, Lou Gehrig’s disease, myasthenia gravis, multiple sclerosis, peripheral nerve disorders and damage and sleep disorders. Currently the practice has as many as 15,000 patients, who are seen by Dr. Latif, neurologist Dr. Mohsin Ali and physician’s assistant Lisa Trickey. Dr. Latif said that groundbreaking would be sometime this fall and completed in early 2013. Construction and design are being handled by LUNCO, Carthage.
donations to the young leaders group are now tax-exempt. The organization is chaired by Alicia M. Dewey. TIYLO started as a small group of young professionals looking to provide an opportunity for like-minded people to network, get involved in local economic and community developments and coordinate their own projects. The all-volunteer group now organizes several events — including music festivals, summits, exhibitions and sporting activities
Got business news?
n Share your business news with NNY Business. Email news releases and photos (.jpg/300 dpi) to nnybusiness@wdt.net. The deadline for submissions is the 15th of the month for the following month’s issue. Photos that don’t appear in print may be posted on our Facebook page.
— every year in the Thousand Islands community.
Please see BRIEFCASE, page 43
Watertown dealership has added Fiat brand
F.X. Caprara Auto Sales, 18476 Route 11, has added the Fiat franchise of cars, a division of Chrysler, to its location in Watertown. William F. Caprara, owner of Caprara Brothers, said about 30 vehicles in the price range of $15,000 to $22,000 will be sold at the dealership and part of the building will be retrofitted into a Fiat store on site. Visit www.fxcaprara.com to learn more.
Massena chamber plans move to former temple
The Greater Massena Chamber of Commerce will begin packing and moving their office from 50 Main St. to 16 Church St., the former Adath Israel synagogue, following the Sept. 8 Harvest Festival in downtown Massena. Chamber officials signed paperwork in July that transferred ownership of the former synagogue to them for $1. The chamber had been actively seeking another location for nearly three years. St. Lawrence County foreclosed on the building currently housing their office and asbestos abatement and roof issues have plagues the structure.
TIYLO granted nonprofit organization status
The Thousand Islands Young Leaders Organization is now a nonprofit organization. Formed in 2008, TIYLO has been seeking 501-C3 status for more than two years and was granted nonprofit status in August. Retroactive to May 2, 2011, all
September 2012 | NNY Business
| 13
Employees at Timeless Frames, Watertown, assemble frames behind an informational order screen. Investments in new technology have helped the business grow in recent years. JUSTIN SORENSEN | NNY BUSINESS
On the
CUTTING EDGE of TECHNOLOGY n BUSINESSES SHARPEN COMPETITIVE EDGE BY KYLE R. HAYES | ASSOCIATE EDITOR AS TECHNOLOGY HAS EVOLVED IN THE PAST DECADE, WITH SMARTPHONES BECOMING THE PREFERRED mobile device and laptop computers being tossed aside for sleeker tablets, so, too, has the business landscape advanced. To stay competitive, business owners have had to adapt to a changing technological environment. Gone are the days when merely having a unique product meant steady sales. Today, having products that are most visible to the consumer and having the ability to deliver that product to the customer faster — and with better customer service — than ever before can make or break a brand and, simply put, it just what makes good business sense. As we delved deeper into how advancements in technology have affected local business entities, we spoke with leaders at four north country businesses about ways their firms have made tech advancements work for them. These firms have used new technologies to not only grow their business, but expand their brand’s impact, increase efficiency and make their mark on both a regional and national scale. In an unassuming manufacturing building in Watertown’s Jefferson County Industrial Park, Timeless Frames, Decor and Expressions produces thousands upon thousands of photo frames, custom frames and photo gifts each month that are shipped throughout the country. Those same photo frames are also being sold by retailers such as JCPenney.com, Amazon. com and soon Macys.com, with potential customers throughout the world seeing products produced right in Watertown. As a major player in the business landscape of the north country, Timeless Frames, Decor and Expressions is a visible example of an innovative company that has expanded and molded with the evolution of technology to aid both its growing workforce and its production capacity. Growing from seven employees in 1999
to more than 200 today, Timeless Frames, headed by CEO Lisa A. Weber, has added custom frames, the Timeless Decor portion of the company, and custom photo gifts, Timeless Expressions, in the past 13 years. The ability to grow the company, according to Ms. Weber, would have been nearly impossible without the expansion of Internet sales. “Our online sales are exploding,” Ms. Weber said. “Online sales have quickly become about five percent of our business in just the last two years. Timeless Decor, the custom framing portion of the business, took about four years to become about half of our business.” In 2010, Ms. Weber and her team decided the time had come to incorporate custom photo gifts, such as coffee mugs, calendars, photo books and a nearly end-
less array of products, into the Timeless line up. That move led to an overhaul of how Timeless conducted business online. “We needed to have a way to reach the consumer better online, so we sat down with our team and talked about user experience and what we liked and didn’t like about other sites,” Ms. Weber said. “It was a huge collaborative effort that I’m proud of my team for what they put together.” A spin-off of that web development was the ability for Timeless Frames to co-brand with retailers for online ordering. A handful of Timeless retail customers now have their websites set up to look like their own retail experience but when a customer orders a custom photo gift or frame, the website cuts over to the Timeless site, marked with Timeless branding, and customers can order directly from there. September 2012 | NNY Business
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COVER STORY “The ability to do that has been very successful,” Ms. Weber said. “Our retail partners really like to have that option.” Making the investment in sales and retail technology as well as the warehouse processes that Timeless has had to purchase and incorporate for web order fulfillment and production is about calculated risks, Ms. Weber said. “Whenever you’re investing in technology there will be good and bad experiences,” she said. “You have to do the market research and pay attention to the customer and what they want and how they behave. In terms of digital gifts, we probably have 200 gifts but maybe five of them sell. That’s where you’re doing research and planning and spending time looking at the products themselves.” Ms. Weber admits that there’s one area of online culture in which Timeless is still building the brand, and that is social media. Timeless Frames currently operates Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest pages. “That’s evolving for us, we are still learning to navigate that,” she said. “There’s not necessarily a magic and science behind social media. We’re experimenting every day and taking baby steps so we can get it right. But we know that a consumer wants to have that connection with a brand.” That connection is something that Ms. Weber and her team are hoping to hold onto with each customer. Ms. Weber noted that major retailers were coming on board with Timeless products, including Macys.com, which soon will begin carrying Timeless frames on its site. Despite any evolution in the technology of marketing or production, Ms. Weber said that ensuring a customer has a positive experience with any Timeless product is the primary goal. “No matter what site we’re sold on, whether it’s Amazon or J.C. Penney, we like to watch the reviews and make sure that people always have a good experience,” Ms. Weber said. “We work very hard to make sure that ends up a good experience for the consumer. That’s visible in our products and our company.” n
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The story of Frazer Computing Inc., a software developer in Canton, began long before the dot com boom or even before the Internet was widely available, even longer before broadband service and WiFi
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was even feasible. In 1985, Michael J. Frazer, who was living it Atlanta at the time, founded Frazer Computing Inc. as the developer of Frazer Dealer Management Software, a software program designed for used car dealerships. “I always wanted to have my own business,” Mr. Frazer said. “I knew accounting and I knew computers and I trained people on accounting software. One day a friend of mine referred me to a car dealership that needed some software. I went and talked with them and wrote the software for them. I took a check home and started writing my own dealership software.” What began with a single employee in Atlanta grew to more than 34 staffers in the Canton headquarters, where Mr. Frazer moved his business in 2001. A Potsdam native, Mr. Frazer wanted to return to the way of life in the north country, but said that the workforce and talent he has found in Northern New York has sustained the business.
“It’s our secret,” he said. “I don’t think we could have done what we’ve done without being here. The ability to get great people, great engineers here and then at less than what we would have to
COVER STORY
JUSTIN SORENSEN | NNY BUSINESS
Above, a organizational flow chart for a website is shown on a white board in the information technology office at Timeless Frames. Left, inventory is tracked with a number, shown here on an invoice and a frame.
pay if we were in, say New York City, has kept us growing.” Now the head of a software company that boasts customers, 8,800 of them, in every state in the United States, Mr. Frazer
wasn’t always a developer. “I was all self-taught, I learned as I went when I was writing the software,” he said. Since its first version, the software has been in constant evolution. As the nature of the used car industry has changed, so has the technology that supports it. The necessity for an all-in-one program that runs inventory and accounting, contract management and accounts payable has grown and Frazer Dealer Management Software has evolved at the same pace that the industry has. “We are doing what we want to do with the program and it would take us years to do all of the things we have planned for it,” Mr. Frazer said. “We continue to improve the program. It is high tech,
it’s always changing with the high tech world, which itself is always changing.” Mr. Frazer admits that to be able to release updates and improve the software on a consistent basis, having a staff of qualified engineers is what makes it possible. “We might hire one of every 15 engineers we interview,” he said. Engineers are also subjected to an aptitude test as part of employment screening. “We’ve been able to find great people. You worry that people are trying to leave the area, but there are people determined to stay here, live here and work here.” Payroll at Frazer exceeds $1.4 million annually and Mr. Frazer plans to continue adding staff. The building in which the business is located, which houses product development and a customer service call center that takes call from across the country, is being expanded. This fall, Mr. Frazer plans to construct a 4,800-square-foot addition onto the business’s 6196 Route 11 building. Frazer Computing Inc. bought the former Amerigas Propane building in 2009, when the company had just 18 employees. The employee numbers have doubled, now the building will be growing. “We have 34 employees now, we could probably squeeze 36 in here if we tighten up,” said Mr. Frazer, who has hired seven employees this year alone and expects similar growth in the coming year. “We have had over 200 new car dealers sign up in the last month; 2,550 in the last year.” Mr. Frazer said that the nature of the used car dealership business means that businesses open and close quite often, which provides a captive audience for his software. “Dealers go out of business a lot, so it’s not like we’re keeping 2,500 a year, we go up and down based on the businesses opening and closing,” he said. “But as long as we are better than the competition, there’s always someone new coming in.” n
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Steve C. Ferency has had business in his blood since he was a teenager. His father, the late Steve A. Ferency, was president and owner of Hyde Plumbing Supply, which the younger Mr. Ferency bought and ran after his father’s retirement, until 1994. Since turning over the business in the mid-1990s, Mr. Ferency has had trouble sitting still. “When my father retired to Arizona, I ran Hyde Plumbing until my wife and September 2012 | NNY Business
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NORM JOHNSTON | NNY BUSINESS
Steve C. Ferency in his home office in Redwood. Mr. Ferency is an independent sales rep for Higher Standards, a merchant-card processing company.
I decided that we’d follow my parents out there,” Mr. Ferency said. “So we moved.” But the laid back lifestyle and soaking in the Arizona sun didn’t fit Mr. Ferency’s need to stay busy and especially to stay in business. “When I moved to Arizona, I had tried different things and different business ventures. My last was in plumbing and heating,” he said. “But summers were too hot, so we decided to move back and bought a place in Redwood. We moved back without anything lined up.” An early retirement didn’t suit Mr. Ferency. He began a series of jobs in sales and founded a water conditioning business that he later shuttered. What stuck was an independent sales position for Higher Standards, a merchant card processing company, setting up and maintaining credit and debit card processing services for local businesses. “I had a friend who was involved with Higher Standards and he said ‘you have to get with this’,” Mr. Ferency said. “So in May 2005 I did. I started making cold calls and set a goal of 100 customers a year. I really went out and met
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customers face-to-face.” Now, with more than 600 customers who use Mr. Ferency as their point person for credit and debit card processing, Mr. Ferency is busier than ever, and believes in his business. “Here’s the issue that I saw going on when I first started working with customers: other card processing companies would lie, cheat and steal to get people to sign up for credit card processing. They would get you to sign up and then they’d take their fees and forget about you,” Mr. Ferency said. “When I started my business, I met all my customers face-to-face and I told them how to read their statements and what to look for and what to ask about.” That work ethic and promise to his customers has led him to processing more than $70 million in credit card transactions. The evolution of technology in the credit card processing business has made his day-to-day operations easier, but also more wallet-friendly for his customers. “I sell credit card terminals for $300, and they’re owned by the business owner. You don’t lease them, you don’t pay huge fees, you own it,” Mr. Ferency said. “Our
business is changing, I now have an iPad where I can do vendor applications right there and email it directly to the company. There are now credit card processing apps and new equipment, like the Square, which plugs into a tablet or smartphone. But those aren’t always as good as they seem.” According to Mr. Ferency, new developments in the smartphone culture that allow vendors to have credit card terminals and apps that take payment on smartphones and tablets have more drawbacks than many consumers initially see. “Some of those programs and technology aren’t fit for certain businesses; they can’t handle the volume that a busy business would require. Those businesses need a dedicated processing terminal,” he said. “There will be a lot of changes coming down the pike, with touch screen machines and faster processing. We are going through and trying to get our customers up-to-date with those.” n
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At the Renzi Foodservice warehouses on Rail Drive and Bradley Street in
COVER STORY Watertown, more than 10,000 products are moved each day throughout the warehouse system and shipped via truck to the company’s 1,000 plus customers. In decades past, the process of unloading shipments and then loading Renzi Foodservice trucks with customer orders was a daunting task that involved products being handled two and three times during storage and then delivery. But with advancements in warehouse technology, Renzi Foodservice is now able to move quicker, more efficiently, often with only one person having to handle merchandise. “The technology that we use in warehousing is huge,” said Lance Clement, director of operations at Renzi Foodservice. “We’re not only reducing overall labor costs, but our warehouse is paperless and all of our trucks are equipped with on board computers making them more efficient as well.” In 2008 and 2009, Renzi Foodservice conducted a major warehouse overhaul that changed the way product was being delivered to customers, records were being kept and how the thousands of products the company offers were being stored. “One of the places we have seen the biggest advancement in technology is with our on-board computers in the delivery trucks,” Mr. Clement said. “Each driver’s vehicle has a computer that will relay information about the driver’s habits, with GPS to tell us where they’ve stopped, whether they’ve shut off the truck or not and if they’ve made any unfamiliar stops that aren’t on the delivery route.” This information is delivered to management in real-time, so at any given time Mr. Clement can see where a specific truck is located, where it’s been and where it’s going. “Our drivers seem to be open and enjoy that we can read this information,” Mr. Clement said. He also noted that the information can be used as a learning tool; for example, drivers can alter their habits based on the information the computer in their truck relays. If they are consuming more fuel than necessary, the computer will note that. Making the warehouse paperless was a big step for Renzi Foodservice increasing efficiency and investing in a technology practice that will impact the business for many years. “Going paperless was big for us because we had so many paper trails, now there are barcodes that are scanned on every
CHRISTINA SCANLON | NNY BUSINESS
Donna Stenoski, Lewis County Chmaber of Commerce associate director, shows off the chamber’s new mobile website on a smartphone.
Got an idea? There’s an app for that, too n North country catching on with mobile applications By KYLE R. HAYES Associate Editor
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rdering a pizza and scoring a deal on the ice cold beverages to accompany it has never been easier. No coupon clipping and keeping track of expiration dates to get a bargain, and don’t even get off the couch or pick up the phone to get a pizza hand-delivered. Just pick up a smartphone. Mobile applications, more widely known as “apps,” for smartphones and tablet computers are becoming the new norm for retailers and service providers, and are offering a new and innovative outlet for businesses in the north country. According to a survey released in March, completed by market research firm comScore, more than 100 million people in the U.S. are considered smartphone subscribers, meaning they own and use a smartphone. That number is a 13 percent increase in smartphone subscribers since October 2011. With the gap closing between traditional mobile phone users and those with access to wireless Internet wher-
ever they have WiFi or cell phone signal, businesses are realizing the necessity of digital apps and mobile websites now more than ever before. In the past two years, Papa John’s has implemented mobile apps for iPhone and Android devices that allow customers to order their favorite pizzas, breadsticks, drinks and desserts from anywhere they’re connected via smartphone. Carl A. Lofberg is owner of the Papa John’s pizza shops in Evans Mills and Watertown. “[Ordering online and via smartphone app] is unique for the pizza business because of the nature of the business itself, we are drivers, we deliver, we’re on-tomove,” Mr. Lofberg said. The way it works, for Papa John’s, is a customer either selects the closest location to them or allows the app to utilize the smartphone’s internal GPS to choose the location a customer is closest too. From there, mobile users have access to the entire Papa John’s menu to order from, special deals and can earn Papa Rewards,
Please see Apps, page 21 September 2012 | NNY Business
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JUSTIN SORENSEN | NNY BUSINESS
Renzi Foodservice delivery trucks are equipped with on-board computers including the Department of Transportation log book and a route detail that includes stops and an inventory tracking system. The computers have helped the firm bolster efficiency on the road and more closely monitor fuel consumption.
product and we can see where each product is in the warehouse,” Mr. Clement said. Mr. Clement, who has worked with Renzi for 18 years, first as a shift supervisor and then warehouse manager before becoming operations director, said that he sees the benefits of the investment in technology most when looking at productivity. “Our investments in technology have given us increased efficiency, yes, but
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we understand where everything goes, unproductive time is minimal, transfer errors are gone and we have greater inventory control.” Looking toward the future, Mr. Clement sees the ability for paperless delivery, with the ability for invoices to be sent to the customer via email and for immediate payments to be made. He also said that much further down the line sustain-
able fuel alternatives for delivery trucks could be an option. “Many, many years down the road I could see alternate fuels that are more eco-friendly than the diesel we use now being the norm,” he said. “But that’s a long way out.” n KYLE R. HAYES is associate magazine editor for NNY Business. Contact him at khayes@wdt. net or 661-2381.
COVER STORY APPS, from page 19 a program that allows Papa John’s patrons to earn redeemable points based on their website and mobile purchases. Once an order is placed it can be charged directly to a credit card on file, a ticket appears at the restaurant the pizza was ordered from, it’s made and either delivered or made ready for carryout. “At our location near Fort Drum, only about 33 percent of our business is carry out, the rest is delivery, which are largely online orders,” Mr. Lofberg said. According to Mr. Lofberg, the Fort Drum community has taken largely to online and smartphone orders because they come from across the country and have adapted to that culture. Patrons at the Watertown location, however, are picking up on the trend as well. Smartphone apps and mobile websites have a direct effect on a business’s bottom line, too, said Mr. Lofberg. He said that customers almost always spend more when they order through the Internet because the app and website are built to upsell to customers. “When someone is in the store or talking with a cashier on the phone, we want that cashier to offer them more, but they might not always do it,” Mr. Lofberg said. “When they’re ordering on the website or on their phone, they’re always being offered breadsticks and values. The ticket is almost always higher online; if you call for pick-up you almost always know exactly what you want.” While Mr. Lofberg admits that he doesn’t think most business models are conducive to online purchasing, the landscape is changing. As he said, e-commerce has become the biggest source of income for retailers that have found a way to integrate it into their revenue stream. For a businesses, large or small, the option of having a mobile format has become more enticing. Service providers use apps and websites as an extra source of revenue; for just about any other business it tailors the way customers see their offerings and adds a cool factor to their brand. “App is the sexy word right now,” said Eric Hinman, a partner at Rounded Development, Syracuse. In terms of mobile brand development, Mr. Hinman said it’s all about problem solving. “Most people come to us with a problem they’re looking to solve. After hearing the problem we pick out the technology that is a solution for them, whether it’s a native mobile app or mobile website.” Rounded Development is a Syracuse-
based firm that builds native iPhone, Android and iPad apps, mobile websites, content management systems and a handful of other technology solutions. The firm is the anchor business in Syracuse’s Tech Garden, an affiliate of the Centerstate Corporation for Economic Opportunity. Before entering into a partnership that became Rounded Development, Mr. Hinman was the co-founder of We Are Mobile, a custom mobile website company, and AppFury, an award-winning application design company. “Everyone wants an app. People come
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App is the sexy word right now. Everyone wants an app. — Eric Hinman, partner
Rounded Development, Syracuse. to us with the idea that they want to create an app, but we end up building more mobile websites,” Mr. Hinman said. The process of creating what’s called a native app, or an application that resides on a smartphone or tablet and has the ability to use the phone’s built-in capabilities like its camera or accelerometer, has several steps that begin with concept design and wire framing and end with making the app available to users. For a simple app design that doesn’t involve building a content management system, Mr. Hinman said that it takes about two to three weeks to build. Customdesigned applications with several moving parts, pages and interfaces that is useable on different platforms could take months. “We worked on a social network for a client, called Sweat, and we built everything for it, which took about six or seven months,” Mr. Hinman said. “The time frame for a project depends on the scope of the project.” The price of developing a custom app also varies on scope, with a custom native app design ranging between $5,000 to $10,000 depending on the number of platforms the app will operate on, how intricate the app is to design and whether a custom content management system is required. “Once the app is built, maintenance is not going to heavily affect it,” Mr. Hinman said. “You might want to add more features, things like Twitter integration,
but it won’t be a drastic overhaul when a new operating system comes along.” Mr. Hinman said not to discount the effectiveness of a mobile website. “With businesses like restaurants, they’re a typical small business that needs a mobile presence and mobile website,” he said. “When I’m driving through Clayton and I search for restaurants there, I can easily call them or see a menu and it’s mobile optimized.” Mobile websites differ from a native app in that they take content that is already established and organize it in a functional way for mobile devices. Mobile sites oftentimes omit photos and videos to make navigation easier and faster. Other local business entities that have recently invested in mobile apps and websites: n The Thousand Island Tourism Council launched its 1,000 Islands application in the iTunes App Store in May. Since its launch, the app has been downloaded more than 1,100 times on the iPhone platform, according to Tourism Council Executive Director Gary S. DeYoung. Mr. DeYoung cited the growing popularity of mobile web browsing when considering developing the application. He told NNY Business in a July interview that web traffic from mobile browsers had increased from about 5 percent to 10 percent of total visits to the council’s website in just two years. The app itself accesses the thousands of businesses within the Tourism Council’s directory and places the business on maps, lists and uses a smartphone’s GPS feature to show users their proximity to attractions and businesses. n Also in May, Nice N Easy Grocery Shoppes introduced the Nice N Easy Deals App. The app is available for Android, iPhone and BlackBerry platforms and is part of a digital marketing push that began nearly two years ago. As of Aug. 22, the app had been downloaded more than 1,800 times across the three platforms, according to the company’s Facebook page. The app allows users to search for stores and receive notifications on deals at Nice N Easy Grocery Shoppes. n The Lewis County Chamber of Commerce has launched a mobile website at AdirondacksTugHill.mobi. The mobile site is a version of the chamber’s Adirondack Tug Hill tourism website and offers access to events, lodging listings, restaurants and maps. The mobile site was designed by Zehr.net. n KYLE R. HAYES is associate magazine editor for NNY Business. Contact him at khayes@wdt. net or 661-2381. September 2012 | NNY Business
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MARKETING
Social media requires synergy, plan
Navigating online waters can be challenging as more options emerge By KYLE R. HAYES
W Associate Editor
hen researching social media marketing, the options are seemingly endless, often confusing and social network names can be barely pronounced. With the requisite blog, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, there’s the added “newbies” of Tumblr, Pinterest, Instagram, Google+, FourSquare and Spotify. By now, some of these networks have become household names, with users numbering in the billions; but others are emerging and offering new services that could help businesses expand a brand’s reach and garner future customers. However, is having an online presence on every possible social media network necessary? At the Greater WatertownNorth Country Chamber of Commerce June speaker series event titled “Social Media and Your Business,” that same question was asked. One answer yelled from the back of the room: “No, it’s all just a waste of time.” However, business advisers are answering the question with another tone. It’s almost always going to aid a business to have a tailored, strategic online presence through social media. “The first thing I tell a client when we’re looking at marketing strategy is to know your customer and know who you want your message to go to,” said Sarah C. O’Connell, a certified business advisor at the Watertown Small Business Development Center. “If your
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Mandee L. Widrick, owner of ChargedUp Media, is a social media coach.
customer is a Yelp person or a Twitter and Facebook person, then you want them to see you on those networks. If they’re not, why waste your time?” That’s the same sentiment that social media coach and owner of ChargedUp Media Mandee L. Widrick shares. “[My clients and I] talk about who they want to target,” Miss Widrick said. “Some have a clear definition of who they want their customer to be and some need help figuring that out. Usually we talk about their goals and what networks
NNY Business | September 2012
are going to be effective for them.” Miss Widrick has spent the better part of two years building a career as a social media coach and constructing her personal brand. She founded Bit & Bridle magazine, which was a limited run print publication, and in January 2010 turned it into Horse Family Magazine, an online-only magazine. That summer she built a business around people who had asked her to help them set up websites and Facebook pages.
“My first year I was doing more social media management, helping people get their pages set up and posting content for them,” she said. “Then I got more into the coaching because I thought that was more effective for both me and my clients.” Miss Widrick, who has clients throughout the country in places like Iowa and Arizona, noted that the type of business determines what social media avenues should be pursued. “I wouldn’t put someone like a service provider on Pinterest, because they’re probably not going to get the results they want, they’d get better results on Twitter or LinkedIn and Facebook,” she said. “Not that they’d be bad results but I want them to get the best results. A retailer that can sell things with pictures and images of their products would do well on Pinterest.” Investing the time to maintain social media networks should be the starting point when making the decision what, and how many, social networks to begin. Ms. O’Connell stressed that no matter what network a business chooses to become involved with, it’s necessary to integrate that into a brand and keep it up-to-date and maintained properly with fresh content. “Me, personally, I ‘like’ businesses on Facebook that I get value from being their friend or reading their updates,” Ms. O’Connell said. “It’s better to do a few things well than to do a lot of things poorly. A lot of people want to invest their time in follow-
MARKETING ing brands that offer value, or specials or deals. For other businesses, that doesn’t work so well. If you’re in consulting and sales, LinkedIn might be a good network because you can be in a mutual interest business group that acts as a list serve and can be kind of cool.” Investing the time to maintain a few networks instead of a dozen is something that Miss Widrick herself practices and preaches to her clients. Miss Widrick maintains the websites MandeeWidrick. com, HorseFamilyMagazine.com and
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training center in Watertown. Page Fitness has grown to more than 500 ‘likes’ on Facebook and maintains a website and YouTube page, where they post short videos with fitness tips from their lead personal trainers. “YouTube video marketing I’ve been working on quite a bit with my clients because it’s good for those short tips,” Miss Widrick said. “And it doesn’t take that much time or effort; you can do it with just an iPhone. You don’t have to go
spend $1,500 on a videographer to make a video and put it on YouTube.” According to Miss Widrick, the most effective approach to social media for any business, large or small, is to set a strategy and have a goal. Having a comprehensive strategy of what a business wants to get out of its investment in social media will ensure that it’s successful. n KYLE R. HAYES is associate magazine editor for NNY Business. Contact him at khayes@wdt. net or 661-2381.
It’s better to do a few things well than to do a lot of things poorly. — Mandee L. Widrick, owner
ChargedUp Media, Adams Center. ChargedUpMedia.com, Facebook accounts for her personal brand and Horse Family as well as a blog, Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest page. “A lot of business owners can handle it themselves, some are a bit busy,” Miss Widrick said. “If they’re bringing me in as coach they have to have someone to run it. Typically that’s the business owner and we talk about how much time it takes and what it will take to run certain profiles. You don’t have to do them all at once; you don’t have to do them all together. If it’s only you and you only have so much time, pick one until you’re ready to add another one.” Ms. O’Connell noted that there are easy, relatively low maintenance ways to give a business an online presence. “If you have a physical location, get a free Google listing that shows your phone number, address and hours,” she said. “At the very least have a good business email and see if you can build up a good mailing list. But I always tell my clients, don’t create these things if you’re not going to check them. If you have an email address, make sure you check and answer emails.” One client that Miss Widrick said has grown into their social media footsteps well is Page Fitness, a fitness and personal
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BUSINESS TECH
Banks deploy consumer-driven tech
North country banks, credit unions offer plenty for on-the-go access By JOLEENE DESROSIERS
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or many consumers, Internet banking via a laptop or iPad is the norm. But for those that still hold a leather savings account book and write checks regularly, online banking is a completely different world – and one that is evolving quickly. For Scott Wilson, president and CEO of SeaComm Federal Credit Union in Massena, having the most up to date technological advances is of utmost importance. “I think we need to become relevant for our membership and meet ever-changing landscape,” Mr. Wilson said. “In today’s world, that means providing an up to date technological delivery channel.” From online banking and instant account transfers to 24-hour access and mobile banking, SeaComm doesn’t miss a beat. While some smaller institutions are still exploring mobile banking options, SeaComm is ahead of the game. After doing research, Mr. Wilson learned through a survey completed by the Federal Reserve Board’s Division of Consumer and Community Affairs, that one in 5 American’s use their mobile phone device for banking services. The survey projects that by the end of the year, one in 3 consumers will be using their phones for banking services. “The mobile device is an extension of one’s person today,” Mr. Wilson said. “Having access to their account balances, making a loan payment, even being alerted when a balance falls below a certain threshold is really what they want. Therefore we must meet those needs as a financial institution. It’s expected. And if were going to compete, we have to have those types of services available.” Thomas Piche, President and CEO of Carthage Federal Savings, said mobile banking is equally important for his financial institution. “We have mobile banking so customers can do their banking on the fly,” Mr. Piche said. “This is great for college students. They can set up an alert that lets them
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NORM JOHNSTON | NNY BUSINESS
JASON HUNTER | NNY BUSINESS
know when their funds are getting low. For example, when their balance is below $50 dollars a notification will pop up. This way they can call home for more money or transfer money from a different account. There’s been more change in the last 15 years than in the past century. But it’s all been for the greater good.” Mobile banking is an option still being explored by Watertown Savings Bank. Bank Vice President Scott Pooler recognizes the increase of Smartphone users in the United States. In this, he said it is vital
Above, Scott M. Pooler, Watertown Savings Bank chief information officer, checks computer systems at the company’s banking headquarters in Watertown. Left, Ryan J. McConnell, SeaComm Federal Credit Union branch manager, holds a debit card in front of an instant issue debit card machine at the main office in Massena. Customers are able to walk into the bank and leave with a working debit card if their card is lost or stolen, rather than waiting for it to be ordered.
that WSB take a look at what the next step is in line of mobile banking. “Smartphones outsell PCs right now. So we are certainly taking a look at mobile banking,” Mr. Pooler said. While Smartphones make their way into the ever-growing technological world of banking, online services are still the most popular way to manage money. At Carthage Federal Savings and Loan, consumers prefer having their financial information immediately at their fingertips. Mr. Piche said the advancements being
Did you know? A FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD Division of Consumer and Community Affairs report published in March revealed that mobile devices are being used more and more for banking. The report examined the use of mobile technology to access financial services and make financial decisions. Key findings of the survey reveal that: n 87 percent of the U.S. population has a mobile phone, 44 percent of which are smartphones. n 21 percent of mobile phone owners have used mobile banking in the past year.
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Banking is no longer a place to go. It’s something you do. — Scott Wilson, president &CEO SeaComm Federal Credit Union.
of customers with different needs. If the institution doesn’t keep up with customer
BUSINESS TECH demand, their customer base dwindles. Consumers will move on to find other banking options elsewhere. “Banking is no longer a place to go. It’s something you do,” Mr. Wilson said. “We have to look for that next innovation all the time and kind of be ahead of the game. We don’t provide technology just to provide it. We provide it because that’s what our members want.” n JOLEENE DESROSIERS is a freelance writer, author and motivational speaker who lives in Pulaski. Contact her at joleene@joleenespeaks.com.
n The most common use of mobile banking is to check account balances or recent transactions (90 percent of mobile banking users). n Transferring money between accounts is the second most common use of mobile banking (42 percent of mobile banking users).
made today must be replicated throughout the industry in order to maintain a healthy customer base at his institution. “I think technology has really allowed the smaller banks to compete with the larger banks and essentially level the playing field,” Mr. Piche said. “Internet banking has changed the financial industry dramatically. It’s been a very good play for everybody. So for us, if we have a customer that leaves the North Country and moves to Florida, they can continue to do all of their banking with Carthage. They have access to all of their financial information all the time. And really, that’s the biggest draw. Years ago, you would have to find a new bank in Florida to continue your services.” Despite the changes, traditional banking must still be recognized. While we find ourselves knee deep in the technological age, there are still plenty of consumers that prefer going through the doors and dealing with a teller the “old fashion way.” “We don’t force new customers into the technology, but we do educate them if they’re interested,” Mr. Pooler of Watertown Savings Bank said. “If they ask, we talk about the benefits of a debit card, or the varying degrees of Internet banking, transferring money and paying bills online. If they’re not interested, that’s okay, too. We still offer lobby service. We haven’t done away with these services, we’ve just opened up new channels to save customers time.” Like all financial institutions, SeaComm in Massena has a wide spectrum
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BUSINESS TECH
Slic connects rural north country
796 miles of fiber optic cable will deliver highspeed Internet to 6,582 households, businesses By DAVID WINTERS
W NNY Business
hen Christopher L. Westbrook wants to check his email or research a topic, he needs to drive to work. The Wanakena resident chooses not to have Internet access at his home because the dial-up connection would be painfully slow. But thanks to $33 million in federal stimulus funding, Slic Network Solutions Inc. is providing communities in St. Lawrence and Franklin counties with access to high-speed Internet by 2013. “I can’t wait to be connected to the Internet at home,” said Mr. Westbrook, director of the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry Ranger School in Wanakena and president of the Clifton-Fine Economic Development Corp. “It’s going to be important for everyone in the area.” The $33 million broadband project, funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, is connecting communities where access to high-speed Internet is limited or nonexistent. Slic Network Solutions Inc., a subsidiary of Nicholville Telephone Co., secured funding for the project in 2010. “It dramatically changes the underlining economic fabric of the region,” Nicholville Telephone Co. President and CEO Mark J. Dzwonczyk said. The connections to communities in the foothills of the Adirondacks are being made by building off the Development Authority of the North Country’s existing fiber-optic network. Mr. Dzwonczyk said customer satisfaction has been high with the introduction of high-speed Internet access. The biggest difference people notice switching from dial-up to broadband is the speed, which is like trading in a clunker car for a Lamborghini. “We’re giving residents access to information that they normally wouldn’t see (using dial-up) and businesses a reliable high-speed connection to make them
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NNY Business | September 2012
JASON HUNTER | NNY BUSINESS
Jeffrey M. Yette, left, sales engineer for Slic Network Solutions, and Ron M. Streeter Jr., installation and repair manager, with spools of fiber optic cable used to connect individuals with high-speed Internet and telephone service.
Slic Network Solutions / broadband project ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY: $27,832,767 ($20,874,574 grant, $6,958,193 loan) FIBER-OPTIC CABLE: 660 miles COMMUNITIES SERVED: Louisville, Norfolk, Stockholm, Hopkinton, Parishville, Waddington, Madrid, Potsdam, Lisbon, Canton, Pierrepont, Clare, Star Lake, Wanakena, Oswegatchie, Fine, Clifton and Piercefield HOUSEHOLDS IMPACTED: 5,856 FRANKLIN COUNTY: $5,328,642 ($4,262,642 grant, $1,066,000 loan) FIBER-OPTIC CABLE: 136 miles Communities served: Dickinson, Moira, Brandon, Bangor and Malone HOUSEHOLDS IMPACTED: 726
more competitive,” Mr. Dzwonczyk said. “I’ve heard stories from people about waiting 45 minutes to download tax forms or an email using dial-up Internet access. It’s really slow.” A second noticeable difference to customers is reliability as frustrations of waiting endlessly for programs to download or connections failing after waiting patiently simply vanish with their high-
speed connection, Mr. Dzwonczyk said. He also noted that telephone busy signals should drop significantly as a high-speed Internet connection is transmitted using fiber-optic lines. Telephone service can also be provided on the same fiber-optic line without interrupting each other. The nearly 800 miles of fiber-optic lines being constructed is giving more than 6,500 households in St. Lawrence and Franklin counties access to cable television, Internet and telephone services. St. Lawrence County Industrial Development Agency CEO Patrick J. Kelly said expanding high-speed Internet access to rural areas provides a solid boost to economic development. “Broadband is a necessity,” Mr. Kelly said. “It’s night and day. It’s literally a giant leap forward in terms of accessibility and content.” For businesses, broadband access allows them to compete better in a global economy and open themselves up to new markets that previously weren’t possible. “Without the infrastructure, you are at a disadvantage in drawing people and businesses,” Mr. Kelly said. “Community by community, it’s allowing them to catch up with the rest of the world. It’s providing the infrastructure and services to areas
BUSINESS TECH that have been poorly served.” Without the federal funding, Mr. Dzwonczyk said most of the sparsely populated communities likely could never hope for more than dial-up Internet connections. Internet providers focus their attention more on densely populated regions where a return on their investment is possible. The funding comes through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development’s Rural Utilities Service, which provided about $2.5 billion to invest in expanding high-speed Internet access to
rural America. “This is a major project for the northeast,” Mr. Dzwonczyk said. The broadband expansion project has doubled Slic’s workforce from 24 to 48 employees, and the company employs more than 50 subcontractors. Mr. Dzwonczyk said he expects the entire project to be completed in mid-2013. The St. Lawrence County IDA and St. Lawrence River Valley Redevelopment Agency have also provided financing for the broadband project.
Mr. Westbrook can hardly contain his excitement when discussing the importance of expanding broadband access for the region. He sees yard signs with the statement “I Just Got Hi-Speed Internet,” where the project has reach customers. “I’m hoping to put up a sign in the yard soon,” Mr. Westbrook said. “We’re hoping to get connected by the end of September.” n DAVID WINTERS is a former Watertown Daily Times reporter and freelance writer who lives in Adams. Contact him at potsdamdave@ gmail.com.
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F E AT U R E S
NNY dentists embrace new tech
From ivory to porcelain, dental technology grows for patient comfort By JOLEENE DESROSIERS
G
NNY Business
eorge Washington’s teeth were said to be made of wood. But if you dig a bit into the history books, you will find they were actually made of ivory and gold. Created by a prominent American dentist by the name of Dr. John Greenwood, the plates were allegedly connected by springs. This meant our first president had to keep his jaw clenched tight in an effort to keep his teeth together. If he relaxed, the springs would make his mouth pop open. And nobody really wants to see that. Today, amazing technological advancements have brought dentistry full circle. Dr. Peter M. Virga, a managing partner at Watertown Dental Health Group, operates his practice with the most up-todate technological advances in dentistry. From digital photography and intraoral USB cameras to large-screen patient monitors and computerassisted restorations, Dr. Virga is able to provide exceptional, expedient service to his patients, no springs attached. “We get the opportunity to meet new people all the time and I love when someone is coming to my office for the first time and they’re seeing and experiencing new technology for the first time,” Dr. Virga said. “It’s great to know that we’re able to change someone’s outlook and experience as far as dental care.” The latest digital photography replaces X-rays, revealing instant results with 80 percent less radiation. Large flat screens enable patients to view those images right away, so no more waiting for them to develop. And intraoral USB wand-like cameras take photos
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Above, Dr. Peter M. Virga, a managing partner at Watertown Dental Health Group, operates his practice with the most up-to-date technological advances in dentistry. Right, Dr. Virga uses Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics to review a patient’s teeth.
for patients to see so they have a better understanding when it comes to problem areas in the mouth. But perhaps the most innovative and impressive technological advancement in dentistry today is Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramics, or the CEREC. The CERAC offers computerassisted design of milled ceramic restorations, which is
NNY Business | September 2012
NORM JOHNSTON | NNY BUSINESS
quicker, less evasive, and cuts down on follow up visits. “With the CERAC, there are
no impressions,” Dr. Virga explained. “It uses 3-D photography, computer-assisted design and milling to produce an indirect all-ceramic restoration in one sitting. Milled porcelain is much stronger than porcelain that’s layered. There are many benefits to CERAC, too. Patients don’t have to come back or have a temporary for a period of time. This is really a win-win, because we’re able to produce a restoration that conserves healthy tooth structure as well as saving the patient time.” Dr. Joseph Girardi also is part of the practice. He said that many patients don’t even realize the kind of technology available in dentistry. But when they do, it’s a whole new experience for them. “Most dental offices do not have the CERAC machine, so it’s neat to see their reaction when they sit down in front of it,” Dr. Girardi said. “This kind of technology not only enhances the patient experience and cuts down on appointment time, but it allows us, as dentists, to do our jobs better then ever. You can still get serviced at your regular dentist office the way you used to, but the new technology here can really enhance the patients’ experience.” Because many dental practices don’t offer advanced technology like the CERAC, patients don’t necessarily know what they’re missing. But if they are made aware of what is currently available, it can dramatically change their experience. For Dr. Virga, investing in updated equipment isn’t necessary to compete with other practices; it is necessary so he and the other dentists in his practice can deliver the finest and most innovative experience to the patient as possible. “As a business owner, I think it’s important to reinvest in my business, so I have to look
F E AT U R E S around and evaluate what I’m doing everyday to be current and provide the best care I can,” he said. “If you’re at your dentist’s office and you look around and feel like you’re possibly being treated where Abraham Lincoln was treated, it might be time for a change.” Abraham Lincoln, George Washington and Grover Cleveland have had very different experiences in the dental chair, and it’s a far cry to where dental technology is today. While many patients visit the Watertown Dental Health Group for bi-monthly visits, many more make
On the Web WATERTOWN DENTAL HEALTH GROUP www.watertownsmiles.com.
appointments for cosmetic dentistry. It’s a growing demographic. From porcelain veneers to teeth whitening and straightening, the same kinds of technologies make cosmetic dentistry even more attractive. “It’s all about making it easier for the patient and enhancing their experience,” Dr. Girardi said. “Sure, it’s easier for us, too, but
it enhances their experience. We can now put pictures in front of patients just seconds after we take them and show them what we can do for them. We have technology where we can show a patient what we can do upgrade their smile or what’s wrong inside their mouths. It’s all so we can educate them. Sometimes when we go to the dentist and we don’t even know what’s going on. But not here; here, we’ve got it all covered.” n JOLEENE DESROSIERS is a freelance writer, author and motivational speaker who lives in Pulaski. Contact her at joleene@joleenespeaks.com.
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S T. L AW R E N C E C O U N T Y
JASON HUNTER | NNY BUSINESS
Pepsi-Cola Ogdensburg Bottlers Inc. President and CEO Bonnie A. Wright with her husband, vice president of operations Richard L., at the Ogdensburg plant after receiving the Donald M. Kendall Pepsi Bottler of the Year Award in Las Vegas last month.
Bottler wins national acclaim
Family-owned company recognized for production, giving back By ELIZABETH LYONS
O NNY Business
gdensburg’s Pepsi bottling company has garnered national recognition for its market share and commitment to the community. Pepsi-Cola Ogdensburg Bottlers won national recognition Aug. 14 with the Donald M. Kendall Pepsi Bottler of the Year Award at PepsiCo’s annual convention in Las Vegas, Nev. The company was one of three finalists nationwide for the honor. The others were in Raleigh, N.C., and Dressler, Wis. “It was something that my father and we always thought we were too small for,” said company President and CEO Bonita A. “Bonnie” Wright. “We are probably one of the smaller bottlers who have ever won the award.”
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Mrs. Wright’s father, Richard E. Winter, moved from Buffalo to Ogdensburg and started the bottling plant in 1943. Mrs. Wright said her mother, Anita Beauchamp Winter, was an Ogdensburg native and was also heavily involved in the business. Mrs. Wright operates the company with her husband, Richard L., who is general manager. Their son, Scott M., is route supervisor and represents the third generation of the family in the business. Her father died in 2003, but his work ethic and philosophy live on with the company, she said. “Dad always had the philosophy to treat everyone like a potential customer, so he treated everybody well,” Mrs. Wright said. The Donald M. Kendall Bottler of the Year award honors bottlers in the United States and Canada for outstanding volume
and per capita growth, retail and food service execution, customer service, quality standards, and community support. The company has experienced two years of per capita growth, Mrs. Wright said, despite a dismal economic climate. She said customer loyalty is why. “In Northern New York, people take care of their own,” she said. “We’re a family business, so we don’t have someone in another state telling us what to do, and our customers appreciate that.” Mr. Winter first opened the bottling plant on Isabella Street, and later moved to larger headquarters at Rensselaer and Lincoln avenues. The company opened its current location at 1001 Mansion Ave. in 1962, but the years leading up to that point were difficult. “He almost went bankrupt twice,” Mrs. Wright said. “When he moved here
S T. L AW R E N C E C O U N T Y from Buffalo he had to borrow money from an uncle to buy the plant, and then the uncle called in the loan. He used to deliver the soda, then pick up the empty bottles, bring them back to wash them, fill them, and put them on the truck for delivery the next day.” She said perseverance kept the business afloat. “He got everyone he could to try it,” Mrs. Wright said. “He just never gave up.” Greater Ogdensburg Chamber of Commerce President Lori M. Smithers said the company’s story shows that businesses can thrive in the north country. “There aren’t that many family-owned businesses around here anymore,” Ms. Smithers said. “It’s a testament to what businesses in the north country can become with some hard work, dedication and support.” In addition to serving and heading multiple community groups, Mr. Winter helped establish the Ogdensburg Boys and Girls Club, and funded the Richard E. Winter Cancer Center at Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center.
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“He gave money to the cancer center to give back to all the people who supported him,” Mrs. Wright said. That sense of community service is still evident at the bottling company, which
to Bonnie and Dick and their children. They’re just so deserving of this award.” “With the economy the way it is, if it weren’t for our donations some organizations would go under,” Mrs. Wright said. Mr. Wright said it’s clear the community appreciates his company’s contributions. He said everywhere he and his family go, people have been congratulating them. “We’re just as proud of our community as they are of us,” he Bonita A. “Bonnie” Wright, president and said. “That’s the whole reason we CEO, Pepsi-Cola Ogdensburg Bottlers. got this award. They have been awfully good to us.” Scott Wright said if his grandfather sponsors numerous community events were still alive, he would be smiling. and donates to more causes than the “He would be unbelievably surprised Wrights can list. and proud of his creation, for sure,” he “There is not one organization I can said. think of in Ogdensburg that has not ben Pepsi-Cola Ogdensburg Bottlers efited from the generosity of the Winteremploys 48 people. Employees spend an Wright family and Ogdensburg Pepsi,” average of 18 years with the company. said city Mayor William D. Nelson. “It’s “If it weren’t for our people, we not just Ogdensburg. How many athletic wouldn’t have won this,” Mr. Wright fields and gymnasiums across St. Lawsaid. rence County have a scoreboard donated by Pepsi? Look at how many events are n ELIZABETH LYONS is a Johnson Newspasponsored by them. It started with Richpers staff writer based in Ogdensburg. Contact her at egraham@wdt.net or 393-1003, ext. 123. ard Winter and has gone right up through
Dad always had the philosophy to treat everyone like a potential customer, so he treated everybody well. —
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F E AT U R E S
Angela M. Stenfeldt and Isiah M. Clayton intern at WBLH Tunes 92.5 Radio in the YMCA’s summer youth employment program. NORM JOHNSTON | NNY BUSINESS
Growing a hands-on experience Y summer youth employment program puts students in business
By REBECCA MADDEN
A NNY Business
ngela M. Stenfeldt and Isiah M. Clayton don’t have your typical first summer job. They’re not baby sitting or washing dishes at a restaurant. The teenagers have been on air, live on location, and have run contests and promotions for WBLH Tunes 92.5 FM as part of the YMCA’s summer youth employment program. “I really wanted to get a job, but it’s hard to get one because they want experience,” Angela said. Throughout their time at the radio station, both Angela, 16, who is going into 11th grade at Belleville Henderson Central School, and Clayton, 15, who will be a 10th-grader at Watertown High School, have gained real worked experience. They also found personal passions and future career plans. “I’ve always wanted to work at a radio station,” Isiah said. “We’ve seen all the key parts, and even went on air and did a commercial.” That wasn’t the case for Angela, but the program opened her eyes to more activities and tasks. “I thought it was all DJing and music, but it’s a lot of business,” she said. While she originally planned on go-
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ing into nursing, the experience she has gained under the leadership of station manager Timothy P. Sweeney and senior account executive Melissa R. Aulet-Ortiz has her thinking about a business career. Mr. Sweeney said he assigned the teens their own contests to run. The station has provided them with pairs of tickets to Journey and a music festival in Oswego, among other concerts or activities. Mr. Sweeney said it has been up to both Angela and Isiah to come up with the contest idea, name and promotion. “We’re excited to have them,” he said. “We’re a small crew for the most part. Having interns is a couple more bodies, but also a couple more people with talent that we may or may not have.” The best part of the program, according to Y outreach branch director Rebecca L. Reed, has been “the receptiveness of the youth, as they’re learning and growing.” “It gives them a nice perspective from a community’s and business’s point of view,” she said. “The mentorship is something that’s been talked about so much, and it struck me in this whole process that this is a perfect mentor process.” The 2012 summer program ran six to eight weeks, depending on coordination with many area businesses. About 30 teens worked up to 15 hours each week of the program, and attended a two-hour
learning session each Friday. Mrs. Reed said 16-year-olds who participate in the program will be paid, and 15-yearolds will be a part of a first-year unpaid internship program with guaranteed paid placement next summer. The pay will be minimum wage, $7.25 per hour. Employer partners are the Fairgrounds Y, YMCA School Aged Child Care, WBLH Tunes 92.5 FM, Watertown Housing Authority, Greater Watertown North Country Chamber of Commerce, Sci-Tech Center of Northern New York, Roswell P. Flower Memorial Library, the New York State Zoo at Thompson Park, Jefferson Community College the Watertown Daily Times and NNY Magazines. The Y received $9,000 from the United Way of Northern New York to start the program, and the Y also will put some of its money into it. Mrs. Reed said the Y also has applied for grants from other agencies, because the “sustainability of this program is an obvious concern.” Mr. Sweeney said that while the program ends for Tunes 92.5 on Aug. 31, he’s already looking forward to next year’s program. Isiah said he plans on applying to the radio station again next year to gain paid experience. n REBECCA MADDEN is a Johnson Newspapers staff writer. Contact her at rmadden@wdt.net or 661-2375.
LEWIS COUNTY
Couple brings new life to cottage
Daughter of former owner, husband reopen Copenhagen inn By ELAINE M. AVALLONE
I
NNY Business
t was like coming home as Denise K. Young and her husband, Daniel A., reopened the Cottage Inn. “It’s an amazing old building with old architecture and is a piece of the history of the area,” said Mrs. Young. The establishment — which had been closed for nearly a year — was twice owned by Mrs. Young’s mother, Alice VanCour. The VanCours operated the inn for about 30 years. Mrs. Young said her father, R.K., built the bar portion of the establishment in 1965. According to Mrs. Young, the bar-restaurant has gone by the Cottage Inn since 1892 so she won’t change the name. Although the Youngs are not restaurateurs, the opportunity presented itself and the couple decided to give it a try. “It’s an opportunity to bring the Cottage back with a new look and upscale food and wine,” said Mrs. Young, who is on a threemonth leave from her job as the executive director for the Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization. Her husband is the manager for KEI Energy, Lyons Falls. After months of cleaning, repairing and renovating with help of Mrs. Young’s brother and sister-in-law, Lester and Deb Beyer, the Cottage Inn reopened July 26. They have put in new windows, a new roof and done work in the cellar as well as remodeled and updated the kitchen. During renovations, Mr. Young found a piece of the back bar which dates back to 1892 and now adorns the wall near the front entrance. Opening the restaurant on Main Street was also a piece of the bigger plan. The couple began planting a vineyard three years ago outside of the village and feel the inn will offer the “perfect outlet” for their product once they begin producing wine. The owners hope to have the Cottage Inn featured on the north country wine tour and plan to renovate rooms upstairs to accommodate snowmobilers since they are on the snow trail. “Copenhagen is the new Sackets,” Mrs. Young said. The new owners hosted a grand opening for the establishment — located at 9794 State Route 12 — on Aug. 11, which will featured drink and food specials. The
Owners Denise and Daniel Young share wine in the renovated and reopened Cottage Inn, Copenhagen.
ELAINE AVALLONE | NNY BUSINESS
bar offers speciality drinks including “coconut cream dream,” lemon drop and a black raspberry mojito. Wine flights, small tastings of a trio of wines are also available. The inn’s wine list features vintages from the Tug Hill region and from around the world, Mrs. Young said. The new owner said the restaurant serves “upscale pub food” which is “fresh” and “homemade in house.” Chef Robert E. Bowen will be serving up stone baked pizza, traditional wings as well as speciality Asian spice and Greek varieties. There are also burgers, sandwiches, wraps, chicken pot pie and fish and chips on the menu. Chef Bowen said he grew up in a family restaurant in Wyoming. He honed his trade working in Florida as a sous chef and has worked locally at Carlowden Country Club, Denmark; Sahara Restaurant, Fargo,
Black River Valley Club, Watertown and Canale’s Restaurant, Watertown. Mrs. Young will make many of the desserts which include creme brulee, apple pie and lemon bars. The establishment is only closed Tuesdays. It is open weekdays from 4 to 12 p.m. and weekends from 11 a.m. to midnight. “We are open Mondays,” the owner said. “When everyone else is closed we’ll be the place to go.” Mrs. Young said she hopes people will “come relax, be comfortable, let go of the rest of the world and enjoy yourself.” For more information, contact the restaurant at 688-3018. n ELAINE AVALLONE is a Johnson Newspapers staff writer. Contact her at eavallone@ lowville.com or 493-1270.
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R E A L E S TAT E R O U N D U P
What you should know about agency
W
hen buyers or sellers begin to work with a real estate agent, they are given the New York State Disclosure Form for Buyers and Sellers, also known as the agency form. According to state law, this must be given at the first substantive contact. It is not a contract, but an information piece that tells whether the agent is working for the buyer or seller. Depending on what is noted, the person receiving it either is a client or a customer and the agent has different duties based on that. During a transaction, the buyer or seller may receive multiples of these forms as they interact with different agents. An “agency” relationship is formed when someone hires another person to act on their behalf. In real estate, the two most common forms are a seller’s agency and buyer’s agency. Agents have a fiduciary duty to their client. These duties are obedience, loyalty, disclosure of information, confidentiality, accountability and reasonable care and diligence, commonly referred to as the acronym OLD CAR. What is the difference between a client and a customer? A client generally has an agreement with the licensee authorizing the agent to work on their behalf. The agent is duty bound to keep certain items confidential unless otherwise instructed by the client. This does not include illegal instructions, however. When working with a customer (in other words, no agreement exists), the real estate agents are not bound by the
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same fiduciary duties as with a client. They do not have to be honest with all parties, but cannot breach their fiduciary duty to their client. The agency form must be Lance Evans given at first substantive contact. This can be done at the first face-to-face meeting or, increasingly, via email by completing the form on a broker’s website. It should be filled out and returned before the licensee is allowed to work with potential clients or customers. State law recognizes three types of agency. Each has various obligations and limitations. The seller’s agent is employed by the seller to represent the seller’s interests. The agent’s fiduciary duty (OLD CAR) is to the seller. When working with a buyer, the agent’s obligations are to exercise reasonable skill and care; deal honestly, fairly and in good faith; and disclose all facts known to the agent that materially affect the value or desirability of the property. The buyer’s agent is engaged by a buyer to represent the buyer. The fiduciary duties to the buyer mirror the seller’s agent’s duties to the seller. When agents deal with a seller, they are to exercise reasonable skill and care; deal honestly, fairly and in good faith; and disclose all facts known to
the agent that materially affect the buyer’s ability or willingness to buy the seller’s property. The broker’s agent is an agent who works for a different firm, but works with the seller’s agent or buyer’s agent. The agent does not work for the client, but receive instruction from the agent. In agency law, there is nothing that prohibits a seller’s agent from working with a buyer customer or a buyer’s agent from working with a seller customer. In addition, there is a provision for “dual agency” in agency law and this is covered in the disclosure form. A dual agent is a licensee who represents both parties if both give informed consent. The dual agent cannot perform the full range of fiduciary duties like undivided loyalty. Another version of dual agency is dual agency with designated sales agents. This can be used when both licensees are with the same broker and there are at least three licensees in the brokerage. The broker becomes the dual agent and one licensee works as a buyer’s agent and the other as a seller’s agent. Both parties must give informed written consent. This is merely a surface look at an agency. A copy of the agency disclosure form is available at http://www.dos.ny.gov/forms/ licensing/1736-a.pdf. 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.
R E A L E S TAT E
Commercial sales see average pace 8 percent of listings commercial, industrial real estate By KYLE R. HAYES
S
Associate Editor
earching for residential real estate in the tri-county area may currently seem like light work, with dozens of listings being made available every day and homes constantly bought and sold. However, searching for a business space, or commercial real estate, might prove a bit more difficult. Commercial and industrial real estate listings account for approximately 8 percent of the more than 2,600 listings on NNYMLS.com, the multiple listing service website maintained by the Jefferson-Lewis Board of Realtors. Offerings for business real estate range from a $1.6 million 18-hole golf course with restaurant to a $90,000 beauty shop in Black River. “Commercial real estate to us is any multi-family residential building with more than four units or commercially zoned property,” said Lance M. Evans, executive officer of the Jefferson-Lewis and St. Lawrence boards of realtors. In the past four years, commercial real estate sales have stayed steady in Jefferson County, with just last year the number of units sold increased to 24 after three straight years of 20 units sold annually from 2008 to 2010. However, when looking at the 24 units sold in 2011, the median price was the lowest it had been from 2008 to 2011 at $114,900. Where commercial real estate numbers are on the most visible upswing since the recession that hit in 2008 is in St. Lawrence County. In 2008, members of the St. Lawrence Board of Realtors sold 29 commercial units with a median price of $60,000. In the two following years, sales dwindled to just 11 units sold in 2010, countered by the 21 units sold in 2011. The median price of units moved has grown in the past four years by 36 percent. “In terms of commercial real estate, I think we tend to deal not with the properties you hear of nationally, these big, shiny office buildings and apartments,” Mr. Evans said. “People here tend to buy property and build out to their needs.” Mr. Evans noted that the St. Lawrence
and Jefferson-Lewis boards of realtors aren’t always involved when it comes to commerce property sales. When a commercial property such as a multifloor office building or a bank comes up for sale, a seller will often use a national listing agent or larger agency that focuses primarily on commercial property sales. “Our members handle a lot of the smaller, more local properties. The large commercial buildings, those big multi-million dollar deals, are handled out of the area,” Mr. Evans said. “And in business there are often property transfers between business entities that are interconnected.” Mr. Evans said that due to various liabilities a company may have by owning commercial real estate, larger companies will develop different business entities to transfer property ownership, and in turn liability, to different sections of the company. Another option for commercial real estate that drives both purchasing and property availability down is the option of leasing. “Businesses can exist without owning property,” Mr. Evans said. “For instance, if I decide to open a new business, I could lease something instead of buy. Don Coon
owns the HSBC building on Public Square but HSBC, now Community Bank, doesn’t own that building, they lease the space from Don.” In terms of availability, Matthew R. Garlock of Garlock Realty in Alexandria Bay said in a July interview that commercial real estate consistently has a lower turnover rate. “In the locations we serve, there’s not always a lot coming up for sale in terms of business space,” he said. “In Alexandria Bay, especially, these storefront and business spaces have been here for ages and don’t come up for sale often. I think that’s the case with a lot of business real estate.” In Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties, sales of commercial properties are on the upswing since a weaker market that followed the economic downturn of 2008. From January to July, more than 20 commercial properties were sold in the three counties by the Jefferson-Lewis and St. Lawrence boards of realtors, with a median price of approximately $128,000. n KYLE R. HAYES is associate magazine editor for NNY Business. Contact him at khayes@ wdt.net or 661-2381. September 2012 | 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 clerk’s office:
Aug. 15
n Town of Adams: 0.29 acre, Maxon Lane, Jamie A. Mayer and Tammy L. Mayer, Adams, sold to Robert Honer, Castorland $201,000 n Town of Theresa: 0.690 acre, shore of Millsite Lake, Howard E. Wade, Redwood, sold to Jeffrey R. Smith, Alameda, Calif. $75,000 n Village of Carthage: West Street, Melissa E. Leo, aka Melissa E. Rosenberger, Carthage, sold to Ryan P. Fadden, Sierra Vista, Ariz. $156,000 n Town of Lyme: 1.685 acres, 6562 Failing Shores Lane, Michael M. Gardner Jr., Ogdensburg, sold to Luann D. Wilkinson, Webster $25,000 n Village of Cape Vincent: Intersection Broadway and William Street, Windchime Holding LLC, Chaumont, sold to River Marine Inc., Cape Vincent $58,000 n City of Watertown: 0.230 acre, 142 Bishop St., Michael E. Vecchio II, Watertown, sold to Justin R. Foley and Erin M. Foley, Fort Mitchell, Ala. $175,000 n Town of Clayton: 3.61 acres, Lover’s Lane, Jane Bechaz Gale, executor, will of Elsie M. Kiah, late of Clayton, sold to Travis J. Hill and Lyndi M. Hall, Clayton $135,000 n Village of Carthage: Part of lot 65, lots 66, 67, 68 and 69, Regency Park Subdivision, Roberta Radoane, Carthage, sold to Christopher L. Og-
den, Carthage $170,000
Krawchuk, Elkfork, Ky. $48,000
n Village of West Carthage: 1 acre, state Route 26 and High Street, Maria D. Clermont, Carthage, sold to Lundy Development & Property Management LLC, Carthage $60,000
n Town of Antwerp: 0.15 acre, Main Street, Bert A. Corey and Sandra L. Corey, Antwerp, sold to Stefanie A. Kenyon, Evans Mills $120,000
Aug. 14
n Town of Ellisburg: Two parcels, 169.10 acres, intersection of Van Wormer Road and state Route 11; 38.41 acres, state Route 11; JKLL Corp., Potsdam, sold to CTS Dairy LLC, Ellisburg $180,000 n Town of LeRay: 0.689 acre, 23144 Converse Drive, Joel C. Zecca Sr. and Coren M. Zecca, Fort Bliss, Texas, sold to Andrew O. Toyo and Emily Toyo, Watertown $255,000 n Town of LeRay: 0.49 acre, Black River-Watertown state highway, Christopher B. Hughes and Loida Hughes, Watertown, sold to Richard M. Erickson, Killeen, Texas $217,000 n City of Watertown: 0.401 acre, 803 Mill St., Anthony D. Ubriaco, Watertown, sold to Jackson D. Taylor and Kaitlynn M. Taylor, Watertown $90,000
n Town of Brownville: Two parcels, Guffin Bay; 0.115 acre, Moffit Road, Robert Fassett, Key Largo, Fla.; Richard K. Fassett, Gainesville, Va.; and Susan Martino, Little Ferry, N.J., sold to Douglas Martin and Sandra Martin, Ontario, N.Y. $105,000 n Town of Adams: 4.726 acres, Owens Road, Dean E. Widrick, Adams Center, sold to Darren P. Ambrose and Gwendolyn M. Ambrose, Adams Center $30,000
Aug. 13
n City of Watertown: 0.45 acre, Wealtha Avenue, Christopher D. Dowling, aka Christopher Donald Dowling, Watertown, sold to James M. Lambright and Hyo Shim Lee Lambright, Fort Drum $178,500 n City of Watertown: Cross Street, Brian L. Edwards, Watertown, sold to Clint Chuayprasith, Watertown $91,000
n City of Watertown: 0.250 acre, 231 Schley Drive, Michael C. Thompson, aka Michael Thompson and Joanna Rebecca Thompson, Watertown, sold to Wayne Santos, Fort Benning, Ga. $124,000
n Village of Mannsville: Intersection, Lilac Park Drive and Mill Road, Wasyl L. Moran III and Deborah S. Moran, Mannsville, sold to Charles A. Trudell and Kimberly M. Trudell, Westborough, Mass. $212,000
n Town of Lyme: Four parcels, 0.18 acre, 0.14 acre, no acreage given, 2.26 acres, shore of Chaumont Bay, Alan B. Coon, Marathon, Fla., and Thelma D. Coon, Bridgeport, sold to Jeremy
n City of Watertown: 0.422 acre, intersection, Harris Drive and Bugbee Drive, Marcia L. Bulger, Watertown, sold to Joann L. Hill, Watertown $205,000 n Village of Glen Park: 0.193 acre, 509 Church St., Christina A. Sylver, Glen Park, sold to Janelle L. Cronk, Watertown $113,000 n City of Watertown: 11.88 acres, County Route 159 (Gotham Street Road), Mark G. Gebo, Watertown, executor, estate of Aline C.J. Taylor, late of town of Watertown, sold to Jerry L. Zehr and Mary-Margaret U. Zehr, Copenhagen $45,000 n Town of Wilna: Three parcels, 40.04 acres, no acreage given, 20 acres, all County Route 42, Frontier Spirit Development LLC, Port Leyden, sold to Rodney Clement and Diana Clement, Carthage $190,000
Aug. 10
n Town of LeRay: 0.77 acre, Duffy Road, Rebecca Kamguia, aka Becky Kamguia, Midlothian, Va., sold to Brandon P. Spencer, Watertown $157,000 n Town of Theresa: Two parcels, 1) no acreage given, 2) 19.3 acres, shore of Hyde Lake, Barry E. Bruyns, Watertown, sold to George S. Hadden, Westtown $152,500 n City of Watertown: Two parcels, 1) no acreage or address given, 2) Francis Street, Robert W. Davison Jr., executor, will of Marion Doris Davison, late of Watertown, sold to Dwayne Jorlan Rumfelt, Watertown $110,000
$3,678,000 County real estate sales recorded over 6-day period, Aug. 10-15, 2012
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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:
July 30
David W. Johnson, Edina, Minn. and Roger Johnson, New Brighton, Min., sold to Vincent J. Giuseffi Trust, Basking Ridge, N.J. $50,000
n Town of Brasher: 3 parcels, unknown acres, Lot 39, bounded by Helena-Hogansburg Road, John J. Gray Jr. and Christine D. Gray, Colton, sold to Teddy C. and Lori A. Montroy, Massena $140,000
n Village of Heuvelton: Unknown acres, in Lot 6 of Block 6, Monte Holland (executor), Elwin S. Holland, Heuvelton, sold to Patrick D. Perry, Waddington $66,000
n Village of Potsdam: Unknown acres, bounded by Route 11B, Adon Farms, Potsdam, sold to Affinity Potsdam Properties LLC, Buffalo $1,185,000
n Town of Massena: Parcel 1) 80 acres more or less, Parcel 2) 0.87 of an acre more or less, in Lot 9 and 10 in Tract N, John W. and Joan E. Price, Massena, sold to Denise A. White and Danny J. Rode, Norfolk $60,000
n Town of Potsdam: Parcel 1) 3 acres more or less, Parcel 2) 160 3/100 acres more or less, both in Mile Square Lots 45 and 55 and bounded by Brush Road, Mildred Collins, Canton, sold to Michael J. and Catherine M. Colling, Potsdam $104,000 n Town of Macomb: 0.5 of an acre more or less, bounded by Black Lake, Migdalia Furgiuele, Rochester, sold to William A. and Patricia Mousaw, Watertown $47,000 n Town of Fowler: Parcel 1) 9.02 acres more or less, Parcel 2) unknown acres, both bounded by Smith Road, William and Michelle L. Siebels, Gouverneur, sold to Tony S. and Tzveta T. Farr, Gouverneur $170,000
n Town of Norfolk: 0.35 of an acre more or less, being Lot 11, in Block A, bounded by Fairlawn Avenue, Kim J. and Michelle A. Mossow, Massena, sold to Susan S. Novack, Lawrence, Kan. $91,000 n Town of Parishville: Unknown acres, in Great Tract 2 of Township 13, bounded by Campers Road, Shirley A. Weller, Potsdam, sold to Terry Weller, Potsdam, and Tammy G. Lashomb, Potsdam $65,000 n Town of Norfolk: 5 acres more or less, in Mile Square 84, Danny J. Rode, Norfolk, sold to Jarred S. and Christa N. Bullock, Massena $150,000
n Town of Louisville: 2 parcels, unknown acres, bounded by Kingsley Crossroad, James H. and Bonita M. Tyo, Massena, sold to John J. Gray III, Potsdam $106,000
n Village of Massena: Unknown acres, known as Lot 24 in Block B, Christina Suslan, Mt. Sinai and Cynthia A. Pavone, Rochester, sold to Edgar L. Herbert and Betty Landon, Ontario, Canada $85,000
n Town of Norfolk: 4 parcels, unknown acres, in Section 59, bounded by County Road 310, HSBC Bank USA, Coppell, Texas, sold to William K. Sharlow Jr., Norfolk $60,000
n Village of Massena: Unknown acres, in Lot 23, Michael J. Ashley Sr., Massena, Cynthia L. Harmon, Webster and Constance V. Ashley, Massena, sold to Eric J. Serguson, Massena $100,700
n Town of Morristown: 0.2 of an acre more or less, being a part of Lot 32, bounded by Black Lake Road, Manuel F. Torres, Englewood, Fla., sold to Lisa M. and Vincent Schittino, Abingdon, Maryland $90,000
n Town of Colton: 25.60 acres more or less, in Great Tract Lot 10 of Township 10, bounded by Windmill Road, James A. Wright, Colton, sold to Corey T. Wright, Canton $30,000
July 27
n Town of Potsdam: 7.57 acres more or less, bounded by Ames Road, Cynthia K. Cubley, Potsdam, sold to Stephen and Melanie Sauer, Potsdam $235,000 n Town of Clifton: 0.2 of an acre more or less, bounded by Columbian Road, Jeremiah M. Hayes (executor), Robert F. Damoth, Cranberry, sold to Dennis Gellasch, Webster $285,000 n Town of Potsdam: 25 acres more or less, bounded by Bucks Bridge, Karen Glick, Gaithersburg, Md., sold to Greenwood Acres LLC., Canton $25,000
July 25
n Town of Hammond: 0.10 of an acre more or less, in Mile Arm Bay, Edward J. Doviak, Oswego, sold to Walter W. and Linda L. Wierzbicki, Asbury $83,000 n Town of Canton: 1.09 acres more or less, situate in Mile Square 4 in Range 2, Susan Cypert, Canton, sold to Mark MacWilliams and Kaori Takashima, Canton $123,000 n Town of Parishville: 1 acre more or less, bounded by Catherineville Road, Richard A. and Kimberly A. Reilly, Potsdam, sold to Naomi Weller, Canton $79,900
July 24
n City of Ogdensburg: 2 Parcels, unknown acres, being a part of Lot 15 and Lot 16 in Block 419, bounded by Barre Street, Wanda J. McGaw, Heuvelton, sold to Steven Martin, Ogdensburg $61,000 n Town of Potsdam: 90 723/1000 acres more or less, situate in Mile Square Lot 10, bounded by Potsdam-Norfolk Road, Olive M. Haggett, Norwood, sold to Brian J. Haggett, Norwood $35,000 n Town of Potsdam: Parcel 1) 15 acres more or less, Parcel 2) 86 28/100 acres more or less, Parcel 3) 40 65/100 acres more or less, Parcel 4) 45 acres more or less, Olive M. Haggett (executor), Robert E. Haggett, Potsdam, sold to Brian J. Haggett, Norwood $40,000 n Town of Antwerp: Parcel 1) 52 1/2 acres more or less, Parcel 2) 6 21/100 acres more or less, Parcel 3) 10 23/100 acres more or less, Parcel 4) 51 34/100 acres more or less, Parcel 5) 2 15/100 acres more or less, Parcel 6) 20/100 of an acre more or less, all Parcels bounded by Ore Bed Road, Mary K. Dunaway and Patricia A. Pitts (co-executors), William J. Maloy, no address given, sold to Barbara Kane, Cicero $100,000 n Town of Madrid: Unknown acres, bounded by Church Street and Main Street, B&F Enterprise, Madrid, sold to Nathanael D. and Sarah A. LaFaver, Madrid $34,000 n Town of Gouverneur: 2 Parcels, unknown acres, bounded by Antwerp-Gouverneur State Highway 5287, Jahnyne Huckabone, Redfield, Barbara Burtch-Fulton and Desiree Bales, Clay Center, Neb., sold to Ronald Blair, Gouverneur $45,000 n Town of Parishville: Parcel 1) 5.54 acres more or less, Parcel 2) 11.71 acres more or less, both Parcels are bounded by Lenney Road, Loren W. and Patricia A. LaPierre, Potsdam, sold to Elizabeth A. Erickson, Potsdam $285,000 n Town of Massena: Unknown acres being a part of Lot 25 and Lot 26, Harold R. Stark, Chase Mills, sold to Allison Latham, Ogdensburg $85,000
$4,221,693 County real estate sales recorded over 7-day period, July 24-30, 2012
n Town of Hammond: 0.8 of an acre more or less bounded by the St. Lawrence River, Susan Dunham, hammond, sold to Schermerhorn Landing Corporation, Hammond $29,000 n Town of Oswegatchie: 0.482 of an acre more or less, being a part of River Lot 4, bounded by Ogdensburg-Morristown Highway, Robert J. Reddick, Gouverneur, sold to Royal L. and Joan E. Perry, Ogdensburg $52,093 n Village of Gouverneur: 11/100 of an acre more or less, bounded by Fuller’s Lot, Raymond Costigan (administrator), Vincent Costigan, Lake Hopatcong, N.J., sold to Jan M. and Kyla M. Merchant, no address given $25,000 n Town of Piercefield: Unknown acres, known as Pearley’s Island, Howard Kirschenbaum, Webster,
September 2012 | NNY Business
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R E A L E S TAT E / L E W I S C O U N T Y The following Lewis County property sales were recorded in the Lewis County Clerk’s office:
July 31:
On the Web n Visit us on our new website WWW.NNYBIZMAG.COM for current real estate sales from Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties, updated weekly. Visit us online and click on ‘Data Center’
n Town of Denmark: Old State Road, Alex D. Rahmi sold to Robert A. Bero $20,000
July 27
n Town of Greig: 6991 Fish Creek Road, Randolph E. Kerr sold to Robert J. Grosso $177,900
July 26
n Town of Denmark: 10723 Harris Road, Leo Thesier sold to Sara Brown $134,000
July 25
n Town of West Turin: 4112 Michigan Mills Road, Francis Bruton sold to Timothy J. Garrison $65,000
July 20
n Village of Croghan: 9849 State Route 812, Thomas Schneeberger sold to Richard Oakes $83,900 n Village of Harrisville: 14339 Mill St., Richard F. Belmont sold to Biff Barton $43,000 n Town of Diana: 7007 Hogsback Road, Cheryl L. Crosbie sold to Dylan C. Baker $28,000
July 17
n Village of Harrisville: 8237 State Route 3, David Campbell sold to Jose A. Balp $119,500 n Village of Port Leyden: 3307 Quarry St., David Gillespie sold to Eric O. Ehlers $105,000 n Town of Lowville: 7401 Emi Lane, Maple Run Homes Inc. sold to Joyce F. Pellam $179,900
July 13
n Town of Denmark: 9472 East Road, Bruce E. Marolf sold to Mark R. Shelmidine $120,000 n Town of Watson: East and West sides of Lustyik Road, Andrew K. Palmer sold to Bruce A. Aubin $33,500
n Town of Harrisburg: River Road, Richard J. Bloss sold to David Weeks $32,000
n Town of Watson: 7121 Wetmore Road, Gary Schneeberger sold to James S. McIntyre Jr. $100,000
n Town of Montague: Salmon River Road, Richard Gould sold to Jerry L. Welch Jr. $12,000
July 12
July 19
n Village of Lowville: 7652 Easton St., Richard M. Trick sold to Megan E. Gilbert $115,000
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n Town of Diana: 14519 Diana Way, Robert T. Cusick sold to William Love $45,000 n Town of West Turin: 4227 Michigan Mills Road, Frank Palmer sold to Charles A. Rauscher $125,000
July 11
n Village of Constableville: 5943 James St., Nancy Carr sold to Douglas S. Salmon $97,500
July 9
n Town of Croghan: 11775 Bald Mountain Truck Trail, Debra B. Taylor sold to Kelly P. Buckingham $15,000 n Town of Diana: 6065 State Route 3, Bradley Farr sold to Donald R. Furney $11,500 n Town of Watson: 5424 Pine Grove Road, Lacey E. Northrup sold to Gary L. Millard $81,870
July 6
n Town of Croghan: 10541 Balsam Creek Drive, Ronald A. Delcour sold to Mark E. Hoyt $19,500 Town of Lowville: 4880 Gardner Road, Kurt C. Liendecker sold to Lynn M. Markel $145,000
July 3
n Town of Lewis: Mud Lake Road, Michael G. Houghtaling sold to Jared K. Sturtevant $165,000 n Town of New Bremen: 9321 Devines Road, Matthew D. Olmstead sold to Jeffrey D. Monnat $142,000
July 2
n Town of Martinsburg: 5846 Main St., Benjamin W. Hanno sold to Evan L. Thisse $70,000
$2,266,570 County real estate sales recorded over 30-day period, July 2-31, 2012
PEOPLE, from page 9 ment Corp., has filed paperwork with the state Department of State to create Clark Consulting Group LLC. Mr. Clark served more than five years in his position with the BDC. Clark Consulting Group LLC will provide public relations, fundraising, grant application writing and project management services for municipalities and not-for-profit entities statewide and in Southern Ontario.
Audiologist hired
Watertown Audiology P.C. has hired Dr. Sarah Fritz Brady, Au. D., CCC-A. Dr. Brady received a doctorate in audiology at Auburn (Ala.) University and received a bachelor’s degree in speech and hearing sciences at Portland (Ore.) State University. She is certified in audiology by the Fritz Brady American Speech Language Hearing Association. Prior to joining Watertown Audiology, Dr. Brady practiced at Columbus Speech and Hearing Center in Columbus, Ga. She is currently accepting new patients at the Watertown Audiology office in the Woodruff Professional Building on Public Square.
BOCES finance director retiring
Barbara O. Greene, the director of finance for the Jefferson-Lewis Board of Cooperative Educational Services, has retired after more than 35 years of service to BOCES and the Belleville Henderson Central School District. She spent six years working with BOCES but worked at Belleville Henderson Central School since before the districts merged in 1984. Mrs. Greene was initially hired as part of a federal initiative to hire unemployed teachers to work for the Belleville School District. Mrs. Greene went to college to become a math teacher and was a teacher’s aide until becoming a district clerk. After the Belleville and Henderson schools merged she made the jump to district business manager. After 30 years at Belleville Henderson she was chosen as BOCES director of finance in August 2006.
September 2012 | NNY Business
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20 QUESTIONS
NORM JOHNSTON | NNY BUSINESS
A HOMEGROWN LEADER
N
ew York Air Brake boasts a storied history in Northern New York, at one point employing thousands to manufacture train and truck brakes. Today the firm remains a vital part of the region’s economic landscape. On July 1, 18-year NYAB veteran Michael J. Hawthorne, a Harrisville native, assumed the job of president. We sat down with Mr. Hawthorne for his first indepth interview since he moved into the top post.
1
NNYB: How has the company transitioned from the leadership of J. Paul Morgan, who was president for more than 20 years, to a new leader? How does that happen? HAWTHORNE: The thing I always say in any of these discussions is that Paul did an amazing job. I grew up in the area, so I can remember back when Air Brake was dominant on the landscape and really sort of split away and at the time that Paul took over, I can remember coming in looking for a footprint in the market, bringing in the products and we were just a licensee of our competitor. So, he got the company back on good footing and slowly turned it to where it became profitable, and I think the man has made at least a black zero for the entire time he has worked here, which is incredible given that he had to transition from old and tired to new and modern. I spent the first part of my career working in engineering with only peripheral access to Paul. We bought assets of a company down in Fort Worth called Train Dynamic Systems, so I became involved with them to cut the directorship, which was the business lead, and that’s when I started to interact more regularly with Paul. That became my opportunity to learn from him and his behavior. As I got closer to this role, we moved me into operations lead to get a better understanding of our manufacturing floors and all our responsibilities here and he brought me to the board meetings, to the world meetings, to the different elements because Knorr-Bremse is a very big company, it’s a €4.5 billion-a-year business, and New York Air Brake will be over $300 million this year. We’re big but they’re giant. And, the transition was really hav-
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NNY Business | September 2012
n Michael J. Hawthorne, new NYAB president, committed to growth, success
ing Paul make both the tactical introductions to the way the business runs and teach me why we are structured the way we are and then the personal introductions to the broader business elements because of our board of directors and our shareholders.
2
NNYB: How does a young man from Harrisville wind up on the path that you’ve taken and leading a major company? HAWTHORNE: I would say most of my interest in technology came when I started high school. We had a very capable chemistry and physics teacher who got a bunch of us interested in computers and at that point I was starting to find my engineering legs and decided Clarkson was a good place. Leadership to me is really irrelevant of discipline. I found that in every opportunity I’ve taken up the role of trying to organize and lead. Going into the technical realm helps satisfy my inner need to be designing things and building things and then as you get the opportunity to lead people, organizations, taking that same design need and then building a way that the organization is structured in the business and trying to make it so it can stand on its own.
3
NNYB: From your perspective from inside the ranks growing into the position you’re in now, how has the Air Brake been able to manage itself through the lean economic times while also growing its staff and maintaining profitability? HAWTHORNE: When I was part of some of the mergers and acquisitions teams, we took some very strategic positions to add companies. So, “New York Air Brake” people think of as Watertown, but we have a manufacturing site in Chicago that does brake shoes; we have a repair center in Kansas City that does both locomotive and freight repair; Kingston, Ont., has the manufacturing site of our locomotive brakes system; Train Dynamics Systems, that’s now in Irving, Texas, does mostly software for on-board control systems. And we have
a manufacturing facility down in North Carolina near Charlotte. I’d say all of those have helped build the portfolio of products from the footprint in New York Air Brake. We are in this incredibly cyclical market and when the industry starts to decline, people don’t build [train] cars. Then the manufacturing floor here starts to lose its work, so all the other products have now come in to help to smooth out and bolster the capability of the company. We also know, and this is with all the humility I can muster, we have the best products. And when you look at our products against our competitors, we have superior products, superior technology. And we’ve invested a lot in the engineering piece.
4
NNYB: So of all these locations, how do you play these subordinate locations into this facility? HAWTHORNE: We have two LLCs. ABL in Kingston, Ont., is just a stand-alone business, but they supply us. And Anchor Brake Shoe in West Chicago is an LLC. So we can consolidate their financials into ours, but those are two businesses that operate with shared services from Watertown. The others are consolidated into the New York Air Brake portfolio. All of these report up through our organization to me. More than 800 employees.
5
NNYB: With all of these outposts in various locations, you must travel a lot? HAWTHORNE: Too much. I just got back from China on Saturday. One of the things that most people probably don’t understand is that Knorr businesses are really built around a center of competency and content. So we have products that nobody else makes. We build, design and control those products, but we transfer them to our sister companies. So, we have a plant in China, a plant in Australia, plants in South Africa and Brazil, all of which build other products, but they build our products as well. Not only do we benefit from having this expanded portfolio of product development
20 QUESTIONS just by acquisition, but we also enjoy the marketing and sales channels from a global perspective. Again, Knorr, they have a giant footprint, so we export a lot. That’s been one of the big benefits, as you’ve mentioned, how we sustained ourselves through tough economic times. China boomed when the U.S. was starting to slide, and that helped us tremendously.
6
NNYB: It’s not a big secret that New York, especially since Andrew Cuomo became governor, is working to sharpen its edge and become more business-friendly. With respect to doing business in New York, are there any challenges you find particularly rough? HAWTHORNE: New York is not the best business environment. That said, Watertown has done a lot to keep New York Air Brake here, and I think New York generally does what they can. The biggest challenge we face is trying to convince and attract talent. Watertown has produced some fine people, but when you go to Clarkson and you start to query fresh-outs, there’s not a lot of kids that want to say “Hey, I’m staying above the Thruway” and “Watertown is a great place to meet my wife.” When I talk to our engineering teams, our projects are a lot of fun to work on, but it can be difficult to attract enough talent and to sustain a level of growth. I met with Patty Ritchie and she asked the same question: “Is there anything we can do to bring more talent into the area that’s going to help sustain the business here?” Some of the sites we have, say in Texas, we have a lot of technology there. We ultimately want to be able to flex demand into different locations, and that’s just to continue the growth purge.
7
NNYB: Any frustrations or things that you feel New York could do to improve, with respect to fostering more job creation? HAWTHORNE: The tax structure is a little bit difficult. If we had a better tax structure, we’d be able to convince more investment. Certainly, we have a very capable work force and we don’t take that for granted. We know we spent a lot to train them and many people invest their careers to become capable. Union structures are often more difficult to manage than nonunion structures. So, New York is not a right-to-work state and we respect that but it is a more difficult challenge. I would say as any business is faced with the challenges of where do you manufacture, we are always defending that we can do it here better and cost-competitively and that is a consideration of how we source our labor. Infrastructure is always a challenge, and if you were to put a geographic center of our customer base, even in North America, you wouldn’t find it in Watertown. Every one of our suppliers has to ship in, then we manufacture and produce the product, then we have to ship out to the customer base. A weighted average would be much more Chicago, Kansas City or even Dallas, as those places are more central to both supply base and customer. That’s important that even we’re not geographically advantaged in that way, we really need to have infrastructure that allows material to flow very easily and very capably.
8
NNYB: How difficult is staff recruiting and what types of jobs are in most demand? HAWTHORNE: A labor force is generally not so hard. We find good talent. People who are willing to come in, the hourly wages are good and attractive, so when we have a job fair we typically have a long line and we have a good pool to draw from. Engineering talent becomes a challenge, and in some level of business becomes a challenge. What keeps me up at night is engineering. I need more engineers, more design engineers and more of the technologies like software and electronics. I need those, and I’m having a difficult time finding them. So we’re doing everything we can. Lockheed Martin just laid off between 50 to 100 folks, some engineers. So we go
NORM JOHNSTON | NNY BUSINESS
New York Air Brake President Michael J. Hawthorne discusses goals for his firm in his Watertown office. to their job fairs and recruit, so we’re finding more talent to draw from but I think it is going to become a standard problem.
The Michael J. Hawthorne file
NNYB: That said, what has kept New York Air Brake in Watertown for as long as it’s been, over 100 years?
AGE: 44.
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HAWTHORNE: I think some of it is tradition; momentum keeps things where they are, unless you find reasons to move them. If I look at what we’re really good at, our expertise, we built up a capability in Watertown for manufacturing, again in credit to the labor force for being as good as they are. Our engineers have understood the historic part well, and that’s not something that’s easily moved. That is a reason to be here. The difficult part is if we get into some of the technologies. We make freight valves. The valve of tomorrow is unlikely to be the valve of today, so you end up with a mechanical marvel that’s a hundred years old. It’s incredible. Tomorrow, it’s computers and actuators and sensors. I happen to be able to say I can get the right talent and resources and have them work here. Again, I come back to the resourcing issue, if I had the right resources; Watertown is a wonderful place to do business. If I don’t find the right resources, I’ve got a challenge; I’ve got to be able to stay modern.
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NNYB: This is a company people want to work for. How do you foster that climate? HAWTHORNE: I’ve gone to other manufacturing places, even some of our manufacturing places in other sites. Depending on what you build, it’s relatively easy to maintain a level of cleanliness, safety, wages and benefits. Knorr-Bremse is a company aware of what it means to have a social conscience. It does a good job saying that the benefit package has to be competitive but we have good health benefits, we pay a good hourly wage, the floor is clean and we have a modern manufacturing facility and capabilities. We are absolutely focused on safety. If you start to compare that environment to an environment that I grew up in where paper mills were where everyone’s dad worked, they were not a bad business but they were dirtier, dangerous and more difficult to sustain. I think we have a much more attractive work environment here. I’ve talked to folks about what it’s like to be here and that seems to be the prevalent reason.
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NNYB: Has the Watertown Airport been a benefit for your business? HAWTHORNE: I’m a fairly heavy traveler and I flew out of Watertown maybe twice in 17 years because it
JOB: President, New York Air Brake. FAMILY: Wife, Kimberlee, cosmetologist; son,
Thomas, 20, a junior at the State University at Buffalo studying accounting; daughter, Christen, 18, a nursing student at Le Moyne College, Syracuse.
HOMETOWN: Harrisville native. EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degree, Clarkson
University, Potsdam; master’s degree, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy; master’s degree in business administration, Syracuse University.
PROFESSIONAL: 18 years at New York Air Brake; previously worked at Raytheon, Boston.
RECOMMENDED READ: “Good to Great:
Why Some Companies Make the Leap … and Others Don’t” by Jim Collins. just was not useful. Since they put American Airlines service from Watertown to Chicago, I’ve probably flown 15 to 18 times in the last year. It’s great. If anybody is looking at this as a reason to keep that flight. We use it, and we use it a lot. They can’t reverse it. Boston is not useful for us. Everybody goes to Chicago. I can’t speak for other businesses but if I have friends or colleagues that travel and there are lots of jokes about spending time in O’Hare, you always go through O’Hare. Flying there from Watertown, it’s beautiful.
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NNYB: Your overseas customers helped carry you through the recession here in the U.S. The economy in Europe has been shaky as of late. Have you felt any impact? HAWTHORNE: We haven’t had a huge impact, mostly because of the business segments we serve. Knorr-Bremse has two big legs, one is commercial vehicles, which is trucks and buses, and the other is rail. We’re clearly on the rail side. In rail you have two big legs, passenger and freight. And we are in freight. If you look at freight, we are typically considered more heavy hauling. Trains in North America are big, long, heavy and hard to run; they don’t go that fast. Europe typically has small freight trains and their brake systems are closer to what we would consider a passenger brake. Because NYAB is on the freight side, we aren’t necessarily impacted. Knorr-Bremse has felt the economic blows in Europe. But NYAB has not, not so far. We benefit from the commodities
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20 QUESTIONS booms. The reason we went to Australia was because they are slowly exporting their country. Iron ore has gone out of there ship upon ship and the railroads are the means to move that. That hasn’t been immune but hasn’t had the impact that the European economies have felt.
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NNYB: As gas and diesel prices increase, does that affect the demand for things being moved by rail rather than by truck? HAWTHORNE: We see that. We feel it indirectly because when you start to look at energy prices for transportation, the more traffic that was marginal on a truck becomes attractive for rail. There is more and more demand and if you look at a railroad’s financial statements, they’re taking advantage of it. Oil and gas and exploration and delivery has produced a lot of demand for rail. We shed a tear when we go to the pump, but we know the higher energy prices are the more attractive rail looks and more in demand our products are.
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NNYB: Is the rail infrastructure in the U.S. in fairly good shape? HAWTHORNE: There are a lot of studies done, what I would get behind is the growth patterns and rates we’re seeing with the expectation of what rail could be. They will not be able to build enough tracks to manage the capacity demands they expect. In lieu of having more infrastructure, they’re investing in technology to move trains safety. Safely move the trains closer together, get braking distances down, which is a big role, we will have more capacity in the same infrastructure. It’s difficult to get permissions to build more tracks, double and triple tracks areas are where they find permission to do that, but the corridors are somewhat fixed. What you’re going to find is railroads will say, ‘How do we get more trains in the same territories and safely?’ That
really benefits us because our technology product lends itself to that strategic approach.
where our headquarters are, into the local community. The people that live in the area are always willing to open their hearts to get help when they need help.
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NNYB: Are you in a position where you see growth in the future? HAWTHORNE: It’s going to be a balance. We are intending on our clients calling for investment and seeing staff up for new products and services. I have strong goals for growing salaried staff, but engineering is the bottle neck. Hourly labor force will flex in and out. We do everything we can to sustain people but we will follow the economic cycles. We are doing well and we hopefully will see sustained level of demand, but it is starting to soften. We will have more people working on new developments to bring products and services forward. Manufacturing will probably wane a bit but will pick back up when the next cycle is on the upswing. NNYB: The north country community is very charitable. What kinds of philanthropic efforts is Air Brake involved in? HAWTHORNE: We are big supporters of the United Way. We take an active role to support them directly through the business and in the work force. We at least are aware of the opportunity and we do a lot of matching. We have an open policy for employees that have charitable causes we have to screen them, of course, but they make a contribution, we match it. We try to encourage charitable behaviors that we think are important in the community. We typically try to have some participation on boards and pay back to the community. The gentleman that owns the company is a very generous man. He recognizes that his success in any community around the world is tied to how the business is perceived. Trying to pull cash and profits out of a community is not a sustainable strategy. I am always impressed by how much support we get out of Munich,
NNYB: How did an engineering background prepare you to lead in management? HAWTHORNE: I find in engineering we are especially good at analysis. You are learning how to take a problem, analyze, make a set of solutions and determine what solve the problem best. When you move into the business realm, I find there are a lot of similarities. Taking a business, like Train Dynamic Systems for example, you have to have a concept so you understand the problem and develop the concepts, do the analysis and gauge which solves it best and inevitably in that you find you’re wrong, turn the loop and try and improve on it. The engineering concept of a design from concept to reality is very much the same as a business. NNYB: What makes for a great leader today? HAWTHORNE: We have had a lot of discussions lately on what makes a great leader. A great leader needs a vision and needs to be able to communicate and articulate that vision. If you can’t ask the teams to do something specific, you don’t have a chance. You have to have the vision and a way to communicate it and subordinate yourself. I found ascending into different leadership roles that your job becomes less and less solving the problem and more eliminating barriers that are limiting other people from solving the problem. You have to hold the organization up and you have to be critical and do the bad stuff; you have to tell people they aren’t doing a good job. You have to hold it up and say ‘This is where we want to be and why we want to be there. I’m going to do everything I can do to make you successful and get barriers out of your way and make sure you have the right funding and assets.’ I think a leader’s role then becomes subordinated to making sure the rest of the plan is being met.
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NNYB: What do you do to unwind? HAWTHORNE: There are a couple of things I really enjoy. My kids, aside from being teenagers, they do offer some level of relief. They’re both great kids. I like weight training, I run a bit and martial arts. I do things that I build. I have gotten back into reading. Now with the iPad I don’t have to carry around tons of books. Unwinding for me is letting go of the day and doing something else. I think it’s an important part of being healthy to sever from work. It’s not a criticism of the team here, they are more than capable of operating without me. But it’s my need to cover all the bases. I think part of it is being new to the job. Some of it is just my drive. I have my iPhone or Blackberry far too often. I don’t necessarily want to disconnect entirely. But I do recommend time to pull back and get yourself out of that mindset.
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NNYB: If you had a wish list at this point of improvements or where you’d like to be five years from now in this organization, what would be on it? HAWTHORNE: We need to keep growing and I’d like to find the ability to design products, manufacture products and deliver services to be better and more flexible. As we develop next-generation product, where do we take it? Where do we move it? How do we get it online? I want to find that we’re a more agile organization, going faster to market and move the product forward. I think every leader wants that. We have good plans to increase our velocity. In five years I’d like to see the $300 million a year grow by 50 percent. We will have to sell different things. We want to leverage every aspect of our business. We want to grow the job base here; we want to find the NYAB is a premier employer in manufacturing direct line and salaried staff. I would love to see that NYAB footprint grow in the Watertown area. — Interview by Ken Eysaman. Edited for length and clarity.
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BRIEFCASE, from page 13
Bakery opens doors in Ogdensburg
Knot Just Donutz and More, 601 Canton St., recently held its grand opening for the new Ogdensburg bakery. Owned by Stephen Ritchie, the bakery specializes in donuts but also had cakes, cookies, cupcakes, coffee, juices, bottled water and soft drinks available. The bakery employs eight part-time workers and is open from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday; 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday. The business is closed on Tuesdays. Contact the baker at 393-3415.
Southside Diner opens
After extensive renovations, Southside Diner has opened at 396 S. Main St., Massena, in the former Italian on the Run location. The business is managed by Danielle L. Bevins, whose mother, Belle, owns the restaurant. Renovations to the space included a service window that connects the kitchen to the dining room, a counter with seating, new floors and a flat-screen television mounted to the wall. The diner is open 24 hours on Friday and Saturday, is closed Monday and open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and closes at 9 p.m. on Sunday. For information, call 705-4202.
Create A Can returns to online-only sales
Gift basket business Create A Can, owned by Donna Royce, has closed its Ogdensburg location at 637 State St. Ms. Royce said the business will return to online-only sales, citing high overhead expenses as the reason for shuttering the storefront. The business offers individualized gift baskets made out of unused paint cans. Create A Can was founded 10 years ago as an online-only business, mainly shipping gifts out of state. Prior to opening the State Street location, Ms. Royce had a location in the downtown Ogdensburg mall. She moved to State Street in February in hopes of increasing visibility for the business. The online business will continue to operate as usual, redeeming gift cards, making deliveries, preparing pickups and mailing cans. The online store is located at www.createacan.net and can be contacted at 713-4257 or on Facebook.
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E C O N O M I C A L LY S P E A K I N G
Partnering to bridge digital divide
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n 2000, the federal government began its push to “Bridge the Digital Divide” between metropolitan and rural areas to bring high-speed, reliable broadband telecommunications infrastructure to rural America. The problem, then as it is today, is that low population densities in rural areas do not provide sufficient returnon-investment for private carriers. Therefore, government, on the federal level through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the state level through Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s recently announced Connect New York Broadband Grants, has played a significant role in motivating private and public sector investment in broadband telecommunications infrastructure in rural areas like the north country. Private carriers like Verizon and Time Warner have been the north country staples. However, like many private firms, they have not always been willing to invest in new infrastructure. In early 2000, local Internet service providers, like GISCO, brought to light just how little competition existed in the private market for access to telecommunications infrastructure. These companies needed high-speed, reliable and affordable broadband infrastructure to deliver cost-competitive services to north country residents and businesses. Broadband telecommunications infrastructure, typically in the form of fiber optic cable, is the backbone for today’s 21st century high-speed telecommunications network. This can be likened to copper lines used by telephone companies in the 20th century. The rapid spread of the World Wide Web over the past 20 years has made access to higher data speeds a requirement for most businesses and has become an expectation of residential households rather than the exception. In early 2000, the Development Author-
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ity of the North Country, recognizing the need for reliable, affordable high-speed infrastructure applied for and received funding from New York State and the U.S. Economic Development Agency to build a 350-mile-plus open Michelle Capone access telecommunications network. The network became operational in 2004, connecting major population centers like Potsdam, Ogdensburg, Massena, Gouverneur, Watertown and Lowville to larger telecom carriers in Syracuse. The network became an option to private carriers for Internet service providers, health care and educational institutions and north country businesses. Today, it has provided many opportunities for growth and expanded services in the region. Local providers like Westelcom and Slic Network Solutions that began as Internet service providers are now branching into additional services like voice-over IP phone services. Slic also has been the recipient of Recovery Act funding to provide last-mile broadband to residential users in rural areas of St. Lawrence and Franklin counties. Again, private firms would not be able to make this significant investment in rural areas costcompetitively without government aid. In addition to the growth of local firms, the region has seen an increase in services from national providers as well. This provides well-rounded options for data services for residents and businesses across the north country. The network also has fostered information sharing among institutions. One of its
first customers was the boards of cooperative educational services in St. Lawrence, Jefferson and Lewis counties. Access to the reliable high-speed telecom infrastructure has allowed school districts to link together to provide programs and services that might not otherwise be available. Similarly, the Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization was the recipient of funding through the Universal Service Administrative Company that was used to link many primary health care institutions and clinics around Fort Drum to major providers in Utica and Syracuse. Continued investment in the open access telecommunications network ensures that it remains reliable. A reliable telecom network is essential, and the best way to ensure reliability is redundancy. In 2011, a second redundant fiber link was completed from Lowville to Utica resulting in a redundant loop from Syracuse to Watertown. Unlike the recent fiber optic break in Central Square that brought down Verizon services, if a break occurs in the fiber line between Syracuse to Watertown, the data going over it can be rerouted to come through Utica to Watertown. This added protection benefits the north country. Investment by federal and state government has been critical to the development of high-speed, reliable and affordable telecommunications. The open access telecommunications network has bridged a digital divide in the north country created by private carriers not willing to invest in rural areas. It has resulted in the growth of local service providers that have created jobs, and the increased sharing of information among regional educational and health care institutions all to the benefit of the people of the region. n MICHELLE L. CAPONE is regional development director for the Development Authority of the North Country. Contact her at mcapone@ danc.org.
B U S I N E S S L AW
Business and the commercial lease
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ather than owning real property as a place to conduct your business, perhaps leasing space is a better option. It is often said that real estate ownership is location, location, location; the same can be said about commercial lease property. There are many considerations and options that a business owner should evaluate when negotiating a commercial lease. New York courts do not offer the commercial tenant the same types of protection that are afforded to a residential tenant, since the courts view the commercial landlord and commercial tenant as economic equals. Consequently, a commercial lease agreement has more legal terminology than a residential lease. It is inevitable that a small business owner will see the legal terms of “lessor” and “lessee.” A lessor is the landlord and a lessee is the tenant. Most commercial lease clauses fall into two major categories: monetary and nonmonetary. Monetary clauses can be more than just the amount paid for rent. There are several types of monetary clauses, and the small business owner must weigh the pros and cons of each. A “gross lease” requires the commercial tenant to pay a flat monthly amount of rent with no consideration to other costs of real estate ownership. The commercial landlord would be responsible for insurance, repairs, taxes and other building costs. In a “net lease,” the commercial tenant pays monthly rent plus some or all of the real estate taxes. If the commercial tenant is leasing a portion of a larger building, special care should be used to ensure the small business owner is paying on the portion actually
being leased. It is customary to allocate the real estate taxes on the basis of the proportion (square foot basis) of space leased. Paying some or all of the landlord’s operLarry Covell ating expenses is enlarged with the “net-net lease” and “net-net-net (triple net) lease” type agreements. A net-net lease agreement requires the tenant to pay not only a monthly rental amount but the landlord’s real estate taxes and insurance expenses on proportional space basis. The payment of the commercial landlord’s expenses becomes income since operating expenses of real estate ownership is reduced. If there is a fire or other covered loss to the building, as provided by the insurance policy, the commercial tenant is not usually afforded any insurance proceeds since there is no insurable interest in the lost. The commercial tenant should, on the other hand, have insurance coverage on their business assets. The triple net lease agreement requires that the commercial tenant pay a monthly rent and all landlord operating expenses, such taxes, insurance and maintenance. Non-monetary type clauses are important and can have far reaching financial effects on your business. One of the key clauses a small business owner should consider is an “out clause.” How do I get out of this lease? As mentioned, New
York courts do not afford the same level of protection to a commercial lessee as they do to a residential lessee. If a residential renter wants out of a lease, they can simply notify the landlord and, in most cases, is required to pay a month’s rent. Another option is to assign the remaining portion of the lease to another party. A landlord cannot unreasonably withhold permission from this action. However, in a commercial lease, a commercial landlord usually can prohibit an assignment and the small business owner may be responsible for rent payments until another commercial tenant is located. In a sluggish economy, this could take several months. Another concern for the small business owner is to correctly identify the business entity that is entering into the lease agreement. If your business is a corporation, limited liability company, limited partnership or other business entity, the entity’s name should be stated on the lease agreement. Avoid entering into the lease and signing it only in your name since that action would make you personally liable on the agreement. The lease agreement should name your business entity as the lessee, and you should sign the agreement in a representative capacity. Commercial lease agreements are complicated documents with far reaching legal and financial implications. Before you bind your business or yourself, you should seek guidance from an attorney. n LARRY COVELL is a professor of business at SUNY Jefferson and an attorney. Contact him at lcovell@sunyjefferson.edu. His column appears every other month in NNY Business.
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COMMERCE CORNER
Who you are depends on leadership
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have come to admire many things about the Watertown community. The leaders who guide our business community are collectively one of our most valuable assets. They continue to impress and confirm that the community in which we live is an amazing one. Each September, the Greater Watertown North Country Chamber of Commerce honors an individual who exemplifies true leadership qualities with the ATHENA Award. The ATHENA Leadership Award is presented annually by chambers of commerce, women’s organizations and universities across the globe. The award was inspired by the goddess of Greek mythology known for her strength, courage, wisdom and enlightenment — qualities embodied in the ATHENA Leadership Model. It is unique in both scope — local, national and international — and the ATHENA mission upon which it is based. The award is presented to a woman, or man, who is honored for professional excellence, community service and actively assisting women in their attainment of professional excellence and leadership skills. Since the program’s inception in 1982, nearly 6,000 exemplary leaders in more than 500 communities have received the prestigious ATHENA Award in the United States, Bermuda, Canada, China, Greece, India, Russia, United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. By honoring exceptional leaders, the ATHENA Leadership Award program seeks to inspire others to achieve excellence in their professional and personal lives. ATHENA Leadership Award recipients are individuals who: n Have achieved the highest level of professional excellence. n Contribute time and energy to improve the quality of life for others in the community.
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n Actively assist others, particularly women, in realizing their full leadership potential. There still is the discussion of women versus men in leadership roles; however, in my Lynn Pietroski opinion it is not as much about gender as it is leadership skills an individual possesses. According to Psychology Today, women in high-level leadership positions, such as corporate CEOs, when studied, seem to exhibit the same sorts of leadership behavior as their male counterparts. That is probably because the demands of the leadership role require certain actions and behaviors to succeed. Different communication styles between the sexes are well documented. Men tend to be more direct and goal-oriented while women tend to be relationship-oriented. The capability to meld different communication styles is essential for organizations that hope to fully realize their potential. While men account for the majority of leadership positions, an increase in women in the workplace indicates that the tide may soon be shifting. Similarities among men and women managers are surprising. An extensive review of research suggests that similarities in leadership styles tend to outweigh the differences. Because of career self-selection and organization selection, people who choose careers in law enforcement or real estate have a lot in common. So do individuals who choose managerial or supervisory roles. Similarly, organizations tend to recruit and promote
into leadership positions people who project certain leadership attributes. In today’s organizations, flexibility, teamwork, trust and information sharing are replacing rigid structures, competitive individualism, control and secrecy. The best leaders listen, motivate and provide support to their people. The leadership communication styles that women typically use can place them at an advantage over men with regard to negotiating. Some communication strengths for women leaders include: enhanced teamwork, encouraging innovation through collaboration and increased opportunities for continuous improvement because of open access to information. Some strengths that leaders who are men exhibit include: a tendency to set strong boundaries, assigning clear responsibilities and weeding out weak performers. Regardless of gender, all of these qualities are important and being able to balance these traits makes strong leaders. Aligning with the ATHENA Leadership Award, to be a recognized leader, you need opinions and ideas. You also need to be assertive enough to add your voice to the world conversation. Communication skills are critical to leadership and can’t be underestimated. Women are strong communicators and can leverage this skill in any business setting. I believe you get out of things what you put into them. If an individual desires to be successful, they should adjust their skills, strengths, and areas that might need improvement in order to be successful, regardless of gender. As with titles, it is just a title, it does not define your character, your work ethic, your desires or your fate. 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
Wetland regulation changes looming
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he federal Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers are proposing changes to the Clean Water Act, which defines federally regulated wetlands. If the changes become reality, the amount of federally regulated wetlands could dramatically increase, affecting landowners, businesses and farms across the country. The changes could force landowners to go through a federal permitting process if they plan to fill areas that previously were not considered wetlands. The New York Farm Bureau reports that the Corps of Engineers and the EPA are proposing to change wetland guidance to remove the word “navigable” to some definitions of federal wetlands. A review of the EPA’s website http://water. epa.gov/lawsregs/guidance/wetlands/ CWAwaters_guidesum.cfm, supports the information from the Farm Bureau. The site indicates “small streams and streams that flow part of the year are protected under the Clean Water Act if they have a physical, chemical or biological connection to larger bodies of water downstream and could affect the integrity of those downstream waters. Agencies would be able to evaluate groups of waters holistically rather than the current, piecemeal, stream-by-stream analysis.” In addition, it is acknowledged that “when a water body does not have a surface connection to an interstate water or traditional navigable water, but there is a significant physical, chemical or biological connection between the two, both water bodies should be protected under the Clean Water Act.”
So why is this alarming? I’ll use the example of my front yard. Part of my property line is South Sandy Creek that flows through southern Jefferson County. South Sandy Creek is Jay Matteson a navigable waterway during high water periods, a state Department of Environmental Conservation classified trout stream and certainly a valuable wetland. My front yard is a mowed lawn. Most of the year, it’s a dry, landscaped area where you wouldn’t recognize that a few hundred feet beyond, just past the tree line, is South Sandy Creek. Unfortunately, for maybe a month every year, when snow melts, and the ground is frozen or there’s heavy precipitation during the early spring months, water will flow across the surface toward a wet area just inside the woods. Does this become a federally regulated wetland under new EPA guidance? Quite possibly yes. It could be argued that even though the water flowing across my yard does not have a direct connection to the creek, it may have a chemical or biological connection to South Sandy Creek and therefore becomes classified as a federal protected wetland under the proposed EPA rules. Should I want to put fill in my front yard to alter the slope of the road bank so it is easier to mow, which is something I’d like to do, will I have to go through the federal
permitting process? It is even more alarming for our farms, which are a land-intensive business. Farms must already deal with existing federal wetland issues and DEC and USDA wetland regulations. As an example of the onerous regulations farms face, if a farm is able to buy actively farmed land today, they must have a USDA wetland determination done on their new property. If USDA determines there are “hydric soils” — soils that have wetland characteristics even though the soil surface appears to be dry fields — the farmer might have to “farm around” those soils in the field. Even though the person who cleared the land decades ago had farmed that field up until the sale, a new landowner might have to abandon dozens of acres of valuable farmland because the soils are classified as hydric. For farms, a new change to wetland definitions may severely affect their ability to farm lands that they may have farmed for decades. The federal permitting process is lengthy and expensive. At a time when we need to grow our economy and grow our jobs, agriculture can be a huge part of that economic engine. Unfortunately, when we need to grow our economy most, the federal government may create more barriers to growth. The new guidance will definitely affect our farms if approved. How will the guidance affect your backyard?
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
Take stock of tech for budget season
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ith back-to-school behind us, so goes the third quarter of 2012. That means budget 2013 is fast around the corner. Have you taken stock and identified the number Windows XP machines you still have deployed? Windows XP loses its security patch support on April 8, 2014, just one budget year and a couple of months away. At the same time, annual maintenance will climb to $870 for a Windows XPbased PC in comparison to only $168 for a Windows 7 machine – $700 a year per machine in savings. An International Data Corp. report, “Mitigating Risk: Why Sticking with Windows XP is a Bad Idea,” also details the 7.8 hours of annual productivity gained per employee with the absence of XP time wasters like reboots, reimaging and downtime from an increasing malware problem, which only promises to get worse. The report estimates that organizations moving to Windows 7 will have a 137 percent return on investment over a threeyear period. If you still have XP machines, you are not alone; it is really more common that you think but it’s not too soon to make upgrade plans for your organization. Increasing adoption of mobile devices across all customer bases also is pushing mobile marketing to the top of budget 2013. Ideally, you must begin to optimize your Web experiences to encourage repeat visitors and deliver a superb end-user experience, all the while providing the most valuable offers through your mobile channels, encouraging and rewarding your consumer’s adoption. This is proving to be harder than initially thought as only
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about half of all U.S. businesses have conquered the formatting challenges associated with providing a consistent mobile experience for the customer. Think about it: How often Jill Van Hoesen are you frustrated with a merchant’s mobile site you are trying to access on your smartphone, iPad or other tablet? To be successful is it critical that your IT and marketing teams jointly manage mobile marketing efforts. Start thinking now about what redesigns your marketing content you will need to accomplish to complement the specific capabilities of each mobile channel, while customizing and personalizing the customer’s targeted content. Companies that are successful in Web content optimization for mobile devices deliver a superior customer experience and encourage repeat visits that show increases upwards of 50 percent in annual revenue and increased sales transactions. Great news for your bottom line. n n n Did you know that on Sept. 5 the Watertown Daily Times launched a 30-day trial period for its e-Edition? This brings a digital replica of the printed Watertown Daily Times to your computer or other mobile device complete with every photo, article and advertisement found in print.
There is no need to download any software, just visit www.watertowndailytimes.com and look for the easy-to-find login link. E-Edition means the convenience of having all your local news, sports and current events available wherever you are. All you need is an Internet connection. There are options like e-notify, which allows you to set up email notifications whenever an article appears on some of your most near and dear topics. You also can activate a listen module and have the e-Edition read to you via the Linguatec Voice Reader. The myriad of flexible search features makes it easy to find, retrieve, save, print or even email a favorite article or photo. Want to download a page or even a whole edition? Just click on the download icon and make your choices. Visit the market where you will find all the advertisements in one location for quick and easy perusal. Click on any of available market hyperlinks and visit the website of your favorite advertiser all in one click. Are you a fan of the comics or Dear Abby? Since this is an exact replica of all that’s in print, you will have access to it and much, much more. Visit www.watertowndailytimes. com and click on the E-edition link, then email me at jvanhoesen@wdt.net and give me your feedback. I am excited to learn about how you enjoy our latest technological enhancement. 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
How is new tech helping your biz?
I
recently got new office furniture. Of course, this meant having to pack up my entire office, empty my desk drawers and store the boxes where everybody else wouldn’t be tripping over them. This all had to happen right before I went on vacation. And the day I came back, not only did I have to be able to function with taking phone calls, finding a pencil and booting up my computer to read my email, but I also was giving a workshop that afternoon. So the whole process required quite a bit of planning. I couldn’t bury the important stuff in a box with scrap paper, old phone lists and the other detritus that builds up when you’ve been in the same office for 12 years. The first few days were a struggle. I brought into my office the key boxes that held items I knew I’d need to have quickly. It seemed like I was forever shifting boxes to find the one that held my phone book, then stack that box so I could find my scissors, then into another for my personal items — like ibuprofen — that I really needed about then. But as the days have gone on, I’m determined to keep only things that I use on a regular basis. Old files? Gone. Computer discs? Don’t need them. Two-year-old articles on marketing? Outdated. Now I’m feeling the joy of a clear, clean, efficient physical work space. The next mess I’m going to tackle is in my technology. My first goal is to be less of a tree-killer, and that means getting my computer
desktop organized. It used to be that any article I was interested in, I’d print it off, then add it to a pile and never be able to put my hand on it again without going through Sarah O’Connell multiple boxes. So now I try to either save it as a file on my desktop or bookmark it. But I can see that I have to come up with a better plan. My desktop
while meeting with a client at their business. The GPS function helps her find an address. I want all that. I can also start taking advantage of the many webinars available to help me do my job better. It used to be that most of my professional development was spent traveling to conferences and attending workshops. Now I have access to webinars from our state SBDC on topics like the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) energy review program for small businesses, or tips for starting a food business. Even if I can’t participate live, all these topics are available to me in a shared resources file online. For small business owners, there are online presentations and webinars galore at the sba. gov website and the irs.gov website. How is technology helping you operate your small business? What can you do, or add, to make you more efficient and better able to serve your customers or clients? The New York State Small Business Development Center offers individual, confidential counseling at no cost for people with new or existing businesses, as well as other workshop opportunities.
For small business owners, there are online presentations and webinars galore at www.sba.gov and on www.irs.gov. has so many icons on it that it looks like a Scrabble game gone wild. My favorites and bookmarks menus are so long that by the time I scroll to the bottom I’ve forgotten what I was looking for. So, I’m vowing to come up with a system that will let me access my electronic file cabinet quickly and intuitively. My next objective is to get a smartphone. One of my co-workers has one, and she is linked to our Outlook mail and calendar system. So instead of calling her while she is out of the office at a meeting, I can just send her an email and know she’ll be able to read it as soon as it’s convenient. She can look up websites
n SARAH O’CONNELL is a certified business advisor with the New York State Small Business Development Center at Jefferson Community College. She is a former small business owner and lifelong Northern New York resident. Contact her at soconnell@sunyjefferson.edu. Her column appears bi-monthly in NNY Business.
September 2012 | NNY Business
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CHAMBER / WEB DIRECTORY
NNY CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE ALEXANDRIA BAY
7 Market St., Alexandria Bay, NY 13607; 482-9531, www.visitalexbay.org
BOONVILLE
122 Main St., P.O. Box 163, Boonville, NY 13309; 942-6823, www.boonvillechamber.com
CANTON
60 Main St., P.O. Box 369, Canton, NY 13617; 386-8255, www.cantonnychamber.org
CAPE VINCENT
649-3404, www.chaumontchamber.com
393-3620, www.ogdensburgny.com
CLAYTON
OLD FORGE
GREATER WATERTOWNNORTH COUNTRY
POTSDAM
517 Riverside Drive, Clayton, NY 13624; 686-3771, www.1000islands-clayton.com
1241 Coffeen St., Watertown, NY 13601; 788-4400, www.watertownny.com
GOUVERNEUR
HENDERSON HARBOR
SACKETS HARBOR
P.O. Box 468, Henderson Harbor, NY 13651; 938-5568, www.hendersonharborny.com
CARTHAGE AREA
MASSENA
572 S. Salina St., Syracuse, NY 13202; 470-1800, www.centerstateceo.com
CHAUMONT-THREE MILE BAY
P.O. Box 24, Three Mile Bay, NY 13693;
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
PULASKI
3044 Route 13, P.O. Box 34, Pulaski, NY 13142; 298-2213, www.pulaskinychamber.com
LEWIS COUNTY
CENTERSTATE CEO
1 Market St., Potsdam, NY 13676; 274-9000, www.potsdamchamber.com
214 E. Main St., Gouverneur, NY 13642; 287-0331, www.gouverneurchamber.net
175 N. James St., P.O. Box 482, Cape Vincent, NY 13618; 654-2481, www.capevincent.org 120 S. Mechanic St., Carthage, NY 13619; 493-3590, www.carthageny.com
3140 Route 28, P.O. Box 68, Old Forge, NY 13420; 369-6983, www.oldforgeny.com
7576 S. State St., Lowville, NY 13367; 376-2213, www.lewiscountychamber.org 50 Main St., Massena, NY 13662; 7693525, www.massenachamber.com
MALONE
497 East Main St., Malone, NY 12953; 1(518) 483-3760, www.visitmalone.com
OGDENSBURG
1 Bridge Plaza, Ogdensburg, NY 13669;
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
304 W. Main St., P.O. Box 17, Sackets Harbor, NY 13685; 646-1700, www. sacketsharborchamberofcommerce.com
SOUTH JEFFERSON
14 E. Church St., Adams, NY 13605; 232-4215, www.southjeffchamber.org
ST. LAWRENCE
101 Main St., First Floor, Canton, NY 13617; 386-4000, www.northcountryguide.com
TRI-TOWN
907 Route 11 C, P.O. Box 297, Brasher Falls, NY 13613; 389-4800, www.tritownchamberofcommerce.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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NNY Business | September 2012
n Oktoberfest, noon to 8 p.m., Thousand Islands Winery, 43298 Seaway Ave. Pig roast, wine and beer, grape crushing demonstrations, grape stomp competitions, hay rides, vendors, farmer’s market and live music. Admission: $4 at the gate. Contact: 482-9306 or visit www.thousandislandswinery.com.
presentation, cocktails, 6 p.m., dinner and program, 7 p.m., Ryan’s Lookout restaurant. Sponsored by the Greater Watertown-North Country Chamber of Commerce. ATHENA award being presented to Denise Young, executive director of the Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization. Cost: $45; corporate table with seating for eight, $410. Register: GWNC Chamber of Commerce, 788-4400 or www.watertownny.com.
CANTON
LOWVILLE
SATURDAY, OCT. 6
THURSDAY, SEPT. 20
n Women’s Business Boot Camp luncheon, 11 a.m. registration, noon luncheon and speaker, SUNY Canton Campus Center. Sponsored by the New York State Small Business Development Center at SUNY Canton and the Reh Center for Entrepreneurship at Clarkson University. Mini marketplace, networking opportunities, keynote speaker Mary Ann Meola of Primerica Financial Services presenting “How Money Works” on budgeting, paying off debt, investing, insurance and retirement planning. Cost: $30 per person, includes luncheon, speaker and mini marketplace display. Register: SBDC, 3867312 or sbdc@canton.edu.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 22 & SUNDAY, SEPT. 23
n Remington Arts Festival, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, village green park. Sponsored by town and village of Canton, St. Lawrence County Historical Association, Traditional Arts in Upstate New York and the St. Lawrence County Arts Council. Remington 5K Fun Run begins at 9 a.m. Sunday. Free admission. Complete schedule and information: http:// northcountrysites.com/remingtonfest.
CAPE VINCENT WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 19
n Cape Vincent Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner, Sand Bay Inn, 8353 County Route 9. Social hour 6-7 p.m., dinner follows. Citizen of the Year is guest of honor and Community Achievement Award will be presented. Winners of Focus on Cape Vincent Amateur Photo Contest will be announced. Cost: $25. RSVP to Shelley Higgins 654-2481 by Sept. 14.
CLAYTON SATURDAY, SEPT. 22 & SUNDAY, SEPT. 23
n 15th annual Vintage and Classic Street Meet, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, downtown Clayton. Sponsored by Clayton Chamber of Commerce. Rain date: Saturday, Sept. 29, and Sunday, Sept. 30. Registration at the American Legion Post No. 821, 518 Riverside Drive or register online at 1000islands-clayton.com. All vehicles and motorcycles welcome. For schedule of events, contest and award ceremonies, visit www.1000islands-clayton.com/ carshow. Information: 686-3771.
HENDERSON THURSDAY, SEPT. 13
n 2012 Fall Dinner and ATHENA Award
SATURDAY, SEPT. 15
n Eighth annual Cream Cheese Festival, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., downtown Lowville. Vendors, games, live music, family activities and dessert competitions. Free admission.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 22 & SUNDAY, SEPT. 23
n 2012 ATV Manufacturers Outdoor Expo and Trade Show, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Flat Rock Inn, Lowville, and Timberview Lodge, Turin. Manufacturers, dealers, demonstration rides, workshops and vendors. Information: www.tughillatvexpo.com.
RODMAN SATURDAY, SEPT. 15
n Development Authority of the North Country open house, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., solid waste management facility, 23400 State Route 177. Open house in celebration of DANC’s 20th anniversary. Free household hazardous waste collection. Open to all residents in Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties. Information: www.danc.org or www.northcountryrecycles.org.
SACKETS HARBOR TUESDAY, SEPT. 18
n Meet ‘n Greet, 6 to 8 p.m., Goodfellos, W. Main Street. Sponsored by the Sackets Harbor Chamber of Commerce. Cost: $10.
SYRACUSE THURSDAY, SEPT. 13
n Business After Hours, 5:30 to 7 p.m., the Post Standard, 1 Clinton Square. Sponsored by CenterState Corporation for Economic Opportunity. Networking opportunity with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. Cost: Member, $10; non-member, $20. Register: Lisa Metot, 470-1870 or lmetot@centerstateceo.com.
WATERTOWN THURSDAYS THROUGH OCT. 18
n Entrepreneurial Training Course, 6 to 9 p.m., Jefferson Community College, Coffeen Street. Sponsored by the New York State Small Business Development Center at JCC. Area business professionals offer instruction on business-related topics. The course guides entrepreneurs toward the development of sound business practices and a more profitable and successful venture. The workshop is also offered online. Cost: $195. Register: SBDC, 782-9262 or sbdc@sunyjefferson.edu.
TUESDAY, SEPT. 11
n Federal and State Technology Research Funding Opportunities event, 8:30 a.m. to
12:30 p.m., Jefferson County Industrial Development Agency, 800 Starbuck Ave., Suite 800. Sponsored by New York State Small Business Development Center of Watertown with JCIDA, CITEC and North Country Procurement Technical Assistance Center. Program covers Small Business Innovative Research, Small Business Technology Transfer, NYSERDA programs, solicitation and topic search and selection, the proposal process, incubator space and mentoring. Guest speakers: Mike Shimazu, NYSERDA project manager of innovation and business development; Martin Casstevens, State University at Buffalo director of directed energy/business formation and commercialization manger; Drake Thomas, SBDC Brockport FAST director; Donald Alexander, CEO of JCIDA; and John Pinkerton, CITEC. Free admission. Register: Watertown SBDC, 7829262 or sbdc@sunyjefferson.edu.
THURSDAY, SEPT. 20
n Business After Hours, 5 to 7 p.m., North Country Children’s Clinic, 238 Arsenal St. Sponsored by the Greater Watertown-North Country Chamber of Commerce. Cost: Members, $8; non-registered members, $10; nonmembers, $12. Register: www.watertownny. com or 788-4400.
TUESDAY, SEPT. 25
n Fireball Run Adventurally, noon to 7 p.m., downtown Watertown between Sterling and Stone streets. The Fireball Run Adventurally is a national live event and film series sponsored by NBC Universal Studios. It is an eight-day, 15 city, 2,500-mile interactive road rally supporting the Race to Recover America’s Missing Children. The day downtown will feature a farmer’s market, live radio feeds, music from local bands, sidewalk sales and booths from local businesses. The Fireball Run teams will be arriving between 3:30 and 4:30 p.m. Information: www.watertownny.com or www.fireballrun.tv.
FRIDAY, OCT. 5
n Women’s Day 2012: “You Are You...Be Proud of Being You!,” 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Hilton Garden Inn. Sponsored by Northern New York Rural Health Care Alliance. Guest speaker: Tara Costa, 2008 Biggest Loser contestant and founder of the Inspire Change Foundation. Other topics include health and stress management, how to build self esteem of our daughters and self defense and maintaining a safe environment. Vendors and hourly door prizes. Information: www.nnyrhca.org or contact Sandy Hazen at 755-2500, sandy@nnyrhca.org.
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 17
n 2012 Business Networking Expo and Business After hours, 2 to 7 p.m., Dulles State Office Building, Washington Street. Sponsored by the Greater Watertown-North Country chamber of Commerce, Westelcom, ABC-50, Watertown Daily Times, NNY Business magazine and Stephens Media Group. Registration information with forms and fees at www.watertownny.com. 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/NNY Business or www.nnybizmag.com for events calendar updates.
COMMUNITY / BUSINESS EVENTS CALENDAR
ALEXANDRIA BAY
September 2012 | NNY Business
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BUSINESS SCENE Jefferson County Historical Society 500 Donor Reception at Paddock Mansion
From left, Suzanne Chellis and husband, Thomas, Watertown.
KEN EYSAMAN PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS
From left, Kris Benner and Karen Marriott, both of Rodman. The Jefferson County Historical Society on Saturday, Aug. 11, welcomed donors to its Historical Society 500 campaign during a reception at the Jefferson County Historical Society Museum that also included tours of the museum campus. About 44 donors turned out.
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NNY Business | September 2012
From left, Gary Walts, Chaumont, Dora Schneider, Jefferson County Historical Society volunteer, Watertown, and Anna Murrock, Watertown.
KEN EYSAMAN PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS
From left, Carolyn Walts Call, Evans Mills, and Claudia Schell Klock, Philadelphia. Mrs. Call and Mrs. Klock both attended the Pink Schoolhouse in Evans Mills from first through sixth grade. The schoolhouse now sits on the campus of the Jefferson County Historical Society Museum.
BUSINESS SCENE Historical Society 500 Donor Reception
From left, Weslie McLaughlin and husband, Carl, Fort Drum Regional Liaison Organization executive director, Watertown.
Sackets Harbor Chamber Meet & Greet
From left, Mark Pacilio, chief of staff for Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell, D-Theresa, and Sackets Harbor Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Committee member, and Tina Wisner, Payroll by McWiz, Sackets Harbor.
KEN EYSAMAN PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS
From left, Nancy Campbell and husband, William, Colton.
KEN EYSAMAN PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS
From left, Beth Glodgelter and Bonnie LaForty, Fort Pike Commons Apartments, Sackets Harbor. The Sackets Harbor Chamber of Commerce held its August Meet and Greet at Fort Pike Commons Apartments on Wednesday, Aug. 15. The Hershey Company and Fort Pike Commons Apartments sponsored the poolside event that drew about 25 Sackets business professionals.
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.
September 2012 | NNY Business
| 53
BUSINESS SCENE Sackets Harbor Chamber of Commerce Meet & Greet at Fort Pike Commons
From left, Anita Harvell, Stream Global Services, Watertown, Jennifer Risser, North Country Animal Health Center, Watertown, Karyn Mintz, Calla Lillies, Sackets Harbor, and Trish Pacilio, Jefferson Community College, Watertown.
KEN EYSAMAN PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS
From left, Don DiMonda, president, Sackets Harbor Local Development Corp., and wife, Janice.
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NNY Business | September 2012
From left, Toini McCroy, Northern New York sales representative, Hershey Company, Maria Taylour, Samaritan Medical Center, Watertown, and Kelly Burns, Sackets Harbor branch manager, Watertown Savings Bank.
KEN EYSAMAN PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS
From left, Elizabeth Payne, Transitional Living Services, Watertown and Calla Lillies, Sackets Harbor, father, Don Payne, Sackets Harbor Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Committee, and wife, Cheryl, Calla Lillies, Sackets Harbor.
BUSINESS SCENE Bobcats, Bears and Brews at New York State Zoo at Thompson Park
From left, Sue Hunt, volunteer, New York State Zoo at Thompson Park, Ryan Murphy, Saranac Brewery, and Christy Chiumento, volunteer, New York State Zoo at Thompson Park.
From left, Leah M. Williams and Gabby Navarra, both of Black River Valley
Club at the Watertown Golf Course.
KYLE R. HAYES PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS
From left, Robert and Pamela Narrigan and Tom Hunt, volunteers for the zoo. The New York State Zoo at Thompson Park held its annual Bobcats, Bears and Brews fundraiser on Saturday, Aug. 11, at the zoo.
KYLE R. HAYES PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS
From left, Megan Bourque and Larry Jacowitz, managing partner, Texas Roadhouse, Watertown.
September 2012 | NNY Business
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BUSINESS SCENE GWNC Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours at Davidson Chevrolet
From left, Brandi Browning, Stella & Dot independent stylist, and husband, James, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum.
KEN EYSAMAN PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS
From left, Shawn McCormick, Hilton Garden Inn, Watertown, and Krysta Aten-Schell, Ennova Productions. The Greater Watertown-North Country Chamber of Commerce held its August Business After Hours at Davidson Chevrolet on Thursday, Aug. 16, on Route 11 in Watertown Center.
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NNY Business | September 2012
From left, Donna Budjenska, Rodan and Fields Dermatologists, and Kristen Crabtree, Fairfield Inn and Suites, Watertown.
KEN EYSAMAN PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS
From left, Robin Redmond and daughter, Emily Schell, both of North Country Children’s Clinic, Watertown.
BUSINESS SCENE GWNC Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours at Davidson Chevrolet
From left, Joy Horn, Scentsy Wickless Candles, Erin Keegan, GYMO Architecture, Engineering and Land Surveying, Watertown, Mandee Widrick, ChargedUp Media, Adams Center.
From left, Dwight E. Davidson, president, Davidson Auto Group, brother, Douglas E., and brother Donald R., both of Davidson Auto Group.
KEN EYSAMAN PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS
From left, Brenda L. Van Nest, Benefit Specialists of New York, and James Nistico, Eastwood Litho, Eastwood.
KEN EYSAMAN PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS
From left, Audrey Vandewall, student, Mercyhurst College, Erie, Pa., mother, Rosina, Samaritan Medical Center, Watertown.
September 2012 | NNY Business
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DINING GUIDE n A directory of independent coffee houses, bars and restaurants.
Full-service restaurants 1025 Ruyi Japanese Steak House 1025 Arsenal St., Watertown (315) 405-4501 1844 House “An American Bistro” 6885 U.S. Route 11, Potsdam (315) 268-1844 2000 Chinese Restaurant 22070 U.S. Route 11, Watertown (315) 788-2000 A & J’s Diner 455 Court St., Watertown (315) 777-4811 Andy’s Caribbean Cuisine 302 Court St., Watertown (315) 777-8658 Apollo Restaurant 1283 Arsenal St., Watertown (315) 788-3569 Art’s Jug 820 Huntington St., Watertown (315) 782-9764 Bella’s Bistro 602 Riverside Drive, Clayton (315) 686-2341 Bernardo’s Pizzeria 702 Coffeen St., Watertown (315) 782-9500 Black River Valley Club 131 Washington St., Watertown (315) 788-2300 Blue Heron 12050 Route 12E, Chaumont (315) 649-2240 Boathouse 214 W. Main St., Sackets Harbor (315) 646-2092 Brookside Diner 1873 State St., Watertown (315) 782-9824 Brownville Diner 114 W. Main St., Brownville (315) 786-8554 Café Mira 14 Main St., Adams (315) 232-4470
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Cam’s Pizzeria 25 Public Square, Watertown (315) 779-8900
Gold Star Deli 343 Arsenal St., Watertown (315) 782-6155
Korean Grill 525 W. Main St., Watertown (315) 681-4226
Cavallario’s Cucina 133 N. Massey St., Watertown (315) 788-9744
Goodfellos 202 W. Main St., Sackets Harbor (315) 646-3463
La Bella Fonte 10700 U.S. Route 11, Adams (315) 232-4842
Gram’s Diner 13 Main St., Adams (315) 232-4881
Lake Ontario Playhouse 103 W. Main St., Sackets Harbor (315) 646-2305
Great American Grill 1290 Arsenal St., Watertown (315) 788-1234
Manor Country Diner Route 11, Pierrepont Manor (315) 465-4400
Great Wall Chinese 300 Arsenal St., Watertown (315) 788-7668
Limerick Hotel 16331 State Route 12E, Limerick (315) 639-6804
Harby’s Hots Outer Washington Street, Watertown (315) 788-2250
Lloyd’s of Lowville 7405 S. State St., Lowville (315) 376-7037
Herrings Inn 35802 State Route 3, Carthage (315) 493-9829
Lucia’s Italian Restaurant 11613 U.S. Route 11, Adams (315) 232-2223
Highland Meadows Country Club 24201 State Route 342, Watertown (315) 785-0108
Maggie’s on the River 500 Newell St., Watertown (315) 405-4239
Hops Spot 214.5 W. Main St., Sackets Harbor (315) 646-BEER (2337)
Mariano’s Pizza 981 Waterman Drive, Watertown (315) 788-8088
Home Deli Pizza & Subs 305 W. Main St., Watertown (315) 782-6340
Midway Ice Cream 891 Coffeen St., Watertown (315) 405-4996
Hot Diggity Dogs Salmon Run Mall, Watertown (315) 788-4844
Mo’s Place 345 Factory St., Watertown (315) 782-5503
Ives Hill Restaurant 435 Flower Ave. W., Watertown (315) 775-4837
Morgia’s Pasta 22560 Fisher Road, Watertown (315) 788-3509
Jean’s Beans 259 Eastern Blvd., Watertown (315) 788-7460
Mr. Sub Sandwich Shop Public Square & Mill St., Watertown (315) 782-1760
Johnny D’s 1 Public Square, Watertown (315) 782-6108
Nu Pier 13212 State Route 3, Sackets Harbor (315) 646-3312
Gary’s Restaurant 5424 Shady Ave., Lowville (315) 376-6612
Karen & Jasper’s Bar & Bistro 1322 Washington St. Plaza, Watertown (315) 788-4110
Original Italian Pizza 222 N. Massey St., Watertown (315) 786-0000
G&F Italian Pizza and Restaurant 2972 E. Main St., Parish (315) 625-7177
King Star Food Oriental 22265 U.S. Route 11, Watertown (315) 786-0246
Papa Tino’s Pizzeria 716 Mill St., Watertown (315) 782-7272
Tree Inn 8541 State Route 3, Henderson (315) 938-7281 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 Erin’s Isle Restaurant 928 State Route 11C, Brasher Falls (315) 389-4100 Fairground Inn 852 Coffeen St., Watertown (315) 782-7335 Fireside at Partridge Berry Inn 26561 State Route 3, Watertown (315) 782-8401 Five Guys 1290 Arsenal St., Watertown (315) 221-4258 Fung Hing Chinese 225 State St., Watertown (315) 785-9689
NNY Business | September 2012
DINING GUIDE Pete’s Restaurant 111 Breen Ave., Watertown (315) 782-6640
Read the reviews
Pickle Barrel Cafe 32523 Route 12, Depauville (315) 686-3640
Log on to www.watertowndaily times.com to read restaurant reviews by Watertown Daily Times restaurant critic Walter Siebel.
Pizza Shack 12699 State Route 3, Sackets Harbor (315) 646-2267
Get on the list
Rainbow Shores Restaurant 186 Rainbow Shores Road, Pulaski (315) 298-5110 Rajit 262 Arsenal St., Watertown (315) 782-5513 Ramada Inn 21000 State Route 3, Watertown (315) 788-0700 Rhonda’s Place Family Diner 566 State St., Watertown Riccardo’s Market & Deli 710 Holcomb St., Watertown (315) 782-7810 Riverhouse 4818 Salina St., Pulaski (315)509-4281 Roberts Family Pizzeria 839 State St., Watertown (315) 786-2006 Roma Restaurant 19 Bridge St., Carthage (315) 493-0616 Romalato’s Gourmet Deli 450 Gaffney Drive, Watertown (315) 681-6653 Ryan’s Lookout 9290 State Route 3, Henderson (315) 938-5151
Call NNY Business associate editor Kyle Hayes at (315) 661-2381 or email khayes@wdt.net to have your restaurant or bar listed in our monthly dining guide today. Shorty’s Place 1280 Coffeen St., Watertown (315) 782-7878 Shuler’s Steak & Seafood 802 Mill St., Watertown (315) 782-1429 Soluri’s Pizza 526 Factory St., Watertown (315) 782-2888 Stonefence Resort 7191 State Route 37, Ogdensburg (315) 393-1545 Stone Jug Pizzeria 104 Bartlett Road, Sackets Harbor (315) 646-1008 Suk Hui Hi’s Korean 1301 State St., Watertown (315) 785-9740 Super Wok Chinese Restaurant 20991 State Route 3, Watertown (315) 788-5389 Teriyaki Experience 21852 Towne Center Drive, Watertown (315) 785-9254
Sackets Harbor Brew Pub 212 W. Main St., Sackets Harbor (315) 646-2739
Thailand Thai Restaurant 1857 State St., Watertown (315) 788-6688
Sandy’s Luncheonette 5 Public Square, Watertown (315) 782-2935
The Place 1612 Ford St., Ogdensburg 315-393-3080
Savory Downtown 300 Washington St., Watertown (315) 782-8000
Thousand Island Club 21952 Club Road, Alexandria Bay (315) 482-9999
Sboro’s Restaurant 836 Coffeen St., Watertown (315) 788-1728
Tico’s Mex Mex Grill 65 Public Square, Watertown (315) 836-4778
Tilted Kilt 1050 Arsenal St., Watertown (315) 782-5458
Clueless 545 Arsenal St., Watertown (315) 782-9006
Tin Pan Galley 110 W. Main St., Sackets Harbor (315) 646-3812
Crazy Legs Saloon 536 Arsenal St., Watertown (315) 777-8333
United China Restaurant 144 Eastern Blvd., Watertown (315) 782-4432
Edge of the River Pub 519 W. Main St., Watertown (315) 788-0695
Violi’s Restaurant 209 Center St., Massena (315) 764-0329
Fat Boys 743 Huntington St., Watertown (315) 779-0087
Village Inn 8208 Main St., Harrisville (315) 543-9382
Fort Pearl Inc. 557 Pearl St., Watertown (315) 786-3333
VV’s Mexican Kitchen Noble Street, Evans Mills (315) 629-4652
Hitchin’ Post Tavern 404 Court St., Watertown (315) 782-9656
Walsh’s Pub & Grill 101 E. Main St., Brownville (315) 782-6065
Hometown Pizzeria 4 W. Church St., Adams (315) 232-3000
Watertown Golf Club Grill and Bar 1 Thompson Park, Watertown (315) 782-5606
Joe’s Tavern 548 Coffeen St., Watertown (315) 782-9709
Willowbrook Golf Club 25075 State Route 37, Watertown (315) 782-8192
Kicker’s Lounge 498 Factory St., Watertown (315) 785-9392
Wing Wagon 71 Public Square, Watertown (315) 836-3205
Mick’s Place 204 Factory St., Watertown (315) 786-1992
Coffee Houses
Paddock Club 5 Paddock Arcade, Watertown (315) 786-6633
Brew Ha Ha 468 Coffeen St., Watertown (315) 788-1175
Pappy’s Bowlmor Lanes 227 E. Orvis St., Massena (315) 769-9877
Chrissy Beanz Bakery 105 W. Main St., Sackets Harbor (315) 646-2330
Pewter Mug 1120 Gill St., Watertown (315) 782-0200
Coffee Shop Carbone Plaza, Watertown (315) 782-0450 Danny’s Coffee 21181 Salmon Run Mall, Watertown (315) 782-7057
Seth’s Pub 558 State St., Watertown (315) 681-6645
Bars / Nightlife
Shootie’s Bar 504 Pearl St., Watertown (315) 782-9724
Artie’s Tavern 329 High St., Watertown (315) 782-9616
Time Warp Tavern 302 State St., Watertown (315) 782-9784
September 2012 | NNY Business
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BUSINESS HISTORY
WATERTOWN DAILY TIMES ARCHIVES
Above, the New York Air Brake factory on Starbuck Ave., shown with its iconic smokestacks, ca. 1969. The smokestacks were torn down in the late 1990s. Opposite page, the present Air Brake facility.
A manufacturing mainstay n Thousands owe careers to brake firm since 1876
T
NNY Business
he New York Air Brake Corp., 748 Starbuck Ave., Watertown, remains today what it was when it was founded as Eames Vacuum Brake Co. in 1876: One of Watertown’s largest, most prominent manufacturers and businesses. Eames Vacuum Brake Co. began with an iron foundry on Beebe Island and a brass foundry nearby. The company made a new kind of pneumatic brake for north country railroads, and in 1890 became New York Air Brake Co. By 1920, New York Air Brake had moved to Starbuck Avenue. The foundry moved around 1910 and was replaced by a new building closer to Pearl Street in 1924. By 1919, Air Brake boasted 7,000 employees, when it produced horse-drawn cannons. In 1945, the company employed 3,000, making tanks and other military hardware for World War II.
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NNY Business | September 2012
Its next peak employment was around 1958 with 2,589 employees. In 1967, General Signal Corp. bought Air Brake with its foundry, Dynapower and Stratopower divisions, for $66 million in stock. In 1969, Air Brake had 1,820 employees working in Watertown. By 1980, that number reached about 2,200 before dropping below 1,200 workers after 1985. The roots of Dynapower and Stratopower went back to World War II, when Air Brake developed a hydraulic pump used in Lockhead P-38 fighter planes. Stratopower’s name came from pumps developed for aircraft, including the Boeing 377 Stratocruiser. Dynapower came from a hydrostatic transmission system developed from the Stratopower pump. While Stratopower built parts for aerospace and defense contracts, Dynapower made components for heavy machinery and farm equipment.
Munich, Germany-based Knorr-Bremse Corp. bought the railroad-brake-making division of Air Brake in 1990, which left the former New York Air Brake Co. divided into three companies: New York Air Brake Corp., a division of Knorr; G.S. Castings, the foundry, a division of General Signal; and Dynapower/Stratopower, another division of General Signal. The foundry had as many as 536 union employees in the 1960s. The number of employees at the foundry dropped to about 150 in the 1970s and 1980s. Freight-car brake orders fell dramatically in the 1980s as railroads lost customers to over-the-road trucking companies, and the foundry cut back to three-day work weeks. From 1983 to 1985, the company spent $16 million on foundry improvements, including $6.5 million from a state grant, with the goal of developing product lines in addition to the brake castings. In the 1980s, the foundry poured
WATERTOWN DAILY TIMES ARCHIVES
radiator cores for Utica Boiler and compressor blocks for Carrier Corp. It had the capacity to pour 60 million pounds per year, but never approached that level. Layoffs cut the foundry’s work force to less than 100 employees by 1991, when General Signal closed it. High fixed costs, including an electric bill of nearly $2 million a year, made it unprofitable to operate without large volumes. By 1992, Knorr’s Air Brake had about 700 employees in Watertown and Kingston, Ontario; General Signal’s Dynapower/ Stratopower had about 300 employees and an estimated payroll of $9 million. General Signal moved Dynapower/Stratopower to North Charleston, S.C., in 1992, and the division closed in 1996. In 1994, Knorr-Bremse Corp. moved the mass-transit division of New York Air Brake from Watertown to its Westminster, Md., plant. That left freight-car brakes, the main business for Air Brake in Watertown, and locomotive brakes. In the early 1980s, the mass transit division bailed out the company’s ailing freight-car brake sales, with more than $100 million in contracts for brakes for New York City subway cars. Before the mass transit division moved, New York Air Brake had 518 employees in Watertown; after the move Air Brake had about 400 jobs. The company benefited from a booming market for new freight cars that started in 1994. Air Brake employment dipped to 360 with a payroll of $16.5 million in 1999, but this year increased to 398 with payroll that tops $18 million. Knorr-Bremse Corp., has invested more than $29 million in New York Air Brake since its purchase, culminating with consolidation of operations into a remodeled 237,000-square-foot building, 748 Starbuck Ave., in 1995. Before that, Air Brake was spread throughout 450,000 square feet of building space on Starbuck Avenue and Pearl Street. 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.
September 2012 | NNY Business
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W H AT ’ S H A P P E N I N G H E R E ? PRESERVE AT AUTUMN RIDGE
ALLISON RHODE | NNY BUSINESS
LOCATION: North end of State Route 202, between Coffeen and Arsenal streets, Watertown. SIZE: 394 townhouse-style apartments. COST: $53 million. DEVELOPER: Morgan Management LLC, Pittsford.
ARCHITECT/ENGINEER: GYMO, Watertown. CONTRACTOR: DGA Builders, Rochester. LOCAL JOBS: Estimated 150 construction jobs,
nine jobs upon completion. COMPLETION DATE: First units open late 2013. — Compiled by Kyle R. Hayes
AMANDA MORRISON | NNY BUSINESS
Above, site preparation is under way at Morgan Watertown Townhouses off Route 202 between Coffeen and Arsenal streets. The project will add 394 townhouse-style apartments to the rental property market upon completion.
NEXT MONTH
I
n our October cover story, we examine the impact of the north country’s real estate industry on the region’s economy as home sales continue to rebound.
Also coming next month:
n TOP AGENTS: Who rules in NNY real estate? We take a look at the who’s who. n SOME SERIOUS SNACKING: Reimann Wholesale began distributing snacks to north country businesses in 1962 with one truck. A half-century later the Watertown business delivers some 600 items to more than 500 customers. n 20 QUESTIONS: An in-depth interview with a north country business leader. n PLUS: NNY Snapshot, Economically Speaking, Commerce Corner, Nonprofits Today, Business Tech Bytes, Small Business Success, Real Estate, Agri-Business, Business History, Business Scene and more. n VISIT US ONLINE at our new website, WWW.NNYBIZMAG.COM, Follow us on Twitter for daily updates at @NNYBusiness Mag, like us on Facebook at www.facebook. com/nnybusiness, and view eEditions at www.issuu.com/NNYBusiness.
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NNY Business | September 2012
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