NNY Business July 2013

B

Y usIness // ANNUAL AGRICULTURE ISSUE

JULY 2013 Volume 3 No. 8

nnybizmag.com

*

PLUS ene,

ss Sc Busine , Small ch e T Biz Y ss, NN Busine hot. s p a n S

FARMING for

TOMORROW ***

THE INTERVIEW

Credo Director James P. Scordo p. 42

Scott F. Bourcy

Woods Farm, Cape Vincent

Lyle J. Wood

Woods Farm, Cape Vincent

$2.95

/nnybusiness @NNYBusinessMag

AG INNOVATION MEETS FUTURE CHALLENGES // NORTHERN NEW YORK’S PREMIER BUSINESS MONTHLY //

July 2013 | NNY Business

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NNY Business | July 2013

>> Inside JULY 2013 27

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32 |

COVER |

18 AG UNDAUNTED NNY farms of all sizes are innovating to meet challenges amid changing marketplaces. |

GUEST ESSAY |

10 NY AG ON THE MOVE Commissioner Darrel J. Aubertine on the governor’s support for New York ag. |

SMALL BIZ STARTUP |

17 A DIFFERENT THEATER Third Eye Theater aims to create equality in artistic performances for all viewers. |

AGRI-BUSINESS |

27 A FRUITFUL INDUSTRY Success of cold-hearty grapes has increased sales, tourism.

60

28 30 A PARLOR FIT FOR KINGS Cape Vincent dairy Wood Farms has invested $1.5m in a new milking parlor. |

FEATURES |

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REAL ESTATE ROUNDUP |

38 PENDING LEGISLATION Jefferson and St. Lawrence county Realtors advocate for owners in the face of change.

PROPERTY SNAPSHOT |

32 LITTLE BARN, BIG IDEAS Little Barn Bulk Foods has added a new butcher shop with an 0ld-time feel.

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36 GOING ON THEIR OWN A look into the trend of more Jefferson County residents who are starting their own businesses.

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BUSINESS HISTORY |

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CONSTRUCTION |

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MILESTONES |

34 A GOLDEN CELEBRATION At 50, SeaComm Credit Union remains faithful to its founding mission of service.

40 JEFFERSON, SL COUNTIES Real estate sales totaled more than $8.5m in early June.

60 A WATERTOWN ICON Morgia’s Restaurant was a prominent gathering place known for its Italian food.

62 LUXURY HARBOR HOTEL The 1000 Islands Harbor Hotel in Clayton is slated to open for Memorial Day 2014.

July 2013 | NNY Business

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INTERVIEW

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ON THE COVER

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42 THE FACETS OF HEALTH Credo Community Center Executive Director James Scordo tells us what makes a healthy community and why Credo’s treatment model has become a model for others across the state. |

COLUMNS

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46 ECONOMICALLY SPEAKING 47 NONPROFITS TODAY 48 COMMERCE CORNER |

DEPARTMENTS

9 11 12 15 17

49 AGRI-BUSINESS 50 BUSINESS TECH BYTES 51 SMALL BUSINESS SUCCESS

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EDITOR’S NOTE PEOPLE ON THE MOVE ECONOMIC SNAPSHOT BUSINESS BRIEFCASE SMALL BIZ STARTUP

38 52 54 60 62

REAL ESTATE ROUNDUP CALENDAR BUSINESS SCENE BUSINESS HISTORY WHAT’S HAPPENING HERE?

New technology has inspired a younger generation of farmers to innovate in the face of challenges including finding a reliable labor pool and reducing high input costs. At Wood Farms in Cape Vincent, owners Lyle J. Wood and Scott F. Bourcy have invested $1.5 million in a new milking parlor to make their operation more efficient and fuel future growth.

July 2013 | NNY Business

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CONTRIBUTORS

BusIness www.nnybizmag.com

Chairman of the Board John B. Johnson Jr.

Rande Richardson is executive director of the Northern New York Community Foundation. He discusses why giving back is the cornerstone of nonprofit work. (p. 47)

Michelle Capone is regional development director for Development Authority of the North Country. She writes about the NCA’s 25 years of lending to businesses. (p. 46)

Lynn Pietroski is president and CEO of the Greater WatertownNorth Country Chamber of Commerce. She writes about the 2013 JLI class’s work in the community. (p. 46)

Publishers

John B. Johnson Harold B. Johnson II

Executive Editor Bert Gault

Magazine Editor

Kenneth J. Eysaman

Magazine Staff Writer Leah Buletti

Advertising Directors Jill Van Hoesen is chief information officer for Johnson Newspapers and a 25-year IT veteran.

She discusses security threats facing businesses in light of the recent NSA revelations. (p. 50)

Jay Matteson is the agricultural coordinator for the Jefferson County Industrial Development Corp. He examines the impact of Jefferson County’s 255,900 acres of farmland. (p. 49)

Sarah O’Connell is an advisor for the state Small Business Development Center at JCC. She gives advice on how businesses can meet the needs of an aging clientele. (p. 51)

Karen K. Romeo Tammy S. Beaudin

Magazine Advertising Manager Matthew Costantino

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 a freelance writer and former NNY Magazines Associate Editor. He visits Little Barn Bulk Foods for the story behind their new butcher shop. (p. 32)

Lance M. Evans is executive officer for the Jefferson-Lewis and St. Lawrence County Board of Realtors. He writes about the impact of pending state legislation. (p. 38)

Leah Buletti is a staff writer for NNY Magazines. She writes the cover story on how north country farms are innovating to meet the challenges of the next 10 years. (p. 18)

MARKETPLACE

AAMCO Transmission ..................... 9 American Paving .......................... 57 Americu Credit Union ..................... 4 Ameriprise Financial ..................... 35 Bach & Company.......................... 38 Bayview Shores Real Estate......... 39 Bills Feed Service .......................... 21 The Blue Heron.............................. 58 Blue Seal Feeds ............................. 23 C&M Auto......................................... 9 Cheney Tire .................................... 26 Christensen Realty ........................ 39 Citec Manufacturing.................... 16 Clayton Dental.............................. 15 Coleman’s Corner........................ 58 Computer Warehouse.................. 41 D&D Power Sports.......................... 21 D Laux Properties.......................... 39 Dano’s Pizzeria.............................. 58 Development Authority of the North Country..................... 48 Eagle Ridge Village...................... 39 Exit More Real Estate.................... 39 Equipment Rentals.................. 21, 26 Empire Livestock Marketing........ 21 Fairgrounds Inn.............................. 58 Farm Credit East............................ 23

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Foy Agency................................... 15 Fuccillo Automotive...................... 45 Great American Grill.................... 58 High Tower Advisors...................... 44 Home Deli Pizza............................. 58 Howard Orthotics.......................... 46 Husky Real Estate Group.............. 39 Immaculate Heart Central Schools............................. 29 Innovative Physical Therapy........ 47 Jefferson County IDA.................... 61 J Fins Waterfront Restaurant......... 58 Kimco Steel Sales............................ 2 LaClair Family Dental.................... 31 JCB Liftech Equipment.................. 55 Lofink Ford...................................... 56 Macar’s.......................................... 37 Marceau Paving........................... 40 MJL Crushing................................. 21 Moe’s Southwest Grill.................... 58 Morton Buildings............................ 22 NNY Business............................. 6, 45 NNY Community Foundation....... 33 NNY Farmers Market..................... 21 Northstar Auto Sales..................... 54 Nortz & Virkler.................................. 9 Old McDonald’s Farm.................. 15

NNY Business | July 2013

Painfull Acres................................. 15 Papa Tino’s Pizzeria....................... 58 River Audio....................................... 3 River Rat Cheese........................... 20 SeaComm Federal CU.................. 14 Shred Con...................................... 51 Shue Brothers Excavating............ 21 Sideline Promotions........................ 9 Slack Chemical Co...................... 49 SUNY Potsdam............................... 11 Riveredge Resort............................. 7 Three C’s Limousine...................... 64 The Wladis Law Firm...................... 63 Thousand Islands Real Estate....... 39 Titled Kilt.......................................... 58 Uncle Sam Boat Tours..................... 7 Virkler & Son................................... 21 Waite Motor Sport......................... 24 Waite Toyota.................................. 41 Watertown Daily Times................. 62 Watertown Local Development Corp....................... 38 Watertown Savings Bank.............. 25 Wells Communications................ 20 Westelcom..................................... 61 Wolff’s Body Shop............................ 9 WWTI TV.......................................... 59

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. © 2010-2013. 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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Submissions Send all editorial correspondence to keysaman@wdt.net Advertising For advertising rates and information in Jefferson and Lewis counties, email mcostantino@wdt.net, or call 315-661-2305 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.

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N

orth country farmers are an innovative lot. Despite the myriad of challenges that come with contemporary agriculture, our farmers somehow manage to keep producing products that are both in high demand and important staples for millions of people across our region, the country and the world as our soybeans make their way to China.

There is something about farming that strikes chord in me. Perhaps it’s the fact that my first job was picking strawberries on Junior W. and Dorothy G. Bedor’s Valley Park Farm in Adams for 25 cents a quart when I was 12. Or maybe it’s that bit of nostalgia for my days in the fields that stirs when I hear Paul Harvey’s 1978 FFA convention speech that aired as a television commercial during the Super Bowl. No matter, farming is one of our most noble professions and that is why we will continue to publish an agriculture issue each year.

In our cover story, which begins on page 18, staff writer Leah Buletti examines the obstacles and challenges that today’s farmers face. In a story about the north country’s burgeoning wine industry, Leah poses the question: “Are we the next Finger Lakes?” to many in the wine business. (Turn to page 27 to learn what they say.) In a third agriculture feature, Leah visits Wood Farms in Cape Vincent to see what a $1.5 million milking parlor will mean to the 900-cow dairy farm.

If after reading this issue you’re not convinced that innovation plays a major part in modern agriculture, you should at least appreciate the lasting words of Mr. Harvey: “And on the eighth day, God looked down on his planned paradise and said, ‘I need a caretaker.’ So God made a farmer.”

20 QUESTIONS — This month we sit down with Jim Scordo, longtime executive director of the Watertown-based Credo Community Center for the Treatment of Addictions. Except for a brief run at a career in corrections, Jim has given exceptional service to the north country at Credo since 1983. You might ask why a business magazine chose to feature the director of a substance abuse treatment center. After all, what does that have to do with business? My answer: everything.

At its very core, Credo and its staff are working to grow a healthy community that provides businesses with an able and healthy workforce. It really does come down to something that simple.

EDITOR’S NOTE Addiction is an extraordinarily cunning, baffling and powerful peril that, were it not for agencies like Credo, would prove ruinous to many good men and women. The north country is a far better place for the work of folks like Jim. God knows he could have taken a different path that did not come with a front-row seat to seeing people at their worst. Then again, if he stuck with a career in the prison system, that’s all he would have seen. At least now he gets to witness the miracle of recovery when those who break free from addiction can once again live at their best.

On Thursday, Aug. 1, Credo will hold a 40th anniversary celebration at Hilton Garden Inn, 1290 Arsenal St., Watertown.

Ken Eysaman For reservations and more information, call Credo, 788-1530. I hope to see you there.

BUSINESS SCENE — This month’s Scene section, which begins on page 54, features 45 faces from more than two dozen north country businesses and organizations. On June 6, Lowville-based staffer Christina Scanlon joined the Lewis County Chamber of Commerce for Business After Hours at Happy Hollow Campgrounds. That same evening I joined the Greater Watertown-North Country Chamber of Commerce for its Jefferson Leadership Institute Class of 2013 graduation at Savory Downtown. Congratulations to the 20 professional men and women who completed the nearly year-long program. (Visit www.nnybizmag. com for a list of this year’s class.) On June 12, Carthage-based staffer Elaine Avallone joined the Carthage Area Chamber of Commerce for Business After Hours at the recently opened Meadowbrook Terrace Assisted Living Facility in Champion. Finally, on June 20, we joined the Greater Watertown-North Country Chamber of Commerce for its June Business After Hours at A.T. Matthews & Dier Insurance.

Yours in business,

July 2013 | NNY Business

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G U E S T E S S AY

A taste of New York agriculture

I

travel across the state in my role as Commissioner of Agriculture, but there is nothing like Jefferson County in the summertime. The river near my home, the land, the silos, the vineyards and the livestock are all intoxicating to a lifelong resident and farmer like me.

The area is teeming with agriculture, just like all of New York state. One day last month, I went from Cape Vincent to Syracuse, from Syracuse to Albany and from Albany to Batavia all in the same day. It was a whirlwind trip and I was very happy to sleep in my own bed the next night. When you travel the state as much as I do, it’s inevitable that you see parts of it that you didn’t even know existed. I continue to be amazed at New York’s beauty, to which agriculture contributes a great deal. The most important thing that I’ve learned as Commissioner is that New York is indeed an agricultural state, and one of the most important agricultural states in the entire nation.

You name it and we’re at the top in terms of production — dairy, wine and grapes, maple, apples — the list goes on. We have huge national industries such as yogurt that depend on New York agriculture every day. And we have a governor who actually wants to help agriculture succeed.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo is prioritizing agriculture in a way that I’ve never seen before and treating it like the business that it is. He created FreshConnect Farmers Markets across the state, including one in Watertown, to help farmers better market their products and provide New Yorkers with healthy eating options.

He provided $96,000 for hops research at Madison County’s Cornell Cooperative Extension, which in turn helps growers produce and process their crop in a way that ensures they can produce highquality hops that can be used year-round.

And he brought industry and government

together at two summits, one for the yogurt industry and one for the wine, beer and spirits industry, and asked them how state government can help them better Darrel Aubertine do their jobs.

From where I sit, these summits were just a starting point. I personally take part in conference calls and meetings every week with Gov. Cuomo and his staff to talk about where we go from here.

On the creative side, a new initiative called “Taste NY” goes hand in hand with this administration’s focus on tourism and state agriculture. “Taste NY” will highlight New York products at special events, such as the Great New York State Fair in Syracuse and the PGA Tournament in Rochester, tourism destinations and stores statewide. “Taste NY” tents and stores will soon be a recognizable brand in promoting New York agriculture. I have a feeling that it will soon be as well known as the “I Love NY” brand is to visitors across the country.

New York agriculture is a key component of our state’s economic development model. Gov. Cuomo sees a great tie between agriculture and tourism, and I do as well. The New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets operates the Great New York State Fair, an annual event in Syracuse that exposes one million visitors to agriculture per year. Our state is home to vineyards and a growing craft beer industry, with wine and beer trails accompanying these growing sectors.

All of a sudden, being a “foodie” has become trendy. The good news is that we have an abundance of fresh New York products available for “foodie” tourists.

Agritourism is growing here in New York, and you don’t have to go very far to find it.

I’m a proud resident of the north country, and even more proud of the fact that the place I live makes such a large contribution to the state’s agriculture.

The winters are tough, but a nice glass of Coyote Moon on a warm summer night more than makes up for them. Does life get any better than sitting outside at my farm enjoying the fruits of north country agriculture?

The state is currently helping to fund five food hubs.

I often refer to them as ‘the missing link’ from farm to fork because they not only provide important services to farmers such as branding, processing and storage, but they help distribute products to vast markets.

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NNY Business | July 2013

And where we go from here is easy: forward. There is no looking back. We want our big agricultural industries such as dairy to be even bigger. We want to help emerging industries such as hops production to continue to grow. Gov. Cuomo likes to say that “big happens here” in New York. We are thinking big and, more importantly, we are thinking creatively under this administration.

Take the topic of food hubs. The state is currently helping to fund five of them.

I visited one in Kingston a few months ago. I often refer to them as “the missing link” from farm to fork because they not only provide important services to farmers such as branding, processing and storage, but they help distribute products to vast markets.

The food hub I visited in Kingston has a reach from the north country to New York City, and it is still growing. Gov. Cuomo also provided $350,000 to establish a food hub in Canton.

n DARREL J. AUBERTINE is New York State’s 27th Commissioner of Agriculture and Markets.

Prior to joining the Cuomo administration in 2011, he served in both the New York State Senate and Assembly. He was born and raised on a dairy farm in Cape Vincent, where he has worked for 35 years and continues to farm.

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE Announces new hires

Conboy, McKay, Bachman & Kendall, LLP, Watertown, has announced two new employees at the law firm.

Samuel P. Burgess, a native of Watertown, attended Immaculate Heart Central High School and received a bachelor’s degree in sports management from St. John Fisher College in 2006. He received a master’s degree in business administration from Missouri Baptist University the following year and in 2013 earned a Juris Doctor summa cum laude from The John Marshall Law School in Chicago, where he was the valedictorian.

Mr. Burgess worked on The John Marshall Law Review while in school and worked as a law clerk at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in Chicago, Ill., and at Conboy. He returned to Conboy in March and now works in the business and estate practice groups.

Melissa A. Freakley, of Black River, graduated summa cum laude from St. Lawrence University in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in history. She received a Juris Doctor magna cum laude from Syracuse University College of Law in 2012 and was adFreakley mitted to the New York State Bar in June. Ms. Freakley was a member of the Syracuse Law Review, Justinian Honor Society, Estate Planning and Family Law Society while in law school.

She joined Conboy in June as a member of the Domestic Relations Group.

Awarded Women’s Council of Realtors designation Karen A. Peebles, a licensed real estate broker for Peebles Realty, Adams, has been awarded the Performance Management Network Designation by the Women’s Council of Realtors.

The PMN curriculum teaches strategies for negotiating, networking, making referrals, planning business and systems, managing personal performance and navigating cultural differences in buying and selling.

The Women’s Council of Realtors is a nationwide community of more than

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.

19,000 real estate professionals and is an affiliate of the National Association of Realtors, headquartered in Chicago, Ill.

Earns new financial services designation

Clifford Davis of Northwestern Mutual Financial, Watertown, has earned the designation of Chartered Advisor for Senior Living from The American College, a leading educator of professionals in the financial services industry located in Bryn Mawr, Pa. With the CASL designation, Mr. Davis will provide guidance and innovative solutions on a range of financial topics to seniors in retirement and individuals preparing for retirement.

Mr. Davis holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Gannon University and has been accepted into a financial services masters program at The American College. Mr. Davis, who lives outside of Ellisburg, recently celebrated his 20th anniversary with Northwestern Mutual and previously served as a supply officer with the Army’s 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum.

Named intern at CPA firm Dannible & McKee, Certified Public Accountants and Consultants, Syracuse, has announced Maggie Lashomb, of Watertown, is a new audit intern with the firm.

Ms. Lashomb graduated from LeMoyne College, Syracuse, and will begin an MBA program there this fall. Ms. Lashomb worked as a medical records clerk for North Country Orthopaedic Group, Watertown.

GYMO announces staff changes

GYMO Architecture, Engineering & Land Surveying continues to expand with an addition to the engineering department.

Chad Woods joined the firm last May

Please see People, page 14

July 2013 | NNY Business

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NNY

Economic indicators Average per-gallon milk price paid to N.Y. dairy farmers May 2013 $1.73 April 2013 $1.72 May 2012 $1.56

11.0%

ECON SNAPSHOT

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

Source: NYS Department of Agriculture

443,233 in May 2013 389,311 in April 2013 452,320 in May 2012

Average NNY price for gallon of regular unleaded gas

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

May 2013 $3.66 April 2013 $3.75 May 2012 $3.89

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

6.0%

Average NNY price for gallon of home heating oil

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(Percent gains and losses are over 12 months)

May 2013 $3.70 April 2013 $4.02 May 2012 $3.87

4.4%

2.0%

$1.03 on May 22, 2013 $1.01 on April 22, 2013 $1.03 on May 23, 2012 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*

May 2013 $2.91 April 2013 $3.02 May 2012 $3.24

91,200 in May 2013 92,200 in April 2013 89,200 in May 2012

10.2%

2.0%

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

73, median price $145,000 in May 2013 63, median price $147,000 in April 2013 107, median price $143,000 in May 2012

48, median price $70,950 in May 2013 28, median price $45,875 in April 2013 61, median price $69,000 in May 2012

31.8% Sales

1.4% Price

Source: Jefferson-Lewis Board of Realtors Inc.

21.3%

2.8%

Sales

Price

Source: St. Lawrence Board of Realtors Inc.

NNY unemployment rates* Jefferson County

May ’13

9.0%

April ’12 May ’12

11.4% 9.6%

St. Lawrence County May ’13

9.2% 9.8%

April ’12 May ’12

10.2%

Lewis County May ’13 April ’12 May ’12

9.3% 10.3% 9.9%

Source: New York State Department of Labor (Not seasonally adjusted. Latest available data reported.) * Latest available data reported due to annual data updates at the New York State Department of Labor.

Note: Due to updates in some “Econ. Snapshot” categories, numbers may differ from previously published prior month and year figures.

NNY Business | July 2013

Economic indicators New automobiles (cars and trucks) registered in Jefferson County Cars 526 in May 2013 491 in April 2013 474 in May 2012

11.0%

Trucks 122 in May 2013 92 in April 2013 78 in May 2012

NNY

56.4%

Source: Jefferson County Clerk’s Office

Passengers at Watertown International Airport

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

3,350 inbound and outbound in May 2013 2,957 inbound and outbound in April 2013 2,451 inbound and outbound in May 2012

2,054 in May 2013 2,055 in April 2013 1,936 in May 2012

6.1%

36.7% Source: Jefferson County Board of Legislators

DBA (doing business under an assumed name) certificates filed at the Jefferson County Clerk’s office June 3 to June 25, 2013. For a complete list of DBAs filed in past months, visit us at WWW.NNYBIZMAG.COM.

JUNE 25: Cliff Bennett III, 20900 Cagwin Road, Watertown, Clifford L. Bennett III, 20900 Cagwin Road, Watertown.

Best Lawn Service, 31194 County Route 4, Cape Vincent, Nancy E. Ingerson, 31194 County Route 4, Cape Vincent.

Josiphina’s Quilting Patch, 8722 Noble St., Evans Mills, Josiphina Nelson, 32649 County Route 194, Theresa.

JUNE 26: Belle Bearth, 23304 Fernwood Drive, Black River, Michelle R. Kluczinske, 23304 Fernwood Drive, Black River.

Black Minds Promotion — B. M. P., 218 Stuart St., Watertown. Jamie L. Navarra, 218 Stuart St., Watertown.

Jake Colins Designs, 10503 Wright St., Adams, Jacob Widrick, 10503 Wright St., Adams.

Linda’s Specialty Breads & Muffins, 109 Church St., Alexandria Bay, Linda M. Musacchio, 109 Church St., Alexandria Bay. JUNE 24: Wolfe Graphics, 27 Market St., Alexandria Bay, Hillary E. Wolfe, 43165 County Route 100, Fineview.

Hero’s Haven, 316 Iroquois Ave. West, Watertown, Christopher M. Hunt, 316 Iroquois Ave. West, Watertown.

Interior Tune Ups, 13304 U.S. Route 11, Melanie Rumble Jenkins, 16193 Ives St., Watertown and Debbie Rumble Peebles, P.O. Box 286, Adams Center.

A D C Law Firm, 1221-5 Faichney Drive, Watertown, Aaron D. Carr, 1221-5 Faichney Drive, Watertown.

JUNE 21: Regal Logistics, 1225 Faichney Drive, Apt. 4, Watertown, Gurkirat S. Pandher, 1225 Faichney Drive, Apt. 4, Watertown.

DJ S Cleaning Services, 435-1 Gaffney Drive, Watertown, Dominique Baker, 435-1 Gaffney Drive, Watertown.

White Glove Auto Detailing, 26281 Mustard Road, Watertown, Quatrell P. Walker, 26281 Mustard Road, Watertown.

JUNE 20: Sandstone Farm, 27181 Wilson Road, Theresa, Kris Wilson, 27181 Wilson Road, Theresa.

Sharper Image Lawn Care, 25189 County Route 93, Lorraine, Christopher H. Schillinger, 25189 County Route 93, Lorraine.

JUNE 19: Brant Home Repair, 130 California Ave., Watertown, Jeffery Allen Brant, 130 California Ave., Watertown.

Persist Prevail, 25189 County Route 93, Lorraine, Christopher Howard Schillinger, 25189 County Route 93, Lorraine.

JUNE 18: Light Exposition by Shift and Smoosh, 325 Coffeen St., Watertown, Nathanael S. Yelle, 325 Coffeen St., Watertown.

JUNE 17: Cowboy Home Repair, 22990 Knowlesville Road, Watertown, Richard Everett Moyer Jr., 22990 Knowlesville Road, Watertown.

Thousdand Island Park Grocery & Deli Store, 42243 County Route 100, Thousand Island Park, Sandy M. Jeffries, 84N Crossman St., P.O. Box 452, Alexandria Bay. Orleans County Cutters Hair and Tanning Salon, 36331 State Route 180, LaFargeville, Kendra Cole, PO Box 156, LaFargeville.

Sexy Plus Lingerie Boutique, 140 Polk St. Apt. 6, Watertown, Tony L. Morse, 140 Polk St. Apt. 6, Watertown.

Gagnon Brothers, 37059 NYS Route 3, Carthage, Ashley J. Gagnon,

37059 New York State Route 3, Carthage.

Chelsea M. Walts Photography, 32866 Belile Road, Philadelphia, Chelsea Walts, 32866 Belile Road, Philadelphia.

JUNE 14: Richard Drake Woodworking, 632 Theresa St., Clayton, Richard L. Drake, 631 Theresa St., Clayton.

Tiny Toes Daycare, 7769 State Route 289, Belleville, Kirsten Abbott, 7769 State Route 289, Belleville.

Doney Sealcoating and Line Striping, 19702 New york State Route 12F, Watertown, Gary Doney II, 19702 New York State Route 12F, Watertown.

Carmen’s Confections, 1035 Bronson St., Watertown, Carmen Natali, 1035 Bronson St., Watertown.

Wee People Daycare, 8 Grant St., Dexter, Debra L. Opdyke, 8 Grant St., Dexter.

500 Million Entertainment, 806 Mill St., Watertown, John R. Barker, 94 Maywood Terrace, Watertown.

JUNE 13: Let’s Make a Deal Thrift Store, 335 N. California Ave., Watertown, Sharon Mickel, 335 N. California Ave., Watertown.

Gosigns, 26842 Holbrook Road, Evans Mills, John C. Vantassel, 26842 Holbrook Road, Evans Mills.

Peterson Willard Group, 8251 Middle Road, Dexter, Helen Willard, 8251 Middle Road, Dexter.

K&A Contracting, 35033 Eddy Road, Lot 83, Theresa, Patrick J. McGhee, 35033 Eddy Road, Lot 83, Theresa.

JUNE 12: Finishing Touch Mobile Detailing, 16563 County Route 155, Watertown, Kenneth Sweet, 16563 County Route 155, Watertown.

JUNE 11: JP Matthews Contracting, 35806 NYS Route 12, Clayton, John Matthews, 35806 NYS Route 12, Clayton.

All American Auto, 804 State St., Watertown, Vina Aileen C. and Mark J. Bonner, 23558 Spring Valley Drive, Watertown.

JUNE 7: Time Shared Treasures, 6352 County Route 92, Lorraine, Susan M. Crumb, 6352 County Route 92, Lorraine.

JUNE 6: Yurmy Jah, 21051 County Route 47, Carthage, Sally Ann Seelig, 21051 County Route 47, Carthage.

Phinney Pharm, 40979 Smithering Heights Road, Clayton, Barbara Phinney, 40979 Smithering Heights Road, Clayton.

Petrillose House and Carpet Cleaning, 735 Main St., Glen Park, Erica and Robert Hallisey, 735 Main St., Glen Park.

JUNE 5: JPM Auto, 46563 Log Hill Road, Alexandria Bay, John P. Mahay, 45138 Taylor Road, Alexandria Bay. 699 South James St. T&M Sealcoating, 699 South James St., Cape Vincent, Tony J. Robbins, 699 South James St., Cape Vincent.

JUNE 4: William E. Lajoie General Contracting, 121 Fairmont, Ave., Watertown, William Lajoie, 121 Fairmont Ave., Watertown.

JUNE 3: Twist & Craft, 9610C Forsythe Loop, Fort Drum, Rebecca Althouse, 9610C Forsythe Loop, Fort Drum.

Maplewood Art Studio, 29558 County Route 54, Chaumont, Tonya H. Murdie, 29558 County Route 54, Chaumont.

Morgia Designs, 728 S. Massey St., Watertown, Lisa M. Morgia Graham, 728 S Massey St., Watertown.

TRANSACTIONS

DBAs

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

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PEOPLE ON THE MOVE PEOPLE, from page 11 as a design engineer, after graduating from the University at Buffalo with a degree in civil engineering. Mr. Woods works under the direction of senior project engineers on a variety of commercial and site development projects. He is from Gouverneur.

Joins Bernier, Carr & Associates

Bernier, Carr & Associates has announced that Andrew T. Garlock has joined the firm as an intern architect.

Mr. Garlock graduated from Syracuse University with a bachelor’s degree in architecture and worked with an architecture firm in Syracuse for a year.

During his last three years at Syracuse University, Mr. Garlock was a summer intern at Bernier, Carr & Associates. Mr. Garlock, a Thousand Islands native, lives in Alexandria Bay.

Welcomes new partner

GYMO Architecture, Engineering & Land Surveying recently named Ryan G. Churchill as a partner.

Mr. Churchill has nearly 10 years of experience providing land planning and site development design services to municipalities, commercial and residential developers and public and private institutions. He also aids clients with permits and regulatory approvals.

Mr. Churchill was a major contributor to the civil and site engineering design of several high-profile projects, including Creek Wood Apartments and SummitWood Developments, Samaritan Summit Village and Watertown City Center Plaza.

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NNY Business | July 2013

Mr. Churchill earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering and management from Clarkson University. He worked as a summer intern at GYMO and joined the firm full-time after graduating in 2004.

Mr. Churchill lives in Burrville with his wife, Lesley, and four children, Reese, Corelyn, Genevieve and Isobel.

Nurse publishes new study on alcohol use

Patricia A. Ellis, of St. Lawrence University and Canton-Potsdam Hospital, has co-authored an article published in a recent volume of the Journal of Addictions Nursing recounting “lessons learned” from a program implemented in two college’s health services.

Ms. Ellis co-authored the study with two other nurses. She is the director of the Dana B. Torrey Health and Counseling Center, which is operated by CantonPotsdam Hospital.

The study engaged college administrators and nurse leaders at two colleges in adapting the National College Depression Partnership model to include screening and brief intervention for risky or harmful alcohol use in the form of binge drinking among college students.

Ms. Ellis has served as director of the Torrey Center since 2006. She earned a nursing degree from Illinois Wesleyan University and her advanced practice nursing degrees from SUNY Instite of Technology, Utica.

Inducted into Consumer Electronics Hall of Fame

Steven A. Van Slyke, a member of Watertown High School’s class of 1974, was inducted into the 2013 Consumer Electronics Hall of Fame for his research

that led to the creation of organic lightemitting diode technology.

Mr. Van Slyke, a member of the research and development team at Eastman Kodak Co. in Rochester for over 20 years, helped invent the OLED technology with a lab partner at the company, Ching Tang, who was also honored as an inductee. The two were inducted along with a class of 13 other business leaders.

The OLED technology is used in today’s flat-panel screens, which have displays that are brighter, smaller and more efficient than the previously used liquid crystal technology. Mr. Van Slyke now works for a startup company in California called Kateeva, where he conducts research on OLED displays.

Earns board certification Mariam H. Asar, M.D., a specialist in psychiatry, has earned certification from the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, a nonprofit that promotes excellence in the professions of psychiatry and neurology.

Certification follows successful completion of a board-approved training program and an evaluation process to assess the ability to provide quality patient care in a specialty or sub-specialty.

Dr. Asar joined Canton-Potsdam Hospital in August 2011 and leads its behavioral health medical program. She earned a medical degree from Dow Medical College of Karachi University, Karachi, Pakistan. She completed a residency in pediatric care at Albany Medical Center’s Children’s Hospital and a residency in adult psychiatry at Temple University Hospital. She is also board certified in pediatrics and a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

BUSINESS BRIEFCASE Honored by Hanover Insurance Group

Haylor, Freyer & Coon, an insurance agency with a branch in Watertown, has been recognized as the Northeast Regional Agency of the Year by the Hanover Insurance Group. The Hanover Insurance Group is a leading provider of property and casualty insurance products nationwide and presented the award based on Haylor, Freyer & Coon’s service and sales culture, commitment to insurance specialization, product expertise and demonstrated community support.

Haylor, Freyer & Coon is based in Syracuse and has six other offices in New York in addition to its Watertown location: Ithaca, Binghamton, Utica, Rochester, Oswego and Morrisville. It has about 200 employees spread over the eight offices.

WWNY-TV honored

WWNY-TV 7, Watertown, earned two awards at the 47th annual “Awards for Excellence in Broadcasting” event sponsored by the New York State Broadcasters Association on Monday, June 24 in Bolton Landing.

The north country station won “Outstanding Commercial” for La Bella Fonte and “Outstanding Public Service Announcement/Campaign” for the Victim’s Assistance Center, competing against stations with similar-sized markets statewide.

The New York State Broadcasters Association offers a variety of services to help promote television and radio stations in New York, and also represents them before the New York State Senate and Assembly, the U.S. Congress and various other legislative bodies.

Multi-tenant building planned in LeRay

developer Michael L. Lundy. Mr. Lundy’s construction firm, Lunco Corp., plans to build Mr. Ferris’s structure and the AutoZone in the fall, finishing construction

by December, Mr. Ferris said.

Mr. Ferris plans to sell a two-acre parcel he owns to the immediate north to Mr. Lundy. The parcel’s purchase amount would then be used to partly defray the construction cost of the multi-tenant building owed to Lunco Corp.

Mr. Ferris said he anticipates gaining approval to begin construction in August and opening before Christmas.

Accompanying the automotive electronics store run by Mr. Ferris at the building will be up to four additional tenants. Three national retailers have expressed interest in leasing space at the site, he said. The planned electronics store will not be named Big Apple Music, Mr. Ferris said, because it will offer expanded inventory not available at Big Apple franchise stores. He said the store could be anywhere from 2,000 to 4,000 square feet, depending on the amount of space required by additional tenants.

He said developers view the business district off Route 11 — located near a Walmart Supercenter — as prime commercial real estate near Fort Drum. The conceptual site plan includes a direct entrance and exit off the southbound side of Route 11, along with 75 parking spaces. The plan was developed by GYMO Architecture, Engineering and Land Surveying, Watertown.

Carthage housing planned The Thousand Islands Area Habitat for Humanity plans to build six houses for needy families on a village lot abandoned by a manufacturing plant in 1990.

The former Braman Manufacturing Co.

Please see Briefcase, page 16

Businessman Robert D. “Bobby” Ferris has submitted a site plan to the LeRay Planning Board for a 10,500-square-foot multi-tenant building off Route 11, featuring a store selling items similar to those sold at Big Apple Music, which he owns off Arsenal Street in Watertown.

The proposed building would be located on a two-acre parcel north of Freedom Plaza, on the west side of the highway off the southbound lane. To the immediate south of the building will be an AutoZone built on land owned by West Carthage

July 2013 | NNY Business

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BRIEFCASE, from page 15 property is located along Alexandria Street and owned by the Carthage Industrial Development Corp., which bought the 4-acre parcel in 2010. The village demolished the long-vacated plant in 2007. The village of Carthage, CIDC and Development Authority of the North Country collaborated to plan the infill housing project.

DANC’s board of directors will vote on a proposal to pitch in $25,000 toward sewer and water infrastructure needed at the site, matching a $25,000 contribution from the CIDC. To assist Habitat with construction costs, the board will also consider approv-

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ing a $100,000 no-interest loan.

Habitat hopes the project will be approved this fall and break ground by late 2014 or early 2015, Walter H. Plumley, board president, said. The site plan for the project has yet to be developed. It generally costs the nonprofit between

$70,000 and $90,000 to build each house, and much of that funding will come from businesses and donors in the village.

Habitat will also seek a large number of volunteers for construction.

Mr. Plumley said Habitat could build two houses a year depending on volunteers. It could also build modular houses with assistance from carpentry students at the Jefferson-Lewis Board of Cooperative Educational Services Charles H. Bohlen Technical Center.

The Thousand Islands Area Habitat for Humanity now has openings for board members and is seeking volunteers to complete office work behind the scenes, Mr. Plumley said. Volunteers are also needed to serve during the weekends on housing projects.

For more information, call 785-0308 or visit www.tiahabitat.org.

Jefferson County employers look to hire

Nearly half of the employers in Jefferson County plan to hire workers in the next two years, according to a biennial survey conducted by the Jefferson County Industrial Development Agency from March 7 to May 1.

The survey, which included 76 employers in Jefferson County, found that 44.4 percent plan to increase their staff in the next two years; 41.7 predict their staff will stay the same, while 13.9 expect to have fewer employees. Those results are much improved compared with the 2011 survey, which had 81 respondents that included employers from Lewis County. Results in 2011 showed that only 23.1 percent of employers planned to add to their staff over the next two years; 62.8 percent predicted their staff would stay the same and 14.1 percent thought they would downsize.

In reality, employers in the region saw more success than they predicted for 2011 and 2012. Among respondents in the 2013 survey, 42.5 percent said they added jobs in the past two years, 38.4 percent said their staff stayed the same and 19.2 percent said they now have fewer employees.

The total number of temporary, seasonal, part- and full-time employees represented in the 2013 survey was 11,405, based on 73 respondents who answered that question. The total reported in 2011 was 10,059, based on 80 respondents.

Compared with 2011, results from 2013 show the average base salary of employees increased by 3.1 percent.

Surveys from 2013 and 2011 can be viewed online at www.jcida.com/reportsandpublications.php.

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

Third Eye Theater THE INITIAL IDEA

One year after starting her own independent interpreting company, Aldebaran Interpreting Services, Michelle Maphey found a way to merge all three of her passions—theater, American Sign Language and education—into a separate, specialized branch. Third Eye Theater, which aims to spread and develop the unique art of shadow interpreting, was born.

Shadow interpreting seeks to “equalize the theatrical experience” for hearing and deaf audience members, Ms. Maphey said.

In August 2012, Ms. Maphey and Kristie L. Fuller, a theater teacher at Indian River High School, brought in Detroit-based interpreting group TerpTheatre to teach the actors in the fall show at Indian River and other interpreters in the community about shadow interpreting.

“After that, I decided to make an arm [of my interpreting company] and focus my business more closely on making sure there was equivalent entertainment access,” Ms. Maphey said.

“I wanted to make sure whatever business I did included deaf people in the process—the goal is to bring the deaf and hearing communities together, not just to create equal access following the letter of the law, but to create equivalent access so that there is an equivalent experience.”

While the presentation galvanized her to start Third Eye, interpreting and its intersection with theater have always been interests of Ms. Maphey, who holds a bachelor’s degree in drama from SUNY Potsdam and a master’s degree in deaf education from Canisius College.

ASL interpreters can convey theatrical material more effectively through shadow interpreting than if they merely stand “in blocks off to the side of the stage,” Ms. Maphey said. That commonly used form of interpreting forces viewers to choose between watching the interpreters or watching the show, she said.

Ms. Maphey typically works alongside one other interpreter, under the guidance of the “third eye”—another interpreter, ideally a deaf person, who “directs” the shadow interpreters and the source of her company’s name. Having a deaf professional advise shadow interpreters on placement, characterization and translation is vital given the importance of the visual experience to deaf viewers, Ms. Maphey said. Native ASL user Jacqueline Frechette, an independent contractor, has served as the third eye for Ms. Maphey’s last two productions.

Shadow interpreting is rare in the north country, and also in the country as a whole—the National Theatre of the Deaf uses it as does the Rochester Institute of Technology’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf’s performing arts program, though in a reverse form with deaf actors and interpreters for voicing. Ms. Maphey sees the benefit to all versions of shadow interpreting, referencing a production of Seussical at Indian River in which the interpreters weren’t traditional shadow interpreters because they had to stand on the side of the stage.

JEREMIAH PAPINEAU | NNY BUSINESS

“I really wanted Third Eye to be much more in depth. ... I wanted to bring the deaf and hearing together in the artistic community” — Michelle Maphey, Third Eye Theater The interpreters were able to dress in costume though, which helped them blend in and fostered the equitable theatrical experience Ms. Maphey aims to create, she said.

TARGET CLIENTELE

While Ms. Maphey works closely and primarily with Indian River because the district is “extremely supportive and makes sure the money is available to have the service exist,” she envisions a much broader clientele for the future: “Any theater, whether it’s professional, community or educational.”

Ms. Maphey also offers classes in the community in ASL and in applying ASL to acting.

Because of its size, her company “hasn’t been able to get every class available that we want,” but hopes to expand educational outreach, Ms. Maphey said.

THE JOURNEY

“Rewarding, and very challenging,” Ms. Maphey said of starting her own company.

While AI offers what she calls “basic community interpreting” for businesses, law firms, hospitals and schools, merging her passions for theater and ASL created a “really big comfort level”; it was the conjunction of the “skill set I possess,” she said.

“I wanted to give it another name so it had a focus unto itself and its mission didn’t get muddled with that of AI,” she said of the decision to create Third Eye. “I really wanted Third Eye to be much more in depth than just hiring to interpret this one performance. I wanted to bring the deaf and hearing together in the artistic community.”

Being the sole proprietor of both ventures is not without its challenges. Only three community interpreters live in the north country, Ms. Maphey said. And training interpreters to do shadow

interpreting has its own host of challenges.

“Being an interpreter is obviously a necessity, but you also need to be a person who doesn’t mind being on stage and doing a lot of work for a little pay,” she said.

IN FIVE YEARS

Ms. Maphey enumerates three goals for the future of Third Eye: bringing performance interpreting more into the mainstream and incorporating it into existing theatrical productions in the community; educating students, actors and the community on the combination of ASL and theater; and bringing together the hearing and deaf communities for various artistic functions.

Since opening Third Eye in November, Ms. Maphey has been part of three shows, two of which she collaborated on with St. Lawrence County interpreter Maureen Moose. Though she wants to increase the number of shows that are shadow interpreted in the region and train more interpreters in shadow interpreting, her focus is spreading a message of cultural awareness and creating equality.

“The interpreting doesn’t all need to be done

by Third Eye, but this type of interpreting needs to spread,” she said.

And spread it has: Ms. Maphey will travel to Scotland in August to shadow interpret a production of “Graceland” that two students at Indian River were selected to perform at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

While a physical space for Third Eye to inhabit would be “fabulous” and a “wonderful goal,” Ms. Maphey said her company “isn’t there yet.”

Stage crew is not her forte, so she is comfortable renting spaces for classes and workshops, at least for the time being, Ms. Maphey said.

— Leah Buletti

WHERE Watertown | FOUNDED 2012 | WEB www.thirdeyetheater.com

July 2013 | NNY Business

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COVER STORY

Meeting

challenges for

a brighter future NORTHERN NEW YORK FARMERS OVERCOME OBSTACLES, EMPLOY INNOVATIONS THAT PUT REGION ON COURSE FOR CONTINUED SUCCESS

D

BY LEAH BULETTI | NNY BUSINESS STAFF WRITER

espite price volatility in world markets, the difficulty of obtaining a reliable labor pool and escalating costs of doing business, farms in Northern New York have put forth an innovation to meet almost every challenge. From high-tunnel greenhouses that extend the growing season to robotic milking technology to wind turbines and anaerobic digesters, the north country’s farms are poised to expand and play an increasing role in the state and national economy.

THE DAIRY INDUSTRY: LABOR, PRICING POSE PERSISTENT CHALLENGES While the adoption of robotic milking technology could grow on a limited scale in the north country, Jefferson County

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Agricultural Coordinator Jay M. Matteson said the persistent challenge of finding farm labor must be addressed on the national level.

“I think in 10 years that problem has to be solved otherwise we’re not going to have much of an agriculture industry in the U.S.,” Mr. Matteson said. “There’s not a program that exists that provides farms with the number of people they need who are here legally.”

Mr. Matteson estimates that about 80 percent of Latin Americans working in Jefferson County are illegal, and that Latin Americans make up about 30 to 40 percent of the workforce. He believes this year saw the most serious attempt at immigration reform on the national level in the past 10 years, and that a farm guest worker program will likely be implemented in the next 10 years otherwise the U.S. will be forced to import food from foreign countries where it won’t be grown to the

same standards.

The pending Farmworkers Fair Labor Practices Art in New York state that proposes restrictions on farm workers’ hours would be “extremely detrimental,” Mr. Matteson said. Farms will be forced to get rid of full-time workers if the legislation passes the state Senate, he said, which will put farms out of business in the long run because Latin American workers will leave for farms where they can work 60 to 70 hours per week. Farms will then have an even harder time hiring part-time workers because they won’t get benefits.

“Nobody seems to want to work,” said Gregory P. Mason, a partner at River Haven Farm in Cape Vincent. “We kept getting people who would work a paycheck or two and then just stop showing up.”

In March, the farm began using two automatic milk robots in a new milking parlor built last year. The robots milk cows 24 hours a day, seven days a week

NORM JOHNSTON | NNY BUSINESS

Brian Muto, a manager at Locust Hill Farm, Mannsville, lifts the lid of a seed bucket on a tractor used to plant corn. The farm grows about 20,000 acres of corn in southern Jefferson and northern Oswego counties. Precision-planting technology has enabled the farm to maximize crop yeilds and save money.

and have allowed the Masons to eliminate one employee and cut another by 12 hours per week. Mr. Mason believes the technology was worth the $400,000 price tag, the cost of paying an employee and a half for 10 years.

“Labor was our biggest challenge—it was a nightmare,” Mr. Mason said. He and his brother and partner, Todd W., used to spend 10 hours per day milking.

The new barn also has a robotic feedpusher to push grain to the cows, which Mr. Mason said significantly saves labor; a worker would have to be in the barn pushing grain every hour. The feed-pusher also reduces waste and makes cows produce more milk, he said.

Despite the increased efficiency, Mr.

Mason said the dairy will not grow to beyond 120 cows because the robots can only milk about 50-60 cows each.

The cost has limited robotic technology primarily to smaller dairies, with between 100 and 200 cows.

At Locust Hill Farm in Mannsville, which has 1,720 cows and 30 year-round employees, robots would not be feasible given the cost of purchasing the 20 they would need, owner Tim Alfred said. Still, in his pristine, well-ventilated barns, new technology tracks the status and health of every cow at every milking, feeding it directly to office computers. From 39 cows in 1975, Mr. Alfred said the dairy is only looking to expand, possibly to two to three times its present size. Last year

alone, the farm added 136 cows.

“We work, we get things done,” he said. “There’s no doom-and-gloom scenario here.”

Mr. Matteson said that while grant money is seldom available for robotic milkers, “in the end it might make sense for our farms to use robotic milkers and get away from the labor issue altogether.”

Pricing has been another perennial challenge for the dairy industry.

Mr. Matteson hopes any new legislation will strike a balance between allowing the free market to run and maintaining an affordable food source.

“I think there needs to be a safety net that is beneficial to all farms at times when the cost of production is July 2013 | NNY Business

| 19

COVER STORY extremely high or when the price is extremely low,” he said. “We need to help farms have a better way of managing their margins.”

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., has advocated the Dairy Pricing Reform Act and the Dairy Income Fairness Act. On June 20, however, the House failed to pass the Farm Bill, in the process rejecting the Dairy Security Act, a proposal to set limits on dairy production.

Michael B. Kiechle, member of the Jefferson County Farm Bureau board whose

Philadelphia dairy farm milks 120 cows, said that the price overseas matters more than the price locally.

“We’re in a world market much more so than we ever have been in the past,” he said. “Exports in the last 10 years have gone up extremely.”

Only 1 percent of milk produced was shipped out of country 20 years ago. In the past 12 months, U.S. dairy farmers have shipped 14 percent of milk out of the country, Mr. Kiechle said. Competing with dairy farmers in other parts of

the world that have lower labor costs or fewer environmental regulations to comply with compounds the challenges for regional dairy farmers; to grow and produce more milk, U.S. farms will need to either find more uses or develop new markets, such as the Arab world or the Pacific Rim, he said.

Mr. Kiechle added that the increase in the yogurt industry has essentially been on par with a decrease in liquid consumption, meaning that “if we didn’t have a growth in yogurt, our prices would be a lot lower.” He said it’s unclear if the rise in the Greek yogurt industry is a fad and will plateau in the future.

Though the yogurt boom will likely stabilize over the next five years, too much capital investment has been made for New York to stop being a Greek yogurt producing center, Mr. Matteson said. Although much of the production of Greek yogurt occurs around the Capital Region and in Western New York, Mr. Matteson said the entire New York dairy industry receives a positive benefit when a new yogurt plant opens somewhere in the state.

Total yogurt production in New York has nearly tripled in the past five years.

New York leads the nation in yogurt production, producing 692 million pounds in 2012.

While Mr. Matteson believes dairy is thriving in the north country and will continue to, the region is not immune to the industry’s changes.

“We’re going to see the same land staying in production, we’re going to see cow numbers staying the same or increasing, but we will see fewer farms in 10 years,” he said.

USDA statistics show that New York dairy farms lost 16,500 cows over the period from 2002 to 2012, while northern New York dairies lost 18,200 cows.

HIGH-TUNNEL GREENHOUSES EXTEND GROWING SEASON, VARY CROP POTENTIAL The use of high-tunnel greenhouses to extend the growing season for vegetable and fruit production by one to two months is catching on in the north country. These greenhouses are typically tall enough for a tractor to work in, unheated and ventilated without power equipment.

“We’re starting to see it take off and I think they will really come on in the next five years,” Mr. Matteson said.

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COVER STORY “Smaller farms interested in vegetable and fruit production are able to increase what they can offer the public here.”

Brent A. Buchanan, an agricultural issue leader for St. Lawrence County’s Cornell Cooperative Extension, said he sees a “fair bit of opportunity” in high tunnels as farms learn more about how to raise coldweather crops, a lot of which are “pretty significant high-value crops” because of the savings from not shipping them in.

Within five years, LED lights, necessary to grow lettuce because it requires more light than the region has naturally, will likely be less expensive and “fully integrated into northern latitude greenhouses” Mr. Buchanan said.

“Lettuce tends to be very highly valued because it is easy to produce, with a short seeding cycle and doesn’t require a lot of heat,” he said. “It’s something that people looked at for a long time but the standard limitation is that there isn’t enough light.”

Amy Ivy, agricultural team leader for Clinton County’s Cornell Cooperative Extension who works with many farms in the north country, described high tunnels as a “really great idea for Northern New York growers.”

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NNY Business | July 2013

“It gives protection not only for spring and fall when you have frost and variable weather, but it keeps rain off plants and acts as a buffer,” she said. “Plants just thrive under that protected culture and grow bigger and produce more.

You usually have fewer leaf diseases and growers can grow with fewer pest control products.”

Tomatoes are the primary money maker, but high tunnels can also be used to grow peppers, cucumbers, spinach, arugula, mustard crops and kale. Without electricity and heat, crops can grow throughout the fall in high tunnels, go dormant and be harvested as early as February.

High tunnels are not without their challenges—a high startup cost typically between $5,000 and $10,000 and intense management. High tunnels can typically pay for themselves in one to three years if a farm manages them well and already has a market in place, Ms. Ivy said.

Brian Bennett of Bittersweet Farms, a certified organic operation in Huevelton, described the installation of a 14-foot-high tunnel in one of his five greenhouses as a “struggle” with “lots of challenges.”

He purchased the high tunnel through a $6,800 USDA grant and constructed it in late October with the help of students from St. Lawrence University. So far, he said the tunnel has cost him almost $700 and “a lot of anxious moments,” including having the ropes break and all the metal eyebolts shorn off.

“In terms of growing it’s not at all been worth it,” Mr. Bennett said. “But in terms of community connections, networking and long-term viability of off-season production, it’s been an amazing experience.”

He hasn’t yet harvested anything from the high tunnel but a crop of early wonder tomatoes in the high tunnel has been doing “very well,” he said. Tomatoes in a crop of the same variety planted in the field are barely 3-inches tall and are “wind-whipped and look like hell,” compared with the foot-tall, “healthy and gorgeous” tomatoes in the tunnel, Mr. Bennett said. He anticipates harvesting those from the high tunnel in the first week of August, but says he will likely not be able to harvest the others until September, “if they survive.”

For high tunnels to take off into something more than a “passing fad,” Mr. Bennett said there needs to be a better way to manage the plastic on the greenhouses, which can cost $2,000.

“I think it’s a learning experience over the next few years,” he said.

Still, Ms. Ivy said she sees a “huge potential” in tunnels and an increasing number of people putting them up in the north country. This spring’s rainy, cold and windy weather is “really making people believe in tunnels,” she added.

Cross Island Farms on Wellesley Island investigated a high tunnel grant, but decided that the cost associated with preparing the land to be flat enough wasn’t worth it. Co-owner Dani F. Baker designed her own hoophouse using plastic rather than metal hoops, which bounce back up after a snowfall. She’s been successful at wintering a variety of greens— kale, lettuce, beets, various mustard greens and brussell sprouts. As a result of the hoophouse, she harvested snap peas in the third week of June, which she said she doesn’t think any other farm did.

“Having plastic over the ground makes a huge difference,” she said.

With such a short window of tourist season to profit from, harvesting the first beet or carrot enables the farm to charge more and maintain its commitment

COVER STORY to sustainability.

“We work very hard to have things early,” Ms. Baker said. “It gives us a huge edge.”

Ms. Ivy added that she is seeing more farmers, not just organic growers, look to different methods to conserve the soil, such as planting cover crops and rotating crops.

Cross Island has made an effort to not till up its gardens every year and manually add organic matter such as leaves, mulch, hay and woodchips, Ms. Baker said.

Locust Hill Farm is using a technique called variable rate application to control the amount of nitrogen put into the soil, which also saves gas and benefits the environment, Mr. Alfred said.

The spray applicators send data into a file, which provides the farmer with a map of what was applied to the field. The technology will be useful in helping the farm comply with what farm manager Brian Muto anticipates will be greater government regulations in the future on reporting chemicals added and removed from the soil, he said.

ENERGY COSTS REMAIN HIGH Innovative on-farm clean energy production is likely to increase over the next 10 to 15 years as energy costs remain high.

The only anaerobic digester in Jefferson County at Sheland Farms in Ellisburg produces enough energy to power all farms in the Belleville area, Mr. Matteson said.

He called the digester a “win-win” for farms and the community. In addition to reducing the smell of manure and allowing the farm to not consume electricity from the grid, digesters don’t have the same visual impact as windmills.

“I think if the government wants to provide incentives for clean-energy production, [anaerobic digesters] are absolutely the one place they should be looking,” Mr. Matteson said.

Douglas W. Shelmidine, of Sheland Farms, said that operation and maintenance costs on the digester have resulted in a longer payback than originally anticipated—eight to 10 years rather than six to seven. Two-thirds of the cost of the digester, which was installed in 2011, was paid for by a NYSERDA grant.

“We’re certainly getting some benefits beyond just cash flow,” Mr. Shelmidine said, noting the reduction in odor, ability to separate solids for bedding on the farm and destruction of methane that

July 2013 | NNY Business

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COVER STORY heat. For $17 per month, the farm is “tied to the grid,” meaning they pay National Grid for any excess use of power.

“Our goal is to break even, to have used all the power we produced during the year, no more, no less” Ms. Baker said.

They’ve invested in electric-operated golf carts and plan to purchase an electric car within the next few years if they have enough excess.

And visitors have come just to see the wind turbine.

“It’s a nice accent to the farmscape while trying to help the environment,” Ms. Baker said. “We’re wanting agritourism to become a bigger part of what we do. I think people are becoming more interested in where their food is coming from and evaluating food sources for health benefits.”

NORM JOHNSTON | NNY BUSINESS

Brian Muto, a manager at Locust Hill Farm, Mannsville, shows a precision planting application on an iPad.

would be released into the atmosphere.

The digester does not destroy enough carbon for the farm to sell carbon credits to industries.

The digester has also not helped the farm’s labor problem because it is “another job to be done, with its own unique requirements,” he said. The farm employees between 15 and 18 people and is considering implementing robotic technology.

Similarly, Mr. Matteson said farms need access to three-phase power as they grow.

He called the lack of access to Internet and electricity distribution an “infrastructure need” that must be addressed.

Some steps have already been taken. In June, the Development Authority of the North Country was approved to create a pool of $1 million low-interest loan funding to entire carriers to extend high-speed broadband Internet service to rural north

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country areas. Internet carriers, local governments and industrial development agencies can apply for the loans.

In an effort to foster energy efficiency and make their entirely organic farm into more of an agri-tourism destination, Cross Island installed a small wind turbine in July 2011 with grants from NYSERDA and the USDA. Coupled with a solar array, the turbine has produced enough electricity to cover all of the farm’s electricity needs for the year since their July settlement date. In the first year of using the turbine, the farm had about three bills, but will likely have excess this year as they stopped heating the porch and above-ground water troughs this year, Ms. Baker said. She’s also re-fitted the greenhouse adjacent to her house with insulation and barrels of water that generate solar energy to conserve electric

COMMODITY EXPORTING DRIVES NEW FIELD TECHNOLOGY As commodity exports in the region are looking strong and likely to increase, the technology used to grow them is evolving to keep pace. Mr. Matteson believes exports like wheat, soybeans and corn will continue to be a “strong, positive factor” for Northern New York.

Michael E. Hunter, a field crops educator at Jefferson County’s Cornell Cooperative Extension, attributes the increasing adoption of precision agriculture technology to high commodity prices, which have forced farmers to find ways to reduce input costs.

Such technologies include yield monitors that give real time yield data, auto steering in tractor cabs and individual row shut-off technology using GPS for planting corn.

Mr. Hunter said he is seeing more grasslands in the County planted with soybeans and corn because of high grain prices.

“Grain prices are fairly strong right

COVER STORY now and I don’t see them backing down in the near future so I think that will continue,” he said.

If grain prices remain high, farms might start exiting the dairy business but continuing to farm the land as cash-crop farmers in the next five years, essentially “cutting the cow out of the equation,” he said.

“The economics may be there to sell the dairy, keep the land that they have but focus attention on producing grain,” he said. He pointed to recent investments

in infrastructure in the county that enables rail cars to be loaded with soybeans as evidence that the cash crop trend is likely to continue.

“Companies don’t make those investments if they think it will be real shortterm,” Mr. Hunter said.

Soybean prices currently hover at about $15 a bushel, up from about $5.50 in 2002.

About 10,000 acres of soybeans are in production in Jefferson County, compared with about 2,400 a decade ago.

Mr. Muto said the need to implement

technology on Locust Hill Farm is a result of limited available land, which has necessitated getting the most out of the land they do have.

“So much time is put into the comfort of the cow,” he said. “It has to have the maximum nutrition it desires.”

The farm grows about 20,000 acres of corn. Auto-steering technology in the mower significantly reduces the fatigue of workers, who have to spend hours at a time staring at the head of a mower with no diversion, Mr. Muto said.

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COVER STORY “You have to get the crop mowed and down within the schedule Mother Nature dictates,” he said.

Auto-steering allows the driver to diagnose problems, rather than focus on steering the tractor in a straight path, which alone has increased the yield of their fields by 10 to 15 percent, he said. Using GPS technology, an iPad inside the tractor’s cab shows in real time exactly what is happening with the corn planter.

The corn planter also saves on diesel fuel and reduces the risk of over-tilling the ground, he added.

Locust Hill also uses hydraulic drives to plant, which ensures the seed enters the ground at exactly the right depth and spacing.

Mr. Muto, who is 35, said the increase of technology on farms is vital to getting young people involved in farming.

“It allows us to express learning and knowledge not gained from parents—that’s something young people want,” he said. “If we want to get bigger, we have no choice but to utilize the technology.”

Acquiring more land has been a challenge for Locust Hill, whose 85 corn fields

are spread out over 28 acres, much of which is in Oswego County because more land is available there than in Jefferson County where their dairy farm is.

Because of high commodity prices and competition for agricultural land, farmers in New York presently pay about three times the national average in property taxes, according to the National Farm Bureau.

The extensive input of time and effort into planting precise fields is important in order for cows to survive to old age and produce maximally, Mr. Muto said.

Driving through Oswego County recently, Mr. Muto pointed out other corn fields where rows were overlapping or wilting before coming to his fields, where he described the planting as “dead on,” in noticeably perfect waves.

“It’s impeccable,” he said with a smile, his enthusiasm for the work palpable. “So much cash goes into it but you get it back if you just feed your cows right.”

LOCAL FOOD MOVEMENT HAS POTENTIAL Ms. Ivy said she thinks Northern New York is at the “beginning of a wave” of interest in local food.

“More and more people are getting excited and going to locally owned farms,” she said.

Ms. Baker agreed that the movement is here to stay, noting that her clientele is “definitely growing.”

“I think people are realizing the value in nutritious, flavorful and fresh foods,” she said. “I think they’re becoming more aware of where their food is coming from.”

Young people from all over the U.S. and the world come to Cross Island to work because of its organic creed, said co-owner David L. Belding, citing this as evidence of the movement’s growing population among younger generations.

Though their business has grown every year since it opened eight years ago, it remains extremely difficult to make a living on a small, organic operation, he said.

“If you agree with what we’re doing, you have to be willing to spend a bigger portion of your income on food,” he said, adding that whether or not more people are is hard to discern.

The two are looking to news ways to spread their message of sustainable farming practices. After taking a class at CCC, Ms. Baker planted a half-acre plot with more than 100 trees in a unique permaculture. So far, she has planted the canopy, and plans to plant many more, including almond, peach, persimmon, chestnut, hazelnut and pine nut trees.

“It’s intense planning and labor on the front end, but once it gets established, it’s supposed to be self-sufficient and you just harvest the nuts, and the beauty,” she said. “In five years, it will go wild.

Everything sort of takes over.”

At that time, Ms. Baker plans to hold workshops, weddings, farm-to-chef dinners, yoga classes, U-pick nuts, religious services and more tours in the permaculture.

“I think it has a huge potential,” she said. “I haven’t seen anything like this anywhere else.”

“The more we can diversify, the more we can upsell the customers we have,” Mr. Belding added. “There aren’t a lot of highly diverse farms like us for direct market. I’d like to say that in 10 years, there will be more of this.” n LEAH BULETTI is a staff writer for NNY magazines. Contact her at 661-2381 or lbuletti @wdt.net.

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AGRI-BUSINESS

NORM JOHNSTON | NNY BUSINESS

Thousand Islands Winery owner Stephen J. Conaway at his Alexandria Bay vineyard, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this month.

PUTTING WINE ‘ON THE MAP’ Future bright as Cornell applies to make NNY American Viticulture Area

By LEAH BULETTI

F

NNY Business

rom a grassroots movement that began experimenting with cold-hearty grapes 10 years ago, the wine industry in Northern New York has grown into a respected, niche market that is attracting increasing numbers of tourists and has garnered respect as a hub of research for these varieties.

“The industry has grown exponentially from 10 years ago,” Sue Gwise, horticulture educator at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County, said. “We never expected it would take off as it did.”

Ms. Gwise said she gets at least one call per week during the spring from someone interested in starting to grow grapes.

There are currently more than 50 growers in the region.

Eight wineries and vineyards in three

counties comprise the Thousand Islands Seaway Wine Trail, the second-biggest tourism attraction in Jefferson County.

Both tourism and awareness of the wine trail outside the region is increasing, said John Farrell, executive director of the Trail.

“Right now people come to the area because of the castles or the boat tours or the river, but when they get here they say ‘oh there are wineries,’” he said. “I would love to see in 10 years the region drawing people in for the wineries and all kinds of activities. Then I think [Northern New York] could be like the Finger Lakes.”

About five million people visit New York wineries every year and the industry generates almost $4 billion per year, according to the New York Wine and Grape Foundation.

Cold-hearty grapes like Frontenac, Marquette and LeCrescent can weather temperatures up to 30 degrees below zero.

Their success in the region’s soil and cli-

mate, as well as the emerging popularity of the unique wines they produce, fueled the industry’s growth.

“Cold-hearty grapes put the region on the map,” said Philip J. Randazzo, owner of Coyote Moon Vineyards in Clayton, the largest vineyard in Northern New York with 18 acres of vines.

Mr. Randazzo, a member and past president of Northern New York Grape Growers Association, predicted that the region could see a dozen wineries and more than 100 grape growers in the next 10 years. Though the region cannot compete in terms of production with the Finger Lake’s 300 wineries, he believes the north country’s wine made from coldhearty grapes has already surpassed the Finger Lakes in quality.

Cornell University is applying to make Northern New York an American Viticulture Area, which would “put us on the map as an international grape growing re July 2013 | NNY Business

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AGRI-BUSINESS gion and give us a little more legitimacy,” gional economy. He is building a half-acre producing within three years.

Mr. Randazzo said. vineyard lab located outside Watertown “So far we’re very pleased with our Coyote Moon has won more than 400 in collaboration with Jefferson Commugrowth,” he said. awards for its wines, including the prestinity College to develop varieties with “Cold-hearty grapes produce a quality gious best of class for non-traditional red promise for the future and varieties alof wine that is very high in all attributes for its Marquette from the San Francisco ready planted but used to a lesser degree. that it takes for people to enjoy either dry Chronicle in 2012.

Planting is scheduled for next spring. or sweet wine,” he said, calling the wines Tim Martinson, a vitaculturalist at He is also in the first phase of develop“superb.” He also anticipates more traffic Cornell University, wrote a grant called ing the Black River Collaborative Research in his tasting room this year. the Northern Grapes Project in 2008 based site on another portion of the land not Production is also up at Thousand Ison the success of cultivars lands Vineyard in Alexdeveloped at the Univerandria Bay, the region’s sity of Minnesota and in oldest winery celebratthe northern parts of that ing its 10th anniversary state that can survive cold this month, to 70,000 temperatures. The project gallons (350,000 bottles) was funded in 2011 by from 1,000 gallons its the USDA NIFA Specialty first year, putting the Crops Research Initiative vineyard in the top 10 and works to expand and producers in the state. research grape producOwner Stephen J. Contion in 12 northern latiaway’s goal is to reach tude states. Mr. Martin150,000 gallons per year, son uses Coyote Moon the maximum a winery as a test site. can produce using a He estimates that the New York farm winery majority of the roughly license before it must 500 acres of grapes become commercial. outside the traditional Cold-hearty grapes grape-growing areas make up 90 percent of in New York (Niagara the vineyard. As an exCounty, the Finger lakes, periment, the vineyard Western New York) are planted a quarter-acre cold-hearty cultivators. of the European-style Many vineyards in grape Reisling last year.

Northern New York were All of it took without AMAND AMORRISON | NNY BUSINESS planted within the last five any crop damage from Coyote Moon’s Tony P. Randazzo watches as his sister, Kristina A. Ives, pours wine in the years, so the amount of the winter, which was tasting room of their Clayton winery in this March 2012 photo. wine produced is almost Mr. Conaway’s biggest certain to increase, likely concern. Next year the doubling within the next five years, Mr. used by JCC to explore fruity crops in the vineyard will make its first wine from Martinson said. It typically takes about five region, and possibly grapes in the future.

Reisling grapes, which he thinks has a years before vines can be harvested.

The college began offering a certificate “huge potential.” The grapes are also The region is “living proof of the Uniin winery management and marketing as a unique to his vineyard because of its versity of Minnesota research that northern concentration of its hospitality and tourism location near the river, which stabilizes fruit can create an economy,” said Duane major to the first crop of students last fall. the temperature.

A. Smith, owner of Seaway Cold Hardy “We could see ourselves in Northern Tourism has also increased every year Grapevines nursery in Evans Mills.

New York as an actual research lab for since the vineyard opened, Mr. Conaway While continuing to grow wine and cold-hearty grapes,” Mr. Smith said. said. table grapes, including Frontenac Blanc Frank C. Venditti, owner of Venditti “Now that we’ve been in business for for a unique white wine, Mr. Smith has Vineyards, Theresa, which opened last 10 years, business has matured and is started to diversify with raspberries, rhuMay, harvested its first grapes last year kind of leveling off, but even with all the barb and other fruit crops. and made seven different wines, sellother wineries, we continue to grow,” Mr. “More diversity in fruit growing in the ing out of four before the season was Conaway said. “The area is becoming a region is quite different than a decade out. While he only produces a small wine destination that is starting to lure in ago,” he said. “Diverse fruit crops for percentage of wine from the vineyard’s tourists coming for the wines, not just the the region are really showing a niche for own grapes, the vineyard added 2.5 rivers and other attractions.” homeowners and small-scale wineries.” acres of Marquette grapes this year. By Mr. Martinson said comparing the Mr. Smith’s involvement with research next spring, 8 acres will be planted with region to the Finger Lakes is misleading on viticulture in the region points to its Marquette, Le Crescent and Frontenac because the Finger Lakes region does sigemerging role in the industry and regrapes, all of which he said should be nificant exporting out of state or directly

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AGRI-BUSINESS to restaurants in places like New York City. Mr. Conaway currently distributes out of state as far south as Louisiana and said the vineyard is close to making overseas export deals, but exporting of Northern New York wines hasn’t occurred on the scale it has in the Finger Lakes.

“Reputation is something that builds slowly over time, I don’t think it’s fair to say we’ll be the next Finger Lakes,” he said. “We’ll establish our own identity over time.”

The industry will also be helped by millennials, who tend to be adventurous and less impressed with “old-world categories of fine wines and elite varieties,” Mr. Martinson said. The region is poised to take advantage of traffic from the local food movement and younger people who want to visit tasting rooms to try these unique wines, he said.

Mr. Venditti is also optimistic about the region’s potential.

“I think the region has more energy than anywhere else in the state,” he said. “I think there’s no question that it has helped the north country and I think it will continue to grow and have a major effect.”

Events that spring up around wine making like bluegrass festivals and last month’s Great NY Food & Wine Festival in Clayton are important economic development activities that bring in crowds from outside the region, said Kevin J. Jordan, executive director of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County.

Wine sales can grow significantly, “certainly as much as the industry has in the past 10 years and probably a lot more,” he believes.

U.S. Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand, D-N.Y., is advocating for a tax exemption that would increase New York wine sales and boost tourism to the region. Currently, anyone who brings more than 1.5 liters of wine purchased in the U.S. into Canada must pay a 39.6 percent provincial levy in addition to a customs duty. An exemption would increase New York wine sales to Canada by as much as $2.5 million in direct winery sales alone, according to Sen. Gillibrand.

“Wineries want to sell to a significant market right across the border,” Mr. Jordan said. “If that can be resolved, it takes the industry to another level.” n LEAH BULETTI is a staff writer for NNY magazines. Contact her at 661-2381 or lbuletti @wdt.net.

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AGRI-BUSINESS

JUSTIN SORENSEN | NNY BUSINESS

Scott F. Bourcy, left, and Lyle J. Wood stand in front of their new milking parlor at Wood Farms, Cape Vincent.

High-tech expansion $1.5m milk parlor enhances operations at Wood Farms

By LEAH BULETTI

C

NNY Business

ape Vincent dairy Wood Farms has powered through a series of delays caused by difficulties with connecting to a three-phase power supply and begun milking cows in a gleaming new 48-stall milking parlor.

The $1.5 million expansion enables the farm, which produces 1.75 million gallons of milk per year, to milk 260 cows per hour. The farm’s existing, 38-year-old parlor milked only 100 cows per hour. Having recently increased its herd from 750 to

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900 cows, Wood Farms has consequently reduced its labor input by four hours per milking per day. As the farm milks three times per day, the savings equate to 10.5 hours and $500 per day, co-owner Lyle J. Wood said.

“We just added 150 cows without adding any employees,” he said.

In addition to needing a more energyefficient parlor that could accommodate more cows, Mr. Wood said he also wanted an aesthetically appealing and clean space for employees and visitors.

“We wanted to be a little different, we wanted to stick out,” he said.

An open house held in June to mark the parlor’s completion drew nearly 300 visitors, he said.

“You have to be optimistic,” he added.

“If you don’t spend the money, you aren’t going to make it. You have to take the risk.”

Construction began in October on the customized double 24 DeLaval Champion parallel parlor, equipped with an Alpro herd management system. The project took 13,592 linear feet of tongue and groove pre-finished pine, as well as 1,877 cubic yards of concrete.

Adjacent to the sorting area, a windowed office allows employees to watch

AGRI-BUSINESS the cows as they are milked. Upstairs, a corridor lined with one-way glass leads to a conference room and office space for Mr. Wood and his wife. While the upstairs is unique as milking parlors go, it “wasn’t a lot more money when you’re already doing the parlor,” Mr. Wood said.

The parlor also has a basement, which contains a pump and other equipment normally on a parlor’s ground level. Employees can fix equipment without getting on their hands and knees in the midst of cows being milked if it is stored in the basement, making the parlor cleaner and quieter, Mr. Wood said.

“It was an added expense, but it was worth it,” he said. “It’s all for the employees.”

Ed Graham, manager of the Gouverneur branch of the international company DeLaval, said his office installs about two dairy parlors per year. He described the Wood Farms installation as routine.

“Other than being the newest technology with an automatic sort gate and a completely up-to-date parlor, it was a pretty typical installation,” Mr. Graham said.

He agreed that the basement is unique—neither of the two parlors that he installed last year, a double 16 and a double 24, had one. The upstairs offices and the fact that the parlor has only one sort gate instead of two, a cost-saving measure, also make it unique, he said.

LaFargeville-based contractor Toby Dwyer said it is the largest milking parlor he has installed.

“It’s probably the most challenging I’ve ever done,” he added, citing the elevation differences in the barn as the biggest challenge. “It’s definitely unique.”

Delaval also installed the herd management technology, a system which automatically identifies each cow as it comes into the parlor and records its flow rate and feed, breed and veterinary records at every milking. If a cow does not produce 85 percent of the milk it produced on the previous day, an alarm is triggered to alert the milker.

“Herd management systems are becoming much more typical in the last few years,” Mr. Graham said. “Diary men really want to be more hands on.”

Mr. Wood’s office is built with 180-yearold redwood (he lives with his family in a nearby log cabin and describes himself as

a wood enthusiast) and sports a flat screen TV to stream images from the parlor. It overlooks the existing heifer barn that Wood Farms is doubling, adding 240 stalls. In between that barn and the new parlor, they plan to build a 500-stall barn within the next year.

Mr. Wood said the old parlor had been “maxed out” for the past two years and couldn’t accommodate any more cows.

The farm was facing costs of $80,000 to $100,000 per year in repairs to the old parlor. Mr. Wood said the new parlor will pay for itself in 10 years or fewer, substantial amenities and all.

Wood Farms grows 1,500 acres of corn and has expanded its soybean production to 800 acres. The farm also uses GPS technology to plant corn, which Mr. Wood said has saved substantial money.

Over the past four years, Mr. Wood’s cousin and co-owner Scott Bourcy said the two did “a lot of looking” at other parlors from Malone to Lowville before settling on their unique design. Mr. Wood said they “took one idea from every parlor.”

Despite the challenges Mr. Bourcy cited of milk prices and crop production, he

had few doubts about the need to expand, and expand on such a massive scale.

“It’s worth the investment,” he said of the parlor.

Visitors came from as far as six hours away to see the parlor at the open house, Mr. Wood said.

“We had a lot of positive feedback,” he said, adding that since the parlor was enclosed for five to six months, many people in the community were curious about the renovations taking place inside.

“People would come in and say ‘Oh my God, I didn’t realize how much went into a milk parlor,” Mr. Wood said.

And it seems this awe is likely to be sustained.

Mr. Graham said he has “absolutely seen more demand” for high-tech parlors in recent years and believes it will continue.

“Dairymen are really in tune with technology now and are looking to do anything to make their jobs easier and more efficient,” he said. n LEAH BULETTI is a staff writer for NNY magazines. Contact her at 661-2381 or lbuletti @wdt.net.

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F E AT U R E S

JUSTIN SORENSEN | NNY BUSINESS

Nicole Peer Jareo and her husband, Mark, have added a butcher shop to Little Barn Bulk Foods on Route 3 between Watertown and Sackets Harbor.

Locally grown success Little Barn Bulk Foods adds ‘another piece to the puzzle’

By KYLE R. HAYES

A NNY Business

t Little Barn Bulk Foods, Watertown, owners Mark and Nicole Peer Jareo have a unique business mentality: What’s old is new again.

The store, which feels like it’s been located in an old wooden-floored barn on Route 3 for ages, but actually opened in late 2011, is taking notes from days gone by. Shelves are stocked with bulk offerings of everything from chocolate-covered pretzels to spicy New York State-made mustard to gluten-free bread mixes, and the Jareos aren’t looking for just an aesthetic. They want tried-and-true homegrown products that customers are seeking out.

The Little Barn’s old school vibe grew just a little bit more in April when Joe A. Fiorentino, a butcher with more than 40

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years of experience, joined the staff.

“My father was a meat cutter and it’s what I’ve always known, since I was a kid,” Mr. Fiorentino said after emerging from the shop’s butchering room in the back of the store, wiping his hands on his apron.

“I had decided to retire from cutting meat at Price Chopper and I knew Mark from processing some deer for him in the past. He approached me with the idea of doing something here.”

Mr. Fiorentino has established a reputation as one of the few great butchers in the area, Mr. Jareo said. So when Mr. Fiorentino, who the Jareo family calls “Joey,” wanted to retire from retail butchery, he had the perfect solution.

“I wanted to do custom [meat] cutting, I wanted people to know what they were eating, know who was cutting it and know where it was coming from,” Mr. Jareo said.

“It has given us another piece to the puzzle.”

While the current selection of meats, which includes chicken, steaks, pork and ground beef, is a somewhat small, Mr. Fiorentino said that is by design.

“Mark and I agreed that we’d start small. We didn’t want to go too big too soon,” he said. “We can keep the case stocked with fresh cuts all the time.”

Meat is purchased through local distributors, including Renzi Foodservice Inc. and Davis Bros. Meat, Oswego. Mr. Fiorentino also custom blends his own Italian sweet, spicy and breakfast sausages.

“He’s really well known for the sausages he makes, he even got my wife who wasn’t a big sausage eater to really love the breakfast sausage,” Mr. Jareo said.

Mr. Fiorentino and Mr. Jareo both noted that the butcher business has caught on and people are responding positively to the Little Barn’s latest addition.

F E AT U R E S Little Barn Bulk Foods WHO: Nicole Peer Jareo and husband, Mark.

HOURS: 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday to Saturday; 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday PHONE: (315) 788-1253.

ONLINE: www.littlebarnbulkfoods.com

For the Jareos, it’s about creating a friendly atmosphere at the store where customers know the butcher, feel comfortable asking questions and know they’re in good hands.

“We want to take things back to the era where there was a neighborhood country store,” Mr. Jareo said. “We really fell into this at the perfect time, with customers shopping more locally and looking for things produced right here in the area, or in New York state.”

The Jareos opened the Little Barn as a way to bring their family together and, as self-described “farm kids,” get back on the farm. Mr. Jareo previously managed operations for Jefferson Concrete before tiring of “working in an air-conditioned truck, driving to an air-conditioned office and sitting inside.” He talked with his wife about putting the empty barn on their property, located at 17937 state Route 3, to good use.

“We not only wanted a business for ourselves, but for our girls to grow up with too, to give them a sense of responsibility and work ethic,” Mrs. Peer Jareo said.

The couple has four young daughters who often make appearances in the store, whether they’re eating lunch off a wooden box behind the cashier’s counter, or taking turns ringing up customers, with a little help from mom.

Having their daughters around the store only reinforces the aesthetic of the Jareo family’s business — a place that reminds shoppers of the early days before corporate America made big-box grocery stores and convenience stores the norm.

“What’s so interesting now is that with technology and the Internet becoming so much more of a part of our daily lives, you’re seeing that drive people back to the old days,” Mr. Jareo said. “All these people are educating themselves on the Internet and then they’re looking for these local, down-home places to shop at, where they know the butcher, they know the owners, they know the people behind the counter.”

Despite Mr. Jareo’s dedication to keeping things small and manageable, he has big plans for the future.

“First up, we’d like to do a bakery, with our own homemade baked breads,” he said. “It goes back to people knowing

where their food is coming from. Much farther down the road, we would like to have our own branded products.”

Mr. and Mrs. Jareo said that no matter where the future takes the business, the focus will always be on one attribute: Quality.

“If it’s not quality, we won’t buy it and we won’t sell it,” Mr. Jareo said.

It’s that commitment that determines what products will be bought and sold at the store. Mr. Jareo said that New York state, unlike any other state in the country, has such a diverse offering of locally made and produced goods that it’s not

necessary to look elsewhere.

“We sell Shultz Family Cheese curd, made right in Lowville at their farm, or Zoar Asparagus, grown right in Jefferson County, it’s all right here,” he said.

During the summer months, the Little Barn hosts a weekly farmers market with locally grown or handmade products from 3 to 8 p.m. Thursdays through Labor Day. n KYLE R. HAYES is a former associate editor for NNY magazines and a freelance writer who lives in Adams where he is a partner in Gram’s Diner. Contact him at kyle.r.hayes@gmail.com.

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S T. L AW R E N C E C O U N T Y

SeaComm marks 50 years of service

Former Chevy Foundry workers launched credit union in 1963

By LEAH BULETTI

S

NNY Business

eaComm Federal Credit Union, Massena, celebrated 50 years in business this June, having grown to 40,000 members from humble origins: In 1963, 10 Chevrolet Foundry workers wanted to help other employees who couldn’t secure loans and decided to each put $5 into a tool box.

Today, SeaComm has nearly $500 million in assets and branches in Potsdam, Malone, Canton and Ogdensburg.

“I’m very humbled to be leading SeaComm in its 50th year,” SeaComm President and Chief Executive Officer Scott A. Wilson said. “I’ve had the ability to look back and appreciate all that’s been done— all the hard work and dedication—and then to reflect on whether we’ve fulfilled what the charter members wanted. And we’ve exceeded that tenfold.”

The credit union moved to the United Auto Workers hall in 1966 after seeing an initial expansion to 350 members. It then moved to 30 Stearn St. in 1979 following a merger and new community charter that expanded membership to 1,200 with assets of $600,000 in 1975. SeaComm opened its second location in Massena, on Andrews Street, in 1982, and later moved to its present location at 79 Main St. It opened branches in Potsdam in 1985, Malone in 1990, Canton in 2004 and Ogdensburg in 2010.

From the days when membership was restricted to hourly workers at Chevrolet, membership is today open to anyone who lives, works, worships or attends school in St. Lawrence or northern Franklin counties. SeaComm has evolved from offering savings accounts and small loans to today offering services such as 30-year mortgages and mobile banking.

“The consumer has changed and we’ve evolved with it,” Mr. Wilson said.

“We’ve continued to exceed the expectations of our membership. If we’d stayed back in that toolbox, we wouldn’t have exceeded those expectations.”

But the idea of the toolbox still lives on as a reminder of the credit union’s roots and underlying mission of “people over profit,” Mr. Wilson said.

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SeaComm touts services such as club accounts that allow members to save for specific purposes and teach children how to save for the future, like the Moola Moola kids account, Christmas club, tax club and senior savers; individual retirement accounts and simplified employee pension plans; and Wilson a health savings account that allows businesses and individuals to take advantage of highdeductible health plans.

Going forward, top priorities for SeaComm are to grow membership and increase satisfaction not only of members, but employees as well, Mr. Wilson said, adding that employee engagement is a “very important priority.”

“If you have an engaged employee, they are going to do a good job for you,” Mr. Wilson said. “If they feel valued themselves, they will ensure the folks they are working with and serving feel valued.”

“Our success is a direct result of our employees and their overall engagement with the company,” he said.

SeaComm has been named one of the Best Companies to Work for in New York State by the New York State Society for Human Resource Management for the past three consecutive years. The list of 50 companies, divided into two groups for small/medium employers and large employers, was compiled through a survey by the independent firm Best Companies Group. SeaComm was ranked 26th in 2011, and ninth in 2013.

Vice-president of marketing and communications Tammy Harrigan, an employee of 24 years, described the workplace culture as “a place of teamwork,” where “you can feel valued and treated as a family-member.”

SeaComm fosters open communication and remains “extremely aware of keeping the balance between work and family life” in order to maintain this culture, Ms. Harrigan said.

Through Best Companies’ survey, Sea-

Comm has been able to hone in on areas that need improvements and has created a committee of employees to solicit feedback on desired improvements, objectives which are then communicated to management, according to Ms. Harrigan.

“Open communication is huge and we always look to improve on it,” she said.

“It’s not about being number one,” she said of the ranking. “It’s about the fact that we’ve improved the outlook for our employees.”

Ms. Harrigan said SeaComm’s reputation in the community is proud to be a longtime employeee. As a branch manager who helped open the Malone office, Ms. Harrigan observed how the “huge loyalty base” that originated in Massena because of workers at the GM plant translated to Franklin County as well because many of the county’s workers were traveling to Massena to work at GM or Alcoa. Ms. Harrigan said that while she has seen community loyalty improve over the years, it has always been rooted in a “deep core” in the community in which it was founded because it isn’t a transplanted branch of a larger operation.

“We’re so well-known in the Massena community that it wasn’t that huge of an undertaking in other communities,” she said of SeaComm’s expansion.

Going forward, Mr. Wilson acknolwedged the pressure to ensure there is a sufficient amount of capital to “weather uncertain times” and also to balance complying with increasing regulations with serving members’ needs. But SeaComm will continue to “strategically grow retained earnings so that capital keeps pace with asset size,” he said.

The constant need to keep up with technology to attract younger generations and meet members’ needs hasn’t been daunting, Ms. Harrigan said.

“We’ve been very aware of where technology is and how we can offer those services to our members,” she said.

“We’re continuing to look for new ways of doing things, and that’s the fun part.” n LEAH BULETTI is a staff writer for NNY magazines. Contact her at 661-2381 or lbuletti @wdt.net.

WOMEN IN BUSINESS

Firm secures state WBE designation

Aubertine and Currier a ‘Woman-Owned Business Enterprise’

By LEAH BULETTI

A

Annette M. Mason, managing partner of architectural firm Aubertine and Currier, Watertown. The firm recently earned New York state certification as a WomanOwned Business Enterprise.

NNY Business

ubertine and Currier Architects, Engineers & Land Surveyors, Watertown, has earned certification as a New York State WomanOwned Business Enterprise. Since receiving the designation in early April, the firm says it has already seen heightened demand for its services, particularly state and federal projects.

The firm’s diverse portfolio includes a wide range of projects such as Class A office space, single-family housing, commercial retail development and religious facilities.

“We have a lot of opportunities now,” Annette M. Mason, majority owner and structural engineer said. “We’ve partnered with a lot of large companies this spring and that was a result of the WBE. They need us to get the state and federal jobs.”

Aubertine and Currier began the application process in January 2012, when Ms. Mason became a partner and the firm was restructured to make her its majority owner. Ms. Mason has been an engineer at Aubertine and Currier since 2000 and has been in the field for more than 18 years.

The firm presently has five partners, including Ms. Mason’s brother and founder, Michael Aubertine. Ms. Mason said she was offered the opportunity to become a partner various times over the years, but opted to remain an engineer because of her personal life.

“It all worked out at the same time,” she said of becoming a partner and the decision to pursue WBE certification last year.

Ms. Mason described the certification process as “very frustrating,” as the firm’s application materials “kept getting passed to different hands,” but said several people who had completed the process advised her to “just keep waiting.”

Ms. Mason said it was “well worth the effort,” primarily because the certification gives the firm a “marketing edge.”

“We’re getting emails everyday looking for projects,” she said.

Many federal and state-funded projects are set aside for women- or minorityowned businesses; large companies often

NORM JOHNSTON | NNY BUSINESS

cannot get these jobs unless they have partnered with a certified firm like Aubertine and Currier. This opens up numerous opportunities, including work on schools that the firm has never done before and green initiatives that are an increasingly popular component of state and federal projects, Ms. Mason said. In 2011, Aubertine and Currier designed the new Land Port of Entry facility at Cannon Corners in Clinton County to silver LEED standards.

“More volume of work is open to us,” Ms. Mason said.

Partner and certified architect Brian A. Jones, who joined the firm in 2006, called the certification process “very intense and drawn out,” but said he finds it “very exciting” that the firm has already seen heightened demand. He added that as competition in the field has grown more intense, the certification is essential to

“give us better leverage in sectors of work that we choose.”

“It gives us another advantage to get our foot in the door and secure work for the future,” he said.

State and federal projects are usually awarded based on criteria, rather than on networking and relationships as much other work in the architecture world is, making the certification a leg up in the market, Mr. Jones said.

For similar reasons, he doesn’t see any negative connotations associated with being a WBE in what some might perceive to be the male-dominated field of architecture.

“It’s all about establishing relationships,” Mr. Jones said. n LEAH BULETTI is a staff writer for NNY magazines. Contact her at 661-2381 or lbuletti @wdt.net.

July 2013 | NNY Business

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SMALL BUSINESS

Start-ups climb as more go alone Experts point to variety of reasons for uptick in recent years

By LEAH BULETTI

T NNY Business

he number of Doing Business under an Assumed name certificates filed in Jefferson County reached the highest number in a decade with 594 registrations in 2012, possibly the result of state funding cuts hitting the region, a decline in construction on Fort Drum and fewer industry jobs in Jefferson County, local experts say.

DBAs decreased every year over the last decade, from 568 in 2005 to a low of 456 in 2009, before increasing every subsequent year to the high in 2012, according to records filed in the Jefferson County clerk’s office. As of the end of May, 243 have been filed. At the same point in 2012, 290 had been filed.

DBAs are an inexpensive, easy, fast and therefore popular way to register a business if the person does not intend to have employees, which requires an online registration process, said Eric Constance, regional director for the Small Business Development Center in Watertown. Consequently, many DBAs are filed merely in anticipation of opening a business at some point in the future, he said.

Of the roughly 800 clients the SBDC sees per year, only about 10 to 15 percent actually start the business. Of that number, there is a roughly 50 percent rate of failure, statistics that generally hold true across the state, Mr. Constance said.

Mr. Constance attributes much of the uptick in DBAs to high unemployment in the area, which he believes has impacted professionals, particularly teachers. He also cited fewer manufacturing jobs and the fact that many people can only obtain part-time work, leaving them with the time and desire to go out on their own.

“A lot of it has to do with the hard times we’re going through,” he said. “And it’s not just in Jefferson County, a lot of the SBDCs are seeing an influx of clients because of that.”

The Jefferson County SBDC saw 602 clients in its Watertown and Lowville offices and 257 in its Oswego office during the

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fiscal year from Oct. 1, 2011, to Sept. 30, worth of construction is allocated for that 2012, the most yearly to date. The office project. Only $15.8 million in construction typically sees about 790 to 815 clients, Mr. is scheduled for the years 2015-2019.

Constance said. He anticipates that the “Fort Drum is a big economic engine, number will drop to about 800 this year you see businesses starting up left and because of last year’s spike. right based on that,” Mr. Constance said.

In St. Lawrence County, visits to the “It has the capability to support of a lot SBDC at SUNY Canton bear out the trend: more people in the area.”

283 in 2012, up from 248 in 2011. From By 2014 when foreign wars wind down Oct. 1 to May 31 this year, the center has and the 10th Mountain Division becomes seen 24 more clients than during that more stable, the number of retail and period last year, said Dale Rice, director. service businesses will likely increase in Mr. Rice, however, attributed the intandem, he said. He’s also seen a trend of crease to the center once again seeing its soldiers keeping their apartments because customary mix of people who actually want to open their own business and those doing so because Eric Constance, regional director, they can’t find Small Business Development Center, other employWatertown on starting a business ment. A greater percentage of the center’s clients in 2011 were people their period of deployment is shorter who couldn’t find other work, while from now and for nine months it can be worth 2012 to the present it’s been a “more norcontinuing to pay rent. mal client mix,” he said.

“It’s stabilizing our communities and “It seems like the people who are comturning into a positive economic developing in now really want to go into busiment,” he said of that trend. ness,” he said.

He estimates that about 75 percent of DBAs are retail and service businesses.

Mr. Constance said a decrease in conInterspersed with job cuts in fields struction on Fort Drum could account for like construction and teaching, he said some of the uptick. Data from the post’s there have been some positive upticks annual economic impact report shows in “agricultural startups” like wineries that contracts issued to regional construcor spinoffs of farms like small cheesetion companies fell in 2011, rebounding making operations. slightly in 2012. In 2012, 234 companies “There are opportunities, the question in the tri-county area received contracts is when is the right time to go that way worth $20,459,649. In 2011, the number if you already have a career in another was 185, for a total of $18,451,610. In field,” Mr. Constance said.

2009, the lowest year of DBAs in the past Some business owners in Watertown decade, 286 companies received contracts who filed DBAs in 2012 said they did so for $40,958,891. because of economic reasons, while others While $137.5 million in construction cited unrelated factors such as frustration has been planned at Fort Drum for 2013, with their current job or family situation. none was originally scheduled for 2014 until the recent announcement of a hanger Watertown resident Gene Bolton filed a DBA for Sunken Treasure Fishing Charexpansion at Wheeler-Sack Army Airters in May 2012. He still works full-time field to accommodate unmanned aerial as a construction project manager, and vehicles, or drones. Some $4.7 million

“

There are opportunities, the question is when is the right time to [start a business] if you already have a career in another field.

—

SMALL BUSINESS

DBA Certificates Filed in Jefferson County 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 453 506 462 568 511 483 480 456 479 522 594 243* *As of May 31, 2013 operates the fishing company part-time in the summer.

“I’m always out on the water, so I just wanted to open up some other profit opportunities,” he said of his decision to start the business.

Mr. Bolton added that he was not deterred by the recession, which has curtailed the recreational boating industry because of high fuel prices, saying that he believes the company will “definitely be better off this summer” as it becomes more established in the community.

Theresa resident Tricia Pierce filed a DBA for Sprouting Seeds Day Care, which she runs from her home, in April 2012. She began operating the family day care service last fall.

Although Ms. Pierce said she works upwards of 60 hours per week at the day care, she still works part-time in operations at the Clayton Opera House.

Ms. Pierce, who worked in Ogdensburg as a teacher, said she decided to open her business because of a desire to be closer to her family, not because of economic reasons.

“I wasn’t getting hired elsewhere,” she said. “I really took quite a pay cut to do this—it was more about family.”

For Eric Richardson, owner of Impact Nutrition on Arsenal Street in Watertown,

Source: Jefferson County Clerk’s Office starting his own business was a way to be his own boss. He found a job at G&C Food Distributors to be too much “corporate selling.”

“I wanted to be able to tell people their options and, if you’re on a budget, which products to buy that are more beneficial,” he said.

So he quit G&C and worked on a dairy farm while doing personal training on the side to save enough money to open Impact Nutrition, setting up the 70-plus hour weeks he says he’s been working for several years now. He said business at the store is “growing slowly.”

“It was definitely a risk,” he said of the decision. “But I’d rather know I tried, than not have tried at all.”

Maria M. Runyon, co-owner of craft retailer NNY Gals and Guys, described opening a physical location in Carthage this February as a “gradual process.” She filed a DBA under the name NNY Gals in March 2012, then registered in January as NNY Gals and Guys. Ms. Runyon moved from craft fairs to a small store to the current “full-fledged store” she now runs with business partner Delores “Dee” Guerra-Conley.

Business at NNY Gals and Guys, which also sells at craft, children’s and bridal fairs and carries pageant and dance attire and boutique clothing, has

been “steady” and is “sustaining itself,” Ms. Runyon said.

“We did have a loyal following of people who purchased from us, but it’s grown so much more now that we have a store,” she said.

Both Ms. Runyon’s and Ms. Conley’s husbands were in active duty when they decided to go into business. The store is a “good fit because it gives us the freedom to be with our families, as well as do something productive,” Ms. Runyon said.

After freelancing since 2005, Chris Bova, of Watertown, opened his own photography studio on the public square last May, despite working full-time as a photographer for Bernier, Carr & Associates. He said when the opportunity came to open the studio after a prior tenant left, he “just decided to do it.”

“I didn’t let the economy affect me,” he said. “There’s a need for photography and that’s never going to change—there will always be people who need pictures, always a senior graduating or someone getting married.”

Though he’s toying with the possibility of running the studio full-time, rather than a “full-time job on the side,” Mr. Bova said he is deterred by the high cost of health benefits.

Please see DBAs, page 45

July 2013 | NNY Business

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

Realtors advocate for owners

R

ealtors from the Jefferson-Lewis and St. Lawrence County Boards recently met with Rep. William L. Owens, DPlattsburgh, U.S. Sen. Kirsten E. Gillibrand, D-N.Y., state Senators and Assembly members. We advocated for consumer-friendly bills and policies to help the economy and opposed policies that would hurt homeownership.

When we met with Sen. Gillibrand and Rep. Owens, we voiced our concerns about potential changes to the mortgage interest deduction, the property tax deduction and the capital gains exclusion on the sale of a principal residence.

More than 75 percent of homeowners use the mortgage interest deduction. If eliminated, home values would decline by an average of at least 15 percent. Even eliminating the deduction for just a few homeowners would compress home values in the whole market. In addition, reducing the capital gains exclusion threshold would reduce household retirement savings and financial flexibility.

The government is considering reductions to the Federal Housing Administration’s single-family mortgage insurance program. The program is critical to housing recovery because it gives home buyers access to safe, affordable mortgage credit.

The Federal National Mortgage Association, Fannie Mae, and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation, Freddie Mac, may be restructured. The restructuring is necessary so that the economy does not have a major disruption and lead to a collapse of the housing finance sector. Both agencies are necessary to continue making affordable mortgages available to consumers.

With our state leaders, we discussed

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laws that allow “teams” of agents to register under a broker and brokers to create rebates for sellers or buyers when they use the broker’s services.

A real estate team often consists of several individuLance Evans als who work together to provide services to the public as a group, allowing one member of the team to handle showings, another to work on open houses, another to take care of new listings and so forth. While both of these practices are legal under current regulations, codifying them into law would better protect the consumer and licensees.

There are a number of items that we asked the legislators to oppose such as the implementation and/or extension of mortgage recording and transfer taxes that counties have requested. New York already has the highest closing costs in the nation. Adding or extending these requirements and taxes makes homeownership less affordable and hinders economic development and investment.

Realtors also oppose a proposed expansion of agriculture disclosure notice. The legislation would expand the current requirements to include properties within 500-feet of an agricultural district. While this legislation has good intentions, sellers frequently do not know the boundaries of an agricultural district and many counties do not have an easily searchable database in which to find this information.

Additional pending legislation would add “source of income” as a protected class on par with classes like race, religion and familial status. Adding “source of income” as a protected class unfairly impedes the rights of property owners and landlords, especially those who have smaller amounts of properties, to conduct their private business in the manner they deem best.

These pieces of legislation have farreaching effects on homeownership, the economy and regulations. It is important to remember that housing is a huge generator of jobs, not only within the real estate industry, but in other service sectors ranging from landscaping to remodeling. n

n

n

The Tri-County Chapter of the Women’s Council of Realtors will hold its third annual golf tournament at Highland Meadows Golf Club, 24201 Route 342, Watertown on Saturday, July 20. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Sci-Tech Center of Northern New York.

Registration for the 18-hole, four-person captain and crew tournament is at 8 a.m. and the tournament begins at 9 a.m. There will be a lunch buffet and prizes for men, women and co-ed teams, along with cash “skins,” a 50-50 drawing and door prizes.

There are opportunities to sponsor a hole.

To enter, become a sponsor or get more information, contact Debbie Staie at 7834400, the Jefferson-Lewis Board of Realtors at 782-1322 or e-mail help@nnymls. 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.

July 2013 | 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 .

The following property sales were recorded in the Jefferson County clerk’s office in June 2013: JUNE 17: Town of Ellisburg: 0.50 acre, no address given, Kyle J. Peters and Stephanie A. Peters, Chaumont, sold to Hewstin D. Morrison, Watertown $82,000

n Visit us at WWW.NNYBIZMAG.COM for current real estate sales from Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties, updated weekly.

Click on ‘Data Center’ to access transactions.

n Town of Orleans: 2.55 acres, Carter Street, Patrick B. Spaulding, LaFargeville, sold to Cody L. Samuels, Lamar, Colo. $100,000

sold to Kiandi LLC, Clayton $126,000

n Village of Sackets Harbor: Two parcels, 0.344 acre, 0.001 acre, Jefferson Street, Battlefield Commons LLC, Latham, sold to Kevin Clarke and Christine L. Clarke, Leavenworth, Kan. $341,000 n City of Watertown: 0535 acre, 411 Harris Drive, Eric A. Nava, Cibolo, Texas, sold to John A. Montondo and Karen A. Perry, both of Watertown $135,500 n City of Watertown: 0.115 acre, Stuart Street, Clifford L. Bennett III, Watertown, sold to Adeena M. Pierce, Watertown $101,000 n Village of Black River: 0.502 acre, 171 LeRay St., Timothy N. Snyder, Black River, sold to William F. Reed, Gouverneur $78,000 n Town of Clayton: 2.8 acres, Grindstone Island, Mary M. Sorth, aka Mary E. Sorth, Centre Hall, Pa., sold to Roxane C. Pratten, Medford, Mass. $300,000 JUNE 14: Town of Brownville: Two parcels, Bayshore Estates, Arthur G. Montondo and Carolyn E. Montondo, Chaumont, sold to David R. Hughes, Johnson City, Tenn. $135,000 n Town of Orleans: 6.96 acres, Dano Road, Dianne Y. Norstrom, Theresa, sold to Mark A. Coleman, LaFargeville $104,000 n Village of Carthage: 318 N. Clinton St., Seung-Il Suh, Carthage, sold to Andre L. Johnson and Sandra A. Johnson, Carthage $160,000 n City of Watertown: 0.138 acre, 928 Superior St., Michael Pomerville, Dexter, sold to John P. Romeo, Watertown $80,000 n Village of Carthage: James Street, Jeffrey Kimple, Deer River, sold to Roger Fontaine, Natural Bridge $168,000 n City of Watertown: 164 Palmer St., Virginia T. Barbara, Watertown, sold to George J. Mathar, Carthage $59,000 n Town of Rutland: Perrigo Road, Percy Chicks Subdivision LLC, Black River, sold to David J. Clark and Paige A. Clark, Fort Drum $202,500 n City of Watertown: 0.376 acre, Bugbee Drive Extension, Peter S. Vecchio, Liverpool, trustee, Phyllis M. Vecchio Irrevocable Trust, sold to Lyda A. Shambo, New York, N.Y. $233,000 n Village of Cape Vincent: 0.05 acre, James Street, Joseph Chavoustie, Cape Vincent, sold to Swedish Meatball Pizza Company LLC, Cape Vincent $125,000 n Town of LeRay: 0.77 acre, LaFave Road, Stephen J. Converse and Geana M. Converse, Watertown, sold to James A. Watson Jr., Black River $25,000 n Town of LeRay: 0.77 acre, LaFave Road, Stephen J. Converse and Geana M. Converse, Watertown, sold to James A. Watson Jr., Black River $25,000 JUNE 13: City of Watertown: 0.172 acre, Iroquois Avenue West, Timothy J. Penn, Watertown,

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NNY Business | July 2013

On the Web

n Town of Champion: No acreage or address given, County of Jefferson, Watertown, sold to Mark A. Pominville, Glenfield $65,000 JUNE 12: Town of Pamelia: 5.44 acres, Route 12, Christopher S. Tunison and Trisha L. Tunison, Watertown, sold to Mark D. Irwin, Watertown $364,000 n Town of Theresa: 1 acre, County Route 22, Eric L. Hoffert, Northborough, Mass., and Holly R. Hoffert, Watertown, sold to Nicholas C. Halladay, Hermon $88,000 n Town of Champion: 1 acre, Farney Pit Road, Michael R. Denny and Katherine L. Denny, sold to Giovanny Sanchez and Anja Sanchez, Fort Drum $273,000 n Hamlet of Adams Center: 0.237 acre, 13272 U.S. Route 11, Jason C. Clutter, Signal Mountain, Tenn., sold to Brandalyn L. Harvey and Thad J. Harvey, Evans Mills $186,000 n Village of Carthage: West Street, Janet L. Delosh and Pamela M. Nabewaniec, co-executors, estate of Jane M. Strife, Carthage, sold to John Siegel and Amber Siegel, APO AE $209,500 n Town of Cape Vincent: 0.502 acre, Humphrey Road, William J. Price and Carolyn F. Hornung, both of Havertown, Pa., sold to Robert W. Curtis and Brenda L. Curtis, Cape Vincent $30,000 n Village of West Carthage: Three parcels, 0.383 acre, 40 N. Main St.; 0.20 acre, 11 Champion St.; 0.50 acre, Champion Street, Eric I. Bridge, Carthage, sold to Wells Fargo Bank N.A., Fort Mill, S.C. $165,000 n Town of Henderson: Two parcels, Lots 35 and 35A, Camp Greystone, Wendell H. Kenner and Paula Kenner, Mexico, sold to Lisa L. Earnshaw, Fulton $80,000 n City of Watertown: Two parcels, 300-301 Winslow St., Patricia E. Robarge, Alexandria, Va., sold to Joseph C. Gianfagna and Rachael Gianfagna, Syracuse $192,000 JUNE 11: Town of Philadelphia: 17.85 acres, U.S. Route 11, Jonas Wagler and Elizabeth Wagler, Philadelphia, sold to Brandon Bjorn Liesen and Jennifer Leigh Liesen, Marquette, Mich. $302,000 n City of Watertown: Unit 3, Building A, Fairway West Townhouses, Grace G. Caicedo, by Claudia Caicedo Dunk, attorney in fact, sold to Paul D. Trimper and Lynn W. Trimper, Watertown $188,000 n Hamlet of Adams Center: Goodnough Road, Quanco Associates LLC, Adams Center, sold to W & C LLC, Watertown $1,050,000

$5,772,500 County real estate sales recorded over 7-day period, June 11-17, 2013

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 in June 2013: JUNE 5: Town of Colton: Unknown acres, in Lot 19, bounded by Backwoods Road, Ann H. Sullivan, Colton, sold to Arthur H. Bell and Dayle Smith Bell (co-trustees), Bell Revocable Trust, Belvedere, Calif. $600,000 n Village of Hermon: 2 parcels, unknown acres, bounded by Church Street, Lee E. Rawson, DeKalb Junction, sold to Lone Wolf Saloon LLC, Hermon $75,000 JUNE 4: Town of Brasher: 5.5 acres more or less, in Lot 115, bounded by McCuin Road, Scott R. Kocienski, Nicholville, sold to Joseph Bullock, Massena $94,500 n Village of Gouverneur: 50/100 of an acre more or less, bounded by Grove Street, Michael Griepsma, Gouverneur, sold to Bertram A. McKenzie, Albertha McKenzie and Jacquelin C. McKenzie, Dorchester, Mass. $43,500 n Town of Hammond: Unknown acres, bounded

by Rossie and Hammond Turnpike, Claude and Janet Hitchings, Durhamville, sold to Amanda Ferguson, Theresa $60,300 n Town of Louisville: Unknown acres, in Block 316, bounded by Highland Avenue, Daniel J. Carroll, massena, Michael J. Carroll, Massena and Joanne C. Williams, Pittsfield, Mass., sold to Sandra L. Merchant, Norfolk, and Joanne W. Cichetti, Massena $157,500

sold to John A. and Susan Miller, Ebensburg, Pa. $145,000 n Town of Fowler: Unknown acres, in Lot 25 of Block 3, Northern Federal Credit Union, Watertown, sold to Cody L. Fuller, Gouverneur $33,000 n Town of Hammond: 37/100 of an acre more or less, bounded by Plank Road, John and Donna Sloan, Hammond, sold to Jacqueline Washburn, Hammond $33,000 n Town of Norfolk: Hamlet of Raymondville, unknown acres, bounded by Joy Road and state Route 56, Ida S. Holt, Norfolk, sold to Donald G. and Deatta Chapin (trustees), Chapin Living Trust, Norfolk $25,000 n Town of Potsdam: 2.57 acres more or less, bounded by South Canton and Anderson roads, Robert L. Edwards, Incline Village, Nev., sold to Neil Conant and Nicole Feml, Potsdam $93,500 n Town of Hammond: 2 parcels, 1) 0.30 of an acre more or less, 2) unknown acres, bounded

by County Route 6, Carol A. Rogers, Redwood, Linda C. Crowner, Hammond, Van A. Amyot, Hammond, Sherry A. Furgison, Hammond, and David J. Amyot, Hammond, sold to Lucinda Hart, Canton $82,680 n Town of Potsdam: 3 parcels, unknown acres, bounded by County Road 35, Roger F. and Brenda S. Currier, Potsdam, sold to Amanda R. Sullivan, Potsdam $67,000

n Town of Louisville: 4.30 acres more or less, bounded by Willard Road, Massena Savings and Loan, Massena, sold to Duane G. Brainard, Massena $50,000 n Town of Potsdam: Unknown acres, in Section 29, bounded by Park Street, Mark Daniels, Potsdam, sold to Jordan L. and Shannon R. Contwell, Potsdam $35,000 n Town of Fine: 1.76 acres more or less, in Great Tract 3 of Township 15, Pinecone LLC, Fine, sold to Pine Cone Grill Inc., Cranberry Lake $300,000 MAY 31: Town of Massena: 1.221 acres more or less, bounded by Massena Springs, Nancy A. Larue and Mary E. Lauzon, Massena, sold to Danny K. Farnsworth, Massena, and Virgil V. Farnsworth, Massena $35,000 n Town of Massena: Unknown acres, in Lot 3, bounded by Shoreline Drive, John D. and Beverly K. Martin, Massena, sold to Weichert Relocation Resources Inc., Morris Plains, N.J. $289,000 n Town of Massena: Unknown acres, in Lot 3, bounded by Shoreline Drive, Weichert Relocation Resources Inc., Morris Plains, N.J., sold to Cornelius H. DeConing, Bellingham, Wash. $289,000

$2,754,880 County real estate sales recorded over 6-day period, May 31-June 5, 2013

n Village of Norfolk: 0.65 of an acre more or less, bounded by Furnace and North Main streets, Marilyn G. Snyder, Norfolk, sold to Nicholas J. and Amanda J. Frederick, Norfolk $68,900 JUNE 3: Town of Potsdam: 2 parcels, 1) 1.753 acres more or less, and 2) unknown acres, both in Mile Squares 69 and 70, bounded by Route 11B, Stefanie Tischler, Potsdam, sold to Gerhard and Edward F. Tischler, Potsdam $121,000 n Town of Gouverneur: Unknown acres, part of Lots 1 and 3 of Section 3, bounded by Maple Ridge Road, Mosie S. and Lydia E. Shelter, Gouverneur, sold to Jacob M. and Edna J. Shelter, Gouverneur $57,000 n Town of Macomb: 113 81/100 acres more or less, in Section 5, bounded by Fish Creek Road, Joe D. and Mattie J. Miller, Heuvelton,

July 2013 | NNY Business

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20 QUESTIONS

Model

A

JUSTIN SORENSEN | NNY BUSINESS

for addiction

fter leading Credo Community Center for the Treatment of Addictions for more than two decades, Executive Director James P. Scordo, 55, reflects on the success of the organization’s treatment model as it celebrates its 40th year. Despite the challenges facing nonprofits, Mr. Credo believes a healthy community can be built and sustained through a focus on an individual’s overall wellness. Credo will hold an anniversary celebration on Aug. 1 at 6 p.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn, Watertown.

1

NNYB: What qualities do you think are important for any leader?

SCORDO: A CEO kind of has to be a jack of all trades, but you need to be a foundation. You need to be a person of integrity—you need to be honest with your clients, your employees ans the people you interact with. You need to be able to lead but step aside and let people do their jobs. You need to empower employees and provide opportunities to grow. The team approach is crucial. As a leader, I look at myself almost like a coach. The best thing I can do is hire good people and surround myself with good people that will help us make the best decisions. We look for quality employees that value the language of our organization and that are going to make a difference in people’s lives.

2 3

NNYB: How are you funded?

SCORDO: We get a third of our funds from the state, then we rely on county funds, United Way dollars, donations and various fundraisers.

NNYB: How many employees do you have?

SCORDO: We have 70 full-time and 25 part-time employees, spread out over four different residential

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NNY Business | July 2013

treatment

n Credo director says overall wellness, integrity key to healthy community sites and one outpatient center in Watertown. Since September we’ve operated a site in Lowville.

4

NNYB: How did Credo grow over the years?

SCORDO: We were a small organization back in 1972. We started with a residential program, but you can only have so many people in a house.

What they started was almost like an outpatient treatment program where they’d tell people they didn’t have any more room in the house, but if they kept coming back every day, they could keep getting help. They bought the farm in the summer of 1974 with the idea that it had an environment to teach responsibility, caring for animals, self-esteem and growth. They didn’t quite have enough to cover the full mortgage so some of the families that were friends took out second mortgages on their homes. They had a total commitment to the idea that by helping someone else, they were going to help their community and help themselves.

They were humble people. You do this because you want to make a difference.

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NNYB: What different levels of treatment do you offer?

SCORDO: We’re pretty diversified in our programs. Outpatient is generally where someone would start. We have 265 individuals admitted, another 25-30 in the works, so almost 300 that are actively engaged in our outpatient program.

Then we have four different residential models.

We have the adolescent one, which is known as the farm. We have 26 young men from 16 to 20

years old out there. Then we have the women’s and children’s program where we can help the woman’s child during the latter stages of the pregnancy, to make sure that child is more healthy.

We have up to five newborns up to age five that we can help while mom is in treatment. We have two different adult male community residences here in Watertown as well. We have a total of 72 beds in our residential program. We also have seven apartments that are kind of the final stage of independent living.

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NNYB: How do you determine treatment needs and how do you get clients?

SCORDO: We look at 12 different core areas when developing a treatment plan. We’ll sit with that individual in a cooperative way and engage them in determining which areas they want to address in order to develop a treatment plan that they’ll be actively engaged in and interested in following through with. Patients could be referred by themselves, family or sometimes their employer. We get some that come through the criminal justice system—from probation, direct courts, parole. We get a wide variety of referrals, some more recently from primary care.

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NNYB: How much of your focus is on treatment versus prevention?

SCORDO: We take a three-prong approach.

We have to do what we can to stop the number of sales. Law enforcement is key—prevention and education to make kids aware at a young age of

20 QUESTIONS the harm that comes from use. You have to have a variety of treatment settings. Outpatient isn’t going to work for everybody, but usually you start at the lowest level of care, and then progress from there.

We have several different residential levels with different lengths of care and we also have different levels of outpatient care.

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NNYB: Since you started at Credo a major military expansion has brought significant growth to the north country. What are some of the less obvious ways this has impacted your agency?

SCORDO: We don’t see too many active duty soldiers come to us because they have addiction services on base. We do get some people, whether they’re trying to do get help below the radar or we might get some that are former military. We have strong services on base and strong veteran services in the county. Just by sheer statistics, as the population in Jefferson County grows, you’re going to have more individuals who have problems with alcohol and substance abuse. We’ve also come a long way with the stigma of addiction and mental health.

There’s still a long way to go, but people are not as embarrassed to come forward and say they have a problem with alcohol or mental health.

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NNYB: What kinds of trends in treatment have you seen over the years?

SCORDO: With funding, we see different periods where there’s an increased emphasis on dealing with the problem and putting money into treatment.

And then periods where treatment is not seen as the answer and funding is reduced or stays flat. It’s cyclical. Our state is going through some challenging fiscal times. We’re fortunate that our state agency does a report card on each of our programs so they can be compared with other programs statewide. Rather than do cuts across the board, our state agency has done cuts based on outcomes. We score very well compared to other programs throughout the state.

We have not had reductions in funding because of our report cards. I would consider us in the top 90 percent in the state. We also received some additional funding when other providers were being cut—we started our apartment program in 2009, which was when other providers were seeing their funding cut.

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NNYB: What do you see as key components of building a healthy community?

SCORDO: I’m a firm believer in health and taking care of yourself. We’re on the far end of that where we’re dealing with folks that have perhaps lost their way a little bit with their health when their alcohol or drug use escalated. Part of our treatment is to help them find wellness and a healthy lifestyle. Our treatment approach targets the whole person—the mind, body, spirit and career. We’re a big believer in wellness and the benefits of physical activity. I live that myself and I know the benefits of it. A number of our employees have reaped the benefits of it as well. If we can pass along to clients that our bodies release natural chemicals through exercise, we’ve shown them a healthy way to enjoy and celebrate life. I think we’re fortunate to have a YMCA here that is one of the best in the state. A healthy body is part of a healthy community, and that comes from healthiness in mind, spirit and body.

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NNYB: If you kept a list of “best business practices,” what would be in your top three?

SCORDO: Staff are at the foundation of our agency. We look for quality employees that are vested and interested in coming to an organization where

JUSTIN SORENSEN | NNY BUSINESS

James P. Scordo, executive director of Credo Community Center for the Treatment of Addictions, in his office at 595 W. Main St., Watertown. Mr. Scordo has been with Credo for 30 of its 40 years. they can make a difference. We’re fortunate that we have a wealth of them here—many that have worked here for more than 10 years and are very committed. I want them to be a person of integrity.

I want them to treat our clients the same way they want to be treated or they would want their family members to be treated.

Ability to adapt to change. I see how our field and our agency have evolved over the last 30 years. If we didn’t make some of the changes we’ve made, we wouldn’t still be here. I’ve seen other programs that have been reluctant to change and adapt to new environments struggle and end up closing.

Ongoing training and providing opportunities for people adapt to the changing environment that we’re working in—keeping employees engaged and enthused about their job.

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NNYB: Can nonprofits benefit from thinking more like private sector businesses?

SCORDO: I think so. We really are running a business and have to be aware of our finances. It’s not like it used to be where you open the door and treat everyone who comes in. If we’re not fiscally viable, we may not be around in another 10 years to provide the service we do, so we need to make sure we are as efficient as we can be. I look at how we spend every dollar we get as that I have a commitment to the donors and need to spend it in a responsible way. In 2012, we looked at closing our Carthage clinic as putting those dollars to better use—reaching more people here and strengthening our array of services. Those are tough decision to make. We’re fortunate that it didn’t impact individual jobs because we were able to bring them here.

We put those savings back into our operations to strengthen our services. We did that cautiously. We didn’t want to do too much too quickly and risk running a deficit in the future. You have to make sure you can sustain what you’re doing.

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NNYB: How will fiscal constraints continue to impact you?

SCORDO: The Medicaid Redesign Team that the government has put together has made some strides to reduce overall spending and deficit in the state. The managed care aspect is kind of scary. It’s forced some 30-day programs down to

The James P. Scordo file AGE: 55 JOB: Executive Director, Credo Community Center FAMILY: Wife, Karen; daughter, Christina, 26; son, James, 22.

HOMETOWN: Watertown EDUCATION: Associate’s degree in criminal justice, Canton College, bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, Rochester Institute of Technology, master’s degree in social work from Adelphi University.

EXPERIENCE: Briefly worked in corrections, has worked at Credo since 1983, served as Executive Director since 1990.

LAST BOOK READ: Let Your Life Speak

by Parker Palmer three days. If we start doing that, I’m convinced we’ll shift our expenses from dealing with behavioral health to putting those people in our jails and prisons. I don’t think that’s where somebody belongs with an addiction problem. If they continue to break the law I believe in accountability.

But if somebody’s got a problem and is willing to seek treatment, then let’s give that person the opportunity. I think we can do that with much better results and fewer dollars in a treatment setting as opposed to in a correctional facility.

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NNYB: What kinds of collaboration are you looking into?

SCORDO: We’re looking at things we can do as far as group purchasing of things like food, office supplies or snow plowing. We’re also looking into things we can do collaboratively like sharing some human resources, building functions or billing. Or looking into whether everyone needs a corporate compliance officer or their own specialized IT department. We’re looking now first of all at what we can do with the small things we all need and then we’ll be looking at the bigger picture.

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20 QUESTIONS

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NNYB: Jefferson Rehabilitation Center Director Howard W. Ganter said earlier this year that “It’s really going to take a crisis to force more collaboration in the community?” Are we headed to a crisis?

SCORDO: I think many of the small nonprofits are experiencing challenges due to funding mandates and administrative burdens. Some providers are not going to be able to afford to do that and that will force a crisis. Organizations will have to weigh the importance of the agency continuing or its services continuing.

When we merged in 2000, maintaining our services was more important than the names of our respective organizations. We compromised on that and changed our name and logo from Credo Foundation to the Credo Community Center for the Treatment of Addictions. There were some people that were upset

that the original logo changed. But what’s most important is that the services continue. I think you will see more opportunities for small organizations to look at merging with organizations with similar values. Many of the services that were needed when these nonprofits started are still needed today. I’m not saying we need the Walmart approach—putting us all under an umbrella—but perhaps we could make better use of funds by consolidating some smaller agencies.

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NNYB: This spring, Jefferson Community College launched a chemical-dependency degree program for north country residents to become chemical dependency counselors. As a trustee at JCC, what hand did you and Credo have in this?

SCORDO: I had a really small role. I was asked for my

opinion and I said it would be beneficial to have that degree available in our community. It lines up nicely with the bachelor’s degree in social work at JCC and the master’s degree in social work that we’re hoping to offer here in the fall. In the first year, over 30 individuals enrolled in the chemical dependency program so they’re very pleased with the interest.

And I think the students are finding it enjoyable.

We’re hoping that we’re going to have some future employees come out of the program.

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NNYB: What is the best business advice you’ve ever followed and who gave it to you?

SCORDO: A priest who helped found Credo stressed to me the importance of treating people how you want to be treated, with respect and dignity. I kind of modeled myself around that. It’s driven key decisions as we more forward as an organization and it’s helped make Credo one of the top programs in New York. We’re now asked to be independent monitors for other programs in the state. We went to Albany to a residential program in 2005 and we’re now assisting another residential program in Syracuse. That’s because what we do works. We’re bringing a little part of what we do at Credo to other parts of the state, all based on that concept of how we treat people. If you’re honest and treat people with respect, as you would want to be treated, you’re not going to go wrong.

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NNYB: How much longer do you anticipate working at Credo and what’s next?

SCORDO: I’m hoping to be here for another seven years. I don’t anticipate that I will go from extremely busy to a screeching halt. I’m involved in a lot of different things and will probably continue to teach at JCC. I enjoy giving back what’s been given to me. The 12th step of AA talks about giving back. I enjoy doing that in my job every day, with our employees and clients, with the classes I teach and with the youth that I’ve coached in basketball and football over the years.

Some of the kids I coached are now in their mid-20s and remember the life lessons I taught them like it was yesterday. I also work as a volunteer instructor for the New York State Bowhunters Association. I know I’ve influenced people to be safe, responsible and ethical hunters and to enjoy the outdoors in a safe manner.

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NNYB: Where do you think Credo will be in five years?

SCORDO: We’re seeing more clients who have cooccurring disorders—mental health issues in addition to substance abuse. I think within the next five years, we will see more collaboration at the state level, perhaps the Department of Health taking over and consolidating those. I think we’re going to be encouraged to provide those services under each of our respective endeavors. We’re in the process of exploring the feasibility of obtaining an outpatient mental health license.

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NNYB: What kind of personal legacy do you hope to leave?

SCORDO: The quality of our programs that have taught individuals the mind, body and spirit concept and to be a good person. Our employees’ lives have improved as a result of what I call drinking the Credo KoolAid—if you drink the Credo KoolAid and you’re honest and do what is right, you’ll be rewarded, not just in your professional career, but in your personal relationships. I hope employees, clients and families thank Credo for nudging them toward overall health and wellness.

— Interview by Ken Eysaman.

Edited for length and clarity.

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DBAs, from page 37 As a lifelong Watertown resident, Mr. Bova said he doesn’t have difficulty attracting customers and keeping repeat customers.

“People know I’m not leaving the area,” he said.

Graphic designer Adam Cornell, of Watertown, also said he hasn’t had much difficulty finding customers for XL Design and Marketing, which he started in February. He struck out on his own by opening micro-publishing house Jade, Hudson and Steele Publishing in March 2012 after tiring of the “corporate politics and culture” at Car-Freshener, where he worked as the art director for two and a half years.

Mr. Cornell said he considered the economy and was “extremely anxious” at the prospect of finding a comparable job in Watertown after leaving Car-Freshener. But his experience with ad agencies, different types of media, graphic design and publishing made opening his own business feasible.

“I think the new marketplace is going to require diversity of work,” he said. “If you put all of your eggs in one basket, I think you’re destined to fail.”

For others, a lack of employment played a direct role in the decision.

Frank G. Danielsen decided to buy the former Kicker’s Lounge bar on Factory Street last July, transforming it over a period of three months into a vibrant bar catering to the “after-work” crowd.

“

A lot of homework was involved. We didn’t just jump in.

— Frank G. Danielsen, co-owner, First Round Bar & Lounge, on starting a business.

Mr. Danielsen worked at P&C Foods for 25 years, managing six of its grocery stores throughout his career before the company filed for bankruptcy in 2010. After working briefly in retail, Mr. Danielsen worked for a little over a year at Clearpoint Financial.

When the company asked him to move to a schedule of one week travel, one week at home, he decided it wasn’t feasible because of his family and went back to school.

“There was nothing out there,” he said.

“Nobody was going to pay me what I was making at P&C after 25 years.”

He and his wife Audrey J. “Jeany” Danielsen considered opening a small grocery store or sub-shop, but then the Kicker’s Lounge “kind of fell into my lap.” He thought it was a good deal and decided his experience in business and management would apply.

“I thought it would be enjoyable and it is,” he said, acknowledging that having to manage every aspect of a business alone can be stressful. Still, he added, “I wish I’d done this years ago.”

Business has been so successful so far that he is planning a 200-square-foot expansion of a stage and dance floor.

Along with his wife, who works for the insurance agency Rose & Kiernan, the two created an LLC rather than filing a DBA for insurance and legal reasons. Mrs. Danielsen owns the building.

When asked for his perspective on the DBA trend as a businessman, Mr. Danielsen said he’s seen more businesses try to start in the area, for reasons that are likely a mix of economic and personal, but said he observes the majority fail.

“A lot of homework is involved,” he said. “We didn’t just jump in.” n LEAH BULETTI is a staff writer for NNY magazines. Contact her at 661-2381 or lbuletti @wdt.net.

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

Alliance aids business for 25 years

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year ago, I reflected on the North Country Alliance’s success over the past 24 years. Today, I reflect on 25 years of providing funding and giving a voice to small businesses across the north country.

The NCA began in 1988 as a nonprofit community development organization comprised of industrial and government agencies from across Jefferson, Lewis, St. Lawrence, Clinton, Essex and Franklin counties. Today, the NCA has members from all sectors of the economy, including manufacturing, health care, education, finance and media. In 2011, the NCA added Hamilton County as a partner, which mirrors the footprint for the North Country Regional Economic Development Council. The NCA serves as a voice for businesses across the region and provides the financial resources to grow firms and create jobs.

Since 1989, the NCA has closed on 143 loans totaling $12.5 million from its various state and federal (USDA) funding sources leveraging $127 million in total investment to create 2,017 jobs and retain 2,071. This equates to an investment by the NCA of $3,056 for each job created or retained during the past 25 years. The NCA made percent of loans in its portfolio to manufacturing enterprises, 40 percent to service and 20 percent to retail. Even more striking, the NCA has written off less than 10 percent of its portfolio as bad debt, which is remarkable for a high-risk subordinate loan fund.

In 2012, the NCA closed on $927,717 in loans for projects that totaled more than $11.9 million. Projects ranged from a new building in Massena for Toddler Town Daycare to the Michelle Capone expansion of Guilfoyle Ambulance into a new facility in Watertown.

With the recent increase in craft breweries and wineries in the north country, the NCA also assisted St. Lawrence Brewing

For example, if NCA funds are being used to acquire equipment, then the NCA term may be seven to 10 years. The NCA’s interest rate is typically fixed, currently at 5 percent. Alliance funds are also considered subordinate lending, which means they are usually behind a bank in terms of collateral. A loan committee reviews applications for funding and recommends approval to the NCA Board of Directors, usually on a monthly basis.

The NCA held its annual meeting in June 25 at the Mirror Lake Inn in Lake Placid. The guest speaker was Kenneth J. Pokalsky, vice president of government affairs for the Business Council of New York State. Mr. Pokalsky manages of the Business Council’s government affairs staff and its legislative and regulatory advocacy efforts.

There is no question that the cooperative effort among economic development agencies has significantly benefited the north country’s economy. The NCA has accomplished and will continue to accomplish its goals to reduce unemployment, to maintain and enhance job opportunities and to positively impact the economic welfare and prosperity of the north country for another 25 years.

To learn more about the NCA, visit www.northcountryalliance.org or call (315) 661-3200.

There is no question that the cooperative effort among economic development agencies has proven a significant benefit to the north country.

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Co. with the start-up of its micro-brewery in Canton and the expansion of the Lake Placid Pub and Brewery in Lake Placid.

These examples demonstrate the wide range of businesses that the NCA aids and the types of small business growth it encourages across the region.

The NCA’s loan funds typically fill a gap in project financing, which means the NCA funds the difference between bank financing and a borrower’s cash or equity, but cannot ever lend more than $225,000 or 40 percent of total project costs. The NCA typically lends for the useful life of the asset.

n MICHELLE L. CAPONE is regional development director for the Development Authority of the North Country. Contact her at mcapone@ danc.org. She is a member of the Greater Watertown Jaycees and Sunrise Rotary.

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

Giving brings great joy, fulfillment

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hile standing in the grocery check-out line recently, I noticed a Time magazine cover titled “100 People Who Changed the World.” It’s no surprise that the cover featured icons like Martin Luther King, Jr., Thomas Edison, Abraham Lincoln, Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela and Steve Jobs. If our goal was not to sell magazines, but rather to compile a comprehensive list of “100 People Who Changed Northern New York,” we would have volumes of magazines.

We’re fully aware that the many ways nonprofit organizations enhance our community’s quality of life are only possible because of their leaders, staff members, volunteers and donors.

While we could start the list with individuals who have been recognized time and again, my heart focuses on the everyday heroes who perform random acts of kindness, often without fanfare or formal recognition. These individuals change our community for the better in countless ways. Their spirit weaves through north country life. It is the glue that connects the best in human beings.

I recently came upon a man whose truck had run out of gas. He was stalled in the middle of a busy intersection. It was not particularly convenient for me to stop. But I was instantly reminded of a Fort Drum soldier who once pushed my car out of a ditch in the middle of a winter whiteout. This was my chance to

return the favor.

My adrenaline began flowing.

I raced home to grab a gas can, hoping that my opportunity to help would not be thwarted by another benevolent passerby. I was on a misRande Richardson sion and didn’t want anything to stand in the way. After the gentleman filled his tank and started his vehicle, I drove away saying only, “I

“the ability to define their legacy.”

Support of the work that nonprofits do is always best when it is a reciprocal relationship. Donors do not leave with a new flat screen TV or drive away with a new vehicle. So there has to be something beyond a tangible benefit. And studies have consistently shown that those who give almost always receive “more back” than they give. One has to believe that the same spirit that compels someone to do something greater than oneself is also powerful enough to have benefits on the other side of the gift.

These two thoughts reaffirm that many of us change the world every day.

Maybe it was just being there when someone needed you, or an encouraging word said at just the right time. Change happens in a wide variety of ways and each little effort is important.

The day I brought fuel to a person in need was the day that all other things had a brighter shine. So before you dismiss random acts of kindness as the frivolous work of “do-gooders,” remember that you might be the next person who runs out of gas. May we all be blessed enough not to fall upon misfortune. Most of us, though, are just one gas tank away from being the next person in need.

In a survey conducted this May by U.S. Trust, seven in 10 people cited giving as one of their top life pleasures. Top reasons for giving were to ‘create a positive impact on issues or causes.’ and have ‘the ability to define their legacy.’ hope when I’m in need again, someone will be there for me.”

Isn’t that what nonprofits center their work around? Isn’t this a very real way of relating to what the help of others can mean at a vulnerable time? Those who have had the experience realize that great joy and fulfillment comes from giving.

In a survey conducted this May by U.S. Trust, seven in 10 people cited giving as one of their top life pleasures. The top reasons for giving were to “create a positive impact on issues or causes,” “set an example for family members” and have

n RANDE RICHARDSON is executive director of the Northern New York Community Foundation. He is a lifelong Northern New York resident and former funeral director.

Contact him at rande@nnycf.org. His column appears every other month.

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COMMERCE CORNER

JLI graduates embody leadership

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s the 22nd class graduated from the historic Jefferson Leadership Institute in June, I was sincerely impressed with the hard work and dedication of the 20 men and women who committed 10 months to learning what makes our county a cohesive, collaborative and well-oiled machine.

Jefferson County’s future is directly linked to the quality of its leadership.

Dedicated, trained and motivated community leaders will shape and determine the future of our region. The purpose of the JLI is to teach students what makes a healthy community and what critical issues affect its economic sectors.

The JLI, with a growing body of more than 400 alumni, immerses participants in community issues and enables them to develop their leadership capabilities, build strong relationships and effect positive change.

A group of north country leaders had the foresight to start the Jefferson Leadership Institute in 1991 when they realized the need to seek out and cultivate a new generation of leaders and help prepare them to take on important roles in our community.

The program includes an overnight retreat where the new class has the opportunity to get to know each other and learn about group dynamics and individual leadership skills in a group setting.

The class participates in discussions with recognized authorities, visits sites and analyzes issues of concern in agriculture, education, health care, communica-

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tions, government, tourism, nonprofit organizations and economic development.

The class also discusses the history of Jefferson County and the importance Lynn Pietroski of Fort Drum to the region.

Throughout the year, students learn critical skills, such as collaboration, forecasting, consensus building and creative problem solving to address a wide range of community needs.

Class participants are required to work individually or as a group in a volunteer capacity for up to 40 hours. The volunteer work promotes community improvement and civic engagement.

Projects range from literacy tutoring, to fundraising for a particular nonprofit, to developing a new, sustainable program.

The 2013 class worked diligently to establish the Jefferson Leadership Scholarship in partnership with Northern New York Community Foundation, JLI alumni and the community. The group chose the project to encourage more civic engagement, support the development of future leaders and maintain connections with JLI alumni.

The 2013 JLI Scholarship has more than just a financial benefit. Along with the monetary award, recipients are paired with a mentor from a local

business to support their endeavors and encourage their success.

The 2013 JLI class worked with 14 school districts in Jefferson County and received 33 applications for the scholarship. Due to their hard work and determination, the class was able to raise over $10,000, which provided a substantial foundation for the future of the scholarship and allowed the JLI class to select three students to each receive a $1,000 scholarship.

Upon selection, each recipient will have the opportunity to work alongside a professional from the community who will offer guidance and mentor the student in civic engagement, professional goals and leadership.

This year’s JLI graduates emulate the true meaning of leadership and our community is fortunate to have such dedicated individuals. To learn more about the 2013 JLI Scholarship, contact the Greater Watertown-North Country Chamber of Commerce at 788-4400.

Anyone interested in applying to be part of this fall’s JLI class can contact Michelle Farrell, chamber director of events, at events@watertownny.com. Applications are also available on the chamber’s website, www.watertownny.com. The 2014 class kicks off with the annual retreat on Friday, Sept. 27. Applications are due in August. 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

What happens on our farmland?

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early 31 percent of Jefferson County’s 827,000 acres are used for farming. According to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, there were 255,900 acres in farmland in 2010, ranking Jefferson County third in New York state behind Steuben (362,800) and St. Lawrence (338,900) counties. As an example, imagine one third of the state of Rhode Island, 33 percent, as farmland.

That’s how much land we farm in Jefferson County. So what happens when you have that much farmland?

You have a lot of cows. Jefferson County has slightly more than 62,000 cattle and calves, according to the NASS. Lewis County has 51,000 cattle and calves and St. Lawrence County has 68,000, making our region home to the largest average number of cattle per county. For each person in the tri-county area, there are 1.4 head of cattle. Lewis County folks can still say their county has more cows than people. (Is anyone thinking barbecue?)

Jefferson County residents can be proud to say we are the fourth-largest county in number of dairy cattle (29,500), behind St. Lawrence, Wyoming and Cayuga counties. We are the sixth largest in number of beef cows (3,100). Barbecued beef brisket with a cold bottle of local wine sounds very nice as I write this on a warm, muggy day.

Speaking of wine, we won’t see acreage numbers for vineyards for another year when the five-year Census of Agriculture results are published, but it will be interesting to see how the data reflects the growth in our grape industry. Rough

estimates show approximately 150 acres in vineyards.

While the acreage will not compare to the average size of a dairy farm at 350 acres, the economic impact is sigJay Matteson nificant and continues to grow rapidly. Millions of dollars in revenue are brought into Jefferson County through our wineries and thousands of people are traveling here each year to visit them and enjoy our region.

Thousands of acres of our farmland in Jefferson County are planted with corn and soybeans. Much of this is used by the landowner as feed for their cattle. As much as 4,100 acres were planted with soybeans in 2011, according to the NASS. Some of these beans were harvested, roasted and shipped via train to ocean ports along the Atlantic seaboard, where they were loaded onto freighters and exported to other parts of the world. Revenue from abroad is thereby generated back into our local economy.

In 2010, 39,600 acres of land were planted with corn. The land was split almost evenly between growing corn for grain and for silage. When used for silage, the entire corn plant is chopped up into small pieces and then stored in huge mounds on concrete pads. You’ll see tractors driving over the top of these

mounds to compress them and drive out as much air as possible. Then, for the rest of the year, the farm takes silage off the pile and feeds it to dairy cows.

Corn for grain can be fed to cows. Grain corn can also be shipped out to become breakfast cereal or other corn-based food items. Some of our corn is converted into ethanol at the plant in Fulton and then blended into the fuel used by NASCAR. So while you’re watching the next NASCAR race on TV, just remember that some of the money the racing team paid for the fuel may be paying part of a teacher’s salary at your local school.

Until now, we’ve talked mostly about our larger-scale, family farms in Jefferson County. But some of the 800-plus farms we have in Jefferson County are small operations. We are seeing a surge in small farms growing vegetables and fruit for farm stands, farmers markets and Community Supported Agriculture programs. A number of operations have started using high tunnel greenhouses that allow for farming ground underneath the stand earlier and later in the season, adding months onto their production season. Small livestock operations are becoming more numerous, raising sheep, goats and pigs for a variety of different markets, from organic to conventional. It’s exciting how much is happening on 31 percent of our land.

n JAY M. MATTESON is agricultural coordinator for the Jefferson County Industrial Development Agency. He is a lifelong Northern New York resident who lives in Lorraine. Contact him at coordinator@comefarmwithus.com.

His column appears monthly.

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BUSINESS TECH BYTES

Remain vigilant on network security

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s the world was watching Edward Snowden leak information about the National Security Agency, more than 100 Information Technology professionals were attending the 2013 Western New York Cyber Security Conference, hosted by iSECURE. Special agents from the FBI’s Buffalo field office led a keynote discussion and began with this quote from Director Robert Mueller: “There are only two types of companies: those that have been hacked, and those that will be. Even that is merging into one category: those that have been hacked and will be again. Maintaining a code of silence will not serve us in the long run.”

This certainly got the attention of the audience. The presentation continued with explanations of how other countries seek to exploit our trust in email, the devices we carry and the Internet in general. The special agents urged the audience to remain vigilant and mindful about security, as adversaries from across the world are trying to exploit trust and vulverabilities in companies from “railroads and power generation to everything in between.”

Given Fort Drum’s major role in the north country’s economy, how many of you have contracts with the post or work for businessses large and small that do?

You could be a target. Outside threats, whether foreign or domestic, are not your only concern. The Counterintelligence Vulnerability Assessment for Corporate America was provided to all attendees and reinterated how “insiders” like Mr. Snowden can inflitrate and cause harm, not only to a large government agency like the NSA, but also to a business just like yours.

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NNY Business | July 2013

“Insiders betray their company for a number of reasons, including money, revenge or ideology”; even if you feel that your business could not significantly impact national security “your Jill Van Hoesen company’s economic viability is always at risk,” the agents said.

Most networks today have three types of applications. Socially driven applications include Facebook, LinkedIn, You Tube, Flickr, Foursqaure, Dropbox and Pandora.

Business applications include Microsoft Exchange and Sharepoint, MySQL, POP3, Active Directory and WebEx. There are also the applications that tend to just get ingored and are probably only familiar to the computer geeks reading this, but are used everyday in most businesses, like Telnet, FTP, SSL VNC, VPN and LDAP. I’m sure you are thinking that the social media applications would be the most heavily targeted by those trying to exploit your network. That is not the case. Those applications only appeared 1 percent of the time in the threat logs analzyed in the 2012 Palo Alto Networks Study, which looked at more than 1,000 businesses in the Americas and Canada. Business applications were responsbile for 99 percent of all security exploitions. These applications are some of the most popular and widely used business software programs on the market today. No wonder we still have Patch Tuesday. The background

processes, referred to in the study as the “applications most widely ignored,” were responsbile for 99.99 percent of all malware activity on the networks.

Michael Semaniuk, SE manager, Palo Alto Networks, provided the following recommendations and advice to help combat both insider and outsider threats to your network: “For social media applications, be sure you validate the business use for the application and block any Facebook and other social media applications that will not impede your business’s social media initiatives. For applications that are criticial and need widespread usage, set access control and only allow specific users access to the specific application, while beginning to isolate and monitor your network for rogue application use. For applications that tend to get ignored, apply threat prevention via a robust firewall product and analyze your network traffic so you can respond to abnormalitues and threats.”

The local office of the FBI is committed to working with the private sector to better protect critical networks from persistent malicious attacks. The FBI field office numbers are: FBI Buffalo (716) 856-7800 and FBI Albany (518) 465-7551. The FBI is beginning to provide Joint Indicator Bulletins to facilitate working with the community to mitigate the threat of cyberattacks.

Please contact one of the above offices for inclusion in the JIB email distribution list and begin to track the risks cyberattacks can pose to your intellectual property, trade secrets and other sensitive business information. 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.

SMALL BUSINESS SUCCESS

Consider new rules to serve boomers

I

n 2011, the first of the baby boomer generation turned 65. More than half of individuals between the ages of 50 and 64 say they may delay their retirement plans due to present economic conditions. Another 16 percent say they do not plan to retire at all, but rather continue working as long as possible.

What could this mean for your business if your target market includes boomers like me? I’m speaking somewhat tonguein-cheek, but you might consider these nine things: 1. Consider your signage. The signmaker’s proof of your beautiful new sign or advertising display might look great on paper, but it might not be as legible to your prospective customer driving by. Don’t use fancy scripts or too much print and keep it simple. I haven’t gotten to the point where I need bifocals for driving, but I’m getting there and those signs are getting kind of blurry.

2. Consider your business cards, ads and any written materials. Again, a proof or sample is often in a larger size than what the final product might be in. Sometimes I have to use a pair of spare reading glasses to decipher a tiny font (yes, looking through two pairs of eyeglasses put together actually works).

3. Think about your advertising. Many of us still read the newspaper and watch cable TV. We haven’t totally remained in the Stone Age and yes, we love Facebook, email, iPads and smartphones, but

there are still times when we like “old school” media.

Besides, I can’t watch videos or read the news on my son’s iPhone, even when he begrudgingly enlarges the Sarah O’Connell screen for me.

4. Keep a spare set or two of reading glasses in your store for customers. At the SBDC we have a few extra pairs at our reception desk and they come in handy

like to receive texts. Some people don’t like typing on a phone keypad, or their plan doesn’t have unlimited texting. It’s hard to believe in this day and age, but it’s true.

8. Make sure your customers are comfortable with you posting their photographs on your website or tagging them in pictures on Facebook. Just as with print media, using a customers’ image or name should only be done with their permission.

9. If you have a storefront, make sure it’s comfortable for your customers. Are the sidewalks always kept free of snow and ice? Are your aisles roomy or cluttered? If you play background music, is it at an appropriate volume?

This last item is a big issue for the book club I’m in. We used to like to meet in different restaurants around town, but we just couldn’t hear each other over the sound systems, so now we brown bag our dinner and seek out quieter spaces. That means these food establishments lost eight to 12 customers a month, which adds up.

In all seriousness, these suggestions apply to almost all of your customers, regardless of their age — it’s just good customer service.

These suggestions apply to almost all of your customers, regardless of their age — it’s just good customer service. when clients forget theirs. (We used to have three pairs, but the boss took one for himself.)

5. Please—slow down when leaving a voicemail. If you’re leaving a phone number, repeat it and your name at least twice, and don’t be in a rush. Don’t try to call if you don’t have at least three bars on your cellphone.

6. If you don’t get an answer to an email, pick up the phone. Don’t assume the person received it and is ignoring you.

It may have disappeared into the depths of their inbox.

7. Find out if your customers would

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 every other month.

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COMMUNITY / BUSINESS CALENDAR

ALEXANDRIA BAY

CLAYTON

SATURDAY, JULY 13

SATURDAY, JULY 13

n Birthday Bash, 5 to 9 p.m., Thousand Islands Winery, 43298 Seaway Ave., Suite 1. Celebrate the winery’s 10th birthday with live music, wine, food, winery tours and tastings. Free admission. Information: www.thousandislandswinery. com or 482-9306.

THURSDAY, JULY 25

n Alexandria Township Historical Society Gallery Presentation “Two of Alex Bay’s Mill Point Marine Businesses with John Peach,” Cornwall Brothers Store, first floor of Museum, 7 p.m. Learn about the local and regional history of business in Alex Bay. Admission: Museum members, free; non-members, $3 donation. Information: www.alexandriahistorical.com or 482-4586.

FRIDAY, JULY 19

FRIDAY, JULY 26

SATURDAY, JULY 20

n Victorian Tea & Tour of Casa Blanca on Cherry Island, Cornwall Brothers Museum. Take a boat ride to Cherry Island for a Victorian Tea and tour of the Casa Blanca mansion. The event benefits the Alexandria Township Historical Society. Information: www.alexandria historical.com.

SUNDAY, JULY 28

n River Hospital Foundation’s Festive Evening, Thousand Islands Club Restaurant.

A live and silent auction will feature items from local businesses. Festive Evening has raised over $900,000 for the Foundation since 2003. Tickets: Benefactor, $500; patron, $250; supporter, $125; friend, $95. Information, tickets: www.riverhospitalfoundation.org or 482-4978.

SATURDAY, JULY 30

n Encore Entrepreneur: How to Start a Small Business, 1 to 3 p.m., Mascherry Library, Alexandria Bay. Part of a series for small businesses sponsored by Jefferson Community College. Cost: $15. Register

by Tuesday, July 23. Information: JCC, 786-2233.

CAPE VINCENT SUNDAY, JULY 21

n Tibbetts Point 5K and 10K Run/Walk, registration 8 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. at Recreation Park, 602 S. James St. Race start time is 10 a.m. 1K Kids Fun Run begins at 9:30 a.m. with registration beginning at 8:30 a.m. The 10K course is flat, following the St. Lawrence River to a 5K turn at the Tibbetts Point Lighthouse. The 5K course follows the same route to a 2.5K turn. Walkers will start at 9:45 a.m. and follow the same course.

Cost: Pre-registration, $20; race day, $25. Information: www.capevincent.org.

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n 44th Annual Decoy/Wildlife Art and Sporting Collectibles Show, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Recreation Park Arena, East Line Road. The best wildlife artwork and carvings will be on display and for sale. Various vendors will also give demonstrations of their craft. Sponsored by the Thousand Islands Museum. Admission charged. Information: www.timuseum.org, 686-5794.

NNY Business | July 2013

n Traditional Shore Dinner, 4 to 8 p.m., Coyote Moon Vineyards, 17371 E. Line Road. Dinner includes salt pork sandwiches, hardwood fried fish, salt potatoes, corn on the cob, tossed salad and traditional French toast. The event benefits the Thousand Islands Museum. Information: Sharon Bourquin, 686-5794 or www. timuseum.org. n Thousand Island Land Trust’s Annual Summer Gathering, 6 to 9 p.m., Picton Island.

TILT’s annual fundraiser will be held at the home of the Heineman family and include food, live music and live and silent auctions. Transportation to the island is available. Tickets: $100 per person. Information and reservations: 686-5345, events@ tilandtrust.org or www.tilandtrust.org.

FORT DRUM THURSDAY, JULY 11

n Bike night, 6 to 8 p.m., USO, 10502 S. Riva Ridge. Live music open to military, veterans, Department of Defense civilians and military supporters. Food and prizes will be available to military dependents with ID. The event will also be held on Thursday, Aug. 1.

GLENFIELD THURSDAY, JULY 11

n “Taking Care of Our Own” Benefit Day, 8 a.m. to 12 a.m., Glenfield Fire Hall. Taking Care of Our Own is a new nonprofit that raises money to help Lewis County residents who have suffered an illness or other disaster. The day includes a 5K Run/Walk at 8 a.m., a motorcycle ride/poker run at 10 a.m., a blood drive, vendors and crafters from 10 to 4 p.m., a classic car and truck show from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., an antique tractor show from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., a baseball clinic at Glenfield Elementary from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., a spaghetti dinner from 4 to 6:30 p.m. and live music from 12 to 4 p.m. and from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. Information: www. lctakingcareofourown.com.

HENDERSON HARBOR SATURDAY, JULY 13

n Henderson Harbor Triathlon — Olym-

pic Event/Sprint Event. The 22nd annual Henderson Harbor Triathlon benefits Children’s Home of Jefferson County and Credo Community Center. There will be Olympic distances (1.5K swim, 40K bike, 10K run) and sprint distances (.75K swim, 20K bike and 5K run). Price for Olympic events for online registration before July 5: Iron person, $75; team, $100. After July 5 Olympic events: Iron person, $100; team, $150. Sprint events before July 5: Iron person, $50; team, $75. After July 5: Iron person, $75; team, $125.

MALONE SATURDAY, JULY 20 TO SUNDAY, JULY 21

n 34th Annual Malone Auto Show and Flea Market, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Malone Memorial Recreation Park, 64 State St. Flea market shopping and old cars, as well as various contests, including a muffler rap, air castles and other games. Information: www.maloneautoclub.zymichost.com.

OGDENSBURG SATURDAY, JULY 20 TO SUNDAY, JULY 21

n Founders Day, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Lighthouse Point. The weekend-long celebration to commemorate Ogdensburg’s French colonial history from the founding of Fort de La Presentation in 1749 to the battle of the Thousand Islands in 1760 features a French and Indian War re-enactment and Colonial Trade Fair. There will also be music, period dancing, children’s games and traditional crafts. Free admission for Saturday evening English-Country Dance at Freight House Restaurant. Admission: Adults, $7; children six to 17, $12; children six and younger, free. Information: www.fort1749.org.

OLD FORGE SATURDAY, JULY 13

n Antique & Classic Boat Show, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Old Forge lakefront. Sponsored by the Adirondack Chapter of The Antique & Classic Boat Society and the Central Adirondack Association.

Awards will be given in best historic, antique and classic categories, as well as Peoples’ Choice Award. Information: www.oldforgeny.com.

THURSDAY, JULY 25

n Strand Theatre 90th Anniversary Gala, 6 to 8 p.m., Forge Knoll. Cocktails, food and live music will be provided under the festival tent before the evening will move to the Strand for a video presentation. The benefit is part of a community-wide effort to fund a mandatory conversion to digital projection

SATURDAY, JULY 27 TO SUNDAY, JULY 28

n Antique Show, Hiltebrant Recreation Center, 225 North St., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Featuring over 60 vendors. Food and beverages will be available. Admission: $6, good for both days. Early-buy admission: $15 for 8 to 10 a.m. Saturday. Information: www.viewarts.org or 369-6411.

POTSDAM THURSDAY, JULY 11

n 12th Annual Tour de Potsdam 5K Wellness Walk/Run, walk 6 p.m., run 6:30 p.m., registration 5 p.m., 9 Beal St., behind Potsdam Library. Part of the Potsdam Summer Festival, the run/walk is sponsored by the St. Lawrence Health Initiative and proceeds will benefit the initiative’s preventative health programs. Cost: $15, free for children ages 12 and younger.

Free T-shirt for the first 100 registrants. To register: www.gethealthyslc.org.

SATURDAY, JULY 13

n 46th Annual Summer Festival parade, 5:30 p.m., begins on Clarkson Ave. in front of Walker Center. Sponsored by the Potsdam Chamber of Commerce.

Fireman’s Run to the River at 7 p.m. To participate in the parade, call the Chamber: 274-9000.

SACKETS HARBOR SATURDAY, JULY 20 TO SUNDAY, JULY 21

n 42nd Annual Can-Am Days, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Sunday, throughout the Village. Activities include a wine garden, farmers market, soap box derby, craft fair, fireworks, vintage baseball tournament, merry-go-round youth theater, children’s comedy magic show, concert on the waterfront and much more. Information: 646-2321 or www. canamfestival.com.

SOUTH COLTON SATURDAY, JULY 27

n Fourth Annual South Colton Flea Market, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., South Colton Pavilion, Route 56. Vendors will sell a variety of crafts, antiques, food and garage sale items. There will also be a silent auction and a town-wide garage sale. Vendor fee is $10 for a 10 ft.-by-10 ft. space or $15 for a double space. Information: Judy Brassard, 265-2566 or mbrassa1@twcny.rr.com.

TURIN FRIDAY, JULY 12

n Constable Hall 50+ Golf Tournament,

12:30 p.m., Turin Highlands. Constable Hall’s first annual 50+ golf tournament will be a nine-hole course. Cost: $60 per twoperson team, including cart, nine-holes, refreshments and prizes following the tournament. To register: Chris Panik, 397-2073 or Kelley Campbell, 782-0290.

WATERTOWN FRIDAY, JULY 12 TO SUNDAY, JULY 14

n Carwash, Audio Arsenal, Arsenal St. Cost: Donation to benefit Families for Effective Autism Treatment (FAET) of Central New York.

SATURDAY, JULY 13

n Bus trip to Akwesasne Casino, departs 8:15 a.m. from Clarence Henry Coach, 1067 Marble St.; 8:30 a.m. from Deferiet Municipal Building, 68 Riverside Drive; 9 a.m. from Carthage Aubuchon Hardware, 66 High St. Buses leave the casino at 5:30 p.m. The trip benefits Carthage Knights of Columbus and Augustinian Academy.

Cost: $35, includes $15 for slots, $10 toward food. Reservations must be made by July 8: 493-2207. n Victorian Summer Games, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., Jefferson County Historical Society, 228 Washington St. Enjoy food including ice cream, lemonade and watermelon and May Pole, hop scotch, jump rope, War of 1812 and Civil War games, face painting and crafts. Cost: General admission, $6; children, $4; families, $10. Information: www.jeffersoncountyhistory.org.

SUNDAY, JULY 14

n Sundae bar, silent auction and show, 1 p.m., Emmanuel Congressional Church, 119 S. Hamilton St. Preview a production of “Graceland” by the Indian River Theater of Performing Arts. Proceeds will help fund a trip to perform “Graceland” at a summer theater festival in Scotland. Admission: $10, includes show and sundae.

Information: signs@thirdeyetheater.com or 955-5223.

TUESDAY, JULY 18

n Business After Hours, 5 to 7 p.m., Ives Hill Retirement Community, 1200 Jewell Drive. A night of networking, prizes and food. Register by noon on Wednesday, July 17. Admission: Members registered in advance, $8; non-registered members, $10; non-members, $12. Information, registration: www.watertownnny.com.

SATURDAY, JULY 20

n Animal Enrichment, 10 to 11 a.m., New York State Zoo at Thompson Park. Create special treats to engage your favorite zoo animals. Open to all ages. Cost: Members, $4; non-members, $6 plus zoo admission.

Advance registration required: call 7826180 or visit www.nyszoo.org.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 24

n The Monticello Project with Molly Reilly, Digital Democracy: How Social Media is Changing Democracy, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., CED 650 704, Jefferson Community College. Instructor Molly Reilly will lead discussions on American politics and government, named after Thomas Jefferson’s house, a place where he often engaged guests in debate and conversation. Registration fee: $45. Information and full schedule of talks: www.sunyjefferson.edu.

THURSDAY, JULY 25

n Emerge NNY Professional Development Summit, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Best Western/Savory Downtown, 300 Washington St. Sponsored by the Greater Watertown Jaycees. Featuring Melanie Rafferty, president of Cortel Improvement Systems. Sessions include “How to create a positive tipping point,” “Seizing your potential in your community” and “How high-potential people speak.” Registration: $70 by July 23; businesses who register three or more people and military and students, $65; Jaycees members, $55; at the door, $85. Registration includes breakfast, lunch, snacks and Emerge NNY giveaways. Information and registration: www.emergenny.com or www.watertownjaycees.com.

TUESDAY, JULY 30

n Strategies for Retiring Successfully, 1 to 4:30 p.m., Black River Valley Club, 131 Washington St. Join Bowers & Company CPAs and Menter, Rudin & Trivelpiece law firm for a discussion on retirement planning strategies. William T. Kriesel of Bowers & Company and Anthony A. Marrone II of Menter, Rudin & Trivelpiece will speak.

Light refreshments will be served. To register, visit www.bcpllc.com.

THURSDAY, AUG. 1 n Credo Community Center for the Treat-

ment of Addictions 40th anniversary celebration, 6 p.m. social, 6:30 p.m. dinner, Hilton Garden Inn, 1290 Arsenal St. Reservations and information: 788-1530.

WELLESLEY ISLAND SUNDAY, JULY 28

COMMUNITY / BUSINESS CALENDAR

at the theatre. Tickets: $50. Information or tickets: www.CAP-21.org or 369-3353.

n Festive Evening to Benefit River Hospital Foundation, Thousand Islands Club Restaurant, 5 to 9 p.m. Enjoy a night of live entertainment, live and silent auctions and gourmet food at the 11th annual benefit.

Tickets, which can be purchased at Cavallario’s Steak & Seafood House, The Clipper Inn, Freighters, River Living, The Inn at Bonnie Castle and the Thousand Islands Club, are $95. Information: www.riverhospitalfoundation.org.  GOT A BUSINESS EVENT or calendar item? Email nnybusiness@wdt.net. Deadline is the 10th of each month for the following month’s issue. Visit us on Facebook at www. facebook.com/NNYBusiness or www.nnybizmag.com for events calendar updates.

July 2013 | NNY Business

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BUSINESS SCENE Lewis County Chamber of Commerce BAH at Happy Hollow Campground

From left, Deborah Murphy, Hand in Hand, Lowville, Michael Gorczyca, Gorczyca and Son Logging, Lyons Falls, Denise Harper, Hand in Hand.

CHRISTINA SCANLON PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS

From left, Austin, Christie and Tom Kottcamp, owners, Happy Hollow Campground, Lowville. The campground hosted the June Lewis County Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours on June 6.

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NNY Business | July 2013

Dick and Donna Diller, former owners, Happy Hollow Campground, Lowville.

CHRISTINA SCANLON PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS

From left, Margaret and Jerry Haenlin, and Dean and Shay Richards, BarkEater Craft Brewery, opening soon in Lowville. The brewery gave samples of their brew during the event.

BUSINESS SCENE GWNC Chamber Jefferson Leadership Institute graduation at Savory Downtown

Andrea McCormick, Rowland Center, Watertown, and husband, Mitch, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County, Watertown.

From left, Angela Owen, Timeless Frames, Décor & Expressions, Watertown, Keith Perry, New York Air Brake, Watertown, and Elliott Nelson, assistant city manager, City of Watertown.

KEN EYSAMAN PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS

KEN EYSAMAN PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS

From left, Lisa A. Weber, CEO, Timeless Frames, Décor & Expressions, Watertown, Sharon A. Addison, city manager, City of Watertown, Karen Y. Richmond, executive director, Children’s Home of Jefferson County. The Greater Watertown-North County Chamber of Commerce Jefferson Leadership Institute Class of 2013 graduated June 6 at Savory Downtown.

From left, William Quencer, CPA, Watertown, daughter, Elizabeth, Car-Freshner Corp., Watertown, and Judy Piarulli, Car-Freshner Corp., Watertown.

n LIKE NNY BUSINESS ON FACEBOOK

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

July 2013 | NNY Business

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BUSINESS SCENE Carthage Area Chamber of Commerce BAH at Meadowbrook Terrace

Taylour L. Scanlin, Carthage Area Hospital marketing coordinator and Keni U. Patel, owner, Pleasant Night Inn, West Carthage.

ELAINE M. AVALLONE PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS

From left, Naura Christman, branch manager, Community Bank, West Carthage, Cheryl Schroy, mortgage loan officer, First Niagara Bank, Carthage, and Kari Bartlett, relationship banker, First Niagara Bank, Carthage. The Carthage Area Chamber of Commerce held a Business After Hours on June 12 at Meadowbrook Terrace Assisted Living Facility, 21957 Cole Road, Champion.

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NNY Business | July 2013

Delores “Dee” Guerra Conley and Maria Runyon, owners, NNY Gals and Guys, Carthage.

ELAINE M. AVALLONE PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS

Clockwise from left, Mary Storms, member, Meadowbrook Terrace board of

directors, Maria J. Roche, member, Carthage Area Chamber of Commerce board of directors, Carolyn Millard, and JoAnn Zando, development manager, Carthage Area Hospital Foundation.

BUSINESS SCENE GWNC Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours at A.T. Matthews & Dier

Kent Burto, Lube Express, Carthage, and Shawnna Brotherton, A.T. Matthews & Dier Insurance, Watertown.

From left, Ethan Whitton, SUNY Cortland, Debbie Dier, A.T. Matthews & Dier Insurance, Watertown, and son, Evan, Thousand Islands Central School.

KEN EYSAMAN PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS

From left, Andrea Fiorentino, Shane Simser, and Heather Clement, The Morgia Group, Watertown. A.T. Matthews & Dier Insurance hosted the Greater Watertown-North Country Chamber of Commerce June Business After Hours on June 20.

KEN EYSAMAN PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS

From left, Bill Laribee, Lunco Corp., Carthage, April LaRock, A.T. Matthews & Dier Insurance, Michael E. Lundy, president and owner, Lunco Corp., Carthage.

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DAILY LUNCH AT 11 A.M.; NOON ON SUNDAYS Lunch & Dinner Specials Daily.

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NNY Business | July 2013

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BUSINESS HISTORY

WATERTOWN DAILY TIMES ARCHIVES

The original Morgia’s Restaurant at 603 W. Prospect St., a popular local hangout known for its quality Italian food and vibrant conversations, burned down in 1956.

It re-opened nine months later, but closed permanently in 1978. The family’s legacy lives on today through Morgia’s Pasta, a family-run business in Watertown.

A famed watering hole

n Morgia’s Restaurant: Where ‘everyone went’ for food, conversation

By LEAH BULETTI

R NNY Business

elax and enjoy the finest Italian American foods—in Northern New York’s Most Modern Restaurant” read the headline of a full-page ad in the Watertown Daily Times heralding the re-opening of the famed Morgia’s Restaurant in Oct. 1956. Nine months prior, Morgia’s Restaurant, a popular spot for family dinners, wedding receptions, cocktails and dancing for 44 years, had burned to the ground on the bitterly cold night of Jan. 21, 1956. The restaurant’s founders, Cataldo Morgia, his wife, the former Ida Spaziani, and their granddaughter, nine-year-old Barbara J. Dupee, narrowly escaped the blaze that killed a family dog and demolished nearly all of the restaurant’s contents.

Mr. Morgia founded the original restaurant, at 603 W. Prospect St., in 1934, on the site of what was previously a grocery store and meat market operated by his

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NNY Business | July 2013

family. Mr. Morgia and his wife, both born in Italy, previously owned and operated the Central House boarding establishment, a restaurant and grocery store at 956 W. Main St., which they discontinued in 1918. The decision to open a restaurant was allegedly the result of the stack of unpaid bills owed to the store owners during the Great Depression accumulating to the point that Mr. Morgia and his son gathered them up one day, burned them in the furnace and decided to get into a different business—sowing the seeds of what would become one of Watertown’s most well-known gathering places.

“It was part of growing up in Watertown,” Anthony C. Malara, a CBS Television executive, said of the original Morgia’s in a July 24, 1987 article in the Watertown Daily Times. Morgia’s was “the first singles bar in Watertown,” Mr. Malara added in the article. “It was really the place everybody went.”

A Watertown attorney, John D. Stenard, agreed with this assessment of the restaurant’s popularity, calling it a “great hang

out for people 18 to 22” in the 1987 article and fondly recalling the days during the Great Depression when heaping plates of spaghetti were just 35 cents.

An apartment attached to the new restaurant housed Mr. Morgia and his wife, who worked in the kitchen. Mr. Morgia passed away in 1957 and Mrs. Morgia in 1969. For several years before and after their deaths, the restaurant was run by three of the couple’s sons—Silverio, Angelo and Theodore—who incorporated the business under the name Morgia’s Inc. when Cataldo Morgia retired in 1955. Silverio Morgia, who died in 1999, was president.

While Morgia’s last decade of operation was filled with characteristic revelry and family communion, notably “Morgia’s After Dark” where Watertown residents spent late Friday nights eating pizza and dancing to the sounds of Moon Dance, it was not to be for very long. In 1977, George Sarkisian of Binghamton purchased the interest of the late Frank Morgia, another brother who had been

involved in the restaurant. Soon after, an expansion project was announced and the restaurant was closed in the spring of 1978. In Oct. 1978 the restaurant announced that it would reopen in the spring of 1979, but it never did; the Watertown Savings Bank began foreclosure proceedings in Dec. 1978. In July, 1987, the 31-year-old structure was demolished.

But memories of the restaurant and its prominent place in the community have lived on.

“It was one of the best Italian restaurants in Watertown,” owner of Gorri’s Meat Market on Arsenal Street told the Times in the July 1987 article. “I’m sorry to see it torn down. It was a beautiful landmark in the city of Watertown. There were a lot of memories there.”

“Everybody in Watertown was affected at one time or another by the restaurant,” grandson of Mr. Morgia, known as Tony, reflected in the article. “Even now when I go to New York City on business I meet people who, when they learn my name and that I’m from Watertown, will recall a restaurant by that name and ask me if I’m related.”

Today, the legacy of Morgia’s Restaurant lives on through Morgia’s Pasta, a familyoperated pasta and sauce maker that opened in 1992 and sells its Watertownmade products to numerous chain grocery stores and small “ma and pa stores” as far south as the Utica area.

The pasta company is in the process of connecting with a new distributor in Utica to reach new markets and has plans to begin using Renzi Foodservice, Watertown, to distribute to restaurants, as well as start selling its new pizza sauce to pizza parlors, said owner John J. Morgia, Sr., who runs the business at 22564 Fisher Road with his wife and daughter.

Mr. Morgia said there’s no question that Morgia’s Restaurant’s reputation for its quality, homemade Italian products helps his business.

“We sell quite a bit of our products online and we get a lot of businesses who say they remember the old restaurant,” Mr. Morgia said. “They say [our products] are the same as what they had before, and that makes us feel pretty good.” 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.

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W H AT ’ S H A P P E N I N G H E R E ?

1000 ISLANDS HARBOR HOTEL WHAT: Four-story, 105-room hotel and conference center; includes 275 to 300-seat ballroom and conference center, an 80 to 100-seat restaurant, an indoor pool with a Jacuzzi, a business center and a fitness center overlooking the St. Lawrence River.

OWNER: Clayton Harbor Hotel LLC, a 50/50 partnership between Orchard Park-based developer Krog Corp. and Hart Hotels, will own 7 acres of the 8.4-acre Frink site. Clayton will maintain ownership of the remaining 1.37 acres of the former brownfield site, including the riverwalk and future public dock facilities. Hart Hotels will be responsible for the planning, marketing, management and operation of the hotel.

LOCATION: Fomer Frink snowplow factory, Clayton off Riverside Drive.

COMPLETION: Memorial Day 2014 DECLARED VALUE: $22.5 million; additional planned $3.5 million project to build 12 townhouses on east side of Frink site.

GENERAL CONTRACTOR: Krog Corp., Orchard Park.

LOCAL JOBS: About 90 full-time hotel jobs; several local contracting companies for construction HOURS: Year-round operation.

— Compiled by Leah Buletti

AMANDA MORRISON | NNY BUSINESS

Developers and public officials participated in a groundbreaking ceremony for the 1000 Islands Harbor Hotel in Clayton on the site of the former Frink snowplow factory on Thursday, June 27. The 105-room luxury hotel is expected to open next summer. Site preparation on the property off Riverside Drive began this spring. From left, David P. Hart, Hart Hotels president and CEO, Anthony G. Collins, North Country Regional Economic Development Council co-chairman and Clarkson University president, Roseanne Murphy, regional director, Empire State Development Corp., state Assemblywoman Addie J. Russell, D-Theresa, and Jefferson County Legislator Michael J. Docteur, R-Cape Vincent.

NEXT MONTH

I

n August — our annual health care issue — we examine how the technology has enabled north country health care providers to offer patients more options for care, closer to home. From cutting-edge surgical robots to blade-free laser procedures, we look at how high-tech advances are improving our quality of life.

Also coming next month: n AFFORDABLE CARE ACT: As the federal government continues to implement the Affordable Care Act, we look at its impact on businesses, small and large and what it means to employees. n 20 QUESTIONS: An in-depth interview with a north country business leader. n PLUS: Small Business Startup, NNY Snapshot, Economically Speaking, Commerce Corner, Business Law, Business Tech Bytes, Small Business Success, Real Estate, Agri-Business, Business History and Business Scene. n VISIT US ONLINE at www.nnybizmag.com.

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NNY Business | July 2013

July 2013 | NNY Business

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