NNY Business July 2014

B

Y usIness // ANNUAL AGRICULTURE ISSUE

JULY 2014 Volume 4 No. 8

nnybizmag.com

THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT DAIRY AS FARMS SEE NEW HIGHS FOR MILK, MANY BRACING FOR NEXT LOW

***

THE INTERVIEW

Watertown Urban Mission director Erika F. Flint p. 36

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// NORTHERN NEW YORK’S PREMIER BUSINESS MONTHLY //

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July 2014 | NNY Business

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>> Inside JULY 2014

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27

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COVER |

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AGRI-BUSINESS |

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BUSINESS SCENE |

18 MILK MONEY POURS IN Milk prices paid to farmers are at near record highs and feed costs are low, which means dairy is in a sweet spot.

27 AQUA FARMING FOR FISH Gouverneur’s Laurellea Fish Farm is the only DECcertified hatchery in the five-county north country.

48 NETWORKING, NNY STYLE From Jefferson to Lewis counties, businessmen and women connect for success.

25 ROBOTIC REVOLUTION A north country entrepreneur is investing in robots that will automatically till the soil.

30 UNCONVENTIONAL NICHE For Rodman’s Two Chicks Farm, a small herd of alpacas has become a big labor of love.

52 WHEN CHEESE WAS KING By 1892, cheese production topped 12 million pounds in some 126 plants across NNY.

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SMALL BIZ STARTUP |

17 COZY CAPE COTTAGES For one Cape Vincent couple, Lake Wood Cottages is ‘an enhancement for the town.’

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REAL ESTATE |

34 TOP TRANSACTIONS Top 10 property sales in May in Jefferson and St. Lawrence counties totalled $9.62m.

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BUSINESS HISTORY |

WHAT’S HAPPENING HERE? |

54 A SONIC SENSATION The north country’s first Sonic Drive-In is taking shape in Watertown’s City Center Plaza.

July 2014 | NNY Business

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WALLDROFF FARM EQUIPMENT WE ARE NORTHERN NEW YORK’S NEW & PRE-OWNED EQUIPMENT CONNECTION!

WALLDROFF FARM EQUIPMENT, INC. 6207 US Rte 11, Canton, NY 13617 Phone: (315)379-9119

Celebrating

40 Years

WALLDROFF FARM EQUIPMENT 22537 Murrock Circle, Watertown NY 13601 Phone: (315)788.1115

WWW.WALLDROFFEQUIP.COM 6 | NNY Business | July 2014

INTERVIEW | 36 $2m MISISON POSSIBLE When Erika F. Flint began her job as executive director of the Watertown Urban Mission she immediately knew the nonprofit agency needed to raise money to better serve its clients. |

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COLUMNS

42 NONPROFITS TODAY DEPARTMENTS

10 11 12 14 17

ON THE COVER

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40 GUEST ESSAY 41 COMMERCE CORNER

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43 AGRI-BUSINESS 44 BUSINESS TECH BYTES 45 SMALL BUSINESS SUCCESS

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

33 46 48 52 54

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

For this month’s cover photos, Photography Editor Norm Johnston met the Brotherton family at their Philadelphia farm on Elm Ridge Road. Steve Brotherton, left, and daughter Dana Markley are third- and fourth-generation farmers. Our cover story, “There’s something about dairy,” by writer Victoria Wiseman, examines current farm opportunities as milk prices climb. It begins on page 18. Norm used a Nikon D700 with a 18 mm lens, 200 ISO, f/3.5 at 1/800 second.

July 2014 | NNY Business

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CONTRIBUTORS

BusIness www.nnybizmag.com

Chairman of the Board John B. Johnson Jr.

Lynn Pietroski is president and CEO of the Greater Watertown-North Country Chamber of Commerce. She offers some creative ideas for how businesses can motivate employees. (p. 41)

Bob Gorman is president and CEO of United Way of Northern New York. He writes about investing in the future of nonprofits to help build a stronger north country. (p. 40)

Rande Richardson is executive director of the Northern New York Community Foundation.

He writes about the value of building an endowment for many nonprofits. (p. 42)

Publishers

John B. Johnson Harold B. Johnson II

VP News Operations Timothy J. Farkas

Magazine Editor

Kenneth J. Eysaman

Staff Writer / Editorial Assistant Grace E. Johnston

Photography

Jay Matteson is the agricultural coordinator for the Jefferson County Industrial Development Corp. He writes about the impact of changes at several meat processing facilities. (p. 43)

Jill Van Hoesen is chief information officer for Johnson Newspapers and a 28-year IT veteran. She explains the importance of analyzing third-party Web services that are deployed on many websites. (p. 44)

Sarah O’Connell is an advisor for the state Small Business Development Center at SUNY Jefferson. She shares some old sayings that hold truths for many businesses. (p. 45)

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

Director of Advertising Michael Hanson

Magazine Advertising Manager Matthew Costantino

Advertising Graphics

Brian Mitchell, Rick Gaskin, Heather O’Driscoll, Scott Smith, Todd Soules

Circulation Director Mary Sawyer

Lance M. Evans is executive officer for the Jefferson-Lewis and St. Lawrence County Board of Realtors. He recognizes dozens of Realtors for their many years of service in Northern New York. (p. 33)

Victoria Wiseman is a freelance writer stationed at Fort Drum with her husband, a U.S. Army helicopter pilot. In our cover story, she writes about the how the region’s dairy industry has found a sweet spot. (p. 18)

Grace E. Johnston is a a staff writer and editorial assistant for NNY Magazines. This month, she writes about a Gouverneur fish hatchery and a Rodman farm that tends to a herd of alpacas. (pgs. 27, 30)

MARKETPLACE AIB Inc. .............................................. 32 Americu Credit Union ......................... 4 Bach & Company ............................. 10 Bay Brokerage .................................. 15 Bayview Shores Realty ..................... 35 Bill’s Feed Service ............................. 22 Blue Seal Feeds ................................. 21 Caskinette’s Lofink Ford ................... 46 Center for Sight ................................. 21 Cheney Tire ....................................... 49 CITEC Business Solutions .................. 34 Clayton Dental Office ...................... 50 Coleman’s Corner ............................ 39 Community Bank ................................ 9 Countryside Veterinary Clinic ........... 6 CREG Systems Corp. ........................ 10 Crouse Hospital ................................ 16 D. Laux Properties ............................. 35 Deline’s Auto Body ........................... 31 Development Authority of the North Country ......................... 42 DiPrinzio Italian Merket & Deli .......... 39 DL Calarco Funeral Home ............... 14 Empire Livestock Marketing ............ 22 Equipment Rentals ...................... 10, 22 Exit More Real Estate ........................ 35 Fairground Inn ................................... 39 Farm Credit East .................................. 3

8 | NNY Business | July 2014

First Class Auto Glass ....................... 22 Foy Agency Inc. ............................... 32 Fuccillo Automotive ......................... 31 Fuller Insurance ................................ 32 GEICO ................................................ 32 Gerald A. Nortz Jeep, Dodge, Chrysler, Ram .................................... 28 Gold Cup Farms ................................ 25 Haylor Freyer & Coon ....................... 32 HD Goodale Co. ............................... 32 High Tower Advisors ......................... 38 Hospice of Jefferson County ........... 16 Howard Orthotics .............................. 40 Innovative Physical Therapy Solutions .............................. 41 Jefferson County LDC ....................... 53 Ken Piarulli / Ameriprise ................... 11 LTI ....................................................... 45 Lyons Falls Tire ................................... 22 MJL Crushing ..................................... 22 Moe’s Southwest Grill ....................... 39 Nationwide Insurance ...................... 32 New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health ......................... 2 NNY Farmer’s Market ....................... 22 North Branch Farms .......................... 23 Northeast Center for Agricultural and Occupational Health ................. 7

Northern New York Community Foundation ................... 29 Nortz & Virkler ................................... 31 O’Brien’s Restaurant ......................... 39 Old McDonald’s Farm ...................... 21 Phinney’s Automotive ...................... 31 River Audio ........................................ 56 SeaComm Federal Credit Union ..... 15 Shred Con ......................................... 44 Slack Chemical Co. ......................... 43 St. Lawrence River Dogs ................... 39 SUNY Potsdam Extension ................. 11 The Blue Heron .................................. 39 The Northern New York Agricultural Historical Society .............................. 53 The Wladis Law Firm ......................... 55 Thousand Islands Realty .................. 35 Waite Motor Sports ........................... 51 Waite Toyota ..................................... 48 Walldroff Farm Equipment ................. 6 Watertown Daily Times ..................... 47 Watertown LDC ................................. 33 Watertown Savings Bank ................. 20 Watertown Spring & Alignment ....... 31 Wells Communications .................... 54 White’s Farm Supply ......................... 24 WWTI-50 ............................................. 26

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. © 2010-2014. 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.

Subscription Rates 12 issues are $15 a year and 24 issues are $25 for two years.

Call 315-782-1000 to subscribe.

Submissions Send all editorial correspondence to keysaman@wdt.net Advertising For advertising rates and information in Jefferson and Lewis counties, email mcostantino@wdt.net, or call 315-661-2305 In St. Lawrence County, e-mail knelson@ogd.com, or call 315-769-2451 Printed with pride in U.S.A. at Vanguard Printing LLC, Ithaca, N.Y., a Forest Stewardship Certified facility.

Please recycle this magazine.

July 2014 | NNY Business

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EDITO R’S N O T E

D

airy farmers traditionally face some of the most significant ups and downs of nearly any business that I can think of. A complex federal pricing structure dictates just how much money is paid to farmers for the milk they produce and it varies based on how the milk will be used. In our cover story this month, writer Victoria Wiseman takes aim at the dairy industry as farmers are seeing some of the highest prices for milk in recent years and, as luck would have it, are enjoying low feed Ken Eysaman prices. Victoria’s story begins on page 18.    20 QUESTIONS — this month we sit down

with Erika F. Flint, executive director of the nonprofit Watertown Urban Mission, a post she assumed in 2011. The Mission, widely known for its food pantry and thrift store, recently completed its first-ever capital cam-

Corrections

n A story about three north country entrepreneurs that appeared on page 25 in our June issue incorrectly stated Matthew J. Eggleston’s title with Field King Decoys.

Mr. Eggleston is the company’s vice president, a role he assumed after a reorganization in March. Mr. Eggleston created a line of avian decoys that led to a business partnership with other local businessmen.

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n The 20 Questions interview with Kevin Kieff, regional director for the Thousand Islands Region of Parks and Recreation and Office of Historic Preservation, that

paign, which it ended ahead of schedule and ahead of goal, taking in an impressive $2.1 million from roughly 300 donors. We talk with Ms. Flint about how the Mission, its staff and dozens of volunteers were able to pull off such an effort. Our interview begins on page 36    BUSINESS SCENE — This month’s Scene

section, which begins on page 48 features 42 faces from nearly than three-dozen businesses.

On June 11, staffer Mary Jo Richards joined the Cape Vincent Chamber of Commerce at Golden Crescent Agency for the chamber’s Business After Hours. On June 19, Lowville Editor Jeremiah Papineau joined the Lewis County Chamber for its June Business after Hours at All Season’s Landscaping & Garden Center. That same evening, magazine staffer Grace Johnston joined the Greater Watertown-North Country Chamber of Commerce for its June Business After Hours at Body Pros Collision Experts in Watertown Center. Finally, on July 2, Grace joined the crowd along downtown Watertown’s Washington Street for the Greater Watertown-North Country Chamber of Commerce Farm & Craft Market.

Yours in business,

appeared on page 40 of our June issue incorrectly stated the name of Sackets Harbor Battlefield State Historic Site. The same interview incorrectly stated the total annual revenue generated by park visits.

According to Mr. Kieff, parks in the Thousand Islands Region generated close to $4 million in annual revenue. n NNY Business magazine strives to publish an accurate report each month. If you spot an error of fact, contact Magazine Editor Ken Eysaman at 661-2399 or email keysaman@wdt.net.

PEOPLE O N T H E MO V E

Promoted to VP for advancement at SLU

St. Lawrence University, Canton, has named Thomas R. Pynchon, who has more than two decades of experience working at St. Lawrence, vice president for university advancement. His appointment took effect July 1.

Mr. Pynchon will oversee all aspects Pynchon of the university’s advancement division, including overall management of principal and major gifts, planned giving, donor relations, corporation and foundation relations, advancement operations, and annual giving and Laurentian engagement.

Mr. Pynchon began working at St. Lawrence in 1992 as the director of planned giving. He came to St. Lawrence from the University of Vermont, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in 1981. Most recently, he has served as senior associate vice president for university advancement and director of principal gifts and director of international philanthropy. Mr. Pynchon has also served in leadership roles in the previous two comprehensive fundraising campaigns.

Mr. Pynchon succeeds Laura Ellis, who will become senior advisor to the university for philanthropy and will relocate to New York City to focus on advancement work in the New York City area for St. Lawrence.

During his 22 years of service at St. Lawrence, Mr. Pynchon has maintained strong connections in the local community, volunteering for several nonprofit organizations. He serves as president of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Canton.

Mr. Pynchon is married to Carol Pyn-

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.

chon, a Village of Canton trustee. They have two grown sons and a daughter

Hunt named ESD director

The Empire State Development Corp. has named Stephen M. Hunt II, a former deputy chief of staff for U.S. Rep. William L. Owens as north country regional director.

As regional director, he will manage daily operations of both north country offices in Plattsburgh Hunt and Watertown and promote economic development in the region. He will also take on the role of executive director of the North Country Regional Economic Development Council where he will assist in coordinating the council’s activities and implementing the region’s Strategic Plan.

JRC names director of vocational services

Jefferson Rehabilitation Center, Watertown, has named Deborah A. Vink director of vocational services and business development.

Ms. Vink was previously business manager at Belleville-Henderson Central

Please see People, page 16

Advance your career

Information Sessions Master’s Degree in ICT/ Organizational Leadership Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration

August 11, 2014

Extended Learning Center At SUNY Jefferson

5:00 & 6:30pm Visit

potsdam.edu/watertown or phone

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July 2014 | NNY Business

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NNY

Economic indicators Average per-gallon milk price paid to N.Y. dairy farmers May 2014 $2.30 April 2014 $2.23 May 2013 $1.73

33.0%

ECON SNAPSHOT

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

Source: NYS Department of Agriculture

461,003 in May 2014 430,541 in April 2014 443,233 in May 2013

Average NNY price for gallon of regular unleaded gas

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

May 2014 $3.83 April 2014 $3.78 May 2013 $3.66

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

4.6%

Average NNY price for gallon of home heating oil

12 | NNY Business | July 2014

(Percent gains and losses are over 12 months)

May 2014 $3.87 April 2014 $3.94 May 2013 $3.70

4.6%

4.1%

$1.08 on May 30, 2014 $1.09 on April 30, 2014 $1.03 on May 31, 2013

4.8%

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 2014 $3.14 April 2014 $3.52 May 2013 $2.91

91,300 in May 2014 89,100 in April 2014 91,200 in May 2013

7.9%

0.11%

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

87, median price $133,000 in May 2014 67, median price $132,600 in April 2014 73, median price $145,000 in May 2013

41, median price $110,000 in May 2014 33, median price $70,000 in April 2014 48, median price $70,950 in May 2013

19.2% Sales

8.3% Price

Source: Jefferson-Lewis Board of Realtors Inc.

14.6%

55.0%

Sales

Price

Source: St. Lawrence Board of Realtors Inc.

NNY unemployment rates Jefferson County

7.5%

May ’14

8.2%

April ’14 May ’13

9.1%

St. Lawrence County May ’14

7.7%

April ’14 May ’13

7.7%

9.1%

Lewis County May ’14

7.4% 8.7%

April ’14 May ’13

9.1%

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.

Economic indicators New automobiles (cars and trucks) registered in Jefferson County Cars 436 in May 2014 523 in April 2014 526 in May 2013

17.1%

Trucks 92 in May 2014 111 in April 2014 122 in May 2013

NNY

24.6%

Source: Jefferson County Clerk’s Office

Passengers at Watertown International Airport

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

3,408 inbound and outbound in May 2014 3,695 inbound and outbound in April 2014 3,350 inbound and outbound in May 2013

2,250 in May 2014 2,241 in April 2014 2,054 in May 2013

9.5%

1.7% Source: Jefferson County Board of Legislators

DBA (doing business under an assumed name) certificates filed at the Jefferson County Clerk’s office June 2 to June 30, 2014. For a complete list of DBAs filed in May and in past months, visit WWW.NNYBIZMAG.COM.

JUNE 30: Dynasty Yorkies, 24389 US Rte. 11, Calcium, Kenia Luis, 24389 US Route 11, Calcium.

Somewhere in Time, 1410 Gill St., Watertown, Glenn A. Kelly, 1410 Gill St., Watertown.

JUNE 27: Write Stuff, 11 Mechanic St., Antwerp, Tamara E. Pessah, 11 Mechanic St., Antwerp.

FortDrumRealEstate.com, 345 Arsenal St., Watertown, Joseph Rizzo, 20079 Burton Road, Sackets Harbor.

EJ’s Taste of Soul Cuisine, P2300 Nash Blvd., Fort Drum, Edirin Igho-Akiti, 119B Joseph Lonsway Dr., Clayton and Jamie Marie Irving, 9833B Brearly Loop, Fort Drum.

JUNE 13: Patterson Happy Ass Farm, 24255 US Rte. 11, Calcium, William A. Patterson, 24255 US Rte. 11, Calcium.

JUNE 26: Christian Builders A.J.W., 601 State St. Apt. 1, Clayton, Jeffrey Adam Ward, 601 State St. Spt. 1, Clayton.

CKA Productions, 662 West End Ave., Carthage, Shannon Schwartfigure, 127090 Glenn St., Calcium and Tyler St. Pierre, 662 West End Ave., Carthage.

JUNE 24: Rhinestone Ragdolls, 9932 Saratoga Road, Unit B, Fort Drum, Cortney Jimenez, 9932 Saratoga Road, Unit B, Fort Drum.

JUNE 12: Power Source Generator Co., 32001 NY 12, Depauville, John E. Hazlewood, 38411 NY 12, Clayton.

Harbor Rascals Baking Company, 8084 Fargo Road, Henderson, Holly K. Briot, 8084 Fargo Road, Henderson.

JUNE 10: Custom Creations by LeeAnne, 21150 Brown Road, Rodman, LeeAnne Whitney, 21150 Brown Road, Rodman.

JUNE 20: A and M Characters, 625 Bronson St., Watertown, Joseph Coffie, 625 Bronson St., Watertown.

JV’s Auto Service, 12600 US Rte. 11, Adams Center, John Vantassel, 12600 US Rte. 11, Adams Center.

JUNE 19: Relentless Photos –N- Booth, 32366 NY Rte. 12, Depauville, Penny Brundige, 32366 NY Rte. 12, PO Box 55, Depauville.

JUNE 9: Taylor Creation Services, 210 Mullin St., Watertown, Lana Taylor, 210 Mullin St., Watertown.

JUNE 18: Daisy Lane Creations, 99311 A Hickory Dr., Fort Drum, Samah Trim, 99311 A Hickory Dr., Fort Drum.

JUNE 5: Miss Brenda Hats, 180 Maple St., Black River, Brenda J. Deroche, 180 Maple St., Black River.

C & E Maintenance, Rte. 3 Main St., Natural Bridge, Gill E. Bartlett Jr., 43392 PO Box 52, Natural Bridge.

Aubertine Construction Company, 201 St. Lawrence Ave. W, Brownville, Kevin Aubertine, 201 St. Lawrence Ave. W, PO Box 881, Brownville.

E.J. Treadway, 40623 CR 24, Antwerp, EJ Treadway, 40623 CR 24, Antwerp.

JUNE 4: Material Girl, 22990 Knowlesville Road, Watertown, Tamrin J. Gamble, 22990 Knowlesville Road, Watertown.

JUNE 17: …and Then Some, 21804 Honey Flats Road, LaFargeville, Gerri A. Sammons, 21804 Honey Flats Road, LaFargeville.

JUNE 3: Affordable Heating & Plumbing, 36305 SR 180, LaFargeville, Wade A. Sanford, 36305 SR 180, PO Box 311, LaFargeville.

Tim’s Cleaning Service, 2568 California Road, Gouverneur, Timothy J. Apple, 2568 California Road, Gouverneur.

Skyhigh Glass, 109 State Pl., Watertown, Jeffrey Hobbs, 109 State Pl., Watertown.

DJ Shorty Entertainment, 1308 Colombia St., Watertown, Christopher Reynolds !!, 1308 Colombia St., Watertown.

Locust Hill Farm, 2263 Hoxie Road, Mannsville, Renee Alford, 2263 Hoxie Road, Mannsville.

Main St. Baking Co., 158 N Main St., Black River, Debra J. Daily, 158 N Main St., Black River.

Stability Strength and Power, 715 Washington St. #1, Watertown, Reuben John Pruitt, 715 Washington St. #1, Watertown.

June 16: Chudman’s Arsenal of Audio, 1057 Arsenal St., Watertown, Paul E. LaDuke, 17747 US Rte. 11, Lot 14D, Watertown.

JUNE 2: Wright Diner, 32523 NYS Rte. 12, Depauville, Reginald J. Wright, 28185 Weaver Road, Chaumont.

TRANSACTIONS

DBAs

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

July 2014 | NNY Business

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B U S I N E SS BRIEFCAS E

Washington Street Properties nets national American Business Award

Washington Street Properties, Watertown, was presented with a Gold Stevie Award as 2014 Real Estate Company of the Year during the 12th annual American Business Awards in Chicago last month.

The company, formed in 2007 by Brian H. Murray, has purchased and rehabilitated a number of buildings in and around Watertown, including the lower level of the building that houses Convergys on Arsenal Street, the Lincoln Building on Public Square, the Solar Building, the former Hospice Foundation of Jefferson County building, 425 Washington St., the Top of the Square plaza and Palmer Street and College Heights apartments.

Trophies for the ABA awards, which were given to businesses of all sizes in several categories, were presented during a gala banquet at the Fairmont Chicago Millennium Park Hotel.

The Cape Winery wins peoples’ choice silver

The Cape Winery, Cape Vincent, won two peoples’ choice silver awards for its wines at the 2014 Great New York State Wine and Food Festival in Clayton.

Of the 35 wineries tested from across the state, Cape Winery earned second place for its red and white wines.

St. Lawrence FCU named Business of the Quarter

The Greater Ogdensburg Chamber of Commerce presented its 2014 Business of the Quarter Award to St. Lawrence Federal

135 Keyes Avenue, Watertown, New York

315-782-4910

14 | NNY Business | July 2014

COURTESY WASHINGTON STREET PROPERTIES

From left, Christopher Dillon, director of facilities, Tricia Murray, director of property management, Brian H, Murray, founder and CEO, and Allison Carlos, manager of business development, Washington Street Properties.

Credit Union. The Credit Union celebrates its 60th year in business this year.

A staple in the community, St. Lawrence Federal Credit Union completed an expansion in the Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority Commerce Park, bringing dozens of new jobs to the city.

WPBS-DT earns awards

WPBS-DT, Watertown, has won the internationally recognized Award of Merit from the Accolade Competition in the history/biographical category for its locally produced film, “The Thousand Islands Bridge: An Arm of Friendship (75th anniversary).”

The Accolade recognizes media professionals who demonstrate exceptional achievement in their craft in producing standout entertainment.

The public television station also took silver and bronze awards in the 2014 Summit Creative Award competition. Of more than 5,000 submissions from 24 countries, WPBS-DT was named a silver winner in the travel/tourism/nature category for its local production of Xpedition Outdoors that featured Ausable Chasm.

The station was also named a bronze winner in the educational institution category for its production about Immaculate Heart Central Schools.

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Got business news?

n Share your business news with NNY Business. Email news releases and photos (.jpg/300 dpi) to nnybusiness@wdt.net. The deadline for submissions is the 15th of the month for the following month’s issue. Photos that don’t appear in print may be posted on our Facebook page.

Massena Web firm opens

Two Massena businesses have joined to offer Web design solutions and custom photography that features local people and products.

Jason G. Hendricks, owner of H3 Designs, is operating at 67 Main St., the same storefront his business partner, Nathan D. Lashomb, uses to operate Forevermore Studio.

Mr. Hendricks said the business will focus on Web design work for small businesses and organizations but can also create mobile apps and mobile websites and will offer logo design and printing services such as T-shirt designs, business cards, fliers and pamphlets.

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Lake Placid resort earns AAA Four Diamond Award Mirror Lake Inn Resort and Spa has won the prestigious AAA Four Diamond Award for the 30th consecutive year.

The time-honored property dates back to the 1920s and is the second-longest running AAA Four Diamond property in New York State behind The Carlyle in Manhattan.

In addition, The View Restaurant, located inside the hotel collected the Four Diamond achievement award for its seventh straight year.

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July 2014 | NNY Business

| 15

SAVE THIS DATE • FRIDAY SEPT. 12, 2014

SWING FOR

HOSPICE GOLF TOURNAMENT

Watertown Golf Course at Thompson Park Proceeds to benefit Hospice of Jefferson County Captain and Crew Tournament Cost: $75 per person/$300 per team

Schedule of Events 8am-Registration / 9am-Shotgun Start Breakfast during registration-bagels,

Golf Division Male Co Ed must be at

Burgers & Hot Dogs on the 9th hole

Woman

pastry & coffee

least 2 women

(minimal cost)

Food after Tournament

SPONSORSHIP AVAILABLE

Lots of Great Prizes!

MORE INFORMATION TO FOLLOW

16 | NNY Business | July 2014

PEOPLE, from page 11 School, executive director at North Country Transitional Living Services and chief operating officer and vice president of operations at Samaritan Medical Center. She is a certified public accountant and holds a master’s in business administration.

Adworkshop names new senior managing director

Adworkshop has hired Wendy Knight, formerly of Knight & Day Communications, Manhattan, as its senior managing director.

In addition to owning her own communication and marketing firm, Ms. Knight has served as director of communications for the Knight Vermont Chamber of Commerce, public relations director for the International Culinary Center and the acting executive director of CIGNA HealthCare of Northern New England.

Ms. Knight worked as a travel and lifestyle journalist for the New York Times and a travel expert for ABC News Now.

SMAL L BU SIN E SS STA RT UP BUSINESS

Lake Wood Cottages THE INITIAL IDEA

Before Tracy and Alan “Al” Wood bought their Cape Vincent lakefront cottages last year, the previous owners were very hands-off with the property. Because they lived in New York City, the cottages suffered neglect and disrepair in the two to three years before they changed hands. The property was foreclosed upon and held by Citizen’s Bank of Cape Vincent from 2011 to 2013.

“They were looking to move the property,” Mr. Wood said. And although Mr. and Mrs. Wood each lacked hospitality experience, owning and running cottage properties appealed to them in their semi-retirement years.

“I knew my wife always wanted to do something like this,” Mr. Wood said.

The time was right. Negotiations to acquire the cottages began, and the Woods purchased the property early in 2013, borrowing an additional one-third of the purchase price to invest in a complete reconstruction of each cottage.

The couple fully restored the three, 500-square-foot cottages, installing new windows, doors and appliances, as well as new roofs and decks.

“We used all local labor and supplies,” Mr. Wood said.

J & J Construction, Cape Vincent, completed the lion’s share of the work on the properties with the majority of supplies procured from Reinman’s Department Store, Clayton.

TARGET CLIENTELE

The cottages have attracted guests from across the state, New York City, Albany, Syracuse and Rochester.

“We want this to be a very relaxed environment,” Mrs. Wood said. “Everything about this place offers peace and quiet and the beauty of the water.”

The property borders Martin’s Marina where guests can rent and dock a boat. Wilson’s Bay, a well-known swimming hole, is only a mile away, and Snug Harbor Bar & Grill is within walking distance of the cottages. Mrs. Wood also provides welcome baskets with information on local attractions and things to do.

“We’ve had people use the cottages as launching points to do all sorts of sightseeing,” Mrs. Wood said. Rental rates range from $125 per night for a two-night weeknight stay to $175 per night for on weekends. Cottages may also be rented weekly or seasonally, from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

THE JOURNEY

Mr. Wood remains an owner in Wood Farms, Cape Vincent, but has begun to phase out his full-time involvement in favor of his nephews, Lyle Wood and Scott Bourcey. Mrs. Wood works in the computer

JUSTIN SORENSEN | NNY BUSINESS

“We want this to be a very relaxed environment. Everything about this place offers peace and quiet and the beauty of the water.”

— Tracy Wood, co-owner, Lake Wood Cottages networking industry, but the couple lives only 10 minutes away from the cottages, so whatever guests need, the Woods are always on call.

During the season they clean after each guest and perform general upkeep of the property.

“It’s not totally hands off,” Mrs. Wood said.

“Everything still needs to be managed and run.”

But it is a labor of love that Mrs. Wood has always wanted to do.

“I have no background in hospitality. Not in the least,” she joked.

But her guests still tell her she’s thought of everything.

“We worked like beavers getting this place set up,” Mrs. Wood said.

They opened to guests July Fourth weekend 2013 and maintained about 25 percent booking throughout their first season.

“We’re very optimistic about this year,” Mrs. Wood said. They already have a booking rate of more than 50 percent. “And it’s only June,” Mr. Wood smiled.

The cottages offer guests all basic conveniences: electricity, cable TV, a full kitchen and bath, municipal water, lawn care, a grill, picnic tables and hammocks. Each cottage sleeps up to six between two bedrooms and a pullout sofa bed.

The property sits on an acre and a half along 140 feet of shoreline at the mouth of Lake

Ontario on Mud Bay. Mrs. Wood has decorated the cottages in classic Americana style and each is named after a native north country bird — the red eagle, the white swan and the blue heron. From the lakeside view, the cottage colors follow the American red, white and blue. And from the roadside they follow the French blue, white and red colors.

“Cape Vincent is known for its rich French history,” Mr. Wood said. “We honor both.”

IN FIVE YEARS

The Woods have also purchased three additional lodges on Baird Point and plan to upgrade each to offer larger rental options. At 700, 900 and 1,200 squarefeet, the Woods hope to have the lodges available for bookings next season.

“Our hope is for these cottages to be an enhancement to the town,” Mrs. Wood said.

The Wood family has been involved in Cape Vincent for years, beginning in 1945 when Mr. Wood’s father started a small dairy farm in the rural lakeside hamlet.

“We just think it’s time to take the dust covers off and for people to see how great this area is,” Mr. Wood said.

— Grace E. Johnston

WHERE 2138 Humphrey Road, Cape Vincent | FOUNDED 2013 | WEB www.lakewoodcottages.com

July 2014 | NNY Business

| 17

COV E R ST O RY

Dairy hits a sweet spot With milk prices at a near record highs and feed costs low, many farms are investing in operations while others are seizing the opportunity to recover from past price dips

I

TEXT BY VICTORIA WISEMAN | PHOTOS BY NORM JOHNSTON

IF YOU LISTEN CLOSELY, YOU MIGHT HEAR a collective sigh of relief from north country dairy farmers. Right now they’re enjoying a respite in what is a tumultuous business: The price they’re getting paid for the milk is the highest it’s been in years and, as luck would have it, the price they pay to feed their cows is low. This is the margin that determines the health of the dairy industry, and at this moment it is very, very good.

But that wasn’t always so.

“Back in 2008 when we came to this place, we were getting eight or nine dollars per hundred-weight,” said fourthgeneration farmer Dana M. Markley, 27.

(For pricing purposes, milk is measured in 100-pound increments, called hundredweight.) “Now we’re getting 20. It went from struggling to pay bills, to now we have extra.”

Ms. Markley holds degrees in diary science, agricultural business and a master’s in education. She has worked at Brother-

18 | NNY Business | July 2014

ton Farm, her family’s business, on and off for years, but had no plans to run it one day. Instead, she was on track to become an agricultural teacher.

Then, in 2008, her family’s barn burned to the ground. She came home from school to help rebuild the Philadelphia farm on Elm Ridge Road, and never left.

“I love doing this,” she said. “I don’t think I’m leaving anytime soon.”

Over the past five years, Ms. Markley has diversified with a small herd of beef cows, milks about 100 heifers twice a day and has pens of young cows that will one day replace the current herd. Brotherton Farm is by all measures a small-scale operation, but in many ways, it is representative of the average American dairy: About 74 percent of dairy farms in the U.S. milk 100 cows or fewer. What goes on at Brotherton Farms can tell the story of what is going on in the industry.

“Milk price is cyclical,” Ms. Markley said. “Every five years or so you see

a down trend. One thing we do when there’s extra is try to pay ahead, pay equipment off, purchase seed and fertilizer for next year. Because we never know if there’s going to be a low milk price.”

Economists put the cycle at three years, but no matter what, it’s a truism in the dairy business: What goes up eventually comes down.

Ms. Markley and her father Steve Brotherton, who run the business together, are the only full-time employees tending to 300 cows and farming 75 acres for the grain the cows will eat. Her husband and mother help on weekends, along with an occasional hand from someone they know. And this is the way they want it — choosing to stay a family business with no need for more employees and the hassles that entails.

It’s a hard life for these young farmers.

“If we’re cooking by 10 p.m. and eating by 11 it’s a good day,” Ms. Markley joked.

Steve Brotherton and his daughter, Dana Markley, watch as her husband, Seth, feeds the highland cattle at Brotherton Farm on Elm Ridge Road, Philadelphia.

THE COMPANIES BEHIND THE COWS There are two kinds of people who run dairy businesses.

“There are those who are in business for lifestyle and those who are in business to make a profit,” said Betsey Howland, who specializes in dairy farm business management at the PRO-DAIRY program at Cornell University.

“If I want more income, I can got to my boss and ask for a raise. As a dairy farmer or an entrepreneur you have to do things like cut costs, diversify, add volume — like add more cows [and] improve milk production. Milk price is not really in your control, which makes it a tough business,” Ms. Howland said.

“What I see on farms is that the days where you can just go milk cows and make a decent living are gone — it takes a higher level of management,” she said. “Over the past 17 years we’ve seen increased variability in milk prices and in feed cost, which is the No. 1 cost on farms.”

Being able to manage milk price and feed costs with the ever-increasing cost of doing business is tricky, she explained.

For Ms. Markley, that means staying small and not expanding.

“I don’t want to grow the farm. I’d rather manage the cows than manage people. I’d rather find ways to diversify what we have and become more efficient than get bigger.”

St. Lawrence County’s Adon Farms in Parishville is a very large operation, with 1,230 mature cows and 1,100 replacement cattle — the heifers that aren’t ready yet to produce milk but will take the place of a cow that’s producing now.

“We grow our own feed and crop around 4,000 acres,” said Andrew J. Gilbert, co-owner of the family-run farm.

With 30 employees and producing 93,000 pounds of milk a day, Adon Farms is large by any measure. Although small farms like Brotherton are the norm, farms like Adon that have more than 100 cows pro-

duce 85 percent of the nation’s milk.

They might want to get bigger to grow their business, but there’s one big problem: land.

“We’re in the foothills of the Adirondacks. There just isn’t more land available.

There’s not much land that’s not being utilized,” Mr. Gilbert said.

To help ease the ups and downs of milk prices, Adon Farms uses a forward contract to lock in the price of milk for their buyers for a certain term.

“We do it out for a year. Sometimes it works for us; right now it’s working against us.”

Both Brotherton and Adon farms are trying to become more efficient and have more productive cows, not expand. It’s a trend the numbers support in what’s going on in the north country dairy business in general.

“Existing farms are getting better, versus farms getting bigger in Northern New York,” said Andrew M. Novakovic, July 2014 | NNY Business

| 19

COV E R ST O RY a Cornell University agricultural economics professor. “There are a group of farms successful at getting better, but the area in total isn’t growing much.”

We know that dairy is king here in the north country, but what you might not know is that dairy is the state’s — and nation’s — largest agricultural industry.

Bigger than corn. Bigger than soybeans.

Bigger than anything.

New York generates nearly $3 billion annually in farm gate revenue and upwards of $9 billion overall, according to

20 | NNY Business | July 2014

Tom Overton, director of Cornell’s PRODAIRY program.

St. Lawrence, Jefferson and Lewis counties are ranked as the third-, fourth- and sixth-largest milk producing counties in the state, respectively, meaning that the region is a powerhouse of milk production in a state that’s ranked at the very top of the national dairy game. But it could be doing better.

Northern New York has experienced “average to better than average growth with better than average yield growth,”

Mr. Novakovic said.

The western reaches of the state, where dairies are getting bigger and better, outpace our dairy industry here.

MAKING MILK MONEY “I can tell you that it’s been a real rollercoaster ride for dairy farmers everywhere in the United States since 1996 and especially since 2008,” Mr. Novakovic said.

“Things change kind of rapidly. Milk prices have roughly been on a three-year cycle: High and low and high again. The

C O V E R S T O RY distance from top to the bottom is really big. It’s not like the baby roller-coaster at the fair, it’s the screaming demon and it’s a really big deal.”

The government regulates baseline raw milk prices. Each month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture publishes Milk Marketing Orders, establishing a price based on a specific formula in a system that’s been operational for 50 years.

But if you’re a yogurt company, the price you pay will be different than if you make butter. For pricing, dairy is split into four categories: Class I, or beverage milk, class II, for soft cheese and butter, class III is hard cheeses and class IV is powdered milk. Most dairy processors only specialize in one product and, interestingly, most of the milk from diaries also goes to one product.

For example, milk from Brotherton Farm goes to Crowley Foods in LaFargeville, which makes it into sour cream.

Adon Farms’ massive amounts of milk are sold to a milk cooperative, which then supplies it exclusively to Great Lakes Cheese in Adams, whose chief product is sharp cheddar cheese.

Milk processors pay more for milk with more milkfat content (so 1 percent milk will cost less than whole milk) and there’s a premium price tacked on based on the region where the milk is produced that only applies to beverage milk.

Despite the complexities of how that monthly price is determined, milk prices go up and down based on supply and demand, Mr. Novakovic said. “[The] regulations on the pricing of milk have no parallel with any other agricultural product. There are other ag sectors that have regulations that have implication for prices. It’s very debated topic,” Mr. Novakovic said.

He likened this particular regulation to a referee at a football game.

“What would a football game be like without a referee? People would be out there and bang into one another and sometimes they would score — but they’d have more injuries and it would more rough and tumble.”

The government price setting is somewhat iconic.

“If you go back to the early 1900s, milk was generally regarded as nature’s most perfect food. It feeds children, for goodness sake. It’s a precious product,” Mr. Novakovic said. “[It was] important that we create a market situation to make it available on a daily basis at a reasonable price.”

IMMIGRATION AND REGULATION Part of getting that reasonable price for milk is having the workers necessary to get it, and that means the continued health of the dairy business hinges upon comprehensive immigration reform.

“In the late 1990s, Hispanic workers started coming to dairies all over the country. Word got around that these young men knew something about cattle, were extremely good workers and wanted to work a lot of hours each week,” said Tom R. Maloney, an economist at Cornell University who specializes in agricultural labor policy.

Hispanic farmworkers — whether legal or illegal — provide most of the workforce for dairies with more than 500 cows.

Unlike with other crops where migrant workers can come for a limited period of time, dairy cows need to be milked every day, year-round. It’s hard work, and farmers have trouble finding local milkers.

“Farmers will say over and over again: ‘We can advertise in our town, and these white local workers will show up and they’ll stay a couple of days but at the end of the day the work is too hard and it’s tedious,’” Mr. Maloney said. “In our

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C O V E R S T O RY society today people generally don’t want to do those hard, physically demanding jobs for what farmers are willing to pay, which on average is about $10 an hour.”

So farmers hire Hispanic workers, collect their employment documents, and the dairy industry survives.

“To a great extend the undocumented dairy worker problem, is a fraudulent document problem. The workers all come with fake documents, the farmer [looks] at the documents, records that he saw the documents and checked the documents and then stick them in a folder.”

For some reason, Mr. Maloney says, enforcement has cracked down on illegal workers in the north country. “[From] the reports I get, all the people who have undocumented workers don’t even take them off the farm anymore because law enforcement has been so aggressive.”

All parties in the industry support some system where the “workers who are here can stay and work in some legal capacity or create a guest worker program that allows people to come for seasonal work, like harvest of seasonal crops, and then go home,” Mr. Maloney said.

The U.S. does have a guest worker program, but dairy farmers aren’t included.

Luckily, all new proposals for immigration reform include dairy workers.

“If we want to continue to have fresh fruits vegetables and dairy than we’re going to have to find a way for people to secure a workforce,” Mr. Maloney said.

Beyond immigration, at the federal level, squabbling has begun about the next review of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s dietary guidelines — that’s the food pyramid of yesteryear and the “MyPlate” of today. Those guidelines seriously affect the dairy industry via the school lunch program.

“What happened in the last go-round [in 2010] was that schools could only serve 1 percent milk. If you want flavored milk it has to be fat-free,” said Chris Galen, spokesman for the National Milk Producers Federation, which represents dairy producers and cooperatives in Washington, D.C. “Upstate New York, as you’ve probably heard, is the Greek yogurt capital of America. [U.S. Sen. Charles] Schumer is looking at trying to serve Greek yogurt products in the lunch program. They’re higher in protein and becoming more popular,” Mr. Galen said.

Tested in the fall of 2013 in New York and in three other states, the program allowed the USDA to buy Greek yogurt

on behalf of the schools in the New York lunch program. Now, the program is poised to expand further.

FROM FARM TO DOMINOES? And what of the milk processors, those businesses that take the raw product and bring it to market in the form of beverage milk, cheese, yogurt and ice cream? How are those businesses faring?

“Yogurt is becoming very popular,” Mr. Gilbert of Adon Farms said. “People don’t drink as much milk, which is hard for me to understand. [They] eat a lot of cheese.

Pizza is really popular.”

Quick-serve restaurants are among the largest consumers of cheese. During down economic times, some restaurants cut back the amount of cheese on pizza — not good news for the dairy industry.

“Restaurants are trying to find a way to reduce cost. Our [main] office worked with Dominoes, for instance,” said Rick Naczi, CEO of the American Dairy Association and Dairy Council, a nonprofit that promotes northeast dairy farmers.

But news on the pizza front is good: “Most of the major pizza manufacturers have been more aggressive with more cheese and more types of cheeses

[recently],” he said.

Although some milk product categories are growing modestly, “food milk has been struggling for years,” Mr. Naczi said. (That’s the white stuff you pour on your cereal.)

“Yogurt has had really good years, but in May 2014, sales in our region in retail were down almost 5 percent. They have to pay more for the raw product and that has to be passed along to the consumer.

Total yogurt pricing was up 4 percent,” meaning the little cartons in the store slowly get more expensive simply because farmers are getting paid more.

But yogurt is still the big boom story, and a lot of yogurt producers are popping up across the state — including the Upstate Niagara Cooperative that opened in North Lawrence in 2011, which is dedicated solely to yogurt production.

Mr. Naczi said butter consumption has been on the rise to the tune of a 36 percent increase between 1997 and 2012. Cheese is up only slightly.

Ironically, the overall demand for milkbased products is strong, because 16 percent of products nationwide are shipped overseas, primarily to China, Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries, Mr. Naczi said.

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Thee generations of owners at Brotherton Farm, Philadelphia. Daughter Dana Markley, grandfather Richard Brotherton and father Steve Brotherton.

“If you look at our total portfolio in product — the real draw for the product is overseas,” he said.

Exports nationally grew from 5.7 percent of total domestic dairy sales in 2003 to 15.5 percent and climbing as of December 2013, according to the U.S. Dairy Export Council.

WHERE WE’RE HEADED In the coming years, regulation will

help insulate dairy farmers from risk, thanks to insurance options offered in the last farm bill. Immigration reform could be passed. Technologically, machines that robotically milk cows are getting more intuitive and cheaper, allowing for more and more farms to innovate around these workforce issues. Milk is increasingly finding its way into protein drinks and powders.

And, unquestionably, in a few years,

farmers like Mr. Gilbert and Ms. Markley will take a pay cut. But no matter if the price is high or low, these hardworking farmers will provide our milk in an unbroken cycle. n VICTORIA WISEMAN is a freelance writer stationed at Fort Drum with her husband, a U.S. Army helicopter pilot, and two young children.

She has written for Hawaii Business magazine, Honolulu Magazine and Honolulu Family.

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www.whitesfarmsupply.com 24 | NNY Business | July 2014

C O V E R S T O RY

Robots to till soil at north country farms

By TED BOOKER

R NNY Business

obots that will automatically till soil for vegetable crops are coming to the north country.

Entrepreneur John P. Gaus launched a technology startup in January called Agbotic Inc., which has designed agriculture robots that it plans to test this summer at farms. Agbotic is owned by Golden Technology Management of Potsdam, a firm founded by Mr. Gaus in 2004 that oversees technology ventures and employs graduates of the Clarkson University School of Business.

Mr. Gaus said Agbotic is close to securing nearly $500,000 in investments that will enable it to launch robotic technology this summer. The Development Authority of the North Country also has assisted the firm by applying for a $99,650 grant from the state Department of Agriculture and Markets to buy robotic equipment.

Mr. Gaus said the firm will seek to acquire patents for its robotic technology, which has been designed and tested at a robotics lab at Clarkson’s Center for Advanced Materials Processing. Robots will function entirely on their own and could be used to till soil for any rowplanted vegetable crop, he said. They will do precision tilling that does not involve using chemicals, and they also may be used to kill invasive insects.

“The prototypes we’re building are meant to do automated tillage for lettuce, greens and vegetable row crops,” Mr. Gaus said Tuesday, but he declined to provide specifics about the robot’s design.

“We’re about to close on the first half million dollars of seed capital, and that will be enough to get us going on deploying some robust prototypes to test at farms.”

Agbotic plans to lease robots to farmers who are interested in growing vegetables, Mr. Gaus said. It plans to buy produce grown at farms using the technology and sell it to distribution companies that will find markets for it. To do that, the firm plans to form a local partnership with North Country Farms, off Route 37 in the town of Pamelia. Kevin L. Richardson is president of the agribusiness, which does about 90 percent of its business in New

York City by selling niche products from the north country.

“Kevin is already very successful in moving value-added agriculture products into markets,” Mr. Gaus said. “He does a great job at doing that locally at chain stores and freestanding operations, and also into Manhattan markets. And we think there are certainly opportunities to work with Gaus Kevin to do both.

These projects are meant to make and sell local food.”

Mr. Richardson, who serves as an adviser for Agbotic, declined to comment Tuesday about the partnership.

Agbotic’s robots should help farms reduce their labor force by automating work that previously was done by laborers, Mr. Gaus said.

“We think we can automate about half of the labor out of a traditional largescale greenhouse business,” he said. “We took some time to look at traditional organic farming and greenhouse business models, and they’re very labor intensive with a lot of low-wage jobs. This technology will reduce those labor requirements and create higher-wage jobs, such as a robot technician or HVAC specialist.”

Mr. Gaus said he believes farms in the greater Watertown area of Jefferson County could support four Agbotic projects. In St. Lawrence County, he said towns could support at least one project each.

“The vision is to deploy an Agbotic

farm project in every community,” he said. “The ideal place to locate these projects are on ailing or defunct dairy farms. We’re specifically seeking to deploy techniques that would involve 15 acres on the small side, and up to 25 on the large side of actual production.

We want to put these projects on sites that have at least four times that acreage.

We want that extra acreage to engage in comprehensive soil managements and restoration practices.”

Robots designed by Agbotic are similar to technology used in the Netherlands, Mr. Gaus said. He said Dutch investors who have collaborated with him in the past offered their expertise to help design robotic technology.

“We’ve been helped through relationships with people who have experience with Dutch agriculture technology and processes,” he said. “I would say most of the people who are familiar with this technology look to the Dutch as leaders in the marketplace. Our idea is to look to improve on those models to offer lower-cost projects and the automation of labor.”

If successful, Mr. Gaus said, he believes the robotic technology could bring “hundreds of jobs” to the region over the next five years. He said the success of the startup company will hinge on how well the robots perform.

“We think this could be a potentially very big business with a lot of economic development in the north country and far beyond,” he said. “We think there are applications for this technology worldwide. But it’s all about getting the first few projects done first.” n TED BOOKER is a Johnson Newspapers staff writer. Contact him at tbooker@wdt.net or 661-2371.

OPEN DAILY

July 2014 | NNY Business

| 25

26 | NNY Business | July 2014

FE AT UR E S

JASON HUNTER | NNY BUSINESS

Donald J. Sadue displays fish he raises at Laurellea Fish Farm in Gouverneur. The rainbow and brook trout hatchery is the only state Department of Environmental Conservation-certified private hatchery in Region 6, which includes St. Lawrence, Jefferson, Lewis, Oneida and Herkimer counties.

A different kind of ag

Laurellea Fish Farm only DEC-certified hatchery in north country

By GRACE E. JOHNSTON

M NNY Business

any anglers may be unaware that a number of the fish they catch were probably raised on a fish hatchery farm.

Laurellea Fish Farm, Gouverneur, is the only state Department of Environmental Conservation-certified private hatchery in Region 6, which includes St. Lawrence, Jefferson, Lewis, Oneida and Herkimer counties. Mr. Sadue operates a cold water hatchery, where he raises rainbow and brook trout.

Mr. Sadue’s property sits atop a springfed aquifer that provides an abundant supply of near ideal conditioned water for

trout. The flooded out iron mine 900 feet beneath his land is tapped to pump 50 to 100 gallons of 46-degree water through an aerator reservoir and into the fish tanks every minute.

“All the water is aerated first to remove the iron,” Mr. Sadue explained. “Once it turns to rust, it’s not lethal to the fish.”

Some 55,000 gallons of water circulate though the tanks each day, according to Mr. Sadue.

“We’re considering hydroponic technology and growing water-needy crops like hops,” he said. “We have so much water and want to find the best way to reuse it.”

Originally from Long Island, Mr. Sadue and his wife, Barbara V., moved to the north country to operate a dairy farm.

Mr. Sadue holds a bachelor’s degree in biology and math from Queens College, Flushing. As part of his education, he interned with Laurellea Dairy Farm in rural Gouverneur where he “fell in love with dairy farming,” Mr. Sadue took over full-time operations in 1974 and milked 80 cows for the next 30 years.

He kept in the back of his mind the wealth of water on which his property sat, and how to better utilize it. Mr. Sadue began to dabble in aquaculture in 1997 with one tank in his basement. Mrs. Sadue remembers wondering, “What in the world is that sound coming from our basement.”

It was the water circulation pump humming and percolating, the white noise that defines a fish hatchery.

July 2014 | NNY Business

| 27

F E AT UR E S Before selling the dairy in 2012, Mr. Sadue was already considering the potential of operating a fish hatchery on a larger scale. “It became a very good hobby,” Mr. Sadue smiled.

After some trial and error, Mr. Sadue enrolled in a six-day aquaculture class at Cornell University and, upon selling the dairy farm, decided to enter the aquaculture business full time. “We make a decent margin,” he said.

Morning chores to daytime deliveries,

then home again for evening chores; the rhythmic pace of farming carries on from dairying to aqua culturing.

The hatchery is housed in a converted dairy barn. One side stables Mrs. Sadue’s horses. The other, multiple thousands of rainbow and brook trout from egg stage to eight inches, and wandering throughout, cats. Not a unique sight to a barn, but humorous in the context of fish. “She gets the horses, I get the fish,” Mr. Sadue laughed.

The operation is electric heavy and

bills can range from $500 to $600 per month. Both fish species are also tested for disease by a private lab in Maine at an average annual expense of $2,800.

“It’s just the cost of doing business,” Mr. Sadue said. “We’re happy to do it.”

He believes the process of certification and testing lends a feeling of legitimacy to customers. “They know we’re credible because we’re being overseen,” he explained.

Laurellea Farm customers receive a

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FE AT UR E S copy of a fish health certificate indicating the fish they are buying for stocking purposes are from a facility that has been inspected and found free of the fish pathogens identified in DEC regulations.

Fertilized eggs are shipped from Washington at 40,000 per shipment. From there, the ‘eyed-eggs’ are slipped into four trays of 10,000 where they are carefully watched and incubated for the next one to two weeks as they hatch. Once hatched, the fry are still in the embryonic stage and remain in the incubator for another week to 10 days. Then they graduate to the “swim-up” fingerling stage (approximately four inches in length) where they learn to feed. Mr. Sadue hand feeds daily, keeping a close eye on under or over-feeding.

“You learn to read the subtle differences in the fish’s behavior,” he said.

The fingerlings continue to grow out to ‘catchable,’ 10-inch size. During this stage, they are fed a high protein pelleted diet that contains a high percentage of fish meal to deliver the fish’s complete nutritional requirement for optimal growth.

Two-thirds of his time is spent caring for the fish between the egg and twoinch stage.

“It’s the most intense and fragile stage of the fish,” he said.

Past the two-inch point, the fingerlings are heartier and more stable for continued growth at hatcheries.

Cost for rainbows and brook trout are calculated by inch, up to eight inches.

They are sold by weight or per fish past eight inches, Mr. Sadue explained. Retail cost per inch of a single rainbow trout averages 25 cents an inch or $1.50 for each six-inch fish; 30 cents or around $2 per six-inch fish for a brook trout. For larger, 10- to 12-inch fish, cost is typically $3.60 to $4 per fish.

Small orders for private pond stocking average 100 to 200. The average orders between hunting clubs, resorts and charged ponds range from 500 and 2,000.

Hatchery orders are often for 2,000 to 12,000 two-inch fish.

“Our fish are foundation stock for other hatcheries,” said Mr. Sadue, who stocks fish 10 months out of the year except January and February. “Hunting clubs are our bread and butter.”

Laurellea Farm retains 100 fish customers within 60 to 80 miles, even to Albany, Buffalo and Binghamton.

“Don is a dedicated conservationist,” said William H. Wellman, past vice presi-

dent for the New York State Council of Trout Unlimited and current chairman of the Hydro Committee. “He is absolutely enthusiastic about maintaining cold water fisheries and their habitat.”

April is Mr. Sadue’s busiest time for deliveries. Trout are loaded into four, 70 gallon tanks aboard his black pickup truck.

The transport system provides water recirculation and aeration while the fish travel to their final destination for release.

“Everyone’s always so happy to get the fish,” Mrs. Sadue said. “It’s a reflection of

the goodness of the land and our role as good stewards.”

Trout Unlimited supports stocking in streams that can’t support enough natural reproduction to keep the resource available as a recreational benefit.

“Catching a fish, especially a beautiful brookie or rainbow, connects kids and adults to nature and is an event to be encouraged,” Mr. Wellman said. n GRACE E. JOHNSTON is a staff writer and editorial assistant for NNY Magazines. Contact her at gjohnston@wdt.net or 661-2381.

July 2014 | NNY Business

| 29

FE AT U R E S

A labor of alpaca love

Two Chicks Farm an ‘unconventional niche’ on Rodman property

By GRACE E. JOHNSTON

A NNY Business

n 1830’s farmhouse and barn are nestled picturesquely on 25 rolling, green acres in rural Rodman. A small herd of reddy-brown, white and black alpacas graze unbothered amid a harmony of quacks, clucks, honks and baas. For Colleen L. Masterson and Mary S. Dealing, operating this small menagerie is a labor of love.

It was on a sleepless night in the fall of 2008 that Ms. Masterson was flipping through the channels when she saw an infomercial on the joys of alpaca farming.

Alpaca farming? What on earth is that?

The infomercial had done its job. Ms. Masterson began researching all things alpaca, and over Labor Day weekend only a year later, she and Ms. Dealing purchased their first five alpacas from Home Again Farms in Theresa.

“Colleen’s insomnia is the inspiration for our lives now,” Ms. Dealing laughed.

What began with chickens now includes a small farm of guinea fowl, alpacas, turkeys, ducks, peacocks, geese and baby doll sheep.

“Chickens were our gateway livestock,” Ms. Dealing said. “Getting into alpacas was a slippery slope from there.”

Two Chicks Farm has 19 Huacaya alpacas; 12 females and seven males. They have no intention to expand their herd above 25, choosing rather to focus on increasing the quality of their fleece and the quality of their critters as great pets, Ms. Dealing explained.

To purchase pet-quality alpacas from a reputable farm, prices can range from $500 to $700 for a male and $1,000 for a female. A high-quality female with pedigree can cost upward of $15,000 and breeding fees with a high-quality male with pedigree can be as much as $10,000 per breeding.

30 | NNY Business | July 2014

NORM JOHNSTON | NNY BUSINESS

Colleen L. Masterson and Mary S. Dealing operate Two Chicks Farm in Rodman where they manage an Alpaca herd of 19 animals. The pair launched the endeavor after Ms. Masterson stumbled upon a late-night infomercial in 2008 that highlighted the joys of alpaca farming.

“We’re not at that level,” Ms. Dealing said.

“We just want to continue improving our herd sustainably through good breeding.”

Neither Ms. Masterson nor Ms. Dealing comes from a farming background or draws prior experience in animal husbandry. Ms. Masterson is the admissions nurse at Hospice of Jefferson County and Ms. Dealing is a lab tech at Samaritan Medical Center. However, in jobs that can be stressful, they have found the animals a welcome relief.

“Our chores typically take about two hours between the two of us,” Ms. Dealing said. “But a little longer with cuddles included.”

Two Chicks Farm alpacas are pasture fed in the summer months; one acre supports 10 animals. They are also fed one cup of grain pellets per day, per animal, and require five bales of hay a month. The return on an alpaca’s fleece typically covers their cost of feed for a year.

“They pretty much pay for themselves,” Ms. Dealing said.

The alpacas are sheared once every spring. Typically, an alpaca will produce about five to 10 pounds of fleece per shearing. This year, Two Chicks Farm alpacas

produced about 150 pounds of fleece.

Fleece quality is judged based on micron count. It is the measurement used to express the diameter of a fleece fiber. The lower the micron number, the finer the fibers. A higher price, up to $12 per pound can be garnered for fleece if it is less than 22 microns, Ms. Masterson explained.

“We’re breeding for softness and lower micron counts,” she said.

Two Chicks Farm fleece is sent to Autumn Mist Fiber Mill in the Finger Lakes town of Prattsburgh to become yarn, or to the New England Alpaca Fiber Pool, Westport, Mass., to become socks, mittens, gloves and hats. Even the market for alpaca clothing is increasing, Ms. Dealing explained.

Alpaca fiber is naturally hypoallergenic and softer than cashmere. Coupled with extreme softness and warmth, alpaca clothing is strong and resilient with large thermal capacity.

“Salmon fisherman and hunters love our socks for their natural moisture-wicking qualities,” Ms. Dealing said.

Ms. Masterson said she and Ms. Dealing wear their Aplaca socks, “so we know they’re good.”

FEATURES Aside from offering farm visits and housing a small store on-site, Ms. Masterson and Ms. Dealing travel to local farmer’s markets and festivals throughout Jefferson, Lewis, Oswego and Oneida counties. At each event, two of their fluffy, friendly alpacas accompany them and provide ample marketing of their product.

People like to know that the yarn they’re buying came from the same alpaca they’d cuddled with for an hour at an event, Ms. Dealing said.

Visitors can buy a wide array of yarn skeins from $14 to $20, headbands for $25, socks for $20 per pair, lined mittens for $35 and even alpaca-fleece teddy bears.

“We’re not making a large profit, but we’re in the black,” Ms. Dealing said.

According to Steve W. Ledoux, community educator for Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County, such growth in alternative agriculture is seeing an uptick in the north country but remains an area of challenge to sustain a living.

“Non-traditional agriculture can still only be part time for many people,” he said. “We roll ahead, but not by much.”

As a woman-owned and operated farm however, Ms. Masterson and Ms. Dealing have found theirs to be an attractive post-career lifestyle for fellow health care professionals and teachers.

“This is a desirable retirement lifestyle,” Ms. Dealing said. “There’s a general trend of getting back to the basics and being more connected to the land.”

Women in health care and education seem most drawn to these types of animals and this kind of farming, Ms. Dealing said.

“Alpacas are a good beginner livestock,” she noted. “They’re a manageable size and easy to work with.”

Two Chicks Farm is a member of the Empire Alpaca Association and is included in the 1000 Islands Ag Tour through the ComeFarmWithUs.com campaign by way of the Jefferson County Local Development Corp.

“We’re finding ourselves in an unconventional niche,” Ms. Masterson said.

Their weekend schedules are peppered with various local events to promote “the joys of alpaca farming.’

“It isn’t just a business, but a lifestyle,” Mr. Ledoux said.

Ms. Masterson and Ms. Dealing are living the alternative ag lifestyle — in alpaca spades. n GRACE E. JOHNSTON is a staff writer and editorial assistant for NNY Magazines. Contact her at gjohnston@wdt.net or 661-2381.

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RE AL E STAT E RO U ND UP

Honoring local Realtors for service

O

n June 10, members of the Jefferson-Lewis and St. Lawrence County boards of Realtors and I joined with other New York Realtors to discuss issues affecting homeownership with state legislators. Attending were Daniel Conlin, Melanie Curley, Lin and Pat Fields, Les Henry, Keith Lawrence, Lisa L’Huillier, Nancy Rome, Jennifer Stevenson, and Nancy Storino.

The group met with state Senators Joseph Griffo, Betty Little and Patty Ritchie and Assembly members Ken Blankenbush, Marc Butler, Janet Duprey and Addie Russell and members of their staff. n n n

The Jefferson-Lewis Board of Realtors held a recognition lunch on June 3 to honor its Realtor members for their years of membership.

Each received a Realtor pin with the number of years of continuous membership (rounded down to the nearest five-year increment). In future years, we will honor members when they reach a five-year milestone.

The following members have been a Realtor for five or more years. Actual number of years is noted as of Dec. 31, 2013.

The longest serving are Warren Bonney (54), Joseph Rizzo, Sr. (43), Nancy D. Storino (35), and with 31 years — Charlene Johnston, Patricia Bristol, and Christina Thornton.

28 years — Michael Astafan, Lois Ann Aubin, Doris Olin 27 years — Walter Christensen, Beth Hopkins, Ann Hunter 26 years — Roger Abbey, Mary Bisig, Libby Churchill, Trude Fitelson 25 years — George Bowes, Miriam Bowes, Lori Jo Gervera, Nancy Rome 24 years — Matthew Garlock, Jennifer Hebert, Joseph Rizzo, Jr. 23 years — Marlene Cook, Roger Farney, Sylvia Firlik, Janet Handschuh, Lisa L’Huillier, Barb McKeever, Eric Sunderhaft

❋

22 years — Gail Christensen, Deborah Schaefer, James Wiley 21 years — John Carroll, Joan Gerni-LaLone, Sandra Grimmer, Anthony Netto, Ted Weisberg 20 years — Tom Humes, Robert Moyer, Deborah Lance Evans Peebles 19 years — Brenda Rathbun 18 years — Scott Gerni, Edward Prevost, Elna Vickery 17 years — Patricia Calhoun, William Elliott 16 years — Vicki Bulger, Kenneth Catlin, Pamela Hoskins, Guy Javarone, Donna Loucks, Vickie Staie 15 years — Lory Cobb, Kenneth Erb, Carolyn Gaebel, Michel Gravelle, Jacqueline Ladue, Lisa Worden 14 years — Curtis Byington, Cathy FiaccoGarlock, Linda Fields, June O’Brien, Karen Peebles, Marcia Slocum, Lori Turgeon 13 years — Nancy Benoit, Kent Burto, Betty Henderson, Marcie Travers, Linda Waring, Nancy Williams, Martha Wise 12 years — Melanie Curley, Les Henry, Julie Hughes, Cynthia Moyer, Byron Rome, Charles Ruggiero, Tammie Lee Towles, Ruth Varley 11 years — Britton Abbey, Martha Ciulla, Judy Condino, Lisa Eddy, Amanda Miller, Torre Parker-Lane, Terry Petrie, Anthony Pisarski 10 years — Mary Adair, Christine Bedard, Betty Bork, James Conlin, Stacey Garrett, Diane Hannon Radley, Gaetono Javarone, Stephen Kubinski, Barry Kukowski, Arnold Loucks, Erin Meyers, Lori Porter, Penny Price, Thomas Puccia, Randy Raso, Suzanne Raso, Kathryn Rowell, John Stopper, Lora Stopper 9 years — Margaret Aubertine, Ron Berie,

Chuck Burlingame, Kathy Cook, Jennifer Dindl-Neff, Linda Donaldson, Joanne Galavitz, Diana Hadlock, Patrick Henry, Lucas Hopkins, William Leepy, Barbara Loomis, Sandra Macy, Brenda Malone, Tara Marzano, Jocelyn Merritt, Christopher Palmer, Ronald Papke, Jill Rosette, Sandra Rowland, John Stevens 8 years — Chris Andioro, Teri Benitez, Larry Boliver, Brooks Bragdon, Kim Call, Stephanie Converse, Kathryn Holloway, Sarah House, Angela Hunter, Nicole Lajoie, Gwyn Monnat, Suzette Pierce, Kenneth Scott, Patricia Scott, Jennifer Waite.

7 years — Jill Ahlgrim, Clifford Bennett III, Tina Burr, Katherine Couch, Bonnie Damon, Julian de Castro, Carole Dunbar, Hardy Hoppenworth, Karen Jorden, David Knowlton, Linda Landers, Keith Lawrence, Daniel Lort, Milagros Millet-Velez, Lori Nettles, Jillian Netto, Deborah Polniak, Gail Richardson, Sarah Riddoch, Jennifer Simpson, Brenda Sipher, Melissa Widrick, Cheryl Zeldin.

6 years — Lorriane Bobela, Judy Boulton, Mary Grace Britt, Phyllis Chase, Elizabeth Clair, Michael Clark, Erica Davis, Sylvia DeVita, Bobbi Frederick, Francine Graham, Kelly Harrienger, Jodi Jellie, Douglas Miller, Elizabeth Miller, Gail Miller, Dawn Newhouse, Todd O’Donnell, Claire O’Rourke, Tammy Queior, Mark Ralston, Rebecca Stone, Judy Tubolino, Lisa Watson, Todd Wines, Kathy Woolf 5 years — Ronald Benoit, Laura Cupernall, Sandra DeLong, Elaine Gibeau, Tina Goodwin, Kenneth Hanners, Christine Hogarth, Carol Lehman, April Marvin, Shawn McManaman, Robert Meekins, Anthony Netto, Terence O’Brien, Michael Siptrott, Benjamin Sterling, Marcia Sunderhaft, Janet Towle, Janette Vander Baan n LANCE M. EVANS is the executive officer of the Jefferson-Lewis Board of Realtors and the St. Lawrence County Board of Realtors. He has lived in the north country since 1985. Contact him at levans@nnymls.com. His column appears monthly in NNY Business.

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R EA L E STATE / TOP TRANSAC T IO N S Top 10 property sales by price recorded in the Jefferson County Clerk’s Office in May 2014: $2,921,261: May 15: Town of Alexandria: 7 parcels, County Route 100, Wellesley Island, Windermere Holdings LLC, Hobe Sound, Fla., sold to Windermere Wellesley Corp., Wellesley Island $800,000: May 13, Town of Clayton: 16.81 acres, State Route 12E, John N. Dedek Sr. and Jeannette F. Dedek LLC, Daytona Beach, Fla., sold to Ronald J. Cooper, St. Pete Beach, Fla. $615,163: May 15, Town of Alexandria: 6 parcels, County Route 100, Wellesley Island, D&A Holdings LLC, Hobe Sound, Fla., sold to Wellesley Rylstone Co. Limited, Wellesley Island

$563,790: May 15, Town of Alexandria: 2 parcels, 9.85 acres, County Route 100, Wellesley Island, Wellesley Island Yacht Club, Hobe Sound, Fla., sold to Wellesley Mandolin Co. Limited, Wellesley Island

Road, TAC III Enterprises Inc., Three Mile Bay, Union Hall of Point Peninsula, Joan Coughlin Trustee, Three Mile Bay, Joan Coughlin as trustee of Joan Coughlin Asset Management Trust, Three Mile Bay, sold to R&G Joseph LLC, Austin, Texas

$550,000: May 1, Town of Watertown: 1.159 acres, South Street, Steven J. Widrick and Stephanie M. Widrick, Watertown, sold to Charles G. Caprara and Maureen A. Caprara, Cazenovia

$391,823: May 15, Town of Alexandria: 3 parcels, County Route 100, Wellesley Island, Windermere Holdings LLC, Hobe Sound, Fla., sold to Lakeside Golf Club Co. Limited, Wellesley Island

$550,000: May 1, Town of Adams: 6.09 acres, 11130 Wright Street Road, William J. Elliott and Deborah J. Elliott, Adams, sold to Steven J. Widrick and Stephanie M. Widrick, Watertown $500,000: May 5, Town of Lyme: 92.5 acres, Shangrila Campground, Point Peninsula Shore

$390,000: May 30, Town of Orleans: 0.15 acres, 43140 County Route 100, James H. Wilkinson and Bonnie Jean Wilkinson, as trustees for Wilkinson Revocable Living Trust, Canton, sold to Francis X Connell Jr., and Bonnie B. Connell, Rochester $385,000: May 16, Town of Adams: Three parcels, 177.64 acres, Green Settlement Road, David R. Reid and Mary A. Reid, Adams Center, sold to David P. Magos and Lisa A. Magos, Adams Top 10 property sales by price recorded in the St. Lawrence County Clerk’s Office in May 2014: $262,000: May 15, Town of Potsdam: 1.69 acres more or less, in Section 68, bounded by Perrin Road, Donald Romlein Jr., Potsdam, sold to Matthew E. and Erin M. Draper, Norfolk $241,000: May 14, Town of Potsdam: 8.04 acres more or less, in Mile Square Lot 68, bounded by Garfield Road and Main Street Road, Sergiy Minko and Iryna Minko, Potsdam, sold to Loannis Mastorakos and Aikaterini Bellou, Pullman, Wash. $232,000: May 19, Village of Potsdam: 0.58 of an acre more or less, in Lot 3, bounded by Horningside Drive, David J. Morrison, Potsdam, sold to Valerie Doris Lehr and Marta Albert, Colton $230,000: May 30, Village of Canton: 2.055 acres more or less, in Lot 20, bounded by Tallman Road, Matthew J. Peacock, Canton, sold to Joseph and Suzanne Manory, Portsmouth, R.I. $225,000: May 13, Village of Canton: Unknown acres, bounded by Court Street and Chapel Street, St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church of the Village of Canton, Canton, sold to St. Lawrence Federal Credit Union, Ogdensburg $200,000: May 30, Village of Potsdam: 0.24 of an acre more or less, bounded by Pleasant Street, North Country Savings Bank, Canton, sold to Daniel J. and Patty Rissacher, Potsdam $195,000: May 29, Village of Canton: 1.491 acres more or less, in Lot 22, bounded by Tallman Road, John A. Cross, Canton, sold to Pierre Znojkiewicz and Monika Sienko, Quebec, Canada $286,000 Town of Norfolk: Three parcels, 1) 27.28 acres more or less, 2) 31 39/100 acres more or less, and 3) 12 acres more or less, in Mile Square 58, bounded by Madrid Road, Michael C. and Debra A. Caskinette, Norfolk, sold to John Cross, Canton $190,000: May 22, Town of Pierrepont: 1.37 acres more or less, in Lot 9, bounded by Back Hannawa Road, Christopher D. Champney, Palmer, Alaska, sold to Donald S. Peterson and Danielle S. Greene, Potsdam $180,000: May 20, Town of Hammond: Four parcels, 1) 2 16/100 acres more or less, 2) unknown acres, 3) 27 93/100 acres more or less, and 4) 16 95/100 acres more or less, in Lots 3 and 4, bounded by Antwerp Plank Road, Patricia A. Tate, Hammond, sold to Bird L. Tate Jr. and Leslie Tate, Hammond

34 | NNY Business | July 2014

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20 QU E ST I ONS

NORM JOHNSTON | NNY BUSINESS

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

F

ollowing an impressive $2 million capital campaign for the Watertown Urban Mission, we sat down with Executive Director Erica F. Flint to learn about her agency’s mission and what it takes to manage a nonprofit that provides services to thousands of people who rely on its programs and services in our community.

1

NNYB: Why a $2 million goal?

FLINT: The motivation came after I walked into our building on my first day of work. I saw how incredibly unsafe the building was and how the condition was beyond just doing a quick fix. So we brought in a team of architects and engineers to assess the building. They found it was in a good location and worth the investment.

The $2 million came out of the fact that that was necessary to do an effective job and also to build a small endowment. When we tested that $2 million in a feasibility study, everything came back as being achievable.

2

NNYB: Some people must have cast doubt on whether a $2 million capital campaign was possible. What were you up against?

FLINT: Coming out of the feasibility study we were overwhelmingly encouraged that people were ready to get behind the mission. We weren’t a place that had done anything like this in the past. What we do is really tangible. People get it. And we really tapped into some resources that other campaigns and agencies hadn’t. We have the church support and that really led to our success. This was our first campaign. The Mission has traditionally prized itself in letting people come to it. And that’s good, but we found that this was the right time and was necessary. The community has embraced it.

3

NNYB: Did you ever doubt that the campaign would succeed?

FLINT: Never had a moment of doubt. Certainly didn’t know how soon, but I knew that we would get there. We just had an amazing team of volunteers who drove it. That was a key. I think

36 | NNY Business | July 2014

n Urban Mission gains strength

on heels of $2.1m capital campaign it’s the same message we give our clients every day. It’s about hope and faith; about one day at a time. It’s the big picture; it’s a journey and it’s the end. The reality is you can’t take individual failures and let them define you. It’s really just a step in the overall process.

4

NNYB: The Mission completed this herculean effort months ahead of schedule. How was that possible?

FLINT: I was overwhelmed by how committed and generous our teams of volunteers were. I would give anyone the advice that getting the right people on board right out of the gate is essential. We did that. We found the people who were committed and weren’t just capable but wanted to do it. Our team was second to none.

It really was to their credit.Our core group was probably around 10 to 15 people but we had committees that met individually and tackled different parts of the campaign. So we were looking at around 50 volunteers who played very active roles in the success of this campaign. One thing unique to the Mission is that we are volunteer driven. Any day you’ll probably find more volunteers than employees. It certainly is helpful for administrative costs but it also allows us to truly belong to the community. When people feel part of something and not just on the sidelines but really involved, that can be a real attribute to our success. We have hundreds of volunteers and on any given day you will probably find 10 to 20 or more volunteers working in our six programs. We have groups of volunteers who regularly come in so we really do well in that area. We have close to 30 part- and full-time employees.

5

NNYB: One of your first strategic moves as executive director was to create a development director post. Why was that such an important first step for you?

FLINT: It was a key for a few reasons. One was that we certainly needed someone like Drew

(Mangione) with his leadership and ability to send a message. But one thing that was apparent in addition to the building was that we really needed to educate this community and communicate how imperative the Watertown Urban Mission is. And this campaign enhanced Drew’s ability to really market. So we certainly raised some money but more importantly raised a whole bunch of awareness, making sure people know that we exist, providing them opportunities to get involved whether that’s through financial or volunteer support. I’m sure we’ll stay in people’s view for the coming years.

6

NNYB: What would you tell people to help them more completely understand your organization’s mission?

FLINT: What we commonly hear is that people understand the food pantry. They know about the Impossible Dream thrift store. They at least know they’re connected. But what they are always astonished to find is that we really have six major programs. I think the depth and breadth of what we do is always a little eye-opening. The volume is part of it, but I think the other part is the number of ways we help clients. We really approach it from the whole person perspective. Very rarely does anyone come through our doors and need only one program. But we’re kind of a one-stop shop for basic necessities. We won’t just ensure they have food in their cupboards, but through critical needs will help them ensure they have clothing for themselves and their children. Our homeless program will help keep people in homes. Or, if unfortunately they’re in a situation they need it, we’ll set them up with housing. We really attack it from a big picture perspective and I think that’s what the community is learning and certainly appreciates.

7

NNYB: How many donors contributed to the campaign?

FLINT: We had around 300 donors. Right

2 0 Q U E S T I O NS out of the gate we had the Northern New York Community Foundation come in with a substantial gift of $200,000. And that wasn’t just a wonderful dollar amount, but it really was the kick start we needed. And then we had a full circle moment when the parent company of New York Air Brake came in with a similar size gift and helped us complete our goal and actually exceed it. So that was kind and great, but what was also nice was that our employees gave, too. Many of them just earn minimum wage, but every single employee of the Mission gave to the campaign. They weren’t asked but felt they wanted to. We had donors sometimes give a few dollars; again clients who didn’t necessary have the resources, but felt so compelled to be involved in something that affected them that they cared about. So the big ones are great and necessary, we’re incredibly appreciative, but I think what warms my heart is all the small ones, too.

8

NNYB: What drew you to this job?

FLINT: This was an opportunity for me to not really have a job but to live my faith. I wasn’t looking to leave where I was. I was incredibly happy with the job I held at Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization. Prior to that, I was at the Children’s Home. I was very happy at FDRHPO and had no intention of leaving.

But when I saw this opportunity, the advertisement actually spoke to having a heart for those less fortunate. It was calling my name. So this was a chance for me to give back. I grew up in a situation that was somewhat on the receiving end of services, and I think that it’s important that I take any gifts I have and tools I have and lead a life of service going forward.

9

NNYB: What inspires you to continue this work?

FLINT: Every day that you walk into the Mission you are going to see a child’s face. You are going to see an elderly person’s face. You are going to see struggling moms and struggling dads and it’s impossible to look at them and not feel motivated and inspired. This is a chance to give a voice to the voiceless. If I can take any skill set I have and help them along the way, that’s all the inspiration I need.One of my favorite times is back to school when we give away backpacks filled with school supplies for children. And true to the mission we don’t just do handouts, but we let people pick.

We let people make choices whether it’s food in the food pantry or a backpack to go to school.

They can make that decision. And every single child wears that backpack out. No one’s carrying it in a bag. They’re wearing it. They’re excited for school and they have the tools to put them on equal footing with all of their peers. That’s fun.

10

NNYB: Our region consistently posts some of the highest rates of unemployment in New York State outside Metropolitan New York City. Given the odds you faced, how did you persevere?

FLINT: My No. 1 appreciation is just how generous this community is. There wasn’t a day in the process that I wasn’t humbled. Asking for money isn’t easy. And there are people who refuse to do it. I think what people need to do is get the message that they’re not asking for themselves. That would be hard. You have an ability to ask on behalf of those who can’t. And

NORM JOHNSTON | NNY BUSINESS

Erika F. Flint, Watertown Urban Mission executive director, talks about her agency’s capital campaign that successfully raised $2.1 million in her temporary office at McCarthy Hall at Holy Family Church, Watertown. that’s not just an opportunity but a responsibility.

So I take that very seriously. I have appreciated the gifts, the volunteers and the process of being able to do that for those who can’t.

11

NNYB: What is most important for a leader when considering challenging endeavors?

FLINT: Big picture. They can’t get hung up on day to day. You have to look at the overall direction of the agency or what you’re leading.

Keep that always in your mind. Day to day there’s going to be setbacks. It’s par for the course. But if you’re always taking those steps forward, if you’re always still in line with the overall mission, you’ll be fine in the long run.

It’s about progress, not perfection.

12

NNYB: At just 33, you are still very young. Do you see yourself leading this organization well into the future?

FLINT: I have a heart for the Mission. I have a heart for the employees, volunteers and clients.

I don’t know where I’ll be tomorrow. I guess you never know. But I am certainly not looking to leave.

13

NNYB: How many different programs does the Mission manage?

FLINT: We have our food pantry. It’s the second busiest food pantry in an 11-county region serving more than 300,000 meals each year. We run the Impossible Dream thrift store, which not only sells items that generate revenue that stays local, but on average gives away anywhere from 25,000 to 30,000 items each year. We also have our Bridge Program as an alternative to incarceration for people addicted to drugs and alcohol to receive the services they need right in the community as opposed to jail. We have a Christian care center where people from all walks of life can come in for daily devotion, a cup of coffee, fellowship; basically a place of acceptance. We have a HEARTH program, which is designed to help eradicate homelessness particularly in Jefferson County.The program focuses on

The Erika F. Flint file AGE: 33 JOB: Executive director, Watertown Urban Mission FAMILY: Husband, Travis J.; sons, Lukas B., 4; Micah D., 2 HOMETOWN: Lewis County native; presently lives in Dexter EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degree, SUNY Oswego; MBA, University of Phoenix EXPERIENCE: Children’s Home of Jefferson County; Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization; Watertown Urban Mission LAST BOOK READ: “What She Left Behind”

by Ellen Marie Wiseman either those people who are presently homeless or people who are at risk of becoming homeless.

We also have our critical needs program, the first program of the Mission and one that we keep to help with any basic necessity, filling gaps of other human service agencies and ensuring people have the resources they need.

14

NNYB: Where is the need most urgent in our communities?

FLINT: Homelessness is a lot bigger than people recognize. It’s sort of easy to ignore when you don’t have the traditional homeless you might see in New York City. Instead we have people staying on another person’s couch.

We have homeless living in cars. We’ve seen numerous people and not just individuals, but families. We saw a young woman and her husband expecting a child living in a car. There are people in motels and hotels. So it’s here.

It’s probably not as understood as it should be.

But if we can bring a voice and a face to that, then we can make the necessary changes.

NNYB: The Mission serves people and July 2014 | NNY Business

| 37

20 QU E ST I ONS

15

churches of many faiths. How does the concept of ecumenical unity work to serve a greater good?

FLINT: It’s fabulous. I love it. It’s one of the many reasons I love the Mission. We have over 50 member churches from across denominations.

I’ve gone into many of them, spoken and gotten to know them. There are technical differences; Mass versus service, father versus pastor versus reverend. But when you go in, you’ll find that the message is really the same. One Bible, one Christ, differences really go to technicalities. This is a place where they can really be the hands and feet of Jesus in a way that’s collaborative and ultimately much better than if they tried to each do it individually on their own. The Mis-

sion’s refreshing because it’s a place where we’re not divided. It’s a united front among 50 congregations of people who can come together and focus on the betterment of our community rather than on differences.

16

NNYB: Sustained success often comes with occasional failure. Have you ever experienced failure in your career that helped you reach higher levels of success?

FLINT: I find myself frustrated when I start to focus on the small things within the day. That’s when I have to bring myself back around, put myself in check, ensure that I’m addressing those issues within those days that can’t be ignored, but reminding myself that they are really only this

moment. Someone once said when you’re really having those moments think about how this will affect me in one week, one year or in 10 years.

You’ll find that most of your frustrations in one week are going to be a moot point in one year.

Then you’re down to just a tiny percentage and in 10 years almost nothing makes a difference. So if you remind yourself of that, it helps take away a lot of that pressure and a lot of the frustration that can get people in the weeds with things.

17

NNYB: You engaged new and different individuals, organizations and businesses in the campaign. How do you continue to attract new stakeholders while keeping supporters engaged in the Mission’s work?

FLINT: One thing that is unique to our campaign is that we had four areas of focus: individuals, business and foundations, but we also had a church component. I think that’s something that remains very unique to the Mission. We have this church support and within these churches there are countless individuals. So our communication to that group really gives us a key to communicate with the whole community and in keeping them engaged. It’s not about fundraising; it’s about supporting people in need. Our church community tends to get that. This really allows them an extension of their faith. They’ve been coming to the Mission for 40 to 50 years and I believe that they will remain as engaged as they have been in the past.

18

NNYB: With a young family, how do you balance work/family life?

FLINT: The No. 1 question I’m asked is this very one. I keep faith number one, family number two and I let everything else happen as it should.

I’m also blessed with an amazing husband who shares in my passion for community involvement and making this world a better place. And we’re raising two boys who we hope will become men with those same values. Many people will tell you it’s not what you tell your kids, but it’s what you demonstrate for your children. So if my husband and I can really walk the walk, we believe that will be the key to our parenting and ensuring that they’re men who value their community and play active roles in volunteerism and generosity.

19 20

NNYB: If you could have dinner with anyone living or dead who would it be?

FLINT: Jesus. I would hug him. I guess I would just ask him to tell me what to do. Tell me what to do and I’ll do it.

NNYB: It seems that the Mission is on a wildly successful path. With the capital campaign now behind you, what challenges do you face to maintain such positive momentum?

151 Mullin Street Watertown, NY 13601

FLINT: The Mission will re-orient itself to a new building and a new space and we’ll ensure that we are still putting a big focus on external marketing and our community, but we’ll also spend some time with our programs and our staff development, ensuring programs are the best they possibly can be and that they’re serving clients in the best possible way. We plan to open the thrift store mid-July and the entire programs and operations at the Mission will be fully functioning by mid-fall. I’m thankful to more people than I could ever count.

— Interview by Ken Eysaman. Edited for length and clarity to fit this space.

38 | NNY Business | July 2014

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G U EST E SSAY

Commit to the future for nonprofits

T

his spring, 55 Northern New Yorkers volunteered their time to make our communities stronger.

Business owners, college professors and retirees represented every aspect of the north country. And when they were finished they had made site visits and reviewed the programs of 38 nonprofit partners of the United Way of Northern New York.

The public only sees the outcome of their efforts. This year the United Way’s Board of Directors awarded $356,000 in grants to nonprofits in Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties to help the working poor. But it was the work accomplished by 10 review committees that ensured the money raised by the United Way will be spent making the most impact.

Reviewing the work and ledgers of nonprofits is no easy task. In some ways, spending a Saturday morning working a ladle at a Salvation Army soup kitchen or a day pounding nails at a Habitat for Humanity construction site is less stressful.

But by having volunteers become familiar with our nonprofits, it assures north country donors that their gifts of time and money to the United Way will be used wisely.

One thing became crystal clear during our review sessions: our nonprofits depend on United Way funding, and a drop in the amount of money awarded is going to limit the services they provide.

The downward trend in support

given the United Way needs to be reversed for very specific reasons. Local governments are contracting with nonprofits because they can provide services for less Bob Gorman money. But the nonprofits are taking a calculated risk — they believe they can afford to provide the programs by generating additional money through United Way grants, fundraisers and direct appeal letters.

Our multi-county nonprofits, such as Girls Scouts, ACR Health, American Red Cross, Credo, Volunteer Transportation Center and Children’s Home of Jefferson County, in some ways are at a disadvantage in raising money — donors can be skittish when they learn an organization’s main office is located across a county line and more than 60 miles away.

And yet if consolidating offices helps reduce administrative overhead — so more money can go to services — why should anyone complain? And if the service providers are our neighbors who care about our community as much as we do, isn’t that what’s important?

The United Way’s next campaign year begins in September, and there is good news: seven businesses and nonprofits have already said they will hold their first campaign or will re-start their United

Way campaign.

And we are starting to hear a change in the conversations of our next generation of community leaders. Many are beginning to realize that helping a nonprofit is more involved than “friending” a Facebook page; if citizens don’t actually invest their time and money, many of our nonprofits are going to be “liked” to death.

(Technology changes but human nature remains the same. Back in the day, Jesus had to keep telling his followers to quit praying that the hungry “go in peace, be warmed and filled,” and start making sandwiches.)

Ensuring nonprofits will be here for years to come takes long-term commitment, with no guarantee that donors will see an immediate return on their investments. But it was much like when my wife and I bought our first house in 1979.

Officials with the local school district soon sent us their congratulations: a tax bill for several hundred dollars.

I protested to myself: “But I have no kid to even send to school.”

Of course, several years later when our son began attending kindergarten, we could see how our taxes had modestly helped ensure he had a teacher in a classroom with a roof that didn’t leak.

For our nonprofits, the same holds true: There is only one good time to invest in the future and that is today.

n ROBERT D. GORMAN is former managing editor of the Watertown Daily Times and president and CEO of United Way of Northern New York. Contact him at bgorman@unitedway-nny. org or 788-5631.

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C O MME RC E C O R NE R

Motivate staff during summer time

I

n the north country it’s difficult to complain about sunshine and warmer weather. Many business face employees who suddenly come down with a strange illness as summer months close in.

In an effort to maintain efficient, dedicated and motivated employees there are several ways to keep the creativity and the working dynamics moving in the right direction. As with many things, some suggested ideas vary and would work for some business structures but not for all.

However, running a successful business — regardless of its size — requires dedication and motivation.

Often times, summer can present some down time for businesses, depending on the nature of the business. This also presents an opportunity for goal setting, to motivate and encourage employees to work toward the same common goal that can be achieved as a team.

Ensuring a quality work environment is important throughout the entire year.

However, especially during hot summer months leaders should ensure their company’s air-conditioning is in good working condition and that fans are readily available. Water coolers are not always the gossip spot. They present an opportunity to get employees up and out of their seats and be refreshed with cool water. If you really want to keep your employees refreshed treat them to ice cream.

With smaller businesses flexibility is easier. So if you as an employer can be flexible with summer hours, such as allowing employees to work four 10-hour

days or allow them more flexibility with their own hours. If it works for your business it is a no- to low-cost for way to boost employee morale. If the 10hour work day is not an option, Lynn Pietroski surprise your employees with a “get out of work early” card on Friday.

More and more employees are becoming mobile in their jobs, resulting in staff being

the time off, it’s a great opportunity to cross-train staff so those who are taking vacation are not left with a pile of work when they return. What’s more, it’s a great way to support teamwork and prepare for unexpected long-term absences.

If you have outdoor seating, use that space to host staff meetings or meetings with clients if and when appropriate.

This space can also be used for a place for employees to take a break or eat lunch. Fresh air and sunshine are guaranteed mood enhancers. Take it a step further and provide a grill to encourage healthy eating, and assist individuals in cost-saving measures. Encourage employees to be more active when outside.

A healthy employee will take fewer sick days and be at work more consistently than unhealthy ones.

Many businesses have casual Friday policies.

But what harm is there in extending these casual days to other days of the week?

Employees can be professional while being casual. They just need to be made aware of management’s expectations.

Summer months do not always have to be the gloom and doom of the work routine. Be flexible, but consistent. Take the ordinary and turn it into the extraordinary and you will be surprised with the outcome. Take advantage of the effects of Vitamin D and grow your business and talents within them.

Take the ordinary and turn it into the extraordinary and you will be surprised with the outcome.

Take advantage of the effects of vitamin D and grow your business and talents within them. able to work from home or remotely. As long as you hold all employees to the same standards, this can work for people. Finding daycare can be difficult during summer months, due in part to providers who also take needed time off.

All employees need time off and vacation. It can be challenging for businesses to accommodate all requests if not planned accordingly. Therefore, kick summer off by scheduling vacations so that all your employees can use their accrued time off and ensure their job responsibilities are covered. This refreshes your staff and reduces ever-dreaded burnout.

As you plan with your employees for

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.

July 2014 | NNY Business

| 41

NON PR OF ITS TODAY

Build an endowment to gain strength

S

ustainability is a term that is often overused, but is one that has become more and more important to discuss and consider. The noble work and mission of a nonprofit is meaningless without the resources to support it. As with many things in life, we should never rely too heavily on one single thing for health and survival.

Funding for nonprofits can be a vicious cycle. Efforts toward sustainability can take on a “dog-chasing-its-tail” model that can take an organization off course or take away time and energy from some development work that results in a better return on investment.

Endowment is another term used frequently and one that often takes a bad rap.

Endowments have made all kinds of things in our community and our world possible.

As individuals, as we plan for retirement throughout our lives, we are essentially doing personal endowment building. Our lives, homes, and businesses are insured and backed by endowment principles. Wouldn’t it be terribly irresponsible and unwise not to build an endowment for a time when our own personal revenue streams fluctuate, or go away completely? Endowments can, and should, be a critical piece of the overall revenue stream for nonprofit organizations.

Unless they become so excessive as to put an entity into organizational (and fundraising) complacency, endowments can be a valuable tool to provide a stabilizer effect in years when other revenue streams fluctuate. They also send a loud and clear signal to donors and other funders that the leadership recognizes the importance of endowment as a long-term investment in the viability of the organization.

Let’s be clear, the term “endowment” is

not synonymous with reserves or “rainy day fund.” There are places for both, but they are built on different premises.

They should be governed by different levels of discipline.

Rande Richardson Not every organization is blessed with a rainy day fund or reserves that can be immediately stewarded toward endowment. I would suggest, though, that the first step is the most important.

Making the deliberate decision to create a structured, meaningful endowment sends a message of fiscal responsibility and prudence to all stakeholders.

Some supporters are not big fans of endowment. They want to give “real time.”

Ironically, endowment is one of the most lasting and enduring ways to demonstrate the value you place in an organization and an affirmation of one’s belief that the organization’s mission needs to be preserved not only for immediate needs, but across the span of generations. Endowment giving can be a way to enhance current needs while also protecting the ongoing investments in the day-to-day work.

As a funder, the Northern New York Community Foundation is continually looking more closely at just how seriously organizations believe in their own sustainability. It is not enough just to believe. It must be followed with actions that affirm that belief. If an organization has not made it a priority to discuss or implement a

formal, structured endowment (not a rainy day fund), then we must ask why.

Since its inception, the foundation has been fortunate to administer endowment funds on behalf of various nonprofits. Presently, more than 40 organizations utilize this important vehicle as a way to demonstrate to donors and other funders that they take endowment building seriously. Translation: they have a real commitment to enhancing their overall organizational stability.

Organizational community foundation endowments are also a way to protect the fund from loss of institutional memory and keep it safe from other external forces that may threaten an organization. Money given for endowment must be handled as such.

This is often a challenge when nonprofit organizations have turnover of both staff and board. Foundation endowments for specific nonprofits provide added adherence to donor intent and other restrictions. This is especially critical if an organization ceases to exist for some unforeseen reason. It is one of the most valuable functions of a community foundation. Think Syracuse Symphony.

Endowments help strong organizations grow stronger. They are one important part of an effective strategy to build long-term stability. They can also provide seed money for new programs and services. If the goals and vision you aspire to for your organization are worth supporting today, then endowments can be affirmation of the importance of your mission and an even stronger statement to all of your stakeholders that your work is as needed tomorrow as it is today.

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

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www.NorthCountryRecycles.org 42 | NNY Business | July 2014

AG RI- BU S I NE S S

Meat processing changes hard felt

A

ccording to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service and reports from the Ontario, Canada, Ministry of Agriculture, there are 385,000 head of mature dairy cattle within a 100mile radius of Watertown. Add another 100,000 beef livestock and Watertown finds itself in the middle of nearly a half million livestock that eventually feed into the meat industry. Many Canadian cattle travel down Interstate 81 toward USDA-certified meat processing facilities in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Unfortunately, many of local cattle also travel south to the processing facilities. There are only a few USDAcertified facilities in Northern New York and that number is changing.

In Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties, there were three USDA-certified plants: Tri-Town Packing in Brasher Falls; Ward Willard & Son in Heuvelton, both in St. Lawrence County; and Red Barn Meats in Croghan in Lewis County. Some local livestock is taken to Gold Medal Packing just outside Rome. As the Watertown Daily Times recently reported, Tri-Town Packing has opted to end being a USDA-certified inspected meat-processing plant. The impact of this decision by the owners of Tri-Town is already being felt across the region.

In Jefferson County, the Lawrence Family Beef farm, which is well known for the snack beef products it sells in local convenience stores and supermarkets throughout the area, had to scramble to find another meat processor to have its product made.

Other farms are taking livestock to meat processors hundreds of miles away. Steve Winkler, owner of Lucki7 Ranch, Rodman, raises beef, pigs and poultry under a

natural certification program that garners the farm, and other farms that work with Lucki7, better markets for the products they sell. Steve indicated he works with Red Barn Meats in Jay Matteson Croghan and Gold Medal Packing in Rome to do most of his processing. Steve said the change with Tri-Town is impacting him because scheduling his animals into the processing plant is getting tighter. Farms are scrambling to find a USDA plant that can take their animals.

The importance of a USDA-certified inspection plant is that the USDA stamp of approval is required in order for farms to sell cuts of meat or value-added meat products such as beef sticks. Inspectors are present within the plants to ensure the animal is in good health when it is brought to the plant and that all the proper procedures are followed to prevent contamination. Farms cannot sell individual cuts of meat directly to consumers without USDA certification.

Many farms do sell quarters, halves or whole animals to a consumer and then help the consumer arrange to have the animal taken to a processing facility. Frequently, custom meat processors are used that are inspected by New York State but do not have USDA certification. This is somewhat of an easier process for the farmer and consumer, but does not allow the farmer to gain the added value of selling individual

cuts of meat or value-added products such as sausage or beef sticks.

The expected trend in demand for beef is for it to remain high and prices are expected to remain profitable for farms. Dairy farms are looking at growing their dairy bull calves for beef production, or breeding their lowest-producing milk cows with beef bulls to produce a better beef animal on the dairy farm. This may allow the dairy farm to improve milk production genetics and further diversify the farm business into beef as well. With nearly a half million head of cattle within 100 miles of Watertown, having custom cutters to serve the “freezer” business of direct sale of animals to the consumer, and having USDA-certified facilities to serve the needs of farms selling retail meat cuts and value-added products is critical.

The usual economic development looks at growing smokestacks. In Northern New York a great opportunity for economic development involves growing livestock industries. Providing adequate meat processing facilities is critical to meet this opportunity. Today’s modern facilities are very clean, odor free, humane operations.

If you drive into the driveway of Gold Medal Packing or Tri-Town Packing, you wouldn’t know they were meat processors except for the signs in front of the buildings. We must do everything we can to maintain the facilities we already have, and to grow the choices our farms have for livestock processing. n JAY M. MATTESON is agricultural coordinator for the Jefferson County Local Development Corp. He is a lifelong Northern New York resident who lives in Lorraine. Contact him at coordinator@comefarmwithus.com. His column appears monthly in NNY Business.

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B U S I N E SS TECH BYTES

Analyze third-party Web services

W

here were you on June 19 between 3:50 and 4:21 a.m. EDT? I hope you were sleeping through Facebook’s most widespread outage since 2012. This worldwide outage prevented anyone from accessing the extremely popular social network on its smartphone and Web applications.

Users who tried received the message, “Sorry, something went wrong. We’re working on getting this fixed as soon as we can.” Others, who were affected, flocked to Twitter to express their displeasure and soon #Facebookdown was trending. Facebook provided few details as to the cause of its latest outage but did issue this statement to the Guardian: “Earlier this morning, we experienced an issue that prevented people from posting to Facebook for a brief period of time. We resolved the issue quickly, and we are now back to 100 percent. We’re sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused.”

While you, like many Americans, slept through this outage, with Facebook’s 1.2 billion active monthly users and hundreds of millions of daily users, when this social media giant has an outage the ripple effects are felt around the globe. Was your website affected? Facebook has been successful in infiltrating many websites through its widgets and APIs. Each time you use a login tool or a commenting system with your Facebook login you interact with Facebook. This is what makes Facebook a forum for communication and a necessary tool for countless businesses and organizations.

Besides Facebook, what other third-par-

ty services do you employ on your business or organization’s website? Have you signed a contract with an advertising firm to help optimize the display of ads Jill Van Hoesen on your site? Do you use other third-party services, like Google analytics, Web fonts or JavaScript libraries? These are all third-party services not under your direct control. When these external services have an issue, it’s you as the site owner who takes the hit in the form of reputation and revenue, not the thirdparty service provider. It’s estimated that most organizations only control one-third of the time required to load a webpage, as the rest is consumed by third-party services and content that is not within your direct control.

In order to avoid the dreaded longloading website, you should ensure you’re using proper third-party tags. If your page is not coded correctly, certain widgets or content might not load correctly and your potential customer could be impacted by the dreaded spinning pinwheel or hourglass. Remember when utilizing any third-party tags, particularly ones that will have such a big effect on your user’s experience and interaction with your site that it’s imperative to ensure the code is asynchronous with

Locally Owned and Operated ~ Mobile Shreds Onsite ~ Fast, Safe & Secure.

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yours or it could affect your entire site’s performance. Take the time to understand the load order of the various elements on your site, consider placing certain thirdparty services and applications toward the bottom or below the fold. This will help with your customer’s perceived load time, even if one of your third-party services or applications experiences issues.

Third-party services are here to stay but before any third-party service is deployed on your site you need to be sure to test its performance. Compare your website’s performance before and after you add the service. You need to gauge the overall site performance for degradation, if this is an issue, you must rectify it before you deploy that service.

Third-party services are extremely valuable when they perform well, but many may not be worth it if it means you exasperate customers. Your website is your face to the world you need to make smart decisions that will protect and promote your bottom line. The free service Outage Analyzer (outageanalyzer.com) will help you to identify third-party service outages and the corresponding regional impacts.

Outage Analyzer will not prevent major outages from happening, but you can view in real time, third-party performance issues. This could provide you with the jumpstart you might need to proactively communicate with customers and preempt any impact an outage will have on your business or organizations’ website. n JILL VAN HOESEN is chief information officer for Johnson Newspapers and a 25-year IT veteran. Contact her at jvanhoesen@wdt.net.

Her column appears monthly in NNY Business.

SMAL L BU SIN E SS SU CC E S S

Old sayings hold truths in business

A

dages, truisms, proverbs, old saws — there are dozens of time-honored and time-worn sayings out there. The reason they’ve stuck around so long, however, is that most of them contain a grain of truth, especially when applied to specific situations.

For example, let’s take a look at “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” This saying dates back at least to the 1600s but its meaning is quite clear, whether it’s a warning against investing all your money in a single stock or basing your entire business success on one segment of the market.

One instance when we saw that happen locally was with the expansion of Fort Drum in the early 2000s. Construction of commercial and residential development reached an all-time high, benefiting contractors, roofers, plumbers, electricians, carpet companies, furniture stores, painters, and so on. Many companies were able to expand their workforce and maximize their profits, and we all hoped it would never stop. Other businesses supporting contractors sprung up or expanded as well.

But the boom was bound to drop, and when it did, many of these enterprises had to sharply contract their payrolls and some went out of business entirely.

It’s hard to remember to diversify when there is so much work everywhere, but the businesses that survived were the ones that were able to keep their local connections solvent to pick up some of

the business they had lost when government-related contracts dried up. Local businesses during this period also had to learn to survive period drops Sarah O’Connell in business when troops deployed for extended periods of time and family members went back to their original homes.

For a while we had a sign in our office that said, “By the time you see the bandwagon, it’s too late.” (If you’re interested in what a bandwagon is, Wikipedia tells us that “… a bandwagon is a wagon which carries the band in a parade, circus or other entertainment. The phrase “jump on the bandwagon” first appeared in American politics in 1848 when Dan Rice, a famous and popular circus clown of the time, used his bandwagon and its music to gain attention for his political campaign appearances.”) What it means in terms of entrepreneurship is that it’s very important to have a unique selling proposition in order to stand out from the competition, whether it’s offering a new product, a great location, superior customer service, or whatever. It’s a delicate balance to reach between introducing a very new concept to an area and just adding another same-old-same-old business to an already crowded field.

I remember in the ’90s when baseball card trading became very popular.

Next thing you knew, little card shops were popping up all over the place until the fad ended and they all closed. The ubiquitous pizza shop, especially in a city where there are already several, is another very difficult business to stand out in unless you offer something very different.

One of the most interesting successes I saw in bringing a new concept to the north country was the Brew Ha Ha coffee shop on the corner of Coffeen and South Meadow streets. I’d seen similar businesses out in California or in New England (where I think there’s a Dunkin’ Donuts on every block), but nobody around here had anything like that until DD eventually started adding drive-thru windows to their local shops. Before the Brew Ha Ha closed earlier this year, Teresa Macaluso and her sister, Karen Mikos, had a fabulous 12-year run and the best coffee in town, and they are greatly missed.

Which leads me to my final adage – “Hindsight is 20/20.” If entrepreneurs take some of these sayings to heart and broaden their vision to look at sustainable, viable trends, it may greatly improve their chances for success. n SARAH O’CONNELL is a certified business advisor with the New York State Small Business Development Center at Jefferson Community College. She is a former small business owner and lifelong Northern New York resident. Contact her at soconnell@sunyjefferson.edu. Her column appears bi-monthly in NNY Business.

July 2014 | NNY Business

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COMMUNITY / BUSINESS CALENDAR

ALEXANDRIA BAY FRIDAY, JULY 25 AND SATURDAY, JULY 26

n Fishing for Freedom, Bonnie Castle Resort, 31 Holland St. Top five bass every hour. Friday: registration, meet the pros, barbecue, raffles, silent auction, food, drinks, live music. Saturday: tournament, early morning, hourly weigh-ins, live band, food, drinks. Hourly big bass tournament, hosted by Carthage Area Hospital and USO Fort Drum.

CANTON TUESDAYS AND FRIDAYS THROUGH THURSDAY, OCT. 31

n Canton farmers market, celebrating its 40th year. Village Park, Main Street. Information: www.gardenshare.org/content/ farmers-markets.

CAPE VINCENT SATURDAY, AUG. 16

n Fort Haldimand Tour, 9:30 a.m., with Thousand Islands Land Trust and Douglas J. Pippin, SUNY Oswego professor of anthropology. Meet in Cape Vincent for boat ride to Carleton Island. Water and snacks provided, pack a lunch. Wear comfortable shoes. Information: TILT, 686-5345.

CARTHAGE

men Show, Saturday 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Cerow Recreation Park Arena, 615 East Line Road.

75-plus exhibitors with new, used, and collectible firearms; knives; decoys; fishing, archery and sporting goods. Talk with gunsmiths, hunting guides, and collectors/sellers of military memorabilia and collector edition guns. Dealers sell, buy and trade. NCIS required for gun sales/ purchases. Benefits Rotary Club of Clayton, $5 admission, $4 for military with ID. Information: 782-6917.

tion: www.gardenshare.org/content/ farmers-markets.

THURSDAYS TO SEPT. 11

LONG LAKE

n Clayton Farmer’s Market, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Village Park Circle. Vendor applications available. Information: Beth Rusho, 686-3771, ext. 4, beth@1000islands-clayton.com, info@1000islands-clayton.com.

FRIDAYS AND SATURDAYS THROUGH SEPT. 6

n Wine cruises, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., hosted by Coyote Moon Vineyards aboard Clayton Island Tours. Leave from Coyote Moon Vineyards Wine & Craft Beer Lounge, 524 Riverside Road. Includes bottle of Coyote Moon wine and glass. Must be 21 or over. River Rat cheese and crackers provided. Tickets: $39.95 per person, nonrefundable. Reservation: 686-4030.

FINEVIEW SATURDAYS IN JULY AND AUGUST

n Carthage Savings & Loan golf classic, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Carlowden Golf Club, 4105 Carlowden Road. Presented by Carthage Area Hospital Foundation to benefit Carthage Area Hospital. Register a team, sign up to sponsor the event or both: www. carthagehospital.com, or 493-0114.

n Evening kayak tour, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Saturdays, July and August, Minna Anthony Common Nature Center, County Route 100. Bring own kayak, or rent by calling the Nature Center, 482-2479, or rent for $25 for half day from Boomerang Kayak.

Preregistration required: $2 per person.

Registration, information, 482-2479, www. friendsofthenaturecenter.org.

CLAYTON

GOUVERNEUR

SATURDAY, AUG. 16 AND SUNDAY, AUG. 17

THURSDAYS THROUGH OCT. 23

FRIDAY, JULY 25

n Clayton-1000 Islands Gun and Sports-

46 | NNY Business | July 2014

n Farmer’s market, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Village Green, Main Street. Informa-

HENDERSON HARBOR SATURDAY, AUG. 9

n “Hospice Hustle” Walk for Hospice, 8:30 a.m., registration; 9:30 a.m., start.

Parking at A Place to Play then bus to Henderson for three mile walk through harbor.

All proceeds benefit Hospice of Jefferson County. Information: Penny McCrea, 9385069 or Hospice, 788-7323.

SATURDAY, JULY 19

n U.S. Water Ski Show Team Exhibition, Demos, 10 a.m., exhibition, 3 p.m., Long Lake Town Beach. Pyramids, jumps, stunts and barefoot waterskiing. No Boat Traffic: 3 to 4 p.m. Sponsored by Town of Long Lake. Information: 1- (518) 624-3077.

LOUISVILLE SATURDAY, JULY 26

n Massena Rod & Gun Club Annual Gun Show. The Massena Rod & Gun Club will celebrate their 100th Anniversary with their Annual Gun Show, Flea Market, St. Lawrence Trappers Rendezvous. A chicken Barbeque will be offered. Interested vendors for the gun show and flea market should contact Dave Vanornum at (315) 769-2627 or (315) 842-8296. Anyone interested in the Trappers Rendezvous can contact Jim Aubrey at (315) 389-5096.

LOWVILLE SATURDAY, AUG. 16

n Race With the Wind! 46 Mile Gravel Grinder Endurance Race, begins at 10 a.m. and 10 Mile Fun Race at 10:30 a.m. Hosted at Maple Ridge Wind Farm’s Visitor Center, Eagle Factory Road. This is not an easy course; rugged, varied terrain, with ups and downs throughout the course. Cross bikes be prepared. Use heavy off road tubes and tires. Race of “Tug Hill character.” 46-mile race; $30

OGDENSBURG THURSDAYS THROUGH SEPT. 25

n Ogdensburg Green Market, 2 to 5 p.m., Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center; Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. through Sept.

27, Library Park. Information: www.gardenshare.org/content/farmers-markets, Sandy Porter, 561-801-3896.

SYRACUSE THURSDAY, JULY 17

n Business After Hours: Tech Meets Taste — Local Thirst, 5 to 6:30 p.m., 235 Harrison St. Get to know the people behind the region’s hottest young tech companies, connect with independent local business owners at the heart of SyracuseFirst and sample foods from more than a dozen local cafés and restaurants. Tour The Tech Garden and have a relaxing time with friends on the plaza. Contact Information: Lisa Metot at 315-470-1870 or lmetot@centerstateceo.com

THURSDAY, JULY 24

n Summer Workplace Wellness Series — Managing and Supporting Staff with Mental or Behavioral Issues, 8:30 to 10 a.m., CenterState Corporation for Economic Opportunity, 115 W. Fayette St. This session will cover two related topics, Marijuana in the Workplace and Improving Employee Health with Assistance Services. Marijuana in the Workplace is lead

by Upstate Drug Testing and will discuss the impact of medical marijuana and synthetic marijuana on the workplace.

The second topic Improving Employee Health with Assistance Services is led by Help People — Employee Assistance Service and will teach you the statistical and practical benefit of making a fully rounded wellness program that integrates the employee assistance program as a crucial resource to improve employee health. Mem-

ber, $10, Non-member, $20. Information: Karen DeJoseph at 315-470-1997 or kdejoseph@centerstateceo.com.

THURSDAY, AUG. 7

n CenterState CEO Clambake, 5 to 9 p.m., Hinerwadel’s Grove 5300 W. Taft Road. Great food, music and fun! $65/ members, $75/non-members. Information and registration: Lisa Metot, 470-1870 or lmetot@centerstateceo.com

THURSDAY, AUG. 14

n Summer Workplace Wellness Series — Hosting a Successful Workplace Wellness Program, 8 to 10 a.m., CenterState Corporation for Economic Opportunity, 115 W. Fayette St. This event will bring together a panel of experts on workplace wellness. You’ll hear tips they’ve learned from running their own successful workplace wellness programs. This session will be moderated by Sara Wall Bollinger, Health Connections. Panelist will include members from CenterState CEO, Crouse Hospital and Fleet Feet Sports Syracuse.

Member, $10, Non-member, $20. Information: Karen DeJoseph at 315-4701997 or kdejoseph@centerstateceo.com

WATERTOWN WEDNESDAYS THROUGH OCT. 1

n Greater Watertown North Country Chamber of Commerce Farm & Craft Market, 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wednesdays, 317 Washington St. Information: Toni M. Miller, Market Manager at tmiller@watertownny.com or www.watertownfarmersmarket.weebly.com.

FRIDAY, JULY 25

n Women’s Council of Realtors golf tournament, 8 a.m. registration, 9 a.m. shotgun start, Highland Meadows Golf Club, 24201 Route 342; to benefit Watertown Urban Mission. Fee: $300 per foursome; $75 per person, 18 holes captain and crew, lunch, cart. Information: Facebook. com/YourMission, 782-8440.

SATURDAY, AUG. 2

n Military and Veterans Community Day,

10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Jefferson Community College, 1220 Coffeen St. To educate military and veterans on services available. Booths for agencies to display services. Set up 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 1 and 9 a.m. Saturday. Information: Deb Baxter, 425-4400, ext. 58173, debra. baxter2@va.gov.

THURSDAY AUG. 21

n GWNC Chamber Business After Hours at NYS Zoo at Thompson Park, 5 to 7 p.m., One Thompson Park. Enjoy the premier Networking Event in the north country. Great food, great prizes and great networking. Register by noon, Wednesday, Aug. 19. $10 members (registered), $12 members (not registered), $15 nonmembers. Registration and information: Chamber, 788-4400.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 4

n Athena Award and Presentation Dinner 2014, 6 to 8:30 p.m., Hilton Garden Inn, sponsored by WWNY 7 NewsFox28, First Niagara Bank and Timeless Frames. Cocktails at 6 p.m., dinner and program at 7 p.m. Information and nomination forms available at: www.business. watertownny.com/events/details/athenaaward-and-presentation-dinner-2014

THURSDAY, SEPT. 18

n GWNC Chamber Business After Hours at the Dulles State Office Building: Halfway to St. Patty’s Day, 5 to 7 p.m., 317 Washington St. The premier networking event of the north country, sponsored and hosted by North Country Goes Green~Irish Festival. Great networking, prizes and food. Register by noon, Wednesday, September 17. $10 members (registered), $12 members (not registered), $15 non-members. Registration and information: Chamber, 788-4400.  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.nny bizmag.com for events calendar updates.

COMMUNITY / BUSINESS CALENDAR

by Aug. 1, $35 day of event. 10 mile race, $20 adults, 18 and under, free.

Registration at 8:30 a.m. Forms online at www.lewiscountychamber.org or information, 376-2213.

July 2014 | NNY Business

| 47

B U SI N E SS S CENE Cape Vincent Chamber Business After Hours at Golden Crescent Agency

Becky and Mark Stewart, Stewart Signs & Apparel, Gift Shoppe & Gallery, Cape Vincent.

From left, Annette Docteur, Molly Higgins and Carry Disotel, all of Golden Crescent Agency, Cape Vincent.

MARY JO RICHARDS PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS

MARY JO RICHARDS PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS

From left, Mike Chavoustie, Aubry’s Inn and president, Cape Vincent Chamber of Commerce, Dave Fralick, The Cape Winery and treasurer, Cape Vincent Chamber of Commerce, Shelley Higgins, executive director, Cape Vincent Chamber of Commerce, and Patty Bach, Cedar Point Market and director, Cape Vincent Chamber of Commerce. The Cape Vincent Chamber of Commerce held its June Business After Hours on June 11 at Golden Crescent Agency.

From left, Linda and Rick Schmitt, Cape Vincent community volunteers, and Doug Dewey, Green Cedars Cottages, Cape Vincent.

COME VISIT THE ALL NEW REDESIGNED WAITE TOYOTA. SALES

Serving NNY Since 1929.

18406 U.S. Route 11 Watertown, New York Phone: (315) 788-6022 WWW.WAITETOYOTA.COM

48 | NNY Business | July 2014

SERVICE

BU SIN E SS S C E NE Lewis County Chamber BAH at All Season’s Landscaping & Garden Center, Lowville

From left, Becky Tiffany, Lowville Academy and Central Schools, and Lisa

Nortz, Silver Bench Jewelry, Croghan.

Mark Waterhouse, Transitional Living Services, Watertown, and Cheryl Shenkle-O’Neill, Snow Belt Housing Co., Lowville.

JEREMIAH PAPINEAU PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS

From left, Natalie Bogdanowicz, Maureen Cean, both of Transitional Living

Services, Watertown, and Jennifer Huttemann-Kall, Resolution Center of Jeff-Lewis. The Lewis County Chamber of Commerce held its June Business After Hours June 19 at All Season’s Landscaping & Garden Center, Lowville.

JEREMIAH PAPINEAU PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS

Debra Bosco and husband, Bob, Transitional Living Services, Watertown.

CHENEY TIRE FARM SERVICE • Complete Line of Firestone Farm Tires in Stock • 24 Hour On-the-Farm Tire Service

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

TIRES YOU WANT. PERFORMANCE YOU NEED. QUALITY THAT’S BUILT IN. Serving NNY For Over 60 Years

“Since 1954” 839 State Street, Watertown • 788-6840 www.cheneytire.com

July 2014 | NNY Business

| 49

B U S I N E SS SCENE GWNC Chamber of Commerce BAH at Body Pros Collision Experts, Watertown

From left, Nate Hunter, Northern Credit Union, Watertown, and Joe LaClair, Haylor Freyer & Coon, Watertown.

From left, Melanie and Skip Wattenbe, Whitesboro Plow Shop, Watertown.

GRACE E. JOHNSTON PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS

GRACE E. JOHNSTON PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS

From left, Dedra Morgia, A New Attitude Salon, Watertown, Logan Macy, Syracuse Media Group, Syracuse, and Sandra Macy, RealtyUSA, Watertown.

The Greater Watertown-North Country Chamber of Commerce held its June Business After Hours on June 19 at Body Pros Collision Experts, Watertown.

From left, Brad Traynor, Knowlton Technologies, Watertown, Andrea Dumas, Suburban Propane, Watertown and Joe Hartnett, The C&S Companies, Syracuse.

Diagnostic imaging technology with interactive patient education software to enhance the patients experience.

50 | NNY Business | July 2014

BU SIN E SS S C E NE GWNC Chamber of Commerce Farm & Craft Market

From left, Charlie and Rick Brown of Charlie Brown Crafts, Castorland.

Tim and Robin Hannon of Timmy Crack Corn Produce & More, Rodman.

GRACE E. JOHNSTON PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS

GRACE E. JOHNSTON PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS

From left, Matt McMacken, Michaela Stephens, Khloe McMacken and Michelle Stephens of Sweet Pea Farm, Champion. The Greater WatertownNorth Country Chamber of Commerce hosts the weekly Farm & Craft Market along Washington Street in front of the Dulles State Office Building. The market is open from 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesdays through Oct. 1.

Come See the All New Polaris Brutus at Waite Motorsports

From left, Terra Thompson-Reed, Jamar Taylor and Michelle Johnson, all of Northern Exposure Catering Company, Sackets Harbor.

MOTORSPORTS

Come See The All New Polaris Brutus At Waite Motorsports

18014 GOODNOUGH ST., ADAMS CENTER, NY

315-583-5680

HOURS: MONDAY-WEDNESDAY 8-5, THURSDAY & FRIDAY 8-6, SATURDAY 8-2

WWW.WAITEMOTORSPORTS.COM

July 2014 | NNY Business

| 51

B U S I N E SS HIS TORY

The big cheese

Cheese making was once a staple of north country ag

By GRACE E. JOHNSTON

T NNY Business

he dairy industry played a major role in the north country’s economy almost from the time of the first Caucasian settlers in the region. From the early 1800s, small towns would become well-known for the cheeses that sold in major U.S. cities as well as overseas.

The first Limburger cheese made in the country would come from Rodman in 1853. Antwerp would claim the largest cheese factory in the world in 1898. And the world’s largest cheese would be produced in West Martinsburg in 1921, weighing in at a massive 12 tons.

In 1820, the New York Board of Agriculture reported upon the main financial advantages of cheese making for a farmer.

Shipping six 1,800-pound loads of cheese to market would cost about the same as shipping the same size load of wheat, yet it would yeild $864 for a farmer compared to $180 for wheat.

Many local dairy farmers found cheese making to be extremely profitable. According to “The History of Cheese Making in New York State,” farmers of Jefferson County could afford to ride in fine carriages, dress in rich clothing, furnish their homes generously, send their children to high school and have musical instruments for their daughters as well as music teachers to instruct.

The market was quickly capitalized upon. Jefferson County had 78 cheese plants in 1865. By 1892 the number grew to 126. In 1845, the county’s cheese plants produced 2.8 million pounds of cheese. By 1892, Jefferson County alone produced a staggering 12 million pounds of cheese.

Some of the first immigrants to Jefferson County were pioneers both in settlement and industry, most notably of

52 | NNY Business | July 2014

PHOTO COURTESY CLAIRE KELSEY LEBEAU

A 12-ton block of cheese on display in the dairy building at the 1921 New York State Fair. The north country boasts a long history of cheesemaking. By 1892, Jefferson County produced 12 million pounds.

German and Swiss heritage.

By 1909, Jefferson County produced many cheese varieties, including American full cream, Limburger, Swiss, d’Isigny, Neufchatel, brie, square cream, English cheddar, sage, Muenster and weiner.

Orrin Heath of Rodman started making cheese at the turn of the century. In 1908 he bought the Sandy Creek Valley Cheese factory in Rodman, built in 1897. Yearround production began in 1916, making 700-pounds a day. Heath cheese was a washed-curd cheddar with an occasional seasoning of hot pepper and garlic. When the factory closed in 1980, it was the oldest family-owned cheese plant in the state.

Although retired from cheese making in 1919, Horace Rees endeavored to fulfill the ambition of his lifetime: the manufacture of a 12-ton cheese. Beloved by his West Martinsburg community, “Uncle Horace” planned every detail in advance to showcase his massive creation at the 1921 State Fair in Syracuse.

Sufficient curd to fill his specially designed hoop required 256,000 pounds of milk and four barrels of salt on hand to

season the curd. Pressed by 10 jack screws fastened in the ceiling, the cheese had to be turned by the use of jacks at weekly intervals. This task provided a day’s work for eight men. Once trailered to Syracuse, the load proved too great to up the ramp into the dairy building. Only when two hundred people came to the rescue, grabbing ropes attached to the truck could they pull the monster cheese to its resting place.

A special cutting of the cheese ceremony was held with the first cut served to Lt. Gov. Jeremiah Wood. According to the “History of Cheese Making in New York State,” comments were reported to have been “flattering enough to bring a blush to the cheese’s cheeks.”

After the official cuts were made, workers packaged 3,000 1-pound blocks, which quickly sold for 40 cents each. The cheese was reported to have a stronger flavor than cheeses in former years, making it especially popular with cheese lovers.

When the wind was right the cheese was its own best press agent, and before the fair closed, 24,500 packages of cheese were sold.

B U S I N E SS HIS TORY Sadly, however, New York lost its title as the top cheese-producing state to Wisconsin in 1878.

A typical factory required the milk of 300 to 500 cows, but by the late 1920s, the smaller north country cheese factories began to close, partly because automobiles and trucks made it easier to ship milk longer distances to larger plants, coupled with an overall steady decline of farms in the early 1900s.

By 1940, the number of dairy farms in Jefferson County dropped by 30 percent;

By 1892 there were 126 cheese plants in Jefferson County, which combined to produce a staggering 12 million pounds of cheese.

Lewis County by 44 percent; and St. Lawrence County by 26 percent.

Cheese production in Jefferson County dropped to 9.9 million pounds in 1947 between 16 facilities, but shot up to 36.3 million pounds between two factories in 1975.

Lewis County produced 1.4 million pounds of cheese in 1845. The county had 89 cheese factories making 8.7 million pounds of cheese in 1892. In 1975, with only three cheese makers, the county made 61.3 million pounds.

St. Lawrence County produced 1.3 million pounds of cheese in 1845 and had only four factories in 1865, making 2.9 million pounds. But by 1892, the county had 125 factories making 14.7 million pounds.

A cheese plant once operated on nearly every rural corner when farmers needed to bring their milk to a manufacturing plant that was as close as possible. Over the years however, the industry evolved. While some plants got bigger and modernized, most shut down. But the turn of the century was surely the heyday for north country cheese making. After all, a 12-ton cheese is certainly worthy of a blue ribbon. n GRACE E. JOHNSTON is staff writer and editorial assistant for NNY Magazines. Contact her at gjohnston@wdt.net or 315-661-2381.

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.

45th Annual Juried

Art & Craft Show AUGUST 1, 2 & 3

Fri. & Sat. - 9am-5pm Sun. - 9am-4pm

Admission $5, Children FREE Military Discount ~ FREE Parking in the Back

AROUND 100 VENDORS Including the Wineries!

Pottery • Paintings • Quilters • Woodworkers Basket Makers • Linens • Leather Goods • Soaps Glass Work • Stone Work • Jewelry Designers Lotions • Metal Works • Food Vendors • Traditional Agriculture • Homemade Crafts and More!

30950 Rte. 180, LaFargeville, NY

July 2014 | NNY Business

| 53

W HAT ’ S HAPPENING HERE ?

SONIC DRIVE-IN WHAT: Sonic Drive-In: The Oklahoma fast-food restaurant chain that bills itself as America’s drive-in, known for its carhops and large outdoor patios.

WHERE: Outer pad in City Center Plaza, near Interstate 81.

DEVELOPER: Rochester franchisee Fran DeSimone SIZE: 48-seat, 2,580-square-foot restaurant with dining room.

BUILDER: Maggar Management and Development, Rochester, general contractor. The firm has also hired a number of local subcontractors to help with the construction.

COMPLETION: August 2014 LOCAL JOBS: Initial staff of about 100, with an anticipated permament staff of 50 full and part-time workers.

FEATURES: The drive-in’s menu will include breakfast burritos, hamburgers, chicken and chicken tenders and 1,360,000 possible combinations of drinks because customers can mix and match flavors.

Strategic Solutions for a Wide Range of Customers, Industries and Applicants.

Business, Campuses, Indoors and Out

KEN EYSAMAN | NNY BUSINESS

Construction on the north country’s first Sonic Drive-In at the entrance to Watertown’s City Center Plaza is progressing for an August opening. The Oklahoma-based chain is expected to employ about 50 people.

“LIVE R EMOTE V SMARTFROM YOUR IEW PHONE , OR LAP TABLET, TOP”

We work closely with you to assess your needs and customize innovative solutions to meet your expectations.

• Video Surveillance • IP Infrastructure • Access Control • Recording and Management • Incident Response and Notification • Wireless or Wired

Watertown, NY 22746 Plaza Drive Toll Free: 877-417-2346 Phone: 315-782-2422 Also located in Troy & Plattsburgh

54 | NNY Business | July 2014

www.wellscomm.com

I

N E X T MO NT H

n August — our annual health care issue — we examine the future of care in Northern New York on the heels of a report by the North Country Health Systems Redesign Commission that recommends changes in rural health care delivery.

Also coming next month: n HOPE FOR HOSPICE: Three years after opening a new eight-bed residence near Thompson Park, Hospice of Jefferson County is seeing support for its services grow. n SPREADING A NEW WING: In July, Ogdensburg’s Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center cut the ribbon on a new $4.7m radiation oncology wing. n 20 QUESTIONS: An in-depth interview with a north country business leader. n PLUS: NNY Snapshot, Economically Speaking, Small Business Start-up, Commerce Corner, Nonprofits Today, Business Tech Bytes, Small Business Success, Real Estate, Agri-Business, Business History and Business Scene. n VISIT US ONLINE at www.nnybizmag.com.

Follow us on Twitter for daily updates at @NNYBusinessMag, like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/nnybusiness, and view eEditions at www.issuu.com/NNYBusiness.

July 2014 | NNY Business

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BusIness

www.nnybizmag.com

260 Washington St. Watertown, NY 13601

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED