B
Y usIness
// 20 QUESTIONS INTERVIEW: Jeff Garnsey, St. Lawrence River captain pg. 28
MAY 2017 Volume 7 No. 6
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Inside MAY 2017 13
18 46 14 |
COVER |
18 SHIPPING OUTLOOK 2017 shipping season shows that commerce along the St. Lawrence Seaway is strong. |
BUSINESS BRIEFCASE |
12 17K DONATION Watertown City Schools donate to United Way of NNY |
SMALL BIZ STARTUP |
13 SCENARIO ROOMS Tactics Live in Potsdam provides team-building and family fun.
|
FEATURES |
14 ABM CELEBRATES 50TH Antique Boat Museum celebrates birthday milestone. 46 CRUSING THE ISLANDS The Pear Mist visits Clayton port bringing in tourism and commerce to area businesses. |
TOP TRANSACTIONS |
29 JEFFERSON COUNTY The top 10 property sales in Jefferson County topped more than $3 million in February.
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BUSINESS SCENE |
44 NETWORKING, NNY STYLE From Jefferson to St. Lawrence Counties, businessmen and women connect for success. | REAL ESTATE QUARTERLY |
24 QUARTER ONE SALES RECAP Real estate market sees increase in sales. |
ONLINE |
NNYBIZMAG.COM Connect with us online for daily updates, more photos and exclusive Web content.
May 2017 | NNY Business
|5
CONTRIBUTORS
BusIness www.nnybizmag.com
Lance M. Evans is executive officer for the Jefferson-Lewis and St. Lawrence County Board of Realtors. Each month he writes Real Estate Roundup.
Holly C. Boname is associate magazine editor for NNY Magazines. This month she writes Small Business Startup Tactics in Potsdam, NY.
Norah Machia is a freelance writer and veteran Watertown Daily Times reporter. This month she writes about green education at area colleges.
Chairman of the Board John B. Johnson Jr.
Editor & Publisher John B. Johnson
Co-Publisher
Harold B. Johnson II
Magazine Editor Brian Kelly
Magazine Associate Editor Holly C. Boname
Editorial Design Holly C. Boname
Jay Matteson is the agricultural coordinator for the Jefferson County Industrial Development Corp. Each month his column Agribusiness is featured.
Jennifer McCluskey is a certified business advisor with the New York State Small Business Development Center at SUNY Canton.
Rande Richardson is executive director of the Northern New York Community Foundation.
Photography
Amanda Morrison, Justin Sorensen, Chris Lenney
Director of Advertising Michelle Bowers
Advertising Graphics
Brian Mitchell, Rick Gaskin, Heather O’Driscoll, Scott Smith, Todd Soules
Circulation Director Mary Sawyer
Marcus Wolfe is a staff reporter for the Watertown Daily Times and contributor to NNY Business Magazine’s real estate quarterly.
Joleene Moody is a freelance writer who lives in Pulaski with her husband and daughter. Each month her column Entrepreneur’s Edge is featured.
Brooke Rouse is executive director for the St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce.
MARKETPLACE
1000 Islands River Rat Cheese ..........................3 Alpine Seeding Company ............................33 American Paving ...........................................42 Antique Boat Museum ...................................27 Bach and Co. ...................................................3 Bonnie Castle Resort & Marina .......................29 Caskinette’s Ford ...........................................39 Cheney Tire ....................................................43 Clayton Chamber of Commerce ...................4 Clayton Dental Office .....................................3 Coleman’s Corner .........................................41 Conboy, McKay, Bachman & Kendall, LLP .48 Dr. Guitar Music ..............................................33 Eagle Shoppe ...................................................3 Employment Opportunities ............................47 Fairgrounds Inn ..............................................41 Fuccillo Auto ..................................................41 GoodFellos .....................................................41 Goodrich Refrigeration .................................33 H.D. Goodale Co. ..........................................33 High Tower The Morgia Group ......................32 Hilda’s.................................................................3 Hospice of Jefferson County ..........................26 LP Builders .........................................................3
6 | NNY Business | May 2017
Nortz & Virkler .................................................41 Overhead Door Company ............................33 Pearl’s Pastry Shoppe ....................................41 RBC Wealth Management ..............................9 Rusty Johnson Masonry ...................................3 Schonfield Dental ..........................................33 Sea Comm .....................................................28 Shred Con .........................................................4 Slack Chemical Co. ......................................34 Snapshots Photo Booth ..................................35 Spring Valley Garden Center .......................33 State Farm Insurance ....................................33 T.F. Wright & Sons ............................................12 Tunes 92.5 .........................................................8 Waite Motorsports ..........................................44 Waite Toyota ..................................................44 Watertown Industrial Center Local Development Corp. ..............................7 Watertown Savings Bank ................................2 Watertown Spring and Alignment .................41 Wood Boat Brewery ........................................3 WWTI ABC50 ...................................................40 Ziebart .............................................................41
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. © 2010-2017. 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 hboname@wdt.net Advertising For advertising rates and information in Jefferson and Lewis counties, email mbowers@wdt.net, or call 315-661-2345 In St. Lawrence County, e-mail blabrake@ogd.com, or call 315-661-2507 Printed with pride in U.S.A. at Vanguard Printing LLC, Ithaca, N.Y., a Forest Stewardship Certified facility. Please recycle this magazine.
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INTERVIEW
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ABOUT THE COVER
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30 LIFELONG NAVIGATOR Jeff Garnsey, of Garnsey’s Clayton Island Cruises, recalls life along the river, discusses his career in the U.S. Navy and how it landed him back in his hometown living his dream job.
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COLUMNS
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26 NONPROFITS TODAY 27 AGRIBUSINESS 36 BUSINESS HISTORY |
DEPARTMENTS
8 9 10 12
39 SMALL BUSINESS SUCCESS 35 ENTREPRENEUR’S EDGE 34 COMMERCE CORNER
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EDITOR’S NOTE PEOPLE ON THE MOVE ECONOMIC SNAPSHOT BUSINESS BRIEFCASE
13 28 42 44
SMALL BIZ STARTUP REAL ESTATE ROUNDUP CALENDAR BUSINESS SCENE
For this month’s cover story, NNY Business focuses on the St. Lawrence Seaway and the prospects for additional commerce on the system. The Antique Boat Museum celebrates its 50th birthday and prepares for a busy 2017 season with increased tourism and cruise ships docking in the river town of Clayton.
May 2017 | NNY Business
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E DI T OR ’ S NOTE
T
he development of the St. Lawrence Seaway in the 1950s came with great promise for the north country. My memory may be a little spotty on this, but I seem to recall that both the Seaway and the accompanying Robert Moses-Robert H. Saunders Power dam were featured on the “Watertown – City of the Future” signs that once dotted entrances to the city. The Seaway’s lock system in Massena and the New York Power Authority’s hydroelectric project there have provided hundreds of good jobs over the years, as have ports in Ogdensburg and Oswego. A hardy contingent of ship captains have enjoyed long careers as pilots on the system. But the further you move inland, the local benefits become harder to see. The ships traveling along the St. Lawrence River through the area can make for fascinating scenery, but they come with a reminder that a grounding could cause an ecological disaster on the waterway and the ships have been widely blamed for introducing invasive species into the system. While the local benefits may not be apparent, the Seaway’s importance to the American and Canadian economies remains undisputed. According to
statistics compiled for the Great Lakes Seaway Partnership, the Seaway was responsible for 2,000 jobs in New York state in 2016. Shipping activity created $174 million in personal income, $164 million in business revenue, $34 million in local purchase and $52 million in total taxes paid during the year, according to the partnership. In this issue of NNY Business, freelance writer Marc Heller, a veteran Seaway watcher based in Washington, D.C., takes a look at the system’s Brian Kelly future and the prospects for additional economic opportunities for the north country. He spoke with the acting administrator of the St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corp., Craig Middlebrook, about a new hands-free mooring system that Mr. Middlebrook believes could revolutionize shipping on the Seaway. The mooring system could help the Seaway expand project cargo and containerized
shipping, two business ventures that have failed to find traction in the system. Marc writes about an initiative known as the CenterState NY Inland Port that is hoping to create an inland port at Oswego. Such a plan could result in reducing container shipments to the New York City area by 40 percent. Also in this issue, freelance writer Joleene Moody writes about a fledgling effort to attract more cruise ships to the area. Clayton has been a port of call for a few cruise ships in recent years, with the Pearl Mist scheduled to make two visits to Frink Park this summer. While cruisers only spend a short time in the village, they create a flurry of activity and it is hoped that other cruises will join them in coming years. Finally, magazine associate editor Holly Boname sat down with Clayton’s Jeff Garnsey to talk about his life spent on the water, much of it on the St. Lawrence River. Mr. Garnsey grew up on Grindstone Island, had a long career in the U.S. Navy and has moved back to the area as a charter captain. As he tells Holly, “Now, I have probably the best job on the river.” Enjoy,
NE XT M ONTH
I
n June’s issue of NNY Business, the focus of the magazine is on the Northern New York tourism trails throughout the tri-county region.
Also coming next month: n 20 QUESTIONS: NNY Business sits down with a business leader in the community.
n PLUS: NNY Snapshot, Economically Speaking, Entrepreneur Edge, Commerce Corner, Nonprofits Today, Small Business Success, Real Estate, Agribusiness, and Business Scene. n VISIT US ONLINE at nnybizmag.com. Follow us on Twitter for daily updates at @NNYBusinessMag, like us on Facebook at facebook.com/nnybusiness, and view eEditions at issuu.com/NNYBusiness.
The Morning Drive With Ryan Grant 6 am - 10 am
Listen Live at TUNES925.COM 8 | NNY Business | May 2017
P E O P L E O N T H E M O VE Jordan Walker Joins Antique Boat Museum Staff
Got business milestones? n Share your business milestones with NNY
Business. Email news releases and photos (.jpg/300 dpi) to associate magazine editor Holly Boname at hboname@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.
Jordan A. Walker has joined the Antique Boat Museum, serving as the associate director of advancement. For the past four years, Walker has led the reunion fundraising efforts at St. Lawrence University, Canton. Prior to that, he spent time in southeastern Wisconsin and Washington, D.C., working in political fundraising. “On behalf of the Board of Trustees and ABM Staff Team, I welcome Jordan A. Walker as our new Associate Director of Advancement, filling the position I left vacant last July upon my appointment to Executive Director. I am looking forward to introducing everyone to Jordan as we enter the spring and summer seasons. We’re all working hard to make every dollar count and provide the best stewardship to our donor’s generous contributions. Bringing Jordan onboard allows more opportunities to expand our reach and provide a better platform for philanthropic possibilities at all levels,” said Rebecca Hopfinger, Executive Director. In his role at the ABM, Walker will oversee the successful Friends of the Museum program, its general membership, and further fundraising activities. Walker is a native of Rochester and earned a B.A. in politics from SUNY Potsdam. Walker and his wife Becky reside in Madrid along with their two Labrador retrievers, Remy and Zoey.
tients at Inspire’s Amherst office, located at 4330 Maple Road. “Dr. Gellert brings a level of personal care and compassion to his patients that exactly represents what we
strive for in our practice,” says Inspire Dental Managing Partner, Ron Sadler, DDS. “He is a most welcome addition to our group.” Before joining Inspire Dental Group, Dr. Gellert was an associate with Creating Dental Excellence/Dr. Thomas P. Stein and Associates in Cornwall, N.Y., and at Cornerstone Dental in Middletown. A native of Lowville, Dr. Gellert received his bachelor of science degree in biomedical science from State University of New York at Buffalo and his doctor of dental surgery degree (magna cum laude) from State University of New York at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine, where he received the Clinical Excellence Award and was accepted into Delta Sigma Delta Pi. He completed his advanced education in general dentistry residency at the U.S. Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Buffalo. Dr. Gellert is a member of Omicron Kappa Epsilon, the American Dental Association, the New York State Dental Association and the Eighth District Dental Association. He resides in the city of Buffalo.
Matthew Gellert, DDS, Joins Inspire Dental Group Inspire Dental Group, a multi-specialty dental practice with offices in Amherst and West Seneca, has announced that Matthew S. Gellert, DDS, will see pa-
May 2017 | NNY Business
|9
Average New York surrogate* price for on-highway diesel
$1.92 in March 2017 $1.90 in February 2017 $1.60 in March 2016
$2.75 in March 2017 $2.77 in February 2017 $2.25 in March 2016
20%
Average NNY price for gallon of regular unleaded gas $2.37 in March 2017 $2.41 in February 2017 $2.00 in March 2016
Vehicles crossing the Thousand Islands bridge
18.5%
136,416 in March 2017 107,498 in February 2017 131,504 in March 2016
$3.55 in March 2017 $3.46 in February 2017 $2.72 in March 2016
22.6%
Vehicles crossing the Ogdensburg-Prescott bridge 47,399 in March 2017 43,330 in February 2017 42,668 in March 2016
30.5%
Vehicles crossing the Seaway International (Massena) bridge 187,020 in March 2017 167,531 in February 2017 182,195 in March 2016
Jefferson-Lewis Board of Realtors single-family home sales 88, median price $119,500 in March 2017 62, median price $113,300 in February 2017 81, median price $84,999 in March 2016
U.S.-Canadian dollar exchange rate (Canadian dollars per U.S. dollar) $1.33 in March 2017 $1.32 in February 2017 $1.30 in March 2016
Price
St. Lawrence Board of Realtors single-family home sales 51, median price $71,400 in March 2017 46, median price $92,385 in February 2017 42, median price $76,500 in March 2016
21.4% Sales
2.3%
Source: Federal Reserve Bank of N.Y.
Nonagriculture jobs in the Jefferson-Lewis-St. Lawrence counties area, not including military positions
6.7%
92,600 in March 2017 92,200 in February 2017 94,200 in March 2017
Price
NNY unemployment rates Lewis County
New York State
United States
5.0
4.5
4.7
5.0
March 2017
February 2017
March 2016
4.4 February 2017
March 2016
4.3 March 2017
February 2017
March 2017
March 2016
February 2017
6.7
8.2
8.2
7.7 6.9 March 2017
March 2016
February 2017
6.1
7.1
8.0
9.1
St. Lawrence County
1.7%
Source: NYS Department of Labor
Source: Jefferson-Lewis / St. Lawrence boards of Realtors Inc.
Jefferson County
2.6%
Seaway International Bridge Corp.
40.6%
Sales
11%
Ogdensburg Bridge & Port Authority
Source: NYS Energy Research and Development Authority
8.6%
3.7%
Source: T.I. Bridge Authority
Average NNY price for gallon of residential propane
March 2017
ECON SNAPSHOT
Average NNY price for gallon of home heating oil $2.60 in March 2017 $2.60 in February 2017 $2.12 in March 2016
22.2%
*Prices are the composite area that includes New York, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia. Source: U.S. DOE, Energy Information Administration
Source: NYS Department of Agriculture
10 | NNY Business | April 2017
(Percent gains and losses are over 12 months)
Average per-gallon milk price paid to N.Y. dairy farmers
March 2016
NNY
Economic indicators
Source: U.S. Department of Labor and New York State Department of Labor (Not seasonally adjusted. Latest available data reported.) 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 466 in March 2017 354 in February 2017 460 in March 2016
1.3%
Trucks 147 in March 2017 74 in February 2017 106 in March 2016
NNY
38.7%
Source: Jefferson County Clerk’s Office
No airport data
n Passenger totals for Watertown International Airport were unavailable at press time this month due to a later release of information by American Airlines.
2,262 in March 2017 2,264 in February 2017 2,337 in March 2016
3.2%
Source: Social Service Depts. of Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties
DBA (doing business under an assumed name) certificates filed at the Jefferson County Clerk’s office April 1 to April 28, 2017. For a complete list of DBAs filed in past months, visit WWW.NNYBIZMAG.COM.
APR. 26: IT Solutions, 160 Ward St., Watertown, Joesph F. Thomas, 160 Ward St., Watertown. Swartzentrubers Shoes, 34606 Carter St., LaFargeville, Anna Swartzentruber, 34606 Carter St., LaFargeville, Levi J. Swartzentruber, 34606 Carter St., LaFargeville. APR. 24: Countryman Enterprises, 25704 State Route 283, Watertown, Raymond Countryman, 25704 State Route 283, Watertown, Vicki Countryman, 25704 State Route 283, Watertown. Wallaholic Outdoors Charter Service, 20740 Hadcock Road, Watertown, Kristian M. Loftus, 20740 Hadcock Road, Watertown. River Boat Trailer Maintenance, 40934 Breezy Pines Road, Clayton, Cory J. Burrows, 40934 Breezy Pines Road, Clayton. APR. 21: Just Right Services Jr’s, 352 South Real St., Cape Vincent, Calvin D. Mattison, Jr., 352 South Real St., Cape Vincent. APR. 20: NNY Misfits Softball, 435 Ambrose St., Sackets Harbor, Alicia R. Countryman, 435 Ambrose St., Sackets Harbor. Microblading By Aliyah, 93 Public Square, Watertown, Alitah M. Rogers Pacheco, 129 North Main St., Black River. APR. 19: Lawn & Order Property Maintenance, 18822 County Route 155, Watertown, Andrew McEathron, 18822 County Route 155, Watertown.
ton, Dorian B. Ladd, 38047 Windward Cliffs Lane, Clayton. Crafts and More Studio, 58 East Church St., Adams, Leanore L. Grant, 58 East Church St., Adams. Julie L. Eaton, 18052 State Route 3, Watertown, Julie L. Eaton, 18052 State Route 3, Watertown. Plaza Salon, 1312 Washington St., Watertown, Theresa D. Derrigo, 16341 Ives Street Road, Watertown. APR. 12: Grain House Grapplers Wrestling Club, 22089 State Route 11, Watertown, Rickey E. Martin, III, P.O. Box 202, Sackets Harbor, Ronald R. Crist, P.O. Box 183, Dexter. Stickels Bookkeeping & Tax Service, 221 West Lynde St., Watertown, Amanda M. Battsita, 221 West Lynde St., Watertown. APR. 11: KMH Contracting, 7706 Hayes Road, Lorraine, Kurt M. Hartley, 7706 Hayes Road, Lorraine. J+H Cornell Construction, 370 County Route 22A, Sandy Creek, Heather M. Cornell, 370 County Route 22A, Sandy Creek. A M Services, 26085 Military Road, Watertown, Austin E. Moyer, 26085 Military Road, Watertown. Lisa Catherine Services, 256 Michigan Ave., Watertown, Lisa C. Southall, 256 Michigan Ave., Watertown. APR. 10: Don’t Forget Productions, 3514 County Route 6, Hammond, David S. Wurzburg, 3514 County Route 6, Hammond.
APR. 18: Grill Master Spices, 36039 Clayton Center Road, Clayton, Jeffrey S. Helmer, 36039 Clayton Center Road, Clayton.
APR. 7: PMR’S, 21182 Salmon Run Mall Loop W., Watertown, Michael Romeo, 24353 County Route 159, Watertown, Philip Romeo, 525 Wood St., Dexter.
Cleaner Homes of Clayton, 745 Brooks Drive, Clayton, Brittany M. Best, 745 Brooks Drive, Clayton.
Theresa Redemption Co., 36074 County Route 136, Theresa, Beverly Willix, 36074 County Route 136, Theresa.
APR. 17: See Hear Speak No Evil Ink, 865 LeRay St., Watertown, Joshua Carlisle, 865 LeRay St., Watertown.
APR. 6: Smitt’s Upholstery, 13652 Fuller Road, Adams Center, John C. Smith, 13652 Fuller Road, Adams Center.
JFE Art & Collectables, 379 Club St., Cape Vincent, John F. Ebert, 426 South Market St., Cape Vincent.
TJ’s Lawn Care, 6010 State Route 11, Adams, Trevor J. Hodkinson, 6010 State Route 11, Adams.
Hardscape Customes, 133 South Orchard St., Watertown, Shammel Williams, 133 South Orchard St., Watertown.
Contessa’s Closet, 9913A Bemis Hts., Fort Drum, Juan Lopez, 9913A Bemis Hts., Fort Drum, Xiomara Lopez, 9913A Bemis Hts., Fort Drum.
Twisted Wonderland Perfumery, 39980 County Route 40, Carthage, Sahrea Ganter, 39980 County Route 40, Carthage. Good Eatons BBQ, 18052 State Route 3, Watertown, Julie Eaton, 18052 State Route 3, Watertown. BGB Contracting, 27362 State Route 180, Dexter, Steven A. Barry, 27362 State Route 180, Dexter. APR. 14: TCA Photography, 918 Academy St., Watertown, MistyAnn Thomas, 918 Academy St., Watertown, Gabrielle Thomas, 918 Academy St., Watertown. APR. 13: Thousand Islands Transport, 33 Annette St., Heuvelton, James N. Putman, 33 Annette St., Heuvelton, Darcy M. LaLonde, P.O. Box 1004, Ogdensburg.
APR. 5: Nail Shoppe, 514 Factory St., Watertown, Jodi L. Herrick, 233 Weldon Drive, Watertown. My Pineapple Baby, 770 South James St., Cape Vincent, Laura A. Wurst, 770 South James St., Cape Vincent. Wish Thai Kitchen, 1857 State St., Watertown, Woraphong Netsai, 14780 Aspen Lane, Apt E, Watertown. APR. 4: O’Connors Lawn Care, 40700 Rogers Crossing Road, Carthage, Dylan P. O’Connor, 40700 Rogers Crossing Road, Carthage. APR. 3: Coyote Flats Farm, 27847 Call Road, Evans Mills, Richard A. Thompson, 8364 South Main St., Evans Mills.
Thousand Islands Maritime, 38047 Windword Cliffs Lane, Clay-
TRANSACTIONS
DBAs
Open welfare cases in Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties
April 2017 | NNY Business
| 11
BUSINESS BRIEFCASE Watertown City School District’s United Way Campaign Raises Nearly $18K
was presented to retired board member Bob Penski. Remarks by Chamber Vice President Michelle Quinell-Gayle noted that “Bob has been known for bringing new ideas to the board meetings and continuously bringing up new opportunities to other board members and staff. “
Blevins Brothers Inc. Awarded Business of the Year
The Watertown City School District has raised nearly $18,000 that was donated to the United Way of NNY. Jo-Ann Nevin, secretary to the superintendent, and Patti LaBarr, assistant superintendent for instruction, helped lead the Watertown City School District’s United Way of NNY campaign, which generated a total of $17,597 in donations. The donation includes $6,000 to be used for the school district’s backpack program.
SLC Chamber of Commerce Presents Two Awards of Appreciation The St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce presented two appreciation awards on March 30th at their annual membership meeting at the Best Western University Inn, Canton. "The awards were designed to recognize individuals and organizations that go above and beyond for the Chamber" noted Brooke Rouse, executive director of the St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce. The 2017 Chamber Appreciation
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Award was presented to Patrick Kelly and the St. Lawrence County Industrial Development Corporation - Civic Development Corporation. Remarks presented by Chamber Secretary Lenore Vanderzee expressed that 'The CDC is in place to assist not-for profit corporations within the county through low-interest loans and operational support. In addition to the loan provided by the CDC to the Chamber in 2015, the staff at the IDA have continued to provide advising and oversight of the organization, attending numerous meetings and reviewing numerous documents for the organization. The IDA is a strong partner in economic development, and ensures the continuous participation of the chamber in overall efforts that will improve opportunities for job and business growth in the region". The 2017 “Chamber of Commerce Day” Award, a nod to the old saying ’A chamber of commerce day’ is a ‘very pleasant day with no weather concerns’,
The Greater Ogdensburg Chamber of Commerce presented the winner of the 2017 Business of the Quarter Award for the first quarter to Blevins Brothers Inc., located at 5914 Route 812, Ogdensburg.
Selection of Blevins Brothers Inc. was based on the following criteria: Blevins Brothers Inc. has bought and renovated two properties that had been vacant – the Aubuchon Hardware building and the former Wood’s Market – to expand their dealership to offer recreational vehicles and boats. They continue to offer quality vehicles and great customer service to north country residents. They also continue to support local charities and service organizations like Jules for Life, the Ogdensburg Chamber of Commerce, the Ogdensburg Boys and Girls Club Expo and OFA Sports Boosters.
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12 | NNY Business | May 2017
SMAL L BU SIN E SS S TA RT UP BUSINESS
Tactics
INITIAL IDEA
A new downtown Potsdam business is challenging the minds of visitors with scenarios and puzzles that need to be solved before the clock runs out. Kevin Daniels, owner, opened Tactics, located at 5 Market St., in Potsdam, after friends had played the games in Montreal and reported back with enthusiastic reviews. “They came back and said you have to come with us,” said Mr. Daniels. “It’s creative, it’s problem solving, it’s teamwork, all the things we love. So we went to Montreal and loved it so much.” Right in the middle of the game, Mr. Daniels said that he and his partner began to think that this could be a business that downtown Potsdam could benefit from. “On the way back I was in the backseat drafting up plans,” he said. And at that moment Tactics became a reality. The business offers tactical team-building experiences featuring wildly realistic scenarios staged in different rooms set with themes. The rooms range from an art heist to clients being locked in jail cells, all while on the clock trying to solve the scenario to end the puzzle.
TARGET CLIENTELE
The business since its launch in November 2016 has seen success with team-building with local businesses, college classes and even high school students. But the games are not just team-building exercises says Mr. Daniels. “What is unique is that it is different all across the board. People ask us generally “are students your target market?” and the truth is they are, but I wouldn’t call that the target market. We serve all markets, a lot of team-building with businesses. It’s widely accepted and people are coming back because they find it helpful for their businesses. We also have a lot of families that come in, so as far as the ages, even young kids can contribute to the game, no matter what age people are having fun,” he said. Born and raised in Potsdam, Mr. Daniels says the whole reason he and his partner decided to start the business was because he had always wished there was more for people do to in downtown Potsdam. “I always said I wished there was more to do here, that there was more activities and some out-of-the-box things we didn’t have to travel for,” he said. “We had to
make sure we came up with a viable business model, we had to make sure that this could work in Potsdam.” He says that clients have ranged from families to schools, dance troops, sports teams and businesses and they continue to grow and expand into different markets. “Everything you need will be in the game. There are people who will have different skill sets that will lend to a different game,” he said. “But each of the games are different, one might be more hands on and one might be a little more analytical thinking and that’s really CHRISTOPHER LENNEY n NNY BUSINESS why coming as a Kevin Daniels, owner of Tactics Live Adventure & Escape Games, stands in the Outbreak team really helps Laboratory at his new downtown business at 5 Market St. in Potsdam. because people think about things differently and they are able to work IN FIVE YEARS through it faster. “ While business continues to grow for Mr. Daniels he says it truly is the expansion THE JOURNEY and development into the second floor that Mr. Daniels knew about the two-story he looks forward to. space that now houses Tactics. Meeting “In five years, we would love to have with the owner they looked at alternative expanded to the second floor. We would spaces, but the open-air industrial feeling love to be a full operation with at least building had the space that Mr. Daniels eight games at which point we would felt could be grown into as the business rotate out the games for newer versions,” expanded. he said. “We’ve tried to create a gaming “In the end we chose this space beexperience that when people enter the cause of expansion capabilities. And that room its immersive and fun and they feel was key. We wanted to know that if we like they are in this alternate reality while settled into a space and the business grew they are in the game. “ we had the options to grow with it. We Through the use of professionally have two floors the main floor and the one crafted video marketing, interactive strucabove us. It gives us the options to run up ture and other customized elements to each to eight games,” he said. individual game, Mr. Daniels says that The building holds approximately people should keep their attention on the 5,000 to 6,000 square feet. They began business as they are continuously brainwith two games and in December added storming and conjuring new elements to a third on the first floor and construction is each game. underway on the second floor where they can add the anticipated other five games. ~Holly Boname
WHERE Potsdam, NY | OPENED November 2016 | WEB tacticslive.com
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NN Y B U SINES S FEATURE
Sailing smoothly for 50 years
BY NORAH MACHIA | NNY BUSINESS
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N N Y BU SIN E SS F E AT UR E
WATERTOWN DAILY TIMES FILE PHOTO An antique motorboat speeds up the St. Lawrence River during the Antique Boat Show in Clayton.
THE ROOTS OF THE ANTIQUE BOAT MUSEUM IN CLAYTON CAN BE TRACED BACK TO A GROUP OF BOAT ENTHUSIASTS WHO HAD A GREAT DEAL OF GRIT AND DETERMINATION. THEY WANTED TO FIND A WAY FOR PEOPLE IN THE REGION TO SHOW OFF THEIR RESTORED ANTIQUE WOODEN BOATS, WHILE AT THE SAME TIME, ADMIRE AND APPRECIATE THE RESTORATION WORK DONE BY OTHERS.
In 1967, they accomplished this by forming an auxiliary of the Thousand Islands Museum to build the momentum for antique boat shows to be held yearly in Clayton. These boat shows became renowned for their magnificence and splendor, growing each year in the number of entrants and attendees. The auxiliary later went off on its own and created a permanent museum to host annual boat shows after acquiring several parcels of waterfront property. That museum, called the Thousand Islands Shipyard Museum, was established in 1971 and dedicated to helping preserve both the nautical and cultural heritage of the St. Lawrence River. During the early 1990s, the museum’s supporters and staff reexamined the mission and the future of the museum, and decided to expand its reach by featuring antique boats from throughout the United States and Canada, not just the northeastern United States. The museum was renamed the Antique Boat Museum in 1990, and also started fund-raising so it could expand its facilities for its growing collection of classic boats. The board created Friends of the Museum, a program through which benefactors could give to the museum to help establish educational programs, hire more staff and build a capital improvement fund. In the early 2000s, La Duchesse, a two-story, 12-room houseboat that had been owned by Andrew McNally III, the former president of Rand McNally, was bequeathed to the museum. The 110-foot-long- vessel was open to the public in 2005, attracting more than 11,000 visitors that first summer. Today, the Antique Boat Museum has a collection of 10 buildings on its waterfront campus, containing a total of 29,000 square feet of exhibit space and 33,000 square feet for public programs, collections storage, archives, library and administrative space. It contains more than 320 boats in its permanent collection, including runabouts, skiffs and canoes. Its collections reflect the earliest days of pleasure boating, and also showcase items such as inboard and outboard engines and motors, historic boat-building tools and equipment, and boat hardware and accessories. But the museum has remained true to its roots by continuing to host the annual antique boat show along the St. Lawrence River, drawing tourists from throughout the country and Canada. It has been designated as North America’s longest-running antique boat show.
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1. Rebecca Hopfinger, executive director of the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton, stands with boating relics in one of the showrooms. 2. An antique wood speed boat on display at the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton. 3. People gather at the St. Lawrence River for the 51st annual boat parade at the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton.
JUSTIN SORENSEN n NNY BUSINESS
The Antique Boat Museum, 750 Mary St., has a myriad of activities scheduled for a “50th Birthday Celebration” this summer, to mark the milestone of the Antique Boat Auxiliary forming in 1967. “It is a truly exciting time as we enter our next fifty years,” said Rebecca L. Hopfinger, executive director. “We have so much to be proud of and being good stewards of our collection, campus, and donor’s contributions ranks very high on the priorities.” “The Antique Boat Museum’s board of trustees and staff are dedicated to shaping the best future possible for this special museum, and celebrating with all of its supporters and the community,” she added. Margaret E. Hummel, Antique Boat Museum director of events and marketing, said the museum has planned the special “50th Birthday Celebration” for July, but is celebrating throughout the year in a number of ways. THEY INCLUDE:
• A special membership incentive to bring back past due members. For example, those dating as far back as 2007 can renew their family memberships for $50 (that membership category is typically $75). • Free admission will be offered to anyone who was born in 1967 (and is therefore also celebrating their 50th birthday this year). • The Gazette Annual, published in March, features a historical retrospective written as a team effort by staff, breaking down the museum’s history into five decades. Each staff member took on a decade to research. • A special birthday video that will debut at the museum’s 50th Birthday Party is being created and will also be available for viewing throughout the summer. • The museum will have a special 50th Birthday decal for members this year and they are being encouraged to display their decal and post a picture online using the #abm50 hashtag. The Antique Boat Museum’s “50th Birthday Party” celebration will be held on July 22 and include a variety of activities, starting with a “group row” at 8 a.m. from the museum to the Clayton Yacht Club on Bartlett Point. Participants will be given the opportunity to row one of the museum’s skiffs, or they can bring their own small craft. Museum officials are still determining the best way to bring people into the museum that day, so the fee will either be waived or there will be a nominal 50 cent admission charge, Ms. Hummel said. There will be special exhibit tours led by the museum’s curator, activities and crafts for children and families, and discounted rides on the museum’s in-water fleet boats. The evening will feature live music, a variety of food and possibly a fireworks display. Part of the celebration will also include a staff
reunion, Ms. Hummel said. “We’re encouraging everyone who has worked at the Antique Boat Museum in the past fifty years, from full-time positions to teenagers who worked summer seasonal roles, to join us at the birthday party to celebrate our connections and contributions,” Ms. Hummel said. Although many of the Antique Boat Museum’s founders are deceased, the museum is planning to invite their families and other key members of the community to the 50th Birthday celebration, in order to honor them for their roles in creating the museum, she said. “We will also be encouraging people to contribute items for a 50th Birthday Time Capsule to celebrate our history” and reflect how the museum impacted their lives, Ms. Hummel added. For more information: www.abm.org Although the 50th Birthday Celebration will recognize the establishment of the Antique Boat Auxiliary, there are a few years of history worth mentioning that lead up to that accomplishment. A Clayton man had been part of the inspiration behind the formation of the auxiliary. Allan R. Youngs had purchased a boat that had been built in 1924 by Hutchinson’s Boat Works, Alexandria Bay. It was 28 feet long and 6 feet, 6 inches wide, and named Idyll Oaks. After a yearlong restoration effort, the couple was inspired to show off their hard work. They reached out to others who shared their enthusiasm for restoring and displaying antique wooden boats, and staged the first boat show in 1964. It was some of those participants who later formed the Antique Boat Auxiliary. In The Gazette Annual 2017, staff members compiled a history of the museum. In reflecting on the name change from The Shipyard Museum to the Antique Boat Museum, it was noted that “the biggest change was one of vision and direction.” “Building on the foundation laid by a committed group of boat collectors and enthusiasts, the Board embraced professionalizing the Museum and promoting our collection and our regional boating history to a much broader audience,” it stated. In referencing the modern-day Antique Boat Museum, contributors wrote “Today, the collection continues to grow and be refined, education programs cater to a variety of interests, social media allows us to engage with audiences across the globe, and the in-water fleet program flourishes with multiple boats driven by a team of twenty volunteer captains.” “Despite a few uncertain years, stability has been reached,” staff members wrote. “The Antique Boat Museum has a rich and varied history and is grateful to its membership, trustees, staff, and volunteers for their unwavering support over the last 50 years.” May 2017 | NNY Business
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JUSTIN SORENSEN n NNY BUSINESS The 728-foot Canadian ship, Cedarglen, passes by Just Enough Room Island on its way to Silver Bay Minnesota, according to marinetraffic.com.
A SEAWAY OF
ECONOMIC
STIMULATION
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C OV E R STORY
C
raig Middlebrook admits he’s a shipping nerd. In his office at the U.S. Department of Transpor-tation, the acting administrator of the St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corp. perks up a bit in his seat when he says he’d like to share a video of big suction pads that attach ships to the sides of locks on the St. Lawrence River. The hands-free mooring system is going to help change the way shipping is done on the Sea-way, Mr. Middlebrook says as the video, accompanied by soft music but no narration, rolls. Mr. Middlebrook may not be exaggerating. Hands-free mooring may help the Seaway expand two business ventures — project cargo and containerized shipping — that have eluded the sys-tem over the years, denying
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upstate New York of economic opportunities promised to the region when the Seaway opened to ocean shipping in 1959. “For us infrastructure nerds, it’s very exciting,”Mr. Middlebrook said, adding the Seaway’s use marks the first time the rubber pad technology has been used in a lock and channel setting. After a series of design changes, he said, “this is what’s going to
work, and it’s somewhat revo-lutionary, so I think that will improve our competitiveness and the number of vessels that can use it.” The mooring system is a piece of a puzzle Seaway advocates say they’re putting together to guide the transportation route into the decades ahead. While the system will always rely heavily on bulk cargo such as grain and steel, recent innovations show that the Seaway isn’t necessarily a hostage to its past. The Dutch company Spleithoff has begun scheduled, or liner, service to the port of Cleveland and is considering a similar move in Oswego. That’s a regular part of business in major ocean ports but new to the Great Lakes, offering a more cost-effective shipping route for containers and types of cargo the system hasn’t
C O V E R S T O RY handled in great amounts. In Oswego, that could mean exports of dairy products, paper, air conditioner components and other goods, say companies looking to move goods through the port. And while Northern New York’s sole port capable of taking on ocean ships — Ogdensburg — isn’t part of that discussion, state officials see improvements at Oswego as a manufacturing boon to a large region of upstate New York. If regularly scheduled service is established on the lakes, it could spread to additional ports over time, advocates say. “It’s very encouraging, and very interesting, that the port of Oswego and their port director is ag-gressively looking at how can we be part of this.” Mr. Middlebrook said, referring to Zelko N. Kirincich, who came to Oswego from the major container port of Tampa, Fla. The Seaway has performed well at its original task as a shipping route for bulk commodities, but Spleitoff’s initiative shows that “there’s a lot more that it can do,” Middlebrook said. “There’s a lot more potential there.” Liner service doesn’t look to become a dominant way of doing business on the Seaway anytime soon, however. The system faces fundamental challenges, including the relatively small Eisenhower and Snell locks on the St. Lawrence River in Massena that shut
off the system to an in-creasing share of the world’s shipping fleet. The system closes in the winter, which has always been a hurdle for container shipping that relies on set, scheduled routes and service, said Steven Fisher, executive director of the U.S. Great Lakes Ports Association, a group that advocates for Great Lakes shipping. Even if the St. Lawrence didn’t freeze in winter, the system would have to be shut annually to allow for lock maintenance, Mr. Middlebrook said. That limitation, for instance, has stymied efforts by the St. Lawrence Industrial Development Agency to convince Alcoa to ship alumina — its chief ingredient for aluminum — through the port of Ogdensburg instead of by rail, said the organization’s executive director, Patrick Kelly. Additional challenges face ports. Container shipping requires closer inspection by U.S. Customs agents, since goods are sealed away, and the Department of Homeland Security is already shortstaffed, Mr. Fisher said. Ports also weren’t built with containerized cargo facilities, although Oswego has seen some improvements and is planning more work on rail connections to other parts of the state — particularly to the major container port of Elizabeth, N.J., — and has enlisted the help of Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and others to secure federal funding. Liner service and project cargo, which is time-sensitive, also require the system to be more reli-able, which means efficient passage through the locks, Mr. Middlebrook said. The Seaway Corp. and its Canadian counterpart, the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corp., are putting hundreds of millions of dollars into facility improvements, including the mooring
system at the U.S. locks. Of $120 million the Seaway Corp. has spent so far on asset renewal, half has gone to New York state, Mr. Middlebrook said. The work is the first major overhaul the system has seen since it opened, coming on the heels of a federal study of the system’s navigation capabilities. Bringing ships through the Seaway isn’t cheap, either. Although the U.S. did away with tolls in the 1980s, the cost of pilots to guide ships through the potentially treacherous St. Lawrence — a federal requirement — has grown and now costs more than maintaining a crew on a journey, Fisher said. Pilotage rates are negotiated between the Department of Transportation and three pilot associations, including St. Lawrence Seaway Pilots Association based in Cape Vincent. Environmental groups continue to see ocean shipping as a potential disaster on the St. Law-rence, both from groundings and from invasive species that ships can transport from foreign wa-ters — although mandated cleaning of ballast tanks and other measures have stemmed invasive species lately and the Seaway Corp. seems more environmentally aware than years ago, said Lee Willbanks, executive director of Save The River, the environmental group based in Clayton. “It only takes one ship to have a really bad day,” Mr. Willbanks said. Last year wasn’t a banner for the Seaway. Despite a record-long navigation season of 284 days, the system saw a 1.4 percent decline in goods moved through the Montreal-Lake Ontario section, for a total of 27.1 million metric tons. That’s ahead of the total 20 million tons moved in the recession-affected year of 2009, but trails the 39 million tons moved in 1998, Seaway agen-cies reported. Agricultural products accounted for 40.8 percent of cargo, the highest share in recent years, for a total of 11 million tons. Soybeans were the biggest U.S. export, at 776,636 tons, and corn was second, at 576,723 tons. Canola, a major commodity for Canada, has shown up in recent years on the U.S. side as well. Northern New York’s main exposure to cargo ships is through watching ships pass without stopping. The port of Ogdensburg saw eight inbound Seaway shipments, carrying 84,127 tons of cargo, the Seaway agencies said, providing a shipping point for grain, road salt and dried dis-tiller’s grains. The system’s bigMay 2017 | NNY Business
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CHRISTOPHER LENNEY n NNY BUSINESS Patrick Kelly CEO of the St. Lawrence County Industrial Development Agency.
C OV E R STORY
gest business is in Cleveland, Detroit and Toledo, which handle hundreds of ships a season between them. But Mr. Kelly, at the St. Lawrence Industrial Development Agency, sees potential rather than missed opportunities. “The more avenues and transportation links we have for getting material in and out of the region, the more competitive we are,” Mr. Kelly said, although he acknowledged that the system’s winter shutdown comes up in conversations with potential users. “We’re unique in that we have a port.” Seaway access and connections to freight rail are selling points in conversations with compa-nies, especially heavy industrial users, Mr. Kelly said. And officials have made improvements at the port, including a $1.8 million access road in 2012, allowing for bigger cargo. Ocean vessel traffic through the port hasn’t seen much change; the Seaway agencies said cargo tonnage in 2016 dipped by almost 5,000 tons from a year earlier; totals were 22 | NNY Business | May 2017
over 100,000 tons in 2011 and 2010, before the road was built. The port’s worst recent year was 2014, when officials reported just two inbound shipments and a total of 42,343 tons of cargo. Fluctuations in cargo are business as usual on the Seaway. The system has long been depend-ent upon the greater U.S. economy and on trade patterns for specific commodities. Grain ship-ments to the former Soviet Union were good for business decades ago. Steel imports, robust now, may be imperiled by the Trump administration’s pledge to curtail them. The decline of coal has hurt the Seaway, Fisher said, while port directors seek ways to fill the gap. “We’re a transportation system, and we serve the underlying economy,” Fisher said. “When steel thrives, we do. It’s a system that’s been dependent on coal, so as that decreases, it hurts us.” Niche markets provide some of the answer. For a few years, windmill components were good business for Odgens-
burg, making for headlines and striking pictures as they came through the port. The Seaway could also take advantage of increased global demand for organic crops and food produced without genetic engineering, said Joe Cappel, vice president of business development at the Toledo Port Authority, which deals heavily in agricultural goods and has been shipping soybeans to Japan for use in soy sauce. A single ship can take more than 800 truckloads off the highways, he said. “It’s kind of an exciting time to be part of this industry.” Container shipping, too, is niche for the moment, Mr. Fisher said. “I think everyone’s trying to figure out whether the Great Lakes can break into containerized cargo. Typically, the closure of the system in winter has foiled that.” Cleveland is leading the way on containers. Spleithoff, the Dutch company, caught on to the idea after meeting with Seaway and Cleveland representatives on a trade mission a few years ago and saw the Great Lakes as an untapped resource, Mr. Middlebrook said. The venture started with one monthly transit between Cleveland and Antwerp, Belgium, and expanded in 2015 to service every two weeks. The company calls the route the Cleveland-Europe Express, and it’s the first liner service between Europe and a Great Lakes port. Last year, the company added service to India. In Oswego, port director Mr. Kirincich is looking to catch similar business, drawing on a potential connection to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
CHRISTOPHER LENNEY n NNY BUSINESS Aerial photo of the Ogdensburg port.
He has the equipment he needs to handle container cargo, Mr. Kirincich said, but worries that the Customs Service doesn’t have the staff to perform the inspections that would be necessary for a port expansion. Great Lakes port officials say they’ve discussed that issue with federal officials; the Trump administration has so far spared Customs from the sort of deep budget cuts proposed for other agencies. Lawmakers and companies in the region have been rallying behind Oswego, part of an initiative called the CenterState NY Inland Port. The Empire State Development Corp. has estimated that an inland port at Oswego capable of taking container shipments would reduce the cost of ship-ping to the Port of New York and New Jersey by 40 percent. New York has invested tens of mil-lions of dollars in rail improvements to boost the project, but the U.S. Department of Transporta-tion hasn’t awarded Oswego the $17 million grant officials sought in 2016, and a related ware-housing and rail shipping point proposed near Syracuse has faced opposition from neighbors worried about noise and increased rail traffic. One company pinning hopes on the plan is Felix Schoeller North America, which converts and distributes specialty papers and film at a plant in Pulaski. The company brings more than 2,000 containers into the United States annually, and ready access to an inland port with rail service would make the plant more competitive
CHRISTOPHER LENNEY n NNY BUSINESS The upbound Federal Yukon transits the Dwight D. Eisenhower lock in Massena. The St. Lawrence Seaway officially opened to shipping on April 25, 1959.
while easing truck traffic, the company’s president, Mi-chael Szidat, told Mr. Kirincich in a letter of endorsement last year. However that effort plays out, the Seaway’s supporters say they sense that the system may be entering a new era of competitiveness. An infrastructure investment survey completed by Martin Associates in 2015 showed that companies invested or planned to invest $4.6 billion in ships, ports and other elements of the system from 2009 to 2013— nearly double what governments on the U.S. side of the border spent. The study found similar results for the Canadian side. “That must mean there’s anticipation of good times ahead,” Mr. Fisher said.
In the Seaway Corp. office, Mr. Middlebrook — a 20-year agency veteran who’s sitting in as administrator until the Trump administration puts someone in the job — says to mark his words as his video shows how the suction pads poke out from the walls of the dock, grabbing a vessel. They’re being installed at the Eisenhower lock this year, then at the Snell lock, and all 13 Canadian locks will have them by the end of this year, he said. “Pay attention to that,” Mr. Middlebrook said, “because I think from an infrastructure renewal standpoint and a technology standpoint, that’s going to be a game changer for us, and for the system.” May 2017 | NNY Business
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RE A L E STATE QUARTERLY
AMANDA MORRISON n NNY BUSINESS
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RE AL E STAT E Q U A RT E R LY
QUARTER ONE HOME SALES
HIGHER THAN PAST YEAR
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BY MARCUS WOLF | NNY BUSINESS
he median price and number of houses sold last quarter were up in Jefferson County compared to the first quarter sales in 2016, but the market remained relatively stable for both Lewis and St. Lawrence counties. The first-quarter median price for homes increased from the same time last year in Jefferson County by $7,325, or 6.4 percent, from $114,500 in 2015 to $121,825, according to the JeffersonLewis Board of Realtors. The number of foreclosed properties sold has either decreased from the same time last year or prospective homebuyers are purchasing them at higher prices, said Lance M. Evans, executive officer of both the JeffersonLewis and St. Lawrence county boards. “(Lending institutions) are trying to speed things up in some way to get them to the market or keep track of them,” Mr. Evans said. Vickie L. Staie, president of the Jefferson-Lewis Board of Realtors and also the owner of Staie on the Seaway Real Estate Service, said having many move-in ready houses on the market accompanied by demand has also brought up the median price. That demand also allows sellers to hold out longer for buyers who are willing to spend more. “I think we’re going to see a great year all around in the real estate world,” Ms. Staie said. The number of houses sold last quarter in Jefferson County also increased from the same time last year by 50 units, or 35.2 percent, from 142 to 192. Mr. Evans said buyers in Jefferson County will find that purchasing a home is less expensive on average than paying rent, citing three studies from
Smart Asset, ATTOM Data Solutions and Realtor.com. SmartAsset ranked Jefferson County eighth in the state in a study comparing the average rent to home prices in counties nationwide. According to SmartAsset, Jefferson County has a break-even point of 1.4 years when the cost of rent becomes greater than the cost of purchasing a home. “I’m intrigued by the fact that three different studies…all came up with the fact that it’s less expensive to buy than rent in Jefferson County,” Mr. Evans said. More active-duty military members and veterans purchased homes in the area that were $200,000 or more using loans from the Department of Veteran Affairs, Mr. Evans said. “I’m doing a lot of military appraisals,” Ms. Staie said. “That includes St. Lawrence County as well.” The median price increased slightly in Lewis County over the same period by $2,500, or 3.2 percent, from $77,500 to $80,000 said Britton A. Abbey, who owns Good Morning Realty, Lowville, with Roger L. Abbey. Mr. Abbey said the median priceper-square foot was down last quarter by 62 cents at $57.74 from $58.36 in the first quarter last year, but real estate agents sold larger homes. “It looks pretty stable value-wise,” he said. The number of homes sold in Lewis County, however, slightly decreased by seven units, or 17.5 percent, from 40 to 33. Mr. Abbey said the decrease in the number units sold was too small to determine the reasons behind it, adding that a year-to-year comparison shows that the number of units sold in Lewis
County remained relatively stable. “A decrease of seven isn’t extraordinary,” he said. In St. Lawrence County, the median price remained relatively flat compared to the first quarter in 2016, slightly increasing by $1,100, or 1.3 percent, from $84,800 to $85,900, according to the St. Lawrence County Board of Realtors. The number of units sold also stayed relatively flat in St. Lawrence County compared to the same time last year, increasing slightly by three units, or 2.4 percent, from 127 to 130. Mr. Evans said St. Lawrence Health System Inc.’s expansion project for the Canton-Potsdam Hospital brought more doctors and nurses to the county, meaning more prospective homebuyers. He also said Allegiant Air helped bolster the economy by offering flights out of the Ogdensburg International Airport, bringing more people from Canada into the area. “Real estate is a good thing to spend money on,” Mr. Evans said. Debra J. Gilson, president of the St. Lawrence Board of Realtors and a broker for County Seat Realty, could not be reached for comment. Statewide, quarterly home sales last quarter have increased from the first quarter in 2016 by 662 units, or 2.7 percent, from 24,704 units in 2016 to 25,366 units, according to the New York State Association of Realtors. The first-quarter statewide median sales price was also up last quarter by $15,000, or 6.5 percent, from $230,000 in 2016 to $245,000. The Jefferson-Lewis board has 333 members and the St. Lawrence board has 175 members, Mr. Evans said.
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NON PR OFITS TODAY
Youth Philanthropy Council Program Successful “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” –Aristotle
N
ow in its eighth year, the Northern New York Community Foundation’s Youth Philanthropy Council program continues to thrive as more and more high school students learn about the north country’s nonprofit organizations and the way they impact the lives of us all. In addition to the way it helps engage the next generation within their communities, it also helps provide valuable insight into what way they want to make their mark and change the world. This is on top of the $20,000 in grants they will award this June. We also get a glimpse into the way they prioritize and make decisions. We see what resonates with them and what types of organizations they feel provide the most value, and those they don’t. Nonprofit organizations should take note as they will eventually need to effectively engage future generations to remain relevant and supported. For some time, we have sought a way to begin engaging even younger students.
As the end of the school year approaches, an initiative is being prepared to be launched when school resumes in September. Targeted at middle school students, this new giving challenge program will be Rande Richardson a precursor to the current Youth Philanthropy Program and will help spark an increased awareness of, and interest in, the work of area organizations. The Community Foundation and Stage Notes Performance with a Purpose, who share similar objectives, will join forces for good, empowering area middle school students to identify the way they would like to see their communities enhanced. Stage Notes will dedicate $5,000 of their show proceeds this summer, combined with $5,000 from the Community Foundation. By the time we
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SERVICES AVAILABLE IN YOUR HOME OR AT THE HOSPICE RESIDENCE 26 | NNY Business | May 2017
enter the season of gratitude and giving in November and December, a total of $10,000 will be awarded to area nonprofit organizations. Students will compete for multiple, various grant awards. Although specific details will be forthcoming, the challenge will involve two major components. Seventh- and eighth-graders will be asked to write about what “community” means to them— their definition of community and what elements help make the place they live strong and vibrant. The students must then explain which nonprofit organizations they believe can best support their vision for their community in areas of both basic human needs and overall enhancement of quality of life. The winning students will visit the organizations, personally present their gifts and see with their own eyes how their sharing and caring makes a difference, recognizing that the generosity of others has made it possible. We hope this program encourages families to think about what others do to make the place they live better and the role they can play in encouraging it, today. As a society, we believe in the importance of educating the mind, and both the Community Foundation and Stage Notes want to continue to encourage fostering educating the heart. There is no better way to involve youth in making a difference than allowing them to be a part of the decision making process. We also reinforce that we are a community together and we need good citizens to perpetuate making that community the best it can be. Sure, the grants themselves will have a direct positive effect on nonprofit organizations and the work they do, but it is even more exciting to think about the long-term multiplier effect of encouraging this type of thought at a young age. We look forward to sharing the results with you. One way or another, our children’s vision for our community will become our vision for the community. These types of meaningful experiences will help provide inspiration throughout life and refine a more deliberate approach. We all have a responsibility to help ensure the community they inherit is one we all would wish for them so the phrase “good enough” is never used for the place they spend their lives. We know summer vacation is just around the corner, but you can understand why we’re already excited to get back to school! 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.
AG RIBU S I NE S S
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Farmer’s Market Season is Upon Us!
true sign that Northern New York has moved away from snow season is the beginning of farmer’s markets in May. Fresh, local produce, baked goods, potted flowers and local wine are among some of the things that visitors to a market will find. Having a great conversation with a friend, getting a bite to eat from a food vendor and sometimes enjoying musical entertainment are extras that make our local open air markets something many look forward to. The first market of the year to open is the big Watertown Farmer’s Market on Wednesdays, beginning May 24, in front of the Dulles State Office Building on Washington Street in Watertown. This market features almost everything you want from an outdoor market. Local produce, eggs, meats, wine, plants, baked products, fudge, candies, honey and many other farm products are available depending upon the time of the season. You’ll also find arts and crafts, clothing, jewelry, informational booths and many food vendors. They commonly have musicians providing live performances during the market. This market begins at 6:30 a.m. and ends at 3 p.m. The market accepts FMNP, WIC and SNAP benefits. Three markets open on Friday May 26, 2017 and run on Fridays until their end date. The Carthage Farmer’s Market is held at the Farmer’s Market pavilion on Riverside Drive from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. This market accepts FMNP benefits. The Alexandria Bay Farmer’s Market opens at 9 a.m. and ends at 3 p.m. It is located in the Kinney’s Drugs parking lot. The Alexandria Bay Market does not accept any benefit programs. If you can’t make any of the daytime markets, you might want to visit the Jefferson Bulk Milk (Cheese Store) Farmer’s Market on Route 3 in Hounsfield as they start in mid-afternoon at 2:30 p.m. and end at 6 p.m. This market accepts FMNP,WIC, and SNAP benefits. Another market that runs on Fridays but doesn’t open until June 2 is the South Jeff Chamber of Commerce Farm and Artisan Market. This is the first year for this market which will be held in the big pavilion behind the Adams Volunteer Fire Department. The South Jeff market starts at 3 p.m. and ends at 7 p.m. allowing people to visit the market after working hours. They will not be accepting any benefit programs. On Thursday, June 1, the Clayton
Farmer’s Market opens. Held in the Village Park, this market starts at 10 a.m. and ends at 4 p.m. They are not accepting any benefit programs. This beautiful location gives Jay Matteson visitors a nice chance to walk around downtown Clayton and view the mighty St. Lawrence River. Saturdays are also a busy farmer’s market day. The earliest market opens at 9 a.m. in the pavilion at J.B. Wise Place behind Public Square in Watertown. The Saturday Farmer’s Market opens at 9 a.m. and ends at 2 p.m., beginning on June 3. This market accepts FMNP, WIC and SNAP benefits. Starting June 17 on the Village Green in Cape Vincent, you will find the Cape Vincent Farmer’s Market. This market opens at 10 a.m. and ends
at 4 p.m. They do not accept any benefit programs. A new farmer’s market in Jefferson County is at one of our newest farm wineries. The Busted Farmer’s Market is hosted at the Busted Grapes Winery at 19557 Ball Road, Black River. They are also the only market open on Sundays. Starting on June 18, they will open at 11 a.m. and end at 4 p.m. They do not accept any benefit programs. This could be a fun market to visit if you’re not doing anything on a Sunday, just don’t get busted! All of this information is available on the calendar of agricultural events found at www.jeffersoncountyagriculture.com. The list of markets is also available in the “Local Food Guide” published by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County. The local food guide will be available on their website, www.ccejefferson.org/ local-foods as soon as it is published. n JAY M. MATTESON is agricultural coordinator for the Jefferson County Local Development Corp. Contact him at coordinator@comefarmwithus.com. His column appears monthly in NNY Business.
May 2017 | NNY Business
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R EA L E STATE ROUNDUP
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To Buy or Rent, That is the Question!
recent Watertown Daily Times article cited a study by SmartAsset comparing average rent to home prices by county nationwide. In New York state, Jefferson County ranked 8th in terms of being more viable to buy than rent. According to the study, the break-even point, the point when the amount paid in rent exceeds the cost of purchasing a home, is 1.4 years. For the comparison, SmartAsset used an average price of $222,146 for a Jefferson County home with an average monthly mortgage of $558 versus an average monthly rent of $1,492. A little lower on the list was Lewis County at 22nd with a break-even point of two years. The average home price used was $178,887 with a monthly mortgage payment of $464 and $1,066 monthly rent. Coming in at 33rd in the state was St. Lawrence County. Using an average home price of $138,283, a monthly mortgage payment of $346 and monthly rent of $1,105, SmartAsset estimated that the break-even point was a little over two years. For the analysis, SmartAsset assumed a mortgage rate of 4.5 percent, closing costs of $2,000, and a 20 percent down payment when it created the above comparisons. A higher rate, a lower down payment, etc. would change these calculations. A similar study, done by ATTOM Data solutions came out in January 2017 and noted that in about two-thirds of the nation’s counties, it is more affordable to buy a home than rent. ATTOM compared rents of fair market three-bedroom properties to the monthly payments on median priced homes in 540 counties. The calculations included the cost of mortgages, property taxes, and insurance. The report also noted
28 | NNY Business | May 2017
that in about a quarter of the markets surveyed, rents are surging faster than home prices. In fact it noted that, on average, rents for a three-bedroom property rose 4.2 percent nationLance Evans wide. While ATTOM did not look at St. Lawrence or Lewis counties, Jefferson County was included. Like SmartAsset, ATTOM found that it was more affordable to buy than rent in the county. They estimate that a buyer will spend about 26.8 percent of the average wage when buying a median priced home ($129,000) in Jefferson County while it takes 44.8 percent of wages to rent a three-bedroom dwelling at a median rent of $1,492. ATTOM’s study showed that in other areas of the state, for instance many of the Hudson River Valley markets, it is less expensive to rent. The analysis incorporated recently released fair market rent data for 2017 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, wage data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and public record sales deed data from RealtyTrac in counties with at least 900 home sales in 2016. A third analysis by realtor.com showed that in all three counties, it is less expensive to buy than rent. In fact, Jefferson and St. Lawrence counties are numbers three and four in the state with Jefferson County buyers using twenty-two percent of income while renters used thirty percent. St. Lawrence County had a narrower gap of 6
percent with a buyer needing to spend 16 percent of income to buy and 20 percent to rent. Lewis County was also less expensive to buy with a 2 percent gap. Clearly, it is currently less expensive to buy than to rent in our area. So what should you do? Look at your circumstances including income and debt, consider the alternatives, and if you think you might be interested in buying a property, check with a mortgage professional and an area Realtor. Jennifer Stevenson, licensed real estate broker and owner of Blue Heron Realty in Ogdensburg, has been nominated as 2018 secretary-treasurer of the New York State Association of Realtors (NYSAR) a not-forprofit trade organization representing more than 53,000 of New York State’s real estate professionals. Ms. Stevenson, a member of the St. Lawrence County Board of Realtors since 1989, has served in many capacities at the local, state, and national levels of the Realtor Association. She is a past president of the St. Lawrence County Board of Realtors and served on the Association’s board of directors for over 25 years. In addition, she has chaired several NYSAR committees, and participates in the National Association of Realtors meetings. Locally she serves on the Ogdensburg City Council, is active in Rotary, and participates on St. Lawrence County’s Fair Housing Task Force among other activities. The elections will take place on September 27 at the NYSAR Board of Directors meeting. n LANCE M. EVANS is the executive officer of the Jefferson-Lewis Board of Realtors and the St. Lawrence County Board of Realtors. Contact him at levans@nnymls.com. His column appears monthly in NNY Business.
R E A L ES TATE / TOP T RAN SAC T IO N S The following property sales were recorded in the Jefferson County Clerk’s Office in the month of March: $724,585: Mar. 17, Town of Pamelia: No acreage listed, 27090 Perch Lake Road, Cynthia M. McKenzie, Watertown, as referee for Lisa S. Sampson and Edward J. Sampson, sold to U.S. Bank N.A., no address listed. $625,000: Mar. 10, City of Watertown: 0.529 acres, 273 Paddock St., River Rat Properties Inc., Watertown, sold to North Country Apartments LLC, Watertown. $480,000: Mar. 2, Town of Hounsfield: 0.41 acres, Storrs Road, Lawrence G. Woodruff Jr. and Kathleen A. Woodruff, Sackets Harbor, sold to Hayward B. Arthur III and Beth A. Arthur, Sackets Harbor. $309,454: Mar. 17, City of Watertown: 0.498 acres, Mullin Street at Sherman Street, Tanglewood Properties LLC, Kingston, Mass., sold to Watertown Holdings LLC, Watertown. $289,900: Mar. 1, Village of Sackets Harbor: No acreage listed, Broad Street, H. Bradford Arthur III and Beth A. Arthur, Sackets Harbor, sold to Cassidy Smith and Noah M. Smith, Evans Mills.
$299,900: Feb. 6, Town of Hammond: 0.08 of an acre more or less, known as Island Number 30 and Island Number 31, bounded by Dakes Bay and Chippewa Bay, Michael J. Greaney, Hammond, sold to Twin Arrow Island LLC, Buffalo. $284,542.86: Feb. 6, Town of Hopkinton: 3 Parcels, unknown acres, Section 25, bounded by Lake Ozonia and Hopkinton Point (foreclosure), Thomas R. Adams (referee in action), Susan A. and Joseph F. Bick, no address given, sold to Federal National Mortgage Association, Philadelphia, Pa. $240,000: Feb. 7, Town of Hammond: 0.87 of an acre more or less, bounded by New Road, D. B. River Properties LLC, Boonville, sold to Brian C. and Pamela O. Alessi, Blossvale. $157,000: Feb. 6, Town of Colton: Parcel 1) 0.344 of an acre more or less, Parcel 2) 0.20 of an acre more or less, Parcel 3) Unknown acres, Section 14, bounded by State Highway 56 and Higley Flow, Matthew L. and Kathryn Z. Winters, Wynnewood, Pa., sold to Randy and Mary Beth Sieminski, Canton. $208,000: Feb 2, Town of Canton: 5.14 acres more or less, Mile Square 3, bounded by Pike Road, Steven G. Horwitz, Indianapo-
$282,000: Mar. 3, Village of Carthage: No acreage listed, 268 to 270 State St., Duane R. Hoch and Tracy L. Hoch, Castorland, sold to Hawk Rental Properties LLC, LaFargeville.
lis, Ind., sold to Geoffrey C. and Vania M. Fulen, Canton. $147,500: Feb. 2, Village of Canton: Unknown acres, bounded by Judson Street, John Maisonneuve and Yoko Chiba, Canton, sold to Myles Gustafson and Jennifer Sovde, Canton. $130,000: Feb. 6, Town of Colton: 2 Parcels, unknown acres, Section 20, bounded by Colton-South Colton State Highway, Claire Williams, Ogdensburg, Marsha Widrick, Rochester, Michelle Ramsdell, Massena, and Fernande A. Widrick, Ogdensburg, sold to Charles Bullard, Queensbury. $122,500: Feb. 2, Village of Brasher: 0.26 of an acre more or less, bounded by Route 11, Patricia Roach, Brasher Falls, sold to Mark and Candy Michaud, Potsdam. $100,000: Feb. 1, Town of Potsdam: 1.492 acres more or less, bounded by St. Lawrence County Route 59, William L. and Chrystal L. Hayman, Potsdam, sold to Ryan Daniels, Norwood. $95,000: Feb. 7, Village of Potsdam: 0.34 of an acre more or less, bounded by Bay Street and Pierrepont Avenue, Ronald R. Page, Potsdam, sold to Ali Boolani, Potsdam.
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$273,389: Mar. 2, Hamlet of LaFargeville, Town of Orleans: No acreage listed, 36377 Sarah Lane, Jon Kent Holcombe, Wellesley Island, as referee for Jeffrey Edwards II and Marquitta A. Kelly, sold to Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Nashville, Tenn. $266,950: Mar. 23, City of Watertown: No acreage listed, 117 Ward St., Daniel S. Dickinson, Watertown, as referee for Matthew A. Kunkel and Creea L. Kunkel, sold to PennyMac Loan Services LLC, Westlake Village, Calif. $246,000: Mar. 21, Town of LeRay: 0.627 acres, Victory Lane, Converse Construction Don Inc., Watertown, sold to Jason T. Blashka, Watertown. $255,000: Mar. 27, Town of Watertown: 3.9 acres, Old Rome State Road, Keith R. Doney and Leisa M. Doney, Watertown, sold to David M. Shannon and Angelina R. Shannon, Watertown. The following property sales were recorded in the St. Lawrence County Clerk’s Office in the month of February:
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May 2017 | NNY Business
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20 QU E STIONS
HOLLY BONAME n NNY BUSINESS
LIFELONG NAVIGATOR
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rowing up along the St. Lawrence River, Jeff Garnsey comes from a long line of outdoor guides and navigators. Today, after 26 years of serving with the U.S. Navy, he is fufilling his dream of continuing the family tradition and is a master captain and guide operating Garnsey’s Classic Island Cruises throughout the Thousand Islands region. We spoke with Mr. Garnsey about his career path and life on the water. NNYB: You’re a native and long-time resident of the Thousand Islands with a family that has navigated the St. Lawrence River for nine generations. How did you get your start as a guide on the St. Lawrence River? GARNSEY: My grandfather, when I was ten, gave me a little Barlow knife and showed me how to clean fish and told me “no matter what your education ends up being you’ll be able to get anything you want if you know how to use this.” And it was from that point that I would show up down on the docks and clean the guides’ fish and I’d clean their boats, and I’d put their fish into Ziplock bags and take them down to Bertrands and I could make about $10 a boat per day. And within a year I had my first outboard that I bought brand new here at the Montgomery Ward. NNYB: What does it mean to you to come from a family of navigators?
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n NNY guide spends lifetime navigating the St. Lawrence, follows in family footsteps GARNSEY: It means that I am attached to something specific, that I belong somewhere. I get a sense that this is where I am supposed to be, which is why I decided to come back. NNYB: When did you join the U.S. Navy and how did that shape your career? GARNSEY: I joined in 1983, I left right out of high school and that was kind of an extension of the lesson that my grandfather taught me ¬– that you could get anything you wanted as long as you worked in that direction. And really that is what shaped everything since then, that nothing is out of reach. NNYB: What experiences did you have in the Navy that mirror navigation along the St. Lawrence? GARNSEY: We traveled in an awful lot of shallow waters, we operated close to shore, so even though I was at sea for 26 years a great deal of that was littoral ops and so that made me comfortable navigating close to possible dangerous surroundings. NNYB: What is a master captain’s license and what does that mean for you as a captain? GARNSEY: Well, master captain’s license is
like the pinnacle of a licensed guide to navigate. You have a six- passenger, which is just a license to operate – and I don’t mean just to minimize – it’s the ground floor six- passenger, but when you step up into the masters then you are taking on an increased amount of responsibility and obviously the education required is a bit more. It’s like the top of the food chain for navigators. NNYB: What is your career today? GARNSEY: Now, I have probably the best job on the river. There is nobody that I would ever even consider trading places for even for a day. I get to spend my summers sharing the paradise that is our home with new friends who are only a stranger until they step onto the boat. NNYB: With your wide knowledge of the St. Lawrence River and its history what does it mean to you to be able to utilize antique boats in your daily navigation? GARNSEY: It’s part of my makeup. I can’t picture myself being out there anywhere on the river without them, because they are as much – the Muskie and the Fin and Feather – are as much a part of me as my fingers and my toes are. NNYB: Navigation rules on the St. Lawrence
2 0 Q U E S T I O NS River have changed throughout the years. From your start as a captain to now, what is the greatest change? GARNSEY: Probably the water levels. I would say, that has been, if I could put my finger on one thing that has had a more profound, or will have a profound, difference in our river and the way we live with it, it would be the new water levels because it restores a more natural flow as to what it should be, and not what we want to make it. NNYB: You’ve advocated very strongly for Plan 2014, will that be a big game changer for everyone? GARNSEY: Absolutely. The unfortunate thing is you won’t’ be able to just look out off your dock and see the significance of it because the most important aspects of natural water levels and natural flows happen under the surface out where the fish are spawning. NNYB: How have environmental laws and regulations effected the fish population? GARNSEY: That’s probably the one reason that I became so heavily involved with Save the River, was because out where I lived, out on the head of the island, that was the most prolific spawning grounds for cold water spawners in the entire river basin. And the cold water spawners are near and dear to my heart, those are the northern pike and the muskies. And in my lifetime, almost 70 percent of the population has been lost in the river. So, I’ve watched us come to the brink and now we are on the other side and hopefully the population will begin to rebound.
NNYB: Shipping on the St. Lawrence is something that area residents are accustom to seeing daily on the waters. How does that affect guiding and navigation on the river? GARNSEY: It’s part of it, it’s part of a partnership. It always kind of boils my blood to hear someone refer to it as a seaway because that says that it is just a highway for ships and really they are a guest in our home. I am not even for a second saying that I don’t appreciate them carrying commerce up the river, but they should be a good custodian of a place you visit – so as long as they abide by the rules and don’t dump their bilges and bring in any more invasive species we are going to be okay. NNYB: What organizations are you a part of that lend well to your career as a guide and advocate for the St. Lawrence River? GARNSEY: First and most importantly, Save the River, has taught me good stewardship and the impact of my life on my surroundings. As a member of the 1000 Islands Museum's board of directors, as well as head of the Muskie Hall of Fame, I have learned the value and benefits of keeping our river's history alive. As a member of Rotary, I have learned why it is so important to dig your heels into every project that you believe you can make a difference in. Finally, as a board member on the Clayton Chamber of Commerce, I have learned that a few good ideas and a lot of teamwork is all it takes to make our hometown one of the best in American. NNYB: Do you feel that there are appropriate regulations on the St. Lawrence River that will ensure the continuation of environmental populations?
GARNSEY: That’s kind of a double-edge sword, and it’s a yes and no. Just recently we have had the Lake Ontario Restoration Project defunded to the tune of about $300 million annually. And although the government has pulled the trigger on that it’s just a warning shot of things that are going to come down the pike if they keep heading in this direction. Unfortunately, I think in the world according to Jeff, I think we are going to have a rough four years. NNYB: New Canadian travel regulations across the U.S.-Canadian border over the last couple years have created some confusion. What do you hear from fellow navigators? GARNSEY: There is good news on the horizon. Just recently they have passed legislation on the Canadian side, and of course we tend to cohabitate relatively well, it has become up until the change, if the change actually takes place, it’s gotten so edgy on the border that I no longer take parties into the Canadian water because you have one opportunity to make a favorable impression and risking having your party boarded and molested in any way is not the way to do it. NNYB: Are the regulations changing the way guides are developing their business? GARNSEY: Absolutely. Because I have to stay, well I don’t have to but I choose to stay on the American side and I know full well that there are spots on any given day on the Canadaian side that I know I could probably do more, but because the rules have changed really drastically in the last several years, we can’t carry alcohol across the border and if somebody saves all year to come up and hire a professional fishing guide they would like to have a frosty beverage. You can’t carry live bait across the border and it’s not like it is not going to swim across the border anyway, but they’re not deemed as appropriate for fishing in the Canadian waters. So they have
The Jeff Garnsey File AGE: 53 JOB: Owner and operator of Garnsey’s Classic Clayton Island Cruises. FAMILY: Wife, Julie; children, Joshua, 28, Elise, 26. HOMETOWN: Clayton EDUCATION: Studied at Johnson & Wales, and San Diego City College. Certified as a master food service executive through the International Food Service Federation. CAREER: United States Navy submarine service. Retired after 26 years as a master chief petty officer, the highest enlisted rank.
HOLLY BONAME n NNY BUSINESS
LAST BOOK YOU’VE READ AND WOULD RECOMMEND: The last book I read was “Always Make Your Bed,” by Admiral William H. McRavin. May 2017 | NNY Business
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20 QU E STIONS pretty much disarmed the American fisherman. NNYB: What is the feedback that you get from your clients that experience the St. Lawrence for the first time? GARNSEY: That there is going to be a next time. It’s something that saturates your soul when you get on the river. David Dodge from the Antique Boat Museum put into words something that we have felt for years: that when you travel down the river you spend the entire time going down through Millionaires Row, down around (Boldt) castle and some of the other estates, it’s explaining the history of the
river and you talk to your clients and almost 100 percent of the time when you head back up river you don’t say a word and that’s when the river takes over. It speaks to you and it’s an alright absolute flavor, you either passionately fall in love with it or it makes no mark on you undoubtedly at all. NNYB: Do you think that your guide services and educational components help to spread conservation awareness to those who are visiting the area? GARNSEY: I am sure that it does because the days of the ‘dock rainbows’ are behind us.
When I was a youngster you used to compete with all the other guides, you’d pull into the dinner grounds or the guide grounds and everybody would spread the limit of bass and pike out on the dock and then we’d clean them. And often we’d eat 10 percent of the catch and the rest would go home with the client in a freezer bag and the next year it would get discarded when the new fish took its place in the freezer. So now we believe that a lot of the species, or I believe and it’s definitely spreading, that some of these fish are just too valuable to catch just one time and it’s as easy to just shoot a picture and release it as it is to throw it in the bait well. NNYB: How has tourism affected the St. Lawrence? GARNSEY: I think that it really is the blood that pumps through the heart of the St. Lawrence; it is the ability and the willingness of people to travel from all over the world to see our little corner. We would be completely naive to think that we could be the best kept secret in North America and survive, because we have to make our money to sustain our lifestyle and to make it to the next season. NNYB: What are the impacts of increased boating on the St. Lawrence? Are there any? GARNSEY: There is. When I was a youngster you saw the little hydrostreams buzzing around, but you could hear them coming ten miles away and there weren’t an awful lot of them. It was a much more polite type of population. Now there are jet skis going every which way, every minute of the day just about from sunup to sundown, and there are drag-exhaust boats that you know – I have no problem with loud noises, but you know there comes a time when loud is just too loud. NNYB: You spend your days seeing the sun rise and sun set over the St. Lawrence River. What does it mean to you personally to be able to spend your career on a body of water you love and respect so dearly? GARNSEY: You know, I feel like I paid the admission with the 26 years I had to spend away because I didn’t want to leave, but I knew if I wanted to be able to stay I had to. It means, like an exclamation point on my life; really the plan. You know, very seldom do you get to go where your goal takes you, usually you just end up where you end up. But I came back and I’m doing exactly what it is I planned to do, and I’m getting away with it, which is amazing! ~ Interview by Holly Boname. Edited for length and clarity to fit this space.
32 | NNY Business | May 2017
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COM M E R CE CORNER
A River between us and the largest population in Canada
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very spring, the Ottawa Travel and Vacation Show attracts over 17,000 people to explore destinations; St. Lawrence County was among them. Caribbean, African, Canadian, U.S. and East Asian destinations handed out brochures, provided tastings and talked with people, spreading awareness, ensuring their destination was top of mind in the traveler’s decisionmaking process. The St. Lawrence County booth included a display on the expanded Ogdensburg International Airport, which caught the eye of many. They were very interested in the low-cost direct flights, the opportunity to clear customs at the border and fly a domestic flight to their final US destination. For many of them, Ogdensburg is closer than Ottawa, so price and convenience are selling points. They were interested in the opportunity to spend the night before they flew, to take advantage of park- and-ride opportunities, have a nice meal and then do their shopping on their return drive. Likewise, they were excited to hear that you can now get to Baltimore from the Massena Airport. It was interesting to talk to Canadians about what brings them over the border, what discourages them, and what excites them. Like many of us, Canadians are very sensitive about their dollars. Given
the current value of their dollar, they still expressed their continued visits to shop for groceries, gas up their vehicles, and take advantage of discounted Brooke Rouse retail shopping and shipping! Not everything is cheaper, but some things still are. The year-round Vermont ski area exhibiting next to us had a
rack card promoting cycling was taken. The wide shoulders, minimal traffic and beautiful scenery is desirable to them. They were interested in the diversity and affordability of live entertainment offered through Ogdensburg Command Performance, the Orchestra of Northern New York, Community Performance Series at SUNY Potsdam and all of the festivals going on. They expressed that the closeness made it possible to take a drive to explore new places. Several families were thrilled by the idea of a short drive with the kids to get away, and feel like they are ‘in a different country’. Robert Moses State Park in Massena with the soon-to- be- open Nature Center, the Eisenhower Locks, Hawkins Point Visitors Center, campgrounds and cabins, trails and safe cycling all sounded idyllic as a summer escape from the city. Approximately 40 percent of Canada’s population lives within 200 miles of our border. In St. Lawrence County, we have two international bridges (Prescott-Ogdensburg and Cornwall-Massena). What an opportunity?
“They were very interested in the low-cost direct flights, the opportunity to clear customs at the border and fly a domestic flight to their final US destination.” sign that read ‘Canadian at Par’. I asked them how maintaining that promise has impacted their business. He said that Canadian customers are too important to their company, they need to continue that loyalty and offering that commitment is the best marketing message they can send. Some expressed concern over discrimination at the border, while others mentioned ease. People were especially excited about golfing here, the price and ability to get tee times. Nearly every
n BROOKE ROUSE is executive director of the St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Promotion Agent. She is a business owner, holds a master’s degree in tourism and is a former SUNY Canton Small Business Development Center Advisor. Contact her at brouse@ stlawrencecountychamber.org or 315-386-4000.
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E N T RE P RE N E U R’S E D G E
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Don’t Pull a “Bait and Switch”
o you know what a “bait and switch” is? If not, allow me to explain: I met a man at a networking event who expressed interest in learning more about finding paid speaking opportunities. Wanting to learn more from me, we set up a phone consultation. On the day of the call, I started the conversation the same way I always do: “So tell me what it is you struggle with the most when it comes to public speaking?” To which he replied, “Actually, I thought we could talk about maybe meeting for a cup of coffee and you could tell me more about you and what you do and you can learn more about what I do. I’m a financial advisor and maybe I can help you in some way or share things with you that, blah, blah, blah…” I stopped, pulled the phone closer to my ear and asked, “Are you trying to sell me your service? Because I did tell you about me. Extensively, last week, when we chatted. And it was there you told me you wanted guidance with finding and creating paid speaking opportunities. Did I misunderstand you?” My guy pulled a classic bait and switch, a technique some sales people use to “lure” you into a meeting with them by feigning interest in your product or service, only to turn the tables and show up with a completely different agenda. The rest of the conversation consisted of him trying to backpedal, explaining that he only wanted to network with me and that maybe my contacts would be good for him and his for me, etc. First of all, let me say that I love networking. I’m all for it. What I am not all for, however, is someone being disingenuous to get me on the phone so they can pull me in a completely different direction. It’s ugly and it lacks integrity and I highly encourage you not to do it.
but first I need to know who carries your homeowner’s insurance and what your policy number is.” I was stunned. “For what?” “So I can give you a quote.” Joleene Moody “But I didn’t ask for a quote,” I said. “And I don’t know anything about you,” she said, as if I called her abruptly out of the blue. “I can’t just have a conversation with you if I don’t know about you first.” This is just not the way to do business. Don’t pull a bait and switch on anyone. You don’t need to. You don’t need to “lure” someone to the phone by pretending you’re interested in what they do. I promise you don’t. Just be you. Be real. Authenticity will take you so much further. If you meet someone you think you can build a relationship with, just start there. Get to know them. Visit their website. Ask about their family. Maybe you go to lunch, maybe you don’t. It doesn’t matter how it unfolds. Just let it happen naturally. The referrals and the sharing will fall into place soon thereafter. HOW CAN YOU AVOID A BAIT AND SWITCH? So how does one avoid a bait and switch? For starters, be clear on what the meeting is about. After you’ve chatted and set up a time to talk, be brave and
say, “Just so I’m clear, you want to meet with me to learn more about finding paid speaking and you think I can help you…” If they stammer and stutter, it’s a sure sign they really don’t want to chat about that. Instead, they want to sell you their widgets, and haven’t figured out yet how to do it with complete integrity. If they say they just want to meet with you over coffee to get to know you better, I’ll let you make that call. I personally am very selective about who I meet with. In my humble beginnings, I met with everyone for every little thing. But today I have to have a real connection with someone before I “have coffee,” otherwise I’d spend the rest of my life in diners and coffee shops. Don’t get me wrong here, connecting is crucial. I love people. I love their stories and getting to know them. I’m just encouraging you to listen to your intuition when it comes to setting up meetings. I should have listened to my intuition when it came to the insurance guy. Something didn’t feel authentic to begin with. I ignored that. If you want to politely decline a meeting, perhaps because it’s too soon to sit down with someone or your intuition is screaming at you to run away, try something like, “I think getting to know you more would be great. We can do that during these networking meetings. I’m afraid right now I have to reserve coffee meetings for clients or for those interested in working with me.” In the end, be real. Be honest. Be true. It will take you miles further. n JOLEENE MOODY is a freelance writer, blogger, and speaker who lives in Oswego County with her husband and daughter. Learn more at: www.takeyourvoiceback.com
WHY AUTHENTICITY WORKS BETTER I think the most amusing example of a bait and switch is when I first started as a speaker. A young woman I met at an event feigned interest in learning more about becoming a paid keynote. Could I help her? Yes, absolutely. Could we talk more about it? Of course we could. We set up a time to talk. I called her at the scheduled time, reminded her of where she met me and what she wanted to talk about when she interrupted with, “We can chat, for sure,
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B USI N E SS HIS TORY
A HISTORICAL ST. LAWRENCE SEAWAY
F
BY BRIAN KELLY | NNY BUSINESS
or President Dwight D. Eisenhower, the largest construction project ever to occur in the north country was more than a triumph of engineering and industrial achievement, it was also a symbol of peace. When the former Army general attended dedication ceremonies of the St. Lawrence Seaway on June 26, 1959, he spoke of the waterway shared by the United States and Canada as an example of international cooperation for other nations to copy. "It is, above all, a magnificent symbol to the entire world of the achievements possible to democratic nations peacefully working together for the common good," he said. President Eisenhower, who was joined that day in St. Lambert, Quebec, by Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, was the first U.S. president to recognize the importance of the Seaway. He would certainly not be the last. The idea of creating a way for ships to bypass rapids on the St. Lawrence River was nearly 200 years in the making. The British, facing rebellions in its American colony, desired a quick water route between the Canadian cities of Montreal and Kingston, Ontario.
When Montreal was temporarily captured by Americans in 1775, Sir Frederick Haldimand, governor-in- chief of Quebec, pressed his government for development along the river. As a result of Haldimand's enthusiasm, British Royal Engineers began building a series of small canals to avoid the rapids between Lake St. Francis and Lake St. Louis. Improvements were made, but the transportation system was still slow and costly. In the early 1800s, Northern and Central New York became more populated. These new residents recognized the value in being able to move products - primarily lumber and wheat - by water. Construction on the Erie Canal was started in 1818 and by the mid-1830s that waterway was a threat to commerce in Canada. This prompted the Canadians to build a canal near Cornwall, Ontario, followed by others in Beauharnois, Quebec, and Williamsburg, Welland and Soulanges, Ontario. The canals were suitable for helping small boats pass through areas such as the International Rapids section of the St. Lawrence River between Massena and Cornwall, but there was soon talk by Canadian
officials of building a Canadian-owned canal system that would require U.S. boats to pay tolls. The U.S. government also coveted a shipping channel that would connect the Atlantic Ocean to the American Midwest and the idea of paying tolls to Canada did not sit well with many U.S. officials. However, this still did not justify the incredible expense of building a U.S.- owned canal and a bill proposed in the U.S. Senate in 1948 to authorize the Seaway was defeated. What made the project affordable in the eyes of U.S. legislators was its coupling with a hydropower project. Not only could the rapids be defeated for shipping purposes, their awesome force could be tamed for the generation of power. New York Gov. Thomas E. Dewey had first proposed the idea of a power project only, but it was President Harry S. Truman's opposition to this that brought about the realization that the canal/hydropower project could be done jointly. Mr. Truman was a staunch supporter of the Seaway. The International Joint Commission, created in 1909 to settle water boundary disputes between the United States and Canada, gave permission to Ontario Hydro on the Canadian side and the New York Power Authority on the American side to build a Scene of an Aug. 10, 1954, groundbreaking ceremony near Cornwall, Ontario, for the shared hydropower dam. St. Lawrence River hydroelectric project. (Watertown Daily Times archives) The lack of shopping facilities in Massena was cited in 1956 as the main complaint among the wives of workers who came for the massive project. "It's impossible for me to buy a shoe for my narrow feet in Massena," one woman told the Watertown Daily Times. "They forget there are people here earning more than $65 a week," said another. The living accommodations were not what some workers and their families were used to, but they made do. "I certainly didn't want to live in a trailer," said Mrs. Richard W. Coulter of Montpelier, Vt., in 1956. "I fought it for months, but
there just wasn't anything suitable in Massena. But now I like trailer living. If you have a sense of humor, living in a trailer community can be great." The workers, both skilled and unskilled, came for the good pay, which could average about $550 a month for a foreman. "We like the money, for one thing," Corbin J. Weed, a drill foreman from Sacramento, Calif., said, "but we also like this moving around, because it's interesting. It's just like being a prospector - hoping on hitting something on the next pull." Moving around the country was hardest for the children, said Elwood R. Hamilton, of Baudette, Minn. His daughters, Lilace, 18, and Patricia, 16, were students at Massena High School, one of several schools they had attended during their father's 12-year construction career. "The children mind it most," Mr. Hamilton said. "I wouldn't have it any other way. The work is interesting and you get to see a lot of the country." Ellen A. Rochford, a native of Brasher Falls and a graduate of St. Lawrence University, Canton, had left her teaching job in the Catskill Mountains in 1954 to work construction in Morocco. She said she was "fascinated" by construction work and returned to the north country to work in the administration section of a contractor working on the Seaway. Not all of the employees on the Seaway were traditional blue-collar workers. A large contingent of "Ivy Leaguers in hard hats" also came north to earn up to $1,000 for summer employment. The roll of schools revealed the names of Harvard, Princeton, Dartmouth, Columbia and Cornell as some of the institutions represented. There was a practical side to many of the students' work, as some were considering careers in engineering or geology. The project was hailed as one of the most successful industrial safety stories up until that time. An insurance company had calculated that on a typical project of the Seaway's size, up to 100 people would be killed. The Seaway project lost only three workers. By contrast, the Panama Canal, Hoover and Grand Coulee dams, the Colorado river aqueducts, the Oakland Bay Bridge and the Empire State Building resulted in a total of 1,544 fatalities. This figure does not include the number of those who died of yellow fever while working on the Panama Canal. The landscape along the St. Lawrence River was forever changed by the project. On the U.S. side, 60 farms and 262 camps were in the project's path and needed to be either moved or torn down. The commu-
nity of Louisville Landing near Massena ceased to exist. Including Canadian property, some 225 farm families and 500 cottage owners were displaced to make way for flooding 14,700 acres of low-lying lands. There were 19 cemeteries and some 13 miles of highway relocated. Railroad tracks, docks, boat houses, golf courses, public beaches and other facilities were moved. In all, 1,970 buildings were relocated or torn down. It will long be debated whether farmers were paid a fair price for their riverfront property. One farmer said in 1955 that he had been unable to sell his property for $10,000 five years before and Chiefs from the St. Regis Mohawk Reservation meet near Massena with Robert H. Saunders, chairman of the Ontario now was being offered Hydroelectric Power commission, and Ontario Premier $105,000 for the property. Leslie M. Frost. (Watertown Daily Times archives) However, other "This authority is no year-round Santa property owners formed Claus commissioned to pay your bills," Mr. the St. Lawrence Landowners' Association Moses said to Massena Mayor Ralph Johns. on July 4, 1954 to protest the amount they On July 1, 1958, the raising of the pool were offered for their land from the New that would become Lake St. Lawrence York Power Authority. This organization began. By the time it was finished on July served the useful purpose of allowing neighbors to blow off steam to one another, 4, 1958, the lake covered 37,500 acres and held 244 billion gallons of water. This but its formal protests fell on deaf ears. impoundment would serve as the "power "They treat us like a bunch of rubes," a pool" for producing electricity at what was landowner said to the Times in 1955. now known as the Robert Moses-Robert H. Power Authority Chairman Robert MoSaunders Power Project. ses, who said it was essential to the Seaway The damming of the river for power and hydroelectric project's time schedules production created the need for a way for to "speed up the land acquisition program" ships to bypass the dam, thus the need for made it clear he was not seeking to make a system of locks. friends in the north country. Construction on the Seaway was com "We are not diplomats. We are interested pleted in 1959. It cost more than $470 milin the long-range effects (of the projects) lion, of which the United States paid $133.8 and are not attempting to win immediate million. acclaim," he said. The Seaway system itself consists of Daniel Cuglar, whose family settled on 2,038 nautical miles, stretching from the Long Sault Island in the 1820s, said in 1955 Gulf of St. Lawrence at the Atlantic Ocean that land not needed for use in the two to the western end of Lake Superior at the projects should be offered for sale back to twin ports of Duluth, Minn., and Superior, the original owners. Mr. Moses's response was, "There always Wis. There are 17 locks to raise and lower ships along that stretch. arises a Dan Cuglar who attempts to self While Mr. Eisenhower and Britain's ishly impede progress under claim of high Queen Elizabeth II attended the Seaway's principle." opening near Montreal on June 26, 1959, it When the village of Massena asked for financial assistance from the Power Author- was up to Vice President Richard M. Nixon to handle the ceremonies the next day ity to help ease its growing pains resulting in Massena. Queen Elizabeth joined Mr. from the influx of construction workers - it doubled the size of the village's police force Nixon at the lock that bears Mr. Eisenhower's name. - Mr. Moses said the village "can't eat your Eisenhower Lock uses 22 million cake and have it too."
May 2017 | NNY Business
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B USI N E SS HIS TORY gallons of water during each transit to raise and lower ships more than 100 feet in less than 10 minutes. It can accommodate a vessel up to 740 feet in length and up to 78 feet in width. Mr. Eisenhower and Mr. Nixon were not the only U.S. presidents who looked at the Seaway as an important link to the nation's economy. President Franklin D. Roosevelt was an early supporter of the project, viewing the navigation passage as a means of defense in the unstable early 1940s. The accompanying cheap power was also of importance to him and the hydroelectric project that resulted would come to be named the St. Lawrence-Franklin D. Roosevelt Power Project. In 1954, when there was opposition to the Seaway from railroads and East Coast ports, a junior senator from Massachusetts advocated its construction. John F. Kennedy said the Seaway "is in the best interests of our country and in the best interests of Massachusetts." Texas Sen. Lyndon B. Johnson voted against the project. When Mr. Kennedy became president in 1960, he appointed Martin W. Oettershagen as the Seaway's second administrator, replacing its first administrator, Lewis G. Castle. Mr. Nixon returned to Massena in 1969, this time as president. He attended the Seaway's 10th anniversary celebration with Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. In 1984, President Ronald Reagan was invited to attend a 25th anniversary celebration of the Seaway, as was Queen Elizabeth II. Mr. Reagan declined the invitation, but sent a presidential proclamation that called the Seaway "one of man's most outstanding engineering feats" and its locks "the world's greatest waterway lifting operations." Mr. Reagan did not come north, but sent his secretary of transportation, Elizabeth H. Dole, who would mount an unsuccessful campaign for the Republican presidential nomination in 1999. Since 1959, more than 2.5 billion metric tons of international cargo - mostly bulk grain, iron ore and manufactured iron and steel - have moved through the Seaway’s locks aboard more than 200,000 ships flying the flags of over 50 nations. The value of the cargo is estimated at more than $375 billion. Most of these ships have had safe passages, but there have been groundings, oil spills, collisions and even sinkings. The first reported incident was on June 22, 1964. The Stella Dora, a 443-foot Norwegian ship, went aground on Pullman Shoal near Alexandria Bay, halting ship traffic for
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seven hours. One of the most notorious accidents occurred on April 15, 1974. A Canadian crude oil tanker, the Imperial Sarnia, went aground on Whaleback Shoal, about halfway between Alexandria Bay and Ogdensburg, spilling 1,000 gallons of crude oil. The cleanup of this spill cost more than $2 million. But this spill was topped on June 23, 1976. The barge Nepco- 140 struck Comfort Shoal off Keewaydin State Park, rupturing three cargo tanks and spilling 308,000 gallons of Venezuelan No. 6 oil into the river. The cleanup took more than a month. One ship full of oil sank in 1974, but didn't present a problem until last year. The Roy A. Jodrey, a 640- foot freighter, sank on Nov. 21, 1974, in 150 feet to 200 feet of water off the Coast Guard station on Wellesley Island. It was believed that about 40,000 gallons of oil out of 50,000 gallons were off-loaded from the ship, but it may have been less than that. Oil started bubbling from the site during the summer of 1998 and eight tanks were removed under the supervision of the U.S. Coast Guard. On June 18, 1982, Canada's luxury cruise ship Canadian Empress ran aground near Gananoque, Ontario. No oil spilled and there was only minor damage to the ship's front hull. Several ships went aground during the 1990s, without significant damage or delays resulting. On June 18, 2015, the cruise ship MS Saint Laurent struck a concrete
knee wall on the west gate of the Eisenhower Lock in Massena. The five-deck, 105-stateroom luxuryship was carrying 274 people, including passengers and crew, when it hit the lock. More than a dozen ambulances took 19 passengers and three crew members to Massena Memorial Hospital after the cruise ship struck the wall, which acted as a fender to protect the gate. Two passengers were taken by Seaway Valley Ambulance to the University of Vermont Medical Center, Burlington. The Seaway has also been blamed for introducing zebra mussels, as well as other invasive species into the St. Lawrence River. It is believed the troublesome mollusk was released into the river when a ship from Europe dumped its ballast water. Ships passing on the St. Lawrence Seaway - considered an unachievable dream even as late as the 1940s - have become such a part of the Northern New York scenery that it could easily be forgotten how vital the waterway has become for the area and the rest of the country. It is now estimated the Seaway creates nearly 100,000 jobs throughout the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River region and generates about $14 billion in personal income and $34 billion in business revenues each year. ~A version of this story by Mr. Kelly appeared in the Watertown Daily Times on Oct. 31, 1999.
Officials gather near Massena Aug. 10, 1954, for groundbreaking ceremonies for the St. Lawrence River hydroelectric project. Left to right: J.L. Dansereau, Canadian member of the International Joint Commission; Gen. A.G.L. McNaughton, chairman of the Canadian section of the IJC; Gov. Thomas E. Dewey of New York; Robert H. Saunders, chairman of the Ontario Hydroelectric Power commission; Premier Leslie M. Frost of Ontario; and Robert Moses, chairman of the New York Power Authority. (Watertown Daily Times archivesSWW)
SMAL L BU SIN E SS SUC C E S S
W
Business on the H2O Highway
e all know the routine when someone asks where we live. “New York. Not the city, no. Upstate New York. No, not Albany. Northern New York. Yeah, near Canada…” If the asker seems to have any sense of U.S. geography, we’ll then go on to explain that we live where the Great Lakes drain from Lake Ontario into the St. Lawrence River, which then goes on to the Atlantic Ocean. Many people around the world live near rivers, lakes and inland seas and share similar visual representations of their waterside characteristics like buoys, seagulls, fish, anchors etc. Here on the St. Lawrence we also have some symbols that are unique to our waterway: the lovely and graceful Thousand Islands Bridge, the beautiful and historic 1,000-plus islands themselves, and the lake- and ocean-bound commercial ships that ply the river between the Great Lakes and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Particularly between the narrow channels by Alexandria Bay and the Cape Vincent –Lake Ontario convergence, local residents and tourists can watch hundreds of ships traveling up and down the river each summer, carrying millions of tons of cargo and generating billions in revenue. Whether it’s watching the lake and river pilots change duties from the pilot station near the Cape to accessing the many ship identifier websites on the Internet like theshipwatcher.com, these freighters capture the attention and the imagination of us shoreside viewers. Besides the trade dollars generated by the waterway, these iconic ships have engendered another, more local revenue
source just by virtue of their artistic representations in the shops, galleries and restaurants that line their watery path. It may be incidental décor in a coffee shop or fine dining establishJennier McClusky ment, commercial artwork on the wall of a motel or hotel, some historic notes on a roadside sign or a display in a museum. The freighter may be featured as an embroidered or vinyl pattern on a sweatshirt, it might be represented on the side of a ceramic coffee mug or in the acrylic fob on a tourist-shop keychain. Maybe it’s part of the message on a pillow or wooden sign that reads, “What happens on the river, stays on the river.” But beyond the commercial value to selling these products to tourists, the ships have inspired dozens if not hundreds of artists to represent their images in works of art from soul-stirring photographs to skillfully rendered oil paintings, from watery watercolors to three-dimensional wooden models, from tiny ships-in-a-bottle to large sculptures. And although it didn’t happen in our piece of the waterway, one freighter in particular was immortalized in song when it sank during a storm on Lake Superior; of course we’ve all shared in a rousing chorus of “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” at one time or another. These are all tangible reminders which tourists
and visitors take back to their homes to remember their time here. In small business, a key tenet of marketing is finding your unique selling point, something that makes you stand out from other businesses selling similar products. The ships of the St. Lawrence Seaway (aka Highway H2O) surely offer something unique for the small business and artist communities along the river. They may be carrying grain, ore or other products to ports around the world or just from the cities on the Great Lakes to Montreal. They may be the huge freshly painted behemoths or the smaller rusty ones; they might be loaded deep and pushing a huge bow wave ahead of them or riding empty and lightly. They may almost take you by surprise when you hear their propellers’ deep sounds as they go by, and at night, they are like magical moving cities when they pass by with their white, green and red lights. But the ships of the Seaway are truly a part of life in Northern New York that makes it a very special place to visit, live and do business. The New York Small Business Development Center at JCC offers free, individual, confidential counseling to new or existing business owners in Jefferson and Lewis counties. For more information, contact 315-782-9262, sbdc@sunyjefferson.edu. St. Lawrence County residents can contact their SBDC at SUNY Canton, 315-386-7312, sbdc@canton.edu. n JENNIFER MCCLUSKEY is a certified business advisor with the New York State Small Business Development Center at SUNY Canton. Contact her at McCluskeyj@canton.edu.
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40 | NNY Business | May 2017
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COMMUNITY / BUSINESS CALENDAR
CAPE VINCENT SATURDAY, MAY 27 Spring Walleye and Northern Fishing Derby, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Cape Vincent Chamber of Commerce, 173 N. James St., Cape Vincent. Cash prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place largest Walleye and Northern Pike. Registration is at the Cape Vincent Chamber of Commerce office on North James Street, Roxy Hotel on Broadway, Thousand Islands Bait Store on Route 12, Alexandria Bay, Gander Mountain in Watertown, B & J Bait Shop in Dexter, Chaumont Hardware, Snug Harbor and Martin’s Marina in Mud Bay. Weigh in will be at the Cape Vincent Chamber of Commerce. There is a FREE kids perch division for children 15 and under. Cost/entry fee: $15. Info: Call the chamber of commerce for more information at 315-654-2481 or e-mail thecape@ tds.net. SATURDAY, JUNE 25 Historical Weekend, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Cape Vincent. There will be a variety of fun, exciting and informative events taking place throughout the village. An encampment, reenactment, historical walking tours, lectures, period musical performances, period watercraft, tallships and crafters village are among some of the highlights. Cost: Free. Info: 315654-2481, email thecape@tds.net or log onto www.capevincent.org. SATURDAY, JULY 9 THROUGH SUNDAY, JULY 10
49th Annual French Festival, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Cape Vincent. French pastries will go on sale at 8 a.m. at the Fire Hall on Broadway Street. Over 200 Artists and Crafters will line the streets of the village and will be selling their wares. The official opening ceremonies for the 49th Annual French Festival will be at 11a.m. at the reviewing stand in front of the American Legion on Broadway. National anthems will be sung followed by Cape Vincent’s mayor and town supervisor welcoming event attendees. Shortly following the welcome Miss French Festival 2017 will be crowned by Miss French Festival 2016. The parade begins at 2 p.m. with Napoleon leading the way. The parade will include floats, bands and over 50 units from the United States and Canada. At 4 p.m. awards will be given out to the winning floats by the French Festival Queen. From 4:15 p.m. through 6 p.m. bands will be performing in front of the reviewing stand. Cost: Free. Info: 315-654-2481.
CLAYTON THURSDAY, MAY 18 Business With a Twist, 5 to 7 p.m., Clayton Island Tours, 39621 Chateau Lane. Free networking event for Clayton Chamber members and guests. Sponsored by Clayton Island Tours. Register: 315-686-3771. FRIDAY, JUNE 9 THROUGH SUNDAY, JUNE 11 The Great New York State Food &
Wine Festival, 3 to 8 p.m. Friday; 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday; noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, Cerow Recreation Park, 615 East Line Road. This is an event celebrating quality “Made in New York” food and wine products including candy and cheeses, nuts, sauces, herbs and spices, cookies and New York state wine. Taste and buy the foods and wine of New York state. Cost: $10 adults, includes wine glass; $9 military; $5 children; children under 12 free. Info: Cerow Recreation Park, 315-686-4310 or www.1000islands-clayton.com/ foodwinefestival/. FRIDAY, JULY 15 THROUGH SATURDAY, JULY 15 49th Annual Decoy & Wildlife Art Show, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday; 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Cerow Recreation Park, 615 East Line Road. This show features decoy artists from around the world, as well as wildlife pictures and taxidermist displays. There will be hundreds of exhibitors, including national and international winners. Info: Cerow Recreation Park, 315-686-4310 or timuseum. org. FRIDAY, AUGUST 11 THROUGH SUNDAY, AUGUST 13 53rd Annual Antique Show & Sale, 6 to 8:30 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Cerow Recreation Park, 615 East Line Road. Wine and cheese preview Friday, special admission price and preview of antiques. Annual Antique show opens
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FORT DRUM TUESDAY, MAY 16 2017 Armed Forces Day Luncheon, 11:30 a.m. to 1 :30 p.m., The Commons on Fort Drum. The Armed Forces Day Luncheon is held in honor of our military service members, both in service and those retired. Cost: $22 per person; $185 for a corporate table of eight. Info: Contact the Greater Watertown-North Country Chamber of Commerce, 315-7884400.
LOWVILLE FRIDAY, JUNE 9 THROUGH SATURDAY, JUNE 10 Beaver Camp Benefit Auction, 5 to 8 p.m. Friday; 6 a.m. Saturday, Lewis County Fairgrounds. Proceeds from the auction provide critical financial support to the summer camp program. Enjoy food, conversation, food and old-fashioned community. Friday auction BBQ dinner and preview items to be sold the next day. Saturday morning start with a pancake and sausage breakfast, followed by bidding and a BBQ lunch. Donations accepted.
MASSENA
WTHURSDAY, MAY 25 2nd Annual Tourism Awards Dinner, 4:30 to 8 p.m., River Road Restaurant at the Massena Country Club, 829 State Route 131. The evening will begin with a brochure exchange at 4:30 p.m., followed by Happy Hour from 5 to 6 p.m. and dinner and award presentations from 6 to 8 p.m. Info: Jo Ann Roberts, Events Coordinator, at 315-386-4000 or by email at Jo@SLCchamber.org.
POTSDAM THURSDAY, MAY 25 2nd Annual Tourism Awards Dinner, 4:30 to 8 p.m., River Road Restaurant, located at the Massena Country Club. This year’s celebration on St. Lawrence County tourism will begin with a brochure exchange at 4:30 p.m., followed by happy hour from 5 to 6 p.m. and dinner and award presentations from 6 to 8 p.m. Info: Jo Ann Roberts, Events Coordinator, at (315) 386-4000 or by email at Jo@SLCchamber.org.
WATERTOWN SATURDAY, MAY 6 Race Against Poverty, Downtown Watertown. The Jefferson Leadership Institute’s class of 2017 will host Race Against Poverty, presented by the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices CNY Realty. The race is a spin on the ‘Amazing Race/scavenger hunt’ where teams of two compete to complete a series of events. Proceeds raised will go towards “Getting Ahead in a Just Gettin’
World” program offered by the Community Action Planning Council, the Watertown Urban Mission and the Volunteer Transportation Center. Following the race will be a community after party with live entertainment, food vendors, beverages and silent auction. Info/tickets: Eventbrite. com/e/race-against-pverty-tickets-322218356. TUESDAY, MAY 16 2017 Armed Forces Day Luncheon, Commons at Fort Drum, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The Armed Forces Day Luncheon will honor our military service members, both in service and those retired. Includes lunch: creamy parmesan penne, topped with chicken. Cost: $22 per person; $185 for corporate table of 8; Sponsor a group of 10 soldiers for $200, receive 1 seat at the head table. Info: Greater Watertown-North Country Chamber of Commerce, 315-788-4400. WEDNESDAY, MAY 17 Business After Hours Hosted by RBC Wealth Management, 5 to 7 p.m., 19485 State Route 11. Includes networking, prizes and food. Cost: preregistered members, $10; members, $12; nonmembers, $15. Info: Greater Watertown-North Country Chamber of Commerce, 315-7884400.com.
COMMUNITY / BUSINESS CALENDAR
August 12 to 13. An array of exhibitors from the U.S. and Canada. A fundraiser for the Thousand Islands Arts Center, home of the Handweaving Museum. Info: Cerow Recreation Park, 315-686-4310 or tiartscenter. org.
GOT A BUSINESS EVENT or calendar item? Email nnybusiness@wdt.net. Deadline is the 10th of each month for the following month’s issue. Visit us on Facebook at Facebook.com/NNYBusiness or nnybizmag.com for events calendar updates.
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B USI N E SS S CENE South Jeff Chamber of Commerce Open House at Peace & Wellness
From left, Beth Augustus, Carthage Savings Bank, and Lisa O’Brien, Key Bank.
From left, Tammy Frary, Watertown Correctional Facility, Hunter Brownell,
St. Lawrence Central School student, and Amy Brownell, Brasher Falls High School.
HOLLY BONAME | NNY BUSINESS
HOLLY BONAME PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS
From left, Stephen Kealy, New York State, and Julie Kealy, South Jeff School, attended the South Jeff Chamber of Commerce open house and ribbon cutting at Peace & Wellness in Adams.
From left, Bruce Letts, and Wendy Campagne, of Tully, and Jodi Herrick, of Watertown.
18014 GOODNOUGH ST., ADAMS CENTER, NY
315-583-5680
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HOURS: MONDAY-WEDNESDAY 8-5, THURSDAY & FRIDAY 8-6, SATURDAY 9-3
BU SIN E SS S C E NE GWNC Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours hosted by Tunes 92.5
From left, Johnny Keegan, Cody Horbacz, Melissa Aulet, and Kristen Weimar, all of Tunes 92.5 attended the Greater Watertown Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours hosted by Tunes 92.5
From left, Carol and Jim Wright, Development Authority of Northern New York.
HOLLY BONAME PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS
From left, Kylie Peck, Greater Watertown-North Country Chamber of Commerce, and Kraig Everard, WPBS.
HOLLY BONAME PHOTOS| NNY BUSINESS
From left, Robert Dalton, Club No.9., and Carol Lamon, Watertown Urgent Care.
OUTER WASHINGTON ST. WATERTOWN NY 315-788-6022
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WaiteToyota.com
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F E AT UR E
CLAYTON TOURISM GROWS WITH CRUISE SHIPS
JUSTIN SORENSEN n NNY BUSINESS
BY JOLEENE MOODY | NNY BUSINESS IT’S NO SECRET THAT THE THOUSAND ISLANDS ARE A CURIOUS SPOT FOR TOURISTS TO VISIT EVERY YEAR. Between the rich and eccentric history of the islands, and the local stories swarming throughout the small villages inland, the area has become a favorite hot spot for visitors internationally. And when the Pearl Mist cruise ship docks at Frink Park in Clayton in late May and again in September, it will prove to be a favorite for hundreds more. It won’t be the first time a cruise ship has docked at Frink Park. Tricia Bannister, the executive director of the Clayton Chamber of Commerce, said that the first ship that anchored was just a few short years ago. The village prepared by setting up a customs area at the dock with border patrol agents at the ready. A table with greeters handed out maps of the village, encouraging cruisers to visit various shops and restaurants during their stay. And villagers welcomed the lot with smiles and waves. Nonetheless, business owners learned quickly that they needed to prepare in other ways. “It’s been a learning process for us,” Ms. Bannister said. “Some of the stores now have the ability to ship their products overseas. They didn’t before. But they discovered fairly quickly that there was an allotment of what visitors could carry onto the cruise ship. Giving those tourists the option to ship home increased shop sales and made customers happy.” When the Pearl Mist docks at Clayton in late May, it will be day 12 of a 14-day voyage for passengers traveling the aptly named Canadian Maritimes & St. Lawrence Seaway Cruise. Some will visit restaurants to take in locally made wines and brews. Others will fulfill their curiosity surrounding the cultural history of North America and the St. Lawrence River at the 46 | NNY Business | May 2017
Antique Boat Museum. In the days leading up to the visit, shop owners and area museums prepare. “We get ready by scheduling our volunteer docents who work with us all summer to lead tours throughout the museum,” said Margaret Hummel, director of events and marketing at the Antique Boat Museum. “When the large cruises dock, we can see as many as 150 at a time. To get that many through the museum with ease, we station a docent in each gallery or exhibit to discuss with visitors what is going on in each exhibit.” The museum gift shop is a bustle. The Thousand Islands Museum also hosts a full house. The Clayton Opera House sees new guests while specialty shops wrap up their goods for shipping. And while voyagers typically eat on board as part of their cruise package, stopping in for a local brew or dessert is often part of the plan. The entire village of Clayton is on alert. Some businesses see more traffic than others, but all in all, the money spent
in the village is a nice shot in the arm for the area, and one that locals are grateful for. “I think anytime we can introduce Clayton to a group of new people, that’s always going to be beneficial,” Melissa Ringer-Hardy, owner of Bella’s restaurant said. “If we can attract even one person, then we’ve captured someone who is willing to make Clayton a future destination and tell others about us.” The ship is expected to dock at Frink Park May 29th at 8 a.m. and stay overnight, leaving at 9 a.m. the following day. Depending on weather and waters, the ship could be delayed. Knowing this is a possibility, many business owners prepare for later hours to accommodate visitors. When the Pearl Mist comes back in September, it is scheduled for September 7th and will be a day visit only. For more information on the Pearl Mist, visit: http://www.pearlseascruises.com/ cruises/canadian-maritimes-st-lawrenceseaway-cruise/
JUSTIN SORENSEN n NNY BUSINESS People watch as the Pearl Mist cruise ship docks in Clayton. The 335-foot ship has six decks and a 210-person capacity.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center Foundation seeks an accomplished development professional to serve as its Executive Director. The successful candidate will plan, implement and manage a comprehensive, volunteer-based development program devoted to increasing philanthropic support for the Medical Center and promote a climate of goodwill between the Medical Center and the people it serves. The Executive Director manages all aspects of Foundation office operations, provides direction to Foundation staff and fosters a culture of innovation,excellence and accountability. The Executive Director also provides staff support, professional development and executive guidance to the Foundation Board and must recruit, organize, and guide a diverse team of volunteer fundraisers and advisors. In addition, as a member of the Medical Center Senior Staff, the Executive Director actively participates in the planning and leadership of the Medical Center. In all of these roles, the Executive Director must exercise exceptional interpersonal and relationship building skills and exemplify the integrity, compassion and character to inspire trust, confidence, and continuing support among donors, the Medical Center family, and the larger community. Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center Foundation is a highly effective, financially sound charitable organization with a proven record of fundraising success and community support. The executive director is employed by Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center to serve the CHMC Foundation. The executive director reports directly to the CHMC Foundation Board of Directors and the Chief Executive Officer of Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center. Qualifications Required: • Bachelors Degree in business administration, communications, marketing, or related field • Minimum of four years of development experience preferred • Not-for-profit management experience preferred. • Demonstrated organizational leadership, professional competence and proven fundraising success • Excellent public speaking ability, strong communication and writing skills essential • Ability to take initiative, organize, prioritize, problem solve, and utilize resources to locate information and answer questions measurable goals, work within budget and meet deadlines • Must be comfortable and competent with computers and computer applications •Ability to build and develop community connections and relationships Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center offers an attractive benefit package and competitive compensation. Please apply online claxtonhepburn.org/careers.
CLINICAL COORDINATOR Mental Health Unit Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center seeks a Clinical Coordinator-Mental Health Unit to join our team. Under the direction of the Mental Health Director accepts responsibility/ accountability for quality patient care which is family-centered, age appropriate and based n the philosophy of Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center, the Department of Nursing and in accordance with DNV, all regulatory agencies and the Nurse Practice Act of the state of New York. Responsibilities include assessment, evaluation, planning, directing and re-evaluation all activities pertaining to direct and indirect nursing care given within their assigned areas. Actively participates as a team member by performing additional assignments not directly related to the job description when workload requires and as requested by supervisor. Qualifications: Associates degree is nursing is required. Current NYS license as a Registered Nurse. Must maintain current BLS certification, ACLS, & PALS. Clinical certification preferred. One (1) year experience in Mental Health Unit. Must possess the written and verbal skills necessary to conduct in-services, perform patient teaching and assist in writing policies, procedures, and standards. Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center offers a team-orientated work environment and a competitive benefits package. We are an equal opportunity employer. Please visit www.claxtonhepburn.org/careers to apply.
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