NNY Business November 2013

// MASSEY FAMILY CELEBRATES 50 YEARS IN FURNITURE BIZ P. 36

NOVEMBER 2013 Volume 3 No. 12

nnybizmag.com

*

PLUS

Business Scene, Biz Tech, Small Business, NNY Snapshot .

Energy for our future REGION A PIVITOL PLAYER IN POWER PRODUCTION {p. 20}

***

THE INTERVIEW

Entrepreneur & Pastor Kirk S. Gilchrist p. 42

Ed Rider

Regional manager, NNY, New York Power Authority, Massena

$2.95

/nnybusiness @NNYBusinessMag

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

2|

NNY Business | November 2013

November 2013 | NNY Business

|3

4|

NNY Business | November 2013

November 2013 | NNY Business

|5

6|

NNY Business | November 2013

>> Inside NOVEMBER 2013 19

20

60

28

26 |

COVER |

20 AN ENERGIZED REGION Opportunities abound for the north country as a net exporter of electricty. |

SMALL BIZ STARTUP |

19 GROWING THE COUNTY Lewis County’s new apple orchard had a wildly successful first fall season. |

ENERGY |

26 A BIOMASS BOOM

ReEnergy’s new Fort Drum biomass facility provides an important forestry market. |

GREEN TECH |

28 BUILDING GREEN

Across the north country, architects design new buildings to LEED standards.

29 EFFICIENT FOUNDATIONS Clarkson University is developing an innovative, environmental concrete.

32 HOME FOR THE FUTURE Aubertine and Currier has designed one of the region’s first straw bale homes. |

MILESTONES |

46 50 YEARS STRONG Massey Furniture Barn on Watertown’s Arsenal Street celebrates a half-century. |

ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY |

34 TECHNICIAN TALENT A new pharmacy technician course at BOCES is positioning students for college and jobs.

|

REAL ESTATE |

42 REAL ESTATE ROUNDUP Why selling with a licensed Realtor can get you a better deal on your home.

45 TOP TRANSACTIONS Top 10 real estate sales in St. Lawrence, Jefferson and Lewis counties. |

BUSINESS HISTORY |

|

CONSTRUCTION |

60 PADDLE PERFECT Canton’s J. Henry Rushton made renowned canoes in his shop ­from 1873 to 1906.

62 AUTOZONE PROGRESSES Construction of AutoZone on Route 11 is slated to be completed by early winter.

November 2013 | NNY Business

|7

FUCCILLO AUTO GROUP SERVICE & PARTS CENTER

BRAKES, WIPER BLADES, BATTERIES, TUNE-UPS AND TIRE SPECIALS WE’RE HERE FOR ALL YOUR AUTOMOTIVE NEEDS.

LET US BE YOUR TIRE SPECIALIST! Servicing All Makes and Models Sales Department Open 6 Days a Week

1995

Oil Change

and FREE Multi-Point Inspection

*Oil change includes up to 5-quarts of oil and standard oil filter. Synthetic oil and special filters will be extra. Offer expires November 30, 2013.

900 James St., Clayton, NY • 315-686-5271

CALL OR SCHEDULE APPOINTMENT ONLINE AT

Hours: 8-6 Daily • Sat. 9-2 • Closed Sundays BED LINERS • STEP BARS • TONNEAU COVERS

call TIM at 315-788-1913

• INSPECTIONS • BRAKE SERVICE •

NORTZ & VIRKLER, INC.

232-3222 or 1-800-235-8037

ROBERTS Automotive

SALES and SERVICE FINANCING AVAILABLE

(315) 788-5009

838 West Main St., Watertown, NY 13601 • NO APPOINTMENT NECESSARY •

NOW OPEN!

- Plow • MC Series Plows • V-Box & Tailgate Spreaders

• Trip Edge Blade Stays Upright, Preventing Snow Loss • Minute Mount® Systems for Quickest & Easiest on/off

• Municipal Discounts

777-2313

www.whitesborospringalignment.com

24913 ALLEN RD. ALEXANDRIA BAY

REPAIR SHOP & AUTO PARTS

(315) 482-2084

ROAD SERVICE & TOWING:

(315) 482-5859

Hours Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm

CHECK OUT OUR PARTS INVENTORY ONLINE AT WWW.WILLSWRECKER.COM

New & Used Auto Parts • Major & Minor Repairs • NYS Inspections 24 Hour Emergency Road Service & Towing - Medium & Light Duty

8|

NNY Business | November 2013

7468 State St., Lowville, NY 376-6594 Serving Lewis • Jefferson and Surrounding Counties for 97 Years - Serving You Since 1916!

RIDES FOR LESS!

Affordable Auto Rentals. Daily & Weekly Rates.

Extended terms available.

Mon. - Fri. 8am-5:30pm, Sat. 8am2pm OR BY APPOINTMENT FULL LINE FORD PRODUCTS QUALITY FIRST CLASS SERVICE & SALES

1-800-957-5748 www.nortzandvirklerford.com

WATERTOWN SPRING & ALIGNMENT

HITESBORO W PLOW SHOP 18288 Outer Washington St. Watertown, NY

ON ALL SERVICE

FUCCILLO AUTO MALLS EXIT OFF RTE. 81 • ROUTE 11, ADAMS

•

712 Bradley St., Watertown www.numberonespeed.com (315) 782-2225

Open Mon.-Thurs. 9-8; Fri. & Sat. 9-6; Sun. 10-5; Service & Parts, Mon.-Sat. 8-5

OIL CHANGES

HIGH PERFORMANCE ACCESSORIES

WWW.FUCCILLO.COM

Our service shops have been recognized by their manufacturers as the highest-rated in the industry, with Chrysler’s Five Star Program, Ford’s Blue Oval and General Motor’s Certified Service.

•

Number One Speed

10% DISCOUNT

PICK UP AND DELIVERY AVAILABLE

*

• AIR CONDITIONING SERVICE •

$

BRING IN THIS AD & GET

• All Tires On Location • Lifetime Tire Rotation With Purchase Of 4 New Tires • Email Us For Any Size And Installation Pricing

View our entire inventory at www.Phinneys.com

ASE CERTIFIED • HRS: M-F 8 TO 5

26109 NYS Route 283 • (Outer Pearl Street) • Watertown, NY 13601

NEW YORK STATE INSPECTIONS OVER 26 YEARS EXPERIENCE • DIAGNOSTIC SERVICES

• Brakes • Transmissions • Tune Ups 315-785-8145

www.watertownautorepair.com

VEHICLE SURVIVAL GEAR

• Detailing • Accessories • Protection 19101 US Rte 11 • Watertown, NY 13601 • 315-785-0904

CAR AUDIO • SPEEDLINER SPRAY-ON BEDLINER • LEER TRUCK CAPS NERF BARS • COMPLETE AUTO DETAILING • WINDOW TINTING •BEDLINERS • TONNEAU COVERS • GRILL GUARDS • RUNNING BOARDS • AUTO ALARMS • LUGGAGE RACKS • RUST PROTECTION • SOUND BARRIER • PAINT PROTECTION • FABRIC PROTECTION • MUD FLAPS REMOTE STARTER • FOG LIGHTS • VENT VISORS • BUG DEFLECTORS

Offer: Shocks, CV Joints, Tune-Ups, NYS Inspections, Auto Trans. Service, Air-Conditioning Service, Alighments, Struts, Brakes, Oil Change w/Filter, Engine Repair, 21-pt Safety Check, Fuel Injection Service and More!

445 COFFEEN ST., WATERTOWN

788-6831 or 1-800-359-1210

V ANDUSE N Auto Sales

725 LeRay St., Waterotwn, NY Matt Saunders, Owner

www.vandusenauto.com • matt@vandusenauto.com

Family Fa Owned Since 1988 phone: 315.782.2400 cell: 315.783.8440

|

INTERVIEW

|

|

ABOUT THE COVER

|

42 PREACHING BUSINESS Kirk S. Gilchrist, pastor of New Life Christian Church,Watertown, also owns six businesses that serve the community and provide income and affordable meals for many local families. |

COLUMNS

|

46 ECONOMICALLY SPEAKING 47 NONPROFITS TODAY 48 COMMERCE CORNER |

DEPARTMENTS

12 13 14 17 19

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

|

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

39 52 54 60 62

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

For this month’s cover, photographer Jason Hunter captured a portrait of Ed Rider, regional manager of the New York Power Authority’s NNY operations in front of the St. LawrenceFranklin D. Roosevelt hydroelectric dam in Massena. Our cover story on the implications of the north country’s net exportation of electricity and the future of renewable production in the region begins on page 20.

November 2013 | NNY Business

|9

CONTRIBUTORS

BusIness www.nnybizmag.com

Chairman of the Board John B. Johnson Jr.

Lance Evans is executive officer for the JeffersonLewis and St. Lawrence County Board of Realtors.

He writes about the many benefits of selling a home through licensed Realtors. (p. 39)

Paul Luck is a Certified Business Exit Consultant with The Succession Partners in Clayton.

He writes about the importance of planning ahead to transition a business. (p. 45)

Michelle Capone is regional development director for the Development Authority of the North Country. She provides examples of lending tools available to banks. (p. 46)

Publishers

John B. Johnson Harold B. Johnson II

VP News Operations Timothy J. Farkas

Magazine Editor

Kenneth J. Eysaman

Magazine Staff Writer Leah Buletti

Photography

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

He writes about the season of giving and the meaning of good philanthropy. (p. 47)

Lynn Pietroski is president and CEO of the Greater Watertown-North Country Chamber of Commerce. She writes about why economic development requires collaboration. (p. 48)

Jay Matteson is the agricultural coordinator for the Jefferson County Industrial Development Corp. He writes about the need to balance different uses of land in a community. (p. 49)

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

Magazine Advertising Manager Matthew Costantino

SLC Advertising Director Tammy Beaudin

Advertising Graphics

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

Circulation Director Mary Sawyer

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

She writes about changes to telephone and text message telemarketing regulations. (p. 50)

Sarah O’Connell is an advisor for the state Small Business Development Center at SUNY Jefferson. She breaks down the top five business financing myths. (p. 51)

Gabrielle Hovendon is a freelance writer and former Watertown Daily Times reporter.

She writes about green building initiatives in the north country. (p. 28)

MARKETPLACE A&B Office Equipment ................ 12 AmeriCU Credit Union ................... 4 Ameriprise/Ken Piarulli ................ 25 Aubertine & Currier ...................... 27 Bach & Company ........................ 13 Bay Brokerage ............................. 37 Bayview Shores Real Estate ........ 41 Beardley Design........................... 62 Beaver Meadows......................... 41 Body Pros ........................................ 2 Clayton Chamber of Commerce............................... 18 Clayton Dental Office.................. 54 Coleman’s Corner........................ 58 Cortel Improvement .................... 30 Creg Systems ............................... 12 Curran Renewable Energy............ 3 Department of Health ................... 6 DANC ............................................ 48 ENV Insurance.............................. 33 Fairgrounds Inn............................. 58 First Class Auto Glass .................. 18 Foy Agency Inc............................ 13 Fuccillo Automotive....................... 8 Great Brook Solar........................... 9

10 |

Haylor, Freyer & Coon ................. 33 HD Goodale Co............................ 33 High Tower Advisors..................... 44 Hilton Garden Inn......................... 58 Howard Orthotics ......................... 46 Innovative PT Solutions ................ 47 Jefferson County IDA................... 61 Lofink Ford Mercury ..................... 52 LTI................................................... 45 Macar’s ......................................... 17 Moe’s Southwest Grill................... 58 NNY Business ................................. 38 NNY Community Foundation ........ 5 NC Custom Embroidery .............. 54 Nortz & Virkler.................................. 8 Number One Speed ....................... 8 O’Briens Restaurant...................... 58 Old Garage Deli........................... 58 Painfull Acres................................ 13 Phinney’s Automotive.................... 8 RBC Wealth Management........... 29 River Rat Cheese.......................... 55 Robert’s Automitve......................... 8 SeaComm Credit Union............... 50 Shorty’s Place ............................... 58

NNY Business | November 2013

Shred Con .................................... 51 Slack Chemical Co...................... 49 Steven Duffany Insurance ........... 33 SUNY Potsdam Extension............. 40 Three Cs Limousine ...................... 63 Thousand Island Realty ............... 41 Van Dusen Auto Sales ................... 8 Waite Motor Sports....................... 16 Waite Toyota ................................ 57 Washington Street Partners ......... 64 Watertown Auto Repair ................. 8 GWNC Chamber.......................... 12 Watertown International Airport .................... 56 Watertown LDC............................. 39 Watertown Savings Bank............. 35 Watertown Spring & Alignment ..... 8 Wells Communications................ 31 Westelcom.................................... 31 Whitesboro Plow............................. 8 Widrick Auto Sales ......................... 8 Wills Wrecker .................................. 8 Wladis Law Firm............................ 11 WWTI TV 50 .................................... 59 Ziebart Tidycar ............................... 8

NNY Business (ISSN 2159-6115), is published monthly by Northern New York Newspaper Corp., 260 Washington St., Watertown, NY 13601, a Johnson Newspaper Corp. company. © 2010-2013. All material submitted to NNY Business becomes property of Northern New York Newspaper Corp., publishers of the Watertown Daily Times, and will not be returned.

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

Call 315-782-1000 to subscribe.

Submissions Send all editorial correspondence to keysaman@wdt.net Advertising For advertising rates and information in Jefferson and Lewis counties, email mcostantino@wdt.net, or call 315-661-2305 In St. Lawrence County, e-mail tbeaudin@ogd.com, or call 315-661-2512 Printed with pride in U.S.A. at Vanguard Printing LLC, Ithaca, N.Y., a Forest Stewardship Certified facility.

Please recycle this magazine.

November 2013 | NNY Business

| 11

EDITOR’S NOTE

O Your Integrated Solutions Provider ~ Unified Communications ~ Digital and VoIP Telephone Systems: Shoretel, Toshiba CAT 6 and Fiber Optic Cabling Computer Networking / Routers and Firewalls Cameras / Fire / Security / 24hr. Monitoring SERVICE PLANS

1039 Water St., Watertown

315-788-0000

f all who live in Northern New York, it’s likely that only a minority view the region as a major producer of electrical power. Yet, not only is the north country a critical supplier of low-emission electricity in the No. 5-ranked state for renewable energy capacity, it also holds the distinction of generating nearly all its power — 94 percent to be precise — from renewable sources.

And, as you’ll read in this month’s cover story, since the north country only uses about a third of the electricity it produces, it enjoys the economic benefits of exporting the rest.

In this, our first Ken Eysaman look at Northern New York’s role in energy production, staff writer Leah Buletti delivers an in-depth report on what energy production means to the north country and its potential to capitalize on future improvements to our aging power infrastructure. Her report begins on page 20.

A MILESTONE IN PRINT — Three years have passed since we published the first issue of NNY Business magazine in December 2010. This month marks issue No. 36 and, despite our success, I am most frequently asked when I think we will exhaust ourselves of ideas that will keep the pages coming. In short, my answer is not anytime soon.

As long as people are doing business in Northern New York there will be a stream of ideas for us to tap. Three years into this adventure, most of us involved with NNY magazines view our past as experience that prepares us for the future. Like most lasting businesses, we remain focused on continuous improvement. Some 36 months after the first issue rolled off the press, I look back at that edition and cringe at how it’s not as good as more recent issues. In another three years, I will say the same thing of recent editions. As long as we are publishing a magazine — whether NNY Business, NNY Living or NNY Golf — we will always strive to produce one better than the last.

Part of our mission is to deliver a magazine that gives north country residents reasons to be proud of the north country. After all, it’s better to love

the place you live than to leave it.

20 QUESTIONS — This month’s featured interview is a conversation with the Rev. Kirk S. Gilchrist, pastor of New Life Christian Church.

Before you ask yourself why we chose a man of faith to talk business with, you should know that Rev. Gilchrist is an entrepreneur from way back. And what good entrepreneur has never taken a leap of faith? In addition to his rapidly growing church in an incredibly transformed cinema complex, he owns six businesses, which he views as an important way to provide income for community members and also enable him to operate orphanages worldwide. Our conversation Rev. Gilchrist begins on page 42.

BUSINESS SCENE — This month’s Scene section, which begins on page 54, features 42 faces from nearly three dozen north country businesses and organizations. On Oct. 10, we joined the St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce for its annual dinner at SUNY Postdam. On Oct. 15, we joined nearly 300 people at the Lowville Elks Lodge for Lewis County General Hospital’s 6th Annual Breast Cancer Awareness Dinner. On Oct. 16, staff writer Leah Buletti joined the Greater Watertown-North Country Chamber of Commerce for its annual Business Expo, followed by Business After Hours at the Dulles State Office Building. Finally, on Oct. 30, we traveled to Carthage for the Carthage Area Chamber of Commerce annual Awards Dinner at the Elks Lodge.

20 UNDER 40 — In case you’re wondering who we named to the 2013 Class of NNY Business 20 Under 40, flip to page 38 for a look at this year’s list. While this year’s class is an impressive group, it proved extremely challenging to narrow nearly 50 nominations to 20. It was an exhaustive chore for our five-member selection committee and, despite the arduous process, we are confident that the honorees are each deserving and worthy of recognition. We hope you’ll join us for our annual 20 Under 40 luncheon honoring these emerging leaders on Wednesday, Dec. 11, at the Hilton Garden Inn, Watertown. Complete details are printed with the list of honorees on page 38.

Mark your calendars for a great event. I look forward to seeing you at the Hilton.

Yours in business,

BANKING EQUIPMENT

Document Imaging Processors • Currency Counters • ATM Machines • Credit Card Systems • Banking Solutions • POS Systems 22738 Murrock Circle Watertown, NY 13601

12 |

NNY Business | November 2013

A&B

Office Equipment

1-800-782-4303 aandboffice@verizon.net

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE Local financial rep earns National Quality Award

Jeffrey W. Kimball, a financial representative for Northwestern Mutual in Watertown, has qualified for the NAIFA Award from the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, which recognizes professionalism through education, production for each practice specialty, adherence to the NAIFA Code of Ethics and service to the industry association.

This is the fourth time Mr. Kimball has earned the distinction. He has worked with Northwestern Mutual since 2006 and provides financial guidance for more than 250 clients.

Mr. Kimball, Watertown, earned a bachelor of science degree in business administration from SUNY Oswego and also received a master’s degree in business administration there in 2007.

More than 700 state and local associations representing the business interests of about 200,000 members and their employees nationwide make up the NAIFA.

Joins Jefferson Rehabilitation Center

Trisha Seymour joined Jefferson Rehabilitation Center, 380 Gaffney Drive, as Human Resources Director late last month.

She attended high school in Massena and earned a bachelor’s of arts degree in industrial and labor relations with minors in business economics and human resource management. She also earned her Senior Professional in Human Resources Certification through the Human Resource Certification Institute in 2009.

Prior to joining the JRC, Ms. Seymour worked at Car-Freshner Corporation as a human resource manager and at Raymour & Flanigan Furniture as a regional human resources specialist. In addition, she has spent about 12 years in retail management through upstate New York.

She has been a member of the Society of Human Resource Management National Association since 2006 and been a member of the North Country Human Resources Association since 2007, serving as a member of its board of directors for the last two years.

Ms. Seymour lives in Mannsville with her teenage son.

JCLDC hires two new employees

The Jefferson County Local Development Corp. has hired F. Marshall Weir

III as director of marketing and Dawn M. Caccavo as assistant chief financial officer.

The two started work Oct. 21 at the Jefferson County Industrial Development Agency, 800 Starbuck Ave. Weir Mr. Weir, 38, filled the position previously held

by Mary Anne Hanley, who retired in August. A Watertown native, he has served as general manager of Watertown-based North Country Caccavo Farms flour mill since 2010. He graduated from Immaculate Heart High School in 1992 and St. Michael’s College, Vermont, in 1996 with a bachelor’s degree in economics.

Mrs. Caccavo, 40, will assist Chief Financial Officer Lyle V. Eaton with daily operations. She previously worked for Brookfield Power as an account executive and has more than 18 years of accounting experience. She moved with her family to Watertown last year from Alpine, Texas.

AMISH FURNITURE 15541 North Harbor Road, Adams Center, NY Located Between Rt. 81 Exit 43 and Rt. 3

ALL NEW WINE CABINET • ELM ROCKING CHAIRS DINING TABLES & CHAIRS • BABY CRIB

Unique Amish-made Toys Unique Local Artist Cutting Boards, Prints and Much More!

ALL SOLID HARDWOOD FURNITURE! MANY STYLES TO CHOOSE FROM! OAK ~ ELM ~ MAPLE CHERRY ~ HICKORY ~ WALNUT & MORE! Open Friday & Saturday 10am-5pm; and Sunday 11am-4pm. Or Call For Appointment - Anytime

phone: 583-5400 or 778-4314 • www.painfullacresfurniture.com

1950

2013

“Your Independent Agent”

Earns divorce financial analysis certification

David G. Herring of Bowers and Company CPAs recently completed a specialized educational program in professional divorce analysis through the Institute for Divorce Financial Analysts, becoming a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst. He also recently completed Interdisciplinary Collaborative Divorce Training and is a member of the CNY Collaborative Family Law Professionals, where he advises on marital disputes.

Mr. Herring is trained to provide financial information and assistance to anyone going through a divorce, including taxes on dividing property, settlement options and child and spousal support payments.

Mr. Herring is originally of Baldwinsville and graduated from SUNY Oswego in 1982 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting.

Bowers and Company has offices in Syracuse and Watertown.

Please see People, page 16

COMMERCIAL & RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION

• • • • • •

Excavation Carpentry 11176 Masonry Environmental Plumbing Electrical

County Rt. 9 Clayton N.Y.

315-686-3083

www.BachAndCo.com November 2013 | NNY Business

| 13

NNY

Economic indicators Average per-gallon milk price paid to N.Y. dairy farmers Sept. 2013 $1.85 Aug. 2013 $1.82 Sept. 2012 $1.71

8.2%

Source: NYS Department of Agriculture & Markets

ECON SNAPSHOT

Average NNY price for gallon of regular unleaded gas

14 |

Sept. 2013 $3.77 Aug. 2013 $3.81 Sept. 2012 $4.03

6.5%

(Percent gains and losses are over 12 months)

Vehicles crossing the Thousand Islands, OgdensburgPrescott and Seaway International (Massena) bridges 451,311 in Sept. 2013 586,670 in Aug. 2013 462,327 in Sept. 2012

2.4%

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

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

Source: NYS Energy Research and Development Authority

$1.03 on Sept. 27, 2013 $1.05 on Aug. 27, 2013 $.98 on Sept. 27, 2012

Average NNY price for gallon of home heating oil

Source: Federal Reserve Bank of N.Y.

Sept. 2013 $3.76 Aug. 2013 $3.66 Sept. 2012 $3.84

New automobiles (cars and trucks) registered in Jefferson County

2.1%

Source: NYS Energy Research and Development Authority

Average NNY price for gallon of residential propane Sept. 2013 $2.93 Aug. 2013 $2.86 Sept. 2012 $2.97

1.3%

Source: NYS Energy Research and Development Authority

Jefferson-Lewis Board of Realtors single-family home sales 118, median price $144,000 in Sept. 2013 98, median price $161,000 in Aug. 2013 112, median price $141,500 in Sept. 2012

5.4% Sales

1.8%

2.0%

Cars 459 in Sept. 2013 571 in Aug. 2013 547 in Sept. 2012

16.1%

Source: Jefferson County Clerk’s Office

Trucks 135 in Sept. 2013 135 in Aug. 2013 97 in Sept. 2012

39.2%

Passengers at Watertown International Airport 3,441 inbound and outbound in Sept. 2013 3,884 inbound and outbound in Aug. 2013 2,670 inbound and outbound in Sept. 2012

Price

28.9%

Source: Jefferson-Lewis Board of Realtors Inc. Source: Jefferson County Board of Legislators

St. Lawrence Board of Realtors single-family home sales 60, median price $88,500 in Sept. 2013 61, median price $85,000 in Aug. 2013 50, median price $73,000 in Sept. 2012

20.0% Sales

21.2%

Open welfare cases in Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties 1,900 in Sept. 2013 2,001 in Aug. 2013 1,913 in Sept. 2012

0.68%

Price

Source: St. Lawrence Board of Realtors Inc.

Limited data release

n Due to the federal government shutdown in October, the New York State Department of Labor was unable to provide unemployment statistics for September before press time this month. The department was also unable

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

to furnish figures for September nonagricultural jobs in the tri-county area. Unemployment figures for September will be reported in December’s issue along with updated nonagricultural job figures.

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

NNY Business | November 2013

DBAs

DBA (doing business under an assumed name) certificates filed at the Jefferson County Clerk’s office Oct. 1 to Oct. 30, 2013. For a complete list of DBAs filed in past months, visit us at WWW.NNYBIZMAG.COM.

OCT. 30: It Can Be Done, 26169 Jewett Place, Calcium, Ricky D. Bradburn, 26169 Jewett Place, Calcium.

Nails by Tammy, 38135 state Route 12E, Clayton, Tammy Kowalow, 38135 state Route 12E, Clayton.

OCT. 29: BRB Associates, 10514 state Route 193, Ellisburg, William G. Eastman, 10514 state Route 193, Ellisburg, Roger E. Eastman, 4627 SR 289, Mannsville, William E. Eastman, 6415 Hessel Road, Henderson, and Robert J. Eastman, 7554 Emerson Road, Mannsville.

BabyBirdzBoutique, 726 Alexandria St., Carthage, Melissa Mitrevski, 726 Alexandria St., Carthage.

OCT. 28: Thornapple Ridge Farm & Gardens, 35260 Schell Road, Theresa, Christina Duarte, 35260 Schell Road, Theresa.

OCT. 25: Aaron Hall Photography, 25133 state Route 180, Dexter, Aaron Hall, 25133 state Route 180, Dexter.

Matt Price Contracting, 27362 state Route 180, Dexter, Matthew Price, 27362 state Route 180, Dexter.

Empire Hydraulics & Machine, 13428 Victory Lane, Adams Center, Ervin Kauffman, 12808 County Route 85, Mannsville.

OCT. 11: Sanders Unique Transformation,s, 24432 Gracy Road, Calcium, Penny Dulkoski, 24432 Gracy Road, Calcium.

Coocoo Kidz Boutique, 24985 state Route 126, Watertown, Thelma C. Mathison, 24985 state Route 126, Watertown.

OCT. 10: Great Northern Tree Service, 27318 state Route 26, Theresa, Jay J. Vanorman, 27318 state Route 26, Theresa.

OCT. 9: Painless Construction, 217B Pine St., Theresa, Bradley Payne, 217B Pine St., Theresa.

Triple M Travel Agency, 23735 Patterson Road, County Route 32, Watertown, Melissa M. Mehaffy, 23735 Patterson Road, County Route 32, Watertown.

D Day Photography, 1106 Academy St., Watertown, Douglas Day, 1106 Academy St., Watertown.

OCT. 8: Wagging Tails of Chesnut Ridge, 12832 Ridge Road, Sackets Harbor, Myrna Renee Snider, 12832 Ridge Road, Sackets Harbor.

Bargain Tree, 611 Coffeen St., Watertown, Dallas Langdon, 44 Maywood Terrace, Watertown.

Ron England Carpentry, 23551 U.S. Route 11, Calcium, Ronald England, 23551 U.S. Route 11, Calcium.

Matt Dewitt, 14289 Tiller Road, Belleville, Matthew Dewitt, 14289 Tiller Road, PO Box 66, Belleville.

Greg’s Handyman Remodel and Repair, 156 Winthrop St., Watertown, Gregory L. Castleberry, 156 Winthrop St., Watertown.

OCT. 22: Mark’s Landscaping, 17996 Spring St., Adams, Mark F. Wallis, 9 Hungerford Ave., Apt. 2, Adams.

Basix Maintenance, 36027 state Route 180, Gary L. Pierce, 36027 state Route 180, LaFargeville.

Maple Ridge Ranch, 17582 Ridge Road, LaFargeville, Richelle M. Patchen, 17582 Ridge Road, LaFargeville.

OCT. 21: Hayden Racing, 27003 state Route 3, Black River, Edward Hayden, 27003 state Route 3, PO Box 479, Black River.

s

Manor Diner, 4685 U.S. Route 11, Pierrepont Manor, Chi Loya, 16666 Comstock Road, Adams, and Linda Budd, 16078 County Route 91, Pierrepont Manor.

Amanda’s Caregiving, 532 Stone St., Watertown, Amanda Cotton, 532 Stone St.

OCT. 23: Northern Plastics, 608 Pearl St., Watertown, Stephen J. Converse, 608 Pearl St., Watertown, and Andrew Converse, 146 Ten Eyck St., Watertown.

NNY

Performing Contracting, 27319 state Route 26, Theresa, Adam LaLonde, 27319 state Route 26, Theresa.

ALS Siding, 21277 Fox Ridge Road, Watertown, Sean Brett, 21277 Fox Ridge Road, Watertown, Ron England, 23551 U.S. Route 11, Calcium.

Impact Graphix, 23438 state Route 12, Watertown, Jason J. Gilmore, 24200 Perch Lake Road, Watertown.

Angus Property Services, 23 Sand St., Philadelphia, Elizabeth Reed, 23 Sand St., Philadelphia.

OCT. 7: Armor Bearer, 235 Pratt St., Watertown, Caleb Richter, 235 Pratt St., Watertown.

Dufresne Trucking, 15541 N. Harbor Road, Adams Center, Louis F. Dufresne, 15541 N. Harbor Road, Adams Center.

Pure Leaf Landscaping and Snow Removal, 3562 Vanbrocklin Road, Carthage, Janel Jo Boni, 3562 Vanbrocklin Road, Carthage.

OCT. 4: K Paul Photography, 22183 County Route 189, Lorraine, Kristina P. Tyo, 22183 County Route 189, Lorraine.

One Woman’s Labor Support, 438 Cross St., Watertown, Heather Kaci McQueen, 438 Cross St., Watertown.

OCT. 3: Iron Order MC Cold Iron Crew, 94112A Sycamore Drive, Fort Drum, Leo Banaszak, 94112A Sycamore Drive, Fort Drum.

OCT. 18: Kirkland’s King Eagle Diner, 22732 Staplin Road, Route 144, Black River, Carrie M. Kirkland, 36481 state Route 26, Carthage.

OCT. 2: ICP Concession, 24428 U.S. Route 11, Lot 58, Calcium, Deborah Farr, 24428 U.S. Route 11, Lot 58, Calcium.

James Woodworth Art Inspiration, 24908 Woolworth St., Great Bend, James Paul Woodworth, 24908 Woolworth St., PO Box 59, Great Bend.

Happy House Cleaning, 610 Alexandria St., Clayton, Katherine L. Thompson, 610 Alexandria St., Clayton.

OCT. 17: ALS Siding, 21277 Fox Ridge Road, Watertown, Sean Brett, 21277 Fox Ridge Road, Watertown.

Real Estate Restoration, 11780 Cobbville Road, Adams Center, Nathan P. Loomis, 11780 Cobbville Road, Adams Center.

NNY Legal Support Company, 525 S. Massey St., Watertown, Jarrod Randall, 525 S. Massey St., Watertown.

OCT. 1: American Traditions Dreamz Patterson, 32647 state Route 3, PO Box 310, Great Bend, James Dean Patterson, 30798 U.S. Route 11, Philadelphia.

TRANSACTIONS

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

OCT. 15: Girls Are Us, 26098 Holbrook Road, Evans Mills, Karen K. Drozd, 26098 Holbrook Road, Evans Mills.

November 2013 | NNY Business

| 15

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE PEOPLE, from page 13

Local gynecologist earns certification

Dr. Nanci L. Hawkins of Wise Woman OB/GYN, 172 Clinton St., Watertown, has earned board certification in a new specialty: female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery. The subspecialty includes “treatment and procedures for conditions such as urine loss, incontinence and pelvic support issues, including pelvic prolapse, according to a news release from Samaritan Medical Center.

Physicians must be board-certified already in gynecology or urology to achieve the certification. The subspecialty is run jointly by the American Board of Gynecologists and the American Board of Urology.

Dr. Hawkins has been practicing obstetrics and gynecology in Watertown for 16 years. She worked at the former Obstetric and Gynecologic Associates of Northern New York, 514 Washington St., from 1999 to 2006 before establishing her own practice, Wise Woman, in June 2006. In June 2012, she gave up delivering babies to focus solely on providing a range of gynecology services.

Chamber director retiring

Sandra M. Porter, executive director of the Greater Ogdensburg Chamber of Commerce, announced in September that she will retire from the position she has held since September 2006 effective Dec. 31.

Ms. Porter, 73, said that she loves both her job and Ogdensburg but feels it is time to step aside to let in new ideas with a successor. She plans to remain local and involved in the community.

The chamber has 285 business and individual members and a 25-member volunteer board of directors whose responsibili-

ties are spread out over 19 committees, several of which Ms. Porter started.

She said last month that the setup works and that the chamber is more visible and involved in the community. It has also increased the number of events it puts on in recent years, notably with the 2009 launch of the two-day North Country Wine, Beer and Food Festival at the Richard G. Lockwood Civic Center that has grown into a popular and profitable event.

Bond attorneys honored

Bond, Schoeneck & King, Syracuse and Oswego, had 44 attorneys covering various practice areas selected for inclusion on The Best Lawyers in America 2014 list.

The following attorneys were selected: John D. Allen, S. Paul Battaglia, Ronald C. Berger, Kevin M. Bernstein, R. Daniel Bordoni, John H. Callahan, Edward R. Conan, Stephen A. Donato, Thomas G. Eron, Thomas S. Evans, Jonathan B. Fellows, David M. Ferrara, John Gaal, Joseph A. Greenman, Laura H. Harshbarger, Brian K. Haynes, Camille W. Hill, Richard D. Hole, Stephen L. Johnson, Peter A. Jones, Thomas D. Keleher, Edwin J. Kelley Jr., Barry R. Kogut, Robert A. LaBerge, Thaddeus J. Lewkowicz, James E. Mackin, Larry P. Malfitano, Daniel P. Malley, John G. McGowan, George R. McGuire, Henry H. Melchor, Thomas E. Myers, Louis Orbach, Patrick J. Pedro, Paul W. Reichel, Virginia C. Robbins, Martin A. Schwab, James N. Seeley, Thomas R. Smith, Charles J. Sullivan, Robert R. Tyson, Subhash Viswanathan, Philip J. Zaccheo and Joseph Zagraniczny.

Seventeen Bond, Schoeneck & King attorneys were also named Top-Rated Lawyers in Labor & Employment Law by The American Lawyer and Corporate Counsel magazine based on their AV Preeminent peer review rating from Martindale-Hubbell, the highest rating in legal ability and ethical standards.

Those named were: In Albany, Nicholas

J. D’Ambrosio Jr.; in Buffalo, Robert A. Doren and James J. Rooney; in Garden City, Craig L. Olivo and Terry O’Neil; in Rochester, James Holahan and Brian Laudadio; in New York City, Michael P. Collins, Louis P. DiLorenzo, Dennis A. Lalli, David E. Prager; and Ernest R. Stolzer and in Syracuse, R. Daniel Bordoni, John Gaal, Peter A. Jones, Robert A. LaBerge and Larry P. Malfitano.

Bond has been engaged in the practice of Labor and Employment Law since the passage of the National Labor Relations Act in 1935 and has 70 labor employment law and employee benefits attorneys.

The firm also announced that 11 of its members, five of whom are Syracuse residents, have been included in The Best Lawyers in America 2014 list for their practice area, a designation given to one lawyer in each practice area in any community.

Bond attorneys receiving this recognition include: Ronald C. Berger for corporate law, Kevin M. Bernstein for environmental law, R. Daniel Bordoni for education law, Laura H. Harshbarger for employment law on behalf of management and Thomas D. Keleher for personal injury litigation-defendants.

Additionally, John Gaal, an attorney in the firm’s Syracuse office, was included in the 2013 Top 50 New York Super Lawyers list. Super Lawyers magazine lists New York’s top lawyers, chosen by their peers and through the independent research of Law & Politics magazine.

Mr. Gaal has more than 30 years of experience defending businesses on a broad variety of labor and employment law services in state and federal courts and before state and federal agencies. He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and the Notre Dame Law School.

Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC is comprised of 210 attorneys and has offices throughout the state, as well as in Overland Park, Kan. and Naples, Fla.

Come See the All New Polaris Brutus at Waite Motorsports

MOTORSPORTS

18014 GOODNOUGH ST., ADAMS CENTER, NY

315-583-5680

16 |

NNY Business | November 2013

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

WWW.WAITEMOTORSPORTS.COM

BUSINESS BRIEFCASE Aire Serve of NNY owners honored

Jeffrey and Joyce Combs, owners of Aire Serve of NNY, received the Top Gun Award from Aire Serve Corporation during The Dwyer Group International Conference in late September in San Antonio, Texas.

Top Gun recipients represent the top 10 percent of the global company’s franchises across North America in sales and operation benchmarks. The designation was inspired by the 1980s movie of the same name and was created by the late founder of Aire Serve’s parent The Dwyer Group, Don Dwyer.

Aire Serv franchises provide installation, maintenance and repair of heating, ventilation, air conditioning and indoor air quality systems at more than 175 locations in the U.S. and Canada. Aire Serv of NNY serves Jefferson and Lewis counties and the surrounding areas.

Cornell nets $1.5m from Chobani for research

Cornell University has partnered with Chobani to develop a research and training program, thanks to a $1.5 million gift from the Greek-yogurt manufacturer based in South Edmeston.

To promote innovation in dairy and food science, the funding was given to the Ithaca-based university as part of its “Cornell Now” capital campaign.

The gift will launch a program supporting graduate student research and workforce development in dairy quality.

The move made by Chobani comes as the nationwide popularity of Greek yogurt has strengthened the upstate New York economy. The state’s production makes up 70 percent of all Greek yogurt sales nationwide, and it leads California as the number one yogurt producer in the country.

Got business news?

n Share your business news with NNY Business. Email news releases and photos (.jpg/300 dpi) to nnybusiness@wdt.net. The deadline for submissions is the 10th of the month for the following month’s issue. Photos that don’t appear in print may be posted on our Facebook page.

for various community organizations and hosting a foreign exchange student.

The Kellys will be honored during a banquet Thursday, Nov. 21 at the Glenfield fire hall. Admission to the dinner, which begins with a social hour at 5:30 p.m. followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m., is $22. Call the chamber at 376-2213 for reservations and payment.

Restaurant owners named Community Foundation businesspersons of year awards $100k in grants Jeremy A. and Rebecca P. Kelly, who have owned Jeb’s Restaurant at 5403 Shady Ave. in Lowville since November 2002, have been selected as Lewis County Chamber of Commerce businesspersons of the year.

Mrs. Kelly, who previously worked for 10 years as a social worker with Lewis County Hospice, said the award represents a “joint effort” of the couple’s family members, as well as employees and customers of the restaurant.

Mr. Kelly is a member of the Lowville Volunteer Fire Department, while his wife serves as vice president of the Lowville Academy and Central School District board and is a past member of the Lewis County General Hospital auxiliary. Both are also active members of the Lowville Mennonite Church, where Mr. Kelly is a youth leader.

Mr. Kelly is a graduate of SUNY Plattsburgh and spent four years as assistant general manager at Ruby Tuesday’s in New Hartford and another four years as general manager at Applebee’s in Watertown before opening the Lowville restaurant. Its name comes from the first letter of each member of the Kelly family: Jeremy, daughter Elizabeth and Becky.

A letter of nomination for Jeb’s noted that the Kelly have supported the community in numerous ways over the years, including helping with many youth sports programs through the years, donating food and time

The board of directors of the Northern New York Community Foundation during its quarterly meeting last month awarded a total of $100,000 to form and provide startup funding for both the Six Town Community Fund and the CliftonFine Community Fund. Committees in both communities will receive up to $50,000 each as matching grants, with their portions to be raised by December 2014, according to Executive Director Rande S. Richardson.

The Six Town Community Fund is the first of its kind in Jefferson County, under the administration of the Community Foundation, while the Clifton-Fine Community Fund is the second of its kind in St. Lawrence County.

Mr. Richardson said the Canton Community Fund has been around for about 10 years, which was long before the foundation ramped up both its grant awards and donation requests in St. Lawrence County.

Community funds will enable funding of important projects on the hyper-local level.

While those projects, such as playgrounds, may be “very important” to individual communities, he said, they often might not survive the broad, competitive grant process throughout Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties.

Please see BRIEFCASE, page 18

MACAR’S • Kitchens • Bathrooms • Flooring • Lighting

161 Coleman Ave., Watertown • 788-3732

www.macarsinteriors.com

November 2013 | NNY Business

| 17

BUSINESS BRIEFCASE BRIEFCASE, from page 17 The Six Town Fund will support projects in the towns of Adams, Ellisburg, Henderson, Lorraine, Rodman and Worth.

The Clifton-Fine Community Fund will support projects in Cranberry Lake, Star Lake and Wanakena.

The board also approved: n $10,000 to the Henderson Free Library for improvements and upgrades. n $4,000 to the Constable Hall Association for accessibility and infrastructure improvements. This was funded through the foundation’s Michael Brown Fund for Lewis County. n $5,000 to Helping Hands of Potsdam for kitchen renovations. n $5,000 to Local Living Venture, Canton, for enhancements to education programming. n $5,000 to the Arts Committee of Clifton-Fine Economic Development to support the 2014 arts series in Wanakena. n $2,950 to St. Lawrence University, Canton, to support the Johann Sebastian Bach Marathon and girls chorus. The St. Lawrence County grants were made based on recommendations from the Community Foundation’s St. Lawrence Advisory Council.

Watertown, Watertown, NY NY (315) (315) 788-2570 788-2570 LI KE UUS OON N

1s tC las ss AAuuttoo M o i l ee M obb i l

18 |

NNY Business | November 2013

Potsdam Chamber honors community leader The Potsdam Chamber of Commerce has named David B. Acker, CantonPotsdam Hospital president and CEO, the 2013 recipient of the Commitment to Community Award. Mr. Acker has been at the forefront of discussions encouraging collaboration among north country hospitals and health providers to improve delivery of health care services in the region.

Mr. Acker serves on the boards of the North Country Healthcare Providers and Northern New York Healthcare Association. Mr. Acker has encouraged CPH to host activities at the hospital for kids such as a Halloween and holiday party and sponsor collegiate, children and community sports venues and the Fire Department’s fund drive for a new ladder truck.

He encourages staff to give back to the community by having the hospital host Potsdam Holiday Fund giving trees, hosting a donation box for the Kiwanis Coats For Kids project and encouraging them to volunteer to clean the roadway surrounding the Potsdam facilities as CPH participates in the Adopt-a-Highway program.

The Chamber will present Mr. Acker

the award at the chamber’s annual dinner on Wednesday, Nov. 13. at the Cheel Center Barben Room at Clarkson University.

Reservations can be made by contacting the chamber office, 274-9000.

SLU included on list of best value schools

St. Lawrence University has been included in Kiplinger’s Personal Finance 2014 list of “Best Values in Private Colleges,” ranking 67 out of 200 private institutions, up from 73 last year.

More than 90 percent of St. Lawrence students receive some form of financial aid. The average financial aid package, which can include gift aid, federal grants and loans and campus employment, was $33,600 last year.

Kiplinger’s rankings measure both academic quality, including acceptance rate, test scores, student-faculty ratio and graduation rates, as well as cost, which includes the sticker price, availability and average amount of need-based and meritbased financial aid and average student debt at graduation.

View the full ranking list at www.kiplinger.com/links/college.

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

Denmark Gardens THE INITIAL IDEA

Patsy S. Makuch, who opened Denmark Gardens — Lewis County’s first apple orchard — this fall, is a woman of ideas who’s constantly thinking about what to do next. After selling off some of the cows at the Denmark dairy farm she owns with her husband, Maxwell J., a few years ago and transitioning to the fifth generation of farm ownership, she worked for about two years at the Mercer’s Dairy ice cream facility in Boonville, which she and her husband were part owners of at the time.

But the commute didn’t suit her and she felt like she was “missing out on a lot of life” being away from the farm so much, so she started brainstorming ideas for off-beat, home-based business that could fill a niche.

“I thought, ‘what does Lewis County not have?’” she said. “The idea evolved over several months. I thought about what little businesses Lewis County could use.”

An apple orchard was an unusual choice, not the least for someone eager to constantly try new things and innovate—“you really have to be very patient to grow this type of business” when trees take about three years to start producing fruit, she notes—but because of the location. Numerous growers in the Finger Lakes region expressed doubt that apple trees could survive so far north, even though Mrs. Makuch told them that an Empire tree in her yard had done well for years.

But friend Susan E. Maring, who started the county’s first winery, Tug Hill Vineyards, and was previously in the landscaping business, didn’t think it was at all a crazy idea, and stepped in to help, providing Mrs. Makuch guidance on pruning trees (believe me, Mrs. Maring told her when she said she was afraid to prune, the branches will grow back) and operating a business.

From late August through early October, Mrs. Makuch sold apples that her family picked, as well as pumpkins, squash and handmade barn quilts in half of the farm’s barn, separated from the farm equipment by a “wall of hay bales” in what she notes was an ineffective setup because the store had to be moved every time equipment needed to come out.

This spring, she and her husband plan to build a 15-by-80-foot lean-to adjacent to the barn to house a real store after what she called a “wonderful” first season. The orchard also housed a hay bale maze that 500 people went through; the couple plans to make it more challenging next year as part of their desire to make the orchard a destination spot for families.

THE JOURNEY

Mrs. Makuch and her family planted the orchard’s first 300 trees in 2010, which they got from Minnesota on Mrs. Maring’s recommendation so they would survive in the north country’s similarly cold climate. They planted another 150 the following year, also from Minnesota, some of which arrived with broken branches and other damage, she said, which led to her partnering with Tim Widrick of Zehr’s Flowers and

AMANDA MORRISON | NNY BUSINESS

“The idea evolved over several months. I thought about what little businesses Lewis County could use.”

— Patsy S. Makuch, Denmark Gardens apple orchard Landscaping in Naumburg, who is now grafting and supplying her with trees and is a “fountain of information” on everything from royalty fees for apple varieties to pesticides and diseases, she said. Using his trees, the orchard planted 145 last fall and another 100 in early October.

Mrs. Makuch said there is room in the current orchard to plant another two rows—about 200 trees—but says long-term she could see the orchard expanding to as many as 1,200 to 1,500 trees, which the orchard would plant elsewhere on the family’s 160 acres.

Next year, the orchard will have double the crop, and this season indicates that there is indeed enough demand—Mrs. Makuch said the orchard was shuffling directly from one variety to another, and several times had to turn people away because of a lack of supply. In late August the orchard sold Zestar apples, then Snowsweet in mid-September, McIntosh, Cortland and Honeycrisp in late September and Spy, and Regent in early October. Mrs. Makuch said she charged slightly lower prices for her apples and squash than competitors to “draw people in and put myself on the map.”

Mrs. Makuch also said that the orchard hasn’t lost any trees, other than when a tornado swept through the orchard in July, taking down 30 trees, damaging some and routing some others entirely, and preventing the orchard from offering U-pick apples, something she says didn’t hurt her business but that she intends to offer next season.

TARGET CLIENTELE

Mrs. Makuch hopes her orchard provides an opportunity for families who want to pick apples without having to drive to Mexico in Oswego County.

She had customers from Lewis and Jefferson counties this season, including numerous people from Carthage, Croghan, Boonville and Watertown. She said many customers thanked her for providing a place to buy apples that saved them the trip to Mexico and were “making a day of it” in Denmark.

A location across from the Carlowden Country Club also attracts families or others out and about in the community, she said.

IN FIVE YEARS “I have to figure out what I’m going to do with my oodles and oodles of apples,” Mrs. Makuch says of the future.

But her mind is already buzzing with ideas.

She hopes to construct a climate-controlled warehouse for storing apples and is looking into selling them to local schools or restaurants. She broached her idea for selling to schools at a meeting of Lewis County food service workers in late October. She also hopes to sell cider from the Burrville Cider Mill and baked goods made locally inside the revamped store.

Her children have suggested that she start a distillery, sell apple vodka and “just be happy,” she says with a laugh, unconvinced.

This winter she plans to prune her trees and get the orchard into immaculate shape for next season, as well as possibly sell some of her barn quilts and teach herself to knit.

While she hasn’t hammered out the specifics of the orchard’s future yet—I could change my mind, too, my next great brainstorm might come along,” she says—one thing is certain: “I plan to do this forever.”

— Leah Buletti

WHERE 10100 Old State Road, Denmark | FOUNDED 2013 | WEB Search Denmark Gardens on Facebook

November 2013 | NNY Business

| 19

COVER STORY

A well-powered region for a brighter

TOMORROW INVESTMENTS IN INFRASTRUCTURE, RENEWABLE SOURCES WILL HELP NORTHERN NEW YORK GROW AS A LEADER IN ENERGY PRODUCTION

N

STORY BY LEAH BULETTI | STAFF WRITER

NORTHERN NEW YORK IS AN important supplier of low-emission energy for the state as New York ranks fifth in the nation for renewable energy capacity with 94 percent of electricity generated in the north country produced from renewable sources.

And because the region uses only about one-third of the total electricity it produces, the north country also reaps the economic benefits of exporting the remainder.

But with low natural gas prices challenging renewable energy and much of the state’s electrical transmission infrastructure aging, challenges to garner investments to the grid and opportunities to ramp up renewable energy production, notably wind, lie ahead.

Of the 94 percent of grid-tied electricity commercially produced in the north country, 78.5 percent came from hydropower, 12.8 percent from wind and 2.36 percent from biomass in 2010, according to a North Country Sustainability Plan released in May, a comprehensive look at energy in the region funded by the New York State En-

20 |

NNY Business | November 2013

ergy Research and Development Authority.

The largest source of non-renewable electricity in the region was generated from a mix of sources, the largest portion of which was natural gas; this summer’s transformation of the former coal-burning site at Fort Drum into ReEnergy Black River eliminated the use of coal, petroleum, coke, tire and most fuel oil used for electricity production in the region, that report said.

“The high contribution from renewable electricity generation in the north country far exceeds the statewide goal of 20 percent energy generation from renewable sources by 2015,” the report stated. “This places the region in a unique position: it is able to make a substantial contribution to this statewide goal while fully providing for its own electricity needs and generating large quantities of renewable electricity for export to surrounding regions.”

Net exportation is “absolutely an economic driver,” said Stephen D. Bird, an associate professor of political science at Clarkson University, Potsdam, who focuses primarily

on energy and environmental policy, noting the substantial economic impact of hydro facilities. That’s primarily the St. LawrenceFranklin D. Roosevelt hydroelectric power plant in Massena, which has 32 turbinegenerators half controlled by the New York Power Authority with a production potential of more than 900,000 kilowatts.

“The economic value of cheap power in and of itself is really substantial,” Mr. Bird said. Because of NYPA contracts with municipalities such as Massena, electric rates are one-half to one-third of New York City rates.

While the rates may not be “driving a whole bunch of new entrants in the game” as often power is but one small component of a business’s overall expenses and decision on where to locate, Mr. Bird said that inexpensive power is keeping companies in the region that would likely have left otherwise.

“There’s no way that Alcoa would still be here unless it had that access to cheap power,” he said.

The “lion’s share” of the dam’s production — more than half — goes to Alcoa’s

The Robert Moses-Robert H. Saunders Power Dam straddles the U.S.-Canadian border near Massena on the St. Lawrence RIver. On the U.S. side, the St. LawrenceFranklin D. Roosevelt hydroelectric power plant in Massena has 32 turbinegenerators half controlled by the New York Power Authority with a production potential of more than 900,000 kilowatts.

NEW YORK POWER AUTHORITY PHOTO

electricity-demanding aluminum smelting operations and the low rate “really is keeping Alcoa in the north country,” NYPA president and chief executive Gil C. Quiniones said in an interview.

About 90 percent of the dam’s generation goes to private companies, including Alcoa.

Statewide, 51 municipal electric systems and rural cooperatives get cheap hydropower from NYPA’s Niagara hydroelectric plant in Lewiston, which works in tandem with the FDR plant.

This summer, a 30-year contract went into effect committing Alcoa to investing at least $600 million to modernize its Massena operations and retain at least 900 jobs at the company’s Massena East and Massena West smelters in return for low-cost electricity from NYPA. The power authority recently completed a $281 million upgrade to all 16 of the dam’s units and control system, positioning it to operate for the next 50 years, Mr. Quiniones said.

The dam’s economic impact extends to

other companies, too. Its Preservation Power program, which is available to businesses in Franklin, Jefferson and St. Lawrence counties, and ReCharge NY, available to businesses and nonprofits in the seven-county north country region, have retained 7,890 jobs and created 199 jobs through the provisions of cheap power, NYPA says. In total, 24 businesses and seven nonprofits receive allocations, including Upstate Niagara Cooperative, which started producing yogurt at a facility in North Lawrence in 2011.

At the same time cheap hydropower is “keeping Alcoa in the north country as an anchor, other excess power that has not been allocated is a signal to the industry that there is capacity in the north country,” Mr. Quiniones said. Preservation Power and ReCharge NY have a combined 214.7 megawatts of unallocated power; NYPA works with various economic development organizations to help attract new businesses to the area, capitalizing on the draw of cheap power.

And, as identified in Gov. Andrew

M. Cuomo’s $5.7 billion Energy Highway Blueprint, a comprehensive plan to upgrade the state’s transmission lines over the next five to 10 years, upgrades to the Moses-Willis line are under way. The Energy Highway Task Force identified that project, known as the Moses-Willis Separation Project, as reducing bottlenecks to spur renewable energy development in Northern New York. It will improve the reliability along the only major transmission corridor traveling east from the plant.

A LOCAL INVESTMENT: 230 KV LINE UPGRADE

An upgrade to the north country’s two existing, 75-year old Moses-AdirondackPorter 230 kV lines to 345 kV lines is a $1.35 billion project that has been touted as having the potential to ramp up the north country’s energy exportation and renewable production.

It was marked as an “actionable project” following the governor’s request for action under his Energy Highway Task Force in April 2012, after being listed November 2013 | NNY Business

| 21

COVER STORY as a potential project to improve state power flows in a 2009 report.

The new lines, which would require 260 circuit miles of rebuilding, would have northern terminals at the Moses station near Massena. One would connect with the Chases Lake wind facility and then continue to its southern terminal at its Marcy station.

The other would run directly from Moses to its southern terminal at Edic station.

Both southern terminals are near Utica. The power authority owns the Moses-Adirondack section, which is about a decade older than the Adirondack-Porter section, which National Grid owns.

Three projects totaling $385 million were marked “immediately actionable” and, according to a New York Transmission Owners report, are distinguished from the actionable category in that they help the upstate-downstate power flow and can better address needs if the downstate Indian Point nuclear plant were to close by the end of 2015.

Last month, the state’s Public Service Commission approved construction of more than $500 million in new power lines, expected to be in service by mid-2016 and deemed necessary to maintain the grid should Indian Point close. The lines are in the Ramapo area of New Jersey, Delaware and Sullivan counties, and on Staten Island.

The Massena-Marcy project and the others in that tier of necessity are “being held aside for now,” but are all in the mix, said John E. Maserjian, spokesman for New York Transmission Owners, who called it “one of many projects identified as improving power flow in the state.”

“At some point in the future, we may revise the project or the state may request additional proposals to further improve the state’s transmission grid,” he said.

Mr. Quiniones said that “it’s one of the projects that we are actively looking at, especially the NYPA portion.” The upgrade would build a more modern, flexible and resilient transmission line that would improve the flow of power and facilitate integration of renewables as more wind farms crop up in the north country, as well as stimulate the economy during the construction phase, he said.

The power authority has embarked on a $726 million life extension of its 1,400 circuitmiles of transmission lines in response to the Energy Highway initiative; the 230 line is part of a subset of projects that NYPA aims to complete before 2020, Mr. Quiniones said.

The upgrade would also increase interconnection with Canada, given that Quebec has peak demand for electricity for heat in the winter, while New York’s peak demand is in the summer.

22 |

NNY Business | November 2013

Bob Burke, operations manager for EDP Renewables North America Eastern Region II, which includes Maple Ridge Wind Farm in Lewis County, stands on a service road last month at the wind farm. Future investments

“There’s an opportunity to collect and exchange power,” he said, adding that interconnections to Canada indirectly “help the entire power flow be more effective and efficient.”

Mr. Bird added that while the line wouldn’t necessarily bring in more money, it might increase opportunities to build new power projects in the area, as well as prevent rate increases that result from clogged lines.

“More companies might say they would be willing to build in the north country so they can sell to New York City and make that money,” he said.

CHAMPLAIN-HUDSON POWER EXPRESS: A POTENTIAL AQUATIC CLEAN ENERGY BONANZA

One project in the pipeline that has garnered some criticism from upstate lawmakers is the Champlain-Hudson Power Express, a privately financed, $2.2 billion, 333-mile, 1,000 megawatts buried transmission line that would bring cheap hydropower from the U.S.-Canadian border

to electricity-hungry customers in the New York City area.

The line has been in development since 2008 and has since gone through a number of regulatory and public approval meetings. The project cleared some significant permitting this year that Transmission Developers Inc., Albany, which is building the line, says should result in construction commencing in early 2015 and the line in service by late 2017.

About 75 percent of the power for the line will come from HydroQuebec, a utility owned by the Canadian province, while the rest will come from other sources, with a focus on wind. The developer also says that the lines will not rely on eminent domain but be buried mostly in existing public and railroad rights of way, using cables that are virtually maintenance free once installed.

State legislators last year, however, led by state Sen. George Maziarz, a Western New York Republican, disagreed on several of the line’s selling points, including whether pri-

COVER STORY

NORM JOHNSTON | NNY BUSINESS

in electrical transmission lines will benefit projects like Maple Ridge, which went into service in 2006.

vate investors will ultimately foot the entire bill, whether the line will increase rates for upstate customers and whether the line will squeeze out New York power producers and the jobs they generate.

“There’s lots of room for lots of projects — we’re just one of many that needs to be built,” David G. Jessome, the president and CEO of TDI, said in an interview. “It lines up with the governor’s Energy Highway.

There’s no single solution.”

As the economy grows, “new resources need to come on,” he said.

“The project still continues to make fantastic sense because it’s going to bring lower cost electricity into the marketplace and it’s all done by private financing.”

In April, the New York State Public Service Commission approved the project, which Mr. Jessome said was a “very significant milestone for the project” because it meant the PSC identified it “as bringing renewable power into a very congested New York state marketplace, helping to diversify

the fuel supply in the city and helping to reduce the reliance on natural gas.” Early last month, the Army Corps of Engineers also issued a notice of completeness of the project’s approval to locate cables in navigable waters, launching a public comment period that ends this month. Developers still need to obtain federal permits and secure financing.

“Everything is driving toward a financial close before the end of next year,” Mr. Jessome said.

A comprehensive Environmental Impact Statement on the project released by the U.S. Department of Energy in September reported that about 300 direct construction jobs would be created over the four-year construction period; Mr. Jessome said an analysis commissioned by TDI through London Economics found that 2,400 jobs across a diverse spectrum of the economy would be created long term primarily because of savings on electric costs.

And Mr. Jessome added that it’s “certainly possible” that upstate or north country wind producers could see a surge in the opportunity to fill in the segment of power not supplied by hydro.

“We will allow projects from anywhere that can get access to the line to get in the process,” he said.

Martin D. Heintzelman, an associate professor of economics and financial studies at Clarkson University, said that if the north country is able to hook into the line, it’s a “potentially huge benefit in terms of developing more renewable power sources” in the region.

“It’s an opportunity to bring more cheap power into New York state that should lower electricity prices for consumers,” he said. “I think it’s a very good thing. What it will allow is substituting to a certain extent — bringing in hydro power that will substitute some fossil fuel or conventional sources of generation. There are potentially large environmental benefits in terms of reduced pollution.”

“I don’t foresee that line squeezing out power production from the north country,” he added.

IS THE ANSWER BLOWING IN THE WIND?

New York state ranks 12th in the nation for installed wind capacity, the fastest growing source of new electric power for several years and, as of spring 2012, 18 wind energy projects were operating with a rated capacity of more than 1,400 megawatts. Including Franklin and Clinton counties, the north country is home to three of those projects, the largest of which is the 195-turbine Maple Ridge Wind Farm in Lewis County that began operating in 2006.

In the north country, eight wind projects

are presently in the New York Independent Service Operators’s interconnectedness queue, with varying dates of completion, but many, including those in Jefferson and Lewis counties, have been stalled by public opposition and financial uncertainty.

A 2010 Growing Wind report from the NYISO, a nonprofit that runs the state’s bulk electricity grid, concluded that the state could expand its wind production to 8,000 megawatts by 2018 with “no adverse reliability impact.” That report also concluded that “investments in upgrades on transmission infrastructure owned by NYPA would facilitate delivery of energy from proposed wind projects in Clinton and Franklin counties in Northern New York.”

Paul N. Copleman, a spokesman for the Spanish energy giant Iberdrola Renewables that built Maple Ridge along with Horizon Wind Energy, said the company is “very pleased with the performance of the project and our ability to deliver power into the New York market” and that there have only been “isolated and minimal instances of Maple Ridge not being able to deliver energy due to transmission constraints.”

“Our ability to deliver power is meeting or exceeding our expectations,” he said.

The farm’s 322-megawatt capacity provides roughly enough clean energy to supply electricity for 96,000 New York homes.

While transmission potential at Maple Ridge might not hinder the farm’s generation, it “becomes an issue as you look at developing further in New York state,” Mr. Copleman said.

“That makes New York like lots of states,” he said. “To better take advantage of natural resources, we need a more robust transmission system, not just because renewables require it but because the system itself is fairly antiquated in the sense that a lot was built many years ago,” coupled with the fact that electricity consumption is increasing.

Iberdrola indicated last month that it intends to pursue its 48-turbine, 96-megawatt Horse Creek Wind Farm project in Clayton with “modifications,” but has not specified how much or if it intends to scale it back. Among roadblocks to that project is the pending expiration of the federal wind production tax credit incentive that provides $23 per megawatt of electricity generated for the first decade of a wind farm’s operation.

The Clayton project has already been scaled back from an initial 2005 proposal for a 130-megawatt project with 62 turbines in southeast Clayton.

In January, Iberdrola also called off its Stone Church Wind Farm project in nearby Hammond, citing uncertainty over wind power regulations and the November 2013 | NNY Business

| 23

COVER STORY wind energy market.

Iberdrola’s 39-turbine, 78-megawatt Roaring Brook Wind Farm project south of Maple Ridge in the town of Martinsburg is also under development, but Mr. Copleman last month said the company doesn’t yet have plans to start construction, but continues to consider it a good site for a wind farm.

Also in Lewis County, the Copenhagen Wind Farm, which is being developed by Brooklyn-based OwnEnergy, is progressing, with the developer this summer signing contracts with 13 farmers to build a 10-mile overhead 115-kilowatt power transmission

BusIness www.nnybizmag.com

24 |

NNY Business | November 2013

line through their fields. The company also received a 20-year tax break to help finance the $198.5 million, 49-turbine, 79.2 megawatt project. The NYISO queue lists the project’s proposed commercial operation date as December 2017.

And in St. Lawrence County, Iberdrola’s North Ridge Wind project is also in the queue, with an approximate generating capacity of 100 megawatts, but Mr. Copleman said that project isn’t yet at the stage where formal permitting can begin.

A north country project that has been enormously contentious is British Petro-

leum’s Cape Vincent Wind Farm. Its status is now unclear after BP Wind Energy this fall moved to sell its entire in-development wind portfolio by the end of the year. The developer is, however, still proceeding with its state Article X application for the 285-megawatt project.

Economically, wind power is primarily a driver from a private standpoint, as wind installations generate jobs during the installation period, but few after that, Mr. Bird, the Clarkson professor, said. Maple Ridge employs about 35 people between the wind farm operator and the turbine manufacturer. Mr. Copleman declined to specify either jobs related to turbine maintenance or the costs of that.

“The direct value to the north country is actually much more about lease payments, directly to land owners, and property taxes,” Mr. Bird said. “Those dollars added up over the years are really significant and they’re local.”

At Maple Ridge, annual revenue payments to landowners involved have been more than $1 million, in addition to about $8 million annually in Payment in Lieu of Taxes and real estate tax payments. The farm also generates about $3.5 million a year for the Lowville Academy and Central School district.

With NYSERDA funding, Mr. Bird is working with a group of other Clarkson professors as well as data and power companies nationwide on a pilot project that seeks a way around the transmission obstacles in renewable energy generation — wind, solar and hydro — through green data centers.

The idea is that sending data over fiber-optic networks, for colleges, hospitals, corporations or other entities that need data processing, is more energy efficient than moving power over transmission lines, for example, because when wind power is less plentiful, the workload for the data centers could be routed to a different pod with no impact on the user. Mr. Bird said the project is still some time away from a large-scale incarnation; economic and policy analysis is under way.

Detractors of wind power have cited concerns over the loss in property values as a result of wind farms.

“My research strongly suggests that there can be negative effects on property values,” said Mr. Heintzelman, who published a comprehensive study on the matter in 2011. “That does not imply that it’s a bad investment.”

His research found that PILOT payments to local communities are perhaps not high enough to offset property values, but he said the switch from coal and less clean power sources is a “real economic benefit” that should be considered.

COVER STORY His research found that proximity to turbines had no effect on property values in Lewis County, while it “has a usually negative and often significant impact on property values in Clinton and Franklin counties,” decreasing sales prices anywhere from about 8 to 17 percent, depending on proximity to the turbine. He speculates that’s primarily due to the way the turbines are situated farther from large communities in Lewis County than in Franklin and Clinton.

Though he hasn’t projected on the Cape Vincent project, a town-appointed committee has concluded that almost 4 percent of property owners would benefit directly from easement payments made by the developers and that PILOT agreements between developers and the town were estimated at more than $1 million annually.

THE FUTURE: SMALL-SCALE RENEWABLES, LARGE-SCALE INVESTMENTS OR BOTH?

More than 80 percent of high-voltage transmission facilities in the state went into service before 1980, meaning that the grid requires millions in upgrade investments. That’s prompted some economists and scientists to propose that unclogging the grid might be more effectively accomplished through smaller, regional systems of renewable energy production, made more attractive as the return on investment for home-based alternative energy projects like wind turbines and solar panels improves.

A further dichotomy lurks in that twothirds of the electricity supply is generated upstate, where only one-third of the demand is; a scenario that’s flipped downstate.

“The way the grid and transmission systems are set up, I believe that the energy future will have lots of distributed generation — solar panels, wind turbines, anaerobic digesters,” said Susan E. Powers, a professor in the civil and engineering department at Clarkson University and associate director for sustainability at the school’s Institute for a Sustainable Environment. “Eventually we need to get to the point that we have energy generation on the local scale.”

Nationwide, she said, the grid must be revamped to meet current needs, but in upgrading the system, “we really need to be thinking about upgrading to facilitate regionally, so it’s generated everywhere.

That puts less of an emphasis on these highvoltage, long-distance lines.”

If we only invest in those lines, “we’re not re-thinking the bigger problem and trying to promote more distributed generation — largely renewable resources, small hydropower instead of mega-hydropower, small wind farms.”

Distributed generation could also help with the problem of storing wind by better averaging out where it’s produced and providing communities with a backup system for in-between hours, she said. And with technology rapidly improving the ability to store and generate electricity, now is the time to consider a “more radical change.”

“We’re trying to patch a 100-year old system,” she said. “It was the right solution 100 years ago; it’s not the right system today.”

Mr. Quiniones and Mr. Bird at Clarkson agree that a hybrid model is perhaps more viable.

“It’s not one or the other — the trend in the electric power industry is that there is going to be more distributed resources,” Mr. Quiniones said. “Smaller community grids will work in tandem with the current utility grid.”

When there is more penetration of electric cars, solar TVs and wind into the system in 15 to 20 years, the grid needs to transform accordingly, a need that the Energy Highway project is addressing.

“The governor is 100 percent correct that if we unclog the bottleneck the entire power circuit system will be more efficient

and will help power economic growth statewide,” Mr. Quiniones said. “We need to have a grid that is more flexible, more resilient and more connected. You need to modernize both sides. There is going to be a use for the grid in the future of more distributed generation.”

Improving transmission capability enables all forms of energy to work more efficiently off the grid and will enable the north country to continue as a net exporter of energy, Mr. Bird said.

“If we want to sell extra energy to Canada and New York City, we will have to improve transmission lines,” he said. “I’m also in favor of making more robust locally based energy distribution centers” and investments in local energy infrastructure such as biomass stoves and solar panels.

Like Mr. Quiniones, he envisions a “double-barreled” approach that would capitalize on the north country’s strengths as a net exporter and simultaneously “make the local, regional economy more sustainability based and more driven by local resources.”

“We’re really well positioned to promote renewable energy,” Mr. Bird said. n LEAH BULETTI is a staff writer for NNY Magazines. Contact her at lbuletti@wdt.net or 661-2381.

November 2013 | NNY Business

| 25

ENERGY

Burgeoning biomass

ReEnergy Black River leads NNY biomass boom on post

By LEAH BULETTI

B

NNY Business

iomass is becoming an increasingly viable source for thermal and electric energy in the north country, spurred by this summer’s conversion of Fort Drum’s former coal burning site into ReEnergy Holdings LLC’s 60-megawatt Black River biomass facility, the USDA’s support for shrub willow production and home-based biomass heating initiatives.

New York’s biomass potential is “unparalleled” given existing forest resources and the potential to use agricultural land to sustainably grow biomass crops, according to a North Country Sustainability Plan released in May, a comprehensive look at energy in the region funded by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.

Thirty percent of the seven-county region’s thermal energy needs are already met by wood, a resource that only generates 1 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions associated with heating fuel, that report said.

“It’s important to note that biomass is the only renewable fuel that provides a base load for electricity,” said Eric W. Carlson, president of the Empire State Forest Products Association, as hydro, wind and solar are all subject to the whims of natural conditions.

Biomass is also important in driving the switch from fuel energy to wood heating, as well as a job generator in the manufacturing of heating appliances, Mr. Carlson said.

“The fuel is locally based and you don’t have the variability with fossil fuels—prices are steady,” he said.

Costs for switching to wood heating range from a few hundred dollars for wood pellet stoves to the $10,000 range for high-end wood boiler systems, with the payback period ranging from three to five years depending on price and fuel costs, Mr. Carlson said.

Pellet fuel appliances, which burn pellets made from compacted sawdust, wood chips, bark, crop waste, waste paper and other organic materials, are the cleanest of solid fuelburning heating appliances, with combustion efficiencies of 78 to 85 percent, according to the Department of Energy, which says most pellet stoves cost between $1,700 and $3,000.

While the initial cost of fuel switching has been a barrier, as have cheap natural gas prices, more homeowners and schools in the

26 |

NNY Business | November 2013

NORM JOHNSTON | NNY BUSINESS

Trucks unload at ReEnergy Black River on Fort Drum, which opened after being converted from a coal-burning site to a biomass facility this summer and is providing an important market for forestry residuals.

region are considering it as demonstration projects show the feasibility of the investment, Mr. Carlson said.

Mid last month, Northern New York hosted its first National Bioenergy Day, which included tours of ReEnergy’s 22-megawatt Lyonsdale facility, which produces enough electricity to supply about 21,000 homes using biomass as its primary fuel, and the South Lewis Central School District’s woodchip biomass boiler system in Turin, which went online in 2011 and officials say saves the district more than $100,000 a year.

The nonprofit Northern Forest Center is also engaged in a project of residential demonstrations and subsidies of wood pellet boilers.

Program director at the center Maura Adams said biomass for heating is more efficient than for electricity—about 85 percent of the energy content of wood is used in the generation of heat, but only about 30 for electricity.

“Small scale thermal biomass applications will have the least carbon impact over time,” she said, adding that the entire Northern region is a “terrific place for biomass,” and that biomass heat improves low-grade wood markets and forest stewardship.

Ms. Adams cautions that the forest cannot support the complete adoption of wood heating; the Sustainability Plan outlines targets of increasing thermal energy heat generated from renewable sources to 20 percent of the region’s public and commer-

cial buildings by 2020 and to 45 percent of smaller commercial buildings and residential homes in the same time frame.

In Jefferson County, Albany-based ReEnergy spent about $34 million converting the post’s former coal plant to running off wood products and forestry residues that would otherwise be discarded, a yearlong retrofitting process that created about 180 jobs.

Currently, 33 people are employed full-time at the plant, with an estimated 145 working on logging crews in regional forests, for a total of roughly 300 new and indirect jobs in the community, according to facility manager Anthony J. Marciniak.

ReEnergy says that the facility could reduce sulfur dioxide emissions by 78 percent and mercury gas emissions by 36 percent once operational for some time.

The plant, which he said is running at or near its full capacity of generating enough power to supply about 55,000 homes, has about 50 suppliers primarily within a 100-mile radius, ranging from small farmers to larger operations supplying 60,000 tons of wood a year. The plant is trying to sign on suppliers from Canada and also municipalities after the city of Ogdensburg got involved this fall.

Curran Renewable Energy, Canton, and its sister company Seaway Timber Harvesting are selling 5 to 7,000 tons per month to the plant per a contract with ReEnergy.

Curran has leased two chippers from

ReEnergy that have improved the quality of high-grade fibers going to the paper or pellet mill and facilitated the harvesting of residuals — branches, tops and small trees — for the biomass plant, according to president and CEO Patrick J. Curran.

“It created a market which we all needed very badly — for low-grade timber that needs to go somewhere,” he said. The contract with ReEnergy enabled him to hire 13 full-time employees.

As his two businesses produce more than 300,000 tons of wood chips annually, the portion to ReEnergy is “not huge,” but an important market, he said, especially after last September’s idling of ReEnergy’s Chateaugay biomass facility. ReEnergy says it is looking to reinstate that 21-megawatt facility.

“Any business accepting wood fiber is good for all of us in the fiber supply chain,” Mr. Curran said.

ReEnergy is leasing seven high-efficiency wood chippers to suppliers through fiveyear contracts. The chippers use about half the fuel of traditional chippers and do a better job of chipping the tops of trees normally left into a usable product, according to John R. Howe, ReEnergy’s north country wood procurement manager.

ReEnergy also recently became the first company solely devoted to electricity production in North America to receive third-party certification from the Sustainable Forestry

Initiative for abiding by appropriate forestry management techniques, dealing with endangered species of plants and flowers and committing to work with the logging community to improve practices, Mr. Howe said.

Key to the future of the Black River site is securing a contract worth millions of dollars to supply the post with power. It’s one of two on post that the government has listed as usable for sustainable power. A decision was expected in August or September, but as of late October none had been made; ReEnergy spokeswoman Sarah Boggess said she hopes for one by the end of the year.

“We’re actively pursuing a power sales agreement with Fort Drum,” Mr. Marciniak said. “If we’re not able to secure the Fort Drum facility, we’ll continue to provide power to the grid and sell in the day-ahead market.”

Biomass proponents also tout the potential of shrub willow for carbon neutral biomass production, a crop that can be harvested in three to four years, much faster than most tree species in the area, and that allows for repeated cuttings of wood from each shrub. The USDA’s $4.3 million planned investment to encourage the growth of shrub willow in nine Central and Northern New York counties, the Biomass Crop Assistance Program, was stalled by this fall’s blockage of the Farm Bill. Officials hope that 3,500 acres can be planted, generating an expected 400,000 green tons

of biomass over 11 years, but only 1,200 have been planted, 770 of which were newly planted in Jefferson County.

Shrub willow makes up only about 5 percent of the wood ReEnergy is processing, and will likely only account for 3,000 tons of the two plants’ wood once fields closer to the Black River site are harvested, Mr. Howe said. But shrub willow is beneficial in that it diversifies the fuel mix, supports agricultural jobs and puts unproductive, marginal farmland back into use, he said.

As demand for biomass grows and biofuel projects progress, the economic benefit of shrub willow can increase, said Timothy A. Volk, senior research associate at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

He said the initial short deadlines for signing up for the program hurt participation, but that many landowners are now interested in getting involved if the program is renewed.

Cape Vincent farmer Robert J. McDonagh has signed a 10-year contract to supply ReEnergy with his next three harvests on 1,100 acres, 150 of which he is harvesting this fall. Though it’s a breakeven operation for him even with subsidies, he hopes for profit long-term and said the ReEnergy contract means “our end user is guaranteed,” giving him stability. n LEAH BULETTI is a staff writer for NNY magazines. Contact her at 661-2381 or lbuletti@wdt.net.

November 2013 | NNY Business

| 27

GREEN TECH

The new performing arts center at SUNY Potsdam, slated for completion in December, is one of many buildings in the north country that was designed to LEED specifications. The firm Pfeiffer Partners Architects used a special insulation technique to achieve maximal energy efficieny.

MELANIE KIMBLER-LAGO | NNY BUSINESS

Taking a green path

From Watertown to Massena, businesses design to LEED

By GABRILLE HOVENDON

I

NNY Business

n recent years, a crop of green buildings has been sprouting up in the north country. From Watertown to Massena, environmentally friendly buildings are incorporating the latest in sustainable technology and achieving Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification in the process.

This designation, established in 1998 by the U.S. Green Building Council, recognizes sustainability and efficient use of resources by building designers and owners. And according to area architects, it’s becoming increasingly common in Northern New York.

“We are definitely seeing more people interested in it,” said Brian A. Jones, LEEDcertified architect and partner at Aubertine and Currier in Watertown. “I believe it’s going to be a wave of the future and eventually a requirement for all buildings. Energy’s not going to get cheaper, and it’s going to be more vital to conserve our resources. People are realizing they’re going to have to live and build differently to afford living here.”

Aubertine and Currier’s most recent

28 |

NNY Business | November 2013

LEED-certified project was the 7,800-squarefoot Land Port of Entry facility at Cannon Corners for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Customs, and Border Protection. This $7.5 million building, located in Mooers Forks, achieved silver certification after it was completed in January 2012. It includes a rain catchment system that collects rainwater for reuse in toilets and washing machines, solar panels that provide energy for hot water heating and a variety of green materials in its construction.

More recently, Aubertine and Currier has begun designing an 8,000-square-foot visitor’s center at the Eisenhower Lock in Massena. The project, which is on track to achieve LEED silver certification, will be designed by the end of the year and will utilize passive solar energy, local steel and wood and many other environmentally friendly components.

“We’re going to have a super insulated building envelope,” Mr. Jones said. “The walls and the ceiling will be above and beyond what a normal building of that type would be made of. That’s where we’ve found the biggest savings: it reduces your heating costs, it reduces the size of the heat-

ing equipment. That’s where you can make the most impact.”

Because energy efficiency is worth a significant number of credits in the LEED certification process — not to mention because it saves clients money — many architects are focusing on this aspect of building in their project designs. At SUNY Potsdam, where the new performing arts center is set to be completed by a Dec. 4 ribbon cutting ceremony, the firm Pfeiffer Partners Architects has employed a special insulation technique to achieve energy efficiency.

“The biggest requirement is the total and overall energy consumption in the building,” said Steve Derasmo, a senior project manager at New York-based Pfeiffer Partners. “We’ve worked very hard to have the building exceed the government requirements as well as the LEED requirements for efficiency.”

The performing arts center, which will feature a fireproof, weatherproof mineral wool insulation installed outside the building’s sheetrock, will be faced with a rainscreen façade of terra cotta and resin panels to hide the external insulation. It will also

Please see LEED, page 30

GREEN TECH

Green concrete, resilient buildings in works at CU

By GABRIELLE HOVENDON

F

NNY Business

orget sustainable — try resilient.

In the world of energy-efficient buildings, a new trend is emerging. According to Andrea R. Ferro, an associate professor in Clarkson University’s department of civil and environmental engineering, work is now being done to create buildings that can be temporarily self-sustaining and, yes, resilient.

“The idea is that the building would be able to provide services to the occupants, like clean air and water and comfort with temperature and lighting, independently,” she said. “It’s not that the building would be off the grid or stand alone, but that the building could manage interruptions in network services. There could also be clusters of buildings where a resource that’s produced in one building could be used in a different building.”

Ideally, the resilient structures would be capable of producing and reusing their own water, power and other resources for short amounts of time —a necessity, Dr. Ferro says, in an increasingly disruptive climate. Along with other researchers at Syracuse University and the City College of New York, she is submitting a pre-proposal to the National Science Foundation to establish the Engineering Research Center for Healthy and Resilient Urban Buildings.

If funded, the new research center would allow scientists and engineers to use various existing technologies (everything from energy sensors to active and passive solar energy systems to green roofs) to achieve resiliency and sustainability within existing as well as future buildings.

“There are many new technologies and approaches for reducing energy use in buildings and producing good indoor air quality and water quality. Some of these strategies use living systems, so we’ve adopted them as well,” Dr. Ferro said.

“These technologies are already in use, but we feel that there needs to be additional research to optimize the approach.”

n n n

Another researcher doing innovative work in the field of sustainable building is Sulapha Peethamparan, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at Clarkson University. For

COURTESY CLARKSON UNIVERSITY

Sulapha Peethamparan, Clarkson University assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, is working to develop a more environmentally friendly form of cement-free concrete that doesn’t leach chemicals into water.

Please see GREEN, page 31

November 2013 | NNY Business

| 29

GREEN TECH LEED, from page 28

mental sustainability in mind.

“We’ve been really focusing on achieve energy efficiency through highly our process for our projects using effective mechanical systems, including the LEED criteria,” said Krysta compact fluorescent lightbulbs and winAten-Schell, intern architect and dows positioned to allow maximum daythe LEED administrator for the light in winter and shading in summer.

Bernier, Carr & Associates in Wa Other environmentally friendly featertown. “We use it at the begintures of the building include bike racks ning of almost all of our projects. and dressing rooms to facilitate alternate We go through a process where forms of transportation, customizable we identify the energy goals that lights and thermal controls, a green we want to achieve and we use the housekeeping procedure, designated LEED criteria as a starting point.” recycling areas, rainfall collection and a Although Bernier, Carr does metering dashboard and public educanot have any current projects MELANIE KIMBLER-LAGO | NNY BUSINESS tion programs to inform occupants of that are seeking LEED certificaThe outside of SUNY Potsdam’s new performing arts center. energy consumption in the building. tion, their recent work with the Many local and regional materials have Village of Owego’s Waste Water LEED-accredited professionals and more been utilized in the construction of the Treatment Plant and the Watertown than a dozen green associates to meet a building, including concrete, steel, stone, International Airport has focused heavily slowly growing demand for sustainable paint and aluminum finishes all procured on sustainability. As with other environbuildings in the north country. within a 500-mile radius. mentally friendly buildings in the north Despite their environmental and fiscal The performing arts center is on track to country, Bernier, Carr’s structures include benefits, LEED-certifiable buildings somereceive a minimum of LEED silver certificareful attention to building envelopes times pose unique obstacles to architects. cation with a goal of gold certification. and insulation in order to make structures The certification process can be costly and In that way, it’s similar to many federal as energy efficient as possible. time consuming, and the credits used to and state government buildings, more Bernier, Carr also focuses on utilizing and more of which are being required to efficient mechanical systems in its designs, achieve certification are not always based by region, so an architectural element that meet at least LEED silver certification. This including LED light fixtures and state-ofmight make sense in Texas – a light-colrequirement in turn is prompting more arthe-art heating and ventilation systems. ored roof to reduce a building’s sunlight chitects to design buildings with environIn recent years, the firm has trained three absorption, for example – might not make sense in the north country.

According to Mr. Derasmo at Pfeiffer Partners, another challenge of LEED certification is that it does not always take into account the varying goals of different buildings. In the case of the SUNY Potsdam project, for example, the LEED goal of using as much natural daylight as possible is in direct competition with the goal of black box studios, lighting labs and other performance spaces that require darkness.

Still, north country architects seem We Support You: confident that more and more clients Leadership Development will begin requesting energy-efficient Strategic Planning buildings in years to come. Even with the Organizational Culture higher initial costs that some green and Assessment Tools & Surveys LEED-certified buildings pose, Mr. Jones Team Performance believes that clients can be persuaded to Dynamic Training be open to new ideas.

Management Coaching “There’s a lot of challenges,” he said.

“You’re trying to convince the owner and • We build upon your success. the contractor to do it differently than the • We won’t waste your time & energy. way they’ve been doing it. You’re trying • We won’t pull any punches. to educate them on the advantages of do• We tailor-fit everything to meet your unique needs. ing it a certain way.

“Usually when they see the building, they’re convinced,” he added.

(315) 493-1492 ~ team@cortelimprovement.com

www.cortelimprovement.com 30 |

NNY Business | November 2013

n GABRIELLE HOVENDON is a former Watertown Daily Times reporter and freelance writer. Contact her at ghovendon@gmail.com.

GREEN, from page 29 the past three years, Dr. Peethamparan has been working to produce a more environmentally friendly concrete.

According to Dr. Peethamparan, the 12 billion tons of concrete produced worldwide each year require approximately 1.5 million tons of cement. Each ton of cement in turn yields approximately one ton of carbon dioxide from burning coal, mining limestone and chemical reactions.

“In the concrete industry we have a lot of push for more sustainable concrete, meaning a concrete which has low impact on the environment, low CO2 emissions,” Dr. Peethamparan said. “We are developing a lot of different kinds of concrete using different types of waste materials.”

One way to make a more sustainable concrete involves replacing some of the Portland cement with industrial byproducts: “fly ash,” or waste from coal-burning thermal plants, and blast-furnace slag from steel plants, for example. However, Dr. Peethamparan’s research centers on geopolymer and alkali-activated concretes, which are produced entirely from industrial byproducts and do not use any cement at all. By mixing a strong alkali solution such as sodium hydroxide or sodium silicate with these industrial byproducts, she is creating a stable, cement-free concrete that does not leach chemicals into water.

“You are cutting down on the CO2 emissions significantly, and you may end up with a better product, better concrete,” she said of the greener process. “It may last longer than a normal concrete.”

To aid her research, Dr. Peethamparan received a $410,000 grant from the National Science Foundation in 2011 as well as a $30,000 grant from the Rochester-based New York State Pollution Prevention Institute last April. Although the cementfree concrete is nearly ready to begin trials, Dr. Peethamparan predicts that it may take several years before it’s accepted in the north country.

“People are not going to accept it immediately,” she said. “It may take at least five to 10 years to show them that this concrete is very good, show them how durable it is and how long lasting it is, that it is not going to cause any health damage, any catastrophic failures. You need to establish that kind of information first.”

Watertown, NY 22746 Plaza Drive Watertown, NY 13601 Toll Free: 877.417.2346 Phone: 315.782.2422 Also located in Troy & Plattsburgh

•

•

n GABRIELLE HOVENDON is a former Watertown Daily Times reporter and freelance writer. Contact her at ghovendon@gmail.com.

November 2013 | NNY Business

| 31

GREEN TECH

Peak sustainable living Aubertine & Currier designs unique straw bale house

By LEAH BULETTI

M NNY Business

elanie D. O’Brien, originally of Staten Island, acknowledges that both she and her husband Robert M., “by our nature think very long-term.”

Coupled with the pair’s environmental consciousness and intrepid spirit, it’s a patience that will serve them well as they reap the energy savings on what could be the north country’s first ever straw-bale home on Route 3 in Henderson, which they plan to start building this spring.

That’s straw, not to be confused with livestock-edible hay, and lots of it. Five hundred, 18-inch thick by 14-by-36 bales of straw, to be exact.

“Straw is basically rot resistant, insect resistant, moisture resistant,” said Brian A. Jones, one of two architects at Aubertine and Currier Architects, Engineers and Land Surveyors, Watertown, who have spent the past three months designing the house for the O’Briens, researching innovative techniques and soliciting their input on aesthetics.

Straw bale houses are popular in drier climates particularly in California and the Southwest. In the north country’s wetter climate, the design required careful position of the straw bales above the floor, insulation that the designers say is likely to slash heating costs at least in half. Straw will rot if left directly in water for extended periods of time.

“We want to make sure that we’re careful we have plenty of distance from any water sources outside the building and inside,” Mr. Jones said.

“We’ve never seen it done this way— we’re trying something new,” he added of the design. “But we feel pretty strong about it.”

Straw bales prevent thermal bridging that can occur in traditional walls, eliminating the loss of heat and doubling its efficiency according to building code, Mr. Jones said.

Next year, building code will require a layer of insulation on the outside to prevent thermal bridging, he said.

“We will see it be required on a smaller scale, so we’re ahead of the game,” he said.

“There’s a reason why the code is following sustainable principles.”

Straw bale homes also have excellent acoustic properties and aesthetics—the

32 |

NNY Business | November 2013

RENDERINGS COURTESY AUBERTINE AND CURRIER

Aubertine and Currier Architects, Engineers and Land Surveyors has designed a unique straw bale home in Henderson with a variety of other sustainable features as well. Straw bale insulation dramatically cuts heating costs.

deep walls allow for creative interior design, textured finishes or even artistic Plexiglass windows into the straw. The straw bales will allow the house’s structure to be constructed with 2-by-4s rather than the traditional 2-by6s, which could also lead to savings, according to Stephen W. Curtis, an architectural designer who also worked on the project and has experience constructing compressed earth block houses in the Midwest.

Mr. Jones said it’s difficult to make any cost estimate yet on the roughly 1,600-square-foot house, but he doesn’t believe it will be that much more expensive than a traditional one, especially coupled with substantial energy savings; the house won’t use any fossil fuels other than electricity. The hay bales will be purchased for $5 each from LaFargeville farmer, for a total likely half the typical cost of insulation.

“This house is going to be so efficient that they’re almost going to be able to heat the thing with a candle,” he said. “It’s going to be extremely efficient.”

The design includes a number of other cost saving features: an orientation such that the clearstory windows catch maximal southern sunlight; a main living space on the southern side with concrete floors and large windows to absorb the sun during the day and radiate it out at night; large overhangs to prevent the sun from overheating the space in the summer; a wood masonry

stove to generate the majority of the heat in the winter that the couple hope to eventually feed with biomass; and pre-finished metal siding and roofing to effectively negate replacement or upkeep costs.

“Now what I’m trying to convince people to think about more is long-term costs like maintenance costs, energy efficiency costs,” Mr. Jones said of the changing mindset of homeowners as energy costs go up. If efficient energy and insulation systems add $50,000 to the cost of a house but the payback period is eight to 10 years, “it’s well worth doing that if you’re going to be in the house for the rest of your life.”

The O’Briens, who are currently staying with family in the north country while they design and build the house, wanted a “very open, very communal” space, which Aubertine and Currier designed through spaces that look down on others.

“It feels bigger than it really is,” Mr. Jones said. “We’re trying to be as fun as we could with the space.”

All houses that the firm designs incorporate some aspects of sustainable design, but straw bale houses and tire houses, including one the firm designed in Lorraine that the owners have been working on since 2010, are the “next level of sustainability,” Mr. Jones said.

Aubertine and Currier hopes to be the contractor for the straw bale project and hire

GREEN TECH its own subcontractors; green building projects are usually labor intensive and while owners typically want to do much of the building themselves, they still need some expertise and help, he said.

Mrs. O’Brien said they plan to hire out work like the foundation and plumbing and install the bales and inside earthen plaster themselves.

“We toyed with the idea of doing it all ourselves, that works for a lot of people in natural building,” she said. “But we have zero skills when it comes to building.”

She and her husband met at SUNY Purchase where they both studied the arts and where she said they found a community of creative people motivated to “design their own lives.”

“I’ve never formally studied it, but for years and years I’ve had an interest in permaculture, natural building and gentler systems of living,” she said.

She first got the straw bale idea 10 years ago on a trip to Ireland when she and her husband stayed in a “very beautiful, very simple” straw bale farmhouse.

“Environmental concerns are one of the foremost considerations in our minds, but practical considerations are also very big for us,” she said, noting that the house “doesn’t sacrifice modern comforts and

The straw bale home will have a wood masonry stove to further reduce costs and improve sustainability.

doesn’t look unconventional.”

“It was important to us that it could be a bridge between the worlds of natural, ecological and the world that doesn’t already do things that way,” she said. “Here in the middle is something that can satisfy the needs of both and I’m excited about.”

The straw bale “homestead” on the 10-acre wooded property will be home to the couple and their 2 1/2 year-old son, Asher H. H. O’Brien, and, she said, of

course thinking for the future, represents a “long-term settling down.”

“It’s a big enough plot of land that we’re thinking maybe one day our parents could live in it,” she said. Though some would prefer a water view, they love the trees.

“It’s not everyone’s ideal, but for us it’s our ideal spot.” n LEAH BULETTI is a staff writer for NNY magazines. Contact her at 661-2381 or lbuletti@wdt.net.

Protect Your Investment H.D. Goodale Co. INSURANCE

~ Since 1832 ~ 145 Clinton St., Suite 107 Watertown, New York 13601

(315) 788-4581

goodale@northnet.org

31 Years of Service and Experience!

Gary H. Zehr

Nina J. Zehr

***********************************************

ENV North Agency

Need Insurance? Call use - We have it all!

Including: Health, Life, Disability, Dental, Vision, Medicare Advantage/ Supplement/Part D, Home, Auto, Commercial General Liability, Workers’ Compensation, Umbrella/Excess, NYS Notary Public

1981 about your Medicare?

Turning 65? Questions Call today for answers Historic Paddock Arcade Suite 30, Watertown, NY 13601

sduffany@verizon.net

Telephone: (315) 846-9200

Fax: (315) 641-6353

3841 County Route 121, Mannsville, NY 13661 www.insurewithenv.com / Email: envnorth@insurewithenv.com

November 2013 | NNY Business

| 33

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

A healthy dose of jobs

BOCES pharmacy tech course launched in three centers

By LEAH BULETTI

A

NNY Business

new 450-hour BOCES course offered in all three of St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES’s Career and Technical Education centers is aiming to launch students into pharmacy careers, prepare them for college pharmacy coursework and fill demands in the local work force.

The pharmacy technician course began this September at Northwest Tech in Ogdensburg, Southwest Tech in Gouverneur and Seaway Tech in Norwood after BOCES administrators were last fall approached by officials from ProAct Inc., the benefit management company launched by Kinney Drugs Inc., Gouverneur, in 1999.

The one-year program prepares students to take the national certification exam administered by the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board and will position students to work as pharmacy technicians in hospitals, nursing homes, health care clinics, retail stores and outpatient centers, or Internet pharmacies, mail-order pharmacies or pharmaceutical manufacturers, immediately after completion, according to BOCES administrators. Students could also pursue a bachelor’s or master’s degree in pharmaceutical science or a doctorate in pharmacy.

“Students are getting the background should they choose to go on to the work force or go on to college,” said Rachelle E. Romoda, BOCES supervisor of instruction.

“Students are getting the basic skills to work as a technician, in clinical pharmacy or in other types of pharmacy, so they would be able to use this knowledge for a full-time or part-time job.”

Completion of the PTCB exam is not a requirement for work as a pharmacy technician in the state nor for students in the BOCES course, but gives students a leg up in finding a job, according to Renee J. LangtryGreen, BOCES director of career and technical education.

The course started out teaching basic pharmacy skills, such as anatomy, physiology and math and students have already completed an orientation to retail lab, with inventory set up as it would be in a real pharmacy, according to Diane B. Scott, who is teaching the course at the center. The students will also go out into real pharma-

34 |

NNY Business | November 2013

JASON HUNTER | NNY BUSINESS

Diane B. Scott, center, a pharmacy technician instructor at St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES’s Northwest Tech Center in Ogdensburg, poses for a portrait with students, from left, Scarlett M. Cameron, Monica L. Arquette, Brooke E. Oshier and Kristin B. Kuca during BOCES’s new pharmacy technician course.

cies for “work-based learning” and job shadowing experiences, she said. About half of the 11 students enrolled in the course at Northwest Tech, three of whom are juniors, intend to pursue further studies in pharmacy in college, she said.

BOCES administrators said they could offer the course on such a short time schedule because of the relatively low cost of equipment — at Northwest Tech the class is taking place in an existing classroom, part of which was converted to a mock retail lab. Kinney Drugs is also providing support in the form of ideas, materials and supplies based on their in-house training course, Ms. Romoda said.

Administrators also visited a career and technical center in Suffolk County on Long Island that offers a pharmacy technician program before launching it in St. Lawrence County. Ms. Romoda said it was nice to see that that tech center was similar to those in the north country, and that the course would not require very expensive equipment.

“The teachers and staff were very open — the students were wearing lab coats and were very proud to show off what they were doing,” she said. “It just re-enforced that we wanted to bring it back here.”

With such impressive enrollment num-

bers for the first year, building principal Jane S. Akins said her goal is to offer the program full-time next year, with a target of 12 students per class.

“I was very pleased with our start of 11 students for the first year,” she said.

BOCES Superintendent Thomas R. Burns also said he was pleased with the enrollment numbers; initially BOCES had hoped to pilot the course in a minimum of one of BOCES’s three CTE centers. In addition to the 11 at Northwest Tech, 13 students are enrolled at Seaway Tech and eight at Southwest Tech. As well as being able to offer the course to students from all of BOCES’s 18 component school districts, BOCES was able to hire three new “very qualified” teachers, he added.

“Moving forward, this program should serve an important function—providing a rigorous curriculum that upon completion would allow students to use as a platform for acceptance and success in demanding college health fields, or as a direct pathway to a career with an established business such as Kinney’s or ProAct,” he said. “It’s a win-win for students, schools and the community regardless of which path a student elects to take following completion of the program.”

S T. L AW R E N C E C O U N T Y ProAct’s mail order business, which is handled at the company’s Gouverneur facility, has grown from three employees eight years ago to 40 today, ProAct President David B. Warner said. He estimates that could double within the next two to three years as ProAct plans to expand its pharmaceutical mail order service.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics pegs the rate of change in employment for pharmacy technicians in the state at 26 percent from 2010 to 2012, and 32 percent nationwide over the same time frame, well above the average national growth rate of 14 percent for all oc-

cupations. It also reported the hourly mean wage for pharmacy technicians statewide at $14.91 in May 2012; ProAct says average starting pay is $12.25 per hour, and generally higher for employees who have the technician certification.

Senior at Huevelton Central School Monica L. Arquette, a student in the course, said she intends to take the exam and work as a pharmacy technician this summer. She intends to pursue a degree in pharmacy at Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.

“I was thinking about being a pharmacist

and this program reassured that I do want to be it,” she said, adding that she has enjoyed the course so far and thinks it will help with college coursework.

About half of the 11 students enrolled at Northwest Tech, three of whom are juniors, intend to pursue further study in college, according to Ms. Scott, including Huevelton senior Scarlett M. Cameron who said she too wants to go to Albany College of Pharmacy, but take the exam and work as a technician in the interim. n LEAH BULETTI is a staff writer for NNY magazines. Contact her at 661-2381 or lbuletti@wdt.net.

November 2013 | NNY Business

| 35

MILESTONES

Massey golden at 50

With son at helm, Furniture Barn hits half century

By LEAH BULETTI

T NNY Business

he furniture business is in Shawn E. Massey’s blood.

“I only had one choice about what I was going to do—I was going to be in the furniture business or I was going to be in the furniture business,” he said. “Thank God I loved it.

My dad kind of groomed me, and I was fine with it. It was in my blood when I was born, I just felt it. I loved it here.”

Mr. Massey took over operation of Massey’s Furniture Barn on Arsenal Street after his father Edward H. Massey passed away in 1998, but recalls helping around the store since he was five and worked at the store throughout high school and full-time as a salesperson following his high school graduation in 1988.

The store, which celebrated 50 years in business this August, was originally located across from the Price Chopper plaza on the site of what’s now the Ponderosa Restaurant, and moved to its current location in 1968, originally occupying a 4,000-square-foot former railroad freight depot and adding on in cubes as business grew.

Today, Massey’s showroom is about 27,000-square feet, and home to thousands of pieces of furniture totaling more than $2 million from national retailers including Ashley, England, Sealy, Simmons, Lane and Serta. The store also has a 20,000-square-foot delivery center across the street on Breen Avenue.

Mr. Massey said that key to staying in business for so long is having prices that can “beat anybody” in the region, as well as personalized customer service, on-site repair service and free delivery.

Massey’s is the only furniture store in the Watertown area that offers free delivery, a service begun by Mr. Massey’s father and itself a relatively rare service for furniture stores that typically use delivery as a route to substantial profit. Massey’s makes deliveries in a 70-mile radius from Potsdam to Syracuse and the surrounding areas with three delivery trucks that typically make about 10 stops each per day, using a system of geographical zones.

“Over the years it’s been tough … but I was

36 |

NNY Business | November 2013

AMANDA MORRISON | NNY BUSINESS

Massey Furniture Barn owner Shawn E. Massey reclines in the store’s Arsenal Street showroom on a recent afternoon. The business, begun by Mr. Massey’s father, celebrates 50 years in business this year.

known for it,” Mr. Massey said. “I figured I trimmed other areas to be able to keep the free delivery. It’ll always be free delivery.”

Those areas of savings include keeping overhead low through not employing many managers; instead, Mr. Massey himself works nearly every day and is immersed in the day-to-day customer service and sales.

While chains such as Raymour & Flanigan Furniture, which moved from Court Street to a few blocks down from Massey’s on Arsenal Street in November 1988, might have the more expensive “designer-created,” fancy displays, Massey’s has the same quality furniture and capitalizes on its strengths in customer service.

“I’ve got personality, people that actually get involved, I give back to the community,” he said, noting that he frequently makes both large and small donations of furniture for various fundraisers and each year donates a $2,500 gift card to Watertown’s Relay for Life event.

Many of Massey’s 17 full-time employees have also been with the business for years, which he said helps with consistency and keeping the numerous repeat

customers and generations of families that patronize the store.

“You want people that understand the business,” he said. “It’s a personal aspect that I can offer as a family-owned business that my competitors can’t.”

Mr. Massey said that the competition among furniture stores in the area is less acute than it was 20 years ago, but noted that the recent closure of Carl’s Furniture City on State Street “is a little piece of the pie.”

“I’m sure all of us in general will pick up a little more business,” he said.

But he noted that competition is not all bad — though Mr. Massey and his father were anxious about Raymour & Flanigan’s move, its presence on Arsenal Street has in fact helped Massey’s because customers often decide to comparison shop en route.

“Our business has increased every year since it moved there,” he said, and business in general has increased three to four-fold since he took over from his father, which he attributes to the general growth of Watertown’s economy, Massey’s “aggressiveness” and its push into the digital world for advertising and sales. “Competition is not bad

MILESTONES as long as you’re on your game and you’re competitive and you serve your customers… you’ll get your fair share.”

Two years ago, Massey’s launched a retail website and last year launched a Facebook page that has earned nearly 3,500 likes.

“I’m adding more and putting more funds into my online presence—that has been very successful for us,” he said, noting that about 50 percent of all customers use Massey’s website, which lists all of the store’s inventory, to comparison shop before coming in.

While the popularity of Craigslist for used furniture hasn’t taken a cut of his business, Mr. Massey said that the Internet has hurt him in the proliferation of online furniture retailers. He cautions that even if such sites offer the allure of free shipping, furniture shipped long distance often arrives with substantial freight damage that Internet retailers often only make good on if the customer ships it back—a complicated and usually expensive prospect that often pushes the consumer to buy locally in the end.

“The price might seem good, but the backend service isn’t there,” he said.

A push into the digital arena, though, requires constant readjustment and innovation.

“You can try and be in business for 50 years, but if you’re not trying to grow and expand and be aggressive, you’ll coast downhill,” Mr. Massey said. “You have to always come up with new ideas and new promotions and it’s hard. I’ve run every sale you can possibly imagine in the world and you have to always come up with new ideas.”

To that end, Mr. Massey invested about $25,000 in new software and technology for the store and its trucks following an April trip to an international furniture trade show in North Carolina. The software maps out the most efficient routes for delivery trucks and also enables paperless sales from the floor, soon via a fleet of six iPads that will allow salespeople to check inventory or warehouse availability on the spot. Within a month, he also plans to have a kiosk installed for customers to preview custom-upholstered England Furniture via a touch screen.

“If I can show them exactly what it’s going to look like, my closing is going to be a lot better,” he said.

Mr. Massey also plans to expand the showroom by another 10-15,000 square feet to the rear of the existing space within the next five years.

Among the many lessons Mr. Massey said he learned from his father, treating employees well and continuing to run the business as a family venture are paramount.

He hopes to eventually pass the business

down to his five-year-old son, Hudson, who already loves spending time in the store, wielding a clipboard and showing his own business card to his kindergarten teacher.

“My father would be very proud,” he said of passing it on to his son. “It must be in his genes.”

Fourteen-year employee of Massey’s Robert C. Mason, of Watertown, who was working his last day on a recent Monday, knew Mr. Massey’s father and as a young man used to help him move his furniture when he sold it from an actual barn, and

said Mr. Massey is bringing up his son just like Edward Massey brought up Shawn. He attributes Massey’s success to Mr. Massey’s benevolent treatment of the store’s employees and “very customer-oriented” mentality.

After a long career, he was sad not only to be leaving Shawn, but his customers.

“I hate to retire, but it’s time,” Mr. Mason said. “I’m going to miss the people, I’m going to miss Shawn…Shawn is a great person.

He takes care of our customers, he really does. He bends over backward for them.” n LEAH BULETTI is a staff writer for NNY magazines. Contact her at 661-2381 or lbuletti@wdt.net.

WORLD-CLASS CUSTOMS BROKERAGE

SERVICES & SOLUTIONS Bay Brokerage Bay International Trade Solutions Bay Logistics Bay Consulting

Sameday Border Clearance & Delivery Services INDUSTRIES

textile - food products - electronics - gover nment automotive forestry - toy manufacturers - chemical & petro chemical consumer products machinery - telecommunications corporate headquarters

42832 NYS R oute 12 A lexandria B ay, NY 13607 315-482-6161

www.baybrokerageus.com

CALL 1-800-806-0734 FOR A FREE CONSULTATION

November 2013 | NNY Business

| 37

2013

20UNDER40 NORTHERN NEW YORK’S EMERGING LEADERS

Jeniffer Alberry — River Hospital | Adam Carmon — Bay Brokerage | Matthew Cervini — Fort Drum Mountain Community Homes | Matthew Cooper — Bernier, Carr & Associates | Mickey Dietrich — N.Y. State Tug Hill Commission | Adam Fuller — Fuller Insurance Agency | April Halladay — AmeriCU Credit Union | William Hosmer — Hosmer’s Marina | Wayne Latham — Latham Auto Sales & Service | Jamie Lee — SUNY Attain Lab | Diane Leonard — DH Leonard Consulting and Grant Writing Services | Amanda Miller — Lake Ontario Realty | Jessica Page — Page Fitness Athetic Club | Victoria Peck — Children’s Home of Jefferson County | Kristen Reed — Credo Community Center | Michelle Roden — Fort Drum Family & MWR | Brooke Rouse — SUNY Canton SBDC | Edward Siebels — Fort Drum Mountain Community Homes | Junior Stefanini — JKA Enterprises | Dr. Jason White — Internal Medicine of NNY

Join us for a luncheon at Hilton Garden Inn, 1290 Arsenal St., Watertown, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 11, to recognize our 2013 Class of 20 Under 40.

Look for profiles of this year’s class in December’s issue of NNY Business.

RSVP online at www.nnybizmag.com and click on “20 Under 40” or email nnybusiness@wdt.net by noon,Wednesday, Dec. 4. Luncheon is $18 and includes a house salad, fresh baked rolls, cranberry and walnut stuffed chicken with sage infused cream sauce, red skin potatoes, green beans, N.Y.-style cheescake with raspberry sauce and coffee, tea, decaf and water. Vegetarian option is available.

Need a hotel room the night before? Mention the NNY Business 20 Under 40 event for a discount.

Sponsored by:

www.nnybizmag.com

38 |

NNY Business | November 2013

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

Sell with a Realtor for better outcome

R

ecent media reports have touted selling your home yourself, more commonly called for sale by owner or FSBO. It seems like a nice idea: sell your home yourself and save the price of a commission. After all, how hard can it be to sell a property that you know so well?

It turns out that it is not as easy a task as you would think. There is more to the process than simply putting a sign in front and sitting back and waiting for offers to roll in.

Before a property is put on the market, sellers are required by law to fill out numerous forms, whether the property is listed with a real estate broker or if the owner is selling it by him or herself. Some of these carry penalties if not filled out and available to a buyer at the time the buyer submits a purchase offer. Realtors are well versed in which forms are needed for each type of transaction.

Sellers also often underestimate the amount of time required to market and show their property, overestimate the value of their property and then have to deal with security concerns as a result of strangers having access to their home.

Realtors can help sellers set a realistic price and ensure that the proper paperwork and various disclosures and inspections are handled correctly. Realtors know how to prepare a home, maximize value and provide broader exposure to the market, and are more likely to generate multiple bids than sellers on their own. A nationwide survey of buyers and sellers found that the median selling price of an open-market FSBO home was

$191,600, while the median price for all agentassisted sales was $215,000.

Realtors also have expertise in marketing properties and attracting qualified buyers.

They have access Lance Evans to many tools, including the multiple listing service and many websites, including their company sites and other specific sites that cater to a certain type of property or area.

A professional can show a home more objectively than can a seller who may be emotionally attached to the home and who might become unnerved by prospective buyers’ critical comments. Realtors also make sure buyers have the financial capability to purchase a seller’s property.

Once an offer is received, a Realtor can help with negotiations and assist in organizing a meeting of the minds. Even after signing, the job is not done. Between the acceptance of the purchase offer and the actual closing, hurdles to be cleared include attorney approval, scheduling of appraisals and inspections that are required by lenders and the buyer, updating the abstract, facilitating a final walk through by the buyer and clearing numerous other obstacles.Today’s typical home sale involves as many as 20 steps to complete the transaction. Realtors work through the real estate transaction process daily and understand how it affects the interests of their clients and customers.

Using a professional will help smooth the process, get the property sold quicker and at a higher price and save headaches for the seller. Isn’t that worth it? n n n ­­­­­­­­­­­Members of the Jefferson-Lewis and St. Lawrence County Boards of Realtors and I attended the New York State Association of Realtors Fall Business Meetings at Turning Stone held Sept. 29 through Oct. 2. Several had leadership roles including Jennifer Dindl-Neff (Young Professionals Network vice chair), Lisa L’Huillier (NYS Women’s Council of Realtors’ secretary), Karen Peebles (Housing Opportunities Committee chairperson) and Jennifer Stevenson (NYS Housing Opportunities Foundation vice president). Other members who attended were: Gail Christensen, Linda Fields, Elizabeth Miller, Gwyn Monnat, Nancy Rome, Charles Ruggiero, Korleen Spilman and Vickie Staie. n n n The NYS Association of Realtors has inducted members of the Jefferson-Lewis and St. Lawrence County boards of Realtors into the 2013 Realtors Honor Society.

This yearly award recognizes the volunteer work that Realtors did during the previous year. Realtors honored were Walter Christensen, Jennifer Dindl-Neff, Debbie Gilson, Lisa L’Huillier, Gwyn Monnat, Karen Peebles, Korleen Spilman and Jennifer Stevenson. n LANCE M. EVANS is the executive officer of the Jefferson-Lewis Board of Realtors and the St. Lawrence County Board of Realtors.

He has lived in the north country since 1985.

Contact him at levans@nnymls.com. His column appears monthly.

CONTACT WLDC TODAY - GROW YOUR BUSINESS TOMORROW! NOW LEASING “CLASS A” OFFICE SPACE - FRANKLIN BUILDING, DOWNTOWN WATERTOWN Financing options and incentives through the WLDC:

■Fixed - interest loans for real estate, machinery and equipment ■Working Capitol financing ■Leasehold improvement financing ■Assists in securing primary financing through commercial banks

For help with expanding or relocating your business to the City of Watertown Contact: Donald W. Rutherford CEO

Watertown Local Development Corporation (WLDC) 82 Public Square Watertown, NY 13601

Phone: 315.786.3494 Fax: 315.786.3495 email: don@watertownldc.com November 2013 | NNY Business

| 39

Advance your career

APPLY NOW! B.S. in Business-Administration Degree Completion Program

Top 10 property sales by sale price recorded in the Jefferson County clerk’s office in September 2013: $1,500,000: Sept. 12, City of Watertown, 2.36 acres, 1222 Arsenal St., Stateway Plaza, Stateway Plaza Shopping Center Reg’d., Montreal, Quebec, sold to New Life Christian Church, Watertown $700,000: Sept. 24, Town of Alexandria: Two parcels, 1) 0.125 acre, 2) no acreage given, both Wellesley Island, Norman Blum, Maplewood, N.J., sold to Allen Blum, Morristown, N.J. $800,000: Sept. 25, City of Watertown: West Main Street (foreclosure) Susan Sovie, Watertown, referee, Solar & Frontier Buildings LLC, sold to Watertown Assets LLC, Brooklyn

(full or part-time)

$529,000: Sept. 27, Village of Cape Vincent: Two parcels, 375 W. Broadway, Edmond P. Costello, Syracuse, sold to Geoffrey D. Peters and Emily W. Peters, Cape Vincent

(part-time)

$500,000: Sept. 12, Town of Pamelia: 4.239 acres, U.S. Route 11, Jon C. Lennox and Virginia S. Lennox, Chaumont, sold to Daves Mobile Home Sales & Service Inc., Chittenango

M.S.ED in ICT/Organizational Leadership

Winterim Sessions 2014 (12/26/13 - 1/15/14)

Spring 2014 Semester (1/20/14 - 5/16/14)

Low Tuition!

$480,000: Sept. 27, Town of Watertown: Route 3 (Arsenal Street Road), FFB Properties LLC, New Hartford, sold to Clifton Land Company LLC, Port Gibson $410,000: Sept. 24, Town of LeRay: Six parcels, 100.60 acres, 63.80 acre, 51.63 acres, 1.75 acres, 32.22 acres, 237.49 acres, no addresses given, Michael S. Kennedy Trust, Michael S. Kennedy, Panama City, Fla., trustee, sold to Andrew G. Miller and Naomi P. Miller, Manheim, Pa.

Undergraduate Tuition (per credit hour) $245* Graduate Tuition (per credit hour) - $411* *for NYS Residents

$390,000: Sept. 23, City of Watertown, 0.78 acre, Ives Street, Joseph M. Quigg and Maxine M. Quigg, Watertown, sold to Michael F. Angel, Watertown

For more information

$380,000: Sept. 26, Town of Watertown, Three parcels, 6.85 acres, 23736 Swan Road; 14.007 acres, Swan Road; 28.232 acres, Swan Road, Marcia Clifton Robbins, Theresa, sold to Jean M. Luciani and Antonio Luciani, Milpitas, Calif.

www.potsdam.edu/exted or phone

(315) 267-2166 (800) 269-0078 Office of Extended Education SUNY Potsdam

Potsdam THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK

40 |

TOP TRANSACTIONS

NNY Business | November 2013

$387,000: Sept. 24, Town of LeRay, 1.47 acres, 22101-119 Fabco Road, B.R.G. Properties Inc., Watertown, sold to Melanie T. Curley, Cape Vincent

Top 10 property sales by sales price recorded in the St. Lawrence County clerk’s office in September, 2013: $1,900,000: Sept. 24, Town of Edwards, Fowler and Pitcairn: in Town of Edwards, 50 acres more or less, in Town of Fowler, Parcel 1) 30 acres more or less, Parcel 2) 40 acres more or less, Parcel 3) 87.10 acres more or less, Parcel 4) 5 acres more or less, Parcel 6) 63.70 acres more or less, in Town of Pitcairn, Parcel 1) 50 acres more or less, Parcel 2) 50 acres more or less, Parcel 3) 50 acres more or

On the Web

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

Click on ‘Data Center’ to access transactions.

less, Parcel 4) 50 acres more or less, Parcel 5) 100 acres more or less, Lassiter Properties Inc., Atlanta, Ga., sold to Edelweiss Holdings Inc., Atlanta, Ga. $877,136.72: Sept. 19, Village of Massena, Unknown acres, in Lots 3 and 4 of Tract M, bounded by St. Regis Boulevard, CNL APF Partners LP, Scottsdale, Ariz., sold to ARC Cafehld 001 LLC, Jenkintown, Pa. $456,000: Sept. 24, Town of Lisbon, parcel 1) 22.4 acres more or less, Parcel 2) 10.77 acres more or less, Parcel 3) 25.68 acres more or less, Parcel 4) 25.54 acres more or less, Parcel 5) 11.84 acres more or less, Parcel 6) 5.16 acres more or less, parcel 7) 25.08 acres more or less, all in Mile Square Lot 2 of the 9th Range, L.T. Smith and Sons Farms, Canton, sold to Peter C. and Sondra R. Smith, Canton $425,000: Sept. 10, Village of Potsdam, 0.895 of an acre more or less, in Lots 3 and 4 of Section 57, Terence M. and Nancy A. Reed, Potsdam, sold to Mitchel D. Brown and Shelly R. Stelzer, Clarksville, Md. $292,000: Sept. 24, Town of Morristown, Parcel 1) 0.13 of an acre more or less, parcel 2) Unknown acres, bounded by Carter’s Lot, Shelley A. Driscoll, morristown, sold to Barry and Kathleen J. Brodbeck, Laudenville $275,000: Sept. 10, Town of Potsdam: Four parcels, 1) 100 97/100 acres more or less, 2) 6 acres more or less, 3) 2.25 acres more or less, 4) unknown acres, all bounded by Pierrepont Road and Racket River, Janice F. Demick, Potsdam, sold to Danielle G. Jerry and Robert M. Platte, Anchorage, Alaska $270,000: Sept. 26, Town of Lisbon, 1.08 acres more or less, bounded by New York State Highway 37, Boyd E. and Patricia J. Foster (trustees), Foster Living Trust, Ogdensburg, sold to Glenn R. Berkstresser Sr. and Diane R. Berkstresser, Ogdensburg $262,500: Sept. 23, Town of Canton: Parcel 1) 155 acres more or less, in Mile Square 1, Parcel 2) 108 1/4 acres more or less, in Lot 1, Parcel 3) 166 acres more or less, in Section 31 and Section 41, Elfriede Hirnschall, Ontario, Canada, sold to Andrew and Elisha Hurlbut, Canton $231,000: Sept. 19, Village of Gouverneur: Unknown acres, in Lot 7, John B. Adey, Massena, sold to Weichert Relocation Resources Inc., Morris Plains, N.J. $220,000: Sept. 13, Town of Fowler: 0.3389 of an acre more or less, bounded by West Shore Road, Mary G. Colton, Canton, sold to Brian D. Leonard, Gouverneur

TOP TRANSACTIONS Top 10 property sales by sales price recorded by the Lewis County Real Property Tax Service for the month of August 2013: $367,000: Aug. 6, Town of West Turin: 5958 Swackhammer Road, Garrett Ventures, LLC sold to Williams Irrevocable Realty $314,060: Aug. 28, Town of Harrisburg: 3829 Vary Road, Christopher Kain sold to Walter Kennell

11040 state Route 126, Deborah L. Kiffer sold to Larry J. Walseman II

5595 Shady Ave., Tyler W. Roggie sold to Joseph A. Shelton

$235,000: Aug. 26, Town of Greig: 5642 Shore Road, Michael J. Murray sold to Christopher J. Sorell

$185,000: Aug. 8, Town of Greig: 6300 Pine Grove Road, Christina Dickinson sold to Michael J. Millard

$221,500: Aug. 8, Village of Lowville: 5204 Hillcrest Circle, Jack Lomeo sold to Patrick J. Weiler

$179,900: Aug. 26, Town of Croghan: 4841 Rogers Crossing Road, Paul Arquitt sold to Brian C. Jagger

$204,750: Aug. 9, Town of Greig: 5600 Shore Road, Janet G. Hughes sold to Mark W. Scheer

$279,000: Aug. 14, Town of Croghan:

$195,000: Aug. 28, Village of Lowville:

Looking to Buy or Sell?

107 Water Street Dexter, NY 13634

$169,000: Aug. 1, Town of Diana: 14463 Nancy Ann Lane, Perticone Living Trust sold to James P. Habermann

1, 2 & 3 BEDROOMS

Specializing in Residential and Waterfront Properties Tammy S. Queior Lic. RE Broker/Owner

Sarah House April Marvin Tenaha Sparacino Jessica Percy Lic. RE Salesperson Lic. RE Salesperson Lic. RE Salesperson Lic. RE Salesperson

Beaver Meadow Apartments Located in Towne Center at Watertown

(315)788-7810

(315)788-7811(fax) • www.beavermeadowapts.com

Welcome to the 1000 I SLANDS After visiting, many people decide to make the Thousand Islands home.

You can, too! Let us put our experience to work for you!

Residential • Waterfront • Land • Commercial

Thinking of Buying?

• Exclusive buyer representation • Waterfront specialists • Military relocation specialists • First time home buyers • We guide you every step of the way

Thinking of Selling?

• Excellent web presence • Creative and effective marketing plans • Agent is on call when the office is closed • Detailed recording of your home available to buyers 24 hours a day

306 James Street, Clayton, NY 13624 www.tihomes4sale.com • Office: 316-686-5500 • Fax: 315-686-5505

November 2013 | NNY Business

| 41

20 QUESTIONS

NORM JOHNSTON | NNY BUSINESS

HE DOESN’T just PREACH

W

ith four services on Sunday at his rapidly growing New Life Christian Church, it seems the Rev. Kirk S. Gilchrist would more than have his hands full with preaching. But he also owns six businesses, which he views as an important way to provide income to community members and also enable him to run orphanages worldwide. A Detroit native, Mr. Gilchrist says he’s here to stay in the north country, and that God gave him his love for the region about four years in.

1

NNYB: How many different businesses are you involved in?

GILCHRIST: Six. Three Cici’s Pizzas, one in Watertown, one in Augusta, Ga., and one in Rochester, Coldstone, I’m bringing Barton Homes up to the north country, and New Life Media, but I’m trying to get out of that mainly for time constraints. And then of course New Life Christian Church. When we were looking for funding for the Cici’s up here, we found out it’s to our benefit to own the Cici’s so there’s one in Augusta, Ga. and the owners wanted to get rid of it so we said we’ll take it over. We took over a store that was losing money and now it’s doing well, making a profit. That was right in the beginning process of trying to bring the Cici’s to Watertown.

2

NNYB: Was your church originally in Depauville?

GILCHRIST: When we came here 17 years ago from Detroit the church had about 45 people. It had a lot of problems. It had split like five or six times before and the pastor and his wife were separated and soon to get divorced. They would tell you that anyone who left the church was wrong—they were the right ones and everyone else was wrong and so we came and really began to just teach loving God and loving people and that’s the greatest commandment. It took probably about five years before things really began to change and the church began to grow. Plus I think there’s a

42 |

NNY Business | November 2013

n Rev. Kirk Gilchrist serves others,

community with his six businesses reality that when you move into a new area, people need to know you’re here to stay before they really trust you. Especially in the north country there’s a mentality that they’re loyal once they know you’re good, but they’re going to check you out. We went from one service to two services there – it seated about 170 and both of them were pretty packed. Then we needed to find something with more room and so we found this theater, which was a wreck. It was bad. But my background is of course in construction so I could see it done and I had just a great team so we said alright let’s do it. We couldn’t afford a mortgage and renovation – it was one or the other. So they allowed us to lease it for five years at an incredible rate. The first two years were free. So we used that money to renovate. We did four theaters, there are eight of them total, just to get in—a sanctuary, a kid’s theater, bathrooms, the foyer, the office wing. Then we finished the other four as we went along. We just closed on the building in September.

3 4

NNYB: Are you outgrowing the space?

GILCHRIST: We have 2,600 square feet and we’re outgrowing it. I never would have thought. We run four services on Sunday because the middle two services are so full. Every time we add a service it’s attended.

NNYB: How did you manage to acquire the property?

GILCHRIST: The church people gave sacrificially, I gave sacrificially. I gave everything I have. And I mean that. People are always suspicious about the church—what’s really going on, what are they really after. But I don’t own it, so I’m not going to gain any-

thing from it. And we’re not just building it for us either.

I’m 54 so 25 years from now most likely I’ll be gone.

But there’s a generation after us that is still going to be able to use the building. And not having any kind of a payment and or any kind of a debt, that generation can now use even more money to help the community.

So it was very long-term for me.

5

NNYB: How have you persevered in your mission?

GILCHRIST: It beat the power out of me. It did, in regards to a lot of sleepless nights, because you have to pay for things as you go along and you’re balancing that as well as your building at the same time.

Any of those three would have been enough, but to do all three of them was pretty tough. I definitely went through some seasons where I fought depression and so forth where I never had to before. When you go through something like that it definitely gives you some greater sense of compassion for people that also go through it, so that I think was good.

6

NNYB: What drew you to the north country?

GILCHRIST: The only real way to answer that is God. The pastor of the church here and the pastor of the church that I was associate pastor of in Michigan are brothers. The pastor here said look this thing is floundering and getting ready to go under, would you take it? And I go no but I’ll come up and preach for you.

So I came up on a Sunday morning and I was in the service and I really just felt prompted from God, that these people are hurting, they want help. So I went home—my wife was pregnant with Leah our fifth child and wasn’t with me—and I said we’re supposed to

20 QUESTIONS move to Depauville. And I said will you pray about coming and she goes no. That was where we grew up—it was our home. Plus we’d just moved into a really nice home where we had 10 acres of manicured park for our backyard. But she did say if you feel that we’re supposed to, we’ll go. And I knew we were, so we came. Now the church has grown from 43 people to about 900 now. It’s an incredible place to live—I live in the Thousand Islands—it’s like a dream of ours.

And Detroit tanked. So now 17 years later I can look at it and say wow that was a smart decision, but at the time it didn’t look like that.

7

NNYB: Can you describe your church here?

GILCHRIST: It’s non-denominational. We’re part of the Elim Fellowship that is great—really good people that help provide some accountability as well as some oversight when we need it. And the church is full of life. It’s contemporary in style. We have a tremendous staff—over 250 volunteers throughout the week and on Sunday. We’re really geared as a church to the community. We just gave a free meal and free ice cream to all the furloughed workers at Cici’s and Coldstone when they were out of work. Same with the kids at the school—we just gave them free coupons for Cici’s and Coldstone. We’re constantly as a church looking for ways to reach into the community to do what we can. We were in the public schools all last week giving a message on anti-bullying and providing the music and skits. And we didn’t go to them—they asked us to come.

8 9

NNYB: How many employees do you have in the north country?

GILCHRIST: It’s probably 20 at Cici’s and 10 at Coldstone. So 40 or 50 total.

NNYB: What was the inspiration for New Life Media?

GILCHRIST: We were doing a lot of layouts and so forth here and I really think most of what we do looks state of the art and phenomenal. So the thought was let’s raise the bar of the north country in regards to presentation and do it for other businesses. So now we’ve done it for a lot of different businesses, everything from TV commercials to just print layout.

10

NNYB: When did the north country start to feel like home for you?

GILCHRIST: Year number four or five. Again it was a God thing. A church in Savannah, Ga. called me and said are you interested in taking our church? There’s a church of like 300 or 400 people, there’s a school, there’s a ministry—everything I really wanted. But I just knew inside of my heart that the church wasn’t healed yet—they were close but they weren’t there yet.

So I was thinking about it but I wasn’t really thinking about it like I’m going to take it. That Friday I went to a conference where I didn’t really know anybody but I wanted to hear the speaker. And all of a sudden this lady like at the top of her lungs cried out, she said to the pastor of the church in Depauville the lord says and then she began to give me what’s called a prophetic word. And nobody knew this, except for my wife, nobody knew, and she said ‘you’re thinking about moving to the south but the lord wants you to stay in the north. God has a plan for you and he’s going to use you and he’s going to use your church and you need to stay.’ So that Sunday we had a guest speaker in our church—he was an older guy and he’s known that when he prays for people God gives him things to pray for. And he looks at me and goes you want a prayer? So he looks at me and says ‘you’re thinking of moving to the south but the lord is telling you to stay in the north. God has a plan for your region, he has a plan for your church but you need to settle your feet.’ But then he adds to it, ‘your sheep are not settled

NORM JOHNSTON | NNY BUSINESS

Kirk S. Gilchrist in his office at New Life Christian Church, Watertown. Mr. Gilchrist, a Detroit native, came to the north country 17 years ago and has grown the church to 900 members. He also owns six businesses. because you’re not settled. When you set your feet, God will show you the vision for what he has for the north country.’ And at home my wife goes ‘you’re just waiting for things to be healed and then you’re getting out of here.’ And I knew she was right. So I stood in front of my church that Sunday and said I’m here until I die unless the Lord says otherwise. That week the Lord gave me my love for the north country. And I love the north country. I do. In fact I take it personally almost when someone says ‘oh the weather here’ or whatever else because I think it’s a beautiful place to live.

11

NNYB: What’s the relationship of your church to your businesses?

GILCHRIST: No relationship on paper. They’re privately owned for-profit businesses that we pay taxes on.

They’re totally linked in the aspect of what we’re trying to accomplish as a community—the fact that we can provide jobs and income for people—that’s definitely part of me as a pastor and part of me as a church. So it’s not like my role as a pastor is just to preach on Sunday, to read my Bible, to pray. I do all of those things, but it also entails the thought of providing businesses and an avenue of income for people. And then using that profit for the community and kids throughout the world.

12

NNYB: Can you talk about your experience with the orphanages?

GILCHRIST: We have a home for the disabled in Nepal and then we have two orphanages we built in Thailand and Guatemala, and a home for the deaf in Vietnam. I travel a lot in the mission field. I’ve started to limit it a little more than I used to because it beats you up a lot. I was just in Guatemala last year. We’re doing stuff with the public schools now too. At one time I owned a company called Shepherd Industries that was my invention—that one-wrap piece of Velcro that goes around itself, that fastens cords and so forth.

We probably sold 50 or 60 million of those. Now Velcro is taking it back and doing it out of Mexico. But we used to do it out of Depauville. Velcro wasn’t used that way at the time—it was just strips that were hooks and then looped on the other. I actually went to them and said will you make this for me, so they were selling it to me and then later on I came back and said we want to sell that. The president of Velcro and I became really good friends. We worked on it together—we became

The Kirk S. Gilchrist file AGE: 54 JOB: Pastor, New Life Christian Church, business owner FAMILY: Wife, Carolyn. 5 children:

Rebecca, 27, Ben, 25, Joseph, 23, Daniel, 21, Leah, 16

HOMETOWN: Detroit, Mich.

EDUCATION: A year short of bachelor’s degree, then went into Bible school at Hebron Ministerial Institute, New York City, in 1988

EXPERIENCE: Worked for General Dynam-

ics as manager as well as in construction, managing large company in Detroit area then owned own company. Currently owns six businesses: three Cici’s Pizzas, a Coldstone Creamery, New Life Media and is bringing Barton Homes to the north country.

LAST BOOK READ: “More than a Carpenter” by Josh McDowell

the packaging arm, they became the selling arm.

13

NNYB: How did you get that idea?

GILCHRIST: Pumping gas. In Detroit they don’t have the little clicker things—they’re against the law. I used to take my gas cap and pry it underneath it and put my hands in my pockets to stay warm and then the thing would kick off and the gas cap would fly off and here I am in these slushy winter conditions trying to get a gas cap. I was holding it one day and I thought that if I took a piece of Velcro and just wrapped it around, I could hold the gas handle. When we started it we actually called it the frustration eliminator and sold it just for that in gas stations and it actually sold really good. Then we started selling it as a multi-purpose strip. We were packaging them in Detroit for about a year before we came to the north country. We knew the north country needed jobs so I wanted to bring them here. Velcro would send them to us in bulk and then we would make it into strips and send it to their warehouse in Arizona.

November 2013 | NNY Business

| 43

20 QUESTIONS

14

NNYB: Is there synergy between the members of the church and the businesses you operate in terms of steering someone to a job?

GILCHRIST Within reason. I still expect them to be a good employee and be faithful and be there. If they’re struggling because they’re not going to work, then they’re probably going to have a hard time there too. But we’ve given jobs and provided income for lots of people. If I know a single mom who’s hurting we’ll find a way to help give her something as well as provide a meal or treatment for her and her family. We do that a lot.

15

NNYB: How do you define corporate and social responsibility?

GILCHRIST: I’m probably the wrong guy to ask that. Let me state that in two ways. I have no problem with people starting a business who I know are

going to work their butts off to make it succeed, getting profit from that and living however they want to live. I’m a capitalist in that regard. I find it a little bit perplexing when you hear some of the workers complain ‘he’s off in Florida.’ They don’t realize he worked 80 hours a week for 12 years to make the thing work. I have zero issue with that. On my side it’s not really what I’m after, which is using the income to help people in some way or another. Do I feel they have a social responsibility? Yeah I do. But am I bothered by the fact that maybe they don’t do anything responsibly? No because I think they have that right. The way I live my life is that I do have a social responsibility to those around me and it’s what makes me tick. It’s all encompassing for me.

NNYB: What challenges were there in starting and growing a church in a recession?

16

GILCHRIST: I didn’t focus a lot on it unless people were hurting and we helped them. But in regards to the church, I feel like it’s a universal message that people need help and need God no matter what’s going on. Even in a good economy people are still hurting. There’s still relationship issues, still parenting issues, still drugs, still alcohol. Every single day people ask me what’s the toughest thing about pastoring and it’s that you’re always surrounded by sorrow—every single day there’s some news from somebody that’s tough and it’s hard. Recession or no recession that’s going on. And I think the north country is generally more stable than most other areas. The last time I was in Detroit it was like every other house had a for-sale sign. And there’s no way out because manufacturing has left. That being said, one of the reasons we wanted to bring Cici’s here is because it provides a family service. I have five kids, so when I went out to eat I had to pay $100. People will say Coldstone is more expensive, but it’s really not. It’s cheaper than the mom and pops, it’s way cheaper than Yo-Johnny’s and it’s real ice cream.

17

NNYB: What’s on your radar now?

GILCHRIST: We’re really considering a three in one. I can’t tell you what they are yet because it’s not finalized. I like building. The restaurant thing really just came from my wife. I can’t say I really gravitated to one type of business. It’s been much more driven by what doors were open. We’re going to open a daycare—we’re actually already in the works as far as getting the approval.

18

NNYB: What’s missing in leadership today?

GILCHRIST: I think the first thing is the message has to change. We tell kids you have to leave the north country to get a good job, so I think the message has to change from everywhere from leadership to pastors, which is that there’s all kinds of opportunity in the north country but some of it you have to start yourself. I could give you probably 50 things we don’t have anything of here and I’m sure you could too that entrepreneurs could get involved in. The problem with changing the message is that it’s not in the politician’s favor. As long as they can say you have to leave the area to get good jobs, they don’t have to do anything. So I think we need leaders that want to do something, not talk about it.

19

NNYB: What’s the biggest mistake you’ve made while in business?

GILCHRIST: My epic fail was a two-year process more than an epic fail, which is I had three herniated disks in my neck and had the building project going on at the same time and really fought depression for the first time in my life. I’m taking antidepressants. And it was hard—it was a dark time for me. Sure I got up every day, I came into work every day, I still led, I still did what I had to do, but I was fighting inside. Before if someone came to my office and said they were fighting depression, I’d say ‘well get over it, cut it out, stop thinking that way,’ and you realize after you go through something like that, you want to stop, but that’s part of the deal, you can’t or you don’t know how to.

I think I learned to be a lot more compassionate.

20

NNYB: What’s the biggest myth in business?

151 Mullin Street Watertown, NY 13601

GILCHRIST: That if you just open up the door, people will flood in and you’ll be successful. People forget how hard it is—that it’s going to cost you a lot. The risk is great and the amount of energy and effort behind it is. We live in a society, it’s not just in business, that’s comfort-driven now. If it’s not easy, we don’t do it, but to attain anything that’s worth attaining is going to take a lot.

— Interview by Ken Eysaman. Edited for length and clarity

44 |

NNY Business | November 2013

G U E S T E S S AY

Plan ahead for business transitions

E

verything is fine now­— until it’s not. There will be plenty of time to complete that very important task—until there isn’t.

Humans naturally tend to put off tasks that are new, unfamiliar or deal with uncomfortable issues. For business owners, one of those tasks very well may be planning for the day they are no longer part of their business. That plan often is called a Succession Plan.

Family-run and closely-held businesses face significant risk without a succession plan that establishes formal goals and ensures control and business continuity following an anticipated, or an unanticipated or inevitable, future event.

Ask yourself: If you or a loved one suddenly experienced an untimely life-changing event, what would happen to your company, your family, your employees?

Consider the following tales of once successful businesses that now are not. All of these businesses were profitable with multi-million dollar revenue streams.

None had formal succession plans. n A distribution business led by a second-generation owner, Fred, who had two adult children. Fred was married but informally separated from his spouse; none of the family worked in the company nor had they ever had any interest to do so. Fred died unexpectedly at the age of 54 with no will. There was no documented plan to transfer the company but Fred had verbally promised one of his children that she would inherit the business. Fred was a hands-on owner and

hadn’t developed a management team or business processes to ensure continuity.

The mother and kids quarreled over how to run the business.

In the end, the business had to Paul Luck be liquidated, at auction, to pay taxes and was closed. n An equipment sales and service company, considered the go-to provider in the region, was run by its founder, Ted. His son, Pete, had joined the business after college. The company’s largest customer accounted for 35 percent of the company’s sales and was secured on a handshake.

The unwritten succession plan was to groom Pete to take over the business “sometime” in the future. Years went by and Pete was told, repeatedly, that he was not ready, despite the fact that he was then 43 years old. Many decisions were made without discussion with Pete.

Out of the blue, a competitor made an offer to buy the company for $20 million (over 7 times earnings). Ted countered with $25 million. The competitor’s response: take $15 million or nothing. Pete found out about the offer from the company’s bookkeeper (not from his father), and quit. The competitor aggressively moved into the region and captured the largest customer’s business.

Other customers followed and sales

collapsed. Ted, then desperate to sell, shopped the company through a business broker. There was one offer in 12 months—for $7 million. The company is still for sale, and the top line continues to decline as does the company’s value.

To paraphrase an old television series: what you have just read is true, though the names and industries have been changed to protect those who did not plan.

Life events are sadly uncontrollable but many of the consequences of them are controllable. If there is an agreed upon plan, if it is documented and recorded, if there are advisors to execute the plan, if…

You get the picture.

Some facts: only 9 percent of closelyheld businesses have a formal written plan. Of the remainder, 58 percent have no plan at all. Place that as a backdrop to the reality that you, or a partner, will someday in some way exit your business.

Moreover, once a plan is in place, owners may well realize higher earnings, which multiply future business value when the time comes for transition. More on that in another column.

It was a great summer and fall is here. Yet succession planning knows no season. Protect your business before an event crystallizes it. Create and begin working your plan today. It’s one of the most important tasks you can do for yourself, your business, your family and your community. n PAUL LUCK is a Certified Business Exit Consultant with The Succession Partners in Clayton.

Contact him at (315) 778-5257 or paulluck@ thesuccessionpartners.com.

November 2013 | NNY Business

| 45

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

Banks have tools to reduce risk

I

n today’s financial climate banks have cash reserves available for lending to small businesses. But that does not necessarily mean a bank is willing to take 100 percent of the risk in a loan to a business.

Regulatory agencies would not approve.

Therefore, banks have tools available to reduce their risk when lending to businesses. Here are a few of the most popular examples: The U.S. Small Business Administration 7(a) Loan Program is one of the most popular with banks. Depending on the size of the loan, the SBA will guarantee a portion of the loan that the bank makes to eligible borrowers. For example, if the bank loan is less than $150,000, the SBA may guarantee up to 85 percent of the loan amount. If the loan is over $150,000, then the SBA may guarantee up to 75 percent of the loan amount. The maximum bank loan amount for a SBA 7(a) loan guaranty is $5 million ($3.75 million SBA loan guaranty).

The SBA 7(a) Loan Program reduces a bank’s risk in lending to an eligible borrower. For example, if a bank commits to lend $300,000 to a business, the SBA may guarantee up to $225,000 of this loan amount. This leaves $75,000 in lending “risk” to the bank. I say “risk” because the bank will typically have collateral in the form of real estate, machinery and equipment and inventory, among other items, to secure its loan.

In the above example, let’s assume after 10 years that a business fails to meet its obligations to the bank on its loan. After 10 years, the business has paid down its

loan to $200,000.

The bank may request $150,000, or 75 percent of the $200,000, from the SBA to recover its loss on the loan. The balance owed by the business after the guaranty is paid by the SBA Michelle Capone to the bank is now $50,000.

The bank will then liquidate its collateral that the business pledged against the loan. In this example, the bank should have been able to recover all of the funds it lent to the business through the SBA

way for banks that make large loans to reduce their risk substantially.

While loan guaranty programs are the most attractive programs to banks, another program that mitigates bank risk is the SBA’s 504 Loan Program. While this program doesn’t provide a loan guaranty, it reduces a bank’s lending risk in real estate and equipment loans by potentially 50 percent of the risk. Also known as the 50/40/10 loan structure, in projects with an existing business looking to purchase real estate, the SBA will consider lending up to 40 percent as a second mortgage on the property behind the bank. The SBA’s loan can be for 20 years at a fixed interest rate.

Say a business is looking to purchase real estate for $300,000. Using the SBA’s 504 Loan Program, the bank would lend $150,000 in the form of a first mortgage and the loan would be a second mortgage in the amount of $120,000. The business would contribute $30,000 in cash or equity. The bank’s risk on a building with a value of $300,000 is $150,000. If the business were to fail, the bank would liquidate the building with the ability to recover its $150,000.

Government programs such as those provided by the U.S. Small Business Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture stimulate business lending by banks across the country. For more information on these programs, visit www.sba. gov or www.usda.gov.

A program such as the SBA’s 7(a) loan is very attractive for banks to reduce risk.

7(a) loan guaranty and by liquidating its collateral. In the worst case, the bank is out $50,000 of an original $300,000 loan.

A program such as the SBA’s 7(a) loan is very attractive for banks to reduce risk when it comes to lending to small businesses.

Another similar program is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Business and Industry Guaranteed Loan Program.

While the USDA’s Guaranteed Loan Program works similarly to SBA’s, USDA may guarantee up to 80 percent of loans in the amount of $5 million or less; 70 percent for loans between $5 and $10 million; and 60 percent for loans over $10 million. The USDA’s guaranty program is an attractive

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

Focusing on patient results... let us get results for you!

315.786.8973

316 Sherman Street, Watertown, NY 13601

Roger R. Howard, CPO - Director

DESIGNS FOR YOUR LIFESTYLE w w w. h o w a r d r e h a b c e n t e r. c o m 46 |

NNY Business | November 2013

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

Give back and redefine philanthropy

T

he last few months of the year are an important time for nonprofit organizations.

For many, November and December are when the majority of annual support gifts are made.

On average, organizations receive roughly 40 percent of their annual contributions in the last few weeks of the year. As it has for over 25 years, the nonprofit community observes National Philanthropy Day during the month of November.

The word “philanthropy” can sometimes be intimidating. Even though by definition it simply means, “love of humankind,” somehow we mistakenly believe that a philanthropist has to be wealthy. I prefer to take the literal interpretation. While it is absolutely critical to have enough resources to carry out a mission, nonprofit organizations may survive on a few large gifts, but they almost never thrive on them.

Healthy organizations need investments of all sizes and in all forms. If something is worth doing, it is worth having broad ownership and inclusion. The best organizations recognize that a wide spectrum of community ownership is not only a core value, but most often results in a better product.

Charitable giving is different than almost every type of financial transaction.

Unlike taxes, you aren’t required to give; there is no due date. Unlike most other spending, you don’t get anything tangible in return. This is partly why taking time to observe philanthropy, in all its forms,

is an important American and community tradition.

(Although this year, there are some opportunities to give specifically unique tax advantages, Rande Richardson including the IRA Charitable Rollover.)

When we look around the north country, we see that we are blessed with many organizations that, through the

formal expression of that gratitude is a way to express appreciation for the blessings in their life. They will tell you it is the one gift that leaves you fulfilled long after the holiday decorations are put away.

So, this November, as you consider personally meaningful ways to participate in neighborhood and community building, focus less on what philanthropy is and more on who philanthropy is. Remember the reasons why you have chosen to live here. Look to organizations you observe making important contributions to quality of life and to those who will be good stewards of your sacrifice.

Giving is not a joy of the human experience reserved for any one group. Don’t miss the chance to feel the fulfillment giving can bring. Giving done well and with the right organizational partner can provide a return on your investment that stays with you all year long. Don’t miss the opportunity to celebrate everything you do to help change your world.

If you have been around long enough, you have had plenty of opportunities to choose to lead or to follow. Let this be the year you take your relationship with your community to the next level and embrace an active role in building a better region.

You and your community will be better for it. You are your community. You are philanthropy.

As we enter the ‘season of giving,’ it is a good time to consider how each of us can help make our community a better place. giving, volunteering and commitment of their supporters, are able to enhance the quality of life for all of us. Philanthropy has the unique ability to work across sectors, build consensus and pool resources to make strategic investments in our communities. As we enter the “season of giving,” it is a good time to consider how each of us can help make our community a better place.

Those who have experienced the joy and fulfillment that giving brings will tell you that although not necessarily tangible, they almost always get more in return than they give. They will tell you that a

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

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

November 2013 | NNY Business

| 47

COMMERCE CORNER

Collaboratation key to our vitality

T

he greater Watertown area is fortunate to have several agencies that drive its economic development.

Most chambers of commerce have a separate division that focuses on economic development, but at the Greater Watertown-North Country Chamber of Commerce, we work in collaboration with those agencies in our community to maximize results.

When you think of economic development, most likely you hear the words: small business, entrepreneurship, manufacturing, tourism, workforce development and many others. Moreover, economic development is also about job creation, retaining and generating new business for our community, marketing the community and being one of many resources for economic growth.

The role of the GWNC chamber, in partnership with the area’s economic development colleagues, is to promote the “product” that is being sold, such as housing opportunities, education, workforce development and leadership opportunities.

Chambers of commerce and economic development organizations must work together, co-exist, understand and acknowledge the critical role each organization plays in the community and the region.

The Capital Corridor, a bi-national transportation network linking regions between Ottawa, Canada and Washing-

ton, D.C., was created to facilitate regional, national and global economic growth and integration.

The Development Authority of the North Country, which Lynn Pietroski serves the common interests of Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties, is committed to environmental stewardship, fiscal integrity and partnerships. DANC enhances economic opportunities in the region and promotes

sustainability of Fort Drum and the Fort Drum region.

The New York State Small Business Development Center’s mission is to provide professional business advice, education and network resources and to advocate for small businesses and entrepreneurs.

The Downtown Business Association is a consortium of businesses and individuals who work together to create opportunities for members of the association to promote and improve the quality of life in historic downtown Watertown.

One of the leading economic development agencies in our area is the Jefferson County Local Development Corporation, which works to advance job opportunities, health, general prosperity and economic welfare of the people of Jefferson County.

The community as a whole in Jefferson County is fortunate to have numerous economic drivers to support the future of the rapidly growing area. There are many more agencies that contribute to the region’s economic development and support its growth and sustainability in a multitude of ways.

Collaboration, networking and partnerships between agencies, as well as respecting the role of each, can lead to a successful economy in trying times.

Chambers of commerce and economic development organizations must work together, co-exist, understand and acknowledge the critical role each organization plays in the community and the region. the well-being of its communities.

Empire State Development, which is referred to as New York’s chief economic development agency, promotes a vigorous and growing economy, and encourages the creation of new job and economic opportunities. Through loans, grants, tax credits and other forms of financial assistance, Empire State enhances private business and growth to support prosperous communities across New York state.

Fort Drum Regional Liaison Organization focuses on the growth and

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

Your Regional Recycling Resource A partnership of the Development Authority of the North Country and Jefferson, Lewis & St. Lawrence Counties.

www.NorthCountryRecycles.org 48 |

NNY Business | November 2013

AGRI-BUSINESS

Ag land costs less to communities

R

ecently, I heard about an official from a local town saying farms are not considered businesses. While I was disappointed to hear this, albeit secondhand, it is not the first time this has ever been said. And while one of the local farms in that town employs approximately 40 people with some earning salaries of $50,000-plus, we won’t focus on whether a farm is business or not. I think common sense prevails with most officials and they recognize that farms are indeed very valuable businesses to support in their communities.

Instead, let us focus on the cost of community services from “open working land,” “commercial and industrial,” and “residential development” classifications of land use in a community. Cost of Community Services Studies are case studies used to determine revenues versus a community’s public service costs based on current land use. COCS is a snapshot in time of costs versus revenue for each type of land use.

Developed by American Farmland Trust in the mid-1980s, COCS studies provide an inexpensive and reliable tool to measure fiscal relationships, putting working and open lands on equal ground with residential, commercial and industrial land uses.

According to Rebecca Roberts from the Center for Land Use Education at the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point, COCS studies cannot predict future revenue or expenditures or analyze specific development proposals. Instead, COCS studies provide a baseline of current information to help local officials make informed land use and policy decisions.

COCS studies are displayed as a set of ratios that compare annual revenues to

annual expenditures for a community’s mix of land uses.

As an example, based on the 151 COCS studies conducted on communities across the United States, the following ratios, Jay Matteson in dollar values, came out as the median for the results: Commercial and industrial – 1:0.29; Working and open land – 1:0.35; Residential – 1:1.16.

Looking at the commercial and industrial land use classification, the ratio of 1:0.29 means that for every dollar of revenue brought in through commercial development in the surveyed communities, the development cost the community 0.29 in public services, such as water, sewer, lighting and road maintenance. Therefore, the communities gain revenue with commercial and industrial development. Evaluating the working and open land median ratio, the communities again gain revenue by maintaining and growing agricultural and open lands.

From examining the residential median ratio, it is apparent that residential development generated a revenue loss to the community. In other words, it cost the community more in public services than was brought in as revenue through taxes and fees.

In 2005, the town of Rochester conducted a COCS study. Its study provided results of 12 COCS analyses conducted across New York, including its own. The table provides the results of the analyses.

Do not interpret these results to say

residential development is not economically beneficial.

As is evident in Jefferson County, providing adequate housing for the growth of Fort Drum is essential and spreads economic throughout the county. But local officials need to be aware that residential development may cost the municipality more in public services than it provides in revenue.

Supporting growth in the commercial and agricultural sectors may provide the revenue source to provide public services needed to support residential growth in other areas of the municipality.

One type of land use is not necessarily better than another. Communities must balance goals such as supporting affordable housing, supporting job creation and conserving open space. Good planning is essential with these goals to help different land uses within the community complement, rather than compete with, each other. n JAY M. MATTESON is agricultural coordinator for the Jefferson County Industrial Development Agency. He is a lifelong Northern New York resident who lives in Lorraine. Contact him at coordinator@comefarmwithus.com.

His column appears monthly.

ROBERT R. STURTZ, PRESIDENT

SLACK ISO 9001:2000

CHEMICAL COMPANY INC. Since 1944 Industrial - Municipal - Warehousing & Packaging Distributor

Products: Ice Melters • Dairy Chemicals • Pool Chemicals • Industrial Chemicals • Water Treatment Chemicals • Plating Chemicals • Waste Treatment Chemicals • Paper Chemicals • And so much more...

Equipment: Polymer Feed Systems • Tanks • Pumps • Totes • Melting Pumps • Drums • Test Kits

Serving the Northeastern United States

UL

CARTHAGE, CASTORLAND, and SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY • 1-800-479-0430

November 2013 | NNY Business

| 49

BUSINESS TECH BYTES

Ensure telemarketing compliance

T

he rules have changed for new or existing customer telemarketing phone calls or advertising SMS text messages, cellphone or residential landlines with the latest Telephone Consumer Protection Act regulation. This new ruling, effective Oct. 16, removes the “established business relationship” exception and replaces it with the obligation of the telemarketer to receive “prior express written consent” to make telemarketing calls or send marketing text messages using an auto dialer or robocall technology.

This is the third regulation, stemming from the FCC’s Feb. 15, 2012 ruling, which also brought further consumer protection with call abandonment calculations and automated opt-out requirements, effective in November 2012 and January 2013.

Does your business use an autodialer or pre-recorded voice calls to market and advertise to new or existing customers?

Do you make telephone calls or send text messages that include advertisements? If so, have you received a traditional written signature “opting in” from customers you plan on marketing to? Or did you receive an electronic or digital form of signature via your website or SMS message reply?

This new TCPA requirement states “a prior unambiguous written consumer consent” means the consumer must receive a “clear and conspicuous disclosure” that by giving consent will receive autodialed and/or pre-recorded telemarketing calls, including text messages, on behalf of a specific seller or advertiser, and acknowledges that, “having been informed about the consequences of consent, is agreeing to receive such calls and texts to the specific mobile number designated.

50 |

NNY Business | November 2013

Consent cannot be required as a condition to a consumer purchase.”

This new rule also applies to your residential landline customers, with the requirement “to obtain your Jill Van Hoesen customer’s prior express written consent in order to initiate calls to a residential line using an automated telephone dialing system and pre-recorded communications, regardless of whether you have an existing business relationship with the consumer.”

The new TCPA ruling does not provide a “grand-fathering” provision, so you must have received prior express written consent to send texts or make prerecorded calls to existing customers after Oct. 16. This means your business must now demonstrate “by clear and convincing evidence” that a clear and conspicuous disclosure was provided and that the consumer unambiguously consented in writing to receive telemarketing calls or text messages to the phone number she or he has chosen to provide. You also must have implemented a system to retain each of your customer’s written consent for a predetermined period of time while including processes to manage and maintain your customer’s request to revoke their contact consent, ensuring your disclosures adequately address when and how your customer can revoke their consent.

To insure compliance with the new TCPA ruling, you must receive and maintain new “opt-in” consent disclosures that meet or exceed the following: “Must be in writing and bear the signature of the person providing consent; this can include an electronic or digital form of signature pursuant to the E-SIGN Act. It must specify the telephone number the person is consenting to receive voice or text messages to and clearly authorize your business to call utilizing an ATDS or pre-recorded message for telemarketing purposes. You also must clearly state that consent is not a condition of purchasing goods or services.”

Remember an established business relationship with your customer no longer serves to exempt pre-recorded telemarketing calls or text messages to residential landlines or consumer cellphones and all such calls and texts will require prior express written consent detailed above.

All telemarketing calls placed to wireless customers using an ATDS or any pre-recorded telemarketing messages delivered to a wireless device or residential landlines without obtaining prior express written consent of the customer could set your business on a course of telephone consumer protection liability. Telemarketing and text advertorial messaging are still great, costeffective ways to reach new and existing customers; review your TCPA policies to insure compliance with the latest rules and regulations effective in 2013. n JILL VAN HOESEN is chief information officer for Johnson Newspapers and a 25-year IT veteran. Contact her at jvanhoesen@wdt.net.

Her column appears monthly.

SMALL BUSINESS SUCCESS

Top five business financing myths

M

ost new businesses are going to need some money to start up. And while you may be able to self-finance if your costs are minimal, most startups need to look elsewhere for financing, whether it’s a public lender such as Jefferson County Local Development Corporation or a commercial bank lender.

Your business plan will show the lender that you have made a great case for the loan through your research, management skills, understanding of your target market, personnel needs and so on. Then you come to your financial projections. This is where your small business advisor can help you put together a conservative and realistic picture of how your business will achieve its revenue goals to cover inventory purchases, business expenses and loan repayment, with enough left over to provide you with a personal income.

When we SBDC advisors sit down with clients to help them with the process, myth and reality often collide. Here are five of the most common myths that we hear in our office: 1) GRANTS — This is probably the number one question we get. “Where do I find a grant?” And then: “Because my uncle Bob’s second cousin’s best friend got a grant to start his business.”

While it may be true, we will need more specific details about the source of that grant, because in general, grants are not available to for-profit businesses unless it’s for something very specific (such as façade improvement).

2) 100 PERCENT FINANCING —

It is very rare that a loan applicant can receive 100 percent financing of the project costs.

Depending Sarah O’Connell on the mix of participating lenders, borrowers may only have to come up with 10 percent of their own money in cash or equity.

In other cases, often depending on the type of business, the percentage of owner investment may be as high as 30 percent (think restaurants, considered a high risk endeavor).

3) COLLATERAL — Our clients will

often state, “I don’t want to put my house up as collateral.” The portion that the lender is financing must be backed by collateral that the lender can claim if the loan goes into default; this is called a secured loan. The collateral may be business property, assets and/or equipment.

But in addition, most lenders require that anyone with at least 20 percent ownership in the business has to provide a personal guarantee, which may, indeed, mean that your personal assets are going to be secured for collateral. If you are unwilling or unable to risk your own assets, you will probably not be able to get a business loan.

4) PERSONAL VS. BUSINESS CREDIT SCORE — In short, a new business

doesn’t have any credit history. The first thing the lender is going to look at is your personal credit score. So if it’s not good (banks are looking for at the very least high 700s), you may need to work on repairing your credit now and revisit the business project and loan later, or find a private investor.

5) WOMEN/VETERAN/MINORITY OWNED — We frequently observe the perception that there is easier access to capital if you are in one of these categories, but in general, this idea is unfounded.

Unless you are involved in government contracting where there are stated goals to award contracts to small businesses owned by women/veterans/minorities, there is really no advantage.

If you are one of these firms and are interested in government contracting, your SBDC advisor can help you achieve the required certification to gain access to those potential contracts.

The NYS Small Business Development Center offers individual, confidential counseling at no cost for new or existing businesses. We can be reached at the Watertown center at 782-9262 or sbdc@ sunyjefferson.edu, or in Canton at 3867312, sbdc@canton.edu.

n SARAH O’CONNELL is a certified business advisor with the New York State Small Business Development Center at Jefferson Community College. She is a former small business owner and lifelong Northern New York resident. Contact her at soconnell@sunyjefferson.edu. Her column appears every other month.

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

Call to set up free estimate or schedule service ~ Servicing Jefferson, Lewis, Oswego, St. Lawrence and parts of Franklin and Essex Counties ~ WE PROVIDE RELIABLE, TIMELY SERVICE, AND STAND BEHIND THAT.

November 2013 | NNY Business

| 51

COMMUNITY / BUSINESS CALENDAR

ADAMS

52 |

SATURDAY, NOV. 30

n Home for the holidays Christmas parade, 4 p.m., downtown Adams. Christmas tree lighting to follow in Veterans Memorial Park.

Parade applications: www.southjeffchamber. org. Rain date is Sunday, Dec. 1. IInformation: 232-4215.

ALEXANDRIA BAY FRIDAY, DEC. 6

n Ladies Night Out —Shop for a Cause, 6 to 9 p.m., Riveredge Resort Hotel, 17 Holland St. Local vendors, complimentary hors d’oeuvres and wine tasting. Bring a non-perishable food item or toiletries to be entered to win a door prize. Admission fee and donated items to benefit local food pantries. Information: 482-9917.

SATURDAY, DEC. 7 & SUNDAY, DEC. 8

n Kris Kringle Market, Thousand Islands Winery, loft above tasting room, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Saturday and 12 to 4 p.m. Sunday, 43326 Seaway Ave. German-style indoor Christmas market with fun for the whole family, including local craft vendors, breakfast and lunch foods, mulled and spiced wine and Santa Claus. Free admission. Information: 482-9306.

BOONVILLE SATURDAY, NOV. 30

n Annual Christmas parade, 5 p.m., downtown. Bidding all day until 3:30 p.m. for Festival of Trees in the Hulbert House, chicken riggie contest at 2:30 p.m., Christmas cookie contest at 3 p.m. Chestnut roasting, carolers, horse rides, live reindeer and Santa. Information: Boonville Chamber of Commerce, 942-5112.

CAPE VINCENT WEDNESDAY, NOV. 30

n Cape Vincent Fire Department Craft Fair, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Cape Vincent Fire Hall, 241 East Broadway St. Information: 654-2774.

CLAYTON TUESDAY, NOV. 21

n Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony, 6 to 7 p.m., Riverside Drive. Information: 686-3771.

NNY Business | November 2013

SATURDAY, NOV. 30

n Second annual “All I Want for Christmas” Craft Show,” 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Clayton Municipal Building. Support local crafters and vendors. Face painting and children’s activities by Brushstrokes by Melina. Information: 686-3771.

SATURDAY, DEC. 7

n 51st Annual Christmas Parade and Fireworks Display, 6 to 8 p.m., downtown. This year’s theme is “A Night at the Movies!” Information: 686-3771.

CROGHAN FRIDAY, NOV. 29 & SATURDAY, NOV. 30

n Make it “Maple Friday,” 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., American Maple Museum. Shop for maple-themed stocking stuffers, such as pure maple products, sweatshirts, T-shirts, maple jewelry, candles, crafts and some surprise sales and discounts. Information: www.americanmaplemuseum.org.

FRIDAY, DEC. 13

n Christmas in Croghan, Main Street and fire hall. Businesses will stay open late, many offering refreshments and specials. Petting zoo, horse and wagon rides, Santa and Mrs. Claus will ride through streets and be at the fire hall from 7 to 8 p.m. Silent auction at Croghan Free Library to benefit the library. Sponsored by the Croghan Improvement Association.

Information: 376-2213.

DEXTER SATURDAY, NOV. 23

n Holiday bazaar, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Dexter Presbyterian Church, West Kirby Street.

Holiday items, jams and sauces, bake sale, raffle, soup and sandwich luncheon starting at 11 a.m. Free coats, jackets, mittens, hats and scarfs.

GOUVERNEUR SATURDAY, DEC. 7

n Craft Fair, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., St. James School. More than 50 vendors. Information: parentgroup2014@yahoo.com.

GLENFIELD THURSDAY, NOV. 21

n 32nd Annual Business Person of the Year Award Dinner, 5:30 p.m. social hour, 6:30 p.m. family-style dinner, Glenfield Fire Hall, 6229 Blue Street. Sponsored by the Lewis County Chamber of Commerce. Jeremy and Becky Kelly, owners of Jeb’s Restaurant, will be recognized. Tickets: $22. Reservations required: 376-2213 or donna@lewiscountychamber.org.

FRIDAY, NOV. 22 & SATURDAY, NOV. 23

n Colwell’s Holiday Open House, Colwell Farm Market, 6007 Route 12. Handmade balsam and princess pine kissing balls, door swags, wreaths, centerpieces and more. Handmade crafts by local crafters such as Amish furniture, Christmas ornaments, homemade fudge and fresh produce. Information: 376-7a402.

LOWVILLE SATURDAY, NOV. 16 & SUNDAY, NOV. 17; SATURDAY, NOV. 23 & SUNDAY, NOV. 24

n Lewis Lanes Memorial 9 Pin Tap Tourney, 1 p.m., Lewis Lanes, 7828 Route 26. Bowl as many times as you want. Each entry receives tickets to win prizes on the tournament table.

In memory of Wayn Marolf, Stan Lisk, John McGrath, Ken Ortlieb and Charlie Fanning.

Information: 376-2213.

SATURDAY, NOV. 23

n Lewis County General Hospital Auxiliary annual hollyberry sale, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Lowville Elks Lodge. Bake sale, artisans, crafters, pie and ice cream, photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus, wreaths, raffles, refreshments, lunch and more. Information: 346-1151.

THURSDAY, NOV. 28

n Lowville 5K Turkey Trot, 9 a.m., Lowville Academy and Central School, Trinity Avenue parking lot. Registration from 8 to 8:45 a.m.

Entry fee: $10. Donuts, coffee and juice after the race. Proceeds go to Lowville Business Association to support the Cream Cheese Festival. Iinformation: 376-0144.

OSWEGO SUNDAY, NOV. 17

n Gingerbread craft workshop, 2 to 3 p.m.,

Church, 129 Winthrop St. Music from across dominations and genres to support Watertown Urban Mission programs. A free-will offering will be collected. Information: dmangione@ watertownurbanmission.org.

OXBOW

FRIDAY, NOV. 15 & SATURDAY, NOV. 16

SATURDAY, NOV. 23

n Christmas market, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Oxbow Historical Association, 37635 County Route 25. Craft vendors, lunch, raffles and pictures with Santa. Information: 767-8270.

POTSDAM SUNDAY, DEC. 8

n Musical holiday brunch, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Cheel Center, Clarkson University. Festive buffet brunch, live music, silent auction, holiday raffle. All items donated by local artisans. To benefit the Orchestra of Northern New York.

Tickets: $30. Information: www.onny.org.

SYRACUSE WEDNESDAY, NOV. 13

n Spirit of American Women Event, 11:30 to 1 p.m., Ramada Syracuse, 1305 Buckley Road. Celebration of the “strong, smart and bold” women in the community, presented by the YMCA Syracuse and Onondago County.

Keynote speak will be Ellen Griffin, co-owner of Fleet Feet Sports, Syracuse. Lunch is complimentary. Attendees will be invited to make a gift in support of the women and girls served

by YMCA programs. To RSVP: www.ymcasyracuse.org or 424-0040.

MONDAY, NOV. 18

n UP Start Presents: A New Era of Urban Entrepreneurship, 5 to 7 p.m., Small Plates, 116 Walton St. Northside UP, a CenterState CEO affiliate, will launch UP Start Syracuse, a business incubation collaborative targeting emerging entrepreneurs in Syracuse’s urban neighborhoods. Members of UP Start’s first class of business owners will give business pitches. $20 admission directly contributes to seed funds available to entrepreneurs. Information: www. centerstateoceo.com or 470-1800.

THURSDAY, NOV. 21

n Business before Hours at Testone, Marshall and Discenza, LLP, 8 to 9:30 a.m., 432 N. Franklin St., Suite 60. Networking, continental breakfast and tour of Testone, Marshall & Discenza’s newly renovated office space. Cost: $10, members; non-members, $20. Information: lmetot@centerstateoceo.com or 470-1870.

WATERTOWN THURSDAY, NOV. 14

n Not-for-Profit Conference, 2 to 5 p.m., Ramada Inn. Discussion geared to board members, executive directors and financial staff on the challenges facing nonprofit practitioners and financial executives with information on the impact of tax, management, auditing and accounting issues. Tuition: Free, registered members; non-registered members and nonmembers, $5. Information, registration: 7884400 or kpeck@watertownny.com.

FRIDAY, NOV. 15

n Musical Mission, 7 p.m., Holy Family

n Victorian Faire, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Jefferson County Historical Association, 228 Washington St. Vendors, art, antiques, baked goods, lunch. Wine and cheese reception 5 to 7 p.m. Friday included with cost of admission.

Tickets: $5, members; military and military spouses, $4; children 17 and younger, free with an adult. Information: 782-3491 or www.jeffersoncountyhistory.org.

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 20

n Business After Hours, 5 to 7 p.m., Best Western and Savory Downtown, 300 Washington St. Networking, prizes and food. Sponsored by the Greater Watertown-North Country Chamber of Commerce. Register by noon Tuesday, Nov. 19. Admission: $8, members registered in advance; non-registered members, $10; non-members, $12. Information, registration: www.watertownny.com or 788-4400.

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 20

n Business of Women Networking Conference, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Ramada Inn. Women and men from across the north country will gather for a day of networking, learning and inspiration. Hosted by the New York State Small Business Development Center at Jefferson Community College and sponsored

by Jefferson County Local Development Corporation. Keynote speaker is Mary Schecter, president and founder of a coaching and consulting firm. Tickets include continental breakfast, networking time and soup and sandwich lunch: $30 through Nov. 6; $40 through Nov. 14. To register: 782-9262 or www.tinyurl.com/2013BOW. Information: www.facebook.com/BusinessofWomen.

SATURDAY, NOV. 23

2013 Run for Recovery, 9 a.m., Alex T. Duffy Fairgrounds. In honor of Tommy Ivey, who was killed in a DWI accident on Nov. 23, 2003.

Registration fee: $25; advance, $10; team of six, $110; military residents, 10 percent off. To register: www.WatertownUrbanMission.com/ runningforrecovery.htm.

SATURDAY, NOV. 23

n 2013 Run for Recovery, 9 a.m., Alex T. Duffy Fairgrounds. In honor of Tommy Ivey, who was killed in a DWI accident on Nov. 23, 2003.

Registration fee: $25; $10, advance; team of six, $110; military residents, 10 percent off. To register: www.WatertownUrbanMission.com/ runningforrecovery.htm.

SATURDAY, NOV. 23

n A Handmade Christmas holiday craft show, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Bruce M. Wright Memorial Conference Center, 1291 Faichney Drive.

Featuring artisan crafts made in the north country. Admission is a donation of non-perishable food items to support the Watertown Urban Mission. Information: www.facebook.com/ NCCHandmadeChristmas.

SATURDAY, NOV. 23

n A Sampling of Dining Out, 11 a.m. to 2

p.m., Bruce M. Wright Conference Center, 1291 Faichney Drive. Several participating restaurants in the Dining Out program sponsored by the Association for the Blind & Visually Impaired of Jefferson County will offer samples of their dishes. There will also be wine tastings, face painting, door prizes and more. Free admission. Samples tickets available at the door: 12 tickets for a donation of $12 or pre-sale 12 tickets for $10 at the association office, 321 Prospect St. Event benefits Association for the Blind & Visually Impaired.

Information: 782-2451.

THURSDAY, NOV. 28

n Annual Turkey Day Run, 9 a.m., Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 65 Ives St. Registration from 6:30 to 8:30 a.m. at the Church. Dress up in a Thanksgiving spirit outfit to win prizes. Pre-registration online only through Nov. 24 at midnight: www.watertownymca.org. Registration fee: Members: $20, 5K; $18, 2.2 mile; non-members: $23, 5K; $20, 2.2 mile. All prices increase $5 for day-of registration. Information: 782-3100.

SUNDAY, DEC. 1

n 2013 Holiday Craft Fair & Market, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Dulles State Office Building. Watertown Urban Mission’s annual fair, featuring farm goods, furniture, collectibles, holiday and old-fashioned crafts, baked goods, face painting, woodworking and more. Admission: $2, supports Urban Mission programs and gets you a door prize ticket and coupon for $2 off at the Impossible Dream Thrift Store.

Information: www.watertownurbanmission. com or 782-8440.

SATURDAY, DEC. 7 & SATURDAY, DEC. 14

n Holiday Cookies: Make and Take, 9 a.m. to noon, Jefferson Community College. Bake in a state of the art kitchen. Everyone will leave with a platter of assorted cookies. Tuition: $89.

Information, registration: 786-2233 or www. sunyjefferson.edu.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 11

n 20 Under 40 luncheon, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Hilton Garden Inn, 1290 Arsenal St. Recognition of the north country’s emerging civic and workplace leaders. All 20 under 40 honorees are admitted for free. Guests are $18. Corporates tables of eight and 10 are available, for $169 and $205, respectively.

Keynote speaker will be John P. Gaus, north country entrepreneur and investor. Lunch menu includes house salad, fresh rolls, cranberry and walnut stuffed chicken, green beans, redski potatoes and New York-style cheesecake.

RSVP online at www.nnybizmag.com or email nnybusiness@wdt.net by Wednesday, Dec. 4. Presented by NNY Business magazine; sponsored by Hilton Garden Inn, Watertown Savings Bank, Northern New York Community Foundation, Greater Watertown Jaycees, Thousand Islands Young Leaders Org., Timeless Frames, Decor and Expressions, Watertown Family YMCA, the Black River Valley Club and the Watertown Daily Times.

COMMUNITY / BUSINESS CALENDAR

H. Lee White Museum and Maritime Center, 1 W. First St. For children ages three and older. Supplies provided. Cost: $4. Preregistration required: 342-0480 or info@ hleewhitemarinemuseum.com.

 GOT A BUSINESS EVENT or calendar item? Email nnybusiness@wdt.net. Deadline is the 10th of each month for the following month’s issue. Visit us on Facebook at www. facebook.com/NNYBusiness or www.nnybizmag.com for events calendar updates.

November 2013 | NNY Business

| 53

BUSINESS SCENE LCGH 6th Annual Breast Cancer Awareness Dinner at Lowville Elks Lodge

From left, Sandy Birchenough, Lowville, and Jackie Montrois, Sackets Harbor.

KEN EYSAMAN PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS

From left, Shari Ramos, Lowville, and Denise Hirsch, Lowville.

KEN EYSAMAN PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS

Nancy and Tim Berrus, Lowville. Lewis County General Hospital held its 6th Annual Breast Cancer Awareness Dinner Oct. 15 at the Lowville Elks Lodge.

From left, Christina Flint, Lowville, Hope Scouten, Port Leyden, and Rob Pfeiffer, Boonville.

EMBROIDERY-SCREEN PRINTING-TROPHIES-AWARDS SPECIAL DISCOUNTS ON ALL SCREEN PRINTING FOR NON-PROFITS/FUNDRAISERS/BENEFITS 315-779-9349 100 COURT ST. DOWNTOWN WATERTOWN northcountrycustom@gmail.com 54 |

NNY Business | November 2013

BUSINESS SCENE GWNC Chamber of Commerce Business Expo at Dulles State Office Building

Mike Engel and Eric Geno, Advanced Business Systems, Watertown.

Sara Bulger and Anthony Surber, Northern Credit Union, Watertown.

LEAH BULETTI PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS

Amanda Hibbard and Kathy DeForge, Jain Irrigation, Watertown. The Greater Wa-

tertown-North Country Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual Business Networking Expo Oct. 16 at the Dulles State Office Building. Hundreds of people swapped business cards and viewed the promotional booths of 65 businesses.

LEAH BULETTI PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS

Richard Lucas and Matthew Yauchler, McQuade & Bannigan (The Sign Shop), Watertown.

n LIKE NNY BUSINESS ON FACEBOOK

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

November 2013 | NNY Business

| 55

BUSINESS SCENE GWNC Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours at Dulles State Office Building

From left, Jim Graham, Dawn Morgan and Chris Ritz, all of Renzi Food Service, Watertown.

LEAH BULETTI PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS

Renee Beach, Bonnie Herman and daughter, Emily, all of the Scrub Hub, Watertown. The Greater Watertown-North Country Chamber of Commerce hosted its October Business After Hours following its Business Networking Expo Oct. 16 at the Dulles State Office Building.

56 |

NNY Business | November 2013

LeAnn Andiorio, Kathi Sanford and Shaynna Adams, all of Alice Andrew Salon, Watertown.

LEAH BULETTI PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS

Brad Traynor and Bryon Perry, Knowlton Technologies, Watertown.

BUSINESS SCENE Carthage Area Chamber Awards Dinner

From left, Sandra Johnson, Not Too Shabby Antiques, Teri Ellis, president, Carthage Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, and Louise Psarras-Bly, owner, Les Savons de Loulou, New Business Spotlight award recipient.

SLC Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner

From left, Pat McKeown, St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce executive director chats with Chamber Volunteer of the Year Susan Gibbons of NYSARC.

KEN EYSAMAN PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS

PHOTOS COURTESY SLC CHAMBER | NNY BUSINESS

Front from left, Ginnie Thesier, Cynde Judy; back, Ross Arndt, Bill Judy, Will Thesier, all of Carefree Storage, Carthage, and state Assemblyman Kenneth D. Blankenbush, R-Black River. Carefree Storage received the Small Business Award. The Carthage Area Chamber of Commerce held its annual Business Awards Dinner Oct. 30 at the Carthage Elks Lodge. For more photos, visit us online at nnybizmag.com or find us on Facebook.

From left, Ron Charette, general manager, Potsdam Specialty Paper, is presented with the St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year award by John J. Gray Jr. and Angela M. Gray, Gray & Gray CPAs, Canton. The St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce held its Annual Dinner on Oct. 10 at SUNY Potsdam.

COME VISIT THE ALL NEW REDESIGNED WAITE TOYOTA. SALES

Serving NNY Since 1929.

SERVICE

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

November 2013 | NNY Business

| 57

Fairground Inn

Watertown’s Oldest - and Newest - Irish Pub! • Guinness On Tap! • Harp On Tap! • Offering Daily Specials!

• Take-Out Available!

Open Daily at 11:00AM • Sunday at Noon

Family owned and operated since 1978 Happy Hour .......Monday-Friday 4-7pm

Gourmet Sandwiches, Pizza, Wings, Steaks, Chicken, Soups and Salads 852 COFFEEN ST., WATERTOWN • 315-782-7335

849 Lawrence Street, Watertown, NY 782-6888 Serving Lunch & Dinner Monday-Thursday 11:00am to 10:00pm Friday & Saturday 11:00am to 11:00pm

Old Garage

Deli

www.oldgaragedeli.com

Jaime Short • Owner

• soups • salads • sandwiches Hours: 10:30-4:00pm DELIVERY AVAILABLE • HOLIDAY PARTY CATERING 19059 US Rt. 11, Watertown, NY 13601 315-681-6520 315-681-6613 fax

Coffeen St.

(Exit 46 off I-81)

Watertown

SERVING LUNCH SPECIALS DAILY! HOURS: MON-SAT 6-8PM • SUN 7AM-2PM 315-782-7878

315-686-1110 DOWNTOWN CLAYTON, NY Check Out Our Newly Renovated Dining Room!

Lunch & Dinner Specials Every Day Starting at 11am Friday Fish Fry • Late Night Menu

Open 7 Days a Week • Live Weekend Entertainment 58 |

NNY Business | November 2013

November 2013 | NNY Business

| 59

BUSINESS HISTORY

A paddle through time

n Canton man

crafted celebrated light-weight canoes

By LEAH BULETTI NNY Business

I

n the last few decades of the 19th Century, as reconstruction from the Civil War wound down, an interest in recreation sports like boating swept the nation. Among the many eager businesspeople to tap into the trend was J. Henry Rushton, who from 1873 until his death in 1906 made what would become renowned and coveted canoes in a Canton shop and inspired a prestigious annual canoe race that had its 52nd paddling in the town this spring.

In a 1968 Watertown Daily Times article about the book Rushton and His Times in American Canoeing by Atwood Manley, published by the Syracuse University Press, Mr. Rushton, who was born in Edwards, is described as a “tiny, frail man” with a cough. He allegedly built his first boat for the woods after reading Adirondack Murray’s “Adventures in the Wilderness.” His Canton friend Milt Packard purchased the boat, and another friend, Canton’s shoeman Joe Ellsworth, for whom Mr. Rushton first worked as a clerk upon moving to Canton in 1869, supposedly saw it and spoke the dictum that launched Mr. Rushton into business: “Build me a damned sight better one.”

He built his factory at the corner of State and Water streets (now Riverside Drive) in 1881 and his catalogs grew from eight pages to over 80 in the early 1900s. He also forged a relationship with the magazine Field & Stream, his primary national advertising medium, in 1876, which was the same year he sent two cedar canoes to the Philadelphia Centennial.

Though canoes were his “staple product,” Mr. Rushton also made rowboats and guideboats, and even steam and electric-powered craft in the later years of his career.

Key to the emerging popularity of canoeing, according to the Times article, were adventurers such as Pennsylvania shoemaker George Washington Sears (“Nessmuk”), who “proved by his Adirondacks-based voyages that guides could be dispensed

60 |

NNY Business | November 2013

COURTESY SLC HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

J. Henry Rushton, pictured here in about 1885 with his wife, Leah Pflaum, built highly coveted canoes in a Canton workshop in the late 19th Century and early 20th Century. The canoes were popular nationwide for their impeccable craftsmanship, light weight and cedar planking. He died in 1906, though his shop continued operating until 1926.

with, thus opening up canoeing to leanpocketed sportsmen.” Mr. Rushton crafted five boats for Nessmuk, the most famous of which was the “Sairy Gamp,” weighing 10 ½ pounds. It rested in the Smithsonian before it was put on loan to the Adirondack Museum in 1965. Nessmuk, supposedly Mr. Sears’ pen name, wrote 90 articles in Field and Stream, rhapsodizing on Rushton’s canoes and their lightness.

Mr. Rushton was one of the 23 founders of the American Canoe Association, which the biography notes was important for his business in the 1880s and 90s; its August regattas, first held at Lake George and later off Grindstone Island in the St. Lawrence, “saw his racing and sailing canoes always competitive and usually dominant.” At these international meets, Mr. Rushton provided American cedar go-light craft that were superior to the English, the biography says.

Mr. Rushton was a keen-observer of the world, perhaps as skilled in using words to describe it as he was using tools to help people navigate it. He is said to have remarked of heavy, noisy canoes: “Goodbye, old man! Salt pork for breakfast at your camp tomorrow! Ha! Ha!” But as the 1890s progressed, he got further away from decked patterns as Canadian open models gained popularity.

Nonetheless, this was a time of great notoriety for Mr. Rushton, who had agents in America’s largest cities, including an exhibit at Chicago’s Columbian Exposition in 1893. He even shipped some of his craft to boaters including August Belmont to use on the waters of the Nile.

And The New York Times described the Rushton as the “strongest, lightest, most graceful, and most useful, paddling canoe that has yet been devised.”

Mr. Rushton married Leah Pflaum in 1883, who bore him two sons and was in charge of making the sailing rigs for his craft for many years inside their home at 19 Hodskin St. As his business prospered and he became a national and internationally regarded figure in the canoeing world, he also got highly involved in the community, as a member of the St. Lawrence canoe club, and the water and sewage commission the Stillwater club. His abstinence from alcohol and tobacco led to the formation of a society that grew into the Canton Free Library. And his efforts at outlawing the use of dogs in deer hunting led to a county prohibition of hounding before the state enacted a similar measure. Field and Stream made the laudatory remark that “Rushton has become Canton.”

The apex of Mr. Rushton’s career, according to the Manley biography, was the 1886 ACA congress at Grindstone, in which his “Vesper” won a great Challenge Cup race against the Joyner-made “Pecowsic.”

The 1890s proved a challenge for his business, as general canoe use suffered with the costs of racing as well as the proliferation of cycling and power boats.

But by the early 1900s, things seemed on the upswing as Indian and Indian Girl models—canvas-covered canoes—led to an uptick in sales. Mr. Rushton added on to his building and installed steam heat and electric lights. He employed 25 men per day and churned out 750 Indian Girls in 1904, as well as 150 all-wood canoes.

Despite the prosperity, his letters from these years hinted at mortality, and by 1906 he was dead at the age of 63. His shop, however, powered ahead under the direction of his wife, then “Harry,” the elder son, later J. Henry’s half-brother Judd and finally the young son, Sidney. By the dawn of World War I, “the last copper nails were clinched in a Rushton boat,” and in 1926 the shop was dismantled by a farmer who rather

PHOTOS COURTESY ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION

The sanding room of J. Henry Rushton’s Canton shop, where boats were finely sanded to give the smooth finish that lowered resistance in the water.

unceremoniously built a dairy barn from the lumber. His legacy, however, was not.

In May 1962, the first annual Rushton Memorial Canoe Race was held in Canton on a seven mile course on the Grass River from Pyrites to the bridge on Main Street with 10 contestants, sponsored by the Grasse River Historical Society and the Canton Junior Chamber of Commerce and attracted about 1,000 people. The next year, the number of participants more than doubled. Following the fifth annual paddling in 1967, the Historical Association held ceremonies at the bridge to honor Mr. Rushton’s canoes, embedding a stone monument on the mall facing toward the business district. Today the Rushton races are held as part of Canton Canoe Weekend, with a variety of race categories, and draw throngs of participants and spectators.

And the grandson of one of Mr. Rushton’s employees, Edmund Chase, continued the production legacy by crafting the paddles that originally accompanied the Rushton canoe for more than 30 years, primarily using his grandfather’s hand tools, in his Russell home, according to a 1983 Times article. Mr. Chase’s grandfather and father both worked for Mr. Rushton, but he taught himself to make the paddles. The paddles were designed for deer hunters who needed to make minimal noise in the waterways.

“He sold those plain paddles for two dollars and a half and that was at a time when the average person made $1 a day, so he was doing pretty well,” Mr. Chase told the Times. “After grandpa died, the paddle became a collector’s item. People wondered where they could get one.”

Mr. Rushton inspired others, too: Old Town Canoe Co., Old Town, Me., developed

Mr. Rushton’s son, Henry, stands atop a canvas-covered Indian Girl model canoe outside the Canton shop. The Indian Girl was a mainstay of the shop after 1900.

a lightweight fiberglass canoe similar to Mr. Rushton’s “Wee Lassie” pack canoe, according to a 1971 Times article. Old Town’s canoe was 10½ feet long, 27 inches wide and 10 inches deep, weighing only 18 pounds.

One of the last remaining Rushton canoes was put on display at the first annual canoe race after it was found in the garage of the old Ellsworth home in Canton and completely restored. The “Princess” model was owned by Nathaniel Wells, of Judson Street.

Today, two canoes and one of Mr. Rushton’s rowboats, as well as various historical materials on his boats and exhibitions, is on display at the St. Lawrence County Historical Assocation, 3 East Main St., Canton. n BUSINESS HISTORY IS A monthly feature from the archives of the Watertown Daily Times. Visit www.watertowndailytimes. com to access digital archives since 1988, or stop by the Times, 260 Washington St., Watertown to research materials in our library that date back to the 1800s.

November 2013 | NNY Business

| 61

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

AUTOZONE WHAT: 7,380-square-foot AutoZone auto parts and service retailer, the first of six to eight retail stores planned for the area. The access road between Freedom Plaza and the AutoZone will also be extended by about 1,000 feet west.

LOCATION: Route 11 in the Town of LeRay CONTRACTOR: Developer Michael L. Lundy owns the land and his construction firm Lunco Corp., West Carthage, is building the AutoZone as well as a 10,500 square foot multi-tenant building for businessman Robert D. Ferris on two acres north of Freedom Plaza on the west side of the highway off the southbound lane. The AutoZone will be to the immediate south. Mr. Ferris also owns a two-acre parcel to the immediate north.

ANTICIPATED COMPLETION: Early January, 2014. Mr. Ferris said the building will be open by the spring and have a minimum of three tenants and a maximum of five, including a store in which he intends to sell items similar to those sold at Big Apple Music, which he owns off Arsenal Street in Watertown.

DECLARED VALUE: More than $1 million LOCAL JOBS: Several full- and part-time employees, in addition to numerous construction jobs.

LEAH BULETTI | NNY BUSINESS

Construction on a 7,380-square-foot AutoZone on U.S. Route 11 in LeRay between Walmart and Interstate 781 is slated for completion early this winter. A multi-tenant building is also in the works to the north.

NEXT MONTH

I

n our December issue, we present our third annual 20 Under 40 issue, complete with profiles of 20 of Northern New York’s emerging leaders under the age of 40 from Jefferson, St, Lawrence and Lewis counties.

Also coming next month: n A REASON TO CHEER: This year was more than a 10th anniversary for Beaver Falls specialty paper mill Omniafiltra. For this once-thriving industry, it’s a period marked by rebirth, growth and success. We go inside the plant to see what keeps them going. n WHERE ARE THEY NOW? In 2011, we picked Watertown Urban Mission’s Erika Flint as one to watch. Now she’s leading a multimillion dollar campaign to strengthen the Mission. We catch up with her in the first in an occasional series looking at past 20 Under 40 classes and where they are now. n PLUS: Small Business Startup, NNY Snapshot, Economically Speaking, Commerce Corner, Business Law, Business Tech Bytes, Small Business Success, Real Estate, Agri-Business, Business History and Business Scene. n VISIT US ONLINE at www.nnybizmag.com.

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

62 |

NNY Business | November 2013

Three C ’s Limousine is proud to provide

Prompt, Courteous, and Professional Service at Affordable Rates.

We offer chauffeured limo service for weddings, proms, sporting events, concerts, bachelor/bachelorette parties, or anywhere you want to go! Choose from our selection, which includes features like a Hummer limo and an F250 Harley Davidson Edition truck limo.

Three C ’s Limousine threecslimousine.com • Contact Jeff Powis @ 315-523-0007 9421 Number Three Rd., Lowville, NY 13367

November 2013 | NNY Business

| 63

BusIness

www.nnybizmag.com

260 Washington St. Watertown, NY 13601

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

integrity • excellence • value • innovation

You deserve the best space to run your business, to be your most successful and focus on what is imp ortant. That is where we come in, to help you establish your own urban identity in Northern New York.

For almost a decade, we have created and managed quality properties; taking great pride in our operations and maintenance. We focus on a sense of place, and establish the economic building blocks for our growing communities to thrive.

Let us provide the home for your business to prosper. Integrity and Excellence - our commitment to you.

office • retail • medical • restaurant • residential • storage • extended stay • parking Find out more: WashingtonStreetProperties.com Info@WashingtonStreetProperties.com 315.364.1418 215 Washington Street, Suite 001 · Watertown, NY 13601