NNY Business September 2017

B

Y usIness +

// 20 QUESTIONS INTERVIEW: Ty Stone, President, Jefferson Community College pg. 30

SEPTEMBER 2017 Volume 7 No. 10

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n TOWNSHIP 7 BREWING CO. n BUSINESS SCENE n NNY SNAPSHOT

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2 | NNY Business | September 2017

September 2017 | NNY Business

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The Genuine. The Original.

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4 | NNY Business | September 2017

>>

Inside SEPTEMBER 2017

19

13

16 14 |

COVER |

19 COST OF FREE TUITION The Excelsior Scholarship is shaking up enrollment at north country colleges, but is it a success? |

BUSINESS BRIEFCASE |

12 HOPE AND HEALING $175k donation from NNY Community Foundation.

SMALL BIZ STARTUP | 13 GRINDSTONE FABRICATIONS Marine, commercial, and residential metal welding, fabrication and repair work. |

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FEATURES |

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TOP TRANSACTIONS |

14 GROUND BREAKING SUNY Potsdam breaks ground on new childcare facility on campus.

31 JEFFERSON COUNTY The top 10 property sales in Jefferson County topped more than $4 million in July.

16 ONLINE EDUCATION New certification program accomodates working students in Northern New York.

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18 INTERNSHIP SAVINGS SUNY Potsdam’s center for applied learning generates $550,880 in labor savings.

BUSINESS SCENE |

46 NETWORKING, NNY STYLE

From Jefferson to St. Lawrence counties, business professionals connect for success. |

ONLINE |

NNYBIZMAG.COM Connect with us online for daily updates, more photos and exclusive Web content.

September 2017 | NNY Business

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CONTRIBUTORS

BusIness www.nnybizmag.com

Chairman of the Board John B. Johnson Jr.

Lance M. Evans is executive officer for the Jefferson-Lewis and St. Lawrence County Board of Realtors. Each month he writes Real Estate Roundup.

Holly C. Boname is associate magazine editor for NNY Magazines. This month she writes Small Business Startup with Grindstone Fabrications, located in Clayton.

Rande Richardson is executive director of the Northern New York Community Foundation. Every other month his column on nonprofits is featured.

Editor & Publisher John B. Johnson

Co-Publisher

Harold B. Johnson II

Magazine Editor Brian Kelly

Magazine Associate Editor Holly C. Boname

Editorial Design Holly C. Boname

Photography

Jay Matteson is the agricultural coordinator for the Jefferson County Industrial Development Corp. Each month his column Agribusiness is featured.

Brooke Rouse is executive director for the St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce. Every other month she writes about what is happening at the St. Lawrence County Chamber and its members.

Nicole Caldwell is a writer and editor based out of Better Farm in Redwood, NY. Reach her at nicole. caldwell@betterfarm. org.

Amanda Morrison, Daytona Niles Christian Lee, Chris Lenney

Director of Advertising Michelle Bowers

Advertising Graphics

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

Circulation Director Mary Sawyer

Marc Heller is a reporter for E&E News in Washington, DC. A native of New York State, he is a former reporter and Washington correspondent for the Watertown Daily Times. He lives in Washington, D.C.

Jake Newman is a Watertown Daily Times reporter.

This month he writes about the a Franklin County brewery who completed it’s first year in business.

MARKETPLACE

1,000 Islands Land Trust .................................47 Advanced Business Systems .........................35 Bay Brokerage ...............................................43 BOCES .............................................................39 Bonnie Castle Resort & Marina ......................12 Caskinette Ford ..............................................28 Chiappone’s Tire ..............................................9 Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center ...............40 Coleman’s Corner ...........................................7 Community Health Center of the North Country .................................................38 Conboy, McKay, Bachman & kendall, LLP .31 D.L. Calarco Funeral Home ...........................29 Dr. Guitar Music ................................................4 Fairgrounds Inn ................................................7 Foy Insurance .................................................40 Fuller Insurance ..............................................40 Goodrich Refrigeration ...................................4 H.D. Goodale Co. ..........................................40 Harbor Hotel ...................................................37 Hearing Solutions of NNY, LLC ..........................8 HighTower, The Morgia Group .......................34 Hospice of Jefferson County ........................37 Jeffords Steel ..................................................29

6 | NNY Business | September 2017

Jefferson Community College .......................3 NNY Community Foundation ..................19,42 Nortz & Virkler, Inc. ..........................................9 Overhead Door Company ..............................4 Pearl’s Pastry Shoppe ......................................4 RBC Wealth Management ............................37 Route 37 Building Supply ..............................35 Ryan’s Mobile Welding Service .....................4 SeaComm Federal ........................................30 Shorty’s Place ...................................................7 Shred Con .......................................................36 Slack Chemical .............................................41 Snapshots Photo Booth ..................................36 St. Lawrence University ..................................40 SUNY Empire State College ............................3 SUNY Potsdam ................................................27 T.F. Wright & Sons Granite Foundry .................19 Tunes 92.5 .......................................................46 Waite Motorsports ..........................................45 Waite Toyota ..................................................44 Watertown Savings Bank ................................2 Watertown Spring and Alignment .................9 Ziebart ..............................................................9

NNY Business (ISSN 2159-6115), is published monthly by Northern New York Newspaper Corp., 260 Washington St., Watertown, NY 13601, a Johnson Newspaper Corp. company. © 2010-2017. All material submitted to NNY Business becomes property of Northern New York Newspaper Corp., publishers of the Watertown Daily Times, and will not be returned.

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

Call 315-782-1000 to subscribe.

Submissions Send all editorial correspondence to hboname@wdt.net Advertising For advertising rates and information in Jefferson and Lewis counties, email mbowers@wdt.net, or call 315-661-2345 In St. Lawrence County, e-mail blabrake@ogd.com, or call 315-661-2507 Printed with pride in U.S.A. at Vanguard Printing LLC, Ithaca, N.Y., a Forest Stewardship Certified facility.

Please recycle this magazine.

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INTERVIEW

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ABOUT THE COVER

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32 NEW PRESIDENT AT JCC Ty Stone, new president at Jefferson Community College talks plans on how to increase enrollment, community outreach and educational development for all students.

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COLUMNS

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28 NONPROFITS TODAY 29 AGRIBUSINESS 30 REAL ESTATE ROUNDUP |

DEPARTMENTS

8 9 10 12

36 COMMERCE CORNER 44 SMALL BUSINESS SUCCESS

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

13 SMALL BIZ STARTUP 44 CALENDAR 46 BUSINESS SCENE

For this month’s cover, NNY Business photographer Amanda Morrison shoots Ty Stone, new Jefferson Community College president, during her 20 Questions interview with Holly Boname. Mrs. Stone says that the Northern New York community has many strengths that she hopes to use to partner in programming to benefit students.

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|7

E DI T OR ’ S NOTE

T

he idea of graduating from college virtually debt-free has long been a dream of students as their senior year winds down and job prospects become clearer.

New York state has recently made that debt-free, or at least reduced debt, status more attainable. The state has rolled out its Excelsior Scholarship program which provides tuition at no cost to most students attending the State University of New York system.

Unless you just graduated this past spring and are still on the hook for paying the full shot for your four-year education, free tuition is a big deal. Now, graduating high school seniors or more likely their parents have to at least consider a SUNY school as a cost-saving alternative to a private college.

The Excelsior scholarships, however, have not been universally embraced, as a story this month by freelance writer Marc Heller points out. Clearly, private universities have found the landscape changed in terms of potential student recruitment; despite the promise of a high-quality product, it’s hard to compete with free. (Side note: Journalists across the country have also found this out.)

There is also a requirement that students who avail themselves of the scholarship live and work in New York state for an equivalent number of years for which they received free tuition, or else pay back the money, like a loan. Somehow, I envision many young people keeping mom and dad’s house as their “permanent” or official address, but living someplace else.

And it strikes me as hard to quantify what qualifies as work in the repayment equation. Does waiting tables part-time in New Brian Kelly York City meet the criteria? That sounds like work to me and many college graduates do just that while looking for something better, but is this what the state has in mind?

I get what the state is trying to do. For far too long, we have done an excellent job, both at the high school and college level, of educating our young people only to watch them get out of Dodge within days of receiving their diplomas. Maybe instead of

forcing students to decide between taking on debt or moving back home after college, the better way of holding our young people captive would be to provide them with the kind of job opportunity within New York state for which they are now fleeing to other states.

Not all of our smart young people make their careers elsewhere, as evidenced by the continual strong response NNY Business receives for nominees for its annual 20 Under 40 program. Now in its seventh year, the program recognizes emerging leaders in the community.

We are asking once again for information about anyone in the north country under the age of 40 who is making an impact on either their profession or their community.

If you know of someone, please fill out a nomination form that can be found on our website, nnybizmag.com. In addition to being featured in NNY Business, those selected for inclusion in the 20 Under 40 group will be recognized Thursday, Dec. 7, at a luncheon at the Hilton Garden Inn, Watertown.

Enjoy,

NE XT M ONTH

I

n October’s issue of NNY Business, the focus of the magazine is on the Northern New York tourism trails throughout the tri-county region.

Also coming next month: n 20 QUESTIONS: NNY Business sits down with a business leader in the community.

n PLUS: NNY Snapshot, Economically Speaking, Entrepreneur Edge, Commerce Corner, Nonprofits Today, Small Business Success, Real Estate, Agribusiness, and Business Scene. n VISIT US ONLINE at nnybizmag.com.

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

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8 | NNY Business | September 2017

P E O P L E O N T H E M O VE New Pediatrician, Brooke M. Roebuck, MD, Joins St. Lawrence Health System’s CPH Practicing in Canton Brooke Roebuck, MD, a board-certified

pediatrician, has joined the medical staff of St. Lawrence Health System’s Canton-Potsdam Hospital and is practicing in Canton at 80 E. Main St., E.J. Noble Professional Building.

Dr. Roebuck provides comprehensive inpatient and outpatient diagnosis and treatment of disorders and diseases affecting children up to age 18, from ear infections to complex medical conditions. She also provides wellness examinations, school sports exams, and vaccinations. Dr. Roebuck is recertified in neonatal resuscitation and is a registered respiratory therapist.

Dr. Roebuck received her medical degree from the Ross University School of Medicine, Domenica, WI, and completed a residency at the University Of Oklahoma College of Medicine in Oklahoma City, OK. Before joining CPH, Dr. Roebuck was practicing at The Children’s Hospital at OU Medical Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where she was neonatal hospitalist and clinical assistant professor of pediatrics.

Got business milestones? n Share your business milestones with NNY

Business. Email news releases and photos (.jpg/300 dpi) to associate magazine editor Holly Boname at hboname@wdt.net. The deadline for submissions is the 10th of the month for the following month’s issue. Photos that don’t appear in print may be posted on our Facebook page.

Ambulatory Surgery Nurse Rita LaBarge, RN, BSN, Celebrates Retirement After 39year Career at Carthage Area Hospital Hospital leadership and staff honored

veteran ambulatory surgery nurse Rita LaBarge, RN, BSN, for 39 years of continuous service to Carthage Area Hospital, its patients and the community during an award presentation.

LaBarge retired after nearly four decades as a registered nurse at Carthage Area Hospital, working in medical surgery, obstetrics and, most recently, ambulatory surgery. She joined the medical surgery team as a nurse on March 13, 1978.

“Today, we honor a woman who has consistently given this hospital her best while serving countless patients with

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empathy and kindness for four decades,” Chief Executive Officer Rich Duvall said.

“It’s not often that we say goodbye to a nurse who has been a member of our hospital family for as long as you, Rita.

Your family here will sincerely miss your experience and nurturing hand.”

Duvall said nurses like LaBarge are “rare gems who we hate to lose.”

“There is no easy replacement for a nurse of Rita’s character and experience as a leader and mentor to so many younger nurses and staff,” Duvall said. “If we could find someone with just an ounce of her drive and perseverance, we would be so lucky.”

Duvall presented LaBarge with a plaque “for meritorious service” and a certificate of merit from New York State Assemblyman Ken Blankenbush, R-Black River, honoring her career.

LaBarge said she sought a job at Carthage Area Hospital after she earned a nursing degree at St. Elizabeth College of Nursing in Utica and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the former State University of New York Institute of Technology at Utica/ Rome because the hospital was close to her family in nearby Champion.

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September 2017 | NNY Business

|9

Average New York surrogate* price for on-highway diesel

$1.89 in July 2017 $1.76 in June 2017 $1.60 in July 2016

$2.68 in July 2017 $2.70 in June 2017 $2.51 in July 2016

18.1%

Source: NYS Department of Agriculture

Vehicles crossing the Thousand Islands bridge

1.3%

254,374 in July 2017 191,659 in June 2017 262,262 in July 2016 Source: T.I. Bridge Authority

7.8%

Vehicles crossing the Ogdensburg-Prescott bridge 63,748 in July 2017 62,145 in June 2017 64,728 in July 2016

Average NNY price for gallon of residential propane

32.4%

Ogdensburg Bridge & Port Authority

Vehicles crossing the Seaway International (Massena) bridge

Source: NYS Energy Research and Development Authority

213,324 in July 2017 211,247 in June 2017 204,169 in July 2016

Jefferson-Lewis Board of Realtors single-family home sales 138, median price $132,500 in July 2017 154, median price $129,000 in June 2017 124, median price $123,000 in July 2016

Seaway International Bridge Corp.

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

7.7%

$1.25 in July 2017 $1.30 in June 2017 $1.30 in July 2016

Price

St. Lawrence Board of Realtors single-family home sales 69, median price $110,000 in July 2017 99, median price $99,000 in June 2017 58, median price $104,940 in July 2016

Source: Federal Reserve Bank of N.Y.

Nonagriculture jobs in the Jefferson-Lewis-St. Lawrence counties area, not including military positions 87,700 in July 2017 89,600 in June 2017 87,100 in July 2016

4.8%

.7%

Price

Source: Jefferson-Lewis / St. Lawrence boards of Realtors Inc.

Source: NYS Department of Labor

United States

4.4 June 2017

4.9

4.9

New York State

5.6

5.4 June 2017

5.5

Lewis County

July 2017

6.2 July 2016

6.9 June 2017

5.4 July 2016

6.9 5.4 June 2017

St. Lawrence County

July 2017

5.5

Jefferson County

July 2016

NNY unemployment rates

4.3

Sales

July 2017

19%

3.8%

4.6

Sales

4.5%

July 2016

11.3%

1.5%

4.5

$3.35 in July 2017 $3.35 in June 2017 $2.53 in July 2016

3%

June 2017

$2.36 in July 2017 $2.38 in June 2017 $2.19 in June 2016

July 2017

ECON SNAPSHOT

Average NNY price for gallon of home heating oil

July 2017

$2.37 in July 2017 $2.42 in June 2017 $2.34 in July 2016

6.8%

*Prices are the composite area that includes New York, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia.

Source: U.S. DOE, Energy Information Administration

Average NNY price for gallon of regular unleaded gas

10 | NNY Business | July 2017

(Percent gains and losses are over 12 months)

Average per-gallon milk price paid to N.Y. dairy farmers

July 2016

NNY

Economic indicators

Source: U.S. Department of Labor and New York State Department of Labor (Not seasonally adjusted. Latest available data reported.)

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

Economic indicators New automobiles (cars and trucks) registered in Jefferson County Cars 509 in July 2017 577 in June 2017 491 in July 2016

3.7%

Trucks 112 in July 2017 159 in June 2017 114 in July 2016

NNY

1.8%

Source: Jefferson County Clerk’s Office

Passengers at Watertown International Airport

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

3,277 in June 2017 3,340 in May 2017 2,979 in June 2016

2,143 in July 2017 2,154 in June 2017 2,258 in July 2016

10%

5.1%

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

DBA (doing business under an assumed name) certificates filed at the Jefferson County Clerk’s office August 1 to August 30, 2017. For a complete list of DBAs filed in past months, visit WWW.NNYBIZMAG.COM.

AUG. 29: Coughlin Printing, 210 Court St., Watertown, Christian Business Endeavors, 210 Court St., Watertown.

Terry Babyak, 15760 Maynard Ave., Dexter, Terry A. Babyak, 15760 Maynard Ave., Dexter.

Bradley St. Trucking Terminal Parking and Storage, 23072 Route 12, Watertown, Dealer Trader Auto Group LLC, 23072 Route 12, Watertown.

AUG. 28: Clean Out Kings, 519 Stone St., Watertown, Christopher J. Leone , 519 Stone St., Watertown, Henry Whitehead, 21101 Buttermilk Flat Road, LaFargeville.

Michelle J. Titus, 609 W. Prospect St., Watertown.

AUG. 14: Cagey’s Creative Designs, 923 Boyd St., Watertown, Colleen A. Graham, 923 Boyd St., Watertown.

Redneck Ingenuity, 30591 Route 180, Watertown, Beau M. Harrell, 30591 Route 180, Watertown.

A Z Auto Repair & Collision, 23072 Route 12, Watertown, Dealer Trader Auto Group LLC, 23072 Route 12, Watertown.

AUG. 10: Deer Run Farm, 45500 Barns Settlement Rd., Redwood, Cindy J. Skinner, 45500 Barns Settlement Rd., Redwood.

Maid In The USA, 118C Josheph Lonsway Drive, Clayton, Charlene Gilson, 118C Josheph Lonsway Drive, Clayton.

Chosen Flags, 35168 Conroy Drive, Carthage, Scott E. Stenoski, 35168 Conroy Drive, Carthage.

AUG. 23: Be Smitten, 17420 Old Rices Road, Watertown, Bridgette M. Richeson, 17420 Old Rices Road, Watertown.

The Farm, 32211 Route 180, LaFargeville, Christine L. Davenport, 32211 Route 180, LaFargeville.

AUG. 22: Hart’s Firewood, 27080 Route 37, Watertown, Kenneth Hart, 27080 Route 37, Watertown.

Christine’s Office Solutions, 32211 Route 180, LaFargeville, Christine L. Davenport, 32211 Route 180, LaFargeville.

KLB Contracting, 15593 Route 63, Adams Center, Scott F. Burnham, 15593 Route 63, Adams Center.

AUG. 9: McKenzie L Cantwell L A C, 814 Riverside Drive, Clayton, McKenzie L. Cantwell, 39645 Route 12, Clayton.

Sulphur Springs Farm, 18497 Route 67, Watertown, Richard A. Duvall, 18497 Route 67, Watertown.

AUG. 8: KLF Enterprises, 27076 Route 37, Watertown, Tobin Kennedy, 27076 Route 37, Watertown, Michael Kennedy Jr., 27076 Route 37, Watertown.

Mike Williams Flying Service, 22529 Airport Drive, Dexter, Michael C. Williams, 16402 Martin Rd., Watertown.

Horizon Marine Brokerage, 22 Sisson St., Alexandria Bay, Graham M. Chavoustie, 22 Sisson St., Alexandria Bay. AUG. 21: T And J Property Services, 26085 Keyser Road, Evans Mills, James T. Bain, 26085 Keyser Road, Evans Mills, Joshua Pantleo, 9670C Dayton Loop, Fort Drum.

AUG. 18: Eastline Repair, 16342 Route 3, Clayton, Michael J. Badour, 16342 Route 3, Clayton.

Calidaco, 315 Academy St., Watertown, Diana L. Montgomery, 315 Academy St., Watertown.

Boulder Rock, 237 E. Main St., Watertown, Wendell Woodruff, 237 E. Main St., Watertown.

AUG. 17: Screaming Eagle Construction, 26126 Mustard Road, Watertown, Ryan J. Ablan, 26126 Mustard Road, Watertown.

TRANSACTIONS

DBAs

Quality Craftsman Associates, 302 N. Rutland St., Watertown, Traci Dasno, 302 N. Rutland St., Watertown, Christopher Hull, 302 N. Rutland St., Watertown.

B.P. Contracting, 52 Spring St., Adams, Benjamin J. Pledger, 52 Spring St., Adams.

AUG. 4: Jenerated Designs, 25455 Stewart Drive, Carthage, Jennifer Medina, 25455 Stewart Drive, Carthage.

River Breeze Cleaning Services, 616 Merrick St., Clayton, Elysia Purcell, 616 Merrick St., Clayton, Brianna Okolowicz, 616 Merrick St., Clayton.

AUG. 2: Hawk’s Happy Haven Hobby Farm, 35286 Route 36, Carthage, Johnathon C. Hawk, 961 S. James St., Carthage.

Jessica Zaremba Photography, 13975 Route 11, Adams Center, Jessica Zaremba, 13975 Route 11, Adams Center.

AUG. 16: Amos Income Tax Service, 24255 Route 11, Calcium, Daniel A. Patterson, 24255 Route 11, Calcium.

AUG. 1: Webb’s Lawn Care & Snow Removal, 14200 Route 11, Adams Center, Kassndra A. Webb, 14200 Route 11, Adams Center.

Signs And Etched Designs by Penny Lee, 33388 Route 22, Theresa, Penny L. Plante, 33388 Route 22, Theresa.

The Rift Outdoors, 337A James St., Clayton, Brian L. James, 8294 Strauss Blvd., Clayton.

Kira Kira Kumo, 8774 N. Main St., Evans Mills, Shandra E. Wilson, 8774 N. Main St., Evans Mills.

Paths of Life, 215 Main St., Theresa, North Jefferson Outreach Inc., 215 Main St., Theresa.

AUG. 15: Twisted Knitter, 609 W. Prospect St., Watertown,

July

2017 | NNY Business

| 11

BUSINESS BRIEFCASE Northern New York Community Foundation Commits $175, 000 for River Hospital’s Hope + Healing Capital Campaign

The Northern New York Community Foundation will provide a $175,000 grant to support River Hospital’s Hope + Healing capital campaign designed to modernize the agency’s facilities and enhance the organization’s services. The combined waiting rooms in the main hospital building will be named for the Community Foundation.

The Community Foundation’s commitment will serve as a catalyst in continuing to build community support toward the hospital’s campaign goal. The hospital's construction and renovation project includes converting the historic Monticello hotel across the street from the main campus into a medical office building and renovating and updating the existing hospital building. Terms of a recent grant of $9.5 million through the New York State Health Care Facility Transformation Program require a $4 million match from the community.

“We believe it is important to support healthcare for the River communities,

not only for those who live there, but for the many who spend time there. There is no question that River Hospital has improved and saved lives, and we need to do all we can to help ensure their ability to continue to do that. This is also a way for us to solidify our long-standing partnership and stewardship of a River Hospital endowment so that the investments of today can be sustained for future generations,” said Rande Richardson, executive director of the Northern New York Community Foundation.

“We are delighted with Community Bank's generous gift to the museum, and so pleased that they have chosen to support education in their sponsorship of the Annual Frederic Remington Classic Golf Tournament,” said museum director Laura A. Foster. “The Education Center is an an important part of the museum's service to the local community, and support like this is essential to its success.”

Community Bank, N.A. Supports Education at Museum

The Princeton Review commended St. Lawrence University for its loyal alumni network, robust science lab facilities and co-curricular opportunities in its recently released “The Best 382 Colleges: 2018 Edition.”

The new edition of the popular college guide, which hit bookstores on Aug. 1, describes St. Lawrence as a place where “everyone is thrilled to be a Laurentian for life,” while also highlighting the university’s small class sizes and strong alumni network. The college prep company quotes St. Lawrence students, who praise its faculty for being engaged and who say the campus is “home to a very adventurous and passionate group” where “SLU students look out for other SLU students.”

This year, St. Lawrence was included on several of The Princeton Review’s additional Top 25 lists, such as Best Alumni Network (#7), Best Science Lab Facilities (#17), and Impact Schools (#25) for its co-curricular and community service offerings. It also included St. Lawrence in several additional publications over the past year, including “Best Northeastern,” “Green Colleges,” “Colleges That Create Futures,” and “Colleges That Pay You Back.”

“St. Lawrence is consistently recognized for cultivating purposeful connections inside and outside the classroom, including our deeply engaged alumni network that facilitates the numerous internship and career opportunities afforded to our students,” said President William L. Fox. “This distinction is evident in our most recent outcomes report of graduates less than one year out from graduation, which indicated that 97 percent are already employed or are seeking advanced degrees in graduate school.”

The Frederic Remington Art Museum recently received a donation from Community Bank, N.A., in support of education at the Eva Caten Remington Education Center.

Laura A. Foster, director of the Frederic Remington Art Museum, received a check from Matthew Honeywell, branch manager at Community Bank, N.A., in Ogdensburg. Community Bank, N.A.’s gift of $500 will be used in support of the museum’s educational programming at the Frederic Remington Art Museum.

315-482-4511 • 1-800-955-4511

31 Holland St. Alexandria Bay, NY 13607 events@bonniecastle.com www.bonniecastle.com

COMPLETE MEETINGS for 10 to 600 PEOPLE The Premier Convention Destination in the 1000 Islands

Located on the shores of the St. Lawrence River across from romantic Boldt Castle and minutes from the Canadian border.

Boardroom, Classroom, Theater and U-Shape set-ups available Breakout Rooms available and Outside Decks in Season Executive Meetings and Networking Receptions Numerous Menu Options available and Purchase Orders Accepted Access to 1000 Island Boat Tours, Golf, Wineries and Distilleries

Princeton Review Praises St. Lawrence University’s Alumni Network, Science Labs

128 Hotel Rooms • Indoor/Outdoor Pools • Walking Distance to Downtown 12 | NNY Business | September 2017

SMAL L BU SIN E SS S TA RT UP BUSINESS

Grindstone Fabrications INITIAL IDEA

Two lifelong friends and business owners in Jefferson County have joined forces to develop a business that can serve many different industries.

In February of this year, Chris Matthews and Jeremy Kellogg of Clayton opened Grindstone Fabrications, Inc. (formerly DB Fabrications, Inc.), located on Route 12E in the town of Clayton. The business specializes in marine, commercial, and residential metal welding, fabrication and repair work.

While brainstorming over the winter, the pair discussed buying the real estate side of a business that had been in operation for over 30 years, DB Fabrications, Inc., owned

by Don Badour.

“I said to Jeremy that this made a lot of sense, for us to get into the fabrication business with a combination of the businesses that he has and that I currently have,” Matthews said.

“I manage Equipment Rentals in Watertown, so it made a lot of sense.”

Over the course of three or four months they spoke with Mr. Badour, who they had known throughout the course of their lives, about their vision and interest in the business and

agreed that if the pair wanted to buy the real estate they would purchase the business as well.

THE JOURNEY:

Since the purchase and development of their brand Grindstone Fabrications, the business partners have been busy with work flowing in from existing customers and sparking new interest as well. Currently the pair is working with a local architect designing componentized floating structures and docks for the high water that flooded the shorelines of St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario residents.

“Acquiring a business that has been in business for 30 years makes it a lot easier; it was nice that he had a lot of work. He had a list of customers and we were able to piggy back off his reputation,” Matthews said.

“I would say that he is watching his legacy continue. And we are excited and proud to represent that and we feel an obligation to continue that.”

TARGET CLIENTELE

Grindstone Fabrications builds custom steel and iron parts and pieces for municipalities and local businesses, whether it is marinas, contractors, farms, they have seen them all.

But the business isn’t only focusing on metal fabrication. In the back of the main office canvas sewing machines are running, creating custom canvas work. Initially the canvas business will be part of Grindstone Fabrications, but after they build the business it will branch off to make it its own, tentatively named Canvasbacks upholstery.

“We wanted to take the steel manufacturing business and take it to another level and hopefully we are doing that already,” Kellogg said.

IN FIVE YEARS

Photography by: Amanda Morrison

For the two friends and business partners the sky is the limit and they are focused on growth and development.

“We want to expand the Grindstone Fabrications portion to another 4,000-square-foot building. A state of the art facility with sheet metal benders, a CNC machine, and grow it to another, probably, three or four employees for now and if it takes off from there, who knows?,” Kellogg said. “The sky’s the limit for me!” ~Story by: Holly Boname

WHERE Clayton, NY | OPENED February 2017 | WEB grindstonefabrications.com

September 2017 | NNY Business

| 13

BREAKING GROUND:

NEW FACILITY TO INCREASE PROGRAM CAPABILITIES

BY JAKE NEWMAN

PHOTO PROVIDED BY: Jason Hunter / SUNY Potsdam

14 | NNY Business | September 2017

C

hild care at SUNY Potsdam is getting a serious update.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held Aug. 15 to kick off the construction of a new 13,000-square-foot facility that will house the college's child care center, meaning more space for children.

SUNY Potsdam Child Care Center Director Lori J. Moulton said the new facility will have the layout, square footage and amenities the center requires.

"Right now, we are housed in Merritt Hall at the college campus and we have made it work for our child care center, but a new child care center that is going to be built for child care is going to be excellent," she said.

The $6 million center, which will be all on one floor to help with ease of access, will include storage for strollers and car seats, a commercial kitchen for food preparation and new gross motor rooms for infants and toddlers.

It will also feature seven classrooms specially designed for every age group

N N Y BU SIN E SS F E AT UR E served by the center, each with dedicated children's bathrooms and special rooms as needed, such as sleeping spaces for infants, a changing area for toddlers, a project space for preschool-age children and a laundry area.

New space has been added for offices and a break room for staff, and there will also be a library holding the center's collection of children's books, which will function as a board room and teacher planning and resource area.

"Right now we share spaces so we have limited time the infants and toddlers can use the large motor space, but we are actually going to have the ability to have indoor large motor activity throughout the whole day," Ms. Moulton explained. "It will be nice to have access to the kitchen so the children can do cooking projects and walk right across the hall for the cooks to put in the oven."

The new facility will also allow for a slight increase in capacity, from the current 98 to 105. If this increase occurs, it could mean up to two more teaching positions at

PHOTO PROVIDED BY: Jason Hunter / SUNY Potsdam

the child care center.

The program currently serves children ages 6 weeks to 9 years, but with the new facility Ms. Moulton said she hopes to expand programming to children up to 12. Ms. Moulton said she also hopes to attain funding for two additional outdoor playground structures, which will give the center a total of four outdoor play areas.

The new facility is situated across from the Crane School of Music on outer Main Street. The new building's location and floor plan will make accessing the center more convenient.

"It is going to be easy access for the parents," Ms. Moulton said. "Right now you need to go downstairs and then upstairs to get into the center which makes it harder for strollers and things like that."

"Parking will be better as well for parents because they will be able to come right over to the child care center and have parking that is for the child care center," she added.

Ms. Moulton said she anticipates the new facility will be completed next August.

September 2017 | NNY Business

| 15

N N Y BUSINES S FEATURE

ONLINE LEARNING:

New certification program accomodates working students

CHRISTIAN K. LEE n NNY BUSINESS Trisha Howell, JCC instructor of human services and chemical dependency sits in her classroom.

J

efferson Community College launched a new chemical dependency certification program this fall, offering all the required classes online to accommodate those already working in the human services field.

“This program fits the needs of many people who have been requesting it,” said Trisha Howell, JCC instructor of human services and chemical dependency. “Offering the certification program online makes it convenient for people who are already employed.”

Between 20 and 25 students were expected to finalize enrollment into the program, which started in late August and will continue for a year (classes will be offered in condensed eight-week sessions during the fall and spring semesters, along with one summer semester).

JCC is one of just a handful of commu16 | NNY Business | September 2017

nity colleges across New York state offering the chemical dependency certification program completely online, said Mrs. Howell.

“Our program has been drawing interest from other parts of the state” as well as throughout Northern New York, she said.

The chemical dependency certificate program at JCC does requires pre-requisites, according to the college.

Those interested in applying must have a minimum of one year experience working in a human services related field, and/ or a minimum of an associate’s degree in those same fields.

Students who enter the chemical dependency field are typically “very passionate” about helping those with addictions, she said. Some may have struggled with addiction themselves, or have had family members or friends who have dealt with it.

“People don’t set out to be addicts,” Mrs. Howell said. “It’s something that develops within people over time, and before they realize it, they’re trying to get their life back.”

The college’s new chemical dependency certificate program was approved by the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services, which requires people working in the field of addiction counseling to obtain a Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor certification.

This certification requires 350 educational hours, along with an additional 6,000 hours of employment in the substance abuse field, and a written state examination.

Those who complete the JCC certification program will be considered CASAC trainees (or a CASAC-T). They will be qualified to work under the direct supervision of a CASAC while obtaining the required working hours to sit for the state examination.

Some of those who applied to the program even had bachelor’s or master’s degrees, but were interested in obtaining

the CASAC certification because it’s required for counseling people in addiction recovery, Mrs. Howell said.

Part of the educational training in chemical dependency stresses the need to be non-judgmental when working with a person dealing with an addiction, said Mrs. Howell.

Students are taught how to help “guide” people to recovery by teaching them skills to face everyday challenges and make positive decisions, Mrs. Howell said.

“We tell students you need to see a person with an addiction as a human being who should have the right to be happy and free,” she said. “But when people are struggling with addiction, they are not happy, and they are not free.”

Those with the trainee designation (CASAC-T) will also be considered Qualified Health Professionals for the purpose of meeting staffing requirements at agencies treating people with chemical dependencies, Mrs. Howell said.

Several representatives working locally in the addiction recovery field had requested this type of online program be offered at the college to meet the needs of some current staff, and to increase their potential to hire additional people, she added.

Since 2013, JCC has offered an associate of applied science degree in chemical dependency. This is a full-time two-year degree program, which gives graduates not only the required 350 educational hours, but also 1,000 work-related hours toward their CASAC certification.

This degree program is offered to students who are planning to attend college full-time to earn the associate’s degree, and includes classroom and online coursework, as well as internships. It also prepares students for the written CASAC state examination.

For more information about the chemical dependency certificate program, contact Mrs. Howell at thowell@sunyjefferson.edu, or call JCC Enrollment Services at (315) 786-2437.

N N Y BU SIN E SS F E AT UR E

DAYTONA NILES n NNY BUSINESS Students register on computers as they start the new year at Jefferson Community College.

September 2017 | NNY Business

| 17

N N Y BUSINES S FEATURE

INTERNSHIP SAVINGS :

I

n the last year, SUNY Potsdam’s Center for Applied Learning has generated $550,880 in labor savings through its internship program.

But the true value of the new center, started in 2016 in the Frederick W. Crumb Memorial Library, is in what it provides to students who are in the process of figuring out what they want to do with their lives. At that most integral juncture— the time in every person’s life when the stresses of what their future holds can be the most heightened—the Center for Applied Learning is there to help.

SUNY’s Center for Applied Learning offers students a ‘fully realized life.’

The Center For Applied Learning opened in 2016 to offer a “coordinated experiential learning strategy that broadens and integrates students' knowledge and skills to prepare them for a fully realized life.”

That strategy is broken down into four pieces: exploration, experience, reflection and the act of becoming.

18 | NNY Business | September 2017

CHRISTOPHER LENNEY n NNY BUSINESS Toby White, Director of Experiential Education, helps students looking for internships acquire more information and resources.

SUNY Potsdam’s Center for Applied Learning generates $550,880

“A student can come in as a freshman saying ‘I don’t know what I want to do,’” says Toby J. White, interim director of career services at the center. “We’re there with three career coaches to do career assessments, help to figure out how to make career goals happen, and form a plan with high-impact programming. We are cross-trained and can figure out what steps are necessary to make every individual student’s career goals a reality. We can now work with students from freshman year to graduation.”

Sometimes, the path a student sets out on is not the same one he or she ends up wanting to pursue. And that’s totally fine, White says.

“Students can learn about themselves [at the Center for Applied Learning],” he said.

“Through this process, they become more focused, or decide ‘You know what? I went out and did this shadowing, and it’s not for me. And that’s OK.’” The center brings together the offices of experiential education, international educa-

tion and student research in what has been described as a “one-stop shop” at the center of campus. One-on-one coaching allows every SUNY-Potsdam student to create an applied program for any area of study, from law enforcement to entrepreneurship.

The SUNY Potsdam campus is the first SUNY school to be adopting a program like this. Career coaching that spans from matriculation to graduation offers an experiential approach that focuses on the individual and allows every SUNY student to hone in on his or her greatest passions, questions and life goals. Since the center’s inception, more than 239 students have pursued internships to gain real-world training.

Applied learning benefits students and communities alike.

“I believe in applied learning so much,” White says. “The piece that was so missing was career services was in student affairs— but now, it’s in academic affairs. That just makes sense. It fits toward the mission.”

The program is intended to reach all

4,000 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at SUNY Potsdam, now in its third century of existence. The center is well on its way: Already, students have been placed abroad in places like Dublin, Ireland, Barcelona, Spain, and in Australia. “They’re actually getting a study abroad experience and working in a company while there,” White says. “The best part is that students can come into one area and be served on what they want to do.”

Back home, meanwhile, students like Anneliese Bishop are acquiring work experience while helping businesses succeed and boosting the local economy.

Bishop is finishing up a social media internship at Brasher Falls Central School through the Center for Applied Learning.

“With her [Bishop’s] assistance, we are able to distribute more information to our community than ever before,” says Robert A. Stewart, superintendent for Brasher Falls Central School. "She is creating a successful framework for this position and the future partnership between Brasher Falls Central and SUNY Potsdam."

That kind of help can only grow the economy.

"We generated $500,000 in labor savings for our local community, assuming that each intern's work is best valued at minimum wage,” says Jenica Rogers, director of libraries and college archives at SUNY Potsdam. “However, many of our interns are bringing advanced job skills to their work sites, and providing services which would be priced well above minimum wage in a competitive job market."

For more information about the Center for Applied Learning or if you're interested in hosting a SUNY Potsdam student at your business, visit: https://www.potsdam.edu/ academics/appliedlearning.

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September 2017 | NNY Business

| 19

C OV E R STORY

WHAT’S THE COST?

THE EXCELSIOR SCHOLARSHIP

PROGRAM LAUNCH

20 | NNY Business | September 2017

C O V E R S T O RY

P

DAYTONA NILES n NNY BUSINESS

Freshman Natyra Walker sits outside the admissions office on the first day of school at Jefferson Community College.

September 2017 | NNY Business

| 21

COV E R STORY

N

ew York’s new Excelsior Scholarship program to help students attend the state’s public colleges tuition-free is shaking up enrollment at north country colleges, but administrators aren’t ready to call it a big success.

The program has had a bumpy start. Its rollout came late in the enrollment cycle, and students are still figuring out the requirements. Private institutions and their allies in the state Legislature, opposed to limiting the benefit to state and New York City colleges as first proposed, secured an expanded Tuition Assistance Program for private colleges that institutions haven’t fully em-braced.

A requirement that students live and work in New York for a period of time after receiving the scholarships, added by the Senate, could dampen enthusiasm with students who envision work-ing elsewhere after graduation and create complications for those who enter the military, admin-istrators said, and it’s not clear how employers will view that aspect’s effect on hiring recent graduates.

The Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank, criticized the requirement, saying it could undermine economic mobility and raises questions about enforcement.

Still, the scholarships have generated intense interest, administrators say, and will help soften the rising cost of higher education. Tuition averages $6,470 a year for a bachelor’s degree program at the State University of New York.

In short, administrators and financial aid officers said, a clear picture of the program’s impact probably won’t emerge for at least another year. By then, they said, the application periods for the scholarships and college admissions will be more in sync.

“Just knowing it’s there helps students who think college is too expensive,” said Susan Sadoni, dean of enrollment at Jefferson Community College. “Any help for our students is wonderful.” She said about 150 students at the community college were approved for Excelsior scholarships this year.

Some students, especially from families with moderate incomes who don’t otherwise qualify for grants, rely heavily on the new scholarships, aimed at families with incomes up to $125,000, said Kerrie Cooper, director of financial aid at SUNY

22 | NNY Business | September 2017

Canton.

“We have seen several students benefit who wouldn’t have had anything or very little other-wise. If a student knows what they want to do and they are in the middle income range, this is perfect,” Cooper said.

About 940,000 students statewide could eventually become eligible after the program is fully phased-in in 2019, according to the State Higher Education Services Corp., which administers Excelsior scholarships. Some 84.8 percent of families with college-aged students in Northern New York would be eligible — tied with the

Mohawk Valley for the highest rate in the state, ac-cording to SUNY. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s office said the plan would cost about $163 million a year.

Gov. Cuomo proposed the plan in January, and it is the first program of its kind to be imple-mented in a state. With Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders at his side at a news conference, Gov. Cuomo said that while a college education is more important than ever in the job market, the growing debt for recent college graduates — averaging $29,320 in 2015 — is “like starting a race with an anchor tied to your

C O V E R S T O RY

DAYTONA NILES n NNY BUSINESS A student talks with admissions office on the first day of school at Jefferson Community College.

leg.”

Students apply for the scholarships annually. Applicants must have lived in New York for at least a year prior to the period for which they’re seeking the scholarship. Students who receive a scholarship for a two-year associate’s degree can apply for an additional award to pursue a bachelor’s degree, but the program doesn’t allow applicants to pursue either a second associate’s or second bachelor’s degree. Recipients who move out of the state have to pay back the money as if it were a loan.

DAYTONA NILES n NNY BUSINESS

September 2017 | NNY Business

| 23

COV E R STORY

DAYTONA NILES n NNY BUSINESS

24 | NNY Business | September 2017

Students at the state’s community colleges face a particular challenge with the program’s fine print, though, Sadoni said.

Part-time students may have a hard time reaching the requirement for 30 credits a year, especially because those credits have to be in the student’s degree program, she said.

Other requirements, such as staying in New York, fit well with SUNY Jefferson, Sadoni said, as most students are from the north country and may be looking to stay in the area.

Officials at SUNY Potsdam, which has an incoming class of around 800 students, reported 500 applications for Excelsior scholarships on the last day of the application period. To help students meet the 30-credit requirement, the college added summer sessions, a spokeswoman said.

“It’s not a simple program,” said SUNY Potsdam’s director of financial aid, Susan E. Godreau. She said she expects some aspects may be changed as the scholarships are phased in, but other details that can prove challenging — such as requiring continuous enrollment and not al-lowing a semester off, for instance — don’t seem likely to be relaxed. About 80 percent of stu-dents at Potsdam receive some type of financial aid, she said.

Students don’t always understand the scholarships’ mandates and conditions, Cooper said. For instance, she said, they emphasize timely completion of studies by requiring students to obtain a degree within two to four years, depending on the program — a mandate that the governor said would help turn around the state’s low on-time college-completion rate of less than 40 percent for students attending four-year SUNY colleges. The award covers only tuition, not room and board, meaning students may need additional aid for those costs; and other grants and scholarships count against it, meaning the Excelsior award makes up for any shortage in tuition costs that other aid doesn’t cover.

A companion program providing $6,000 tuition awards for private colleges and universities car-ries similar features and restrictions, except that institutions can choose whether to participate and have to match the state money. They also had to agree to freeze tuition for students who receive the scholarships. A total of 30 of about 100 institutions opted in, according to the Com-mission on Independent

C OVER S TORY

CHRISTOPHER LENNEY n NNY BUSINESS Kerrie L. Cooper, SUNY Canton director of financial aid provides information on financial aid to new and existing students.

Colleges and Universities, an organization representing private institu-tions in New York.

“It’s definitely a challenge, and that’s why we don’t see full participation,” said Emily Donahue, communications director for the CICU. The plan for private colleges also ran on a different time-line this year, with a later end to the application and award process, so colleges still didn’t have a clear idea of the program’s progress as students were returning to class in some places.

“Right now, schools and students are in a little bit of limbo,” Donahue said.

One college that didn’t sign up was Clarkson University in Potsdam.

“There wasn’t enough certainty about how it would work,” said Clarkson’ s vice president for external relations, Kelly Chezum. The university is waiting to decide whether to participate next year.

“I think it’s just, let’s see how this first year went,” Chezum said.

Although Clarkson’s students are mostly New Yorkers — about 70 percent are residents before they enroll, Chezum said — they take jobs all around the country after graduation, and that’s a factor in applying for a scholarship that requires state residency for a time, she said. Chezum said she’s not sure how employment recruiters would view students who face pressure to remain in New York because of the scholarship’s requirement. Recipients have to stay in New York for a time equivalent to the period they were using the scholarship, although other administrators at other schools said a graduate set on a good job out of state will probably conclude it’s worth letting the scholarship convert to a loan.

On the other hand, Chezum said, Clarkson wants to do as much as it can to ease the burden of tuition, room and board that totals $47,950 per student. Aware that enrollment might suffer be-cause of the Excelsior scholarship at state schools, Clarkson boosted financial aid paid for by alumni, she said.

About 60 percent of Clarkson’s students come from families making less than $125,000 a year, Chezum said. “Access to education is so important.”

Among the factors Clarkson will consider in participating, Chezum said, is whether all students in the right income range will qualify — or whether they’ll have to enter a lottery to be selected. The

September 2017 | NNY Business

| 25

COV E R STORY state Legislature allocated $19 million for the private colleges program this year, suggesting a lottery is the most likely outcome, said Donahue of the CICU. Among large private universities upstate, only Cornell University is participating, according to the New York Higher Education Services Corp. Neither Syracuse University nor St. Lawrence University is on a list published by the HESC. Even that is a change in tone from earlier this year, when the CICU predicted dire outcomes if an Excelsior scholarship program were enacted without offering something similar to private in-stitutions, which was how Gov. Cuomo initially proposed it. They predicted falling enrollment — and possibly employment — at private colleges and universities, citing a Georgetown University study that estimated enrollment declines between 7 percent and 15 percent from a similar plan for the nation proposed by Hillary Rodham Clinton’s presidential campaign in 2016.

In contrast, on average, private institutions contribute as much as $23 in financial

assistance for every dollar New York puts into the Tuition Assistance Program, the CICU said.

Enhancing the TAP, rather than pushing free tuition at public universities, “preserves regional economies, provides students choice, and protects the strengths of New York's higher education system — public universities, private colleges and universities, and community colleges,” said the president of Union College in Schenectady, Stephen Charles Ainlay, also vice-chairman of the CICU Board of Trustees, in a news release earlier this year.

The CICU had said that a free tuition plan alone could cause enrollment to fall by 54,000 students at private institutions statewide, including more than 800 in Northern New York, while direct and indirect job losses exceed 44,000 statewide and 500 in Northern New York.

With the program being phased over three years, colleges will have time to assess both plans’ strengths and weaknesses.

“I expect that in future years, the mechanics of this will be easier,” said Godreau, at

SUNY Potsdam.

Lawmakers say they’ll keep looking for ways to make college more affordable and keep financial aid as simple as possible.

State Sen. Patricia A. Ritchie (RHeuvelton), in a statement, credited the Republican-led state Senate for improving upon Gov. Cuomo’s program by adding money for the Tuition Assistance Program, bringing that program to $1.1 billion and providing enough money to help an additional 25,000 students; adding the requirement to live and work in New York; and boosting financial aid for part-time community college students by $3.1 million.

“There is still a long way to go when it comes to making college more affordable for all and addressing the issue of exploding student debt,” Sen. Ritchie said. “Moving forward, I am committed to continuing to work with my colleagues toward those goals in an effort to provide the best educational opportunities pos-sible to New York’s students.”

DAYTONA NILES n NNY BUSINESS The first day of school at Jefferson Community College.

26 | NNY Business | September 2017

N N Y HI S TORY

Watertown Inventor Had Bright Idea

One hundred years ago, a Watertown company appeared poised to take advantage of a new state law that regulated the brightness of headlights on automobiles.

According to an Aug. 29, 1917, article in the Watertown Daily Times, the NoGlar-On Co. in the Herald Building on Park Place was negotiating with the Ford Automobile Co. of Detroit for a contract that would equip 1.5 million Ford cars with headlights that did not create a glare more than 100 feet from the automobile.

The requirement was in response to a state Legislature bill that was trying to regulate the brightness of head lamps that were causing problems for oncoming motorists. A 1917 edition of The Accessory and Garage Journal states that companies were tasked with creating “miniature suns” that would eliminate excessive glare.

The journal states that motorists affected by the glare “are unable to distinguish any objects on either side of the approaching” automobile and that, unless the motorist stops, “he practically takes his life in his hands if he proceeds.”

“Every operator will admit that there is untold inconvenience experienced in the approach of a blinding glare,” the journal reported. “If he is not familiar with the highway over which he is proceeding he runs the risk of a collision with a pole or the ditching of his car.”

Enter the No-Glar-On Co., owned

by Frank M. Williams, an inventor and chemistry professor at Clarkson College of Technology, Potsdam. Mr. Williams’s company had been one of several statewide that had demonstrated their

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Three Reasons You Should Enroll in the Leadership Institute 1. Leadership Development Skills Each month, attributes of inspiring leaders are discussed.

2. Civic Awareness & Engagement Several issues vital to St. Lawrence County are presented in a variety of formats to help participants understand the past, present and prepare for the future.

3. Networking Over 200 alumni since 1993.

Classes begin each September.

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Please see HISTORY, page 43

September 2017 | NNY Business

| 27

NON PR OFITS TODAY

Youth Philanthropy Strives to Drive Community Engagement

E

ducation at all levels is so much more than facts, figures and formulas. At various stages in our development as humans, employees and citizens, the educational system helps prepare us for the next chapter. While education focuses primarily on developing the mind, it is important to also educate the heart in a way that helps create well-rounded members of society. By doing so, we also help ensure more loving, supportive, compassionate and vibrant communities where we work, play and raise our families.

One of the most frequent topics I hear speculation about is how the next generation will (or won’t) engage in their communities. Will those who come after us recognize the important role they must play to ensure that we continue to have the things that neither government nor the private sector provide?

Several years ago, the Northern New York Community Foundation, in partnership with its donors and business leaders, developed a program to maximize the potential of young adults by creating a youth philanthropy program at the high school level. Youth philanthropy is, at the broadest level, youth giving of their time, talents and treasure, just as philanthropy itself is. However, to better understand the importance of the concept, youth philanthropy must be acknowledged as its own endeavor in the world of philanthropy, with separate components of grantmaking, volunteerism, and leadership development.

By providing a youth voice in its grantmaking, the Community Foundation not only helps those who will inherit our communities learn about philanthropy, the nonprofit sector, and issues affecting their communities, it also develops

personal and professional skills of the eventual decision makers.

We also learn more about how today’s youth think, reason and communicate, which are important things to know.

Rande Richardson We continually look for opportunities to leverage resources to best serve these youth, their advisers, parents and program leaders, and ultimately, our region’s future.

As the school year begins, the Community Foundation, in collaboration with the Stage Notes Foundation, is launching a Youth Giving Challenge, designed to engage students at an even younger age.

Middle school students attending grades seven or eight will compete for a portion of $10,000 to grant to nonprofit organizations of their choice. Students will be asked to, thoughtfully and with depth, explain in writing their definition of a “vibrant community.” They will then be asked to suggest a nonprofit organization that they feel can best help support their description as it relates to overall quality of life. The pilot project is open to Jefferson County schools, although eligible recipient organizations may be located in Jefferson, Lewis or St. Lawrence County.

With success and additional funding, it is hoped the program will be expanded in the future.

Beginning Oct. 2, applications will be available at schools, at the Community Foundation and online at www.nnycf.

org and must be returned or postmarked

by Oct. 31. Winners will be announced by Thanksgiving. During the holiday season, students will have the opportunity to visit their chosen nonprofit organization, present the grant, and learn more about the organization’s work, mission, opportunities and challenges.

We see this as a way to encourage civic engagement even earlier than we are now and help provide a program that can better prepare students for possible involvement with the Youth Philanthropy Program and local nonprofit organizations.

We hope this may become an opportunity for educators to blend these concepts into their classroom discussions. If you know of a seventh- or eighth-grader that could benefit from being empowered to make their community a better place, encourage them participate.

As has been the north country tradition, we must continue to build upon the partnerships of citizens, government, businesses and nonprofit organizations. Each serves an important role alone and each is enhanced when there are opportunities to work together. These are concepts that are best taught young, early and often.

By empowering our youth and introducing them to the work being done in our community, we provide fertile ground for more good things to happen and establish a mechanism whereby the investments of current and past generations can be protected, sustained and enhanced. This is one of the best ways we can honor those who have come before us who hoped that we would perpetuate their love of Northern New York. 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.

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AG RIBU S I NE S S

New Agricultural Videos Promote Farming Locally and Across New York State

W

ant to learn more about agriculture in Northern New York and across New York State? Two separate initiatives are providing online viewing that allows people to explore agriculture and meet those who grow our food. The New York Farm Bureau Foundation (NYFB) for Agricultural Education Inc. recently released three “Meet Your Farmer” videos on the popular website, YouTube, that are designed to introduce farm families to viewers. WPBS DTV recently released a new series of videos in their “Shortflix” programming. The video series is titled “Countryside with Jay Matteson” and is available on their YouTube channel “WPBS ShortFlix”. Both the NYFBF and WPBS Shortflix series are primarily

designed for online viewing and range in length from 2 to 10 minutes long.

The WPBS “Countryside” series is designed to tell the story Jay Matteson of rural living and our natural environment in northern New York. The first six episodes focus on agriculture. Countryside takes you to a maple syrup operation near Dexter NY where D. Tomm Maxon gives a tour of his beautiful operation. You learn how to tap a maple tree and then what hap-

pens to the sap once it enters the tubing. Countryside viewers will also visit the largest beekeeping operation in the northeast owned by Grant Stiles. You’ll follow the honey from the bee yard into the extracting house. Old McDonald’s Farm is featured in an episode of Countryside. You’ll meet both Nancy and Julia Robbins and hear the story of how the agricultural education destination started. Other episodes in the series visit Otter Creek Winery, Simmons Christmas Tree Farm and Miracles by the Acre Community Supported Agriculture.

To view these six episodes go online to YouTube and then search for WPBS Shortflix. WPBS is currently planning the next six episodes which will begin Please see AGRIBUSINESS, page 37

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September 2017 | NNY Business

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R EA L E STATE ROUNDUP

The Difference Between Appraisals & Assessments

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ast month I wrote about our meetings with our United States senators and congresswoman in midMay. Several days after returning, a number of area Realtors and other interested parties went to Albany to meet with our state representatives on May 23 about several state-specific issues of interest to area homeowners. This was part of the New York State Association of Realtors’ annual Lobby Day. Over 250 Realtors from around the state participated.

The Tri-County area was represented

by Linda and Pat Fields (Linda J. Fields Broker and Professional Institute for Real Estate Training), Lisa L’Huillier (Hefferon Real Estate), Karen Peebles (Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices CNY Realty), Chuck Ruggiero (Hefferon Real Estate), Cheryl Schroy (Key Bank), Vickie Staie (Staie on the Seaway Real Estate Services and Appraisals USA), and Jennifer Stevenson (Blue Heron Realty) along with me. During the day, we met with Senators Joe Griffo (47th District), Betty Little (45th District) and Patty Ritchie (48th District). In addition, we had meetings with members of the Assembly Will Barclay (120th District), Ken Blankenbush (117th District), Marc Butler (118th District) and Addie Jenne (116th District). We informed them about the current housing market and our stances on several issues.

We began by talking about the NY First Home Program. This is a first-time home buyer savings account program introduced by Senator Little and Assemblyman Phil Ramos (6th District). If passed into law, it would create a new tax-free savings account modeled after the State’s 529 College Savings Program. NY First Home would help New Yorkers achieve the

30 | NNY Business | September 2017

dream of homeownership by creating a dedicated savings account to be used exclusively to cover costs associated with the purchase of a first home in New York state, whether that is Lance Evans a single family residence, condo, cooperative apartment or townhome.

Using this program, New Yorkers could cover costs associated with the purchase of a first home using this dedicated savings account to deposit up to $5,000 ($10,000 for couples) of after-tax dollars annually, receive a state income tax deduction on the principal investment and grow savings tax-free, and then apply the savings and interest towards the purchase of a first home in New York state.

The largest inhibitors for hopeful firsttime home buyers in New York state are the initial up-front closing costs and high down-payment requirements. Enactment of NY First Home would provide New Yorkers with a practical savings mechanism to make buying a first home more affordable in New York state. This incentive would also have a positive effect on retaining young people in the state and provide a boost to local and state economies.

A Sienna Research Institute poll in December 2016 found that 84 percent of New Yorkers supported NY First Home and 80 percent agreed that the governor and Legislature should make assisting

New Yorkers in saving for a first home a priority.

This bill passed the Senate during the 2016 session and is working its way through both houses in 2017.

Our second issue concerned reinstating the STAR Exemption Program and sunset the School Tax Relief credit program that was written into law last year. Although both called “STAR,” the two programs work differently. The previous version provided immediate or “upfront” reductions in school taxes for homeowners.

The change in 2016 to the STAR credit program led to confusion with new home buyers unsure of whether or not they would see the upfront savings as an exemption or be mailed a check under the credit program. In the worst instances, many homeowners received STAR credit checks later than when their school taxes were due, making it difficult to pay the full school tax bill. It is also still unclear from the Department of Tax and Finance whether or not future STAR credit checks will be taxed as income. This legislation would return the STAR program to a predictable upfront tax benefit to New York’s homeowners.

The legislation has passed the Assembly and is working its way through the Senate.

Realtors will continue to watch these issues and advocate for current and future New York property owners with our federal, state, and local officials. n LANCE M. EVANS is the executive officer of the Jefferson-Lewis Board of Realtors and the St. Lawrence County Board of Realtors.

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

RE AL E STAT E / T O P T RAN SAC T I O NS The following property sales were recorded in the Jefferson County Clerk’s Office in the month of July:

The following property sales were recorded in the St. Lawrence County Clerk’s Office in the month of May:

$800,000: July 7, Town of Hounsfield: 29 acres, Horse Island, Linda Martin Thompson, Watertown, Diane Martin Cozad, Brockport, Constance Marie Martin, Henderson Harbor, Doris Dana Martin, Henderson Harbor, and Carl B. Martin Jr., Henderson Harbor, sold to Civil War Preservation Trust, Washington, D.C.

$232,500: May 10, Town of Madrid: 5 acres, more or less, Mile Square 14, bounded by Hardscrabble Road, Gerald J. Mcdonald, Madrid, sold to Craig P. and Carol A. Wright, Madrid.

$740,000: July6, Town of Alexandria: 0.191 acres, County Road 100, Wellesley Island, Robert Sharlow, Wellesley Island, sold to Alfred Kriger and Wilda Kriger, Scranton, Pa.

$185,000: May 3, Town of Gouverneur: Parcel 1) 100 acres more or less, Parcel 2) 31.12 acres more or less, Parcel 3) 13.50 acres more or less, Parcel 4) 13.46 acres

more or less, Parcel 5) 115.50 acres more or less, bounded by Gouverneur Road, Frederick A. Best Jr. and Suzanne E. Best (trustees), Dorothy B. Best Revocable Trust, Gouverneur, sold to Levi A. and Lavina G. Weaver, Richville. $183,000: May 11, Town of Macomb: Parcel 1) 120.40 acres more or less, Parcel 2) 2.88 acres more or less, bounded by Hutton Road and Black Lake Road, Dale C. Hutton, Hammond, sold to Darin M. Bresett, Gouverneur.

$570,000: July 28, Town of Clayton: 2.3 acres, Little Round Island, Frederick S. Padykula and Patricia A. Padykula, Endicott, sold to Anthony P. Mollica and Elizabeth A. Mollica, Glenn Allen, Va. $450,000: July 6, Village of Sackets Harbor: 0.76 acres, General Smith Drive, Robert G. Horr III, as executor of Dorothy P. Horr estate, Sackets Harbor, sold to Lawrence C. Barone and Constance B. Barone, Sackets Harbor. $396,926: Town of Ellisburg: 0.41 acres, 8263 Littlefield Place, Mark P. Ceretto, Bridgeport, as the administrator of the Francis P. Ippolito estate, Woodville, Thomas Tucci, Syracuse, as the executor of the Anna Marie Ippolito estate, and John D. DiPaola, Camillus, as trustee of The Angela M. Pelosi Irrevocable Trust, sold to Randall Murray and Mary Ann Murray, Henderson. $286,500: July 24, Town of Wilna: 32.61 acres, County Route 42 (West Street Road), Michael A. Ferari and Joann Ferari, Carthage, sold to Stephen Tucker, Carthage. $285,000: July 14, Town of Theresa: 0.89 acres, state Route 37, Keith A. Brown and Diane K. Brown, Theresa, sold to Christopher Rodgers, Fort Drum. $280,000: July 6, Village of Dexter: 1.39 acres, Grant Street, Michael S. Farmer and Lisa Walts Farmer, Nazareth, Pa., sold to Larry L. Reinhardt and Christina M. Reinhardt, Watertown. $275,000: July 14, Town of LeRay: 3.21 acres, LaFave Road, Mori S. Speakman and Joel L. Speakman, Watertown, sold to Matthew L. Hayden and Elizabeth B. Cook, Carthage. $267,978: July 14, Town of LeRay: 1.49 acres, bank of Black River, Christina Stone, Watertown, as referee for Richard L. Williams and Carol A. Dunn, sold to Northern Federal Credit Union, Watertown.

September 2017 | NNY Business

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20 QU E STIONS

PHOTOS BY AMANDA MORRISON

A NEW PRESIDENT, A NEW PLAN

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efferson Community College is in good hands as new president Ty Stone begins her journey into her first academic year in the north country. NNY Business sat down

with Stone to discuss her plans for students, her journey through gaining her education as a ‘nontraditional’ student herself, and how she plans to better integrate the college into the Northern New York community and beyond.

NNYB: What was your first impression of Jefferson Community College?

STONE: My first impression was that this college matters to a lot of people. When I came here in March for my first interview, I came early. And I came early with the goal of trying to prepare for the interview, but somehow I ended up going out into the community. I’d like to say that was strategy, strategic in some way, but it wasn’t. It’s just who I am. I went to the mall, I went to (Public) Square and I went to Maggie’s (restaurant). Those are the three places that I went. And in all three of those places, people who I encountered, I asked what they thought about the school. And every one of them had a positive story to tell me. And so I said, “This is some place that I want to be.

NNYB: What aspects of the college attracted you to the position of president?

STONE: The position was available, first of all. So that was one thing. Secondly, seeing a 32 | NNY Business | September 2017

n Ty Stone sees Jefferson Community College as integral part of Northern New York development. college that had done as well as we have done from a student completion rate. If you look at the numbers that Jefferson has done and then look across the country, what you’ll find is our numbers are really, really good. Really, really good. We’re doing a good job with not only getting students into school, but getting them through school, which is a big deal. The other thing is looking at what the faculty is doing, because even knowing that we have done this well with our numbers, they’re still not satisfied with that. That is the kind of organization that I want to be a part of, and I want to help to lead, and bring some of the experience that I have.

I come from a really large institution in Ohio, a very innovative institution, and I want to bring some of that experience here and hopefully make an even bigger difference for the students that we serve.

to get to know us and get to know the community.” So that’s what I’ve spent my time doing.

NNYB: When you began at JCC, where there any urgent issues that needed to be addressed?

STONE: Well, that’s one of them. I’ve been all around this community, talked to a number of people and that’s what I’m hearing. Workforce development is the thing they’re looking to us to do more of and to do better. We have a strong reputation in terms of getting people degrees, particularly in our nursing programs, and some of our engineering programs and our transfer programs; we’re doing really well there. We probably need to do just a little bit better on the

STONE: No. The previous president, Carol McCoy, left this place very well off. She has managed and overseen tremendous growth and also really good financial sustainability. So there was nothing I had to do from an urgent perspective. Even in talking to my board when I was hired, I asked them, “What do you want me to do?” and all of them said, “We want you

NNYB: What do community colleges do well?

STONE: I think there are a lot of things we do well. I think we serve our students well. I think we serve our communities well and our employers well. I think there are some opportunities for us to do that a little bit better, and that may be in looking at the way we go about training students. It’s not always about a degree, necessarily. Sometimes it’s about a short-term training opportunity that gets students ready to meet their immediate needs, which is sometimes to just get a job. I think we do that pretty well, but I think we can do it a little bit better.

NNYB: In what areas would you like to see improvement?

2 0 Q U E S T I O NS The Ty Stone File AGE: 51 JOB: President, Jefferson Community College FAMILY: I have two living children and a husband. Lauren is 20 years old and a junior majoring in Biomedical Engineering at Alabama State University, Nelson, III is a senior studying music at an arts high school in Dayton, Ohio and my husband, Nelson, Jr. is a Principal at Dayton Boys Prep Academy in Dayton, Ohio. I have been married for 20 years. My oldest son, Steven, was struck and killed by a motorist high on heroin ten years ago. He would have been 29 years old. I am proud to say that Steven was a registered organ donor and his contribution led to two people having sight and numerous others having a better chance of life because of his gift.

HOMETOWN: Dayton, Ohio

short-term certificate training opportunities for the workforce.

NNYB: You have acknowledged that you were a nontraditional student. What motivated you to continue to pursue higher education?

STONE: I am a nontraditional student and I was a nontraditional candidate. I think because of that I know what the majority of our students are dealing with. I think that’s the strength I bring to this position and what I want to push our community at large to see, as we support the students that we serve. Because I think that we will see more and more nontraditional students, particularly as the workforce continues to change and the economy continues to evolve.

I think we have to think about that and keep in mind those things that we don’t think are barriers. Or even to uncover things we don’t think are barriers. I’ll give you an example: Something as simple as a $20 application fee may be a barrier to a student. Or having classes only offered at certain times of day may be a barrier to some of our other students. So we have to think differently about those students we serve; we don’t have all traditional students here. As a matter of fact, we have a large concentration of students that are not traditional, right now.

NNYB: JCC enrolls a fair number of nontraditional students, as you just said. Does your background give you insight into the challenges these students may face?

STONE: Yes. I’ve seen it all. I was a mother. I was a wife. I had a job. I had dogs. I had stuff I had to do and I wanted to pursue my degree, too. And so what you find is, again, some of those things that we think we’re doing to support our students really become barriers and so we have to balance that out. I understand the importance of doing certain things to set

students on a path to be successful. Much of those things make sense, but we also have to think about it from the perspective of students.

What we don’t want to do is cause undue hardship for them, in terms of time commitments or questionable schedules, that kind of stuff, so that they can get finished when they expect to get finished.

NNYB: Do you have a message you can share with these students?

STONE: I think the first message is: Don’t quit. I stumbled so much through this process.

Twenty years, five different colleges. I was not successful until the end. I always felt that I wanted to do it. There’s a quote that says, “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” So for all these years, it felt like it was impossible and it felt like I was trying to push a boulder up a hill, until I finally got there. And when I got there, it felt good and I think you have to have a greater purpose as to why you’re doing it. Certainly for you, but for me it was for my children, it was to break a cycle I had had in my life. I was a nontraditional student, but I was also a firstgeneration student, so I wanted to break the cycle for my children. I wanted to do great work and I knew that I needed the degree to do that.

NNYB: JCC has grown considerably in the past decade. Is growth vital to a community college?

STONE: Absolutely. Growth and sustainability, both. I don’t want to grow for the sake of growing. Again, I think we have to do our due diligence on making sure the students get finished. It’s not only getting them here, but what we are we doing to keep them here until they’re finished, and then turning them out into the workforce as qualified, working citizens.

NNYB: Are there any big changes slated for

EDUCATION: Bachelor of science in business administration, master of science in business administration with a concentration in organizational strategy, and a doctorate in organization and management CAREER: Vice president, strategic initiatives at Sinclair Community College; vice president, business operations at Sinclair Community College; director, business services, Sinclair Community College; chief financial officer, YWCA Dayton; assistant professor, Central State University. Early career: business owner, air traffic controller US Air Force.

LAST BOOK YOU’VE READ AND WOULD RECOMMEND: The Alchemist is a favorite that I go back to from time to time. That book taught me that when you want something and you have the vision and willingness to keep moving forward, the universe will respond. Even in times when you are taken off your path, or when things are unclear, keep faith, focus, and fortitude, and you will get where you want to be.

JCC under your presidency, or is too soon to tell?

STONE: It is too soon to tell. I have met with a number of community leaders; I’ve met with a few staff, but my faculty and students haven’t come back to the campus yet. I’ve had a small group of students that I’ve met with this summer, but they were the summer students and so it wasn’t a large representation of our student population. Again, what I’m hearing, though, in these preliminary conversations is that we have done a great job and we could do a little bit more for the workforce side of the house, for getting jobs, for getting people trained for jobs.

So that’s where my focus is in the upcoming months.

NNYB: You are a veteran of the United States Air Force. Does having served in the military give you a better appreciation for, or unSeptember 2017 | NNY Business

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20 QU E STIONS derstanding of, Fort Drum soldiers who further their education at JCC? STONE: Yes, I think so. When I got out of the military – and I’ve gone to Fort Drum and I’ve told them – the work that we are able to do with them, I didn’t have. When I got out of the military, it was like I was dropped out of the sky.

What you take for granted as a military member is: you get a paycheck and all of your needs are met – your housing, your food – so when you get out, that transitional period, if you don’t understand how much all that costs, and what it is, and how to get a job, and how to take what

you’ve done and translate those skills into something else, it’s a difficult process. I didn’t have that. And so just by virtue of this college being here, the strong relationship we have with the school and the work that Fort Drum is doing to help successfully transition soldiers, I think they have a great benefit that I didn’t have. Yes, for sure, I understand what it’s like to do a few years in the military and get out and “go on the economy,” as they call it, get a civilian job.

NNYB: Why is the relationship JCC has with the military so important and where do you see it going in the future?

STONE: I am so pleased with this program we have here at JCC; it is the “Energy Boot Camp.”

The Energy Boot Camp takes – I think this last cohort was ten soldiers who are transitioning out of the military through this boot camp, and teaches them how to work for an energy company. At the end of that, I think half of those individuals were hired. So that’s a huge step. Before you even transition out of the military, you have a job, where you’re making good money. We also have some relationships across the country, so those students, those soldiers who don’t want to stay here, they have the option of working with some of our other partner organizations to get a job. That’s one thing. I see us doing more of that kind of work, helping soldiers transition as well as getting the soldiers trained and educated. I had a long conversation with (Fort Drum Commander Maj. Gen. Walter E. Piatt) and he is all about education for the soldiers, because if you have an educated workforce, there’s a whole lot more you can do than if you don’t. We’ve been working together to try to make sure that our relationship is seamless so that we can get those soldiers trained. So, “Ready today, relevant tomorrow,” or something along those lines. We want to help partner with him so that soldiers are set for their future.

NNYB: You hold a master’s degree in business administration. Do you approach problem-solving as a business person or as an academic?

STONE: I say both. And that is something that I’ve worked on. I’m hard-wired for business and so many problems in previous years were all about the bottom line. Now, not so much. I’ve had to tap into that student perspective. Many times, we have to make sure that the decisions we have to make are not hurting our students, that we’re not creating any barriers. And so, it’s not always a cut-and-dried business decision. However, my mantra is “No money, no mission.” So we’ve got to make sure that what we’re doing works, is financially feasible, and sustainable so we can continue to do the good work that we do in educating as many students as we can.

NNYB: Your management style has been described as being driven by a “students first” focus. Can you explain what that means?

STONE: Absolutely. Here’s what I believe: If we all approach the decisions that we make and the work that we do, while understanding that our students are first I think we eliminate a lot of the problems that we have if we allow egos to get in the way, and silos to get in the way, and building our own little ivory towers to get in the way. My approach with everything, when we sit down to make any decision about what we are doing here on this campus, is to ask, “How does it affect the students? Is it going to impact

34 | NNY Business | September 2017

2 0 Q U E S T I O NS the students positively? Are they going to have a greater experience, greater success, some sort of greater outcome?” If not, we really need to think about it, regroup, reset and come back and recognize that we need to keep the main thing the main thing, and that main thing here is our students.

NNYB: It’s still early in your tenure, but do you have a long-term vision for JCC? STONE: I want us to continue to be what I think, what I say, is the best institution in New York, period. I want us to educate many more students and turn this economy around. I keep hearing that industry has left and lots of people have left because they don’t see jobs in this area.

I think we are a big piece of that puzzle and if we can figure out how to get more students educated, I think the businesses will come and the economy will turn around. Long-term, that’s what I would like to see for JCC and for this community overall.

NNYB: New York state is now offering tuitionfree education at state colleges, including JCC. Has this had any noticeable impact on enrollment?

STONE: It’s still too early to tell. Our enrollment is trending at right around flat for us this year, which is good. Across the country, many institutions are seeing lower enrollment numbers, so us trending flat is a good thing. That may be one of the reasons why, the Excelsior scholarship. That may be one of the reasons, I’m not sure, but we’ll see. I’m excited about the opportunity of providing free tuition to students, though, and I hope we can continue that in the future.

of the animals and all that stuff; I didn’t see them up close and personal like I do here.

So last night, I’m riding my bike and I went through this field and there were two deer that came out, and they looked at me like, “What is that?” But, I enjoy that. I enjoy the water; the water is beautiful. Everywhere I go in this community, I feel like, “Wow.” Like you just take a breath and, “Oh, my gosh.” That’s how I feel here. I’ve gone to Cape Vincent. I drove there and when I drove into the town, and you see all that water, it was just spectacular. Clayton, gorgeous; just beautiful areas. So that’s one of the things I enjoy. I also just adopted a cat from the SPCA. His name is Reggie and he has taken up quite a bit of my time as well. He’s pretty demanding for attention. So that’s another thing I like to do with my time off, is go home and see Reggie.

NNYB: If you had the chance to do something in the north country that you haven’t had a chance to do, what would you like to do? What is something you’re intrigued by?

STONE: I want to do four-wheeling and downhill skiing. But I want to go fast on a fourwheeler . I went out on one, but she was driving really slow. I want to go fast. Just to experience some of the different things around here that I haven’t been able to. I’ve been out on a paddle

boat once. I’d like to do more of that.

NNYB: What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given and who offered it?

STONE: The best piece of advice I’ve ever been given is be yourself, and that was given to me by my mother. It’s kind of like: This is what it is; this is what you’ve got; hopefully it works.

And it has.

NNYB: Is there one piece of advice you consistently offer to students?

STONE: Yes. “Don’t suffer in silence.” I think it’s important that students understand everybody feels like they don’t want to go ask the question because they don’t want people to think they’re stupid. If everyone’s thinking that, nobody’s asking the question. So go ask the question, go tell someone what you need. More than likely, you’ve got a hundred other people experiencing that same issue and don’t want to ask. But don’t suffer in silence, because what I’ve found is that, when you do, you lose an opportunity to – one do what you need to do, but –two to help others, because you’ll find other people are having those same issues. ~Interview by Holly Boname. Edited for length and clarity to fit this space.

NNYB: What are some interests you have outside of work?

STONE: I’ve had a really great time exploring in this community. Last night, I went bike riding and I’m like, “I am such a kid up here.” Because

September 2017 | NNY Business

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COM M E R CE CORNER

Get People in Your Businesses, and On Your Main Streets

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anton and Potsdam are two college towns that are welcoming back students right now, and doing their part to introduce local businesses to new and returning students and families. Although these specific events cater to college students, the concept could be applied to the general population or niche markets within your local resident population.

Both communities plan their events in their downtown core, within the first week or two of students returning to campus. The sooner they know what is available, the sooner they will solicit local businesses and feel welcome off campus. The events are coordinated by the local chambers, colleges and merchants. Merchants have the opportunity to advertise a sale or an experience, for free through the event promotion. For example, at the St. Lawrence County

Chamber, we invite students to come in and write a postcard home! We cover the postage, and the postcard has our website on it – bonus! This generation often comments that Brooke Rouse they have never written a postcard – it’s unique, it’s fun, it’s memorable – it gets them in our Visitor Center.

Others have discounts or activities that relate to their business. A ‘passport’ is provided to the students. They can get a stamp or a sticker at each place they visit, and then enter their booklet for a chance to win great prizes. It’s all positive, for everyone.

Live music and entertainment on the

village center or on a blocked off pedestrian area have also been incorporated.

A street fair, sidewalk sales and free parking are all attractive features.

For any community, this type of program can be customized to your people, merchants and whatever ‘downtown area’ you want to bring people to. The goal is to build awareness and create a positive relationship between merchants and the public. A variety of activities and marketing techniques can be used, keeping those goals in mind.

It may not be a large revenue generating event for the organizer or even the merchant, but the hope is that whoever comes in that day/night will return and will spread good word-of-mouth, which has tremendous value.

First Saturday is a common name for these events. Some communities across the country do them every month, others seasonally, or annually. Some have specific themes, such as food or beverage tasting, or art or garden touring. If your community feels an evacuation of people for a season, the first Saturday concept is a nice way to ‘welcome them back’ and remind them of what is available locally, and highlight anything new in the community. n BROOKE ROUSE is executive director of the St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Promotion Agent. She is a business owner, holds a master’s degree in tourism and is a former SUNY Canton Small Business Development Center Advisor. Contact her at brouse@ stlawrencecountychamber.org or 315-386-4000.

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AGRIBUSINESS, from page 29 to look at our natural environment in northern New York. “Countryside with Jay Matteson” is a production of WPBS DTV. The initial six episodes of Countryside were supported by a grant to WPBS from Afgritech, manufacturer of AminoMax Pro feed supplements. More information about Afgritech is available at www.aminomax.com. You can learn more about WPBS DTV by going to their website, www.wpbstv.org.

The NYFB Foundation recently released their first three meet your farmer videos. I interviewed Sandra Prokop, who works for the Foundation, recently on my radio show, The Home Grown Show on AM 790 WTNY AM. Sandra indicated that the NYFB Foundation wanted to begin introducing farmers around NY to the public and felt that creating an online video presence was the best way. Each video is short at approximately 2 minutes in length. The three videos introduce CY Farms of Elba NY, Orbakers Fruit Farm Inc. of Williamson NY, and McCormick Farms Inc., of Bliss NY. The video footage features interviews with farm owners and then gives you a look around the operation.

Sandra indicates that the NYFB Foundation has plans to create many more of these videos and will include northern New York Farmers in the series. To view the “Meet Your Farmer” series, go online to YouTube and then search for NYFB Foundation for Agricultural Education Inc.. The videos are easily found in the list of productions from the Foundation.

To learn more about New York Farm Bureau Foundation, visit www.nyfbfoundation.org.

It is exciting to see more opportunities for the online public to learn about agriculture. Using YouTube to reach out to the public with agriculture’s message makes sense. YouTube is the second – most popular website in the world according to Alexa Internet with one billion hours of content watched, every day.

Both the NYFB Foundation and WPBS Countryside series are tapping into this international and local audience. n JAY M. MATTESON is agricultural coordinator for the Jefferson County Local Development Corp. Contact him at coordinator@comefarmwithus.com. His column appears monthly in NNY Business.

COMPASSIONATE PERSONALIZED QUALITY CARE FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY Hospice of Jefferson County delivers compassionate, personalized, high-quality care. Hospice is committed to comfort, privacy, dignity and control.

SERVICES AVAILABLE IN YOUR HOME OR AT THE HOSPICE RESIDENCE

September 2017 | NNY Business

| 37

Harbor Hotel Is Now Hiring Join Our Exceptional Team Today!!!

• Guest Service Clerk • Concierge • Bell Person • Room Attendants • Laundry Attendants

Community Health Center of the North Country (CHCNC) has an opening for a Chief Operating Officer for their Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) currently located in Canton, Gouverneur, and Malone, New York. The Chief Operating Officer (COO) is a member of the Leadership Team who works closely with the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the Chief Financial Officer (CFO), and the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) to provide superior leadership that supports and enhances the services made available to the patients and staff of CHCNC.

CHRISTOPHER LENNEY n NNY BUSINESS Peter Martins displays a handful of strawberries at Martin Farm on Needam Road in Potsdam.

The COO is responsible for providing comprehensive operational management that follows and complies with all government/non-government regulatory standards and mandates by implementing strategies to keep CHCNC staff at all locations informed and aware of new regulations and changes.

• Servers (am/pm shifts) • Host/Hostess • Bussers (Food Server Assistants) • Cooks

Previous Hotel & Restaurant Experience Preferred Apply anytime online at www.1000islandsharborhotel.com

1000 Islands Harbor Hotel 200 Riverside Drive • Clayton, NY 13624 (315) 686-1100

38 | NNY Business | September 2017

Preferred Qualities: The COO will have a BA/BS in health care management, business, or related health care field; a Masters’ degree is preferred. He/she must have seven + years management experience in increasingly responsible management positions, experience managing complex projects that are strategic in nature and scope, knowledge of health care environment and industry standards, and thorough understanding of CHCs and clinic delivery systems.

The COO should demonstrate strong organizational skills, the ability to prioritize and handle multiple demands, the ability to develop, lead and facilitate staff to achieve the goals of the organization, and the ability to solve problems effectively. Training experience is preferred. He/she must have an understanding of financial budgets and facilitate spending within financial constraints.

Please send cover letter and resume with references and salary requirements to kate@cpnorthcountry.org or apply online at www.chcnorthcountry.org

Would you like to share your passion??

This is the perfect opportunity!!

BOCES has openings for the following positions:

A part-time position at our Tech Centers and local hospitals. Must possess NYS RN License and complete 3 workshops. $35/Hour Teachers who possess NYSED Certification the areas of Students with Disabilities, or Special Education are needed at our Jefferson and Lewis County locations.*

An itinerant assignment serving the school districts in Jefferson & Lewis Counties. Must possess NYSED Certification: Speech and Hearing Handicapped or Speech & Hearing Disabled.* An itinerant assignment serving the school districts in Jefferson & Lewis Counties. Must possess NYSED Certification: Teacher of Deaf & Hearing Impaired or Teacher of the Deaf & Hard of Hearing.* Would you like a schedule that allows you to work when you want to? Apply to be a substitute today! The District is always looking for substitute teachers, teacher aide/assistants, cleaners, and bus drivers.

Visit www.boces.com and go to Employment for complete responsibilities & requirements.

To apply send resume to hr@boces.com *Salary starting at $45,330 to commensurate with experience.

September 2017 | NNY Business | 39

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES Laboratory Manager Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center currently has an opening for a fulltime Lab Manager to join our team. The Laboratory Manager is responsible for planning, organizing, and managing activities within the Laboratory. Interviews, directs, observes, supervises and evaluates personnel assigned to the Laboratory. Assists in the selection and orientation of new personnel and responsible for continuing education and staff development. Responsible for scheduling and daily assignment of personnel. Serves on committees and teams as assigned and attends meetings as required. Promotes the philosophy, mission and vision of the hospital. Demonstrates the ability to accept and implement change. These elements are not all inclusive.

Qualifications: • Bachelors Degree in Medical Technology, Biology, Chemistry, Microbiology or MT(ASCP) registered/eligible • 6 Years Experience in a Clinical Laboratory, 2 of which must be under doctoral supervision • Previous Management experience preferred Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center offers an attractive benefit package and competitive compensation. Please apply online at https://www.claxtonhepburn.org/careers

Campus Support Services Purchasing Manager

Now is great time to join St. Lawrence University in Canton, NY. The department of Campus Support Services is seeking a Purchasing Manager. This position reports the Director of Purchasing and is responsible for identifying an implementing strategic sourcing opportunities and inventory management, oversight and administration of the University purchasing card program, supporting University wide purchasing initiatives, and plays an active role in the institution’s contract review process using judgment and discretion and contributing to making decisions. Also, provides direct supervision of warehouse staff members.

To view the complete job description, including minimum qualifications required, as well as application instructions please visit: https://employment.stlawu.edu/.

All offers of employment are contingent upon the finalist successfully passing a background (including criminal records) check.

For additional information about St. Lawrence, please visit SLU’s homepage at http://www.stlawu.edu/. St. Lawrence University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity employer.

Protect Your Investment H.D. Goodale Co. INSURANCE

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(315) 788-4581

goodale@northnet.org

“Celebrating 67 Years” Deer River 315-493-2391

Croghan 315-346-6378

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“We are not like a good neighbor, we are your good neighbor.”

To advertise on this page call

315-661-2310 40 | NNY Business | September 2017

SMAL L BU SIN E SS SU C C E S S

I

Identifying and Adapting to Our Community’s Needs

’m back! Actually, I was never gone, but due to “technical difficulties,” my columns in the May issue, “Business on the H20 Highway” and the July issue, “Things Will Be Great When You’re Downtown,” were inadvertently credited to my SBDC colleague and pal from Canton, Jennifer McCluskey. (Just letting all my fans know!)

The Small Business Development Center has offices in every state in the union as well as in the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The 900-plus service centers provide guidance to a variety of industries, but the one thing we hold in common is our purpose, “to enhance economic development by providing small businesses with management and technical assistance.” To ensure quality control, each state center must pass a rigorous certification process every five years. As part of that process, we in New York state rework our strategic plan continually, identifying and adapting to our community’s changing needs and adopting new tools as needed to provide the best service available. Some of these tools in recent years have included the digital world, social media marketing and cybersecurity for ourselves and for our clients.

Each New York regional center has to report every six months on how we are specifically carrying out our tasks, including marketing to the community, taking part in ongoing professional development, incorporating emerging technologies and working with sponsors, college hosts, partners and alliances like bankers, economic development agencies, local governments and chambers of commerce. Furthermore, each center has specific project areas. At

our center, those include providing services to the veteran community, enhancing opportunities for local businesses to participate in government contracting and providing supSarah O’Connell port to young entrepreneurs.

So an important part of our outreach includes local career-related educational programs. We promote entrepreneurship and self-employment as a career option just like any other, with an emphasis on keeping young people in the area by showing them the potential to earn a living here.

We attend many Career Day programs at high schools. We participate in two major programs, Career Jam, which brings nearly 2000 eighth- and ninth-graders from around the north country to participate in hands-on career exploration activities and Workforce 2020, which introduces high school students to local agencies and businesses that might be hiring. We give presentations to cosmetology classes at BOCES and speak to a variety of business-related classes at Jefferson Community College.

We also participate in the annual Business Symposium (formerly E-Day) at JCC. So it’s been with great interest that we recently received a study that the Association of Small Business Development Centers (ASBDC) conducted about generational attitudes toward entrepreneurship.

It’s available here: http://americassbdc.org/ sbdcgenstudy/ and covers Baby Boomers,

Gen X and Millennials. Fascinating reading!

Millennials, born in the 80’s and 90’s, so between the ages of 16 and 36, are the young entrepreneurs that we focus on with our special project area. To quote a few of the most interesting results of the study: • 61 percent of Millennials say that there is more job security in owning your own business than in working for somebody else.

• 38 percent have been a part of a new start-up company when it first began.

• 62 percent have a dream business in mind that they would love to start, • and close to half (49 percent) intend to start their own business in the next three years.

So – if you are a Millennial or the parent of one who is entrepreneurial – send them our way, we’d love to be a part of that.

P.S. For our local small businesses who have been impacted by direct damage from the high levels of water this year resulting in physical or economic losses, please contact us for information on the Lake Ontario Recovery Fund which offers grants to eligible entities.

The New York Small Business Development Center at JCC offers free, individual, confidential counseling to new or existing business owners in Jefferson and Lewis counties. For more information, contact 315-782-9262, sbdc@sunyjefferson.edu. St. Lawrence County residents can contact their SBDC at SUNY Canton, 315-386-7312, sbdc@canton.edu. n SARAH O’CONNELL is a certified business advisor with the New York State Small Business Development Center at JCC. She is a former small business owner and lifelong NNY resident.

Contact her at soconnell@sunyjefferson.edu.

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September 2017 | NNY Business

| 41

NN Y BUSINES S FEATURE

Township 7 Brewing Co. Marks First Anniversary

N

ow one year into its operations, Township 7 Brewing Co. recently celebrated its success with some live music, hot eats and a car show at its 303 Route 11B location.

Owner and head brewer Nathan

42 | NNY Business | September 2017

Drake said the brewery opened on Labor Day in 2016 after years of planning on his part. Drake graduated from SUNY Plattsburgh with a degree in food and nutrition, but opted not to pursue a traditional position in the field afterward.

“I decided I did not want to work in

a hospital or nursing home doing tube feedings or something like that,” Drake said. “I had been brewing since I was 18, so I have been brewing for almost 24 years and so I just started putting pen to paper on a business plan and six years later, here we are.”

Township 7 offers five flagship beers -- Two Bottom, Spanish Haze, Raspberry Haze, Deerfly IPA and Backwoods Brown -- and also crafts seasonal brews and a homemade sugar-free ginger ale.

Live music and various food trucks or barbecues add flavor to the brewery on occasion, and Drake said the business has enjoyed success.

“It has really surprised me. The reception from the community has been incredible. We are bringing people in from Potsdam, Malone, Massena, Plattsburgh, Vermont, New Hampshire,” he said.

“We are getting people from pretty much everywhere.”

While the brewery is surrounded only by trees and sits away from any nearby community, Drake said the location still draws a dedicated following.

“We definitely have regulars that come in, some every day, just to grab a beer.

Some of them come in two or three times a week. We have a normal crowd and then some other people we see once or twice a month,” he explained.

On Sept. 2, the business held festivities to help celebrate the one-year mark for the establishment.

Drake planned a car show at the brewery with anyone able to bring their automobiles and have them judged by the public.

Rosie’s Hawg Dogs served hot dogs and live music entertainment began after the completion of the car show and other activities.

For more information on Township 7 Brewing Co. and its beer and events, visit www.township7brewing.com or find the brewery on Facebook at http:// wdt.me/KL6B5J.

N N Y BU SIN E SS H I S T O RY HISTORY, from page 27 headlights at an event in a stadium at Syracuse University to prove the lights complied with the new state law.

Now, manufacturing 3 million pieces of any product seems to be a daunting task, but Mr. Williams indicated to the Watertown Times that his company was prepared to compete for the Ford contract, which would mean an “enormous” amount of business for the company in the coming year.

Mr. Williams said that his Herald Building business was “turning out a large number of the bulbs daily and the orders continually being received constituted a heavy demand.” He said the new state law enforcing glare regulations “was already having a noticeable effect upon the business of his company.”

Unfortunately, it appears there was no follow-up with Mr. Williams regarding the pending Ford contract, although it seems likely that if the Watertown had garnered the contract for 1.5 million sets of lights, it would have been a noteworthy achievement for a local business. The company was successful in 1917 in obtaining a “large” contract to provide lights to the New York City Fire Department.

The company did make the news in early 1918 after a gentleman named Count Robert de Clairmont entered into negotiations with No-Glar-On to become the “foreign agency” for the lights invented by Mr. Williams.

According to a March 21, 1918, story in the Watertown Times, the count and several of his associates were provided with samples of the lights to provide to King Alfonso XIII of Spain. Mr. Williams, however, had insisted on having “the financial rating of the count and some references,” items that were not forthcoming. Mr. Williams called off the deal.

That proved to be for the best, as Count Clairmont and three of his associates were arrested a short time later, charged as being “master spies in the employ of the German government.” The Watertown Times reported the U.S. Department of Justice seized

“a number of code letters” exchanged among the associates, although further investigation revealed the letters to be merely “love notes.”

“This exploded the suspicion that they were spies, but they will be deported on the ground of being undesirable citizens,” the Times reported.

Mr. Williams’s company later became known as Williams Apparatus, selling precision laboratory equipment in 45 countries. He continued as presi-

dent of the company until his death in 1946 at the age of 72. Upon his death, his son, Dexter B. Williams, took over as president of the company for the next 42 years. In 1949, he purchased the three-story Herald Building, which today houses Westelcom.

The younger Mr. Williams retired in 1988 and died in 1990 at age 86. Williams Apparatus was sold to Lewis & Clinch Inc., Watertown, a rebuilder of paper machines, in 1994.

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September 2017 | NNY Business

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COMMUNITY / BUSINESS CALENDAR

ALEXANDRIA BAY SATURDAY, SEPT 16 3rd Annual Alexandria Bay Wine Festival and Farmers Market, View Park Pavilion, Fuller St. This event features local farms, businesses, and wineries. Information: Alexandria Bay Chamber of Commerce (315) 482-9531. Cost: $10.

CLAYTON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 20th Annual Vintage & Classic Street Meet, Clayton. The 20th Annual Vintage & Classic Street Meet features a wide array of vehicles from classic to modern. Enjoy downtown Clayton along the St. Lawrence river. Cost: Free. Information: www.1000islands-clayton.com THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 Taste of the Town, 5 to 9 p.m., 1000 Islands Harbor Hotel, Clayton. The River Parishes of St. John’s Episcopal and Christ Church will host “Taste of the Town”. Ten cash prizes will be awarded with the top prize being $3,500. There will be a silent auction, door prizes and a 50/50 raffle as well as a variety of food from local businesses. Cost: $100 for two people. Information: 315-654-4618 or 315-767-4650.

FRIDAY, OCT 6 Punkin Chunkin, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Franklin Park Pavilion, Riverside Drive, Clayton. The annual Punkin Chunkin’ festival includes this contest where the furthest chunk wins. There

are separate groups for youths, adults, and a BBQ feed throughout the event. Information: Contact the Clayton Chamber of Commerce at (315) 686-3771 for registration and more details. Cost: Free.

Creative Recovery Writing Series, 1 to 3 p.m., Lyons Falls Library. All materials will be provided. Cost: free.

Information: Kim Cavanagh, 3115836-3735, or kimc@nricl.net.

MASSENA

CROGHAN SATURDAY, OCTOBER 7 Fall Foliage Drive It Yourself Tour!

9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., The Croghan Depot, Croghan, NY. More rides and tours of the Croghan Depot. Rides leave every half hour.

View the spectacular Lewis County fall foliage colors. Einded Peddler will be on site to accomodate and satisfy hunger and thirst. Cost: $10 family; $5 individual. Information: 315-346-6848 or visit www.newyorktains.com.

LOWVILLE SATURDAY, SEPT 16 The 13th Annual Cream Cheese Festival, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Historical Downtown Lowville. Join in this annual event that celebrates local Philadelphia Cream Cheese and the home of the largest cheesecake.

Food, drinks, parades and more for visitors to enjoy. Information: Contact Jeremiah S. Papineau and Beth Schaab at creamcheesefestival@ gmail.com. Cost: Free.

LYONS FALLS FRIDAY, SEPT 8 THROUGH FRIDAY, DEC 1

SATURDAY, SEPT 16 THROUGH SUNDAY, SEPT 17 10TH Annual Harvest Festival, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Main Street. Rain or shine, vendors and crafters will be on site as well as fun activites for the entire family and craft activities for the kids. Cost: free. Information: mymassena.com/event/10th-annualharvest-festival FRIDAY, DEC 8 THROUGH SATURDAY, DEC 9 3rd Annual Tastes & Talents of the North Country, Noon to 8 p.m., St. Lawrence Centre Mall Arena.

The 3rd Annual Tastes & Talents of the North Country Holiday Show offers holiday shoppers a venue to purchase unique handcrafted and homemade gift items from vendors from all over New York State and beyond. Now accepting applications for vendors. Information/Apply: Contact Jo Ann Roberts: (315) 386-4000 or visit drive.google. com/file/

OGDENSBURG SATURDAY, SEPT 30 Oktoberfest, 12 p.m. to 8 p.m., Lockwood Civic Center, Ogdensburg. Enjoy the upstate fall season

OUTER WASHINGTON ST. WATERTOWN NY 315-788-6022

Let's Go Places

WaiteToyota.com 44 | NNY Business | September 2017

WATERTOWN THURSDAY, SEPT 14 Excellus BlueCross BlueShield Navigating the Blues, 9 to 11: 30 a.m., Hilton Garden Inn. Join the Excellus BlueCross BlueShield Provider Relations team for our Navigating the Blues educational series.

Navigating the Blues is designed for new members of your staff and provides valuable information on Excellus BCBS products, BlueCard®, how to verify patient copay and patient eligibility. This seminar is a two-part series, which includes: Basic Blues 101: Learn the Basics…

Products, Authorizations, Prefixes, and ID Cards. Billing Orientation: Learn about billing the Blues…Paper & Electronic Claims, AR Follow-up, Adjustment Requests. Arrive 30 minutes prior to the session start time to sign in. Information: Eventbrite.com.

Cost: Free.

WEDNESDAY, SEPT 20 September Business After Hours hosted by Maggie’s on the River, 5 to 7 p.m., Maggie’s on The River.

Networking event hosted by the Greater Watertown-North Country Chamber of Commerce includes

prizes, raffles and food. Register by Noon Sept. 19. Cost: preregistered members, $10; members, $12; nonmembers, $15. Information/registration: Greater Watertown-North Country Chamber of Commerce, business.watertownny.com.

THURSDAY, OCT 12 Export 101, Hilton Garden Inn Watertown/Thousand Islands, 1290 Arsenal Street, Suite 8. Join the Greater Watertown-North Country Chamber of Commerce for this informative speaker series event. Hear from speakers covering a variety of topics including available export resources, IC DISC, North Country PTAC services, and freight forwarding.

Cost: free. Information/registration: Greater Watertown-North Country Chamber of Commerce, business. watertownny.com.

WEDNESDAY, OCT 18 Business Networking Expo and Business After Hours, 2 to 7 p.m., Dulles State Office Building. Huge networking event hosted by the Greater Watertown-North Country Chamber of Commerce includes prizes, raffles and food, also speak with businesses on site throughout the community about their services and opportunities. Register by Noon Sept. 19.

Cost: preregistered members, $10; members, $12; nonmembers, $15.

Information/registration: Greater Watertown-North Country Chamber of Commerce, business.watertownny. com.

SATURDAY, NOV 4

Mayor’s Charity Ball, 6 p.m. to 12 a.m., Hilton Garden Inn. The event includes hors d’oeuvers, carving stations, desserts and seasonal cocktails. The Mayor’s Charity Ball 2017 will be hosted by Station WBVS, Inc. Their mission is “To enrich the lives of others affected by adverse conditions.” Their vision is furthering the scope of learning in leadership roles and assisting those adversely affected by current world affairs.

Corporate and individual sponsorships, as well as individual ticket sales are available. Cost: $65 to $600. Information: MayorsCharityBall.Watertown@gmail.com.

WELLESLEY ISLAND SATURDAY, OCTOBER 7 39th Annual Autumn Festival, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Minna Anthony Common Nature Center, Wellesley Island.

Family fun for all with autumn themed activities, learning stations, food, drinks, and more! Enjoy a walk on the nature trail or join in on the many activities like building a scarecrow to be judged at the end of the day.

Cost: Free. Information: 315-4932637.

COMMUNITY / BUSINESS CALENDAR

in Ogdensburg with live music, food, beer, fireworks and much more. Information: Contact Laura Pearson, Executive Director at (315) 393-3620.

Information, application and contract can be found at www.facebook. com/events/19157514798768.

Cost: $5 at the door.

 GOT A BUSINESS EVENT or calendar item? Email nnybusiness@wdt.net. Deadline is the 10th of each month for the following month’s issue. Visit us on Facebook at Facebook.com/NNYBusiness or nnybizmag.com for events calendar updates.

18014 GOODNOUGH ST., ADAMS CENTER, NY • 315-583-5680 MON.-WED. 8-5, THURS. & FRI. 8-6, SAT. 9-3

September 2017 | NNY Business

| 45

B USI N E SS S CENE St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce Business in the Spotlight

From left, Patricia Warren and Victoria Peck from the Children’s Home of

Jefferson County/Fostering Futures of St. Lawrence County.

JENNIFER MCCLUSKEY PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS

From left, Joan Hadlock, Citizen’s National Bank of Hammond, Evelyn Saphier, Iva Smith Memorial Gallery of Fine Art, and Jacqueline Washburn, The Spicy Olive Cafe.

46 | NNY Business | September 2017

From left, Mary Ann Evans, Mare’s Wares Pottery, and Don Mesibov, Institute

for Learning Centered Education.

JENNIFER MCCLUSKY PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS

From left, Shelly Youngs, mayor of the village of Hammond and Patti Belknap, trustee of the village of Hammond.

BU SIN E SS S C E NE Greater Watertown-North Country Chamber Business After Hours at Watertown Airport

From left, Maj. Gen. Walter E. Piatt with wife, Cynthia Piatt, and Jefferson County IDA CEO Donald C. Alexander.

From left, Joseph LaClair, partner with Haylor, Freyer & Coon Inc.; Kari Bartlett, Keybank personal banker; and John J. Condino, Barton & Loguidice senior project manager.

BRIAN MOLONGOSKI PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS

From left, Michael VanWormer, HI-LITE Airfield Services LLC project manager; Mallory Scriber, HI-LITE human resources intern; Logan Marolf, HI-LITE executive intern; and Mitch Holden, HI-LITE executive assistant.

BRIAN MOLONGOSKI PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS

From left, Mark Storch, Acadia Energy Corporation business consultant and Philip Reed, NNY Builders Exchange Inc. executive director.

September 2017 | NNY Business

| 47

BusIness

www.nnybizmag.com

260 Washington St. Watertown, NY 13601

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Nominations Are Being Accepted Now.

Here’s your opportunity to nominate young leaders who exemplify all that is great about Northern New York’s professionals.

Go to www.nnybizmag.com to make nominations

Event Held Dec. 7th, 2017 at Hilton Garden Inn

Deadline for Nominations is Sept. 29 at 5 p.m.