Oswego County Business, #178: February - March 2022 by Oswego County Business Magazine

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PROGRESS

February / March 2022

PROGRESS ISSUE begins on P. 66.

MEET THE NEW OFFICER IN CHARGE Mary C. Toale, SUNY Oswego’s new officer-in-charge, has had a passion for learning from a very young age. She joined Oswego in 2014 and since Jan. 1 she is the top official at the college. P. 50

‘WHAT CAN BUSINESSES EXPECT OF’22?’ P. 16

COLLEGE ENROLLMENT TAKES A PLUNGE P. 56

CNY’s Business Magazine

CNY TO COMPETE IN $100M COMPETITION P. 84

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CONTENTS

ISSUE 178

PROGRESS

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022

New York B usin Plan Compe ess titi Announced. on P. 14

Mary C. Toale has had a passion for learning from a very young age. She joined SUNY Oswego in 2014 and stepped in as SUNY Oswego’s new officer-incharge on Jan. 1. A profile.

There’s a great deal of good news on the horizon for the CNY economy. This Progress Issue takes a look at the regional economy and discusses some of the major projects taking place this year.

FROM GRANDMA’S BASEMENT TO LEADING SUNY OSWEGO

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS’ PROGRESS ISSUE 2022

The Center City Innovation Hub in Syracuse is one of the proposed projects that can become a reality. P. 84

More Contents 46

Communications

Do you check your email every minute? How it’s effectsing your productivity

My Turn

‘Polarization is becoming dangerous, and I fear for politicians’ safety.’ By Bruce Frassinelli

College Enrollment

SUNY Oswego, LeMoyne, and Onondaga Community Colleges have seen a decline in new enrollment

Dollar Store

For rural communities, Dollar General has increasingly become the go-to retailer for groceries and more.

Economic Trends

Oswego County gets over $5 million in state funding By L. Michael Treadwell

Departments 12

Publisher’s Note

On the Job

How I Got Started

‘What should businesses expect in 2022?’ Beth Ann Dice of MISSION:midlife

Profile

Julie McMahon

Where is Sandra Scott?

Newsmakers

Dining Out Restaurant Guide

Sri Lanka

The Cutting Board in Oswego boasts delicious bites

Business Updates

Last Page

New editor takes the reins at The Palladium-Times

e OCBM’s “in th gs in br ” ht lig Spot ts from select produc s. Check our advertiser 64. them out on P.

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

ADVERTISING INDEX 3 Sisters Gifts...............................29 ABS..............................................23 Allanson-Glanville-Tappan Funeral Home.........................44 ALPS Pro. Services......................33 Ansun Graphics............................58 Apple Country Retreat..................28 Arquette Realtors..........................18 Barclay Damon.............................14 Bond, Schoeneck & King..............43 Bosco’s.........................................23 Buckingham Brothers...................80 Burke’s Home Center...................31 Burritt Motors................................32 C & S Companies.........................72 Caldwell Bankers Prime Properties.....................23 Canale’s Insurance.......................60 Caster’s Sawmill Inc.....................31 Century 21 Galloway Realty.........33 Compass Credit Union.................60 ConnextCare................................27 Constellation ................................12 Cornell Coop. Extension...............77 Crouse Hospital..............................2 Dowdle Funeral Home..................58 E J USA........................................75 Eastern Shore Associates............83

Eis House.....................................39 Engie............................................58 Excellus..........................................5 Farnham.......................................49 Financial Partners.........................83 Fitzgibbons Agency......................47 Foster Funeral Home....................94 Freedom Real Estate....................47 Fulton City....................................34 Fulton Oswego Motor Express.....86 Fulton Savings Bank.....................15 Fulton Taxi....................................86 Fulton Tool Co..............................21 Gartner Equipment.......................13 Gosch Supply...............................47 Greater Oswego / Fulton Chamber of Commerce...........29 Harbor Eye Associates.................35 HOCNY.........................................61 Howard’s Hoses...........................31 Hunt Realty...................................15 Johnston Gas...............................31 JTS Remodeling...........................32 K-9 Grooming & Pet Motel............86 Kathy’s Cakes...............................29 Key Bank......................................73 Kim McPherson............................73 Lakeshore Hardwoods..................44

Lamb’s Handyman........................31 Laser Transit.................................77 Local 43 (NECA IBEW)................94 Longley Brothers............................8 LW Emporium Co-Op...................29 MACNY.........................................99 Majestic Tool & Mold....................44 Menter Ambulance.......................61 Mimi’s Drive In..............................39 MISSON:midlife Wellness Studio.33 Mitchell Speedway Printing..........14 Northern Ace Home Center..........33 Novelis........................................100 Ontario Orchards............................8 Operation Oswego County...........99 Oswego County Catholic Charities....................49 OCFCU.........................................80 Oswego County Mutual Ins..........89 Oswego Co. Opportunities...........10 Oswego Health ............................43 Oswego Music Hall.......................17 Pathfinder Bank..............................9 Patterson Warehousing................86 Peter Realty..................................89 Plumley Engineering.....................93 Pontiac Care ..................................4 Port City Copy Center...................21

RiverHouse Restaurant................39 Riverside Artisans.........................29 Rudy’s Lakeside Drive-In..............39 Salvatore Lanza Law Office..........44 SBDC............................................77 Scriba Electric...............................33 Sorbello and Sons Inc..................44 Stickley Museum..........................28 SUNY Oswego.............................11 SUNY Upstate................................3 Sweet-Woods Memorial...............31 TDO..............................................77 The Medicine Place......................61 Trimble Services...........................31 Tully Hill Treatment & Recovery.................................49 United Way of Oswego County......................17 United Wire Technology...............75 Valti Graphics...............................21 Vashaw’s Collision........................21 Watertown Industrial Center of Local Development.............93 WD Malone...................................33 Whelan & Curry Construction.......13 White’s Lumber.............................33 WRVO..........................................59

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“We are all about locally owned and locally operated businesses, because that’s what we are. It’s great to have our bank here for us when we need them and at times, we do really need them. It’s very convenient and I appreciate Pathfinder always being here for us.”

– Maria Johnson, Owner of C’s Farm Market

We are proud to assist businesses like C’s Farm Market as they play a vital role in our local economy. The benefits of working together means a stronger community for our neighbors, friends and family. With Pathfinder Bank, decisions are meaningfully made and the money stays right here at home. We look forward to guiding you toward your financial goals, every step of the way.

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Feed the hungry, house the homeless, teach the children, support family skill development, provide reliable transportation, help develop job readiness, provide health services, improve literacy, reach out to the isolated, advocate for those without a voice, care for the most vulnerable among us.

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FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022

EDITOR AND PUBLISHER Wagner Dotto · editor@cnybusinessmag.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR Steve Yablonski WRITERS Deborah Jeanne Sergeant Christopher Malone, Ken Sturtz Steve Yablonski, Mary Beth Roach COLUMNISTS L. Michael Treadwell Bruce Frassinelli Sandra Scott ADVERTISING Peggy Kain • p3ggyk@gmail.com Richard Annal • richlocalnews@gmail.com OFFICE MANAGER Kate Honebein · localnewsoffice@gmail.com LAYOUT & DESIGN Joey Sweener COVER PHOTO Chuck Wainwright

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OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS MAGAZINE is published six times a year by Local News, Inc., publisher of the Business Guide, Upstate Summer, Fall, & Winter Guides, College Life Newspaper, In Good Health—The Healthcare Newspaper (across four regions), CNY/Rochester Healthcare Guides and 55 Plus Magazine for Active Adults of Rochester and Central New York. Subscription rate is $21.50 a year; $35 for two years. Single-copy price is $4.50. PRSRT STD US Postage PAID, Buffalo, NY, Permit No. 4725. © 2022 Oswego County Business. All rights reserved. No material from this publication may be reproduced, in whole or in part, without the express written consent of the publisher.

Work. Donate. Volunteer. www.oco.org

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10 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022

HOW TO REACH US: P.O. Box 276, Oswego, NY 13126. Phone: 315-342-8020; Fax: 315342-7776; editor@CNYBusinessMag.com. Advertising information—including circulation and rates—are available upon request; contact your sales representative or the editor. Local News, Inc. offers free ad design; please inquire.

#1 Public Institution in New York State for Online MBA and Online MBA in Health Services Administration SUNY Oswego’s MBA and School of Business programs are taught by internationally recognized faculty. Our online MBA is customizable and offers built-in adaptability that helps you focus on what you need to succeed, based on your background. Customizable • Accessible • Affordable — Nationally Recognized — U.S. News & World Report

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PUBLISHER’S NOTE By Wagner Dotto

ob Simpson, the head of CenterState CEO, is quoted in one of the stories in this Progress Issue that 2022 has the potential to be a hallmark year for Central New York. “If you look around the region, many of the fundamental parts of our economic strategy are starting to be borne out,” he says, as he explains that he is “very bullish and optimistic on what 2022 is going to hold.” Indeed, just flip through the pages of this edition of Oswego County Business (CNY’s only business magazine) and you’ll see the number of projects taking place in the region — and the amount of money being injected into the economy. This is the 29th Progress Issue I’ve published. I don’t recall having an issue focusing on so many projects (big and small) that reach all corners of the region. In the past, we had one or two; now, we have a great number of projects, one more impactful than the other. And one of the hottest things going on this year? Central New York is a finalist in the $1 billion Build Back Better Regional Challenge competition. More than 500

regions from 45 states applied for the program. In December the Commerce Department announced 60 finalists — CNY is one of them. Later this year, officials will select 20 to 30 regions as the winners. Each will get upwards of $100 million. Writer Ken Sturtz reports on the latest of the Build Back Better Regional Challenge (p. 84) and explains in detail the type of projects that are under consideration. Writer Steve Yablonki spoke with a number of business leaders, businesses owners, mayors and economic development officials. In his stories, he discusses how Fulton is using $10 million from Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) to reignite progress in the city (p. 82). The same thing is happening in Syracuse. The city will receive $10 million in funding as one of the winners of the fifth round of the DRI. Yablonski also writes about what’s hapenning in key sectors of the economy (p. 69). In his column, Operation Oswego County Executive Director L. Michael Treadwell explains how a recent $5 million funding from the Regional Economic Development Council initiative

Generating safe, clean and reliable power, fueling the upstate economy and protecting the environment.

12 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022

will help nearly 20 projects in Oswego County, reaching places such as Altmar, Richland and Hastings (p. 78). “A large number of the projects address important infrastructure goals identified in the Oswego County Economic Advancement Plan that was developed a few years ago,” Treadwell said. And these are just a small sample of what’s in the works across Central New York. All those will be in addition to the I-81 reconstruction project. The cost will be more than $2 billion, 80% of which would be paid by the federal government. During a visit to Syracuse in January, Gov. Hochul said the project would start in the fall. Yes, go ahead, fasten your seat belts — and enjoy the ride.

WAGNER DOTTO is the editor and publisher of Oswego County Business Magazine.

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Deadline is March 25

he New York Business Plan Competition (NYBPC) is currently accepting applications through March 15 from graduate and undergraduate students from across Central New York colleges and universities for the regional qualifier, Compete CNY. Compete CNY will take place on March 25 and is being hosted by the Blackstone LaunchPad at Syracuse University Libraries. The top regional teams, as selected by regional business and community leaders, will progress to compete at the state level finals for NYBPC’s Venture NY, where they can win prize money and post-program mentorship. Compete CNY is open to any fulltime or part-time undergraduate or graduate student enrolled in an accredited college or university in the Central New York region (Cayuga, Cortland, Madison, Onondaga, and Oswego counties), including Cayuga Community College and SUNY Oswego. Students from regional colleges and universities should apply for the Central New York competition and indicate Central New York as the region. Student teams applying for the competition cannot include those whose cumulative public and private capital raised exceeds $100,000, excluding research funding that may have supported the development of the technology in an academic setting. Top teams in six different vertical tracks will be selected at the regional qualifiers to move on to the statewide competition, coordinated by The Upstate Capital Foundation and The Upstate Capital Association of New York. For the first time this year, the state finals will be held in Syracuse on April 27 and will feature winners of regional competitions in New York’s ten geographic zones — Capital Region, Central New York, North Country, Mohawk Valley, Finger Lakes, Western New York, Southern Tier, Mid-Hudson, New York City and Long Island. The program has created over $150M+ economic impact including follow-on funding for 150+ startups. For more information, visit the NYBPC website at https://nybpc.org/nybpc.

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ON THE JOB

‘What should businesses expect in 2022?’ While 2022 may seem a lot like 2021, area organization leaders sound mostly hopeful that better times are ahead for the area’s economy Interviews by Deborah Jeanne Sergeant “I feel that 2022 will be a welcome relief for many businesses. They have weathered the storm and will now reap the rewards.” John R. Halleron Advanced certified senior business adviser, Small Business Development Center, Oswego “Central New York should experience a continuation of its recovery

with even more opportunities in 2022. Manufacturers are currently experiencing growing sales that will continue. Individual company outcomes may be tempered based on their supply chain challenges and finding workers so they can increase production and sales. Most indicators point to a good year ahead for businesses.” Randy Wolken President & CEO of MACNY & the Manufacturers Alliance of New York State

16 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022

“I think the 2022 business outlook for central New York and beyond will depend on a handful of important, interrelated factors, including labor shortages, inflation and interest rates, supply-chain disruptions and, of course, the evolving effects of the pandemic. A recent Center State CEO economic forecast cited that 72% of local businesses saw themselves as being either

very strong (17%) or strong (55%) in 2022, which is encouraging. Still, the headwinds created by the labor market and those other factors bear watching.” Anthony D’Angelo Professor of practice, director of the master’s program, communications management at Syracuse University “My hope always is that we see a positive trend in central New York for business. I continue to be hopeful in 2022. It’s been seemingly flat for years, obviously with COVID-19 being the primary recent reason. I believe some industries are seeing upticks and growth, while others continue to struggle with staff shortages and overall demand. We need to support one another locally and regionally: every business and every business type.” Shane R. Stepien President of Step One Creative, Oswego “Three money people look out a window and sit down to discuss what they saw. It comes as no surprise that little consensus is achieved from their discussions. All three mostly see three different views, mainly because our values, hard wiring and life experience and perceptions filter the view, hence our opinions. There are many indicators that can be used to project the 2022 economy, one in particular is how Central New York will handle unemployment and wage growth, an essential building block that morphs into improved spending power or, in this inflationary economic climate, level managed spending power. While Central New York for the most part is seeing modest employment gains overall, health care, financial sector and hospitality seem to rule. In that regard, Central New York leaders are taking a much-needed valiant position to bolster hospitality. Health is an area that has me concerned as burnout, vaccine assumptions and supply chain issues weigh heavily on employment growth fixes. It will be interesting to watch if banks will start decreasing their location footprints amassed during the post-recession growth of the last 10 years, laying off people-to-people based employees and strengthening their IT departments. Local retail is the real economic uncertainty for Central New York in 2022. How will small box retailers withstand the well-maintained nuances

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of internet buying? Will COVID-based buying habits allow them a large enough piece of the buying pie to survive? Will we regenerate a greater respect and need for face-to-face retailing? And will supply-chain fixes be enough to get affordable products on their shelves?” Jim Loperfido CEO JGL Management Consulting, Auburn “It’s hard to speculate, given the recent volatility of the market, however, particular to our industry (wireless - cellular), we continue to see growth in terms of customer spending and carrier investment in their networks as they migrate their systems to 5G technology. Those carrier investments and network improvements will continue throughout 2022 to the benefit of the local community, bringing enhanced coverage and faster data speeds. There are also new players in the wireless business like DISH Network and others which could help drive down the costs for the individual consumer. Finally, as a business partner for a number of companies in the local area, while it’s early in 2022, we continue to see supply chain issues carried over from last year which impacts the availability of wireless devices, specifically iPhones and iPads.” Thomas Huegel Senior partner Wireless Business Group, LLC, Syracuse “I would assume that by the third quarter it should be a lot better. I think that because of the pandemic scare at the beginning of the January, we know the virus is backing off. The older popula-

tion might be less hesitant about going out, so you’ll see more older folks going out to establishments around Central New York.” John Tassone Owner Tassone’s Wine Garden, Baldwinsville “I am optimistic. People in general want to get out and do things after being restrained from doing so for several years. Getting out without constraints will be a huge lift to their spirits.” David Proietti Principal, Oswego Community Christian School, Oswego “I expect 2022 to slow down further in momentum. Material prices are rising rapidly again, and inflation combined with higher interest rates have already dampened the home renovation market. We expect to be busy concentrating on our own projects predominantly into spring of 2023.” Anthony M. Pauldine Owner Anthony M. Pauldine General Contractors Inc., Oswego “With my work with small woman-owned businesses, I believe 2022 is going to be another recovery year from the pandemic since there are still restrictions put on businesses, the supply chain is backed up, and pricing has increased on everything which limits entrepreneurial profits. I wished 2022 was going to be a robust year for women entrepreneurs, but I think 2023 will be the year of returning to normalcy.” Tracy Chamberlain Higginbotham President Women TIES, LLC, Syracuse

18 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022

“As a digital marketing, creative, and research agency and business within the Central New York community, Digital Hyve has had the privilege of working with businesses right in our backyard. We learn of the challenges they face and how they propose to overcome those challenges. There is no doubt that we have endured a lot as a business community these past few years. However, as we kick off the new year in 2022, we feel very strongly that businesses are moving forward with the intention of taking advantage of new opportunities. More and more we are hearing from clients who are looking to innovate and grow their business in new ways, whether that be through automation or more access to data intelligence to make informed growth decisions. Our clients in particular continue to keep an open mind and allow us to expand their marketing efforts as they see the critical importance of staying on the cutting edge of new consumer and/or business trends. In turn, this allows our business to grow as well. All of this indicates that the forecast looks optimistic for 2022, specifically for our Central New York businesses.” Sarah Tackabury Vice president and managing director, Digital Hyve, Syracuse

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‘WHAT CAN BUSINESS ES EXPECT OF’22?’ P. 16

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CNY TO COMPETE IN $100M COMPETITION P. 84

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HOW I GOT STARTED By Steve Yablonski

BETH ANN DICE Wellness expert discusses how she is growing her business, MISSION:midlife Wellness Studio

Q: What is your background? I have a

bachelor’s degree in arts management and a master’s in marketing. My health and wellness certifications include certified personal trainer, certified sleep coach, certified stress coach, certified lifestyle and weight management coach, and cancer exercise specialist. I am currently completing breast cancer recovery BOSU specialist certification and certified women’s coaching specialist.

Q: When did it open? I opened the

physical space in 2018, but have been working with clients for more than five years.

Q: Why did you start this kind of business? As I worked on my own

wellness concerns, I began posting about my journey on social media. As women started to follow me and then join me, it seemed to naturally evolve. I was very inspired by the women who were joining me and wanted to be able to assist them. As my daughter was approaching college age, I wanted to find a way to get her through her first few years without student loans. This turned into the part-time job where I controlled the hours.

Q: What sets it apart from a YMCA or a health club or spa? I take a very

individualized approach to each client to be sure that the client and I work as a team to address their specific needs and abilities. Most of my clients have special wellness issues or chronic disease.

eth Ann Dice is the owner and trainer of MISSON:midlife Wellness Studio in Fulton. The business was the recipient of a $4,000 Business Recovery and Revitalization Grant awarded by the city of Fulton and the Fulton Community Development Agency. She recently discussed how she got started.

Q: What do you offer clients? I offer specialized programs to aid midlife and older women, particularly those with chronic conditions, in leading a healthier and fulfilling lifestyle through exercise, sensible food choices, stress reduction, improved sleep and mindset work. The addition of a cancer exercise program makes MISSION:midlife the only facility in the area to offer this service. When clients are in the studio or joining online, they are under my constant direction and observation to ensure safe, effective workouts for each person’s individual abilities and unique needs. Q: Tell us about your physical space.

The physical space is unique as well. I 20 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022

spent a lot of time working on the overall feel and design of the MISSION:midlife Wellness Studio. I didn’t want to create just another gym. I wanted a studio that was inviting and comfortable with a homey feel; a place where women could come and feel at ease, just as they are, as they pursue a healthier lifestyle. It’s a warm hug for your mind, body and spirit. A client recently described the studio as “a much needed warm hug every time she comes in.” It’s a boutiquestyle wellness studio designed just for women featuring one-on-one and small group training options in person and online.

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Certainly deciding to go full time and then having a pandemic cause a shutdown of my physical space presented some challenges. However, when I built the studio, I had included a number of features including cameras and other necessary equipment, with the vision of offering my services online as well as in person made the transition much smoother. On March 16 of 2020 I literally had to flip a switch. This has helped me attract women across the U.S. and even have a client in Newfoundland. Q: What kind of feedback have you received? Wow, where do I begin?

Every day it seems I am overwhelmed by what my clients tell me. From the client that told me she realized that she had been doing housework for more than two hours without having to sit down and even made her husband lunch for the first time in years; to a client telling me her back no longer hurts when she gets out of bed in the morning; to mobility coming back in her arm on the side of her body where she had breast cancer; to being able to get on the floor to play with her grandkids; to just finally feeling good again. It’s just been incredible. Q: Any plans for expansion? Definitely!

I’ll use the CDA funds to help expand the cancer wellness program. To reach Beth Ann Dice, call 315-8871182 or visit www.bethanndice.com.

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PROFILE By Ken Sturtz

JULIE McMAHON Former Post-Standard and Syracuse.com reporter to lead Central Current, a startup nonprofit news website launching later this year

oint out to Julie McMahon that taking a break from journalism to manage a bakery helped her connect with the founders of the news startup she now runs and she admits feeling a sense of fate. But she believes it has more to do with hard work and a willingness to seek opportunities. “I followed my gut and my heart,” she says. “I really put myself in this position.” McMahon is editor-in-chief of the Central Current, a startup nonprofit news website launching this year with the goal o f p ro vi di n g in-depth coverage on issues of importance to communities in Central New York.

She brings a wealth of experience to the role. After just a decade in journalism she’s been both a reporter and an editor. She’s covered the criminal justice system, higher education and public schools, federal courts, business, public affairs, and even the legal profession. And she’s intimately familiar with the region. McMahonmoved to the area to attend graduate school at Syracuse University. She grew up in a tiny town in the Catskills, but quickly fell in love with Syracuse. After graduate school, she w ro t e f o r legal trade publications in New York City and Boston.

22 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022

A couple years later one of her former professors alerted her to a job opening at The Post-Standard and Syracuse.com. In January 2014, she started covering crime and breaking news. She enjoyed her job and frequently found ways to tell stories she cared about. A couple years later she was assigned to cover education. “It was amazing, being a beat reporter,” she says. “The idea that I was sort of studying schools in those two years, I loved everything about it.” In addition to SU and the Syracuse City School District, McMahon covered larger issues affecting colleges and public schools. Her work impressed her editors and in 2017 she received a coveted position on the public affairs team. In addition to federal courts, she covered everything from sex abuse in the Catholic church to “big picture issues” dealing with race and gender. “That’s also when I kind of started to yearn to change the model of journalism,” she says. “I was antsy; I didn’t feel like we were doing enough of the stories I wanted to do, which I think is typical of any journalist at any publication given the state of journalism.” Since 2008, newsroom employment has fallen 26% in the U.S., according to the Pew Research Center. Newspapers, hit the hardest, shed roughly 40,000 jobs between 2008 and 2020. Layoffs and downsizing had shrunk McMahon’s newsroom too, which meant everyone took on additional roles. McMahon says she received many different opportunities due to downsizing as well as hard work on her part. It taught her how to be flexible and adapt. For example, she spent six months in 2020 reporting on how businesses were navigating the pandemic. But she also slowly became interested in a larger role in influencing the newsroom’s coverage. “I think they started to see that I was personally interested in a role in leadership,” she says. In fall 2020 she became an editor-reporter on the crime and breaking news team. But by 2021 she recognized that she had become burned out and needed a break. Part of the reason was the pandemic, but a lot of it had to do with the nature of a business model she says she felt had chewed

her up and spit her out. “We do something that’s hard to quantify,” she says. “Our roles in community and democracy are often at odds with the bottom line.” So, in April 2021, she left her job for The Sweet Praxis, a Syracuse bakery. She had worked on and off in food service since high school and was soon managing the bakery. It was physically demanding, but she enjoyed that the job allowed her to leave her work at the door. Her passion for journalism never went away — she continued to teach journalism as an adjunct professor at SU — but she wondered if she would return to news full time. One of the things McMahon enjoyed about the bakery was socializing with customers, many of whom she got to know well. That’s how she met businessman Tony Malavenda and attorney Larry Bousquet. The pair were regulars — McMahon knew their orders by heart — and they stopped in for coffee several times a week. They’d sit and discuss the need for more in-depth journalism in Central New York. “It was very refreshing seeing two people talking about journalism,” McMahon says. It wasn’t long before the pair, who didn’t have journalism experience, were seeking input from her. McMahon loved their intentions and willingly agreed to let them bounce ideas off her, but she was less certain when they broached the possibility of her running their startup.

Lifelines Age: 32 Birth Place: Oneonta Current Residence: Syracuse, Westcott neighborhood Education: Bachelor’s degree in English from SUNY Geneseo and a master’s degree in journalism from Syracuse University Personal: Husband, Chris Carlson, is a sports reporter for The PostStandard and Syracuse.com. They have a tuxedo cat named Mouse the Cat Affiliations: Syracuse Press Club board member, adjunct professor at Syracuse University Hobbies: Camping, reading, yoga, tarot reading, spending time with friends and family

She eventually decided to apply, but continued experiencing pangs of doubt. She thought back to when a friend and colleague had quit his job as a reporter to start a nonprofit news website on a shoestring budget. “I remember admiring him, but I knew how much more risk averse I was than him,” she says. But when McMahon was offered the job last year, she decided it was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up. She started Jan. 1. As the first employee of a startup, she quickly realized she needed to take care of many basic logistical challenges, such as getting a cell phone and laptop. The Central Current is partnering with WCNY, which is sharing office space. McMahon says they’re exploring ways the two organizations can collaborate in the future. Initially, however, much of the focus has been on fundraising and board development. In addition to Malavenda and Bousquet, the board includes Rick Wright, an SU professor emeritus and long-time local radio host. McMahon says they want to bring as much diversity to the board as possible as well as a range of skill sets. They’ve put together a business plan that is being refined and she and board members have had many meetings with potential funders and community leaders. “It’s relationship-building, which is something I love to do,” she says. McMahon says the Central Current is about halfway to its $1 million fundraising goal, but that she’s confident they’ll reach their goal by the time they launch their website later this year. She’ll be transitioning soon to focus on hiring a staff. She says the first-year budget will be between $300,000 and $400,000 and will likely include three full-time reporters to start as well as freelance reporters and photographers. Finding the right reporters with sufficient experience will be crucial, she says. Coverage will focus on issues such as Interstate 81, government accountability and the economy. McMahon says they also want to engage with the community as much as possible to better understand what’s missing in local coverage. “We want to offer depth and look at big issues,” she says. “I really have faith that we can dig in on topics that really have interest to the community.”

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Where in the World is Sandra Scott? SRI LANKA The sun, sand and sea are what most visitors come for when they visit this island — and they are never disappointed

nce known as Ceylon, Sri Lanka is an island located in the Indian Ocean at the southern tip of India. It should not be confused with India. Sri Lankans are justly proud of their country — its hospitality, history, culture and the multitude of things to see and do; plus it is cleaner, less crowded, affordable and more prosperous than India.

Sri Lanka is an exciting mix of beaches, ancient sites, wild animals, various cultures, tasty food and eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites. All travel starts in the capital city of Colombo where there are several interesting things to see and do. All of this packed into a country the size of West Virginia. Colombo has many British colonial buildings plus an ornate Hindu temple

An ornate hindu temple in Colombo, capital of Sri Lanka.

and Slave Island. Slave Island was originally a place where the Dutch kept slaves that they brought to Sri Lanka to build the canals needed for transporting goods from inland to the harbor. Today it is a relaxing little island in a large pond that was once home to crocodiles that deterred slaves from trying to escape. Eventually the slaves were returned to Africa. Sri Lankan culture has been influenced by the Dutch, Portuguese, English, and Indians. The unique sites include the Golden Temple of Dambulla, which dates to the 1st century BC and where a long row of saffron-robed monk statues bearing alms are heading toward the giant golden Buddha. At the iconic Sigirya, built in the 5th century, the hearty can climb to the top of the 600-foot-high Lion Rock to see the ancient city and gardens. The panoramic view of the surrounding plain is impressive as are the moats surrounding the rock. Polonnaruwa archeological site is home to 900-year old ruins with palaces, temples, statues and murals. Especially impressive are the beautifully carved statues of Buddha at Gal Vihara, one of which is 21 feet in height. In a more modern vein visit the 17th century Dutch fort in the coastal city of Galle. Within the walls there are many Dutch-style buildings, museums, and other attractions. Galle Fort is a living, functioning World Heritage Site. Sri Lanka is a great destination for naturalists. Each day at 9 a.m. the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage visitors can watch the elephants being bottle fed. The 80 elephants were either orphaned or injured. Later in the morning the elephants are led down to the river for what is their favorite activity, cavorting in the water. The young elephants wres-

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

tle in the water like children dunking each other. Most people never associated the word “safari” with Sri Lanka but that is the most popular activity at Chaaya Wild Resort located on the edge of Yala National Park. While on safari it is possible to see wild elephants, monkeys, wild boar, sambars, deer, crocodiles, water buffalos and, if you are lucky, leopards. The sun, sand and sea are what most visitors come for and they are never disappointed. Beaches encircle the island so there is a beach for everyone and accommodations range from basic to luxurious. The from top Jetwing Beach in Necombo. resorts offer a wide variety of activities, Beaches encircle Sri Lanka so there is a including many fascinating day trips beach for everyone and accommodations boat trips on the Madu River and more. range from basic to luxurious; The boat stops at Cinnamon Island, a Elephants at Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage temple, and a fish farm where visitors are led down to the river to cavort in the can get a fish foot massage. Other day water. The young elephants wrestle in the trips include a visit to a Turtle Hatchery water, like children dunking each other; dedicated to the turtle conservation; the Visitors get a fish foot massage at Cinnamon Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, one of the most sacred sites in Sri Lanka; Island, home to a fish farm. 26 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022

mines for moonstone and other gems for which the country is noted; and a tour of a tea plantation to learn about famous Ceylon Tea. It is best to apply for a visa online to avoid delays on arrival. Weather wise the best time to visit is between December and March but it is also the most expensive. For the best deals with a chance of great weather consider April and September.

Sandra Scott along with her husband, John, traveled the world for over 50 years. With John’s passing, Sandra has moved to Oswego and continues to travel.

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Pamela Caraccioli Named Fulton Savings Bank President/CEO

amela D. Caraccioli has been named president and chief executive officer of Fulton Savings Bank (FSB). She succeeds Michael J. Pollock, who retired at the end of 2021, following a 41-year career with the bank. “Pam has served as a trustee of our bank since 2015, and while considering the leadership needed to move us forward, we focused on her deep connections to our region, and her outstanding record in cultivating relationships and collaborations with business, industry, government and nonprofit organizations throughout New York state,” said Brian Caswell, the bank’s board of trustees chairman. “She has a solid understanding of our customers, and our community, as well as our position in this market.” Caraccioli most recently served as deputy to the president for external partnerships and economic development at SUNY Oswego and led several campus health and safety initiatives during the first 20 months of the pandemic. Prior to that, she served as a faculty member in SUNY Oswego’s School of Communication, Media, and the Arts. She also served as deputy director for Operation Oswego County, Inc. Retiring President and CEO, Mi-

chael Pollock said, “Aside from her many qualifications, Pam knows the area, the people, and the business community. She was born and raised in Oswego and her family’s business, Davis Brothers, Inc., has served the local area for 60 years.” Caraccioli holds a bachelor’s degree in Law and Society from the University of California at Santa Barbara, and a Master of Public Administration from Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. “Pam’s civic and community service is extensive,” Caswell said. In addition to serving as a trustee for Fulton Savings, she is a board member with the New York State Economic Development Council and serves on the Central New York Regional Planning Board. She chairs the advisory board for the Central New York Biotech Accelerator at Upstate Medical University and serves on the advisory boards for SUNY Oswego’s School of Business, Oswego Health Foundation’s Campaign Steering Committee, and the Garrett Dunsmoor Memorial Foundation. Caraccioli formerly served as a trustee, committee chairwoman and board chairwoman for Oswego Health, a board member for Northern Oswego County Health Services (NOCHSI), and a board member and committee chairwoman by gubernatorial appointment to the Port of Oswego Authority. She was nominated by Oswego Health and named a Woman of Distinction by the New York State Senate in 2017. “Having been asked to succeed Mike Pollock as the next president of Fulton Savings Bank is an incredible honor,” Caraccioli said. “Mike has created and led an exceptional team for decades and I’m thrilled to continue working closely with this team and our trustees to provide the very best service to our customers and move the bank forward for our community.” FSB has offices in Fulton, Baldwinsville, Phoenix, Central Square, Brewerton and Constantia with eleven ATMs throughout its service area, with assets totaling more than $453 million and deposits totaling more than $317 million.

30 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022

Karen Perwitz Promoted to OOC Administrative Coordinator Operation Oswego County, Inc. (OOC) recently announced the promotion of Karen Perwitz to administrative coordinator. She will be responsible for the OOC, Operation Oswego County Foundation, County of Oswego Industrial Development Agency and Oswego County Civic Facilities Corporation record keeping and reporting to state and federal Karen Perwitz agencies. She will also monitor financing portfolios and help coordinate required audits. Perwitz joined OOC in 2007 as administrative secretary. Over the years, she has taken on many responsibilities beyond those required in her role. “We are very pleased to see Karen move into this new role,” said OOC executive director L. Michael Treadwell, CEcD. “She knows our business well and is ready for the challenges of this new position.” Perwitz received a bachelor ’s degree from Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pennsylvania, near her home town. She moved to Oswego County after accepting her first professional job in the area. Perwitz is a graduate of Leadership Oswego County and has served on several boards since. She is currently serving on the board of directors for Fulton Block Builders and the United Way of Oswego County. Perwitz is also a NYS licensed notary.

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Randy Wolken Named to Prestigious Power 75 List MACNY President & CEO Randy Wolken has recently been named to the list of City & State’s Economic Development Power 75. He was No. 28 on the list. Economic Development Power 75, published by the politics and government media outlet City & Randy Wolken State, recognizes the state of New York’s influential people in government, business, law, education, nonprofit organizations and more. City & State’s inaugural Economic Development Power 75 identifies “the policymakers who are driving economic development strategies in New York and positioning the state for a post-pandemic recovery.” Nate Andrews, MACNY board of directors president, said, “On behalf of

myself and the board, we congratulate Randy Wolken on this well-deserved recognition for his economic development efforts. As the leader of MACNY, he represents hundreds of companies that are dedicated to investing and growing production right here in Central New York. We will continue to work together, and with all our community partners, to help advance manufacturing, workforce development initiatives, and economic growth in CNY and beyond.” MACNY is a nonprofit association representing more than 300 businesses and organizations across 26 counties in Central and Upstate New York. About three-quarters of MACNY’s members are industrial companies that employ thousands of individuals and supply the region, nation, and world with a variety of products and services. Wolken also serves as president of the Manufacturers Alliance of New York State, Inc., a statewide organization of manufacturing associations working together on behalf of more than 5,400 manufacturers and businesses on state and federal issues. In addition, Wolken co-chairs the Central New York Regional Economic Development Council. To

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FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

likely not surprised that she broke this barrier at our company, as our first-ever female chief information officer,” he added. In her new position, Langston is responsible for delivering on a new technology foundation, developing market leading capabilities and readying the organization with the talent and technology needed for the future. Langston has a B.S. degree in computer technology from Purdue University, an MBA from Lake Forest Graduate School of Management and over 30 years of experience in the field of information technology and consulting. She has worked for Dow Corning Corporation, Aon Hewitt, Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC), and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, in addition to her time as a consultant. Langston’s leadership journey has taken her across the globe. She spent 10 years, for example, as an international consultant leading large, global IT implementations in Australia, Japan, England, Singapore, Scotland and South Korea. In 2014, Langston started at Excellus BCBS as a vice president in information technology. Three years later, she was promoted to lead the analytics and data division as chief analytics data officer. Langston serves the Rochester community in a variety of ways, including as board chairwoman of the YWCA of Rochester and Monroe County; member of the Women’s Leadership Council of the United Way of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes; and past chairwoman of the YWCA Racial Justice Committee and Stand Against Racism events.

C&S Recognized with First-Ever ACEC NY DEI & B Award The C&S Companies was recently recognized with the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) of New York’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEI & B) Award. The awards were given for the first time this year to good standing members of the organization that have launched a program or initiative to attract, hire and promote personal and professional growth opportunities for women, people of color, LGBTQ+ persons and other underrepresented people in the engineering industry. C&S established its IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Awareness) Alliance, a volunteer group that has grown to about 60 employees, in 2020. The group’s goal is to promote personal and professional growth by cultivating and sustaining a safe and inclusive atmosphere where everyone can feel a sense of belonging. “We are honored to receive this award recognizing the efforts of the IDEA Alliance as we continue on our journey to make C&S a more inclusive, diverse, and equitable workplace,” said Aileen Maguire Meyer, one of the group’s key members. The IDEA Alliance progresses its initiatives in seven focus areas that include: community collaboration, culture, leadership, mentoring and advocacy, recruiting and retention, training and education, and supplier diversity. ACEC New York is a proactive coalition representing nearly 300 member

firms who engage in every discipline of engineering related to the built environment including civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, environmental, and geotechnical. The group’s work involves advocating, education, providing networking opportunities and enhancing the image of the industry.

Attorney Opens Practice, Offers Free Virtual Consultation Attorney Nicole K. Reed announced her new law firm — Reed Law, P.L.L.C. — will offer free initial virtual consultations. Traditional in-office consultations are also available by appointment. The practice started Jan. 3 and is based in Oswego. She offers services in the areas of real Nicole Reed estate, probate and estate elanning. Reed graduated from Syracuse University College of Law in 2020 and practiced as a paralegal for more than 25 years. Reed said she has personal experience working with families in our community as they experience life altering changes, such as the loss of a loved one, estate planning challenges or the purchase their first home.

Fulton Salutes Our Manufacturers V E L O P M D E E

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On Point for College Has New Career Adviser Stephanie Meeker recently joined On Point for College (On Point) as a career adviser in Oswego County. In this role, Meeker provides counsel to On Point students and graduates in Oswego County on career opportunities and employment that aligns with their skills and education. Prior to joining On Point, Meeker worked most recently as a supervisor and Stephanie Meeker case specialist for Elmcrest Children’s Center in Oswego, an adoption counselor at Adoption STAR in Buffalo, and as a visitation supervisor for Catholic Charities of Oswego County. On Point for College is a nationally recognized college attainment program founded in 1999 to help first-generation students gain access to college. It subsequently expanded its offerings to include college success and completion support, career planning and placement support, and most recently, support with non-college post-secondary credential attainment. On Point serves all of Central New York, including Cayuga, Herkimer, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, Cortland, and Oswego counties.

Pharmacist Susan Daratt (left) is shown with the Medicine Place co-owners Tracy and David Dingman

Pharmacist Joins Medicine Place Pharmacies

harmacist Susan Daratt has joined the pharmacies of Fulton Medicine Place in Fulton and The Medicine Place in Phoenix. “We’re delighted to have Susan as part of our team,” said David Dingman, co-owner of both pharmacies.” She is well known in the Fulton community for her previous position as the pharmacy manager at Walgreens, and for her service as treasurer of the Fulton Lions Club and a member of the Fulton Memorial Day Salute Committee.” Daratt, a native of Cato and a graduate of St. John Fisher College with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree, resides in Fulton with Alex Conn and their pup, Maggie. “Patient care has always

been my number one priority,” Daratt said. “I am so happy to join the Fulton Medicine Place family that shares the same values and high standards that I do in terms of patient interaction and personal service. The city of Fulton has become my home and I take great pride in taking care of my friends, family and community. Working with the experienced team at the Fulton Medicine Place will allow me to continue to do this while growing these relationships and developing new ones.” The Fulton Medicine Place, coowned by David and Tracy Dingman, celebrated its 34thyear in November. The Phoenix location opened in January 2007. “Both the Fulton and Phoenix pharmacies are locally owned, yet they are also part of the Leader system of over 3,000 stores,” Dingman said. “This allows us to offer you the personal service you deserve, as well as competitive chain-drugstore pricing.”

120 East 1st. St., Oswego • 315-343-2020 • www.HarborEyeAssociates.com FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

DINING OUT RESTAURANT GUIDE BY CHRISTOPHER MALONE

DELIGHTFUL DELICATESSEN Little corner sandwich shop in Oswego boasts delicious bites

36 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022

I above The Cutting Board at the corner of West Bridge and West Second streets in downtown Oswego. opposite page

Breakfast power bowl ($7): hummus, avocado, spinach and mushrooms, too. The two eggs were perfectly poached to be easily cut open for the golden yolk to spill out.

t’s always reassuring to see a restaurant excited about its food. The Cutting Board at the corner of West Bridge and West Second streets has exclamation points after the words burrito, panini, and toasts. Sure, this doesn’t say much about the food but you can’t dislike the confidence if it’s not hollow. And The Cutting Board’s offerings are definitely not hollow. The breakfast and lunch shop offers a variety of handhelds to fill your belly and ease those daylight hunger pangs. If you’re not looking to dine in — there is a fair amount of room to sit comfortably and enjoy your meal — take your meal away. Keep in mind, depending on the size of your order, be sure to call ahead. Everything is made to order, so I spent my waiting time looking through the large-paned window and getting lost in my thoughts as the snow fell heavily in the Port City. A mix of Dave Matthews Band played through the speakers and bounced off the walls of this brightly painted eatery. To kick off the meal, a 16-ounce PB (peanut butter) heaven smoothie ($4.50) helped get me back part of the way home. The snow globe that is Oswego had my knuckles whiter than the snow, so the smoothie lasted longer than probably intended. The medium-thick

smoothie didn’t disappoint. The rest of the food traveled well the 45-minute trek home. The breakfast burrito ($5) was a tightly wrapped three-egg and cheese with choice of meat. I opted for bacon and without asking for a preferred preparation, it came nice and crispy but not burnt to a crisp. The burrito had a good weight to it but it wasn’t overly filling, which is important for breakfast. The toasts are prepared on crispy flatbread. The Fancy ($4) boasted raspberry preserves, goat cheese, apple slices and shredded basil. Unfortunately, Cutting Board was out of goat cheese but that was OK with me. I love goat cheese — don’t get me wrong. But the flavor was still there. The raspberry, apples, and basil combined for a beautifully bright flavor. Like any toast — well, it’s toast. For a quick, easy and healthy option, it’s a good one. I was slightly confused with the breakfast power bowl ($7). It didn’t really come with anything and the components in a clear to-go container. I prepared it all nice in a bowl at home. However, I expected everything would come in some kind of edible bowl. The ingredients, however, were absolutely fresh and delicious, the hummus and avocado especially; there is spinach and mushrooms, too. The two eggs were perfectly poached to be easily cut open for the golden yolk to spill out. And finally, we have the sweet chicken salad sandwich ($7). According to the menu in a message

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

complete with an exclamation point, it comes with a quarter-pound of meat! The chunky chicken salad is sandwiched between ciabatta bread halves. The chicken is joined by celery and grapes in a mix of mayo and cinnamon. The cinnamon is just enough. The crisp bites of grape halves and celery pieces add that subtle sweetness in each bite. The sandwich is solo, however. With tip, the cost of the meal came to $37 and change. The Cutting Board has a lot to offer for your day, whether you’re starting it or in the middle of it — or somewhere in between. If you’re looking for a place to relax or just take stuff to go, it’s a reliable option.

The Cutting Board 35 W Bridge St., Oswego, NY 13126 315-343-1008 | oswegomenus.com/ the_cutting_board.html facebook.com/thecuttingboard35

from top The breakfast burrito ($5): a tightly wrapped three-

egg and cheese with choice of meat; The Fancy ($4) boasted raspberry preserves, goat cheese, apple slices and shredded basil. 38 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022

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BUSINESS UPDATE

Tully’s Plans to Open in Oswego in February Located in the former Friendly’s, new $1.6 million eatery will create about 14 full-time and 23 part-time positions

vacant restaurant site was set to come back to life in February. Located in the former Friendly’s Ice Cream site on West Bridge Street, it will be known as Tully’s Chicken Tender Concept. With about 10 tables inside, it will be a grab-and-go style eatery. There will be room inside for about 40 patrons. “We are looking to be open probably the second or third week in February. Hopefully, if all goes well,” said Tully’s Good Times co-owner David Giamartino. They were waiting on some equipment and a few other things in late January. “But, that is the plan as of now. But things could change in the world we live in right now,” Giamartino added. This will be a Tully’s quick service

site, he explained. “It’ll be smaller than our normal Tully’s restaurant. This will be our first quick service concept that we’ve done. It will feature a drive-thru option,” he said. They have a similar quick service Tully’s concept at Binghamton University campus, he added. “This will be our first official, we’ll call it quick service free-standing concept, with a drive-thru, a quick service menu,” he said. “It’s going to have a drive-thru, primarily. But, people can walk up to the counter and order. There will be some seating inside,” Giamartino said. The truncated menu will include things like Tully’s hand-breaded fresh chicken tenders (Buffalo tenders and Asian tenders), chicken sandwiches,

40 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022

dips and sauces, salads and some desserts, according to Giamartino. It’s about a $1.6 million project and will create about 14 full-time and 23 part-time positions. Tully’s plans to hire staff locally. They have invested “a significant amount” to get the kitchen up to code, Giamartino added. Oswego Mayor Billy Barlow said, “We’re thrilled to partner with Tully’s to develop the former Friendly’s property and put the site back into productive use.” Tully’s will be a wonderful addition to the Oswego community, he added. “We’re looking forward to opening. We think the college will draw traffic, the high school is right behind us and the community at large,” Giamartino said. “There’s not a huge offering of places like this to eat, so we think it will be a good addition to the neighborhood. Hopefully we draw from some of the other surrounding towns as well. There is not another Tully’s until you get to North Syracuse. “We are looking forward to being part of the community. We think it’s going to be successful. We are hoping we can open as soon as we can and start putting out our fresh hand-breaded chicken tenders for the folks in Oswego.”

By Steve Yablonski

BUSINESS UPDATE

Constellation Completes Separation from Exelon

Nuclear power plants in Scriba now under new ownership

n the spring of 2021, Exelon approved a plan to separate Exelon Utilities, comprised of the company’s six regulated electric and gas utilities, and Exelon Generation, its competitive power generation and customer-facing energy businesses, into two publicly traded companies. The separation gives each the financial and strategic independence to focus on its specific customer needs, while executing its core business strategy. The separation closed Feb. 1, and Constellation launched the next day as a standalone, publicly traded company; the nation’s largest carbon-free energy producer and leading supplier of clean energy solutions to millions of homes and businesses. The businesses, including the nuclear and generation sites, will operate under the Constellation brand, headquartered in Baltimore, The separation doesn’t impact plant operations or staffing at the plants, a company spokesperson said. “While the parent company names

have changed, the front-line work we do every day in our operating companies, and our commitment to safety, reliability and the communities we serve — will not, the spokersperson added. “The future health and prosperity of our nation is inextricably linked to our success in eliminating carbon pollution. Our entire focus will be on helping our customers and communities achieve that goal,” said Joseph Dominguez, CEO of Constellation. “Our clean generation fleet and leading customer-facing platform are the foundation on which we will sustain and grow our business.” Constellation operates in 48 states, Canada and the U.K., employing approximately 13,000 people. Its strategy to accelerate the nation’s response to the climate crisis includes a commitment to a carbon-free future. Constellation’s fleet of nuclear, hydro, wind and solar generation facilities provides 10% of all clean power on the grid in the U.S. With leading scientists and policymakers in agreement that nuclear is critical to meeting the nation’s

climate goals, the company’s fleet has the potential for second license renewals that will extend the life of nuclear stations to 80 years. The Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station (units I and II) and the James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant at Nine Mile collectively employ about 1,400 highly trained professionals. They produce enough carbon-free energy to power nearly two million homes and businesses. In 2021, they donated more than $100,000 to local organizations. In addition to financial support, employees are generous with their time and volunteered 2,900 hours with local organizations. Periodic refueling outages necessitate more than 1,300 workers, many of whom travel to Oswego County from out of state. For several weeks before and during outages, the influx of people gives a boost to the local economy.

By Steve Yablonski

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

BUSINESS UPDATE

above Mike A. Stranahan (right) is partnering with his son, Mike J. Stranahan to operate popular eatery in Pulaski. inset facade of

Mr. Sub on 4840 Jefferson St.

Mr. Sub in Pulaski Has New Owners

r. Sub, a popular eatery in Pulaski that has been serving the community since 1972, has changed ownership. Formerly known as Sherrie’s Mr. Sub, it was owned and operated by Sherrie Miles for a long time. The business was recently sold to Mike A. Stranahan He is partnering with his son, Mike J. Stranahan. The Stranahans took over the business as of the first of the year. “We’ve been very. Very busy,” the father said. “It’s just me and my son. Sherrie was going to close it up because she was going to retire and we heard about it. Me and my son took over; we came in as a partnership.” Mike’s Mr. Sub is located 4840 N. Jefferson St., across from South Park. They are open every day except Sunday. “It was a big investment, big enough. You know any business these days, especially the way the economy

is and everything, is a big investment,” he said. The subs are always made fresh for customers. The atmosphere is fun and relaxed, which makes it a great place to enjoy lunch with friends and family. “We are still seeing the same crowd of regulars coming in,” Stranahan said. “Our best sub, the super Italian, is the most popular right now. Turkey is a big one, too actually.” The shop still doesn’t have any seating inside. “You pretty much come in and get your sub and take it out,” Stranahan said. During the good weather, customers sometimes enjoy their sub across the road in the park. “We have a couple helpers,” Stranahan said. “We don’t plan on making any changes to the menu. Though we did add an Adirondack Michigan sub to our menu a lot of people really like.

42 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022

If they are familiar with the Adirondack, they’d know what a Michigan is. They are very popular up there.” The sub comes with a hot dog and on top of that is the homemade Michigan (hot) sauce. Then you get chopped onions on top of it with mustard on top. “We are originally out of the Adriondacks. It is my grandmother’s recipe,” Stranahan explained. They haven’t really had any kind of supply issue. “No not really, not too much. We try to get a lot of our stuff locally,” he said. They probably won’t do seating. But they are considering doing delivering service, “hopefully in two or three months,” he added. “We are having fun. It’s a challenge, but it’s always fun. We’re a bit shortstaffed. We’re meeting everybody and getting to know them, all the new customers and making sure the community is getting what they want here. That’s it; it’s all about quality and service,” he said. “We have had a nice reception. Yes. People are very happy the place is still open.”

By Steve Yablonski

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he Greater Pulaski Community support over that past 30 years,” said Endowment Fund (Pulaski Fund) Jonathan L. Snow, president of the announced that it has reached its John Ben Snow Memorial Trust. “The 30-year anniversary and surpassed $1 partnership embodies the collaborative 315-598-1928 million in endowment size since its approach of private donor support and www.lanzalawoffice.com philanthropic funding in achieving our inception in 1991. 154 S. Second St., Fulton Each year the fund provides grants shared objective of supporting projects to village of Pulaski and town of Rich- of consequence in the village of Pulaski land nonprofit groups. This year, the and town of Richland.” This year, nearly 60 contributions Pulaski fund successfully raised more than $13,000 in community contribu- totaling $13,600 were collected during the campaign. This support from tions during its fall campaign. “In its 30th year, the fund has been businesses and community members A Community Tradition of Service able to contribute to the community to helped the fund’s advisory committee Pre-paid funeral trusts available! help serve its children, preserve the secure $10,000 in matching dollars from Let us help you plan for the future: rich historical heritage of our area, and the John Ben Snow Memorial Trust, Cremations‚ Traditional Burials‚ foster the arts via the generosity of our bringing the combined total raised to Non-Religious Memorials extraordinary donors. The endowment $23,600. Continued growth of the fund, Licensed Funeral Director: fund committee members wish to thank through community contributions and Douglas G. Tappan our generous donors for their contri- matching grant support, increases its 431 Main Street, butions to our community,” said fund grantmaking capacity and strengthens Phoenix, NY 13135 its ability to meet the community’s chairwoman Tina Lane. 315-695-3131 The fund began in 1991 with seed changing needs over time. agtfuneralhome.com The Pulaski fund is a permanent money from the John Ben Snow Memorial Trust. John Ben Snow was born and endowment fund that supports nonraised in Pulaski and gave generously profit organizations serving the village to his community throughout his life. of Pulaski and the town of Richland. He believed in improving the quality Organizations such as Salmon River of life in Pulaski and the surrounding Fine Arts, Half Shire Historical Soregion. With the help of the annual John ciety, Rural & Migrant Ministry of Ben Snow Memorial Trust matching Oswego County and United Friends grant, the Greater Pulaski Community of Homeless Animals have benefited Designer and Builder of Injection Molds Endowment Fund brings his wishes from the fund’s grants. Since its inception, the fund has forward by granting out more than Full-Service Tool and Die Shop supported arts and culture, community $30,000 per year to local nonprofits. “The Greater Pulaski Community development, education, environment, Endowment Fund began with a $50,000 health, and human services program177 Volney Street • Phoenix, NY 13135 challenge grant from the John Ben Snow ming in the greater Pulaski region with Memorial Trust PULASKI and has garnered well more & VICTOR, NY than $425,000 in grants. $350,000 inNY matching community PULASKIover & VICTOR,

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Skating at the Donabella house has become a neighborhood tradition in the Oswego community. Photo submitted.

Donabella’s Backyard Ice Rink Oswego family keeps its own ice rink, mostly used to play hockey

ince 2005 the Donabella family has been transforming their backyard at 130 West Cayuga St. in Oswego into a skating rink Each year, Fred and Lisa and their now adult sons Freddie, Anthony and Dominick, lay down a heavy tarp, secure boards into place along the sides to form walls and fill the 40-by-50-foot area with about 4,000 gallons water. After the ice builds up and the Donabellas resurface the rink, the ice may become as thick as six to eight inches. “In 2005, the rink started as a Christmas gift with a manufactured kit that included plastic framing at nearly half the current size,” Dominick recalled. “Over the years, we have learned the tricks of the trade and moved on to using 2-by-10 framing wood as our base

frame and an extremely durable white plastic liner. In 2014, we even excavated a portion of the yard to be able to expand the rink to its current size.” The Donabellas fringe the space with temporary fencing to protect the house and their neighbors’ homes from risk of damage caused by flying pucks. “Hockey is definitely the primary activity taking place on the rink,” Dominick said. “Two on two, three on three and shootouts are the biggest games that take place. At times, it is a more casual atmosphere with those just learning how to skate or shooting the puck around.” The rink serves as a neighborhood focal point for casual get-togethers around a bonfire; however, “anyone who asks is welcomed,” Dominick said.

Family friends and the Donabellas’ sons help with rink maintenance, which includes clearing from the surface snowfall and debris such as fallen branches. The sons live near their family home. The Donabella’s first day of operating the rink this season was Jan. 6, unseasonably late compared with many previous years. Use of the rink is free; however, any help in maintenance is welcomed. “This rink is important to our family because of the memories it has not only provided us, but all of our friends and family that come over to use it as well,” Dominick said. “As a hockey-crazed family growing up, it has been the hub for most of our learning and developing as hockey players. But more importantly, it is also a place where anyone can have fun. So many snow days, school nights, and weekends have been spent on our rink by many people. Some kids have even learned to skate on our rink. These are things we will always remember and are the reasons why we continue this tradition.” To visit the rink, go to www.facebook.com/DonabellaRink.

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

SPECIAL REPORT

Email Messages Driving You Nuts? Checking your email inbox every minute? You’re not alone… By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

hether you admit it or not, it is likely that you check your email many more times a day than you need to. When the inbox pings and the number climbs, it is difficult to resist clicking. In fact, the average full-time American worker spends 2.6 hours reading and answering an average of 120 emails every day, according to McKinsey Analytics. That would take a big chunk out of the day of David Proietti, principal of Oswego Community Christian School in Oswego. Instead, he streamlines the process. “Check it every day, remove all emails that you don’t want to save, and unsubscribe to messages that were not

The average full-time American worker spends 2.6 hours reading and answering an average of 120 emails every day.

invited,” he said. His method not only streamlines the process for a day, but also ensures fewer emails come tomorrow. To comply with Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography And Marketing (CAN-SPAM) Act of 2003, those sending commercial emails must send them with an “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of the email. You can

46 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022

also choose to block senders to help thin out your inbox. It also helps to designate a “junk” account when signing up for offers (and the subsequent flood of unwanted email) and then periodically delete the emails in that account. Only give out your email to legitimate business contacts and interests. Sign up for subscriptions that you truly

!!!

care about. That can help you sort out the “seemingly urgent with the truly important,” according to Anthony D’Angelo, professor of Practice and director of the master’s program, communications management at Syracuse University. “We’ve all seen email overtake organizational life,” he said. He added that the ease of email has contributed to the problem. Taking just moments to read and send, why not scratch that off the to-do list? The illusion of accomplishing something— tackling that email inbox—offers a little buzz. But reading and answering unimportant emails and constantly checking wastes time. D’Angelo instead prefers the checking of email during a few times throughout the day, such as 8 to 8:30 a.m., from noon to 12:30 p.m. and from 4:30 to 5 p.m. “Other than those time blocks, stay away from email and concentrate on doing substantive work,” D’Angelo said. “Also, turn off your alerts so they don’t intrude on your focus. Of course, your work may require that you check your mobile device in the evenings or early mornings as well, which is understandable, but the idea is to not allow the daily email avalanche to control your schedule.” One of his colleagues conscientiously begins every day by not looking at his email until he has completed a priority task from his to-do list. “He said it’s helped him increase his productivity and avoid the pattern of spending the first two hours of the morning scouring his inbox,” D’Angelo said. It also helps to keep the mailbox better organized. When checking email, immediately delete the obvious junk, address the most urgent and important emails and sort the rest of the emails to files that makes sense to you such as “useful information” or “address later.”

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FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

Bruce Frassinelli bfrassinelli@ptd.net

Polarization Is Becoming Dangerous

P ‘It was not long ago when people with divergent political views could discuss their differences without screaming at each other, without calling each other vile names and using fourletter words and without threatening reprisals, even violence.’

ublic service is one of the noblest ways to give back to a person’s community, but, quite frankly, I am gravely concerned that the political climate in our country is going down a frightening path. I fear for their safety. In November, Kenneth Gasper, 64, of Lake Ronkonkoma, Long Island, was arrested for telephoning a death threat to U.S. Rep. Andrew Garbarino, a Nassau County Republican who voted for the recently enacted $1.2 trillion infrastructure package. Three other Republican House members were among 10 House members who voted for the bill: John Katko, who represents a large chunk of Central New York, Nicole Malliotakis and Tom Reed. Garbarino said that misinformation spread by some House members and conservative talk show hosts has put the safety of him and the other colleagues at risk. “I’ve had the police at my house, and they’re more concerned about these [threats] that have been coming in than the ones I’ve gotten in the past,” Garbarino said. Former President Donald Trump condemned these 10 as “traitors,” for giving the Democrats a “win.’’ Friends said Malliotakis, whose district includes Staten Island and parts of South Brooklyn, was left “visibly shaken” by Trump’s characterization.

BRUCE FRASSINELLI is the former publisher of The Palladium-Times. He served as a governor of the Rotary Club District 7150 (Central NY) from July 2001 to June 2002. 48 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022

Katko said attacks, even from Trump, will not sway him from doing what he needs to do for the district. Noting that the bill benefits everyone, Katko said sometimes politicians need to go against the grain and step out of the lockstep of a party vote. Katko was also one of the few Republicans who voted to impeach Trump after the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol. Trump was impeached but was acquitted by the U.S. Senate. The Camillus-based congressman announced Jan. 14 he wouldn’t seek re-election in November. He will retire from politics at the end of his second term. It was not long ago when people with divergent political views could discuss their differences without screaming at each other, without calling each other vile names and using four-letter words and without threatening reprisals, even violence. Not only are politicians who do not toe their party’s line coming under attack, but other public officials, most notably school board members of late, are reporting threats at or after board meetings, anonymous phone calls at all hours of the day and night, even confrontations in parking lots. Much of it revolves around COVID-19 precautions or fear of teaching critical race theory. Former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords,

My Turn

D-Arizona, writing recently in The Washington Post, offered her views about the recent stabbing death of Conservative Parliament member David Amess in Great Britain while he was meeting with his constituents. “I was horrified and heartbroken,” Giffords wrote. “Amess was doing exactly what I was doing on that day [in 2011] near Tucson — listening, connecting. But he paid for his public service with his life.’’ Giffords was shot in an assassination attempt in 2011 in a Tucson, Arizona, suburb during a “ Congress on Your Corner” program, which allowed constituents to speak directly to their representatives. She suffered severe brain injuries and ultimately had to resign from Congress. Nineteen other people were shot, six of whom died from their wounds. The shooter, Jared Lee Loughner, pleaded guilty to 19 of 50 charges to avoid a death sentence and is now serving a life sentence. Giffords went on to say that the polarization and extremism have only gotten worse over the past decade. “ Harassment and threats against government officials are no longer the exception but more the norm,” Giffords wrote. Isn’t that a sad commentary of how low we have sunk? Instead of expressing our gratitude to those who are willing to give up their time and serve with no compensation on the local school board, some bad-mouth them and scream vile things at them because they disagree with them. In some cases, they issue veiled or real threats of bodily harm. You’ll recall that there are five men awaiting trial in Michigan for plotting to kidnap Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitman because of her directives to curb COVID-19. During the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., a number of the insurrectionists said they intended to inflict bodily harm on former Republican Vice President Mike Pence, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-California, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York. It is chilling to recall how close they were to actually finding these and other legislators. If they had found Pence, would they have hanged him as they were threatening to do? Remember the noose that some of the insurrections were carrying? I don’t know about you, but I see it as a real possibility. This enflamed mob was out of control and out for blood, and if they had caught any of the “ big three,” anything they might have done to them was on the table.

The situation has gotten to the point where the Department of Justice has directed the FBI to meet with local governments and law enforcement officials to discuss strategies to deal with increasing threats to school board members and school personnel. School board meetings have come under attack because of vaccine and masking policies, and there has been a conservative backlash against discussions of race in public schools, especially involving the concept “critical race theory,” which is not taught in any of our local elementary, middle or secondary public schools. “Threats against public servants are not only illegal, they run counter to our nation’s core values,” wrote Attorney General Merrick Garland in his memorandum several months ago to FBI Director Christopher Wray. Around the country, public officials have received an increasing number of threats. Referring to Chris Krebs, a Homeland Security election official fired by Trump, one of the former president’s attorneys, Joseph DiGenova, said Krebs should be “ drawn and quartered, taken out at dawn and shot.” Former Trump aide Steve Bannon said that FBI Director Wray and infectious disease director Anthony Fauci should be “ beheaded and their heads mounted on spikes as a warning to federal bureaucrats.” Americans who are angry about police brutality, pandemic restrictions or the 2020 election outcome have taken it out on people who work for the government — not just those elected to positions of authority, but lower-level workers, too. Across the United States, dozens of health officials have quit since the pandemic began, some citing death threats and intimidation, some of it from the upper echelons of their state’s government. Perhaps the most compelling revelation I can point to that puts this issue into crystal clarity is the comment Pennsylvania Senate Republican Majority Leader Kim Ward made after dozens of her fellow Pennsylvania GOP legislators sent a letter calling on their congressional delegation to reject electoral votes for Joe Biden in the 2020 election. Ward told The New York Times, “If I would say to you, ‘I don’t want to do it,’ I’d get my house bombed tonight.” My God, what has happened to civility? We presumably pride ourselves on living in a civilized society, so why aren’t we acting as if we do?

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FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

COVER STORY

FROM GRANDMA’S BASEMENT TO LEADING SUNY OSWEGO SUNY Oswego’s new officer-in-charge has had a passion for learning from a very young age BY STEVE YABLONSKI • PHOTOS BY CHUCK WAINWRIGHT

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

ary C. Toale’s love of academics has taken her from her grandmother’s basement to her current position as the officer-in-charge at SUNY Oswego. The 49-year-old was appointed following the retirement of long-serving President Deborah F. Stanley. Her appointment was effective Jan. 1. She will serve while the college searches for a permanent president. Stanley was appointed interim chancellor of the State University of New York. “My passion for learning and teaching began when I first played the school teacher in my grandma’s basement with my siblings and cousins,” Toale recalled. “I taught every subject. My ‘students’ then were not necessarily interest-

PRAISED BY FORMER PRESIDENT “Mary has continuously stepped in to lead areas of the college when needed and is the ideal officer-in-charge candidate. She brings a wealth of higher education leadership, knowledge and experience, and is committed to student success, equity and opportunity. I am confident she will do a fantastic job leading the college during this time of transition,” Stanley said of Toale’s appointment. The new officer in charge has been in higher education for more than 25 years, having spent the past 20 years in academia at SUNY Oswego, West Virginia Wesleyan College and Baldwin Wallace University, where she also served in leadership roles. “While at Baldwin Wallace University, I served the campus and community in various leadership roles and became deeply involved with a local nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide affordable access to organic fruits and vegetables in urban food deserts,” she explained. Her mom is from West Virginia, and her dad is from Buffalo. She grew up in Columbus, Ohio, with her sisters, and “was the first person in my family to attend college,” she said. “In addition to receiving a Pell grant, I earned scholarships to attend West Virginia Wesleyan College, in-

ed in really learning. But we had a lot of fun!” “I have been fortunate to have the opportunities to continue to learn in structured and unstructured environments,” she added. Her commitment to teaching and learning began early and led to her undergraduate degree in secondary mathematics education at West Virginia Wesleyan College. Her interest in pursuing graduate degrees led to her master’s degree in communication theory and research and doctoral degree in instructional communication at West Virginia University. Toale joined SUNY Oswego in August 2014 “to create and launch the strategic communication graduate program.” She began as an associate professor, department of communication studies, and was tenured in 2016.

cluding soccer, softball, leadership and academic scholarships,” she said. “I earned a bachelor’s degree in secondary mathematics education and then, after graduation, I taught, coached soccer and worked in alternative settings. Then I pursued my graduate degrees in communication at West Virginia University.” Her affiliations include: New York State Economic Development Council, American Association of State Colleges and Universities, American Association of Colleges & Universities and Eastern Communication Association. Throughout her career, she has earned much recognition for her efforts. In 2016, the Eastern Communication Association named Toale a Distinguished Teaching Fellow in recognition of her excellence in teaching. In 2017, ECA named her a recipient of the Distinguished Service Award for her service to the field of communication. In 2007, Toale received the Baldwin Wallace University Strosacker Award for Excellence in Teaching. Toale has published scholarly work as well as presented numerous scholarly and pedagogical topics at state, regional and national conferences. She has served on editorial review boards for state, regional and national peer-reviewed scholarly journals. She also has served as a communication consultant for local news outlets and working professionals.

52 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022

Toale served as one of 30 faculty on the National Communication Association’s Lumina Grant project to create learning outcomes in communication and served as a member of the National Faculty Advisory Board for Lambda Pi Eta. As the officer in charge at SUNY Oswego, Toale represents the university with local, state and federal officials, economic development agencies and businesses and industries. Among her other duties, she said, are reporting to the SUNY Chancellor and SUNY board of trustees and she is responsible for all university operations. Toale also supervises the college’s four vice presidents and works with the foundation board, the college council, accrediting agencies and internal and external constituents to further the strategic goals of the institution. She is also engaged in development activities, alumni relations and fundraising. In her free time she said she “enjoys reading a wide swath of books, articles and research.” Her other hobbies include puzzles and genealogy. And, she is learning how to “cook and bake interesting recipes.” She is also using Duolingo, an app for learning different languages (www. duolingo.com). “I have not mastered any languages on there yet. I am continuing to learn Spanish, French and Norwegian,” she said.

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

She also dabbles in photography, “especially of my three dachshunds.” Toale’s canine companions include: Clementine Suzanne (Clemmie), a black and tan long-haired dachshund mix. She is 17 years old. Luna Lovegood, a short-haired brindle dachshund. She is 2 years old. And, George Waylon, a short-hair English cream dachshund. He is 2 years old.

PLAYING A VITAL ROLE “Higher education plays a vital role in providing opportunities for learning, skill development and social mobility as well as for gaining an understanding of our shared responsibility to our communities,” she said. “SUNY Oswego’s abiding commitment to access and opportunity drives us to deliver for those who seek the personal and professional fulfillment that a college degree offers over the course of their lives,” she continued. “Furthermore, we believe that ensuring inclusion of those from widely diverse backgrounds and experiences invigorates our learning environment and serves to produce a better-informed, creative and productive citizenry for all.” Everyone at SUNY Oswego is working together for the betterment of all the students. “Our shared commitment to our students’ well-being is rooted in empowerment and equity. The recent establishment of SUNY Oswego’s Institute for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Transformative Practice reinforces this notion and will serve to create and maintain an inclusive, equitable community of students and scholars where all stakeholders thrive and experience belonging,” she explained. Toale partnered with the former president and the college’s chief diversity and inclusion officer, to create the institute.

COVID-19 CONCERNS REMAIN In the fall of 2021, Toale was named the college’s campus safety monitor. Currently, Victoria Furlong, vice president for administration and finance, is now serving as the campus safety monitor. She is responsible for the coordination and oversight of COVID-19 operations and policies on campus and serves as the campus liaison with the SUNY system administration. “The pandemic is still a big concern,” Toale said. “We continue to follow the science to make decisions for our

Mary Toale joined SUNY Oswego in August 2014 “to create and launch the strategic communication graduate program.” She began as an associate professor, department of communication studies, and was tenured in 2016. campus community with health and safety at the forefront of our decision making.” What does Toale like the most about SUNY Oswego? “The people: students, alumni, faculty, staff and administrators,” she said. “We are all here for the same reason: to help our students succeed.”

IMPROVING ENROLLMENT NUMBERS Enrollment has been declining at the college, as well as at other colleges around the country. Last fall’s enrollment at Oswego took a big dip, mostly because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Student enrollment at many colleges fell last fall, according to a report by The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. That prompted some to worry whether the declines experienced during the pandemic could become an enduring trend. However, at SUNY Oswego, it appears things are turning around. Things have been trending upward, Toale noted. “Our approach to enrollment includes all facets of the university: recruitment and retention of undergraduate, graduate, residential, commuter, online, Syracuse campus, international and adult learners,” she said. “We have seen a steady increase in applications. They are up 26% from Central New York prospective students (Oswego and the adjoining counties) and running significantly ahead of last year in deposited students for fall 2022.”

AN INTEREST IN PROGRAMS The college is seeing continued interest in its highly reputable academic programs such as broadcasting and mass communication; engineering (electrical/computer and software engineering); business administration;

54 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022

meteorology and zoology, the officer in charge pointed out. “We plan to continue to capitalize on our strengths and offerings in Oswego’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; School of Business; School of Communication, Media and the Arts; and School of Education,” she said. “On the graduate side, we are seeing programs that are growing due to the possible connection to how folks are experiencing the pandemic. For example, biomedical and health informatics, and mental health counseling. Our MBA program is highly sought-after and our online MBA is the highest-ranked public school offering in New York state and among the nation’s top online master of business administration programs, according to U.S. News & World Report, Princeton Review and Poets & Quants,” she said. “We are also seeing an increase in those motivated to go back to school to get their initial certification in teaching.”

OSWEGO FORWARD When asked what she hopes to accomplish in her tenure, she replied: “I want to keep SUNY Oswego moving forward to ensure we are meeting the needs of our students so they can succeed. We have a great team and I know they will continue to bring their best ideas to the table as we carve our future together.” SUNY Oswego’s presidential search committee, led by college council chairman James McMahon, has begun a national search for a permanent president. It is working with SUNY and Academic Search to actively network and recruit prospective candidates. Has Toale thought about throwing her hat in the ring for the president’s post at SUNY Oswego? “No,” she replied. When a new president is named, she said she will return to the role of deputy to the president. ■

over the past year, resulted in the college endowment reaching a record high $56.7 million as of June 30, 2021,” Canale said. “Even more impressive, at the close of the 2021 calendar year (as of Dec. 31, 2021), SUNY Oswego’s endowment reached an all-time high of $62.3 million.”

Notable rankings

SUNY Oswego Maintains Fiscal Strength In fiscal year 2019-2020, college added $419.4 million in income to Central New York economy By Steve Yablonski

UNY Oswego remains one of the largest economic drivers in Central New York. It also continues to flourish in its national rankings, most notably in a range of recognition for its online master of business administration rankings. “Fiscal year 2020-21 proved to be a unique year in the history of SUNY Oswego,” the college’s Officer-in-Charge Mary Toale said. “Continued response and mitigation of the COVID-19 pandemic was forefront on everyone’s minds, but the SUNY Oswego campus community never wavered in serving our partners and internal and external communities.” In addition to managing a $195 million operational budget, “our resourcefulness in deploying planned and prudent fiscal strategies was key to our ability to preserve the core mission of the institution and service to our students,” added Victoria Furlong, vice president for administration and finance.

$419.4 million economic impact “SUNY Oswego creates a significant positive impact on the business community and generates a return on investment to its major stakeholders:

students, taxpayers and the greater society,” said Scott Furlong, provost and vice president for academic affairs. In fiscal year 2019-2020, SUNY Oswego added $419.4 million in income to the Central New York regional economy. The college’s total economic impact also supported 5,541 jobs. According to a recent economic impact analysis, for every dollar invested in SUNY Oswego, taxpayers will receive $2.80 in return, over the course of students’ working lives; and society will receive $9.20 in added income and social savings, he noted. Endowment at the college has also experienced record-setting growth. “SUNY Oswego’s exceptional endowment [investment] performance over nearly two decades reinforces to our donors that charitable giving to SUNY Oswego is a smart investment— with returns that have the capability to change the course of society’s future through the contributions of our graduates in communities around the state, the nation and the world,” said Mary Gibbons Canale, vice president for development and alumni engagement. For the first time in its history, the Oswego College Foundation recorded a 27.8% return on its endowment investments, she added. “These returns, combined with our phenomenal fundraising results

In rankings released on Jan. 25, SUNY Oswego’s online master of business administration program continues to rank top among public institutions in the state by U.S. News and World Report. A new honor for SUNY Oswego was ranking as the top institution in New York state in MBA programs for veterans, tied for 38th overall. For the overall online MBA 2022 rankings, Oswego tied for 56th, which represented a rise of six places from the previous year. That ranking follows close on the heels of Oswego earning high honors in the Princeton Review including SUNY Oswego among its top 50 online MBA programs for 2022, the highest-ranked public institution in New York on that list, as well as best business schools for 2022: on-campus MBA programs. Oswego ranked highest among New York state public institutions and 41st nationally in Princeton Review, making it one of the best values in the list. In another measure of quality and commitment, SUNY Oswego was named one of 15 institutions recently selected by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities to participate in the newly launched Transformation Accelerator Cohort. The program, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is designed to support cohorts of equity driven AASCU institutions who are passionate about closing equity gaps and creating opportunities for the success of Black, Latinx, Indigenous and low-income students. Its core concept is that recognizing and addressing structural equality is the only way to ensure that all students who deserve an opportunity can succeed. The project unfolds in five-steps and runs through summer 2023. “Many efforts paved the way for this honor … for SUNY Oswego to be included in this far-reaching project,” said Scott Furlong. “But we know that as an institution and a society, we still have a way to go. The TAC provides a road map and timeline to make an impact in a deep and lasting way, to move from transitional change to transformational change.”

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

COLLEGE ENROLLMENT TAKES A PLUNGE DURING PANDEMIC By Mary Beth Roach

he impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues, worsening the decline in enrollment many colleges nationwide have been experiencing. According to a report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, colleges saw a decrease of 3.2% in undergraduate enrollment last fall, on top of a 3.4% drop the previous academic

year, the first fall of the pandemic. The report also suggested the decline could impact the job market and the economy in the future. We talked with administration officials from SUNY Oswego, LeMoyne College and Onondaga Community College to see how they are faring. A representative for Syracuse University said the school does not comment on enrollment.

beginning the process of really coming back strong with our traditional-age population,” said Scott Furlong, provost and academic vice president for academic affairs. Officials noted that they have seen an increase in the college’s online enrollment and in its graduate programs over the past year or two. Its international enrollment is increasing, too, as travel becomes easier and its Syracuse campus at Clinton Square has seen some growth. With the graduate students, Furlong said, “I think what we’re seeing economically is that more and more the master’s degree is becoming the degree of choice for many businesses.” There are a lot of variables, some specific to COVID-19, that affect enrollment, according to Furlong. Demographics in the Northeast and the Midwest have been changing — something that many in the field have been watching for a while, Furlong said. While COVID-19 may be a catalyst, competition is fierce and some are questioning the value of a college degree, he added. Furthermore, some students who haven’t been able to get that full on-campus college experience because of the pandemic are doing a cost-benefit analysis. The pandemic has affected many families’ incomes and their ability to afford to send their child to college. Colleges too have had issues with recruitment. Furlong noted some obstacles, especially in the pandemic’s

NEW STUDENT ENROLLMENT FOR SUNY OSWEGO (per semester)

SUNY OSWEGO

UNY Oswego has seen a decline since the pandemic hit. New student enrollment in the fall of 2019, pre-COVID-19, was 2,127; a decline in the 2020-21 academic year 1,897 in the fall of 2020; and 1,742 in the fall of 2021. Its total student enrollment was 7,832 in the fall of 2019; 7,636 in the fall of 2020; and 7,058 this past fall. College officials, however, remain optimistic as they are seeing an increase

in applications over last year — from 9,138 in 2021 to 10,563 in 2022. It’s starting to improve for the 2021-22 year, according to Mary Toale, officer-in-charge. The college is seeing a 26% increase in applications over last year at this point in time, with more coming from Oswego and the contiguous counties, according to Wayne Westervelt, chief communication officer for the college. “While I don’t think we’ll get back to where we were three years ago, we’re

56 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022

2,127 Fall 2019

1,897 Fall 2020

1,742 Fall 2022

first year, which plagued recruitment efforts, including access to applications; the inability of high school guidance counselors to meet with students and of colleges to meet with guidance counselors; and the lack of campus tours. SUNY Oswego, like all colleges, has had to adapt to the changing landscape. They’ve created a bigger online presence. “We’re seeing more demand and we’re supplying some more degrees in an online environment than we would have done five or 10 years ago,” Furlong said. “We’ve been watching the trends even before the pandemic and wanting to come up with other ways. We think we have something to offer in the online environment that could provide additional access to our students.” Other programs have been added over the last few years, a recent one being the integrated professional studies program. The music program offers an audio recording degree; several minors have been added to the business program and the $85-million renovation project at Hewitt Hall continues with the goal, said Westervelt, of creating a premier broadcasting and mass communication facility. The college’s mental health counseling program has dramatically increased during the pandemic, as students seek credentials and further education in that field, Toale said. On the grad level, a biomedical and health informatics programs were added in 2016. The college, like many of its counterparts, talks with businesses to determine what they need in prospective employees. For example, a partnership with SRC, Inc. began in 2014, in which SUNY Oswego offers an online MBA program to employees, “helping propel them in their careers,” Westervelt said. People are retooling, as they look at how they can further their development, Toale said. “Being able to expand those opportunities, I think that draws people in,” she added. Furlong added that data has indicated that students going into the workforce these days are going to have several different careers, not just jobs, throughout the lifetime. “We think what our degree provides is not only an in-depth learning environment of a discipline or a skill, but the broader ability to think, the ability to evolve, to learn on the spot what they need to and move into other careers or higher levels within their organization,” he said.

LeMOYNE COLLEGE

ecause of the unknowns of erage for first-to-second year retention COVID-19, LeMoyne took a con- is more than 85%. For the fall 2020 enservative approach to budgeting, tering class, which entered six months said Tim Lee, Ph.D., vice president for into the pandemic, retention dropped enrollment management. And it looked to just less than 82%. Typically, first-year class retention to bring in a smaller class. The school’s typical goal is 625 and from fall (their first semester) to spring it had more than 650 for the fall of 2020. (their second semester) is about 94%. For the fall of 2021 class, it budgeted Last year, LeMoyne dipped to 90%, but for 600 and came in at 625. It hit both for the incoming 2021 cohort, it’s above its overall enrollment budget both in that number. “I think a lot of students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate, Lee said. The current academic year exceed- that first year didn’t have a traditional ed the enrollment budget by about college experience,” he explained, 25 students and the fall of 2020 class suggesting for those who felt that their expectations between 25 to 30 weren’t being met, students. they opted to take “Ironically, we some time off, do hit the usual goal something else and in a year that we perhaps re-enroll budgeted for and when things reexpected a smaller turned to normal. class,” Lee said. LeMoyne has “We hit our e been able to buck overall enrollment (per semester) this trend with budget both in unsome advance dergraduate and planning, Lee said. graduate. I feel for“I think we’re tunate that LeMpretty intentional oyne was able to with our plans. We exceed its first-year Fall 2020 had some plans goals two years in place. We were in a row during able to pivot really COVID-19.” quickly and move a Lee provided lot of things online,” some additional he explained. statistics. The colFall 2021 Recruitment is lege’s 10-year av-

NEW STUDENT ENROLLMENT FOR L MOYNE COLLEGE

650+ 624

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

d sustainability solutions, strong financial standing, and an commitment to deliver top notch customer service, ENGIE

more counselors and to complete first hit, it was springtime, when the more applications than usual. I think colleges first interact with high school students and counselors appreciated that,” Lee said. juniors, he pointed out. While LeMoyne may not be expe“We really lost two full recruiting ENGIE proudly partners with commercial riencing the same enrollment issues the cycles,” Lee said. and industrial customers to provide So, they set up a lot of Zoom national report highlighted, Lee agrees comprehensive energy and sustainability meetings and increased their digital with its findings overall. solutions, top customer service and Current high school juniors have marketing and outreach. improved price positions for both electricity and natural gas. Another big shift was to move from not had the traditional high school being partially to fully test-optional. experience and now they’re seeing that This means that a college would not re- their college experience might not be quire the ACTs or SATs, but the student either, Lee said. They may choose to could submit their scores if they wanted. put off their college plans until things For the most part, LeMoyne had been return to normal. “I think some families are re-evaltest optional for the past seven or eight contact Manager, lenny.tilton@engie.com NTACT Lenny Tilton, Business Development years, but they still had a few programs uating college and what it means. Do Lenny Tilton, Business Development Manager that required the scores. In addition, they want the full college experience or lenny.tilton@engie.com LeMoyne told high school guidance are they going to take the quickest and counselors that they no longer needed shortest route to get to a certain level of to write lengthy recommendations on licensures or job level?” he said. Lenny Tilton, Business Development Manager, lenny.tilton@engie.com John E. Dowdle Some students, he surmised, will students, that a couple of sentences Adrian J. Dowdle would be sufficient. If a student was opt for a job where they’re making borderline, the college would follow decent money for their age. If their employees offer educational benefits, up with a phone call. “I think eliminating some of those they might return to school part-time. barriers that were typical requirements Maybe it’ll take a little bit longer to get in the past allowed us to interact with a 2- or 4-year degree,” he said.

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munications at the community college. to pay thousands of dollars to go to A major factor in that decline is the school and wind up sitting in front of difference in the makeup of the student a computer, unless that’s your choice body at OCC as compared with that of or your life is such that that’s the only thing that works for you. If that’s the four-year colleges. “Eighty percent of our students case and you understand that and you work 30 hours a week or more, and they can excel in that format. But there’s a lot work the types of jobs that were the of people who can’t,” he added. To assist students, OCC set up the most severely impacted by COVID-19,” Lazer Response Fund in April of 2020. Mirabito explained. Many of these students were al- More than $100,000 was raised from ready struggling financially, and with donors throughout the community, the pandemic, “they had the rug pulled alumni and businesses to help students out from under them,” he added. “Com- who had critical immediate needs on a ing back to school wasn’t as strong an case-by-case basis. From that fund, the option for them as maybe it had been a college has been able to provide them, year before. They needed to find some- on a temporary basis, with laptops or access to hot spots if they don’t have thing to do, work and survive.” For the fall of 2021, OCC’s en- internet access at home. The decrease in enrollment may rollment was at 7,687. Compare this to its peak, when in the fall of 2010, it affect the economic curve for years was 13,051. Enrollment at community to come, but OCC has been updating colleges, he said, has been decreasing, their certificate and degree programs but the pandemic has accelerated that to coincide with the current job market trends, especially those in the region, decline, Mirabito said. However, there are other reasons and to facilitate transfers for those driving the COVID-19-related decrease, students who wish to continue on to a four-year college. he pointed out. For example, it has created proWhen colleges went remote, some students had problems with access- grams for those wishing to earn a paramedic certificate or ing a computer, paramedic degree, like if they lived degrees in cyberin an apartment security, laboratory with several other science or automoindividuals and tive technology. the housemates While it’s been shared one coman ongoing effort puter. Getting time to develop and on the computupdate these proer and finding a grams, the onset quiet space was (per semester) of COVID-19 has challenging. Some made it even more students didn’t timely and importhave access to a ant, Mirabito said. computer at all or “We’re just reto WiFi hot spots ally proud of the and some need the fact that we’ve in-person learning. Fall 2019 been able to stay Recruitment on top of what is efforts have been needed out there hampered, too, as and then create it’s been challengthat to try to get ing to get into high our students in schools and spend programs that will time with prospecFall 2020 either lead them tive college studirectly to a job dents. or a great transfer “There’s no opportunity to a question it’s had four-year school,” an impact on enhe said. ■ rollment,” Mirabito said. Fall 2022 “Who wants

60 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022

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Dollar General store on state Route 104 in New Haven. The stores have become ubiquitous in rural America, combining low prices and convenience for rural shoppers who have seen many of their local stores disappear.

Dollar General Increasingly Becoming Go-To Retailer for Rural Communities The company now has 18,000 stores, including 12 in Oswego County, and caters to rural shoppers who don’t have easy access to a store By Ken Sturtz

hen construction began on a steel-sided Dollar General store in New Haven, on a piece of property sandwiched between a tavern and the elementary school, near the center of town, Lorraine Lighthall didn’t think she’d shop there often. New Haven has a mere 2,800 residents and no grocery store, but she didn’t particularly mind — there’s a supermarket and a Walmart less than 10 miles west in the city of Oswego. Five miles to the east, in the village of Mexico, there’s a pharmacy, small grocery store

and another Dollar General. But when the new Dollar General opened last year, Lighthall was surprised. “I’m using it a whole lot more than I ever dreamed I would,” she said. “I run and get things that I need at the last minute. It’s handy.” Dollar General stores have become ubiquitous in rural America, combining low prices and convenience for rural shoppers who have seen many of their local stores disappear and face the prospect of an annoyingly long drive to get to a Walmart or supermarket.

62 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022

The rapid expansion of Dollar General has been staggering. At a time when other retailers have shuttered locations, it has opened thousands of stores, mostly away from population centers. The company, which did more than $30 billion in sales last year, now ranks as one of the most profitable retailers in America. In November, Dollar General announced the opening of its 18,000th store. Dollar General opened its first location in Oswego County 20 years ago and now operates a dozen stores across

the county in Sandy Creek, Pulaski, Parish, Constantia, Mexico, Palermo, New Haven, Fulton, Minetto, Hannibal, Altmar and the town of Oswego. To understand the larger forces that have fueled Dollar General’s rise it’s necessary to look back to the Great Recession, said Ray Wimer, a professor of retail practice at Syracuse University’s Whitman School of Management. The recession that began in December 2007 after a real estate bubble popped ultimately became the longest and deepest since the Great Depression in the 1930s. Although the recession ended in 2009, the economic recovery over the last decade has been uneven across the country. Some areas, such as Central New York, were slower to bounce back and saw less economic growth. The uneven recovery merely exacerbated a longer-term problem of growing wealth inequality and the hollowing out of the middle class. According to the Pew Research Center, the share of adults in the U.S. who live in middle-income households slipped from 61% in 1971 to 51% in 2019. “Unequal distribution of income post-recession was doing something to retail,” Wimer said. During and after the recession many middle-class people who were struggling traded their normal retailers for lower-priced value-oriented retailers, such as Dollar General and Aldi. Those companies, as well as off-price retailers such as Marshalls, Burlington, TJ Maxx and Five Below have done very well, Wimer said. In many cases consumers didn’t return to their old retailers. Dollar General in particular has also been very strategic when choosing where to place its stores, pinpointing communities that are struggling economically and underserved by retailers. “They tend to choose rural locations or small-town locations,” Wimer explained. “They are usually going into areas where the mom-and-pop store is gone, the local grocery store is gone.” Dollar General owes some of its success to Walmart. In the 1990s, as Walmart moved into more and more communities, many local grocery stores and retailers couldn’t compete and folded. That created gaps, leaving communities without a convenient option to do their shopping. “And it’s probably a 20- to 30-minute journey for people to get to the Walmart supercenter and a lot of these people that work in these areas, they don’t necessarily have the time or the

energy to drive that distance to do their grocery shopping,” Wimer said. Convenience seems to be a main selling point for residents here. Lighthall still goes grocery shopping at the supermarket or Walmart in Oswego, but she frequently finds herself zipping over to the Dollar General when she runs out of one or two items like when she recently was baking and ran out of sugar. “In five minutes I can be there and be back home,” she said. “They have most everything in there that you’d want.” Liz McIntosh lives in Oswego, but teaches chemistry in Mexico. The Dollar General is on her way home and she often stops to grab a handful of items. She said it’s easier getting in and out of the store. There are also times when she doesn’t want to deal with all the people at a busy Walmart. She said that with the pandemic it’s especially nice to be able to stop into a store that’s not likely to be as crowded. “It’s just kind of this natural perfect fit,” McIntosh said. “I park, I run in and grab what I want and I’m done.” Judy LaMay used to go into Oswego to do her grocery shopping, but she was pleasantly surprised when the Dollar General in New Haven opened. She liked their prices and selection. Now she shops there for everything from milk, cereal and cookies, to dog food, paper products and ice cream. She’s also able to get some good

deals on name-brand items. When the store has a sale on DiGiorno frozen pizzas, for example, they’re so inexpensive that LaMay stocks up on them. Besides regular shopping trips, LaMay uses the Dollar General when she runs out of something or needs to buy something in a hurry. If she’s in the middle of cooking and realizes she’s out of baking powder or oil, she’ll drive over and pick up what she needs. “If I happen to find out that I’ve forgotten somebody’s birthday and there’s a party I have to attend, I’ll run up there and pick up a last-minute card, gift and wrapping paper,” she said. “It saves me running into Oswego or Mexico.” Dollar General increasingly resembles a grocery store with its offerings. Wimer said one area of particular focus for the company has been building out the infrastructure for a cold supply chain. That will allow the company to stock more frozen foods and fresh produce at more of its stores. Although some investors have raised concerns that Dollar General’s rapid growth is unsustainable, Wimer said the company has done an exceptionally good job of understanding and meeting the needs of its customers. “They know who their targeted customer is,” he said. “Areas where it wasn’t easy to go get your grocery shopping done, they have fulfilled that need.”

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

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FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

PROGRESS THERE’S GOOD NEWS ON THE HORIZON FOR THE CNY ECONOMY The economy we knew before COVID-19 may be closer than we think, says M&T official Peter Kneis during CenterState CEO meeting BY AARON GIFFORD

THESE ARE UNCERTAIN AND PARTICULARLY UNUSUAL ECONOMIC TIMES: New and used cars selling at sticker price; grocery stores with bare shelves; fast food restaurants or retailers offering astounding starting wages but still unable to fill positions; businesses closed due to staff shortages. And yet, unemploy-

ment rates are low and housing markets are red hot. Regardless of politics, supply chain issues or COVID-19, these trends are uniform across the nation. But the more familiar economy we knew before COVID-19 may be closer than most people think, a noted economist recently told a group of local leaders

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

PROGRESS

and business professionals. “The question is, can we get back to pre-pandemic levels?” Peter Kneis, M&T group vice president for commercial banking, said in a recent interview. “Maybe, if everyone can embrace some changes.” Kneis presented the region’s 2022 Economic Forecast in January to members of the CenterState CEO. He said that, at the national level, the U.S. economy is being disrupted by four key drivers: labor shortages and wage costs, supply chain disruption, pent-up demand and savings, and inflation. As for the labor market, private sector employment is 2.1% lower than before the pandemic, with almost 3 million jobs (16,000 in the Syracuse metro area) that still haven’t been recovered. But at the same time, there are not enough workers to fill available jobs. “There’s a job and a half for every person who is unemployed,” Kneis said. “And people want more. In some cases, the expectation is 20% or 30% more than what we saw a couple years ago.” The situation, nationally and locally, is more complicated than just the number of jobs compared to the number of available workers. In many places, the jobs require a certain amount of experience, credentials or education levels that are hard to find. Moreover, millions of people are not ready to go back to work if COVID-19 is still a threat. “Political views aside,” Kneis said, “unemployment benefits were good. People need an incentive to work.” The unemployment rate, currently below 4% nationally, is based on tallies of people applying for benefits. It does not factor in people who are not looking to return to the work force. In Syracuse, the unemployment rate through November 2021 was 4.7%, compared to 4.6% in Rochester, 4.0% in Albany, 5.0% in Utica-Rome, and 5.1% in both Binghamton and Buffalo. Wages, meanwhile, are increasing at the fastest pace in 20 years. Kneis said the average increase is about 3.6% per year. Bank deposits are also at the highest amounts in recent history, due to past stimulus checks coupled with the fact that people were not going out to spend money. The question is, Kneis said, how will that money be spent — investments? goods and services? vacations? “And, of course you have inflation,” he said. “Everything costs more

Peter Kneis is M&T group vice president for commercial banking. He recently spoke to members of CenterState CEO.

‘The question is, can we get back to pre-pandemic levels? Maybe, if everyone can embrace some changes.’ Peter Kneis

now than it did two years ago.” In the Syracuse metro area, employment in the business and professional services sector has surpassed pre-COVID-19 levels, at 101%, thanks to workers in those types of jobs being able to work from home. Remarkably, transportation and warehousing has also spiked upward, at 106%. Kneis attributes that trend to consumers ordering goods online in lieu of shopping in person. And manufacturing has remained stable, with only a 4% loss of jobs since March of 2020. “The goods made in factories are still needed,” Kneis said, adding that local factories pay well and those that

68 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022

are unionized have a loyal group of workers. The Syracuse area leisure and hospitality sector, which includes restaurant and hotel jobs, is only at 82% of pre-COVID-19 employment, though still up 42% from where it was in May 2020. This is because many local eateries closed for good after the pandemic began, and many have reduced hours due to staff shortages. Hotels, of course, lost business because far fewer people are traveling these days. Healthcare and education jobs, meanwhile, are at 90%. And retail is still 6% below pre-pandemic levels. The good news is that most Upstate New York cities have seen population increases since the pandemic began. According to U.S. Census figures for the period of 2010 through 2020, Buffalo topped the list with a 6.5% population hike in that 10-year period, followed by Syracuse at 2.4%, Albany at 1.4%, Binghamton at 1.3% and Rochester at 0.4%. “All of the sudden, cities are getting cool again,” Kneis said, adding that younger adults make up a sizable chunk of the urban population hikes across Upstate New York. Most of the counties that encompass Upstate cities have also reported population increases, including Erie County (Buffalo) at 3.8%, Albany County at 3.5% and Monroe County (Rochester) and Onondaga County (Syracuse) both at 2.0%. Broome County (Binghamton) saw a 1.0% population decrease. Regarding home sales, Kneis added, the inventory is still low, asking prices in most places are still increasing and it continues to be a sellers’ market, though this activity is expected to cool down when interest rates go back up. Going forward, Kneis advised, local governments and business leaders need to embrace some of the changes that have already taken place in the past two years if they want to make Central New York a place where people want to live and work. “With labor,” he said, “you have to think about how and where your employees work.” Kneis concluded that the region could benefit tremendously from federal infrastructure funding planned in the months and years to come. “It’s a great opportunity to juice the local economy,” he said.

PROGRESS

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM KEY SECTORS OF OUR ECONOMY STORIES BY STEVE YABLONSKI

issues; we’ve had fertilizer costs triple, pesticide costs have doubled in many cases. And, we’ve got wages going up as well. Labor, of any business, is your biggest expense.” Then, there is the uncertainty due to part of the Farmworker Practices law that passed a couple years ago in the legislature, he said. A three-person wage board was appointed to take a look and make recommendations to whether or not lower the overtime threshold from 60 hours to 40 hours, he added. A year ago, on New Year’s Eve, the board decided it would basically study it further and meet before the end of the year. At the end of 2021, the board decided to hold three hearings, the last one was on Jan. 20 of this year. “Numerous people spoke on both sides. So, at some point, this three-person wage board is going to meet and decide what to do next,” James said. “We, our position, and the position of farmers, has been it needs to stay at 60 hours. This is not factory work. We are a weather-dependent business,” he continued. “The other thing is farmers are price takers and not price makers. Milk prices, for example, are set by the federal government. The prices of things like produce are set by the buyers. Farmers can’t necessarily increase their prices.” So, if the wage board decides to lower overtime threshold to 40 hours, or anything less than 60, we’re going to see a number of farms go out of business, Decision on overtime threshold from 60 hours to 40 hours according to James. In fact, Cornell estimates that, at may determine the fate of many farmers, say experts the very minimum, 15% to 25% of all “It’s been a challenge, a rather big farms would go out of business across arming isn’t an easy job. And, COVID-19 has made things that challenge for farmers around the state,” the state, he added. much more difficult in recent said Mark James of the New York “We’re competing against other Farm Bureau. “We have supply chain states that don’t have overtime. Even months.

FARMING

Farmers Face Uncertainty Over Workers’ Hours

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PROGRESS

if farmers said ‘OK, we’re going to cap hours at 40 hours and we’re just going to try to hire more employees,’ the problem is there just isn’t more employees to hire right now,” James explained. “It’s like for every other business. If you drive around Oswego County you can see all the ‘help wanted’ signs everywhere.” There have been a lot of retirements this past year. It has created a huge void in the labor market, he said. “Farm workers want to go places where they are going to get the hours, the most money. And, if their hours are cut to 40, they are going to go to a state like Pennsylvania and work there,” he warned. According to a report from Cornell, going to a 40-hour threshold for overtime would be devastating to New York agriculture, James said. “Once these farms go out of business they get transformed into housing or whatever else and you’ll never recoup that land,” he said. Prices have gone up dramatically due to issues involving COVID-19 and there are supply chain issues, too. “That certainly is troublesome. Right now farmers aren’t sure what to do; they have to plan months in advance in some cases, some times a year or two in advance,” James said. “With this uncertainty surrounding what labor is going to cost just makes things worse.” Farmers who were able to sell directly to their consumers were better off, he noted. Those who supplied restaurants, for example, were hit the hardest by the pandemic. But, some farmers have told him they are either going to sell the farm and go completely out of business or they are going to move their operations to another state. There will be a trickle down affect. “The local businesses like the equipment dealers, the lumber yards, the fertilizer dealers and all of those folks; if they don’t have the critical mass to continue to do business those places are going to go out of business as well. So we will have a ripple effect through rural New York,” James said. He thinks that the farms that don’t have to rely on outside labor probably will survive. “But that’s not going to feed New York. They certainly fill a very valuable niche, within the grand scheme of things. But they can’t feed everybody,” he said.

HEALTHCARE Improving Health Care in Oswego County

Oswego Health, ConnextCare on front lines of pandemic battle

n 2022, Oswego Health continues to see substantial growth. It’s working on several expansion and development projects, at the same time helping the community to withstand the onslaught of COVID-19 and its variations. “The mission of Oswego Health is to provide accessible, quality care and improve the health of residents in our community. Our 1,200+ employees live and breathe this mission every day and this pandemic has proved our commitment to this community,” said Michael Harlovic, Oswego Health president and CEO. “The entire healthcare industry is challenged right now managing the Michael Harlovic COVID-19 pandemic and its resulting impacts,” said physician Duane Tull, chief medical officer and president of Physician Care. “From controlling the cost of care and working with payers to ensure hospitals and

70 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022

health systems are justly paid for the critical care they provide; to recruitment and retention of labor and the rising costs associated; to determining how to safely reopen services.” Despite the challenges Oswego Health faces during the pandemic, officials say they will keep working to improve and keep the public safe. “2022 will be a year focused on growth and reinvestment for our healthcare system,” Harlovic said. “We look forward to reopening elective surgeries that were curtailed during the latest pandemic surge; collaborating with our community providers and recruiting additional primary care physicians to improve access to managed care; and continued expansion and renovations to our facilities. However, the main strategic priority will be investing in our staff. Retention is just as important as recruitment and though our human resource team is aggressively recruiting additional workforce, our focus right now is on our current staff and making sure they are engaged and feel appreciated.” Oswego Health is continuing to

look at expanding primary care services throughout Oswego County. And, will add a 3D mammography unit to its Pulaski and Central Square sites. “By regularly seeing a primary Tricia Peter-Clark care provider, you can identify and control health risk factors before they become problems,” said Michael Backus, executive vice president and COO. “Currently, Oswego County has an unmanageable ratio of 2,600 patients per primary care doctor, one of the worst ratios in the country. Oswego Health recognizes the need and is committed to making significant investments in primary care recruitment and expansion.” “I have to say that though the industry continues to be faced with challenges, I am beyond proud of our team at Oswego Health,” Tull said. “This community will continue to be our greatest priority.” “We are actively working with community providers, including ConnextCare, on ways to improve access to primary care,” Backus added. It’s been trying times, Tricia Peter-Clark, president and CEO of ConnextCare, agreed. From challenges with reimbursement for services provided as well as the delay in receipt and rising costs of essential supplies are still making things tough on health care providers, she noted. “We’re faced with unprecedented workforce recruitment and managing provider and staff burnout,” Peter-Clark said. “And, retention struggles will continue.” Patients are pushing for more home-based services through the use of technology. The transition from fee-for-service reimbursement to more value-based payment arrangements with the insurance plans is also an issue. Patients are coming in to the office sicker than in the past due to personal choice to delay receiving care, she added. “Despite what seems like a very bleak outlook on health care in 2022, I will share that personally the pandemic has forced us to be more innovative in the way we offer primary care services and institute changes faster to keep up with the changing landscape,” she said.

EJ USA headquarters in East Jordan, Michigan. The company has a plant in the Oswego County Industrial Park in Schroeppel, which employs nearly 100 workers.

MANUFACTURING Manufacturing Remains Strong in Oswego County

Businesses are supplying products to clients at home and abroad

espite the pandemic, manufacturing continued to be a strong point for Oswego County’s economy. “We do have some significant manufacturing going on with places like HealthWay and Novelis. There are other projects that we are aware of; we’re just waiting for them to make a final decision where to locate,” said L. Michael Treadwell, executive director of Operation Oswego County. “There are some existing buildings in the Fulton area and in Volney that have interest in them for possible manufacturing related activities.” “EJ USA had a very strong year in 2021 selling all our infrastructure access solution line of products. There were many supply chain issues, but our excellent team found workarounds and kept our facility supplied with raw materials,” said Tim McKernan, facility manager, EJ USA, Oswego County

Industrial Park, Phoenix, New York. Like all manufacturers, staffing the organization has been a challenge, McKernan said. “We expect this to continue in the new year,” he added. “We’ve had a very strong start to 2022 and we expect this year to be very similar to 2021.” EJ remains the leading supplier of infrastructure access solutions. Bidding of new projects has been very good so far. “Our customer base remains optimistic that this will be a good year,” McKernan said. “EJ is positioned very well to take advantage of these opportunities due to our reinvestment in our people and facilities.” Tim McKernan

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In late January, solutions has remained strong. “We look forward to that continuing Gov. Kathy Hochul confirmed the state into 2022. In fact, Novelis is investing will replace I-81 with $130 million to upgrade operations in the Oswego plant which serves the Can, community grid. “Projects like Automotive and Specialty Products this will have a great markets,” Cruse said. With work scheduled to begin this deal of EJ material on it,” McKernan said. spring, the new investment includes T h e N o v e l i s upgrades to the plant in line with the plant is set to embark company’s sustainability goal to reduce Jeff Cruse on a $130 million energy use by 10% by 2026. This investment further strengthens the plant’s poexpansion project this year. “Throughout 2021 Novelis con- sition for additional recycled aluminum tinued to navigate the impacts of inputs and increased recycled content COVID-19 on our global and local across its product lines in the future. “Investing in modern, energy-effieconomies, using innovation and collaboration to serve our customers cient upgrades will help us sustain and and community,” said Jeff Cruse, plant grow relationships with our valued customers, and also strengthen Novelis’ manager at Novelis Oswego. Demand for sustainable aluminum ability to thrive in Oswego as a great

72 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022

place to work and community partner,” Cruse said. “There’s a big demand for the air filtration products that HealthWay manufactures,” Treadwell said. In early 2022, Mexico’s leading hospitality group, Grupo Posadas, partnered with HealthWay to provide clean air in hotels throughout Quintana Roo. They improved overall indoor air quality by installing the Intellipure line of air purifiers by HealthWay. “It’s an honor to support Grupo Posadas during this difficult time with state-of-the-art air cleaning solutions carefully selected to provide the highest air cleaning efficiency with the lowest noise level and energy cost,“ Vinny Lobdell, global president of HealthWay, said in a prepared statement at the time.

NONPROFITS Nonprofits Work Together to Endure the Pandemic Demand for their services continues to rise as some of their funding sources dry up

“T

he nonprofit sector faces an unstable and unpredictable environment,” according to Peter Dunn, president and CEO of The Central New York Community Foundation, the largest charitable foundation in Central New York. “[The pandemic] is a multifaceted situation that impacts the entire region; nonprofits are the hardest hit.” There have been many initiatives like payroll protection and others from the state and federal government that have helped nonprofits sustain themselves during these uncertain times, he said. “But I think the continuation of the pandemic with omicron creates additional uncertainty and it is hard to plan,” he added. “The demand for services is still high and I would say that with many different things in flux it makes it that much more difficult to plan for the long-term.” Some nonprofits rely on things like fundraising events for revenue. “Fundraising events have either gone virtual or been delayed. That creates a financial issue for many,” Dunn said. “A lot of organizations have gotten creative. They have found ways to progress through the challenges of the pandemic.” “Our partner agencies gave me a good glimpse of how things are and what it looks like going forward,” said Patrick Dewine, executive director of the United Way of Greater Oswego County. The last two years has been a challenge for pretty much most of them. They learned how to pivot the way they operate. “That means everything from day to day operation, delivery of services; in a lot of cases they really had to think outside Peter Dunn of the box,” Dew-

I have always considered integrity and loyalty the foundation of my real estate business, and I believe those character traits define not only me, but the client partners I strive for.

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PROGRESS

REAL ESTATE Sector Remains a Sellers’ Market in Central New York

‘There was more real estate activity in 2021 than we have seen in years ‘

he new year weather started off rather cold. However, the Central New York real estate market isn’t showing any signs of cooling down. “It might be cold, but the real estate market is still hot. It’s not even February yet and we are seeing more houses pop on the market every day, multiple offers from buyers, and the rates are still low,” said Jennifer Hall, at Howard Hanna Real Estate’s Liverpool office. Inventory of homes for sale remained low throughout the year and prices continued to rise in the Empire State in 2021, according to the New York State Association of Realtors. “In general, 2021 was a banner

year, a banner year,” said Tom Hagerty, co-owner of Leah’s Signature Century 21 in Fulton. “There was more real estate activity in 2021 than we have seen in years in the Central New York area.” The prices reflected that. “We saw some double-digit increases in prices as the supply went down and the demand went up. So there were some nice increases as far as pricing goes for home sellers,” Tom Hagerty

74 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022

Hagerty said. “It was a good year. The banks were cooperating with low mortgage rates. And, people were anxious after staying in their homes for a year under COVID. They wanted to get a little more elbow room is Teri Beckwith what we’re finding. They were looking to step up to their next level of house rather than stay where they were.” “A mortgage boom is under way. American families are taking advantage of historically low interest rates. 2021 was a busy year,” said Teri Beckwith at Hunt Real Estate ERA’s Liverpool branch. “Yes, with rates still low, we are still in a sellers’ market,” Hall said. “Sale prices are up all across Central New York.” “It was a good year in 2021,” Hagerty agreed. “We look forward to a similar year this year.” “Things are continuing, thus far, of being a sellers’ market again in 2022,” Beckwith said. “We are still struggling to find enough houses for the buyers that we have.” “Housing prices continue to go up based on demand from buyers,” Hall said. “We have less listings currently on the market than we did in 2021.” “We have a very positive outlook for 2022. We have a great crew of people here. They are all busy, busy, busy,” Hagerty said. “Just the other day we had a house that went up, might have been Monday of this week. And, by Tuesday, we had 10 offers! That’s something in years past simply would not have happened in this area.” Even though the Fed is talking about raising the mortgage interest rate it’s still such a good time to buy a house. “We know where we are right now. We don’t know where we’re going to be in six months,” he said. “That uncertainty is adding fuel to the fire.” “It is common practice to receive multiple offers and many homes are going over the asking price still,” Beckwith said. ““Interest rates have climbed a bit of late. But they are still very low.” “Low inventory plus low interest rates equals a sellers’ market, with a lot of buyers!” Hall said.

velopment Center at SUNY Oswego. “ M a n y h a v e re thought their hours, offerings and staffing levels. This is particularly true in the restaurant businesses.” Being a small ‘There’s a general feeling of optimism by and large for 2022’ John Halleron business allows for he general consensus is that there hasn’t come back to work yet. Every- much easier modifications, he said, is still a lot of COVID-19-related one is struggling to find people at just noting that decisions can be made and challenges that small businesses about every level,” he said. “Those are executed as needed, as opposed to are facing, according to Andrew Fish, themes that we are hearing. “We are still waiting for corporate instructions. “We don’t make predictions about senior vice president, business devel- hearing a lot of challenges regarding the supply chain, in terms of getting what to expect in the future, especialopment at CenterState CEO. “It depends on the type of business,” material. It’s a logistics issue largely ly given the unpredictable nature of he said. “Those that interact directly for anything coming in from overseas, COVID,” said Karen Knapik-Scalzo, associate economist, New York State with customers, they’re still struggling. tied up at ports.” But there’s a general feeling of op- Department of Labor. By and large there is Private-sector jobs continue to some optimism and timism by and large for 2022, he added. Throughout the pandemic, small grow in the Syracuse MSA, as the area things are getting added 4,000 private-sector jobs between businesses have struggled to survive. better.” Things have been looking better for November 2020 and November 2021. But there are This represents a 1.6 % growth rate, still some major them of late. The Syracuse metro area challenges — labor economy continues to recover from the according to Knapik-Scalzo. “The metro area has still not reached shortages for one, he pandemic-induced recession. “Small business has handled the pre-pandemic job levels. For example, pointed out. “There is still pandemic quite well in my opinion,” the Syracuse metro area is still down a large part of the said John Halleron, senior business by 16,200 private-sector jobs when Andrew Fish w o r k f o r c e t h a t adviser with the Small Business De- compared to November 2019,” she add-

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PROGRESS

ed. “A declining labor force and some employers having difficulty recruiting workers, has hampered further job growth in the area.” The Syracuse MSA unemployment rate has been trending down and reached 3.8 % in November 2021. “It is a very good job market for jobseekers looking for work, especially within the accommodation and food services; professional and business services; transportation and warehousing; and manufacturing sectors,” she said. “From a safety standpoint, I feel that the attitude of ‘smaller is better’ gives local businesses the advantage over big box stores,” Halleron said. He added the number of startup businesses appears to be about the same. “I feel that 2022 will be a welcome relief for many businesses,” Halleron said. “They have weathered the storm and will now reap the rewards.” “Our small business ecosystem continues to recover thanks to vaccinations, allowing workers to come back to their jobs and offices safely,” agreed Small Business Administration Upstate New York District Director Bernard Oswego River in summer. Paprocki. “As a result, unemployment levels have been cut. For example, in the metro Syracuse area, the high of 17.3% unemployment in 2020 was drastically reduced to just 3.8% as of the tally’s last reporting.” The SBA guaranteed almost 1.1 million small business loans throughout its various tradiTailwater Lodge in Altmar is expanding; Bernard Paprocki tional and economic Harborfest is making plans for this summer aid programs in Upstate New York in FY21, totaling more OVID-19 pretty much shut down Albion, for example, is planning to than $61.6 billion, Paprocki pointed out. expand this year. They cater mostly to the county’s tourism in 2020. “As small business owners continue Bed tax, one of the county’s anglers and snowmobilers. However, to tackle issues ranging such as finding employees, supply chain solutions state data measurement tools, was down in they are branching out with an events venue and more. and other state tax and regulatory issues, 2020 (from 2019, pre-COVID-19). “They will be adding a two-story Things have started to improve, SBA resource partners like our small addition to their existing facility. It business development centers, SCORE county officials said. As for the number of fishermen will include 21 one- and two-bedroom counselors, veteran business outreach centers can provide individualized, one- visitors last season, the county doesn’t suites,” according to L. Michael Treadon-one assistance for free,” Paprocki have that data yet. So, it’s still too early well, executive director of Operation Oswego County. said. “What’s more, the SBA Upstate to know the results. Dave Turner, director of the However, fishing charter captains New York district will be promoting our traditional financing programs, were very busy last year. And, the river county’s Department of Community Development, Tourism and Planning, particularly 7(a) working capital loans, guides reported a strong year as well. Some places have an eye on future expects to see a better year ahead for to continue small business growth in tourism and business growth in general. tourism. our 34-county service area.” Tailwater Lodge in the town of “Accordingly, we have returned our

TOURISM

Officials Hope Industry Gets Back to Normal

76 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022

marketing efforts to pre-pandemic levels in places where those opportunities exist.” Eva Corradino helped organize and oversaw the Oswego Visitor Center as part of her volunteer position as chairDave Turner woman of the city’s promotion and tourism advisory board. The Oswego Visitor Center opened in August and closed the second week in October last year. “August through the Labor Day weekend, not surprisingly, had the most visitors.” Corradino said. During that span, they had people visiting from several areas in New York: Watertown, Rochester, the Southern Tier and New York City to name a few. Out of state visitors hailed from as far west as: California, Oregon, Nevada, Oklahoma and Wisconsin. Travelers also represented Florida, New Jersey, Connecticut, Virginia and “quite a few from Pennsylvania” as well as other states, Corradino said. “It seems people were traveling a lot by car, perhaps feeling it safer than flying. Many had done web searches, looking for things drivable from their homes and found Oswego that way; a small town with a lot to offer,” she said. The lake and river (boating and fishing) and the Oswego Speedway are a big draw. But museums and parks are a draw, also, she added. The Maritime Museum was not up to pre-pandemic level yet. But its boat tours to the lighthouse were very well attended. The Oswego County Historical Society’s Richardson-Bates House Museum had a record number of visitors from all over, once they finally opened in July 2021. They didn’t open at all in 2020. Baseball and softball tournaments brought a lot of families into the Port City, filling local hotels and keeping restaurants busy. “In my opinion, there was less COVID-19 fear or hesitancy in the summer of 2021,” Corradino said. One positive sign tourism is picking up in 2022 is Harborfest. “We have started the planning process for 2022,” said Pete Myles, executive director of Harborfest. “There is not much to share at this time. We are hoping for great attendance!” ● ● ●

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Oswego County Gets Over $5 Million in State Funding

G ‘A large number of the projects address important infrastructure goals identified in the Oswego County Economic Advancement Plan that was developed a few years ago.’

L. MICHAEL TREADWELL, CEcD, is executive director of Operation Oswego County based in Oswego. To contact him call 315-343-1545 or visit www.oswegocounty.org.

ov. Kathy Hochul announced in December that an additional $196 million had been awarded to support 488 projects across New York state from agency programs that participated in round 11 of the Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) initiative. The Central New York Regional Economic Development Council (CNY REDC), which includes the counties of Cayuga, Cortland, Madison, Onondaga and Oswego, was awarded over $21 million in economic and community development funding to support 58 projects. Nineteen of those projects are in Oswego County and represent $5,002,470 in awards toward $15,466,626 in total project investment costs. See table below for a breakdown of the projects across the CNY region by county.

There were also three countywide projects. Additionally, there were two projects in the town of Volney, one project in the town of Granby, two in the town of Hastings and one in the town of Richland. Finally, there were two projects in the village of Pulaski, one in the village of Mexico and one in the village of Parish. Below are the descriptions of the projects. Liland Trade & Radiator Service, Inc. will purchase and renovate a portion of the former Miller Brewery in town of Volney, allowing the company to expand into the facility. Renovations will include roof repairs, upgrading lighting and dock doors, geothermal HVAC and solar investments, and purchasing and installing equipment. They were awarded $1 million through an Empire State Development (ESD) grant and an additional $1 million through the ESD Excelsior Jobs Program for this $11 million project which will create 50 jobs. The Square Valley Trail Blazers, Inc., in the town of Hastings, will acquire trail grooming equipment to maintain a portion of the New York State Snowmobile Trail System network within Oswego County. Trails maintained by the club allow for easy

Economic Trends

——— As the chart outlines, Oswego County had the largest total number of projects and the second largest total award value. In Oswego County, the projects were widely dispersed. There were three projects each in the cities of Fulton and Oswego.

County

No. of Projects

% Total Projects

Award Amount

% Total Award

Cayuga

13.8

$1,409,372

6.7

Cortland

8.6

$1,740,590

8.3

Madison

13.8

$1,803,070

8.5

Onondaga

25.9

$9,236,093

43.7

Oswego

32.8

$5,002,470

23.7

Multi

5.1

$1,925,000

9.1

TOTAL

100

$21,116,595

100

Table 1: Breakdown of Regional Economic Development Council projects across the CNY region, by county, 2022.

78 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022

access to regional trails in the Tug Hill, Oneida County, Onondaga County and Cayuga County. They were awarded $184,369 through the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation’s Recreational Trails Program for this $230,462 project. The City of Fulton’s Towpath Trail project will involve the construction of two trailhead parking lots providing access to a new accessible fishing overlook on the Oswego Canal and to a car-top boat launch area. They were awarded $150,000 through the canals program for this $751,900 project. The City of Fulton’s Pathfinder Canal on Davis-Standard Waterfront project will also install bioretention, porous pavement and a riparian buffer to treat stormwater along the Erie Canal. They were awarded $1,030,000 through the Environmental Facilities Corporation’s Green Innovation Grant Program for this $1,144,700 project. Oswego County’s Oswego River Public Access Boat Launch Phase II project will continue the creation of new public access to the Oswego River on 7.83 acres of undeveloped land along State Route 481 in the city of Oswego. The project will construct an ADA compliant trail to the river, shoreline stabilization, and a paddler’s boat launch and retrieval. Located on the east bank of the Oswego River between Locks 5 and 6, the site provides new access to the river without navigating a lock. They were awarded $196,139 through the Department of State’s Local Waterfront Revitalization Program for this $261,519 project. The town of Richland’s Richland Pocket Park project will create Fireman’s Pond Park and revitalize and expand Hamlet Park to increase recreational opportunities in the community and improve the quality of life for residents of all ages, abilities and income levels. They were awarded $233,424 through the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation’s Environmental Protection Fund for this $233,424 project. The city of Oswego’s Breitbeck Park Improvements project will upgrade with a new lake-themed playground and acquire new equipment. The improvements advance the city’s Local Waterfront Revitalization Program and Breitbeck Park Master Site Plan by enhancing recreational opportunities for families and children. The project complements the new mini golf course, adding to the desirability of the park as a destination for residents and visitors. They were awarded $412,267 through the Department of State’s Local Water-

The O&W Railroad Promenade & Bikeway bridge in Oswego will receive enhanced nighttime illumination thanks to funds provided by the Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) initiative.

front Revitalization Program for this $549,689 project. The city of Fulton’s WPCP Improvements project will develop an engineering report to evaluate upgrade alternatives and recommend improvements to the City’s wastewater treatment system. They were awarded $30,000 through an Environmental Facilities Corporation’s Wastewater Infrastructure Engineering Planning Grant for this $36,000 project. The city of Oswego’s Canal Bright Lights project will install and use aesthetic and programmable lighting on the O&W Railroad Promenade & Bikeway bridge for enhanced nighttime illumination. They were awarded $144,771 through the canals program for this $289,542 project. Oswego County’s County-Wide Infrastructure Authority Feasibility project will complete an assessment of the county’s current infrastructure capacity and the option for consolidated regional management. They were awarded $60,000 through the Department of State’s Local Government Efficiency Grant Program for this $120,000 project. The Oswego County Soil and Water Conservation District’s village of Pulaski Stormwater Study project will hire an engineering firm to study a drainage area on the west side of the village of Pulaski. The report will offer recommendations for reducing sediment reaching the Salmon River. The primary focus will

be the sediment retention pond near Lake Street but additional stormwater practices will be identified to reduce stormwater runoff into the Salmon River. They were awarded $30,000 through the Department of Environmental Conservation’s Nonpoint Source Program for this $33,000 project. The town of Granby’s Granby Smart Growth Comprehensive Plan will address farmland preservation, growth in and around town centers served by infrastructure, water quality and flood protection, housing options and the advancement of recreational opportunities for residents and visitors. The plan will also focus on the need for affordable pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure improvements as well as the need for renewable energy options. They were awarded $50,000 through the Environmental Facilities Corporation’s Engineering Planning Grant for this $71,355 project. The town of Hastings’ East River Road Pump Station and Force Main project seeks the development of an engineering report to evaluate alternatives for a new East River Road Pump Station force main and recommended improvements to the town of Hastings’ wastewater collection treatment system. They were award $30,000 through the Environmental Facilities Corporation’s Engineering Planning Grant for this $36,000 project. The town of Hastings’ Local Waterfront

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Revitalization Program will prepare a Local Waterfront Revitalization Program (LWRP) to guide desired and sustainable development along Oneida River, a segment of the Barge Canal System. The LWRP will analyze existing waterfront conditions, coastal policies and local regulations, proposed future land uses, water uses and projects and strategies for implementation. They were awarded $76,500 through Department of State’s Local Waterfront Revitalization Program for this $90,000 project. The village of Mexico’s Reducing Infiltration and Inflow Study #2 will develop an engineering report to identify sources of inflow and infiltration, evaluate alternative and recommend improvements to the village of Mexico’s wastewater collection systems. They were awarded $30,000 through the Environmental Facilities Corporation’s Engineering Planning Grant for this $36,000 project. The village of Parish II Investigations project will develop an engineering report to identify sources of inflow and infiltration, evaluate alternative and recommend improvements to the village of Parish’s wastewater collection system. They were awarded $30,000 through the Environmental Facilities Corporation’s Engineering Planning Grant for this $84,000 project. The village of Pulaski’s Stormwater System Improvements for Salmon River Flooding Mitigation project will develop an engineering report to evaluate stormwater system rehabilitation alternatives and recommend improvements to the village of Pulaski’s stormwater collection system. They were awarded $30,000 through the Environmental Facilities Corporation’s Engineering Planning Grant for this $36,000 project. The village of Pulaski’s Water Meter project will install water meters with advanced meter reading technology. This project will record water usage in previously unmetered areas of the village. They were awarded $285,000 through the Environmental Facilities Corporation’s Green Innovation Grant Program for this $385,320 project. A large number of the projects address important infrastructure goals identified in the Oswego County Economic Advancement Plan that was developed a few years ago. The Advancement Plan continues to be Operation Oswego County’s and the county’s guide toward progress and a better future for all of its citizens.

OSWEGO MAYOR LOOKS TO BUILD ON SUCCESS Mayor highlights new construction, local drug task force, harbor tours and more BY STEVE YABLONSKI OSWEGO MAYOR WILLIAM “BILLY” BARLOW SAYS the Port City has seen many improvements in recent years. In 2022, he wants to build upon that success. He recently unveiled two major projects. A 5,000-square-foot skatepark is planned to be constructed along the East Linear Riverwalk later this summer. And the city-owned and -operated Wright’s Landing Marina will host tiki boat tours throughout the summer. The mayor said the Port City hopes to capitalize on its world-class waterfront in 2022. Construction continues with the $11 million transformation of the Cahill Pier. Phase two starts this spring, he noted. Sheldon Beach, between the steam station and the college campus, is a popular site for many. However, the mayor described it as “unkempt, neglected and unpleasant.” He plans to transform it into a “legitimate park” with a small parking area, green space, a picnic area, a scenic overlook and a small trail providing access to the shoreline known by locals as Flat Rock. The tiki tours will launch this summer, Barlow said. Two boats will offer trips around the harbor. Another vessel, anchored, in the harbor, will accommodate up to 12 guests at one time. The $400,000 skatepark will be well-lit, under 24/7 surveillance, with bathroom facilities and easy access from both sides of the river, according to the mayor. The city will work with Pillar Skateparks, owned, and operated by Oswego native Brad Siedlecki, he added.

DRI UPDATE All of the 12 downtown revitalization projects are either completed or near completion, the mayor said, adding that more than $100 million has been invested into the core downtown area with new buildings where vacant

lots or dilapidated buildings once stood. LITATRO and Riverwalk have introduced luxury residential units to the city that quickly filled with working professionals, most of whom moved into this community from outside the immediate area, the mayor said. “We’ve paved almost $6 million in city streets, invested millions more in infrastructure and facilities, all while cutting taxes and reducing water and sewer bills by $300 since taking office,” he said. The Wright’s Landing pavilion, outfitted with kitchen appliances and furniture perfect for a party rental or gathering site, will open this summer, he added.

PARADE, HARBORFEST MAY RETURN

In early March, Oswego residents will be able to use FoodFetched, an app to have food delivered to their homes. The city will cover delivery charges to residents and service charges to the business.

The mayor wants to have events for the local community, as well as tourists. If the pandemic conditions allow, the city will host the Independence Day parade and Harborfest in 2022. Events like the summer concert series, Water Street Square mini-concert series and others are expected to return this year, Barlow said. A trio of downtown block parties is also planned. Other 2022 goals include installing seven two-port electric car charging stations throughout the city, a full conversion to LED streetlights, upgrade the city-owned hydro dam and more. This spring, the city will partner with a local company, FoodFetched. In early March, residents can use the app to have food delivered and the city will cover delivery charges to residents and service charges to the business, Barlow explained. The mayor has earmarked $250,000 to create the City of Oswego Drug Task Force. It will “substantially increase the amount of focus, time, energy and resources” being devoted in the city to fight drugs, Barlow said, adding Oswego will continue to work with the county’s task force. Later this spring, plans are to erect a 1,000-square-foot outdoor fitness court at Breitbeck Park. It’s designed for adults, but can be used by those 12 and older, Barlow noted. The police department will participate in the 30X30 program, a police force recruiting initiative focused on hiring and advancing more women into local policing. “Our goal is 30% of the Oswego Police Department being female by 2030,” the mayor said.

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

PROGRESS

PLENTY OF PROGRESS GOING ON IN FULTON Several projects are underway and more planned for 2022 BY STEVE YABLONSKI THERE IS A RENAISSANCE GOING ON in the city of Fulton; ‘The City With A Bright Future.’ It’s a movement that Mayor Deana Michaels will expand and nourish in 2022. “The city of Fulton is happy to report that DRI [Downtown Revital-

ization Initiative] projects continue to move forward,” Mayor Michaels said. “Contracts are being signed with the state and we should see work started on private and municipal projects in 2022.” The following are municipal projects awarded:

• A $750k fund to support small business and economic growth in the designated DRI zone • Downtown vibe initiative to include projects such as a marina waterfront upgrade. This project will upgrade boat slips, water and electrical hookups, improve bathhouse facilities, add art, performance and visitor seating areas. • Broadband improvements and new zoning updates to the DRI zone to align with the city’s economic development and comprehensive plan. • Fulton will also introduce EV charging stations • Phase 2 of the multi-use trail to continue down as far as the former Nestle area. This trail will provide an illuminated walking path with seating areas, historical and informational markers, trash receptacles and more to create a welcome experience for all who use it. The DRI projects will be underway in 2022, including both municipal and private projects, the mayor added. “We were recently awarded more than $1 million to enhance the riverbanks behind Davis-Standard as well as enhance the parking area, add a fishing pier and kayak launch and more,” she said.

GOOD NEWS FOR HOMEBUYERS

Mayor Deana Michaels working on a beautification project at the Child Advocacy Center. 82 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022

“We are excited to roll out our first time homebuyers program as well as home rehab and housing counseling programs. These programs provide the funding and support to encourage home ownership and help those from losing their home to foreclosure. “We are excited for 2022. We have plans to expand our event programming to include the return of the Fulton Home Show, expanded Tunes in June event, expanded Big Truck Day a fall festival and more,” she said. In 2022, the city of Fulton, in collaboration with Siemens and the Fulton City School District, will announce an iRacing league to the community, the mayor added. “We will be introducing STEMbased initiatives as well as business, marketing, sales, auto mechanics and other pertinent components to be a successful race team,” she explained. Also in early 2022, the mayor will showcase the city’s master plan, future vision, for the former Nestle property. The city has an aggressive plan for

infrastructure work in 2022, she said. “With various state funding sources, we are planning a large paving job to include addressing the 481 and Route 3 corridor. We also have plans for some sidewalk work along the same area,” the mayor said. “Additionally, we are moving forward with property conservation and cleanup enforcement, addressing abandoned vehicles and nuisance properties. We have slated for early 2022 to demo five properties in the city and more later in the year. We will also see some opportunities in partnership with the Oswego County Land Bank.” “This is just a start,” she said, adding, “Stay tuned for more projects to be announced!” Fulton is taking a focused and aggressive approach to clean up the city and rid it of blight while reducing crime, she said. “We have introduced a property clean-up program, new abandoned vehicles laws, will demo a slate of abandoned homes and will roll out our new nuisance abatement law to address problematic properties,” she explained. “Our police department has its new bike patrol unit and will reintroduce

our canine unit in 2022.” Along with fighting crime, the PD will be engaging in city events, attending community gatherings, walking or riding the beat and working with city council to bring back neighborhood watch programs, the mayor added.

GRATEFUL FOR COLLABORATION Organizations such as Fulton Block Builders are critical to Fulton’s quality of life and improving its neighborhoods, the mayor said. “Strong collaboration with this group allows us to have wider spread impact and address areas of blight, which for years have gone unaddressed,” she said. “The city of Fulton recognizes that in order to have the greatest impact and meet the needs of the community, we must work together. There are plenty of groups and organizations that continue to get involved and be partners, and we are certainly grateful.”

NEW CDA DIRECTOR “On behalf of the Fulton Community Development Agency board of di-

rectors, we are pleased to announce that Sarah Farley, former assistant director, has been promoted to executive director of the CDA,” Mayor Michaels said. Farley brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in small business support and owned several small businesses of her own, the mayor pointed out. “Her involvement over the past year with the various HUD programming and DRI initiatives adds great value and will prove to be essential as we move the agency forward,” she added. “We are thrilled to see Sarah take on this role and look forward to her leadership moving the agency in a positive direction.”

HERE AND NOW “I am focused on 2022 and addressing the needs of the community. I need to stay focused on the here and now and be responsive to the many needs our residents and businesses have voiced as priorities,” the mayor said. “We can talk about 2023 down the road. But, for now, let’s make 2022 a great success!”

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PROGRESS

An artist’s rendering of the The Center City Innovation Hub in Syracuse, one of the proposed projects that can become a reality.

CNY NAMED FINALIST IN $100M ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMPETITION Region is one of 60 finalists for the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s $1 billion Build Back Better Regional Challenge BY KEN STURTZ

84 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022

CENTRAL NEW YORK AND THE MOHAWK VALLEY ARE IN THE RUNNING to receive upwards of $100 million for multiple economic development projects as part of a pandemic recovery program. The economic development organization CenterState CEO worked with more than a dozen municipalities and agencies to submit a joint application for the Central New York and Mohawk Valley regions. The proposal focuses on training workers to enter in-demand fields and on expanding the area’s semiconductor, drone and quantum computing industries. CenterState was one of 60 finalists announced in December by the Commerce Department for the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s $1 billion Build Back Better Regional Challenge. The competition is one of the American Rescue Plan programs aimed at boosting economic pandemic recovery. The 60 finalists were chosen from more than 500 applicants across 45 states. Each will receive a $500,000 grant to further develop their proposals. The finalists proposed projects that represent industries unique to each region, including advanced manufacturing; aerospace and defense; agriculture and natural resources; biotechnology and biomanufacturing; energy and resilience; health care and digital health; information technology; transportation; construction and logistics; and water and blue economy. Benjamin Sio, chief of staff for CenterState, says that while there was no requirement for the proposed projects to support established industries in the region, they made the decision to focus on investing in existing industries. “We were very intentional in saying we believe that EDS [Economic Development Administration] wants to invest in things that are not just flashes in the pan,” Sio says. “It’s stuff that we’ve been working to make a reality for a fair amount of time.” Seven of the eight economic development projects proposed by CenterState — including one in Oswego County and three in Onondaga County — aim to build on existing projects and industries, some of which have been in the works for much of the last decade. The lone new project is an advanced manufacturing training consortium,

Ben Sio, CenterState CEO chief of staff: “We were very intentional in saying we believe that EDS [Economic Development Administration] wants to invest in things that are not just flashes in the pan,” Sio says. “It’s stuff that we’ve been working to make a reality for a fair amount of time.”

which would bring together educational institutions and other organizations from multiple counties to build a workforce pipeline for in-demand occupations. And even that project would be building on existing work by colleges and bringing together the success they’ve had individually. Although most of the proposed projects would support existing industries and have been on the drawing board for a while, the economic development competition offers an opportunity to make them a reality much sooner than would otherwise be possible, Sio says. “These projects are very much in the public mind,” he says. “They’ve been announced, but we’re closing funding gaps they may have and bringing them to fruition.” The eight projects proposed in CenterState’s application include: • White Pine Commerce Park: Economic development officials have

been trying to attract a semiconductor chip manufacturer to the 1,200-acre site in Clay. The application says two semiconductor manufacturers are considering building a plant there. $25 million in federal grant money would support $45 million worth of infrastructure improvements at the site. The project would potentially become the region’s largest manufacturer. • Marcy Nanocenter: Located at SUNY Polytechnic Institute in Oneida County, $7.75 million in grant funding would support $14.25 million to build a 75,000-square-foot flex space for companies supplying semiconductor and advanced manufacturing industries. • Oswego County Industrial Park: $7.5 million would support a $10 million, 200-acre expansion at the site to attract supply chain companies for the semiconductor industry. The goal would be to create 500,000 square feet of manufacturing space in the first 10 years. As many as 500 jobs would be created at the industrial park, which

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is located in the town of Schroeppel in southern Oswego County. • Center City Innovation Hub: $7 million would help a $46.5 million expansion of CenterState’s Syracuse Tech Garden high-tech business incubator. The new Center City Innovation Hub will be designed to attract startups that can benefit from its specialized slate of services and resources. It will also host the New York State Center for Smart Cities, serving as the test site for smart cities technology and data hub for Syracuse. • New York UAS Test Site: Federal funding would contribute $12 million to a $20 million project to expand and make critical enhancements to the Rome drone testing site operated by NUAIR Alliance. SUNY Upstate Medical University would also partner with NUAIR to launch a program running on-demand drone flights from the Regional Blood Bank in Rochester to Upstate’s cancer center in Syracuse. • Smart Systems Cluster Advanced Manufacturing Training Consortium: $8 million in federal dollars will support the $9.6 million consortium project, which will bring together educational institutions, industry groups and community organizations across multiple counties to build a workforce pipeline for smart systems demand occupations. • STEAM School at Central Tech: The long vacant Central Technical High School in downtown Syracuse would be renovated and house the first regional high school in the state focusing on science, technology, engineering, arts and math. The school would be accessible to all 25 school districts in the OCM BOCES district. $10 million in federal funding would go toward the $85 million project. • Quantum Computing Research and Infrastructure: $10 million would support a $12 million investment in quantum computing research. The Griffiss Institute, along with Syracuse University, would accelerate research of quantum technologies, entrepreneurship and commercialization. Other partners would scale up and integrate quantum tracks into community STEM programs to build a more diverse workforce. Finalists will compete in the second phase of the challenge. Ultimately 20 to 30 regional coalitions will be awarded up to $100 million to implement three to eight projects that support an industry sector. The deadline for the second phase is in March and the award announcement is expected in the fall.

left Façade of the Riverwalk Apartments and Restaurants on the west side of Oswego. According to Barlow, all units were filled within two months of the project’s completion.

OSWEGO’S NEW APARTMENTS IN HIGH DEMAND Some 170 apartment units have been built in Oswego in the last two years. They ‘filled within two months,’ mayor says BY STEVE YABLONSKI THE LANDSCAPE OF THE PORT CITY HAS BEEN EVOLVING over the past few years. New buildings are being constructed, seemingly overnight. Many are mixed use with retail and apartments. For years, Oswego Mayor Billy Barlow has been asked: “Who is going to live in all these apartments?” Once LITATRO and Riverwalk opened, “they filled within two months,” Barlow said. “More than half of the residents who moved in, moved from outside the city; in some cases, from outside the county.” When Oswego won the $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) award in 2016, city officials conducted a housing market analysis. They wanted to get “a true sense of the rental market, from experts,” the mayor said. The analysis indicated that the

Oswego market could support 900 new apartment units, both affordable and luxury, introduced gradually over 10 years. Between the four DRI mixed-use buildings, approximately 175 new apartments combined have been and will be introduced over two years. “That’s well under the 900 apartments gradually introduced over 10 years as the study suggested we could support,” the mayor pointed out. The idea behind these new units is to give people more housing options, at a fair price, in an ideal location, he said. “The tenants who have moved into LITATRO and Riverwalk are folks who have either moved into Oswego from outside the community, about half or so, along with other folks who wanted to downsize from a house or wanted to

live in the downtown area opposed to a neighborhood or in the country and now finally have the opportunity to do so,” he said. Other new sites, such as Harborview Square and Eastlake Commons, have waiting lists, according to the mayor. They are currently coming online and providing quality, affordable units from $600-$1000 a month, he added. “There is unquestionably a need and just as we expected, we’re seeing the new units become occupied with just the demographic of folks we predicted. The plan is working and playing out in real time before our eyes,” Barlow said. Prior to the construction of these buildings, landlords controlled the rental market. Now, tenants can control the market and make the choice to live in quality housing at a fair price in an ideal location, he added. This will make the rental market more competitive and will require landlords to fix up their homes and offer to rent them at a reasonable price, rather than leaving homes in subpar conditions and still charging high prices, according to the mayor. “If anything, I see these new units forcing landlords to up their game and repair the homes they currently have. Otherwise, they’ll lose tenants to the nice, new affordable units,” Barlow said. “Plus, we still have our code enforcement holding them accountable. These new units are a win to downtown and the neighborhoods.”

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

PROGRESS

Guitar virtuoso Loren Barrigar performs at the Music Hall earlier this year.

THE SHOW MUST GO ON: PERFORMING ARTS UPDATE BY DEBORAH JEANNE SERGEANT AMONG THE ENTITIES STRUGGLING during the pandemic, some of the hardest hit include performing arts organizations. “It’s kind of scary,” said Aldea Gerard, creative director for Hey Alec Productions in Syracuse. “I know people whose revenue depends on shows and patrons.” Hey Alec Productions promotes Central New York artists and other points of interest through filming episodes on the local arts scene. “People who are the creatives and performers are doing everything they can to keep themselves and the audience safe while being able to connect with them,” Gerard said. “Some performers are seeking different ways to perform. A lot are trying to adapt to reach those audiences.” Reassuring patrons that their venues are as safe as possible has been a big effort for many venues of performing arts. “Our top priority has always been

people over profits and during the pandemic that meant the safety of our audience, volunteer staff and performers,” said Ellen Wahl, artistic director at Oswego Music Hall. She added that when Oswego Music Hall opened in September, the organization maintained more stringent policies than the federal, state and local guidelines, including proof of vaccination at the door, proven by wristbands for those admitted. “By opening day, I was certain we made the right decision as there were a number of people who came despite underlying conditions and I was humbled by the trust they placed in us,” Wahl said. “It seemed their need for release from social isolation outweighed the inherent risk.” The Music Hall also limited its capacity to 50% of its regular capacity to allow for social distancing, though that meant lower revenue. “With most of our core supporters

88 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022

in the high-risk group over age 60, we were careful,” Wahl said. In the meantime, the Music Hall maximized attendance while still maintaining distance by assigning one party per table and adding seating along the perimeter for individuals and walk-in people. “Since the number in a party can vary from two to four or more people, we expected a shortfall,” Wahl said. “We were pleasantly surprised when we had a robust turnout and the many new faces helped make up the loss of core supporters.” The extra costs for cleaning were not an issue because the city of Oswego takes care of the building’s cleaning needs. That included a sanitizing station at the entrance and small containers of antiseptic for all surfaces, including patron tables. “The Barlow administration saw to it we received American Rescue Plan funds so that we could achieve

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our mission unimpeded,” Wahl said. The Music Hall also restricted food items to individually packaged things and a gloved volunteer serving hot and cold drinks. While the Music Hall reopened, Wahl took special care to book performers from the Northeast and especially Central New York. They booked performing artists from the CNY region or Northeast, because at the time Oswego seemed one of the safest areas in the country. “So, our line-up is strongly regional,” Wahl said. “I also made sure every musician for the national stage at the Music Hall was vaccinated— most responded in the affirmative and boosted. One switched out a band member to comply. From their comments, both performing artists and audience members appreciated this degree of precaution.” While some venues have been requiring online presale tickets, the Music Hall has never required online tickets and accommodates last-minute purchase to uphold its tradition for never turning away people at the door. “Patrons, locals especially, appreciate our downtown ticket outlet, the river’s end bookstore, where they can save the online surcharge and be accommodated at every level,” Wahl said. Wahl said that later this year, the Music Hall’s outreach will expand to include livestreamed shows. This step would accommodate people unable to attend live performances and include people from anywhere in the world. At CNY Community Arts Center, patrons have slowly been returning to

performances and arts events. “Careful consideration must be given to the level of risk, how can we minimize the risk, what changes can we accommodate, and what will the audience bear,” said Nancy Fox, executive director. The cost of doing business has only gone up for most businesses, including the arts. Fox said that music publishing companies have worked with her to make returns, cancellations and postponements of productions. Despite their working remotely, the publishing companies have accommodated the needs of theater companies trying to produce the musicals they carry. CNY Community Arts Center has always offered both presale tickets and sales at the door, and refunded or exchanged tickets when necessary. Its recent production of “Elf, the Musical,” had to be postponed due to COVID-19 quarantine issues. “Everyone was easily accommodated with the change of dates and some appreciated having it simply postponed rather than completely canceled,” Fox said. “They seemed to understand this is the new normal and adjusted without complaints.” Like other businesses, Fox implemented upgraded cleaning protocols and other COVID-19 policies to minimize risk and make patrons feel more comfortable. “Many people will call to discuss our COVID-19 plan and decide to attend based on comfort level,” Fox said.

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FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

PROGRESS

left Novelis, one of the largest manufacturing businesses in Central New York, is about to start a $130 million expansion project this spring.

PROJECTS AROUND OSWEGO COUNTY GETTING STARTED OOC: Companies big and small are investing millions, adding employees BY STEVE YABLONSKI IT LOOKS LIKE 2022 WILL BE A BUSY YEAR for Operation Oswego County. Some projects were announced in 2021, but are just now starting, like the $130 million expansion at Novelis in Scriba. “That project is a major, major investment. It will start this spring and is estimated to be completed by 2024,” said L. Michael Treadwell, executive director of Operation Oswego County. “It’s a major shot in the arm for Oswego County and Central New York for the manufacturing sector.” That’s on top of about $500 million

Novelis invested in the facility a few years ago in manufacturing aluminum for the automotive industry; it’s a huge commitment to Oswego County, he added. Another project that is just now beginning to get into the construction mode is the significant expansion of HealthWay in Pulaski. “It is right in the pipeline of the COVID thing, manufacturing air filters. They are basically adding roughly 32,000 square feet of manufacturing capacity at their facility. About a year,

90 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022

year and a half ago, there were about 30 employees. Now they’re up to 75 and with this expansion they want to double that; they’re going to go up to, roughly, 150 or so,” Treadwell said. It’s about a $2.8 million capital investment. “They are doing a great job expanding their production and capability of selling air filtration equipment. They make things for residential use as well as for hospitals, schools and other places. There’s a big demand right now for their products,” he added. Up in the town of Richland, Omni Navitas is building a 500-mega watt solar energy project on county Route 28. It’s about a $6.7 million project, constructed on 200 acres. “We’ve worked with them on a number of projects; they are based out of Boston, Massachusetts,” Treadwell said. Another project that’s been delayed a little bit “but should get clicking in ’22” is the Tailwater Lodge expansion in the town of Albion. “They will be adding a two-story addition to their existing facility. It will include 21 one- and two-bedroom suites,” he said. This is about a $3.2 million project, which will add several jobs to Tailwater. “That’s a major tourist attraction. It’s a great addition for the area’s tourism industry,” Treadwell said. “And, it’s a project on the eastern side of Oswego County. That’s an area where we are trying to do everything we can to stimulate some economic activity. This facility certainly has done that over the course of its life.” Over in Oswego, the Tully’s restaurant will be opening soon. That’s about a $1.6 million project. It’ll create about 14 full-time and 23 part-time positions.

“That’s a nice little project,” Treadwell said. In Central Square, Highland Animal Hospital is expanding. They are building a 7,200-square-foot new veterinarian hospital space. “This project is moving along. They anticipate getting everything wrapped up soon where they can start construction in the spring. They employ about 15 right now. They will be doubling that,” Treadwell said. The unique thing about this expansion, he added, is “they are also going to incorporate into their practice an urgent care center, which is lacking in this region. They think that will be a feature that will help drive them forward. They are recruiting other vets to come work at the practice. It’s a pretty exciting project.” When you think of a facility that’s going to employ 30 people, when it’s all done, “that’s a pretty significant employer,” he said. One big thing that is happening right now is the Build Back Better Regional Challenge. There are 60 finalists for the funding. There will be a number of different components of the final application, competing for millions in funding. “One component, from Oswego County, will be the build out and expansion of the county industrial park in the town of Schroeppel. Overall, that’s a $10 million project. That’s a major piece of our part of the application,” Treadwell said. “It’s pretty exciting. There are some opportunities to help grow the infrastructure for the county’s economic development in the future.” OOC is “really, really flooded right now with a lot of potential small projects and some significant large projects as well,” he said. “The activity is out there. We are still dealing with the COVID issue, but we’re getting a lot of companies looking at expanding or buying a building. We’re pretty excited about that. There is still significant activity going on in terms of larger scale projects and re-activating some of the facilities that have been pretty much shut down, like at the Riverview Business Park and things of that nature. We’re optimistic that there is going to be some progress, serious activity going on this year,” he said. “We hope some of the DRI projects associated with Fulton will start getting some headwind this year and move forward. Putting it all together, they are a lot of things going on.”

CENTERSTATE CEO: THERE’S A SENSE OF VIBRANCY IN CNY ‘We’re very bullish and optimistic on 2022,’ says Rob Simpson, president of CenterState BY STEVE YABLONSKI SYRACUSE WILL RECEIVE $10 MILLION IN FUNDING as one of the Central New York region winners of the fifth round of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI). Syracuse’s DRI will focus on the Southwest Gateway District. With an influx of younger residents, the Salt City seeks to expand its downtown to the south and west of the Central Business District into an urban, walkable part of the city. “We have been supportive of that application from the time that it started and I certainly believe that we’ll have a role on the local planning committee going forward. I don’t know exactly when that will be but, we’ll be involved,” said

Rob Simpson, president and CEO of CenterState CEO in Syracuse. CenterState CEO is “an independent and forward thinking economic development strategist, business leadership organization and chamber of commerce; dedicated to the success of its members and the prosperity of the region.” It’s a process the folks in Syracuse are really excited about, Simpson said, adding that the first of the DRI awards will go into one of the adjacent neighborhoods. “The Downtown Revitalization Initiative has been integral to transforming urban cores in cities across New York state. I thank Gov. Hochul and the Regional Economic Development Council for selecting the city of Syracuse as a 2022 recipient. This award will help the city and our community and business development partners transform the Southwest Gateway to downtown,” Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh said.

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Robert Simpson, president and CEO of CenterState CEO

“It’s exciting to see some of the momentum move from our center cities out into some of the more distressed neighborhoods that are in need of investment,” Simpson said. “Actually, our pipeline of development opportunities and projects right now is really robust. I’d say it’s one of the most robust pipelines in the region.” “We’re very bullish and optimistic on what 2022 is going to hold. We just completed our economic forecast with our members. The overall tone of the feedback that we’ve got is positive. People are expecting a great deal of economic recovery post-COVID,” he continued. “Certainly there remain

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

PROGRESS

The Amazon warehouse on Morgan Road in Clay is expected to be operational within months.

some uncertainties with exactly what the continuation of the pandemic will mean for business; will we have more shutdowns or slowdowns, will consumers have the confidence to go out and spend in the way that we hope they would.” But they are not expecting anything like the return to the economic pain that was felt during the first couple of months of the pandemic, he added. “In fact, most people that we’ve talked to are expecting that the economy is going to continue to improve and they are planning accordingly. They are planning to make investments, to hire, they’re planning to do new things in their business to take advantage of that growth that they are anticipating,” Simpson said.

POSITIVE ECONOMIC NEWS FROM STATE “Yes, I think that’s generally true the benefits of the economic recovery aren’t being felt universally across all facets of the industry. We know that in particular food service and retail operations and hospitality are continuing to feel more pain than let’s say manufacturing or high-tech where operations have mostly returned to normal pretty much,” he said. “The economic recovery is uneven, but it is definitely happening. The latest unemployment numbers are just another good example of that. People are returning to the labor force.” There are still too many people on

‘There are some other big projects that will have huge ramifications for Central New York and the Oswego County communities that we are enthusiastic about.’ Rob Simpson, president and CEO of CenterState CEO in Syracuse

the sidelines; especially women who have disproportionately borne the burden of exiting the labor force as a result of the pandemic, he noted. That creates some long-term problems for employers who are trying to fill jobs. “There’s no doubt that the economic recovery is real and accelerating,” according to Simpson. There are a lot of projects to be enthusiastic about. “We’re always looking at large scale investments. Investments like what has been talked about and is happening out at Novelis,” he said. “There are some other big projects that will have huge ramifications for Central New York and the Oswego County communities that we are enthusiastic about.” They are also tracking a number of large-scale, high-tech manufacturing projects that are being driven by some

92 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022

of the policy changes that are being discussed in Washington. High-tech manufacturing and things like chips and 5G and electronic components, for example. “We believe that Central New York is going to be a large beneficiary of those policy changes that are occurring in Washington,” Simpson said. “We think we have all the assets. We certainly have the real estate, we’ve got the capable workforce and we’ve got incredible power assets in places like Oswego with power generators. We think we can leverage those into some great opportunities, win-wins for the Central New York region.” The Amazon warehouse is supposed to be opening soon. “That is something that we are all excited about. We’re excited to reap the employment benefits from that as well,

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especially where that project is located. We know there certainly is going to be a significant number of folks, particularly from southern Oswego County, that are going to be in a great position to just commute down 10 miles or so to the Clay facility to work. Amazon is always looking at investments. They absolutely continue to look at other investments around Central New York,” Simpson said.

WORKING TOGETHER “One thing I’ll point to …I’ve been around doing this kind of work for almost 20 years now … I’m really proud of how well all our communities and local stakeholders are working together,” Simpson said. “Historically, there have been times where parts of our region, even within the business community, local elected officials, there were a lot of dissent and disagreement. It seemed like our local officials couldn’t work together. “Now, with the mayor in Oswego, the Syracuse mayor and the [Onondaga] county executive there just seems to be a much higher degree of collaboration and cooperation. As a result, I think we’re being more successful at achiev-

There is a

ing the goals that we set out to achieve.”

A SIGNIFICANT COMPETITIVE EDGE “I know from first-hand experience that when we talk to a company, we’ve gotten feedback recently about how well our communities seem to work together, about how different it is in other places that they go where they sometimes run into jurisdictional fights between stakeholders,” Simpson said. “That doesn’t really happen here any more. That’s a significant competitive edge for us in an environment where businesses more than anything are looking for certainty. They want predictability and they want their life to be made easier not harder when working with the local partners.” Simpson believes these partnerships are going to continue. “I have no reason to believe that they won’t. For now the partners are working well together. It is imperative to all of us in Central New York to push and get as much done as we possibly can. I’m really upbeat and optimistic. I think 2022 has the potential to be a sort of hallmark year for Central New York. If you look around the region, many of the fundamental parts of our economic

strategy are starting to be borne out,” he said. How do we revitalize the places that most symbolize our community, our downtowns? “You can look at Fulton and Oswego that won the DRI and what’s happening now in downtown Syracuse, Auburn and now in Oneida,” Simpson explained. “You’re seeing some of our communities around the region; they are growing, people are living there again, new businesses are opening up, there are new retail opportunities, new restaurants. The level of vitality is coming back to our region that was lost over a period of maybe 30, 40 or 50 years. “That sense of vibrancy brings with it a sense of pride which manifests itself in our communities in so many different ways. There are some new companies that are starting up that are worth a billion dollars. It was unheard of 15, 20 years ago. Nowadays, we’re seeing these types of successes multiple times a year. Outside investment is coming in. Those are the building blocks of a successful long-term economic strategy. Across Central New York we’re seeing them play out.”

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94 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022

THE THEOFFICERS OFFICERSOF OFIBEW IBEWLOCAL LOCAL43 43 Alan Marzullo - Bus.–Mgr. / Fin. Secretary Pat PatCostello Costello –President President Patrick President Don DonMorgan MorganHarrington ––Bus. Bus.Mgr. Mgr.-Fin. Fin. Secretary Secretary

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above The Port of Oswego Authority

MOVING FORWARD: PORT OF OSWEGO AUTHORITY The port makes great strides, a trend that’s expected to continue THE PORT OF OSWEGO AUTHORITY HAS MADE SIGNIFICANT ADVANCEMENTS in building a port that once again is a central point of commercial shipping on Lake Ontario and the Great Lakes. In the last year, more than $25 million was invested in upgrading docks, rail loading improvements, adding docks to the port’s marina and constructing a new NYS Grain Export Center. Any one of these would be a major project in itself. The port, however, undertook and accomplished all

of these in 2021. Each one of these projects brought needed construction jobs to Oswego and laid the foundation for future growth for the community. “All these improvements come without using any local tax dollars because the port is self-supporting as a New York state authority,” according to William W. Scriber, executive director and CEO. “As we look to 2022, our work is not complete. We have a new $1.8 million

offloads $12 million in transformers and equipment from a BBC Texas cargo ship, Aug. 10-11, 2021. They were destined for delivery to Exelon Generation’s Nine Mile Point Unit 2 nuclear power plant.

marina under construction on port land on the city’s west side with walking access to downtown,” he said. “We will be upgrading the original parts of the west and east docks, which were built in the 1920s, to up-to-date standards and we are planning the expansion of our rail yard to become a competitive intermodal center for Oswego and Central New York.” In addition to the grain export agreement signed in 2021 with The Andersons, Inc., of Maumee, Ohio, the port has several new customers planning to designate the Port of Oswego for business in 2022, which will bring many good paying union jobs to the area. Announcements will be made in the coming months, Scriber said.

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

PROGRESS

EMPLOYMENT OUTLOOK: PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITY BY DEBORAH JEANNE SERGEANT WHAT WILL JOB SEEKERS FACE IN CENTRAL NEW YORK IN 2022? For one thing, opportunity. According to The 2022 Economic Forecast for Central New York, “organizations continue to report difficulty finding key talent or attracting highly skilled labor to the area; retention also remains an issue.” Released Jan. 26 by CenterState CEO, The 2022 Economic Forecast for Central New York was created from data collected by a CenterState CEO survey and interviews with CenterState CEO members through Research & Marketing Strategies, Inc., a third-party market research company based in Baldwinsville. Research & Marketing Strategies, Inc. forecasters anticipate a 68% increase in jobs and hiring in 2022 compared with 2021. Those equipped with the right skills can expect to have plenty of choices, as numerous factors have led to high unemployment levels. The 2022 Economic Forecast listed COVID-19 fueled burnout as one reason among is factors unlikely to change as an impact on the workplace for 2022. One of the positive environmental factors listed by the 2022 Economic Forecast was the shift to working at home, which is found to have an “impact on the company’s overall productivity from a switch to, or long-term continuation of, remote operations,” the report stated.

“Continued recovery” is the description of the 2022 economy offered by Karen Knapik-Scalzo, associate economist for the New York State Department of Labor Division of Research & Statistics in Syracuse. “Private-sector jobs continue to grow in the Syracuse Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), as the area added 8,200 private-sector jobs between December 2020 and December 2021,” she said. “This represents a 3.4% growth rate.” The US Census Bureau comprises data from Onondaga, Oswego and Madison counties to form the Syracuse MSA. This area has not returned to pre-pandemic job levels, a trend which Knapik-Scalzo blames on factors including the uptick of retiring baby boomers, company recruitment issues, and a declining labor force. “For example, the Syracuse metro area is still down by 14,000 private-sector jobs when compared to two years earlier, in December 2019,” she said. “The Syracuse MSA unemployment rate has been trending down and reached 3.8 % in November 2021.” She does see promise in the growth among most local industries and the good job market for those seeking work, especially in the sectors of hospitality, professional and business services, transportation and warehousing and manufacturing. “Almost every occupation is in demand right now,” KnapikScalzo said. “There is especially acute demand for registered nurses, home health and personal care aides, bus drivers, truck drivers, teachers/ substitute teachers, teaching assistants, police officers, cashiers/grocery store workers, cooks, waiters and waitresses, agricultural farm workers and warehouse and distribution

96 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022

workers.” She wants to see greater focus placed on maintenance for aging infrastructure, which will both help stimulate the economy and help provide employment for those in the construction occupations. Carol R. Fletcher, president of C.R. Fletcher Associates, Inc. in Liverpool, said that jobs in demand include health care workers, accounting and financial professionals and human resource professionals. “It is important to applicants that they can work from home, any that they can find a job that pays more than they made pre-COVID,” Fletcher said. Skilled manufacturing workers and quality control employees are also in high demand. Medical, lab and healthcare companies all need more staff as the demand for workers has increased because of the pandemic. But Fletcher added that companies are scaling back on receptionists and clerical positions if they are still working remotely and relying on technology to fill their places, such as forwarding phones to remote workers’ cellphones. It also does not help that many people feel more reluctant to work. Fletcher referenced the American Staffing Association which stated in recent webinar that “people are still spending down their savings from 2021 from stimulus payments and high unemployment wages, thus leading them not to be ready to work yet.” Fletcher said that employer challenges for 2022 include enforcing vaccination, employees, employees needing childcare and demanding wages above the market. As of Jan. 8, 16,971,678 New Yorkers or 87% of the state has received at least one dose and 14,357,890 people or 73% has been fully vaccinated. But forcing employees to become vaccinated can cause resignation among those who resist it. Childcare issues may arise if schools experience a shutdown or on an individual level if an employee’s child becomes ill with a suspected case of COVID-19. Employers facing higher costs for inputs struggle to offer the higher wages employees demand. This, in turn, may cause some to try automation or outsourcing tasks to make do with fewer employees.

BEST BUSINESS DIRECTORY AUTO SALES & SERVICE

FLOORING & CARPET

Bellinger Auto Sales & Service — Third generation business. Used cars, towing, general auto repair & accessories, truck repair. Oil, lube & filter service. 2746 County Route 57 Fulton. Call 315-593-1332.

With over 40 years’ experience, House Works Carpet offers high quality and affordable waterproof luxury flooring, hardwood, laminate, ceramic tile and carpet for all your residential and commercial flooring needs. Family owned and operated since 1984 our dedicated and knowledgeable staff are here to assist you. We do it all from design to installation. 315-593-2113, 318 W. Broadway, Fulton, Houseworksfulton.com, or email us at the houseworks2windstream.net.

Jake’s Automotive of Oswego, Inc. Auto repair and service of brakes, steering, suspension, diagnostics, oil change, tires & more. We also sell performance parts. 801 E. Seneca St. Phone: 315-342-6871. Munski Automotive. Brakes, exhaust, NYS inspections, shocks & struts, steering and suspension, check engine & ABS light, tires. 14 West Seneca St., Oswego. 315-343-6229 or visit www.munskiauto.com Port City Car Care, 315-207-0500 www.portcitycarcare.com Oil, lube, NYSI, alignments, tires, brakes, electrical, air conditioning, suspension, tune-ups & timing belts, complete car care. We do it all! Over 28 years’ experience, 20 Ohio St., Oswego.

BAKERY, GLUTEN FREE Sweet Cindy’s Gluten Free Bakery. Bread and buns to cookies and crackers. Cakes and pies to take-n-bake entrees. Amazing cinnamon rolls. Full menu at sweetcindysglutenfreebakery.com. Stop in or pre-order. 55 W. 1st St. S., Fulton. 315-598-3669.

BIKES, SERVICE & SALES Murdock’s, Oswego County’s only authorized Trek dealer. We service all brands of bikes. Check out our website: www.murdockssports.com call us 315-3426848 or stop by 177 W. 1st St., Oswego.

DEMOLITION Fisher Companies. Commercial and residential demolition. Great prices. Fully insured. Free estimates. 50 years of experience. Call Fisher Companies at 315652-3773 or visit www.johnefisherconstruction.com.

EXCAVATING Gilbert Excavating. Septic systems. Gravel & top soil. Septic tank pumping. 685 County Route 3, Fulton, 13069. Call 593-2472.

FLORIST/TUX RENTAL Everything you’re looking for in a local florist. Full service w/del. 36 years experience. Tux/suit rentals-holiday and sympathy designs available. DeVine Designs, 200 E. Broadway, Fulton. 315-592-4245 dvinedesign. com

GRAPHICS Car wrap + vehicle and window graphics. Upward Graphics. 21 S. 2nd St., Fulton. Visit upwardgfx.com or 315-402-2099.

KILN-DRIED HARDWOODS Lakeshore Hardwoods. We stock kiln-dried cherry, walnut, maple, butternut, ash, oak, basswood, mahogany, cedar figured woods, and exotics. Also, hardwood flooring, moldings, stair parts & woodworking supplies. 266 Manwaring Rd. Pulaski. 298-6407 or visit www. lakeshorehardwoods.com.

LUMBER White’s Lumber. Four locations to serve you. Pulaski: State Route 13, 315-298-6575; Watertown: N. Rutland Street, 315-788-6200; Clayton: James Street, 315-6861892; Gouverneur: Depot Street, 315-287-1892.

PICTURE FRAMING Picture Connection offers custom matting & framing for photos, posters, prints, oils and more. Shadow boxes, object framing, art print source. 169 W. 1st St., Oswego. 315-343-2908.

PLUMBING & HEATING SUPPLY

riety of plumbing & heating repair parts & fixtures. Water heater, furnace, boiler & all plumbing installations available. We do our own excavating for water service & sewer replacement. 22 Ohio St., Oswego, 315-3431906. AHR Plumbing & HVAC service, sewer cleaning, hydrojetting, video inspections, water heater installs, new construction & remodel service & repairs. 315-6686569 AHRPlumbing.com.

POOL COVER REPAIR Trust the experts! Let us repair your in-ground pool cover. Free estimates. Everybody says “call this guy”. Cortini Shoe zipper canvas repair Fulton 315-593-8914.

ROOFING, DECKS, & PORCHES Enwright Roofing has over 40 years experience providing high quality affordable new roof, deck, and porch construction. We also offer roof, soffit and fascia repair in addition to gutter clean outs and blown insulation service. We accept all types of insurance claims and are a locally owned and operated company. Contact Enright Roofing at 315-374-2805 for service and estimates.

SCREEN PRINTING & EMBROIDERY Valti Graphics: Creating garment graphics on customized apparel in screen printing, embroidery, Greek apparel & custom lettering. 315-342-4912. 152 West Bridge St., Oswego.

TRACTOR/LAWN EQUIPMENT RanMar Tractor Supply, sales and service of new and used tractors and farm equipment. 5219 US Rte 11 Pulaski. 315-298-5109.

UNIQUE GIFTS SHIPPING SERVICES One-stop shop for unique gifts for that hard to buy for person. We are an authorized FedEx, UPS and USPS shipping and drop-off location. Ship-It/The Village Shops. 2 W. 1st St. N, Fulton. 315-592-9357.

THE PLACE TO ADVERTISE FOR RESULTS!

Pullen’s Plumbing & Heating Supply has a large va-

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LAST PAGE

New Editor Takes the Reins at Palladium-Times

arlier this year, Ben Grieco was appointed the editor at The Palladium-Times newspaper in Oswego. Grieco, 23, hails from Weedsport. He graduated from SUNY Oswego in May 2021 with a degree in journalism. He was the editor-in-chief at The Oswegonian, the college’s student-run newspaper, during his senior year. He had been at the Oswego

paper for six months as the sports editor before getting his promotion in January. Going from sports editor, where he only did sports pages to now “helping layout most of the news pages, the cover and editing everyone’s copy whenever those stories come in, that’s been a pretty big change,” he said. “Nothing entirely big for the last month. We had a couple de-

98 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS FEBRUARY / MARCH 2022

cent stories come out, but, other than that, luckily it’s been status quo. We’re all just plugging away over here.” Among other things, Grieco’s goals include finding better stories, “not letting them come to us.” “We also want to help better inform our readers, [put up] more social media posts and breaking news on our website,” he said.

HAVING TROUBLE FINDING LOCAL TALENT AND BRIDGING THE SKILLS GAP? EXPLORE MANUFACTURING CAREER PATHWAYS REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIP The Manufacturers Alliance Intermediary Apprenticeship Program works with businesses across New York State to place apprenticeships within their organizations. Our goal is to grow the manufacturing industry across the state through these registered apprenticeships. We make it as easy as possible for companies to partner with us. MACNY is an approved Group Sponsor for NYS Registered Apprenticeship and work as a liaison with the DOL to manage your program. Join the community of manufacturers that are already participating. For more information, contact Laury Ferguson, Director of Apprenticeship & Workforce Development at lferguson@macny.org; (315) 474 4201 ext. 49 or visit nysapprenticeship.org.

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