Oswego County Business, #179: April - May 2022 by Oswego County Business Magazine

www.cnybusinessmag.com

Serving Oswego & Onondaga counties

April / May 2022

$4.50

CNY’s ss e Busin zine Maga

THE LOCAL TV NEWS BUSINESS If you’ve noticed new faces on your local TV news shows, you’re not alone. Like other sectors of the economy, TV news organizations are facing high turnover, shortage of talent and the early retirement of seasoned professionals. Find out the latest trends and why some are leaving the profession altogether. P. 50 BY KEN STURTZ

BUYING A HOME? IT’S NOT WHAT USED TO BE P. 60

THE NURSE (NOT THE DOCTOR) WILL SEE YOU NOW P. 73

‘THE AMAZON EFFECT’ ON LABOR, WAGES P. 66

‘WHY I’M NO LONGER ON FACEBOOK’ P. 44

Weight Loss Surgery It’s about more than just weight loss. It’s about reducing your risk for serious conditions like heart disease and diabetes — and regaining the stamina, mobility and confidence to take on every day. Crouse’s bariatric surgery program offers a dedicated team of physicians and providers, as well as psychological and nutritional counseling — all with the expertise to support you every step of the way.

Begin the process from home by viewing our online informational video. Then consult with our bariatric team via telemedicine visits to start your journey. It’s time — and now easier than ever.

Start today at crouse.org/weightloss or call 315-470-8974.

ITION!

D 2022 E

Little Sodus Bay in Fair Haven, 2019. Photo courtesy of www.onePhotoPhoto.com

SUMMER GUIDE

The Best of Upstate New York

250,000+ READERS | FREE DISTRIBUTION | AVAILABLE ALL SEASON LONG RESERVE YOUR ADVERTISING SPACE TODAY! ONLINE AND IN PRINT | FREE AD DESIGN

ADVERTISE ONCE, GET RESULTS ALL SEASON LONG. The Summer Guide — The Best of Upstate has become the region’s most comprehensive publication about tourism and entertainment in the region. With feature stories, an attractive layout and a calendar highlighting the season’s hottest events, The Summer Guide is available at high-traffic locations throughout the region, including all Wegmans and select Tops Friendly Markets! Last year’s cover.

When you advertise in our print edition, your ad will be hyperlinked in our interactive edition at www.cnysummer.com.

Summer Guide is published annually by Local News, Inc. dba. Oswego County Business Magazine P.O. Box 276, Oswego, NY 13126 | P: 315-342-8020 | F: 315-342-7776 | editor@cnysummer.com

Say hello to healthy. 63 dedicated physicians and healthcare providers.

Say hello to a more convenient way to stay healthy in Oswego County. Formerly known as NOCHSI, ConnextCare offers a comprehensive set of services family and internal medicine, pediatrics, dentistry, psychiatry, social work under one medical group. Patients within our network can now visit any of six locations at any time. And because we’re seamlessly connected, our staff can access your medical records at the touch of a button. It’s a faster, more convenient and easier way to keep yourself and your family healthy.

Learn more at connextcare.org — or better yet, stop in to one of our six sites Located in Fulton, Mexico, Oswego, Parish, Phoenix, Pulaski and say hello.

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CONTENTS

APRIL / MAY 2022

ISSUE 179

Tiki boats sail Oswego Har into bo in time for r, just July 4th. P. 41

THE LOCAL TV NEWS BUSINESS If you’ve noticed new faces on your local TV news shows, you’re not alone. Discover the latest trends and why some are leaving the TV profession altogether.

Features

Buying a home? It’s not what it used to be. Plus: sellers are dominating the real estate market, unfortunate for buyers; looking ahead in the real estate market.

The doctor is in...or is she? Physician burnout — how bad is it? Telehealth is losing favorability; nursing homes are resuming activities; mental health still a big issue in Oswego County.

The CNY Food Bank distributed 18.6 million pounds of food in 2021; CNY Community Foundation is paying it forward. Plus: “Making a Difference” highlights Kristina’s House of Hope.

REAL ESTATE

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

HEALTHCARE

APRIL / MAY 2022

NONPROFITS

More Contents 36 44

Sandra Scott visits Chengdu, China, known for it’s relaxed ambiance and livibility. P. 20

Restaurants

How COVID-19 has changed the restaurant industry

Digital

Bruce Frassinelli: ‘Why I’m no longer on Facebook’

Tim’s Notes

Joining a renaissance, happening one home at a time By Tim Nekritz

Economic Trends

Software used to aid in economic development By L. Michael Treadwell

My Turn

Should the media remain neutral? A re-evaluation. By Bruce Frassinelli

The Amazon Effect

Opening of Amazon warehouse to ratchet up competition

Guest Columnist

Organization duty to offer “reasonable accommodations” By Steven E. Abraham

Departments 12 14

Publisher’s Note On the Job

How I Got Started

‘What Traits Do You Seek in a Vendor?’ Nick Chervinksy, owner of Brewerton Pharmacy

Profile

Peter Myles

Where is Sandra Scott?

26 32

Newsmakers Dining Out Restaurant Guide

38 93

Business Updates Success Story

Last Page

Chengdu, China

LD’s on the River in Pulaski

Gosch Supply & Lighting Centre Oswego YMCA has a new leader: Cheryl Baldwin

36 APRIL / MAY 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

ADVERTISING INDEX 3 Sisters........................................25 Affordable Business Solutions......30 Allanson-Glanville-Tappan Funeral Home.........................71 ALPS Professional Services.........29 Ameriprise Financial (Randy Zeigler).......................12 Arquette Realtors Commercial.....41 Barclay Damon.............................31 Bond, Schoeneck & King, Attorneys at Law.....................11 Buckingham Brothers...................17 Builder’s FirstSource....................27 Burke’s Home Center...................29 C & S Companies.........................13 Canale’s Insurance & Accounting ...................27, 29 Caster’s Sawmill Inc.....................29 Century 21 Galloway Realty.........65 Christy’s Motel..............................25 Coldwell Bankers Prime Properties.....................65 Compass Federal Credit Union............................19 ConnextCare..................................4 Crouse Hospital..............................2

E J USA........................................24 Eis House Lodge..........................35 Empower Federal Credit Union......5 Farnham.......................................30 Financial Partners of Upstate (David Mirabito).........................8 Fitzgibbons Agency......................61 Foster Funeral Home....................74 Freedom Real Estate....................61 Fulton Community Development Agency..............68 Fulton Savings Bank.....................11 Fulton Taxi....................................43 Fulton Tool Co..............................71 Gartner Equipment.......................99 Gosch Supply...............................17 Greater Oswego Fulton Chamber of Commerce...........25 Harbor Eye Associates.................37 Hematology-Oncology Associates of CNY..................75 Howard Hanna Real Estate..........65 Humana........................................75 Johnston Gas...............................27 JTS Remodeling...........................13 Kathy’s Cake & Specialty Treats..25

Kim McPherson, Galloway Century 21...............64 Lamb’s Handyman Service...........27 Laser Transit.................................45 Longley Brothers..........................30 LW Emporium Co-Op...................25 MACNY.........................................69 Menter Ambulance.......................74 Mimi’s Drive Inn............................35 Mitchell Speedway Printing..........71 Northern Ace Home Center..........27 Novelis............................................9 NYS Office of Parks......................28 OnePhoto Photography................69 Operation Oswego County...........99 Oswego County Federal Credit Union...............43 Oswego County Mutual Insurance....................19 Oswego County Opportunities......10 Oswego Music Hall.......................15 Plumley Engineering.......................8 Pontiac Care & Rehabilitation Center ..........23 Port City Copy Center...................31 Port of Oswego Authority..............13

Quadrant Biosciences..................64 RiverHouse Restaurant................35 Riverside Artisans.........................25 Rudy’s Lakeside Drive-In..............35 Salvatore Lanza Law Office..........71 Scriba Electric...............................27 Small Business Development Center.....................................45 SUNY Upstate............................100 SUNY Upstate Cardiology............77 Sweet-Woods Memorial...............29 Technology Development Organization (TDO).................45 The Medicine Place......................75 Trimble Services...........................27 United Wire Technology...............24 Valti Graphics...............................17 Vashaw’s Collision........................71 Watertown Industrial Center of Local Development.............12 WD Malone...................................29 Whelan & Curry Construction.......24 White’s Lumber.............................29 WRVO..........................................96

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Serving all of Upstate NY with offices in Baldwinsville & Rome www.PlumleyEng.com • 315-638-8587

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

APRIL / MAY 2022

It Starts Here Discover The Rewards Your Talent Deserves Novelis is the world leader in rolled aluminum products, delivering unique solutions for the most demanding global applications, such as beverage cans, automobiles, architecture and consumer electronics. Our business is expanding in Oswego and we are seeking talented mechanics, engineers, electricians and leaders to join our team. Sound like you? Apply now! novelis.com/careers (315) 349-0121 OswegoJobs@novelis.com

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.

DO WHAT MATTERS.

APRIL / MAY 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, Tim Nekritz Sandra Scott, Steven E. Abraham ADVERTISING Peggy Kain • p3ggyk@gmail.com Richard Annal • richlocalnews@gmail.com OFFICE MANAGER Kate Honebein · localnewsoffice@gmail.com LAYOUT & DESIGN Joey Sweener COVER PHOTO GettyImages

Help People. Improve Our Communities. Change Lives.

OSWEGOCOUNTYBUSINESS.COM 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) 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

315.598.4717

10 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS APRIL / MAY 2022

HOW TO REACH US: P.O. Box 276, Oswego, NY 13126. Phone: 315-342-8020; Fax: 315-342-7776; editor@CNYBusinessMag.com.

The loan specialists at Fulton Savings Bank have built a reputation providing personal services to growing small businesses in our area. If you need a mortgage loan or financial help to fund growth of your small business, we can help.

For answers to all your questions, call or email: Greg Rodgers 315-515-6784 grodgers@fultonsavings.com NMLS #58588

Bob Chetney 315-592-8332 rchetney@fultonsavings.com NMLS #2016669

75 So. First Street Fulton, NY 13069

• Canal Landing, Fulton - (315) 592-4201 • Village Green, Baldwinsville - (315) 638-0293 • Three Rivers Shopping Plaza, Phoenix - (315) 695-7214 • Route 49 & Green Acres Drive, Central Square - (315) 676-2065 • Brewerton Centre, Brewerton - (315) 668-7903 • Redfield St., Constania - (315) 623-9447

Bond understands the unique needs and opportunities of Oswego County businesses and we are committed to a thriving future for our clients and the communities in which we live. Want to learn more? Visit bsk.com or contact Rick Weber at rweber@bsk.com or Sunny Tice at stice@bsk.com.

One Lincoln Center, Syracuse, NY 13202 • 315.218.8000 • BSK.COM APRIL / MAY 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

PUBLISHER’S NOTE By Wagner Dotto

’m optmistic about this summer. Assuming coronavirus will leave us alone once and for all, and assuming we won’t be involved in a World War III, we should have a great season. I can’t wait to get out and do things in the community without a mask on my face. I believe this is a sentiment shared by most, which will make this season a good one for all businesses. This is the time of the year we work on the Summer Guide — The Best of Upstate New York. This is our largest project of the year. We’re now contacting a number of businesses and organizations to invite them to advertise. In general, advertising in the Summer Guide makes a great deal of sense — ad rates are relatively low and the publication is available all season long. Advertising this time of the year is even more important given the fact that people are eager to go places, do things, be outdoors and enjoy

readership of the publication as a way to draw more customers. We estimate that the Summer Guide has over 250,000 readers, based on a distribution of 40,000 copies. Those copies are distributed gradually during the summer and early fall. We’re confident we will enjoy a great summer — going to restaurants, bars, attending festivals and concerts, shopping at the local farmers market, gathering with friends and all those routine things to which we’re accustomed. Advertisers should take advantage of this annual guide — an ad in it can be a great tool in helping them drum up more business. themselves. Over the years, a lot of readers have come to rely on the Summer Guide as it highlights the most fun things to do and the most interesting places to visit during the summer and early fall. Likewise, advertisers have counted on the vast distribution and

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

Your personal financial goals deserve a personal approach. Putting the needs of my clients first is the approach I believe in. I’ll work with you to find the right financial solutions to help you plan for your unique goals. And together, we’ll track your progress over time, adjusting your plan along the way to help get you where you want to go.

Lease Terms, and Rates Designed around Your Business Needs Build to Suit Options Available Distance to: Fort Drum, New York: 9 Miles Jefferson Community College: 2 Miles Interstate 81: .5 Miles Arsenal St., Watertown: 1.5 Miles

12 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS APRIL / MAY 2022

Randy L. Zeigler, CFP®, ChFC®, CLU® Private Wealth Advisor CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioner 315.342.1227 97 W. Utica St. Oswego, NY 13126 randy.l.zeigler@ampf.com ameripriseadvisors.com/randy.l.zeigler

Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and CFP (with plaque design) in the U.S. Investment advisory products and services are made available through Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC, a registered investment adviser. © 2021 Ameriprise Financial, Inc. All rights reserved. (03/21)

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1 E. 2nd St., Oswego NY 13126 (315) 343-4503 www.portoswego.com

u POLE BARNS u FIBER CEMENT SIDING

APRIL / MAY 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

ON THE JOB

‘What Traits Do You Seek in a Vendor?’ Evaluating the merit of a vendor differs among industries, entities and purchasing agents. We recently asked area organization leaders what they seek in a vendor. Interviews by Deborah Jeanne Sergeant “As the economic development organization for the county, our priority is to seek out vendors who are located here in Oswego County. We feel it’s important to keep as much of our business in Oswego County as possible to support our small businesses. Following that, we look for vendors who are reasonably priced, can deliver the goods or services in a timely manner and, of course, will meet the needs of our organization.” Karen Perwitz Administrative coordinator, Operation Oswego County, Inc., Oswego “I look for eco-friendly products and businesses that are socially conscious and organizations that contribute to the community and to social justice and the environment.” Jackie Michel Owner, Gratitude Leads, Fayetteville

and talk with someone, not be in an automated phone system. Last, we hate drip marketing and ‘robo’ sales, don’t bother. You will get blocked. I want a real person to buy from, not scripted email or phone call.” John M. Henry Owner Mitchell’s Speedway Press, Oswego “We are trying to use more local vendors. Aside from that, vendors really do need to research a business they are reaching out to. The number of emails and snail mail we get addressed to employees who have not worked here in years is staggering. The same goes for emails that start, ‘Dear OswegoCountyNewsNow.com.’” Jeff Weigand Publisher, Oswego County Media Group, Oswego

“We always support local businesses. We look at the price to make sure we are getting a good deal. We’ve been doing business here a long time, so I stick with the companies who are good to us. Customer relations are important. We want someone who is responsive.” Sonya Domachowske Director, Central Square Gymnastics Center, Inc., Central Square “I want a vendor who doesn’t take you for granted. We have a long-time vendor in Oswego, Raby’s, who texts every morning to see what we need or to track down specialty items. This is brilliant!” Tony Pauldine Owner Anthony M. Pauldine General Contractor, Oswego “I try to buy local, then regional. Shipping time is very important, so oneday UPS is the goal for all vendors. The next is how they stock my products to go out reliably and how they communicate. I want to be able to pick up the phone 14 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS APRIL / MAY 2022

“Quality of the product, price of the product and probably most important in today’s environment, ability to deliver the product in a timely manner.” John Zanewych President, Big John Sales, Inc., Oswego “We look for a quality product, a fair price, integrity, responsive, exclusivity and someone who cares about our business and is interested in being in a partnership with The River’s End Bookstore.” Bill Reilly Owner, The River’s End Bookstore, Oswego “We want to see what we’re getting and experience what we’re getting. Things are so expensive today. We’ve

‘Good reviews online is one thing I look for. Honesty, clarity and follow-up.’ TIM CORDELL, Owner and agent, State Farm Insurance, Central Square

bought some very expensive tools and when they break down, like vacuums and rug cleaners, you have a lot of money tied up in them. That machine sits there waiting for parts, especially today. What do you do? Because of waiting, we’ve had to go buy something off the shelf and we find that these things are so much more dependable that might be half the price of the $600 machinery that’s ‘professional.’ It’s not always the name or the reputation. We had a breakdown and we had to go to WalMart and buy a vacuum cleaner. This was two years ago and it’s still going.” Les Green Owner, L&L Green Residential Cleaning, Central Square “What I try to look for is a local vendor. I want to be able to pick up the phone and call the owner and not hopefully call India or California or wherever. If I know the owner, that is better. Hopefully, it’s someone I know from church or my kids’ school. A recommendation from other people I know is always helpful too.” Dan Hartnett Broker/owner, Berkshire Hathaway CNY Realty “Personable, not pushy, and willing to answer hard questions. Honesty.” Michele King Owner, Fyzical Oswego, Oswego “Good reviews online is one thing I look for. Honesty, clarity and follow-up.” Tim Cordell Owner and agent, State Farm Insurance, Central Square “I look for someone credible. The reputation is important. That’s why word of mouth is important. If it’s someone offering a service, I ask others what their experience was like. It’s been

like this for a long time as a way to do good business. It’s not rocket science.” Matt McGill Owner, Matt McGill Collision, Central Square “Some of the big things we look for are consistency in pricing and delivery time. We look for a good response time we ask them for something. Being good with those things are important. It’s been very hard to get products on time and keep the same pricing with the pandemic happening. We go to buy something we did a week ago and the price is up 20%. It leaves you wondering, ‘How did that happen?’ Some things are out of their control but if we find someone who’s consistent that is helpful.” Jacob Turner Owner, Unplugged Gaming, Manlius “Good customer service and clear pricing.” Jolie Kallfelz Owner, Square Deal Liquors, Central Square “I like dealing with local businesses. That way, I can go into their retail storefront to look at things. I can touch, feel and see the products in person. I can ask questions from the owner of the businesses and get answers right away without having to wait for someone to get back with me. I’m not into the dot com companies. I also look for professionalism. I’ve used the same vendors for quite some time.” David Wines Owner, Pinnacle Maintenance, West Monroe “Customer service is number one. I want to be able to go to them if I have an issue. That is the biggest thing. The quality of what they have is also really important and whether they want to work with me.” Rebecca Duger Owner, Uniquely Designed by Rebecca, Elbridge

Ontario Center for Performing Arts, Inc.

NATIONAL STAGE SPRING 2022 Saturdays 7:30pm

April 9 THE CADLEYS W/ OPENER MARK WAHL April 23 HEATHER PIERSON TRIO May 7 VANCE GILBERT W/ OPENER JEFFREY PEPPER ROGERS May 21 SEASON FINALE: THE SEA THE SEA W/ EMERGING ARTIST SHOWCASE

OPEN MIC FRIDAYS

7PM

Hosted by acclaimed local musicians on weekends of National Stage shows

HOOK SONGWRITER SERIES

7:30PM

May 13 features Singer Songwriters Jess Novak, Angela Russell, Emalie Herrington

GUEST CURATOR SERIES

APR. 30

Special event produced by Mother Earth Nature Festival, Inc. featuring Frost Bit Blue and others at Curtis Manor

Visit our website for details.

“I look for their website to see if that looks professional and they have what I’m looking for. I also look at the Better Business Bureau site to see if other people have reported any issues. Good reviews are helpful too.” Mary E. Riposo Co-owner Infinite Light Center for Yoga & Wellness, Fayetteville

McCrobie Building 41 Lake St. Oswego, NY www.oswegomusichall.org OCPAoswego@gmail.com

APRIL / MAY 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

HOW I GOT STARTED By Steve Yablonski

NICK CHERVINSKY Owner of Brewerton Pharmacy recalls buying his pharmacy in 1976 for $60,000, working from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. with no vacation time LEFT Nick Chervinsky and his wife, Nancy. They both graduated from the Albany College of Pharmacy in 1965.

Q: How much did it cost to get started?

We had to buy the building and the inventory. As I remember, the whole thing was about $60,000 back then. We had some money saved, borrowed from family and got a mortgage on the building. It doesn’t sound like much, but this was in 1976. Q: How hard was it to get the business on its feet? Together, we worked all

those hours from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day sharing the responsibility of working the store and caring for the kids. I don’t think that we took a day or an evening off for the first five years. Q: Who has helped grow your business?

We learned as we grew. Our children all worked in the pharmacy when they were growing up and now some of our grandchildren. Most of all, our faithful staff. Many of them started as high school students, then came back to be technicians or bookkeepers. Q: Was business good in the early years? Yes. Our business grew and in

1980 we bought the property on the next block and built the pharmacy that we now occupy.

Q: How did you come to be involved in this type of business? My wife,

Nancy, and I both graduated from the Albany College of Pharmacy in 1965. We moved to Syracuse and completed our internship at two area hospitals. I then took a job in a community pharmacy in Central Square called Harold’s Pharmacy. Nancy stayed at home to raise our first child. After nine years and one more child, I had to take a job at a chain drug

store because of a sale of the business. This experience at a chain drug store turned out to be the worst year of my life. I hated it. I wanted to get back to community pharmacy. Q: What was your wife doing at this time? Nancy had started working part-

time at Brewerton Pharmacy, owned by Larry Wood. I asked her to see if Larry was ready to retire. Turns out he was and we made a deal!

16 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS APRIL / MAY 2022

Q: How did that work for you? Our new larger building allowed us to add more inventory and services. We added a gift shop and expanded our offering of home healthcare items such as walkers, wheelchairs and lift chairs as well as smaller support goods like braces, crutches and splints. Q: When did you expand into Central Square? In 1989, our daughter, Lorie,

was just graduating from pharmacy school and we got a chance to purchase

Harold’s Pharmacy in Central Square. We jumped at the chance and renamed the store Village Pharmacy. About that same time we expanded our footprint to our building in Brewerton to include a medical office and a hair salon. Q: Is your daughter still a part of the business? Yes. In 2005, we sent Lorie to

compounding school in Texas to learn about specialty compounding. We built a lab in our Brewerton store and can now offer compounds used for topical pain management, bioidentical hormone replacement therapy and veterinary compounds for small animals.

Q: What are some changes you’ve seen in the profession since the 1970s? Over

the years, pharmacy has changed a lot. Back in the day, we were always given a fair reimbursement for our services. Today, the insurance companies try to squeeze every last nickel of profit from us, making it a challenge to pay our bills.

Q: What other services do you offer?

We are able to offer additional services to our customers. Our pharmacists are all trained to offer vaccinations for COVID, flu, shingles and many other diseases.

Apparel • Mugs • Water Bottles Screenprinting & Embroidery

Custom Designs • Greek Letters Serving clubs & orgs since 1981 Order from 1 to 10,000 items!

Purchase local & novelty apparel items online @ valtigraphics.com

“It’s more than a T-Shirt Store!” 152 W. Bridge St.

Valtisales@hotmail.com

315-342-4912

THE PLACE TO SHOP AT ONEIDA LAKESHORES

For all your building supply & hardware needs. Now proudly selling Benjamin Moore® paint!

Shop our fresh baked goods, craft beer selection, & the best cuts of fresh meat on the North Shore!

Buckingham Home Center: 315-623-9786 || Buckingham Market: 315-623-9472

www.buckinghamshomecenter.com | www.buckinghamsmarket.com | 45 Redfield St., Constantia, NY 13044

Q: How many employees do you have?

When we started in 1976 we had two employees other than ourselves. Today, we employ almost 30, including eight pharmacists, six pharmacy technicians, two bookkeepers and two store managers. Many of them have been with us for more than 20 years, some for more than 30 years. They are our family and we care deeply for them.

CELEBRATING 50 YEARS of bringing great ideas to light

Q: What is your business philosophy?

Our philosophy is to treat every customer as if they were our only customer. Q: What’s the best part of your job?

The best part of our business is being able to help people when they need it and to develop a friendship in doing so. Q: Where are your stores located?

Brewerton Pharmacy is located in Brewerton; the Village Pharmacy in Central Square. Q: Any thoughts of slowing down, maybe even retiring? I don’t spend as

much time at work as I used to. Nancy and I would like to travel more, but the pandemic has brought that to a screeching halt. Maybe soon.

‘Come to the professionals for all your ELECTRIC NEEDS’ (315) 598-4592 303 S. 2nd St., Fulton NY Gosch@windstream.net

STORE HOURS Monday–Friday: 8am–5pm Saturday: 8am–1pm

The One Stop Source for Residential & Commercial Lighting Needs APRIL / MAY 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

PROFILE By Steve Yablonski

PETER MYLES Harborfest leader enjoys staying busy with festival planning, horse farm

Prior to taking the reins at Harborfest, he worked for the Oswego City School District for 34 years, retiring as the director of personnel. “I couldn’t have asked for a better career,” he said. “Working for Harborfest is great. I am not looking for another career.”

Staying busy

eter Myles is happy to be back to work. The executive director of Oswego Harbor Festivals, Inc. is planning for this summer’s fest following a two-year hiatus. Harborfest, a free admission outdoor music festival, attracts approximately 75,000 people to the Port City every summer. Myles became the director of the festival in January 2016. In 2020 and 2021, however, the event was canceled

due to the pandemic. Harborfest along with Oswego’s Independence Day parade are both returning for 2022. Myles said he is glad to be planning the festival again. “We were very disappointed that we were unable to hold the festivals in 2020 and 2021,” he said. “However, we are delighted to be back for 2022 and hope to present a festival that the entire community will enjoy.”

18 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS APRIL / MAY 2022

“After the school district, I had to do something. I didn’t want to just sit around,” he explained. “Harborfest is a good ‘retirement’ for me. The job is not full-time. It’s basically a part-time job, but it’s busy for several months — not the whole year. That makes it nice. I enjoy it. It’s not like a regular five-day a week job.” When he’s not involved with Harborfest, he’s tending to things at the family farm in New Haven. “My wife, Janet, has a stable, she boards horses and gives lessons,” he said. She operates MyleStone Farm. It is a horse farm that offers boarding and training, specializing in dressage, he said. He has been taking care of things recently. “She got hurt, so she’s out of commission for a while. She tore a rotator cuff, tore some of the tendons and a few muscles. So she’s taking it easy right now. I am taking good care of her; helping with things around the farm, tending to the horses.” The couple will celebrate their 42nd anniversary this year. They also have four chickens and two dogs: Cody (an akita), and Rocky (a boxer, hence the name). “Rocky hates the cold. Cody loves it. It’s hard to keep Cody inside, he’d rather be outside,” he said. The two canines are ‘doorbells with a bark,’ Myles said. “They alert us when someone is here — or just a squirrel running across the lawn,” he said. MyleStone Farm is his wife’s business, he said, adding that he enjoys helping out. “When you’re outside working, doing something, there’s nobody to bother you. It’s relaxing,” he said. The long-time business has thrived for years, according to Myles. “We’ve been here for 30 years. But we never have had to advertise. We have always had a full barn; just due to word

of mouth. We have always kept busy,” he pointed out. “Some of our borders, it seems, have been here forever.”

Fireworks fans “My wife does come down during Harborfest quite a bit to see how I’m doing,” he continued. “We never miss the fireworks. Before I became involved with Harborfest, we’d always watch the fireworks from the fort. It’s a good place. We live in New Haven and the fort is on the east side of Oswego so that made it a good place for us to watch. Then, when the fireworks were over we could walk downtown and check out what was going on. ” They don’t check out other festivals, he added. “Harborfest is it for us.”

Excited for 2022 ”Right now, we are in the office Mondays and Tuesdays. We have all our bands, all the contracts signed except for one — headliner for Friday night. Hopefully that’ll be done [soon],” he said in early March. “After being out for two years we think that we’ve got a good festival in the works this year. Most of the bands that will be performing are ones that were going to perform in 2020. We’re moving right along. The city is very supportive; the mayor’s office and all the departments. Without the city’s help it would be very difficult to pull off Harborfest.” They are expecting 75,000 people to attend. “I enjoy working with the staff, board of directors and others in the community to plan for and organize the festival,” he added. “The festival wouldn’t be possible without the sup-

Lifelines Name: Peter Myles Position: Executive director, Oswego Harbor Festivals, Inc. Age: 64 Birth Place: Oneida Residence: New Haven Education: Bachelor’s degree from LeMoyne College; master’s degree and certificate of advanced studies from SUNYOswego Family: Wife (Janet), one daughter and a grandson

Harborfest will return this summer after a two-year hiatus. The free outdoor music festival attracts over 75,000 people to the Port City annually. port from our generous sponsors and members, several city of Oswego and Oswego County offices and departments.” What does he enjoy about the festival itself? “The music, food, fireworks and speaking with all the people during the festival,” he said. He said he really doesn’t have a favorite food. “I enjoy eating,” he said. But when it comes to Harborfest food, “I like Utica greens and Italian sausage with peppers and onions,” he added. He describes his managerial philosophy as “Highly collaborative. I enjoy working with people and I like to get things done.” “The qualities I have that I believe make me a good executive director are the same ones that make a person a good person or a good employee: strong work ethic, honest, good sense of humor, positive attitude, confident, ability to recognize and acknowledge a job well done and good decision-making skills,” he explained. Who has influenced him the most? “This is a difficult one,” he replied. “So many people have influenced me over the years including my parents, teachers, college professors and bosses.” When he isn’t organizing a festival for thousands of people or tending to a stable full of horses, Myles said he likes bicycle riding, walking, hiking and snowshoeing. If he could choose any performer for Harborfest’s opening night, who would he pick? “Not very realistic, Tim McGraw or Bon Jovi. But, you asked!” he said. This year’s Harborfest will be held July 28 through 31, throughout Oswego; highlighted by the world-class Grucci fireworks display Saturday night over the Oswego Harbor.

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The Sichuan Opera, unlike most operas, does not tell one story but includes several types of traditional Chinese entertainment.

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Where in the World is Sandra Scott? CHENGDU, CHINA

With relaxed ambiance, tree-lined streets and teahouses, the capital of Sichuan province is considered one of the most livable Chinese cities

hengdu, a modern city with a population of over nine million, is the capital of Sichuan province in Southwest China. It is considered one of the most livable Chinese cities, mainly because of its relaxed ambiance, tree-lined streets and teahouses. There are many unique things to do in and around Chengdu. The city has many parks that are great places to watch people exercising, flying kites and just strolling along. In most parks, at various times, it is possible to hear a musician playing a traditional Chinese stringed instrument. With luck, an English-speaking local resident will stop by to chat for a while. Most visitors come to Chengdu to visit the Panda Breeding and Research Center. The center has recreated the giant panda’s habitat and is dedicated to preserving the giant pandas, the red pandas (which are not really pandas but more like raccoons) and other endangered Chinese animals. The center is beautifully landscaped with

many trails and a trolley that provides easy access to the various areas of the large park-like center. Visitors can watch toddler pandas learn to climb, see newborn pandas being nurtured, and learn about the cuddly-looking bears. The Sichuan Opera, unlike most operas, does not tell one story but includes traditional Chinese entertainment. It starts with a drum and gong music, followed by a stick and puppet show, a comedy routine, hand shadow show and traditional opera, but the most amazing aspect is the Sichuan specialty — changing faces — whereby the actors change their facemasks so quickly that is impossible to see them do it. Changing faces is an art form and one of China’s national treasures. It started about 300 years ago and was a closely guarded secret passed down through the generations within the families. Only about 200 are proficient in the art. There are several interesting museums, including the Jinsha Site Museum which is composed of five parts: the relics hall, the exhibition hall, culture

One of ancient towns near Chengdu — a great place to see architecture, crafts and customs of an earlier time Many of the crafts and foods are made in the traditional manner. APRIL / MAY 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

TOP A day trip from Chengu can take visitors to Mount Qingcheng, one of the most sacred Taoist areas in China. Leshan Giant Buddha was carved out of the cliff between AD 618 and AD 907. It is said to be the largest carved stone Buddha in the world. INSET Most visitors come to Chengdu to visit the Panda Breeding and Research Center, which has recreated the giant panda’s habitat and is dedicated to preserving the giant pandas, the red pandas and other endangered Chinese animals.

relics preservation center, a garden zone and a tourists reception center. In the relics hall visitors can view the ongoing excavation of the site. An English-speaking guide is not necessary as the labeling is excellent. Like so many of the historical sites in China, the museum is in a lovely park-like setting. The Sichuan area is noted for its pungent spicy food resulting from liberal use of garlic and chili peppers, as well as the unique flavor of Sichuan pepper. Hot pot is a local specialty. A simmering pot of stock, fish, meat or chicken, is placed in the center of the table. In some of the newer more upscale restaurants the table is designed with a recessed, built in hot pot area. When the broth is simmering, diners select a variety of ingredients: meat, vegetables, mushrooms or seafood. The diner then places their ingredients in the broth. Some places provide diners with a wire basket with a handle to use to dip their ingredients in the broth. There is usually a very spicy broth and one that is less spicy. Once the ingredients are cooked they are usually eaten with a dipping sauce. There are many interesting day trips from Chengdu. One day trip is to the 2,200-year-

22 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS APRIL / MAY 2022

old Dujiangyan Irrigation Project, an UNESCO World Heritage Site. Another trip is to Mount Qingcheng, one of the most sacred Taoist areas in China. Leshan Giant Buddha was carved out of the cliff between AD 618 and AD 907 during the Tang Dynasty. It is said to be the largest carved stone Buddha in the world. There are several ancient towns near Chengdu. The towns are a place to see architecture, crafts and customs of an earlier time in a beautiful, vibrant town setting. Many of the crafts and foods are made in the traditional manner. The taxis are metered with drivers who try to be helpful and the fares are reasonable. The city has a relaxed pace making visitors feel welcome. Americans need a visa to visit China. Apply to the Chinese Embassy. Air Asia offers reasonable fares between most major cities in China and Asia.

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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NEWS BRIEFS ON LOCAL BUSINESSES & BUSINESS PEOPLE Heidi Hoeller Joins NBT Board of Directors Heidi M. Hoeller has recently joined the boards of directors for NBT Bancorp Inc. and NBT Bank, N.A. Hoeller is a retired partner of Pricewater houseCoopers LLP (“PwC”) with over 25 years of experience as a leader in audit and financial services. “We welcome Heidi to board service at NBT and are excited to add her experience Heidi Hoeller and perspective to our group,” said NBT Board Chairman Martin A. Dietrich. “Her extensive background in public accounting and her deep knowledge of the financial services industry will make Heidi a strong and valuable asset as we guide our business forward.” Hoeller held numerous positions at PwC from November 1993 until her retirement in June 2019. She spent most of her career in the Northeast, including assignments in Syracuse, Hartford and Boston, where she served as audit partner on a diverse portfolio of clients within the insurance sector. Prior to her retirement, she was a financial services partner in PwC’s National Quality Organization for three years. During that time, she also led diversity and inclusion for a group of approximately 120 professionals. Hoeller currently sits on the board of directors of Preferred Mutual Insurance Company, which she joined in May 2020. Since 2011, she has been a member of the board of trustees for Utica College, an independent private institution for higher education. Hoeller received her bachelor’s degree in accounting from Utica College. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and is a CPA licensed in New York.

Community Foundation Announces New Manager The Central New York Community Foundation has hired Colby Cyrus as program manager. His role is to assist with the development, implementation and monitoring of grantmaking and programs. He works with the CommuniColby Cyrus ty Foundation’s community grant program and affiliate funds. Colby, who speaks both French and Arabic, was previously employed at InterFaith Works and has experience in international development, advocacy and survey research. He received his master’s degree in international relations from Syracuse University in 2019.

C&S Companies Announce Promotions C&S Companies, a Syracuse-based engineering, architecture, planning, environmental and construction services company, has recently announced the following promotions. • John Camp is now a vice president managing C&S’s infrastructure, environmental and site/civil practice. He has been with C&S for more than 20 years, managing a wide variety of municipal, environmental, John Camp water, wastewater and other projects for both public

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and private clients. Camp is a licensed professional engineer in numerous states, a certified floodplain manager, a certified professional in stormwater quality, and a certified professional in erosion and sediment control. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. • Aileen Maguire Meyer is now a vice president providing project leadership on strategic projects to deliver a range of architecture, engineering and planning services. Her responsibilities include corporate initiatives Aileen Maguire Meyer to optimize operational efficiency, promote standards and best practices and advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion. Meyer has technical expertise in traffic engineering and facility, transportation, and sustainability planning. Meyer is a graduate of Boston University and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, is a licensed professional engineer, a certified planner, and an envision sustainability professional. • Nicholas Cerro is now a vice president overseeing marketing and business development. In this role, he leads teams engaged in market research and analysis, strategic planning and development, market position and promotion, new business development, customer relationship management and related activities across diNicholas Cerro verse market and service sectors. Cerro has been

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M&T Bank Names New Western New York Regional President Eric Feldstein has been named M&T Bank regional president of Western New York — the company’s headquarter market and where it was founded 165 years ago — in addition to his role as head of business banking, effective March 2022. Feldstein will transition Eric Feldstein the role from Shelley Drake, who is retiring after a 50-year career with the company. “Eric is one of the most experienced bankers we have at M&T and is a leader in every sense of the word,” said Mike Keegan, M&T Bank executive vice president and head of community markets. “Our unique community model empowers local leaders to combine their banking expertise with a deep understanding of their communities in order to deliver a differentiated customer experience and uplift our communities. Eric’s passion for helping local businesses and customers was never more evident than during his leadership of the bank’s participation in the Paycheck Protection Program, which changed countless lives for the better. We’re confident he’ll bring the same level of leadership and dedication to this new role.” The Western New York region is the company’s largest community market with close to 8,000 employees and 66 branches across Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans and Wyoming Counties. “I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to serve as regional president,” said Feldstein. “As a community-focused bank, it’s our job to ensure our local economies are vibrant and growing.” Feldstein has held various positions in commercial and business banking throughout his 19 years with M&T. 28 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS APRIL / MAY 2022

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Barton & Loguidice (B&L), a multi-disciplinary consulting firm that provides technical solutions to public More than just another and private clients throughout the Accounting Service Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, recently Bookkeeping | Accounting welcomed Jayme Breschard to the firm as senior managing community planner Payroll | Income Taxes where she will serve in the role of climate action specialist. Breschard will be based Brenda Weissenberg in B&L’s Rochester office. 248 Breckheimer Rd., “Barton & Loguidice has created Central Square, N.Y. 13036 this leadership position to provide clients with holistic planning, funding and design guidance as part of the physical resilience and adaptive capacity of public infrastructure to flooding, drought, water quality, sea-level rise, heat stress, and other climate risks. The position will also align efforts and help address the rising impacts and inequities of climate Reginald (Reg) Braggs has been change experienced by disadvantaged communities,” said Barton & Loguidice appointed SUNY Oswego’s interim exDirector of Sustainable Planning and ecutive to the president and affirmative OSWEGO MEXICO Design Ken Knutsen. “We are fortunate action officer, effective Jan. 10. 283 W. 2nd St., Ste. 200 111 Hamilton St Braggs, who has served the college to have Jayme, an established climate Oswego, NY 13126 Mexico, NY 13114 as director of Tel: 315-342-4489 Tel: 315-963-0777 action specialist, coordinating our SUNY OsweFax: 315-343-3281 Fax: 315-963-0611 multi-disciplined professional staff in go’s Syracuse the enhanced climate resiliency efforts FULTON PULASKI Campus since with communities, funding and regula14 Crossroads Drive 61 Delano St M a rc h 2 0 2 0 , Fulton, NY 13069 Pulaski, NY 13142 tory agencies, watershed commissions, will step in for Tel: 315-593-0796 Tel: 315-963-0777 and strategic professional partners with Fax: 315-593-6122 Fax: 315-963-0611 Mary C. Toale, our multi-state service regions.” We service all who recently Breschard has 20 years of experiFree Pick-up & Dodge /Chrysler/Jeep/Ram www.farnhaminc.org took over as ofence working for national and regional Delivery within models no matter where ficer-in-charge 5 mile radius technical firms and public planning oryou bought them!!! while the camganizations. With certifications from the pus searches for NEED TO CHANGE FROM 5 American Institute of Certified Planners TO 7 QTS its next presand the Association of State Floodplain Reginald Braggs ident. During Managers, she approaches projects with keen recognition of diversity, equity this period, Ryan Lynn — who has 1698 Co. Rt. 57 • 315-598-2135 served as assistant director of SUNY We service all• Fulton Dodge /Chrysler/ and inclusion. Shop us online @ www.Longleybros.com Jeep/Ram models no matter where Breschard is graduate of Cornell Oswego’s Syracuse Campus since Febyou bought them!!! University and Mary Washington ruary 2020 — will assume the interim SERVICE OIL CHANGE HOURS: director role. with purchase of 4 OilHOURS: Change Pkg. (up to 7 qts.) SALES College. blends extra SERVICE HOURS: Synthetic MONDAY-FRIDAY MONDAY-THURSDAY As interim executive to the presi7:30 a.m. -5:00 p.m. MONDAY-FRIDAY 9:00 a.m. -7: p.m. dent, Braggs will serve as a member of SATURDAY 7:30 a.m. -5:00 p.m. FRIDAY 8:00 a.m. -1:00 p.m. SATURDAY the president’s council. He will provide 9:00 a.m. PARTS -6:00 p.m.& 8:00 a.m. -1:00 p.m. SATURDAY assistance, advice and support and LABOR SALES HOURS: 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. manage a wide variety of legal matters, MONDAY-THURSDAY personnel activities and confidential 9:00 a.m. -7: p.m. 1698 Co. Rt. 57 Fulton Refresh Your Ride FRIDAY assignments. Braggs will also serve as Free Pick-up &95 $ COMPLETE Interior 315-598-2135 9:00 a.m. -6:00 p.m. Delivery within & Exterior DETAIL Shop us online @ SATURDAY Erin Weaver recently joined Op- Oswego’s interim affirmative action of5 mile radius $ 95 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. service allExterior BUFFING EXTRA 59 We www.Longleybros.com eration Oswego County, Inc. (OOC) ficer and as a member of the president’s k-up & Dodge /Chrysler/Jeep/Ram as the administrative assistant and UUP Labor Management team. within models no matter where As the director of the Syracuse camreceptionist. radius Weaver, a native of Oswego, is a pus, Braggs has worked with colleagues you bought them!!! graduate of Cayuga Community Col- in academic affairs and the division of extended learning to continue to prolege. For the last nine years, she has TO NEED CHANGE FROM 5 Free Pick-up worked & for Port City Family Medicine. vide and expand on opportunities for Call 315-342-8020 for 7 QTSadult (non-traditional) learners to attain Delivery within Prior to that, Weaver worked for TO Osweadvertising information 5 mile goradius Health. Outside of work, Weaver bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees,

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Davis-Standard Names New CEO Giovanni Spitale has been named chief executive officer of Davis-Standard, a portfolio company of Gamut Capital Management. The group has a plant in Fulton that employs nearly 150 people. Spitale replaces Jim Murphy who has been elected as vice chairman of the board of directors. In addition, Davis-Standard has elected several individuals as members of its board of directors. “I am extremely excited Giovanni Spitale to join the Davis-Standard organization,” said Spitale. “Having spent considerable time in the polymer processing and broader capital equipment industries, I have long admired Davis-Standard’s leading position in the market, its unmatched engineering capability and the company’s reputation as a strong partner to its customers through both original equipment and aftermarket support.” Spitale previously was vice president of commercial parts within Boeing Global Services. In this role, Spitale had full responsibility for the profit and loss management, and strategic direction of Boeing’s $4 billion portfolio of commercial aircraft and engine parts businesses. Prior to his tenure at Boeing, Spitale was president of customer service and support at Milacron. Founded in 1848 and headquartered in Pawcatuck, Conecticut, Davis-Standard is a global leader in the design, development and distribution of extrusion and converting technology.

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LD’s on the River in Pulaski is year-round enjoyment

32 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS APRIL / MAY 2022

hen searching for food in Pulaski, LD’s on the River comes up. The bar-restaurant (according to a food review website) describes the eatery on Jefferson Street and next to The Kallet Theater as traditional American. In other words — comfort food. If it’s not culturally inspired, that’s American cuisine for you. It’s the simple bliss of a burger and fries. With the Tug Hill Plateau and the Salmon River region being a year-round destination, it’s a place to go for a good bite when the summer humidity is oppressive, after a winter outing on your sled or fishing, and any other day just because. And it wasn’t an internet search engine that convinced me to hit up LD’s. The star rating wasn’t scary either. My wife and I have never been there and we wanted to try it. The quiet Saturday afternoon was nice. We had the full-service greeting, seating, and were able to hear the Olympics on the television. We also had our dog, who we’re training for service purposes, and he was also very welcomed. He didn’t (and typically doesn’t) misbehave either, so that was reassuring for the staff. The large chalkboard with the specials and drink list boasted great local craft offerings from 1911 (LaFayette), Meier’s Creek (Cazenovia), Three Heads (Rochester) and more. For anyone who feels relaxed in a setting with exposed brick — LD’s offers that, too. Plus, its long and old bar has a lot of character. You’d wish it could speak and have it spill the details of its history and the conversations of countless patrons. To kick off our meal, a few things caught our attention. For one, cheddar and potato soup ($4). The hearty soup didn’t disappoint. No need to add any pepper either. The flavor stepped up enough to not need anything with it. Normally menus have mozzarella sticks. LD’s, however, has smoked gouda bites ($9.99). The basket of bites was a pleasant take on a familiar appetizer. However, there were also mac and cheese bites. There’s a lot going on and there’s a lot to enjoy. We highly enjoyed

THIS PAGE, FROM TOP A large chalkboard at LD’s on the River lists the specials and drinks; The hot chicken sandwich was our other sandwich of choice. The breaded, crispy Cajun sandwich was topped with jack cheese, bacon, diced dill pickles, and chipotle aioli. OPPOSITE PAGE Burger with mushrooms sautéed in garlic butter. The burger tasted fresh and was cooked as asked; the mushrooms and cheese were plentiful. APRIL / MAY 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

these delicious bites. The house wing sauce added a pinch, not a punch, of heat. It really is a great appetizer. The pierogi basket ($10.99) was also something not typically seen as an appetizer. Served with string, hand-cut fries, the pierogis could come out with the aforementioned Buffalo wing sauce or garlic parmesan. Going with the latter, the Polish staple was doused with garlic, oil and cheese with no apology. The beef from the burgers are sourced locally, according to LD’s menu. That’s reassuring, especially when it’s in print and coming from a cartoon cow. No, that’s not sarcastic. Who doesn’t like a burger coming from a local source? And who doesn’t like a burger with mushrooms sautéed in garlic butter? If that strikes your fancy, go with the mushroom Swiss burger ($11.99). It came with house sweet potato fries for a slight upcharge. The burger tasted fresh and was cooked as asked — medium rare. The mushrooms and cheese were plentiful. The hot chicken sandwich ($10.99) was our other sandwich of choice. The breaded, crispy Cajun sandwich was topped with jack cheese, bacon, diced dill pickles, and chipotle aioli. It sounds like a spicy sandwich but it’s not as intense as you think. For those afraid of heat, give this a try. Each bite into the crispy sandwich with crispy bacon is a satisfying one. Before tip, the total bill came to around $70. Is LD’s award -inning? It depends on what you’re looking for. For a highclass meal? Perhaps not. For comfort food? Absolutely. LD’s offers hit-thespot options for all seasons and people of all ages.

LD’s on the River 4838 Jefferson St., Pulaski, NY 13142 315-509-4254 | www.ldsontheriver.com facebook.com/ ldsontheriver instagram.com/ldsontheriver

FROM TOP The pierogi basket, not typically seen as an appetizer. It was doused with garlic, oil and cheese; Smoked gouda bites — the basket of bites was a pleasant take on a familiar appetizer.

34 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS APRIL / MAY 2022

Sun.: 4 – 10 p.m. Mon.: Closed Tues. – Thurs.: 4 – 11 p.m. Fri. – Sat.: 4 p.m. – midnight

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APRIL / MAY 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

How COVID-19 Has Changed the Restaurant Industry

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

hile most restaurant patrons are accustomed to ordering delivery for pizza, Chinese food, sandwiches and a few other types of cuisine, their options widened considerably when the pandemic shut down in-person dining in 2020. Offering delivery provided a means for many eateries to continue to make money, even as virus-wary customers have begun to make their way back to the table. Mimi’s Drive-In, a Fulton staple since 1970, still offers delivery. Co-owner Chris Sachel said that although it’s a small portion of his business, “We’re always looking for new revenue streams because business is tough, and we’ve

always got to find any avenue to make a buck and keep people happy.” The only way he would end delivery is if the employment issue worsens. He used DoorDash at one point. However, the fees it incurred cost him more money than he made. That is why employees handle delivery. He tries to offer free delivery. However, he must charge $5 for orders less than $25 or the expenses of delivery gobble up his profit margin. Most people ordering delivery are in a group anyway, such as a doctor’s office ordering lunch for all the staff. Sachel has also experimented with curbside pick-up, but his property’s layout made that option difficult. Curbside service requires designated parking spots and his lot has too many cars coming and going to make it work. Patrons struggled to understand the curbside concept and seemed more familiar with the restaurant’s take-out option. For John Tassone, owner of Tassone’s Wine Garden in Baldwinsville, going with Grubhub made sense as staffing was already challenging. He began using the delivery service during the summer of 2020 and has continued. He is considering adding DoorDash in the future. Tassone’s added curbside delivery, “a big hit, and we are still doing it,” Tassone said. His customer base is aged 45-plus, people who tend to be more hesitant to eat out because of COVID-19. To reach a crowd more inclined to both

36 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS APRIL / MAY 2022

use online ordering and to dine in the restaurant, he retooled his advertising to reach the 25-45 age crowd to build up that customer base. “We’re starting to see more online ordering,” he said. From early in the pandemic, the curbside and Grubhub orders have quadrupled, which Tassone said has helped keep the restaurant going. Once pandemic restrictions have been lifted, he hopes to cease delivery services. While thankful that the delivery service has provided another means for customers to access his food, the fees take a big chunk of his profit. “We’re starting to gain the parties we lost, like baby showers, bridal showers and large events,” he said. “It’s so nice for everyone to get together and enjoy themselves. We are social creatures and want to be around people. We really need to interact with people; we can’t go on just being sheltered.” Fulton-based Bud Loura, owner of Restaurant QB, has more than 25 years’ experience consulting with independent restaurant and hospitality business owners in upstate New York and nationwide. He keeps in close contact of the restaurant industry in the area. “The majority are not fans of delivery services,” Loura said. “They should do it themselves. Grubhub takes too much money.” Loura said that for every $1 that goes in the register, the business makes four cents by the time the overhead is paid (although that overhead likely includes the owner’s salary). That thin profit margin can make adding and improving infrastructure or services very difficult. He said that some restaurants shifted waitstaff to delivery positions, but the hours were not as plentiful. Loura also said that most restaurants in the area have been surviving on carry-out, which has doubled or tripled since before the pandemic. The pandemic has also caused many in the restaurant business to cut back their operating hours. “A lot of places are closing for days,” Loura said. “Some will never

Front facade of Mimi’s Drive-In in Fulton. Photo via Facebook.

SPECIAL REPORT

open for lunch again because it’s not economical and they saw it because of COVID-19. It’s too hard to staff.” Many restaurants that had no online ordering have added that feature, many of them “old school people forced to do it,” Loura said. “Some are online only. You won’t be able to call in to place an order.” He mentioned one restaurant so overwhelmed with call-in carryout orders that the kitchen became disorganized, serving walk-in customers immediately and subjecting call-in customers to longer waits. With online orders, they know how many orders are in the kitchen and can tell customers when theirs will be available. “It’s a cleaner sale and more efficient,” he said. “They’re not overwhelming their staff. I’m surprised we haven’t seen more personal health of employees and owners go down. It’s challenging.” Loura also said that more restaurants are embracing social media over print ads, as people staying home are in front of their computers and phones more than ever. He envisions more “ghost kitchens,” where people can only order online and pick it up to go or have it delivered by employees or services like Grubhub, and there is no eat-in option. More people cooking at home to save money and to replicate the cooking shows on television have also hurt the restaurant industry. Why go pick up chicken strips and fries at a restaurant when the air fryer does it at home for less? Loura sees shorter hours as another long-term effect of COVID-19. “I don’t think you’ll see a lot of 24-hour restaurants anymore,” he said.

“It’s so nice for everyone to get together and enjoy themselves. We are social creatures and want to be around people. We really need to interact with people; we can’t go on just being sheltered.” John Tassone, owner of Tassone’s Wine Garden in Baldwinsville

“People aren’t big drinkers as much anymore. Bars are closing at 10 or 11. There are fewer places to eat lunch. There is less staff. It’s a hard job and people have found other ways to make money.” He said that fewer young adults want to work 40 hours a week but want only 25 to 30 hours so they have more free time. The increase in wages has

prompted many chain restaurants to put in ordering kiosks. “The jobs they’re replacing are not meant to support a family with,” Loura said. “It’s a starter job. It’s a high school or college-aged job. Eliminating these jobs makes it harder for your kids or grandkids to get a job. Everyone needs to enter the workforce and learn what it’s like to have a real job. I bet of the top 100 of the nation’s CEOs or COOs, about 50% likely had a fast-food job to start.” Anthony Tringale owns Eat Local NY, an organization in Syracuse dedicated to promoting locally owned food-related businesses in New York State. He hopes delivery will continue, as it is now what customers expect. “Customers know it costs more versus in-store and they’re still paying it,” he said. Delivery services charge a fee of 20% to 30%. Add to that the fact that restaurant inputs have never been more expensive. The price of food and containers has risen, the latter because Styrofoam containers have been banned and replacement containers cost five to six times more. “Everywhere they turn they’re getting hit,” Tringale said. “If restaurants don’t find ways to get food more accessible to customers, they’ll fail.” He encourages local restaurants to obtain their supplies from nearby sources as much as possible, both to save money and also to keep their dollars local. Doing so can also generate more interest among consumers who prefer to buy local goods. “Owners have to open their eyes and come up with innovative ideas to attract customers and make their food available,” Tringale said.

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BUSINESS UPDATE

For the Uncommitted Chicken Lover: Rent The Chicken Business in Hastings offers chicken rental for those who want to experience fresh eggs but not the longterm commitment to raising chickens

ant farm-fresh eggs but not a long-term commitment to raising a flock from chicks? Rent The Chicken could be your answer. Lisa Stevenson of Hastings can set you up with a coop, four to six laying hens, equipment and enough feed for six months, all for $450 to $600. Within days, your breakfast egg will be mere minutes from nest to table. Stevenson is the local affiliate for Rent The Chicken, a business founded by Phil and Jenn Tompkins of Freeport, Pennsylvania.

Stevenson delivers rental packages within a 50-mile drive of Hastings, which includes most places in Central New York, including Syracuse. While traveling to their renters’ homes, the hens actually ride in the coop, which is secured on a flatbed trailer. “They don’t seem to mind,” Stevenson said. “They don’t have an issue with being transported. They can sit in the roost to get out of the wind.” Intended for curious but perhaps not completely committed backyard chicken raisers, Rent The Chicken al-

38 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS APRIL / MAY 2022

lows renters to “chicken out” and return everything before the six months’ rental is up. Or, for an additional fee, they can keep it all and “adopt” the chickens and their equipment. Renters also receive unlimited contact with experienced “chicken friends” who can talk them through any health issues. Renters with yards as small as 10 by 15 feet can offer adequate space for the portable coops and attached chicken yards; however, obtaining permission with the local zoning board is up to the renters, not Stevenson.

PREVIOUS PAGE Lisa Stevenson feeding her “Rent The Chicken” chickens in March. Photographed by Chuck Wainwright. THIS PAGE Lisa Stevenson retired from Bristol-Myers Squibb to open Rent The Chicken in Hastings. Her husband, Steve, asked “who is going to rent chickens?” At only a few years into the business, the Stevensons rent nearly 100 chickens per season.

Portability allows renters to move the coop and chicken yard frequently so the birds can gobble up pesky insects — they like grubs, mosquitoes and other insects — and spread out their manure so it doesn’t pile up and cause odor problems as readily. Some potential renters wonder about noise; however, hens’ clucks are pretty quiet. It’s roosters whose “cock-adoodle-doo” would rouse the neighborhood. Since renters take on only mature hens, they won’t have any unwanted roosters from a flock of chicks. Rent The Chicken affiliates replace for free any birds killed by predators; however, since most coops are placed in backyards and since the birds don’t roam outside their chicken yard and coop, they’re pretty safe. To help ensure healthy rental chickens, Rent The Chicken has affiliates raise their own birds or source them from National Poultry Improvement Plan-certified hatcheries. The industry association promotes bird health and proper breeding and handling. Rent The Chicken affiliates can re-rent birds that aren’t adopted, as long as they’re still laying.

Retirement Business Stevenson got into the business over three years ago because she and her husband Steve wanted a retirement business. She recalled hearing about chicken rental and eventually reached out to the Tompkins, founders of Rent The Chicken. Steve approved of his wife’s crazy-sounding venture, as long as he didn’t have to build any coops. He had to build and deliver 19 coops in a little more than a month of launching the business. The couple promotes the business through appearances at events like Celebrate Commemorate Memorial Day in Waterloo, Central New York Home & Garden show and word-of-mouth. Families with young children comprise Rent The Chicken’s target market,

though some grandparents want birds for their grandkids. Occasionally, an older couple or teen is the customer. Lisa Stevenson recalled one teen who received chicken rental for her birthday. “We could hear her screaming, ‘My chickens are here!’” she said. Figuring out how to get coops and birds delivered has proven the biggest challenge, since renters must be home for a delivery. Stevenson’s background as a SUNY Delaware vet technician graduate helped her readily take on the animal care aspects of the business. She had also kept ducks and geese before. Meetings and webinars hosted by Rent The Chicken have also helped the Stevensons get up to speed in the chicken rental business. In just a few weeks, they’ve turned a profit, which is impressive, considering they had to purchase all the materials for coop con-

struction. Rent The Chicken provides plans for coops. “We have to have one of each of the three sizes of coops available,” Stevenson said. “We got a little behind and were building as we needed them. We had three orders in one day, at one point. I think we’re doing pretty good.” So why do people want to rent chickens? For some, they fancy dabbling in agriculture on a scale they can manage. Others like the farm-to-table aspect. Still, more want to teach their children responsibility and how at least one of their foods is sourced. “We’re having so much fun doing it,” Stevenson said. “My husband didn’t want anything to do with it, but he’s now building coops like crazy. He didn’t understand the ‘why’ but now he gets it.”

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

APRIL / MAY 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

BUSINESS UPDATE LEFT Staff at the new Tatlim Bakery in Oswego: From left, Claire Hosley (customer service), Sevgi Evren Familo (baker-owner) and Nicole Whitcomb (baker’s assistant). The business opened Feb. 25.

New Business Brings Turkish Flavor to Oswego Opened a little over two months ago, business has been an instant hit with customers, who form lines to buy baklava and other pastries

stopped into Tatlim Bakery, 37 E. First St., Oswego, shortly after it opened the other day (March 9). There were more than a baker’s dozen customers waiting to place their orders. A few others were seated at the tables nearby. “Yes, we’re having a slow day,” the owner Sevgi Evren Familo, 29, told me. “Most days, people are like sardines. They’re packed in so much you’re not

able to see the floor. We open at 11 a.m. and we generally have a long line and an incredible crowd until 1:30 p.m. This is our slowest day ever.” Not bad for a brand new business. Evren Familo is an émigré from Istanbul. She has lived in the Port City for eight years. “We opened on the 25th of February,” she said. “We serve locally roasted

Some of the pastries available at Tatlim Bakery. The place specializes in macarons, éclairs, crispy cream puffs and Turkish desserts, baklava and kadayif. 40 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS APRIL / MAY 2022

coffee from Recess in all of our coffee products (Turkish coffee, drip, cold brew and nitro). We brew all the coffee in the store.” Cold brew is different than iced coffee, she pointed out. “We actually brew the coffee for 18 hours, overnight,” she said. She starts her days at 7:30 a.m. and usually keeps going until 9 p.m. The bakery ran out of baklava within two hours on opening day. “It was the very first thing that we ran out of,” Familo said. She said she isn’t a fan of American desserts. They’re too sweet; “it’s not my thing,” she explained. “I make things that I like … so I can eat them,” she added with a smile. “For desserts, we serve different flavors of macarons and éclairs, as well as our crispy cream puffs and Turkish desserts, baklava and kadayif, and anything else I fancy to make that day... if I have time!” she said. They are generally sold out of “goodies” by 1 p.m., she said, adding, “I rarely put extras in the case after that. But, sometimes we do, if we have enough time. We’ve been receiving an incredible amount of attention and love from the community and I’m so grateful for it.” When she makes something, she wants to make it perfect. “We are an artisanal bakery and make limited amounts of each item. I decide each flavor that day or the day before, depending on how much I like the fruits we have or the demands the customers made, or simply I just wanted to change things up a bit,” she said. “I make special flavors after 11 a.m. after our regular items are in the case.” She has two full-time employees “who are amazing support and good friends and one part-time employee who is incredibly friendly and charming,” she said. She offers a succinct explanation as to why the bakery is so popular so soon: “It’s good. We don’t compromise. I don’t want to sell something I wouldn’t eat,” she said.

By Steve Yablonski

BUSINESS UPDATE

Tiki Boats to Sail Into Oswego Harbor

ake Ontario will have a tropical flavor this summer. The “Oswego sunset tiki-tours” will launch this summer, according to Mayor Billy Barlow. The Port City purchased two tiki boats. One has already arrived. The other one is expected to arrive in June. A third was built in-house at the DPW, the mayor added. “Assuming everything stays on schedule, boats will be available for rent beginning Fourth of July weekend through Labor Day weekend,” Barlow said. Two of the boats will be motorized and offer trips around the harbor. The third vessel will be anchored in the

harbor. It will accommodate up to 12 guests at one time. The excursions will cost $200 for two hours as the boats troll around the harbor, the mayor said. “The city will be hiring licensed captains to operate the boats,” Barlow said. “The city will be the ‘company’ running the boats.” During his 2022 State of the City address, the mayor explained his reasoning for the new venture: Getting people to Oswego’s waterfront is one thing—getting them “on the water is another.” the mayor said. Folks can sail around the harbor enjoying some cocktails in a tropical type setting, “only you’ll be right here

TOP Excursions on the tiki boats will cost $200 for two hours and can accommodate up to 12 people. Licensed captains will operate the vessels INSET Promotional poster highlighting the new summer attraction in Oswego.

in Oswego,” said Barlow. He added that the tours could be an enormous tourist attraction for both visitors and residents, enticing more people to the city’s waterfront to see the new marina and other improvements, generating plenty of potential for Oswego for years to come.

By Steve Yablonski

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APRIL / MAY 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

BUSINESS UPDATE

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT Unplugged Gaming in Manlius opened in 2021 and has seen a great deal of success: More than 20,000 orders online; Patrons at Unplugged Gaming at a game playing event. Dozens of patrons meet there and play games together on certain nights.

Unplugged Gaming Thriving In Onondaga County Former Digital Hyve COO finding success in selling board games

wo and a half years ago, who would have thought cards and board games would be the next hot thing? Not Jake Tanner. At the time, he served as chief operating officer of Digital Hyve, a thriving marketing firm in Syracuse. Now his board and card game business, Unplugged Gaming, evidences its own success as his Pokémon Facebook page boasts 12,000 followers and he has moved more than 20,000 orders online. In November 2020, his wife, Jess, a laid off medical biller, thought she would start a side business selling games. Her intuition was spoton. Statista, a provider of market and

consumer data, recently said that in the last three years, the board game industry has grown 30%. “We’ve collected Pokémon cards almost our whole lives,” Tanner said. “We thought we could sell a few as a side hustle, maybe two or five shipments a day. She would be the one working on it, but it blew up overnight. That’s when we realized we could make this bigger than we thought we could.” At the time, he had no idea that his position at Digital Hyve would end in October 2021. Butler/Till, a marketing agency in Rochester, acquired the company and Butler/Till’s CEO took the helm at Digital Hyve.

42 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS APRIL / MAY 2022

In the meantime, the couple began growing Unplugged Gaming. They rented a small storefront in Chittenango where they could organize their shipments and occasionally provide curbside pick-up. But mail order proved their bread and butter during the early part of the pandemic as homebound customers craved home-based hobbies and games, collectible figurines and puzzles. The couple also sells some game-themed merchandise. In November 2021, the couple opened a store in Manlius. Some of their distributors and manufacturers would not agree to sell to them unless they operated a retail store.

“Our approach is very different,” Tanner said. “It’s online first. It was very community-focused, which is different from online stores. We built Facebook groups around the games we sell and let people trade based on their interests so people could trade easier. People thought of us as a community facilitator.” They also wanted the store to look more modern than many other, older game stores. The space is a tad large for their needs; however, Tanner views it as an investment in the store’s future growth as they have been able to host game events like tournaments for Magic: The Gathering, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Pokémon, Dungeons & Dragons and Flesh and Blood. The space can accommodate up to 50 for game play. Tanner said that the events are mostly for attracting foot traffic. “They usually buy products like a booster pack of cards or trading cards,” he said. “On Pokémon days, we usually sell more Pokémon cards. A lot of people buy single cards to make their decks better.” The couple partners with influencers on YouTube who mention the store on social media and on their videos. They also use Facebook advertising and promote events on Facebook and Instagram. “We’ve been doing a lot of search engine optimization when people search for board game stores or Pokémon cards, especially locally,” Tanner said. While the pandemic has caused many people to revert to the board games of their youth and seek new games to connect with their families, Tanner does not see this trend ending anytime soon. “It is not ever going to shrink as much as people think,” he said. “There’s still that ingrained feeling once they discovered board gaming and they’re not going to shut that off. There was kind of a cultural shift of people ages 20 and 40.” In addition to actually playing the games, many of their younger market demographic are also streaming videos on Twitch and TikTok, to watch people play games, paint tabletop game figures and open card packages. “We want to carve a space in the tabletop gaming hobby industry,” Tanner said. “We want to create some of our own apparel and accessories for board gaming. We want to create our own products.”

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

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APRIL / MAY 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

SPECIAL REPORT

Why I’m No Longer on Facebook ‘I never did get the hang of what was expected of me on Facebook’ By Bruce Frassinelli

“resigned” from Facebook several months ago. I sent a note to my Facebook “friends” the previous day telling them that I was leaving the popular platform at the end of the next day. I received about 10 replies from friends who said they would miss my “clever” and “humorous” replies. In addition, I received about 15 “likes.” I guess the other 35 or so of my Facebook friends either didn’t care or couldn’t be bothered acknowledging the momentous decision I had made. Having about 60 “friends” is nothing in the Facebook world. Most of my “friends” have several hundred. Two have more than a thousand each. I understand that it is prestigious to have so many “friends,’’ even if you barely know half of them. I have never been into that numbers game. Some asked me why I was leaving. There were a number of reasons, but the congressional testimony of Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen last year made me take stock of the pros and cons of my continued presence on what is the undisputed king of social media platforms with some 3 billion members. Given that number, I was not expecting a “sorry to see you go” note from Facebook CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg. Not surprisingly, I didn’t get one or an acknowledgment from

any other higher-up in the Facebook universe. Haugen’s testimony shed light on some of the internal practices at Facebook and its relentless pursuit of profits at the expense of caution on behalf of its customers, and this caused me to do some independent research. I didn’t like what I found. With Facebook, there are significant tradeoffs. In exchange for my ability to see cute photos of my grandchildren, nieces and nephews and those of others in my Facebook world, I must give up privacy, be concerned with leaks that could compromise personal data, worry about being hacked by those pretending to wanting to be my “friend” and endure the endless monetization of my personal data. I also needed to be very careful that in my attempt to be “cute” and “witty” that I didn’t post something that was going to come back and bite me in the rear and damage my pretty decent reputation as a journalist and professor. In addition to being flooded with ads from any number of organizations and political groups, I also had to fend off incendiary posts. Being a registered nonpartisan, I received fundraising pleas and campaign messages from both parties. Before I pulled the plug on Face-

44 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS APRIL / MAY 2022

book, I assessed my usage and participation. I realized that I was a self-described “voyeur.” I mostly observed what was being posted by “friends’’ rather than doing a lot of posting myself. If I did respond to their posts, I tried to be clever by using a combination of word play and/or puns. I am sure this technique was more than annoying to some of my “friends,” but if it was, they didn’t criticize me openly, although who knows what they said behind my back or mumbled under their breath. Some of my friends posted multiple times a day; I, on the other hand, averaged two original posts a month during the five years that I had been a Facebook subscriber. I never did get the hang of what was expected of me on Facebook. One of the biggest dilemmas was feeling a responsibility to send a “like,” or an appropriate emoji in response to the post of a Facebook “friend.’’ (For those of you who might not know what an “emoji” is, it could be a happy or sad face or some other kind of an image that would correspond to an appropriate response to a post.) Several of my “friends’’ complained that they would send “likes” to friends, but some “friends’’ never responded in kind to their posts, so they took revenge and stopped sending “likes.” Don’t send a “like” to my post, then I won’t send one to yours. So there! Several of my Facebook “friends’’ had no problem posting really personal information about what was going on in theirs and their families’ lives leaving me to ponder how to respond or whether I should respond. If I didn’t, would it be taken as a sign that I didn’t care? If I did, what would I say — express sympathy, offer advice, agree with a point of view that maybe I didn’t? Disagree and possibly start an argument. These were some of the awkward moments of being on the Facebook platform. One family member sent several detailed posts about one of her daughters who had been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). She described some of her daughter’s behavior and some of the challenges that these incidents presented to her and some family members. I could sense the frustration the mother was experiencing by the tone of her posts. The daughter is “friends” with her mother on Facebook, so I am sure that she saw these posts that disclosed these intimate behavioral moments. I

“I realized that I was a self-described ‘voyeur.’ I mostly observed what was being posted by ‘friends’ rather than doing a lot of posting myself.” was curious as to whether her mother ever asked the daughter’s permission to post such personal narratives. I found the whole thing to be very troubling, and it made me uncomfortable. I was curious about the impact it had on her daughter, but, of course, I was not about to bring up the subject. I also realized that Facebook was an intruder on my time. I found myself checking in almost hourly. God forbid if I were to miss a post that informed me that a `friend’’ and his wife had gone for a walk around the block or that a visitor had come for some seed to a backyard bird feeder. As Facebook faces numerous challenges, including government investigations into its relentless focus on growth and profits without attention to how this is impacting on our privacy and democracy, it underwent a name change to “Meta,’’ although the social network platform is still known as Facebook. It’s true that some swear at Facebook, but others swear by it. We should acknowledge the significant impact Facebook and other social media platforms have had on millions across the globe. I acknowledge that it’s not all bad. It would be a good idea if we discussed the pros and cons of Facebook and other pervasive social media logically and rationally. Maybe if we did this, it could lead to revisions or elimination of many of the cons. It’s been about four months since I became a Facebook alum, and, although one should never say “never,” I don’t expect that I will be returning to the platform unless Zuckerberg and company make drastic changes. In reply to inquiries from “friends” about whether I miss being a Facebook user, the answer is an emphatic “no.”

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APRIL / MAY 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

Tim Nekritz nekritz@gmail.com

Joining a Renaissance Happening One Home at a Time

I ‘While a pandemic, supplychain issues and a labor shortage made 2021 a year of unique challenges, the Oswego Renaissance Association’s neighborhood program still achieved unprecedented success.’

TIM NEKRITZ is director of news and media for SUNY Oswego, where he spearheads telling the stories of the campus community.

t’s easy to talk about making your neighborhood better, but the Oswego Renaissance Association puts their money where their mouth is — as a record number of homeowners (me included) learned in 2021. Some of us even took the level of commitment one step further, serving as block captains to try to bring together fellow homeowners for cooperative grants that stretched through an impressive 20 city neighborhoods. This patchwork represents a grassroots approach to improving our neighborhoods one home at a time. And while a pandemic, supply-chain issues and a labor shortage made 2021 a year of unique challenges, the ORA’s neighborhood program still achieved unprecedented success. In 2021, 183 participating Oswego homeowners and landlords completed Renaissance Block Challenge Grants, working block by block to renew neighborhoods; Renaissance Downtown Challenge Grants, to create attractive open-air seating in support of a vibrant business climate; Paint Oswego Grants to make their homes brilliant via historic painting combinations; and Pride Grants that seed neighborhood development. For last year, ORA calculated $682,636 invested in homes and neighborhoods through these programs. The nonprofit organization’s grand tally is more than $4.35 million in private investments through these programs into Oswego’s Renaissance Block neighborhoods. In some cases, projects not only improve a neighborhood’s present and future, but recast it from its past. Consider the neighborhood historically known as “The Flats,” the city’s westside area downhill from West Fifth, bordered by Bridge Street and the Oswego River. During the city’s maritime heyday in the second half of the 19th century into the early 20th, The Flats was a place where sailors and people passing through could find anything they wanted. And I do mean anything — alcohol, stimulants, depressants, companionship, entertainment or other amenities.

46 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS APRIL / MAY 2022

To a degree, that past and long-standing identifications have hung like a hangover that sometimes hampered ability to develop these neighborhoods and garner investments. While West First Street, Water Street and the linear park have generally remained amenable promenades in recent decades, and further inland has had some success among blocks and businesses, you could also see plenty of blight and declining housing stock. The idea of potential to push beyond a problematic past makes it an ideal ORA area. And in Roberta and Rodrick Andrews, The Flats found nearly ideal ambassadors sharing block captain duties with longtime community member Katie O’Leary. When civic leaders talk about attracting young professionals looking to energize their neighborhoods, the Andrews are just about perfect. They came up from Florida when Rod accepted a job as SUNY Oswego’s director of financial aid, while Roberta is a longtime executive with Hilton, now general manager of its Homewood Suites in Syracuse. ORA director Paul Stewart, who lives not far away on West Fifth Street, reached out to the Andrews, and they immediately saw it as a way to meet people, particularly their new neighbors. “We moved here around the time COVID hit, so we didn’t have a chance to make the connections we normally could,” Rod explained. “We saw it as an opportunity not only to make our own property better but really help neighborhood pride and build relationships,” Roberta said. The grant process involves collecting at least five neighbors (the more the merrier) to commit to improving their homes or properties in ways that will enhance their environs. These are matching-fund projects reimbursing up to $1,000 per property or $1,500 for corner lots. If you do $2,000 worth of planting and front-facing painting, for example, you can receive $1,000 in reimbursements, but even spending less than that on flowers to brighten your yard is still a fundable contribution. It’s worth noting that, in addition to

Tim’s Notes

homeowners, these applications are open to landlords and tenants, incorporating anybody and everybody who wants to invest in better neighborhoods.

Meeting your neighbors With O’Leary’s local knowledge and the Andrews’ enthusiasm, the team signed up 23 properties for ORA’s Neighborhood Block Challenge. The team worked on the stretch of West Fourth Street between West Park and Lake Ontario, also swinging a little onto nearby West Van Buren Street. “Paul was terrific in encouraging us, and Katie did a phenomenal job,” Roberta said. “She really knows the people in our neighborhood.” For my stretch of West Fifth Street, we lined up 16 properties to participate in a variety of ways. But just getting to that part isn’t always easy. You can’t really go door to door in a pandemic. You can’t easily invite people over to your kitchen or living room for meetings. And in the 21st century, many of us busy folks simply don’t know our neighbors the way you see depicted in mid-20th century movies and TV shows. Which is to say, I’ve lived in my neighborhood in the southwest part of the city for nearly 20 years and it was embarrassing to realize how few of them I knew beyond their names (even if I knew that much). And granted, some places are apartments with regular turnover, but beyond a weary acknowledgement when we’re out shoveling snow at the same time, I really hadn’t connected with them beyond a surface level. I decided to buy a set of cards and envelopes — figuring they might stand out more than letter-sized mailings — and painstakingly wrote notes to my neighbors as legibly as possible. In researching who owned what property in my zone along West Fifth between Prospect and Varick, I learned many of their names for the first time. The majority of them were receiving cards from a random stranger with a quick message about an effort they may or may not have heard of and my contact information. In terms of direct-mail marketing, the level of interest was rather phenomenal. The Andrews were even more creative. They sent packages to neighbors with play money and toy coins to bring home the point about getting money to improve your place. Seeing pictures of the packages, I don’t know how

Home of Roberta and Rodrick Andrews in The Flats’ neighborhood of Oswego. They moved from Florida to Oswego and became involved with the Oswego Renaissance Association. They recently had some work done on the façade of their home, with the help from ORA.

anybody wouldn’t feel part of the excitement and at least want to learn more. Throughout The Flats, West Fifth and all the other neighborhoods, people painted, planted, upgraded porches and did other projects large and small to inject life and joy into the neighborhoods.

Porch life I was honored that the Andrews invited me to play on their porch for PorchFest, where a collection of curious onlookers provided an amazing vibe on an early Sunday afternoon. PorchFest started out several years ago unfolding

up the hill in the established upscale Franklin Square District, so some acts reaching down into The Flats was more than a little symbolic in terms of inclusion. For the Andrews, their upgrades included painting their porch, new flags and lighting, exterior upgrades and a little free library that looks exactly like their house. “This house has had a lot of love and a lot of families in here,” Rod said. “We feel like we’re caretakers more than homeowners.” Block Challenge participants ranged greatly in execution. Many made extensive positive changes — you sub-

APRIL / MAY 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

mit before and after photos, and some are quite remarkable — while some made modest improvements. Since I decided to buy the former Swiatlowski’s grocery store just down the block and which also was in our ORA zone (see previous column for details), I had to split my attention, but put in a surprisingly successful raisedbed garden and other landscaping, and improved porches in both places. In case you haven’t noticed, porches are a recurring theme. They are the primary common area between homes and neighbors, an intermediary space that is both public and private where conversations and connections can take place. A good porch where you can sit and interact is the gateway to being a good neighbor and establishing a friendly neighborhood. The ORA grants expand those connections from porches into the spirit of neighbors helping neighbors, as the organization encourages people to share expertise and tools with others to make things people didn’t realize might be possible come to fruition.

Neighbors helping neighbors

TOP A little library is located in the front yard of Roberta and Rodrick Andrews. It looks exactly like their house. INSET Promotional material Roberta and Rodrick Andrews send to their neighbors encouraging them to participate in the Oswego Renaissance Association. Under the program, property owners who do $2,000 worth of planting and front-facing painting, for example, can receive $1,000 in reimbursements. 48 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS APRIL / MAY 2022

“It takes it beyond ‘what can I do to improve my home?’ to ‘what can I do to help my neighbors?’” Rod said. In addition, the application asks for, and grants, up to $1,000 for some kind of neighborhood activity and project that brings the area together. These traditionally range from block parties to decorative street signs to corner common gardens. The Andrews, of course, wanted to get creative — while encouraging interactivity. “We decided to have a gathering for pumpkin decorating around Halloween,” Roberta said. “The neighbors went all out to decorate jack o’lanterns. It was a fun way to celebrate our success and all get together.” “We’ve seen people who didn’t even participate in this round doing things, just feeling more pride,” Rod noted. “We have so much gratitude for the opportunity and for our neighborhood,” Andrews said. “It’s so exciting to see what’s next. This is only the beginning.” For more information on becoming a captain or joining a Neighborhood Block Challenge — or learning about other funding available to support property improvements in the city of Oswego — visit the ORA website, oswegonyonline.org.

L. Michael Treadwell ooc@oswegocounty.org

Software Used to Aid in Economic Development

L ‘[This new technology] will certainly streamline how we perform our day-to-day work and should make us more effective when dealing with our clients and partners.’

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.

ike with private business, economic development technology and software is always evolving to be more effective and efficient in external and internal communications with clients, stakeholders and staff. During 2022, Operation Oswego County, Inc. is investing in three technology and software platforms to improve our ability to provide economic development services. OOC recently became a subscribing member of Global Site Location Industries (GSLI). It is an online software technology platform that connects economic development organizations, like Operation Oswego County, with businesses and site selectors looking globally to identify the best sites for relocation and expansion. GSLI acts as a curator of the process. They identify potential projects, evaluate them to determine if they are qualified leads, and then distribute this information to economic development organizations. The economic development organization can then submit properties in their area, if they are a good fit for the project. This makes OOC staff more effective, spending less time identifying and qualifying leads and more time trying to attract good companies

to Oswego County. GSLI also assists the member communities to distribute their marketing materials to the companies and corporate site selectors who utilize their software. OOC has also acquired new customer relationship management (CRM) software to assist in internal communication between staff and the businesses we serve. Benefits of the software are that staff can access the CRM from the office or the field, allowing them to access records and communicate in real time about companies during site visits, business surveys and stakeholder meetings. This allows all staff to stay up-to-date on current projects and allows us to develop detailed reports, analyses, and metrics much more efficiently. It will certainly streamline how we perform our day-to-day work and should make us more effective when dealing with our clients and partners. As a key initiative in the county’s economic advancement plan, OOC is working on the development of a collaborative economic development website portal. It will include all economic development stakeholders and critical community partners. It will act as a destination website for individuals and businesses wanting to learn more about living, working, playing and doing business in Oswego County. The web portal will act as a user-friendly, virtual kiosk. Within a few clicks, visitors will be directed to business development resources, workforce resources, tourism resources, housing and other pertinent information depending on their specific interests and needs. The portal will also be designed as a place-marketing website and could be used as part of an advertising campaign to attract businesses and talent to Oswego County. These investments in technology and software will improve how we reach potential investors and talent, how we interact with staff, businesses and stakeholders and will increase overall investment in Oswego County going forward. If you’d like more information about OOC or economic development services in Oswego County, call my office at 343-1545 or visit our website at www.oswegocounty. org.

Economic Trends

‘Investments in technology and software will improve how we reach potential investors and talent, how we interact with staff, businesses and stakeholders and will increase overall investment in Oswego County going forward.’

APRIL / MAY 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

Joey Sweener

COVER STORY

Local TV News Faces Talent Shortage If you’ve noticed new faces on your local TV news screens, you’re not alone. Like other sectors of the economy, Central New York’s newsrooms are dealing with high turnover and a shrinking pool of applicants to fill openings. Here’s why even some of the most popular personalities are turning their backs on the profession. BY KEN STURTZ

APRIL / MAY 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

uring Ron Lombard’s career as a news director — first a decade with NewsChannel 9 and then 19 years at Spectrum — he hired countless journalists. At first, he could post an opening for a reporter and expect a stack of a hundred resumes on his desk. “In my last couple of years hiring people we’d have the same kind of reporter opening and I might have a dozen applications and maybe half of those people would be real viable candidates,” he said. Television news in Central New York faces the dual problem of high turnover and a dwindling pipeline of talent to fill openings as journalists — driven by low pay, other opportunities and a desire for a better work-life balance — decamp to larger markets or switch careers entirely. Since the pandemic upended life two years ago, at least 18 anchors, reporters, producers and meteorologists have left NewsChannel 9, CNYCentral and Spectrum News. And although more than two dozen new hires have entered the Syracuse TV market during that same period, all three news organizations still have multiple job openings posted. It’s an issue not unique to Central New York or TV news. The country’s labor market has remained tight and job openings and worker turnover are near record highs. But while the pandemic has certainly exacerbated the problem, its causes are more deeply rooted in the nature of the TV news industry, experts say. “And it appears that this year some of those problems are catching up with the industry,” said Bob Papper, a journalism researcher and SU adjunct professor who oversees the Radio Television Digital News Association’s annual industry survey. One of the most cited reasons for leaving TV news is the generally low pay. There’s a disconnect with the public about how much people in local TV news make, the assumption being that the excitement and glamour of the profession translate into a large paycheck. Many experienced reporters

Reporters await the start of a news conference at Syracuse police headquarters in 2015. Police and fire officials called the briefing to announce an arrest in an arson homicide.

and anchors, especially in larger cities, do make a comfortable living. But the reality is that many reporters entering TV news struggle to make ends meet early in their careers. Papper’s industry survey places the average starting pay in local TV news at $30,500. “That’s painfully little money these days especially compared to the typical student debt that most graduates are leaving school with,” Papper said. “So, it’s a huge problem.” Journalism has long had relatively high turnover, and entry level wages have never been substantial, especially in smaller media markets. “There’s always been a lineup of prospective employees interested in the business and because of that there hasn’t been a strong impetus to raise salaries and improve conditions,” Papper said.

AGING WORKFORCE The supply of new employees began shrinking with the onset of the Great Recession more than a decade ago as students, worried about finding a job after graduation, shied away from the news business. Enrollment in journalism and mass communications programs in the U.S. declined for years before leveling off recently.

52 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS APRIL / MAY 2022

At the same time, hiring managers in TV still needed to fill a similar number of positions. Job losses in the news business are no secret, but losses have mostly been concentrated with newspapers and radio. Employment at TV stations remained relatively stable. In addition to people leaving the industry for other opportunities, Lombard said he’s noticed the TV industry in Central New York aging over the last 20 years. Many seasoned journalists reached the end of their careers and retired. Excluding full-time anchors and meteorologists, fewer than a dozen TV reporters with at least five years of experience in the market remain. “It created a drain on the talent pool and that in turn created a lot of opportunities for younger journalists that they never would have had 20 years ago to move up a lot more rapidly,” he said. Traditionally, reporters started out at a station in a small market to gain experience, said Michael Riecke, a broadcasting professor at SUNY Oswego who worked as a reporter and anchor at NewsChannel 9 from 2001 to 2008. After a year or two, they’d typically move to a medium-sized market, such as Syracuse or Rochester, and receive a pay bump. From there they might eventually land a job at a station in one of the larger TV markets in the country.

“Because of the nature of the business, reporters were often climbing,” Riecke said. “So, this idea of people moving frequently, every couple of years, is not all that uncommon.” But it doesn’t really happen that way anymore. Stations in larger markets have increasingly responded to the shortage of talent by scooping up reporters from smaller markets or even right out of college. Riecke said many of his students now graduate and start out in a market the size of Syracuse, which would have been unheard of decades ago. The shift has caused medium-sized and smaller markets to have an increasingly difficult time recruiting people. “Now all markets including networks are competing for the same talent pool, because just about everybody other than the biggest markets in the country are hiring people right out of college,” Lombard said. “And that’s a big change.” News directors at NewsChannel 9 and CNYCentral did not respond to requests for interviews and their respective corporate owners did not answer requests to discuss hiring. Lombard, who retired from Spectrum in 2020, said news directors in smaller markets may have fewer applicants to choose from, but that doesn’t

Bob Papper, a journalism researcher and SU adjunct professor: “There hasn’t been a strong impetus to raise salaries and improve conditions,” he says.

Ron Lombard, former news director of NewsChannel 9 and Spectrum: “I might have a dozen applications and maybe half of those people would be real viable candidates.” he says.

necessarily mean they’re less talented. It does mean, however, that news directors are often hiring based on potential rather than a proven track record. Anytime a news director hires based on potential, they have to be prepared to train and cultivate that reporter to bring them along, Lombard said. Still, hiring inexperienced talent could be problematic because of the nature of the industry. It might take a year or two for a reporter to hone their skills. If that person had no ties to the area, Lombard said he typically knew up front that they didn’t plan to stay in the market for more than a few years before moving on. “If you’re fortunate enough to hire somebody into this market who maybe has ties to this market and you know that they have potential to be a longterm person, that’s like gold,” he said. Aside from low pay, TV news can also present a challenging work-life balance. The schedule can be undesirable, especially for people with families. Working the main shift in TV means working from 2 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. five days a week, Papper said. The other option is typically a morning shift, which means rising hours before sunrise. “And that’s kind of as good as it gets,” he said. “There’s always been

that difficulty.” Newer reporters aren’t usually that lucky and often endure working nights, weekends and most holidays. That typically means their weekend off doesn’t come until Monday and Tuesday.

WORK-LIFE BALANCE CONCERN Decades ago market size was generally “the all-powerful criteria” reporters would use in determining whether they wanted to work at a station, Lombard said. The larger the market, the better. But the concept of market size has less meaning now, partially because reporters have more mobility, but also because they’re interested in different things. The newer generation of journalists is much more concerned with a good work-life balance than past generations, Lombard said. For example, when he started in TV in the mid 1980s employees would have thought nothing of working six days a week, but that’s changed over time. Newsroom managers have taken note that younger employees want to know what a station’s culture is like and how management will help reporters grow professionally. “They’re a lot savvier about looking at those things,” Lombard said. The onset of the pandemic upended

APRIL / MAY 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

the work-life balance for many journalists, bringing with it new pressures and challenges. “Working in news can be grueling,” Riecke said. “I think during the pandemic it’s one of the industries where the work has become in many ways more challenging, especially if you’re a broadcast reporter.” Many TV reporters found themselves working from home, which posed technical and logistical issues. For example, Riecke said, try conducting an interview while your roommates are making breakfast. That isolation also meant journalists lacked the ability to collaborate with colleagues at work or bounce ideas off each other, which is a crucial element of journalism. One of the bigger drivers of frustration during the pandemic has been dealing with people being out sick. Print publications can sometimes produce fewer pages and websites can publish fewer stories, but TV stations have to fill the same newscasts each day. That means everyone has to pick up the slack when the station is short-handed. Riecke said he’s heard from former students who had to take extra shifts for sick co-workers and went weeks at a time without a day off. Between trouble getting time off and concerns about travel spreading COVID-19, many reporters and producers also went months without seeing their families. And on top of that, the public’s trust in journalism has declined over the years, although less so for local journalism. Regardless, many reporters faced increased harassment during the pandemic in the form of angry emails, phone messages and comments on social media, Riecke said. That can be difficult to deal with, especially for younger reporters, he said. “It’s added up to this perfect recipe of people questioning if it’s really the right career choice for them unfortunately,” Riecke said. With demand in the labor market high, many journalists in Central New York have chosen to leave TV for other career opportunities. They’ve left for jobs in marketing, advertising, public relations and education that come with lucrative salaries and offer the promise of a significantly better worklife balance.

RETENTION EFFORTS Papper said today’s journalists are far more employable because their skill sets are no longer applicable to just news

Quindell Williams, a photojournalist formerly of CNYCentral, checks a camera shot at the scene of a 2017 fatal crash in Cicero involving a motorcycle and a car. After working in TV news for nearly a decade, Williams left the industry. He’s now a high school educator at PSLA at Fowler in Syracuse where he teaches drone technology.

and a handful of related fields. Companies in many industries are interested in hiring those skill sets because almost every business now produces content. “The kids coming out of the programs today are not likely to have problems getting jobs,” he said. “And so, the industry is going to have to compete harder, certainly for the best kids or it’s not going to get them.” Newsrooms industry wide have made efforts over time to provide a better work-life balance, he said, although some things, such as schedules, are difficult to improve. His survey found that pay has been rising. Local TV news salaries rose 3.5% in 2020, up sharply from a 0.9% increase in 2019. Spectrum has relied on a different approach for telling stories and connecting with the community to help it attract and keep talent, said Alexander Quince, a senior news director who oversees newsrooms across Upstate New York. “What has served us well during this time is really having a model that is unique in terms of how we’re serving Central New York,” he said. “It’s the community telling the reporters who are embedded in that community what is impactful to them, what is it that they want to know about.”

54 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS APRIL / MAY 2022

By embedding reporters in the communities they cover and having the communities drive news coverage, Quince said Spectrum is making its reporting stand out. And he says applicants are drawn to that kind of reporting. News companies are being aggressive about retention in other ways. Stations often invest considerable time and effort in a new reporter only to lose them to a competitor. So, larger companies are often willing to let a reporter transfer to another one of its stations. The reporter keeps their vacation time and seniority and the company keeps an experienced journalist. “That’s so positive for the business because it keeps good people in it,” Lombard said. Whether the changes made by TV stations are successful at attracting and retaining more talent long-term remains to be seen. But even with improvements in the industry, Riecke is quick to point out that TV news has always favored those who love their work. “One thing I tell my students is you’ll learn pretty quickly if this is a job of passion because it has to be,” Riecke said. “If you’re not passionate about journalism and reporting, you won’t last very long.” ❖

LEAVING THE LOCAL TV NEWS BUSINESS Three professionals who worked in the news business in Central New York share about why they left their jobs here LEFT Matt Hauswirth worked at CNYCentral covering sports from 2016 until the end of his contract in 2020. “I just came to the decision that I can’t live this kind of life anymore,” he says. “I was exhausted.”

MATT HAUSWIRTH CNYCentral, Reporter/ Weekend Sports Anchor

att Hauswirth began working part-time in TV his final semester at West Virginia University and had hoped to transition to a full-time job at his station in Clarksburg, West Virginia, after graduating. But with no openings, he had to pick up a second job at Dick’s Sporting Goods. Five or six days a week Hauswirth opened the store at 8 a.m. He’d leave work at 2 p.m., drive 40 minutes to his station, change and then at 3 p.m. go to work covering sports. He’d work until after 11 p.m. and often didn’t arrive home until 1 a.m.

It was a year and a half before a full-time position opened up and he could quit his job at Dick’s. When he signed a two-year contract in 2012, the job paid just $21,000. He eventually received a promotion and later spent several years covering the West Virginia Mountaineers, even flying around the country to cover away games. He enjoyed the work, but still barely managed to make ends meet even with splitting rent with a roommate. “I would make like a pot of spaghetti and meatballs and I would eat it for the whole week,” he said. “It’s kind of crazy thinking back now that that’s how I lived.” Hauswirth got a chance to move home to Central New York in 2016 when the sports director at CNYCentral

alerted him to an opening. He worked as a sports reporter during the week and sports anchor on the weekend. He enjoyed his job and liked his co-workers, but began to desire more financial stability and a better work-life balance. The pandemic proved especially trying. Hauswirth was going live from a cell phone in his living room and for months in 2020 he had to pivot to covering sports features since there was virtually no local sports to cover. His contract was ending in December 2020 and Hauswirth considered trying to move to a larger market, but his fiancé was from Central New York and wanted to stay in the area if possible. He had also grown tired of the long hours. “I just came to the decision that I can’t live this kind of life anymore,” he said. “I was exhausted.” When station management offered him a nominal pay increase — his hourly rate would’ve been comparable to a fast-food job — he decided he’d had enough. He said he felt his managers valued him, but that their hands were tied by their corporate bosses. Hauswirth began interviewing and eventually took a sales job with ADP. He said his personality and communication skills from TV have been useful in his new job. He has been at the job a year in March and has already surpassed his previous salary with the help of commissions. Hauswirth said that although once in a while he’ll miss covering sports, he is happy with his newfound financial stability. “I wanted to buy a house and get married and have a decent car where the muffler isn’t falling off,” he said. “These are things like if you’re a TV news reporter, especially at the local level, you just can’t afford these things.”

APRIL / MAY 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

MATT JARCHOW Spectrum News, Reporter

att Jarchow didn’t mind that having student loans meant being careful with money. Working nights wasn’t a problem, either. After all, his schedule allowed him to play a round of golf in the morning before work. And, as a single 20-something, getting out of work late still allowed for socializing. But it was the long periods of time away from his family that he dreaded. “It’s draining to work holidays when the entire world is off and you’ve still got to do news,” Jarchow said. “You’re Zooming with your family on Christmas instead of being there with them opening gifts.” Jarchow grew up in Wisconsin and attended Kent State University in Ohio. He landed his first job right out of college with Spectrum News in 2014. He spent a year in the remote, one-person Potsdam bureau. “As a first job goes, that was a pretty difficult adjustment going from college,” he said. It was a lonely experience, but also a learning experience. Jarchow was next sent to the Corning/Elmira bureau for a year. He signed another two-year

contract and transitioned to the newsroom in Syracuse. He joined a group of reporters who were about the same age and at the same point in their lives. There were also experienced reporters in the newsroom to learn from, he said, and the leadership was very supportive. He worked nights as a general assignment reporter, typically from 1:30-10:30 p.m. Jarchow enjoyed the night shift. While there were a bunch of reporters chomping at the bit during the day, at night it was often just him. That meant he got to cover whatever stories came along. As satisfied as he might have been, he began to miss home. After college and several years living in New York, the distance and infrequent visits began to wear on him. “You saw your parents two, three times a year,” he said. “And I think that kind of just built up as time went on and was just pulling me back home.” It wasn’t just his parents, either. Jarchow has a large extended family back in Wisconsin that includes more than 20 cousins. So, he decided to apply for jobs at stations in Green Bay and Milwaukee. If he didn’t get an offer, he planned to sign another two-year contract and stay in Syracuse. In November 2017, Jarchow left Central New York for a reporter job at NBC 26 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Three

56 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS APRIL / MAY 2022

ABOVE Matt Jarchow landed his first job right out of college with Spectrum News in Syracuse in 2014. In November 2017, Jarchow left Central New York to be close to his family. He took a job at NBC 26 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

years later he became an executive producer, responsible for managing multiple newscasts. And in December he was promoted to assistant news director. Now instead of seeing his family a few times a year, Jarchow can make the two-hour drive home on any given weekend. He said he’s happy with his decision to move closer to home because the shuffle and turnover associated with TV news can make it difficult to meet people and build a family. He and his wife, whom he met after leaving Central New York, are expecting a baby soon. “This was an opportunity to make this a place to stick around for a while and not have to worry about is this person going to come with me in two years if I have to leave,” he said.

MOLLY (MATOTT) CLOCK CNYCentral, Meteorologist

hile studying meteorology at SUNY Oswego, Molly Matott Clock was fully prepared “to move to the middle of nowhere” for a job. So, in 2015, when she received an offer from CNYCentral, she happily jumped at the opportunity. “Not only was I lucky, but I think I realized later that to do weather in Syracuse was my dream job,” she said. “I graduated on Saturday and I was on the 5 o’clock CBS news Monday.” She started off forecasting for the weekend morning newscasts and worked evenings the other three days a week. Flipping between mornings and evenings was difficult. She also frequently filled in for meteorologists who were on vacation, making her schedule unpredictable. Still, Clock enjoyed her job and threw herself into her work. She wasn’t flush with cash, but said she was able to pay her bills and student loans and wasn’t living paycheck to paycheck. Gradually, however, she began to burn out. Clock was living in her hometown and close to her family, but she always seemed to be working and struggled to see them often. With the benefit of hindsight, she said she tried too hard to be perfect at her job. “Putting boundaries up when you’re a public figure and you work at a job you love is really hard,” she said. “I kind of lost myself for a while. I didn’t know who Molly Matott the person was, I was just Molly Matott the broadcaster all the time.” When a forecast would occasionally be wrong, she’d get negative emails and comments on social media. When she was correct, the comments tended to be positive, but for an admitted people pleaser it was extremely difficult to keep it all at arm’s length. “I took it personally,” she said. “That was so taxing on my mental health and self-worth.” After two years Clock felt exhausted, but was also anxious to advance, which would’ve meant moving to another market. But her family was here and her future husband was in the middle of graduate school. Clock

ABOVE Molly Matott Clock worked as a meteorologist at CNYCentral from 2015 to 2019, when she decided she enjoyed teaching more. She is now a seventh grade math in the Liverpool schools.

decided she didn’t want to leave and signed another two-year contract. In 2017, the station rolled out a new storm-tracking vehicle loaded with high-tech gadgets and weather gizmos. Clock began making school visits in the weather mobile, found herself teaching children about weather and discovered she loved it. “And I just started to think about that a little bit more seriously,” she said. The idea of teaching also made it seem more realistic to get married and eventually have a family. So, Clock enrolled in graduate school part time. In 2019, she took a job at OCM BOCES teaching geometry, financial planning and career readiness. In September she began teaching seventh grade math in the Liverpool schools. Clock said she doesn’t miss her old job much because she still gets to talk about math and science all day. She said her decision to change careers had less to do with TV news and more to do with who she is as a person. “It had everything to do with me,” she said. “TV just didn’t work for what I wanted in life anymore.” ❖

‘Putting boundaries up when you’re a public figure and you work at a job you love is really hard. I kind of lost myself for a while. I didn’t know who Molly Matott the person was, I was just Molly Matott the broadcaster all the time.’

APRIL / MAY 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

Bruce Frassinelli bfrassinelli@ptd.net

Should the Media Remain Neutral?

T ‘My job as a dispenser of news was not to lead you to a conclusion by favoring one side over the other. Today, many journalists have a different view of their role.’

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.

he media must reinvent themselves in the era of Donald Trump. This provocative declaration was made by an opinion columnist recently in The Washington Post. Being a journalist for more than 61 years, I have clung to the idea that we are nonpartisan dispensers of accurate information. By “nonpartisan” I mean my job was not to take a point of view in a news story. My mission was to, as humanly as possible, relate a story right down the middle, favoring neither friend nor foe. My goal: Try to give both sides, or if there were more than two sides, then all sides, and let you, the reading public, come to your own conclusion. My job as a dispenser of news was not to lead you to a conclusion by favoring one side over the other. Today, many journalists have a different view of their role. With former President Donald Trump still a dominant force in the Republican Party, there are many journalists who are being asked to reexamine their approach to news. If information is blatantly false, such as Trump’s insistence that he won the 2020 presidential election, do we keep quoting him because he is an important newsmaker, not to mention that he is a potential presidential candidate in 2024? Do we journalists have an obligation to tell readers that these comments are bogus or do we let them come to that conclusion on their own after digesting the information provided? Trump has popularized the term “fake news.” Anything that doesn’t fall into his belief package is promptly labeled “fake news.” He has also labeled the news media as the “enemy of the people.’’ For me, this comment was a turning point, because 20th century dictators such as Hitler, Stalin and Mao Tse-tung all denounced the press as “enemy of the people.” In so doing, their goal was to relegate the work of the press to “fake news” and create confusion in the public’s mind about what’s real and what isn’t; what and who can be trusted and what and who can’t. The clamor over “fake news” might

58 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS APRIL / MAY 2022

lead you to believe that this is something that Trump invented. It’s not. Although it may not have been referred to as “fake news,” we have had similar periods in history when journalistic credibility has come under attack. I am talking about the era of “yellow journalism” and made-up stories that actually contributed to the United States going to war against Spain in 1898. “Yellow journalism” refers to newspaper accounts that emphasize sensationalism over factual, accurate and balanced reports. As for the origin of the term “yellow journalism,” there are several theories. The real story, though, has to do with the competition between press barons Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst over the wildly popular comic strip involving “The Yellow Kid.” Fake news has come and gone on several occasions during the past 120 years. Pulitzer’s and Hearst’s newspapers tried to outdo each other in reporting crime, scandal and oddball stories. The goal was to create a buzz of sensationalism to entice New Yorkers to buy newspapers. If truth was sacrificed along the way, so be it. Today, we have a scaled-down version of this going on in the Big Apple between the liberal New York Daily News and the conservative New York Post owned by billionaire Rupert Murdock. Its counterpart on television involves Fox News, also owned by Murdock, and CNN/MSNBC. There are positive by-products that come from this hyped-up reporting. Corruption and incompetence in government are brought to account, and when these media latch on to a story that catches the public’s fancy, they are bulldog relentless in exploiting it. Some call it “muckraking.” The accusation that news organizations print sensational stories to “sell newspapers” goes back to those days in the ‘20s and ‘30s when print journalism had the news cycle mostly to itself. Many cities had multiple dailies — Oswego, Syracuse and Rochester among them. Competition was fierce, and the competing dailies lashed out at each other, often printing unfounded rumors about the competitor. In major

My Turn

cities, lurid headlines reached out for newsstand readers’ pennies. The “trial of the century” involved the kidnapping and killing of the infant son of famed aviator Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh at their secluded Hunterdon County, New Jersey, estate in 1932. Suspect Bruno Richard Hauptmann, a German immigrant and suspected Nazi sympathizer, was convicted in the media before a jury was chosen. Anti-German fervor was building in the United States as the Nazis and Hitler came to power leading to World War II. Many today believe Hauptmann, who was executed in 1935 in the electric chair at Trenton, was framed by the New Jersey State Police. Nearly 60 years later, there was another “trial of the century,” involving football and media star O.J. Simpson, who was accused of murdering his former wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ronald Goldman. In a stunning decision that stoked the racial passions of the nation, a jury found Simpson not guilty of the criminal charges despite what appeared to be overwhelming evidence to the contrary. A civil court jury found for the families of Brown-Simpson and Goldman and ordered Simpson to pay $33.5 million in damages, nearly all of it still unpaid. Simpson has been in the media crosshairs ever since those killings in 1994. He was later charged and convicted of armed robbery and other offenses in a bungled Las Vegas incident where he reportedly tried to reclaim sports memorabilia items he said were stolen from him. He was paroled in 2017 after serving nearly eight years in prison. Today, he operates his own podcast and makes some select public appearances while claiming that he is still looking

for his ex-wife’s killer. Any time there is a major story that thrives on sensationalism, outrageous rumors and hype, fueled by social media posts, accusations of “fake news” abound. Modern cases such as Long Island Lolita Amy Fisher, the Menendez brothers, Jon-Benet Ramsey, Mary Kay Letourneau, Casey Anthony, George Zimmerman/Trayvon Martin, Scott Peterson, Michael Jackson, Martha Stewart and Lorena Bobbitt go on for months, sometimes years. Sensational political cases, such as those involving former governors Andrew Cuomo and Eliot Spitzer and former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner, seem to dominate the New York media forever. Democracy thrives on open public discourse. Part of this debate involves emotions and passionate arguments. Information will be disputed or interpreted in different ways, often for partisan reasons. In the end, however, for our system of democracy to work effectively, there needs to be an agreement of what generally is true. Can climate change, for example, continue to be relegated to a conspiracy theory when the science has become indisputable? Can many continue to doubt the outcome of the 2020 presidential election in the face of irrefutable evidence to the contrary? Social media have come into their own, giving just about everyone a platform and a megaphone. In the deluge of information that comes from these sources, most of the readers are left to their own devices to determine what is true. When issues such as nuclear energy are too complex, too many news consumers are willing to have someone form opinions for them rather than re-

search the pros and cons for themselves. Big media companies, which are measuring journalists’ productivity these days by the number of clicks or views their stories are getting online, are inadvertently inviting trivialized reporting on pop culture subjects rather than prime-time issues and sensationalizing information along the way. Just as in the era of yellow journalism, this reliance on sensationalism and dishonesty becomes a business strategy. Outsized profits have always been an alluring temptress, but in the news business, the public trust must be the ultimate consideration. The profits are a means to an end. A strong news organization can do better work if it is financed well. When it comes to a choice between profits and serving the public’s best interests, however, the choice should be obvious; too often, it is not. Unfortunately, when there is a fixation on the bottom line to the exclusion of their responsibilities to the public to provide fair, accurate and balanced information, the media may be inclined to sow the seeds of fake news, and our democratic principles suffer. A study showed that the public blames the news media for much of the country’s ills. The Washington Post-University of Maryland survey showed that 49% of those sampled blame the news media “a lot,” 39% blame them “some,” and just 11% do not blame them at all. The study concluded that what is under threat is nothing less than “independent reporting that provides information, investigation, analysis, and knowledge.” Many believe that our democratic institutions are under attack and that we are at a crossroads when it comes to whether we trust the media to tell us the truth. In the end, each of us must ask ourselves: Do we want the truth, or do we want only our version of the truth, which may or may not be the truth at all? In the 1950s, U.S. Sen. Joseph McCarthy, R-Wisconsin, destroyed many careers by making unfounded accusations of their being Communist sympathizers. It was thanks to newscaster and commentator Edward R. Murrow who took on McCarthy and exposed him for what he was. Today, the closest we have to that type of forceful personality is former Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward of Watergate fame, who has written several brilliant exposes of Donald Trump and his administration, but will it have the impact of Murrow’s handling of the red-baiting Joe McCarthy?

APRIL / MAY 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

REAL ESTATE FROM LEFT Teri Beckwith, Mandy Saloski, Steve Case

Buying a Home? It’s Not Like What Used to Be Competitive market compels home buyers to make quick decisions; some regret it later By Ken Sturtz

eri Beckwith fondly remembers the leisurely pace at which home buyers could shop for houses before the pandemic upended the real estate market. “Years ago, you’d look at a house on a Saturday, you’d think about it for a week, you’d bring mom and dad back the next week, you’d think about it again, you’d have plenty of time,” says Beckwith, a realtor with Hunt Real Estate in Clay. “Now you’ve got to know in 24 hours; you’re making a quick decision.” The real estate market has remained red hot for going on two years as low housing inventory has combined with soaring demand, sending house prices skyrocketing. Jubilant sellers have frequently received numerous offers over asking price and real estate agents have struggled to keep up with the speedy turnover of properties coming into the market. But it’s been a different story for potential buyers. Intense competition has made for a miserable, disheartening experience for many home buyers, who often have to put offers in on several houses before they actually get a deal. And the competition means buyers need to move at breakneck speed when deciding whether to put an offer in on a

house, which can lead to regrets later on. A Zillow survey released in February points to many homeowners rethinking some of the choices they made in the middle of the pandemic real estate market, with three out of four recent buyers having at least one regret about their home. About a third of respondents regretted buying a house that needed more work or maintenance than expected. Nearly a quarter wished they’d waived fewer contingencies such as financing, home inspection and sale of a previous home. And 38% wished they’d weighed their options more carefully. The present situation is a stark contrast to the real estate market just five years ago when it was a strong buyer’s market. Buyers had their pick of houses and could take their time, look at a bunch of properties and come back for a second or third showing, says Steve Case, owner of Acropolis Realty Group in Syracuse. A buyer might look at a house and wait a month or more before putting in a lowball offer and trying to beat the seller up a bit on the price. “It was not a fun time to sell a house five years ago,” Case says. “It’s totally flipped in the last five years.” Now it’s the sellers who have leverage. A house that’s priced right and in

60 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS APRIL / MAY 2022

a desirable location will usually fly off the market within days. As an example, Case says one of his agents had a house listed for sale recently that received more than 50 showings and 25 offers all in its first 24 hours on the market. “There’s such limited inventory that the buyers are all competing to buy the same houses right now,” he says. “You can be a super strong offer, all cash, and still end up losing out on the deal.” Mandy Saloski, an associate broker with Inquire Realty in Baldwinsville, has written more purchase offers for clients in the last two years than in the previous 15 years combined. She says she often writes offers with the knowledge that they most likely won’t be accepted. And some would-be buyers never even get a chance to have their purchase offers considered. Some sellers won’t even offer a deadline for submitting purchase offers. Saloski says she recently had a couple scheduled to look at a house only to find out that the seller had unexpectedly accepted one of the first offers they received. “Somebody wrote an offer that the seller couldn’t refuse and the seller said ‘I’m stopping all showings, I’m going to take this offer,’” she says. “And it was

probably more than likely a high cash offer with no home inspection.” Buyers with government-backed loans such as through the FHA, VA and USDA have also struggled with getting sellers to consider their offers. Because of the requirements that can come with a government-backed loan, sellers are frequently choosing from the abundant offers with conventional loans or cash deals, Saloski says. Competition is also pushing some buyers to resort to strategies such as waiving home inspections and radon tests to give themselves an advantage with sellers, who sometimes view contingencies as a hindrance. Saloski says she tells clients they have a right to have a home inspection and radon test and that waiving them can be risky, but also advises that many buyers are prepared to forgo them. When she solicits feedback on offers that weren’t accepted the two most common reasons given recently are the type of loan or the desire for a home inspection and radon test, she says. Despite the challenges in this market, brokers and real estate agents say most buyers are happy overall with their new homes. Beckwith, the agent with Hunt Real Estate, says a few buyers have expressed concern about their purchases, usually after getting into a bidding war and paying top dollar for a house. “When the house isn’t exactly working for them they’re worried about being able to sell it,” she says. “They haven’t built any equity because they haven’t been there long enough.” But with the housing inventory remaining low, she says that even buyers who’ve thought about selling are generally content to sit tight and let their house appreciate in value. Brokers and agents say one of the best things buyers can do in the chaotic market is to rely on their realtor’s experience and knowledge to help them navigate the home-buying process. They can, for instance, ensure buyers are informed before they decide to put in an offer over asking price or waive contingencies. And they can help steer buyers in the right direction, making sure they don’t get swept up in the fervor of the market, Case says. “You still want to make sure it’s the right home for you,” he says. “At the end of the day you’re not just buying something to buy something. This is going to be your home.”

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REAL ESTATE

Sellers are Dominating the Real Estate Market Low inventory, high prices and ‘ruthless’ speeds make the market ripe for sellers By Steve Yablonski

“I

t’s still a sellers’ market. Good for the sellers, but unfortunately not so much for the buyers,” said Faye Beckwith of Freedom Realty in Hannibal. “We work with both of them. It’s challenging because this is the first time we have had a sellers’ market as strong as this.” Kim McPherson of Century 21 Galloway is in the 21st year of her real estate career. She has been busier than ever. Is it still a sellers’ market? “Hell yeah!” she exclaimed. “The low inventory of homes for sale is still creating a sellers’ market throughout the entire country. The word that comes to mind when describing the last two years in our area alone is ‘ruthless!’ This market has been moving at mach speed. It has pretty much been the perfect storm with extremely low inventory all around and will still give the sellers the upper hand for 2022.” “Real estate has been very good,” agreed Tom Hagerty, co-owner of Leah’s Signature Century 21 in Fulton. “It’s very robust. 2021 was a great year for us and real estate. We expect similar activities to continue in 2022.” “It’s hard; we work with both the sellers and the buyers. We can’t predict. We have no crystal ball. But we’re certainly hoping that things will level out in regard to the balance, properties that are available and buyers that are looking. It’s tough now, especially for

“Two years ago, there were 2,249 houses available for sale in our multiple listing service area. Now, there is less than half that number. That is a winter market, comparatively speaking, from two years ago.” Faye Beckwith, owner and operator of Freedom Realty.

first-time buyers or anybody moving up,” Beckwith said. “And of course, the prices are up rather significantly. That creates an additional challenge,” she added. “There are more people looking to buy right now and fewer properties for sale.” “Right now, I am in the process of having my sellers get repairs taken care of, painting and tidying up their homes so they can capitalize on the market that we are headed towards,” McPherson said. “The chance for multiple offers (on each property) is still very likely.” “All in all, I feel pricing is going to play a big role in the upcoming market,” McPherson added.

62 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS APRIL / MAY 2022

By the numbers “As is evidenced by the first month that we have had, it’s great real estate activity so far in 2022,” Hagerty said. “We have seen 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.” “Just comparing homes for sale about two years ago, there were 2,249 houses available for sale in our multiple listing service area,” Beckwith said. “Now, there is less than half that number. That is a winter market, comparatively speaking, from two years ago. I think that is a significant change.”

“Even looking at days on the market; a couple years ago the market was really heating up. Listings were averaging about 22 days on the market. That is a very low number,” Beckwith added. “Right now we’re looking at six days on the market. Some properties even have sold in just hours, others in just a few days. Of course, it takes a while for closings to take place.” It is a good year for sellers. “The fact that there is going to be a lower supply will, of course, likely lead to better results for sellers in a sense that the prices are going to appropriately reflect what the market will bear. Interest rates have gone up recently. It hadn’t earlier in 2022, but in recent weeks, there has been about a quarter-point rise in mortgage interest rates,” Hagerty said in late February. “We have also heard that the Fed is likely to increase the mortgage interest rate as the year progresses.” “Now is the time certainly for buyers to buy because of what is likely to happen with the mortgage interest rate as well as prices increasing. And now is the time for sellers to sell while we are kind of at the top of the market here now,” he added. “We’re hoping that things level out a little bit. It’s hard to know, they are predicting some increases in the interest rate, but it hasn’t happened yet,” Beckwith pointed out. “Traditionally, rates are up a little bit in the spring. That is a little reflective of the demand that increases in the spring market; when the weather breaks, it could be a February thaw, it could be March.” “That’s a peak; so anybody that’s on the market at that time is going to get a lot of interest and usually quite a high price.” She explained. “As we go into the regular spring season then the number of new listings does increase and the prices stabilize a little bit then. But interest rates can also go up in the spring.” “For my buyers, I make sure their financing is taken care of prior to looking as it has been required in order to even make an appointment. Having the pre-qualification ahead of time allows the buyer to be better positioned once they find a home they like,” McPherson said. “In addition to getting the buyer pre-qualified, I am discussing strategies on how to move forward with their highest, best and strongest offer possible. But, also at the same time preparing them for the likelihood of loosing out on the home, because we will still see the multiple offer situations.”

LOOKING AHEAD IN THE REAL ESTATE MARKET Kim McPherson

Century 21 Galloway

“A

ll in all, I personally feel the 2022 real estate market will be another great year. There will be most likely be some changes compared to the last few years but overall it should be good for both buyers and sellers. “Rates are currently higher than they have been in the last two years. The bubble has popped. The Fed announced three rate hikes will be occurring in 2022. The first was set for March. The 10-year treasury has crested 2% as of today (Feb. 10), which is back to pre-COVID levels seen in July of 2019. “One of the many lenders I work with stated that he believes we will see one more round of lower rates, but doesn’t predict that until the economy feels the strain of the Fed policy in full affect. With that being said, rates are still pretty darn good when we look at it historically. “Homes are appreciating much faster than inflation. So, we will continue to see the values increase over the next few years. People should buy now if they can, lock in on the current rates as it will protect them from those rising inflation costs. “What that means is property taxes have the potential to rise and other expenses may creep up, but your monthly housing payment is protected and will remain the same. For those who rent they are seeing rentals at their highest and they will only continue to increase. “As mortgage rates rise, some moderation in housing demand is to be expected, which may force house price growth to subside a little. However, the combination of a large number of newer homebuyers facing a shortage of median level inventory of homes for sale should keep the housing market competitive.”

Tom Hagerty

Leah’s Signature Century 21

“I

think what we are going to see is somewhat of a leveling. We won’t see that leveling off as ‘all of a sudden’ we have reached July and now we have a flat line.’ It is very likely to be very gradual as far as any leveling goes. “Because the fact of the matter is with the supply of homes so low, there would have to be a great increase in the availability of homes for the supply to equal demand. “We have a very positive outlook for 2022. It really depends on a couple of factors. One being does inflation get under control? And, if inflation gets under control then it is entirely possible that pricing will stabilize and we will return to some sense of normalcy. “If inflation continues to spiral upward, then it is likely that home prices will continue to increase. It is likely that more people will be in the market to buy homes because they want to buy in before they can’t afford to buy in. “We know where they market is right now. We don’t know where we’re going to be in six months. That is certainly going to be an incentive for buyers as well as the sellers. “The rental units, that is difficult to figure in to the equation of home ownership. They are different markets. You have people who are looking at [rental apartments] who would logically be there. They are young, single workers and families who are just starting out or just moving to the area. Or, those who are tired of home ownership and just want to get into an apartment so they don’t have to shovel the snow. “But even at that, typically with apartments what happens is, if they are the young new families or singles just moving into the area, an apartment is a temporary step for them. (continued on next page)

APRIL / MAY 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

(continued from previous page)

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.

Kim McPherson

“They’re looking to, in a year or two or three, getting into home ownership. It’s great that the apartments are going to be there. They certainly are needed. They might attract some residents who would otherwise not be considering [this area] as the place that they would like to live. It’s an important cog in the wheel of home ownership and moving toward the American Dream.

Karen Hammond Agent, Hunt Real Estate ERA

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“T

less than 4% so that is still a good interest rate. “If people keep listing their houses and inventory builds up, it is just going to be as busy as it was in 2021. I’d say 2022 started out maybe a little slow but it is going strong because the interest rate is so low right now. It is still a sellers’ market and it is still strong. You have one house for sale and multiple buyers interested; one makes the purchase and all the rest of them are still out there looking. So it is still going to be a sellers’ market. We just need more inventory. That is the largest situation going on around here.

Faye Beckwith

his year, 2022, Freedom Realty started out slow. There e are optiis just a high nummistic. We ber of buyers out are looking there. The problem at some potential is we are lacking inlistings down the ventory. There is a long pike that people list of buyers, but we just don’t have are discussing with the inventory to show these buyers. us and we’ll see how “It is just one of those things. Evthat goes. I am an optieryone is waiting; maybe the weather mist. I would like to think things will is a part of it, I’m not sure. I’m just get back to more ‘normal.’ waiting right now for some people to “There are people who are moving give me the thumbs up and list [the out of state … statistically, there should properties]. be an increase of homes available. “Getting ready, preparing that I’m not sure if that is indicative of a way, you know hopefully that more number of things; maybe related to the inventory will be coming on so we can economy or weather. Let’s face it, more satisfy some of these buyers. people would probably be inclined to That’s the thing, as long as the in- move south in January and February. terest rates are low—that’s one of your “There is always a need for houslargest incentives right now—that’s ing. The challenge we face, of course, a big thing for buyers and when we is the availability of houses and the talk with people we do say now the prices. The average price a couple inventory is so low if you list now you years ago was less than $150,000. won’t have the competition that you That’s high for a median price. Now will maybe face later. it’s around $175,000 right now. What “Up in Clay and Cicero, it is crazy can younger home-buyers do? up there. There was a house listed up “One of the things that may impact there just the other day and talking our business is all of the rentals that are with a fellow agent, they said they had becoming available in Oswego. There 65 showings. We don’t get things like are some really nice opportunities for that in Oswego County but we still get people to live differently than we have multiple offers, houses selling for over in the past. the asking price and especially in the How is that going to impact a country, you know people want to be modest priced home (nearby)? I don’t in the country, they want more room. know. It’s hard to tell. It’s all unpreSo you find many purchase offers dictable. We don’t have a crystal ball.” going above the asking price. “The interest rates are slightly creeping up. But still, they are lower By Steve Yablonski than they have been in years. Still

64 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS APRIL / MAY 2022

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SPECIAL REPORT

the amazon effect

Opening of Amazon Warehouse to Ratchet Up Competition for Workers With the online retailer expected to hire 1,000-1,500 workers for its CNY fulfillment center, experts say companies will have to raise wages and find other ways to attract workers of their own

s general manager of the sprawling Dot Foods distribution center in Clay, Adam Smith knows firsthand how tight the labor market is. He’s trying to fill openings for warehouse workers, truck drivers and administrative positions and he’s not alone. “A lot of places you can go up and down the street and see ‘Now Hiring’ signs anywhere and everywhere and that’s not just distribution centers and warehousing,” he said. “So, competition for talent is at an all-time high.” But Smith said he’s keenly aware that the opening of Amazon’s gigantic fulfillment center, located just up the street, will inevitably ratchet up competition for workers. When the online retailer opens the facility, either this spring or summer, it plans to hire a staggering 1,000-1,500 full-time workers to run the 3.8 million square-foot fulfillment center. With unemployment at historic lows and

companies in many sectors already struggling to fill openings, how the injection of so many jobs into the region will affect Central New York’s economy remains an open question. Most of the jobs will entail warehouse work, but Amazon will also be hiring for roles in human resources, operations management, safety, security, finance and information technology. Entry-level warehouse positions will likely start at $15.50 an hour, although those jobs can pay more to start depending on where they’re located. Employees will work alongside robots to pick, pack and ship smaller items such as books, electronics, small household goods and toys. Amazon’s fulfillment center will represent the largest influx of jobs into Central New York in recent memory and is significant given the area’s history of shedding jobs. The traumatic exodus of thousands of good-paying factory

66 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS APRIL / MAY 2022

jobs—General Electric in the 1970s, the Allied Corporation in the 1980s and Carrier in the 2000s—is seared into the area’s collective consciousness. It’s worth celebrating the fact that Amazon is bringing a lot of jobs into the area, said Diane Burton, a human resources professor and director of the Institute for Compensation Studies at Cornell University. “That’s an important economic booster for the region,” she explained. “They’re not high-paying jobs, but they’re reliable jobs with benefits and that is valuable.” Amazon boasts a national average of $18 an hour among its hourly workers. Full-time employees receive full medical, vision and dental insurance as well as paid time off and a 401(k) with a 50% match. The company also offers up to 20 weeks of parental paid leave. Brad Griggs, senior manager for economic development, said in an

Photos provided by the Amazon Fulfillment Center in Clay

By Ken Sturtz

email that in addition to typical benefits and incentives, Amazon has made a $1.2 billion commitment to “upskill” more than 300,000 of its employees in the U.S. by 2025, providing access to the training and education needed to allow them to migrate to higher-paying, in-demand jobs. “We are always thinking about how we can empower our employees to succeed and thrive,” he wrote. “We think all of those incentives and the opportunities to build your career and advance in the company are differentiating factors.” When Amazon opens a new facility, it pulls people from existing jobs at other companies, Burton said. It has a sophisticated human resources operation that is skilled at recruiting and screening workers. The job market is constantly sorting and when better jobs become available, workers will move to those jobs. Ideally, however, that sorting process will also lure workers who are otherwise unemployed into the workforce, Burton said, growing the labor base over the long term. “In the short run, employers dependent on frontline workers will be threatened,” Burton said. “Amazon is a real threat for them.” Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, and Brandeis University found that minimum wage increases at companies such as Amazon, Walmart and Target prodded competitors to increase pay for low-wage workers. Amazon was notable for its announcement in 2018 that it was increasing its entry-level minimum wage to $15, said Clemens Noelke, a research scientist at Brandeis who participated in the wage study. “What we found are fairly distinct and stronger than expected responses by employers in those labor markets then also increasing their wages,” he said. “And oftentimes timed trying to match that $15 minimum wage that Amazon just announced.” But how were those companies able to react so quickly? Conventional wisdom says the market sets wages and if businesses paid more, they’d be in danger of going under. But Noelke said the research suggests many employers actually have a fair amount of discretion to set wages. “And they are perhaps substantially underpaying their workers, which is why they have the means to respond immediately when a competitor announces new wages,” he said.

An example of the robots in use at an Amazon Fulfillment Center.

With competition for workers so high, many companies will be forced to respond by raising wages, especially if they’ve been underpaying their workers, said Susan Crossett, CEO of CPS Recruitment, a hiring agency that handles both professional recruitment and temporary staffing for companies in Central New York. “If somebody’s going to be successful in finding talent, there are a lot of things that they have to think about and pay is one of them,” Crossett said. “They need to be competitive, particularly when you’re looking at entry-level positions like at Amazon.” Companies that can’t raise wages

or that offer competitive pay but are still struggling to attract workers, may have to offer other benefits and perks. One of the lessons of the pandemic has been that people value flexibility in their jobs and control over their schedules. Even if an employer can’t offer remote work as an option, there are still ways they can offer greater flexibility, Crossett said. Employers might be able to give workers the option of working four days a week instead of five, guarantee a certain number of shifts at predictable times, or offer time off for things such as doctor’s appointments. Those kinds of perks might be espe-

APRIL / MAY 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

cially useful for companies competing with Amazon where entry-level jobs can be demanding and the company is very performance-driven and has many systems in place to monitor productivity, Burton said. For example, Amazon has forced overtime; not having forced overtime might be appealing to potential workers. Employers are also aware that workers are paying more attention to company culture, Crossett said. Are companies treating workers fairly? Are they concerned about the mental health of their employees? Have they gotten involved in the community where they do business? Workers can typically sense whether or not an employer is sincerely committed to fostering a positive company culture and those that are will become more attractive. At Dot Foods, Smith said the company has focused on highlighting its people-first culture in its advertising and marketing efforts. “We’re certainly trying to step up our game,” he said. “The labor market has forced us to try to get our brand out there a little bit more than we have in the past and highlight the things that make us different from the Amazons or other competitors.” That’s particularly important for Dot Foods, which is the country’s largest redistributor of food, but not necessarily as well-known among consumers, even if the company supplies the food at their local restaurant or in their child’s school cafeteria. The company’s marketing team launched a brand awareness campaign that included radio ads and commercials during NFL playoffs games last season. They’ve also tried to highlight

Conventional wisdom says the market sets wages and if businesses paid more, they’d be in danger of going under. But Clemens Noelke of Brandeis University says the research suggests many employers actually have a fair amount of discretion to set wages. the company’s charitable activities, which have long included significant product donations to food pantries and other nonprofits, Smith said. “When folks are looking for employment they tend to gravitate to what they know,” he said. “Our approach in this labor market is to try and get folks to know who Dot Foods is.” Smith said the company is focused on recruiting as well as on employee retention and efforts to ensure workers feel appreciated. For example, workers in the warehouse have a four-day workweek and the company has invested in better break rooms for its employees. Dot has also adjusted its starting pay each of the last seven years, Smith explained. Entry-level warehouse positions now start at $20 an hour, with the night shift paying $22 an hour. What effect Amazon will have on the regional economy long-term is unclear. A report by the Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning think tank, con-

cluded that the opening of an Amazon fulfillment center leads to a significant increase in warehousing employment in the surrounding county, but not an increase in the overall private-sector employment. Upward pressure on wages will contribute to the sorting process over time, Burton said. Businesses that are not solid enough to pay workers more will likely cease to be viable and may not survive long-term. In some ways the pandemic has probably also altered the concessions workers are willing to make in the future in terms of pay, flexibility and company culture, Crossett said. “There really truly is a much different view on work-life balance and many people are looking at it as lifework balance,” she said. “The days of somebody being willing to work two or three jobs to make ends meet I think are limited because you really don’t do anything but work.”

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

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Fulton Community Development

68 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS APRIL / MAY 2022

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Steven E. Abraham steven.abraham@oswego.edu

Organizations’ Duty to Offer ‘Reasonable Accommodations’ to Employees

Title VII requires an organization to accommodate employees’ religious observances and the ADA might require an organization to accommodate employees disabilities

ost organizations are aware that it is illegal to discriminate against employees and applicants based on certain characteristics. Thus, an organization may not refuse to hire, discharge or make other employment decisions based on a person’s race, color, religion, age, disability, etc. But when it comes to religion and disability, the law actually requires more. Both federal and New York state law require organizations to make “reasonable accommodations” to an applicant for employment or an employee. Section 701(j) of Title Seven states, “The term “religion” includes all aspects of religious observance and practice, as well as belief, unless an organization demonstrates that he is unable to reasonably accommodate to an employee’s or prospective employee’s religious observance or practice without undue hardship on the conduct of the organization’s business. Section 102(b)(5)(a) of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) states that discrimination includes “not making reasonable accommodations to the known physical or mental limitations of an otherwise qualified individual with

STEVEN E. ABRAHAM is a professor in the School of Business at SUNY Oswego. He received his B.S. from Cornell University, his J.D. from NYU school of Law and his PhD from University of Wisconsin, Madison. He teaches courses related to employment law, union–management relations and human resource management. 70 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS APRIL / MAY 2022

a disability who is an applicant or employee, unless such covered entity can demonstrate that the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the operation of the business of such covered entity.” When it comes to religion, organizations’ duty to accommodate employees usually comes up in two areas: attire and grooming, and working time. For example, certain religions require persons to dress in a certain way or maintain a certain appearance. Title VII would require an organization to allow employees to appear according to the dictates of their religions, unless the organization can demonstrate undue hardship. In a case that went all the way to the Supreme Court, an organization refused to hire an applicant because she came to the interview wearing a hijab (religious head scarf), which would have conflicted with the organization’s dress code. The Supreme Court held that by refusing to hire the employee, the organization was guilty of religious discrimination. Similarly, certain religions require employees to pray at certain times or on certain days, etc. It also would violate Title VII for organizations to deny employees the right to pray at the time is needed or on the days needed. It should be noted, however, that the Supreme Court has held that an organization is not required to offer the employee the exact accommodation the employee requests; rather, all the organization need to do is offer any accommodation that would enable the employee to practice their religion. In one particular case, an employee exhausted all of her paid religious days off and requested that she be allowed to use her paid personal days off to practice a religion. The employer refused, but instead allowed the employee to take unpaid leave. The Supreme Court held that

Guest Columnist

the organization has satisfied its duty to accommodate the employee even though that accommodation was not as beneficial to the employee. When it comes to disability, organizations’ responsibility to accommodate employees and applicants covers a much broader range of things. Perhaps most obvious is structural accommodations to the workplace. Thus, organizations might be required to install ramps or handicapped-accessible doors, provide interpreters, offer materials in braille, etc. But the ADA also might require an organization to offer employees modified work schedules in order to accommodate a disability, and the ADA even has been interpreted to require that an employee’s job be restructured or that an employee be assigned to a vacant position. The duty to accommodate disabilities under the ADA is quite broad. As noted above, however, organizations’ duty to accommodate employees and applicants is limited by the phrase “undue hardship.” In other words, an organization is not required to offer any accommodation if the organization can demonstrate that offering the requested accommodation would be an undue hardship. The organization would have the burden of demonstrating undue hardship, however. Finally, the cases have established that if an organization can demonstrate that offering an accommodation would conflict with a bona fide seniority system, the organization would not be required to offer the accommodation. Thus, in one case, the Supreme Court held that an organization was not required to give a Seventh Day Adventist a Saturday off to observe his religion because giving that Saturday off would have conflicted with the organization’s seniority system, and in another case, the court held that an organization was not required to transfer a Seventh Day Adventist to another position, again, because the transfer would have conflicted with the organization’s seniority system. In sum, organizations should be aware that Title VII might require an organization to accommodate employees’ religious observances and the ADA might require an organization to accommodate employees’ disabilities. Therefore, organizations should work interactively with employees and applicants in order to determine what accommodations they might need and figure out whether the organization can offer those accommodations without undue hardship.

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HEALTH SPECIAL

THE DOCTOR IS IN...OR IS SHE?

• Patients More Likely to See NPs and PAs • Oswego Health Renovations • Burnout Continues Among Nurses, Physicians • Telehealth Phasing Out • Nursing Homes Resuming Normal Activities • ...and more. 72 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS APRIL / MAY 2022

The Nurse Will See You Now… Visiting a doctor’s office? Very likely you’ll be seen by a nurse practitioner or physician assistant By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

n recent years, patients have experienced an increase in seeing advanced healthcare professionals (AHPs) — also known as “physician extenders” — for routine doctor’s visits and acute care. The shortage of physicians has been a driving factor in the uptick in AHPs, which are comprised of nurse practitioners (NP) and physician assistants (PA). Pediatrician Robert Dracker, president of the Onondaga County Medical Society in Syracuse, views AHPs as “essential complements to care. They spend a lot of time with patients and talk with them and that’s important. A physician won’t be able to sit there and talk with patients so long.” He views their role as best in coordination and conjunction with a physician but not as a replacement for a physician. “They don’t have the educational background you have to have tas a

physician,” Dracker said. The insurance reimbursement for an AHP is lower than that of a physician’s, which makes care provided by AHPs attractive for insurance companies to cover. Although many nurses earn their nurse practitioner education after gaining years of experience working as an RN, Dracker said that a NP or PA have no required residency before practicing. (As a rule, he always worked alongside an AHP for three months before allowing them to see patients and then remained available for any questions.) Physicians complete a longer degree plan and a required internship before practicing medicine. As of April 1, 2021, there were 19,348 licensed PAs and 32,418 NPs in New York state. PAs function as dependent practitioners under the supervision of physicians who are legally liable for what they do.

NPs are responsible for their actions while they practice and in New York are not required to practice under a physician if they have more than 3,600 hours of experience and have a written agreement with a collaborating physician or have a collaborative relationship with a physician. Samantha Sassone, a doctorate nurse practitioner, practices at Natural Face Clinic in Syracuse and serves as an assistant professor of nursing at Le Moyne College in Syracuse. “Sometimes, they want to see the physician but I think a lot like seeing the NP as they feel it’s more patient-centered,” Sassone said. “We’re a trusted, loving, caring profession and they see a NP as a nurse at one step above. I have patients who request for me or want to follow up with me.” She thinks that part of the reason is that new patients typically see NPs first and for follow-up care. Sassone views

APRIL / MAY 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

the NP relationship with the physician as collaborative as the NPs often shares care of patients. “We’ve realized that there is space for everybody because patients are sicker than they’ve ever been before,” she said. “Many see multiple specialists. When they get out of that acute phase, it’s NPs and PAs that monitor them.” AHPs also screen for numerous health issues, including skin checks and mental health. She instructs students at Le Moyne to manage patients for issues until they can get to a specialist because so many specialists have extensive waiting lists. “If we have a patient with new onset hypertension, we can manage that in an outpatient setting,” she said. “We’d send them to a cardiologist. In the meantime, we still have to deal with what’s in front of us. We’re getting good at filling the gap. Once the patient is into a specialty, we manage them again.” Mary Springston directs the HRSA primary care training program at Le Moyne’s PA department and has directed the healer’s art program at the school. She is a clinical associate professor and director of the Clinical Advancement Science Center.

There is a

The shortage of physicians has been a driving factor in the uptick of nurse practitioners and physician assistants. While the physician shortage has been an ongoing issue, “the pandemic drove this home,” she said. With so many physicians going into the more lucrative specialty practices, fewer are left in primary care. Some specialties like geriatrics and pediatrics also tend to be less remunerative because providers need to spend much more time with patient education and care

than with other specialties. Seeing fewer patients equals less money coming into the practice. Many physicians choose to work as a hospitalist rather than in primary care because the hours are more consistent. “A lot of AHPs have been following providers into specialties,” Springston said. Bottlenecks in education have also prevented more providers from entering the ranks. Insufficient healthcare educators and residency slots for new physicians have made it challenging to bring more doctors into healthcare. Springston said that busy providers find it extremely difficult to oversee students in their practices. Like Sassone, Springston said that many patients choose to stick with an AHP after their initial visit, although patients have the right to choose their provider. Springston has worked as a PA since 1993, when PAs and NPs were relatively new. “I think it’s more accepted now,” she said. “You don’t have to explain what a PA or NP is. Most people are aware of the job that we do and the quality of our work.”

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Here to answer your questions about insurance, prescriptions, or home medical equipment. We’re your local, independent pharmacy and we care about you and your family. We’ll call your doctor’s oﬃce if a prescription hasn’t come through, or we’ll speak directly with your insurance company if there are questions. We’ve served folks in Fulton and Phoenix for more than 30 years, and become trusted, family friends along the way.

Fulton | 360 W. 1st St. S (315) 593-8378

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At Humana, it is important you are treated fairly. Humana Inc. and its A moreFederal humanCivil way subsidiaries comply with applicable Rights laws and do not to healthcare™ discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, ancestry, marital status or religion. English: ATTENTION: If you do not speak English, language assistance services, free of At Humana, it is important treated fairly. Humana Inc. and(Spanish): its charge, are available to you. you Call are 1‑877‑320‑1235 (TTY: 711). Español subsidiariesSicomply with applicable Civil Rights laws gratuitos and do not ATENCIÓN: habla español, tiene a Federal su disposición servicios de asistencia discriminate on the of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, sexual 注意：如果您使用 (Chinese): lingüística. Llame al basis 1‑877‑320‑1235 (TTY: 711). 繁體中文 orientation, gender, gender identity,。請致電 ancestry, marital status(聽聽聽聽: or religion. 繁體中文，您可以免費獲得語言援助服務。 1‑877‑320‑1235 711)English: ATTENTION: If you do not speak English, language assistance services, free of charge, are available to you. Call 1‑877‑320‑1235 (TTY: 711). Español (Spanish): ATENCIÓN: Si habla español, tiene a su disposición servicios gratuitos de asistencia lingüística. Llame al 1‑877‑320‑1235 (TTY: 711). 繁體中文 (Chinese): 注意：如果您使用 Y0040_GHHHXDHEN22_AD_C 繁體中文，您可以免費獲得語言援助服務。請致電 1‑877‑320‑1235 (聽聽聽聽: 711) 。

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APRIL / MAY 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

HEALTH SPECIAL

Provider Burnout: How Bad Is It? Burnout exacerbates among health providers: 40% of nurses and 20% of physicians considering early retirement or quitting within the next two years By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

veryone needs a break from the stressors of work from time to time. tEvery weekend off, a few extra days off occasionally and two weeks’ vacation a year helps most people feel refreshed and ready to get back to work. But healthcare is different. The systemic, deep-rooted issues in healthcare have led to an industry-wide state of chronic burnout: demanding hours; mandatory overtime; increased workload; continual staffing problems; stressful and at times hazardous working conditions; ongoing professional demands and sometimes ungrateful and entitled patients and family members. Then bring in the pandemic, which worsened most of those issues and added a few more, such as supply and equipment shortages; more stringent use of personal protective equipment; politicization of COVID-19 vaccination; higher workplace hazards; and additional hygiene protocols. It is little wonder that of the 40% of

nurses and 20% of physicians considering early retirement or quitting within the next two years, about one-third plan to reduce their working hours in the meantime to improve their quality of life. This factor will only heap additional stress on the workers they leave behind, since the replacement rate for nurses and physicians is at an all-time low as the baby boomer generation continues to retire. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a 16% increase in demand for healthcare workers from 2020 to 2030, which is much faster than the average for all occupations. The US needs about 1.1 million new nurses by the end of 2022 to fill the roles of retiring nurses. Mitigating the effects of burnout is not easy or simple, according to pediRobert Dracker

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atrician Robert Dracker, president of the Onondaga County Medical Society. “You cannot prepare anyone regardless of what they do in healthcare,” he said. “Their experiences will be varied. The pressures are going to be quite variable. Through this whole ordeal [with the coronavirus pandemic], the nurses have had to deal with the most pressure. But you can’t teach how to avoid burnout.” He added that recommending healthcare providers engage in self-care is nearly counterintuitive to their job’s demands. Dracker also believes that a generational shift has contributed to the problem in that fewer younger healthcare providers want it to work more than 40 hours. More physicians want to go into specialties, most of which pay more and require only office hours. “We’ve undergone a philosophical shift in our outlook on medicine,” Dracker said. “It’s not like the old days, where you did what took and worked as long as you could. I loved doing pediatrics, but my day doesn’t end when someone else’s ends. No one wants to sacrifice their lives. Given the pressure of practice, physicians are retiring before 60 and going into a career that’s not direct care-oriented.” He added that insurance reimbursement in billing codes have not increased in 11 years, unlike a hospital or practice’s overhead costs. He feels like finances in healthcare is like a casino, where “you can’t beat the house. They can increase premiums if they see reduced profits. Patients have no choice but to pay higher copays or deductibles, which sticks it to the patients. They see the doctor as the bad buy, but the doctor isn’t pocketing it.” Meanwhile, providers must cope with rising regulations and quality thresholds for the same or even less money. Dracker added that many young people do not think that going into healthcare is worth it since the average debt is $400,000 for physicians. When they enter residency, they make about $50,000 annually. While this rises to about $100,000 while practicing (depending upon the physician’s area of practice), it still makes paying off their student loan debt challenging. “They can never catch up,” he said. “Now loans are repayable from day one. It used to be a few years they had without interest. How can you walk into a low-paying job? You can’t do it.” Changes in the recent past have

“Electronic medical records are a big cause of frustration. It’s become more of an effort to do what the computer needs to get reimbursement. [It feels like] two hours on the computer for one hour with a patient.” Physician Corliss Varnum, who retired from Port City Family Medicine in Oswego in March.

made providing healthcare more challenging, including the electronic health record systems, also called electronic medical records (EMRs). “EMRs are a big cause of frustration,” said physician Corliss Varnum, retired from Port City Family Medicine in Oswego in March. “It’s become more of an effort to do what the computer needs to get reimbursement.” He quipped that it feels like “two hours on the computer for one hour with a patient.” Regardless of a patient’s background and the physician’s knowledge of the patient, each visit includes asking

a series of questions that must be answered on the EMR. “I could get things done talking into a tape recorder and have someone transcribe it but I can’t do that anymore,” Varnum said. “I’m up late at night Corliss Varnum working on the computer more often than not. It’s not just my profession, but home health aides, outpatient physical therapists and the whole industry. There’s a shortage of

physicians because of this. It’s the cause of early retirement for some.” While EMRs have improved the accuracy and accessibility of medical records, they have also placed additional burdens on providers’ time. The problem of burnout has spurred Le Moyne College to add a 15-hour course, The Healer’s Arts, a “reflective process for students to start recognizing they’re not the only ones in this situation,” said Mary Springston, former director of the program and current director of the HRSA primary care training program at Le Moyne’s PA department. “When they think they’re out there alone, it makes it hard.” Springston is clinical associate professor and director of the Clinical Advancement Science Center. She believes that the concept of team-based care can also help prevent burnout, along with equipping students with strategies to better cope with their workplace stressors, such as physical exercise, meditation, appropriate sleep and a healthful diet. “If the healthcare providers understand themselves better in the discovery model, it really can translate to better patient care and better empathy and compassion,” Springston said.

WE’VE DOUBLED OUR HEART TEAM

THE CARDIOVASCULAR GROUP OF SYRACUSE JOINED UPSTATE CARDIOLOGY FACULTY.

PHYSICIANS FROM TOP LEFT:

Dana C. Aiello, MD Larry S. Charlamb, MD Mark J. Charlamb, MD Christopher A. Nardone, MD Matthew S. O’Hern, MD Charles Perla, MD Theresa Waters, DO Andrew M. Weinberg, DO

UPSTATE PHYSICIANS FROM LEFT: Timothy D. Ford, MD Robert L. Carhart, Jr., MD Debanik Chaudhuri, MD Hani Kozman, MD Sakti Pada Mookherjee, MD Amy Tucker, MD Daniel Villarreal, MD

Our united expertise brings you advanced technology and streamlined care. As part of the Upstate Heart Institute, we provide connections to research and surgical care.

OUR OFFICE LOCATIONS

Cardiovascular Group

5112 WEST TAFT ROAD Liverpool • 315-701-2170

208 TOWNSHIP BLVD Camillus • 315-488-2372

102 WEST SENECA STREET Manlius • 315-464-9335

510 TOWNE DRIVE Fayetteville • 315-663-0500

90 PRESIDENTIAL PLAZA Syracuse • 315-464-9335

138 EAST GENESEE STREET Baldwinsville • 315-720-1305

APRIL / MAY 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

HEALTH SPECIAL

The Manor at Seneca Hill in Oswego.

Nursing Homes Resuming Normal Activities With COVID-19 still an issue, safety precautions are still being taken By Steve Yablonski

he elderly as well as those with chronic medical conditions are at higher risk for COVID-19. Both groups are heavily represented among the nation’s 1.3 million nursing home residents. As COVID-19 surged early in the pandemic, nursing homes essentially shut their doors as they struggled to curb coronavirus entry and spread. Strict limits were instituted on visitation, communal dining and other resident activities. Restrictions have loosened as vaccinations have increased. But COVID-19 is still a threat and while area nursing homes are returning to normal, they are still playing it safe for residents and staff.

Engaging residents “We have offered activities and continued efforts to engage our residents throughout the pandemic. As of now (early March 2022), we are cautiously

hosting small group activities indoors and are hosting entertainers and look to add to our activities in the weeks ahead and as we are able to utilize outdoor spaces when the weather improves,” said Greg Osetek, director of community relations for St. Luke Health Services. Visitation is open and taking place, Osetek said. At this date and time, the New York State Department of Health requires all visitors to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test result prior to entering any nursing home, he added. “To meet this requirement you can provide us with documentation of a negative test or we will provide a COVID test kit onsite prior to visiting, which you can self-administer before being allowed into the building,” he said. “Current safety measures as prescribed by federal and state authorities require all visitors to complete a health screening, continue to wear a surgical face mask at all times, that we provide, and to perform hand hygiene during visits.”

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Can residents have close contact with their guests during a visit and meet without a mask? “Yes, it’s up to the resident,” Osetek said. In keeping with guidelines, all visitors are asked to restrict their movements within the building, physically distance themselves from others and limit visits to resident rooms only. If there is a roommate present, “we are able to provide for privacy during a visit,” Osetek added. “Residents are dining communally in our dining rooms or in their rooms. We are not able to allow visitors to eat with residents in our communal dining settings right now and expect this to change as conditions improve in the community and regulations are relaxed,” Osetek explained.

Staffing issues “Staffing was already a significant challenge for healthcare providers prior

to the pandemic. These last two years contending with COVID-19 have only exacerbated the situation,” Osetek said. In response, St. Luke has streamlined its hiring process and “along with our affiliates, we have made every effort to offer bonuses, wages and benefits that are attractive in the current local labor market, while strengthening our career ladder and educational opportunity programs for career advancement,” Osetek added. “We have offered wage enhancements, flexible scheduling and have implemented many other incentives for our employees such as a commissary when daily items were difficult to find and free meals to all our staff, to name just a few,” he said. To meet the financial challenges imposed upon their nonprofit, community-based organizations, St. Luke has been aggressive in seeking to maximize government pandemic relief programs as they have become available, according to Osetek.

Greg Osetek is director of community relations for St. Lukes Health Services. “[To reply to staffing concerns,] we have offered wage enhancements, flexible scheduling and have implemented many other incentives.”

Jason Santiago is chief operating officer at The Manor at Seneca Hill. “Our residents depend on activities, increased socialization—we’ve been slowly getting back to that.”

“From another perspective, the pandemic has forced us to re-examine our operations; how we deliver care and services, our use of technology and how we manage and utilize our buildings and physical assets,” Osetek said. “We are evaluating ways we can continue to enhance a range of areas like infection control practices, making ourselves a safer and more comfortable place that enhances the experience for residents and employees alike.”

Obviously we have to do that safely. So, as the weather turns, we want to have entertainment at our nice pavilion that was funded by our employee giving campaign; so we can have larger gatherings outside,” Santiago added. The other thing that they do to keep residents engaged is to keep them connected to the community. “I think that’s important,” Santiago said. A member of Fulton Sunrise Rotary, Santiago noted that the group has done a nice job of staying connected to Seneca Hill Manor residents. Rotarians did Valentine’s Day cards in February for residents. They did Christmas cards, as well. “They did a great job sending 100 cards at a time. That’s done by a handful of Rotarians; our club has between 15 to 20 members,” Santiago said. “That number of people doing 100 cards, many hands makes less work, and our residents really appreciated receiving those cards.” The Manor has been open for visi-

Pushing forward “What we’re trying to do is push forward beyond the pandemic. Part of going back to normal is doing things that the residents like to do,” said Jason Santiago, chief operating officer at The Manor at Seneca Hill. “We have been trying to bring entertainment back safely at Seneca Hill Manor. Our residents depend on activities, increased socialization— we’ve been slowly getting back to that.

APRIL / MAY 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

“Our job requires human contact and engagement and closeness. That’s what health care is. That’s the part that, on a day-today basis, I’m really praying returns to that level of ‘normalcy’ and closeness and human contact.” Joe Murabito, owner and president of Elemental Management Group

tors since November, when Gov. Hochul allowed visitation for its residents. “She has done a really nice job of responding to things that she’s been hearing in office,” Santiago said. “Our residents have been isolated since March of 2020. And when you’re isolated and not able to have regular family visits it can lead to depression. There’s nothing that can replace that connection by having visitors. We have been having regular visitors since November of 2021. In the warmer months we’re able to do outside visitation. It was very limited, it was challenging. The hours were structured because at the time we really wanted to focus on keeping our residents safe from COVID because we know what the impact was on nursing home residents, globally not just in New York.” Visitors are required to be tested within 24 hours of their visit. They are allowed to go in the rooms and spend some time with their loved ones. All staff members are required to wear personnel protective equipment— masks, face shields or goggles, when necessary. “And our visitors are required to do the same; they are required to wear PPE when they come in (or produce a negative test), Santiago explained. “They can disclose to us if they have been vaccinated. “[Staff and residents] are doing the best they can with the circumstances that we have currently. We still wear the full PPE and have been doing that since March of 2020. The staff knows that they are here to do the best they can to keep our residents safe and give high-quality care. You’d never know from their interacting with residents that we are in a pandemic; they interact in a positive way. That’s the best way to do that—move forward and lead by example. That’s what our staff is doing.”

Getting back to normal Joseph Murabito is owner and president of Elemental Management Group, which operates Morning Star Residential Care Center and The Gardens Assisted Living Community in Oswego as well as others in various counties. “Things are headed toward normal. I’m happy about all that, really,” he said. “Our biggest struggle in any of our buildings right now is like everyone else, it’s just labor.” “Our job requires human contact and engagement and closeness. That’s what health care is. That’s the part that, on a day-to-day basis, I’m really praying returns to that level of quote unquote ‘normalcy’ and closeness and human contact,” Murabito said. “We want to get people back into these direct care roles and support roles. I don’t care if it is housekeeping or laundry or nursing. The residents and their families need people in these capacities to come and do their good work. That’s very important. I think that a lot of things are settling out. This is the one area that I’d really like to see a little bit more pronounced movement.” The latest variant of the coronavirus has presented itself, he said, adding “much, much differently than the first two. We’re still following PPE and social distancing guidelines. We’ve had some outbreaks; some are onesie, twosies and some are groups. But these are all duly vaccinated residents and duly vaccinated staff. So it basically manifested itself as a glorified cold.” “The first two shots … we’re getting through Christmas and getting into the first week of January, we’re basically 100% successful. There are a couple people; we have five buildings, in the five, I think there were only three or four people who quit,” he said. “We were very worried about that. We really

80 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS APRIL / MAY 2022

couldn’t afford to lose anyone. Even though it was just a handful across five buildings, we worried about it being much worse.” “We did a lot of work; we did see good solid success with dual vaccination. There are just so many differing opinions of the vaccines—right wrong or indifferent,” he added. The booster was considered as ‘fully vaccinated.’ “Across nursing homes, adult homes, hospitals, you have providers anywhere between 55% and 75% boosted. There are much stronger opinions against the booster in comparison to the first two shots, he said. All the facilities are well-versed on how to handle infections. It’s no different than a flu outbreak in terms of your isolation; close down meals close down activities, he noted. “Those are the sort of steps we’ve been doing the last two years. Even though the latest variant was milder, you still follow the same protocol. However the stress level and the fear is less,” Murabito said. “The anxiety and frustration of just the weight of it all, people are just sick of it. People in general, residents or staff; they are burned out on the rules.” If there’s a facility that doesn’t have cases they have more flexibility. If there are facilities that have cases they have designated areas (for those who’ve tested positive). The facilities are very prudent with it because they don’t want to have to deal with cases either, he added.

Still cautious “People just want to get back in regular contact with their loved ones. More and more of that is happening for sure,” Murabito said. “We are actively coming back to more congregate group sort of functions.” “We act accordingly; everyone is very used to doing it, very mindful of getting back to normal human contact. The residents are pleased to hear that. The staff are and the families are — everybody is. The staff and the residents, it is difficult to say who did it hit harder,” he said. “In places where there are active outbreaks we do go back to more restricted measures. In the buildings where there are no cases or very few, one or two people, they’re isolated. We’re very much more active in getting back into communal meals. We’re moving forward, but we’re just moving forward cautiously and carefully.”

HEALTH SPECIAL

Telehealth Losing Favorability

Survey of consumers shows that they don’t prefer telehealth because of limits on services By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

arly in the pandemic, telehealth offered a way for providers to “meet” with quarantined patients and offer care. Once health insurance companies approved telehealth visits as comparable for reimbursement as in-person visits, telehealth took off. Providers ramped up their tech capabilities and savvy and soon they were remotely visiting with patients for a variety of issues. Providers and patients appeared to initially embrace telehealth. From 2019 to 2022, use of telehealth jumped from 7% of patients to 36%. But use does not always equate to satisfaction. A J.D. Powers survey of 4,700 consumers showed that they did not prefer telehealth because of limits

on services (24%) and cost, confusion about technology, and poor provider information (15%). But some respondents lauded its convenience (57%), quicker access to care (47%) and safety (36%). Physician Corliss Varnum, who retired in March from Port City Family Medicine in Oswego, sees potential for telehealth, “but I don’t think it’s ready for prime time. Say you’re making a visit for a blood pressure check-up. I can’t listen to your heart over the computer or listen to your lungs. I can only say that she looks like she’s breathing OK.” He added that most people do not own a blood pressure cuff or thermometer at home or if they do, they cannot find it or may not operate it correctly. “You can’t see a rash as good as

inperson,” he said. Technology issues can also hamper use of telehealth. “Most people who aren’t young don’t have a computer and don’t want a computer,” Varnum said. “Many times, it’s telehealth by phone. It’s got a lot of bugs in it, though a lot of people think it’s great.” He sees potential for use by people who cannot readily come to a doctor’s appointment because of disabilities, bad weather or lack of childcare. But he does not view telehealth as a replacement for face-to-face visits. “It does give an option to talk with people and see how they’re holding up and how they’re doing with their medication,” Varnum said. “You can also see their environment to some degree.” The rise in telehealth during the pandemic has caused Le Moyne College to add telehealth to its healthcare curriculum. “It’s definitely a skill our students need to have,” said Mary Springston, clinical associate professor and director of Clinical Advancement Science Center at the school. She said that most students are adept at using technology for telehealth, but the struggle is helping patients feel comfortable. “A physical exam is a challenge with telehealth,” Springston said. “Sometimes, you have to build trust with the patient that this is going to help them and work for them. Some people love it, as they don’t have to spend an hour in the waiting room or traveling a great distance.” She believes that the greatest potential in telehealth is in behavioral health to manage conditions like depression and anxiety, since the conditions themselves can sometimes present a barrier to care. Pediatrician Robert Dracker, president of the Onondaga County Medical Society, said that telehealth is also beneficial for children with issues such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and for patients who are away from home for college. “You can stay in touch if they can’t make an appointment,” he said. “Some say their car broke down or they can’t get a ride. They can set it up as a telehealth visit immediately. It’s more practical that way.” But he does see limitations in speaking with someone through a video rather than being in the same room.

APRIL / MAY 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

HEALTH SPECIAL

MENTAL HEALTH REMAINS AN ISSUE IN OSWEGO COUNTY Drugs and the pandemic have created more challenges recently By Steve Yablonski

ental health is an issue, according to Jiancheng Huang, director of public health for Oswego County. “Yes, it is a big concern,” he said. “But it has multiple facets.” Among those facets in Oswego County are suicides, drug addiction, child neglect and abuse, domestic violence, and shortage of mental health professionals, Huang said “Most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the situation,” he added. Physician Omar Colon, who oversees mental health and behavioral health services for Oswego Health, agreed with that assessment. “Mental health has been an issue in Oswego County for many years. It has recently been getting worse due to the pandemic. Our numbers have been climbing.” Oswego Health operates a 32-bed inpatient unit and related outpatient behavioral health clinic facilities at the Lakeview Center for Mental Health on East Cayuga Street, Oswego. The numbers from the emergency department have been skyrocketing, even for kids, he said. “It’s imperative that we take care of mental health issues,” he said. “It’s

really frustrating; the last couple years have been really tough.”

Opioids Are An Epidemic “Drugs have been a problem in our area; opioids, molly and marijuana as well. A lot of drugs have infected our community from adults to kids,” Colon said. “It’s really challenging.” They are encountering a lot of people who are ending up in the hospital due to psychotic breaks or overdoses, he said. “It is not uncommon to see comorbidity of mental health and substance use disorders,” said Eric A. Bresee, executive director, Farnham Family Services. “Historically, 60%-70% of people receiving treatment at Farnham have a dual diagnosis indicating both mental health and substance use disorders.”

Measuring Success “It’s really difficult to say; we try to provide services as much as we can,” Colon said. “When the pandemic hit that exacerbated the number of patients that were getting sick and it was also limiting the number of services that we

82 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS APRIL / MAY 2022

can provide. I think the best way that we can deal with all this is through collaboration with different programs, making sure that we all have access to information.” There are several ways that mental illness can manifest, Colon noted. It can be not having people around to support us, pressure in many different ways, such as the loss of a family member, a loss of a job or medical problems. “So a lot of things can be factors to start causing us to develop a mental illness. When we develop a mental illness it can manifest in many ways,” he said. “People might start feeling down or depressed. They might not be sleeping well. If things get worse, they could develop thoughts of harming themselves or others. It’s very concerning.” Some people develop a lot of anxiety. For example, “the transition from ‘normal’ to pandemic was so much of a change, so quickly at the start, it impacted our lives like the loss of a job or a loved one, Colon said. “But it was worldwide. So a lot of people that were vulnerable, they are facing mental illness now more than ever,” he added.

LOCAL RESOURCES ARISE — Mental Health Services Phone: 315-887-5156 Address: 113 Schuyler St., Fulton www.ariseinc.org

Beacon Psychological Services

Jiancheng Huang, director of public health for Oswego County.

Battling Drugs Vera Dunsmoor, a registered nurse who is the director of patient services for Oswego County, leads a state-funded program to address overdose. “I’m working on a grant for an overdose program,” Dunsmoor said. “It is absolutely needed. There is a big need for this.” They look at opioid data and the county’s program is built around that information, she explained, adding that “the problem has been exasperated due to the pandemic.” “We are really starting to look at the data. We developed our work plan around our information and data. It helps us to provide direct prevention activities,” she said. “We work with other health providers and systems to reduce the unsafe exposure to opioids and addictions.” They do that by conducting academic detailing in the community. “We’re working on increasing education. For naloxone, we are focusing on doing training in different areas of the county; trying to reach those who might not be familiar with Narcan,” said Meghan Tice, a public health educator for Oswego County. Naloxone, also known as Narcan, is a prescription medicine that reverses an overdose by blocking heroin or other opioids in the brain for 30 to 90 minutes. “To increase access to naloxone, Meghan is going out and doing a lot of training in the community, training classes on how to use naloxone,” Dunsmoor said. “We do training and then a person would receive a kit to take with them. We also provide more detailed training that can take upwards of 35–40 minutes,”

Physician Omar Colon oversees mental health and behavioral health services for Oswego Health.

Tice added. “We had an increase in 2019 in overdoses. The numbers have been higher after that,” Dunsmoor said. “There was a down tick then at the beginning of the pandemic. I don’t know if it was because of the lockdown and every body was scared, but then it did come up quickly.” “The more we can educate people, the more lives we can save, hopefully,” she added. Farnham started conducting walkin access for the opioid treatment program. “The best times to walk in for connection to the opioid treatment programs are Monday to Thursday, in the morning. If people need help they should not wait; call or come in anytime during our regular business hours,” Bresee said. Mental health diagnosis related to anxiety, depression and mood disorders are amongst the most common, he said.

Virus Concerns A lot of people are not seeking help, due to fears of catching the virus. That is creating challenges for all health care providers. “We do educational programs at certain times for our community and we try to collaborate with other agencies as well so people know about our services and how they can access them,” Colon said. “We try as much as possible. We collaborate with other agencies to raise awareness about mental health. There are several programs in place. A clinic in Lakeview Center for psychiatric care; a clinic in Fulton and we collaborate with others as well like Farnham … we all work together.”

Phone: 315-216-6862 Address: 317 W. First St., suite 112, Oswego beacon514@hotmail.com www.beaconpsychologicalservices.com

Catholic Charities of Oswego County Phone: 315-598-5980 Address: 808 W. Broadway, Fulton www.ccoswego.com

ConnextCare Phone: 315-298-1920 Address: 61 Delano St., Pulaski www.connextcare.org/MentalHealth

Child Advocacy Center of Oswego Phone: 315-592-4453 Address: 163 S. First St., Fulton www.oswegocac.org

Farnham Family Services — Oswego Location Phone: 315-342-4489 Address: 283 W. Second St., suite 200, Oswego www.farhnaminc.org

Lakeview Center for Mental Health & Wellness — Adult Outpatient Services Phone: 315-326-4100 Address: 29 E. Cayuga St., Oswego www.oswegohealth.org/behavioralservices

Liberty Resources Integrated Health Care Phone: 315-887-1840 Address: 14 Crossroads Drive, Fulton http://www.liberty-resources.org

Oswego County Opportunities, Inc. Phone: 315-598-4717 Address: 239 Oneida St., Fulton www.oco.org

SUNY Oswego Counseling Services Center Phone: 315-312-4416 Address: 202 Hewitt Hall, SUNY Oswego campus www.oswego.edu/counseling-services

APRIL / MAY 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

HEALTH SPECIAL

Physicians Nevena Radonjic and Seetha Ramanathan, from the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at SUNY Upstate, are leading the program to train primary care physicians in the diagnosis and treatment of mental health issues.

Upstate Foundation Gets Grant to Improve Treatment of Patients with Mental Health Funds to aid area primary care physicians in diagnosis and treatment of mental health issues in patients

$100,000 grant by a Buffalo-based foundation will fund Upstate’s program to train primary care physicians in the diagnosis and treatment of mental health issues. The support comes from the Patrick P. Lee Foundation, a private, Buffalo-based foundation focused on mental health and education. The Lee Foundation provided similar grants to improve access to mental health services to Horizon Health Services and Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). The grant was awarded to the Upstate Foundation. “We selected innovative programs at Horizon Health, RIT and Upstate Foundation that expand and redefine the traditional mental health workforce to include other trusted partners, such as primary care,” said Lee Foundation Executive Director Jane Mogavero. “Our goal is not to replace clinical services, but to create more opportunities.” Upstate Medical University will utilize intensive workshops and the Project ECHO platform to increase the capacity of primary and family medicine providers in the eight counties of Central New York to systematically screen, identify, treat and appropriately

refer patients suffering from mental health disorders. In Project ECHO, which uses video technology, Upstate experts function as the “hub” to deliver education, knowledge and best practices to the primary care clinicians in the region. The goal is for primary providers to enhance their competencies in the treatment of mild to moderate mental health disorders and provide much needed mental health care in a timely and appropriate manner. Upstate will also provide information about appropriate referrals, particularly with complex situations, encourage comfort in a consultation model and enable the development of a collaborative care pathway between the providers and psychiatrists. Physicians Nevena Radonjic and Seetha Ramanathan, from the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, are leading this project and applaud this opportunity to support greater access to mental health expertise for patients. “Most primary care physicians are already addressing a large number of mental health issues in their patients” explains Radonjic. “This effort, sup-

84 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS APRIL / MAY 2022

ported by the Lee Foundation, will help strengthen their capabilities. We anticipate that at the end of every cycle of training, primary care physicians will be able to notice an increase in their competencies to address a range of mental health needs and make appropriate referrals when needed”. “This effort will not only improve competencies, but can also act as the first step towards establishing a more streamlined system of care between the primary care and mental health systems,” says Ramanathan. An estimated 122 million Americans — including 4 million in New York — live in a mental health shortage area, as designated by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Although the workforce shortage existed prior to the pandemic, the recent increase in demand for mental health services has made the situation even more critical. In 2020, four in 10 adults in the United States reported symptoms of anxiety or depression — a significant increase from the previous year when one in 10 adults reported these symptoms.

NONPROFITS

Food Bank of CNY: 18.6 Million Pounds of Food Distributed in 2021

By Steve Yablonski

he Food Bank of Central New York is a nonprofit organization working to eliminate hunger through nutritious food distribution, education and advocacy in cooperation with the community. It works with a network of more than 400 agencies and spans 11 counties in Central and Northern New York. The Food Bank is the hub of food distribution. It acquires food from the federal government through the USDA commodities program and donated food from local retailers, manufacturers, distributors and growers, as well as purchases food. The food comes into its central warehouse location in the town of Van Buren. It is then distributed by a fleet of 15 vehicles to its network of partners. During 2021, the Food Bank distributed more than 18.6 million pounds of food, with a focus on fresh produce, dairy products, lean proteins, as well as shelf-stable pantry staples. Food Bank of Central New York is funded through many public and private entities and heavily relies on donations from local businesses, organizations and individuals. In addition, more than 600 individuals donated more than 7,000 hours of time to the Food Bank last year. The Food Bank of Central New York is an essential response agency to the COVID-19 pandemic. With the number of individuals and families in need of emergency food assistance now lower than they were than at the height of the pandemic, increased food costs, the expiration

of many government pandemic assistance programs and higher food costs mean that many families are facing difficulties making ends meet. With resources from New York State through the Nourish New York program, grants, corporate and individuals’ donations, as well as many partnerships and collaborations, it has been able to meet the demand for nutritious food. If people are in need of assistance, they can call 315-437-1899. The Food Bank has extensive materials on its website, including a Find Food tool at foodbankcny.org. They also work with 211 to handle referral calls after hours. BELOW Food Bank staff and volunteers distribute food to veterans struggling with hunger outside the VA Medical Center in Syracuse. This distribution was in partnership with the VA Medical Center and Clear Path for Veterans.

Pulaski Fund Now Accepting Grant Applications

he Greater Pulaski Community Endowment Fund is now accepting grant applications from nonprofit organizations serving the village of Pulaski or the town of Richland. The grant application deadline is May 15. Proposals are encouraged from a variety of program areas, including education, health, social services, arts and culture, civics and preservation of historic resources. Organizations must submit applications using the online grant application. Visit cnycf.org/Pulaski to learn more about the application process and guidelines. For details regarding the application process, contact Colby Cyrus at PulaskiGrants@cnycf.org. The Greater Pulaski Community Endowment Fund is a compilation of gifts contributed by the people of the Pulaski community that disseminates grants to support programs and projects of importance to the area. The fund was established in 1991 with seed funding from the John Ben Snow Memorial Trust and is sustained through critical community matching challenge grants. The endowment exists to ensure that the citizens of the Pulaski area have a means of supporting the nonprofit services and resources that are so important to the vitality of the community. Since its inception, the fund has provided more than $400,000 in grants to nonprofit organizations addressing community needs within the village of Pulaski and the town of Richland. For additional information regarding the fund and how to contribute, please visit cnycf.org/Pulaski. The Pulaski fund is an affiliate fund of the Central New York Community Foundation. The Central New York Community Foundation is a public charity established in 1927 that receives contributions from donors, manages them to grow over time and then distributes funding to local charities to help them thrive. It is the largest charitable foundation in Central New York with assets of more than $366 million and has invested more than $230 million in community improvement projects since its inception.

APRIL / MAY 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

MAKING A DIFFERENCE By Steve Yablonski LEFT Shelly Spaziano of Oswego is president and founder of Kristina’s House of Hope. She founded the nonprofit in February 2019 to honor her daughter Kristina, who died in a car accident in 2016, when she was 20 years old. KHOH helps displaced or homeless women who are struggling with drug or alcohol dependency. OPPOSITE PAGE Kristina’s death in 2016, when she was 20, inspired her mom, Shelly Spaziano, to start a shelter in Oswego for women in trouble.

‘Home’ Gives Women a Second Chance in Life

Shelly Spaziano opened facility to honor memory of her late daughter

rom tragedy came hope: Kristina’s House of Hope. “My daughter was 20 years old and she was in a car accident in 2016 and died. Her name is Kristina,” said Shelly Spaziano, presi-

dent and founder. “She was a joyous and empathetic spirit who believed in empowering women. We will carry that spirit within the walls of KHOH.” It is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, founded in February 2019.

86 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS APRIL / MAY 2022

It’s dedicated to providing immediate assistance to displaced or homeless women who are struggling with drug or alcohol dependency, providing them a safe, stable home to live in. They have zero tolerance for drugs and alcohol; they also have drug tests on premises. “Soon after my daughter’s accident, I broke my leg and I was in a wheelchair for four months. During that time, the Lord said to me, ‘Start a house for women.’ I didn’t question it. I just called up someone that I knew that would know these things. And, I said, ‘How would I do this?’” Spaziano explained. “We met for breakfast. I brought a notebook and he gave me a bunch of ideas. He sent me to somebody else; they sent me to someone else and every idea that I got, I just started doing.” She filed for a 501(c)(3) and received it. Then, she filled out the state form, “which was very detailed and very long.” “I happened to ask this doctor — who wishes to remain anonymous — if he would donate some money. I had raised about $15,000 over the phone and by holding a chicken barbecue. I just started raising money toward buying a house,” she said.” The more that Spaziano got into it, the more she was interacting with Social Services and others in the community; getting more ideas. The doctor found two houses and helped her put a down payment on them. Then they went to the city and got approved to have a women’s shelter.

KHOH consists of two furnished homes She started in 2017; but didn’t buy the houses until two years ago, in April. “In the shelter it is actually the front and back part of the house. You can only have four unrelated people in

a home. So, I have two houses. One in front and one in back, like ‘A’ and ‘B.’ We have two large bedrooms in the front and a bathroom with a living room and a small office area. We have two bedrooms and a bath in the back with a bath downstairs and a kitchen,” she said. “It works out that we can have two girls in each room, four in the front, four in the back. There’s a huge living room and a huge kitchen. It works perfect.” Spaziano owns the house next door. So the girls who get through this program, if they want, they can rent a bedroom in the house next door, she added. According to Spaziano, KHOH provides a safe, controlled environment in which women can live while they work toward stability and self-reliance. She has accumulated invaluable experiences and knowledge throughout her life. She has first-hand knowledge of what it is like to successfully recover from addiction, as she has been in re-

covery for the past 17 years. Spaziano has an intimate understanding of the challenges women face while suffering from addiction, undergoing rehabilitation and finding a support network to ensure success. “Our tenants have the opportunity to attend rehabilitation services, seek job training and receive counseling while taking advantage of other services provided by nearby agencies, as appropriate,” she explained. “We have a curfew, mandatory education, mandatory vocation, and mandatory attendance at Farnham.” “The girls get up around 8-ish. They make their bed. Get their coffee and meet me at the table at 9. We do maybe 10 or 15 minutes of positive reading. Start the day off in a good way. Then we clean the common areas,” she added. “They have to have a support meeting at least once a day. Then we have a meeting here at noon. Most of them go to that.”

Waiting list “Yes, there is a referral process where clients have to go to Department of Social Services and ask to be referred to KHOH. We currently do have a waiting list at DSS and can accommodate more girls after some of our current clients move into their new apartments, hopefully by the end of this week,” Spaziano said in mid-February. “There are rules, like in a family; we do follow the 12-step program. We do have a contract that each girl signs upon their arrival. It’s a case by case basis when rules are broken. As long as the client admits their mistake and is willing to accept our help, we will place them on a safety plan,” she continued. On average, girls stay at KHOH about two and a half months. “Our biggest issue being housing,” Spaziano said. “There isn’t a lot available and affordable as they have limited resources. We were fortunate to have had several of our girls on the waiting list for East Lake Commons and seven of our girls got in.” Spaziano said she has kept in contact with the girls who have left. “We have a 40% success rate. This is a women’s shelter for women with drug and alcohol issues. But, we do get some women who don’t have drug and alcohol issues; some have domestic abuse issues. We have one lady that’s currently here who had a stroke and she’s starting over. Medical bills and stuff like that took her out. We do have some other people who are just homeless. But mostly we just have those with drug and alcohol issues,” she said. The staff includes Spaziano and three others; one full time and two parttime. She said she is considering hiring a fourth part-time employee. “My dream is to do the whole enchilada. We help them get clothes, personal items, we feed them … everything so they can have a fighting chance. We have compassion and love for them,” she said. “We’ve received strong help from people in the community; they actually care about others.” “I run this place like a family, a home. Not a shelter. I don’t get a paycheck. I love what I do,” she said. Editor’s Note: For more information on Kristina’s House of Hope, visit https:// kristinashouseofhope.org, www.facebook. com/KristinasHouseofHope or email kristinashouseofhope@gmail.com. KHOH’s phone number is 315-216-4025.

APRIL / MAY 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

NONPROFITS

Paying It Forward Now entering its 95th year, CNY Community Foundation has received over $30 million in donation this year; in turn, it funds a myriad of community projects in the form of grants By Steve Yablonski

he Central New York Community Foundation is a public charity that receives contributions from private donors, manages them to grow over time and then distributes ABOVE Nicola funding to local charities to help them thrive. The CNYCF was founded in 1927 as a nonprofDasilva used a it, charitable foundation to administer and manage mortgage from Home HeadQuarters many different charitable funds and endowments for the benefit of the Central New York community, to purchase her according to Peter A. Dunn, president and CEO. first home, located “We are entering our 95th year this year,” in Syracuse. he said. “Since our inception, we have invested CNYCF committed more than $230 million in community projects that $500,000 to help Home HeadQuarters strengthen our local nonprofits and address the most critical issues of our times. We are the largest provide mortgages charitable foundation in Central New York.” to new, first-time At the end of December 2021, the foundahomebuyers in the tion’s total funds under administration were city of Syracuse. $417 million. OPPOSITE PAGE “We administer more than 800 distinct charitaCNYCF provided ble funds for a range of purposes and interests. In PGR Foundation with Oswego County, among these funds are the Greater a community grant Pulaski Community Endowment Fund (which just to support its back- celebrated its 30th year and reaching $1 million to-school pandemic in assets) and the Oswego County Community preparation series Foundation,” Dunn pointed out. Donations to the Community Foundation with the purchase tend to reflect overall economic conditions and, of technology in particular, the health of the stock market “as equipment and we get a lot of gifts of appreciated assets from tutors’ pay. 88 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS APRIL / MAY 2022

donors like stock and mutual funds and these types of gifts tend to accelerate in a rising market. This fiscal year we have received more than $30 million in gifts so far,” Dunn said. “The year 2020 was notable in that we received significant bequest gifts, about $14 million in bequests alone, which was half of the $27 million in contributions we received,” he continued. “So, it is hard to predict what giving will look like from year to year. In general we receive more than $20 million each year to support new charitable funds being created or existing funds that we already administer.” The largest gifts to the foundation during its history have tended to be bequests. These gifts create endowment funds that the foundation then invests and distributes a portion of the fund (like 4%-5% each year) out into the community in the form of grants. “We also administer more than 300 donor advised funds, from which donors recommend grants to support local charities each year, in our 2020-2021 fiscal year, of the $20 million in grants we distributed, about $12 million came from donor advised funds,” he explained.

Paying it forward “The gifts we receive create charitable funds and are invested over time. A percentage of each

Peter Dunn

fund’s value is used annually to make grants while preserving the original gift. This means a charitable gift made today in the form of a permanent endowment can grow in pace with inflation and still provide consistent support in the future,” Dunn

explained. He related “a really nice story about a couple from Phoenix in Oswego County who left a notable bequest to support local students with scholarships.” Robert and Roberta Hurd never had children. Roberta was an excellent student and involved in many extra-curricular activities. Robert, one class year ahead of her, played many sports and was also a good student. Both believed strongly in the importance of a good education, thankful for how well their Phoenix school experience set them up to succeed. Robert died during Thanksgiving weekend in 1992; three months shy of their 50th wedding anniversary. “Roberta began her relationship with us a year later when she quietly reached out to establish a scholarship fund in her husband’s memory,” Dunn said. The inaugural recipient of the Robert and Roberta Hurd Scholarship Fund, Wyatt Parker packed up his Subaru with

DONATIONS TO CNY COMMUNITY FOUNDATION

23.7M

Fiscal Year 2020

26.7M

Fiscal Year 2021

30.0M*

Fiscal year 2022

* As of December 31, with three months left in the fiscal year.

his girlfriend and headed to Seattle with their three hamsters — Tulip, Hotchie and Motchie — to start his career in 2021. He had received the $40,000 Hurd scholarship at his high school graduation in 2015. The scholarship was $10,000 per year, which paid for about half of his undergraduate degree. Wyatt plans to continue paying his success forward through community service, donating to the Hurd Scholarship or maybe one day creating a scholarship fund of his own, according to Dunn. “We made a grant a couple of years ago in collaboration with the Shineman Foundation to support the merger of three Oswego groups into a more sustainable organization. We have supported more than 35 mergers of nonprofit organizations over the last 10 years across Central New York,” he said. With the encouragement of the Port of Oswego Authority, the H. Lee White Maritime Museum decided to pool its resources and develop collaborative partnerships with the Oswego Maritime Foundation and the Oswego Maritime Alliance. A “strategic partnership” grant from the Community Foundation assisted the museum with the legal and consulting expenses associated with the consolidation. The resulting partnership gave the museum the ability to expand its offerings to further develop cultural heritage tourism and remain a stable force in the Oswego community for generations.

APRIL / MAY 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

SPECIAL REPORT

Mexico Clock Tower Automated After More Than Century of Hand-Winding A timeless piece of local history, clock was installed in the early 1880s — volunteers over the years made sure it was working properly By Ken Sturtz

or decades, George Monson appeared at McAuslan Hall each Sunday, making his way up a narrow, creaky flight of stairs to a cramped room at the top of the old brick building.

Then he’d spend the better part of an hour resetting the ancient clock and bell, using an 18-inch-long wooden handle to crank the drums to reset the weights, the heaviest of which was more

than 300 pounds. The clock took about 30 turns; the bell closer to 200. “For the clock it wasn’t bad cranking it, but for the striking weight it was tough,” he said. “There were times you’d definitely want to stop and take a breath and then keep going.” Monson was at the end of a long line of volunteers who set, cared for and occasionally repaired the clock going back to the 1880s. But it stopped ticking and its bell fell silent several years ago. Faced with the daunting task of repairing a timepiece from another century, the local municipality decided to have the clock and its bell automated.

Regular trips up to the clock tower When McAuslan Hall was constructed it had no clock or bell. People in the town of Mexico had no suitable meeting place for social and political gatherings. During elections, citizens were forced to cast their ballots at a table set up on Main Street. So in 1877, the townspeople debated building a new town hall. It was a contentious issue, but in the end the building was approved by a mere 73 votes. Construction began in 1878 and the building was completed a year later. It wasn’t until a few years after that the town began fundraising for a clock. In 1882, a clock and bell were ordered from Seth Thomas Co. The cost came to $753.07 plus freight charges of $14.83. Over the years McAuslan Hall served many purposes. It was the town hall, a meeting place and later a movie theater. By the 1970s the local Freemasons had purchased it for their lodge. Jim Emery’s father, Francis Emery, was a member of the lodge and had the responsibility of maintaining and winding the clock. Emery said his father brought him along a handful of times over the years 90 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS APRIL / MAY 2022

when he’d wind the clock. The whole thing resembled a giant grandfather clock that stretched the height of the building, Emery said. The clock faces were at the top with the bell. Below that were the clock works and winding mechanism. The weights were connected to cables and ran to the first floor. “I do know it was a chore so to speak,” he said. “It wasn’t just three or four turns. It took some time to do it.” In addition to regular trips up to the clock tower to wind the clock, Francis Emery, who died in 2002, also took responsibility for the exterior. He and a friend painted and restored the outside at one point, carefully working on a ledge around the base of the clock. Francis Emery wound the clock from around 1971 until 1986. Monson remembers noticing one day that the clock had stopped running and asked someone about it. He was told Emery had retired from the volunteer job. “I said ‘Well who’s going to do it?’” Monson said. “They looked at me and said ‘You.’” He brushed off the suggestion, but a couple weeks went by and the hands of the clock remained frozen. He realized that the Freemasons hadn’t found a replacement and relented. Written on a wall in the clock tower Monson found the names of Emery and several of the other people who’d wound the clock over the years. Monson penciled in his name. Once a week, ideally Sunday afternoons, Monson entered the women’s bathroom. A door in there led to a flight of stairs that went to an upper floor that once housed the projection booth for the movie theater. He’d unlock another door and climb a set of stairs that was no more than two feet wide. The insulation stopped there, as did the building’s heat. The stairs made a 90-degree turn and after a few more steps he’d be staring at a mass of cables, pulleys and gears. Getting to the bell required climbing a ladder. “Up to the clock you went,” he said. “And hopefully you’d hear it ticking.” During summer it was often more than 100 degrees. If there was a particularly bad winter storm, everything in the clock tower would be coated in ice. If it was especially cold or icy out, Monson could actually hear the clock slowing down. Sometimes it would stop altogether. “It could be temperamental,” he said. “You’d have to troubleshoot the issue.”

Inside the Clock Tower

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP A plate on the clock indicates it was manufactured in 1882 by the Seth Thomas Clock Company, a noted maker of timepieces; The clockworks that powered the clock and bell before it was automated; Looking down at the clock works in the clock tower; The original bell and striker in the clock tower that still produces the tolling sound each hour.

APRIL / MAY 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

Decision to automated clock Emery taught Monson how to wind and maintain the clock, but by then it was showing signs of wear. It didn’t keep time as accurately as it once had; over the course of a week it would lose time. Emery told Monson it was necessary to set the clock a few minutes ahead. A week later the clock would have slowed down to where it was supposed to be. Sometimes Monson could hear noises as the shafts turned, which meant something wasn’t moving smoothly. He’d track down the problem and finetune the clock. “You find out the hard way how picky that thing was,” he says. “If it needed a spot of oil, it would let you know.” In 2007, Mexico was pummeled with 10 feet of snow, making national headlines. “Good Morning America” weatherman Sam Champion was in town and did a broadcast with the clock tower in the background. The clock was stopped, but because of the record snowfall Monson couldn’t get into the building to wind the clock for days. Around that time, the town and village purchased the building from the Freemasons, whose numbers had dwindled. The intention was to eventually restore the building and use some of it for office space. Jim Hotchkiss was deputy mayor and represented the village during the process. Monson taught him how to care for the clock and they both began winding it. While the clock had long needed tweaking to keep it in working order, a larger problem developed in 2015. The clock tower has faces on three sides. The clockworks powered gears that turned a shaft, which ran up to the clock. The shaft split off in three directions using primitive U-joins to turn the hands on each of the clock faces. A separate shaft powered the bell’s striker. For a while the hands on one of the clock faces had been causing problems. Sometimes they would be on time; other times they’d be an hour slow. “The last time I wound it there was something in it jammed up in the works and it wouldn’t let the hands turn anymore,” Hotchkiss said. “It wouldn’t restart when I wound it.” Town officials were left to figure out what to do. The main problem was finding someone who could fix what was essentially a huge grandfather clock, said Russell Partrick, a town councilor. “We certainly could have done

Written on a wall in the clock tower are several names of local people who devoted time to making sure the clock was working properly.

nothing, but that discussion never came up,” Patrick said. “The discussion for a year and a half was trying to locate somebody to fix it.” They struggled to find someone with the knowledge or the interest to fix the clock. Just as challenging was finding a replacement for a broken gear. There were no spare parts to be had and it proved nearly impossible to have a gear fabricated in the size needed, Partrick said. When town officials learned that the school district had recently automated the clock tower on top of the high school, they began exploring the possibility of automating their clock. After a couple months of debate the town board decided to move forward with automation, said Judy Greenway, a town councilor and town historian. The clock tower was too much a part of the community not to save it in some form, she said. “It was no question we were going to fix it either way,” she said. “We had to do it for the community.” The town hired a steeplejack and, after a delay due to the pandemic, had the clock automated in March 2021.

$80,000 for the timepiece Zoltan Zuberecz Sr. has worked as a steeplejack for nearly 40 years. His family business Highclimbers Company, based in Pottstown, Pennsylvania., works on smokestacks and steeples. They also demolish, refurbish and automate clock towers. He says customers sometimes have the bell removed so it can be displayed on the ground. Other times the bell is replaced by a speaker system that recreates the sound of bells. In the case of McAuslan Hall, the bell was stationary and in good shape so they installed an

92 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS APRIL / MAY 2022

electric striker. Once electric service was installed, Zuberecz and his son replaced the hands on each clock face. The old shafts and gears were replaced with electronic controllers. The bell and the clock are connected to a computer system that keeps perfect time. They can control how often the bell tolls and there’s even a backup system if the power goes out. With the clock and bell automated, Monson and Hotchkiss no longer climb up to the clock tower each week to wind the clock. “It’s too bad they didn’t leave it the way it was and get it repaired,” Hotchkiss said. “Fortunately, they didn’t sell the clock works.” The clock works are still up there. Hotchkiss says a museum in Pennsylvania offered the Freemasons $80,000 for the timepiece, but they wanted it to stay in Mexico. The local historical society has offered to display it. “Something as unique and special as that deserves to be preserved as much as it can be,” Monson said. “A digital clock doesn’t cut it.” If it’s disappointing to see the old clock go, Hotchkiss said it’s also nice to see it working once again. He and Monson say the only discernible difference between the original clock and the automated system is that the bell doesn’t toll as loudly as it once did. When Monson wrote his name on the wall of the clock tower years ago, he also wrote the date he began winding the clock. But he never wrote an end date. Now he said he’s just grateful he got to be part of a unique piece of history. “It’s kind of humbling,” he said. “It’s something I never asked for, never expected to do and it just kind of fell into my lap.”

Success Story

By Steve Yablonski

Gosch Supply & Lighting Centre Fulton business celebrates a half century of doing business

lot of things have changed in Fulton over the last 50 years. Woolworth’s is gone. Goldberg’s is gone. Nestle is gone. Miller Brewing is gone. Sealright is now Huhtamaki. However, there has been one constant business. Gosch Supply & Lighting Centre is still going strong. Gosch Supply, located at 303 S. Second St., has weathered the decades of change and is the largest lighting showroom in Oswego County. The company is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Gosch Supply was founded in 1972 by Douglas Gosch in a small converted house on South Second Street adjacent to the current location. The business moved to the corner of routes 3 and

481, formerly the Sorbello automobile dealership, in 1976. Garry Stanard joined the company in 1973. He purchased the business in 1986 after having served as the manager for 13 years. “The original store was south of our current location, actually next door. It was in the middle of the block,” he recalled. “Part of our building was a Jreck sub shop. They had half of this building. “We took over that part of the building and made a larger showroom, showcasing Shonbek crystals which really sparkle and shine beautifully in the windows in the evening hours. We added on a new garage for extra storage for our wire reels and other merchandise.

“For myself, it will be 49 years in June,” Stanard said. “A dollar eightyfive was minimum wage when I started here back in 1973, right after high school.” Connie Stanard joined her husband as the co-owner in 1987. They usually don’t talk business at home, he noted. “We’re proud to have reached this milestone,” Garry said. “We hope to serve our customers for many more years.”

Satisfied customers They have served many repeat customers, he added. “We have had loyal customers over the years. That’s helped us to succeed.”

APRIL / MAY 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

Garry Stanard, owner of Gosch Supply & Lighting Centre.

“We’re in a unique business. We have a lot of things that other places don’t sell. We carry a lot of parts for repairs and of course the general electric supply items. We have light bulbs, anywhere from a miniature lamp to a large lamp and if we don’t have it, we can get it,” he said. Gosch Supply serves retail customers, local contractors, municipalities, schools and industry with many types of lighting and electrical supplies. The wide range of products include everything from light bulbs, lamps, shades to wire, conduit, switches, ballast, panels and generators. “We have dealt with municipalities, school systems, fire departments and local industries. As an example, we’ve done some stuff at the Oswego County Airport, too. “We work with them; they have a lot of lighting out there,” he pointed out.

The showroom at Gosch Supply is jam-packed with indoor as well as outdoor lights, fans, cables, myriad light bulbs and much more. In addition to lighting, electrical supplies and product service, Gosch Supply also offers doorbells, paddle fans, electric heaters, central vacuum systems, bath exhaust fans, decorative mirrors and the latest addition is portable wooden entertaining bar units and occasional furniture pieces. “We also stock an extensive line of electrician’s tools,” Stanard said. “We also feature a specialty lighting room with recessed and track lighting to allow even greater selection to our customers. We want to make our customers feel comfortable, welcome and totally at home when they visit us.” Gosch Supply has done a lot of residential as well as commercial projects, he added.

94 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS APRIL / MAY 2022

“We’ve done a lot of different things over the years. We’ve done a lot of commercial lighting, whether it be a grocery store or a warehouse or a factory here in town,” Stanard said. “We have sold a lot of stuff over the years. Not only do we sell lighting, we sell electrical supplies. We sell to electrical contractors, school systems and others.” Gosch Supply has thrived with just a small staff. “Right now there are three [people working here]. We are busy, it could be busier but… times are tough right now,” Stanard said.

Changes The business has seen a lot of changes over the course of five decades. “We went from incandescent lighting to mercury vapor lighting to high-pressure sodium lighting and now

‘We went from incandescent lighting to mercury vapor lighting to high-pressure sodium lighting and now LED lighting. That changed so fast the first few years that we could not keep up. We had a hard time keeping up. Now it’s leveled off,’ Garry Stanard, owner of Gosch Supply & Lighting Centre

Garry Stanard, owner of Gosch Supply & Lighting Centre. has a large inventory — from light bulbs, lamps, shades to wire, conduit, switches, ballast, panels and generators.

LED lighting. That changed so fast the first few years that we could not keep up. We had a hard time keeping up with the changes. Now it’s leveled off,” he said. “But there is still a new product that comes out, probably monthly now. In the beginning it was tough. But we learned it; learned it well.” Everything slowed down during the pandemic, he said, adding; “We were still open because we were considered ‘essential.’ Now, it is like a rollercoaster. One day you are very busy and one day you are not,” he said. “Our January started out very good. February was very slow. I think it is partially the way the economy is going. With the gas prices the way they are, it is not going to help anybody’s business.” When the weather improves, so does business. “When the sun shines, we are busy,” he said. “It helps. I think people just like

to get out and do things.” They just took on some more modern light fixtures. “They just came in. We put one in the window a couple days ago,” Stanard said in early March. “We had a phone call—somebody called and inquired about it. When you get some new product in and put it in the window so people can see it, they call you. Many people have stated they don’t mind waiting for the traffic light at this corner as they enjoy looking at all the colorful Tiffanies and other lighting in our windows.”

Milestone plans “We haven’t really made any plans to mark the milestone. Maybe something a bit later on,” he said. “We’ve got all year.” Stanard said he has thought about

slowing down, perhaps even retiring some day. Just not right now, he said. “I’m here for the long run. The business was started back in 1972; I came here right out of high school. It has been an adventure that I have enjoyed and still do.” ❖

APRIL / MAY 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

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BEST BUSINESS DIRECTORY 24 HOUR EMERGENCY SERVICE NEW! Vail Tree Service. Complete tree and limb removal-100-foot crane reach. Free estimates-fully insured-Senior discounts available. Contact Derrick Bartlett 315-806-0147.

AUTO SALES & SERVICE 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. 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. 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.

CAR WRAP + VEHICLE & WINDOW GRAPHICS Upward Graphics. 21 S. 2nd St., Fulton. Visit upwardgfx.com or 315-402-2099.

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.

ELECTRICAL CONTRACTING Scriba Electric. Offering residential-commercial-and industrial services. 3 Creamery Road, Oswego, NY 13126, www.scribaelectric.com, 315-342-7681 NEW!

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

FLOORING & CARPET 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 houseworks@windstream.net.

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.

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: 3707 State Route 13, 315-298-6575; Watertown: 231 N. Rutland Street, 315-788-6200; Clayton: 945 James Street, 315-686-1892; Gouverneur: 71 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 NEW! AHR Mechanical. Providing plumbing, HVAC, refrigeration, and electrical services for all your residential and commercial needs. Call 315-668-6569 or contact ahrmechanical@gmail.com for more information.

Pullen’s Plumbing & Heating Supply has a large variety 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.

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 PORCH Enright 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. Phone: 315-342-4912, 152 W. Bridge St., Oswego. Valtigraphics.com

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.

STUMP GRINDING, REMOVAL CB Stump Removal. Free estimates, fully licensed and insured. Contact Candy Vail 13 Denesha Place, Fulton NY 13069, 315-297-5160, candybartlett@ yahoo.com NEW!

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.

THE PLACE TO ADVERTISE FOR RESULTS!

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Cheryl Baldwin with some of the youngest members of the Oswego Y.

Oswego YMCA Has a New Leader Cheryl Baldwin joined the organization in 2014. Most recently she served as interim director

he Oswego YMCA has named Cheryl Baldwin as its new chief executive officer. She served as interim CEO of the organization since the first quarter of 2021. Baldwin has been with the Oswego YMCA since 2014, when she joined as business manager. She succeeds Kerrie Webb, who left the organization in March 2021. “Cheryl’s leadership and vision has helped anchor the Y during this period of transition. Now, with the unanimous support of the board, we are excited to

move forward, recover from the pandemic, and reimagine the role of the Y in supporting the Oswego community” said Stephen Gioia III, president of the board of directors. In her new role, she will be responsible for setting the strategic direction of the organization; overseeing its financial stability, staffing, development, and operations; positioning the Y as a community convener and collaborator to address critical social issues. “It is a privilege and honor for me to lead an organization that is deeply

98 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS APRIL / MAY 2022

committed to improving lives of those in the community we live in. The Y has touched the lives of so many, including my own children. For me, the Oswego Y is an extended family, and I am thrilled to lead its mission,” she said. Baldwin was born and raised in Oswego County and is a graduate of SUNY Oswego with a degree in accounting and a minor in economics. She proceeded to expand her finance and business experience in various financial and accounting positions in the private sector before joining the YMCA.

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