Oswego County Business, #180: June - July 2022

www.cnybusinessmag.com

June / July 2022

CNY’s s es Busin zine Maga

NOVELIS’ FIRST FEMALE PLANT MANAGER Kristen Nelson oversees more than 1,000 employees and runs one of the largest manufacturing firms in CNY. She hopes to inspire more women to reach for higher positions in the male-dominated manufacturing industry. P. 63 PLUS 8 WOMEN MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN MANUFACTURING

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CONTENTS

JUNE / JULY 2022

ISSUE 180

Find more about 8 women who ha difference ve madea in the loca l manufactu ring sector .

P. 71

63

NOVELIS’ FIRST FEMALE PLANT MANAGER Kristen Nelson oversees more than 1,000 employees and runs one of the largest manufacturing firms in CNY. One of her most important roles, however, is to mentor other women to reach higher positions, she says.

Features

44

66

89

Waterfront homes are among CNY’s priciest; the number of real estate agents in CNY jumps 12%; the real estate market sees higher mortgage rates, but lower inventory.

Closing the gender gap; profiles of women in manufacturing; Advanced Manufacturing Institute a reality; P-TECH continues to excel; and top challenges facing the industry.

Should you retire early or late? Plus: local entrepreneurs and employees see retirement as an elusive concept; should you have private insurance and Medicare at the same time?

REAL ESTATE

6

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

MANUFACTURING

JUNE / JULY 2022

RETIREMENT

t homes, Waterfron aneateles Sk is like th among the e property, ar e region. th priciest in P. 44

More Contents 40

42

54

58

84

My Turn

The randomness of life: “there but for the grace of God go I”

By Bruce Frassinelli

Trucking

Truckers try to drive around rising fuel costs. ‘It’s bleeding us,’ says George Joyce, owner of Laser Transit

Banking

Jim Dowd, Pathfinder Bank’s new interim CEO, is ready to lead the bank forward

Historic Buildings

A historic building in Mexico is undergoing major renovations, thanks to the local historical society

Economic Trends

Local programs facilitate manufacturing development and growth

By L. Michael Treadwell

Departments 12 14

Publisher’s Note On the Job

16

How I Got Started

18

Profile

20

‘What Would Make Your Town a Better Place to Conduct Business?’

42

Megan LaManna, owner of Port City Copy Center Cheryl Baldwin

Where in the World is Sandra Scott?

Bogota, Colombia

24 30

Newsmakers Dining Out Restaurant Guide

34 94

Business Updates Success Story

The Pond Pit BBQ in Sandy Creek offers delicious grub

PWF Enterprises, LLC

94 JUNE / JULY 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

7

ADVERTISING INDEX 3 Sisters........................................23 Affordable Business Solutions......41 Allanson-Glanville-Tappan Funeral Home.........................19 ALPS Professional Services.........27 Arquette Realtors Commercial.....38 BarclayDamon..............................26 Bond, Schoeneck & King, Attorneys at Law.......................8 Buckingham Brothers...................26 Builder’s FirstSource....................25 Burke’s Home Center...................25 C & S Companies.........................61 Canale’s Insurance & Accounting ..........................15 Caster’s Sawmill Inc.....................27 Cayuga Community College.........79 Century 21 - Galloway Realty.......25 CiTi BOCES..................................87 Coldwell Bankers..........................41 Community Bank............................5 Compass Credit Union.................15 ConnextCare................................13 Constellation.................................51 Crouse Hospital..............................2 Davis-Standard LLC.....................67

Diamond Roofing Company.........29 Eastern Shore Associates Insurance................................49 Eis House Lodge..........................33 EJ USA.........................................69 Financial Partners of Upstate (David Mirabito).......................75 Fitzgibbons Agency......................35 Foster Funeral Home....................91 Fulton Oswego Motor Express.....39 Fulton Savings Bank.....................57 Fulton Taxi....................................50 Fulton Tool Co..............................39 Gartner Equipment.......................99 Gosch Supply...............................35 Greater Oswego Fulton Chamber of Commerce...........22 H. Lee White Museum..................22 Harbor Eye Associates.................85 Hematology-Oncology Associates of CNY..................93 Howard Hanna Real Estate..........49 Humana........................................93 Johnston’s Gas.............................27 JTS Remodeling...........................12 Kathy’s Cakes...............................22

Key Bank......................................57 Lamb’s Handyman Service...........25 Laser Transit.................................43 Local 43 (NECA IBEW)................12 Longley Dodge.............................41 LW Emporium Co-Op...................23 MACNY.........................................61 Menter Ambulance.......................93 Mimi’s Drive Inn............................33 Mitchell Speedway Printing..........50 NBT Bank.....................................17 North Country Storage Barns.........3 Northern Ace Home Center..........27 Novelis........................................100 NYS Office of Parks......................10 OMC Financial Services...............57 Operation Oswego County...............

Oswego County Federal Credit Union.......................................43 Oswego County Mutual Insurance....................19 Oswego YMCA.............................67 Pathfinder Bank............................11 Patterson Warehousing................39 Plumley Engineering.....................51 Port City Copy Center...................17

Port of Oswego Authority..............81 RiverHouse Restaurant................33 Riverside Artisans.........................23 Rudy’s Lakeside Drive-In..............33 Salvatore Lanza Law Office..........19 SBDC – Small Business Development Center...............35 Scriba Electric...............................25 SUNY Oswego...............................9 Sweet-Woods Memorial...............27 Syracuse Sheet Metal Co.............28 Technology Development Organization (TDO).................50 The Medicine Place......................91 Trimble Services...........................25 United Wire Technologies............51 Upstate Printing............................75 Valti Graphics...............................39 Vashaw’s Collision........................39 Watertown Industrial Center of Local Development.................81 WD Malone...................................27 Whelan & Curry Construction.......81 White’s Lumber.............................27 WRVO..........................................98

Make it Happen

MANUFACTURING LAWYERS

Manufacturing industry attorneys at Bond provide comprehensive legal counsel on matters affecting manufacturers including environmental, OSHA and other workplace regulations, IP and litigation issues, and other legal issues related to manufacturers.

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 8

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

JUNE / JULY 2022

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ISSUE 180 • JUNE / JULY 2022

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

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.

HOW TO REACH US: P.O. Box 276, Oswego, NY 13126.

Phone: 315-342-8020; Fax: 315-342-7776; editor@OswegoCountyBusiness.com.

10 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS JUNE / JULY 2022

With over 160 years of experience helping our neighbors reach their dreams of homeownership, we understand that no two homeowners are the same. Our products and dedicated personal service reflect that knowledge that’s why you’ll find customized home loan options to fit your unique needs and the hands-on support to make it happen.

So whether you’re a first-time homebuyer, looking to sell your existing home and buy new, build from the ground up, or even refinance your current mortgage - our knowledgeable lending team is here to help guide you through each and every step. We help take the stress out of the lending process so you can focus on making your house a home.

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You can also stop by any Pathfinder Bank location to learn more.

315-207-8062 | pathfinderbank.com Oswego • Fulton • Mexico • Central Square Lacona • Cicero • Clay • Syracuse • Utica

PUBLISHER’S NOTE FR

T

EE

he 28th annual Summer Guide — The Best of Upstate New York is just out. We’re absolutely thrilled with the new edition. It’s our best ever.

No, wait a minute. I think I said the 2021 Summer Guide was the best ever and, reviewing my notes, I said the same thing over and over about our most recent summer guides.

But, really, this is the most attractive guide we have published so far. Fact is, each year we improve the publication, tweak here and there, add feature stories, improve the design work, work a little harder on the cover.

Today the guide has a sophisticated presentation, great, large photos, a quality glossy stock and superior design work. It’s a far cry from our first edition in 1994, when we printed it entirely in black and white with few photos and on a horrible newsprint paper.

Most importantly, the publication is fun and easy to read. As they say in the industry, it’s very reader-friendly.

Turn the pages and you’ll find all sorts of feature stories and advertisements highlighting fun stuff to do and

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tising space, writing feature stories, doing research for the event’s calendar and designing the 100-page publication.

It’s nice to finally see the project come to fruition and in the hands of readers.

We thank more than 200 advertisers who chose to advertise with us. They provide us the funds to produce and distribute the publication. In exchange, they get unparalleled exposure. We estimate the glossy publication reaches more than 250,000 readers in the region — visitors and residents alike. Our hope is that many of those readers will patronize those who advertise.

see. Our calendar of events spotlights the best of Upstate New York — we list hundreds of events from June through October.

The guide is one of those big projects that require a great deal of work from a team of about 15 people. We spend countless hours selling adver-

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

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12 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS JUNE / JULY 2022

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.

ON THE JOB ‘What Would Make Your Town a Better Place to Do Business?’

Interviews by Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

“If we had more room to expand, that would be nice. We need more apartment communities in the area, whether we own them or not. We’re turning people away. It would be nice if the town approved some building projects like this.”

Sharon Schantz Leasing supervisor, Country Garden Apartments, Central Square

‘I’m pretty happy with Oswego and what it has to offer. Our business is doing well and we’re loving life.’

“If there were actually something to do in the Canalview Mall, that would help bring people in.”

Ellen Ladd Owner, EA Tax & Financial Services, Fulton

ANTHONY PAULDINE, Owner, Anthony Pauldine’s Contractors, Inc., Oswego

“Traffic. Sometimes, the rush hour traffic makes it hard for people to get to me. For some of the older people, that’s stressful for them to come here. Noise control would be nice. The appearance of the streets could improve. If I go to a business with someone and there’s trash on the street, it seems like a dumpy part of town. I would love to see a town hall meeting for business owners. The WISE Women’s Business Center has a really nice meeting once a month to connect

with others. To have that city-wide, the community would benefit. That would promote charity and people knowing who’s in their community. If they hear about any bad business practices, they could share it. It can help you keep your eyes open as a business owner. I’d like to see more community building.”

Grace Puchalski Licensed clinical social worker, Liverpool

14 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS JUNE / JULY 2022

“We’d like a wonderful source of organic foods and restaurants that would serve fresh foods so people would eat better. It’s so important for health. We wish we had more diverse restaurants. I’d like to see group yoga classes. Community is very important, so things like tai chi in the park and other things to bring together the older community. You want alliances and friends and shared meals. There should be some place in every community where you can pay a small price and eat a good meal, along with some way to engage in physical activity. That is so good for older people. There needs to be places to have a community garden.

Community gardens are a wonderful thing. The chamber used to have networking groups for entrepreneurs and mentors. Successful businesses used to have mentorships. I don’t think they’re doing it now.”

Susan Brown, Ph. D. Owner, Center for Better Bones, Syracuse “Keeping I-81 as an improved viaduct would make our town easier to do business in. Thanks to the variety in our basket of goods, greater Syracuse did not ‘de-industrialize’ like so many other towns. In this local ecosystem, we can find everything from primary materials to custom finishing within driving distance. We crisscross the region all day long to interact with vendors, customers, freight companies and professional services. Business is starting to get stuck in traffic. As opportunities in manufacturing ramp up, we should be able to compete for folks from all zip codes, not just our suburban neighbors. Amazon is about to open and the logistics sector is also growing fast so we’ll need more transportation capacity, not less.”

Laura Miller General manager, Darco Manufacturing, Inc., Syracuse “I’m actually quite pleased with the town here. At their offices, they always handle everything every efficiently. The road work is excellent.”

Al Hinman Co-owner, Buxton Creek Stables, Central Square “Having local zoning boards work better with businesses, if you want to get

‘I think what would make doing business in Manlius easier is if they would fix the roads. They’re a mess.’

CYNTHIA SCOTT, President, OMC Financial Services, Syracuse

something done. Make it understandable and doable. The local towns’ zoning boards are not small business friendly.

You have to be papered up pretty good and have quite a lead time to stick a shovel in the ground. For small businesses, that’s a tough pill to swallow.

Taxes are another issue. Anybody who’s building new, I don’t know how they can afford the taxes and the hoops you have to jump through. You have to have engineers up the ying-yang. There’s no sense in government anymore. I understand why somewhat, as they’ve had growing pains in towns. Corporate America has taken over as they’re the only ones with the resources to afford to build, especially in Oswego County.

If you want to buy an existing facility, they don’t want to meet your needs. It’s crazy money to build new. I have sons who might want to take over someday, but I wonder if this is a good business to pursue. In the restaurant business, if you go to mom-and-pop restaurant, it’s not like a fast food chain. They can’t compete with McDonald’s or the franchises. But in a franchise, you have different people coming and going. At our shop, we’re the ones working on your car. At franchises, the corporation is a buffer. The bureaucracy is tough for small businesses. We’d like to do some expansion on the business and aren’t sure how to go about doing it.

I don’t have a good perspective with working with engineers and architects.

As we move forward, the big corporate hammer is going to whack us little guys.

It’s frustrating. I’m open to a good future but it takes good leaders for a good future.”

Matt McGill Owner, Matt McGill Collision, Brewerton “I do home inspections. I wish we had more inventory of homes. There’s an incredible lack of inventory. Because

of that, people are waiving inspections to purchase the house before someone else. This is going to be an issue in the next year. People are buying houses not knowing what the issues are and they’re not setting aside a budget for things they don’t know are issues. Roof repairs, furnaces, hot water heaters: everything has a life expectancy. The average cost of a home is $20,000 to $30,000 over the asking prices because of the bidding wars. It’s made it difficult for buyers and home inspectors.”

Ryan Mackridge Owner, Hands On Home Inspections LLC, Pennellville “One of the challenges that Oswego has constantly faced over the years is we have trouble in letting the world know what we have to offer and that the city is on the rise, and all the things we’ve accomplished and the business progress along with the wonderful public projects. The businesses do well in advertising but the city advertising holistically would be the next step to let the world know what we have to offer. From the mechanics side of doing business, the local banks and city are great to work with, the business community is growing and tends to work well together. You feel like all the pieces of the puzzle are there. That 45,000-foot level question is ‘How do we holistically get the word out that Oswego is a great place to live, work and play?’”

Nate Emmons Owner, Just Push Play Productions, Mother Earth Baby, Curious Kids Toy Shop, Oswego

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“Certainly, taxes would have a big play. There’s no questioning that zoning is changing the building codes so no one can keep up with them. If we didn’t have inflation that would certainly help. It’s a very chaotic business environment.”

Tim Buckingham Owner, Buckingham Market, Constantia “Less regulations and paperwork from the government. It takes so much time to do the taxes and make out all the paperwork. Less of that would help.”

Greg Dufore President, Dufore’s for Diamonds, Inc., Oswego “I honestly don’t have any issues with my town.”

Brenda Weissenberg Owner, Affordable Business Solutions, Central Square JUNE / JULY 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

15

HOW I GOT STARTED

By Steve Yablonski

MEGAN LaMANNA Owner of Port City Copy Center always wanted to own a business. A job at Staples in Oswego helped her to fulfill her dream Q: Tell us about how you got started.

A: I had been working at the copy center in Staples; and in the back of my mind I had always wanted to open my own business. I really didn’t know what kind of business I wanted to open. I just kind of fell in love with the type of work I was doing at Staples.

Q: What was your first job?

A: I worked at Wendy’s for two weeks and then I worked for McDonald’s for three years. Then it was Staples.

Q: How old were you when you started working?

A: I’ve been saving for this since I was 16.

Q: How much did it cost to get started?

A: It cost me around $10,000. I had been saving since I was a kid because it was always my goal to own my own business one day.

Q: Have you invested more, in different types of equipment, etc?

A: With the help of the Small Business Development Center and the Office of Community Development, I received a $20,000 micro loan after the first year I was in business to expand my operation.

I used it mostly to purchase bindery equipment.

Q: Who helped you get started?

Megan LaManna at her Port City Copy Center on W. Third Street in Oswego: “I just kind of fell in love with the type of work I was doing at Staples,” she says as one of the reasons she started her business.

Q: What’s your educational background?

What experience helped prepare you to open your own business?

ness administration. It’s helped me in critical thinking about business in general and I learned specific skills.

For example, because I had been familiar with accounting, I am able to do my own bookkeeping. Also, again, the micro-enterprise program helped a lot with business start-up and make connections with other professionals.

Lastly, I worked in the Staples copy and print center. That’s where I decided that I wanted to get into the printing industry. Although my business operates differently from Staples’, I learned the basics and figured out how I’d operate my business.

A: The Small Business Development Center offers a micro-enterprise program that covers all aspects of small business start-ups. I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in starting their own small business. I still regularly meet with my adviser, John Halleron, to bounce ideas off of. I also wouldn’t have been able to do it without the support of my parents. I lived at home, rent free, for the first few years. This allowed me to keep the money in the business while it was taking off.

A: I have a bachelor’s degree in busi-

16 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS JUNE / JULY 2022

Q: Is there a lot of pressure being the owner of your own business?

A: Yes, there is a lot of responsibility, as most other self-employed people know.

It’s hard to make time off for yourself.

You just can’t say, ‘I’m taking the day off, boss. I’ll see you tomorrow.’ Last year, I did take a vacation—my honeymoon.

It was really nice, my first vacation in several years. We got married in 2020; it was just a small ceremony.

Q: How did you survive the pandemic?

A: I did OK. Since printing is an essential business, I was able to keep my doors open and continued to serve customers.

Q: Are things picking up again now?

A: Things definitely slowed down in 2020, but started picking back up in 2021. If things continue the way they are, we should have sales comparable to what we had in 2019.

Q: How long have you been at 115 W. Third St., Oswego? Where were you before?

A: I’ve been in this location since 2020.

I was located in the Press Box building prior to this.

Q: What services do you offer?

A: I offer a lot of services! Quick and large volume copies, scanning and faxing, printing of technical drawings, and wide format posters and banners, photo prints and gifts, as well as a long line of digitally printed items like invitations, business cards, posters, flyers and brochures.

Quick Copies Oversized Printing Photos, Prints and Gifts

Commercial Printing Invitations and Stationery ...and more!

115 West 3rd Street, Oswego, NY 13126 P: (315) 216-6163 | F: (315) 216-4380 www.portcitycopycenter.com

CELEBRATING 100 YEARS IN BUSINESS! 412 West 1st Street, Oswego, NY 13126 P: (315) 343-0680 | brian@oswegoprinting.me

Q: What is the biggest order you’ve done?

A: The largest order I’ve done was actually in 2020. It was perfect timing because we were much slower than usual due to the pandemic. The order was for almost 2,000 senior resource books.

It included 100 pages of information broken down into tabbed sections and put into three-ring binders. It’s actually one of my favorite jobs I’ve done because it made me feel good that I was a part of helping improve the recipients’ lives.

Top-rated digital banking.

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Q: What is the smallest?

A: I’ve added a website where customers can order photo prints and gifts from the comfort of their homes. I’ve also upgraded my printing equipment.

Customers are after the highest quality products for the least amount of money, so I have to find the best equipment that allows me to do this.

Q: How many employees do you have?

A: I currently have two employees.

Q: What’s the best part) part of your job?

A: Metaphorically speaking, I love being able to create something out of nothing. There is something magical about taking an idea and being able to make it into something tangible. I enjoy helping people. They start out with just an idea and it’s up to us to figure out what would be the best fit for them.

Q: Any plans to expand?

A: Yes, I have something very exciting in the works. I can’t speak much about it yet; but you will be the first to know!

L IA

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A: The smallest jobs are always “oneoffs.” These are just single copies that someone may need; like a shipping label or auto insurance cards. We do these every day.

Q: How have things changed since you opened?

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JUNE / JULY 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

17

PROFILE

By Steve Yablonski

CHERYL BALDWIN She was working as an accountant with a CPA firm in Manlius when in 2014 she got a job with the YMCA in Oswego. Today she is CEO of the organization

C

heryl Baldwin’s title got shorter at the Oswego YMCA earlier this year.

The board of directors removed the “interim.”

Since Feb. 16 Baldwin, 54, is the chief executive officer. She had served as interim CEO since the first quarter of 2021.

“It is a privilege and honor for me to lead an organization that is deeply committed to improving lives of those in the community we live in,” she said.

Family is what brought her to the Oswego YMCA, she said.

“At the time I was working as an accountant with a CPA firm in Manlius, and it was brought to my attention by a family member that a business manager was needed for both the Fulton Family and the Os-

wego YMCA,” she said. “This possible opportunity would bring me closer to home and allow me more time for my family.”

“So, with that consideration and many discussions and interviews, when the offer was extended for the position in January of 2014, I accepted,” she added.

Extended family “Being part of the YMCA has allowed me to accomplish many things over the past eight years,” she said. “It has allowed me more time with family and to become more engaged with my community. It has also allowed me to do what I enjoy, which is managing a business — but now it has meaning and purpose.”

Accord-

ing to Baldwin, the Y has touched the lives of many people, including her own children.

“For me, the Oswego Y is an extended family and I am thrilled to lead its mission,” she added.

She said she feels “a great sense of accomplishment” at being appointed as the CEO of the YMCA. “I am grateful for the opportunity and excited to continue the mission of our YMCA, strengthening and expanding our community programs and partnerships,” she said.

Local roots “I was born and raised in Oswego County, in the Phoenix area. I attended school in the Phoenix school district,” she said. “I have an older brother and a younger sister. And, I have two cats!

Currently, I still reside in the Volney area.”

She and her husband, Andrew, have been married for 32 years.

They have four children: Amy (Baldwin) Leotta (34), Andrew Baldwin II (30), Adam Baldwin (23) and Aidan Baldwin (15).

“Amy is currently the executive director of the Fulton Family YMCA. Andrew II was previously the sports coordinator and Adam was recently the health and wellness director. Aidan currently volunteers when needed,” she said.

She also has two grandchildren, Noah and Niko Leotta. They both participate in YMCA programs, she added.

When she was younger, her ambitions always steered her in the direction of business — “from understanding what it takes to build, manage and maintain a business,” she said.

The focus of her advanced coursework was on accounting and economics.

She is a graduate of SUNY Oswego, where she earned a degree in accounting and a minor in economics.

“I obtained my degree in accounting and really enjoyed the theory of economics so much I received a minor in economics, as well,” she said.

“I would have to say that my least favorite subject was geography,” she added.

Evolving and improving Change is a part of evolving and 18 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS JUNE / JULY 2022

improving, she said.

“The YMCA has made some wonderful and impactful changes through the years,” Baldwin said. “Our focus now is on looking ahead, not back.

We’ll continue to move forward with positivity and progress.”

Her immediate goal is to get to know and connect with the Y’s members and the people served by the Y. “Planning for the long-term, our goal is to advance our Y’s mission to serve and nurture the potential of individuals of all ages, abilities and backgrounds,” she said. “It is so important that our programs will continue to improve our community’s health and well-being and provide opportunities to give back and help neighbors in need.”

“Connecting with the community and our members is a key component to the success of our organization. I will continue to meet with our members and our community partners to gain a better understanding of what we can do to meet those needs,” she explained.

“Everything we do at the Y is centered around our community. We create a roadmap to guide us in a direction that is sustainable, flexible and allows us to meet our community’s needs.”

Find your passion “When you find your passion and enjoy what you do every day, it is not a job; it is a part of you. Coming in every morning to our Y, seeing our members

Lifelines Name: Cheryl Baldwin Birth date: June 12 Birthplace: Syracuse Residence: Volney Education: Bachelor’s degree in accounting and minor in economics from SUNY Oswego Affiliations: Ambassador and event planner for Fulton Block Builders neighborhood revitalization program.

Fa m i l y : H u s ba n d , A n d rew Baldwin; Daughter, Amy Leotta (Baldwin); Sons, Andrew Baldwin II, Adam Baldwin and Aidan Baldwin: Grandchildren, Noah Leotta and Niko Leotta Hobbies: Gardening and spending time with family and friends.

and our staff enjoying conversation and sharing a laugh with friends, or having our little ones (the children) peeking in my door before pre-school to say hello, being silly or just telling me about their day — it makes this the best position to be in,” she said. “There is really nothing that I can say that I am not fond of here.

I enjoy what I do and enjoy the team that I surround myself with.”

Outside of the YMCA, she said she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, volunteering and connecting with the community.

“Just spending time with family and friends is where I like to spend most of my time,” she said. “But I like spending time outside gardening when time will allow.”

She also volunteers wherever she can.

“Most recently, I’m an ambassador for Fulton Block Builders, which is an amazing program in the Fulton community.”

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An accessible, interactive leader Trish Levine has been with the Y in Oswego for several decades. “In more than 30 years with the Y, I’ve served in many roles — as a volunteer, board member for more than a decade and since 2013, as the director of health and wellness. I’ve worked with four previous Oswego YMCA CEOs. What resonates most about Cheryl is that she understands the importance of being present,” Levine said. “She’s in the building, every day. She’s not just a face, but an accessible and interactive leader.”

What’s been most impactful for the organization is that Baldwin is following through — “and I believe our community partners, members and staff place great value in and appreciate this kind of leadership,” Levine added.

“Cheryl knows we got caught up in the ‘what’ and forgot about the ‘why.’”

The focus at the Y is to continue to serve as the community’s provider of human services — for healthy living, for youth development and for social responsibility, Levine explained.

“We are pivoting to meet these needs, improving and expanding programs for our Oswego community and beyond,” Levine said. “Cheryl’s rebuilding and retelling our story which needs to happen so that our Y can continue to thrive.”

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The city is ringed by tree-covered mountains—and there are plenty of parks to enjoy

hatever impression people have of Bogota it is sure to be wrong if they have haven’t visited the capital of Colombia recently.

A wide green area separates the divided highway from the airport into the city — the city is ringed by tree-covered mountains, and there are plenty of parks. This is especially impressive because the population is about the same as New York City.

There are many interesting things to see and do.

The most impressive area in Bogota is La Candelaria, where the colonial style buildings have been beautifully preserved, is a top option. One of the best pastimes is wandering the streets of Candelaria admiring the colonial architecture.

Each street is a photo opportunity with brightly colored buildings, many with intricate balconies, some with privacy screens and others laden with flowers, but always with the green mountains as a backdrop.

Many of the buildings still carry the traditional names of the streets such as Calle del Olivo. Street entertainers are common. There are stores and stalls on the narrow streets that sell everything from emeralds to handicrafts.

The Metropolitan Cathedral on the large Plaza Bolivar is just one of many churches in the district. Most have ornate golden altars. Each church is unique such as the red and white Iglesia de Maria del Carmen, which is a blend of gothic and Florentine.

The large open plaza is also home to the Palace of Justice that has been restored since the 1999 storming by guerillas. Above the portal is the thought-provoking phrase, “Arms will make you free, but laws will give you liberty.”

Colombia’s best-known artist, Fernando Botero, donated his collection to

the Botero Museum which also includes impressionist works by Picasso, Monet and Calder but it is the works of Botero that are the most interesting.

Always easy to recognize, Botero celebrates plumpness to express humor and satire. He brings fun to art by depicting himself in rotund form as the El Presidente, El Capitan and El Guerrilla.

Adjacent to the Botero Museum there are other museums, including one devoted to religious artifacts and another about money.

The most famous museum in Bogota is the Gold Museum. With only one-third of the 35,000 pieces on display it is still the world’s largest collection of gold ornamentation, it is especially thought-provoking to realize that most of the gold was hauled away

by the Spanish. The gold artifacts are on display in the circular Salon de la Ofrenda. When visitors enter, the door closes behind them and all is dark in the room. Slowly the golden objects are spotlighted and an audio explains the history and use of the objects. The brilliant gold of the Muisca Raft is dazzling in the spotlight and surrounded by blackness, which brings out the intricate detailed workmanship.

The Museo Nacional de Colombia, housed in a converted fort-like jail, explains Colombia’ tumultuous history.

The museum’s Gostinos Restaurant, with a view of the museum from the floor-to-ceiling window is a great place to partake in Bogota’s slow food movement. The chef is a supporter of the slow food movement. A reaction to the fast

One of the best pastimes is wandering the streets of Candelaria admiring the colonial architecture.

20 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS JUNE / JULY 2022

Main hallway of the interior of the catholic cathedral in Zipaquirá, in the outskirts of Bogota.

JUNE / JULY 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

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food restaurants, slow food proponents take the time to enjoy every aspect of dining — the look and the smell, plus savoring the taste.

At Gostinos the mixed ceviches (marinated seafood salad) served on clamshells feature shrimp with a variety of unique sauces created by the owner.

All dishes are wonderful — from the Mexican to the Italian to the mango ceviche. The meal should include the typical drink, corozo, a frothy swirl of milky and dark rose-colored palm juice, with a refreshing taste similar to cranberry. Of course, a meal has to end with Juan Valdez’s signature drink, coffee.

Juan Valdez coffee shops are found in many parts of the city.

Part of the charm of Bogota is the presence of the green mountains, especially Monserrate, which is visible from most parts of the city and easily recognized because it is crowned with El Santuario de Monserrate. With spectacular views of the city, it is easily reached by a cable car or by a grueling uphill trek which is the path of pilgrims on Sunday.

For the perfect day trip from Bogota, take the high road along the mountains to the town of Zipaquira to see the magnificent salt cathedral.

On the way, stop outside of Bogota at the vista spot to see Bogota spread out in the valley far below. The drive to Zipaquira is beautiful with green valleys and cows grazing in the fields making one think of Switzerland.

The cathedral is the focal point of Zipaquira’s brick central plaza ringed by traditional buildings but it is only a

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short distance from the center of town to the magnificent subterranean cathedral built in salt mines that were in use even before the arrival of the Spaniards.

Located 660 feet underground, it is especially impressive on Sundays when mass is held and music can be heard in all the chapels and walkways.

Along the way to the main altar there are stations of the cross. There are many things to see including the small altar in front of a waterfall of stalagmites behind a font used for baptisms.

The weather is mild year around but the best time to visit is between December and March.

Americans only need a valid passport and a return ticket. Credit cards are readily accepted in hotels and restaurants in the city but the Colombian peso is the only currency accepted in small shops and places outside of the city. ATMs can be expensive, making a bank the best place to exchange money.

English is widely spoken in tourist areas but not so much outside the city.

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NEWSMAKERS

NEWS BRIEFS ON LOCAL BUSINESSES & BUSINESS PEOPLE Christopher Community, Inc. Announces Appointments Shane Stepien, the president of Step One Creative, an advertising and PR firm that he founded in 1996 in Oswego, has joined Christopher Community, Inc. as marketing and communications director, where he will oversee and manage the Shane Stepien organization’s branding, public relations, and marketing initiatives.

Stepien will continue to operate his firm alongside his position at Christopher Community, Inc., he said.

A graduate of St. John Fisher College in Rochester, Stepien holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications and journalism.

He enjoys spending time with his four children and family, youth sports and coaching, camping, and all outdoor activities.

“I really appreciate this new opportunity with Christopher Community,” said Stepien. “I am looking forward to working with Justin [Rudgick, CEO of Christopher Communities] and the team to capitalize on the success of the organization’s 50 years of community service, and help propel them as the leader in property management and housing development for the underserved across New York state. I am excited to use my skill set and years of experience working with nonprofits through my advertising agency to grow the CCI brand.”

Besides Stepien, the following people have been appointed at the nonprofit: • Chris Quinn joined as senior development project manager after

Chris Quinn

running his own real estate brokerage and investment firm based in Boston for several years.

Quinn is a graduate of Fayetteville-Manlius High School and the Wharton School of Business at the University of

Pennsylvania.

• Jenna McClave joined as development project manager, after a decades long history of working for local nonprofit organizations.

Most recently, she worked for Home HeadQuarters, Inc. where she started as senior lending administrator before moving int o Jenna McClave their home ownership department to run the pre-purchase home buyer education program. McClave is a HUD-certified housing counselor and spent the last three years as manager of the Syracuse Financial Empowerment Center leading a team of counselors to assist more than 1,000 CNY residents to achieve many outcomes, most notably reducing their debt by more than $2.6 million.

• Tony Gallegos joined as controller, after working previously as an accounting manager at the Arizona Humane Society, a nonprofit based in Tempe, Arizona.

Gallegos recently moved to the Oswego County village of PhoeTony Gallegos

24 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS JUNE / JULY 2022

nix with his wife and son. He has a Bachelor of Science in accountancy from Northern Arizona University, with a certificate in entrepreneurship.

Emergent Welcomes New Associate Emergent, a leadership development firm based in Syracuse, recently welcomed professional and leadership coach Jeremiah Poulsen.

“From my earliest years of athletics and workforce experience, I’ve loved teamwork and leadership development,” Poulsen said. “I believe that local community leaders have the opportunity to change the world; with training, support and coaching, nothing stops them. I am honored to support and walk alongside so many talented Jeremiah Poulsen and passionate people in that pursuit.”

Emergent offers an array of services to effect individual, team and organizational transformation. Its offerings extend from executive coaching to leadership training and corporate retreats to high-impact team performance. In addition to a range of in-house diagnostic tools, the company is certified to administer DiSC, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Emotional Competency Inventory, and other assessments.

Poulsen, his wife and three teenage children reside in Liverpool.

Perwitz Celebrates 15 Years With OOC Karen Perwitz, Operation Oswego County’s administrative coordinator, is

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Perwitz joined OOC in 2007 as administrative secretary. Over the years, she took on many responsibilities beyond those Karen Perwitz required in her role. She was recently promoted to the role of administrative coordinator. She is now responsible for the Operation Oswego County, Operation Oswego County Foundation, County of Oswego Industrial Development Agency and Oswego County Civic Facilities Corporation record keeping and reporting to state and federal agencies. She will also monitor financing portfolios and help coordinate required audits.

“We are very pleased to have Karen as part of our economic development team,” said OOC executive director L. Michael Treadwell, CEcD. “She knows our business well and is already making improvements in her new position.”

Perwitz is a graduate of Leadership Oswego County and has served on several boards since. She is currently serving on the board of directors for Fulton Block Builders and the United Way of Oswego County. Perwitz is also a NYS licensed notary.

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The Port of Oswego received the Robert J. Lewis Pacesetter Award from the U.S. Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation.

The Port of Oswego was one of six Great Lakes ports to receive William Scriber this award.

“We are very proud of Bill Scriber, our executive director, and his team for achieving this standout rating among all the ports on the Great Lakes, even in a difficult year,” said Connie Cose-

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mento, vice-chairwoman, Port board of directors “The board and I have a positive vision for the port, and this is the third pacesetter we’ve received in the past four years since Bill Scriber became executive director.”

“The winners honored by this award showcase the critical role of Great Lakes ports in moving goods through our supply chain—and reflect the skill and dedication of port workers who literally keep our economy afloat,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

More than 237,000 jobs and $35 billion in economic activity are supported annually by movement of various cargoes on the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System.

NBT Bank Tops NY-Based Bank on Forbes NBT Bank has earned a spot on the Forbes World’s Best Banks list released on April 13, and is the highest ranked bank based in New York and the highest ranked bank in Connecticut and Vermont.

NBT is one of only 75 banks in the United States to be included on this list, out of the tens of thousands of financial institutions globally that are able to be considered for the recognition.

“We’re incredibly honored to have earned this powerful affirmation that NBT truly has the best team in community banking,” said NBT Bank President and CEO John H. Watt, Jr. “As a community bank, our customers are at the core of all we do and their satisfaction is the driver of our success.”

The rating is based on customer satisfaction. Forbes surveyed more than 45,000 customers around the globe for their opinions on their current and former banking relationships. The banks were rated on overall recommendation and satisfaction, as well as five subdimensions: trust, terms and conditions, digital services, customer services and financial advice.

SUNY Oswego School of Education Has New Dean SUNY Oswego has announced the appointment of Laura M. Spenceley, Ph.D., as dean of the School of Education, effective June 1.

Reporting to the provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, Spenceley will serve as member of the academic affairs leadership team, including the President’s Council. She will support the recruitment, development and evaluation of faculty and staff in the Laura M. Spenceley school of education; oversee the implementation of programs within the school of cducation; and work with department chairs, faculty and staff to develop new programs and improve existing programs.

Spenceley, who was appointed interim dean of the school of education for the 2021-2022 academic year,

28 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS JUNE / JULY 2022

has served the SUNY Oswego community for the better part of a decade, most recently as associate dean in the division of graduate studies. She has also served as a member of the faculty, teaching as an assistant professor and associate professor in the counseling and psychological services department.

Spenceley has served as chair of the school of education’s faculty council and was a member of the dean’s school of education administrative advisory council.

“Laura is no stranger to our academic community and is uniquely positioned to serve as the intellectual and institutional leader of Oswego’s school of education,” said SUNY Oswego Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Scott R. Furlong.

“She has shared with me that she is excited about continuing her work to develop and support initiatives that build and strengthen collaborations within the School of Education and across the SUNY Oswego campus community, as well as provide the necessary leadership in nurturing external relations, partnership building, fundraising and fiscal management.”

As the administrative officer leading the work of the school of education, Spenceley will lead, support and inspire a shared vision among school of education faculty and staff and work collaboratively with the SUNY Oswego community, P-12 schools and external state partners to address priorities, strategies, goals and needs.

Prior to her time at SUNY Oswego, Spenceley was a school psychologist with the Fulton City School District, and a school psychologist intern with the LaFayette Central School District

in Onondaga County. She completed several other field experiences at Jamesville Dewitt Central School District and SUNY Upstate Medical University, and was an academic coach with the Syracuse University Student Success Initiative, where she provided coaching to underrepresented students, first-generation college students, and students for whom English is a second language to promote academic success and retention.

Spenceley received a doctor of philosophy (in school psychology) from Syracuse University, a master of arts (in clinical psychology) from Ball State University and her bachelor of science (in psychology) from Western Michigan University.

Fulton Announces $750,000 DRI Grant Fund For Small Businesses The City of Fulton Community Development Agency (FCDA) recently announced that it is accepting applications from small businesses through Oct. 3 to obtain financial assistance from a fund pool of $750,000 for projects that will enhance and strengthen the city’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI), area. Alexandra Fitzpatrick, (2nd from left), owner of Quintessential Creative, fills out an application for a City of Fulton DRI grant to add new signage for her business on state Route 481 in the DRI corridor. Joining her are Fulton Mayor Deana Michaels (standing), Sarah Farley, FCDA executive director,

(seated right), and Nate Emmons, FCDA deputy director.

For further information, contact admin@fultoncda.com.

Nonprofits in Oswego County Urged to Submit Grant Applications

are awarded from the endowment fund annually to aid vital programs in education, health, social services, the arts, civic and environmental concerns, as well as the preservation of historic resources in Oswego County. The fund has awarded nearly $160,000 to support community-based projects and programs since inception.

T

he Oswego County Community Foundation is now accepting grant applications from nonprofit organizations serving Oswego County. The grant application deadline is July 15.

Proposals are encouraged from a variety of program areas, including education, health, social services, arts and culture, civic concerns and preservation of historic resources.

Requests may range from $500 up to $5,000. The maximum grant awarded will be $5,000. Grants must directly benefit the residents of Oswego County.

Nonprofit organizations [501(c) (3) or other publicly supported organizations, such as churches, libraries, etc.] serving Oswego County residents may apply.

Organizations must submit their applications using the online grant application.

Visit cnycf.org/oswego to learn more about the application process and guidelines.

The Oswego County Community Foundation, created in 2013, is a geographically-specific fund created to serve as a source of permanent charitable dollars available to nonprofits serving residents of Oswego County. Grants

Novelis Hosts Leadership Oswego County Class of 2022 Novelis hosted the Leadership Oswego County Class of 2022 for a day of learning on Community, Workforce and Economic Development Day on March 25. Leadership Oswego County, a SUNY Oswego community program, offers an annual leadership development program that prepares a select group of county residents to become the community stewards of the future.

For more information on Leadership Oswego County, visit oswego.edu/loc.

JUNE / JULY 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

29

DINING OUT RESTAURANT GUIDE

INSET Pond Pit BBQ is head-to-toe wood with plenty of seating. If the indoors aren’t to your liking, there are picnic tables outside and that comes with a free side of barbecue aroma.

30 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS JUNE / JULY 2022

By Christopher Malone

THE PITS OF SUMMER Dive into the Pond Pit for delicious grub TO GEAR UP FOR A HOT GRILL ➼ TIME SUMMER. When it’s too hot in the

kitchen, it’s time to grill. When it’s too hot to grill — sure, we’re in Central New York where it’s never too hot or cold to grill — let someone else do the cooking for you.

As this article is being written, it’s mid-May and we’re seeing record-breaking warmth.

This is where places like Pond Pit BBQ come into play and are readily welcoming your service.

The Sandy Pond restaurant, located on Route 3, is a convenient four miles off of exit 37 when coming from I-81.

Although not in the middle of nowhere, the eatery is in what could be viewed as a random spot.

The rustic restaurant comes up with cannot-miss signage bearing Pond Pit’s logo: a pig in an apron with its butt facing out. The pig stands over an appropriate motto: “Best Butts on the Pond.”

At first glance, internet or otherwise, there’s no shortage of cheeky humor.

The comfortable restaurant is headto-toe wood with plenty of seating. If indoors isn’t to your liking, there are picnic tables outside and that comes with a free side of barbecue aroma.

The omnivore-favoring menu is concise but filled with familiar favorites and Pond Pit’s take on familiar dishes.

Plus, there’s a kids menu as well.

To start off with a New Belgium Voodoo Ranger IPA ($4 – oddly inexpensive for a draft), the meal was kicked off with some hog balls ($5). They aren’t the CNY Rocky Mountain oyster equivalent but simply sausage and cheese rolled up. Just by this shareable snack alone, the quality of meat is obvious and taste is another reason to avoid the chains.

The balls come with the restaurant’s vinegary tangy white barbecue sauce to dip in. The mayo-based sauce also boasts a hint of horseradish that’s prominent enough to not overtake the sauce.

There are different options to choose from with the meat, and ribs were on my mind. I went with the St. Louis style half rack ($22 or $18 without sides) with jalapeño cheddar

LEFT Hog balls ($5): they aren’t the CNY Rocky Mountain oyster equivalent but simply sausage and cheese rolled up.

The quality of meat is obvious and taste is another reason to choose local.

BOTTOM Pond Pit has several sandwiches, including one with a brisket ($17) and two sides. The brisket was fatty in all the right places.

JUNE / JULY 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

31

FROM TOP The St. Louis style half rack ($22) at Sandy Pond BBQ. The fall-offthe-bone meat is wonderful and the seasoning is equally as noteworthy; Pit beans can be ordered separately. They also come as a side; The cakey cornbread doesn’t shy away from cheese and jalapeño — a perfect kick for a perfect barbecue side.

cornbread and mac and cheese. The fall-off-the-bone meat is wonderful and the seasoning is equally as noteworthy.

The basic mac and cheese is as it sounds and hits the spot but the cornbread caught my attention in that food battle. The cakey cornbread doesn’t shy away from cheese and jalapeño — a perfect kick for a perfect barbecue side.

Pond Pit has several sandwiches, including one with a brisket ($17) and two sides. The brisket was fatty in all the right places. Although flavorful on its own, the white and red barbecue sauce condiment combo is a bold choice.

The horseradish-mayo sauce meets one with sweet heat.

To go along with the sandwich: pit beans and coleslaw. Like the mac and cheese, the coleslaw is what you’d expect but hits all the right flavor notes.

It’s also a plus that the ingredients are not in a puddle of mayo. The beans, however, are spectacular. The barbecue staple is rich with flavor. I picked up brown sugar and molasses. Maybe there isn’t molasses but, for some reason, I picked up on the thick, sweet substance.

Although Pond Pit offers a Cuban, the Corduban was ordered to change it up. The chicken and ham sandwich with two sides ($14) is a take on the cordon bleu. It’s a huge offering in a hoagie roll. I don’t know how else to describe it. Share it with a friend. Save half of it for later. Then slather it in the white barbecue sauce and cover it all in 32 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS JUNE / JULY 2022

Swiss cheese. It’s a monster and a lot to take a bite out of.

For sides, I went with fries and mac salad. The hand-cut fries aren’t of the crispy variety but do the trick. The hearty mac salad with Italian seasoning is nothing to scoff at either. Aside from all the carbs, the Corduban and company is that heavy comfort food you need.

Before tip, the bill totaled $62 exactly.

For those familiar Pond Pit BBQ, no wonder you return. For those hearing this for the first time — it’s definitely worth checking out and enjoying.

Pond Pit BBQ 8883 St. Rte. 3, Sandy Creek, NY 13145 315-387-7261 facebook.com/PondPitBBQ instagram.com/PondPitBBQ

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BUSINESS UPDATE

LEFT Chris Farmer is the owner of F&F Bargains in Oswego. “I realized that I was a natural born hustler and I love helping people,” he says.

ABOVE Dozens of “mystery” boxes stacked along the wall at F&F Bargains selling from $59 to $450. “The reason why people buy it is because they want to know what’s in the box,” said owner Chris Farmer. He said some buyers then re-sell some of the items in those boxes.

F&F Bargains to Open Second Location

Chris Farmer, owner of F&F Bargains, started in his garage in August 2021. He now sells seven truckloads worth of merchandise a week, and expects to double the amount with a second facility

C

hris Farmer started a little bargain business in his garage. But he quickly ran out of space and has opened in a much larger facility at 755 E. Seneca St. in Oswego.

Now with more inventory and increased business, he plans to add another showroom nearby his current location.

“I’ve been in this building since August 2021 after starting out in my garage. Now I’m looking to increase space by adding another nearby building in June.”

F&F Bargains offers items of all sorts at a discounted price. They are open every day from 11 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.

He explains: “Our stuff is brand new. It’s like overstock; it’s canceled orders, box damages and returns — it’s a liquidation warehouse,” he said. “I buy, say $100,000 worth of merchandise, I can get it cheaper, sell at a lower price, because they are liquidation truckloads “ For instance, if you order something on Amazon, but cancel it and it’s already gone through the shipping process, they don’t send that back to where it came from, he explained.

“They just liquidate it. They don’t send it back to where it came from.

If they did, the warehouse would be overloaded,” he said. “We sell stuff

34 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS JUNE / JULY 2022

so fast. Right now we do about seven truckloads a week. When we open the other warehouse (June 1), it will probably be around 15 truckloads.”

“We stand behind every item we sell, 100%,” Farmer said. “I guarantee you’ll leave happy.”

“I’m homegrown Oswegonian. I realized that I was a natural born hustler and I love helping people. I’m talented in both areas— I’m talented in talking people into buying things and in helping out people,” he said. “I view myself as a child of God. I like doing things for others; that’s a way of life. That’s the way to live. Helping others is what I love to do. I have a passion for that.”

A myriad items are on display — tools, a grandfather clock, exercise equipment, pet supplies, furniture, household items, electronics and much more, many still wrapped in plastic on palates.

And, there are dozens of “mystery” boxes stacked along the wall.

Decorated with question marks and hints of what each contain—holiday decorations, pet products, household, tools, random and other clues— the boxes cost anywhere from about $50

to $450.

They also have a presence online.

The group has more than 12,000 followers online.

Dozens of people come in to check out the merchandise daily, many carrying large boxes as they leave.

“Business is good — good enough to acquire more space,” Farmer said as he watched customers looking over the merchandise.

“I work 12 hours a day — haven’t taken a day off. That’s what this job requires.

“It’s definitely difficult running a business, more difficult than I thought it was going to be,” he said. “There was many a night I thought about closing the doors. There were days that I went through crappy dealers. From the beginning I’ve had a 100% refund policy for anything broken, missing pieces. I stood behind all my product.”

Sometimes he had many returns to do; took some losses, buying stuff that wasn’t sellable.

“I went and found better people to buy stuff from. It wasn’t until I got here that I realized that one man’s junk really is another man’s treasure. No matter what it is in life there is value in it. That’s worth 5 cents when it’s empty,” he said pointing to a Mountain Dew bottle. “But do you know how many people throw these out? Some people see no value in it — some people see value.”

According to Farmer, no matter what you have, as long as you offer great customer service and stand behind your product, you can sell it.

So, what’s in those mystery boxes?

“It’s a mystery. If I answer your questions, it isn’t a mystery any more.

There goes the whole surprise. There goes the whole sales pitch,” he said.

“The reason why people buy it is because they want to know what’s in the box. If I tell you what’s in the box you’re not going to want to buy it — or you might.”

“I buy the biggest mystery boxes of all. When I buy them, they are unmanifested and I don’t know what it is until after I get it,” he added. “I’m the biggest mystery box buyer of all!

“But I will say all those mystery boxes — everything inside them is brand new. We make sure there is plenty of value so people can take them home and can take what they want and sell what they [don’t] want and be happy. If we don’t make people happy, then they wouldn’t come back, right?”

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BUSINESS UPDATE

Bike Shop Owner Named Small Business Person of the Year

T

he U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Upstate New York District has awarded its 2022 Small Business Person of the Year Award to Anthony Folk, owner of Chenango Point Cycles in Binghamton.

Folk was selected not only because of his success growing his business to become a premier regional bike shop but also for his commitment to community service and building a network of support for cycling enthusiasts across the Southern Tier, according to the SBA. Before becoming an entrepreneur, Folk was always motivated to engage and encourage other cyclists, according to an SBA news release. He saw an opportunity to expand that mission in 2018 when the owner of Chenango Point Cycles — a Southern Tier institution — was contemplating retirement.

Folk wanted to purchase and expand the business, with the goal of turning it into a top retail destination for cyclists and a center for community engagement for the region.

“I bought Chenango Point in 2019 with the goal of being a hub for cyclists new and old to come together — for families and for people who have never seen a bike before in their life. I wanted to help them find the love I knew from riding my bike,” said Folk. “Taking my passion of having wheels underneath

ABOVE U.S. Small Business Administration Upstate New York District Director Bernard J. Paprocki, Small Business Person of the Year Anthony Folk, and U.S. Small Business Administration Atlantic Regional Administrator Marlene Cintron.

my feet and being able to share that with my community is one of the most rewarding experiences I can imagine.”

Before moving forward with the purchase, Folk turned to the SUNY Binghamton Small Business Development Center (SBDC), a member of the SBA-funded Resource Partner network, for help. He worked with then-business adviser Robert Griffin, now regional director of the Onondaga SBDC, on updating his business plan, developing cash flow projections and securing financing.

Because Folk was a first-time business owner, there would be a certain level of risk for lenders in financing the acquisition. Folk and Griffin worked with SBA lending partner Key Bank to explore his options. As a result, Folk was approved for an SBA Express Loan to purchase the business, inventory and equipment through the lender.

After successfully purchasing Chenango Point Cycles, Folk imme-

36 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS JUNE / JULY 2022

diately faced new obstacles including a workforce shortage at a time when customers old and new started increasing their outdoor activity during the pandemic, directly leading to increased bicycle, cycle parts and repair demand. Coupled with the then-supply chain issues, Folk relied on the SBDC to continue coaching him on human resources, management, accounting and purchasing to help navigate these challenges.

Throughout the pandemic, Folk hired four new employees and added an online business, which led to a 15% year-over-year increase in inquiries.

Folk foresaw and planned for future supply chain disruptions, expanding from two to four bike manufacturers and from one to almost a dozen accessory and parts suppliers.

During the three years Folk has owned Chenango Point Cycles, the business has tripled its sales and become the biggest bike retailer in the region, expanding from Greater Binghamton to a regional market reaching from Western New York to Maryland.

Upstate New York’s 2022 Small Business Person of the Year was selected from nominees across the district’s 34 counties.

BUSINESS UPDATE

Century 21 Galloway Realty Returns to its ‘Business Roots’

C

They have repurposed a building in Bridie Square

entury 21 Galloway Realty has come home.

For about three years, professionals at the agency worked out of office space in the former Education Center, 120 E. First St., Oswego.

In May, they moved across the river.

They are now doing business at 335 W. First St., Bridie Square, in a building formerly occupied by Spectrum.

The site was a work in progress in early May. Renovations were being done to create space for offices, a kitchen, conference room, office equipment, storage and more.

According to Bill Galloway, broker-owner, the new office is about 3,700

square feet, roughly the same as they had on the third floor at their former location.

“We opened up in the other building, and then COVID hit,” he said. “We were on the third floor. Now we’re street level.

“I own this building. There’s a lot going on in Oswego, a lot of development and we wanted to get back into the hub of it.”

The move represents a homecoming of sorts; they have previously had offices in the area.

Not only do they own the building they moved into, but also the land surrounding it.

Having helped develop property along the river, the area features nice, river view apartments as well as commercial space, according to Elaine Galloway, office coordinator.

The new location is in a heavily trafficked area on the edge of the downtown business district.

The updated space is a better fit and size for the business, offers better overall accessibility and is convenient to nearby areas targeted for future commercial development, Elaine Galloway explained.

“We gutted the whole thing. It’s completely different — renovated all through,” she said. “Hopefully, now that things are moving in a different direction with COVID, we’ll get people coming into the office. So we’re in a good spot for that.

Being at street level is a big plus.”

The land, purchased by Bill Galloway from his father, Thomas, in 2003, is also home to Bridie Manor—the old Ontario Mills building built by Abraham Varick in 1833 and owned and restored by Thomas in the mid-1980s.

To this day, the building and its surrounding environs, including the cement wall all along the Bridie Square Road that remains from what was once part of the Varick Canal, serve as a testament to the area’s historical legacy of continual commercial development.

“The whole road was the canal,” Bill Galloway said. “Several mills were located in this area.”

Thomas Galloway started Galloway Real Estate in the mid 1960s. In 1994, Bill and his wife Elaine purchased Century 21 Galloway Realty from his father. Bill became the broker-owner and has devoted more than 40 years of his life to real estate.

Bill and Elaine have two sons, Ryan and Brandan; both have used their skills in technology to help the family business.

By Steve Yablonski

JUNE / JULY 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

37

BUSINESS UPDATE

Nicole Reed worked as a paralegal in Oswego until she received a law degree from Syracuse University. She recently opened her own law firm in Oswego: “I got married to an Oswegonian. I’ve been here ever since. I like to say I’m an Oswegonian now.”

Paralegal Now Operating Own Law Office

N

From linguistics to law school; one woman’s journey

icole Reed worked as a paralegal for 25 years in various areas: criminal, civil litigation, bankruptcy, real estate and estate planning, probate and elder law.

At one point at her career, she decided she should go to law school.

“So that’s actually what I did,”

she said.

“I went to Oswego State for my bachelor’s — I did a five-year plan,” she said.

Two years at Oswego and Syracuse University College of Law, juris doctorate, three years.

When she decided that she wanted

to become a lawyer, she called Oswego State.

“I’m a mom. I have two little boys, so I needed something local,” she said.

“I asked them what is the best degree I can get in two years because I knew I just needed to go on to law school. I didn’t care what it was; I just needed to have my bachelor’s. I said what coordinates well with my paralegal degree. And they said ‘linguistics.’”

“I didn’t know anything about linguistics, but I said sign me up! I swear to God, that was harder than law school,” she said laughing.

She got a bachelor’s degree in linguistics and a minor in psychology.

Then she got right into SU. “I just rolled right in; got that done,” she said.

She graduated when COVID-19 hit.

“I was in my final semester of law school. So, we were the unfortunate group that didn’t have a graduation,” she said. “We had something online.

They had something for us later, but it wasn’t well publicized. Few of us went; we were all working by then.”

AI is watching She took the bar exam — New York state, for the first time, did a bar exam online.

“It was very difficult. We had all these rules; they wanted to make sure that nobody could cheat,” she said. “So they had artificial intelligence watching us at all times. They told us not to scratch our faces, not to have noise — even the mailman could potentially cause us to fail. We weren’t even allowed scratch paper. Every other group that goes in for the bar exam, they get scratch pa-

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per so they can map out like different questions and things. We had to do it mentally, we had to prepare mentally, map out that stuff in our heads.”

“We had to keep our hands and our eyes visible, we weren’t supposed to be looking down at anything. They scanned the area around us before and after. It was interesting, very nerve-wracking,” she added. “I sent my whole family away — and my dog!

I locked up my cat. I contacted all my neighbors, I halted my mail. All my neighbors said they’d be super quiet.

They were so great.”

Reed grew up in the Southern Tier; down by Corning. She moved to Oswego when she was 21.

“I got married to an Oswegonian.

I’ve been here ever since. I like to say I’m an Oswegonian now. I use to have people ask me all the time when I first moved here, ‘you from Oswego?’ I’d say ‘no,’ but I married somebody from Oswego. So they were a little more accepting,” she laughed.

She does primarily estate planning and probate and real estate.

“When I was in school to be a paralegal, I wanted to do criminal law.

That’s what I wanted to do and I actually interned at the Steuben County District Attorney’s office. And very quickly I learned it was not for me,” she explained.

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“It’s very encouraging for me to see an individual come in and be lost and overwhelmed. They’ve got all these papers and don’t know what to do with it all,” she continued. “I’ll go through it all—tell them what I need.

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Bruce Frassinelli bfrassinelli@ptd.net

Randomness of Life: There But for the Grace of God Go I

W ‘It’s amazing to me that although there were concerns for Payton Gendron’s mental stability, he was able to legally buy the gun he used in the shootings.’

hen I walked into my favorite bagel place for breakfast recently, I thought to myself: “Is there a chance I might not leave alive?”

I wasn’t thinking of a medical emergency but of some person coming in off the street and shooting up the place and those of us in it.

Let me quickly say that in the several years since this business opened and I have been a steady customer, there has never been any incident — not even a loud argument — so why should I even harbor such extreme thoughts?

The proliferation of mass shootings in the United States is the reason, and I suspect that you have had these uneasy thoughts, even if they might be fleeting and quickly set aside, as you ventured out and about.

In “How Randomness Rules Our Lives,” Leonard Mlodinow says that the human mind is built to identify a definite

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.

40 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS JUNE / JULY 2022

cause, and can have a hard time accepting the influence of unrelated or random factors.

While we have not seen mass shootings in our area of Central New York, one of the most horrific in the state’s history occurred on our doorstep on May 14, at a Tops Friendly Markets in Buffalo.

According to the FBI and police, Payton Gendron, the hate-filled 18-yearold from Conklin, 11 miles south from Binghamton in New York’s Southern Tier, scoped out the Tops market months before, then again a day before unleashing the deadly attack to — in his own words — kill as many Black people as possible. All 10 of the dead were Black. Three others were wounded — two Black and one white. Four of the victims were Tops employees; the rest were customers. In all, the suspect fired 50 rounds from an AR-15 rifle. He also had a rifle and shotgun in his car, according to

My Turn

authorities.

For the record a “mass shooting” is defined as one in which four or more persons are killed or shot, not including the shooter, in a single incident.

The suspect, wearing military fatigues, plated body armor and a tactical helmet, shot four of the victims — three fatally — outside of the store. After finishing at Tops, Gendron had planned to continue his rampage at other Buffalo locations with predominately Black patrons, authorities believe.

None of these people had any relationship or previous interaction with the shooter, but their lives came to an abrupt end in a hail of bullets because they had randomly shown up at the grocery store at the wrong time and they were — with one exception — not white. The lives of their families and friends also will be irrevocably changed. Even those of us who did not know the shooter or any of the victims in this horrible tragedy are changed, because it is yet another example of how we, too, can be cut down as we pursue our daily routine chores and activities.

In Buffalo, 77-year-old Pearl Young went for breakfast and asked to be dropped off at Tops to do some shopping. She never came home.

Ruth Whitfield, 86, stopped at Tops on her way home from visiting her husband at a nursing home. Her husband suddenly lost the care and companionship of his wife of 68 years and one of his primary caregivers.

Andre Mackniel, 53, had gone to Tops to buy a birthday cake for his son.

There would be party, no celebration, only a funeral.

Aaron Salter Jr. 55, a retired Buffalo police officer, who was a security guard at Tops, was hailed as a hero for confronting Gendron when he began his deadly assault. Salter’s bullets hit Gendron several times, but they failed to pierce the body armor he was wearing underneath his military fatigues.

What we want to know is why this man did what he did? Officials are branding this as a hate crime, a case of domestic terrorism. Erie County Sheriff John Garcia called the shooting “pure evil.” The suspect had shown past tendencies of this unbridled hate, but mental health officials decided that he was not a danger to society. Now, of course, we know otherwise.

Authorities uncovered a 180page “manifesto” riddled with racial, anti-Semitic and white supremacist hatred. Gendron had previously been investigated for making a “generalized threat” at his high school — Susque-

hanna Valley Central—in 2021, which 2020 GSAR’S triggered the mental health evaluation.

It’s amazing to me that although REALTOR OF THE YEAR! there were concerns for Gendron’s mental stability, he was able to legally Serving both buyers and sellers in buy the gun he used in the shootings.

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The “Great Replacement Theory” Affordable is pushed by white supremacists who Business contend that whites are being replaced by people of color, and Democrats are Solutions deliberately trying to flood the United States with immigrants to gain an elecMore than just another toral advantage.

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Trucking Industry Facing Tough Times Local truck companies coping with high price of fuel. ‘It’s bleeding us,’ says owner of Laser Transit

By Steve Yablonski

W

orker shortages, COVID-19, disruption in the supply chain and now skyrocketing prices at the fuel pump have created a tough road for the trucking industry.

“Every product touches a truck at some point,” said George Joyce, CEO of Laser Transit, Lacona. “The cost of everything is going up.”

While the rising gas prices have affected all businesses, it has hit the

trucking industry especially hard.

The pandemic has changed consumers’ buying habits, Joyce noted.

With more people buying things online it has amplified the problem.

“Consumers are saving on gas, but it puts an additional strain on the trucking industry due to the increased need for shipping and transportation,” he said.

“Obviously, in the trucking business, that’s one of our main costs. It is always in the top three. Right now fuel

42 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS JUNE / JULY 2022

is our number one expense. It can fluctuate, third one time and first another time, like right now,” said Chris Jorolemon, VP of operations, Page Trucking, Weedsport.

“We have the ability to raise rates and put a fuel surcharge in place. But ultimately, when we do that it helps us from a business standpoint—but for you and I, the general consumers—it just gets passed on down the line,” he added. “You are seeing that now with groceries; with most everything you buy today. There is no product that we consume that doesn’t move by truck at some point along the way. Whether it is the gas that we are putting in our vehicles, food we’re buying at the grocery store or the clothes we are buying, you name it, everything is moved by truck.”

“It’s bleeding us. I look at where we were before the war broke out in Ukraine, that week, and then look at now—if I look across all the thousands of gallons that I’ve purchased and look at what I have paid the difference right now versus then is more than 32%,” Joyce said. “We have fuel discounts because we buy in quantity. We were down at $3.97 a gallon and up to $5.22; looked at a pump today and diesel was up to $5.45.”

“When trucking companies like us have to increase our rate or put a fuel surcharge in place, for customers, that is changing the price of the products they buy. It just hits us, the general consumer, hard. I think we’re seeing that in the market place currently, Jorolemon said.

“For most customers and contract work, we have fuel surcharges in place to help offset the high cost of fuel.”

Page has had to raise rates in many cases over the last six months not only for higher fuel prices but for rising cost of equipment, tight driver market (shortage of drivers), higher cost of insurance due to the litigious environment it operates in, lack of skilled labor in the fields that support the business (commercial motor vehicle drivers, warehouse workers, truck and trailer technicians and mechanics, welders and fabricators, etc, he added.

When the economy came back, it came back fairly strong and “there’s a great need for the trucking industry,” he said.

“However, there’s a shortage of drivers nationwide. The supply chain issues and with COVID, a lot of commercial drivers have left the business. We had some drivers that maybe wanted to work another year or two. But COVID

caused them to retire sooner. There is a shortage of workers in every aspect of business. It’s a struggle to find qualified workers.”

“Of course, you know, for business, it’s just not the added expense (of fuel), it is how do you recover it? Our customer base, a lot of it, is paid by the mile or flat. Even with fuel surcharges you’re only getting paid typically on a fuel surcharge for the loaded miles, not any empty miles,” Joyce explained.

“Between your drop-off and your next pick-up you’ve got those miles that aren’t reimbursed. So it’s never good for trucking you’re using kind of a fuel surcharge that really doesn’t fully compensate for you anyway.

“That’s where we’re at. We’re doing everything to reduce those empty miles.

We’re doing everything to make sure we’re keeping drivers routed to the shortest distance so they are not going off routes. All our trucks are monitored so we can see where a truck is at any given moment.”

There are things you can do to at least control some of the things that you can control. “But the problem is, you can’t control the price of oil. That typically is our number two cost right behind wages. At times it’s more like number one, even ahead of labor. I think we could see that spiral again,” Joyce added.

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Recession worries Different customers have different schedules. Some are a little closer to the mark while others aren’t. Pricing is always an issue.

“When you have a spike in fuel cost, you never recover all of it. The pricing always lags; there are a number of factors that you’re up against.

When fuel rises like this often it can trigger a recession in other factors.

The price of oil is kind of a leading indicator of where the economy is going,” Joyce said.

“We are busy. We have definitely not had to lay off anyone or curtail services on the trucking side of our business, as the demand is very high due to driver shortage and supply chain challenges in many markets,” Jorolemon said. “We do have concern about signs pointing towards a recession. But the trucking business has always been cyclical and we do our best to not only be prepared for the up cycle, but more importantly be prepared for the down cycle as well.”

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JUNE / JULY 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

43

REAL ESTATE

Waterfront Homes Among CNY’s Priciest Lakefront properties in Onondaga and Oswego counties continue to top the list of high-end homes in the area

By Ken Sturtz | Photos provided “NOW, MAMA SAID THERE’S ONLY SO MUCH FORTUNE A MAN REALLY

Weitsman, already the owner of an ultra-expensive man-

NEEDS, and the rest is just for showing off,” Tom Hanks’

sion on Skaneateles Lake, forked over $13.1 million for

character advises viewers in “Forrest Gump.”

a second lakefront estate.

He easily could’ve been talking about the lavish Ska-

The real estate market has remained red hot throughout

neateles Lake estate that sold earlier this year for $6.75

the pandemic thanks to low interest rates, low housing

million.

inventory and intense demand.

The sale of the property, which comes with a boathouse

Those factors have sent home prices skyrocketing, with

and three-car garage on a private drive, is the highest

sellers often receiving scores of offers well over asking price.

price paid for a residential property in Central New York

We reviewed the most expensive single-family homes

so far this year.

on the market in Onondaga and Oswego counties and

It’s not an outlier either.

found that the priciest homes continue to be waterfront

ABC news anchor and Central New York native David

properties. In Onondaga County that means exclusive real

Muir purchased a lakefront estate in Skaneateles several

estate along Skaneateles Lake. In Oswego County it means

years ago for $7 million. And last year scrap tycoon Adam

the tranquil northern shore of Oneida Lake.

44 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS JUNE / JULY 2022

➼

ONONDAGA COUNTY

3333 EAST LAKE ROAD, SKANEATELES asking price: $3,950,000 acreage: 2.15 square feet: 4,800 year built: 2009 agent: Jim Carroll,

Washington Street Partners

L

2890 WEST LAKE ROAD, SKANEATELES asking price: $7,750,000 acreage: 29 square feet: 5,212 year built: 1972 agent: Jerry Morrissey,

Finger Lakes Realty Partners

I

f you’re looking for seclusion you can’t do much better. Situated on the western side of Skaneateles Lake, near the state DEC boat launch, this massive property covers 29 acres and includes 618 feet of lakefront (the length of two football fields). In addition to the main house, there’s a cottage on the water, a two-story boathouse and two barns.

The former owners were nature lovers and let much of the property grow from farm fields into woodland over several decades. There’s a long private treelined drive, a stand of birch

trees and significant wildlife including everything from deer, foxes and eagles, to hawks, geese and ducks. All that nature, and the distance off the main road, adds to the privacy of the property.

“It’s like driving into the Bat Cave,” said Jerry Morrissey, of FLR Partners.

“You turn toward the lake and the trees come in around and it’s secluded and private; it’s just very unique.”

The main house includes five bedrooms and four baths. The house is dated, but is spacious and features a beautiful vaulted ceiling, floor-toceiling fireplace and a long row of windows that offer stunning views of the lake. Morrissey said the house could be renovated or torn down and replaced with another structure by the new owner.

About 21 acres of the land is in a conservation easement. The property is also for sale for $5,900,000 without the lakefront cottage.

ocated a mile from the village of Skaneateles and tucked away on the east side of the lake, this property exudes charm and elegance.

Start with the main house, custom designed by local architect Andrew Ramsgard, which comes with four bedrooms, four full baths and two half baths.

Custom quarter-sawn oak woodwork can be found throughout the house. The imported stone and tile make the home’s design really pop. Even for a lake house this home has a lot of windows, offering a spectacular view from virtually every room. There’s a state-of-the-art kitchen, multiple fireplaces and even a wine cellar.

Jim Carroll, of Washington Street Partners, said the home is LEED certified because the owners were concerned about energy efficiency. Features include six separate in-floor radiant heat zones, on-demand hot water and a heat recovery system to make the house more sustainable.

The two-car detached garage doubles as a guest house and includes a one-bedroom, one-bath apartment above the garage.

The property includes more than 100 feet of lake frontage and a newly reconstructed permanent dock. Carroll said the owner is in the process of designing and implementing a lakeside sitting area and outdoor kitchen for entertaining guests.

JUNE / JULY 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

45

OSWEGO COUNTY

538-40 STATE ROUTE 49, CLEVELAND asking price: $895,000 acreage: 5.13 square feet: 5,350 year built: 1926 agent: Michael DeRosa,

Michael DeRosa Exchange

I

f you’ve ever dreamed of having your own lakeside retreat and an investment property rolled into one you’ve found the right place.

Located just across state Route 49 from Oneida Lake, Bayside Manor & Barn offers scenic views and comes with a main house, a two-bedroom carriage house, a one-bedroom cottage and detached two-car garage as well as 500 feet of shoreline complete with peninsula and dock.

“The view of the lake is breathtaking,” said Michael DeRosa, of Michael DeRosa Exchange. “Astonishing sunsets at day’s end never fail to amaze.”

46 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS JUNE / JULY 2022

The main house features hardwood flooring, a wood-burning fireplace and an enclosed porch with views of the lake. With four bedrooms and two and a half baths, the house can accommodate 14 people. The barn at the back of the property juxtaposes rustic wooden barn beams with a recent renovation including a modern kitchen and bathroom.

The space, which includes a patio, has two bedrooms and can sleep six people.

The current owner operates the main and guest houses as Airbnb rentals with prices ranging from $175-$350 per night. DeRosa said the property generated a gross rental income of more than $96,000 in 2021.

The buildings are being sold fully furnished and DeRosa said the new owner will have the option of continuing to operate the estate as a rental property or making it their personal home.

Either way, it has endless potential.

“Lake property will hold its value regardless of the market we are in due to the limited supply,” he said. “This is a great investment.”

50 TAFT BAY ROAD, BERNHARDS BAY asking price: $599,000 acreage: 0.8781 square feet: 2,448 year built: 1950 agent: Liz Busch,

Syracuse Realty Group

W

ith two separate dwellings this property offers the opportunity to enjoy living on Oneida Lake while also bringing in a steady stream of rental income.

The main house is a three-bedroom one-and-a-half bath ranch that sits on 75 feet of waterfront. Features include hardwood flooring, a custom chef’s kitchen and a spacious open floor plan.

The best part though is the four-season sunroom on the front of the house. Rustic woodwork, cathedral ceilings and a huge wall of windows along with a sunken hot tub make this the perfect space to hang out and enjoy the lake any time of the year.

“They’ve got a really nice panoramic view from where they are in the bay,” said Liz Busch, of Syracuse Realty Group.

Up the driveway sits the rental house, which has a barn-style gambrel roof. The building has three bedrooms and one and a half baths and another room upstairs that could be turned into another rental unit. A two-car detached garage is also located on the property and has an unfinished loft.

Busch said the property has been well-maintained by the same owner for nearly 40 years. The owner previously lived in the main house and rented out the second building, but both houses could be rentals. The property also has the benefit of being fairly secluded, Busch said.

“It’s on a deep private road so you’d have no idea there’s houses on that road unless you turned down and drove down there,” she said.

Note: At the time of publication a sale is pending on the property. ❖ JUNE / JULY 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

47

REAL ESTATE

More People Entering Real Estate Business New agents, enticed by a hot market and flexible work, are pouring into the real estate business

By Ken Sturtz

C

helsea Dykeman has possessed a lifelong passion for real estate.

Her dad bought and sold investment properties and her family moved several times when she was a girl. As an adult she still enjoys the feeling of moving into a new house or of touring a beautiful home.

So, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, forcing her family to shutter the pawn shop business she worked for, she decided to fulfill a long-held goal: getting her real estate license.

“It’s something I’ve always dreamed of doing and it took a very scary situation for me to actually have the opportunity to pursue it,” Dykeman said. “You have to have time to focus on it and I never really did, up until the shutdown.”

Dykeman received her license in the summer of 2020 and began working with Howard Hanna Real Estate Services in North Syracuse.

She wasn’t alone in deciding the time was right to become a real estate agent.

The pandemic prompted an exodus

of workers from countless industries, but real estate was an exception. New agents poured into the profession, drawn by the promise of a hot market, flexible schedule, the ability to work from home and the relative ease of entering the field.

The National Association of Realtors reported 1,372,312 members in the United States in March 2020. Two years later, the group has approximately 159,000 more real estate agents within its ranks.

In Central New York, the number of real estate agents jumped 12% from 1,707 people in April 2020, to 1,915 in April 2022, according to the Greater Syracuse Association of Realtors.

When Dykeman made the decision to begin the online classes to prepare for her licensing exam, the 28-year-old wasn’t sure if she was embarking on a new career or a side gig. After all, she’d worked full-time at her family’s pawn business for years and at the time they expected to be closed for just a couple weeks. She finished her classes in a few months.

48 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS JUNE / JULY 2022

When she started with Howard Hanna that fall, Dykeman entered a real estate world that was still recovering from having been turned upside down earlier in the year.

In such a tight market it was challenging to help buyers find the right home. Sometimes she couldn’t get potential buyers in to see houses or there were restrictions and strict protocols.

Dykeman said it sometimes felt like the sky was falling, but she handles stress well and that probably helped her to look past the chaos at the time and focus on growing her business.

Her efforts paid off. In 2021, her first full year, she registered $3 million in sales and earned a rising star award from Howard Hanna.

Dykeman said she has a large extended family that helped her find clients when she was getting started.

She also focused on her social media presence. If someone sees one of her posts about a listing, they might take no action, but she says if they need an agent in the future they’re more likely to contact her.

Dykeman also benefited from the fact that her in-laws wanted to sell their house and downsize. They waited until she got her license and became her first clients.

She said that if not for the pandemic she might not have made the decision to switch careers.

“Honestly it was the best decision I ever made,” she said. “I was able to finally focus on getting that license and came out with a great career because of it.”

The influx of new real estate agents in Central New York hasn’t escaped the notice of veteran realtors and brokers.

Teri Beckwith, an agent with Hunt Real Estate in Clay, said when any industry appears to be booming it’s only natural for those outside the field to want to get in on it.

“I’ve had more people approach me these last two years about becoming a real estate agent than I ever have in my 26 years,” Beckwith said.

Bill Galloway, owner of Century 21 Galloway Realty in Oswego, said he’s experienced his busiest year since he got into the real estate business decades ago. His office, which includes two dozen agents, finished first in the state among Century 21 franchises for total number of units sold. But during the pandemic he had several openings, including a few retirements.

“I really had to replace them so I started recruiting and now I have a

number of new agents,” Galloway said.

While his new agents include a mixture of backgrounds, Galloway said several of them are younger and wanted to start careers in real estate right out of high school or college. While it’s not unheard of for agents to enter the field early in life, it’s something Galloway said he’s noticed is much more common among millennials.

“In the past it was more somebody retiring from a career and looking to start a new career or a person who was in between jobs and not sure what they wanted to do,” he said.

Newcomers are being drawn to real estate for a variety of reasons aside from a hot market.

As many workers during the pandemic considered changing careers, real estate was especially appealing in part because of the profession’s flexibility, said Chris Teelin, an associate broker with Howard Hanna Real Estate Services in North Syracuse. Instead of having to report to an office each day from 9-5, agents can work from home if they choose and decide what hours they’ll work, he said. Some agents utilized the flexibility to cut back on childcare expenses.

The investment of time and mon-

In 2020 Chelsea Dykeman decided to fulfill a long-held goal: getting her real estate’s license. In 2021, her first full year as an agent, she said she had $3 million in sales.

With the encouragement of her boyfriend, Brooke Wills decided to become a real estate agent. In 2021, she handled more than $4 million in sales.

ey required to get into the business is more modest than some other careers.

And individuals can take the necessary classes online at their own pace and around work and family commitments.

“Most people have the ability to get their license,” Teelin said. “It’s within their reach.”

Building a successful business is another matter. One of the longstanding challenges of getting into real estate

is that it typically takes a long time to become established before someone can actually start to reap the benefits, Teelin said. That can be especially difficult if a new agent doesn’t have another source of income when they’re getting started.

Joining an organization that properly trains new agents can make a big difference, he said. An office that makes a point of teaching its agents the fundamentals will allow them to

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get up and running sooner and focus on prospecting for clients.

One of the best tools for someone new to real estate is social media, particularly if that person has a strong social media presence they can leverage.

“That’s a surefire way to at least have a head start in real estate,” Teelin said. “And a lot of the people coming in are younger and grew up on social media, so that’s to their benefit for sure.”

Brooke Wills said the idea of going into real estate never crossed her

mind until her boyfriend suggested it. He owns two rental properties that Wills had managed for him. He was impressed with the job she did and believed she’d have a knack for real estate.

“He said ‘Come on, I’ll pay to take your course,’” Wills said. “I honestly wasn’t really into it at first, but I’m very glad that I did take the course and follow through with it because I do love being a real estate agent.”

She spent a year working on her real estate license while still employed full-

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time as a teacher’s assistant. Anytime she had some free time or a day off she’d chip away at her online classes. It was the last thing she expected to be doing.

The 25-year-old had studied human development in college and planned to go into social work before she began working at a series of daycares. She had also considered going back to school to become a teacher.

After receiving her license, Wills started with Century 21 Galloway Realty. In 2021, she handled more than $4 million in sales, putting her among the top few dozen Century 21 agents in New York state. She said she found many clients through an extensive network of friends and family as well as social media.

Wills also made a point to educate herself on the real estate industry as much as possible, taking as many training courses offered through Century 21 as she could. Beyond that, she said she worked hard to prospect for new clients through social media and networking.

Persistence helped, too. Wills kept in touch with some clients for more than a year before ultimately listing their house for sale.

“You can’t just sit around and hope that business comes to you,” she explained. “It doesn’t work like that and a lot of people think it does.”

Beckwith agrees that real estate agents, especially new agents, need to be motivated and disciplined to be successful. She said the hot real estate market has fueled the impression that making a career as an agent is easy.

“I hate to say it, but once this bursts and things level out a little more there will be people that get out of the industry,” she said. “There’s unfortunately a huge failure rate, but I think that’s true of any sales profession.”

Beckwith said that whether or not a new agent will succeed long-term depends not so much on how the real estate market is doing, but rather on the individual agent and whether they’re willing to put in the effort to grow their business.

Sitting back and waiting for referrals won’t cut it, she said. New agents should be making connections and taking available opportunities, such as learning from top agents. They need to constantly be working on promoting the listings they have and generating new business.

“It’s those agents that will succeed,” Beckwith said. “The agents that just wait for the phone to ring will not.”

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51

REAL ESTATE

Higher Mortgage Rates Make Sector More Complicated

By Steve Yablonski

B

uying a home is generally the largest purchase that most people make.

Even small increases in mortgage rates can impact your purchasing power.

According to Danielle Hale, chief economist at realtor.com, buyers should “get pre-approved with where rates are today, but also consider what would happen if rates were to go up.”

They need to know what it would mean for their monthly costs. Could they manage that?

Linda Thomas-Caster, from Howard Hanna Real Estate Services based in Fulton, agrees.

“It is fluctuating; it’s getting right up there. When it hit into the fours, people took a jolt. It’s like 5.1% right now—it’s changing. But I think it’s going to level back down. But not back down to the 2.75. It’s just not going to happen, I think. That was probably

way too low for our economy as well,” she said.

Purchasing power is the amount of home you can afford to buy that’s within your financial reach. Mortgage rates directly impact that, Thomas-Caster noted.

When rates rise, so does the monthly payment you’re able to lock in on your home loan.

People still need houses and there still aren‘t that many out there.

“Nobody knows what the future will bring,” Thomas-Caster said. “I don’t anticipate there being ‘huge jumps’ in the rate in the next whatever.

We’re not going to be at 10% or 12% or anything like that.”

She thinks that mortgage rates may even go up a little bit more, but not substantially.

“I think it will level back down. I think the banks will play with it, too.

52 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS JUNE / JULY 2022

They’ll undercut each other for a short time and then, you know, they’ll get in the game at the same place and level out. That’s competition, too,” she added.

There typically is a little spike in mortgage rates around this time of year as more people actively look to buy or sell.

“So it’s not unexpected. But I think it’s shocking because for so long people could rely on such a steady ‘it’s only this, it’s only that,’” she said. “Anybody who bought probably doesn’t want to sell now because their mortgage rate will change. A lot of people are staying put because they have such a good interest rate, such a good mortgage rate. Those fixed rates; they may never be able to get again.”

The market is still ‘healthy.’

“I think it has just been a correction.

Central New York has always had a sluggish appreciation market and I

Linda Thomas-Caster

just think we’re seeing a correction of our market,” Thomas-Caster said.

“Places that we have sold, any place else would have sold for about that amount anyway.”

She doesn’t think things will go down.

“They’ll probably stay at the levels that they are at, just my opinion. For the most part, people are leveling out and not over-paying, over-buying. It’s an exciting time for sellers and for buyers.

I would say it is still a sellers’ market,” she said.

Buyers have a certain amount of caution now because they’ve seen this and some have just completely dropped out of the market.

“Some are so discouraged because it’s so difficult for them. There are a lot of investors paying cash for properties. It’s kind of undercutting the homeownership, first time buyer kind of thing because they are looking for investments and are investing in the housing market. The people who want their first home or a home are being out-bid by conglomerates and investors with money,” she said.

The other issue “I haven’t seen too much negativity [from the rising rates] so far. The interest

Russell Partrick

The bigger issue that has been going on for two or three years is the inventory—the low inventory. There is very little out there for people to buy and when something comes on the market, it gets snapped up. That is what we are struggling with.

Russell Partrick from Land and Trust Realty in Mexico.

rate is up a couple percentage points, a little above 5% right now,” said Russell Partrick from Land and Trust Realty in Mexico. “That hasn’t been a huge problem, hasn’t pushed anybody out of the market that I’ve been working with. The bigger issue that has been going on for two or three years is the inventory—the low inventory. There is very little out there for people to buy and when something comes on the market, it gets snapped up. That is what we are struggling with. Sometimes, something is listed and there are multiple offers very quickly.”

“I feel very bad for anyone who was looking to buy a house when the interest rates were so low, 3% or less. Anyone trying to buy a house the past two or three years, it’s been very frustrating for many of them because of the low inventory,” he added.

He said he hasn’t seen an impact from investors buying up properties in Oswego County. “But, yes, it is all over the place,” he noted.

The other big investment thing that is going on is mobile home parks.

“Big companies are buying those things up. If you own a mobile home park you don’t own the house, so you

don’t have to keep that up. You just take care of the grounds and collect the rent.

Seems like a good business model,” he laughed.

“We’re busy as we can be. That’s the thing, when there’s a low inventory, few houses to show, somebody finds out about a house two days after it’s listed, but it’s gone already,” he said. “I’m a small business here. We are totally negatively affected by low inventory. But we do quite a lot of property management.

That helps, helps during these times.”

Land and Trust Realty manages sites in Mexico and Parish as well as in Sandy Creek.

“I can’t forecast a rate hike. I imagine they are going to go up. It’s a tough call. Hopefully not, but we’ll see. In a rising-rate environment—like we’re in today—it limits your purchasing power,” Partrick noted.

“When I first got into real estate, around 25 years ago, it seemed like the rates were all around 7% or 8% and we were selling houses then,” he said. “Some times if you’re on the edge of affording a house, maybe you can’t buy as much of a house as you wanted to, but you can still buy something.”

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Interim CEO Jim Dowd at the main branch of Pathfinder Bank in Oswego.

54 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS JUNE / JULY 2022

BANKING

Jim Dowd is Ready to Lead Pathfinder Bank Forward Pathfinder Bank’s new interim CEO wants to build upon the legacy of his friend and mentor Tom Schneider

By Steve Yablonski

J

ames Dowd is the new interim CEO of Pathfinder Bank. Earlier this spring, Thomas Schneider, the bank’s long-time president and CEO, resigned from the position.

“This wasn’t a planned transition for a long time,” Dowd said, adding that “some things just caused Tom to go to the board and choose to step back.”

Schneider transitioned to director of capital markets and corporate strategy.

Dowd explained that he will follow in the footsteps of Schneider and is working with the managing team “developing our objectives.”

Dowd’s mother was a nurse. His father was in the electricians’ union.

His brothers are both in that union. His sister is a nurse.

“I’m the only one to go out and do something different,” Dowd said.

In 1994, he joined the bank, known at the time as Oswego City Savings Bank, as a controller.

“In 1988, I was a SUNY Oswego accounting and economics degrees student. I went to, back then, experience-based education, saw there was an internship available at Oswego City Savings Bank in the internal audit department. So in 1988, I joined the ranks as an intern. The bank was very intelligent. I did my internship; basically they did six months training me to do the job — and after that said, ‘would you like to continue employment with us?’ So they could really use what they trained me,” he said.

He worked 1988 and 1989 in the internal audit department, where he first met Schneider. “[Schneider] joined the bank in ’88 as controller — a young college student working in internal audit meets the young downstate gentleman moving up here in his first position as controller” and that’s when their friendship started.

“Tom’s been a very close friend for 34 years. We formed such a good friendship, it was knowledge based.

Many times throughout my life and career I reached out to him for guidance,” Dowd added.

Straight out of college, instead of seeking employment at the Oswego-based bank, Dowd went to work for Coopers & Lybrand in its Syracuse office. He worked there from 1989 to 1994. While there, he attained the professional designation of CPA. “When I left I was a manager in their audit services division,” he said.

“And during that tenure there were a number of times I picked up the phone and called Tom just to say, ‘this is what I’m doing and this is how I’m handling it … I’ve actually been offered another position with a client so what are your thoughts on it?’”

“He hasn’t only been a boss; he’s been a father figure to me for 34 years.

I’ve sought his guidance in buying a home, buying a car or investments. He’s such a wealth of knowledge on so many topics,” Dowd continued. “I spoke to him this weekend [end of April]. He’s been fantastic. I’m well aware that I need to leverage his industry knowledge. I understand my strengths and that’s important. But I’m more keenly aware of my weaknesses and Tom has such great strengths in so many categories and he’s been through so much.”

Sometimes, when asked a question Dowd said he now wants “to look over my shoulder and see what Tom has to say, because he’s the one normally answering these questions. But now they are mine to answer.”

“I am ‘single’ but I have a long relationship with — what’s the proper word to use these days, partner, significant other — Danielle Hayden. We’ve been together; it’s got to be 16 years now.

Danielle has a daughter who’s 21. So when Danielle and I first got together her daughter was 4 or 5. It seems like it was yesterday that all these things happened. If it weren’t for mirrors in my house I’d tell you that I’m still a young individual,” Dowd quipped. “Danielle and I have been together for a long time.

We have a great relationship — she’s been a tremendous supporter of me through this transition.”

No expectations “Didn’t you ever expect some day that you’d be president of Pathfinder Bank?” he recalls Hayden asking him.

“I said, ‘no it never crossed my mind.’ She said, ‘how could it not cross your mind?’” he said with a smile.

“He wasn’t going to retire,” Dowd explained. “He loved what he did. He loved the communities that he served and had it not been for these challenges, he would’ve retired — certainly not at 62 or 64 — maybe at 68. By the time he’s 68, I’m 62 and the board’s not going to look at the guy who’s 62 and may only be there a short time. They’re going to select appropriately a younger person.

I was happy being in that supporting role.”

If Dowd had ended his business working life as the controller of a $1.3 billion public company, headquartered out of Oswego, he’d have considered himself “a tremendous success.” ”There was no aspiration of me. I never had a desire to be the number one guy. I never had any feeling that Tom wasn’t going to be that,” he explained.

“I owe everything I have to Tom Schneider and Chris Gagas [in the summer of 1994, Gagas was president and CEO of Oswego City Savings Bank] and this institution. I was very, very happy with where I was. I didn’t envision [this ap-

JUNE / JULY 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

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pointment] and it was rapid because of Tom’s decision and Tom’s challenges. So it was like I didn’t have a year to prepare and sit by his side and understand the challenges that are there. It was a bit of

tossed in the fire and lean on him when you need to.”

Going forward, he wants to make sure he uses the former CEO’s values and “what’s important to me; what I

INTERIM CEO JAMES DOWD ON… ...SU Sports.

A self-described “live event enthusiast,” Pathfinder Bank’s interim CEO James is a season ticket holder for both basketball and football at SU. “I love sporting events. I love concerts,” he said. “I have attended all the national championship games SU has participated in since 1997. I am a passionate SU fan. I didn’t go there. I’m a SUNY Oswego grad and passionate about SUNY Oswego sports, too. I’m a sports buff — the draw of major college sports, the sight of 30,000 people inside the Carrier Dome!”

When he was at SUNY Oswego, he dreamed about staying there for two years then transferring to SU. But what he ended up finding out at SUNY Oswego was the largest accounting firms in the world would actively come to Oswego and recruit people.

“I’d see 13, 15, 18 people get hired in these major jobs and I said to myself why am I going to transfer to a more expensive school when I’ve made these great relationships right here and I can get recruited right here,” he said. “I was blessed.

I’d receive multiple offers to go to several large accounting firms, including the Big Eight accounting firms, right from SUNY Oswego.

But I’ve always had a passion for all things Syracuse.”

...Life Prior COVID-19.

“I used to love going to Syracuse Stage. But I haven’t been since 2020,” Dowd said. “That’s one thing the pandemic taught me. I was constantly on the go; be it business functions, be it concerts, be it golf. Going home and spending time with [significant other] Danielle [Hayden] — being home and living a little bit slower life ended up feeling really, really good.”

“I do want to get back out and go see a concert and go see a baseball game. I used to have weeks where four or five things were lined up.

Now, to go home, have a glass of wine, chop some carrots or celery and make some soup — that sounds fantastic,” he added.

...Changing Banking Times.

“Absolutely there has been more online activity. Our online usage has increased. Funny thing, when we first reacted and closed our doors to traffic, we were always open from the drive-thru; even something as simple as the drive-thru I think people didn’t use it in the past because maybe they were uncomfortable with the tube system. Once they were forced to use it, I think they found it even more convenient,” Dowd said. “If you look back you’ll certainly see an increase of online activity, but you will also see an increase in the drive-thru activity as well, as the community reacts to staying safe during the pandemic.

“We went through all that we went through and really the last three months have been the most significant that this disease has hit us. We had staffing challenges—not because people are being hospitalized, but because we’re following CDC and DOH guidelines. We’ve had challenges where we had to close lobbies, go back to drive- thru only because we had a smaller number of staff inside the building.

From a staff perspective, the last two months have been the greatest impact we’ve had—and we’re two years into this thing. We anticipate going away from masks. But we’re adhering to CDC guidelines, DOH guidelines as our county still seems to lead the nation in positivity.”

56 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS JUNE / JULY 2022

think is fair and right and just and make sure that I set the tone at the top and show people this is how I’m going to do it and this is how I’m going to lead the organization.

“I can’t try to be Tom because there is no way that I could fill his shoes. This community is a better community to live in because of Tom Schneider and Pathfinder Bank. In all of the communities that we serve I can’t imagine having the kind of positive impact that he has had. I’ll take his legacy and sprinkle in a little Jim and hopefully at some time, I’ll hand this great position off to the next person.”

Dowd said he’ll be 55 this year. “I’m not going to be around forever. Unlike Tom, I look forward to retiring at some time. I love work, but I’d also love to travel more and do more things. I don’t see myself retiring early; but I don’t see myself working into the 70s, like I think Tom probably would have,” he said.

Goal: To enhance Pathfinder’s performance Dowd’s goal is to continue to enhance the performance of Pathfinder Bank.

“We’ve moved our performance up to a level we haven’t achieved before,” he said. “All of us want to become a high-performing bank. We’re looking and saying, how do we continue to enhance the performance of this institution so that we provide a return to shareholders and at the same time take care of our employees and their families and really enhance the communities that we serve?”

A couple years ago, Pathfinder Bank purchased a vacant mansion in Syracuse and it is transforming it into a branch office.

“As you could imagine, there are some supply chain challenges. I’d say we are 90% done,” Dowd said.

They put a remote teller station in the back, designed a canopy over it using a material that’s “a little unique.”

It’s that one material that Dowd can’t get his hands on just yet.

“Seems like whatever material you’re waiting for, there are challenges in getting it in a timely fashion,” he said.

They hope to have the site open sometime during July.

“We’ve hired a branch manager.

I’m sure she’s itching to sit down in her office and start doing a great job.

She’s actually from that local area,” Dowd said. ❖

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BANKING

AN OLD BANK IS COMING BACK TO LIFE IN MEXICO The building that housed the first bank in the village of Mexico—built in 1855—is in the process of being restored, and soon it’ll be open to the public. BY KEN STURTZ

A recent photo of the building, which is being restored by the Mexico Historical Society. INSET: The Chandler and Ames bank building in an undated photo from the 20th century. After serving as a bank, the building housed a law office and a pedigree business. In 1934, a small restaurant, Mexico Lunch, opened in the building. That restaurant’s sign can be seen in the photo.

58 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS JUNE / JULY 2022

V

olunteers from the Mexico Historical Society labored for years to save the historic tin shop building on Main Street from demolition and then to find the money to resurrect the structure.

They believed it was worth saving; the building’s owner was an abolitionist who sheltered escaped slaves in his home and shop as part of the Underground Railroad. Today visitors to the museum find the tin shop as it would’ve looked in the 1800s.

As proud as they were of the museum, something bothered them: a few steps away stood a vacant building.

“It drove us nuts because our building looks nice,” said Allie Proud, the longtime president of the historical society.

She said members felt the neglected two-story brick building detracted from the museum next door.

Vines climbed up the side of the building and the weeds and brush in front grew high enough to obscure part of the first story. It bothered them so much that they began pulling the weeds themselves. For a number of years, the back door wouldn’t close and teenagers would sneak in, Proud said.

Despite a somewhat ramshackle appearance, it was actually of historic interest. The building once housed the town’s first bank, said Jim Hotchkiss, treasurer of the historical society.

In 1855, James Chandler and Leonard Ames Jr. built the brick building and operated a private baking business there until 1865 when Ames withdrew from the firm. Chandler continued the business until 1867. The building continued to be used as a bank until the business was sold and moved to another building in town in 1903.

Afterward it served as a law office for many years, then the office of a pedigree business. In 1934, a small restaurant opened there. It later housed a farm production credit office and then the village hall. In 1996, the building became vacant.

The historical society became interested in acquiring the building.

Hotchkiss said the idea was to fix it up and use it for storage of the historical society’s artifacts.

“We thought, well we might be able to get it for a decent price,” he said.

The owners had purchased the building when the village hall relocated.

Hotchkiss said the owners lived next door and, because of how close it was to their house, purchased the building to keep a business from using the space.

FROM TOP The Mexico Historical Society has been collecting items to furnish the historic bank building when restoration work is completed. An authentic cash register, antique desk, and working antique scale are among the furnishings.

JUNE / JULY 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

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So, the building remained vacant.

It took several years to convince the owners to sell. Finally, in January 2020, the historical society bought the building.

The sale price was $25,000, but Hotchkiss said the owners plan to donate $10,000 to the historical society over several years.

“The first thing we did was to gut the inside,” he explained. “But of course, we didn’t know what was under the sheetrock.”

Each floor is about 900 square feet.

The original cement vault was still in the middle of the building, but over the years the walls had been studded and covered over with sheetrock and a drop ceiling installed.

It wasn’t until workers started knocking down the drop ceiling — the original ceiling was about 12 feet high — that they discovered the ceiling consisted of quarter sawn oak paneling.

“I was just flabbergasted,” Hotchkiss said. “I think my chin just hit the floor.”

It turned out that the oak paneling covered the ceiling and walls. The walls were painted green like the rest of the interior, but the ceiling was still stained.

Except for a few spots where the studs had been nailed to the paneling, it was mostly free of damage.

“Nobody even suspected that it was like this,” Proud said. “I think that sheetrock had been there a long time.”

The historical society’s research on the building hadn’t uncovered any photographs of the interior and no one who’d occupied the building in the past could remember seeing oak paneling.

Proud said they believe the paneling dates to the building’s construction.

Once they fully grasped how much of the original building remained intact — besides the woodwork the doors were original and the concrete vault had been untouched — the historical society decided to reconstruct the bank on the first floor and use the second floor for storage.

The cost of such an extensive project might seem like a tall order for a volunteer group with about 50 members, but Hotchkiss said the historical society was in a good position financially.

The group received several sizable grants to support the restoration of the tin shop, which helped keep it from depleting its funds on that project.

The group has also had some generous donations over the years, including a significant bequest, which it has been careful to spend judiciously, Hotchkiss

Jim Hotchkiss and Allie Proud, of the Mexico Historical Society, stand in front of the teller station in the historic bank building the historical society is restoring. They plan to offer tours this summer.

said. They’re also hoping to secure grant money to help complete the project.

After the green paint was removed from the oak paneling a cabinet maker carefully repaired the damaged areas.

The furnace and duct work were replaced and the electrical outlets and boxes were redone. A bathroom was torn out and the vault was repaired and painted. A new wooden floor is being installed. The original teller station was gone so workers built one using a set of period counters from a former pharmacy in town.

While there’s still some other work to do, Hotchkiss said the biggest remaining tasks are repointing the exterior brickwork and replacing the large front window, which isn’t original.

A portion of the original window was bricked up with modern bricks, which don’t match the building. A mason will need to remove the modern bricks, fill in part of the modern window and rebuild the original window space.

Proud said they’ve acquired period bricks that will match the building. She said they hope to have the window work done in the summer at which point they can finish the paneling restoration.

In the meantime, the historical

60 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS JUNE / JULY 2022

society has been researching what the bank’s interior might have looked like and collecting donated items to furnish it, including several desks. They’ve acquired a scale and a century-old cash register from an old store in town. They also have an original note printed by the bank — it was once common for banks to print their own money — and plan to reproduce sheets of the bank notes.

Proud said they’re still working out some of the details, such as what light fixtures they can install without detracting from the historic feel of a space that had no electrical lighting.

She said they’re considering an electric chandelier and flood lights that are hidden from view. There’s also the question of how to present the vault. Since it no longer holds people’s valuables, she says they haven’t decided what to fill it with.

Hotchkiss says they plan to open the bank building for tours this summer.

Although the process of restoring the building has taken several years, he said the final product will be worth the wait.

“We could have left it, but it was too nice to do that,” he said. “We thought we’ve got one museum here, why not a second one?”

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Photo by Chuck Wainwright

COVER STORY

Novelis’ First

FEMALE PLANT MANAGER Kristen Nelson oversees more than 1,000 employees and runs one of the largest manufacturing firms in CNY. One of her most important roles, however, is to mentor other women to reach higher positions, she says.

By Steve Yablonski

K

risten Nelson is the first female plant manager at the Novelis facility in Scriba.

“I am the first. But I am certain I will not be the last,” she said.

She started Jan. 31—following the retirement of Jeff Cruse.

“I was born in Johnson City, New York; moved to New Hampshire shortly after birth,” she said.

She considers New Hampshire to be where she grew up and New York “to be my home off and on for many years.”

Nelson has an older sister, in California. “She escaped the snow many years ago. She works for Meta in HR with their recruiting group,” she said.

Regarding her age, Nelson explained, “I’m the type of person who feels like age is just a number. We all come with different experiences throughout our life and that contributes to who we are and who we develop to be. That’s my belief.”

She attended Clarkson University, graduating in 2007, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering. Then she joined Anheuser-Busch at its Baldwinsville plant.

“After that, I started my career with Novelis in Oswego and spent about seven years [here] before becoming plant manager at Novelis’ facility in Warren, Ohio. I’ve joked that Ohio is the furthest south I’ve ever lived. Apparently, I’m drawn to cold, snow and being able to experience all four seasons at their finest,” she said of her return to Central

New York.

Most of her early career was in maintenance and reliability. She became a certified maintenance reliability professional and is a certified reliability leader. At Anheuser-Busch, she mostly focused on maintenance and reliability.

“I did spend a little time there in operations as well. While I was there I found my real passion was around maintenance and reliability,” she explained. “It’s about improving your equipment’s longevity so you can go longer in between seeing down time.”

CHANGES “I was looking for a change in my career. I wanted a little bit more of a challenge. I joined Novelis in 2012 as a reliability engineer, which was a very exciting time as we’d just announced a capital investment for our automotive finishing lines,” she said. “I was early in my career and wanted to explore my options, but knew I wanted to continue my career in manufacturing.

“Through manufacturing, I’ve had the benefit of learning different aspects of business, which reach far beyond traditional education. The fast pace leads to no two days feeling the same and highlights the truest sense of teamwork. I’d encourage anyone who is interested in a rewarding career to try manufacturing. Although manufacturing is a largely male-dominated space, women have played an important

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role in manufacturing since the world wars. I believe they’ll continue to be strong contributors in the future.”

“I wouldn’t say it’s difficult for women to advance [in manufacturing].

There’s a low to high 30% women represented in manufacturing. So it’s still relatively low; we don’t have the overall population of women. I think it’s gone up over time. But I would say the progress has been pretty slow... overall with women being in higher level positions as well. I see that one of my roles is also mentoring folks who want to get to that level, especially women,” she added.

FAMILY SUPPORT When the opportunity came up to be plant manager in Warren, there was a lot of family discussion.

“I have a husband [Anders] and two boys [Anders II and Emmanuel], 10 and 6, so they’re both relatively young.

I think it’s always a challenge when you’re discussing these opportunities with your families. Especially your kids; because they don’t have the full context of the situation and what that means for them and what it means for their parents and the whole dynamic. It’s certainly challenging,” she said. “I’m incredibly thankful of how supportive my family has been in my transition to Ohio as well as back to Central New York.”

The family is excited to be returning to the Central New York area and is still looking for the right place to settle in, she said.

“I’ve had an interesting journey. I was born outside of Binghamton and moved to New Hampshire,” she ex-

for,” she recalled with a smile. “But I will say, he instilled a lot of good qualities in me that I hold to this day.”

MAVERICK “I always felt like I needed to demonstrate to myself that I could go out and do these things on my own. So I remember, I think I was a junior in high school, I’d always worked with my dad during the summer and I was like ‘you know, I really want to do something different—prove to myself that I could go out and get a job, and do that on my own.’ So I wound up that summer working at Barnes and Noble, which was fantastic,” she said. “I always felt this need to go out and show myself that I can do that. So, I did not stay in the ’family business.’”

When she was looking at colleges for engineering, she “was looking all over the place.”

“I went to Clarkson University when I was looking at different schools.

Clarkson felt right to me. I went to a very small high school; there were very small class sizes. Clarkson felt right,” she said. “After I went there, I just sort of stayed in the area; had an opportunity at Anheuser-Busch. That’s where my husband and I settled down in our early years.”

“I wouldn’t say there’s any particular training I went through or experienced to get ready for a role like this. I think there is a lot of ties between continuous improvement and that mentality that can help support a person going to a career like this,” she explained.

“I wouldn’t say it’s difficult for women to advance [in manufacturing]. There’s a low to high 30% women represented in manufacturing. So it’s still relatively low; we don’t have the overall population of women.

I think it’s gone up over time. But I’d say the progress has been pretty slow.” plained. “We moved so my dad could start his own architectural mill working company. He had it for many years and then decided to retire and sell it.”

She didn’t go into the ‘family business.’

“I worked with Dad for the summers and school breaks when I was a lot younger. He was a tough guy to work

In her senior year at college, she started thinking about careers, what she wanted to do with her life. “I was very set on moving into a career like design engineering. I didn’t even have manufacturing on my radar at all until I visited Anheuser-Busch at a career fair and they decided to interview me. I was talking with other companies as well,

64 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS JUNE / JULY 2022

but that sort of opened up my eyes to manufacturing.”

“It’s interesting when I reflect on that moment of time — I really, really thought I wanted to be a design engineer,” she continued. “Now, where I am today—I cannot picture myself being a design engineer because manufacturing is so fast-paced, no two days are the same. You have opportunities to change direction throughout the day and work in teams. You don’t always have that in a very design specific role. So, reflecting back, I think I made a terrific choice! I just didn’t realize it at that time.”

STEM SUPPORTER She’s a strong supporter of early exposure to STEM activities to build the future technical leaders. In Ohio, she partnered with Youngstown State University to introduce Novelis and manufacturing careers in general to college students. “I’m honored that I was named a STEP Ahead Nominee by the Manufacturing Institute in 2021,” she said.

In March, students in the Oswego County Pathways in Technology Early College High School program put their critical thinking and engineering skills to the test during a conveyor belt-building competition at CiTi. It was designed and sponsored by Novelis.

“I didn’t realize how impactful some of the opportunities that I had when I was really, really young shaped me mentally to move into more of a STEM path. Having folks come to school and share STEM activities in the classroom and having opportunities to go to one-day lessons or camps to be with other kids that were showing more of an interest in math and science — those really shaped me when I was young,” she said. “I’ll say I had a natural draw toward math and science when I was younger. Those were typically the courses I was most successful in in school. As time progressed, that just felt more and more natural for me. Sometimes, we are drawn to things that come more naturally. That was sort of my path there.”

“The other interesting thing about my childhood and growing up is my aunt is an aeronautical engineer. She works for FAA. She had some influence as well as being a role model for me as a young girl growing up,” she said.

Nelson recognizes there are many characteristics necessary to be a good leader — including trust, integrity, respect, honesty, connection, communication and more.

“For me, some of the key characteristics of a good leader are listening to others and being empathetic. Listening to the perspectives of others and being open to feedback and new ideas helps us all to learn and grow personally and professionally. It also creates an environment built on trust where people have a safe space to share their ideas and fosters an environment of inclusion,” she said.

“Empathy is also a key to strong leadership because it allows us to tap into the emotions of others and connect through understanding what it means to be in their situation. Empathy allows us to be more mindful in the balance between the intensity of reaching business results and compassion for employees needs.”

Her personal motto is: “Together we made what seemed impossible a reality.”

“It highlights that each individual is unique, holding different knowledge and perspectives. In order to solve incredibly complex challenges, we need all of our ideas to build upon one another and push our perceived limitations,” she explained.

There’ve been many people throughout her life that have influenced her— “from my parents, to grandparents, my partner and children, and close colleagues that have mentored me throughout my career,” she said.

“The influence that sticks out most in my memory is not a person but rather the experiences I was able to have in my early education.”

For example, she cited the opportunity to go to an all-girls one-day STEM leadership camp in third grade.

“Of course, it wasn’t called STEM then. I attended with kids from multiple school districts. We were asked to select a profession for a ‘day in the life’ experience. We lived a day in the life of a veterinarian, doctor, architect, pilot, engineer etc. and got to complete activities that highlighted STEM concepts, but in fun playful way,” she recalled. “Another memorable experience was the time we had an aeronautical engineer come into the classroom to show us how to make our own rocket ships. Even the times my parents let me come up with crazy inventions, build them to try to see if they work or not, were influential for me. It was the nurturing of curiosity from many people in my life that influenced me down any path I chose.”

Her family keeps her “very active and busy.”

“We enjoy outdoor activities like hiking, biking, skiing, snowshoeing and camping,” she said. “Our family

also has a tradition where every year on birthdays each person gets to pick a theme for their cake and I design it. I’ve completed themes such as Darth Vader, Bumblebee, Paw Patrol, Mandalorian, Amethysts and dinosaurs.”

She has a dog, Zoey, and two cats, Tommy and Sharky.

The dog is a dachshund shepherd mix.

Huh? “Everyone has that look on their face when I say that,” she laughed.

“She’s got the body of a dachshund and she’s got the coat of a shepherd and I’d say the personality of a shepherd as well.”

Nelson’s favorite author is John Steinbeck “for his ability to connect with audiences across a scale of social and economic perspectives.” Her favorite TV show is “Top Chef”—or really any

cooking show. She loves food and trying new flavors and tastes.

“Chefs are like artists and watching them blend flavors and techniques interests me,” she said.

What does the future hold?

“I don’t know. If I had a crystal ball I think I might be doing something different,” she said. “I’ve always been a person who has been really content doing what I’m doing now and doing it as best I can.

“That’s one of my favorite things about Novelis and manufacturing.

There are so many opportunities to learn and grow inside of your career or discipline in one spot. But there are also other opportunities that come up. What the future holds, I’m not quite sure. I’m definitely happy to be here and enjoy what I’m doing right now.” ❖

MORE WOMEN IN KEY POSITIONS AT NOVELIS

K

risten Nelson may be at the top of the hierarchy at the Novelis in Scriba, but she is not the only one in key roles at the local plant.

“There are a few other female managers at Novelis’ Oswego facility as well at Novelis North America and globally as well,” she said.

Audrey Haynes was just promoted from the cold mill manufacturing unit manager to the plant’s manufacturing excellence manager.

She has been with Novelis for some time in a variety of roles starting out in engineering.

And Jocena Cook, manager, world class manufacturing.

She has been with Novelis since 2012 as well. She has had roles in supply chain operations and continuous improvement.

➤ From Jocena Cook

“It’s important to recognize the value you bring to a team simply by being yourself and having your own unique experiences and perspectives.

“Each day I strive to be the best version of me. Performing well, challenging colleagues, collaborating outside of my comfort zone and making people laugh are some of the ways I show up as the best me, which motivates others to think differently

and get engaged.

“Don’t be afraid to speak up for what you believe in and bring your true, best self to every situation.”

➤ From Audrey Haynes

“Regardless of the industry you are in, work shouldn’t feel like a chore. Find something you’re passionate about and go after it. Job satisfaction and work-life balance are too important to put on a back burner for a 40ish-year career. Have fun, be creative and make it your own. Reach beyond your comfort zone because that’s when we grow.

“I enjoy the manufacturing environment: taking aluminum through its lifecycle, starting with various forms of scrap and processing it into our final product for multiple industries, taking it through the full process an infinite number of times. Every employee has a hand in making the process safer, more efficient, improving quality, building resources, etc. which impact all of our metrics.

“And specific to Novelis, I appreciate our culture; we’re a family and it’s kept me here nearly 17 years so far. I enjoy the collaboration— supporting and building up others to make the whole team stronger and the pride I feel when they succeed.”

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MANUFACTURING

Laura Miller, general manager at Darco Manufacturing in Syracuse. “If we can communicate better, we’ll be able to attract more women,” she says.

Closing the Manufacturing Gender Gap Could women bolster the manufacturing sector?

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

T

A young woman works in a factory, learning how to use the CNC machine.

Photo: GettyImages

he U.S. Department of Commerce estimates that American manufacturers will face a shortage of 2.4 million workers by 2028.

Because of this employment shortfall, they could lose nearly half a trillion dollars in lost GDP. According to The Manufacturing Institute, a think tank based in Washington, D.C., women account for less than one in three workers in the manufacturing industry, despite representing about half of the overall workforce. The lower percent of women in manufacturing has remained stable since 1970.

Locally, those statistics play out similarly. The NYS Department of Labor stated that in the Syracuse met-

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ro area, women comprise 27% of the manufacturing workforce and 49% of all the civilian workforce, both those working and those unemployed but looking for work.

The NYSDOL further stated that the manufacturing sector has added 400 jobs over the year ending in March 2022 in the Syracuse metro area.

As a growing industry, manufacturers must promote these opportunities among women. While COVID-19 has affected the workforce recently, longer term trends have been affecting manufacturing, including the vacancies left by retiring baby boomers. The NYSDOL estimates that 30% of the manufacturing workers in the Syracuse metro area are

55 and older. In a decade’s time, all of those workers will likely have retired.

The time to heavily recruit is now.

Public perception is part of the problem. Many people — women included — believe that manufacturing jobs are low-skill, dirty, knuckle-scraping, dead-end positions where workers use dangerous equipment.

The factory jobs of a generation ago focused on heavy equipment and tools stereotypically wielded by men then.

In the past 20 years, however, many of these jobs have become highly skilled, computer controlled and precision oriented. That is why the public’s view of manufacturing as an industry has become so important to organizations.

“The New York State Department of Labor actively tries to educate more women, jobs seekers and job changers about the many opportunities in the manufacturing field,” read a statement from the Department of Labor’s media relations office. “It is important for women to see themselves in these roles, something we do regularly as part of our ‘This Is Why’ campaign.”

The campaign includes videos on social media that showcase a variety of individuals — including women — in manufacturing roles. “This Is Why” also demonstrates the high-tech, precision nature of many modern manufacturing jobs. The videos also share that depending upon their company, workers in manufacturing may receive employer-funded scholarships that can help them pursue education to earn a higher income job in the industry.

In one “This Is Why” video, Shannette, a worker with Data Device Corp. in Bohemia, New York, proudly spoke about how the parts she helped make in advanced manufacturing will go to NASA and eventually go to space.

Others will go in Boeing’s airplanes.

Previously, Shannette had worked as a part-time retail worker and parttime babysitter, typically dead-end jobs with low pay and requiring a few basic skills. Her video features footage of several other women in a clean area using microscopes, handling computer motherboards, soldering, and handing precision equipment — all positive images of how far manufacturing has come. This kind of industry promotion also helps provide context and meaning to workers in manufacturing, underscoring how much manufacturing work matters.

The NYSDOL also hosts job and career fairs and encourages employers to offer mentorships, internships, job

YOUR GUIDE TO THE LARGEST BUSINESSES IN CENTRAL NEW YORK Free when you subscribe to Oswego County Business Magazine! www.OswegoCountyBusiness.com/subscribe

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“We should be doing more at the early years: elementary school, middle school and especially high school levels,” Marshall said.

“The more we can demonstrate the importance of manufacturing in our economy and how there’s a place for all women, we can continue to grow the interest, and therefore industry.”

Chandra Marshall, vice president and general manager of the Lockheed Martin Syracuse site

shadowing and registered apprenticeship programs, in part to engage women with the manufacturing industry. These points of engagement help women learn more about the industry, and realize that they can gain skills they need to succeed in skilled manufacturing.

New York’s registered apprenticeship program allows unskilled workers 18 and older to earn an education at no cost to them. In fact, they receive competitive pay while learning through on-the-job training. The program also includes classroom time. At the end of the apprenticeship, successful students receive a certification that qualifies them to work at a more advanced level and receive a higher wage. They are not required to work at the company where they received their apprenticeship, but many do.

As with manufacturing work itself, the apprenticeship program seems to suffer from a public perception problem. While it used to include a limited cadre of a few typically male-dominated industries like pipe fitters, plumbers and brick layers, the variety of apprenticeships involving skilled manufacturing include central sterile processing technician, CNC sawyer, CNC tool and cutter grinder, mold maker, plant

maintenance, quality assurance auditor, and toolmaker, among others. By fast tracking new hires to more advanced levels and not requiring completing a paid tuition style of education to get there, the apprenticeship program opens skilled manufacturing (and many other industries) to people of all economic levels.

Chandra Marshall, vice president and general manager of the Syracuse site of Lockheed Martin, believes that mentoring and education represent driving factors in drawing women to manufacturing as a career.

“We recognize that if we don’t nurture our own talent, they won’t be here long,” Marshall said. “Investment in our teams, whether through our formal mentorship program, apprenticeships, continuing education, training and leadership programs–it is a given here.”

She wants the industry to engage with females at younger ages so they realize that manufacturing may be an option they want.

“We should be doing more at the early years: elementary school, middle school and especially high school levels,” Marshall said. “The more we can demonstrate the importance of manufacturing in our economy and

68 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS JUNE / JULY 2022

how there’s a place for all women, we can continue to grow the interest, and therefore industry.”

Sometimes, communication makes a difference in attracting people to manufacturing as a career.

“Producers and engineers are not renowned communicators, so we tend let outsiders describe manufacturing to outsiders,” said Laura Miller, general manager at Darco Manufacturing in Syracuse. “This leads to confusion. One does not need to be a STEM expert to cross into a mythical land of ‘advanced’ manufacturing.’ Nor does one need to be a weightlifter. We need to better describe what we do, how many different roles there are, what it takes to start and what it takes to improve and move up. We need to talk about money and how an individual’s attributes can be seen and deployed in medium enterprise. If we can communicate better, we’ll be able to attract more women.”

The remuneration in manufacturing has increased in recent years.

According to the NYSDOL, the average weekly wage in manufacturing in the Syracuse metro area is $1,389, which is more than $72,000 annually.

Considering the increase in skill among manufacturing workers, the increase in pay makes sense. It can also help families better afford childcare.

Since more women are typically the stay-at-home parent, this means more women who want to work in these roles can better afford do so.

While the shortage in manufacturing workers will likely remain a problem for a while, manufacturers could expand their workforce by following the lead of the NYSDOL and actively recruit women.

Learning what today’s manufacturing industry is like would go a long way toward generating interest in working in it.

In addition to expanding recruitment to target women, manufacturers should also look at internal policies, particularly those involving maternal leave and caregiving of older adults (which usually falls to women) and sexual harassment. They should also ensure that the health benefit plan include plenty of services women need.

Providing lactation areas and appropriate corresponding policies would also help women feel that they belong. By ensuring the manufacturing environment both seeks and welcomes women, more women are likely to become interested in working in manufacturing.

Our core strength is our people.

Innovative. Growing. Global.

Join our team at our new fabrication facility in Phoenix, NY. Featuring competitive wages and other great benefits.

Apply at ejco.com/careers or call 315 699 2601

Chandra Marshall (Lockheed Martin) stands in front of an AN/TPS-77, a stateof-the-art ground-based air surveillance radar. Photo courtesy of Lockheed Martin.

MANUFACTURING

WOMEN IN MANUFACTURING From metal fabrication to radars and sensors to commercial printing, the following women are helping shape, strengthen and redefine manufacturing in Central New York Profiles by Mary Beth Roach and Steve Yablonski

CHANDRA MARSHALL

Vice president of radars and sensors systems, general manager at Lockheed Martin

V

ice president of radars and sensors systems at Lockheed Martin, one of the nation’s leading defense contractors, Chandra Marshall is also the general manager of the corporation’s Syracuse site in the town of Salina.

Splitting her time between Syracuse and New Jersey, she oversees a division in Morristown; her workforce numbers approximately 2,800 full-time employees and subcontractors at both locations; and she manages a budget of at least $1.5 billion. She has been with Lockheed Martin for about 20 years and in her current role for the last 1 1/2 years.

Her work also includes the management of the orders, sales and earnings before taxes and interest (EBIT) for the radar work, and some investment work at the Syracuse location, employee morale, retaining and recruiting talent, and participating in diversity activities

within the organization.

The local plant manufactures electronic components that are used in radar, electronic warfare and sonar products on platforms in the air, on land and at sea. In conjunction with the manufacturing work at the plant, there is electrical and mechanical engineering; software development; quality engineers; contracts fields; international export; global sustainment, which is making sure customers are supplied with necessary spare parts and repairs; and supply chain, securing the materials needed to construct the equipment. It’s an area that, Marshall said, represents about 70% of the $1.5 billion budget.

Over the past couple of years, Lockheed Martin was awarded two

major defense contracts — the Sentinel A4 program and the three-dimensional expeditionary long-range radar, or 3DELRR program — that Marshall said will provide the company with production work for decades to come.

“Our job as leaders is to make sure we keep that factory full,” she said. “It allows us to have a nice, even cadence of production in the factory.”

With technology always advancing and global affairs constantly shifting, the work is demanding.

“It’s definitely a challenge from a technology perspective to make sure that what we’re building will keep pace with the threat that keeps changing,” she said. The software that is created allows them to upgrade equipment and keep pace without hav-

‘I always tell people this is my way of giving back for the men and women that are out there every day’

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ing to change out the actual hardware, which can be costly, time-consuming, and in some instances, unsafe to take equipment offline while making repairs.

In order to keep her teams up-todate, she has quarterly “all-hands” meetings, during which, she said, addresses the newest developments, customers’ concern, the threats, and how they’re doing. She also does quarterly webchats with employees, and quarterly “Chat with Chandra” sessions, in which she blocks off half her day, and people sign up for 15-minute slots when they can talk with her. The chats allow her to reach out to more people than she would be able to do otherwise.

Marshall said that her background is a little unique for Lockheed Martin.

She studied law for a while, earned a degree in political science, a master’s in public administration, and worked as a finance analyst for the New Jersey Office of Management and Budget.

However, in 2000, she said, Lockheed Martin was growing significantly internationally and had many opportunities. With legal background, she joined the organization in its export control business, helping to put in place the policy required to sell products internationally. From there, she went to the contracts organization, which also tied in with her legal experience. She then went into program management, and continued in different roles and responsibilities in that area. She also ran quality organization within the Integrated Warfare Systems and Sensors line of business.

With many members of her family in the military, she said she “jumped at the opportunity to join Lockheed Martin.”

“I always tell people this is my way of giving back for the men and women that are out there every day,” she said.

While her work in different programs throughout the company enabled her to learn its various aspects of the business, she credits her rise through the corporation, in large part, to good mentors she’s had along the way.

“Without that mentorship I probably wouldn’t be where I am today,” she said. “Growing up in this organization, I’ve always made it a point to mentor younger female engineers, to make sure that I was following their careers, advocating for them in different positions, and guiding them with their career and where to go.”

By Mary Beth Roach

CHRISTINE LINDSEY Director of human resources, Healthway

H

ealthway is a manufacturer of cleaning equipment and a global leader in air quality solutions. It is based in Pulaski.

“We’re a team of experts and industry leaders reimagining the world as a better, safer place. From homes to commercial buildings, we proudly design and engineer scalable, efficient air cleaning solutions for any environment,” said Christine Lindsey. “We’re at the forefront of the indoor air quality industry and we continue to develop revolutionary solutions that make a real impact.”

Lindsey is the director of human resources at Healthway. Her job entails “every part of the employee life cycle, from recruiting to on boarding to employee engagement and everything in between,” she said.

“I can say that I have been very fortunate to work for incredible companies that are very open to recruiting women. The challenge in manufacturing is getting women to look beyond the stereotypes and seek out roles in the field,” she said.

The company has 106 employees — 34 are female who have different job specialties, including mechanical engineer, assembly person, shipping/ repairs, customer success manager, staff accountant, executive assistant and accounting.

“We don’t keep official retention

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figures, but a couple of the females are some of the longest tenured employees here,” Lindsey said.

The company does not currently have incentives geared toward females, Lindsey said.

“But, we are working towards more females in visible roles, such as myself,” she added.

“In my experience, if women look to companies with disruptive technologies that are growing, they will typically find companies that ‘look’ a lot different than they might expect,” Lindsey said.

“Don’t be afraid to be the first; it might be challenging, but it will definitely be an opportunity to learn and grow.”

Upon graduation from Syracuse University with a MBA, Lindsey started her career in human resources at FedEx Ground in Syracuse.

“I had been with FedEx in increasing roles of HR for 10 years, when I decided to make the jump to Tessy Plastics [a mid-size manufacturer with six locations in Central New York] to become the director of human resources,” she said. “I spent 10 years with Tessy before making the decision to join HealthWay as the director of human resources.”

There has been a concerted effort by many companies to draw women into the manufacturing industry and retain them.

“First, it starts by making sure to mentor and encourage women on the manufacturing floor to pursue promotional opportunities because their experience and knowledge from ‘doing’ the work is indispensable. Second, it involves conversations — marketing, like this article, to show women what opportunities exist,” Lindsey agreed. “If you can’t see it, it’s harder to imagine being it. And third, I am always trying to talk to everyone about the allure of ‘making things.’ Every organization is better with a diverse employee population bringing all of their strengths together for a common goal.”

By Steve Yablonski

KIM VINCIGUERRA & DEBI ROTONDO Co-owners, Upstate Printing

K

im Vinciguerra and Debi Rotondo may be the co-owners of Upstate Printing, but the pair say that it’s important to them that the employees at their plant on Syracuse’s West Onondaga Street realize that they, too, feel a sense of ownership in the company.

They see their employees in the press rooms as craftspeople. As such, they will sometimes take the lead from them.

For example, if there is a problem with a piece of equipment or a certain product, they’ll have the employees meet directly with the vendors to discuss the problem and arrive

at a solution.

“They’re just as proud of what goes out this door as we are and just as passionate,” Vinciguerra said.

With 10 employees, Vinciguerra underscored how important it is to them to keep it “where we still know everybody and we’re still that family unit within our company.”

They celebrate birthdays and children’s achievements, she added.

The idea of family seems to permeate the business.

The company started in 1996 by Paul Vinciguerra, Kim’s husband, along with long-time friend and business partner, Jack Rotondo, Debi’s husband. Since Jack had his own business, Rotondo Warehouse, he was not involved in the day-to-day operation of the printing company, but Debi began there on day one.

The death of Kim’s husband prompted the two women to take charge of the printing business.

The business started on Corporate Circle, in East Syracuse, then moved to the Franklin Square area near downtown Syracuse. In 2014 when Upstate Printing took on some employees and customers from the now-defunct Scotsman Press, the company needed to expand. It had to decide whether to rent or buy a building. In 2015, Paul Vinciguerra purchased the former Lettergraphics site on West Onondaga Street, but one month later, he died unexpectedly. His share of the business transferred to wife Kim; Jack gave Debi his shares, and they opened the new building in 2016.

Today, Kim Vinciguerra and Debi Rotondo are co-owners, with Vinciguerra serving as president and CEO and Rotondo as CFO. Sons Pauly and Joshua Vinciguerra are also involved in the company, with Pauly in business development, estimating and production management, and Joshua assisting in social media.

Upstate Printing produces a wide array of material, from business cards to banners and T-shirts. It also offers mailing services and marketing support. Vinciguerra oversees a good deal of customer service and handles a lot of the promotional items, while Rotondo handles purchasing and accounting.

They share human resources responsibilities. Their focus is on nonprofits and their clients include Syracuse University, Helio Health, the Rescue Mission, Vera House, Rosamond Gifford Zoo at Burnet Park and several local events groups, like the Syracuse Jazz Festival.

Rotondo came to Upstate Printing with 20 years of retail experience, having been in the merchandising buying side of that field and then becoming a store manager. Entering into the printing business, she said that there was a learning curve, but she credits the employees at Upstate Printing and vendors with helping her maneuver that curve.

Vinciguerra had worked for a food distributor, but then became a stay-athome mother. When her children grew older, she got increasingly involved in the printing business.

Over its 26-year history, the business has grown to where moving to larger spaces was necessary. It has updated its inventory of equipment and processes and has added the mail house component to the business, which means, for customers, that Upstate Printing can not only print their materials, it can personalize them, sort them and mail them.

As with so many businesses, the

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COVID-19 pandemic has impacted Upstate Printing’s operation. They have remained open, but had skeleton crews, Rotondo said. But the greatest impact of the pandemic is being felt now, she said, with supply chain issues affecting their ability to secure paper, plates, plastic gloves and chemicals, for example.

“I would never tell you in 26 years that I couldn’t get a No. 10 envelope.

Not anymore,” she said.

Those issues aside, the co-owners are looking ahead to the business’ future, planning upgrades, updating the mailroom operation, continuing to invest in their digital equipment, and

JULIE TRUELL

Chief operating officer, LeRoi Inc,

J

ulie Truell started with LeRoi Inc. in 1996 as a customer service representative while attending college for business administration.

“The company was about a year old at that time and all departments were in the initial stages of development,” she said. “Even though I was in customer service, I assisted in all areas and wore many hats.”

Over the years, she has worked her way up to overseeing all aspects of the Oswego-based body piercing jewelry company.

“I continue to learn and streamline the operations. My position is chief operating officer of LeRoi Inc,” she said.

“I currently oversee all departments.”

LeRoi has 46 employees in nine different departments, she added.

The company started out with just five employees. And, as the company

increasing their social media presence.

“Our goal is to just stay on top of our equipment, get things that are going to make it faster, better,” Rotondo said.

“And stay true to who we are. We’re a quality house.”

While they may add a few more employees over time, they still plan to remain a relatively small company, which allows them to know their customers personally, Vinciguerra noted.

“We want to be big enough to stay small,” she said.

By Mary Beth Roach

Julie Truell started at the company as a customer service representative in 1996. Now she oversees for all aspects of the business, which employs 46 people.

has grown Truell has methodically built up each department adding multiple levels of management to increase manufacturing, efficiency and productivity.

The departments are: customer service, assembly and packaging, purchasing and inventory, machine shop, laser welding, lost wax casting, gold-smithing, finishing and polishing, accounting-accounts receivable-accounts payable.

Some weren’t readily convinced a woman could handle the position, Truell said.

“I have had to prove myself many times to vendors and other business contacts that I have the knowledge and

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aptitude to run a manufacturing operation of this size,” she said. “Because of this, I have diligently implemented a gender diverse environment which I believe leads to different perspectives, better communication, staff retention and an overall positive environment to work in.”

Women hold a variety of jobs at LeRoi. They range from customer service, assembly, fabricating metal shapes, grinding, polishing, laser welding, lost wax casting, stone setting, gold smithing and machine operations, according to Truell.

All of LeRoi’s manufacturing operations are considered light manufacturing.

The concern for safety is primarily in eye protection and protection from airborne dust and debris, Truell said.

“You can get very dirty with the compounds we use for polishing, but we have implemented state-of-the-art air filtration systems and all of the most current safety protocol. There are minimal dangers and the company is very safe to work for,” she added.

“We are very conscious about preventing burnout. We do our best to cross-train employees so that there are a variety of tasks that each of them can perform,” she said. “This allows us to reduce monotony and help our artisans stay motivated and focused.”

Currently, women make up about 30% of the people employed in manufacturing industries.

At LeRoi, it is closer to 45%.

LeRoi Inc. is a jewelry manufacturing company. It is an industry that is artistic in nature.

“Because of this, we attract a diverse culture of skilled artistic talent which currently includes 21 women,” Truell said.

“Nearly 50% of the applicants we have had for the last 27 years have been women. The company is run by a woman. I believe this has created a work culture here that naturally attracts more and more women each year.”

By Steve Yablonski

MELISSA KRAK

Office manager, EJ USA

W

omen hold various positions in the manufacturing field. Manufacturers have come to see that diversity boosts the bottom line, fosters a more dynamic and creative environment, and improves employee morale and retention, according to the U.S. Commerce Department.

EJ USA is the global leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of access solutions for the world’s growing infrastructure.

“From water and sewer, to drainage, telecommunication and utility projects, EJ has the solution to fit these project’s need,” according to Melissa Krak, office manager of EJ USA, Oswego County Industrial Park in Phoenix.

“The EJ legacy dates back to 1883 when our first manufacturing facility was built in East Jordan, Michigan,” Krak said. “Decades later, we are now a global enterprise that spans six continents — promoting innovation, quality and a commitment to customer service.”

Her current position is the office manager for EJ’s New York branch located in Schroeppel.

“I oversee the inventory we have in our yard, along with all deliveries and incoming shipments,” she said. “I am in charge of our inside sales personnel, CDL delivery drivers and yard opera-

tions where we handle all the materials stored for the various construction projects we will be servicing. Our team oversees all the construction projects that are bid throughout New York state and northeastern Pennsylvania.”

“On a normal day, we send out local trucks that deliver to Buffalo, Rochester, Albany and into northeastern Pennsylvania. We also manage truck loads shipped via common carrier to locations across the USA,” she added.

“I also provide customer service by sending quotes, processing orders, tracking shipments and scheduling project deliveries.”

“When challenges arise, we all work together as a team to provide the best solution for our customer,” she said, referring to sales, engineering and fabrication departments.

She graduated from SUNY Poly in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and with a minor in criminal justice.

“After working that summer as a swim instructor at the Canastota pool

Melissa Krak oversees general operations at the EJ USA plant in Schroeppel.

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75

and the swim facility manager at William Memorial Beach, I heard about the inside sales position from a family friend and I applied,” she said. “After a couple interviews, I was offered the position.”

With her prior experience in customer service and public relations, Krak said she thought she would be a great asset to the EJ team.

She started with EJ as an inside sales representative in February 2018.

“I was in this position for nearly four years,” she said. “In November 2021, I was promoted to office manager.”

Some of the current challenges her company is dealing with are staffing, regulatory requirements and supply

chain issues, she said.

EJ recruits new employees through Indeed, LinkedIn and other recruiting sites.

“We also participate in CiTi P-TECH and local BOCES programs, Krak added. “The involvement ranges from job shadows, internships and hosting engineering challenges.”

The company has more than 90 employees.

“We currently have eight women working in the office and some of those jobs include shipping and receiving clerk, production planning, purchasing, inside sales, and outside sales,” she said.

MICHELLE SHATRAU

by Harry Shatrau. In 1981, his children, Richard, Helena and Bob continued the operation. In 2019, Richard’s daughter — Michelle — assumed leadership.

“I’m the owner — so I own and operate NET & Die,” she said. “We are a machine shop in Fulton.”

Manufacturing is still a very male-dominated field.

“I think any woman you talk to will tell their own story of obstacles, discrimination that we have faced in our careers. There are so few women in manufacturing currently,” Shatrau said.

“But I think it is very different nowadays compared to when I started — probably been about 30 years since I’ve been out of college. So it is very different than

President and CEO, NET & Die

“M

y dad owned a machine shop, so I’ve always been in manufacturing. I kind of grew up in manufacturing,” said Michelle Shatrau, president and CEO of NET & Die. She earned her degree in engineering.

“I have always been in manufacturing. I have moved around a lot during my career. I moved all over the country for my career and then I came back to Central New York to take over the family business,” she said.

The company was started in 1966

By Steve Yablonski

76 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS JUNE / JULY 2022

it was back then. I think there are still obstacles. There still aren’t enough women in STEM careers.”

She said she was at a career fair recently trying to recruit more women into machining.

“There are very few women that go into machining or want to do machining. I am pretty much a proponent for getting female students into this career path,” she said.

“The thing that I like about having females in machining is we all tend to have our skills and I think women tend to be very detail-oriented. And, that lends itself very well to being a machinist. Machinists need to be very detail-oriented. They need to be focused on the minutiae of what they are doing,” she added.

When they go to a career fair, if she sees a female, “I am going to actively seek out the females to come and talk to us. We had one at Mohawk Community College recently and we were at a high school a bit before that. I will actively talk to the female students about not only careers in machining and manufacturing but also, you know, just STEM in general,” she said.

“The more I talk about those things — you and I didn’t know these were viable career options until somebody talked to us about them. So I think just talking about them in general allows it to be an option, so the students know that it is a viable option for them,” she said.

Things have been picking up for the company.

“Things have kind of held steady for us during the pandemic. Things never turned down for us. We were deemed an essential business because of the work we do. Things have really started picking up now, though. We just need more people,” she said. “That’s why we are spending a lot of time recruiting now. We spend quite a bit of time doing recruiting; me specifically. So if I’m not doing sales, I am doing recruiting.”

She is the only female currently in the organization.

“We did have one female machinist who had to leave the company for personal reasons. So, we are actively looking to hire more female machinists and machine operators,” she said.

“Hope we can get more female workers.

I talked to a few [recently]. And, I’ll say we probably had a half dozen stop by who were viable recruits. Two of them were females. So I think that they are out there. You just have to find them.”

By Steve Yablonski

TIFFANY MUNFORD

Owner and president, Punch and Die Metal Fabrication LLC

“H

onestly to just be a woman business owner in a male-dominated industry, I think, is a pretty big win for us. I like it.”

This, according to Tiffany Munford, owner and president of Punch and Die Metal Fabrication LLC, located on General Motors Drive in the town of Salina.

National statistics underscore Munford’s statement.

According to census figures, in 2016, women represented about 29% of the workforce in manufacturing.

Further highlighting her statement are several plaques and posters on one wall in her office. One is her Women Business Enterprise certificate from the city of Syracuse; second is a large poster of Rosie the Riveter, the iconic image of World War II used to recruit female workers for defense industries. The third is a metal sign etched with the words of one of her favorite quotes: “Not fragile like a flower, fragile like a bomb.”

From the large window in that office, she can view the 15,000 to 20,000 square-foot space below that houses her company as seven employees, one being her husband, Charles, work on various jobs. The company’s products can range from decorative wall art to large enclosures for some of National Grid’s substations.

Munford brings to the role a variety

of experience. She worked at Home Depot in the Syracuse area before moving with Charles to California, where he started doing industrial construction and she worked at a Home Depot there.

Eventually, she left there and went to work at the same company as Charles as a safety coordinator and an office assistant, but traveling became challenging, so they returned to Syracuse.

She returned to Home Depot and Charles went to work at the former Custom Sheet Metal. That company was picking up larger contracts, Munford said, and needed more help—and Munford, herself needed a change. She got a job at Custom Sheet Metal and worked both the shop and the office.

“Doing both, learning both,” she said. They were notified in 2018 that the business was being sold. The new owners would eventually partner with another entity and move to Boston. The Munfords, who are from the Central New York area and currently live in Syracuse, didn’t want to move. They decided to take on the metal part of the business and they retained some of their established customers.

She officially opened the business on Jan. 1, 2019.

The company turned a profit the first year, then hit a glitch in 2020 with the COVID-19 pandemic. While Punch and Die Metal Fabrication, as a manufacturer, could remain open during the shutdown, many of their customers were grappling with changes in their work production, which ultimately

“Not fragile like a flower, fragile like a bomb.”

Munford opened her business on Jan. 1, 2019.

impacted her company. But they were able to bounce back, she said, and last year, did a gross of $600,000.

While the company hasn’t reached $1 million yet, Munford has her eye on that benchmark.

“That’s my next goal,” she said.

“We’re getting there. It’s only our third year.”

Munford has other goals ahead for her company. An increase in building rent has her planning to move the company to a location on the south side of Syracuse this summer. Although the new space is smaller in square footage, the site has land on which she plans to expand. This location also brings them closer to many of their core customers and several vendors, she explained.

She has also received a $220,000 CFA (Consolidated Funding Application) grant. With the money, she plans for building improvements and machinery and for adding jobs. These grants are aimed at attracting businesses to the city’s south side. As part of the grant, she is required to add 10 jobs and she’s started to build up that number. The CFA monies are reimbursed after the recipients meet the necessary criteria.

Another facet of the business that might be considered an accomplishment in a manufacturing company, like Munford’s, is the sense of satisfaction that comes from creating something.

“You took it from being just a sheet of metal to something fabricated into something beautiful. You have something at the end of the day to show what you actually did,” she said.

The job doesn’t come without some challenges. Munford said she’d like to see more of a collaboration as opposed to competition among area sheet metal companies. “I think there’s more than enough work out there for all of us” she said.

Although she said she doesn’t encounter a sense of hesitancy often among others, there are some people, who, when talking with her, will still ask to speak to the boss. She simply tells them, “I am the boss.”

She has found resources through the WISE Women’s Business Center and CenterState CEO. WISE has also paired her with a coach, who had also been in manufacturing. The two meet monthly to talk things out with each other.

“Having that kind of support and another person that knows what you have to deal with on a daily basis is great,” she said.

By Mary Beth Roach ❖

JUNE / JULY 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

77

MANUFACTURING LEFT Cayuga Community College’s Advanced Manufacturing Institute had support from private and public partners in the region, including leading employers Novelis and Huhtamaki. Pictured are Novelis director of human resources Andrew Quinn, left, and Huhtamaki plant manager Mark Southwick.

Advanced Manufacturing Institute Becomes Reality It enables students to be job-ready

By Steve Yablonski

I

t’s “a vision” come true. Cayuga Community College’s Advanced Manufacturing Institute officially opened on May 5.

The new facility is geared toward supporting the current and future workforce as well as regional employers.

“The opening of the Advanced Manufacturing Institute is a vision Novelis has shared with Cayuga Community College and our industry partners for many years,” said Kristen Nelson, plant manager, Novelis.

“Huhtamaki is excited to celebrate the opening of the Advanced Manufacturing Institute with Cayuga Community College, as well as with our industry and workforce development partners,” said Mark Southwick, Huhtamaki plant manager.

Situated on the college’s Fulton campus, the AMI is designed to support students seeking a degree or certificate, as well as members of the workforce who are looking for short-term training to advance their career or learn a new skill. Located adjacent to the college’s primary building, the AMI is a 7,800-square-foot facility that features industrial power and networking to support training units in pneumatics, hydraulics, motors, piping and industry-grade programmable logic controls stations, and a classroom for instruction.

Credit and non-credit classes started in the AMI earlier this spring.

The institute will play a pivotal role in preparing the current and future workforce to continue the proud manufacturing tradition in Oswego County

78 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS JUNE / JULY 2022

and Central New York, according to Brian Durant, Cayuga president.

The project was in the works for several years. Construction started in earnest in 2020-2021 and was finished earlier this year.

“Several partners supported the project with funding and design input, particularly Novelis, Huhtamaki, Operation Oswego County, the County IDA, and the Cayuga County Community College Foundation,” Durant said. “SUNY and the Oswego County Manufacturers’ Consortium were also supporters of the project.”

“Our Advanced Manufacturing Institute is a unique facility that will support students and the workforce but also employers looking for skilled employees who are ready to contribute on their first day,” said Keiko Kimura, Cayuga’s vice president of workforce development and partnerships. “We’re confident students and those seeking short-term training will find the AMI an invaluable resource as they take the next step in their education or career.”

Because construction was ongoing this semester, they only had one credit class in the facility and some noncredit programs. This will increase in the fall semester, Durant said.

“In terms of students, this is going to be a different approach than the traditional manner of determining enrollment. Yes, we’ll have programs designed for students to earn a degree or a certificate. But we’ll also be offering apprenticeship programs, workshops and non-credit courses to support current employees who need to learn a new skill,” Durant explained. “So some students will earn a degree and take courses over multiple semesters, while others may take one or two courses, whether credit or noncredit, to upskill and continue their career.”

“Our community came together to create a world-class facility that will provide strong technical training that integrates manufacturing core competencies and hands-on experience to educate students to meet the needs of the advanced manufacturing industry,”

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Southwick agreed. “The Huhtamaki team looks forward to continuing to support and partner with the institute, their students and the Oswego County community as we collectively continue our efforts to strengthen our region.”

“Giving area students the tools they need to be workforce-ready empowers the students to lean into interesting careers and creates a pipeline that is essential to area manufacturers,” Nelson, Novelis’ plant manager, added. “Our team looks forward to the opportunity to work closely with the institute to develop the next generation of skilled workers for years to come.”

Ultimately, the goal with any program or non-credit course that utilizes the AMI is for the participating students to learn the skills they need to succeed in their chosen industry, and to help the employers identify talented employees that will help their businesses succeed, Durant said.

Faculty ready “We have several faculty dedicated to instructing courses and programs that will use the AMI. Currently, the college has an industrial maintenance facilities certificate and an electromechanical system fundamentals microcredential students can earn through programs at the AMI, along with other classes related to hydraulics, pneumatics, electrical motor controls and other soft skills such as effective workplace communication and working in teams,” Durant said.

“We’re working with local industries to research establishing new workforce training credentials to address ongo-

ABOVE A sample of the high-tech equipment available to students in the new facility.

ing technical skills and trades.”

It is “absolutely possible” to expand and update in the future, he said.

“In the facilities surrounding the AMI, there are thousands of available square feet for potential expansion.

In the future that could mean more hands-on training stations, additional equipment or extra classrooms,” he said. “The facility was designed to be a flexible training space that can accommodate different types of skills needed in advanced manufacturing.”

A two-fold goal “This was and will be a project with a two-fold goal — one, to prepare the current and future workforce for successful careers in manufacturing. Two, to partner with employers by teaching the skills they identify as critical to becoming a qualified employee. That way, both the employee and employer benefit,” Durant explained. “We will work with employers to have a strong sense of what skills, training and knowledge they need their employees to have. So, as new industries come in or as current industries grow and have a demand for employees with new or different skills, we’ll adapt our curriculum as quickly as possible to support them. That might mean a whole new degree program or a series of noncredit classes. It will depend on the situation and what our students and employers need.”

80 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS JUNE / JULY 2022

“The goal for students who earn degrees or certificates through the programs at the AMI, or those members of the workforce who take a noncredit course, is to find successful employment in their chosen industry. Of course, we hope our students stay local and we’re working with our industrial partners to make sure the students learn the skills they need to find employment in Central New York,” he continued. “This is a practical, common-sense approach: Provide the students the training they need to begin a manufacturing career or continue their manufacturing career, and thereby build a talented pool of current or potential employees for our regional manufacturing partners.”

Programs available through the AMI will feature flexible, diverse curriculums designed to offer students excellent instruction and training to start their careers. A broad range of stackable certifications and credentials combining workshops, credit and noncredit opportunities and apprenticeships will be available.

The AMI is the latest capital project supporting students and the surrounding community completed at Cayuga.

In 2019, the college opened its new childcare center and in 2021, it opened its culinary institute. Both are located in Auburn.

The college has also started construction on a Workforce Development Center in the city of Auburn, which, when completed, will situate career and community support agencies in the former Cornell Cooperative Extension Center on Grant Avenue.

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81

MANUFACTURING

P-TECH Program Continues to Excel Program has seen records number of applicants: 24% of them female.

Graduates earn on average $56,000 after they get employment

By Steve Yablonski

T

he Oswego County P-TECH program provides students a high school Regents diploma, a costfree associates degree and workforce development programming for those interested in pursuing career pathways in the field of advanced manufacturing.

Operating since 2016, P-TECH — Pathways in Technology Early College High School — is a collaborative partnership between K-12 school districts, Onondaga County Community College and local manufacturing facilities.

Freshman students from nine school districts in Oswego County are eligible to apply to the program and have up to six years to complete requirements.

“The program was designed to provide a direct pathway for students to enter the workforce with middle class jobs and a college degree that would assist in fulfilling an anticipated workforce gap in the field of advanced manufacturing due to anticipated growth in manufacturing along with an aging workforce,” P-TECH principal Brian Heffron said.

It gives students a pride and ownership of finding a lucrative career

in Oswego County where they could grow families and contribute to local economies, he said.

There are about 38 P-TECH programs around the state currently. It started in a Brooklyn high school. The model was a partnership between higher education and industry to serve students, to help them transition from high school, through college and into industry.

In 2021, the program had 10 graduating students with a cost-free college degree in electric or mechanical technology from Onondaga Community College and entering full-time employment in manufacturing facilities throughout Oswego County and Central New York.

In May of 2022, 23 students graduated from the program; 15 have already accepted full-time jobs or internship in facilities such as Huhtamaki, Novelis, Davis-Standard, Lockheed Martin, Carrier and more, Heffron said.

“With students continuing to interview with our partners, we’re on track to meet our goal of having 100% of our graduating class enter the workforce immediately upon graduation,” he added.

The jobs students are entering into from the program range from production to lab to mechanical or electric technicians. Pay rates for starting salaries range from $20 per hour to $33 per hour. This puts the average starting salary for P-TECH graduates north of $56,000 per year, according to Heffron.

Keep in mind, students graduate from the program with zero school debt, he pointed out.

“Oswego County P-TECH graduates are choosing to live and work in our county to launch their careers, contribute to their local economies and put an end to false narrative that one must leave Central New York to chase opportunity,” Heffron said.

The program’s strong relationship with Onondaga Community College has resulted in students experiencing academic success in college and graduating earlier then compared to the national averages. Students in P-TECH are not taking remedial classes; they’re entering credit-bearing coursework as early as 10th grade.

More than 35 mentors, representing 12 different manufacturing facilities in the region, are meeting frequently with students beginning in ninth grade and providing critical guidance that is steering students toward success in the classroom and in the jobsite.

The industry partners don’t just sign on and say, “We support the program.”

“They are boots on the ground, actively involved and helping the students succeed,” Heffron said.

Recruitment

Top Row: Grant Williams, Joe Murphy, Christian McKay, Cooper Dawson, Austin Schouten, Bottom Row: Laurrie Starbird, Principal Brian Heffron, Sadie Lurcock, Faith Johnson 82 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS JUNE / JULY 2022

The program is coming off one of its most successful recruitment years.

More than 90 students toured the facilities of industry partners over the past winter and 70 applications have been submitted.

Of the students who applied to

the program this year, 24% are female students, Heffron said.

“I project that student interest in the program will continue to grow as the stories of our students successfully graduating and entering middle class jobs reach other students, parents and our local community leaders,” Heffron predicted.

Women make up only 28% of the workforce in science, technology, engineering and math.

“Collaborating with our school districts, local industry and Onondaga Community College, we have set our goals on increasing female representation in the program. That work goes beyond attracting, recruiting and retaining female students to our STEM pathway,” Heffron said. “To close the STEM gap, we have teamed up with our partners in outreach activities that aim to send the message that girls are as capable as boys.”

This includes working with parents to encourage their daughters to pursue programs such as P-TECH. “We must do a better job connecting students with role models who students can see themselves in becoming,” Heffron explained. “That is what is exciting about P-TECH. Our female graduates who now work in the manufacturing facilities are returning to the program to mentor a new generation of diverse talent. As one of our recent female graduates said, ‘Seeing was believing.’”

P-TECH financial sustainability The P-TECH program is funded through a New York State Education Department grant and shared costs amongst the county’s nine component school districts. Its first grant cycle started in 2016 and ends at the conclusion of the 2021-2022 school year. However, it recently received permission by NYSED to apply for renewed funding that will run through 2028.

“We have been collaborating hard with our local leaders and other agencies to find additional ways to provide support to ensure the program can grow and meet the demands of our local manufacturing industry which continues to project a growing gap in workforce needs and availability of skilled applicants in our region,” Heffron said, adding, “I’m hoping to spend less of my days explaining what P-TECH is to our local leaders and shift the narrative to how P-TECH can grow in its role as an economic engine for our region.” ❖

The students pictured are all P-TECH students from across Oswego County working on the P-TECH Challenge. The event was organized by Novelis and hosted by CiTi. The event was held at CiTi’s campus in Mexico.

P-TECH STUDENTS COMPETE IN INDUSTRY CHALLENGE

S

tudents in the Oswego County Pathways in Technology Early College High School program put their critical thinking and engineering skills to the test during a conveyor belt-building competition in March.

Held at CiTi, the competition, designed and sponsored by P-TECH partner Novelis Inc., consisted of 65 students from three cohorts.

Teams were challenged to design and build a conveyor belt system capable of efficiently transporting large volumes of scrap metal to keep up with growing customer demand. Using provided materials, students constructed small-scale conveyor belt systems similar to those Novelis uses for sheet metal production.

“What made the Industry Challenge special was that P-TECH graduates, who now work full time for Novelis, assisted in the projects’

design and implementation,” Oswego County P-TECH Principal Brian Heffron said. “Our current students were able to see first-hand where the P-TECH pathway will take them and the importance of P-TECH alumni giving back what they can to assist in our future graduates’ success.”

The competition ended with awards being given to the winning teams.

“Novelis is incredibly proud of our longstanding partnership with P-TECH as part of our commitment to supporting STEM education and career readiness in our community,” said Kristen Nelson, plant manager, Novelis Oswego. “Students in the P-TECH program don’t just learn technical skills; they learn to get curious, be creative and collaborate with a team to develop innovative solutions. These are the skills that will help them flourish in STEM-related careers with great employers like Novelis.”

The P-TECH program has about 150 enrolled students, 65 of whom are eligible for internships or preparing to enter the workforce.

JUNE / JULY 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

83

L. Michael Treadwell ooc@oswegocounty.org

Programs Facilitates Manufacturing Development and Growth

O ‘Operation Oswego County (OOC) is a Small Business Administration (SBA) certified development company and is authorized to finance projects using the SBA 504 loan program’

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.

peration Oswego County and the County of Oswego Industrial Development Agency administer a variety of programs and initiatives targeted to manufacturing businesses, both small and large, looking for financial and property development assistance for a project.

Financing Operation Oswego County (OOC) is a Small Business Administration (SBA) certified development company and is authorized to finance projects using the SBA 504 loan program, which is designed to promote economic development growth and job creation in small businesses.

The program can make the overall financing structure for a new or expanding manufacturer more attractive and affordable. The SBA 504 program offers accessible, fixed-rate, long-term financing for land, buildings and equipment. This program is available for businesses with less than 500 employees and can finance up to 40% of the fixed assets up to $5.5 million, with some minimum job creation and retention requirements. This program is attractive due to the low business equity requirement of 10%, allowing up to 90% financing between the SBA and a partici-

Looking from the mezzanine down to the floor below at United Wire Technologies. United Wire Technologies benefited from COIDA EDF Funding when expanding their facility in the town of Constantia.

84 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS JUNE / JULY 2022

pating bank.

For very small manufacturing businesses, whose owner has completed the Micro Enterprise Training Program (MEP), there is the MEP loan. This financing program is ideal for very small businesses with five or less employees. This program can finance up to $25,000 of business expenses and can be used for a variety of uses, including real estate, machinery, equipment and working capital. If an eligible manufacturing project requires a larger funding pool, the MEP loan can be used in conjunction with other financing options. This program is administered by the County of Oswego IDA (COIDA).

COIDA also administers several Economic Development Fund (EDF) programs that were designed to create and retain jobs through the expansion of existing or creation of new businesses, to increase the County’s tax base, to help diversify the county’s economic base, and to improve the quality of life in Oswego County. COIDA EDF financing may be used to purchase machinery and equipment, inventory or to provide working capital. When used to purchase machinery and equipment, the funds are typically structured in the form of a lease. Financing from EDF programs are between $50,000 and $250,000, but can be smaller based on need.

Examples of manufacturing businesses who have benefited from COIDA EDF funding include: K&N’s Foods USA in Fulton; HealthWay Home Products in Richland; United Wire Technologies in Constantia; Universal Metal Works in Fulton; Marmon Enterprises in Williamstown; Design Concepts & Enterprises in Hastings; and R&D Design and Associates in Schroeppel.

Another loan program used by COIDA is the USDA Intermediary Relending Program (IRP). The IRP program offers short-term, fixed rate loans. This is a unique program that was capitalized by the agency borrowing funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and relending these funds to eligible businesses. Similar to the SBA 504 program, the IRP requires a minimum

Economic Trends

EJ USA utilized the County of Oswego Industrial Development Agency’s straight lease transaction incentives when building their new facility in the Oswego County Industrial Park, Schroeppel. Pictured is a welder at the plant.

10% cash equity into the project and the IRP funds cannot fund more than 50% of the project cost. IRP loan proceeds may be used to purchase machinery and equipment, inventory, or to cover soft costs, start-up costs and working capital. Loans can be made with IRP funds as small as $20,000 and up to $250,000. The IRP financing program is targeted to the more rural areas of Oswego County outside the cities of Oswego and Fulton.

Local manufacturers that have used the IRP program include Designer Hardwood Flooring in Williamstown; Fulton Tool in Fulton; Universal Metal Works in Fulton; and, D&D Logging & Lumber in Palermo.

Tax Incentives COIDA may also provide financial assistance to qualified manufacturing business applicants in the form of issuance of tax-exempt or taxable revenue

bonds or by participation in straight lease transactions for purposes of conferring real property tax, sales and use tax, and/or mortgage recording tax exemptions. These tax incentives are known as a payment in lieu of tax, or PILOTs for short. The length of the value of property tax abatement benefits for manufacturing projects according to COIDA’s uniform tax exempt policy is 20 years.

Manufacturers that have utilized the agency’s straight lease transaction incentives to grow and expand their businesses or to establish a business in Oswego County include the following: Novelis Corporation in Scriba; Huhtamaki in Fulton; EJ USA in Schroeppel; Felix Schoeller in Richland; LeRoi in Oswego; Pathfinder Industries in Fulton); and SAM North America in Schroeppel.

Technical Assistance OOC offers technical assistance to

manufacturing businesses wishing to submit a NYS Consolidated Funding Application (CFA) through the CNY Regional Economic Development Council. This single application provides applicants access to multiple state funding sources including Empire State Development grants and the Excelsior Tax Credit program. Currently, round 12 of the CFA is open for applications until 4 p.m., July 29.

These programs help to provide the means for eligible Oswego County businesses, large and small, to secure the financing and incentives they need to expand and grow. The programs can also be used to help a firm remain competitive thus helping to retain and maintain jobs in the County.

Site Development In an effort to further support manufacturing growth in Oswego County, the COIDA has developed plans and purchased land on the former Nestle site in the city of Fulton for a manufacturing start-up facility. It will house one or more small manufacturers at any given time and will provide them space to get established or grow. The intent is that they will graduate from the startup facility and expand into a building of their own within Oswego County.

COIDA has also contributed to further manufacturing growth in Oswego County by purchasing 185 acres of land adjacent to the existing Oswego County Industrial Park in the town of Schroeppel. The purchase doubled the size of the industrial park, which was nearly at capacity, and will provide the necessary space and infrastructure for larger industrial projects.

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MANUFACTURING FROM LEFT Mark Southwick, Tiffany Latino-Gerlock, Laura Miller

Top Challenges Facing the Manufacturing Industry Shortage or workers, lack of raw materials among problems facing the sector

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

M

anufacturing represents a vital part of America’s economy and, more specifically, Central New York’s economy. Unique challenges face today’s manufacturers, some of which they have never experienced before.

Obtaining the supplies they need is a new everyday struggle for many manufactures. Chandra Marshall, vice president and general manager of the Lockheed Martin Syracuse site, said that supply chain disruption is one of “the most challenging issues in manufacturing today.”

Without the right raw materials to make goods and the means to distribute what they make, manufacturers have suffered financial losses.

According to IHL Group, the retail sector in 2020 lost $1.14 trillion worldwide because of out-of-stock goods.

That does not count business to business or direct business to consumer sales.

“We have and will continue to work in concert alongside our customers and suppliers to ensure we can deliver products that keep military and civilians safe,” Marshall said.

86 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS JUNE / JULY 2022

Labor shortages have also been plaguing manufacturers. The retiring baby boomers and young people’s lack of interest in hands-on work are among the longstanding reasons for few skilled workers. The pandemic and its aftermath have exacerbated the problem.

“Filling open positions is also something we are focused on daily,” Marshall said. “We have been working with peers in the region and industry, as well as CenterState CEO, to address hiring needs and skill gaps.”

Retention is also one of Lockheed Martin’s strategies. Marshall said that competitive salaries, meaningful work and a good work environment are all part of the company’s retention plan.

For Huhtamaki, the largest manufacturing business in Fulton, it’s all about educating people.

“Our focus remains on education as we feel that it is the most critical element for the development of our labor pool in Central New York,” said Mark Southwick, Huhtamaki’s Fulton plant manager. “We want to provide opportunities to anyone looking to enter the manufacturing workforce and make sure that they can do that with a strong skillset.”

Partnering with organizations involved in labor, education and manufacturing has helped Huhtamaki recruit more workers. This includes the Oswego County Workforce Career Center; Oswego County P-TECH; CiTi (Center for Instruction, Technology & Innovation); Cayuga Community College; Workforce Development Institute, Manufacturers Association of Central New York (MACNY); and area high schools.

“We invite all businesses in our region to support these great organizations and help develop the workforce of the future,” Southwick said.

Tiffany Latino-Gerlock, speaking for MACNY, also said that the labor shortage is affecting the industry.

“It is definitely something that certain companies in manufacturing are dealing with in trying to find skilled labor,” she said. “There’s a major focus on workforce development initiatives.

Apprenticeship programs are part of that. We do a lot with our manufacturer’s intermediary apprenticeship program.”

The program allows students to undertake learning on the job along with classroom time to earn certification in their field; all while receiving pay

“Filling open positions is also something we are focused on daily.

We’ve have been working with peers in the region and industry to address hiring needs and skill gaps.”

Chandra Marshall, vice president and general manager of the Lockheed Martin Syracuse site, on labor shortages in the manufacturing sector.

for their work. The program costs the students nothing.

“We also have a career and talent platform,” Latino-Gerlock said. “We’re trying to help connect employers and employees. Manufacturing careers are really good careers for people. A lot of our members are focused on community and getting people started on their

career pathways.”

Rising costs and supply issues are another issue Latino-Gerlock listed.

She views reshoring manufacturing as one answer, as it would bring home the making of the parts and supplies manufacturers rely upon.

Inflation is another. It affects any business. Gas prices and prices of supplies are going up, it impacts any business.

As the economy adjusts and shifts to post-pandemic life, it’s tough for some companies to transition. Some were very busy during the pandemic; others not as much. Consumer demand is one of the large factors in driving some of the wildest swings.

“Our biggest challenge is handling the extra work and uncertainty from our customers,” said Laura Miller, general manager with Darco Manufacturing, Inc. in Syracuse. “Job shops are built to handle chaos, but nowadays everybody starts conversations with, ‘We’re crazy busy.’ You can hear exhaustion in people’s voices as they follow with, ‘Good problem to have.’”

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87

MANUFACTURING Façade and sign of Multi-Color Corp. on Morrill Place in Fulton. The plant closed earlier this year. It employed 40 workers.

Potential Buyer Eyes Closed Fulton Manufacturing Plant Opened in 1871 as the home to The Morrill Press, the facility has operated under various owners — until earlier this year

By Steve Yablonski

M

ulti-Color Corp., an Ohio-based company that operated the plant formerly known as The Morrill Press in Fulton, shut down its operations earlier this year.

However, the site at 6 Morrill Place might have a new occupant in the future.

There is a potential buyer for the facility, according to L. Michael Treadwell, executive director of Operation Oswego County. He didn’t disclose the name of the potential buyer.

“Our involvement has basically been providing some historic information that is needed to create the closing documents to sell the facility,” he said in early May. “I remain optimistic with all that Fulton is doing to enhance quality of life, improve safety and support the business community that economic development opportunities will continue to present themselves,” Fulton Mayor Deana Michaels said.

Established in 1916, Multi-Color is one of the largest label companies in the world. It was one of several printing

companies to occupy the Fulton plant that originally opened in 1871 as the Morrill Press.

Kevin Miles, plant manager, said in a previous interview that the decision to cease operations in Fulton was made to consolidate the Fulton business into other operations, as part of “aligning our manufacturing capacity and capabilities.”

“The decision was in no way a reflection upon the performance of the plant or the employees,” he added.

The plant had 40 employees, 37 full-time and three part-time.

In February, Mayor Michaels said she had been in contact with the management team at MCC and shared support for those impacted. “When we learned in late 2021 of the closing, we jumped into action, connecting local manufacturers with the MCC management team to help the displaced workers find a new job,” she said.

The building itself is owned by Sonoco. The company relocated its operation to another location. They

88 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS JUNE / JULY 2022

wound up leasing the facility to several different companies.

“Sonoco doesn’t have a need for that facility any more; they don’t want to be landlords,” Treadwell said. “So they put it on the market.”

The plant was sold to Sonoco Flexible Packaging in early 1990s and operated under that banner until December of 2003 when the company closed the Fulton plant.

Spear inherited Sonoco machinery and the workforce was educated on the latest pressure-sensitive technologies.

Constantia Flexibles Group, headquartered in Vienna, Austria, acquired Spear in April of 2013.

In November of 2017, Multi-Color completed the purchase of 23 of Constantia’s label operations, including Fulton’s. In July 2019, Platinum Equity acquired Multi-Color.

In July 2021, Platinum Equity announced the signing of a definitive agreement to sell Multi-Color to affiliates of Clayton, Dubilier and Rice.

RETIREMENT

Pros & Cons of Early Retirement

O

f course, early retirement means more time for yourself.

However, it also bears a few disadvantages. Here are some:

Early or Late Retirement?

Pandemic has been a major factor in people retiring early, says expert

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

I

n 2020, a TIME magazine story related that “as of February 2019, more than 20% of Americans over 65 were working or looking for work, nearly twice the 1985 rate.”

But recent years have tweaked this trend for a variety of reasons.

“Five years ago, I could say, ‘People are retiring later and here’s why,’” said Cynthia Scott, president of OMC Financial Services in Dewitt. “Now you have to assess it. The pandemic has been a major factor in people retiring early.”

Some people used the quarantine time to reassess their lives and realized they wanted to start their own business or perform gig work whenever they want. Others left their corporate job early to earn further education and seek a completely different career. Still others dropped out of the workforce entirely to stay home with dependent family members.

“Those who have to retire later are doing it for financial stability,” Scott said. “Plus, there’s the elephant in the room: health insurance. The days are gone when people received health insurance from their companies the rest of their lives.

“Retiring later is also a generational effect,” Scott said. “People who are in their 60s are pushing it out because

they like their job or they go back to a different position. We laugh about the greeter at Walmart but that’s typical for people who don’t want to retire. They get self-worth from work if they enjoy it. The trend is that people will retire later, but they may not retire later from their ‘career jobs.’”

The gig economy is one reason that people are retiring from their corporate jobs early but continuing to work, according to Bill Chamberlain, managing partner of The Finger Lakes Group in Binghamton, Elbridge and Auburn.

They work gigs because “Social Security is their main source of retirement income and they can’t live on Social Security. There’s a real fear of outliving your money. If you’re bringing in a little every month, that’s money you’re not taking out of your nest egg.”

A growing number of older adults are raising their grandchildren full time. The prospect has not become any cheaper than it was the first time around.

Randy L. Zeigler, certified financial planner and private wealth adviser for Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC in Oswego, said that “it’s becoming a more common issue” and a reason for continuing to work, since they have not been able to add as much to their retirement fund while they pay for their

Says Cynthia Scott, president of OMC Financial Services in Dewitt: • “If you’re not eligible for Social Security, you have to fill in that gap financially. That’s why people look to age 67 for retiring.

Anyone born after 1960 won’t be able to retire until 67, full age for retirement to collect Social Security.

• “If you have a younger spouse relying on the older spouse’s health insurance, the younger one won’t have insurance when the older one leaves work.

Even Obamacare, there’s income limits. If you’re over it, you’re not eligible. The deductibles are quite large.”

Says Randy L. Zeigler, certified financial planner and private wealth adviser for Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC in Oswego: • “If you don’t know what you will do, that is a problem.

Have not only a financial plan, but an idea of what you’ll do with your time. If you worked 40 to 50 hours a week, you need something productive. Have a plan for what you’ll do with your time. What will replace your goals while you were employed? Keep that in mind in advance. Retire to something, not just away from something.”

grandchildren’s needs.

Boredom represents another reason for delaying retirement. Ziegler said that many clients tell him they want to keep working to stay out of their spouse’s way. Being together 24/7 can cause staleness or even friction in the relationship.

Many people keep working for the classic reason of accruing greater Social Security benefits, especially if the higher earning spouse is older.

“That survivor benefit could be really big for the spouse,” he said.

JUNE / JULY 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

89

RETIREMENT

its focus on the future is what makes Fulton Tool a great place to work,” he added.

———

• BUDDY STEMPLE of Oswego had his first jobs starting when he was 11; mowing grass and a paper route.

“I’ve been working in the aluminum industry for 43 years,” said the Oswego resident who serves as CEO of Constellium Rolled Products in Ravenswood in West Virginia. “I like to work and I am a person who needs something to do,” he said. “I’ve been very fortunate to be associated with great companies and great people and I still enjoy coming to work each day.”

He can see retiring from his current job in the next couple of years, he said.

“But that doesn’t mean stopping to work,” he added.

“You get to a point in life, and I’m there now, that you have to make a decision based on the things in life you still want to do and how much time and physical capabilities you have left to do them.”

He believes that everyone needs a reason to get out of bed in the morning and that’s different for everyone.

“If I were to retire without a plan to occupy my time, I would only end up in trouble,” he quipped.

• BRUCE PHELPS, 97, of Fulton Tool, said he’s worked all his life — and has no plans to retire. ”I’ve worked all my life, starting in my father’s store. In 1959, along with two partners, I founded Fulton Tool and have never thought of retiring. Family, faith and work are vitally important and keep me going,” he said.

“I enjoy coming in every day and interacting with our entire staff. Being part of a team that is hard-working with

• DENNIS OUELLETTE, president of Ontario Orchards in Oswego Town, is at an age when most are considering retirement.

“But my family doesn’t think so,” he quipped.

“Are there more people [working after their retirement age]? I don’t know if there are more. But, more people today seem to be enjoying their work after retirement age,” he said.

Some workers have retired, but

Bruce Phelps, 97, owner of Fulton Tool in Fulton, said he’s worked all his life—and has no plans to retire. He still goes to his office most days of the week.

Hi Ho, It’s Off to Work I (Still) Go For some local entrepreneurs and employees, retirement remains an elusive concept

By Steve Yablonski

A

re you an older American who has made a decision to continue working?

If so, you have a lot of company these days.

Many Americans are working longer. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the 65- to 74-year-old and 75-and-older age groups are projected to have faster rates of labor force growth annually than any other age groups.

These groups include employees who want to work full- or part-time past their normal retirement age, owners who want to continue running their businesses and those who have embarked on a new career.

A survey by the Employee Benefits Research Institute revealed that nearly nine in 10 workers who anticipate working for pay in retirement say this will

be a source of income for them (87%).

Just 30% said it would be a major source of income.

Here are a few people who chose to remain in the workforce.

90 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS JUNE / JULY 2022

opted to start a second career.

“There are two reasons for that,” Ouellette said. “The first reason is boredom and the second one is financial.

A number of people that I have talked to over the years say they just want to have something to do. They get tired of just sitting around and they want things to do. They want to stay occupied and stay healthy so that they stay strong and live longer. I just got back from (a ski trip) in British Columbia. So, yes, I am staying active.”

A number of people just like to have that financial security that comes along with a job, especially those older than 72, he added.

• BILL REILLY, owner of the river’s

end bookstore in Oswego, said, “I’m still working because I love what I do.

Oswegonians love having their own bookstore; and I love being the caretaker of their store.”

“We have the absolute best staff and awesome customers,” he added. “Given that our son, Emil, is running the show, I also have a fair amount of flexibility.”

Reilly had been in New York City for 25 years; worked one place his entire career (Newsweek magazine) and

retired at 46.

“Decided I was going to leave the city and move to Oswego. I retired in ’96, moved here and got married within a few days of the move,” he said. “At

• BILL NADEAU, 69, of Syracuse, was a

WORKING LONGER? HERE ARE THE PROS & CONS PROS

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• You maintain mental sharpness • You stay social active • And of course, extra money

CONS

• Added stress • It may affect any benefits you may receive from Social Security • Less free time

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that point, I turned to [his wife] Mindy and said ‘so now what am I going to do with the rest of my life?’”

He was “kind of young to be retired; had a lot of life left.” So, he decided to open a book store.

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technician for Verizon and retired at age 56.

“I had 37 years with them. To be honest with you, I was bored to death with retirement,” he said. “At the time, I had a wife that didn’t like to travel.

And that wasn’t me. I gotta stay busy. I worked with the public my whole life.

I had to stay busy. I stayed retired for several years. But I just couldn’t stand sitting around.”

So he started Uber driving. He also started volunteering at the Landmark Theater as an usher.

“They have been going all season long. As a matter of fact, they convinced me to become a paid employee. So now I’m kind of a supervisor over the ushers,” he said. “I’m keeping busy. I’m going to stay with it a few more years at least, I’m sure. I have no desire to just sit around. I like being around people—it’s something I enjoy!”

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91

RETIREMENT

Why Have Private Insurance if You’re on Medicare?

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

I

f you’re approaching 65 and thus qualifying for Medicare, you may wonder why you should also pay for additional health insurance coverage.

Especially if you are in good health, do you really need all the bells and whistles?

Yes, you do.

“Everyone should have some kind of supplemental plan,” said Cynthia Scott, president of OMC Financial Services in Dewitt. “Do your research.

There’s Advantage plans and other types. You should always go for the best coverage you can afford, even if you’re healthy. If you’re older, you never know what can happen. You can have an accident or develop some kind of a disease. You really have to be careful about skimping on your health insurance. I would not cut back on health insurance.”

Medicare Part C, also called “Ad-

vantage plans,” is offered through private insurance companies. They include standard Medicare and more, such as prescription drug coverage. Medicare covers about 80% of all claims. While that sounds like a lot, a hospital stay, surgery, and lifesaving procedures would still rack up sizable bills.

Another option is Medicare plus a Medigap policy.

“It’s a supplement of which there are various orientations, but in essence, they’re designed to offset the 20% that original Medicare doesn’t pay,” said Bill Chamberlain, managing partner of The Finger Lakes Group in Binghamton, Elbridge and Auburn.

The advantage plans are less expensive than Medicare plus a Medigap plan. Plus, participants still have to purchase Part D, which is prescription drug coverage.

“You can spend between $3,000 and

92 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS JUNE / JULY 2022

$4,500 a year in premiums,” Chamberlain said. “With Advantage, there’s a zero premium plan and ones that give you a portion of your Part B premium.

The most expensive Advantage plan runs about $125 a month or $1,500 per year.”

People typically go with Medicare plus a Medigap plan if they want to know exactly what their out-of-pocket expenses will be. Advantage plan participants must pay copays but have an out-of-pocket maximum, which is typically around $7,000 per person.

“For people in good health and with few chronic health conditions, Advantage is the better choice,” Chamberlain said. “With most Advantage plans, there are supplemental benefits added, like incidental dental, some vision coverage, a certain amount of over-the-counter medication per quarter, and meal delivery following extended stays in the hospital or in-patient rehab. Those aren’t benefits afforded to you with a Medigap plan. If you look at the statistics, the scale is shifting away from Medigap plans and toward the Medicare Advantage plans.”

People shopping for an Advantage plan should make sure that they find one where their current providers are included and their prescriptions are covered. HMO plans have a more restricted network; PPO plans allow for some coverage outside the network.

Chamberlain warned to not listen to celebrity-endorsed advertisements or solicitations for health insurance plans but to work with a professional.

Except for “qualifying events” such as retirement or moving outside the service area of one’s plan, participants must sign up during open enrollment and cannot change their plan until the next year’s open enrollment period, which is Oct. 15-Dec. 7.

“Never go without coverage,” said Randy L. Zeigler, private wealth adviser with Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC in Oswego. “It’s foolishness.”

Most of his clients who are 65 and no longer have employer-provided coverage go with Advantage plans. He encourages people to ask their county’s Office for the Aging to look at plans and also decide what plan fits their health needs.

“Any of us can experience injury or illness at any time,” Ziegler said. “You usually don’t get a warning six months in advance when you’re going to have an illness or injury, where you’ll need a more intense level of health care plan.”

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JUNE / JULY 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

93

SUCCESS STORY

By Steve Yablonski

PWF Enterprises, LLC did the design work and construction in 2013 of a trail across the treetops at The Wild Center in Tupper Lake. The trail has become one of the main attractions at the park.

PWF ENTERPRISES, LLC A Diverse Business Has Helped Phoenix Company to Thrive

A

ccording to their business cards, they are the “Wizards of Weird.” It should also say “amazing.”

PWF Enterprises, LLC, was started in March of 2012. It is located at 10 county Route 6B in Phoenix. The principals are cousins, Brenden Backus and Kevin Dates.

Some of their gigantic creations can be seen in Central New York.

“We grew up in the fabrication industry,” Backus said. “Myself and Kevin

are both Phoenix natives, graduated from Phoenix.”

Dates’ wife went to college to be a school teacher and got a job in Las Vegas. So they moved to Vegas.

“I went to college and two years into college, decided that I wanted to go to Vegas, too,” Backus said. “We actually ended up in Vegas two different times.

We spent about a year there the first time; came back for three or four years and then went back to Vegas for three

94 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS JUNE / JULY 2022

or four years.”

Dates’ father, Brian, is Backus’ uncle. He started Phoenix Welding and Fabrication in the late 1970s.

“We worked there as kids and teenagers, learned how to weld and fabricate and then kind of went on and did our own thing in Vegas and then, fast forward to 2011, we moved back here,” Backus said. “Kevin has three daughters and I have four. So, we didn’t want to raise our kids in Las Vegas. We moved back to Phoenix in 2011. We bought him out and took over Phoenix Welding and Fabrication — started our own company, PWF.” The cousins held executive management positions at a well-known theming company in Las Vegas and fell in love with themed design.

They brought that knowledge and expertise back to Phoenix.

According to their website: “With our experience using a wide variety of different materials and techniques, we can turn anything you dream into a reality. We not only excel at these challenges we thrive on them. We truly are The Wizards of Weird.”

“We currently have 20 employees.

We stay right around 20,” Backus said.

“We’ve had some more. At one point, when we built the Wild Walk up in Tupper Lake we had 34. We don’t much go below 20. That’s kind of the minimum; and we go up from there. We do everything, so our employees come from all the trades. We have painters and carpenters and welders— everyone.”

“I would say that of the jobs we’ve done at PWF that [Tupper Lake] project has to be one of our favorites,” he continued. “The Vegas stuff was really cool, but we worked for another company in Vegas. As our own company, things that we’ve built, [Wild Walk] is up there, pretty high.”

The Wild Walk in Tupper Lake is an elevated walking path where patrons of the Wild Center can enjoy learning about the habitat and ecosystem from a treetop level. As they move through the structure, they will find a giant spider web, an eagle’s nest and even a massive dead tree. Around every corner visitors will learn and experience what the Adirondacks has to offer.

With the advent of New York state gaming and the local economy growing, PWF has become the leader in themed design in Central New York. They have worked at various casinos and other

FROM TOP Persian Terrace at the Hotel Syracuse. Using both traditional techniques and modern technology PWF Enterprises was able to recreate several features and blend them leaving a seamless transition from old to new; PWF Enterprises built this copper fireplace for the Fireside Lounge at the Point Place Casino in Bridgeport; The Litatro building during construction in 2020. “We built and framed those, the central steel, built all the railings, balconies. We were a big part of that construction,” said Brenden Backus, one of the principals at PWF Enterprises, LLC in Phoenix.

JUNE / JULY 2022 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

95

“I would say that of the jobs we’ve done at PWF that [Tupper Lake] project has to be one of our favorites. As our own company, things that we’ve built, [Wild Walk] is up there, pretty high.”

Brenden Backus on his favorite project that PWF Enterprises has completed so far.

Cousins Kevin Dates, Brenden Backus and Stephen Dates are the founders of Lock 1 Distilling Company in Phoenix. Brenden Backus and Kevin Dates are also the principals at PWF Enterprises, LLC.

A Controversial ‘Juice’

L

ock 1 Distilling Company was founded in 2015 by Brenden Backus, Kevin Dates and Stephen Dates.

“It’s up and running—absolutely. It actually makes a lot of sense for us to be associated. Being welders and fabricators, we were able to design and build our own distilling equipment,” Backus said.

They launched their first product, Ryze vodka on Memorial Day 2017.

“This Memorial Day will be our five-year anniversary. It’s actually the most awarded vodka in New York state; it has more than 13 gold medals,” he said.

They have two different gins, some flavored whiskey and bourbon — the full gamut of spirits.

Back in 2019, one of their products created an imbroglio involving Syracuse University.

Lock 1 was the maker of ‘Cuse Juice.

The Phoenix distillery ran afoul of trademark lawyers from Syracuse University. The university objected to the distillery’s use of the word “Cuse.”

Backus believes Lock 1 had a good case and probably would have won. However, he said the cost would have been too high. So, Lock 1 decided not to fight and agreed to withdraw ‘Cuse Juice from the market.

“We signed an agreement with Syracuse University saying we won’t use the word ‘Cuse’ or the word ‘Syracuse.’ We make the same product called Orange Excuse. The word Excuse is a whole different word in itself. The product is so regional. But now fans of it can still get it,” he explained.

96 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS JUNE / JULY 2022

popular attractions.

Whether they are working on a commercial project or an intricate themed design, their focus is on the details, according to Backus.

They offer extensive experience in production, management, design, fabrication and installation of specialized projects within four different divisions: • Themed Design • Commercial / Industrial • Mill Work • Molding and Casting “The pandemic slowed us down initially. But we were able to keep things going with projects being deemed essential,” Backus explained. “Things are definitely picking up now. We are seeing more jobs coming out to bid and are currently very busy with work.”

A couple years ago, PWF did the New York State Fair’s new State Troopers’ rappelling tower and dive tank.

“Most recently, right now, we just got done doing some remodel work at Turning Stone, their new buffet. At Point Place Casino, we did the copper fireplace and back when Yellow Brick Road opened, we did that cyclone of cash that was in the middle there,” Backus said.

“We’re busy 24/7 pretty much, yeah. Right now we are building two entry portals for DC Comics at two different Six Flags locations. Basically, when you walk into the theme park there is a whole new section—DC Universe. We built these big aluminum structures that are all lit up with different DC Comics characters. You walk through this portal into the DC Universe,” he added.

How have they lasted 10 years?

“Diversity. We do all kinds of work,” Backus explained. “There’s the real high-end flashy stuff that we like to do. But the fact that we are diverse keeps us going. Two years ago we built the Litatro and Riverwalk buildings in Oswego. We built and framed those, the central steel, built all the railings, balconies. We were a big part of that construction.”

They do general welding repair work, fences and railings.

“That keeps us busy. Also, in the winter, stone quarry work in places like Jamesville, all over New York. We work at about a dozen different locations doing repair work on their equipment in the wintertime,” he said. “That’s what kept us open—doing, you know, all different types of work because in Central New York you have to do that. If we just relied on the high-end work, it’s not as common as some other types of work in this area—we’d be going hungry.”

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.

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