PROFILE

PROFILE By Lou Sorendo

Michael C. Backus

Son of successful publisher, former county clerk makes transition into private sector as second in command at Oswego Health

At 29, Michael C. Backus was elected to the post of Oswego County clerk in 2012, the youngest to ever hold that position in New York state.

Now at the age of 36, he was recently named executive vice president and chief operations officer at Oswego Health.

The Mexico resident has hit the high note at a relatively young age and the future looks promising for a man whose roots are firmly entrenched in the community.

He is ready to parlay his family background in community journalism as well as his experience in government administration and healthcare into a positive career as a respected leader.

He recently resigned as clerk, leaving the post to take over as Oswego Health’s second in command. The health system is the third largest private employer in Oswego County with more than 1,000 employees, according to the 2020 Business Guide.

Backus has the challenging role of stepping into a high-level leadership spot in the midst of a global pandemic.

“When I first started discussing this opportunity with my family, the pandemic was certainly a topic of discussion,” he said. “As an eternal optimist, I will always try to find positivity in a situation.”

Backus said as an independent health care system, Oswego Health is positioned to provide quality, safe health care throughout the pandemic and will have the ability to attract providers who may be looking to get away from high-density population centers.

“That’s an advantage for us and through some strategic partnerships, I believe we’ll be able to maintain that independence and grow the organization,” he said.

His father, Mark H. Backus, was a third-generation owner of the Mexico Independent and published several weekly newspapers throughout Oswego County.

“Watching my father from an early age lead a business that my grandfather and great-grandfather built only to have social media transform the entire industry was hard,” he said.

Backus loved working in the shop and hearing the printing press roar and shake the entire building.

“There was tremendous pride when I told my father that a group of friends and I started a school newspaper,” he said. “I loved writing and selling advertising for the weeklies for a few years after college. It was and is in my blood so to speak.”

The experience shaped Backus as a professional because it instilled a sense of responsibility.

“We had a responsibility to provide community journalism, refrigerator journalism, to Oswego County that mattered to our neighbors,” he said. “We didn’t print the police blotter or gossip columns. We shared the triumphs of the local high school sports team or what’s happening this week at the VFW.”

He said this helped spread good cheer and build community.

“That’s so important in my mind in today’s world when we truly need each other more than ever,” he said.

B a c k u s s a i d COVID-19 will present a number of behavioral health challenges as the history on this time period is written and some of the lessons he learned working for the weeklies will help Oswego Health and himself provide those services to the community in a meaningful way.

“We will emerge from this pandemic in a variety of ways and as we rebuild our lives, we’ll need each other to do so,” he said.

Backus said his educational experience at Le Moyne College in Syracuse helped shape him into the person and professional that he is today.

That was a primary reason he agreed to join the Board of Regents at Le Moyne College.

“There is something uniquely special about the Heights and being a Dolphin,” he said as he referred to Le Moyne’s mascot. Backus became committed to the college’s

LAKESHORE HARDWOODS LAKESHORE HARDWOODS PULASKI & VICTOR, NY PULASKI & VICTOR, NY mantra of “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” “It truly is emblazoned upon my soul and now stepping into this role in health care, I very much want to live it and better the health care outcomes in Oswego County.” Backus said being a native of Mexico helps in terms of understanding the health care needs of county residents and the need for access to quality health care. When he was on the board at OsLAKESHORE HARDWOODS PULASKI & VICTOR, NY Kiln Dried Hardwoods Table Tops Woodworking Supplies Laser Engraving Fabrication Kiln Dried Hardwoods Table Tops Woodworking Supplies Laser Engraving Fabrication • Kiln Dried Hardwoods • Woodworking Supplies • Laser Engraving • Table Tops wego Health, he and Bernhards Bay resident Ellen Holst would regularly Kiln Dried Hardwoods www.lakeshorehardwoods.com 315-298-6407 www.lakeshorehardwoods.com 315-298-6407 • Fabrication remind fellow members — most of whom live in or around Oswego —that Woodworking Supplies the board’s primary service area and opportunities to grow go well beyond the city. “Certainly access to care is a concern and eliminating as many of those barriers is going to be a focus of mine both as an employee now of Oswego Health, but also in partnership with ConnextCare and other primary care www.lakeshorehardwoods.com 315-298-6407 Table Tops Laser Engraving Fabrication FULTON TAXI SERVICE 598-4797 Your Transportation Connection! providers,” he said. Oswego: To/From Syracuse Bus, Train Center

In 2007, former U.S. Congressand Airport man and former Army Secretary John Fulton: McHugh hired Backus to serve as a Local and Out-of-Town Runs field representative. He was promoted Hours: Sun. to Thurs.: 5 AM to 2:30 AM in March of 2009 to field director. Friday & Saturday: 24 Hours

McHugh served the constituents of the 23rd Congressional District, which spanned from Lake Champlain to Lake THE PLACE TO SHOP AT ONEIDA LAKE SHORESS Ontario.

Family ties

Backus and his wife Andrea have a daughter Madelynne and a son, Joseph.

continued on page 94

Lifelines

Birth date: Dec. 7, 1983 Birthplace: Syracuse Current residence: Mexico Education: Mexico Academy & Central School; Le Moyne College, Syracuse; Norwich Military University, Northfield, Vermont Affiliations: Member, National Association of Community Health Centers (serves on the legislative and credentials committee; chairman of the board, ConnextCare Personal: Wife, Andrea L. Backus; daughter, Madelynne K. Backus; son, Joseph A. Backus Hobbies: Golf, Syracuse sports, cooking, travel

For all your building supply & hardware needs. Now proudly selling Benjamin Moore paint! www.buckinghamshomecenter.com 315-623-9786

Full service grocery store. Shop our fresh baked goods, a large craft beer selection & the best freshly cut meat on the North Shore!

www.buckinghamsmarket.com 315-623-9472 45 Redfield St, Constantia, NY 13044

NY STATES ONLY PORT ON LAKE ONTARIO NEW CNY REGIONAL AGRICULTURAL EXPORT CENTER

Coming in Spring 2021

1 East Second Street Oswego NY 13126 www.portoswego.com • (315) 343-4503

We’re excited to work on the 2021 Business Guide, listing the largest companies in the region. We’re in the process of mailing letters to more than 500 companies, asking a for variety of figures and information. That kicks off the 27th edition of the Business Guide.

It’s an ambitious project, which involves a great deal of research, phone calls, checking and double-checking information, writing and design work.

The Business Guide carries detailed descriptions of local businesses, including latest developments, employment information and background. It also carries profiles of business owners and CEOs and their comments on the local economy and their industries. It focuses on four counties: Oswego, Onondaga, Cayuga and Jefferson.

A series of graphics shows the largest employers by region, top public employers, manufacturers, auto dealers, home improvement, healthcare and others.

The Business Guide has become

By Wagner Dotto

Last year’s cover.

reference material for many people and organizations and we’re glad that Operation Oswego County, the county’s economic development agency, uses it extensively as part of its marketing strategies to attract new businesses to the region.

For companies, it’s a chance to highlight their growth, expansion, new products, whatever new they have to share. For readers, the guide provides a great snapshot of companies located in the region and what they do and who is in charge.

The guide will be published in mid-November. Paid subscribers to Oswego County Business will receive the publication as soon as it’s published. We will also make some free copies available throughout the region.

We welcome companies to place advertisements in the publication. Cost to advertise is fairly low and advertising in the guide is a great way to showcase their products, services and their presence in the region.

WAGNER DOTTO

is the publisher of Oswego County Business Magazine.

You’ve prepared for a rewarding retirement. We can help you make the most of it.

As an Ameriprise private wealth advisory practice, we can help you grow and preserve your wealth to put your vision of a confident retirement more within reach.

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

Advertise in the 2021 CNY Business Guide Call 315-342-8020 for more information

Ameriprise Financial cannot guarantee future financial results. The Compass is a trademark of Ameriprise Financial, Inc. Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC. © 2018 Ameriprise Financial, Inc. All rights reserved. (05/18)