OSWEGO COUNTY
BUSINESS June / July 2019
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OswegoCountyBusiness.com
SRC’s Steady Growth
Syracuse New Times: Will the New Strategy Work?
Fueled by a series of million dollar contracts with the federal government and an increase in global sales, North Syracuse nonprofit continues steady growth
More Millennials Moving to Syracuse Salt City ranks No. 3 on the list of the nation’s most popular places for recent millennial movers
CNY’s Business Magazine
WE CARE LIKE FAMILY
We are growing and have exciting career opportunities in the health care industry. To join our talented, professional team, please visit one of our care facilities career pages for available positions.
Become a part of Our Family!
Life in balance.
A company philosophy that speaks to a continual process of individual and collective development to improve our well-being, quality of life and personal relationships.
17 Sunrise Drive Oswego, NY 13126 315-342-4790 | www.MorningstarCares.com
Our Mission.
To provide people in our community with healthcare, customer services, support & employment to achieve their individual best quality of life.
Our Vision.
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Our Team.
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Waterville
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220 Tower Street, Waterville, NY 13480 315-841-4156 | www.WatervilleCares.com
Assisted Living Community
132 Ellen Street, Oswego, NY 13126 315-343-0880 | www.TheGardensByMorningstar.com
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Y O SW EG O C O U N T
BUSINESS $4.50 $4.50
June / July 2019
ess.com OswegoCountyBusin
Syracuse New Times: Will the New Strategy Work?
JUNE/JULY 2019 • Issue 162
SRC’s Steady Growth
PROFILE MERCEDES NIESS
Fueled by a series of million dollar contracts with the federal government and an increase in global sales, North Syracuse nonprofit continues steady growth
More Millennials Moving to Syracuse the list of Salt City ranks No. 3 on places the nation’s most popular for recent millennial movers
Longtime leader of H. Lee White Marine Museum in Oswego carries torch for entire historical community; has transformed museum to one of the top local destinations page 14
CNY’s Business Magazine
6/3/19 9:40 AM
Cover - no mailing window.indd
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SPECIAL FEATURES
COVER STORY
SRC’s steady growth fueled by multi-million dollar contracts, 48 increase in global sales The Graying of Central New York – and NYS: There’s more people over 65 than children under the age of 13 64 Golden Age of ConnextCare — Health center continues to expand access to quality care as it 82 celebrates 50 years
Economic Development
Syracuse, a Millennials’ Magnet Salt City is third most popular place for recent millennial movers................................................38 Websites & ADA Compliance You may be sued if your website is not compatible with website-reading software used by visually impaired people.........................................................................40 Syracuse New Times Paper stops free distribution and goes to subscription model. Will the new strategy work?..........................42 The Vanishing Family Farms Census shows fewer farms, bigger farm operations in NYS...............................................................46 The Art of House Flipping Experts talk about do’s, don’ts.....54 Community Colleges Enrollment falls at 29 of NYS’s 30 community colleges..................................................................................59
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• Help wanted: What companies are doing to lure employees • Novelis and Toyota: ‘Let’s Go Places’ • Pulaski’s Felix Schoeller adds location in Anaheim, Calif. • Apprentice programs bolsters workforce
SUCCESS STORY
DEPARTMENTS
Tracy Dingman and her husband David Dingman have operated The Medicine Place in Phoenix for years. They recently purchased the Fulton franchise from Frank and Fran Badagnani, who founded both businesses.....................................89
On the Job Best advice to a young entrepreneur?...................................9 How I Got Started: Bill Reilly, the river’s end bookstore.........................12 Where is Sandra Scott Cambodia, Southeast Asia.....................................18
Newsmakers .................................................................................................22
Business Updates...............................................................................................................................30 My Turn The impact of manufacturing, logistics.......................................36
For lovers of fresh seafood and Texas-hot style food, Rudy’s is the 28 place to eat this season 4
Economic Trends Programs can facility region’s growth ......................76 Guest Columnist Karen Persse: “It’s never too late”...............................95 Last Page
Peter Myles on the 2019 Harborfest.....................................98
OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
JUNE / JULY 2019
Nationally Recognized Stroke Care. Say “Take Me to Crouse.” As one of just 10 hospitals in New York State to have earned Comprehensive Stroke Center certification, Crouse Health is proud to provide the full range of stroke care services.
Minutes Matter Comprehensive stroke centers are the best-equipped medical centers in a geographical area that can treat any kind of stroke or stroke complication. At Crouse, receiving fast stroke diagnosis and treatment starts even before patients arrive at the Emergency Room. Once on the scene, our Emergency Medical Services partners start communicating with our ER and stroke teams, providing information vital for immediate treatment. Working together, we’re consistently meeting — and exceeding — aggressive door-totreatment times that surpass the U.S. average. Crouse provides options for post-stroke rehabilitation, as well as continuing education to patients, our EMS partners and the community about the risks factors and signs of stroke.
Advanced Stroke Rescue Crouse is the only hospital in the region equipped with two hybrid operating room suites, allowing our multidisciplinary stroke team to provide the most advanced endovascular stroke rescue capabilities 24/7.
Exceeding Stroke Treatment Standards Median Time (minutes)
37
2016
38.5
2017 2018
35
YTD
Source: AHA/ASA Get With the Guidelines
If tPA is given within three hours of symptoms, the effects of stroke decrease significantly. Crouse has earned the American Heart/Stroke Association’s Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus recognition for meeting — and exceeding — AHA guidelines for giving tPA within 45 minutes.
Community Partner KNOW YOUR STROKE SIGNS
F. A. S. T.
FACE DROOPING
ARM WEAKNESS
SPEECH DIFFICULTY
TIME TO CALL 911
As a New York State-designated Primary Stroke Center since 2007, we’ve worked to raise awareness in our community about the warning signs of stroke. With our designation as a DNV Comprehensive Stroke Center and home to the region’s newest ER, Crouse Health continues to deliver superior stroke care to Central New York patients.
S T R O K E ? C A L L 911. crouse.org/stroke JUNE / JULY 2019
OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
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Allanson-Glanville-Tappan Funeral Home...................73 ALPS Professional Services.26 Ameriprise Financial............34 Apple Country Retreat.........35 BarclayDamon.......................45 Bond, Schoeneck & King, Attorneys at Law..............11 Borio’s Restaurant.................31 Brookfield Renewable Power.............39 Buckingham Brothers...........45 Builder’s FirstSource............25 Burke’s Home Center...........25 C & S Companies..................99 Canale’s Italian Cuisine........31 Canale’s Ins.& Acc................26 Century 21 Galloway Realty...............23 Century 21 Leah Signature..................11 Chase Enterprises..................34 Christys Motel.......................35 ConnextCare..........................17 Crouse Hospital.......................5 Eis House................................31 Exelon Generation.................66
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Felix Schoeller North America..................80 Financial Partners of Upstate.................................6 Fitzgibbons Agency..............37 Fort Ontario............................35 Foster Funeral Home............11 Freedom Real Estate.............37 Fulton Comm. Development Agency......27 Fulton Companies.................81 Fulton Oswego Motor Express...................71 Fulton Savings Bank.............16 Fulton Taxi..............................39 Gartner Equipment...............21 GoodTimes of Oswego.........26 Great Lakes Oral Surgery.....87 Greater Oswego Fulton Chamber of Commerce...35 Harbor Eye Associates..........87 Harborfest..............................13 Hematology-Oncology Associates of CNY............87 Howard Hanna Real Estate.........................21 J P Jewelers.............................10
Rebekah S. Prosachik, Esq.
Johnston Gas..........................27 Laser Transit...........................26 Lindsey Aggregates..............23 Local 43...................................79 Longley Brothers...................37 Mimi’s Drive Inn...................27 Mitchell Speedway Printing..............................56 Mr. Sub ...................................31 Northern Ace.........................23 Novelis....................................77 NYS Parks – Marine Services Bureau..................8 Operation Oswego County..99 Oswego Comm. Development Office.........15 Oswego Co. FUC...................56 Oswego Co. Mutual Ins........73 Oswego Co. Stop DWI..........27 Oswego Health .......................7 Oswego History Collaborative....................35 Pathfinder Bank.....................21 Patterson Warehousing........71 Port of Oswego Authority....71 Prosachik Law Firm................6 RanMar Tractor......................27
We’ll help you get there.® Because your goals matter. You have goals. Ours is helping you achieve them.
Real Estate
To learn more, contact:
Wills
David D. Mirabito
CFP®, ChFC®, CLU®, MSFS, RICP Senior Financial Services Executive Investment Advisor Representative
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2809 State Route 3 Fulton, NY 13069 (315) 592-3145 dmirabito@financialguide.com www.financialpartnersustateny.com
Municipal Law Traffic Matters
209 W. Seventh St., Oswego, NY 13126 Tel: 315.312.0318 | Fax: 315.312.0322
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RiverHouse Restaurant........31 Riverside Artisans.................35 Rudy’s Lakeside Drive-In....31 Salvatore Lanza Law Office.73 SBDC.......................................71 Scriba Electric.........................25 Spereno Construction...........27 Springside at Seneca Hill.....87 SRC Inc.................................100 SUNY Oswego, Office of Business and Community Development....................55 Sweet-Woods Memorial.......26 The Gardens at Morningstar .......................2 United Wire Technology......55 Valley Locksmith...................23 Vashaw’s Collision................37 Volney Multiplex...................25 Watertown Industrial ..........79 WD Malone............................27 White’s Lumber & Building Supply...............27 WRVO Public Media.............96
LIFE INSURANCE + RETIREMENT/401K PLAN SERVICES + DISABILITY INCOME INSURANCE + LONG TERM CARE INSURANCE + ANNUITIES
OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
JUNE / JULY 2019
Total Joint Replacement. Right at Home. It’s time to live pain free. Our new Center for Orthopedic Care CENTER FOR provides total hip and knee replacement surgery right at home. ORTHOPEDIC CARE A patient navigator will guide you every step of the way. Our team of orthopedic surgeons, nurses and physical therapists are providing our community with years of experience and a personalized approach that is focused on you! We will get you back to the life you’ve missed.
CENTER FOR ORTHOPEDIC CARE www.oswegohealth.org/ortho JUNE / JULY 2019
OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
315-349-5873 7
CNY’S BUSINESS MAGAZINE OswegoCountyBusiness.com Editor and Publisher Wagner Dotto
Associate Editor Lou Sorendo
Columnists
L. Michael Treadwell Bruce Frassinelli, Sandra Scott Sharon E. Jones
Writers & Contributing Writers
Deborah Jeanne Sergeant Christopher Malone Aaron Gifford, Payne Horning Mary Beth Roach, Kimberly Blake Karen Persee
Advertising
Peggy Kain Ashley Slattery
Office Manager Nancy Niet
Layout and Design Dylon Clew-Thomas
Oswego County Business is published by Local News, Inc., which also publishes CNY Summer Guide, Business Guide, CNY Winter Guide, College Life, In Good Health– The Healthcare Newspaper (four editions), CNY Healthcare Guide and 55PLUS, a Magazine for Active Adults (two editions) Published bimonthly (6 issues a year) at 185 E. Seneca Street PO Box 276 Oswego, NY 13126. Subscription: $21.50 a year; $35 for two years © 2019 by Oswego County Business. All rights reserved. PRSRT STD US Postage PAID Buffalo, NY Permit No. 4725
How to Reach Us
P.O. Box 276 Oswego, NY 13126 Phone: 315-342-8020 Fax: 315-342-7776 Email: Editor@OswegoCountyBusiness.com
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OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
JUNE / JULY 2019
ON THE JOB What’s the Best Advice to Give to a Young Entrepreneur? Interviews by Deborah Jeanne Sergeant “The best advice I was given 30 years ago was to have a set salary. When business is great, it’s easy to take bigger paycheck, buy unnecessary equipment. Then as the season changes, business is slow, you’ll have no working capital. I’ve seen too many new start-ups go under within a year from overspending.” Tom Brady Fulton Screen Printing, Fulton “Collaboration is key. Get to know your community. Nurture relationships. Be present and participate.” Tammy Wilkinson Theatre Du Jour, Oswego
JUNE / JULY 2019
“The key to running a business is to maintain a healthy work/life balance. It’s easy to overdo and then get stressed or burned out. When this happens, our business actually suffers because we do not attract the customers or business we are working so hard for. I’m always asking myself: is this task I’m planning to do or this event I’m planning to attend really worth my time and energy? It’s a balancing act. Personally, I find that less is more.” Leslie Eimas My Oils Life, Liverpool “Network with your peers. You’re not in a vacuum. Look to the
OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
chamber and your national trade associations. Nothing is really unique about running any type of business. You also need to understand financials, have a written plan, market and build a staff. Only then can you succeed. A great idea is just that, an idea. It’s the follow-through that leads to success. You can learn a lot from others who have done it and prevent a lot of mistakes by copying their success and avoiding their mistakes. Read books on similar businesses, go to trade shows, research and learn before you jump in. Become an expert on business.” John M. Henry Speedway Mitchell Printing & Mailing, Inc., Oswego “Do your research. Talk to other people in the industry. Have a solid business plan. If the numbers don’t work or something doesn’t feel right, don’t be afraid to walk away. It’s your business and your reputation. You need to know that it’s financially sound and you’re comfortable with the decisions you are making.” Kimberly Fortin Fierce With Love, Weedsport “Create a strong business plan
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before you start your business. If you did not do that, which most people do not, learn or ask someone how at SCORE, SBA, someone like me, a business coach. Read it over every three months and see if you are on target. Hire people smarter than you. Write a business succession plan, retirement plan or exit plan the next week you open your doors, as to when you are going to sell your business, at what size it will be, with how many employees, how much gross sales, and profit it will be making and net worth it will be, etc. Build a bucket list and work hard to get your dreams met by the time you move forward. Hart Davidow Synergy Cannabis, Minetto “Find a mentor. Have a more seasoned professional review your plans, your budget and your approach. Everyone has made mistakes. You can avoid some by learning from someone who has already overcome those mistakes.” Brooks Wright KBM Management, East Syracuse “I would tell a young entrepreneur starting out in business to get a successful mentor who has done the type of business that they want to get into and watch and learn what makes them the best that they are in business. Always get educated in everything that you do and keep up with the new technology.” Bill Galloway Century 21 Galloway Realty, Oswego “Surround yourself with people that believe in you, that can strengthen your strengths and minimize your weaknesses. We’re all strong at certain things. Don’t try to do or be something that doesn’t play to your strength. Partner with, or find someone that can make up for areas where you need help.” Jamie Persse JC Persse Consulting, Hastings “Be true to yourself, your mission and vision. Don’t get distracted by what others are doing. Listen to your customers. Mother Earth Baby is celebrating 10 years in business this July and certainly wouldn’t be where we are if our customers weren’t our No. 1 priority.” Lisa Emmons Mother Earth Baby, Oswego 10
“Don’t let fear stop you and don’t even entertain the thought that you may fail. Raise your vibration, surround yourself with good people who want the best for you, stay away from the doubters and work smarter, not harder.” Anne Hutchins River Edge Mansion Bed & Breakfast, Pennellville “I would advise any new entrepreneur to educate themselves to the real-world opportunities in the business they are getting into. Understand that without customers you have nothing. You can have the greatest logo, the perfect gadget to sell, a great location and beautiful store front and website. If nobody knows you’re there, then nobody will be there. In any plan you must insure that marketing, word of mouth, social media and other media outlets, is planned out with the same importance as all the rest. I would also stress to them that social media has a very limited reach and Facebook and others are there to serve Facebook’s needs not yours. Social media can be a part but not the only avenue for marketing. Don’t open and then plan your marketing. One of the best sources of marketing is a well-trained and supported employee.” Fred Reed Dot Publishing, Inc., Fulton “Do your market research and evaluate your direct competition. Ask yourself seven questions: 1) OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
Is there a need for my product or service? You may think you have a great product or service, but will other people? 2) How will I compete against businesses offering similar products or services? 3) What are the demographics of my customers? 4) How far will people travel to purchase my products? 5) What is the range that I will offer my services? 6) Are there enough people in those areas to support my business? 7) Are the annual income levels in those areas high enough to support my business? “Establish a reasonable advertising budget. You may have a great product or offer an exceptional service, but that doesn’t mean much if people are not aware of it. Network with other business people. It’s a great way to get new ideas and discover what business decisions helped to make them successful. John DeRousie Custom Marketing Solutions, Oswego “Develop a well thought out business plan in advance of beginning your business. Be very practical as you make this plan. Research your competition thoroughly in advance, including their product and service offerings and their pricing structures. Know what makes your business offering unique in the marketplace. Try to really stick to what you know and the areas in which you are skilled. Don’t deviate just because you need new business income unless you purposely choose to change direction. Remember that it usually takes at least five years to develop a new business into a profitable venture. Be patient and keep your operating costs as low as possible.” Randy L. Zeigler Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc., Oswego “When I first bought my school back in 2002, I asked my grandmaster, Sam J. Kim, what his secret was to his success because I was worried about the other martial art schools in the area and his answer was ‘Do one thing and do it better than anybody else. If you can do that, everything else takes care of itself.’ So I still try to do that every single day and in doing so we now have the largest martial arts program in the county.” Leo Pryor Pryor’s Taekwondo America, Oswego
JUNE / JULY 2019
Call Bond when you want a law firm that understands your unique business needs and opportunities. We take the time to consider every angle and provide you with personalized solutions. We’re a firm devoted to a thriving future for our clients and the communities in which we live.
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566 S. 4th Street, Rt. 481 8563 Oswego Road, Rt. 57 Baldwinsville, NY 13027 Fulton, NY 13069 Three Generations of Family Tradition — Since 1919 910 Fay Street • Fulton • 315-592-2313 837 Cayuga Street •ofHannibal • 315-564-6288 Three Generations Family Tradition — Since 1919 fosterfh@windstream.net www.fosterfuneralhome.com 910 Fay Street • Fulton • 315-592-2313
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JUNE / JULY 2019
www.C21Leahs.com Each office is independently owned and operated.
OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
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Started How I Got By Lou Sorendo
Bill Reilly
Co-owner of the river’s end bookstore talks about growing the business against all the odds
Q.: Your first career was in sales with Newsweek magazine. What was that experience like? A.: I had the most incredible career from 1971-1996 at Newsweek magazine. It was the best job that a college graduate could ever have hoped for. Six days after graduating from school, I was working for Newsweek and helping numerous jobs in sales, sales support and sales management. I got to travel the country on behalf of the magazine, and in fact, Central New York was part of my territory in the 1970s. It was just a real sweet gig. After 25 years, I said, “I’ve done everything that I want to do in advertising sales. I am ready for life’s next challenge.” Happily, two years before I retired, I had met my wife Mindy Ostrow and it pretty much put into place a plan to move here, and that’s how we went from New York City to Oswego. Q.: What skill sets did you develop early in your career that served you well over the years? A.: Life in the corporate world gave me plenty of skills. I think the No. 1 thing that my time at Newsweek gave me as I set about opening a brand new business was confidence. So many people I talked to during the two years of preparation for opening the store were negative about the prospects, including my parents. But at age 46 and having 25 years under my belt at Newsweek, I was fearless. I knew that whether it was this or something else, whatever I did would be successful. I admit that was sort of a naïve, blind fearlessness looking back, but it was there and it served me very well. Q.: What steps did you take to prepare for your second career as an independent bookstore owner? A.: I went to booksellers’ school, contacted the American Booksellers Association, met countless times with the community development office in Oswego, and worked on a business plan. I also went to work as a parttime bookseller at Barnes & Noble in DeWitt for 18 months because one piece of advice given to me was if you have the opportunity, you should test drive it before you fly it. Q.: What did you learn in the booksellers’ school you attended? A.: The school was a weeklong
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OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
JUNE / JULY 2019
boot camp for prospective booksellers, and the faculty was current bookstore owners whose mission was to try to discourage you from opening a bookstore. They wanted to make sure that you really wanted to do this with the understanding that it’s a lot of work, not for the faint of heart, and you really have to love this if you’re going to get into this industry. They couldn’t dissuade me from jumping in, so I did some market research. If you had taken a look at the results of the survey that I got back as to whether or not it was a good idea to open a bookstore in the city of Oswego, you would have packed your bags and turned tail and gone the other direction. There were no positive signs. Q.: Really? Why did you decide to go forward with your plans? A.: What I saw was untapped opportunity with this beautiful waterfront community surrounded by water and a tremendous amount of history. In my gut, I just knew that people were buying books — they just weren’t buying them in Oswego! They were buying them at Borders, Barnes & Noble and online from Amazon. There really wasn’t a local option to purchase books. So I asked Mindy, “What do you think?” We dove in headfirst and just haven’t looked back since. It’s been a wonderful ride — not without its challenges — but it’s been the most gratifying thing that I’ve ever done. Q.: Can you give us a sense of the costs associated with opening the store? A.: My 25 years at Newsweek allowed me to undertake this enterprise. It gave me not only confidence, but also the financial wherewithal to start a new business. Financing for the rivers end bookstore came from multiple sources. Our friends at Pathfinder Bank were one source and small business loans through the city’s community development office were another source. In addition to my own personal funds, there was other numerous sources. I hired a consultant who specialized in opening bookstores, an architect and interior designer, and just went methodically through all the steps to make sure I did it correctly. I had
Continued on p. 94 JUNE / JULY 2019
Oswego, NY July 25 – 28, 2019 • Eat the food you enjoy • Spend time with people you love • Partake in the traditions you remember
www.oswegoharborfest.com Highlighting the festival this year is SMASH MOUTH, along with such greats as Brass Inc., The ELO Show, The Horn Dogs, The Devonshires, Grit & Grace, Little Queen, Chris Taylor & The Custom Taylor Band, Scars N’ Stripes, Hard Promises, Brothers of the Gray Bus, The Shady Street Show Band, The Beach Bums, Dam Dogs, The Ron Spencer Band, ESP, Kara Grainger & Enter the Haggis to name a few!
Plus great attractions & children activities!
OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
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PROFILE By Lou Sorendo
MERCEDES NIESS Longtime leader of H. Lee White Marine Museum in Oswego carries torch for entire historical community
F
ollowing in the footsteps of a cultural icon can be a tough act to follow. That is unless you are Mercedes Niess. Niess is in her 29th year working at the H. Lee White Maritime Museum, located at the foot of West First Street in Oswego. She has been executive director since 2008, taking the reins from the legendary founder of the museum, the late Rosemary Nesbitt. Prior to 2008, she served as the associate director at the maritime museum. Nesbitt, a former SUNY Oswego theater professor and founder of the museum, had a profound impact on Niess, particularly when it came to being assertive and developing leadership skills. “What I learned is people can say no, but you have to ask the question,” she said. “I also learned from her that you have to think big and have a broader vision for your organization,” she said. Nesbitt was the first female chairperson on the Port of Oswego Authority board. It was Nesbitt, along with fellow port board member Frank Sayer and her friend Helen Breitbeck, who were instrumental in launching the maritime museum. Nesbitt was known for her flair for the dramatic, which oftentimes overshadowed the more matter-of-fact approach of Niess. “Having to come up to the podium after Rosemary during our volunteer reception event was not an easy thing to do,” Niess said. Nonetheless, Niess, 61, has harnessed her various skill sets to propel the maritime museum toward future prosperity. “We are the only maritime museum on the U.S. side of Lake Ontario,” she 14
said. “We are more than just a local city museum. We are a regional museum, and as long as I still get goose bumps from the potential and possibilities about the things we’re doing, then I am in the right place.” While Nesbitt certainly made an impact on Niess, it was Breitbeck who embraced her. Breitbeck played influential roles for both the Oswego County Historical Society and the Heritage Foundation of Oswego. “Helen just glommed onto me and immediately signed me up for numerous volunteer tasks and shifts,” Niess said. In her previous life, Niess had a more business-focused educational background and even
OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
worked in real estate prior to coming to the Port City. “Because of my background and training, I was able to put a budget together for the organization. I learned how to write grants, and from previous experiences, I knew how to organize and schedule people, follow up on phone calls, take minutes and develop committee agendas,” she said. In essence, Niess took over the administrative duties, part of the operation that Nesbitt did not care for. Eventually, the museum started to feature established hours and being that it was open enough days, it qualified for further grant funding.
JUNE / JULY 2019
Lifelines
Experience All Oswego Has To Offer!
Birth date: April 7, 1958 Birthplace: Manhattan Current residence: Oswego Education: Bachelor of Science degree, Excelsior College Affiliations: Museum Association of New York; American Alliance of Museums; American Association of State and Local History Family: Husband, J Rivers Walsh Hobbies: Art, photography, reading
Where Diversion Meets Delight
Motivational force
What has been Niess’ driving force? “It’s the potential of the maritime museum to be more expansive both physically and programmatically than you see today,” she said. Some solid steps were taken in that direction when the museum recently unveiled the renovated Oswego Harbor OSWEGONY.ORG West Pierhead Lighthouse. Also, in 2014 it consolidated with the Oswego Maritime Foundation and Oswego Maritime Alliance, and the museum has embraced their respective OSWEGONY.ORG missions of attracting people to the N K YOU water FOLLOWING FOR in a safe, recreational way and tall ships to the area. PHOTOS INenticing THIS RE: “Now, we’re examining the poso County Tourism Office of mobilizing the mid-19th sibilities century replica schooner ‘Ontario’,” she said. The lighthouse exhibit room at the museum is a testament to efforts put forth by Ted and Jo Panayotoff, who were catalysts in the lighthouse’s recent restoration. “We’ve always had a small lighthouse exhibit, but not to this extent and it is a direct result of the restoration effort,” Niess said. “Ted and Jo moved away a couple of years ago but were a great inspiration. They literally showed us how we could do it and gave us the confidence and knowledge to make it happen.” Tours of the lighthouse are now featured, and Niess noted that many u visit Downtown visitors are from all over the globe. “Visitors see that we care enough ego, be sure to bring about our community and that we are appetite. Along investing in the many ways,” she said. “They can see and feel the pride we erfront have youinwill a the wide Bring family together for an afternoon of the find community.” Meanwhile, the museum and exciting fun and learning! Children and adults alike will ety of menus and ambiance – recently attained a 30-year lease agreement with sobuilt in have one-of-a-kind experiences with mention spectacular views.ownsinteractive the city of Oswego, which the
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Enjoy live music all summer long thanks to Oswego’s Summer Concert Series. Free of charge, listeners can take in tunes from local and nationally touring bands. Guests of all ages are encouraged to grab a bite, bring a chair, and enjoy a lively atmosphere every Thursday in July and August (6 p.m. to 9 p.m.) along the West Riverwalk at the Veterans Park Stage.
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(Membership discounts
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315.561.0223 all ages are encouraged to grab a bite, bring atmosphere every Thursday night 15during Ju 06/01 - 10/02 9:00PM)along the West Riverwalk at the V 7 am - 7casual pm perfor Street PocketDaily Park also offers
Publisher’s note By Wagner Dotto
W
e just finished publishing the 25th edition of Summer Guide — The Best of Upstate New York. It’s our largest ever and I think it’s one of the most reader-friendly and interesting guides to date. At a time when there is a perception that print media is dying, it’s pretty exciting to see the results — 100 pages, nearly 200 advertisers, more than 40,000 copies printed. The secret? I’d say it’s hard work. On top of that, three factors determined the success of the publication. 1) The quality of the Summer Guide has been vastly improved. For the first time, we printed it entirely on glossy stock (as opposed to white offset paper). The new stock gives the publication an upscale feel, the stories, photos and advertisements seem to jump out of the pages. They look crispy, alive, attractive. 2) Advertising rates were kept the same as before. Despite the use of glossy stock, which resulted in higher production cost, we decided to keep the same prices for advertising as in
previous years. We thought we could offer more and charge the same as before. Advertisers liked that. 3) The quality of the salesforce. We’re lucky to have a stable sales workforce, people who are familiar with the publication and who believe in it. Our sales team worked extra hard to complete the project. We then had a great team working the editorial, writing stories
that are interesting, informative and reader-friendly. We concluded with a design that makes stories flow easily, which makes the publication very easy to read and use. What sets the publication apart is all that plus the extensive calendar of fun events we run. We list more than 1,000 hot events, ranging from the National Buffalo Wing Festival in Buffalo, Aug. 31 and Sept. 1; the Palmyra Hill Cumorah Pageant in July; to the Sterling Renaissance Festival in July-August. Make sure to pick up your free copy at hundreds of high traffic locations or visit www.cnysummer.com.
WAGNER DOTTO is the publisher of Oswego County Business Magazine.
For Answers to All Your Questions, Call or Email
16
OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
JUNE / JULY 2019
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Where in the World is Sandra Scott? By Sandra Scott
Cambodia
Southeast Asian country is rapidly changing with the opening of new hotels, more tourist facilities
C
ambodia is a study in contrasts: the ghastly and glorious. The people of Cambodia survived incomprehensible suffering during the 1970s when an estimated two million people died. This is the same Cambodia that created the magical Angkor Wat. Built between 9th and 14th centuries when the Khmer civilization was at the height of its creativity, it is believed to be the world’s largest religious structure. Cambodia’s capital city, Phnom Penh, lies at the confluence of three of the region’s great rivers — the Mekong, Tonle Sap and Bassac. It is the political and commercial center of the country
and home to over one million people. Once it was considered the most beautiful of all cities in French Indochina — called “The Paris of Asia.” The Royal Palace is a must-see, located on the site of the former citadel; it was built in 1866 by King Norodom. The Royal Palace is the home to Cambodia’s royal family. The city is a combination of old and new; but, like all else in Cambodia, it is changing fast with new hotels opening and more tourist facilities available. The second most popular tourist destination in Phnom Penh is the notorious Tuol Sleng Museum, which graphically details the atrocities of Pol Pot’s
Khmer Rouge and the Killing Fields. Visitors walk in numbed silence from cell to cell, from photo to photo, trying to comprehend the horror. Little is left to the imagination. One of the instructions stated, “While getting electrification and lashes you must not cry out.” Not far from the capital, at Choeung Ek, is one of the Khmer Rouge’s many killing fields, where there is a mass grave for 17,000 and in the Memorial Stupa, piled high behind the glass panels, there are more than 8000 skulls, arranged by age and gender, The most interesting way to travel between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap,
Angkor Wat in Angkor is believed to be the world’s largest religious structure. It represents the heart and soul of Cambodia. 18
OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
JUNE / JULY 2019
the city closest to Angkor, is by boat on the Tonle Sap. Many people along the waterway still live in rattan mat houses, some on stilts, and some on floating platforms. Along the river people fish and farm as they have done for generations. Passing a floating fishing village, children in uniform paddle their small wooden boats to the bright blue, floating school, while others fish and go about their daily routine. The glory of Cambodia is found in the huge temple complex of Angkor. It is the heart and soul of Cambodia, a source of great pride and inspiration as they rebuild their lives. Even amid the throng of tourists it is easy to be entranced by the aura of Angkor. Most temples are entered by a short jungle walk — disabled veterans play traditional music and monkeys gambol about. Within the temples is the heady smell of incense, saffron-robed monks, fortunetellers and halls lined with religious bas-reliefs. The temple complex of Angkor Wat covers over 200 acres and is dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu. The central monument represents the sacred Mount Meru, and the five towers symbolize Mount Meru’s five peaks. The temple’s greatest treasures are the bas-reliefs around the walls of the outer gallery and the hundred figures of devatas and apsaras. Ta Prohm still locked in the muscular embrace of tree roots is one of the most fascinating temples. The huge roots have been left and the temple has not been reconstructed, giving it a mystical aura. The town of Siem Reap, gateway to Angkor, has attractions all of its own including the country’s best hotels and restaurants. It is growing by leaps and bounds. The new Cambodian Village gives visitors a taste of traditional Cambodian life with recreated buildings and folkloric shows. Americans can get a visa on arrival but it is best to apply for an e-visa online. It is good for three months.
Sandra Scott, a retired history teacher and the co-author of two local history books, has been traveling worldwide with her husband, John, since the 1980s. The Scotts live in the village of Mexico. JUNE / JULY 2019
Monks near The Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, the home to Cambodia’s royal family. The city is a combination of old and new.
Many people along the Tonle Sap river still live in rattan mat houses, some on stilts, and some on floating platforms.
The notorious Tuol Sleng Museum in Phnom Penh graphically details of the atrocities of Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge and the Killing Fields. OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
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Learning for life Participants in SUNY Oswego’s new Lifelong Learning program will find four-day courses to challenge the mind, fulfill the spirit and engage adults aged 50 and over. The program offers multiple sessions in July that include structured academic, artistic, health and social programs on the college’s expansive lakeside campus.
New Lifelong Learning Program to Challenge, Inspire Older Adults
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wo SUNY Oswego professors, a former mayor of Oswego and a Central Square teacher are among presenters ready to offer their wisdom this July to learners aged 50 and over in Lifelong Learning courses in mass media, creative writing, American politics, digital photography, painting and drawing and mind, body and health. SUNY Oswego’s Lifelong Learning program will launch as a pilot this summer on campus in a pair of Monday-through-Thursday sessions, coordinated by the college’s Office of Business and Community Relations (OBCR). “It’s never too late for older adults to participate on campus,” said Erin Dorsey, project support specialist with OBCR. “Studies show that engaging in learning activities has positive emotional, mental and physical benefits.” Session 1, July 22 to 25, will feature three choices for lifetime learners: “Mind, Body and Health,” “American Politics” and “Digital Photography.” 20
The choices for session 2, July 29 to Aug. 1, are “Creative Writing,” “Mass Media” and “Painting & Drawing.” Hours are 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily, with 1.5 hours for the included lunch, starting each noon. For participants from out of town, housing is available in Sheldon Hall for each of those sessions starting Sunday, July 21, and Sunday, July 28, respectively. Early-bird pricing — $150 per course — ends June 1; the price is $199 thereafter. There may be an extra cost for materials, and participants in “Digital Photography” must have their own camera. Registration is available at oswego.edu/lifelong-learning. Classes will meet in buildings across campus, and opportunities for discussion and projects outdoors should be plentiful, Dorsey said.
Accomplished presenters
John T. Sullivan Jr., an attorney, columnist, author and former mayor of Oswego. He will present “American Politics” (session 1); Eileen Gilligan, associate professor of communication studies at SUNY Oswego, will discuss “Mass Media and Politics” (session 2); Lorelei Lacey, a high school art teacher in Central Square for 20 years, will present “Digital Photography” (session 1) and “Painting and Drawing” (session 2); Linda Loomis, who has taught creative writing courses at SUNY Oswego since retiring as an associate professor of communication studies at the college, will present “Creative Writing” (session 2). Participants are asked to register as soon as possible at oswego.edu/ lifelong-learning. For more information, call the SUNY Oswego Office of Business and Community Relations at 315-312-3492 or email lifelonglearning@ oswego.edu.
Those presented the program are OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
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NEWSMAKERS NEWS BRIEFS ON LOCAL BUSINESSES & BUSINESS PEOPLE Pietra Joins C&S as Civil CAD Manager
$150,000 Grant to the Oswego Renaissance Association
T
he Richard S. Shineman Foundation has recently awarded the Oswego Renaissance Association (ORA) a $150,000 grant to expand the revitalization of neighborhoods in the city of Oswego. “The Shineman Foundation continues to be an incredible supporter of the ORA. We are so thankful that the foundation took a chance on us back in 2013 when this Healthy Neighborhoods Initiative was just an idea,” said ORA Executive Paul Stewart. “When we look back at where Oswego was in 2013, compared to the momentum the neighborhoods have today, it’s very clear that there is a positive momentum not seen in decades.” “We are so proud to be a partner with the ORA,” said Karen Goetz, executive director of the Richard S. Shineman Foundation. “The mission of our foundation is to be a catalyst for change in Oswego County. The funding we have provided to the ORA has proven to be a great investment as the results we are seeing from this initiative have been truly transformative in the
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city of Oswego. Kudos to Paul Stewart and the residents of Oswego who have been leading this transformation.” The ORA is now entering its 6th year of operations, and hundreds of homes and more than 1,000 residents throughout the city of Oswego have participated in the Healthy Neighborhoods Initiative. Stewart says the revitalization of Oswego has inspired not only existing residents, but new ones as well. The ORA’s signature program, the Renaissance Block Challenge, allows neighbors to apply in groups of five to 15 households for matching funds for exterior home and streetscape improvements. This year, 25 blocks have applied for Block Challenge Grants, the largest number in ORA history. “It’s a bottom-up, community-driven approach,” said Stewart. “It leverages the dreams and abilities of everyday residents at ground level. It’s much more than the small grants. The neighbors become the leaders and drivers of change. It just works.”
OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
C&S Companies has recently welcomed Chuck Pietra as the company’s civil CAD manager. His initiatives include integrating design software and technologies such as building information modeling, geographic information systems, and computer-aided Pietra engineering into civil design projects for highways, bridges, airports and site development. According to the company, by expanding the use of new technology, C&S will be able to deliver even smarter and more usable deliverables to clients, reducing costs and schedules and delivering increased value. Pietra has been involved with technology implementation and training in the engineering industry for more than 30 years, including owning an Autodesk and ESRI consulting firm and appearing on the Autodesk Channel for five years. He holds certifications from Autodesk and is a frequent guest speaker at the local and national level, including presenting at Autodesk University more than 10 times. He most recently worked as the technical applications manager at O’Brien and Gere in Syracuse. Pietra holds master’s and bachelor’s degrees from SUNY Oswego. He resides in Dewitt.
Oswego Alumni Recognizes Seven Achievers The Oswego Alumni Association is honoring seven alumni with a 2019 Alumni Award for their exceptional contributions and accomplishments. “The awards committee was JUNE / JULY 2019
thrilled with the results of this reinvigorated alumni awards selection process,” said committee chairwoman Jennifer Shropshire, a 1986 alumna who is a former president and long-time member of the Oswego Alumni Association (OAA) and a current member of the Oswego College Foundation Inc. “We were impressed by the caliber of the award recipients,” Shropshire said. “They represent a broad definition of success, reflecting Oswego’s varied programs and the wide-ranging paths that alums take after graduation.” The OAA recently revamped its awards program to broaden the categories, reflecting the growing diversity and talents of the 86,000 SUNY Oswego alumni. The awards program recognizes individuals for their contributions while also elevating that person as a model for students and other alumni. The Distinguished Alumnus Award — the association’s most prestigious award — recognizes those who have achieved national or international recognition in their field. This year’s recipients are: • David DeVillers ’89 of Columbus, Ohio, assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Ohio and one of four prosecutors on the Saddam Hussein trial;
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• Craig Fisher ’65 of Poughkeepsie, computer programmer/information systems manager, educator, and data and information quality scholar;
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Oswego County FCU Celebrates Youth Month Oswego County Federal Credit Union (OCFCU) is promoting smart and safe financial decision making for young adults as it celebrated Youth Month in April. OCFCU staff from the Fulton office who marked the occasion were, from left (back row): Rachael Ives, Fulton branch manager; Cheyenne Manford, member solution representative; Danielle Hayden, business development specialist; and front row (from left): J.C. Blackwell, Sophia Spaulding, Aiden Kingsley. “Youth Month gives children an incentive to begin saving the money they earn so they can attain their dreams of a happy future,” said Bill Carhart, OCFCU CEO. “As part of this year’s theme: ‘The future is yours. Picture it, save for it, share it.,’ we are encouraging our members under the age of 18 to take a picture of themselves, or something they’d like to save for, and share it on our OCFCU Facebook page: www.facebook. com/OCFCU/ with the hashtag #OCFCUYOUTHMONTH. 24
service to others is:
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• Diane Larsen-Freeman ’67 of Ann Arbor, Mich., a linguist, educator and scholar in second language acquisition; Receiving the Community Service Award for outstanding achievement in • Christy Harrison Huynh ’98 of Mexico, associate director of Career Services at SUNY Oswego, United Way of Greater Oswego County board member and volunteer on many committees, boards and organiza-
tions. The GOLD Award is presented to Graduates Of the Last Decade (GOLD) alumni who achieved career success and demonstrated significant volunteer service to their communities and/or the Oswego Alumni Association Inc. or the college. This award will be presented to: • Cameron Jones ’09 of Jersey City, N.J., Daytime Emmy Award winner, operations coordinator for ABC News’ Good Morning America, contributing digital reporter/producer for ABC News and Jones former member OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
of the OAA’s GOLD Leadership Council.
Dannible & McKee Opens Office Near Albany Dannible & McKee, LLP, a full-service certified public accounting and consulting firm, recently celebrated the grand opening of its new regional office location in Schenectady. The move will enable the firm to continue to accommodate growth in Eastern New York. “As our firm and client base continue to grow, we felt the time was right to move into a larger office setting in the Capital Region,” said Michael Reilly, managing partner at Dannible & McKee. “We are excited to be part of this growing development and feel that it will allow our firm to continue to add talent and enhance the services that we provide to our current and future clients.” The grand opening celebration was co-hosted by Dannible & McKee and Haylor, Freyer & Coon Inc, an insurance and risk management agency who also recently opened its sixth regional office at the same location. Attendance for the ribbon-cutting ceremony included local officials, colleagues, clients and friends and family of both Dannible & McKee and Haylor, Freyer & Coon. Both companies are located within Two Harbor Center at the Mohawk Harbor. Constructed in 2017, Two Harbor Center is a mixed-use building with a total of more than 65,000 square feet of office and retail space. “As an area ripe with new growth and expansion, we recognized the prime opportunity to bring value to the market in a unique way,” continued Reilly. “With our expertise in specialized areas, such as consulting for startups, bookkeeping, ownership transition and mergers and acquisition strategies, we are well-positioned to help local companies prosper at every stage of their growth cycle.” Shannon Forkin, a tax partner at Dannible & McKee,who established the firm’s presence in the Capital Region in 2014, will continue to oversee the operations at the new office.
Got a company news you want to share with our readers? Email it editor@OswegoCountyBusiness.com JUNE / JULY 2019
Alison Has Appointed New VP,Business Development Officer
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and extraordinary achievement.” “My co-worker for 17 years, Alex Sorbello, is an excellent example of what the Chancellor ’s Award stands for,” wrote Mary Craw, Sorbello’s nominator and Residence Life and Housing colleague. “She always does her best and goes above and beyond the scope of her job description.” Craw deSorbello tailed some of the many ways Sorbello has taken initiative, gone the extra mile and substantially helped students, parents and others better understand the college’s residential offerings and culture. A native of Pittsburgh who started college at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, Sorbello later transferred to SUNY Oswego as a nontraditional student, earning her bachelor of fine arts degree in graphic design in 2007 while working at the college, raising three children, and helping her husband on the family’s farm in Fulton. She started in Residence Life and Housing as a keyboard specialist but began to jump into extra projects, demonstrating that she was conversant not only with graphic design but software, printers, photography, digital signage, computers in general and more. “Alex helped us get up to speed with social media by creating our first Facebook page,” wrote Craw. “Now she has grown this to include Twitter and Instagram, using her personal phone to post, answer questions and stay in tune with students, even after work.”
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Bruce Frassinelli Recognized in Pa. Retired Palladium-Times Publisher Bruce Frassinelli was recognized twice in May. He was inducted into the Carbon County (Pa.) Sports Hall of Fame as one of the three selectees from his hometown of Summit Hill. He also won second place in opinion-writing in the Pennsylvania State Keystone Awards competition for three columns he had written for the Times News newspaper in Lehighton, Pa., in 2018. Frassinelli capped a 32-year newspaper career serving as publisher of the Oswego daily from 1992 until 1998. He continues to write columns for Oswego County Business Magazine and 55 Plus magazine. “Bruce is a great writer, a great person,” s a i d Wa g n e r Dotto, owner of Local News Inc., which publishes Oswego County Business and 55 Plus..” We’re lucky to have him as contributor. His columns are insightful, informative and fun to read. “
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27
DiningOut By Christopher Malone
Restaurant
Guide
A feast at Rudy’s in Oswego. $75.12 worth of food.
Rudy’s Lakeside Drive-In For lovers of fresh seafood and Texas-hot style food this is the place to eat this season
R
udy’s Lakeside Drive-In, the family-friendly restaurant at 78 county Route 89 in Oswego, was established in 1946. The seasonal eatery is a place where patrons swarm to this time of the year for a fish fry feeding frenzy. The spacious interior holds many, but the outdoor seating — with great views of Lake Ontario — can welcome hundreds. Just don’t feed the seagulls — they can get too friendly with customers. However, this recent April evening wasn’t warm enough to sit outside. 28
Fully prepared with a list of items to feed a small army, the cashier at Rudy’s asked for my tangible list to make the process easier. After all, for four people, we ordered $75.12 worth of food. What we ate: Blue Plate with scallops, haddock, fries, and coleslaw ($14.64); Pink Plate with fried shrimp, fries, and macaroni salad ($9.98); crabcake bites ($3.95); fried haddock sandwich ($7.99); fried calamari ($4.85); fried clam strips ($3.99); spicy green beans ($3.70); fried cauliflower ($3.70); two cheeseburgers Texas hot-style OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
($5.25 each); clam chowder ($4.99); and lobster bisque ($4.45). We were credited/discounted $1.70 for the crabcake bites and clam strips — not sure why. Some orders included marinara and cocktail sauce. The smorgasbord of food looked like a small-scale Thanksgiving dinner — a dinner that boasted various shades of tan. The blue and pink plates were great combination dinners. The scallops were cooked well and were flavorful. The smaller scallop (the runt) was a little overcooked and drier, but this is JUNE / JULY 2019
difficult to control when they’re swimming in the fryer. The haddock was aesthetically and flavorfully beautiful. Compared to the haddock sandwich, the smaller haddock pieces of the combo meal were loosely breaded. After taking a bite of one, some water fell to the plate. It wasn’t unappealing, but it was a surprise. The shrimp were awesome. The breading and crunchiness were applauded by the four of us. The same goes with the fries, which came with both plates. They weren’t overly salty, which gives patrons the option to add their preferred amount. Where the coleslaw lived up to the definition of coleslaw, the mac salad was a standout. The noodles weren’t mushy. It wasn’t drowning in mayo. The celery sang a great solo and the seasoning proved to be a harmonic chorus. The condiments fared well. Similar to the median of the coleslaw, the marinara and cocktail sauces simply did the trick. Between the two, the cocktail sauce was more noteworthy, but I wish it had a little bit more of a kick. There really isn’t much to say about the fried clams and calamari except that they were great. The bite-sized pieces were fried very well. There was a great crispiness and the integrity of the seafood was not compromised. The crabcakes didn’t make the cut. They were adorable to look at, but they were not very good. The nicely fried Maryland delicacy instead tasted like fried balls of coleslaw. There was minimal crab pieces and flavoring. The fried veggies, however, were polarizing. The spicy green beans were awesome. I’d order a plateful of them. The creeping heat made itself present, but it wasn’t overpowering. The beans were lightly breaded and gently fried. The style made a boring vegetable super appealing. Speaking of boring veggies — the cauliflower was borderline unappetizing. The albino broccoli florets were simply blanched before the breading and frying process. Even the marinara sauce couldn’t save the bites. On the opposite end of the flavor spectrum, the Texas hot-style cheeseburger was the evening’s dark horse. I came into the meal not wanting to enjoy this, but I left kind of impressed. The slim patty burger is nothing to rave over, but Rudy’s house-made Texas hot sauce is damn good. Lastly, the soups. The New England clam chowder is very applaudable. The lobster bisque can be left to sink to the JUNE / JULY 2019
The Pink Plate special at Rudy’s features crispy shrimp, fries and another side choice.
Blue Plate haddock bites . briny deep. The chowder had a nice subtle creaminess to it, and the bisque had this almost gritty quality to its thickness. There were numerous pieces of clam, but not one fleck of lobster meat could be found. Overall, the prices and portion sizes were very fair. All of the food came out hot. None of the items were overly fried or heavily breaded. Regardless of enjoying the items or not, we left wellfed and with leftovers. Rudy’s Lakeside Drive-In is definitely a Central New York staple for the seafood and fried-food lovers. The staff is friendly. The restaurant is clean. It clearly takes pride in catering to its patrons and maintaining a family-friendly atmosphere. Keep swimmin’, Rudy’s. OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
Rudy’s Lakeside Drive-In Address 78 county Route 89, Oswego, NY 13126 Phone (315) 343-2671 Website/Social http://rudyshot.com/ www.facebook.com/ rudyslakesidedrivein Hours Open daily from March to October from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. 29
BUSINESS UPDATE By Mary Beth Roach
Construction of Brooklyn Pickle on Buckley Road in Liverpool under construction in-mid May. It will be the third location of the business.
Brooklyn Pickle to Open Shop in the Northern Suburbs Third location for the business
T
he Brooklyn Pickle is growing again, this time in the northern suburbs of Syracuse, with a new storefront slated to open later this summer. The new sandwich and sub shop is being in built on Buckley Road near the intersection of Taft Road in the Liverpool area, on part of the land that was once the site of the Hafner’s Red Barn Country Store and Farm Market. Overseeing this store will be Craig Kowadla, vice president of the Brooklyn Pickle under Ken Sniper, who started the business in 1975. Kowadla credits his wife, Beth, as the one who first spotted the location, but he knew immediately that it was an ideal location, with its proximity to the North Medical Center, and the high volume of traffic on Buckley and Taft roads. “I don’t think you could have found a better spot for a Brooklyn Pickle in this area,” Kowadla said. The restaurant will have approximately 5,700 square feet, with a seating capacity of 125, according to Kowadla. A new traffic signal in front of the restaurant, at the Buckley Road and Dolshire Drive intersection, will make accessing the restaurant even easier for customers. 30
The new restaurant will have a brick façade, similar to its counterparts in the city. Kowadla also hopes to have on one interior wall a mural of the Red Barn, in recognition of the long-time landmark and the Hafner family, which has been an integral part of the Liverpool and North Syracuse communities for generations. “The biggest asset is you’ve got Brooklyn Pickle on the building. You’ve got a brand, you’ve got a following,” Sniper said. “I think we have a great philosophy. We really care about people.” Sniper has been building that brand and philosophy for 44 years, since he opened his first Brooklyn Pickle in a part of a small building on Burnet Avenue. Eventually, he bought the building and has rebuilt that property since those early days. Later he opened the West Side store in 1977, moved to its current location on West Genesee Street — in the same neighborhood as the original one — and has renovating that site as well. But how did he come up with the name of Brooklyn Pickle since Sniper was born and raised in Syracuse? Sniper’s mother, Isabella, hailed OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
Craig Kowadla, vice president of the Brooklyn Pickle (left) will supervise the Liverpool location. Next to him is Ken Sniper, who started the business in 1975. from Brooklyn, and when the family would visit the downstate borough, they would get their favorite Brooklyn pickles. The fond memory stayed with Sniper, and to this day, a couple of pickles are included in every sandwich. He brought Kowadla in 17 years ago, and has been teaching him the business ever since. Kowadla said that although he does not have an MBA, he believes he’s earned the equivalent due to Sniper’s mentoring. “To learn from him has been great. For seventeen years, working under him, hopefully I can make him proud by coming out here,” Kowadla said. JUNE / JULY 2019
“We Don’t Make the Only Sub in Pulaski. Just the BEST!”
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Fresh Fish >< Open Daily 10am-11pm All Summer! 78 Ct. Rt. 89 Oswego www.rudysHOT.com 315-343-2671
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156 West Utica Street, Oswego, NY 13126 canalesrestaurant.com
OUR FAMILY FEEDING YOURS SINCE 1946
RUDY’S LAKESIDE DRIVE-IN
Salads, Burgers, Sandwiches, Pastas, Seafood, Beef, Chicken, Pork
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GREAT FOOD! FRESH & COOKED TO ORDER Local GET-A-WAY Casual Family Fun! Skip Rocks! Dine at our Picnic Tables..... All on the Shore of beautiful LAKE ONTARIO in Oswego, NY Hours-Spring/Fall 10a-9p Summer 10a-10p • Fri-Sat 10a-11p
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Serving Lunch from 11:30 a.m. and Office Luncheons Welcome ServingBusiness Lunch from 11:30 a.m. ServingBusiness Lunch Dinner from a.m. Business and Office Welcome Served fromWelcome 5Luncheons p.m. | Friday from 4 p. and11:30 Office Luncheons Business and Office Luncheons | Friday5 from Dinner Served from 5Welcome p.m.from Dinner Served p.m.4|p.m. Friday from 4 | FridayRooms Dinner Served Three from 5 p.m. from 4 p.m. Banquet available for Wedding
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8891 McDonnells Parkway | Cicero, NY 13039 8891 McDonnells Parkway Minutes from Routes 81 and 481 | Cicero, NY 13039 Minutes from Routes Parkway 81 and 481| Cicero, NY 315-699-2249 8891 McDonnells 8891 McDonnells Pkwy Cicero, NY 13039 315-699-2249 www.borios.biz Minutes from Routes 81 and 481
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Minutes from Routes 81 and 481 www.borios.biz 8891 McDonnells Parkway | Cicero, NY 315-699-2249
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www.borios.biz
BUSINESS UPDATE
Businesses Get SBA Small Business Excellence Awards Six small businesses — four from Onondaga, two from Oswego— recognized by SmallBusiness Administration
Man in the Moon Candies — from left: James Conroy, NYBDC; John Halleron, NY SBDC Oswego; Amy Lear, Man in the Moon Candies; and Bernard J. Paprocki, SBA.
Bardy’s 4 Seasons Tire & Auto Repair, Inc. — from left: James Conroy, NYBDC; David Bardeschewski; Bardy’s 4 Seasons Tire & Auto Repair, Inc.; Lisa Hall, Bardy’s 4 Seasons Tire & Auto Repair, Inc.; and Bernard J. Paprocki, SBA. 32
OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
S
ix small businesses — two from Oswego County and four from Onondaga County —were among those recognized during National Small Business Week at the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 21st Annual Small Business Excellence Awards luncheon in Syracuse, May 6. Small businesses are selected for the Excellence Awards based on their company’s longevity, innovation, sales growth, increased employment, ability to overcome adversity or community contributions. They are:
1.
NY SBDC Oswego presented a 2019 Small Business Excellence Award to Man in the Moon Candies,192 W. 1st. St. in Oswego, owned by Amy Lear. “Man in the Moon Candies has withstood the test of time since opening in 2005. Amy is carrying on a family tradition passed down for generations,” said nominator John Halleron, NY SBDC Oswego senior business adviser. “A good business has great strategic partners; thank you to John Halleron of the Small Business Development Center, thank you to Pathfinder Bank, Operation Oswego County and the City of Oswego Economic Development Office. This is a wonderful time to be a business owner in downtown Oswego, there is such positive momentum. We have come a long way, but we still have much more planned. I am thrilled to be renovating an iconic building in Oswego and am excited to be a part of the revitalization of our downtown,” Lear said.
2.
Operation Oswego County, Inc. presented a 2019 Small Business Excellence Award to Bardy’s 4 Seasons Tire & Auto Repair, Inc., 5963 S. Main St. in Sandy Creek, co-owned by David Bardeschewski and Lisa Hall. “Bardy’s 4 Seasons Tire & Auto Repair has earned a solid reputation of quality and expertise since its beginnings in 2006. This track record has allowed the business to grow and make capital improvements over the years. Bardy’s is an excellent business and deserves this recognition,” said nominator Kevin LaMontagne, Operation Oswego County, Inc. business finance director. “My days are filled with taking care of customers with quality service and parts, working with employees and vendors, and trying to keep things running smoothly. Winning the Small Business Excellence Award tells us that our efforts are appreciated,” said JUNE / JULY 2019
Bardeschewski.
3.
Solvay Bank presented a 2019 Small Business Excellence Award to Property Management Consulting Services, Inc., 829 W. Genesee St. in Syracuse, owned by Tracy Newman and Rebecca Newman. “I would personally like to thank our staff at PMCS for their hard work and dedication, Dan Lent, Dana Loucks and Paul Mello at Solvay Bank for believing in us and our mission at PMCS and for helping us navigate through the SBA loan approval process. We are honored, grateful and excited for being nominated by Solvay Bank to receive such a prestigious and reputable award,” said Tracy Newman, Property Management Consulting Services, Inc. co-owner.
4.
Berkshire Bank presented a 2019 Small Business Excellence Award to Recess Coffee and Kitchen LLC, 114 Boss Road in Syracuse, owned by Jesse Daino and Adam Williams. “It’s a pleasure to work with a company like Recess Coffee. The passion they have for the product they offer and the service they provide is evident in every interaction! I look forward to seeing the team’s expansion into their new location and know that it will be as successful as the others,” said nominator Matthew Nicholl, Berkshire Bank vice president. “We are honored to have been considered and awarded the Small Business Excellence award. As small business owners the relationships we build are paramount to our growth and further successes of our company and in turn our growing role as an employer and fixture in the communities we serve. The relationship we’ve built with the SBA and Berkshire Bank have been pivotal in our growth and were honored to have two organizations that believe in our business as much as we do,” said Williams, Recess Coffee and Kitchen LLC co-owner.
Property Management Consulting Services, Inc. — from left: James Conroy, NYBDC; Tracy Newman, Property Management Consulting Services, Inc.; Daniel Lent, Solvay Bank; and Bernard J. Paprocki, SBA.
Ashley McGraw Architects, D.P.C. — from left: James Conroy, NYBDC; Susanne Angarano, Ashley McGraw Architects; Deborah Rhea, Ashley McGraw Architects; Sandra March, Ashley McGraw Architects; Lawrence Harris, Citizens Bank; Edward McGraw, Ashley McGraw Architects; Jason Evans, Ashley McGraw Architects; and Bernard J. Paprocki, SBA.
5.
Citizens Bank presented a 2019 Small Business Excellence Award to Ashley McGraw Architects, D.P.C., 125 E. Jefferson St. in Syracuse, owned by Edward McGraw, Matthew Broderick, Nicholas Signorelli, Sandra March, Andrew Schuster, and Susanne Angarano. “Along with being an outstanding client of Citizens Bank, Ashley McGraw Architects, D.P.C. is focused on creating a positive change to the environment, JUNE / JULY 2019
Recess Coffee and Kitchen LLC — from left: James Conroy, NYBDC; Matthew Nicholl, Berkshire Bank; Adam Williams, Recess Coffee and Kitchen LLC; Jesse Daino, Recess Coffee and Kitchen LLC; and Bernard J. Paprocki, SBA. OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
33
community and the local economy. Also, Andrew Schuster of the firm is a graduate of the SBA Emerging Leaders Program in 2016,” said nominator Joseph Pedrotti, Citizens Bank vice president. “Ashley McGraw was founded and has been located in downtown Syracuse for the last 35 years. We have grown our business here and are committed to working on projects that help set up a thriving future for the Central New York Region. It is our passion to deliver projects that achieve triple bottom-line sustainability, finding ways to reinforce environmental stewardship, social regeneration, and the long-term fiscal health of our clients in each project we do,” said Edward McGraw, Ashley McGraw Architects, D.P.C co-owner.
6.
M&T Bank presented a 2019 Small Business Excellence Award to Whelan and Curry Construction Services, Inc., 4103 New Court Ave. in Syracuse, owned by Christopher Corfield. “Sincere thanks to M&T Bank and the SBA for consideration of Whelan & Curry Construction Services for this award. The funds provided and the flexible structure of our SBA loan will
Whelan and Curry Construction Services, Inc. — from left: James Conroy, NYBDC, Christopher Corfield, Whelan and Curry Construction Services, Inc.; Ed Slank, M&T Bank; and Bernard J. Paprocki, SBA. provide many benefits. Most importantly, this loan has enabled a reputable long-standing local business to successfully transition ownership to a new generation and will help support cash
flows necessary for continued growth and investments in talent and technology,” said Corfield, Whelan and Curry Construction Services, Inc. owner.
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
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)
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OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
JUNE / JULY 2019
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Safe Haven Museum H. Lee White Maritime Museum Fort Ontario Historic Site Richardson-Bates House Museum John D. Murray Firefighters Museum Heritage Foundation of Oswego Oswego Public Library Children’s Museum of Oswego Oswego County Tourism Office 800-596-3200 ext. 8322 www.visitoswegocounty.com 35
Bruce Frassinelli bfrassinelli@ptd.net
By Bruce Frassinelli
Casual Dressing Now Dominating Workplace ‘Casual Fridays’ style now becoming the daily norm in many workplaces in America
‘Even the stodgy Goldman Sachs, pillar of Wall Street’s banking world, announced earlier this year that it is relaxing its dress code for all employees.’
BRUCE FRASSINELLI is the former publisher of The PalladiumTimes. He served as a governor of the Rotary Club District 7150 (Central New York) from July 2001 to June 2002. 36
D
uring the 57 years that I was either working at my newspaper or standing in front of a class of students, I always wore a pair of dress pants, a dress shirt, tie and a jacket. On top of this, I shaved and showered daily. Even more recently, when most of my SUNY Oswego colleagues wore in some cases ultra-casual clothing into the classroom, I could not bring myself to do it. Several curious students even asked me why I did not go with the flow. I told them — and this was in complete sincerity — because I had respect for them and felt that I needed to look my best during the hour and 10 minutes or so that we were together twice a week and they were staring at me. They, on the other hand, dressed as casually as one might imagine — unshaven, no socks, sandals, ripped T-shirts and jeans (and not the fashion kind either) and — well, you get the picture. When I first entered the high school classroom in the fall of 1961, virtually every male teacher wore the same “uniform” as I. Women mostly wore skirts and blouses or dress sweaters. I recall that year that there was a controversy when one of the female teachers showed up in a pantsuit. The principal told her not to come dressed that way again; she resisted, and the issue ultimately became a cause célèbre that went before the school board. The teacher ultimately decided that the issue was not worth the controversy and notoriety that it had caused and dropped the challenge.
You would be hard-pressed to find a classroom today presided over by a teacher dressed in the attire I found standard. The same goes for the business world. Women wearing fancy dresses and pantyhose are equally rare these days, and formal dress codes, if they exist at all, are just a shell of their former selves. Even the stodgy Goldman Sachs, pillar of Wall Street’s banking world, announced earlier this year that it is relaxing its dress code for all employees. Apparently this was done to foster a more relaxed atmosphere in a competition for the best employees. Goldman’s new policy was enacted to attract younger workers who don’t want to wear clothing they consider to be from another, more confining era. The interesting approach of the Goldman policy is that it trusts each employee to make the right decision about what to wear and, even more important, what not to wear. “All of us know what is and what is not appropriate for the workplace,” the policy says. In a survey conducted several years ago, employees said they considered their bosses more approachable when they were not dressed formally. In devising dress codes, companies always run the risk of running into headwinds, especially in our increasingly diverse society. Not only is the attire a matter of concern, but so are other factors such as hairstyles, tattoos and jewelry. The Society of Human Resources Management had some observations about this topic on its website earlier this year. At least 20 states, including New
My Turn
OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
JUNE / JULY 2019
York, prohibit discrimination based on gender identity. As a result of this, employers need to be up on the rules of the state or states in which they operate when it comes to enforcing dress codes. Employers also should be cautious not to base dress-code policies in an attempt to get men and women to act, look or dress in a gender-specific way. Years ago, well-meaning dress codes were intended to send a signal to customers. It was important for company associates to project what managers called “a professional image.” This included not only dressing professionally but also exhibiting proper etiquette, being punctual and keeping workspaces clean and orderly. Obviously, in an ideal world, employees would be judged primarily on their skills, competency, expertise, work ethic and personality, but in our imperfect world first impressions matter, and this is especially true in certain professions and businesses. Depending on the image a company strives to project, an employee’s manner of dress is important. In a traditional company or profession — banking comes to mind — if an employee shows up in ripped jeans and flip flops, he or she is not going to be seen as a credible professional. Not everyone favors scrapping dress codes. In fact, some employees welcome them as important guidelines to follow rather than guessing what might and might not be appropriate. Especially when employees from different backgrounds work together, 315.342.5000 there is bound to be opinions that run the gamut on what is and what is not OK. In situation such as these, dress codes or guidelines can help employees spend less time worrying about what to wear and more time actually working. In the 1990s, the Levi company introduced the “business casual” mode of dress, and it instantly became popular. Twenty years earlier, a movement that started in Hawaii also caught on giving us the concept of “casual Fridays.” If you really want to see the public transition in dress mode during the last 60 years, look at a street scene from a busy New York City avenue in 1959 and compare it to that same locale today. Sixty years ago, men were mostly dressed in suits and dress hats, while women wore dresses, skirts and suits. Today, virtually anything goes. Some might say that we’ve come a long way in our pursuit of comfort, while others lament that good taste has gone to the dogs. JUNE / JULY 2019
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SPECIAL REPORT By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
Taylor Carton, after winning numerous ribbons at the Northeastern Welsh Pony and Cob Associates 2018 Eastern Regional Show at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse. Her positive experiences in Syracuse influenced her decision to move to Central New York in January and open an equestrian business.
More Millennials Moving to Syracuse Salt City ranks No. 3 on the list of the nation’s most popular places for recent millennial movers
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yracuse has become quite the hotspot for millennials, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). The Salt City ranks No. 3 on the list of the nation’s most popular places for recent millennial movers. The organization’s latest study defines the millennial age demographic as those born from 1980 to 1998. New Haven-Milford, Connecticut., ranked first at 75% of recent movers
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identified as millennials, followed by Madison, Wisconsin, at 75%, Syracuse at 73%, Grand Rapids-Wyoming, Michigan, at 73% and Honolulu, Hawaii at 70%. Rochester ranked further down on the list at 67%. Taylor Carton, 20, moved to Central New York in January from Ocean Township, New Jersey, in part to live near her boyfriend, Terry Elwood of Auburn, but also because of the business opportunities in Syracuse’s horse industry. OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
A lifelong equestrienne, Carton had shown horses at venues up and down the East Coast, including Syracuse, and internationally. With the construction of the Exposition Center that opened last August, the Fairgrounds boasts more space to host even more horse events. “I love the area, and there is so much opportunity here in the horse world here,” Carton said. She had worked at a horse stable in New Jersey and dreamed of starting her own business; however, the cost of living is too high in New Jersey. But two months ago in Weedsport, she opened Spring Creek Equestrian, a stable offering boarding, lessons and horse training. “I couldn’t have done that in New Jersey,” she said. She rents a barn, four acres and a riding ring where she keeps her two horses and operates the business. One of Carton’s relatives cautioned her about moving to Upstate, thinking JUNE / JULY 2019
the area lives up to its negative press. Now that she has experienced doing business in the area firsthand, Carton advises any millennials considering a move to the Syracuse area, “Give it a chance. Don’t think of it as a dead zone. You’ll like it once you get here. There’s lots of business opportunity, industry and land here. I don’t regret my decision. I like the people and the area.” She added that anytime she has the chance, she visits Syracuse, not only for equine events, but also for attractions like Destiny USA (“The best shopping mall I’ve ever been to — they have everything,” she said) and Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, where she takes anyone visiting her from New Jersey. “Syracuse has a lot of fun places to go and eat,” Carton said. Moving her horses and her life to Upstate was both a “a big step and a huge change,” she said. “I’ll be here a very long time. I see myself growing my business here.” Tracy Chamberlain Higginbotham, president of Women TIES, LLC in Syracuse, views the trend of incoming millennials as positive. “It is essential to have millennials moving to Syracuse to add vibrancy and culture to the community,” she said. “They also bring smart, young minds and renewed energy to continue making Syracuse a wonderful place to work and live.” The NAR study indicates that millennials making comfortable incomes are choosing to move to places with lower housing costs. Generally, places with a wide variety of entertainment, cultural diversity and opportunities for further education tend to draw younger people. All of these are true of Syracuse. Chamberlain Higginbotham thinks that Syracuse also offers many young people opportunities for employment. “I think Syracuse has been improving its jobs to focus on technology which attracts young, educated people,” she said. “I also believe the addition to downtown businesses, living, the arts and especially sports helps attract young professionals.” A move to Syracuse can also help their income go further. That becomes more important as a couple has children. Chamberlain Higginbotham’s young adult sons don’t have children and live in New York City. “I know the cost of living is much higher for them there so a place like Syracuse, that has so much to offer, will attract them and other millennials back when it’s time to raise a family,” she said. JUNE / JULY 2019
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ADA Compliance Extending to Websites Small businesses learning the hard way that they can get sued if their websites are not compatible with website-reading software used by visually impaired people By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
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cott Osborn, owner of Fox Run Vineyards and member of the Wine America board of directors, is paying thousands of dollars to solve a problem he never imagined existed several months ago. He hopes to prevent lawsuits by rebuilding his company website for greater accessibility for visually impaired users. The Penn Yan business owner in the Finger Lakes area first heard of the issue in November, 2018. A few wineries in California and the Hudson Valley region, as well as other businesses like art galleries, have been sued for their websites’ lack of compatibility with website-reading software
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used by visually impaired people. The lawsuits arise out of a previously unused application of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Osborn eventually decided he should pay the $3,000 (so far) to change his site, plus $950 annual maintenance. More complex websites may cost upwards of $15,000. Osborne doesn’t want to exclude anyone from effectively using his website. He also views this added expense as cheaper than retaining an attorney for $10,000 and paying $30,000 in damages, plus the cost of then upgrading his site. Of course, he could simply remove his website or rely only on social media; OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
however, like most companies, the website helps generate a lot of business. Unfortunately, updating a website is no simple procedure. Business owners lack a definition of what’s compliant, since the ADA pre-existed widespread internet use. “I talked with a representative of the Small Business Association,” Osborn said. “They said they didn’t want standards because then we’d have to comply. But it allows attorneys to help people sue small businesses. It’s not fair and especially since the majority of the money goes to attorneys, not disabled people or organizations that could use the money.” JUNE / JULY 2019
Scott Osborn, owner of Fox Run Vineyards in the Finger Lakes: He’s spending thousands of dollars to change his website out of fear of being sued.
While Osborn’s efforts to update prove he’s trying in good faith to stay compliant, more than 20 companies produce site-reading software. As the software updates and changes, his site may need to change to stay compliant. He also feels blindsided by the rash of lawsuits that don’t allow business owners any time to learn about the problem and then make the changes on their websites, which can take months, especially for business owners who can’t readily obtain help from a website building company. Osborn said that many of these have become extremely backlogged with work, since so few know about the problem and fewer know how to fix it. He chose User 1st of Washington, DC. One example of the differences between compliant and non-compliant sites is that every photograph, chart or other visual illustration must include a caption of text that describes it. The text cannot be part of the art or reading software cannot detect it. Compliant sites also have high contrast between text and background colors and options to increase font size. Stephanie Hoppe Fedorka, a labor and employment attorney with Bond, Schoeneck & King in Syracuse, said that websites do fall under the Title III of ADA law since they’re places of public accommodation, like “anywhere the business owner invites people to come to their establishment.” JUNE / JULY 2019
The internet has become important and ubiquitous for accessing shopping, information and entertainment. “There’s no clear law as to what makes compliant with the ADA,” Fedorka said. “There’s no regulation interpreting what is accessible.” T h e We b Fedorka Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) is an industry standard of website accessibility; however, it’s not a legal definition. Compliance with WCAG may hold up in court as a good faith effort to offer accessibility. Fedorka said that if gaining accessibility forms “an undue hardship on a small business” that may excuse a business; however, the owner would have to prove that it’s an undue hardship, which may not be easy. “It’s on a case-by-case basis,” she added. It’s difficult to give a slam-dunk answer for a problem this complex, especially considering there’s no definition of what is compliant. Fedorka advised consultation with an information technology professional and attorney to assess the risk. OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
Simply purchasing software to assess and help upgrade a business site may not work as well as one would think, according to Dave Gibson, president of Propeller Media Works and its division, Accessibility Works, based in Burlington, Vermont. He estimated that software catches only about 30 percent of accessibility issues. “They are being blindsided,” he said of business owners. “We need more news stories and articles and education to make people aware of this. You can feel for the businesses that own the websites.” He called attorneys involved in these cases as “going for a money grab” and performing “legal extortion” becausebusiness owners don’t know they’re breaking the law and have no chance to amend their websites before they’re penalized. But he also views the issue as “an opporGibson tunity to put yourselves in the shoes of the people with disabilities,” he said. “They’re not given equal access to enjoy services. If you’re living that life with disability and the tool you’re given to explore the world won’t work, you’re blocked.” Very few websites are accessible organically. Gibson compared the current issue with the initial introduction to ADA law. Some attorneys traveled with measuring tapes to examine doorways and generate cases. With ADA applying to websites, they don’t even need to leave their desks. Testing software allows them to screen websites easily at will. At present, most attorneys don’t realize this. He said that as more attorneys become savvy to the technology involved and the issue itself, the lawsuits will increase exponentially. To read the WCAG standards, visit https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag. 41
SPECIAL REPORT By Lou Sorendo 1
ISSUE NUMBER 2487
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ISSUE NUMBER 2486
MAY 22 - MAY 28, 2019
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MAY 15 - MAY 21, 2019
ISSUE NUMBER 2488
MAY 29 - JUNE 4, 2019
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Broadway dynamo Jason Alexander checks into Syracuse Stage to guide an intimate musical BY BILL DeLAPP
Small-business owner Maggie Morse takes different avenues to pursue her artistic ambitions BY KIRA MADDOX
OPINION Our columnist takes aim at the idea of funding corrupt politicians.
EATS Take a seat, bowls. Plates are the kings at new local eatery.
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STAGE
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A modern Midsummer Night’s Dream hits CNY Playhouse.
STAGE Moving stage show explores alcohol abuse from women’s perspective. PAGE 12
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Environmental activist Oren Lyons continues his quests for climate change and indigenous rights BY RENEE K. GADOUA
Syracuse New Times Betting on Paid Circulation Celebrating its golden anniversary, upgraded Syracuse New Times stops free distribution and goes to subscription model. Will the new strategy work?
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he oldest alternative weekly newspaper in the nation is adapting to new ways. The Syracuse New Times is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, a milestone that is certainly creating a buzz at the newspaper. Amid the sounds of celebration, however, are hopes that a new business and distribution model will lead to many more years of informing and entertaining readers in the Greater Syracuse region. The Syracuse New Times is no longer distributed for free, but instead is following a subscription model. “The print world has changed dramatically in just the last few years,” said Syracuse New Times Publisher-CEO William Brod. He noted the Syracuse New Times 42
relies on advertising revenue to cover the cost of writing and photographing stories, as well as designing, printing and delivering the paper. “For 50 years, that business model worked,” he said. As the business world has changed, so has the stream of advertising revenue. For instance, Craigslist has dramatically affected the amount of classified advertising that newspapers present compared to just five or six years ago. The onset of paid subscription services — such as Amazon Prime, Walmart.com and llbean.com — has also altered the playing field as products are being delivered directly to homes. Those internet merchants have impacted local businesses, resulting in less money for the latter to spend on advertising. OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
Adding to this “perfect storm” is the force of digital advertising through venues such as Facebook, Google and Yelp. “They’ve taken a chunk. The combination of those forces have altered the publishing landscape,” Brod added. “That’s the reason that after 50 years, we’ve made the decision to jump to a subscription model.” The subscription rate is $1.50 a week, or $78 a year. Brod said the world now is a subscription world. He said a vast majority of people has multiple subscriptions to multiple different venues, whether it is Netflix, Spotify or Amazon Prime. This way, consumers can decide what product they want and how they want it served up, he noted. JUNE / JULY 2019
Fresh look Brod said the paper now features a redesigned look, giving it a “cool, fresh, new format that is more magazine like.” “We’re making the product more visually attractive, and we’re giving both a print and digital subscription. We don’t want people to have to make a choice of one or the other,” he said. Brod said it’s too early to tell what the bottom-line repercussions will be as a result of the transition. “Anytime you make a change like this, advertisers are going to be nervous, and we understand that,” Brod said. After four publications featuring the new look, Brod said in mid-May there was a “pause” among advertisers that extended from the last week of the old publication through the first week of the new. “Now they’ve come back strong and love the new design,” he said. “It makes their ads stand out quite a bit.” Brod said efforts have been made to improve the quality of the printed version by changing printers, paper, format and design. “In order to take the paper from a free paper to a subscription-based paper, we really felt strongly that we had to give people something new and improved. That’s the reason for the design improvements and enhanced print quality.” Brod also noted the paper has launched subscriber-only promotions where certain subscribers get access to perks, activities and product discounts. Brod did note in mid-May that the newspaper was experiencing some issues with the U.S. Postal Service. “We are setting up to get a periodicals permit, which essentially is firstclass mail for periodicals to be mailed,” he said. “It’s one of those things that you have to get into the business to do and can’t set up ahead of time.” Brod also noted that post office officials also conduct a postal audit, which entails them visiting the Syracuse New Times location and auditing the method of subscriptions, how the paper keeps track of distribution, and the percent of advertisements versus editorial content in order to ensure that the paper is not a penny saver seeking a periodicals permit. “And then it vanishes into a black hole while they review and improve it,” Brod said. “So we are pending on that periodicals permit and that has caused some issues.” “The post office is a bit of a black JUNE / JULY 2019
Publisher William Brod said it’s too early to tell what the bottom-line repercussions of the recent change at the paper will be. “Anytime you make a change like this, advertisers are going to be nervous, and we understand that,” he says. hole. It’s a big bureaucracy and their wheels turn slowly,” he said. “At this point, we are kind of in a waiting game. They collected all the materials, we’ve giving them everything they had asked for, and it’s sent off to wherever it gets sent off to,” he said.
Spirited start Brod said the newspaper is getting exceptional reader feedback. “People that do call are calling a lot of times because of postal issues. They hadn’t received their paper until Thursday or Friday, and they called concerned because they were used to picking it up regularly on a Wednesday. So when it comes Thursday or Friday, they call and ask how come, and we look them up in the system and discover that usually it’s because they are a little bit removed from the area or we are having post office issues,” he said. Brod said the calls give him a chance to talk about what readers like. “They’ve been universally supportive of the new design, which makes it easier to read. They also like the fact that it comes to their home,” Brod said. There are also 330 locations around Central New York where people can purchase a copy for $1.50. Copies can be found in businesses such as Wegmans, Tops, Price Chopper, Walgreens, Rite Aid, Kinney Drugs, and Speedway and Circle K convenience stores. In terms of new subscription sales, Brod said activity has been steady with a couple hundred readers signing up each week. “I’ve been told the subscription game is a long haul game, and a lot of people I think wanted to see it first. Now that there’s been four copies out, it’s a known entity and people feel more OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
comfortable about subscribing,” he said. “If the community feels that the journalism and stories that we write are worthwhile, they will step up and subscribe,” he said. “If not, we have a number of other publications that we can focus our resources on. If the community says the Syracuse New Times is not worth keeping, then their silence will be heard.” Brod is also the publisher of Family Times. In terms of readership, Brod says the staff is actually hopeful of realizing an increase in readers over time. “We know there is going to be a dip as we make the change,” he said. “No one likes change, and no one reacts to change by embracing it.” The Syracuse New Times is upgrading its digital presence, and will be keeping its popular community calendar free. “We have an enormous community calendar that features thousands of events in our community,” he said. “Some of the more popular ones are music events, so we report daily on the number of music events that are out in the community.” “It’s a place where people can post events for free. We’re going to leave that available, and have our ticketing site available for free,” he said. All other content will go behind the pay wall as part of the subscription cost.
Born on S.U. campus The newspaper was first formed on the campus of Syracuse University as The Orange Pennysaver in 1969. It cost 25 cents at newsstands. “The forward-thinking, enterprising college student [Ken Simon] who created it reputedly started it to get drinking money,” Brod noted. It shortly thereafter morphed into the Syracuse New Times, which is part of a group called the Association of Alternative Newsmedia. Until last year, the Syracuse New Times was the third oldest alternative weekly in the nation. “Now we are the oldest remaining in the nation. Sadly, the other two ceased publishing, so it’s not exactly the way you want to acquire a title,” he said. The Syracuse New Times celebrated its golden anniversary with its April 17 commemorative edition. “We’ve had some really interesting and unique stories, and we went back into the archives of the ‘70s and ‘80s and republished some of the stories from 43
back then,” he said. Brod noted the format was drastically different during that time frame, and black-and-white photos were the norm. “Anybody who is a history buff in this area would appreciate stories that have been about somebody or something significant in its time,” he said. The April 17 edition is a compendium that features a look back as well as look forward. “It is a collector’s item for sure,” Brod said. The Syracuse New Times also has thousands of unique photos, such as John Lennon street-busking in front of the Everson Museum in Syracuse and The Rolling Stones invading the Carrier Dome in 1981. “We got unique and one-of-a-kind photos of people and happenings in Syracuse, Brod said. Among those is a collection of former longtime Syracuse Mayor Lee Alexander. “A couple times a year, people seek us out for our archives on some story relating to Lee Alexander and his time in Syracuse,” the publisher added. “Lee Alexander was a colorful character, and we wrote a ton about him,”
“I would argue that Michael Davis is probably the most decorated journalist in Central New York. There isn’t anyone who has won more awards than he has,” Brod added. Also a highlight of its 50th year will be the newspaper’s “Best of Syracuse” reader-generated poll. Brod said the popular poll draws the interest of readers who select their favorite products, services and merchants, casting votes on everything from the best hamburgers and massages to the best veterinarians.
Focus on local happenings Bill Brod, publisher of Syracuse New Times. Brod said. Following his 16-year reign as mayor, Alexander was convicted of a number of crimes, including racketeering and extortion, and sent to prison. Helping to anchor the Syracuse New Times staff of 26 is photojournalist Michael Davis, a 36-year veteran. Brod estimates that Davis has won about 400 local, state and national awards for his photography.
Print It! Syracuse New Times’ publisher-CEO says print media will always be a force
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here’s nothing that will stop the presses. So says William Brod, publisher and CEO of the Syracuse New Times. “I think print and especially community newspapers will always have a role, and part of it is because we are part of the community,” Brod said. “There’s an element of trust there. The internet does not engender trust. “Unfortunately, it took our current political climate to really draw attention to this idea of fake news. People began to say, ‘I know what I can trust and I know what I can’t trust.’” Brod said one of the things his staff learned through a readership surveying process in 2018 is that people trust what the Syracuse New Times does.
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“It doesn’t mean we don’t make mistakes. If we make a mistake, we make it right,” he said. “We do the best we can to highlight what’s going on in the community and show what’s good,” he added. “That kind of relationship with the community will never go away.” “The other thing I notice about print versus all other types of media is print sits and waits for you. You have a copy of the paper and it sits and waits, and when you are ready, you open it up and read. When you are ready to stop, you stop and go back to it at any time,” he said. Conversely, Brod said mostly everything else in the world rushes by you. “If you happen to miss it — whether it be a radio broadcast or a OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
Brod said the newspaper doesn’t provide coverage of national news other than covering a national issue but talking about how it affects people locally. What the newspaper covers is local news about arts, entertainment, dining and community events. “We let people know about things that are happening in their community,” Brod said. “They go to other places to find out what’s going on in Syria, or on the border in Texas, or what’s going on with the crime rate in Chicago.” “Those are things we don’t even TV show— it’s gone forever. When you try to minimize that popup on your computer screen, it’s gone. That print publication sits and waits for you,” he said. “If you and I are having a discussion right now, and you are trying to read a copy of the paper, we couldn’t have a discussion,” he said. “You have to be fully engaged when you read something.” “How many times have you sat in a meeting and watched people scrolling on a phone and half paying attention? Print is one of the very few mediums where people are fully engaged when consuming it,” he said. “When you look at the combination of trust, and the fact that we create content that you can’t find anywhere else and it’s very engaging, print will always have a role,” Brod said. He said the print industry certainly had to make room for new entrants in the whole digital world. “That’s there and it’s never going to go away. I don’t think print will ever go away either, at least community journalism,” he said. JUNE / JULY 2019
touch and are completely out of our bailiwick,” he said. “We try to stay close to home and talk about hyper-local things that people need to know about.” Brod said his staff spent last summer and fall surveying its readership. “I spent a lot of time out in the community, and we did a number of listening events,” Brod said. “I sat down with some really great people and loyal readers and got some great feedback about what they like,” he said. “Essentially, they said, ‘we love what you do, but we’d like to see more of it.’ That’s a cost issue, and if we can afford to do more, we’ll write more. It’s a Catch 22.” The Union College graduate said the demographic that seek out the Syracuse New Times are people who have discretionary time and income. “They want to figure out what there is to do,” said Brod, noting the demographic is also highly educated. “They want to know who are the movers and shakers in the community and what they are doing,” he said. “If they want to become involved, the paper tells them how to get involved.” “We’re not part of ‘gotcha journalism,’ and we don’t report on news and what a person did to somebody else. We try to stay forward-looking, celebrate the good things happening in the community and stay positively focused,” he said. The Syracuse New Times was printing 30,000 copies each week, and had 18 drivers who delivered to about 1,100 locations. “They showed up about 6:30 in the morning to pick up their papers and go out on delivery routes. Over the course of eight to 12 hours, 30,000 copies were delivered to 1,100 locations by 18 delivery drivers” who worked as independent contractors, Brod said. “It was a significant part of our operation that we needed to alter,” he said. Those expenses are now being redirected to the U.S. Postal Service. “When delivering to a home to someone who has subscribed, we know we have somebody who absolutely wants a copy of the paper that is conveniently delivered right to their home,” he added. However, he said when readers pay money to have it delivered to them, “we are fairly certain they are intending to read the content. Therefore, advertisers’ messages get exposure.” The subscription portal is available at www.syracusenewtimes.com/ subscribe.
JUNE / JULY 2019
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SPECAIL REPORT By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
The Vanishing Family Farms Census shows fewer farms, bigger operations in NYS
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he number of farms has declined dramatically in New York in the last few decades and smaller, family-owned farms have been affected the most. New York has 33,438 farms as of 2017 and the average size is 441 acres. In 1959, New York had 51,554 farms, with an average size of 362.60 acres, according to the US Census of Agriculture released in April. The state’s decrease to 35% fewer farms, along with the average farm sizes increasing, indicates that that more large farms have developed — and fewer family farms still operate. Despite the dismal statistics relating to so many small farms, a few trends provide hope for the family farm. Instead of mono-cropping or raising one type of livestock, a growing number of farms are taking a page from Old MacDonald and diversifying what they raise. 46
“Diversification can help farms spread their risk,” Steve Ammerman, New York Farm Bureau public affairs manager. “Whether it is growing multiple crops, raising different breeds of livestock or contracting out their services to other farms, diversification can provide additional income and protect a farm should they experience a loss in one Ammerman particular area.” Ammerman said that many successful small farmers profit through value-added and specialty products. For example, a fruit farmer may make fruit jelly and jam. A OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
maple syrup maker might make maple candy. “This may involve processing themselves, growing unusual varieties or have an alternative production method that consumers are willing to pay more for,” Ammerman said. Cornell offers numerous resources for learning about food processing that have helped many producers learn how to make their own value-added products in commercial kitchens. The Department of Agriculture & Markets also aids farmers in how to set up their own commercial operation. Of course, value-added products can mean additional upfront costs, “but could earn a farm more in the long run depending on the market,” Ammerman said. “This could be especially important in today’s farm economy where prices have been low across the board. Any way to set JUNE / JULY 2019
themselves apart in the marketplace and earn more for what they produce could be especially beneficial today.” Growing organically, raising animals in pastures, using integrated pest management and choosing rare and heirloom varieties and species are all examples of specialty farming that can garner higher prices for farmers because it costs more to produce and because they align with consumer trends. Direct selling represents yet another way small farmers are surviving. Instead of selling wholesale to processors or distributors, direct selling means that the farmer markets and sells to those who will use their goods through a farm store, farmers’ markets, website and community supported agriculture (CSA) program. A CSA builds in a measure of predictability and security for farmers since they receive a certain amount of money per season upfront from individuals for a set number of boxes of produce in season. Some CSAs operate only spring through fall; others function year-round, relying on foods such as greenhouse grown products, apples and root crops during winter. Some CSAs include local goods such as baked goods to flesh out their offerings. “Agritourism” — a combination of agriculture and tourism — provides yet another means of earning income. Some open their grounds to guests year-round or seasonally; others open only during special events. Since most people now are at least a generation or two away from farming, it’s novel to visit a farm to pick their own pumpkins, go on a hayride or pet goats. Agritourism also meshes with several cultural trends, including the “locavore” movement, which encourages consumers to know the sources of their food and patronize local farms. Decorating trends that hearken back to farmhouse decor also bespeaks the interest consumers hold in agriculture as well as the farm wedding. The latter has spurred farms to open their grounds as wedding venues, which can lend a bucolic charm to nuptials, as well as provide more options for brides struggling to find a place to wed. Dick de Graff, owner of Grindstone Farm, has found many of these different means of keeping JUNE / JULY 2019
Dick de Graff, owner of Grindstone Farm: “To me, involvement is key in success of agriculture,” he says. “We as farmers have more in common with other farmers than we think.” File photo. his farm profitable. De Graff farms 40 acres of fruits and vegetables in Pulaski, plus livestock. He purchased his land in 1981. De Graff decided to transition to certified organic beginning in 1986 because he didn’t feel comfortable with using chemical sprays. He also raises non-certified, allnatural, pasture-raised, free-range chickens, turkeys and pigs. De Graff sells through farmers’ markets in Watertown, Oswego and Pulaski, his CSA (which include input from other local farms), and through agritourism. He sells a small amount to wholesalers. He added animals to diversify and also to augment his produce. Animals represent an important a part of the philosophy of certified organic farms by providing fertilizer and minimizing pests. Poultry OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
eat numerous insects and pigs eat produce that de Graff can’t sell, though he does buy organic feed as needed. The diversity helps de Graff’s farm thrive. “Typically in any year, we lose a crop or part of one,” he said. He thinks that the growth in demand for organic has helped his farm and others’ do better, although many supermarkets carry organic foods supplied by large farms. “That hurts the little guy,” de Graff said. His operation diversity also includes fabricating and selling root crop washing equipment, which he ships nationwide. That keeps him busy during the winter months. De Graff’s agritourism efforts include a Chef Challenge. Each chef receives a box of goods from the farm and has two hours to make a three or five-course meal for 30 guests. “It turned out to be pretty successful,” de Graff said. “Some of the chefs like doing this.” Last fall, he held the farm’s first Farm-to-Table event, which featured an area chef creating and the farm serving a five-course meal for 85 under a tent. Grindstone provided nearly all the food. A few items came from local farms. Though the event wasn’t hugely profitable, de Graff said that he hopes to fine tune the event and offer it again. DeGraff said that farmers should become associated with farm organizations. He’s involved with Farm Bureau, Northeast Organic Farming Association-NY and Cornell Cooperative Extension in Oswego County. He’s also a member of the Pulaski chamber of commerce. “To me, involvement is key in success of agriculture,” de Graff said. “We as farmers have more in common with other farmers than we think.” DeGraff serves on a board that’s looking into starting a food hub among farmers in Oswego, Lewis, Jefferson and St. Lawrence counties. It would include locally grown foods, including processed foods, such as a farm that makes its own sausages. “It’s an excellent way for small scale farmers to plug into a wholesale or cooperative agreement to get things to market,” de Graff said. “We have a warehouse, trucks and infrastructure. We’re hoping to get more growers on board.” 47
COVER
A panoramic view of the SRCTec manufacturing facility in North Syracuse. SRCTec, LLC is a subsidiary of SRC, Inc. which provides manufacturing and life cycle management for complex electro-mechanical products. Photo provided.
SRC’s Steady Growth Fueled by a series of million dollar contracts with the federal government and an increase in global sales, North Syracuse nonprofit continues steady growth By Lou Sorendo
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t’s one thing to be producing cutting-edge technological solutions to solve challenging threats to the nation’s defense and intelligence communities. It’s another to be applying it to defend the country’s war fighters as well as overall security. SRC, Inc., a nonprofit research and development corporation headquartered in North Syracuse, does just that. Its research and development in radars and electronic warfare systems — including developing state-of-theart counter unmanned aerial systems 48
(UAS) program — help to defend the nation’s military and security. SRC’s major customers include all four major branches of the U.S. military, as well as the intelligence community. SRCTec, LLC, a subsidiary of SRC, was recently awarded a $20 million contract by the U.S. Army to update technology to maintain its effectiveness against increasingly sophisticated electronic warfare threats. Also, the Army awarded SRC a $108 million contract to help it defeat enemy drones on the battlefield, marking one of the company’s single largest orders OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
for the technology. SRC’s electronic systems, whether they be counter UAS, radar or electronic warfare systems, are in high demand, said Paul Tremont, chief executive officer of SRC. “Our customers can’t get enough of them, and can’t get them fast enough,” he said. SRC does a significant amount of work with data analytics, a specialty that it has focused on for more than 50 years. “We provide data analytics to provide intelligence to our war fighters and airmen and their resources like JUNE / JULY 2019
aircraft to keep them safe from threats,” Tremont said. “We’ve been doing that for quite some time. We have a tremendous demand for that, and it has helped our growth. It has also helped our growth into Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom,” he said. SRC extended into the global market four years ago, and now international business represents about 10% of its activity. Tremont predicts in five to six years, that percentage will grow to 20. The company was formed by Syracuse University in 1957 as Syracuse University Research Corporation. It spun off from the university in the 1970s to become an independent organization known as the Syracuse Research Corporation. In 2006, it formed SRCTec, LLC, a high-tech manufacturing subsidiary. In 2009, it officially changed its name to SRC, Inc. Over the past decade, it has worked to bring innovative technologies to commercial and international markets by creating additional subsidiaries, including SRC Australia, SRC Canada and SRC UK.
In expansion mode
SRC recently broke ground on a 61,000-square-foot addition to its SRCTec Cicero location. JUNE / JULY 2019
Its building in Cicero will nearly double in size as a result of the addition. The existing facility is 141,000 square feet and employs 200 workers. The facility is at 5801 E. Taft Road. Demand is growing not only for the company’s R&D capabilities, but also for the manufacturing of products designed for customers by SRCTec, LLC. Tremont noted SRCTec only featured two products when the subsidiary was launched in 2006. Today, it is creating about a dozen products. At that pace, it will be producing about 25 products five years from now, he said. “There is greater demand for our products, and that is why we need more floor space,” he noted. Tremont said the shell of the addition should be in place by October and manufacturing in the new space will begin in early 2020. SRCTec will be adding 130 hightech manufacturing and related jobs as a result of the addition. Tremont noted that job growth is expected to occur over a two- to threeyear period. In April, the company was in the midst of hiring about 60 additional quality, test and manufacturing engineers as well as assemblers. The balance of needed workers will be hired once the addition is complete. “These are all high-tech jobs inOSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
Paul Tremont, chief executive officer of SRC. volving work on advanced electronic systems,” Tremont said. In all, the CEO noted the company is looking to hire up to 400-plus workers throughout its entire enterprise before the end of its fiscal year on Sept. 30. Those workers will primarily be in areas such as software, electrical, systems and digital engineering. Two-thirds of that new job growth will occur in Central New York, while the remainder will be spread out across its eight regional offices. SRC has multiple offices and customer support sites throughout the United States and around the world. SRC announced in 2017 it planned to double its workforce by hiring about 1,000 new employees over five years. SRC employs about 1,000 people at its corporate headquarters and manufacturing facility in CNY, and about 1,450 nationwide. 49
Countering drone threats
Paul Tremont, SRC CEO (center), talking to employees Lance Bradstreet, engineer, and Susan Gallagher, program manager. They are meeting at the spherical near-field anechoic chamber. Designed to completely absorb reflections of both sound and electromagnetic waves, the anechoic chamber allows testing of radars and radio-frequency equipment. This chamber characterizes a wide variety of antenna systems and is specifically optimized to meet the accuracy, digital control interface, power, weight, and cooling requirements of modern active phased array radar systems. Photo: Chuck Wainwright. 50
OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
Detecting and stopping unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, is part of a major initiative for SRC, which has been in the anti-drone business for a while. Tremont said SRC has been working in the counter UAS sector for more than 10 years. “That’s even before a lot of companies that are in the market were even started,” he said. “Our major competitive edge in this area is that we start working on these challenges and problems that impact our national security before our military customers are even working on them,” Tremont said. “We invest our own dollars back into the company to start solving these problems. He said SRC has been delivering and deploying systems for military customers. “They are doing the job protecting our war fighters, our airmen, and protecting sensitive locations against drone activity,” he said. Tremont said SRC’s systems are being used in the field, which is why there is an upswing in manufacturing counter UAS products. “We don’t stop. We don’t have a product and say, ‘that’s it. That’s good forever.’ We are continually enhancing those products and capabilities, because the threat doesn’t stay still. Our adversaries are very smart also, and they know what technology is all about,” he said. Tremont noted in today’s world, it’s not difficult to acquire electronic equipment, assemble it and create a product. “That’s what our adversaries do. There’s off-the-shelf stuff they can buy and cobble together. We always have to be prepared and stay one, two and three steps ahead of them,” he added. “That’s what SRC does.” He said SRC’s systems will look totally different a year from now. “Today, you can drive it up and use it. Tomorrow, it’s going to be on the move and portable. It’s going to be lighter weight, consume less power and have more capability. That’s where we are going,” Tremont said.
Life cycle management
Characterizing SRC as a “very flexible and agile company,” Tremont said the company delivers innovative solutions that meet threats, “and we do it in a very timely fashion.” In addition, he said, SRC makes JUNE / JULY 2019
SRCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s SR Hawk radar providing coastal surveillance for port and harbor security. Photo provided.
SRC developed the AN/TPQ-50 counterfire radar for the U.S. Army. This radar provides early warning to soldiers of incoming mortar so they can seek shelter. More than 400 of these radars have been delivered to the Army and they have helped saved many lives. Photo provided. JUNE / JULY 2019
An artistic rendering of SRCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Silent Archer counter-drone technology that can detect, track, identify and defeat hostile drones. Photo provided.
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sure it supports its systems “150 percent” through its product life cycle management approach. After delivering a product that meets requirements, SRC supports it by making sure the customer knows how to use it, and if they have any concerns or want changes, the company “steps up to the plate and helps make those changes,” he said. “Customers like our transparency, like our honest approach, and like the fact that we are not in it to make a buck. We are in it to provide solutions and to protect our national security, our fighters and our airmen,” he said. Tremont said all the work SRC does is sensitive, akin to what the government calls classified. “We have to be very protective of not only what we provide to the military, but our intellectual property that
Kevin Hair Named SRC’s New CEO
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he SRC Inc. board of trustees in March announced that President and CEO Paul Tremont will retire Jan. 31, 2020. The trustees have chosen Kevin Hair to succeed Tremont. Since 1985, Tremont has played a critical role in the development and success of SRC. Under his leadership, the company expanded from 950 employees to more than 1,500, projected by the end of the year; revenue went from $220 million to $365 million; and SRC significantly increased partnerships with community organizations. Hair already assumed the role of president in March and will assume
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goes behind it,” he said. “We get dinged just like any technology company from those adversaries and countries that want our trade and technology secrets. I call all the work we do very sensitive.” The challenge, Tremont said, is finding ways to protect information in this world of cyber threats. “You can’t pick up a paper or read an online article without seeing something about a cyber hack or phishing attack,” Tremont said. “As a result, we have to educate our workforce all the time about being very careful. We have to have the best cyber tools around. “It’s very difficult, but something we have to do. Everyone who lives in this country has to protect themselves.”
Philanthropic efforts
SRC has a significant economic impact on CNY, Tremont noted, that the additional CEO responsibilities on Feb. 1, 2020. Tremont and Hair will work closely together, with the board, and the entire SRC team to ensure a successful transfer of leadership responsibilities. “Kevin is uniquely qualified and well-positioned to lead SRC to continued success,” said Don Kerrick, chairman of the SRC board of trustees. “He brings great dedication, passion and motivation to his new duties. His 33 years of service as COO and in various divisions and functions, gives him the insight needed to lead the company to the next level — elevating SRC’s reputation for solving problems of national and international significance.” Hair has been with the company for more than three decades, in roles of increasing responsibility. Most recently, he was the chief operating officer and before that, the executive vice president of corporate business development and government affairs. He has a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Boston University and a master’s degree in computer engineering from Syracuse University. He is a member of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA), Association of Old Crows (AOC), the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) and the Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA). Hair currently serves on the United Way of CNY and the First Tee board of directors and is very involved in the community. OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
extends beyond the obvious benefits of job creation. “We are continually supporting Central New York communities, as well as other communities where we have our regional offices in,” he said. Tremont noted SRC has three focus areas when it comes to its philanthropic pursuits. The first involved STEM, or curriculum that stresses science, technology, engineering and math. “Our efforts with STEM is all about getting our future workers and leaders who are in kindergarten, grammar school, middle school and high school interested in STEM,” he said. SRC primarily focuses its STEM efforts on the less-fortune residents of the city of Syracuse and surrounding suburbs. Not only does the company provide financial support, but it also creates activities such as inviting students to its facilities to show them what a STEM career is all about and what it can provide. “We work with Syracuse University, the Manufacturers Association of Central New York, and the City of Syracuse School District to help promote this. It is a big team effort and we’re glad to be part of the team,” he said. “We want to make sure we have a growing workforce to support not only what SRC does, but what the whole community does. That has a tremendous economic impact on the future,” he added. The second major focal point for giving is the military. SRC supports the Wounded Warrior program, Clear Path for Veterans, and Honor Flight, an organization dedicated to transporting for free as many U.S. military veterans as possible to Washington, D.C. to see memorials of the respective wars they fought in. Its third main philanthropic focus is supporting the United Way of Central New York. “There are a lot of nonprofit organizations that provide a tremendous amount of good for the less fortunate that serve as the backbone of our communities,” Tremont said. “They are helping to raise the level of a lot of citizens in our community. The United Way makes sure it is funding organizations that have a sound plan and that do good work.” He noted SRC’s employees personally contribute every year to the United Way campaign, and the company matches what they donate. In 2018, SRC JUNE / JULY 2019
and its employees contributed $560,000 to the United Way. SEC also helps organizations such as CenterState CEO and MACNY by sharing its marketing and business expertise, thereby fostering a better foundation for economic growth in Central New York. During Tremont’s tenure at SRC, he and staff have discussed going public or becoming employee-owned versus its nonprofit status.
“The tremendous advantage of being a nonprofit for me is that we can be focused on the right things and what is important, and that is accomplishing our mission and not the bottom line. We’re not focused on the bottom line; we earn profits, but we focus on our mission, which is to provide innovative solutions to help keep America and its allies safe and strong.” Tremont said everything SRC does is focused on that.
SRC Walks the Talk
Nonprofit R&D corporation recognized as ‘best company to work for,’ awarded for innovation By Lou Sorendo
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RC, Inc. President and Chief Executive Officer Paul Tremont said his company is “modest” when it comes to touting its own accomplishments. However, it is hard not to notice how the Syracuse-based company is being recognized for excellence on several different levels. SRC is a nonprofit research-and-development corporation that primarily develops products for the military, particularly counter unmanned aerial vehicles systems. Fortune Magazine and the Best Companies Group recently named SRC as a “Best Company to Work For.” “It’s great that we made that list, but more importantly, it is a tremendous vehicle for us to use to be able to survey our employees and ask them questions about how we can be a better place to work,” Tremont said. Information from employees is used to create initiatives toward further improvement, he added. “We take it to heart. What we do with that information is analyze it, and then we go back and tell employees what we learned. We then pick one or two areas that we work on to improve,” he said. That’s what makes employees excited about the survey, Tremont said. “They can see us doing something with the data, and they can see the improvements that we make. That’s why SRC is such a great place to work,” he said. Tremont said the company makes
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an effort to sift through bureaucratic red tape. “We are very transparent, and are always communicating with our employees. We tell them when we make a decision and why we make a decision. They may not agree with that decision, but at least we are telling them about it. I think that’s what they love,” Tremont said. The company leader said SRC is continually giving back to the community, “and most employees really cherish that. “It’s more than all about work and innovation. It’s helping the community. It’s also taking a look at the work-life balance of each employee. We care about them,” he said. “We live by the values that we say are important to us. We walk the talk, which is very important. Everybody at SRC demonstrates that.” Tremont said it is not uncommon to see employees flashing smiles. “I’ve been here for almost 35 years, and I’ve had customers from all over the globe come up to me and comment, ‘This must really be a great place to work. Everybody has a smile on their face and is cheery’.” “They make the place look great, and everybody feels as if they have a say in what we do, how we do it and how we present ourselves,” Tremont added.
Salute to innovation SRC has received the U.S. Army’s Top 10 Inventions Award three times OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
“I believe if we were an employee-owned or for-profit, we’d be more focused on how we are creating value for individual employees or for shareholders and stockholders. We want to create value for the corporation and its customers not based on what a share is equal to, but for sustaining jobs and growth here at SRC,” he said.
since 2004. “It’s a testament to the innovation that we do,” said Tremont, noting that there are not a lot of competitors that receive that recognition. “It’s a testament to our capabilities to be very innovative,” he said. “Innovation is more than developing technology; it’s about developing solutions that deliver and that protect our country against the threats that we face. “These awards prove that we are very good at what we do.” SRC has also been awarded numerous patents and have many other patent-pending technologies. “We always have to stay a step ahead or two. What it takes to do that is investment and focus,” Tremont said. “You just don’t want to develop technology for technology’s sake. You have to know what the requirements are from customers, and what those future threats are. Then you have to ask, ‘How can we do it differently?’” “You don’t have to develop technology from scratch, but what you need to do is apply that technology to solve problems, and you get patents for that and we have many,” Tremont said. He said acquiring a patent is difficult and time-consuming. “But what is exciting is how our employees embrace the fact that we have this patent capability and we take pride in that,” Tremont said. “It’s great to say we are doing something a little different and let’s protect it. “To me, that’s the value of patents.” For Tremont, that’s a win for SRC, because his company has some “secret sauce.” “It’s also a win for our customers because we are always trying to improve how we deliver and what we deliver, and it’s a win for our staff because it’s motivation to say, ‘Hey, look at what I’ve done that know no one else has done.’ Patents are a win for everybody,” he said. 53
REAL ESTATE By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
The Art of House Flipping Experts say there is a delicate balance between buying and renovating a home to sell and making a profit
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ouse flipping — buying a distressed house to fix it up and resell it — has been popularized on TV shows that ramp up the drama. Will the fixer upper house need more repair than the buyer thought? Will the crew get it done on time? While some of those elements hold true when house flipping in Central New York, it’s also a matter of knowing the local market and meeting the needs of buyers. Joe Pierce, managing member of CNY Home Buyers in Baldwinsville and also a licensed NYS associate broker with Procopio Real Estate, said he is finding sufficient motivated sellers to grow his business. He buys homes, renovates them and puts them on Pierce the market to sell. In fact, he uses his license only for the buying and selling of his own properties and does not seek to represent buyers and sellers otherwise. 54
“It’s been a very good couple of years,” Pierce said. Though there are different price points for his retail sales, his homes are sold primarily to people looking for entry-level homes in good condition. Central New York has a low inventory of these types of homes, he said, since more older adults are aging in place or else downsizing into smaller homes. That’s where his business becomes challenging. Pierce strives to achieve a balance between making the home nice enough for buyers to want it without going past their price point. Luxury features don’t generally work for starter homes. “It’s difficult to bring a home to the level where people can move in without spending too much,” Pierce said. “Plus, people see Better Homes & Gardens and unrealistically expect a high level of sophistication from a $100,000 house. I have to decide what someone’s willing to pay for it when I am done and choose wisely what to do and what not to do to the home. There are things I can’t do.” Once a renovation starts, it can seem hard to stop sometimes. “When you fix the kitchen, the living room looks bad and the dated bathroom upstairs looks bad,” Pierce OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
said. “You have to learn upfront what you’ll do and what you can’t do.” He also has to purchase homes at a price level that allows him room in the budget to pay contractors to fix them and still make a profit. While Pierce has the ability to perform the work, his business operates at a volume that doesn’t allow him to. His experience helps him know what work needs to be done and how much it will cost — vital knowledge when he’s considering purchasing a property. Many of the homes that he buys had become deteriorated because the previous owners could not meet their mortgage obligations nor maintain the house. Since these homes have to be purchased at a substantial discount off what they would be worth fixed up, Pierce must educate the sellers on how the costs add up and why he must purchase it for less than what they want. He thinks that ultimately, many sellers choose to sell to him because he agrees to buy for cash, with quick closings and few or no contingencies. Essentially within 24 hours, a seller can make a call or visit the website, sell their property and close within a month. He doesn’t blame sellers who want to get out of their financial predicament; however, he can’t give sellers so much JUNE / JULY 2019
United Wire Technologies Inc.
Producers of Copper Alloy Wire 1804 State Route 49, Constantia, NY 315-623-7203 phone • 315-623-7207 fax www.unitedwiretechnologies.com
Jim Ransom • Mike Ransom • Don Ransom that he can’t operate his business. Pierce also must carry the property six months on average to allow time to renovate, market for sale and then wait on the mortgage process. The cost of carrying the property, in addition to the cost of renovation, is an area of cost that most people interested in flipping don’t think about, but can be substantial. In the first-time home buyer market, value-added properties provide a special challenge for buyers and sellers. Pierce said that a large number of first-time home buyers use a Federal Housing Administration (FHA) insured mortgage, as it allows them to get into a mortgage with low down payments and looser credit standards. However, many buyers are excluded from being able to buy a renovated flipped house because FHA flipping rules preclude signing a contract within 91 days of seller ownership. Since Pierce often can renovate a house within 30 days of ownership and have it back on the market, FHA buyers have to wait to have access to buy those houses. Because they are now nice homes, chances are that the home will not be on the market that long. “It is unfortunate that the FHA rules do not discern the difference between an investor merely flipping a contract JUNE / JULY 2019
121 E. First., Oswego, NY, 13126 315-312-3492 | www.oswego.edu/obcr
and a company like CNY Home Buyer who is doing the right thing, providing exactly the type of housing that FHA is interested in making available to buyers,” Pierce said. “It is another example of a law that was meant to help consumers from the predatory practices of a few but instead adversely affects both the buyer and legitimate value-added investor/sellers.” Requiring a holding time is supposed to curb predatory tactics; however, Pierce said that since they are not putting any money into the houses, unscrupulous flippers could simply sit on the property and then sell it untouched. Despite the struggles, he views what he does as community improvement. “I take houses that are sick and make them well, so it’s a good thing,” Pierce said. “If you want to know if what I do makes a difference, ask the neighbors of a former eyesore.” He added that oftentimes, neighbors thank him for improving the homes. Pierce acknowledges and embraces the notion that he doesn’t sell homes “dirt cheap” but for “competitive, healthy price for houses relative to the cost to fix them,” he said. “It is healthy for the economy.” OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
That helps stabilize the home values of the entire community, leaving enough equity for homeowners to fix their homes and not by upside down on their mortgage, he said. He advises anyone interested in entering the house flipping business to “not pay too much for the property. Be properly capitalized. Know the correct after repair value, as that drives the whole process.”
Buy cheap, sell high
Carlotta Brown, president of Onondaga County Real Estate Investors Club in North Syracuse, manages 40 units and has flipped a few properties. She views the biggest current opportunity in flipping as the starter homes. But she cautioned to make money at this level, flippers much be able to purchase a $120,000 home for around $40,000 to allow room in the budget for repairs and profit. She also advised, “don’t buy a house that’s affordable but has an outdated layout, like a 2-foot closet in the master bedroom. People don’t want that. You have to be aware of the layout, especially here where there are very old houses from the 1920s.” Big changes to layout can add up quickly, but simply removing a door 55
www.speedwaypress.com Speedway Press P.O. Box 815 1 Burkle Street Oswego, Ny 13126 Phone: (315) 343-3531 Fax: (315)343-3577
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OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
between two rooms may make a notable difference. New windows, new doors, hard wood floors, upgraded electricity and four bedrooms with two baths are key elements. Brown also said that typical Oswego County buyers want a least an acre of land. Many smaller, more Brown affordable homes are in communities without much land per property. Big bedrooms — large enough to fit a king-sized bed — are also high on the list for buyers of starter homes; however, that’s often unrealistic for an 800 to 1,100-sq. ft. home. “There’s a lot of things flippers have to look out for if it seems like it’s a great deal,” Brown said. That’s why she recommends a licensed home inspector, who can help find aspects of the house that will be expensive to repair or prohibit the house from passing a code inspection. Brown also said that investors need to check with the municipality for pastdue water and sewer and tax bills, and for code violations. Common sense also helps improve a flipper’s chances of profiting. “If you think the closet isn’t big enough, it’s not,” Brown said. “They don’t want shag carpet. They cannot take a house that’s totally worn out.” She also cautioned that obtaining a loan for a flip isn’t easy because lenders feel wary of a house vastly underpriced. Brown feels that buying a house close by is important, too, so flippers can keep a closer watch over it. She won’t buy one more than 30 minutes from her home. “If the house is vacant, always have your water shut off even if you don’t have it cut off from the street,” Brown said. “The pipe can break, which has happened to me. Insurance doesn’t cover that. I had to pay for it once.” Vacancy insurance, which she encourages, won’t cover water damage. Some TV flippers hire a crew to perform the work. Brown said that it’s hard knowing whom to trust when starting out in flipping. She has had contractors disappear with her money and even die before the work was done. “Get recommendations,” Brown said. “I really have gone through reader reviews on Angie’s List. It’s a good way to go.” JUNE / JULY 2019
REAL ESTATE By Kimberly Blaker
Ready to Buy a New Home? How to keep you on course to find your perfect home
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uying a home is often a highly emotional experience. It begins with the exciting prospect of finding your perfect home and the exhilarating idea of new beginnings. But as the hunt progresses, it can become an emotional roller coaster. After viewing many homes, you might fear you’ll never find the right one. You may experience anxiety over whether you’ll find a home within your budget — or because you’ve fallen in love with a home that’s outside your budget. When you find the perfect home, you’ll be dealing with frustration if another buyer beats you to the punch. When you do make an offer, you may be worried you offered too little or too much. You’ll also experience disappointment if your offer is rejected. But once you’ve closed on your home and you’re confident you made the right decision, you’ll rejoice — and bask knowing it was worth every bit of the turbulent ride. Still, there’s no bigger stress than making the mistake of buying a home that, for any number of reasons, you come to regret. So, follow these recommendations to get you started on the right foot and help you stay on course
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in finding your perfect (or near-perfect) home.
Before you begin shopping The first thing to do is make a list of your objectives in finding a new home. Are you trying to reduce your work commute? Is there a particular school district you’d like your kids to attend? What about proximity to shopping or recreation? Also, think about the specific features you want in a home. Would you like a larger garage, finished basement, fenced yard, low maintenance lawn, a certain number of bedrooms and bathrooms, a walk-in shower, updated kitchen, ample closet space, or a home that’s turn-key ready? Make your list as detailed as possible. Now, go through the list again. Mark next to each item whether it’s a must-have, prefer-to-have, or nice but not necessary. The reason for creating this list, and then breaking it down, is two-fold. First, buying a home is a major investment. The home you ultimately choose is going to affect your lifestyle. Since there’s OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
seldom a home that has every feature a buyer wants, you should prioritize what’s most important to you. As you begin your search, you can always add to your list or amend it. But it serves as a blueprint to narrow your search and help keep you on track. When you find a home that wows you, look at your criteria to make sure the home has all or most of your musthaves. If it doesn’t, maybe you’ll decide your criteria has changed and this home is just what you want; it might also bring you back down to earth and encourage you to continue searching for a home that better suits your needs.
How much of a home can you afford? Determining this is a two-step process. First, prepare a budget and figure out how much you can comfortably spend each month on mortgage and interest payments, property taxes and homeowner’s insurance. Also, consider whether there’ll be a substantial difference in your monthly utilities. Include an allowance for home repairs and 57
buying decision. Unfortunately, too many home buyers have learned the hard way that in many regions and states, inspectors are neither required to be licensed nor to have any special skills or training. You can ask your agent for a recommendation. But unless you’re confident your agent is someone you can trust, this may not be the best option. Unfortunately, a few agents favor less thorough inspectors to avoid the risk of too many issues being uncovered during an inspection, which could cause a sale to fall through. So do your research before hiring an inspector. Ask about their qualifications and how long they’ve been in business. Also, check with the Better Business Bureau and online reviews. A knowledgeable, skilled inspector will look at every aspect of the home. This includes windows, foundation, attic, roof, plumbing, electrical components, and much more. Your inspector should alert you to all defects, big and small, and also note any aging components that could require repair or replacement in the near future. maintenance as well. Second, you need to get pre-qualified through your bank or a mortgage company. Despite what you think you can afford, a lender will ultimately determine the maximum you can afford. So don’t risk getting your hopes up on a particular home until you know how much a lender will loan you. Another reason to get pre-qualified is that most real estate agents won’t show homes to prospective buyers until they’ve been pre-qualified.
Getting started in your search Now you’re ready to find a real estate agent. Working with a Realtor has multiple advantages. First, realtors have access to the MLS system, the database in which all homes listed by real estate agencies appear. If you’re moving to a new area, choose a Realtor with access to the MLS database for the area to which you’re moving. Another important reason to work with a Realtor is so you’ll have someone to represent you and advance your interests. It’s true if you find a home and want to put in an offer, in many states you can ask the listing agent to write up and submit your offer. In states that allow this arrangement, the agent becomes a dual agent. A dual 58
agent is required to treat both parties with fairness and honesty. But in this capacity, the agent cannot be loyal to you or advance your interests because the agent is also working for the seller. When looking for a Realtor, some factors to consider include customer reviews and whether the real estate agent is willing to sign an exclusive buyer’s agency contract. We just talked about dual agency above. Under an exclusive buyer’s agency contract, the Realtor is representing you, the buyer, rather than both buyer and seller. When you meet with an agent, make sure the agent feels like a good fit for you. The agent should ask plenty of questions to gain a solid understanding of what you’re looking for in a home. Also, find out if the agent is available to show homes during your normal hours of availability. Finally, be leery of high-pressure tactics to get you to sign an exclusive contract. Ultimately, you’ll want to do this when you find the right agent. But if you’re not comfortable with the agent, be prepared to say you need time to think about it and stand your ground.
The home inspection Once you’ve made an offer, getting a home inspection is a crucial step. This will help ensure you’re making a sound OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
Tips to ensure you don’t make a decision you regret Regardless of what the bank says you can afford or an agent tries talking you into, you ‘re the best judge of what’s really within your budget. Don’t make a decision you’re not confident you can afford. Remember, your financial well-being and lifestyle are on the line. Don’t get impatient. Sometimes it takes a while to find just the right home. Although you may never find a home that has everything you’ve ever dreamed of, make sure it meets enough of the right criteria so you can live happily in your home for some time to come. When you do find the perfect home, don’t drag your feet. If it’s a buyer’s market in particular, or simply a desirable home, it might get snatched up before you act. If you see flaws that’ll require costly repair, weigh it out carefully before making your offer. Finally, once you make an offer, try not to get your heart too set on the home until it’s been inspected. That way, if the report comes back reflecting costly repairs, you’ll be able to make a level-headed decision on whether to proceed or back out.
JUNE / JULY 2019
SPECAIL REPORT By Lou Sorendo
Downward
Dive
Community colleges suffering with fewer students
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he economic impact in the region created by community colleges looks to be muted as enrollments continue to nosedive. According to EMSI Data Research Services, those who have studied at a community college enter or re-enter the workforce with new skills. Millions of these students are working across the country, and when they apply those skills, they’re rewarded with higher incomes than they would have otherwise, stated EMSI. They also raise business profits through their increased productivity. Together, these higher incomes and increased profits create even more income as they are spent in the U.S. economy, according to EMSI. Enrollment has reportedly fallen at 29 of New York state’s 30 community colleges — including Cayuga and Onondaga community colleges — during the past nine years. Cayuga dropped by a whopping 20%, tumbling from 4,719 students in JUNE / JULY 2019
Enrollment has reportedly fallen at 29 of New York state’s 30 community colleges — including Cayuga and Onondaga community colleges 2010 to 3,775 in 2018. Meanwhile, OCC in Syracuse saw its enrollment fall from 11,785 in 2010 to 9,834 in 2018, a drop of nearly 17%. Seven years ago, 13,018 students enrolled for the fall semester at OCC, the highest enrollment in the school’s 57 years. Last fall, enrollment dropped to 9,834, a 23% decrease from that historic mark. “Community college enrollment has been dropping, not just in New York OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
state, but across the country, with the exception of several in the South and Southwest,” said Amy Kremenek, vice president of enrollment development and communications at OCC. One of the reasons, she said, is community college enrollment tends to go in the inverse of the economy. When the economy is improving, community college enrollment plummets. Conversely, when the economy declines, community college enrollment surges. “Right now, the economy seems to be pretty strong” with low unemployment numbers, she said. Traditionally, when the unemployment rate is low, fewer people go back to school. The unemployment rate nationwide fell to a five-decade low of 3.6% in April. Also, data shows that in Central New York, there are fewer students who make up the traditional college-aged student demographic, she added. “There’s been a real shift in terms of the size of high school graduating 59
Cayuga Community College 2010 4,719 3,775 2018 Drop of 20%
es in all shapes and forms,” she added. Kremenek said OCC advertises like all community colleges to build awareness, but awareness alone is not going to recruit students. “It really needs to be based on relationships that an individual has, whether it is with an employee or the overall institution,” she noted.
Successful open house
Onondaga Community College 11,785 2010 9,834 2018 Drop of nearly 17% classes in recent years, and this certainly impacts enrollment in the community college sector,” Kremenek said.
Fewer high school grads
The number of high school graduates is projected to drop 11% during the next decade, fueling the downward trend in terms of enrollment at community colleges. The projected number of high school graduates statewide — excluding New York City and Long Island — in 2018-2019 is 81,575. Ten years from now, that number is projected to be 72,237, or a drop of nearly 12%. In Onondaga County, that decline is projected to be about 9%, while in Oswego County the decrease is expected to be nearly 20%. Traditionally, OCC gets about 20% of any year’s graduating class regardless of declining overall numbers, Kremenek said. “We’ve been able to pretty much hold true to that, even though the total number has declined in terms of number of students,” she added. “We’re getting between 19 to 20% of the high school graduating class, so we have not lost share of students,” she said. What that does for community colleges is challenges them to think about new ways of serving students and new students, particularly adult students and those who never had the opportunity to go to college, she said. Meanwhile, competition for students at four-year schools and through online classes is reportedly on the rise. Kremenek said this factor is also contributing to dropping numbers at community colleges across New York 60
state and OCC. “When looking at four-year schools, they are also facing similar demographic challenges with decreased numbers of high school graduates,” she said. She said traditionally, four-year schools heavily relied on that population, perhaps even more so than community colleges. “As that pool of students gets smaller, then there is certainly more competition for fewer students in that traditional age group,” she noted. “I’m certain that four-year schools have to make their incoming class, so there are probably students who are getting initial offers from four-year schools that perhaps five or six years ago may not have been the case,” she said. Kremenek noted the student recruiting process has changed throughout the years, but one constant has been the focus of community colleges on building relationships with not just the student, but also his or her family. “Many of our students are first-generation college students. Coming to college is a huge step, not just for the student, but for the entire family,” Kremenek said. “So when we are out talking to students about college, we try very hard to not just talk to the student, but also their mom, dad, grandparents and brothers and sisters, because this is a big deal for the first child in a family to come to college,” she said. She said in some cases, “we end up recruiting parents, and the student and his or her parent is in the same classroom.” “That’s one of the beauties of community colleges — they are diverse placOSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
OCC recently held its two-day open house, with the first day being devoted to traditional high school students who arrive on bus with chaperones. The second day is an open house for traditional students, parents as well as adult students. On the second day of the open house this year, Kremenek said she saw a 31% increase in the number of prospective students who visited. OCC faculty also attended both days, interacting with students, talking with parents and fielding questions about the college’s programs. “We couldn’t do it without them,” she said. “I think that increase really shows what is being offered here at this college is resonating with prospective students,” she said. “We’ve honed our open house over the last several years by taking a look at what other colleges are doing and really picking and choosing the things that we think work best, especially for first-generation college students,” she said. Kremenek said OCC tailors the open house to provide a personal experience for students and their families, and give them an opportunity to talk face-to-face with faculty. “Oftentimes, you don’t get to see. You get to talk with admissions people, but you rarely get to talk with faculty,” she noted. “Our faculty is here talking with students and parents, which I think makes a huge difference.”
Convenience factor
Kremenek said one of the significant aspects of students’ cost of education that is rarely touched on is the cost of books as well as online codes. “It’s not just buying a book like it was back in the day,” she said. Research found that less than half of OCC students were actually buying textbooks. The average cost on campus for textbooks was more than $600 a semester. “This is a huge investment, particuJUNE / JULY 2019
OCC Shifts Gears lar for first-generation and low-income people who have other expenses outside of tuition,” she said. The cost of tuition at OCC is about $2,500 a semester. “Textbooks are an exorbitant cost. So what we did was started a new program with Barnes & Noble College, which runs OCC’s bookstore,” she said. Through the “Box of Books” program, students receive on their first day of school a box that includes all the textbooks and online codes they need for class at a cost of $21.50 per credit hour. For those in a three-credit course, the cost is about $64 for textbooks and codes required for that class. “What this has done is really cut the cost in half. Traditionally, it’s been about $600 a semester for textbooks, and this will cut it down to about $300,” she said. OCC is making the enrollment process more predictable compared to when students registered for classes and didn’t know how much books were going to cost in a particular class until a syllabus was received. “And then you found out the book is $400,” Kremenek said. “And they include online access codes, which means you cannot buy used.” Meanwhile, it is essential to have a laptop to do well in school, primarily because many professors have online classrooms, notes are posted online and it provides access to assignments that are posted on online classroom sites. Kremenek noted that OCC is going to package a new Chromebook laptop with the “Box of Books” for an additional $250. “We think by combining the cost of textbooks and Chromebooks, we are making it predictable,” she said. “This way, all students will have all the materials they need on day one when they start class, which will help them be more successful.”
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College trying to find new ways to reach the adult market, with new programming as well as innovative ways to deliver that programming
State steps up
Kremenek said New York state took a significant step this year by establishing a funding floor for community colleges, something that SUNY and community colleges both heavily advocated for over the course of the last two years. What the initiative does is establish a funding floor for operating budgets for all 30 community colleges across the state. Prior to that, community colleges were funded by the state on a full-time equivalent student basis. “As enrollment was increasing, you saw increased funding based on the number of fulltime equivalent students,” she said. “If your enrollment is decreasing, you saw decreased funding.” “The challenge with the previous model is that community colleges serve many part-time students. At OCC, the majority of our students are part-time, which is probably true for many community colleges,” she said. Of total enrollment at OCC, 48% are full-time students. She said the challenge was if a student is enrolled and taking six or nine credit hours, which are both considered part time, the student still needs advising and financial aid assistance even though they are not considered full time. “One full-time student can consist of three part-time students, but all three of those students still need those services. It’s not like we can expand and contract services, particularly those student support services that are needed. Regardless of whether you are a part-time or full-time student, you still need those kinds of support,” she said. OCC has adjusted to smaller enrollment numbers without cutting any degree programs and without any layoffs, Kremenek said. The college has cut adjunct instructor hours and is offering fewer sections of some core classes. OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
I
n light of dwindling enrollment, Onondaga Community College in Syracuse is developing innovative ways to attract and retain students. The enrollment at OCC in the fall of 2017 was 10,659. A year later in the fall of 2018, the number was 9,834, or a drop of about 9 percent. “In Central New York, maybe a quarter of our population has a college degree,” said Amy Kremenek, vice president of enrollment development and communications at OCC. “So we know for certain that there are many adults whose needs have not yet been met, at least by college.” With fewer high school graduates available to recruit, Kremenek said OCC is trying to find new ways to reach the adult market, with new programming as well as innovative ways to deliver that programming. Kremenek said about 80 percent of jobs require some form of post-secondary education. “That doesn’t mean a bachelor’s degree. It could be a two-year degree, a certificate or workforce training,” she said. Opportunities exist for adults who never had the chance to attend college or are working in a job where they are underemployed, and they would like to move into something else that requires more skills and training, she added. Also, there are adults engaged in fields that have changed dramatically, and they need to keep their skills and training up to date, Kremenek noted. “Those are new ways that community colleges can serve new students, 61
and certainly now the adult student is very much a priority,” she said.
New programming
Last year, OCC launched a new weekend college program that it offers on Friday nights and Saturday mornings that is more conducive for a non traditional student. There are four degree program options available: business administration, criminal justice, early childhood education and alcohol and substance abuse counseling. There are 54 students enrolled in the program, and OCC will be launching new cohorts this fall. Kremenek noted OCC has received about 85 applications for the fall program, and will be accepting applications right up until the program starts. There is built-in predictability for adult students, and programs are designed to be complete in about 16 to 18 months following a non traditional type schedule. Courses are taken in quick succession, and students are enrolled in one to two courses at a time. “You know exactly what courses you are going to be taking, in what order and when,” she said. She said that a combination of
students being in the classroom and then having online components to their course work as well. “It’s a hybrid type of program,” said Kremenek, noting it is geared for people who have jobs and other commitments during the week. “This gives them the chance to come to campus on Friday nights and Saturday mornings, as opposed to during the week when people are committed to other things like jobs.” That’s an example of a program that did not exist prior to last year, she said. Based on the calls and inquiries regarding the new program, Kremenek said OCC is confident it will be successful. “There’s interest as other academic departments have also expressed interest in offering their coursework in a similar type of fashion,” she said.
Looking to upgrade
Many people who come to OCC are taking courses to upgrade their skills, particularly in high-technology fields. Also, people who are working in a job and aspiring to attain more of a management or leadership role are also seeking out coursework that will enable them to get those type of
CCC Looks to Remain Competitive Cayuga offering more courses, working with employers, students
A
s with almost all community colleges in New York, overall full-time equivalent enrollment at Cayuga Community College in Fulton and Auburn has decreased over the past several academic years, according to Andrew Poole, public and media relations associate at Cayuga Community College. From 2015-2016 to 2017-2018, CCC’s FTE decreased from 2,660.1 in 2015-2016 to 2,623.88 in 2017-2018, the last year complete data is available. At the same time, CCC’s overall headcount enrollment has increased from 4,531 students in the fall of 2016 to 4,627 students in the fall of 2018, and its part-time enrollment has climbed from 2,914 students in the fall of 2016 to 3,213 62
students in fall of 2018. “More and more students are continuing their education by taking courses part-time, which also allows them the time to maintain a career,” Poole said. Part-time students are included in the state’s determination of FTE enrollment, but not as much as fulltime students. “So even as our headcount increases, the full-time equivalent enrollment total decreases,” Poole noted. Meanwhile, FTE enrollment at the Fulton campus has decreased over the past several years, “but in other ways, our presence in Oswego County has increased,” Poole said. OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
positions, Kremenek added. “The economy and jobs are shifting, and the concept of life-long learning is important,” she said. “Even people who have college degrees from years ago are coming back for new courses, new training and in some cases degrees.” She said adult students are often challenging to serve because of other responsibilities. “The weekend college model helps us figure out a way to deliver existing coursework and deliver new ways to reach new students,” she added. Kremenek said OCC has recently implemented a new program called One Team OCC where about 60 employees across campus work one-on-one individually with students to help them through the often challenging enrollment process. “One Team OCC members have the role of walking students and their families through the process of enrolling in college,” she said. “The hardest part of being in college should not be getting into college, it should be your classes and academic work,” Kremenek said. “We try to make it convenient and personal. You are really being treated as an individual as opposed to a number.
Headcount enrollment in the college’s K-12 Advantage programs in Oswego County high schools has increased from 545 students in 2015-2016 to more than 1,100 students in 2017-2018. These programs offer high school students a chance to earn college credits and explore courses and areas of study to identify potential careers. “They are an invaluable opportunity for our local high school students,” Poole said. Traditionally, as the unemployment rate lowers, fewer people go back to college. CCC has adjusted to this in several ways, Poole said. “Our online course catalog continues to expand, which allows people to take courses around their work schedule, and we also offer evening courses,” he said. “For example, students can earn a business degree at Cayuga in as little as two years by taking online and evening courses. That opportunity and others allow them to keep their day job and continue their education.” Poole said enrollment at four-year schools and at CCC are historically affected by a number of external variables. JUNE / JULY 2019
Addressing the decline
“Low unemployment, shifts in demographics, and fewer students in the academic pipeline have created a competitive higher education marketplace,” he said. “Add to that the proliferation of courses available online, and the result is a shift in enrollment patterns that impacts both four-year institutions and community colleges.” Meanwhile, the impact of the Excelsior Scholarship Program — which allows qualifying students a free education at four-year SUNY and CUNY schools — is still being gauged at CCC. Community college students are also eligible for the Excelsior Scholarship, and a number of Cayuga students are benefitting from this opportunity, Poole noted. “Many factors impact enrollment — tuition, location, cost of living, academic programs, career pathways after graduation, transfer opportunities, extracurricular and athletic opportunities, and those are just a few,” he said. “It’s very difficult to determine the impact of one specific factor in a field as wide-ranging as enrollment.”
OUN C O G OSWE
Poole said CCC is always working to make potential students and the public aware of everything it offers. Admissions staff works with high schools to make sure counselors and students have all the information they need to see what Cayuga features, he noted. “Our online courses are growing, and we offer night classes as well. We are always working to enhance our facilities, and we identify growing fields of interest among students,” he said. Poole said CCC advertises and recruits across many platforms and media. “We also work with leading local industries to see how we can support their current and future workforce with career training programs. As we see it, part of our responsibility and mission is to help our students identify potential careers, and an important aspect of this is working with local industries to see what skills they need in their workforce now and in the years ahead,” he said. In Oswego County, for example, CCC’s research and conversations
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with local health care providers led to a realization that occupational therapy assistants were in high demand, Poole said. “We started an OTA program and welcomed our first student cohort in that program in 2017, and members of that first cohort are scheduled to graduate this spring,” he said. Community colleges, by their nature and mission, maintain deep, lasting, and mutually beneficial relationships with high school officials, counselors, and business and industry partners to offer programs and services that meet the community’s needs, Poole said. “Yet, the current landscape has challenged us to do more to ensure that all corners of the community understand what’s available at Cayuga,” he said. “As a result, the college reorganized last year to enable admissions representatives to devote greater time and attention to building relationships with community partners and prospective students.”
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The Graying of Central New York – and NYS Report shows in NYS there are more people over 65 than there are children under the age of 13 By Aaron Gifford
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o suggest that Syracuse and the rest of New York state is getting a bit silver around the temples is quite an understatement. Central New York is among several regions in the state that has shown a significant increase in its population of older adults in the past decade. With that surge, the number of New York state residents aged 65 and older, 3.2 million, exceeds total populations in 21 different states. In addition, this population of senior citizens statewide grew eight times faster between 2007 and 2017 than New York’s total population, accord64
ing to a recent report published by the Center for an Urban Future. The report, which was funded by the AARP and is based on data from the U.S. Census Department’s 2007 and 2017 community surveys, also indicates that during the decade-long period the population of older adults in the city of Syracuse increased by 1,355. The combined senior population of Onondaga and Cayuga counties increased by 9,632, while the population of residents under 65 in those two counties decreased by 71,909 people. In Oswego County, the population of seniors increased by 5,597 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
while its population of those under 65 decreased by 8,490. And in Madison and Cortland counties, while the population of older adults increased by 6,186, so did the population of all other residents by 12,500. All told, there are more folks in New York state 65 and older than there are children under the age of 13, according to the report. For the city of Syracuse, the growth of the older adult population totaled 9% in the 10-year period. While this is a smaller jump than most other parts of New York state, the report said, it still outpaced the overall population growth of the city, which was only 2%. The report specified that the growth pertained to those between the ages of 65 and 84, while the number of Salt City residents 85 and up actually decreased by 22% during the 10-year period. In addition, the immigrant-born population of the older adults in Syracuse increased by 1% from 2007 to 2017, accounting for 10% of that demographic. Twenty-two percent of Syracuse’s older population is African-American, the fourth highest share of any city in New York state. In fact, the JUNE / JULY 2019
population of African-Americans in Syracuse 65 and up increased by 59%, from 2,142 in 2007, to 3,398 in 2017. The number of older adults in poverty also increased by 2% in that 10-year period, from 3,084 in 2007, to 3,138 in 2017. “To meet the needs of New York state’s booming older adult population, Gov. Cuomo and the state legislature will need to make investing in older adult services a top priority statewide,” the report concluded. “With older New Yorkers driving population growth standards, the state will have to do more to support comprehensive and effective older adult services in the years ahead. At the same time, local officials in cities and counties across New York should be doing more to plan for the aging of their populations and make sure new programs and policies are in place to ensure older adults can thrive across multiple generations,” the report said. Robert O’Connor, a legislative coordinator for the AARP who lives in Fayetteville, said the report reflects a natural progression in that the baby boomers is easily the fastest-growing group in terms of population, followed by millennials, or O’Connor those between the ages of 19 and 34. The population growth of these groups — baby boomers and millennials — outpaces the two age groups in between, generation X and generation Y. While the millennials tend to be more educated and will help grow technological fields that will improve the local economy, the shrinking population of middle-aged residents means there may not be enough direct caregivers to help out the youngest and oldest residents of Central New York in the years to come. “You’re going to see it on both ends — a shortage of day care providers for the children, and not enough people to help care for the elderly,” said O’Connor, 83, adding that he and thousands of other seniors chose to remain in Central New York after retirement because of the availability of quality affordable housing and health care. JUNE / JULY 2019
For the city of Syracuse, the growth of the older adult population totaled 9% in the 10-year period. It still outpaced the overall population growth of the city, which was only 2%. In 2014, the year that the last of the baby boomers turned 50, the AARP published a report that indicated more than 20% of workers in Onondaga County over the age of 50 worried about never being able to retire, and many of those surveyed feared that they would have to leave New York State in order to sustain employment. “But we’ve found that, since then, many people have lost their retirement plans and can’t even afford to move,” O’Connor said. He worries that age discrimination for job seekers is becoming a growing problem. He challenges employers to be open minded about flexible schedules that benefit senior citizens in the work force, and to place more value on the wisdom graybeards can offer. “There’s more to having a well-rounded work force than just looking for people who have technical knowledge,” O’Connor said. O’Connor advocates creating or expanding retirement plans that would be offered to large pools of workers, similar to how 529 college savings plans work for the huge population of parents who invest in it. He thinks the state’s Paid Family Leave Act (up to 10 weeks at 55% of pay) will help New York’s aging population, but he thinks there should also be a tax credit for caregivers who provide transportation services to senior citizens, or who purchase special equipment to transport seniors or to help them stay in their homes. Most importantly, O’Connor OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
says, residents need to be made aware of what agencies and services are already in place to help out older adults. “People wait until there’s a crisis,” he said, “but that’s too late.” Peter Headd, commissioner of the Onondaga County Office for the Aging, is already well aware that the population growth of senior citizens here is outpacing that of the other age groups. His agency, in cooperation with about 50 different partnering organizations, has started a needs assessment as part of a four-year plan to improve the quality of life for older adults in this area. The ultimate goal, he said, “is to keep people in their homes as long as it’s safe to be there, and as long as they want to be there.” He said access to transportation for older adults in Central New York is better than many other areas of the state, “but it’s still not good enough.” Services could be more affordable if there was more competition, which would drive the going rates down. More ride-sharing programs should be created. In addition, Headd said, local agencies need to reach out to more senior citizens who are living in isolation, and help them get together with friends more often or make new friends. Depression can lead to poor health. There is also a tremendous need to give low-income seniors access to better nutrition. And as always, elder abuse, whether physical, emotional or financial, continues to be a major problem in Central New York, Headd said. He would like to see more affordable housing for Onondaga County residents over the age of 65. Mixeduse apartment building located near medical offices, pharmacies, stores and eateries would be ideal. Headd said the Office for the Aging has provided services to about 13,000 of the country’s 90,000 residents who are over 65. The agency won’t be satisfied until it helps out everyone in that category, but in doing so the level of funding needs to increase as the population it serves continues to expand. “In general, more and more seniors are living longer and longer. Their needs get more and more complex,” Headd said. “This is going to get much more serious before it gets resolved. This is not a short-term situation.” 65
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ECONOMIC
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OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
How CNY
Manufacturers Try to Get New Workers It’s not an easy job, they say, and there aren’t enough qualified workers available By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
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anufacturers in Central New York need more skilled workers and they can’t find them. According to the Census Bureau, 10,000 baby boomers turn 65 every day. Among the industries this trend affects, manufacturing is particularly hard hit since few high school graduates want to perform this work. “Many students are now being encouraged to pursue four-year bachelor’s degrees, resulting in fewer and fewer young people deciding to pursue careers that involve working in skilled trades,” said Andy Quinn, human resources director at Novelis Oswego Works. “Additionally, as the existing workforce retires, their soft skills and extensive knowledge of the business retires with them. These critical pieces of learning cannot be easily transferred to new employees, further adding to the 68
shortage you see today.” Quinn said that Novelis actively recruits for all skilled positions throughout the year and partners with Oswego County Pathways in Technology Early College High S c h o o l (P-TECH) program. Quinn said Quinn that to attract skilled manufacturing applicants and retain current workers, Novelis offers a solid employee benefits package and has worked to create a positive company culture. “For the last 50-plus years in Oswego, Novelis has built its reputation OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
as a strong community partner focused on doing the right thing for its people. “ Novelis has partnered with Cayuga Community College on a certification program that provides employees the opportunity to become electricians or mechanics. “This program has been very popular with employees and allows them to continue with their education and add to their existing skill set,” Quinn said. Melissa Menon, talent/community engagement manager at Darco Manufacturing, Inc. in Syracuse, rejects the whole notion of worker shortage. “We’re proactive about demystifying manufacturing careers for people who don’t know we have an active manufacturing sector in Central New York,” Menon said. She said that progress in technology has changed the perception of manufacturing Menon from dull and dirty to a desirable career path, filled with potential for growth and advancement. Darco realized the public JUNE / JULY 2019
misperception and developed Menon’s position three years ago to help address the issue by ramping up community involvement and presentations at schools. “I tell kids ‘we make the guts of stuff’ in Central New York,” Menon said. “It’s not as easy to identify objects and say, this is what we make, but it’s inside stuff that goes all over the world.” Darco maintains an “open shop floor” whenever possible to allow the community to tour and job shadow and also partners with other companies and educators to promote manufacturing as a career. Darco’s “Making it in Central New York” initiative and tagline also promotes the attractive aspects of manufacturing to young people at career expos and schools. “Teenagers are fun,” Menon said. “If you get them laughing, you can connect with them. I say, ‘I know you’re interested in boys and girls. You don’t look at them and say, “They have amazing kidneys” but they do have them and they’re important.’ We laugh about it, but they ‘get’ it. We make the ‘kidneys’ no one sees but are important.” By bringing a sense of levity and pride in the work, Menon said that she connects better to teens who could pursue a career in manufacturing. She added that when visitors tour the shop floor, the employees enjoy telling what they do and the purpose of what they make. “Their explanation means more than the CEO because they are the ones doing it,” Menon said. “They want to know how they found their way to that work. We have folks with college degrees in anthropology or dropped out of high school. We all work together as a team.” Menon thinks that the more intimate nature of a small company is part of the reason for Darco’s low turnover rate, along with high community involvement, both for recruiting and philanthropy.
employees complete the program, they can receive an increase in salary up to $20 an hour after three to four years. The program includes 40 companies and 137 apprentices. MACNY also works with schools to encourage students to consider manufacturing. “The breadth of the apprenticeship opportunities is huge,” said Randy Wolken, president of MACNY. “Most industries are working on pathways that have certifications. A lot of companies customize what the apprenticeship looks like in their companies. When they have skilled trades, they can easily move with defined skills. They are not pigeonholed.” Wolken understands why some feel wary of manufacturWolken ing. “There was a time where manufacturing companies were letting people go,” he said. “Many manufacturing companies left. It gave kids a perception that they didn’t want to work in this area. Manufacturing jobs are here to stay.” Matt Tarolli, adult education coordinator at Onondaga Cortland Madison
Apprenticeship opportunities huge Manufacturers Association of Central New York, Inc. (MACNY) in Syracuse has also been busy drumming up more manufacturing workers. In the past two years, its new apprenticeship program helps train employees from different companies together. The companies pool their resources for the instructions. Once JUNE / JULY 2019
OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
BOCES in Syracuse, also said that manufacturing has many opportunities. “We come in contact with a lot of manufacturers looking for students that may be interested in manufacturing or skilled trades,” Tarolli said. “They often comment that it is tough to find employees willing to do this work.” BOCES has provided classes in manufacturing to help students develop their aptitude for reading blueprints, Excel, and AutoCAD, but the class was suspended for low enrollment. Tarolli advises companies to take a hard look at their pay rate. “It has to catch up with the work, though some companies pay well,” he said. “One of the things we’ve brainstormed that we think is working is to reach students younger and let them know manufacturing is engaging. We have to change their perception of manufacturing being repetitive and dirty.” One big selling point is the debt to income ratio. Young people who attend school for four years end up with considerable debt compared with someone who joins an earn-as-you-learn apprenticeship and acquires no debt. “The Central New York region has three manufacturing industries that rank on the top-paying list,” said Karen Knapik-Scalzo, associate economist at NYS Department of Labor in Syracuse. “They include electronic instruments, pharmaceuticals and medicines, and beverages. “The electronic instruments industry pays an average annual wage of $98,300. It encompasses a number of local high-tech and defense-related companies.” Lockheed Martin is one example. Knapik-Scalzo added that pharmaceuticals and medicines boast an average annual wage of $90,000. Sharing the growth in manufacturing as an industry also represents a great advantage of the industry. Steri-Pharma, LLC is undergoing a $50 million expansion at its Syracuse plant. “This growth is expected to create 72 jobs and allow the company to increase production of an antibiotic to fight drug-resistant bacteria,” KnapikScalzo said. Beer production at traditional brewers and small craft brewers has helped to boost local employment in the beverages sector. “This industry pays an average annual wage of $87,200” Knapik-Scalzo said. Beverage manufacturing employs 1,000 people in the region. 69
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT By Lou Sorendo
Novelis and Toyota: ‘Let’s Go Places’ Oswego Works plant now supplying automaker with aluminum; it grew its automotive portfolio to 20% of total volume from 7% four years ago
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ovelis’ Oswego Works plant and Toyota Motor Corporation, a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer, have decided to go places together. The Novelis Oswego Works plant is supplying Toyota with aluminum that is decreasing the weight of the automaker’s all-new 2019 RAV4 crossover SUV. Oswego Works is providing aluminum sheet to Toyota’s plant in Ontario, Canada. “Novelis leads the way in supplying innovative aluminum solutions to our global automotive customer base,” said Novelis Oswego Works plant manager Jeff Cruse. He noted Novelis is the only aluminum supplier with automotive sheet production capability in all three major auto-producing regions — Asia, Europe and North America. The aluminum maker’s focus on supplying automakers has paid dividends since Novelis entered the market. In fiscal year 2018, Novelis grew
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its automotive portfolio to 20% of total volume from 7% four years ago, Cruse noted. In North America, Novelis has partnered with original equipment manufacturers on the largest aluminum program launches in history, including the Ford F-Series, Ford Expedition-Lincoln Navigator, Jeep Wrangler and Toyota RAV4. “You can find Novelis aluminum in more than 225 different vehicle models on the road today,” Cruse said. Producing more than a billion pounds of high-quality aluminum sheet each year, Oswego Works represents Novelis’ first U.S. operation and stands today as the company’s largest, wholly owned fabrication facility in North America. Equipped for aluminum scrap remelting-recycling, ingot casting, hot and cold rolling and finishing, Oswego generates premium aluminum products used primarily by automotive, beverage can and specialty product applications. OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
Cruse, in his 24th year with Novelis, recently succeeded Kevin Shutt as plant manager of the Oswego Works plant. Cruse formerly was plant manager at the company’s Kingston, Ontario, Canada and Berea, Kentucky plants.
New horizons Cruse said Toyota is using Novelis aluminum in the hood, fenders and lift gate, making the new RAV4 4% lighter than previous models. “Aluminum achieves dramatic weight reduction, increases fuel efficiency, reduces emissions and provides equal or better quality, strength and performance compared to other materials,” he said. By light-weighting the RAV4 with aluminum, Toyota has even more flexibility to add new features, while also increasing the width and wheelbase, Cruse noted. “For example, lightweight aluminum helped offset 45 pounds of JUNE / JULY 2019
additional vehicle weight for a suite of safety features including a pre-collision system, lane departure alert and lane tracing assist,” he said. Cruse said worldwide, automotive aluminum demand is projected to nearly triple over the next eight years. According to a 2017 Ducker Worldwide survey projection, aluminum content in North American passenger vehicles, particularly light trucks and SUVs, will increase 42 percent from its 2015 level by the year 2028, Cruse added. Novelis was successful in utilizing a new thermo-mechanical manufacturing process at the Oswego plant that factored into acquiring Toyota as a customer. To meet Toyota’s stringent requirements, Novelis supplied Advanz 6HS–s600 and Advanz 6HS – e600, which are heat-treatable alloys specifically designed and optimized for high-strength requirements, offering a balance of formability and strength, Cruse said. “We are confident that the quality and strength of Novelis aluminum will help Toyota exceed the high expectations of new and loyal RAV4 owners,” he noted. As of September 2018, Toyota was the sixth-largest company in the world by revenue. Cruse said it is important Cruse to have this level of technology and innovation to remain competitive in the years ahead. “It is an exciting time for our industry and a very exciting time for Novelis,” he said. “We are capitalizing on growing demand for automotive aluminum by investing in additional capacity and innovating alongside our customers. “Our focus in the near term is to continue delivering outstanding, innovative solutions to our customers as we grow alongside them.” The Oswego plant employs 1,177 people, making it the second-largest private employer behind Exelon Generation in Oswego County. It is by far the largest manufacturer in the county. JUNE / JULY 2019
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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT By Lou Sorendo
Pulaski-based Felix Schoeller North America recently acquired the Alameda Co. in Anaheim, Calif. as the company takes the first step in expanding its footprint in North America. It renamed the company “Alameda — A Felix Schoeller Company.”
Pulaski Manufacturer Spreads Wings Westward Felix Schoeller expanding in California after acquisition of company in Anaheim
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o West, Felix Schoeller. Pulaski-based Felix Schoeller North America recently acquired the Alameda Co. in Anaheim, Calif. as the company takes the first step in expanding its footprint in North America. Established in 1978, Alameda is a leading converter and distributor of digital printing media, mainly in the southwestern United States. The Alameda brand has been established as a recognized standard in the pre-press proofing market as well as in the large format imaging industry. Felix Schoeller N.A. is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Germany-based Felix Schoeller Group, the world’s largest manufacturer of imaging products for profession72
al, commercial and home printing applications. It has been servicing the analog and digital printing markets, as well as the pressure-sensitive adhesive industry, with papers, films and specialty substrates for more than 50 years. The California company will now be known as “Alameda — A Felix Schoeller Company.” Alameda had been a customer of Felix Schoeller for almost 20 years. Michael Szidat, president of Felix Schoeller N.A. in Pulaski, said Alameda’s business is somewhat similar to operations in Pulaski. Szidat has been at the helm in Pulaski for nearly nine years. Alameda bought large rolls, or mill rolls, of inkjet papers and converted them to the finished sizes that OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
professional printing operations use, Szidat said. Alameda’s sales were predominantly on the West Coast and the company purchased the majority of its inkjet paper from Felix Schoeller. Jim Walsh, Felix Schoeller’s vice president of sales, had built a solid relationship with the owner of the company. “So, when the owner of Alameda began thinking about retiring and selling his company, we expressed our interest in potentially buying the business,” Szidat said. Szidat said the reason why Felix Schoeller acquired Alameda Co. is fairly simple. “In North America, all of our digital imaging products were converted, packed and distributed in our Pulaski operation,” he said. “As long as you work with a few large customers — such as large international original equipment manufacturers — with a limited number of national distribution hubs, that works really well. You can produce large volumes and ship full truckloads to a limited number of destinations.” However, Szidat said, “As markets evolve and we begin to get much closer to the end user of our products, we need to operate much more JUNE / JULY 2019
regionally.” He said quick turnaround times and short freight strategies to reach users of Felix Schoeller’s products are becoming essential. “Operating a converting and distribution site on the West Coast enables us to reach a market that we couldn’t participate in from our Central New York facility,” Szidat said. The acquisition looks to enhance Felix Schoeller’s competitiveness. “Felix Schoeller’s value proposition has always been our unique integration, as we actually manufacture most of the papers that we convert, pack and sell,” he said. “Now, we are adding two things on top — regional converting and distribution that will make us a stronger player across North America, and the ability to reach certain end users directly with some of our offerings.” Szidat said Felix Scholler expects this acquisition to not only generate additional sales on the West Coast, but also help grow business out of Pulaski.
Synergistic bond Szidat said Felix Schoeller N.A. was drawn to Alameda Co. due to “some nice synergies.” “The company operates equip-
Michael Szidat, president of Felix Schoeller N.A. in Pulaski. File photo. JUNE / JULY 2019
“If we find an acquisition target that fits well, we will strike [again]. If not, we are not in a hurry.” Michael Szidat ment that is very similar to ours in Pulaski,” Szidat said. “The main machines are from the same company as ours, the production processes are almost the same, and the finished products and even the packaging are very similar to what we do and use in Pulaski.” Szidat noted the acquisition will impact operations in Pulaski. He said certain products that are currently being finished in Pulaski and shipped to customers in the Southwest now will be converted in Anaheim. “On the other hand, the Anaheim operation manufactures products today that end up on the East Coast,” Szidat said. “These will obviously be made in Pulaski at some time.” “But the biggest impact we will see is going to come from additional businesses that we are planning for both sides as part of our new distribution strategy,” he said. Szidat noted the acquisition is part of an overall strategic plan on behalf of Felix Schoeller N.A. as the company plans on expanding its footprint further in North America. “We are now present in two locations and have good coverage of the East and West coasts,” he said. “A logical next step is to look for expansion opportunities in the Midwest and South.” However, Szidat said the company will “take a somewhat opportunistic approach. “If we find an acquisition target that fits well, we will strike. If not, we are not in a hurry.” Due to proprietary reasons, Szidat did not share what the transaction is worth, but did indicate its scope. “The operation, employment and sales out of Anaheim are about 10 percent of what we generate out of Pulaski,” he said. “So, the size of the acquisition was manageable within our financial means.” OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
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Skill-Up Oswego County
For information about upcoming soft skills training, contact the SUNY Oswego Business Resource Center at 315-312-3493 or visit www.oswego. edu/obcr.
Skill-Up Oswego County! Program focuses on helping job applicants develop soft skills By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
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wo years ago, Oswego County employers were asked in a survey what qualities they wanted in applicants and their own employees. The survey, sponsored by the Workforce Development Board of Oswego County through a partnership with the SUNY Oswego MBA program, revealed that workers who possessed strong “soft skills” were highly attractive to employers and were the most successful in the workplace. The findings surprised Chena L. Tucker, executive director of SUNY Oswego’s Office of Business and Community Relations and executive director of the Workforce Development Board of Oswego County. “For many years, workforce development professionals focused on helping job seekers develop the technical skills that would qualify them for a job,” Tucker said. “The new data suggested that a successful employee needs to know more than just how to make or fix something. We then looked at how we could address this need in Oswego County.” As a result of the survey findings, local workforce development professionals developed the Skill-Up Oswego County 2.0 program to connect job seekers and currently working people 74
with the soft skills they need. Soft skills — as opposed to the skills directly related to a particular job — focus on how people communicate, relate and understand both coworkers and customers. Soft skills have become both more important and scarcer in the workplace as quality and productivity demands have increased over the years. For example, the key to sales isn’t just to make a good product or offer a good service at a low price. Many customers care about more than quality and cost. It’s about the total customer experience, which includes developing a relationship with the company and its employees. That’s why soft skills are important for a sales team. They also apply internally. Understanding how to communicate better can help teams work more efficiently, even if their work skills are good. Soft skills also include teamwork, time management, problem solving, critical thinking skills, professional image, making a good first impression, communication, civility in the workplace, and how to take critical feedback effectively. Robin Bridson, project management professional in Hamilton, said that many young workers lack soft skills. OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
“Everything is so digital and electronic now that people have lost the ability to have a conversation,” Bridson said. “They’ve lost the ability to focus. They aren’t thinking and listening.” She added that many new workers don’t understand company culture. Or make wrong assumptions about what’s acceptable and what isn’t. She believes that training in soft skills can help improve their chances for successful employment. Grant money totaling $42,000 from the Richard S. Shineman Foundation and $25,000 from the County of Oswego have funded Skill-Up Oswego County 2.0. The Workforce Development Board contracted out soft skills training to Oswego County Opportunities and the Center for Career and Community Education, starting in May. “The training will be specialized for two categories of candidates,” Tucker said. “The first will be available to those who are referred by social services agency staff as part of their mandated employment preparation plan.” For those participants, the program is free. “We’re also looking at those currently employed who may need to brush up on some of those skills,” Tucker said. “They may have technical skills but need coaching with soft skills. They may be individuals who recognize the value or businesses that recognize staff that could improve their employability.” For those participants, Workforce Development charges a fee, which Tucker hopes can make the program sustainable. The six-hour professional development training at either the One Stop Center in Fulton or Department of Social Services in Mexico will raise awareness around the topic, give examples on good or poor communication, and engage participants in role playing to practice better interaction. “Our goal is to create a change in thinking for workers so they see their impact and contributions in the workplace and provide them with tools they need to be successful,” Tucker said. Participants will receive certificates and will be encouraged to mention the program on their resumes. JUNE / JULY 2019
Program to Bolster Workforce Manufacturing initiative looks to remedy skills gap By Lou Sorendo
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he average age of a skilled worker in the United States is 56 years old. With the average age of retirement being 66, more than 2.6 million baby boomers are expected to retire from manufacturing jobs over the next decade. The key question remains: who is going to fill that void? If the prevailing skills gap in the manufacturing sector is ignored, it is projected that 2.4 million positions will go unfilled between now and 2018, according to the Manufacturers Association of Central New York. Randy Wolken, president and CEO of MACNY, said this urgent demand for skilled workers in manufacturing needs to be addressed. Among the programs that MACNY offers to tackle the skills gap is the New York State Manufacturing Intermediary Apprenticeship Program. NYSMIAP is an employer-led, public-private program for registered apprentices primarily in manufacturing occupations. The program first started as a pilot in Central New York, but has now grown statewide to 65 companies featuring 225 registered apprentices in 15 different trades. Of the companies, 40 are in the Central New York region. “It’s growing quite significantly, including at companies in Oswego County such as Northland Filter, Sunoco and Huhtamaki. We expect many more to be joining,” Wolken said. The companies in Oswego County have many apprentices working toward becoming maintenance engineers, while other trades include electronic and manufacturing technicians, quality assurance auditors and machinists. Applicants need not necessarily JUNE / JULY 2019
be manufacturers, but can be involved in technical or service-related industries as well. “These are all apprenticeships that have been limited or non-existent in New York state in the past, and now they are back,” Wolken said. In administering the program, MACNY serves as an intermediary between the New York State Department of Labor and participating companies. MACNY organizes the instructional component and attends to administrative tasks associated with the program. Companies can have from one apprentice to 10 or more at time. “It’s meeting a real need, which is that middle skills space. If that goes unfilled, these companies have a hard time getting work done,” he said. Wolken said the program has potential for growth, mainly because each of the companies has significant workforce needs. “It’s in that technical, STEM-related space where skills are needed,” he said. “We would like to see more STEM-related education. The truth of the matter is if apprentices show aptitude within a company, they will get the related instruction while they are at work,” he said. Wolken said each company is adding apprentice trades and hiring OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
apprentices, or individuals within a company are shifting into apprenticeships, so growth is occurring not only incrementally, but also exponentially.
Gains momentum The program was launched in 2016 with a half-dozen companies and a handful of trades with the mission of building a program to meet the needs of manufacturers. While the state provides funding and MACNY provides logistical support, it is the companies that hire each of the apprentices, and provide the education and training necessary. Also, a journey person within each company has to be available to serve as mentors for apprentices. “So in reality, a lot of this is being funded by companies because they both hire and pay for training and a mentor during the three-to-four year journey of each apprentice,” Wolken added. The New York State Senate included $750,000 in its one-house budget to sustain this program, which was approved for 2019. “We’re excited about this funding because that allows us to maintain and grow the program essentially through all of Upstate,” he said. Timothy Hardy, general manager of Sunoco Agri-Business in Fulton, has advocated for the state to sustain the program. He said Sunoco Agri-Business has used NYSMIAP for the past two years. “Through this apprenticeship program, we have been able to address our growing need for skilled workers at the technician level and above,” he said. “Our average age for skilled industrial mechanics is 47 years old. As such, it is critical for us to be able to identify and develop inhouse talent. The same holds true for instrumentation electricians. These are skill sets that are not easily found in the general job market.” Hardy said the apprenticeship program provides a structured process to give workers necessary skills. “As a result, workers earn important skills and credentials to advance within our company, and new, entry-level positions become available to provide opportunities for other individuals. The demand for MIAP is significantly increasing throughout our state as more companies realize the benefits,” Hardy said. 75
L. Michael Treadwell ooc@oswegocounty.org
The Impact of Manufacturing and Logistics/Distribution on Oswego County
â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The manufacturing and logistics/ distribution sectors have infused Oswego County with significant investment dollars amounting to over $16 million in 2018.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;
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. 76
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whopping 24% of the Top 100 private building and adding a 15,000-30,000-sq.-ft. sector employers in Oswego County expansion to it. Northland Filter currently are manufacturers or logistics/distriemploys 26 and anticipates creating 40 bution companies. Together, they account for additional jobs. a total of 3,849 jobs. The EJ USA, Page Material Much of the manufacturing growth Management and iFreeze projects has come from existing companies represent new companies in the county. through expansion projects. For example, EJ has constructed a new 71,300-sq.-ft. LeRoi Inc., a manufacturer of high-end manufacturing facility on a 15-acre site in body piercing jewelry, is relocating from the Oswego County Industrial Park in the a 3,000-sq-ft. building in the city of Fulton town of Schroeppel. The facility is being and expanding to a 10,000-sq.-ft. location used as a steel and aluminum fabrication in the city of Oswego. They currently plant and a Northeastern distribution employ 35 and expect to create eight new hub for infrastructure products such jobs. as manhole frames, grates, covers and Northland Filter International, LLC, hatches. The company will employ over manufacturer of industrial air filters for an 100 at this location with plans to grow international market, their capacity and add is acquiring a six-acre more jobs in the near Economic Trends site in the Lake Ontario future. Industrial Park in the Page Material city of Oswego, adjacent to the current Management, LLC, acquired a 34-acre site facility it has been leasing. They will be and a 100,000-sq.-ft. building in the town renovating their existing 32,500-sq.-ft. of Scriba for use as a material handling,
iFreeze, Inc. acquired an existing 123,000-sq.-ft. refrigerated facility in the city of Fulton for use for refrigerated and frozen logistics and warehousing primarily for vegetables and fruits. OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
JUNE / JULY 2019
processing and warehousing facility. The project involves the installation of a LIBS machine that takes comingled metal and produces specgrade metal through laser analytics. The operation will support the Novelis plant in Scriba. The project will create 21 jobs. The manufacturing sector has shown a significant change in wages in Oswego County. From 2016 to 2017, the latest figures from the NYS DOL, the wages in the manufacturing sector increased by 4.5%. This increase was larger than that for the neighboring counties of Cayuga, Cortland, Madison and Onondaga. It was nearly double that of NYS at 2.5%. iFreeze, Inc. acquired an existing 123,000-sq.-ft. refrigerated facility in the city of Fulton for use for refrigerated and frozen logistics and warehousing primarily for vegetables and fruits. The operation is affiliated with Martens Fresh, LLC, a familyowned agribusiness in Central New York since 1914, headquartered in Port Byron, Cayuga County. The project will create 30 jobs initially. Future growth potential could involve working with the Port of Oswego. Agribusiness is one of the targeted industry clusters of the Oswego County Economic Advancement Plan and of the Central New York Regional Economic Development Council. The manufacturing and logistics/ distribution sectors have infused Oswego County with significant investment dollars amounting to over $16 million in 2018 which represents approximately 22% of the reported investments for the county and account for many of the high paying, highly-skilled jobs in Oswego County.
It Starts Here Discover the rewards your talent deserves. Novelis is the world leader in rolled aluminum products, delivering unique solutions for the most demanding global applications, such as beverage cans, automobiles, architecture and consumer electronics. Our business is expanding in Oswego and we are seeking talented mechanics and electricians to join our team. Sound like you? Apply now! www.novelis.com/careers Phone: (315) 349-0121 Novelis.com Not just aluminum, Novelis Aluminum.â&#x201E;˘
Page Material Management, LLC, acquired a 34-acre site and a 100,000-sq.-ft. building in the town of Scriba. JUNE / JULY 2019
OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
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SPECAIL REPORT By Lou Sorendo
Pure Genius Award-winning Sentient Blue Technologies looking to carve niche in unmanned aerial systems industry
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entient Blue Technologies is flying high while revolutionizing the unmanned aerial systems industry. The company, led by CEO and chief technology officer Saïf-Deen Akanni, is literally on cloud nine as it comes off an impressive awardwinning performance as a competitor in the Syracuse Technology Garden’s Genius NY program. Sentient Blue is a company headquartered in Italy that is developing micro gas turbines to power unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones. Sentient Blue was recently the $1 million grand-prize winner in the Genius NY business competition in Syracuse. From Akanni’s perspective, the other competitors were very strong candidates. The four runners-up in the competition were Resilienx from Syracuse; EagleHawk from Buffalo; Vermeer from Brooklyn
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Saïf-Deen Akanni, CEO and chief technology office at Sentient Blue Technologies. and Civdrone from Israel. They each received $500,000. All the companies have offices in the Syracuse Tech Garden, a business accelerator operated by CenterState OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
CEO. Sentient Blue’s corporate offices are located in Parma, Italy. Each is required to operate their businesses in Central New York for at least a year under the terms of the Genius NY program. “We took nothing for granted in our preparation and we steeled ourselves in the event that we did not take the top prize,” Akanni added. He said judging from the number of emails his staff has received and from how his iPhone has not stopped buzzing or ringing since the evening of the recent award presentation, the credibility and marketing value is immense. “We are happy with the brighter media spotlight because now a lot more people get to see us deliver what we promised,” he said. “That kind of technical achievement under the gaze of the media can only bode well for Sentient Blue.” Genius NY is the largest business accelerator competition in the country JUNE / JULY 2019
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for the UAS industry.
Driven by drones Sentient Blue’s primary focus is the development of efficient, more environmentally friendly micro gas turbine-based power plants for use in radio-controlled aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). The engines can also be adapted and used in combined power and heating systems. The business is also involved in developing UAV designs that will harness the capability of its engines to deliver performance that is not possible with current technology. Sentient Blue’s hybrid systems will be supplied to the military, search and rescue teams, and used for weather surveys, law enforcement, package delivery and humanitarian missions. Akanni said the Syracuse Tech Garden has helped enable the business to achieve success. “The Tech Garden team has been among our biggest advocates, guiding us every step of the way,” he said. “We look forward to working with them long into the future. JUNE / JULY 2019
He said without CenterState CEO, the Tech Garden and Genius NY, “we simply would not be in this position right now.” The Tech Garden has been the center of Central New York’s innovation ecosystem for more than a decade. It has awarded more than $8 million in funding to startups. Sentient Blue was incorporated in the United States in January, with its primary place of business being Syracuse. The research and development OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
group will be based in Syracuse while its manufacturing, maintenance and testing will be based at Griffiss Business and Technology Park in Rome. The Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research Alliance, or Nuair, is helping to create a 50-milelong air space stretching from Rome to Syracuse to help vault the growing UAV industry. In this space, UAVs can fly beyond line of sight for testing and developing. Akanni said the business is 79
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Felix Schoeller North America, Inc. • Pulaski, NY • Anaheim, CA. actively seeking software, electrical, mechanical and aerospace engineers. “We are taking on new hires to staff both the Syracuse and Rome sites,” he said. “We need to increase the size of the team to meet out development and delivery milestones.”
Innovative technology Sentient Blue’s micro gas turbine engines are designed to increase the flight endurance of radio-controlled aircraft and UAVs. The company’s engines will be able to more than double drones’ staying power in the air, from an average of about 30 minutes to more than an hour. Akanni said the technology Sentient Blue is developing is critical to the industry. “Currently, there is no practical solution to increased flight times for the types of UAVs we are targeting,” he said. “As a result, the military is limited or prevented from using these drones.” He noted quite a few commercial applications are also not viable or practical without the new technology. “We can enable them by providing the possibility of longer, temperature-independent endurance,” he said. “With the radiocontrolled aircraft, they have issues of low reliability, high-fuel consumption and high maintenance costs, and our systems solve all these issues.”
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Akanni said among the keys to developing this innovative technology is improving the gas path fluid dynamics of the micro-turbine. “This is in addition to improving the mechanical design,” he said. Sentient Blue’s hybrid micro gas turbine engine is combined with a generator to become the drone’s primary source of electricity. It will also be capable of recharging the batteries in flight when needed, Akanni added. He noted the increased flight time is derived from the energy density of the fuels it uses, which is 45 megajoules per kilogram. A lithium polymer battery, which is currently the most popular power source for smaller UAVs, only has an energy density of 1 MJ/kg. Sentient Blue is building prototypes of its motors and anticipates selling them to military and commercial customers. Its power systems can be attached to drones in excess of 20 pounds. “We anticipate that we will be ready to go to market in late September with a 25 kilogram-force (9.5-kilowatts) thrust engine,” he said. “This would be a product that would be of interest to certain branches of the military and the high-end recreational market.” Akanni added the company has another hybrid product destined for the advanced aircraft industry that is due for delivery in mid-December. This would be a 6.5-kilowatts hybrid system. OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
Eye on the prize In order for Sentient Blue to realize a high level of success, the team needs to “stay focused, stay the course and execute our technical development and business plans. We are currently on track with both of these,” Akanni added. The company leader, who earned his Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering at Cornell University in 1990, said he is confident in Sentient Blue’s ability to meet the technical challenges involved because of the pedigree of his team. The staff features more than 75 collective years of experience working for companies such as Rolls Royce, Airbus and BAE Systems. Prior to founding the company, Akanni served as the senior aerodynamicist for the Haas Formula one racing team. Aerodynamics is the study of the properties of moving air and the interaction between the air and solid bodies — such as a race car — moving through it. He also worked for EKES Ltd., specializing in numerical modeling, which uses mathematical models to describe the physical conditions of geological scenarios using numbers and equations. He also worked as a test and development engineer for Rolls Royce.
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SPECAIL REPORT By Lou Sorendo
Golden Age of ConnextCare Federally qualified health center continues to expand access to quality care in Oswego County By Lou Sorendo
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hile ConnextCare in Pulaski is savoring its golden anniversary in 2019, it is also continuing its evolution as a major force on the regional health care scene. From modest beginnings, ConnextCare — a federally qualified health center — serves approximately 30,000 patients encompassing nearly 130,000 annual visits for medical, dental, behavioral health, psychiatric, substance abuse and school-based health center services. From an economic development standpoint, ConnextCare features an annual budget of $26 million and employs 240 individuals, making it the 15th largest private employer in Oswego County. Tricia Peter-Clark, executive vice president and chief operating officer at ConnextCare, said renewed momentum at the organization began to build on May 16, 2018 when the former Northern Oswego County Health Services rebranded to ConnextCare.
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Its recent 50th anniversary gala occurred exactly one year later on May 16, 2019. “The momentum from the time that we rebranded to this point has not stopped; it just continues,” she said. Peter-Clark said the organization is in its prime in terms of the success it has experienced, particularly in the areas of retention of employees and recruiting new, qualified providers. “A lot of it has to do with the image we hope to portray to the community about being an upscale, high-quality provider for health care in our community. It’s a place where people want to work,” she said. Peter-Clark said efforts are being made to market its entire network, and not just the concept of a patient having just one provider and one health center. “Patients literally have 63 providers in 12 systems,” she said. Efforts are being made to help patients understand that their health OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
records follow them no matter where they are at within the ConnextCare system. “There’s a benefit in staying with a system that knows your social and family history, allergies, medications that you are on, and what your struggles have been versus going to an urgent care center that might not have the extensive electronic data available that ConnextCare has,” she added. Peter-Clark said there has been growth in patient visits as people realize they can go where it is convenient at a time that it is convenient.
Big dollar impact
ConnextCare creates a $26 million economic impact in the region. “One of the things we’re most proud of is the economic vitality we bring to the community,” said Dan Dey, president and CEO of JUNE / JULY 2019
ConnextCare. “We bring in professionals who earn high salaries as well as employ workers across the entire wage spectrum, and these folks are contributing in terms of taxes and supporting our schools,” he added. When the then-NOCHSI took over five primary care facilities from OCO and Oswego Health nearly seven years ago, the sites were not at full capacity. “Now they are at full capacity, because we’ve been able to recruit additional providers, and that generates more economic impact for the community,” Dey said. There will be five new providers added to the ranks in the summer months. “When I look at these hardworking middle- and lower-wage folks who are primary wage earners for their families, and of course in health care are predominately female, I feel proud of the fact that by being financially stable and by continuing to expand economic opportunities, these folks have a sense of confidence, comfort and security in their jobs to be able to support their families,” he added. Since Dey became president and CEO of the organization 12 years ago, a dramatic turnaround has occurred at ConnextCare. He began with a budget of $6 million; today, that stands at $26 million. There were 85 employees at NOCHSI 12 years ago; that employment figure now is at 240. When Dey began his leadership role, he had a federal grant of $638,000; today, that grant is for $3 million; the debt load a dozen years ago was $2.4 million; today, the organization is debt free; and 12 years ago, there were zero investments; today, ConnextCare is up to $4 million in retained investment earnings. He said vital to that success is “getting the best people possible both on the provider and management side. “It’s a team effort. We have remarkably qualified individuals on the provider side, and have developed a young, energetic, dynamic, and qualified management team that will propel us into the future as well.”
Meeting standards
Dey helps conduct compliance JUNE / JULY 2019
ConnextCare leadership: Michael Backus, chairman, board of directors; Daniel Dey, president and CEO; physician Patrick Carguello, vice president and chief medical officer; and Tricia Peter-Clark, executive vice president and chief operational officer.
ConnextCare By the Numbers 30,000
Number of patients served
130,000
Number of annual visits
$26 Million
Total annual budget
240
Number of employees
15th
Ranking as largest private employer in Oswego County.
visits to federally qualified health centers like ConnextCare across the country. “I have probably visited up to 200 other federally qualified health centers throughout the country, and the No. 1 challenge each of those centers has is recruitment of providers and meeting the needs of the community by expanding access,” he said. “When I compare what we’ve been able to accomplish relative to that, we’ve been extremely successful in terms of our ability to expand access, consolidate our programs and hire highly qualified providers such as physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, dentists and dental hygienists,” Dey said. “We’ve been extraordinarily successful in meeting increased demand, particularly in light of the dearth of primary care physicians that are coming out of residencies.” OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
In terms of keys to recruiting, Dey said it is all about quality and reputation. “We’ve established a reputation by providing good, high-quality care, and providers want to be part of a high-quality organization. We have a good reputation, and that reputation is expanding and we’re being more successful in terms of recruiting providers. We have also implemented a culture and atmosphere of balanced family-work life, where we recognize family is important,” he added. While ConnextCare focuses on primary and preventive medicine, a lot of the focus and funding has been directed toward the ongoing opioid and drug use crisis. “We’ve been continuing to expand that program, as well as behavioral health and dental,” Dey said. “Folks consider primary care what they get from their 83
physician, but we provide a whole comprehensive array for the patient’s entire health and well being, and that includes a focus on mental health, substance abuse and dental,” he added.
Expansion mode
ConnextCare’s focus on providing dental and mental health services continues to evolve. The organization received $250,000 in funding through Sen. Patricia Ritchie (R-Heuvelton) efforts in Albany that allows ConnextCare to expand oral health services. “Our concentration with those dollars is to add oral health services in Oswego as well as to add services at our school-based health center in the Altmar-Parish-Williamstown School District,” Peter-Clark said. The application for the schoolbased health center expansion is under review of the state Department of Health, and Peter-Clark said hopes are that the program will be operational in that district this fall. In regards to its Oswego expansion, ConnextCare originally intended to blend the new facility into its existing primary care site on George Street. “We realized, however, that we were really maxed on space by adding dental, and we were ultimately compromising what that program could be by trying to make it fit into the mold we already had,” she said. ConnextCare is now working with community partners to find a new home to move its Oswego office to where it can feature a full-fledged dental, mental health and primary care facility. ConnextCare used state funds to purchase dental equipment for its Oswego dental site, so it is prepared to equip the site once constructed. Meanwhile, ConnextCare has been successful in recruiting licensed clinical social workers, and now has three full-time staffers. It also has a psychiatric nurse practitioner as well as a physician assistant who is certified in psychiatry. Also, ConnextCare uses a contracted psychiatrist through Upstate Medical University, so it has three individuals that concentrate on providing psychiatric services, mostly for adults. On July 1, ConnextCare is expected to bring on board through 84
Pulaski Health. Circa 1971. contracted services with Upstate a child psychiatrist who will spend one day a week at the Pulaski facility. Other major development at ConnextCare include: • Recently, the organization redesigned its behavioral health space and moved it from the basement level of the Pulaski facility upstairs so it can engage and integrate more efficiently with primary care services. • ConnextCare also has a pending federal application that will allow it to expand substance use services by adding another provider to offer counseling. • Also, an oral health grant was recently submitted to the Health Resources and Services Administration to allow ConnextCare to renovate its entire Pulaski location and upgrade and expand its existing oral health services. • Another development is the planned addition of another schoolbased health center in the Mexico Central School District. It will be located in the elementary school but will also serve the high school. Plans are to be operational in late fall of this year. • ConnextCare has applied to the New York State Department of Health for the second phase of the statewide Health Care Facility Transformation Program to relocate and expand its Phoenix office, through community partnerships, to include multispecialty, large capacity medical, dental and mental health services. Peter-Clark said these programs are all tailored around “what we do best, which is primary care, dental and mental health. That’s really what our focus is, and we’re trying to expand services to continue to support those.”
Federally qualified center Dey said there are many
OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
advantages to being a federally qualified health center. He said philosophically, “the government supports federally qualified health centers because we are dedicated to providing service in areas that are generally medically underserved.” “That is their target and focus, and with that comes a recognition that you don’t just provide an appointment to a patient for primary care,” he said. Dey said as a FQHC, ConnextCare gets additional revenue to provide services to fit a variety of patient needs. The goal is to improve the overall well being of the patient, he added. With an enhanced rate for Medicare and Medicaid services, ConnextCare is able to feature facilitated enrollers that allows the organization to work with patients to find insurance coverage for them, or provide them with a sliding fee scale discount. ConnextCare also has referral clerks whose role is to help patients follow up with specialty or ancillary services. “Enhanced reimbursement from Medicare and Medicaid, as well as a federal grant that is 12% of our budget, allows us to do all those other holistic services that you traditionally don’t get in a doctor-patient relationship,” Dey said. Malpractice coverage, meanwhile, is covered through the federal tort claim, so the government fully subsidizes costs associated with malpractice and supports providers if there is a claim. Dey noted ConnextCare also has National Health Service Corps eligibility, allowing providers who work with the organization over a number of years to have their medical school or educational loans forgiven. “That’s a huge advantage in helping us with recruitment as well,” he said. ConnextCare also features a pharmacy discount program that allows it to generate revenue by offering discounted pharmaceuticals to patients for prescriptions at a wholesale rate.
Accountability factor
Dey said ConnextCare is highly accountable for the care it provides. “We do annual reports where we indicate how we progressed on a variety of health and financial JUNE / JULY 2019
indicators, and we are compared against the other 1,300 federally qualified health centers across the country,” he said. “We are obligated to provide data that demonstrates we are increasing quality of care compared against a whole cohort across the country, so we are constantly monitoring, demonstrating and reporting on the success we are having and increasing our quality indicators and financial indicators as well,” he added. “There’s been a significant evolution in health care over the last 12 years. I think the biggest emphasis and goal is to develop a program based on value-based payments,” he said. “We’re not just getting paid for each episode of care, but we are literally moving in the direction of getting paid for demonstrating overall improvement of health. The more you demonstrate that health, the more you are rewarded in terms of incentives and dollars for that care.” Reflecting that effort is ConnextCare combining with four other federally qualified health centers in the area — Syracuse Community Health Center, Family Health Network, Regional Primary Care Network and East Hill Family Medical — to develop an independent provider association, where it works together to contract with managed care companies. “The goal is to track, demonstrate and report on our outcomes to prove to the insurance companies that they are literally saving money because we are able to manage care in a better way. We are keeping folks out of the emergency department, in-patient beds and avoiding readmissions by providing care in the right location for them and focusing on prevention,” Dey said. ConnextCare is also working with its Oswego County colleagues on the Oswego County Integrated Delivery Network, with help from the Oswego County Health Department, Oswego County Department of Social Services, Oswego County Opportunities, Catholic Charities and Farnham Family Services. The network meets regularly to ensure participating organizations are offering complementary services and directing patients to proper services, which optimizes the care and support services they receive.
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Board of directors: Tricia Peter Clark, Daniel Dey, Beth Hallinan, Steve Gaffney, Timothy McClusky, Patrick Carguello, Michael Backus. Absent from photo Judy Catella.
Golden Gala
ConnextCare’s 50th Anniversary Gala shines light on history, major supporters By Lou Sorendo
C
onnextCare in Pulaski recently enjoyed a trip down memory lane while celebrating its 50th anniversary. A gala was held recently which gave management the opportunity to shed praise on those who were instrumental in launching and sustaining what began as the Pulaski Health Center a half a century ago. ConnextCare has evolved from a humble, leased residence at its inception, to a medical building created by donated funds, to Northern Oswego County Health Services, Inc. to today’s multi-service and multi-location ConnextCare. Tricia Peter-Clark, executive vice president and chief operating officer at ConnextCare, said the recent gala surpassed expectations. “We wanted honorees to be recognized in a way that made them feel proud of the work they have done and be able to see the accomplishments of the OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
organization due to the efforts that they have contributed from the very beginning,” she said. The event sold out as 256 attendees took part in the festivities. Dan Dey, president and CEO of ConnextCare, noted ConnextCare’s 50-year history is directly connected with the Barclay family of Pulaski. Dorothy M. Barclay was one of the original signatories to the health center’s certificate of incorporation, was on the original board of directors, and served as the honorary chairwoman of the committee to fund the original Pulaski Health Center building on Delano Street. Dorothy Barclay is the mother of attorney H. Douglas Barclay, a former longtime New York state senator. When the Pulaski Health Center was expanded in 2004, it was the Barclay family that served as a major benefactor for the construction. The new facility was dedicated in honor of Dorothy Barclay, the 85
namesake for the Dorothy M. Barclay West Pavilion. Dey said Charles Krupke is an individual who most vividly personifies the passion and effort that
underscores the sustained success of ConnextCare. “Charles still keenly and passionately reflects on the mobilizing events that in the summer
Honoring the Barclay family for its role in the creation and growth of ConnextCare are, from left: Daniel Dey, Michael Backus, Douglas Barclay, Sara Barclay, Margaret Barclay, Will Barclay, Patrick Carguello and Tricia Peter-Clark.
Honoring Charles Krupe for his early support of ConnextCare are Daniel Dey, Tricia Peter Clark, Charles Krupke, Patrick Carguello and Michael Backus. 86
OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
of 1968 brought together a number of concerned citizens who gathered at the Candlelight Cottage in Parish to discuss the lack of health care in the community,” Dey said. Motivated by a tragic accident in Pulaski which left a a fatally injured motorcyclist with insufficient attention due to the the lack of a local physician response, Krupke was the catalyst and inspiration for a determined drive to bring physician services locally. “Krupke is the one constant throughout the critical formative years in ConnextCare’s journey,” Dey said. He engineered the research and pre-planning activities for health services, and was then elected as one of the initial directors of ConnextCare in 1969. In 1971, he served on the newly formed building committee for the Pulaski Health Center. And in 1979, he became president of its board of directors. “Chuck served continuously on the board until 2001, an awe-inspiring 32 years. From 2001 to this day, Chuck serves in an emeritus status on the board,” Dey said. Another key figure in the development of the health center is physician Charles Kim. He first agreed to join the original NOCHSI in 1974 as one of the health center’s first permanent full-time physicians. Over the next 37 years until his retirement in 2011, Kim provided credibility and stability for the practice in a distinguished and modest fashion, Dey said. “He was respected and revered among his patients and his legacy is forever burnished in ConnextCare’s remarkable historic journey,” Dey said. Kim now resides in Arizona with his family. Meanwhile, Pat and Jay Chapman have been an iconic physician couple for ConnextCare for 35 years. Since joining ConnextCare in Pulaski in 1984, they never looked back. “Jay and Pat are excellent physicians and extremely well-loved and respected by patients. Beyond their traditional medical duties, both are strong advocates for healthy lifestyles and physical and mental well-being,” he added. JUNE / JULY 2019
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Success Story The Medicine Place Couple Growing Pharmacy Business, Adding New Fulton Location
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haring is everything in a marriage, but husband-and-wife business team David and Tracy Dingman have taken it to a whole new level. They are both Fulton natives and graduated from G. Ray Bodley High School in 1988. Both are 1993 graduates of the Albany College of Pharmacy with bachelor degrees in pharmacy. Both worked at Walgreens in Phoenix, Ariz., from 1993-1999. Both opened The Medicine Place in Phoenix, N.Y., in 2007 and purchased the business in 2012. And now, the couple recently purchased the Fulton Medicine Place, 360 W. First St., Fulton, from Frank and Fran Badagnani, who founded both businesses. Tracy has been working at the Fulton store since 2002. “It is a little nerve wracking. It’s just a big purchase and you have to make sure it continues to do well,” Tracy said. “This is really the first time we’ve worked together because he used to
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work in Phoenix and I worked at the Fulton store. We’re getting used to it,” she added. The transaction cost more than $1 million. “We have two students in college right now, so timing is everything with a big outpouring of finances like that. We also have to take care of what’s going on at home, so it’s a balancing act,” David added. David, meanwhile, worked several years for Kinney Drugs in Oswego prior to taking over management of the Phoenix store. Frank Badagnani, who opened the Fulton store in 1987, expressed an interest on opening a second pharmacy as an investment, but he did not want to run it himself. “That’s how Phoenix was born in 2007,” David said. The Phoenix store opened at 464 Main St., and Badagnani told David he would sell it to him after five years. He held true to his promise, and in 2012, the Dingmans bought the Phoenix OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
By Lou Sorendo
Teamwork: Tracy and David Dingman: They both born in Fulton and graduated from G. Ray Bodley High School in Fulton in 1988. Both are 1993 graduates of the Albany College of Pharmacy with bachelor degrees in pharmacy. Both worked at Walgreens in Phoenix, Ariz., from 1993-1999. Both opened The Medicine Place in Phoenix, N.Y., in 2007 and purchased the business in 2012. They now just acquired the Fulton location of The Medicine Shop. location. “When I left Kinney, they were rolling their eyes at me saying, ‘We’ve done studies and that’s not going to support a pharmacy there.’ But we were able to make a go of it,” David said. Six years later, Badagnani decided it was time to retire. “We were very close with the Fulton staff and the culture is very similar,” David said. “He was so generous to me in the beginning, so I took the torch and allowed him to retire while continuing service levels that everyone has come to expect.” David, meanwhile, is highly active on the national level. He is on the board of American Associated Pharmacies, a 89
nationwide cooperative of 2,400 independent pharmacies that uses its clout for purchasing strength and expanded services. He is also on the board at Arete, the largest independent pharmacy services administration organization that helps independent pharmacies band together to negotiate insurance contracts and access closed networks. Traditionally, independent pharmacies join pharmacy buying groups or group purchasing organizations to pool their buying power. “I’ve been able to bring some things back from the national level to help both businesses now that we are under one umbrella,” he said. AAP is the largest cooperative affiliated with wholesaler Cardinal Health, a health care services company that distributes pharmaceutical products. “There’s things you can get involved in when you are 2,400 strong that you probably couldn’t do on an individual basis,” he said. “This gives us the buying power of a chain while maintaining the personalized service of an independent store.” The two stores employ 20 workers.
Previous owners pivotal David Dingman credits the Badagnanis for giving him his start as an independent pharmacist. “I was trapped on the retail side of it working for Kinney,” said David, noting workers are “more of a number” at the big-chain stores. Also, instead of working 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Kinney Drugs, he is on a 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. schedule now. “I had little kids at the time, and you work three of those in a row, you don’t see your kids,” he said. The new arrangement afforded David to be able to do things like coach Little League baseball and Pop Warner football, and also have Sundays off. “It’s much more family friendly,” he said. Badagnani taught David the business aspect of running a pharmacy. “We are a for-profit, and have to make money to pay our help. You have to be a profitable business, but there is a human aspect to it in terms of building a sense of community,” he said. David said he wasn’t necessarily dialed in on running his own pharmacy. “When I was doing the retail thing, I had aspirations of becoming a district manager and progressing my career in that manner,” he said. “When the 90
Badagnanis presented this opportunity, in hindsight it was 10 times better of an opportunity than I ever thought it would be.” Being independent has its challenges, however. “When things are good, they are good, and when things are rough, it’s on your shoulders and you have to bear the brunt of it and get through it,” he added. Besides the location, it has been involvement with the community that has helped propel the business in Phoenix. David got involved as a Lions Club member, and also supported Little League and Pop Warner football. “I got real close with the police chief and village administration while supporting various programs,” he said. “I let them know that this is community pharmacy, and not just another business in town. We’re here to stay,” he said. OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
Tracy Dingman said pharmacy staff goes into Phoenix schools to administer flu shots for teachers in the fall, and also offers a scholarship every year.
Serving as safety net David noted both locations spend significant monies advertising and creating incentives to get people to walk through the front door. “Once they do, you have to keep them and give them a better experience,” he said. “Somebody has to go through some kind of change, such as in insurance, or some kind of incident has to happen, such as another pharmacy being out of something, in order for them to come here,” David said. “Once they come here, we show them how it can be.” “You do get to know your customJUNE / JULY 2019
ers better,” said Tracy, who — like her husband — has worked at drugstore chains before. “I always felt like the pharmacists were changing year to year. They might put you in one store this year and the next year, they are moving you to Oswego or Baldwinsville. It was never long enough to get to know your people. “I’ve been here for 16 years, and you definitely get to know your people. I greet them by name when they come through the door. You go to the chains, and they don’t know you. They don’t care. We’ve been there.” Patrons enjoy the familiarity and being greeted on a first-name basis, and also like the extra effort combined with speedy service, she added. When you take care of people, the numbers tend to work themselves out, David said. “At the other end of the spectrum, corporate America works off a spreadsheet and tells you how much help you can have regardless of the need. It’s based on numbers,” he said. “We are able to employ people that live in the area, and we are big on community. We support small businesses in town,” said David, noting that monies directed toward chain drugstores go out of the region. Being competitive on price is critical, particularly involving over-thecounter products and items not covered by insurance. “Our pharmacies have been a catch-all for years for people that slip through the cracks,” David said. For instance, the pharmacy will provide intimate products such as colostomy bags while big box pharmacies won’t. “The very needy customer is the one that we serve here,” he said. “We are willing to spend more time with them.” “Otherwise, they have no other place to go, and if we’re lucky, we may get a new customer,” Tracy said. The Medicine Place also gets more involved with the customer when it comes to medical equipment and ancillary services. “We talk to people about all kind of different things. We encompass it all,” Tracy said.
Embarking on career David was in high school and worked as a stock boy at Fay’s Drugs in the Pyramid Mall in Fulton. “I was going through that awkward state at 16 or 17 years old when I was asking JUNE / JULY 2019
Tracy and husband David Dingman have recently acquired the Medicine Place in Fulton. The new store is the couple’s second location. myself, ‘What do I want to do when I grow up?’” “I just looked behind the counter and saw the pharmacist, and realized he wasn’t exactly killing himself,” David said. “He used to bring us doughnuts every Saturday morning and take care of us. He was a real great guy, and I got to know many of the old-timers from the area throughout the years. It grew organically from there.” David is solid on the business end of things, while Tracy enjoys her role as a pharmacist. “We can understand each other’s problems and stresses. When she comes home and starts talking about difficult things that happened during the day, I can appreciate that,” David said. The Medicine Place uses the Leader brand, the nationally recognized generic brand for Cardinal Health. Using the Leader brand can offer significant savings as opposed to a brand name such as Tylenol and is 100 % guaranteed. Like most businesses, the most significant overhead costs at The Medicine Place are payroll and inventory.
Personal touch priceless Meanwhile, the brick-and-mortar drugstores are competing against online titans such as Amazon. “We’re going to be more prepared because of our clientele and our focus on the more needy. A lot of folks that we serve can’t use the big box chains let alone online,” David said. OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
The aging population is getting more familiar with the internet, and David said he tips his cap when they do discover pricing levels below his cost. “But there are a lot of issues with online pharmacies,” he said. “People are angry,” Tracy said. “They don’t get their medicine on time, and sometimes it’s sent when they don’t need it.” Oftentimes, customers will come in for a 10-day supply of medication because they did not receive their shipment in the mail. Also, it’s difficult to connect with a live person to field a question, Tracy added. Meanwhile, Tracy is spearheading the effort to use Facebook to get the word out regarding where the business is located and services it offers. The website has features such as refill requests for customers. The business does deliveries every day, and also offers a MedSafe medication disposal for expired medications or those that are not being used. The couple has three young adult children. Their daughter Kayla, 21, is expected to graduate from SUNY Geneseo in December and is applying to optometry schools. Son Nicholas, 19, recently finished his freshman year at Penn State University studying risk management actuarial sciences. Son Jonathan, 15, is finishing his freshman year at G. Ray Bodley High School in Fulton. 91
MERCEDES NIESS from p. 15 lighthouse. “We’re stewards of this important icon of our community. The city owns the lighthouse and we have an agreement with the city to maintain it, have it open to the public and interpret its history,” Niess said. “This is a huge vote of confidence for our institution.” There are nearly 100 volunteers who help at the museum. Volunteer Rick King coordinates the volunteers for the lighthouse.
Protecting our heritage Niess is vice president of the Heritage Foundation of Oswego County. It was the Heritage Foundation that partnered with the grassroots group PRO Library (Protect and Revitalize Oswego’s Library) to bring the Oswego Public Library renovation project to the forefront of the community. “We couldn’t have done it as a grassroots group without the Heritage Foundation,” said Niess, who is also a member of the library’s board of trustees. “I had a great library growing up and it really sustained me as a child and then as a young adult,” she said. For Niess, it was a natural fit to promote and support an organization such as the Heritage Foundation. She noted the Heritage Foundation was at the point of considering folding with just three board members left. It was Niess and members of another grassroots group, Save Oswego’s Historic Sites (SOHS), who stepped up and brought it back to life. The SOHS also advocated for the preservation of the Cahill Building as well as the Oswego YMCA. “I’ve seen so many projects — not just here in Oswego but throughout Central and Upstate New York — where they repurposed historic buildings into fantastic, vibrant community buildings,” she said. She said communities that do this successfully are the places where people want to visit, hang out and live. She said historical elements of a city are what attract people to a community, whether they are visiting or intending to move here. “I grew up in a very suburban-style 92
‘Children were not coming to museums, not just here, but across the country. That’s part of the reason museums have had to redefine how they engage people in new and different ways.’ area on Long Island, and every third house looked the same. They were just painted a different color,” she said. Niess said the eclectic collection of structures in Oswego is stimulating and “adds to the whole quality of life.” “Oswego has such a unique feel about it, and it’s because of its historic buildings and history,” she added. “Now we need to look at what we can do to save St. Mary’s Church.”
Rejuvenated vibe Niess said the Port City is being rejuvenated thanks to the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) and recent zoning upgrades. She said this level of excitement is spreading to other communities. She recently did a presentation to the Fulton Women’s Club, whose members expressed excitement about the possibility of replicating what the city of Oswego is doing in their hometown of Fulton. “We have the resources. It’s really just a matter of having the collective vision and working collaboratively together to move it forward,” she said. “As people really start to appreciate the work that gets done, such as what developer Anthony Paulding has accomplished with the Cahill building, hopefully it will encourage other people to say such endeavors are worthwhile,” she added. Niess said improvements made through the DRI are geared to encourage OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
folks to stay downtown longer, whether it is to take in an event or activity or simply enjoy a walk. She said there is a real demand for people who want to live downtown, particularly on upper levels of businesses and retail establishments. “I understand in some cases there are waiting lists for people to have an apartment downtown,” she added. “When people complain about an old building having some structural issues, I usually say, ‘Well, if you were 100 years old, you’d have some issues too.’ It’s unacceptable to just tear down the old and build new,” she said. “Another question I have is how might we restore the buildings already lost? Is there a way to creatively put back in a sensitive way some of the key structures that are long gone?” she asked. For example, she said the eastside of the city of Oswego has never fully recuperated from Urban Renewal efforts in the 1960s. “The east side is still suffering from that ‘tear down the old building’ mentality decades later. When we as a community do something so extreme, we really need to think about how it impacts future generations and development,” she added. Meanwhile, Niess continues her role as a longtime supporter of Leave a Legacy for Oswego, and firmly believes planned giving provides a community benefit. Niess — along with Deana Masuicca of the Oswego YMCA and financial planner Randy Ziegler of Ameriprise— founded the organization. “Essentially, you don’t have to be a millionaire to leave a legacy for an organization or charity that you have always supported,” she said. “This is a way for an individual to leave a bit of money in their will or as a planned gift to an organization they may have supported or volunteered for all their adult life.” With many community leaders on the Leave a Legacy committee retiring, Niess said it has been infused with younger people. “These talented new members give you hope the education effort for planned gifts will continue,” she said. In order to reach millennials in the future, Niess said, “We have to really look at developing a greater presence on social media.” Niess noted that between 2008 and 2010, visitation to museums declined when funding for student field trips JUNE / JULY 2019
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dried up. “Children were not coming to museums, not just here, but across the country. That’s part of the reason museums have had to redefine how they engage people in new and different ways,” she said. Michael Pittavino, the curator at the H. Lee White Maritime Museum, is an example of the promising young talent coming up through the ranks. “Michael came to us from Sackets Harbor. He was attending SUNY Oswego to get his master’s degree in history. At one point, he signed up as an intern with us and then worked for us in a seasonal capacity. His position then developed into the curator’s position we have presently,” Niess said. “I think there are more students at SUNY Oswego that can be engaged to become real assets in our community,” she said.
Downstate origins While born in Manhattan, Niess considers her roots as being that of a suburbanite after her family moved to Long Island. She enjoys Oswego’s slower way of life. JUNE / JULY 2019
Her husband, J Rivers Walsh, was in the military, and the couple moved several times prior to settling in Oswego. They resided in Suffolk County and Orlando, Fla., and then moved to Norfolk, Va., where Niess attended Old Dominion University. After studying accounting and working for a large bank, she decided the profession was not for her. When her husband was transferred to the Port City, she returned to school and earned a degree from Excelsior College in Albany. She also had the opportunity to attend SUNY Oswego and explore the museum studies program and photography while becoming immersed in activities at the maritime museum. She also attended museum-related graduate courses at Syracuse University. Her husband works for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in Chattanooga, Tenn. He teaches and trains the people who inspect nuclear facilities across the country. Niess is accustomed to the long-distance relationship being that her husband was in the Navy, and deployments were not short. His last deployment was nearly OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
eight months, and that was prior to cell phones and email. “I usually travel down to Tennessee and spend a week in the spring and fall, and then he comes up and spends several weeks here in July and December,” she said. “We’re just both focused and busy with what we are doing,” she said. “Fortunately, we just have cats, and they are cooperative.” The couple has been married for 39 years. “I’ve learned that you have to be able to laugh at yourself, and it helps if the other person can still make you laugh as well,” she said. “I think we’ve both changed and adapted for the better. We just appreciate and respect each other,” she said. When she has time, Niess likes to get out and about and take in local shows, particularly art-related activities at SUNY Oswego. “A lot of my volunteers have become my friends, and vice versa. I really enjoy spending time with them,” she said. An avid reader, her tastes range from exploring detective mysteries to Walter Isaacson’s biography on Leonardo da Vinci. 93
Started How I Got
from page 13 never done anything like this before so I tried to get the best advice that I could get. Q.: The rivers end bookstore transcends being just a retail outlet and has evolved into a community-gathering place. How key has this role been to the success of the business? A.: If you want to do something, we raise our hands and say, “Come do it here.” We have had all kinds of gatherings in this store, and I saw it as a place where town and gown could come together and realize all that we have in common as opposed to our differences. Happily, that’s proven to be the case. It’s wonderful as I introduce people to one another and they share their love of books, whether they are employees or students at the college, work at Novelis, the hospital or the school district, or are wives of fishermen that are accompanying their husbands. When we host author events we’ve have had people travel three hours to come to the store. It’s been very gratifying when we learned that. Q. We understand that you also sell books outside the domain of the store here in Oswego. How does that benefit the business? A.: Over the past several years, we’ve gotten ourselves in a position where we are selling books outside of the store. We go to Syracuse for the Rosamond Gifford Lecture Series, and we are the official bookseller for several huge author events that they host. Whenever David Sedaris appears at the Landmark Theatre in Syracuse, his people call us and we’ll sell his books at the Landmark. We have a reputation for being a dependable source for book sales off site as well as in the store. We address a huge librarian conference in Syracuse each fall where we not only sell books, but are actually part of the program and talking about books to them. Q. How do you compete against the digital age of book buying and reading? 94
‘In spite of Amazon’s efforts to totally diminish the value of the book, people are still buying traditional books and supporting independent bookstores.’ Bill Reilly co-owner of river’s end bookstore in Oswego A.: When we opened the rivers end bookstore, we had our eyes wide open in terms of knowing people were buying books online and at big box retailers. About 12 years ago, the digital version of books happened to us, and that was the big development to us as booksellers. It was like, “Oh my gosh, what are we going to do?” Booksellers chose to do one of two things: They chose to say, “I’m done,” either literally or figuratively, because they chose not to embrace the digital world. Or, booksellers like us said, “Yes, we’re going to do that and we are going to make it possible for you as a customer at rivers end bookstore to buy digital content from us.” We more recently embraced audio downloads. Lots of books are being consumed in audio versions. It used to be a cassette, then it was a disc, and now it’s a digital download to your phone. Q.: Where do you see digital technology going in terms of books? A.: Happily, while digital is firmly entrenched and isn’t going anywhere, it’s kind of plateaued for the moment. People who were reading digitally have said, “You know, I like that for when I travel or for this occasion or that, but I want a real book. I don’t want to read all of my books digitally.” Some people have totally abandoned digital and have come back to traditional books because they are not finding it the experience they want to have. They are not able to touch, feel and smell the book the way you can, and there’s OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
value to that. Q. Do you think digital books will eventually go away? A.: In spite of Amazon’s efforts to totally diminish the value of the book and use it as a loss leader, people are still buying traditional books and supporting independent bookstores. They want that human interaction. Digital is not going away, but there have been stories on executives of the major companies involved in digital trying to keep devices out of their children’s hands because they are so addictive and potentially harmful. I think that pendulum might actually swing back a little bit until the next big thing happens, whatever that’s going to be. Q.: You recently celebrated your 21st anniversary as an independent bookstore owner in Oswego. What is the next chapter going to be like? A.: Our son Emil Christmann has rejoined the bookstore. He was off doing other things with his life, and a couple of years ago, he and his now wife Megan Irland moved back to Central New York, bought a home and started a family. They have a 1-year-old baby boy. All three of them are regular fixtures in the bookstore, and Emil is now the manager. It is everyone’s plan that rivers end bookstore will continue as a family enterprise. Family has always been involved in the business. My wife Mindy Ostrow was involved with the store from the start, and Emil — at age 12 — was in the store working as well. It’s always been a friends and family affair. Mostly everyone who has worked on the staff over the years may not have been related, but have been friends and neighbors who we’ve known forever. It’s sort of the way Oswego is. Q.: Any other plans for the future? A.: We bought a new home in Oswego eight years ago, and that’s our retirement home, so we’re not going anywhere. That doesn’t mean we won’t travel, and we do plenty of that. We want to make sure we are healthy and have the means to read and travel as ways to sustain our lives through the advanced years. Those seem to be the keys. To cite Mindy, keep moving and be active. JUNE / JULY 2019
Karen Persse
It’s Never Too Late... Insurance broker turned fitness coach reflects on transition
‘As I was sitting on my couch in April 2018, it hit me! It’s time, let’s do this! I felt the time was right. I knew I couldn’t just dream of this passion any longer. It felt right, it felt good, and it was my time to move forward.’
Karen Persse is a certified trainer with the American Sports and Fitness Association. She owns Fab Fit Bootcamp. To contact her, email klpersse@gmail. com. JUNE / JULY 2019
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training (High Intensity Interval training). ome say that turning 55 may be too old The response was overwhelming. I received a to discover a passion or reach a goal flood of positive feedback. I began researchthat perhaps you have considered since ing the field. I also needed to determine you were younger. Have you had a passion, where I could hold some classes while I desire, thought or an idea that seems to keep became certified as a group fitness coach. coming back to the forefront of your mind? I purchased some jump ropes, dumbbells, Hitting that magical moment can be a resistant bands, etc. This was my next step time in our lives where we can reflect, maybe to assuring that I could kick this fitness class retire, spend time with our kids, grandkids thing into full gear. In a sense, you could or perhaps even great grandkids. As we say that I jumped and grew my wings on mature we tend to, hopefully, make wiser the way down. decisions and have a better grasp on the After beginning the journey at one needs of ourselves and our families. of our local schools, I decided to bring it Speaking of our needs… Let’s talk home instead. We have a large basement about that. that I turned into a wonderful thriving Allow me to introduce myself and share fitness area. Fab Fit Bootcamp was born. I my story of finding my place at the tender offered a couple of classes at first. Now, we age of 55. have several classes throughout the week My name is Karen Persse, and I have and Saturday mornings, including HIIT owned an Allstate Insurance agency in training, Piyo and aerobic Central Square for 21 dance. I have more than 30 years. I have loved Guest Columnist ladies that attend regularly my job, my customers on different evenings and and have had so much mornings. And we continue to grow. Fab joy in serving them over the years. I was, Fit Bootcamp has changed my life forever. I however, missing something in my life. I have not looked back once. had a pressing need and desire to get fit, to The inner joy that I feel cannot be exbe the best me possible, and help others help pressed on paper. The mere fact is that I did catapult themselves into a healthy lifestyle not ignore my desires, hopes or dreams. My as well. hope is to inspire those reading this right So, how does one go from being an now. I also didn’t fall prey to self-limiting or insurance agent, into the fitness industry? self-sabotaging beliefs. I went into this with I had hit a time in my life that I knew I a “can do” attitude. We often hear, “it’s never was missing out on fulfilling my passion. I too late.” How many times have we heard knew that I needed to not just “think about that in our lives? Well, there is validity to that, it” but that I needed to do something about and I for one will shout it from the rooftops it. I needed to convert thought to action. that it can in fact be done. So, yes, you too See, my passion is fitness, plain and can find yourself and discover what makes simple. So what do I do now, I thought? How you the very best “you” that you can be. do I express this passion in a way that is not Sure, it has to be the right time. It has only personally fulfilling, but has a positive to feel right. It can also be scary. That’s OK! impact on others? How do I make my dream Don’t be afraid to test the waters and do come true? The desire I had to help others something part time. Like I did, jump and be the “best them” possible was my number grow your wings on the way down. one driving factor, but it of course needed to Through thought and reflection, and start with me first. some soul-searching, we need to ask ourAs I was sitting on my couch in April selves “what is my passion”? What makes 2018, it hit me! It’s time, let’s do this! I felt the me sing, what makes me laugh, what brings time was right. I knew I couldn’t just dream me joy? Write it down. Reach out to those of this passion any longer. It felt right, it felt you know and trust. Then act! Learn, grow, good, and it was my time to move forward. experience life like never before. I began by sending out private messages You can do this! Search, seek, and you to all of my girlfriends asking if they would will find. Enjoy the journey! be interested in doing what is called HIIT OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
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Best Business Directory 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, NY 13069. Call 5931332 or fax 598-5286.
CONSTRUCTION Dunsmoor Construction Inc. – Residential-Commercial Construction. Serving Oswego County. Home Improvement Contractor. 315-343-4380 or 315-5915020.
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.
LAND SURVEYOR Robert M. Burleigh, licensed land surveyor. Quality land surveying. Residential, subdivision, commercial, boundary surveying. 593-2231.
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COPY & PRINT Port City Copy Center. Your one-stop for all of your copy + print needs. 37 East First St., Oswego . 2166163.
DEMOLITION Fisher Companies. Commercial & residential demolition. Great prices. Fully insured. Free estimates. 48 years of experience. Call Fisher Companies at 315652-3773 or visit www.johnefisherconstruction.com.
White’s Lumber. Four locations to serve you. Pulaski: state Route 13, 315-298-6575; Watertown: N. Rutland Street, 315-788-6200; Clayton: James Street, 315-6861892; Gouverneur: Depot Street, 315-287-1892.
OUTBOARD MOTORS Arney’s Marina. Route 14 Sodus Point, NY. Honda four-stroke motors, 2 hp to 250 hp. Repower your boat with the best! Call 483-9111 for more information.
TRACTOR/LAWN EQUIPMENT
EXCAVATING Gilbert Excavating. Septic systems. Gravel & top soil. Septic tank pumping. 685 County Route 3, Fulton, 13069. Call 593-2472.
RanMar Tractor Supply, Sales and Service of New and Used Tractors and Farm Equipment – 5219 US Rte 11 Pulaski, New York – 315-598-5109.
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Peter Myles Harborfest leader says annual Port City event remains crown jewel of county tourism Q.: How important is Harborfest from the standpoint of drawing in visitors who may find other aspects of the area appealing? A.: The county tourism office sees a lot of return visitors as a result of the festival, whether it is to enjoy Lake Ontario, fishing opportunities, museums and other cultural events that occur throughout the year. The county tourism office helps promote Harborfest, because it is viewed as the crown jewel of county tourism and something that helps the entire community. Q. Can you give us a sense of how Harborfest 2018 went from an attendance and vendor perspective? A.: Attendance in 2018 was good and just about where we expected it to be. It’s hard to estimate that because we don’t sell tickets, but I’d say a rough estimate would be about 75,000-plus fest-goers over the four days at different venues. If it were to go up, that would be great, obviously, because it helps our vendors and, in turn, helps us. As a festival, we don’t make any more money because our vendors have already paid us to be here. High traffic numbers are always good for vendors and marketing units, ensuring their return. That’s what makes the festival successful. Q.: How have levels of sponsorship been for the festival? A.: We’re not seeing any great increases in sponsorship dollars unfortunately, and we’ve seen some decreases, but were able to pick up additional sponsors to compensate for those. Sponsorship is probably the largest part of our budgeted revenue, as are vendor and membership dollars. Our budget is about $500,000. It’s one of those things that you think about before you go to bed or if you wake up at 3 a.m. in the morning and ask yourself, “Are we going to make it?”
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Q.: This is your fourth Harborfest as executive director, Has each year been a learning experience? A.: A lot of it is doing the same things year after year. I have to contact particular sponsors to make sure they are onboard. One of the biggest hurdles is making sure we have enough money to provide great performances and attractions to everybody who is attending. That are not free to us, and some of those are very expensive. We try to make sure we have good sponsorship dollars coming in, which is a constant task that doesn’t go away.
By Lou Sorendo ing person, most of the year. We try to advertise in many different ways, including radio, TV and print such as magazines. This year, we are featuring billboards in Onondaga County extending toward the Watertown area. We do rack cards that are distributed along the Thruway and I-81 at rest areas. The Kallet Theatre in Pulaski is also going to promote us on its marquee during July, so we’ll be able to draw from Pulaski as well as from other areas of the county.
Peter Myles is the executive director or Harborfest, which will take place July 26-28 in Oswego.
Q.: What are some of the larger budget items in terms of the festival? A.: Our biggest budget item is the Grucci fireworks on Saturday night of the fest. It’s a huge expense, but we have great co-sponsors in Pathfinder Bank and Exelon Generation. For our headliner on Friday night, you’re looking at probably $55,000-$60,000 for one evening of entertainment. Trying to budget all the other paid performances and keep within our overall budget is a task and a half. Q.: How do you market the festival? A.: I work with Carol Dillabough, our marketing and advertis-
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