Ocbm progress feb march 2016

OSWEGO COUNTY

BUSINESS February / March 2016

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OswegoCountyBusiness.com

Youngest Mayor in New York State

February / March 2016

At 25 years of age, new mayor of Oswego talks about his challenges, opportunities and priorities

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PROGRESS ISSUE INSIDE • More Community Banks Going Out of Business • Start-Up NY Not Working in CNY • Village of Parish in Search of a Bank • Last Page: Restoring Oswego Neighborhoods

Superior stroke care.

It’s about time.

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eceiving the area’s fastest stroke diagnosis and treatment starts even before you arrive at Crouse Hospital. That’s because our EMS

partners start communicating with our team the moment they arrive on the scene. Once here, our stroke specialists immediately assess your condition. And if more advanced care is needed, our boardcertified, fellowship-trained neurosurgeons use the most progressive stroke-rescue therapies and technology available. When it’s about time, say “Take me to Crouse.”

crouse.org/stroke

Manufacturing Heats Up! Oswego County Companies Compete Globally.

“We considered expanding at our existing facilities in Ohio, Texas, UK and China. We chose Oswego County because it’s a pro-business community with excellent educational resources that provide a skilled workforce with a get-it-done attitude.”

– Kevin LaMontagne, CFO, Fulton Companies, maker of commercial boilers

• Over 30 institutes of higher learning within 50 miles • Modern infrastructure network for industrial users • Limitless transportation options via interstate, rail, air and water • Potential incentives available

MONTREAL

BOSTON TORONTO

BUFFALO NEW YORK CITY

CLEVELAND

PHILADELPHIA

WASHINGTON

L. Michael Treadwell, CEcD (315) 343-1545 www.OswegoCounty.org

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

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Issue 142

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

PROFILE PETER MYLES He spent nearly 34 years working at Oswego city schools, where he learned solid listening skills. He now plans to put those skills to use as the new executive director at Harborfest, Oswego’s highly successful festival ........................12

Progress

SPECIAL FEATURES How I Got Started John Sharkey III shares how he is working with his son to grow Universal Metal Works in Fulton ...................... 10 New Minimum Wage Despite good intentions, business owners say wage increase will have bad side effects ....................................... 36 Youngest Mayor in NYS New city of Oswego mayor brings an unshakable approach to City Hall .......................................................... 44 Fewer Employees School districts across the region employ fewer people. The reason? Shrinking number of students.................. 76

• Barley Boom: Sunoco now brewing barley malt operation • Will the economy be stronger in 2016? We asked that question to about 20 people.

• Ten hottest projects in the region, including a new business incubator in Oswego and new development at former Nestle’s building • Analysis of eight key sectors of the local economy, including construction, real estate, tourism, education, healthcare and technology • Energy industry: Holding out hope to keep James A. FitzPatrick nuclear power plant in Scriba in operation • Mike Treadwell: The marketing strategy we pursue to attract businesses to the region 4

Emerging Retirees’ Tough Challenge Older adults of tomorrow to face unseen financial pressures......................................... 80 Telecommuting More people are telecommuting nowadays.

Employees and employers find it a good fit.......................................... 82

SUCCESS STORY Marc Fernandez, owner of Fulton-based Rent-a-Ride, just opened his third location, this time in Cicero. He now plans to expand toward Oswego, Auburn................................84

DEPARTMENTS Newsmakers. .......................................... 18 Where in the World... Guam, a piece of America in the Pacific. 16 Business Updates....................................... 26 Dining Out... RiverHouse, Pulaski. ........................ 24 My Turn Same sex marriage announcement. ............... 42 Economic Trends The marketing strategy we pursue ......... 72 Last Page Mike Treadwell on saving FitzPatrick nuclear ...... 82 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

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FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

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A Cozy Hearth....................... 20 Acro-Fab............................... 75 Allanson-Glanville-Tappan Funeral Home..................... 9 ALPS Professional Services. 83 Amdursky, Pelky, Fennell & Wallen.............................. 13 Amerigas............................... 19 Arise...................................... 79 Berkshire Hathaway ............. 70 Blue Moon Grill.................... 27 Bond, Schoeneck & King, Attorneys at Law................ 7 Bosco & Geers...................... 32 Brookfield Renewable Power. 8 Burdick Ford......................... 33 Burke's Home Center............ 19 C & S Companies................. 41 Canale's Italian Cuisine......... 27 Century 21 - Galloway Realty.............................. 23 Century 21 Leah’s................. 21 Community Bank.................. 29 Compass Credit Union.......... 14 Computer Acc. Services ....... 11 Cornell Coop. Extension....... 11 Crouse Hospital....................... 2 Curtis Furniture..................... 23 D-K Manufacturing............... 61 Disciplined Capital Management ..................... 5 Dusting Divas........................ 33 Eagle Beverage..................... 11 Eis House.............................. 27

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Exelon Generation................ 58 Fastrac................................... 35 Finger Lakes Construction.... 21 Foster Funeral Home............... 6 Fulton Community Development Agency........ 61 Fulton Oswego Motor Express.................. 15 Fulton Savings Bank............. 35 Fulton Tool Co...................... 61 Fust Charles Chambers LLP CPAs................................... 6 Glider Oil.............................. 35 Great Lakes Trolley.............. 30 Hardwood Transformations.. 20 Haun Welding Supply, Inc.... 61 Hematology-Oncology Associates of CNY........... 78 Hillside Park Real Estate...... 14 History Collaborative............ 30 Interface Solutions ............... 71 J P Jewelers........................... 30 Johnston Gas......................... 20 Lakeside Artisans.................. 30 Laser Transit......................... 13 Local 73, Plumbers & Steamfitters...................... 11 Longley Dodge...................... 15 Majestic Tool & Mold........... 61 MetLife Ins. Co....................... 9

Mimi's Drive Inn................... 27 Mr. Sub.................................. 27 NBT Bank............................... 7 Nelson Law Firm.................. 15 NRG...................................... 59 NTTS..................................... 63 Ontario Orchards................... 30 Operation Oswego County...... 2 Oswego Community Development Office......... 41 Oswego County Federal Credit Union................................ 73 Oswego County Mutual Insurance............................ 8 Oswego County Opportunities..................... 69 Oswego County Promotion Tourism Department......... 71 Oswego Health ..................... 93 Oswego Quality Carpet......... 19 Oswego YMCA..................... 73 Over the Top Roofing............ 19 Parker’s Excavating.............. 21 Parker’s Service.................... 21 Pathfinder Bank..................... 40 Patterson Warehousing.......... 15 Paura’s Liquor Store............. 83 Peter Realty – Simeon DeWitt................. 79 Phoenix Press........................ 32

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

Port of Oswego Authority..... 63 Pro-Build............................... 23 RanMar Tractor..................... 20 Riccelli Northern................... 77 RiverHouse Restaurant......... 88 RJ Caruso Accounting........... 75 SAM North America............. 59 Scriba Electric....................... 23 Servpro of Oswego County... 23 Springside at Seneca Hill...... 69 St. Luke Health Services....... 77 Sunoco................................... 94 SUNY Oswego, Office of Business and Community Development.................... 41 Sweet-Woods Memorial........ 32 Tailwater Lodge...................... 3 Technology Development Organization (TDO)......... 57 The Bonadio Group................. 9 Trust Pediatrics..................... 79 Universal Metal Works......... 15 Valley Locksmith.................. 19 Vashaw’s Collision.................. 8 Vernon Downs Casino & Hotel.................. 3 Volney Multiplex.................. 21 Watertown Industrial Center Local Development Corp............ 5 White’s Lumber & Building Supply.............................. 21 WRVO................................... 88 Zink Shirts............................. 63

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

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COVERING CENTRAL NEW YORK OswegoCountyBusiness.com Editor and Publisher Wagner Dotto

Associate Editor Lou Sorendo

Columnists

L. Michael Treadwell Bruce Frassinelli Sandra Scott, Jacob Pucci

Writers & Contributing Writers

Deborah Jeanne Sergeant Matthew Liptak, Ken Little Aaron Gifford, John Shambo Tim Brown, Dan Streeter

Advertising

Peggy Kain Shelley Manley

Office Manager Alice Davis

Layout and Design Eric Stevens

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 bi-monthly (6 issues a year) at 185 E. Seneca Street PO Box 276 Oswego, NY 13126.

Subscription: $21.50 a year; $35 for two years © 2016 by Oswego County Business.

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OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

Group Supports Legislation To Protect Nuclear Power

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he Upstate Energy Jobs Coalition recently announced its strong support for two pieces of legislation introduced by Assemblyman William Barclay and sponsored by Sen. Patty Ritchie that would help secure the future of the James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant in Scriba.

The coalition, a rapidly growing group of Upstate New York elected representatives, business leaders, members of organized labor, economic development organizations and community leaders, is fighting to save the plant and advocate for changes that will ensure that Upstate New York energy producers can continue operating for years to come.

L. Michael Treadwell, of the County of Oswego IDA and Operation Oswego County, praised Assemblyman Barclay and Sen. Ritchie for their continued efforts to save the plant and help preserve carbon-free power production in New York.

“Assemblyman Barclay and Senator Ritchie have been leaders in the fight to not only keep FitzPatrick open, but secure the future of New York’s other generating facilities as well,” said Treadwell. “The pieces of legislation they are sponsoring is exactly what we need and another example of their leadership and dedication to preserving Upstate Energy Jobs. We urge their colleagues in the Assembly and the Senate to support these bills which will go a long way towards keeping FitzPatrick open and allowing it to continue delivering carbon-free power the New York market needs.”

Treadwell continued, “Entergy has stated the reason FitzPatrick is closing is economic and these bills would go a long way toward addressing these concerns and preserving 600 local skilled jobs that FitzPatrick provides.”

Barclay recently introduced two bills in the New York State Assembly aimed at addressing issues New York’s nuclear facilities are now facing. The first bill would provide a one-time $60 million tax credit to the James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant. The second would make nuclear plants eligible for zero-carbon emission payments.

Both bills are needed to help ensure that Upstate nuclear facilities can continue to compete in the marketplace.

Senator Ritchie will sponsor both in the State Senate.

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

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OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

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How I Got

Started

John F. Sharkey III President of Universal Metal Works in Fulton has the mettle to master metal fabrication business

Q.: How did you first get into the metal fabrication industry?

A.: My father— the late John “Jack” Sharkey Jr. — and I worked together in the business for over 30 years. Our first location was in Rochester, where we basically started in a small repair garage.

At the onset of the business, we were strictly selling auto-related parts such as universal joints, spark plugs, air and oil filters. As time went on, my dad got the idea to specialize in drive shaft rebuilding. We purchased a long bed lathe and a horizontal band saw from one of our customers for $900. We then hired a man with experience from New Jersey to come to New York to train myself and a couple other men on how to repair and rebuild drive shafts. We incorporated under the name Universal Joint Sales.

We opened up our second location in Syracuse in 1974 and expanded into Buffalo by 1979.

As we standardized our operations and found market opportunities, we opened several locations in New York, Florida and Pennsylvania.

By the time we sold the business in 1998, we had 13 locations.

Q.: How influential was your father on your career?

A.: I was in my senior year of high school when my father was opening up his first location. He really needed me, so I came into the business from the onset.

I loved it from the beginning. My father did the same thing that I try to do with our son [vice president John F. Sharkey IV]. He’d put a lot of faith and confidence in me and let me run the business on a day-to-day basis. He was there as someone I could talk to and get advice from, especially in the later years when he was headed toward retirement. My dad and I always had a great working relationship.

Q.: How did you go from owning a drive train parts and service business to the metal fabrication sector?

A.: I really had the best of everything with my past experience. At Universal Joint Sales, we had a big volume of retail and counter-trade. We were dealing with a lot of customers, and it was not unusual to see on any given day up to 100 customers coming in with repair work or to purchase parts. My experience included setting up all the new locations and getting them established, training the employees, managers and salesmen, and getting teams in place. I would then work with those teams to grow the business. In my early years I

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FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

did a lot of welding and fabrication of drive shafts.

Q.: As a successful entrepreneur, what do you believe are the keys to business success?

A.: Keys to success include really focusing and concentrating on being the very best we can be at what we are doing. That is No. 1. Then it is about “super-servicing” the customer. We went way above and beyond.

Our customers could call any one of our managers if they had emergency breakdowns and we would open for them day or night and on weekends.

We were dealing with large local and national fleets, like Ryder Truck and Hertz-Penske. If they had a breakdown, they had to get that vehicle back on the road, and we would do just that.

We developed a great management team at Universal Joint Sales. I trained all our branch managers and they shared my vision, and we also had a strong sales force on the road.

We met on a monthly basis with the management team. We would look at the success and best practices of a branch and duplicate it in the other branches.

We also standardized everything we could, which was key. Our systems were so standardized that we considered franchising.

Q.: How would you characterize your leadership skills?

A.: No. 1 is to try to lead by example.

I never ask anybody to do something I wouldn’t be willing to do myself, and our employees see that. I make it a point to listen to our employees. Most of the problems can be solved right from within the organization. We’re very receptive to all our employees and their ideas.

Q.: What were some of the foremost challenges in launching Universal Metal Works in Fulton?

A.: The biggest thing I think was just breaking old habits and getting people used to real open communication. I found at first one of the challenges was getting everybody to be receptive to new management coming in and taking over and then earning their respect.

You want to get everybody to buy into your vision and we were able to do that successfully.

Our growth has been very organic.

We are being very careful not to expand too quickly. We will wait to see what the future holds.

BUSINESS MANAGER

BUSINESS AGENTS

ORGANIZER

BUSINESS MANAGER BUSINESS AGENTS ORGANIZER BUSINESS MANAGER BUSINESS AGENTS ORGANIZER BUSINESS MANAGER BUSINESS AGENTS Patrick J. Carroll Timothy Donovan Paul IzykORGANIZER Patrick J.Patrick CarrollJ. Carroll Tim Timothy Donovan Paul Izyk Timothy Donovan Paul Izyk Rice Patrick J. Carroll Donovan Paul Izyk TimTimothy Rice Tim Rice Tim Rice

By Lou Sorendo FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

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Profile

By Lou Sorendo

PETER MYLES Former educator, administrator takes reins of annual Harborfest

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of teenaged students, not just in the hile a teacher and adminisclassroom but also in extracurricular trator for the Oswego City activities.

School District, Peter Myles Early in his career, he helped out used both his listening skills and helpwith the ski club and was co-advisfulness to attain success. er of The Paradox, the high school Now retired from the district, yearbook.

Myles is now going to use those same Myles’ initial goal was to become skill sets to sustain Oswego County’s chairman of the science department, crown jewel of tourism, Harborfest. which he did achieve once he earned Myles was recently named the his certificate of advance study in new executive director of the festival, administration at SUNY Oswego. which will present its 29th version Within a matter of years, he July 28-31. evolved into becoming an administraBorn in Oneida and raised in Syrtor during Ken Eastwood’s tenure as acuse, Myles began his career schools superintendent. with the OCSD and taught “I just learned early on biology at Oswego High to listen more than you School for 20 years. talk,” Myles said.

He later spent Whether he was seven years as a in his teaching or house principal administrative and executive role, Myles said principal at OHS. he would “hear Myles then students out” and completed his cafind out what their reer as director of issues were in an personnel and human attempt to resolve them. resources for the district.

Myles said he always had a pas“I always figured it to be skill “I really enjoyed my entire sion to work with teenagers. When he building. I wanted to help them develcareer,” he said. “I feel lucky to have first started teaching, he was subbing op skills so they could be successful spent almost 34 years in Oswego. It is at the elementary school level. in high school and later on in life,” he just a great place to work.”

“I just knew that wasn’t for me,” said.

It wasn’t until Myles attended Le he said. “You have to really enjoy the Moyne College that he entertained the age level that you’re working with.”

Whole new world idea of becoming a teacher.

Myles said he admired the energy The HarborHe majored fest position is in biology with a Lifelines a different and minor in education challenging job for at Le Moyne, and Age: 58 Myles. then went on to He said much Birthplace: Oneida teach at Immacuof it involves late Heart Central Current residence: New Haven following through Schools in WaterEducation: Bachelor’s degree, Le Moyne College, Syracuse; master’s and getting things town for two years. degree and certificate of advanced study, SUNY Oswego accomplished with He then reloPersonal: Wife Janet, daughter and a grandchild a staff of five partcated to Oswego time workers and Hobbies: Working at his horse riding stable, traveling, snowshoeing where he would about 300 volunspend the rest of teers. his career.

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“Many of the volunteers continue to come back year after year, and show a vested interest in making the event a success,” he said. “We have a well-running machine here, where everyone knows what to do and what needs to be done.”

Myles said his goal is to maintain a quality festival. “This organization has done a good job for the past 28 years, and I’d like to see it continue,” he said.

“I didn’t come in with an agenda to make changes. I’m going to be here to listen, talk to people, get some ideas, then move forward. That’s my goal,” he said. “This is not the Pete Myles show.”

“We want to continue to offer a quality family festival and bring in vendors that people want. It is my understanding that the organization has always listened to comments and suggestions by people who come.

If we can make those changes or do anything, we will. We want people to come back year after year,” he said.

Myles’ role includes ensuring applications for permits are made on a timely basis.

As of late January, the Harborfest staff was busy working on sponsorships and sending out vendor applications.

“It is a free festival for the community, and for anything that we need to pay for, we need to have sponsors or donations,” he said. “Before we schedule anybody to come here — whether it’s a band or any other form of entertainment — we have to make sure we have money to support it.”

In the early spring, Myles will be meeting with some of the major sponsors of the festival. He recently landed Entergy as the sponsor of the iconic Grucci fireworks display.

With the closing of Entergy’s James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Power

“I didn’t come in with an agenda to make changes.

I’m going to be here to listen, talk to people, get some ideas, then move forward. That’s my goal,” he said. “This is not the Pete Myles show.”

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

Plant, there was uncertainty as to whether Entergy would sponsor the fireworks this year.

Myles said vendors and sponsors of the show were waiting to see the fate of the fireworks, an anchor of the festival that draws thousands of people into the city during the Saturday night of Harborfest.

All of Harborfest’s revenue comes from donations from sponsors, which include industries, local business, and individual community members.

The preliminary budget is roughly a $500,000.

“This is consistent with the previous years,” Myles said. “There has not been any major spikes or drops in revenue or attendance.”

Horse haven

Myles and his wife Janet own and operate a horse riding business as well — Mylestone — at their home in New Haven.

Janet Myles is the driving force behind the business, training horses and giving riding lessons.

“It’s more her then me. I don’t get the whole riding horse thing at all,” Myles said. “I never had a good experience on the back of a horse.”

He said it’s different and after working in an office all day, it’s nice to go home and actually do activities that don’t require a lot of thinking, he said.

“The good thing about having a horse barn is I can go outside and do whatever needs to be done, and at the same time, reflect on my day,” he added.

His duties primarily consist of handling maintenance duties.

The business has been in existence for 20 years and now features six horses.

“It’s just kind of quiet time. No matter what I’m doing, nobody is asking me for anything else,” he said.

“After putting out fires at your job most of the day, it’s a slow-paced, relaxing time. It doesn’t make any difference if you’re cleaning stalls or mowing the lawn, you are kind of doing your own thing,” he said. “That is my goal in retirement, to have time to do more at the farm. But so far it hasn’t worked out that way.”

In late January, Myles was still working per diem for the school district while it searched for his replacement.

The couple has a daughter and grandson.

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Publisher’s note

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his is a crucial year for the region’s economic health. It’s when the fate of the James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant in Scriba will be sealed.

The plant, operated by New Orleans-based Entergy Corp., has been one of the major employers here providing high paying jobs to more than 600 people — $120,000 is the average annual compensation per employee, according to several reports. The plant has been here for more than 50 years.

The economic impact is tremendous. Many sectors benefit from having the plant — contractors, restaurants, hotels, small businesses.

More than half of the Mexico Academy & Central School’s budget comes from Entergy.

It’s hard to imagine how bad it would be to lose such an employer.

Not sure what could happen to 465 people who work at the Mexico shcools and its 2,150 students.

“It will impact everybody because there is going to be a trickle-

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By Wagner Dotto down effect,” said Nick Canale in an interview published in this issue.

Canale is the owner of Canale’s Restaurant in Oswego and a member of the Upstate Energy Jobs Coalition, a group created recently to fight to keep the plant in operation.

Here are two reasons for Entergy to stick around: • The community could not be friendlier toward nuclear power plants. That alone is a significant advantage — how many communities are so open to the nuclear industry?

We really embrace the fact we have three nuclear power plants here. We would have more if we could.

• Local and state officials are going out of their way to come up with incentives to keep the area attractive to nuclear power plants.

Assemblyman William Barclay recently introduced two bills. The first would provide a one-time $60 million tax credit to the James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant. The second would make nuclear plants eligible for zero-carbon emission payments.

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

In addition, the state government is working to eliminate a bottleneck in the electrical grid that prevents much of the energy produced here from going downstate. If the distribution lines are unlocked, energy produced here would travel to the downstate market more efficiently. If that happens, a huge market would open up for Upstate energy producers. It seems this is a question of time until it becomes reality.

However, if Entergy decides to pack and go, we would need to find a new company to operate to plant.

Having it closed should not be an option.

WAGNER DOTTO is the publisher of Oswego County Business Magazine.

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

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Oswego County Weeklies Sold to Watertown Daily Times The Johnson Newspaper Corp. is buying The Oswego County Weeklies, according to sources.

The Oswego County Weeklies include The Oswego Shopper, The Phoenix Register, The Salmon River News, The Citizen Outlet and The Independent Mirror.

The company was established in 1861 and bought by the Backus family in 1923. Mark Backus is the publisher.

The Johnson Newspaper Corp.

— headquartered in Watertown — is the owner of The Watertown Daily Times.

A source said the deal should be done before April. However, John B. Johnson, CEO and copublisher of The Watertown DailyTimes, said no deal is happening.

“We have not acquired the weeklies and we have not laid off anyone nor is anyone from Watertown working there,” he said.

Staff at the Oswego County Weeklies was reportedly told last week about the impending takeover. A source said efforts to sell the weeklies have been going on for several years.

Read more breaking news stories on our Web, OswegoCountyBusiness.com.

By Lou Sorendo FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

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Where in the World is Sandra Scott?

By Sandra Scott

Guam

A Piece of America in the Pacific

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hen people say, “We are from America” they do not factor in that there is a North and a South America. North America includes 23 countries, some in the Caribbean, plus dozens of possessions and territories.

The United States of America is but

one of the countries. And, when people say they are from the United States, most people don’t realize that geographically the United States includes the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the

Northern Mariana Islands, and associated territorial waters.

However, most of the world knows what I mean when I say, “I am American” but once a passport control agent asked me, “North American or South American?”

The people of Guam are part of America; they have American passports, speak English, the school system is the same as in the U.S. My husband John and I have been to Guam twice. It isn’t easy or inexpensive to get to Guam from the East Coast but we had a reasonable air ticket to Hong Kong and used frequent flyer miles to fly round trip to Guam.

If people are familiar with Guam it is usually due to the three U. S. military bases on the island.

One of our friends on Guam has a radio program and asked us to be on her show to share our impressions of Guam.

While we were on the air a local person, Franklin Arturo, invited us to see the latte stones on his property. Latte stones are giant stone pillars from ancient Chamor-

Guam has a great of history, especially related to the World War II, but the best attractions are the beaches.

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ro time. They were interesting but the most interesting part of our visit was the scrapbook Mr. Arturo showed us.

During WW II Guam fell into Japanese hands as part of the Japanese plan to control the Pacific. The Japanese thought all the Americans had been captured but six American military personnel managed to elude the Japanese. The Japanese captured five of them. Only U.S. Navy radioman George Tweed was never captured. Tweed’s status as an U.S. military holdout was a serious matter for the Japanese during their 31-month occupation. Tweed was never captured due to the efforts of the local people, especially the Arturo family, who kept his hideout in a cave on their property a secret, taking him food and supplies.

During the American assault to recapture the island in 1944, Tweed was able to signal the offshore boats giving them the location of gun placements on the island before he was rescued. Tweed figured he was due $6,000 in back pay and asked Arturo what he would do with the money. Arturo replied, “Buy a car.”

After the war, Tweed — with the help of General Motors — delivered a Chevrolet sedan vehicle to Antonio Arturo.

When American forces retook Guam, a few Japanese refused to surrender and hid out on the island. One day we stopped for lunch at Jeff’s Pirate Cove where we learned the story of Shoichi Yokoi, the last Japanese holdout on Guam who did not surrender until 1972. He hid in an underground cave for 28 years.

There is more to Guam than the military history. We also visited Gef Pa'go Chamorro Cultural Village in Inarajan where we learned about the culture and their crafts.

But, to be honest, even though there is a lot of history and culture, the biggest tourist draw are the beaches. There are first-rate hotels like the Hyatt, which has a huge multi-level pool — plus a beach. Within walking distance there is the Galleria shopping center and UnderWater World, one of the longest tunnel-aquariums in the world.

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.

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

Hyatt Hotel in Guam, a U.S. island territory in Micronesia, in the Pacific. The place has a large multi-level pool — plus a beach. Within walking distance there is the Galleria shopping center and UnderWater World, one of the longest tunnelaquariums in the world.

Typical classroom in Guam. The people of Guam are part of America; they have American passports, speak English, the school system is the same as in the U.S. OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

17

NEWSMAKERS NEWS BRIEFS ON LOCAL BUSINESS & BUSINESS PEOPLE

New VPs Announced at Fulton Savings Bank Two new vice presidents have been appointed at Fulton Savings Bank.

• Rita K. Loperfido of Auburn has been named vice president / residential mortgage lending.

Loperfido has residential mortgage experience with several Central New York mortgage companies and, most recently, with AmeriCU Credit Union in Rome.

"Our new Loperfido residential mortgage officer has a depth of experience working with families in achieving home loan solutions. We welcome her to our team," said the bank's president & CEO, Michael J. Pollock.

Loperfido has a bachelor's degree in business management from State University at Buffalo and has completed several continuing education programs in mortgage lending. She is committed to growth within area communities and is an active member of Zonta International.

• Julie A. Merritt of Fulton, a 25-year member of the staff at Fulton Savings Bank, has been promoted to vice president / loan operations.

Merritt joined the bank as a teller and advanced through the ranks in accounting and loan operations to her current position as a vice president.

"Throughout her career at the Merritt bank, Julie has had extensive experience in loan operations. We are fortunate to have someone of her initiative and experience in this position," said Pollock.

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The new vice president has an associates degree in accounting from Cayuga Community College and received her bachelor’s degree in accounting at Empire State College.

Littlejohn Elected to Pathfinder’s Board Melanie Littlejohn has been elected to the board of directors of Pathfinder Bank. She serves as the regional executive director of National Grid’s Upstate New York division.

“Her diverse knowledge, experience, leadership, and strong community advocacy will provide an important skill set, to our board, complementing our strategic initiatives moving forward,” said Board Chairman Chris Burritt.

Prior to 2011 when Littlejohn was named to her current position, she was the executive director of energy solutions delivery for National Grid’s Central New York division.

Littlejohn joined the company (then Niagara Mohawk) in April of 1994 as the director of inclusion and diversity — US Operations. Before joining Niagara Mohawk, Littlejohn was the executive director of Urban League Onondaga County and previously was the manager of international client services for Banker’s Trust Company in the Wall Street district.

Littlejohn Littlejohn earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in liberal arts from SUNY Stony Brook and a master’s degree in business administration from Syracuse University’s Whitman School of Management.

Littlejohn currently serves as the trustee/officer of Onondaga County Community College, business advisory council for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, board of directors and executive committee of CenterState CEO, board of directors of Manufacturers of Central New York, Consensus CNY (Commission Member), SUNY Morrisville Business School, council of advisers, St. Joseph’s Hospital, the Downtown

Oswego County Legislators Adopt a Smaller Budget On Dec. 10 the Oswego County Legislature adopted a budget for 2016 that is $2.1 million less than 2015’s budget.

The 2016 adopted budget contains $194,733,416 in appropriations, with $45,917,944 raised through the property tax levy.

County Legislature Chairman Kevin Gardner (District 13, New Haven) said the actual tax rate paid by property owners varies depending on their municipality’s assessed property value, equalization rates, and local costs for state-mandated workers’ compensation and community college chargeback rates. Although the generic tax rate of $7.70 per thousand dollars of assessed value is up about 2.8 percent from 2015, taxpayers in 14 municipalities will see their combined tax rate decrease.

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

“The Legislature, department heads and administration worked hard to develop a spending plan that demonstrates the county’s commitment to cost-containment, budget management, multi-year planning, and careful use of fund balance and reserves,” said Legislature Chairman Gardner. “Our goal is to get to the point where we don’t need to use any savings to balance the budget.”

State-mandated programs continue to be the most significant factor affecting Oswego County finances. More than 80 percent of the entire county budget pays for state and federal mandates such as Medicaid and public assistance.

Medicaid by itself is over $23 million of the $46 million property tax levy.

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

Committee, and Say Yes to Education (scholarship board).

She resides in Syracuse with her husband, David, and two sons, Jared and Cameron.

NBT Bank Promotes Verzillo to Senior VP NBT Bank’s Central New York Territory Manager Lori Verzillo has been promoted to senior vice president. Verzillo is responsible for developing and overseeing 27 branches in the bank’s Central New York market.

She is based in NBT Bank’s Syracuse Financial Center.

“I congratulate Lori on this achievement,” Shirtz said. “Her experience in management, training and sales strategy has allowed NBT Bank to continue to grow while maintaining our commitment to Verzillo excellent customer service,” said Regional President Richard Shirtz.

Verzillo has 27 years of management experience in the financial services industry. She joined NBT Bank in 2013 following the bank’s acquisition of Alliance Bank where she was district sales and service manager.

Prior to that, she held management positions at JP Morgan Chase Bank in the Syracuse and Rochester area.

Currently a resident of Warners, Verzillo attended the University of Phoenix, Onondaga Community College and University of Denver. She holds series 7 and 63 licenses through LPL Financial and health and life insurance licenses in the state of New York.

Financial Adviser Gets CLU Designation Aaron D. Roth, financial adviser with Northwestern Mutual, has earned the chartered life underwriter (CLU) professional designation from The American College in Bryn Mawr, Pa. Candidates for the CLU designation must complete a minimum of FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

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eight courses and 16 hours of supervised examinations. They must also fulfill stringent experience and ethics requirements.

Over 102,000 individuals have been awarded the CLU designation since The College was founded in 1927.

CLU is the highest standard Roth of knowledge and trust and the world's most respected designation of insurance expertise.

The College’s founder, University of Pennsylvania Wharton School professor Solomon S. Huebner, created the program to meet the career education needs of men and women in life insurance and related financial services.

This prestigious course of study provides professionals with in-depth knowledge on the insurance needs of individuals, families and business owners. The program covers a broad range of financial topics including life and health insurance, pension planning, insurance law, income taxation, investments, financial and estate planning, and group benefits.

Ziaie Interns With Chirello Advertising Shireen R. Ziaie, a senior public relations major with a sequence in journalism at SUNY Oswego, has joined Chirello Advertising this spring as an intern.

Ziaie, from Syracuse, will be working on research, writing and social media for advertising and marketing segments dealing with multiple types of media. Ziaie will also be working on projects that include video production and Web design.

Within the aspect of public relations, Ziaie will be working on communication tactics and news releases.

At SUNY Oswego, Ziaie is currently a member Ziaie of Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA).

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

As a member of the organization she works on various public relations projects using different forms of media while also focusing on community relations. Ziaie is also a member of Oswego State’s equestrian team, in which she has been a western rider for almost two years and has competed in multiple horse shows. Ziaie has also been an active member of Del Sarte, the university’s dance club.

Ziaie previously completed two other internships. One at Walt Disney World, when she worked for Magic Kingdom on Main Street East USA, and the second one at The Woods & Co., a public relations and marketing firm in New York City.

Bond, Schoeneck & King: New Members Four attorneys have been elected as new members of Bond, Schoeneck & King.

• Suzanne Messer is a litigation attorney who represents a variety of clients in commercial disputes, disputes among business partners and shareholders, and in employment-related litigation. She has extensive experience litigating complex class actions and Messer collective actions involving claims brought under ERISA and the FLSA. • Jessica Moller concentrates her practice in the area of employment litigation representing employers in both the private and public sector and has successfully represented employers in federal and New York state trial and appellate courts against claims of employment discrimination, harassment, Moller retaliation, invasion of privacy, constitutional violation, wage and hour violation, and many others.

• Kristen Smith works with employers, large and small, to help ensure compliance with the complex Continued on page 22 FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

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maze of labor and employment laws.

She counsels employers on a wide range of issues, including employee discipline, leave and accommodation issues, and wage and hour compliance.

She is also an experienced employment litigator, defending Smith employment-related claims in federal court, as well as in administrative proceedings before the New York State Division of Human Rights and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

• Grayson Walter represents businesses and their stakeholders in connection with a wide variety of business and transactional matters, with a focus on issues relating to company formation, ownership, governance and transition.

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Tourism Ambassadors

he Oswego County Tourism Advisory Council awarded its 2015 Tourism Ambassador Hall of Fame Awards at its year-end meeting. The recipients are Oswego County Legislator Jacob A. Mulcahey, District 15; Linda Middleton; and the Oswego County Snowmobile Association. Arlene Johnson was presented an award in August.

They were honored for their efforts on behalf of tourism in Oswego County. Pictured from left are David Turner, director

of the Oswego County Department of Community Development, Tourism and Planning; Oswego County Legislator Jacob A. Mulcahey, District 15; Linda Middleton; David Rath, chairman of the Oswego County Tourism Advisory Council; and Oswego County Legislator Morris Sorbello, District 23, chairman of the Oswego County Legislature’s Economic Development, Tourism and Planning Committee.

Cazenovia College Has New Board Member Kenneth C. Gardiner, a Dannible & McKee, LLP partner-in-charge of assurance services and quality control, has recently joined Cazenovia College’s board of trustees. In this new role, Gardiner will serve on three committees, including the investment, finance, and audit committees.

Gardiner has more than 30 years’ experience providing audit and accounting services to the construction industry. He also provides services to architects and engineers, manufacturing companies, and has extensive experience with audits of employee benefit plans.

Gardiner has had direct responsibility for many consulting services provided to our clientele, including development of financial reporting systems.

He serves in several other organizations in the area, including the Greater Syracuse Business Development Corporation (GSBDC), where he serves as chairman and president. He also has been appointed chairman of the New York State Society of CPA’s Construction Contractors Committee and chairs its annual conference.

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Tom O’Toole, Compass Federal Credit Union Manager; Compass board member, Don Bucher; Tammy Raponi, Compass member service representative; Michael Ferlito, Compass board president; Karen Ferguson, Oswego Health Foundation director; and physician Allison Duggan, Oswego Hospital executive vice president and chief operating officer.

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Compass Partners with Fulton Medical Center

he Compass Federal Credit Union has supported the purchase of an automated external defibrillator (AED) to be installed at the Fulton Medical Center.

The purchase was made possible following a Compass membership drive OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

that also benefited the Oswego Health system. For each new Oswego Health employee who either joined the credit union or added direct deposit capabilities to their account, Compass donated money to the health system for the AED. FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

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DiningOut

Restaurant

Guide

It’s the small details that make the RiverHouse a treat worth visiting year-round

By Jacob Pucci

T

he corner of Route 11 and Lewis Street in Pulaski has been a welcome sight to locals and travelers alike for two centuries. It’s been home to the Pulaski House, Palmer House, Randall Hotel and most recently the Log Cabin Restaurant — until the RiverHouse Restaurant opened in 2007.

Frank Catanzarite was working as an engineer at the Nine Mile Point nuclear plant when he decided he wanted a change. So he bought the property and opened RiverHouse in June 2007.

Catanzarite always wanted to open a bar and even though he had no prior restaurant experience, he said the opportunity to buy the property was an

24

offer he couldn’t refuse.

The dinner menu is a mix of steaks, chops, seafood, pasta and Italian dishes — “it’s what people like to eat when they go out,” Catanzarite says.

About 20 percent of the menu changes each year, but several favorites have found permanent places on the menu: Chicken parmesan, fried haddock — both the regular and Yuengling-battered version served only on Fridays — and the sirloin gorgonzola, a 10-ounce sirloin steak topped with a gorgonzola cream sauce and frizzled onions.

The panko-encrusted haddock, topped with a bacon and Dijon mustard cream sauce, probably won’t be leaving OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

the menu for a while either. It is Catanzarite’s favorite, though he is quick to say that he likes all the offerings.

The main bar area is packed when we arrive at the restaurant for dinner around 7 p.m. on a recent Friday night.

Within a few minutes, we’re led to the Log Cabin Room, one of the three rooms in the restaurant named after past establishments.

Dinner begins with an order of fried cheese curd ($7.49). Think mozzarella sticks, but better. The bite-sized balls of oozing cheese have just a bit of that signature cheese curd squeak. The mustard cream sauce served alongside is the right balance of acidity and richness.

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

Roasted red pepper and crab bisque ($3.29/cup), a perfect choice for a cold’s winter night. A different seafood soup is served each Friday at the restaurant.

Fried cheese curd ($7.49) is like mozzarella sticks, but better. The bite-sized balls of oozing cheese have just a bit of that signature cheese curd squeak. The mustard cream sauce served alongside is the right balance of acidity and richness.

A different seafood soup is served each Friday. When we try it, it is a roasted red pepper and crab bisque ($3.29/cup).

The creamy soup is a smart choice for a cold winter’s night. Neither the sweet roasted peppers nor the buttery crab overpower each other in this well-composed soup.

Catanzarite says the restaurant features three entrée specials every day and on Fridays and Saturdays; one of those specials is prime rib. Both the queen ($23.99) and king ($28.99) cuts came with two sides. We go with the vegetable of the day — grilled asparagus — and garlic mashed potatoes.

Steak and asparagus is a natural combination and the version served at RiverHouse, nicely browned and tender

but not overcooked, is no exception. The garlic mashed potatoes have a bit of the red skins mixed in, a nice sign to show they’re made in-house.

The beef arrives medium-rare, as requested, and very well-seasoned. No need to ask for salt or pepper at the table.

We also go with another special: spinach and cheese ravioli topped with beurre blanc, grilled shrimp, peppers and tomatoes. The beurre blanc could have used a touch more cream, but the buttery white wine sauce is still a nice complement to the shrimp and pasta. The shrimp are smoky and not overcooked, as shrimp so often can be.

The leftovers are boxed in Styrofoam, but also labeled and tightly wrapped in plastic to avoid spills.

A view of the RiverHouse’s bar. It’s always packed at night, especially on weekends.

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

It’s the small details — well-packed leftovers, warm bread, quick refills of water glasses, prompt removal of used plates —that make the RiverHouse a treat worth visiting year-round.

“We have a good client base,” Catanzarite says. “After 8 ½ years, you get a good group of people here.”

Catanzarite has since returned to work fulltime with National Grid in Syracuse, but works at the restaurant on Friday nights, Saturdays and for an hour or so each day during the week.

For Catanzarite, the fresh food and attention to detail is important because that’s what people like. And the best part about owning the restaurant, he says, is making people happy.

Frank Catanzarite is the owner of RiverHouse Restaurant. “We have a good client base,” Catanzarite says.

“After 8 ½ years, you get a good group of people here.”

25

View of the banquet hall at The Eis House in Mexico.

The Eis House Undergoes Major Renovations Mexico restaurant expanding into lodging, conference center; bar and banquet room being renovated

T

he Trimbles bought Mexico's The Eis House restaurant, bar and events center just two years ago, but they aren't resting in their pursuit to expand their offerings.

The owners have expanded service offerings to include lodging, conference center for corporate events and catering.

“We now regularly host dinner theaters, paint nights and other types of special events,” said co-owner Debbie Trimble.

The family also owns the Driveway Inn in Palermo.

The business is a family affair. Son Dustin Trimble, 22, who has a bachelor’s degree in business from SUNY Oswego, is also heavily involved in the business. He helps run the operation and takes a hands-on approach to management, even when it comes to

BUSINESS UPDATE

26

the recent renovations.

“We've done everything but the sheet rock and electrical,” the son said of his family’s work in the renovation project.

Recent work includes the renovation of the main bar and banquet room; conversion of the summer house into short-term and long-term lodging, the current renovation of the main dining room, two additional overnight stay rooms and a new executive bar.

The entire building is now handicapped accessible, too.

Dustin Trimble said response to the changes has been positive. The tavern clientele continues to grow.

“Over the past two years, year and a half, we've probably tripled or quadrupled the number of regulars we have,” he said.

He estimated 60 percent of the facility’s business comes from word OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

of mouth and return customers. In the summer and fall The Eis House does a brisk wedding business with 20 to 30 hosted there during the warmer months.

In the cooler months it concentrates on attracting everyone from snowmobilers to salmon fishermen.

“There's a difference between our summer months and winter months — a different clientele focus,” Dustin Trimble said. “Snowmobilers pretty much come from all around the Northeast. They come from Jersey, Connecticut or even the Vermont area.

(There's) different demands on what they'd like to see for a product.”

The Eis House serves a menu encompassing both hearty home-style and gourmet foods. The chef, a veteran of a five-star Florida resort, often focuses on steak and seafood, Dustin Trimble said.

“We do quite a bit with mako shark, sting ray, bluefin tuna, sea bass,” he said.

“We try to differentiate the food and the service that we provide,” Dustin Trimble said. “We're a very rustic atmosphere. Our event center is a two-story event center so it's very different from the other event centers around.”

By Matthew Liptak

Debbie Trimble, co-owner of The Eis House in Mexico, and her son, Justin. Two years after they bought the business, they’re implemening a major renovation project.

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

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27

The Art of Decluttering: Lessons in Finding a Business Niche Entrepreneur Deborah Cabral, also known as The DeClutter Coach, has capitalized on disorganization to grow her business

P

rofessional organization is a growing field and Deborah Cabral, also known as The DeClutter Coach, is a great local example of success in the industry.

The National Association of Professional Organizers has grown from 834 members in 1995 to more than 4,000 members today, according to one of the organization's ambassadors, Sara Pedersen. There is a need for professional organizational skills for clients of all backgrounds around the country.

Cabral, 52, of New Hartford, has grown her organizing business, The DeClutter Coach, into one that now does six figures worth of sales through the service it provides.

She started working by herself in 2010 as a professional organizer.

Today her company has four divisions with at least 15 people working 25 to 30 hours a week, she said.

Clutter and disorganization are a common challenge in both private residences and the business world.

The DeClutter Coach could have between 20 and 30 clients open in any one week with several hundred clients overall, Cabral said.

“Our clients are overwhelmed, have too much stuff and their schedules are packed,” she said. “They don’t know where to start. So we are there to lead the way.”

The company helps clients through one-on-one coaching, handson sessions and group training. It offers residential organizing, closet systems and photo organizing. It also consults with corporations.

In addition, Cabral does motivational speaking and her company produces both a short news segment

BUSINESS UPDATE

28

aren't the only area of business doing well. The owner said all parts of her company have seen tremendous growth since the summer of 2014, though she didn't provide specific numbers.

She said the media brands have helped propel the rest of her business.

Television exposure has made more people aware The DeClutter Coach is out there and of the hands-on help the company can provide.

As if building her business wasn't enough, Cabral has a radio show,

“Organization in 60 seconds” and a half hour TV show called “Organization Motivation!”

The news segment and television program are their own separate brands, along with The DeClutter Coach and DC Efficiency Consulting.

“We're doing very well with our television show,” Cabral said. “We have six national sponsors that are with us. We're working with Post-It, Rubbermade, Mead, The Container Store, Command Strips and Dymo.

These are big national companies that are following what my team and I are doing and are happy and want to see us grow.”

“Organization Motivation!” was aired only on a sole Utica TV station for four years, but recently the show took a big step forward. It's just gone national. Cabral said she wants to get the show into 20 states and then build it from there.

“That's our goal,” she said. “We'd like to be able to help people all over the country.”

Deborah Cabral, also known as The The news segment DeClutter Coach. has gone national too.

And the media brands OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

a column in the Utica Observer-Dispatch newspaper and in September she was sitting in every Monday morning as the cohost of “Bridge Street,” a live talk show on News Channel 9 in Syracuse, while Sistina Giordano was on maternity leave.

“I'm moving and shaking,” Cabral said.

Upward Trend — Cabral's organizational endeavors were born from a life-altering event.

Cabral was seriously injured in a car accident in 2002. She had multiple surgeries and went through rehab, but found she couldn't work full time anymore. The entrepreneur had worked in insurance for more than 20 years.

But a negative became a positive — in 2010 she started her business.

“My background was training and efficiency,” Cabral said. “I always had that efficiency—working smarter not harder. That's always been a part of me and what I do.”

She loves her job, particularly the variety of people she meets. She could be training a corporate client one day and helping a resident clean out his garage the next. And she said there's nothing like taking a business from an idea to growing it into a company with employees and clients.

“It's a lot of variety and it's a feel-good job because you always are helping people,” she said.

And clients seem to be happy too. There is a lot of positive feedback on the company's website from those who hired The DeClutter Coach.

Cabral said most of them experience a dramatic increase in productivity and less stress after getting help from her company.

She wants the growth trend to continue and believes the root of her success is her company's ability to cater to its clients. You have to be able to listen, be persistent and know what they need, she said. The owner also said reinvesting in the business is important.

The DeClutter Coach has now been exposed nationally and remains on an upward trend. Whatever changes the company has gone through, one thing has stayed the same for those who work there—their passion for the job.

“There's a lot we got going on, but we love what we do,” Cabral said.

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OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

Christine Hoffman, owner of The Spicy Wench, exhibits her condiments and seasonings at the New York State Fair. This is one of the many places she sells her specialty products. Photos courtesy of The Spicy Wench.

Spicy Wench Operates Virtual Business

Owner of specialty store in Watertown opted against a brick-and-mortar location

M

any people start making and selling value-added products from their farm stores. Christine Hoffman, owner of The Spicy Wench in Watertown, took a different tack in selling and promoting her line of condiments: selling online, at events and wholesale.

"I'm a very non-traditional marketer," Hoffman said. "I don't have a brick-and-mortar store. People all the time say, 'I'll stop by your store' but I have no store."

Hoffman relies heavily on word-ofmouth advertising. She also sends out an e-newsletter and uses very targeted ads on Google and Facebook as well as ads on locally oriented websites.

Web users visiting those sites plan to attend events she frequents.

BUSINESS UPDATE

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

She operates her business from her Watertown home, so to access more retail customers and wholesale clients, Hoffman attends four to six events monthly to promote The Spicy Wench. Among the venues and events she attends in Syracuse are the CNY Regional Market, the Great New York State Fair and holiday events.

In 2014, she attended 100 shows, many of them were small and local.

She decided for 2015 that extending her range and attending fewer, larger shows would help her business better.

The decision proved one of the wisest she has made for The Spicy Wench since she has made connections that bolstered her wholesale business.

She has traveled to Vermont and may make it to Pennsylvania and Ohio this year — not bad for a sidehobby-turned-business. At present, her products are available in 30 retail OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

locations throughout the region and Hofman is ready to push out into more areas.

In addition to regional customers, she also sells regularly to customers from others states online, especially after tourists pick up a jar of jelly or a packet of seasoning and take it back home with them.

Her entire spicy empire began with a whim to plant pepper plants.

In late 2009, when she quit her local government job, Hoffman could scarcely imagine the next turn her life would take. She began growing pepper plants that spring to get outdoors more. She mixed her own compost and grew a variety of hot peppers.

Her bountiful pepper harvest spurred her to make pepper jelly and dry peppers. Her husband, Troy, works overseas, so she shipped some pepper jelly to him. He and his friends loved it and asked for more.

Hoffman knew she had created something special. By November 2011, she launched The Spicy Wench, from the nickname Hoffman's husband gave her for her sassy attitude.

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Spices and seasonings made by The Spicy Wench in Watertown. Its owner, Christine Hoffman, opted against having a brick-and-mortar location. Instead, she markets her products online and at events such as the NYS Fair and venues such as weekly CNY Regional Market in Syracuse. products at the Madison Barracks Shared Use Kitchen in Sackets Harbor.

Though she buys locally grown peppers now, Hoffman uses crab apples from her own trees and grapes from one of her employee's vines.

She prefers using local ingredients wherever possible and eschews frozen ingredients. Her altruistic efforts can make doing business difficult, however.

Local suppliers cannot grow yearround, which means Hoffman works frantically from late August through early October when the pepper harvest comes in. Some varieties require a long growing season, a problematic characteristic for Central New York.

Certain varieties don't like wet, cool weather common to Central New York. Sometimes, she resorts to dried peppers for this reason because frozen peppers lose their structural integrity for use in pepper jelly.

Though she knew how to grow peppers and cook and tweak recipes, learning the ropes of commercial production required help when Hoffman began making pepper jelly to sell. She recommends that people new to producing value-added items seek assistance from their local small business development center and the Department of Ag & Markets.

"I had run a business before, but it wasn't a food business," Hoffman said.

"The regulations can be cumbersome.

You have to learn about things like a commercial kitchen, licenses and inspections. You have to follow so many guidelines and that can be onerous.

"Make yourself familiar with the OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

rules," Hoffman added. "We all start out thinking it will be easy."

She has considered building her own commercial kitchen someday, and also contemplates buying land to grow her own peppers in a greenhouse to supply peppers year-round.

She advises farm owners thinking of making value-added items to contract with someone already making them. Hoffman supplies several entities with private label products.

"Contract with people like me to do it for you," Hoffman said. "The cost is probably less than to get licensed."

Hoffman employs five to eight workers during the busy season and one to two year round. Last year, she produced around 420 gallons of jams and jellies, plus seasoning rubs, mustards, salsa and spices. She anticipates surpassing that by about 50 percent for 2016.

Hoffman works parttime at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County as a financial educator, helping students with college readiness. She and Troy have two grown children.

In 2014, the US Small Business Association recognized Hoffman by bestowing an Excellence in Small Business Award. The Greater Watertown North Country Chamber of Commerce selected The Spicy Wench as recipient of the 2013 Business of the Year Entrepreneur Award.

To visit the Spicy Wench online, go to http://thespicywench.com.

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

Onondaga County's First New DBA: A Jiu Jitsu Studio Brazilian who has coached in Clay for three years strikes out on his own

D

iego Ramos leveraged his new Brazilian jiu-jitsu studio by taking the martial art he knows so well, bringing it to the United States and making the decision to invest in himself.

The 33-year-old Brazil native was the first person this year to file a DBA (“doing business as” certificate) in Onondaga County. He started his business Feb. 15 after having worked as a jiu-jitsu coach for three years at Ultimate Athletics in the Great Northern Mall in Clay. His new studio — Diego Ramos Brazilian Jiu Jitsu —is located at 731 James St. in Syracuse.

The black belt and three-time tournament champion said coming to the U.S. to coach jiu-jitsu was something he has always wanted.

“In Brazil everyone knows [about jiu-jitsu] so you cannot make a living. I had a friend, a black belt, who worked here already before me who was making a living teaching jiu-jitsu. I said 'That's what I want for my life.'”

Ramos got his shot at the American dream when this friend left Ultimate Athletics.

Ramos applied for the job and got it.

BUSINESS UPDATE

Ramos, who declined to discuss any financial details of his business, said he plans to stay in Syracuse. He is marrying his former student in February and said his goal is to enroll 100 students at his studio by the end of the year.

He said opening his own business in the United State was a dream come true.

Ramos will offer three classes a day, morning, noon and night and is particularly sensitive to working around his students schedules. Students can go to class at 6:30 a.m., practice, shower and head to work or they can come in at lunch or after work.

He said jiu-jitsu changed his life 18 years ago. He was a struggling overweight 15-year-old high school student who was being bullied. His mother took him to a studio to learn the martial art so he could lose some weight and defend himself.

“What fascinated me about it was that a smaller guy than me could control and do whatever he wants against my body,” he said. “It's something that really works so I learned it. I was bigger than the average kid for my age so when I trained I thought I would dominate everyone and that didn't happen. I kind of got fascinated. This really works.

That's why I kept at it.”

To contact Ramos, call 609-224-9672 or email diegomirvet@hotmail.com.

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Brazil native Diego Ramos was the first person this year to file a DBA (doing business as) certificate in Onondaga County. He worked three years as a jiu jitsu coach until he opened his own studio, Diego Ramos Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in Syracuse.

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Zink Shirts in Oswego recently opened its doors to showcase its new screenprinting equipment to investors and elected officials. Owner Glenn Zansitis operated the machines and made guests shirts on the spot.

Zink Shirts Moves Up a Size Screen-printing business in Oswego makes investment to upgrade

O

ne federal agency. One state agency. One county agency.

And one local financial insti-

tution.

These four entities together provided financial assistance for a $100,000 equipment purchase that will elevate Zink Screen Printing & Design’s production capabilities to new heights.

The upgrade was made possible by the collaborative efforts of Pathfinder Bank, Operation Oswego County, The Workforce Development Institute, and the Small Business Development Center at SUNY Oswego.

Starting Zink Shirts in 2011 and like many new small business startups, Zansitis was a one-man show.

Now six staff strong, Zink has reached the point that the need to invest in new machinery was necessary to continue to keep up with the increase of his client base.

34

“We have maximized our production equipment capabilities. It was decision time to invest or growth would have come to a halt,” Zansitis said.

Last year, the Greater Oswego-Fulton Chamber of Commerce selected Zink Shirts for its 2015 New Business of the Year award.

Shortly after the announcement, Assemblymen William Barclay (R-Pulaski) sent Zansitis a letter of congratulations.

“Realizing that I needed some financial assistance, I reached out to Assemblymen Barclay’s office seeking some guidance. His office was outstanding in pointing in the right direction and that started the process in purchasing the new production equipment and fulfilling my vision,” Zansitis said.

After the financial support team

BUSINESS UPDATE

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

was put together and the $100,000 package was confirmed, the new screen-printing equipment was ordered, manufactured and delivered around the holiday season.

“It was a special day when that new equipment arrived. As we were unpacking the crates, I kept thinking of where we have come and what 2016 was going to be like,” said Zansitis.

One of the three new high-tech production machines is an automatic screen-printing press, known as Sportsman EX. “With our old press, it took sometimes two to three hours to set up a multiple-color project. Now with the ‘Sportman EX’, it takes 15 minutes,” said Zansitis.

The new press can produce 70 dozen shirts an hour, is more precise, features enhanced consistency and is more energy efficient than previous machines.

The capacity of the former machine was about 1,500 T-shirts per week; today, Zink is capable of producing up to 5,000 a week.

“Previously, the machine was keeping up with us, and now we are trying to keep up with the machine,” said Brett Grooves, creative director for Zink.

In addition to the purchase of a new “Chameleon” manual screen printing press, Zink also replaced its 36-inch-wide by 8-foot electric conveyer dryer to a 60-inch-wide by 24-foot-long gas version. This allows for a much higher volume of shirts to be completed, Zansitis noted.

To accommodate the expansion, Zansitis recently hired two new employees and expects to hire several more in the upcoming months.

Zansitis said his goals for 2016 are to be more cost-efficient and open to a broader range of products.

Besides T-shirts, Zink has the capability to print banners, various promotional items, bags, vinyl decals, window graphics, vinyl signage and stickers.

“Many of us are aware of the phrase, ‘It takes a village to raise a child.’ Well, in this economically challenged area, it sometimes takes a family of economic development agencies to help young businesses take the next step of growth,” said Jeff Wallace, owner of Creative Business Development in Oswego, a business that is providing consulting services to Zansitis.

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Economic Development SPECIAL REPORT

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

The Proposed $15 Minimum Wage Experts: Despite good intentions, proposed minimum wage will have significant bad side effects, especially for small businesses

G

ov. Andrew Cuomo has proposed legislation to make New York the first state to mandate a gradual increase to a $15 minimum wage for all workers. According to Cuomo's website — www.governor. ny.gov — the pay hike would help 2.3 million workers statewide, including 98,689 in Central New York who currently earn less than $15 per hour.

"More than 40 percent of those are married, parents or both, and many provide the main source of their family’s income,” according to Cuomo.

“Today, a full-time job at New York’s minimum wage pays only $18,720 per year, and for a single mother with two children, that’s below the official poverty line."

While raising workers' wages sounds like a good plan to help struggling families, local experts take a different perspective.

"I think the minimum wage raise is a bad idea," said Roger Koppl, professor of finance at Whitman School

36

of Management, Syracuse University.

"It's bad for poor people. If anyone, it's good for rich people."

Koppl doesn't believe that raising the minimum wage would allow working poor families to earn their way into the middle class and off of public support. He said that raising the rate would shrink the number of available minimum-wage jobs, which could put more families on government support.

"I think what will happen to unskilled workers is that they'll be replaced by machinery," Koppl said. "People can go to Panera and tap their order on a screen.

That represents a reduction in the number of labor hours hired."

Hiring fewer employees helps large companies grow, but decreases the number of available jobs. Koppl thinks that many small businesses would not be able to absorb the OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

Koppl FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

What Owners Say About the $15 Minimum Wage We’ve asked small business owners about how a $15 minimum wage would affect their businesses. Here’s what they said Halleron additional overhead since they could not afford pricy equipment to replace minimum wage workers.

Small companies may attempt to skirt a minimum-wage hike by hiring more employees as consultants, paying by piecework, or by salary. Labor costs represent a significant part of a company's budget.

"As a rule, wages amount to about 17 percent of gross income in the food service industry," said John R. Halleron, senior adviser with the Small Business Development Center at SUNY Oswego. "In order to maintain that margin, the following options will be the only available. The first and most obvious would be raise prices accordingly. The second would be do more with less and reduce the workforce. In the end, someone will not be happy."

Donald Dutkowsky, professor of economics at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, views small, local businesses as the most vulnerable to closing with a $15 minimum wage.

He thinks that many companies would lay off employees to stay afloat and try to motivate remaining employees to do more.

"It would be clear that any type of minimum wage policy should come with a tax credit targeting small businesses to help them remain viable," Dutkowsky said.

He also believes workers 16 to 18 years old should be exempted from a wage hike to aim the measure toward people supporting households and new high school graduates working their way through college.

"A policy to raise minimum wage by itself has great intentions but I think it will have significant bad side effects," Dutkowsky said. "It should consider the needs of small businesses."

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

"It would have minor impact on my business. Most of my employees are already paid more than that. I do think it will have a major negative impact on the employees of many small businesses as many employers will reconsider their staffing levels. I think it will hurt the very people that the politicians think that they're trying to help because it will limit the number of companies willing to hire students and part-time employees because they won't want to pay that much money for their services."

"It wouldn't affect me, other than being a consumer going to a restaurant who'd have to pay more for things. All my employees are independent contractors and most make more than $15. I'm a board member of Operation Oswego County. We talk about the poverty level for a family of two. Even $15 an hour, one person won't make enough money to get out of the poverty category for a two-person household. They would still be struggling."

Randy L. Zeigler, financial adviser Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc., Oswego

John Zanewych, owner, Big John Sales, Inc., Oswego

"I think that it will make it very difficult to hire new, younger employees or high school-aged or summer help. Currently, we bring in [new employees] at around $10 an hour and we will definitely have fewer employees if the minimum wage goes up to $15 an hour. I would forecast that high school [students], summer help and younger folks will have a lot more difficult time getting work during the summertime or when they're out of college. I see it as a detriment. I firmly believe the government should not interfere and the marketplace should dictate what the wages should be to a certain extent. They're pushing it too high too quickly."

"Obviously, it affects our business anytime they do a wage hike. It affects everyone's business. We do give regular raises, but we do it on merit, not because the government tells us.

Different jobs should have different wages. We can't operate on a deficit like the government. It definitely affects us and every small business in this community. We have to be able to survive. Should we pay a premium rate for an entry-level job, where someone must be trained?

­­

Tony Pauldine, owner, Anthony Pauldine's Contractors, Inc., Oswego "It would definitely affect the business. We would probably have to lay off some people."

Sherry Bame, owner, Bame's Wine & Liquor, Oswego

Theresa Himes, co-owner, Bosco & Geers Food Market, Ltd., Oswego

"I realize it would be a graduated scale, supposedly. We are going to have to raise our prices to cover this.

Probably, we'll hire fewer employees and have shorter hours for the employees we already have. We will have to cut back because our employees get overtime. $15 an hour isn't as big of a thing; it's the $22 an hour for overtime pay. That will hurt our employees to cut our overtime back to nothing."

Chuck Handley, Continued on next page

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

37

owner Burke's Home Centers, Oswego "I don't have employees so it won't affect my business, but I have a lot of clients who it will affect because they won't be able to afford it without raising their prices. It will make everything go up. The impact on employers is a percentage of workers compensation, unemployment, and social security. There's a higher degree of expenses going to employers that they might not be able to handle."

Brenda Weissenberg, owner, Affordable Business Solutions, Central Square "We have a compensation plan based on production. It's going to mess it up a little bit, since it's combined with an hourly rate. It will hurt the restaurants paying waitresses the most. The underlying goal to help people with more disposable income is nice, but I think it's too aggressive for businesses that rely on different work levels."

Eric Choron, co-owner, Wildflower Nails & Spa, Brewerton "I have only one employee and it would definitely impact me. I can't offer him a lot of hours."

Jody Francis, owner, World Gym, Brewerton "It will have a negative effect on our company. For someone to start at $15 it will hit small businesses hard.

If they're not at the right skill level, they don't deserve $15. I'm not against raising it, but $15 is out of hand. Being made to pay someone $15 sounds like a political ploy to bring in votes.

The politicians pushing it are disconnected. They're not with the working people. The prices will be transferred to the consumer."

Dale Maher, vice president, Unlimited Tri-D, West Monroe "We are independent contractors as real estate agents, so we're 1099."

Connie Ryan, licensed real estate sales person, Century 21 Galloway Realty, Oswego

Interviews by Deborah Jeanne Sergeant 38

SPECIAL REPORT

By Ken Little

Jobs in Healthcare Among the Hottest in ‘16 Sector to offer more jobs than any other, according to the NYS Labor Department

J

obs in the healthcare field are among those that are most likely to be expanding this year in Central New York, according to the state Department of Labor.

Other sectors also show promise, said Karen Knapik-Szalco, Syracuse-based associate economist with the DOL. Knapik-Szalco cited five sectors likely to experience growth this year and in coming years in the Syracuse metro area in an email response to questions.

The Syracuse metro area includes Oswego, Onondaga and Madison counties.

Industry sectors cited by Knapik-Szalco include educational services, health care and social assistance, transportation and warehousing, leisure and hospitality and the retail trade.

In educational services, 1,100 jobs were added between November 2014 and November 2015 in the Syracuse metro area, Knapik-Szalco said.

In the field of health care and social services, including hospitals, 1,000 jobs were added during the same time frame.

More than 300 jobs were added between November 2014 and November 2015 in transportation and warehousing.

In the leisure and hospitality sector, more than 900 job openings were created during the same time frame.

Tourism is a mainstay of the Oswego County economy.

The retail industry saw an increase or more than 2,100 jobs between November 2014 and November 2015 in the Syracuse metro area, Knapik-Szalco said.

“Employment in educational services, health care and social assistance, and leisure and hospitality have all been on a long-term growth pattern OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

and reached record high job numbers for the month of November [2015] in the Syracuse metro area if you compare all Novembers going back to 1990,” she said.

The State Department of Labor also projected the fastest-growing occupations in Central New York through the year 2022, “and many of them are in the health sector and other sectors,” Knapik-Szalco said.

The top 15 jobs where hiring is projected to increase in Central New York through the year 2022, with job total from 2012 and anticipated future totals, include:

1. Computer & Information Research Scientists 2012 (total jobs: 60); 2022 (jobs projected: 80). Net gain: 20 jobs or 33.3 percent Median annual pay: $66,970.

2. Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary 2012 (240); 2022 (320). Net gain: 80 jobs or 33.3 percent Median annual pay: $71,010.

3. Physical Therapist Aides 2012 (120); 2022 (160). Net gain 40 jobs or 33.3 percent Median annual pay: $27,640.

4. Home Health Aides 2012 (2,140); 2022 (2,810). Net gain: 670 jobs or 31.3 percent FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

Economic Development SPECIAL REPORT

Median annual pay: $22,530.

5. Physician Assistants 2012 (480); 2022 (680). Net gain: 150 jobs or 31.3 percent Median annual pay: $93,220.

6. Medical Secretaries 2012 (720); 2022 (930). Net gain: 210 jobs or 29.2 percent Median annual pay: $31,210.

7. Athletic Trainers 2012 (110); 2022 (140). Net gain: 30 jobs or 27.3 percent Median annual pay: $35,050.

8. Bartenders 2012 (1,900); 2022 (2,410). Net gain: 510 jobs or 26.8 percent Median annual pay: $18,570.

9. Ophthalmic Medical Technicians 2012 (120); 2022 (150). Net gain: 30 jobs or 25 percent Median annual pay: $28,820.

10. Veterinary Technologists and Technicians 2012 (330); 2022 (410). Net gain: 80 jobs or 24.2 percent Median annual pay: $34,170.

11. Cooks, Restaurant 2012 (2,160); 2022 (2,680). Net gain: 520 jobs or 24.1 percent Median annual pay: $21,950.

12. Physical Therapist Assistants 2012 (210); 2022 (260). Net gain: 50 jobs or 23.8 percent Median annual pay: $44,290.

13. Dental Hygienists 2012 (480); 2022 (590). Net gain: 110 jobs or 22.9 percent Median annual pay: $67,670.

14. Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics 2012 (660); 2022 (810). Net gain: 150 jobs or 22.7 percent Median annual pay: $30,920.

15. Medical Assistants 2012 (950); 2022 (1,160). Net gain: 210 jobs or 22.1 percent Median annual pay: $28,590 FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

Restaurant Owners Bracing for Higher Salaries

R

estaurant workers across New York state have been forced to make drastic changes due to a steep hike in minimum wage.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently announced a new $15 minimum wage increase for all state employees.

Restaurant owners saw this law go into full effect on Dec. 31 when the minimum wage for all servers, bartenders and other tipped workers increased drastically from $5 to $7.50 an hour.

“The only choice we have is to pass on the cost to our customers and increase our prices,” said Ed Nyce, owner of The Clam Bar in Syracuse.

“Some restaurants will have to cut down on the amount of servers per night, which will effect overall customer service.”

In order to keep up with the recent changes, Nyce met with The Clam Bar’s food vendor, created a cost analysis and then increased menu prices accordingly. A new menu prices has been in effect since early January.

Randy Beach, owner of the Ale ‘n’ Angus Pub in Syracuse, is also readjusting to the changes in minimum wage for tipped workers.

He has already increased prices on the menu to counter the new minimum wage law. However, he works hard to make sure his employees still receive consistent hours on a weekly basis.

“The new wage law hurts every restaurant in business,” Beach said.

“Not only is it a 50 percent increase, but disability and workers compensation go up as well.”

Several owners of restaurants in Oswego County were contacted for this story but declined to offer any comment.

Some restaurant owners have tried to combat the new wage law by experimenting with the no-tip business model. The no-tipping model goes against America’s restaurant culture, and follows a more European restaurant business style. Instead of OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

“The only choice we have is to pass on the cost to our customers and increase our prices” Ed Nyce, owner of The Clam Bar in Syracuse. leaving a tip for servers or bartenders, an administrative fee is added to each customer’s check.

This allows servers to still walk away with a stable and consistent wage night after night.

After being in the restaurant business for 30 years, Nyce said he doesn’t believe the no-tipping business model is fair for all employees. Since a server in the restaurant business is expected to have a skill set that extends beyond simply providing customer service, the traditional tipping model allows servers to receive the amount of money they deserve based on performance.

“In today’s restaurant business, you have to be organized, have computer knowledge, possess sales techniques, communication skills and the aptitude to deal with money,” Nyce said. “The ability to bring all this to the table in a seamless fashion to customers is truly a unique skill set and this reflects in the tips they receive. If we go to a ‘no-tipping’ business model, it would deflate those high-performer servers and their potential to make more money.”

However, there have been no signs yet of restaurants losing business because of these new wage laws.

Customers seem to understand the increase in menu prices is based on survival for the independent restaurants that are working to stay afloat, Beach noted.

“Most everyone realizes that prices have to go up. In my opinion, the customer will just become immune to the increase,” Beach said.

By Hannah McNamara

39

The Most Stressful Jobs of 2016

By CareerCast.com

E

very one of us endures stress of some kind in our workplace, and at varying times. A quality defining many of the CareerCast.com most stressful jobs of 2016 is that stress is virtually omnipresent, and the spikes in periods of high stress are unpredictable.

Stress, as defined by the Jobs Rated methodology, is determined by 11 factors: travel, deadlines, working in the public eye, competitiveness, physical demands, environmental conditions, hazards encountered, the life of oneself or others at risk, meeting and interacting with customers and/or the public, and the potential for job growth.

Thus, jobs can be remarkably stressful, albeit for remarkably different reasons. The stress inherent with working as a police officer or firefighter, for example, is readily apparent.

Firefighters and police officers face

life-threatening situations routinely as a fundamental part of their jobs.

The U.S. Fire Administration reports 80 fatalities in the line of duty in 2015. Personal danger is just one of the stress factors faced in these careers.

Police officers and firefighters, as well as enlisted military personnel, are entrusted with the safety and well-being of others — another key element weighed in the Jobs Rated report.

A high stress score was given if a particular demand was a major part of the job, fewer stress points were given if the demand was a small part of the job and no points were awarded if that demand was not usually required.

10

Most stressful jobs for 2016 and their stress score

• Enlisted military personnel: 84.78

• Firefighter: 60.59 • Airline pilot: 60.46 • Police officer: 53.82 • Event coordinator: 49.93 • Public relations executive: 48.46 • Senior corporate executive: 47.46 • Broadcaster: 47.30 • Newspaper reporter: 46.76 • Taxi driver: 46.33

Here are this year's least stressful jobs and their stress scores: • Information security analyst:3.80 • Diagnostic medical sonographer:4.00 • Tenured university professor:6.94 • Hairstylist:7.47 • Medical records technician:7.55 • Medical laboratory technician:8.98 • Jeweler:9.10 • Audiologist:9.30 • Dietitian:10.23 • Librarian:10.58

Vince Lobdell

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University. Speedway. Shops. Parks. Music.

Arts, and more. The City of Oswego on Lake Ontario... cool comes naturally.

Oswego Lighthouse

Greater Impact and Success SUNY Oswego helps solve problems. We provide advisement and training for business, workforce development opportunities, and technical assistance and training for nonprofit organizations.

We build relationships in Central New York.

Where the water never ends.

Office of Business and Community Relations 103 Rich Hall, SUNY Oswego, Oswego, NY 13126

For more information: (315) 342-8186 or www.oswegony.org

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

oswego.edu/obcr | 315.312.3492

41

Bruce Frassinelli bfrassinelli@ptd.net

Same-sex Marriage.

Announcements in Newspapers No Longer an Issue ‘Twenty years ago, when I was the publisher of The PalladiumTimes in Oswego, I had to confront one of the stickiest policy decisions of my career.’

BRUCE FRASSINELLI is the former publisher of The Palladium-Times and an adjunct online instructor at SUNY Oswego.

42

T

ime has made a world of difference announcement, because we were committed to when it comes to the handling of same- running engagement and marriage announcesex engagement and marriage license ments of those who would be considered wed in announcements in the local community the eyes of the law — one man and one woman.

I contacted the woman who had sent me the newspaper.

Twenty years ago, when I was the publish- letter to let her know personally of our decision. er of The Palladium-Times in Oswego, I had She was outraged, charging us with discrimination and with being to confront one of the unfair. We talked about stickiest policy decisions 15 minutes, exchanging of my career.

My Turn viewpoints, but, in the end, It started with a letI told her the decision was ter addressed to me from a woman who requested that The Pall-Times irrevocable.

In one, last angry tirade, she threatened print an engagement announcement, but the letter-writer was engaged to another woman. to bring suit against me and the paper, then This was the first and only time I had slammed down the phone. By the way, she never did file legal action, no doubt schooled received such a request. The letter by her attorney that the paper has the acknowledged that this would right to accept or reject any material for probably be a tough decision publication. for me and other PallNow, 20 years later, in 2016, it’s Times officials to make. a brand new ball game, because the She was right. law has changed. Same-sex marriagI researched our es are considered legal everywhere files to see whethin the United States because of a er there was any contentious 5-4 decision by the U.S. precedent for such Supreme Court last June. an announcement.

New York state legalized sameThere wasn’t. I consex marriages much earlier, on July tacted some of my 24, 2011, under the Marriage Equality predecessor pubAct. Publication of same-sex engagelishers, including ment and wedding announcements is former owner Clark no longer an issue in most publicaMorrison. He was tions in the Northeast. adamant. “No, never Jon Spaulding, publisher got a request like that, of The Palladium-Times, says but, If I did, the answer that because gay marriage is would have been `no,’” legal in New York state, the the feisty Morrison said. paper has been publishing “What would have been announcements with your rationale for turning down the other social announcerequest?” I asked him. “Because marriage ments. “We have pubbetween `queers’ isn’t legal,” he shouted. lished one or two in While Morrison’s choice of words the six years I have went beyond the bounds of good taste, his been here with no reasoning I found later was exactly what other negative feedback, or publishers and newspaper executives gave in at least none that I have turning down similar requests in their cities. heard,” Spaulding said.

After discussing the request with my He recalled that boss, we agreed that we would not run the OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

Just Published O while he worked at The Star-Gazette in Elmira before same-sex marriage was legal the paper published an announcement of a gay wedding, but it appeared under a special heading called “Unions,” rather than under the “Marriages” heading.

There was some controversy over the special heading, Spaulding remembered. “But we felt it was appropriate, given that gay unions were not considered legal marriages at the time,” Spaulding said.

John Johnson, chief executive officer and co-publisher of The Watertown Daily Times, says the ownership and management of the paper are strong proponents of equal rights and equal treatment. “We welcome marriages of all kinds and are pleased by the Court’s decision,” Johnson said.

Not all newspaper officials made the transition as effortlessly as the local publishers did. In a front-page announcement last July, Steve Gaines, editor of The Bowling Green (Ky.) Daily News, said the paper would begin running same-sex announcements.

The paper has “always believed that marriage is between one man and one woman, we are still of that opinion, and we will continue to stand by that opinion,” Gaines wrote.

“We are a nation of laws,” Gaines conceded and referenced the Supreme Court decision. “Accordingly, this newspaper will follow the law of the land,” he wrote.

Some newspapers continue to ban these announcements, and, by the way, this is not illegal, because the First Amendment to the Constitution guarantees Freedom of the Press.

Clay Foster, publisher of The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, the third largest paper in the state, wrote a column defending the paper’s decision to continue banning these announcements, citing in the process a number of Biblical verses to back up his point of view.

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

“We have always had a strong footprint in Central New York, specifically in Oswego County,” Poindexter said.

Dowd & Harrington and Streeter & Van Sanford merged in 1997 to become OVIA, LLC. “Our company began a strong push to continue to grow and expand our reach,” he said. “Since then, we have hired more account managers and producers and opened start-up offices in Brewerton in 2008 and in Clayton in 2011.

OVIA now operates six different locations in Onondaga, Oswego and Jefferson counties with 24 employees.

“While other companies have pulled back and consolidated in tough economical times during the past several years, we have pushed ahead and created positive growth and set the path for our future,” Poindexter said.

OVIA has other acquisitions it is presently working on that are expected to take effect over the next few years to strengthen its presence in Northern and Central New York.

“Our long-term goal is to saturate strategic areas throughout New York state,” Poindexter said. “Since our long-term goal is to broaden our reach outside of the Oswego Valley corridor, just this past year we focused our efforts on re-branding our name and logo into OVIA Insurance Agencies. This was meant to create a new identity that would not imply that we were only located in the Oswego Valley corridor.”

“Over the years, we have answered the question from people when they saw our acronym OVIA, and asked, ‘What is OVIA?’ Well, now we are playing off of this question to make sure the public knows what OVIA is,” he said. “Our forthcoming advertising efforts in 2016 will be focused on our new brand.”

Poindexter said the company has had a long relationship with Banach, and represents the same insurance carriers she has.

VIA Insurance Agencies has acquired Banach Insurance Agency in Pulaski.

James Poindexter Jr., licensed insurance agent and vice president at OVIA Insurance Agencies, 9643 Brewerton Road, Brewerton.

The company was formerly known as Oswego Valley Insurance Agencies before a recent rebranding.

The acquisition takes effect on Jan. 1.

He did not disclose the value of the transaction to respect the privacy of both parties.

“Let’s just say that both parties were very happy with the agreement.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t have happened,” Poindexter said.

He has known Cindy Banach for the past 34 years.

“She actually helped get me started in the insurance industry about 16 years ago, so it’s bittersweet that the company I own with two other outstanding partners could help her create an exit strategy into retirement,” he said. “We are very familiar with her book of business and the customers she services. Some of our staff personally knows a good number of the customers already.”

Poindexter said the acquisition is part of OVIA’s growth model.

“We have other plans besides acquisitions for growth that are in effect as we speak, but helping form succession plans for other agents reaching the retirement age has been something we have found success with in the past,” he said.

The company has completed four other acquisitions besides Banach in the past seven years.

“The strong professional relationships we have held over the years with other independent agents — some whom we have competed with — in the area is paying dividends now for both parties, buyer and seller, as we complete each Get“It the one,” he said. has100-plus to mutuallypage benefitannual guide free when you both parties to work.” to Oswego County Business magazine. subscribe Being trustworthy, flexible and To subscribe, go to OswegoCountyBusiness.com and click creative are key ingredients, Poindexter subscription button said.

The roots of the family operated Or buy a single copy at river’s end bookstore agencies that formed the company are in downtown Oswego.

Single copies: $20 well over 100 years old, dating back to the pre-1900s.

Detailed information on hundreds of local companies in Oswego County, Northern and Central New York

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

the

43

COVER

By Lou Sorendo

Youngest Mayor in NYS New city of Oswego mayor brings an unshakable approach to City Hall

H

e may not be faster than a speeding bullet. And it’s doubtful he is more powerful than a locomotive.

Can he leap tall buildings in a single bound?

That’s highly doubtful.

Nonetheless, the Port City has its own version of Superman in newly elected city of Oswego Mayor William “Billy” Barlow.

Given the extent of some of the city’s problems, Barlow may need some of the DC Comics hero’s superhuman powers, particularly invulnerability.

Born and raised in Oswego, Barlow recently turned 25 and is the youngest mayor in New York state.

He conceded it is a tough time to take over as mayor.

“Certainly everyone would love to get to work on the fluff stuff, but at this point in time, I believe residents are just asking for the basic essentials for the taxes they pay,” he said. Hence the focus on aspects such as roads, parking, and sewer systems.

“What they really want addressed, such as [quality of] neighborhoods and dilapidated homes for

44

example, is where the focus will be,” he said.

Barlow also works in Fulton as the full-time deputy director of the Central New York regional office for the New York State Assembly Minority under leader Brian Kolb (R-C-Canandaigua). He does legislative research and also travels around Central New York attending community events.

There, he gets a sense of key issues before relaying that information back to members in Albany.

Barlow is also co-owner of Barlow Concessions, a business that features multiple locations across the state and in Arizona.

The new mayor has established set hours for all three of his jobs. As far as his concessions business, Barlow has employees he can count on to handle day-to-day operations.

“I’m still accountable and will go to events that I feel I need to go to,” he said.

He has office hours for both his mayoral and Assembly duties.

“I’m really lucky I do three things that I really love,” he said. “When you do a job that you love, you really don’t need to escape all that often.”

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

Barlow is single and enjoys spending his free time with his beagle, Sammy.

Culture needs to change

Meanwhile, the pending closure of Entergy’s James A. FitzPatrick nuclear power plant in Scriba looks to have a dramatic effect on the region’s economy.

Barlow said it affects the city in terms of loss of residents.

“When those jobs flee, typically the people in those jobs also flee,” he said. “Obviously, the money will come directly out of the local economy and the tax base itself.”

Barlow looks at the bigger picture in an effort to explain how he plans to compensate for that loss.

“The city has historically been known to be unfriendly to businesses, both local business folks and outof-town developers and investors,” he said. “That is a culture I need to change, and that is what I campaigned on consistently.”

“We need to reach out and encourage our local folks to invest in property that they may own or stores they may own, and consider FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

45

COVER

Mayor Billy Barlow and Community Development Director Justin Rudgik recently joined local small business owner Jeff Holbrook to commend him on his recent endeavor to house and coordinate a gigantic transformer traveling from Portugal to Exelon Corp. at Nine Mile Point. Holbrook owns Port City Logistics in Oswego. expanding their services and creating more downtown businesses,” he said.

“We need to encourage growth rather than repel it, which I believe we have historically done and are currently doing.”

Barlow said he has a plan to reverse this culture.

“Number one is to try to attract larger employers. I need to actually take Oswego out on the road and showcase what we have, our community, and what we can offer as far as incentives and leverage to try to bring companies into Oswego County and the city of Oswego,” he said.

Barlow said he also intends to encourage local small business owners to invest money they may have been hanging onto and are hesitant to invest.

To streamline that process, Barlow said he believes a consistent and efficient building and permitting process is necessary.

He foresees a “friendlier” ap46

proach where the city will encourage business owners and walk them through the process.

“We tell [business people] ahead of time what meetings they have to attend, what we are looking for, and if they run into a problem, we’re here to help, not here to be the problem,” he said.

Streamline the process

Barlow addressed the feedback he has been receiving from small business owners in the city regarding problems they face and how to improve the sector.

Barlow said business people intent on upgrading their property — such as putting on an addition or bettering their storefront — see their plans come to a grinding halt once City Hall gets involved.

“It creates problems and typically results in a stop work order or a hassle to where they have to come to City Hall seven or eight times and have OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

to fill out eight pages of paperwork,” Barlow said. “Meanwhile, the permit gets lost in the process and they are delayed to the point where they get discouraged, throw their hands up and say, ‘forget it about it.’”

Barlow said his administration will feature staff that understands if someone is looking to invest in his or her business, they are making an investment in the city and community.

“We need to help foster and encourage that too,” he said. “Right now, there are too many people who walk up to the third floor of City Hall only to turn around and walk back out.”

“That’s a reputation that we give ourselves, not just locally, but in the region,” he said.

This word spreads among developers, investors and business people who know each other through networking.

“It’s a reputation that can get out of control if you let it,” he said.

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

COVER Cleaning up eyesores

One of Barlow’s top campaign issues emphasized the importance of having a solid housing stock and attractive neighborhoods in order to attract families and businesses into Oswego.

Barlow addressed ways to clean up run-down neighborhoods while adding to the momentum created by the Oswego Renaissance Association.

The ORA promotes and facilitates neighborhood revitalization through a variety of programs.

Barlow intends on “resurrecting” the code enforcement office in order to prioritize the city’s needs.

“We need to finally address these rental properties that have been dilapidated or rundown for the better part of 10 to 20 years,” he said. Barlow noted that state Route 104 —Bridge Street — is another “hot spot” that needs attention from a competent code enforcement department.

“I feel as mayor that my job once we resurrect that department is to go after areas and specific properties that really affect neighborhoods

aesthetically and from a quality-of-life perspective,” he said.

Barlow noted a lot of the properties have been the same consistent problematic properties “that would be obvious to anybody who is driving the streets of Oswego.”

Barlow said he finds it difficult to understand why the city has failed to address these issues over the years.

Barlow has high praise for Justin Rudgick, the new director of the Community Development Office in Oswego.

“He is extremely sharp, productive and focused,” Barlow said. “He and I share the same priorities, viewpoints and goals for the city. Those include more beautification projects, more projects aimed at helping code enforcement, and aesthetically pleasing projects that the city knows it can apply for and turn around and deliver right away.”

“That’s what this city needs.

We’re tired of waiting and tired of doing study after study,” he said. “We need to finally have some results that will come to fruition. Justin and I are

The Business of Government

W

Mayor has business in his blood

illiam “Billy” Barlow was born and bred to be in business.

The new city of Oswego mayor got an early indoctrination into the business world at age 10.

His grandfather launched Barlow’s Concessions in the late 1970s.

His parents — Bill and Lisa Barlow — expanded it significantly to cover many areas of New York state.

In his junior year in college in Arizona, he slowly began to establish the family concessions business in that state.

He did several events while growing the business out west, and earned his bachelor’s degree in environmental technology management while also studying emergency management.

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

After graduation in 2012, Barlow spent more time growing the family business in Arizona.

However, in the fall of 2013, he was elected as the Fifth Ward alderman for the City of Oswego Common Council.

With his full-time obligations in Oswego, Barlow’s parents went to Arizona to focus on that end of the business.

Barlow’s parents’ main markets were in Syracuse, Albany and Lake Placid. Their son expanded it into Rochester, Geneva and Canandaigua.

The New York state business features seven units that travel across the state all summer. Employment numbers fluctuate but can reach upward of 20 workers during peak times.

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

on the same page subliminally 99 percent of time and we have a good relationship. He is a very focused and ambitious person and we’re lucky to have him.”

Barlow detailed what he believes is necessary in order for his administration to be successful in the coming years.

“Success can be reached if we listen to the needs of city taxpayers and residents and really be proactive and react to what they are saying and what they need,” he said.

A good example is the executive order he issued early in January banning all parking from city streets between 1 to 6 a.m. during the winter months.

“The public overwhelmingly supported going back to the parking ban and getting cars off the streets so we can plow and have safe roads,” he said.

“This will be an administration that listens and reacts so our taxpayers are getting what they want.”

The Barlows were successful in forming contracts with the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals to provide food and beverages for the teams during their spring training sessions in Surprise, Ariz.

“The business took off once we landed that little gig,” Barlow said.

The stands feature favorites such as fried dough, funnel cakes, snow cones, lemonade and smoothies.

He’s all business

Barlow said his business experience certainly helps in terms of running city government, he noted.

“Looking for more efficient and cheaper ways to do things while maintaining the integrity of the process is one thing that I learned to do in business,” he said. “As business is constantly evolving, municipal government is constantly evolving, particularly if you look at our tax situation.

“We need to find creative ways and run the city more like a business.

We need to stop losing money and stepping over dollars to pick up cents.

That’s been going on for quite some 47

COVER time and people are tired of it because it hits them in their pockets.”

“As a business owner, you take every cent seriously as if it’s your own. That can really make a difference,” he said.

His management experience and leadership skills will also come into play, he noted.

“If something is going on at City Hall that is not right, whether it’s something that is making people angry or is becoming very expensive, you know right away you have to correct it. There’s not time to wait,” he said.

“Usually you are better at identifying that if you had the responsibility of running your own business and managing employees, and have your name essentially attached to an entity, be it a business or city government,” he added.

As Barlow met with department heads following the election, he made it clear that he is a natural leader and will always have a decision ready to be made.

“I made it very clear to my department heads that if they need me to make a decision or solve a problem, bring it to me right away and I will

Mayor Assesses Critical Initiatives in Port City

O

swego Mayor William “Billy” Barlow has been buoyed by funding which will support a pair of crucial projects in the Port City.

Two projects were recently awarded 2015 Regional Economic Development Council Consolidated Funding Application funding.

They are the waterfront feasibility study and the west side wastewater sewer rehab project.

The mayor said key decisions regarding waterfront development will be based on the feasibility study. It will identify the best use for both land the city uses and doesn’t use, and how to get the “biggest bang for the buck” on how to use the land available on the waterfront in a proper fashion, he said.

Barlow said there is plenty of potential in terms of the west-side city-owned marina.

“That’s something I can consider as mayor in terms of making the marina better and more of an attraction for locals and boaters who may be en route to a different destination,” he said.

“How can I have those same boaters alter their course and consider Oswego as a destination, not just a place to stop for a moment?” he asked.

Barlow noted he wants to promote paddleboats, canoes and kayaks out of the marina. He also wants to see

48

the docks and facility upgraded.

Its proximity to the Oswego Harbor West Pierhead Lighthouse and Oswego Yacht Club also enhances its value, he added.

“I believe the potential is there.

It just needs to be more user-friendly and promoted properly,” he said.

Barlow also feels there is plenty of room for improvement at Breitbeck Park on the city’s west side as far as landscaping goes, particularly between Lake Ontario and the park itself.

“I want to make the place more of a destination because we do have some things happening with the potential marine sanctuary, the lighthouse restoration and the Cahill building finally being renovated,” he said.

Infrastructure needs upgrade

Barlow said the city’s wastewater plants are in dire need of upgrades and renovations.

In 2010, to resolve long-standing problems with unpermitted sewer overflows, the city of Oswego agreed in the form of a consent decree order to invest an estimated $87 million in improvements to its west-side sewer system.

“At the end of day, the city needs to be in compliance with state and federal regulations,” he said. At the OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

make a decision. There will be no waiting and no second-guessing. We will be an administration that is quick to react. We will be proactive and not always reactive. We will get ahead of these problems before they really become big problems that sometimes we can’t address,” he said.

“At the end of the day, I believe that my job is to be the leader that City Hall needs,” he said. “Being a good leader is having department heads and city employees do things and conduct their work because they believe in the message and believe we are all working toward common goals.” same time, and this is the silver lining in all this, we need to have facilities and systems that can handle a big user should one look to develop in the city,” he said.

He said the city needs to upgrade its facilities and systems so they can handle more residents, homes and businesses that may look to open.

“That’s ultimately what the consent decree is telling us. We need to get our facilities up to snuff,” he said.

Barlow noted there have been several violations regarding pollutants that have occurred over the course of 20 years or more. “That can no longer happen. We’re much more environmentally conscious,” he noted.

Barlow earned an environmental degree at Arizona State University.

“I certainly understand the severity of those situations. This is a consent decree that mandates we fix those on schedule. The negative part is it’s financially hard on the city and taxpayers,” he said.

Barlow said goal No. 1 is to restore the city’s reputation with the state Department of Environmental Conservation and federal Environmental Protection Agency “so that they know we are aware we have issues in the city but are looking to fix those issues.”

Barlow noted the city has had past administrations that have done nothing but “kick the can down the road.”

“We understand the regulations and we understand that everybody takes the environment much more seriously,” he said. “My job is to let the DEC know that I am here to be proactive and to help, and I want to comply.”

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

COVER

New Mayor’s Priorities We recently asked what people think Billy Barlow's priority should be.

Interviews by Deborah Jeanne Sergeant "Trying to keep taxes down and not raise them anymore. A lot of people are discouraged to move into the city of Oswego because taxes are so high."

Sandy Eby Owner and yoga instructor, Birkram Yoga Oswego "I think he's going to do a good job.

He ran a good campaign and has a lot of people behind him. I have confidence that he is well aware of the many issues there are. His intent is to address them all with the goal of doing what's best for the city."

John Allen, Partner, Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC "I think getting straightened out this permit process that has turned into such a jungle, so people can get on with their projects and get them completed.

People won't just walk away from things that would benefit the city. I think that's very important."

Bill Symons COO, Computer Accounting Services "I think he's doing it. He's already right into the website, making it easier for businesses to start and expand. He's taking it right by the horns. He will make the city what it can and should be."

Linda Tyrrell Owner, Harbor Towne Gifts & Souvenirs "Getting more businesses into the city, one way or another. The city needs revitalizing somehow. Whether big business or small, something needs to happen."

John Snyder Manager, Home Necessities

"In any situation, open government is that much better. The more people know, the more they can make intelligent decisions, but that's not just the mayor, but the whole city council. I'd like to see sharing of responsibilities between the fire department, code enforcement, zoning, and building inspection. To streamline the process and make it workable. That is one of the biggest problems from a business point of view."

"He's doing a lot of good things already. I'm a city counselor also. I think a lot of things he's doing are important, including the overhaul of code enforcement office. He has done a lot in terms of overhauling city hall and putting new processes and procedures into play.

Being a public mayor is critical. It's a tough job to have. The sewer system is something he's also working on."

Kenneth Ellsworth Owner, Ellsworth Heating & Cooling, Inc.

Nathan Emmons Owner, Just Push Play Productions

"Protecting us from the drugs coming from Syracuse is a major concern.

Maybe stronger law enforcement."

Jason Goodwin Manager, Fred's Auto Parts "I think he just did it: he put the code enforcement office back together through City Hall and appointed a new code enforcement officer. It's a good thing. It will make it easier for landlords and people who want to develop properties."

"I wish he could get more business into the downtown area."

Tim Ames Owner, Lakeside Artisans "Mayor Barlow's doing a fantastic job in the first 30 days of his administration. He hit the ground running and is getting his top priorities, which is revising the code department, and revitalizing downtown and our neighborhoods. Those efforts will continue for the foreseeable future."

Kevin Caraccioli Attorney and owner of Caraccioli & Associates, PLLC and city attorney of the City of Oswego

Gary T. Blum Owner, GTB Inspection Services

"I think any new executive should take a little time to understand their own department heads, but he served on the council so I think he's done a lot of that. One of his challenges is to David Johnson meet with business people and neighPresident, C's Farm Market, Inc. borhood representatives to determine what their priorities are and what they

feel he should be doing. The chamber is

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

sponsoring several events in the future.

He should go out and meet the people and listen to their concerns."

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

“Develop the waterfront and work to make downtown and our neighborhoods more aesthetically pleasing. It is an important part of attracting new businesses as well as tourists, both of which help in creating jobs and improving our local economy.”

John DeRousie Owner, Custom Marketing Solutions 49

Barley Boom Sunoco plant brewing up barley malt operation

By Lou Sorendo

A

n aspect of the beer-making process has ironically returned to the site of the former Miller Brewing Co. plant in Volney.

Miller closed its 1.2 million square-foot brew-making complex in 1994. Sunoco has been producing fuel-grade ethanol at the facility since 2010.

Sunoco is renovating a portion of its facility for the production of barley malt.

The $9.1 million project will employ eight full-time workers, and involve 150-200 contractors during construction.

The ethanol plant processes more than 20 million bushels of corn annually. Erin Tones, manager of marketing and logistics at Sunoco, has been with the company since 2009.

“We are truly a grain-handling facility,” Tones said. “Handling

50

another grain ties in very nicely with our operation — we have the logistics capabilities, utilities and skilled labor.”

Sunoco features a new scale house that enables it to move more trucks through the facility.

Tones said it is exciting to see the facility and its vacant space utilized to do something that is related to current operations but involves a completely different marketplace.

“It’s pretty fun to get involved in a totally new field of work but still do what we do every day,” she said. “It’s exciting for our employees and gives them a great feeling about what we are doing. We’re involved in NASCAR fuel and the brewing industry. That’s a pretty neat thing to say.”

Tones said the state passed legislation several years ago that has strengthened its vibrant craft beer industry. This has also provided Sunoco OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

with the motivation for the project, she noted.

The legislation created a farm brewery license, which imparts certain advantages to the brewer, and in turn mandates that a certain percentage of brewing ingredients be grown and produced in New York. “With the number of farm breweries increasing quickly, there is a demand for New York-produced malt that currently cannot be fulfilled,” Tones said.

Preparing for launch

As of mid-January, extensive surveying was happening, and orders had been placed for the majority of the larger pieces of equipment that will be needed, said Noel McCarthy, malt house operations manager at Sunoco.

“We’ll have our building renovated before equipment is received, probably late this year,” McCarthy said.

Nathan Laun, manager of biofuels FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

Progress technology and planning at Sunoco, said the corporation approved of the project once it realized it would make the plant more economical while diversifying both products and inputs, keys to stabilizing its economic model.

“It fits within the core of what the business is,” he said.

Locating the operation at the Volney facility was an obvious choice, Tones said.

Sunoco has more than 160,000 square feet of unused space and a number of services that can be shared with the ethanol plant, Tones added.

The facility will encompass a 40,000-square-foot warehouse area that was part of the Miller Brewing facility, along with additional space outside for receiving and grain storage.

It is immediately adjacent to the ethanol plant.

Laun said the facility will not be making enough barley malt to supply the entire state and will meet only a small portion of state demand. However, if the operation goes successfully, expansion is certainly a possibility, he said.

“The scale is quite small in the grand scheme of malt throughout the world,” McCarthy said.

“The scale of this project is a little bigger than what you see as normal craft malting but it allows us to step into a position where we can justify having a fairly robust in-house lab and ensure really top-quality product,” McCarthy said.

He said success is going to be determined by the long-term relationships it forms with the farming and brewing communities as well as emphasizing quality control.

Target customers are breweries across New York state and “anyone who is interested in utilizing a locally produced product in their beer.”

State funding helps

Sunoco will receive $700,000 in state funding awarded through Round 5 of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Regional Economic Development Council initiative.

Laun said the funding is important.

“The margin for this kind of FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

Production of barley malt at Sunoco is a $9.1 million project that will employ eight full-time workers, and involve 150200 contractors during construction facility isn’t huge. We’re not going to make millions on something like this,” he said. “When you look at a business model, it’s your capital costs versus your operational costs on an annual basis.

“When you look at the operation and how proposed income is going to be, anything to help reduce capital costs initially makes the business model look better,” he added.

Laun said funding also shows the community supports Sunoco through its own investment.

“Partnerships where everybody has a little skin in the game tend to work out better,” he said.

Tones said the project provides a significant boost to the state’s agribusiness sector.

“Little malting barley is grown in the state, but there are several growers who have had success with the crop in recent years, and we’ve heard from many that would like to grow it,” she said.

Cornell University, through its extension offices, is working hand-inhand with farmers on choosing the correct varietals for local soils and proper agronomic practices, such as proper seed depth.

The number of craft beer breweries in the state is approaching 100, OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

according to McCarthy.

On average, a new brewery is opening every seven to 10 days in the state, the maltster noted.

“There are several more just in the Syracuse area that are opening in short order in the coming year,” said McCarthy.

He said the timing is perfect for the Sunoco operation.

“The brewing industry for the last 100 years has collapsed down to a small number of very large breweries,” he said. “Then beginning in the 1970s, the craft beer movement started and grew slowly at first. Now it is at around a 13 percent growth rate.”

McCarthy said demand has been partially driven by people having interest in more local products and also diversity in the market.

Tones said keys to a successful operation are procuring a grain supply at a price that will enable Sunoco to sell product to brewers at a cost they can handle.

“We’re talking to growers now about getting seed in the ground for the 2016 crop. We have a good feeling about how it’s all fitting together,” she said.

As a maltster, McCarthy is committed to producing a top-quality product.

“We have designed a fairly robust lab that will play a key role in quality control and provide brewers with accurate test results,” he said.

The American Society of Brewing Chemists has developed a list of testing methods and procedures that are used throughout the country, McCarthy noted.

“This data is used to determine how the grain is performing in the malt house and used for recipe formulation in the brew house,” he said.

Barley is a specialty commodity, McCarthy said, and had been used as a cover crop to keep soils in balance and to meet on-farm demand for livestock feed.

Tones notes the irony of the project, but said Miller did not leave any equipment behind that could be utilized and the brewery did not malt its own grain.

51

"Do You Expect the Economy to Be Stronger in 2016?”

We’ve asked 20 business and professional people in Central York, "Do you expect the economy to be stronger this year?” Here are what the they said. Interviews by Deborah Jeanne Sergeant "I would like to think that it will be stronger, but the uncertainty of the status of Fitzpatrick may have a subtle effect on our economic climate."

John R. Halleron Senior adviser, Small Business Development Center at SUNY Oswego, Oswego

-------v-------

"I see consumers spending. In my industry we are experiencing tremendous growth and expect that to continue into 2016. Several trends in the health club industry are predicted to grow this year including personal training services, specialized group fitness offerings like boot camp and SGT (small group training), Pilates & yoga."

Randy Sabourin Team leader, MetroFitness, Syracuse

-------v-------

"Our sales in 2015 were very strong compared to 2010-2014 and we expect the same or better increase in 2016. New housing starts has shown a gradual increase and the remodeling of existing homes has been very promising.

We are forecasting our roofing siding and decking business to increase by 15 percent in 2016. New kitchen sales has 52

been our biggest product line in 2015 and are projecting steady increases in 2016."

Charles Handley Owner, Burkes Home Center, Oswego, Fulton

-------v-------

"I think it will be stable, the same as 2015. We have a strong start of the year as far as sales are going. Everything is stable and I don't see anything negative that will draw sales away. I see a lot of people relocating into the area for all the local business. 2015 was an exceptional year, the best we've had in business."

William Galloway Broker/owner, Century 21 Galloway Realty, Oswego

-------v-------

"The outlook at this point of the year looks good. We had a strong end to 2015 and we are hoping it carries over into 2016."

Patrick Furlong, Jr. President of Furdi's Homes, Fulton

-------v-------

"I'm always hoping for a stronger economy. It's always tough when there is a political agenda/race involved."

Todd Shapiro OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

Vice president Leon Shapiro Motor Sales, Inc., Oswego

-------v-------

"Locally, I expect a slightly stronger economy in 2016. Low fuel prices and milder temperatures should allow folks a little more discretionary spending helping the service and tourism industries. The governor is focusing on the region which should bring some public spending to the area."

Barry Trimble Managing member, Eis House, LLC, Mexico

-------v-------

"I think it will be tougher in 2016 in this area in particular. I think that for me, the payroll increase will stifle some of my profit and raise prices for consumers. I don't think the increases the government is asking for are enough to affect the economy in a positive way.

Right now, we're dealing with minimum wage increases in the restaurant sector, so the increases handed out will only put money in the pockets of not that many people. Those receiving minimum wage will now have to pay for insurance themselves because it will put them in a different income bracket and many work part-time. For employers to make up FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

the difference, we now have to increase prices. It's just inflationary and a means of the government to try to raise money to pay off their debt they're in.

Laurie O'Brien Owner, Port City Cafe and Bakery, Oswego

-------v-------

"I believe that Oswego County will have a slow economic start in 2016. We have a lot of good things happening in the area but people are being very fiscally conservative. Currently, the job market and stock market are shaky. The upcoming loss of Fitzpatrick's power plant will be presenting a huge negative impact on the local economy for the upcoming year."

Theresa Himes President/CFO Bosco & Geers Food Market, DBA Bosco's, Oswego

-------v-------

"I anticipate that 2016 will be a challenging year. A current global slowdown, particularly in China, will reverberate across the U.S. economy. In healthcare, premiums are rising and reimbursement will be increasingly constrained."

Daniel T. Dey CEO, Northern Oswego County Health Services, Inc., Pulaski

-------v-------

"I expect the first half of the year to be stagnant still but some positive results later in the second half. Still too many factors [are] weighing against investors to spur growth and the results of the election will also factor into the results."

James Poindexter Vice president, OVIA Insurance Agencies, Fulton

Progress

very common in an election year to have a slumping economy due to the uncertainty of the next leadership."

James Congdon Sales manager, Burritt Motors, Oswego

-------v-------

"A momentum will build throughout 2016 that will result in a dynamic and ever-improving business environment. We stand ready to help companies throughout the region make the most of this situation by helping increase the strength of their brands, resulting in a strong bottom line."

Stewart Koenig President, Koenig Advertising Public Relations, Syracuse

-------v-------

"I am optimistic that the economy will be stronger in 2016. There are so many variables locally that could impact our economic potential this upcoming year, but unfortunately many of these variables remain unknowns as well at this time. Vast opportunities do exist, however, and I am encouraged by new leadership, new ideas, and a new focus and emphasis from Albany on the Central New York region.

"Oswego County and the region must continue to redefine who we are and look at these investments and renewed interests as an opportunity to chart a new course, reinvent who we are and truly market to new business, new investors and new families."

Shane R. Stepien Owner, Step One Creative, Oswego

-------v-------

-------v-------

"I believe we will be stronger in '16!"

Thomas Fernandez Director of business development, Tailwater Lodge/Woodbine Group, Altmar

-------v-------

"Recent and future investments in regional projects gained through the Central New York Regional Economic Development Council will continue to benefit local economies by creating both short-term and long-term job opportunities over the next few years.

"The announced closure of the Fitzpatrick Nuclear Power Plant in

"I believe that the economy will get better in Oswego County. We have new projects purposed in future and our industries and business are holding their own."

Morris Sorbello Treasurer, Sorbello & Sons, Fulton "I expect the economy to be weak this year due to the unrest in the Middle East and the Chinese economy. It is also FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

-------v-------

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

Scriba this past November will have a significant impact on the surrounding communities in the coming years. The impact will most likely have a ripple effect once the closure takes place later this year or early next year in the form of loss of disposable income from those displaced employees, increased unemployment claims and a subsequent excess of housing availability, created by those employees either leaving the community or losing their homes due to foreclosure. While the outlook is challenging, as an Upstate New Yorker, I do have faith in our community’s resilience and perseverance in the face of adversity.

"We'll have to wait and see. Upstate didn’t receive any measurable snowfall until mid-January, therefore impacting those that rely on the winter weather for their livelihood. Ski resorts, restaurants, bars, hotels, gas stations, performance sports stores, snow plow companies, body shops: all that rely on winter sports enthusiasts and the falling snow in general to generate revenue during the winter months are seeing a slow start to the season. Recent snowfall has been a step in the right direction and hopefully accumulation will continue."

Jamie Keiser, CPA Partner, The Bonadio Group, Syracuse

-------v-------

"Yes, I expect 2016 will bring a stronger economy due to continuing energy price reductions, continuing technology innovations, increased business investment and continuing improvement in the labor market."

Floyd Backes, director of operations, Davis-Standard, Fulton

-------v-------

"We had a strong finish to 2015 and a healthy start to the new year. However, we are not expecting an improving economy until after the presidential election, and then it will depend on the outcome.

Consumer confidence is weakening as we struggle with the consequences of yet another probable closing in the area. We predict that the real estate market will remain healthy but not robust in 2016."

Faye L. Beckwith, broker/owner, Freedom Real Estate, Hannibal 53

10 Hottest Projects

By Lou Sorendo

O

swego County Countyhas hasbeen been sent sent swego reeling by the pending closure reeling by the pending closure of Entergy’s Entergy’sJames JamesA. A.FitzPatFitzPatof rick nuclear power plant in Scriba. rick nuclear power plant in Scriba.

Hands-down the top business the top in business storyHands-down in Oswego County 2015, the story in Oswego County in 2015, possible closure looks to have a devthe possible closure to have a astating effect on thelooks Oswego commudevastating effectNew on the Oswego nity and Central York region as and Central New York acommunity whole.

TheasFitzPatrick region a whole. plant employs moreThe than 600 people at an average FitzPatrick plant employs salary of more $120,000 a year, more than 600 than people at an average more double wages in any salarythan of more thanthe $120,000 a year, other local industry. more than double the wages in any However, despite this blow to the other local industry. economic vitality of Oswego County, despitedevelopment this blow to projthe thereHowever, are numerous economic vitality of Oswego County, ects that are serving to take the sting there development out ofare thenumerous pending shutdown. projects serving to most take the Herethat is aare glance at the significant happening in Oswego sting outprojects of the pending shutdown.

County.

Here is a glance at the most significant projects happening in Oswego County.

54

1. Novelis As it expands, local plant could have as many as 1,500 employees by 2020 Novelis is in the midst of continuing the biggest manufacturing expansion in Central New York.

Novelis, the world leader in aluminum rolling and recycling, is now contracted to supply high-strength, military grade aluminum for the Ford F-Series Super Duty lineup of trucks.

The local plant is in the process of commissioning its third automotive sheet finishing line, which has been contracted to support production of the Super Duty and will begin shipping product in the spring.

Oswego Works already supplies aluminum for the Ford F-150.

Novelis forecasts the global demand for aluminum automotive sheet OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

will continue to grow and automotive aluminum will represent approximately 25 percent of Novelis' total shipments when all five of its new global automotive lines are fully utilized.

Since 2011, Novelis has invested more than $550 million globally to triple its automotive sheet capacity.

Demand for aluminum is rapidly increasing as automakers strive to design a new generation of lighter, higher-performing vehicles with improved fuel economy and reduced life-cycle emissions.

Novelis employs 1,200 people at its Scriba plant and plans to create an additional 250 jobs by 2020. It’s the largest manufacturing business in Oswego County and one of the largest in Central New York.

Novelis’ Oswego Works plant has three metal processing lines on line but it is still working on various aspects of the expansion, said L. Michael Treadwell, executive director of Operation Oswego County.

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

Novelis recently asked the county’s Industrial Development Agency for a benefits extension for another 18 months, he said. This funding will provide a cushion upon which Novelis can complete the project, Treadwell noted.

Noting Novelis’ “aggressive attitude” in terms of expanding into the automotive aluminum market, Treadwell said it appears the opportunity is there to either expand existing operations or look at other venues within the market that it could get involved in.

“We are comfortable that they still have room to grow,” Treadwell said.

Novelis began construction on high-performance aluminum-processing continuous annealing solution heat (CASH) treatment lines for automotive applications at its Oswego facility in 2011 in response to escalating demand for automotive aluminum sheet in the United States.

Over the past five years, the expansion of the automotive market has created more than 430 new jobs in Oswego.

Employment levels at the former Alcan plant exceeded 1,000 back in the early 1990s, but as processes became more mechanized, that number dropped to about 700. With the advent of the new production lines, however, that figure has exceeded 1,000 again.

Treadwell said there is a good chance employment levels at Novelis will reach 1,500 by 2020.

“They may have already significantly exceeded what they projected when they were making their applications to the IDA and state for funding,” Treadwell said.

Progress

al Economic Development Council (REDC) grant will be used to help fund a new $9.1 million barley malting facility that officials say will become an integral part of New York's growing craft beer industry.

“It’s very exciting in the sense it’s diversifying the plant to go beyond corn and ethanol and into barley,” Treadwell said. “It is also meeting the needs of the craft brewing industry in New York state.”

The craft beer industry in New York state grew 59 percent from 2013 to 2014, with a total economic impact estimated at $3.5 billion, according to the governor’s office.

Treadwell said the new barley malt operation means investment at the plant along with job creation. Furthermore, it will create a demand for barley, thus enhancing the agriculture sector in terms of focusing on another product that can be grown for an immediate buyer, he added.

It will also have an impact on the transportation and logistics industry

given the need to move the barley to the plant as well as transporting it to craft brewing industry sites.

“It will have a tremendous economic impact,” Treadwell said.

The OOC head said it began initially as a $5 million project but has since grown in stature while being buoyed by state and IDA funding.

“It’s part of a long-term strategy for Sunoco and its leadership at the plant in terms of finding different ways to utilize that complex and facility to make money for the company, which results in a positive economic impact for Oswego County,” he said.

“They have a tremendous amount of space and they are going to utilize a portion of that, but there is space for other potential opportunities when they mesh with what the company wants to do,” Treadwell said.

Treadwell commended the leadership team at Sunoco — led by general manager Tim Hardy — for its forward-thinking approach.

“They are always on a daily

2. Sunoco Ethanol plant developing barley malt operation Sunoco in Volney, known for its ethanol production, was recently awarded a $700,000 grant as part of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's $1.5 billion Upstate Revitalization Initiative.

The Central New York RegionFEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

Sunoco is in the process of creating a barley malt facility at its location in the Riverview Business Park, Volney. Spearheading the effort are, from left, Nathan Laun, manager of biofuels technology and planning; Noel McCarthy, malt house operations manager; and Erin Tones, manager of marketing and logistics at Sunoco.

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

55

basis looking at ways to improve and enhance the production of that facility to make that complex a profit center for Sunoco. It really makes you feel good when you know a company is not stagnant and not just sitting there.

They try to improve themselves constantly,” he said.

PS: Editor’s note: Read separate story Sunoco’s barley operation in this issue.

3. Inland Port $40 million investment to create an intermodal cargo transfer facility The REDC was instrumental in advocating for a global manufacturing and logistics hub in CNY. It will invest $40 million to create an intermodal cargo transfer facility, or "inland port," on a yet-to-be designated site.

The hub could directly create 300 jobs, plus about 1,700 jobs in surrounding manufacturing, warehousing and distribution facilities that would be attracted to it, the council said. In addition, it would reduce shipping costs for regional manufacturers by 40 percent, it said.

The cargo facility would accept shipping containers transported by rail from the Port of New York and

New Jersey. The containers would be taken off rail cars and put on trucks for distribution throughout the Northeast and Canada.

Treadwell said the Port of Oswego Authority would administer the inland port.

He noted there is no definitive answer as to where it’s going to be sited.

A 225-acre site off Interstate 481 in the Jamesville area is one of the options being considered, Treadwell said.

“There are still other potential sites that are being assessed and evaluated,” said Treadwell, noting there could be multiple sites for the inland port.

The Oswego County Legislature recently passed a resolution supporting the concept of an inland port and also advocating for the site or sites to be in Oswego County.

Treadwell said logistics and transportation costs would be less for regional companies looking to ship product down to the Port of New York or other destination points by rail and vice versa.

A “snowball” effect will also create lower costs for business development.

These lower costs would make Central New York much more competitive in terms of attracting many types of different businesses, he said.

“It would also create the greater possibility that there could be some spinoff manufacturing operations located in Central New York because

The former Price Chopper grocery store on East Cayuga Street in Oswego is expected to be converted into a business incubator thanks to a $900,000 award from the Upstate Revitalization Initiative.

56

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

of the inland port,” he said.

In addition, Oswego County is incorporated into the foreign trade zone designation in Onondaga County and companies locating to the region would benefit from that status.

Zone status provides an opportunity to reduce certain operating costs associated with a U.S. location that are avoided when operating from a foreign site.

4. Business Incubator in Oswego New facility to use former Price Chopper building on Oswego’s east side The county IDA was recently awarded $900,000 through the Upstate Revitalization Initiative to convert the former Price Chopper grocery store on East Cayuga Street in Oswego into a business incubator.

“That’s the first big drop in the bucket that we need,” Treadwell said.

“We’ve still got a lot of additional money to find and come up with in terms of developing the project.”

He noted the $6 million project does not have to be done “full blown” but rather incrementally.

“Based upon the analysis and studies we have done, it certainly can be done in phases,” he said.

The award money, an IDA fund commitment and other grant monies will be used as financial leverage to get the project moving before the end of 2016, Treadwell added.

The property would have to be acquired from the Port of Oswego Authority, and rebuilding and remodeling of the facility are necessary.

Treadwell said it is highly possible to phase the project in.

“We assume that we’re going to have to borrow some money to finish this out, but we want to minimize debt associated with it,” he noted.

“It’s a very exciting and needed project,” he said.

The current 10,000 square-foot county incubator site is located at 183 E. Seneca St., a building that lacks sufficient space and is not centrally located, Treadwell said.

OOC intends on relocating to the incubator site being that it has signifiFEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

cantly outgrown its current location on West Bridge Street and oftentimes faces a parking crunch. OOC would take up about 10,000 square feet of space, leaving 30,000 square feet for small business tenants.

“Part of the reason the Price Chopper building became of interest is its capability of being expanded,” said Treadwell, noting that may occur within a few years of establishing the facility.

An expansive parking area may allow for the development of some freestanding businesses that may want to locate on that site once it is restored, he added.

“That’s an opportunity to generate more revenue to help support economic development,” he said.

Treadwell also mentioned the possibility of bringing in the Small Business Development Center, a SUNY Oswego-based agency that OOC partners with on many projects.

He noted there have also been discussions with SUNY Oswego in terms of featuring college-related activities

BuSineSS groWth

Progress

at the incubator. Treadwell said there are other nonprofit entities that have expressed interest in perhaps co-locating there.

“The primary goal is entrepreneurship, creating new businesses and helping some businesses that are restricted in growth opportunities,” he said.

5. Felix Schoeller North America $8.5 million-project to shift manufacturing from a foreign location to Pulaski The Upstate Revitalization initiative is also directing $1.2 million to Felix Schoeller North America Inc. to purchase and install a silicone coating line at its facility in Pulaski.

The money will help allow the

innovation ManageMent

Lean Manufacturing & Six SigMa

company to shift manufacturing from a foreign location to Pulaski, where the company manufactures silicone-coated papers and films.

The $8.5 million project is projected to create 23 jobs. Felix Schoeller is the ninth largest private employer and third largest manufacturer in Oswego County with 350 workers.

Treadwell compared Felix Schoeller to Sunoco in that both companies focus on finding opportunities to grow business.

For Felix Schoeller, this is the third consecutive expansion over a three-year period. Treadwell said Felix Schoeller has invested about $25 million into the plant over that time frame.

“We hope they can keep it up for another five years,” said Treadwell.

He said the German-owned company has nearly tripled its employment over the past four years. One of the initiatives and goals of the CNY REDC is to attract foreign investment to Central New York, Treadwell noted.

Today, with a total of 14 manufac-

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OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

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6. CNY Raceway Park With $5 million state investment project expects to host event in September The CNY Raceway Park project in Hastings is motoring ahead toward becoming a destination point in Oswego County.

“They got a mandate from the governor to be ready for Super DIRT Week in September,” Treadwell said.

“They are moving ahead on that project and we are still in communications with them while trying to structure some things,” he noted. “Before, they never had a finish line.”

CNYRP owner Glenn Donnelly first organized and promoted Super DIRT Week in 1972. He will keep the event going thanks to an investment by the state of New York.

Cuomo recently announced the

Super DIRT Week event would move to the Central New York Raceway Park in Central Square in 2016.

New York state will invest $5 million in the development of the racetrack. The investment will allow for the completion of the dirt track in time for it to host Super DIRT Week 2016.

“They got a bunch of money hanging out that is directly tied to them getting this thing up and operational for Super DIRT Week,” Treadwell noted. “It doesn’t necessarily mean they must have the whole project finished. They just have to be capable of hosting that event.”

CNYRP will feature a 2.2-mile road course, ½-mile synthetic dirt oval, NASCAR-style garage, a full-service restaurant, VIP suites, observation deck, and a full television and radio production studio.

“This project will be without a question very unique in this region in terms of the different venues it is going to offer,” he said.

Auto, motorcycle and horse racing are expected.

“There will be a significant broadening of the economic impact of that project with all the other spinoff businesses located inside it,” he said.

These businesses will not only

support the track, but other activities that will be presented such as trade shows and concerts.

“A lot of people thought it was going to die a long time ago, but it hasn’t. It keeps going. I’m confident that Mr. Donnelly will pull it off,” Treadwell said.

The CNYRP will join other racing venues in Oswego, Fulton and Brewerton.

“It’s a totally different type of racing venue,” Treadwell said. “It is adding another level of intensity to that sector that will certainly be a big boost to the tourism and recreation industries in Oswego County and Central New York.”

7. Oswego Waterfront Revitalization City to focus on west-side waterfront revitalization The city of Oswego was recently awarded $132,250 from the Department of State’s Local Waterfront Revitalization Program to engage in a

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FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

waterfront feasibility study.

It will assess the economic and development opportunities driven by market analysis for city-owned properties within the waterfront area to advance strategies for community and waterfront revitalization.

“Without a doubt, there is a lack of emphasis on the waterfront in Oswego, which has not been a good thing for the area,” said Treadwell, noting that he has been working closely with city of Oswego Community Development Director Justin Rudgick relative to waterfront development in the city.

While the waterfront on the east side largely consists of a hotel complex owned and operated by Broadwell Hospitality Group and the Port of Oswego Authority, the west side offers plenty of space for development.

The Cahill building, an iconic landmark in Oswego, is being renovated. It was most recently known as Coleman’s restaurant before becoming vacant in 2008.

The 200-year-old building once served as the Walton and Willett Stone Store. It is the oldest commercial building in the county.

Treadwell noted OOC has been

working with local entrepreneur Anthony Pauldine in regards to his plan to oversee the Cahill build-out.

City officials say they are continuing work to establish a vision for the Port City waterfront, with the Oswego Common Council focusing on development at Wright's Landing marina and the former Flexo Wire site on West First Street.

“There’s a lot of opportunities waterfront wise in the city and it’s a shame it hasn’t been focused upon intensely,” Treadwell said.

OOC is open to working with the city to attract and finance projects, he said. OOC has been instrumental in other waterfront projects, such as Stevedoring Lofts, Whitewater Commons, Seaway Lofts and the Broadwell commercial properties on the east side.

“I think any community that doesn’t try to maximize its efficiency in performing those types of tasks to the betterment of the community is a community that is not going to win in the long run,” he said.

Oswego will be one of 10 cities throughout Upstate New York to receive $500,000 and access to a $20 million grant pool as part of Cuomo's

anti-poverty agenda.

Oswego has one of the highest poverty rates of any city in New York, with 27.5 percent of residents living below the poverty line, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The state will make "targeted investments" in projects that address poverty through job training, public safety and health and nutrition programs in Oswego and nine other cities in Upstate New York.

8. Nestle Co. / Lake Neahtahwanta Big projects taking place in Fulton The city of Fulton acquired the former Nestle properties through tax foreclosure last year, and since then has been able to sell parts of the property to Liverpool-based Spring Storage Park Inc. and international supermarket chain Aldi.

In addition, Mayor Ron Woodward will be focusing on continuing

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the cleanup of Lake Neahtawanta.

“I think there is nothing more important to the city of Fulton right now from an economic development standpoint than the redevelopment of the Nestle site,” Treadwell said.

He said it was an excellent move on the city’s part to contract the demolition phase of the project out, and also to land Aldi as an anchor business with name recognition and a solid reputation.

“Aldi is going to be a driver.

You’ve got to have your anchor for any large development project,” said Treadwell, noting the same effort is being put forth in regards to the new business incubator site being developed in Oswego.

“We would like to get a key anchor to help sustain it and to also help draw other entrepreneurs into the building,” he said.

While Aldi is locating at the former Nestle site, there will be other opportunities on the 24-acre site for development.

Treadwell noted it could come in the form of professional office buildings, market-rate apartments or other commercial projects such as light manufacturing.

Carbonsted, LLC, the former owner of the property, foreclosed on the property last year, leaving the door open for the city to acquire it.

“It’s a shame that the former owner decided to tear down the good buildings and leave only the ones that are difficult or impossible to redevelop,” Treadwell said.

He said several companies were interested in either leasing or buying some of the buildings that Carbonsted tore down.

“They were damaged to the extent that no one wanted to look at them anymore,” Treadwell said.

He said the prime commercial property is located along state Route 481, or South Fourth Street in Fulton.

“That’s the part that is going to be torn down, removed and redeveloped,” he said.

Meanwhile, Treadwell recalls the day when he tried kayaking on Lake Neahtawanta. “You had to plow your way through the algae,” he recalled.

Today, however, Treadwell said the lake has done a “180” in terms of appearance.

Treadwell credited the collaborative efforts between the Fulton Community Revitalization Corporation and the town of Granby’s Lake Neatahwanta Reclamation Committee in doing the time-consuming work to resurrect the lake.

“I think when that is finished there could be some commercial opportunities for development along the lake,” he said.

The city of Fulton acquired the former Nestle properties through tax foreclosure last year, and since then has been able to sell parts of the property to Liverpoolbased Spring Storage Park Inc. and international supermarket chain Aldi. More development is expected at the site.

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OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

However, of utmost significance is it would be attractive and a resource that would enhance the city’s ability to market the community, Treadwell noted.

9. SolarCity Corp.

Projects expected to save county up to $400,000 in energy bills Solar farms that officials say will provide Oswego County with a renewable, less expensive source of electricity for at least 20 years are under construction in Volney and Scriba and are expected to be complete early this year.

The solar farm in Volney, along with a similar project at the county’s highway garage on state Route 104 in Scriba, is part of an effort by Oswego County to become more financially and energy efficient.

Treadwell said it is not a traditional economic development project being that it does not create many jobs. However, the benefit will be seen in the county’s bottom line, Treadwell noted.

“The county will be reducing its energy costs over the next 20 years,” he said. “Anytime you can minimize expenses to the county, you provide a benefit for every taxpayer in the county, whether it be a business or resident, to save some costs in terms of property taxes.”

Treadwell also noted there is a proposal in the governor’s budget to allocate more funding for further solar cell development within the state.

“The county is ahead of the game in doing this positive green initiative,” Treadwell said.

The two projects are expected to save the county $355,897 in 2017, with increased savings in following years reaching up to $400,000.

The county has entered into a 20-year contract with SolarCity Corp. in which it will purchase power at a fixed rate that is less than current utility prices.

The panels will be installed on county-owned property, but SolarCity will own and maintain the system throughout the terms of the lease.

The California-based SolarCity is one of the nation’s largest developers, FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

Progress financers and installers of solar power products.

Grow Your Business

in Fulton

10. Lake Ontario Water Park

The City of Fulton is an attractive place to locate and expand your business. Fulton’s abundance of water and energy, central location and highly productive workforce has attracted large and small businesses into the community.

Project to build built adjacent to Quality Inn & Suites Riverfront in Oswego Other projects receiving REDC funding included the Lake Ontario Water Park to be located adjacent to the Quality Inn & Suites Riverfront, East First Street, Oswego.

The project received $400,000 in REDC funding.

Treadwell said typically hotels don’t fare well from a competitive standpoint when it comes to getting funded through REDC unless there is something unique about the project.

However, in 2014, the Tailwater Lodge in the town of Albion was awarded REDC funds to construct a conference center and banquet facility at its hotel. During the latest rounds of awards, the water park associated with the Quality Inn & Suites Riverfront got funded for the same reason: its uniqueness as a venue that will bring in tourists.

“That is probably one of the key reasons why that project got funded in this round,” Treadwell said.

He noted it will serve to complement an array of other attractions being developed by the city of Oswego and its Community Development Office as part of a waterfront revitalization initiative.

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8 Sectors million over five years to implement regional revitalization plans that are designed to make transformative improvements in the region’s economy.

“As refreshing as this is, it is overshadowed by Entergy’s announcement to decommission the James A. Fitzpatrick Nuclear Power Plant in Lycoming by 2017,” Carroll said.

“The loss of 615 good-paying jobs and the trickledown effect to area businesses and the region will be felt for years,” he noted.

“One step forward and two steps back.”

Carroll Carroll said he has been a participant in many of the efforts to help save the plant, but is “extremely disappointed” in the lack of

Construction Union head characterizes past year as dismal; wants action on FitzPatrick Generally speaking, 2015 was a down year on the construction scene in Oswego County and Central New York.

That is the sentiment of Patrick Carroll, business manager at United Association of Plumbers & Steamfitters Local 73.

“Some of the trades experienced jobless rates they haven’t seen since the 1980s,” Carroll said.

The top development for Oswego County and the CNY region was being selected as one of the winners in the recent Upstate Revitalization Initiative competition.

Three Regional Economic Development Councils will receive up to $500 62

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effort put forth by the public.

“Whether you support nuclear power or not, everyone in Oswego County and the surrounding counties has benefited financially,” he said. “It could be in the form of lower school and county taxes. It could be the family-owned gas stations, grocery stores or restaurants we all enjoy shopping in or dining at. It will be the hotel owners or families who rent rooms to the traveling workers who help with the shutdowns.

District in dire straits

“These are just some of the effects that will be felt,” he said. “Just for a moment, let’s think of the current and future students in the Mexico Central School District.”

The nuclear plant pays about $17.3 million in county, town and school property taxes, of which $12.5 million goes to the Mexico district. FitzPatrick's share of the $25.6 million school tax levy is 49 percent. The total district budget is $54 million.

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OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

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“Each year, every district struggles to maintain current educational, music and athletic programs that I believe are very important to students’ growth,” Carroll said. “Now let’s eliminate half of your school budget. I can’t believe there is a district in the country that can survive that, let alone a small community like Mexico.

“Take five minutes of your time and write a letter or call your elected officials and ask what you can do to help those students.”

On a more positive note, Carroll said the construction outlook for the region looks brighter based on the number of projects in the engineering and design phase.

He said two things must happen for the region to achieve success in the construction sector in the coming year.

“First and foremost, find a way to save Fitzpatrick,” he said. “Secondly, it is to oversee and monitor the winners in the REDC lottery.”

Carroll noted every project submitted in the proposals has projected cost and job creation information attached.

“All too often, many developers or recipients of city, county or state subsidies fail to live up to these projections,” he said. “If a project misses its projection, let’s move on to the next qualified project.

If these projects are closely monitored, we can take full advantage of this onetime award.”

campus renewal with a $22.2 million renovation of Tyler Hall, home to fine and performing arts programs,” said SUNY Oswego President Deborah Stanley. “Interest in the sciences, technology, engineering and math disciplines continues strong, and enrollment in our teacher preparation programs is beginning to rebound as the demand for teachers rises.”

SUNY Oswego has had several exStanley citing developments over the past year.

SUNY Oswego again was named a "Top Public Regional University in the North," in "America's Best Colleges 2015," published by U.S. News; The college is No. 14 on the Top 50 public list.

SUNY Oswego also was again named to the USA Today/Princeton Review list of Best Value Colleges.

The college's StartUp-NY program, one of the governor's economic development initiatives, won approval for its first business partnership with Designer Hardwood Flooring CNY in Oswego.

Also in 2015, the Advanced Wireless Systems Research Center for innovation in wireless technology opened with research labs in Wilber Hall and teaching labs in the Richard S. Shineman Center for Science, Engineering and Innovation, funded by $3 million from a NY SUNY 2020 Challenge Grant.

Another NY SUNY 2020 Challenge Grant recently awarded will fund construction of a $1.5 million biomedical and health informatics research lab at the SUNY Oswego campus in Syracuse. It will also fund the acquisition of more than $500,000 in advanced technology for a new biomedical teaching lab in the Shineman Center and to further outfit the wireless center.

Meanwhile, the SUNY Oswego Metro Center in Syracuse was designated a branch campus, allowing the college to offer full-degree programs at that site.

Waterbury Hall, a student residence, reopened after –an intensive $9 million, eight-month renovation.

Construction was also completed on a new synthetic turf field with full stadium lighting at the college's athletic complex.

SUNY Oswego also went tobacco-free in January of 2015.

The college also revived its home-

Education SUNY Oswego continues its role as educational leader In 2015, SUNY Oswego worked with educational partners to expand access to education for the people of New York and help them complete diplomas, degrees and certificates on their way to professional success.

The college continued its many thriving partnerships with schools in Oswego County, Syracuse and New York City and began a new venture with the Center for Innovation, Technology & Innovation with an alternative facility for Oswego County secondary school students located in the School of Education’s Wilber Hall.

“The past year was very successful for SUNY Oswego in particular as we enrolled another robust and talented class of freshmen in the fall and continued our ongoing multimillion-dollar 64

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

coming event, a tradition missing from campus for more than four decades, with a host of spirited activities last November.

Ready for new challenges

Stanley said policy makers in the region and at the federal level are emphasizing education as the key to economic progress for individuals, communities and the country.

She noted they are offering proposals — such as free community college and college loan forgiveness — to promote educational attainment.

“This helps to support demand in the education sector, and schools and colleges need the resources and support to ensure access to high-quality and upto-date education,” she noted.

Stanley said SUNY Oswego is well positioned to meet the evolving needs of today's students and the community.

SUNY Oswego is nationally recognized for the excellence of its online programs and courses. U.S. News recently ranked Oswego's online MBA among the top 20 nationally and the best in New York.

Providing access and completion opportunities to place-bound students through increased online-enabled education results in graduation success for students, as well as meeting the demands of employers, Stanley said.

“The college is financially strong and stable as we work to accommodate additional expenses — such as the rising minimum wage for our student workers — and negotiate our prospects for sufficient state funding going forward,” Stanley said.

Supplementing tuition and state support is philanthropy, and in 2016 the college will conclude its five-year, $40 million fundraising campaign, the president said.

“Higher education institutions increasingly are partnering with business and industry to develop the workforce as well as joining them in research and development pursuits,” Stanley said.

“On that note, we anticipate more StartUp-NY partnerships in 2016, which bring jobs to the region and applied learning opportunities for our students.”

Stanley said developing innovative academic programs aimed at real-world needs is critical for students to compete in today’s global economy.

“Our faculty and staff have developed several new programs that are awaiting approval from state officials in Albany, including new master's degrees in strategic communication and FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

in biomedical and health informatics,” she said.

Progress

institutional care facilities with the focus shifting to primary care.

“That is driving some significant changes in the health care delivery system, forcing providers in Central New York to work together collectively to find the right platforms to care for patients,” he said.

DSRIP’s goal is to reduce hospital readmissions and avoidable emergency department visits by 25 percent over five years.

Dey said regionally based preferred provider systems in New York will be rewarded financially through the state’s Medicaid program. Rewards will be based on levels of success achieved through working together to reduce hospital readmissions and avoidable ED visits.

This is achieved by directing care in a coordinated way to less expensive platforms such as primary and “medical home” care with the goal of attaining improved health outcomes, Dey said.

Healthcare Oswego County,like rest of nation, in transitional health care phase Oswego County is not immune to the dramatic changes happening on the national’s healthcare scene.

Daniel T. Dey, CEO of Northern Oswego County Health Services and the Pulaski Health Center, characterized the health care sector in Oswego in 2015 as “transitional.”

Dey said the Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment program is having a dramatic impact on the health care landscape.

Based on a new Medicaid initiative, health care providers are getting reimbursed now based on their ability to keep patients out of more expensive

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OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

The thrust toward a “medical home" approach to health care is one in which primary-care providers, families and patients work in partnership to improve health outcomes and quality of life for individuals with chronic health conditions and disabilities.

Key players working together in the county are soliciting federal funding to develop an integrated delivery network among the top health and social services providers in the county. The goal is to form a centralized coordinated care system in the county, Dey noted.

NOCSI is the lead on the recently submitted funding application with co-applicants being Oswego Health, the Oswego County Health Department and Oswego County Opportunities.

Dey said the transition is evolutionary in that it will occur over several years.

“Ultimately after five years, the state wants at least 80-to-90 percent of reimbursement for Medicaid care to be at a value-based payment as opposed to a visit-by-visit payment.

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“NOCHSI and the county are continuing to develop closer coordinated relationships so we can meet that goal,” Dey added.

Meanwhile, Dey said the county is continuing its efforts at attracting and retaining health care students and professionals in Oswego County.

“The demand in the community is unrelenting and we’re really challenged with finding enough medical providers to meet that demand,” he said.

Oswego County is formally designated as a health professional shortage area, Dey noted.

That means the ratio of population to physician is higher than other state and national standards, he said.

Dey said on the primary care side, there are not enough legislated residency slots for training primary care providers.

“Those that go through residency training programs tend to gravitate toward more metropolitan and less to underserved areas,” he said.

He said one remedy is to try to increase residency slots for primary care physicians and to support the trend where nurse practitioners and physician assistants are beginning to fill gaps left by the shortage of physicians.

County’s safety net

“We made a difference in 2015,” said Ellen Holst, senior director of health and nutrition at Oswego County Opportunities, Inc. OCO is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

OCO’s health and nutrition service department focuses on reproductive health, WIC, meal programs for youth and seniors, cancer screening, facilitated enrollment, the Rural Health Network of Oswego County, and migrant outreach.

Oswego County has a significant number of people who are in vulnerable situations due to poverty, Holst said.

These situations occur through loss of job, medical crisis, being on the verge of losing a home or apartment, struggles with substance abuse, physical and mental disabilities, lack of adequate nutrition, lack of access to transportation, being uninsured or under-insured or being without access to health care services.

In 2015, OCO was able to assist more than 10,000 vulnerable people by providing education on risks related to health, safety and homelessness, and to connect them to needed services, Holst said.

Crisis & Development Services helped nearly 2,000 people with emergency needs such as food, shelter, cloth66

ing, housing, safety and legal assistance, while more than 1,000 people gained safe and stable housing in 2015, she noted.

Nearly 6,000 uninsured people in Oswego County were assisted in obtaining health insurance, and more than 10,000 people obtained health care for themselves or a family member to maintain stability in their life, Holst added.

Transitional Living Services helped more than 150 people experiencing homelessness, family disruption, addiction, or mental health challenges. “About the same number of people facing longterm homeless or a developmental disability received permanent supportive housing,” Holst said.

In addition, approximately 6,700 infants, children, youth and adults moved from food insecurity to receiving adequate nutrition that improved their health and physical development, she added.

Holst noted that OCO’s public transportation, on-demand and Medicaid bus services helped more than 5,500 county residents connect to needed services and to employment who would otherwise remain isolated due to lack of reliable, affordable and accessible transportation.

diseases/HIV, including a van to deliver mobile outreach and testing.

Holst said OCO continues to meet the need for safe, accessible and affordable housing for working individuals and families.

OCO is partnering with Rochester-based developer Cornerstone Group to construct 56 units of 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom rental apartments in the town of Scriba.

Fourteen of these apartments will be constructed to be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. “The goal is to break ground by the end of 2016 and see the development open by the end of the following year,” Holst said.

Nonprofits

A look ahead at 2016

In 2016, Holst said to expect a transition from group residential services to managed care.

“New York state is transitioning to a care model for persons with physical and mental disabilities that provides individuals with community supports for living as independently as possible,” she said.

“OCO is preparing for this transition and has already begun to match some consumers with the supports necessary for them to live independently.”

Another focus will be on developing transitional services to assist consumers as they prepare to fully engage in their communities.

“Victims of domestic violence can take shelter with OCO, but what options do they have once they are ready to leave? Most come to us with no resources whatsoever,” said OCO Executive Director Diane Cooper-Currier. “OCO is developing transitional housing supports to help individuals and families get back on their feet.”

Another OCO initiative for 2016 is expanding outreach, awareness and testing for STDs/HIV. OCO received a grant from the New York State Department of Health to promote services for sexually transmitted OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

An increasingly volatile environment challenging to nonprofit sector The human resources needs that exist in Oswego County communities are many, according to Patrick Dewine, executive director of United Way of Greater Oswego County. He was named to the post in March of 2015.

“Oswego County continues to be a rather challenging environment,” he said.

Dewine said the county’s member agencies, as well as other nonprofit organizations, are doing a sufficient job in meeting these needs as best they can.

“A diminishing workforce and reduced corporate budgets continue to be a detriment,” Dewine said.

While the impact of that is significant, the United Way is fortunate that Oswego County is filled with many caring individuals and businesses, he noted.

“Thanks to the fact that they recognize the positive impact that United Way has on those it serves, and choose to support our efforts, we have been able to continue to provide funding to member agency programs that are vital to the overall health and well-being of Dewine our communities,” Dewine said.

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

A notable development on the nonprofit scene in 2015 was administrative changes occurring at United Way. Resource development director Ali McGrath joined the staff in late 2014.

In September of 2015, Kayla Van Fleet became its finance director.

“While it has been somewhat of a learning experience, it has been an exciting and productive year,” Dewine said.

As for the nonprofit sector as a whole, Dewine said he has seen an increase in collaborations between agencies and businesses, and agencies and organizations.

“These collaborations have helped to maximize the results on initiatives from food, clothing, and toy drives to raising funds for our community fund that provides funding to human services programs that need it the most,” he said.

Progress

tional media mix such as newspapers, TV and radio.

“These new mediums provide a cost-effective and simple solution for building market share and providing relevant company events, promotions, new hires, and other news,” Stepien said.

Companies continue to consider these mediums as an effective tool and quick solution for sharing their message and building brand equity, he added.

“We are very encouraged by the momentum we are seeing across the county with regard to new projects, grassroots efforts, new leaders and fresh ideas,” Stepien said. “I anticipate much of this momentum will be complemented by the PR and marketing sector.

“We are very encouraged by what we anticipate for 2016.”

Public Relations/ Marketing Online resources continue to play huge role in stable market Shane R. Stepien, president of Step One Creative in Oswego, characterized the public relations and marketing sector in Oswego County as stable.

“We continued to see new opportunities in the sector, both locally and with new business partners in Western New York and the Southern Tier,” he said. “Our clients continue to recognize the significance Stepien and importance of having a vested marketing effort for their small business or organization.”

Stepien said businesses continue to implement and maximize the strengths of new media, such as online and mobile resources, as a complement to a tradiFEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

Rise of online media

Steve Chirello, owner of Chirello Advertising in Fulton, said his agency experienced a steady stream of public relations projects during 2015.

They included everything from promoting an author and book release, to assisting nonprofits with promotion of their fundraising events while boosting their visibility.

Chirello said the integration of social media platforms with traditional media has increased dramatically over the past five years.

“We’re looking just as hard at how Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Periscope, Vine and others can enhance or lead the drive for promotion and visibility, as we are at direct marketing, print and electronic media,” he said.

C h i re l l o h a s also seen an increase in website redesign as well as new design projects.

“So many folks let their site go ‘stale’ once it’s up and out there,” he said. “Design improvements Chirello

can not only freshen their look, but increase meaningful engagement. And it all has to be compatible with mobile devices. Consumer patience in getting the information they seek is shorter than ever.”

Another development Chirello has seen is the interest and growth in online/ social media video production.

“We’ve added in-house capabilities to produce everything from tutorial videos on mobile banking apps, to behind-the-scenes stories on how our commercials are made, and everything in-between,” he said.

Chirello said the most unsettling situation he often sees is business owners who attempt to undertake branding or promotion by themselves without a mastery of the software and apps, or a strategy to help them succeed.

“For this sector to continue to grow, companies have to embrace the idea that they can do more for their ‘brand’ — reach higher levels of visibility and customer interaction,” Chirello said.

He said too many small and large business owners settle for the status quo, when they could be experiencing greater growth, profit and personal satisfaction.

“That starts with working with a company like ours, and being open to investing in strategies that take mutual trust and spirited collaboration,” he said.

Real Estate

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

Last year’s sales up 4.5 percent; median property’s sale price at $100,000, up 7.7 percent Robust was the word used to characterize the 2015 real estate sector in Oswego County, according to Florence A. Farley, real estate salesperson for Berkshire Hathaway CNY Realty in Oswego and former president of Oswego County Board of Realtors.

There were 930 closed sales in 2015, which was a 4.5 percent increase over 2014 and a 22.2 percent improvement over 2011.

“In general, the state of New York had the best year in residential sales since the end of the recession in 2009,” 67

Farley noted.

The median sale price was $100,000 countywide, a 7.6 percent improvement over 2014.

Farley said the Oswego County Board of Realtors also worked with county legislators to prevent a tax increase on the closing costs of home sales. “ We r e a l l y appreciate the efforts on behalf of all our neighbors and hope they will continue to work to reduce the burden on all of our loFarley cal taxpayers and homeowners,” Farley said.

Farley said the top development occurring in the real estate sector in Oswego County over the past year is improved sales.

“The fact that sellers received 94.7 percent of their asking price and continued low interest rates were the best aspects of 2015,” Farley noted.

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Those rates allowed buyers in Oswego County to purchase more square footage and a better-quality home than when interest rates were “outrageously” high in the 1980s, she added.

“When a 2015 buyer could get a loan for an average of 3.85 percent and that same buyer had to pay as much as 18 percent in 1981, you can imagine what a benefit that is to our small rural communities,” she added.

Farley said 2016 should continue to be a good year for real property.

“Buying a home is still one of the best investments that the average person can make,” she said.

Farley said if someone is looking to buy a house now and hasn’t placed an offer, “it may be a good time to make a decision.”

Interest rates will start to rise slowly to maintain economic stability, she said.

“Because gas and oil prices are low, the average person has a few more dollars in their pocket at the end of the month,” Farley said. “Placing those dollars in a savings account for a down payment on a house is a wise investment, especially given the volatility of the OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

stock market.”

Farley said student loan debt has become a significant concern for millennials.

“In addition, the decreasing inventory of homes and competition from cash buyers for those homes needs to be addressed,” she added.

Those concerns, she said, are easily resolved given the diversity of mortgages available as well as grant opportunities for first-time and low-income buyers.

Farley said the community is anxious about the pending closure of Entergy’s James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant. Government representatives are joining community leaders to continue to work with Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office and Entergy to save those jobs.

Filling the void are major employers that include Novelis, SUNY Oswego, Oswego Health, the U.S. Border Patrol and Coast Guard, the energy sector, and small businesses.

“But the real strength of Oswego County lies in the simplicity of life, the beauty of our land and waterways, and most especially, in the strong values and work ethic of its people,” Farley said.

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

“This has been my family’s home for many generations and I am proud of all we have to offer.”

Farley said to expect a continued positive trend for 2016.

“Improved lending standards, fewer foreclosures and a presidential election year are all good omens for 2016,” she said.

Farley said over the course of many years, the economy tends to remain stable in election years since officials running for re-election do not want to take risks that may damage financial growth.

Hitting the high note

William Galloway, broker-owner of Galloway Real Estate, Oswego, said the real estate sector in Oswego County is coming off a record year.

“We had the best year ever for residential and commercial sales in 2015,” said Galloway, noting his agency celebrated Galloway its 50th anniversary last year.

Galloway said the sector remains strong and many new investors have been looking into the local market to start or begin new businesses over the past year.

This momentum will spill over into 2016, Galloway said.

“The county must work together with all of its partners to make Oswego County a more stable place to grow and attract new business to the area,” he said

Technology SUNY Oswego training students for high-technology workplace Oswego County has experienced modest growth in employment between 2014-2015, according to Pamela D. Caraccioli, deputy to the president for external partnerships and economic development at SUNY Oswego.

Helping to drive that grown are industries that historically comprise the “technology” sector, according to average employment statistics provided by the New York State Department of FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

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Labor.

However, technology is embedded across all sectors of the local economy — from farming to education to manufacturing, Caraccioli noted.

“With advancements in bandwidth, data storage, processing power Caraccioli and wireless mobility, all sectors have been impacted and this has fueled business transformations across Oswego County,” she noted.

Caraccioli and her colleagues at SUNY Oswego can certainly attest to business transformations from their perspective in higher education.

“At SUNY Oswego, I would characterize the technology disciplines as being robust,” she said. “Advancements have not only fueled the way we deliver our coursework, but also which courses we actually deliver.”

The number of undergraduate and graduate students that have declared majors in computer science, software engineering, information science, electrical and computer engineering, technology

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management and human computer interaction have grown exponentially over the last five years, and in most areas have more than doubled, Caraccioli said.

“We are working hard to meet students’ demand for existing majors and are continually working to explore new major and minor opportunities for intersections of computing technologies and humanities,” said Adrienne McCormick, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at SUNY Oswego.

“For example, a new minor in digital humanities will explore both computer and social sciences.”

SUNY Oswego’s department of technology is also working to stay ahead of changes in employer demand, Caraccioli noted.

The department has updated several programs and curriculum to match the needs of local and regional employers, she said.

For example, a new advanced manufacturing management degree program is being developed with the help of an advisory council comprised of local industry leaders. It has resulted in new coursework in computer-aided manufacturing, corporate and occupational safety, and industrial materials processing.

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

Equipment and laboratory resources have also been redeveloped to be consistent with those being used by local business and industry, Caraccioli said.

A critical need for the technology sector’s success in Oswego County will be to match employers’ demand with a skilled workforce, she said.

“At SUNY Oswego, we are dedicated to leading this initiative and have built a solid platform to engage students through experiential learning,” Caraccioli said. “Students are seeking hands-on, mentored experiences in the workplace and local industry is eager to work with students through co-op and internship experiences.”

Collaborations are also being undertaken where students partner with industry engineers and technicians to address challenges present in local industries.

“These partnerships are essential to aid in the growth of our local economy,” said Mark Hardy, chairman of the department of technology at SUNY Oswego. “They not only promote occupational pathways for our students, but also assist with the challenges of our regional employers in recruiting a skilled workforce.”

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

Tourism Lower value of Canadian dollar hurt CNY tourism industry David Holder, president of the Syracuse Convention & Visitors Bureau, said tourism in Central New York was “very strong,” but market growth was tempered by the falling value of the Canadian dollar.

The exchange rate over the course of 2015 hovered at $70 cents Canadian to $1 U.S. dollar.

As a result, border crossings were down significantly, Holder said.

“Other markets helped to offset the drop in Canadian visitation as lower gas prices helped drive regional domestic visitation,” he said.

The end impact was a fairly flat year for 2015, Holder said.

“For Central New York, the product continues to be connecting great attractions with our cultural heritage, great food and drinks, scenic outdoors and fabulous events,” he added.

Holder said to expect a moderate level of growth in 2016.

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This will be highly contingent on growing business travel, staging new events including concerts at the Lakeview Amphitheater in Syracuse, and “reaching markets further afield than our traditionally three-hourand-less drive distance points of origin,” he said.

Moderate growth expected in Oswego County

Following a lackluster 2015, experts predict moderate growth in Central New York’s tourism industry for 2016.

“Visitor spending remains very strong in Oswego County,” said Janet Clerkin, Oswego County tourism and public information coordinator.

The county’s sports fishing industry was down slightly in 2015 compared to previous record-breaking years, she said.

“Overall, catch rates on the lake and our rivers continue to be very high and far surpass other areas of the state and nation,” Clerkin said.

She said heritage tourism remains strong. Community events that highlight the area’s unique resources — such as Paddlefest, the Central Square Apple Festival, Pumpkinfest and Harborfest — also fared quite well, she added.

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

Clerkin said one of the top developments coming out of the tourism industry in Oswego County in 2015 was Oswego County Tourism ambassador training program.

The program reached a new and diverse audience in the northeastern section of the county, she noted. The program was held at the Tailwater Lodge in Albion and had a presence of people from many sectors, including tourism, real estate, restaurant and others.

Clerkin said the county continues to strengthen regional partnerships within the Central New York Regional Economic Development Council and the Thousand Islands–St. Lawrence Seaway tourism region.

The county is actively involved in Central New York Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) tourism initiatives to expand tourism as an economic development tool in the five-county Central New York region. The counties include Oswego, Onondaga, Cayuga, Cortland and Madison counties.

“These include recreational, historic and cultural activities such as infrastructure development, sport fishery activities, heritage tourism and other opportunities,” Clerkin said.

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L. Michael Treadwell ooc@oswegocounty.org

The Marketing Strategy We Pursue

O Oswego County has the necessary logistical assets to compete globally, as shown by recent foreign direct investment

by Novelis, Huhtamaki, K&Ns Foods USA, Felix Schoeller, SAM North America and Teti Bakery.

L. MICHAEL TREADWELL, CEcD, is executive director of Operation Oswego County based in Oswego.

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ver the past few years, Operation io. As a hub in the Great Lakes / St. Lawrence Oswego County has crafted a Seaway System, it is part of over 2,300 miles of marketing strategy based on clus- water transportation from Duluth, Minnesota, ters with the strongest growth potential, to the Atlantic Ocean. The Port of Oswego namely food processing, advanced manprovides on-dock rail and truck loading, makufacturing and logistics. We often place ing for a smooth transition of goods to market. advertisements in specialty publications Recent upgrades to the Port’s security system that are distributed nationwide. Each ad allow the Port to handle high-security shipis placed in a publication issue dedicated ments. Future expansion includes the development of a regional inland port. to the same sector as our ad. We have “Oswego County also has access to water also been quite successful in securing editorial placements in those same issues. transportation via the NY State Barge Canal These editorial placeSystem for both comments allow us to go mercial and recreational Economic Trends into more detail than traffic. The canal system our ad, painting a more stretches from Albany to complete picture of the assets available Buffalo, from the Great Lakes to the Hudson to businesses in Oswego County.

River, providing an additional connective In today’s global economy, receiving corridor for the transport of goods. materials and shipping finished goods is “The Oswego a critical part of doing business. Oswego County has the necessary logistical assets to compete globally, as shown by recent foreign direct investment

by Novelis, Huhtamaki, K&Ns Foods USA, Felix Schoeller, SAM North America and Teti Bakery.

The example below is one of our logistics editorials. We are sharing it with you so you may see how Oswego County is pictured by readers across the US and abroad.

“Oswego County is a County Airport truly multi-modal location, offers two 5,200-foot paved runways ideal with access to ground, rail, for business, industry and private aviation. air, and water transportation for shipment There are approximately 170 acres of land of goods. Situated in Upstate New York, available for industrial development immediOswego County is located centrally to New ately adjacent to the Oswego County Airport York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Toronto and Montreal. A great location and a in the Oswego County Airport Industrial Park (AIP). The AIP has excellent potential for host of transportation options place Oswego manufacturing or services companies which County at the top of the list for site selectors. may find close proximity to air transport “The Port of Oswego Authority is a service advantageous. Syracuse’s Hancock deep-water port on the shores of Lake OntarOSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

International Airport is within minutes of Oswego County and has facilities for freight transport.

“Oswego County is one of four contiguous counties that comprise Foreign Trade Zone #90, with US Customs Ports of Entry at Hancock International Airport and the Port of Oswego. The benefits of locating within FTZ #90 could include reduction of duties on materials and finished goods being imported and exported within the zone.

“CSX offers daily rail transportation to Oswego County, with direct access at several sites and industrial parks. With a nearby rail yard, CSX provides access to more than 21,000 miles of track in 23 states and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec, plus 70 ocean, lake and river ports. Coupled with nationwide transloading and warehousing, CSX makes rail a very viable transportation option for Oswego County businesses.

“Oswego County has convenient access to Interstates 81 and 90, which provide north/south and east/west movement. Over 25 carriers provide both local and long-distance trucking to and from Oswego County. Connecting lines enable transport to every major US market.

Local carriers provide transloading from truck to rail and offer myriad warehouse storage options, including dry, climate controlled and frozen.

“The combination of various forms of transportation with warehousing capabilities and specialized material handling equipment supports Oswego County’s stance as a true multi-modal location.

It’s a large reason why multi-national companies such as Novelis, Sunoco, Felix Schoeller, Huhtamaki, K&N’s Foods and The Fulton Companies have invested over $550 million in Oswego County over the past three years.”

This editorial has been placed, along with our logistics ad, in Expansion Solutions magazine, Trade & Industry Development magazine and Business Facilities magazine, in print and online. These publications are seen by over 35,000 corporate decision makers responsible for site selection and business expansion decisions. OOC’s marketing strategy ensures that Oswego County’s message reaches those corporate decision makers in our strongest sectors, those most likely to be a great fit for Oswego County!

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

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Nine Mile Point on the shores of Lake Ontario, Scriba.

Holding Out Hope for Fitz

County, business community still scramble for ways to make a positive out of pending nuke plant shutdown

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his is not your father ’s plant shutdown. The pending closure of Entergy’s James A. FitzPatrick nuclear power plant in Scriba is a major loss in a county that suffers from high unemployment to begin with.

Entergy plans to shut down the plant late this year or early 2017. The plant, which opened in 1975, employs 615 workers.

The average FitzPatrick worker earns about $120,000 a year, a significant number in a county where the median household income is only $48,000.

L. Michael Treadwell, executive director of Operation Oswego County and CEO of the county’s Industrial Development Agency, said OOC is having ongoing discussions with key players

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such as IBEW Local 97, Entergy and Exelon, the owner of Units 1 and 2 at Nine Mile Point in Scriba, in terms of what potential options are available.

The IDA has organized the Upstate Energy Jobs Coalition that is continuing to lead the fight to keep the plant open.

The coalition is urging the state to change and adopt some of its energy policies to be more beneficial to the nuclear industry.

Nick Canale, owner of Canale’s Restaurant in Oswego and a member of the coalition, said the group is trying to keep the flame lit as far as the possibility of keeping the FitzPatrick plant open. At the same time, it is promoting policies in Albany that will benefit the other plants in the Central New York region even if OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

FitzPatrick does shut down.

“We would hate to see dominos start to fall,” he said.

“With our business at Canale’s, we do business directly with the plant but we also do business with all the people who work at the plant. That’s who our customers are,” he said.

Canale said the shutdown will inevitably have a negative impact on his bottom line.

“It’s also fair to say we will be laying people off as well,” he noted.

“Employees at FitzPatrick are some of the people with the most disposable income,” Canale said. “If they are not here, it’s going to have a significant impact.”

“It will impact everybody because there is going to be a trickle-down effect,” Canale said.

“If I have to lay off a couple of people that work for me, maybe they are renting an apartment from a landlord in town, and now they can’t pay their rent. It’s going to be all over. If the people working at the plant aren’t buying their gas at local gas stations, and if the people who work for me aren’t going in there and buying gas, the impact is going to be significant.”

Canale said the local hotel industry will feel the pinch as well, especially because of fewer refueling and maintenance outages with one less plant in FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

the county.

“There are a lot of transient workers at these plants. If they shut down, that’s a big impact on our local hospitality industry,” he added.

“We see a big bump when these outages happen,” said Canale. The restaurant sends food out to the plants, and there is an influx of out-of-town workers looking for places to eat.

“They come here and they go to all the restaurants in town,” Canale said.

“It’s a real positive impact right now that we are not going to have. We will still have it with Nine Mile Point (home to Exelon’s Units I and II nuclear power plants), but we are losing a third of what you are talking about. That is a big deal.”

“I still have hope that somehow Entergy will be convinced it would be in its best interest to keep the James A. Fitzpatrick nuclear power plant open,” said Theresa Himes, president and CFO at Bosco’s in Oswego. “That being said, I don’t think I will be able to estimate the impact on my business at this point.

“Any time we lose an employer of that significance, it is a drain on the local economy.”

Himes said as a business, Bosco’s is continually evolving and sharpening its business model to keep customers happy as well as attracting new customers.

“That will be the only way we can fill any void that comes our way,” she said.

State a key player

Spurred by the pending closure of FitzPatrick, Albany has started to focus on what it can do for the nuclear industry in order for New York to meet its carbon emissions goals. The state has a goal of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 40 percent and also has the goal of mandating that 50 percent of energy produced must come from renewable sources by 2030.

“Those are two big goals and nuclear is important in achieving both of those goals because it is basically carbon free,” Treadwell said.

Besides the three plants in Scriba, the state also features the Ginna Nuclear Generating Station in Wayne County and the controversial Indian Point Energy Center in Westchester County.

Treadwell said the coalition is fighting to find a solution for Entergy so it can continue to operate FitzPatrick FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

Progress

either with another owner or through some form of agreement with another operator to run the facility.

This initiative dovetails with what the governor is trying to achieve in his energy program, Treadwell noted.

The coalition is urging the state to adopt policies that are pro-nuclear in terms of offering nuclear power plants carbon tax credits.

The coalition’s push is for nuclear power to remain a strong element of the electrical energy mix in the state and for it to be used on a base-load level.

Base load power sources are power stations that can consistently generate the electrical power needed to satisfy minimum demand.

“Let’s keep them [nuclear power plants] here and create some benefits to the state of New York that will help sustain our existing nuclear base,” he added.

Treadwell said the nuclear plants in Upstate New York are “all connected and have a tremendous combined economic impact.”

According to a 2015 report by the Brattle Group, Upstate New York’s four nuclear plants annually account for nearly 25,000 jobs, $3.16 billion GDP, $1.7 billion in electricity savings, $144 million in tax revenues, and 16 million tons of CO2 emissions avoided valued at $700 million.

Treadwell said he is confident the state will take some positive action that will also help to sustain Exelon’s operation. Exelon also owns the Ginna plant.

Ironically, Treadwell noted that several years ago, there were discussions concerning establishing another nuclear plant in Oswego County.

“We were targeted as one of the top contending sites in the Northeast,” Treadwell said.

“If there is another surge in nuclear plant development and if the federal government gets behind it, this [FitzPatrick] could be a contending plant for the location of another facility,” he said.

“There’s always a possibility that Entergy will change its mind too,” he added.

Nuclear wasteland?

As far as the physical site itself, Treadwell said there is little anyone can OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

do to redevelop it.

“It’s forever, pretty much,” he said.

“Right now we don’t know how long that will take or when the property will be signed off on in terms of being OK to develop.”

According to Nuclear Engineering International, in some cases, decommissioned sites may never be able to be released for unrestricted use.

Treadwell said the task at hand for the county and OOC is “to do our best in terms of attracting other types of economic development projects that create substantial jobs and good-paying jobs,” he said.

He said FitzPatrick has 20 years left on its operating license, and the optimal situation would be to “somehow get it going again where it can produce a lot of revenue and jobs for the community.”

Treadwell said OOC has always taken an aggressive stance when it comes to aspects of its business such as finding funding sources.

“Because of this pending threat looming out there, there has been a torch lit from the standpoint of looking at other ways to start enhancing the landscape of Oswego County to be more conducive and attractive for development,” he said.

“We are and will be looking at growing and expanding our industrial parks to create more viable sites in Oswego County,” he said. “Right now, we don’t have sufficient property for large-scale operations, such as somebody wanting 50 to 60 acres.”

Treadwell said it is vital to look at those types of infrastructure improvements.

“We need to seriously look at how to expand some of the municipal wastewater treatment plants throughout the county,” he said. “They need to be enhanced and expanded” to accommodate future growth.

Treadwell said one of the county’s biggest obstacles in terms of attracting businesses, particularly manufacturing, has been the lack of capacity in some of the wastewater treatment plants.

“We’ve got water, but we don’t have the other end,” he said. “That has eliminated us on numerous occasions in attracting businesses such as a processing facility or some other type of plant like that.”

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SPECIAL REPORT

By Ken Little

Fewer Employees at Local School Districts Shrinking number of students = fewer employees at local school districts

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s student enrollment figures continue to decline in most Oswego County school districts, the number of district employees also is being reduced.

Among school districts in Oswego County, the Oswego City School District is among the largest employers, with 710 full- and part-time employees for the 2015-16 school year.

The Central Square School District also has 710 full- and part-time employees in the current school year, a slight drop from 717 employees in 2014-15.

The Fulton City School District has 594 full- and part-time employees.

Enrollment has steadily declined among school districts in Oswego County over the last 20 years, although several districts are holding steady in recent years.

• Central Square

The Central Square School District had a student enrollment of 4,800 in the 1994-95 school year, according to 76

the state Education Department.

In 2004-05, student enrollment had risen to 4,894 as families who work in the Syracuse area and others moved into the school district.

The student enrollment figure for Central Square schools had declined to 3,910 by 2014-15.

The enrollment figure for the current 2015-16 school year is 3,929, including 122 pre-K students.

As with most Central New York school districts, an enrollment decrease in coming years is projected, school officials said.

“The number of employees in the district has declined due to declining enrollment [and] fiscal constraints,” district Superintendent Joseph Menard said in an email response to questions.

The Central Square School District budget for the 2015-16 school year is $72.6 million.

• Oswego

The Oswego City School District had a student enrollment of 5,292 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

in 1994-95, an enrollment of 4,718 in 2004-05 and an enrollment of 3,853 in 2014-15.

The K-12 enrollment for 2015-16 is 3,772, according to district officials.

The Oswego City School District budget for the current school year is $82.8 million.

• Fulton

In the Fulton City School District, there were 4,220 students enrolled in 1994-95. The figure for 2004-05 was 3,826.

The enrollment total in the Fulton City School District for 2014-15 was 3,530.

Enrollment for 2015-16 is 3,578 students, including 144 universal pre-K 4-year-old students, according to district Superintendent William R. Lynch.

“The number of students has been pretty consistent over the last four years or so. Enrollment had been stable,” Lynch said in an email response to questions.

The school district’s 2015-16 budget is $68.7 million.

Lynch said it’s difficult to calculate the exact amount spent on each student, based on budget figures. “[It] is a bit complicated as parts of the budget are focused on instruction, and support services and administrative services in these areas and other expenses are not,” Lynch said.

Factors In Decline

Several factors combine to contribute to the drop in student enrollment in Central New York school districts.

The decline in school-age population is a trend across the United States.

Many families from Oswego County and other areas of Central New York region have moved due to economic reasons, so fewer school-age children is an indication of lasting effects of the recent recession.

Enrollments are likely to decline further in the immediate future. According to the Pew Research Center, the U.S. birth rate dipped in 2011 to the lowest ever recorded, led by a plunge in births to immigrant women since the onset of the Great Recession.

The overall U.S. birth rate, which is the annual number of births per 1,000 women in the prime childbearFEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

ing ages of 15 to 44, declined 8 percent from 2007 to 2010.

The birth rate for U.S.-born women decreased 6 percent during these years, but the birth rate for foreign-born women plunged 14 percent, more than it had declined over the entire 1990 to 2007 period.

An improving economy has slightly reversed the U.S. birthrate trend.

SPECIAL REPORT The rate of births among women ages 15 to 44 inched up 1 percent from 2013 to 2014, according to a study released earlier this year by the National Center for Health Statistics.

The 3.98 million total births in 2014 were the most since 2010.

The increase in the birthrate is the first since 2007, about the time the recession began.

Every year thousands of people buy commercial of residential properties in Oswego County.

They all receive a one-year complimentary subscription to Oswego County Business.

Reaching new property owners. Another good reason to advertise in Oswego County Business.

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ENROLLMENT DECLINE All school districts in Oswego County have seen an enrollment drop over the last 20 years. Below are figures representing the 1994-95, 2004-05 and 2014-15 enrollment numbers as reported to the state Education Department: • Altmar-Parish-Williamstown 1,869 student (1994-95), 1,599 (2004-05), and 1,253 (2014-15).

• Central Square School District 4,800 (1994-95), 4,894 (2004-05), and 3,910 (2014-15).

• Fulton City School District 4,220 (1994-95), 3,826 (2004-05), and 3,530 (2014-15).

• Hannibal Central School District 1,777 (1994-95), 1,693 (2004-05), and 1,321 (2014-15).

• Oswego City School District 5,292 (1994-95); 4,718 (2004-05), and 3,853 (2014-15).

• Pulaski Central School District 1,262 (1994-95), 1,150 (2004-05), and 1,100 (2014-15).

• Sandy Creek Central School District 1,164 (1994-95), 1,007 (2004-05), and 790 (2014-15).

• Phoenix Central School District 2,689 (1994-95), 2,371 (2004-05), and 1,837 (2014-15).

• Mexico Central School District 2,815 (1994-95); 2,599 (2004-05), and 2,032 (2014-15).

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

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OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

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Oswego Lab Earns Joint Commission Accreditation

The Oswego Hospital laboratory was recently accredited by the Joint Commission following a thorough survey earlier this fall. Pictured are members of the lab staff.

O

swego Hospital has earned the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for laboratory services accreditation by demonstrating continuous compliance with its

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performance standards. The Gold Seal of Approval is a symbol of quality that reflects an organization’s commitment to providing safe and effective patient care.

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

$15 — 1 year $25 — 2 years

The hospital’s laboratory underwent a rigorous, unannounced on-site three-day survey this fall. During the review, a Joint Commission expert surveyor evaluated compliance with laboratory standards related to several areas, including document and process control, healthcare-associated conditions, risk reduction, and staff qualifications and competency. The surveyor also conducted on-site observations and interviews.

During 2014, hospital lab staff members conducted more than 640,000 lab tests, with another 148,000 tests done at the Central Square and Fulton Medical Centers. More than 80 individuals work at the hospital laboratory, which consists of numerous sub-departments, including the hematology department where tests on a patient’s blood or blood-forming-organs are conducted; a microbiology department where staff study organs and tissues; a chemistry department which examines blood, urine and other fluids and a pathology department where staff examine organisms and tissues to learn of potential diseases.

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

Hospitalist Udekwu joins Oswego Health Oswego Hospital has recently welcomed physician Adaora Udekwu to its active medical staff and to the hospitalist team.

As a hospitalist, Udekwu will care for inpatients at Oswego Hospital, whose primary care physicians have opted to take advantage of the healthcare facility’s hospitalist program.

Udekwu recently completed her family medicine residency at the University of Arkansas Medical Sciences, in Fayetteville, Ark. She earned her medical degree Udekwu from Sint Eustatius School of Medicine, located in Antilles.

Nurse practitioner joins practice in Central Square

Family Nurse Practitioner Cassandra Hunsberger has joined the staff of Primecare Medical Practice, located in the lower level of the Central Square Medical Center.

Hunsberger will provide comprehensive primary care services to patients of all ages. She will treat upper respiratory issues, sick visits, injuries, infections, rashes and sprains or strains, as well as routine screenings and the related follow-up care and women’s health services.

Hunsberger Hunsberger has steadily advanced her nursing education, first with earning an Associate of Science nursing degree from Broome Community College and then obtaining a Bachelor of Science in nursing from SUNY Upstate Medical University, where she graduated magna cum laude in 2012. This past May, she earned her degree as a family nurse practitioner, also from Upstate Medical University.

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

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Trust Pediatrics

63 South First St., Fulton, NY 315-598-1231

Stuart Trust, D.O. FAAP Sarah Finocchiaro, M.D. FAAP Carla Overton, M.D. FAAP Brian Tran, D.O.

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OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

• Trash Collection • New Appliances • Bus for shopping/groceries • Heat, Electricity & Hot Water • Snow Removal & Lawn Care • Planned Activities • All repairs & maintenance Preference given for veterans & spouses of veterans Equal Housing Opportunity Supervised by NYS DHCR

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SPECIAL REPORT

By Ken Little

Tough Challenges Ahead for ‘Emerging’ Retirees Study says older adults of tomorrow, the ‘emerging’ retirees, will face financial pressures unseen by previous generations of retirees

B

aby boomers and other recently retired older workers face challenges whether or not they plan to continue working in future years.

But even more daunting challenges may be in store for future generations in the prime of working life or in young adulthood.

Many older workers are remaining at their current jobs rather than retiring because of financial considerations. That situation could be compounded in the decades to come for what the Center on Aging & Work at Boston College calls “emerging retirees.”

A recent study by the Center on Aging & Work concludes that as a society, Americans “are just starting to grapple with the wide-reaching implications of population aging and its effect on working lives.”

The context of work and retirement continues to change rapidly, it said, meaning future generations may face even more rigorous challenges.

The study said that older adults of tomorrow, the “emerging” retirees, “will face financial pressures unseen by previous generations

80

of retirees.”

These pressures include eligibility for Social Security retirement benefits, a slower-growing economy, increasing healthcare costs and changes in the availability and design of employ-

er-sponsored retirement benefits.

With the potential future instabilities, the expectation of a secure retirement is becoming increasingly unrealistic for many people.

The baby boomer generation born between 1945 and 1965, and their parents’ generation, are generally better off than those preceding them.

As a result, some appear to be “just ahead of being seriously affected by the aforementioned trends, at least in terms of financial resources and planning,” the study said.

“Younger baby boomers, however, are not faring as well, and things are even less promising for the ones just behind them, Generation X,” the report said.

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

The situation is the same in Central New York as it is elsewhere in the country.

“We do see a lot of people who are [delaying] retiring, so they are working longer,” said Sara Sunday, administrator of the Oswego County Office for the Aging.

“We do hear that from people that it’s a financial matter.

They don’t feel they can retire,” Sunday said. “They’re taking mortgages out later in life and they’re finding it’s harder to pay their taxes.”

Medical expenses are also a factor for some, Sunday added.

“We hear from people who can’t afford their prescriptions,” she said.

“I hear more recently they’re paying

“Younger baby boomers are not faring as well , and things are even less promising for the ones just behind them, Generation X,” the report said.

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

more for their health insurance.”

The ever-increasing cost of healthcare could be another stumbling block to secure retirement for future generations.

“A lot of people were able to retire early and get Medicare. They can’t do that anymore,” Sunday said. “They continue working for their health insurance.”

The trend of employers cutting back on health insurance and other benefits will likely affect the retirement years of future generations, the report said.

The stagnant economy is another reason for younger generations to take notice.

“The Great Recession affected Gen Xers at the point that would typically be considered, or at least hoped, to be the high point of their careers. While Gen Xers were hit by the recession when they would have hoped to be doing their best, millennials were hit right as their careers were starting,” the study said.

Added to those potential complications along the path of life, Gen Xers and millenials, more so than preceding generations, “have had to borrow uncommon sums of money to acquire their education,” the study said.

The two generations — Gen X and millenials — have also been more likely to have intermittent employment spells, “making it difficult for them to save in preparation for retirement.”

As many baby boomers have found out, job security in the sense perceived by their parents is not the same.

“Today, job security is disappearing, higher education is becoming a necessity, and student loan debt FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

strains even good incomes,” the report said.

Available research on these trends can be contradictory, the study pointed out.

For instance, it said, Transamerica reports increased optimism about retirement from all generational groups in recent years. Transamerica is an American private holding company for life insurance companies and investment firms doing business primarily in the U.S. But according to the National Institute of Retirement Security, 86 percent of Americans asked in 2015 “believe that we are in a retirement crisis.”

“Clearly these trends reflect very important and complex issues that warrant increased attention and more research,” the report said.

The study said there is at least one point of consensus.

“The one thing everyone seems to agree on is that, moving forward, retirement in the future simply will not look like it does for today’s cohort of retirees, which is complicated enough.”

With increased longevity, even without financial hardships and career setbacks, “typical retirement plans will be insufficient for a growing number of people.”

“We believe that action needs to be taken now to avoid a crisis for emerging retirees,” the Center on Aging & Work report concludes.

Sunday hasn’t seen that study, but she speaks to Oswego County residents of all ages.

She says people notice candidates in the upcoming 2016 presidential

A secure retirement is becoming increasingly unrealistic for many people, according to a recent study. election talk about further changes in the nation’s healthcare system and programs like Medicare.

“It makes people very nervous,” Sunday said.

Sara Sunday, administrator of the Oswego County Office for the Aging: “We do see a lot of people who are [delaying] retiring, so they are working longer,” she says.

More Workers Delaying Retirement CareerBuilder’s annual retirement survey, conducted in December 2014, found that 75 percent of workers aged 60 or older currently delaying retirement cite the recession as a cause.

The survey found that 12 percent don’t think they will ever be able to retire — up slightly from 11 percent in 2013 — and nearly half, 49 percent, feel retirement is at least five years out.

According to the Society for Human Resource Management, 32 percent of human resource professionals reported that their organizations begin to consider employees to be older workers when they are between age 60 and 64, and another 17 percent believe the age range is between 65 and 69. Another 7 percent reported that their organizations begin to consider employees to be older workers when they are age 70 or older.

“I think that a lot of people who are eligible to retire who are younger and in better health are choosing to work longer,” said Sara Sunday, administrator of the Oswego County Office for the Aging.

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

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SPECIAL REPORT

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

Employees see some advantages in telecommuting. They can work anywhere in the house, wear whatever they want and in general can fit their job responsibilities within their own schedule. For the employers, the advantages are that they hire from a larger pool of candidates and pay based on the results employees present.

Telecommuting Benefits Employers, Employees

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ost employees enjoy telecommuting, as they can fit their work around family responsibilities, save driving time and expense, work where they're most comfortable and wear whatever they want while they work. But it also offers many benefits to companies that can allow employees to work at home.

Michael Willis, president and owner of Michael J. Willis & Associates in Syracuse, thinks that offering telecommuting helps attract and keep talented people.

"It is a benefit that seems to be especially attractive to the younger potential employees," Willis said.

Younger employees, in general, are most comfortable with the technology that enables telecommuting. Willis

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added that for mature employees, increasing family obligations makes telecommuting especially attractive, too.

Employees also "appreciate the trust the employers place in them and their ability to work independently," Willis added.

For these employers, it's not about filling a chair for eight hours a day, but whether or not the employees can achieve the results they want.

Mitchell If they can comOSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

plete the work in less than eight hours, they reward themselves with more free time at no cost to their employers.

Mitch Mitchell, owner of T. T. Mitchell Consulting in Liverpool, said that hiring telecommuting employees allows companies seeking a specialized skill set can draw from a wider pool of applicants than those who only hire local employees.

"They may have to go in once every couple of months or so for face-toface meetings," Mitchell said. "You can get more skilled people that way."

But even for local telecommuters, the flexibility can reduce stress in their lives, resulting in better performance.

Some people prefer working at night or very early morning, outside of typical office hours. Some work better in shorter chunks of time than for eight hours straight.

Hiring more telecommuters can reduce — or even eliminate — a company's facility-related expenses: rent, utilities, supplies and equipment.

"If you operate a business that has FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

to pay high dollars for office space, you won't have to if you have people elsewhere," Mitchell said.

Telecommuting also helps get work done even on days where weather makes traveling hazardous.

Regardless of the weather, the work continues.

Although telecommuting offers numerous advantages, it does bring a few drawbacks. For example, sometimes it can be difficult to discuss business when not face-to-face. Meeting with clients may require an in-person meeting.

"You can still talk with people by teleconference and instant messaging," Mitchell said. "You can talk with people no matter where they are."

Technology has also enabled people to easily share large files using document sharing platforms.

Shifting toward telecommuting from an in-person model can require some adjustment as management must measure results, not hours in

the workday. But shouldn't managers measure results anyway? Does it matter that the employee performed the job in spurts rather than eight hours in a row?

Some high-achieving employees may find it difficult to stop working, since work is always available. In these cases, managers should respect employees' do-not-call hours and make sure employees take their vacation days. Managers also should express their appreciation of telecommuting employees, since acknowledging their accomplishments to the rest of the staff isn't as easy as for employees in the office.

Companies considering the telecommuting employee model should also decide if they will let employees use their own equipment (for which they can receive a tax write-off), offer a stipend to purchase and eventually needed equipment, or supply company-issued equipment (for which the company receives the write-off).

Telecommuting: My Own Experience

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People Who Matter

Writer Deborah Sergeant at her home office in Lyons, Wayne County.

I

have worked from home as a freelance writer since 2000 and as a telecommuting staff writer for Local News, Inc. since 2012. Many people ask me if it’s hard to stay motivated and focused while working at home. Actually, I often find that the opposite happens. It’s hard to “punch out” and stop writing. Since the work is always available and I enjoy writing, it’s easy to keep working outside of nine-to-five office hours.

Working at home offers numerous benefits that I lacked back when FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

I worked in an office. I maintain control over my working conditions and hours. I don’t drive to work. I can work with the cat napping in my lap. If I need to take care of something for my family, I can without asking anyone.

I have now worked more years at home than at a workplace. Hands down, telecommuting offers a great experience for workers.

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant.

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

Oswego County Business reaches nearly 25,000 readers in Central New York, based on 6,500 copies mailed every other month.

• The only publication that directly reaches the area’s “movers and shakers” and decision-makers.

• The only magazine that reaches every person who files a DBA (doing business as) and deeds.

• Distributed to most members of the several chambers in the area

Call 342-8020 to find out more our readership.

83

Dan Streeter & Tim Brown

The Trend in Sales: Going Old School Five tried-and-true sales methods you should still be using STREETER

BROWN

TIM BROWN AND DAN STREETER are the co-authors of “Old School with New Tools: The Extra 5% That Takes You to the Top of Your Sales Game and Keeps You There.”

After carrying a sales bag throughout the world, Tim has grown to become one of the most sought-after business leaders in the country. Dan is an award-winning educator and workshop designer with a pretty strong sales lineage of his own. To learn more visit www. oldschoolwithnewtools.com. You can listen to Tim and Dan’s Old School with New Tools Podcast located on iTunes and Stitcher.

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M

ake no mistake, the world of sales is changing. Technology seems to be driving the sales vehicle in today’s society, but it’s the old school, tried and true, consultative techniques that separate the good from the great sales professional.

When we discuss old-school techniques, we reminisce on our old school heroes such as Zig Ziglar, Harvey McKay and Dale Carnegie, who taught the world a few fundamental rules of sales, which can be encapsulated primarily by this one statement, which will always be true: People buy from people they like and trust.

As painstakingly obvious as that cardinal rule of sales is, there’s a diamond hard kernel of truth inside it that many salespeople overlook. The ability to cultivate and sustain trust with people is the X factor that the best sales professionals rely upon to consistently excel at what they do. Trust is a sales professional’s most valuable currency.

There are five old school techniques to master, which will help you to build trust:

1

. Remember, you are ALWAYS selling: Whether you are in front of a huge client, at the grocery store or posting your favorite beach photo on Facebook, you are always selling. Be aware of the image you are portraying and have alignment with your professional and personal image.

Maintaining a personal brand of trust is a 24/7/365 proposition. People will keep a mental file on you. Every action, word and interaction with people goes into the lasting impression you make on them, whether or not it happened during the workday. Directly or indirectly, you are always building or losing trust. You never OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

know when a new opportunity to establish or nurture a relationship is going to crop up. Make trust building a part of your persona, make it genuine, and keep your brand switch “on.”

2

. Develop your personal brand: Speaking of keeping your brand switch “on,” take the time to build a personal branding statement. Write down a description of your unique talents, skills and practices, and why people with whom you do business value them. Then revisit this statement and ask three fundamental questions: 1. Am I living up to my personal brand? 2. Do I need to revise it and why? 3.

How could I strengthen my brand?

As you focus on developing and living up to this personal brand statement, you will find that your actions automatically become aligned to the statement. You will actively seek out opportunities to become an expert in your field and demonstrate that expertise on a regular basis, you will be sought out for your counsel, and ultimately, your customers will see you as their ally in their purchasing decisions.

3

. Always be serving: An always-serving mindset means you are serving the people you work with, whether they are your peers, you report to them or vice versa. These are the people you need by your side to succeed; they are the ones in the foxhole with you. By serving them and by treating them with respect and humility, you’ll engender a culture of serving in the workplace. While you are out serving your customers, it certainly helps to have people back in the home office serving you!

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

4

. Be a challenger: In a published study (https://goo. gl/vMqINB), five different and distinct seller profile styles of salespeople were rated by performance. Coming out on top was the king of the sales jungle: The challenger sales type. Challengers take control of the conversation through the use of questioning to develop a deep understanding of their customers’ businesses. Then, they positively assert their viewpoints, which help to push the customer’s and their own personal thinking to develop creative solutions. Ultimately, customers do not simply want yes-people. They want to know that you truly understand the problem and that you are promoting the best solution possible.

5

. Eliminate the “F” word: Show me a person focused on problems, and I’ll show you a person with a lot of problems. The same goes with the “F” word: “failure.” Pessimists tend to let failure get wrapped around the axle of their success and talent. Instead, your mindset should be that there is no failure; there are only opportunities to learn and move forward. Zig Ziglar never promised us it would be easy.

Just listen to his journey as a door-todoor salesman, and you will see that sales are hard. It’s filled with rejection.

Judging yourself based on that rejection serves no one, so silence the critic inside yourself — it serves no one. Every salesperson takes their lumps. So, replace the “F” word with the word “E” word: “Experience,” and treat those experiences as gifts. Through focusing on experiences rather than looking at failures, we build a sense of self-control, we persevere through even the most difficult of hardships, and we develop an indomitable spirit.

Your capacity to use the tools developed by the old school masters will become the bridge that provides any sales professional the 5 percent more power to allow them to move from good to great. By using these five strategies, you will be able to move the sales needle. It’s time to make your old school heroes proud.

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

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Success Story

Rent-A-Ride Rental Car Opens Third Location in CNY, Plans to Expand Into Oswego, Auburn

F

or Marc Fernandez, owning and operating Rent-A-Ride is a lot like being Jack Dempsey during his 1919 world heavyweight championship fight.

Dempsey, at 187 pounds, pulverized 245-pound Jess Willard and won in a technical decision.

“It’s kind of like what we do with Enterprise, Hertz and Avis. We are such a small little speck and they are the giants, so it’s great to gain market share and business from them,” he said.

Fernandez collects Dempsey memorabilia, and has artwork hanging of the famed pugilist at his

86

Fulton office. He even has a chair that Dempsey used at his New York City rooftop apartment.

“I always liked watching the old fights back when [Mike] Tyson was around and I got into watching the real old ones with Dempsey and Joe Lewis. Dempsey to me was the best,” he said.

Dempsey was the heavyweight champion from 1919-1926. Now, Fernandez wants to realize that kind of success in a different competitive arena.

Rent-A-Ride neighborhood car rental recently opened a new Cicero office at 8163 Brewerton Road, located OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

By Lou Sorendo

on U.S. Route 11 near Target. The Cicero location joins offices in Fulton and Syracuse.

Fernandez, 44, started in Fulton and experienced significant business from the Oswego, Cicero and Liverpool markets. He was renting property for an office he opened in Liverpool in 2012, but opted to relocate to Cicero after being unable to find suitable property to own.

“Cicero is a nice fit. The traffic is unbelievable,” he said. His office was the former location of Illusions Wellness Spa. The cost of the property and renovations was about $300,000, Fernandez said.

“We started out thinking we were just going to put 15 or 20 cars at that location and see how we did,” Fernandez said. “We pretty much have doubled that and have 50 cars at that location.”

He has 50 cars at each his Fulton, Cicero and Syracuse locations. He opened his Syracuse location in 2014.

Each office has three to four employees.

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

Fernandez, a native of Solvay, is now setting his sights on the Oswego and Auburn markets. As of late January, he was contracted to purchase the former Barilla’s Auto Service location at 211 W. Bridge St., Oswego. That location is commonly referred to as the “forks in the road” and features heavy traffic on state Route 104.

Fernandez is still seeking out a location in the Auburn area.

In the red

Rent-A-Ride has seen business surge over the last several years.

From 2013-2014, it was up 40 percent, while it jumped 60 percent from 2014-2015.

“Last year was our best year. The weather worked out in our favor and we were really moving and grooving,” Fernandez said.

This year has started out like gangbusters as well, Fernandez said.

He anticipates that adding the Oswego office — which is projected to happen in April — will grow the business by 40 percent.

“There’s only Enterprise in that market right now. There is definitely room for one or two more,” he said.

“It’s really based on business coming from the insurance companies.”

Most of Rent-A-Ride’s business is keyed toward supplying replacement vehicles, similar to how Enterprise, Avis and Hertz operate.

When an accident occurs, insurance reps will call him, just as they do with Enterprise, Avis and Hertz.

“We try to be their first call now,” he said.

One of the reasons for the Oswego and Auburn locations is that insurance companies have told him they will direct business his way if he locates there.

Establishing a strong rapport with insurance companies is vital, being that 75 percent of Fernandez’ business comes from insurance companies and adjusters.

“The worse the weather is, the better our business is,” he said.

“Come August and September, we usually increase our fleet because we know October through March is going to be pretty strong,” he said.

He said among the challenges in launching a business are the maze of requirements — such as site plan reviews — that can get quite costly.

He has been experiencing that while trying to launch a new location in Watertown.

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

When he first opened his Fulton office at 807 S. Fourth St., one of the biggest challenges he faced was dealing with insurance.

“One of the biggest challenges and expense is to find an insurance company to insure your cars,” he said.

“We’ve had a good track record, and every year it gets better. It took a long time to do it, but our rates have come down,” Fernandez said. “We have built up a nice rapport with insurance companies and insurance agents that we deal with, repair shops, collision center, body shops and adjusters.”

Purchasing expert

Besides supplying replacement vehicles, Fernandez also does business with vacationers in the spring and summer as well as during the holiday season.

Also, when the weather gets bad, many people don’t want to drive their own car and opt to rent, he said.

“To be quite honest, sometimes it’s tough out there and people can’t buy a car, so they end up renting one,” he said. Some customers have been known to rent vehicles for a year or longer, Fernandez added.

When enjoying success while dealing cars in the early days in Fulton, every once is a while they would break down. Fernandez would try calling Enterprise located in Fulton at the time, but it was always out of vehicles.

“So a light bulb went off. We had a lot of program cars that we were selling, and one day I was thinking to myself, ‘Everyone is fighting to sell a 2002 Chevy Malibu or Impala, and making a tiny bit of profit. And here’s a company, Enterprise, that is out of cars every time you call’,” Fernandez said.

One of the biggest breaks he got was when Enterprise decided to leave Fulton and establish a location in Oswego.

It was then that Fernandez bought into the Rent-A Wreck franchise in 2004 and saw vehicles fly off the lot.

Fernandez operated Rent-AWreck for a year and then later opened his own company, Rent-A-Ride, in 2007 with eight cars.

“The nice thing about Fulton and Oswego is you have a lot less risky customers. They are repeat and loyal customers. You treat these people right, and they will come back and keep renting cars from you.”

Why are they coming back?

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

“We give them a better rate than they are going to get anywhere else,” he said. “With us, you don’t need to have a major credit card. You can come in with a debit card and can rent a car here.”

He said no “big-time” deposit is necessary and customers don’t have to produce a utility bill.

“Most people have a debit card, and if they don’t, we won’t rent to them,” he said. However, it is also not a cash-based operation, he added.

Customers who rent cars for long periods of time are required to bring their vehicles in periodically to be checked on, he noted.

Once a car reaches a certain mileage point, Fernandez uses the showroom at his Fulton location to sell them.

“When we buy a car, that’s when we hit the nail on the head. We’ll buy it at the right time of the year, and with 1,000 to 2,000 miles on it. We’ll probably save 40 percent on what we would have bought on a new car. That makes a big difference when we are selling that car in a year and a half.

We excel at keeping the cars in good shape and see them every week,” he said.

Fernandez grew up in the used car business working for his uncle Mike Romano at Romano Auto Dealerships in Syracuse.

“He is probably the best in the business,” he said.

“I like being in the service business, and this is a service business,” Fernandez said.

Rent-A-Ride provides all transportation to customers, and also checks on the progress on their car if it is in a repair shop.

“They really don’t have to do anything,” he said. “We make a customer for life right there.”

It’s a seven-day week job for Fernandez due to its competitiveness.

He is awake at 4 and at work by 6, attending to paperwork and everything necessary to keep pace with what’s going on.

His leisure time is spent with his wife and two daughters, Liz and Emily. They are long-time residents of Baldwinsville.

“Customers want a nice, clean, safe vehicle. Our cars are all 4-door, automatic transmission, all new or fairly new, and well maintained.

When they pick up that car, it is spotless,” he said.

87

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OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

Best Business Directory ACCOUNTING & TAX & INSURANCE Canale Insurance & Accounting Service. For all your insurance, accounting, payroll and tax needs. Locally owned and operated. For insurance, call 343-4456; for taxes & accounting, call 343-0409.

AUCTION & REAL ESTATE Dean D. Cummins over 35 years experience. All types of auctions & real estate. Route 370 Cato. Call 246-5407.

AUTO COLLISION Northside Collision, Baldwinsville. Upstate’s largest collision/repair center. Lifetime warranty, loaners or rentals.

We assist with the insurance claims. 75 E. Genesee St., Baldwinsville. More information, call 638-4444..

AUTO SERVICE & TIRES Northstar Tire & Auto Service. Major/minor repairs. Foreign & domestic. Alignments. Tire sales. Call Jim at 598-8200.

1860 state Route 3 W. in Fulton.

BOTTLED SPRING WATER Bottled spring water and coffee service for home and office.

We now have single serve cups for your K-cup brewer.

Free delivery. Convenient. Refreshing. Economical. Jay Sea Distributing. 343-3700. Remember: Buy local.

BUILDING SUPPLIES

LUMBER

Burke’s Home Center. The complete building and supply center. Two locations for your convenience: 38 E. Second St. in Oswego (343-6147); and 65 N. Second St. in Fulton (592-2244). Free deliveries.

White’s Lumber. Four locations to serve you. Pulaski: state Route 13, 298-6575; Watertown: N. Rutland Street, 788-6200; Clayton: James Street, 686-1892; Gouverneur: Depot Street, 287-1892.

COPY + PRINT Port City Copy Center. Your one-stop for all of your copy + print needs. 184 Water St. Oswego (back of Canal Commons). 216-6163.

D & D Logging and Lumber. Hardwood lumber sales. Buyer of logs and standing timber. Very competitive pricing. Call 315-593-2474. Located at 1409 county Route 4, Central Square, NY 13036.

CUSTOM PICTURE FRAMING

OUTBOARD MOTORS

Picture Connection. 169 W. First St. Oswego. Quality conservation matting & framing for your photos, prints, original artwork & objects. 343-2908.

Arney’s Marina. Route 14 Sodus Point, NY. Honda fourstroke motors, 2 hp to 250 hp. Repower your boat with the best! Call 483-9111 for more information.

EXCAVATING

OUTDOOR POWER EQUIPMENT

Gilbert Excavating. Septic systems. Gravel & top soil.

Septic and tank pumping. 691 county Route 3, Fulton, 13069. Call 593-2472.

BJ’s Outdoor Power Equipment/ Sales & Service. 3649 state Route 3, Fulton, NY. www.bjsoutdoorpower.com. We sell Ferris, Echo, Central Boiler, and Simplicity products.

Call 598-5636.

HOME IMPROVEMENT Wet Paint Company. Paint, flooring, blinds & drapes. Free estimates. Call 343-1924, www.wetpaintcompany.com.

LAND SURVEYOR Robert M. Burleigh, licensed land surveyor. Quality land surveying. Residential, subdivision, commercial, boundary surveying. 593-2231.

ADVERTISING BARGAIN

PAWN BROKER Pawn Boss. We buy everything from game systems to gold & silver. Coin collections, guitars and flat screen TVs too! Check us out on www.newyorkpawnboss.com or call 415-9127.

ROOFING/GUTTERS Over The Top Roofing. Mike Majeski. Commercial & residential roofing. Quality craftsmanship. 50-year manufacturer’s warranty for residential roofs. Best price on seamless gutters. Call 882-5255. 400 Co. Rt. 7 Hannibal, NY 13074.

HEADING: LISTING:

$159 for 1 Year Just fill out this form, and send it with a check to: FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

Oswego County Business • P.O. Box 276 • Oswego, NY 13126 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

89

Last Page

By Hannah McNamara

Jillian Shaver Co-founder and executive director of The Children’s Museum of Oswego talks about the newly opened museum Q.: What’s the latest at The CMOO? A.: Starting in February, The Children’s Museum of Oswego is ready to transfix the public’s imagination through interactive exhibits that focus on everything from environmental studies to music and movement. In response to a capital campaign planning study, the CMOO has renovated 8,000 square feet of space in the historic Buckhout-Jones building, 7 W. Bridge St., Oswego. For the past two months, volunteers have spent their time transforming the former King Arthur’s restaurant into an interactive playground where educational learning is welcomed and encouraged for people of all ages.

many volunteers who continue to put in a lot of hours to see the project come to fruition.

Q.: What is the most gratifying aspect of leading the organization?

A.: The most gratifying aspect of leading the organization has been creating something completely unique to our area. Children’s museums are the fastest-growing museum field in the country and I am proud to be bringing this opportunity to Oswego. I am continually encouraged by the positive response of the community and their willingness to embrace something new.

Q.: Why was this particular site chosen for the children’s museum?

A.: One of the main reasons we chose this site was for its central location within our historic downtown. Its proximity to a variety of locally-owned shops, restaurants and other small businesses gives the museum an opportunity to be part of a positive shift to bring more families, tourists and residents to our downtown neighborhood. Another factor in choosing this site was its “readyto-go” condition. We are able to focus our funding efforts on the exhibits and programs within the museum without the cost burden of large-scale building rehabilitation that many of the other sites we assessed would require.

Q.: In general terms, how will the museum benefit the Greater Oswego community?

A.: The museum stands to benefit the community in a number of ways, including new educational opportunities for youth, revitalization of our downtown, economic impact to neighboring businesses, and an increase in tourism.

We will continue to develop strong collaborations between the museum and other nonprofits, businesses and initiatives in the city to share resources and strengthen what our community has to offer. The museum also addresses key issues affecting our county’s youth such as the rise in childhood obesity through programs that promote healthy lifestyles.

Q.: What have been the foremost challenges involved in launching the children’s museum?

A.: Starting a new nonprofit can be very time intensive. It takes time to pave the road ahead in introducing a new organization to the community, cultivating volunteers, gathering input and identifying funding opportunities.

Fortunately, I have been working with a highly dedicated board of trustees and

Q.: What is the goal of the capital campaign planning study?

When will results be available on that and how will those impact the direction of the organization?

A.: The goal of the capital campaign planning study was to better understand the potential for the campaign by evaluating the appeal, needs, goals, funding

90

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

prospects, timing and strategy for the project. It has allowed us to cultivate and educate key leaders, gathering their input and deepening their engagement in the project while ensuring our success and long-term sustainability.

The organization has utilized feedback from the study to direct our campaign goal and timeline. We look forward to sharing the results with the community in the near future.

The CMOO is now located in the historic Buckout-Jones building in downtown Oswego.

We are open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays a n d f ro m 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays.

FEBRUARY / MARCH 2016

Striving to Deliver Quality In Your Community

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Lifeline saved my life after a fall that resulted in a head injury.

After having a second severe headache I learned I was experiencing a life-threatening brain hemorrhage.

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The level and promptness of care at the Fulton Urgent Care Center allowed me to tell my story.

I went to the ER where I learned I had appendicitis. Throughout my stay, Dr. Singh updated my husband and was there when I woke after surgery.

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Oswego Health oswegohealth.org

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When I needed rehabilitation after hip surgery, friends told me the best program was at the Manor at Seneca Hill.

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Oswego Hospital I The Manor I Springside I Fulton & Central Square Medical Centers I Oswego Home Health Care

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