B
NNY usIness // REAL ESTATE: former exit agents
launch independent firms P. 25
SEPTEMBER 2016 Volume 6 No.10
nnybizmag.com
***
THE INTERVIEW The Waydown Wailers, p. 28
Leadership in times that challenge us
Local firms hone skills for success, longevity
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// Northern New York’s Premier Business Monthly //
2 | NNY Business | September 2016
Commercial Space for Rent in Watertown — Call (315) 782-1050 and Ask For Rick
September 2016 | NNY Business
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NNY Automotive
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145 Clinton St., Suite 107 Watertown, New York 13601
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goodale@northnet.org
“Celebrating 66 Years” Deer River 493-2391
Croghan 346-6378
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THIS SPACE
AVAILABLE! 4 | NNY Business | September 2016
>>
Inside
september 2016
14 13 20
25 |
SMALL BIZ STARTUP |
|
COVER |
|
FEATURES |
|
13 built from the ashes Maple Rock B&B comes to life on the foundation of a family home destroyed by fire. |
14 shepherds of change For three businesses, success means guiding their teams through challenges, change. |
20 talent management North country human resources professionals offer tips to recruit, retain the best people.
FEATURES |
|
REAL ESTATE |
|
REAL ESTATE |
|
22 LEADER DEVELOPMENT The region’s major chambers of commerce offer opportunities to sharpen leadership skills. 25 a bridge with a view Duo from Exit More Real Estate opens new brokerage from with 129 listings. 26 an independent firm Cooperative Real Estate, North Country Specialists opens north of Watertown.
TOP TRANSACTIONS |
27 TOP TRANSACTIONS Top 10 sales in Jefferson, Lewis, and St. Lawrence, counties top $14.7m in the month of July. BUSINESS SCENE |
40 networking, nny style Businessmen and women connect for success across Northern New York. ONLINE |
nNYBIZMAG.COM Connect with us online for daily updates, more photos and exclusive Web content.
September 2016 | NNY Business
|5
BusIness
C o n tr i b u t o r s
nnybizmag.com
Chairman of the Board John B. Johnson Jr.
Lance M. Evans is the executive officer for the Jefferson-Lewis and St. Lawrence County boards of Realtors. He urges the U.S. Senate to act on national flood insurance legislation. (p. 24)
Kylie Peck is president and CEO of the Greater Watertown-North Country Chamber of Commerce. She writes about change management and leading organizations through transitions. (p. 32)
Max DelSignore is assistant director of the Northern New York Community Foundation. He writes about how philanthropy, no matter its is size, is leadership in action. (p. 33)
Editor & Publisher John B. Johnson
Co-Publisher
Harold B. Johnson II
Magazine Editor
Kenneth J. Eysaman
Magazine Associate Holly C. Boname
Contributing Writers
Norah Machia & Joleene Moody
Photography
Justin Sorensen, Amanda Morrison Jason Hunter, Stephen Swofford Jill Van Hoesen is chief information officer for Johnson Newspapers and a 28-year IT veteran. She writes about several apps and programs to employ a virtual assistant and gain productivity. (p. 34)
Jay Matteson is the agricultural coordinator for the Jefferson County Industrial Development Corp. He addresses the need for legislative aid to help farmers manage severe drought. (p. 35)
Sarah O’Connell is an advisor for the New York state Small Business Development Center at SUNYJefferson. She offers tips to help small businesses improve their marketing efforts. (p. 36)
Joleene Moody is a freelance writer who lives in Pulaski with her husband and daughter. She writes about how one’s ability to say ‘no’ can be a sign of strength, not a weakness to fear. (p. 37)
Director of Advertising Michelle Bowers
Magazine Advertising Manager Beth Hornbarger
Advertising Sales
Justin Sullivan, Jill Halley, Laurie Denesha, Barb Loomis, Jim Homa, Katie Nelson, Cindy Aucter, Marcia Sanderson, and Megan Cole
Advertising Graphics
Brian Mitchell, Rick Gaskin, Heather O’Driscoll, Scott Smith, Todd Soules
Circulation Director Mary Sawyer
Holly C. Boname is a magazine associate for NNY Magazines. She writes about how firms can recruit and grow talent. Also in features, she writes about leadership programs. (pgs. 20, 22)
Norah Machia is a freelance writer and veteran Watertown Daily Times reporter. In this month’s cover story, she visits three north country companies that have managed through change successfully. (p. 14)
Marcus Wolf is a Johnson Newspapers staff writer. He writes about three former Exit More Real Estate agents who have launched two separate independent real estate brokerages in the past month. (pgs. 25, 26)
MARKETPLACE Community Health Center of the North Country ............................ 46 Bach & Company ..................... 45 Bond Schoeneck & King ............ 3 Watertown Intl Airport ............... 48 Chiappone Tire ............................ 4 Clayton Dental Office ............... 45 Coleman’s Corner .................... 45 Cortel Improvement ................. 19 David Card Construction ......... 16 D.L. Calarco Funderal Home ..... 25 D.G.M. Coon & Company ........ 42 Dr. Guitar .................................... 45 Fairgrounds Inn .......................... 45 Foy Agency ................................. 4 Fuccillo Automotive .................... 4 Fuller Insurance ........................... 4 Garlock’s Design Center .......... 16
HD Goodale Company .............. 4 High Tower Advisors .................. 30 Hospice of Jefferson County ..... 23 Liberty Glass .............................. 24 Caskinette’s Ford ...................... 33 Macar’s Interiors .......................... 9 Nelson’s Dry Cleaner ................ 21 NNY Community Foundation .... 31 NNY Business 20 Under 40 ........... 7 Nortz & Verkler Inc. ..................... 4 Overhead Door Company ...... 45 Paradise Energy Solutions ........ 21 Purcell Construction .................... 3 RBC Wealth Management ....... 18 Schonfield Dental ...................... 45 SeaComm Federal Credit Union ............................... 36 Shred Con Inc. ........................... 34
6 | NNY Business | September 2016
Slack Chemical Co. ................. 35 Convergys ................................. 46 The City of Refuge Christian Church ....................... 17 Bonnie Castle Resort ................. 23 The Mayors Charity Ball ............ 27 Tunes 92.5 FM ............................. 43 Volunteer Transportation Center ......................................... 45 Waite Indian Motorcycle ......... 41 Waite Toyota .............................. 40 Greater Watertown-North Country Chamber of Commerce .......... 12 Watertown Savings Bank ............ 2 Watertown Spring ........................ 4 TF Wright & Sons ......................... 37 WWTI-TV50 ............................... 8,44 Ziebart Tidycar ............................. 4
NNY Business (ISSN 2159-6115), is published monthly by Northern New York Newspaper Corp., 260 Washington St., Watertown, NY 13601, a Johnson Newspaper Corp. company. © 2010-2016. All material submitted to NNY Business becomes property of Northern New York Newspaper Corp., publishers of the Watertown Daily Times, and will not be returned.
Subscription Rates 12 issues are $15 a year and 24 issues are $25 for two years. Call 315-782-1000 to subscribe. Submissions Send all editorial correspondence to keysaman@wdt.net Advertising For advertising rates and information in Jefferson and Lewis counties, email bhornbarger@wdt.net, or call 315-661-2325 In St. Lawrence County, e-mail blabrake@ogd.com, or call 315-661-2507 Printed with pride in U.S.A. at Vanguard Printing LLC, Ithaca, N.Y., a Forest Stewardship Certified facility. Please recycle this magazine.
| THE INTERVIEW |
| ABOUT THE COVER |
28 charting success Five years ago, a group of friends launched the multi-genre Cantonbased band the Waydown Wailers. Two successful albums later, the group is gaining global popularity and opened for a national act. | COLUMNS |
32 commerce corner 33 NONPROFITS TODAY 34 BUSINESS TECH BYTES
35 AGRIBUSINESS 36 SMALL BUSINESS SUCCESS 37 ENTREPRENEUR’S EDGE
| DEPARTMENTS |
8 EDITOR’S NOTE 8 NEXT MONTH 9 PEOPLE ON THE MOVE 10 ECONOMIC SNAPSHOT 12 BUSINESS BRIEFCASE
13 SMALL BIZ STARTUP 24 real estate roundup 27 TOP transactions 38 CALENDAR 40 BUSINESS SCENE
NNY BUSINESS MAGAZINE
For this month’s cover photo, staff Photographer Amanda Morrison captured Jefferson Concrete Co. Vice President Mark Thompson inside concrete sections of a precast culvert being developed for a local client. Writer Norah Machia visited Jefferson Concrete and two other north country businesses to learn what it takes to manage successfully in ever-changing economic times. Story, page 14.
NORTHERN NEW YORK’S EMERGING LEADERS
Nominate someone for the 6th annual
NNY Business 20 Under 40 Awards
who meets the following criteria: n A role model in his or her profession n A leader in his or her business and community n Dedicated and successful in his or her vocation n Active volunteer and community participant
NOMINATE ONLINE AT NNYBIZMAG.COM n Nominees must live and work in Jefferson, St. Lawrence or Lewis counties, and be between the ages of 21 and 39 on or before Dec. 31, 2016. Nominate online at nnybizmag.com, email to: nnybusiness@wdt.net or mail to: 20 Under 40, NNY Business, 260 Washington St., Watertown, NY 13601. For mailed entries, type or print directly on this form. All information provided will be held in confidence. Limit one nominee per form. ALL NOMINATIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY 5 P.M. FRIDAY, SEPT. 30, 2016. Employees of Johnson Newspaper Corp. and its affiliates and their immediate family members are not eligible for consideration. Selectees will be honored during a luncheon at the Hilton Garden Inn, 1290 Arsenal St., Watertown, on Wednesday, Dec. 7. Complete luncheon details and registration will be published after nominees are selected and announced. Sponsored by:
Jefferson County Economic Development
September 2016 | NNY Business
|7
EDITO R’S N O T E
T
his month we are pleased to deliver our success and leadership issue. For our cover story, writer Norah Machia visited three north country businesses — Jefferson Concrete Corp., Watertown, Kinney Drugs, Gouverneur, and Vintage Doors, Hammond — to learn some secrets to successful change management. In some cases, diversification has helped these businesses manage success through lean and challenging economic times. But in all cases, workforce investment, in one form or another, has Ken Eysaman delivered a return that has left employees more satisfied, feeling valued in their jobs and more willing to help the organization succeed when the odds were less than favorable. Norah’s cover story begins on page 14. In features, Magazine Associate Holly Boname gets some advice from north country human resource professionals about the best ways to recruit, manage and retain talent on staff. Holly also checks in with the region’s three major chambers of commerce for a look at leadership academies and what opportunities exist for professional development. Her stories appear on page 20 and 22. Finally, in real estate, Johnson Newspapers Staff Writer Marcus Wolf reports on three former Exit More Real Estate agents who last month launched two separate independent brokerages. Maxine Quigg and Terry O’Brien opened Watertown-based Bridgeview Real Estate with 129 listings. Meanwhile, Jason Smith cut the ribbon Sept. 1 on Cooperative Real Estate — North Country Specialists in a remodeled office on Route 37 north of Watertown. Marcus’s story about Bridgeview Real Estate is on page 25 while his story about Cooperative Real Estate is on page 25. n
n
based band the Waydown Wailers. Five years ago, a group of friends launched the group as musicians who would produce a unique and original sound. Two successful albums later, the group is gaining global popularity and opened for a national act. Our interview starts on page 28. BUSINESS SCENE — This month’s Scene section, which begins on page 40, features 43 faces from nearly three-dozen businesses and organizations across the region. On Aug. 11, Carthage staffer Elaine Avallone joined the Carthage Area Chamber of Commerce for Business After Hours at Rooted Drifter Bar and Grille in West Carthage. On Aug. 23, columnist and photographer Jennifer McCluskey joined the St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce for its August Business in the Spotlight at JC’s River Run in Waddington. On Aug. 24, we joined the South Jeff Chamber of Commerce for Business After Hours at The Old Creamery Fabrics and Quilting in Ellisburg. Finally, on Aug. 25, we joined the Greater Watertown-North Country Chamber of Commerce for its August Business After Hours at Fairfield Inn & Suites in Watertown. 20 UNDER 40 — Nominations are now open for our 6th annual NNY Business 20 Under 40 program that honors emerging leaders who show promise in their professions and communities. Turn to page 7 for instructions on how to submit a nomination and look for more information in next month’s issue and on our website, nnybizmag.com, where you will find all the requisite details about the program and luncheon. On Wednesday, Dec. 7, we will recognize the class of 2016 during a luncheon at the Hilton Garden Inn, Watertown. CONTACT US — As always, if you have any questions, comments or general feedback, including story ideas, please call me at (315) 661-2399 or email keysaman@wdt.net. NNY Business strives to publish an accurate magazine each month. If you spot an error of fact, please let me know. Yours in business,
n
20 QUESTIONS — This month we sit down with two members of the multi-genre Canton-
N E X T MON T H n BUSINESS HISTORY: Our monthly feature about a north country business from th epast makes its return as we visit a once-thriving Lewis County family meat market. n SMALL BIZ STARTUP: A feature story about a recently opened north country small business in Jefferson County. n 20 QUESTIONS: An in-depth interview with a north country business leader. n PLUS: NNY Snapshot, Economically
8 | NNY Business | September 2016
Speaking, Commerce Corner, Nonprofits Today, Business Tech Bytes, Small Business Success, Real Estate, Agri-Business, Business History and Business Scene. n VISIT US ONLINE at nnybizmag.com for exclusive daily Wed content. Follow us on Twitter for daily updates at @NNYBusinessMag, like us on Facebook at facebook.com/nny business, and view eEditions at www.issuu. com/NNYBusiness.
P E O P L E O N T H E M O VE
SLU honors faculty, staff
St. Lawrence University, Canton, recently honored several employees for outstanding service. Mary Jane Smith, associate professor of history, received the Louis and Frances Maslow Award and Erin McCarthy, professor of philosophy, received the J. Calvin Keene Award. Lorie MacKenzie, associate dean of academic administration and registrar, received Smith the John P. “Jack” Taylor Distinguished Career Service Award. The Maslow Award was established in 1980 and goes to the faculty member who has shown the most interest in and understanding MacKenzie of the education and welfare of the student body as a whole. The Keene Award was established in 1975 and is given to a faculty member in recognition of high standards of personal scholarship, McCarthy effective teaching and moral concern. The Taylor Award was established in 1995 and recognizes distinguished service to the University by an administrator who has worked at least 12 years at the university.
Got business milestones? n Share your business milestones with NNY Business. Email news releases and photos (.jpg/300 dpi) to editor Ken Eysaman at keysaman@wdt.net. The deadline for submissions is the 10th of the month for the following month’s issue. Photos that don’t appear in print may be posted on our Facebook page.
New medical staff at St. Lawrence Health
St. Lawrence Health System recently welcomed two doctors, Mark A. Healey, M.D., and Maurice Bettez, M.D. Dr. Healey, a board-certified critical care, trauma and general surgeon, has joined St. Lawrence Health System with surgical privileges at Canton-Potsdam Hospital. He has begun seeing patients at 25 Cottage St., next door to the main hospital campus. Dr. Healey has been appointed medical director of the hospital’s Level III Trauma Center, which is also on the main hospital campus. He is a critical care specialist with expertise in managing medical or surgical patients who are very ill and require support in the intensive care unit. He has served as an intensivist in both medical and surgical ICUs and was director of the Surgical ICU at the University of Vermont Medical Center. Dr. Healey has been involved in medical and surgical quality assessment and improvement programs, including chairing the Department of Surgery Quality Assessment and Insurance Committee at Fletcher Allen Health Care. He served as the Vermont State Chairman of the American College of Surgeons’ Committee on Trauma, as chairman of the Education Committee of the national Trauma
Association of Canada, and as the Vermont State Chairman of the American College of Surgeons’ Committee on Trauma for Performance Improvement and Disaster Planning. Dr. Healey earned a medical degree from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont., and subsequently completed a general surgical residency at McGill University in Montréal. He completed a fellowship in trauma/ critical care at the University of California San Diego. He has held academic appointments at the University of California San Diego Medical Center, the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, the University of Vermont, and in the Master of Physician Assistant Studies program at Franklin Pierce University, West Lebanon, N.H. Dr. Healey is a diplomat of the American Board of Surgery. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada. Dr. Maurice Bettez, a specialist in otolaryngology — head and neck surgery — will practice in Potsdam with privileges at Canton-Potsdam Hospital. Dr. Bettez began seeing patients in July. Dr. Bettez earned a medical degree from the Université de Montréal, where he also completed a surgical internship. He subsequently completed residency and a fellowship in otorhinolaryngology, also at the Université de Montréal. He completed a fellowship in head and neck surgery and facial and plastic reconstructive surgery at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, Iowa. He is certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology, Chicago, and in otorhinolaryngology by the Corporation des Spécialistes de la Province de Québec. Dr. Bettez is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. He previously served as chief of surgery at Alice Hyde Medical Center, Malone.
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MACAR’S 161 Coleman Avenue Watertown • 788-3732
www.macarsinteriors.com
September 2016 | NNY Business
|9
Average New York surrogate* price for on-highway diesel
July 2016 $1.38 June 2016 $1.33 July 2015 $1.62
July 2016 $2.51 June 2016 $2.53 July 2015 $3.00
14.8
Average NNY price for gallon of regular unleaded gas July 2016 $2.28 June 2016 $2.35 July 2015 $2.82
Vehicles crossing the Thousand Islands bridge
19.1%
262,262 in July 2016 191,659 in June 2016 259,989 in July 2015
July 2016 $2.53 June 2016 $2.57 July 2015 $2.36
19.8%
Vehicles crossing the Ogdensburg-Prescott bridge 64,728 in July 2016 56,522 in June 2016 55,491 in July 2015
7.2%
Vehicles crossing the Seaway International (Massena) bridge 204,159 in July 2016 203,570 in June 2016 210,918 in July 2015
Jefferson-Lewis Board of Realtors single-family home sales 120, median price $127,500 in July 2016 117, median price $142,000 in June 2016 139, median price $138,900 in July 2015
Sales
Sales
U.S.-Canadian dollar exchange rate (Canadian dollars per U.S. dollar)
8.2%
$1.30 on July 29, 2016 $1.30 on June 30, 2016 $1.30 on July 31, 2015
Price
Source: Federal Reserve Bank of N.Y.
Nonagriculture jobs in the Jefferson-Lewis-St. Lawrence counties area, not including military positions
15.2%
91,500 in July 2016 92,200 in June 2016 90,200 in July 2015
Price
NNY unemployment rates Lewis County
New York State
United States
5.6
5.1 June 2016
July 2015
5.1 July 2016
5.4 July 2015
4.5 June 2016
5.0 July 2016
5.5 June 2016
6.0
5.5
5.8 June 2016
July 2016
6.0 July 2016
July 2015
6.0 July 2015
4.9 June 2016
5.2
7.0
St. Lawrence County
1.4%
Source: NYS Department of Labor
Source: Jefferson-Lewis / St. Lawrence boards of Realtors Inc.
Jefferson County
3.2%
Seaway International Bridge Corp.
St. Lawrence Board of Realtors single-family home sales 55, median price $106,000 in July 2016 61, median price $85,800 in June 2016 87, median price $92,000 in July 2015
36.8%
16.6%
Ogdensburg Bridge & Port Authority
Source: NYS Energy Research and Development Authority
13.7%
0.9%
Source: T.I. Bridge Authority
Average NNY price for gallon of residential propane
July 2016
ECON SNAPSHOT
Average NNY price for gallon of home heating oil July 2016 $2.19 June 2016 $2.22 July 2015 $2.73
16.3%
*Prices are the composite area that includes New York, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia. Source: U.S. DOE, Energy Information Administration
Source: NYS Department of Agriculture
10 | NNY Business | September 2016
(Percent gains and losses are over 12 months)
Average per-gallon milk price paid to N.Y. dairy farmers
July 2015
NNY
Economic indicators
Source: U.S. Department of Labor and New York State Department of Labor (Not seasonally adjusted. Latest available data reported.) Note: Due to updates in some “Econ. Snapshot� categories, numbers may differ from previously published prior month and year figures.
Economic indicators New automobiles (cars and trucks) registered in Jefferson County Trucks Cars 98 in July 2016 491 in July 2016 153 in June 2016 549 in June 2016 114 in July 2015 558 in July 2015
12.0%
NNY
14.0%
Source: Jefferson County Clerk’s Office
Passengers* at Watertown International Airport
Open welfare cases in Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties
3,498 in July 2016 2,979 in June 2016 4,670 in July 2015
2,258 in July 2016 2,279 in June 2016 2,302 in July 2015
25.1%
*Inbound and outbound passengers Source: Jefferson County Board of Legislators
Source: Social Service Depts. of Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties
DBA (doing business under an assumed name) certificates filed at the Jefferson County Clerk’s office Aug. 1 to AUG 31. For a complete list of DBAs filed in March and in past months, visit nnybizmag.com.
Aug. 31: Happy House Cleaning, 610 Alexandria St., Clayton, Gerald Thompson, 610 Alexandria St., Clayton. Aug. 29: Joe’s Small Engine Repair Service & Welding, 34373 Route 26, Carthage, Joseph Ginger, 34373 Route 26, Carthage. n Motts Topsoil, 30287 Route 12, Watertown, Paul Mott, 30287 Route 12, Watertown.
n Gary Phelps Jr. Construction, 20118 County Route 181, LaFargeville, Gary Phelps, 20118 County Route 181, LaFargeville. Aug. 26: Osborne Electric Company Publishing, 16301 Sandy Creek Valley Road, Watertown, Douglas Osborne, 16301 Sandy Creek Valley Road, Watertown. n 1000 Islands Aerial Photography, 33451 Route 12E, Cape Vincent, Brendan Crowley, 33451 Route 12E, Cape Vincent. n Call Safety Group, 1291 Faichney Drive, Watertown, Jeffrey Call, 16824 County Route 155, Watertown. Aug. 25: Bookrite, 33761 Lamb Road, Carthage, Matthew McMacken, 33761 Lamb Road, Carthage. n Shelbee On the Edge, 22207 Riverglade Drive, Watertown, Michelle Montoro, 22207 Riverglade Drive, Watertown. Aug. 24: Cerenity Dolls, 647 LeRay St., Watertown, Iona White, 647 LeRay St., Watertown. n Maid for the Military, 25146 William St., Calcium, Tammy Shankle, 25146 William St., Calcium. n Dennie Boys Auto and Small Engine, 9211 Cemetery Road, Clayton, Daniel Dennie, 9333 Cemetery Road, Clayton. Aug. 22: Gorilla Autoworx, 23438 Route 12, Watertown, Patrick Stein, 30473 Conklin Road, Evans Mills. n Mackenzie Reed Designs, 11275 Route 11, Adams, Mackenzie Gillett, 11275 Route 11, Adams. n Champion Swine, 32451 Route 126, Carthage, Jason Ashlaw, 32451 Route 126, Carthage. n Two Brothers, 24766 Sanford Corners Road, Calcium, Ronnie Weston, 24766 Sanford Corners Road, Calcium.
Yaira Nicole Beras, 14887-C Aspen Lane, Watertown. n Organized Nomad, 94405-B Timberline Drive, Fort Drum, Shelly Carlson, 94405-B Timberline Drive, Fort Drum. Aug. 12: Wild Botanika, 213 S. Broad St., Sackets Harbor, Andrew L. Crabb, 213 S. Broad St., Sackets Harbor. n Tonja B.S. Sleeping Consulting, 11515-A Overlook Place, Fort Drum, Tonja S. Bizor, 11515-A Overlook Place, Fort Drum. Aug. 11: Runaway Entertainment, 216 Keyes Ave., Watertown, Charles Francis Ruggiero Jr., 216 Keyes Ave., Watertown. Aug. 10: Wright Way, 118-C Joseph Lonsway Drive, Clayton, Gavin Wright Thomas, 118-C Joseph Lonsway Drive, Clayton. n Lt. Charcoal Creations, 106 Huntington St., Black River, 13612 Lauren Tatianna Trahan, 106 Huntington St., Black River. Aug. 9: Fort Drum Properties, 1685 Route 11, Watertown, Sylvia J. Buckingham, 1685 Route 11, Watertown, Diana S. Mullen, 15581 Pheasant Drive, Watertown, Kathy L. Woolf, 19103 Caird Road, Adams Center. Aug. 8: Nerdy Nester, 9446-C Few Loop, Fort Drum, Amanda Kay Patty, 9446-C Few Loop, Fort Drum. n K&C Cleaning, 26131 Route 3, Plessis, Chelsea Simpson, 26131 Route 3, Plessis. Aug. 5: North Country Plumbing and Pipe Drain, 5 Catherine Ave., Alexandria Bay, Jeffery Jay Bogart, 5 Catherine Ave. Alexandria Bay. n Dynamic Home Improvement, 830 State St., Carthage, Timothy Narbone, 830 State St., Carthage. n Chips Wholesale Snacks, 839 Washington St., Watertown, Charles F Burdick Jr., 839 Washington St., Watertown. n Bee Company, 35473 Route 180, Lafargeville, Kenneth A. McCardle, 26240 Mustard Road, Watertown. Aug. 4: Termin Distributing, 39130 Creek Road, Theresa, Jason R. Termin, 39130 Creek Road, Theresa.
Aug. 19: Mary Magdalene Church of Christ, 5654 Old State Road, Natural Bridge, Brian Stiles, 5654 Old State Road, Natural Bridge.
Aug. 3: 1000 Islands Spring Water, 10595 Route 9, Clayton, Lee Finley, 10595 Route 9, Clayton, Jessica Mcintosh, 10595 Route 9, Clayton.
n Clean Wave, 341 Dodge Ave., Sackets Harbor, Justin Keegan, 341 Dodge Ave., Sackets Harbor, Jamie Hubbard, 931 Franklin St., Watertown.
n Teramisu, 1116 Arsenal St., Suite 505, Watertown, Terri Lyn Turbolino, 18750 Waite Road, Adams Center.
n Seaway Plumbing Sewer and Drain Cleaning, 25 Bolton Ave., Alexandria Bay, Jeffrey Bogart, 25 Bolton Ave., Alexandria Bay. Aug. 18: Bringmea, 421 S. Hamilton St. Watertown, Virginia Brady, 421 S. Hamilton St. Watertown. n Two Nymphs, 37196 Pelo Road, Clayton, Vincent M. Prouty, 37196 Pelo Road, Clayton. Aug. 17: Spot on Cleaning Services, 324 Stone St. Watertown, Angel Lynn Mccabe, 324 Stone St. Watertown. Aug. 15: One Craft Mama Shop, 14887-C Aspen Lane, Watertown,
Aug. 1: Anchor Dance Studio, 24 James St., Alexandria Bay, Emily Joyce Ann Gill, 3 Greenhouse Road, Alexandria Bay. n Dans Wholesale Snacks, 8661 Route 97, Adams, Daniel Michael Mccargar, 8661 Route 97, Adams. n S & P Enterprise, 3792 Route 37, Morristown, Peter Yeung, 26 Dorey Court, Ottawa, Ont., Sui Mei Leung, 26 Dorey Court Ottawa, Ont. n Java Computers, 32324 Wilder Road, Lafargeville, Rebecca Orvis, 32324 Wilder Road, Lafargeville. n Nu Bren Way, 43709 Route 3, Natural Bridge, Shaun Mathew Olley, 3933 Factory Road, Natural Bridge.
transactions
DBAs
1.9%
September 2016 | NNY Business
| 11
Business briefcase RESTAURANT INDUSTRY
Fuccillo Auto Group owner plans new Italian eatery William B. “Billy” Fuccillo, the owner of Fuccillo Automotive Group, will soon close on his purchase of the former Café Mira, 14 Main St., and transform it into a new Italian restaurant. Mr. Fuccillo said last month that he plans to renovate the entire restaurant, which closed in early 2015, to provide a dining room suited for fine dining on the second floor and a casual sports bar on the first floor. The majority
of the restaurant’s profits will be given to local charitable causes. “I’m looking for a better lifestyle for the community,” said Mr. Fuccillo, who launched his auto empire in Adams after he purchased a defunct Dodge dealership there in 1989. Today, Mr. Fuccillo maintains his corporate headquarters in Adams and owns about 25 dealerships in New York and Florida. Renovations to the second floor will allow for an area that will hold 50 to 55 tables. Mr. Fuccillo also plans to install an “immaculate” kitchen. For the first floor, Mr. Fuccillo intends to expand the bar and install 12 to 16 TV sets.
Mr. Fuccillo said that he wanted to provide a relaxing space for customers to buy drinks and watch the latest sporting events. Mr. Fuccillo will write the menu with assistance from George Lucas, the owner of Ceno Grille, Cape Coral, Fla. The menu will feature Italian and Greek dishes similar to those Mr. Lucas serves at his restaurant, including chicken marsala, pork souvlaki, gyros and eggplant Parmesan. Mr. Fuccillo said all menu items will cost less than $20. Mr. Fuccillo said that he plans to hire approximately 36 employees to serve, cook and manage his restaurant. Mr. Lucas said he will help train the chefs to cook certain dishes and five homemade pasta sauces. “Any further instruction Mr. Fuccillo needs, I would be happy to help,” Mr. Lucas said. Mr. Fuccillo said he decided to purchase the former café because he wanted to provide another upscale place for village residents to eat, which he thought the village lacked. Mr. Fuccillo saw the “for sale” sign outside of the former café while he and a few co-workers were out at lunch during a corporate meeting. Kyle R. Hayes, co-owner of Gram’s Diner, a popular eatery across the street from the former Café Mira, said he is pleased to see Mr. Fuccillo’s new restaurant fill the empty space left by the shuttered café. “It is always sad to see empty businesses in downtown,” he said. Mr. Hayes’s only concern is parking availability for both restaurants. “The parking situation in downtown Adams isn’t great,” he said. Café Mira was owned and operated by Lori A. Wells and Lisa A. Reed, both of Rodman, from 2008 until the business closed last year. The business was devastated by fire in April 2010 though it later reopened that November. — Marcus Wolf PHILANTHROPY
Donates to cancer research
The Clayton Country Club, Clayton, has given $1,200 to the Gord Downy Fund for Brain Cancer Research. Proceeds from The Tragically Hip event at the country club were donated following the band’s final concert at the Rogers K-Rock Centre, Kingston, Ont., which the country club streamed live on the internet Aug. 20. Gordon Edgar “Gord” Downie, lead singer and lyricist for the Canadian rock band the Tragically Hip, was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer in December. Despite the diagnosis, Mr. Downie and the band went forward with a summer tour in support of a new album. Approximately 400 people attended the live streaming event at the Clayton Country Club, while an estimated 11.7 million people watched the CBC’s broadcast and livestreamed concert. — Holly Boname
12 | NNY Business | September 2016
Sm all Bu siness sta rt up BUSINESS
Maple Rock Bed & Breakfast THE INITIAL IDEA
After working the hospitality industry as a college student, Audrey Roberts always planned to own her own bed and breakfast one day. “I just like the hospitality industry,” she said. “It was actually something that I’ve always wanted to do.” That day came sooner than she thought, though, when she learned that her job as a family consumer science teacher at FranklinEssex-Hamilton BOCES was being cut. Her husband, Jake Roberts, said it was time for her to move on and asked her what she truly wanted to do. Her answer was to open a bed and breakfast. “I said, ‘well, let’s make it happen,’” Mr. Roberts said. “People do this all the time, so why can’t we? It doesn’t have to be impossible.”
TARGET CLIENTELE
Within five miles of downtown Potsdam, Maple Rock Bed & Breakfast is in the perfect position to be a small country inn, but to also have access to downtown life and the universities. “We’re within minutes of the college, yet we’re in this country setting,” Mr. Roberts said. “It’s very peaceful. We have wildlife walk across the backyard. It has a very homey feel.” The majority of the Roberts’ clientele are visitors to SUNY Potsdam, mainly parents of students or alumni. Although, business was slow to pick up when it first opened in August 2015, Maple Rock is booked for all the big weekends in the Potsdam area, including graduation weekends in 2017. “It allowed us to really hone the experience,” Mrs. Roberts said. “It won’t be long before we’re at max every weekend.” A large spark in interest in the business was started by Mrs. Roberts’ cooking classes, which she began in January, starting with one a month. “The classes generated huge interest,” she said. “I thought they weren’t going to take off.” Mrs. Roberts now offers three cooking classes including a ladies class called “Tapas and Tatas” for groups of friends to share small plate dishes, a “Friends or Lovers” class for friends or couples to make a full meal with a paired wine, and a new seasonal class called “Burgers and Brews.” Mrs. Roberts earned her certification in wine pairing and she sources many of her ingredients locally. What makes the classes different, though, she said, is that it’s an experience where the participants cook the meal and then sit down and share it, similar to having a meal in a restaurant. There are no similar classes in the north country, she said.
THE JOURNEY Maple Rock Bed & Breakfast means a lot more than simply a dream come
JASON HUNTER | NNY BUSINESS
“Ideally, I’d like it to become a destination.” — Audrey Roberts, owner, Maple Rock Bed & Breakfast true for Mrs. Roberts. It was a way to keep the property in the family. Her great-grandparents built and owned the raised ranch at 719 Old Potsdam Parishville Road in 1974, and her parents, who live in her grandmother’s old property next door, later inherited the property. Growing up, Mrs. Roberts said her and her brother’s favorite spot to play was the large glacial deposit located among the maple trees on the property near one of its ski trails, the inspiration for the Maple Rock. In 2008, though, the ranch house burned to its foundation, which remained unused until the Roberts’ looked into building their bed and breakfast. “It was essentially a foundation that nobody was going to do anything with,” Mrs. Roberts said. “I like the idea that it’s in the family. It has a good story.” After approaching her parents about using the property and foundation to build her business, Mrs. Roberts and her husband began drawing the plans. Maple Rock began as a seven-bedroom building, but was scaled down to five bedrooms after the Roberts learned that zoning and code regulations required a commercial kitchen for a bed and breakfast that accommodated more than 11 people and that went against Mrs. Roberts idea of a homey kitchen for cooking classes. “It would have to be a waterproof floor, stainless steel, sterile,” she said. “It’s not the vibe I wanted.” Construction began in December 2013 and the Roberts were supposed to be able to get in the building by August, but issues with the first crew sticking to a timeline delayed them until June 2015. The delay caused other issues for the couple
because they sold their house in anticipation that they’d move into Maple Rock. Instead, Mrs. Roberts said they were essentially homeless for nine months, living in her parent’s garage. After construction was complete in June, Mr. Roberts, an English teacher at Potsdam High School, spent his summer break finishing odds and ends, including the decks and landscaping, before the formal opening ahead of SUNY Potsdam’s Parents’ Weekend.
IN FIVE YEARS
The Roberts have no end in sight with plans for their bed and breakfast to make it more than just a place where people spend the night. “We’ve got a lot of ideas, a lot of things we want to do,” Mrs. Roberts said. “I want it to be like an event facility.” Mrs. Roberts plans to host baby showers, bridal showers and possibly even small weddings in a few years. The couple also wants to make use of the landscape of their north country property by offering hunting packages and fixing up the trails for hiking and cross-country skiing. Mr. Roberts said it would be nice to link trails on th eproperty with a larger St. Lawrence County trail system. Mr. Roberts is looking into opening his own nano-brewery on the property to offer signature beers to the guests and possibly become a stop on a local craft brewery tour. Mrs. Roberts said she plans to make Maple Rock at must-see “stopping point” while visitors are in Potsdam. “Ideally, I’d like it to become a destination,” she said. — Karee Magee
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September 2016 | NNY Business
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COV E R STORY Mark Thompson, vice president of Jefferson Concrete Corp., Watertown, talks about the creation of concrete bridge sections over a cacophony of activity in the concrete yard. Below, a Jefferson Concrete employee works on concrete bridge sections.
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C O V E R S T O RY
The strategy to persevere
through change Diversification, workforce investment keys to success for north country firms as leaders manage in challenging economic times
STORY BY NORAH MACHIA | PHOTOS BY AMANDA MORRISON
M
Many north country business leaders face the same challenges during a fluctuating economy, regardless of the size of their operations. Some of these challenges include changes in consumer spending, increased operating costs, expanded regulations and a growth of competition in the marketplace. One key strategy among several business leaders is diversification as a form of business development. Some modify existing products, while others also add new products to their lines. This type of strategy has allowed businesses to increase sales to existing customers while at the same time, enter new markets. Another key strategy of north country business leaders is investment in their workforce, such as advanced training, enhanced benefits and, in some cases, the opportunity to eventually buy into the company. We visited three north country businesses for some examples of strategies leaders have employed that have proved beneficial during tough economic times. This is their story.
Jefferson Concrete Corp., Watertown The demand for infrastructure work in the north country started to decline when the economy took a downward turn in 2008, but diversifying its product line helped one Watertown company maintain and grow its operations. “It’s not been an easy seven or eight years in this business,” said Mark W. Thompson, vice president of Jefferson Concrete Corp., Murrock Circle. “It’s been ugly. We’ve never worked harder since 2008.” The key has been to diversify, and at the same time, continue to treat all customers with the same amount of attention, he said. “We survive on a lot of small work, combined with the larger contracts,” he said. “I don’t care what the cost of the project, it’s still important.” The company may be working on box beams for major bridge projects (such as a recent 76-foot span for a state highway in Potsdam), and at the same time, staff will help a customer
September 2016 | NNY Business
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C OV E R STORY walking into the Watertown office looking for a residential septic tank. “Although we have diversified, we still serve the entire marketplace with our products,” Mr. Thompson said. “That’s what sets us aside from others in this business.” The Watertown company produces a variety of precast concrete products, including burial vaults, catch basins, manholes, septic tanks, light-pole bases and bridge beams. One of its current projects is manufacturing precast concrete bases for electrical substations as part of a construction project for National Grid and
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Rochester Gas and Electric. Jefferson Concrete Corp. not only serves the north country, but also the Utica, Syracuse and Oswego areas, and periodically serves the Albany, Ithaca and Rochester regions as well. “That’s the result of building good, long-lasting relationships with customers,” Mr. Thompson said. The company’s diversification strategy that has allowed it to continue to successfully operate in times of economic pressures means “we don’t have a niche in the market, and that’s been on purpose,” said Mr. Thompson. Jefferson Concrete Company was originally started in 1967 with a batch plant and buildings on Cook Road in the town of Watertown. A 1987 fire destroyed the structures, just almost a year after the company had invested $50,000 to upgrade its facilities. But the fire served as a catalyst for the company to move to a larger location and further expand production of precast concrete products. Mr. Thompson co-owns the company with the adult children of the late Watertown attorney Richard F. Schwerzmann;
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Peter A. Schwerzmann and Julie Gilbane, and a daughter-in-law, Ghita Schwerzmann, widow of a second son, Gary, who passed away in 2007. Although the initial start was in the burial vault business, the company soon expanded in others areas, such as agriculture, said Mr. Thompson. During its earlier years, when there were “probably more cows than people” in the north country, there was a bigger demand for precast concrete products such as bunk feeders for cattle, he said. The expansion of Fort Drum saw the company shift its focus more to infrastructure products for highways and bridges, such as beams, catch basins, parking lot drainage boxes and light pole bases. There was also demand for infrastructure growth with the expansion of the military post and subsequent utility work for new on-post housing. “We definitely grew through the Fort Drum years,” Mr. Thompson said. “The expansion of the 10th Mountain Division gave us the opportunity to produce many more products.” After the Fort Drum expansion, other opportunities presented themselves. In 1998, the company produced and delivered concrete floors, walls and ceilings for the outdoor “exercise yards” used by inmates at the Upstate Correction Facility in Malone, a 750-cell maximum security prison. But while the economic downturn of 2008 slowed operations for the company, the business has been experiencing a gradual upswing, Mr. Thompson said. “This past year, it’s been getting a lot better, especially the bridge work,” he said. The demand is also increasing for precast concrete products such as septic tanks and manholes as the construction industry starts to recover, he said. Mr. Thompson credits the more than 40 employees at the company who have contributed to the success of the business and its survival through challenging economic times. “We have surrounded ourselves with talented people,” he said. “A business is only as good as its people.” In fact, several of the company’s employees have completed a “Master Precaster” educational program through the National Precast Concrete Association, Indiana. There are six on staff who have completed the training program (a seventh recently retired), and two more will complete that certification in 2017.
C O V E R S T O RY Kinney Drugs, Gouverneur Since Gouverneur native Burt Kinney opened the first Kinney Drug store in 1903, the company has experienced significant growth throughout New York and Vermont. Today, there are 100 Kinney Drug stores operating within these two states. The company has evolved a great deal over time as it seized various opportunities to diversify into several complementary businesses, all focused on delivering pharmacy and health care services. Subsequently, the company rebranded as KPH Healthcare Services, Inc., a national provider of pharmaceutical and health care services with complementary businesses in both the retail and commercial segments of the industry, said Judith Cowden, senior director of advertising and marketing. KPH Healthcare Services is comprised of four divisions: Kinney Drugs, established in 1903, a chain of 100 full-service drug stores in New York and Vermont; Health Direct Institutional Pharmacy Services, set up in 1982, which serves long-term care and alternative care needs; ProAct, Inc., set up in 1999, a pharmacy benefit management company with sales offices throughout the country and a mail-order pharmacy; and Noble Health Services, set up 2013, a specialty pharmacy that dispenses medications used to treat complex and chronic diseases. “We consolidate purchasing power across all divisions to deliver cost savings to clients and customers while maintaining quality-of-care standards and our core values,” Ms. Cowden said. In 2008, Kinney Drugs became a 100 percent employee-owned company, also known as an Employee Stock Ownership Plan company, to support its long-term corporate independence and private ownership. “Employee-ownership fosters a higher level of individual commitment to the organization,” said Kinney Drugs President
JUSTIN SORENSEN | NNY BUSINESS
North country Kinney Drugs employees who have been with the company longer than 30 years stand outside the retailer’s Gouverneur distribution center last month. In 2008, the company became 100 percent employee owned.
James M. Spencer. “There is a deep sense of personal accountability, because no one wants to let the team down.” The employee-ownership model is very evident in Kinney’s corporate culture, which is highly collaborative, empowered, and proactive, he said. “We help each other overcome obstacles because we really are all in this together,” Mr. Spencer said. “Employee ownership also lengthens the horizon for decisionmaking, because everyone is working to ensure the long-term success of the organization.” That success is accomplished by meeting the company’s goal of “creating positive health outcomes and the best shopping experiences that drive, trust, passion, and growth for Kinney Drugs,” he said. The senior leadership team strives to communicate with KPH’s more than 3,400 employees at all levels on a regular
basis to obtain feedback and share ideas, he said. This practice has helped the organization continue to focus on customer care during challenging economic times, which includes not only competition from larger national chain pharmacies, but also changing health care regulations. “As with all health care providers, pharmacies are regulated by local, state, and federal governments,” explained Ms. Cowden. “As such, there is a great deal of uncertainty in the entire health care system as it struggles to transition from fee-forservice to a mandated value-based model.” This uncertainty is “compounded by the unpredictability of the U.S. presidential election, the results of which will undoubtedly have a major impact on our health care system,” she added. “There are also more and larger competitors entering into our markets,”
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COV E R STORY Ms. Cowden said. “These large national and/or international competitors enjoy both economies of scale and lower volumedriven pricing.” All pharmacies — large and small — also face the same challenge of fluctuating market prices for prescription drugs, she added. “Market prices for prescription drugs are directly influenced by large third-party payers — including Medicare and Medicaid — that will pay only a certain price for each medication, creating big challenges for both pharmacies and consumers,” she said. “These third party payers have drastically reduced reimbursements and tightened plan requirements.” This creates a situation where “both pharmacies and consumers are squeezed in the middle” because of increasing pharmaceutical prices on one side coupled with declining insurers’ reimbursements on the other side, Ms. Cowden added. But “while Kinney may not have the buying power of large national chains, but we have a personal connection with our patients and local market knowledge, meaning that we can be very nimble in meeting specialized and sometimes rapidly changing consumer and industry demands,” she said. “Our pharmacists are truly looking out for our patients,” Ms. Cowden said. “They
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may call to check on patients, particularly those with serious and/or chronic conditions, to make sure that they are taking their medications as prescribed, and answer any questions.” It’s the “personalized attention that helps our patients improve health outcomes, which is great for them, and also helps Kinney exceed the insurance companies’ standards of care,” she added. Kinney Drugs was recently recognized by CVS Caremark, the prescription benefit management business of CVS Health, as the top pharmacy chain in the country (within the Caremark performance network) for patient medication adherence performance in 2015. The organization is also very focused on supporting the community, Ms. Cowden said. Each Kinney Drug store typically hosts one community event per month a month to benefit a local nonprofit or school-based organization, she said. That adds up to approximately 1,000 events per year. Also, since its inception in 2006, the Kinney Drugs Foundation has given more than $9 million to nonprofit organizations in New York and Vermont, including the Children’s Miracle Network, Make-a-Wish Foundation, the American Cancer Society, the Boys & Girls Club, the Vera House Foundation, and
numerous local hospitals, nursing homes, hospices, emergency service providers, and health-related children’s charities In July, KPH was recognized by the American Heart Association as the top fundraising company in the country for raising $30,000 for the Go Red for Women campaign’s Wear Red Day 2016. YesterYear’s Vintage Doors, Hammond The Vintage Door Company was started in 1990 by Howard W. Demick, and today, the company handcrafts between 2,000 and 3,000 custom-made vintage doors in its 13,000 square-foot facility, shipping to customers across the United States and Canada. The business is operated by Mr. Demick, president and general manager, along with his wife, Rosemary, who maintains the bookkeeping records, and their two adult children, Ryan and Erica, both graduates of Clarkson University with business degrees. Ryan and Erica are responsible for sales, advertising and daily management. Vintage Doors produces custom exterior and interior doors, along with millwork, earning a reputation for its exceptional quality and artistry. The finest furniture grade solid woods are used in every handcrafted piece, employing “time-honored joinery techniques by expert craftsmen,” according to the company. “Our family business has seen stable growth over years due to well thought-out advertising methods, stable product turnaround production times, a solid reputation and committed, hard-working staff, including four key family members and eight to nine craftsmen and woodworkers,” said Erica Demick, the company’s national sales and marketing manager. “In recent years, we have undergone a strategic planning process to help jumpstart and brainstorm growth initiatives, as well as prepare for suitable transition planning into the next generation,” she said. Their hand-crafted products are requested by homeowners, architects, historians, preservationists and contractors both at a local and nationwide level. The company offers a vast number of options for standard doors, including panel and glass configurations, in addition to customization and matching capabilities. It also carries a large collection of period hardware. “Diversification is always an interesting topic,” said Ms. Demick. “When the business first began more than 26 years ago, the focus was purely on Victorian or ornate-style screen doors — which were marketed, sold, hand-crafted, crated and delivered by my father.” It was her mother who eventually
C O V E R S T O RY encouraged him to diversify into specific style lines, such as those for traditional, Victorian, rustic and contemporary-style homes, Ms. Demick said. “Another growth mechanism was the addition of interior and exterior doors, as well as Dutch doors, which are making a comeback in the marketplace,” she said. “Everyone loves a “Mr. Ed” door.” In recent years, the company has diversified by adding Three Season Porches to its product offerings, as well as customized pet gates and pet doors, along with pedestrian and garden gates. “There is truly no limit to what we can produce, as we have talented craftsmen and a love by our founder and CEO for fine woodworking,” Ms. Demick said Some projects completed by Vintage Doors include cabinetry and interior millwork for historic structures such as Boldt Castle, as well as a variety of fireplace mantels, butcher blocks, shutters and more. “However, we have vowed not to lose focus on our core products and abilities,” she said. “Our mission remains to make the best solid wood doors in the world, and enhancing upon what we already know, to be able to help more people bring beauty, timelessness and distinction to their homes.” One of the “major challenges to our line of work is the ability to find skilled labor. We have generally been able to train our people if they have had basic construction knowledge and abilities,” she said. Vintage Doors offers “hands-on training to each and every one of our new employees, with the hope that their interest in being a part of a great team and producing the finest quality hand-made products will continue,” she said. As part of its retention plan, the company offers retirement, a profit-sharing plan, paid time off, including holidays and vacation time, she said. “This is after a probationary period to ensure the employee is a good fit for our company, and likewise, we are a good fit for them,” Ms. Demick said. For the most part, “if an individual is employed with us for at least a year, they will probably be with us for a long-term. We have a great group of individuals who work well together currently, with little turnover,” she said. “Additionally, we pride ourselves in hiring only when we know there is a longterm position available, as a courtesy not only to the employee and their family, but as a part of our vision for creating a sound business,” Ms. Demick said. “We do not hire for part-time or have layoffs.”
From left, Erica Demick, father, Howard W., mother, Rosemary, and brother, Ryan. Howard W. Demick started the Vintage Door Company in 1990. STEPHEN SWOFFORD | NNY BUSINESS
But the “most important business decision we will make, and almost certainly the toughest in terms of business planning, will be undergoing family business transition planning,” she added. The company is also working toward key partnerships, she added. For example, this year it has partnered with “Trees for the Future,” a program that calls for the com-
pany to plant one tree for every door sold. “This makes a statement for clients, and our business, because we care immensely about our planet,” she added. n Norah Machia is a freelance writer who lives in Watertown. She is a 20-year veteran journalist and former Watertown Daily Times reporter. Contact her at norahmachia@gmail.com.
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September 2016 | NNY Business
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FE AT UR E S
Soldiers, veterans, and military spouses complete applications for Toyota during a large-scale job fair at Fort Drum last August. Human resources professionals say there are many keys to recruiting and retaining a quality workforce.
AMANDA MORRISON | NNY BUSINESS
Organic talent growth Guiding a strong workforce to success requires investment By Holly Boname
G NNY Business
rowth of a successful company doesn’t merely come from a solid business plan, north country human resource professionals say. It’s critical to understand that people are an organization’s greatest asset. Knowledge and dedication of employees also helps drive greater achievement. Northern New York human resource professionals are working hard to develop and grow the talents of new and existing professionals, setting them and their firms up for lasting success. Cultivating a company culture through creative recruitment, retention and training practices are each important steps and have become the new face of the human resources management across the tri-coun-
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ty region. Personnel departments are no longer segmented from the daily routines of businesses and now stand side-by-side with the team, developing talent through to enhance productivity and create a sense of professional empowerment. Angel Munson, business services representative for The Workplace, Watertown, said a new trend in hiring and retaining local talent is targeting those who best fit the company’s culture. “The biggest trend I have seen on the business services side is a lot of our employers have stopped looking for specific skills; they are hiring for cultural fit and then they are training the employees.” Company culture needs to match an employee’s professional goals, work ethic and interest in learning different skills to succeed in a new job and grow with a company. Ms. Munson said when job seekers
interview they should let their personality distinguish themselves from the pack. At Alexandria Bay’s River Hospital, promoting a positive culture is very important for the human resources team when seeking and retaining quality employees. “In an honest answer, respect of one another creates our family-like culture. We all work as a team, wearing multiple hats in our small hospital environment,” said Lisa McCarty, director of human resources. “Our team-building exercises are done yearly to bring staff together for personal and professional awareness of one another.” Melanie Rafferty, president of Cortel Improvement LLC, a full-service management consulting firm in Carthage, said retaining local talent depends on a businesses’ culture and training that occurs while recruiting new employees or working to retain staff. Cortel is experienced in
FEATURES human resources, corporate training and organizational development. “Companies that don’t believe they want to spend any money on training have massive turnover. And those that understand that they need to have those assessment tools up front hire the best person,” Mrs. Rafferty said. “They take the time to hire the best person and have some one-on-one management coaching and, of course, great onboarding, great on the job training and some other things like team-building (exercises).” River Hospital has established several training initiatives to provide department managers with skills to manage, grow, and retain staff. The hospital also uses social media and online recruiting tools to market vacancies and training opportunities. “We respect and appreciate our staff daily,” Ms. McCarty said, adding that people are the hospital’s No. 1 resource. With the right tools in place, Mrs. Rafferty said, businesses and organizations can retain staff they have recruited and continue to develop their skills for years to come. According to the New York State Department of Labor, the number of local professionals staying in the area and securing employment has increased from 45,600 Watertown and Fort Drum residents in July 2015 to 46,400 in July 2016. River Hospital seeks local talent through several avenues and uses resources to bolster professional development. “We have some amazing people who have chosen to come back to the area,” said Peter Whitmore, Jefferson County Workforce Development Board chairman. “I am seeing more people choosing to stay here or finding their way back here. I think we have a great critical mass and I hope we can keep them here and continue to grow that mass.” River Hospital’s Ms. McCarty cited the importance of building positive relationships with local colleges. “We build relationships with college career placement centers and internship directors for recruitment in our specialty programs,” Ms. McCarty said. “Many of our employees (have) referred friends and family members.” n HOLLY BONAME is a magazine associate for NNY Magazines. Contact her at hboname@ wdt.net or 661-2381.
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FE AT UR E S Through its “Luggage with Love: Helping Kids Move with Dignity” project, the Jefferson Leadership Institute lass of 2014 collected donations of new or gently used backpacks or duffle bags for children at the Children’s Home of Jefferson County, during the month of April. From left, first row: Morgan Bocciolatt, Mercedes McIntyre, Jenn Dindl, Jeanne LaRock, and Katrina McIntyre. From left, second row: Bonnie Eppolito, Kerry Young, Jill VanHoesen, and Annette Mason. NNY BUSINESS FILE PHOTO
Leadership in action
Region’s chambers of commerce offer leader growth programs By Holly C. Boname
L
NNY Business
eadership is not about titles or professional status; it’s about motivating and inspiring others to achieve a goal or vision, the centerpiece for many community-based leadership programs in the tri-county region. The Greater Watertown-North Country Chamber of Commerce and the Lewis and St. Lawrence County chambers of commerce operate leadership programs in each of their counties that immerse participants in community issues and develop their leadership skills, build strong relationships and encourage participation in effecting positive change across their communities. Program participants learn about local and regional history, past and present leaders and the significance of geographical locations on their communities. Each month a new industry is visited, including sectors of media and telecommunications, agriculture, tourism and natural resources, health care, nonprofits, Fort Drum and more. The Greater Watertown-North Country
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Chamber of Commerce began its Jefferson Leadership Institute in 1991, which has since grown into an all-encompassing program that highlights the major functional areas of the economy in Jefferson County. Kylie Peck, president and CEO for the Greater Watertown-Chamber of Commerce said that while participants weave themselves into the fabric that makes up Jefferson County, participants are able to look at issues facing the community from many angles and develop a plan to spearhead solutions through class projects. The program serves as a tool for community members to not only learn about the economic drivers of our region, but it also provides great insight to strengthening leadership abilities from within. The 2014 JLI class organized a campaign called “Luggage With Love: Helping Kids Move With Dignity,” which provided new and gently used luggage to children in foster care. As foster children often move to new homes many carry their clothes and personal belongings in grocery or trash bags. For the most part, Mrs. Peck said JLI’s mission has continued on the same path its founders intended.
“In 2013, the chamber partnered with the Northern New York Community Foundation to offer a scholarship to a not-for-profit organization to participate in JLI,” she said. “This has been a great partnership as Jefferson County has many not-for-profit organizations serving the communities. The addition of the scholarship continues to diversify the class year after year.” The St. Lawrence Leadership Institute has operated as a leadership program of the St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce since 2007, with its first class held in 1994. The program has not operated since the 2010-2011 class year, but it’s being brought back to life, said Brooke Rouse, St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce executive director. The program “is transitioning to become a part of SUNY Potsdam’s Center for Lifelong Education and Recreation, which will make it available to community leaders, as well as students enrolled at SUNY Potsdam,” Mrs. Rouse said. There will be a four-credit option and non-credit option, with a class format that includes leadership skills development as well as an overview of the different
FEATURES functional areas of the county to develop informed leaders. Topics will include education, health care and government with leaders from those areas participating in presentations and conversations with participants. SUNY Potsdam anticipates enrolling a class for fall 2017. Through its last SLLI class, a wide range of community members have enrolled in the leadership program and are encouraged to attend based on their employment at time the of enrollment, Mrs. Rouse said. “Common participants include new employees, young professionals and/or those who have been identified by their companies as emerging leaders,” Mrs. Rouse said. “The larger employers in the county typically sponsor a participant, including the colleges, hospitals, banks and local governments.” Similarly, the Lewis County Chamber also enriches its professional community with the Lewis County Leadership Academy. The academy began in 2011 and, due to administrative changes, is on hold for this year, resuming again in August 2017. Anne Merrill, executive director of the Lewis County Chamber of Commerce, Lowville, will retire later this year and the program placed on hold until a successor is named. But the leadership academy will remain the same as it has in previous years. The Lewis County Leadership Academy meets monthly at a different business throughout the county, with topics that differ and offer education and professional development of specific leadership skills. Ms. Merrill said the wide variety of topics and lessons have helped many young professionals to advance their careers. “Many have become prominent board members, run for public office and have had major promotions in their careers. Many members wanted to become more involved in their communities, while some wanted to take on leadership roles and thought that this would help them prepare,” Ms. Merrill said. “We have had businesses thank us for offering the program and were glad that they put their employees through the academy.” To date, hundreds of Northern New York professionals have developed their leadership skills and gone on to enhance the ever-growing pool of talented leaders throughout the tri-county region. For more information on any of the three leadership programs contact your local chamber of commerce. n HOLLY BONAME is a magazine associate for NNY Magazines. Contact her at hboname@ wdt.net or 661-2381.
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R EAL E STATE ROUNDUP
Senate should act on flood insurance
W
ith Congress back in session, Realtors and consumers are hoping the U.S. Senate takes action on flood insurance. There are several areas of concern, including reauthorizing the National Flood Insurance Program, or NFIP, before it expires Sept. 30, 2017. The first of these is the “Flood Insurance Market Parity and Modernization Act” or H.R. 2901. In April the House of Representatives passed this unanimously 419-0. As of now, the Senate has not taken action on the bill. The measure encourages the development of private market options where property owners lack access to affordable coverage under the NFIP. While Realtors support and believe in the necessity of a strong NFIP, a vibrant private flood insurance market will provide a choice of products to property owners looking to meet their individual flood insurance needs. This bill clarifies that property owners may satisfy the federal requirement to buy and maintain a minimum amount of flood insurance with private market or NFIP coverage. This continuous coverage provision is essential to allow homeowners to move between the NFIP and private insurance without punitive rate hikes. The provision fosters the growth of private insurance plans and also protects homeowners by preserving the NFIP as a viable choice, keeping homeowners from becoming stranded should private insurance options contract or become more expensive after major floods. It is important to note that the Financial Services Committee agreed to bipartisan improvements to strengthen the bill. Another area of concern to Realtors and
property owners is reauthorization of the NFIP, which needs to be done by Sept. 30, 2017. Without the NFIP, millions of homeowners and small business owners in more than 20,000 Lance Evans communities nationwide will not be able to obtain a mortgage or insurance to protect their property against the most expensive and common natural disaster in the U.S. — flooding. The NFIP was created because of the lack of access to affordable flood insurance coverage in the private market. It also reduced the number of uninsured properties that otherwise would rebuild with taxpayerfunded disaster relief after major floods. With all of the lakes, rivers and streams in Northern New York, our area has many properties that require flood insurance. It is vital to have a strong NFIP coupled with a consumer-friendly private insurance market that will provide property owners with the choices they demand. Our region’s Realtors join their counterparts and consumers across the country in urging the Senate to pass the bipartisan HR 2901. This is the first step toward Congress reforming and reauthorizing the National Flood Insurance Program before the end of next September. WCR Golf Tournament The Tri-County Chapter of the Women’s Council of Realtors held its sixth annual golf tournament Friday, July 29, at
Highland Meadows Golf and Country Club. A portion of the proceeds from this year’s event benefits the Wellness Center Art Therapy Program at River Hospital, Alexandria Bay. There were three platinum sponsors — Community Bank NA, Northern Credit Union, and Timothy A Farley P.C., Attorney at Law. Other major sponsors included Menter, Rudin, and Trivelpiece, P.C. (dinner), Fairport Mortgage (lunch at the turn), Farm Credit East (towel), First Niagara (photo), Hrabchak & Gebo Langone P.C. (breakfast), and R. Martin’s Contracting LLC (putting contest). There were also 26 individual hole sponsors. The four-person captain-and-crew tournament attracted 21 teams that divided into divisions for men, women, and co-ed. The team of Nick Sterling, Patrick Riley, Michael Riley and Dustin Lallier won the Men’s Division contest. The team of Leslie Timerman, Jaycee Walsh, Sue Rapant and Autumn Winters took the Women’s Division title. Co-ed Division winners were Betty Compeau, Billy Compeau, Brian Chester and Lynn Chester. Tom Penn and Kim Casero won the putting contest. Chris Andiorio, Northern Credit Union, served as event chairman. Other committee members included Janet Handschuh, Heart Homes Real Estate, Gloria Peluso, Bridgeview Real Estate Services, Cheryl Schroy, First Niagara and Wendy Jane Smith, Cross Keys Real Estate LLC. n LANCE M. EVANS is the executive officer of the Jefferson-Lewis Board of Realtors and the St. Lawrence County Board of Realtors. Contact him at levans@nnymls.com. His column appears monthly in NNY Business.
Liberty GLASS & WINDOW INC.
24 | NNY Business | September 2016
RE A L E S TAT E
Pair opens new brokerage firm n Bridgeview Real Estate: Former Exit More employees launch with 129 listings By MARCUS WOLF
Maxine Quigg, left, and Terry O’Brien opened Bridgeview Real Estate Services, a Watertownbased independent real estate brokerage.
A NNY Business
fter hearing that Exit More Real Estate was closing its doors, former employees Terry M. O’Brien and Maxine M. Quigg decided to open their own brokerage, Bridgeview Real Estate Services LLC, adding to the trend of independent brokerages opening in the area. Mrs. Quigg said that she and Mr. O’Brien opened their brokerage May 16, the same day they received their broker licenses and left Exit More Real Estate. Their team of real estate agents sells both residential and commercial properties and their company has 129 active listings. “It was kind of a flurry of activity,” Mrs. Quigg said. Along with Mrs. Quigg and Mr. O’Brien, 25 real estate agents and two administrative assistants work for the company, the majority of them joining once Exit More Real Estate closed. “We really work as a team in our office,” Mrs. Quigg said. Rather than joining a franchise, Mr. O’Brien and Mrs. Quigg decided to open their brokerage as an independent when they received the support from their former colleagues. Mrs. Quigg said that both she and Mr. O’Brien researched and interviewed with multiple franchises to determine the cost of maintaining Exit More Real Estate’s marketing services for their new company. At the time, they determined that the services would be too costly to maintain if their brokerage was independent.
135 Keyes Avenue, Watertown, New York
315-782-4910
AMANDA MORRISON | NNY BUSINESS
“We didn’t want our services to diminish from Exit,” Mrs. Quigg said. Once their co-workers decided to join them, Mrs. Quigg and Mr. O’Brien were able to provide their colleagues the same marketing services and greater commission split than they would earn with a franchise, Mrs. Quigg said. “It was honorable to have their support,” Mr. O’Brien said. Mrs. Quigg and Mr. O’Brien purchased the majority of Exit More Real Estate’s listings and assets from former broker and owner Mary C. Adair, but she still works with them as their associate broker. Mrs. Adair said that she joined Bridgeview Real Estate Services because she wanted to continue working with her coworkers part-time. “I had decided to semi-retire,” she said. “I absolutely love it. We’re like a family.” With the resources they purchased from Mrs. Adair, Mrs. Quigg and Mr. O’Brien developed a marketing strategy similar to their
former employer. Mrs. Quigg said that their company provides real estate agents with professional photos, website promotion, staging and a privately contracted drone operator. Mr. O’Brien said that his daughter, Gabrielle E. O’Brien, manages the company’s blog. “We work very hard to be ahead of the curve with search optimization,” she said. Mrs. Quigg said the company office, which is located at 145 Clinton St., Suite 111, was move-in ready and only required a few decorations. Mr. O’Brien said that their lease is with the Watertown Savings Bank. “They have been fantastic in helping us,” he said. Mrs. Quigg said that she and Mr. O’Brien plan to host a grand opening early this fall. “At the end of the day, what it comes down to is not treating this as a hobby, but as a profession,” she said. “We’re (our customers’) advocates, and they respect us for that.” n MARCUS WOLF is a Johnson Newspapers staff writer. Contact him at mwolf@wdt.net or 661-2371.
(315) 782-4910 • 1-800-772-4201 • Fax: (315) 785-8248 www.dlcalarco.com • francee@dlcalarco.com
September 2016 | NNY Business
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R EAL E STATE Jason Smith, right, has opened a North Country Specialists, a real estate firm at 24685 Route 37, Watertown, with co-workers Michael Ablan, left, and Jeff Powell. The team sells commercial and residential real estate throughout the north country. AMANDA MORRISON | NNY BUSINESS
Realtor goes independent Agent once with Exit More opens office on Route 37
By MARCUS WOLF
R NNY Business
ealtor Jason G. Smith celebrated the grand opening of his new business, Cooperative Real Estate North Country Specialists, 24685 State Route 37, on Sept. 1. Mr. Smith said his business, an affiliate of Cooperative Real Estate, Tampa, Fla., sold its first property on opening day, July 23. His team sells commercial and residential real estate throughout the north country. “Hard work will beat education and talent all day long,” he said. Opening the office fulfilled Mr. Smith’s long-term goal of operating his own business. Mr. Smith joined Exit Realty Corp. in 2013, although his career as a real estate agent began at an independent company in 2011. Mr. Smith said he considered opening his own business at a time when there was speculation on whether Exit Realty executives would sell their Watertown office, Exit More Real Estate. “I remember when I joined Exit Realty to start with and I wrote some goals down,” he said. (I wrote that) within five years, I’d like to own my brokerage with a large franchise.
26 | NNY Business | September 2016
Well, in four years I did.” Before opening his firm, Mr. Smith planned and debated with himself about the business for seven months. Mr. Smith said he made the decision to join Cooperative Real Estate in May two days after lunch with Cooperative Real Estate President Vincent Arcuri, who was also a former Realtor for Exit Realty. Cooperative Real Estate leases the 3,000-square-foot space from co-owners John P. Gaus and Todd J. Doldo. “They made us a heck of a deal,” Mr. Smith said. Renovations such as painting, removing the carpet, staining the doors and handrails, putting in sidewalks and landscaping were completed in three months. “We did a lot of the work ourselves here,” Mr. Smith said. Mr. Smith hired two real estate agents, Jeff Powell and Michael Ablin, and one assistant. Mr. Smith said that Mr. Powell worked with him at Exit Realty, while Mr. Ablin, a Watertown native, started his career in real estate with the office. As an affiliate of Cooperative Real Estate, Mr. Smith said the company can provide free interactive online training and website
promotion and can offset the costs for advertisements and billboards. North Country Specialists also has an exclusive contract with VideoWorx, which provides all of the photography and videography for the company. “When you do something like that so fast, you start to recognize the limitations of being under someone else’s umbrella and you realize you can do this all on your own,” he said. Mr. Smith said the Greater WatertownNorth Country Chamber of Commerce, which he joined, helped him organize the grand opening. “I am excited to see Jason’s new business,” said chamber President and CEO Kyle S. Peck. “It is nice to see someone put their heart and soul in it and building their business from the ground up,” Lance M. Evans, executive officer of both the Jefferson-Lewis and St. Lawrence boards, said he is excited about North Country Specialists because it gives consumers more realty options. “We are always pleased to have a new company,” he said. n MARCUS WOLF is a Johnson Newspapers staff writer. Contact him at mwolf@wdt.net or 661-2371.
RE A L E STAT E / top transactions The following property sales were recorded in the Jefferson County Clerk’s Office in July:
Scott and Mary Alice Duesterhaus Minor, Potsdam, sold to Mark E. Vadney, Potsdam.
$2,690,334: July 19, Town of Watertown: Two parcels, no acreage listed, Route 11, Caprara Reality, Watertown, sold to 18476 Route 11 Reality LLC, Garden City.
$290,000: July 19, Town of Fine: 72.50 acres, Coffins’ Mill, MWF Adirondacks LLC, Jackson, Miss., sold to Rensma Timberlands, L.P., Titusville, Pa.
$1,200,000: July 12, Town of Pamelia: 1.68 acres, state Route 342, CA REO Properties LLC, Warwick, R.I., sold to Amerco Real Estate Co., Phoenix, Ariz.
$275,000: July 15, City of Ogdensburg: .940 acres, Block 430 and Block 431, Procter Ave, Bansi Lal and Veneeta Bazaz, Ogdensburg, sold to Rashmi V. Thatte and Uday C. Lele, Quincy, Mass.
$1,200,000: July 22, Town of Champion: 169.22 acres, Mosher Road, Tug Hill Aggregates LLC, Watertown, sold to GraRok LLC, Copenhagen.
$202,000: July 19, Town of Waddington: 1.1183 acres, Buck Road, George T. Croff and Mary L. Thisse, Waddington, sold to Nicholas L. and Nicole L. Dimon, Ontario.
$1,175,000: July 5, Town of Alexandria Bay: No acreage listed, Church Street, James M. Donegan Family Trust, Alexandria Bay, sold to Alex Bay Arch Properties Inc., Alexandria Bay.
$195,000: July 16, Village of Gouverneur: Unknown acres, Lot 1 and Lot 2, Ronald and Kathleen M. Moses, Gouverneur, sold to Kane A. and Carolee M. Juntenen, Fort Drum.
$794,000: July 19, Village of Cape Vincent: No acreage listed, Point Street, Ellen T. Hickey and Lawrence R. Hickey, Cape Vincent, sold to Seaway Pilot Inc., Cape Vincent.
$185,000: July 14, Town of Canton: 14.991 acres, Mile Square 3, New York State Route 310, Hannah M. Emhof, Canton, sold to St. Lawrence Health Systems Inc., Potsdam.
$600,000: July 7, Town of Pamelia: 2.374 acres, Murrock Circle, Bradley Street LLC, Watertown, sold to Stone Pile 3 Inc., Watertown.
$175,000: July 11, Town of DeKalb: Unknown acres, Maple Ridge Road, Kenneth J and Joyce G. DeLorme, Gouverneur, sold to Eli A. and Delila Slabough, Frederickburg, Ohio.
$600,000: July 15, Town of Orleans: 0.6 acres, no address listed, the Pamela G. Yates Management Trust and the Rose Russomanno Management Trust, Wyoming, N.Y., sold to Timothy J. Clement and Pamela J. Clement, Calcium.
The following property sales were recorded in the Lewis County Clerk’s Office in July:
$220,000: July 15, Town of West Turin: 322 State Route 26, Tristan M. Lealon, sold to Brooke Stillner. $120,000: July 18, Town of Watson: 6777 Pine Grove Road, Joshua J. Eaves, sold to Adam M. Bourgeois. $115,000: July 21, Town of New Bremen: 9217 State Route 812, Derek J. Beyer, sold to Shawn Schwendy. $105,000: Town of Croghan: 6914 William Street., Avis Moser, sold to Andy J. Grunert. $110,000: July 14, Village of Lowville: 7521 Cascade Ave., Joshua B. Olmstead, sold to Jona Cisco. $110,000: July 21, Town of Turin: 6454 E. Main St., Elsie F. Beyer, sold to Rodman Runnalls. $85,000: July 14, Town of Lyonsdale: 8367 Boonville Road, Norma A. Thompson Estate, sold to Lisa A. Smith. $80,000: July 13, Town of Denmark: 4761 State Route 410, Shawn A. Hubbs, sold to Matthew J. Andre. $70,000: July 26, Town of Croghan: 10159 Steel Road, Norma J. Verschneider, sold to Paul D. Verschneider. $60,640: July 27, Town of Diana: 8399 Goose Pond Road, Betsy A. Ambruoso, sold to Seubert Holdings LLC.
$550,000: July 15, Town of Alexandria: Two parcels, 2.23 acres, shoreline of St. Lawrence River, Joseph Ruffolo and Alda Maria Ruffolo, Kingston, Ont., sold to Stephen DiMarco and Emily DiMarco, Syracuse. $498,000: July 6, Town of Alexandria: 7.35 acres, state Route 12, W&C LLC, Watertown, sold to 44170 NY 12 Reality LLC, Garden City. $480,000: July 13, Town of Watertown: 8.041 acres, County Route 156, Rachel Ellen Lewis, Watertown, sold to Logan R. Curtis, Watertown. The following property sales were recorded in the St. Lawrence County Clerk’s Office in July: $1,594,000: July 7, Town of Colton: Unknown acres, New York State Route 56, Raymond Anderson Green, East Lothian, Scotland, sold to Claude Beauvillier Enterprise Corporation, Quebec, Canton. $399,000: July 1, Village of Potsdam: 0.69 of an acre more or less Lawrence Ave., MarieCaroline Piche, Potsdam, sold to Eyal Kedar and Maren Wolfe, Bellevue, Wash. $315,000: July 19, Town of Potsdam: Unknown acres, Lot 28, Riverside Cemetary, Eric L. and Dawn M. Lyon, Delray Beach, Fla., sold to Nathan G. and Charis A. Plantz, Norfolk. $259,000: July 14, Town of Potsdam: 2.29 acres, Mile Square 11, Morley-Potsdam Road,
September 2016 | NNY Business
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20 qu estions
JASON HUNTER | NNY BUSINESS
Riding a high note
E
ven as they grow in popularity nationally and internationally, the Waydown Wailers have landed more performances locally due to their rising stock on musical charts and reviews from across the world. The band has had a busy summer. They performed as an opening act for the Charlie Daniels Band at the St. Lawrence County Fair in Gouverneur on Aug. 2 and opened for Jerrod Niemann at the Franklin County Fair on Aug. 13. But the largest-to-date act for the Canton-based group of mostly 50-something rockers took stage Aug. 5, when they opened for hit country music group Lady Antebellum at the Watertown Fairgrounds. We sat down with two members of the Waydown Wailers last month for a conversation about how a group of friends has gone from playing local bars and clubs to landing shows that some only play in their dreams.
1
NNYB: How did this all come to be, the band the Waydown Wailers? MIKE: Well, Dave and I were in a group, and I was booking us on more of the festival circuit at the time, and we were also playing the club scene in Northern New York, doing covers and trying to do originals. And when I started putting us on the festival circuit, it became apparent that that was a good spot where I thought we belonged and David agreed. It kind of started from that. DAVID: Once we decided to disband that other band, Mike and I got together and looked at the festivals we had been playing. It’s a different groove from what we’ve been laying down. I said, why don’t we find our niche? It was right in my wheelhouse, basically. I could write songs that will help us get jobs at those kind of venues. He said, ‘Yeah, OK,’ so at that point, I brought my brother, Christian, in. My brother and I had always talked about being in a band. Christian and I would routinely get together and just jam. Never with any purpose in mind, except to have fun. Once I brought some songs in, he liked them, Mike liked them. We started to work on them and got a little
28 | NNY Business | September 2016
n Waydown Wailers meld genres,
chart a new course in music industry groove going, got a bass player added into the mix and then really concentrated on starting to get our first job.
2
NNYB: How long ago was this? MIKE: It goes back to spring of five years ago, so that’s 2011. For our first gig out we played the Made in New York festival in Sackets Harbor. Our goal was to be nothing but original, so we had to concentrate on trying to get enough songs so we could go out and do that. That was at least 30 minutes for most shows; starting out that was our goal to just get those and play. We were playing out for an hour at some places. DAVID: We had to do some cover songs to do that length of time on stage.
3
NNYB: You’ve got two other band members. Who are they? MIKE: We’ve got Christian ‘Mo’ Parker, Dave’s brother. Connor Pelkey plays bass guitar. DAVID: Christian plays guitar also. You could call him the lead guitar player.
4
NNYB: How did you settle on the name for the band? DAVID: We were really trying to coin a name for the kind of sound we were putting out there. We bounced names around for weeks and months. One day I saw this poster that said ‘Waydown Moses.’ I looked at that and thought that was pretty neat. I said to the guys, ‘What do you think of that name?’ And they said it sounded a little too religious possibly. But they liked the name Waydown. … Then my grandson was born, and I talked to my son on the phone and he said, ‘Dad, he’s a wailer.’ And I said, ‘He’s a waydown wailer.’ And
that’s where the name came up.
5
NNYB: In five years, how did all this come to pass with you getting so well known — internationally even — from the festival circuit? MIKE: Doing originals, there’s nowhere for us to perform. I won’t say nowhere. There are certain places ... where it takes some time to prove yourself. So we basically had to find those places and prove ourselves. So with the help of starting at Made in New York for our first show, and going to The Westcott Theater in Syracuse, we’ve been trying to build the band more of a fan base. Our fans are from this area and really don’t drive that far on a Wednesday night to go see a local band. So it’s been tough building that fan base. As we’ve grown outside the box, and by using media and promoting ourselves as strategically as possible using radio promotions and what not, it’s built us outside the box, and now it’s starting to come toward the center. Plus the band is strong, the music’s strong, and all of the other local fairs and festivals are taking more chances bringing us in because we have a local following. It’s working.
6
NNYB: You had a busy summer this year, opening for some international artists. You opened for Lady Antebellum in August as part of the DPAO Concert Series in Watertown. MIKE: That was fantastic. DAVID: Yeah, Lady Antebellum. Before that, we opened for The Charlie Daniels Band. And this all happened within a two-week time span. We had Charlie Daniels and Lady Antebellum in Watertown. And then Jerrod Niemann at the Franklin County Fair in Malone. And what that did for us, was to put us in two weeks in front of I estimate between 7,000 and 9,000
2 0 q u estions people who hadn’t heard of us, or heard of us but never heard us, and that immediately put a whole bunch of people in our life. Which was really great. Previously when were just starting this up, the only way we could get jobs was to give them recordings of our performances. And they were like, ‘What kind of music do you have, where can we see you, go see you play?’ We didn’t have any of that; we were just building it. It was a long frustrating process. Longer than you’d think. Several times you’d say, ‘Is this really worth it?’ In the end you just keep plugging along, keep getting work.
7
NNYB: How did you manage to get the Lady Antebellum show? MIKE: I’d been working at trying to get shows to open for for five years, maybe even before that with the previous band. And it just came. We were very fortunate. They were willing to take the chance. We are a strong band. We have a fan base. I just kept after it. But we still had to go in front of Lady Antebellum’s management before they’d approve it. You have to have your website up to date with pictures. You have to have a video presence. There’s so many key things that have to be done before some of these shows will even look at you. We also finally got a publicist for the first time. Our record label suggested the next move was for us to hire someone to push radio for us, and before she would even look at us, there were about 15 things we had to do to step up to a professional level. We were already moving toward that, but it kind of pushed us a little more to get these key things in place. And they took us on. We are not a national touring act and this woman who is our publicist only looks at national touring acts, but she liked who we were and we proved ourselves and she liked our music and now it’s actually working in her favor and in ours.
8
NNYB: So define the sound. You’re a mix of blues, even something called swamp rock, Americana, and a dose of Cajun. Are you trying to hone in on a specific genre? Are these all similar genres? DAVID: This sound we’re trying to create is done on purpose. We found that through our varied interests in music and backgrounds — me being a rocker, a solid rocker and writing rock-type beats and music — and Michael coming from the same kind of background. Mike and I have been in a band together for the last 30 years. And my brother comes from the folk part of that but has a grand love for country sounds and country music. Also I must add my brother’s vast interest and knowledge in older equipment. Vintage amps. Vintage guitars and vintage sounds. That kind of sound is something he brought into the band. So me as the rocker, him with the folk/country background and my big interest in alternative country — or music from the outlaws of country that just never would get put on the regular pop radio. We took that kind of sound with our interest and tried to re-create it. And with that, it immediately brought people’s ears
JASON HUNTER | NNY BUSINESS
Michael ‘Scruffy’ Scriminger, left, percussionist for the Waydown Wailers, and David ‘Dave’ Parker, lead vocalist, songwriter and guitarist, talk about the band’s growing success last month in Canton.
The Waydown Wailers file MICHAEL ‘SCRUFFY’ SCRIMINGER JOB: Owner, Fourth Coast Entertainment; publisher, Fourth Coast Entertainment magazine; percussionist and business manager, the “Waydown Wailers” FAMILY: Wife, Courtney; sons Alexander, 14, and Nicholas, 11 HOMETOWN: Watertown native; lives in Canton EDUCATION: SUNY Canton, liberal arts; SUNY Potsdam, B.S., music business FAVORITE MUSICIAN: Steve Smith, drummer for the band “Journey” DAVID ‘DAVE’ PARKER JOB: Independent construction contractor; lead vocals, songwriter and guitarist, the “Waydown Wailers” FAMILY: Wife, Kate; sons Bryan, 32, Jesse, 30, and David, 28; two grandchildren HOMETOWN: Canton native and resident EDUCATION: Associate degree, SUNY Canton; additional coursework SUNY Plattsburgh FAVORITE MUSICIAN: Jimmy Page, songwriter, guitarist and founder of the band “Led Zeppelin” CHRISTIAN ‘MO’ PARKER ROLE: Lead guitar, the “Waydown Wailers” CONNOR PELKY ROLE: Bass guitar, the “Waydown Wailers” Editor’s note: Christian ‘Mo’ Parker and Connor Pelky were not present for our 20 Questions interview.
around. What are you guys doing? What is this called? What is this? We couldn’t coin it. We just said a mix of Americana, country, rock, blues, outlaw jam.
9
NNYB: This is an amalgamation of many different sounds and genres, if you will, but what is the inspiration for carving out your own unique niche within this wide range? DAVID: The inspiration is this: After doing bars and cover songs for so long, it was either get out of it or do something different. To do something different would mean to totally change everything you’re doing and basically go right back to square one. And when you do that, you find there’s more energy in things you want to do because it’s not that every day, ho-hum, same old deal. You actually have to create something, you have to cut your own path. MIKE: Our producer, Aaron Hurwitz, who is called ‘Professor Louie,’ is from Woodstock and also is a co-owner of Woodstock Records. He has also helped us be ourselves in a lot of ways. We come in and record in two days. That’s the old-school way of doing things. Everything is recorded live. We don’t change hardly anything in the process. That I think is part of our sound, too. He also helps us with the other things that he arranges and on the album itself and he puts down some keyboards, which eventually we’d like to add when going out live and performing. We’re still growing. It’s been an honor working with him because he worked with Levon Helm and Bob Dylan.
10
NNYB: How did you hook up with Louie? MIKE: That’s an interesting story. We play at The Westcott Theater in Syracuse, and I’m grabbing as many shows as I feel fits our style and so we got a show to open for New Riders of the Purple Sage — old school — which is similar to some of the styles we have. I got talking to the guys in the band, and they September 2016 | NNY Business
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20 qu estions kind of liked our material and we talked to them about who their record label is, and they said that he might like our material. So I called the gentleman — Louie — and he said send us what you’ve got. Send us some CDs. All we had was live recorded stuff so we sent it down to him. He said, ‘I can work with this. I like the sound.’ Next thing we know we were in the studio recording.
11
NNYB: Are you guys on a faster than typical trajectory as a band? Two CDs? You’ve got lives and families, How challenging is all this to have two albums out and get the recognition you’ve gotten and traction you’ve gained in less than five years?
DAVID: I’m the guy who likes to get things done quickly. I need to see progress fast. This has been the hardest project I’ve ever been involved in because it moves so slow. So slow that you think nothing’s going to happen. And for us to come out with two albums in a couple of years, with all of us owning our own businesses, having our own families, doing our own thing has been very difficult. It’s quite a juggling act, but one well worth it, of course. Now that we’ve done two albums, we’ve got a third to come out. They want us to put one out back to back. A 2015 release. A 2016 release. And now they want a 2017 release, so we’ve got to come up with eight to 10 songs
that are acceptable to lay down as tracks. And put them down within the next five months.
12
NNYB: It seems as though you’re progressing at a really good pace. MIKE: One thing Louie has said is the first one, we got it out, got it recorded, production is good. Second one, production’s better. And it just has to keep getting better and better. As we mature as musicians and working with each other, and keeping the same bass player (Connor), which is something else — we had gone through a number of bass players in the beginning — keep all the same people and the same sound. And we have to work with Connor over the internet. He lives in Pennsylvania, so we came up with a system. We bought a device that goes on the internet — and it’s not flawless because sometimes it doesn’t always connect properly — but we’ve been able to keep him. And another thing. Because we’re just not taking every gig that comes along to us — we’re kind of looking for gigs that are going to help us grow, not turning anything away but at the same time we’re not a cover band playing every Friday and Saturday — so we have more time really to take the time we need to work on originals and not go out and play as much.
13
NNYB: What are you striving for with your songwriting and lyrics? Are you reaching back to your own life experiences? How would you describe your writing and its influences? DAVID: The songwriting part of it is something I have been intensely studying for the last eight years of so, watching people who are great songwriters lay down the lyrics. Not just the melody, but the lyrics. Why do people want to listen to what the words are in the song? I’ll draw from past experiences, I’ll draw from present experiences. If I have a conversation with somebody I’ve met on the street or somebody I know and they’ve told me an intriguing story, I’ll write about it. Rarely have I had to go and actually study on a subject to actually write a song, but there have been occasional times I’ve had to read articles to get an idea for what I’m trying to say and then project that kind of information into lyrics and onto paper. It’s a conglomeration of things. I try not to write too politically but when you come out with an album called ‘State of the Union,’ you can’t talk your way out of that. Those are personal observations.
14
NNYB: A lot of music media people, when they’re describing bands, say, ‘So and so is going to be the next Led Zeppelin or the next this or the next that.’ What’s your aim? Are you just trying to be the Waydown Wailers with your own unique sound? MIKE: I don’t really think about it. I just let it go where it’s going and be happy to be on the ride and excited when we see someone in the audience knows the words to the song. To me, that’s awesome.
30 | NNY Business | September 2016
2 0 q u estions
15
NNYB: You are proving the opposite of this question as mostly older musicians. Is the music industry a young man’s game?
DAVID: I don’t care what age you are. You want to listen to music at any age from 8 to 80, 90 or 100. We’re playing music that our peers like to listen to, also older and younger. MIKE: As far as music, I don’t think there’s an age limit. DAVID: Some of our heroes are still alive, playing, and we’re still going to shows to see them play.
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NNYB: The whole business model in music — iTunes turned the industry upside down selling individual songs — and the instant delivery of music, what are you getting out of that?
rage band together, and I tell him first: ‘Have fun.’ It’s going to change. Enjoy your company with each other, get to know your instrument and write the songs.
DAVID: Find what kind of music you like and learn from the masters. Study them. See what they’re doing. With that intent, start your dream. Be true to it .Never think you’re above anything and always be humble.
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NNYB: For you guys, if this experience is keeping the dream alive? What’s the dream? MIKE: It could be for each one of us, different things. For me, I get enjoyment out of doing what we do and getting to perform with the
performers we perform next to. For me, that’s a dream. It’s not about the money — it would be nice — but it’s never been about the money. This band is about the music, the stages and getting out and performing. DAVID: What I want, what my dream is for this band, is to make music my friends would love to come and see. My friends. Their friends. People like us. That’s my dream. That they’ll come and like what we’re doing. That’s good enough. — Interview by Ken Eysaman. Edited for length and clarity to fit this space.
MIKE: Because we’re affiliated with a record label, he goes through a company that’s a digital distribution warehouse. Once the product is in their hands, it goes out to all of them, such as iTunes and Spotify. It’s marketing. That’s how it works with the digital network. It’s about getting your product out to get people to listen to you, where before nobody would hear you. It’s not about the money coming from that as much as getting the product out there.
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NNYB: If that’s the goal — to get more and more people to listen to your music — has the benefit in that respect outweighed the downfall of the previous business model? MIKE: Absolutely. Long term, it would be nice to make a few bucks. Or retire. The thing is, it gets the music out there. If nobody hears the music, we may not get that festival, we may not get that opener. Those help us get to the next step on the ladder of playing: performing. DAVID: That’s what keeps us going. Everywhere we go, we’re making new fans. As long as it’s still sustainable, we’re in the game. If not, we could just go back to the studio and hang out, write songs, have a beer and have a good time.
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NNYB: You’re getting reviews from other parts of the world; more opportunities are coming locally, you’re rising on the charts. This is not something that would have happened under the old model. MIKE: No, because you couldn’t have gotten in with the big shots in the big studios. Now that the industry has changed and it’s a service industry anymore, you have more opportunities to get in, but you’re paying your way in a lot. I don’t like using that word. You’re investing. DAVID: You’re putting the money up front and then trying to see what kind of return on your investment you get out of it.
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NNYB: So if someone’s just starting out, getting the garage band together, kids jamming out. What advice would you give them? MIKE: I’ve got a son who is trying to put a ga-
September 2016 | NNY Business
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Commerce corner
No matter how small, change never easy “The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but building on the new.” — Socrates
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o one ever said change was easy, but sometimes change is necessary to move a business forward to secure a successful future. Managing needed changes along with unexpected ones during that time is undoubtedly the most difficult. No matter what the changes are, there are certain needs to keep in mind while taking on the challenge. An absolute must is taking an in depth look into the needs of the organization taking on the changes. What is the mission and vision of the organization? What programs and services does it offer? As an organization, what can be done to best serve our customers? What steps need to be taken to get to the end result? The changes required can be difficult to identify but sometimes very easy. Once these questions have been answered and necessary changes identified, a timeline can be created and framework introduced to move forward with managing what’s to come. Staying positive and looking toward the “new” will continue to be beneficial throughout the change process. Getting caught up in the old ways of doing things will only hinder the performance of meeting your goal of creating a stronger organization. No matter what changes are needed, setbacks and negative feedback are guaranteed. Whether it’s from staff who are hesitant to try something new, because
after all, who likes change, or outsider perception weighing in and possibly weighing down your momentum, communication is key. If you keep lines of communication open, Kylie Peck the transition to the new way of doing business will run much smoother. Make yourself accessible and willing to accept feedback and ideas not only from staff or other stakeholders in your business but from customers as well.
the success and potential failure as you move forward will continue to strengthen the core of the business. Celebrate your successes no matter how big or small they may be. Giving yourself and those you work with a pat on the back during the process will go a long way in maintaining motivation and a positive end result. The Greater Watertown-North Country Chamber of Commerce has experienced its fair amount of change throughout the past 18 months. The organization made it through the ups and downs of change and are now situated back in our former “home” at 1241 Coffeen St., Watertown. Accepting feedback from staff, chamber members and other stakeholders has been crucial in moving the organization forward. There have been staff changes, program and service changes and a location change. Glancing back, these were all necessary to secure the future of the chamber and maintain our presence in the greater Watertown business community. We invite members of the community to visit us Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. as we embrace our change and keep our energy focused on the positive future of our organization.
Taking (change) one step at a time and analyzing the success and potential failure as you move forward will continue to strengthen the core of the business.
32 | NNY Business | September 2016
Sometimes taking an extra 20 minutes of your day to listen to ideas from a consumer can be an easy win in the public relations department as some of the best concepts often come from those who use your programs and services. Allowing staff members to weigh in on the future of an organization is beneficial to the culture of the workplace. Have regular meetings to keep everyone in the loop and get them excited about the future and include their place in the organization’s story. Tackling change in any organization can be stressful and difficult to manage. Taking it one step at a time and analyzing
n Kylie Peck is the president and CEO of the Greater Watertown-North Country Chamber of Commerce. She lives in Clayton with her husband and two young boys. Her column appears quarterly in NNY Business. Contact her at kpeck@watertownny.com or 788-4400.
N O N P RO FIT S T O D AY
Giving is part of a community movement
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n a recent visit with a local couple, the conversation dovetailed to the subject of philanthropy and its many layers. The couple, who shall remain anonymous, shared one of their personal tenets related to the topic: “We don’t plan to give last. We think about giving first.” This couple is no different than most others. They evaluate their budget, identify what needs to be paid, and see what is left over. The only difference is they make sure their charitable giving happens first. That simple act is a demonstration of not just philanthropy. It is also leadership. Philanthropy is happening all around us. It has generated many of the qualityof-life elements in our community that we have access to every day. Residents and tourists can enjoy the beauty of Thompson Park in Watertown, which was made possible in part through the generosity of local industrialist John C. Thompson — a longtime secretary and treasurer at New York Air Brake Company. The Frederic Remington Art Museum in Ogdensburg features the impeccable works of St. Lawrence County native Frederic Remington. Mr. Remington was an accomplished illustrator and writer in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Through the generosity of family and years of philanthropic support, the museum is able to highlight his work and educate audiences of all ages about the culture and arts of that era. The Lowville Free Library was established more than a century ago after residents collected a couple hundred dollars. It was located on the first floor of the
Town Hall Theater Building with less than 100 books on the shelves. The library moved into its own building years later after a local family generously donated a new site. Max DelSignore These local examples and more started with a gift. The contribution symbolizes commitment to community betterment. The north country has been built and evolved in part through meaningful giving from others. It is the one aspect of our area’s history and future that remains steadfast. As we think about our region’s outlook, it is important to remember how philanthropy is a necessary element of leadership. We are fortunate to have several volunteer groups and advocates for our nonprofit organizations and a plethora of charitable causes. But making a personal, charitable gift is a different experience. It is your investment in an organization or cause you believe in. Giving a gift to a local organization can be more gratifying, as you see the tangible outcomes of your support. What is most important to remember is anyone can give. You give what feels right to you. You give to an effort or mission you trust. Philanthropy is a relationship that changes over time, but it is fulfilling and can be lasting. Some people give every day. Others have yet to do so,
but may be considering it. Why does philanthropy and giving matter? By giving, you are part of a community movement. You are investing in an organization, institution, church or effort that impacts your quality of life. You are helping someone with an even greater need. You become an example of community leadership. This past June, the graduating class at Beaver River Central School gave $2,782.72 as the charter contribution to the district’s educational foundation through the Northern New York Community Foundation. The educational foundation is a resource that will enhance programs and projects impacting the student experience at Beaver River forever. This class made a choice to give first. They wanted to be leaders. There are many facets of leadership. Philanthropy and giving is one that sometimes can be forgotten. If there isn’t enough time to volunteer, a gift can be just as important. Never given directly to a local organization before? Consider doing it one time. Think about your passions, interests and organizations you believe in. Give where you believe your contribution will have the greatest impact and reach. Then, when the gift is made, enjoy the feeling of philanthropy. It is a sentiment of satisfaction, knowing you made your community better. It is a feeling of true leadership. n MAX DelSIGNORE is assistant director of the Northern New York Community Foundation. He is a lifelong Northern New York resident and former sports journalist. Contact him at max@ nnycf.org. Nonprofits Today appears every month in NNY Business.
September 2016 | NNY Business
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b usiness tech bytes
Is it finally time for a virtual assistant?
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an your time be better spent managing and growing your business instead of on routine administrative tasks? Are you scheduling meetings, making travel arrangements, processing email and managing your social media presence? There are now many different options available to help you work faster and smarter. Do you seem to always be so booged down in managing the details of your projects that you are not truly leading your organization? Have you woken at 4 a.m. with that nagging feeling there is just something you must have forgotten to get done for the office? If so, this is draining your productivity and your mental energy more than you think. Are you living in your inbox while other things seem to fall through the cracks? Is miscommunication and missed deadlines starting to affect your business’s revenue trends? If so, you can delegate many of these tasks to a virtual assistant. It will help you stay more productive and organized at the fraction of the cost of another full-time employee. Is it time for you to partner with a virtual assistant to help you get organized and achieve real results at the same time? Virtual assistant services come in many different varieties and price points. There is eaHELP, an Atlanta-based virtual executive company started in 2010. The firm got its start helping churches and pastors outsource administrative work but it has since expanded to small and large businesses nationwide. The eaHELP model is known as a “staff leasing” arrangement where you
will be matched with a dedicated assigned assistant. Monthly plans start at increments of five hours per week at $35 to $45 an hour. Time etc. allows you to try an U.S.-based Jill Van Hoesen virtual assistant without the typical monthly plan that you will pay for whether or not you use the service. With Time etc. you only pay for completed tasks. Time etc. virtual assistants range
business and personal virtual assistant service complete with VIP perks. The U.S.-based Red Butler is used by entrepreneurs, professionals and Fortune 500 companies around the world. As a member you will receive a Red Butler Card, which activates VIP upgrades like exclusive discounts and access to restaurants, hotels, clubs, bars, lounges and other entertainment venues. Available on your desktop and through a mobile app, Red Butler virtual assistants are accessible 24/7/365, with plans starting at $150 a month for five requests per month. How much is your time worth? Is the majority of your time being spent on revenue-generating tasks? If you’re salaried, how much are you paid per hour or how much do you charge clients for your time? How many hours in a week are you spending now on activities that just aren’t worth that much? If you see yourself here then it’s time to try out a virtual assistant to help manage all those details and emails so you can focus on your bigger picture. You will find with a virtual assistant dozens of hours a week that were previously filled with lowervalue tasks that can now be redirected to the high-value activities you need to accomplish as a business leader. If you are now wondering whether you too could benefit from a virtual assistant, the answer is probably “yes.”
You will find with a virtual assistant dozens of hours a week that were previously filled with lower-value tasks that can now be redirected to the high-value activities you need to accomplish as a business leader. from 10 hours a month for a cost of $250 to 60 hours a month for $1,260. A free 30-day trial is currently available. Fancy Hands can be accessed via desktop and mobile devices and has thousands of virtual assistants located throughout the United States. It also has a business feature called Teamwork. With the Teamwork platform, multiple users can access Fancy Hands, allowing them to request and delegate administrative tasks while increasing their productivity and hopefully your bottom line. Plans start at $29.99 a month for five requests. Are you looking for more of a virtual concierge service? Red Butler is both a
n Jill Van Hoesen is chief information officer for Johnson Newspapers and a 25-year IT veteran. Contact her at jvanhoesen@wdt.net. Her column appears monthly in NNY Business.
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agri - b u siness
Legislative aid critical in times of need
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his year’s drought has been severe in Northern New York, especially in Jefferson County. Many in the farm community are remarking how they don’t remember a drought as bad. Dave Converse, owner of Converse Laboratories, Watertown, which provides water testing and monitoring services and regularly checks 300 regional monitoring wells, said it has been the most severe he’s seen in 30 years. Some farmers have lost 30 to 50 percent of their corn crops. Hay fields weren’t able to be harvested for second and third cuttings, alfalfa fields dried up, and soybean output is down. Many farms had wells dry up. Some farms drilled several new wells in attempts to find new water sources. The USDA National Drought Mitigation Center classified Jefferson County in a D2 zone, or severe drought zone in August. Western counties in New York were classified in a D3 zone, which is an extreme drought condition. The D3 zones received an automatic Drought Disaster Declaration by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack on Aug. 29. The disaster declaration, which left out Jefferson and a few other counties, caused a stir in the agriculture community, which was looking for help to recover from its losses. Unfortunately, D2 counties have to go through a more complicated process that involves data gathering from farms reporting losses. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s office has to make a request for a disaster declaration, and then a request has to be sent to Washington, D.C., and Secretary Vilsack’s office.
That request was sent Aug. 30. It is expected to take one to three weeks before a federal declaration is issued. While staff for our agricultural agencies in Jefferson Jay Matteson County play an important role in gathering information and reporting back through appropriate channels, our county, state, and federal legislators are critical to the process of supporting agriculture. State Sen. Patty Ritchie, chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, helped bring attention to the drought when she called for a meeting of her advisory committee to visit North Branch Farms in Ellisburg and North Harbor Dairy near Sackets Harbor. Sen. Ritchie invited media to cover the tour, which helped increase awareness of the drought and its local impact. She also invited Scott Gray, chairman of the Jefferson County Board of Legislators, and Pat Jareo, a county legislator who represents southwest Jefferson County. Thanks to Sen. Ritchie, we were able to gain attention from Albany that Northern New York was suffering effects of the drought along with Western New York. County legislators Mike Docteur and Phil Reed reached out to our office and asked us to visit northern Jefferson County to learn about the impacts of drought there. Assemblywoman Addie Russell and
Assemblyman Ken Blankenbush have also contacted us and offered help. Ms. Russell, a member of the Assembly Committee on Agriculture, provided information about a new drought liaison at state Department of Agriculture and Markets. She remained in contact, providing updates and offering resources. Mr. Blankenbush, ranking member of the Assembly Committee on Agriculture, went directly to Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball when the first drought disaster declaration was released and Jefferson County was left out. The assemblyman helped us get timely answers that we could provide to the farm community. Congresswoman Elise Stefanik’s office offered critical assistance. As the request for a declaration has gone through various stages, the Rep. Stefanik has helped track the request and convey its urgency to ensure it isn’t unnecessarily delayed. Many who read this column have to mow green lawns this weekend and wonder of what drought I now speak. Farmers around Jefferson County will face impacts of ongoing drought for several more months. It’s important to have legislators who care about agriculture and make it a priority like Rep. Stefanik, Sen. Ritchie, Assemblywoman Russell, Assemblyman Blankenbush and our county legislators. They help us make things happen when we need it most. n Jay M. Matteson is agricultural coordinator for the Jefferson County Local Development Corp. He is a lifelong Northern New York resident who lives in Lorraine. Contact him at coordinator@comefarmwithus.com. His column appears monthly in NNY Business.
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September 2016 | NNY Business
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sma ll business success
The XYZs of small business marketing
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n Marketing 101, we learned the ABCs of getting our business out there with a little memory jogger called the Three Ps: Product, Price and Promotion. Well, I’ve got a new marketing trick that I am going to call the XYZs. The X stands for “X Marks the Spot.” It’s all about your location, whether it’s bricks and mortar or digital. When you’re deciding where to site your business, there are many factors that come into play. Do you need to be located near a source of labor? A highway, rail line or airport? Your suppliers? Is your product or service something that is an impulse buy, or it a purchase that customers need to think about for while? The impulse type of business does best when it’s located near similar businesses — think Arsenal Street or Route 11 near Fort Drum for fast food. It probably needs to be on a traffic-heavy roadway where many eyes can see it. By the way, if you search for the Traffic Viewer on the New York State Department of Transportation website, dot.ny.gov, you can see the average daily traffic for a specific highway. Did you ever wonder what those black cables across the road are for? Enterprises that cater to makers of the more thoughtful purchase decisions can also be located in close proximity so shoppers can easily compare prices and features — think outer Washington Street for automobile dealers — although this isn’t always necessary. Dissimilar businesses located near each other also offer convenience for the customer: clothing stores, an office supply outlets, sit-down restaurants, or a craft supplies retailer —
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so they may be found in malls, strip malls and shopping centers and customers can get a lot of buying done without having to leave the area. Perhaps your business Sarah O’Connell is a little more unique, more of a destination, so the location can be a bit off the beaten path — say, an ethnic restaurant, a garden center or a winery. Just remember, wherever you are, you should have your physical location linked to an online search engine through something like Google Places. As for internet-based businesses, this can be even trickier because, depending on what you sell, you may have millions of competitors using the same keywords. (Jewelry? Forget about it.) But if you’re looking for local customers, it gets a bit easier because you can use sponsored Google or Facebook ads, and because search engines may pick up on the locations that you mention on your website or social media pages. Now to the Y, which of course, is “why.” Why do your customers want to buy your product or use your service? What makes you so special? Figure out that answer, and then decide how to spread the word, whether through testimonials, referrals, a rewards program, etc. Your No. 1 technique is probably going to be your reputation as spread by
word of mouth. So get known for quality, for customer service, for delivering what the customer needs and then some. Add value to your business and make yourself visible in the best way possible. Which leads me to the Z. Zip! How do you make your business stand out from the crowd? Maybe you provided free meals to stranded winter travelers, offered incentives to high school graduates, promoted or incorporated “green” alternatives. Today’s consumers are increasingly socially aware and without being manipulative, you can still use your attributes that show you are giving back to your community or the environment as a marketing tool. It all leads back to one more letter, “V.” V stands for visibility, viability, victory, volume sales and value. n
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The New York Small Business Development Center at Jefferson Community College offers free, individual, confidential counseling to new or existing business owners in Jefferson and Lewis counties. Call (315) 782-9262 or email sbdc@sunyjefferson.edu to learn more. St. Lawrence County residents can call the Small Business Development Center at SUNY Canton, (315) 386-7312 or email sbdc@canton.edu. n SARAH O’CONNELL is a certified business advisor with the New York State Small Business Development Center at Jefferson Community College. She is a former small business owner and lifelong Northern New York resident. Contact her at soconnell@sunyjefferson.edu. Her column appears bi-monthly in NNY Business.
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You Name the Countertop Type, We Can Do It Offering Cemetery Restorations & Monument Restorations Corner of Brookside Cemetery & Spring Valley 609 Adelaide Street, Carthage, NY 13619 & Watertown, NY 13601 (315) 785-8500 (315) 493-2963 • (315) 493-2965 Fax email: tfwrightgranite@aol.com or visit www.tfwrightgranite.com
OPEN: MONDAY-FRIDAY 8AM-5PM • SATURDAY 10AM-2PM
36 | NNY Business | September 2016
E NT RE P RENE U R’S E D G E
How you can say no and really mean it
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have spent entirely too many years saying yes to people, places, and things when I had absolutely no desire to play along. I was afraid to say no because I wanted people to like me. If I said no, I ran the risk of being stoned or burned at the stake in Public Square. And really, who wants that? Now that I’m (a-hem) 44, I have absolutely no problem saying no. I just don’t. And the reason I don’t is because I’ve finally come to understand one fundamental truth: You’re damned if you do and you’re damned if you don’t. So do. (Say no, that is.) So why do so many of us resist uttering the word? According to a 2015 article published in Psychology Today, those who struggle to say no have been overly conditioned to hearing it delivered negatively as a child. Therefore, it is programmed in our subconscious mind as a word that brings about negative results. In this, when someone asks us to do something we don’t want to do, we automatically revert to the memories in our subconscious. For a moment we relive the negative emotions attached to the word NO. We don’t want to recreate those emotions, so we say YES instead. The irony is that when we say YES to something we don’t want to do, we end up creating more negative turmoil in the long run. It’s a crazy Catch 22. In a word, many of us are wired to say yes. Moments after we do, we want to
throw ourselves off a short pier for agreeing to do something we have no desire to do. We may even spend the next 24 hours trying to find a way out. The entire Joleene Moody process creates unnecessary unrest and further feeds the negative emotions in the subconscious. So now that we know why we say yes, how do we learn to say no and really mean it?
long-term pain doing things that hurt you, or you can choose to feel shortterm pain doing things that serve you. I choose short-term pain. For the record, I didn’t always. And I didn’t because I was afraid. I was afraid of the other side would look like. Would it even be worth it? Really, that’s why so many avoid the short-term approach. They don’t know what to expect. At least continuing on the path they’ve been walking, they know what to expect. So now comes the part in my little article where I challenge you. I challenge you to say no the very next time you don’t want to do something or go somewhere. Whether it’s your boss or your spouse or your friend, say no. Don’t decide what you think the outcome will be. Create the outcome yourself. What you don’t realize is that by showing your strength and power by saying no, you are actually giving the person on the receiving end permission to do the same. They feel your confidence and strength. They like it. And so they respect your decision. Alrighty, then. Off you go. Tell someone no. Expect me. Don’t say no to learning how to say no. You’ll end up in that crazy catch 22 again. Onward.
You can choose to continue to feel long-term pain doing things that hurt you, or you can choose to feel short-term pain doing things that serve you.
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Simply put, you have to reprogram the unwanted message in your subconscious mind through repetition. Also known as conditioning, repetition of a particular behavior over a period of time can actually write over the stuff in your brain you don’t like. That means writing over the stuff that gives you trouble, like saying yes when you want to say no. Admittedly, the start of a new behavior can be painful. But you have to be willing to go through the pain to reach the other side. The way I look at it is like this: You can choose to continue to feel
n Joleene moody is a freelance writer, blogger and speaker who lives in Oswego County with her husband and daughter. Learn more at www.takeyourvoiceback.com. Her column appears monthly in NNY Business. Visit nnybizmag. com to read past columns online.
Come down and discover the Traditional Quality & Craftsmanship that only T.F. Wright & Sons Granite Foundry can bring to your design application for monuments!
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OPEN: MONDAY-FRIDAY 8AM-5PM • SATURDAY 10AM-2PM
September 2016 | NNY Business
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COMMUNITY / BUSINESS CALENDAR
Adams Saturday, Oct. 8
n Harvest Run 5K, 8 a.m., 17784 Michael Road. Includes 5K and 10K runs. Registration begins at 7 a.m. Cost: 5K, $20; 10K, $25; students 18 and younger, $15. Information: South Jefferson Rescue Squad, southjeffersonrescue.org.
Alexandria Bay Friday, Sept. 16 to Saturday, Sept. 17
n 2nd Annual Alexandria Bay Wine Festival and Farmers Market, View Park Pavilion, Fuller Street. This event features local farms, businesses and wineries. Cost: $10. Information: Alexandria Bay Chamber of Commerce, visitalexbay.org. n Fishing for Freedom Thousand Islands Bass Tournament, Friday in downtown Alexandria Bay, Saturday at Bonnie Castle Resort, 31 Holland St., Fishing for Freedom Thousand Islands Bass Tournament honors Active Military by celebrating freedom and outdoor recreation in Northern New York. It is also a fundraiser for Carthage Area Hospital Foundation and the Fort Drum USO. Cost: Contact for prices, Information: fishingforfreedomti.com.
Friday, Sept. 23
n Jefferson Leadership Institute Class of 2016 Kick-Off Dinner, 6 p.m. to 9p.m., Riveredge Resort Hotel, 17 Holland St. To register call the Greater Watertown-North Country Chamber of Commerce. Cost: Per person $50; alumni, $30; corporate table, $450. Information: GWNC Chamber of Commerce, 788-4400 or chamber@watertownny.com.
Saturday, Oct. 1
n Oktoberfest, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Thousand Islands Winery, 43298 Seaway Ave. Suite 1. Includes authentic German cuisine, a farmer’s market, hayrides, German dancers, live music and the annual Grape Stompin’ Competition. Cost: Contact for prices. Information: info@alexbay.org.
Saturday, Oct. 29
n Alexandria Bay Halloween Festival, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Scenic View Park Pavilion, 8 Fuller St. The event includes hayrides, crafts, trick-or-treating with local business and ghost tours. Cost: Contact for prices. Information: info@alexbay.org.
Cape Vincent Saturday, Sept. 24
n Oktoberfest, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., Cape Vincent Village Green. The event in-
38 | NNY Business | September 2016
cludes vendors, crafts, food and music. Cost: Contact for prices. Information: Cape Vincent Chamber of Commerce, capevincent.org.
Saturday, Oct. 22
n 1000 Islands Zombie Walk, 1 p.m., Cape Vincent Village Green. Dress as your favorite zombie and walk for a cause. Proceeds go to Riverside Preschool. Cost: Contact for prices. Information: 870-5463.
Clayton Friday, Sept. 23
n Clayton Jazz Festival, 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., Clayton Opera House, 403 Riverside Drive. This event features Fritzel’s New Orleans Jazz Band with Brighton Beat. Cost: $25 to $45. Information: Clayton Opera House, 686-2200 or claytonoperahouse.com.
Saturday, Oct. 8
n Harvest Festival, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., Coyote Moon Vineyards, 17371 East Line Road. Includes live country music, farmers market, food, children’s activities and award-winning wine, beer and mulled wine. Cost: Contact for prices. Information: Coyote Moon Vineyards, 686-5600 or coyotemoonvineyards.com.
Fort Drum Wednesday, Sept. 14
n Career Portfolio & Interviewing Workshop, 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., Army Community Service, P-4330 Conway Road. Learn how to set up and display your portfolio, and get tips and tricks to ace your next interview. Cost: Free. Information: 772-9611 or fortdrumacs. checkappointments.com.
Thursday, Oct. 13
n Build Your Own Business, 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., Army Community Service, P-4330 Conway Road. Small Business Development Center at Jefferson Community College and the Employment Readiness program provide instruction on starting a new business. Cost: Free. Information: 772-9611 or fortdrumacs. checkappointments.com.
Tuesday, Oct. 25 to Wednesday, Oct. 26
n Boots 2 Business, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Clark Hall, Mount Belvedere Blvd., Fort Drum. A two-day course for soldiers transitioning out of the service and interested in starting a business. Course offers information on business opportunities in the area, including home-based retail, service industry and online. Participants will learn about researching potential
markets and how to find licensing and funding opportunities. Requirement: three-day Department of Labor SFL-TAP briefing. Information: ACAP, 772-3434 or sbdc@sunyjefferson.edu.
Heuvelton Wednesday, Sept. 21
n Business in the Spotlight, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., Pickens General Store, 83 State St. This networking event spotlights up to eight St. Lawrence Chamber of Commerce member businesses and organizations. Cost: $5. Information: 877-2287810 or business.northcountryguide.com.
Mannsville Wednesday, Sept. 22
n 5:30-7:30 p.m. South Jeff Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours, S&R Motors, 440 N Main St. Beverages and appetizers served. Meet and support the small business owners in your neighborhood, hear their stories and network. Cost: Free. Information: South Jeff Chamber of Commerce, 232-4215 or southjeffchamber.org.
Ogdensburg Saturday, Sept. 17
n Color Me Remington 5K Fun Walk/ Run, 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Dobisky Visitors’ Center, Maple City Trail, 100 Riverside Ave. A family-friendly run that’s not about crossing the finish line, but to see how colorful you can get along the route. Cost: Preregistered, $20; registered after Sept. 2, $25. Information: business. northcountryguide.com.
Saturday, Oct. 1
n Ogtoberfest, 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., Lockwood Civic Center, 141 W River St. Includes live music, authentic German food and beer, and fireworks. Cost: $5; military and senior citizens, $4. Information: St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce, 393-3620 or ogdensburgny.com.
Wednesday, Oct. 26
n Business in the Spotlight, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., Pickens General Store, 83 State St. This networking event spotlights up to eight St. Lawrence Chamber of Commerce member businesses and organizations. Cost: $5. Information: 877-2287810 or business.northcountryguide.com.
Old Forge Saturday, Oct. 15
Brewfest, 12p.m. to 5 p.m., North Street Pavilion. Old Forge on Tap will showcase more than 60 releases from some of
Potsdam Friday, Oct. 21 to Saturday, Oct. 22
n Craft, Food & Wine Show, 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Clarkson University’s Cheel Sports Center, 8 Clarkson Ave. The show has more than 120 vendors selling hand crafted or homemade goods and foods, including jewelry, quilts, furniture, handturned bowls and rolling pins, photography and artwork. Cost: $3; children under 12, free. Information: St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce, 386-4000 or business.northcountryguide.com.
Syracuse Thursday, Sept. 15
n Syracuse Style Fashion Event, 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., Armory Square, South Franklin and Walton Streets. The premier fashion event showcases downtown apparel boutiques and salons with a runway fashion show. All proceeds benefit the Food Bank of Central New York. Cost: Free admission. Information: Downtown Committee of Syracuse, 422-8284 or downtownsyracuse.com/ lifestyle/shopping/syracuse-style.
Sunday, Sept. 18
n Westcott Street Cultural Fair, 12 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Westcott Community Center, 826 Euclid Ave. There is entertainment at six stages including music, dance and kids performances. The fair also features local artists selling handmade items, food and a parade. Cost: Free. Information: 313-5447 or westcottstreetfair.org.
Wednesday, Sept. 21
n CEO Talks: Branding the Destination, 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., 235 Harrison St. Join the discussion about how you and your organization can shape and change the perception of Syracuse and its viability as a vibrant and inviting destination. Cost: Non-member, $25; member, free. Information: CenterState CEO, 470-1800 or centerstateceo.com. n Successful Business Women Awards, 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., Oncenter Convention Center, 800 South State St. The 2nd annual Successful Business Women Awards will be celebrating women with outstanding business leadership, success, and achievements within Central New York. Cost: $40. Information: 579-3918.
Thursday, Sept. 29
n BizBuzz Social Media Conference, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., SKY Armory, 351 S. Clinton St., The BizBuzz Social Media Conference explores the industry’s latest strategies so business leaders, marketers and practitioners stay on top of their social media game. Cost: Early bird, $99; conference pass, $125; student conference pass, $50. Information: Alyssa Kessler, 422-9400 or bizbuzzconf.com.
Wednesday, Oct. 5
n Speed Networking, 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., 217 Lawrence Road E. Bring your business cards and be prepared to engage in round table discussions while building relationships with other Center State CEO members. Cost: Contact for prices. Information: CenterState CEO, kdejoseph@centerstateceo.com.
Thursday, Oct. 13
n 2Young2Retire — Redefining Retirement for Boomers, 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., One Group Center, 706 N. Clinton St. This session will examine the changing nature of retirement and its impact on individuals and employers. Cost: CenterState CEO member, $15; nonmember, $25. Information: CenterState CEO, kdejoseph@centerstateceo.com.
Trolley Barn Lane. Helping job seekers aged 40 and above in search of work. Information: John A. Cruty, 569-3964 or crutij@yahoo.com.
Watertown Wednesday, Sept. 21
n Business After Hours, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Community Bank, 216 Washington St. Includes networking, prizes and food. Register by noon, Tuesday, Sept. 20. Cost: Pre-registered members, $10; unregistered members, $12; nonmembers, $15. Information: Greater WatertownNorth Country Chamber of Commerce, 788-4400 or business.watertownny.com.
Saturday, Oct. 1
n Mayor’s Charity Ball, 8 p.m. to 12 a.m., Dulles State Office Building, 317 Washington St. The event includes hors d’oeuvres, carving stations and desserts by RJ Catering, and seasonal cocktails by Buffy Golden and music by Fred & Eds. This gala will benefit the K-12 Farm to School Program, Thompson Park Conservancy Farm Program and Children’s Lyric Theater. Cost: $65 to $600. Information: 785-7775 or Watertown@gmail.com.
First Wednesdays
Wednesdays through Oct. 5
Every Wednesday
Wednesday, Oct. 19
n Business Innovation Days meeting, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., The Tech Garden, 235 Harrison St. Entrepreneurs and small business owners meet with a counselor from the Small Business Development Center at Onondaga Community College for advice and assistance opportunities. Information: 498-6070 or SBDC@sunyocc.edu.
n Introduction to Business Startup, Small Business Development Center, 4 to 6 p.m., Mulroy Hall, Onondaga Community College, 4585 West Seneca Turnpike. Information: 498-6070 or cnyastd.org. n Syracuse Business Networking, 6 to 7 p.m., Barbieri’s Restaurant, 304 S. Main St. Cost: Free. Information: Kim Bachstein, 414-8223 or info@SyracuseBusinessNetworking.com.
Every Thursday
n Free Business Counseling with SCORE, 10 to 11:30 a.m., Tioga County Chamber of Commerce, 80 North Ave. Information: Tioga Chamber of Commerce, 1- (607) 687-2020.
Every Friday
n 40 Above: Workers in Transition, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., Northern Onondaga Public Library at North Syracuse, 100
n Watertown Farm & Craft Market, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., a program of the Greater Watertown-North Country Chamber of Commerce. Market stretches along Washington Street in Downtown Watertown from the State Office Building Plaza north to the Morgan Stanley Building. Wide variety of farm and craft products. Rain or shine. Vendor list and more info: watertownfarmersmarket.weebly.com.
n North Country Business Expo and Business After Hours, 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., Dulles State Office Building, 317 Washington St. This premier networking event includes networking, door prizes, demonstrations and job opportunities. Event open to the public from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and Expo After Party — Business After Hours is 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Cost: Contact for prices. Information: Greater Watertown-North Country Chamber of Commerce, 788-4400 or business. watertownny.com. Sponsored in part by by the Watertown Daily Times and NNY Business magazine.
COMMUNITY / BUSINESS CALENDAR
America’s best craft breweries. Attendees will receive three hours of sampling along with their souvenir sampling glass. Cost: Contact for prices. Information: 369-6411 ext. 201, info@viewarts.org, or viewarts.org.
GOT A BUSINESS EVENT or calendar item? Email nnybusiness@wdt. net. Deadline is the 10th of each month for the following month’s issue. Visit us on Facebook at facebook.com/NNY Business or nnybizmag.com for events calendar updates. September 2016 | NNY Business
| 39
b usiness scene Carthage Area Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours at Rooted Drifter
From left, Morgan Herbert, Carthage Area Chamber of Commerce summer intern, and Kristy L. O’Shaughnessy, chamber board of directors vice president.
ELAINE Avallone PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS
April and Al Pike, Independent Medical Evaluation Company, Carthage. The Rooted Drifter Bar and Grille, West Carthage, hosted the August Carthage Area Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours on Aug. 11.
Ann Beutel, owner, Superior Computers and Beutel Recyclers, Carthage, and Brian Drappo, executive director, Thousand Islands Area Habitat for Humanity.
ELAINE Avallone PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS
From left, sisters Jolene Munger, Carthage Area Hospital, Carthage, and Joanna Habermann, Onward To Opportunity, Fort Drum.
OUTER WASHINGTON ST. WATERTOWN NY 315-788-6022
Let's Go Places
WaiteToyota.com 40 | NNY Business | September 2016
BU SINE SS SCENE St. Lawrence Chamber of Commerce Business Spotlight at JC’s River Run
John and Laura Shea, Shea’s Creative Concepts, Ogdensburg.
From left, John Morrison, Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority, Ogdensburg and Deborah and Richard W. Tulley Jr., The Tulley Group, Hammond.
Jennifer McCluskey PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS
From left, Jenna Chamberlain, John Chamberlain, Nancy Chamberlain, and Jill Chamberlain Winters, JC’s River Run, Waddington. JC’s River Run hosted the St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce August Business in teh Spotlight networking event on Aug. 23.
Jennifer McCluskey PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS
From left, Dottie Parker, North Country Savings Bank, Potsdam, Jennifer McCluskey, McCluskey Photography, Canton, Jo Ann Roberts, The Nut Shop International, Colton, and St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce, Canton, and David Charleson, Commercial Press, Canton. Also members of the group, Business and Marketing of NNY.
September 2016 | NNY Business
| 41
b usiness scene South Jeff Chamber Business After Hours at The Old Creamery Fabrics and Quilting
From left, Mary Stone, Town of Adams board, Adams, and Connie Orr, Adams.
Keith and Mary Snyder, S&R Auto, Mannsville.
KEN EYSAMAN PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS
KEN EYSAMAN PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS
From left, Mary Hoffman, Henderson Harbor Water Sport Programs, Henderson Harbor, Susan VanBenschoten, Mary Kay Cosmetics and Henderson Harbor Performing Arts Association, Henderson Harbor, and Sally Stevens, owner, O.D. Greene Lumber & Hardware, Adams and Sackets Harbor. The Old Creamery Fabrics and Quilting, Ellisburg, hosted the South Jeff Chamber of Commerce August Business After Hours on Aug. 23.
From left, Anna Blount, Mannsville, son, Robbie Blount, Greg Lake and wife, Diane, both of The Old Creamery Fabrics and Quilting, Ellisburg, and Rob Blount, Great Lakes Cheese, Adams.
DGM Coon & Company is proud to offer space available for rent in some of Watertown’s most desirable office locations.
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Commercial Property Management Services 42 | NNY Business | September 2016
315-785-0015
b u siness scene GWNC Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours at Fairfield Inn & Suites
From left, Christine Shimanek and Kellie Drake, CNY Veterans Outreach Center, Watertown.
Nellie Mathous, Fairfield Inn & Suites, Watertown, Divyesh Kakadia, owner, Fairfield Inn & Suites, Watertown.
KEN EYSAMAN PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS
KEN EYSAMAN PHOTOS | NNY BUSINESS
From left, Roxanne Burns, Jefferson County, Watertown, son, Colin Burns, WPBS-TV, Watertown, and Erin Gardner, City of Watertown. Fairfield Inn & Suites, Watertown, hosted the Greater Waterown-North Country Chamber of Commerce August Business After Hours on Aug. 25.
From left, Michaela Richards, WWTI-TV50, Watertown, father, Jon, Knowlton Technologies, Watertown, and mother, Mary Jo, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik’s office, Watertown.
September 2016 | NNY Business
| 43
44 | NNY Business | September 2016
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September 2016 | NNY Business
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NNY Employment
46 | NNY Business | September 2016
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