Ocbm 133

OSWEGO COUNTY

BUSINESS August / September 2014

$4.50

$4.50 April / May 2014

August/September 2014

OswegoCountyBusiness.com

Tourism Ambassadors

Troy Creasy is one of the more than 70 fishing captains who take visitors on fishing trips on Lake Ontario. He and two other captains share their story

The Crouse Institute for Robotic Surgery

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Having gallbladder surgery has just become easier, faster and less painful than ever before.

Crouse surgeons are the first – and only – in the area to use the most advanced technology for gallbladder removal. Minimally invasive single-site surgery using the da Vinci robotic system requires just one tiny incision. The result? Just one tiny scar, hidden in the navel. If you’re looking for virtually scarless surgery, choose single-site by the most trusted hands – at Crouse.

Brian Anderson, MD Kenneth Cooper, DO Jeffrey DeSimone, MD Partners: CNY Surgical Physicians

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Proud to be the official hospital of SU Athletics.

O

swego County has a broad selection of business parks in place that are perfect for your business.

Infrastructure is in place and there’s room to grow!

Operation Oswego County will work with you to make sure your location is the best fit for your success—whether it’s on a Great Lake, an airport, or in wide open spaces.

Financing’s available too: SBA 504 loans, County IDA tax-exempt and taxable bond financing, and Empire State Development financing.

In NY: Industrial Parks Perfect For Your Business

Among the businesses we host:

Our Industrial Parks Include:

• • • • • • • •

• • • • • •

Sunoco Otis Technology Linde North America Northland Filter International Southern Graphic Systems Canfield Machine & Tool Oswego State University DeWald Roofing

Oswego County Industrial Park Lake Ontario Industrial Park Airport Industrial Park Rich Corporate Park Columbia Mills Business Park Riverview Business Park

Call or visit us online to find your dream location:

L. Michael Treadwell, CEcD

(315) 343-1545 | www.OswegoCounty.org

National Retailer Offers “Store with-in a Store” Partnership with Sears Hometown Format in the Ellenville, Elbridge, Booneville, Gouverneur, Pulaski and Lowville Market areas In an effort to assist independent home stores in your town diversify their revenue stream and answer consumer demands for expanded product assortments, Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ: SHOS) is introducing a “store with-in a store” dealership opportunity without having to purchase any inventory.

The “store with-in a store” program is an extension of the Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores’ conventional Sears Hometown Store model. The new dealership opportunity allows independent furniture, flooring, hardware and related home category store owners to expand their product lines to better cater to consumer demand. Merchandise options include an appliance only format or appliances with tools and lawn and garden equipment.

Sears Hometown is looking to partner with strong, suburban or rural businesses that have product offerings aligned with the Hometown Store’s collection and between 2,000 and 5,000 square feet to fill in their location. With this partnership, independent retailers have the opportunity to offer exclusive brand names and full product lines in store and through the Sears website.

What are the benefits for an existing business like yours?

This an opportunity to add new product lines to your existing business. Merchandise Options include: Appliance only (Top 10 appliance brands including Kenmore) or Appliances, Tools & Power Lawn and Garden equipment.

• No inventory investment • No franchise fees or royalties • Access to full Sears product assortment via Sears.Com • Sears Credit – Accept all Sears and Branded credit cards • Shop Your Way Rewards - customer loyalty program • Ability to sell Sears protection agreements • No freight expenses • No interior or exterior sign expense • Leasing it now program – Serve customers with no credit options • Leverage your existing store staff and delivery operations • Minimal Start Up Cost: Point of Sales Systems and display fixtures – fixtures vary by store layout • Ongoing training – Authorized local store and Home Office training, Field Trainers, On line training, and professional sales training by District Manager To learn about these opportunities to own and operate a Sears Hometown Store within an existing independent retail location, as well as additional Hometown Store Markets available in Oswego, Oneida, Gloversville and Chittenango, please contact: Arthur Burke Region Development Manager Phone: (603) 548-0408 E-mail Arthur.Burke@shos.com

Visit our web site: www.ownasearsstore.com

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

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AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

Issue 133

PROFILE LARRY SPIZMAN In 1977 he came to Oswego to teach economics and by chance started getting involved with forensic economics. After building a solid reputation in the field, this Long Island native and Oswego resident has been picked as presidentelect at National Association of Forensic Economics...................................12

COVER STORY • ‘Fishing Ambassadors: Charter boat captains spend most of their days in the waters of Lake Ontario — with visitors. They help visitors find restaurants, hotels and places to shop. Three captains share their experience Page 48

Tourism Industry • Destination: Oswego County • Opinion: Why Oswego County should spend more on tourism • New Life for historic Selkirk Lighthouse • Oswego: A cruise destination?

Officials believe so • Oneida Lake faces new challenges • Tailwater Lodge offers unique experience along Salmon River • Destiny USA: Tourism magnet

Page 52

Heatlhcare • Wanted: Primary care physicians and other stories 4

SPECIAL FEATURES How I Got Started Harry Perau, owner of Thunder Island and Oasis in Fulton, recalls beginnings of the business in 1979 ...............10 The ‘Caraccioli Cap’ Attorney Kevin Caraccioli’s fight to keep property taxes in Oswego low................................................. 29 Not Earning $500,000 This is the amount you lose during a lifetime of earning if you don’t have a college degree, says study .... .44 Electronic Records Oswego Hospital joins many hospitals across the country to introduce electronic medical records ............... .70 Upstate’s New Cancer Center The new $74 million, five-story, cancer center promises to make life easier for cancer patients .......... .80

SUCCESS STORY Ontario Orchards Farm Market in Southwest Oswego is more than just a business — it’s a family affair. The family now is gearing up to celebrate a big milestone: the market’s 50th birthday next year.

DEPARTMENTS

Notes Etc., On the Job, Newsmakers. ...........

8, 18, 22 Where in the World... Sailing the Andes.................... 16 Business Updates....................................... 34 Economic Trends OOC presents achievement awards ........ 42 My Turn A letter from ‘Mr. FBI’ .......................... 46 Special Article Your finances in a divorce case ............. 89 Last Page John Torrese, co-owner of Oswego Speedway . ..... 90 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

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OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

5

1000 Island Harbor Hotel.......... 5 Allanson-Glanville-Tappan Funeral Home..................... 71 ALPS Services........................ 25 Amdursky, Pelky, Fennell, Wallen.................................11 Amerigas................................. 25 Banach Insurance...................... 7 Berkshire Hathaway ............... 14 Bin There Dump That............. 25 Blue Moon Grill...................... 19 Bond, Schoeneck & King, Attorneys at Law................ 33 Brewerton Pharmacy............... 73 Burdick & Pearson CPA............ 7 Burdick Ford............................11 Burke's Home Center.............. 26 C & S Companies................... 33 Canale's Italian Cuisine........... 19 Cayuga Community College..... 9 Century 21 - Galloway............ 26 Century 21 Leah Signature..... 23 Clayton CofC............................ 5 CNY Arts................................. 47 Community Bank.................... 13 Compass Credit Union............ 15 Computer Accounting ........... 26 Crouse Hospital......................... 2

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Dain Cullinan Funeral Home.... 7 Eis House................................ 19 Finger Lakes Construction...... 26 Fitzgibbons Agency................ 39 Foster Funeral Home............... 15 Fred Raynor............................ 27 Fulton Community Development Agency......... 39 Fulton Savings Bank............... 32 Furdi's Home Center............... 26 Great Lakes Oral Surgery....... 72 Great Lakes Trolley................ 21 Harbor Towne Gifts................ 20 Hematology Oncology Associates of CNY............. 77 Hillside Antique & Farmer’s Market................. 21 Johnston Gas........................... 26 Lakeside Artisans.................... 21 Medical Registry of CNY....... 73 MetLife Ins. Co......................... 7 Mimi's Drive Inn..................... 19 Mr. Sub.................................... 19 NBT Bank............................... 47 North Bay Campground.......... 20 NYS Parks – Marine Services Bureau................................ 27 Ontario Orchards..................... 20

Operation Oswego County........ 2 Oswego Community Development Office........... 47 Oswego County Dept. of Solid Waste.................... 87 Oswego County FCU.............. 71 Oswego County Humane Society................................ 20 Oswego County Mutual Insurance............................ 71 Oswego County OB-GYN...... 73 Oswego County Opportunities.41 Oswego County Stop DWI..... 25 Oswego Health ....................... 76 Pathfinder Bank....................... 15 Paura’s Liquor Store................. 7 Peter Realty............................. 68 Phoenix Press.......................... 41 Port of Oswego Authority....... 53 Pro-Build................................. 23 Pulaski / Eastern Shore CofC................................... 20 Quality Family Dental............. 73 Riveredge Resort....................... 5 RiverHouse Restaurant........... 19 Rudy's Lakeside Drive-In....... 19 Safe Haven Museum............... 21 Salmon Country Inc................ 20

Scriba Electric......................... 26 Sears Home Town Store............ 3 Servpro of Oswego County..... 25 Springside at Seneca Hill ....... 68 St. Joseph’s Imaging Associates.......................... 91 St. Luke Apartments................ 73 Stacey White Solutions........... 13 Steele Law Firm...................... 14 Strands & Essence................... 73 SUNY Oswego / Division of Graduate Studies................ 75 SUNY Oswego, Office of Business and Community Development...................... 28 SUNY Upstate......................... 92 Syracuse Behavioral Health.... 77 Tailwater Lodge...................... 59 The Connection Point............. 21 Timebuyer................................. 6 Valley Locksmith.................... 25 Vernon Downs........................... 9 Volney Multiplex.................... 23 Watertown International Airport................................ 55 White’s Lumber & Building Supply................................ 23 Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park..... 21

FREE 2014 CNY BUSINESS GUIDE Subscribe to Oswego County Business Magazine, CNY’s only business magazine.

BONUS: Free copy of the CNY Business Guide, the CNY Winter Guide and next year’s CNY Summer Guide

Y CNY’s ONLS BUSINES MAGAZINE

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21.50 1 year 35 2 years OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

‘7 Habits of Supremely Happy Women’ to be Keynote Message for Great NYS Fair Women’s Day

O

fficials at 2014 Great New York State Fair have invited motivational humorist Yvonne Conte to provide the keynote presentation at the Women’s Day Luncheon on Wednesday, Aug. 27.

Conte, CEO of Humor Advantage, Inc. and a nationally recognized speaker and author, will present ‘The 7 Habits of Supremely Happy Women’ at the fair luncheon event.

“We all face the dangers of stress, of becoming fatigued, angry, offended, hurt, depressed, aggravated and frustrated. My belief is that stress is not an event; it is a reaction based on perception of an event and we are free to alter how we react to the stresses in our lives. There is a better way and the Great New York State Fair is offering women the opportunity to learn seven ways to find that better way as part of Women’s Day at the Fair,” Conte says.

Conte, who started her career in comedy clubs, has shared her humor-filled expertise with more than 700 leading corporation and organizations, including the American Red Cross, law enforcement agencies, the U.S. Bureau of Veterans Affairs, GE Global Research, hospital groups, associations of health care givers, and churches.

Conte shares messages on team building, life balance, leadership, delivering quality customer service, aging well, coping with arthritis, and accepting change. The author of six books, Conte is also the founder of the annual nonprofit Day of Joy Conference held in Upstate New York.

Women’s Day at the NYS Fair begins with activities in the Arts and Home Center at 10:30 a.m. The Women’s Day Luncheon will be held in the Empire Room at noon, hosted by Liz Ayers of WCNY Public Television and featuring the Yvonne Conte keynote.

For registration and more information call 315-487-7711 x1265. Yvonne Conte and Humor Advantage can be reached at 315-727-8668.

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

David D. Mirabito CLU, ChFC, CFP™, MSFS

Senior Financial Services Executive Registered Representative Investment Advisor Representative 1909 State. Rte. 3, Fulton Ph: 315-592-3145 Fax: 315-592-8325 dmirabito@metlife.com Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MetLife), New York, NY 10166. Securities and investiment advisory services offered by MetLife Securities, Inc. (MSI) member FINRA/SIPC and a registered investment adviser, New York, NY 10166. MLIC and MSI are MetLife Inc. companies. L05083327 [exp. 12/14][NY]

Large Selection of Wine For All Your Special Events

Parking on W. Third & Bridge Streets Mon.-Sat. 9 to 9 • Sun. Noon to 6 Carol Paura - owner

“Keeping Oswego in Good Spirits for over 38 Years”

343-7722

Please: Don’t Drink & Drive

Serving Oswego and the surrounding community for four generations Michael J. Cullinan

Christopher C. Dain

315-343-5120 • www.daincullinan.com

Banach Insurance Agency Cynthia Banach Agent

9 Broad Street #B Pulaski, NY 13142 P: 315-298-6539 F: 315-298-5920 Email: cindy@banachinsurance.com

Strength in numbers.

168 West First Street, Oswego, NY 13126 Tel: (315)343-9101 Fax: (315)342-0792

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

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NOTES, ETC...

Short Smartphone Break Improves Employee Performance Want to be more productive and happier during the workday? Try taking a short break to text a friend, play “Angry Birds” or check Facebook on your smartphone, according to Kansas State University research.

In his latest research, Sooyeol Kim, doctoral student in psychological sciences, found that allowing employees to take smartphone microbreaks may be a benefit — rather than a disruption — for businesses. Microbreaks are nonworking-related behaviors during working hours.

Through a study of 72 full-time workers from various industries, Kim discovered that employees only spend an average of 22 minutes out of an eight-hour workday playing on their smartphones. He also found that employees who take smartphone breaks throughout the day are happier at the end of the workday.

“A smartphone microbreak can be beneficial for both the employee and the organization,” Kim said. “For example, if I would play a game for an hour during my working hours, it would definitely hurt my work performance. But if I take short breaks of one or two minutes throughout the day, it could provide me with refreshment to do my job.”

Entrepreneurship Among Women Still Lags in Most Countries Even in the most developed markets around the world, women remain greatly underrepresented in the ranks of entrepreneurs, new research from Dell shows.

More than 75 percent of the 30 countries surveyed in the second annual Gender-Global Entrepreneurship and Development Index (GEDI) fail to meet the fundamental conditions for female entrepreneurs to survive and prosper, according to the survey.

Findings showed that the top three countries for female entrepreneurship are the United States, Australia and Sweden, with Egypt, Bangladesh and Pakistan ranking at the bottom. Twen8

ty-three out of the 30 countries surveyed scored less than 50 out of 100 indicators.

In 14 of the 30 countries surveyed, 50 percent or more of the female population have little or no access to financial resources such as bank loans and credit lines, and because of that, women receive less funding for their businesses than men. Many industries remain male-dominated, and women’s rights and education still need to be addressed in many of the countries surveyed.

How to Turn Bad Office Humor Into a Workplace Plus Nearly every employee in any job situation has felt the impact of failed workplace humor — be it a poorly timed joke or humor that is downright offensive. Michele Williams of Cornell University’s ILR School says that failed workplace humor significantly impacts people’s moods and confidence — and that organizational culture and skill training can mitigate damage from inevitable “oops” moments.

“Just about everyone in the workplace has shared humor that fell flat or offended co-workers. It’s embarrassing and sometimes destructive, but managers and organizations can do a lot to prevent these faux pas from damaging relationships and trust.

“Creativity and other benefits of positive team culture don’t have to be sacrificed when humor fails — if an organization has a culture that promotes empathy and learning.

“Managers who combine a positive culture with interpersonal skill training can enhance employee confidence in maintaining that positive workplace culture, even in the face of bad humor, setbacks and failures that are part of all work relationships.

“Men and women may respond differently to failed and successful humor.

For example, men, in general, felt guiltier after a failed attempt than women did, but reported more confidence in their humor ability than women did.

“Our study suggests that perspective taking — the empathetic process of ‘imagining how others feel’– may level the playing field for both men and women by making them better able to use the feedback from humor in productive ways.”

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

COVERING CENTRAL NEW YORK Editor and Publisher Wagner Dotto

Associate Editor Lou Sorendo

Columnists

L. Michael Treadwell Bruce Frassinelli Sandra Scott

Writers & Contributing Writers

Deborah Jeanne Sergeant Debra Lupien, Matthew Liptak Suzanne Ellis, Sarah McCrobie Linda Germain, Aaron Gifford

Advertising

Peggy Kain, Shelley Manley

Office Manager Laura Beckwith

Layout and Design Chris Crocker

Cover Photo

Chuck Wainwright Oswego County Business is published by Local News, Inc., which also publishes CNY Summer Guide, Business Guide, CNY Winter Guide, College Life, In Good Health– The Healthcare Newspaper (three editions), CNY Healthcare Guide and 55PLUS, a Magazine for Active Adults (two editions) Published bi-monthly (6 issues a year) at 185 E. Seneca Street PO Box 276 Oswego, NY 13126.

Subscription: $21.50 a year © 2014 by Oswego County Business.

All rights reserved.

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On the Web at OswegoCountyBusiness.com

How to Reach Us

P.O. Box 276 Oswego, NY 13126 Phone: 315/342-8020 Fax: 315-342-7776 Email: Editor@OswegoCountyBusiness.com AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

DI S OV ER

Cayuga Community College

Small Classes. Great Professors.

That’s the Cayuga Way. School of Business Accounting Business Administration

School of Health Sciences Nursing Liberal Arts & Science/Health Science

School of Media and the Arts (SOMA) Humanities & Social Science Studio Art & Design Telecommunications: Audio-Radio Production Telecommunications: Radio & TV Broadcasting Telecommunications Technology

cayuga-cc.edu 1-866-598-8883

School of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Computer Science Computer Hardware/Software Design Computer Information Systems Information Technology Mechanical Technology: Computer-Aided Design Electrical Technology: Electronics Geographic Information Systems Liberal Arts & Sciences/Mathematics Liberal Arts & Sciences/Math & Science

School of Social Sciences and Education Criminal Justice: Corrections and Police Early Childhood Liberal Arts & Sciences/Childhood Education Liberal Arts & Sciences/Adolescence Education Liberal Arts & Sciences/Humanitie/Social Science

State University of New York

WWW.VERNONDOWNS.COM 8778883766 AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

9

How I Got

Started Harry Perau Owner of Thunder Island recreation complex and The Oasis event center

By Lou Sorendo

H

arry Perau created a go-kart track off Wilcox Road in Fulton in 1979 and the endeavor has blossomed into Thunder Island, a recreation complex that today features a water park, go karts, mini golf, and zip lining. It also features The Oasis, a hot spot for private parties, weddings and receptions, and outdoor activities such as steak and clambakes.

Q.: You began modestly in 1979 with just a go-kart track. What inspired you at that time to create a park?

A.: I was 21 years old with a 40-50 hour workweek and more time to spend money than make it. I realized after a little bit of traveling, Oswego County didn’t have much to offer like a go-kart track.

Q.: What was your career about prior to creating the park?

A.: I was working full time for my dad, Harry, in the commercial and residential construction business.

I learned a lot of skill sets that have always helped me in my business life.

My father taught me to learn, work and do the best job you can all the time.

Q.: What kind of obstacles did you face during the early days of doing business?

A.: Everything was a challenge.

Nobody wanted a go-kart track around, so acquiring property was the first challenge. Eventually, my dad said he’d give me a few acres if I promised to work hard and I could later pay him back if I made money. If I didn’t, I’d have to return the property and tear out whatever I’d done.

Q.: What was the reaction to your plans at the time?

A.: Most everybody thought I was crazy for wanting to go into debt.

People would ask, “If it was such a good idea, how come someone else hasn’t done it?” It was one thing after another.

Q.: What was the typical workday or workweek like in the early

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OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

days of the business? How does that compare to a typical day nowadays?

A.: In the beginning, I had a full-time job, so I hired a few people for daily operations and picked up evenings and weekends.

It didn’t take long before we realized other people thought a go-kart track was a good idea, and we had a line from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. My dad suggested I should leave the construction business until the end of summer and pay attention to the business. I started at 8 or 9 a.m. and worked until midnight every day for the rest of the summer. For about the next 15 years, those were my hours.

You have to work hard and it is business before pleasure. There are many sacrifices to be made, and I also refused to fail. In the early years, it was not economically feasible, but I did it anyway.

Q.: How did you acquire sufficient funds and equipment to get started?

A.: Well, most people looked at me like I had two heads even though I had been successful in a few other small endeavors besides my job, and I heard a lot of “nos.” We were in a recession, you know. Well, other people thought we were. I never paid much attention to that stuff.

My father used to have a bumper sticker that read, “I hear we are having a recession but I decided not to participate.”

Except for the later years, I learned to spend money when others weren’t, and save when others are spending. When times are tough, you have to prepare for the good times.

You also must prepare for down turns as well.

When I was getting discouraged, once again my dad spoke up and sent me to the local Marine Midland Bank to see Kay Daley, [the manager at the time]. He said she had pulled through for him in his early years.

I went to her and told her my story. She looked me in the eye and asked me if I was going to pay her back. I looked back and told her “yes.”

She then said, “Many years ago another young man sat in that chair and I asked the same question, I got the same answer, and I wasn’t disappointed.” That person was my dad. So she agreed and wrote a garage loan for the original clubhouse and asphalt track, and an auto loan for the go-karts. As I paid off each loan, I made sure I handAUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

ed her the last payment and thanked her for believing in me. I never forgot the value of a helping hand when you need it most.

Q.: To what do attribute the park’s longevity? What have been the keys to its success?

A.: Mostly because I was never afraid to work, to do what it took, and my ability to learn and pay attention.

I never took more money from the business than it could afford.

A small businessperson has to be an expert in everything.

I learned that if I had or installed what others wanted, they would pay for it. If I did only what I wanted, I had to pay for it. The business has been a winding road to today because I usually followed the dollar. I keep track of exact costs all the time. There are people going out of business every day because they don’t know.

Our operating costs have increased 15 to 21 percent over the last five years.

Q.: Does the park sustain itself now or are you still hands-on in terms of involvement?

A.: Currently, I’m pretty handson as it’s going to be a very busy year when I look at advance reservations for groups in the park and parties at The Oasis. It can sustain itself, but right now we’re reorganizing staffing to adjust to the rapidly rising cost of doing business and increased attendance.

Over the past four years, our attendance has doubled compared to eight years ago.

Q.: What kind of advice would you give someone who is looking to establish a recreation-type business such as Thunder Island?

A.: Work for a similar business and know it well. It costs a lot more to make the same mistakes today that I made 35 years ago. Every recommitment through our history here has meant significantly more cost.

Q.: What are your plans for the future?

A.: We have an additional 100 acres that, once cleared, will present a variety of options. The big trend now is toward expanding through partnerships, which brings more attractions in and adds value to the park.

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

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Profile

By Sarah McCrobie

LAWRENCE SPIZMAN Oswego retired professor will preside over the National Association of Forensic Economics

A

His work has also taken him labor economist by training, Os- tional Association of Forensic to Connecticut, Massawego resident Lawrence “Larry” Economics, and I was able to chusetts, Pennsylvania, Spizman saw his career shift focus contact a couple of people New Jersey, Florida, nearly three decades ago when he an- who gave me some insight California, Texas, Misswered a phone call that would change into what to do.” souri, Michigan and Working around the his life and help propel him into a new Kansas. clock to compile informafield of study.

For Spizman, Armed with a Bachelor of Science tion and make connections maintaining baldegree in business administration from with experts in the field, ance in his caseload Bryant University in Springfield, R.I., Spizman’s attention to is important. He has and a master’s and doctorate degree in detail caught the eye of served as an expert for economics from SUNY Albany, Spizman the defense attorneys both the defense came to the Port City in 1977 to teach in the case during and plaintiff. economics at SUNY Oswego. It was his testimony at When workduring this time that he was introduced trial, and his ing with the to the field of forensic economics, which reputation as plaintiff, was just beginning to be recognized as an elite forenSpizman is sic economist a sub-discipline in economics. charged with “In 1985 an attorney called the eco- was born. compiling ac“Right after nomics department [at SUNY Oswego] tual reports that and had a situation where he needed the trial, all three of deal with assessing to value the life of someone who was the defense attorneys the value of damages in an accident,” Spizman recalled. “I in the case called me on incurred by the plaintiff. just happened to be in my office at the other cases,” he said. “Word While much time and energy is time and the secretary transferred the of mouth and referrals helped, and that’s really how I got into it and then spent specializing in forensic economics call to me.” and running his business — Spizman According to the professor, his expanded.”

By building a solid reputation in the Economic Associates — the Long Island formal training and practice as a labor economist made him comfortable tak- field, Spizman has been asked to work native focuses on family.

“My family is most important to ing on a case of this nature. He said his on a variety of cases from the local level experience with empirical analysis and through the federal level. He has worked me,” he said. “Watching my younglabor economics made the transition cases in New York City, Albany, Buffalo, est son Adam develop and grow his into forensic economics fairly seamless. Syracuse, Rochester and Binghamton. strength and conditioning gym and my oldest son Joshua “I told the enjoy success in his attorney I would Lifelines academic career in give it a try beLos Angeles has been cause I thought it Birth date: June 19, 1949 very exciting for me.” was interesting,” Birthplace: Long Island Spizman is also a Spizman said. “The Current residence: Oswego attorney gave me Education: Bachelor of Science degree in business administration, Bryant University, Springfield, R.I. passionate New York the case informa(1971); master’s degree in economics, SUNY Albany (1974); PhD in economics, SUNY Albany, (1977) Yankees’ fan, and foltion and I went Affiliations: President-elect, National Association of Forensic Economics; member, American Eco- lows Syracuse Unito the library to nomic Association, Eastern Economic Association; founder, Triple A Little League Baseball, Oswego versity football and do some research Personal: Wife Arlene; two adult sons, Josh and Adam. Wife owns The Comic Shop, a specialty basketball as “a way to get me through the and that’s when store in Oswego long winter months.”

I discovered the Hobbies: Walking with his dog, Boca; reading He also partakes organization Na-

12

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

in collecting antiques and collectibles, which he characterizes as “more of a disease than a passion.”

Assessing the damage — Forensic economics applies economic theories and methods within a legal framework in determining the value of damages in a lawsuit, Spizman said.

“It could be an injury where you’re trying to value the damages to an injured person, it could be a wrongful death, it could be a discrimination or a wrongful termination case … any type of sexual discrimination where you’re trying to value what are the damages to the person in the suit,” Spizman said.

On the other side of the case, forensic economists work with the defense to critique the reports compiled by the economists hired by the plaintiffs. The defense attorneys provide their forensic economist with all of the case information and request the expert to write a critique, which Spizman noted is often more challenging.

“Each case is unique,” he said.

“Some cases are sad. Someone was injured or died, someone was allegedly wronged and catastrophic things have happened to a family. I have nothing to do with liability in the case. I just value the damages and then the jury has to figure out if the people were responsible for the harm.”

With an arsenal of knowledge and case experience, Spizman has shared his expertise in more than 35 articles that have been published in academic and professional journals. He has also delivered 40 presentations to his colleagues during professional conferences and meetings across the United States.

In addition to having his work published in a variety of academic outlets, Spizman earned an elite honor in 2010-2011 for his research in forensic economics and accepted the State University of New York Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities.

“Much of that research is used by economists all over the country and court decisions have mentioned it in their rulings,” Spizman said of his work. “The Chancellor’s Award was very rewarding since very few people in the SUNY system receive it.”

While Spizman has earned numerous accolades and the respect of his peers, he noted that his recent election as president-elect of the National Association of Forensic Economics is a great source

continued on page 86 AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

13

Publisher’s note

By Wagner Dotto

F

ulton native Kevin Niver Sr. never owned a business nor had any supervisory role in his professional career. Maggie Ferlito of Scriba never dreamed of going into business and Kaye Stone-Gansz of Sodus had a pretty comfortable high-paying job at Xerox in Rochester and was in line to become senior vice president.

What have they all done? They’ve chosen the entrepreneurial path and today they are proud to call themselves small business owners.

Their stories are vastly different but show some common grounds: determination, focus and a passion to succeed.

We feature all three in this issue of Oswego County Business.

Kevin Niver Sr. recently became business owner through the purchase of Sweet Inspirations, a Fulton landmark.

He said he always dreamed of opening a business and when the opportunity came up he seized it. He’s keeping his job in the maintenance department at Fulton Medical Center and he already involved

his family in the operation. “This is going to be a family business,” he says.

Maggie Ferlito began making some unique jewelry and would share them with friends and family. Forced to alter her life plans because of serious health condition, Ferlito decided to turn her hobby into an online business and in October launched Maggie’s Jewelry Box. Ferlito had virtually no budget (how about $100 as a start-up money?) and had no idea of how she would run a business.

Ferlito now reports that her business is thriving and online orders have come from all over the country.

Equally fascinating is the story of Kaye Stone-Gansz. Like Niver Sr., she became a business owner by purchasing an existing business, Smith’s Gravel Pit in Sodus. She was able to tap into her retirement account and raise the funds she needed to buy the business.

That’s a decision she will never regret.

The business has grown exponentially — her customer base went from 150 to

Reach People Who Matter Oswego County Business reaches nearly 25,000 readers in Central New York, based on 6,500 copies mailed every other month.

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OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

320 — and she has been honored by a number of organizations, including U.S. Small Business Administration. In May, Money magazine devoted three pages to her story.

“I was taken aback,” Stone-Gansz said. “It was exhilarating. They had seen some of this [other press coverage]. The piece they wrote was on women who jumped from a very traditional career to something else. It was for ‘Second Act.’ They want to inspire people.”

These are some of the great, inspiring stories that we believe readers will enjoy in this issue.

WAGNER DOTTO is the publisher of Oswego County Business Magazine.

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STORY IDEA? If you have any story idea for Oswego County Business, please send an email it to editor@oswegocountybusiness.com AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

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OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

Member FDIC

15

Where in the World is Sandra Scott?

By Sandra Scott

Sailing the Andes A journey that included five buses and four boats and beautiful unspoiled scenery

S

o often it is not destination but the journey that is the best part of traveling. Such was the case as my husband and I made our way from Puer-

to Varas, Chile, to Bariloche, Argentina.

We could have flown but luckily we chose to “sail� the Andes. We opted to do the trip in two days.

Our trip started in Puerto Varas, a Chilean city in an Alpine-like setting, located on beautiful Lake Llanquihue with the classic-shaped Orsono Volcano in the background. Cruise the Lakes (Cruce de Lagos) followed the same route used 400 years ago by the Huilliches, the indigenous people of Southern Chile, and later by the Jesuits. The tour used a combination of boats and buses to traverse the Andes with stops along the way. The first leg was a bus ride along Lake Llanquihue and Lake Petrohue with incredible views of the volcanoes.

We stopped at Vicente Perez Rosales Park, where a short hike on a nature trail led to the Petrohue Rapids. At the Petrohue wharf we boarded a catamaran and cuised along Lake Todos Los Santos for two hours never tiring by looking at volcanoes and pristine scenery.

When we arrived in Peulla it was lunchtime. We decided to spend the night there. We were the only passengers who

As we cruised along Lake Nahuel Huapi to Puerto Panuelo I knew the adventure was coming to an end.

16

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

chose to do the trip in two days. After lunch some of our fellow travelers opted for the thrilling zip line through the forest and others went rafting; we chose to relax in our cozy room. When the group left a wonderful silence descended on this quiet little niche in the forest. Instead of trying the zip line we took a short hike to Novia Waterfalls. Some people we met during the trip said, “Why did you stay overnight? There’s nothing there.”

That was the whole point. With such beauty there is no need to do anything but enjoy the peace and beauty.

In the morning we awoke to the sounds of birds outside our window and fresh mountain air stirring the curtains.

Too soon it was time to get on the bus for the short ride to the Chilean border where we completed border procedures.

Back on the bus we bounced along a dirt road to the Argentine border and completed their custom requirements.

We met only one vehicle during the two-hour ride, “A traffic jam!” quipped the guide. We boarded another boat to cross Lago Frias. Then a short bus ride took us to Puerto Blest where a boat took us across the lake to a trail that led to a waterfall. It was a long climb with many people opting out part of the way, including me. My husband continued.

As we cruised along Lake Nahuel Huapi to Puerto Panuelo I knew the adventure was coming to an end. We began to see houses and other watercraft.

At our last port of call, we were bused to our hotel in Bariloche, arriving about 4 p.m. Bariloche is famed for its chocolate, scenery and skiing. Puero Varas and Bariloche are excellent destinations but it is not the destination so much as the journey, a journey that included five buses and four boats and beautiful unspoiled scenery.

To visit Chile and Argentina a passport is necessary and while a visa is not required each country charges a “reciprocity fee” of US$ 160, which is equivalent to the fee Argentines and Chileans pay when requesting a visa to enter the United States. It is a one-time fee good until the passport expires.

Sandra Scott, a retired history teacher and the co-author of two local history books, has been traveling worldwide with her husband, John, since the 1980s.

The Scotts live in the village of Mexico.

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

Scenes from our trip from Chile to Bariloche, Argentina. We could have flown but luckily we chose to “sail” the Andes

Lake Todos Los Santos on our journey from Chile to Argentine. For two hours we never tired by looking at volcanoes and pristine scenery.

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

17

ON THE JOB “What do you believe is the most effective way to motivate your employees?”

“Of course, there are the monetary rewards that seem to work for some folks, but it does not build teamwork.

Often, it becomes expected and a topic of contention.

“We have a unionized and management environment so it makes it a bit challenging. I believe in corporate teamwork and leadership by example, and I openly communicate with all employees.

“I will make a huge issue of an employee advancing our business with efficiency and ideas. I will make sure he or she gets the public kudos and praise from colleagues. I also ensure all employees — both contract and management — know the corporate status, the corporate direction and expectations. I ensure the ability of employees to thrive in an open and honest corporate environment.

“Relative to other awards, I have a reputation for distributing large gas cards and bringing in treats such as muffins, holiday breads and gelato.”

Zelko Kirincich Port of Oswego Authority

ployees is to develop a set of goals and principles that articulates to your organization and the public not how or what you do to exist but why you are in business. Once your team has a purpose it is very easy to guide it in a direction that benefits your customers and organization as a whole.”

Derek B. Distenfield Legal Docs By Me Syracuse “Figure out first if they can be motivated, then determine if they’re motivated by money, a quality work ethic, desire to strive for excellence, desire to please, love of the job or fear and apply measures appropriately to that.”

Harry Perau Thunder Island Recreation Center Fulton

“Motivation of employees begins with the employee selection process, making sure there is a ‘fit’ with the business and its management and trying to insure the potential employee is excited about becoming a team member. Team building and communication is a constant and seeking opinions and ideas from employees on a regular basis is critical.

“Constructive criticism and praise are both important but honest praise for a job well done is the most critical.

Make every effort to determine what works best for individual employees; motivation is not a one-size-fits-all proposition.”

Linda Tyrrell Harbor Towne Gifts & Souvenirs Oswego

“I have found that empowering staff members and displaying confidence in their ability to do their job and successfully complete their duties serves as excellent motivation. Rather than micro-manage their every move I allow them the opportunity to take ownership of their duties and creatively use their resources and talent to complete the tasks at hand. Creating a positive work environment and letting them know that they are appreciated and an important part of the team and organization also goes a long way in offering them the incentive to do their best and foster pride in themselves, their job, and the company and organization.

“I would be remiss in not adding that a wage commensurate with their position and responsibilities along with a favorable benefit package cannot be understated.”

Melanie Trexler United Way of Greater Oswego County Fulton

“The best way to motivate em-

“First, focusing on values over

18

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

results in combination with inclusion into decision-making have always been an effective means of getting ‘buy in’ from employees. Employees get a very real sense and passion they are valued and are actually involved in making a difference.

“Second, a high level of effective communication is needed. Too often teams and organizations are unclear about the goals or what the top priorities are.

“Third, keep the majority of the employees’ energies working on top priorities and minimize far less important activities. This keeps distractions down and they feel like they actually are accomplishing things.

This increases their confidence while minimizing their frustrations.

“Finally, high levels of coaching and feedback are needed. Employees want to know if they are doing well as well as if they are doing poorly.

Likewise, they want to know what and how important their role is to the overall company performance.”

M.C. King Independence Power Station Oswego “I believe the most effective way to motivate your employees is to get them fully engaged in the activities they are performing. At our store, we focus on teaching and training our employees on how to think, not what to do. We believe in empowering our employees so they are capable of making good decisions both for the customer, the business and themselves.”

Rich Burritt RM Burritt Motors Oswego

By Lou Sorendo

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

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Fall Harvest Jamboree September 20 and 21 Open 12 Months 7 Days a Week

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The Pulaski/Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce welcomes you to visit the

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OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

21

NEWSMAKERS NEWS BRIEFS ON LOCAL BUSINESS & BUSINESS PEOPLE

OOC Annual Report Receives Award Operation Oswego County (OOC), Oswego County’s designated economic development organization, was recently awarded certificate of excellence for its 2012 annual report by the New York State Economic Development Council’s (NYSEDC) at its 2014 marketing and promotional materials award competition.

The report profiles development projects and summarizes capital investment and job creation facilitat-

ed by OOC in 2012. The report was created in conjunction with Step One Creative.

“The NYSEDC marketing and promotional materials award competition recognizes the best and most effective publications in the economic development field in New York state.

We are proud that our marketing materials have met the test of our economic development colleagues,” said L. Michael Treadwell, CEcD, OOC executive director.

The recognitions are awarded each year to NYSEDC member organizations throughout New York state who produce printed materials and

Women’s Group Celebrates 25 Years

Past presidents of the Oswego Association of Business and Professional Women gather at Vona’s Restaurant to celebrate the organization’s 25th anniversary.

From left: Mary Clark, Amy Tressider, Pat Cole, Grace Raes, and current president Beth Clark. Photo courtesy of Harrison Wilde The Oswego Association of Business and Professional Women recently celebrated its 25th anniversary at Vona’s Restaurant in Oswego awarding a scholarship check to Michaela Moran, graduating Oswego High School senior. Moran plans to attend SUNY Oswego for medical technology.

The OABPW membership includes working women and retirees. The group supports local groups and organizations.

Among other activities, OAB22

PW contributes to Human Concerns Food Pantry and focuses on a Thanksgiving cash and food drive.

Meetings are held at 6 p.m. the third Tuesday of each month at Vona’s, with the exception of July and August. Also, the December meeting is held the second Tuesday to accommodate holiday offerings.

To learn more about the organization and become a member, call Pat Cole, membership committee, at 342-2455.

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

Internet media to promote economic development in their areas. OOC has won several awards in past years for the effectiveness and quality of its advertising and promotional materials from NYSEDC and other regional and national professional economic development organizations.

Treadwell Re-elected to NYSEDC Board Operation Oswego County Executive Director L. Michael Treadwell was re-elected to another two-year term on the board of directors of the New York State Economic Development Council (NYSEDC) at the organization’s annual meeting held in Cooperstown in May. NYSEDC is the state’s principle organization representing economic development organizations and professionals. Its Treadwell 700 members include industrial development agencies, development corporations, commercial and investment banks, underwriters, bond counsels, utilities, chambers of commerce and private corporations.

In addition to distributing a quarterly newsletter, the organization conducts educational courses and seminars on topics of interest to its membership.

The organization also monitors state and federal legislation that impacts economic development.

Peter Maier Joins TDO Board of Directors The Central New York Technology Development Organization (TDO) recently announced the appointment of Peter Maier to its board of directors.

Maier is the president of INFICON Inc. in East Syracuse.

Prior to joining INFICON Maier was a project manager and consultant at Deloitte Consulting and a controller for Maier Heidelberger DruckAUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

maschinen AG. He holds a master’s degree in finance, computer science and engineering from the University of Karlsruhe in Germany.

Gary Brown Honored

by Credit Union Group Gary Brown of Oswego was recently honored by the Credit Union Association of New York, or CUANY, as a 2014 Outstanding Volunteer because of his work for Compass Credit Union. Brown, chairman of the credit union’s supervisory committee, was recognized for his effective leadership Brown on the committee and for the countless hours he has put in to help the credit union with its Bank at School program, its annual charity golf outing and its community picnic. Brown has been volunteering for Compass, located at 131 George St., for more than six years. He was honored June 21 during CUANY’s annual convention in Saratoga Springs.

Burritt Chosen as Business of the Year Burritt Motors recently received the Greater Oswego-Fulton Chamber of Commerce (GOFCC) Small Business of the Year Award. Accepting it was Richard Burritt, co-owner. He was joined by Jamieson Persse, president of the chamber’s board of directors; and Nathan Emmons, interim executive director Burritt at the chamber.

Burritt Motors’ history dates back to 1955 in Hannibal when Richard’s great-grandfather, Elmer O. Burritt, purchased a Chevrolet franchise that he operated until 1963. The dealership last year underwent a $2.5 million expansion and renovation last year.

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

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Students Enjoy Being Millionaires for a Day

Leighton Elementary School “millionaire” Ryan Bartlett pauses outside the limo before his class and “paparazzi” greet him outside school.

Students from six Oswego elementary schools and Oswego Middle School enjoyed free limousine rides to school, class pizza parties and the title of “millionaire for a day” after their names were pulled from a hat as part of Compass Credit Union’s Bank at School program.

Students received a chance to win the prize each time they made a deposit into their savings account during school banking days. Compass Credit Union set up a table in each school’s cafeteria once each month to collect deposits and give students a hands-on lesson about saving.

This year’s grand prize “millionaire” winners were: • Caroline Sincavage, Oswego Middle School • Brenna Williams, Fitzhugh Park Elementary School

Rent-A-Ride Opens New Location Rent-A-Ride recently opened a brand new location at 912 Arsenal St. in Watertown. The business also has locations in Fulton and Liverpool.

“We can pick you up from your 24

• Nia Evans, Kingsford Park Elementary School • Ryan Bartlett, Leighton Elementary School • Mason Wallace, Minetto Elementary School • Katelyn Castaldo, Riley Elementary School • Bruce Broadwell, Trinity Catholic School Each winner was able to invite a group of family and friends into the limo, which picked them up at home and first stopped at Compass, where the students enjoyed a tour and a free breakfast. After the limo arrived at school, each winner’s classmates served as “paparazzi,” clapping and cheering for them as they emerged from the limo. Later, each winner’s class celebrated with a free pizza party, courtesy of the “millionaire.”

house, repair shop or airport in one of our many vehicles,” said Marc Fernandez, CEO. Rent-A-Ride is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“One of the major advantages of working with us is that most of our competitors require a major credit card and other credentials before they can rent a vehicle. With Rent-A-Ride no major credit card is required; you can pay with cash or debit card.

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

Waldby Interns With Chirello Advertising Kristin Waldby, a junior communication and sociology double major at the University at Buffalo (UB), has joined Steve Chirello Advertising this summer as an intern.

Waldby, from the village of Phoenix in Oswego County, works on market research, various publicity and news Waldby writing, and advertising and television production for clients in retail, service, financial and educational fields.

At UB, she is concentrating her studies on public relations and health communication as well as working toward a health and society certificate.

Waldby has also held a position as social media director for the Public Relations Student Society of America club at UB, and has made the dean’s list every semester.

Haessig Joins Step One Creative as PR Intern Step One Creative, an Oswego-based advertising design and public relations firm has announced that Abigail Haessig of Oswego has joined the agency as a summer intern.

Haessig, who is a native of Oswego, is a junior communications major with concentrations in advertising and public relations at Le Moyne Haessig College in Syracuse.

“It’s a very exciting opportunity to gain experience in my chosen field right in my hometown,” Haessig said.

“I’m looking forward to applying what I’ve learned at Le Moyne in a professional setting.”

In addition to this internship, Haessig is also the public relations chairwoman of Le Moyne’s student programming board, and made the dean’s list during the spring 2014 semester.

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

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OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

Adolfi Real Estate Marks Milestone The Adolfi Real Estate in June celebrated a milestone: its wall of fame received its 100th customer testimonial. The Phoenix realty’s wall of fame is an assemblage of testimonials from customers within and around the community who have expressed what they like best about their experience working with the company.

A ceremony was attended by customers and community members alike to celebrate the unveiling of Tom House’s100th testimonial. House was recognized with a distinguished plaque and special gifts. “We would like to thank Mr. House, the community and our valued customers for their continued support. They are the reason our extreme customer service model is such an overwhelming success,” said John Adolfi, the owner of Adolfi Real Estate.

315-592 2222 • www.raynorford.com Whatever boat you choose …

Don’t forget to wear your life jacket!

Pathfinder Has Next Investment Executive Estella Taylor-Greene, of Liverpool has been named an investment executive at Pathfinder Investment Services, a division of Pathfinder Bank..

Taylor-Greene will work primarily in the Onondaga County market, servicing Pathfinder Bank’s Cicero and new Pike Block locations. In her new Taylor-Greene role she will assist individuals, families, and businesses meet their financial objectives, wealth accumulation, income or wealth distribution strategies, and asset protection.

Taylor-Greene has worked previously for First Niagara Bank as a personal financial associate, and vice president/senior premier relationship manager with HSBC.

She has a bachelor’s degree in applied social science with a concentration in business management from SUNY Binghamton, and enjoys mentoring young girls, reading, and traveling throughout the country with her husband to attend jazz festivals.

She is currently a board member for the CNY Jazz Arts Foundation.

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

Scan for boating safety information and to find a boating safety course.

WearItNewYork.com OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

New York Safe Boating 27

SUNY Oswego Building Renamed Marano Campus Center

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SUNY Oswego helps solve problems. We provide advisement and training for business start-up and expansion. We assist in accessing grants and provide for workforce development opportunities. We provide technical assistance and training for noprofit organizations. We build relationships that lead to a better economy and inject vitality into the Central New York community. SUNY Oswego offers unlimited horizons.

Learn more. oswego.edu/obcr Office of Business and Community Relations 103 Rich Hall, SUNY Oswego, Oswego, NY 13126 315.312.3492

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OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

he State University of New York board of trustees in June unanimously approved naming the Campus Center complex at SUNY Oswego after the late Nunzio and Lorraine Marano.

The SUNY Oswego College Council on June 6 approved honoring the Maranos with a named facility in recognition of Lorraine Marano’s generous community spirit and $7.5 million gift to the college, the largest private donation in the college’s 153-year history. The council’s action required SUNY board of trustees approval.

Lorraine and Nick Marano had a prosperous agricultural business located in a farming community near the college.

A Scriba native, Nick had an early career in banking and finance and later owned Marano Vacuum Cooling and Sales Inc. in Scriba and held a seat on the New York Mercantile Exchange until his death in 2002.

Originally from Philadelphia, Lorraine Marano had degrees from Glassboro State College (now Rowan University in Glassboro, N.J.) and Drexel University. She worked many years as a high school librarian. She died Oct. 1, 2013.

The Campus Center was completed in 2007 at a cost of $58 million. The composite 341,000-sq.-ft. facility encompasses both new construction and two previously existing buildings, the former Swetman and Poucher halls. The complex includes a convocation hall and arena, the college store, an activity and food court, offices of student affairs staff and student government and affiliated organizations, and offices and classrooms for the college’s humanities disciplines and Office of Learning Services.

The arena is a 2,500-seat venue for Oswego’s Division III ice hockey programs as well as community hockey events, college club hockey teams and the Ice Effects figure skating team.

SUNY Oswego President Deborah F. Stanley added, “Recognizing the Maranos in this way helps ensure that everyone who enters the facility will have an awareness and appreciation of their family legacy and raises the profile of philanthropy at Oswego.”

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

SPECIAL REPORT

By Lou Sorendo

‘The Caraccioli Cap’ Tax advocate takes on Oswego City Hall trying to cap property taxes at 5 percent; emphasizes need for more consolidation

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nough is enough. So says Oswego attorney and resident Kevin Caraccioli in regards to escalating property taxes in the city.

Caraccioli’s petition effort to place a referendum proposing a 5 percent tax rate cap on the November ballot has been successful.

Mayor Tom Gillen’s original tax increase proposal in 2013 called for an 82 percent property tax increase. City lawmakers would later pass a 43 percent increase, prompting Caraccioli to take action.

After intense discussions in executive session recently, city councilors decided to move forward with Caraccioli’s efforts.

“Mayor Tom Gillen indicated the council was going to go forward and put this measure before the voters in November for them to decide,” Caraccioli said.

“All I ever wanted was to give the public the opportunity to voice its opinion at the ballot in November.”

If the community decides to implement the 5 percent tax rate cap, then it becomes law and is a city charter provision that must be followed in subsequent budgets.

It would not take effect until the 2016 budget.

Another increase? — Caraccioli said he told the council that the “word on the street” calls for another sizable increase for 2015, this time at about 30 percent.

“Whether they actually crunch any numbers to determine what the 2015 budget actually will look like, I can’t say,” he said. “We will have a good sense of that hopefully this fall.”

Caraccioli said the council can move in two different directions.

Under the charter, the budget does not have to be presented to the common council until sometime in November and has to be adopted by the council by the end of the year.

“I’m not doing it for any glory or ulterior motive. I, like everyone else in this community, was shocked when the budget came out last year with a proposed 82 percent increase.

As a property owner, a business owner and city resident, I decided I needed to take some action.”

Kevin Caraccioli AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

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SPECIAL REPORT “What I fear is increasing taxes in this community impact consumers in this community. If they are spending too much on taxes, they don’t have enough money to do things like go downtown and spend their money there.”

As a result, there are fewer customers for local merchants.”

Kevin Caraccioli The charter revision ballot initiative will have been decided on Nov. 4, and the council will know that as it puts together a budget for 2015.

Caraccioli said being that the council realizes the 5 percent cap, it can “super-inflate” the budget.

Conversely, it can “act responsibly and try to manage the cost to at least adhere to the spirit and intent of the 5 percent tax cap. They will have to make some difficult decisions that I think are actually needed for the city to move forward.”

“I think there are areas that can be trimmed and areas that beg for innovation and for some creative governing,” he said.

Caraccioli said Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been “very keen” on consolidation of services and sharing of services among municipalities.

“There’s no reason in this day and age why the city of Oswego can’t more actively participate in sharing of services with its neighboring townships, such as the towns of Oswego, Minetto and Scriba.

“Every one of them has a local government and they all have various services that they provide and perform for citizens. Some of those can be cross-purposed and can cross municipal boundaries to provide for more efficient service for everyone,” he said.

He said there is an overlap of services in the public sector, but also private and public sectors competing against each other.

“I am optimistic that if given the chance, the public will vote in favor of 30

the 5 percent tax cap,” Caraccioli said.

“All of the comments I’ve received out in public have been positive. I’ve had a fair share of people come up to me and thank me for the initiative. It’s appreciated, but it’s not why I did it.

“I’m not doing it for any glory or ulterior motive. I, like everyone else in this community, was shocked when the budget came out last year with a proposed 82 percent increase. As a property owner, a business owner and city resident, I decided I needed to take some action. A lot of people have the same thoughts, but either don’t know how to fight city hall and get involved effectively to try to make a change.”

Caraccioli said it is a combination of his legal training, background and own individual makeup that compels him to take on city hall.

“I care about this community. I went away to college and law school and made a decision about 25 years ago to come back to the community that helped raise me and to give back,” he said.

State of the budget — The previous tax rate cap was first enacted in 2002 after being overwhelmingly approved by voters. It went on the books in 2003 until 2011.

In 2011, the common council adopted a local law to change the charter back to what it was previously and the legal opinion it relied on was enacting it without putting it before voters because it did not alter the authority of the mayor and common council and is simply resetting their authority the way it formerly used to be.

Caraccioli sought to petition the government versus seeking Civil Practice Law & Rules Article 78 action, which he thought was a more lengthy approach.

Caraccioli said from 2003-2011, the tax rate never increased so the law was never tested.

He said that was made possible by a certain degree of cutting and trimming the budget, but also taking from the reserve or un-appropriated fund balance the city had.

As a result of a dwindling reserve, the city experienced an 11 percent tax hike in 2013 prior to the 43 percent rate increase for 2014.

Residents in the city face a tax bill of about $49 per $1,000 assessed valuation, with the city getting a portion of about $14 per $1,000.

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

Caraccioli said many business owners in the city are cautious about spending and putting money into their properties for fear that taxes will increase again.

“Those same folks have money to invest and want to invest but they are cautious and many of them are scared to actually invest in their properties because they are unsure what they are going to get in return,” he said.

High property taxes result in a “reverse multiplier effect” in the community, Caraccioli said.

He said a business creates a ripple effect in the community as its workers spend money and support other businesses.

“What I fear is increasing taxes in this community impact consumers in this community,” he said. “If they are spending too much on taxes, they don’t have enough money to do things like go downtown and spend their money there.”

As a result, there are fewer customers for local merchants.

“Businesses are going to have to make a decision to either raise prices, lay off people or close down. That is no good for a community,” he said.

Caraccioli said the community must understand that some services may be curtailed. “Therein lies the challenge.

How do we do this effectively and efficiently and together so those cuts in services are strategic and have as minimal impact on the overall community as possible?” he asked.

Caraccioli said the 5 percent tax cap will not work unless some ideas such as consolidation, privatization, shared services and elimination of duplicative serves and personnel are implemented.

“There needs to be political will and some courage on the part of our leadership to make these changes,” he said.

Caraccioli said once the cap is in effect, city leaders will have to examine ideas that are being championed by many throughout the city.

“There are a number of focus groups of downtown business owners and merchants that have a list of ideas on how to improve the community,” he said.

“Change should be not feared; it should be embraced,” Caraccioli said.

“This initiative is a building block and foundation upon which to grow a more responsible government.”

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

SPECIAL REPORT

By Lou Sorendo

Leaders Respond to ‘Caraccioli Cap’

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ommunity leaders are backing a 5 percent property tax rate cap in the city of Oswego, a measure that will be decided by voters in November.

If the cap gets enacted, any budget increase above 5 percent of the previous year’s property tax rate would have to be decided by voters.

Local attorney Kevin Caraccioli recently lead a successful petition drive which has resulted in the cap proposal being approved by Mayor Tom Gillen and the common council. It will be decided through a Mayor Gillen referendum in the fall.

The measure comes on the heels of a 43 percent tax hike realized in 2014.

“I think the message that we want to deliver to taxpayers is that we are in this with them too,” Gillen said. “We all own property and pay taxes.

“It’s loud and clear that there is a certain amount of responsibility that goes with leadership,” he said. “It’s not just about doing everything with as little as possible, but doing the best you can with what you got.”

Gillen encourages discussion on the topic.

“If we need to go to a referendum to decide on whether we should raise taxes

by more than 5 percent, then the people should be able to make that decision as long as they understand the repercussions and outcome,” he said.

If city residents become more concerned about taxes than services, it would inevitably mean a cutback in services, Gillen added.

“As long as people understand what that means, I am fine with that,” he said.

“This government is about the people.”

“These are not just arbitrary numbers. These are real lives and real people,” Gillen said. “Once you know more about how the city works, then it becomes less political and more operational.”

“You realize that tax money doesn’t go toward frivolous reasons. It goes to maintain the safety and security of the city and promote the growth and success of the city,” he added.

Gillen said the city did feature a 5 percent tax cap several years ago.

“It was really tough for a number of reasons in terms of getting an accurate budget because it had to be done by August and you had to guesstimate what the rest of the expenses of the budget would be toward the end of the year,” he said.

During the years the cap was in effect, the strategy called for tapping the city’s reserve fund if there was a budgetary shortfall.

“We went from a significant savings fund to very little,” Gillen said. “We don’t have that luxury anymore.”

Gillen was not mayor when the tax cap was scrapped a few years ago.

“It was difficult to do a budget projecting your status for the next year when you cut it off in August,” he said. “It was just speculation in terms of revenue and costs and difficult to do an accurate job.”

With the tax cap no longer in effect, the council now formulates its budget from Thanksgiving until the end of the year.

“We have real numbers and data rather than speculative numbers,” he said.

Grinding through trying times — “Quite honestly, I don’t expect us to be in the position we were last year,” Gillen said.

After drawing down the general fund, 2013 was a year city government had to stabilize, he said.

“We’ve got costs associated with the city now that we didn’t have years ago,” he said. “There’s unfunded mandates from the state that we didn’t have years ago.”

Gillen said last year was a “turning point” and he said the city is on its way to getting through rough times.

The mayor said there is a cost associated with investing in the city, and the benefit is protecting property values.

“If for some reason we start cutting away at services and quality of life, people will leave. Once that’s starts, it’s a slippery slope,” he said.

Gillen said city leaders do a responsible job in constructing a budget. “From Thanksgiving through Christmas, we spend every night and weekends going line by line through the budget,” he said.

“We are very intimate with the budget and know exactly what our costs are.

“It’s not a matter of responsibility.

What’s Next?

The “Caraccioli Cap” issue goes on the ballot in November and, if voted for, becomes law. By then, the 2015 budget will have already been adopted or on its way to being adopted.

If the law is enacted, it would require the mayor to present a budget to the common council by Aug. 1, 2015. The council will then have about a month to adopt a budget.

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

If the budget falls under 5 percent of the 2015 budget, it would be the adopted budget for 2016.

If it proposes a tax rate that shows an increase beyond 5 percent of the 2015 budget, then it must go before the voters in November to decide whether that budget would be adopted or not.

If adopted at that point, the budget would feature whatever tax rate increase is proposed.

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SPECIAL REPORT We are very responsible and that’s why we were elected.”

While a 5 percent cap would make the budget formulation process easier, Gillen said he is not sure if it is the best solution.

“When you elect people to represent Persse you, you have to enable them to do the best they can,” he said.

“If they don’t, you replace them with someone else. It’s a democracy.”

Gillen said with a 5 percent tax rate cap in hand, the city would have to develop a budget “like a family.”

“Suppose you lose your job or don’t get that raise, you have to adjust accordingly by cutting back on groceries or taking your kids out of school. There’s a lot of things you can do, but none of them are very attractive,” he said.

“Our first and primary responsibility is to provide a safe, clean infrastructure for the community. Without safety, there’s almost no point in living here,” he said.

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Gillen said that means police, fire and public works are “probably the last ones we’d go after.”

Business perspective — Jamie Persse, board president of the Greater Oswego-Fulton Chamber of Commerce, said government has an arduous task in terms of keeping pace with increasing costs of administration, staffing and materials.

“However, from a business perspective, I certainly would have to support on behalf of the business community a property tax cap of some sort,” Persse said.

Persse said the chamber supports any endeavors that can promote growth in local business and help reduce costs while generating more consumer traffic.

“A business can’t run year after year not knowing what their costs are, whether it be insurance, employment or property taxes,” he said.

He said it is difficult to run a business without being able to understand how to budget properly in the midst of changing costs.

“I think in numerous ways it would be beneficial just to help businesses be

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

able to manage,” he said.

Knowing fixed costs leads to more accurate budgetary projections and an environment of certainty, he added.

Persse pointed to the recent implementation of the Affordable Care Act as another example of how business owners are faced with uncertain circumstances.

Persse said there are many who don’t understand the regulatory environment the ACA has created.

“I’ve talked to numerous business owners who don’t know the impact it will have on their business. Therefore, it stifles growing their business,” he said.

The mandate that large and medium-sized employers — or those with 50 or more full-time equivalent employees — offer their workers health insurance coverage beginning in 2015 is creating fear of additional costs among business owners, Persse added.

Persse said when higher costs are levied on the owners of businesses, they have no choice but to pass on those costs in the form of higher prices of goods and services.

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

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Designing Woman

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Young entrepreneur turns adversity into opportunity

hen Maggie Ferlito of Scriba began designing custom jewelry for family and friends, she quickly realized she had found a niche. When she became engaged and began searching for unique wedding accessories, she knew she had found a virtually untapped niche.

Excited by the potential and the prospect of doing something she loved, Ferlito created Maggie’s Jewelry Box — an online couture bridal accessories company that serves all of the United States.

Launched Sept. 30, 2013, Maggie’s Jewelry Box is already receiving rave reviews from clients all over the country enthusiastically thanking her for making their special day even more special.

While jewelry was not Ferlito’s initial career concept, it became her salvation after a serious health issue forced her to abandon her aspiration to become an art therapist.

“My whole life I have been fascinated with all things art-related. My initial plan was to merge my love for art and psychology by delving into the world of art therapy,” she said. “This is a profession I admire and am still very interested in.”

Ferlito said she has an associate’s degree in studio and art design from SUNY Oswego and in 2008-09 was in the process of obtaining her bachelor’s degree in fine arts.

“Just prior to completion of my bachelor’s degree, I began to experience constant debilitating head pain, which would cause me to temporarily lose consciousness.”

Forced to withdraw from school, Ferlito said for the next six years she saw countless doctors and specialists, eventually even undergoing brain surgery for a pituitary adenoma. But it brought no resolution and her frequent, sudden fainting spells made just standing up impossible, let alone doing any of her art, like drawing, painting or screen printing.

“The things I knew and loved that

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I used as my therapeutic outlet simply wasn’t an option for me anymore at that point.”

Ferlito said, for the brief times she was able to sit, however, she began making jewelry, providing her the outlet she so desperately needed.

“For as long as I can remember, I had been fascinated by jewelry and had always wanted to learn how to make my own. On the good days I had plenty of time to teach myself. I have

always looked to art as a therapeutic escape, so at this difficult time in my life it was even more important to me.”

As Ferlito’s interest in jewelry making grew, she realized the potential to develop it into something more.

“In my experience, finding the right jewelry for the right occasion was not always easy. I would often see my friends and family settling for ‘good enough.’

This was not good enough for me.”

Ferlito began making alterations to the jewelry she would buy and often repaired broken jewelry brought to her by friends and family.

“As I became more and more skilled, they began asking me to make pieces for them that were my own designs,” she explained. “Then, word of mouth spread and total strangers began to contact me about my unique jewelry creations.”

What is unique about Ferlito’s

A virtually non-existent budget and lack of business experience might have discouraged most hopeful business owners, but not Maggie Ferlito. Here she poses as a model with the jewelry she creates. She launched her online business in October — Maggie’s Jewelry Box —and she says sales have grown quickly.

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

Samples of jewelery created by Scriba resident Maggie Ferlito.

business is with her innovative website, clients can easily get involved in the design process, collaborating with her to ensure the final product is exactly what they envisioned.

“All of my pieces are made-to-order and completely customizable, allowing clients to select their desired colors, metal tones, styles, clasps, ear wires, size, etc.

They need not have any jewelry knowledge as I do all the work for them.”

Overcoming her health issues was not the only challenge Ferlito faced along the way to her successful business. A virtually non-existent budget and lack of business experience might have discouraged most hopeful business owners, but not Ferlito.

“I was living at home with my parents who were fully supporting me during this incredibly tough period of my life. So, with less than $100 in my bank account, I created my designs solely with money saved from birthdays, holidays and gifts from my friends and family who would buy me beads and little things here and there. Anything I would sell I would simply invest back into materials for future orders.”

Ferlito taught herself the basics of business, spending many long nights in intensive research to develop a bookkeeping system tailored to meet her specific needs, along with designing and AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

creating her website and logo.

All of the photos displaying her designer jewelry, along with elaborate photo shoots are completely produced and photographed by Ferlito.

“Those unfamiliar with the photography industry, may think that it is as simple as snapping a picture of a model wearing a dress and jewelry, but a lot of work goes into it,” Ferlito pointed out.

“I come up with a concept, hold casting calls for models, find and schedule hair stylists, makeup artists, wardrobe stylists, book a location venue, rent props and design sets. I often do small test shoots, and depending on the type of shoot, I also showcase vendors like florists, bridal salons, fashion designers, cake artists, etc.”

Ferlito also chose to showcase “real women” as models, often using friends and family.

Her photographic talent has been so successful that one customer from Michigan informed her, “Sometimes I find myself surfing your page for hours enjoying all the photography! The photos are unlike anything I’ve ever seen – such talent!”

As for her health, Ferlito recently took that into her own hands as well.

Opting to stop her meds, she began making major adjustments to her diet.

“The doctors think it may have been OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

blood pressure imbalance caused by hormones which causes my pituitary gland to swell and press on my optic nerves/ brain tissue,” she said. “So I just stay away from anything that will increase my blood pressure.”

Today, with her health and business thriving, Ferlito is ready to make her mark in the world of haute couture jewelry.

“My vision for Maggie’s Jewelry Box is to have a trained staff of talented designers, who would work alongside me as demand for my product grows.

Having employees would allow me to expand my production capabilities, and ultimately permit me to take on more clients. I would love to brand myself and become a household name as the “goto designer” for custom accessories, all while still overseeing and taking pride in every piece that is created. Also, in addition to my website, I would hope to someday have a studio space that is open to the public where I can host open houses, showcase new collections, and maybe even collaborate with other designers.”

For more information, visit www. maggiesjewelrybox.com or email Ferlito at info@maggiesjewelrybox.com.

By Debra Lupien 35

Kaye Stone-Gansz next to a truck at Smith’s Gravel Pit. She retired from Xerox Corp. in Rochester after 27 years and bought an existing gravel business in Sodus. She has since grown the customer base of the company from 150 to 320.

Sodus Woman Lauded by Money Magazine Kaye Stone-Gansz finds a new life as entrepreneur in neighboring Wayne County — and draws attention of a national magazine

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ost people don’t view Upstate New York as an economic hotbed. Yet the May issue of “Money Magazine” includes the smiling face and inspiring story of Kaye StoneGansz, a resident of Sodus in neighboring Wayne County whose golden touch more than doubled the size of the local business she bought in 2012.

After a 25-year career at Xerox

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Corporation in Rochester, Stone-Gansz accepted early retirement from her senior executive position — a shock to most of her coworkers. But she wasn’t done working. She turned her eye homeward to Wayne County’s opportunities. Many people in the mostly rural county commute

BUSINESS UPDATE

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

an hour or so each way to Rochester or Syracuse for work. Stone-Gansz wanted to free herself of the corporate environment and experience entrepreneurship.

“I worked long hours for Xerox and I was in line for senior VP,” Stone-Gansz said. “I got to the point where with the hours I was putting in, I realized I could start my own business and what I did would be mine. I wanted to be in an AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

environment where I could grow my business, grow the employees’ base in Wayne County.”

Smith’s Gravel Pit in Sodus drew her attention. Despite her lack of industry knowledge, Stone-Gansz saw an opportunity. She formed Stone Goose Enterprises, Inc. and bought the gravel pit business.

She has since grown the customer base from 150 to 320. Stone-Gansz grew up on a potato farm in Wayne County, so expanding her customer base in the agricultural industry made sense. She also reached out to area municipalities and now supplies the Wayne County Highway Department.

She reinvested in the business by improving the equipment and the pit.

These investments help ensure she can keep up with the increasing demand.

“Learning the gravel business was the only challenge,” Stone-Gansz said.

“But people know I’m motivated and passionate. Once I understood gravel, I could talk with people. I talked a lot to my customers to learn, a lot of farmers.

Asking questions of the customers who use a lot of gravel helped me get up to speed.”

She added that she has a thriving residential market, too.

She has expanded the business to include some crushed stone products and sand to her line to help grow her markets and hopes to open a quarry so she can sell limestone, too. She plans to operate the limestone quarry as a separate business so she can monitor its

profitability and manage its bookkeeping more easily.

“The biggest reason for me [to do business here] is the family tie,” StoneGansz said. “It’s where I grew up and I love living here. I also believe that depending upon the industry you’re in, it’s a flourishing county. There are not many gravel pits in Wayne County.

Many farmers who need gravel would have to drive a lot farther. Now they can keep their money in Wayne County.”

Stone-Gansz serves on the board of Wayne County Business Council.

“Our mission is to grow Wayne County businesses. The incentive is to get people to come in and show them the successes of start-ups.”

Stone-Gansz’s story serves as an illustration that even successful business people still have lessons to learn. StoneGansz discovered that that transitioning from a white-collar management role to that of managing a gravel pit requires a more hands-on approach.

“You have to get your hands around who you’re managing and be extremely flexible with how you’re managing,” Stone-Gansz said. “The way I managed around Xerox wouldn’t work here. Xerox is very policy- and procedure-driven. I do that here, but you can’t take it to the 49th level. In Xerox, you can say things once or twice, but here you have to manage a little bit closer.”

Currently, she employs seven — three more than when she took the helm — and will employ another three once the quarry opens. She hopes to add

Kaye Stone-Gansz last year during a NYS Small Business Development event that recognized her as a Female Entrepreneur of the Year 2013.

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

more products and diversify in to other types of businesses, perhaps retail, wine or a restaurant, since the gravel business is seasonal.

Stone-Gansz’s success at Smith Gravel Pit represents only a recent achievement. “Rochester Business Journal” recognized Stone-Gansz as one of their “40 under Forty” recipients in 2004. Two years later, she was inducted into the Monroe Community College Hall of Fame.

She became involved with the New York State Small Business Development Center to obtain help with her business plan. The organization honored her with an award for Female Entrepreneur of the Year in 2013.

The Rochester Democrat & Chronicle daily newspaper published a piece about her. At the end of last year, Money Magazine called.

“I was taken aback,” Stone-Gansz said. “It was exhilarating. They had seen some of this [other press coverage]. The piece they wrote was on women who jumped from a very traditional career to something else. It was for ‘Second Act.’ They want to inspire people.”

The entourage of photographers, wardrobe professionals and make-up artists at the gravel pit seemed surreal to Gansz-Stone, but she’s been pleased with the article’s outcome: calls from others who were inspired by her story.

The 49-year-old said that some former co-workers at Xerox “thought I was nuts. You wouldn’t believe the questions people would ask.”

It seems Stone-Gansz has the last laugh. She likens her experience to an illustration depicting a slender tree limb with the motto, “Go out on a limb. That’s where the fruit is.”

“It had a big, red cherry on the limb,” Stone-Gansz said. “The limb was pretty flimsy but to me, that was it.”

Stone-Gansz is a graduate of Monroe Community College, Rochester Institute of Technology and St. John Fisher College with an associate’s degree in computer science, a bachelor’s degree in computational mathematics and an Master of Business Administration degree.

Stone-Gansz has served as the March of Dimes board chairwoman for the Genesee Valley Finger Lakes Region from 2004 to 2011. She and her husband, Ross Gansz, live in Newark. Ross is a plant manager for Calvary Automation in Webster, Monroe County. Their children are Jacquelyn, 3, and Jon Ross, 18.

(By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant) 37

A Fulton Landmark is Back Former Birdseye employee who now works at Fulton Medical Center is the new owner of iconic Sweet Inspirations. Running a business was always a dream, he says

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he ‘50s are back. When one walks into Sweet Inspirations in Fulton on a Saturday night, it is like taking a trip back into time.

The nostalgic experience is like an old-time rock ‘n’ roll party with 1950s-themed sock hop decorations, classic cars and motorcycles. Folks dress in their best ‘50s attire, kick off their shoes and dance the night away in their socks.

They do the twist, the stroll, the jerk and the swim, a far cry from today’s “mosh pit” mentality.

However, the facility was shuttered for a while and on the sales block for several years. It suffered a serious downturn over the last several years while it was being leased out.

Fulton native Kevin Niver Sr. and his family have brought it back to life. It’s almost as if Elvis never left the building.

Sweet Inspirations has become a tradition as one of Fulton’s favorite drive-in ice cream parlors and diners.

Its Saturday cruise and sock hop nights — featuring classic cars from throughout the region — are also returning.

Niver opened the legendary restaurant in late June after doing extensive renovations to a facility that was left in disrepair by its previous manager.

A lack of quality meant fewer customers, and some people even suggested to Niver that he change the drive-in’s name after he purchased it.

“This is like a landmark in the Fulton community and draws people from outside Fulton,” he said. “It would have been a huge mistake to change the name.”

A delay in opening combined with problems associated with his cooling units forced Niver to miss most of June, considered an integral part of the peak season for businesses such as Sweet Inspirations.

Niver works in the maintenance department for Oswego Health, mostly at its Fulton Medical Center facility.

How does he balance both respon-

BUSINESS UPDATE

38

sibilities?

“It’s just long hours, but this business would be long hours anyway,” he said.

His children, Kevin Niver Jr., 21, and Kaitlyn Niver, 19, have been invaluable to their dad while launching the drivein, affectionately nicknamed “Sweets.”

“This is going to be a family business,” said Niver.

Former owners Sandy and Stephanie Freeman have stopped in several times to assist Niver. The couple put Sweet Inspirations up for sale in late 2010.

“They helped us get our feet on the ground and move forward,” Niver said.

Niver said he wanted to start his

own business when he was younger, but a divorce and the need to raise his two children prevented that from happening.

“It would have been way too hard,” he said. “I was too involved in my kids’ activities to open a business.”

Niver said the drive-in can employ up to 30 people during peak times.

Former Birdseye worker — Niver worked at Birdseye in Fulton for more than 30 years prior to its shutdown in late 2011.

He was one of only a handful of workers who was offered a job transfer to a Birdseye facility in Darien, Wis. While he enjoyed his new environs, he had the opportunity to work at Oswego Health and returned to New

Fulton native Kevin Niver Sr. and his family have brought Sweet Inspirations, a Fulton landmark, back to life.

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

York state.

Niver said he has the advantage of taking over a well-established restaurant that already has name recognition.

“Many new restaurants which are not a franchise struggle with just trying to build a name,” he said.

Niver has never owned, operated or managed a business, nor has he ever held a supervisory or management position. However, with prompting from his son, he took on his new venture and second career.

“I probably could have waited a few more years and retired, so this is a huge step considering the financial risk of doing it,” he said.

Niver said his location on a heavily trafficked state Route 3 on the west side of Fulton is ideal.

Many eateries are located on the east side, such as fast food locations and Mimi’s Drive-in.

Being close to Walmart and Cayuga Community College is a plus as well, he added.

It’s not uncommon to see 200-plus hot rods and muscle cars from the ‘50s and ‘60s on a given Saturday night at Sweets.

Niver characterizes it as a fun family experience, even though many parents in attendance did not experience the ‘50s and ‘60s era.

Attraction to the ‘50s and ‘60s culture probably still exists because the children of parents who experienced it still find it valid, Niver said.

He characterized the music of that time as being “light and fun loving” compared to today’s fare.

Niver said he has plenty of ideas for the restaurant.

“I plan on keeping my job and making sure this business is on sound footing. If it is and I am able to make a profit, I’m going to put it right back into it for improvements,” he said.

“This place has a ton of potential,” he said.

Always known as a seasonal business, Niver said he plans on making it a year-round diner and serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. He wants to hire experienced cooks to make that a reality.

Cool, calm and collected — “One of the girls that works for me told me she has never seen anyone so calm in her life,” Niver said.

“I am very calm and easy going, and I think that is a huge plus,” he said.

“I have always been quiet and shy for the most part, but in my later years, I have become more outgoing, talkative AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

Sweet Inspirations’ new owner, Kevin Niver Sr., has never owned, operated or managed a business, nor has he ever held a supervisory or management position. with people and able to express myself a lot better.”

He said the ability to keep calm in chaotic situations is an invaluable trait to have.

“I don’t want my staff to feel the pressure that I might be feeling as an owner and manager,” he said.

“Even though I never have been a manager, I know how I like to be managed through my past work experience,” he noted. “I want to be able to treat my employees the same way.”

Niver coached many of his son’s sports teams. He said managing people is similar.

“Not every kid can be treated the same. There are some you have to build up and give a pat on the back to a little more, while with others, you have to get on their case a bit more. You have to know what type of people you are dealing with and how to get the most out of them as employees,” he said.

The menu includes hamburgers, turkey burgers, hot dogs, Philly cheese steaks, chicken fingers and a host of sandwiches. There are more than 30 flavors of ice cream to choose from.

Niver used different securities to make the acquisition and will be seeking financial help in the future from the county and city of Fulton. He is also looking to take a mortgage out on the business, which he said will “solidify the business more because the money will be used so the place won’t falter.”

Jerry, Barb and Jerry Truax Jr., opened the popular hot spot in 1987.

The Truaxs would later sell the business to the Freemans in 2001.

The 3,871 square-foot building sits on 1.5 acres of land.

By Lou Sorendo OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

Grow Your Business

in Fulton

The City of Fulton is an attractive place to locate and expand your business. Fulton’s abundance of water and energy, central location and highly productive workforce has attracted large and small businesses into the community.

Among other things, we offer: • Revolving Loan Packages • Micro-Enterprise Loan Program • Technical Assistance For more information, call 593-7166 or visit us online at fultoncda.com

STORY IDEA? If you have any story idea for Oswego County Business, please send an email it to editor@oswegocountybusiness.com 39

Volney Multiplex Acquires Competing Business Pafumi Extinguisher now part of the Fulton business

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ultiplexing is combining many signals into a single transmission circuit or channel.

Recently, Volney Multiplex on Calkins Road in Fulton combined with another Fulton-based business, Pafumi Extinguisher, in a merger designed to benefit both businesses.

Today, Volney Multiplex business partners Loren Knapp and David McCann are on the same channel as John Pafumi, who is nearing retirement.

Knapp started the business in 1980 and McCann came in as a partner in 1990.

The business specializes in electrical contracting, security systems, fire alarms, closed-circuit television, access control and 24-hour monitoring.

“We try to stay versatile,” McCann said.

Pafumi Extinguisher and Volney Multiplex have both specialized in security and fire alarms.

“Basically, we were the two local businesses that did fire and security,” McCann said. “When we merged, we picked up his customer base.”

Pafumi plans to retire soon, but is playing a part-time role at Volney Multiplex.

“He can still handle a lot of his customers but basically it will be through us now,” McCann noted. Volney Multiplex employs 10 people.

McCann said Pafumi has “always been good competition.”

“We were familiar with a lot of his customers. He didn’t want to sell out to a large company,” McCann said. “He wanted to make sure his customers were taken care of.”

McCann said Pafumi will now phase into retirement while still attending to customers who specifically enjoy dealing with him.

“John now has 10 people to help

BUSINESS UPDATE

40

service his customers if there is a problem,” McCann added.

McCann said the majority of his client base — both residential and commercial — is within 100 miles.

A large portion of the business is associated with the fire alarm industry.

Volney Multiplex inspects fire systems at many businesses and organizations throughout the area.

Most of them also take advantage of monitoring systems as well.

McCann said closed circuit TV and cameras have become increasingly popular as residential prices have become more affordable. People can use their cell phones to access cameras.

“In the residential market, closed circuit TV is almost as popular as a traditional security system,” he said. “A lot of times, people use the two together.

If the alarm trips, they basically pull up the camera to see what is happening.”

McCann noted in poor economic times, there is greater demand for se-

curity systems.

Phasing into retirement — Pafumi Extinguisher specialized in small commercial and residential burglar and fire alarm systems. Pafumi originally started with portable fire extinguishers.

With his past electrical experience, Pafumi delved into installing alarm systems. He started the business to supplement his full-time job with the Fulton Fire Department.

He eventually specialized in strictly small commercial and residential alarm systems, transferring the portable extinguisher business to his brother Anthony and sister-in-law Heidi.

Heidi works inspections while Anthony attends to all the shop work.

“The motivation behind the merger was the fact I want to semi retire,” Pafumi said. “I started looking for a company that would buy my business, keep me on as an employee and most of all keep the rates as reasonable as I charged.”

Pafumi said the union is a “win-win” for both companies.

“Volney Multiplex and I have been friendly competitors for years,” he said.

“We both built up a good solid customer base. Large corporate alarm companies don’t care as much as we do about customer service, just their bottom line.”

Pafumi said his new role with Volney Multiplex is to continue to bring in new accounts and service existing customers.

By Lou Sorendo

The work crew at Volney Multiplex includes, from left, John Pafumi, Chuck Delaney, Jake Clark, Gordon Wettering III, Zach Foster, Matt Morse and Craig Stewart.

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

Safe Haven Museum Celebrates 70th Reunion Oswego’s was the only shelter of its kind in the United States to lodge refugees of the Nazi Holocaust during World War II

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t was 70 years ago this summer that Fort Ontario in Oswego opened its doors to refugees of the Nazi Holocaust during World War II. To celebrate the event, the Safe Haven Museum and Education Center recently celebrated the 70th reunion of the Fort Ontario Emergency Refugee Shelter. Refugees, many who had not been back since the shelter closed in 1946, and their families were once again welcomed to Oswego.

On Aug. 5, 1944, 982 refugees who survived Nazi reign during World War II arrived at Fort Ontario in Oswego.

They were allowed into the country as “guests” of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Their story is unique as this was the only shelter of its kind in the United States.

Twelve refugees along with the son of Joseph Smart, director of the Fort Ontario Emergency Refugee Shelter, and the daughter of the captain of the Henry Gibbins, the transport ship that brought the refugees to America, attended the reunion June 19 through 22. Several local residents revisited memories of the times spent with occupants of the shelter. Refugees and their families enjoyed a remembrance tour of familiar places such as the former Mitchell Street School, the former Oswego High School

on West First Street, and the Riverside Cemetery, the burial site of refugees who died while at the shelter.

In conjunction with this celebration, the Jewish Motorcyclists Alliance chose the Safe Haven Museum as its host site for their annual Ride to Remember.

The Jewish Motorcyclists Alliance is an umbrella organization consisting of 44 clubs worldwide and has more than 8,000 members. Each year a site is chosen for the annual Ride to Remember to memorialize the victims of the Holocaust and to raise money for organizations that support and promote Holocaust education and awareness. Approximately 275 members from across the United States and five countries participated in the ride. The event raised nearly $65,000 toward the future expansion of the Safe Haven Museum.

The impressive ride of 150 motorcycles on June 20 began at Bayshore Grove, traveled to the town of Minetto and concluded with a ceremony at Fort Ontario.

The Safe Haven Museum and Education Center is located at 2 E. Seventh St., Oswego. For more information visit www.safehavenmuseum.com or call 315-342-3003.

Some of the participants of the 70th reunion at Safe Haven Museum: From left, Albert Gal, Jack Wilson, Rolf Manfred, Margareta Fisse, and Bruno Kaiser AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

Approximately 12% of adults in Oswego County read below a 5th grade level.

Literacy Volunteers of Oswego County Reading means success for individuals, families and communities. If you want to help or you know someone who needs help contact Literacy Volunteers.

Make a differrence through reading.

Call: 342-8839 or Email: Ivoswego@oco.org

Pick up a free copy at various high traffic locations in the region 41

L. Michael Treadwell ooc@oswegocounty.org

Operation Oswego County Presents Achievement Awards OOC honors to three business organizations, a successful entrepreneur and a long-standing economic development advocate

L. MICHAEL TREADWELL, CEcD, is executive director of Operation Oswego County based in Oswego.

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peration Oswego County (OOC) Park, Northland Filter, Southern Graphic held its 62nd annual meeting at the Systems, Novelis Corporation, Felix Schoeller SUNY Oswego Campus Center, North America, Design Concepts and EnterJune 10. prises, K&N’s Foods USA, Stevedore Lofts, Kevin LaMontagne, president of the Lake Ontario Event and Conference Center, OOC board of directors, welcomed more Kallet Theater, Champlain Valley Specialty than 160 representatives of businesses, and Teti Bakery USA. They were also recoggovernment, education, labor and other nized as an essential partner in advancing and ally organizations to the meeting. diversifying the economy in Oswego County.

L. Michael Treadwell, executive direc• The Business Excellence Award for tor of OOC, reported that in 2013, projects 2014 was presented to Pathfinder Industries assisted by OOC resulted in the creation or in recognition for demonstrating adaptation, retention of 920 jobs with over $263 million commitment and perseverance in overcomin capital investment ing a devastating fire on associated with 50 new, March 9, 2013 to rebuild a Economic Trends expanded or retained new 18,228 sq. ft. plant in facilities. the city of Fulton, for the Treadwell noted that, over the last outstanding and dedicated leadership of the few years, there have been six projects company that preserved 26 manufacturing representing significant foreign investment jobs and that has continued the life of the in Oswego County: SAM North America third-generation family owned business, for its (South Korea), Teti Bakery USA (Canada), outstanding reputation of providing excellent K&N’s Foods USA (Pakistan), Novelis customer service, quality parts and on-time (India), Huhtamaki (Finland), and Felix delivery and for doing business in Fulton and Schoeller (Germany). These projects repre- Oswego County for 43 years. sent a total investment of $434 million and • The 2014 Jobs Award, recognizing will create/or retain 640 manufacturing jobs significant capital investment as well as job in Oswego County. creation and retention, was presented to Felix Three business organizations, a suc- Schoeller North America for its significant concessful entrepreneur and a long-standing tribution to the Oswego County and Central economic development advocate were New York economies by investing in a $6.3 also honored for significant contributions million expansion of its world class paper to economic development and job creation converting center in the Town of Richland, for in Oswego County. creating more than 150 new manufacturing • The Ally Award for 2014 was pre- jobs, for being the 4th largest manufacturing sented to Empire State Development Cor- employer in the County with 290 employees poration in recognition and appreciation of and for its 50 year history of doing business its significant contribution to the economic in Oswego County, NY. development process in Oswego County.

• Gregory A. Furlong and Patrick D. FurEmpire State Development Corporation was long, Jr. received OOC’s 2014 Dee Heckethorn recognized for its outstanding support in Entrepreneur Award. The Furlongs were helping to finance economic development recognized for their exceptional entrepreprojects since 2010 that will result in over neurial spirit, creativity, and dedication to $400 million in capital investment and the fostering economic and community growth creation and retention of 950 jobs for such through excellence in commercial and housing businesses as Central New York Raceway construction, being a catalyst to advancing OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

Premier Living Suites, a 40,000 sq.ft., 18 apartment student housing project in the City of Oswego, and for spearheading modular construction for housing and commercial use via Furdi’s Homes, a family-owned business started in 1979 and run by Gregory and Patrick since 2002. They were also recognized as owners of numerous rental properties including Utica Court Office Complex and developers of two major housing subdivisions that will represent 45 lots in the City of Oswego.

• Ann C. Gilpin was honored with the 2014 Martin Rose Economic Developer Merit Award for her outstanding record of exhibiting leadership, vision, passion and dedication to advancing the transformation of healthcare services in Oswego County. Gilpin was recognized for serving as president and CEO of the largest private employer in Oswego County, Oswego Health, with over 1,200 employees, for expanding access to high quality healthcare services with the construction of the Fulton and Central Square Medical Centers and the expansion of Oswego Hospital, for serving on numerous boards and committees that play a vital role in community and economic development such as Operation Oswego County, Inc., CenterState CEO, Central NY Area Health Education Center and the Advisory Board for SUNY Oswego’s MBA Program in Health Services Administration, and for playing an integral role in improving the quality of life in Oswego County.

The OOC board of directors re-elected board members Pete Cullinan, Entergy; William Galloway, Century-21 Galloway Realty; Ann Gilpin, Oswego Health; Jeffery Grimshaw, SUNY Oswego Office of Business & Community Relations; Theresa Himes, Bosco & Geers Food Market; Daniel Murphy, Integrys Energy Services; Bruce Phelps, Fulton Tool Company; and Nancy Weber, Mexican Pride Farm.

The OOC board of directors also elected Zelko Kirincich, executive director of the Port of Oswego Authority ; John Kleis, owner of Kleis Equipment; John Sharkey IV, vice president of Universal Metal Works; and Mike Leszczynski, owner of Dynamic Automotive & Home Accessories to the board.

A new slate of officers was also elected including Kevin LaMontagne, The Fulton Companies, as president; Barbara Bateman, NBT Bank, as vice president; Thomas Greco, Fulton Savings Bank, as treasurer; and Michael Quenville, Pathfinder Bank, as secretary.

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

Kevin LaMontagne, OOC board president, from left, Michael Szidat, president at Felix Schoeller North America, and L. Michael Treadwell, OOC executive director.

Kevin LaMontagne, OOC board president (from left), Jim Fayle, CNY regional director for Empire State Development Corp., and L. Michael Treadwell, OOC executive director.

LaMontagne, OOC board president, from left, Dave Eamer, plant manager at Pathfinder Industries, Mike Cook, machine shop foreman at Pathfinder Industries, Marcia Ives and Maribeth Myers, owners of Pathfinder Industries, and L. Michael Treadwell, OOC executive director.

Pictured are, from left, Kevin LaMontagne, OOC board president, Ann C. Gilpin, president and CEO of Oswego Health, and L. Michael Treadwell, OOC executive director.

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

Patrick D. Furlong and Gregory A. Furlong, owners of Furdi’s Homes: recipients of Operation Oswego County’s 2014 Dee Heckethorn Entrepreneur Award.

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SPECIAL REPORT

By Ken Little

The Rising Cost of Not Going to College Not going to college can cost an individual about $500,000, according to a study. A separate study puts that number at $800,000

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hinking about the cost of not getting a college degree may offer an education in itself to young people pondering their future.

Recent studies strongly support the idea that a college degree pays off throughout the working life of the recipient.

It boils down to more money — in some cases, significantly more.

According to a study recently released by the nonprofit Pew Research Center, a college education has more value today than it ever has.

The study looked at contemporary young adults — members of the socalled “Millennial” generation, or those born after 1980. It found that from personal earnings to job satisfaction to the percentage employed full-time, young college graduates “are outperforming their peers with less education.”

Best-Educated Generation — The millennials are the best-educated generation in history. By early adulthood, a third of the generation have college degrees, which help them earn more than ever before. So scholars at the Pew Research Center were surprised to find out that the median, inflation-adjusted income of 25- to 32-year-olds had changed very little since 1965.

The reason, they discovered, is that while a college degree is worth more, a high school degree alone is worth considerably less. The study found that from 1965 to 2013, the typical high school graduate’s earnings declined more than 10 percent, after inflation.

When today’s young adults are compared with previous generations, “the disparity in economic outcomes between college graduates and those

44

with a high school diploma or less formal schooling has never been greater in the modern era,” the Pew study found.

An economic analysis done as part of the study shows that millennial college graduates between the ages of 25 and 32 who work full time earn about $17,500 more annually than employed young adults with only a high school diploma.

The pay gap was “significantly smaller” in previous generations, the study found.

“College-educated millennials also are more likely to be employed full time than their less-educated counterparts and significantly less likely to be unemployed,” the study found.

Financial Burden — The report, which includes economic data from the U.S. Census, explores whether the benefits of a college education outweigh the financial burden imposed by four or more years of college.

Among millennials in the 25-32 age group, the answer is “clearly yes” for about nine in 10 graduates, the study found. About 72 percent with at least a bachelor’s degree said college is already paid off, and another 17 percent said college debt will be paid off in the future.

Among college-educated millennials who borrowed money to pay for their schooling, 86 percent said their degrees have been worth it or expect they will be in the future.

Overall, the survey and economic analysis consistently found “that college graduates regardless of generation are doing better than those with less education,” according to the study.

The Pew report found that the median annual wage for college-educated workers is $45,500, an advantage of OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

$17,500 compared to the $28,000 average for high school graduates. The figures in the report are computed based on 2012 dollars.

The report showed that in 1965, the gap was only $7,400 between college graduates and those with a high school degree.

Borrowing for college is a given for many millennials, according to the study.

About 66 percent of millennials reported they had borrowed to pay for school, compared to 59 percent of Gen Xers aged 33 to 48. Among baby boomers between the ages of 49 to 67, the figure is 43 percent.

Local Perspective — Julie Blissert, director of public affairs for SUNY Oswego, said strong evidence exists supporting the findings of the Pew study and others like it.

“Employers, when hiring for many positions, immediately discard the applications of people without a college degree simply as a quick means of reducing the stack of dozens or hundreds of applications,” Blissert said in an email response to questions.

“That’s unfortunate, especially in the case of people who have some college education — and who put a lot of work into it and got a lot of life-enhancing experience out of it — but didn’t get the final diploma. The [Pew] report is good because it also shows the value of a college diploma,” Blissert said.

Enrollment in the 2013-14 academic year at SUNY Oswego was 8,117, including 7,328 full-time undergraduates.

“Our goal is generally to hold enrollment steady, focusing in particular on the target of approximately 7,000 full-time undergraduates,” Blissert said.

The most popular majors at the local college are business-related majors, followed by education, communications-related majors, psychology and arts-related majors.

“Education is trending down. Science-related majors are trending up,” Blissert said.

Supporting Study — The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco recently completed a study called “The Rising Cost of Not Going to College.”

The authors of that report explore whether a four-year college degree remains a prudent investment.

Media accounts documenting the AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

SPECIAL REPORT

rising cost of a college education and relatively bleak job prospects for new college graduates have raised questions about whether a four-year college degree “is still the right path for the averageAmerican,” the study said.

The study’s authors conclude that a college degree remains a good investment for most students, with the average four-year college graduate earning over $800,000 more by retirement than a high school graduate.

“Data from U.S. workers show that the benefits of college in terms of higher earnings far outweigh the costs of a degree, measured as tuition plus wages lost while attending school,” according to the Federal Reserve study.

The average college graduate paying annual tuition of about $20,000 can recoup the costs of schooling by age 40, the study said.

“After that, the difference between earnings continues such that the average college graduate earns over $800,000 more than the average high school graduate by retirement age,” it said.

Using U.S. Census data, the Federal Reserve study compared annual labor earnings of college graduates with those of individuals holding only a high school diploma.

“The data show college graduates outearn their high school counterparts as much as in past decades. Comparing the earnings benefits of college with the costs of attending a four-year program, we find that college is still worth it,” the study said.

For the average student, tuition costs for the majority of college education opportunities in the United States can be recouped by age 40, “after which college graduates continue to earn a return on their investment in the form of higher lifetime wages,” the study said.

Additional Studies — According to an analysis of Labor Department statistics by the Economic Policy Institute in Washington, Americans with four-year AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

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degrees made 98 percent more an hour on average in 2013 than those without a degree.

The figure is up from 89 percent in 2008. In 2003, the number was 85 percent.

In the early 1980s, those with four-year degrees made 64 percent more than those without degrees.

According to other research by Massachusetts Institute of Technology economist David Autor, recently published in the journal “Science,” not going to college will cost an individual about $500,000.

Autor, building on work by economists Christopher Avery and Sarah Turner, arrived as the figure of a negative $500,000 as the true cost of attending college.

The negative $500,000 figure was determined by first calculating tuition and other college-related fees.

The amount was then subtracted from projected lifetime gaps between the earnings of college graduates and those only with high school degrees.

After adjustments for inflation and the time value of money, the net cost of college is a negative $500,000, about double what it was 30 years ago.

More About the Value of a College Degree — To review the Pew Research Center report, go to: w w w. p e w s o c i a l t r e n d s . o r g / files/2014/02/SDT-higher-ed-FINAL-02-11-2014.pdf To see a report summary, go t o : w w w. p e w re s e a rc h . o rg / f a c t tank/2014/02/11/6-key-findingsabout-going-to-college/ OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

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Bruce Frassinelli bfrassinelli@ptd.net

A Letter from ‘Mr. FBI’

P “It was pretty clear that if I had not kept my nose clean and had shown up on the FBI radar in a negative way, there would have been no keepsake letter from the man many still consider ‘Mr. FBI.’”

BRUCE FRASSINELLI is the former publisher of The Palladium-Times and an adjunct online instructor at SUNY Oswego. You can contact him at bfrassinelli@ ptd.net.

46

eople either swear by or swear at the Internet — maybe both — but there is no question that we can sometimes unearth some fascinating skeletons about long-ago events.

Recently, I did a Google search of my name, and I came across a strange reference to the FBI. At first, I thought it had something to do with the FBI’s having tapped my phone for a six-month period when I was a young My reporter. The tap of both my business and personal home phones came to light when I filed a Freedom of Information request in the 1980s.

The FBI was interested in whether I had additional contact with a Vietnam War protester about whom I had written a feature story. It turned out that the subject of my story became a “person of interest” to federal officials after an arsonist set fire to a post office in Pennsylvania, causing the destruction of draft records. I never had contact with the person again, and he was never charged with the crime.

When I looked closer at this FBI entry, however, I learned that it had involved a column I had written in August of 1971 praising then-director J. Edgar Hoover and slamming muckraker Jack Anderson, who had waged a one-man war through his nationally syndicated column to discredit Hoover.

Anderson had his associates go through Hoover’s garbage for several weeks, then wrote periodic columns on what they found — the brand of bourbon Hoover drank, the types of foods he ate, whom he entertained, some of his discarded private notes and receipts and other personal information.

Outraged at this brazen form of questionable journalism, I blasted Anderson in one of the weekly column I wrote back then when I was an editor with The Express (now The Express-Times) in Easton, Pa. “Having his aides snoop through Hoover’s garbage, even if it was tonguein-cheek, or, in this case, nose-in-hand, was bush league,” I wrote of Anderson’s antics.

“I’d be curious to find out what someone

might think going through my garbage.”

I also referred to Anderson’s allegation that Hoover was angry that one of his agents who foiled an airliner hijacking was photographed without his jacket. I praised Hoover’s dedication and the high standards he set for agents of the organization.

“Hoover’s demanding insistence on being the best has prevented the FBI from being mired in mediocrity,” I wrote. “His high principles for excellence have resulted in respect from Turn outside the organization and self-respect on the part of the agents.”

A few days later, I received a personally signed letter from Hoover thanking me for what I had written. “It was most kind of you to comment about my work as you did to your readers,” Hoover wrote. “Your generous remarks certainly mean a great deal to me.”

Hoover went on to say: “While I do not waste my time answering the lies written

by Jack Anderson, I thought you might be interested to know that no disciplinary action was taken. Quite to the contrary, I wrote a personal letter to the agent commending him for his courageous performance in thwarting this hijacking and gave him a meritorious cash award.”

I was astounded to have received Hoover’s letter and wondered all these years how he found out I had written the column.

I was sure he was not an avid reader of our newspaper and happened to stumble upon it.

Now, 43 years later, I know the answer: It was all right there in the online entry that included my column, Hoover’s letter to me and a note to Hoover from the director of the FBI’s Philadelphia office.

“It is recommended that the Bureau forward a letter of appreciation to Mr. Frassinelli for his favorable article,” the official wrote to Hoover. “The Philadelphia office files contain no derogatory information identifiable with Bruce Frassinelli.”

It was pretty clear that if I had not kept my nose clean and had shown up on the FBI radar in a negative way, there would have been no keepsake letter from the man many still consider “Mr. FBI.”

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

Cool by Nature.

Sunsets. Boating. Museums. Architecture.

Fishing. Restaurants and Pubs. Lighthouse.

Festivals. Conference Center. Fort Ontario.

University. Speedway. Shops. Parks. Music.

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

Oswego Lighthouse

Where the water never ends.

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

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AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

47

COVER

By Debra Lupien

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Lake Ontario’s Ambassadors

sk any charter boat captain in either of the Oswego marinas and they will most likely tell you the same thing: “Fishing in Lake Ontario in Oswego County is the best fishing in the country.”

This fact is punctuated by the fact that according to Oswego County Department of Community Development, Tourism and Planning, there are more than 70 charter boat captains at the helm in the Oswego County, offering fishermen a unique adventure on Lake Ontario, fishing for everything from walleye, steelhead and brown trout to salmon and bass.

A typical charter runs about four to six hours and the boats are equipped with everything needed for an exciting day of fishing on the lake. The Lake Ontario charter boat season generally runs from April to mid-September and the fickle month of April can be ornery for getting a boat in the water as evidenced by this year’s cold and miserable spring, which gave the 2014 season a late start.

June, the captains report, is usually the slowest month of the season while May is generally jumping with eager fishermen suffering from cabin fever.

August through mid-September is the

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busiest and a time when many captains charter twice a day.

Oswego County Business Magazine sat down with three veteran captains who agreed to be interviewed. We wanted to find out more about what they do and why this industry brings in visitors not just from all over the country, but all over the world, from as close as Canada to as far away as England, Czechoslovakia and Ireland.

Capt. Greg Gehrig, owner of K&G Sportfishing and Lodge; Capt. Troy Creasy, owner of High Adventure Sportfishing; and Capt. Ed Monette, owner of Cannonball Runner Charters, all say the best part of what they do is the people and the excitement of doing something for them they have never done before.

For these captains, fishing is not just about the fishing — it is about the whole experience. And when their clients come to Oswego, they are the ones who recommend restaurants, accommodations and things for them to do.

In fact, Gehrig dubs himself and other captains in the business, “tourism ambassadors.”

“Charter boats are the greatest ambassadors for tourism that exists [in this county],” Gehrig declared.

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

The captains all said they often send people to local restaurants and rarely hear a complaint.

“I can never remember anybody coming back and telling me they didn’t like it,” Monette said “But a lot of the time these restaurants have no idea we are sending them there.”

As business owners in the fishing industry, the captains said while Oswego County is great about promoting them, they feel they do not receive as much support from the state and the city of Oswego as they should.

“For example, because we are charter boats, we get charged a premium rate to dock here [Wright’s Landing] and we cannot put up any signs to advertise our business,” Gehrig said. “We are also the ones who go out and pound the doors at sport shows all winter long to get tourists to come here.”

“And when I go to sport shows, I can tell you, the captains from other areas don’t like to see guys there from [Oswego County] because this area can sell itself,” Monette added. “One of the selling points about Oswego is there is so much to do and I make it a point to know what is happening so I can share it with my customers.”

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

COVER

shows when he started.

Originally from Pennsylvania himself, Creasy now resides in Pulaski and moors his boat on the city’s east side at the Oswego Marina, owned by the Port of Oswego. He said he “got hooked” in 1978 after booking a charter up here.

“I fell in love with it and started river fishing on my own,” he said. “In 1985, I got my guide license and started my river guiding business part time.”

He explained to charter on the river, Phone: 315-243-2389 lake for the winter, it is time for him to put you are considered a guide and only Email: Troy@highadventurefishing.com his drift boat in a river. During January need a guide license from the state; but Website: highadventurefishing.com through March, he now travels south, when chartering on the lake you are a Facebook: High Adventure Sportfishing chartering on the west coast of Florida. captain and need to be licensed by the “Many of the clients I charter up Coast Guard. hile most captains only fish the here are now older and have migrated “I did construction work in besix-month window the lake to Florida, so I stay busy,” he said with tween my river guide business and then offers, for some, like Capt. Troy a laugh. around 1989, I did shows and built up Creasy, of High Adventure SportsfishMost of Creasy’s charter guests my customer base so I was able to start ing, it is just not enough. Creasy fishes come up from Pennsylvania, Massachu- chartering year round.” year-round and when it is time to take his setts and Connecticut, he said, because High Adventure is set up for a maxcharter boat, High Adventure, out of the that is where he attended a lot of sport imum of six passengers and for the most part, because he has so many repeat and experienced fishermen, Creasy chooses to work without a first mate.

A typical charter on High Adventure can be six or eight hours and all a customer needs to do is show up and perhaps bring a cooler of drinks and food.

He supplies all the rods, bait and tackle needed for a fun day of fishing.

Creasy explained that fishing on this part of the lake has many variables that make it extremely favorable for catching fish. “[This area of the lake] is consistent, it is close to deep water, it is close to structure and the outflow of the Oswego River pulls in bait and helps to set up temperature breaks,” he explained. “Being close to this river is a very good thing for fishing.”

Creasy estimates he does approximately 100 lake charters per year, doubling up in August during his peak time, and also participates in fishing tournaments on his own and with his clients.

Originally from Pennsylvania, Capt. Troy Creasy, of High Adventure Sportsfishing now While the cost of operating a charter boat over the years has resides in Pulaski and moors his boat on the city’s east side at the Oswego Marina. He increased substantially, Creasy said he “got hooked” to fishing in 1978 after booking a charter here.

Capt. Troy Creasy

High Adventure Sportfishing

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AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

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COVER

said his rates have not.

“I did raise my rates a couple of years ago but in reality I am pretty much charging what I did 10 years ago.”

Many of Creasy’s charters are couples and families and while he knows he never will get rich chartering boats, he said it does not matter. He is doing what he loves and giving people an experience of a lifetime.

“I recently had a woman who was traveling through the area by herself and on her bucket list was to take a Lake Ontario charter,” he said. “She booked a charter by herself, caught a pile of fish and was able to cross it off her list.”

The best part of doing what he does, he said, are the people and their smiles.

“When people ask me what I do for a living, my slogan is, ‘I create smiles.’”

Creasy is also the current editor of “Lake Ontario Outdoors,” a quarterly publication promoting outdoor sports in the Lake Ontario region, which was founded by Creasy. He is a member of the Mustad, Shimano, Maxima, Luhr Jensen, Pro-Troll, Dreamweaver Lures, & Pautzke Baits Pro staff. He has served as president of the Oswego County River Guides Association and is a member of the NYS Fisheries Congress, Lake Ontario Sportfishing Promotion Council, Eastern Lake Ontario Salmon and Trout Association and the New York State Writers Association.

Capt. Greg Gehrig

K&G Sportfishing and Lodge Phone: 315-343-8171 Toll free: 800-346-6533 Email: cabins@kglodge.com Website: www.kglodge.com Facebook: Top Gun and Son of a Gun

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apt. Greg Gehrig is the owner of K&G Sportfishing and Lodge in Scriba. He has two charter boats, Top Gun and Son of a Gun, which are moored at Wright’s Landing Marina on the west side of Oswego. He has been chartering for 27 years also own and operate his lodge business, which includes a 70-site camping site and 16 cabins.

Hailing from Central Pennsylvania, Gehrig said he always loved fishing and had his own recreational boat. After reading an article in Field & Stream many years ago about salmon fishing on Lake Ontario, he decided he just had try his hand at it.

“Once I caught my first salmon — I was hooked,” he said.

An electrical engineer by trade, Gehrig said that first season when he

Capt. Greg Gehrig is the owner of K&G Sportfishing and Lodge in Scriba. He has two charter boats, Top Gun and Son of a Gun, which are moored at Wright’s Landing Marina on the west side of Oswego.

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OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

came to Oswego to simply fish, there were not a lot of charter boats.

“We would come in from a morning of fishing for lunch and a nap and people would be banging on our boat asking if we could take them fishing. That winter, I got my captain’s license and bought a bigger boat.”

At first, Gehrig said he chartered part time, using his vacations to travel here to salmon fish and to charter. In 1986, he moved to Oswego and jumped into the business full time, drumming up business by attending sports shows.

Gehrig said his charters can run up to 10 hours, or all day, but the most common is a six-hour charter with most clients opting to go out twice during a trip.

Gehrig’s 27-year-old son, Chad, also charters for him, skippering the newest addition to the fleet, “Son of a Gun,” since 2011. So, while Gehrig no longer needs to advertise to fill his 1988 40’ Jersey Sportfishermen, he is now busy getting the word out about his son’s boat, a refurbished 1986 40’ Jersey Sportfishermen.

“He grew up in this business and has mated for me since he was able to walk,” Gehrig said.

He said the addition of a second boat and captain has taken a lot of the pressure off of him.

“I was up to over 200 trips a year and in six months, that’s a lot of trips.

I’ve now cut back to about 170 trips a year and [Chad] is currently running just about a 100. I think he will go over that this year.”

Both captains often compete in professional fishing tournaments on Lake Ontario, enjoying a friendly fatherand-son rivalry. Gehrig stated his charter boats are two of the most consistent when it comes to placing, often competing against each other for top positions.

In fact, this year, Chad will be running his third annual “Capt. Chad’s All-Women’s Fishing Tournament” to AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

COVER benefit the Carol Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund.

“We are now over 20 boats in the competition and last year, he wrote a check for $3,700 [to the organization].”

Gehrig said weather is definitely one of the biggest challenges, pointing out last year was one of the worst years he has ever experienced for “blow offs” or cancellations due to the weather.

“Normally, the negative impact of the weather is less than 10 percent. Last year, I had the largest loss of business I’ve ever had due to the wind.”

Gehrig said the best part of what he does is the lasting friendships he has made with his clients and while he does take online reservations, he still prefers the face-to-face booking sport shows allow.

“When you are at a sports show, you get the chance to make a personal connection and when they come for the charter, you already have a bond going,” he said. “I don’t call them clients; I call them guests and very dear friends, In fact, I still have two groups who come fishing and have never missed a year in 27 years. What other business do you get that kind of return on investment?”

Gehrig was instrumental in bringing the Pro-Am Fishing Tournament to Oswego and served on the Pro-Am committee for many years. He is a member of the Lake Ontario Charter Boat Association (LOCBA), Great Lakes Sportfishing Council and the National Association of Charter Boat Operators (NACO). Gehrig has been featured in more than 20 fishing television shows highlighting the lake fishery and the Oswego community, including the Outdoor Channel and Sportsman Channel. K&G Lodge has also hosted the teams and TV crew for the Collegiate Ultimate Match fishing Competition featured on the Outdoor Channel by Joe Thomas.

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

Capt. Ed Monette

Cannonball Runner Fishing Salmon and Trout Charters Phone: 315-675-3143 or 315-952-6200 Email: capted@cannonballrunner.com Website: www.cannonballrunner.com Facebook: Cannonball Runners

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apt. Ed Monette, skipper of the Cannonball Runner at Wright’s Landing Marina, began chartering in 2006 but has been fishing on Lake Ontario for more than 40 years.

Born and raised in Mexico, Monette said he has spent most of his life fishing the entire eastern basin of Lake Ontario.

His first experience fishing on Lake Ontario was at the bay at Montario Point when he was only 8 years old.

“I went fishing with my cousin and some friends and we didn’t know much about fishing,” he said. “We were just fishing the shoreline in the spring and we got into some brown trout. I was the first one to catch a fish and it was an eight- or nine-pound brown trout.

It was the biggest fish I had ever seen in my life” Lured in by the trout, Monette began first-mating on charters as soon as he was old enough and bought his first boat when he was only 16.

“For me, the biggest thrill of chartering is to see the expression on their face when they catch that big fish,” he said.

“I remember that feeling and excitement

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

I had as a kid and now I am giving that experience to others.”

Monette has a degree in network engineering and for many years worked as an IT technician. In 2006, he began running charters on weekends and vacations and after a year, realizing he was starting to turn down too many charters, he quit his job to open his own IT business and opted to charter full-time during the fishing season.

“It was the best thing I ever did and now I have the best of both worlds, because I love doing both.”

Monette noted without using any advertising, his return rate each year is between 93 to 95 percent.

“I do between 100-110 trips a year and before the season is over I usually have 80 in the book for next year.”

The reason for this, Monette said, is that he will do everything he possible can to make it memorable, always trying to look at the entire experience through the customer’s eyes.

“Everything we do is oriented for our customer,” he said. “Some days, I may be able to fish, but if the customer thinks it is too rough, I am better off rescheduling the trip than giving him or her a bad experience and ultimately a bad vacation.”

Monette said he also does not look at the bottom line when it comes to his customers’ experiences.

“If I have to travel an extra six miles to catch more fish for them, then I choose to lose some money in order to do that.”

Monette also videotapes every trip for his customers, often making a video of multiple trips for them if they fish more than once a year, presenting them with the compilation at the end of the season.

But Monette’s trips do not end with docking the boat. He also opts to clean the fish for his customers, which he said it heightens the personal experience for 51

SPECIAL REPORT

By Lou Sorendo

Destination: Oswego County Officials say more people are coming to the county while visits to county’s tourism website are up 21 percent

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Capt. Ed Monette, skipper of the Cannonball Runner at Wright’s Landing Marina. them, affording him more interaction and time with them.

Monette runs all his trips with a first mate, affording his guests more personal attention. His first mate during the week is a young man who eventually wants his own charter boat while his wife, Kelly, first-mates on the weekends. That, he said, is one of his greatest assets because he estimates half of his trips are now family-oriented.

“I have found that in a group of four guys who charter a trip, usually one of them has a wife who fishes,” he pointed out. “So, he is also looking for an experience that she is going to like as well.”

Having his wife on board helps make the trip more comfortable for women who might otherwise be fishing with all men.

“I used to travel all over the country fishing, but I’ve stopped,” Monette said.

“This is the best fishery in the country.

You tell me what you want to fish for and I’ll tell you they are bigger on Lake Ontario than anywhere else you could go.”

Monette is frequently asked to submit his photos to the Oswego County Department of Community Development, Tourism and Planning for their use. He also donates his time to help with the color and design of lures on many professional staffs, such as Michigan Stinger, Great Lakes Planer, Seaguar, Reef Runner and A-tom-mik Flies.

52

swego County — buoyed by a 13 percent to 129,529. Unique visitors unique offering of attractions and were up 21 percent, to 78,836, according events — continues to build on a to the county’s tourism office. flourishing tourism industry.

Unique visitors refers to the number One-of-a-kind experiences the trav- of distinct individuals requesting pages eler won’t get elsewhere are major cards from the website during a given period, county tourism officials play in efforts regardless of how often they visit. to bolster the sector.

The top page of the website continFishing is still by far the top rea- ues to be the fishing report, which was son that people visup 15 percent with it Oswego County, 98,365 visits in 2013. according to David The fishing and Turner, director of events hotline rethe Oswego Counceived an average of ty Department of • Salmon River 13,423 calls a month Community Devel- • The city of Oswego during in 2013, up about 11 opment, Tourism percent from 2012.

Harborfest and Planning.

Another way • Selkirk Shores State Park “We have a rethe county measures markable and di- Fishing remains the single most tourism activity is verse fishery that is important attraction in Oswego through the assessunparalleled to any County. The fishing and events ment of occupancy place else in North hotline received an average of taxes collected.

America,” he said.

“This is not a 13,423 calls a month in 2013, up An array of about 11 percent from 2012. true measurement as beaches, excellent we know that Oswehunting, a large vago County has many riety of campgrounds, the Oswego visitors that are here for purposes other River Canal, and a solid snowmobiling than tourism, but in general it is a good infrastructure buoy opportunities for barometer,” Turner said. outdoor recreation, all of which are A case in point is 2012 when the unique to the region. county experienced lengthy and laThe top visited sites in Oswego bor-intensive maintenance outages at County are the Salmon River, the city of the Nine Mile Point nuclear plants as Oswego during Harborfest and Selkirk well as increased construction activity Shores State Park. at the Novelis facility.

Heritage tourism sites, such as the “As a result, our occupancy tax Safe Haven Museum, and special events was much higher than anticipated in such as re-enactments at Fort Ontario are that fiscal year,” he said. “That being also unique attractions that continue to said, we did not expect 2013 to meet draw visitors, Turner added. or exceed 2012. But when we measure “Traffic on the county’s tourism against 2011, we did experience about 5 website continues to see significant gains percent growth, so I would say we had which reflect increased interest in the a healthy year.” county’s tourism attractions,” he said.

Marketing studies show that the Total visits in 2013 were up nearly

Top Places Visited in Oswego County

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

SPECIAL REPORT

Marion Boothby, of New Hampshire, landed this king salmon fishing last summer (2013) with Capt. Ed Monette, Cannonball Runner Charters, out of Oswego. Photo courtesy of Capt. Ed Monette county’s target audiences — anglers, heritage tourism visitors and families — continue to rely on a combination of print and online sources of information to make their purchasing decisions, Turner said.

“We continue to use a mix of print ads and articles in consumer magazines,

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

online advertising, our tourism website, and social media such as Facebook and blogs,” he noted. “We also work closely with outdoor writers and outdoor television producers to help promote the county’s wonderful opportunities for outdoor recreation.”

The county tourism office is working

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

on a number of new projects, including tour packages around the themes of outdoor recreation and heritage tourism sites, production of a new fishing and hunting guide, and new regional partnerships to promote sports fishing and “Path through History Weekends” activities.

Several area museums and historic sites held special events to spotlight Oswego County’s rich heritage during New York state’s “Path through History Weekends” held in June.

“We are also looking at funding sources to produce additional interactive kiosks for visitors to use and plan their itineraries once they arrive in our area,” Turner added.

In May, the county helped to organize a tourism ambassador training program.

“The program was designed to increase awareness of frontline staff in the hospitality industry and anyone who deals with visitors to our county,” Turner said. “Drawing from that success, we plan to repeat the program in another area of the county next year.”

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OPINION

Oswego County Should Invest More in Tourism

By Sandra Scott

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travel seven months a year both nationally and internationally. When I return home to Oswego County with its gentle rolling hills and treelined roads I often comment to my husband, “If we didn’t live here we would have to visit.”

My husband and I have been fortunate to be hosted by many places in the United States in order to write articles about them with the object to encourage tourism. In many cases we find that Oswego County has more to offer. The diversity of the area is amazing. Fishing is the main touristic draw in Oswego County but there is much more. There is history, nature, adventure, shopping and several unique sites. Granted, Oswego County has a hard time finding a niche in a state that has The Big Apple, Niagara Falls, the Thousand Islands and the Finger Lakes but I think there are people looking for destinations that harken back to a quieter time — to “what it used to be like.” It is part of Oswego County’s charm: Main Street villages, farms, and woodlands not to mention the rivers and lakes.

Often the importance of tourism is underestimated. We were recently invited to Haiti, a very poor country that is struggling to recover from the devastating 2010 earthquake. The government of Haiti is making the promotion of tourism a major component in their recovery program.

Whether it is Haiti or Oswego County tourism is important. People save their money all year to take a vacation. They arrive at their destination and spend their money, then leave — taking all their problems with them. Tourists don’t impact schools or social service systems, rarely cause trouble; and, if they enjoyed themselves, they tell their friends, who also visit.

Tourism has a major impact on local economics. According to the U.S. Travel Association, each U.S. household would pay $1,093 more in taxes without the tax revenue generated by travel and tourism. It is often hard to see the trickledown effect of tourism.

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The farmer who supplies food to the restaurants and T-shirt maker who provides souvenirs are just a few who benefit from tourism. There are many businesses that grow as tourism increases such as paddle boarding, private tours, along with more restaurants and accommodations. It is all good.

Oswego County is on the way between the 1000 Islands and Niagara Falls making it the perfect lunch stop for tour buses. Pennsylvania, Ohio, Canada and the New England states are within a day’s drive. Inviting writers for newspapers in those areas might be a way to encourage more visitors to this wonderful part of the world.

I like “out-of-the-box” thinking.

Encouraging locals to paint a quilt square on their barn and then creating a “Quilt Driving Tour” is very low cost. I thought the Schoharie County Chamber of Commerce had a brilliant idea. They had 30-piece picture puzzles made of a local scene. Business and attractions “bought” a piece of the puzzle.

The public was given several months to visit the places and collect pieces.

There were several prizes for those who completed the puzzle. How clever.

I think the Oswego Canal is an undeveloped resource. A partnership with MidLakes Navigation could combine a canal trip with visits to local tour sites like the H. Lee White Marine Museum, for example. Recently I attended the Oswego County Tourism Ambassador program where they had an excellent PowerPoint presentation on the various attractions in the county. It would be a great traveling presentation for historical societies, chamber of commerce groups, and other organizations. The hot air balloon festival, which took place in Sandy Creek in June, was a great way to draw visitors to that part of the county. I think tourism benefits everyone.

Sandra Scott writes the column Where in the World is Sandra Scott, which appears every issue in this magazine.

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

SPECIAL REPORT

By Lou Sorendo

New Tourism Board to Focus on Oswego’s Attraction

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ity of Oswego Mayor Tom Gillen is in the process of putting together a promotion and tourism advisory board.

Gillen was expected in mid-July to formally announce the advisory board and its members.

“We do have a relationship with the county which promotes the city as part of its coverage, but there are things specific to the city of Oswego that we would like to single out and promote on an individual level,” Gillen said.

The board will seek to promote interesting and fun activities along with recreational, historical and education opportunities unique to the city.

“We do promote and support the fishing industry but it’s just one of the many facets the city offers,” Gillen said. “We’re going to be spending a lot of time keying in on our downtown in terms of attracting tourists.”

Add to that target list an array of historical sites “and a lot of the traditional benefits that we take for granted and want to promote to the outside community,” the mayor added.

The city planned to unveil its new website in July, and also intends on working with other local tourism-related websites such as iheartoswego. com and visitoswegony.com.

The city has a small budget where it can invest in print media and brochures in efforts to market itself, Gillen said.

“It’s a collective effort with a good cross section of people from OsweAUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

go who all have the goal in mind to promote the success of our city as a destination point,” he said.

The Port City is not exactly on a beaten path and is a location that people commonly just pass through when traveling from one place to another.

That makes it even more important for the city to focus on the events, sites and attractions that make it a destination point, Gillen noted.

“We are blessed to have a beautiful city located in a perfect part of the country and during the summer and fall months we’re going to be exclusively trying to promote people coming in here and experiencing what the people in Oswego take for granted,” he said.

Gillen said the key to bolstering the city’s tourism industry is to get the word out.

“Oswego has traditionally been a city that hasn’t really marketed itself very much,” the mayor said. “We all know what a great place it is, but I don’t think we spend a lot of time and effort [promoting it.]”

The city does not have a tourism department.

“We are looking at attracting cruise ships coming into our city and we got some lined up for the summer,” he said. “So we are going to see an instant bump in sales tax revenue, which is our greatest source of revenue for the city.”

“Our focus is going to be to highlight why people would want to come to shop and dine and basically explore history here,” he said.

Gillen said he thinks Oswego has a legitimate chance at becoming a port of call for Great Lakes cruises.

“There really is no port of call on southern Lake Ontario,” he said. “We have to compete with other ports in southern Ontario, but Oswego offers some unique historical and social events that people would like to participate in.”

Gillen said tourists on cruise ships will be able to do day trips out of Oswego to destinations such as the Finger Lakes and Destiny USA in Syracuse.

“This would be the port of call to direct their actions into Central New York,” he said. “It’s good for the overall economy in Central New York.”

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

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SPECIAL REPORT

By Suzanne M. Ellis

New Life for Historic Selkirk Lighthouse Renamed Salmon River Lighthouse & Marina, entire site in the process of being totally renovated

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or 25 long years, fishermen, boaters, summer visitors and residents of the town of Richland have witnessed the demise of a nationally historic lighthouse and the properties that surround it.

Once a thriving marina/hotel/ restaurant complex with the historic 1838 “Selkirk Light” as its focal point, the slice of land where the Salmon River meets Lake Ontario gradually fell to wrack and ruin.

But a few months ago, with new owners in place and a management team ready to roll up its sleeves and get down to serious business, great things began happening at the enterprise now known as the Salmon River Lighthouse & Marina.

“This is truly a dream come true

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for our community, and I am hoping to see everyone support it,” said Oswego County Legislator Shawn Doyle, R-Richland. “The property has been a blight at the mouth of the Salmon River for a generation; so much promise and potential was wasted.”

While working on the community’s Comprehensive Plan, Doyle said, the restoration of the lighthouse property was a major goal, but it was a goal many people never believed would come to fruition.

“The mouth of the [Salmon River] should be busy and active, and the [condition of the] lighthouse properties have held back development,” he said.

The so-called “lighthouse properties” sit on approximately four acres and consist of the lighthouse and its OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

This aerial photo of the Salmon River Lighthouse & Marina property is undated. In 1996, the hotel and other buildings were damaged or destroyed by an explosion caused by a propane leak at the marina. The hotel has been shuttered for 18 years and is slated for renovation in the long-term plan of the new owners of Salmon River Lighthouse & Marina. (Photo courtesy of Oswego County Legislator Shawn Doyle and Pulaski Historical Society) two-story lodging quarters, three cabins, a shuttered hotel, marine store, warehouse storage, docks and gas pumps.

The entire package was purchased for $365,000 on April 2 by Baldwinsville native Mike Barnell and his wife, Vicki, of St. Louis, Mo. Barnell’s roots in the area stretch back to the 1930s when his great uncle purchased a summer home at Selkirk Point; Barnell’s immediate family has spent summers there for 45 years.

Day-to-day operation of the property is being handled by Mike Barnell’s lifelong AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

SPECIAL REPORT best friend, Baldwinsville native Abe Ellis and his wife, Kathy (who is also Barnell’s sister) and Kate Barnell, who is Mike and Kathy’s mother.

“Despite the condition of the property, its potential could be seen through all the decline and decay,” said Mike Barnell. “Where else in Mexico Bay is there a deep water harbor like the one at the mouth of the Salmon River? Where else can charter fishing boats support fishermen with lots of parking, a boat launch and the only marine fuel available for miles around? Where else is there a truly historic structure like the Selkirk Lighthouse, which is 176 years old and constructed of lake stone? There is no other place like this.”

When General Manager Abe Ellis toured the property for the first time, it was clear that a lot of work needed to be done — and quickly — if the 2014 season was to be salvaged.

This business card was handed out in the early 1900s at the Light House Hotel by proprietor Leopold Joh, a German immigrant from Syracuse who built the original hotel and turned the lighthouse property into a thriving complex that drew celebrities, fishermen and vacationers from afar. The hotel was so named because it was situated next to the Selkirk Lighthouse, which was completed in 1838 where the Salmon River meets Lake Ontario. (Photo courtesy of Oswego County Legislator Shawn Doyle and Pulaski Historical Society)

This picture was taken in 1930 during the heyday of the lighthouse property. According to local historians, the lighthouse/hotel complex was purchased by the Heckle family from the estate of Leopold Joh after Joh’s sudden and unexpected death in 1914.

In 1926, the Heckles doubled the size of the hotel and soon became famous for German cuisine and the comings and goings of smugglers during Prohibition. (Photo courtesy of Oswego County Legislator Shawn Doyle and Pulaski Historical Society) AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

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“Everything was in desperate need of a lot of money and a lot of elbow grease,” he said. “We had the docks in and gas in the pumps by April 29 so that we could start supporting the charter fishing business which is so important to this area.” The store is up and running, and they are continually getting new inventory.

In a few short weeks after the business reopened, seven charter boat captains “came back in a leap of faith” and some private boat owners leased slips for the season, Ellis said. “In the past, they were never sure if the docks would be in the water on time, if fuel would be available, or even if the store would be open regularly.”

Since they started work on the site, Ellis said, there’s been a lot of excitement

One of the first big projects tackled by the new owners at Salmon River Lighthouse & Marina in Port Ontario was the repainting of the lighthouse turret. The “birdcage lantern” atop the lighthouse is one of only four still in existence in the United States. Built in 1838, it is still a working light, classified by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as a Class II navigational aid. The lighthouse was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. (Photo by Suzanne M. Ellis)

Abe Ellis, a Baldwinsville native, is general manager of the newly renamed and reopened Salmon River Lighthouse & Marina at 5 Lake Road Extension in Port Ontario. (Photo by Suzanne M. Ellis) 58

among the locals.

“It happens every day, all day, people driving down the road to see what’s going on here. I think the people that live up here year-round and the seasonal people realize that we are going to be a good neighbor,” he said. “They have watched the steady decline, so there’s been a lot of excitement over the fact that things are changing for the good after so many years when the only change was negative.”

Jean Gleisner, community development program manager for the Central New York Regional Planning and Development Board, shares in the excitement.

“I think it’s absolutely wonderful that Selkirk is getting another chance,” Gleisner said. “Historically and geographically, Selkirk Light is a very special place because it’s located on an international waterway, within a New York State Natural Heritage Area, and because of its natural beauty and cultural significance on Lake Ontario at the mouth of the Salmon River. I’m hopeful that Selkirk can once again become one of those places where people can go when they want to be near the water, hop into OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

a kayak or canoe or a small sailboat, and get out on the water to enjoy the summer sun and lake breezes. Or maybe have dinner or sit on the big old porch of a classic waterfront hotel.

“If the development at Selkirk is done well, with a sensitivity to the context of nature, wildlife habitat, community access to the water and all it offers, it has the potential to catalyze tremendous growth in heritage tourism and economic development related to recreation and hospitality,” Gleisner said.

The lighthouse, once known as Selkirk Light, was completed in 1838 at a cost of $3,000, according to local historians. Elected to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, it is one of only four lighthouses in the United States that has the original “birdcage lantern” and one of only three along the Great Lakes Seaway Trail available that’s available for overnight stays. It remains a working lighthouse, classified by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as a Class II navigational aid.

By early June, significant improvements had been made to the property.

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The lighthouse turret was repainted and the two-story “residence” below was cleaned, painted, scrubbed and polished.

Repairs were made to the docks, rowboats were repainted, decades of debris was hauled off the site and three cabins were completely renovated. Dilapidated furniture and rusted appliances were hauled away and replaced, 26 new mattresses were purchased along with bedding, towels and linens. Wireless Internet and cable were installed in every building.

Renovation of the property will be done in stages, Ellis and Barnell said, and they are hopeful the hotel can be saved.

In 1996, it was damaged by an explosion, caused by a propane leak at the marina, and it has been shuttered for 18 years.

Buildings destroyed by the explosion have since been removed.

“Once the lighthouse marina is fully restored and developed, there will be no better place from which visiting fishermen can enjoy all that Mexico Bay and the Salmon River have to offer,” Mike Barnell said. “Each successful charter operation brings in dollars from outside the local area, and a full-service marina will support more charter business and greatly impact the local economy in a positive way. It may take some years to fully develop the site, but adding more lodging — including restoration of the historic hotel — is very important to support increased tourism to the area, as is the [return] of a restaurant to the site.”

Daniel C. Krupke, supervisor for the town of Richland, has witnessed the good, the bad and the sometimes ugly history of the property.

“This [property] was an eyesore to the people who had camps and a vested interest in Selkirk Point and the Pine Grove” area, Krupke said. “They [saw] a falling-down, worn-out piece of property that might have been the reason they moved there in the first place. We have received complaints over the years from property owners ... [but] as a town, there was only so much we could do.

“I have met with Mr. Barnell and Mr. Ellis, and they have shared with me their vision. I had the pleasure of climbing to the top of the lighthouse to look out over the lake and Port Ontario, and the view is breathtaking.

“I think they are first-class people that want to do the right thing,” Krupke said. “I believe these guys have the ability and the commitment to restore the property so people in our community, cottage owners and visitors can once again enjoy this magnificent gem we have in our town.”

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

Fall Guide Pick up a free copy at various high traffic locations in the region OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

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SPECIAL REPORT While people promoting Oswego as a cruise destination believe the city can eventually support a cruise vessel like The Columbus, smaller ships are more likely to come to town, they say.

By Lou Sorendo

Oswego: A Cruise Destination?

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Port City has started process to become port of call on Great Lakes for cruises

swego is cruising for tourism revenue. The Great Lakes Cruising Coalition is considering the Port City as a port of call for cruise ships.

“I think there’s every possibility of Oswego to be a port of call on a cruise line itinerary,” said Steven Burnett, executive director of the Great Lakes Cruising Coalition.

The coalition is an organization that advocates passenger cruising on the Great Lakes. It represents publicly owned assets and is comprised of American and Canadian port cities and towns, various port authorities, several U.S. states, the Canadian province of Ontario and the St. Lawrence Seaway.

A homeport is generally where the cruise starts and ends, and is usually by a large airport where people can fly in from around the world.

In between the homeport, there are ports of call or places where ships will visit on their itinerary.

Burnett discussed the criteria involved when determining whether a particular site will make for a cruise destination.

“The most important things that cruise planners look for when developing itineraries are interesting places to

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go which have interesting attractions, heritage, a welcome from the community and generally the opportunity to buy things,” he said.

Planners examine the heritage of a prospective site and its attractions such as museums and art galleries. They will also look for the performing arts and whether there are any performances happening while in port, and “anything that is of a cultural nature that may be unique,” Burnett said.

He said the attractions component of a given port is what really drives the itinerary.

“To support the attractions side of the port, you need to have somewhere to stop the ship, which can be as simple as a mooring wall in the middle of a modest community or can be as elaborate as an established freight port, which Oswego definitely has,” he added.

A port must also have enough depth to bring a ship into port, and Oswego has sufficient “seaway depth,” Burnett noted.

“Most of our cruise ships need far less water than freighters,” he said.

Other key criteria include infrastructure, or the capacity to handle a ship when it arrives.

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

“They are coming for attractions, so you need to have transportation, guide services and somebody has to coordinate all of that,” he said.

“Then they will coordinate with the port to make sure the ship is stopping in an accessible location, and the port and agency for the ship will then coordinate with customs, border protection and the U.S. Coast Guard to ensure the port is certified to accept a ship into its jurisdiction,” he said.

Just the beginning — Oswego has started the process of becoming a port of call.

“The process is one of looking inward and basically asking, ‘What do we have here that cruise visitors might be interested in seeing, participating in and enjoying?’” Burnett said.

Burnett said it is extremely important that the city features unique attractions.

Planners want to hear that a particular port can tout being the only location that features a particular attraction or cultural community and not only that, but can allow access to it, he said.

“City officials would then look at

continued on page 87 AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

SPECIAL REPORT

By

Lou Sorendo

Syracuse Area to Brand Itself as Destination Point

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business can have the best product or service, but if it doesn’t market itself properly in a highly competitive environment, it could just as well be a flop.

David Holder, president of the Syracuse Convention & Visitors Bureau, knows this well.

“We have to look continually at increasing the level of awareness of what Central New York has to offer as a destination,” he said.

In response to that, Holder said the bureau is investing and exploring regional branding.

“We have never had a definitive regional brand,” said Holder while referring to the five-county Central New York region that includes Onondaga County.

Holder said the bureau wants to “really put a compelling, unique signature brand on that destination” by May. “We will have that brand and will be using it to push our destination environment out there,” he said.

Statistically speaking, any effort to bolster regional tourism may prove worthwhile from an economic development standpoint.

According to state officials, tourism grew 6.2 percent in 2012 following an 8.3 percent expansion in 2011.

Statewide visitor spending reached a new high of $57.3 billion in 2012.

In Onondaga County, visitor travel spending grew from $764 million (2011) to $791 million (2012), increasing 3.5 percent in year-over-year comparison.

Vibrant sector — Since 2009, the region’s tourism industry has been steadily growing, and the area is coming off a “dynamic” year in 2013, Holder said.

“So many different new things have been developed in the region,” he said.

“All of our areas relative to tourism had various glimmers of prosperity in 2013.”

Continued expansion of Destiny USA, vigorous interest in outdoor recreational assets and arts and culture attractions are the driving force behind the tourism increase, Holder said.

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These assets have seen a continued amount of interest, particularly from out-of-area visitors, he added.

In addition, the hospitality industry looks to receive a boost as an investor is interested in acquiring the vacant Hotel Syracuse and reopening it as a Hyatt Hotel.

Overall, Holder said the regional tourism industry has been healthy.

“We’ve seen a little higher growth rate than most other parts of Upstate New York,” Holder said. “A lot of that is based on new products and entry into new markets.”

For instance, Canadian visitors are on the increase.

“We are starting to venture into international markets which is driving some new opportunities that haven’t necessarily been there in the past,” he said.

Holder said projections for the rest of 2014 call for stability on the tourism front and perhaps a moderate level of growth.

“We’re still riding this wave of new openings,” he said.

Spearheading the regional tourism industry is Destiny USA in Syracuse, whose recent expansion features a mix of all types of retail including luxury outlet tenants, restaurants and entertainment. Oxford Economics has projected an annual visitation of over 29 million.

“Destiny USA is such a magnet for the region,” Holder said. “The focus over the next several years needs to really be on how do we sustain that and how do we keep growing market awareness.”

Holder said the Syracuse region is drawing many folks from the Ottawa, Ontario, Canada region. “We want that same pull from Buffalo, Boston, Burlington, Vt., Montreal and Toronto,” he said.

“We got the capability and we got the product, and it’s not just Destiny but also the surrounding region,” he said.

Also creating excitement is the planned construction of a new Hampton Inn in Oswego.

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

The new Hampton Inn site is being developed by Canalview Development LLC. Holder said 2014 may be “a little off” in terms of events, but the conference business is expected to remain stable.

“However, we are going to make up for that with new sporting ventures,” he said.

He said Syracuse University’s involvement in Atlantic Coast Conference sports is definitely having a tourism impact.

“Those visitors come in and stay longer and spend a little more,” he said.

With two home games remaining, the SU men’s basketball team had drawn over 30,000 spectators four times in the 2013-2014 season.

Look at leisure travel — Holder said the tourism industry is intrinsically tied to the performance of the economy.

When breaking down the tourism industry, it is important to look at the different functions that drive leisure travel, Holder said. These include shopping visits, going to special events and festivals or family vacationing.

“The leisure element is probably where we have the highest growth potential,” he said.

The piece that probably has the most ups and downs, Holder said, is business travel.

“If we see the economy go down, we are likely not to see a major impact on leisure travel. We continue to find those segments of the leisure visitors’ group that are still interested in traveling,” he said.

However, if the economy goes down, “businesses automatically are shutting off the valve of business travel opportunities,” Holder said. “That’s something we always keep in mind.”

Sports and hobby-based travel is also immune to economic downturns, Holder said, “Because [people] put more focus on those things that are most important to them.”

The convention business can also be a roller-coaster ride and is often tied to the business sector.

Meanwhile, government conferences, which used to be a major proactive sales pursuit for the Syracuse Convention & Visitors Bureau, are floundering, Holder said.

“We scaled that back. The government is not booking meetings and not sending people to conferences like it once had,” he said.

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SPECIAL REPORT

By Aaron Gifford Sylvan Beach remains the tourism hub of Oneida Lake. Locals and visitors enjoy a day at the beach.

Oneida Lake Facing New Challenges Start of the season shows promise for businesses around the lake but cormorants and round gobies (an invasive fish), threaten a vital and growing industry: fishing

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hese are exciting but challenging times for the tourism industry around Oneida Lake.

This year, the prime vacation season follows an especially long winter where anglers enjoyed more weeks on the ice than in previous years, though there were also days where the cold was so brutal that even the most hardened sportsman couldn’t bear the subzero temperatures. The ice melted and the warm temperatures eventually came, but so did a few surprises: Heavy precipitation and debris brought flooding to the east end of the lake again. The Sylvan Beach Amusement Park was to open for the season much later than usual.

An invasive fish called round gobies were recently confirmed in the waters.

And federal funding for a cormorant harassment program that discouraged the fish-eating birds from nesting on the lake expired this year.

“It’s a unique and special lake, that’s for sure,” said Ed Mills, president of the

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Oneida Lake Association and former director of the Cornell Biological Field Station at the lake’s Shackleton Point.

“A lot of people enjoy it and a lot of species enjoy it. There are always new challenges ahead.”

The impact remains to be seen. Still, the village of Sylvan Beach, the tourism hub of Oneida Lake, is on track to host a record number of events this year, village officials say. Likewise, the lake itself is expected to once again enjoy huge turnouts for fishing tournaments (from 33 tournaments in 2010 to more than 45 scheduled throughout this year). For the 30-plus marinas on the lake and dozens of restaurants and other businesses that cater to anglers, a seasonal economic boom is likely.

At the end of Memorial Day weekend, two businesses near different corners of the lake — Charlie’s Boat Livery (camp sites, cabins and boat rentals) in West Monroe, Oswego County, and Captain John’s restaurant in Sylvan Beach, OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

Oneida County — were just about at full capacity all three days. And that was not because of any special events, but because the summer weather had finally arrived.

“If this is a sign of how things will be this summer — bring it on,” said Elaine Deperno-Brown, owner of Captain John’s Restaurant in Sylvan Beach. “Last summer and the start of this one — they resemble how Sylvan Beach used to be.

The fishing tournaments are part of it, but so are the other events. The village year-round population is maybe 1,000 people, but in the summer there could be more than 30,000 people here on a weekend.”

There was no midway this Memorial Day; however, as the owners of Sylvan Beach Amusement Park, Empire Attractions, previously announced that the park would not open until June 28 “in an effort to streamline our operating calendar to run more in line with traditional summer breaks.”

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

SPECIAL REPORT While the delayed opening was a major setback for Sylvan Beach, almost every day of the summer season will feature some type of live performance, craft or antique fair, or car show. Bikes on the Beach began in May and continues though the warm months. As of the beginning of summer, there were already nine bands booked for weeknight performances.

Fishing Still the Big Draw — For the four counties that surround Oneida Lake — Oswego, Onondaga, Madison and Oneida — fishing is easily the lake’s biggest draw. It enjoys a great reputation for walleye and bass, and stewards of the waterway are heavily promoting white perch fishing to keep the ecological balance in check. The state Department of Environment Conservation’s most recent angler survey, which was published in 2007, noted that anglers who used the lake spent about $20 million annually on fishing-related business, travel, and accommodations, and that fishing enthusiasts traveled an average of 53 miles to get to Oneida Lake.

That study, of course, was conducted before the Bassmaster Elite tournaments took place on Oneida Lake in 2009 and 2012 and ranked the waterway among the nation’s top 100 bass fishing lakes in the United States. Since then, serious bass fishermen from across the nation have flocked here. That translates into more boats, more people, and more money.

Mike Cusano, chairman of the Onondaga County Fisheries Advisory Committee and a former chapter president of the New York Bass Federation, emphasized that the past three years have easily been the busiest he’s seen during his 40-plus years fishing on Oneida Lake. The Clay resident said three hotels have opened near the west end of the lake and a small two-pump gas station was transformed into a Nice N Easy mega convenience store. He’s noticed more boats at all of the launches, and a fair number of those launching had Pennsylvania plates.

“The numbers are at the highest they’ve ever been,” Cusano said. “But there’s still enough to go around. Fish catching rates are through the roof. It’s a great resource that’s being utilized.”

Case in point: While fishing with an old friend and the friend’s 8-yearold son in late May, Cusano said there were more than 50 fish caught between all three anglers, including pickerel, AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

A state Department of Environment Conservation survey notes that anglers who use Oneida Lake spent about $20 million annually on fishingrelated business, travel, and accommodations, and that fishing enthusiasts traveled an average of 53 miles to get to to the lake. smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, rock bass and sheephead.

Cusano believes that many out-ofstate sportsmen enjoy fishing vacations in New York with multi destinations over the course of several days, including Oneida Lake, Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, the St. Lawrence River, Lake Champlain and various waterways in the Adirondacks.

“Think about it,” he said. “In this part of New York we have so many places to fish within a couple hours. In some states, people drive three hours just to get to one small lake.”

According to a 2011 U.S. Fishing and Wildlife Service’s National Survey on fishing, New Yorkers spent $422,027 million on accommodations related to fishing trips, equipment purchase and rental and boat use. The average figure per person, including casual fisherman and those who identify themselves as sportsmen, was $2,105. Visitors from other states spent $32,269,600 that year, or $896 per person.

Not everyone is so excited to see the rapid growth of tournament fishing on Oneida Lake. There is still a strong contingency of traditional anglers who prefer to keep what they catch and enjoy secluded spots with minimal boat traffic and a quiet, relaxed atmosphere. But tournament fishermen preach catch and release, fish at a faster pace, and bring a different sort of vibe to Oneida Lake.

“Some of the guys who eat what they catch feel like they are being stigmatized, and I think they have a good point,” said OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

Heather Gass of Charlie’s Boat Livery.

“They also think there’s too much boat traffic, and too many boaters making wakes and encroaching on people’s space. We do feel like we get caught on the middle. These are seasonal campers who’ve been coming here for years, but we’ve also benefited financially from the tournaments.”

Cormorants, round gobies pose threat to fishing industry — The tournament anglers and the traditional fishermen do share a common enemy: cormorants. The diving birds can eat more than a pound of fish per day each.

A federally-funded program that employed personnel to continually harass the birds expired this year. The state DEC has stopgap measures that help the flocks from getting too big; in the past, organized volunteer boaters have done their parts to chase the pests away, but anglers still feel a full-time harassment program is needed.

To add even more tension to the sport fishing waters, an invasive species called the round goby was confirmed in Oneida Lake late last year. The bug-eyed bottom dwellers are native to Eastern Europe and usually grow to less than four inches. They are abundant in Lake Erie and in recent years also established themselves in the St. Lawrence River.

Those who frequent Oneida Lake and its connected waterways figured it was only a matter of time until the gobies arrived.

Bass eggs are the gobies’ preferred dish. While anglers are bracing themselves for a negative impact, those who are familiar with the impact the invasive species have had on other lakes say the unwanted guests could benefit Oneida Lake in many ways. Because the gobies are slow, the cormorants may be more likely to fill up on them instead of the more elusive prized walleye. The gobies might also keep the zebra mussels in check, allowing for cloudier water conditions, which help walleye flourish. But the gobies are also a conduit for botulism, which could impact water fowl.

“If I was a betting man, I would have thought they’d be here sooner,” said Ed Mills, the Oneida Lake Association president. “There are a high number of predators in the lake that can suppress them for awhile, but my thought is, at some point we’ll see some conditions that allow them to flourish. I think this will be the next major biological event for Oneida Lake.”

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SPECIAL REPORT

By Lou Sorendo

Tailwater Lodge Offers Unique Experience Along Salmon River The $6 million project expected to draw more visitors to northern Oswego County area

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he former Altmar Elementary School once was alive with exuberant youngsters yearning to learn and play.

Today, that excitement comes in the form of sports fishermen, corporate executives and tourists eager to enjoy everything the nearby Salmon River and its surroundings have to offer from the cozy confines of the recently opened Tailwater Lodge.

The project represents the adaptive reuse of a former school in the APW Central School District into a top-level fishing resort located along the Salmon River.

The company behind the project — The Woodbine Group — specializes in adaptive reuse projects, converting old buildings into revitalized commercial facilities.

Norman Swanson, president-owner of the Woodbine Group in Syracuse, has created the lodge, a 42-room, 32,000-square-foot hotel in the town of Albion.

The $6 million project is expected to create 30 full time and 24 part-time jobs.

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With the Salmon River being known globally for its world-class salmon and trout fishing, the lodge is well suited for the outdoorsman. However, it can also accommodate business meetings, corporate retreats, training sessions, as well as weddings, reunions and other social gatherings.

Tom Fernandez is the director of business development for the Woodbine Group, a family-owned and -operated company.

Fernandez gets involved in the early stages of projects, particularly the Tailwater Lodge.

“This one is my baby, so I spend a lot of time with this project,” he said while noting he came up with the original conversion concept.

Compared to other Woodbine projects, the Tailwater endeavor was relatively easy, Fernandez said.

Some of Woodbine’s Syracuse-based projects include Hotel Skyler, a former synagogue which is now a LEED-certified platinum hotel; the Genesee Grande Hotel, which was the former Mayflower apartment building; the Parkview HoOSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

tel, which was the former Medical Arts Building; and Copper Beech Commons, the former National Guard Armory.

“All of those took a lot of reengineering to formulate our plan for end use,” he said. “This one was pretty easy because if you think about the layout of a school and hotel, they are very similar.”

With centralized corridors flanked by rooms on each side, Woodbine took classrooms, put walls in the middle of them, and created hotel rooms.

“We actually were able to utilize almost all of the exterior as well as the original windows and door cuts that were in place,” he said.

Fernandez said the majority of infrastructure tasks involved façade work and new HVAC, plumbing and electrical systems.

“Some of the fun things we did was take the gym and turn it into a bar, restaurant and conference center,” he said.

Woodbine also used locally harvested, hand-hewn timber into the building.

“We wanted to add those pieces of flair that really make it Tailwater Lodge,” he said.

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

SPECIAL REPORT “We were real lucky with this building. It was in immaculate shape when we received it. We have to do a lot of abatement and demolition with a lot of the buildings we do business with,” he said. “This one was gorgeous.”

“We are definitely looking to do more. We got a couple plans in the hopper right now that are going to take place on site,” he said.

Fisherman’s delight — Guests of the Tailwater Lodge enjoy restricted access to one of the best stretches of Salmon River. The 2,000 feet of reserved river frontage includes the famous Schoolhouse Pool, known as a “hot spot” among anglers.

“One thing that really plays to our advantage is our location,” Fernandez said. “We are one of a few lodges with private access to the Salmon River.”

“You can stay in the lodge and walk right out back and be fishing,” he said.

Tailwater’s guide concierge captain, Chris Yard, arranges adventures that include drift-boat trips, charter excursions on Lake Ontario, or a day of summer rafting.

The Woodbine Group wanted to come in and work closely with the community, Fernandez noted.

One of its first moves was to hire Yard, who grew up in the Mexico and Pulaski area and has fished the waters for many years.

“We didn’t want to hire guides that were specific Tailwater guides,” he said.

“Chris already worked in the area and has a relationship with the guides here.

We use him as a liaison for guests who want to book a trip either on the lake or Salmon River.”

The lodge takes the responsibility off guests by using Yard to broker trips depending on anglers’ wishes.

The lodge also features a pro shop complete with Patagonia along with custom-made JP Ross fly-fishing equipment.

The business also will feature jewelry and pottery from local artisans.

Having a full-service bar and the Tailwater Restaurant on site also makes it unique, Fernandez said. “There isn’t any other place on the river that offers that type of amenity,” he said.

Bert French is the resort chef at Tailwater, and adds some zest to the menu’s metropolitan fare.

While burgers and sandwiches are offered, it is the fried chicken that really stands out as one of the menu’s favorite AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

Facade and interior of 42-room, 32,000-sq.-ft. Tail Water Lodge hotel in the town of Albion, northern Oswego County.

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

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selections.

Breads are made in-house, and French makes a distinctive jalapeno jelly from his own recipe served with bread at night.

Guest rooms appeal on both a rustic and modern level.

Each room comes with high-speed wireless Internet, cable TV and an inroom refrigerator.

“It sounds like it should be standard but you don’t necessarily find it when traveling the Salmon River,” Fernandez said.

Fernandez said a major competitive edge his facility has is its staff.

“You can pretty much walk up to anybody and strike up a conversation and feel like you are at home. It’s part of the Tailwater experience,” Fernandez said.

“It’s not only the fishing and food, but the focus is on the overall hospitality aspect of what we are that makes people intrigued about what we do,” he added.

Tourism magnet — When Woodbine embarked on marketing research prior to opening the lodge, it wanted to know the origin of people who travel to the area. There was not an abundance of data available.

“We wanted to dive down a little

Tom Fernandez is the director of business development for the Woodbine Group.

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deeper. What we did is came up and looked at license plates of cars in parking lots by fishing areas to see where people were traveling from,” he said.

It was not uncommon to see plates from Pennsylvania, Connecticut and throughout Central New York.

Once the lodge opened, people began checking in from California, Oregon and Washington state.

“I like to think we are the best salmon fishery on the East Coast, and I think our lodge suits it well,” Fernandez said.

The year-round facility intends of drawing sportsmen, business guests, corporate travelers as well as tourists.

“The low-hanging fruit is the sportsman,” Fernandez said. “Droves of people head to the Salmon River to fish, and it’s just about getting the message out to them.”

The lodge is working closely with Pulaski-based companies such as the Kallet Theater, HealthWay, Felix Schoeller N.A. and The Fulton Companies in efforts to drum up corporate business.

For the tourist in general, the facility will take advantage of its proximity to the I-81 corridor to draw in the transient traveler who may be willing to partake in activities such as rafting, tubing and hiking.

The facility has corporate sales managers that market all of Woodbine’s hotels and maintain a book of business to target those seeking space for events such as banquets or corporate travel.

In terms of marketing, Fernandez said the business focuses on search engine optimization on its website at tailwaterlodge.com, and also uses specific media groups that work closely with fishing.

On the corporate travel side, it reaches out to various corporate groups through the Empire State Society of Association Executives. It also uses third-party travel sites such as Orbitz, Hotwire, Travelocity and Expedia.

“We like to run at a 60-to-70 percent occupancy rate” and should get close to that by year’s end and 2015, Fernandez said.

The Tailwater Lodge is part of a larger movement in the Pulaski area to pump economic development energy into the region.

Recently, the Pulaski Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce recognized some of these key players, including the Tailwater Lodge, Vincent Lobdell of HealthWay Home Products, Charlie Caprara of FX Caprara car companies, and Doug Barclay’s Douglaston Salmon Run for investing in the area.

“When you have a few people who are really showing interest in this part of the state, more people will come,” Fernandez said.

The Tailwater Lodge, the Kallet Theater project and Caprara’s new car dealership in Richland amount to approximately $25 million in new investment in the Pulaski area.

Elaina Antonini is the guest service agent at Tailwater Lodge.

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

SPECIAL REPORT

By Lou Sorendo

Tourism Magnet Destiny USA anchors Central New York’s tourism industry

P

erhaps it was meant to be this way.

Destiny USA in Syracuse is on a course, whether predetermined or not, toward greatness as a tourist magnet in Central New York.

This year, it is anticipated that nearly 30 million people will visit the megamall nestled on the shores of Onondaga Lake.

That is equivalent to Australia’s total population.

As expected, Destiny USA has enhanced the Syracuse region’s tourism industry beyond expectations.

“Destiny USA has invested a significant amount of time, effort and money into creating world-wide awareness of Destiny USA and all that Central New York has to offer to potential tourists,” said David Aiken, a Destiny USA executive.

By the close of this year, Destiny USA will have had a presence at over 40 trade and consumer shows in Canada, the United Kingdom, China/Taiwan, Germany, Brazil and Indonesia, in addition to across the United States.

“We are hearing more and more foreign languages spoken by our guests AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

on site and our guest services representatives, along with our tenants, are dealing with many first-time guests who are new visitors to the area,” Aiken said.

Regional and Canadian visitation is climbing, while visitation by other international guests is emerging.

Destiny USA reports that 25 percent of sales are coming from Canadian visitors, while bus tour visitation increased 77 percent from 2012 to 2013.

“We expect to see this grow as we work collectively with the Syracuse Convention and Visitors Bureau, the state of New York and Brand USA to continue promoting Upstate New York in key markets,” Aiken added.

Destiny USA tracks Internet usage, does license plate analysis and studies credit card data to get an idea of the number of out-of-county visitors to the facility.

The original Carousel Center opened in 1990 before being rebranded to Destiny USA in 2012.

Uniqueness shines through —The reasons visitors make Destiny USA a destination point are obvious. The meOSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

ga-mall is filled with brands that are unique to the region.

“The combination of luxury outlets, factory stores, discounters and traditional retailers is unique in its own right,” Aiken said. “When combined with the appealing variety of dining and entertainment Destiny USA presents, tourists are naturally drawn to the experience.”

Aiken said the ability to provide access to international luxury brands at a discount in shops such as Armani, Salvatore Ferragamo and Tod’s, coupled with Michael Kors and Coach, two of the hottest American outlet concepts, is “very powerful.”

The WonderWorks venue continues to function as a popular school field trip option for children in the region, along with families.

“Attractions such as Pole Position Raceway, OptiGolf and even World of Beer are welcome respites functioning as great alternatives for ‘the guys’ while ‘the girls’ shop ‘til they drop,” he added.

Meanwhile, The Cheesecake Factory had been one of the top requests by both locals and out-of-town visitors to 67

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Syracuse, and it did not disappoint — it has been a huge draw, Aiken noted.

When Destiny USA hosted international representatives chosen to market the state in China along with the public relations representative from London who works for “I Love New York”, the entourage dined there.

“All four knew of the brand but had not yet experienced it and were excited to have the opportunity to do so here at Destiny USA,” Aiken said.

Destiny USA plans to build a $75 million, 252-room hotel next to the mall.

“It will give us the direct opportunity to encourage more overnights right here in Syracuse,” Aiken said.

Once lodging accommodations are available, Destiny USA is forecast to become even more of a destination point.

“Judging from feedback we have received not only at shows but also at Destiny USA, we are certain it will be,” Aiken said.

Aiken said other tourism-related venues in the Syracuse region benefit from the magnetic power of Destiny USA. “We make a point of referencing how close so many attractions are to Destiny USA whenever we attend trade and consumer shows,” Aiken said. “We even provide mileage estimates to help form itineraries. Marketing the combined assets and riches of the surrounding area benefits all of us.”

Destiny USA at a Glance • More than 230 retailers and venues on site.

• Employs approximately 5,000 workers.

• Sits on 24 acres of property. The walking distance around the entire four-level facility is three miles.

• 46 combined public elevators and escalators.

• If a guest spent 10 minutes browsing in each store, it would take them 38 hours to visit the entire facility.

• Destiny USA’s expansion achieved Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold status, making it the largest LEED Gold-certified commercial building in the world. LEED is the “green standard” intended to help building owners and operators be environmentally responsible and use resources efficiently.

• Expansion flooring is made of recycled rubber, cork and crushed walnut shells.

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

Health Care Special SUNY Upstate Launches New Cancer Center Portal to Health Oswego Health launches its electronic health records

Center offers state-ofart resources, one-stop location for patients

Wanted: Primary Care Physicians Survey finds increased need for primary care physicians AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

69

health care SPECIAL REPORT

By Matthew Liptak

Portal to Health Oswego Health launches its electronic health records system; patients have more access to their health information

T

echnology has become the portal to better health.

The number of hospitals with a basic electronic health records system tripled from 2010 to 2012, with more than four of every 10 hospitals equipped with the new health information technology, according to the latest report released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

In addition, almost 80 percent of doctors in the United States have switched from paper to electronic health records, recent government statistics show.

Oswego Health and its medical team is no exception.

Oswego Health uses the Meditech 6.x as its chosen system.

Meditech 6.x provides a comprehensive and integrated electronic health record system designed to help increase patient safety, streamline processes, and improve communication across departments and its care teams, said Barry Ryle, Oswego Health’s chief information officer.

“This solution enables staff to react more quickly to issues and changing conditions by automatically pushing information out to the appropriate personnel and displaying it in a meaningful form,” he said.

Accurate, up-to-the-minute information is available where and when users need it, resulting in more informed and effective treatment and decision- making, Ryle said.

Entering the information age in medicine now allows doctors to make better decisions and provide more coordinated care, Ryle noted.

“With patient information readily available, providers improve their ability to make well-informed treatment decisions quickly and safely,” he said. “Providers can access charts

70

remotely, are alerted to critical lab values and potential medication errors, are reminded to provide preventive care and care that meets clinical guidelines, and many other benefits.”

When fully functional, the benefits of EHRs offer far more than a paper record can.

With an EHR, information is available wherever and whenever it is needed, Ryle said.

Increased usage of EHR systems

has been buoyed as a result of the federal government’s financial incentives to help doctors and hospitals change to electronic recordkeeping.

Benefit to patients — For Oswego Health’s patients, having an EHR improves quality and convenience of patient care, accuracy of diagnoses and health outcomes, and care coordination, Ryle said.

The system is also designed to increase patient participation in their care while focusing on bolstering practice efficiencies and cost savings, he added.

Meanwhile, the Oswego Health Patient Portal is now online.

Oswego Health patients are now able to review their Oswego Hospital discharge instructions, learn more about the medication they were prescribed during their hospital stays,

Taking a look at Oswego Hospital’s new secure online patient portal are Oswego Health’s Chief Medical Officer Renato Mandanas, seated, and Barry Ryle, Oswego Health’s chief information officer. Oswego Hospital recently launched its patient portal. The portal gives patients the ability to review and download their test results.

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

as well as the results of laboratory reports completed as part of a hospital stay.

They are also able to view any upcoming hospital appointments.

“A portal can be thought of as a gateway or door in the form of a Web interface to related sets of data and content,” Ryle said.

Patient portals provide communication services between patients and providers. Oswego Health grants patients access — with a secure username and password — to information through a Web connection, Ryle added.

“Patients can log in to the system to view and download portions of their medical record,” he said.

Oswego Health patients can take a more active role in their healthcare, with information available on an electronic device, such as a tablet, phone or desktop computer.

This information will be available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Ryle said safeguards are in place to ensure patient information is confidential.

Data is exchanged in a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act-compliant and secure fashion, he noted.

Increased usage of EHR systems has been buoyed as a result of the federal government’s financial incentives to help doctors and hospitals change to electronic recordkeeping.

“Meaningful use” is a set of objectives and measures that eligible hospitals must meet to qualify for EHR incentives and avoid reimbursement penalties from Medicare, Ryle said.

“To achieve this, Oswego Hospital must demonstrate to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services that use of its certified EHR is positively impacting the care of our patients,” he said.

Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, which is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, created these objectives and measures.

The patient portal is the mechanism for meeting one of the “meaningful use” objectives.

To date, Oswego Health has received approximately $2.8 million in incentive payments from both Medicare and Medicaid that have been used to support the new EHR technology.

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

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30 People Die Every Day Due to Organ Donor Shortage

T

ransplant surgeon and researcher Christopher Barry in June presented new data analysis at the Donate Life America Annual Meeting in Baltimore that indicates the average number of people who die each year before they can receive a lifesaving organ transplant is nearly 11,000 or 30 people every day.

“That is the equivalent of 22 jumbo jets crashing every year with no survivors,” Barry said.

Since 1999, the donation and transplantation community has cited that the number of people who die while on the national transplant waiting list has hovered around 6,500 a year, or 18 a day. However, this does not take into account the more than 4,000 people who are removed from the waiting list every year due to being “too sick to transplant.”

“Being removed from the list

because you are ‘too sick to transplant’ is generally not a good sign,” said Barry. “For people with endstage liver, heart or lung failure, it usually means that they will die in a short period of time. There are certainly some people who can get back on the list because they are no longer ‘too sick,’ but they are in the minority.”

In addition, Donate Life America released the seventh annual National Donor Designation Report Card, which reports 117 million people had enrolled in various state donor registries by the end of 2013.

While the number of registered donors continues to rise steadily, it has not increased quickly enough to meet the needs of the growing national transplant waiting list.

According to Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN), the waiting list has grown from 65,313 to 123,089 since 1999 —

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nearly a two-fold increase. Those who are taken off the waiting list for being “too sick” has increased almost four-fold over that same period. Despite the clinical success of transplant therapy for end stage organ failure, the number of transplants performed has remained generally flat for the past decade.

“We must consider those who die after being taken off the waiting list for being ‘too sick to transplant’ as victims of the national organ shortage, because a donor organ did not come in time for them to be transplanted and restored to health.” says David Fleming, President and CEO of Donate Life America. “We can end this public health crisis by increasing the number of registered donors, promoting preventative health initiatives and encouraging people to consider living donation.”

Barry added, “It’s important to note that the equivalent of 56 jumbo jets, or 28,000 people, land safely and successfully each year through lifesaving transplants from both deceased and living donors. Donation is proven to save lives. We just need more of it.”

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health care

SPECIAL REPORT

By Lou Sorendo

Wanted: Primary Care Physicians HANYS’ survey finds increased need for primary care physicians

N

ew York state’s physician shortage continues, with a dire need for primary care physicians, according to a recent report by the Healthcare Association of New York State.

HANYS’ 2013 physician advocacy survey of hospitals and health systems found a need for 1,026 physicians statewide, excluding New York City, 26 percent of which are primary care physicians.

The Affordable Care Act urges hospitals and health systems to create healthier communities with a focus on preventive care. However, 63 percent of respondents said their primary care capacity did not meet patient need.

To make matters worse, 70 percent of respondents said recruitment of primary care physicians was difficult.

Sherry Chorost, director of the physician workforce division at the HANYS, pointed to several reasons why Central New York is suffering from a shortage

Why Some Doctors Don’t Come to the Region • “The more rural the provider, the more difficult it is to recruit people. Not everyone wants to work in rural, underserved areas. That’s probably our biggest obstacle.”

• They are also concerned about [quality of] schools.

• Spouses and significant others of physicians are often concerned about the possibility of being unable to find a job in a rural area.

• Salaries may be lower.

Sherry Chorost, director of the physician workforce division at the HANYS 74

of primary care physicians.

“One of the No. 1 issues is the geography of the provider,” she said.

“The more rural the provider, the more difficult it is to recruit people. Not everyone wants to work in rural, underserved areas. That’s probably our biggest obstacle.”

Spouses and significant others of physicians are often concerned about the possibility of being unable to find a job in a rural area.

“They are also concerned about [quality of] schools and all the things that come with being located in a rural area,” Chorost said.

Salary is also an issue, she said.

“Oftentimes primary care physicians are not paid as well as specialists,” she said. “They come out of school with a boatload of debt.”

The average estimated debt for doctors coming out of school is between $180,000$200,000.

Salaries in primary care settings are considered insufficient to repay that debt, she noted.

Chorost said the shortage is a “cyclical thing.” “ A while ago there were people saying, “Oh my God, we are going to have too many OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

doctors. Back in 1997, they put a lid on the number of residency slots, and I think a lot of it had to do with managed care.

At one point there were concerns about having too many doctors.

“Now we have a growing population, a limited number of residency slots and we don’t have a lot of people going into primary care. It’s created the perfect storm.”

The Association of American Medical Colleges projects a shortage of 90,000 physicians nationwide by 2020 if nothing is done to address the issue.

Chorost said there is a freeze on residency slots, but there have been efforts by the federal government to increase residency slots in some areas where it thinks they are needed.

“However, New York doesn’t really benefit from that because we are the teaching capital of the world,” Chorost said. “We produce a lot of doctors, but only about 45 percent of people who finish their residency programs stay in New York, so we lose a lot.”

“What we know for certain is that people who grow up in New York, go to school here and maybe medical school, are most likely to remain in New York,” Chorost said.

“Because we are the teaching capital, we attract people from all over the country and the world,” she said. “After people finish their training here, they want to go back to California or Texas or wherever they came from.”

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

health care SPECIAL REPORT

Dan Dey: No Overnight Solution

D

aniel Dey, CEO of Northern Oswego County Health Services, said the fundamental reason for the primary care physician shortage is there are not enough residency slots available for primary care providers.

“Most physicians go into specialty practices, which are more lucrative,” he said.

Dey said the shortage will not be resolved over the short term because it takes time to open up teaching slots and for the number of training years to elapse before doctors are prepared to practice.

Dey said he is not convinced there is a trend that has medical students gaining their education in New York then going out of state to practice.

“I think we have very good medical schools in New York and attractive cities

and areas to live,” he said. “I don’t think it is as prominent an issue than perhaps in other states with more rural and remote populations.”

Some governmental assistance is available, Dey said, such as the National Health Service Corps opening up more primary care residency slots on the federal level and the “Doctors Across New York” initiative that helps physicians get started in practice with loan forgiveness.

Dey said the shortage results in the medical community adjusting the way patients receive and gain access to care.

“One way we are adjusting is that physicians are working more in provider teams with mid-level providers such as nurse practitioners and physician assistants in a more comprehensive and interactive way with the patient,”

he said.

“We’re finding ways to adapt, particularly through patient-centered medical home initiatives,” Dey added.

Oswego County has taken dramatic steps over the past several years to bolster primary health care services.

Collaboration among NOCHSI, Oswego Health and Oswego County Opportunities resulted in NOCHSI taking over five primary care practices previously run by OH and OCO. Designated as a federally qualified health center, NOCHSI gets enhanced reimbursement rates. This helps reinforce the financial viability of all the primary care practices.

“We have worked together to stabilize the primary care system by consolidating our primary care programs under NOCHSI,” Dey said. “As a result of that, we’ve been able to fill in recruitment slots with mid-level providers over the last couple of years, working in tandem with our physicians to broaden access for patients in Oswego County.”

Increased autonomy for NPs will

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AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

75

health care SPECIAL REPORT also help in terms of alleviating the primary care physician shortage, Dey noted.

“NPs are very credible and welltrained providers. They know how to exercise the other components of the health system, particularly when to refer to a supervising physician and when to refer to specialists,” Dey said. “They are very good at leveraging the system for the benefit of the patient.”

The countywide initiative has financially stabilized the practices and resulted in retaining virtually all the providers that were in the system before the consolidation, Dey said.

It has also enhanced the county’s ability to recruit new providers.

“After this summer, we will have added at least 12 new primary care providers into our county and system,” Dey said. “It’s clearly had the results that we targeted when we started this project geared to stabilize the primary care safety net in Oswego County.”

Medical Community Also Seeking Solution

T

he medical community is taking steps to rectify the shortage, said Sherry Chorost, director of the physician workforce division at the HANYS. It is looking at alternative ways to deliver care that involve multi- and interdisciplinary team-based models such as patient-centered medical homes (PCMH) that are becoming prevalent throughout the state.

In that scenario, the involvement of physician assistants and nurse practitioners would increase under physicians’ guidance, Chorost said. “This will allow NPs and PAs to do a lot of work doctors don’t necessarily need to do,” she said.

The PCMH is a team-based health-

care delivery model led by a physician who provides comprehensive and continuous medical care to patients with the goal of obtaining maximized health outcomes.

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AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

collaborations and focus on system reform, specifically a goal to achieve a 25 percent reduction in avoidable hospital use over five years.

One of the requirements for the waiver is to be certified as a PCMH (patient-centered medical home).

While the state has led the nation in the number of PCMHs, “we still have a long way to go, and that will require far more primary care physicians also,” Chorost said.

Chorost said there are several programs designed to alleviate the shortage of primary care physicians in Central New York.

The state-sponsored “Doctors Across New York” initiative trains and places physicians in underserved communities. Physician loan repayment programs that are exempt from federal taxes are available to physicians in exchange for five years of service in underserved areas.

The hope is that after five years, physicians will remain in the region, Chorost said.

“It has been successful at keeping doctors around and getting them into underserved areas,” she noted.

Chorost said the Council on Graduate Medical Education will be issuing a report in the fall addressing the primary care shortage and what kind of recommendations it thinks the state needs to enact.

One way to provide incentives for doctors to get into primary case is to increase their salaries, Chorost said.

PCMHs feature a shift away from fee for service to value-based care, and doctors will be rewarded for keeping people healthy.

“That’s a way to make more money,” she said.

Another initiative that features New York State Department of Health involvement is the establishment of rural residency programs.

Teaching hospitals can partner with rural hospitals, giving healthcare professionals the experience of working in rural areas.

“The hope is that they can stay on and they might like it,” Chorost added.

Another avenue is trying to establish methods where more students from New York state can apply and be admitted to medical school.

“They might favor more people

applying from New York state because they have a better shot at staying here,” she said.

Healthcare organizations are also experiencing difficulty in recruiting NPs and PAs, Chorost said.

A state-funded program that has a matching federal component is the Primary Care Service Corps. It also is a loan repayment program for allied healthcare professionals such as NPs and PAs in efforts to entice them into underserved areas. Those who qualify are eligible for $60,000 in loan repayments.

“It is a way to attract them to a health professional shortage area,” she said.

Chorost noted the recently enacted Nurse Practitioners Modernization Act bodes well in terms of advancing greater patience access to care.

The new law removes the requirement of a written practice agreement between an experienced NP as a condition of practice.

“It doesn’t go into effect until January and NPs have to have three years experience before hanging out their own shingle,” Chorost said. “But I do think that will help.”

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Syracuse:315.471.0568 Rochester:585.287.5622 www.sbh.org AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

Quality Cancer Care: Recognizing Excellence

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

The only CNY Cancer Practice that is certified for quality by the American Society of Clinical Oncology 77

Health Care B R I E F S Midwife Joins Hospital, Oswego County OBGYN Certified Nurse Midwife Michelle P. LeFort has joined the staff of Oswego Hospital’s maternity center and the Oswego County OB-GYN’s practice.

LeFort holds a master’s degree in nursing from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., where she majored in nurse-midwifery. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Ind. “I am very much enjoying getting to know the community, my patients who are so welcoming and the physician LeFort group, which has been so wonderful to work with,” LeFort said.

While a student, LeFort earned numerous honors such as the Sister M. Rosaleen Dunleavy Allied Medical Award for outstanding achievement.

She was also recognized for being a member of the Kappa Gamma Pi National Catholic College Graduate Honor Society and the Beta Beta Beta Biology Honors Society. In addition, she was the recipient of a president’s scholarship while attending Saint Mary’s College.

Danlee Medical Products Celebrating 20 Years in Business Danlee Medical Products is celebrating its 20th year in business.

Founded in 1994 by Joni Walton, the company is a medical supply distributor and manufacturer who specializes in cardiac testing supplies such as electrodes, chart paper, customized hook-up kits, cables and lead wires.

It serves the needs of more than 4,000 health-related professionals and their patients globally.

Danlee Medical Products is also 78

a certified women-owned business enterprise, an FDA-regulated manufacturer and a globally recognized industry leader in the production of customized hook-up kits for Holter monitor testing, according to Walton.

The company has recently been appointed to the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC).

Through the past 20 years, Danlee Medical Products has worked to expand its customer base by developing new and innovative products and by quickly and efficiently responding to the ever-changing demands of the marketplace. The success of the company is evidenced not only by the value it delivers to its customers but on the corporate culture itself.

“We view each customer as a valued member of the Danlee family, as our associates enjoy establishing and maintaining actual relationships with them,” said Walton. “This same philosophy is also practiced internally as our employees operate in an atmosphere of congeniality, teamwork, and some light-hearted fun in a family-type atmosphere.”

Walton said Danlee’s future plans include facilities expansion, personnel additions, innovative product development, investment in further employee training, and increased catalog inventory items.

Tully Hill Chemical Dependency Center Has New Head Chef Rick Caballero recently joined Chemical Dependency Treatment Center as food service director and head chef.

Caballero trained at the Culinary Institute of America. He has more than 20 years experience working in the food service Caballero industry.

Caballero’s experience ranges from cafeteria-style kitchen to fine OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

dining to large scale catering.

He has worked as executive chef at several well known Syracuse-area restaurants and hotels.

Tully Hill Executive Reelected to National Group

Cathy L. Palm, executive director of Tully Hill Chemical Dependency Treatment Center, has been reelected to the board of directors of the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers Palm for a three-year term at an annual meeting held in Charlotte, N.C. in May NAATP is an association of more than 400 addiction treatment organizations in the USA as well as outside the United States.

P.A. David Downey Joins Cardiologist Thomas Grady, Jr.

Physician Assistant David Downey Jr., has joined the practice of Oswego Health Cardiologist Thomas Grady Jr., MD. Downey earned his physician assistant degree from Daemen College, located in Amherst, Downey and has been employed by the health system for most of his career.

“This new position offers new challenges and I like my interaction with patients and that I can focus on both patient care and education,” Downey said.

Downey followed in his father’s footsteps in pursuing a career as a physician assistant. His father served as a physician assistant in the U.S. Air Force and at Upstate University AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

Health Care B R I E F S Hospital.

Downey joined the cardiology practice earlier this year.

Morningstar Residential Care Center Receives Quality Award

Morningstar Residential Care Center in Oswego, has been recognized as a 2014 recipient of the “Bronze – Commitment to Quality Award” for its dedication to improving the lives of residents through quality care.

The award is the first of three distinctions possible through the National Quality Award program, presented by the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL). The program honors centers across the nation that have demonstrated their commitment to improving quality care for seniors and individuals with disabilities.

“I applaud Morningstar Residential Care Center for its commitment to delivering quality care,” said Mark Parkinson, president and CEO of AHCA/NCAL. “This award represents the dedication that each Bronze recipient has given to improve quality in the long term and post-acute care profession.”

Implemented by AHCA/NCAL in 1996, the National Quality Award Program is centered on the core values and criteria of the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program. The program assists providers of long term and post-acute care services in achieving their performance excellence goals.

Morningstar Residential Care Center is a family-owned and operated, 120-bed long-term and sub-acute skilled nursing facility with full rehabilitation services including: physical, occupational and speech therapy; post-surgical orthopedic care; respiratory care; and additional sub acute care services.

Baldwinsville’s RMS Receives Approval for ACO Surveys AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

Baldwinsville-based Research & Marketing Strategies, Inc. (RMS) announced it has received conditional approval from the Center of Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) for Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) Survey Project Team as a vendor for the 2014-2015 survey administration.

The approval allows RMS to administer the CAHPS for ACO survey on behalf of Accountable Care Organizations who are required to conduct the survey as part of their participation in the Medicare programs.

“We are excited to be able to offer our survey administration services to another group of healthcare providers.

The CAHPS family of surveys has been

growing rapidly over the last several years and RMS is pleased to be a part of this exciting time in the healthcare industry.” Megan O’Donnell, RMS manager of healthcare analytics.

ACOs are groups of doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers, who come together voluntarily to provide coordinated high quality care to their Medicare patients. The CAHPS Survey for ACOs lets accountable care organizations participating in the Medicare shared savings program and the Pioneer ACO Model meet their requirement to measure patient experience of care.

The yearly CAHPS Survey for ACOs collects data through a survey mailing and a follow-up phone call to non-respondents to measure patient

Oswego Hospital Has Low Infection Rate

S

everal innovative programs have helped Oswego Hospital lower the rate of its hospital-acquired conditions to one of the lowest in Central New York.

According to a report recently released by Kaiser Health News, Oswego Hospital has a hospital-acquired condition score of 1.7.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) assessed hospitals’ rates of infections in patients with catheters in major veins and their bladders, as well as eight other patient injuries, including bed sores. Using this data from July 2012 to June 2013, CMS calculated a preliminary hospital-acquired conditions score from one to 10, with the higher number indicating the hospital had a greater rate of patient harm.

Hospitals that score above seven are expected to be penalized, losing 1 percent of each Medicare payment from Oct. 1 through Sept. 30, 2015.

“At Oswego Hospital, the physicians and staff are constantly working OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

to improve the quality of care and enhance patient safety,” said Chief Medical Officer Renato Mandanas, a physician. “We have put several programs in place which have been very successful and we will continue to build on these programs. Our expectation is that all our patients will experience excellent quality care and at the same time enjoy a pleasant customer service experience, as we want to continue to be our community’s healthcare provider of choice.”

To continue improvement of its patient quality of care, Oswego Hospital has collaborated with Excellus through its supported program, Bordering on Zero. This initiative assisted the healthcare facility in nearly eliminating the occurrence of pressure ulcers during a patient’s hospital stay. Because of this success, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield awarded Oswego Hospital $56,361, as part of the health insurer’s Hospital Performance Incentive Program.

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health care SPECIAL REPORT

The $74 million, five-story, 100,000-sq.-ft. Upstate Cancer Center in Syracuse is expected to open for clinical operation in late August. Photo courtesy of Robert Mescavage Photography.

CNY’s New Cancer Center Syracuse’s new Upstate Cancer Center offers state-of-the-art resources, one-stop location for patients

A

n administrator at the new Upstate Cancer Center expects the facility to be just what the doctor ordered not only for people in Onondaga County, but for patients throughout Upstate New York.

The $74 million, five-story, 100,000-square-foot building was expected to open for clinical operation in late August.

“I think the overall care is going to be state-of-the-art here,” said Richard Kilburg, associate administrator for the Upstate Cancer Center. “The environ80

ment will be very inviting and warm. It will be a healing environment.”

Renato Mandanas, chief medical officer of Oswego Health, agreed that the new cancer center should only strengthen overall cancer care in Central New York.

“The new all-outpatient cancer center will more than likely attract additional skilled and knowledgeable physicians who will want to provide care in this new highly technologically advanced setting, which will benefit the community which needs cancer care OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

services,” Mandanas said.

Kilburg highlighted the new center’s multidisciplinary approach as one of the main assets that may help draw patients in from outlying areas. The center is providing a one-stop location where someone fighting the disease can have most, if not all, of their needs met.

“Particularly what the multidisciplinary programs do is they combine a surgeon, a medical oncologist and a radiation oncologist — the three main service treatment options that are available to patients,” Kilburg said. “It brings them AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

health care SPECIAL REPORT together to review each patient’s case.

Those physicians come to an agreement on the particular patient’s treatment plan. The patient basically has one plan and it’s agreed on by all the specialists as opposed to going to three different specialists and potentially getting three different treatment options.”

In addition to medical needs, the center will provide help to patients for issues that often surround cancer treatment. There will be space for social workers, nutrition counseling, emotional support, financial counseling and spiritual care counseling. The center also expects to offer integrative therapies like yoga and acupuncture down the road.

Cutting-edge technology — Upstate Cancer Center will also be able to boast of state-of-the-art technology such as two new linear accelerators used to shrink tumors with radiation. The Vero linear accelerator will be only the third of its kind in the United States to be used clinically, Kilburg said. He also said the other, named a Varian TrueBeam, is the “latest and greatest” the Varian company has to offer.

The Varian TruBeam will also be available at the radiation oncology office at the Seneca Hill Services Center in Oswego in the fall. Oswego Health often collaborates with Upstate University Hospital in serving cancer patients in the Oswego area.

The use of the Varian TrueBeam will deliver more powerful treatment, Mandanas said.

“For lung and other tumors subject to respiratory motion, TrueBeam has the technology to monitor the patients’ breathing and compensate for movement of the tumor while the radiation dose is being delivered,” he said.

Because of its pinpoint accuracy tumors in other sensitive areas like the liver, breast, head and neck could also be treated, Mandanas noted.

Other features at the new cancer center in Syracuse will be the 27 private infusion areas for receiving chemotherapy treatment. The infusion areas look out onto the new four-season roof top healing garden in order to promote a sense of wellbeing.

With all that, two of the five floors of the building are being reserved for future use. What they will be filled with has yet to be determined.

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

“It could be anything,” Kilburg said.

“It could be additional infusion chairs for chemotherapy. It could be diagnostic radiology equipment like a PET/CT. It could be additional multidisciplinary program space. The jury is still out on what that space will be used for.”

In all likelihood, things will be busy at the new center if statistics are any indicator.

Onondaga County has 3,000 new cases of cancer a year and Oswego County has 700 to 800 new cases a year, Kilburg said. Many of them may become patients at Upstate’s new center.

Kilburg said recently with baby boomers entering prime cancer-risk age, the incidences of the disease are projected to grow by 30 percent over the next 10 years. The hospital’s previous cancer programs saw 2,000 new adult patients each year and 60 to 100 pediatric patients.

At that time, Upstate has had patients coming from Canada, Pennsylvania, Rochester and Albany, said Kilburg.

Incidences of cancer are projected to grow by 30 percent over the next 10 years, according to SUNY Upstate administrator If that range extends even further with the new center, Upstate expects to be ready.

“Probably we could serve in the neighborhood of 2,000 new patients outside the county,” Kilburg said. “We can take as many as get referred here basically now.”

A highlight of the Upstate Cancer Center is new technology that is now available to treat cancer. The Vero SBRT (Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy System) is for advanced treatment of lung, liver and prostate cancer. Upstate is one of only three institutions in the United States to offer this unique combination of advanced treatment and imaging technologies. It facilitates the delivery of extremely high doses of radiation to complex tumors located in critical areas while protecting neighboring organs, improving both safety and accuracy. Photo courtesy of William Mueller.

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

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Success Story

By Linda J. Germain

come for Oullette’s father.

The produce grown was taken to the Syracuse Regional Market and also sold at various roadside stands. There was a stand along state Route 104 and 104A in Southwest Oswego close to where the current business is located.

At that time, there were no retail products sold by the family like there are today.

By the 1950’s, the second generation of Ouellettes became involved in the business. Current owner, Dennis Ouellette Jr., and his brother David helped sell the produce at the Syracuse Regional Market and worked the roadside stands along side their parents.

In the 1960s, when Dennis Jr. finished high school, he decided to not further his education and chose to help run the family business. Soon, Dennis Dennis Oullette inspecting some of the fruit available at his Ontario Orchards Farm Market. married June Shattel — now June Shattel Oullette — and they created Ontario Orchards Farm Market. Even though at the time June was attending college, she knew that she wanted to help run the family business.

“I was raised on a dairy farm and was raised to work hard,” she said. “I wanted to continue to work on a farm and I loved Sterling, so I decided to help Dennis with the business. I did eventually finish my college degree. Today, I run the cider mill, do display work, and fill in any other gaps that need to be filled.”

By 1965, a seasonal market was or the owners of Ontario Orchards the events he’s planning for next year. established in Southwest Oswego in a Farm Market in Southwest OsweThe origins of Ontario Orchards two-stall horse barn. The first day of go, the popular farm market is more Farm Market date from 1952 when business for Dennis and June profited than just a business — it’s a family affair. Oullette’s father, Dennis Ouellette Sr. $7.40, but as the business has grown and The family now is gearing up to and his wife Estelle, started selling expanded, it now grosses thousands of celebrate a big milestone: the market’s produce they grew in a 132-acre farm in dollars per week. According to Dennis Jr., 50th birthday next year.

Sterling, Wayne County. Dairy products, his gross revenue is around $4 million a “It’s going to be a lot of fun,” owner chickens, pigs, in addition to the orchard year. The business employs 50 workers, Dennis Ouellette Jr., said as he refers to products, were the main sources of in- according to the 2014 CNY Business

ONTARIO ORCHARDS

Farm Market in Oswego to Celebrate 50 Years in Business

F 82

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

Guide, which makes it the 60th largest business in Oswego County.

Keeping pace with the latest — For Ouellette, the growth and expansion of the business has been exciting and rewarding.

“The new varieties of produce that we grow and farming procedures for harvesting products is very exciting to keep up with,” he said. “In order for farming to be done correctly, continuing education is needed through Cornell Cooperative Extension in things like spreading pesticide correctly. It has been very interesting to keep learning about farming.”

Throughout the years, Ontario Orchards has become a bustling retail marketplace in addition to simply selling produce. Customers find a wide variety or products — from all sorts of nuts, to bread, fruits and vegetables. It also sells ornaments, Christmas trees and its nursery and greenhouse offer all sorts of plants and trees.

Dennis Ouellette said the retail aspect of the market is designed to help fill the demands of modern families.

“The retail end of the business is very exciting due to changes in the products that we sell, marketing strategies that we implement, and resources that we use to sell our products,” he said. “The public requires that retail products be readily available as they have to work and have

The market offers a variety of plants, nursery trees, annuals, perennials and more. family responsibilities that they need to manage. Family incomes are also smaller so we have to know how to manage these modern demands.”

With regard to both the retail and

Dennis and his wife June Ouellette are in the back with their daughters Kathy and Laurie Oleyourryk (front). The farm market started in 1965 AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

farming aspects of the business, competing with corporate box stores is an important aspect of running Ontario Orchards, according to Ouellette.

“Ontario Orchards has learned to compete with corporate box stores,” he said. “Learning to compete with businesses like Walmart has allowed us to stay in business when other businesses in the community have not survived. This requires us to have a variety of products, change our hours to meet customer needs, have knowledge of our products, and be able to educate our staff on the best ways to serve our customers.”

The next wave of growers — This successful family affair does not end with just Dennis and June. Their two daughters, Laurie Oleyourryk and Kathy Ouellette, the third generation to help operate Ontario Orchards, have chosen to help run the business with their parents.

The family working together has been important to the success of Ontario Orchards. According to Dennis, working with his family has been priceless.

“Sharing our experiences and knowledge with each other on a daily basis, making decisions together and quickly is very important. I am also fortunate to be able to share my knowledge and experience with my children — whether it is good or bad,” he said.

June shares a similar viewpoint with 83

Ontario Orchards’ revenue is about $4 million a year— up from a profit of $7.40 the first day it opened in 1965

Fruit stand at Ontario Orchards Farm Market. The business features a wide variety of fruits grown locally. integral part of the family as well.

“The employees that work for us are like a part of our family,” she said. “They help make our business successful. We like to find each employee’s niche and have he or she do the work they are best at. We hope we are also helping our younger employees develop a good

her husband with regard to working with family.

“Working with family is a valuable support system,” she said. “We have gone through many hurdles together to get where we are today and we are there for each other everyday. Nobody cares more about this business than we do. We work very hard together to keep the business going.”

Kathy said working with family is integral to the success of the business.

“I like working with my family.

It is very rewarding,” she said. “We work and play together. We each have our own jobs, but we are able to work together on a daily business to make the business a success. I am very proud of the work that my parents have put into the business and I look forward to going to work each day.”

That ‘family feel’ — According to Kathy, the many employees who work at Ontario Orchards are considered an 84

work ethic.”

At the present time, it is unclear if the fourth generation of the Ouellette family is going to choose to run the business, but if it does, the previous generations will be ready and able to help them make the transition.

Oleyourryk said the next generation

Vegetable stand at Ontario Orchards Farm market.

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

will choose whether or not it is going to follow in the family’s footsteps.

“I wanted to do this so that I could work with my family,” she said. “But my children who are 13 and 15 will need to decide whether they will stay with the business. I just want them to be happy at what they do.”

Throughout the years, Ontario Orchards has expanded greatly and is a major employer in the local economy.

Currently, there are 65 employees during peak season from August to December and 50 in the off-season. The farm is operated on 320 acres in Sterling and the market itself has an expansive retail sales department. On the farm, 29 varieties of apples, seven varieties of Christmas trees, sweet corn, tomatoes, squash, pumpkin, and cucumbers are grown.

In order to support other local farmers, the Ouellettes sell strawberries and asparagus grown by local farmers.

There is also a bakery that has been in operation for 30 years and employs four professional bakers.

Ontario Orchards also has a nursery with a large variety of annuals and perennials in addition to landscaping services.

The retail end of the market tries to support local and New York state businesses and honor customer requests for products to be sold. Ontario Orchards sells Canale’s Restaurant products, Grandma Brown’s Baked Beans, Dinosaur Barbecue products, Hoffman Hotdogs, and Buck’s Seasoning.

The Ouellette family has many plans in store for the future of Ontario Orchards. It plans on developing new marketing techniques, expanding its products into new markets, bringing in new resources, building stronger customer relations, and expanding its customer base.

The family also plans on continuing its annual fall jamboree that takes place on the farm in Sterling each fall. It is free and is intended to be a family event where visitors can come out, see the farm, pick apples, and enjoy other festivities that are available from year-to-year.

When asked about what he would like the community to know about his business, Dennis had this to say: “I would like the community to know how diversified Ontario Orchards is. Due to the four seasons that we are fortunate to have here, we can offer a variety of products year round. We are working on some marketing strategies to help inform the public about our diversification.”

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

Resident leader Tanya Miller (left) and homeowner Patti Domicolo install their ORA Challenge Block Grant sign at the gateway to their West Fourth Street neighborhood.

Neighborhoods in Oswego on the Upswing

I

f you drive around Oswego you will see large signs popping up in 13 different neighborhoods that competed successfully for the 2014 Oswego Renaissance Association’s (ORA) Block Challenge Grants.

More than $104,000.00 total was awarded to 121 homes that made the final cut after an initial 200 homes started the application process.

One of the requirements was that at least five homes in their immediate had to participate. The Challenge Block Grant is a matching grant for exterior improvements for each participating home, up to the first $1000.

This is a different approach to neighborhood revitalization; a middle-market approach that builds on neighborhood strengths by building from stronger areas and expanding outwards. Requiring a critical mass of homes in an immediate area creates “clusters” of revitalization which affects the entire area.

The ORA is privately funded by local foundations and businesses including; The Shineman Foundation, OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

Pathfinder Bank, Novelis, and with in-kind support from: The City of Oswego, StepOne Creative, The Oswego Tree Stewards, The Beacon Hotel and Broadwell Hospitality Group to name but a few.

“People have commented;” explains Paul Stewart, ORA founder and director, “They see more ladders and hear more saws than in previous summers.” Stewart went on to explain; “Financial investment is preceded by social investment. The matching grants are also a means to get neighbors to engage neighbors and begin to restoring their blocks together - as a neighborhood. When each neighbors sees other neighbors joining in, it grows confidence and begins to unlock financial investment.”

For information on applying for the ORAs 2015 Challenge Block Grants visit their website at: www. oswegonyonline.com.

Submnitted by Oswego Renaissance Association

85

LAWRENCE SPIZMAN

Oswego retired professor will preside over the National Association of Forensic Economics continued from page 13 of personal pride. As one of the early members of the association, Spizman said it was “pretty nice” to get the nod as the top officer.

“You have to be nominated by the board of directors,” Spizman said. “They look at your research and past service to the organization and make the nomination [taking that into consideration].”

Spizman was previously vice president.

As president-elect, Spizman will shadow the current president before assuming the office on Jan. 1, 2015. He said he would like to increase and diversify membership in the organization, which is roughly 500-600 members strong.

“I want to get younger people into it, but it’s hard getting academics into it because they’re more interested in doing research and getting published so they can get tenure,” Spizman said. “I also want to try to get more women involved.

On the West Coast, there’s quite a few women doing this, but it seems to be a male-dominated profession, so you want to diversify a little bit and get different types of people.”

Builds solid foundation — Spizman said it has been gratifying to see his research in forensic economics used by many economists throughout the United States and Canada and mentioned in court decisions.

“Hopefully, the younger generation of forensic economists will expand and improve upon it,” he noted.

The long-time SUNY Oswego professor will have more time to make that vision a reality and to concentrate on his own business after making the decision to retire from his teaching duties in 2013.

Spizman said he has always been fortunate to have two professions that he loves: teaching at the college level and forensic economics work.

“I retired from teaching last September after 35 years,” he said. “I suppose I have the perfect retirement now doing forensic work which involves a decent amount of traveling.”

86

“In 1977 I came here to teach; we were only going to stay a year, and here I am today.”

While his consulting business has been successful, Spizman said he never really sees it as a business.

“I always view it as an extension of my academic research which deals with law and economics,” he said. “My teaching skill set as a professor has been useful in being able to explain to a jury and members of the legal profession complex economic concepts in an easy-to-understand manner. I view a jury as a classroom where I explain the economic issues it must deal with at a trial.”

“In 1977 I came here to teach; we were only going to stay a year, and here I am today,” Spizman said as he sat at his desk in his Port City home that he shares with his wife, Arlene.

Spizman said the most important influence in his life is his wife.

“She not only encouraged and supported my career choices, but she taught me to be a better person,” he said.

“I was also lucky to have some excellent teachers in high school and college,” he added.

Wife Arlene also operates her own business, The Comic Shop in Oswego, which she started in 1992.

“I have nothing to do with her business; she does it all,” he said. “I enjoy going to weddings of her customers who have been coming into her store — some of them weekly — since they were little kids. I also like hearing about the births of babies to her customers who also have been coming into her store since they were little kids.”

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

SUNY Oswego Projects Win Awards

Two SUNY Oswego projects — an online interactive report of 365 days of activity and a successful six-figure fundraiser focused on 24 hours — recently earned regional and international awards.

The college’s 2013 online annual report (www.oswego.edu/about/leadership/annual-report-2013), produced by the Office of Public Affairs, won an Award of Excellence in the APEX publication competition.

Titled “Future Ready,” the report succinctly spelled out major achievements of the previous year in a format that utilized concise copy, large photos, video, responsive Web design optimized to a variety of viewing devices and an increasingly popular Web layout format known as parallax scrolling (presenting the information in a single page but with markers that help users navigate its subsections).

“It presents SUNY Oswego as an institution of vitality, substance and direction as it covers the major innovations, accomplishments and vital statistics of the college in 2012-13,” Director of Public Affairs Julie Blissert wrote in the award submission.

This year’s contest saw 2,075 entries from throughout the English-speaking world and bestowed 832 awards across 122 categories. ‘Fantastic’ fundraiser — Joy Knopp and Mary Canale of Oswego’s Development Office earned a SUNYCUAD Best in Category award in “Development Programs and Fundraising Publications — Innovations in Fundraising” for the 24-Hour Challenge that cultivated $101,823.79 for the Fund for Oswego on Nov. 12 (11-12-13).

The first-ever one-day fundraiser secured donations from 605 alumni and friends of the college and raced past three goals that each triggered challenges for $11,121.30 donations from 1978 graduates Jim Kaden and Debbie Adams-Kaden, 1985 alumnus Bob Moritz and an anonymous alumni couple.

“Each of the three separate challenges unleashed a new level of excitement and energy among our constituents that far exceeded our expectations,” said Knopp, director of annual giving at Oswego. “We received gifts from members of the Class of 1940 through the Class of 2014. The response from Oswego’s alumni, faculty, staff, parents and friends was absolutely fantastic.”

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

Oswego County Business Owners......

SAVE MONEY ....on your Hazardous Waste Disposal Service The Oswego County Department of Solid Waste now accepts Hazardous Waste from businesses at the Household Hazardous Waste Facility located at the Bristol Hill Landfill in Volney.

• Harzardous Waste disposal services for businesses are by appointment only. Facility is open May-September.

• Businesses must meet the regulatory requirements for Conditionally Exempt Small Quantity Generators (CESQG) to qualify.

Acids/Caustics Solvents/Cleaning Materials Mercury Containing Devices Fluorescent lamps Pesticides Oil Based Paints

• Payment must be made at the time of appointment.

To inquire regarding qualifying status and obtain a quote for disposal of specified material, contact:

Disinfectants Poisons Batteries/Vehicle Used Oils

Oswego: A Cruise Destination? continued from page 60 other attractions and say, ‘How do we create sufficient critical mass? Do we have enough for a single half-day excursion? Do we have enough for a full-day excursion? Do we have enough to offer an option of two half-day excursions and a full-day excursion which we can tempt our passengers with?’ he said. “That’s kind of the process of how it happens.”

Burnett is familiar with Oswego being that he has accessed the Erie Barge Canal many times while taking his boat south.

He said he doesn’t know the city well from a cruise perspective, but did say Oswego features some interesting museums, including the Safe Haven Museum and Education Center adjacent to Fort Ontario, which housed refugees from the Holocaust during World War II. “That is quite unique,” said Burnett, adding that the H. Lee White Marine Museum features the LT-5 Tugboat Nash, which participated in the Normandy AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

invasion.

Burnett said planning runs in 20-to30 month cycles.

For example, 2015 was planned about six months ago while 2016 is being structured now, he noted.

“Once you develop all those programs and know what you have to offer, you have to do some selling and make sure cruise lines know about that,” he said. “That is where I come in. My role is to create relationships among ports, towns, cruise lines, passengers and guests.”

When Oswego is ready to become a port of call, an announcement will be made to cruise lines that the Port City is open for business and an option on Great Lakes cruises.

Tourism potential — Burnett said the typical cruise line passengers are retirees who “have decided they are going to see a little more of their own country and Canada as well.”

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

“They are generally of retirement age with some disposable income,” he said. “They all have one thing in common, and that is curiosity.”

“There is one trait that runs across all our Great Lakes cruises, whether they be German, British, American, Canadian or Israeli, is curiosity. They want to know a little more about the Great Lakes so they can return home with a sense of accomplishment and say, “Yes, I know more than when I set off.’”

Many cruise lines offer enrichment lectures. “They bring aboard experts from different areas who can be very knowledgeable, and people attend those in droves,” he said.

Oswego recently joined the Great Lakes Cruising Coalition.

He said Oswego is fortunate to have a new Port of Oswego Authority director/CEO in Zelko N. Kirincich.

Kirincich realized success with cruise operations when he worked at the Port Authority of Tampa, Fla., from 1996-2013. He served there as deputy port director and chief operating officer.

While in Tampa, he worked closely with a burgeoning cruise line business that today includes 960,000 passengers annually.

“He has quite a lot of knowledge 87

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OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

about the cruise industry because he ran the Port of Tampa, which has a substantial cruise industry business. Zelko is someone who knows his way around this business,” he said.

Burnett said the city benefits from cruises from an economic development standpoint.

“There is an economic benefit to running shore excursions with a number of categories where people will spend money,” he said.

A bus company is needed to offer transportation, complete with a guide aboard so that travelers can interpret the excursions. The itinerary normally features attractions that generally charge entrance fees.

Passengers will also be seeking out food and beverage opportunities.

“It would be a great mistake to think people only buy trinkets and trash,” he said. “People will buy quality souvenirs if available.”

He said people are attracted to the “Handmade in America” trend and purchase handmade items that are indigenous to a particular area.

He said the media also plays a pivotal role by publicizing that a cruise ship is in the city.

“People come down and look at cruise ships and spend money,” he said.

In addition, security upgrades would be required at the port to accommodate people passing through the port.

Current members of the Great Lakes Cruising Coalition represent roughly 10 100-berth ships. The average 10-day cruise costs around $6,500. Based on a study of six ships, according to Burnett, the economic impact of fees and tourist purchases is between $39 million and $40 million.

Excitement builds — Kirincich, who recently met with members of the Great Lakes Cruising Coalition, is familiar with the operations and challenges related to the cruise industry.

“I am familiar with the ports of call requirements, know what passengers are looking for and what the lines are challenged with,” he said. “I am knowledgeable with the entire aspect of the cruise line business.”

Kirincich said one of the most significant challenges involves U.S. and Canadian customs regulations.

“I am afraid that our customs regulations require certain facilities which the port in Oswego does not have at the moment,” he said. “I am hoping that government bureaucracy does not get in the way.”

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

Randy L. Zeigler randy.l.zeigler@ampf.com

Going Through a Divorce?

5 Financial Considerations

W “If you are preparing for a divorce, follow these five tips to help get your financial situation in order”

hen a marriage comes to an end, the emotional toll can be exhausting.

Yet staying level headed — especially about finances — is vital to your future well-being. Dividing assets that were once shared is a daunting task and can feel quite overwhelming. It’s important to focus on what you can control with your finances.

If you are preparing for a divorce, here are five tips to help get your financial situation in order:

1 — Start gathering information

Unfortunately, divorce can bring out the worst in some people. Even the most honest spouse may attempt to hide assets and income. To help ensure fair alimony or child support payments and an equitable division of Special your assets, make copies of your tax returns from the last five years. Also, understand and document your total net worth. This includes your investments and other assets, such as your home and vehicle, and your liabilities.

Even if a person is dishonest with you, it’s likely he or she has been honest on your income tax returns out of fear of penalties, fines or prison.

2 — Understand tax implications

Not all assets are created equal. In fact, dividing assets is quite complex, and it can be difficult to get a true 50-50 even split. For example, if your home and 401(k) are worth roughly the same amount, the tax implications and costs of maintaining or selling each of these assets will differ greatly. Consult with trusted legal, tax and financial advisers to make sure you understand the true value of your assets before you divvy them up.

3 — How much you owe

RANDY L. ZEIGLER, CFP, ChFC, CLU, certified financial planner practitioner. He has advised clients since 1986. To contact him, call 315-342-1227 or email randy.l.zeigler@ampf. com.

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

You need to find out how much you owe and to whom — and whether your spouse has accrued debt without your knowledge.

Start by requesting a joint credit report from each of the three credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian and Trans Union). Next, go through the credit reports and identify which debt is shared and which is in your or your spouse’s name only. If possible, stop OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

accruing additional debt and pay off as much debt as possible before you divorce.

In reality, it doesn’t matter what your final divorce decree says about who has to pay the debt. If your ex is ordered to pay certain debts and fails to do so, a creditor will come after you to collect if your name is on the loan agreement.

4 — Establish a solid foundation for your future

After your divorce, you’ll want to start out on the firmest possible financial footing.

If you haven’t already, establish credit in your own name and set up your own bank account. Also, request a personal earning and benefits statement for yourself and one for your spouse from the Social Security AdminisArticle tration. When you reach the age where you can start collecting Social Security, you may end up collecting some on your spouse’s record.

At this point, your spouse’s information will not be readily available to you.

5 — Update your insurance coverage

Make sure your spouse’s name isn’t on your medical or dental insurance, or any other insurance policies that you both own — and determine whose policies the kids should be on. You’ll also want to update and re-evaluate all your insurance policies — including auto and property — to make sure you have the right amount of coverage for yourself and your dependents. In addition, update the beneficiary designations on any personal insurance policies or other investments you own, as those designations override the wishes stated in your will.

For help making sound financial decisions during a divorce, consult with your financial, legal and tax consultants. They can help you understand the short- and longterm financial implications of your choices before you finalize them. Your financial adviser can also help you design a financial strategy that helps meet the needs of your new situation.

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Last Page

By Lou Sorendo

John Torrese Co-owner of Oswego Speedway talks about the resurgence and the momentum the new ownership has created Q.: How have attendance numbers been since you took over ownership of the speedway in 2011?

A.: We continue to improve each season.

Our numbers have steadily climbed, and there is no doubt that our Memorial Day weekend crowd this season was the best we have had. We like to say that we are slowly chipping away at where we need to be. We still have momentum on our side, which typically tends to fall after a few years of new ownership in facilities such as ours. We continue to be confident that we will break through and continue this upward swing.

Q.: How important is Classic Weekend in terms of your bottom line? Are there any changes to this year’s version?

A.: Classic Weekend [Aug. 27 – Sept. 1] is a crucial part of our year. It’s a whole week of entertainment, three days of racing, 400 campers and thousands of fans. That weekend also continues to evolve. We have added the asphalt modifieds back to the program on Friday night, moving the ISMA supers to Saturday night.

Of course, Sunday is all supermodifieds, all day from 9 a.m. until the end of the night. It is by far and away our biggest event and is very important to our year-end goals.

Q.: What do you believe are the keys to drawing and retaining a fan base?

A.: Customer satisfaction is the main goal.

Fans need to not only have fun and be entertained, but feel welcome from the moment they park their car, to entering the gate, finding their seat, enjoying the races, grabbing a hot dog, and heading back out after an exciting night.

We know we provide the best racing action in Central New York, no doubt. However, racing is not enough anymore. In order to attract fans and retain fans, they need to feel as though they are appreciated and welcomed.

Q.: Is there any way to gauge whether the track is drawing folks from Canada and out of county?

A.: The speedway is no doubt a top tourist destination in our mind. All one has to do is look

90

at where our tickets are sold each year for the Budweiser International Classic or simply speak with the several booked hotel locations in the area. We have fans coming weekly from Western New York, the Southern Tier, Canada, New England, and the Midwest. Plus with our continued growth with national television, we feel this trend will only grow as the speedway enters the homes of millions across the nation on MAVTV. Q.: Are there plans in the future to feature different types of events?

A.: We are always looking for ways to improve and get the speedway in front of more eyes.

We have held several concerts in recent years. We currently hold the Rusty Wallace Racing Experience, and other charity type events. There are no immediate plans, but we are always thinking about it.

Q.: Since taking over ownership of Oswego Speedway, what major renovations have taken place?

A.: The speedway has undergone several renovations, most noticeably would be the addition of our 20-position, digital scoring pylon outside of the speedway’s first corner, as well as the complete renovation of all four of our VIP suites above the roof of the speedway that are reserved for race night sponsors and other VIPs. Another major upgrade was to our media facilities. The speedway is now lined with high-definition fiber cabling to five different locations around the speedway. We have equipped each of those locations with new SONY HD cameras so that we can film our events in the highest quality manner achievable. Add to that the editing software that our public relations specialist Dan Kapuscinski utilizes, and we are able to provide HD coverage of speedway events across the nation.

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014

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Optimism.

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Upstate Medical University. 9,000 New Yorkers taking care of New York.

www.upstate.edu