February / March 2023
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New Oswego Health CEO Looks to Build on 142-Year-Old Legacy At age 39, Mike Backus takes the helm of Oswego Health, one of the largest employers in region. He talks about his new job and how he plans to tackle the multiples challenges faced by the health system. Page 56
PROGRESS ISSUE begins on P. 71
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CONTENTS
FEBRUARY-MARCH 2023
ISSUE 184
Do we h workers ave enough to staff Micron? P. 91
56
71
At age 39, Michael C. Backus takes over as the CEO of Oswego Health, the second largest employer in Oswego County with 1,245 employees. “We’ll continue to expand [our] footprint. That’s the growth that I want for this health system,” he says.
Central New York has already seen the positive effects of the proposed Micron plant in Clay. Experts predict significant gains in population, wages, housing sales and construction, and manufacturing growth as a result of the project.
MIKE BACKUS NOW THE NEW CEO OF OSWEGO HEALTH
8
OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
FEBRUARY / MARCH 2023
CENTRAL NEW YORK PROGRESS ISSUE 2023
More Contents 28
Too Much Emails?
44
Smaller Colleges’ Problem
48
Arts & Events
52
My Turn
62
Tim’s Notes
64
Quiet Quitting
66
Hot Jobs
68
Wage Disparity
Experts help us manage the avalanche of emails we get Cazenovia College shuts down in the spring. Other colleges may follow suit After tough COVID-19 years, sector is re-emerging Everybody lies on their resume, right? The ‘Santos Factor’ By Bruce Frassinelli Crowdfunding transforms ways for local creatives to find support By Tim Nekritz What is this all about?
20
Where are they and how much do they pay? No kidding: Women still make less than men
Departments 12 16
Publisher’s Note On the Job
20
How I Got Started
22
How has your business changed over the years?
22
Harrison J. Noel III, Good Guys Barber Shop, Fulton
36
Profile
Rachel Pierce, head of Workforce Dev. Board
24
Where is Sandra Scott?
36
Dining Out
40 62
Business Updates Last Page
Ostia Antica, Italy
Blue Moon Grill Shines in Fulton
Developer Ed Alberts to renovate Old City Hall in Oswego
College: Cazenovia olleges ll c More sma close in to d te c e p ex ew York Upstate N P. 44
44 FEBRUARY / MARCH 2023 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
9
ADVERTISING INDEX Advanced Dental Arts...................15 Allanson-Glanville-Tappan Funeral Home.........................50 ALPS Professional Services.........33 Arquette Realtors Commercial.....41 Associated Dental Arts.................43 BarclayDamon..............................23 Bond, Schoeneck & King, Attorneys at Law.....................15 Buckingham Brothers...................65 Builder’s FirstSource....................31 Burke’s Home Center...................33 Burritt Motors................................42 C & S Companies.........................74 Canale’s Insurance & Acct. .........17 Cayuga Community College.........13 Century 21 - Galloway Realty.......33 City of Oswego ............................21 Colonial Financial Group..............17 Community Bank..........................11 Compass Credit Union.................51 ConnextCare................................70 Constelation..................................99 Cornell Cooperative Extension.....55 Crouse Hospital..............................2
E J USA........................................93 Elemental Management Group ......6 Excellus - BCBS.........................100 Financial Partners of Upstate (David Mirabito).......................15 Finger Lakes Garage Doors.........33 Fitzgibbons Agency......................23 Foster Funeral Home....................42 Fulton Oswego Motor Express.....83 Fulton Savings Bank.....................65 Fulton Taxi....................................49 Fulton Tool Co..............................83 Gartner Equipment.......................75 Green Planet Grocery...................29 Harborfest.....................................29 Hematology-Oncology Associates of CNY..................43 Howard Hanna Real Estate..........83 J P Jewelers.................................27 Johnston Gas...............................33 JTS Remodeling...........................83 Kathy’s Cake & Specialty Treats......................27 Key Bank......................................41 Lamb’s Handyman Service...........31
Laser Transit.................................83 Longley Brothers..........................83 LW Emporium Co-Op...................27 MACNY.........................................81 Majestic Tool & Mold....................79 Menter Ambulance.......................43 Mimi’s Drive Inn............................39 Mitchell Speedway Printing..........55 NBT Bank.....................................18 Nicole Reed, Esq..........................41 North Country Storage Barns.........7 Novelis............................................4 OD Green Lumber........................35 Operation Oswego County...........99 New York Career Center..............18 Oswego County FCU....................69 Oswego County Mutual Ins..........54 Oswego County Opportunities......49 Oswego Tourism Department.......14 Oswego Health ............................59 Oswego Music Hall.......................51 Painful Acres Amish Furniture......27 Patterson Warehousing................83 Plumley Engineering.....................95 Port of Oswego Authority..............95
UPSTATE CARDIOLOGY CONTINUES TO GROW
Prevention Network......................29 River Walk Bagel & Pizza.............29 RiverHouse Restaurant................39 Riverside Artisans.........................27 Scriba Electric...............................35 Splash Indoor Water Park Resort...............................5 State Farm (Chris Nelson)............55 SUNY Oswego — MBA School....19 SUNY Upstate................................3 Sweet-Woods Memorial...............33 Technology Development Org......69 The Rental Warehouse.................33 Trimble Services...........................33 Tully Hill Treatment & Recovery...50 United Wire Technology...............81 Upstate Cardiology.......................10 Valti Graphics...............................31 Vashaw’s Collision........................55 Watertown Industrial Center of Local Development.............81 WD Malone...................................31 Whelan & Curry Construction.......83 White’s Lumber ............................35 WRVO..........................................95
OUR UPSTATE CARDIOLOGY TEAM CONTINUES TO GROW. PHYSICIANS FROM TOP LEFT: Dana C. Aiello, MD Larry S. Charlamb, MD Mark J. Charlamb, MD Christopher A. Nardone, MD Michael Fischi, MD Charles Perla, MD Theresa Waters, DO Andrew M. Weinberg, DO
Timothy D. Ford, MD
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PUBLISHER’S NOTE
NEW CEO AT OSWEGO HEALTH
OswegoCountyBusiness.com
CEO Chuck Gijanto recognizes that Oswego Health is losing money. Find out what he plans to do to change that trend
December 15 / January 16
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in the newspaper business. For generations, his family successfully ran the Mexico Independent Inc. (Oswego County Weeklies newspapers) until it was sold in 2016. For a while Backus wrote stories, sold advertisements for the newspapers. In 2012, at 29 years of age, he was elected to the post of Oswego County clerk, the youngest to ever hold that position in New York state. He served in that position until 2020, when he started working at Oswego Health. Those who know Backus say he is smart, energetic, competitive, consensus builder, a people person. He describes himself Meet Ann Gilpin, as an “eternal optiOswego Health’s mist” who is a good New CEO listener — he is fond of saying that “Whoever said, ‘you have two ears and one mouth — OSWEGO COUNTY use them in proportion’ knew what they were talking about.” About his appointment as CEO, Ed Alberts, New Oswego the chairman of Health CEO Talks About His Plans the Oswego Health board, said his selection was an obvious one. “There are a few times in life when you come across a no-brainer. [Selecting Backus] falls into that category of no-brainer,” he says in the story we’re running in this issue. Oswego Health indeed needs a strong leader right now. Competition for patients and professionals is fierce, hospitals in general are losing money (and merging with larger groups) and finding nurses and doctors has been more challenging than ever. SPECIAL: PROGRESS ISSUE 2007
OswegoCountyBusiness.com
CEO Takes Over Amid Major Changes in Healthcare Industry
INSIDE
What CNY Expects from Gov. Spitzer Chris Gagas, Mame Clark Retire
Profile: Betty Fadden
Lee Memorial: Future Uncertain
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August / September 2017
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Tourism Industry Special Inside
August/September 2017
I
t looks like it’s becoming a tradition for this magazine to feature the new chief executive officer of Oswego Health on its cover. We featured Corte Spencer and his team on the April-May 2001 cover (although he had been a CEO since 1981); Ann Gilpin on February-March 2007; then Chuck Gijanto, on December 2015 – January 2016. In the August-September 2017 issue we featured Michael Harlovic, who retired from the position at the end of last year. The reason they are on the cover is quite simple: These executives command great power and lead one of the largest employers in the region — the second largest private employer in Oswego County with 1,245 employees. They have the responsibility to Getting steer the course of Oswego Health in the organization Shape that currently has Officials to an annual payGov. Cuomo roll of $76 million and generates $228 million in economic activity for the region. The role of the chief executive officer in this process is crucial and helps determine the performance and future of the organization. In this issue, we feature Michael C. Backus, who became CEO on Jan. 1. Backus is a home-grown leader who previously served as Oswego Health’s chief operating officer and executive vice president. His involvement in healthcare also includes serving as the chairman of the board at Pulaski-based ConnextCare. It’s not the first time Backus is on the cover of Oswego County Business Magazine. In 2013 he was there as part of a group of people who had been selected as Forty Under 40 “Rising Stars,” organized by this magazine. The 39-year-old executive has deep roots in the community. He grew up
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From Pittsburgh to Oswego: CEO Michael Harlovic wants to make Oswego Health a destination facility, to improve patient experience and quality, and to create a culture of ownership
12 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS FEBRUARY / MARCH 2023
WAGNER DOTTO is the editor and publisher of Oswego County Business Magazine.
ISSUE 182 • OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2022
EDITOR AND PUBLISHER Wagner Dotto editor@cnybusinessmag.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR Stefan Yablonski syablonski@twcny.rr.com WRITERS Deborah Jeanne Sergeant Christopher Malone, Ken Sturtz Stefan Yablonski, Aaron Gifford COLUMNISTS Austin Wheelock Bruce Frassinelli, Sandra Scott ADVERTISING Peggy Kain peggylocalnews@gmail.com Kim Micca kimlocalnews@gmail.com SECRETARY Loni Zardus localnewsoffice@gmail.com LAYOUT & DESIGN Angel Campos Toro COVER PHOTO Chuck Wainwright
OSWEGOCOUNTYBUSINESS.COM OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS MAGAZINE is published six times a year by Local News, Inc., publisher of the Business Guide, Upstate Summer, Fall, & Winter guides, College Life Newspaper, In Good Health—The Healthcare Newspaper (across four regions) and 55 Plus Magazine for Active Adults in Rochester and Central New York. Subscription rate is $21.50 a year; $35 for two years. Single-copy price is $4.50. PRSRT STD US Postage PAID, Buffalo, NY, Permit No. 4725. © 2023 Oswego County Business. All rights reserved. No material from this publication may be reproduced, in whole or in part, without the express written consent of the publisher. HOW TO REACH US: P.O. Box 276, Oswego, NY 13126. Phone: 315-342-8020 Fax: 315-342-7776; editor@OswegoCountyBusiness.com
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