Oswego County Business, #193: August - September 2024

HEALTH: COMPETITION TO GET CANCER PATIENTS BECOMING MORE FIERCE

August-September 2024

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www.cnybusinessmag.com

MARINA IN SANDY POND OWNED BY SAME FAMILY FOR 119 YEARS SPECIAL TOURISM ISSUE

CNY’S BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

7

CONTENTS

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024

ISSUE 193

76

GREENE POINT MARINA Sandy Pond business has been owned by the same family for 119 years

54

FEATURES

TOURISM

Industry now the third largest in NYS | Battle Island State Park: More than a golf course | B&B owner: ‘The Airbnbs are a thorn in my side’ | Fishing remains a big draw | The estate of tourism in Oswego County | Top events | Bev’s Dairy Treats serves 100,000 patrons a year ... and much more 8

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024

84

HEALTHCARE

Competing to get cancer patients is getting more fierce | Oswego Health acquires robotic surgical platform | Remember telemedicine? | Oswego YMCA now offers chronic disease management programs | ConnextCare now provides dental care\to Oswego students.. and much more

MORE CONTENT

34

Features 34 Oklahoma Gov

Former governor and her husband make a stop in Oswego en route from Florida to Halifax

38 Oneida Lake Eatery

Couple finds a niche on the shores of Oneida Lake

41 Blue-Collar Work

Business is booming at vocational institutions

48 Partnership

SUNY Oswego builds community partnership. Meet Kristi Eck, the person leading the effort

100 Success Story

20

Lakeview Lanes, Fulton: Business has evolved over the years into an entertainment center

Departments 10 Publisher’s Note 14 On the Job 16 Dining Out

Barado’s on the Water

24 Profile

Sharon Bauer-Aldrich is in charge of the C. Square Apple Festival

26 How I Got Started

Heather McCoy, owner of 315 Designs LLC

28 Newsmakers / Biz Update 46 Guest Columnist

Building a brighter future for Oswego County

By Peter Nwosu, Ph.D. President of SUNY Oswego

50 Economic Development

OOC presents annual highlights, achievement awards, new officers

By Austin Wheelock

67 Tim’s Notes

100

24

38

This is the amount of money you need to comfortably retire: study

52

Midway Drive-In keeps on trucking through challenges

By Tim Nekritz

106 Last Page Q&A

Collete Astoria: City tours. She offers visitors a taste of the Port City’s cuisine, history and ghosts

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

9

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

A Century-Year-Old Family Business

W

hen Associate Editor Stefan Yablonski proposed we do a story on Greene Point Marina — a business in Sandy Pond that has been owned by the same family for 119 years — I didn’t think twice.

One hundred and nineteen years under the control of the same family?

Wow! That’s tremendous — especially considering that most businesses fail within years.

A quick search on the internet shows that only 30% of all family-owned businesses make the transition into the second generation and only 3% of all family businesses are operated by the fourth generation and beyond. The average lifespan of a family-owned business in the United States is 24 years, according to a 2023 survey by Family Enterprise USA. Greene Point Marina & Mobile Home Park got its start in 1905 and is now operated by two sisters, Cheryl Yerdon and Linda Goodnough. They are the fourth generation to control the business, the great-granddaughters of Captain Lindsey Greene and Faith Christine Greene, the marina’s founders.

“We’ve been here our whole lives. Our great-grandfather built three two-story cottages back in 1905; they were all pine, knotty pine, tongue and groove. People used to write on the walls ‘I was here in 19-whatever.’ I think they built them on railroad ties or whatever they had,” Cheryl Yerdon told writer Yablonski.

It’s a fascinating story and the sisters were open to share their story. They are lucky that their mom, 88-year-old Linda Goodnough, is still involved in the business, ready to provide advice.

The story about the marina anchors this issue of Oswego County Business. It’s one of several stories highlighting the tourism industry, which is the third largest sector in New York state. According to the Empire State Development, it’s a $79 billion industry and supports 7% of all jobs in the state (see related story in this issue).

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OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

Other stories include an overview of the Battle Island State Park — it has such a rich history —, the competition between bed and breakfast and Airbnb and an interview with former Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin, who made a stop in Oswego on her way to Canada. In 2011 Fallin became the first governor in that state and previously served as lieutenant governor for 12 years. I love that story and the way it came about. Contributing writer Tom Caracciolli in June was strolling through the Oswego’s Eastside Marina when he spotted a yatch named “Lady Gov — Oklahoma City, OK.” It turned out the governor and her husband were on their first solo trip from Florida all the way to Halifax in Nova Scotia. Caraccioli was able to secure an interview with the governor and filed a great story about the encounter. “The governor talked about business, tourism and industry in the area and was very high on Oswego,” he told me.

Another focus of this issue is healthcare. We have developed a number of pertinent stories related to the sector.

One of the most interesting stories — one that has not been covered by the Syracuse media — is about the competition to treat cancer patients in Central New York. Traditionally, those diagnosed with cancer have been treated by SUNY Upstate or Hematology-Oncology Associates of Central New York. Now patients have one more option to check — St. Joseph’s Health, which formed an association with Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Care of Buffalo. The story, written by contributing writer Aaron Gifford, discusses whether the region has enough population that could justify a third major provider.

WAGNER DOTTO is the editor and publisher of Oswego County Business Magazine.

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024

EDITOR AND PUBLISHER Wagner Dotto editor@cnybusinessmag.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR Stefan Yablonski syablonski@twcny.rr.com WRITERS Deborah Jeanne Sergeant, Stefan Yablonski Aaron Gifford, Mary Beth Roach Tom and Jerry Caraccioli Trish Levine COLUMNISTS Austin Wheelock, Tim Nekritz Julie McMahon Peter Nwosu , Ph.D. ADVERTISING Peggy Kain | p3ggyk@gmail.com Rob Elia | roblocalnews@gmail.com SECRETARY Alisson Lockwood 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 $30 a year; $40 for two years. Single-copy price is $4.50. PRSRT STD US Postage PAID, Buffalo, NY, Permit No. 4725. © 2024 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 editor@OswegoCountyBusiness.com

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ADVERTISING INDEX 31 Sheds...................................29 A-Plus Tax Services..................29 Adventure at Burritt’s.................25 Allanson-Glanville-Tappan Funeral Home......................44 ALPS Professional Services......30 Ameriprise Financial (Randy Zeigler)....................37 Armstrong Appraisals................29 BarclayDamon...........................32 Best Copy Now..........................44 Bond, Schoeneck & King, Attorneys at Law.........12 Brennan Beach Campground....21 Brookfield Renewable Power....21 Builder’s FirstSource.................31 Burke’s Home Center................31 C & S Companies......................40 Canale’s Insurance & Accounting..................30, 31 Canalview Travel.......................74 Cayuga Community College......43 Cayuga County Tourism............59 Century 21 - Galloway Realty....31 CNY Arts....................................21 Colonial Financial Group...........25 Compass Credit Union..............74

ConnextCare.............................81 Crouse Hospital...........................2 E J USA.....................................11 Elemental Management Group ............96 Evergreen Hill Golf Course........18 Excellus BlueCross BlueShield...3 Felix Schoeller North America.....7 Fitzgibbons Agency...................32 Foster Funeral Home.................88 Fulton Savings Bank..................53 Fulton Taxi.................................45 Fulton Tool Co...........................53 Gartner Equipment....................37 Greater Oswego Fulton Chamber of Commerce........27 H. Lee White Museum...............20 Harborfest..................................19 Hematology-Oncology Associates of CNY...............91 International Monetary System.................................33 Johnston’s Propane Gas Service..........................31 JTS Remodeling........................29 Lamb’s Handyman Service........31 Laser Transit..............................74

Lasnicki Landscaping & Nursery.............................44 Local 43 (NECA EBEW)............40 Longley Brothers.......................45 LW Emporium Co-Op................18 Menter Ambulance....................88 Mimi’s Drive Inn.........................15 Mirabito Financial Group...........53 Murdock’s Bicycle & Sports.......20 Novelis.........................................6 Nucor Auburn............................13 NYS Office of Parks.................106 Ontario Orchards.......................20 Operation Oswego County......105 Oswego Community Development Office..............75 Oswego County Federal Credit Union.........................33 Oswego County Mutual Insurance..................27 Oswego County Opportunities (OCO)...................................93 Oswego County Promotion Tourism Department............73 Oswego County Workforce New York — Career Center.........49 Oswego Health .........................91

Oswego Sub Shop.....................15 Oswego YMCA..........................45 Peter Realty ..............................93 Picture Connection....................20 Plumley Engineering..................37 RiverHouse Restaurant.............15 Safe Haven Museum.................18 Scriba Electric............................31 Speedway Press........................74 St. Joseph’s Health....................95 Summerhill Brewing...................18 SUNY Oswego............................5 SUNY Upstate...........................89 Syracuse Orchestra...................19 TDO...........................................49 Torbitt Service Center................45 United Wire Technology............40 Upstate Cardiology Group...........4 Valti Graphics............................44 Vashaw’s Collision.....................74 Ventosa Vineyards....................19 Walker’s Cleaners.....................30 Whelan & Curry Construction....43 White’s Lumber & Building Supply..................................30 WRVO.....................................102

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One Lincoln Center, Syracuse, NY 13202 • 315.218.8000 • BSK.COM 12

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024

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*Based on average earnings of full-time employees over a 3-year period, including bonuses and overtime AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

13

ON THE JOB We’ve asked area business leaders how summer affects their business Interviews by Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

“

Everything stays the same. We do insurance, accounting, payrolls and a few tax returns for the folks who asked us to file extensions for them!”

Bill Symons Tax preparer at Canale Insurance & Accounting LLC, Oswego “It is business as usual at Oswego County Opportunities, Inc. during the summer. And in some instances, we are doing more to provide support to children and families because of school not being in session. One example of this is providing free summer breakfast and lunch programs at almost 15 sites throughout the county. One other notable difference is there are usually fewer employees in the office or at program sites as many are taking their well-deserved vacation time during the pleasant summer months.”

Diane Cooper-Currier Executive director Oswego County Opportunities, Inc., Fulton “At Century 21 Leah’s Signature our licensed real estate salespersons op14

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

erate pretty much as they do year-round.

While our office hours are standardized at 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., our licensed real estate salespersons work on an appointment basis from early morning to late evening hours during the summer.”

Leah Haggerty Licensed real estate broker and owner Century 21 Leah’s Signature, Fulton and Liverpool “We have a change in the time of our worship service for the summer. The summer service begins at 9 a.m. instead of 10 a.m. It is a 30-minute service, instead of our normal 60-minute service. With the exception of the first Sunday of the month, which is communion Sunday, services are held outside under our pavilion, weather permitting.

If it is too hot or there is otherwise inclement weather, services are held inside..”

Barbara Tucker Administrative secretary, Central Square Community Church, Central Square AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024

“The summertime does not slow the real estate business down at all; it remains steady. We close the office at 3 p.m. on Fridays in the summertime so the agents and staff can enjoy the weather.

Although the office is closed early on Fridays, the agents are working days, nights and weekend to keep up with the demands of the business.”

WILLIAM GALLOWAY, Broker and owner Century 21 Galloway Realty, Oswego

“I’m busier. The weather is better now so people are doing all these projects on their homes while the weather is good. I sell heating equipment. Even though it is hot outside, people are thinking in the back of their mind that winter will be coming — that it’s going to be cold. It’s a great time to be selling heating equipment. If we actually get to have a winter this year, they’ll be ready. I am a weird guy who loves cold weather. Without cold, you can’t sell heat. We cover all of Upstate, Ohio and New England. We’ve grown as a company..”

John Zanewych Owner Big John Sales, Oswego

Dining Out Whether you’re looking for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner, these eateries are available to conquer your cravings!

SUBS • SALADS • DELIS • WRAPS • PANINIS • WINGS

55

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SERVING BREAKFAST, LUNCH & DINNER

Serving 7 days a Week - Fast Service Fresh Coffee - Plenty of Parking

Sub Shop

Mimi’s

Drive In

Rt. 481 North, Fulton

106 W. Bridge Street, Oswego, NY 13126 | 315-343-1233

www.oswegosubshop.com

593-7400

OPEN Tues-Sat 7am - 8pm Sun-Mon 7am - 3pm

Telephone:

(315) 509-4281

OUR READERS ARE HUNGRY

CALL 315-342-8020 TO ADVERTISE YOUR BEST DISHES. REACH OVER 20,000 PEOPLE IN THE REGION.

Website:

www.riverhouserestaurant.net 4818 Salina St, Pulaski, NY 13142

Lunch and Dinner Service Monday - Saturday 11 am - 9 pm Business Meetings | Seminars Parties | Receptions Salads, Burgers, Sandwiches, Pastas, Seafood, Beef, Chicken, Pork

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

15

The lobster roll at Barado’s: The star of the meal.

DINING OUT RESTAURANT GUIDE By Julie McMahon

BARADO’S ON THE WATER Restaurant on the Shores of Oneida Lake Is a Seafood Haven

C

entral Square’s Barado’s on the Water, on Oneida Lake, stands out for its fresh seafood and casual atmosphere.

The restaurant was unassuming as we drove up on a recent Sunday afternoon. But it begins to show its quirks and charms as we continued to approach. A canoe filled with flowers stands out front next to a large sign and outdoor seating lines the restaurant, including a strip of tables alongside an enchanting dock.

The restaurant itself gives off a tiki bar aesthetic with nautical decorations 16

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

lining the walls. It’s very casual and approachable. Barado’s is on the water but it’s in the channels of the western tip of Oneida Lake, making this a cozy off-the-beaten-path place that gives off a beachcomber feel.

The good quality, fresh seafood stands out in this easy-going spot. A good portion of the menu is filled with seafood options, ranging from cold calamari salad and fried scallops on special to the fish tacos and lobster roll, staples on the menu.

The restaurant changes its menu daily, posting tantalizing specials to AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024

its Facebook page frequently. These specials often include seafood options, steaks and appetizers.

On this particular day, we ordered Maryland crab cakes for an appetizer ($14.75) after sticking to soda and iced tea for our beverages ($3 each).

The two large cakes were fully breaded, with a tender outside crust and soft, fresh crab meat in the middle. The spicy remoulade and squeeze of lemon served on the side were just the right seasoning and amount to complement the dish.

For dinner, we splurged for the

1 3 1: Bacon mushroom Swiss burger ($15.95).

2: Maryland crab cakes ($14.75): The two large cakes fully breaded, with a tender outside crust and soft, fresh crab meat in the middle.

3: Barado’s on the Lake is in the channels of the western tip of Oneida Lake, making this a cozy off-thebeaten-path place that gives off a beachcomber feel.

2 lobster roll ($29.95), thinking seafood was the star of the menu (we weren’t wrong!). We ordered a bacon mushroom Swiss burger ($15.95).

Both entrees were served with a side of our choosing, so we tried the sweet potato fries in addition to the regular French fries. The sweet potato fries ended up being the superior option.

Both orders were served hot with flake salt, a nice extra touch. The sweet potato fries had a crunchy outer texture and soft, sweet middle.

The lobster roll, though, was the star of the meal. Its bun was scrumptious, buttered and lightly toasted to absolute perfection, with a generous heap of delicious lobster meat lightly dressed in mayo in the middle. The mound had to be spread out across the bun evenly for the ideal eating experience, but the amount was plenty. The lobster salad also had chopped celery in it, which added a great texture and crunch to every bite.

Both the lobster and crab meat we were served were very fresh and we

got generous helpings, which certainly made this seafood meal worth its cost ($82 total).

The burger was juicy, cooked medium as ordered, with crisp, fresh toppings. It was served with lettuce, tomato and onion on a bun. The mushrooms were juicy and made for a good combination with bacon and Swiss.

All of the food came out very quickly, with just enough time to finish the appetizer before the main course was served. Service was friendly, attentive and quick, with no complaints from this party whatsoever. We were encouraged to take our time and take in the scenery, but with the speed of the service, we didn’t spend any time waiting around.

Music played at the restaurant at a reasonable volume, which helped make the atmosphere light and beachy and didn’t deter from conversations.

We rounded out our meal with an order of key lime pie ($6.50), which tasted and appeared to be homemade. The graham cracker crust crumbled with each bite and combined nicely with the

whipped cream served on the side. The filling was especially tart and creamy, with flecks of lime zest throughout.

The slice was nice-sized, capping off a well-portioned meal.

The dessert was a great ending to a delightful, affordable meal with a nice atmosphere and view of the water. We’d definitely go here again, especially on a nice, breezy summer day.

Barado’s on the Water 57 Bradbury Road Central Square, NY, 13036 315-668-5428 www.facebook.com/Barados.on.the.Water Sunday: Noon to 7 p.m.

Wednesday: Noon to 8 p.m.

Thursday thru Saturday: Noon to 9 p.m.

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

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E X P L O R E THE BEST OF UPSTATE NY 18

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

Located in Oswego, New York, Evergreen Hills is a 9-hole course that is great for golfers from ALL walks of life. we are located a few short miles from the campus of SUNY Oswego and downtown Oswego.

Summer Hours:

7 days a week, 8am till close

285 County Route 20, Oswego, NY 13126

(315)-216-4639

Safe Haven

Thurs. - Tues.

11-4:30pm

22 Barbara Donahue Dr, Oswego NY

LW EMPORIUM CO-OP Gifts, Antiques & Home Decor

The Feathered Nest Gift Shop

WhistleStop Antique Center

10a.m.–5p.m. Tues. thru Sun. • Closed Mon. 6355 Knickerbocker Road • off Rte. 104 in Ontario

315-524-8841 • www.lwemporium.com sales@lwemporium.com

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024

We thank our sponsors who made 2024 Harborfest one of the most successful events of its 35 years Sponsors: • Pathfinder Bank • The City of Oswego • IPS - Integrated Power Services • Community Bank

• Constellation • Novelis • Generation Bridge • Eagle Beverage

Special thank you to our valuable volunteers.

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

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E X P L O R E THE BEST OF UPSTATE NY 20

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

PLENTY OF BIKES, SHOES, SOCKS AND IF YOUR BIKE NEEDS FIXIN’, BRING IT ON IN!

“LOVE YOUR BIKE, LOVE YOUR LIFE!” 117 WEST 1ST ST. OSWEGO NY 13126

315-342-6848 | www.murdockssports.com

PICTURE CONNECTION WE CAN FRAME ANYTHING Sports Jerseys • Historic Documents • Diplomas Needle Work • Photos • Paintings • Posters Prints • Objects • Memorabilia • Collages And more Free Design Service and Quotes

169 West First Street Oswego NY 13126 315-343-2908 Pictureconnection@icloud.com www.pictureconnectionoswego.com

Museum & Gift Shop JUL. & AUG. 10–5 P.M. SEPT. & OCT. MONDAY - SUNDAY 1-5 P.M.

Lighthouse Boat tours Available through September Visit our website for more exciting waterfront activities

hlwmm.org

W. 1st St. Pier Oswego, NY

315.342.0480

We Are One of New York State’s Largest and Most Complete “Farm Markets” OPEN DAILY, 12 MONTHS OF THE YEAR

Vegetables - Fruits - Cider From Our Farm & Local Farmers

7735 State Rt. 104 4 miles west of Oswego, NY

“ Visit Our In House Bakery”

www.OntarioOrchards.com | 315-343-6328 AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO Plan your trip, check flows, and weather conditions. Share your plans with others.

River conditions can change quickly and unexpectedly.

1/2 MILE OF BEACH • 3 POOLS • RENTAL UNITS CAMP STORE • ON-SITE RESTAURANTS PLANNED ACTIVITIES / THEME WEEKENDS • SEASONAL SITES • ARCADE • LAUNDRY

80 Brennan Beach Rd., Pulaski | Call For Reservations: 315-298-2242

Visit safewaters.com to learn more.

BrennanBeachRVResort.com | RVonthego.com

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

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Experience UPSTATE Adventure at Burritt’s Your premier destination for all things marine and power sports! We’re not just passionate about boats, jet skis, ATVs, and more; we’re dedicated enthusiasts who live and breathe the thrill of the water and open road.

2024 Calais 25 LR DC - SunChaser On Sale $124,999.00 You Save $34,545.00 315-343-8948 186 City Line Road Oswego www.adventureatburritts.com www.burrittmotors.com

Murdock’s Bicycles & Sports Not only do we have all of your bike accessory needs, we also carry outdoor gear that’ll keep you prepared for any type of weather! Find socks, hiking boots, paddling accessories (PFDs, drip rings, paddle leashes, etc.), hats, snowshoes, and more!

117 W. First St., Oswego 315-342-6848 info@murdockssports.com

H. Lee White Museum BOOK YOUR LIGHTHOUSE TOUR The H. Lee White Maritime Museum offers tours to the Oswego West Pierhead Lighthouse between mid-June and September. $35 per person, or $20 for ages 12 and under. Reservation required. https://hlwmm.org Visitors to the lighthouse should plan to spend roughly two hours.

Captains reserve the right to cancel or cut short any trip due to weather or safety concerns.

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OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024

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AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

23

PROFILE By Stefan Yablonski

SHARON BAUER-ALDRICH The president of the Hastings Lions Club is a driving force behind the annual Central Square Apple Festival. The event attracts around 20,000 people each year

S

haron Bauer-Aldrich loves helping her community and she isn’t slowing down any time soon.

The Hastings Lions Club is gearing up for the 39th annual Apple Festival — at Brewerton Speedway, 60 US Route 11, Central Square.

Bauer-Aldrich, president of the Hastings Lions Club, is also the chairwoman of Central Square Apple Festival.

The club serves the community within the Central Square School District and the North Shore of Oneida Lake. Its mission is simply to serve the community.

24

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

The apple festival is the club’s largest fundraiser and attracts 22,000 25,000 people annually. Festival hours will be 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday Sept. 28 and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday Sept. 29.

“Yes, thereabouts,” she said. “We did 20,000 to 25,000 pre-COVID. We’ve been back from COVID a couple of years now and our attendance is still down a little bit. We are at about 15,000 the last year. But the weather wasn’t the greatest last year, either.”

Every year, they are building back up.

“I think last year we had about 160 AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024

vendors. We still have a good crowd of vendors,” she said.

Bauer-Aldrich said she has been a Lions member since she moved out to West Monroe.

“So it’s been about 13 years,” she said.

They were previously known as the Lioness Club of Central Square — which began on May 17, 1984.

“We are part of Lions International and a few years ago they decided they didn’t want to support Lioness clubs.

I think it was kind of to bring us all together,” she explained.

“It was a hard decision; we had to decide what we wanted to do as a club.

Did we want quit Lions altogether and form a different club, did we want to join one of the local Lions or form our own Lions. We ended up forming our own Lions club,” she added.

The Hastings Lions Club’s charter installation was held in June 2021 with 27 members joining the organization.

Currently, they have 26 members — “and are recruiting for more, yes of course, always,” she added.

The Apple Festival is the club’s major fundraising event. It is held on the last full weekend in September.

It’s almost the 40th anniversary of the festival.

“We need more (volunteers) than what we have. We are always looking for volunteers to help with set up and tear-down. We have one man in our group, but the rest of us are women.

And some women aren’t the youngest,” she said. “I think it’s been so popular because it really is a community event.”

It started out in one of the local parks as a community event and 100% of the proceeds of the festival profits are donated back to the local communities.

“We welcome other local volunteer organizations to come and sell things so they can make some money, too. We know it’s hard for them —Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, churches — a variety of different groups,” she said. “We encourage nonprofit organizations to participate by having a booth of their own. It really is a community event; supporting the community in a variety of different ways!”

Admission is still $5 per carload and parking is free.

“We’ve had motorcycles, cars and buses,” she said. “One year, we had a tractor trailer driver come in with his big rig. He saw the sign on 81 and was

looking for some place to stop. And really, where else can you go for just $5 these days (laughs).”

Free shuttle trams will be operated by volunteer drivers.

Golf cart shuttles for the handicapped, courtesy of the locally owned and operated Taco Bell, will also be available.

“We usually get some support from a group of young men (Adult and Teen Challenge). We also have other volunteers, but we like to say they are our muscles. They have been amazing the last couple of years helping us,” she said. “We need help moving some of the heavy stuff in set-up and tear-down and cleanup at the end and we always need help with parking; one person gets turned around in the parking lot and it causes a back up. Members of the State Police, Hastings barracks I believe, help out as well with traffic control. Inside the festival grounds it’s all volunteers.”

The festival features a lot of crafts, free entertainment and demonstrations, amusement rides, games, a variety of food and fun for the entire family.

Call: 315-345-9435 for more information.

‘Semi-retired “I’m a nurse, semi-retired; but I still work a couple per diem jobs. One for local schools and one for a local pediatrician,” she said.

With the Lions, she does things throughout the year — “our annual Spring Fling Craft and Vendor Show and RADA Knife sales, we help out different organizations as they need it, we help the Central Square Lions with their Christmas baskets give-away. Some of our women are great crotcheters and we donate hats and mittens. I recently joined our legion’s auxiliary. The club also hosts a senior dinner annually that feeds any local senior for free.”

“Our focus is to improve health and well-being, strengthen communities and support those in need through humanitarian services and grants that impact lives globally and encourage peace and international understanding,” she added. “We support local organizations with funding and volunteerism when the chance arises. We have been doing this for our local community for close to 40 years now.”

“I also work with therapy dogs through Go Team Therapy, Crisis and Airport Dogs. Each year, we have to be certified. One of the national instructors comes and puts us through the ropes

for a day — makes sure the dogs are all good behavior, they don’t jump on people, they don’t steal your food — they know how to be polite on buses and in airports. It’s a good group. It’s a good group,” she said. “We’ve done a bunch of different schools in the area. Indian reservation schools, local libraries, the VA hospital, SU and Le Moyne College.

“A couple years ago a man was dying at home and he loved dogs. They currently didn’t have any dogs. They contacted our team and we went out there a few times in his last few weeks and visited with him. We go wherever we are needed.”

In her free time, she enjoys traveling, fishing and spending a lot time with family and friends.” She quickly adds, “And of course —volunteering for my community!”

Won’t slow down “Some day I probably won’t work for money. But I just love my community. I represent our Lions club. I’m on the chamber of commerce, I’m vice president there,” she said. “I just like helping people. I think that’s probably the nurse in me. But I don’t think I’ll slow down any time soon. I don’t want to slow down. I think if you slow down, that’s the end of you.”

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Lifelines Name / Position: Sharon BauerAldrich – President of Hastings Lions Club and Chair of Central Square Apple Festival Birth Date: Nov. 6, 1960 Birth Place: Utica Residence: West Monroe Education: Bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration Affiliations: Hastings Lions Club, Greater Oneida Lake Chamber of Commerce, Center Square American Legion Fuller – Taylor Post 915 Auxiliary Personal: I am recently married. I have one daughter and two stepchildren and eight grandchildren. I am a registered nurse, semi-retired Hobbies: Fishing, traveling, spending time with family and friends and volunteering for my community

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HOW I GOT STARTED By Stefan Yablonski

HEATHER MCCOY

Founder and creative director behind 315 Designs LLC in Fulton talks about being in business for 10 years

Q: Happy anniversary.

A: Yes, this is my 10th anniversary – coming up in October. Ten years is really the official business anniversary.

I was doing some freelance stuff before that — not for one specific business or anything.

Q: What is 315’s mission?

A: My mission has always been clear — help businesses succeed through the power of extraordinary design.

Q: How did this all start?

A: People were always asking if I could do this stuff. I was always good with technology and computers; that is kind of the way I started off. People would come up to me and say, ‘how do I do this or that?’ I never really thought about going in that direction. But more and more people kept asking me those things. I remember one day going for a walk and thinking people keep ask26

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

ing me … why not start doing it as a business?

Q: So that’s when you started?

A: This one lady said, ‘you are pretty good at this. Could you make me a website?’ So that’s what started me doing all this. I didn’t start out doing it as a business — I just did it for fun at that time. Just to see if I could do it.

Q: Is it still fun?

A: It is still fun. Now I like seeing the end result. I like seeing the client’s reaction, helping the business.

Q: What qualities do you have?

A: A love of design and a deep understanding of digital marketing, I set out on a mission to empower small and medium-size businesses with impactful brand identities and web solutions.

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024

Q: Was it hard to get going?

A: Starting the business required a significant investment of time. Financially it was around $5,000 or so. I spent many hours honing my skills and building a client base. Success came gradually. I began to see the impact of my work on clients’ businesses. Positive feedback, referrals and repeat clients were clear indicators that 315 Designs was making an impact.

Q: Who are some of your clients?

A: My basic mission is to help businesses succeed. I do small and mid-size businesses. I just finished the website for the Oswego YMCA. I worked with the city of Fulton years ago. I just finished something for the village of Central Square. I just launched the Geriatrics & Palliative Specialists site in Oswego.

As far as the type of business, I guess I don’t have a specific niche.

Q: What does 315 do?

A: I can help you create a distinctive and memorable brand identity. I craft stunning, user-friendly websites that reflect the client’s brand and drive results. Whether it’s graphic design, marketing materials or digital assets, I offer a wide range of creative solutions.

Some projects require a broader range of expertise. For those projects I partner with trusted professionals to deliver the entire package.

Q: Did you have experience in this field?

A: In the beginning, I did have some experience working on websites. My very first foray into the job market out of college was with a software development company — Northcoast Software.

I was there for years. That is where I started becoming really knowledgeable with computers and technology and software programs and all that.

I taught myself really from that point — although everybody at some point comes upon their own learning curve. It is really a process, what do you want to use? How do you want to accomplish?

That’s what I did. I enjoyed it. You gotta enjoy it. I would look for stuff to do all day; that is where I became proficient at figuring my way around things.

Q: What do you attribute your longevity in business?

A: If I had to attribute it to anything I’d have to say I am an artist, always been an artist. I love to be creative. So I think that, plus the software design experience, helped me get where I am what I am doing.

Q: Do you have any staff?

A: I never needed a staff. It’s kind of funny. I suppose you could have a team. But the people that I work with, they don’t want to pay $25,000 for a website. I feel that I cut out the middle men. I’m the consultant. I’m the project manager and the designer. So if I needed to hire staff I could; but then I probably wouldn’t be doing small businesses because then I’d have to charge a lot more.

Q: In 10 years, how many projects have you worked on?

You know I haven’t added it all up. It’s been quite a bit. I never really stopped to count. I started doing just odd things for people — a website here or a social media thing … or marketing kind of things. I have some things that I did that I am really, really excited about — like I designed the booklet for

Fulton’s downtown revitalization grant for $10 million. I designed the 16-page booklet they used. I did a lot of websites and logos. The library’s logo, I love this one. It kind looks like a butterfly, but it’s a page from a book. We didn’t want to do the typical ‘books.’

Q: Why the name, 315?

A: I decided that it was a fitting name — 315 — for our area because of our area code. I like the name. At the time when I first started doing this stuff, I was using my own name. I liked using my name as an artist. But I wanted to have a more ‘business’ name. I thought of this one day and I said, ‘huh!’ I was surprised that nobody else had taken that name. So I looked it up. I got the LLC and I got all the social media stuff.

And I said, ‘that’s it. I’m changing my name.’ I did that when I officially launched 315 Designs.

Q: Is this all you do?

A: I have two career tracks. This is one and the other one is — at Northcoast I was a business manager, an office manager — so that is something else I’ve done throughout the years at different companies. For the past three years now, I have been full time just for myself.

When I’m working full time for myself it’s “a few hours” — between 30 and 40 a week, sometimes more.

Q: Is it hard to maintain your client base?

A: I always had this mindset of like what if it gets slow? There have been times when it’s slower and times when it’s busier. It’s not always consistent and so once in a while I get offered a job. I started working for the city of Fulton during COVID because the mayor asked me and I didn’t know if things would be slow or not so I took it. That was the last full-time job I had.

Q: What’s the best part of the job?

A: I enjoy seeing businesses being successful. I help them put their message out there in a professional way that helps them get business. That’s really what it’s all about.

My favorite quote is “Design is not just about making things look good; it’s about making things work beautifully.”

I like that because it is really how I feel It needs to be functional it needs to look professional and it needs to have a little pizzazz to it

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NEWSMAKERS

NEWS BRIEFS ON LOCAL BUSINESSES & BUSINESS PEOPLE Dannible & Mckee Announces Two New Partners

Dannible & McKee, LLP, a certified public accounting and consulting firm, announced the promotions of Samuel M. Lyon to tax partner in the Syracuse and Robert C. Reeves to audit partner in the Schenectady.

Ly o n , a Samuel M. Lyon certified public accountant, began his career with the firm as an intern in 2013. He is the first partner to start in the Dannible & McKee internship program and work his way up into the partnership. Lyon has extensive experience in all areas of taxation, with a strong emphasis on individual and corporate tax planning, business valuations, ownership transition and employee benefits. He is responsible for overseeing tax engagements for a variety of the firm’s clientele, focusing on architecture and engineering, professional services and multi-state corporations.

Lyon is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants (NYSSCPA). He graduated from Le Moyne College with a bachelor’s degree in accounting, cum laude, in 2014, and his master’s degree in business administration in 2015. Lyon also serves on the board of directors at LAUNCH. Reeves joined the firm in 2017 after working in accounting and finance for a private company. He has more than eight years of experience providing audit, review, compilation and consulting services to a variety of clients with a focus in the manufacturing, construction and architectural and engineering industries. Additionally, he offers auditing services for a variety of employee benefit plans and specializes 28

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

in providing forensic accounting and fraud detection and prevention consulting services to clients.

Reeves is a certified public accoun tant in the state of New York and is also a certified fraud examiner. He is a member of AICPA, NYSSCPA and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE). Reeves earned his BachRobert C. Reeves elor of Business Administration in accounting, magna cum laude, from Niagara University in 2014, and his Master of Business Administration from SUNY Oswego in 2016.

Manufacturing Month in October.

“We’re excited to welcome Brynn Semeraro to our team. Brynn will serve as a connector to other PEB-led initiatives, industry opportunities, and STEM engagement events in our community. Her experience and passion for education will be an asset to PEB and their mission to facilitate real-life opportunities for students to explore career pathways across various industries and connect with employers,” said MACNY President & CEO, Randy Wolken.

Brynn holds her Bachelor of Science degree in education from SUNY Oswego. Additionally, she completed two years of graduate-level literary education studies. Prior to joining MACNY, Semeraro worked as an independent author at Tiny Newt Press LLC and as a site coordinator for the book buddies program at the United Way of Central New York.

MACNY Affiliate Welcomes Workforce Development Specialist

Oswego Health Appoints New Chief Medical Officer

Partners for Education & Business, Inc. (PEB), an affiliate of MACNY, The Manufacturers Association, recently welcomed Brynn Semeraro to the team as a workforce development specialist.

In this role, Semeraro will Brynn Semeraro work closely with key partners, including schools, employers, and community organizations to bridge the gap between education and the workforce needs. She will engage and cultivate partnerships to address the needs of both students and employers through work-based learning experiences with an emphasis on career exploration programming for high school students. Additionally, she will assist in the planning and execution of PEB and MACNY events, such as AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024

Physician Wajeeh Sana has been appointed Oswego Health’s chief medical officer.

With over 17 years of experience as an emergency physician, he has been a member of the medical staff at Oswego Hospital since Wajeeh Sana 2013. In 2023 he was appointed president of the medical staff. He’s held various leadership positions throughout his career in CNY including service medical director for McFee Ambulance and clinical assistant professor at SUNY Upstate Medical Center. In 2015 he became medical director and chairman of the Oswego Hospital emergency department, Fulton and Central Square urgent care centers.

Sana earned his medical degree from one of the most prestigious medical schools in Pakistan, Allama Iqbal Medical College, and completed his

residency at St. Vincent’s Mercy Medical Center in Toledo, Ohio.

In this new role as CMO, Sana will provide leadership, direction and planning for a wide variety of medical and related activities for the entire nonprofit healthcare system. As CMO he will serve as the liaison and resource to management on matters about medical staff activities to further the mission of the organization.

He will serve in a leadership capacity promoting and implementing changes that benefit patients and act as a liaison between the over 100 physicians and advanced practice providers employed by the health system and the 270 providers on the medical staff representing multiple specialty services across the community.

“We are fortunate to have Dr. Sana leading the clinical team here at Oswego Health,” said Michael C. Backus, Oswego Health’s president and chief executive officer. “His commitment to our mission of quality, safety, service, and improvement of patient clinical outcomes is exemplary.”

OCWA Has New Public Affair Director

OCWA – Central New York’s Water Authority —announced it has hired Christina Burtis as its next director of intergovernmental and public affairs.

In this role, Burtis will lead OCWA’s government relations efforts to include work on legislative opportunities that relate to the authority and meet regularly with key stakeholders such as municipal lessees, local legislators and state and federal officials. She will also promote the authority’s core values and mission to include press communications and customer-focused projects, such as newsletters, website–social media posts and public outreach materials.

Prior to joining OCWA, Burtis served as district director for U.S. Representative Brandon Williams where she initiated and fostered relationships with public officials, businesses, and organizations throughout Central New York. She also served in a variety of roles for former Rep. John Katko, including district director, director of district operations, and director of constituent services. She is a former substitute teacher in the Central Square School District.

Burtis is a lifelong resident of Central New York. She grew up in the

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Davis-Standard Earns Environmental Certification

Davis-Standard, a global leader in the design and manufacturing of extrusion and converting technologies, announced it has achieved Operation Clean Sweep (OCS) certification, becoming the first extrusion and converting OEM in its field to earn this distinction. This certification demonstrates the company’s commitment to preventing plastic pellet (resin) loss and contributing to a cleaner environment, setting a new benchmark for environmental sustainability in the plastics industry.

OCS is an international program designed to help plastics industry companies implement good housekeeping and pellet containment practices. By achieving OCS certification, Davis-Standard joins a growing list of companies committed to reducing plastic pollution in waterways and communities.

“Our facilities in Fulton, New York, and Pawcatuck, Connecticut, are blessed with natural beauty and proximity to vital waterways and the ocean,” said Giovanni Spitale, CEO of Davis-Standard. “This underscores our responsibility to protect these resources and is why Operation Clean Sweep certification is so important to us.”

Oswego Health Announces New Board Leadership

After the nonprofit’s annual board meeting held on June 24, the Oswego Health board of directors unanimously voted on leadership changes.

• Victoria L. Furlong will serve as board chairwoman. She is SUNY Oswego’s chief financial officer and oversees facilities services, human resources and payroll, University Police, finance and budget, student accounts, purVictoria Furlong

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chasing and internal control. Appointed in September 2021, Furlong is a member of the president’s cabinet and is the first woman to serve as SUNY Oswego’s vice president for administration and finance. She began her career at SUNY Oswego over 25 years ago and has had progressive leadership experiences across campus. She earned her Master of Business Administration and business administration degrees from SUNY Oswego. Additionally, Furlong serves on a variety of SUNY-wide committees supporting the university system at large, as well as the Oswego County Micron Strategy Steering Committee.

• Pete Cullinan will serve as vice-chairman.

He is a lifelong native of Oswego who, with his wife, Kelly, has raised a daughter, Kelsey, and a son, Cole. Before his retirement at the end of 2021, he worked in the emergency Pete Cullinan planning field with a focus on nuclear plant emergency planning since 1990, first with Oswego County and most recently with Exelon at the James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant. Cullinan is a 1988 graduate of the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry with a Bachelor of Science in forest biology. In addition to Oswego Health, he has been involved with the American Cancer Society, the American Red Cross, Operation Oswego County, and the Town of Minetto Zoning Board of Appeals. In addition to serving as vice-chairman of the Oswego Health board of directors, Cullinan also serves on the Oswego Health Foundation board.

• Ron Tascarella will serve as a board secretary.

As the executive vice president and chief banking officer of Pathfinder Bank, he has over 45 years of experience in banking working alongside small businesses and individRon Tascarella uals throughout

CNY. His specialization is in the areas of commercial lending, credit administration and sales. Tascarella is a 1979 graduate of SUNY Oswego. In addition to serving as secretary of the Oswego Health board of directors, Tascarella also serves as president of the Red House board of directors, treasurer of the Gifford Foundation, and board member for the Central Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

All three will serve two-year terms through June 2026.

The 2024-26 Oswego Health board of directors consists of Ed Alberts, past-chairman; Atom Avery; Michael C. Backus, President & CEO; Timothy R. Barnhart; William Clark; Peter Cullinan, vice-chairman; Dan E. Dorsey, Jr.; Lynne Eggert; Victoria Furlong, chairwoman; Adam Gagas; Ellen Holst; Paloma Sarkar; physician Wajeeh Sana, chief medical officer; Mark Slayton, treasurer; Ron Tascarella, secretary; Katie Toomey and physician Scott Van Gorder.

Fulton Lions Installs David Guyer as President

The Fulton Lions Club installed David Guyer as their new president and its slate of officers for 2023-24 at its recent June meeting. The ceremony was performed by Past President Brett Tallents. This is the fourth time Guyer has served as club president.

Other officers installed included Melissa Champion, vice president; Michelle Stanard, secretary; Susan Daratt, treasurer; Ron Browning, assistant treasurer; Patrick Devendorf, immediate past president; Melodye Morrison, lion tamer; Brett Tallents, assistant lion tamer; Gail Jones, membership chair; Steve Chirello, marketing chair and one-year director; Becky Devendorf; service chair; Dennis Rupert, one-year director; and David Wolford and David Dingman as two-year directors.

“Chartered in 1953, our club continues to be one of the most active in our district,” Guyer said. “Our ongoing success is linked with the all-out effort to serve that comes from each and every one of our members. We look forward to our upcoming Charby’s Duck Derby on Sept. 8, to kick-off our next year of service to the greater Fulton community.”

The Fulton Lions Club provides financial assistance for those in need of eyeglasses, eye exams, and hearing aids to residents in the Greater Fulton area.

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OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024

FORMER OKLAHOMA GOV. MARY FALLIN FINDS SOLACE IN THE PORT CITY Governor and her husband, en route from Florida to Halifax, make a stop in Oswego

By Tom and Jerry Caraccioli

I

n a year featuring political prominence where either an incumbent president will be re-elected or a former president will reassume our nation’s highest office, hardly any move made by a high-profile politician goes unnoticed.

Recently, Oswego’s Eastside Marina played host to a former high-profile United States politician who sailed into town virtually unnoticed for several days.

Hailing from a landlocked state in the middle of the country, the last thing you would think about is boating or seafaring. But not former Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin, 69, and her husband Wade Christensen, 69.

The former governor, who served as Oklahoma’s first female lieutenant governor for 12 years and then became the state’s first female governor on Jan. 10, 2011, along with her husband and former Oklahoma First Gentleman Wade Christensen, came into the Port City in late June for several days.

The Sooner State power couple docked their yacht — equipped with radar, sonar, automatic identification system (AIS), VHF radio, GPS, fish finder and chart plotter — in the Eastside Marina en route to the St. Lawrence River to Montreal then Quebec and Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Halifax after traveling the Intercoastal Waterway from Florida.

The yacht uses Furuno Navionics, Bob’s tracks, chart plotter and various third-party apps that also assist with navigation.

In their first-ever foray traveling solo after purchasing “Lady Gov” in August 2023, Fallin and Christensen were trained and equipped to take on the rigors of nautical travel.

“We left Florida on May 7 and have come all the way up to Oswego since

then [late June],” Fallin said.

“We went to Fort Ontario and had a tour and read some of the history,” she continued. “One of the things we’ve enjoyed coming up the Intercoastal Waterway — Hudson River, Erie Canal, Oswego River – is reliving the history of the United States and how fascinating it has been to learn about the men and women that came long before us in the 1700s and 1800s from all different countries. Fallin marveled at the thought of these early Americans who fought the wars so that we can enjoy the freedom and independence we have today.

Fallin was born Mary Copeland in Warrensburg, Missouri, before growing up in Tecumseh, Oklahoma, a city of just more than 2,000 citizens in her youth.

“Growing up in a very small town in Oklahoma — my dad was the mayor of the town and when he passed away in his 50s, my mother became mayor of the town,” Fallin recalled. “That’s how I eventually got started in politics in my mid-30s.”

She entered politics after working for the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department, the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission, the Oklahoma Office of Personnel Management, as well as in hotel management and real estate. In 1990, she served as an Oklahoma state representative in District 85.

“I grew up in a town of 2,000 people,” Fallin said while offering advice to young girls, boys and women. “We weren’t wealthy. We were community people that believed in serving others and went to college, graduated, moved to the city of Oklahoma City, which was a big move for me and started working. Gradually, I built my own career and volunteered my time, met people and learned more about the

needs of our community and state. By the time I was 35 and a young mother, I was concerned about education. I was in small business, so I was concerned about taxes, rules and regulations and those burdens on small businesspeople.

I thought, ‘I can go do something about that.’ I was young and naïve enough to run for office. And it worked out.”

In 2007, Fallin’s national political star began to rise after she was elected to the United States Congress serving the Fifth Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. She became the second woman from Oklahoma to serve in that position (Alice Mary Robertson, the first Oklahoma woman elected to the U.S. House, served one two-year term beginning March 1921).

During her four year years in Congress, Fallin served on the executive committee of the National Republican Congressional Committee, as small business chairwoman on the Republican Policy Committee, and as vice-chairwoman of the Congressional Women’s Caucus. Also during that span, she wrote her first bill (H.R. 2397), which enacted an overhaul of federal grants for women’s business centers. She also sat on committees of the U.S. House of Armed Services, Natural Resources, Small Business, and Transportation and Infrastructure.

Even before Fallin entered the political arena, she had her eye on small business. When she got to Washington and then the Oklahoma State House, her advocacy grew even more.

“Before I ran for office, I became interested as a businesswoman in the area of workmen’s compensation, especially the taxes and insurance premiums that small businesses had to pay,” Fallin recalled. “That was an important issue for me and I ended

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

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This is the governor’s first-ever foray traveling solo after she and her husband purchased “Lady Gov” in August 2023. The yacht is equipped with radar, sonar, automatic identification system (AIS), VHF radio, GPS, fish finder, chart plotter and other gadgets that help with navigation.

up heading a panel on the Fallin Commission on Workmen’s Compensation Reform back in my lieutenant governor days. It took about 18 months to get a bill passed after a major overhaul of the workmen’s compensation system in the state to protect the injured worker and make it fair.”

In considering the small town of Oswego, Fallin wished she had had more time to spend in the Port City. But what she saw in the Eastside Marina put a smile on her face as she watched the charter captains enjoying one of their finest years ever in Lake Ontario.

“I’ve been watching all the boats coming and going back and forth at all hours of the day and night and I’m sure they’re taking guests out to fish,” Fallin said. “That’s a great business. Of course, tourism is always important to a state. We always try to help the local economies by shopping and going to many, many grocery stores. We don’t have fresh salmon in Oklahoma unless someone ships it frozen.

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OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

“Local leadership and community county leadership is so important to these communities because they have their fingers on the pulse about what’s important, especially the businesses and safety. We think about that when we come to communities — is it safe?

We check it out. Of course, also having fun things to do tourism-wise, the clean waters, the ability to get through your infrastructure — the canal system and locks. Investing in that infrastructure is incredibly important because these people [tourists] can’t count on your roads and bridges, locks and canals if they are not properly kept up and maintained. Finally, having the right business climate in which people want to come in and invest money, build business and employ people is also key.”

As the sun began to set on Lake Ontario, the former governor and her husband were preparing for their trip to Kingston the following day. She took one final moment to impart some wisdom learned in nearly three decades of AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024

public service as a trailblazing politician while also pondering her legacy as the first female governor of Oklahoma “I hope it inspires young girls and boys, even adults, that if you think you have a contribution to make, or maybe a dream of something you want to do, one person can make a difference,” Fallin said. “My daughter, in her mid-30s with children, told me the other day, ‘You know Mom, one person can’t make a difference.’ I said, ‘Honey, don’t you tell your momma that.’ You can make a difference. One vote can make a difference and it’s important for people to do their civic responsibility. Don’t complain if you don’t want to participate. I learned that at a very young age.”

Tom and Jerry Caraccioli are freelance writers originally from Oswego, who have co-authored two books: “Striking silver: The Untold Story of America’s Forgotten Hockey Team” and “Boycott: Stolen Dreams of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games.”

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BUSINESS UPDATE

Marcy Korczakowski and her husband, Michael, opened their Bernhards Bay business, North Shore Coffee and Tea Company, in September 2022.

The café offers open mics on two Fridays a month. They usually attract a good number of clients.

Couple Finds Niche on the North Shore of Oneida Lake North Shore Coffee and Tea Company is more than just a café

By Stefan Yablonski

I

t’s not the same old grind. North Shore Coffee and Tea Company has been perking up customers for nearly two years now.

It is owned by Marcy Korczakowski and her husband, Michael.

“We have been in business since September 2022. We are proud of what we’ve created and are blessed to have great support of the community,” she said.

The cafe is located at the Glass Ark — formally the North Shore Country 38

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

Store — in Bernhards Bay, on the North Shore of Oneida Lake.

“We just purchased the building.

We had been leasing it previously,” said Marcy Korczakowski, adding, “No employees yet, just Michael and I.” She didn’t disclose the amount invested in the business.

Korczakowski was born in Beaufort, South Carolina — in a naval family — and grew up “primarily in the Rochester area.” Michael was born and raised in Baldwinsville.

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024

They have lived in West Monroe for 22 years with their two horses, Blue and Gypsy. They have had horses for 25 years, she said.

Gypsy is an Arabian and Blue is Standardbred.

They trail-ride and she has shown their horses over the years, she added.

“I have spent most of my life in New York state. My father was employed by the Eastman Kodak Company. We resided in Greece,” she said. “Michael is from Baldwinsville. His father was

North Shore Coffee and Tea Company is also home to The Toy Library of the North Shore which is a nonprofit organization that lends toys and books to families and individuals,”

employed by Carrier Corp.”

Michael was a postal carrier; he retired after 30 years.

Marcy graduated with a computer science degree from RIT and recently retired from a 35-year computer career.

“I worked in various IT positions from support, analysis and sales for private sector companies,” she said.

fast sandwiches, croissants, hand-decorated sugar cookies and specialty cheesecakes, she said.

“Our coffee is specially roasted by Tug Hill Artisans Roasters in Lowville and our teas are hand-blended by 210 Teas in Syracuse,” she said.

Filling a need

“We are noted for boutique shopping as well as music and community events,” she added.

North Shore Coffee and Tea Company offers honey from the Irish Bee, maple syrup from Gurgling Brook Farm and specialty jarred pantry items from Jacobs Produce.

In addition to food and drink, they also have a retail area featuring artisan potters, clothing upcyclers, knitters, blacksmithing, painters, natural and home and body products.

“We are also home to The Toy Library of the North Shore which is a nonprofit organization that lends toys

The idea to open a business sprang from the lack of unique, specialty coffee on the North Shore, she explained.

“Our mission is to offer the finest in local baking, musical and artisanal talent in a friendly, comfortable atmosphere,” she said.

They offer “scrumptious coffees, teas, pastries and a light breakfast-lunch menu.”

Everything that they offer is from local baking talents — they only personally bake just a few items.

Customer favorites are their break-

It’s not just a café

and books to families and individuals,” she added. “We also offer music [open mic nights], special events and rent out our space for special events. Our main goal is to use only local talent and local businesses.”

Positive impact “The best part about owning a business is meeting people, impacting someone’s life positively and the personal satisfaction of doing something your own way,” she said.

Her advice for anyone considering starting their own business is “Make sure your idea is something you are passionate about. Decisions seem to come naturally when you have a clear goal in mind and are mentally and physically invested.”

North Shore Coffee and Tea Company is located at 676 state Route 49 in Bernhards Bay. For more information, visit https://northshorecoffeeteaco. com.

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

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SUNY Morrisville students work on a wind turbine. Photo by Allisa Coomey

Blue-collar Work Becoming Cool Again

Business is booming at vocational institutions that make students job-ready in a matter of months, not years

By Aaron Gifford

G

en Z is making blue-collar cool again.

While many traditional college programs across the country struggle with enrollment losses, business is booming right now at vocational institutions that make students job-ready in a matter of months, not years.

According to the National Student Clearinghouse, enrollment at vocation-

al institutions to include community colleges and agricultural and technical schools increased by 16% last year — or 112,000 students — from 2022.

Local institutions are also witnessing a trend.

At Onondaga Community College, enrollment went up across 15 different programs in the past 12 months, including surgical technology, automotive

technology, construction management, fire protection technology and electromechanical technology, said Roger Mirabito, OCC communications director.

Bryant & Stratton has maintained two campuses in the Syracuse area at a time when small colleges in the region, including Cazenovia College and Wells College, have closed. Mainly a twoyear institution, Bryant & Stratton’s network technology program, which prepares students to become network technicians, is highly regarded.

Cayuga Community College added an electro-mechanical systems fundamentals “micro credential” program, which provides instruction on the operation of hydraulics, pneumatics, electrical motor controls and precision measurement tools in industrial settings. The institution also offered drone-flying instruction at its Fulton campus.

SUNY Morrisville opened as a traditional agricultural and technical institution but has evolved over time

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

41

SUNY Morrisville students disassemble and inspect a John Deere hydraulic pump. Photo by Allisa Coomey

to keep up with the needs of New York state’s ever-changing workforce. All 38 students in its renewable energy major last year were recruited by local, regional and national employers, said Anthony Contento, dean of the school’s agriculture, business, and technology programs.

“Clean energy is one of the fastest-growing fields in New York state,” Contento said, “and we’re a known commodity. With Micron coming and the I-18 project, jobs are waiting for them.”

In recent years, SUNY Morrisville has focused on offering “stackable credentials” where students can earn industry-certified credentials while also applying those credits toward associate or bachelor’s degree programs.

The cannabis-specialty crop certificate program can be completed in one year and its 24 credits can also be applied toward a degree in horticulture.

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OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

“We know cannabis is big now, but we also know it’s not going to be big forever. The idea is to offer training that can be applied across agriculture and horticulture, so you can also go into greenhouse management,” Contento said.

He added that most SUNY Morrisville students elect to take at least one class within the computer information technology program regardless of their major.

A video game programming certificate course of study was added this past year and there are plans to add certificate programs in diesel technology and agricultural engineering within the next year.

Theresa Kevorkian, SUNY Morrisville vice president of institutional advancement, said while workforce training is a high priority, the school has not abandoned its commitment to the academic components of degree AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024

programs. Math is critical to developing problem-solving abilities, English is important for communication skills and the sciences can be applied universally to most vocations.

“You can treat the trades as an academic subject,” she said. “It’s important to break down the notion that it’s not one or the other.”

New York state’s higher education system recently launched a public information campaign — “Learn a Trade at SUNY.” The website notes that SUNY campuses in every region of the state offer low-cost certificate or associate degree programs in construction and manufacturing; heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC); culinary arts; animal care; automotive; welding and machining; computer and IT support; and health care and medical.

The website also notes that interest in vocational training has increased at the high school level: Board of Coop-

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Anthony Contento is dean of the school’s agriculture, business, and technology programs.

Theresa Kevorkian is SUNY Morrisville vice president of institutional advancement.

erative Educational Services (BOCES) programs across the state reported an enrollment spike from 38,000 in 2018 to 42,000 in 2022.

Career and technical education (CTE) has enjoyed a renewed interest in recent years as college enrollment gradually decreased.

According to National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, college and university enrollment went down by about 1.5 million students or 7.4%, in the past decade. Much of the decline can be attributed to demographics like lower birthrates and population shifts in different states, though increasing costs, uncertain job prospects and culture war issues also play a role.

At the federal level, lawmakers have introduced a variety of bills supporting workforce development programs and CTE. While there are currently about eight million job vacancies in the United States, labor experts predict that by 2030, 39 million American workers will be displaced by automation or artificial intelligence.

Expanding the Pell Grant program, which has traditionally benefited college and university students, to include shorter-term certificate programs is a popular idea with both Republicans and Democrats.

The “One Door to Work” bill asks the federal government to temporarily allow local social services departments in some states to share facilities with career counseling, training and referral agencies. If the pilot program proves to be a success after five years, the one-stop shop could become a national standard for incorporating support services with workforce development functions.

The Youth Workforce Readiness Act proposes the creation of career exploration and training partnerships between high schools and local employers.

And the Workforce Data Act seeks shared data services within states so federal labor officials can develop industry standards based on their observations of which career training programs throughout the country are working and which ones are not.

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Sen. Mike Braun (R-Indiana) recently told fellow members of the Senate’s Health Education Labor and Pensions Committee that high school guidance counselors need to do a better job on presenting CTE options to students.

“The guidance counselors were stigmatizing stuff we’re talking about,” Braun said during the June 12 hearing.

“It’s got to start with transparency, like a portal in every state that shows the high-demand, high-wage jobs, so parents and kids can see it.”

Matthew Dickerson, a business development and strategy officer at Mid-South Extrusion in Monroe, Louisiana, provided examples of partnerships between manufacturing businesses, community colleges and even high schools. He’s working with the learning institutions to build a website that features virtual tours of the workplaces that will offer CTE programs to local students.

“They can tour our manufacturing facility and a dozen others without ever leaving their classroom,” he said.

Locally, Micron has established local partnerships to prepare students for careers at the future computer chip plan that will be located in Clay. The project is expected to create up to 50,000 jobs. Professors are currently working with Micron officials to tailor programs and certificate courses to future job descriptions. And a clean room simulation facility is being added to the Onondaga Hill campus to provide hands-on training so graduates will be job ready when Micron’s 2.4 million square foot clean room opens.

For middle school students, Micron previously hosted a “chip camp” at OCC, where participants learned about semiconductors as they built circuits, straw towers and rockets. And for students who want to pursue higher-level degrees that are required for certain engineering and management jobs at Micron, Syracuse University is offering direct transfer admission to OCC students in various STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) programs.

OCC’s website highlights Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra’s reason for selecting Central New York over other regions throughout the country.

“We chose this location for many reasons — but most importantly — Central New York offers a rich pool of diverse talent, including communities that have traditionally been underrepresented in technology jobs.”

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By Peter Nwosu, Ph.D.

T ‘OCMSSC, which comprises more than 85 organizations, represents a unique example of publicprivate sector collaboration to ready a region for growth and to shape a county’s trajectory for generations.’

Peter Nwosu, Ph.D., is president of SUNY Oswego and chairman of Oswego County Micron Strategy Steering Committee.

46

Building a Brighter Future for Oswego County

he Oswego County Micron Strategy Steering Committee (OCMSSC) was officially launched in early 2023 shortly after Micron’s historic announcement to invest $100 billion in Central New York over the next 20 years through the creation of a megafab chip plant to be located just over Oswego County’s border in Clay, New York.

The announcement and OCMSSC formation marked the beginning of a transformative journey for our region.

As president of SUNY Oswego and chair of this committee, I am proud to witness the collective efforts driving social and economic mobility and enhancing prosperity in Oswego County and beyond.

OCMSSC, which comprises more than 85 organizations, represents a unique example of public-private sector collaboration to ready a region for growth and to shape a county’s trajectory for generations.

A Collaborative Effort The work of our steering committee is divided among nine focused subcommittees, each addressing key areas critical to our county’s readiness and development: • childcare (chaired by Brandy Koproski, Integrated Community Planning, Oswego County) • economic development (chaired

by Austin Wheelock, Operation Oswego County) • education (chaired by Brian Heffron, CiTi BOCES) • healthcare (chaired by Billy Barlow, Oswego Health and Oswego’s former Mayor) • hotel, restaurant and tourism (chaired by Sara Broadwell, Greater Oswego-Fulton Chamber of Commerce) • housing (chaired by Tim Stahl, Oswego County) • public and private infrastructure (chaired by Dave Turner, Oswego County) • transportation (chaired by Deana Michaels, Healthy Alliance, and Heather Snow, Oswego County Office of Mobility Management)

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

• workforce development (chaired by Rachel Pierce, Workforce Development, Oswego County) On June 11 this year, OCMSSC held its first annual summit at SUNY Oswego to highlight the achievements of the past year and plans for the future. The committee’s annual report can be found at Oswego. edu/micron.

Two defining moments over the past few months give me cause for great optimism. The first, came in April with the announcement by President Biden of $6.1 billion in CHIPS and Science Act funding to support Micron’s investment. The second took place in May, with my visit to Micron’s facilities in Boise, Idaho, with some members of my leadership team. We also visited Boise State University and the College of Western Idaho to learn from their partnerships with Micron. Micron’s planned facility in CNY, spanning the size of 40 football fields, will be its largest in North America. It will employ 9,000 people and generate an additional 40,000 jobs indirectly in the region.

SUNY Oswego and other higher education institutions are working with partners to create the talent pipeline to power the workforce needs of Micron, and other existing major employers who continue to expand and report strong prospects for the future. At SUNY Oswego, we launched our Vision 4040 plan to double the number of credentials granted by the university to 40,000 by 2040. As part of this effort, we partnered with Cayuga, Jefferson and Onondaga community colleges through the CNY Transfer Collaboration to create seamless pathways for students to Oswego or to our Syracuse campus.

Our partnership with the Shineman Foundation has established the Shineman Oswego Scholarship program for Oswego County high school graduates.

This will provide significant financial support to ensure that local talent can come to SUNY Oswego.

With a strong record in technology education, with the university hosting one of the largest technology conferences

Guest Collumnist

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024

TOP: President Peter O. Nwosu and other university leaders recently visited the Micron plant in Boise, Idaho, as well as the College of Western Idaho and Boise State University to learn more about ongoing partnerships with Micron. Taking part in a tour of the Micron plant are, from left, Jeff Binford, senior director, front end U.S. expansion for Micron; Showna Price, director of talent acquisition for Micron; President Nwosu; Mary Canale, vice president for university advancement, SUNY Oswego; Scott Furlong, provost and vice president for academic affairs, SUNY Oswego; Kristin Croyle, dean of SUNY Oswego’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; Carmen Archabal, senior manager of the Northwest University Network; and Shawn Siddoway, senior director business operations and workforce development for Micron.

BOTTOM: SUNY Oswego hosted the inaugural annual summit of the Oswego County Micron Strategy Steering Committee on June 11. SUNY Oswego President Peter O. Nwosu, who chairs the Oswego County Micron Strategy Steering Committee, provides a welcome to the work group chairs and members as well as campus and community leaders in attendance.

in the Northeast each year for the past 84 years; a track record of nearly 100 percent placement of graduates from its nationally accredited STEM programs housed in the Richard S. Shineman Center for Science, Engineering and Innovation; and its nationally ranked and accredited business programs, SUNY Oswego is poised to support the growing workforce needs in the region and beyond.

The university is a regional leader in communication education, with over $124 million in renovations to its

facilities that include two broadcasting studios, podcasting studio, newsroom, animation lab, virtual reality suite, music performance space and specialized labs and classrooms, world-class facilities that place SUNY Oswego at the forefront of all institutions in the nation with similar programs. The university is home to NPR member station WRVO, founded in 1969, which serves residents of Central and Northern New York, with a satellite studio located at our Syracuse campus.

Energized for the Work Ahead As I reflect on the work ahead, I am filled with optimism and excitement for the future. The work we are doing today will pave the way for a brighter, more prosperous tomorrow. Our commitment to advancing education, healthcare, economic development, and infrastructure is unwavering. Together, we will build a resilient, inclusive, and thriving region.

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

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SUNY Oswego: Building Partnerships, Empowering the CNY Region New Office of Workforce Innovation and External Relations, which replaces the old Office of Business and Community Relations, is part of a larger vision, the SUNY Oswego Vision 4040 plan, initiated

by President Nwosu

By Stefan Yablonski 48

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024

4 E. Bridge St., Oswego, is more than just a storefront.

It is a designated point of entry into SUNY Oswego for industry, nonprofit, public, private and community partners to connect with institutional assets.

Last year, SUNY Oswego President Peter Nwosu announced his “Vision 4040: Expanding SUNY Oswego’s Promise,” a blueprint for the years 2024-40. The institution is committed to doubling the number of graduates per decade by 2040 and significantly increasing its economic and social impact on the region.

To help achieve these goals, in the fall of 2023, SUNY Oswego’s Office of Business and Community Relations was re-imagined and renamed as the Office of Workforce Innovation and External Relations, according to Kristi Eck, assistant vice president of workforce innovation and external relations.

“We needed to transform the Office of Business and Community Relations into the Office of Workforce Innovation and External Relations to give us a front door, into SUNY Oswego,” Eck said.

OWIER offers to its partners and the public workforce and leadership development programs and an array of community-serving high-impact programs and resources that are supported by SUNY Oswego and its regional partners.

Its purpose is to develop and advance relationships with the college within three areas of focus: • Workforce innovation and upward mobility • Government and legislative affairs • Community-serving high-impact programs and resources “We have two locations — 34 E. Bridge St., and in Syracuse, 2 S. Clinton Square,” she said. “I split my time between here and Syracuse. My staff is just me and Tracie Wallace at the moment.

We are currently a very lean and small staff. Tracie works three days a week. We are growing our team to soon include a director of workforce innovation and community impact. I lead the OWIER.” They are open Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Partnerships formed will generate economic and social benefits for the region that align with the priorities and vision of SUNY Oswego and contribute to the long-term, sustainable vitality of the university and the Central New York

region, she explained.

“I don’t force connections; I make the connections that need to be made so that the person can get the assistance they need,” she added.

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Sharing “We are thrilled that we are sharing this space with the Greater Futon-Oswego Chamber of Commerce and the Onondaga Small Business Development Center to provide local county residents no-cost business consulting services to help with a start-up or existing business,” she said. “We can have actual conversations together — be proactive and we can better serve the communities of our region. It’s not about the building, it’s about connecting people.”

SUNY Oswego was founded in 1861 by Edward Austin Sheldon to provide education and opportunities to the local population with the mission to contribute to the common good.

“We’re more than that now. We’ve elevated that,” Eck said.

“We’re not just SUNY Oswego, New York. Really, we are global — we have international students from all over the world,” she continued. “As a public comprehensive university — president Nwosu really takes seriously serving the community, having a greater impact on the economic and social landscape of the region. So my responsibility is to help fill that out.”

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Weband Development • New hire incumbent worker wage • Scholarship & Licensure OUR SERVICES Micron’s investment has really free services and let us Application Development Funding sparked the need for a vibrant work• Job Postings & Resume training program • reimbursement Job Postings force. But prior to Micron, other employ- help Screenings Media Marketing you with your • New HireSocial & Incumbent Worker ers needed to find the right workers, she (eligibility criteria apply) Training Wage Reimbursement • Resume screening • Jobfor Fairsthe & On-site best said. In recent years, companies havesearch • Supportive Services for Recruitments had a difficult time finding workers.

• Organizing on-site recruitments Employees She is one of the members of •employees.

Online Take Skill-Building advantage of&our • Participation in Youth Work Micron’s Community Engagement Weband Development Professional Development • New hire incumbent worker wage Experience Committee. free services and let us Application Development The committee was created toContact Jamie Jenks at (315) 591-9077 or jareimbursement mie.jenks@training oswegprogram ocounty.com Social Media Marketing help you with your Workforce NY Career conduct focus groups, to sit down and Oswego County Center Oswego County Workforce NY Career Center have one-on-one conversations with (eligibility criteria apply) (315) 591-9000 search for the best • ocwny@oswegocounty.com the public regarding the Micron project.

315-591-9000 ocwny@oswegocounty.com “The big challenge right now is we 200 North Fulton, NY 13069 nd 200 2nd North 2Street, Street, Fulton, NY 13069 employees.

User need a skilled workforce for all the opwww.ocwny.org www.ocwny.org portunity coming our way,” she noted.

OWIER will do its part to ensure Oswego County Workforce NY is an equal opportunity employer/program. Auxiliary aids are available upon request to individuals with disabilities. the workforce is prepared.

Contact Jamie Jenks at (315) TTY 591(315) -90591-9247 77 or jamie.jenks@oswegocounty.com

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Oswego County Workforce NY Career Center (315) 591-9000 AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS ocwny@oswegocounty.com 200 North 2nd Street, Fulton, NY 13069 User www.ocwny.org

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Austin Wheelock ooc@oswegocounty.org

OOC Presents Annual Highlights, Achievement Awards, New Officers “Projects assisted by OOC and the County of Oswego IDA (COIDA) in 2023 resulted in the creation or retention of 630 jobs with more than $130 million in capital investment associated with 33 new, expanded or retained facilities.

AUSTIN M. WHEELOCK, certified economic developer (CEcD), is the executive director of Operation Oswego County, Inc. For more information, call 315-343-1545 or visit www. oswegocounty.org.

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O

peration Oswego County held its 72nd annual meeting on June 13 at the Lake Ontario Event and Conference Center in Oswego.

Ellen Holst, president of the OOC board of directors, welcomed 170 representatives of businesses, government, education, labor and other community organizations to the meeting.

Key note presenter Joseph Pacher, senior vice president of operations at Constellation Energy, spoke of Constellation’s economic impact on Oswego County, how its plants help New York state to meet its clean energy goals and Constellation’s plans to continue to invest in and relicense Nine Mile I, Nine Mile II and the James A. FitzPatrick nuclear plants.

Collectively these plants produce 2,514 megawatts of power, which is enough to power two million homes.

Pacher also reported that Constellation paid more than $69 million in state and local taxes in 2023, which directly supports local schools and municipalities.

He also stated that looking back to 2017, Constellation has made more than $615 million of capital investments into the three nuclear sites in Upstate New York including Nine Mile I and II, FitzPatrick and R.E. Ginna in Wayne County.

OOC reported that projects assisted

by OOC and the County of Oswego IDA (COIDA) in 2023 resulted in the creation or retention of 630 jobs with more than $130 million in capital investment associated with 33 new, expanded or retained facilities in the targeted industry clusters of manufacturing, healthcare, tourism and hospitality, agribusiness and energy. Projects were spread over 16 municipalities around Oswego County.

We also reported on marketing highlights and collaborative initiatives with key stakeholders such as National Grid, Oswego County Tourism, SUNY Oswego, the Port of Oswego Authority, Oswego County Workforce New York and the Greater Oswego Fulton Chamber

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024

Economic Trends

of Commerce.

Achievement Awards Three business organizations, a successful entrepreneur and a long-standing economic development advocate were also honored for significant contributions to economic development and job creation in Oswego County.

The Ally Award for 2024 was presented to Onondaga SBDC in recognition and appreciation of the vision, commitment and leadership exhibited by the Onondaga Small Business Development Center to provide critical entrepreneurial training and technical assistance to the small businesses and entrepreneurs of Oswego County; and for being a vital and essential partner in economic development in Oswego County.

The Business Excellence Award for 2024 was presented to River View Pediatrics in recognition and appreciation for demonstrating outstanding leadership and commitment in operating and retaining River View Pediatrics in Oswego County; for showing resiliency, adaptation and growth in a changing market for pediatric healthcare services; for the vision to revitalize and expand into a vacant building; and for its 40+ years of business excellence in the city of Fulton in Oswego County.

The 2024 Jobs Award was presented to Broadwell Hospitality Group in recognition and appreciation of the significant contribution and economic impact of Broadwell Hospitality Group on the Oswego County economy by providing high quality tourism attractions and hospitality services in the city of Oswego and town of Scriba; for employing more than 200 persons across multiple venues; for the opening of the Splash Indoor Water Park Resort in 2023; and for its 49-year history of business growth in Oswego County.

Veterinarian Ali Hawthorn received OOC’s 2024 Dee Heckethorn Entrepre-

1

2

3 1. Job Award: Broadwell Hospitality Group.

From left are George Broadwell Jr.; Austin Wheelock, OOC executive director; George “Buddy” Broadwell and Shane Broadwell, of Broadwell Hospitality Group; and Ellen Holst, OOC board president.

2. Ally Award: Onondaga SBDC. From left are John Halleron, SBDC consultant; Kellie Greene, SBDC business adviser;, Austin Wheelock, OOC executive director; Robert Griffin, SBDC regional director; Sonya Smith, SBDC state director; Mark Manning, senior vice president at Onondaga Community College; and Ellen Holst, OOC board president.

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3. Business Excellence Award: River View Pediatrics. From left are Austin Wheelock, OOC executive director; Judy Lamb, office manager; physicians Christopher DeLaney, Sarah Finocchiaro and Carla Overton; nurse practitioner Connor Letcher; and Ellen Holst, OOC board president.

4. Dee Heckethorn Entrepreneur Award: Veterinarian Ali Hawthorn. From left are Austin Wheelock, OOC executive director; veterinarian Ali Hawthorn, Highland Animal Hospital; and Ellen Holst, OOC board president.

5. Martin Rose Economic Developer Merit Award: H. Leonard Schick. From left, Austin Wheelock, OOC executive director; Nancy Schick and Len Schick; and Ellen Holst, OOC board president.

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

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More than 170 people participated in Operation Oswego County’s 72nd annual meeting on June 13 at the Lake Ontario Event and Conference Center in Oswego.

neur Award in recognition and appreciation of exceptional entrepreneurial spirit, creativity and dedication to expanding Highland Animal Hospital, a small animal veterinary clinic in Oswego County; for receiving the SBA Woman Owned Small Business of the Year Award for Upstate New York; and for her vision to improve the quality of life for animals and humans alike in the village of Central Square, Oswego County and beyond.

H. Leonard Schick was honored with the 2024 Martin Rose Economic Developer Merit Award in recognition and appreciation of H. Leonard Schick’s outstanding record of leadership, expertise, support and commitment to enhance the economic vitality of Oswego County’s businesses, industries, communities and citizens; by serving on the board of directors of the County of Oswego 52

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

Industrial Development Agency for 18 years; and for serving on numerous other boards and organizations that are vital to economic development and quality of life such as the Mexico Chamber of Commerce, Fulton City School Board of Education and Fulton Youth Soccer.

The OOC board elected a new slate of officers to two-year terms. Pete Cullinan, retired, Exelon, as board president, John Sharkey IV, Universal Metal Works, as vice president, Tricia Peter Clark, ConnextCare, as treasurer and Eric Behling, Behling Orchards, as secretary.

The OOC board of directors re-elected board members Edward Gilson, county legislator; Brian Heffron, CiTi BOCES; Ellen Holst, Oswego County Opportunities, retired; John Sharkey IV, Universal Metal Works; and Ronald G. Tascarella, Pathfinder Bank.

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024

The OOC board of directors also elected Joseph Demars of Huhtamaki and Colin Palm of the Fulton Companies for one-year terms, Tom Roman of Fulton Savings Bank, Rachel Pierce of the Workforce Development Board of Oswego County and Ryan Malone of WD Malone Trucking & Excavating for three-year terms.

Retiring from the OOC board of directors was Tim Hardy, after six years of service; Vincent Lobdell, after 17 years of service; Joseph McConnell, after four years of service; Joseph Solazzo, after 18 years of service; and David Turner, after 29 years of service.

For more information about economic development services in Oswego County, call OOC at 343-1545 or visit www.oswegocounty.org

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UNY Oswego continues as the topranked online master of business administration (MBA) offering in the state among public universities in both the 2024 Princeton Review Online MBA rankings and Fortune Education’s Best Online MBA Programs.

Rising to No. 44 overall from ranking 58th the previous year in Princeton Review’s overall rankings, the program’s strengths include creating a personalized approach for students, according to Irene Scruton, assistant dean of the School of Business and director of SUNY Oswego’s MBA programs.

“We believe a primary benefit of choosing Oswego’s MBA program is that staff and faculty are focused on supporting our MBA students so they can thrive in the program,” Scruton said.

“When compared to larger schools and their programs, our MBA distinguishes itself by offering a personalized, student-focused approach, which is a key element for working professionals.”

This also is reflected in Oswego’s online master of business administration program ranking 53rd overall among qualified business schools for Fortune’s 2024 listing. Fortune’s ranking of top online MBA programs is unique in exclusively using Fortune 1000 data to weigh where the leaders of the U.S.’s biggest publicly traded companies earned their MBA.

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TOURISM

Tourism Supports 7% of All Jobs in New York State

By Stefan Yablonski

T

he tourism industry is a massive generator of income in the state. It is in the top three.

According to the Empire State Development, it’s a $79 billion industry and supports 7% of all jobs in the state. “ T h a t makes it the third-largest employment sector in the state,” said Mark Dorr, president of the New York State Hospitality and Tourism Association. “It’s a huge industry. I don’t want to make it sound like things aren’t good. It’s just incrementally, before COVID they were able to jump a little bit each year. This year, I think is going to be more close to what happened last summer. Not going to have that incremental growth.”

Still strong The industry is very strong; but one of the difficult things impacting many is pricing, he said.

“Hotels, parks and attractions have really been trying to crack down on their pricing to allow families to travel,” he added. “I think Central New York is not unlike every other region of the state at this point. Since COVID, the business travel — businesses that use to hold conventions, conferences, you come to a hotel, you meet people, you have an event — still not has come back to preCOVID levels. It may never.”

It’s off 10% 15% from what it was as far as business travel, men and women going to meet their clients or going to try to stir up some new business, Dorr 54

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

said.

“They’ve found that they can still do a lot of that online,” he said.

Dorr said many in the industry are trying to add or offer free entertainment as an extra incentive to get people and families to spend their time and money.

That’s one soft area in the industry, he said.

“It’s true in Central New York as it is in many other parts of the state that has large business constituents.” Dorr said.

Issues There are some other big issues that have impacted the industry over the last few years.

“This includes hiring, educating the public and efforts to regulate the short-term rental market, he said.

If you are planning a trip, “go to the regional convention and visitor’s bureau. They have all the resources from hotels to attractions to amusement parks. They can help with building your trip, pricing and budgeting,” he said.

Another thing is that this spring, it was very good, he said, adding, “We had the eclipse. So people took a three-day AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024

weekend to take part in it. Kind of what they would have had in July. So that helped boost up the spring. Other than that, everything was pretty much comparable to last year.”

“This summer — we’re looking at June, July and August — the guests are starting to book a little closer to the day they are going to travel.

They are not pre-booking like they did in previous years.

The travelers are very cognizant of the room rate, the overnight rate more than they were,” he said.

In the past couple of years, where the hotel industry’s summers were able to drive their rate pretty well — they are not being able to do that this year.

“It’s pretty comparable to last year,” he said. “There isn’t a big uptick as to what they can get for an overnight room.

“The reason for that — we have been hearing from our members — is people are booking closer to the time they are going to stay and they are looking much more closely at the rate they are willing to pay. Really it’s economics.

Inflation has started to kind of take a hold of people. People are starting to take a look at the cost of things more, including hotel rooms.”

Inflation, even though it’s steadied over the past couple of months, it’s still — if you go into a grocery store and look around, you’re looking at things that are really expensive, he said.

“And then if you’ve got to pay for that in order to feed your family, you’re saying, ‘I can’t afford to go (on vacation) for as many days,’” he added.

Mark Dorr is the president of the New York State Hospitality and Tourism Association.

Central New york Booking closer, not willing to pay as much for the room and cutting down on the length of the stays. Those are all critical areas for the Central New York hospitality area that is being looked at very closely, Dorr said.

The rates are still good; it’s just they are not able to increase them the way they were the last couple of years, he added.

“People are much more focused on the rates. They are looking for hotels where they can go and spend their money and do multiple things that maybe don’t cost that much money or are free — ‘what can I go see for a minimal price?’” he explained. “Especially in Central New York you’ve done a good job packaging things together.

“People are looking at hotels, with packages of things that the family can do that are not that expensive. ‘Book a room with us and hey, look at all the things you can do around us.’ That’s why marketing has become really crucial. You want people to come and stay three, four nights — but when you factor in your food, ice cream, you amusement, it becomes a big bill. So that’s a concern for the industry.

“There are always those big events — like the solar eclipse out by you guys that was really, really great. For the Capital Region, we just had the Belmont Stakes; that makes a whole month for folks in those areas. The marine sanctuary designation for Lake Ontario; all of those special events, are going to help any summer attraction. That is why a lot of hotels are trying to find partners more than ever.”

Legislator Mary Ellen “Mel” Chesbro

The State of Tourism in Oswego County

O

By Mary Ellen “Mel” Chesbro

swego County’s tourism encompasses destinations for all four seasons. Whether it is salmon fishing in the spring, baseball tournaments and ATVs in the summer, hunting in the fall or snowmobiling in the winter and multiple historical museums open all year which entices thousands of tourists to choose Oswego County over and over again.

While the Oswego County Legislature’s main mission is to be the financial stewards and policy makers for our residents, it is also very cognizant of the importance of the county’s quality of life. Tourism directly impacts both goals because it is an economical and environmental powerhouse for our county.

Not only does it provide activities to draw tourists to visit here but it provides important amenities for Oswego County residents to enjoy.

Tourism also provides opportunities for businesses to open and grow as it brings awareness to the importance of protecting our environment.

Every year the legislature approves funding and assistance to tourism entities such as Legends Field, Dr. Mary Walker, Camp Hollis, Camp Zerbe and snowmo-

bile clubs to name just a few. The legislature also works closely with Operation Oswego County/IDA to bring in new businesses to address the tourism trade.

Oswego County is home to the State Historical Fort Ontario, as well as several other museums that boast of our rich history. But it is the future that is ringing the bell for potential tourists to visit our county right now.

The recent announcement that Oswego was chosen to be home to the 16th Marine Sanctuary means we now have a national park akin to Yellowstone right here in Oswego County along the shores of Lake Ontario.

This was the product of 10 years of meetings and justification that finally won the hearts of Congress and the selection committee.

So yes, Oswego tourism is alive and well, bursting at the seams and growing in leaps and bounds!

Mary Ellen “Mel” Chesbro is Oswego County legislator and chairwoman of Promotion and Tourism, Planning and Community Development, Housing, Public Information, Mobility Management and Workforce Development.

TOURISM

BATTLE ISLAND: MORE THAN JUST A GOLF COURSE Rich history envelopes state park prior to America’s independence

By Tom and Jerry Caraccioli

56

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024

Brian Glover plays a round of golf during the annual St. Luke-Boyce Memorial Charity Golf Tournament recently.

D

uring the 2023 golf season in Central New York nearly 20,000 rounds of golf were played on a course along the Oswego River that got its name from a pre-Revolutionary War skirmish.

To this day, many of those golfers — and other visitors — probably are not even aware of the name’s significance.

While most visitors to Battle Island State Park and Golf Course are more concerned with birdies and pars on a course featuring 18 holes and 5,973 yards of manicured fairways and greens, this area played a vital role in the history and birth of America. The repercussions of what occurred on this land would be remembered in the burgeoning years and decades after our nation’s birth, as well as today.

Two decades before the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the rivers and lakes of Upstate New York, as well as west through the Ohio River Valley region, served as important waterways for commerce — especially fur trading.

Oswego, the area known today as Fulton and other surrounding lands, were key outposts and arteries in the flow of transport in and out of Lake Ontario. These areas up and down the Oswego River leading to Lake Ontario were the sites of wartime skirmishes featuring two of the most powerful countries in the world at that time — England and France.

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

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The Battle Island State Park and Golf Course features 18 holes and 5,973 yards of manicured fairways and greens. Many players and visitors are not aware of the significance of the site.

On July 3, 1756, one year following British Province of Virginia Major George Washington’s defeat at the Ohio River Valley in what would become known as the French and Indian War, the Battle of Battle Island commenced.

The battle began after a British fleet was ambushed by a party of French and Indians while returning from British outpost Fort Ontario in Oswego.

“It wasn’t that big of a battle,” Bob Coant, town of Volney historian said.

“It was more of a skirmish that lasted maybe three hours. British Colonel John Bradstreet was sent by General Sir Thomas Shirley, the Royal Governor of Massachusetts [1741 to 1759] and commander-in-chief of the British forces in North America, to Oswego to re-supply Fort Ontario and the other garrisons in Oswego — Fort George and Fort Oswego. Bradstreet had about 1,000 men and 700 stayed in Oswego. Most of the men were ship builders from New England and General Shirley wanted them in Oswego to build ships for the British Royal Navy.”

The Battle of Battle Island was fought in the Oswego River with bateau boats, which were brought to North America in 1603 and used primarily in colonial times for transporting trappers and goods through the interconnected waterways. They were especially effective for the French and British troops 58

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

in the lakes and rivers of Upstate New York.

“The overall outcome of the Battle of Battle Island proved that the French could be taken down,” Coant explained.

“Bradstreet and his men actually accomplished their mission of restocking the garrisons in Oswego. The battle occurred on the way back. French General Louis-Joseph de Montcalm and his men were late in stopping the English supply chain.

“At the time, it was a pivotal win for the English because months later Montcalm came back and totally annihilated the forts in Oswego. The British victory was very short lived. But in terms of its significance, it did save the area for the day,” Coant said.

Most of the 235 acres of state-owned land we know today was first owned

by F.A. Emerick.

In 1916, Emerick deeded the land to the state of New York. And in 1936, he designed Battle Island Golf Course in Fulton. Two years later, the land bearing the name of the 18th century French and Indian War skirmish became an official state park and was turned over to the state.

Today, Battle Island State Park is known more as a scenic Upstate New York State Park and golf course, as well as a place that offers magnificent vistas and plenty of space to cross country ski AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024

in the winter.

And in case the history of this parcel of land along the Oswego River is not known, it is remembered by a plaque proclaiming:

Battle Island Park Here and upon adjacent island now nearly submerged July 3, 1756 British forces under Captain Bradstreet repulsed an attack of French and Indians.

In the year 1916 this historical site was acquired by Frederick A. Emerick and presented to the State of New York under the jurisdiction of the American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society as a place for the pleasure and Recreation of the public In colonial America the battle was for life and death and supremacy of the waterways. These days, most of the skirmishes that take place for superiority at Battle Island involve Nassau bets, Best Ball Scrambles and fun and games.

Tom and Jerry Caraccioli are freelance writers originally from Oswego, who have co-authored two books: “Striking silver: The Untold Story of America’s Forgotten Hockey Team” and “Boycott: Stolen Dreams of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games.”

During the course of the summer “ice cream” season, Bev’s in Oswego caters to approximately 100,000 visitors and patrons.

TOURISM

Landmark Business Still Serving Treats Around ‘The Loop’ Under its third ownership since its 1947 start, ice cream stand in Oswego caters to about 100,000 patrons per season

By Tom and Jerry Caraccioli

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istorically, “the loop” was the turnaround spot for the local trolley heading in and out of the town of Oswego in the early- to mid-20th century.

Today if you ask an Oswegonian what “the loop” is, you’re sure to get a quick and resounding answer — “Rudy’s and Bev’s.”

While an order of a fish with chips and a Coke from Rudy’s is often an entrée for many who take a ride along the picturesque shoreline of Lake Ontario in southwest Oswego on any given summer evening, no trip around the loop is really complete without satisfying one’s sweet tooth with an ice cream from Bev’s.

Formally known as “Bev’s Dairy 60

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Treats,” the 1,200 square foot ice cream “emporium” has been serving up summer treats to locals, SUNY Oswego college students and visitors for nearly eight decades.

The original founder and owner was the family of Beverly (Mulcahey) Fragale, who died in 2020 at 88. Bev Mulcahey was 15 years old when her parents opened Bev’s Dairy Treats in 1947. The Mulcaheys got all their kids started in business and Bev wanted to run the ice cream stand. What started out as a 12x15 foot enclosed shack-like building from across the street where the campsites stood, turned into a business that Bev ran for more than 40 years. In 1984, the “shack” underwent a renovation that resulted in the Bev’s AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024

that is known today, more than four times bigger than its original structure.

In 1990, Ron Opanhoske assumed ownership and ran the seasonal business for 31 years adhering to a simple business philosophy: buy quality products and sell ice cream and other products at a reasonable price so that average individuals and their families can afford a treat.

The business always catered to people’s likes and didn’t try to get too fancy. Opanhoske also knew the sunsets over Lake Ontario and the college were and remain big reasons for the success of Bev’s.

“We had 10 hard ice cream flavors,” Opanhoske said. “They were the best sellers. Same thing with the soft ice

World famous Lake Ontario sunsets are a main attraction at Bev’s and “The Loop.”

cream. It was vanilla, chocolate and strawberry pretty much. Creamsicle was a big seller, too.

“You could have the same ice cream stand on a side road and it would do no business. You have to have a draw and not just the ice cream business.

The lake is the draw. Rudy’s is a complement to Bev’s and that’s part of it.

If people aren’t coming out for an ice cream, they’re coming out for a hot dog, hamburger or fish fry beforehand and then they finish it off with an ice cream.

They complement each other.”

After being under the ownership of Opanhoske, the nearly 80-year-old ice cream business was most recently sold in 2020 to life-long Oswego resident, businessman and entrepreneur Marty Faul, who also owns and operates “Marty’s Heating and Cooling” HVAC company.

“In the early 1980s when I was a kid, we use to walk from Hamilton Homes [East 10th Street in Oswego], go

through the college and out past Bev’s near Snake Swamp Road and then make our way back,” Faul reminisced. “It was always a thing for me when we would be waiting in line for ice cream to think how cool it would be to someday own Bev’s. After we ended up buying it, it was surreal. I couldn’t really believe that I actually owned Bev’s. It’s nostalgic.

And not many people are going to own it in our lifetime.”

Upon taking over Bev’s, the adage of giving the customer what they want continued to ring true for Faul as well.

Though he expanded on the flavors and number of soft serve dispensers, he hasn’t changed a formula that has been successful for as long as Bev’s.

“When we bought Bev’s, we had three soft serve machines and 10 hard ice cream flavors,” Faul said. “Now, we have 40 hard flavors and eight soft serve machines.” He estimates his ice cream stand caters to about 100,000 patrons per season.

And despite a drop in business during May when the college students pack up and return home for their summer vacation, business picks back up after the local kids get out of school in June for the summer months.

“Like any business, if you have satisfied customers you’ll probably do well because word of mouth is your best sales pitch,” Opanhoske said.

That is especially true when you sell a cold, delicious treat in the middle of a hot summer on the shores of a Great Lake while looking at one of the world’s most beautiful sunsets.

Tom and Jerry Caraccioli are freelance writers originally from Oswego, who have co-authored two books: “StrikingSilver: The Untold Story of America’s Forgotten Hockey Team” and “BOYCOTT: Stolen Dreams of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games.”

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TOURISM

In a Treehouse, a Railcar or in a Lighthouse. All Those Unique Places to Stay in CNY

By Mary Beth Roach

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Stainless-steel railcar on the shores of Skaneateles Lake near Homer is an option for people who are looking to rent a place to spend some time. The car, which is about 85 feet long, offers three bedrooms (one has a bunk bed), two bathrooms, and some original features. It comes with a view of the lake.

T

hose who seek a little more adventure on their vacation don’t have to travel too far to discover some unique rentals that are sure to make for some wonderful memories.

Come aboard Railroad buffs will want to hop aboard this historic and unique rental located on the southwestern edge of Skaneateles Lake, near Homer.

Sitting on a hillside on North Glen Haven Road is a stainless-steel railcar that was built in the 1930s by the Budd Company and bears the logo of the old Pennsylvania Railroad system. The car, which is about 85 feet long, offers three bedrooms (one has a bunk bed), two bathrooms, and some original features.

Across the road and down a staircase, renters have access to a 40-foot dock on nearly 200 feet of lakefront.

Inside the car, there is a hallway that opens up to the kitchen, dining and living areas. Off that hallway, are two bedrooms and a small bathroom, which features what appears to be a vintage temperature control panel. At the other end of the car is a master bedroom

and another bathroom, but the door leading into the master bedro o m h a s a stainedglass pane boasting the Pennsylvania Railroad logo. Outside, the deck offers views of the lake and there is a seating area with a firepit on the lawn. Across the one-lane road, there is a long staircase that leads to the dock and the waterfront. So, it has a lot of appeal for those who love water sports as well.

International businessman Ian de Souza bought the property in 2003 from Cortland Judge Charles Mullen, who had purchased it and with some Herculean efforts, brought it to the site in the mid-1970s. The de Souza family used it for several years before moving to another vacation spot on the lake.

Extensive upgrades were made over time, de Souza noted.

It’s fully booked from mid-June to early November. There are occasional

opportunities for winter rentals.

More info can be found on vrbo. com or Airbnb.com

For lighthouse lovers and anglers Renters at the Salmon River Lighthouse will not only be staying at fully operational lighthouse and a landmark on the National Register of Historic Places, they can also avail themselves of beautiful sunsets on Lake Ontario; charter a fishing boat at the marina on the property; canoe or kayak on the Salmon River or paddle out into Lake Ontario and enjoy a nearby private beach, according to Christian Burt, who manages the site with his wife, Abby.

The lighthouse is one part of the

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Renters at the Salmon River Lighthouse will not only be staying at fully operational lighthouse and a landmark on the National Register of Historic Places, they can also avail themselves of beautiful sunsets on Lake Ontario

Salmon River Lighthouse and Marina.

It also includes the marina and several other cottages.

According to its website salmonriverlighthousemarina.com, it was originally referred to as the Salmon River Light Station and was constructed in 1838 for $3,000. Throughout its history, it and surrounding grounds have served as a lighthouse, a prestigious hotel and even a hotspot for smugglers during Prohibition. But in the late 1980s, the site fell on hard times. But presently, it is undergoing a transformation that will provide for additional enhancements.

Today, renters can opt to for first floor or the second floor or the entire structure. The first floor includes living and dining rooms, a kitchen, a full bath, and one bedroom that sleeps two. The second floor has a living room with a hide-away bed, a bathroom and one bedroom. There is no kitchen, but it comes with a mini-fridge and coffee area.

And of course, Burt is happy to take renters on a tour to the top of the lighthouse to see its unique birdcage 64

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construction and take a walk on the catwalk outside. Other than the specific tours, the door to the top of the lighthouse is locked for safety reasons.

But if the top of the lighthouse wasn’t cool enough, there is a fireplace that dates back more than 100 years and while it’s not functional, there are hundreds of river stones that former guests have written messages on, dating back to the early 1900s, Burt said.

For more information and to book the lighthouse, visit salmonriverlighthousemarina.com

Escape to a treehouse Kids will often find that a treehouse is a perfect escape, but even those who are a little older now and love the outdoors can find their perfect escape at the The Rock House, which at 10 feet off the ground, is in a sense, a treehouse.

The building is approximately 10’ x 12’ and sits high atop an enormous boulder. Hence the name, The Rock House. It is owned by Sandy and Lou Maine and is located near Parishville, AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024

in the northwest part of the Adirondack Park, on the western branch of the St. Regis River.

It includes a futon; and a small dresser and shelving stocked with some soaps from Sandy’s Adirondack Fragrance and Flavor Farm. Outside, the Maines have added a kitchen pavilion, a Finnish sauna with a shower and an outhouse.

The setting of the house is a nature-lovers’ paradise. There are approximately four miles of trails, a landing where renters can borrow a canoe or kayak to take on the river and a swimming hole, according to Sandy.

The treehouse was built by Lou for their daughter when she was younger and he included windows with screens and tongue-and-groove pine, Sandy said. Later, a friend from New York City stayed there for a while and suggested to Sandy and Lou that they rent the place on Airbnb. Sandy said that, at first, they dismissed the idea. But after purchasing an adjacent property with an A-frame home, fixing that up and successfully renting that out, the Maines decided to

Kids will often find that a treehouse is a perfect escape, but even those who are a little older now and love the outdoors can find their perfect escape at the “The Rock House,” which at 10 feet off the ground, is in a sense, a treehouse. It is located near Parishville, in the northwest part of the Adirondack Park, on the western branch of the St. Regis River.

try renting the treehouse too.

As Sandy and Lou begin their fourth season of renting it, Sandy said that The Rock House is quite popular with tourists.

The Maines are very flexible with the rental periods —from one night to a week or more.

The Maines live on the property on Sylvan Falls Road in a farmhouse dating back to the mid-1800s, with The Rock House situated several hundred feet behind. Once renters park, the Maines have carts that can be used to transport visitors’ gear to The Rock House.

To view this, visit www.adkriversidecabin.com and to check about rentals and availabilities, visit Airbnb. com and click on Treehouses. Sandy is also happy to have visitors tour her business, which is five miles from The Rock House.

Being on the water —literally For travelers looking for something literally on the water, they can rent one

For travelers looking for something literally on the water, they can rent one of 11 lockmaster boats from Erie Canal Adventures.

of 11 lockmaster boats from Erie Canal Adventures and tour a stretch of the famed canal and its picturesque port towns.

Completed in 1825, the 363-milelong Erie Canal was instrumental in the commerce and development of the state and especially the cities along its shores.

It has been celebrated as a significant civil engineering achievement.

The 11 canal boats range in size from 34 to 42 feet and can be chartered for round trips of three, four or seven nights, according to Allie Keenan, an owner and vice president of operations of Erie Canal Adventures, based out of Macedon.

The roundtrip, seven-day itinerary, from Macedon to Lockport, is approximately 165 miles and goes through eight locks both ways. The roundtrip seven-night trip from Macedon to Baldwinsville is approximately 135 miles, and boaters experience going through locks 16 times, since there are eight locks one way.

The smaller boats have one private cabin with a double bed, the kitchen

area has a bench area that can be converted into a second sleeping area and a bathroom with shower; the larger boats have two cabins; and all the boats have a kitchen with a fridge, stove and oven, all kinds of utensils and even air conditioning. Base pricing starts at $2,635 and they will vary depending on the boat selected and rental length.

Special licenses are not required, but renters will receive a four-hour training program on the day of their departure, Keenan said. They begin with classroom-style training and then they will go out on the canal with one of the Erie Canal Adventures guides to go through water navigation training. This includes going through two locks and learning how to dock the boat properly.

Erie Canal Adventures bought the enterprise from Mid-Lake Navigation in 2019 and Keenan said that the rental adventures are very popular, drawing people from 40 states to the canal area.

Their season begins mid-May, when the canal opens, to mid-October.

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B&B Owner: ‘The Airbnbs Are a Thorn in My Side’ Bed & breakfast businesses lose guests as competition with Airbnb grows

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

S

ince its introduction in 2009, Airbnb and eventually other similar companies have changed public lodging, as private property owners can easily list everything from a tent campsite to an entire house for shortterm rental.

Travelers can find deals and property owners can make extra cash with the website acting as the middleman to screen both parties and handle the transaction aspects. For bed-and-breakfast owners, Airbnb disrupted their livelihood.

“The Airbnbs are a thorn in my side,” said Cookie Green, co-owner of The Comfort Zone Bed and Breakfast in Altmar. “There’s a number of them that have gone up here. The campgrounds have their own regulations, but everyone thinks they can put a bunch of trailers on their properties and that’s not always the case.”

She and husband Lenny have operated the B&B since 2009. Green resents that she must pay state and county taxes since her lodging operates as a standard B&B and that she must abide by regulations that Airbnb operators don’t.

Despite the competition from Airbnbs, Green said that her vacancy rates are low, as she and Lenny have built a clientele who primarily come to Altmar for fishing on the Salmon River and occasional guests who’ve come to the area for a special event. As for the anglers, “we have the same guys who come around the same time,” Green said. “Once people book a spot and like it, they stay. We’re not fancy but we’re clean and provide everything.”

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Pets are welcome, which draws some visitors. Guests can enjoy a firepit, pavilion and grills outside.

One thing that The Comfort Zone doesn’t have is a robust online presence.

Green said she and Lenny are “not very computer literate” and guests need to reserve a room over the phone.

Exposure is what spurred Ophelia Papworth Blakely to list Ophelia’s Garden Inn in Syracuse on Airbnb.

Blakely said that in the 22 years she has operated the B&B, she still hears from guests that they had never heard of her three-acre property on Tipperary Hill. Although she thinks that most of her guests come by word-of-mouth advertising, she hosts about six guests a year through Airbnb (although some may spot her on the app and choose to book directly).

“I know that it’s the way of the future,” Blakely said. “If you don’t join them, you’re being left behind. This is Syracuse. If they’re going to the Finger Lakes or a special little town, they’re more inclined to look for a B&B.” The encroachment of Airbnb initially cut her business in half. Blakely saw other B&B owners lose their livelihood.

As a retiree, she doesn’t rely upon the business.

Brad Ano bought The Bayview Marina in Pulaski a few years ago and listed his cabins on Airbnb, despite operating as a standard place of lodging.

In addition to the increased publicity, Ano felt that Airbnb’s insurance policy helps protect the host.

“They have a website and it gives us some exposure to new clients,” Ano AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024

said. “Airbnb takes their credit card information so we don’t have to worry about the transaction. It’s convenient.”

It also helps guests screen places to stay since they can read unbiased reviews from previous travelers and hosts can check out the reputation of guests.

“I think most B&Bs are starting to list their places on sites like Airbnb,” Ano said. “It’s exposure to more clients.

They have their options of a bunch of different places.”

Joshua Romero co-owner of Black Creek Farm Bed and Breakfast in Red Creek, Cayuga County, bought the property in 2017.

After the new business survived the quarantine, Romero decided he needed to expand the business to include event space. The property’s renovated barn has proven an ideal location for hosting events such as weddings. The B&B side of the business meshes well with the event space. Brides typically rent the entire B&B for the bridal party for the weekend so they can attend the rehearsal on-site Friday night, host the rehearsal dinner there and get wed the next day.

“Whatever guests are staying they have one more breakfast on Sunday morning,” Romero said. “We have one per weekend. We try to have them so they’re not back-to-back so the property can reset. Our magic number is a dozen a year.”

The house offers air conditioning.

But the barn where the weddings are held gets too hot for weddings in August. That’s when the wedding season pauses.

Although families can check in to take all four rooms, they can also be rented individually. Romero doesn’t enforce a minimum stay requirement.

A one-night stay is okay.

Romero said that his venue tried listing on Airbnb early in the B&B’s operation, “but it’s not our customer,” he said. “We make breakfast and when we rent out the house; guests often don’t have the entire house, like on Airbnb.

We wait on you hand and foot and cater to what you need.”

Many Airbnb lodgings offer a place to stay, but little personal attention.

“When you drive in, there’s a welcome sign and your name on your parking spot,” Romero said. “Your room is labeled with your name. Everything is personalized and people like that.

They drive onto our property and know exactly where to park and where their room is.”

Tim Nekritz nekritz@gmail.com

Midway Drive-In Keeps on Trucking Through Challenges Once upon a time, in the 1950s, the American drivein was a cultural icon and booming business, as more than 5,000 such establishments brought outdoor entertainment across the U.S. map. Today, less than 300 remain, making the Midway Drive-In and other remaining drive-ins a link between past, present and future.

It’s currently the oldest continually operating drive-in theater in the state, according to its owner

I

t’s a pretty perfect and cool summer night and children run around playing as they wait for the Midway Drive-In’s featured attraction to begin. Kids who barely even know each other play tag and duck-duck-goose, while teens hit around a volleyball.

Then the big screen lights up, families gather on blankets, in portable chairs or in their vehicles, mirroring the way this magical outdoor theater has entertained generations.

And yet the road to the Midway’s 76th season, which began in June with a sold-out screening of “Inside Out 2” and “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” has been far from easy, especially for the last decade.

Once upon a time, in the 1950s, the American drive-in was a cultural icon and booming business, as more than 5,000 such establishments brought outdoor entertainment across the U.S. map. Today, less than 300 remain, making the Midway and other remaining drive-ins a link between past, present and future.

The Midway spans back past even those halcyon days. In 1948, brothers Irving and Ruben Canter established what has become a seasonal institution and intergenerational tradition along Route 48 near Minetto and between Oswego and Fulton, a geographical midway stop for family entertainment.

A love story TIM NEKRITZ is director of news and media for SUNY Oswego, where he spearheads telling the stories of the campus community.

in Oswego,” said John Nagelschmidt, who steers the helm of the family business. “They first became close in 1961, when each of them began working at the Midway to save money for college at SUNY Oswego. In 1966 they married, began managing the theater and my father began his teaching career at G. Ray Bodley High School in Fulton. They even lived in a small apartment under the screen that had been built by the Midway founding brothers, Irving and Ruben Canter.”

Growing up in the family business gave John perspective as to why the driveins in general and the Midway locally, claim such a large place in the communities where they still exist.

“Drive-ins are so special because they provide a fun and relaxing environment to escape from the daily grind,” Nagelschmidt said. “It’s a great place for everything from family outings to first dates; to solo nights out and meeting up with old friends and new.”

On the gorgeous Friday night in late June when my son and I were among a very full field settling in for “Inside Out 2,” you could see the sense of community and wonder that spans decades in this vast space. The concession stand was humming as plenty of popcorn, soda, pizza and more moved efficiently. A crowd spanning all ages and walks of life shared a communal experience that is increasingly rare in these days of smaller digital screens.

“The magic really settles into the lush Midway at showtime when the screen lights go off and the big screen lights up, with a beautiful sunset as the backdrop,” Nagelschmidt said. “That soon gives way to stars on the big screen and shooting stars above. Add a soft breeze and it’s paradise

Tim’s Notes

For the Nagelschmidt family, the Midway’s current owners, their role with the drive-in began as a love story more than 60 years ago.

“My mom and dad, Judy and John Nagelschmidt V, were both born and raised

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Sunset at Midway Drive-In. “The magic really settles into the lush Midway at showtime when the screen lights go off and the big screen lights up, with a beautiful sunset as the backdrop,” says drive-in theater owner, John Nagelschmidt.

on Earth.”

But running a drive-in hasn’t always been heaven for any proprietor.

“By the ‘80s, American drive-in theater attendance had long been declining,” Nagelschmidt explained. “The home video revolution and VCRs were the death knell for most drive-ins that remained.”

By this time, larger corporations were purchasing drive-ins from the mom-and-pop operations, given the decreasing margins. AT-KO Canton owned the Midway at the time, with many other theatrer.

“In 1987 AT-KO Canton … offered the Midway to my parents at a reasonable price and they went for it,” Nagelschmidt said. “It was a labor of love. I feel Mom and Dad made a big impact on the entire drive-in theater industry, as they shifted focus to a family-emphasized model. My dad, John Nagelschmidt V, was, and still is, legendary in the small but tight-knit drive-in theater owners community.”

The younger John Nagelschmidt went back to work for his father in 2013, as the Midway transitioned from 35mm analog film to digital.

“We had ongoing problems with our new $100,000 digital projection system setup,” Nagelschmidt said.

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shows in those first two digital seasons than he had in his previous 52 seasons combined. Each night, we never knew if the show would start when I hit the play button. We both gained quite a few gray hairs.”

A community rallies An even bigger disaster loomed as a microburst with severe thunderstorms ripped through the area on July 8, 2014, destroying the site’s original 66-year-old wooden screen tower.

But in that hour of darkness, just like in classic movies, the community came together to ensure the screen would glow again.

“Our community rallied to the rescue and contributed almost half the cost of the replacement screen tower,” Nagelschmidt recalled. “The Midway was nearly destroyed, but it roared back to life just two months after the storm.

All in thanks to the intense work of hundreds of people and the generosity of thousands.”

But even that setback paled in comparison to April 2017, when John Nagelschmidt V died after suffering massive injuries in a backhoe accident on site.

“It was the hardest challenge of my life so far, to run the show without ‘Big AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024

John,’” said the man who sometimes refers to himself as “Little John.” Once again, amid tragedy, the drive-in’s community was there for support.

“He was the man behind the curtain,” he said. “I had so much to learn and I had to learn it quick, while still in an extended state of shock and disbelief that my dad had really died that way, in the shadow of the screen that this community built together. His lifetime was cinematic, with a stunning finale.

I’m infinitely grateful that folks came together to save the drive-in and, in the process, proved to my dad just how much his life’s work was appreciated.”

Even as the next generation “still felt Dad’s spirit strongly at his cherished Midway and we carried on as we knew he would insist,” Nagelschmidt said, the COVID-19 pandemic “was a near-killer.”

“We’re still digging our way out of that hole,” Nagelschmidt said. “While drive-ins got a lot of attention as one of the first public places to reopen, Hollywood pulled all their films from release. For two to three seasons we had very little new content to play. And while a night at the drive-in is a much broader experience than just watching a movie, crowd size is very dependent on the mass appeal of the titles we are showing each week.”

John Nagelschmidt, also known as “Little John,” is the owner of Midway Drive-In, a business which has been owned by his family since 1987. The facility started its 76th season in June with a sold-out screening of “Inside Out 2” and “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.” He is shown between the old cinematic reel projector on the right, with the new digital projector at left.

Studios, with traditional movie theatres as their primary distribution focus, turned to streaming of new releases sooner than usual, sometimes simultaneously with their debut in theaters.

“Many, many movie venues, indoor and out, were forced to shut down permanently, as people increasingly stayed home on their devices,” Nagelschmidt said. “But, I think the industry is coming back to life.”

Little John had his own health challenge this year, as just when he was preparing to gear up for 2024, he had strong diverticulitis attacks, leading to a major surgery and month-long hospitalization. That set back opening night by six months. Nagelschmidt worried about not taking better care of himself, but appreciated the support and patience of the drive-in’s “awesome community” during his recuperation.

“I love my homeland of Oswego County and Central New York,” Nagelschmidt said. “There’s no place I’d rather be. People here are as good as they come.”

And those supporters have been key to surviving “a wild past decade,” he noted.

“Night by night, it’s really our cherished regular customers that carried me through the loss of my dad and they still do today,” Nagelschmidt said. “They mourned alongside me.

When the entire facility suddenly felt so much different than I’d known it

since I was a baby, the smiling faces of our regulars were the consistency that buoyed me. Every season, new folks discover us, new friends are made and countless memories continue to be born under the stars in beautiful Minetto. We can only be there because folks keep coming back.”

Behind the scenes, the team remains strong, seamlessly and cheerfully taking care of the large crowds that greeted the opening of the 2024 season.

“I have taken on my dad’s role as a kind of ‘captain of the ship’, but there’s no way I could’ve gotten through any of it without the dedicated work and tireless support of my family and our beloved staff,” Nagelschmidt said. “My mom has been a miracle worker. She should be credited just as vigorously as my father for their steadfast efforts in sustaining the majestic Midway through all these years.”

Looking forward The 2024 season started tremendously with the hot blockbuster of “Inside Out 2” which helped drive-in theaters everywhere by packing in the cars and families. But Nagelschmidt continues to look forward to how to meet the challenges of running a small business that relies on summer weather and Hollywood hits.

“We have lots of plans to streamline and expand our concession services

to reduce wait times on busy nights,” Nagelschmidt said. “Purchases in our snack bar really keep the lights on, because the studios take at least half of each admission ticket we sell. We’re off to a great start to finally turn a profit for the first time in years and we invest every penny back into the business. There’s always expensive upgrades that need to be made, most notably in keeping up with the ever-changing technology of digital cinema.”

Despite the obstacles, the Midway Drive-In remains more than a business — it is an asset that unites and benefits from the community.

“But one of the really special things about the Midway is that when we all come together there, we not only step out of our hectic realities for a relaxing evening,” Nagelschmidt said. “We also step back in time. We at the theater try our hardest to adapt to change, while retaining the classic Americana charm that folks have known and loved at the Midway Drive-In Theater, for generations.”

And those generations keep the drive-in experience, and the Midway, alive and thriving on many a summer night.

“It’s so neat to see parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles bringing the next generation and continuing the cycle of tradition at the Midway,” Nagelschmidt said. “For many of us here in Oswego County and Central New York, the Midway is all we know of the great American drive-in experience. It’s currently the oldest continually operating drive-in theater in the state.”

It remains a family business, with John’s sister, Heidi, her partner, Bill Hayden, and her grown son, Mitchell, among the team still making the magic happen. The Nagelschmidts realize that their role remains key to what has become a community treasure. “l consider my parents true heroes in keeping the tradition alive; from when they started working there when the drive-in was only 13 years old, until today,” Nagelschmidt said. “My family is dedicated to carrying on the tradition of our community’s little gathering place on the river, where we can all meet mid-way and leave our differences at home. But we consider ourselves just the caretakers. It is this community’s trademark devotion that has indelibly intertwined the Midway into our local history. It’s rich with cherished memories for generations of folks, forged over the past 76 straight summers.”

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TOURISM

Play Ball!

Premier sports baseball and softball tournaments fill Oswego’s Legends Fields all summer

By Tom and Jerry Caraccioli

W

ith its inceptive roots firmly planted in the fields of nearby towns and cities throughout New York state — most notably Cooperstown — today the game of baseball still brings to mind a pastime of fun-filled summer days and evenings playing a game loved by millions.

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Though the days of local Little League teams including the Elks, Davis Meats, K of C, as well as T.J. Burke’s, Firemen, Police and others vying for the Oswego City Championship in the Westside vs. Eastside format still exists, the relative importance of those championship days have faded with the AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024

advent of travel team tournament play.

For the past 15 years, travel baseball and softball has become the norm rather than the exception in youth leagues.

Youth baseball in Oswego also has noted the change of an advanced competitive and economic evolution.

Travel team baseball and softball, as well as the area’s Premier Sports and Champions Events led by Jerry and Justin Arsenault and Sondra Sawmiller, has turned Oswego into a hotbed of summer youth baseball and softball tournaments. Steady growth of Premier Sports and Champions Events since 2019 has resulted in a tournament schedule that has teams from across New York, New Jersey, all six New England states, as well as Michigan and Virginia in and

BIG ECONOMIC IMPACT: The Port City area will once again host close to 10,000 visitors for the Champions Events with more than 500 baseball teams and 200 softball teams that include 14 players and coaches on each, as well as other family members. Photos courtesy of Premier Sports/Champions Events

out of Oswego from April to October.

This spring and summer the Port City and area will once again host close to 10,000 visitors for the Champions Events with more than 500 baseball teams and 200 softball teams that include 14 players and coaches on each, as well as other family members.

“We are in all parts of Oswego County,” Jerry Arsenault said. “The impact is felt from Fulton to Oswego, northern and southern Oswego County to Pulaski because we book every hotel in the area that is available for our teams. The restaurants, gas stations and all businesses take advantage of 10,000 people coming through the area for tournaments.” It’s safe to say that millions of dollars in economic benefits

are a result in the cities and county coffers.

Te a m s traveling and playing at Legends Fields are made to feel special and part of something bigger than a baseball tournament.

“Our tournaments are professionally managed from the time they arrive,” Arsenault added. “We have parking lot attendants, our grille and food are restaurant quality and the registration app

we use is convenient and user-friendly. Also, our umpires are really, really good. They are unparalleled. Quality of staff is another real difference maker.”

A facet that also sets Champions Events and Premier Sports apart from other tournaments trying to get a piece of the travel baseball and softball business is investment in the community and facilities. All six fields underwent improvements with the installation of turf infields. Six new batting cages, lighting was updated and a new parking lot can accommodate up to 300 cars.

Having six fields in one location is an advantage because families aren’t traveling all over the place. They are

in one location and it creates a baseball carnival atmosphere. The new turf fields mean rain and inclement weather won’t affect delays and cancellations as much.

Each team that comes to play in the baseball and softball tournaments are guaranteed at least four games, which means most of them are coming to the area beginning on Thursday.

“With all the new renovations taking place, we’re hoping we can expand the weeks of play,” Arsenault wishfully said. “With turf fields it’s possible.

“The atmosphere, cooking, staff, as well as former Major League players coming in to speak with the kids is second to none. We also have introduced a recruiting component in which our team helps the players and families get to the next level — high school, college and maybe beyond someday. The other thing I also like is with baseball and softball games going on at the same time it generates a real family atmosphere all the time.”

Arsenault also is thankful others in Oswego city and county government understood the potential positive impact as well.

“We are grateful to former Mayor Barlow, Mayor Corradino, county legislator James Weatherup and Oswego County Director of Community Development, Tourism and Planning Tim Stahl who really understood this vision,” he said.

And though he isn’t sure of the exact economic impact of Champions Events’ baseball and softball tournaments have, one aspect of the tournaments’ impact Arsenault is definitely sure of is the role they have in generating a fun, positive family experience.

Tom and Jerry Caraccioli are freelance writers originally from Oswego, who have co-authored two books: “Striking Silver: The Untold Story of America’s Forgotten Hockey Team” and “Boycott: Stolen Dreams of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games.”

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The Top Events that Draw Tourists to CNY

Whether locals or out-of-towners, events mean business for CNY

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

T

he positive economic effects of special events may be deceiving.

For example, the Oswego PRO AM Fishing Tournament may seem like a simple three days of fishing. However, the economic ripple travels far from where the sinker plops into the water.

Consider that there’s the purchase of the fishing license, equipment, bait, apparel, boat rental, launch fees and fuel.

Some of these may be purchased elsewhere, but while anglers participate in the PRO AM, “they spend tourist dollars at restaurants in Oswego,” said Chris Kenyon as an example. Kenyon is a lifelong outdoorsman and outdoor recreation writer. Kenyon also provides fishing reports on contract for the Wayne 72

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County Department of Tourism.

He added that many people who participate in the PRO AM stay for a week and pay for lodging and docking fees, as well as for entertainment in the Oswego area beyond the tournament.

The following top events draw thousands to the area and stimulate the local economy in their wake.

• NYS Fair, Syracuse (https:// nysfair.ny.gov) — draws over 900,000 peoplefor all 13 days (932,699 attended the fair last year). Live stage entertainment, animal exhibits and competitions, circus, petting zoo, butter sculpture, street performers, cultural appreciation exhibits, midway, food and vendors spill across 375 acres for non-stop action.

The New York State Fair is frequently

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024

ranked among the nation’s top state fairs for its scope and variety.

• Harborfest, Oswego (www.oswegoharborfest.com) — 75,000; More than 30 music performances and attractions, vendors, midway and fireworks display draw crowds to this event annually.

• Syracuse International Jazz Fest (https://syracusejazzfest.com) — 16,500; five days. A variety of venues host a bevy of popular local and international jazz artists.

• Taste of Syracuse (www.tasteofsyracuse.com) — 200,000; two days.

Samples of local restaurants’ foods, three stages of live music and local vendors kick off summer at this event that stretches from Clinton Square to the Chase Building downtown.

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• New York State Blues Festival, Syracuse (www.nysbluesfest.com) — 20,000; three days. Twenty acts take to Chevy Stage at the New York State Fairgrounds.

• Syracuse Winterfest (https://syracusewinterfest.com) — 100,000; 10 days.

Dozens of activities and events indoors and outdoors entertain the crowds, including cookoffs, games, entertainment and fireworks.

• Polish Festival, Syracuse (https:// polishscholarship.org three days) and St. Sophia’s Greek Cultural Festival, Syracuse (https://www.syracusegreekfest.com four days) — attendance unclear. These family-friendly events focus on the food, music, clothing, customs and other traditional aspects of two of Syracuse’s most vibrant cultural communities.

• Syracuse Nationals (www.syracusenationals.com) — 86,000; three days. As the largest car show in the Northeast, this event attracts auto exhibitors and vendors from across the country for competitions, entertainment and food. Participants in the show display more than 8,000 gleaming hotrods.

• Renaissance Festival, Sterling (www.sterlingfestival.com) — attendance unclear; 14 days. Visitors immerse themselves in a “Renaissance-styled theme park” of 35 acres boasting 12 entertainment stages, jousts and duels, costumed hosts, craft vendors and period food, such as roasted turkey legs. The weekends feature different themes and special events that celebrate life in 1585.

An event that doesn’t bring too many people to the region is the Oswego PRO/AM Fishing Tournament (www.oswegoproam.com) — it draws approximately 200 during its three days. Professional and amateur participants form teams to compete for cash prizes and glory while fishing for salmon, steelhead and trout. The economic impact of the event, however, is significant

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AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024

SUNY Professor Earns Award for Civic Learning Leadership

S

UNY Oswego political science professor Allison Rank’s work on civic engagement recently earned the Barbara Burch Award from the American Association of State Colleges and Universities’ American Democracy Project (ADP).

The selection committee was impressed with “her work in deepening democratic ideals and civic engagement into the SUNY Oswego campus structure,” wrote Cathy Copeland, director of the American Democracy Project. “Her personal drive to serve the greater good and to create avenues of opportunity for students is admirably displayed through her efforts to … create and sustain Vote Oswego, and advance the scholarship on political engagement, among her many other impressive contributions.”

O S W E G O N Y.O RG The award recognizes exemplary faculty leadership in advancing the civic learning of undergraduates. ADP has seen Rank’s skills and continued professional development first-hand, as she serves on its steering committee and AN K YOU as an ADP Civic Fellow, and previously HE FOLLOWING FOR its Civic Engagement Assessment OF PHOTOSon IN THIS CHURE: Working Group. wego County Tourism InOffice nearly a decade on SUNY Oswego’s campus, Rank “has reinvigorated the American politics curriculum and civic engagement on this campus,” Scott Furlong, SUNY Oswego’s provost and vice president for academic affairs, wrote in nominating Rank. “Allison is deeply committed to preparing civic leaders and has been successful because of how she brings together scholarship, teaching, and practice.”

Rank said she was very flattered by this award, given its level of prestige.

“I think of the Burch award going to faculty on campus who have established something quite substantial,” Rank said. “I think we’re working toward it.

There’s so much more that I want to do and can do to support SUNY Oswego.”

She had previously won the organization’s John Saltmarsh Award for Emerging Leaders in Civic Engagement in 2019. “For them to see that I’m not only continuing the work but having more of a presence in this work is very gratifying,” Rank said.

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Welcome to Oswego, New York Where Family Meets Community.

I ON T A LOR AUTY Wher P X E T e WATERFRON G BE N I K A Meets BREATHT

OSWEGONY.ORG

Downtown Living

Be in the heart of it all with views of the water — Oswego River and Lake Ontario — shopping, dining, outdoor recreation, including riverwalk trails. Young professionals, empty nesters, families — hundreds make their home right in Downtown Oswego.

The downtown living offers a variety of options to suit everyone's specific needs. And the living spaces themselves, from modern apartments and condos to spacious lofts in historic buildings, are beautifully distinctive.

Entertainment

The Oswego area bolsters a wide vareity of events yearround from festivals, world-class fishing, movie theater & a drive-in theater, several music and performing arts groups, races and derbies, museums and historical sites, bustling night life and accommodations available in walking distance to attractions. There is something for every individual and family to choose from.

Where URBA Meets EXCEPTI

Expanding Community

Our community is always expanding, creating new activities for you and your family. Places for business to grow and thrive. Elected officals that push for clean streets, and better quality of life for its citizens and visitors.

A Year-Round Destination of Fun!

OSWEGONY.ORG

Oswego, New York is a waterfront community located on the Southeastern shore of Lake Ontario and along the Oswego River. The city is embarking on a transformation to build upon its strengths to embrace our rich history, natural assets, and promotes the development and restoration of healthy, vibrant neighborhoods surrounding Oswego’s downtown.

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COVER

Greene Point Marina: Photo of Chuck Wainwright

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A SUMMER DESTINATION FOR SCORES OF CAMPERS FOR NEARLY 120 YEARS Greene Point Marina & Mobile Home Park in Sandy Pond has been owned by the same family for over a century. The fourth generation is now in charge

By Stefan Yablonski

T

here are several women-owned businesses in and around Oswego County. Many have been around for quite some time.

However, Greene Point Marina & Mobile Home Park LLC can trace its roots back more than a century.

The single-family business spans four generations and 119 years.

Welcome to Greene Point Marina, a hidden gem of Oswego County.

The scent of campfires’ smoke mingles with the pine on the Lake Ontario breeze. Located on the east coast of the lake, the 95-slip marina and campground is run by two sisters.

“We’ve been here our whole lives.

Our great-grandfather built three two-story cottages back in 1905; they were all pine, knotty pine, tongue and groove. People used to write on the walls ‘I was here in 19-whatever.’ I think they built them on railroad ties or whatever they had,” said Cheryl Yerdon. “They really started the business back then.

Before that it was just cattle pastures and chestnut groves.”

She and her sister, Cathleen Goodnough, run the business; taking the reins from their mother, Linda Goodnough.

The land has been in their family for a long time.

Stephen Lindsey was one of the first settlers there.

“But really it was our great-grandfather who put the marina together in 1905,” Cheryl explained.

The two sisters are in charge of the marina and mobile home park located on Sandy Pond, right next to Lake Ontario. They are the great-granddaughters of Captain Lindsey Greene and Faith Christine Greene.

Captain Greene and Faith Christine Greene had two daughters.

“We are the fourth generation to operate this business. We’re a marina and a mobile home park. Our great-grandfather started it. He passed away and then his wife maintained it,” Cathy said.

“After our great-grandfather died, Faith took it over and ran it with her two daughters — one of which was our grandmother, Christine Sawyer.

Now mom has it and is running it with us — her two daughters,” Cheryl said.

“We think that’s a great parallel!”

“I am the mobile home park manager and Cathleen is the marina manager,” Cheryl continued.

However their job descriptions don’t always fit into a nice little title.

“We do what is needed to keep all of our folks happy here at Greene Point,” she added.

“I operate equipment; do what I need to do to keep everything running.

I’m the dock master. Cheryl is the mobile home park manager. We have a part-time helper here and we hire out individually contract labor for items that need to be repaired in the park,” Cathy added.

“It’s been a lot of hard work,” she said. “We flooded and had to rebuild in 2017 and then it flooded again in 2019.

We worked on the docks and breakwall — kind of put our place back together after the 2017 flooding and again 2019.

We have a beautiful 17-mile-long white sand beach.

It’s one of the best beaches around that’s only accessible by boat. We have pontoon boat rental and trailer rentals that are right on the water.”

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Summer destination

Greene Point Marina featuresa vast array of memorabilia that celebrates the marina’s 119 year.

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Since 1905, scores of families have enjoyed the serene views from Greene Point. Linda’s grandfather, Captain Greene, established Greene Point as a family resort area.

Today hundreds of people call Greene Point their summer home, Cheryl said. Many of the campers are multi-generational having returned summers for decades, she added.

“It’s funny how people just came here and they would work for room and board and stay the summer,” Cheryl said. “They might have professed to be builders, but they really weren’t. They didn’t even have the house at the end of the road, built that around 1940.”

“This building [office] was built around 1945 – 1948,” Cathy added.

They started out with a little yellow building, a boathouse and an ice house; they’d cut all the ice in the winter and that’s where they stored it.

Nearly 120 years of memorabilia is packed into every nook and cranny at the office.

Captain Lindsey Greene was “a traveling showman.” He and his crew had four ships and traveled up and down the intracoastal waterways, collecting rare animals and artifacts, according to the sisters.

He’d charge people a small fee to board his ship and see the strange collections from his travels.

There was a museum here after they put the boats aside.

“They created the three main camps in 1905 that serve as the base for the marina today,” Cheryl explained. “They built the museum, too, where they took all the artifacts off the boats and put them on display.”

In the summer, tourists would come to “Whale City” to see the museum at Greene Point.

“The stuff was all sold to a couple of guys from Connecticut. I have no idea where all that stuff went to — but there was a giant sunfish, all kinds of things in this museum that people wouldn’t have seen because people didn’t travel,” she said.

One of the last boats was a 51-foot double mast sailboat which ended up in the docks over in Sodus.

“It’s what they used to travel up and down the coastal waterways with and they would summer here. They would go down to Cuba, the Bahamas and pick up all this stuff,” she said.

Captain Greene’s ship eventually sank, but he was knee-deep into build-

Running the show at Greene Point are Cathleen Goodnough (center) and Cheryl Yerdon (right).

Their mother, 88-year-old Linda Goodnough, is on the left. Photo of Chuck Wainwright

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ing a stationary family business by then.

However, you can still see the hull of what the family calls the ‘pirate ship’ — at the bottom of Sodus Bay when the water is low, she added.

The whole shore at Greene Point was dotted with little camps. The museum was made into three or four apartments for people to rent.

“Grandpa and Grandma — Robert and Christine Sawyer — helped build the cottages and catered to fishermen,” Cathy said. “They would come into town via the train at Lacona. Robert would pick them up at the train station and bring them down to Greene Point.”

“To be honest, I can’t remember not operating a boat or working behind the counter,” Cathy mused. “I worked the snack bar for the longest time and eventually graduated to the marina.”

“We’ve pretty much been taking care of the public since we were very young. I started when I was 11 — you couldn’t do that now,” she quipped.

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Praise from mom “They’re doing a good job of keeping everything running smoothly,” Linda Goodnough said of her daughters. “I’m 88 years old and don’t do as much as I did.”

Their mother has put in her time here behind the counter for nearly 60 years and its time she enjoyed her retirement, the sisters agreed.

“She still comes to the marina every day to visit with whoever comes in the door,” Cheryl said.

There are five parks in the mobile home park and each one has a canal.

“We have seven canals. Our grandfather fashioned them after Miami. If you go to Florida, you’ll see a canal behind a trailer. Our grandfather saw people’s homes, trailers or camps on one side and they’d dock their boat right beside it. So he fashioned Greene Point after places he had seen down south,” Cheryl said.

“Our intent is to carry on that traAUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024

dition and make Greene Point a family favorite vacation spot,” she said. “The three of us have been running it since 2006.”

They are taking a wait and see attitude as to whether or not the next generation will continue the family tradition.

Weathering the Storms Greene Point Marina, owned

by Cathy Goodnough and Cheryl Yerdon in the town of Sandy Creek, serves the recreational and commercial boating market on Sandy Pond and Lake Ontario. The business had substantial damages from lakeshore flooding a few years back, but was able to completely rebuild in phases between 2020 and 2022 with financial assistance provided

by Operation Oswego County and the County of Oswego Industrial Development Agency (COIDA).

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TOURISM

Fall fishing on the Salmon River in Pulaski.

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FISHING SEASON REMAINS A BIG DRAW FOR CNY A program by the Department of Environmental Conservation to boost the king salmon population has helped boost the number of the popular fish species

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

T

he fishing season for CNY is proving a good one.

“Salmon fishing has never been better at Lake Ontario,” said Chris Kenyon, lifelong outdoorsman and outdoor recreation writer. Kenyon also provides fishing reports on contract for the Wayne County Department of Tourism. “Fishing is good in the bays. The salmon fishing is astounding. Charter guys are going out on their limits. They take out four clients out and they come in early. They may do brown trout closer to shore and then go out for salmon.”

He anticipates a busy season for the Seneca River and other waterways as well.

A program by the Department of Environmental Conservation to boost the king salmon population has helped boost the number of the popular fish species. Wayne, Onondaga and Oswego counties raised in net pens hundreds of thousands of salmon beginning on April 11. Between these projects and the DEC’s standard fish releases, that’s a total of 1,122,840 salmon.

Of course, local anglers benefit from the salmon bonanza; however, Kenyon said that the surge of salmon also draws fishing tourism.

“A lot of people are from Pennsylvania, and they come regularly for their

vacation,” Kenyon said. “They fish from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. or 2 and then go to the restaurants. They might stay overnight.

It’s a lot of tourism dollars.”

He added that the region’s fishing tournaments are “an excellent thing for tourism. They bring more people in.”

Tournaments may draw as many as 200 people each.

“They might dock their boat for a week, reserve spots to stay and go out to eat — and that’s dollars spent,” Kenyon said. “They might come in for a week.”

Places of lodging are one example of types of businesses that benefit from the influx of those who come to the region for fishing.

“Lake Ontario still provides an idea environment for fishing enthusiasts and while other activities and attractions might shine brighter for some tourists, the area is a wonderful place to cast a line and enjoy the views,” said Patrick Dong, owner of Sunset RV Park in Oswego. “It remains an iconic summer activity that many among our guests enjoy during their trips to the Oswego area.”

At The Comfort Zone Bed And Breakfast in Altmar, co-owner Cookie Green said that “fishing lodging is primarily what we do. From August through November, we’re busy for salmon. Until April, we have steelhead

fishermen. Fishing is going well.”

Her husband, Lenny, is an avid fisherman and enjoys engaging guests with impromptu “fishing lessons” as requested so they can enjoy a successful outing.

Fishing also attracts many of the guests staying at Sunset RV Park in Oswego. Owner Patrick Dong believes that “Lake Ontario still provides an ideal environment for fishing enthusiasts and while other activities and attractions might shine brighter for tourists, the area is a wonderful place to cast a line and enjoy the views,” he said. “It remains an iconic summer activity that many among our guests enjoy during their trips to the Oswego area.”

King Salmon Net Pen Rearing Numbers • Niagara River: 90,000 kings • Eighteen Mile Creek: 138,210 • Oak Orchard: 138,210 • Genesee River: 138,210 • Sodus Bay: 90,000 • Oswego River: 138,210

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AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024

HEALTHCARE SPECIAL

CNY’s Competition to Get Cancer Patients ConnextCare Extends Dental Care to Oswego City School District Remember Telemedicine? Find Out Why it’s Not As Popular Oswego Health Acquires its First Robotic Surgical Platform Oswego Y Now Offers Chronic Disease Management Programs

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

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HEALTH

Competing for Cancer Patients in CNY

The market just became more competitive with the entry of St. Joseph’s Health: Does Central New York have enough cancer patients?

By Aaron Gifford

F

or years, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center advertised in Central New York, confident that prospective cancer parents would decide against selecting a closer provider if they spent just one day on the Buffalo campus.

“Most patients that get cancer feel that they needed to be treated yesterday,” the television and radio ad said.

“The most important thing is not to do surgery tomorrow. To have the right treatment plan, even if it takes a week, is so much more important than doing something now.”

Roswell Park has enjoyed a strong reputation in Western New York and across other regions of the state. Subsequently, when St. Joseph’s Hospital in Syracuse revealed it was adding a “Cancer Care Service Line” in collaboration with Roswell Park, existing oncology practices in this region were livid.

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“Central New York does not need more hospital cancer centers,” Maryann Roefaro, CEO of Hematology-Oncology Associates (HOA) of CNY, wrote in a 2022 guest opinion piece for a local newspaper.

“When a hospital that was previously never interested in providing cancer care because it was too labor-intensive, extremely complex, and would result in small operating margins now wants to get in the cancer business because they hit the 340B (federal subsidized drug program for underserved communities) targets for eligibility and they see dollar signs, they will do and say whatever they need to achieve that objective — even if it includes fooling the general public,” Roefaro wrote.

St. Joseph’s began serving cancer patients last year, and yet business still appears to be increasing for all of the major providers in that space. Upstate AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024

Hospital recently opened cancer centers in Verona and at Auburn Community Hospital, and HOA is scheduled to open a new facility in Camillus this fall.

According to state data, it appears there’s more than enough cancer to go around.

A 2023 report from the Health Care Workforce in New York State listed the cancer death rate for Central New York at 200.8 per 100,000 people, compared to the state rate of 175.5 per 100,000.

In the Finger Lakes region, the cancer death rate last year was 212.4 per 100,000. For the Mohawk Valley, the rate was 229.2. For the north country, it was 206.2. And for the Southern Tier, it was 216.2.

All of those regions presumably send residents to the Syracuse area for some specialized health care services.

The New York State Department of Health’s Community Health Indicator

“A 2023 report from

the Health Care Workforce in NYS listed the cancer death rate for CNY at 200.8 per 100,000 people, compared to the state rate of 175.5 per 100,000. For the Mohawk Valley, the rate was 229.2.”

Results (CHIR) dashboard breaks down the rates of some specific cancer types by county and region for the period of 2018-2020. It includes cancer incident rates based on diagnosis, not deaths.

Cayuga County reported the highest incident rate in the four-county region, at 712.1 per 100,000 people, followed by Oswego (682.7), Onondaga (658.3), and Madison (615.9).

By diagnosis, lung and bronchus cancer was far more common in the four counties than any other cancer type. Oswego led that category at 127.1 per 100,000 people, followed by Cayuga (119.8), Onondaga (96.3), and Madison (86.6).

The CHIR dashboard also lists concern levels by county and cancer type. Oswego shows high concern levels for oral, colon and lung cancers.

Cayuga County showed lung, breast, and prostate cancers. Onondaga County showed lung and prostate cancers.

Madison County did not show high concern levels, but several cancer types were listed as moderate concern levels.

Sarah Bonzo, an associate professor at SUNY Oswego’s health care administration Master of Business Admin-

istration (MBA) program, said one of the reasons for higher cancer rates in this region and neighboring regions compared to the rest of the state is our aging population. As people get older, the risk for most cancer types increases.

“And if you predict five, 10, 20 years out, it’s particularly worse in our region,” she said. “We really should be planning to meet the needs of this region.”

Cornell University’s program on applied demographics, a public website that allows users to sort county and New York state demographic data, projects the population of those over 60 in the four-county region will exceed 203,000 people by 2040. That number for Onondaga County was 126,884, followed by Oswego County at 30,397, Madison at 24,377, and Cayuga at 21,466.

Given those trend lines, the influx of oncologists here in recent years, even if the competition between them appears fierce, is no surprise. Likewise, with an aging population and the projected population that the Micron semiconductor plant project will bring, more medical specialists of all types will be needed in the Central New York region.

“This is a time to make strategic choices. Staffing challenges continue to be an issue across all caregiving professions,” Bonzo said, adding that anesthesiologists and nurses who specialize in that area are particularly in short supply here.

As illustrated by the mergers or acquisitions of hospitals throughout this region in recent years, and partnerships like the one with Roswell Park and St. Joseph’s, health systems across the country are simply getting larger. That brings challenges as well as benefits, Bonzo said.

“It does reduce competition, which

has implications,” she said. “But it also reduces wait times and brings comprehensive care without having to leave the region.”

Based on U.S. Department of Labor statistics, physicians of all specialties are needed throughout the country. There are about 817,000 medical doctors in the United States right now, and that number is expected to increase by at least 24,000 by 2032. The national agency lists the 2023 median pay for physicians as $239,200, or $115 per hour.

According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the risk of cancer increases from less than 25 cases per 100,000 people for those under 20, to about 350 per 100,000 in the aged 45 to 49 category. For those over 60, the rate is more than 1,000 per 100,000.

NCI also reports that the median age for a cancer diagnosis is 66. Regarding specific types of that disease, the median age for breast cancer is 62; 67 for colorectal; 71 for lung; and 66 for prostate.

“But cancer can be diagnosed at any age,” the NCI report said. “For example, bone cancer is most frequently diagnosed in children and adolescents [people under age 20], with about one fourth of cases occurring in this age group. And 12 percent of brain and other nervous system cancers are diagnosed in children and adolescents, whereas only 1 percent of cancer overall is diagnosed in this age group.”

The rest of the world is also bracing for more cancer. Global Market Insights (GMI) forecasts the value of the oncology market will more than double from $280 billion in 2022 to $690.4 billion in 2032.

GMI lists the growth drivers in this space as rising incidence of cancer globally; government and agency initiatives to spread more awareness of the disease; the growing number of diagnostic labs in developing countries; and technological advancements in developed countries.

GMI reports that the pitfalls and challenges to growth in the cancer treatment industry range from the dearth of skilled and well-trained oncologists and radiologists to the high costs associated with diagnostic imaging systems and the high risks of side effects associated with cancer treatment.

“Thriving cancer burden worldwide will drive industry growth,” the GMI website notes. “The rising administrative support along with the surging funding toward cancer prevention research will play a key role in the

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

87

market expansion.”

At the local level, cancer center administrators acknowledge the need for more services while emphasizing the competitive nature of their specialty.

“We felt a strong need to provide comprehensive services to patients in our network, which included making cancer care available to them regardless of their payer source,” said Meredith Price, senior vice president of St. Joseph’s Acute Operations. “The utilization of our cancer care center is exceeding our expectations six months in, which indicates that we made the right decision to provide personalized, patient-centric cancer care close to home.”

Physician Haider Khadim, medical director of oncology at St. Joseph’s Health, said his new center was in response “to a delay in patient care among existing practices, especially for under-insured patients, which proves there is a need for another hospital-based oncology practice in Central New York.”

Physician Tarek Sousou, HOA of CNY board president and an oncologist, noted that with his organization’s continued growth, patients can be seen

There is a

Older Population Means Higher Incidence of Cancer According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the risk of cancer increases from less than 25 cases per 100,000 people for those under 20, to about 350 per 100,000 in the aged 45 to 49 category. For those over 60, the rate is more than 1,000 per 100,000. within a week and are eligible for additional services like social work, dietitian services and financial counseling.

“There is a great need for cancer care in Upstate New York that continues to grow. Within each of our three comprehensive cancer centers, we are able to deliver high-quality care using the latest FDA-approved chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiation, and clinical trials, all close to home,” he said. “We are delighted to be where the patients are and provide high-quality services with minimal disruption to the lives of our patients and their families.”

Sarah Bonzo, an associate professor at SUNY Oswego, said one of the reasons for higher cancer rates in Central New York compared to the rest of the state is the aging population. As people get older, the risk for most cancer types increases. “And if you predict five, 10, 20 years out, it’s particularly worse in our region,” she said.

“We really should be planning to meet the needs of this region.”

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OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

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HEALTH Dental care for Oswego School District students: From left are Erin Hess, schoolbased health center manager; Nancy Deavers, senior vice president and chief nursing and quality officer; Holly Steffen, registered dental hygienist; and Raymond Kilmer, Oswego City School District superintendent of schools.

ConnextCare Extends Dental Care to Oswego City School District Oswego is the latest to get dental services from Pulaski-based provider

By Stefan Yablonski

C

onnextCare’s registered dental hygienist Holly Steffen began seeing dental patients at the school-based health center at the Frederick Leighton Elementary School in May. “Our school-based dental program in Leighton Elementary will, for now, serve the students in this school as well as the high school, directly across the street,” said Tricia Peter-Clark, ConnextCare president and CEO. “This is huge for the Oswego area as it adds services to what some call a dental desert.”

Steffen has extensive experience as a dental hygienist and is dedicated to improving the oral health of the students within these schools, Peter-Clark added.

It is ConnextCare’s 16th site across Oswego County. It is also the sixth school district within the county that ConnextCare offers school-based health center services.

They also provide dental services in the following locations as part of their comprehensive school-based health center program: • Sandy Creek Central School • Mexico Elementary/High School 90

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

• Mexico Middle School • APW Elementary School • APW Junior-Senior High School • Pulaski Elementary School • Pulaski Junior-Senior High School “All of the services we offer through the school-based health centers are convenient for the students and their families as we can see these patients without them having to leave the school,” Peter-Clark said.

Students now have access to routine cleanings, X-rays, fluoride treatments, sealants and comprehensive oral health education.

They provide dental-only services at Fairgrieve Elementary School.

ConnextCare also has a direct relationship with The Manor at Seneca Hill to provide basic dental support to their residents.

“ConnextCare also provides full scale dental services in our Pulaski office as well as at our Fulton location,” Peter-Clark said.

Patients’ insurances are billed for services provided.

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024

However, whatever is received by ConnextCare is considered payment in full and the guarantors are not billed for any remaining balance or co-pay, she explained.

ConnextCare partnered with the Oswego district to establish a comprehensive school-based health center program.

They plan to offer primary care and mental health later this year, Peter-Clark said.

“Yes! Construction to develop the full school-based health center program will begin at the end of the school year,” she added. “We hope to be operational toward the start of the next school year, 2024-25).”

An enrollment form will need to be completed in order to register children for dental services.

If you are interested in enrolling a student in the dental program in Oswego, visit www.connextcare.org/ SchoolBased/EnrollmentForms.

Enrollment forms can also be found at the schools main offices or any main ConnextCare location.

WE CARE About connecting with our patients who are also our friends, our neighbors, and our family members.

About our state-of-the-art technology and services across our 17 locations.

About providing safe, reliable, high-quality, convenient care when you need it.

We care about what matters most…YOU!

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

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HEALTH

Remember Telemedicine?

It was all the rage during the pandemic years. Now, not so much, but experts say it remains popular for certain things

By Stefan Yablonski

T

here are several factors driving the decline in telehealth utilization in healthcare settings, according to experts.

One reason is cost — many insurance companies are not covering telehealth visits at the same rate as in-person visits, which can make them less attractive to patients.

However, telemedicine is not dead — it still utilized frequently today, according to local healthcare providers.

“Other than the obvious virtual visits for patients with COVID-19 that we are trying to avoid having in waiting rooms, when possible, we use telemedicine when patients are unable to get to the office due to transportation or distance,” said Jessica Digby, physician assistant at Oswego Family Physicians, affiliated with Oswego Health.

“Inpatient consultation by specialists who are not on staff in local hospitals is utilized regularly in many hospitals, including our own.”

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Hybrid care that incorporates both virtual and in-person options has become a new standard of care.

“We prefer to see patients in person whenever possible. However, having a virtual option helps us continue to give care to patients where it otherwise may not be accessible,” Digby said.

Prior to COVID, ConnextCare, a health provider with clinics all over Oswego County, didn’t offer any telehealth services — “not because we did not have the equipment to do so, it was mostly driven by the payors and not covering this type of service,” said Tricia Peter-Clark, president and CEO of ConnextCare.

“Once this changed at the start of the pandemic, our telehealth visits soared, especially within our behavioral health program. In the early parts of 2021, each month, telehealth contributed to between 70% - 80% of all of our visits,” she said. “Now, four years later, we still average about 50% of all visits

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024

for counseling and psychiatry being done through the virtual platform.”

It truly is a great way to keep the patients connected to essential services without encountering any other barriers, such as transportation, child care, time away from work to come in to the actual office, she added.

The challenge currently is the reimbursement for telehealth visits, according to Peter-Clark.

ConnextCare only receives 1/3 of its total reimbursement when the provider and patient are both offsite.

“This was a practice we did for more than three years during the pandemic as it worked for patients and our provider staff. Now, in order to receive our full reimbursement the provider or the patient have to be in the office,” she said. “ConnextCare moved all of our psychiatry team and social workers back in house, so we would continue to receive our full reimbursement, only to still see 50% of their schedule virtually.”

Designated physical space for the behavioral health team to work within the office limits their ability to expand these services by adding more staff, “as we do not have the office space within any of our locations to accommodate it,” she said.

The fix for this was included in last year’s as well as this year’s state budget.

However, despite support by the Senate and Assembly, it was not supported by the Executive and therefore was omitted in the budget.

“A separate bill was sponsored (Community Health Center Telehealth Payment Parity A.7316 (Paulin)/S.6733 (Rivera),” she said. “This not only impacts us, but all other Article 28’s across New York state.

“Unfortunately despite a tremen-

dous amount of advocacy and support within the Senate and Assembly, this was not addressed before the legislative break. So we are right back to where we started.

“This change would expand access to mental health support at a time when our community really needs it. Without the reimbursement to support the services, we are limited in what more we can do.”

Medicare Telehealth Extended Recent legislation authorized an extension of many of the Medicare telehealth flexibilities that were in place during the COVID-19 public health emergency through Dec. 31.

Through Dec. 31, 2024, all patients can get telehealth wherever they’re located. They don’t need to be at an originating site and there aren’t any geographic restrictions.

A distant site is the location where a physician or practitioner provides telehealth.

Pending acts The CONNECT for Health Act would permanently remove telehealth geographic restrictions and expand originating site locations to include the patient’s home and remove requirements for in-person visits for behavioral health treatment. It would also allow rural health clinics and federally qualified health centers to serve as distant sites.

The Telehealth Modernization Act would permanently remove geographic originating site restrictions, expand the types of providers eligible to provide telehealth services and extend coverage for audio-only telehealth, among other telehealth flexibilities.

Excellus BlueCross BlueShield: “Telehealth is Here to Stay” “Telehealth has been an important tool that has expanded options for care for busy patients and providers with packed schedules. It has made it much easier for people to access health care, especially behavioral health support, regardless of where they live or if they have the transportation to access those services,” said physician Lisa Y. Harris, senior vice president, chief medical officer at Excellus BlueCross BlueShield. The company is the largest insurer in Central New York.

“Even after the pandemic, the number of telehealth visits have stayed very high showing that telehealth is a convenient way for our members to receive health care.

“Telehealth is an important tool to make sure our members have access to affordable, high-quality health care. Telehealth is here to stay and it’s a great option for care.”

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HEALTH

MAIN: Bariatric surgeon Kenneth Cooper of the Center for Weight Loss & Surgery was the first to use the da Vinci Xi Systems at Oswego Health’s Surgery Center.

INSET: Oswego Health employees greet the new Vinci Xi Surgical System, which was recently introduced at the hospital.

Oswego Health Acquires its First Robotic Surgical Platform

O

swego Health announced the recent acquisition of the da Vinci Xi Surgical System and the first robotically-assisted surgery performed at the hospital, which took place. July 9.

Robotically-trained bariatric surgeon, Kenneth Cooper of the Center for Weight Loss & Surgery was the first to use the da Vinci Xi Systems at Oswego Health’s Surgery Center.

“This additional surgical option will improve clinical outcomes and has significant advantages to our patients.

I’m thrilled that Oswego Health has made this investment as we strive to improve the health and well-being of the communities we serve.”

The da Vinci Xi System was designed to further advancing the technology used in minimally invasive surgery. The system can be used across a spectrum of minimally invasive surgical procedures and has been optimized for

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multi-quadrant surgeries performed at Oswego Health in the areas of bariatric, general surgery, and urology.

The da Vinci Xi system provides the precision and visibility needed to take on more complex procedures via remotely operated surgical tools that are inserted through small incisions in the patient. Benefits of robotic surgery include shorter post-surgery hospital stays, faster recovery times, lower probability of complications, and less need for opioid painkillers.

By enabling efficient access throughout the abdomen or chest, the da Vinci Xi System expands upon core da Vinci System features, including wristed instruments, 3D-HD visualization, intuitive motion, and an ergonomic design.

As with all da Vinci Surgical Systems, the surgeon is 100 percent in control of the robotic-assisted da Vinci System, which translates his or her hand AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024

movements into smaller, more precise movements of tiny instruments inside the patient’s body. The Xi System’s immersive 3D-HD vision system provides surgeons with a highly magnified view, virtually extending their eyes and hands into the patient.

“At Oswego Health, we care about making investments in patient care.

The da Vinci System is state-of-the-art technology that will extend our surgeons’ capabilities in a way that will be safer, less invasive, and more efficient,” said Oswego Health President & CEO Michael C. Backus. “I expect that our patients will notice the results and this will be another step for Oswego Health to demonstrate the quality of healthcare offered in our hospital. Expanding into robotic surgery at Oswego Health allows us to continue our commitment to be the very best for our patients.”

Cancer is not just a diagnosis.

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Make your move at sjhsyr.org/cancer or call 315-448-6188

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Oswego Y Now Offers AVAILABLE Chronic Disease NOW! Management Programs

W

By Trish Levine

hile some think of the YMCA as just a place to work out, the true value of this historic organization is that it serves as a vital community foundation providing places, programs and people to improve the lives of children, adults and families.

One of the Oswego YMCA’s current efforts includes expanding services by offering evidence-based chronic disease management programs which should provide substantial benefits to the greater Oswego community.

These YMCA programs will not only support the health and well-being of participants but also contribute to reducing healthcare costs and enhancing overall community health.

These initiatives underscore the YMCA’s commitment to fostering a healthier and more resilient Oswego community through accessible and impactful health interventions.

The Oswego Y’s work to address these needs through these programs is also being supported by Oswego Health. This collaboration will help to get program information out to the community via Oswego Health professionals and physicians.

Over the past 15 years, the YMCA of the USA has driven innovation in the prevention and control of chronic disease and disability to save lives and reduce health care spending. With support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Y has delivered tangible results in evidence-based health interventions. Programs address needs including healthy weight and children, the LIVESTRONG cancer survivor program, Enhance Fitness older adult group exercise, Diabetes Prevention and a Blood Pressure Self-Monitoring program.

In June, the Oswego YMCA offered the first of these programs — a blood pressure self-monitoring program.

Shelly Lewis Jones, Oswego YMCA’s Healthy Heart Ambassador and program lead will continue to expand on offering these evidence-based programs to the Oswego YMCA. Jones said these programs are

One of the Oswego YMCA’s current efforts includes expanding services by offering evidencebased chronic disease management programs which should provide substantial benefits to the greater Oswego community.

rooted in research and proven methodologies, ensuring they are effective in managing and improving the health outcomes of individuals with chronic conditions.

As the longest-running nonprofit organization serving the greater Oswego community for 169 years, the Oswego YMCA has offered programs and services to enable everyone to live their healthiest life. It is the initiative of the Y to support lifestyle health, build healthier community environments and advance health policies to ensure access to programs and services for all.

YMCAs across the nation are also working to support individuals who are challenged to achieve a healthy lifestyle due to health-related social and economic needs, like access to healthy foods, education and childcare.

Healthy living is a priority for the Y and so many people benefit from its programs focused on their well-being.

But, what the YMCA does is at times immeasurable.

The YMCA really is — so much more than a gym.

Trish Levine is the director of communication and marketing; director of health and wellness at the Oswego YMCA

GRAB A COPY The 2024 CNY FALL GUIDE is available at hundreds of locations across the region. Or get it free in your mailbox when you subscribe to Oswego County Business Magazine — CNY’s Business Magazine. Only $21.50 a year. Just send a check with your name and address to PO Box 276, Oswego, NY 13126 oswegocountybusiness.com/subscribe

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

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HEALTH

The Fight to Reduce Number of Overdose Deaths in CNY Health officials in Onondaga, Oswego increase efforts to reduce the harms of drug use and connect residents to needed services

By Stefan Yablonski

O

nondaga County, like much of the United States, is facing a drug overdose crisis.

To face this epidemic head on, the Onondaga County Health Department’s Substance Use Initiatives team works to reduce the harms of drug use and connect residents to needed services.

From 2021 to 2023, the number of opioid-related overdose fatalities in Onondaga County decreased by 18%.

“While we are encouraged by this progress, the Onondaga County Health Department will continue to work 98

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with community partners to prevent and treat substance use disorders and to increase access to life-saving harm reduction supplies for individuals and families,” a team spokesperson said.

According to the Onondaga County Health Department and the medical examiner’s office, the opioid crisis claimed 113 lives in the first three quarters of 2023. But that was down from a peak of 186 deaths 2021.

Unfortunately, the growing opioid epidemic sweeping this country has not spared Oswego County, according to Oswego County Public Health Director AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024

Vera Dunsmoor.

“Here at the health department, we are increasing our efforts to provide harm reduction resources and services to raise public awareness and prevent more losses,” she said.

The department is also collaborating with other community partners such as first responders, law enforcement, social services and others to target any gaps in services and enhance overdose interventions.

The road to recovery from opioid addiction is a challenging one, but those who are committed to it can be

successful with the right supports, lifestyle changes and treatment options, Dunsmoor added.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting a decrease in the number of fatal overdoses in New York — as well as across the country.

Health.ny.gov reports the percentage of opioid deaths in New York state rose from 2,166 in 2015 to 5,017 in 2021. Then the following two years, the CDC cites a decrease in opioid deaths.

In 2022, there were 3,401 overdoses in the state, excluding New York City. In 2023, 3,225 overdoses — a decrease that amounts to 5.17%.

Naloxone distribution and training The Oswego County Health Department has been a registered participant in the New York state opioid overdose prevention program since 2021.

Through this program, it has been able to dramatically increase the amount of naloxone, a medication used to reverse opioid overdoses, distributed to the community.

The Onondaga County Health Department’s Substance Use Initiatives program has also distributed more than 10,000 naloxone kits and more than 15,000 Fentanyl and Xylazine test strips to help prevent overdose fatalities in the community.

Priorities of the program include: • Preventing fatal overdose • Education, prevention and public outreach • Increasing access to harm reduction services • Streamlining access to care • Improving data coordination • Stigma Reduction Call or text the confidential Harm Reduction supplies line at 315-418-5365 for free narcan and fentanyl test strips.

Naloxone distributed in Oswego County: • 47 in 2021 • 205 in 2022 • 270 in 2023 • 828 in 2024 OCHD’s distribution of naloxone from 2023 to 2024 (year to date) represents an increase of more than 206%.

That number is expected to rise as distribution continues for the remainder of this year.

To request a free Narcan training and learn of other types of harm reduction from the Oswego County Health Department, go to https://health. oswegocounty.com/overdose_preven-

tion.php Communities can reduce rates of overdose deaths involving fentanyl by expanding access to naloxone, test strips, providing education, and monitoring data to facilitate effective response activities.

The Oswego County Health Department offers free, no-contact, mail order fentanyl and Xylazine testing strips with the option of adding naloxone to the order.

To request mail order harm reduction supplies visit the department’s website at https://tinyurl.com/bddks7yp.

Naloxone and training have been given to various community members, college students, justice-involved individuals and county staff such as Oswego County Department of Social Services’ caseworkers and other home visiting staff. Additional recipients include organizations such as fire departments, food establishments, churches, ARISE, ConnextCare and Integrated Community Planning. OCHD also provides naloxone for the Oswego County Opioid Response Consortium’s harm reduction kits, Dunsmoor said.

Community partnerships Oswego County Health Department takes a collaborative approach to address the ongoing opioid and overdose epidemic.

In 2023, Oswego County launched the Public Health and Safety Team (PHAST) made up of multi-disciplinary community stakeholders.

It includes first responders and treatment providers as well as representatives from law enforcement and criminal justice, mental health and hygiene, social services, education, health care and hospitals and community-based organizations, Dunsmoor said.

The goal of the PHAST is to increase collaboration and the sharing of local data across various sectors to develop interventions that target any gaps in services around the county, she explained.

OCHD is also working on establishing a county-wide Overdose Fatality Review Team to help prevent future overdose deaths by implementing recommendations identified from a case review process, she added.

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SUCCESS STORY By Steve Yablonski

Running Lakeview Lanes are the Triniski brothers: Mark — who recently retired as Community Bank’s CEO — is in charge of the books while Mike (right) runs the daily operations. “Our family’s history with bowling in Fulton goes back several generations,” Mike says. “Our grandfather and father were both exceptional bowlers in their own right.”

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Lakeview Lanes

I

Bowling alley in Fulton has evolved over the years into an entertainment center for the community. ‘It’s not just bowling; we are a recreation center,’ says co-owner Mike Triniski

t’s not your father’s bowling alley.

Welcome to Lakeview Lanes — there is so much more than just bowling.

Inside it feels like you’ve walked into the midway at Harborfest. Dozens of electronic games buzz and blink for your attention. And of course, they have 20 lanes available for open bowling, practice and leagues.

During the warmer days, they have mini golf, ice cream (at Scoops) and an outdoor space — The Yard — where patrons can play cornhole as well as other fun yard games.

The Yard is an outdoor experience featuring a full-service bar, food and a gaming area, Mike Tryniski explained.

Each week, they have live music in The Yard 8 to 11 p.m., pending weather.

If the weather is bad, the music will be in the bar, he added.

All in the family His brother, Mark, is his business partner. Mark retired in January as president and CEO of Community Bank NA.

He had been with the bank since 2003.

“My brother, Mark, retired in January. We are partners here. He usually comes in a few days a week to take care of all the books — does all that stuff. Now that he’s retired he has more time,” he said.

“Our family’s history with bowling in Fulton goes back several generations,” Mike said. “Our grandfather and father were both exceptional bowlers in their own right.”

He and his brother both worked at Lakeview Lanes as kids.

“We bought Lakeview in December 2005 and over the years have added a full-service restaurant, ice cream, puttputt golf, an outdoor bar and eating area, a game room and a pool hall,” he said. “Today we have more than 60 employees and Lakeview is a destination for social and family activities alike.”

For nearly 20 years, his motivation has been to honor the legacy of bowling in his family and support the Fulton community, “which we will do our best to continue.”

“We have been here 18 years. The

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The facility offers 20 lanes a for open bowling, practice and leagues.

business has been here since ’61,” he said. “We bought it in December of ’05.

We have invested a lot over time. The Yard was a build-out, the mini golf and ice cream wasn’t there.”

Bowling is by the hour now instead of game, he added.

I think it’s worked out well. People know this is how much it costs for an hour of bowling. We have an online booking system. You can go online and book an hour, hour and a half,” he explained.

Changes The game has changed over the years — and so has the equipment.

There are dozens of balls, each created for different lane conditions.

Even balls from a few years ago are now rather obsolete. And a good pair of bowling shoes can set you back a couple hundred dollars. The high-tech brand has interchangeable soles and heels and can be adjusted for left or right handed bowlers, Tryniski added.

“Bowling is different now. It’s a more relaxed atmosphere; the scratch bowlers and handicap bowlers intermingle. We want to make sure everyone 102

OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS

has fun. It can’t be just handicap only,” he said.

Bowling biz is tough Lakeview has evolved into an entertainment center for the community, Tryniski said.

“With billiards, the arcade, mini golf, The Yard and everything — that’s how we have survived,” he said. “It’s not just bowling; we are a recreation center.”

“Most bowling centers are having a difficult time trying to survive, traditional bowling centers. It’s just too hard to make it with just bowling. The cost of everything is just so high, if you don’t have other revenue streams you’ll have a hard time making it. The linage for a person for a night of bowling is $12 a person, that’s not going to cut it for a shift. Back in the day, it was double, triple shifts. As bowling has declined, people have tried to do other things to survive.”

There are still a lot of bowlers around … Centers have closed and bowlers are going to places that are still open, he explained.

“We have done 100 or so weddings.

AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2024

We don’t do weddings any more. It’s a banquet room now. When we took over, we did weddings and parties out in the back room,” he said. “It was tough. The room wasn’t big enough to do 200, 300 people; but it wasn’t small enough to do just 50. So we just turned it into a pool room, too.”

A lot of electronics The business has a lot of TVs. “It’s a sports bar, so we have football in the fall, we have the baseball package. You can come in and watch all sorts of games. The TVs don’t use a lot [of electricity]. They’re not like the old ones,” he said.

They have around 60 to 65 employees — usually more in the summer.

They are actually busier in the summer — “because of The Yard and ice cream; we are not a seasonal business, we are a year-round business,” he said. “We have managers to keep everything running smoothly; we have bar managers, food managers, a general manager. Things are changing. You have to keep up with it. It is part of the job — it’s a part of running a business today.”

Lakeview does a lot of birthday

The Yard at Lakeview: Patrons can play cornhole as well as other fun yard games. It features a full-service bar, food and a gaming area.

Each week, it brings live music from 8 to 11 p.m.

parties.

“The games work well with the birthday parties. The kids have a good time playing all the different games,” he said. “It’s another draw to get people to come in; it’s something fun for them to do. It helps pay the bills and pay all our employees.”

What is he the most proud of?

“To see the growth of the place; to see what it’s turned into from what we started,” he replied quickly. “It was a bowling center; it was struggling, not doing very good. We’ve turned it into a nice community place. We draw people from all over Central New York.”

“I thought about [retiring]. I’m not ready. I owned some other businesses.

I could slow down — if I want to. I am not ready yet. I like working right now.

When I get up and say I don’t want to go in [to work], that is when I will retire.

I am not there yet,” he added.

More info?

Lakeview Lanes is located at 723 W. Broadway in Fulton. For more information, visit https://lakeviewbowling.com

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BEST BUSINESS DIRECTORY ACCOUNTING/TAX SERVICES

KILN-DRIED HARDWOODS

POOL COVER REPAIR

A-Plus Tax Services. Offering 3 options: drop-off, pickup & delivery (within 25 miles radius) or by appointment.

Call us @ 315-754-8491 or email us at: sem81965@ gmail.com. 6419 Coolican Road, Red Creek, NY 13142. Visitus online: a-plustaxservices.com.

Lakeshore Hardwoods. We stock kiln-dried cherry, walnut, maple, butternut, ash, oak, basswood, mahogany, cedar, figured woods, and exotics. Also, hardwood flooring, moldings, stair parts & woodworking supplies.

266 Manwaring Rd. Pulaski. 298-6407 or visit www. lakeshorehardwoods.com.

Trust the experts! Let us repair your in-ground pool cover. Free estimates. Everybody says “Call this guy”.

Cortini Shoe Zipper canvas repair to tarps, boat covers, and awnings. 215 Cayuga St., Fulton, NY 315-5938914.

AUTO SALES & SERVICE Bellinger Auto Sales & Service — Third generation business. Used cars, towing, general auto repair & accessories, truck repair. Oil, lube & filter service. 2746 County Route 57 Fulton. Call 315-593-1332.

AUTOMOTIVE SERVICE Port City Car Care, 315-207-0500 www.portcitycarcare.com. Oil, lube, NYSI, alignments, tires, brakes, electrical, air conditioning, suspension, tune-ups & timing belts, complete car care. We do it all! Over 28 years’ experience, 20 Ohio St., Oswego.

CANNABIS OPPORTUNITY Best Copy Now Agency. NY CannaBiz — $30K/ month boost! Ready to add $30K/month boost to your NY CannaBiz Dispensary? Discover how — in less time that it took to open your doors! 10-minute chat at bestcopynow.com for our proven SEO strategy.

DEMOLITION Fisher Companies. Commercial and residential demolition. Great prices. Fully insured. Free estimates. 50 years of experience. Call Fisher Companies at 315652-3773 or visit www.johnfisherconstruction.com.

ELECTRICAL CONTRACTING Offering residential-commercial-and industrial services.

3 Creamery Road, Oswego, NY 13126, www.scribaelectric.com, 315-342-7681.

EXCAVATING Gilbert Excavating. Septic systems. Gravel & topsoil.

Septic tank pumping. 685 County Route 3, Fulton, 13069. Call 593-2472.

LEGAL SERVICES Reed Law PLLC — Dedicated to helping families with their individualized Estate Planning, Medicaid Planning, Probate and Real Estate. Clear Legal Solutions, Impartial Compassionate Assistance & A Strong Helping Hand when you need it most. 218 Syracuse Ave., Oswego. 315-274-2040

LUMBER Whites Lumber. Four locations to serve you. Pulaski :3707 State Route 13 (315-298-6575); Watertown: 231 N. Rutland St. (315-788-6200); Clayon: 945 James St. (315-686-1892); Gouverneur: 71 Depot St.., (315-287-1892).

MENTAL HEALTH Fulton Family Psychiatry. Offering 100% Online Psychiatric Private Practice. We see both children & adults.

We use medications in addition to vitamins & supplements for the treatment of mental illnesses in a holistic approach. Call (315)-887-1059 or visit us at FultonFamilyPsychiatry.org.

OUTDOOR RECREATION Murdock’s Bicycles & Sports. New Bikes, TREK, FUJI, SALSA, SURLY & KINK. We repair all brands of Bikes. Keen Footwear and Darn tough socks available.

SAUSAGES Garafolo’s Importing — ‘Famous for Our Sausages’ — Catering, custom cuts meats, cold beverages, fresh Italian bread. Come and check out our specialties. 155 E. Bridge St. Oswego. 315-343-0580 – http://www.garafolos.com.

SCRAP Flood Drive Properties. WANTED: All Household Appliances. Washers, Dryers, Stoves, Cars and Trucks.

Top dollar paid. 315-592-4251 180 Flood Drive Fulton NY 13069.

TRACTOR/LAWN EQUIPMENT SALES & SERVICE RanMar Tractor Supply, sales and service of new and used tractors and farm equipment. 5219 US Rte 11 Pulaski. 315-298-5109.

TRAILER SALES & SERVICE Brooks Trailers, Trailers, Parts & Service. Lawn care equipment, parts & service. UTVs & much more. Two locations: 7911 Rt 104, Oswego, and 240 Rt 104, Ontario. Financing available. Call 315-207-2047 for Oswego store & 585-265-1366 for Ontario store. www. brooksfactorydirecttrailers.com.

PICTURE FRAMING Picture Connection offers custom matting & framing for photos, posters, prints, oils and more. Shadow boxes, object framing, art print source. 169 W. 1st St., Oswego. 315-343-2908.

GLASS REPAIR Fulton Glass. Storefronts and Glass repair. Over 50 years serving Oswego County. FultonGlass.net 315593-7913.

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Q&A

By Stefan Yablonski

Colette Astoria Offers a Taste of the Port City’s Cuisine, History and Ghosts

W

hile traveling to other cities, Colette Astoria discovered tours which included food and history and thought — “I could do that in Oswego! We have great places to eat and a lot of history to share!” We recently chatted with her.

enough food that for most participants, lunch afterward is not necessary. There are two “entrees” — but you have so much food on the way, you don’t need a meal. It’s kind of like a progressive dinner you make your way through.

How much do the tours cost? The Haunted Tour and the Just History Tour are $25 each. The Food and History Tour is $75 — that covers all the samples.

Which businesses are part of the food tours? We go to Nora’s first, then we come to the Coffee Connection and then we go to The Crumb and then up around West Park and we stop at Stone’s Candies and get custard. We stop at Snackz and Zenergy Café, Southern Fare, Red Sun and Chelle’s Bake Shop and then we go up to the Roof Top Lounge — that’s our last stop.

Your food tours don’t replace regular meals, do they? The food tours are not intended to replace your breakfast or lunch. Participants should consider eating breakfast before the tour. We serve

How long does a tour last? Tours are around an hour and a half. Tours with the food, depending on how many people there are, sometimes it is three hours … some times closer to four.

What types of tours do you do? Oswego Food & History, Just History and Haunted Oswego Tours. Usually the haunted tours are the most popular.

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About how many people take the tours?

I say the limit is 25, but I have done more. I like an audience.

Who are the ghosts highlighted in the tours? The Seneca Hill Ghost is a bit too far out (laughs) — but I do tell that story because when I first heard the story, I thought it was Seneca Street over here.

People love to tell ghost stories to me.

So I have quite the collection. I had to pare it down. People ask me if I have ever seen one of these ghosts. But, no, I haven’t seen any.

How long have you been doing this?

I’ve been doing this for eight years now.

When people from out of town would come to visit, I’d give them my 10-cent tour. When I first started for real, I was just doing the history tour. Actually, I was on the cover of Oswego County Business Magazine the year I opened.

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MOVING SUNY OSWEGO FORWARD u wants to double the at New President Peter Nwos ating from SUNY Oswego number of students gradu t. Can he do it? He talks lmen enrol ing declin of a time . P. 52 round backg his and about his plans

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