June/July 2023
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Port of Oswego
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6
OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
JUNE / JULY 2023
G R O W YO U R B U S I N E S S W I T H
One of America’s Most Trusted Banks Every successful business is built on trust—with customers, with employees, with the community at large. At Community Bank, we know it’s the ground on which partnerships are built.
15.8 billion
$
in assets1
That’s why we work closely with you to customize the right solution among our wide range of business banking services. It’s how we grow your business, and how we became one of the most trusted banks in the nation.
3.6 billion
$
in total commercial loans2
VISIT CBNA .COM/COMMERCIAL to get started and learn more about our business banking services.
1.5 billion
$
in commercial loans originated in 20223
157+ years R A N K E D A S O N E O F A M E R I C A’ S B E S T B A N K S B Y F O R B E S 4
of banking experience
Member FDIC ¹Total assets as of 12/31/2022. ²Commercial loans as of 12/31/2022. ³Dollars originated in 2022 4Ranking by growth, credit quality and profitability among the country’s 100 largest publicly-traded banks and thrifts.
OVER 70 HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS IN ONE NETWORK!
SAY HELLO TO HEALTHY! Say hello to a more convenient way to stay healthy in Oswego County. ConnextCare offers a comprehensive set of services; family and internal medicine, pediatrics, dentistry, psychiatry, and social work under one medical group. Patients within our network can visit any of our seven locations at any time. ConnextCare also offers medical and mental health services at eight school-based health centers in five Oswego County school districts.
8
OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
JUNE / JULY 2023
Quality You Can Rely On HANDCRAFTED | FAMILY-OWNED
In 1993, North Country Storage Barns started as a family-owned and operated shed business. Today, we have three locations in New York State and service dealers across the Saint Lawrence River in Canada. If you visit, you’ll be able to take a stroll outdoors to look through our many sheds, vehicle storage units, gazebos, playsets, outdoor furniture, birdhouses & feeders, lawn ornaments, and more! Our Philadelphia location is also home to a cabin display model you will enjoy touring through at your own pace. I nside all three of our locations, you can browse through and order from any of our many catalogs if you don’t see just the perfect item in the showroom. And feel free to sit down with a friendly salesperson who’s ready to guide you through designing your next custom-made structure! OUR THREE LOCATIONS
32660 US Rte. 11 Philedelphia, NY 315-642-0209
317 Oriskany Blvd Yorkville, NY 315-793-0726
5780 US Rte. 11 Pulaski, NY 315-387-2092
ncsbarns.com ∙ facebook.com/ifyouneedmeillbeinmyshed North Country Storage Barns Premier for North Country Lifestyle9& Living. JUNEis/ JULY 2023source OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
CONTENTS
JUNE-JULY 2023
ISSUE 186
52
PORT OF OSWEGO The Port of Oswego has benefited from millions of dollars in investments and is handling a record amount of cargo.
Features
60
68
74
Where have the accountants gone? • Business succession • How to get a loan • Inflation & retirement
The multifaceted Faye Beckwith • Gender pay gap • Oswego County embraces women-owned businesses
Micron is making an impact already • Canfield Machine expands • Manager at EJ USA: 45 years on the job
BANKING & FINANCE
WOMEN IN BUSINESS
10 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS JUNE / JULY 2023
MANUFACTURING
More Contents 44
Monopoly
46
My Turn
48
Fairs & Festivals
50
Guest Columnist
58
Tim’s Notes
70
Economic Trends
89
FOCUS turns 25
Sample Group now owns all general interest newspapers in Oswego County Newspapers’ political endorsement? Forget it By Bruce Frassinelli Big economic boost New employment laws By Steven E. Abraham Playgrounds can make neighborhoods shine By Tim Nekritz Highlighting women entrepreneurs By Austin Wheelock
18
Nonprofit has worked to improve quality of life in Central New York
Departments 14 16
Publisher’s Note On the Job
18
How I Got Started
20
How does your organization use social media? Joe Murabito owns, co-owns or manages eight senior facilities in Upstate
Profile
Dan Harrington in charge of Harborfest now
26
Dining Out
30 92
Biz Update / Newsmakers Success Story
98
Last Page
J & T’s Flippin Chicken, Fulton
lAll genera ers p s w e ap interest n o County g e in Osw ne wned by o are now o as not like It w company. few years a t s ju that go P.44
Oswego o. owner ti n Pri ng C st sold r ju e h c Brian Ko to Megan s s e in s u his b f Port , owner o LaManna r. te n e C City Copy 6 3 . P
Felix Schoeller North America reiventing itself, investing $100 million Oswego County Fair going back to basics
Where is Sandra Scott?
Well, she retired! JUNE / JULY 2023 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
11
ADVERTISING INDEX Allanson-Glanville-Tappan Funeral Home..........................51 ALPS Professional Services.........47 Ameriprise Financial (Randy Zeigler)........................43 Associated Dental Arts.................43 BarclayDamon..............................37 Bond, Schoeneck & King Attorneys at Law......................15 Brennan Beach.............................22 Bristol Racing ATV.......................22 Builder’s FirstSource....................33 Burke’s Home Center...................33 C & S Companies.........................88 Canale’s Insurance ......................17 Cayuga Community College.........81 Century 21 - Galloway Realty.......34 Clark Rigging & Rental Corp........57 CNY Community Foundation........39 Colonial Financial Group..............17 Community Bank............................7 Compass Credit Union.................62 ConnextCare..................................8 Constelation..................................15 Crouse Hospital..............................2
E J USA..........................................4 Elemental Management Group ....13 Felix Schoeller North America........3 Finger Lakes Garage Doors.........31 Fitzgibbons Agency......................47 Foster Funeral Home....................39 Friends of Mexico Point................22 Fulton Community Dev. Agency...80 Fulton Library................................24 Fulton Oswego Motor Express.....79 Fulton Savings Bank.....................67 Fulton Taxi....................................67 Fulton Tool Co..............................79 Gartner Equipment.......................88 Good Guys Barbershoop..............22 Greater Oswego Fulton Chamber of Commerce...........22 Green Planet Grocery...................24 Harbor Eye Associates.................49 Harborfest.....................................12 Hematology-Oncology Associates of CNY...................99 Howard Hanna Real Estate..........41 International Monetary System.....41 J P Jewelers.................................24
Johnston Gas...............................32 JTS Remodeling...........................34 Kathy’s Cake & Specialty Treats..24 Lamb’s Handyman Service...........33 Laser Transit.................................57 LDI Logistics Dynamics................31 Local 43 (NECA EBEW)...............85 Longley Brothers..........................45 LW Emporium Co-Op...................22 MACNY.........................................91 Majestic Tool & Mold....................79 Menter Ambulance.......................39 Mimi’s Drive Inn............................29 Mitchell Speedway Printing..........32 NET Die Inc..................................91 Nicole Reed, Esq..........................51 North Country Storage Barns.........9 Novelis..........................................84 Nucor Steel Auburn........................6 Onondaga Community College......5 Operation Oswego County...........99 Oswego Community Development Office............ ¬¬28 Oswego County Workforce New York — Career Center.....79
OSWEGO HARBORFEST IS BACK! JULY 27–30, 2023 30+ music performances and attractions 130+ Vendors Rides, games, food and more along a Midway Spectacular Fireworks Show by the Grucci’s Children’s Parade & Entertainment
12 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS JUNE / JULY 2023
Oswego County Federal Credit Union............................45 Oswego County Mutual Insurance.................. 21¬ Pathfinder Bank............................43 Patterson Warehousing................79 Plumley Engineering.....................91 Polish Festival..............................22 Port of Oswego Authority............100 RiverHouse Restaurant................29 Riverside Artisans.........................24 Safe Haven Museum....................22 Scriba Electric...............................33 Sweet-Woods Memorial...............32 TDO..............................................37 The Rental Warehouse.................31 Tri County Heating Solution..........34 United Wire Technology...............85 Valti Graphics...............................31 Vashaw’s Collision........................65 WD Malone...................................32 Whelan & Curry Construction.......85 White’s Lumber & Building Supply......................................34 WRVO..........................................96
WE CARE LIKE FAMILY We are growing and have exciting career opportunities in the health care industry. To join our talented, professional team, please visit one of our care facilities career pages for available positions.
Become a part of Our Family!
Life in balance.
A company philosophy that speaks to a continual process of individual and collective development to improve our well-being, quality of life and personal relationships.
17 Sunrise Drive Oswego, NY 13126 315-342-4790 | www.morningstarcares.com
Our Mission.
To provide people in our community with healthcare, customer services, support & employment to achieve their individual best quality of life.
Our Vision.
To redefine skilled nursing care through successful team development, use of technology, progressive service and being a strong community partner.
Waterville RESIDENTIAL CARE CENTER
220 Tower Street, Waterville, NY 13480 315-841-4156 | www.watervillecares.com
Our Team.
Registered Nurses Licensed Nurses Physical Therapists Occupational Therapists Speech Therapists Social Workers Recreational Therapists Dieticians Nurse Aides
Assisted Living Community
132 Ellen Street, Oswego, NY 13126 315-343-0880 | www.thegardensbymorningstar.com
Aaron
Manor
Rehabilitation and Nursing Center
100 St. Camillus Way, Fairport, NY 14450 585-377-4000 | www.aaronmanor.com
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
HELLO SUMMER! FR
O
EE
ur 29th annual “Summer Guide — The Best of Upstate New York” is just out. We’re absolutely thrilled with the new edition. It’s our largest ever. We’ve spent countless hours selling advertising space, writing feature stories, doing research for the event’s calendar and designing the 108-page publication. It’s nice to finally see the project come to fruition and in the hands of readers. We’re now in the process of distributing more than 40,000 copies all over Central New York and beyond. The publication is available through all Wegmans, many Tops Friendly Markets and Price Chopper stores. In addition, we place the guide in local hotels, motels, campgrounds, RV sites, restaurants, diners and many other high-traffic locations. All advertisers — from Buffalo to the Adirondacks to Cortland — get boxes of the guide and make it available to their patrons. We’re also at three major visitor’s centers along I-81: Two in the Thousand Islands area and one in Preble, just south of Syracuse. Those places get a tremendous volume of visitors — people who stop at those locations looking for information about the area. All paid subscribers to Oswego County Business Magazine have received a copy in the mail. Distribution of the guide is a job in itself. It’s a lot of work. In total, we have about 20 people working on the publication — from writers, ad salespeople, designers, drivers, editors. It’s our biggest project of the year. I’m a bit biased but the publication looks pretty good: it’s visually attractive, has great content, a great calendar of events and many offers from unique advertisers. It is fun and easy to read. As they say in the industry, it’s very reader-friendly. Turn the pages and you’ll find all sorts of stories and advertisements highlighting fun stuff to do and see. Our calendar of events spotlights the best of Upstate New York — we list hundreds of events from June
EDITOR AND PUBLISHER Wagner Dotto editor@cnybusinessmag.com ASSOCIATE EDITOR Stefan Yablonski syablonski@twcny.rr.com WRITERS Deborah Jeanne Sergeant Christopher Malone, Ken Sturtz Stefan Yablonski, Mary Beth Roach COLUMNISTS Austin Wheelock Bruce Frassinelli, Tim Nekritz Steven E. Abraham
FIND THE LARGEST YARD SALES IN UPSTATE NY P.14
STAY IN A TREEHOUSE THIS SUMMER P.18
WINE & FOOD ALONG LAKE ONTARIO P.22
COUNTY FAIR, ANYONE? NYS HAS 45 OF THEM P.32
ADVERTISING Peggy Kain
p3ggyk@gmail.com
through October. We thank more than 200 advertisers who chose to advertise with us. They provide us the funds to produce and distribute the publication. In exchange, they get unparalleled exposure. We estimate the glossy publication reaches over 250,000 readers in the region — visitors and residents alike. Our website — www.cnysummer.com — gets about 10,000-15,000 hits a month. Our hope is that many of those readers will patronize those who advertise. PS: Get a free copy of the 2023 Summer Guide in the mail by subscribing to Oswego County Business. It’s only $21.50 a year and in addition to the guide, we will send every issue of the magazine (six issues a year), plus the 2024 Business Guide and, later on, the CNY Winter Guide. See our coupon on page 39.
14 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS JUNE / JULY 2023
WAGNER DOTTO is the editor and publisher of Oswego County Business Magazine.
Kim Micca kimlocalnews@gmail.com SECRETARY Alisson Lockwood localnewsoffice@gmail.com LAYOUT & DESIGN Angel Campos Toro COVER PHOTO Provided by the Port of Oswego
OSWEGOCOUNTYBUSINESS.COM OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS MAGAZINE is published six times a year by Local News, Inc., publisher of the Business Guide, Upstate Summer, Fall, & Winter guides, College Life Newspaper, In Good Health—The Healthcare Newspaper (across four regions) and 55 Plus Magazine for Active Adults in Rochester and Central New York. Subscription rate is $21.50 a year; $35 for two years. Single-copy price is $4.50. PRSRT STD US Postage PAID, Buffalo, NY, Permit No. 4725. © 2023 Oswego County Business. All rights reserved. No material from this publication may be reproduced, in whole or in part, without the express written consent of the publisher. HOW TO REACH US: P.O. Box 276, Oswego, NY 13126. Phone: 315-342-8020 Fax: 315-342-7776; editor@OswegoCountyBusiness.com
Make it Happen
MANUFACTURING LAWYERS
Manufacturing industry attorneys at Bond provide comprehensive legal counsel on matters affecting manufacturers including environmental, OSHA and other workplace regulations, IP and litigation issues, and other legal issues related to manufacturers. Contact Rick Weber at rweber@bsk.com or Sunny Tice at stice@bsk.com.
One Lincoln Center, Syracuse, NY 13202 • 315.218.8000 • BSK.COM
Generating safe, clean and reliable power, fueling the upstate economy and protecting the environment. JUNE / JULY 2023 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
15
ON THE JOB
How Does Your Organization Use Social Media?
Interviews by Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
“At C&S, we understand the importance of staying connected with our employees, clients and the broader world. We use social media in a variety of ways to do just that. We share interesting, informative, and fun content with employees and clients on our social pages. We also use these platforms to spotlight important projects we’re working on, as well as highlight the individuals that are making a difference in the industry and creating the incredible culture and reputation C&S is known for.” John T. Camp President and COO, C&S Companies, Syracuse
“We have Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter pages for the company. We post at least weekly to each and do paid ads at times. We also do email campaigns via Mailchimp.” JOHN HENRY, Owner Mitchell’s Speedway Press, Oswego
“We use social media quite a bit. We’re always posting things and communicating with clients through private messages. Our content is handled by our different suppliers, which is really helpful. It posts to our Facebook page automatically about tours, cruises and other travel-related items. We’re so busy we don’t even have time to do that. We’re quite happy with the way it’s going for us. Business is very, very busy here. It’s picked up since COVID 110% because people have wanted to get back to traveling and now they are.” Lynn Kistner Travel consultant, Canalview Travel Service, Inc., Fulton
“We use social media as a business. We have a couple of employees who handle it. One does Facebook posts. We also do a video at least once a month including one of our owners, Tom Handley. He does it, featuring any of our special items we want to highlight in the store or in the lumberyard. We don’t use much more than Facebook as far as social media.” Charles Handley Owner, Burke’s Home Centers, Oswego “The real estate industry has gone through so many changes in the last few years. We have gone from advertising with print ads — newspaper — to mainly marketing on social media. The office markets all the property and agents and the agents market their properties and accomplishments as well. It is a powerful tool and much more productive for the real estate industry.” William R. Galloway Broker and owner, Century 21 Galloway Realty, Oswego
16 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS JUNE / JULY 2023
“For this business, it directs people to the website to book long-term stays or office space.” Julie Avery General manager, Beacon Office Space and Executive Suites, Oswego “We use it to let the public know about breaking news and other important information from Oswego County Today.” Fred Reed President, Dot Publishing, Inc., Oswego County “We help keep people updated on what’s new with our business — the latest and newest. We have a Facebook page.” Susan Caldwell Secretary, Advanced Business Systems, Watertown and Cicero “We do utilize social media in that our office has a website as well as a Facebook page where we post pictures and certain events, such as an office outing, an anniversary, birthday, one of the at-
torneys being given an award, et cetera. It’s important to let our clients know that we are a team and enjoy spending time together outside of work and that we are active in our community.” Joanne L. Scruton Office manager, Amdursky, Pelky, Fennell & Wallen, P.C., Oswego “Our presence and the need to provide fresh content frequently about Steve Chirello Advertising is extremely important for my business. Typically, we are putting up two to three posts a week on business Facebook and Instagram accounts, and at least once a week on LinkedIn and Twitter. We not only use social media to promote ourselves, but we also represent clients to help them with content generation and advertising on these platforms. It is an extremely effective way to offer immediate information and measure interaction with the public.” Steve Chirello Owner Steve Chirello Advertising, Fulton
“CiTi uses social media to share the success stories of students and celebrate their accomplishments.” NAOMI HIMES, Public information coordinator CiTi BOCES, Mexico
“We utilize social media to display the range of our capabilities in the specialized contracting field. Trimble Services is in a high-risk industry and clients will do their due diligence before considering vendors. The social media platforms are a convenient way for our clients to research us because we can efficiently display our range of skills and accomplishments.” Dustin Trimble Vice president, Trimble Services LLC, Fulton “Catholic Charities of Oswego County utilizes Facebook and Instagram to share information about our variety of programs, free community and family events and any fundraising activities.” Mary-Margaret Pekow Executive director, Catholic Charities of Oswego County, Fulton
“We’ve been using social media for about 10 years, with both paid and free posts. Facebook and Instagram are mainstays for us. We post sales and new products and also highlight unusual services we offer. Humor is a big part of our most effective posts. Any business that doesn’t use social media is missing out.” Joe Cortini, Jr. Owner, Cortini Shoe Store, Fulton “You can find Oswego County Tourism on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Our government Facebook page, @oswegocounty, is where you’ll find news releases and current events, such as rabies clinics and HAZMAT collections. We also post employment opportunities from the county human resources office on this page. If you’re a fishing enthusiast, be sure to follow @ oswegocountyfishing for the latest updates on recent catches, weekly fishing reports, and fishing regulations. Fishing has a significant impact on our county’s economy, and we’re proud to share all the incredible fishing opportunities Oswego County has to offer. For all things tourism, follow @visitoswegocounty on Facebook. This page is the perfect resource for discovering the wonders of our county. We share events happening throughout the county and promote assets like racetracks, golf courses, and campgrounds. Follow us on Instagram at @oswegocountyny for stunning visuals from around our county and check out our Twitter page at twitter.com/ OswegoCountyNY for news stories highlighting everything happening in Oswego County.” Jennifer Longley Tourism and public information specialist, Oswego County Tourism, Oswego “I use social media to share news about the shop and new products. I can also see when people recommend my business in posts when people ask where they can print their projects. From there, I can see who else is recommended — usually online printers. I check their pricing for similar products I offer and this allows me to keep my prices competitive. The customer wins because they’re getting the best price and I win because I earn their business.” Megan LaManna President Port City Copy Center Inc., Oswego
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www.ciasvcs.com JUNE / JULY 2023 OSWEGO COUNTY BUSINESS
17