Onondaga SBDC honors eight firms as Small Business of the Year

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ONONDAGA — Eight companies with operations in Central New York have been recognized as a Small Business of the Year. The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) headquartered at Onondaga Community College (OCC) serves firms in eight counties, and it honored one small business in each county. The SBDC at OCC announced the recognition as it […]

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Oswego County small business certified as SDVOB

Small Business, Subscriber Only

PENNELLVILLE — New York State Office of General Services (OGS) Commissioner Jeanette Moy recently announced that 20 businesses across the state were certified as service-disabled veteran-owned businesses (SDVOB), including one small firm in Oswego County. The New York OGS Division of Service-Disabled Veterans’ Business Development (DSDVBD) issued the certification to Hamilton Tech Company, which is

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Doug’s Fish Fry Cortlandville owner wins SBA rural award

Small Business, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

CORTLANDVILLE — Mark Braun, owner of the Doug’s Fish Fry location in Cortlandville, is the recipient of the 2024 Rural Small Business Owner of the Year Award as selected by the Syracuse-Upstate New York district office of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Braun said he was “so humbled and honored” to have received this

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Braun said he was “so humbled and honored” to have received this award.

“This is an exciting time as my son Coby [graduated] from SUNY Cortland May 11 and Coby will become full time with the restaurant and join his sister, Tess,” Braun said in the SBA news release.

Braun said his daughter Tess has been an active human resources and events coordinator and VP for nearly 10 years at the business, and son Coby has been working many hours while attending school full time. He is optimistic about the future for his small business.

“We are implementing beneficial changes utilizing many great platforms. The future is very bright and since Covid, many businesses, including myself, had to adapt and change business models to what I believe is the ‘New Norm.’ The transition has had its difficulties but the SBA and SBDC have been so valuable, helpful, hardworking, and kind in so many ways. I also contacted SCORE, and I would have weekly meetings where I was able to benefit from their many combined years of business knowledge. I still meet with them all today,” said Braun. “I would advise any business to use these amazing services. Besides the free service of these agencies, the SBA provided funding through Covid that also was crucial for the business and where it is today. I am honored to have been chosen for this award and am excited [about] the future of Doug’s Fish Fry Cortland and joining forces with Tess and Coby and the generations to come.”

Dan Rickman, director of the SBA Syracuse Upstate New York district office, presented the award at the business in late April as part of National Small Business Week.

SBA selected Braun for “his impressive growth, adapting and changing his business model as a result of the pandemic, longevity, and contributions to his community,” Rickman said in the announcement.

“Mark Braun is an exemplary small business owner, and his story demonstrates how SBA, our Resource Partners and our lending partners work together to support entrepreneurs in America and contribute to economic growth in our communities,” Rickman said in the announcement.

Upstate New York’s 2024 Rural Small Business Award winner was selected from nominees across the district’s 34 counties as part of National Small Business Week. SBA Upstate New York provides small-business owners with access to business counseling, capital, federal contracting programs, and disaster assistance, per its announcement.

About Braun and the business

Braun purchased a franchise of Doug’s Fish Fry in 1991 when he was just 22 years old. He teamed up with a partner to obtain financing, procure equipment, and secure a location in the Cortland area.

In 1999, Braun purchased the restaurant property, and in 2000, with help from the Small Business Development Center (SBDC), he crafted a strategic business plan and secured financing for a “significant expansion.”

In 2007, the business added Doug’s ToGo food service, “marking a pivotal moment in the business’s evolution,” the SBA noted. Braun’s resilience was “further tested” during the challenges posed by COVID and “personal ups and downs.”

Through counseling from SBA partners at Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE), and the SBDC as well as disaster assistance from SBA PPP and EIDL loans, Braun’s business “was able to thrive despite the tumultuous environment,” the SBA said.

Besides operating the business, Braun is also active in the community. The Doug’s Fish Fry trailers are used for charity events to help organizations raise funding, and a percentage of profits are donated to the charity. To date this ongoing service has raised more than $2 million for local charities.

Braun received the Susan G. Komen Philanthropic Award and the business has received recognition from the Cortland Area Chamber of Commerce, the SBA said.

SBA Vetted Tech veteran owned SBPOY award

DeWitt firm leader named Veteran Owned Small Business Person of the Year

Manufacturing & Engineering, Small Business, Subscriber Only

DeWITT — The man who leads a DeWitt business is the recipient of the SBA’s regional office’s “Veteran Owned Small Business Person of the Year” award. The Syracuse-Upstate district office of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) made the selection. Daniel Rickman, director of the SBA Syracuse-Upstate New York district office, presented the award on

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DeWITT — The man who leads a DeWitt business is the recipient of the SBA’s regional office’s “Veteran Owned Small Business Person of the Year” award.

The Syracuse-Upstate district office of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) made the selection.

Daniel Rickman, director of the SBA Syracuse-Upstate New York district office, presented the award on location to Mike Mowins, CEO and owner of Vetted Tech Inc., on May 3 as part of National Small Business Week.

The office selected Mowins for his “rapid growth and commitment to giving back to the veteran community, including creating job opportunities for veterans and employing an all-veteran workforce,” according to an announcement from the SBA district office.

Vetted Tech is an additive manufacturing company specializing in metal and polymer components for the aerospace, U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE), and medical markets. Other major customers include BAE Systems, Sandia National Labs, and the Raymond Corporation.

Vetted Tech is a New York-certified service-disabled veteran owned small business, per the SBA. The agency went on to say that through Mowins’ leadership, Vetted Tech has generated consistent sales growth over the past four years and is on track to produce more than $1 million in income this year.

Mowins is a 2022 graduate of SBA’s THRIVE program and a client of the Small Business Development Center (SBDC). THRIVE — which is short for Train. Hope. Rise. Innovate. Venture. Elevate — is an executive-level training series designed to accelerate the growth of high-potential small businesses across the U.S.

The SBDC provided guidance with business-plan preparation, helped develop the cash-flow projections and financial documents, and made connections to lenders. Vetted Tech received an SBA 504 loan of $525,000 from the Greater Syracuse Business Development Corporation and an SBA 7A loan of $946,000 from Key Bank (NYSE: KEY), the SBA said.

Daniel Rickman, director of the SBA Syracuse-Upstate New York district, commended Mowins for his success and dedication to the community.

“Vetted Tech demonstrates how SBA, together with our Resource Partners and lending partners, work together to support entrepreneurs and finance economic growth in our communities,” Rickman said in the announcement. “Mike’s commitment to continued personal and professional growth, as evidenced by his participation in our THRIVE program, while prioritizing giving back to the veteran community, is an example for veteran entrepreneurs across the region.”

Amex survey: Small-business owners concerned about pricing, cash flow

Insurance & Financial Services, Small Business, Subscriber Only

But nearly all are glad they started their businesses A new survey from American Express found that small-business owners are concerned about rising prices and cash-flow forecasting, but nearly all of them are still pleased they started their small business. The third Amex Trendex: Small Business Edition found that pricing/price hikes (44 percent) and cash-flow forecasting

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But nearly all are glad they started their businesses

A new survey from American Express found that small-business owners are concerned about rising prices and cash-flow forecasting, but nearly all of them are still pleased they started their small business.

The third Amex Trendex: Small Business Edition found that pricing/price hikes (44 percent) and cash-flow forecasting (35 percent) are small-business owner respondents’ top concerns, which is consistent with Amex Trendex findings over the past year, the company said in a May 8 news release. Nearly 7-in-10 (68 percent) wish that they had more time to focus on their product/service versus managing their businesses’ finances. But small-business owners have a positive mindset despite these challenges: 95 percent of those surveyed are happy with their decision to start their company.

The Amex Trendex report found that small-business owners are motivated by their long-term ambitions. Six-in-10 respondents (60 percent) expect their business to be a long-term venture and run for more than five years. When asked about their long-term business goals, longevity rose to the top (49 percent), followed by becoming an established leader in their industry (32 percent) and growing their employee base (24 percent), per the survey.

As for why owners chose to start their small businesses: more than eight-in-10 respondents (84 percent) were inspired by a personal passion; nearly two-thirds (65 percent) saw a need in their community; about six-in-10 (59 percent) want to support their family and future generations; and over four-in-10 (44 percent) needed more flexible work, according to the Amex Trendex report.

The survey of 1,127 U.S. small business financial decisionmakers was conducted by Morning Consult LLC on behalf of American Express from March 15 to March 28, 2024. Participating respondents included 514 businesses with 10 employees or less; 412 businesses with 11-100 employees; and 201 businesses with 101-500 employees. The margin of error for the full survey sample is plus or minus 3 percentage points, American Express said.

Johnson City business owner appears at Small Business Showcase in D.C.

Manufacturing & Engineering, Small Business, Southern Tier, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

JOHNSON CITY — A Broome County business owner participated in the May 1 Small Business Showcase held in Washington, D.C. Rob Salamida, owner of the Rob Salamida Co. of Johnson City, accepted his invitation to participate from U.S. Representative Marc Molinaro (R–Catskill), according to an April 30 announcement from the Congressman’s office. The event was

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JOHNSON CITY — A Broome County business owner participated in the May 1 Small Business Showcase held in Washington, D.C.

Rob Salamida, owner of the Rob Salamida Co. of Johnson City, accepted his invitation to participate from U.S. Representative Marc Molinaro (R–Catskill), according to an April 30 announcement from the Congressman’s office.

The event was hosted by the House Committee on Small Business and is a chance for committee members to invite one local business owner from their House district to showcase their products on a national stage and discuss solutions to challenges they face. The event was held during National Small Business Week.

Salamida got his start at age 16, cooking Spiedies on a charcoal grill in front of a tavern and later becoming a vendor at the New York State Fair. Rob Salamida Co. is the maker of State Fair Spiedie Sauce.

Salamida started his own business in 1976, coming up with the idea of bottling his marinade sauce and seasoning. His company continues to be family owned and now offers sauces in more than 12,000 locations across 40 states.

“For many people, the American Dream began with owning your own business and persisting through the obstacles of financial risk,” Salamida said in the Molinaro announcement. “Like many startups, I quit a corporate job to start my business, bottling a homemade marinade recipe on top of a pool table in my parent’s basement. I sold cases out of the trunk of my car and barely got by that first year, but we grew to grocery stores across the nation. American small businesses are the backbone of our nation’s economy with 6 million independent owners employing over 61 million workers. These enterprises are as vital as any large corporation today.”

Salamida is a former client of the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Binghamton University, Rochelle Layman, regional director of the Binghamton University SBDC, said in the Molinaro announcement. Layman also participated the Small Business Showcase event.

“We look forward to the opportunity to advocate for all entrepreneurs and start-ups as we strive to provide small businesses with the highest quality confidential counseling, training and industry research at no cost,” Layman said.

“Spiedies are a staple in our community. The nation, and world needs to know about them,” Molinaro said. “I [was] beyond excited to have Rob Salamida in DC for the Small Business Showcase. He understands firsthand the challenges and rewards that come with entrepreneurship. Turning his small stand at the New York State Fair into a renowned business and local phenomenon, Rob [shared] his story with other local business owners and the House Committee on Small Business.”

City Café brings new choices in allergy-friendly dining

Small Business, Mohawk Valley, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

WHITESBORO — City Café has wrapped up the final touches on its new business model and renovations at the allergy-friendly restaurant that adds a new menu along with dinner service. Alyssa Williams opened the café in December 2020 mainly as a bakery and lunch place. While not a trained chef, Williams perfected cooking that avoids

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WHITESBORO — City Café has wrapped up the final touches on its new business model and renovations at the allergy-friendly restaurant that adds a new menu along with dinner service.

Alyssa Williams opened the café in December 2020 mainly as a bakery and lunch place. While not a trained chef, Williams perfected cooking that avoids wheat and gluten, dairy, and peanuts after her now 12-year-old son developed severe food allergies at the age of one.

“I needed to learn how to be able to cook,” she recalls. It became a challenge for her to find ways to make foods “so he could experience all the same things everyone else has.”

Over the next several years, more members of her family developed food allergies, which ultimately spurred Williams to open the café after experiencing how difficult it is to dine out with allergies.

Now, with that same thought of not wanting anyone with allergies to miss out on anything, she is changing the model at City Café from quick-service only to add a table-service dinner option.

“We realized there is kind of a void in the area for allergy-friendly dining, and a lot of it is in the dinner space,” she says. “We wanted people to be able to come and have a date night or a birthday dinner.”

The new dinner menu, served after 4 p.m., will feature foods such as pasta, artisan breadsticks, and popular appetizers like onion rings and fried ravioli — foods that are hard to find in an allergy-friendly version. The café launched the new menu on Friday May 17, according to its Facebook page.

“We want people to have a full choice,” Williams says. She also wants people to have options that are delicious while also being safe for them to eat. Often there is a stigma that allergy-friendly foods are less-than their traditional counterparts, she notes, and she wants people to know that isn’t the case at City Café. In fact, all its food items are taste-tested by a panel of non-allergy diners to ensure they taste just like the “real thing.”

City Café is an option for everyone, she says, not just those with allergies. “We want people to come in with their family, and everyone can enjoy it.”

The cafe is also adding a new brunch menu on Saturdays featuring items like French toast and pancakes and a kid’s menu for little diners.

With all the new additions, Williams isn’t taking anything away. “We’re not changing in a way that anybody is going to lose anything,” she says. The lunch menu will still be offered during open hours, giving people even more choice for dinner. They can keep it simple, or opt for a more-refined dinner experience.

To help create that experience, City Café has undergone some minor renovations. A bit of rearranging in the kitchen was required to set things up for dinner service. As the space was once home to a pizzeria, there was a 25-foot-long counter people could dine at that is now closed off to give the dining area a more intimate feel, Williams says. The café can seat 50 people inside and another 16 outside in the nicer months.

The café currently employs between 11 and 14 people, depending on the time of year, and Williams expects she will need to hire people for the kitchen, the bakery, and as wait staff.

She has one final menu addition she hopes to have perfected in time to offer by the time school lets out at the end of June. “We are finalizing it as we speak,” she says of the café’s own ice-cream recipe that has been years in the making.

The ice cream is dairy-free, and some flavors will also be vegan. “We’re making it from scratch,” Williams says. The café will use items from the bakery to make additional flavors like cookies and cream, she adds.

While City Café is a dedicated wheat/gluten, dairy, and peanut-free facility, it also works to accommodate other allergies, such as eggs, soy, or tree nuts, as well. It’s all about giving people with food restrictions as many options as possible, Williams says.

“This is such a passion project for me, and it comes from such a personal place,” she says.

Ask Rusty: How Do I Maximize My Social Security Benefit?

Business Mentors, Subscriber Only

Dear Rusty: I want to apply for Social Security, but I want to make sure I get all the benefits I have earned. I am a veteran with a 10 percent disability rating (not sure if that matters). I am 68 years old. I am a minister and have been exempt from Social Security taxes

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Dear Rusty: I want to apply for Social Security, but I want to make sure I get all the benefits I have earned. I am a veteran with a 10 percent disability rating (not sure if that matters). I am 68 years old. I am a minister and have been exempt from Social Security taxes for most of my income since I was about age 30, but I still have the 40 quarters needed. I have also worked off and on in the secular workplace and continued paying Social Security taxes.
One hears a great deal about those who want to “help” us apply for Social Security (SS), but it can turn out to be a scam or require a fee. How do I apply for and maximize my SS benefits with my unique situation?
Signed: Seeking Answers

Dear Seeking Answers: Don’t worry about fees here at the AMAC Foundation — there is never a fee for the services we provide (we are nonprofit). And I want to thank you for your military service — you may find the “For Veterans” section at our AMAC Foundation website (www.amacfoundation.org) interesting.
To your question: Your VA disability rating does not affect your Social Security benefit. At 68 years old, your Social Security benefit payment has been earning Delayed Retirement Credits (DRCs) since you reached your full retirement age (FRA) of 66 years and 4 months in July 2022. That means that your benefit, if you claim now, will be about 13 percent more than it would have been had you claimed at your FRA. FYI, if you continue to delay, your SS benefit will continue to grow (by 8 percent per additional year you delay), up to the month you turn 70. At that time, your SS benefit will be 29 percent higher than it would have been at your FRA. Nevertheless, if you wish to claim a smaller amount now, you can do so in a couple of ways:
• You can call the Social Security Administration (SSA) at (800) 772-1213, or call your local SSA office to request an appointment to apply. The agency will most likely set a date/time to call you to take your application over the phone (it discourages office visits these days). Once you have applied, it typically takes a month or two to process your application, but it will pay your benefits effective with the month you say you want them to begin. Note, the SSA will likely also offer you six months of retroactive benefits but be aware that if you accept that offer your monthly payment will be permanently reduced by 4 percent.
• You can apply for your SS retirement benefit online at www.ssa.gov/apply. Applying online is, by far, the most efficient method, as shown in this short video: www.ssa.gov/hlp/video/iclaim_r01.htm. However, to apply online you will need to first create your personal “my Social Security” online account at www.ssa.gov/myaccount. Once you have your personal online account set up, you will be able to see what your SS retirement benefit will be now, and at future ages should you plan to wait longer to claim. Your SS retirement benefit will be based on your lifetime record of earnings from which Social Security FICA taxes were withheld (or self-employment earnings on which SS payroll taxes were levied). In any case, your SS benefit will be based on your lifetime earnings record contributing to Social Security, as well as your age when you claim. You’ll get your maximum benefit based on those factors.
Although your situation is somewhat uncommon, it is not exceptionally unique. Your VA disability rating does not affect your Social Security benefit and, because you are a member of the clergy, you are not subject to Social Security’s Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) — a rule that reduces SS benefits for those with a pension earned while not contributing to Social Security. In other words, your SS benefit will be based entirely on your lifetime record of earnings from which Social Security payroll taxes were withheld, and your age when your benefit starts.

Russell Gloor is a national Social Security advisor at the AMAC Foundation,the nonprofit arm of the Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC). The 2.4-million-member AMAC says it is a senior advocacy organization. Send your questions to: ssadvisor@amacfoundation.org.
Author’s note: This article is intended for information purposes only and does not represent legal or financial guidance. It presents the opinions and interpretations of the AMAC Foundation’s staff, trained and accredited by the National Social Security Association (NSSA). The NSSA and the AMAC Foundation and its staff are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Social Security Administration or any other governmental entity.

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VIEWPOINT: EEOC Publishes New Guidance on Workplace Harassment

Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Business Mentors, Subscriber Only

It’s the first time in nearly 25 years On April 29, 2024, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) published “Enforcement Guidance on Harassment in the Workplace.” The guidance took effect immediately and supersedes the EEOC’s previously published guidance from the 1980s and 1990s. Since the EEOC has not published guidance regarding workplace harassment for almost

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It’s the first time in nearly 25 years

On April 29, 2024, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) published “Enforcement Guidance on Harassment in the Workplace.” The guidance took effect immediately and supersedes the EEOC’s previously published guidance from the 1980s and 1990s. Since the EEOC has not published guidance regarding workplace harassment for almost 25 years, the guidance addresses recent and developing areas such as workplace harassment related to sexual orientation and gender identity, pregnancy and related medical conditions, and remote work.

Sexual orientation and gender identity

The Supreme Court’s 2020 Bostock v. Clayton County decision extended employment discrimination under Title VII to include discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. With that expansion, the guidance provides examples of harassing conduct based on those protected characteristics, and explains that harassing behavior based on sexual orientation and gender identity can include, among other things:

• outing, or disclosure of an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity without permission;

• harassing conduct because an individual does not present in a manner that would stereotypically be associated with that person’s sex;

• misgendering, or repeated and intentional use of a name or pronoun inconsistent with an individual’s known gender identity; and,

• denial of access to a bathroom or other sex-segregated facility consistent with the individual’s gender identity.

Pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions

In the wake of new laws protecting employees with pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions (i.e., the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act and Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers Act), the guidance reiterates that sex-based discrimination under Title VII extends to such conditions. To that end, the EEOC confirms that workplace harassment can arise from topics such as:

• changes in physical appearance due to pregnancy;

• lactation;

• morning sickness;

• using or not using contraception; or

• deciding to have or not have an abortion.

Remote work

Given the rise of remote work, the guidance emphasized that harassment may occur in a work-related context outside an employee’s regular workplace, and extends to harassment through an employer’s email, instant-messaging system, videoconferencing, social-media accounts, and other equivalent resources. The guidance provides the following examples that may contribute to a hostile work environment through remote work:

• sexist comments made during a video meeting;

• ageist or ableist comments typed in a group chat;

• racist imagery that is visible in an employee’s workspace while the employee participates in a video meeting; or

• sexual comments made during a video meeting about a bed being near an employee in the video image.

Conclusion

The guidance, which includes more than 70 practical examples, provides advice on a variety of issues related to harassment, and serves as a resource for employers when investigating and deciding workplace-harassment issues. However, New York employers should be aware that the federal standard for a hostile work environment (severe or pervasive) is higher than that required by New York State (petty slights or trivial inconveniences). Therefore, conduct that does not rise to the level of unlawful harassment under federal law, such as Title VII, ADEA, and the ADA (which the guidance covers), may still be unlawful under New York law. With that distinction, New York employers should exercise caution and avoid overreliance on this new guidance.

Natalie C. Vogel is an associate attorney in the Albany office of the Syracuse–based law firm of Bond, Schoeneck & King PLLC. Contact Vogel at nvogel@bsk.com. This article is drawn and edited from the New York Labor and Employment Law Report blog on Bond’s website.

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