Cuomo launches ‘Unemployment Strikeforce’ targeting Bronx, Kings, Jefferson, Lewis counties

Get our email updates

Stay up-to-date on the companies, people and issues that impact businesses in Syracuse, Central New York and beyond.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday announced an “Unemployment Strikeforce,” a new “multi-pronged” campaign to target areas of the state with the highest unemployment rates to

Colgate University builds entrepreneurial muscle

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Health Care, Manufacturing & Engineering, Small Business, Subscriber Only

HAMILTON — Liberal arts and entrepreneurship are usually perceived as polar opposites. The former is equated with an insular, sedate environment of thinking and contemplation; the latter exists in the rough-and-tumble world of business driven by mammon. Yet, more than 3,000 U.S. colleges and universities now offer entrepreneurial programs. In business and engineering schools, it

Already an Subcriber? Log in

Get Instant Access to This Article

Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.

Learn More and Become a Subscriber

Yet, more than 3,000 U.S. colleges and universities now offer entrepreneurial programs. In business and engineering schools, it is the fastest growing discipline. Liberal-arts institutions have followed suit and embraced entrepreneurship.

Colgate University has bridged the perception gap by creating, “The Thought Into Action Entrepreneurship Institute (TIA),” a student incubator that makes ideas go live. “Only a tiny fraction of those people … [who have good ideas] have taken their ideas and made them happen,” says Andy Greenfield, incubator founder, serial entrepreneur, and Colgate alumnus class of 1974. “It is only by moving thought to action that you make a difference … Liberal-arts graduates have great basic training: … thinking critically, communicating well, and ask[ing] the question ‘what if.’ … Critical thinking teaches students how to build theories, which requires imagination, discipline, and courage. Liberal-arts students are encouraged to challenge conventional wisdom.

“The concept of TIA is simple,” continues Greenfield, “mentor students who have an idea to help turn the idea into action. TIA is not about theory; it’s about practice. I use the analogy of a car: Liberal arts is the critical-thinking engine, and TIA is the transmission that delivers power to the wheels … TIA takes something that didn’t exist before and mixes it with passion, mentorship, persistence, sweat, and courage. I call it ‘applied liberal arts.’ What differentiates Colgate from the other 3,000-plus programs is a focus on ‘doing entrepreneurship,’ mentored by alumni entrepreneurs rather than offering student programs about the study of entrepreneurship by professors.”

Wills Hapworth, a Colgate alumnus class of 2007 and founder of Dark Horse Investors, says that the program is distinguished by its involvement of mentors. “Our secret sauce is the 100 alumni and parents who volunteer annually to mentor the student entrepreneurs. We have an internal team that reviews applications for mentorship and interviews the candidates. The student entrepreneurs get no college credit for enrolling in the program, so we want to find mentors who are equally committed to the program. There is no academic side to this program, and it doesn’t matter whether you are creating a for-profit or nonprofit company or a campus-based venture. Those alumni and parents who become mentors all have experience working in the trenches. They drive the program … TIA touches every constituency on campus.”

TIA details
TIA is a two-semester program to which students must apply. Class size averages 40 to 50 students. The highlight of the program is a six-hour session held every Saturday in which mentors and students interact. According to Hapworth, students who aren’t serious about the program and don’t deliver on their commitments are asked to leave. There is no cost to students to join TIA, and the mentors issue no grades. Colgate launched the program in September 2009.

Sapling Advisory is an example of a TIA incubator venture. The student company is the brain-child of Joshua Lasker, CEO, and Daniel Swiecki, CTO. The two seniors had been working on a concept of matching financial advisors with their clients, much like eHarmony’s approach to predicting spousal compatibility and introducing potential lovebirds to each other. “We knew about TIA and decided to participate, because we needed help in marketing, legal questions, product development, and raising capital,” says Lasker. “We have created a business model to sell the service to financial advisors who are new to the field and are trying to build a clientele. Daniel and I know that cold-call selling is not effective nor are advertising and phone-book lists; an advisor needs to build a personal relationship.”

Beta-site
“There has to be trust,” adds Swiecki. “We are beta-testing the algorithm that we created to determine compatibility between advisor and advisee. The algorithm is a combination of rich profiles — gender, age, ethnicity, income, education, recent major life events, and hobbies — and insights similar to the Myers Briggs indicators. These are the relationship success drivers that ensure compatibility between professional and client. Success is measured by the quality of the relationship.”

Paul Sydlansky, a financial advisor with John G. Ullman & Associates of Corning, is one of the advisors testing the beta-site. “A relationship built on trust is the key to success [in developing a clientele],” says Sydlansky. “Whether you sell a product or advice, if it’s [widely] available the question is, whom do you trust? The return on your investment is certainly important, but if your advisor also offers valuable advice in other areas such as estate planning, benefits, taxes, and insurance, that may yield the best return. I like the Sapling idea, because it’s a valuable aid in building a relationship. It’s too early to tell whether Sapling will be successful, but the founders are working to differentiate themselves from the competition.” Sydlansky’s involvement in the beta-testing resulted from a recommendation by Ullman’s COO, a Colgate graduate familiar with Sapling. Sydlansky spent 13 years in Manhattan with Morgan Stanley before joining Ullman, a financial-management firm with more than $1 billion in assets under management.

Andres Echenique, a Colgate alumnus class of 1983 and a senior partner at EMA (Eric Mower + Associates), a Syracuse–based advertising and public-relations agency, is a mentor to Sapling. “I was impressed with the program, because the students were accountable,” asserts Echenique. “This is practical entrepreneurship with real ventures. The program involves learning multi-dimensional analysis and challenging assumptions. When Josh and Daniel complete TIA, they will only be a step or two away from launching the business. That’s the fun of being a mentor; we’re operating in the real world.”

Sapling’s business model calls for developing a large pool of clients, identifying the country’s best financial advisors, and creating a match. Sapling charges a membership fee to advisors and a fee for each lead that is successfully matched. To date, the company is debt-free and has received $20,000 in grants, over and above the mentoring. The U.S. market contains 300,000 financial advisors of whom Sapling is targeting those in the first decade of their careers. The beta-testing is being conducted with 12 financial advisors and should be completed in June when the Sapling website goes live. The goal is to sign up 1,500 advisors by the end of year one.

While Lasker and Swiecki are passionate about the Sapling project, they are approaching the corporate launch sensibly. The CEO, a geology major, starts employment this summer with Procter & Gamble in the San Francisco Bay area. The CTO, a computer-science and mathematical economics double major, joins J.P. Morgan in New York City. Neither is giving up his day job until Sapling scales up to a going business.

“We got way more from TIA than we expected,” exclaims Lasker. “We experienced how a rigorous liberal-arts curriculum prepared us to think like entrepreneurs. Liberal arts and entrepreneurship go hand-in-hand.”

Swiecki adds, “Liberal arts was vital to our venture. It gave us the critical mindset to challenge established thought.”

As Yogi Berra was fond of saying: “Who would of thunk it?” A liberal-arts school figures out how to marry thinking and action. Throw out perception; bring in reality. TIA is how Colgate builds entrepreneurial muscle.

Contact Poltenson at npoltenson@cnybj.com

Stevens Office Interiors consolidates space, sells previous building

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Small Business, Subscriber Only

DeWITT — Stevens Office Interiors, a company that specializes in office-furniture products, has consolidated its operations in DeWitt and sold its previous Syracuse building to a Rochester food market. Stevens on April 28 opened a new 10,000-square-foot showroom at 6804 Manlius Center Rd. in the town of DeWitt. It’s part of a 22,000-square-foot space that

Already an Subcriber? Log in

Get Instant Access to This Article

Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.

Learn More and Become a Subscriber

Stevens on April 28 opened a new 10,000-square-foot showroom at 6804 Manlius Center Rd. in the town of DeWitt. It’s part of a 22,000-square-foot space that also includes 12,000 square feet of warehouse space.

The company was very familiar with the location, says Thomas Maugeri, president and co-owner of Stevens Office Interiors, which is the TK largest office-furniture provider in Central New York, according to CNYBJ Research.

“We thought it would be good to have everything under one roof,” he says.

While operating in its previous 25,000-square-foot space at 1449 Erie Blvd. East in Syracuse, Stevens Office Interiors also utilized 10,000 square feet of warehouse space at 6804 Manlius Center Road.

The firm’s previous space on Erie Blvd. included a 17,000-square-foot showroom, which made it “very confusing” for customers because it was “too expansive,” says Maugeri.

“So, we shrunk our footprint, made it more effective, and put … today’s type of furniture that caters to today’s marketplace in a new showroom,” he adds.

In its consolidated location, Stevens Office Interiors operates a 10,000-square-foot showroom with 12,000 square feet of warehouse space.

Stevens signed a lease with Butternut Manlius LLC for the additional space at the Manlius Center Road location. Maugeri declined to disclose the length of time on the lease.

Besides the move to DeWitt, Maugeri and Patrick Lewis, company vice president and Stevens’ co-owner, sold their Erie Boulevard location to Rochester–based Asia Food Market, Inc.

“They are a market of Asian foods and a distributor of Asian foods; they’re in a process now of beginning a renovation of the building,” says Lewis.

The building acquisition closed in February, he adds. Both men declined to disclose the acquisition price on their building and how much it cost to move the operations from Syracuse to DeWitt.

Smaller showroom
The new Stevens showroom displays the furniture, technology, and the “edgy” products that the “younger generation” expects as they enter the workforce, according to Maugeri.

He also believes it’s a better working environment for his employees.

“It’s open landscape in here today versus a lot of cubicles, which fosters probably a little smaller footprint but it doesn’t feel so confining,” he says.

Stevens Office Interiors’ customers include Syracuse University (SU) and several local campuses of the State University of New York (SUNY), where the learning process, Maugeri contends, is “probably more effective” in a collaborative environment.

“The old style learning was you learned by yourself in solitude. Today, you learn more with teamwork, collaboration, involvement. The furniture that we have allows that to happen,” he says.

For example, the furniture Stevens sells is “mobile,” so people can work in teams or in a classroom style format, Maugeri notes.

Besides SU and SUNY campuses, Stevens’ customers include Welch Allyn, a medical-device maker in Skaneateles Falls; Bethesda, Md.–based Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE: LMT), a defense contractor that operates CNY locations in Salina and Owego; Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY), a New York City–based pharmaceutical firm with a location in DeWitt; C&S Cos., a Salina–based firm specializing in engineering, architecture, planning, environmental, and construction services; and the U.S. Army’s Fort Drum base northeast of Watertown.

About Stevens
Stevens Office Interiors is an authorized dealer for Steelcase, Inc. (NYSE: SCS), which says it’s a Grand Rapids, Mich.–based developer and manufacturer of “furnishings, products, and services” for office settings in “the world’s leading organizations.”

In addition to Steelcase, Stevens also sells products from manufacturers that include Jasper, Ind.–based Kimball Office and National Office Furniture, both units of Kimball International, Inc. (NASDAQ: KBALB); Marlton, N.J.–based Global Upholstery Co., Inc; Oxnard, Calif–based ERG International; and Sheboygan, Wisc.–based Mayline Company, LLC, according to Maugeri and Lewis.

Stevens Office Interiors employs 35 people, which includes a mix of full- and part-time workers. The firm has no plans to hire additional employees in 2014, Maugeri says.

Both men declined to disclose any revenue information about their company.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com

Binghamton mayor seeks to convert street lights, replace ‘aging’ water meters

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Subscriber Only

BINGHAMTON — The city of Binghamton is seeking proposals to convert municipal street lights to light-emitting diode (LED) technology and to replace its “aging” water meters. Binghamton Mayor Richard David made the announcement in a news release May 27, citing an attempt to save taxpayer dollars. When implemented, these two projects could lead to “hundreds

Already an Subcriber? Log in

Get Instant Access to This Article

Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.

Learn More and Become a Subscriber

BINGHAMTON — The city of Binghamton is seeking proposals to convert municipal street lights to light-emitting diode (LED) technology and to replace its “aging” water meters.

Binghamton Mayor Richard David made the announcement in a news release May 27, citing an attempt to save taxpayer dollars.

When implemented, these two projects could lead to “hundreds of thousands of dollars” in annual savings, David’s office contends.

Binghamton in 2013 spent nearly $1.5 million on energy expenses, including more than $500,000 on street lighting, according to the release.

The energy savings in converting about 7,000 street lights to LED bulbs will offset the installation costs, estimated at $4 million, David’s office said. Switching to LED technology will result in fewer bulb replacements.

Using LED technology in all street lights will brighten the city and “enhance” overall public safety, David contends.

“One of the primary concerns I hear from residents is that downtown and neighborhoods appear dim and dark even when the street lights are on. Residents will notice an immediate difference after LED bulbs are installed. It will be a much more inviting atmosphere for residents, visitors and businesses,” David said.

LED street lights shine “six to seven times brighter” per watt than Binghamton’s current street lights, according to the release.

David’s office is also seeking a second proposal to replace more than 14,000 municipal water meters, a project estimated to cost about $7 million. Savings from “more accurate” water-use metering, fewer resources reading meters, and a “sophisticated” leak-detection system will cover the costs, it contends.

David’s office will also pursue grant opportunities that assist municipalities with green-energy initiatives through the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and other institutions.

David’s initiative follows his announcement about an audit and survey of the city’s energy-service accounts to recover refunds for past billing and meter-read errors.

Identifying “inefficiencies” in daily operations is a “central part” of a strategy to save taxpayer money, David said. “The city’s energy costs are significant and are on the rise each year. The two sustainable energy projects I am proposing will allow the city to cut annual costs through reduced maintenance and lower energy consumption.”

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com

UnitedHealthcare adds three CNY counties to managed long-term care plan

Health Care, Subscriber Only

UnitedHealthcare (UHC) Community Plan of New York announced it is offering health plans that provide access to home- and community-based services, enabling people in eight Upstate counties to stay in their homes longer. The counties include Onondaga, Oneida, and Broome, UHC said in a May 12 news release. UnitedHealthcare Community Plan is the Medicaid arm

Already an Subcriber? Log in

Get Instant Access to This Article

Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.

Learn More and Become a Subscriber

The counties include Onondaga, Oneida, and Broome, UHC said in a May 12 news release.

UnitedHealthcare Community Plan is the Medicaid arm of UnitedHealthcare, offering Medicaid products, such as Medicaid managed care, says Linda Goldsworthy, senior director of the upstate New York market based in the UHC office in DeWitt.

She spoke with the Business Journal News Network in a phone conversation on May 21.

The UnitedHealthcare Personal Assist managed long-term care (MLTC) plan is now available in 13 New York counties. UHC already offers the MLTC plan in the five counties of New York City, the health carrier said.

“We’ve expanded into upstate New York for Medicaid over the past … three years, so now we’ve felt that … it was time to move the MLTC product to the Upstate market and focus … on counties that have the largest population for managed long-term care,” Goldsworthy says.

UnitedHealthcare Personal Assist includes home health care and nursing-home care, social day care, ancillary and ambulatory services, and nonemergency medical transportation.

Each member is assigned a care coordinator to help individuals manage their chronic conditions, assess their ongoing needs, and make necessary changes to improve their “functionality” and quality of life, UHC said.

“It’s intended to help folks stay at home and remain safely at home rather than go into a nursing home,” says Goldsworthy.

The plan seeks to help people who want to live independently despite their health issues, Pat Celli, president of UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of New York, said in the news release.

“Our MLTC care-coordination model helps support and manage the needs of chronically ill, disabled and/or frail and elderly across the country. We look forward to bringing that same level of hands-on care to individuals here in New York to help support their unique health needs,” Celli said.

UnitedHealthcare Personal Assist provides supplemental health-care support beyond what traditional Medicare and/or Medicaid provide, according to UHC.

People who enroll in the plan will need to maintain their Medicare and/or Medicaid plans to cover acute-care services, including doctor’s visits, inpatient-hospital stays, drugs, and laboratory tests, UHC said.

The announcement adds to the health-carrier’s recent expansion efforts.

UnitedHealthcare (UHC) Community Plan on March 4 announced it added four additional upstate New York counties to its service area for Medicaid Managed Care and Family Health Plus.

The addition of Lewis, Seneca, Wayne, and Ontario counties brings the number of New York counties in the service area for UHC Community Plan to 38, the health insurer said in its March 4 news release.

Medicaid Managed Care and Family Health Plus are state-government sponsored health-insurance programs, UHC added.

UnitedHealthcare, a business of Minnetonka, Minn.–based UnitedHealth Group, Inc. (NYSE: UNH), serves nearly 4 million New York residents with a care-provider network of 232 hospitals and more than 58,000 physicians and other health-care professionals statewide, the company said.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com

J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge allows companies to exercise, socialize for charity

Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

SALINA — Some will run. Others will walk. Most will socialize with food and drink. And one area organization will benefit from the event’s proceeds. The J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge, an annual race and walking event attracting area corporations and their employees, will benefit the Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection program. This year’s edition of the race

Already an Subcriber? Log in

Get Instant Access to This Article

Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.

Learn More and Become a Subscriber

SALINA — Some will run. Others will walk. Most will socialize with food and drink.

And one area organization will benefit from the event’s proceeds.

The J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge, an annual race and walking event attracting area corporations and their employees, will benefit the Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection program.

This year’s edition of the race is scheduled for 6:25 p.m. on June 17 at Onondaga Lake Park. The cost is $34 per participant and registration closes on June 6, according to JP Morgan Chase.

This year’s event is the 32nd Corporate Challenge in Syracuse, according to Mark Allen, region executive for Chase commercial banking, covering upstate New York and north-central Pennsylvania.

He spoke to the Business Journal News Network from the firm’s Syracuse office at 500 Plum St.

The Corporate Challenge includes a 3.5-mile run and walk along the Onondaga Lake Parkway and a festive post-race party among the participants and their companies.

“Some run it … to win the race. Some run it to meet their own individual time goals, whether that’s 16 minutes or an hour, and some walk with colleagues,” says Allen.

The event attracted more than 7,600 participants to Onondaga Lake Park last year. The largest crowd, at just under 8,000, turned out in 2012.

J.P. Morgan is expecting about 8,200 participants this year, Allen says. According to J.P. Morgan’s figures, it would be largest crowd to participate in the Syracuse edition of the Corporate Challenge.

The banking giant operates 13 similar races in locations around the world, including the Upstate communities of Rochester and Buffalo, Allen says.

“It’s a commitment from J.P. Morgan Chase and the bank to bring the community together, have a nice evening of some healthy competition, camaraderie, and teamwork,” he adds.

J.P. Morgan uses the $34 registration fee for a participant t-shirt, some expenses, and the charitable donation, which makes up “a majority of that” figure, Allen says.

“Charitable giving is always an important component of the Corporate Challenge,” according to Allen.

Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection is a youth-development program that has helped at-risk students stay in school and graduate while providing part-time work experience and job skills, according to an April 2 J.P. Morgan news release.

“Hillside Work-Scholarship provides access to education skills and other experiences that really bridge and align with how J.P. Morgan views an important component of philanthropy,” Allen says.

Hillside Work-Scholarship Connection is an affiliate of the Rochester–based Hillside Family of Agencies, one of the oldest and largest nonprofit family and youth human-services organizations in New York, according to the release.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com

Syracuse Silver Knights are now part of new Major Arena Soccer League

Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

SYRACUSE — The formation of the Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) was formally announced during a press conference May 19 in Baltimore, Md. The new league, consisting of professional indoor soccer teams from the Professional Arena Soccer League (PASL) and the former Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL), including the Syracuse Silver Knights, was formed to

Already an Subcriber? Log in

Get Instant Access to This Article

Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.

Learn More and Become a Subscriber

The new league will feature the top professional indoor teams in the United States and Mexico, league leaders contend. The 24-team league will be divided into four 6-team divisions based on geography. Each team will play 10 home games and 10 road games, and three teams from each division will make the playoffs.

“It’s nationwide now. You are all over the country,” Syracuse Silver Knights President and Head Coach Tommy Tanner said in a news release. “We have one united front. To me, it’s a super league. From the soccer side, they [the franchises] are all pretty good. Now, you’ll have to make it successful on the business side.”

The MASL said it will reveal several other new elements in mid-June, including the new league logo, rules, and other key components that will shape the future of the sport of indoor soccer. Team schedules and the league’s playoff format will be released at the beginning of September.

The league is divided into four divisions. Unofficially, the East Division includes the Syracuse Silver Knights, Rochester Lancers, Harrisburg Heat, Baltimore Blast, Detroit Waza, and Cincinnati Saints.

Syracuse Pro Sports, LLC owns and operate the Syracuse Silver Knights in the MASL. The 2014-2015 season will be the team’s fourth consecutive season playing at The Oncenter War Memorial Arena in downtown Syracuse.

The MASL will begin play on Oct. 25. Syracuse’s first game is on Nov. 15.

In addition to Tanner, the Silver Knights front office includes: Jonathan D. Ramin, general manager; Allen Laventure, VP of sales and marketing; Peter S. Ramin, VP of operations; Douglas C. Taylor, CFO; and Anthony Meola, manager of ticket sales & fan services.

Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust protects the region’s resources

Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Manufacturing & Engineering, Nonprofits, Small Business, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

WATERTOWN — Although most known for its more than 200 inches of snowfall per year on average, the Tug Hill region encompasses 2,100 square miles of legislatively designated land and is recognized for the natural resources that help shape its economy. The Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust (THTLT) is a regional nonprofit that works to

Already an Subcriber? Log in

Get Instant Access to This Article

Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.

Learn More and Become a Subscriber

The Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust (THTLT) is a regional nonprofit that works to protect the Tug Hill’s farm and forest land — from Lake Ontario to the Adirondacks — while increasing awareness and appreciation of the region’s natural resources.

“We try to foster an appreciation of what the Tug Hill region is all about. We have such a great resource here, right in our backyards, and a lot of people don’t know about it,” says Linda Garrett, executive director of the Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust.

To fulfill the education element of its mission, the nonprofit offers field trips for people to experience new places and recreational activities. It also provides educational programs for children to help them get excited about being outdoors.

THTLT’s primary tool for protecting land is a conservation easement, which is a voluntary legal agreement between the landowner and the private land trust that restricts certain activities on a given parcel of land. Once filed, present and future owners of the property are bound by the restrictions of the easement. The land trust is then legally bound to monitor and enforce the terms of the easement.

Because of the responsibility the land trust has to enforce easements, Robert Quinn, chair of THLT’s board of directors, says the board has final approval on which easement projects to pursue.

An easement costs an average of $5,000. Landowners are asked to help cover the costs, but THTLT also seeks additional funding.

In 2013, THTLT completed 14 projects covering 6,553 acres. Currently, the organization monitors 86 easements and owns one 144-acre property.

The nonprofit reached a benchmark of 15,000 protected acres in February when it completed the 200-acre Weibel Farm easement in the town of Lee in Oneida County.

Fort Drum area
For the past five years, THTLT has also collaborated with Fort Drum and Ducks Unlimited on the Army Compatible Use Buffer Program (ACUB). This program establishes buffer areas of farmland and natural lands around Fort Drum to limit the effects of encroachment. As a result, the army is able to maintain and enhance training, THTLT and Ducks Unlimited protect the open space and wildlife, and the landowners are paid not to develop their land.

“It’s a win, win, win situation,” Garrett contends.

To date, ACUB has worked with 20 landowners to protect more than 4,697 acres of land, primarily on the west and south side of the Fort Drum military base.

In 2011, THTLT became nationally accredited by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance. Garrett says being accredited “gives us more credibility” and shows the community the nonprofit is managed well and is protecting the region’s resources.

National standards require the land trust to maintain a pooled fund for stewardship and legal-defense responsibilities. Currently, THTLT’s monitoring and legal-defense fund exceeds $500,000. It is recommended that each easement have $1,500 for stewardship and $3,500 for defense. Research shows that a single court case in defense of an easement costs an average of $40,000.

THTLT also insures its easements through Terrafirma, a charitable risk pool formed by the Land Trust Alliance to help land trusts defend its conserved lands from legal challenges.

THTLT reported revenue of $1.33 million in its 2013 fiscal year, although a substantial portion of it involves noncash contributions dedicated to the easements and stewardship and defense funds. Garrett says the nonprofit generates about $300,000 in cash revenue that goes toward expenses and program services.

Tug Hill economy
Nearly two-thirds of the region is forestland, which contributes significantly to the economy through timber harvesting, wood and paper manufacturing, recreation, and maple-sugar production, according to the Tug Hill Commission. With its 700 active dairy farms and 350 non-dairy farms, the region’s agricultural industry is a key economic driver. Farms also support agriculture-related businesses, such as feed stores, dairy-product manufacturers, farm-equipment dealers, and veterinary clinics.

To sell its annual calendar, THTLT teams up with local businesses. The calendar has helped “bring new business to the local shops,” says Garrett.

Compiled from photos of the region submitted by locals, Garrett says the calendar is a “huge success” for the nonprofit’s fundraising efforts.

In April, THTLT received three grants, totaling $44,000, from the Conservation Partnership Program, which awarded a total of $1.4 million to 50 nonprofit land trusts across New York state. The grants, funded through the Environmental Protection Fund and administered by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, will support projects to protect farmland, enhance public access and recreational opportunities, and conserve open space.

Garrett says part of one grant will go toward hiring a contract environmental educator for an outreach program at the wildlife sanctuary, located on Middle Road on the Rutland/Champion town line. The rest of that grant’s funds will cover updating THTLT’s website to make it mobile friendly and for a consultant to help the staff craft relevant messaging for their outgoing communications, such as social media and newsletters. The two other grants are reimbursements for two recently completed projects.

A 2012 study by the Trust for Public Land found that every $1 invested by New York state returns $7 in economic value in natural resource good and services, alone.

Leader of the pack
Hailing from the town of Cohoes, north of Albany, Garrett completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse. She found her way to the North Country, when she accepted a position at the Tug Hill Commission in Watertown after college.

During her time at the Commission, she and Quinn, present board chair, helped the agency partner with local community members to create THTLT. Incorporated as an independent 501(c)(3) in 1991, the land trust did not have its own staff at first. The Tug Hill Commission’s staff operated the new nonprofit, with Garrett assigned to split her work between the Commission and the land trust.

Garrett left the Commission in 1995 when she married a soldier and moved to Alaska. While she was gone, two employees at the Commission worked part time on the land trust. In Alaska, Garret worked for the Alaska Natural History Association and the Alaska Public Lands Information Center, and volunteered for the Interior Alaska Land Trust.

Garrett returned to Northern New York when her husband was stationed once again at Fort Drum. She volunteered at THTLT until 2002, when she applied for the executive-director position, the first paid staff position for the organization.

THTLT now has three full-time, paid staffers. Garrett says she hopes to bring on a fourth person sometime this year.

THTLT operates from a 600-square-foot office above the Discovery Center at the New York State Zoo at Thompson Park in Watertown, but Garrett says “the 2,100 square miles of the Tug Hill region is my office space.”

Contact Collins at ncollins@cnybj.com

Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust
1 Thompson Park
Watertown, NY 13601
Phone: (315) 779-8240
www.tughilltomorrowlandtrust.org

Key Staff
Executive DirectorLinda M. Garrett
Executive Director’s compensation (from 2013 990 IRS form) $54,500
Land Protection ManagerRichard Johnston
Program & Outreach CoordinatorFawn Heins

Board of Directors (Officers)
Chair
Robert R. QuinnESF College Foundation
Vice Chair
George Bibbins, Jr.Black River Renewables
Treasurer
Robert K. Keller, Jr.retired, Social Security Administration
Secretary
Cary Fasslerretired, Veterans Administration nurse
Board Members
George Bibbins, Jr.Black River Renewables
Natalie BogdanowiczTransitional Living Services of NNY
Cary Fasslerretired nurse
Richard Hillretired, General Electric
Carol Hutchinsonsubstitute teacher
Robert K. Kellerretired Social Security Administration
Christopher Kelly retired, Jay-K Independent Lumber Corporation
Dave Kohrretired, Syracuse University
Alix Kruegerfarmer
Robert McNamaraartist and environmental interpreter
Paul Millerretired, Madison County administrator
Robert R. QuinnESF College Foundation
Janet Thompsonfarmer
Dave ZembiecJefferson County Industrial Development Agency

MISSION
Tug Hill Tomorrow Land Trust (THTLT) says it protects Tug Hill’s working farm and forest lands, its wild lands, and its natural and cultural heritage for the benefit of present and future generations.

PROGRAMS & SERVICES
Land Protection: THTLT has worked with private landowners to protect and preserve many natural areas in the Tug Hill region. To date, more than 15,000 acres of Tug Hill’s forest, farm, recreation, and wild lands have been protected. Over the past five years, THTLT has been partnering with Fort Drum on the Army Compatible Use Buffer (ACUB) Program. In general, the ACUB Program supports the Army’s mission to fight and win the nation’s wars. Winning wars requires a trained and ready force; trained and ready soldiers require land for maneuvers, live fire, testing, and other operations. ACUB establishes buffer areas around the Army installation to limit effects of encroachment and maximize land inside the installation that can be used to support Fort Drum’s mission.

EDUCATION
THTLT has also pursued its mission to provide outdoor experiences and educational opportunities to residents and visitors of the region. It has a diverse schedule of field trips throughout the year, several special events, as well as a field guide specifically for Tug Hill, entitled Tug Hill: A Four Season Guide to the Natural Side, and the Tug Hill calendar.

RECENT ORGANIZATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS
Partnering with Fort Drum and Ducks Unlimited on the ACUB Program, exceeding the milestone of 15,000 acres of land protected, owning THTLT’s first preserve and developing programs to get people outside, achieving accreditation.

PLANNING/ FUNDRAISING OUTLOOK FOR 2014
“Building on our successes from the past several years, we feel we are in a good position organizationally and financially. These are challenging times economically, but we are very grass-roots and have strong connections with our supporters.”

Business heats up for The Spicy Wench

Small Business, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

WATERTOWN — Christine Hoffman’s business, The Spicy Wench, may have started from her family’s suggestion that she plant some peppers, but it’s Hoffman who deserves the credit for growing the business. What started in November 2011 as a one-woman venture growing peppers and cooking up some pepper jellies has grown into a business that produces

Already an Subcriber? Log in

Get Instant Access to This Article

Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.

Learn More and Become a Subscriber

What started in November 2011 as a one-woman venture growing peppers and cooking up some pepper jellies has grown into a business that produces and sells a range of products including barbecue sauces, pepper jellies, fruit jams, spice blends, and mustards and employs five people during the busy summer and fall seasons.

The business has come a long way from when Hoffman sold her products at farmer’s markets and craft fairs, although those events still play a large role in generating sales.

“It’s much bigger,” Hoffman says of the business. While The Spicy Wench is based in her Waterville home, Hoffman uses the Madison Barracks Shared Use Kitchen in Sackets Harbor to produce her jellies and other products. Hoffman moved to the shared-use kitchen last fall after outgrowing the catering kitchen she was using on a part-time basis. Madison Barracks bills itself as Jefferson County’s “premier” state-licensed kitchen rental facility equipped for small food artisans, commercial processors, specialty bakers, and set-schedule caterers.

Hoffman says she needed more space not only for the increased amount of product she needed to produce, but also to accommodate her expanding variety of products.

Revenue is also growing due to increased private-label business, Hoffman says. That portion of the business began when Thousand Islands Winery in Alexandria Bay contacted her about producing jams using its grapes. A second winery, River Myst Winery in Ogdensburg, soon followed.

“That has actually been a huge spread of the business and one I didn’t anticipate,” Hoffman says.

It has led to other private-label discussions with breweries and Hoffman is even in talks with an area distillery to see if they can produce something together.

The expanding product array has really benefited the top line at The Spicy Wench. In 2013, sales increased 75 percent over 2012 levels. While she declined to disclose revenue totals, Hoffman says sales so far in 2014 are up 106 percent over the comparable year-to-date period last year.

Along with looking into more private-label opportunities, Hoffman says she is also in talks with a distributor to see how she can get her product into more stores. Currently, Spicy Wench products are available in 20 stores in Watertown, Syracuse, Ogdensburg, Wellesley Island, Lowville, Carthage, Alexandria Bay, Cape Vincent, and Sackets Harbor. That number will soon expand to 25 stores, and Hoffman would like to see it grow even more.

To keep up with that growth, Hoffman is looking to add a few full-time employees. “I’d like to have a full-time sales person in charge of sales and marketing,” she says. Hoffman also sees the need for a full-time compliance person to oversee all the paperwork involved with making sure the company complies with all the food-production regulations.

Hoffman says she will most likely hire someone to fill at least one of those roles this year.

The New York State Small Business Development Center (SBDC) recently honored Hoffman as Woman Entrepreneur of the Year and The Spicy Wench (www.thespicywench.com) with an Excellence in Small Business award. Hoffman worked with the Watertown SBDC, located at Jefferson Community College, to launch her business.

Prior to starting The Spicy Wench, Hoffman worked as a city planner and downtown and waterfront development planner for the city of Watertown for nearly six years. Hoffman, who holds an MBA from SUNY Oswego, also operated her own outdoor sporting-goods store for 15 years.

Contact The Business Journal News Network at news@cnybj.com

Cuomo launches Business Mentor NY online platform for small business

Health Care, Small Business, Subscriber Only

New York has a new online platform for Business Mentor NY, the state’s hands-on mentoring program designed to help spur growth among New York entrepreneurs and small businesses. Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently announced the launch of the new online platform. The state held an opening event at the Manhattan headquarters of Quirky, an invention company

Already an Subcriber? Log in

Get Instant Access to This Article

Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.

Learn More and Become a Subscriber

New York has a new online platform for Business Mentor NY, the state’s hands-on mentoring program designed to help spur growth among New York entrepreneurs and small businesses.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently announced the launch of the new online platform.

The state held an opening event at the Manhattan headquarters of Quirky, an invention company Cuomo’s office describes as “successful,” whose senior executives will serve as mentors in the program.

Cuomo first announced the creation of Business Mentor NY in his State of the State address in January. It builds upon the volunteer-mentoring efforts that provided assistance to businesses that Superstorm Sandy, Hurricane Lee, and Tropical Storm Lee affected.

The state has designed the website, www.businessmentor.ny.gov, to streamline the free mentoring process so that “experienced” professionals can help New York business owners, Cuomo’s office said in a news release.

The professionals represent a range of disciplines and are volunteering their time and expertise.

Through the website, participants may register online, review the profiles of potential mentors, and communicate directly with them on an as-needed basis and at no charge.

This new program, available at no cost, will help small businesses that are working to grow, Cuomo said in the release.

“Helping small-business owners overcome obstacles and achieve greater success will in turn strengthen local economies and spur job creation. I commend the Quirky team and other volunteer mentors who will donate their time and expertise in order to help their fellow New Yorkers with reaching their full economic potential,” Cuomo said.

To date, more than 200 business professionals have volunteered to participate as mentors in Business Mentor NY, including lawyers, accountants, consultants, and other entrepreneurs; along with experts in the fields of finance, retail, communications and information technology, human resources and staffing, public relations, sales and marketing.

Through the website, small-business owners may research online profiles of potential experts to find a suitable mentor and reach out to the individual directly, Cuomo’s office said.

New York is conducting the program in partnership with MicroMentor, a proprietary online-mentoring platform that connects volunteer mentors with entrepreneurs.

MicroMentor, an initiative of the Portland, Ore.–based nonprofit Mercy Corps, has a “track record of success nationwide,” Cuomo’s office said.

MicroMentor has found that formal mentoring programs, such as Business Mentor NY, help businesses increase their annual revenue, create jobs, and launch successful businesses compared to companies that do not participate in mentoring programs.

“As New York State entrepreneurs use Business Mentor NY to connect with business professionals, they will turn their business dreams into realities and spur economic growth across the state,” Samantha Albery, director of MicroMentor, said in the news release.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com

Get our email updates

Stay up-to-date on the companies, people and issues that impact businesses in Syracuse, Central New York and beyond.

Get our email updates

What's New

Upcoming Events

21st Annual Symposium on Energy in the 21st Century

GOFCC Business After Hours

Greater Binghamton Chamber of Commerce Connect Over Lunch

CNYBJ Job Board

Get Instant Access to This Article

Get Instant Access to This Article

Get Instant Access to This Article

Get Instant Access to This Article

Get Instant Access to This Article

Get Instant Access to This Article

Get Instant Access to This Article

Get Instant Access to This Article

Get Instant Access to This Article

Get our email updates