UTICA — Faxton St. Luke’s Healthcare (FSLH) and St. Elizabeth Medical Center (SEMC) over the past two months have moved “several steps closer” to their
New York Attorney General (AG) Eric Schneiderman today announced an agreement with women from Oswego County and Buffalo who have been permanently barred from selling
ELMIRA — Hardinge Inc. (NASDAQ: HDNG) announced that its board of directors has appointed Douglas J. Malone as vice president and chief financial officer, replacing
SYRACUSE — The Central New York Sales & Marketing Executives (CNYSME) has selected Howard Dolgon, owner, president, CEO and team governor of the Syracuse Crunch, as the winner of the 2014 Crystal Ball Award. The organization annually bestows the award to a local businessperson who has contributed to the sales and marketing profession and has
SYRACUSE — The Central New York Sales & Marketing Executives (CNYSME) has selected Howard Dolgon, owner, president, CEO and team governor of the Syracuse Crunch, as the winner of the 2014 Crystal Ball Award.
The organization annually bestows the award to a local businessperson who has contributed to the sales and marketing profession and has worked in community development and support.
“It’s really an honor,” says Dolgon, adding he “had no idea” CNYSME was considering him for the award.
CNYSME will present Dolgon with the Crystal Ball Award on April 10 at the 38th annual Crystal Ball and Sales & Marketing Excellence Awards (SMEA) ceremony at the Holiday Inn Syracuse-Liverpool on Electronics Parkway in Salina.
Dolgon will join a list of past Crystal Ball winners that he calls “impressive,” a group that includes the 2013 recipient, Peter Belyea, president of CXtec and Teracai. Other winners include Debbie Sydow, former president of Onondaga Community College in 2012; John Stage, founder and CEO of Dinosaur Bar-B-Que in 2011; Peter Coleman, the publican of Coleman’s Authentic Irish Pub in 2010; and Edward (Ed) Levine, president and CEO of Galaxy Communications, LLC in Syracuse in 2009, according to the CNYSME website.
“A lot of people who’ve done a lot of good work in the community,” Dolgon says of the past honorees.
Prior to his ownership of the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League (AHL), Dolgon was a founding member of Alan Taylor Communications, Inc., an independent sports public-relations agency, which has since rebranded to Taylor, according to its website.
Dolgon joined Onondaga County officials to introduce the Syracuse Crunch to the community in May 1994.
When asked if marketing efforts are that much more important for a minor-league hockey organization than one in the big leagues, Dolgon had a simple response.
“It is significantly more important,” he says.
Teams in professional sports leagues at the highest level, including the National Hockey League and the National Football League, get “great national support just from their branding alone” as major sports leagues.
Combine their branding with national media exposure and television contracts, and it’s an advantage a minor-league team just doesn’t have, Dolgon says.
Therefore, he adds, it becomes “much more critical” for a minor-league sports team to really become part of the fabric of the community.
“It’s probably much more important that you have a marketing plan in place, business plan in place that is heavy on the marketing and [public relations] and promotion if you have any chance of being successful in the community,” Dolgon says.
In addition to the local focus on hockey, the Syracuse AHL affiliate also includes an organization that works to benefit the community.
The Crunch Foundation, the charitable arm of the Syracuse Crunch, strives to strengthen and broaden the impact of the Syracuse Crunch in the Central New York by providing support and funds to non-profit groups, educational programs and community initiatives, according to the team’s website.
For example, the team and the Crunch Foundation will continue to support the Hillside Family of Agencies with programs that bring awareness and monetary support throughout the 2013-14 season, according to a news release on the website.
Before his ownership the Syracuse Crunch and in his work with the Taylor firm, Dolgon had created and implemented numerous award-winning programs for a variety of corporations including Purchase, N.Y. –based MasterCard International (NYSE: MA); Minneapolis–based General Mills, Inc. (NYSE: GIS); and London–based Diageo plc (NYSE: DEO), an alcoholic-beverage company, in their sports endeavors.
Dolgon acknowledges it’s a cliché, but he believes the CNYSME wouldn’t consider him for the award if he didn’t have “the kind of staff he has” in Syracuse.
Besides Dolgon, Vance Lederman, the team’s CFO and senior vice president of business operations and Jim Sorosy, the team’s COO, lead a staff of about 25 people, including Julien BrisBois, the team’s general manager and Crunch head coach Rob Zettler.
Lederman has worked for the Crunch for 20 years, while Sarosy has been with the organization for 19 years, Dolgon says.
“We’ve been fortunate in not only hiring the right people, but keeping the right people, and that’s something that really doesn’t happen a lot in minor-league sports” he says.
SYRACUSE — The Bonadio Group, which says it’s upstate New York’s largest independent accounting firm, has appointed Donald R. Taylor as managing partner in the firm’s Syracuse office. In his new role, Taylor is responsible for overseeing office operations and partner and employee relations, fostering client services, and growing new business opportunities, the firm
SYRACUSE — The Bonadio Group, which says it’s upstate New York’s largest independent accounting firm, has appointed Donald R. Taylor as managing partner in the firm’s Syracuse office.
In his new role, Taylor is responsible for overseeing office operations and partner and employee relations, fostering client services, and growing new business opportunities, the firm says.
“Don Taylor is a seasoned professional who will be a great asset in leading our Syracuse office,” Thomas Bonadio, CEO and managing partner of The Bonadio Group, said in a news release. “As a Syracuse native, Don knows Central New York as well as anyone. Coupled with that, his extensive industry experience will be critical in his new role as a coach and mentor for the whole Syracuse office staff.”
Taylor has replaced Stanley Konopko as Syracuse office managing partner (OMP). Konopko, who had served in the role since 2011, has been assigned to work full time with Bonadio client St. James Mercy Hospital in Hornell.
“The management committee has decided with Stan and Don Taylor’s approval, that it would be better if Stan focuses on the important client assignment at St. James Mercy Hospital and Don become the Syracuse OMP,” Tom Bonadio wrote in a memo to the firm’s employees.
The change became effective Nov. 12.
The Bonadio Group employs 45 people at its 10,000-square-foot office at 115 Solar St. in Syracuse, according to Taylor.
Taylor joined Bonadio Group in 2011, after the Rochester–based firm acquired the Syracuse operations of his employer, Philadelphia–based ParenteBeard. Taylor had worked for ParenteBeard since 2007 and its predecessor firms Beard Miller and TFG CPAs since 1987.
At Bonadio, Taylor, who has a total of 31 years experience in public accounting, specializes in providing services to the community banking industry, including external and internal audit, establishment and review of internal systems and controls, assistance in regulatory and compliance matters, and implementation of new accounting pronouncements, the firm says.
Taylor is the leader of Bonadio’s financial services industry group.
“I’m looking forward to this new position and the opportunity to lead the Central New York region of the firm,” Taylor said in the release. “As I’ve lived and worked in the area for the tenure of my professional career, I have a connection to our people and businesses in the area that will aid my transition to leading the Syracuse office.”
In an interview, Taylor says one of his priorities as Syracuse OMP will be to evaluate the marketing plan of the office. “We’ve done reasonably well at that, but there are things we can improve on,” he says.
Taylor will also be involved in the Bonadio Group’s acquisition plans in the Syracuse market. Tom Bonadio has said he would like to expand his firm’s Syracuse operations, and each market the firm is in, to surpass 100 employees. And, acquisitions are expected to play a big role in that effort.
Taylor is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants, and is an associate member of the New York State Bankers Association and the Independent Bankers Association of New York State. He is a graduate of Le Moyne College, and resides in the Syracuse area.
FRANKFORT — Back in the days when an auto called Oldsmobile still roamed the earth, the above catch phrase was invented to rescue the brand. Despite featuring William Shatner as Captain Kirk, the advertising effort failed to save Oldsmobile. Nevertheless, the tag line became part of our pop culture. Fast forward to Frankfort, N.Y. and
FRANKFORT — Back in the days when an auto called Oldsmobile still roamed the earth, the above catch phrase was invented to rescue the brand. Despite featuring William Shatner as Captain Kirk, the advertising effort failed to save Oldsmobile. Nevertheless, the tag line became part of our pop culture.
Fast forward to Frankfort, N.Y. and Custom Tool & Model, Inc. (CTM) — this is definitely not your father’s machine shop. Founded in 1969 by Erich O. Naegele as a precision engineering machine company, CTM produces prototypes and short runs of finished parts, combining old-world training and state-of-the-art design and production technology.
The production facility, comprised of two buildings at 151 Industrial Drive, sits on three acres and contains 10,000 square feet of space. The factory is jammed full of milling machines, lathes, grinders, saws, drills, and welders/fabricators, many of which are computer-controlled. CTM employs 25 people and generates between $4 million and $5 million in annual revenue.
“We’re not your average machine shop,” says John J. Piseck, Jr., a sales engineer with the company. “We’re a high-tech operation focused on quality and fast response to our customers.” He proudly points out the latest addition to the company’s technology — a 3-D printer designed to provide accurate, durable, and repeatable prototyping, tooling, and manufacturing. “It was a $200,000 capital investment, including the printer, materials, a washing station, and compressor. This pistol receiver (Piseck holds up a plastic model) only took us three hours to build on the new printer, once we received the e-file from the customer. It used to take us days.”
On a tour of the plant, Piseck points with pride at the number and variety of machines. “This company is all about quality and precision,” says Piseck. “We have invested millions of dollars in equipment to achieve tolerance levels of up to 50/1,000,000 of an inch. Sometimes, I even have to convince my customers that we can actually hold this tolerance.”
CTM is owned by three principals, who are all active in the business. Steven M. Naegele, 47, is the company president; his brother, Erich R., 55, is vice president; and his sister, Sharon Lanza, 51, is secretary/treasurer. The three stockholders and Piseck, 50, constitute the management team along with Bryan Nestle, the quality manager, and Jason Christman, the shop foreman. The team, in turn, is supported by key professional vendors: NBT for banking; Fitzgerald, DePietro & Wojnas CPAs, P.C. for accounting; and Kowalczyk, Deery & Broadbent, LLP for legal matters.
“Sixty percent of our business comes from three areas: aerospace, optics, and firearms,” notes Piseck. “People don’t realize that we do work for NASA and JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) as well as large, national companies … CTM built parts for the moon vehicles and for the Phoenix Lander and Curiosity, which probed Mars. We also produce specialty optics for companies like General Dynamics and work with a number of firearms manufacturers including Remington, Smith & Wesson, and Sig Sauer.”
CTM is a custom manufacturer. “While we have a lot of repeat business from our customers, we rarely see the same job twice,” says Piseck. “Most of our runs are one to five parts. A huge production run is 175 parts. We certainly have recurring customers, but we’re usually not producing the same parts.”
Quality has taken on a very different meaning from the firm’s founding in 1969. “In order to do work for big companies today, we need to be ISO-AS compliant,” notes Piseck. “This international standard says that we have reduced our environmental impact by reducing waste and energy consumption. It includes even the company’s organizational structure, planning and resources for development, and implementing and maintaining policy for environmental protection.”
CTM is also AS-9100 compliant, a requirement of the aerospace industry. “AS-9100 is the aerospace version of ISO-9001,” says Piseck. “The aerospace industry is considerably more demanding in terms of safety and quality. In fact, AS-9100 contains ISO-9001, adding requirements specific to aerospace. This certification places us on the leading edge of quality initiatives.
“Because we work with the firearms industry,” continues Piseck, “CTM needs to qualify for federal firearms licenses. Aside from the annual cost, we are subjected to inspections by BATFE (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, an agency of the U.S. Dept. of Justice). The U.S. government also requires us to be ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations) compliant. This means we are registered with the U.S. State Department’s DDTC (Directorate of Defense Trade Controls). It takes a lot of time, effort, and money to comply with all the regulations and certification requirements.”
CTM has experienced steady, organic growth, not only by servicing its customer base, but also by diversifying its revenue streams. “In addition to being a machine shop, we are also a distributor for manufacturers,” says Piseck.
“CTM now represents a company that manufactures a portable, metal detector. The walk-through device can be set up in 5 minutes and only requires one operator. We also just closed a deal to represent an Israeli manufacturer of automatic, ammunition-loading devices. In addition to acting as a distributor, CTM has set up a clean room on the shop floor for rental to area companies working on an array of manufacturing and R&D projects. The space is very flexible and can be configured to suit the customer’s need.”
Piseck then takes this reporter for a tour of the second building on the site. “Welcome to the Golf Box,” declares Piseck. “We have installed two upgraded simulators representing more than 50 major U.S. golf courses. You can golf here 365 days a year and have enough space to sponsor both private and corporate parties.”
CTM prides itself on its workforce, but also notes the difficulty of recruiting and training employees. “Our industry has the wrong image today. Young people think it’s a dirty business and their parents and school advisers often share that image. Everyone at CTM needs at least a high-school degree and many have college degrees. We work closely with area schools like Mohawk Valley Community College which offers certification in CNC (computer- numerical control) machinery. CTM doesn’t just offer jobs; we offer careers to mill and lathe operators, CNC operators, and precision tool- and die- makers.
“CTM is poised for continued growth,” Piseck declares. “Herkimer County is a hub for manufacturing, which should benefit from the recently announced Nano-Utica commitment. Suppliers coming into the area will need tools, fixtures, and gauging to meet the demand … The Village of Frankfort has its own municipal electric plant which provides power at 3.5 cents [per kilowatt] … The company has positioned itself as a leading-edge machine shop with a great workforce, … and we continue to diversify, looking at new markets.”
CTM is definitely not your father’s machine shop. It is looking to the moon, Mars, and beyond. And it doesn’t need Captain Kirk to burnish its brand.
Small-business owners are divided on whether the national minimum wage should be increased. That’s according to the most-recent Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index. In the survey, conducted Oct. 23-29, small-business owners were split between those who approve (47 percent) and those who disapprove (50 percent) of a law raising the national minimum wage to $9.50
Small-business owners are divided on whether the national minimum wage should be increased. That’s according to the most-recent Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index.
In the survey, conducted Oct. 23-29, small-business owners were split between those who approve (47 percent) and those who disapprove (50 percent) of a law raising the national minimum wage to $9.50 an hour. This contrasts with a separate recent Gallup poll of the American public, in which three-fourths of respondents said they supported hiking the minimum pay rate from the current $7.25 to $9 per hour.
In the Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index, 60 percent of survey respondents said increasing the minimum wage would hurt small-business owners. About 30 percent reported that an increase in the minimum wage would have little effect on most small-business owners. Yet when asked how approval of minimum-wage legislation would affect their businesses, about 60 percent of small-company proprietors said they would not reduce their current workforce or employee benefits.
The survey results follow recent state and federal-government legislation and proposals on the minimum wage, including the recent passage of a new law in New Jersey that indexes future increases in the minimum wage to inflation, according to Wells Fargo. In September, the California state legislature voted to raise the state minimum wage to $10 an hour by 2016. A proposal to raise the minimum wage also is being considered in the U.S. Senate.
Small-business optimism
The Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index remained mostly unchanged over the past several months, and is currently at a positive 24 (+24), compared with the third-quarter index score of positive 25 (+25). While it’s the second highest score in the last five years, the index score remains below pre-recession levels, according to Wells Fargo.
When business owners were asked to identify the most important challenge facing their businesses, several concerns rose to the top of the list. In the fourth-quarter survey, business owners once again said their top concern was finding new business, yet this concern fell from 28 percent to 13 percent of responses, according to the survey results. Other top concerns include the economy (12 percent), health care (11 percent), and government (11 percent). The number of business owners identifying government as the most important challenge was much higher this quarter than in the third quarter, the survey found.
“Small business owners are still in wait-and-see mode,” Doug Case, Wells Fargo small-business segment manager, said in a news release. “As they plan for next year, they are looking for more economic stability.”
The survey also found that nearly one in four small-business owners expect to have a better operating environment and are more optimistic about their business’s future in 2014. Half of business owners surveyed said they expect the operating environment next year to be about the same as this year, according to the survey.
Since August 2003, the Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index has queried small-business owners on current and future perceptions of their firm’s financial situation. The index consists of two components: 1) Owners’ ratings of the current situation of their business, and, 2) Owners’ ratings of how they expect their business to perform over the next 12 months. Results are based on telephone interviews with 605 small-business owners in all 50 states, conducted October 23-29, according to Wells Fargo.
UTICA — “Nano Utica is a game-changer,” says Brian A. Gaetano, president of Charles A. Gaetano Construction Corporation, LLC. “This is like winning the Super Bowl,” he exclaims. Nano Utica, a moniker applied to the nanotechnology development under way in the Mohawk Valley, got a huge boost on Oct. 10 when Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced
UTICA — “Nano Utica is a game-changer,” says Brian A. Gaetano, president of Charles A. Gaetano Construction Corporation, LLC. “This is like winning the Super Bowl,” he exclaims.
Nano Utica, a moniker applied to the nanotechnology development under way in the Mohawk Valley, got a huge boost on Oct. 10 when Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that six global technology companies formed a consortium to invest $1.5 billion to launch the state’s second hub of nanotechnology.
The consortium will be headquartered at the Computer Chip Commercialization Center located on the SUNYIT campus in Marcy. The Empire State agreed to invest $200 million over 10 years for the purchase of new equipment for the Nano Utica facility. The R&D facility is expected to cost $125 million and encompass 253,000 square feet, including cleanrooms, laboratories, hands-on education and workforce-training facilities, and integrated offices.
The focus of the research is on computer-chip innovation for new technologies and products in the consumer and business marketplace. The growing reliance on computer chips affects nearly every industry.
“This project will create 1,000 high-tech jobs just in research,” says Gaetano. “We’re expecting thousands … [more] from the manufacturing companies and suppliers which will be drawn to the area. The town of Marcy [plant site] has a 420 acre park near the college with the infrastructure in place: roads, power, sewers, and the necessary zoning.” The Marcy Town Supervisor, Brian N. Scala, estimates that the public-private investment could reach more than $46 billion and generate up to 6,500 jobs over the next decade.
That’s music to Gaetano’s ears. “I see tremendous potential for real-estate investment and for construction,” he opines. “The area will need plants, offices, apartments, condos, additional road construction, and … [perhaps] school buildings. Just look at what happened to Malta [a town in Saratoga County] when Global Foundries built a giant chip factory to manufacture integrated circuits for semi-conductor companies.” The factory now employs more than 2,000 people on top of the 1,000 employed at the R&D center in Albany.
The Gaetanos — brothers Brian, 62, William, 66, and Greg, 48 — are sitting in the catbird’s seat, ready to benefit from the projected boom in real-estate development and construction. William is the executive vice president of the construction company and Greg is the corporate secretary-treasurer.
Gaetano Construction is located in 14,000 square feet of office space on the mezzanine at 258 Genesee St. in downtown Utica, a building owned by the family. The construction company is celebrating 58 years in business.
“My father started the company in 1955,” says the oldest brother, William. “He was a mason contractor with a small crew, who decided in 1960 to become a GC [general contractor]. He didn’t incorporate the business until the early 1970s. Gaetano [Construction] has grown into a full-service, general-contracting, and design-build company that did $52 million in sales last year and employs 50 full time. We’re projecting about the same sales volume for 2013.”
The brothers Gaetano are the principals and equal stockholders of the construction company. Rounding out the executive management team are David L. Kleps, vice president for design/build; John Kinney, controller; Anthony Obernesser, senior project manager; Michael Bushardt, chief estimator; and Steve Perez, general superintendent.
The Gaetanos also work with area professionals to help steer the company: M&T is the company’s primary bank; Firley, Moran, Freer & Eassa CPA, P.C. in DeWitt is Gaetano’s accounting firm; and Mentor Rudin & Trivelpiece, P.C. in Syracuse provides the construction firm legal representation.
Gaetano’s clients and approach
The Gaetano conference room displays dozens of buildings completed over the years, including projects in the fields of education, health care, commercial and industrial, institutional, housing, manufacturing, and warehousing/distribution. The client list reads like a “Who’s Who” of area companies and institutions: Hamilton College and Colgate University, Cayuga Medical Center and Faxton St. Luke’s Healthcare, Utica National Insurance, the Rescue Mission of Utica, Acacia Village, F.X. Matt Brewing Co., Feldmeier Equipment, Inc., and Fiber Instrument Sales, Inc., just to name a few.
Gaetano Construction also specializes in building custom vacation homes, renovations and repairs, pre-construction services, and has been a Butler Builder franchisee for 32 years. Gaetano Construction is currently working on its largest project — an 80,000-square-foot Theatre & Studio Arts complex at Hamilton College, scheduled for completion in 2014 and valued at $36 million.
William Gaetano says the company’s philosophy and people set it apart in attracting and keeping clients.
“We focus on our customers and work on projects typically in a 50-mile radius of Utica, because it’s easier to control the work. It’s common for us to do repeat business, often on a design-build basis. The bottom line is that we build relationships. After all, the customer can fire us anytime.”
Gaetano goes on to say that “… the company is also focused on our … [staff]. We spend a lot of time recruiting employees, turning to schools like [SUNY] Delhi, which has an outstanding program in construction management. We make sure that our new hires receive a lot of on-the-job-training, including estimating, before giving them positions of responsibility. This is a tough business to manage, and we encourage them to make decisions, but only after they have paid their dues. We have also learned from experience that we need to hire people who want to live in the Mohawk Valley, who enjoy the lifestyle.”
Change
Looking back over decades in the construction/commercial real-estate business, Brian Gaetano notes the changes in the industry — especially the impact of technology, the emphasis on safety, and going green. “Everybody has computers and smart phones, which is pushing our business to respond faster. It’s the ‘now society.’ Customers want everything cheaper and faster, and they are not always giving us time to think how we can do that. We may be able to communicate faster, but we still need time to consider how to build or renovate a facility. Each project is a custom effort; this is not a … [cookie-cutter] business,” he says.
Brother William Gaetano adds that “[s]afety is our primary concern on the job. We’re proud to have received the GCI Risk Control award for 2012-2013, which recognizes our safety program and workshops. The upside is not only a healthy work force but also a favorable claims experience, because our EMR (experience modification ratio) is low. We’ve worked hard to institute a company culture that emphasizes safety.”
Gaetano Construction has also gone green. “We currently have six LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) associates who are certified in green building,” says William Gaetano. “All New York State projects are now built to LEED standards, and some in the private sector have followed suit.” Gaetano cites his firm’s work on projects such as the Cayuga Medical Center in Ithaca, the Old Forge Arts Center, and Hutchings Psychiatric Center in Syracuse. “As for recycling our construction materials and debris, we created a waste stream long before it became mandatory,” declares Gaetano.
Giving back
The Gaetanos are very active in their community involvement and professional associations. “Over the years, we have contributed to a number of worthy causes that improve the quality of life in our community,” says Brian Gaetano. “We are a proud supporter of not-for-profit efforts such as America’s Greatest Heart Run & Walk, the Saranac Concert Series, The Mighty Run, and Habitat for Humanity. We provide labor and material for many of these events and encourage the staff to volunteer. Our company also hosts several live telethons from our corporate office to help promote ticket sales. It’s our way of giving back.”
“I have committed a great deal of time to AGC (Associated General Contractors of America) and GBC (General Building Contractors of New York State), where I served both as the association’s president and a director,” says William Gaetano. He currently serves as a board member of Mohawk Valley Edge and is the president of the Utica Industrial Development Corp. “These organizations have helped us to become more professional by sharing industry best practices. They benchmark a standard that helps us to serve our customers better and to compete. We also spend a lot of time lobbying in Albany trying to change antiquated laws like the Scaffold Law and to help write new legislation.”
In the corner of the conference room at Gaetano Construction rests a plaque recognizing a generous contribution by Charles A. Gaetano, who gifted a multi-purpose stadium to Utica College. The stadium is named after the donor. Under the picture of the stadium is a sentence in Italian: Non c’e male per il figlio di un giardinere! Translation: “Not bad for the son of a gardener.” Considering the growth of Gaetano Construction, the plaque needs an addition: “Not bad for the grandsons of a gardener.”
Contact Poltenson at npoltenton@cnybj.com
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