Community Bank CEO gets new three-year contract, pay raise

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DeWITT — The top executive of DeWitt–based Community Bank has a new three-year employment contract, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The new deal, which pays Community Bank President and CEO Mark Tryniski a base salary of $620,000, took effect Jan. 1 and expires Dec. 31, 2014. Tryniski’s previous […]

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DeWITT — The top executive of DeWitt–based Community Bank has a new three-year employment contract, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

The new deal, which pays Community Bank President and CEO Mark Tryniski a base salary of $620,000, took effect Jan. 1 and expires Dec. 31, 2014. Tryniski’s previous employment agreement ran from March 18, 2009, to Dec. 31, 2011, and paid a base salary of $454,000.

Tryniski is also eligible for incentive pay. His total pay in 2010 was more than $1.3 million, including bonuses and stock-based compensation, according to a filing with the SEC.

Pay information for 2011 has not been filed with the commission yet.

Community Bank has $6.5 billion in assets and more than 170 branch offices in upstate New York and Pennsylvania. The banking company also operates subsidiaries in employee benefits, insurance, investment management and advising, and wealth management.

The board undertook a lengthy process, including using an outside consulting firm, to establish the right comparisons for Tryniski’s salary, Community Bank CFO Scott Kingsley said in an email. The process also takes performance into account, he added.

Although fourth-quarter results have not been released yet, Community Bank System, Inc. (NYSE: CBU) earned $54.2 million, or $1.50 per share, through the first nine months of 2011, up more than 14 percent from the same period in 2010. The company set earnings records in each of the first three quarters.

For the third quarter, the banking company earned $20 million, or 54 cents a share, up nearly 16 percent from a year earlier.

Community Bank System’s stock price finished 2011 at $27.80 per share, up 3 cents, or 0.1 percent, from the end of 2010. In all, the company’s share price rose more than $12, or nearly 77 percent, over the course of Tryniski’s last nearly three-year contract.

In addition to its string of record results, the banking company expanded its footprint in 2011 with the acquisition of Oneonta–based Wilber National Bank. The $103 million deal brought $464 million in net loans, $772 million in deposits, $300 million in trust assets, and 22 branches in Otsego, Delaware, Schoharie, Ulster, Chenango, Onondaga, Saratoga, and Broome counties, along with a loan-production office located in Saratoga County.

Community Bank System’s employee-benefits subsidiary, Benefit Plans Administrative Services, Inc. (BPAS), also added another piece in 2011. The firm announced it acquired CAI Benefits, Inc. in October.

BPAS had been looking to establish a firm base in the metro New York City area and CAI has offices in the city and New Jersey, bank leaders said.

Tryniski said during the year he sees strong potential for growth at Community Bank in its home market. The Wilber deal brought the bank its first location in the immediate Syracuse area with a branch on State Route 31 in Cicero.

Tryniski said he’d also like to open a branch in the DeWitt area.

Community Bank System employs 2,000 people, including about 120 at its corporate offices in DeWitt’s Widewaters Park.

Upstate consumer confidence rises in December

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Increasing hopes for the future helped boost consumer confidence in upstate New York in December as consumers expressed a greater willingness to spend than in previous months. Overall consumer confidence in upstate New York moved up 5.8 points in December to 66.4, according to the latest monthly survey from the Siena (College) Research Institute (SRI).

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Increasing hopes for the future helped boost consumer confidence in upstate New York in December as consumers expressed a greater willingness to spend than in previous months.

Overall consumer confidence in upstate New York moved up 5.8 points in December to 66.4, according to the latest monthly survey from the Siena (College) Research Institute (SRI). Future confidence helped drive the increase, rising 9 points to 66.7, while current confidence rose by 0.8 points to 66.

Confidence increased statewide, with overall New York State consumer confidence climbing 5.1 points to 67.3. Future statewide confidence rose 6.3 points to 68.1, and current confidence increased 3.1 points to 66.

“Those are meaningful increases,” says SRI Director Donald Levy. “There’s a consistent tone across the entire country, New York being part of it, that things are improving.”

National overall consumer confidence jumped 5.8 points to 69.9, according to the University of Michigan’s Consumer Sentiment index. Future national confidence swelled 8.2 points to 63.6 while current confidence edged up 2 points to 79.6.

December marked the second consecutive month of increasing consumer confidence in upstate New York and the state as a whole. But consumers are merely recovering from a low point in October, Levy says.

“You’ve got to put it into perspective,” he says. “What we see is that consumers are starting to feel a little bit better than they did in the early and mid-fall. We’re coming back from a point where consumer confidence was gone.”

In October, overall upstate consumer confidence bottomed out for the year at 55.7 points. New York State consumer confidence in that month was 59.1.

December’s survey results are still below the break-even point of 75. Results below 75 indicate more consumers answered SRI’s survey with negative answers than positive answers.

“The big question is, ‘Is this part of a trend where we see consumer confidence continue to rise?’ ” Levy says. “We don’t see any evidence of that at this point. Buying plans continue to be absolutely flat.”

For example, just 3 percent of consumers indicated in December that they plan to purchase homes, a decrease of 0.5 points from November. In a vibrant economy, about 6 percent of consumers plan to buy homes, Levy says.

And just 13.2 percent of consumers said they planned major home improvements, an increase of 1 point from November. Between 21 percent and 24 percent of consumers plan major home improvements in a strong economy, Levy says.

Gas and food prices

A majority of upstate survey respondents continued to say gasoline and food prices are a financial problem.

The portion of upstate residents indicating gasoline prices as a problem in December rose 4 points to 69 percent. The portion indicating food prices as a problem dipped 1 point to 73 percent.

Meanwhile, 60 percent of upstate residents said both gas and food prices pose a problem. That is an increase of 4 points from November.

“Despite the fact that gasoline lessened a little bit in price, you still have 69 percent of people in Upstate who say gasoline has caused a hardship,” Levy says. “That’s tough.”

Statewide, the portion of residents naming gasoline prices as a problem rose 3 points to 59 percent, and the portion who said food prices were a problem climbed 2 points to 71 percent. An increasing percentage of statewide residents also named both gas and food as a financial problem — 51 percent, up 4 points from November.

SRI made random telephone calls to 801 New York State residents who were over the age of 18 in December 2011 to conduct the survey. Margin of error does not apply to the consumer confidence index results because they are derived from statistical calculations, according to SRI.

New joint center opens at Geneva General Hospital

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Health Care, Subscriber Only, Technology

GENEVA — A newly opened joint center at Geneva General Hospital aims to give patients a homelike atmosphere and weeks of pre-surgery education. The Joint Center of the Finger Lakes opened Jan. 3 in just over 4,000 square feet of space on the hospital’s second floor. It will be dedicated to joint-replacement surgery and services

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GENEVA — A newly opened joint center at Geneva General Hospital aims to give patients a homelike atmosphere and weeks of pre-surgery education.

The Joint Center of the Finger Lakes opened Jan. 3 in just over 4,000 square feet of space on the hospital’s second floor. It will be dedicated to joint-replacement surgery and services that patients need before and after that surgery.

“Its focus is really on patient education, patient satisfaction, and safety,” says Denise Chamberlin, a registered nurse who is the joint center’s clinical manager. “Hopefully, we’re making the transition from the day they say, ‘I’m ready to have my knee or hip replaced,’ to the day they’re ready to leave the hospital very smooth flowing.”

The new joint center will start working with patients six weeks before they are scheduled to have surgery. Patients will go through pre-operative education classes, and the center will also educate family members or friends who will provide care at patients’ homes after operations.

Educating patients early can be more effective than trying to teach them the day they are scheduled to go under the knife, Chamberlin says. Patients are usually anxious the day of surgery, and moving up the education helps them absorb information while they are relaxed, she says.

Once patients go home, they will have the option of being visited by a nurse and continuing therapy in another setting. And the Joint Center of the Finger Lakes will have its own physical therapist helping patients develop rehabilitation goals.

“It’s very different having a physical therapist at your fingers for eight to 10 hours a day working on your therapy goals,” Chamberlin says. “That’s what makes the physical therapy successful.”

The center has eight private rooms, and it will aim to serve eight patients per week, she says. Patient stays will likely average two or three days, according to Chamberlin. Most patients want to go home after two days, she adds.

Four board-certified orthopedic surgeons will work at the center, which will also have its own dedicated staff. Finger Lakes Health, the center’s parent organization, added about seven full-time employees when opening the center, including support staff members and nurses, according to Frank Korich, the organization’s vice president and site administrator. It did not have to add any surgeons, he says.

Finger Lakes Health did not provide staffing totals for the center because levels could change depending on patient volume. The organization also declined to discuss the costs and financing details for the renovations creating the center.

The Joint Center of the Finger Lakes occupies space that had been a nursing unit at Geneva General Hospital, Korich says. It has undergone cosmetic renovations and has a new common area. Patients will be able to come together to eat, take education classes, and participate in physical therapy.

Renovations started in October and were designed by Rochester–based Dwyer Young + Wright Architectural. LeCesse Construction Services, LLC, which shares headquarters outside of Rochester and in Florida, was the general contractor.

Finger Lakes Health considered starting the joint center for more than a year, Korich says. It will serve an area with an aging population, and its services are needed, he says.

“Our community members have told us that they wish to have surgeries close to home,” Korich says. “They prefer not to have to travel to cities, whether it’s Rochester or Syracuse, to have [joint-replacement] surgery.”

The center is already scheduled to be at capacity for January, Finger Lakes Health CEO and President Dr. Jose Acevedo said in a news release. It is currently scheduling surgeries for the middle of February, he said.

Finger Lakes Health is a multi-institutional health system offering acute and long-term care health services. It has three campuses providing acute and long-term care in Ontario, Seneca, and Yates counties and also provides primary-care services in Seneca, Wayne, and Yates counties. The system employs 1,720 people.

Time for a Clean Sweep

Business Mentors, Subscriber Only

Here is a perfect solution to that nagging thought that you should really get your financial house in order “this” year. Start with a list. Does it seem like a daunting task? Here’s some help. Consider some of the items I have on my personal “get it together list.” • Sort financial records into two piles: retain

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• Sort financial records into two piles: retain and shred. For items you plan to keep, file them by year. Do a bit of research on what you really need to keep. Suggestions abound. Even the IRS offers a list of what records you should retain. Check out www.irs.gov.

• Organize tax data for 2011 and consider options for 2012. Tax credits are available for certain purchases, and one never knows what steps Congress will take, so keep your eyes and ears open and talk with your CPA.

• Update asset inventory. Be sure the list includes account numbers, investment institutions, contact numbers, and the like. Set up a “year-end folder” to keep a copy of all investment statements, policy reports, and ownership records in one place.

• For each account or investment be sure you know exactly who owns the account, who is the beneficiary and how the account can be transferred or closed in the event of a death.

• Consider the need to update insurance riders on jewelry, fine art, etc. (Perhaps you donated the appreciated art last month for a tidy charitable-contribution deduction and now no longer need to keep a rider active.)

• Review last will and testament, living wills, and power-of-attorney documents. Update organ donor and DNR (do not resuscitate) documents. This may sound distasteful, but is one of the best ways to use your time.

• Check expiration dates for passports and licenses. Check renewal requirements and take steps to keep everything current.

• Donate items no longer being used. Include children of all ages in the sorting and giving process. Check documentation requirements for donations — call your CPA or check the IRS website.

• Arrange to maximize 401(k) contributions and set up IRA accounts for children who work. Have kids check out one of the web-based calculators so they see how saving early really pays off.

• Take a look at investments. Talk to children about what diversification is and how it works. Contact your financial advisor and CPA to schedule a meeting.

• Consider making a pact with children or grandchildren to encourage saving — set up a matching program for each dollar they deposit.

• Review monthly expenditures. Figure out what is necessary for the family and hold a family discussion to explain the cost of luxuries.

• Meet with your CPA to discuss steps to take this year on personal and business investment and retirement planning.

The time you invest will serve you well in the coming months. The best part? You can stop worrying about the things you have been putting off. Don’t delay, check off items on the list, and get going.

Gail Kinsella is a partner in the accounting firm of Testone, Marshall & Discenza, LLP. Contact Kinsella at gkinsella@tmdcpas.com

CNY Artists owner starts to build ‘eclectic’ gallery at ShoppingTown Mall

Small Business, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

DeWITT — When Peter Svoboda opened an art gallery in ShoppingTown Mall, he only expected to be around for a few weeks. “I went a month, and then I went another month,” says Svoboda, the director and owner of CNY Artists in the mall. “And then I made a commitment.” Svoboda actually made his commitment

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DeWITT — When Peter Svoboda opened an art gallery in ShoppingTown Mall, he only expected to be around for a few weeks.

“I went a month, and then I went another month,” says Svoboda, the director and owner of CNY Artists in the mall. “And then I made a commitment.”

Svoboda actually made his commitment in December, eight months after first opening the gallery in its 2,700-square-foot storefront. He now plans to keep CNY Artists open indefinitely.

The gallery is an extension of an online art community Svoboda founded in 2010. That community — known as CNY Artists, Crafters, and Creators — was made up of 98 people by the end of that year, and in April 2011 Svoboda set up a show of its artists’ work at the Fayetteville Free Library.

The show went well, leading Svoboda to look for a location where it could be extended. And he landed in leased space at ShoppingTown Mall.

“I realized I had a great audience going by my door,” Svoboda says. “It’s convenient for people. It’s easily accessible. And parking is easy.”

Svoboda wants to use the gallery to get new buyers interested in art. And he plans to talk inexperienced shoppers through the process of making a purchase.

He also aims to make the gallery a hub for local artists. At least 95 percent of its contents are from local artists, he estimates.

The gallery includes a variety of framed art such as paintings and drawings, and also jewelry, antiques, and collectibles. About 100 artists’ works are showing at any one time, Svoboda says. Pieces typically range from $200 to $800, although a few cost more.

“It’s very eclectic,” he says. “I let it grow organically.”

To have works considered for the gallery, an artist must join the CNY Artists, Crafters, and Creators online community for $35 per year — higher than the community’s non-gallery membership rate of $20 per year. If the gallery sells an artist’s work, that artist takes home 60 percent of the sales proceeds. The gallery collects the rest.

Svoboda is the gallery’s only employee, but artists volunteer their time to set up displays and keep the storefront running. About 30 volunteers regularly pitch in, Svoboda says.

The gallery can be more to artists than simply a place to sell paintings, according to Svoboda.

“This is kind of a gallery, but it’s also kind of an incubator,” he says. “People are really getting energized because, instead of sitting at home facing four walls, they get energy from being down here.”

Svoboda says he’s been an art collector for years, but he also has experience in the business field. He taught at Syracuse University’s Whitman School of Management from 1998 to 2008, and before that he was assistant director at the Small Business Development Center at Onondaga Community College.

Currently, he is trying to run CNY Artists based on a cooperative model, he says.

“I try to do sideways management,” he says. “We all listen to each other. I have to make the final decisions because I have to pay the rent.”

He wants to expand the gallery’s offerings in the future with themed shows and reach out to coordinate educational programs with area high schools and colleges. And he is considering branching out to sell gallery artwork online.

CNY Artists has already been commissioned to create several works, Svoboda says. Artists in the gallery have been working on about four different commissions at a time for the last month, he says. Commissions have ranged from portraits of individuals to a painting of a company’s headquarters.

Svoboda could not provide revenue totals, but estimates growth of 20 percent in 2012.

“The only slightly hard part we face is to get more people to know about us,” he says.

Webucator ready to build on SEO-driven success

Small Business, Subscriber Only, Technology

DeWITT — A technical and business training company based in DeWitt plans to expand in the new year by searching for major clients. Webucator, Inc. offers online, in-person, and self-paced training for businesses across the country. Subjects range from technical training covering Microsoft programs to business courses in accounting. Much of the company’s business comes

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DeWITT — A technical and business training company based in DeWitt plans to expand in the new year by searching for major clients.

Webucator, Inc. offers online, in-person, and self-paced training for businesses across the country. Subjects range from technical training covering Microsoft programs to business courses in accounting.

Much of the company’s business comes from Internet searches. That’s because owner Nathaniel Dunn focused on search-engine optimization (SEO) when he founded Webucator in 2003.

Search-engine optimization makes a website more visible in Internet searches — meaning search engines such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo list a site high in their results.

“We’ve kind of been in this beautiful place in that our business comes to us through Google,” says Webucator COO David Dunn, who is Nathaniel Dunn’s brother. “We haven’t done a good job of turning those companies into really big customers, despite the fact that their employees have loved their classes.”

Many clients use Webucator to provide intermittent training or training that will only be needed once, David Dunn says. For example, a business may ask an employee to take a class in Adobe Photoshop. That employee will turn to Webucator after finding the training company through an Internet search.

Webucator wants to keep that side of its business, but it also aims to expand its work as a preferred training provider running regular courses for companies. It plans to invest in growth strategies such as marketing to increase its business from major clients, according to Dunn.

“We want to be the recommended solution,” he says. “And we are with a couple of clients.”

About 10 percent of the company’s classes are currently for major recurring clients, including the U.S. Department of Defense, the PNC Financial Services Group (NYSE: PNC), the San Francisco Housing Authority, and the state of Alaska, David Dunn says.

Webucator generated $4.5 million in revenue in 2011, according to Dunn. He does not have firm estimates for 2012, but expects that revenue total to grow by a double-digit percentage.

“I would be surprised if we grow less than 10 percent per year over the next five years,” he says. “I think we could grow more than that.”

About 60 percent of Webucator’s revenue comes from online classes, according to Dunn. Another 30 percent results from onsite classes, while 10 percent comes from self-paced classes where Webucator provides a student with materials required for self-study.

Webucator’s prices vary depending on subject, and Dunn did not share how much money the company makes on each class. The firm quotes its average price for a 5-day Microsoft course at $2,375 per person.

One reason Webucator’s classes are appealing is that the company will run online training sessions with just one student, Dunn contends. It promises to never cancel a class due to low enrollment.

“At a standard training company, you spend half of your time calling the student back and cancelling,” Dunn says. “We can make money with one student. Not much money, but we can do it.”

Webucator can turn a profit on such classes because it pays most of its trainers using a formula based on the number of students in each class. Online trainers can work from home, so they consider it convenient and accept that formula, Dunn says.

“Most of the contractors who work for us could make more money elsewhere,” he says. “The trainers have accepted this model for the chance to work at home and not travel.”

In fact, the company has no central office or campus where employees report to work every day. All of its employees work primarily from their homes, although some instructors fly to companies around the country to teach larger onsite training sessions.

Webucator operates five to seven onsite classes across the country each week, Dunn says. Those classes average between five students and 20 students.

They are typically larger than the company’s online classes, which average between two and three students each. Webucator runs 20 to 25 online classes per week.

Most of the company’s trainers are independent contractors who work for various training companies, according to Dunn. Webucator uses about 70 contractors spread across the country, and it works with 30 to 50 of those contractors regularly, he says.

The company also has 22 full-time employees and two part-time workers. Sixteen of those employees live in Central New York, while the rest are spread across the United States, Dunn says.

Of Webucator’s full-time employees, eight are full-time instructors, Dunn says. Four full-time instructors live in Central New York, he adds. He did not have any projections for adding employees as the company grows.

Webucator currently does negligible business with companies in the Syracuse area but would be happy to expand in any market, Dunn says. He did not name any local customers.

“We’re a national company,” he says. “We’d love to do business locally.”

Forensics expert bases business on bloodstain analysis

Small Business, Subscriber Only

SYRACUSE — Anita Zannin wanted a different kind of job, so she started her business in blood three years ago. “I did not want to do the traditional lab all day,” says Zannin, the owner and founder of AZ Forensic Associates, LLC. “I was looking for something else I could do.” AZ Forensic Associates specializes

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SYRACUSE — Anita Zannin wanted a different kind of job, so she started her business in blood three years ago.

“I did not want to do the traditional lab all day,” says Zannin, the owner and founder of AZ Forensic Associates, LLC. “I was looking for something else I could do.”

AZ Forensic Associates specializes in bloodstain-pattern analysis. The company analyzes bloodstains scientifically, which can lead to the stains being used as evidence in trials.

The firm’s evaluations have been used in criminal and civil cases, and Zannin is often called to testify as an expert witness when a case goes to trial. She says she works on cases around the country and has also been a part of cases in Canada and Europe.

The number of cases AZ Forensic Associates handles at one time varies based on their complexity. Zannin, who is the company’s only employee, sometimes works on one or two cases at a time but has juggled as many as 12 at once.

Clients typically find AZ Forensic Associates through word of mouth. The business’s reputation is buoyed by the fact that Zannin studied under Herbert Leon MacDonell and became his associate. MacDonell is known as a father of bloodstain-pattern analysis, she says.

Zannin founded AZ Forensic Associates in 2009 and operates the company from a 200-square-foot office in her home. She believes the business will grow strongly in the next eight to 10 months, but declined to share any revenue totals or estimates.

“Being that it’s a new business, it’s still in the startup phase,” she says. “There are a lot of opportunities that seem to be coming in.”

Just 20 percent of AZ Forensic Associates’ cases go to trial, Zannin estimates. The rest are resolved before they go to court through plea bargains or other settlements.

AZ Forensic Associates will work for a range of parties in the legal system, including prosecutors, defense attorneys, and private citizens. Cases do not have to be new for the company to take them on, Zannin says.

“I can get involved at any point in a case,” she says. “It can be a new case that hasn’t gone to the prosecution yet. Or it can be a case that’s old.”

Zannin says she’s worked on cases that are as many as 30 years old. In some situations, she has to examine evidence from photographs and documents. In others, she can visit a crime site to perform evaluations.

“Sometimes the visit is simply for me to get a feel for the physical layout that you don’t get from the photographs and diagrams,” she says. “Other times it’s to see the actual evidence.”

AZ Forensic Associates specializes in services beyond on-scene evaluations and bloodstain- pattern analysis. It also offers evidence collection, evidence examination, photography, case review, crime-scene reconstruction, and presumptive testing.

Parties who hire the company should be prepared for the possibility that its evaluation will not back their side in a case, Zannin says.

“After I evaluate it, it’s not necessarily a good result for the person that’s retained me,” she says. “The evidence is the evidence, regardless of who I’m retained by.”

AZ Forensic Associates is also involved in education, from lectures to seminars and workshops. For example, Zannin has helped teach 40-hour bloodstain pattern interpretation courses in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. and Parma, Italy. Courses draw a range of attendees, including crime-scene investigators, attorneys, pathologists, students, and teachers, she says.

Zannin, an adjunct forensics professor at Syracuse University, is used to teaching. She heads classes for both graduates and undergraduate students at the university, she says.

AZ Forensic Associates, LLC takes on some of her graduate students as interns. The number of interns at the company varies depending on its caseload, but it has had a maximum of three interns in the past, Zannin says. Interns often travel to different states as Zannin looks at crime scenes or testifies.

The Year in Review: How did we fare in 2011 and what lies ahead for 2012

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In the Jan. 28, 2011, issue of The Central New York Business Journal, Peter Koveos, professor and director of the Kiebach Center for International Business Studies at the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University and an advisory board member of the Central New York International Business Alliance (CNYIBA), wrote about what we could expect to transpire in the coming year from business, government, and the economy. Now that 2011 has drawn to a close, I wanted to take an opportunity to review some of Peter’s predictions and provide perspective on the year that wasn’t.

While some businesses fared a little better in 2011, the year, for many, was a repeat of 2010 and even 2009. Unemployment continues to hover near 9 percent nationally, the budget deficit continues to grow, and the legislative branch of government had to pass emergency provisions not once but twice last year to keep the doors of government open.
Bottom line, the domestic market is not looking much better. Globally, things have turned for the worse as well in light of the collapse of the Greek economy.

Peter touched on five issues that would be important to businesses and consumers in 2011. They were the global economy; government; China, India, and emerging markets; unemployment; and entitlements.

International markets and international opportunities continue to be an untapped area for local businesses. While the local economy has been hit hard, those companies that have engaged in international business to help grow their bottom line have continued to excel. At the CNYIBA, we recognize that many companies may feel challenged or intimidated about exploring international trade opportunities, which is why we formed the organization in the first place.

At the CNYIBA, we have seasoned, experienced professionals covering both industry and services (i.e., banks, insurance, logistics, etc.) who have a wealth of international experience and are here to help any business large or small engage in international trade.

We aren’t talking just about export opportunities for local companies but also strategic partnering with international firms who are looking to gain entry to the U.S. with their product line.

Government will continue to disappoint. Peter referenced some alarming statistics about New York State. Almost all of them had to do with taxes. That being said, the Cuomo Administration has made an effort to make New York State a more attractive place for companies to do business in, but it will take time before we see significant change that will have a positive effect on local businesses.

On the bright side, we have access to a local representative of the U.S. Department of Commerce and its international trade office (john.tracy@trade.gov.), which offers free advice and access to inexpensive resources for companies who want to explore international business opportunities.

China, India, and emerging markets will not only be around for a long time but they will also grow in importance. Newsflash: China will be the next economic and military super power. This should motivate local businesses to identify opportunities to sell their products in China. Perhaps, we can follow the example of a Georgia–based company who is producing 2 million chopsticks a day and exporting them to China. Now that’s what I call being innovative and creative. China is known for poor air quality, indoors and out. Central New York is home to so many HVAC companies and specialists. Maybe someone has an indoor air-quality solution that would do well in China.

Unfortunately, unemployment continues to be high nationally and globally. The situation in Greece has not helped matters, and from the looks of things, Italy, Spain (national unemployment at 22 percent), Ireland, and Portugal are not far behind. The good news in all of this is that locally, we have seen some change for the positive. The work of CenterState CEO with the Brookings Institute and the ensuing Metropolitan Export Initiative (MEI) look promising. At last, we will have benchmarks of where we stand locally on growth opportunities outside the area that can lead to more job creation.

Entitlement and the “Two Ds.” In Peter’s article he referenced how public-sector deficits and debt were not going away. He went on to write about how those who feel entitled will be seriously questioned. What Peter could not predict is the “Occupy Wall Street” movement, and also how protestors in Europe are taking to the streets to share their discontent about the top 1 percent.

As we prepare for a national election, the economy will continue to be front and center for everyone looking to be elected and re-elected. A lot of promises will be made, and it will be our responsibility to make sure those elected officials keep their promises this time.

After all, we the people hold the power to elect those officials we believe can implement change that will benefit the majority. If things don’t turn out the way we were hoping, then we can only blame ourselves.

We at the CNYIBA are committed to helping your business grow internationally and are here to let you know that you don’t have to take that leap of faith by yourself. In 2012, we will continue to provide international business forums educating local businesses on international topics that they might find valuable. We will also explore international trade missions to help stimulate new business. For more information on the CNYIBA, please visit us at www.cnyiba.net.

Mark Lesselroth is the founder and principal of Brenner Business Development, an international business-development consultancy. He is also the marketing chair and founding member of the CNYIBA.

Banana-Republic Budgeting

Opinion, Subscriber Only

Suppose you were required by law to do a certain thing. The law requiresyou to pay your taxes. And to insure your car. And to register that car. And to have a driver’s license to drive.Suppose you break the law.Now suppose your job is to write laws. And suppose you have taken a solemn oath

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Suppose you were required by law to do a certain thing. The law requires
you to pay your taxes. And to insure your car. And to register that car. And to have a driver’s license to drive.

Suppose you break the law.

Now suppose your job is to write laws. And suppose you have taken a solemn oath to uphold the laws of the land. In short, suppose you are a U.S. senator.

Finally, suppose you didn’t give a damn.

That sums up the attitude of a lot of the members of the U.S. Senate today. As well as yesterday. As well as 975 more days. This is how many days have passed since the U.S. Senate produced a budget plan. The law requires that it do so every year. The plan is
supposed to cover the next five years.

There is nothing to stop the majority party in the Senate from passing a budget plan — as required by law. The filibuster rules do not apply.

And so, for three years, a majority of the senators have thumbed their noses at the law.
This is a serious law. (I suppose all laws are serious.) It was written so that the people might know how their senators want to spend the tax dollars they cough up. It was written
so that folks would know what taxes to expect in years to come.

If you run a business, you have a right to know such things. So that you can plan. If you are likely to have a large estate, you deserve to know such things.

Because the Senate passes no budget (breaking the law) it must resort to short-term resolutions. Stopgap deals. This is budgeting by dribs and drabs, hit and miss. And it resembles a dog’s breakfast.

An editorial in a Washington paper called this banana-republic budgeting. It was right.

The leaders of the most economically powerful nation in history behave like the bunch of old ladies divvying up the lunch bill. “You had two scoops, so your share should be a dollar more.”

It is another example of how out of touch our political leaders are. As you know, most are
millionaires. Few have worked much — or at all — in the private sector. Fewer still have run their own businesses, or any businesses. Few, if any, prepare their own tax returns.

Few have had to cope with the laws they pass and regulations they allow.

If only they had to live like most of us. If only they had to obey the law, like most of us. If only.

If they did, they would make it their priority to pass budget plans every year. Just as so many of your local organizations do. The churches. The libraries. The schools. The local governments. The Scouts.

Oh, are you wondering why the majority of the senators have not passed a five-year budget? They are afraid to let you see it. Because it will have to detail how they will deal with massive deficits that lie ahead.

They can deal with them by cutting spending from programs. Or by increasing your taxes. Or both. The senators don’t want to show their hand. Because you and millions of other voters won’t like their cards.

So they will avoid writing a budget that will attract scorn from voters. They will continue breaking the law. Maybe we should get the Scouts to run the Senate for a while.

From Tom…as in Morgan.

Tom Morgan writes about financial and other subjects from his home near Oneonta, in addition to his radio shows and new TV show. For more information about him, visit his website at www.tomasinmorgan.com

Acquisition adds Brazilian firm to Cooper Crouse-Hinds

Insurance & Financial Services, Manufacturing & Engineering

SYRACUSE — Cooper Industries has added a newly acquired Brazilian manufacturer to its Syracuse–based Cooper Crouse-Hinds division. Cooper Industries (NYSE: CBE), based in Dublin, Ireland,

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