Business

Press release:

“Managing Four Generations in the Workplace” will be the subject of a small business workshop to be hosted the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce on Oct. 11.

This is the one of a series of business workshops held in conjunction with the United States Small Business Administration and the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce. The workshops are open to all Chamber and non-Chamber businesses and their employees and will offer expert advice from experienced business professionals designed to help small businesses succeed and grow.

“This workshop will help attendees learn how to understand and appreciate the differences in the generations from Boomers to Millennials,” said Tom Turnbull, Chamber president. “Understanding these differences will help you better manage employees and create a more productive working environment.”

The workshops are held at the Chamber of Commerce office, 8276 Park Road, Batavia. The sessions will run from 7:30 to 9 a.m. and include a question-and-answer period. Businesses may attend any one or all of the workshops. Cost for non-Chamber members is $10 for each attendee. Chamber members may attend all sessions free of charge but must make reservations to ensure space for their employees.

To reserve a seat in any workshop or for more information, contact Kelly Bermingham at 585-343-7440 or by email at kbermingham@geneseeny.com.

Press release:

The fifth annual GLOW Corporate Cup was a great success again this year as close to 900 runners and walkers participated in this 5K event. The goal of this event was for local businesses to form racing teams, compete in a fun atmosphere, and crown a winner of the Corporate Cup.

The race brought in more than $22,000 in support of the GLOW YMCA. This event would not be possible without the support of the premiere sponsor, Merrill Lynch. The money provides support to the YMCA’s scholarship program. At the Y, no one is turned away due to the inability to pay. Last year the Y provided more than $200,000 in scholarships to youth, families, and seniors in need of support to better benefit their lifestyles through health and wellness.

Part of the GLOW Corporate Cup race is for local businesses to design T-shirts to show their creativity. The first place T-shirt winner receives a $500 donation to the charity of their choice. Sharpe Training LLC won the T-shirt contest and owner Holly Sharpe graciously donated the $500 back to the YMCA.

The YMCA would like to extend its deepest gratitude to both Merrill Lynch and Holly Sharpe for their donations and dedication to the Y scholarship program.

Pictured above are Chris White, Holly Sharpe, Rob Walker and Olivia Rogers.

Mercy Flight/EMS broke ground Friday on its new 11,500-square-foot facility off Route 98, just north of the Thruway, in the Town of Batavia.

The facility will become the new staging area headquarters in Genesee County for the ambulance service.

It's a $2 million investment by Mercy Flight and is located on 2.2 acres in the Gateway II project on Call Parkway.

Photo submitted by Mercy Flight.

Darien Lake management reports that some patrons received minor injuries yesterday on the Silver Bullet ride.

Here's the statement released last night by Chris Thorpe, Darien Lake Theme Park manager:

At approximately 5:12 this evening, in the process of bringing the Silver Bullet to a stop, some guests received injuries, resulting in minor first aid response from the Darien Lake Medical Team. The Silver Bullet, and all of our rides, receive standard daily inspections each morning. After injuries were reported, our safety crews conducted an assessment and confirmed that the ride is operating safely within standard guidelines. Darien Lake will reopen tomorrow at 11 a.m. and the Silver Bullet will be operational.

Signs reading “store closing” were posted out front of the office supply store on Veterans Memorial Drive for customers yesterday.

Parent company Office Depot has confirmed that amid declining sales the Batavia location will be closing along with around 300 other stores nationwide.

Via our news partner WBTA.

Le Roy Village Green, a residential health care facility in Le Roy has submitted an application for a Change in Ownership, Merger or Consolidation to the States Department of Health.

The submission was dated Sept. 27th.

Licensed Nursing Home Administrator for the Le Roy Village Green Robert Rubens confirmed that Premier Healthcare was indeed acquiring the once independently owned operation.

Rubens declined to comment further on the acquisition details.

If the deal is finalized, it will be Premier’s second nursing home in Genesee County following their recent purchase of the Genesee County Nursing Home.

Via our news partner WBTA.

Throughout the last month, two sisters from Oakfield have been planning, renovating and putting together a hair salon in Batavia.

Platinum Salon opened its doors at 6 S. Lyon St. on Tuesday for a soft opening.

“We are doing it together,” said Nicole Toal, the business manager.  

Toal and her sister, Alicia Desjardins, grew up in Oakfield. Toal still lives in Oakfield, while Desjardins resides in Batavia.

Desjardins has been in the cosmetology business for more than 20 years and has always wanted to open up her own salon.

“She finally went ahead and took that leap,” Toal said. “I’m more of the business side. I’m on board to help her get things going.”

Platinum Salon offers a variety of services, including haircuts for each member of the family, coloring, microblading, and eyelash extensions.

“She does a lot of the beauty trends that are out there now that a lot of other places don’t offer,” Toal said. “Those are the big things that a lot of people have to go to the city to get, but now they can stay local and get those treatments done.”

Before opening the salon, Toal was a graphic designer, and Desjardins worked at another salon.

“It was sad to let it go,” Toal said. “But I’m excited to do this together. We’re sisters. We’ve been best friends since we were kids, so it’ll be a lot of fun.”

A month ago, Desjardins began putting her dream into plans and found a location for the salon.

“As soon as she started to look, she found this place a few days later and we jumped right in, doing it as quick as we could.”

The previous renters also owned a salon, Toal said.

“She closed her doors for whatever reason, and the space sat empty for a couple years,” Toal said. “We came in, remodeled the place, cleaned it up, fixed it up and put our own little touch on it.”

Their father and Toal's husband did the renovations that were needed for the space.

“They’re both carpenters, so they’re real handy with that stuff,” Toal said. “It’s definitely a family kind of thing that’s being going on.”

Toal said they are planning on doing a grand opening on Saturday.

The salon is currently open Tuesday through Friday 10 a.m. until 9 p.m., and Saturday 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. Those interested can book appointments through their website, located here.

Submitted photos.

Press release:

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer on Monday urged the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to approve the Empire Pipeline Inc.’s revised and extended PILOT (Payment In Lieu Of Taxes) agreement with Genesee County in order to keep an important water infrastructure project on track.

Schumer said that with the agreement now up for renewal, it is essential that FERC approve the extended agreement to finance new water infrastructure at Genesee County’s Science Technology and Advanced Manufacturing Business Park (STAMP), bringing good paying jobs to the Rochester Finger Lakes region and investing in New York State’s critical infrastructure.

“Genesee County’s PILOT agreement is vital to keep water infrastructure construction at STAMP on schedule and put new jobs in the pipeline,” Senator Schumer said. “FERC must act quickly and approve this petition to ensure that the timely construction of new water infrastructure is not held up by bureaucratic red tape.

"This agreement is a win-win for job creation and the hard working people of Genesee County, allowing the Genesee County Economic Development Center to proceed with vital upgrades to the STAMP business park.”

Schumer explained that the original PILOT agreement between Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC) and Empire Pipeline was approved by FERC and implemented in 2007 as part of Empire Pipeline’s investment to construct a new gas compression station in the Town of Oakfield in Genesee County. This agreement is now up for renewal through 2032.

This request does not include any new construction, but is solely an amendment and extension of the original PILOT agreement.

This renewal agreement was approved by Genesee County and Empire Pipeline in 2016 and is currently awaiting final approval by FERC. Funding provided to Genesee County by Empire Pipeline under this PILOT agreement is required by Genesee County Economic Development Corporation (GCEDC) to finance Phase 2 construction of new water lines to serve STAMP and timely action by FERC is needed to ensure the construction timeline is not delayed.

A copy of Schumer’s letter appears below:

Dear FERC Chairman Chatterjee:

I write to request that you take swift action on the Petition (Docket CP06-5, Sub Docket 013) filed by Empire Pipeline Inc. to approve its revised and extended PILOT (Payment in lieu of taxes) agreement with Genesee County, NY, which is necessary to finance new job-creating water infrastructure at Genesee County’s STAMP (Science Technology and Advanced Manufacturing Business Park) business park. 

The original PILOT agreement between Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC) and Empire Pipeline was approved by FERC and implemented in 2007 as part of Empire Pipeline’s investment to construct a new gas compression station in the Town of Oakfield in Genesee County. This agreement is now up for renewal through 2032. This request does not include any new construction, but is solely an amendment and extension of the original PILOT agreement. This renewal agreement was approved by Genesee County and Empire Pipeline in 2016 and is currently awaiting final approval by FERC. 

Timely approval of this agreement is necessary to ensure that the construction of new water infrastructure, which is crucial to economic development in the region, can proceed on schedule. The $4 million in proceeds paid by Empire Pipeline to Genesee County under this renewal agreement are set to be used to finance new job-creating water line investment in Genesee County. Specifically this funding is required to complete the financing of the Phase 2 construction of new water lines to serve the forthcoming STAMP business park, a 1,250-acre site that Genesee County is transforming into a shovel-ready business park to attract new manufacturing business and jobs. As the Phase 1 water construction is now underway, I request FERC expeditiously schedule this Petition for action in order to enable the Genesee County Economic Development Center to proceed on its Phase 2 schedule without delay. 

Thank you for your attention to this request. 

Sincerely, 

Charles E. Schumer

Press release:

In recognition of National Cyber Security Awareness Month, Genesee Community College (GCC) and Delta College have collaborated to offer a free webinar focusing on the career opportunities in the ever-expanding cyber security industry from 1 to 2 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 12.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the rate of growth for jobs in information security analysts is projected at 18 percent through 2022 -- which is much faster than the average for all other occupations.

The webinar will feature a three-person panel discussing trends, opportunities and challenges facing those in cyber security careers. Panelist Joshua George is the instructor of Criminal Justice at Delta College. George has more than 12 years in federal law enforcement with focus on computer forensics and digital evidence. Panelist Mike Tarcan, currently serves as the information security manager at Ellucian. Tarcan focuses on security incident and threat management for a global cloud company. Panelist Kristopher Howery is an associate professor of Computer Science and Info Tech at Delta College. Howery founded the Cyber Defense Club that provides students with hands-on network defense experience. Howery also designed a multipurpose lab to teach security and network classes such as Cisco CCNA Security, Check Point, CCSA firewall, incident response and wireless security, to name a few. Additionally, he works in forensics under the networking track. Each panelist will share how they got started in the field, discuss what their security roles entail and answer questions from participants. 

Both GCC students and community members are encouraged to attend the webinar which will be broadcast at the GCC Batavia campus in room T102 on Thursday, Oct. 12 in the Conable Technoloy Building. Delta College students and guests are invited to view the webinar at Delta College's Main Campus in N007, located near the Redbrix Area. Attendees are encouraged to arrive by 12:50 p.m. to ensure seating. Remote access to the webinar is available on a limited basis.

Press release:

Congressman Chris Collins (NY-27) met with United States Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta today to discuss expanding the H-2A Agricultural Visa program. This program allows agriculture employers to hire workers on a temporary basis to fill seasonal jobs. 

Under the current program, America’s agricultural employers that require year-round workers are met with challenges as it relates to finding a legal, experienced workforce. The H-2A visa program does not currently provide a category for year-round livestock workers, including dairy. Both crop and livestock farmers depend on affordable labor, yet an oversight in the H-2A program has put the latter at a disadvantage when it comes to obtaining workers.

“I’ve talked with hard-working farmers across Western New York who are struggling because they are unable to retain year-round workers,” Collins said. “Our dairy farmers especially are burdened with an H-2A program that does not allow them to hire the individuals they need to milk cows, feed livestock, and maintain the herd.” 

The agriculture industry is vital to the Western New York economy. Collins’ Congressional District includes almost 5,000 farms, which produce more than $1 billion of products sold each year.

Collins said one area of the H-2A program that needs improvement includes changing eligibility to include year-round agricultural operations such as dairy, nursery, and fresh-cut operations. The meeting with Secretary Acosta was based on the fact that the Department of Labor (USDOL) has the ability to make rule changes that would immediately amend program guidelines.  

“I urged Secretary Acosta to take action on this issue now. Western New York’s and America’s farmers can’t continue to be burdened by these ineffective rules and regulations while waiting for Congress to act,” Collins added.

Collins was joined by Members of Congress from across the United States who also discussed streamlining the H-2A application process. Recommendations presented would reduce redundancies and improve operating efficiencies.  

“I am committed to working with President Trump, Secretary Acosta and my colleagues in Congress to make the necessary reforms that are good for our agriculture industry, and in turn, good for our economy.”

Victor Figueroa's ambition is to open a Puerto Rican restaurant in Batavia specializing in empanadas, and after winning both the Top Competitor Award and the People's Choice Award on Saturday night at the FreshLAB's Foodie Challenge, that dream is a step closer to reality.

Figueroa along with four other top finishers in the cook-off held at BOCES will now be able to take a tuition-free course in restaurant management and then compete in a Shark Tank-like business plan pitch. The top two contestants will be offered spots to try out their restaurant concept in the new FreshLABs facilities inside the former Newberry Building on Main Street along with Eli Fish Brewing Company.

In all,12 aspiring restaurateurs signed up for the Foodie Challenge, eight competed Saturday night and the other finalists were: Gina Bianco, of Middleport, with an Eggplant Busiolo; Judy Hysek, of Batavia, with a vegan mushroom and sage stuffed ravioli with a cashew cream sauce; Rob Rudnicki, of Batavia, with a fish taco; and Ronald Smith, of Rochester, with a pollo de miel (honey chicken).

The contestants are expected to come up with a restaurant concept and menu that is unique to Batavia and Figueroa is counting empanadas as his path to victory. He made a Puerto Rican cheeseburger empanada with a passion fruit chili sauce.

“It’s one of our favorites in Puerto Rico," Figueroa said. "We eat them for lunch, lunch breakfast and dinner every single day. You can walk with them. It’s just one of those things, when we eat it takes you back Puerto Rico.”

Photo of the winning empanadas by Alex Figueroa.

Projects that have received assistance from the Genesee County Economic Development Center for more than a decade have added $4.85 million to local property tax revenue, Steve Hyde told members of the County Legislature yesterday during the Ways and Means Committee meeting.

Hyde, who is CEO of the GCEDC, made his presentation as part of the annual department review for the industrial development agency.

It has helped assist in a build-out of more than 2.5 million square feet of new manufacturing space around the county and another million square feet that have been renovated.

There are currently about 80 projects still within their 10-year PILOT (Payments In Lieu Of Taxes) cycle making payments to local taxing jurisdictions.

"Then there are 64 PILOTS that have actually graduated, so to speak," Hyde said (meaning, they're beyond the 10-year lifespan of their PILOTS). "They've expired and they're back paying full taxes. That aggregate (PILOTS and projects that have graduated) is paying almost five million dollars a year in tax payments to county schools and municipalities."

Hyde said as a return on investment for the county's portion of GCEDC's operating budget, that's about a 22-1 return.

"What's happened really is is that even though our total number of PILOTS have gone down, a lot them have graduated and are paying full taxes," Hyde said. "We're also doing larger projects these days. The shovel-ready strategy has made us more of an ecosystem that is attractive to bigger investment."

The biggest project in the pipeline is WNY STAMP (Science and Technology Advanced Manufacturing Park), which contractors starting working on this past month, bringing in water lines and grading for roads and other infrastructure.

STAMP is expected to be the future home of the solar wafer manufacturing plant of 1366 Technologies, but Hyde said there is a lot of interest in the project.

"We're seeing a lot of conversation about STAMP and it's readiness to market," Hyde said. "We actually have a sales funnel with 10 projects in it right now. These are one- and two-year deals but the promise is there for continued growth."

The challenge for business development in New York, as always, Hyde said, is the reputation the state has for being a poor place to do business. That hasn't changed, but Hyde said there is improvement.

"To the credit of the state and the governor, they've done a lot over the past few budget years," Hyde said. "They've moved income taxes for manufacturing down to zero, so that's really helpful because most of our strategies are around shovel-ready sites. That's about bringing advanced manufacturing back and we've got a much better tax climate in New York to help us be successful."

Press release:

WHAT: WNY Region -- Farmland Protection Forums for Community Leaders
WHEN: 1 to 3 p.m. Nov. 6
WHERE: Cornell Cooperative Extension of Genesee County, 420 E. Main St., Batavia

American Farmland Trust is hosting three farmland protection forums across New York in November.

Each forum will feature presentations from area experts about the resources available to protect farmland and strengthen farm viability in New York communities, as well as local issues identified by the Community Leaders Survey.

This is a great opportunity to network with other town and county leaders in your region.

Land-use training credits will be offered to local officials.

**Forums are free to attend, but space is limited!

Please RSVP at:
https://www.farmland.org/new-york-farmland-protection-forums

Press release:

Are you fascinated with the exploding growth of drones and their applications across many fields, from emergency medical services to agriculture? Genesee Community College will take to the skies this fall with demonstrations and courses in flying drones or sUAS (small Unmanned Aerial Systems).

Whether you are new to drones, planning on starting a business utilizing drones, want to earn your FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) Remote Pilot Certification, or just interested in the technology-GCC has a drone program for you!

GCC's BEST (Business and Employee Skills Training) Center will offer a series of noncredit programs starting with two Informational Sessions on drone opportunities. These events will give anyone interested in flying drones, starting a career and/or becoming an FAA-certified remote pilot, an ideal opportunity to talk to a professional drone pilot or with The BEST Center staff. If you are interested in flying drones as a hobby or a career, these open houses are a great start. Reservations are required by calling 585-345-6868.

• Saturday, Oct. 7, 10 - 11 a.m. / Room T-119, Batavia Campus
• Thursday, Oct. 12, 6 - 7 p.m. / Room T-119, Batavia Campus

"Introduction to Drones" is a three-day, 18-hour, intensive course covering all of the fundamentals of flying, piloting skills, safety, regulations and preparing one to take the FAA Remote Pilot Certification test. As part of their class materials, each participant will receive a small drone with camera and remote control. The course runs the following three Saturdays:

• Saturdays: Oct. 28, Nov. 4 and 11, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. / Batavia Campus

Anyone using drones for business or other ventures is required to have a certification or operate under the supervision of a certified pilot. For those with flying experience, the one-day, "Remote Pilot Knowledge Test Prep" course is offered:

• Saturday, Dec. 2, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. / Batavia Campus to help prepare for the FAA certification test.

Lastly, in October, the 10-week "Introduction to Precision Agriculture" course explores the advanced technology of farming today and will include drone applications such as collecting data and other uses. The course is held with the option of attending the program at the Batavia Campus or online through WebEx.

New York used to be the largest grower of beets in the nation, participants in today's Decision Makers Agricultural Tour, learned while visiting a processing facility in Byron.

Now we're number two behind Michigan, but most of the beets grown in the state that puts us in that position are grown in Genesee County.

As part of the tour, Mark Dewey, of Dewey Farms, talked about his company's processing facility and the beet industry.

The facility processes beets from 600 acres of farmland in the area, on five farms in Genesee County and two in Livingston County. There are no beets grown in New York outside of those counties.

This was the 28th annual ag tour sponsored by the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce.

Most of the beets processed in Byron are handled for a U.K.-based company called Love Beets. 

Love Beets initially started selling beets in the United States by shipping them from Europe to a processing plant in New Jersey. When they learned about the Byron plant, which meets their mission-critical need for sorting by size, the company contracted with Dewey.

The plant processes beets year around. When the local growing season end here in the fall, beets are trucked in from the south through the winter. Dewey said they're working on getting more beets from Mexico for the spring and summer months.

Beets are pickled or canned or turned into juice. Some beets are organic. Others meet the dietary demands of Kosher.

Visitors were able to sample a variety of beet products, including a beet lemonade (really, it's good) that's sold at Tops.

The tour also included a stop by Oxbo International in Byron, where farm equipment is manufactured, and Vegetal, which grows sedum, a cactus-like plant that can be grown on roofs to help reduce energy costs (prior coverage).

NOTE: Oxbo asked that we not publish photos from inside the facility. First three photos are of Dewey Farms and below those is one of Christian Yunker, from CY Farms, which hosts Vegetal, at the Vegetal facility on Bank Street Road, Batavia.

UPDATE: Last photo is of John Easton, Oxbo employee, conducting a tour of the plant. Published with permission.

A delay in securing financing through the New Market Tax Credit program for developer Savarino Companies has held up the state of the Ellicott Station project, which is the $18 million redevelopment of the former Della Penna property on Ellicott Street in Batavia.

Julie Pacatte, economic development coordinator for the Batavia Development Corp., said today that Savarino expects to close financing on the project in November.

The original target date was August. (For an explanation of financing for the project, click here.)

This week, survey crews are on site so preliminary engineering work can begin. The surveys will help with floodplain-related design work.

Once financing is done, environmental remediation work can begin. 

"Hopefully, we'll get some favorable days and favorable weather during the winter," Pacatte said. "There's also some work to do inside on Resurgence Brewery. By spring, we should be in full construction mode."

There will also be a workforce recruitment project beginning in the fall, in cooperation with PUSH Buffalo and the Genesee County Work Center aimed at finding jobs for hard-to-place workers.

Savarino, Pacatte​ said, is also inviting local contractors to bid on subcontracts. Bid specs will be available on the Savarino website once the purchase of the property is completed.

Press release:

The Chamber’s Annual Awards Committee has announced the 46th annual Award Ceremony -- for 2017 honorees -- will be held on Saturday, March 3, at The Quality Inn & Suites, Park Road, Batavia (formerly The Clarion Hotel). This is the County’s premier event that honors businesses and individuals for their achievements in business, community service and volunteerism.

Please note that a brief write-up will qualify your nominee for consideration. (Members of the Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors are NOT eligible for these awards.)

Nominations are now being accepted for:

• Business of the Year -- The nominee must have demonstrated significant business stability, commitment to the business community, community service and leadership;
• Entrepreneurial Business of the Year -- Leading the way in the development of business through opportunities created uniqueness of business ideas and initiation of the owner;
• Agricultural Business of the Year -- Nominee must be considered an Agri-business and have demonstrated steady or increased growth in this industry;
• Innovative Enterprise of the Year -- A business that is successfully generating and implementing new or novel ideas and methods;
• Special Service Recognition -- Does not have to be a business. Can be an organization, club, government agency, educational institute or health care facility that is recognizing a major event or activity/activities. Must have had lasting benefit to the community at large for that organization;  
• Geneseeans of the Year -- A person who has made an outstanding contribution to the community, contributed or volunteered beyond the call of duty; a true unsung Hero of today. Person must be a resident of Genesee County.

Business nominees must be a Chamber Member in good standing. (If unsure of your nominee, call the Chamber to verify.)

Nomination forms are available at the Chamber of Commerce office, 8276 Park Road, Batavia, and can also be down loaded from the Chamber Website at www.geneseeny.com.

Nominations MUST BE RECEIVED BY Dec. 29 to be eligible for consideration.

If you would like more information, feel free to call Kelly J. Bermingham, director of Membership & Special Events, at the Chamber office, 343-7440, ext. 1026.

You can fill out a nomination form available at the chamber, located at 8276 Park Road, Batavia, of print out a nomination form from their website by clicking here.

Chapin sponsored a golf tournament Aug. 10 and raised $15,000 for Crossroads House. Today, members of the Chapin team presented a check to Jeff Allen, director of Crossroads House.

Photo: Jeff Allen, Ann Blake, Peg Patterson-Case, Debbie Zawadzki, Norm Hubbard and Chris Rumfola.