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Here are some recent tweets that came across the @cnybj Twitter feed, offering small business, COVID-19, HR, and leadership tips. NFIB @NFIBFrom NFIB’s July #SmallBiz Optimism Index: “Nearly a quarter of small business owners said they will have to close if economic conditions do not improve over the next six months. Another 22% warned they […]

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Here are some recent tweets that came across the @cnybj Twitter feed, offering small business, COVID-19, HR, and leadership tips.

NFIB @NFIB
From NFIB’s July #SmallBiz Optimism Index: “Nearly a quarter of small business owners said they will have to close if economic conditions do not improve over the next six months. Another 22% warned they may not last a year.” More survey results here: https://nfib.com/content/press-release/economy/small-business-optimism-index-drops-in-july/

SBA @SBAgov
Q: Which loan forgiveness application should sole proprietors, independent contractors, or self-employed individuals with no employees complete?
A: These types of businesses automatically qualify for the Loan Forgiveness Application Form 3508EZ: https://sba.gov/document/sba-form-paycheck-protection-program-ez-loan-forgiveness-application

Big Ideas for Small Business @BigIdeas4SB
Yes, you can make your concerns heard — What regulations are impeding your business? See details here: http://ow.ly/j70550AXFei

Strategic Watch @Strategic_Watch
How To Price Your Early Stage Startup Product http://dlvr.it/Rd76K4

Small Business Expo @SmallBizExpo
Five Instincts You Have to Fight to Succeed as an Entrepreneur http://twib.in/l/L6rqyzbAM4kd

HR Dive @hrdive
Nearly three-quarters of #employers in a recent survey said they were not pursuing COVID-19 employee #liability waivers. https://www.hrdive.com/news/employers-skipping-covid-19-liability-waivers/583155/

Nancy Youngwirth @nancy_youngw
When it comes to managing crisis, @OracleHCM finds #HR organizations should consider addressing these four key areas: https://bit.ly/31PXp1x

Jumbiz @JumbizNews
How To Secure Employee Trust After A Management Shake-Up: http://dlvr.it/RdW4Rr

Entrepreneur @Entrepreneur
5 Solutions to Your Biggest Work-From-Home Challenges: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/353971

Mark C. Crowley @MarkCCrowley
Full acceptance: Pwc’s survey of 3,500 of its global clients found that nearly 80% of them expect some remote working is here to stay post-COVID. “A blend of office & home working is most likely to be the future norm,” PwC UK’s chairman Kevin Ellis.

Maury Davis @maurydavis
Focus on bettering your personal character. Being a leader requires one to lead oneself. #MauryDavis #Leader #Leadership

Anita Zinsmeister @carnegiejersey
Leadership is a concept that should be familiar to most of us. We are either leaders now, or we work under a management team at our current positions. https://inc.com/young-entrepreneur-council/4-critical-lessons-for-anyone-new-to-leadership.html

Michael Sgro Leadership Coaching @CoachSgro
What is coaching? (updated) https://michaelsgro.com/post/coaching-consulting-therapy-oh-my

Lolly Daskal @LollyDaskal
Great Leaders Don’t Say Just Trust Me — @LollyDaskal: http://bit.ly/2llyE8x

4 Factors to Consider Before Buying an Essential Business in COVID Times

Business Mentors, Small Business, Subscriber Only

The shutdowns and rollbacks of businesses due to the COVID-19 pandemic continue to play havoc with the U.S. economy. But the least-affected businesses during the crisis, for the most part, have been those deemed “essential” by state and local governments, allowing those companies to remain fully operational or close to it. Meanwhile, with the idea

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Meanwhile, with the idea that essential businesses can be recession-proof and even boom during a public crisis, buying one is becoming a more attractive prospect for some people.

Our current economic challenges as a nation are showing that owning an essential business can be a solid financial strategy for an individual. They are practical purchases. They are not often glamorous businesses, but essential businesses make sense largely because they offer services that are currently in demand, and as such, they can weather economic downturns.

Some essential businesses are busier than ever as people are trying to maintain social distance by staying home and not taking many vacations.

And at the same time, all kinds of essential businesses provide ownership opportunities while millions of unemployed people are looking for new opportunities or new career tracks. Perhaps they are looking to be their own boss and to have more control over their financial future.

I suggest considering the following when weighing whether to buy an essential business:

• Focus on successful types of essential businesses. Among the essential businesses that have the potential to succeed even during difficult economic times are: delivery services, grocery stores, convenience stores, e-commerce, gas stations, cleaning services, liquor stores, auto repair, lawn care, pest control, mailing/shipping services, and contracting. The pandemic may be with us for a while. People will be home more often, and businesses that can service their needs while home will gain customers.

• Consider franchises as ownership opportunities. While some franchises are struggling during the pandemic, others are in a better position. For franchises in general, much of the industry will be entering a buyer’s market, and those with the means will find some good opportunities. People need jobs, and franchises annually employ 9 million people in the U.S. One benefit of buying a franchise is having an organizational and management team already in place to train you and help guide you. Reach out to other franchise owners to get a sense of the company’s commitment and support.

• Know a bargain vs. a bad investment. A relatively low sale price tempts some people into making a poor buying decision on a business. It’s important to pore over the business’ financial numbers that it recorded before the pandemic and do all the research possible — especially of the market where the business is located — to determine if it was on a growth track and what the competition is like. Two questions you need to ask yourself as a potential buyer of an essential business are: What can you bring new to the business to make it more successful, and why was or wasn’t it profitable?

• Be sure you’re up to owning a business. There are no guarantees with owning an essential business. The pandemic has put a spotlight on their importance, but they take lots of work and organizational skills to run. If you are someone who cannot deal well with uncertainty, buying a business any time, let alone during the most uncertain time in our history, isn’t the right choice. Buying a business and committing to it requires thorough research, a passion for the business, a solid financial foundation, and a leap of faith.

Owning an essential business brings with it the satisfaction of providing necessary services for people. In these times especially, that is a noble pursuit.

Chris Buitron is president of Mosquito Authority (www.mosquito-authority.com), a national mosquito-control firm with franchises serving communities across the U.S. and Canada.

Utica’s Black River Systems awarded $89 million contract modification from U.S. Air Force for drone work

Manufacturing & Engineering, Regional News, Subscriber Only

UTICA — Black River Systems Co. Inc. of Utica has been awarded an $89.3 million modification to a contract for operational counter-small, unmanned-aircraft system (C-sUAS) open-systems architecture from the U.S. Air Force. “The objective of this effort is to rapidly enhance and commercialize the technology and approach developed under the previous Small Business Innovation Research

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The NoBull Company leases space at the Atrium Building in downtown Syracuse

Small Business, Subscriber Only

SYRACUSE— The NoBull Company has leased 1,468 square feet of office space in the Atrium Building, located at 2 Clinton Square in downtown Syracuse, JF Real Estate announced. Matt Funiciello of JF Real Estate represented the owners of the Atrium Building in this lease transaction. Along with using its space to record and film its

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Oswego Health to use Exelon-donated iPads for virtual meetings with patients

Health Care, Subscriber Only, Technology

OSWEGO — Oswego Health says it is using 30 iPads that Exelon (NASDAQ: EXC) donated to the organization so it can conduct virtual meetings with its Medicaid patients that need services. Exelon, based in Chicago, operates the James A. Fitzpatrick and the Nine Mile Point nuclear power plants in Scriba. With the current state of

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OSWEGO — Oswego Health says it is using 30 iPads that Exelon (NASDAQ: EXC) donated to the organization so it can conduct virtual meetings with its Medicaid patients that need services.

Exelon, based in Chicago, operates the James A. Fitzpatrick and the Nine Mile Point nuclear power plants in Scriba.

With the current state of the pandemic, Oswego Health’s care-management unit is “finding it more difficult” to assist clients with coordinating care because many of them don’t have access to the proper technology, the organization said in a news release.

For those reasons, Deanne Meyers-Acome, Oswego Health’s care-coordination manager, worked with the Oswego Health Foundation to contact Exelon to see if the company could provide any additional support.

Exelon upgrades its technology regularly and donates used equipment to local nonprofits.

“It’s always been a focus of our organization to assure excess resources go to helping the right people. This was the perfect opportunity to give back and help bridge the coordination challenges facing care management and their clients.” Nick Millard, corporate maintenance instructor at Exelon, said. “Exelon is happy to provide Oswego Health care management with 30 iPads to assist their clients in the community with access to care through Telemed. In addition, the iPads can be used for families that have multiple children that may be limited in devices to access their educational needs to complete schoolwork as we know these care managers are offering support however their clients need it.”

Oswego Health cites data from NY State of Health, New York’s online health-insurance marketplace, as indicating more than 20,000 Oswego County residents were enrolled in Medicaid during 2019.

Many of those residents need additional support and assistance with services. Oswego Health’s care-management group meets clients “regularly” to help manage their medical needs, social needs, and behavioral needs, per the release.

Some examples of the assistance it provides are coordinating care with providers, therapists, educational needs, housing solutions, transportation, along with offering additional support so individuals can live a healthy life.

Oswego Health care management

The Oswego Health care-management team includes 17 care managers that specialize in children or adults. On average, the children’s care managers service 25 Medicaid clients each per month in Oswego County and the adult-care managers service 40 clients a month.

In total, the Oswego Health care-management group is an extension of service to more than 1,000 Medicaid clients throughout the community yearly and about 30 non-Medicaid children that are contracted through the county with the Oswego Health care-management unit.

Upstate Medical University expands neurosurgery services with hiring of three doctors

Health Care, Subscriber Only

SYRACUSE — Upstate Medical University announced that it has expanded its neurosurgery department with the hiring of three new surgeons, allowing Upstate to offer “additional and expanded services to a larger region of New York.” It has hired Dr. Harish Babu, Dr. Ali Hazama, and Dr. Timothy Beutler. The three new neurosurgeons expand Upstate’s existing

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It has hired Dr. Harish Babu, Dr. Ali Hazama, and Dr. Timothy Beutler.

The three new neurosurgeons expand Upstate’s existing department, making it the largest neurosurgical team in Central New York. The expansion of the department by nearly a third will allow Upstate to provide neurosurgical care to a wider portion of New York state, Dr. Satish Krishnamurthy, interim chair of the department, said in a release.

“Upstate’s department of neurosurgery has been serving the region for more than 60 years,” Krishnamurthy said. “We are dedicated to the Upstate Medical University mission to improve the health of the communities we serve through education, biomedical research and patient care. The addition of these three specialist neurosurgeons will enable us to provide excellent patient care to more patients in more specialty areas.”

The department of neurosurgery multispecialty group offers advanced care and technologies as well as “basic, translational and clinical research aimed at finding new treatments and improved strategies” for disorders of the brain and spine.

The department plays a central role in Upstate facilities, including the region’s “only” adult and pediatric Level-1 trauma center; Upstate Cancer Center; the Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital’s neonatal care units; the comprehensive stroke center; and the region’s telestroke network, which supports stroke care at 11 hospitals across Upstate and Central New York.

About the doctors

Babu joins Upstate Medical after completing residency from the department of neurosurgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Following residency training, he completed fellowships first in epilepsy/functional neurosurgery at the University of Toronto in Canada, followed by tumor/skull base neurosurgery fellowship at the Center for Minimally Invasive Neurosurgery, Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, Australia. Babu obtained his doctoral degree in neuroscience from Charite Medical University in Germany. His specializations at Upstate Medical will include adult brain tumors, skull-base tumors, and gamma knife; functional (epilepsy), general and spinal surgeries.

Hazama has been a resident in the department of neurosurgery at Upstate Medical since 2013. He is a graduate of Chicago Medical School, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science. Hazama’s specialties at Upstate will include general, spine, and minimally invasive spine surgery. He will practice at Upstate Community Hospital and the downtown campus.

Dr. Timothy Beutler completed a residency in neurological surgery at Upstate Medical University, which began in 2013 and included a fellowship in Neuro Critical Care (CAST Program) from 2017 to 2018. Beutler is a graduate of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. His specialties at Upstate Medical will include critical care, general, and spine. He is Upstate’s first neurosurgeon dedicated to critical care neurosurgery.

Pathfinder Bancorp Q2 profit triples to $1.8 million

Banks & Credit Unions, Subscriber Only

OSWEGO — Pathfinder Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: PBHC) recently reported that its second quarter net income rose three-fold to $1.8 million from $607,000 a year ago, boosted by strong revenue growth and earning-asset increases, as well as expense reductions. The holding company for Pathfinder Bank said its earnings per share rose to 31 cents from 11

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The holding company for Pathfinder Bank said its earnings per share rose to 31 cents from 11 cents a year earlier. Pathfinder’s second-quarter revenue (net- interest income, before provision for loans losses, and total noninterest income) totaled $9.2 million, up nearly 16 percent from $7.9 million in the second quarter of 2019.

Pathfinder’s second quarter net-interest income improved to $7.6 million, up 14 percent from $6.7 million for the prior-year quarter.

The bank’s second quarter 2020 provision for loan losses was $1.1 million, an increase of $536,000 compared to $610,000 for last year’s second quarter, primarily a result of continued uncertainty regarding potential credit losses due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic

Pathfinder’s total interest-earning assets as of June 30, 2020 were $1.1 billion, an increase of almost 19 percent from $922.2 million a year before.

Total loans stood at $806 million as of June 30, up 3 percent from $781.5 million as of Dec. 31, 2019, and up 16 percent from $692.8 million as of June 30, 2019

Total deposits of $970.6 million as of June 30, 2020 were up 10 percent from the start of 2020 and up 20 percent from a year earlier.

Impact of COVID-19

“The first six months of 2020, and particularly the second quarter, was unpredictable and highly unusual, relative to any other economic disruption in my 20 years as Pathfinder Bank’s leader, and in my 37 years in the financial services industry,” Thomas W. Schneider, president and CEO of Pathfinder Bancorp and Pathfinder Bank, said in the banking company’s Aug. 3 earnings report.

Pathfinder said its participation in the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) for small businesses and nonprofits resulted in the funding of 680 loans, totaling $75.1 million, to existing and new customers within its market.

“We expect the PPP loan forgiveness process to occur primarily throughout the second-half of 2020 and result, along with anticipated lower funding costs, in an enhancement to net interest margin,” the banking company said.

Pathfinder says its branch operations have largely fully resumed following earlier shutdowns amid the pandemic.

“I am also pleased to be able to report that our branch locations returned to ‘close-to-normal’ operations by the latter part of the [second] quarter. While we continue to maintain strict adherence to physical distancing and hygiene protocols, at all of our facilities, we can say that the majority of our personal service options have been fully restored. The protocols in place are designed to protect the health of our customers and our critical front-line employees, and will remain in effect, for the duration of this pandemic response,” Schneider said. “We continue to encourage our customers to utilize our various digital channels and drive-through facilities for transactions whenever possible. We are confident that these alternative-service delivery capabilities will effectively handle most regular banking transactions in a manner that is both safe and continuously available.”

The chief executive continued, “We are fortunate that, to this point in time, our Central New York market area has been less impacted by COVID-19 than the downstate regions of New York State. The downstate regions had a much higher incidence of infection and resultant disruption to personal routines and business activity, than we have experienced in Central New York. Our region was able to move through New York State’s strict reopening protocols more quickly than most other areas, which was beneficial to our individual and business customers alike. As a result, we are starting to see a return to more normal individual and business transaction activity.”

Pathfinder Bank is a New York State chartered commercial bank headquartered in Oswego. The bank has 10 full-service offices located in its market areas consisting of Oswego and Onondaga County and one limited-purpose office in Oneida County.

Borton named to key position on industry consortium steering committee

Subscriber Only

CICERO — Nicholas Borton, lead firmware engineer at SRC, Inc., has been elected steering committee vice chair of the Sensor Open Systems Architecture (SOSA) Consortium, the company announced. As vice chair, Borton will assist in setting priorities and resolving conflicts within the consortium and will play a critical role in guiding the organization toward a

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DEC completes construction of new $622,000 Otisco Lake boat launch site

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Regional News, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

SPAFFORD — The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) recently announced that the new boat launch site on Otisco Lake is complete and open to the public. The boat launch is located at 1490 West Valley Road in the town of Spafford. The DEC funded the project with $599,740 through the Environmental Protection

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SPAFFORD — The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) recently announced that the new boat launch site on Otisco Lake is complete and open to the public.

The boat launch is located at 1490 West Valley Road in the town of Spafford.

The DEC funded the project with $599,740 through the Environmental Protection Fund and $22,260 through New York Works, for a total project cost of $622,000. The new launch site complements the DEC Otisco Lake fishing-access site at the causeway, located about 200 yards to the north.

Features of the new boat launch include:

• New concrete launch ramp and floating boarding dock to allow the launching of trailered motorboats even if water levels fluctuate

• Accessible-designated parking for one vehicle with trailer and one passenger vehicle

• Wheelchair-accessible portable toilet

• Solar-powered safety lighting, down-lit to minimize light pollution

• Invasive-species disposal bin

• Designated boat-preparation area

• Paved parking area with separate entrance and exit that accommodates 13 vehicles with trailers and 13 single vehicles.

Prior to the boat launch’s completion, Otisco Lake was the only one of the Finger Lakes without a public boat launch, the DEC says. With this facility, boaters will have a new option to explore the region and its fishing and boating-related recreational opportunities, the department said.

“This modern facility offers parking for boat trailers and passenger vehicles and provides safe and convenient features accessible to visitors of all abilities,” DEC Region 7 Director Matthew Marko said in a statement.

Town of Spafford Supervisor Christopher Kozub said, “I’m happy there will now be public boat access to Otisco. The new launch provides an opportunity for people to enjoy recreation on this beautiful lake and have more opportunities to take advantage of this top-notch fishery.”

Otisco Lake is the most easterly of the 11 Finger Lakes and is eighth in size, with a surface area of about 2,200 acres. It lies wholly within Onondaga County. The lake’s variety of fish species include tiger muskellunge, walleye, large and smallmouth bass, brown trout, bluegill, pumpkinseed, sunfish, black and white crappie, and yellow perch.

Morrisville College Foundation elects three new directors

Health Care, Regional News, Subscriber Only

MORRISVILLE — The Morrisville College Foundation announced it has elected three new directors to its 25-member board. The new members — Shirley Crawford of Canastota, Nancy Roberts of Saratoga Springs, and Rita Scharman of Sherrill — took office on July 1. Each will serve a three-year term. Crawford has served as a member of the

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MORRISVILLE — The Morrisville College Foundation announced it has elected three new directors to its 25-member board.

The new members — Shirley Crawford of Canastota, Nancy Roberts of Saratoga Springs, and Rita Scharman of Sherrill — took office on July 1. Each will serve a three-year term.

Crawford has served as a member of the biology faculty at SUNY Morrisville since 1973. As the longest-serving faculty member in Morrisville’s history, she has taught thousands of students during her tenure and is the faculty member most frequently credited by alumni as having impacted their education and future career, the college said. Crawford and her husband, Jack, have an extensive philanthropic history with the college through the Crawford Endowed Scholarship and Crawford Hall named in their honor. Crawford holds doctoral degrees from SUNY ESF and Syracuse University, a master’s degree from Rollins College in Florida, and a bachelor’s degree from Penn State University.

Roberts has been a professor at the University at Albany, teaching journalism and communication since 2004. An expert on the history of journalism and communication and on literary journalism, she has a special interest in the history of advocacy journalism. Roberts is the daughter of the late Art Roberts, “a beloved” SUNY Morrisville faculty member, and his wife, Doris, the college said. Roberts has been a long-time supporter of the Art & Doris Roberts Scholarship, named in her parents’ honor. She earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Swarthmore College, a master’s degree in American studies from Brown University, and a master’s and Ph.D. in mass communication from the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities.

Scharman is president of Scharman Propane Gas, Inc. After completing her accounting degree at Morrisville, she earned her bachelor’s degree at SUNY Polytechnic Institute. She worked as an auditor before taking over the family business, Scharman Propane Gas Inc., in 1988. A longtime lover of horses, Scharman has demonstrated her support for Morrisville’s equine program, setting up two scholarships and sponsoring critical equipment for the program. Recently, she funded the Division of Nursing Endowment, the first divisional endowed fund at Morrisville. The Rita L. Scharman ‘81 Equine Rehabilitation Center Swimming Pool and Scharman Arena at the college’s rehabilitation center are named in her honor.

The Morrisville College Foundation was founded in 1976 to serve as the fundraising arm for SUNY Morrisville. The foundation seeks and distributes charitable gifts from private sources to provide opportunities for students and the college that are not funded by state resources. All gifts to the foundation support SUNY Morrisville students through scholarships, academic enrichment, and co-curricular programming like intercollegiate athletics.

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