New York’s annual milk production falls in 2018

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New York dairy farmers produced 14.9 billion pounds of milk last year, down 0.3 percent from 2017 production levels, the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) recently reported. Production per cow in the Empire State averaged 23,888 pounds in 2018. That was 37 pounds below a year ago, NASS said. The average number of milk […]

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CNY Tweets-March 25, 2019

Business Mentors, Subscriber Only

Some recent tweets that came across the @cnybj Twitter feed, offering various small business, tech, HR, career, and personal tips. SBA @SBAgovSBA launches 2019 Emerging Leaders initiative which provides free entrepreneurship education and training for executives of small businesses poised for growth. Get the details http://ow.ly/l4Q330nUKXA NFIB @NFIBOvertime regulations, tax reform, and healthcare are among

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Some recent tweets that came across the @cnybj Twitter feed, offering various small business, tech, HR, career, and personal tips.

SBA @SBAgov
SBA launches 2019 Emerging Leaders initiative which provides free entrepreneurship education and training for executives of small businesses poised for growth. Get the details http://ow.ly/l4Q330nUKXA

NFIB @NFIB
Overtime regulations, tax reform, and healthcare are among the top federal policy concerns affecting #SmallBiz in 2019. Here’s why: https://www.nfib.com/content/resources/healthcare/3-federal-policy-concerns-for-small-business-in-2019/

Bonadio Group @bonadiogroup
Easy Steps To Better Data Privacy In Your Small Business: https://smallbiztrends.com/2019/03/is-data-privacy-possible.html

Strategic Watch @Strategic_Watch
Top Leaders Explain The Benefits Of (And How To) Diversify Your Network http://dlvr.it/R0VqqH #SmallBusiness #Entrepreneur #SmallBiz

Paul Viorel @PaulFogoros
A new wave of technologies, such as the #IoT, #blockchain and #AI, is transforming cities into #smartcities. https://iiot-world.com/smart-cities/ten-best-practices-for-building-smart-city-innovation-labs/ … #hm19

FreePBX @FreePBX
#OpenSource: The Future of #Tech & #Telecom. What was seen as hobbyist fun for decades is now a mature community of developers that industry takes very seriously http://ow.ly/px1T30o3GdT pic.twitter.com/0hZlD1J8Im

TableTop Studio @TableTopStudio_
How to Keep Up With Social Media News & Trends http://bit.ly/2tNz5i5

Triton Finance @TritonSuccess
5 Major #Robotics Trends To Watch For in 2019. http://bit.ly/2TGmidZ

Dr. Justin Tarte @justintarte
Hire the type of person who will stop to pick up trash on the floor because they take pride in where they work even though it’s not ‘officially’ their job.

Haylor Freyer & Coon @Haylor_HFC
Ever wonder what is really covered under your FSA or HSA? Check this out to find the answers you need. https://hubs.ly/H0g-qjX0

Mark C. Crowley @MarkCCrowley
It’s How They Grew Up: Research from The Young Entrepreneur Council shows 80% of #millennials would prefer to get feedback in “real time.”

Hannah Morgan @careersherpa
7 Social Media Tricks For Your Career and Job Search https://buff.ly/2H0kDcC #jobsearch

Myra Bruns @itswholefood
Here is a list of healthy eating #tips: http://hlty.us/5TGL

Daily Health Tips @DailyHealthTips
What causes itchy fingers? https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321733.php

Cheribundi uses bowl-game sponsorship to build national brand awareness

Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

College football bowl games have long served as promotional vehicles for consumer brands. Some, like Allstate and Chick-fil-A, are established household names. Others, like Geneva–based Cheribundi, Inc., use the spotlight offered by bowl sponsorships to introduce their brand to a national audience. For the past two bowl seasons, Cheribundi, a producer of tart cherry juice health

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For the past two bowl seasons, Cheribundi, a producer of tart cherry juice health drinks, has served as the title sponsor of the Boca Raton Bowl.

The 1.4 million viewers who tuned in to ESPN last December to watch the UAB Blazers defeat the Northern Illinois Huskies were exposed to Cheribundi’s name, logo, and commercials throughout the broadcast.

In a recent interview, Michelle Grech, Cheribundi’s chief marketing officer tells CNYBJ how the company became involved in that national television sports sponsorship.

Cheribundi has had an association with sports from its beginning. In 2004, former professional tennis player John Davey was advised to eat tart cherries to alleviate pain from his sports injuries. When the remedy worked, Davey was inspired to approach Cornell University food scientists to help him develop a commercial tart-cherry juice. That led to the founding of CherryPharm, the company that ultimately became Cheribundi.

Since then, Cheribundi has grown to employ more than 100 people and currently operates an 80,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Geneva. The company declines to disclose its annual revenue. But in July 2016 the Finger Lakes Times reported that Cheribundi’s annual sales at that time were “about $10 million.”

Cheribundi distributes its beverages nationally through retail outlets such as Costco, Walmart, Target, and Amazon, as well as various grocery and drug stores.

Cheribundi touts its tart cherry juice as an all-natural aid in muscle recovery and relief of soreness through antioxidants. The drinks are also promoted as a way to relieve pain from arthritis and gout. On top of that, tart cherries are a source of natural melatonin, which aids in sleep.

While Grech emphasizes that Cheribundi’s mission is “to help people in their every day health and wellness routine,” and that its products are not strictly for athletes, the company has many connections to high-profile sports.

“We have almost 250 sports teams, professional and college, that use our product,” she says.

According to Grech, Cheribundi’s sports customers include 75 percent of NFL teams, about 60 percent of the NBA, approximately half of Major League Baseball and NHL teams, and “every major college [athletic program], except for a few.”

“Nutritionists of the teams purchase [Cheribundi] as part of the daily routine for their athletes,” Grech says.

Two-time Olympic gold-medal gymnast Aly Raisman is featured in Cheribundi’s television commercials and is also an investor in the company, according to Grech.

Cheribundi has sought to highlight those athletic relationships in its marketing. Grech, who served as the president of a sports marketing agency prior to joining Cheribundi, says, “We had been looking to find a way to showcase the connection between Cheribundi and the athletic world.”

She adds that a basic message the company wants to convey to the general public is, “If our product is good for athletes, it’s good for you.”

That marketing goal, along with “longstanding relationships” that Grech and Cheribundi CEO Steve Pear had with ESPN, led them to discover the title-sponsorship opportunity for the Boca Raton Bowl. ESPN owns and operates the Boca Raton Bowl and more than a dozen other college bowl games.

Cheribundi took on the sponsorship because it fit with the company’s athletic-themed message, and also its desire to grow brand awareness.

“Having a title sponsorship for an event really gets your name out there,” Grech says. “One of our biggest goals for our brand is brand awareness. We really wanted people to start talking about us and learn our name.”

Grech notes that college bowl season is among the most-watched periods of the year on ESPN. She adds that Boca Raton was a particularly attractive venue because Florida is one of Cheribundi’s strongest markets in terms of both retail partners and consumers.

Cheribundi signed a three-year title sponsorship agreement with the Boca Raton Bowl in 2017. Grech could not disclose the financial terms of the deal. When asked how Cheribundi’s agreement compared to the reported $300,000 that the municipality of Elk Grove Village, Illinois paid to sponsor the ESPN-owned Bahamas Bowl, she did concede that ESPN’s sponsorship packages are highly customizable and that the Elk Grove Village deal would be considered a “starter package” among the many options.

The first year of the Boca Raton Bowl deal entitled Cheribundi to be included in the bowl’s name and logo, branding on the field of play, television and radio commercial inventory, mentions and features throughout the game broadcast, and game tickets.

In the second year, the deal was expanded to include marketing rights to seven other bowl games and 10 college basketball “classics.” At those events, Cheribundi’s benefits include courtside signage, game tickets, and the ability to do product sampling at the venue.

Of the marketing value of the title sponsorship, Grech says, “Because of all the branding surrounding the game, it’s basically like $14 million worth of media impressions.”

Grech characterized the feedback Cheribundi has received from its two years of bowl sponsorship as “tremendous.” She adds that brand-equity studies have shown that Cheribundi’s awareness has increased recently and one of the reasons has been the Boca Raton Bowl.

When asked about the possibility of Cheribundi extending the sponsorship, Grech says there is an option for an additional fourth year on the deal and that Cheribundi is “in discussion with ESPN about what a go-forward plan looks like.”

Regardless of how those talks proceed, when two football teams face off for a bowl game at Boca Raton’s FAU Stadium this coming December, the Cheribundi brand will be there alongside them in the national spotlight.

State program to help improve six Liverpool properties

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LIVERPOOL — Onondaga County expects the work will start later this year on an improvement project involving six properties in the village of Liverpool. The project involves funding from the New York Main Street program. Plans are to restore the properties to “better reflect the character of the village of Liverpool,” according to the office

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LIVERPOOL — Onondaga County expects the work will start later this year on an improvement project involving six properties in the village of Liverpool.

The project involves funding from the New York Main Street program. Plans are to restore the properties to “better reflect the character of the village of Liverpool,” according to the office of Onondaga County Executive J. Ryan McMahon II.

The restorations will include enhancing dated exteriors, along with new streetscapes and energy-efficient upgrades.

The properties involved are located at 101 & 105, 215, 223, 304, 316, and 324-326 First Street in the village, the county said.

McMahon announced the initiative on March 12 inside the Village Mall at 304 First St. in Liverpool.

“There will be $455,000 of county funding going toward this program; $270,000 of private-sector funding coming from the owners of the properties; and $279,000 from the New York State Main Street program. Also, there will be about $25,000 worth of streetscape dollars from the Village of Liverpool and the New York State Main Street program being put in,” McMahon said in his remarks inside the Village Mall.

The villages of Solvay and Camillus have also benefited from the Main Street program, McMahon noted.

“This is key because I’m going to be asking the [Onondaga County Legislature] for $1.5 million for a competitive process for other villages to have Main Street programs,” he added.

The New York Main Street program is part of the New York State Office of Homes and Community Renewal (HCR), per the HCR website.

The Main Street program “provides financial resources and technical assistance to communities to strengthen the economic vitality of the state’s traditional Main Streets and neighborhoods. The New York Main Street grant program provides funds to units of local government, and nonprofit organizations that are committed to revitalizing historic downtowns, mixed-use neighborhood commercial districts, and village centers,” the HCR website says.

5 Reasons Green Dentistry is Gaining Popularity

Business Mentors, Subscriber Only

For a growing number of patients, a trip to the dentist isn’t what it used to be — and that’s how they want it. Rather than just a routine “drill-and-fill” for a cavity, they may receive a head massage, meditative advice, and diet suggestions that would seem more befitting a gastroenterologist. What they won’t receive

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For a growing number of patients, a trip to the dentist isn’t what it used to be — and that’s how they want it.

Rather than just a routine “drill-and-fill” for a cavity, they may receive a head massage, meditative advice, and diet suggestions that would seem more befitting a gastroenterologist. What they won’t receive are traditional amalgam fillings — about 50 percent of which are composed of mercury, which has been associated with numerous health issues and is considered an environmental hazard.

This emerging branch of dentistry — which dental professionals say is largely patient-driven — is called “holistic” or “holistic biological.” Holistic dentists believe that poor oral health leads to poor physical health. They perform traditional procedures but consider the whole body — diet, lifestyle, emotional health — when treating teeth. They also focus on using what they consider to be safer materials.

It’s the opposite of common dental culture, which is simply “drill and fill.” Holistic dentistry is looking at and addressing the underlying causes for gum disease and cavities; for example, is it your diet, hormonal changes, or acid reflux?

For many years in the dental profession, it was assumed that your oral health had only a tangential effect on your overall health. We now know better.

Here are five reasons holistic dentistry is trending up as a treatment approach by patients.

• Focus on the whole body and root cause. Holistic dentistry looks beyond symptoms to find root causes for dental issues while expanding methods of preventive care. It’s a deeper look at patients that offers them numerous benefits when considering diet and lifestyle and how it all connects with oral health.

• Minimally-invasive treatments. The focus is on helping patients avoid unnecessary, painful, and drawn-out procedures that can hurt overall well-being. That doesn’t mean sacrificing high-tech treatments for disease. Laser treatments for gum disease and cleaning are one example of minimally-invasive. The latter does a great job of destroying bacteria that are the biggest danger to your oral health. Air abrasion and ozone therapy are effective other effective minimally-invasive procedures.

• Biocompatible and non-toxic materials. Holistic dentists will remove amalgam (mercury) fillings and favor dental appliances made from more natural substances. A traditional approach to dentistry often uses mercury fillings or crowns and other harmful materials when treating dental issues. Research has shown all kinds of health problems related to mercury, from thyroid issues to Alzheimer’s. Holistic dentistry will use non-toxic resins and materials fully compatible with the body.

• Alternatives to root canals. Holistic dentists are more likely to look at alternatives, such as herbs, laser therapy, or extractions. A key reason: Research shows unless root canals are completely sterilized and cleaned of all bacteria, the bacteria can get in the bloodstream can cause chronic health complications.

• Balances cosmetics and function. Missing, damaged, or crooked teeth can make you feel self-conscious and affect your quality of life. Holistic care takes a balanced approach to both form and function when developing a dental-care plan. For example, if you’re worried about stained teeth, holistic dentists guide you first to healthy foods that alleviate the problem.

Holistic dentistry is committed to making sure you’re comfortable, making your teeth last a lifetime, and using the most natural materials available.

Nammy Patel, DDS (www.sfgreendentist.com) operates a practice called Green Dentistry in San Francisco and is the author of “Age With Style: Your Guide To A Youthful Smile & Healthy Living.” Dr. Patel focuses on helping patients recognize the vital connection between dental health and whole-body health.

CNY areas post job growth, unemployment-rate declines

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Unemployment rates in the Syracuse, Utica–Rome, Watertown–Fort Drum, Binghamton, Ithaca, and Elmira regions declined in January compared to a year ago. The figures are part of the latest New York State Department of Labor data released March 12. The Syracuse, Utica–Rome, Watertown–Fort Drum, Binghamton, and Elmira areas gained jobs between January 2018 and this past

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Unemployment rates in the Syracuse, Utica–Rome, Watertown–Fort Drum, Binghamton, Ithaca, and Elmira regions declined in January compared to a year ago.

The figures are part of the latest New York State Department of Labor data released March 12.

The Syracuse, Utica–Rome, Watertown–Fort Drum, Binghamton, and Elmira areas gained jobs between January 2018 and this past January. Bucking the trend, the Ithaca region lost jobs in that period.

That’s according to the latest monthly employment report that the New York State Department of Labor issued March 7.

Regional unemployment rates

The jobless rate in the Syracuse area fell to 4.7 percent in January from 6 percent a year before.

The Utica–Rome region’s rate was 5.1 percent, down from 6.4 percent; the Watertown–Fort Drum area had a 6.7 percent jobless rate, down from 8.4 percent; the Binghamton region posted 5.3 percent, down from 6.8 percent; the Ithaca area had a 3.8 percent unemployment rate, off from 4.7 percent; and the Elmira region came in at 4.5 percent, compared to 6.2 percent in the year-earlier period.

The local-unemployment data isn’t seasonally adjusted, meaning the figures don’t reflect seasonal influences such as holiday hires. The unemployment rates are calculated following procedures prescribed by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the state Labor Department said.

January job-growth data

The Syracuse region gained 5,900 jobs in the past year, up 1.9 percent.

The Utica–Rome metro area gained 600 positions, an increase of 0.5 percent; the Watertown–Fort Drum region picked up 300 jobs, up 0.7 percent; the Elmira area gained 100 positions, a rise of 0.3 percent; the Binghamton region gained 600 jobs, up 0.6 percent; and the Ithaca area lost 100 positions in the past year, off 0.2 percent.

New York state as a whole gained 109,000 jobs, an increase of 1.2 percent, in that 12-month period. The state economy gained 9,800 jobs, a 0.1 percent rise, from December to January, the labor department said.

New York Air Brake acquires Missouri locomotive-equipment firm

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WATERTOWN — New York Air Brake LLC (NYAB has acquired the business assets of a Missouri firm and expects that a “complete integration” process will take between one year and 18 months. Watertown–based NYAB is purchasing the assets of Snyder Equipment Company, Inc., a Nixa, Missouri–based manufacturer of locomotive fueling and servicing equipment as well

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WATERTOWN — New York Air Brake LLC (NYAB has acquired the business assets of a Missouri firm and expects that a “complete integration” process will take between one year and 18 months.

Watertown–based NYAB is purchasing the assets of Snyder Equipment Company, Inc., a Nixa, Missouri–based manufacturer of locomotive fueling and servicing equipment as well as locomotive-component remanufacturing, NYAB said in a March 15 news release.

New York Air Brake didn’t disclose the terms of the acquisition. The company said the transaction represents a “continuation of NYAB’s strategic plan to diversify and expand its current capabilities and strong geographic reach.”

NYAB, which is part of the Knorr-Bremse Group, develops and supplies air-brake control systems and components; electronically controlled braking systems; foundation brakes; training simulators; train-handling systems, and wayside equipment to the rail industry.

Based in Munich, Germany, Knorr-Bremse is a manufacturer of braking systems for rail and commercial vehicles.

The transaction will immediately establish Snyder as a division of NYAB, incorporating the complete lineup of Snyder’s existing brands, products, sales, service, and manufacturing operations.

As of March 15, Snyder is now conducting business under the name of Snyder Equipment, a division of New York Air Brake LLC.

“With the addition of Snyder’s top-line products to our portfolio, railroad and support service customers will be able to turn to NYAB as a one-stop destination for an even wider range of high-quality products and services,” Ulisses Camilo, New York Air Brake president and CEO, contended in the release.

G. Samuel Benson, former president and CEO of Snyder, will continue in his current role as head of the division, NYAB said.

With the addition of Snyder Equipment, New York Air Brake “further strengthens” its air-supply product offering and adds wayside systems and service to better meet the needs of the North American market, per its release.

“Snyder has been an integral partner with its railroad customers in identifying opportunities and designing products to meet their challenges, from the equipment used to supply water to steam locomotives, to complete servicing systems for today’s powerful diesel electric locomotives,” Jason Connell, senior VP of marketing, sales, and service at New York Air Brake, said.

New York Air Brake now has more than 850 employees, a figure that includes the 100 employees at Snyder Equipment Company, Barbara Gould, a spokesperson for New York Air Brake, said in an email response to a CNYBJ inquiry.

It operates manufacturing plants in Nixa, Missouri; Riverside, Missouri; Salisbury, North Carolina; West Chicago, Illinois; and Wheatland, Missouri; along with Train Dynamic Systems (TDS), a technology development unit located in Irving, Texas. New York Air Brake has been serving the rail industry since 1890.

The Nixa, Missouri and Wheatland, Missouri manufacturing plants are part of the Snyder Equipment acquisition deal, Gould noted.

With state help, Tractor Supply opens distribution center in Herkimer County

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FRANKFORT — Tractor Supply Company’s new distribution center in the town of Frankfort in Herkimer County currently services more than 140 Tractor Supply stores. The facility has the potential to service over 200 stores in the Northeast region within its first year of operation, the Brentwood, Tennessee–based firm said in a news release. Tractor Supply

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FRANKFORT — Tractor Supply Company’s new distribution center in the town of Frankfort in Herkimer County currently services more than 140 Tractor Supply stores.

The facility has the potential to service over 200 stores in the Northeast region within its first year of operation, the Brentwood, Tennessee–based firm said in a news release.

Tractor Supply on March 14 formally opened its distribution center. It has already created more than 280 local jobs, with plans to create more than 350 full-time jobs in the first five years.

The new 925,000-square-foot location will help service the “growing needs” of the company’s stores throughout the Northeast, as well as its online customers, according to the office of Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

When asked about the project cost, the company tells CNYBJ, “Tractor Supply made a substantial investment spread over several years that’s necessary as we continue our store growth.”

The construction of this project is the “largest economic-development project in 30 years in Herkimer County,” Cuomo’s office said. It’s located in the Frankfort 5S South Business Park.

Jackson, Tennessee–based H&M Company Inc. handled the design work and construction on the distribution center, according to Tractor Supply.

Tractor Supply Company is described as the country’s largest rural lifestyle retailer.

“This new distribution center allows us to expand our store base in the Northeastern corridor of the country and better serve our existing customers with faster, more efficient delivery to our stores, while expanding our digital-fulfillment strategy,” Greg Sandfort, CEO of Tractor Supply Company, said in the release.

The Frankfort distribution center is Tractor Supply’s eighth center nationwide.

Empire State Development has committed up to $3 million in performance-based Excelsior Jobs Program tax credits, which are tied directly to the creation of 350 new jobs over the next five years.

New York State Homes and Community Renewal awarded Herkimer County $750,000 in Community Development Block Grant economic-development funds to support the project.

In addition, the New York Power Authority has allocated more than 1.3 megawatts of low-cost hydropower to the Village of Frankfort for the direct benefit of Tractor Supply.

Tractor Supply Company (NASDAQ: TSCO) has more than 29,000 employees. It sells products both in stores and online. As of Dec. 29, 2018, the company operated 1,765 Tractor Supply stores in 49 states and an e-commerce website.

Egg production on New York farms drops 1 percent in January

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New York farms produced 139.7 million eggs in January, down 1 percent from 140.6 million eggs in the year-earlier period, the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) recently reported. The total number of layers in the Empire State slipped 0.4 percent in January to 5.53 million from 5.56 million a year prior. New York egg production per

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Cuomo: New seven-year power agreement with Alcoa preserves 450 jobs at Massena facility

Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Energy, Environment & Sustainability, New York News

The new seven-year agreement is subject to approval by the NYPA board of trustees. Cuomo is recommending the board vote in support of the proposed

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