Best in Bloom, Inc. of DeWitt, a locally owned wholesaler of flowers, serves 100 florist clients in locations that include Massena and Auburn.

Owner Steve Jocz has seven employees that make the deliveries, but Jocz will “often” drive one of his six delivery trucks to “stay connected to his loyal customers.” 

“I always look for a way to find what my customers need, and the highest quality flowers are what they have grown to rely on from Best in Bloom. To this day, I still check every incoming shipment to make sure the quality is what I expect,” Jocz said in a U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Syracuse District news release that tells his story and how his business benefitted from the SBA’s Emerging Leaders program. 

Jocz began selling flowers from a delivery truck in 1993 for a wholesaler, the SBA said. He was promoted to sales manager and later to store manager when his sales numbers kept outperforming other branches. 

Jocz found that he had a knack for selling flowers, and interacting with customers was part of the job that made his work “not a job at all,” the SBA said.

After nearly 20 years in the industry, Jocz decided to strike out on his own as a wholesaler. In 2012, he attended a small-business workshop series that the Onondaga Small Business Development Center (SBDC) offered. The SBDC is a program that the SBA and Onondaga Community College support.

The course helped Jocz develop a startup plan and his networking efforts with bankers, lawyers, and insurance agents familiar with the challenges facing many startup companies. Joan Powers, regional director of the Onondaga SBDC, encouraged Jocz and gave him “confidence to pursue his dream.”

When Powers recommended Jocz get involved with the SBA Emerging Leaders program in the spring of 2017, he figured it was “the right time for his growing company to add strategic planning,” according to the SBA.

Jocz believes he benefitted from working with Emerging Leaders instructor John Liddy and learning from other business owners. As a result of the “intensive” training program, Jocz put new business processes into place, including 24-hour customer service and a new company website. The changes helped produce a 25 percent increase in the company’s revenue, the SBA said.

“Without the SBDC, I wouldn’t have started my business, and without the SBA Emerging Leaders program, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” Jocz said in the release. “My goal for the future is to continue to develop sustained growth and keep my customers happy.”

SYRACUSE — January was a memorable month for local realtor David Manzano, Jr. 

The Greater Syracuse Association of Realtors honored him as the group’s Realtor of the Year during its annual meeting held Jan. 19. 

He then helped launch MyTown Realty, LLC, a firm that focuses on residential real estate. It operates in a 10,000-square-foot space inside the Icon Tower at 344 S. Warren St. in downtown Syracuse. 

Manzano helped start the business after spending nearly seven years working for his father, David Manzano, Sr., at Hunt Real Estate ERA in Camillus.

Manzano, Jr. has equal ownership in MyTown Realty along with Grazi Zazzara, Jr., who also serves as president of the Icon Companies, a commercial real-estate firm also located in the Icon Tower at 

344 S. Warren St. 

“It’s just something I’ve always known I wanted to do, and with Grazi and myself, with the relationship we’ve nurtured over 10 years, it was the perfect fit to make that happen,” says Manzano. He spoke with CNYBJ on Feb. 9.

Both men equally contributed funding to launch the firm, but Manzano declined to disclose the amount of money invested. Besides the owners, the firm doesn’t currently have any employees but is looking to hire an administrator and manager. MyTown Realty also currently has three agents who are classified as independent contractors.

Becoming business partners

Manzano and Zazzara have known each other since their days working together at Pyramid Brokerage Company in Syracuse.

“We started the same day in 2007. We hit it off,” says Manzano.

Zazzara’s current firm, Icon Companies, focuses solely on commercial real estate, but he’s had clients ask about help with residential real estate. He’d tell them he wouldn’t be much help because commercial and residential real estate “are so different.”

“I couldn’t properly advise you. I wouldn’t be able to guide you in the right direction,” Zazzara says, paraphrasing how he would answer inquiring clients. 

He’s also had to turn away agents seeking work in the residential sector. In 2017, Zazzara decided to pursue a separate firm focused on residential real estate. He sought advice from Manzano on the licensing process, and as the conversation continued, the friendship would evolve into a business partnership.

“I said Dave … I know it’s your dream to start your own company. Why don’t we just join forces and do it now,” says Zazzara, recalling his conversations with Manzano.

Manzano gave it some thought and figured it might be the right opportunity to co-own his own business. 

“I made the decision the day after Christmas,” he adds.

MyTown Realty has a three-tiered plan for growth, says Manzano. First, he wants to grow the Syracuse office to have 30 agents. Second, he would like to open two additional locations in Camillus and Manlius. 

“At some point in time, I’m going to have to become more of a regional manager and put a manager in place for this branch so that I can be free for more expansion and more training,” says Manzano.

The plan also has a third phase, but Manzano didn’t want to disclose details on that yet.

When asked if MyTown will be focused solely on Central New York, Manzano says, “We can go anywhere in New York [state] being licensed for New York.”    

SYRACUSE — StartFast Venture Accelerator recently announced that it closed three follow-on investments in 2017, a “record number” for the firm. 

The companies financed include New York City–based Electronic Gaming Federation (EGF), Canadian company Tunedly, and Buffalo–based RepHike, according to a web posting by James Shomar, program director at StartFast Venture Accelerator on the website of Upstate Venture Connect (UVC). 

“Our efforts to find and mentor the best startups in the world are now paying off,” StartFast Managing Director Nasir Ali said in the posting. “We are looking forward to more follow-on financings and exits as our companies mature and grow.”

Applications are open for the 2018 StartFast Cohort. Those interested can apply now at StartFast.net. 

StartFast is a six-year-old venture capital fund and membership-driven program. Each year StartFast invests in a select handful of software, mobile, or IoT (Internet of Things) companies, and hosts a three-month acceleration program at the Madden School of Business at Le Moyne College in Syracuse. Initial investment includes $25,000, with up to $100,000 in potential follow-on funding. During the accelerator, teams are “connected with world-class entrepreneurs, investors, corporate executives and subject matter experts to help their companies advance to the next level,” StartFast says. “Graduates maintain access to the StartFast network for life.”

About the companies receiving follow-on investments

EGF’s mission is to build the next generation of the NCAA for e-sports in college and high school, according to StartFast. EGF oversees a collegiate e-sports league and is the only state-endorsed high school e-sports league in the country. 

Tunedly is a marketplace that connects songwriters with session musicians to record and produce professional quality music. Using the company’s platform, artists from across the globe can collaborate in a virtual studio, per StartFast. 

RepHike is an end-to-end software suite to help consumer brands launch, manage, and track college brand-ambassador programs. The programs have proven to be an “innovative” method for consumer brands to tap into the highly sought after college student market, according to the company.

“We’re incredibly excited about the progress these teams are making. It just goes to show how the right blend of investment and mentorship can be extremely valuable for startups,” Shomar wrote. 

SYRACUSE — Two local food specialty companies have jointly opened a food kiosk at Destiny USA.

Syracha’Cuse Gourmet Sauces and the Syracuse Salt Company are sharing space near the elevators on the mall’s first floor.

Mike Sharlow, founder of Syracha’Cuse Gourmet Sauces, says the space is like having a company store where area residents can buy its line of gourmet hot sauces and mustards. The kiosk sells the full line for both businesses, more than 50 products in all. Before the kiosk, the companies’ products were available at specialty shops and online.

Started by Sharlow and his daughter, Marissa Sharlow, in 2016, Syracha’Cuse makes sauces and mustards with local and regional ingredients that are organic, non-GMO, gluten-free and vegan friendly. Collaborations include a craft beer hot sauce infused with Empire Brewing Company’s Skinny Atlas Light beer; a coffee hot sauce made with coffee from Recess Coffee and Roastery; and a maple garlic hot sauce infused with maple syrup from Dutch Hill Maple, Tully. Mustards include a craft beer mustard made with Empire beer, a Chardonnay mustard made with wine from Owera Vineyards in Cazenovia; and a honey mustard made with honey from Hiwire Honeybees, of LaFayette. 

Syracuse Salt Company was started by David Iannicello and his daughter, Libby Croom, in 2015. They import salts from around the world, some of which they flavor with lemon, garlic, or other tastes. They also work with other businesses to create salt-related products such as candles, soap and coffee.

Iannicello says Croom returned from a trip to Maine with some Himalayan sea salt and, combined with his interest in food and Syracuse’s longtime reputation as the Salt City, the business was born.

He says Himalayan sea salt is largely unprocessed and contains some 84 minerals along with sodium chloride. In contrast, regular table salt is processed to be 99.7 percent sodium chloride with a bit of iodine and an anticaking agent to keep the salt from getting lumpy.

The minerals in Himalayan sea salt affect the tastes of foods, according to Iannicello. “It adds a different dimension,” he says, “the flavor is more intensified.”

For Iannicello, the outlet at the mall is a step toward a bigger project. While his company is currently bringing salt from around the world to Syracuse, “our ultimate goal is to get some salt from Syracuse again. We want to get salt back on the market from Syracuse.”

Iannicello and Sharlow say their collaboration on the kiosk came about because they saw each other at food festivals and craft fairs. They got together for coffee. “Now, we’re friends,” says Sharlow.

For both businesses, the spot in the mall is a chance to reach out to new customers. That’s why the kiosk offers tastings. Sharlow says he offers hot sauce tastings on chips from Ithaca and mustard tastings on pretzels from Theresa.

The kiosk at Destiny USA opened Feb. 8 and, for now, operates from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. The store is closed on Mondays.