DeWITT — The Syracuse–based firm DeFrancisco & Falgiatano Personal Injury Lawyers plans to move to a new building it seeks to construct at 6739 Myers Road in DeWitt. The firm is currently situated at 121 East Water St. in Syracuse, which it has called home since it was founded in 2002.

The new facility will be about 7,200 square feet in size, according to Charles Falgiatano, one of the firm’s two partners, along with Jeffrey DeFrancisco. The firm’s current space in Syracuse is less than half that size, comprising between 3,000 and 3,300 square feet between three floors. Falgiatano says it has outgrown that space.

The firm anticipates using 4,000 to 4,400 square feet of space at the new office at first.

“One of the things we may do early on is rent out portions of the building,” preferably to other attorneys, says Falgiatano. Some spaces he expects will be shared with the hypothetical lessees.

The parcel on which the new office will be built is an undeveloped 3.2 acre plot, says Falgiatano. It is located on the southwest corner of the intersection between the New York State Thruway and Interstate 481. “That location is very conducive to getting wherever we need to go,” he says.

The total cost of the project has not been estimated yet because interior design details have not been completed, but Falgiatano says it will cost more than $800,000. The firm expects to receive a loan from Solvay Bank that will cover about 80 percent of the project cost, he says, although the loan hasn’t been finalized. The remaining amount will be covered by the firm’s internal funds, he adds.

DeFrancisco & Falgiatano hopes to break ground this fall and have the structure up in time for winter, to allow for interior work to continue throughout the cold months, says Falgiatano. Ideally, construction will be completed and the building occupied in March or April of 2016, he says.

Independent contractor Martin Merola, a family friend of Falgiatano’s, is serving as general contractor. Holmes King Kallquist & Associates, Architects, LLP, is the building’s architect, while the Syracuse office of Clough Harbour & Associates LLP is the project engineer.

Falgiatano says the partners are forming a new LLC to own the property, which it is closing in on acquiring. He says they are waiting on final approval for the acquisition to be finalized.

The property is currently owned by Jamesville–based HGX, LLC, and has an assessed value of $61,000, according to Onondaga County’s property records. Falgiatano declined to disclose the expected purchase price.

Signage

The DeWitt planning board has approved the project, according to Falgiatano. The only thing that remains to be settled before ground can be broken, he says, is a request for variance regarding signage made by the firm to the DeWitt zoning board.

The firm wants to place signs that would face both highways, but the town’s code requires signs be placed only on the side of the building for the main entrance and exit, he says. Myers Road is a dead end, so the firm is requesting a variance so it can advertise more effectively. The issue will be addressed at a July 20 meeting. This is the first experience he has in this area, but Falgiatano says he doesn’t expect it to be much of an issue.

The firm, which is owned by Falgiatano and DeFrancisco, currently has 10 employees — the two partner attorneys, one associate attorney, one office manager, and 6 paralegals — all currently working from the Syracuse office, according to Falgiatano.

The firm’s lone associate attorney, Jean Marie Westlake, is currently serving as the president of the Onondaga County Bar Association. All employees work full time except for two paralegals, says Falgiatano. The firm also has one or two interns working for it at almost any given time.

Falgiatano says they would like to hire more attorneys and staff in the future, but have no solid time frame for doing so.

The new building will contain offices in three corners, with the fourth occupied by a large conference room, according to Falgiatano. It will also have about four offices for associate attorneys, and 10 more for paralegals, he says, as well as large filing rooms, a kitchen, and two additional conference rooms, smaller than the corner one.

Apart from spatial constraints, the firm is moving out of the city because it no longer has a strong need to be downtown, which Falgiatano says is due to the firm’s type of work as personal-injury lawyers, and how much can be handled online. The new location will also provide the firm with greater visibility, he adds.

Falgiatano declined to disclose the firm’s revenue history, emphasizing that it is client-driven, so it measures success through client results. The firm has been successful in adding more clients recently, which he says slightly increased revenue.

He also attributes the firm’s success to the work of its paralegals, and the limited turnover it has seen in those positions. Two paralegals have been with the firm for more than a decade, and two others for around five years. The two part-time paralegals were hired in 2014, according to Falgiatano.

The law firm has satellite offices in Cortland, New Hartford, Oneida, Oswego, and Watertown, according to its website. They are used by appointment only and are not staffed, according to Falgiatano.

Jeff DeFrancisco and his father, New York State Senator John DeFrancisco, founded the law firm in 2002. Falgiatano says he was there at the beginning, employed as an associate attorney.

In 2008, Senator DeFrancisco removed himself as a partner to focus on his work as a state senator, and became of counsel to the firm, which allowed Falgiatano to buy a share and become a partner with Jeff DeFrancisco. Senator DeFrancisco’s current involvement with the firm is minor, says Falgiatano.        

UTICA — Thomas Jefferson, a cannabis farmer and third President of the United States, wrote that these plants were “… of first necessity to the wealth and protection of the country.” The Empire State agreed last July when it passed the Compassionate Care Act, authorizing the growing and distribution of medical marijuana. Applications for the licenses were submitted by May 29 of this year, and in July, the New York State Department of Health will grant licenses to five of the 43 applicants. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has set three criteria for selecting the licensees: create jobs, set up operations quickly, and enjoy the support of the local community.

Brightwaters Farms — a business operating three farms in Suffolk, Delaware, and Oneida counties — says it meets all three criteria. “We have over 1 million square feet of greenhouses ready for planting,” says Anthony Quintal, Jr., company president. “We have also leased four locations in the state for our medical dispensaries: Rochester, Albany, Manhattan, and Suffolk. The plan is to hire 100 professionals and another 100-200 employees to staff the operation. Most will work locally. The professionals will include lawyers, accountants, security officers, physicians, engineers, pharmacists, and plant scientists. The annual payroll is projected at $10 million. As for community support, I have spoken to a number of area organizations and with area politicians to explain the plan and to assure them that this operation will not attract criminals … We have [garnered] very strong support from area residents. I believe Brightwaters Farms is the only applicant that is ready on day one to meet the governor’s directive.”

The Brightwaters Farms professional team will include the chief of pediatrics at South Side Hospital in Bayshore on Long Island; the chief of internal medicine at Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip (also on Long Island); Lighthouse Pharmacies; and MedMen, a national medical marijuana consulting firm. As part of the application process, Quintal has retained the services of the Harris Beach, PLLC law firm; Posinelli Affairs, a political consultant; and Scheinkopf Communications.

The marijuana will be grown and distributed to those with serious illnesses, such as seizure disorders, ALS, cancer, and epilepsy. The plant in its medical form alleviates nausea and seizures. Access is available only by prescription. The product originates from female marijuana plants and comes in the form of a pill, vapor product, or an oil-based product; it can’t be smoked for recreational purposes and thus has no street value. The marijuana oil extract must be processed and separated differently for each illness.

Quintal had 35 days to complete the application process. “The requirement was to submit 10 copies of the application,” he says. “We submitted a total of 70,000 pages after running background checks and vetting everybody involved. The application alone cost well over $1 million.” Quintal estimates the New York state market for medical marijuana exceeds $1 billion. Payment is currently the responsibility of the purchaser, since insurers do not cover reimbursement. U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D–N.Y.) is seeking support for national legislation to require coverage by insurance carriers.

Brightwaters Farms’ investment to date far exceeds just the cost of the application. “In 2014, the company began the process of purchasing the former C.F. Baker & Sons nursery [in North Utica] out of bankruptcy. Farm Credit held the lien. Brightwaters Farms is the fourth owner of the property in 20 years. In addition to the purchase price, we have sunk more than $1 million on capital improvements to restore the facility. The original plan was to grow not just shrubs, flowers, and plants but also to add fruits, vegetables, evergreens, and landscape plantings for sale to wholesalers. Last July, when the legislature and governor authorized medical-marijuana legislation, we decided to add this to our … [offerings]. Initially, I have set aside 100,000 square feet to grow medical marijuana with expansion of another 300,000 feet in three phases. The operation will also require a 40,000-square-foot lab located inside the existing facility; the projected cost is $10 [million] to $15 million.”

The Oneida County Brightwaters Farms operation, situated at 1113 Herkimer Road in North Utica, projects employment at 100 to 200 people to operate the non-marijuana facility. If the company receives a license to grow and dispense marijuana, it will add another 200 to 300 employees to the total. Quintal, his wife Robin, and another couple hold the stock in the Utica venture.

The Quintals are also the stockholders in the other two Brightwaters Farms. The original site is located on 15 acres in Bayshore. The farm was originally purchased from the King of England by the Phelps family in the late 1600s. The Quintals purchased the business in 1997. The couple bought an 85-plus-acre dairy farm in Masonville in Delaware County in 2006, on which they now grow hay. The deal for the Oneida County property, sited on 64 acres, closed on March 31, 2015. 

Quintal

Quintal also owns Quintal Contracting Corp., which he incorporated in 1989. The company offers landscape/site development, wetlands remediation and restoration, arboriculture, paving, hardscaping, demolition, marine construction, and parks/athletic fields to civil, commercial, industrial, and large residential customers located on Long Island. About 75 percent of the work is for public entities, the remainder is private. Another company, Quintal Realty Holdings, manages the multiple properties owned by the Quintal family on Long Island and Upstate.

Quintal began his business career in high school. “When I was a senior at Islip High School, I cut out of school one day to sell my first commercial account,” confesses Quintal. “That year, I did $750,000 in business. I worked as the head gardener at the Macy estate in Islip and for other South Shore estates. I founded Quintal Landscaping in 1983, incorporated as Quintal Contracting Corp. in 1989, and later set up the Quintal Group as a holding company. In 1995, Robin and I worked with Edith DeFere to cultivate crops on the Brightwaters Farm in Suffolk. The addition of the Oneida County farm now gives us the opportunity to become one of the northeast’s largest growers and distributors of fresh vegetables and fruits grown year-round.” The Quintals live in Suffolk County with their three sons: Anthony III, Barry, and Michael.

Community activity

Brightwaters Farms recently formed a partnership with Upstate Cerebral Palsy (UCP). “We leased 80,000 square feet of greenhouse space to UCP, of which a sizable space was donated. The agency plans to grow vegetables that will put many of its clients to work. The idea originated with Cornell Cooperative Extension to start a pilot project with UCP, which obtained a grant to underwrite the initial phase. The idea was to create a sustainable model. Brightwaters Farms has committed to employ UCP clients as production expands for its own operations. Our Oneida County farm has also partnered with the Veteran’s Outreach Center [in Utica] to help get unemployed veterans back to work. These are just a couple of examples of how we work with the local community.”