SYRACUSE — Upstate University Hospital has earned certification as a “comprehensive stroke center” from Milford, Ohio–based DNV GL Healthcare Inc. (DNV), a hospital accreditation organization.

 

DNV notified Upstate of the designation Jan. 16, and the hospital held a ceremonial event to acknowledge the certification on Jan. 20. 

 

DNV Healthcare is a wholly owned subsidiary of Norway–based Det Norske Veritus, a global organization with 8,600 employees in more than 100 countries.

 

The designation reflects the highest level of care and treatment that hospitals can provide for serious stroke events.

 

Upstate University Hospital is the only hospital in Central New York to earn such a designation from DNV for its stroke care, according to a Jan. 20 news release from the hospital. 

 

Kaleida Health in Buffalo is the only other hospital in New York state that DNV has designated as a comprehensive stroke center. 

 

The certification is a “great honor” because it is a “long process,” says Dr. Julius Gene Latorre, medical director of the stroke program at Upstate.

 

“We started gathering our data sometime between September and October. And that’s the data from the last year or so. And then we applied in November,” says Latorre. He spoke with CNYBJ on Jan. 30.

 

A hospital has to demonstrate that it has data indicating that it’s taking care of patients, he adds.

 

“You have to show that you are … monitoring the quality of care that you deliver and that you’re able to continue providing the quality care that you’re able to evaluate your performance,” says Latorre.

 

In its evaluation, a hospital has to find out if it executed the care of the stroke patient properly, if it was “appropriate,” and did the care “benefit the patient or not,” says Latorre.

 

“For Upstate to be certified as a stroke center, it’s kind of like a stamp of approval that we are doing a very good job,” he says.

 

The comprehensive stroke center designation, the “highest-level” designation available, Upstate said, signifies that it “meets the most exacting standards” for treating the “most complex” stroke cases at any time.

 

“…Most importantly, this comprehensive designation underscores the team approach that Upstate takes to treating stroke. From EMS providers to nurses, to pharmacists to surgeons, to technicians and social workers, all of these highly trained medical professionals mobilize at the first notification that a patient is en route with a possible stroke,” Dr. John McCabe, CEO of Upstate University Hospital, said in the hospital’s news release

 

Meeting guidelines

Hospitals must meet dozens of guidelines to receive the DNV’s comprehensive stroke center designation, according to Upstate. 

 

They must document rapid assessment of stroke patients in the emergency department and administer clot-busting drugs within 60 minutes, says Latorre.

 

Hospitals also must have a specific stroke team in place, consisting of neurologists and neurosurgeons, diagnostic radiologists, and other critical-care specialists within 10 to 15 minutes, he adds.

 

They must also complete diagnostic tests within 60 minutes of patients’ arrival to the emergency department and must have special imaging available and complete CT scans for candidates treated with tPA within 45 minutes. tPA is short for tissue plasminogen activator, which is the only treatment for ischemic strokes that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration has approved, according to the website of the American Heart Association.

 

In addition, hospitals must have a dedicated Neuro-ICU (intensive care unit) staffed with board-certified physicians in neurocritical care and must provide rehabilitation, physical therapy, and speech services, Upstate said.

 

Hospitals must also maintain community programs to educate public on stroke-prevention efforts and warning signs and symptoms of stroke.

 

They must participate in clinical research aimed at improving stroke care of patients.

 

An interdisciplinary stroke committee oversees Upstate’s stroke care, the hospital said. The committee includes staff from neurology, neurocritical care, neurosurgery, emergency department, area EMS providers, radiology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, laboratory services, neuroscience nursing, cardiology, pharmacy and spiritual care, according to Upstate.

 

Accreditation and certification in health care provide “much more than recognition,” Yehuda Dror, president of DNV Healthcare, said in the Upstate University Hospital news release. 

 

“These programs help establish standards of excellence and best practices that directly impact patients’ lives,” he said.    

 

 

 

SYRACUSE –– About six weeks after its grand opening on March 1, the co-owner of the Asia Food Market at 1449 Erie Blvd. E. says his business has already generated about $300,000 in sales.

 

Qing Li, 45, co-owns the new market with his business partner, Rockey Ren. 

 

Li says his store averages more than 1,000 customers on weekdays and 1,500 to 2,000 customers on weekends.

 

“We’re busy now,” Li says. “Early mornings [especially], we have a rush.”

 

The 25,000-square-foot space, which used to be home to Stevens Office Interiors, is now owned by Ren Li Trading Inc., according to Onondaga County’s online property records. The property is assessed at $974,200 for this year. Its full market value is nearly $1.2 million.

 

 Asia Food Market offers fresh live seafood, prepared and frozen foods, fruits and vegetables, sauces and spices, cookware, and roasted pig and duck. Li says he plans to add a Cantonese-style, dim sum dine-in restaurant on the second floor in four to five months.

 

Li says his goal is to offer a comprehensive Asian food experience for his market’s growing customer base.

 

“We try to provide a convenient spot for people,” Li says.

 

Li and Ren opened a similar market, also called Asia Food Market, near Rochester 10 years ago. Li says many of his customers used to drive up to two hours to shop at the Rochester store. They came from as far as Oswego and Watertown, and wanted a closer location.

 

That’s when Li explored the idea of opening a market in Syracuse.

 

“They always [said] you need a location in Central New York,” he says regarding his traveling customers. “We hope now we can get people in Binghamton to drive up.”

 

Li contends that the growing Asian population in Syracuse, particularly at Syracuse University (SU), will help his new business venture to succeed. 

 

Asians make up 3.4 percent of the Onondaga County population, according to a 2013 estimate from the U.S. Census Bureau. In the city of Syracuse, Asians accounted for 5.5 percent of the population, as of 2010, the bureau reported. 

 

SU has about 1,350 Asian American students and 2,300 international students hailing from countries in East Asia, according to SU data. Li says he’s been seeing a steady flow of SU students shopping at the market.

 

 “They like real Chinese food, something close to their home style,” he says.

 

But the market’s target audience isn’t just Asians or Asian Americans, Li says. He wants the store to be for everyone who enjoys Asian food. 

 

Competing with other Asian markets

Asia Food Market’s direct competitors are just down the road. Eastern Supermarket, located at 2406 Erie Blvd. E., and Han’s Oriental Grocery, at 2731 Erie Blvd. E., sell similar Asian foods. However, Li says he isn’t worried about the competition.

 

What differentiates his store, Li says, is that it will be a one-stop shop for all East Asian food, whether it’s Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, or Filipino cuisine. In comparison, Han’s Oriental Grocery sells mostly Korean food. And while Eastern Supermarket sells a similar variety of East Asian foods, its store is not as large as Asia Food Market. Also, neither Han’s nor Eastern Supermarket has an eatery component that serves prepared Asian food.

 

 

Inside the market

A variety of fruits and vegetables line the black shelves upon entering the Asia Food Market. From gingers and squash to pears and lettuce, customers can buy the produce in bulk or pay by the pound. 

 

On the right side of the store, large quantities of seafood are displayed prominently on ice. This part of the market offers different types of fish, lobsters, and crabs, which employees will help clean and prepare for the customer. Behind the counter are blue tanks with live fish and other seafood from which customers can choose.

 

Past the aisles of canned, prepared foods and sauces is a small bakery with baked goods, breads, and sweets. Next to the bakery are whole smoked hogs, roast ducks, and roast pork hanging up behind a small display glass. The barbecued meats are cooked in a smoker, located in the back of the market. When a customer orders the meats, an employee will immediately chop it up and neatly arrange it in a box for the customer to take home.

 

Adjacent to the bakery is a small lounge area with tables and couches, where customers can sit down to eat or take a break from grocery shopping.

 

Li’s market is staffed by a diverse group of 18 employees, including six part-time workers. He says he employs a mix of workers, including those of Burmese, Vietnamese, Thai, and Chinese descent.

 

Moving forward

The Asia Food Markets in Rochester and Syracuse are the first business ventures for Li and Ren. The co-owners, who are both originally from Southern China, had no prior restaurant managing experience before opening in Rochester 10 years ago, according to Li. But he says he is happy with what he deems a successful first few weeks in the Syracuse market. Li says he’s now focused on expanding the customer base here.

 

Part of his strategy is offering more items that customers like and eliminating things they don’t like. Right now, the fresh seafood seems to be a hit, Li says. He also sees growing popularity with the smoked barbecue meats.

 

“We’re pretty successful on the roast duck and roast pig,” he says. “The demand was high.” Li says he’s also thinking about adding one additional smoker to meet the demand. 

 

Another strategy is promoting the market across the Central New York area. Li says most people hear about the store by word of mouth. Others know about it through the Internet and apps like WeChat, a social mobile texting and communication app developed in China.

 

“Right now, we are on a soft opening,” he says. “We plan to do promotions next month.”

 

So far, Li and Ren plan to stick with their two current Asia Food Markets, but they are not ruling out opening more in the future.

 

“If we [are] successful here, we may open more,” Li says.

 

Asia Food Market is open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.        

 

 

 

Consumer sentiment in upstate New York rose to 81.9 in March, from 77.5 in the last measurement in November.

 

That’s according to the latest survey the Siena (College) Research Institute (SRI) released April 8.

 

Upstate’s overall-sentiment index of 81.9 is a combination of the current sentiment and future-sentiment components. Upstate’s current-sentiment index of 90.6 increased 8.7 points from November, while the future-sentiment level rose 1.7 at 76.4, according to the SRI data.

 

The nearly 9-point jump in the upstate current sentiment is a “dramatic increase,” says Douglas Lonnstrom, professor of statistics and finance at Siena College and SRI founding director.

 

Upstate’s overall sentiment was 4.5 points below the statewide consumer-sentiment level of 86.4, which rose 2.4 points compared to November, SRI said.

 

New York’s current-sentiment level, at 91.3, represents an eight-year high, according to SRI.

 

“It sounds dramatic [but] it’s coming off very low figures,” says Lonnstrom.

 

Lonnstrom believes gas prices drove the increase in the current component of the statewide and upstate-sentiment reading.

 

“If we go back a year ago, 57 percent of New Yorkers felt gas prices were having a negative impact on their family budget. That’s now down to 37 percent,” says Lonnstrom.

 

He called the 20 percent drop “incredible,” which he believes was reflected in the upstate sentiment figures.

 

Lonnstrom also points to other pieces of “good news” during the first quarter, including the stock market’s performance, the economic forecasts have been “fairly positive,” and the job market, though “a little weak” last month, has generally been “on the positive side” as well.

 

When compared with the previous three years, the state’s overall-confidence sentiment of 86.4 is up 12.5 points from March 2014; up 11.9 points from March 2013; and has increased 10.1 points from March 2012, according to SRI data. The sentiment index measured 59.7 in March 2009, SRI said.

 

In March, statewide respondents’ buying plans rose 5.3 points to 18.9 percent for cars and trucks; edged up 1.3 points to 8.1 percent for homes; and increased 3.9 points to 19.6 percent for major home improvements. 

 

Lonnstrom called the buying-plan figures for cars and homes “outstanding.”

 

“We’ve got one out of five New Yorkers planning to buy a car or truck in the next six months. That’s pretty dramatic,” he says.

Consumers don’t buy homes every six months, but one out of 12 New Yorkers are planning to buy a home, and one out of five are planning to make home improvements.

 

“It looks like they’re going to improve their homes so they can sell [them] and buy another one,” says Lonnstrom with a chuckle.

 

Buying plans were down 4 points to 40.6 percent for consumer electronics; and decreased 1.3 points to 22.5 percent for furniture.

 

The March measurements for buying plans are in comparison to the measurements last taken in November, SRI said. 

 

Lonnstrom in November told CNYBJ that SRI will conduct surveys to measure consumer sentiment in New York on a quarterly basis following a budget review. It had conducted the surveys monthly since their inception in 1999.

 

Gas and food prices

In SRI’s analysis of gas and food prices, 48 percent of upstate respondents said the price of gas was having a serious impact on their monthly budgets, which is the same as the last measurement in November and down from 59 percent in July.

 

In addition, 37 percent of statewide respondents indicated concern about the price of gas, down from 41 percent in November and 51 percent in July 2014, according to SRI.

 

When asked about food prices, 66 percent of upstate respondents indicated the price of groceries was having a serious impact on their finances, down from 71 percent in November and 68 percent in July of last year.

 

At the same time, 64 percent of statewide respondents indicated concern about the price of food, down 5 percentage points from November and down 3 percentage points from July, according to the SRI data.

 

Unlike the gas concern, the food-price concern focuses on several different products, says Lonnstrom.

 

“One may go up, one may go down. You go to the supermarket, you’re walking out of there with 50 different items,” he says.

 

Gas is one product that people purchase maybe once or twice per week, so consumers see the effect of price fluctuations.

 

“Even if there was a decline in food prices, it takes … longer to work through the food chain, whereas gas prices are kind of an instant thing,” he adds.

 

SRI conducted its survey of consumer sentiment in March by random telephone calls to 804 New York residents over the age of 18. 

 

As consumer sentiment is expressed as an index number developed after statistical calculations to a series of questions, “margin of error” does not apply, SRI said.

 

Buying plans, which are shown as a percentage based on answers to specific questions, have a margin of error of plus or minus 4 points, SRI said.         

 

 

AUBURN — Image Agent, an Auburn–based creative and design-service agency, has launched FLX Wraps, which it’s describing as a new division. 

 

The firm operates at 26 Osborne St. in Auburn.

 

FLX Wraps provides graphics for vehicles, such as company vans or personal vehicles. FLX is short for Finger Lakes.

 

Image Agent can handle the work “in-house,” says Brian Redfield, the firm’s sole owner.

 

“It’s a seamless service that we can provide,” he says.

 

Redfield spoke with CNYBJ on April 8. 

 

Image Agent started considering the FLX Wrap service near the end of 2014. 

 

“It just seemed the right time with the signs and with spring coming along,” he adds. 

 

The company created a website totally dedicated to FLX Wraps, on which it describes the division as “the premier large-format graphics and vehicle wrap specialists in Cayuga County.”

 

Image Agent may consider launching additional visual services using the FLX brand, says Redfield.

 

Besides its vehicle-wrapping division, Image Agent also offers branding assistance for companies through logo and graphic design, brand and social-media marketing, website development, and ecommerce assistance. 

 

The services could include production of business cards and brochures.

 

Image Agent also produces displays and signs with an eco-solvent, large-format printer. 

 

“So basically we can print to adhesive vinyl, banner material, canvas … a lot of different materials can go through the printer,” says Redfield. 

 

About Image Agent

Founded in 2007, Redfield first operated his company in a small space in Port Byron and grew its client base before moving to its current location in Auburn in early 2013.

 

The small business has four employees, including Redfield. The employee count includes one part-time worker, he says.

 

He doesn’t anticipate adding any new employees in 2015, but “it depends on how the business progresses.”

 

Image Agent leases the space from Dave Seneca, manager at Auburn Furniture Service Inc. located next door to Image Agent, Redfield says. 

 

He declined to disclose his firm’s revenue information and any projections for 2015, saying only that Image Agent’s revenue has “increased each year.” 

 

The company started serving a large client for whom it produced “a lot” of signs, which helped grow its revenue in 2014, he says. Image Agent is also in discussions with another client that could be a “game changer” for his firm’s sales.

 

Image Agent services mostly commercial clients and currently has between 80 and 90 clients. They include Pango Mobile Parking, which services the city of Auburn; Kohilo Wind, LLC of Jordan; and TerikTech Corp., an Auburn–based, audio-video installation company. 

 

Image Agent handled a van wrap for TerikTech, according to the Image Agent website. 

 

The firm doesn’t advertise. It services mostly “referral-based” clients and repeat customers as well, according to Redfield. 

 

Redfield, a Cortland native, started the business because he had been handling freelance jobs in the same field while living on Long Island. 

 

When he and his wife returned to Central New York, he was having trouble finding “the type of opportunity he was looking for” in the design industry.

 

“I decided to open my own company,” he says. “It was … a natural progression.”

 

Redfield graduated from Cortland High School in 1998 before earning an associate degree in communications at Herkimer in 2000. He went on to earn his bachelor’s degree in multimedia and design from Briarcliffe College on Long Island in 2004.       

 

SYRACUSE –– On March 20, television viewers got a glimpse of Syracuse University’s entrepreneurship scene when SU alumnus Patrick Ambron appeared on ABC’s TV show “Shark Tank.”

 

Ambron (Class of 2009) co-founded BrandYourself, an online reputation-management company that helps people improve online search results for their names. He and his partners started the firm in 2009 as part of the Student Sandbox program at the Syracuse Technology Garden in downtown Syracuse. BrandYourself later became a regular tenant in the Tech Garden and won the $200,000 grand prize in the 2011 Creative Core Emerging Business Competition. The firm then moved its headquarters to New York City.

 

On the Shark Tank episode, Ambron asked the show’s “sharks” (investors) for a $2 million investment in exchange for a 13.5 percent stake in the company. Ambron rejected a counteroffer and walked away without a deal. 

 

BrandYourself may have captured nationwide attention. But, what about the current state of entrepreneurship at Syracuse University? Are there any other emerging success stories?

 

Professors and students alike say that SU and the city of Syracuse continue to foster a positive environment for entrepreneurship. But room for improvement remains before student entrepreneurship can grow to its full potential.

 

In the 2013-2014 school year, SU’s Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprise (EEE) faculty taught 1,800 undergraduate students and nearly 400 graduate students across 206 majors, according to the Martin J. Whitman School of Management’s annual report. Alexandra Kostakis, a professor of entrepreneurial practice, teaches the course EEE 370, “Introduction to Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises,” which has 24 students from Whitman and 20 students from other SU undergraduate colleges. But, in another section, she has only eight Whitman students out of 52 students. Kostakis says she’s never had a class with students from such a wide range of majors.

 

 “What’s great about this class is that [there are] a lot of ideas, because there’s so many students from such diverse backgrounds,” she says referring to the second section. “It is the perfect environment for ideas to happen, because everyone is coming from different places. That’s a great plus.”

 

Kostakis also noticed that this semester, she has more students visiting her during office hours to discuss business ideas. She has had five to 10 students sign up to be in the Couri Hatchery incubator, a co-working space at Whitman that provides resources and support for student ventures. To her, it is an indication that student entrepreneurship is still growing and is here to stay. 

 

“It’s not a trend or a fad in my eyes,” she adds. “I see it as an opportunity for them to take control of their own future.”

 

Other professors in Whitman’s EEE department have also taught a diverse range of students, and often cannot accommodate all the students who want to enroll in their class. Ken Walsleben, a professor of entrepreneurial practice, said this semester he turned away 15 to 18 students who petitioned him to add them to his entrepreneurship class. The class had already reached its capacity of 50 students.

 

Other resources

The resources or opportunities SU students can tap to grow their startups, include competitions such as the Raymond von Dran (RvD) IDEA Awards, which they can enter and win up to $10,000 for their business. Within the Couri Hatchery, students can talk to accountants, lawyers, and other experts about their business ideas. Outside of Whitman, SU also has other programs and offices that support student entrepreneurship. They include the Newhouse Center for Digital Media Entrepreneurship — which promotes new media entrepreneurship opportunities to students, providing resources to help start digital-media ventures — and the 

ICE Box —  a space for innovation, collaboration, and entrepreneurship at the iSchool.

 

Students also have access to programs in the city of Syracuse. For example, CenterState CEO, which operates the Tech Garden, has launched a new startup competition called The Germinator. It’s a contest for startups that will award $600,000 in total over a two-year period with funding rounds starting every six months.

 

Other priorities

But with all the opportunities and resources, why aren’t there more student-run businesses across the Syracuse community?

 

Starting a business after college may not be a high priority for all students, says Peter Scott, a professor of entrepreneurial practice at the Whitman School.

 

“Most students are interested in other stuff,” he says. “They’re interested in going to the bar. They’re interested in getting their degree. They’re young and unfocused.”

 

Last year, Scott taught a senior capstone class in entrepreneurship. One group of students came up with an idea in which tennis-court paint would change color for five seconds if the ball hit the line. 

 

“Cool idea,” he quips. Out of the 60 or 70 business plans for the capstone, the tennis-court paint plan was in the top five. Scott encouraged the team to enter IDEA and other business competitions in the spring, but they never did — even though Scott thought that they had “a really good chance” of winning prize money for their venture. 

 

“They’re students,” he says. “They’re in their last semester. They’re thinking about jobs, right? Like real jobs. They’re thinking about graduating, and having fun.”

 

Last year, Syracuse University student Tom Charles and his two other teammates won $7,500 from the IDEA Awards. The funding was for Compas, an event-management service for student organizations on college campuses. It originated as a final project for an information-technology class in which Charles and his teammates were enrolled. However, they folded the company shortly after the competition. 

 

“Being that the app started as just an idea for a class project, we never really assessed the business environment at all,” says Charles, who is now a graduate student in Whitman’s entrepreneurship program. “We didn’t think it was the best use of our time.”

 

However, Charles believes that student entrepreneurship at SU is continuing to grow. He says he would like to see more centralization in the resources for entrepreneurship on campus, instead of having many different offices scattered across the various colleges. Putting entrepreneurship resources and spaces in one spot would mean students would make more connections with other entrepreneurs and have an easier time to find the right tools to start their business, he contends.        

 

 

CLAY — CORE, a new fast-casual, “active lifestyle” eatery, plans to open in early May at the former location of Jolime Fresh Garden Café in the town of Clay.

 

The opening of CORE at 7265 Buckley Road, its first location, will follow renovation work at the former Jolime Fresh Garden Café, which closed late last year.

 

CORE is a company that is separate from Jolime, says John Caveny, co-owner of Jolime and an operating partner of CORE.

 

John Caveny spoke with CNYBJ on April 14.

 

The owners want customers to see CORE as a place they can come to get healthy food, says Caveny.

 

“Everything on the menu is fresh. We don’t have any freezers. Everything’s prepared daily, like our dressings that we make from scratch every day,” he adds. 

 

The group created CORE to offer quick meals for lunch and dinner featuring “unprocessed ingredients that enable peak performance.”

 

When asked if the Cavenys had plans to transform the existing Jolime locations into CORE locations, Caveny replied “not at the current time.”

 

The existing Jolime locations operate at 125 E. Jefferson St. in Syracuse and at North Medical across West Taft Road from CORE in Clay.

 

The eateries are performing “fine on their own,” Caveny contends.

 

Jolime still offers “comfort” food, such as a bagel with butter, a sandwich that a customer can dip into a cup of broccoli-cheddar soup.

 

“They’re not necessarily healthy for you,” Caveny notes.

 

Core operations

CORE will operate in a 4,500-square-foot space, says Caveny, noting he leases the space from Chuck Hafner, Caveny’s uncle. 

 

Hafner operates Chuck Hafner’s Farmers Market & Garden Center, Inc. next door.

 

CORE will employ between 30 and 40 people, he adds.

 

Caveny and his wife, Lisa Caveny, joined Larry Wilson and Todd Mansfield in announcing late last year that they would transition the Jolime location to create a “unique active lifestyle” restaurant with plans to add additional locations. 

 

Caveny declined to disclose each owner’s share of the business.

 

A CORE news release describes Wilson as a “successful entrepreneur and restaurateur” and Mansfield as a “medical-industry veteran.”

 

Wilson, a Vestal resident who John Caveny has known for more than 25 years, owns more than 25 Moe’s Southwest Grill and Hoopla! Frozen Yogurt locations throughout New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland, according to the release.

 

Caveny has also known Mansfield for more than 25 years, he says.

 

Wilson served as the contractor on the renovation project. Lisa Caveny led the effort in designing the space.

 

Caveny declined to disclose how much it cost to renovate the space for the CORE eatery, but says it is “self-financed” and a “significant investment.”

 

How it started

Larry Wilson approached Caveny as he was opening Hoopla! Frozen Yogurt locations, including one in Westchester County. 

 

“And he noticed a line out the door at this place that was opening up another block away. He went to check on it, and it was a concept called Chop’t. There was a line out the door and all people were eating is salads,” says Caveny.

 

It was a location of the Chop’t Creative Salad Company. It operates eateries in the New York City and Washington, D.C. areas, according to its website.

 

Similar types of restaurants are “sprouting up” in places such as Boston, Washington, D.C., and other major markets, filling the demand for people who just want to 

eat healthy food, says Caveny.

 

“It’s active people [who] are looking to eat healthy every day,” he adds.

 

Wilson told the Cavenys he believed upstate New York had an “appetite” for these food products, Caveny recalled.

 

The Cavenys researched the idea, visiting eateries that are serving healthy foods in places such as Boston and New York City.

 

They decided to convert Jolime, figuring they had established a footprint; had customers who “appreciate” them for fresh food; and the location near Chuck 

Hafner’s garden center with the available produce.

 

“It just seemed to make sense,” he concluded. 

 

They figured they’d renovate what they already had and use it as a “prototype model,” as opposed to starting something new at a new piece of property.

 

“If it works here, then maybe we do some more,” he adds.

 

The Cavenys decided last fall that they had conducted enough research and accumulated enough data to make a decision.

 

They believed they had examined enough concept models to determine “there’s nothing like this in upstate New York, and we thought if we brought it, there was a really good chance of success.”

 

The partners chose the name CORE to represent the physical center of a human body “and being centered and being balanced … Food plays a tremendous role with that,” says Caveny. 

 

In the eatery’s logo, the “O” part of CORE is the core of a carrot. 

 

“One of our mantras at CORE is real food for active people. There’s a real performance piece to eating well,” says Caveny.

 

The eatery’s customers could include someone who’s ended treatments for cancer, someone trying to lose 30 pounds to avoid diabetes, or someone training for a 

marathon, he suggests.

 

“All of those people have one thing in common … The better you eat, the better you feel,” says Caveny.        

 

 

SYRACUSE — It’s a chance for small-business owners and entrepreneurs to learn about available products, services, and resources in a one-day event featuring exhibitors and seminars. 

 

Premier Promotions is organizing the 17th SOHO Syracuse Small Business Show on Thursday, April 30, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Nicholas J. Pirro Convention Center at Oncenter. 

 

SOHO is short for small office/home office. 

 

The event seeks to help small businesses deal with the constant changes in the economy, says Steve Becker, owner of Premier Promotions, Inc., who has helped in producing all the previous 16 SOHO shows.

 

 “What we try to do with the show is give companies options for what’s out there to help [them],” says Becker, who spoke with CNYBJ on April 10.

 

The options could be products, services, or just information, he adds. 

 

The SOHO show aims to provide information on topics such as financial services and new programs. Several government agencies also plan to participate including the Onondaga County Division of Purchase; Empire State Development, New York’s primary economic-development agency; the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA); and the Small Business Development Center.

 

“We’re trying to bring people to the show [who] can be assisted, either in an existing business or [if] you want to start a business,” he says. 

 

Becker is anticipating more than 130 exhibitors at this year’s show and between 800 to 1,000 attendees. 

 

Chambers of commerce serving Liverpool, Cicero, Manlius, Cazenovia, and Plank Road (North Syracuse), as well as CenterState CEO, will participate, says Becker.

 

“They will also have some of their members as part of their [exhibitor] areas,” he adds. 

 

The SOHO Syracuse Small Business Show also includes four half-hour length, small-business presentations on topics that focus on raising digital visibility; Microsoft Windows 10 and business applications; organizations that help small businesses, such as a chamber of commerce; and a 60-minute panel of entrepreneurs who started or sustained a successful company. 

 

The presentations include Destiny USA’s Microsoft Store at 11:15 a.m. with a “Sneak Preview to Windows 10 and Business Applications.” The presentation provides a “peek” at what’s available at the Microsoft Store along with the latest operating system from Microsoft.

 

“Microsoft 10 is going to be released sometime in 2015. So, we’re going to have that … for people to understand some of the ins and outs of what to look forward to,” Becker says.

 

Later, at 12:15 p.m., area chambers of commerce, the Small Business Development Center, and the SBA present, “Three Organizations That Can Help Your Small Business.”

 

Attendees can find out how these organizations offer opportunities to network with other businesses, gain educational business insights, be an advocate for your small business.

 

“For the chamber, we’re going to have Liverpool … take the lead in that,” says Becker.

 

The presentations continue at 1:15 p.m. with “How to get your story into The Business Journal,” with advice on what CNYBJ looks for and reports about local businesses.

 

The final presentation at 2:15 p.m. is from a panel of entrepreneurs presenting an hour-long seminar called “Grand Slam Entrepreneurs — The Sequel.” The same presentation had a “standing-room only debut” in last year’s show, says Becker.

 

This year’s panelists are John Stage, owner of Dinosaur Bar-B-Que; Andy Picco, owner of Sustainable Office Solutions, LLC; Jessica Sloma, president of Ultimate Arrival, LLC; and Gwen Webber-McLeod, president and CEO of Gwen Inc., a leadership-development corporation.

 

“Each entrepreneur that’s on the panel will have a chance to tell their story,” says Becker.

 

Matt Mulcahy, anchor and reporter for CNY Central, will moderate the panel discussion.

 

Anyone attending any of the presentations can leave a business card for a chance to win a booth at the 2016 SOHO show free of charge. Booth space at the show costs about $600, Becker notes. 

 

The day will conclude with a Business After Hours Networking Reception between 4:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. featuring free hors d’oeuvres, a cash bar, prizes, and entertainment from the Maria DeSantis Trio, according to the show agenda.

 

“To me, SOHO … is really for people to connect [along with] networking, building new relationships, or seeing old friends,” says Becker. 

 

Complimentary tickets are available on the show’s website, but the cost at the door is $5 if people attend without a complimentary ticket, Becker says.

 

The advertising and marketing materials for the SOHO show include the likeness of Bernie Bregman, owner of BBB Marketing, Inc., smiling and giving two thumbs up. Those materials include a billboard ad, tickets, posters, and the Show Guide.

 

Bregman — who retired from the Business Journal News Network (BJNN) as a senior account manager at the end of 2013 but still provides marketing services to BJNN through his company — offers a few reasons why Becker tapped him to help market SOHO.

 

“Well, Steve and I are friends. In addition to that, I’ve been involved with trade shows of this kind for probably 20-some years…,” he says. “And a lot of people know me. So Steve decided, ‘Well, let’s use the face of Bernie Bregman.’ ”

 

Bregman says he received “lots” of feedback from people who saw him on last year’s SOHO Show billboard and tickets.

 

Becker and Norman Poltenson, the former publisher of CNYBJ, came up with the idea for the SOHO show in the fall of 1997 and organized the first one in April 1998. 

 

SOHO became an autumn event the following year, but has now shifted on the calendar to the spring.

 

The trade show took a one-year hiatus in 2012 to avoid conflicting with the CenterState CEO Business Showcase at the State Fairgrounds, an event that has since moved to the fall.