LeChase Construction Services, LLC, a construction-management and general-construction firm, announced it has acquired C.W. Brown, Inc. of Westchester County to help boost its growth in the downstate area.

LeChase, headquartered near Rochester, operates several offices in upstate New York, including locations in Syracuse, Ithaca, Binghamton, Corning, Buffalo, and Albany. The firm employs 83 people in Central New York, according to CNYBJ Research, and its Syracuse office is situated at 609 Erie Blvd. West. 

Under the contract terms, which took effect on April 1, C.W. Brown, based in Armonk, will operate as a division of LeChase Construction, with the same workforce and market focus, according to a LeChase news release issued April 6.

The Rochester company didn’t release financial terms.

The combination of the two companies creates a “highly skilled construction company with the size and power to provide outstanding services in the health care, education, industrial and manufacturing, science and technology, and commercial markets throughout the tri-state region,” LeChase contended in the news release. 

The acquisition is designed to help serve the firm’s construction customers in the Northeast with “more offices and more skilled construction professionals who have regional experience and a firm grasp of local resources and conditions,” the firm said. 

LeChase currently employs about 700 people, while C.W. Brown employs about 80, including office and construction employees, LeChase said.

The addition of C.W. Brown is a “natural fit” and “enhances” the firm’s presence in the region, William Goodrich, president and CEO of LeChase, said in the release. “C.W. Brown is a like-minded company with long-standing relationships in similar industries that will help LeChase continue to grow in the Northeast. The management team, staff and field personnel at C.W. Brown are welcome additions to the LeChase team,” said Goodrich.

LeChase’s annual revenues “consistently” average $700 million in building construction, the company said. Besides the New York offices, LeChase also operates facilities in Pennsylvania and North Carolina.

Founded in 1984, C.W. Brown has averaged about $50 million annually in building construction volume over the last several years, according to the release.

“This announcement is great news for our employees and our customers because it not only increases our ability to take on larger and more complex projects, but we share the same culture and mindset as LeChase, which is rare in the construction industry,” Renee Brown, president and CEO of C.W. Brown, said. “This unification will allow our company to carry on for years and years to come.”

C.W. Brown is a general-contracting and construction-management firm specializing in high-end interior alterations and renovations.        

CAMILLUS — An area Byrne Dairy store is one of several local businesses where scammers or unknowing customers have presented counterfeit cash to buy goods.

The crime is on the rise in the area, including the spread of fake $100 bills, according to U.S. Senator Charles Schumer (D–N.Y.).

Employees at Byrne Dairy’s stores use counterfeit-detection pens on any bill larger than $50, according to Christian Brunelle, senior executive vice president of Sonbyrne Sales, Inc., which does business as Byrne Dairy Stores.

Brunelle said he thinks the pens deter scammers … “knowing that we have them,” he said.

One Armory Square business also faced the problem of imitation cash.

“It’s just really hard for local, small businesses to absorb the loss from the counterfeit money,” said Breanne Barzee, general manager of Empire Brewing Company, a Syracuse–based brewer of handcrafted ales and lagers.

Both Brunelle and Barzee joined Schumer and local police at an April 6 press conference to speak about the issue at the Byrne Dairy store at 3385 Milton Ave. in Camillus.

The senator and his staff also mentioned Wegmans and Dinosaur Bar-B-Que as other examples of area businesses where customers have used phony cash to make payments.

Schumer used his visit to Camillus to publicly urge the U.S. Secret Service to “step up” its efforts to combat the “uptick” in counterfeit money circulating in the Syracuse region, including the $100 bogus bills. 

A scammer used counterfeit cash at a Byrne Dairy location close to the store where Schumer spoke. 

“Over the last year, and even over the last month, counterfeit transactions have reached alarming proportions,” Schumer said in his remarks to the assembled media.

Authorities have identified about $100,000 worth of counterfeit money in the Syracuse region over the last year, which means it is “likely” that hundreds of thousands more dollars are in circulation and has gone undetected, Schumer’s office said.

In the last month, 10 stores in the Syracuse area have reported counterfeit transactions.

“We use our crime-analysis center to track the various counterfeit currency that comes into our area. Last month alone, we were able to track 10 separate cases 

throughout Onondaga County,” Frank Fowler, chief of the Syracuse Police Department, said in his remarks.

Police from several local agencies stood behind Schumer as the Democrat spoke.

Schumer called it a “recent and unfortunately growing” trend in the Syracuse area.

Many scammers have used the introduction of a new $100 bill, and retailers’ lack of knowledge of the bill, to their advantage, Schumer noted. 

Many of the recent counterfeit instances have involved imitation $100 bills, he added. 

Merchants don’t always recognize when a bill is not the real McCoy, but then the business owner faces a rude awakening when trying to deposit the money at the bank — it won’t accept the bills.

“You’re out the money,” said Schumer.

Phony cash is a “serious” problem for local shop owners, since they have little to no recourse for recouping the money they are owed, the senator added. 

Schumer is urging the Secret Service to work with local law enforcement to figure out the source of the fake currency and to supply the resources that local retailers need to identify fake bills.

“We are asking the Secret Service, the federal government, which has jurisdiction over counterfeit dollars, to come in and step up their efforts,” Schumer said.

The agency has a “number of investigations underway,” the Democrat added.

The Secret Service is a federal law-enforcement agency established in 1865, “solely to suppress the counterfeiting of U.S. currency,” according to its website.

He also wants the Secret Service to help local businesses be aware of what to look for in the currency they handle on a day-to-day basis.

“We need some local workshops. We need to work with the chamber of commerce to do just that, so Syracuse stores are not taken for a ride any longer,” said Schumer.       

NORWICH — Hitting a home run does not mean swinging hard; it’s all in the timing. This aphorism, attributed to Yogi Berra, also applies to starting a business.

Just ask Mary C. Branham, president of Pivotel, LLC, headquartered in Norwich. Branham launched her telecom business in May 2001, just before the great technology bubble burst. In August of that year, Syracuse–based Telergy, a provider of integrated broadband communications services that was struggling under a mountain of debt, collapsed when it couldn’t refinance $200 million in loans. The company subsequently filed for bankruptcy liquidation, putting 615 employees out on the street. The local bankruptcy foreshadowed by a few months the bankruptcy of two national telecom firms — Global Crossing and 360networks. The $1 trillion in debt run-up collectively by the high-flying telecom industry jolted banks and stockholders into designating the sector “radioactive.” The cause of the problem was simple: An oversupply of capacity built during the boom years exceeded the demand.

Pivotel, which is certified as a women-owned business enterprise (WBE) since 2002, began by selling supplies to telecom installers, including premise-wiring systems and accessories; cables; test equipment; racks, frames, and cabinets; power equipment; and conduits. The unfortunate timing of Branham’s entry into the telecom business was offset in part by a growing awareness among larger corporations to embrace diversity. As a WBE, she was invited not just to sell telecom supplies, but also to do engineering and installation.

“What started as an operation with one employee has now … [blossomed] into a business with 45 employees,” says Branham. “Of that number, 30 do telecom installations, the rest do temporary staffing. We work directly with major telecom and broadband carriers as well as major telecom OEMs (original-equipment manufacturers), providing engineering, installation, testing, quality inspections, pre-wire, and project management. Ten of our installers are located in states such as Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Kentucky, and we work on projects as far away as Hawaii and Puerto Rico.” Pivotel leases 2,200 square feet of space for its office in downtown Norwich. The company has historically generated between $3 million and $5.8 million in annual revenue. Branham is the managing stockholder and has two other women partners. Pivotel’s growth has been entirely organic.

“This is a volatile business,” avers Branham. “Back in 2009 and 2010 when telecom carriers were busy in the residential market promoting fiber to the premises, we added 15 installers. It’s difficult to maintain a strong core group when the volume of business is so irregular. One way I deal with volatility is by ‘leasing’ my employees temporarily to work on other contractors’ projects.

“The telecom business is also very competitive,” continues Branham. “That’s why we’re on call 24/7 to respond to the demand and to field customer problems. When I get a Friday night call from a customer who needs help immediately, Pivotel is there to respond. I think of our customers as family and treat them like family. Another way we compete is by being flexible and quick to react. That’s the advantage of being a small company. But the best way to be competitive is to do the work professionally and consistently. I always say that our best sales people are our installers. After 14 years in business, we’re no longer a sub-contractor for installations; we’re a contractor working directly with 10 major customers.”

Branham attributes her company’s success to its employees. “We have four skill-levels of employees,” notes Pivotel’s president, “from the level-one entry position to the level-four installer. It takes years of training and experience to advance to a level-four position. Occasionally, we are able to recruit an experienced installer, but most of the time we hire people without the … [requisite] skills and train them. That’s a long, expensive process, but it’s the only way to be sure we have enough qualified installers.” 

Branham continues, “Since most of our work is outside New York state, we also need to hire people who are willing to travel on assignment. That eliminates many people who have families. The difficulty in finding installers, however, is offset by the fact that our employees tend to stay with us for a long time, because they are assured of being … [continuously] employed. And even when an employee leaves Pivotel to join a client, they may end up being a buyer for the new company. That’s one reason why I never burn any bridges.”

Branham also points to Norwich–area professional-service companies that have helped Pivotel grow: NBT for banking; Cwynar & Company, [CPAs, PLLC] for accounting; and Nelson & Flanagan [Attorneys at Law] for legal help.

Branham, a native of nearby Oxford, started her telecom career at Professional Teleconcepts, Inc., a/k/a Pro-Tel. She worked there as the office manager from 1985 until 1988, before joining Norwich Valley Supply company. Starting as a receptionist, she worked her way up to construction, commercial, and industrial sales of plumbing, heating, and electrical products, ultimately becoming the assistant store manager. While working at Norwich Valley Supply and after the birth of her first child, Branham went back to school to earn a business degree (1993) from SUNY Morrisville Agricultural and Technical College. The Pivotel president resides in Oxford with her husband David and their three daughters — Hollyann, Hailey, and Amy.

Contrary to Yogi Berra’s adage, Branham has hit a home run despite the timing. Considering her untimely launch, she nevertheless found a path to success through dint of hard work, producing a quality product, and responding quickly to customers’ needs. Perhaps Branham should coin her own adage: An entrepreneur will find a way to get it done.

Note. To become certified as a women-owned business, the business must show that at least 51 percent of the company is owned, managed, and controlled by a woman, the business must be open for at least 6 months, and the owner must be a U.S. citizen or legal resident-alien. Further, the contribution of capital and/or expertise by the woman business owner must be real; substantial; and the woman owner must direct the management, policy, fiscal affairs, and operations of the company. Finally, the woman-owner must perform without relying on the finances or resources of a firm that is not owned by a woman. (The citation is from MWBE.com, the national referral site for minority- and women-owned businesses.)