The board of directors of Empire State Development (ESD) has awarded a nearly $1 million grant to the holding company of Owera Vineyards in Madison County.

EBAC, LLC will use a regional-council capital-fund grant of $994,000 to help pay for the cost of creating a new winery and farm on 58 acres of land adjacent to Cazenovia Lake in the town of Cazenovia.

EBAC completed the project in May, according to an ESD news release. The vineyard will use the funding to retain four jobs and create five new, full-time jobs.

The project scope included construction of a 11,700-square-foot building and barn for wine production, tastings, and related events. EBAC also purchased and installed new machinery and equipment, according to ESD.

For the past two years, owner Nancy Muserlain has operated Owera Vineyards from a temporary facility with “limited” wine production and warehousing capability, ESD said.

Owera Vineyards currently services more than a dozen wholesale clients including Liquor City in Fayetteville, MacKinnon Liquors of Cazenovia, and the Wine House of Manlius.

Empire State Development is New York’s chief economic-development agency.

More than half of the nation’s middle-market companies plan to expand their businesses in the next six months with the addition of employees, equipment, or adding new facilities.

That’s according to the new KeyBank Middle Market Business Sentiment Survey released on Thursday.

Predictions for 2013 indicated middle-market companies might set records for mergers and acquisitions, but the same survey found nearly half the respondents “have not been merger-minded” so far this year, according to Key.

The survey found 49 percent of middle-market business leaders polled had no interest in making an acquisition, and only 24 percent completed an acquisition. An additional 27 percent indicated they considered but did not complete an acquisition.

It appears the middle market wants to “hedge its bets” given ongoing uncertainty about issues such as the U.S. debt crisis and companies’ final tab for compliance with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Cindy Crotty, head of KeyBank’s commercial-banking segment, said in a news release.

“Until they have more clear information about these big issues, middle-market companies just are not willing to take the risk of investing in and integrating acquisitions,” Crotty said.

Middle-market leaders remain risk-averse despite their growing confidence in the economic outlook nationally, locally, and for their businesses, KeyBank said.  More than half characterized the U.S. economic outlook to be “good to excellent” for the remainder of 2013 and early 2014.

KeyBank partnered with Los Angeles–based Lieberman Research Worldwide on the survey to understand what business sentiments are impacting each organization’s strategies and tactics, and to determine which regulatory and global-economic issues are affecting them, the bank said.

The research involved 400 financial decision-makers in middle-market businesses that generate between $20 million and $4 billion in annual revenue. Respondents answered online surveys in mid-April, according to Key.

Cleveland, Ohio–based KeyBank (NYSE: KEY) has more than 1,000 branches in 14 states.

KeyBank is the number two bank in the Syracuse–metro area deposit market with 27 branches, more than $1.8 billion in deposits, and a market share of 16.8 percent, according to the latest (June 2012)  statistics from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

The bank has two offices, more than $58 million in deposits, and a market share of 1.6 percent in the Utica–Rome area.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com

CLAY — Patrick (PJ) Tucci has a message to business and nonprofit managers planning a corporate outing for employees or clients or setting up a fundraiser: Don’t just reflexively reach for the golf course. Try a day out on the water catching fish instead.

Tucci and his wife Tracie own and operate T.I. Fishing Charters, LLC, which they operate from their two homes in Clay and Alexandria Bay. The charters run from May through November.

“What we offer is corporate fishing charters for businesses as an exciting way to show appreciation to their clients, employees, and even their suppliers,” says PJ Tucci, captain, noting that his business also organizes fundraising fishing tournaments. “One of the benefits is you don’t need to know how to catch a fish. With golf, it’s difficult. It’s tough to keep up if you haven’t practiced.”

He adds that the islands, castles, and wildlife are also attractions charter customers enjoy. “It seems to bring a lot more excitement than being on a closed golf course,” Tucci says.

In his day job, Patrick Tucci is general manager of Sposato Floor Covering Co. in Salina. He has worked there for six years. He’s also just hit the six-year mark since launching T.I. Fishing Charters in June 2007. Tracie Tucci is an IT recruiter at Contemporary Personnel Staffing, Inc. and Professionals, Inc. in Salina. On the fishing boat, her role is as first mate — helping the passengers onboard, including handling the tackle, baiting the hooks, and helping reel in the fish.

“She is actually a much better fisherman than I’ll ever be,” PJ Tucci says. As captain, he focuses on steering the 25-foot boat (a 2005 bay boat made by Florida–based Pursuit, Boats, Inc.)  and putting it into the right places to catch a lot of fish.

T.I. Fishing Charters handles the whole trip, from start to finish, for clients, Tucci says.

“We would handle transportation, catering, and lodging if necessary. We make it an organized process, similar to the way they organize holiday parties or a golf outing,” he says.

The boat can accommodate six passengers. But with the help of fellow fishing guides and charters from the Alexandria Bay Fishing Guide Association, T.I. Fishing Charters can make arrangements to provide a fleet of 10 or more boats for large corporate or nonprofit groups.

A staple of the experience that T.I. Fishing Charters offers clients is the traditional shore dinner, which dates back to the late 1800s when boat oarsmen would stop at midday to prepare the days catch, according to Tucci. Today, his charter firm has a private location overlooking the Bolt Castle, where clients can relax and watch the ships navigate the St. Lawrence Seaway. The shore dinner menu consists of bacon-lettuce-tomato sandwich appetizers, tossed salad with Thousand Islands dressing, salt potatoes, corn on the cob, fresh pan-fried fish, and French toast for dessert, Tucci says.

T.I. Fishing Charters’ past clients have included IBN Financial Services, Mass Mutual, Daltile, The MOST, Arc of Onondaga, CenterState CEO, and the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce, according to Tucci.

The business has grown organically through referrals and word of mouth, he notes.

“Being in the corporate world created some connections. It came up in conversations and meetings with clients,” Tucci says. “Our passion was to introduce people to the fishing up there and specifically how business could benefit.”

That passion started at an early age for the Tuccis.

“My wife and I have grown up on the St. Lawrence River and have fished that area our whole lives. We started out taking friends, co-workers out on the water,” says Tucci. “What started out as a hobby turned into a business. It happened naturally.”

Contact Rombel at arombel@cnybj.com