Site cleared for community center, housing project in city of Utica

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UTICA — A project to develop a community center in Utica took a big step forward recently with the demolition of the Mid-Utica Neighborhood Preservation Corporation (MUNPC) building, also known as the Leisure Time Activity Center building, on West Street. The demolition makes way for the $74 million Cornhill Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative’s West Street Impact […]

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The demolition makes way for the $74 million Cornhill Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative’s West Street Impact Center, which will serve as one of two anchors for the community’s transformation.

The West Street Impact Center will include 78 mixed-income apartments, a multipurpose gym for youth and adult fitness activities, co-working space for community nonprofits, senior activities, and workforce training, the Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties announced in a press release.

The initiative is a collaboration between community partners including the Community Foundation, MUNPC, the Collective Impact Network, the City of Utica, and People First. Demolition planning was made possible by the Greater Mohawk Valley Land Bank and Oneida Herkimer Solid Waste Authority.

“This step signifies not just progress but a promise that we hold to this community,” Community Foundation President/CEO Alicia Fernandez Dicks said in the release.

The Leisure Time Activity Center provided social programming, bible studies, community gathering space, and youth daycare services under MUNPC for 45 years.

“We deeply cherish and honor the important role that Leisure Time has served throughout Utica, including the historically innovative programming for the older adults and Black members of our community,” MUNPC Board Chair Hilda M. Jordan said. “We are truly excited for the many opportunities the impact centers will develop in the community and are happy to see MUNPC’s mission to promote community wellbeing continue on for years to come.”

The West Street Impact Center will be joined by the James Street Impact Center, which will repurpose vacant lots to create 24 units of mixed-income housing and offer other services and spaces. Other work under the initiative will include park improvements, lighting and pedestrian-safety upgrades, creating an urban fitness trail, and working to develop empty lots.

“A brighter, more inclusive future lies ahead for this community, and the impact centers are just the start,” Dicks said.

Pathfinder Bancorp CFO to retire; bank names successor

Banks & Credit Unions, Subscriber Only

OSWEGO — Pathfinder Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: PBHC), parent company of Pathfinder Bank, on May 8 announced that its senior VP and chief financial officer (CFO), Walter F. Rusnak, 70, will retire from the role after a career spanning more than 40 years in finance, effective June 28. The Oswego-based banking company announced it has selected

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The Oswego-based banking company announced it has selected Justin K. Bigham, 50, to succeed Rusnak as senior VP and CFO. Rusnak will remain with Pathfinder in an advisory role to “ensure a smooth transition and to continue to oversee the bank’s investment securities portfolio and overall balance sheet management,” Pathfinder said in a release.

Rusnak joined Pathfinder Bank in 2015 and has held a number of positions in accounting and finance, including VP of finance and first VP of finance and accounting. Prior to his time at Pathfinder, Rusnak was an advisory board member and founding principal of Ovitz Corporation, where he advised and supported the financial operations and corporate governance in a startup medical-device company and has held several roles in publicly traded banks and regional credit unions across the country.

“Walter has been a great asset to Pathfinder Bank. His excellent judgment and deep expertise has contributed to the success of Pathfinder’s major strategic initiatives and growth over the past decade, including our common stock offering in 2019, the formulation of our current strategic plan and strategic objectives, enhancing our internal and external financial reporting, upgrading and modernizing our current financial reporting software, and he played, and continues to play, a very large role in our successful bid to acquire the East Syracuse branch of Berkshire Bank,” James A. Dowd, president and CEO, said. “These actions have fundamentally transformed the bank and have driven significant shareholder value.”

Bigham comes to Pathfinder Bank with more than 25 years’ experience and a strong background in financial services, the company said. Bigham has served in several key roles at various large public companies including his most recent position as executive VP and chief community banking officer at Five Star Bank, after serving previously as its CFO. Prior to his time at Five Star Bank, he served as director of financial planning and treasury at HealthNow New York and spent six years in senior positions at First Niagara in both finance and business-line capacities, following seven years in increasingly responsible positions within the finance division at M&T Bank. Bigham, a CPA, earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from St. Bonaventure University.

“Justin brings deep financial expertise and a broad understanding of the banking sector, including a wealth of knowledge and experience across accounting, retail banking, branch systems, small business banking, wealth management, and marketing,” Dowd said in the release. “Justin’s experience, leadership skills, and shared values will help drive our strategy and growth ambitions and deliver value. I am excited to work with Justin and welcome him to the Pathfinder family.”

Travillian, a national executive recruiting firm specializing in the financial-services sector, helped Pathfinder in sourcing and securing the CFO position through a nationwide search.

Pathfinder Bank is a New York State chartered commercial bank, with $1.45 billion in total assets, that has 11 full-service offices located in its market areas consisting of Oswego and Onondaga counties, and one limited purpose office in Oneida County.

Winand Products brings Brazilian spices to area kitchens

Manufacturing & Engineering, Small Business, Subscriber Only

AUBURN — Pandemic cooking and memories of her mother’s kitchen in Brazil inspired Patricia Winand Springer to fulfill her lifelong dream of becoming an entrepreneur with her own business. She launched Winand Products, Inc., which produces her Perfeito seasoning brand, in December 2021. Springer moved from Boston to the Auburn area in March 2020, the

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AUBURN — Pandemic cooking and memories of her mother’s kitchen in Brazil inspired Patricia Winand Springer to fulfill her lifelong dream of becoming an entrepreneur with her own business.

She launched Winand Products, Inc., which produces her Perfeito seasoning brand, in December 2021.

Perfeito production — Employees at Winand Products Inc. in Auburn produce the company’s Perfeito brand blend of spices inspired by owner Patricia Winand Springer’s mother’s kitchen.
PHOTO CREDIT: WINAND PRODUCTS

Springer moved from Boston to the Auburn area in March 2020, the day before the state shut down and sent everyone to work from home during the early days of the pandemic, she recalls. With restaurants closed, she had no choice but to return to cooking, just like she used to do as a child with her mother. That evoked memories of the seasoning blend her mother mixes up in big batches and uses in her cooking.

She reached out to her mother for the recipe and began cooking with the seasoning, much to her husband’s delight.

“He asked me to make it for his family members,” Springer recalls. The seasoning was so popular among their family and friends, that she began thinking maybe this was her opportunity to finally open her own business — after more than two decades of working for others in roles including sales and marketing.

Springer whipped up some sample batches they began handing out to gauge interest, and things just kept rolling from there, she recalls. Her husband owned an empty warehouse she thought would make a perfect location for her business and Winand Products was born.

However, Springer still had a lot to learn about running a business, particularly a food-based business.

That’s where the Cornell Food Venture Center and the New York State Center of Excellence for Food and Agriculture at Cornell University lend a hand.

“I had no idea how to even create a label,” Springer says. She Googled for help and that’s how she discovered the assistance for entrepreneurs, such as herself, available at Cornell.

“They literally held my hand and walked me through step by step,” she says. That includes helping her through her biggest hurdle of figuring out a way to make the product, which uses fresh garlic, without having to add preservatives.

Advisors at Cornell were able to guide her through the process of conducting challenge and shelf-life studies, which resulted in her receiving a designation that her product is shelf-stable for two years.

They even helped her scale up her mom’s recipe so that larger batches all have the same flavor and walked her through how to operate the packing equipment she purchased.

“I have no words to describe the amount of help I had,” Springer says.

Services include business mentoring, connecting entrepreneurs with other organizations and agencies, pairing entrepreneurs and suppliers, and even offering up a test kitchen for recipe perfecting, Derek Simmonds, business-development specialist at the NYS Center of Excellence for Food and Agriculture, Cornell AgriTech, says.

This year, center officials will also take Springer with them to the Fancy Food Show in New York City, where she can showcase her product to even more people.

With her sales background, Springer has been busy promoting her Perfeito products all over, even landing Wegman’s as a customer. She has some potential bigger chains in the pipeline and is looking ahead to exporting as her next sales avenue.

Springer is also working on getting the product certified as organic, non-GMO, and gluten-free. Perfeito also offers a lower cost non-organic product that is finding a niche with other retailers.

Winand Products has one full-time employee, one part-time employee, and a number of contract workers used to fulfill orders.

Lewis County firms win grants to improve visibility

Small Business, North Country, Subscriber Only

LOWVILLE — Naturally Lewis, the economic-development agency in Lewis County, recently announced it has awarded the second round of grant funding from its Small Things, Big Impacts Fund. A total of 16 businesses and organizations in Lewis County will use more than $14,000 in grant funding to improve their visibility. The awarded grants totaled as

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SBDC Arteika Hunter Clean & Glo Cleaning Services

Onondaga SBDC honors eight firms as Small Business of the Year

Small Business, Subscriber Only

ONONDAGA — Eight companies with operations in Central New York have been recognized as a Small Business of the Year. The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) headquartered at Onondaga Community College (OCC) serves firms in eight counties, and it honored one small business in each county. The SBDC at OCC announced the recognition as it

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Oswego County small business certified as SDVOB

Small Business, Subscriber Only

PENNELLVILLE — New York State Office of General Services (OGS) Commissioner Jeanette Moy recently announced that 20 businesses across the state were certified as service-disabled veteran-owned businesses (SDVOB), including one small firm in Oswego County. The New York OGS Division of Service-Disabled Veterans’ Business Development (DSDVBD) issued the certification to Hamilton Tech Company, which is

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Doug’s Fish Fry Cortlandville owner wins SBA rural award

Small Business, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

CORTLANDVILLE — Mark Braun, owner of the Doug’s Fish Fry location in Cortlandville, is the recipient of the 2024 Rural Small Business Owner of the Year Award as selected by the Syracuse-Upstate New York district office of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). Braun said he was “so humbled and honored” to have received this

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Braun said he was “so humbled and honored” to have received this award.

“This is an exciting time as my son Coby [graduated] from SUNY Cortland May 11 and Coby will become full time with the restaurant and join his sister, Tess,” Braun said in the SBA news release.

Braun said his daughter Tess has been an active human resources and events coordinator and VP for nearly 10 years at the business, and son Coby has been working many hours while attending school full time. He is optimistic about the future for his small business.

“We are implementing beneficial changes utilizing many great platforms. The future is very bright and since Covid, many businesses, including myself, had to adapt and change business models to what I believe is the ‘New Norm.’ The transition has had its difficulties but the SBA and SBDC have been so valuable, helpful, hardworking, and kind in so many ways. I also contacted SCORE, and I would have weekly meetings where I was able to benefit from their many combined years of business knowledge. I still meet with them all today,” said Braun. “I would advise any business to use these amazing services. Besides the free service of these agencies, the SBA provided funding through Covid that also was crucial for the business and where it is today. I am honored to have been chosen for this award and am excited [about] the future of Doug’s Fish Fry Cortland and joining forces with Tess and Coby and the generations to come.”

Dan Rickman, director of the SBA Syracuse Upstate New York district office, presented the award at the business in late April as part of National Small Business Week.

SBA selected Braun for “his impressive growth, adapting and changing his business model as a result of the pandemic, longevity, and contributions to his community,” Rickman said in the announcement.

“Mark Braun is an exemplary small business owner, and his story demonstrates how SBA, our Resource Partners and our lending partners work together to support entrepreneurs in America and contribute to economic growth in our communities,” Rickman said in the announcement.

Upstate New York’s 2024 Rural Small Business Award winner was selected from nominees across the district’s 34 counties as part of National Small Business Week. SBA Upstate New York provides small-business owners with access to business counseling, capital, federal contracting programs, and disaster assistance, per its announcement.

About Braun and the business

Braun purchased a franchise of Doug’s Fish Fry in 1991 when he was just 22 years old. He teamed up with a partner to obtain financing, procure equipment, and secure a location in the Cortland area.

In 1999, Braun purchased the restaurant property, and in 2000, with help from the Small Business Development Center (SBDC), he crafted a strategic business plan and secured financing for a “significant expansion.”

In 2007, the business added Doug’s ToGo food service, “marking a pivotal moment in the business’s evolution,” the SBA noted. Braun’s resilience was “further tested” during the challenges posed by COVID and “personal ups and downs.”

Through counseling from SBA partners at Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE), and the SBDC as well as disaster assistance from SBA PPP and EIDL loans, Braun’s business “was able to thrive despite the tumultuous environment,” the SBA said.

Besides operating the business, Braun is also active in the community. The Doug’s Fish Fry trailers are used for charity events to help organizations raise funding, and a percentage of profits are donated to the charity. To date this ongoing service has raised more than $2 million for local charities.

Braun received the Susan G. Komen Philanthropic Award and the business has received recognition from the Cortland Area Chamber of Commerce, the SBA said.

SBA Vetted Tech veteran owned SBPOY award

DeWitt firm leader named Veteran Owned Small Business Person of the Year

Manufacturing & Engineering, Small Business, Subscriber Only

DeWITT — The man who leads a DeWitt business is the recipient of the SBA’s regional office’s “Veteran Owned Small Business Person of the Year” award. The Syracuse-Upstate district office of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) made the selection. Daniel Rickman, director of the SBA Syracuse-Upstate New York district office, presented the award on

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DeWITT — The man who leads a DeWitt business is the recipient of the SBA’s regional office’s “Veteran Owned Small Business Person of the Year” award.

The Syracuse-Upstate district office of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) made the selection.

Daniel Rickman, director of the SBA Syracuse-Upstate New York district office, presented the award on location to Mike Mowins, CEO and owner of Vetted Tech Inc., on May 3 as part of National Small Business Week.

The office selected Mowins for his “rapid growth and commitment to giving back to the veteran community, including creating job opportunities for veterans and employing an all-veteran workforce,” according to an announcement from the SBA district office.

Vetted Tech is an additive manufacturing company specializing in metal and polymer components for the aerospace, U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE), and medical markets. Other major customers include BAE Systems, Sandia National Labs, and the Raymond Corporation.

Vetted Tech is a New York-certified service-disabled veteran owned small business, per the SBA. The agency went on to say that through Mowins’ leadership, Vetted Tech has generated consistent sales growth over the past four years and is on track to produce more than $1 million in income this year.

Mowins is a 2022 graduate of SBA’s THRIVE program and a client of the Small Business Development Center (SBDC). THRIVE — which is short for Train. Hope. Rise. Innovate. Venture. Elevate — is an executive-level training series designed to accelerate the growth of high-potential small businesses across the U.S.

The SBDC provided guidance with business-plan preparation, helped develop the cash-flow projections and financial documents, and made connections to lenders. Vetted Tech received an SBA 504 loan of $525,000 from the Greater Syracuse Business Development Corporation and an SBA 7A loan of $946,000 from Key Bank (NYSE: KEY), the SBA said.

Daniel Rickman, director of the SBA Syracuse-Upstate New York district, commended Mowins for his success and dedication to the community.

“Vetted Tech demonstrates how SBA, together with our Resource Partners and lending partners, work together to support entrepreneurs and finance economic growth in our communities,” Rickman said in the announcement. “Mike’s commitment to continued personal and professional growth, as evidenced by his participation in our THRIVE program, while prioritizing giving back to the veteran community, is an example for veteran entrepreneurs across the region.”

Amex survey: Small-business owners concerned about pricing, cash flow

Insurance & Financial Services, Small Business, Subscriber Only

But nearly all are glad they started their businesses A new survey from American Express found that small-business owners are concerned about rising prices and cash-flow forecasting, but nearly all of them are still pleased they started their small business. The third Amex Trendex: Small Business Edition found that pricing/price hikes (44 percent) and cash-flow forecasting

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But nearly all are glad they started their businesses

A new survey from American Express found that small-business owners are concerned about rising prices and cash-flow forecasting, but nearly all of them are still pleased they started their small business.

The third Amex Trendex: Small Business Edition found that pricing/price hikes (44 percent) and cash-flow forecasting (35 percent) are small-business owner respondents’ top concerns, which is consistent with Amex Trendex findings over the past year, the company said in a May 8 news release. Nearly 7-in-10 (68 percent) wish that they had more time to focus on their product/service versus managing their businesses’ finances. But small-business owners have a positive mindset despite these challenges: 95 percent of those surveyed are happy with their decision to start their company.

The Amex Trendex report found that small-business owners are motivated by their long-term ambitions. Six-in-10 respondents (60 percent) expect their business to be a long-term venture and run for more than five years. When asked about their long-term business goals, longevity rose to the top (49 percent), followed by becoming an established leader in their industry (32 percent) and growing their employee base (24 percent), per the survey.

As for why owners chose to start their small businesses: more than eight-in-10 respondents (84 percent) were inspired by a personal passion; nearly two-thirds (65 percent) saw a need in their community; about six-in-10 (59 percent) want to support their family and future generations; and over four-in-10 (44 percent) needed more flexible work, according to the Amex Trendex report.

The survey of 1,127 U.S. small business financial decisionmakers was conducted by Morning Consult LLC on behalf of American Express from March 15 to March 28, 2024. Participating respondents included 514 businesses with 10 employees or less; 412 businesses with 11-100 employees; and 201 businesses with 101-500 employees. The margin of error for the full survey sample is plus or minus 3 percentage points, American Express said.

Johnson City business owner appears at Small Business Showcase in D.C.

Manufacturing & Engineering, Small Business, Southern Tier, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

JOHNSON CITY — A Broome County business owner participated in the May 1 Small Business Showcase held in Washington, D.C. Rob Salamida, owner of the Rob Salamida Co. of Johnson City, accepted his invitation to participate from U.S. Representative Marc Molinaro (R–Catskill), according to an April 30 announcement from the Congressman’s office. The event was

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JOHNSON CITY — A Broome County business owner participated in the May 1 Small Business Showcase held in Washington, D.C.

Rob Salamida, owner of the Rob Salamida Co. of Johnson City, accepted his invitation to participate from U.S. Representative Marc Molinaro (R–Catskill), according to an April 30 announcement from the Congressman’s office.

The event was hosted by the House Committee on Small Business and is a chance for committee members to invite one local business owner from their House district to showcase their products on a national stage and discuss solutions to challenges they face. The event was held during National Small Business Week.

Salamida got his start at age 16, cooking Spiedies on a charcoal grill in front of a tavern and later becoming a vendor at the New York State Fair. Rob Salamida Co. is the maker of State Fair Spiedie Sauce.

Salamida started his own business in 1976, coming up with the idea of bottling his marinade sauce and seasoning. His company continues to be family owned and now offers sauces in more than 12,000 locations across 40 states.

“For many people, the American Dream began with owning your own business and persisting through the obstacles of financial risk,” Salamida said in the Molinaro announcement. “Like many startups, I quit a corporate job to start my business, bottling a homemade marinade recipe on top of a pool table in my parent’s basement. I sold cases out of the trunk of my car and barely got by that first year, but we grew to grocery stores across the nation. American small businesses are the backbone of our nation’s economy with 6 million independent owners employing over 61 million workers. These enterprises are as vital as any large corporation today.”

Salamida is a former client of the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Binghamton University, Rochelle Layman, regional director of the Binghamton University SBDC, said in the Molinaro announcement. Layman also participated the Small Business Showcase event.

“We look forward to the opportunity to advocate for all entrepreneurs and start-ups as we strive to provide small businesses with the highest quality confidential counseling, training and industry research at no cost,” Layman said.

“Spiedies are a staple in our community. The nation, and world needs to know about them,” Molinaro said. “I [was] beyond excited to have Rob Salamida in DC for the Small Business Showcase. He understands firsthand the challenges and rewards that come with entrepreneurship. Turning his small stand at the New York State Fair into a renowned business and local phenomenon, Rob [shared] his story with other local business owners and the House Committee on Small Business.”

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