SYRACUSE — It’s a new program that seeks to “help combat the opioid epidemic and unintentional overdose by children and teens.” The Upstate Medical University outpatient pharmacy on Dec. 19 started using a new system to provide locking prescription bottles for controlled medications ordered for patients at discharge. The pharmacy debuted the bottles from Safe […]
SYRACUSE — It’s a new program that seeks to “help combat the opioid epidemic and unintentional overdose by children and teens.”
The Upstate Medical University outpatient pharmacy on Dec. 19 started using a new system to provide locking prescription bottles for controlled medications ordered for patients at discharge.
The pharmacy debuted the bottles from Safe RX for pediatric patients who are discharged with a controlled substance. The Safe RX vial is a locking pill bottle that has a unique security code that will be programmed prior to dispensing for each patient, Upstate Medical said.
Safe RX is a company that says it was started by a practicing physician to provide a “simple, cost-effective solution” to the problem of unauthorized access to prescription opioids.
In its announcement, Upstate Medical noted that more than 11 million Americans used or misused opioids in the last year and patients with a history of using opioid pain relievers for non-medical reasons “have a higher rate of heroin use.” Drug overdose or poisoning is also one of the leading causes of unintentional death in children and adolescents.
“With the opioid epidemic continuing to be a problem within our community and the chance of accidental overdose high for these therapies, the pharmacy is taking a proactive approach to provide for a safer delivery system,” Eric Balotin, Upstate Medical’s director of retail/specialty pharmacy, said. “It is the right thing to do for our community.”
The locking vials have a small set of numerical dials at the top that can be pre-programmed with a code. If patients have multiple prescriptions, they can all have the same code. This is intended to prevent unintentional overdose by young children, as well as to prevent teenagers or adults from taking patients’ pills.
Upstate Medical University’s outpatient pharmacy is managing the program, and the Discharge Pharmacy Transition Team is providing patient and family education.
The Empire State Manufacturing Survey general business-conditions index fell 16 points to -11.2 in December, pointing to a slowdown in manufacturing activity in the state. The general business-conditions index is the monthly gauge of New York’s manufacturing sector. The index had climbed 14 points to 4.5 in November after declining 8 points to -9.1 in
The Empire State Manufacturing Survey general business-conditions index fell 16 points to -11.2 in December, pointing to a slowdown in manufacturing activity in the state.
The general business-conditions index is the monthly gauge of New York’s manufacturing sector. The index had climbed 14 points to 4.5 in November after declining 8 points to -9.1 in October.
The December reading of -11.2 indicates business activity “declined” in the Empire State, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said in its Dec. 15 survey report. That was worse than the consensus economists’ estimate of -0.5, according to CNBC.
A negative index number indicates a decline in the sector, while a positive reading shows expansion or growth in manufacturing activity.
The survey found 23 percent of respondents reported that conditions had improved over the month, while 34 percent indicated that conditions had worsened, the New York Fed said.
Survey details
The new-orders index held steady at -3.6, pointing to another small decline in orders, while the shipments index slipped 3 points to 5.3, but still indicating a small increase in shipments, the New York Fed said.
The unfilled-orders index moved down to -11.2, a sign that unfilled orders were lower. The delivery-times index came in at 1.9, indicating that delivery times were little changed.
After rising sharply the prior month, the inventories index retreated to 3.7, still pointing to a “small increase” in inventories.
Despite the overall decline in activity, the index for number of employees edged up to 14.0, marking another month of employment gains. The average-workweek index, however, fell to -4.5, signaling a small decline in hours worked.
The pace of price increases was little changed, with the prices-paid index holding steady at 50.5 and the prices-received index remaining similar to the previous month’s level at 25.2.
The index for future business conditions climbed 12 points, but “remained subdued” at 6.3, suggesting that firms expect little improvement over the next six months, the New York Fed said.
The indexes for future new orders and shipments climbed above zero, indicating that small increases are anticipated, and employment is expected to continue to increase. The capital-spending index rose 9 points to 23.4.
The New York Fed distributes the Empire State Manufacturing Survey on the first day of each month to the same pool of about 200 manufacturing executives in New York. On average, about 100 executives return responses.
“The bulk of the year was very similar to 2021,” says Jessica Dillenbeck, president of the Greater Binghamton Association of Realtors. The year, much like the preceding years, was marked by low interest rates combined with a shortage of inventory that made it a seller’s market. That lasted until summer when interest rates started increasing.
“The bulk of the year was very similar to 2021,” says Jessica Dillenbeck, president of the Greater Binghamton Association of Realtors. The year, much like the preceding years, was marked by low interest rates combined with a shortage of inventory that made it a seller’s market.
That lasted until summer when interest rates started increasing. Currently around 7 percent, rates earlier in the year were as low as 3 percent.
The rising rates meant it wasn’t quite the frenzied market with buyers offering over asking price or waiving home inspections to seal the deal, says Ann Rushlo, executive officer of the Mohawk Valley Association of Realtors. It also means a buyer’s dollar doesn’t buy as much house now as it did earlier this year.
While that cooled things off some, Rushlo says, there are still buyers out there and not enough homes for sale to meet demand.
That limited inventory actually predates the pandemic, Dillenbeck says, but was exacerbated by the pandemic and low interest rates. People were spending more time at home, interest rates were good, and it just made sense to buy, she says.
At the same time, Baby Boomers are staying in their homes longer, she says, further decreasing the inventory of homes on the market.
Looking ahead, both Rushlo and Dillenbeck expect things to continue much as they have, but with more normalized prices and, hopefully, steady or decreasing interest rates. Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors, predicts mortgage rates have topped out, especially after October’s consumer-price index showed inflation was rising less than expected.
While there are some challenges ahead for 2023, Dillenbeck says, interest rates are not as big of a concern as some might make them out to be. In general, rates are still affordable, she says. “We’re so hyper focused on it right now,” she says, but buyers need to use airplane view versus microscopic view.
“It’s hard to predict a whole year because who would’ve predicted the past couple of years,” Rushlo says. “I don’t necessarily see our local market changing drastically.”
In his November report, Yun predicts home sales will decline 7 percent in the coming year while the national median home price will increase just 1 percent. That last figure will vary by market, with some gaining more and other markets experiencing price declines.
He predicts a stronger rebound for 2024 with a 10 percent increase in home sales and a 5 percent price increase.
“Houses sell every day, and there are typically buyers looking every day,” Dillenbeck says.
These days, that buying and selling happens in a variety of ways thanks to changes that came along with the pandemic, Rushlo says. Showings can be virtual instead of in person and there’s even an electronic option for document signing if people can’t make it to a closing in person.
“It’s an industry that’s adapting to the changes,” she adds.
UTICA, N.Y. — Local physician group Central Utica Building (CUB) held a groundbreaking on Dec. 17 to celebrate the start of construction on its medical office building and ambulatory-surgery center. Located on the corner of State and Columbia streets in Utica, just across from Wynn Hospital, the three-story building will house CNY Cardiology in 28,000
UTICA, N.Y. — Local physician group Central Utica Building (CUB) held a groundbreaking on Dec. 17 to celebrate the start of construction on its medical office building and ambulatory-surgery center.
Located on the corner of State and Columbia streets in Utica, just across from Wynn Hospital, the three-story building will house CNY Cardiology in 28,000 of its 94,000 square feet. Mohawk Valley Health System (MVHS) will occupy 40,000 square feet, while the remainder of the space will be available for additional rentals.
MVHS will offer ambulatory surgery, radiology, lab services, and the myRx employee pharmacy in the space. MVHS physician practices that require access to the hospital, including advanced endoscopy, the comprehensive stroke and neuro-endovascular, general surgery, and cardiothoracic surgery, will also be located in the new building.
“We are so pleased to officially kick off construction on the future medical office building that will not only provide state-of-the-art care in an outpatient setting, but will support the Wynn Hospital located across the street,” Michael Kelberman, MD, and CUB board chairman, said in a press release. “This is a great example of what can happen when organizations work together to create progress for our region.”
He added that the combination of the Wynn Hospital and the medical office building/surgery center will help recruit new physicians and allow for the use of new technology and procedures not previously available in the area.
“This means fewer people will need to travel to larger cities for advanced care,” he said.
MVHS expects the Wynn Hospital, along with the new medical and surgical building, will bring between 30,000 and 40,000 patients annually to the new medical campus, making it the place to go for medical care, according to Darlene Stromstad, president and CEO of MVHS.
“Additionally, the proximity of the building to the Wynn Hospital provides a convenient medical campus for patients, providers, and staff along with almost immediate access for providers to see and/or treat one of their patients in the hospital,” she said. “This is a wonderful addition to the Wynn Hospital medical campus.”
Foit-Albert Associates designed the building and the cardiology suite. Dwyer Associates designed the ambulatory-surgery center, radiology suite, and subtenant fit-outs for MVHS. CHA provided right-to-build and civil-engineering services and acted as CUB’s representative and project manager. Hueber-Breuer Construction Co., Inc. serves as construction manager.
“Together with the Wynn Hospital, this new medical office building and ambulatory-surgery center will raise the bar for healthcare in Oneida County and across the region,” Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente, Jr. said.
LAFAYETTE — Eddie Brennan likes to think of himself as a steward and that is an apt characterization. The 40-year-old, who became president of Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards in 2016, leads the fifth generation of family ownership for the LaFayette–based business, which despite the name, has a lot more than just apples in its
LAFAYETTE — Eddie Brennan likes to think of himself as a steward and that is an apt characterization. The 40-year-old, who became president of Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards in 2016, leads the fifth generation of family ownership for the LaFayette–based business, which despite the name, has a lot more than just apples in its basket.
More than 111 years since George Skiff and Andrew Beak joined forces to enter Central New York’s burgeoning commercial apple business, Skiff’s great-great-grandson watches over a vastly diversified business. It has grown to include an award-winning, destination apple orchard, a four-pronged manufacturing enterprise, a concert venue that hosts national touring acts, and a recent move into the emerging field of cannabis.
Vision and innovation are at the core of the Beak & Skiff success story and those principles have guided the company since its founding. In 1910, Andrew Beak, the son of an English immigrant, was living in the town of Onondaga with his wife, Maud, and their four children. The 42-year-old was operating a small and successful dairy farm. Living as he did near the numerous apple orchards just down the road in LaFayette, Beak recognized the incredible potential in the state’s bountiful annual apple crop. That year alone, for instance, an estimated 7 million barrels were harvested. The business was ripe with opportunity.
At the same time, George Skiff, a 48-year-old onion and dairy farmer was living in Salina on the old Cicero Plank Road with his wife, Helen, and their 18-year-old son, Seymour. The Skiff family was one of the pioneer families in that area, with roots going back to the 1820s. As the story goes, the two men met at the old farmer’s market on Syracuse’s Northside and developed a friendship that evolved into a business partnership.
In 1911, the new partners planted their first apple trees on land they acquired just south of Beak’s farm, near Route 20 in LaFayette on Lords Hill Road. Considering his proximity to it, Beak managed the farm, while both families worked the land. In these early years, the business plan was rather straightforward: plant trees, harvest apples, sell apples, buy more land, repeat.
By the mid-1920s, their strategy proved a success and Beak & Skiff moved into the wholesale apple business. Joined by their sons, Charles, Jr. and Ralph Beak, and Seymour Skiff, the partners were able to fill larger and larger orders for what seemed to be an ever-increasing local market. Their wholesale customers included local grocery stores like Victory and A&P Stores, in addition to a host of other smaller area grocers. They also supplied apples to Syracuse’s Merrell-Soule, the makers of the world-famous None Such Mincemeat. Having built a thriving business, which now included over 300 acres, Andrew and George ceded management of the orchard to their sons by the end of the 1920s, though the founders never really left.
As the enterprise embarked on its third decade in business, its solid foundation saved it from collapse amidst a host of external disasters. The Great Depression hit the agricultural sector of the economy in a particularly pernicious way, as the economic distress was coupled with a series of ecological challenges as well. For Beak & Skiff, this meant two devastating fires. On Oct. 13, 1931, a massive fire destroyed four barns, several large washing and grading machines, and more than 5,000 barrels of apples. In all, the damage was $75,000 — a serious loss considering the times. Then, in April 1937, Andrew Beak’s farmhouse caught fire and burned to the ground. That same year saw a drought so bad that nearly every tree on the 315-acre farm lost its leaves, which led to enormous losses. Yet, through all of these challenges, the firm, which now included the third generation of Beaks and Skiffs, kept moving forward with an eye on the future.
Amid the catastrophes, Beak & Skiff found inspiration that spurred innovation. After a total loss in 1945, caused by a late-spring freeze that wiped out the entire crop, Richard Beak and his brothers, Ron and Ralph, along with Seymour Skiff, began experimenting with the use of smudge pots. The oil-burning torches were placed in the orchard to counteract the frosts. By 1949, they had mastered their implementation. To this day, Beak & Skiff has not lost an entire crop due to frost.
The use of smudge pots was just one of the innovative techniques Beak & Skiff employed to boost yields and expand the business. In the 1950s, the partners invested heavily in a brand-new irrigation system. In 1956, Beak & Skiff became the first apple orchard in the Northeast to utilize wind machines to move cold air away from the apple blossoms. By the end of the decade, the business employed nearly 60 people to care for and harvest the orchard, which had grown to 475 acres. The capital investments and innovation led to record harvests. On average, Beak & Skiff produced about 62,000 bushels (a bushel weighs about 45 pounds) annually through the mid-1960s.
By the late 60s, the third generation of the families had taken over the business. Ron and Dick Beak and Marshall Skiff continued to forge ahead and amass more land. By 1975, the farm had grown to 700 acres in LaFayette, with a breathtaking view of Onondaga Valley. Expansion allowed Beak & Skiff to more than double its output, harvesting nearly 130,000 bushels, on average. To help preserve and store its crop, the orchard built a series of huge climate-controlled warehouses, which keep the apples at 32 degrees all the time.
That same year, Beak & Skiff took another major leap in the evolution of the business when it opened the orchard to the public for the first time. It was among the first “pick your own” apple orchards in the Northeast. Beak & Skiff’s wholesale business was thriving, and the partners saw this as an area with major growth potential. The new pick-your-own business was opened on what became known as Apple Hill and it was an immediate success. In 1979, Beak & Skiff converted an old dairy barn into the Apple Hill Country Store where it sold pies and other assorted baked goods. That same year, Beak & Skiff made another critical decision when the firm decided to go into the apple-cider business. Ever the innovators, Beak & Skiff’s cider mill was the first in the nation to “flash pasteurize” its fresh cider, greatly extending its shelf life.
By 1990, Beak & Skiff’s sprawling acreage was being overseen by the fourth generation, as Marshall Skiff’s son-in-law, Mark Fleckenstein became orchard manager. This era also saw the orchard make a concerted effort to move away from the use of chemical pesticides whenever possible.
As the fourth and fifth generations of Andrew Beak and George Skiff’s descendants brought their family business into the 21st century, they made yet another innovative decision when they produced their first hard cider in 2001. Branded as “1911 Hard Cider,” an homage to the company’s birth year, it was made with Beak & Skiff’s fresh cider, a practice that continues to this day. According to Brennan, this practice sets Beak & Skiff apart from many of its competitors who use cider concentrate. This adds a certain level of difficulty to the process but makes for a much more delicious end product. The results speak for themselves.
In 2022, the Cider House on Lord’s Hill Road produced nearly 2 million gallons of 1911 Hard Cider in an ever-expanding line of varieties. Much of this success is due to the relationships built personally by Brennan and his team, which include a partnership with Wegman’s dating back to 2017. According to Brennan, 1911 Hard Cider is a top 10 alcohol brand for the Central New York based grocery chain.
As the company was on the verge of celebrating a century in business, Beak & Skiff continued to push forward. In 2010, the business expanded its alcoholic offerings, introducing 1911 Spirits vodka and gin, which it distills on-site. Spurred by a disastrous harvest in 2012, where nearly 85 percent of the crop was lost, Beak & Skiff leadership decided to double down on the hard-cider business. In 2013, the Apple Hill Campus was expanded to include a massive new tasting room, a retail shop, and a full-service café.
Other investments included an expanded bottling line and the purchase of more acreage, which now totals 1,000 — 400 of which are planted with 350,000 apple trees. In 2015, USA Today named Beak & Skiff the number-one apple orchard in America (a title it has won several times) and it consistently ranks in the top five annually.
Today, under the stewardship of the fifth generation of family ownership, Beak & Skiff is thriving like it never has before. Constantly innovating, evolving, and diversifying, this 111-year-old business stands poised at the forefront of another booming agricultural product with its foray into marijuana cultivation, and retail sales under the auspices of a new company, Gen V Labs, and a new brand, Ayrloom (a play on heirloom apples).
Through fires, droughts, frosts, and freezes, Beak & Skiff has endured. This legendary Central New York family business has become a family tradition for many and, with its growth and success, an ambassador for the entire region.
Robert J. Searing is curator of history at the Onondaga Historical Association (OHA) (www.cnyhistory.org), located at 321 Montgomery St. in Syracuse.
LAFAYETTE — Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards has a busy year planned for 2023 with a new lineup of artists for its summer concert series and a focus on its cannabis venture as the company owners work to continue to further diversify the business beyond apples. “It was a great year for us,” Eddie Brennan,
LAFAYETTE — Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards has a busy year planned for 2023 with a new lineup of artists for its summer concert series and a focus on its cannabis venture as the company owners work to continue to further diversify the business beyond apples.
“It was a great year for us,” Eddie Brennan, Beak & Skiff co-owner and president, says. The orchard hosted 18 national acts at concerts from May through August, with about 60,000 people attending.
“We’re really transitioning our summer experience to have Beak & Skiff as a national concert venue,” Brennan says. The orchard has already announced three acts coming to the stage in 2023 with more announcements to come.
Fall remains the core and busiest season at the apple orchard with about 300,000 people visiting within the six- to eight-week season, Brennan says. And while the orchard and all the fall festiveness that goes with it will never go away, diversification continues to be the key to success at Beak & Skiff.
Along with the 2 million gallons of sweet apple cider it presses annually, Beak & Skiff also offers its 1911 brand of hard cider, which is now available in 30 states.
“We’re trying to be leaders in the innovation side of hard cider,” Brennan says. He credits 1911 with saving the family farm and keeping Beak & Skiff in business.
In addition to producing hard cider, Beak & Skiff is one of the largest producers of cold brew coffee, which it primarily makes for private-label grocery brands. Along with the concerts at the orchard, cold brew has proven to be a good summer business, Brennan says, and helps establish Beak & Skiff as a premier beverage company.
A huge focus in 2023 will be Beak & Skiff’s cannabis venture, which began three years ago with an acre of hemp. Currently, Beak & Skiff Research, the cannabis arm of the business, grows 15 acres of hemp, is one of the first businesses licensed to grow marijuana, and one of the first licensed cannabis-processing facilities, Brennan says. It also produces THC beverages.
Brennan expects the coming year to be busy as dispensaries start coming online. “We’re excited to be on the front edge of that,” he says, adding that cannabis will further diversify the business to help keep it viable. “We never want to be 100-percent reliant on one commodity,” he notes.
Beak & Skiff, located at 2709 Lords Hill Road in LaFayette, employs 120 people full time and grows to about 350 employees during the peak fall season.
Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC is a law firm that has been very familiar to many Central New York residents for the last 125 years. George Hopkins Bond founded the firm in 1897 soon after graduating from Syracuse University College of Law at age 24. Born in Syracuse in 1873, George was locally educated and
Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC is a law firm that has been very familiar to many Central New York residents for the last 125 years. George Hopkins Bond founded the firm in 1897 soon after graduating from Syracuse University College of Law at age 24.
Born in Syracuse in 1873, George was locally educated and then attended Syracuse University. He was the captain of the football team for two years and football head coach for one season. George graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in philosophy in 1894. He was a member of the first full-time class at the two-year-old law college and received his law degree in 1897.
George Bond partnered with Ernest Ingersoll White, who was three years older than George and received an undergraduate degree from Cornell University in 1893. Two years later, White graduated from Columbia Law School and was admitted to the state bar. White came from a distinguished family. His brother, Horace White, was a New York State governor and his uncle, Andrew Dickson White, was president of Cornell University and an ambassador to Germany and Russia.
Edward Schoeneck joined Bond and White in 1908. He was the fifth of eight children. Schoeneck’s father, Henry, was a Civil War veteran and a blacksmith. As a boy, Schoeneck worked with his father and brothers at the family forge. Schoeneck was elected to the Onondaga County Board of Supervisors in 1901 at age 26. He graduated from the Syracuse University College of Law two years later. While studying the law, Schoeneck clerked for Ernest White. White and Bond partnered with Schoeneck once he was admitted to the bar in 1903. The law firm then became White, Bond and Schoeneck, and was located in the White Memorial Building on East Washington Street in Syracuse.
In addition to their law careers, George Bond and Edward Schoeneck also had political aspirations. Bond became Onondaga County district attorney in 1908. Schoeneck was elected Syracuse mayor in 1910 and then New York State lieutenant governor in 1915. When the U.S. entered World War I, Schoeneck served as a major of artillery at Camp Taylor in Kentucky. After the war, he did not return to political office. However, Schoeneck did serve for many years with the New York State Liquor Authority.
Meanwhile, White was quite active in business. Along with his legal career, he was also president of two local businesses: the Costswold Comfortable Company, a bedding business, and the Mack Miller Candle Company. White also was an enthusiastic horseman who owned horses and raced trotters in the U.S., Canada, and England.
When Schoeneck was elected mayor of Syracuse in 1910, White announced that the firm of White, Bond & Schoeneck would dissolve. White also announced that he would partner with Harry Barber who had been his financial clerk for many years. Bond and Schoeneck, while serving as mayor and district attorney, respectively, formed a new partnership, known as Bond & Schoeneck. They opened a new office in Room 431 at the Union Building, located at 435-447 South Salina St. in Syracuse. Opened in 1909, the Union Building boasted the latest in modern conveniences for the time, including hot and cold water, a vacuum cleaner, and compressed air in every office.
Clarence Roderick King was born in Auburn in August 1889. However, his father died before Clarence was born and his mother moved to Syracuse with her two young children, and found work there as a seamstress. King worked hard as a child, and after graduating from high school, he attended Syracuse University, graduating from the College of Law in 1912. He received his law degree while simultaneously working as a clerk at Syracuse Chilled Plow Company. King credited Carleton Chase, Syracuse banker and manufacturer, for assisting with his education. He also never forgot his mother’s sacrifice and frequently mentioned his devotion to her.
King was admitted to the bar in 1913 and joined Bond & Schoeneck that year. He became a partner in the law firm in 1920, which was then renamed Bond, Schoeneck & King. Like his two business partners, King also had political aspirations. He served as the chairman of the Onondaga County Republican Committee, beginning in 1923, and then, the chairman of the executive committee of the Republican State Committee. King was widely respected by his Republican Party colleagues who regularly consulted him on policy issues. He wielded enormous power in local and state politics; his moniker was Onondaga’s Little Giant.
For the first 25 years, the Bond, Schoeneck & King law firm was just those three men. It was not until 1922 that the firm hired another lawyer, Edward L. Robertson. From that point forward, however, the business continually grew. By the end of 1927, the Bond firm employed 14 attorneys and support staff.
To accommodate a growing legal and support staff, Bond, Schoeneck & King moved from the Union Building on South Salina Street to the 14th floor of the new State Tower Building, located at 109 South Warren St., soon after the building opened in 1927. The firm stayed at the State Tower Building until the early 1970s.
In 1927, the law firm added Chester Rifenbary, described as an excellent trial lawyer similar to the three founding members. With Bond, Schoeneck, and King spending many hours fulfilling their political roles, Rifenbary also managed the inner workings of the office.
Two years later, Howard Cannon, also hired in 1927, conducted most of the legal work to organize Lincoln National Bank & Trust Company of Syracuse, with oversight from Edward Schoeneck. Schoeneck and King developed the idea of starting a new bank in Syracuse and gathered a list of men who supported the idea, including Anthony Henninger (New Process Gear plant manager & Syracuse mayor), Leo Eagan (prominent real-estate developer), and Melvin King (renowned architect). Lincoln National Bank & Trust Company opened on Jan. 2, 1930 with capital of $2.1 million. From there, the bank grew rapidly and became one of Bond’s mainstay clients. In 1959, the bank changed its name to Lincoln National Bank & Trust of Central New York. Eight years later, the bank became a division of Lincoln First Group, and in 1984, it merged with Chase Manhattan Bank.
At the height of the Great Depression, Bond, Schoeneck & King had more than 20 insurance-company clients, including Utica Mutual Insurance Company, first listed as a client in 1931. This company, now known as Utica Mutual Insurance Group, is still an important Bond client today.
Clarence King’s devotion to hard work as both a gifted trial attorney and political luminary would prematurely kill him at the age of 47. Lingering kidney and heart ailments, exacerbated by his rigorous campaigning for Republican candidates during the 1936 elections, proved deadly. Shortly after the November elections, King was overcome by his weakened health and died on Dec. 30, 1936. He left behind his wife, Alberta, and his three-year-old daughter, Mary. He was fondly remembered by many, and he left an enormous void in the local and state Republican Party.
Unfortunately, Chester Rifenbary also died in 1936, younger than Clarence King, at age 44. Rifenbary had suffered from heart issues for many years.
George H. Bond, Jr. (George H. Bond’s son) and Charles A. Schoeneck (Edward Schoeneck’s nephew), joined the firm in 1936. Chester H. King, Jr. (no relation to Clarence R. King) also joined the following year.
Bond, Schoeneck & King became embroiled in the Remington-Rand labor strike in 1936, at a time when labor unions and company management fought, sometimes literally, against each other over fair wages, labor practices, and workplace safety. The Remington-Rand strike occurred at typewriter plants in New York, Connecticut, and Ohio. In March 1934, Remington-Rand employees organized a labor union, but the company refused to recognize its legitimacy. That May, 6,400 workers struck in order to compel Remington-Rand officials to recognize the union and sign a collective-bargaining agreement. The company recognized the union that June and signed an agreement. However, company management often violated the agreement, angering union officials and workers. The workers struck again in July, set up picket lines, with both sides engaging in violence. In Ohio and Syracuse that July, striking workers threw homemade bombs at the typewriter plants, causing minor physical damage, but injuring a policeman. In August, Syracuse police fired upon striking workers at the Gifford Street plant, injuring two of them. A Remington-Rand attorney from Buffalo met with George Bond and other Bond attorneys to encourage the firm to apply for an injunction against the labor union’s strike in Syracuse. The firm applied for the injunction, arguing on behalf of Remington-Rand management that the striking workers had used violence during the strike. The judge, a former attorney with Bond, Schoeneck & King, issued the injunction against the Syracuse union, stating that the size of the picket line should be greatly decreased and prohibited violence at and near the plant. The union filed an appeal and hearings ensued before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), a recently organized federal agency that enforces labor law as it relates to collective bargaining and fair labor practices. At the NLRB hearings, Remington-Rand was represented by Bond, Schoeneck & King; several labor unions were represented by a Joint Collective Board. The NLRB determined that Remington-Rand was guilty of unfair labor practices outlined in a 120-page document. The NLRB ordered Remington-Rand to reinstate the striking workers and recognize the labor union. After more than a year, striking workers approved an agreement with Remington-Rand Company and went back to work. Bond’s involvement in the strike injunction and the NLRB hearings strengthened the firm’s growing reputation in the field of labor law. Today, several labor-law categories remain a vital practice at Bond, Schoeneck & King.
During World War II, several Bond attorneys fulfilled their patriotic duty by serving in the military. Chester King, Jr. served as a captain with the 101st Anti-Tank Battalion in North Africa and Italy. Charles Schoeneck served as a lieutenant with the 37th Infantry Division in the Northern Solomon and Luzon campaigns and was awarded the Combat Infantry Badge with Bronze Star. George Bond, Jr. served as an Air Combat Intelligence Officer on staff of the Southwest Pacific Forces in Australia. Tracy Ferguson joined the Navy, was commissioned as a lieutenant, and served as a liaison officer with the ship-building commission of the War Labor Board. The law firm hired additional attorneys to fill the void left by those serving in the military.
General Electric (GE) became a major home-front client during World War II. GE produced heavy defense equipment in Syracuse as part of the company’s $1 billion in federal government wartime contracts. George Bond, Sr. knew GE’s chairman of the board, Owen Young, and most likely these two men created the business relationship between GE and Bond. With Bond’s real estate and other legal assistance to GE, the company announced the development of Electronics Park in the Liverpool area in 1944. Groundbreaking occurred the following year, with the transmitter division opening there in 1947.
After World War II, Bond partners elevated several other lawyers to partner status, establishing a total of eight partner attorneys, and provided them with a share of company-wide profits along with their own salaries. By 1949, the firm employed 18 attorneys working on the 13th and 14th floors of the State Tower Building.
Bond, Schoeneck & King lost two of its founding members in the 1950s: Edward Schoeneck in 1951 at age 75, and George H. Bond, Sr. in 1954 at age 80.
During this decade, the Bond firm represented the milk cooperative, Dairylea, lobbying for legislation against oleo margarine. Bond also represented Greyhound Bus Company in its unsuccessful attempt to lobby New York State for double-decker buses. Unity Life and Accident Insurance Association, now known as Unity Mutual Life Insurance Company, was Bond’s third lobbying client in the 1950s. Bond lobbied on the insurance company’s behalf to convert its status from a fraternity benefit society to a mutual insurance company. The legislation passed and Unity converted to a mutual insurance company.
Bond’s labor relations legal work also began to expand under attorney Tracy Ferguson who had been with the firm since the 1930s. Labor strife in the 1950s caused strikes at General Electric and Allied Chemical Company, which purchased Solvay Process Company back in 1920s. Similar to the 1930s strikes, these strikes produced picket lines and some violence.
By mid-decade, 29 attorneys worked at the Bond law firm.
Bond, Schoeneck & King was beginning to experience fundamental changes by transforming from a local law firm into a full-service, regional, and ultimately, national law firm by 1960. The firm continued to add attorneys, and quarters became cramped at the State Tower Building, even as the firm occupied two additional floors.
As a full-service law firm, Bond expanded its client list to include a wide variety of businesses, including Onondaga Pottery Company, A.E. Nettleton Company, Marsellus Casket Company, Syracuse University, and the Syracuse Newspapers. Up to this point in time, most of the attorneys had a local connection to Syracuse and Onondaga County. However, in the 1960s, the Bond firm started hiring attorneys who had no local connection to the area, and by the mid-decade, Bond had grown to 50 attorneys.
The 1960s was a decade of great changes in American culture including clothing styles. At one of the partners’ meetings, the conservative male partners deliberated which clothing styles should be permitted in Bond’s office settings. The subject of women wearing pantsuits arose, and after considerable reflection, the partners decided to relax their dress code just a bit to allow women to wear pantsuits.
Bond, Schoeneck & King also represented the Oneida Nation of New York and Wisconsin in land claims brought against New York State during the 1960s and 1970s. The firm had never handled a Native American land claim, and this lawsuit was conceivably the most important legal case in Bond’s history. The land-claim case began in April 1965 with Oneida Nation member, Jake Thompson, introducing potential evidence via several treaties made between the Oneida Nation and New York State between 1780 and 1840. After Bond attorneys reviewed the treaties, they determined that the Oneida Nation was eligible to make land claims that comprised about 5 million to 6 million acres. However, prior court decisions in New York State had declared that no Native American nation or individuals could sue the state.
Rather than sue New York State, Bond decided to sue Madison and Oneida Counties, the location of the disputed land. The original claim of 5 million to 6 million acres was pared down to 100,000 acres located within both counties. Bond made it clear to the Oneida Nation that it would not sue individual landowners. The case was introduced in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York in 1970. Both the U.S. and New York State opposed the Oneida Nation’s land claim. However, Bond lawyers appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court and the court ruled that federal courts have jurisdiction over Native American land claims, thus, making the federal court in New York liable to hear the case. In 1975, a federal judge in Auburn sided with the Oneida Nation and declared that New York State had acquired the land without complying with the Nonintercourse Act that set the boundaries of Native American reservations. However, at this point, individual land owners were drawn into the land claim, so Bond decided to withdraw further involvement based upon its prior commitment to not sue individual land owners. The case continued throughout the 1980s, the 1990s, and into the 21st century. Then, on May 16, 2013, the Oneida Nation, New York State, Madison County, and Oneida County signed a historic agreement officially ending the land claim. The Oneida Nation was then granted exclusive gaming rights in 10 Central New York counties. The Nation agreed to contribute 25 percent of its slot machine net profits to New York State and the surrounding counties.
Bond, Schoeneck & King opened its first satellite office in Albany in 1971. Albany made sense to the many attorneys who routinely traveled there for their own political responsibilities as well as to represent the interests of their high-profile clients. An office in Albany also attracted business from eastern New York state and the New England states. Bond opened its second and third satellite offices in Boca Raton and Naples, Florida in 1976.
After occupying several upper floors of the landmark State Tower Building, Bond moved to the new One Lincoln Center AT 110 West Fayette St. in downtown Syracuse, in 1973. Along with Bond, the new $20 million, 305,500 square foot building also included Lincoln Bank and E.W. Edwards Department Store. Bond’s main office remains at One Lincoln Center today and is considered one of the building’s anchor businesses, along with Bousquet Holstein PLLC and Grossman St. Amour CPAs, PLLC.
As the 1970s segued to the 1980s, Bond, Schoeneck & King, along with other sizable law firms in Syracuse, faced economic challenges in the midst of a stubborn recession. Vying for large clients, Bond found itself adhering to stricter financial business practices in order to compete with other large legal firms. The firm hired a law administrator in the 1970s, who performed the function of auditor, office manager, personnel chief, computer wizard, and comptroller, so Bond stayed economically solvent and competitive. In 1983, Bond employed 89 attorneys, and about 160 support staff, working both day and night shifts.
In 1986, M. Catherine Richardson was the first woman elected to the firm’s membership. The 1977 graduate of Syracuse University’s School of Law specialized in the firm’s health-care practice and retired in 2003. She became the first female president of the Onondaga County Bar Association in 1987 and the second female president of the New York State Bar Association in 1996. She presided over the New York State Bar’s Foundation from 2009-2012, and served on the Board of Governors of the American Bar Association from 2003-2006. In recognition of her leadership in diversity and inclusion, the firm created the M. Catherine Richardson Clerkship Program to expand opportunities for students from historically excluded communities who desire experience in the legal profession.
Bond, Schoeneck & King continued expanding into new communities in the 1980s and 90s, opening a satellite office in Oswego in 1988 and Overland Park, Kansas in 1991 to expand its legal business into the collegiate sports world. The firm’s new office opened within one mile of NCAA headquarters at the time, and hired Michael Glazier, a Kansas attorney who was more knowledgeable about sports law. This expansion was precipitated by the NCAA’s investigation into rules violations against Syracuse University’s men’s basketball program in 1990 and 1991. Today, Bond’s collegiate-sports practice group employs six attorneys in Kansas and provides legal counsel to more than 200 colleges and universities.
In the late 1990s, the Bond firm opened two more satellite offices in Buffalo and Saratoga Springs. As the 20th century became the 21st, Bond continued to expand into new geographic areas and legal practices. The firm is now present in several cities in New York state, as well as New Jersey, Massachusetts, Kansas, and Florida. The impetus for these geographic and business expansions was through mergers with or acquisitions of other law firms. Bond now employs 275 legal professionals, along with numerous support staff, with experience in 35 different legal practices.
Bond, Schoeneck & King continues to celebrate its continuation and success as one of the largest law firms in the U.S. with its 125th anniversary in 2022. With 15 offices in five states, Bond will continue to impact the American legal system well into the 21st century.
Thomas Hunter is curator of collections at the Onondaga Historical Association (OHA) (www.cnyhistory.org), located at 321 Montgomery St. in Syracuse.
SYRACUSE — Business activity for the law firm Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC in 2022 included additional downstate expansion, a new COO, and the addition of a new litigation attorney. The Syracuse–based firm in early May announced it would be combining with a smaller Long Island firm. Effective June 1, Lazer, Aptheker, Rosella & Yedid
SYRACUSE — Business activity for the law firm Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC in 2022 included additional downstate expansion, a new COO, and the addition of a new litigation attorney.
The Syracuse–based firm in early May announced it would be combining with a smaller Long Island firm.
Effective June 1, Lazer, Aptheker, Rosella & Yedid — which is based in Melville, New York and also has an office in South Florida — joined Bond, bringing 23 lawyers.
The combination boosted Bond’s Long Island presence to about 40 attorneys — the firm already had an office in Garden City — and continued its downstate expansion. In 2021, Bond combined with New York City–based Putney, Twombly, Hall & Hirson, adding 15 lawyers.
“For a long time now, we’ve been looking to make our downstate practice, in particular our Long Island practice, full service. Currently in our Garden City office, we represent a lot of public-sector clients, we do a lot of litigation work, and labor and employment in particular. But we’ve always had a strategic plan to expand and diversify the practice,” Kevin Bernstein, chair of the Bond, Schoeneck & King management committee, told CNYBJ in an April 20 interview. “[Lazer] provided us exactly what we’re looking for, and that is they are a commercial business and litigation firm. They do a lot of things, and basically, they would turn our practice downstate into a full-service location.”
Prior to the combination announcement, Bond, Schoeneck & King in mid-February appointed Bryan J. Donohue as COO, assuming administrative leadership of the 250-attorney law firm.
Donohue, formerly the COO with the Buffalo–based accounting firm of Freed Maxick, works alongside firm management on strategic initiatives to continue the firm’s growth. Donohue works from the firm’s Buffalo office.
Bernstein said Donohue brought the Bond law firm “proven leadership in professional services operations, with an emphasis on financial oversight. In addition to his financial background, his experience in [information technology], marketing, facilities and firm management will be integral to our continued growth.”
Among other personnel highlights, Bond, Schoeneck & King in late May announced that Timothy McMahon had recently joined the law firm’s litigation practice in its Syracuse office as senior counsel. McMahon has litigated commercial and personal-injury cases before all state and federal courts on contract disputes, insurance-coverage disputes, products and premises liability, motor-vehicle law, and construction-law matters.
For the past 12 years, prior to joining Bond, McMahon was principal law clerk to Judge Joseph E. Lamendola, Onondaga County Supreme Court, and to Judge Brian F. DeJoseph, Onondaga County Supreme Court and New York State Supreme Court Appellate Division, Fourth Department.
While the term “supply chain” has become part of the vernacular, it is still safe to assume that typical consumers are probably not thinking about the steps that it takes to get the item from their Amazon shopping cart to their front door. The incredibly intricate and interconnected global world of storage, distribution, and material
While the term “supply chain” has become part of the vernacular, it is still safe to assume that typical consumers are probably not thinking about the steps that it takes to get the item from their Amazon shopping cart to their front door. The incredibly intricate and interconnected global world of storage, distribution, and material handling is, like so many things in this modern world, taken for granted.
In many respects, our collective apathy is a testament to the incredible success of the Raymond Corporation — a company that generated more than $800 million in revenue in 2021 that many people have never heard of, yet rely on every day. For the last 100 years, the ingenuity and innovation of George Raymond, Sr. and the company he founded has made Raymond, a Toyota Industries Corp. company, a leading global provider of material-handling products and intelligent intralogistics solutions.
From its headquarters in the Chenango County town of Greene, which has a population of about 6,000 people, Raymond’s employees design, maintain, and manufacture products and warehouse-solutions systems that are essential to the global supply chain. And believe it or not, it all started with a wood pallet and a barber chair.
The roots of Raymond Corp. can be traced back to the Lyon Iron Works, which was founded in Greene in 1840. It was a small machine shop that specialized in making iron that was then cast into agricultural implements. As the population of the Empire State continued to climb through the 19th century, the Lyon Iron Works remained a small but successful firm, supplying the local market with the tools it needed. By 1922, the Lyon Iron Works was primarily producing sawmills for the area’s once thriving timber market and wrought-iron fencing. However, the business was not doing well. Enter George Raymond, Sr. That year, he made the fateful decision to move his family from their home in Brooklyn to Greene — a town that was named after Revolutionary War General Nathanael Greene— where Raymond had purchased a controlling share in the Lyon Iron Works for $6,000.
In leaving Brooklyn, Raymond was actually returning to his roots in Central New York. Born in Owego, he graduated from nearby Cornell University with a degree in engineering. Ever an innovative problem solver, Raymond threw himself into turning the business around. At first, he re-focused the foundry on servicing the local agricultural sector in rural New York and over the border in Pennsylvania. More importantly, he began to manufacture custom machines and products that could help customers handle materials in warehouses and on shop floors, using cast iron and hard wood. By the end of the decade, this new line of equipment comprised about 75 percent of the company’s sales. In 1929, Raymond received his first patent for his “basket truck,” which like so many Raymond Corp. products are ubiquitous in the industry.
Around this same time, George Raymond, Sr. made another critical decision that would have major ramifications on his business and the broader material-handling industry it helped define. Raymond hired an eager young jobseeker, William House, who shared his affinity for machines, design, and engineering. House would stay with the company for 41 years, playing an integral role in its growth and success. Nowhere was this more evident than in the development of the two inventions that altered the course of the Lyon Iron Works and the material-handling industry forever — the double-faced wooden pallet and its partner, the hydraulic hand pallet truck.
As the story was relayed to me by Steve Raymond (George’s grandson), George, Sr. was getting his haircut at his usual barbershop in the local Sherwood Hotel. Having been fascinated with hydraulics for several years and struck by a thunderbolt of inspiration, Raymond asked the barber if he could buy his extra barber chair. The barber would not sell him the chair, but he did “rent” it to Raymond for $10; so, he took the chair back to the shop on Foundry Street. With Bill House, he proceeded to take it apart and reverse engineer it. This was the birth of the first hydraulic lift truck, and it was designed to be used in tandem with the skid “platform” Raymond patented in 1931. Eight years later, after much testing and design alterations, Raymond and House patented, sequentially, the double-faced wooden pallet and the hydraulic hand-pallet truck, both improvements on their earlier work. Over 80 years later, these two revolutionary inventions are ubiquitous and essential to the global marketplace.
However, the severity of the Great Depression almost extinguished the fires of innovation being stoked in Greene before they had a chance to spread. The Depression hit Lyon Iron Works’ biggest customer bases the hardest, as the agricultural and manufacturing sectors were decimated. By the end of 1931, Raymond, House, and a part-time secretary were the only employees left from the 78 in 1929. But Raymond managed to survive. Spurred by the incredible demand brought about by the war effort, sales reached $250,000 ($5 million adjusted for inflation) in 1941. That year, George, Sr. changed the name of the company to Lyon-Raymond Corporation. In 1943, George hired the company’s first professional engineer, Chris Gibson.
The post-war era saw Lyon-Raymond grow exponentially as it continued to drive innovation. Another watershed moment in the company’s history was a fateful meeting between Raymond, House, Gibson, and a grocery industry consultant, Harry Messerole in 1947. Messerole’s idea was a simple one: why not shrink the size of the aisles in the warehouses, thereby saving his customers millions in wasted storage space? Could Lyon-Raymond build a lift truck to these new, smaller specifications? A few years later, the team at Lyon-Raymond patented the first electric narrow-aisle lift truck, another Raymond invention that changed the industry forever.
With the unparalleled economic growth of the 1950s, Lyon-Raymond’s business was booming. In 1950, annual sales exceeded $1 million for the first time, and the Lyon-Raymond Corporation became The Raymond Corporation. By 1955, total sales reached $5 million. That same year, George Raymond, Jr., was elected president of the company his father purchased when George, Jr. was just an infant. It was an incredibly proud day for the Raymond family.
To maintain the growth of an increasingly complex and expanding product line, Raymond Corp. began construction on a brand-new manufacturing facility in Greene in 1956. In order to raise the requisite funds, George, Sr. made the difficult decision to take Raymond Corp. public on the NASDAQ market. Three years later, George Raymond, Jr. became CEO. George, Jr. had implemented Raymond Corp.’s authorized-independent-dealer strategy in the 1950s, and that move helped tremendously with the company’s expansion over the ensuing decades. As its market share increased, Raymond expanded internationally, opening a massive new $300,000 manufacturing facility in Brantford, Ontario in 1965. Two years later, George Raymond, Sr. passed away, having turned his $6,000 investment into an internationally known, publicly traded company employing 600 people with revenues near $50 million annually.
During the 1970s and 80s, Raymond Corp. continued its legacy of innovation, investing heavily in automated lift trucks and a host of other leading-edge solutions. In 1979, the company opened a new parts distribution center in East Syracuse to better serve its network of intendent dealers across the country. By 1980, Raymond Corp. had sales of $113 million and reached its peak employment of 1,800.
Over the next two decades, Raymond Corp. looked to integrate computer technology into its industry-leading product lines, as a way to maintain a competitive advantage amid a changing economic landscape marked by deindustrialization and downsizing. George, Jr. retired as CEO in 1987, though he stayed on as chairman of the board. Ross Colquhoun became president and CEO. Colquhoun continued to push Raymond towards the future. A few years later, the company produced the industry’s first computer-operated truck. Under Colquhoun’s leadership, Raymond expanded its network of international partners in Sweden, Germany, Australia, Singapore, and into Central America and South America. In 1996, Raymond Corp. reported sales of $308 million.
The next year marked the end of an era when Sweden’s BT Industries AB acquired Raymond. In 2000, Japan–based Toyota Industries Corp. purchased BT Industries.
Today, a century after George Raymond, Sr. uprooted his young family from Brooklyn to chase his dream in the town of Greene, The Raymond Corporation is a global leader in the industry it pioneered. Raymond’s visionary contributions to the field are still being lauded.
Robert J. Searing is curator of history at the Onondaga Historical Association (OHA) (www.cnyhistory.org), located at 321 Montgomery St. in Syracuse.
GREENE — After a year filled with celebrating the company’s 100th anniversary, The Raymond Corporation is looking ahead to a year of innovation and helping its customers. The company kicked off 2022 with the introduction of several new products and innovations including its iWAREHOUSE Field Sense proximity-notification system, High Capacity Orderpicker that picks a full
GREENE — After a year filled with celebrating the company’s 100th anniversary, The Raymond Corporation is looking ahead to a year of innovation and helping its customers.
The company kicked off 2022 with the introduction of several new products and innovations including its iWAREHOUSE Field Sense proximity-notification system, High Capacity Orderpicker that picks a full rack higher than most models, and its next-generation Virtual Reality Simulator scalable teaching tool that helps customers bring new hires up to speed more quickly.
Over the summer, Raymond held a celebration in honor of the company’s 100th year that included a historical exhibition of the firm’s history.
In November, the company’s founder, George Raymond, Sr. was posthumously inducted into the Logistics Hall of Fame for his invention of the first double-faced wooden pallet.
“I think one of the very special things we experienced and heard at the hall of fame induction was that this double-sided pallet has spawned an industry,” Raymond President/CEO Michael Field says. Raymond has continued to lead the way in innovations from early warehouses to today’s “just-in-time” warehouses.
The company’s role, he says, is to help customers understand, and overcome, challenges using data and real process solutions. While many businesses struggled through the pandemic, Raymond’s products were more in demand than ever, Field notes. E-commerce increased as much as 30 percent during the pandemic as people stayed home and ordered goods online.
“It really changed the way that people expected to receive goods,” he says. “That really has continued to grow our business to the point where we have a lot of backlog.”
Raymond has to step up its game to help its customers move goods quickly and efficiently, he contends.
In 2023 and beyond, Raymond continues to look for opportunities in automation and innovation. From forklifts with microprocessors enabling a customer to track its entire fleet of forklifts to its Raymond lean-management system, it’s all about helping customers optimize and, where appropriate, automate.
“Maybe that travel path for a particular forklift is not value added,” Field says. That may be an opportunity for automation with a self-driving forklift.
New for the company for the coming year is a new set of automated products that help people lift heavier items to higher heights, Field adds.
It all goes back to Raymond’s three main tenets — innovation, quality, and service — and that double-sided pallet developed in the 1930s by George Raymond, Sr. and his colleague William House. Soon after the patent was awarded, Raymond donated it back to the industry.
Today, Raymond employs more than 2,000 people at its Greene headquarters and its locations in Syracuse and Iowa and is currently hiring. Raymond also employs more than 7,000 people at its solution and support centers around the world.
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