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New Ogdensburg youth athletic center wins $100K in grants
Center is named in honor of NBA coach’s father OGDENSBURG — A new athletic center for the Ogdensburg Boys & Girls Club — named in honor of the father of an NBA coach — is getting a boost from the Northern New York Community Foundation. The club will use a series of grants […]
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Center is named in honor of NBA coach’s father
OGDENSBURG — A new athletic center for the Ogdensburg Boys & Girls Club — named in honor of the father of an NBA coach — is getting a boost from the Northern New York Community Foundation.
The club will use a series of grants totaling $100,000 to help pay for a new youth athletic center that’s set to open later this year.
The Preston C. Carlisle Youth Athletic Center is named in honor of the father of Rick Carlisle, who is now in his second tenure as head coach of the Indiana Pacers. Carlisle, an Ogdensburg native, and his family were “instrumental” in initiating the project with what the foundation described as a “substantial” donation to the club.
Preston Carlisle is a former member of the Ogdensburg Boys & Girls Club’s board of directors and has been a “longtime supporter” of the club and youth activities in Northern New York, the foundation said.
In addition to the Carlisle family’s donation, the Community Foundation board of directors recently approved two grants totaling $50,000 to support the club’s $2.3 million capital project.
A $25,000 grant will provide direct support to the capital campaign and a $25,000 matching challenge will help build charitable support from the community. It means the foundation will match gifts dollar-for-dollar up to $25,000 from individuals, couples, families, and businesses supporting the campaign, per a Northern New York Community Foundation news release.
The board also approved a third grant of $50,000 to establish an endowment at the Community Foundation that will give the organization a “permanent resource it can rely on” to sustain its facilities and operations.
“The Community Foundation feels strongly about making a commitment to the Club and the Ogdensburg community in a way that would honor the Club’s history and heritage, help build upon the campaign’s success, and provide additional support for long-term sustainability,” Rande Richardson, executive director of the Northern New York Community Foundation, said in the release. “We join in the investments of others in ways that will help strengthen the Club’s vital work and mission for generations to come as they continue to touch lives in lasting ways.”
Matching grant
The Community Foundation partnered with Lee A. (Gus) Murray — described as a “longtime Ogdensburg donor” — to award the matching grant and help build the Ogdensburg Boys & Girls Club’s new endowment.
Murray is an Ogdensburg native and “longtime supporter” of the Boys & Girls Club.
“In recent years, I’ve become more acquainted with the great work the Boys & Girls Club is doing with Ogdensburg youths,” Murray said. “I am pleased to be part of the support team that’s going to allow the Club to take some major steps forward to expand upon what they already do so well.”
Tom Luckie, executive director of the Ogdensburg Boys & Girls Club, called the project “transformative” for the Ogdensburg community, adding that it will give the club “every opportunity to grow its mission and charitable support for its work well into the future.”
“We are grateful for the Community Foundation’s commitment to our organization and the youths it serves,” Luckie said. “The impact this will have on young lives for years to come is tremendous. We also greatly appreciate such meaningful support for this project from longtime Club advocate Gus Murray.”
The Ogdensburg Boys & Girls Club is “one of the region’s longest-operating nonprofits,” serving youth and building young leaders in the North Country, the Community Foundation noted.
CEO FOCUS: Highlighting Our Regional Economic Opportunities
Already, 2022 is off to an incredible start. Our economic-development pipeline remains strong, and our team has been exceptionally busy working with partners to align resources to projects that will transform our community. Our Syracuse Surge partners and Economic Inclusion team is kicking off several training programs to connect talent to in-demand jobs. Our Racial Equity and
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Already, 2022 is off to an incredible start. Our economic-development pipeline remains strong, and our team has been exceptionally busy working with partners to align resources to projects that will transform our community. Our Syracuse Surge partners and Economic Inclusion team is kicking off several training programs to connect talent to in-demand jobs. Our Racial Equity and Social Impact portfolio is leading numerous training sessions with local businesses that are ready to strengthen their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion within their organizations. Likewise, our Research, Policy and Planning team is busy providing data and analytics to support these efforts, while also tracking the development of federal and state proposals, policy changes, and budgets.
Notably [recently] our Innovation and Entrepreneurship team took center stage when we welcomed U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves to The Tech Garden for a roundtable discussion as part of the Build Back Better Regional Challenge (BBBRC). As you’ll recall, the CenterState NY Smart Systems coalition was named a finalist in the nationwide BBBRC, and if selected as a winner, could be awarded up to $100 million to implement its strategies and projects.
The visit by these federal leaders provided us an opportunity to showcase the exciting, growing companies that are contributing to and aligned with regional efforts to develop a “smart systems” cluster. It was a truly exceptional visit that highlighted our region’s successful efforts to drive results through collaboration and targeted strategies. Our guests were impressed with our [coalition’s] vision to position Central New York as a global tech hub by expanding its semiconductor-manufacturing industry, growing its existing UAS and quantum-computing industries, and creating the potential to attract more than 5,000 new jobs and train workers to enter in-demand fields.
I’m incredibly excited to see how all of these efforts drive progress and new opportunities for Central New York. If your company’s work aligns with these efforts to advance our regional smart-systems cluster, I encourage you to reach out to CenterState CEO’s chief of staff, Ben Sio, at bsio@centerstateceo.com to learn more. Thank you for your continued engagement.
Robert M. Simpson is president and CEO of CenterState CEO, the primary economic-development organization for Central New York. This article is drawn and edited from the “CEO Focus” email newsletter that the organization sent to members on Feb. 3.
STRATEGIC MINUTE: Keep an Active Communications Strategy Even When Things Are Quiet
Public relations and communications professionals are most popular during times of stress. When rhythms are off and out of synch, organizations rely on expertise to develop thoughtful messages, navigate crises, and chart clear paths forward. But, when there are lulls in turbulence, the value of public relations is often overlooked; or worse, mistakenly reduced in budgets,
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Public relations and communications professionals are most popular during times of stress. When rhythms are off and out of synch, organizations rely on expertise to develop thoughtful messages, navigate crises, and chart clear paths forward. But, when there are lulls in turbulence, the value of public relations is often overlooked; or worse, mistakenly reduced in budgets, which sets the stage to fall behind the next time something goes wrong.
This dance can be made much smoother when the music has been written. No matter how big or small your team may be, having a solid communications plan and strategy in place is integral to long-term success. It provides everyone with a map to follow when opportunities for your business are abundant, as well as during stressful times. With just a few minor adjustments, the organization will stay in tune. And in quieter times, this active, ongoing strategy continues to generate positive momentum.
The most-effective communications plans set expectations through measurable metrics and if you dread long-term planning, start by thinking about what may be cyclical. Whether your organization measures time by calendar or fiscal year, chances are at least a portion of what you work on happens in semi-regular intervals. Go month-by-month and identify deadlines to help inform external communications. For example, do you hold an annual meeting, or perhaps an annual golf tournament? Think about the purpose of these events and activities. If they’re designed to promote your business, generate new customers or growth in some way, incorporate these elements into your communications plan. Including these details will inspire action that will make other aspects of planning the events run more efficiently and generate ideas that could raise your organization’s visibility through potential press coverage — in addition to numerous other benefits.
Organization goals are another layer to building a solid communications strategy. Ask yourself what your company does well, and where it might benefit from improvements. Expand the lens out to examine the industry you represent. Are there external factors that pose threats? What about anticipated obstacles to overcome? Document these elements and refer back to them once per quarter. As you make improvements and things ebb and flow, you may find that your organization’s strengths grow, or that items previously identified as threats become opportunities for success.
And, if you have a proactive ongoing communication strategy in place as you are evaluating and adapting within your organization and your industry, you become well-positioned to serve as a thought leader in your industry, with local news media, or even national news media.
From an internal-communications perspective, there are benefits to inviting employees to be part of these conversations. Opening lines of communication by getting their thoughts on what is working well for them and what they may not like as much will provide you with valuable insight. Practically, you may also learn how they would prefer to receive information from the company and how often they’d like to hear from you.
In the short-term, asking questions like this will help you gain trust, build morale, and foster a familial “we’re all in this together” culture among employees. In the long-term, this approach will help you establish ambassadors to amplify your company’s message(s) and mission.
The phrase “No news is good news” might be true when you’re anticipating medical-test results, an expensive bill from the car mechanic, or the renewal fate of your favorite TV show, but when it comes to communications and public relations, this is a myth. When there is seemingly “no news” to share within your organization, this is the best time to reconnect with your communications experts.
Alice Maggiore is a consultant for Strategic Communications, LLC and serves as director of communications for the Downtown Committee of Syracuse. Syracuse–based Strategic Communications (www.StratComLLC.com) says it provides trusted counsel for public relations, including media strategy, media outreach, media monitoring, and analysis.
Hoeller joins NBT Bancorp and NBT Bank boards of directors
NORWICH, N.Y. — NBT Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ: NBTB) said that Heidi M. Hoeller has recently joined the boards of directors of NBT Bancorp and its community bank subsidiary, NBT Bank, N.A. Hoeller is a retired partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC), with more than 25 years of experience as a leader in audit and financial services.
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NORWICH, N.Y. — NBT Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ: NBTB) said that Heidi M. Hoeller has recently joined the boards of directors of NBT Bancorp and its community bank subsidiary, NBT Bank, N.A.
Hoeller is a retired partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC), with more than 25 years of experience as a leader in audit and financial services.
Hoeller held numerous positions at PwC from November 1993 until her retirement in June 2019. She spent most of her career in the Northeast, including assignments in Syracuse, Hartford, and Boston, where she served as audit partner on a diverse portfolio of clients within the insurance sector. Prior to her retirement, Hoeller was a financial-services partner in PwC’s National Quality Organization for three years. During that time, she also led diversity and inclusion for a group of about 120 professionals.
Hoeller currently sits on the board of directors of Preferred Mutual Insurance Company, which she joined in May 2020. Since 2011, she has been a member of the board of trustees for Utica College. Hoeller received her bachelor’s degree in accounting from Utica College. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and is a CPA licensed in New York.
NBT Bancorp is a financial-holding company headquartered in Norwich, with total assets of $12 billion as of Dec. 31, 2021. NBT Bank, N.A. has 140 branches in New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, and Connecticut.
VIEWPOINT: The Cold Call is Dead & the Informed Call has Emerged
Say goodbye to the out-of-the-blue, icy interruptions of years past. The cold call is dead. We are entering the age of the informed call, a better way to sell over the phone. The informed call, a warmer approach to B2B lead generation, delivers a hard-core punch in a way the old model of cold calling simply
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Say goodbye to the out-of-the-blue, icy interruptions of years past. The cold call is dead.
We are entering the age of the informed call, a better way to sell over the phone. The informed call, a warmer approach to B2B lead generation, delivers a hard-core punch in a way the old model of cold calling simply doesn’t deliver.
The informed call is a more artful and more data-driven approach to reaching out to leads. Traditional cold calls were made with only a person’s name, company name, and related industry. It was “dial and smile” and a game of numbers. Now, sales teams are equipped with much more information at their disposal. Used properly, this information can inform how to approach each lead in a more targeted and refined way.
Answering a few key questions will go a long way toward maximizing your time on the phone with each lead. Before a call, ask your marketing team questions like these: How have the people you’re speaking to interacted with your website, content, webinars, and social-media channels? Where did they spend their time? What did they download? And what were they searching for when they found you? Platforms such as HubSpot, Salesforce, and Google Analytics help fill in these blanks before every conversation is initiated. An informed call leverages this information to make the most of each lead.
Because of HubSpot’s robust CRM capabilities and its integration with other platforms, sales teams can use these tools to track the interactions of leads over time and know the precise moment when they’re ready for a call.
This process might sound invasive. However, no one’s time is wasted when pertinent, actionable information is put to good use. Sales teams have the data they need to immediately provide value and articulate over the phone how their business can give prospects what they seek. No leads receive a call until they’re ready.
In this way, the informed call is more respectful than the cold call. Data and analytics inform where each prospect is in their buyer’s journey, revealing their needs as they move from awareness to partnership. Someone who has just discovered your company should never receive a hard sales pitch. Conversely, when someone is ready to be contacted about a purchase, you can be ready to act because you know.
For the informed-call method to work, there must be alignment between sales and marketing teams. Marketing teams need to drive toward sales goals, and sales teams must communicate their needs with marketing. This results in more qualified leads — both teams are working toward the same goal. When marketing and sales are at odds, the result is inefficiency.
For some organizations, this de-siloed approach flouts the traditional company structure. To fully integrate sales and marketing efforts, traditional organizational structures need to evolve. Individual roles and responsibilities may also need to be re-evaluated.
Marketing can no longer be the brochure factory of an organization. It must provide audiences with compelling, relevant, and timely content that meets a need, educates, or generates a lead. Every piece of content must be trackable, and analytics reported and shared across both marketing and sales.
So, go ahead. Pick up the phone and make that sales call. But make sure you’re armed with insights supplied from marketing. A nice, warm lead awaits.
Michael I. Brown is sales and marketing director at ddm marketing + communications. With more than 25 years in marketing, Brown has served clients across many industries, including health care, manufacturing, building and construction, and higher education.
VIEWPOINT: Ask Rusty: Is my analysis of our SS benefits correct?
Dear Rusty: I am 63 and my wife is exactly 4 ½ years younger than me to the day. I plan to file for Social Security when I turn 70. My earnings history is considerably higher than my wife’s. I talked with a person at the local Social Security office, and she suggested that my
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Dear Rusty: I am 63 and my wife is exactly 4 ½ years younger than me to the day. I plan to file for Social Security when I turn 70. My earnings history is considerably higher than my wife’s. I talked with a person at the local Social Security office, and she suggested that my wife file at age 62 based on her own record then convert to her spousal benefit when I file at age 70. However, from what I can tell, if she files before her full retirement age of 67, not only will she get less money based on her own record, but she will also receive less for her spousal benefit, as well as her survivor benefit if I die before her (which is statistically likely). Is my analysis correct?
Signed: Planning Ahead
Dear Planning Ahead: Your analysis is correct regarding your wife’s spousal benefit while you are both living, but incorrect regarding her survivor benefit if you die first. Here is why.
If your wife takes her personal Social Security (SS) retirement benefit at age 62, she will get 70 percent of what she would get if she waited until her full retirement age (FRA) of 67 to claim. That amount is permanent (except for COLA), and it is what her “spousal boost” will be added to when she takes her spouse benefit (when you claim). In the scenario you mention, in addition to your wife’s own benefit being reduced by 30 percent for claiming at age 62, since she will not yet have reached her FRA of 67 when she takes her spouse benefit from you, her “spousal boost” will be reduced as well. So, claiming at 62 not only reduces her personal benefit, but also means your wife will get less than 50 percent of your FRA benefit amount when you claim (FRA amounts are used to compute spouse benefits, regardless of the age benefits are claimed). All of which means her spousal benefit will be considerably less.
That isn’t necessarily an unacceptable strategy unless she is working, in which case she will be subject to an earnings limit that will either reduce how much Social Security will pay her while she’s working or, if her earnings are high enough, eliminate her eligibility for any benefit until she stops working. The earnings limit changes yearly but for 2022 it will be $19,560 and if that is exceeded, SS will take away benefits equal to $1 for every $2 she is over the limit. There is no longer an earnings limit when your wife reaches her FRA, so your wife’s plans for working should be factored into her decision on when to claim.
In any case, you should look at your overall benefit opportunity as a couple to see when your wife should claim, and life expectancy should always be factored into your thinking. If your wife expects to live a long life (and does), waiting until her FRA to claim her own SS will maximize her monthly benefit (including her spouse benefit) for the rest of her life. If her life expectancy is less optimistic, claiming earlier has much merit. Just for reference, a woman your wife’s age, statistically, will live to an average age of 87.
Regardless of when your wife claims her own benefit or her spousal benefit while you are both living, her benefit as your widow will not be affected. What impacts her survivor benefit is her age when she claims it. If she has reached her full retirement age when she claims her widow’s benefit, she’ll get 100 percent of the benefit you were receiving when you died instead of the smaller benefit she was previously getting. If she hasn’t yet reached her FRA when she claims her widow’s benefit, then it will be actuarially reduced by a fraction of a percent for each month earlier than her FRA she claims it. Be aware too that even if your wife hasn’t reached her FRA when you die, she can choose to delay claiming her survivor benefit until it reaches maximum benefit at her FRA.
Russell Gloor is a national Social Security advisor at the AMAC Foundation, the nonprofit arm of the Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC). The 2.4 million member AMAC says it is a senior advocacy organization. Send your questions to: ssadvisor@amacfoundation.org.
Author’s note: This article is intended for information purposes only and does not represent legal or financial guidance. It presents the opinions and interpretations of the AMAC Foundation’s staff, trained and accredited by the National Social Security Association (NSSA). The NSSA and the AMAC Foundation and its staff are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Social Security Administration or any other governmental entity.
Offroad-equipment supplier expands in Oriskany
ORISKANY, N.Y. — A trip to Glacier National Park in Montana a few years ago sparked an interest in off-roading for Derrick Snell. That hobby eventually led him to form his own business selling equipment to other off-roading enthusiasts. In fact, it was learning it was going to take six to seven months to receive
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ORISKANY, N.Y. — A trip to Glacier National Park in Montana a few years ago sparked an interest in off-roading for Derrick Snell. That hobby eventually led him to form his own business selling equipment to other off-roading enthusiasts.
In fact, it was learning it was going to take six to seven months to receive a roof rack he ordered for his vehicle that spurred Snell to start his own business, Explore Overland, with his business partner Andrew Warnock. There were no local suppliers of similar products, and Snell saw an opportunity to fill that void.
Snell and Warnock began the business in April 2020, initially using Snell’s garage to stock various parts and equipment for resale. Eventually the business grew into fabricating some of those parts, such as steps for vehicles, to bypass supply-chain issues. When vendors couldn’t get products to him fast enough, Snell says, it just became easier to fabricate the products in-house.
As Explore Overland’s product line grew, so did its need for space. After using a friend’s shop for a few months, the business officially moved to its current location at 300 Hangar Road in Oriskany last November. The company now operates from 8,300 square feet of leased space that offers a small showroom, offices, and plenty of space to fabricate parts, Snell says.
Off roading — driving vehicles on all sorts of rough terrain — has a growing number of fans, Snell says, and remains a pandemic-friendly activity. Explore Overland carries everything someone might need to outfit their vehicle for such an activity.
“Our big thing that we sell a lot of are tents and camping accessories and roof racks,” Snell says. His company has everything someone would need to turn their vehicle into a mobile living area they can take off-road. “We basically make your car apocalypse worthy,” he quips.
While he declined to provide revenue figures, there are enough interested customers to make his business grow, Snell contends. Most customers are individuals purchasing items from Explore Overland’s website, www.explore-overland.com, while some are car dealerships outfitting vehicles for their customers.
With a focus on “fixing problems” like supply-chain delays, Snell says he’s constantly looking to be less reliant on someone else. That means the business is always looking for more products it can begin to produce in-house or ways to make existing products faster. With the degree of customization offered on certain products, it can take six or more weeks to get the finished product to the customer.
“We’re adding new equipment that’s going to expand our production line more quickly,” he says. Explore Overland, which has five employees, will add a press brake and a CNC tube bender, which should double the company’s output of customer bumpers and rock sliders. Snell declined to say how much the company is investing in the new equipment but noted it should help him reach his goal of doubling sales this year.
Snell already has his eye on even more growth in the future, hoping to open a facility on the west coast at some future date. Between 60 and 70 percent of the company’s customer base is located on the west coast, Snell says, which would be more easily served from a west-coast location.
In addition to selling all the equipment an enthusiast might need, Explore Overland also actively organizes and/or participates in a number of off-roading events including the Northeast Overland Festival and operates the Northeast Toyota Overlanders Facebook group.
New York SBDCs have a new state director
ALBANY, N.Y. — The new state director of the New York Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) has started her new duties. Sonya Smith succeeds Brian Goldstein, who retired in January 2021, a SUNY spokesperson tells CNYBJ. Tammy Morrow, associate director of the New York SBDCs, has been serving as interim director since then, the spokesperson
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ALBANY, N.Y. — The new state director of the New York Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) has started her new duties.
Sonya Smith succeeds Brian Goldstein, who retired in January 2021, a SUNY spokesperson tells CNYBJ. Tammy Morrow, associate director of the New York SBDCs, has been serving as interim director since then, the spokesperson adds.
Smith previously served as the Pennsylvania SBDCs’ associate state director of programs and policy. Smith is the first woman and first African American appointed to lead New York’s SBDC network, SUNY Interim Chancellor Deborah Stanley said in a Jan. 31 release, announcing the appointment.
New York’s network of 22 regional SBDCs offer consulting services for small-business owners and entrepreneurs and represent an “integral part of the state’s entrepreneurship and economic agenda,” SUNY contends. SBDCs played a “critical role” in the state’s pandemic response, helping nearly 5,500 COVID-19-impacted businesses secure more than $600 million in federal funding to date, and assisting thousands more in navigating ways to operate remotely. This work helped preserve more than 28,000 jobs and created 2,500 new ones over the past year alone, per the SUNY release.
“Entrepreneurs and small-business owners are the backbone of our economic well-being,” Smith said. “COVID-19 fundamentally changed the needs of these individuals, and altered how SBDCs support, communicate, and deliver services and programs they need to succeed. New York’s SBDC is a nation-leading program, and its partnership with the SUNY system provides huge potential for entrepreneurs across the state. I thank Interim Chancellor Stanley for welcoming me so warmly, and I look forward to working with SUNY and our state and federal partners to continue growing New York SBDCs reach to support these entrepreneurs and small business owners.”
“NY SBDCs are valuable U.S. Small Business Administration [SBA] resource partners that our federal agency is proud to jointly fund,” Bernard J. Paprocki, director of the SBA Upstate New York district, added. “I’m looking forward to working with Sonya and know she will have a commitment to enhancing small businesses and providing top-notch, one-on-one assistance to entrepreneurs through the New York SBDC network. The SBA Upstate District Office is looking forward to partnering with her, as well as the great SBDCs and small business counselors who make up the organization’s vast network.”
Launch Lewis County business competition is underway
Application deadline is March 21
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Application deadline is March 21
LOWVILLE, N.Y. — Lewis County entrepreneurs who want to start or grow their businesses in the county have until March 21 to apply for funding in a new business competition.
Naturally Lewis, the county’s economic-development organization, has $200,000 available for Launch Lewis County, a business competition and grant program. It’ll provide 11 recipients with training, funding, and the “tools needed to successfully open or grow their businesses,” per a news release.
The New York State Office of Homes and Community Renewal’s Community Development Block Grant program is providing the funding for the Launch Lewis County program, the organization noted.
Naturally Lewis is seeking projects in categories that include food & beverage (including value-added processing); creative tourism and recreational-based experiences, including agri-tourism; and location within a downtown that “enhances tourist draw and quality of life for local residents.”
Launch Lewis County will award 11 businesses grant awards totaling nearly $200,000. They’ll include one $30,000 award; five $20,000 awards; and five $10,000 awards.
The awards also include ongoing technical assistance through Naturally Lewis’s DBA Lewis County program; a professional photoshoot; a logo and branding package; grand opening or expansion promotion; and access to a low-interest loan fund, for which the recipient must qualify.
A program advisory committee will review and select finalists to move on to the next round of the competition. Finalists are required to complete an entrepreneurial trailing course in partnership with the Watertown Small Business Development Center before submitting a final application and business plan for consideration for the grant awards.
To learn more about Launch Lewis County visit the Naturally Lewis website: naturallylewis.com/initiatives/launch-lewis-county.
Those interested can also contact Brittany Davis, executive director of Lewis County Economic Development at (315) 376-3014 or email: brittany@naturallylewis.com.
Applicant eligibility
Eligible applicants include startup businesses or existing businesses with plans to expand or diversify product or service.
In addition, applicants must be a for-profit microenterprise (five or fewer employees) and must enhance experiences for tourists and locals, alike.
Applicants can only use funding for equipment, machinery, furniture, fixtures and inventory. They must also be considered low to moderate income OR create a job to be made available to low to moderate income individuals to qualify for grant.
In addition, if creating a new job is eligibility for grant, awardee must create the job first in order to receive grant, Naturally Lewis said.
Naturally Lewis also noted that grant funds can only cover up to 90 percent of total project cost; owner must contribute 10 percent of project cost with own funds.
Fulton firm certified as service-disabled vet-owned business
FULTON, N.Y. — New York Office of General Services (OGS) Acting Commissioner Jeanette Moy recently announced that a Fulton pet-service business has been certified as a service-disabled veteran-owned business (SDVOB). The New York OGS Division of Service-Disabled Veterans’ Business Development (DSDVBD) issued the certification to Fort Frisbee, LLC, which is located at 801 West Broadway
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FULTON, N.Y. — New York Office of General Services (OGS) Acting Commissioner Jeanette Moy recently announced that a Fulton pet-service business has been certified as a service-disabled veteran-owned business (SDVOB).
The New York OGS Division of Service-Disabled Veterans’ Business Development (DSDVBD) issued the certification to Fort Frisbee, LLC, which is located at 801 West Broadway (Route 3) in Fulton and specializes in animal care, boarding, and training services.
On its website, Fort Frisbee says it was developed to “encompass all aspects of pet ownership under one roof: boarding, daycare, grooming, training and self wash.”
The business owner and founder is Steve Mollica, a U.S. Army veteran. His wife is Dr. Andrea Dattellas, owner of the Fulton Animal Hospital, who has been providing animal care to the Fulton community since 2011.
Fort Frisbee was among 17 newly certified businesses announced by OGS on Feb.8. The DSDVBD was created by New York State government in 2014 through enactment of the Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Business Act. The state currently has 950 certified businesses.
For a business to receive certification, one or more service-disabled veterans — with a service-connected disability rating of 10 percent or more from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (or from the New York State Division of Veterans’ Affairs for National Guard veterans) — must own at least 51 percent of the business. Other criteria include: the business must be independently owned and operated and have a significant business presence in New York, it must have conducted business for at least one year prior to the application date, and it must qualify as a small business under the New York State program. Several more requirements also need to be met.
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