Business

On Thursday (Nov. 15) 15 Byron-Bergen High School students joined more than 500 other students from area districts to compete in the 10th annual Junior Achievement Stock Market Challenge held at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center.

Four of the 132 teams competing were comprised of students from Marian Gerhardy’s Economics class. Each team started with an imaginary $1 million and each passing minute represented a trading day. Students bought and sold pretend stocks in an effort to gain the largest profit.

“It is hectic and quite fun,” said Gerhardy, whose students have been participating since 2011 and were the first from Genesee County to compete.

As the final “trading day” closed out, the Byron-Bergen team of Lydia Campbell, Anthony DiQuattro, Jared Fregoe, and MacKenzie Rosse had achieved a 36.18 percent return on investment and a second-place overall finish.

Press release:

For the third year in a row, Steven Foster and Timothy Adams, owners of The Red Osier Landmark Restaurant and Adams’ Welding and Fabrication, both located in Stafford, use their businesses as tools to give back to their community in a monthlong event they have named “Lovember.”

All this month, the restaurant has been offering promotions while giving back to the local community. These include “Christmas in November,” “Winter Wonderland of Lights,” “Spirits and Skivvies,” “Thanksgiving Give Back” and “Food for Le Roy Food Pantry.”

Christmas in November

This is a promotion where if you purchase a $50 gift certificate, you receive a complementary $20 gift voucher for January, February and March. Some restrictions do apply. The restaurant has run this promotion for well over 20 years.  

Winter Wonderland of Lights

The “Original” Red Osier Landmark Restaurant is rapidly becoming the largest holiday light display in Genesee County. With well over 2 million lights on display, its official yearly unveiling will be on Friday, Nov.23^rd. Passionate about sharing the joys of the holidays with others, the owners encourage families, friends, and community members to come out and stroll through their property. On Monday Dec. 3^rd and Monday Dec. 10^th, Santa will be stopping from 5 to 8 p.m. This is free event allows families to take their own pictures with Santa, while having horse and carriage rides while taking in the holiday surroundings. The Red Osier Landmark Restaurant’s Lunch Trailer will be on hand for the purchasing of roast beef sandwiches, chili, salt potatoes, hot cocoa, and homemade Christmas cookies. Save the dates!

Thanksgiving Give Back

The Restaurant will once again be open on Thanksgiving starting at noon. A portion of the sales proceeds will be donated to Genesee Cancer Assistance, and the founding of two scholarships in the name of the restaurant and its brother company Adams’ Welding and Fabrication. These scholarships will be given to two high school students attending Genesee Valley BOCES in the Metal Trades Program and Culinary Arts Program. Each student must have a good standing GPA, have a part time job, and have a record of local community involvement. It is our hopes that these scholarships will be the largest offered in these trade programs history and allow these two students to pursue higher education within these fields.

The sixth annual Caryville Inn 5K & Turkey Trot will be held on Thanksgiving Day -- Thursday, Nov. 22 -- in memory of K9 "Destro."

Registration begins at 8 a.m., with race starting at 9 at Caryville Inn, located at 25 Main St. in the Village of Oakfield.

Proceeds benefit the Genesee County Sheriff's Office K9 Fund.

Preregistration is $20, with T-shirts available for participants while supplies last.

Register via email:   caryvilleinn@gmail.com

Or in person at Caryville Inn during normal business hours.

Questions? Call 948-9780.

Press release:

Tops Friendly Markets LLC (“Tops” or the “Company”) today announced that it has successfully completed its financial restructuring and emerged from Chapter 11. The Company reorganized on a fully consensual basis, with the support of its secured creditors and the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors.

The Company is emerging from Chapter 11 with a substantially stronger balance sheet, reducing its debt by approximately $445 million, and with more than $100 million in liquidity. This significantly enhanced financial flexibility will enable the Company to continue to invest in its stores and create an even more exceptional shopping experience for its customers.

The Company also emerges having resolved the labor and pension issues that it faced at the commencement of the Chapter 11 cases.

“We are moving forward as a stronger Company with an even greater ability to provide convenience, savings and friendly service to customers across our communities. We are investing in our stores and rolling out new services that make shopping with us even easier" said Frank Curci, chief executive officer of Tops.

“Some of those services include 'Tops Grocery Pick Up' which allows customers to order groceries online and select their preferred pickup times. This builds upon the 'Grocery Delivery' option that rolled out late last year. And, with Thanksgiving and the holiday season right around the corner, not only will shoppers find the best deals in town on family meals, gifts and household essentials, they will also be able to take advantage of exclusive savings opportunities like Tops Christmas Bonus.

"We thank our customers for their continued support, our Tops’ associates who provide our customers with exceptional service every day, and our vendors and partners for their ongoing support as we look forward to continuing to serve our communities for years to come."

Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP served as legal counsel to Tops, Evercore Group LLC served as Investment Banker and FTI Consulting Inc. served as restructuring advisor.

About Tops

Tops Markets LLC is headquartered in Williamsville and operates 159 full-service supermarkets with five additional by franchisees under the Tops Markets banner. Tops employs more than 14,000 associates and is a leading full-service grocery retailer in Upstate New York, Northern Pennsylvania, and Vermont. For more information about Tops Markets, visit the company's website at www.topsmarkets.com.

Press release from Mike Bakos, manager, Genesee Country Farmers' Market:

On behalf of the members of the Genesee Country Farmers' Market, I would like to thank everyone that supported this year's Market -- the City of Batavia, the Downtown Batavia Business Improvement District (BID), our 2018 market sponsors, our market vendors, and of course, our loyal customers.

The Market, located at the Downtown Batavia Public Market, on the corner of Bank Street and Alva Place, was, once again, able to sustain a three-day/week market schedule being open on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., from mid-June through the end of October.

This year marked the third year of collaboration with the BID. The popular Friday "BIG" Market continues to grow and receive inquiries from new vendors interested in joining the Market.

It is estimated that between 1,500 and 2,000 people visited the Market each week, bringing 30,000 to 40,000 market customers into the Downtown Batavia Business District over the 20-week market season.

During the off-season, the Market will be pursuing new/prospective vendors with a goal of growing/enhancing the upcoming 2019 Market.

Please know that the Market is committed to our Mission of "providing a family-friendly environment where the residents of the Greater-Batavia area and Genesee County can shop for fresh, locally grown, produce and specialty artisanal items" -- and our Vision of "making the Genesee Country Farmers' Market @ The Downtown Batavia Public Market a WNY Destination."

Comments/inquiries regarding the Market are welcomed by emailing mbakos@rochester.rr.com.

We wish you a wonderful and safe holiday season. Hoping to see you next June.

Submitted photos and press release:

On Thursday, Matt Gray (in photo above) accepted the Robert Macon Award with an honorable mention from the Community Design Center of Rochester -- Reshaping Rochester awards on behalf of the Newberry Project.

The award was established to honor the late architect Robert Macon’s contributions in the Rochester area. A gifted designer and leader in the architectural community, Macon is remembered for his civic contributions and transformative projects that spanned a 30-year career in the city that he loved.

Nominations for this award recognize projects that demonstrate Design Excellence and contribute to enriching the public realm. Nominations were judged according to the following criteria:

• Excellence in a building or structure that has solved a design problem in a distinctive way;
• Extent to which the completed project demonstrates enduring and notable design;
• Ability to integrate that undertaking into a community’s context and extent to which it contributes to or benefits the public realm.

109-111 Main St., Batavia, location of Newberry Place – freshLAB

Project Award Nomination 

Newberry Place--freshLAB is a locally led $2.8 million three-story downtown mixed-use building renovation to deliver a 10,000-square-foot, ground-floor restaurant incubator housing three start-up eateries and upper floor apartments.

The Main Street food hall project has overcome design and infrastructure challenges, warranted State and Federal historic designation along with significant investment and grant partners to underwrite success.

Guided by Preservation Studios and TRM Architecture, the project was thoughtfully approached to preserve the building’s historic character in which the first national retailer, JJ Newberry, settled in Batavia. JJ Newberry wall medallions, Art Deco aluminum counter trim, office doors, hallways, beadboard and chain-link milk glass dome fixtures have been incorporated into the new design.

As expected, modifications also ensued when the century-old walls and floors revealed structural challenges. Relocation of bathrooms, kitchen ventilation hoods and floorplans were flipped to accommodate.

Meanwhile, the intended use as a foodhall with a micro-brewery anchor tenant took perseverance to advance. A simple farm brewery concept evolved into a restaurant incubator intended to keep millions of dining and entertainment dollars local to reduce spending leakage from Genesee County each year.

Local leadership coalesced an infrastructure for restaurateurs to advance a concept, write a business plan and open a new restaurant in this shared space under supervision of industry experts.

However, New York State Liquor Authority does not allow multi-tenants to occupy one space. After months of inquiries and legal fees, learning of “concessionaire” was key to authorizing Batavia Brewing Co. dba Eli Fish Brewing Co. the primary license to brew and sell alcohol on premise.

Two additional “concessionaires” are allowed to share seating, an indoor bocce court and tasting room whereby all alcohol must be purchased at the anchor tenant. The food-hall incubator is anticipated to launch five new businesses in five years, create 30 jobs and generate thousands of tax dollars.

While bumping into walls was expected, the floor integrity, lack of power in downtown and limited capacity gas lines had to be doggedly overcome.

The heavyweight brewing equipment was placed onto the basement floor, a hole was cut through the first floor to allow the tanks to peek through serving as a foodhall feature. A tasting room was fashioned above to overlook the tank farm.

Even though the City of Batavia underwent a substantial Main Street reconstruction less than a decade earlier, adequate electric power was not available and low pressure gas lines were underground. Fortunately, the property boundary extended eight feet to the rear of the building, which enabled a new transformer pole installation.

Yet, that triggered a NYS building code exception request since the outdoor space would no longer allow the fire stair descent; other fire safety measures were emphasized.

Commercial kitchens and upper-floor apartments were reequipped due to lack of available gas. The gas company is now considering infrastructure upgrades due to the existing demand and recognizing more than 40,000 square feet of vacant space remains on the City block.

Committed to transform downtown, Matthew Gray exudes patience as the concept leader, building investor and volunteer mentor drawing from his decades of restaurant ownership.

Upon purchasing the building, the first floor was divided into three different areas, each with their own cobbled, inefficient and potentially unsafe HVAC systems. These systems were completely removed to allow installation of new energy efficient heating and cooling equipment suited specifically for the new use of the building.

Arctic Refrigeration Company of Batavia completely designed, sourced and installed the HVAC and mechanical systems in the building. The brewery received three 10-ton rooftop heating and cooling units. This equipment was designed and selected with the brewery and restaurant in mind. They can operate independently, each unit with two-stage heating and cooling. This allows for energy savings by using partial capacity of the equipment as heating and cooling requirements constantly change. 

The HVAC system was also designed to work in conjunction with the multiple kitchen exhaust systems. By balancing the airflow between the six exhaust fans, two tempered makeup air units and the HVAC units, comfort levels and energy efficiency will be at their peak performance.

The brewery’s chiller is also placed on the roof, allowing the chiller to remove the heat from the brewery process and discharge it outside the building. This design kept the HVAC systems from being overloaded or oversized if the heat were to be discharged indoors, again using energy efficiency wherever possible.

Project Participants:

• Matthew Gray, building owner, lead investor, co-owner Batavia Brewing Co. dba Eli Fish Brewing Co. and freshLAB restaurant mentor, Batavia
• Jon Mager, co-owner Batavia Brewing Co. dba Eli Fish Brewing Co., Batavia
• TRM Architecture, Matthew Moscati, Buffalo
• Preservation Studios, Mike Puma, Buffalo
• Thomson Builds, Paul Thompson general contractor, Churchville
• Batavia Development Corporation, freshLAB partner and project grant coordinator, Batavia
• City of Batavia, micro-enterprise grant and real property tax abatement, Batavia
• NYS Homes & Community Renewal, NY Main Street Anchor Project & Micro-enterprise Program Funds, Albany
• USDA Rural Development, Equipment Grant, Batavia
• National Grid, Main Street Revitalization Grant, Buffalo
• Empire State Development, startup micro-brewery incentive, Buffalo

BEFORE: Single tenant space represents half of the ground floor, center wall later removed to use10,000 square feet on ground floor as open, shared dining food hall.

Center wall removed to open entire 10,000-square-foot ground floor space, looking south.

AFTER: Concessionaire walk-up service with dedicated cold and dry storage for each startup restaurant.

JJ Newberry wall medallions preserved and incorporated in new design.

Art Deco aluminum trim to peek through drywall.

“Brew Hole” to set heavy brewing equipment on the basement floor, tanks will rise above the first-floor level.

Tasting room hovers over “Brew Hole.”

Arctic Refrigeration Company of Batavia completely designed, sourced and installed the HVAC and mechanical systems in the building.

Press release:

Tops Markets LLC (“Tops” or the “Company”) today announced that the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York (“the Court”) has confirmed the Company’s Plan of Reorganization (the “Plan”). Tops expects to complete its restructuring and emerge from Chapter 11 shortly.

“We are pleased to receive the Court’s approval of our Plan and are poised to emerge from this process an even stronger and more competitive company,” said Frank Curci, chief executive officer of Tops. “Through this process, we have accomplished several key objectives, including significantly reducing our debt, creating a viable cost structure and efficiently optimizing our store portfolio.

"Importantly, we provided an opportunity for employment to every associate who was interested and impacted by store closings at other nearby stores. Our restructuring will create an even more exceptional shopping experience for our customers and assure that we will continue to serve our communities like no one else can.”

“On behalf of everyone at Tops, I want to thank all Tops associates, who have continued to provide customers with convenient, friendly and high-quality service. I also want to thank our loyal customers, suppliers and other stakeholders for their continued support throughout this process.” 

Press release:

The Batavia Business Improvement District (BBID) is seeking qualified applications for the position of Executive Director.

We would like to thank our former Director, Beth Kemp, for her service to the district and wish her the best in her professional endeavors. Kemp represented our BBID with integrity, strong leadership and endless energy. Her presence will be missed.

Leanna DiRisio, former BBID board member, has accepted the interim position at this time, working part-time and resigning her position from the Board of Directors effective immediately. DiRisio will assume all functions of the Executive Director along with Board President, Jennifer Gray.

A hiring committee has met to discuss and establish the guidelines for hiring the next director. In addition, the Board is seeking two new members for the board, both tenant positions. Board members work collaboratively to solve problems, beautiful the downtown, identify strengths and areas for improvement as well as guide the BID organization in decision making to promote business in our district.

Any tenant member of the BBID interested in serving on the Board should contact the office for more information at 344-0900.

The BBID is seeking an Executive Director for full-time, salaried employment. Qualified candidates should have three years’ experience in executive leadership and/or management, including directing volunteers and being responsible for managing budgets of more than $100,000.

The ideal candidate is outgoing, amicable, reliable with excellent communication skills. Candidate must be a team player who enjoys making connections and new partnerships. A background in grant writing and community development is a plus.

A bachelor’s degree is preferred in either business, government, administration, marketing or similar/related fields. Paid vacation and bonus earnings are offered, with flexible hours with some mandatory nights and weekends.

Any interested candidate for the position of Executive Director should contact the BBID office for more information or visit our website at: www.downtownbataviany.com or may email a letter of interest to:  executivesearchBBID@2ki.net

The window for application submissions will be open until Nov. 30^th.

Submitted photo and press release:

United Way of Genesee County’s Board of Directors announced the selection of Tammy Hathaway as Executive Director. She will begin her duties Nov.19^th.

Prior to joining United Way, she was employed as Account Executive at Tompkins Insurance Agencies and the Bank of Castile.

Erik Fix, former United Way of Genesee County Executive Director, announced his departure from the organization in September. Jennifer Gray has served as Interim Executive Director as United Way and the Genesee County Board of Directors performed a thorough search for the position.

Hathaway brings 17 years of experience working and volunteering in the non-profit and human service arena to the United Way of Genesee County. She previously conducted the PathStone Homebuyer Program as a part of Habitat for Humanity for Genesee County. Most recently, she has been an active United Way of Genesee County Board Member and has been a champion of the Genesee and Orleans Regional Arts Council, GO-ART!

“The Board of Directors is thrilled to welcome Tammy in this capacity," said Theresa DeMars, United Way of Genesee County Board chair. "Her experience and passion for the community makes her an ideal fit. We are looking forward to have Tammy grow the United Way of Genesee County and lead us into the future.”

United Way of Genesee County’s 2019 Campaign is underway, led by the Women of the Board.

For more information about United Way of Genesee County, please visit this website:  uwgeneseecounty.org

Press release:

The Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC) approved a revised PILOT -- Payment In Lieu Of Taxes -- for the Ellicott Station development project and incentives for the construction of a spec building at the Gateway II Corporate Park in the Town of Batavia.

The Ellicott Station project in the City of Batavia is a mixed-use brownfield redevelopment project including adaptive reuse and new construction of a blighted property in a key gateway to Downtown Batavia.

The GCEDC Board approved a $22.5 million PILOT for Savarino Companies, the developer of the project, to meet the financing needed for the project’s expanded scope and scale. Incentives are an estimated $3.25 million, including property tax abatements and sales and mortgage tax exemptions.

When fully developed, Ellicott Station will create 68 full-time equivalent jobs and will include the construction of 99,000 square feet of brewery, restaurant and beer garden, a five-story apartment building with 55 apartments and class-A office space.

The Board approved an $18,000 mortgage tax exemption for Gateway GS, LLC for the first of five planned 27,000-square-foot spec buildings the company is building at the Gateway II Corporate Park in the Town of Batavia.

The $2.6 million project, which is being managed by Gallina Development Corporation, has previously received approval for property and sales tax exemptions.

Press release:

The Genesee Gateway Local Development Corporation (GGLDC) approved a revised and consolidated loan and two purchase and sale agreements for parcels in the Gateway II Corporate Park at the corporation’s Nov. 1st board meeting.

Artisinal cheesemaker Yancey’s Fancy requested the revision and consolidation of a January 2017 loan for an expansion project at the company’s Town of Pembroke facility. A $233,449 loan from the GGLDC’s Revolving Loan Fund #2 will close out the fund in its entirety and will be consolidated with two outstanding loans totaling $340,000.

The GGLDC also approved the sale of a 22.2-acre parcel of land at the Gateway II Corporate Park in the Town of Batavia to Mega Properties Inc. which plans to build a 60,000-square-foot facility.  

Wellsville Carpet Town Inc. received approval from the GGLDC to purchase a 2.9-acre parcel of land also located in the Gateway II Corporate Park. Wellsville Carpet Town plans to construct a 15,000- to 20,000-square-foot facility for an outlet center at the site. A purchase and sale agreement set the land price at $45,000 per acre. The company owns Ashley HomeStore, a business also located in the Gateway II Corporate Park.

Both Mega Properties Inc. and Wellsville Carpet Town Inc. may seek incentives from the Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC) in the future.

Press release:

The Board of Directors of the Genesee Gateway Local Development Corporation (GGLDC) passed a budget for fiscal year 2019 at its board meeting on Nov. 1. The budget anticipates cash outflows of approximately $2.5 million.

“The mission of the GGLDC is to foster local economic development by making real estate development investments that prepare sites in Genesee County for new corporate tenants,” said Tom Felton, chairman of the GGLDC.

“The GGLDC also provides strategic investment funding to support the GCEDC’s ongoing economic development and workforce development programs.”

The anticipated 2019 expenditures of the GGLDC include operations and maintenance for the MedTech Centre building, site/corporate park maintenance, an economic development program support grant to the Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC), continuing to support a dedicated workforce development consultant, and professional services. 

Other significant items include: an $890,000 pass-through grant from the New York State Department of Transportation that furthers the ability of the tenants of the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park (Ag Park) to access rail; $655,000 in debt service payments supporting development at the Ag Park and the MedTech Center campuses; as well as $352,000 in expenses related to wastewater treatment facility upgrades in the Village of Corfu in partnership with the Town of Pembroke, supporting the Buffalo East Technology Park. 

A major source of revenue is rent of $670,000 from the MedTech Centre facility. In addition, $205,000 will be received through the Empire Pipeline Community Benefit Agreement for the final payment of Ag Park bonding. Additional cash receipts will include $202,000 in principal and interest payments from several companies repaying loans made in previous years.

“The GGLDC will continue to actively market our shovel-ready parks in collaboration with the Genesee County Economic Development Center in 2019,” Felton said. “We have been working on a few projects that we anticipate will come to fruition by the end of 2019.”

Press release:

The Genesee Gateway Local Development Corporation (GGLDC) will consider approving a revised and consolidated loan as well as two purchase and sale agreements for parcels in the Gateway II Corporate Park at the agency’s board meeting Thursday, Nov. 1st.

Yancey’s Fancy has requested the revision and consolidation of a January 2017 loan for an expansion project at the company’s town of Pembroke facility. A $233,449 loan from the corporation’s Revolving Loan Fund #2 will close out the fund in its entirety. It would be consolidated with two outstanding GGLDC loans for a total of $340,000.

Mega Properties, Inc. is seeking to purchase a 22.2-acre parcel of land at the Gateway II Corporate Park in the town of Batavia in order to construct a 60,000-square-foot facility. The company owns Mega Properties Inc., which also is located at Gateway.

Wellsville Carpet Town Inc. also is seeking to purchase a parcel of land at the Gateway II Corporate Park. Wellsville Carpet Town plans to construct a 15,000- to 20,000-square-foot facility for an outlet center at the site on approximately 2.9 acres. A purchase and sale agreement set the land price at $45,000 per acre. The company owns Ashley HomeStore, a business also located in the Gateway II Corporate Park.

Both Mega Properties Inc. and Wellsville Carpet Town Inc. may seek incentives from the Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC) in the future.

Press release:

The Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC) will consider approving incentives for two projects at the agency’s Nov. 1st board meeting.

The Ellicott Station Project in the City of Batavia is a mixed-use brownfield redevelopment project including adaptive re-use and new construction of a blighted property in a key gateway to downtown Batavia.

Savarino Companies, the project’s developer, has requested a PILOT agreement for the $22.5 million project be expanded to meet the financing needed for the project’s expanded scope and scale. A revised incentives package is valued at an estimated $3.25 million, including a property tax abatements and sales and mortgage tax exemptions.

The Ellicott Station project is anticipated to create 68 full-time equivalent jobs, the construction of a 99,000-square-foot brewery, including a restaurant and beer garden, and the construction of a five-story apartment building with 55 apartments and class-A office space.

Gateway GS LLC is seeking an $18,000 mortgage tax exemption for the first of five planned 27,000-square-foot spec buildings to be constructed at the Gateway II Corporate Park in the town of Batavia.

The $2.6 million project, which is being done by Gallina Development Corporation, has previously received approval for property and sales tax abatements.

We get a lot of questions about the construction project off of State Street next to the Thruway in Batavia.

The project is a new 30,000-square-foot warehouse and service center for Freightliner & Western Star of Batavia, LLC. The company is expanding beyond its current West Seneca location.

The company wanted a location close to the BOCES campus and plans to create at least 30 new jobs.

The Genesee County Economic Development Center approved $437,652 in sales, mortgage and property tax exemptions for the $4.35 million project.

The project also received a $465,000 state grant because of the educational component of the facility.