WBTA has interviewed three of the winners of the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce annual awards.
Listen to the MP3s:
The distinction of Conservation Farm of the Year 2009 has been awarded to John and Shelley Reynolds of Reyncrest Farms.
The Genesee County Soil and Water Conservation District Board of Directors made the selection and will present the award at the "Celebrate Agriculture" dinner on March 13 at the Alexander Fire Hall.
Reyncrest Farms is located on 9666 Alleghany Road in Corfu. It grows feed crops on 1,500 acres and has more than 600 dairy cows.
The longtime family business was chosen because of its environmentally friendly ways, including crop rotation, growing grass buffers along streams and ditches and installing an extensive and sophisticated drainage system.
The Reynolds family also tries to be a good neighbor when it comes to spreading manure -- they limit it to dry days and will postpone the chore if a neighbor has a party.
It's not the first time Reyncrest has received the Conservation Farm of the Year award. It also won it in 1982 when the farm was operated by John's father, the late Ed Reynolds.
Reyncrest Farms built a new barn in 2008 and a new milking structure in 1997. The big, old red barn -- plainly visible on Alleghany Road -- was spruced up last year thanks to about $5,000 from the Campbell's Soup Co. The barn was one of only five chosen nationwide for refurbishment as part of Campbell's "Help Grow Your Soup" campaign.
Jenna Engel has joined the law office of Bonarigo & McCutcheon as a paralegal.
Born and raised in Batavia, New York, Ms. Engel is a 2005 graduate of Batavia High School and a 2009 Graduate of Hilbert College with a degree in Legal Studies. Her previous employment was as a litigation secretary with Nixon Peabody, LLP in Buffalo, NY. A resident of the City of Batavia, Jenna is a volunteer assistant volleyball coach at her alma mater, Batavia High School as well as for The Batavia Club Volleyball team. She is an active member of the WNY paralegal Association having received its 2008 scholarship.
Ms. Engel is assigned to the real estate department at Bonarigo & McCutcheon however, she will be available to assist clients in all aspects of the services provided. Bonarigo & McCutcheon is a successful law firm, established in the City of Batavia with and has provided legal assistance for over two decades. The firm’s specialty areas are: business and corporate; criminal; family; matrimonial; municipal; DWI; custody; visitation; civil litigation; real estate; vehicle and traffic; wills and estate planning.
Bonarigo & McCutcheon is located at 18 Ellicott St., Batavia. Phone is (585) 344-1994.
FULL HOUSE: A packed house at the Falleti Ice Arena is just one of many times it fills the bleachers for events each year.
In this tough economy, getting people to spend money may be a hard thing to come about, as they are looking to cut back on expenses. This weekend at the Falleti Ice Arena, it showed that one area people didn't cut back on was youth sports and hockey tournaments. This weekend the Genesee Amateur Hockey Association (GAHA), hosted the Batavia Winter Classic Tournament and the turnout was one that had a positive effect on Batavia and Genesee County.
The tournament ran from Friday through Sunday and brought in teams from Buffalo, Rochester and Oswego in the Pee Wee A and B divisions, which is the age group for kids ages 11 and 12. There were a total of 8 teams that were in the tournament including two of the Batavia teams.
"Teams come into town, get hotels for the weekend, go out to eat and shop at the stores in the area in between their games." said tournament director John Hylkema. "They are spending money here".
How much are they spending? "I spent way more than I wanted to, but it's for the kids so I'm doing it for them" jokes Tom Strenberg who came to support the Oswego team. "There was the cost of the hotel (2 nights), meals all three days, and snacks here (at the rink). All the money is spent so the kids can have an enjoyable time."
GAHA hosts about 7 tournaments each hockey season and this year, they will have the privilege to host the Midget 19-U New York State Championships in March which will bring teams from all over the state.
"These events at least double the spending at the concessions here and people are going to Timmy Ho's (Tim Horton's), Tully's, and other restaurants are making money too." says rink manager Bob Filighera.
The team from Oswego had plans to stop by the Miss Batavia diner and some of the team from the Buffalo Regals wanted to tryout TF Brown's and Sport of Kings in between their two games on Saturday.
GAHA tournaments aren't the only reason teams come to the rink. Each week many of the teams have league games that draw teams from Rochester and Buffalo area.
Both the local high school teams, Batavia Ice Devils and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish bring in out of town crowds as well including this weekend when the Ice Devils hosted Saranac/Peru and Notre Dame earlier this season hosted Eastchester/Bronxville/Tuckahoe in addition to the usual teams from the Rochester area.
If you think you don't have a creative bone in your body, you haven't been to Art Ah La Carte yet.
Kimberly Argenta says she can teach anybody to create art.
"People have come in and said, 'I have no talent. I don’t know how to do anything,'" Argenta said. "I’ve actually had people come in and watercolor for the first time and their work comes out beautiful. They say they don’t have any creativity, yet I can pull it out of them. I believe everybody has creativity, you just have to find the right medium.”
Argenta has turned her passion for art and teaching into a business at the new Artisan Center at 56 Harvester Ave., Batavia.
Classes started this week and cover a range of mediums, from painting to paper mache. Art Ah La Carte also has classes on altered tins, beading, drawing and turning old junk into art.
Caledonia artist Robert Garland is helping Argenta and teaching drawing. He said getting involved in Art Ah La Carte has sparked his own creativity.
Among the students in class on Friday evening was Linda Carson, who raised her hand when Argenta spoke about students coming in thinking they had no talent. She completed two watercolors so far, one in class and one at home, and she seemed to think the second one turned out pretty good.
"I thought I would just enjoy expressing myself in painting," Carson said. "I always wanted to try it, but ... " at which point Carson just shrugged.
Art Ah La Carte is open to individual students as well as groups. Argenta said people can form groups for a girls' night out or a guys' night out or any special event, such as a bridal shower.
“I just really felt that the community needed an inexpensive way to come out and enjoy an evening without breaking the wallet, yet they’re learning something," Argenta said.
Art Ah La Carte is part of the new Artisan Center being created by Patricia Hawley for Mancuso Business Development Group at the Harvester Center.
Hawley has been in talks with a number of artists, multimedia companies, writers and others about taking space in the new center.
A so-called compromise bill on changes to farm labor laws would cost New York farmers more than $200 million in added expense, according to New York Farm Bureau President Dean Norton.
In a press release from the bureau, Norton says the proposed changes to labor laws are more onerous than any other state, except California, which has an agriculture industry three times larger than New York's.
Ironically, Norton noted, that primary backers of the bill -- legislative staff and nonprofits -- are exempt from the same kind of labor laws they now advocate for family farms.
"Food is a basic human need, and this legislation seeks to ensure that local farms won't be around to produce local food for local people. This bill would force us to turn our farms into factories, to meet these onerous labor mandates that virtually no other state in the union has. It's yet another example of Albany seeking to drive businesses -- and farmers -- out of New York," Norton said.
The bill, S.2247b, was introduced by Sen. Pedro Espada Thursday night and it opens the door to collective bargaining on family farms and forces small, seasonal operations to pay unemployment benefits for temporary workers.
"This proposal forces mandates on our family farms that will put New York at an extreme competitive disadvantage," Norton said. "Sen. Espada and the legislature need to consider the long-term viability of the Upstate and Long Island economy before passing legislation that wrecks it."
While national chains struggled a bit with holiday sales, a national survey showed locally owned shops gaining 2.2 percent sales, according to a report on New Rules Project.
The survey also found that independent retailers in cities with active "Buy Local" or "Think Local First" campaigns reported stronger holiday sales than those in cities without such campaigns. These campaigns have been launched by local business alliances in more than 100 cities and towns. Independent retailers in these cities reported an average increase in holiday sales of 3.0%, compared to 1.0% for those in cities without an active Buy Local initiative.
Nearly 80% of those surveyed said public awareness of the value of choosing locally owned businesses had increased in the last year (16% said it had stayed the same).
"The buzz about buying local was louder among my customers this year than any other year," said a shoe store owner in Michigan.
"We've had many customers say they are making a real effort to 'Buy Local' this year. A number of customers said they saw an item at a chain store or online, and came back to us to purchase it," said a retailer in Maine.
Small Business Trends has published a list of 10 trends to watch in 2010 for small businesses in rural areas.
Top of the list is the census.
Census 2010 – Population counts are critical for government programs, grants, and more for a decade. Smart small towns and counties will be actively finding ways to get everyone counted. Watch for town meetings to answer questions, and a whole bunch of canvassing. Your small town business will be indirectly affected by the results for ten long years.
At number three is the always important "shop local" trend.
The American Farm Bureau is putting PETA and other animal rights groups on notice -- they're not going to let these groups define their industry and spread misinformation about their farms any longer.
That was the message from Farm Bureau President Bob Stallman at the group's annual convention last week.
Batavian Dean Norton, president of the New York Farm Bureau, was there and he said he agrees with Stallman's message.
At a time when New York farmers are facing dire economic consequences from lower commodity prices, high production costs, climate change legislation and proposed migrant worker reforms, the animal rights activists and others who would spread misinformation about farmers are going to face a more energized opposition, Norton said.
"In the current political environment, rallies and campaigns get more attention than just sitting down in a room and discussing issues," Norton said. "That's why we're going to get out and rally and campaign, so we can get our message out."
About 99 percent of America's farms are family owned, Norton said, so the idea that there are these large corporate farms engaged in factory farm is really a myth.
"Sure there are bad apples," Norton said. "There are bad apples in every bunch, but people never look at the good stuff. They only look at the bad stuff. Only the bad stuff makes the news."
Norton said he is particularly concerned about climate change treaties known as "cap and trade."
Cap and trade, Norton said, will drive up costs for American farmers by $5 billion, cost to consumers by $7 billion and reduce agriculture profits by $2 billion, based on a study commissioned by the American Farm Bureau.
"American farmers have fed and clothed American families for more than 200 years and we're the leaders in the world in providing food and fiber," Norton said. "We're not going to let people not part of our industry tell us how to raise our animals healthy. We're already doing that."
Photo: File photo of Dean Norton
Batavia-based Graham Corporation is bouncing back from the economic downturn, CEO James R. Lines told the Buffalo News.
The company has recently booked $37 million in orders and that revenue should start hitting the books by the fall.
“We believe that sales over the next few quarters will continue to reflect the sporadic nature of order receipt that began over a year ago,” Lines said. “We also believe this should be the bottom of the cycle for us.”
Graham still expects its sales during the fiscal year that ends in March to be between $60 million and $65 million, down from its record sales of $101 million the year before.
It's a big question that figures into any conversation people have about business in Downtown Batavia -- what's the future of Latina's Market?
The empty hulk on Jackson and Ellicott sits like a concrete elephant that obscures any notion of increasing Downtown's business vibrancy.
And conventional wisdom around town is that a trio of lawyers in Buffalo owns it and has no intention of doing anything with it -- they're happy to just let it sit.
"That's (bunk)," said co-owner Vito Gautieri during an interview today.
Local business man Gautieri is a co-owner and broker of the building that has served as a location for Montgomery Ward, Super Duper and Jubilee as well as Latina's over the past 20 years.
Gautieri said he's trying to lease or sell the 40,000 square foot building (which also has 11,000 square feet of office space above the retail floor).
"We've been spending tons of money trying to find a buyer," Gautieri said. "We've showed it 10 or 12 times in the past year. "
Gautieri's partners are indeed a group of lawyers in Buffalo, but he said they are just as anxious as anybody else to see the building sold or leased.
Don Burkle, director of the Batavia Improvement District, said it's good news if the owners are indeed trying to sell the building, but he's been unaware of any effort to sell or lease the building and that there's never been any response from the current ownership whenever the BID has referred potential buyers.
The BID is very interested in seeing a grocery store go into the location, or maybe it could serve as a retail business incubator, or perhaps a hotel and convention center could be built on the location -- anything that would help downtown would interest the BID, Burkle said.
"(The building) has a lot of potential and any grocery store in that location would certainly enhance downtown," Burkle said.
Gauiteri said the asking price on the location is $1.8 million.
In 2008, the property was assessed at $700,000.
One obvious potential buyer is Ken Mistler, who just opened a new gym and a coffee shop at the corner of Main and Jackson and has a history of buying downtown buildings -- he owns 10 now -- and renovating them.
Both Gauiteri and Mistler confirmed they've talked about the building, but it doesn't sound like there are any ongoing negotiations.
Mistler said he's both concerned about the vacant building and, now that his gym is open, wonders what will happen to parking if anything is opened in that location.
"That's a big vacancy and any possible business that might want to come Downtown looks at that big vacant building and starts asking why?" Mislter said in between signing up new gym memberships this afternoon. "We know it has a negative impact on Downtown when it's such a massive location and it's empty. But I also think, what if it is filled? What is the city going to do about parking? Did you see the parking lot last night -- people were parking down by South Beach and we (the gym) opened only four days ago."
Syntec Optics has unveiled a new clean room at its Pavilion location. The company, located at 7100 Junction Road, is the largest independent manufacturer of custom polymer optics in North America.
The A-Class 10,000 sq. foot clean room at this facility will be used for assembly and testing of precision polymer and glass optical systems that are highly sensitive to particles in the environment.
“Not only will the new clean room allow us to continue to deliver exceptional quality on current projects, we now have the capabilities to take on new projects that require the purest of production and testing processes," said Lori Steffenilla, VP of manufacturing operations.
"This is especially key for us as we continue to grow in the medical, biometrics and defense industries where precision, superior function and reliability are critical.”
The in-house clean room is the latest in a long line of advancements and creates new opportunities for Syntec to expand its customer base. It strengthens the firm’s ability to provide a complete range of contract-manufacturing services including design, molding, diamond turning, assembly, metrology and supply-chain management.
“We are always looking for ways to improve and enhance both our processes and capabilities which allow us to continue to deliver the excellence that our customers have always expected from Syntec and more," said Rick Arndt, vice president and general manager.
"The addition of clean-room capabilities is another step in the process of continuous improvement."
Syntec Optics has been widely recognized as the industry leader in the polymer optics field. Syntec was the recipient of the prestigious 2008 North American Polymer Optics Growth Excellence of the Year Award.
Yesterday I stopped in Tenney Cleaners and spotted a print out of our story about T.F. Brown's annual community Christmas dinner on the bulletin board -- what a great way to help get the word out about this great event.
The whole community is invited, and Rick Mancuso wants to make sure that everybody knows, especially those members of the community who might otherwise spend Christmas alone or can't afford a full Christmas meal with all the trimmings.
Meal times are Noon and 1 p.m. and reservations are recommended. To make reservations call 343-2091 (ask for Joanne) by 11 a.m. on Dec. 24.
Parents and grand parents bringing children should make a special point to make a reservation. Children 16 and under will receive a Christmas present.
Everything is free and all are welcome.
Graham Corp. announced today that it has won a $25 million contract to produce parts for a new Navy aircraft carrier, and that the engineering and manufacturing will be done in Batavia.
Graham will construct four steam surface condensers for Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, which is building a second carrier in the Gerald R. Ford class.
The carrier, designated CVN 79, has not yet been named.
Revenue from the contract award will hit the Graham books in in fiscal 2012, which begins April 1, 2011, and will continue into fiscal 2014.
This will be the 21st year that T.F. Brown's has hosted a free Christmas Day meal for the community, and owner Rick Mancuso wants to make sure residents know: everyone is invited.
Typically, about 200 people show up for the meal (and presents for the kids), according to co-owner Rick Mancuso, but all of the people involved in organizing the meal and volunteering that day would love to see 400 or or even 1,000 people show up.
"We can serve any number of people," Mancuso said. "The initial effort is already there. We don't want to see anybody be alone or anybody go without on Christmas Day. We would love to see them come and enjoy the community dinner that we put on."
The dinner has all of the traditional holiday favorites, Rick said, from Turkey and stuffing to cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and salad. And even desert.
Children under 16 will also receive a Christmas present provided by the Batavia Lions Club. Lions Club members also help serve during the meal.
There are two meal times scheduled: Noon and again at 1 p.m.
The event is organized and sponsored by Ben and Rick Mancuso, Joe Teresi of the Bank of Castile, and Chuck Brenner of the Lions Club (pictured above are Ben, Joe, Chuck and Rick).
Reservations are requested and would be very helpful, but not required (nobody will be turned away). To make reservations call 343-2091 (ask for Joanne) by 11 a.m. on Dec. 24.
Rides are also available to anybody who needs transportation.
"It's great because you get to see the smiles on kids faces and everybody gets a really full meal on a very special day," Mancuso said. "We do get a lot of notes of thanks, and that really means a lot to everybody, but it's just a great day."
It's a good thing Gordon Davis likes Batavia. He's been spending a lot of time here the past several months.
Davis, a Portland, Oregon, resident, is the managing partner of The Manor House. Since the beginning of the year, the retired urban planner has had little time for the sculpture he loves. He's been too busy rescuing the former Victorian Manor from the bankruptcy of Sunwest, paying off past-due bills to contractors for nearly $2 million and overseeing the completion of two new residential wings at a total cost of more than $4 million.
AUDIO: Listen to Davis tell the story of his investment in Victorian Manor (mp3).
If you get a chance to walk with Davis around the new wings -- which added 50 apartments -- you can tell Gordon is clearly proud of what The Manor House has become. The once troubled asset is now a jewel in his eyes, and Davis clearly believes it's among the best facilities of its kind.
Davis and his fellow partners -- which includes his wife as well as eight other people spread around the country -- were in danger of losing all of the money they put into the Victorian Manor after Sunwest imploded. For Davis, stepping in with a plan to rescue that investment wasn't just a financially defensive move -- he believes in The Manor House and he believes in Batavia.
"My wife and I saw this (when Sunwest first presented the investment opportunity) and we thought it was a real solid property in a really good area," Davis said. "We didn't know a lot about the area, but it felt like it was a good area. We did enough of our own due diligence to think this is a good market and the property really looked excellent."
When Davis looks at the financial viability of his investment, he notes that not only is there an aging population in Genesee County (most, but not all, Manor House residents are from Genesee County), it's centrally located between Rochester and Buffalo. Also, the growing social-services industry in Batavia provides a lot of compatible opportunities.
"This is really the center for those kinds of support services," Davis said. "There are different kinds of services (from the Veteran's Home to the new Depaul facility) and the different kind of support services is really fundamentally good for Batavia. It not only brings in those folks (the residents), it brings in their families."
The expanded Manor House will eventually employ about a dozen more people, but first comes filling up all of the new apartments in the recently completed East and West wings.
Often, people think of retirement as a chance to move to the sunny South, but Davis says, for a lot of retirees, that just isn't as appealing as staying close to home.
"What we fundamentally like is where we live," Davis said. "I think many times that’s what people are looking for. They want to live in a place that feels good to them, that is familiar to them, that has the kind of lifelong connections that they have, and maybe they have family close by."
The Manor House offers three different apartments -- studios, one bedroom, two bedrooms. Residents receive three meals a day, weekly cleaning, activities and transportation.
The youngest resident of The Manor House is 64 and the oldest is 97, but the average age, Davis said, is somewhere in the mid-80s.
"We’re looking for the couple for whom three meals a day has really become a burden, or for the single who has lost a spouse and really needs a community," Davis said. "We’re looking for people who want to live the next phase of their life in a way that has a stronger community, has more people and more things that are taken care of for them."
Tours of The Manor House are available daily.
After the jump, more pictures:
There was one large community room in the original facility. The West Wing added three smaller community areas. This one has a stove and refrigerator and can be used for a variety of gatherings, from watching football or movies to ice cream socials or birthday parties with families. Gordon said he recently used the stove to bake cookies, which he left on the counter, and they didn't last long.
During the day, this studio serves as a model showroom. When Gordon is in town, it's also where he stays. They decided to decorate a studio rather than one of the other apartments to show just how comfortable and roomy the studios can be.
Yes, residents can have cats -- and dogs upon approval.
This is another of the common rooms -- it's on the third floor and has more masculine decor. The second floor is more feminine. The Manor House now has 10 men living there and Davis said they've become buddies.
It may be the most anticipated gym opening in Batavia, if not world, history, but Ken Mistler sent a message to his Facebook followers announcing that Next Level Fitness will finally open.
The three-level workout center at Main and Jackson will start straining muscles and pumping hearts on Jan. 2.
Mistler will close Better Bodies on Dec. 24 and use the next week to move equipment from the old gym to the new.
Mistler will be at Next Level on Jan. 1 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to give tours and sign new members.
Just in time for the holiday season! Genesee Community College's Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization (CEO Club) has expanded its SCHOLARS brand line of products to include the brand new Apple Cinnamon Pancake Mix.
The pancake mix is sold as a gift pack with the popular Apple Cider Syrup that was developed last year. The two products combine not only as a delicious meal, but as a great holiday gift.
The syrup and pancake mix gift packs retail for $14.99 and can be purchased from local retailers as well as the Barnes and Noble Book Store at Genesee Community College. The Apple Cider Syrup alone retails for $9.99. Profits from the syrup and gift pack sales will be put back into the program, as well as used to fund student scholarships.
The Apple Cider Syrup project began over two years ago to produce and market a gourmet food product that would provide practical, hands-on business and entrepreneurial learning opportunities for Genesee students. The club developed and now markets SCHOLARS brand Apple Cider Syrup; an apple pie flavored syrup used over pancakes, waffles, French toast, pork recipes and even ice cream. The Apple Cinnamon Pancake Mix is an expansion of their line, and a complimentary product to the Apple Cider Syrup.
"The goal of the SCHOLARS brand was to give students hands-on experience marketing and selling a product in the real-world," said Barbara Shine, professor of business and advisor of the CEO Club. "The expansion of the line is doing just that, and at a perfect time for holiday gift giving."
For further information, please contact Professor Shine at 343-0055 x6319.
iPhone owners in Genesee County: Rejoice. We now have the 3G network available to us.
I was pleased to notice "3G" next to the reception bars on my iPhone this morning. And then a little while ago, I got a press release from AT&T announcing the network upgrade.
The PR says enhanced cell sites are located in Alexander, Batavia, Bethany, Brick House, Corfu, Darien, Elba, Leroy, Oakfield, Pavilion and Pembroke. (Brick House?)
3G is mobile broadband, meaning AT&T customers in Genesee County can now surf the Web and download e-mail a bit faster.
Now, if AT&T would just do something about the fact there is no place to buy iPhones or accessories in Genesee County.
More and more I'm working with The Batavian's sponsors in coming up with ad campaigns that feature special information or special deals, and it's been working. The ads on the right that change with unique information on a regular basis get the most reader response.
Those ads all represent local advertisers. They are businesses that support your community as well as support The Batavian. It's important to me that I'm giving them the best value for the money, so I work hard to come up with good ideas at attractive ads for them. I encourage you to be sure to take some time when you visit The Batavian to see if there are any new offers or information that might be useful to you.
This is my regular reminder that without our sponsors, there is no The Batavian. When you support The Batavian sponsors, you are helping to support an online news site you enjoy, and supporting your local community.
Below is our list of sponsors. Please patronize these businesses and when you do, let them know you saw them on The Batavian.
3 D Wine & Liquor
Adam Miller Toy and Bicycle
Affordable Floor Covering
Alex's Place
Anglican Community Church
Barrett's Batavia Marine and Sporting Supplies
Batavia Downs Casino
Blue Pearl Yoga
Bonarigo & McCutcheon
Bontrager's Auction
Carlson's Studio
Cedar St. Sales and Rentals
Center Street Smokehouse
Charles Men's Shop
Classic Home Improvements
Clor's Meat Market
The Color Salon
Country Cottage
Crazy Cheap Cars
D&R Depot Restaurant
Delavan's Restaurant and Tavern
The Enchanted Florist
Fastec Automotive
Genesee Dental Group
Genesee Feeds
Great Kutz
Herbly Wonderful
Holland Land Office Museum
House of K
The Insurance Center
Jackson St. Grill/Belladessa's
Kravings Kafe
Lamb Family Medicine
Lewis and Lewis
Main St. Pizza Company
The Mane Attraction
The Manor House
Mark Lewis Agency
Matteo & Mullen, CPA
Matty's Pizzeria
Max Pies
Movies in Motion
O'Lacy's Irish Pub
Oliver's Candies
Optique
Pauly's Pizza
Pellegrino Auto Sales
Present Tense Books
Pudgie's Lawn and Garden Center
Reeb Family Moving
Roxy's Music Store
Sallome's Italian Deli
Select Collision
Sloat Tire
Small World Realty
South Main Country Store
Southside Deli
Suzanne Interiors
T.F. Brown's
Total Image Hair Salon
T-Shirts Etc.
Valle Jewelers
Vintage & Vogue Inspirations
WNY Fireplace Outlet
Wortzman Furniture
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