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Oak Orchard Health earns quality recognition badges

By Press Release

Press Release:

Oak Orchard Health (OOH) was awarded the Community Health Quality Recognition (CHQR) Badges for Health IT and Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) by the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA). CHQR badges recognize Health Centers that have made notable achievements in the areas of access, quality, health equity, health information technology, social risk factors screening, and COVID-19 public health emergency response using Uniform Data System (UDS) from the most recent reporting period.

“We’re excited to receive this recognition, especially the Health IT badge. With a vast base of over 30,000 patients in rural areas, technology helps us keep our patients healthy. Whether it’s by using our electronic medical records system or our patient portal, our providers and patients have access to information that helps Oak Orchard diagnose and treat our patients efficiently,” said Karen Kinter, CEO, Oak Orchard Health.

Oak Orchard Health was awarded the Health IT badge because it met all the following criteria:  

  1. Adopted an electronic health record (EHR) system.
  2. Offered telehealth services.
  3. Exchanged clinical information online with key providers' health care settings. 
  4. Engaged patients through health IT.
  5. Collected data on patient social risk factors.

“Oak Orchard has been staying at the forefront of technology to document medical information efficiently and improve our access to patients. We encourage our patients to use the patient portal because they will have access to their medical information, be able to ask questions of their medical providers and request medication refills. Telehealth has been a breakthrough for our patients because of the challenges many have with transportation and other barriers that keep them from coming into the health centers. Now they can receive medical or behavioral health care from home using their telephone, tablet, or computer,” said Jason Kuder, Chief Information Officer, Oak Orchard Health.

Tompkins names Sean Quinn regional manager of commercial banking

By Press Release

Press Release:

seanquinn.jpg
Submitted photo of Sean Quinn.

An expansion of its commercial banking team, Tompkins Community Bank has appointed Sean Quinn as regional manager, of commercial banking. With 23 years of experience in the banking industry, Quinn most recently served as the senior vice president and relationship manager at M&T Bank. In his new role, Quinn will oversee Tompkins’ present and prospective banking relationships within the Buffalo market.  

“Sean’s dedication to enhancing customers’ experience is reflective of our mission as a community bank,” said Diane Torcello, president of Tompkins’ Western New York market. “We are confident that his industry experience and strong leadership abilities will be an asset to our Buffalo team, for both Sean’s colleagues and clients.”  

Quinn holds degrees in finance and management from SUNY Fredonia and St. Bonaventure University. He resides in Hamburg, New York with his wife and three children. 

Chamber of Commerce celebrates a busy 2022 at annual meeting at Terry Hills

By Howard B. Owens
brian cousins genesee county chamber of commerce president
Brian Cousins, president of the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce.

After approving a new slate of directors for the board, Genesee County Chamber of Commerce members heard a recap of a busy 2022 from Chamber President Brian Cousins.

The year started with the annual awards banquet at Batavia Downs, attended by more than 300 people. That was followed by the Celebrate Ag Dinner in Alexander, attended by more than 400 people. After that, chamber staff got busy hosting the annual Home Show at the David M. McCarthy Memorial Ice Arena in Batavia.  During the summer, the chamber hosted its annual golf and bocce ball tournament. In the fall, there was the annual Decision Makers Ag Tour.

And then there were ribbon cuttings.  Lots and lots of ribbon cuttings. There are always ribbon cuttings.

"We get requests all the time for business openings, business milestones -- Tom Turnbull (former chamber president) always taught -- and this was probably the best thing ever taught me -- that everyone always loves a good ribbon cutting," Cousins said. And it's true. A lot of people did a ton of good things in the community this year. I'm very proud of our ability to go out and support them. We probably literally had one to two requests a week. Sometimes we had two a day."

Cousins also praised the monthly Business After Hours, held at a different Chamber member location each time, as a great way to network and form important if not lasting business connections.

All of those big events return in 2024:

  • Chamber Awards, March 2.
  • Celebrate Ag Dinner, March 16
  • Home Show, in March
  • Gold and Bocce, at Terry Hills this year on July 18
  • Decision Maker's Ag Tour, being planned, date to be determined

And one of the highlights, surely, if the weather cooperates, of 2024 will be the viewing of the eclipse on April 8.  

The chamber's Tourism Bureau has been preparing for months -- there have been 50 meetings, 15 in-person talks, several monthly Zoom sessions, and "Jenny," the cow mascot, has made numerous public appearances.

And 2023 has been a good year for tourism, Cousins said.

"We are going to have a record year in terms of visitor spending into our county -- upwards of about $209 million total, sustaining about $65 million in tourism payroll. It's amazing," Cousins said.

New members of the Chamber board of directors:

  • Mickey Hyde, immediate past chair
  • Kristina Raff, with Nortera
  • Mark Brooks, with Tompkins
  • Michael Battaglia, Prudential
  • Megan Palone, Oliver's Candies
  • Jocelyn Sikorski, Cornell Cooperative Extension
  • Jeremy Liles, Oliver's Candies.

The new board chairman is John Whiting of the Whiting Law Firm.

Plug Power's financial filing raises concerns about stability of company

By Howard B. Owens
Photo via Genesee County Economic Development Center.
Photo via Genesee County Economic Development Center.

Uncertain about its ability to raise more investment capital, Plug Power, currently building a hydrogen fuel cell plant in WNY STAMP informed the Security and Exchange Commission in a filing on Friday that it may not have the ability to remain a "going concern" over the next 12 months.

The Latham-based company started selling public stock in 1999 and has never reported a profit, which is not unusual for early-stage start-ups. 

The company is working on several options to raise more capital, such as "various financing solutions from third parties with a particular focus on corporate level debt solutions, investment tax credit related project financings and loan guarantee programs, and/or large scale hydrogen generation infrastructure project financing."

The net losses for Plug Power in the third quarter were $0.47 per share for the third quarter, steeper than the $0.30-per-share loss expected by analysts. 

In the filing, the company emphasizes the uncertainty of the effort. 

"Those plans are not final and are subject to market and other conditions not within the Company’s control," the company stated in the filing. "As such, there can be no assurance that the Company will be successful in obtaining sufficient funding. Accordingly, management has concluded under the accounting standards that these plans do not alleviate substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern.

News of the weaker-than-expected earnings report and the liquity problems drove Plug Power's stock price down from $5.93 per share to $3.53 per share.

Plug Power's chief financial officer, Paul Middleton, according to Yahoo Finance, characterized the wording of SEC filing as language required by standard accounting principles but the company remains confident about its future.

"It's a lot more conservative obviously than what we feel like," Middleton added. "But I have a $5 billion balance sheet that's unlevered. I mean, I really don't have any debt. So, we still are extremely confident about the range of parties and solutions that we're working with."

The company reported $5.4 billion in assets, including $110 million in cash with an operating loss in the third quarter of $273.9 million.

The Company’s working capital was $1.3 billion as of Sept. 30, In addition, the company has available-for-sale securities and equity securities of $388.8 million and $67.8 million, respectively.

The company stated that it "expects to generate operating losses for the foreseeable future as it continues to devote significant resources to expand its current production and manufacturing capacity, construct hydrogen plants, and fund the acquisition of additional inventory to deliver our end-products and related services."

CEO said in an earnings call that the third quarter was difficult.

"Over the past several months, there have been enormous challenges associated with the availability of hydrogen, primarily due to downed plants, including our Tennessee facility, and temporary plant outages across the entire hydrogen network," he said.

According to reports in early October, Plug Power is considered a strong contender for a portion of $7 billion in federal grants for alternative energy projects. In 2019, the federal government committed $4 million to the company.

Plug Power is building a $290 million fuel cell plant at STAMP in the Town of Alabama. The company is being (most of the funding is contingent on completion of the project) financially backed by the Genesee County Economic Development Center and New York State.

A GCEDC official did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the SEC filing.

Here is the full paragraph of a key statement in the filing:

These conditions and events raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. In accordance with Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") No. 2014-15, “Disclosure of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern (Subtopic 205-40),” management has evaluated whether there are conditions and events, considered in the aggregate, that raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern within one year after the date of the condensed consolidated financial statements are issued and has determined that the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern is dependent on its ability to raise additional capital. To alleviate the conditions and events that raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern, management is currently evaluating several different options to enhance the Company’s liquidity position, including the sale of securities, the incurrence of debt, or other financing alternatives. The Company’s plan includes various financing solutions from third parties with a particular focus on corporate-level debt solutions, investment tax credit-related project financings and loan guarantee programs, and/or large-scale hydrogen generation infrastructure project financing. Those plans are not final and are subject to market and other conditions not within the Company’s control. As such, there can be no assurance that the Company will be successful in obtaining sufficient funding. Accordingly, management has concluded under the accounting.

 

Tompkins financial corporation appoints Charles Guarino to Chief Banking Operating Officer

By Press Release

Press Release:

charles-guarino-hi76.jpg
Submitted photo of Chuck Guarino.

Tompkins Financial Corporation (Tompkins) announced that Charles “Chuck” Guarino has been promoted to chief banking operations officer, a newly created position for the organization. Over the past five years with Tompkins, Guarino has effectively led mortgage sales and operations and small business lending, including a successful implementation of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) lending initiative, which generated over 3,000 loans.

Prior to joining Tompkins, Guarino spent more than two decades in banking and financial management, overseeing all aspects of consumer, home equity, residential, and small business lending, as well as analyzing risk in retail loan portfolios, recommending policy, procedure, and guideline adjustments.  

Guarino comes to this position as a final step in realigning the responsibilities of chief financial officer and chief operations officer of Tompkins Financial, Francis Fetsko, who will be retiring at the end of 2024. In his new role, Guarino will be responsible for overseeing Tompkins Financial Corp.'s technology and banking operations throughout the four markets it serves. He will report to Steve Romaine, president and CEO of Tompkins Financial.

“Chuck has led the retail and small business lending team at Tompkins Financial exceptionally well over the past five years and is ready for this expanded role,” said Romaine. “His strategic vision and ability to align resources and effectively execute are critical to his new role. I have had the pleasure of engaging with him on the Central New York leadership team and have watched him execute strategic plans to help our clients succeed. It is rewarding to know the Tompkins organization empowers our team and allows us to fill this position from within our current ranks. I look forward to Chuck’s contribution and collaboration as he joins our senior leadership team.”

Guarino is active in his community, previously holding positions as first vice chairperson on the board of directors of the Urban League of Rochester, past vice president of Resolve of Greater Rochester, and as a past campaign cabinet member of United Way of Wyoming County. He currently serves as a committee member for the marketing and fundraising committee of Hub585. Guarino is a member of the 1997 graduating class of SUNY Geneseo’s Jones School of Business, holding a bachelor of science in management. He also holds a master's degree in business administration from the University of Rochester Simon Business School and was inducted into the Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society.  

Graham Corporation receives $110 million in orders in October, including orders from U.S. Navy

By Press Release
graham manufacturing tour 2023
File photo from 2023 by Howard Owens.

Press Release:

Graham Corporation (NYSE: GHM ) (“Graham” or the “Company”), is a global leader in the design and manufacture of mission-critical fluid, power, heat transfer, and vacuum technologies for the defense, space, energy, and process industries, announced a record level of monthly orders in October 2023. 

The Company received approximately $110 million in total orders in October 2023, primarily related to follow-on orders for critical U.S. Navy programs. These defense orders are expected to be recognized in revenue beginning in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025 through early fiscal 2030. 

Daniel J. Thoren, President and CEO, commented, “We are proud to be a strategic supplier for the U.S. Navy providing highly valued vacuum, heat transfer, turbomachinery, and other critical equipment to support the U.S. Navy’s Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program. The follow-on orders received this month continue to validate our key role in the Columbia Class submarine and Ford Class carrier programs. These programs are essential for the future safety and security of our country and the team at Graham recognizes the vital role our equipment plays and the necessity to deliver essential components to our customers.”

Sean Valdes of Le Roy joins Tompkins as one of two new branch managers

By Press Release

Press Release:

Expanding the capabilities of its Western New York (WNY) management team, Tompkins Community Bank has appointed two new branch managers, Jacob Hale in Chili and Sean Valdes in Perry. In their new roles, Hale and Valdes will oversee their respective branches, cultivating relationships with other businesses in the communities and ensuring that customers’ needs are met.  

“The addition of Jacob and Sean to our management team ensures that we will continue to provide personalized guidance to help clients grow our community,” said Laura Geary, vice president, and community banking manager. “I am personally excited to see Sean’s and Jake’s experience in action and know that our clients and community in both Perry and Chili will benefit from working with these dedicated professionals.”  

jacob-hale.jpg
Submitted photo of 
Jacob Hale.

Previously, Hale served as the assistant manager of Tompkins’ Batavia branch. A dedicated employee, Hale has consistently been recognized by Tompkins, earning the company’s Rising Star and Top Sales Performer Awards in 2020 and then again in 2022 as well as externally, recently winning GLOW’s Best of the Best Banker for 2023. Hale currently serves as a board member for the United Memorial Medical Center Foundation, Rochester Regional Health (UMMC), and volunteers with the Michael Napoleone Memorial Foundation and Junior Achievement of Western New York. He and his fiancée, Alicia Alexyn, reside in Chili and are expecting their first son this November.  

sean-valdes.jpg
Submitted photo of
Sean Valdes.

A SUNY Brockport’s business administration program graduate, Valdes previously owned and operated D & R Depot Restaurant & Catering Services, in Le Roy, for over 25 years. Valdes consistently grew his business, fostering relationships within the community to encourage economic development. Valdes hopes to bring this customer-centric view to his new role, working to ensure that members of the Perry community have access to the banking solutions that will help them achieve their goals. A founding member of the Kiwanis Club of LPS (Le Roy, Pavilion, and Stafford), Valdes also served as the vice president of small business for the Le Roy Business Council. Additionally, the Le Roy Rotary Club recognized Valdes with the Paul Harris Fellowship Award in 2021. Valdes currently resides in Le Roy with his wife, Jen, and two daughters.

GC Chamber of Commerce hosting annual membership meeting Nov. 16

By Press Release

Press Release:

The Genesee County Chamber of Commerce Annual will be hosting its Annual Membership Meeting on Nov. 16 at Terry Hills Golf Course & Banquet Facility, 5122 Clinton Street, Batavia. Registration begins at 11:30 am, and Buffet Lunch begins promptly at Noon, cost is $25 per person.

The Agenda for the Meeting will be a review of 2023, a look ahead into 2024 & Election of 2024 Chamber Board Members. To register directly online visit the Chamber’s Website www.geneseeny.com or call Kelly B. at 585-343-7440, ext. 1026. Deadline for registration is Nov. 10.

Tompkins Financial Corporation Reports Third Quarter Financial Results

By Press Release

Press Release:

Tompkins Financial Corporation ("Tompkins" or the "Company") reported a net loss of $33.4 million for the third quarter of 2023.  The quarterly results were negatively impacted by the sale of $429.6 million of available-for-sale debt securities, which resulted in an after-tax loss on the sale of securities of $47.5 million. Though this sale resulted in an operating loss in the third quarter of 2023, the transaction is expected to favorably impact securities revenue in future periods as the securities sold had an average yield of 0.93%, while the proceeds of the sale were largely reinvested into securities with an estimated yield of approximately 5.12%. The weighted average life of the securities purchased and sold was approximately 4.3 years.

Tompkins President and CEO, Stephen Romaine, commented, "During the quarter we elected to proactively reposition the balance sheet which will improve securities revenue and we expect that the improved revenue will exceed the value of the loss recognized in the third quarter through time.  We estimate securities revenue to improve by approximately $15.4 million over the next twelve months.

While the economic environment remains challenging for the banking industry, our capital and liquidity levels remain healthy and well positioned to meet the needs of our customers.  We continued to see favorable growth trends, with annualized loan growth of 6.0% from the second to third quarter of this year and increased deposit balances over the same periods. We are also pleased to announce our cash dividend, which is reflective of our healthy capital position."

Diluted earnings per share for the third quarter of 2023 were a loss of $2.35, which reflects the impact of the after-tax losses of $3.34 per diluted share related to the sale of available-for-sale debt securities as noted above.  Diluted earnings per share for the third quarter of 2022 were $1.48.

For the year-to-date period ended September 30, 2023, net income was a loss of $5.5 million, or a loss of $0.39 per diluted share. Year-to-date results were also negatively impacted by after-tax losses on the sale of securities totaling $52.9 million, or $3.69 loss per diluted share. For the same year-to-date period in 2022, net income was $65.5 million, or $4.53 per diluted share.

SELECTED HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE PERIOD:

Total loans at September 30, 2023 were up $82.5 million, or 1.5% (6.1% on an annualized basis) compared to the immediate prior quarter, and up $226.4 million, or 4.3%, from September 30, 2022.
Total deposits at September 30, 2023 were $6.6 billion, up $168.8 million, or 2.5% (10.4% on an annualized basis) from June 30, 2023, and down $313.3 million, or 4.5%, from September 30, 2022. 
Loan to deposit ratio was stable at 82.1%, compared to 82.9% for the immediate prior quarter.
Regulatory Tier 1 capital to average assets was 9.01% at September 30, 2023, compared to 9.57% at June 30, 2023 and 9.14% at September 30, 2022.
Total nonperforming assets at September 30, 2023 represented 0.41% of total assets, which was flat compared to the immediate prior quarter and down from 0.45% at September 30, 2022.

NET INTEREST INCOME

Net interest income was $51.0 million for the third quarter of 2023, down from $51.9 million for the second quarter of 2023 and $58.1 million for the third quarter of 2022. Net interest margin was 2.75% for the third quarter of 2023, compared to 2.83% reported for the second quarter of 2023 and 3.04% reported for the third quarter of 2022. The decrease in net interest income and net interest margin during the third quarter, when compared to the second quarter of this year and the same quarter last year, was due primarily to the increase in interest rates on interest-bearing liabilities outpacing increases on interest earning asset yields due to the higher interest rate environment.  

For the year-to-date period ended September 30, 2023, net interest income was $157.2 million, down $15.8 million, or 9.2%, when compared to the same period in 2022.

Average loans for the quarter ended September 30, 2023 were up $80.5 million, or 1.5%, from the second quarter of 2023, and were up $200.0 million, or 3.9%, compared to the quarter ended September 30, 2022. The increase in average loans over both prior periods was mainly in the commercial real estate portfolio. The average yield on interest-earning assets for the quarter ended September 30, 2023 was 4.06%, which was up from 3.91% for the quarter ended June 30, 2023, and up from 3.32% for the quarter ended September 30, 2022.  

Average total deposits for the third quarter of 2023 were down $20.0 million, or 0.3%, compared to the second quarter of 2023, and down $394.4 million, or 5.8%, compared to the same period in 2022. The decrease as compared to the prior year was largely driven by a decline in stimulus funding and a tightening monetary policy that has led to a declining trend in bank deposits on a national level, as reported by the Federal Reserve. The cost of interest-bearing deposits increased to 1.74% for the third quarter of 2023, compared to 1.41% for the second quarter of 2023, and 0.36% for the third quarter of 2022. The cost of interest-bearing deposits for the third quarter of 2023 increased 33 basis points from June 30, 2023. The ratio of average noninterest bearing deposits to average total deposits for the third quarter of 2023 was 31.0% compared to 31.1% for the second quarter of 2023.  The average cost of interest-bearing liabilities for the third quarter of 2023 of 1.98%, represents an increase of 34 basis points over the second quarter of 2023, and an increase of 153 basis points over the same period in 2022.

NONINTEREST INCOME

Noninterest income was a loss of $41.6 million for the third quarter of 2023, which represents a decrease in noninterest income of $62.3 million compared to the third quarter of 2022. Year-to-date noninterest income was a loss of $8.6 million, which represents a decrease in noninterest income of $68.2 million compared to the same nine month period in 2022.   The decrease in noninterest income in the third quarter of 2023 was largely due to the above noted sale of available-for-sale debt securities, which resulted in the recognition of a pre-tax loss of $62.9 million. Fee-based revenues, including insurance commissions and fees, wealth management fees, service charges on deposit accounts and card services income, for the third quarter of 2023 were collectively up $543,000, or 2.7%, over the same period in 2022.

NONINTEREST EXPENSE

Noninterest expense was $49.9 million for the third quarter of 2023, which was up $264,000, or 0.5%, over the third quarter of 2022.  For the year-to-date period, noninterest expense of $152.0 million was up $6.4 million, or 4.4%, from the same period in 2022. The increase in noninterest expense in the nine months ended September 30, 2023 over the same period in 2022 was mainly in other operating expenses which were up $4.1 million and higher personnel-related expenses, which were up $2.7 million.  Contributing to the growth in other expenses for the nine months ended September 30, 2023, compared to the same period in 2022 were the following: expenses related to the Company’s retirement plans, up $1.3 million; professional fees, up $699,000, New York State minimum tax, up $623,000; and FDIC insurance, up $777,000. The increase in personnel-related expenses was mainly in health insurance, which is up $1.5 million.  

INCOME TAX EXPENSE

The provision for income taxes was a credit of $8.3 million for an effective rate of 20.0% for the third quarter of 2023, compared to tax expense of $6.8 million and an effective rate of 24.1% for the same quarter in 2022. For the first nine months of 2023, the provision for income taxes was a credit of $619,000 for an effective rate of 10.3% compared to tax expense of $20.1 million and an effective rate of 23.4% for the same period in 2022.  The decrease in income tax expense between comparable periods reflects the decrease in pre-tax income, due primarily to the realized losses on the sale of certain available-for-sale securities and the anticipated retention of certain New York State tax benefits.  

ASSET QUALITY

The allowance for credit losses represented 0.91% of total loans and leases at September 30, 2023, flat as compared to June 30, 2023, and up from 0.86% at September 30, 2022. The ratio of the allowance to total nonperforming loans and leases was 156.96% at September 30, 2023, compared to 154.76% at June 30, 2023 and 128.27% at September 30, 2022.

Provision for credit losses for the third quarter of 2023 was $1.2 million compared to $1.1 million for the same period in 2022. Provision for credit losses for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 was $2.6 million, compared to $1.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2022. The increase in provision expense for both the quarter and year-to-date periods was mainly driven by economic forecasts, loan growth, and changes in asset quality. Net charge-offs for the quarter ended September 30, 2023 were $177,000 compared to net charge-offs of $122,000 reported for the same period in 2022.

Nonperforming assets represented 0.41% of total assets at September 30, 2023, down from 0.43% at December 31, 2022 and 0.45% reported at September 30, 2022. At September 30, 2023, nonperforming loans and leases totaled $31.4 million, compared to $32.8 million at December 31, 2022 and $34.9 million at September 30, 2022. The increase in loans past due 30-89 days at quarter-end September 30, 2023, was mainly due to the inclusion of two commercial real estate loans to one relationship totaling $18.6 million. The Company believes that the existing collateral securing the loans is sufficient to cover the exposure as of September 30, 2023.

Special Mention and Substandard loans and leases totaled $122.9 million at September 30, 2023, reflecting an increase from the $98.3 million reported at December 31, 2022, and $106.7 million at September 30, 2022. The increase as compared to year-end in Special Mention and Substandard was mainly a result of the downgrade of one commercial real estate loan added to Special Mention during the second quarter of 2023 and the downgrade of one commercial real estate loan previously reported as Special Mention in the second quarter of 2023.

CAPITAL POSITION

Capital ratios at September 30, 2023 remained well above the regulatory minimums for well-capitalized institutions. The ratio of total capital to risk-weighted assets was 13.46% at September 30, 2023, compared to 14.42% at December 31, 2022 and 14.26% at September 30, 2022. The ratio of Tier 1 capital to average assets was 9.01% at September 30, 2023, compared to 9.34% at December 31, 2022 and 9.14% at September 30, 2022.

During the third quarter of 2023, the Company repurchased 41,781 common shares at an aggregate cost of $2.3 million. These shares were purchased under the Company's Stock Repurchase Program announced in the third quarter of 2021.

LIQUIDITY POSITION

The Company's liquidity position at September 30, 2023 was stable and consistent with the immediately prior quarter. Liquidity is enhanced by ready access to national and regional wholesale funding sources including Federal funds purchased, repurchase agreements, brokered deposits, Federal Reserve Bank Discount Window advances and Federal Home Loan Banks (FHLB) advances. The Company maintains ready access liquidity of $1.2 billion, or 15.1% of total assets at September 30, 2023.  As members of the FHLB, the Company can use certain unencumbered mortgage-related assets and securities to secure borrowings from the FHLB. At September 30, 2023 the Company had an available borrowing capacity at the FHLB of $969.4 million. Through various programs at the Federal Reserve Bank, the Company has the ability to use certain unencumbered mortgage-related assets and securities to secure borrowings from the Federal Reserve Bank's Discount Window.  At September 30, 2023 the available borrowing capacity with the Federal Reserve Bank was $91.8 million, secured by investment securities. In addition to the available borrowing lines at the FHLB and Federal Reserve Bank, at September 30, 2023, the Company maintained $411.7 million of unencumbered securities which could be pledged to further enhance secured borrowing capacity. 

Undeterred by legal challenges, Hyde bullish on STAMP's future

By Howard B. Owens
WNY STAMP map

It's been 15 years since Steve Hyde first conceived of a massive, high-tech industrial park in Genesee County, and in 2023 Hyde is still focused on turning WNY STAMP into a fully realized mega site in the Town of Alabama even as the project faces its biggest legal challenges yet.

Hyde, the CEO of the Genesee County Economic Development Center, and Jim Krencik, the agency's marketing director, spoke with The Batavian on Friday primarily to discuss a new $56 million round of funding from New York State.

The infusion of cash, Hyde shared in his unbowed enthusiasm for all things STAMP, will help take STAMP -- with two projects already being developed -- to the next level, making it more attractive to a new wave of site selectors.

"It helps get Edwards what they need to get up and running and hiring their first 300 or so employees and building their first quarter million square foot factory," Hyde said. "The future is really that 310-acre campus (see map above) that's pretty much the largest available parcel in the state, and (the funding) fully makes it plug-and-play ready. That's really where I think the benefit is. That's where the interest is. 

“You know, I couldn't have envisioned 15 years ago when this was a twinkle in my eye, and the board was helping me shape the thoughts and the strategy around it -- I just couldn't have imagined that 15 years later, we've got big sites like these out there. (We've got them) because of the chip sector, because of the Federal IRA (Inflation Reduction Act), because of the big focus right now -- all these big electric vehicle plants, battery plants, chip fabs, supply chain support for the chip fabs, solar projects,” he said. “There are less than two dozen mega sites at the same level of development as STAMP in the entire country. We're seeing deal flow right now like never before. And the more you can build the capacity, the infrastructure and really have it ready to support a company's timeline, it makes us far more competitive."

As part of STAMP's infrastructure, plans have been in place for years to build a sewer line that would run into Orleans County. After the sewer line was already approved and under construction, the Orleans County Legislature voted to file a lawsuit to halt the project, and an Orleans County judge issued a preliminary injunction to construction across the county line.

At the same time, GCEDC received notice from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to temporarily halt the construction of a sewer line through the Iroquois Wildlife Preserve.  

Hyde believes GCEDC will get past these challenges and be able to carry on with the agency's original plans, but if not, plans are being developed for alternative solutions, he said.

As for the lawsuit, Hyde said, "I'm really confident in the strength of our arguments."

The northern route for the sewer line, he said, is the most environmentally sound option, which is why the route was recommended by the Department of Environmental Conservation.

"If you look at the reality of what we're dealing with, in that case, that particular situation, it is DEC permitted," Hyde said. "They spent three years reviewing the plans. The DEC directed us to put the flow there because it was the best place for the care of that water body versus where we were looking as an option in Genesee County. It would have been more environmentally challenging than to do it in Genesee, and that was the reason they selected that area. There was careful study by the authority that has the responsibility for maintaining and protecting our environment. And they issued the permit. And that permit is far more stringent than what the Medina Wastewater Treatment Plant is currently operating under because they're grandfathered. 

"So when I look at the challenges that are before us and presented, it's procedural things, and with procedural things, there are always ways to find solutions. So I am not at all concerned about proceeding, because it's a long pathway to do all this stuff anyway. And at the end of it, by proceeding, we're going to enjoy greater economic vibrancy here in this region."

Fish and Wildlife has not completely killed off the sewer line project with its stop-work order.  GCEDC must come up with a plan to better contain and remediate potential environmental hazards during construction following two leaks in late summer and early fall of material used to help create boreholes for the pipeline.

In a previous interview with The Batavian, Mark Masse, VP of operations for GCECD, characterized the leak component as "mud." 

He (Masse) said that during the construction of the wastewater pipeline, a channel is drilled through the subsurface and then filled with what is essentially mud to hold the line's shape while the pipe is slid into place. 

"It's basically water and clay," Masse said. "The soil is so soft that it actually ended up going out through the soil. We've done the appropriate cleanups, we had an approved frac-out plan with the DEC ahead of time as part of our permitting. We are making improvements to it, and all of that cleanup and review is subject to the DEC review."

Asked to clarify what happened, Masse said, "In some cases in the refuge, the ground is so porous that when they put the mud in, it leaks out through the sides. It came up to the surface. And that's what they call a frac-out. But it is nothing more than mud. So we had vac trucks on site and cleaned it up. We have subject to DEC inspection on that and in accordance with our frac-out plan."

Calling the substance "mud" is technically accurate, but it is also an incomplete explanation. 

There was a small spill in August, followed by a 100-gallon spill on Sept. 7.

Both spills contained "Wyoming sodium bentonite clay slurry," according to Fish and Wildlife.

Sodium bentonite is a naturally occurring substance, but it isn't naturally occurring in the water of a wetland.

It is a water-absorbent mineral clay. You might find it in your kitty's cat sand. It is also used as a cleansing agent in wastewater treatment, a clumping agent in metal casting, a sealant in water ponds, and, yes, as a mud additive (generally considered environmentally friendly in such uses) in drilling.

The biggest concern of Fish and Wildlife was apparently the lack of a swift response to contain and clean up the second spill and the lack of proper notification to regulators on the day of the spill.

Fish and Wildlife stated in its notice letter, "This discharge was not contained on the project site and ultimately spread over an area of approximately 200 feet by 120 feet."

It states that appropriate measures were not taken to implement, install and maintain measures necessary to prevent discharge of pollutants from the site.

"When department staff were at the site on Sept. 8, despite that the frac-out had occurred over 24 hours earlier, the fracking muds and fluids had not been removed from the impacted freshwater wetland and adjacent area, and no representatives of the permittee were present," states the notice.

Fish and Wildlife takes the spill and the response seriously enough that it notes GCEDC faces potential fines pending further investigation.

Before pipeline construction can resume, GCEDC must develop a plan to reduce the chances of future spills and for a better remediation effort if there is an accident.

About a week ago, in an email interview with Krencik, he stated:

Drilling for the force main installation has been halted for the construction season to avoid any conflict with snow removal services.  In addition, at the request of regulatory agencies, additional geotechnical investigations have been performed to further define the soil conditions to assist our construction teams. GCEDC and the STAMP Sewer Works Corporation (SSWC) are working closely with NYSDEC and other regulatory authorities to resolve any concerns and ensure cleanup of the release of any drilling fluids from these two frac out events before resuming construction of the force main installation during permitted construction windows next season.

The $56 million awarded to STAMP by Gov. Kathy Hochul's office is the second considerable investment in STAMP by the state. In 2014, STAMP received $33 million for infrastructure and to jump-start project development.

"It's all about capacity," Hyde said. "That $33 million, especially in this era of inflation, got used for a lot of things. That money was used to build the initial infrastructure, but it was also invested in finishing up the design and permitting of the site, which of course, takes time and money. It built the baseline roadways, built some stormwater ponds, got us going on the force main ... it was really a lot of the engineering, design, the planning and permitting, baseline infrastructure. This (the new award) expands those capacities and adds some critical pieces."

Krencik added, "We've always been trying to stay ahead of where the market is. That (the $33 million) really got our foot in the door and enabled the first projects that you're looking at being implemented as phase one projects."

There is a 310-acre plot in STAMP that Hyde said is the largest such parcel available in the state, and the new round of funding will help make it more interesting to site selectors.

There is demand for the sites still available in STAMP, Krencik said.

"When you look across our sales funnel, that's what we're seeing," Krencik said. "The demand is roughly fitting in with us, and infrastructure, it takes time. That's why you do all the due diligence, all the permitting, getting all the permits for the DEC, the town of Shelby, all these pieces getting it done. It really gets ahead of these things. And with the substation being built, a lot of this stuff is being built. The state support is a pretty clear signal of what they're feeling."

The electrical substation, both Krencik and Hyde said, is a critical component of making STAMP more attractive to site selectors and more competitive with other industrial parks.

"Electrical infrastructure, that has been one of the longest lead time items we've faced, and it is coming in right now," Krencik said. "That's one of the biggest things giving companies confidence (in STAMP)."

Hyde said the substation will provide 600 megawatts of power, which is enough to power 600,000 homes and to energize high-tech companies at the scale they need.

And all of these numbers add up to more numbers, numbers in the form of good-paying jobs that won't require college degrees, Hyde noted.

"The beauty is, these jobs are kind of that next-level jobs for the community,' Hyde said. "I mean, our average income in our manufacturing jobs is in the low 60s right now, which is really good. It's good earnings for families, especially if you put a couple of those together, right? You have a good family-sustaining income. These jobs (at Plug Power and Edwards) are around 30 percent higher than that, so we're north of $80,000 on average between all the jobs being planned. That's kind of the goal, right? STAMP is about trying to elevate our economic vibrancy for our residents and our kids. The gratifying thing is that with the first two companies that have committed here, we're already seeing what the earnings and the wealth generation will be for our community."

aerial plug power wny stamp gcedc
Plug Power, one of the two new developments in STAMP, under construction.
Photo via Genesee County Economic Development Center.

Tops employee from Batavia receives prestigious national grocery business award

By Staff Writer
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Laura Gould, from Batavia, a promotions analyst with Tops Friendly Markets, was honored as a Top Women in Grocery by the trade publication Progressive Grocer. 

Gould, named a "Rising Star," was among six Tops employees from Western New York honored by the publication.

In total, Progressive Grocer will induct 400 women, chosen from more than 1,000 nominees, into this year’s class during its celebration taking place in Orlando, Florida in November.

"These women strengthen the retail food industry at many levels, within both the retailer and supplier communities," Tops officials said in a release. "Top Women in Grocery is a community that has continued to grow since 2007, with the best and brightest women in the industry."

The company added, "Progressive Grocer's Top Women in Grocery award is the most prestigious honor for female leaders in the grocery industry."

Previously: Batavia resident promoted to corporate management position with Tops

Lawley partners with Shoff Darby Insurance Agency

By Press Release

Press Release:

Lawley, an independent family-owned insurance broker and employee benefits firm is proud to partner with Connecticut-based Shoff Darby Companies, Inc., Shoff Darby Insurance Agency. This partnership aids in Lawley’s continued efforts to provide the best property and casualty, captive, and employee benefits services to clients in the tri-state area and is the largest merger to date for the agency.

This partnership was orchestrated by Shoff Darby Companies Chairman William Pierz and President Matthew Roberts and Lawley Principals William J. Lawley, Jr., Christopher D. Ross, and Michael R. Lawley. 

For over 65 years, Lawley has protected assets and minimized risk to help their customers avoid financial hardship. As the largest merger to date, Lawley will add four locations and 75 employees in Connecticut.

This expansion will increase services available to clients, providing business insurance, home and auto insurance, Medicare insurance coverage, wealth management, and employee benefits administration. 

Founded in 1887, the Shoff Darby Insurance Agency has assisted its clients with personal insurance, business insurance, and specialized in construction, transportation, and captive insurance. Providing guidance and striving to help clients “make the best decision for themselves, their family, and their business”, the Shoff Darby Insurance Agency holds the focus of “We take care of our customers like family”. 

Folding into Lawley gives Shoff Darby the ability to use the national resources of a Top 100 Insurance Broker while maintaining independence. The Shoff Darby team will also have access to Lawley’s dedicated practice groups, which offer expertise in high-profile business segments.

“We were determined to remain part of an independent, community-oriented organization, and we could not be happier for our staff, our clients, and our communities that we were able to forge this partnership with Lawley,” says William Pierz, Chairman of Shoff Darby Companies, Inc.

“Partnering with Shoff Darby, an agency that holds similar values to Lawley, aids in our continued efforts to expand our footprint throughout the tri-state area,” says Chris Ross, Lawley Principal.

“We’ve been able to see continued growth through 2023. With our partnership and biggest merger to date with Shoff Darby Companies, we are positioned to continue to offer the best services to our clients throughout our footprint,” says Mike Lawley, Principal.

“We are passionate about helping one another, working as a team, and growing together while supporting our clients and our communities,” says Lawley Principal, Bill Lawley, Jr. “We hope that individuals, families, and business clients will experience the positive impacts of the expanded services across our footprint and will trust in Lawley for years and even generations to come.”

“This merger with Lawley creates one of the most dynamic insurance brokerages in the country. I’m extremely excited for our clients, employees, and our communities to reap the benefits from this incredible partnership,” says Matt Roberts, Shoff Darby President.

ILGR hires Karina M. Treleaven as a HAWNY Program Specialist

By Press Release

Press Release:

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Submitted photo of Karina Treleaven

Description automatically generatedIndependent Living of the Genesee Region (ILGR) welcomes Karina Treleaven to work with the Homeless Alliance of Western New York (HAWNY) to coordinate the Continuum of Care (COC) for people with disabilities of the Genesee Orleans and Wyoming County (GOW) Region as a HAWNY Program Specialist to maximize their community participation.

Ms. Treleaven brings to her new experience in various positions: she was a Bilingual Caseworker with the Genesee County Department of Social Services; a seventh and eighth-grade Spanish teacher at Notre Dame High School in Batavia; a Family and Community/ERSEA (Eligibility, Recruitment, Selection, Enrollment, and Attendance) Specialist and Health/Nutrition Specialist at Early Head Start at Community Action of Orleans and Genesee Counties; Bilingual Employment Coordinator and Job Coach at Catholic Charities Community Services; Family and Community Services Coordinator at Agri-Business Child Development; Spanish debt collector who helps debtors improve their credit at Pioneer Credit Recovery; Interpreter-translator for the teachers and the children at Rainbow Preschool-ABCD Building; and she taught Spanish-English to youth and adults from impoverished communities at Nuestra Señora De la Merced High School.

Among her responsibilities are conducting monthly COC meetings; maintaining and increasing participation in Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) for service providers; analyzing data from HMIS to guide housing programs; communicating with HAWNY to help coordinate services and comply with Housing and Urban Development (HUD) expectations; regularly meeting with Warming Shelters, Schools, Jails, Hospitals, Employment Providers, Mental Health Providers or other organizations and providing resource information to their direct service staff; increasing organizational participation in the COC; networking with Landlords to educate and engage their participation in housing programs; and increasing homeless services in general, including prevention, shelter and permanent housing.

ILGR is delighted that Karina Treleaven is bringing her vast experience to serve the GOW region in her new capacity.

Independent Living of the Genesee Region (ILGR) is a member of the Western New York Independent Living, Inc. family of agencies that offers an expanding array of services to aid individuals with disabilities to take control of their own lives.

RGH is the first in the region to use innovative therapy

By Press Release

Press Release:

Rochester General Hospital (RGH) is the first hospital in the region to offer Aquablation therapy, a minimally-invasive treatment for lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) due to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), or enlarged prostate.  

One in two men ages 51 to 60 have BPH, and the incidence increases every decade of life. RGH completed the first Aquablation therapy procedures at the hospital on Thursday. 

“Rochester Regional is proud to be among the first in the Finger Lakes, Western and Central New York to offer a solution for men with BPH that provides significant, long-lasting symptom relief with lower risk of sexual dysfunction or incontinence,” said Dr. Louis Eichel, Division Chief of Urology at Rochester General Hospital. 

“Aquablation therapy is the next step to furthering our commitment to robotic surgery and men’s health. This new tool is the latest move by Rochester Regional to step up our game as we modernize and transform health care.”

Aquablation therapy uses the AquaBeamâ Robotic System, the first FDA-cleared, surgical robot utilizing automated tissue resection for the treatment of LUTS due to BPH.  Using precise imaging, surgeons create a personalized treatment plan tailored to each patient’s anatomy. Once the map is complete, the robotically controlled, heat-free water jet ablates the prostate tissue, avoiding critical structures to preserve sexual function and continence.

The procedure is performed while the patient is under anesthesia in an operating room, and typically takes about 45 minutes – almost half as long as traditional surgical options.

BPH, or an enlarged prostate, is a non-cancerous condition where the prostate has grown to be larger than normal. If left untreated, BPH can cause significant health problems, including irreversible bladder or kidney damage, bladder stones, and incontinence.  Several current BPH surgical treatments often force men to trade off between symptom relief and side effects like incontinence or erectile dysfunction.

For more information on Urology Services at Rochester Regional Health, visit Urology | Rochester Regional Health.  For more information on Aquablation therapy, visit aquablation.com

Tompkins Financial hires new senior retirement consultant

By Press Release
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Photo of Cesar Vazquez, senior retirement plan consultant, Tompkins Financial Advisors, courtesy of Tompkins.

“Tompkins is proud to grow alongside our clients as we see vast developments to their portfolios so that we can better assist them in every aspect,” said James Sperry, senior vice president and managing director for Tompkins’ Western New York region. 

“We could not have asked for a better appointment to this position and for someone to work so closely with our clients, than Cesar.” 

Vazquez comes to Tompkins Financial Advisors with 35 years of work experience, including 22 in the retirement plan industry (with extensive knowledge in retirement plan designs, compliance, and industry knowledge), 13 years in the financial and banking industry, having previously served as the retirement plan service manager and consultant for Wealth Enhancement Group’s QCI Team, EPIC Retirement Plan Services, Lifetime Benefits Solutions, and more. 

He holds an associate degree in Business administration from Monroe Community College, a bachelor's degree in Accounting from St. John Fisher College, and certification from Accredited Investments Fiduciary (AIF), Vazquez currently resides in Webster, with his wife Ivette, and daughters Marissa and Alicia.  

Graham announces 'last of first article' units for Navy vessels

By Press Release

Press release:

Graham Corporation (NYSE: GHM) ("GHM" or the "Company"), a global leader in the design and manufacture of mission critical fluid, power, heat transfer and vacuum technologies for the defense, space, energy, and process industries, today announced that it shipped the last of the first article units related to the Columbia Class submarine and Ford Class carrier programs. While the Company expects to continue to have first article programs in its backlog as it wins new programs and applications, the amount as a percentage of total backlog should be reduced moving forward.

Daniel J. Thoren, President and CEO commented, "Completing the first article U.S. Navy projects and delivering the final units this month on schedule was a great testament to the team we built at our Batavia facility. Without their dedication and commitment to our customers, we would not have been able to achieve this milestone. I would like to thank each and every one of them for their hard work. We built this team by committing to training welders in house, partnering with academic resources, and improving our operating processes in support of our strategic U.S. Navy programs. These investments in our people and operations have paid off given our recently announced strategic investment from a major defense customer to expand our capacity for future projects and we believe demonstrates our customers confidence in GHM as being a critical supplier to the U.S. Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program."

During fiscal 2022, the Company chose to make significant investments to ensure it could deliver these and previous units on schedule and were the main source of the losses incurred that year.

Facility intended to help convert school bus fleets into all-electric by 2035

By Press Release

Press Release:

New York Bus Sales welcomed over 150 people to officially open its doors on a newly constructed $6 million mixed-use 20,000 sq. ft. facility in the town of Batavia. The facility is intended to support school districts and bus operators across Genesee County and the Western New York and Finger Lakes regions to convert their fleets from diesel fuel to all-electric as required by legislation in the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) by 2035.

Based in Chittenango, New York Bus Sales is the largest Blue Bird school bus dealer in the state. The Batavia facility will service customers, including school districts to help transition their bus fleets from diesel fuel engines to all-electric bus fleets. New York Bus Sales has full-service maintenance facilities in Syracuse and Albany.

“Our new location in Genesee County allows us to serve the Western New York and Finger Lakes school districts as we work together with New York State to deliver clean energy solutions to local students and families,” said John Johnston, Operations Manager of New York Bus Sales.

New York Bus Sales worked with the Genesee County Economic Development Center to find a strategic location that fit their facility requirements on Saile Drive in Batavia and approved financial assistance at a Board of Directors meeting in December 2021.

“This project builds on the green business economy being built at STAMP, the Pembroke Industrial Corridor, the many community solar projects across the county, and other renewable and clean energy projects in the economic development pipeline,” said Steve Hyde, President and CEO of the GCEDC.

National Grid assisted in the installation of charging stations and technology as part of the company’s Electric Vehicle (EV) Make-Ready Program. This program provides funding for up to 100% of the electric infrastructure costs for approved projects.

“Our Make-Ready Program provides a range of technical assistance and funding for electric vehicle charging projects across our upstate New York service territory,” said National Grid Regional Director Ken Kujawa. “Working with New York Bus Sales is a great example of a company making a commitment toward innovation and sustainability while reducing greenhouse gas emissions while supporting New York State’s climate emission mandates.”

The new facility will create 24 new jobs in Genesee County. New York Bus Sales are seeking candidates for service and automotive tech roles and will have the opportunity to hire from the skilled and educated workforce pool from Genesee County and surrounding regions, including students participating in the Genesee Valley BOCES Deisel Tech Cohort program.

“Whether you are a recent Diesel Tech BOCES graduate or an experienced technician from another industry, we have good-paying positions available and can provide career pathways through certification programs and other training,” Johnson added.  “We look forward to working with employment and workforce training organizations across the region to fill these career-sustaining jobs.”

Beverly's Flowers moves out of tight quarters to much larger former Roxy's Music Store

By Howard B. Owens
beverly's florist batavia ny
Russ Fitzgibbon, owner of Beverly's Flowers and Gifts, inside his shop's new location at 228 West Main St., Batavia, the former location of Roxy's Music.
Photo by Howard Owens.

Russ Fitzgibbon knew he needed more space.  His flower shop, Beverly's, in an old house on West Main Street in Batavia, left staff tripping over each other and made it hard for him to maintain private conversations with customers.

"We were out of space, just dead out of space," Fitzgibbon said.

When the former Roxy's Music Store building at 228 West Main St., Batavia, came up for sale, he initially passed on the idea of buying the building and moving into it.

It's 14,000 square feet. That doesn't include the basement.

All that space means his five employees are no longer tripping over each other.

"I didn't want it originally," Fitzgibbon said. "It's just massive. But it just worked out. The numbers worked out. I figured, do it now or don't do it at all."

Beverly's is using only about 4,500 square feet of the building -- with a large portion of the downstairs (where music lesson rooms where located) sitting vacant, and a second floor that is completely clear and empty.

"We'll figure out what to do with the rest," Fitzgibbon said.

Fitzgibbon did the remodeling of the store himself, with a whole new decor in the space the shop is using.  There's a larger retail counter, more display space, tables for meeting with clients, and a side room for meetings with larger groups of customers.

"I like to talk to my customers, but in the old place, if somebody walked in, you had to shut up because there was no room," Fitzgibbon said. "There was only one three-foot counter.  This one is a little bigger, so I get to talk more."

Photos by Howard Owens.

beverly's florist batavia ny
beverly's florist batavia ny
beverly's florist batavia ny
beverly's florist batavia ny

RRH appoints Tricia Gatlin as new chair of Health Care Services Board

By Press Release

Press Release:

Rochester Regional Health (RRH) is delighted to announce the appointment of Tricia Gatlin, Ph.D., RN, CNE, Dean of the Wegmans School of Nursing at St. John Fisher University, as the new Chair of the Health Care Services Board at RRH. Gatlin, a distinguished healthcare professional and researcher, is also one of the leading nursing education advocates in the region and will bring a wealth of experience and expertise to this prestigious role.

Gatlin will undoubtedly play a pivotal role in shaping the strategic vision and direction of Rochester General Hospital (RGH) and Unity Hospital in her new role as Chair of the Health Care Services Board. The Health Care Services Board provides strategic guidance and oversight to each of these hospitals. Her exceptional leadership skills and comprehensive understanding of healthcare challenges and opportunities will contribute significantly to the continued excellence of Rochester Regional in providing quality patient care and pioneering healthcare solutions.

“I am honored to be the first nurse to chair the Health Care Services Board.  I am passionate about and committed to advancing the overall quality of patient care,” said Gatlin. “I look forward to working with fellow board members over the coming years and continuing to improve the overall health quality of individuals who seek care within the Rochester Regional Health care system.” 

Gatlin joined St. John Fisher University and the Wegmans School of Nursing as Dean in 2020. Throughout her career, she has made significant contributions to nursing education and research. Gatlin often presents at national and international conferences on nursing topics, and her research findings have been published in peer-reviewed journals.  

Much of that work has focused on self-care and vulnerable populations. At Fisher, Gatlin has secured grants from the Mother Cabrini Foundation and Health Resources and Services Administration totaling more than $2 million to support efforts to improve nursing education through technology and diversify the workforce pipeline.

Gatlin’s knowledge as an educator and dedication to the nursing profession, practical experience as a Registered Nurse, and international leadership in adopting augmented and virtual reality into nursing education add tremendous value to her influence on the delivery of high-quality health care.

"We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Tricia Gatlin as the new Chair of the Health Care Services Board,” said Richard “Chip” Davis, Ph.D., CEO of Rochester Regional Health. "Her impressive background in nursing education, her passion for research, and her commitment to improving community health care make her the ideal Chair of our esteemed Health Care Services Board."

Gatlin previously served as an Associate Professor and Associate Dean at the School of Nursing at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) and held various academic positions at esteemed institutions such as the University of Portland's School of Nursing, Clark College in Washington, and Clackamas Community College in Oregon. Here in Rochester, she sits on numerous boards and committees. She is also a member of the New York State Council of Deans, American Association of Colleges of Nursing, New York Nurses Association, American Nurses Association, New York Organization for Nursing Leadership, and NurseTrust. 

Gatlin holds a Ph.D. in Nursing Science from the University of Arizona, an M.S. in Nursing Leadership from the University of Portland, a B.S. from the University of Memphis, and an AA in Nursing from Dyersburg State Community College.

Graham, the little manufacturing gem in Batavia making big equipment for a global market

By Howard B. Owens
graham manufacturing tour 2023
Photo by Howard Owens.

If you want to make sparks fly, there are some folks at Graham Manufacturing in Batavia who want to talk with you.

Graham makes big things out of big pieces of metal, and that means welding. Graham invests a lot of money in training the people it hires so they learn to become world-class welders.

"We've got a welding school now where we're training our own welders," said Don Fonda, plant supervisor at Graham. "We partnered with Arc and Flame in Rochester. We're paying for people to take classes there. They're actually Graham employees, and we pay them to go to classes. Those are 12-week classes. If they do well, they come here. If they do so-so, we send them for another 12 weeks."

Plant Operations Manager/Commercial Randy Franklin said the welding work Graham needs is specialized and requires a great deal of skill. 

"We have really high-quality standards here," Franklin said. 

He explained, "We're not just building widgets.  It's not the same every single time. We like people who can solve problems. There's a variability in the workflow. It's a good place to work. I mean, it's been around for over 80 years, so it's been a pretty decent place as a bedrock or just providing an opportunity for people in the area."

When Graham, which has always been based in Batavia, was a smaller company, BOCES provided three or four young welders a year that Graham could hire, but now, with 300 employees locally and $150 million in annual revenue, there's a bigger demand for welders, as well as other manufacturing specialties, at Graham, so hiring has become more of a challenge.

Alfred State has a solid welding program, and it is a source of new hires for Graham, but as Fonda explained, if the graduates are not already from the GLOW region, they're likely not coming to Batavia for a job.

So he and Franklin want to get the word out to more local residents looking for a rewarding career -- good pay and solid benefits -- that Graham might be a good fit.

"I think there's a perception that all of this type of equipment is being built elsewhere in the world," Franklin said. "We haven't done a really good job of broadcasting where Graham is and what we do. So we wanted to try to get some more eyeballs on the type of equipment that we build and the opportunities for people in the area."

Graham's longstanding specialty has been equipment used in the oil and gas industries, extracting and refining fuels, but in recent years, Graham has fulfilled contracts for the Department of Defense, fabricating equipment for aircraft carriers and submarines.

"Oil and gas is very cyclical -- demand follows, essentially, the value of a barrel of oil," Franklin said. "The executives, like 10 to 12 years ago, they wanted to be able to even that out because no one enjoys layoffs. They wanted to find a nice baseline, so they went after the Department of Defense."

That large load leaving Graham down Clinton Street a few weeks ago -- that was a piece of equipment for an aircraft carrier. That's all Franklin could say about it.

But the folks at Graham are clearly proud of that shipment. There's a picture of it on a wall in one of the plant buildings. It's the largest load of the year -- 225 long, 17 feet wide, with a gross vehicle weight of 486,000 pounds.

Another poster on the same wall notes that Graham has shipped 2,584 pieces of equipment with a gross weight of 5,980,587 pounds.

For all the success of Graham, and the company's reputation as a place where people work long careers, it's hard finding the right people in Batavia, Franklin acknowledged. And it's getting hard. 

"It's tough being in Batavia," Franklin said. "You know, it's in between two cities in New York State, so that makes it difficult. In those higher population areas, obviously, it's easier to pull in people, and then, to top it off, the state doesn't make it very easy to maintain a business and hire people."

The rapid growth of the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park, the growth of WNY STAMP and the related business growth in Pembroke is also making the job market more competitive, Franklin agreed.  All of that growth is driven by incentives offered by GCEDC and the state's economic development packages.

"I don't know if our politicians really truly understand that the decisions that they make have ripple effects," Franklin said. "It's hard to be a competitive business when other new businesses are receiving tax breaks. We just have to try to be flexible and figure out different ways to be competitive with them."

As an example, he said this past summer, a benefit Graham offered was allowing employees to work four nine-hour shifts during the week so they get a half-day off on Friday, and hence a longer weekend to stay at home or take a brief vacation.

Franklin said Graham is looking at other creative ways to offer benefits to Graham employees.

"But regardless of where you are in the country, or even the world, hiring people is a challenge," Franklin added.  "In that way, it's not like we're unique to this area."

There are currently 35 openings at Graham in a variety of jobs -- welders, of course, but also engineers, CNC machine operators, buyers, and more -- and Fonda said Graham might be a hidden little gem for area residents who are looking for a career. 

"I don't think a lot of people would even know we're here," Fonda said. "We're kind of tucked back on a little street. You might see us a little bit from Main Street, and maybe a bit behind Miss Batavia, but for the most part, I don't think a lot of people know we're here. And I'm not sure a lot of people know we're hiring."

graham manufacturing tour 2023
Don Fonda, plant supervisor, and Randy Franklin, operations manager/commercial, at Graham Manufacturing in Batavia.
Photo by Howard Owens.
graham manufacturing tour 2023
Photo by Howard Owens
graham manufacturing tour 2023
The Sequoia Project. Graham built four U-tube freeze condensers that will be installed at a facility in Thailand to support Lactide alcohol distillation. Randy Franklin said this is a whole new industry that Graham is supporting to make and market low-carb, renewable biomaterials that will revolutionize the sustainability and safety of packaging product materials used in everyday lives. The polymers could produce 3D printed materials, compostable coffee capsules, tea bags, flexible packaging, and food service ware.
Photo by Howard Owens.
graham manufacturing tour 2023
Graham is providing equipment for a Houston-based refinery, supplying large-scale replacement parts for existing equipment installed at facilities around the world. This is a tube bundle that allows the customer to restore the performance of their equipment after years of coating on the tubing, which reduces its capability to condense fluids, thus reducing the amount of product refined and revenue.
Photo by Howard Owens.
graham manufacturing tour 2023
Photo by Howard Owens.
graham manufacturing tour 2023
Photo by Howard Owens.
graham manufacturing tour 2023
Both India and China are growth markets for Graham. For India, Graham is supplying a large-scale vacuum system to increase India's overall refining capacity. Graham now has an office in India to better help the company meet market demands there. In China, Graham is fabricating parts for existing refineries as well as new refineries. 
Photo by Howard Owens.

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