Business

Press release:

The Genesee County Chamber of Commerce Annual Awards Committee has announced the 2012 Annual Award Dinner will be held on Saturday, April 13 at the Clarion Hotel, Park Road, Batavia. This is the county’s premier event that honors businesses and individuals for their achievements in business, community service and volunteerism.

The chamber has streamlined its nomination forms to make submissions less cumbersome and time consuming. Please note that a brief write-up will qualify your nominee for consideration. Nominations are now being accepted for: Business of the Year; Entrepreneurial Business of the Year; Agricultural Business of the Year; Innovative Enterprise of the Year; Special Service Recognition; and Geneseean of the Year. Business nominees must be a chamber member (If unsure of your nominee, call the chamber to verify). 

Nomination forms are available at the chamber of commerce office, 210 E. Main St., Batavia. and can also be downloaded from the chamber Web site at www.geneseeny.com.

If you would like more information, feel free to call Kelly J. Bermingham, director of Membership & Special Events, at the chamber office, 343-7440, ext. 26.

The staff of Genesee Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine is recognizing Breast Cancer Awareness month by wearing City of Batavia Fire Department breast cancer awareness T-shirts.

Press release:

With October being National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and National Car Care Month, Grease Lightning auto repair shops are for the third year partnering with AutoTex to sell AutoTex PINK wiper blades in their stores.

With each sale of AutoTex PINK products, a donation will be made to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. The blades can be found locally at: Grease Lightning, 4003 West Main St., 2418 North Main St., Warsaw and at Castrol Premium Lube Express, 50 Liberty St. Batavia and 29 East South St., Geneseo.

AutoTex Pink wiper blades come in black with a pink ribbon insignia or an all pink style

Grease Lightning Founder Ben Thompson is thrilled to be partnering with AutoTex again.

“There is almost no one alive who isn't affected by breast cancer, either personally fighting the deadly disease, or watching a friend or loved one deal with the tragic consequences of breast cancer. Our team is happy to support the cause, and our customers seem happy when they make a purchase -- knowing that they are supporting the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

AutoTex PINK is a women-owned and created company based in Pine Brook, NJ that is among the nation's leading global suppliers of windshield wipers. Get more info at www.autotexpink.com

Grease Lightning is on the Web at mygreaselightning.com

My intention was to stop for sweet corn. What I found when I pulled into Pully's Farm Market on Route 19 in Le Roy was a fall festival.

Owner Dave Pullyblank opened the market in the spring of 2008 on the farm that has been in his family since 1804. His goal then as now is to turn the farm into a family-friendly, agri-tourism attraction.

For fall, Pully has transformed his farm into a wonderland of play areas colored by the vibrant oranges, yellows and greens of the harvest season.

There is a corn maze, pumpkin cannon, corn (instead of sand) box and duck race, but Pully said the number-one attraction is the pumpkins.

The variety, he believes is the largest available in any single location in New York State.

"What I say is all these weird colored pumpkins, that’s fall," Pullyblank said. "You won’t find more variety of a decorative product in any other place. Anybody can grow an orange pumpkin. You won’t find anybody else growing that product in there (the green house)."

Pully's goal is to be a year-round destination. In the spring he sells bedding flowers, hanging baskets and vegetable seedlings. During the summer, he sells produce, including sweet corn, which he believes is the sweetest you'll find, plus tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and squash.

"The biggest thing I tell the folks, at the end of the day, the stuff that hasn’t sold goes to my cows, so when you come the next day, the stuff was picked that morning," Pullyblank said.

He wants kids to learn where their food comes from, Pully said. Eventually, he plans to include farm animals as part of his attractions for families.

For winter, Pully would like to sell u-cut and pre-cut Christmas trees, but two dry summers have slowed the growth of the trees.

What Pully doesn't sell, he brings in from other area farms.

"I can’t do it all, but I want to get it from the other farmers as close as I can," Pullyblank said.

All of the attractions and products at Pully's now will be available through the end of October.

The property has been in Pully's family for at least six generations and Pully got his start driving a tractor for his grandfather when he was 7. Pully said his farm is the last of the original four Le Roy farms still being run as a family operation by the original family.

The spring of 2008 turned out not to be a great time to start a new business, Pully admitted. It hasn't always been easy to grow a business during down economic times, but each year he keeps adding new products and new attractions.

"You have to keep going forward," Pullyblank said. "No matter what, you’ve got to keep going forward. If you don’t, you’re going to go stagnate and then there’s no reason for people to come out and see what you’re doing."

Pully's Farm Market is located 8160 Lake Road, Le Roy.

Laura DiPasquala, center of the photo, got her wish today -- she visited an Alpaca farm.

The DiPasquala's said they've driven past the Northwoods Alpaca Farm in Bergen many times, but today was the perfect day to stop. Owners Belinda and Bob Grant were hosting an open house.

Northwoods is part of a tour of Alpaca farm tour in Western New York (the open house continues on Sunday) aimed at promoting alpaca fiber (it's not called fur) for clothing and promoting alpaca farming to increase the number of growers in the nation.

Alpaca fiber is known for its soft texture, moisture resistance, warmth and comfort.

The Grants have operated Northwoods for about eight years.

Laura and Rich DiPasquala are from Greece.

Press release:

The Genesee County Chamber of Commerce has just launched its newly redesigned Web site at www.GeneseeNY.com. Web site visitors will notice easier navigation in finding relevant community information, such as census data, major employers, employment information, as well as an easier to search chamber member database.  

Key upgrades were made to the Community Calendar section and adding interactive functionality. The new site also allows users to easily print the data they find on the site. 

The chamber is currently seeking updates to the popular Clubs & Organizations directory for Genesee County.  Please visit the Community section of the new site to see if your club or organization's data is listed. If it is not listed, we need your updated contact information.

Le Roy's Wiss Hotel, often referred to as a lost cause, may yet be saved.

A group of citizens pooled their resources and hired Perry-based revitalization expert Rick Hauser to conduct a feasibility study on whether the Wiss could once again be a viable business.

Hauser's short answer: Yes.

Though an expensive proposition, the old hotel building is structurally sound enough to be restored and the resulting mix of retail space and apartments would provide a return on investment.

Hauser's report suggests creating a limited liability corporation that would take the lead on the project.

Funds would come from investors -- both cash and in-kind (such as a plumber doing work in exchange for shares in the company -- tax abatement and a no-interest loan from the village.

Rather than spending upwards of $400,000 to destroy the Wiss and remediate any existing environmental problems, the money would help seed the restoration and rebirth of the building at the corner of Route 19 and Route 5, the west-end entry into the village.

The village would also need to apply for and receive National Register Historic District designation that includes the building.

The financial analysis also assumes a 10-year PILOT grant from the Genesee County Economic Development Center.

Hauser's feasibility study proposes four retail spaces on the first floor and five large, high-ceiling, light-filled, market-rate apartments -- ranging in size from 800 to nearly 1,400 square feet -- on the second and third floors.

Under such a plan, at 100-percent occupancy, the building would eventually turn over $34,000 in annual net profit.

There was little discussion of the report -- which wasn't an item on the agenda -- at the village board meeting Wednesday night.

Supporters of the project said they just wanted to get the report in the hands of trustees quickly, before the village committed to destruction of the building.

Alpina Foods officially opened its yogurt-making plant in Batavia's new ag-park with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and tour Monday afternoon, which was attended by local dignitaries and state lawmakers.

Truck unloading station

Alpina Foods office

Quality control lab

Batch blending room

Fermentation and culturing room

Cup-filling machine

Big event in Batavia today that I wish I could have attended and covered -- the grand opening of the Alpina yogurt plant. We did assign a photographer and should have more coverage later, but meanwhile, here's the official photo and press release from Alpina:

Alpina Foods today celebrated the official Grand Opening of its first North American manufacturing facility, the latest yogurt plant to open in Upstate New York. Though the 67-year-old company has sold its broad line of dairy products in American markets for several years, the Batavia, N.Y. facility is its first plant in the U.S.     

Joined by U.S. Congresswoman Kathleen Hochul, New York State Senator Michael Ranzenhofer, and Empire State Development President and CEO Kenneth Adams, top officials from Alpina Foods and its Colombian parent company, Alpina, marked the occasion with a ceremonial ribbon cutting.

“This is a momentous day for Alpina,” said Julian Jaramillo, Alpina’s CEO. “We would like to recognize the many people and organizations across the state that have helped make this moment a reality. We are excited to get started and continue to grow along with our employees, the region, and the yogurt industry in New York.”

The Alpina Foods plant already employs 30 new employees, and expects to hire at least 20 additional team members in the coming months. This is in addition to the 20 employees located in Alpina Foods’ Miami offices and in regional positions elsewhere in the U.S.

Over the past year, with the help of co-packing partners, the company has launched several new products for U.S. consumers: Alpina Revive Greek yogurt, Alpina Restart traditional yogurt, Alpina Renew oat smoothie, Bon Yurt by Alpina low-fat vanilla yogurts, and Juan Valdez Café Latte by Alpina.

“Today’s opening of Alpina Foods marks an exciting new phase of economic development in Genesee County and Western New York,” said Rep. Hochul. “With the initial creation of up to 50 jobs, Alpina will significantly contribute to the economic vitality of the region. I look forward to working with Alpina, the Genesee County Economic Development Center, and local farms as we work to strengthen Western New York’s economy.”

"The State Legislature, working with Governor Cuomo, has made tremendous strides in improving New York State's business climate,” said Senator Ranzenhofer. “Especially during the last two budget cycles, the decision to cut spending and lower taxes has signaled to many companies that New York is the right place to do business, and for many yogurt companies, such as Alpina, it has positioned Genesee County and Batavia as the 'Yogurt Capital' of the world. I applaud Alpina for opening its first U.S. facility in the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park."

Drawn by access to the thriving agriculture and dairy industry of Upstate New York, along with a ready labor market, Alpina chose Batavia for its 10th global manufacturing facility, following locations in Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela. The company worked closely with the State’s Excelsior Jobs Program and numerous state and regional economic development organizations on the location of the 10-acre site, and was further attracted to the region after its work with nearby Cornell University and Rochester Institute of Technology.

“Under Governor Cuomo’s leadership, the production of Greek yogurt has become a critical job creator and driver of economic activity in New York State,” said Empire State Development President, CEO & Commissioner Kenneth Adams.  “A number of major yogurt manufacturers have taken advantage of this region’s existing infrastructure, including the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park, which is available for dairy processing, as well as its skilled workforce, proximity to milk supply and ability to reach target markets. We welcome Alpina Foods to the U.S. and are so proud that they have chosen to locate its first specialty yogurt plant in the U.S. right here in Genesee County.”

All Upstate New York residents are likely to appreciate Alpina Foods’ new location. The company is well known for its commitment to the communities in which it operates. With a philosophy that leadership refers to as “collective prosperity,” Alpina Foods wants to transfer success beyond the company, and positively impact the surrounding community, including their employees, business partners, the environment, and others in the region.

“We are committed to our success in Batavia and the U.S.,” said Alpina CEO Julian Jaramillo. “It is our corporate practice to grow with our surroundings, hand-in-hand with our neighbors.”

Photo, from left: Juan Pablo Fernandez, GM, Alpina Foods; Julian Jaramillo, CEO, Alpina; Roger Parkhurst, Director of Operations, Alpina Foods; Congresswoman Kathy Hochul; state Senator Michael Ranzenhofer; Kenneth Adams, President & CEO, Empire State Development.

Rep. Kathy Hochul is boarding a plane in Washington, D.C., right now, heading back to her district for an election-period recess, but she would rather stay in the Capitol, she said, and give local farmers what they need to run their businesses -- the certainty of a farm bill.

"I'm ready to turn around right now and stay in Congress as long as it takes day and night and do what's right for our farmers," Hochul said.

"This is just another sign that Washington is broken and we've let our farmers down," Hochul said.

Every five years, Congress must pass a new farm bill. Last passed in 2008 as the Food, Conservation and Energy Act, the $288 billion appropriations bill not only provides crop insurance and price support for farmers, it also provides subsidies for private land conversion back to a natural state, biofuel subsidies and is the funding source for food stamps.

A version of the bill was passed with bipartisan support by the Senate, but even after winning Agriculture Committee support in the House, the bill hasn't come to a floor vote.

The 2008 act expires in a week.

Hochcul said it's baffling and unconscionable that the House leadership has blocked a floor vote.

Agriculture, Hochul said, is a $739 million a year industry in her district, and $4.7 billion statewide. 

Regardless of the legislation's provisions -- the Senate and House versions would need to be negotiated into a compromise bill in conference committee -- farmers need the certainty of a farm bill in order to operate their businesses on a daily basis.

According to an NPR article, the near-term fallout of the failure of the House to pass a farm bill is pretty minimal. The provisions of the current farm bill that most effect farmers remain in place through the end of the current growing season, which for something like winter wheat means until spring.

However, it is very uncertain what will come next, according to NPR, because some deficit hawks have their eyes set on greatly reducing expenditures in the farm bill, including for food stamps, and there may be a lot of political pressure in Washington next year to reduce spending.

"We need to keep spending under control, yes, and we need to find ways to do it," Hochul said, "but the farmers need the certainty that comes with passage of this bill."

There is bipartisan support for passage of a farm bill in the House, Hochul said, and she won't speculate on why its leadership is blocking a floor vote on such a critical piece of legislation.

"The fact they won't let us get to a compromise means that they refuse to govern and that's just inexcusable," Hochul said.

Town of Batavia planners are pushing forward with a proposal to add a second roadway into the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park, connecting the park with Route 63.

Town Engineer Steve Mountain said the need and opportunity for the roadway is driven by the requirement of the Muller Quaker yogurt plan for a gas main into the park and a $1 million grant for infrastructure upgrades from state's Office of Community Renewal.

The roadway was always part of the plan, Mountain said, but not until Phase 3.

In the nearer term, the town was going to construct an emergency vehicle access road through the County Highway Department's lot on Cedar Street, but it is more cost effective, Mountain said, just to build the connector to Route 63 now.

The design of the roadway needed to coincide with the gas main design for Muller Quaker, and Muller Quaker wanted to bring the line in through vacant property to save costs.

The vacant land is primarily made up of parcels owned by O-AT-KA Milk Products and local farmer Don Partridge.

The town is negotiating now with both property owners for a right-of-way access, but all of that land (in green on the map) was always intended to be part of the Phase 3 development of the agri-business park (and has already been through the environmental review process).

Mountain said Phase I of the park is already nearly full and it's his understanding that Partridge has received offers on his land.

Currently, the only developed roadway into the park is from Route 5.

Alpina Products will hold a ribbon-cutting Monday for its new facility, which will initially employ 50 people.

Next year, the Muller Quaker plant, a joint venture between PepsiCo and the Theo Muller Group, will open with an original staff requirement of about 200 people. A mushroom farm and labeling facility (already open) are also among the park's first announced tenants.

Initially, Phase 2 of the development was to extend the rail line into the park, but there's been no demand for it yet from potential tenants.

Among the benefits of the Route 62 access point is that O-AT-KA will be able to use the roadway for truck traffic to his own facility, making the intersection of Route 63 and Cedar Street safer.

A public hearing on the revised planning map is set for Tuesday, Oct. 16, at Batavia Town Hall. More details of the project will be revealed then.

To help address a possible shortage of primary care physicians in the future, UMMC today announced a partnership with Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine to transform the local hospital into a teaching hospital.

UMMC completed a credentialing process by American Osteopathic Association in August and will begin accepting medical students in residence in 2013.

“This is an exciting moment for United Memorial Medical Center,” said President and CEO Mark C. Schoell (top photo). “As a teaching hospital, United Memorial will be at the forefront of the latest medical developments and be able to provide improved quality of care; advanced treatment therapies; a shorter length of stay for major illnesses; and achieve superior outcomes and survival rates for our patients.”

Dr. Anna Lamb, herself an osteopathic doctor, said the announcement today is "awesome" news for Batavia.

"We need to grow our own," Lamb said. "We’re going to have significant primary care shortage in the next few years as some of our physicians are getting a little older. We have to grow our own. Batavia is just not on people’s radar, so we have to get people in here to see it, to like it, and as Dr. Terry said, 'if we grow our own, they’ll stay here.'"

Dr. Richard Terry also said that local kids with medical aspirations will now have a way to complete their education locally and stay in their hometown, if they choose that route.

UMMC will use a variety of incentives, such as student loan repayment, to help convince residents to stay in Batavia and become primary care physicians.

Many young doctors, Schoell said, no longer want to go into private practice and would rather work for a medical institution.

The reason, he said, are reductions in government medical reimbursements, increasing regulation and the difficulty inherent in owning and running your own business.

There will be four residents accepted for each year of the program (for an eventual total of 12). They will reside in the community and receive compensation and benefits from United Memorial while participating in the program.

Serving as program director for United Memorial is Laurie Kilbury-Taylor, D.O.  Dr. Kilbury-Taylor is an emergency room physician at United Memorial with the group FDR Medical. She is a graduate of the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine and holds additional degrees including a master of science degree from the State University of New York-Roswell Park Division, and bachelor of science degrees in Biology and Engineering.

The first year of residency emphasizes the inpatient experience. For second-year residents,a significant emphasis is placed on taking more clinical responsibilities and enhancing decision-making skills. There are four months of inpatient medicine where residents are the primary physicians for their patients.

Each resident will manage his/her own inpatient service with supervision by an attending physician. The third-year resident has a significant role in teaching and supervising junior residents and assumes direct responsibility for leading the Medicine Teaching Service and Family Medicine Inpatient Teaching Service.

Individuals who have completed a baccalaureate program and wish to pursue a career as a physician in the United States must be accepted to and complete an additional four-year course of study at an accredited osteopathic medical school in order to continue in the osteopathic residency program.

When it comes to transportation, you want it to be safe, reliable and on time. Batavia's most elite and professional taxi service is now B-Town Yellow Taxi. Open 24 hours per day 7 days per week, when you need a ride across town, to Buffalo or even farther, B-Town is the company to call. Batavia rates start at just $5 for a full car in the city of Batavia, and just $8-12 for the town. Starting in October, B-Town will be basing all out of town rates off of a meter for accurate and affordable pricing!

Meet the owner: Phil Adamski: Phil has been driving taxi cabs for going on 7 years. He started off working for other companies and decided to open his own with improved service. Phil has goals of friendly and personalized service, safe transportation, courteous drives and low wait times!

To get a taxi ride, call them at 585-356-1881 (Note to prepaid customers it is a Verizon phone). Credit cards accepted.

Want an even better deal? Check out the website at http://www.btownyellowtaxi.com for pricing details and follow B-Town on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/btownyellow for weekly specials and more!