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GCEDC has landed its first business for the Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park in Batavia. It is a Bogata, Colombia-based dairy product company that will use the plant to expand its yogurt business into the United States.

According to South American news reports, Alpina Productos Alimenticios will invest $15 million in the project and will initially hire 50 people at the plant.

Established by two Swiss entrepreneurs in 1945, Alpina runs nine industrial facilities across Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador, and has commercial presence in more than 12 countries. 

The product line, which generates about $740 million in annual revenue, includes beverages, milk, baby food, desserts, cheeses, cream and butter, and fitness food products.

"The Alpina brand is a symbol of pride not only to Colombians but to the entire Andean region," Alpina President and CEO Julian Jaramillo (pictured) told La Republica. "We hope to build a new frontier for growth in the U.S. market, based on the properties of innovation, quality, nutrition and sustainability associated with our products and our presence in places where we already operate."

But it's not a 100-percent done deal, according to Genesee County Economic Development Center CEO Steve Hyde.  

The company intends to purchase a 10-acre parcel with a phase I construction plan for a 28,000-square-foot yogurt manufacturing facility.

The company picked one of the newest parcels in the park, so there is still a little bit of work to be done to get it completely shovel ready, including extending one of the roadways.

The purchase is contingent on that work being completed on schedule, and if it is, Hyde said, construction on the plant should begin in August.

The 10-acre parcel will give the company room for expansion.

"They've got a real footprint for future growth," Hyde said.

According to the La Republica article, Alpina has achieved growth rates in Venezuela and Ecuador of 15 and 20 percent and his hoping for the same level of success in the U.S.

Jaramillo believes per capita consumption of yogurt in the U.S. is low, which he sees as an opportunity to capture new consumers.

Hyde said the company, which he described as really family oriented, has done a lot of market research and has determined the northeastern part of the U.S. has a fast-growing Hispanic population, so they were looking at five sites in New York and three in Pennsylvania.

Batavia having a nearly shovel ready park combined with the region's high number of quality dairy farms were attractive to Alpina.

"It kind of proves the thesis that you've got to have that shovel ready site that clusters industries or companies won't even come," Hyde said. "They won't take the risk. They've got to be able to build and go."

The project is part of a $50 million plan by Alpina to expand its business.

“We’ve been waiting for exactly the right moment to make a major push into the U.S. market, and today we found the right location to achieve our strategic goals,” said Alpina Foods, LLC, Managing Director Carlos Ramirez Zavarce.  

Below is a video the company produced for YouTube that has received more than 500,000 views.

Press release from Jane Corwin's campaign:

WILLIAMSVILLE -- Jane Corwin, sucessful businesswoman and the unanimously endorsed Republican, Conservative, and Independence Party nominee for New York's 26th Congressional District, was unanimously endorsed this evening by TEA New York, the leading Western New York Tea Party organization.

"I appreciate the support of TEA New York and all Western New Yorkers who are committed to cutting spending and changing the way Washington does business," Corwin said. "For too long, Washington politicians have failed to take the lead on cutting spending and reforming our tax system, and individuals such as the members of TEA New York have led while career politicians continue to follow. If honored to be Western New York’s next representative in Washington, I will fight to cut spending and reduce taxes so we can strengthen our economy and create jobs in both the short- and long-term.”

Corwin received the unanimous endorsement after attending a TEA New York candidate forum this evening.

"Tonight, TEA New York sent a strong message by unanimously endorsing Jane Corwin for the 26th Congressional District," stated Rus Thompson of TEA New York. "Her message of reducing spending, creating jobs and (reining) in runaway government programs is exactly what our country needs. We look forward to electing her as our voice in Washington."

City fire is being dispatched to Vine and North streets for a minor-injury accident.

Dispatch describes it as "very minor injuries," but there are fluids leaking and police on scene requested the fire department.

Mercy EMS responding non-emergency.

Press release from Jane Corwin's campaign:

WILLIAMSVILLE – Jane Corwin, successful businesswoman and the unanimously endorsed Republican, Conservative, and Independence Party candidate for New York’s 26th Congressional District, today called on Members of Congress to forego receiving their paychecks if they fail to avert a government shutdown.

If Congress and President Obama do not reach an agreement on how to fund the government by midnight on Friday, essential federal services will be halted. While the House has now passed two funding bills to keep the government operational and protect essential services, the Senate and the White House have both failed to act on this issue.

“The failure of Washington politicians to do their job and pass a budget that supports our military and protects our seniors represents exactly what’s wrong with Washington,” Corwin said. “The numbers are complex but the facts are simple – last year House Democrats did not even produce a budget and now as a result of Senate Democrats’ failure to act, we are on the brink of a government shutdown.”

Corwin added that Members of Congress have a responsibility to their constituents to make the difficult decisions that come with their position, and used the current situation to highlight why Washington needs to take more cues from the private sector.

“In the private sector, we face challenging situations every day. The difference is, we solve those challenges by making tough decisions, which the politicians in Washington can't seem to do or don’t want to do. And in the private sector, if you don’t get the job done, you don't get paid,” Corwin added. “If our military families will not receive their benefits during a government shutdown, then Members of Congress who have failed to act should not receive theirs.”

New York's regulatory environment is a big problem GCEDC's CEO Steve Hyde told legislator's during a meeting in the Old Courthouse on Wednesday afternoon.

A "making it up on the fly" attitude among mid-level bureaucrats helps to chase business away from the state and makes it harder for Genesee Economic Development to operate, Hyde said.

His examples: A Department of Labor opinion saying GCEDC should have paid prevailing wage in the construction of the MedTech facility; the Authorities Budget Office compensation report; and new difficulty in getting a rail line built into the Agri-Business park.

"It’s funny when you're trying to do progressive business development, how bureaucrats who really don't understand business development will make up new regulations on the fly," said Hyde during a meeting of the Ways and Means Committee.

Hyde also provided financial data on GCEDC's performance, noting that the county's $250,000 (approximate) annual investment in GCEDC has been leveraged into: $18.7 million in capital investment by area businesses; 116 PILOT projects that currently generate $2.2 million in new tax revenue -- and will eventually generate $4 million for local governments; and an increase of $2.2 million in sales tax revenue.

According to Hyde, for every $1 invested by Genesee County in 2010 in GCEDC, $16.54 in tax payments are returned to the various taxing jurisdictions in the county.

Much of this information will be presented at a public information meeting April 11, but so far, only 11 people have signed up to attend.

As for the regulatory climate, Hyde started off talking about the Department of Labor opinion and the conclusion of its attorney that the Genesee Gateway Local Development Corp. should have paid prevailing wage on construction the MedTech facility.

"We had an attorney from the Department of Labor unilaterally write a decision against our nonprofit LDL because the LDL has some sort of association with the (Industrial Development Agency)," Hyde said. "I don't know how one attorney in a single regulatory agency can issue an opinion that pierces the veil of state and federal law on nonprofits."

He called the idea of labeling a nonprofit corporation a public entity a "travesty" and "disrespectful of nonprofit laws in this country."

"If we fail on this one, it will be a very expensive issue not just for us, but could effect the college and the county directly," Hyde said.

On the Authorities Budget Office report, Hyde called the agency a young regulatory body that engages primarily in writing new rules for IDAs to follow -- regulations that haven't been enacted by elected officials.

"They come up with interpretations that are far reaching beyond any legislation," Hyde said. 

On the Agri-Business Park, Hyde said that no major food processor will want to move into the park without it being connected to rail lines. The GCEDC has received a grant to build a rail line, but one "mid-level" bureaucrat in the Department of Transportation office in Rochester is holding up the funding.

"He's got us jammed up right now," Hyde said. "Now I'm going to have to work the chain, go to Hawley or Ranzenhofer. I told him, 'It's not your job to make regulations on the fly.'"

Besides the difficulty the GCEDC is facing with its own regulators, Hyde said the Department of Environmental Conservation is making it harder for businesses to build and expand in New York. As an example, Hyde said the DEC is expanding its "short form" environmental impact application from one page to four.

"One of the questions is about 'environmental justice,'" Hyde said. "How do you like that term, 'environmental justice'? It's just absurd."

Senior VP of Operations Mark Masse said the regulatory environment is one of the reasons an agency like GCEDC is needed, to help level the playing field with other states.

"We think it's bad living in NewYork, but there are people outside of New York who think we're closed for business because of these issues," Masse said. 

But there may be help on the way. Hyde, and Legislator Hollis Upson, reiterated that that the Cuomo administration seems to be taking concerns about over-regulation seriously.

Members of the GCEDC recently met with Lt. Gov. Robert Duffy, Hyde said, and Duffy was quite concerned about what he heard and promised specifically to look into the Department of Labor and ABO issues. 

"Duffy really did seem interested in trying to knock down some of this bureaucracy," Hyde said.

UPDATE 6:30 p.m.

An alert neighbor and a quick response from the South Byron Fire Department helped prevent a house fire early Sunday morning from becoming an inferno.

The fire was reported by a neighbor at 3:34 a.m., according to the Sheriff's Office, at the Samuel Ferrara residence, 6307 E. Main St. Road, South Byron.

The caller reported seeing smoke and flames from under the eave of the porch.

"Fast action by neighbors, the homeowner and a quick response by the South Byron Fire Department are credited with limiting the damage to the porch only," said Chief Deputy Gordon Dibble.

The Byron Fire Department also responded.

Chief James McKenzie both departments turned out in force for the early morning alarm.

"I was impressed with the turnout we had," McKenzie said. 

McKenzie said a good portion of the fire was knocked down by the resident and a neighbor by the time the first truck rolled up.

The neighbor had fire extinguishers and the resident had a garden hose.

Because there was extension into the walls, firefighters had to open a couple of walls to get to the fire and ensure it was out.

There were no injuries reported.

The cause was apparently a discarded cigarette.  The fire caused an estimate $30,000 to $40,000 damage.

South Byron and Byron firefighters cleared the scene at 7:03 a.m.

Press release from the Jack Davis campaign:

Washington politicians are bickering like children. It’s another example of how both parties have failed us. They are doing nothing to put Americans back to work, which is essential to balancing the budget and securing Social Security for seniors. 

Right now, about 56% of Americans over the age of 16 are gainfully employed. If that percentage rises to 64%, then the budget deficit disappears entirely. If the Washington politicians took the budget deficit seriously, they’d be focusing on increasing the number of jobs for Americans instead of shipping our jobs overseas.

Both parties continue to push trade deals like NAFTA that have destroyed our economy and our childrens’ future. Both parties continue to spend valuable tax dollars around the globe instead of putting Americans first.

We need to bring our troops home from places like Germany and Italy that have not seen hostilities in more than a half a century. We need to end our endless wars in the Middle East. We need to stop giving money to every country on Earth. We need to create American jobs and put tariffs on China’s unfair imports.

The money saved from doing these things would solve the problems that Washington politicians use to threaten a shut down.

We need people in Congress who will stand up to the special interests that control both parties, and who will fight for what’s right for America.

In the past, when the Jane Corwin campaign released a new commercial, they put out a press release. This new attack ad just appeared.

Ian Murphy, on the other hand, hasn't put out any press releases that I'm aware of, but he does have three videos posted on his Murphy for Congress YouTube page.

They are embedded below.  

James Kenneth Goodenow, 40, of South Academy Street, Wyoming, is charged with petit larceny. Goodenow is accused of shoplifting from a store on Lewiston Road, Batavia. He was jailed on $500 bail.

Brian Thomas Kerwin, 23, of Country Lane, Geneseo, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Kerwin was charged following a traffic stop at 6:09 p.m. Wednesday on Route 19, Le Roy, by Deputy Joseph Graff.

Nicholas Shawn Andrews, 32, South Lake Road, Pavilion, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Andrews was was charged following a traffic stop at 6:09 p.m. Wednesday on Route 19, Le Roy, by Deputy Joseph Graff.

Lucas Daniel Allen, 20, of Horsehoe Lake Road, Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Allen was charged following a traffic stop at 10:07 p.m. March 30 on Caswell Road, Byron, by Deputy Joseph Graff.

Mitchell Andrew Cummings, 19, of Byron Road, Batavia, is charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. Cummings was charged following a traffic stop at 10:07 p.m. March 30 on Caswell Road, Byron, by Deputy Joseph Graff.

Carrie Ann Rucinski, 25, of West Avenue, Medina, is charged with petit larceny. Rucinski is accused of shoplifting six items from Kmart on Tuesday.

This is the third in our series of stories about the 2010 Chamber of Commerce award winners. The awards will be presented at a dinner Saturday at the Clarion Hotel.

Like many small businesses, Triple P Farms in Oakfield started with a budding business owner seeing a need and believing he could start small and grow his enterprise.

Daniel "Pudgie" Riner, 52, was raised on a farm in Byron. After his father sold the family farm to the My T Acres, Riner spent 11 years working for the Call family.

He was pretty confident he could grow things. He had just never tried growing anything in a greenhouse before.

Shortly after marrying Patti Call more than 22 years ago, he opened Triple P Farms with a single 2,000-square-foot greenhouse.

Riner was encouraged by his brother and Craig Yunker of CY Farms to start with tomato seedlings.

"They were not happy with quality of transplants that they were buying out of the south and I thought I could grow something better," Riner recalled. "They gave me an opportunity to try and that’s what started the greenhouse business."

Today, Triple P Farms is comprised of more than two acres of greenhouses and he's adding on another 25,000 square feet. Triple P annually produces more than 12 million onion and cabbage plants for local farmers.

It's that kind of growth and contribution to the local agriculture community that led the Genesee County Chamber of Commerce to select Triple P Farms as 2010 Agriculture Business of the Year.

It's an award, Riner said, he finds humbling.

He credits his employees, his customers, his vendors and other members of the agriculture community, even his bank, for making the award possible.

"I always say, one of my biggest assets is the people around me who help make it work. I have the right team around me."

After more than 22 years in business, Riner said what gives him the biggest satisfaction are his employees. He keeps five full-time employees year around and employees 15 to 20 more people during the summer months.

"It feels pretty good that you’re doing something to help people survive."

He said people like his office manager, Debbie Lynch, who has been with Triple P almost from the beginning, and his retail store manager, Scott Fisher, are the ones who really get the work done.

"I don’t know how we could do it without the key people around that make it work."

In the summer, much of Triple P's staffing increase comes from Riner hiring young people.

Riner -- whose friends started calling him "Pudgie" when he was a teen and the nickname stuck -- said he likes new hires to be juniors in high school. It's hard, physical labor, but he enjoys working with youngsters, even mentoring them right through college.

"I always tell them, If you work for me you'll figure out why you don’t want to do this for the rest of your life. Go to college and get a brain."

About 11 years ago, Riner bought a retail nursery on West Main Street in the Town of Batavia from the Riegel family.  

He renamed it Pudgie's Lawn and Garden Center.

“They (the Riegel family) had a wonderful reputation and I’d like to think that we have continued that wonderful reputation of high quality plants that are locally grown. The lawn and garden store we call Pudgie's has been good to us and we try to add more and more to it every year. We have a very good customer base there."

All of the "bedding" plants sold at Pudgie's are grown at Triple P, giving gardeners a chance to buy locally grown plants from local plant experts (most of Pudgie's employees are master gardeners).

This year, Riner lost his pea-picking business as the frozen food industry has consolidated around just two harvesting companies (Riner said he's proud that his business was one of the final four out of a few dozen once upon a time), but he's already taking Triple P in a new, promising direction.

This winter, he and a partner, A.J. Wormuth, started growing cucumbers in the Triple P greenhouses to sell through area retail stores under the Fresh Harvest Farms brand.

The new line is off to a promising start and the time is right, Riner said, to expand into other winter-grown vegetables because of the strong consumer interest in locally grown produce.

"There’s a big push industry for local. The challenge is getting into the big box stores like Tops or Wegmans or Save-A-Lot, but with the impact of people pushing local, the door has opened a little more than in the past."

Riner and Patti have three children. One attends RIT, another is working on becoming a teacher and their oldest daughter lives and works in the Washington, D.C., area.

He said he and Patti keep most of their community involvement pretty low-key. They're active in Northgate Church and do what they can individually to help families and young people.

Patti supports the Cancer Society. She's twice survived cancer.

As he mentions her cancer battles, Pudgie chokes up.

“It still bugs me," he said, as his eyes moistened and his voice cracked. "You can tell. You can tell.”

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis) has proposed what he claims is a bold plan to reduce government spending by $4 trillion over 10 years.

The plan would:

• Repeal health care reform
• Turn Medicare over to private insurances and provide vouchers for recipients
• Turn Medicaid into a block-grant funded program with state's picking up any unfunded expenses
• Lower the highest individual and corporate tax rates from 35 to 25 percent
• Lift drilling moratoriums on and off shore
• Cap government spending at 20 percent of the Gross Domestic Product
• It also makes claims for job creation, claims to spur growth and higher wages, bans earmarks and cuts corporate welfare.

Since this is a plan that the next representative from the NY-26 could be asked to vote on, we asked each candidate to respond to Ryan's budget proposal.

Jane Corwin:

Our country is facing a historical challenge – we can either keep pursuing a path of runaway spending, and job-killing debt, or we can choose to get serious about reducing spending, cutting taxes and creating sustainable long-term economic growth for our children and grandchildren. The plan unveiled today recognizes this reality. I look forward to studying the proposals and working to change the direction of our country.

Kathy Hochul:

It’s time to get our fiscal house in order and start working toward reducing our national debt. There is no question that we need to make substantial cuts to our budget, but decimating Medicare cannot be the solution. Once elected, I look forward to working with all members of Congress to cut wasteful spending, while still keeping the promises made to our seniors and ensuring the survival of job re-training programs, so that our businesses can innovate, create jobs, and compete in the global market.

Ian Murphy:

Ryan's budget proposal represents the height of Republican dishonesty. It's a reverse-Robin Hood, where they rob from the poor and give to the rich. You can't reduce the deficit by lowering taxes on corporations and the super-rich, and cutting social spending. Anyone who suggests such an obvious lie should be laughed off the political stage. It's just one more example of our elected officials representing wealth, not people. 

As for Jack Davis, his communications director Curtis Ellis wrote, "This is a large and complex proposal. As an engineer, Jack wants to give it the attention it requires and deserves. He's looking closely at it and we'll get back to you." That was yesterday afternoon and we've not yet received a response from Davis.

For further reading:

• Paul Ryan in WSJ: The GOP Path to Prosperity
• WaPo Fact-Checker: Ryan Budget Plan 'Relies on Dubious Assertions, Questionable Assumptions and Fishy Figures
• Paul Ryan's Budget Plan: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

When James Sunser, Ed.D, starts his new job in August it will be with a sense of purpose and a lifetime of experience in community college.

Sunser replaces Stuart Steiner, Ed.D, as president of Genesee Community College in August.

Sunser told WBTA's Geoff Redick that his passion for education was instilled in him by his parents.

"Our parents ingrained in us from an early age that getting an education is really a big part of the American dream," Sunser said. "I was a first-generation college student. My sisters and I were the first generation in our family to go."

Sunser says that experience alone was enough to push him to work in education for the rest of his life, and see other people live that dream.

"It's very natural for me to be in (education)," he says.

Steiner is retiring after 36 years of leading GCC, taking it from what he's said was sometimes referred to as a "high school with ashtrays" to one of the most prestigious community colleges in New York, if not the nation.

"GCC really has an outstanding reputation in all the SUNY system -- and nationally, too," says Sunser. "Dr. Stuart Steiner, the board of trustees, the whole faculty and staff and administrative team...they're really among the best that I've ever had the chance to come across."

Sunser also praised Steiner

"He is absolutely an icon in SUNY," Sunser said. "What he's done has been fantastic."

The newly selected president has spent the past 23 years at Onondaga Community College, ascending to the position of Vice President for Continued & Extended Learning in 2004.

During that time, he oversaw the the construction of the Whitney Applied Technology Center, the addition of residence halls for 600 students, the creation of a Center for Workforce Development, and the development of new degree programs in Nuclear Technology, Sustainability, and Overhead Lineman Studies.

For the full interview, click here.

In 1983, a Henrietta resident bought a small beverage company in Batavia with a vision for building a chain of stores that would offer customers a wide selection of handcrafted and imported beers.

Batavia Beverage Corporation became Angotti Beverage Corporation and Tony Angotti was on a path toward what is now three stores in the Rochester region, including the widely known Beers of the World in Henrietta.

That success has landed Angotti the prestigious honor of Small Business Person of the Year for the area's 14-county Small Business Administration district.

The Democrat & Chronicle published a story about Angotti today.

"I've always been a nut for imported beers and something different," he said Tuesday. "I always dreamed of something different, something that was not available in upstate New York. So I started bringing in beers, sometimes obscure beers, that nobody knew anything about and some are very well-known brands today."

...

"The population today is not like it was years ago when our fathers and grandfathers used to go a bar and say 'give me a beer' and didn't even know what they were getting," Angotti said. "To them a beer was a beer. But today we have a very sophisticated drinking population that is looking for something unique, something different."

Small businesses need help, according to Sen. Kristen Gillibrand, so today she announced a legislative package she believes will help small businesses start and grow.

Her plan would provide more federal grant money for business incubators, tax-free savings accounts for entrepreneurs and tax credits for investment in small businesses.

"The lack of early capital from the poor economy holds us (New York) back," said Gillibrand in a press release. "We need to support budding entrepreneurs, free up the credit they need to get their ideas off the ground, and invest in the kind of research we can turn into cutting-edge businesses and new jobs."

Gillibrand plans to introduce the Early-Stage Business Investment and Incubation Act, legislation to provide federal grants of up to $5 million for business incubators to support the development of early-stage small businesses in targeted, high-growth industries. 

Another legislative proposal, Small Business Savings Account Act, would allow aspiring entrepreneurs to save up to $10,000 tax free to later invest in a new business.

Gillibrand also proposes making from $250,000 to $2.5 million available for clustered science-tech parks to help drive high-tech entrepreneurship and job creation.

Full press release after the jump:

Washington, D.C. – While small businesses serve as the economy’s biggest job creator, creating half of all new jobs across the state, they are struggling to grow in this tough economy. To help kick-start the backbone of our economy, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand today announced her entrepreneurship agenda to help generate access to the capital needed to start more small businesses, and create jobs for New York.

The focus of Senator Gillibrand’s plan is directing more early capital to business start-ups through federal grants for business incubators, tax-free savings accounts for entrepreneurs, and tax credits to leverage private investment in new businesses. Senator Gillibrand is also fighting for greater investments in New York’s science parks that have the ability to turn groundbreaking academic research into viable businesses that can create jobs and help grow our economy.

“My number-one focus is creating good-paying, family-supporting jobs,” Senator Gillibrand said. “But I know that government doesn’t create jobs – businesses do. New York is home to some of the world’s brightest minds and best ideas to grow our economy. But the lack of early capital from the poor economy holds us back. We need to support budding entrepreneurs, free up the credit they need to get their ideas off the ground, and invest in the kind of research we can turn into cutting-edge businesses and new jobs. This is the future of our economy, and we need to make sure it starts right here in New York.”

Small businesses are responsible for half of all private sector jobs and 70 percent of all new jobs created in the last decade. But nearly 60 percent of all small business report having trouble getting the credit they need – holding them back from growing, and creating new jobs.

February employment data from the New York State Department of Labor show that while more Americans are slowly going back to work, approximately 800,000 New Yorkers are still unemployed.

·         Approximately 370,000 New York City residents are out of work, giving the region an average percent unemployment rate of 9.4%.
·         Approximately 64,000 Western New York residents are out of work, giving the region an average percent unemployment rate of 9.5%.
·         Approximately 52,000 Rochester/Finger Lakes Region residents are out of work, giving the region an average percent unemployment rate of 8.6%.
·         Over 50,000 Central New York residents are out of work, giving the region an average percent unemployment rate of 9.6%
·         Almost 25,000 Southern Tier residents are out of work, giving the region an average percent unemployment rate of 9.6%.
·         Over 47,000 Capital Region residents are out of work, giving the region an average percent unemployment rate of 9.2%.
·         Approximately 25,000 North Country residents are out of work, giving the region an average percent unemployment rate of 10.8%.
·         Approximately 87,000 Hudson Valley residents are out of work, giving the region an average percent unemployment rate of 8.2%.
·         Over 110,000 Long Island residents are out of work, giving the region an average percent unemployment rate of 7.7%.

Senator Gillibrand’s Entrepreneurship Agenda

1. Supporting Business Incubators that Fuel Entrepreneurship
One of the biggest obstacles for starting any new business is access to capital. As communities look for new ways to support local business development during tough economic times, increasingly more are looking to business incubators to help launch job creation engines. Currently there is a need for more federal mechanisms to support business incubators beyond “bricks and mortar” support. 

Entrepreneurs need support as they work to move their ideas into viable, successful new businesses that create jobs, revitalize neighborhoods, and commercialize new technologies that can help grow our economy.  

To support business incubators and foster growth among our high-tech entrepreneurs, Senator Gillibrand is introducing the Early-Stage Business Investment and Incubation Act, legislation to provide federal grants of up to $5 million for business incubators to support the development of early-stage small businesses in targeted, high-growth industries. Grants for incubators would go toward assisting start-up companies with comprehensive training and counseling services, investment management and purchased services.

Supporting entrepreneurs and business incubators is one of the best investments to rebuild areas of New York that were hit hardest by the economic crisis, and grow our high-tech sector.
·         Every $10,000 invested in business incubators has the potential to create up to nearly 70 new local jobs, according to the Economic Development Administration (EDA).
·         Every dollar devoted to an incubator generates approximately $30 in local tax revenue, according to the National Business Incubation Association (NBIA).
·         In 2005 alone, business incubators supported more than 27,000 start-up companies that provided jobs for more than 100,000 workers – generating more than $17 billion in annual revenue, according to NBIA estimates.

2. Tax-Free Savings to Fund New Small Businesses
Entrepreneurs spend on average about $80,000 in first-year start-up costs. But since the economic crisis, with minimal access to capital, debt financing for new businesses has been increasingly difficult to obtain.

As part of her broad agenda to help entrepreneurs develop the start-up funds they need to get their new business ideas off the ground, Senator Gillibrand is co-sponsoring the Small Business Savings Account Act, legislation to allow prospective entrepreneurs to grow tax-free savings to fund their new small business.

The legislation would allow entrepreneurs to save up to $10,000 a year tax-free for their business. Once an individual decides to start their business, the funds from their savings could go toward equipment, facilities, marketing, legal fees, and other capital and operating expenses. 

3. Tax Credits for Investments in Small Businesses
Private investment in new businesses helps fuel job creation, and helps entrepreneurs power through the common gap between the start-up of a company and the point it turns profitable. In 2008, companies backed by private investment employed more than 12 million people and generated nearly $3 trillion in revenue, accounting for 11 percent of private sector employment and representing about 21 percent of U.S. GDP. In 2009 alone, angel investments led to the creation of 250,000 new jobs. But since the economic crisis, private equity investment has dried up, holding entrepreneurs back from starting their businesses and growing our economy.

To leverage more private investment into budding entrepreneurs, Senator Gillibrand is co-sponsoring the American Opportunity Act, legislation to provide a 25 percent tax credit to encourage private investors to support emerging small businesses in fields with the most potential to lead in the high-tech economy, including advanced manufacturing, aerospace, biotechnology, clean energy and transportation.

Qualified small businesses could receive $2 million per year in tax credit-eligible cash equity investment, of which no more than $1 million may come from one single investor.

Estimates project the tax credit could spark $2 billion a year in private investments into new businesses. 

4. Expand and Build New Science Parks
Science parks hold the potential to make major breakthroughs in academic research that translate to promising new business ventures and new jobs. New York is home to some of the nation’s best science parks, including at Clarkson University, the University at Buffalo, Binghamton University, the College of Nanoscale Science & Engineering at the University at Albany, New York University, Stony Brook University, as well as New York City’s Bioscience Initiative that brings together over a dozen world-class research institutions and business leaders to grow New York’s bioscience industry. Its state-of-the-art facilities and leading research has helped secure over $1 billion in federal investments from the National Institutes for Health (NIH) and create over 110,000 related jobs for New York City.

To give all of New York’s science parks the resources they need and build more science parks across America, Senator Gillibrand fought for and helped pass a provision in the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act that supports new business start-ups, generates student interest in science and technology, and promotes strong relationships between universities and high-tech industries.

Now, Senator Gillibrand is working to secure federal investments to support the growth of science parks. Specifically, Senator Gillibrand is writing to Senate leaders, urging them to include $107 million in the FY2012 budget to help grow America’s science parks. 

5. Grow Regional Economies and Attract New Businesses
To grow the economy, businesses must work together and draw on regional strengths that can attract more investment to the area. To foster regional economic growth, Senator Gillibrand is working to pass the Strengthening Employment Clusters to Organize Regional Success (SECTORS) Act – legislation that would award competitive grants ranging from $250,000 to $2.5 million to eligible entities to develop cluster-based economic development strategies. 

These investments are critical to connecting regional businesses, suppliers, research and development entities, education and training providers, and associated institutions in a particular field to fulfill regional workforce needs and grow regional economies.

From Eastern New York’s Tech Valley to Western New York’s biotech corridor, to New York City’s Bioscience Initiative, the SECTORS Act would provide critical federal investments to some of New York’s most promising regional cluster development projects, and lay the foundation for our state’s long term economic strength in the high-tech sector.

Press Release:

ERIE COUNTY – Kathy Hochul, candidate for New York’s 26th Congressional District, today declared her support for a budget compromise in Congress that would cut $30 to $40 billion in spending and called on her opponents Republican Jane Corwin, and Tea Party Line candidate Jack Davis, to join her in supporting the compromise. 
 
“There is no question that major budgetary cuts need to be made in Washington, and that is why I support a compromise that reduces spending by $30 to $40 billion. The House and Senate are in the middle of a dangerous standoff, and the only way to avoid a massive government shutdown that could disrupt essential services, like veterans’ benefits, new Social Security claims, student loans, and critical job-training services is by coming to a compromise on the budget,” said Hochul.
 
“If Washington politicians continue to engage in this brinkmanship, it will be the promises to our veterans, our seniors, our students, and our hard working families that are broken. Therefore it is time for the House and Senate to make the necessary cuts, without butchering vital programs, and agree to a $30 to $40 billion cut in the budget. I urge my opponents – Jane Corwin, the Republican nominee, and Jack Davis, the Tea Party Line candidate – to follow my lead and support this necessary compromise.
 
“The long-term financial health of our country depends upon getting our fiscal house in order, but some of the $61 billion in cuts approved by the House erode our ability to create jobs and compete in the global economy. Across the board cuts in job re-training, high-tech research, medical research and education will make it more difficult for American families to hold onto their jobs and keep our economy moving forward,” Hochul concluded.

A pair of local entrepreneurs who plan to open a teen nightclub in the former location of PowerHouse Gym on East Main Street, Batavia, say a major financial hurdle has been overcome and they're ready to move forward.

After initially announcing plans in January, just two weeks later, the venture had to be put on ice when Tim Walton and Mike Marchese learned they would need to install a $50,000 sprinkler system in the 7,350-square-foot facility.

Walton announced this week that additional, unnamed, investors are now involved in the project and Walton and Marchese have $100,000 available for the project.

Most of that fund is being bankrolled by Walton and Marchese, Walton said, but the local investors are willing to put in more money if needed.

"We don't want to cut corners," Walton said.

No opening date was announced.

"We've got a plan, contract and partnership that allows us to have direct access to over 20,000 teens in Western New York," Walton said. "We're going all out to make this a success."

Walton also announced a partnership with local DJ Marc Tillery.

"The move to buy into the DJ company was a move I made to allow us to have our own disc jockey company rather than have to hire out," Walton said. "I partnered with Tillery as a way to have more access to the current music, club mixes and even recording artists. Tillery has some connections with Hollywood stars, EA Sports, Boyz II Men, New Edition and his most recent connection is Island Def Jam recording artist Kenny Klassix."

Walton and Tillery previously joined forces in local marketing, as Walton bought out Tillery's advertising marketing company and merged it with his screen-printing business, TopLine Shirt Company.

Meanwhile, Walton has also sold out his interest in the DJ operation at Falleti Ice Arena to Firland Management.

The ice arena DJ operation was a venture he had gotten involved with in 2001. 

"I had a great time doing it while I did," Walton said. "It was great working with Rich Nobles, Dee Gugel, Bob Filighera and everyone else."

Christopher Jonathan Feidner, 25, Middle Road, Gowanda, is charged with burglary, 2nd. Feidner is accused of entering the Oakfield apartment of his estranged wife without consent on two occasions in June. During the first alleged incident, Feidner reportedly stole two Xbox game consoles and two PlayStation game consoles along with their controllers. During the second alleged incident, Feidner reportedly stole two laptop computers. Feidner is currently an inmate at Collins Correctional Facility in Gowanda serving time on an unrelated felony conviction.