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MARCH 17, 2015 I SOUTHERN TIER BUSINESS JOURNAL I 1TGBBJ.COM
2 I SOUTHERN TIER BUSINESS JOURNAL I MARCH 23, 2015TGBBJ.COM
BINGHAMTON — M&T Bank has pro-moted Susan A. Burtis to group manager for commercial banking in Binghamton.
She will lead a team of middle-market relationship managers providing loans, de-posit services, treasury management prod-ucts, and other services to commercial clients across the Southern Tier, according to an M&T news release.
Burtis has 24 years of local banking experience, including more than 14 years at M&T Bank. She was previously a middle-market relationship manager and team leader.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Notre Dame. Burtis
serves on the boards of the Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra and the Catholic Education Foundation, the release stated.
Buffalo–based M&T Bank ranks number one in deposit market share in the Binghamton met-ropolitan statistical area, with a more than 51 percent share of all deposits, according to the latest FDIC data.
The banking company operates a re-gional headquarters on Exchange Street in downtown Binghamton.
M&T Bank names Burtis commercial banking group manager in Binghamton
New York farms produced 1.49 billion eggs last year, up 5 percent from 1.42 billion in 2013, the USDA’s New York field office reported re-cently.
The number of chickens that lay eggs averaged 5.05 million in 2014, up 5 percent from a year earlier, the field office said in a news release. New York state had 6.51 million total chickens on hand last year, up 6 percent from 2013.
The total value of all chickens in the state was $18.9 million, as of Dec. 1, 2014, up 46 percent from Dec. 1, 2013. The average value of a bird increased from $2.10 to $2.90 in that one-year period, the release stated.
Burtis
Area unemployment rates decline in January
Unemployment rates in the Binghamton, Elmira, and Ithaca metro areas fell in January, compared to a year ago, according to the latest New York State Department of Labor data re-leased March 10.
The unemployment rate in the Binghamton region fell to 7.2 percent in January from 7.9 per-cent a year ago,
The Elmira area’s jobless rate declined to 6.5 percent in January from 7.6 percent a year prior, according to figures from the state Labor Department.
And, the unemployment rate in the Ithaca region came in at 4.8 percent in January, down from 5.1 percent in January 2014.
January 2015 Unemployment Rates by County (not seasonally adjusted)
Chemung Financial declares quarterly dividend of 26 cents
ELMIRA — Chemung Financial Corp. (NASDAQ: CHMG) announced that its board of directors has approved a quar-terly cash dividend of 26 cents a share.
The dividend is payable on April 1 to common stock shareholders of record as of the close of business on March 17, according to a Chemung Financial news release.
Chemung Financial is a $1.5 bil-lion financial-services holding company, headquartered in Elmira, which operates 34 branches through its main subsid-iary, Chemung Canal Trust Company.
Established in 1833, Chemung Canal Trust says it is the oldest locally owned and managed community bank in New York state.
Chemung Canal Trust ranks ninth in deposit market share in the 16-county Central New York area, according to the latest FDIC data. It has 21 branches in the
region.Chemung
Financial is also the parent of CFS Group, Inc., a finan-
By the Numbers:Food manufacturing by labor market region in New York
NOTE TO ERIN: Another stand-alone item for STBJ ROP. Region Firms Number of Jobs Total Wages
($ millions) Annual Average Wages
Central New York 72 1,433 83.4 $43,259 Mohawk Valley 62 2,282 98.7 $43,235 Southern Tier 53 3,527 169.4 $48,027 North Country 37 1,022 46.5 $45,513 Capital 97 2,006 83.4 $41,593 Western New York 149 7,934 381.7 $48,106 New York City 1,088 15,377 501.8 $32,633 Finger Lakes 135 6,255 289.7 $46,322 Hudson Valley 252 5,976 271.5 $45,436 Long Island 295 6,163 240.6 $39,044 New York State 2,268 52,345 2169.6 $41,448 Pull-out stats:
• In 2013, the Southern Tier had the second highest average wage of all NYS regions in food manufacturing.
• The Southern Tier was one of the regions with the largest percentage increase in total wages
paid, at 57.7 percent.
• From 2003 to 2013, employment grew in four of the 10 labor markets, including the Southern Tier at 25.2 percent.
Source: New York State Department of Labor, June 2014
n In 2013, the Southern Tier had the second- highest average wage of all NYS regions in food manufacturing.
n The Southern Tier was one of the regions with the largest percentage increase in total wages paid, at 57.7 percent.
n From 2003 to 2013, employment grew in four of the 10 labor markets, including the Southern Tier at 25.2 percent.
Source: New York State Department of Labor, June 2014
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MARCH 23, 2015 I soutHeRn tIeR busIness jouRnAl I 3 tgbbj.CoM
i3 Electronics projects 15 percent revenue growthBY NORMAN [email protected]
ENDICOTT — In mythology, a phoenix is a bird that is periodically reborn, rising from the ashes of its predecessor. It is the symbol of renewal.
i3 Electronics, Inc. is the successor to Endicott Interconnect Technologies (EIT), which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2013. The company continues as a vertically integrated manufacturer of high-performance, electronic-packaging products. Its services include the design and fabrication of printed circuit boards and advanced semiconductor packaging, turnkey services for printed circuit board and integrated-circuits assembly and testing, systems integration, and advanced-laboratory services.
The company serves a variety of markets: aerospace and defense, medical, communica-tions, computing, and industrial. Where A&D (aerospace and defense) once represented the bulk of its business, 50 percent of its revenues now come from the high-performance comput-ing and medical fields, i3 Electronics says.
“Our technology can be found in the world’s fastest supercomputers; life-saving medical devices (pacemakers, defibrillators, X-ray machines, CT scanners, patient-monitoring systems); complex imaging systems; mission-critical defense applications (avionics, elec-tronic warfare, sensor systems, unmanned systems, intelligence and surveillance); and many other products. The customer base
includes high-profile companies such as IBM, Cisco, Northrop Grumman, Department of Defense, St. Jude Medical, and Siemens,” Robert L. Nead, then company president, said in a Feb. 10 interview with The Business Journal. [Editor’s note: On March 3, the com-pany announced in a letter to employees that Nead was stepping down from his position as president, effective March 6, now that the company’s turnaround is complete. James T. Matthews, Jr., assumed the president’s post in addition to his current CEO job.]
i3 Electronics currently employs between 415 and 420 people, according to Matthews, “and is in the process of hiring another 10. We have one location here at the Huron Complex in Endicott where we lease 800,000 square feet. Last year, the company generated about $80 million in revenue.” Five members of the Matthews family and the estate of Matthews’ father comprise the corporate stockholders.
Reorganization“Since reorganizing the company, our goal
has been to right-size the firm and be competi-tive,” said Nead. “We needed to stabilize our op-eration and convince both the employees and our customers that our strategic plan is work-ing. One of our major expenses was the fact that, in 2013, EIT was leasing 1.2 million square feet with a very high energy cost. Much of our effort has been to right-size the facility. Within the next 18 months, we expect to further reduce our footprint from 800,000 to 400,000 square feet. This right-sizing effort has helped
to put us on a very competitive footing.” The reorganization also included a major
investment to make the operation more ef-ficient. “Our capital investment from 2013 to 2016 will total $10 million,” notes Matthews. i3 Electronics has run a three-shift operation, 7 days a week, since November 2014.
Highly competitive fields“This is a very competitive business,”
opined Nead. “We compete with a number of international firms in all of our fields. To stay ahead of the competition, we focus on the technology that we put into our products and on their reliability. The fact that we are verti-cally integrated means that we understand all aspects of making the product and offer a quicker time-to-market for our customers. R&D is at the center of our efforts to reduce the size, weight, and power consumption of our products. That’s why we employ close to 10 percent of our workforce in that area.”
“We have stabilized the company and both diversified and expanded our activity and customer base. The confirmation comes from long-term, contract renewals.”
Matthews and Nead ascribed much of the company’s reorganization success to its leadership team. In addition to Matthews, Jim Thornton is vice president of operations; Mike Cummings is director of engineering; and Matt Neely is the engineering manager. i3 Electronics also recognizes support from professional-service companies: M&T Bank for financial-services support and Davidson Fox & Company, LLP for accounting.
But i3 Electronics’ leaders reserved special recognition for the company’s employees. “We have an exceptional talent base of engineers, scientists, innovators, and operators” stressed
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Robert Nead, left, former president of i3 Electronics, and Jim Matthews Jr., CEO
4 I SOUTHERN TIER BUSINESS JOURNAL I MARCH 23, 2015TGBBJ.COM
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Pivotel’s Branham knocks it out of the park despite tough timingBY NORMAN [email protected]
NORWICH — Hitting a home run does not mean swinging hard; it’s all in the timing. This aphorism, attributed to Yogi Berra, also ap-plies to starting a business.
Just ask Mary C. Branham, president of Pivotel, LLC, headquartered in Norwich. Branham launched her telecom business in May 2001, just before the great technol-ogy bubble burst. In August of that year, Syracuse–based Telergy, a provider of inte-grated broadband communications services that was struggling under a mountain of debt, collapsed when it couldn’t refinance $200 mil-lion in loans. The company subsequently filed for bankruptcy liquidation, putting 615 employ-ees out on the street. The local bankruptcy foreshadowed by a few months the bankrupt-cy of two national telecom firms — Global Crossing and 360networks. The $1 trillion in debt run-up collectively by the high-flying tele-com industry jolted banks and stockholders into designating the sector “radioactive.” The cause of the problem was simple: An oversup-ply of capacity built during the boom years exceeded the demand.
Pivotel, which is certified as a women-owned business enterprise (WBE) since 2002, began by selling supplies to telecom installers, including premise-wiring systems and acces-sories; cables; test equipment; racks, frames, and cabinets; power equipment; and conduits. The unfortunate timing of Branham’s entry into the telecom business was offset in part by a growing awareness among larger corpora-tions to embrace diversity. As a WBE, she was invited not just to sell telecom supplies, but also to do engineering and installation.
“What started as an operation with one em-ployee has now … [blossomed] into a business with 45 employees,” says Branham. “Of that number, 30 do telecom installations, the rest do temporary staffing. We work directly with major telecom and broadband carriers as well as major telecom OEMs (original-equipment manufacturers), providing engineering, instal-lation, testing, quality inspections, pre-wire, and project management. Ten of our installers are located in states such as Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Kentucky, and we work on projects as far away as Hawaii and Puerto Rico.” Pivotel leases 2,200 square feet of space for its office in down-town Norwich. The company has historically generated between $3 million and $5.8 million in annual revenue. Branham is the managing stockholder and has two other women partners. Pivotel’s growth has been entirely organic.
“This is a volatile business,” avers Branham. “Back in 2009 and 2010 when telecom carriers were busy in the residential market promoting fiber to the premises, we added 15 installers. It’s difficult to maintain a strong core group when the volume of business is so irregular. One way I deal with volatility is by ‘leasing’ my employees temporarily to work on other contractors’ projects.
“The telecom business is also very competi-tive,” continues Branham. “That’s why we’re on call 24/7 to respond to the demand and to field customer problems. When I get a Friday night call from a customer who needs help im-mediately, Pivotel is there to respond. I think of our customers as family and treat them like family. Another way we compete is by being flexible and quick to react. That’s the advan-tage of being a small company. But the best way to be competitive is to do the work pro-
fessionally and consistently. I always say that our best sales people are our installers. After 14 years in business, we’re no longer a sub-contractor for installations; we’re a contractor working directly with 10 major customers.”
Branham attributes her company’s success to its employees. “We have four skill-levels of employ-ees,” notes Pivotel’s presi-dent, “from the level-one entry position to the level-four installer. It takes years of training and experience to advance to a level-four position. Occasionally, we are able to recruit an ex-perienced installer, but most of the time we hire people without the … [requisite] skills and train them. That’s a long, expensive pro-cess, but it’s the only way to be sure we have enough qualified installers.”
Branham continues, “Since most of our work is outside New York state, we also need to hire people who are willing to travel on as-signment. That eliminates many people who have families. The difficulty in finding install-ers, however, is offset by the fact that our employees tend to stay with us for a long time, because they are assured of being … [continu-ously] employed. And even when an employee leaves Pivotel to join a client, they may end up being a buyer for the new company. That’s one reason why I never burn any bridges.”
Branham also points to Norwich–area profes-sional-service companies that have helped Pivotel grow: NBT for banking; Cwynar & Company, [CPAs, PLLC] for accounting; and Nelson & Flanagan [Attorneys at Law] for legal help.
Branham, a native of nearby Oxford, started her telecom career at Professional Teleconcepts, Inc., a/k/a Pro-Tel. She worked there as the office manager from 1985 until 1988, before joining Norwich Valley Supply company. Starting as a receptionist, she worked her way up to construction, commer-cial, and industrial sales of plumbing, heating, and electrical products, ultimately becoming the assistant store manager. While working at Norwich Valley Supply and after the birth of her first child, Branham went back to school to earn a business degree (1993) from SUNY Morrisville Agricultural and Technical College. The Pivotel president resides in Oxford with her husband David and their three daughters — Hollyann, Hailey, and Amy.
Contrary to Yogi Berra’s adage, Branham has hit a home run despite the timing. Considering her untimely launch, she never-theless found a path to success through dint of hard work, producing a quality product, and responding quickly to customers’ needs. Perhaps Branham should coin her own adage: An entrepreneur will find a way to get it done.
Note. To become certified as a women-owned business, the business must show that at least 51 percent of the company is owned, managed, and controlled by a woman, the business must be open for at least 6 months, and the owner must be a U.S. citizen or legal resident-alien. Further, the contribution of capital and/or expertise by the woman business owner must be real; substantial; and the woman owner must direct the manage-ment, policy, fiscal affairs, and operations of the company. Finally, the woman-owner must per-form without relying on the finances or resources of a firm that is not owned by a woman. (The ci-tation is from MWBE.com, the national referral site for minority- and women-owned businesses.)
Branham
Research & Marketing Strategies, Inc. 315-635-9802 | www.RMSresults.com Sandy Baker– [email protected]
MARCH 23, 2015 I SOUTHERN TIER BUSINESS JOURNAL I 5TGBBJ.COM
Nead, “that we draw on largely from the local community. We collaborate closely with area insti-tutions of higher education, such as Binghamton [University]. The company has had a successful summer-internship program that goes back 20 years. The talent here at i3 Electronics really gives us a competitive edge.”
The company has growth on its mind now that it has righted the operational ship.
“Now that we have stabilized the company and reduced our cost of operation, our strategy is to grow our customer base, revenues, and profit,” states Matthews. “We no longer rely heavily on revenues from large projects in the aerospace and defense industry. To use a base-ball analogy, it’s clearly better to rely on hitting singles and doubles consistently rather than to rely on home runs for our success. Our strategic plan calls for organic growth going forward, but we are always looking at opportunities to grow through mergers and acquisitions, if the fit is right. In fact, we have already looked at a few and elected not to proceed. The future is bright: [we] are confident that by 2016, i3 Electronics is poised to grow at a 15 percent, annual com-pounded rate.”
Endicott Interconnect Technologies was formed in 2002 to buy the electronic-packaging business from IBM Corp. The severe recession of 2008 caught the company overly dependent on major contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense and some of its vendors. EIT suffered cumulative, financial losses of $100 million from 2009 to 2012 and filed for bankruptcy protection on July 10, 2013. Papers filed with the court showed assets of $36 million and liabilities of $86.9 million. On Sept. 26 of that year, Integrian Holdings, LLC, a corporation owned by J.T. Matthews, Jr., purchased EIT’s assets by as-suming $15 million of secured debt and paying $1.5 million to creditors and another $2.4 million for EIT’s expenses. The purchase was approved by the court on Nov. 1. As recently as 2012, EIT employed 1,000 people and generated $250 mil-lion in annual revenue.
While mythology describes the phoenix as a bird of renewal, the Book of Job also calls the phoenix a bird of long life. Matthews is con-vinced i3 Electronics is both. n
i3 ELECTRONICS: The company has growth on its mind now that it has righted the operational ship Continued from page 3
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SOUTHERN TIER Career SnapshotArchitects and Engineers
NYS Professional-engineer licenses issued
Land-surveyor licenses issued
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
1,107 1,353 1,553 1,636 1,348
63 33 45 34 33
Professional engineers Number by county Broome 166 Chemung 47 Chenango 23 Tioga 28 Tompkins 85 Southern Tier Total 349 NYS Total 14,899Source: NYSED.gov, info as of Jan. 1, 2015
Licensed architects Number by county Broome 32 Chemung 6 Chenango 3 Tioga 13 Tompkins 71 Southern Tier Total 125 NYS Total 10,070Source: NYSED.gov, info as of Jan. 1, 2015
25 PERCENTIncrease in number of architect licensesissued in NYS in the last � ve years
NYS architect licenses issued
2010 683 2011 685 2012 718 2013 749 2014 853Source: NYSED.gov, info as of Jan. 1, 2015
THE LISTResearch by Nicole [email protected](315) 579-3911Twitter: @cnybjresearch
NOTES1: Owego Associates includes Owego Treadway Inn & Suites, Holiday Inn Express Owego, and Hampton Inn Owego
ABOUT THE LISTInformation was provided by representatives oflisted organizations and their websites. Other groups may have been eligible but did not respond to our requests for information. Organizations had to complete the survey by the deadline to be included on the list. While The Business Journal strives to print accurate information, it is not possible to independently verify all data submitted. We reserve the right to edit entries or delete categories for space considerations.
WHAT CONSTITUTES THE GB REGION?For this list, Greater Binghamton includes Broome, Chemung, Chenango, Tioga, and Tompkins counties.
NEED A COPY OF A LIST?Electronic versions of all of our lists, with addi-tional fi elds of information and survey contacts, are available for purchase at our website: cnybj.com/ListResearch.aspx
WANT TO BE ON THE LIST?If your company would like to be considered for next year’s list, or another list, please email [email protected]
MARCH 23, 2015 I SOUTHERN TIER BUSINESS JOURNAL I 7TGBBJ.COM
THE LISTResearch by Nicole [email protected](315) 579-3911Twitter: @cnybjresearch
Broome County Hotel Performance Statistics for 2014Number of Hotels 31Occupancy Rate 56.1%Average Daily Rate $86.63RevPAR $48.58Total Room Revenue $44.9MSource: STR
NOTES1: Owego Associates includes Owego Treadway Inn & Suites, Holiday Inn Express Owego, and Hampton Inn Owego
ABOUT THE LISTInformation was provided by representatives oflisted organizations and their websites. Other groups may have been eligible but did not respond to our requests for information. Organizations had to complete the survey by the deadline to be included on the list. While The Business Journal strives to print accurate information, it is not possible to independently verify all data submitted. We reserve the right to edit entries or delete categories for space considerations.
WHAT CONSTITUTES THE GB REGION?For this list, Greater Binghamton includes Broome, Chemung, Chenango, Tioga, and Tompkins counties.
NEED A COPY OF A LIST?Electronic versions of all of our lists, with addi-tional fi elds of information and survey contacts, are available for purchase at our website: cnybj.com/ListResearch.aspx
WANT TO BE ON THE LIST?If your company would like to be considered for next year’s list, or another list, please email [email protected]
CALVIN GANTT has been appointed director of Binghamton University’s Educational Opportunity Program. He comes to Binghamton from his position as director of the Access Opportunity Programs (AOP) at SUNY Geneseo. Prior to that, Gantt had been the program’s assistant/associate director for eight years. He also has three years of experience as a counselor and
coordinator of disability services for Monroe Community College. Gantt earned his bach-elor’s degree from Binghamton University, his master’s degree in counselor education with a concentration in multicultural counsel-ing from SUNY Brockport, and his Ed.D. in higher education administration from the University of Rochester.
ENGINEERING
BRADLEY A. SICK recently joined Larson Design Group’s (LDG) Corning office as a project designer in the water/wastewater de-
partment. An engineer-in-training, he graduated in 2014 with a master’s de-gree in civil and environ-mental engineering from Colorado State University. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Pennsylvania State University. While in school, Sick worked at the Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands in Fort Collins, Colo. After graduation, he worked as a civil en-gineer for a consulting firm in Fort Collins.
LAW
The law firm of Levene Gouldin & Thompson, LLP announced that ELIZABETH A. MONACHINO, AMANDA L. GIANNONE, and SERENA A. WECKEL-PURTELL have become
associates of the firm. Monachino received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Scranton and her J.D. from SUNY Buffalo Law School. Giannone received her bach-elor’s degree from SUNY Brockport and her J.D. from Syracuse University College of Law. Weckel-Purtell received her bachelor’s degree from Ithaca College and her J.D. from University at Buffalo Law School.
MUSEUMS
KIRSTY BUCHANAN has joined the Rockwell Museum in Corning as curator of collections. She joined the museum in January 2015, bring-ing with her 14 years experience in fine-arts management. Buchanan formerly was the managing director of the Western Art depart-ment for Heritage Auctions in Dallas. n
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Marietta Corp:
From sauerkraut to
serendipity. Page 3.
Nonprofit Corner:
Chenango Arts
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Syracuse, N.Y.
Permit # 568
Traditions turns to
the Senecas to run
its proposed casino
JOHNSON CITY — On May 22, representatives of Traditions
Resort & Casino, LLC announced the establishment of a
strategic relationship with Gaming & Leisure Advisors, LLC,
a New York state, for-profit subsidiary of Seneca Gaming
According to SGC spokesman Phil
Pantano, Gaming & Leisure Advisors
would be paid a management fee for
“running the gaming floor and associ-
ated amenities, including valet parking,
The fee would be determined on a
percentage basis, but there was no dis-
closure of whether it was based on rev-
enues, profits, or another benchmark.
Neither SGC nor Traditions committed
to stating the length of the agreement,
other than it was “long-term,” but did
say that at this point SGC has no equity
position. William Walsh, the CEO of
Traditions, says he had interviewed
more than a dozen operators before
Traditions Resort & Casino is owned
by the Walsh family. The Traditions
facility currently includes a golf course,
conference center, hotel, and spa. Traditions Resort &
Casino is pursuing a gaming license from New York
State, one of four available Upstate. Upon receipt of the
license, the resort and conference center proposes to invest
$150 million to build a casino and to make other planned addi-
CVT expands
Sherburne
plant
J S
SHERBURNE — Chenango Valley
Technologies, Inc. (CVT) is bursting
at the seams. Inventory and cus-
tomer orders are stacked to the ceil-
ing in the warehouse, requiring the
business to add another 5,000 feet
of space.
“The project should be completed
by July 25,” says, Shawn A. Baker,
company president.
The 5,000-foot expansion at CVT
is a pre-engineered, metal building.
The contractor is All Wall Builders
located in DeWitt.
CVT is a custom, injection-molding
company that manufactures plastic
parts. The parts are sold to a variety
of industries, including medical, elec-
tronics, lawn and gardening, cosmet-
ic, consumer, automotive, marine, and
recreational-vehicle. CVT, which was
founded in 1972 by Shawn Baker’s fa-
ther Lloyd as a tool-and-die company,
is a full-service, single-source opera-
tion offering part-design, mold/tool
design, mold-making, hot stamping,
sonic welding, assembly, and injec-
tion molding.
Lloyd Baker, company CEO, made
a strategic move in 1995 when he
bought Madison Plastics, a long-
established custom-injection mold-
ing firm based in Verona. Today,
CVT employs 45 people and runs
three shifts for its customers, some
of whom have been with the busi-
ness for more than 30 years. When
the new addition is completed, the
plant will occupy 30,000 square feet
on a 15-acre parcel. The building and
land are owned by CVT, an “S-corp”
whose stockholders are the Baker
family. The Business Journal News
Network estimates CVT’s annual rev-
enue at more than $5 million.
“Our growth has been steady,”
says Shawn Baker. “The company
even grew during the [recent] reces-
sion. I feel more comfortable with
NORMAN POLTENSON/THE GREATER BINGHAMTON BUSINESS JOURNAL
BBBBBCVT expands
Sherburne
plant
SHERBURNE — Chenango Valley
Technologies, Inc. (CVT) is bursting
at the seams. Inventory and cus-
tomer orders are stacked to the ceil-
ing in the warehouse, requiring the
business to add another 5,000 feet
of space.
“The project should be completed
by July 25,” says, Shawn A. Baker,
company president.
The 5,000-foot expansion at CVT
is a pre-engineered, metal building.
The contractor is All Wall Builders
located in DeWitt.
CVT is a custom, injection-molding
company that manufactures plastic
parts. The parts are sold to a variety
of industries, including medical, elec-
tronics, lawn and gardening, cosmet-
ic, consumer, automotive, marine, and
recreational-vehicle. CVT, which was
founded in 1972 by Shawn Baker’s fa-
ther Lloyd as a tool-and-die company,
is a full-service, single-source opera-
tion offering part-design, mold/tool
design, mold-making, hot stamping,
sonic welding, assembly, and injec-
tion molding.
a strategic move in 1995 when he
bought Madison Plastics, a long-
established custom-injection mold-
ing firm based in Verona. Today,
BBBBBCVT expands
Sherburne
plant
SHERBURNE — Chenango Valley
Technologies, Inc. (CVT) is bursting
at the seams. Inventory and cus-
tomer orders are stacked to the ceil-
ing in the warehouse, requiring the
business to add another 5,000 feet
of space.
“The project should be completed
by July 25,” says, Shawn A. Baker,
company president.
The 5,000-foot expansion at CVT
is a pre-engineered, metal building.
The contractor is All Wall Builders
located in DeWitt.
CVT is a custom, injection-molding
company that manufactures plastic
parts. The parts are sold to a variety
of industries, including medical, elec-
tronics, lawn and gardening, cosmet-
ic, consumer, automotive, marine, and
recreational-vehicle. CVT, which was
founded in 1972 by Shawn Baker’s fa-
ther Lloyd as a tool-and-die company,
is a full-service, single-source opera-
tion offering part-design, mold/tool
design, mold-making, hot stamping,
sonic welding, assembly, and injec-
tion molding.
Lloyd Baker, company CEO, made
a strategic move in 1995 when he
bought Madison Plastics, a long-
established custom-injection mold-
ing firm based in Verona. Today,
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THE LIST
John G. Ullman:
A financial-planning
pioneer. Page 2.
Presorted Standard
U.S. Postage Paid
Syracuse, N.Y.
Permit # 568
UHS Home Care
anticipates growth
as demand rises
JOHNSON CITY — UHS
Home Care has settled into
its new home, allowing it
to centralize its operations
and set the stage for future
The home-health-care
provider is now headquar-
tered at 601 Riverside Drive
in Johnson City, just off the
Route 201 traffic circle. The
parent organization, UHS,
owns the building. UHS
Home Care occupies 28,000
square feet of the 35,000
square feet available and
moved to the new location
in May.“The move enabled us to
centralize our operations,”
says Greg Rittenhouse,
vice president and COO of
UHS Home Care. “[Prior to
the move] … we had mul-
tiple locations in Endicott
and Vestal, which made it
difficult to deliver our ser-
vices to patients scattered
throughout a four-county
region (Broome, Chenango,
Delaware, and Tioga). This
site features a spacious retail
showroom, as well as offices
for the health-care staff and
plenty of parking.”
Rittenhouse is not think-
ing just of the advantages of
J S
Success comes to those who are too
busy to be looking for it. — A sign
posted in Ryan Brooks’ office.
ONEONTA — Brooks Bottling Co.
just took delivery of a new bottling
line. The machinery should be in-
stalled and operational by the end of
August.
Driving this latest capital invest-
ment is consumer demand for new
sauces and marinades. The Mintel
Group, a global market-research
provider, is forecasting an annual
growth rate of 3 percent for most
sauces. Five-year projections by IBIS
World, an industry market-research
organization, indicate that demand
for hot sauces will grow annually
at a 9.3 percent rate. Insistence on
product versatility by millennial or
Generation-Y consumers is a major
factor propelling the “dip, sauce, and
dressing category.”
Ryan Brooks, the managing mem-
ber of Brooks Bottling Co., LLC
and president of its sister company,
Brooks’ House of Bar-B-Q, Inc., both
located on State Highway 7, just east
NORMAN POLTENSON/THE GREATER BINGHAMTON BUSINESS JOURNAL
your daily dose of business news In print • On-line • In-person
B I N G H A MT O N
G R E A T E R
USINESS JOURNAL
USINESS USINESS USINESS USINESS JJJJOURNAL
OURNALOURNALOURNAL
THE LIST
John G. Ullman:
A financial-planning
pioneer. Page 2.
Presorted Standard
U.S. Postage Paid
Syracuse, N.Y.
Permit # 568
UHS Home Care
anticipates growth
as demand rises
JOHNSON CITY — UHS
Home Care has settled into
its new home, allowing it
to centralize its operations
and set the stage for future
The home-health-care
provider is now headquar-
tered at 601 Riverside Drive
in Johnson City, just off the
Route 201 traffic circle. The
parent organization, UHS,
owns the building. UHS
Home Care occupies 28,000
square feet of the 35,000
square feet available and
moved to the new location
in May.“The move enabled us to
centralize our operations,”
says Greg Rittenhouse,
vice president and COO of
UHS Home Care. “[Prior to
the move] … we had mul-
tiple locations in Endicott
and Vestal, which made it
difficult to deliver our ser-
vices to patients scattered
throughout a four-county
region (Broome, Chenango,
Delaware, and Tioga). This
site features a spacious retail
showroom, as well as offices
for the health-care staff and
plenty of parking.”
Rittenhouse is not think-
ing just of the advantages of
S S S S
Success comes to those who are too
busy to be looking for it. — A sign
posted in Ryan Brooks’ office.
ONEONTA — Brooks Bottling Co.
just took delivery of a new bottling
line. The machinery should be in-
stalled and operational by the end of
Driving this latest capital invest-
ment is consumer demand for new
sauces and marinades. The Mintel
Group, a global market-research
provider, is forecasting an annual
growth rate of 3 percent for most
sauces. Five-year projections by IBIS
World, an industry market-research
organization, indicate that demand
for hot sauces will grow annually
at a 9.3 percent rate. Insistence on
product versatility by millennial or
Generation-Y consumers is a major
factor propelling the “dip, sauce, and
dressing category.”
Ryan Brooks, the managing mem-
ber of Brooks Bottling Co., LLC
and president of its sister company,
Brooks’ House of Bar-B-Q, Inc., both
located on State Highway 7, just east
NORMAN POLTENSON/THE GREATER BINGHAMTON BUSINESS JOURNAL
Brooks’ Bar-B-Q is hot
Mud Is Our Bud:
Obstacle events, Mud Runs
gain in popularity. Page 8.
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BINGHAMTON UNIV. STORY 3
NONPROFIT CORNER 8
PEOPLE ON THE MOVE 10
SUNRISE FARMS STORY 2
TGBBJ BRIEFS 2
THE LIST 11
n INDEX
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THE LIST: SOUTHERN TIER MANUFACTURERS / 11
Rapid Growth: Sunrise Family Farms is tasting ‘organic’ growth. Page 2.
Presorted StandardU.S. Postage Paid
Syracuse, N.Y.Permit # 568
Brewery Ommegang sees continued sales spike on tap
J S
COOPERSTOWN — Overall beer consumption in America is flat. Craft beers, however, are generating double-digit growth as the consumer searches for variety and new styles.
The Brewers Association, the national organization for small and independent craft brewers, defines a craft brewer as one which produces no more than 6 million barrels a year and whose ownership by a non-craft, alcoholic-beverage company must be less than 25 percent. The demand for craft beers cre-ates a new brewery every day somewhere in the nation. The U.S. had fewer than 200 breweries 25 years ago. As of June, the country now has 3,000 breweries, a threshold not crossed since the 1870s.
While Americans imbibe, on average, 77.1 liters of beer per annum (217 12-ounce bottles), our inveterate propensity for the brew ranks us at number 14 globally; The Czech Republic takes bragging rights at 148.6 liters per capita. Still, America is the second biggest beer market worldwide with nearly a 13
J S
“The greatest risk is to do nothing” — a sign on Dave Culbertson’s desk.
VESTAL — The year is 1967. Dustin Hoffman, who played the lead in the movie “The Graduate,” is pulled aside by a friend of his parents who wants to share one word — “plastics.” The idea is that the future will be driven by plastic products.
David J. Culbertson, president of National Pipe & Plastics, Inc. (NPP), headquartered in Vestal, agrees. “This year, NPP will produce 300 million pounds of PVC pipe (polyvinyl chlo-ride) and another 30 million pounds of polyethylene pipe,” notes the presi-dent. “Our 3,000 customers buy sewer pipe, plumbing and industrial pipe, pipe for electrical conduits, utility duct pipe, pressure-water pipe, and other products. Demand for plastic pipe keeps rising as the population grows and aging infrastructure needs replac-ing to ensure clean drinking water
and safe sewers. PVC and HDPE (high-density polyethylene) are more economical, easier to install, last lon-ger, and are … [impervious] to tuber-culation (corrosion products on the inside of the pipe) and biofilms.”
To accommodate the increased de-mand, Culbertson has just completed moving his Vestal manufacturing op-eration into a new facility located in West Endicott. “The company bought the 235,000-square-foot building and 45 acres about 10 years ago,” says Culbertson. “The rationale for pur-chasing the property was to relocate our operation in order to take ad-vantage of lower electric rates then
offered by the municipality. When it didn’t materialize, we looked at mov-ing to Canada and Pennsylvania as al-ternatives. Fortunately, the rates have dropped and stabilized, which made the move to Endicott viable.”
The investment in the new facility is substantial. “The company is pro-jecting to spend $25 million in capi-tal investments, of which $7 million pays for infrastructure improvements such as a new electrical system, new silos, a chilled-water system, and a 70-foot-high blending tower,” continues Culbertson. “Another $18 million is
NORMAN POLTENSON/THE GREATER BINGHAMTON BUSINESS JOURNAL
National Pipe & Plastics ramps up production at new site
NORMAN POLTENSON/TGBBJ
Nonprofit Corner: Tioga County Boys & Girls Club. Page 8.
A NEW FREQUENCY:We have expanded to 8 issues, giving us more opportunities to highlight and reach Southern Tier businesses.