THE CHAMBER

5th Edition / October 2019

CONNECTION
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2 • October 2019
Message from the President
By Tom Turnbull
Chamber President
One of the things I’ve
learned in my six years as
Chamber President is how
much Chambers of Com-
merce have in common
when it comes to conveying
to their local business com-
munities the value of joining
their local Chambers. One
of the major challenges we
all face is that while there is
%$7$9,$
really no one, definitive rea-
son to join our Chambers,
there are many, many good
solid reasons to become a
member.
Betsy Demitropoulus of the
American Business Maga-
zine compiled a top 10 list
of reasons why you should
join your local chamber of
commerce. Not surprising-
ly, Betsy’s top 10 list match-
es up pretty closely with the
top 10 reasons for being a
member of the Genesee
County Chamber of Com-
merce. Here’s the national
list along with how your
Genesee County Chamber
of Commerce fulfills these
benefits:
1. Membership brings
credibility to your business.
Studies have shown that be-
ing a Chamber member
gives people a positive per-
Chamber Connection Fall 2019
ception of a business and working opportunities. cal businesses.
consumers are more likely to 4. Gain a voice in govern- 5. Make business con-
buy from a Chamber mem- ment. The Chamber offers tacts. There are more op-
ber. “strength in numbers” when portunities for networking
2. Increase your visibility we take a stand on import- and business-to-business
in the community. As a new ant business issues and op- commerce through the
member of the Chamber, poses new regulations, tax- Chamber than almost any
you are listed in our annual es and other burdens to lo- other organization.
Business Directory and our
website. The Chamber win-
dow sticker you display in
your business window lets
Party Rentals
people know you are a cred- Photo Booth
ible member of the local
business community. Bounce Houses
3. Create networking op-
Wedding Services
portunities. Any of our ma-
ny events, workshops and
seminars offer the chance
from members to network
within the business commu-
nity. Serving on a Chamber
committee is another net-
working opportunity. This
year we even created
“speed networking” events
to assist our members’ net-

The 5 C’s of Credit
By Mary Blevins
Branch Manager
ESL Federal Credit Union
Becoming familiar with
the “Five C’s of Credit” can
help outline what informa-
tion is needed when apply-
ing for a business loan, and
can also help provide a pos-
itive outcome to your lend-
ing request. These Five C’s
are:
Character: Also called
“credit-worthiness,” refers
to your record of accom-
plishment for repaying debt
as well as your general
credibility and experience.
Make sure to keep your
business AND your person-
al business “character” in
top form by paying down
debt and always paying on
time.
Capacity: Assesses your
ability to repay a loan, and
may include a debt-to-in-
come calculation. This is all
about proving to your lend-
er that you are not a gamble
but a safe and thoughtful in-
vestment for their dollars.
Capital: The amount of
money or personal funds an
owner invests. Lenders want
to know you are willing to
share financial risk by con-
tributing your own assets to
establish the business, prior
to asking for funding. Ac-
cording to SBA.gov, inves-
tors expect to see 20-40%
of the total loan request to
come from the borrower.
Conditions: Refers to
the purpose of the loan, as
well as terms for the loan in-
cluding loan amount, inter-
est rate, length of time, etc.
Your market must be able to
support the plans for your
business. That means there
Chamber Connection Fall 2019
must be enough demand to
meet your sales projections,
and the economy must be
strong enough to sustain it.
Collateral: An addition-
al form of security a borrow-
er can provide with the
agreement it may be a re-
payment source if you can-
not repay the loan. It’s help-
ful to understand how your
collateral stacks up against
the amount of your loan re-
quest.
When looking for busi-
ness financing, each lender
may weight each “C” differ-
ently, based on their own
lending policies and prefer-
ences. When you under-
stand the importance each
“C” plays, you can better
prepare your lending re-
quest and improve the likeli-
hood your loan application
will be approved.
Message
Continued from previous page.
6. Receive chamber news-
letters. Every week, cham-
ber members electronically
receive interesting and time-
ly information about the lo-
cal business community in
our weekly “Chamber
Chat”. If you’re not receiv-
ing “Chamber Chat” con-
tact our office and we’ll get
you on our email list.
7. Acquire customer refer-
rals. Our Chamber receives
inquiries on a regular basis
from individuals and busi-
nesses looking for local
goods and services and we
always recommend our
Chamber members first.
Typically, Chamber mem-
bers also recommend other
Chamber members.
8. Chamber events and
programs. Chamber events
such as the Annual Awards
Night, the Home Show, the
golf outing, our Annual
Meeting luncheon and Busi-
ness After Hours offer inno-
October 2019 • 3
vative and fun ways to meet
potential customers, clients
and vendors.
9. Promotion and publici-
ty. Facebook and Instagram
posts , e-mail blasts to mem-
bers, our annual Business
Directory and our Home
Show are just some of the
services our chamber offers
to promote our member
businesses.
10. Access to mem-
bers-only discounts and ser-
vices. The Chamber Mem-
ber to Member Discount
program entitles our mem-
bers many valuable dis-
counts at participating mem-
ber businesses. The Pro-
gram is a great way to at-
tract customers, build rela-
tionships with customers,
save money and strengthen
our local economy.
I want to take this opportu-
nity to thank all of you who
are active members of the
Genesee County Chamber
of Commerce. You are what
makes this great organiza-
tion work!
4 • October 2019 Chamber Connection Fall 2019

Genesee, Wyoming chambers join in letter to state Senate

and Assembly opposing Farmworker Fair Labor Practices Act
The Genesee and Wyo- Some of the provisions in ment. These mandates, cou- additional labor costs onto to maximize their earnings
ming county chambers of this legislation include allow- pled with the recently enact- consumers. Instead, employ- during a short season will
commerce were two of 18 ing for collective bargaining ed minimum wage hike and ers will be forced to find sav- be forced to look beyond
organizations to put their for farm laborers, establish- other costly legislative man- ings by reducing hours for New York’s borders for good
names on a letter, dated to- ing an eight-hour work day, dates familiar to New York existing employees, hiring opportunities. This will only
day, to be sent to the state requiring overtime pay for employers, will jeopardize part-time workers or reduc- further exacerbate a difficult
Senate and Assembly. The workers who exceed a 40- New York’s robust agricul- ing the number of workers labor environment in the ag-
organizations are opposed hour work week, as well ture industry and the nearly through an increase in auto- ricultural industry.
to the Farmworker Fair Labor as other additional require- 200,000 jobs it supports mation. Allowing for collective
Practices Act, which they say ments. across the state. In each scenario, the farm- bargaining also raises sig-
would harm the economy This proposal comes at a The requirements in this workers will see their earning nificant concerns for the
statewide. time where our agriculture proposal fail to consider the potential reduced. Given the industry. Given the narrow
The letter is as follows: industry already faces signif- unique realities of the agri- brief growing season in New windows many farms have
Dear Members of the New icant challenges competing culture industry. According York, many workers looking to harvest their crops, a work
York State Senate and As- in a rapidly changing global to a recent study from Farm
sembly: marketplace. Recent USDA Credit East, mandating over- Personal Attention. Personal Service.
On behalf of our organi- Census data found that time pay for work exceed-
zations which represent busi- New York lost approximate- ing 8 hours per day and 40
It’s all about you, the customer.
nesses responsible for em- ly 2,100 farms since 2012. hours per week would add Rental Equipment • Bathroom Safety
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are writing in strong oppo- 30,000 New York farms, farms across New York. 653 E. Main St., Batavia
sition to the proposed Farm- many family owned and Given the competitive mar- 800-455-9393
worker Fair Labor Practices operated, that have a sig- ketplace, including cheaper Mon. - Fri. 9 am - 3 pm
Act and the negative impact nificant benefit to our state’s out-of-state producers, farm- Or by appt. after 3 pm
customerservice@homedsupply.com
it will have on the economy economy. ers cannot simply pass these
throughout the state. Despite the noble intent of
This bill would impose cost- some of these provisions, the
ly new labor requirements on reality is this proposal will
farms across New York State,
adding significant burdens
dramatically increase labor
costs and add to an already
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Exploring Genesee County at the Home Show
By Mallory Diefenbach
mdiefenbach@batavianews.com
BATAVIA — Vendors sat in
booths, advertising their busi-
ness, greeting people who
walked by.
This past April, the sixth an-
nual Genesee County Cham-
ber of Commerce Home
Show drew in around 1,500
people as over 60 different
vendors representing busi-
ness, community organiza-
tions and local government
answered questions and set
up connections with members
of the community.
Walking through the Falleti
Ice Arena, Tom Turnbull, pres-
ident of the Genesee County
Chamber of Commerce, said
unlike other events of a simi-
lar nature, the vendors don’t
“jump” the people walking
through. He said he likes
seeing old friends, regular
ankleandfootcentersofwny.com
members and new faces at
the Home Show.
“I’ve had people come up
to me in the aisles saying,
‘Hey thanks for putting this
on,’” Turnbull said. “It’s a
nice community event.”
Prior to the Genesee Coun-
ty Chamber of Commerce
running the Home Show, the
Batavia area Jaycees ran the
event for nearly 60 years un-
til it died off. However, after
two years of no Home Show,
a couple area businesses ap-
proached the Chamber, not-
ing the need.
Since then, chamber has
annually sold out of vendor
space since the Home Show
restarted.
“We do have new vendors.
I would say 75 percent of the
vendors are returning,” Turn-
bull said. “On Sunday after-
noon, when we ask them if
they want to sign up for next
Chamber Connection Fall 2019
year, a lot of them sign up
right on the spot. The only
reason they’re signing up is
they’re doing business.”
He said the merchants get
a lot of leads going into the
summer season, and as he
walked down the isles ges-
Labor Letter
Continued from previous page.
dispute, however brief, could
have dire consequences.
Without protections in
place to prevent a work stop-
page, a farm could lose a
years’ income in the span of
a few days.
As was evident by the
testimony from farm owners
and workers at recently held
Senate hearings, this propos-
al represents an existential
threat to New York’s agricul-
tural industry. Given the exo-
tured to a glass merchant
saying he already landed 50
jobs as a result of the Home
Show. Turnbull said that’s
what it’s all about; it allows
people to shop and make ap-
pointment for estimates.
While vendors may be
dus of jobs and population in
New York, the last thing we
should be doing is adding
more burdens to businesses
- especially in such a critical
industry.
Agriculture is an important
part of New York’s economy
and a piece of our state’s
identity. The industry provides
healthy and affordable food
for New York families, sup-
ports hundreds of thousands
of jobs and has an economic
impact felt in every corner of
the state. The effects of this
proposal will be felt not only
by those directly involved in
October 2019 • 5
moved around to different lo-
cations, the overall formula is
kept the same.
The money made on ticket
sales and vendor space help
support the Chamber of Com-
merce and keep membership
dues down.
agriculture, but by everyday
New Yorkers from Niagara
Falls to Montauk.
On behalf of our organiza-
tions and the employers we
represent, we respectfully re-
quest that the Legislature re-
ject this proposal and instead
focus on ways to support
farmers and farmworkers
across the state.
Your time and attention
to this matter is appreciat-
ed and we look forward to
working with you to build
a strong and growing New
York State economy.
6 • October 2019 Chamber Connection Fall 2019

Chamber awards, a great time of the year

It was that time of year –
no, we’re not talking about
spring, however welcome
spring was. Rather, we’re
talking about the presenta-
tion of awards at the annu-
al dinners celebrating area
businesses and people. Two
such dinners took place last
March, one in Batavia and
one in North Java.
In Batavia, it was the 47th
annual Genesee County
Chamber of Commerce
Awards Dinner, with four
awards given out by Cham-
ber President Tom Turnbull
and the Chamber.
Genesee Lumber, in its
fourth generation of the
Harrower family, won Busi-
ness of the Year honors.
Genesee Lumber President
John Harrower, his wife,
Leslie, and two sons, Mi-
chael and Eric, accepted
the award on behalf of the
business, which supplies the
materials Geneseeans need
to repair, renovate and con-
struct buildings.
Upstate Niagara Milk
Cooperative, honored as
Agriculture Business of the
Year, used the dinner to an-
nounce that it has signed a
purchase agreement for the
former Alpina Foods yogurt
plant, which had closed
in January. Larry Webster,
CEO of Upstate Niagara
Milk Cooperative, noted
Mark Gutman/Daily News
Tom Turnbull speaks at the
Chamber Awards night.
the depth of Upstate’s roots
in Western New York, and
said he was happy to ac-
cept the award on behalf of
its 340 farm families.
The Special Services
Award was more than
earned by its recipient,
Rotary of Batavia. Batavia
Rotary is the oldest service
club in the city, now cele-
brating 100 years of service
throughout Genesee Coun-
ty. Two past presidents, Sue
Schuler and Jim McMullen,
represented the club, which
does the hard work of rais-
ing money for a wide range
of community programs.
The list of what Rotary as-
sists is long, including the
Arc of Genesee Orleans,
Justice for Children, GLOW
Foundation, Crossroads
House, Genesee Cancer County Cooperative Exten-
Assistance, GCASA, United sion, the Wyoming County
Way Backpack Program, Farm Bureau and the Wyo-
YMCA/Rochester Reginal ming County Soil and Wa-
Health UMMC Healthy ter Conservation District.
Living Campus, YWCA, Breezy Hill Dairy, current-
scholarships and youth ex- ly operated by fifth-gener-
change. ation Bruce, Donna, Roger
East Pembroke Fire De- and Debbie Almeter and
partment’s Bob Stocking sixth-generation Brad and
was applauded as Gene- Carolyn, was presented
seean of the Year. His is a with the Pride of Agriculture
lifetime of service, not only Good Neighbor Award.
as a volunteer, but also as The Sheldon family’s good
a man with a gift for find- works start with the farm’s
ing ways to help other com- land and livestock, and
munity organizations such extend to 4-H, the Town
as Hospice, Mercy Flight, Board, Ladies Auxiliary for
Genesee Cancer Assistance the fire company, Farm Bu-
and Crossroads House. reau, dairy cooperatives,
Meanwhile, to the south and Attica Central agricul-
in North Java, Wyoming ture programs. “When it
County was saluting its comes to teaching children
best with its annual Pride of and the community about
Agriculture Dinner. This cel- agriculture,” officials said,
ebration is a joint effort of “the Almeters have stepped
Wyoming County Chamber up and opened their doors
& Tourism office, Wyoming to allow people to experi-
Proud to be an
Independent Locally
Owned Retailer
When you shop locally at Will’s, you benefit from owners
Kim Wolcott’s and Tim Tyler’s over 90 years of experience in
ence dairy farming today.”
WYCO Construction was
recognized by the Chamber
as the 2019 Agri-Business
of the Year. Mark and Matt
Herman worked alongside
their parents, Bob and Arna
Herman, who started the
business in 1979, and took
it over when their father
retired in 2011. Over the
years, WYCO Construction
has expanded to offer on-
site consultation and exca-
vation development for ag-
riculture, and commercial
and residential projects in-
volving hauling stone, grav-
el and sand, and clearing
pipelines. Scott Gardner,
Chamber president and
CEO, pointed to the Her-
mans’ dedication to high
quality work, employee
training and sense of team-
work.
(Continued on page 12.)

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 Chamber Connection Fall 2019 October 2019 • 7

Genesee County earns awards

The Genesee County
Chamber of Commerce is
pleased to announce that our
tourism staff and programs
have earned Excellence
Awards at this year’s New
York State Travel Industry As-
sociation (NYSTIA), annual
Tourism Excellence Awards
held in Auburn, NY Septem-
ber 26-27th.
The New York State Tour-
ism Industry Association rec-
ognizes leaders in New York
State’s tourism industry who
have achieved a high level of
excellence and accomplish-
ment with the Tourism Excel-
lence Awards. Individuals
and organizations are select-
ed from nominees that have
demonstrated commitment,
leadership, and accomplish-
ment in the travel and tourism
Tourism Marketing Director Kelly Rapone and Tourism Program
Liaison Lauren Humphrey are shown at a recent event. Rapone
was recognized for her tourism leadership.
sonal stewardship and lead-
ership on behalf of both New
York State Tourism in general
and the membership of NYS-
TIA in particular.
“Kelly’s tourism marketing
Submitted Photo
through her leadership of the
NYSTIA’s DONY scholarship
auction committee, involv-
ing dozens of members and
contributors. In addition, dur-
ing 2018 and 2019, Kelly’s
bers who participated in the
BrandUSA campaign,” Said
Christine Hoffer, NYSTIA’s
Chief Operating Officer.
The Chamber also re-
ceived a Niche Marketing
Excellence Award for their
popular golf packaging pro-
gram. Developed in 2006
to bridge the “booking gap”
for consumers, the Chamber
partnered with several cours-
es and hotels to build pack-
ages which were then pro-
moted primarily in Southern
Ontario. In 2017 the tourism
office launched a social me-
dia ad campaign to increase
their reach. By May 2018
the program had already
Real Estate Services
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booked more than double it
had done in the 12-year pro-
gram history and increased
their new customer bookings
by 60%.
“This year’s Tourism Excel-
lence Award winners have
and will continue to take New
York State’s tourism industry
to new levels of success, driv-
ing economic growth across
the state. These awards rec-
ognize tourism professionals
not only for their creative
marketing programs, but also
for their passion and commit-
ment to their communities,”
said Bob Provost NYSTIA
President & CEO.
D HA
AR

BETH STAROWITZ

N
efforts have earned numer- personal commitment was

NA
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sector from January 1, 2018

TEE
100
Licensed Real Estate Salesperson
ous awards, and she is quick vital to the successful docu-

AN
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ON A
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to May 31, 2019. 570 East Main Street • Batavia, NY 14020

to think outside the box to mentation and report prepa-
Kelly Rapone, Tourism Mar- Cell: 585.721.1639
develop initiatives like the ration for NYSTIA’s Market Office: 585.409.2119 • Fax: 585.343.8502
keting Director was selected
Haunted History Trail that en- NY grants, which benefited bethstarowitz@howardhanna.com
to be the inaugural recipient HowardHanna.com
gage and benefit many other the over thirty NYSTIA mem-
of the NYSTA Leadership
New York State destinations.
Award which is intended to
At the same time, she dedi-
recognize a NYSTIA mem-
cates countless hours of her
ber whose achievements as
personal time and motivates
a tourism professional are
others to follow her example
matched by both their per-

“Your Partners
in Business”
Best Wishes to our Genesee
County Chamber Partners.
It’s a pleasure working with you!

Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Promotion Agency

36 Center St., Suite A, Warsaw, NY • (585) 786-0307

8 • October 2019 Chamber Connection Fall 2019

Start-Up Genesee showcases Oakfield Businesses

By Brian Quinn
bquinn@batavianews.com
OAKFIELD — Those who
went along for the Start-Up
Genesee tour of Oakfield on
Thursday started out stand-
ing in the gazebo in Triangle
Park, waiting out the rain.
The rain dissipated fairly
quickly, however, and the
group embarked on a walk
which took it to nine local
organizations/businesses
to find out more about them
and what they were up to.
The tour was a program
of the Genesee County Eco-
nomic Development Center
(GCEDC), with participation
from the county Chamber of
Commmerce as well.
Chip Zigrossi and his son, Andrew, work in the kitchen at
Santino’s.
Oakfield Betterment Com-
mittee talked about the com-
mittee’s contributions, which,
last year, included bringing
to working when they’re 16
and old enough to do so.
“My nephew is in seventh
grade. The last day of school
was today. He is so looking
forward to working here,”
she said.
Chip Zigrossi, whose un-
cle, Harry Zigrossi, opened
Santino’s in 1982, has been
very supportive of the com-
munity., Tamborlin said.
“He’s great to his employ-
ees and to the community.
He’s a very giving person,”
Brian Quinn/Daily News
a part-time manager at the
restaurant owned by Chip Zi-
grossi, who was busy in the
kitchen Thursday evening. Ask me about the 100% Money Back Guarantee!
she said. Zigrossi will send
a sheet pizza or two to a
family which is dealing with
the loss of a loved one. He
will give price breaks to the
school when it orders food.
“It’s like ‘Cheers,’” Tam-
burlin said of the pizzeria,
comparing it to the bar in the
TV show. “Sometimes you
want to go where everybody
knows your name. That’s
Santino’s.”
Another stop was at Crazy
Cheap Cars, a dealership

“We try to do this just the Labor Daze celebration Asked the best thing about
back to Triangle Park and being a business in Oakfield, ANNETTE ROTONDO
to highlight our towns and Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker
show people what we have donating to the Oakfield Fire Tamburlin said it’s the com- 570 East Main Street • Batavia, NY 14020

in all the towns and what Department, and some other munity, the town and the peo- Cell: 585.356.9254
Office: 585.409.2129 • Fax: 585.343.8502
businesses there are ... and events it’s involved in, such ple. Santino’s is also where annetterotondo@howardhanna.com
also the potential for places as Christmas in Oakfield and a lot of kids look forward HowardHanna.com

to put businesses within their the Halloween party.

community. We’re really hap-
py to be in Oakfield,” said
Chamber of Commerce Pres-
ident Tom Turnbull.
After Jamie Linsley of the
Among the stops the Start-
Up Genesee tour of Oak-
field made was to Santino’s
Pizza, where the group was
greeted by Teri Tamburlin,

owned by Mike Ognibene.
“We’ve been in business
for over 20 years. We’ve
been at this Oakfield loca-
tion since 2006. We sell
all makes and all models of
pre-owned vehicles. We also
have a full-service depart-
ment for all of them and we
try to stock as many makes
and models as we can, try to
accommodate everybody,”
Ognibene said.
Ognibene also has a small-
er dealership, Zoom Auto
Credit, in Elba, as well as a
gym, Zoom Total Fitness, in
Oakfield. Combined, the two
dealerships employ about 35
people full-time, he said.
“I really think, between
Laurie Nanni, left, gives an update on the Oakfield Historical
Society’s activities.
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3080 West Main Rd. • Batavia
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Oakfield and Elba, they both
really are great communities
and they both support the
community very much,” he
said.
M&T Bank’s Oakfield
branch manager, Reita
Fletcher, said M&T Bank has
been around for about 160
years and is based in Buffa-
lo. The Oakfield location has
been a bank since the early
1900s.
“It was in the mid-’90s that
they converted from Liberty
National. M&T Bank bought
out the previous bank,”
Fletcher said.
“I was nervous coming to
Oakfield. I was in Elba when
we had a consolidation
Brian Quinn/Daily News
Chamber Connection Fall 2019 October 2019 • 9
of the two branches,” she
said. These days, though,
the things she likes the most
about working in Oakfield
are the people and the com-
munity.
“Full-timers that are always
in this office, there are five of
us,” she said. “Everybody is
in Oakfield. Everybody has
the same focus.”
At the Oakfield Histori-
cal Society, President Laurie
Nanni talked about the ex-
nibits the Historical Society Brian Quinn/Daily News
had on display, such as the Chamber of Commerce President Tom Turnbull and Chris
room dedicated to U.S. Gyp- Lamb of Darien chat during Thursday’s Start-Up Genesee tour.
sum.
She also pointed out draw-
ings on a wall done by Ger- tleman (Malahowski) was an have a photographic mem-
hardt Malachowski, one of artist and he happened to ory.”
the German soldiers held
prisoner in Oakfield during
World War II.
“Most of the German sol-
diers we had were captured
in Africa and they were most- Ask me about the 100% Money Back Guarantee!
ly musicians and artists. They DOREEN GRAHAM
did not want to fight, but Licensed Real Estate Salesperson
570 East Main Street • Batavia, NY 14020
they were told, ‘If you don’t
Cell: 585.329.0734
fight, we’re going to kill your Office: 585.409.2121 • Fax: 585.343.8502
family,’ so they didn’t have a doreengraham@howardhanna.com
HowardHanna.com
choice,” she said. “This gen-
Trusted, Reliable & Professionals
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rwendt@rahaitzcoinc.com
cell: 585.356.4300
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WE DON’T KNEEL
10 • October 2019 Chamber Connection Fall 2019

Mama Chavez’s Taqueria, Le Roy Mr. Wine & Liquor, Batavia The Oakfield Hotel, Oakfield

Over the Border Food Truck, Batavia Rest & Revive Float Center, Batavia Sarah’s Studio, Batavia

Birch Hall at Genesee Community College, Batavia Eat Well Grill, Batavia Fresenius Kidney Care, Batavia

The Gatsby Bar at Batavia Downs, Batavia LB Grand, Le Roy The Liberty Center for Youth, Batavia
Chamber Connection Fall 2019 October 2019 • 11
12 • October 2019 Chamber Connection Fall 2019

SkyScreamer at Darien Lake Visiting Nurses Association, Pavilion Whole Life Fitness, Batavia

Awards Conservation Committee;

Continued from page 6.
Hans and Leslie Kunze
of Wyoming were honored
with Cornell Cooperative
the Agricultural Environ-
mental Management award
to Pankow Farms of Castile;
Real Estate Services
and Friend of Agriculture
Ask me about the 100% Money Back Guarantee!
Award to Roxanne Duep- D HA

counties, it is only a gesture

AR

Extension of Wyoming’s MICHELLE DILLS

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pengiesser.

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of thanks for what these

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first ever Friend of Extension Licensed Associate RE Broker
Sometimes we take living

AN
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570 East Main Street • Batavia, NY 14020

Award. Other awards: Con-
servation Farm of the Year
award to Fontaine Farms
LLC of Strykersville; Ronald
in rural counties such as
Genesee and Wyoming for
granted. We go about our
lives without much thought
businesses and people con-
tribute. In fact, they deserve Cell: 585.314.7269
Office: 585.409.2141 • Fax: 585.343.8502
another round of that ap- michelledills@howardhanna.com
plause. HowardHanna.com

P. Herman Sr. Conservation to the men and women

Partner of the Year Award
Stay WARM
whose vision, dedication
to Victor DiGiacomo, As- and devotion shape our
sociate Environmental An- communities. If it seems like
alyst, NYS Soil & Water a lot of applause for two During the
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Refrigeration Commercial
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BATAVIA, INC.
26 Cedar St., Batavia, NY 14020
Phone: 585-343-2678
www.arcticrefrigeration.com
OWNED & OPERATED BY THE MAGER FAMILY
 Chamber Connection Fall 2019 October 2019 • 13

Helping Members with “Know, Like and Trust.”

You’ve probably heard
about people wanting to
know, like, and trust those
they do business with. And
maybe you heard how so-
cial media is a great way to
make that happen. After all,
posting to social media
brings out your business’
personality.
Ways the chamber can
help you get more
business
But some businesses have
difficulty being themselves
or simply don’t have the
time to dedicate to social
media consistently. Luckily,
social media isn’t the only
vice you provide, you won’t
do any business if people
don’t think about you when
they’re in the market to buy
what you offer.
Sure, there are moments
tions. Best of all, these sug-
gestions are considered ex-
tremely valuable because
they’re not perceived to be
swayed by the business’
marketing.
Networking Events
The easiest way to get to
know more people is by
meeting them in person.
Chambers offer a number of
networking opportunities.
Some even help you be-
come a better networker.
Even impulse items need
exposure to get sales.
Chamber membership
helps businesses become
more recognizable in a vari-
ety of ways. Real Estate Services
Introductions
Your chamber wants to in-
troduce you to the kind of
people who will be helpful
to your business. Tell them
who you want to meet and
they’ll help arrange it - we
are always listening to mem-
bers.
Hosting
Your chamber also proba-
bly has a number of events
(Continued on the next page.)

way to put a more person- of emotional purchasing fu- These include: Ask me about the 100% Money Back Guarantee!
eled by driving or walking
D HA
AR

able face on your business. NANCY CROCKER

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by (how many of us actually
Referrals

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100
Another way to do that is Licensed Real Estate Salesperson

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through chamber member-
ship. Here’s how the cham-
ber helps members like your
business become more
known, liked, and trusted.
If you want people to do
business with you, they must
think about you. No matter
what you sell or what ser-
leave our house for Cinna- 570 East Main Street • Batavia, NY 14020
As the voice of business,
bon? Nope, most of us Cell: 585.314.7982
visitors and people who are Office: 585.409.2115 • Fax: 585.343.8502
catch a hint of those deli-
new to the area, often call nancycrocker@howardhanna.com
cious flavors and buy on im- HowardHanna.com
on the chamber for sugges-
pulse), but even in those cir-
cumstances of emotional
purchases, the buyer needs
to know what that business
LeRoy Hearth & Home
is selling in order to make
an impulse buy.

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Auctioneers
Appraisers
Real Estate Brokers
~ Since 1920 ~
P.O. Box 58, Stafford
7149 West Main Rd.
585-343-5449 LeRoy, NY 14482 585-502-0139
www.williamkentinc.com Visit: www.leroyhearthandhome.com
14 • October 2019 Chamber Connection Fall 2019

is invaluable. According to crease in the likelihood that

GENESEE COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Helping the Schapiro Study, “Cham- consumers will patronize
2019 BOARD OF DIRECTORS & STAFF Members ber membership has consis- the business in the future.
Continued from previous page. tent and powerful benefits Chamber membership
Chair: Mary Blevins (ESL Federal Credit Union) for small business mem- goes a long way to helping
Immediate Past Chair: Eric Weis (Clark Patterson Lee) that could be hosted or bers—if consumers are businesses develop a trust-
Vice Chair: Jennifer Zambito (Batavia Daily News) sponsored by your busi- aware that the small busi- worthy reputation. Many
Secretary: Janice Jones (Bonduelle USA) ness. This is the perfect way ness is involved with its local people see chambers as
Treasurer: Joe Forsyth (CPA) to help people get to know chamber.” business entities or similar to
President: Tom Turnbull (Genesee County Chamber) you better by visiting your In that study, they found the Better Business Bureau.
store or business or sam- that if respondents knew a While neither is true, these
Jeff Cook (Liberty Pumps)
pling what you have to of- small business was a mem- individuals apply the same
Mickey Hyde (Tompkins Bank of Castile)
fer. ber of its local chamber, the feelings of community mem-
Beth Kemp (T Shirts Etc)
Jonathan Mager (Arctic Refrigeration) business saw a 49% in- bership and upstanding rep-
Henry Wojtaszek (Batavia Downs Gaming) Special Events crease in its consumer favor- utations to the chamber
Kathy Ferrara (Batavia’s Original Pizzeria) Our Chamber hosts pro- ability rating (like), a 73% members as they would a
Danielle Rotondo (Terry Hills Golf Course) motions like Business After increase in consumer good rating from the Better
Chris Thorpe (Six Flags Darien Lake Theme Park) Hours, the Home Show, awareness (know), a 68% Business Bureau.
John Whiting (Whiting Law Firm) Speed Networking, Work- increase in its local reputa-
Andrew Young (Genesee County) shops and more. For our tion (trust), and an 80% in- (Continued on page 16.)
Anika Zuber (Cornell Cooperative Extension) businesses, these events
Paul Gister (National Grid) help to provide recognition
and important revenue.
Tom Turmbull Sara Stockwell They also gives them an op-
President Accounting and portunity to showcase their
Real Estate Services
Human Resource Director offerings to potential cus-
Ask me about the 100% Money Back Guarantee!
Kelly Bermingham tomers who might not be fa- AR
D HA

FRANK D. MINUTO

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miliar with their business.

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Director of Member Relations Kelly Rapone

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Sometimes the community Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker

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and Special Events Tourism Marketing Director

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570 East Main Street • Batavia, NY 14020

knows what you do but
Steven Falitico doesn’t know enough about
Cell: 585.356.9608
Office: 585.409.2125 • Fax: 585.343.8502
Membership Development Director you to trust you. In these cas- frankdminuto@howardhanna.com
HowardHanna.com
es, a chamber membership

8276 Park Road, Batavia

(585) 343-7440
www.geneseeny.com

Selling and Servicing

Harley Davidsons for
over 60 years!

H
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Closed Sun. Full Service Department
4425 W. Saile Dr., Batavia, NY (585) 343-9598
 Chamber Connection Fall 2019 October 2019 • 15

Genesee County Chamber accepting

nominations for 2019 Ceremony
BATAVIA — The Genesee
County Chamber of Com-
merce’s Annual Awards Com-
mittee announced today that
the 2019 Annual Award Cer-
emony will take place March
7, 2020 at The Quality Inn
& Suites, Park Road. This is
the county’s premier event
that honors businesses and
individuals for their achieve-
ments in business, community
service and volunteerism.
Nominations are now be-
ing accepted for Business
of the Year, Entrepreneurial
Business of the Year, Agri-
cultural Business of the Year,
Innovative Enterprise of the
Year, Special Service Rec-
ognition & Geneseeans of
the Year. Business Nominees
must be a county Chamber
member. If unsure of your
nominee, call the Chamber
to verify. A brief write up will
qualify your nominee for con-
sideration.
The nomination forms are
available at the Chamber of
Commerce office, 8276 Park
Road, Batavia and can also
be down loaded from the
Chamber Website at www.
geneseeny.com.
Nominations must be re-
ceived by Dec. 30 to be eli-
gible for consideration.
For more information, call
Director of Member Relations
& Special Events Kelly J. Ber-
mingham at the Chamber of-
fice at 343-7440, ext. 1026.

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The casual encounters you
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spaces around them build rela-
tionships and community
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ultimate social networking sites.
For more information:
www.geneseeny.com
www.visitgeneseeny.com
 Chamber Connection Fall 2019 October 2019 • 17

The Art of “The Cut”

By Steven Falitico make these events so spe- Lucky for me I have be-
Membership Development Director cial. come somewhat of a “pro-
What makes them special fessional” in this realm and
“Have I ever told you my is the community of people I get to experience them
scissor story?” surrounding them. That is quite frequently.
This is an opening I’ve what makes them fun and Maybe you could say I
heard over 30 times in the memorable. am just ‘cut’ out for this job.
past two years. Friends, family, co-work- Do you have something
Tom Turnbull’s famous ers, supporters, politicians, you want to celebrate?
scissor story- you know, Submitted Photo
community members: they A new business? A new
the one about the old pair Ribbon Cutting at Whole Life Fitness
all have their piece of the building? How about an
of wooden scissors that celebratory pie that is a rib- addition, or an expansion? we know the perfect way! coordinate your very own
wouldn’t cut? Well, safe to bon-cutting ceremony. A new partnership, a new Contact us at The Cham- Ribbon Cutting Celebration!
say, our new pair of shiny Never have I seen such department? ber and we will help you
scissors cut, and they cut a simple event bring smiles We want to help! And if
well. and joy to so many. you can’t tell by this blog,
“Alright, everyone line
up. Ready? 1-2-3”
A smiling face and a flex
of the arm. *snip*
A cheer from the crowd
and the shutter of a camera.
The newly severed ribbon
flows down to the ground,
and an almost relieved
laugh gushes from the new
business owner.
It’s done…
All that stress and work
capped off by the cut of a
ribbon and the clip of scis-
sors. What a celebration to
behold.
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Perhaps the excitement
over a new business in our
county?
Or is it the celebratory
food and drink?
No, its gotta be the child-
ish feeling you get holding
those extremely large pair
of scissors.
Nope. In my eyes it’s not
any of those things that
16 • October 2019 Chamber Connection Fall 2019

Helping The ease of becoming lik- helps businesses be more

Members
Continued from previous page.
The chamber can also
help people trust you when
you choose to associate or
sponsor a well-loved com-
munity/chamber event. For
instance, let’s assume a
well-known event like the Ag
Dinner has a large follow-
ing, and your business is a
chamber partner or naming
sponsor for that event, the
reputation of the event
spreads to your business as
if you were hosting it your-
self. It improves the trust
people have for you.
We’ve covered how
chamber membership im-
proves your business repu-
tation but being a chamber
member can also help you
market the most trustworthy
parts of your business.
Here’s how the chamber
can help you amplify your
able (or someone seeing
you as likable, because of
course you already are,
right?) in person is that you
can read your audience’s
nonverbal queues. If you
see them disengaging or un-
interested, you can change
the conversation back to
something they’re interested
in. You can tell if they’re en-
joying themselves and ad-
just accordingly.
Getting more involved in
the social opportunities at
the chamber can give you a
lot of time to build on the lik-
ability factor. People must
first know who you are to
later be able to like you.
Multiple chances to meet in
events through the chamber
can make networking easi-
er and less awkward be-
cause you’re not playing to
an unknown crowd. You
learn a little bit more about
them–and they about you–
each time you meet.
welcoming to customers.
Maybe you’ve been work-
ing on those things and try-
ing to humanize your brand
on social media. While
that’s a great idea, connect-
ing online can be difficult
for some people. If you’re
one of those people, or if
you’ve tried connecting on-
line and it’s not giving you
the traction you’d like, con-
sider how a chamber mem-
bership may help you be-
come better known and
trusted–and thus liked–in
the community.
As another bonus, the
chamber may be able to
show you how to connect
online as well. While social
media may not currently be
working for you, that
doesn’t mean it won’t. The
chamber can help in many
ways.
You can always feel free
to reach out to the staff at
your chamber to understand L LTransmissions, Inc.
41 Years in Business “Family Owned and Operated”

message. Likability is prob-

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They often go about it
through social media and
their attempts to become
more friendly come off as
just being salesy.
If you want more business
and are struggling with just
how to do that, the issue
may be that people either
don’t know you, trust you, or
know you well enough to
like you.
Chamber membership
just how we can play a role
in helping you get more
business. The options might
surprise you. For more infor-
mation visit our website at
www.geneseeny.com or by a Tow?
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Chamber membership
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ine, friendly relationships.
When that happens, it’s of-
ten because they haven’t at-
tributed the same skills
needed for an in-person
conversation to social me-
dia. Just like in a face-to-
face conversation, on social
media you don’t want to: be
boring; talk only about your-
self; blast your message; ig-
nore others, especially if
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18 • October 2019 Chamber Connection Fall 2019

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 Chamber Connection Fall 2019 October 2019 • 19

Welcome New Members 2019

Ad Monitor Jerome Gift Shop Spa on the Avenue
Art Ah La Carte Joan Post Consulting ST Network
AT Tech Joe Forsyth CPA State of the Arc
Backyard Barbell Joey T’s Carpet Cleaning The Coffee Press
Batavia Legal Printing L&L Transmission The Hillcrest Estate
Becker Glass Block Lake Plains Community Care United Healthcare
Best Western Lapp Insulator United Way of Genesee County
BeyonDriven Fitness Leabeau Salon Visiting Nursing Association
Casco Security Systems Leroy Village Green Volunteers for Animals
Coffee Karma Lighting Design Innovations Weldon Service & Repair
Employer Services Corporation Mama Chavez’s WNY 2-1-1
Encompass Genesee Morluski’s Restaurant Wraptile Graphics
EveryDry Waterproofing Ms Jean’s Child Care YWCA
Express Employment Neverwet Basement
Fenton’s Produce Next Era Energy
Ferrelgas Oakfield Hotel
Fresenius Kidney Care Optima Benefits and Payroll
General Maintenance Services Over The Border
Genesee Feeds Pella Windows
Genesee Organizing Precision Lawn Care
GHAX Inc Remedy Intelligent Staffing
Hickory Ridge RV Resort Rest and Revive Float Center STAY UP-TO-DATE WITH
Hodgins Engraving Ryan Homes ALL THINGS CHAMBER
Humphrey Media Solutions Sarah’s Studio WWW.GENESEENY.COM

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20 • October 2019 Chamber Connection Fall 2019