Heading back to Batavia this afternoon, I stopped in at Roanoke Apple Farm, in Bethany, for the first time.
Above, Alex Kiefer, an employee, picks apples.
Scott Darron and his daughter Natalya load up a bushel of apples. Darron said he was planning on making pies.
Jane Read and Anne Marie Starowitz were at Holland Land Office Museum on Saturday morning setting up a new exhibition about the history of local shoemaker p.w. minor.
The grand opening of the display is Oct. 2.
Employees and retirees of p.w. minor are invited to a preview at 3 p.m. The public is invited to a ribbon cutting at 6:30 p.m.
Many of the items in the display were provided on loan from The new p.w. minor.
The way Hiram Kasten and Lucine Kauffman see it, Genesee County is a great place to live.
It's beautiful, there's a lot going on, and you'll meet some of the nicest and most interesting people if you just get out on the town a bit.
It's these qualities that they want to highlight in their new weekly, one-hour radio show on WBTA, which debuts Oct. 1.
"Talk of the Town" will feature talk about what's going on and some of the region's interesting people.
It's a cultural show -- arts and entertainment -- but it's more than that.
"There's a national trend toward localism," Kauffman said. "It's not just shopping local. It's living local. We want to capture that idea."
Kasten and Kauffman like interesting people, but they are, of course, interesting people themselves.
Kasten has been a professional entertainer for decades with a long resume in New York and Hollywood that included recurring roles on "Seinfeld" (Hiram and Jerry came up through the New York comedy club circuit together) and "Everybody Loves Raymond."
Diana Kisiel Kasten, Hiram’s wife, is from Batavia and operates Pinnacle Manufacturing on Harvester Avenue. She convinced Hiram to move here a year ago. The couple has a grown daughter who attends Cornell University.
Kauffman is the former town supervisor for Elba and has been active in local theater for years. She grew up in Southern California and graduated from USC. She moved to Genesee County with her Batavia-born-and-bred husband, Bill, 25 years ago. Their daughter attends Notre Dame University. Bill Kauffman is the author of nine books and the screenplay "Copperhead," which had its theatrical release last year.
"We're going to talk about the cultural aspects of Genesee County and the region," Lucine said. "It's more than just arts and entertainment. There are farm co-ops and local artisans and people who enrich life in Genesee County. It's all about quality of life and the quality of life here is very good."
Hiram said he often knows the comedians passing through Rochester and Buffalo, so that will be an opportunity to hear from nationally recognized talent, but they'll also feature the volunteers who make community theater so vital to Batavia.
"There's a lot to celebrate in Genesee County," Lucine said.
"Celebrate. That's a good word," Hiram added. "There is a lot to celebrate here."
The show will air Wednesdays from 9 to 10 a.m. on WBTA-1490.
A family-owned communication company that has provided phone service in Genesee County for more than 100 years is bringing true high-speed Internet to Batavia.
Empire Access, an affiliate of Empire Telephone, with a location in East Pembroke, is installing fiber optics throughout the city.
The network will be able to deliver business and residential service with download speeds of 100 megabits and upload speeds of 20 megabits.
Verizon DSL only offers a 10mb down and 1mb up service in Batavia and Time-Warner's top-end service locally is 30mb down.
Senior VP Jim Baase said the prices will be better, much better, too. That 100mb/20mb service will cost only $50 a month.
This is the sixth market Empire is introducing high speed Internet in, Baase said.
"We've had great success competing against companies like Time Warner and Verizon," Baase said.
Business customers can order high-speed Internet now from Empire, said local manager Tom Hare, and delivery is about 30 days out currently.
The first neighborhood to get residential service will be in the northeast quadrant of the city, Hare said, starting in about three our four months. The rest of the city should be covered within six months.
Empire is also offering phone service over the fiber network, as well as cable TV and security systems.
All of the regulatory hurdles at the state and federal levels have been cleared, Baase said, and Empire is just starting negotiations with the city for a cable franchise agreement.
As previously reported, the city is also in the midst of negotiating a new agreement with Comcast.
Empire Telephone is a third-generation, family-owned business based in Prattsburgh. For most of its history, it's been a rural telephone network in such places as East Pembroke, Pembroke and Indian Falls where it has some 700 telephone customers (that area is also scheduled to receive a fiber network service from Empire).
Baase said Empire decided to bring a fiber because it's an open market (Verizon has shown no interest in introducing FiOS here) and it will have a large enough customer base to support the network.
"It's a very attractive market for us," Baase said. "It's densely populated and we don't like to over build where there's FiOS. We don't like to go where there's already a company like ours."
On its marketing material, Empire Access bills itself as "The Local Company," and Empire will have an office in Batavia (while maintaining a switching station in East Pembroke, where the office was located). Baase said Empire will employ people locally and hire more and more people as its local network grows.
Another Empire advantage, Baase said, is when you call customer service your call is immediately routed to a real person, rather than a long telephone tree of button pushing.
Empire has plans to expand into other parts of the county, primarily along Route 5, once the Batavia network is built.
Interested business customers (not residential yet) can contact Tom Hare at (585) 813-9861 or THare@etcnpt.com. (e-mail address corrected)
Top photo: High speed fiber-optic cable ready for installation in Batavia.
Tom Hare in Empire Telephone's current switching room in East Pembroke.
Empire Telephone's longtime facility in East Pembroke.
Press release:
UR Medicine's James P. Wilmot Cancer Institute will soon introduce a full menu of cancer diagnosis and treatment services in Genesee County, anchored at 262 Bank St. in Batavia.
UR Medicine has agreed to purchase Batavia Radiation Oncology Associates, the longtime practice of cancer specialists Kevin J. Mudd, M.D., and Jan Dombrowski, M.D.
Once the deal is complete, Mudd will continue to see patients as a member of the University of Rochester Medical Center faculty. Staff within the practice will also become University of Rochester employees.
The purchase, which includes the practice and the building, requires approval by the New York State Department of Health to make the practice part of Wilmot’s parent hospital, Strong Memorial Hospital.
"Dr. Mudd is a skilled and experienced clinician who will make a wonderful addition to our regional team of physicians,” said Jonathan Friedberg, M.D., director of the Wilmot Cancer Institute, a component of Strong Memorial Hospital. “His practice will form the hub for an expanded set of cancer services available right in Batavia.”
To further integrate care, Wilmot will renovate the building and introduce new medical oncology services, including chemotherapy and infusion services and will upgrade IT systems so that medical records and other information can be shared across Wilmot’s expanding network.
“This is part of our vision of bringing progressive cancer treatment directly into smaller communities throughout the region,” Friedberg said.
Mudd said "I have worked closely with the Wilmot Cancer Institute since coming to the region in 1996 and I look forward to continuing my practice as an integrated member of the University faculty."
The Wilmot Cancer Institute is the Finger Lakes Region’s leader for cancer care and research. As part of UR Medicine, Wilmot provides specialty cancer services at the University of Rochester Medical Center and at a network of satellite locations. Wilmot Cancer Institute is a component of Strong Memorial Hospital. The Institute also includes a team of scientists who investigate many aspects of cancer, with an emphasis on how best to provide precision cancer care.
Press release:
After 20 hours of travel, their first time so far away from home, two students from the southeast Asian island nation of Timor-Leste have arrived at Genesee Community College. Arsenio Ferreira, 21, and Jorguino (pronounced Jor-gino) Savio, 19, will spend the next two years at GCC earning an associate degree in Food Processing Technology (FPT).
GCC offers its first course in the brand-new degree program, Introduction to Food Processing Technology (FPT 101), beginning with the 12-week class session, which starts on Monday, Sept. 22. A few seats are still available in the class.
Savio and Ferreira earned full scholarships to study in the United States through the Timor-Leste Hillary Clinton Scholarship Program administered by the Institute of International Education (IIE). The IIE suggested GCC to the two young men.
"The program officer from IIE felt that GCC was a good fit for the Timorese students based upon their program of interest, student population, international student population, student services offered and GCC's commitment to diversity," said Carrie Sputore, International Admissions specialist at GCC.
Both Ferreira and Savio come from the capital city of Dìli in Timor-Leste. The city of approximately 190,000 people is the largest in the country, which neighbors Indonesia, and has an overall population of 1.2 million. The tropical climate is much different than western New York. Neither student has ever seen snow. "Everything is new for us," Savio said, including the way Americans cook and the foods we eat.
In Timor-Leste, wood stoves are used to prepare food, 90 percent of which is imported from Indonesia. Crops grown in Timor-Leste include corn, rice and cassava (a woody shrub whose starchy tuberous root resembles a potato; tapioca is extracted from it). The scholarship program aims to train youth to take skills back to Timor-Leste, contributing to the country's economic and social development as well as its democracy.
After two decades, hundreds of thousands of deaths, and near total infrastructure destruction, the country's independence from Indonesia was formally recognized in 2002, but it has faced great challenges rebuilding.
Timor-Leste has benefitted from oil procurement in offshore waters. Arsenio's father works for oil producer ConocoPhillips. He's excited for his son to study abroad as he earned a master's degree on scholarship in Norway. Arsenio is the second of five boys in his family. He also has two sisters. His mother is deceased.
Jorguino has a 21-year old sister studying engineering in Indonesia and a 12-year old brother. Both of his parents are primary school teachers.
"When I got the scholarship, my mother was very proud," he said. "It's very hard to get this scholarship. But when I left my mother was crying."
He already misses his family, but appreciates the educational opportunity he's earned.
Both Arsenio and Jorguino will live in College Village, adjacent to GCC, with American roommates.
"They are very friendly," Arsenio said.
Both he and Jorguino have studied English since high school. They also speak Tetum (official language of East Timor), Portuguese and Indonesian.
The Timor-Leste Hillary Clinton Scholarship program is funded through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Scholarships were awarded to academically talented and qualified Timorese students with the goal of strengthening the base of skilled, high performing professionals in Timor-Leste to contribute to the country's economic and social development.
The first thing Jason Harasimowszi thought when he saw Cross Fit on TV a few years ago was, "that's too hard."
He thought, "there's no way I could do that."
But he gave it a try and found, yes, it is hard, but, he said, "I wanted to keep doing it and get good at it."
Three years ago, he took a Cross Fit course in Chicago and became a certified trainer.
"It's nice seeing people succeed," Harasimowszi said to explain why he likes training others in Cross Fit.
Recently, Harasimowszi opened his own Cross Fit gym, Cross Fit Silver Fox, inside the Harvester Center.
Cross Fit is designed to be a complete, functional work out, often using heavy weights and complex, compound exercises that work more than one muscle at a time.
"(Cross Fit) is going to help you outside in life," Harasimowszi. "If you pick up boxes off the ground, it's like you're doing a deadlift. If you put a box on a top shelf, obviously, you're pressing something overhead. Everything is transferable to your outside life."
Silver Fox is equipped with about $20,000 worth of racks, weights, barbells, kettle bells, medicine balls, rowing machines, parallel bars, tires, boxes and other training equipment.
Classes are: Monday through Friday at 5, 6 and 7 a.m., and 4, 5 and 6 p.m.; Saturdays at 7, 8 and 9 a.m.; and Sundays at 11 a.m.
To locate Silver Fox, go into the Harvester Center through the main entrance and then down the hallway straight back from the door. The gym is on the left.
A fun family Harvest Festival in the country will debut from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 11, at the Kozy Kabin at 922 Genesee Street (Route 33) in Corfu.
Hosting are the property owners, Charles and Lenora Kohorst, who started the business three years ago. They build custom cabins and sheds of all sizes, with delivery, and custom-made polywood outdoor furniture, plus a colorful array of mums for the Fall season.
Why the festival?
"We have seen businesses in Corfu and Pembroke diminish these past few years, unfortunately, and have lost some great businesses -- The Market, IGA, Burling Drug, and more," Lenora said. "We see the need to come together as businesses and promote what the Corfu and Pembroke area has to offer the public. iI's a great place to live and visit (Darien Lakes)."
The scarecrow is the fest's theme.
Corfu and Pembroke area businesses are invited to participate in a scarecrow display that allows them to show off what they offer. They can dress it in any way that best shows the attendees their business with all their business information (addresses, contact info, specialties, etc.) also displayed alongside the scarecrow. Scarecrows will be displayed along the roadside (Route 33), craft vendors will have them at their booths, and they will be along the hayride that will go around the property.
There will be a bounce house, food vendors, craft vendors, kettle corn, hayrides, alpacas from Alpaca Delights, homemade desserts for sale, mums, pumpkins for sale. Browse Kozy Kabin, listen to live music, "needle in a haystack" game, face painting, balloon man.
There will also be a cabin raffle. First prize is a 10' x 20' cabin with a porch, or choice of $3,000 cash. Second, third and fourth prizes are a polywood folding Adirondack chair in the color of the winner's choice. Tickets are $5 or three for $10. Rain or shine. There will be tents.
For more information contact Lenora Kohorst at 409-7424.
There won't be Dunkin' Donut coffee addicts zipping into a new shop on West Main Street, Batavia, any time soon, it seems.
The City's planning board rejected a site plan for the propose fast food restaurant outright following a public hearing Tuesday.
Paul Viele, the board member who made the motion to reject the proposal, cited concerns over traffic and complaints from residents on Redfield Parkway and River Street.
The proposed location was a lot squeezed in between First Niagara Bank and Barrett's Batavia Marine.
Jett Mehta, president of the Pittsford-based development company looking to build a second Dunkin' Donuts in Batavia, said his company had looked at several properties on both the west side and the east side of the city before settling on a location they felt had sufficient traffic to support the franchise.
Donut stores and drive-thru coffee shops need high-traffic locations, Mehta explained.
"We don't generate traffic just because somebody decides they want to drive across town to get a cup of coffee," Mehta said. "They might, but we generally don't generate traffic. We capture traffic."
Kip Finley, an engineer on the project, said getting coffee and donuts is more a matter of "impulse purchases from people who are already right there."
Board members and public speakers expressed some skepticism about the "captured traffic" motif.
"Tim Hortons is not captured traffic," John Roach said. "People go there to get a cup of coffee, so I can see a lot more than five or six cars getting in line."
Mehta and his team brought their proposal to the city a couple of weeks ago and planners asked that the alignment of the store be changed so as many 20 cars in queue.
The developers did, even though they are vehement that there will never be 20 cars in queue.
"Our company operates 19 Dunkin Donuts with drive thrus," Mehta said. "We've never seen 20 cars in queue. Twenty cars in a drive-thru queue just never happens. It's not how the business is run."
When board members expressed concerns about the reconfigured site dumping traffic on River Street, Finley said that was a result of trying to accommodate the request to have space for 20 cars backed up in line.
"We're pretty flexible on those things," Finley said. "We now have two plans and both work pretty well."
Neighboring business owner Mike Barrett called the project "ill conceived."
He said there was a 400 gallon propane tank at the back of the property, an auto parts store in the neighboring shopping mall that certainly stores a lot of chemicals. He wondered if the Fire Department had signed off on the project with access to those buildings being restricted.
He also said the DEC required access to the Tonawanda Creek from that location for grass cutting operations.
Code Enforcement Officer Doug Randall said City Fire had been consulted and Chief Jim Maxwell had signed off on the plans.
Redfield Parkway resident Jim Owen said he loves Dunkin' Donuts and doesn't made a section location in Batavia, just not that location.
"We're really getting overwhelmed with the traffic," Owen said. "If you try to get out on certain dates and certain hours, it's just brutal."
After the meeting, Mehta said he and his team will need to convene and decide with to continue pursuing a second Dunkin Donuts location in Batavia.
Mike Mikolajczyk, owner of the current franchise and prospective owner of the second franchise, said during the meeting that the number one request he gets from current customers is a drive-thru location.
Asked about possible locations on the east side of the city, Mikolajczyk said it doesn't appear yet that East Main has the traffic volume to support a Dunkin' Donuts.
Photo: Steve Pum and Kip Finley.
The grand opening of an exhiibit about local shoemakers p.w. minor will be held at the Holland Land Office Museum from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 2.
Light refreshments will be served.
The museum is located at 131 W. Main St. in the City of Batavia.
Press release:
Muller Quaker Dairy and the local Edward Jones branch office support this year's Salvation Army Food Drive.
Local residents and businesses may help those less fortunate in the community by bringing in items to the Edward Jones branch office during regular business hours from Oct. 1 to Nov. 21.
Items needed for the food drive include: Canned fruits and vegetables, beans, instant potatoes, soups, canned meats, speghetti sauce, cereal, pasta and rice.
Proceeds from the drive will benefit the Batavia Salvation Army serving Genesee County.
County planners took a dim view of a new Dunkin' Donuts location on West Main Street, on a sliver of a lot between First Niagara Bank and Barrett's Batavia Marine.
After raising doubts about traffic flow, parking, parking for neighboring businesses, signage, building color and design, a motion to approve the project failed 3-5.
There was no follow-up motion to disapprove the project, which is a little more favorable to developer Kip Finley (pictured above). A disapproving vote would have required the City of Batavia Planning Board to approve the plans by a majority plus one. With no recommendation from the county, only a simple majority vote is required for approval.
Still, Finley wasn't happy as he left the meeting.
"Unfortunately, county planning talks about reusing property and building where there's development and not forcing development out into green areas, except they don't vote that way," Finally said. "Fairly disappointed."
Finley acknowledged there's a lot of traffic at the proposed location, but "that's where we put stores."
Planners were concerned that traffic would back up onto the street.
The City had already asked for a lot configuration so that as many as 20 cars could queue up in line, but Finley said that if a Dunkin Donuts store ever had as many as seven cars waiting in line, it would mean the store was a poorly run location.
He said store managers strive to keep traffic moving quickly because many customers won't even stop if they see a few cars already in line.
Planning staff expressed concern about signs in front of the building because of the potential visual impact on Redfield Parkway, which is designated "culturally significant" street by the Genesee-Finger Lakes Regional NYS DOT.
The problem for the proposed Dunkin' Donuts location, Finley said is that with the bank and its trees on the east side and Barrett's on the west side, signs on the sides of building won't have much visibility.
He also said the sign needs to be internally lit to have any meaningful impact on drawing in visitors who might be passing through and are unfamiliar with the area.
Press release:
The Genesee County Economic Development Center (GCEDC) and Muller Quaker Dairy are the recipients of the 2014 Northeastern Economic Developers Association (NEDA) Project of the Year Award. The award was formally presented to both entities at NEDA’s Annual Conference on Monday, Sept. 8th in Worcester, Mass.
GCEDC was recognized for fostering the development of the 250-acre Genesee Valley Agri-Business Park in Batavia, which has generated more than $230 million of new capital investment as well as the creation of approximately 230 jobs. NEDA also recognized Muller Quaker Dairy, a $206 million state-of-the-art yogurt manufacturing facility, which employs almost 200 people in the Agri-Business Park in the competitive $6.2 billion U.S. yogurt marketplace.
“On behalf of the GCEDC Board of Directors and staff we are honored to be recognized by NEDA,” said Steve Hyde, president and CEO of the GCEDC. “I want to thank Governor Cuomo for his personal commitment in bringing Muller Quaker Dairy to Western New York and his tireless efforts to improve the economic development climate throughout Upstate New York.”
Muller Quaker Dairy is projected to have a regional impact of approximately $150 million annually on the local agriculture, hospitality and business services sectors. Indirect job creation is projected to add another 750 workers to the regional labor force.
“This project is a great example of public and private sector collaboration especially in significantly compressing the timeline for various government approvals,” said Chris Suozzi, vice president for business development at the GCEDC. “Through the collaboration with Empire State Development, the Greater Rochester Enterprise the Buffalo Niagara Enterprise, National Grid, Genesee County, as well as the City and Town of Batavia, we were able to make the case that Batavia and the Agri-Business Park was the perfect location for Muller Quaker Dairy."
Muller Quaker Dairy is a joint venture between one of Europe’s largest dairy processors, Germany-based Theo Muller and New York-based PepsiCo. It is the largest manufacturing plant ever to open in Genesee County.
The NEDA Project of the Year award recognizes a major economic development project based on job creation and other direct economic impacts; capital investment; leveraging of development resources; use of public/private and/or intergovernmental partnerships; benefits to the surrounding community and/or environment; innovation; design excellence; and transportation considerations.
Press release:
To celebrate its 15-year anniversary in Western New York, Remedy Intelligent Staffing, one of the nation’s largest staffing firms, is pleased to announce the opening of its new location in Batavia. The office will be located at:
Remedy Intelligent Staffing
653 Ellicott St.
Batavia, NY 14020
Phone: 585.219.4096
The ninth location is indicative of Remedy’s continued growth and success in the Western New York area. As a member of the National Human Resource Association (NHRA) and GAPA Human Resources Group, and recently recognized in the Rochester Business Journal’s List of Staffing Firms as Rochester’s #1 staffing firm, Remedy prides itself on developing local teams in the communities it supports. The new Batavia office will serve the staffing needs of Genesee, Orleans, and Wyoming counties.
One of the country’s 10-largest full-service staffing agencies, Remedy is part of The Select Family of Staffing Companies, which has over 400 branches nationwide and annual revenues more than $2 billion. Remedy’s Batavia branch will offer contract, contract-to-hire, and direct placement positions in the light industrial and clerical fields, with an executive recruiting team.
The Remedy high-energy professional management team offers more than 20 years of staffing expertise and consists of Jeff Weber, president; Wendy Waight, regional manager; Brandyn Jacob, regional account manager; Steve Lansing, sales manager; Lori Farley, area manager; Jessica Spann, staffing coordinator; and Chris Williams, staffing coordinator.
“Having a full-time office in Batavia allows our clients and associates greater support from our local team,” Waight said. “The Batavia office will allow us to increase our accessibility to potential applicants as well as advance the response time to clients in need of qualified new employees.”
For more information on how Remedy can make a difference for your career or your company, please visit the company’s Web site at www.remedystaff.com.
About Remedy Intelligent Staffing and The Select Family of Staffing Companies
Founded in 1965, Remedy Intelligent Staffing is a professional staffing organization with years of recruiting and “Intelligent Fit” selection expertise to recruit top performers for their clients that minimize workforce costs and protect their bottom lines. Remedy’s industry-leading expertise in on-site programs, risk management, human resources, and employment law make it a top-rated partner in business.
Remedy offers premier workforce management services, including recruiting and screening professional job candidates, payroll and time attendance management, on-site supervision, and specialty staffing solutions to a wide variety of client companies, including manufacturing, industrial, clerical, administrative, accounting, finance, information technology, and professional services.
Remedy is part of The Select Family of Staffing Companies, one of the nation’s top 10 staffing agencies, as ranked by Staffing Industry Analysts. The company also operates as Select Staffing® (SelectRemedy® in Illinois), Select Truckers Plus®, Westaff®, and RemX® Specialty Staffing, and has divisions focused on professional development training (Power Training Institute) and Managed Services Program (SinglePoint Solutions). The Select Family is the only staffing agency to have ever won the Risk & Insurance Industry’s highest award – Risk Manager of the Year.
For more information on The Select Family of Staffing Companies, please visit the company’s website at www.selectfamily.com.
Lewis & Lewis, P.C., is pleased to announce that John I. LaMancuso has joined the firm as an associate attorney.
LaMancuso received a bachelor’s degree, with high distinction, from Indiana University and graduated magna cum laude from the State University of New York at Buffalo Law School. He is licensed to practice law in the State of New York.
LaMancuso comes to Lewis & Lewis with experience litigating general personal injury matters, as well as personal injury and wrongful death claims on behalf of individuals suffering from mesothelioma and lung cancer caused by exposure to asbestos.
Allan M. Lewis, partner at Lewis & Lewis, said “we are pleased to bring John to the team. He brings with him a great level of knowledge and truly shares our vision for the firm.”
At Lewis & Lewis, LaMancuso will continue represent the victims of serious injuries. He will focus his practice in the areas of personal injury litigation and workers’ compensation.
With offices in Batavia, Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Jamestown and Olean, Lewis & Lewis fights on behalf of injury victims and their families throughout Western New York.
Press release:
United Memorial’s Summit Physical and Occupational Therapy Center’s Jim Turcer, PT, SCS has obtained Board Certification as a Sports Certified Specialist (SCS). The certification program provides formal recognition for physical therapists with advanced clinical knowledge, skill and expertise in the areas of sports and athletics.
As of July 2013, the American Board of Physical Therapists Specialties (ABPTS) has certified only 1,266 Physical Therapists nationwide with the Sports Specialist Certification.
“Certified specialists have clearly demonstrated their commitment to service by the variety, depth, and consistency of their professional involvement. Their desire to attain formal recognition of their advanced clinical knowledge, competence, and skills reflects their devotion to their profession and their patients. In these times of dramatic health care reform, dedication to public service by providing high quality physical therapy services is paramount,” said Stephanie Yu, PT, MSPT, PCS, chair American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties.
Turcer began working within the community immediately after graduating from the State University of New York at Buffalo with a degree in Physical Therapy and recently celebrated his 27th anniversary with United Memorial Medical Center. Turcer furthered his education and training by becoming a certified Sportsmetrics trainer through the Cincinnati SportsMedicine Research and Education Foundation.
He is currently living in Alexander with his wife and three children, and is passionate about teaching high school female athletes’ injury prevention and jump training programs. Over the last 12 years he has been working with the Alexander High School’s women’s volleyball and basketball teams to successfully reduce the number of injuries to their athletes.
Summit Physical and Occupational Therapy has clinicians with the highest certifications and training with many years of experience. The professionals at Summit Physical and Occupational Therapy have consistently demonstrated their dedication for advanced techniques by furthering their skills and education.
About the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties
The specialist certification program has been designed to identify and define physical therapy specialty areas and to formally recognize physical therapists who have attained advanced knowledge and skills in those areas. Certification also assists the public and health care community in identifying therapists with acknowledged expertise in a particular field of practice and demonstrates that physical therapists are devoted to addressing the unique needs of the people with whom we work. Certification is achieved through successful completion of a standardized online application and examination process. Coordination of this program is provided by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (ABPTS), the governing body for approval of new specialty areas and certification of clinical specialists. Specialty councils representing the eight recognized specialty areas have been appointed to delineate and describe the advanced knowledge, skills, and abilities of clinical specialists; determine specific requirements for certification; and develop the certification examinations.
There's a selfish reason Charle Cook got behind the idea of his company donating money to help the Byron-Bergen School District buy 1,100 tablet computers for all of the district's children: He wants potential future employees to have the technical skills to work for the Liberty Pumps of tomorrow.
But the donation is also a good deed that will benefit his and his son's alma mater and perhaps encourage other rural companies to be as generous with their local school districts.
"We felt it's important as kids progress through school that they become knowledgable and comfortable with technology," said Charlie Cook, CEO of Liberty. "It's going to be part of their future employment. To have that as a kind of leg up to students who might not have access is an advantage.
"Somewhat from a selfish standpoint," he added, "we're going to need a certain segment of those graduates, and we're interested in keeping as many kids as we can in the community."
Superintendent Casey Kosiorek said the gift was timely. The district had recently cut a staff position from its library and New York's formula for aid to district continues to disportionately favor affluent suburban districts over rural districts.
"This allows us to do something that most of the school districts in the more affluent areas of the state are able to do," Kosiorek said. "We're very thankful for that."
That was part of what motivated Liberty to seek out a way to assist the district, said Jeff Cook, who initiated the talks with the district that led to the donation.
"The reason Liberty Pumps thought the Learn Pads were a good idea was that we hear a lot about how wealthier, suburban districts seem to have advantages over poorer, more rural districts in terms of course offerings and opportunities for their students," Jeff Cook said. "We were looking for a way to help give our students an edge while minimizing the overhead burden of the district and therefore the taxpayer."
Charlie Cook didn't want to reveal the total monetary amount of the donation, but it's roughly 30 percent of the cost of the 1,100 tablets, which cost a few hundred dollars each. That donation made Byron-Bergen eligible for a technology grant from the state education department that covered the remaining 70 percent of the cost.
There will be no new local spending as a result of the program.
The tablets are known as LearnPads. They are Droid-based tablets with modifications to suit the needs of an educational institution.
First, there are limits on how students can use them. There's access to YouTube, for example, but they can only watch teacher-approved videos. They can only visit approved Web pages. They can only download and install teacher-approved apps.
Teachers control the entire LearnPad environment according to the education needs of the class.
From a desktop computer program, teachers can customize how the LearnPads can be used, develop each day's lesson plan, then provide a QR code that can be posted to a wall. As students enter the class that day or that hour, the student scans the QR code to receive the lesson plan. As class progresses, teachers can monitor student activity to ensure they're staying on task.
However, Kosiorek stressed, LearnPads don't replace lectures and class discussions.
"This is a great tool for students and for teachers, but it doesn't replace quality education," Kosiorek said. "It's a tool, it's a supplement, an addition to a teacher's toolbox."
There are educational books available on the LearnPad and Kosiorek said the district hopes to someday replace all of its text books with tablets. That would save the district money as well as end the days of one-ton backpacks and multiple trips to lockers for students.
And yes, there are games available to students. Math games and vocabulary games, for example.
"Many students have access to video games and those games are very engaging," Kosiorek said. "There are goals that are set and you work toward those goals, so whatever we can do to provide relevance and engagement for students (we will do)."
Every student, starting this week, gets a LearnPad, from kindergarten through 12th grade. The younger students don't get a keyboard and will just use the touch screen, but starting in about third grade, keyboards will be introduced.
At younger grades, the LearnPads stay in school -- at least until the summer, when they can go with the summer reading program already installed -- while older children can bring the LearnPads home for homework once permissions slips and guideline acknowledgments are signed.
"We're very excited to be doing it," Charlie Cook said. "I've got four grandkids in the system right now and when I come to an event, which I do as often as I can, it's amazing to me to watch these kids work with the technology, even what they have currently. I think even in preschool years, they were up operating the touch screen, so this is a natural progression for them."
Jeff Cook said he hopes other business owners will look at this initiative and contact their own school administrators and ask "How can we help?".
Education, after all, is everybody's business.
"My hope is that what Liberty Pumps is doing will gain traction in the business community and others will join in on supporting our schools," Jeff Cook said. "If you are a business that is passionate about something you would be willing to help fund or support, I would suggest talking to the school administration about your idea and see if it is feasible.
"In the case of Byron-Bergen, they did all the leg work and presented us with their vision based on our ideas. This could be anything from supporting sport programs and class offerings, to equipment for the district. Anything that could enhance a student's learning opportunity."
Photo: Casey Kosiorek, left, and Charlie Cook.
From left, Stephanie Starkweather, Keith Bailey, Senator Mike Ranzenhofer, Patrick Privatera, Craig Rigney and Assemblyman Steve Hawley.
Sports Plus Physical Therapy is having its Open House and Grand Opening Celebration this afternoon at 5 Alva Place, Batavia. It ends at 7.
Keith Bailey, a physical therapist and the clinic's director, said the goal of the staff is to get their hands on every client.
"We treat primarily musculoskeletal conditions -- anything from sprains and strains to post-operative rehabilitation," Bailey said. "We do work with some neurological patients, such as people who've had a stroke, but we typically get them further down the road, not in the immediate sense.
"We'll work with feet, ankles, knees, hips, spine, shoulders, elbows, hands, we'll take care of just about any of it for you. We treat all ages. We have the very young up to the very old, and a lot in between. We have some young athletes, but I would say the bulk of our clientele is the Baby Boomer, middle-age generation. Nowadays, people expect to stay active and energetic longer than in the past. We try our best to help them achieve their goal."
On the first visit, a patient is taken to a private examination room for an evaluation and assessment. Measurements, such as range of motion, are taken, any sensory loss is also noted, so the clinician has a baseline to chart a course of therapy and its progression.
For example, "You think it's a shoulder pain," Bailey said. "Well maybe we can narrow it down and that gives us a more focused path to treatment."
On subsequent visits, the patient will go to gym area where there are tables to stretch out on and exercise equipment, ice packs, hot packs, and ultrasound machines to calm inflammation and promote healing.
"But the most important thing is -- we try to get our hands on every client," Bailey said, "which means, you come in, maybe we'll do some modalities; we're definately going to do some exercises. But we're also going to use our hands to try help you to achieve your goals, now whatever that may be -- it's different for different people.
"Maybe we'll work on joint restrictions or muscular issues or sometimes just help you to perform an exercise properly. We make sure when you come in here you're having an interaction with a therapist, not just going through a routine."
A patient can be seen with or without a doctor's referral. In New York, direct access is allowed up to 10 visits or up to 30 days of treatment, without a doctor's referral. Further treatment does requires a referral. No-fault insurance, Medicare, and Workers' Comp don't allow direct access to physical therapy.
Sports Plus Physical Therapy is open daily, including Monday and Wednesday evenings. Most insurance plans are accepted. To make an appointment or ask questions, call 343-9496.
The business is a new member of the Downtown Batavia Improvement District, but it is not new. It's been in Batavia since the 1990s and when Le Roy Physical Therapy bought the business 2009, they leased space near Batavia Downs.
With that lease about to expire, the business owners decided to look for a more centrally located facility. They found it at what used to be the Genesee County ARC administrative office building, at the corner of Alva Place and State Street.
"It's a nice central, more accessible location," Bailey said. "So we bought the building. It took a lot of doing to get it where we needed it to be, and we're pretty happy with how it's turned out."
Photo by Howard Owens.
A former taco wagon from Los Angeles is now a Southern BBQ truck in WNY.
The transformation was made by Cregg Paul, owner of Center Street Smoke House, who bought the truck from a seller in Fayetteville, NC, and drove the truck to Batavia.
It was exciting to see an authentic taco wagon on Center Street for a couple of weeks, but carne asada wasn't in Paul's plans. He's sticking to what he does best: brisket, ribs and pulled pork.
The truck is available for catered happenings and Paul plans on using it at festivals and other public events.
Press release:
Congressman Chris Collins (R-NY-27) visited Graham Corporation in Batavia to see firsthand the skilled jobs and business that the production of Navy aircraft carriers brings to the region. Graham Corporation builds and supplies main condensers and air ejectors for Navy aircraft carriers.
Graham Corporation is part of a vital defense industrial base consisting of more than 2,000 small, mid-sized, and large businesses from 43 states that provides parts and services for Navy aircraft carriers.
During his tour, Congressman Collins met with the employees at Graham Corporation to discuss the unique skills they contribute to the industrial base that supplies parts to the Navy aircraft carrier program.
“It was an honor meeting the employees at Graham and learning about their vital work constructing components for our Navy’s aircraft carriers,” Congressman Collins said. “Local businesses like Graham are essential to maintaining economic growth and good-paying job opportunities here in Western New York, while ensuring our nation’s national security. It was great to see firsthand how the skilled work happening here in Batavia contributes to our Navy’s strength around the world.”
“Building new carriers every five years and undertaking maintenance on a regular schedule preserves the fleet at its required operational level of 11 carriers and keeps the industrial base sustainable and strong. Today we got the opportunity to talk with Congressman Collins about why it is so critical to our local jobs and businesses and our national security,” said Ken Salphine, manager of Marine & Nuclear Products at Graham Corporation.
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