Business

During his years in Congress, former Texas representative Ron Paul, a medical doctor by trade, gained the nickname "Dr. No" for his propensity to vote against nearly every bill that came before him.

Might the Western Regional Off-Track Betting board of directors have its own "Dr. No"?

Erie County's representative, Timothy Callan, does have a Ph.D, but, in fairness, he more often than not votes yes on board motions. When he does vote no, though, he is typically the lone dissenting voice on a board that, though made up of Republicans and Democrats from large and small jurisdictions, often hues toward unanimity. 

When Callan, deputy comptroller for Erie County, votes no, the motion before him typically deals with financial expenditures.

That was the case Thursday when Callan voted against motions authorizing the OTB to hire a temporary general counsel while the board seeks a new staff attorney and voted against authorizing expenditures for advertising on Buffalo and Rochester broadcast media. He also voted against a $10,000 pay raise for the executive office manager, an apparent correction to her employment agreement. 

Callan said he is concerned about the seeming rise in payroll for executives at OTB.  He raised concerns in October when he voted against a reorganization plan that, as he sees it, created three new jobs. He's more concerned now, he said, because of current financial trends.

Last month, The Batavian reported that OTB was on track to return less revenue for 2024 to the 17 owner-municipalities than in recent years even while revenue has increased. 

"I think that we should be much more judicious about our spending," Callan told The Batavian after Thursday's board meeting.

In July, the OTB board voted to buyout the contracts of CEO Henry Wojtaszek, CFO Jackie Leach, and VP of Operations William White.

Wojtaszek earned $299,000; Leach, $244,000; and White, $160,000 (Leach's contract was amended on Thursday to extend her employment with OTB a short time to help with the ongoing transition in her department). 

Former Buffalo mayor Byron Brown replaced Wojtaszek as CEO in October at a salary of $295,000. 

In October, the OTB board reorganized the executive staff, creating a chief of staff position and a director of communications position. Steve Casey was hired as chief of staff at a salary of $190,000 and Michael DeGeorge became the director of communications at an annual salary of $130,000.

Ryan Hasenauer, former marketing director, was promoted to the new position of VP/Business Development and Danielle Fleming was named VP/Human Resources as part of the reorganization.

What the reorganization plan didn't address was the need to replace Wojtaszek in his secondary role as the agency's general counsel, a position he held before taking on the primary role of CEO.

Callan said he learned for the first time on Wednesday that Brown intended to hire a staff attorney with an anticipated salary of $160,000 to $180,000 annually, plus benefits.

"I was under the impression and led to believe that Judge (John) Owens was hired as an external vendor -- he's not an employee of the corporation, but he has been serving as legal counsel for the Corporation since May or April of 2023," Callan said. "I've interacted with him last year, when I joined the board last January, and found him to be very reasonable and competent."

Callan said he is under the impression that the retainer fee for the firm that employs Owens is being increased by $25,000, but at the same time, OTB, Callan said, is paying out "hundreds of thousands of dollars" for outside counsel on a variety of legal issues facing the agency. 

While Callan believes executive salary expenditures are up significantly, Brown told The Batavian in a separate interview on Thursday that "it's a wash from what it was previously."

"When you look at the top executive positions, there is no material difference in the spending," Brown said. "With the legal counsel, we were outsourcing a lot of that legal work previously, and my goal is to bring more of that work in-house and create a more competitive environment and how law firms are selected when we do have to outsource legal work."

Brown said he believes it is important for the corporation to have legal counsel on staff, available on a day-to-day basis.

"There are a lot of legal matters that come before the corporation all the time, and so for the corporation to operate more efficiently, for the corporation to save money on legal expenses, having an in-house counsel that is available daily, I think, will make the operation of the corporation even more efficient," Brown said.

Callan was appointed to the board as a result of legislation pushed by Democratic Sen. Timothy Kennedy, representing Erie County, making spurious claims about corruption at the agency, to fire all of the board members serving in 2023 and giving the larger jurisdictions among the 17 owner-municipalities greater weighted voting. This g was expected to shift the controlling interest of the corporation away from Republicans and to Democrats.

Wojtaszek is a Republican and often the target of attacks by Erie and Niagara county politicians. 

In relation to Callan's assertion that executive expenses are going up in the wake of Wojtaszek from the agency, The Batavian asked Callan about the apparent "unintended consequences" of "pushing out" Wojtaszek.

Callan said he was as surprised as anybody when he learned before the July board meeting that Wojtaszek was seeking a buyout of his contract.

"That was news to me," Callan said. "I've not heard anybody say Henry was pushed out. I don't know if Henry thinks he was pushed out, but everything I was told by Henry, by our chairman, and by other colleagues here is that Henry chose to leave and wanted a buyout. I wasn't told he was pushed out. So I don't know where that sentiment would come from."

Wojtaszek told The Batavian in June that his departure was by "mutual agreement."

As for advertising spending, the board approved the expenditure of up to $1,155,000 for advertising at 14 broadcast outlets in Rochester and Buffalo.

That doesn't mean OTB will spend that amount, just that marketing staff can make ad buys up to the amounts specified for each individual outlet, ranging on an individual outlet basis from $15,000 to $250,000.

Callan said he isn't convinced the corporation has a good metrics system to ensure each outlet delivers results.

He said that during the advertising committee meeting on Wednesday, he asked colleagues to cut the authorization in half, perhaps covering only six months.

"Let's, as a board, understand the analytics behind why you're paying this TV station this amount, why this TV station in Rochester is getting this amount," Callan said.

(Disclosure: Batavia Downs has been advertising with The Batavian for about a decade but never in the amounts disclosed in the resolutions approved by the board.)

Callan said he's previously raised the question in internal meetings but has never found the answers satisfactory.  He said he wants to know if an ad can be linked to betting, to meals, to track attendance, remote betting, or hotel stays.

"How do we track and know who these people are and how they came here? In other words, how do we know that a TV ad is running in Buffalo every five minutes -- it seems like -- I live in the Buffalo area -- and every five minutes on one of the TV stations I see a Batavia Downs ad," Callan said. "How do we know the effectiveness of this? How do you track people who watch Channel 2, the NBC station in Buffalo? What's the bang for the buck that -- you know, they're advertising the most, they are getting the most money in the resolution -- that's driving people to want to come here?"

Brown said Thursday's resolutions were based on an advertising budget that was passed as part of the operational plan in December. 

"I was able to share with board members that my management team and I have already reduced some of the marketing spending, but it's critically important to market Batavia Downs Gaming and Hotel to keep people coming to the property, using the property, being aware of the property, so that we can continue our success in this very competitive industry," Brown said.

As for analytics, Brown said he agrees with Callan that measuring results is important. 

"We want to analyze our spending," Brown said. "We want to be able to track the impact of our spending and make sure that we are spending money on the market and in other areas most intelligently and efficiently."

He said, in fact, there is already tracking in place.

"I think we have to do a better job of sharing that tracking and those analytics, and we will certainly do that," Brown said. "But already in the first part of this year, we've demonstrated to the board that we have reduced the amount of money we spend on marketing while still expanding our marketing reach."

First-year Western Regional Off-Track Betting CEO Byron Brown has a four-point legislative plan he's pursuing in Albany in his attempt to grow the business and generate more revenue for the 17 municipalities that own the organization.

The top priority is reducing OTB's tax rate from 49% to 44%. That five percentage point drop would increase revenue for Batavia Downs by $4.5 million.

"We propose to use that revenue to increase disbursements to the 17 member municipalities, which would certainly make 17 governments in Western New York financially stronger," Brown said. "We would also look to provide raises to our hard-working employees, and you know that would certainly go back into the economy of Western New York, and finally, our interest would be to reduce what our employees pay for their family health insurance."

The reduction would make the OTB's tax rate more equitable with Hamburg Gaming and Vernon Downs.

"This would not affect either of those operations," Brown said. "Of course, gaming is a very competitive industry. This would make us more competitive in the industry, and these revenues would go to 17 municipalities and to the employees who work here."

Brown noted that WROTB is unique in that it has 17 member-owners and distributes revenue to 17 municipalities. No other gaming operation in the state has as many stakeholders receiving revenue from the operation.

"Suffolk OTB, for example, has one municipality to which they provide resources," Brown said. "In our case, we have 17. So this has a positive financial impact on 17 different municipalities in Western New York. This is also the fifth largest employer, with roughly 420 employees, in Genesee County, and 52% of those employees are unionized employees."

Brown is also aiming at ensuring WROTB gets a piece of the action if iGaming is approved by the state, a project favored, Brown said, by the chair of the Senate Committee on Racing, Wagering, and Gaming.

iGaming means online gambling, which includes casino games, sports betting, and online poker.

There are statutes in New York that also require, besides the tax, OTBs to pay fees to the gaming commission.  Brown is seeking a reduction in those fees.

The fourth item on his legislative agenda is to extend the boundaries for WROTB's E-Z Bet machines. Right now, they can't be placed more than 40 miles away from the track. That leaves out portions of Erie County. 

These are the sort of issues board members expected Brown to tackle when they approved his employment contract.  As a former mayor and former state legislator, he has a lifetime of political connections in Albany.

But that doesn't mean winning support for these initiatives will be easy.

Annual budget planning starts in June, and Brown started his new position in October, so that's a challenge for Brown to overcome, but he's working at it, he said.

"We're a little behind where we would like to be in terms of our legislative agenda, but we have hit the ground running," Brown said. "I've been to Albany talking to state legislators and the governor's staff and others. You know, the last trip to Albany was just another step in that process. I attended the governor's State of the State speech. We requested a number of meetings with members of the Assembly and with the Governor's staff, and all of the meetings that we requested were granted. So we feel that we're being listened to, that we're being heard, and people have been very receptive to our concerns and our needs."

Officials at the Genesee County Economic Development Center do anticipate that Plug Power will complete construction, at some point, of its clean hydrogen fuel plant at WNY STAMP.

"We continue to check in with them periodically," said CEO Mark Masse. "They've said the project is on pause, but it's still a very important part of their overall strategic goal of green hydrogen production, and they're still intending to construct the facility at STAMP."

The Lathan-based hydrogen company received word a week ago that the Department of Energy finalized a $1.66 billion loan guarantee with the company, which the company said would be used to complete construction on six plants, without specifically naming the $290 million project in Genesee County as one of the plants it will continue work on.

There's been some doubt about the future of the plant since HeatMap reported in  October that the WNY STAMP project was not included in the DOE loan application. The DOE has not responded to The Batavian's request to obtain a copy of the document. 

Chris Suozzi, VP for business and workforce development at the GCEDC, reportedly told a Washington, D.C.-based commercial real estate firm that Plug Power's STAMP project is on hold.

According to Heatmap, Suozzi spoke to PRP Real Estate Management. The firm recorded the phone call.

“They’re not ready to go," Suozzi reportedly said. "They’re on pause. We don’t know what’s going to happen with them at this point.”

Masse said Plug Power was in a "holding pattern" while awaiting news of the DOE loan.

"I have not followed up with them since the announcement," Masse said. "I don't think the announcement stated where the loan guarantee was going to go, but I'm sure we'll be reaching out to them at some point here soon, just to get another update from them and find out what their plans are for that funding."

The new potential barrier for Plug Power, however, may be an executive order signed by Donald Trump on his first day in office freezing disbursement of funds under the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act targeted to clean energy projects.

The order explicitly targets grants, which have mostly been distributed already, but it's unclear how it affects the DOE's Loan Program Office.  

The loan closed a week ago, but it is unclear whether the funds were transferred to Plug by Monday. A public relations representative did not respond to The Batavian's request for comment on the project.

The office of Sen. Charles Schumer did not respond to The Batavian's request for a comment on the status of the project and the loan.

The stock market has not reacted favorably to news of the loan closing. Since Thursday, the price per share of Plug's stock has dropped from an open of $2.75 to a close on Wednesday of $2.05.

The company reportedly already carries $930 million in debt, and at no point in its 28-year history has it turned a profit.

Plug Power also faces a class-action lawsuit filed in May claiming that the company's stock price was artificially inflated between May 9, 2023, and January 16, 2024.

The plaintiffs claim that the company and a pair of senior officers misled investors by lying and withholding information about delays in the build-out plans of its production facilities in SEC filings.

Plug Power is currently the nation's largest producer of green hydrogen. Its Georgia plant produces 15 tons of liquid hydrogen per day. Its Tennessee plant produces 10 tons per day. It also has an operational plant in St. Gabriel, Lousiana. 

If the WNY STAMP plant ever comes online, it is expected to produce 74 tons daily. The company is also constructing additional plants in New York and Texas.

The company seeks to become the nation's first vertically integrated green hydrogen producer, providing customers with fuel, products, and support. Plug aims to provide customers fuel cells, electrolyzers (splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen), and liquid hydrogen fuel. They currently provide companies like Walmart and Amazon with hydrogen-powered forklifts.  The company sees a future in hydrogen powering long-haul trucking.

Plug Power, the green hydrogen manufacturing firm based in Lathan, with a plant under construction in the town of Alabama, has closed on a $1.66 billion loan guarantee with the U.S. Department of Energy.

The loan guarantee has been under negotiations for months and closes just days before President Joe Biden leaves office.

“Finalizing this loan guarantee with the Department of Energy represents a significant step in expanding our domestic manufacturing and hydrogen production capabilities, which create many high-quality jobs throughout the U.S.,” said Plug CEO Andy Marsh in a release. “In addition to reducing carbon emissions and enhancing the resilience of the U.S. energy grid, we believe the hydrogen economy aligns closely with national security interests, ensuring that the U.S. remains at the forefront of energy technology development and deployment on a global scale.”

Based on prior reporting, it's unclear if Plug intends to use a portion of the loan funds to complete its $290 million green hydrogen fuel plant under construction in WNY STAMP.

Chris Suozzi, VP for business and workforce development at the Genesee County Economic Development Center, reportedly told a Washington, D.C.-based commercial real estate firm that Plug Power's STAMP project is on hold.

However,  throughout the negotiations process, Plug Power has publicly maintained that it intends to use the fund to complete six plants, which has previously included the local plant.

In a release on Thursday, Plug stated:

The loan guarantee will help finance the construction of up to six projects to produce and liquify zero- or low-carbon hydrogen at scale throughout the United States. Plug’s Graham, Texas, green hydrogen plant, the first to benefit from this financing, will create hundreds of high-quality jobs. Powered by an adjacent wind farm, Plug’s green hydrogen production plant will utilize the company’s electrolyzer stacks manufactured at its factory in Rochester, N.Y., and its liquefaction and storage systems built at its facility in Houston.

The company already has operational plants in Georgia, Charleston, Tennessee, and Louisiana.

The loan is for $1.55 billion in principal, and Plug is expected to pay $107 million in interest.

The DOE release states:

Advancing clean hydrogen is a key component of the Biden-Harris Administration’s whole-of-government approach to building a robust clean energy economy that creates healthier communities, strengthens energy security, and delivers new economic opportunities across the nation. Today’s announcement will help unlock the full potential of this versatile fuel and support the growth of a strong, American-led industry that ensures the United States remains at the forefront of the global economy for generations to come. Plug submitted its application to LPO in November 2020. 

The release states the Plug is positioned to build out clean hydrogen facilities in several potential locations and to supply its national customer base with end-to-end clean hydrogen at scale.

This project advances President Biden’s efforts to strengthen domestic clean energy supply chains, which are essential to meeting the nation’s ambitious climate goals and enhancing our national and energy security.

The DOE expects that hydrogen from the plants will fuel cell-electric vehicles in material handling, transportation, and industry, which could result in an 84 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional hydrogen production. 

The clean hydrogen facilities will utilize Plug’s electrolyzer stacks that are manufactured at the company’s state-of-the-art gigafactory in Rochester, NY and will use modular designs to ensure a resilient hydrogen fuel delivery network. Plug is among the leading commercial-scale manufacturers of electrolyzers in the United States and currently operates the largest Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolyzer system in the United States at its Georgia hydrogen plant. 

The DOE explains the process:

Electrolyzers use electricity to split water into its component parts, hydrogen and oxygen. Plug’s PEM technology allows it to operate efficiently even with variable electricity, enabling it to leverage electricity from intermittent renewables. Electrolyzers that use renewables to power their hydrogen production produce emissions-free clean hydrogen. The electrolyzer stacks can be easily configured to produce systems at 1 megawatt (MW), 5 MW, and 10 MW scales. (One MW powers the equivalent of 750 American homes based on their instantaneous demand.)

Wall Street's reaction to the news of the loan? A 7% drop in the stock price, bringing it down to $2.44 a share by the close on Friday. 

The Motley Fool stock news site suggests history is working against Plug in investor's minds. 

In its 28-year history, Plug has never turned a profit. The company has reported reported $1.4 billion in losses. It also has $930 million in debt already on its books.

Press release:

After announcing Edwards Vacuum’s plans to build a manufacturing facility in Western New York two years ago, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer today announced Edwards Vacuum and the U.S. Department of Commerce had finalized its CHIPS award of $18 million from his bipartisan CHIPS & Science Law. 

Schumer explained this would lock in the federal funding Edwards Vacuum needs for plans to build its new $300+ million dry pump manufacturing facility for the semiconductor industry, the first of its kind in the country, as there is currently no domestic production of semiconductor-grade dry vacuum pumps.

“Edwards Vacuum’s $18 million CHIPS award is locked in. This finalized federal investment will help ensure NY’s semiconductor supply chain is made right here in Genesee County,” said Senator Schumer. “The signed CHIPS award is a major step forward for this $300 million, 600 job project that will be a pivotal stop on America’s semiconductor superhighway. All the major semiconductor companies in New York and across America need this vacuum technology for their chip fabs, that only Edwards will make in the USA. It is a prime example of why our region is growing as the nation’s semiconductor ‘Tech Hub.’ With the funding from my bipartisan CHIPS & Science Law now signed and sealed, Edwards Vacuum’s growth in Western NY can continue knowing the funding will be secured for them to tap no matter the administration. This is a win-win-win: for Genesee County, for Upstate NY, and America.”

This federal funding will support a planned $300+ million investment and 600 good-paying jobs when the facility reaches full production capacity. Schumer explained all chip fabs need vacuum technology, such as that produced by Edwards, to power the sophisticated equipment and state-of-the-art machine tools needed to make microchips. Those tools use vacuum pumps, like those that will now be made in Western New York, to manipulate the chip wafers and control industrial gasses needed to manufacture the finished microchips. By bringing manufacturing to New York, new chip fabs such as Micron and GlobalFoundries in New York and Intel in Ohio can have access to critical dry pumps that will now be made in the U.S., offering chip producers shorter wait times, improved responsiveness, lower risks of supply chain disruptions, and reduced CO2 emissions from an American-made product. 

The U.S. Department of Commerce will disburse funds in the coming years as Edwards Vacuum meets project milestones agreed to in the final award.

Schumer has been a relentless champion for expanding the semiconductor supply chain in Western NY. Schumer personally called Geert Follens, who was then President of the Vacuum Technique Business Area for Edwards parent company Atlas Copco Group, to urge the global semiconductor supply chain company to expand in Upstate New York. Later that year Schumer announced with Governor Hochul that Edwards Vacuum had heeded their calls and planned to build their new manufacturing facility in Genesee County. Last year, Schumer celebrated Edwards Vacuum’s groundbreaking ceremony in Genesee County for Phase 1 of their construction, which is expected to be completed in 2028.

Schumer also helped the Buffalo-Rochester-Syracuse region win the prestigious Tech Hub designation to support the buildout of the semiconductor supply chain in Upstate NY through his bipartisan CHIPS & Science Law and last year secured a major $40 million investment to implement the Tech Hub’s work with companies like Edwards. The proposal, called the “NY SMART I-Corridor Tech Hub” has built on the historic investments Schumer delivered that have spurred a boom in semiconductor manufacturing and innovation across Upstate NY. Edwards Vacuum is working with Genesee Community College and Tech Hub partners like Monroe Community College, Erie Community College, and the Northland Workforce Training Center to help them hire and train hundreds of new workers.

“The Empire State is becoming a national leader in advanced manufacturing because of the investments New York has made in this industry and the extraordinary help of President Biden. New York State has the talent, infrastructure and innovation to continue on this trajectory and the best is yet to come. My 2025 State of the State includes new initiatives to grow this critical industry, and we’ll continue doing everything in our power to great jobs and boost economic growth,” said Governor Kathy Hochul.

Photographer Destin Danser captured these images on Wednesday morning of the new Oxbo plant under construction in Apple Tree Acres in Bergen.

Previously:

• Oxbo planning move from Byron to new 195,000-square-foot facility in Bergen
• International company with roots in Genesee County celebrates next stage of growth in Bergen

The Genesee County Chamber of Commerce welcomed Ashley Mooney, DDS, as one of the newest businesses to open locally on Wednesday.

Mooney's new office is at 214 East Main St., Suite #1, Batavia.

Photo by Marc Tillery/WBTA

Press Release:

United Way of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes has finalized agreements with 89 nonprofits to receive multi-year funding grants. Funding distribution is set to begin in January and will total more than $6 million in 2025.

United Way’s award of two, three, and five-year program grants is part of its strategy to deliver impact at scale. The strategy combines United Way’s traditional multi-year grants with additional funding opportunities and nonprofit resources to address the diverse needs throughout the region.

“Our multi-year grants are one way we are helping to support the critical work of local nonprofits and drive impact in our region,” said Jaime Saunders, President & CEO of United Way of Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes. “Thank you to the generous donors who contributed to our 2024 annual campaign to make these grants possible. We are looking forward to closing gaps and opening opportunities alongside our inspiring partners.”

United Way also recently opened applications for two of their one-year and activity-based funding opportunities--summer program and synergy grants--with more to come in early 2025. Nonprofits are encouraged to learn more and apply to these funding opportunities at unitedwayrocflx.org/nonprofits.

United Way is committed to supporting impactful and essential initiatives so everyone in our region can thrive. Learn more about how you can make an impact by donating to United Way.

The following nonprofits will receive the first installment of multi-year grant funding from United Way in 2025:

• Action for A Better Community
• All Babies Cherished Pregnancy Assistance Center
• American Red Cross, Greater Rochester Chapter
• ANT Alliance  
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Rochester NY
• Boy Scouts of America, Seneca Waterways Council
• Boy Scouts of America, Western New York Scout Council
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Rochester
• Cancer Action  
• CASA of Rochester-Monroe County  
• Catholic Charities Family & Community Services
• Catholic Charities of the Finger Lakes
• Catholic Charities Steuben/Livingston
• Center for Employment Opportunities
• Challenger Miracle Field of WNY
• Chances and Changes
• Charles Settlement House
• Community Place of Greater Rochester
• Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Rochester, Inc.
• Dansville Food Pantry
• Deaf Refugee Advocacy  
• Family Counseling of the Finger Lakes
• Family Promise of Greater Rochester  
• Family Promise of Ontario County
• Flower City Noire Collective  
• Geneseo Groveland Emergency Food Pantry
• Gillam Grant Community Center
• Goodwill of the Finger Lakes
• Harbor House of Rochester
• Hillside Children's Center
• Hope Center of Le Roy
• Hope585  
• Ibero-American Action League
• Keeping Our Promise  
• Legacy Makers
• Legal Aid Society of Rochester NY
• Legal Assistance of Western New York
• Lifespan of Greater Rochester
• Literacy Volunteers of Wayne County
• Margaret Home  
• Medical Motor Service of Rochester and Monroe County
• MHA Rochester/Monroe County
• Mission Fulfilled 2030
• Monroe Community College Foundation
• Mt. Hope Family Center
• Partnership for Ontario County
• PathStone Corp
• Person Centered Housing Options
• Prosper Rochester
• Providence Housing Development Corporation
• Reach Advocacy  
• Reentry Association of WNY
• Roc Royal  
• Roc the Peace  
• Rochester General Hospital
• Rochester Museum and Science Center
• Salvation Army, Canandaigua
• Salvation Army, Geneva
• Society for the Protection and Care of Children  
• Spot-Canandaigua  
• St. Vincent DePaul Society
• The Center for Teen Empowerment  
• The Center for Youth Services
• The Child Advocacy Center of Greater Rochester
• The Housing Council at PathStone
• The Salvation Army (Rochester Area Services)
• The Salvation Army- Batavia Corps
• Trillium Health
• United Youth Music and Arts  
• UR Medicine Home Care Certified Services
• Urban League of Rochester New York
• URMC Noyes Health - Home Safe Home Program
• Venture Compassionate Ministries
• Veterans Outreach Center  
• Victim Resource Center of the Finger Lakes  
• Volunteer Legal Services Project of Monroe County
• Volunteers of America Upstate New York
• W A V E Women  
• Warrior House Of WNY
• Wayne County Action Program  
• Wayne Pre-Trial Services
• Western New York Rural Area Health Education Center
• Willow Domestic Violence Center
• Women’s Foundation of Genesee Valley  
• Worker Justice Center Of New York  
• World Relief Western NY
• YMCA Of Greater Rochester
• YWCA of Genesee County
• YWCA Of Rochester and Monroe County 

Press Release:

Michael Marsh and David Hall, Edward Jones financial advisors in Genesee County, invite the public to attend a holiday open house from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, December 7, at 7 Jackson Street during Christmas in the City.

Light refreshments will be served.

Press Release:

An expansion of its internal workforce, Tompkins Financial Corporation has welcomed Rebecca McGee as an employee experience team lead in its human resources department. McGee, who brings 16 years of experience to her new role, will support the financial institutions’ existing teams within Tompkins Financial Advisors and Tompkins Insurance Agencies.

“Rebecca has established herself as a dedicated professional, demonstrating her commitment to quality, efficiency and symbiotic employee relationships throughout her career,” said Stacie Mastin, senior vice president, director of human resources. “Her extensive experience and the values she holds are paramount and will undoubtedly make her an asset to our organization.”

A graduate of Plattsburgh State University, McGee holds a Professional Human Resources (PHR) Certification, Society of Human Relations Management Professional Certification (SHRM-PC) and a LEGO Serious Play Facilitator, in addition to her bachelor’s degree. 

Before joining Tompkins, McGee was the director of human resources for the City of Batavia, New York. An active member of her community, McGee serves as a board member for Rochester Regional Health United Memorial Medical Center and the Business Education Alliance (BEA) and volunteers with Leadership Genesee and the Genesee Area Personnel Association.

Currently, McGee resides in Batavia with her husband, Patrick.

The cost of doing business has doubled since the pandemic, said Tim Call, former owner of Empire Tractor, while explaining why he decided to sell the company to Champlain Valley Equipment, a family-owned group of farm equipment retailers based in Vermont.

"He (Brian Carpenter, owner of Champlain) is a great businessman, a great person, and has been great to work with, so I knew that he would take care of our employees and our customers the way that I wanted them taken care of," Call said.

Call started in the industry working for his father's store in Batavia, but when International Harvester was acquired by Case, Call's father sold the business to Case, so Tim Call took a job with Monroe Tractor. 

One day, he needed a new belt for his Troy-built rototiller and that required him to visit Tri-County Tractor, owned at the time by Carl Colantino.

Tim had heard the business had been sold so he asked about it and Colantino said the deal fell through.

"Why? You interested?" Colantino asked.

They talked and Call decided Colantino was asking too much for the business.

"Two weeks later, my mom passed away from cancer. That made me start thinking, what am I going to do? Am I always going to work for somebody else here?" Call said. "I got a chance to own one of the four major farm equipment dealers in United States, and a Ford New Holland dealership at the time. It took a while, but the Tuesday before Thanksgiving in 1994 we actually closed the deal."

In 2000, Tri-County merged with Finger Lakes Tractor and RMC Equipment, forming Empire Tractor.

About eight years ago, Call bought out his seven other partners, and a year later, he brought in Phil Doty as a partner.

Both Call and Doty remain with Champlain. Call is managing the Batavia store and Doty manages Watertown and Canton. 

Since the pandemic, supply chain issues, new tariffs, especially steel tariffs, higher insurance costs, higher wages, and other rising costs have increased business expenses. Since no Call family member is in line to take over the business, and Call turns 65 next month, it seemed like a propitious time to sell.

"It was to the point where, if I were going to stay in business, I'd have to invest a couple million more," Call said. "Where am I going at my age, with nobody coming on? So I just felt it was best, especially when we're putting up against private equity companies like Land Pro, Sydenstricker Nobbe Partners, United Turf and Ag, and all these other people. So, it seemed like the time was right, but I could still work. I still like what I do, and I'll still be here to make sure that our employees and customers around here are taken care of."

As for market conditions, Call said, "The price of the equipment is 50 to 75% higher than it was, and the freight to get it here is twice as much. The setup to put (equipment) together is twice as much. You know, all our costs are up, like everybody else's. All the employees have to get more money. Insurance is going through the roof. It's just the investment to run the business is a lot more than what it was."

He added, "Everybody raised their prices when steel went up. Everybody raised their prices with freight when fuel prices went up. Nobody's dropped. Their prices go up. They don't come back down."

There are bright sides to the industry, though.  Locally, for example, dairy farms are doing well, Call said.

"Right now everybody's saying ag is down. Farming is down," Call said. "Well, they're talking about corn and soybean, and that's mostly the midwest, and any cash grain farmers around here are down, but the dairy farmers are doing pretty well right now, so we're a little more immune to the swings up and down."

Call has known Carpenter, a second-generation owner of Champlain, since Call took over Tri-County. They were part of the same Dealer 20 group (a group of dealers from all over the U.S. and Canada who share best practices and business tips).

Except for Dixie Chopper, a more residential-oriented product, the Champlain product line is much like Empire's -- New Holland, Oxbo, Great Plains, and Woods Equipment. (A full list of lines carried by Champlain can be found by clicking here).

"We've got Kioti, and they've done a great job and got a zero-turn mower. They've got gas and diesel," Call said. "We handle the commercial zero-turn mowers. We don't handle really residential.

Call is confident customers won't notice much difference with the new owner. Most of the Empire employees remain, the equipment lines and service centers remain the same. Other than new cards and new computer systems, not much has changed, Call said.

"They're very customer-focused, like we were. They want to take care of the customers," he said.

Press Release:

Rochester Regional Health (RRH) is proud to announce its inclusion in Becker’s Hospital Review’s esteemed list of the nation's Top 100 Health Systems with Outstanding Oncology Programs. 

This recognition highlights the exceptional work of the Lipson Cancer Institute and its dedication to providing top-tier, patient-centered cancer care. The list recognizes institutions which have “garnered national acclaim for advancing cancer care via their cutting-edge clinical trials and life-changing research.”

Becker's Hospital Review, a leading source of business and legal information for healthcare industry leaders, evaluates hospitals and health systems based on their cancer care services, patient outcomes and overall excellence. Organizations cannot pay to be featured on this list, making this recognition a true testament to the quality of oncology care provided by Rochester Regional Health.

“This recognition of the quality of cancer care being provided by the Lipson Cancer Institute is just one more example where Rochester Regional Health is distinguishing itself as a leader in healthcare in our community, our state and across the nation,” said Richard “Chip” Davis, PhD, CEO of Rochester Regional Health. “Our team’s dedication and expertise make us a leader in oncology, and we are grateful that they go above and beyond to ensure that our patients and their families receive the best care possible.”

This recognition by Becker’s comes on the heels of another recent accreditation for Rochester Regional Health. In August, the Lipson Cancer Institute received a three-year full accreditation as a Network Cancer Program from the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer. This accolade distinguishes Rochester General and Unity Hospitals as the only network of cancer centers in upstate New York granted this honor.

“Lipson Cancer Institute is proud to have met the rigorous guidelines required by the American College of Surgeons to achieve this prestigious accreditation,” said Prad Phatak MD, Executive Medical Director of Oncology at RRH. “This honor underscores the work of our multidisciplinary oncology teams who tirelessly provide gold-standard cancer care for our patients while understanding that treatment extends far beyond the physical to include mental and emotional health as well.”

These recognitions by Becker’s and The American College of Surgeons continue to shine the spotlight on Rochester Regional Health and the Lipson Cancer Institute as a beacon of excellence in cancer care, reinforcing the clinical expertise and dedication our clinicians and team members demonstrate every day.

Press Release:

The City of Batavia is pleased to announce the appointment of Gabrielle Kolo to the position of Human Resources Director for the City of Batavia. Kolo was selected following an extensive search for candidates and an active recruitment campaign.  She will assume her new role on December 1.

An Elma native, Kolo holds a Master of Science in Human Resources Management from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, a Bachelor of Science in Business Studies from SUNY College at Buffalo, as well as an advanced certificate in Human Resources Management, a Public Health Essentials Certificate, and SHRM-SCP Certification from the Society for Human Resource Management. 

Kolo currently serves as the Deputy Director of Human Resources for Wyoming County and Wyoming County Community Health Systems overseeing the administration of all personnel actions for the Board of Supervisors, oversite of the Civil Service Commission for the County, schools, and local municipalities in Wyoming County. 

Previous to her appointment to the Deputy Director of Human Resources in Wyoming County, she served for 15 years at Genesee Valley BOCES in various roles including the Human Resources Coordinator, Senior Human Resources Assistant, Human Resources Assistant, Program Assistant in Human Resources and Enrichment as well as an Account Specialist in Purchasing.  Kolo is a member of the Genesee Area Personnel Administration (GAPA) and the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM).

“Gabrielle brings a wealth of knowledge in governmental human resource management and I am excited to begin working with her.  She is a great fit for the City of Batavia and will help support the City’s workforce with her strategic thinking, ability to lead teams and desire to advance the City’s Human Resources Department,” said Rachael J. Tabelski, City Manager.

Kolo is an avid sportswoman and hunter and lives with her husband in Akron.