Business

Here's a news release sent today from the Genesee County Economic Development Center:

The employment scene in Genesee County for year 2010, despite the Great Recession being in full swing, had positive results with regards to employment and job creation and retention across the county.

According to the latest figures just released from the New York State Department of Labor, Genesee County showed a net increase of 300 private sector jobs in 2010. The growth rate of private sector job creation within the county reflected a 1.8-percent increase for the year.

This type of growth is encouraging as most communities across the state and country have been shedding jobs or are fighting to maintain the status quo during 2010.

“Genesee County continues to succeed and grow even during difficult economic times," said Steve Hyde, president of the Genesee County Economic Development Center.  "This growth has been enabled by our private sector companies being resilient and successful during these tough economic times."

The GCEDC board of directors drove a focus on growth and ensuring we are a “business-friendly” community by way of our economic development strategic plan written in 2003.

Since 2005, GCEDC has participated in 177 economic development projects with area companies. This has fostered capital investment commitments which exceed $430 million and job creation commitments of nearly 1,400 jobs.

“It is encouraging to see that public/private partnerships like the GCEDC has with our business community is contributing to their sustainability and growth, especially in uncertain economic times like we have today," Hyde said. "I’m hopeful for continued growth and success in our local and regional economies in 2011."

Here's a news release from Congressman Chris Lee's office.

Congressman Chris Lee was chosen to serve as a co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Dairy Farmers Caucus for the 112th Congress

Lee served as vice-chair during the 111th Congress until its adjournment last year. He will lead the caucus with fellow co-chairs Reps. Joe Courtney (D-CT), Peter Welch (D-VT), Timothy Walz (D-MN), Devin Nunes (R-CA) and Thomas Petri (R-WI).

The bipartisan caucus works to aid dairy farmers across the United States, and last Congress worked closely with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on important issues affecting Western New York’s dairy farmers.

“Western New York has some of the finest family farms in the country, and since coming to Congress in 2009 I’ve been focused on ensuring our region’s agricultural producers have the resources they need to survive,” Lee said.

“Dairy farmers in particular have been hard-hit during the tough economic times, but they are a resilient group of families closely tied to the land they farm and the industry they love. I look forward to working with the other co-chairs and members of the Caucus who share my commitment to strengthening family farms for this and future generations.”

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, Lee’s congressional district is the 22nd highest dairy producing district in the nation, with a market value nearing $500 million.

New York State as a whole produces about 12.5 billion pounds of milk each year. For more information on Congressman Lee’s commitment to Western New York’s dairy farmers, visit www.chrislee.house.gov/familyfarms <http://www.chrislee.house.gov/familyfarms>.

Organizers were pleased with the early turn out at the debut Bridal Show at Terry Hills today. Vendors from Genesee County were on hand to display for prospective brides, grooms and their parents what they offer to ensure the special day remains special.

The show continues until 4 p.m. For more information, click here.

Above, Steve Valle talks with customers about what Valle Jewelers has to offer.

More pictures after the jump:

Cathy Saile, The Enchanted Florist.

Dave Howe, Charles Men's Shop.

Jeremy Liles, Oliver's Candies.

Press release from County Treasurer Scott German:

Genesee County Treasurer Scott D. German announced today that sales tax was up in Genesee County in 2010 compared to 2009. We are up $723,777 (before distribution) over last year, German said.

We still ended up underbudget, German said. In both 2009 and 2010, the county budgeted $12,500,000 for its share of the 3 percent of sales tax. In 2009, the county ended up short of the budgeted amount by $467,000 and we will end up about $197,000 underbudget for 2010.

For the 2011 budget, the county budgeted $12,200,000 for sales tax, a $300,000 reduction from the previous two years.

One of Batavia's landmark signs has been partially shut off the past few nights, and a new sign has gone up on the historic Pontillo's location. It reads "Batavia's Original."

Meanwhile, an ad in the Le Roy PennySaver this week announced that the Le Roy Pontillo's location will close its doors Thursday. All gift certificates for that location must be used by that date, the ad said.

The owners of the Batavia Pontillo's/Batavia's Original were served with a federal trademark infringement suit in September. There's no word on the status of that lawsuit.

In October, it was disclosed that the Le Roy location is allegedly delinquent in taxes, with $24,261 owed to the county, school district, village and town.  If not paid, the property could go up  for auction in March. UPDATE: County Treasurer Scott German says the property taxes were paid in December.

Sam Pontillo told WBTA that his parent's estate owned a majority share of the Le Roy location.

"I didn't want to be tied to there with the mortgage anymore," Pontillo said. "So, I think it's time for something new for me."

In November 2008, when the Batavia Pontillo's location closed, Sam Pontillo told the Batavia Daily News: "I do not own that one," Sam said, pointing west toward Batavia from the Le Roy Pontillo's. "I own this one."

The estate has been tied up in a protracted lawsuit.

The ladies of the Red Fedora Fanatics, who get together monthly for a social luncheon, met at the Fedora Diner on Ellicott Street Road today. All of the women are Genesee County residents. 

One member said, "without our drivers, many of us couldn't get here," and asked that I take a picture of their drivers, below.

Since the city eliminated a community development director position, downtown retail vacancies have increased to 10 percent of the available space, double what it was in 2007.

At the same time, fewer businesses have applied for assistance through the city's revolving loan fund.

That data, along with responses from a citizen survey, indicate that the city isn't doing enough to spur economic growth. This is the driving force behind a proposal to create a new economic development coordinator position.

While the overall budget for the new position will be $90,000, only $10,000 of it will come from the city. The remainder will come from money currently in the revolving fund program and Micro-Enterprise Program fund.

Both of those programs could fund the new position for two or three years, according to a report prepared for city council, but it is expected that the coordinator will bring in additional grants to make the position self-sustaining.

"If it's not successful after two years, we'll find another approach," said City Manager Jason Molino.

The city is cutting $15,000 from its grant-writing/consulting budget and shifting $10,000 to the new position, for a budgetary savings of $5,000.

Molino said a big part of the new coordinator's job -- the position will have a salary range of $55,000 to $70,000 -- will be to spur small business growth.

The report says a lot of smaller projects, rather than one big project, is what's needed to drive economic growth, especially downtown, which the report says is key to Batavia's economic vitality.

Between 2003 and 2004, according to the report, the revolving loan fund provided $368,500 in loan assistance for 32 projects.

After the previous economic development position was eliminated, from 2008 to 2009, the program provided only $55,000 in assistance for three projects.

The earlier effort created or retained 111.5 jobs, while the job impact in 2008-2009 covered only 34 positions.

The report also notes that in the recent citizen survey, "economic development/job growth" was the number one service-area concern among residents, ahead of public safety. The survey also indicated that economic growth is also where the city is perceived to be having the smallest impact.

City council has yet to vote on the proposed new economic development coordinator position.

Yvonne Burgess has a real talent -- she can turn an ordinary cupcake into a work of art.

She stopped by The Batavian office Thursday afternoon to show of the decorative "flower box" of cupcakes she had with her and showed off mobile phone pictures of several other designs she's come up with.

The owner of Fry Dogz, a mobile food service, Burgess is looking to expand her business to offer customers cupcakes designed to fit any occasion.

"I feel a lot of enjoyment making these," said Burgess, explaining why she would like to make this speciality her primary business.

She would like to open a retail location, offering other baked goods, as well, in Downtown Batavia, but first, she said, she needs to demonstrate that she can make money making cupcakes.

A cancer survivor (she said she had a brain tumor), she said she's recently found it easier to work for herself, and making beautiful cupcakes is what she enjoys doing most.

"I couldn't find work that suited me (after getting cancer) and this does," Burgess said. "I love creating things and helping others. That's just me."

To contact Burgess, call either 585-591-7911 or 585-861-0414.

Employees of the Batavia Nursing Home of told WKBW that they've been having trouble cashing their payroll checks.

The facility, along with one in Lewiston, is owned by Senior Associates LLC, which is owned by Marc Korn, according to WKBW.

Full story.

In 2010, bed-tax revenue returned to normal, said Kelly Rapone, director of tourism and marketing for Genesee County.

After abnormal years in 2008 and 2009 -- when first a lot of construction drove the revenue numbers up to record heights, and then a recession and bad summer weather caused revenue to plummet -- 2010 put revenue back on the growth track of previous years.

Not every hotel did equally as well. Darien Lake Theme Park grabbed most of the revenue and the growth. But overall, last year was a good one for Genesee County tourism.

"It was a really good season, but it was a mixed bag," Rapone said. "The bulk of the number is driven by Darien Lake. They were going gangbusters this summer, while some other hotels were down a bit."

Recently, Darien Lake added 24 "Brown Bear" cabins, which can sleep up to eight and offer extra amenities, as well as added other accommodations. The Darien strategy has been to try to keep guests on site.

"The did keep a lot of business," Rapone said. "I would say eight of 10 calls we got here were from people wanting to stay on the property."

In all bed-tax revenue in 2010 was $356,133, up slightly from the last "normal" year, 2007, when it was $350,435.

While Darien Lake accounted for about one-third of the bed-tax revenue, the theme park also did a lot to bring people into the county, which helped a lot of other businesses.

The concert season was "awesome," Rapone said.

"If you were anywhere in Western New York, you couldn't escape the advertising for Darien Theme Park," Rapone added.

Tim Walton, the 21-year-old entrepreneur behind Top Line Shirt Company, is planning another business venture.

He and a partner, Mike Marchese, are planning to open a teen nightclub at 624 E. Main St., Batavia, in the spring.

The building is owned by Ken Mistler and once housed his gym, which is now located at the corner of East Main and Jackson streets, downtown.

Impulz Teen Nightclub is expected to open in the spring, Walton said.

The space is 7,350 square feet and Walton said it is already well set up for a DJ booth and dance floor.

The club will cater to teens in high school and middle school and be similar to iTeen, a popular nightclub in Buffalo that draws young people from throughout the region.

Walton said he first conceived of the idea when was 18 because he and his friends felt there weren't enough entertainment options in Batavia. But until now, he said, he couldn't afford to open such a venue.

To avoid the need of a loan to fully fund the venture, Walton turned to Marchese as a business partner to help get the doors open.

There will be extensive renovations inside the building before the club can open, Walton said.

Originally, Mistler intended to put a nightclub in the space, Walton said, but Mistler has become busy with his business ventures downtown, which include The Daily Grind, Next Level Fitness and South Beach Restaurant. Mistler has been providing advice and pointers during the start-up process, Walton said.

Christmas came twice for Jan Nichols of Batavia.

Nichols picked up a big present at the Batavia Improvement District Office today -- a $500 gift certificate for a shopping spree at participating downtown businesses.

The prize was the award of a contest sponsored by the BID called "Shop in the Zone."

Thirty-five downtown businesses took part, with entrants being required to stop at at least 12 businesses and fill out a participation card.

The winner was drawn from all qualifying entrants.

The contest ran from Dec. 1-24.

This CBS video says there's a renaissance overtaking Detroit, driven by a combination of big businesses relocating to the city and local entrepreneurs taking advantage of lower costs in the city.

While I know there will be those who will say New York is not Michigan, and rail against the high taxes and overregulation, but every place has its negatives. 

So my question is, if Detroit can have a renaissance, why can't Batavia?

When it comes to ringing in the new year, there will be no shortage of good food and fun times in Batavia.

From special menus to live music, Batavia's restaurants and taverns are inviting residents to join friends, family and neighbors in saying goodbye to 2010 and hello to 2011.

The festivities start early at O'Lacy's on School Street, where everybody's favorite Irish pub will celebrate the flip of the calendar on Dublin time.

O'Lacy's will have an Irish band playing from 5 to 8 p.m., with a break at 7 p.m. -- that's midnight in Dublin -- to toast in the New Year. The pub closes promptly at 9 p.m.

But no worries, the party can continue all night in Batavia. Just around the corner and within a block are Center Street Smoke House and T.F. Brown's.

At Center Street, you can put your glad rags on and bop in your suede shoes to the rockabilly twang of Kickstart Rumble from 9:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. There will be free pizza at 1 a.m.

At T.F. Brown's, the rock band In Plain View plays from 10:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. On the special dinner menu are twin center-cut pork chops in a honey glaze and a surf-and-turf for two that features two 16-oz. sirloin steaks, shrimp, mashed potatoes and a side salad.

There will also be live music at South Beach from 6 to 9 p.m. with John Canale and a three-piece jazz band. For dinner, there will be a buffet, with the kitchen open until 11 p.m., and the bar will be open as late as there are customers to serve.

Delavan's will also keep the bar open as late as there are people buying drinks. The kitchen closes at 9 p.m. and on the special New Year's Eve menu are chicken Oscar, seafood-stuffed haddock and lobster ravioli.

Larry's Steakhouse will feature oysters Rockefeller and the featured steak is a 22-oz. cowboy-cut, bone-in ribeye served with a garlic peppercorn crust. The surf-and-turf is prime rib and lobster tail.

Alex's Place will serve dinner until 11 p.m. and stay open until at least midnight. The featured items are braised lamb shanks and crusted sea bass. Of course, ribs, steaks and prime rib as well as a selection of seafood are always on the menu.

Outside of Batavia, if you were thinking Red Osier, well, let's hope you already have your reservations. The legendary restaurant is booked through 9:30 p.m.

In Le Roy, D&R Depot's kitchen is open until 9 p.m. and will feature a Chateaubriand for two, carved table side.

Of course, if you're out drinking, you shouldn't drive. 

Deputy Chief Gordon Dibble offered good advice: "Plan ahead."  If you don't have a designated driver, at least have the number of a friend who can pick you up if you drink more than planned. 

There are three local cab services: Batavia Cab Co. 343-5130; Mike's Taxi Service 343-3309; and Checker Cab of Batavia 300-9376.

If you really want to plan ahead, Mancuso Limousine can still accommodate three more reservations (at the time of writing). If somebody finds themselves stuck at a bar or restaurant after midnight, there is a chance Mancuso could provide a ride (for a fee, of course). Mancuso can be reached at 343-1947.

After a decade of giving financial advice as a staff member of other firms, Batava-native Marc Staley has decided it is time to strike out on his own.

He planted a big flag downtown -- signing a lease in a former bank building at the corner of Jackson and Main streets (most recently the location of the former House of K) -- and signed on as a financial advisor for LPL Financial, one the largest investment firms in the nation.

"I believe in this area," said Staley, who is also a hockey coach at Notre Dame High School. "While other firms are pulling out, I wanted to stay and work."

The 37-year-old Staley is married to a local teacher, Erin, and they have two children, Helaina, 3, and Luke, 1.

"We love this community," Staley said. "I've had the chance to go to other places, but my wife and I decided that this is the place we want to live. This is where we want to raise our kids, so I have to build my career around that decision. That's non-negotiable for me."

When he decided to open his own brokerage, he decided to represent LPL Financial because the company has a strong reputation -- ranked by J.D. Power as number one in customer satisfaction for investment performance and number two for customer satisfaction for investment advice -- and the firm's ability to provide a range of advice to big investors and small, just-starting-out investors.

"Folks are leery of Wall Street right now and investing in general," Staley said. "I wanted to make sure I partnered with a company that represents Main Street more than Wall Street -- one that helps me deliver world class independent research, state-of-the-art technology, and the freedom to deliver to my clients what they need.

"Even though this is a new endeavor for me, I work for the same people I’ve always worked for -- my clients," he added.

While LPL Financial was tops in the nation (for Independent Broker Dealers) in revenue in 2009, Staley acknowledges that a lot of people in this area may not have heard of the firm.

"I feel a little like the guy who brought the Tim Horton's to town at first," Staley said. "For a lot of people, this is the first time they're hearing of LP Financial."

Even so, after opening for business at the beginning of December, Staley said he's had a steady flow of new clients walk through his doors -- exceeding his first-month goals. In part, that's the location, but also, Staley said, he's been around town a long time and a lot of people know him.

He picked the location, he said, because he plans to grow and be around for a long time.

It wasn't just sleigh bells you heard ringing in the days before Christmas. It was also cash registers.

Downtown merchants say they are quite pleased with their 2010 holiday season and hope it means there are good things to come in 2011.

"The numbers aren't official, but it was probably our strongest Christmas in a couple of years," said Greg Gluck, owner of Alberty Drugs. "It was certainly better than last year and probably better than the year before, which is probably a good sign for everyone."

Besides filling prescriptions, Alberty sells gift items and greeting cards.

Owners of The Enchanted Florist, Charles Men's Shop, Glass Roots, Adam Miller Toy & Bicycles, Valle Jewelers and 3D Wine and Spirits all say sales were up a bit this year, though nobody is saying "Wow, I can't believe how great it was!"

But any improvement over the past few years is a welcome sign that at last some people have money to spend and they're spending it.

"The top shelf wines sold and the wines on the bottom shelf sold, but the wines in the middle didn't sell as much," said 3D's owner, Dave Buchholtz. "The people who have the money are spending it, and the people who don't, aren't."

At Charles Men's Shop, owner Dave Howe agrees to a point. He said 2010 was a good improvement over 2009's Christmas season, but he said he heard from a lot of customers who were looking for quality from a local shop. He said people seem tired of overpriced, overhyped "buy one get six free" sales.

"People are less apt to drive all over the countryside," Howe said. "They gave us a shot first to see if we can help."

Next door, at The Enchanted Florist, Kathy Saile, said Christmas sales were up and met her expectations for the season.

"We didn't have any product left over and we were able to make all of our deliveries," Saile said.

At Adam Miller, people came in looking for bikes, hobby items, puzzles and unique toys you just can't get in the chain stores, said John Roche.

"The last two weeks we were swamped," Roche said. "It was way better than what I expected."

The strong sales locally matches reports of strong holiday sales nationally. The New York Times reports:

After a 6-percent free fall in 2008 and a 4-percent uptick last year, retail spending rose 5.5 percent in the 50 days before Christmas, exceeding even the more optimistic forecasts, according to MasterCard advisors SpendingPulse, which tracks retail spending.

The rise was seen in just about every retail category. Apparel led the way, with an increase of 11.2 percent. Jewelry was up 8.4 percent, and luxury goods like handbags and expensive department-store clothes increased 6.7 percent.

There was even a slight increase in purchases of home furniture, which had four consecutive years of declining sales. The figures include in-store and online sales.

The day before Christmas, Valle's Jewelers was packed with customers, and co-owner Mary Valle said the store was busy throughout the holiday season.

The store ran several promotions and advertised heavily for Christmas shopping, Valle said, and it seemed to pay off.

"We saw many new people in the store," Valle said. "People wanted to shop in the county and they verbalized it."

Advertising also paid off for Jeremy Almeter, owner of Glass Roots. For the first time in the five-year history of his business, he ran advertising -- exclusively in The Batavian -- promoting his handmade glass Christmas ornaments.

"For the first time, we sold out of ornaments," Almeter said. "We saw at least 20 faces in the store we'd never seen before."

Top: Mary Valle and Kamilla Kabel. Kabel, the former owner of House of K, is helping out at Valle's.Top inset, Dave Howe; bottom, Dave Buchholtz.

WBTA's Geoff Redick contributed to this story.

More than 320 area residents were served a Christmas Day dinner at T.F. Brown's, making it the largest turn out for the annual free meal in the event's 22-year history, according to an announcement by organizers.

Toys were given to more than 140 children.

The annual event, open to anyone in the community, is hosted by Rick, Ben and Mark Mancuso and Joe Teresi with the support of the Batavia Lion's Club.

The meal is a traditional holiday supper with all of the trimmings.

In past years, two seatings were sufficient to meet the demand, but this year, three seatings were required.

The meal was prepared by the staff of T.F. Brown's.

Also contributing to the event this year were Jeffrey “the breadman” Condidorio; Kathy Pettinella of Flower City Produce; US Food Service; Sysco and Jocobstein.

When a friend of Brandi Bruggman's looked down at his Converse one day, he thought they looked like a dirty mess.

He didn't want to throw out an otherwise fine pair of shoes though, so he asked Bruggman if she could paint some art work on the shoes -- they were made out of canvass, after all.

An intriguing challenge, and Brandi gave it a try.

He loved the "new" shoes, and so did his friends.

"Somebody saw the shoes and wanted them, and then somebody saw those shoes and wanted them, and now I have a business," Bruggman said.

The 20-year-old Alexander native sells "Bruggies," as well as hats and other wearable items at Glass Roots, 12 Center St., Batavia, as well as through her Facebook account.

Each item is hand painted, coated to make it waterproof, and inspired by the individual buying it. She said she often talks with the customer, finds out that they like, asks them to provide some adjectives, and then "goes with that vibe."

Ironically, Bruggman said, before she started selling wearable art, she was having a hard time finding a market for the kind of art that hangs on walls. Now, she's selling a lot more wall art.

Often, the people who buy her shoes, or other items, realize how good she is and they commission a painting for a room in their homes.

In all, Bruggman said that since she started creating "Bruggies" in June 2009, she's sold about 200 hand-painted items.

A theater design technician major at Niagara University, with a minor in fine arts, Bruggman would love it if her fledgling business became her full income.

"If I could paint every day, that would be awesome," said Brandi.

Though, the business can't get too big, she cautioned, because she won't let anybody else paint shoes for her. She does it all herself.

Painting clothing has expanded her as an artist, she said, both from working with different materials and techniques. She's learned to use an airbrush to paint T-shirts -- but since each item is custom created, she's often painting subjects she might not otherwise.

"It's cool that I get to draw into new things," Bruggman said. "I draw things I never would have drawn before. The other day I drew a boat. I never drew a boat before.

"It's been opening new avenues of art for me," she added.

Examples of Bruggman's shoes and hats -- as well as a mural she painted -- are on display at Glass Roots, and an order for shoes, or other items, can be placed at the store. Prices for hand-painted Converse start at $85 (other shoes can go for as little as $65). A tote ranges from $20 to $50, hats from $35 to $45.