Interviews by Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
“Our hope is to take advantage of the technology available to operate in a more efficient manner and be able to obtain and relate information to our clients more effectively so everyone can make a better decision.”
Dan Goetzmann
Goetzmann & Associates in Syracuse
“Travel a few places finally! COVID ruined several plans so, hopefully, I’ll go to Italy in the spring. For me, personal and business travel is the same thing. I would like to start and finish the former YMCA pool conversion and then bring residential suites to the Curtis Manor wedding venue for wedding guests to stay on site.”
Anthony Pauldine
Owner, Anthony Pauldine’s Contractors, Inc., Oswego
“I’m doing my first foray into TV advertising. I just dipped my toe into the pond, and I may continue next year. I’ve equated it to going to the casino: you spend all that money, and you may get a big return. Also, like at the casino, you feel like if you spend more you may get a big return.”
Clark Gronsbell
Owner/broker, Fiscal Fitness, Syracuse
“Hopefully, we’ll be overcoming the supply chain issues and getting things back to normal procedures, but that’s not something I have much control of. I want to expand what we’re doing with our current customer base. We offer more than what our company was founded on and most of our customers have just copiers and printers, but we have more, like IT services for business, software solutions, and electronic document management.”
Ryan Jones
COO and owner, Advanced Business Systems, East Syracuse
“We’ve always fine-tuned things around here over the years but now things just work and everything is just right. We are working like a well-oiled machine. It’s just the four of us, and we don’t believe that getting bigger is necessarily better. We’re in the people business first and service cars second. We will have a new owner Dec. 30, 2022, Justin Taber. We need to make a smooth transition for new owner. I’ll be around here awhile to help make that happen.”
Michael Atutis,
Owner, Torbitt’s Service Center, Inc., Oswego
“We always say to be excellent. Be kind. Help people. We’re in the business of helping people.”
Betsy Stoutenger
Co-owner, Computer Outlet North, Inc., Oswego
“I want to raise awareness a little higher of what we actually do within the community and how they can become a part of it. We cover all these events, promote businesses, events and we go to all of the events to take pictures and put them on social media. I want to make it more available to a micro business of 10 and smaller and nonprofits that want to get the word out. We have an audience of 24,000 on social media and I developed an advertising event to help people get the word out. It gives them a full year of social media posts about their businesses. I don’t make any money on that; I am donating all my time. It’s just a very economical way to help the businesses.”
Victoria Usherwood Gailinas
COO, I Heart Oswego, Oswego
“We are hoping to carry more engagement ring styles. We carry a lot now, but that’s our business coming into the new year.”
Greg Dufore
President, Dufore’s for Diamonds, Inc., Oswego
“Our business is run by a cooperative; I’m one of eight members. I’d like to just stay in business in the new year. With the recession, it has been really tough. Our business is pretty much gifts and artwork and one of the first things people cut out when times are tough is gifts and artwork. It’s not like we sell food or anything. We’re hanging on and I’m hoping we can continue to hang on and the economy will get better. Business has been good in the past couple of months so that’s encouraging. January, February and March are our slow times, so that will be a time of concern for us to be able to make ends meet.”
Diane Chepko-Sade
Cooperative member, Lakeside Artisans, Oswego
“Finding employees who can fill positions. That’s probably going to be a common issue. We’re a fairly specialized firm. It can be tough to find people who have the soft skills as well as the hard skills to fill the positions we have available. We want to create more solutions for our clients to have the best employee benefits at the lowest cost.”
Andy Miller,
President KBM Management East Syracuse
“I want the business to grow bigger and better. I am going to be offering embroidery to expand my business. I just got the machine. I’m going to do shirts, hats, coats, and just about anything.”
Luther Gray
Owner, Motivated Creations, Oswego
“I’d like to see more growth in the business and try some new products. Hopefully I’ll get out there on social media and reach more people.”
Amy Lear
Owner, Man in the Moon Candies, Oswego
“I want to hopefully go toward some level of normalcy, whatever that can be defined as. We want to see our local retail business grow and survive.”
Greg Mills
Owner, Murdock’s Bicycles
and Sports, Oswego
“I am developing a new website with funds recently won via a grant from women investing in women. I am excited to expand my business into health and safety monitoring, assessment and support, along with more of an environmental focus beyond just construction inspections: SWPPP and SEQR assessments.
Catherine Dare
Chief executive manager, TRM Environmental Consultants, LLC, Westernville
“We are looking into expanding our presence on social media such as Facebook and Google and things of that nature.”
Tammie Malone
Office manager, Scriba Electric, Inc., Oswego
“We’re hoping to really accentuate our new glass house. It’s a small event center to host birthdays and engagement parties and bridal showers and smaller weddings. The decor and our fresh cut flower gardens are here. It’s an indoor-outdoor space, so we can host events of fewer than 50 during winter and more during warmer weather. We host some DIY classes there now.”
Brenda Wilson
Owner Travis Floral, Hannibal
“We’re doing renovations. We’re removing carpets and putting in hardwood flooring. We’re also improving the bathrooms to take out outdated fixtures and changing the mattresses and bed frames.”
Kishan Patel
Owner, Red Carpet Lodge, Pulaski