Save the Dates!

Newsletter The St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce

FROM THE PEAKS TO THE VALLEY

First Annual Tourism Awards Dinner a Success!

Craft, Food & Wine October 21 & 22

SLC Annual Dinner & Awards November 3 St. Lawrence County

Chamber Annual Dinner at SUNY Potsdam—Potsdam,

NY.

Tastes & Talents December 9 & 10 The North Country

Holiday Show at St. Lawrence Center

Arena—Massena, NY.

S U M M E R 2 0 1 6

From the Director

As a point person for tourism and economic development in the County and region, I am fortunate to represent our membership in several committees, focus groups, and conversations with leaders and elected officials. There are a lot of people on the ground working together to make things happen!

Several common themes emerge in most of these conversations—the need to get businesses together in a strong network, the need to provide relevant training, the need to market our incredible waterfalls, fishing, and culture to people around the Country and Canada…and then someone in the group asks why I’m smirking, and I respond—“We do that—all of that!”

We can always do more, we can always do better, but we have these programs in place and we are changing things by the minute. We hope you will take advantage of the benefits of Chamber membership and provide feedback so we can continue to improve our services to you and to the County.

Annual Craft, Food &

Wine Show at Cheel Sports Center, Clarkson

University—Potsdam, NY.

Jr. Carp Tournament August 11-13

14th Annual St.

Lawrence International Jr. Carp Tournament—

St. Lawrence River.

Nearly 90 people attended the First Annual St. Lawrence County Tourism Awards Dinner held Wednesday May 11th at Bella Brooke Vineyard on Black Lake. A brochure exchange and happy hour with live music started the event. (Event news continued on p.5)

Clarkson Inn Staff “Best to the Guest” Tourism Excellence Award Winners

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ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE SUMMER 2016

Chamber Webinar Series New Wage and Overtime Rules Summary of June 1 Webinar with Jean Rowe United Helpers,

Human Resources Manager On May 18, 2016, the US Department of Labor (DOL) announced the publication of a final rule that amends the “white collar” overtime exemptions to significantly increase the number of employees eligible for overtime pay. The

final rule will go into effect on

December 1, 2016. The most affected sectors are

expected to be retail, hospitality/food service, construction, non-profit, K–12 schools and higher education. The New York State salary threshold is currently $35,100 and will increase to $47,476 December 31st. That means – if you have a salaried employee, they must be paid a minimum of $47,476. Non-discretionary bonuses and commissions may be included to meet the threshold.

Chamber webinar programs are scheduled on the first Wednesday of every month from 12 noon to 1 pm. and feature a range of business related topics. Each webinar is free to attend, and you will need a computer, internet access and speakers. We record all webinars and the recorded version is available within a few hours after the live presentation.

Visit www.SLCchamber.org to register or review past programs. Contact Brooke if you would like to present a topic. Brouse@stlawrencecountychamber.org July Webinar: There will be no webinar in July due to Independence Day. NEXT WEBINAR: Wednesday, August 3rd, 12 noon to 1 p.m. “Transition Planning—What is the Future of Your Business” If you plan to sell your business or transfer to an employee or family member, it’s important to plan several years in advance. Join Reg Carter, CITEK Executive Director, online in August!

Jean Rowe

About Chamber Webinars

Go Direct to the MemberCenter

www.SLCchamber.org

There are several exemptions to the rule, including Executive Exemption, Administrative Exemption, Professional Exemption, and “Computer Professional” Exemption. The ‘job duty test’ can be found on the Department of Labor website (www.labor.ny.gov) as well as more information on all of this! Organizations will want to review all exempt employees and identify those who fall below the new salary threshold of $47,476 per year, analyze all job descriptions, and determine whether to increase salary to maintain exemption or re-classify as non-exempt. For those employees to be re-classified as non-exempt, review their hours worked per week to determine a comparable hourly rate. Then consider meal breaks, on-call time, trainings and meetings, travel time, pre- and post-shift activities (such as processing e-mail) as compensable time! It is likely that many organizations in the County will be unable to meet the salary threshold. If employees have to be re-classified as non-exempt and become hourly, the organization must set up systems for clock in/out to record exact hours. Overtime will then be paid for anything beyond the 40-hour work week. (June webinar recording link can be found at www.SLCchamber.org)

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ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE SUMMER 2016

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Snell Equipment Matt Snell, 6698 S H 56 Potsdam, NY 13676 Phone: 315-265-5753 Kubota Tractor Sales and Service, BOSS Plows Sales, Land Pride Implements. Stone Valley Gift Shop Angela Guyette, 200 Lenny Rd Potsdam, NY 13676 Phone: 315-261-2422| www.stonevalleygiftshop.com Located along The Stone Valley Trail, it features handmade custom signs, primitive decor` and more. Venditti Vineyards Frank Venditti, 42780 New Connecticut Rd Theresa, NY 13691 Phone: 315-287-0500 | www.vendittivineyards.com Vineyard & Winery. Waterman Hill Soap Co. Fernando Pantoja, 5295 C R 27 Canton, NY 13617 Phone: 315-566-9138 | www.watermanhillsoap.com Hand-crafted glycerin-oil based soaps made with all-natural ingredients and essential oils, and no artificial chemicals.

Dreaming of Tropical Costa Rica?

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Alpine Foam Insulation Matt McKenna, 565 West Parishville Rd., Potsdam, NY 13676. Phone: 315-854-4521 www.alpinefoaminsulation.com Installer of foam insulation. Cat House Designs Melanie Kimbler, 1123 C R 35 Potsdam, NY 13676 Phone: 315-778-5459 Whimsical art quilts, facelifts to reclaimed furniture, photography. Jake's Place Café Amy Durham, 903 S H 11C, Brasher Falls, NY 13613 Phone: 315-208-4035 Restaurant. The Scrub Hub Bonnie Herman, 19033 US Route 11 Watertown, NY 13601 Phone: 315-785-5500 |www.scrubhubnny.com Name brand apparel for medical and nursing uniforms, medical instruments, shoes, and chef uniforms. Shea Creative Concepts Laura Shea, 6199 SH 37 Ogdensburg NY 315-212-8596 Marketing.

New Chamber Members

The Chamber will host a trip next spring: March 27 – April 04, 2017 Rich culture, lush Forests, stunning waterfalls, exotic wildlife and endless coastlines—Costa Rica is truly a slice of paradise. Highlights of this group tour include visits to a San Jose coffee plantation, tours through the Monteverde Cloud Forest, Hanging Bridges Tour, Arenal Volcano, Lake Arenal Cruise, Cano Negro Riverboat Cruise and more. The cost, $2729 pp double occupancy includes: Group transportation from Massena, NY to and from Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, round-trip airfare from Elliott Trudeau International Airport, taxes, fees/surcharges, transportation, lodging and 13 meals. Find out more: Monday, August 15, 2016 at 5:30 p.m. at the Best Western University Inn—Conference Room, 90 East Main Street, Canton, NY 13617. Please RSVP 315-386-4000 or email jgoliber@stlawrencecountychamber.org Book by September 20, 2016 to guarantee your seat. For more information, visit the Tropical Costa Rica webpage: http://tinyurl.com/CostaRicaSLC2017

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ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE SUMMER 2016

CANTON Village Park, Downtown Canton

Tuesday and Friday, 9:00 am to 2:00 pm May 13 through October 28

EBT, FMNP, Debit, Cash

GOUVERNEUR Village Park, Church Street

Thursday, 9:00 am to 2:00 pm June 2 through October 27

EBT, FMNP, Debit, Cash

HAMMOND Hammond Museum, Rt 37 (1A North Main Street)

Wednesday, 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm July 6 through September 28

EBT, FMNP, Debit, Credit, Cash

MASSENA Danforth Place

Sunday 10:00 am to 2:00 pm Thursday 10:00 am to 5:00 pm

July 7 through October 31 EBT, FMNP, Debit, Cash

POTSDAM Ives Park, Main St., behind Municipal Parking Lot Saturday, 9:00 am to 2:00 pm May 14 through October 29 EBT, FMNP, Debit, Credit, Cash MARTIN’S FARMSTAND 11 Needham Road, Potsdam Monday –Saturday, 10:00 am to 6:00 pm May through November EBT, FMNP, Debit, Credit, Cash WHITTEN FARM MOBILE MARKET Weekly stops in Massena, Potsdam, and Tupper Lake For more details, contact Cherie Whitten (315) 328-5559 Whittenfarmwinthrop.locallygrown.net EBT, FMNP, Debit, Cash ____________________________ EBT – Accepts SNAP/EBT cards FMNP – Accepts Farmers Market Nutrition Program (Senior & WIC) checks For the 2016 season, every $5 spent from a SNAP card at one of these markets will be doubled thanks to funding from Excellus BlueCross BlueShield

P.O. Box 516, Canton, NY, 13617 (315) 261-8054

info@gardenshare.org

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ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE SUMMER 2016

‘Tis the Season–Tourism Season

As the County’s Tourism Promotion Agency, the SLC Chamber has a lot of destination marketing and development initiatives going on.

Bed and Breakfast Startup Course The Bed and Breakfast Startup Course is a five-week web-based Start-Up course for those interested in pursuing a small scale lodging enterprise. The course has been rescheduled to start weekly on Tuesday, September 13th at 6pm. Other dates will be 9/20, 9/27, 10/4 and 10/11. The course will provide the tools to determine the viability of opening a lodging business, with participants creating business plan outlines and earning a certificate by the end. Content will cover elements of daily operations, regulations, marketing and finances. A workbook will be mailed before the course start. Arrangements can be made for individuals who need access to high speed Internet. Course Fee: $50. Registration: tinyurl.com/2016slcBB This course is made possible by the Workforce Development Institute and the St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce.

Frontline Hospitality Course The Frontline Hospitality online course provides a customer service and sales tool to current and aspiring frontline tourism staff, with a particular focus on regional attractions, products, and services. Individuals successfully completing the Program will receive a certificate of completion. These individuals may then pursue further training and education, including the possibility of earning college credits through SUNY Canton (e.g. through competency testing and/or life experience). Participants can register to start any time beginning June 13, as it is a self-guided program that they can complete in a few hours at one time, or over the week. Course Fee: Free. Registration: www.canton.edu/crest This course is made possible by an Empire State Development –MarketNY grant in partnership with the Adirondack and 1000 Islands Seaway Regions and SUNY Canton.

St. Lawrence County Cuisine Trail The Chamber is working with Cornell Cooperative Extension and GardenShare to develop a Culinary Trail in the County. This trail would highlight restaurants, shops, farm stands and markets, lodging properties and attractions with a commitment to local food in their production, sales, or experiences. Signage and marketing will promote the trail as a visitor attraction. If you would like to be added to the trail or submit a letter of support, contact Joe Goliber by July 1. Contact: JGoliber@stlawrencecountychamber.org; 315-386-4000

ONLINE

• SLC Tourism Calendar:

www.NorthCountryGuide.com

• Fishing Tournaments: www.Fishcap.net

• Facebook for SLC

Visitors: wwwfacebook.com/Visit.SLC

• SLC Tourism App—Search “St.

Lawrence County” in your App store.

ANCA Seeks Vendor Applications for The 2nd Annual Adirondack

Buyer Days North Are you a maker in Northern New York or Northern New England who is looking to sell to shops? This juried wholesale show connects local makers to certified wholesale buyers looking to stock their shelves with the high quality, locally-produced gifts and specialty foods that their customers seek. APPLY TODAY To learn more about the show (http://www.adirondack.org/adirondack-buyer-days) Qualified wholesale buyers can register here: (http://45.79.153.226/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=36) SHOW DETAILS Date: Sunday, October 23, 2016. Vendor setup is the evening prior. Hours: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Location: Cheel Sports Center, Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY.

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ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE SUMMER 2016

(Continued from p.1—“…Dinner a Success”) The theme of the evening, ‘Trails to Tourism,’ highlighted several initiatives that are underway to attract visitors to St. Lawrence County. Speakers discussed ways in which they were bundling assets to present an attraction that would be easily accessible to visitors. The Raquette River Blueway, Colton Barn Quilt Trail,

County Multi-Use Trail and St. Lawrence Wine Trail were all spotlighted. Remarks on the tourism industry in the County focused on the opportunities for growth and the importance of having a standard for excellence. The Best to the Guest Award Two awards were presented for the first time. The ‘Best to the Guest Tourism Excellence Award’ was present to the Clarkson Inn, Potsdam. General Manager George Lavigne, in his acceptance speech, complimented his colleagues at the Hampton Inn and Best Western for also excelling in service and their newly built and upgraded properties. He noted that by having many hotels with a high standard, the entire community wins. He credited his staff and supportive bosses from Clarkson University for their success and accepted the award on behalf of the entire Clarkson Inn team. Best Destination Marketing Award The Hammond Barn Quilt Trail was awarded the ‘Best Destination Marketing Award’ for their new attraction that has inspired barn quilts around the County. Project champion Lisa Sarfaty said that the initiative has had three main benefits: personal pride – in the stories that the quilts tell and the hand work to artistically create the

quilts; community pride – in honoring the rich culture, heritage and agriculture of rural Hammond; and tourism – creating an attraction to put Hammond on the map and bring people to the town to visit, explore and shop. “A year ago we never thought we could put together a trail, a website, and a brochure to highlight more than 50 barn quilts – but here we are, being recognized for doing exactly that!” Sarfaty exclaimed.

“Tourism is not successful in silos of individual businesses. To create a destination we must have a variety of lodging options, restaurants, attractions, retail, transportation both to and within a destination, and infrastructure such as wifi and cell phone service, sidewalks, paths, and boat launches. Visitors need accessible information about how to get around, where to eat, shop, and explore. They need enough to do to keep them busy, so busy that they will need to come back or stay an extra day to experience it all” – Brooke E. Rouse

“It is not enough to have beautiful natural resources, friendly people and rich culture. We can market those things, but we need to have the built resources – the boat rentals, guides, tour companies, and lodging packages to ensure people have a way to spend their dollars in our destination…that is when the destination will truly realize an economic impact from tourism.” – Brooke E. Rouse

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ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE SUMMER 2016

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ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE SUMMER 2016

PRESIDENT SCOTT GOLDIE Conboy, McKay, Bachman & Kendall VICE PRESIDENT MICHELLE QUINELL-GAYLE, SLC NYSARC Inc. SECRETARY LENORE VANDERZEE, SUNY Canton TREASURER STEPHEN E. KNIGHT, United Helpers CHAD COLBERT, SLC Legislative Representative RITA OSTRANDER, Ostrander's Bed & Breakfast PATRICK AMES, Cornell Cooperative Extension St. Lawrence County RYAN P. DEUEL, St. Lawrence University JACK BACKUS, Mort Backus & Sons, Inc. LAURIE MARR, Alcoa BRENDA LABRAKE, Northern New York Newspapers THOMAS BURNS, St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES SONYA BUTLER, Best Western Plus University Inn JILL CHAMBERLAIN, NY Power Authority TRACY CHAMPION, Potsdam Specialty Paper, Inc. SERGIO GARCIA, Canton Potsdam Hospital KAREN CLARY, Ogdensburg Bridge & Port Authority BEN DIXON, Associated Colleges ALEX JACOBS-WILKE, SUNY Potsdam TRUDI LATRACE, SeaComm Federal Credit Union ROBERT J. PENSKI, Penski, Inc. Staffing Services FRED POLLARD, Ag Pro, Ltd. ANNE JAMES, Kinney Drugs, Inc. KEVIN LOGAN, Corning, Inc. MARK SCOTT, Artworks Creperie Café & Gift Shop GREGORY C. SLACK, Clarkson University PHIL WAGSCHAL, SLIC Network Solutions

St. Lawrence County Chamber Board of Directors

Post Your Job Openings! Members can post job openings on the website at no cost. To post a job opening: Log into the Member Center located at the top of the northcountryguide.com homepage. Click on ‘Job Postings,’ located on the left side of the page. Click on ‘Add Job Posting’ and fill out the Job Posting template. After the template is complete, click on ‘Submit for Approval.’ These jobs are viewable by the public in the ‘Live & Work’ section of the site, which is marketed to those relocating to the area. Need Help? Contact Joe Goliber at 386-4000 or email jgoliber@stlawrencecountychamber.org.

What’s Going On? All businesses, organizations and communities are encouraged to post events on the Chamber events calendar. To post an event: Go to the website, www.northcountryguide.com. On the homepage, scroll down and click on ‘View all Events, located in the center of the screen under ‘Upcoming Events.’ Click on ‘Submit New Event’ and fill out the event template. After the template is complete, click on ‘Submit for Approval.’ Events will appear front and center on our website, mobile app and be publicized in our seasonal e-blasts to our ‘Visitor List’. Need Help? Contact Joe Goliber at 386-4000 or email jgoliber@stlawrencecountychamber.org

Website Features

Membership in Your Pocket Download the FREE 'MemberPlus App' on your mobile device and enter your account login to:

• Access your Member Information Center

• View member listings • Update your profile

information • Register, pay and check in

for events • Interact with other

members • Post & view jobs, hot

deals and member-to-member specials

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ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE SUMMER 2016

Business in the Spotlight Events Don’t Miss the BEST Opportunity to Network in the Region! Wednesday, June 22nd- St. Lawrence Power & Equipment Museum – Madrid Wednesday, July 20th- Coffee Fever – Star Lake Tuesday, August 23rd- JC's River Run – Waddington Wednesday, September 21st- Pickens General Store – Heuvelton Wednesday, October 26th- Sherman Inn – Ogdensburg

   

EXPO A Big Success! Home, Garden & Business Expo - held on April 22nd & 23rd, and just in time to celebrate Spring, the planting season and home improvements. Over 70 businesses and organizations filled Clarkson University's Cheel Sports Center showcasing a wide variety of products and services.

With six wineries, gourmet foods and a handful of crafters and artisans also included, there was something for everyone, which made this 8th annual event another success.

Photo Caption: Ray Gregory (C) from White’s Lumber and Dave Fullerton (R) of ProFleet Care sip coffee with Brian Norton (L) from the St. Lawrence County IDA, who sponsored the Friday morning refreshments. All vendors received IDA Coffee Mugs! The B2B Coffee Hour on Saturday was sponsored by NBT Bank.

Photo Caption: John Ward from St. Regis Realty explains how he and other investors redeveloped Brasher Falls and created spaces for businesses on their Main Street - at the May 25 ‘Business In the Spotlight’ event at the Badenhausen Branch Library in Brasher Falls.

Make a Match Sell to the Big Ones!

Do you have a product or service to sell to area colleges, hospitals, County, municipalities, and other large companies? Don't miss the 2016 Matchmaker for one-on-one meetings with purchasing officers on Wednesday, November 16th. Call the SUNY Canton SBDC to prepare your pitch, pricing and certifications before the event. 386-7312.

Bring a Friend! Know someone who would benefit from membership in our county-wide network? Invite them to join you at an upcoming Spotlight! It’s a great way to see what we are about!

Your invitation to attend . . .

101 Main Street, 1st Floor • Canton, NY 13617

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THE LOREM IPSUMS

RSVP: http://tinyurl.com/JuneSpotlight