JAY & ELIZABETH RODGERS:

GROWING A DREAM
2 ABSOLUTELY BUSINESS
 06

18
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4 ABSOLUTELY BUSINESS
Note
FROM THE PUBLISHER

September 2005

Many of us take what we put into our mouths for granted and forget
that food can be an excellent business opportunity. The possibilities
for this issue – in which we celebrate food-related businesses – were
endless and I’m sure we’ll feature this particular topic again soon. It was
fascinating to learn how people have taken bread, seafood, ice cream,
wine, produce, beer and Chinese food and transformed those culinary
creations into thriving businesses. It is also interesting to note the
extensive hands-on training that future chefs undergo at local academic
institutions.

We hope you enjoy this mouth-watering issue and, as always,

please send us your comments and suggestions at
info@absolutelybusiness.com.

John Macdonald, Publisher

visit us on the web at:

www.absolutelybusiness.com

SEPTEMBER 2005 5
 Community bank In some homes the smell of
fresh baked bread brings the family
to the table for Sunday dinner. In other
homes, it is shared with friends over a
casual meal. It is a staple of life for many,
and a comfort food to others. It is eaten
many unique ways, smothered with but-
ter, preserves or honey. For one Jeffer-
son County family, however, baking is
their bread and butter.
The Alteri family of Watertown
has elevated a small neighborhood bak-
ery to the level of a thriving corporation.
They opened their first bakery in 1971.
At that time it was a business venture
between husband and wife, Ida Jane and
Querino (Augie) Alteri. They bought the
West Prospect Street bakery and home
of a local gentleman known as “Mr. Ro-
meo.”
“Mr. Romeo had the bakery for
more than 50 years. We moved into his
house and the bakery was located behind
our house,” says Ida Jane Alteri. “It was a
job for my husband.”
Augie Alteri’s position at a local
manufacturing company had been abol-
ished. The couple had four young boys
and needed to do something to provide
for their family. Mrs. Alteri says they
chose the bakery because they were fa-

6 ABSOLUTELY BUSINESS

Alteri’s Bakery is a family business, born out of
necessity, but built on a solid reputation and a
good product.
miliar with that industry and they could draw on the
knowledge of her father, who ran Spaziani’s Bakery
on Swan Street for many years. Mrs. Alteri herself had
worked at Spaziani’s throughout school.
“That’s how we got started,” she recalls. “I took
a leave of absence from my job at National Bank to
help establish customers.” The Alteris divided their day
between baking and delivering the bread to local res-
taurants and grocery stores. Each was responsible for
maintaining their customer base in Carthage, Lowville,
Watertown, Alexandria Bay and Clayton.
Alteri’s Bakery is a family business, born out of
necessity, but built on a solid reputation and a good
product. The Alteri’s Italian bread, sliced breads and
torpedo rolls are still well-received by the community,
and over the past six and a half years the Alteris have
diversified their product line to include authentic Italian
cookies, specialty breads, pizza shells and, of course,
cakes for all occasions.
The product expansion was the idea of Mrs.
Alteri’s middle son, Mark, who serves as President of
Alteri’s Bakery Incorporated. (Although her husband
retired from baking 15 years ago, Mrs. Alteri is not
ready to retire yet; she loves it too much. She serves as
vice president of the corporation.)
“We couldn’t continue to compete in the mar-
ket with Italian bread as our number-one product,” says
Mark. “I felt diversifying our product would carry us
farther.”
The decision to expand their product line in-
cluded moving to a new location. Six and a half years ago
the business relocated to a 28,000-square-foot building
at the Watertown City Center Industrial Park on Waterman Drive, off
Arsenal Street.
Mrs. Alteri says it was a challenging move because they were the
first to relocate to the city’s industrial park. Part of the deal with the
city included the promise of an Alteri’s Bakery sign on Arsenal Street to
direct customers to their business. Mrs. Alteri says they are still waiting
for that sign.
“I feel we have been let down..I am really upset about it and I’m
disappointed.” Despite the absent signage, she is confident about the
location. “We like it here. We bought the land. We have no plans to
move.”
Another big challenge Mrs. Alteri faced was taking the family’s
authentic Italian cookie recipes and turning them into consistent recipes
that could be replicated time and time again. The recipes were handed
down from great grandmother, to grandmother and so on; few if any in-
gredients were ever measured or written on a card. The delicate cookies
and treats had been reserved for special occasions, like a family member’s
wedding or an infant’s baptism. Mark was now asking her to bake cookies
for the customer to eat.
“We had to figure out, what is a pinch of this and that,” Mrs.
Alteri recalls. “We measured a batch of cookies by eggs. A dozen and
a half eggs for a large batch, six eggs for a small batch of cookies.” She
enlisted the help of a sister-in-law and daughter-in- law, Adrian, and the
project entailed a lot of homework. Adrian got the job done and proved
to have a natural talent for cake decorating. You’ll find her behind the
counter at Alteri’s Bakery. She and a second daughter-in-law, Julie, deco-
rate the wedding cakes and special occasion cakes. A third daughter-in-
law, Chrissy, helps out in the office.
Since Mark took over the day-to-day operation of the bakery
Alteri’s has expanded its sales area to include groceries as far north as
Massena, as far south as Syracuse and as far west as Oswego County.
You’ll also find Alteri bakery items included in the morning routine of
local school districts in Jefferson County. Dinner rolls, torpedo rolls and
pizza shells are used at locally-owned restaurants including the Crystal
Restaurant on Public Square in Watertown and at all of the restaurants
owned by the Coleman family.
Mark says baking is a very competitive industry. “Every grocery
store has a bakery. Food companies also carry bread products. We start
from scratch everyday, so our customer gets a fresh baked good. No part
of our process is frozen. We use real milk, real butter, eggs and flour in
everything we make. Whether it is our cookies, our bread or our cakes,
each deserves individual attention to provide the customer with excep-
tional quality.”
Most big grocery stores in north-
ern New York stock Alteri products
on their shelves and it’s up to the
customers to make their choices.
However, the fast food fran-
chise operations play the
game differently. Mark says
they get their bread prod-
ucts from outside of the area
and that, he says, is something they
just can’t compete with.
“Look at Arsenal Street. The franchises
SEPTEMBER 2005 7
keep coming to Watertown,” he points out.
“It’s tough on local businesses, and if it’s
tough on them, it’s tough on us too.” That’s
why Mark and Mrs. Alteri encourage their
employees to shop locally and patronize the
people who do business with them.
“I stress this point all the time, the
more the area grows, the more people need
to stop and consider the power of local busi-
nesses,” emphasizes Mark.
It goes without saying that baking is
hard work. The bakery produces a thou-
sand loaves of bread every day and countless
cakes and cookies. It takes 30 employees to
get the job done. The dayside crew makes
the bagels, pizza shells, and deli breads. The
evening crew makes the regular Italian bread,
the Sicilian bread, and torpedo rolls. Mrs.
Alteri is behind the counter every day and
makes all the cookies. (“She is the backbone
of this corporation. She is relentless,” Mark
says of his mother.) Adrian and Julie deco-
rate the cakes, and Mark, a fourth-generation
baker, trades his corporate hat for a baker’s
hat to make Alteri’s specialty breads.
In doing so, they are providing the
customer with more than fresh baked goods.
They are handing over the counter a slice of
rich Italian heritage.

8 ABSOLUTELY BUSINESS
 ʼ

SEPTEMBER 2005 9
A couple of years ago William Orlando was facing
a very common problem - what to get his grandfather for Christ-
mas. It turns out that the perfect Christmas gift is what later led
to the opening of Wine Makers’ Depot.
“I was thinking, what do you give a 90-year old Italian
man?,” Orlando recalls. “Then some friends told me they were
going to make wine at a shop out of the area. I went with them
and really enjoyed it.”
Orlando and his wife, Debbie, made a batch of wine and
bottled it with a personalized label. For their grandfather’s gift,
the couple had the label translated into Italian. “It was a great,
personalized gift,” Orlando says.
Over time, the couple made more gifts of the homemade
wine and discovered that the hobby was becoming increasingly
10 ABSOLUTELY BUSINESS
popular. So several months ago the Orlandos opened Wine Mak-
ers’ Depot to serve the ever-growing market of at-home wine
makers. The store, located at 18 Romeo Avenue in Massena, of-
fers a complete line of supplies for wine making at home. But
more popular is the availability of a complete wine making kitchen
where customers can make their own wine as well as bottle it
and label it.
“All of the equipment is here, there’s a large kitchen
area, and we do all the cleaning up,” Orlando explains. “We have
groups come in and they bring food to share; it becomes a night
out.”
Frank Mittiga tends to the store’s daily operations and
either he or one of the Orlandos is on site to guide custom-
ers through the wine-making process. Groups of couples, ladies’
clubs and bridal parties have all enjoyed evenings of wine making parable to the popular Arbor Mist products.
at the store. “One bridal party came in and made wine to set on There are a number of pre-blended wine kits, and cus-
the tables at their reception,” Orlando says. tomers who feel particularly creative can make up their own
While the kitchen is not only available for groups, Or- blends. “I have one customer who wants to blend cabernet and
lando says that groups have become popular because they allow merlot,” Orlando says. “He doesn’t really know what ratio he
people to take home more than just one type of wine. “Most wants to use so he’s going to experiment a little with it.”
groups that come in decide each party will make a different kind With so many varieties of wine available, and with the
of wine and then they divide the bottles up,” Orlando explains. ability to create your own wine blends, customers can easily lose
“This way, people get to have a variety of wines to take home track of what varieties they’ve tried. To help out, Wine Mak-
and they may be able to try something that they wouldn’t have ers’ Depot keeps detailed records of the wines made by each
normally.” customer, so anyone can access their history at the store and be
Another option that allows customers to experience new sure they’re selecting their favorites from the past.
wines is the co-op cellar at Wine Makers’ Depot. The co-op al- Orlando also pursues his own creative impulses in the
lows people to swap bottles of their wine for those made by wine kitchen, like adding toasted oak to a batch of Italian Mon-
someone else. “A lot of people wouldn’t spend $35 on a bottle tepulciano that he recently prepared, giving it a tighter finish.
of wine that they’ve never tried because they aren’t sure if they’ll Customers who wish to make the wine on-site at Wine
like it,” Orlando explains. “The co-op gives people the opportu- Makers’ Depot pay a winery fee of $35 in addition to the cost of
nity to try wines they wouldn’t normally buy.” the ingredients kit. Orlando estimates that to make an average
Much of the customer base at Wine Makers’ Depot con- batch of wine on site costs approximately $180 which includes
sists of repeat customers who have discovered how fun and easy bottles, labels and shrink wrap. Customers who want to make
wine-making can be. One batch of wine can typically be prepared wine in their own kitchen at home can purchase an ingredient kit
for fermentation in about a half-hour and customers usually make as well as an equipment kit for $60.
two trips back over an eight-week period to complete the pro- Wine Makers’ Depot is open from 3 to 7 p.m. Monday
cess of stabilizing and clarifying the wine before bottling. through Friday and appointments are also available on evenings
Orlando finds that customers also keep coming back be- and weekends. The store can be reached during regular hours at
cause of the quality of the end product. “It’s a fantastic wine,” (315) 769-2563. The store’s Web site, www.winemakersdepot.
Orlando says. “It’s the equivalent of a $35 or $40 bottle of wine. com, is still under construction but will be available soon.
But here, it costs between $4 and $6 to produce.”
The ability to add personalized labels to your wine is an-
other selling point and this feature is what makes the homemade
wine a great gift option. “Most people are making the wine for
gifts, and creating an original label is a great way to make the gift
personal,” Orlando says.
Wine Makers’ Depot has ingredient kits in stock to make
30 varieties of red wine and 25 varieties of white wine. Each kit
contains all necessary ingredients, including a four-gallon supply
of juice which yields 30 bottles of wine. The alcohol content of
these homemade wines ranges from 11 percent to 13 percent,
like commercially produced wine.
The ingredient kits sold at Wine Makers’ Depot are pro-
duced by Winexpert in three varieties. The Selection Original
Series includes juice from a number of North American vineyards
which are tested and then blended to give a consistent flavor.
Similarly, the Selection International Series features blends from
international grapes. “Basically if you make a batch of Chardonnay
today and you make one in six months, there won’t be any differ-
ence in the flavor,” Orlando explains.
The Selection Estate Series includes offerings from vine-
yards all over the world. The juice in these kits is pure, unblended
juice from individual vineyards so customers know which vine- Frank Mittiga and William Orlando mix extra oak
yard their wine has originated from.
The Wine Makers’ Depot also carries a variety of spe- into a batch of Italian Montepulciano at Wine Mak-
cialty wines including fruit flavored wines, ice wine and Port wine.
Another popular product is the Island Mist series which produces ers’ Depot.
a wine-based beverage of lower alcohol content (7 percent) com-

SEPTEMBER 2005 11
So just who is Larry? And what is the FishTruck?
Larry is Larry LaRue of Ogdensburg and the Fish Truck
is his mobile seafood enterprise. A North Country staple since
1978, LaRue motors his weekly selection of fresh seafood through
Governeur, Canton and Potsdam and down through the 1000 Is-
lands.
The big white truck with the large red letters is a familiar
sight in the same parking lots every Thursday, Friday and Satur-
day. And the Truck caters to many of the same people every
week too – about 240 regulars as well as occasional custom-
ers. Hand-scrawled signs on the back of the truck advertise that
week’s offerings – scallops, lobster, bluefish, swordfish, haddock,
trout, mussels and a host of other tidbits from the sea that come
from Maine and Boston.
Upon arrival at his designated location, LaRue throws
12 ABSOLUTELY BUSINESS
open a half-door on the back of the truck and is open for busi-
ness. And he doesn’t stand around idle for very long.
“I love my job, but the best part is the people,” LaRue
says. “I really like to chat with people and I like to do little things
for my customers.” Those “little things” include handing out
fresh lemons and special treats for big orders.
LaRue took over the business about 12 years ago from
– ironically – another Larry. Lawrence Puccia of Ogdensburg
established the business in 1978 as Larry’s Fish Market and it
included both a mobile and a stationary component. LaRue had
food/retail experience from working at a supermarket. When
the opportunity arose for him to take over the business, he rode
along with the Puccias for a while to see how the operation
worked and quickly became enthusiastic about the possibilities.
When LaRue took over the business he changed the hours
and added a few new products, but decided not to interfere with
a system that was so successful.
“I just continued on the tradition,” he says.
LaRue also operated a small seafood shop up until about
two years ago when he discontinued it in favor of concentrating
on the mobile part of the operation which generated 98 percent
of his business anyway.
Larry’s Fish Truck is on the road for 38 weeks of the year,
from early April through New Year’s week, with the sole excep-
tion of Thanksgiving week. To those who might envy his hours
and working conditions, LaRue is quick to point out that while he
loves being in business for himself, it’s a lot of work and it’s hard
work.
“I love it because I’m the boss; nobody’s telling me what
to do,” he says. “But you have to work really hard at it and you
always have to think ahead. Selling is the easy part; preparation
is the key.”
“Preparation” involves getting up at 3:30 a.m. on Wednes-
days, when LaRue drives about 140 miles to pick up his fresh
weekly supply of seafood – “the last catch of the day.” He has an
ice machine that can make up to 800 pounds of ice and he hauls
a lot of the frozen stuff around with him. On “selling days” he
spends up to four hours preparing the truck- carefully layering
the ice and seafood and making sure he has all the special re-
quests and pre-orders on board.
Another hand-written sign on the back of the truck warns
customers against standing on the bumper or hanging on the half
door, adding to the aura of mystery about what, exactly, is inside
the truck. What’s in there are six large stainless steel bins that
hold the seafood and multiple layers of ice – 10-12 inch-thick-lay-
ers. Additional, smaller coolers hold extra ice. He hauls around
200-300 pounds of ice on selling days and goes through about a
half ton a week.
“It’s very, very cold in those bins,” LaRue says. “And it
lasts all day.”
When asked if he ever runs out of product, LaRue is quick
to point out that is the object; to sell everything fresh so he can
stock up on more fresh items the following week. He says it is a
balancing act because he wants to sell out, yet he also wants to
be able to take care of his customers.
He credits the success of his business to his very “faithful”
customers. Then again, he’s worked hard to attract and maintain
those customers by “having a schedule and being dependable for
them.”
“It’s not always the big orders that make the business,” he
says. “It’s the consistency of the regular customers.”
And rain, shine, snow, sleet or hail, like the Postman, Lar-
ry is always there, in his appointed parking lot on his appointed
day with his offerings of seafood that you just can’t catch around
here.
SEPTEMBER 2005 13
 The first thing Jim and Linda
Li-Zheng want people to know about
their restaurants is that they are run
and operated by more than just one or
two people, it is truly a family enterprise.
The family owns and operates Chinese
take-out restaurants in Canton, Potsdam
and Gouverneur as A-1 Oriental Kitch-
en. Over the last few years they have
also opened buffet-style restaurants in
Massena, Ogdensburg and Canton. The
newest buffet will open in Potsdam in
November.
The origins of the business go
back to Linda’s father, a fisherman from
a small village near Shanghai, China who
came to the United States to build a bet-
ter life for his family,
“He washed dishes because that
is the job he could get,” explains Linda.
“He didn’t know how to read or write
English. He worked very hard, very, very
hard every day.”

14 ABSOLUTELY BUSINESS
 After years of working in a restaurant, Linda’s father
got together with friends and family and started a restaurant on
Long Island. Linda came to the United States to work there
when she was 19 but her road to life in the United States began
long before that.
“After I finished middle school, my mother sent me
from our village to the city so I could learn English. I stayed
with my godmother and she helped me,” says Linda. “My moth-
er would walk to the office where you get papers to come to
the United States, a five-hour walk, once or twice a week so I
(could) come to the United States.”
Linda worked in the restaurant with her father, watch-
ing how the business was run, working the counter with cus-
tomers, learning about customers and learning the language as
she worked.
“I was always watching him, asking about how to make
better food, then one day he says ‘okay, you are old enough
now to have your own restaurant, to be on your own.’”
Fifteen years ago, Linda and her husband Jim opened
their first restaurant on Main Street in Canton.
“The people here were so friendly, so many people
helped me when we got here, I like this place,” she says.
Even though there were mostly friendly faces, Linda
says it wasn’t easy.
“We had to work very hard, put customers first, (think)
how can we make better food, (put our) whole mind to busi-
ness so we can support our family!”
She also says that it was hard on her children at first,
being the only Asian kids on the school bus. “My kids were
scared on the school bus because they were different and there
were people who teased them, but I told them that there are
mean people everywhere, no matter where you go.” Today
their two kids have adjusted to life here and she laughs when
she thinks about how different raising child is in the United
States compared to China. “I have to remember I am here
and not in China,” she says with a laugh. “It is much stricter
there.”
When you ask Linda why they have built the business
the way they have, she first points out that working in the res-
taurant business is a job that Chinese people can do when the
come here. “When you don’t know the language, the restau-
rant business is a place you can work.”
It also goes back to family. Linda’s cousin is a partner
in the Ogdensburg buffet and Jim’s cousin is a partner in the
Massena buffet. “We decided to do a different kind of restau-
rant.”
SEPTEMBER 2005 15
 Having a successful business allows Linda’s family to
help bring people who have helped them over the years to the
United States.
“When somebody helps you, you help them back,” she
says. Linda sponsored her godmother, the woman who helped
her continue her education, as soon as she was able. Her god-
mother lives with Linda and her family here in St. Lawrence
County today.
Her commitment to people extends into the commu-
nity, to their customers.
“A lot of Chinese people start a business and then go
to another place and start a business, they move around,” she
says. “I prayed to God and he brought me here to St. Law-
rence County. So we invest here to help not only our family
but the economy - to help the area grow. It is important to see
the bigger picture.”
Even after all these years in business, Linda Li-Zheng is
still learning on the job. She explains with a big smile that she
is learning to speak more quietly. When she started out in
the restaurant business she worked in a place with a very loud
ventilation system so she had to shout food orders to the chef
so he would make the right order. Today, they use computer
software that Jim developed and the order software works in
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16 ABSOLUTELY BUSINESS
English and Mandarin, “so I have to remind myself to talk qui-
eter.”
The dinner rush is starting to build. Families out for a
Friday night treat, the first college students of the semester in
backward hats with money to spend their first weekend away
from home and friends of Linda’s stopping by for a hug and to
buy gift certificates for a friend or two. Linda keeps an eye on
it all while doing her interview, and doesn’t miss a thing.
In our modern world of high-speed internet and planes
that cross oceans in hours rather than days or weeks, it is easy
to forget that there are still immigrants that come here looking
for a better life. Willing to do dishes, work years without a
vacation, and build a business so that they can share what they
have found here with others. Some may look at the business
Jim and Linda Li-Zheng their family have built here as the clas-
sic immigrant success story. In truth though, it is something
greater than that, it is the classic American success story, right
here in the North Country!
 20
05 20

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SEPTEMBER 2005 17
 It’s the growing season, and organic farmer Jay Rodgers is up before 5 a.m. to
drive from his Theresa home to work at his vegetable farm on Ellis Road in Jefferson County. Then it’s off to
a full-time job as safety director at St. Lawrence Explosives. By 5:30 p.m., he’s back at Elms Flats Farm with
wife Elizabeth, harvesting produce that will be provided to their partner subscribers and sold at local farmer’s
markets.
The days are long, but the couple is plowing their energies into the dream of making a living doing what
they love best—farming. Their current goal is an operation that grows healthy, organic, tasty food to be sold
to and shared with the North Country community. To succeed, they have taken on customer partners—inves-
tors, if you will—whose upfront subscription fees finance the farm’s expenses in exchange for weekly baskets
of produce throughout harvest time.
The subscription farming concept is also known as Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). Accord-
ing to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Alternative Farming Systems Information Center (AFSIC), a CSA
basically is “a community of individuals who pledge support to a farm operation so that the farmland becomes,
either legally or spiritually, the community’s farm, with the growers and consumers providing mutual support
and sharing the risks and benefits of food production.”
Jay heard about the subscription farm idea a few years ago, and it made a lot of sense. “It seemed so
much more logical to have people pay in advance,” Beth says. “There’s only so much you can sell at a farmer’s
market.”
The CSA movement has gained momentum since it was introduced in the United States in the mid-
1980s. A century ago and before, Americans grew their own food or purchased it from local farmers and
markets which bought from local producers. In the last century, however, farming has become remote to the
average American, who shops in supermarkets with big produce sections that carry a wide variety of fruits and

18 ABSOLUTELY BUSINESS
vegetables both in- and out-of season. Much produce is grown on large com-
mercial farms, bred for a longer shelf life and treated to avoid pest damage. It
is often picked before it has fully ripened, then transported hundreds and even
thousands of miles from both inside and outside the United States to reach the
fresh produce aisles of local supermarkets.
According to AFSIC, the CSA concept originated in the 1960s in Swit-
zerland and Japan, “where consumers interested in safe food and farmers seek-
ing stable markets for their crops joined together in economic partnerships.”
Typically, CSA farmers use organic or biodynamic production methods to pro-
duce high quality foods on environmentally sustainable farms.
CSA proponents believe that the development of local and regional
food systems in the United States not only provides fresher, healthier food,
but also supports local economies and strengthens small and mid-size farms by
making them more profitable.
The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Web site
now lists nearly 1,200 registered CSA farms nationwide, including Adirondack
Enterprises in Hermon and Son E Acres in Gouverneur. A 2004 survey of CSA
farmers by the Hunger Action Network found that New York State’s CSAs
support the economy by keeping over $2.6 million in New York, protecting
more than 1,100 acres of diversified farmland with sustainable farming prac-
tices and providing produce to more than 6,000 families in 38 counties.
Jay and Beth Rodgers launched their Elm Flats Farm CSA in 2004 with
32 subscribers. This year the number of subscriptions has doubled. A sub-
scriber pays $240 for a quarter-bushel share; $320 for a half bushel share. In
return, subscribers receive weekly baskets of produce over a 14- to 16-week
period.
Contents of the weekly baskets depends upon what is harvested. The
first week of August, for instance, each subscriber received green beans, corn,
summer squash, onions, beet greens, peppers, salad tomatoes and new pota-
toes. Earlier in the season baskets were filled with spinach, sugar snap peas and
swiss chard; late season deliveries will feature fall squash and root vegetables.
The couple plant about 100 different vegetables. In addition to those
mentioned above, other items grown include different varieties of greens, cab-
bage, cauliflower, broccoli, beans, tomatoes, peppers, squash, zucchini and po-
tatoes, as well as carrots, eggplant, peas, okra, watermelon, musk melon, beets,
turnips, and mustards. Herbs such as fennel, basil, oregano and thyme are also
raised.
Beth notes that a quarter bushel of produce is the weekly average over
the season. Baskets aren’t quite as full in mid-June, when greens are the chief
vegetable being harvested; they are overflowing by August when large numbers
of different vegetables are ripe.

A Love of Farming
Both Jay and Beth have “green” backgrounds. They both grew up on
farms in Pennsylvania, and met during their college years. He is a graduate of
Clarion University with a degree in earth science; she studied music and biol-
ogy at Westminster College. Although neither of them majored in agriculture,
gardening was in their genes. Jay’s dad worked for the state nurseries in Penn-
sylvania and became a proponent of organic practices in the 1970s. Beth’s mom
always maintained a huge canning garden. In addition to what they absorbed
from their parents, the couple learned about farming from their own reading
and talking to other farmers.
Since their marriage, “ever since we had land, we had gardens,” Beth
says. When they moved into their first house in the early 1990s, they put in
raised beds and began growing their own vegetables in earnest. The couple

SEPTEMBER 2005 19
came to Theresa in 2000, and turned the back yard of their home
into a huge garden, starting plants from organic seed in their own
greenhouse. In 2001 they began realizing the dream of operating
their own farm with the purchase of the 132-acre property on
Ellis Road in the Town of Clayton.
The idea of marketing vegetables came not long after their
move to the North Country. “We decided that we do so much of
this, maybe we ought to sell it,” Beth recalls. The first effort had
their children hawking tomatoes from a roadside table in There-
sa. In 2003, Beth began selling produce at a farmer’s market. The
couple realized that you can sell only so much at these markets,
and the idea of developing the operation into a subscription farm
became the next logical step.
Their CSA’s clientele live primarily in Clayton and Wa-
tertown. Subscribers generally pick up their weekly allotment of
produce from Beth’s stands at the Clayton and Alexandria Bay
farmer’s markets, where she also sells additional produce to oth-
er market customers. Unsold vegetables that the family is unable
to use are donated to a local food pantry.
The success of the farm is dependent, as always, on Moth-
er Nature. “Our subscribers take the risk with us,” Jay notes.
“By and large we have a great group of people.” The weather can
bring disappointments as well as surprises. This year, the farm’s
cilantro fizzled in the hot, dry summer, but on the other hand, the
eggplant, which didn’t do too well last year, is growing like crazy,
Beth says.
She believes that since customers get a variety of veg-
etables as they are in season, they get to try new things that
they might not otherwise eat. This year the papaya pear summer
20 ABSOLUTELY BUSINESS
squash and the gourmet purple Peruvian potatoes were among
the more unusual offerings. But Beth and Jay work hard to ac-
commodate their subscribers, and honor the requests of those
who specifically ask that a disliked vegetable not show up in their
weekly share.
Organic Farming
The couple has followed organic growing practices for
years, starting plants from seed that has not been chemically
treated or genetically modified. Organic vegetables are grown
without the use of pesticides, chemicals or commercial fertiliz-
ers. Elm Flats Farm is in a transitional organic stage as the couple
work to meet the guidelines of the Northeast Organic Farming
Association. Jay intends to apply to the organization next year for
certification as an organic operation.
Beth believes that there is growing market for organic
producers. “I think the up and coming generation is interested
in buying organic,” she says. She also finds that older customers
who have illnesses and allergies also are interested in purchasing
organically grown food.
In order to show prospective customers that locally
raised, organic food is economically feasible, the couple last year
put together a display that compared the cost of grocery store
produce to the vegetables they were selling. The grocery store
veggies, they say, cost about twice as much as what the couple
was charging at the farmer’s market.
Because Elm Flats Farm is in transitional organic status,
Jay was able to apply for a New York State agriculture grant that
encourages farmers to use more sustainable agriculture prac-
tices. The funds he has been awarded will help pay for organic
supplementation of the soil, tile drainage and cover crop seed.
Because the farm they bought was formerly used as a commercial
hay field, the fertility of the soil needs to be rebuilt in order to
increase growing potential and produce better crop yields.
The Rodgers know they will never get rich as farmers,
and admit they are pleased if they can break even or record just
a slight loss at this point. They provide all the labor for the farm,
with occasional help from their three kids, ages 16, 14 and 12, who
help pack up the vegetables and sometimes lend a hand squishing
potato bugs. They also keep outlays for equipment to a minimum.
Jay invested in a drip irrigation system from Watertown’s Chapin
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Watermatics, but generally they buy used equipment at farm auc-
tions.
If you buy new and have to make payments on tractors
and related equipment, Beth says, “it changes how you do things,
and adds stress to your life...it’s hard to enjoy the work when you
have debt hanging over your head and you feel that you’re a slave
to your creditors.”
The couple is in the process of assessing the next steps
for growing their business. “We’ve learned a lot since starting
and recognize that we have plenty more to learn about optimiz-
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that compliment the CSA but sell added-
value products rather than just raw veg-
etables.”
Beth has considered making val-
ue-added products such as jams, jellies
and chutneys. There are some challenges
to doing this in New York State, which
has tough regulations for the production
of such items, which must be produced
in a commercial kitchen. Other possi-
bilities include offering fresh and dried
flowers, as well as adding “you-pick”
operations to the business, which would
allow customers to come to the farm
to harvest their own produce, such as
strawberries and pumpkins.
“We’re still evaluating what fits
into our lives,” Jay says.
With two acres of vegetables
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not only vegetables but also organic lamb
and beef, as well as free-range chicken.
That may or may not happen in the next
five years, Jay says.
In the meantime, because of
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22 ABSOLUTELY BUSINESS
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 Students in JCC’s
culinary program
prepare spreads
such as these for
many events on
campus and in the
community to gain
some practical ex-
perience as part of
their education
FAR RIGHT

The annual Mayor’s

Ball is typical of the
hands-on learn-
ing opportunities
where JCC culinary
students plan, or-
ganize, and cre-
ate special events
Here, JCC students
serve guests at
the ball where up
to 500 guests are
served
RIGHT

The hospitality industry, and food service in
particular, is one of the fastest growing industries in the U.S. to-
day. Nationwide, increases in population, household income and
leisure time are allowing people to dine out more often. The job
market for culinary careers is promising and with the advent of
media such as the Food Network, the number of people inter-
ested in culinary arts careers is also taking off.
As a result of these trends, culinary arts education is also
booming and northern New York is home to two colleges of-
fering degree programs. Jefferson Community College (JCC) in
Watertown offers an associate’s degree in Hospitality and Tour-
ism that includes a culinary track, while Paul Smith’s College near
Saranac Lake offers two- and four-year culinary arts degrees. Paul
Smith’s College was recently named one of America’s Top 25
Hottest Colleges in the 2006 Newsweek Kaplan College Guide.
At a time when many North Country colleges are seeing
graduates leave the area to pursue careers, culinary arts gradu-
ates have more opportunity to remain in northern New York
than many of their classmates.
“There is more job demand than there are students,” says
Pope Vickers, Assistant Professor at Jefferson Community Col-
lege. “There are a lot of jobs available in the North Country for
both our hotel/restaurant management graduates and our culi-
nary graduates.”
Vickers points to the impending expansion of Fort Drum
in Watertown as the fuel for new job growth in these industries
and predicts that as new businesses open, interest in culinary
arts training will also increase. Although the outlook for employ-
ability of culinary arts graduates remains positive, the job market
also remains very competitive. “We only have two years to work
with these students and the employers they encounter are going
to have high expectations,” Vickers explains.
Lucille Banker, Executive Program Director for the Culi-
nary Arts/Hospitality Division at Paul Smith’s College, notes that
employers who visit the college’s two annual job fairs are looking
for highly qualified prospects.
“Employers are becoming more selective and they come
to Paul Smith’s because they know we have a four-year program,”
Banker explains. “They like the fact that we have both two- and
four-year degrees, but the four-year degree is more attractive
because it provides them with an employee that has more busi-
ness acumen and is suitable for middle management.”
Preparing graduates who will be successful in the job mar-
ket is a goal that drives the culinary programs at both JCC and
Paul Smith’s. A primary component of both schools is hands-on
training and experience.
“Our students are exposed to many methods of cooking
and many styles of food,” Vickers says. The culmination of these
experiences is a dinner series that is held each fall on campus.
The dinners, completely prepared by students and open to the
public, have a reputation for quality. “The meals are as exquisite
as if they were dining in New York City,” Vickers says.
Another endeavor the students pursue as part of their
coursework is the Spring International Luncheon Series where
students prepare and serve a number of dishes from around the
world. Vickers notes that these projects not only provide stu-

24 ABSOLUTELY BUSINESS

dents with real-life experience, but also serve to fuel their pas-
sion for the culinary arts.
“One thing that drives people in our industry is watching
people enjoy their work,” he explains. “It reinforces the learning
process and it also motivates them.”
Practical courses in JCC’s culinary arts curriculum take
place in a $500,000 culinary facility which features a state of the
art kitchen and dining room. “It’s a top-notch facility,” Vickers
says.
In addition to these hands-on learning experiences, culi-
nary students at JCC are also exposed to numerous guest speak-
ers including restaurant owners, chefs, hotel managers and food
brokers. Students further have the opportunity to gain experi-
ence and build their resumes with internships that give them ex-
posure to actual work settings.
“College can be such a cocoon. It’s an environment that’s
nurturing and safe,” Vickers says. “We try to get them out of the
cocoon.”
Hands-on experience is just as important at Paul Smith’s
College. “In most of the classes in our culinary program, it’s about
the experience,” Banker says.
Paul Smith’s College has a long history dating back to the
early 1900s and the culinary program was initiated 26 years ago
by Paul Sorgule, who recently resigned as dean to return to work
in the industry. For many of those years, the college has owned
and operated the Hotel Saranac where all students spend a se-
mester internship. “They work in all departments just as if they
were working in any other hotel,” Banker explains.
Another popular learning experience at Paul Smith’s Col-
lege is a retail bakery operation, which has been in existence for
the past 10 years. Students execute daily operations and sell their
goods at a retail store on campus that is booming with business
between the hours of 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. Banker points out that
the course instructor is a certified master baker. “He teaches
the course the way you would operate if you were operating an
actual retail bakery,” Banker explains. She adds that the bakery
now has several wholesale customers and supplies some of the
campus food service operations.
The newest addition to the culinary arts program at Paul
Smith’s College is the Wally Ganzi Dining Laboratory which was
unveiled in September. Named after Ganzi, a Paul Smith’s alum-
nus who now owns The Palm chain of restaurants, the new facility
will be the setting for upper level students to put their classroom
skills into practice. “The students will actually manage it in every
aspect,” Banker says. “They will take on all jobs from menu plan-
ning, costing, waiting tables – everything in the front of the house
and the back of the house.”
The new lab will initially be open to students, faculty and
staff but plans are to eventually have the dining room open to
the public. “Later there will also be a Web site developed by the
students that will be available for people to make reservations,”
Banker notes.
But in order for a culinary curriculum to be truly suc-
cessful, practical experience must extend beyond the kitchen by
providing students with the ability to further their careers.
“We want to offer students an opportunity to be job
ready or be able to transfer to a four-year university to complete
SEPTEMBER 2005 25
a bachelor’s degree,” Vickers says. “We
want to give them hands-on knowledge
so they have the ability to grow in the fu-
ture.” To that end, students in JCC’s cu-
linary program are exposed to food pro-
duction, sanitation skills, and global skills
like team work.
Vickers pointed out that other ba-
sic skills are incorporated into the two-
year program to provide a foundation for
future career growth. “We provide cours-
es like human resource management and
financial management so they have these
basic skills for the future as their career
progresses,” Vickers says. “They may not
use this knowledge in their first job, but
as they progress toward management they
will have these basic skills to build on.”
Paul Smith’s College offers man-
agement and business training as a strong
component of its curriculum as well. In
addition, students are provided instruc-
tion on resume development, professional
dress, interviewing skills and self-presenta-
tion. These lessons are perfected at job
fairs held at the college twice a year.
Upon graduation, culinary students
have numerous career opportunities avail-
able to them. Many Paul Smith’s alumni
have gone on to establish brilliant careers.
In addition to Ganzi, on the college’s alum-
ni roll is Peter Dorn, owner of the Copa-
cabana night club in New York City.
Vickers notes that students who
have graduated from JCC’s culinary pro-
gram have entered such diverse careers
as managing major resorts, directing food
service operations at correctional facili-
ties, managing fast food franchises and at-
tending prestigious culinary schools in
Paris.
With continuing growth in the cu-
linary job market, it is likely that graduates
of the North Country’s culinary schools
will continue to see career success in
years to come. “I wish I had more gradu-
ates to send out to employers,” Vickers
says.

what I would have expected if I had chosen to go the wrong way

By Marc Compeau
While in Cleveland, Ohio recently I found myself
taking a left when I should have taken a right. The neighborhood
was quite the opposite of the one I expected to find, but I found
myself as intrigued by what I was observing in this impoverished
neighborhood as I was frightened by the experience.
I was headed east on Euclid Avenue, heading away from
the downtown area. The community was rundown and there
were many boarded-up storefronts. I also saw several housing
units and although some were certainly run down, they all ap-
peared to be full of tenants. In fact, some seemed to be overflow-
ing, given the high number of people hanging around the streets
and lounging on the front steps. These observations are perhaps
down this major city street. I also observed some things that
were entirely unexpected.
As I realized I was going west rather than east I also real-
ized that for every boarded-up storefront there were four or
five surviving businesses; some I would even describe as thriving
businesses. The other thing that I noticed was the recognizable
red roof top of a Pizza Hut and the glow of a very clean and bright
Sunoco Mini Market in the heart of this “roll-your-windows-up-
and-lock-your-doors” neighborhood.
As I continued to venture further into this community I
was struck by the fact that this 10-block strip was a great example
of how small business really works. Businesses had become es-
tablished around the customer needs within a target audience.
Sunoco provided products and services that the customers de-
sired, as did Pizza Hut. The location was perhaps not as desirable
as one 10 blocks west, but there was a customer demand in this
neighborhood that the firms could exploit for profit. In addi-
tion, the firm added benefit to the community by bringing much
needed services as well as jobs. An extreme example includes
a business with two large signs in the window. The first read
“Bibles starting at $6.95” and the other read “Roach Spray and
Rat Traps Available Here.” What an example of focusing on the
needs of your customers.
As North Country businesses face changes it is important
to go back to thinking about the most important reason we are in
business - the customer. When was the last time you asked your
customers what their needs were? If you think you are provid-
ing everything your customers want or need, I challenge you to
demonstrate some proof. Please don’t blame the lack of parking
or the competitor’s price gimmicks for your struggles. I have
heard enough complaints of high rents and fickle customers from
small business owners who provide little and smile less. Survival
in small business in northern New York depends on focusing on
your customer. T & L Bibles and Pest Control figured it out and
so can you.

26 ABSOLUTELY BUSINESS
SEPTEMBER 2005 27
He thought it would be great to have an ice
cream stand. She always wanted a drive-through espresso shop.
Now they have the best of both worlds with Scoopuccinos on
Outer Market Street in Potsdam.
Owner Michele Sheehan says her husband, Jim, who owns
a construction business, thought it would be nice to have some-
thing totally different from the construction business and he was
in favor of an ice cream shop. Sheehan agreed and a couple of
years ago and they opened Scoops in a small building off Market
Street. Pleased with the success of the business and determined
to have the coffee shop she envisioned, during the spring the
Sheehans built a large new building at the 167 Market Street site
and re-christened it Scoopuccinos – as the sign inside says, pro-
nounced like Al Pacino.
This is Michele Sheehan’s first foray into the world of
business ownership and she’s been thrilled so far.
“I knew there were things I wanted to get into, but I
didn’t want to start big,” Sheehan recalls of the opening of the
first Scoops. “It was in the back of my mind to move into the
house eventually, but my comfort level was to start small.”
With an infectious laugh and a mischievous grin, she re-
calls that “about a month after opening I started thinking big-
ger!”
Her bigger thoughts included transforming the large sin-
With an infectious laugh and a
mischievous grin, she recalls that
“about a month after opening I
started thinking bigger!”
getting the necessary approvals, only to watch her dream demol-
ished in 35 minutes.
“It was painful to have lost that vision and then have to
start all over,” she says sadly.
Although spring was fast approaching, she had to rush the
new plans and building into construction because she knew it was
imperative to be open for the 2005 summer season. “People as-
sociated us with ice cream so we had to build upon that.”
The Sheehans “took a risky plunge” and financed the ven-
ture themselves, although their location in an Empire Zone was
helpful in terms of construction, Sheehan says. They pulled out
all the stops in getting all kinds of contractors to work franti-
cally toward a summer opening date. They made it and the new
Scoopuccino’s opened quietly over the July 4th weekend and has

the scoop…
gle-family home that sat on the front of the property into an old-
fashioned soda fountain with a coffee bar component. “I really
wanted the nostalgia of an old house,” Sheehan says.
But the reality was that once they started “tearing into”
the old house, they discovered it just was not sound enough to
be renovated. “I had to be convinced,” Sheehan says, reluctant to
accept the end of her old-house dreams. “It took four contrac-
tors to convince me that’s what had to be done.”
“That” was tearing the house down and starting from
scratch in designing plans for a completely new structure. She
had spent months planning for the renovation of the house and
been busy ever since.
Scoops Grows Up
The little business that opened in a converted three-stall
garage three years ago now employs 26 people, serves meals,
features its own baked goods, serves home made ice cream and
gelato, boasts a separate coffee bar and offers expanded seating
both indoors and outdoors. And the drive-through is still there.
Sheehan says the impetus for the drive-through in the original
Scoops was espresso and coffee. However, they soon discov-
ered it also offered convenience to people seeking ice cream who

on ice cream
Regular Ice Cream – contains a lot of air and has a butterfat content of 12 – 16%
Premium Ice Cream – contains less air and more butterfat – 14-18%, giving it a richer, creamier texture.
Soft Ice Cream – contains 10% butterfat.
Custard – (true custard is very rare) butterfat content is around 14 percent but egg content is very high.
Gelato – made with whole milk and a high egg content; contains 3-4% butterfat but no air so it’s dense; served
at a higher temperature which brings out the creaminess.
Sorbet – contains no fat and no dairy products and is usually fruit-flavored.

28 ABSOLUTELY BUSINESS
couldn’t get out of the car for one reason or another.
Part of the plan for the expanded business was to start
making ice cream and creating baked goods. Sheehan has gone
from a little toaster oven for warming up muffins to a full-scale
commercial oven that pumps out cookies, muffins and a number
of tempting treats. She was interested in making her own gelato
– a denser, creamier type of frozen confection –so she learned
how to do it, practiced and can now explain in detail the differ-
ences between various ice cream products (see box).
Scoopuccinos is one of the few – if not the only – place in
the North Country that is making fresh gelato. The frozen treat
comes in dozens of flavors and is catching on locally, Sheehan
says. The business is also making a small number of flavors of
regular hard ice cream.
“I wasn’t comfortable jumping into a huge business and
this is enormous compared to that,” Sheehan says of her new
operation. “You just don’t know where things are going to go.
I’m so glad to have our first month behind us.”
Research
One of the ideas behind Scoopuccinos was to offer the
community a place to go that is not a bar. Comfy couches beck-
on from the coffee bar sitting area and booths can accommodate
families and diners. Sheehan did a lot of research before actually
moving ahead with her business. The couple travels often and
she says wherever they went she talked to the owners of ice
cream and coffee shops to learn all she could about the business
– even shop owners in Italy!
She credits Field’s in Potsdam with introducing people to
“coffee concepts” and feels that as more people become com-
fortable with something new, business opportunities associated
with the product increase, noting the opening of both her place
and First Crush, also in Potsdam. Although she offered espresso
and coffees at Scoops, they did not sell nearly as well as the ice
cream. “We’ve got the visibility here now,” she says of her new
Charlene Bates, manager, Michelle Sheehan, owner, and the
staff of Scoopuccinos are ready to serve coffee and ice cream.
Scoopuccinos offers a variety of home made gelato and ice
cream. Also serving meals, feature their own baked goods,
boasts a separate coffee bar and offers expanded seating.
curbside location which has helped the coffee side of the business
take off.
Sheehan also feels it is important to be a visible part of
her business because customers like to see the owner. “It cre-
ates more of a personal feeling. You need to be able to get out
there and talk to people.”
Of course, if she’s not available to talk to people, chances
are good that one of her 26 employees will be. In a departure
from common local hiring practices, one of Sheehan’s objectives
is to actively seek out and hire high school students to provide
them with work experience. “Our main objective is customer
service and I push that their actions here make or break this busi-
ness.”
One of the drawbacks is, however, the fact that the “most
motivated” high school students are also usually the ones who
are involved in a number of other activities. Sheehan says that
she tries to accommodate that and during the school year she
may have several employees who can only work one day a week.
“But it’s a good experience for them.”
Sheehan does her own ordering and keeps her own books,
but with the opening of the expanded business she brought on a
manager, Charleen Bates. She says salespeople offer guidelines
on how much product to order, but it’s largely a process of trial
and error. “Part of having a business like this is that you need to
figure out how much you need, what brands you want, and what
things are going to sell.”
“You realize how much you’ve learned when you try to
tell somebody else,” Sheehan laughs. “But every breathing mo-
ment is consumed with the business!”
SEPTEMBER 2005 29
 The Jefferson County Job Development Corporation
(JCJDC) hosted a familiarization tour in July in a bid to at-
tract new business to the region. This type of tour, known
as a “FAM” tour in the world of economic development,
brings a group of professional site selectors to an area, pro-
viding them the opportunity to become acquainted with the
community, its business assets and business potential. Site
selectors are professionals that work directly for a large

company or are consultants to companies that are seeking new busi-
ness locations.
While this type of event is not new for larger cities, it is a
new approach for more rural areas.
“A very small percentage of rural communities do this,”
explains JCJDC Job Development Specialist Don Alexander. “We
thought this was important to try.” He notes that the decision to try
this approach came after meeting with site selectors and economic
development colleagues at conferences. JCJDC was also looking for
a new marketing approach, so they decided to put together a FAM
tour.
“(The three-day event) cost us the same amount of money
as running three ads in national magazines that promote potential
sites,” Alexander points out.
After over a year of planning, three site selectors and the
managing editor of Site Selector Magazine visited Jefferson
County July 18, 19 and 20th. The site selectors that at-
tended were from specific industry sectors—like call cen-
ters and financial services—that would be best suited for
Jefferson County. The three-day tour was a fast-paced se-
ries of events from industrial site tours to learning how to
deal with the local government. The strongest aspects of
the FAM tour were the people of the community and suc-
cess stories. Receptions were held so that the FAM tour
delegation could actually meet all the people that they
would be working with if they came to Jefferson County.
“The hospitals, the utility companies, local non-
profit groups, and local government folks made it clear
that they would be willing to work with (any) industry
that decided to locate here,” Alexander says. “We were

30 ABSOLUTELY BUSINESS
overwhelmed by the response. We couldn’t value of this, they were on the same page.” He adds that it was a great experience
have asked for any better response. The people for the site selectors. “They are the type of people who want to get behind the
of the communities were one of the best assets wheel, feel, see, smell the area. Now when they talk about us to their clients, they
we had.” will be speaking from first-hand knowledge.”
Alexander says education and dispelling Fayle says they will build on the relationships established during the FAM
myths were a critical part of the FAM tour. One tour, maintain contacts and do follow-ups. JCJDC is currently evaluating surveys
of the biggest myths they had to fight was the from tour participants so they can tailor future events to the needs of the partici-
perception that it is impossible to do business pants.
in New York State, by explaining how economic Alexander adds that they would be happy to share details of their FAM
development can and does work in the Empire tour experience with other counties and communities in the region and points
State. out that the North Country as a whole has a variety of assets that could benefit a
One of the stops on the tour was a visit number of different employers.
to the Stream call center operation in Water- “We don’t have a port, for example. But we could certainly work with a
town. Over the last few months Stream has community that does to attract more jobs here.”
announced hundreds of new openings and new Showcasing the area far beyond New York and, in some cases, beyond the
contracts with major corporations. continent, may seem like a bit of a long shot. Adam Bruns points out that the rural
“They were extremely positive,” says Jim nature of the region is actually a plus for companies looking to relocate or expand
Fayle, JCJDC Executive Director. “It was great in an area.
for the site selectors to hear that a company “Big companies with recognizable household names are learning the value
with 17 call center sites around the world will be of locating in secondary and tertiary communities.”
bringing even more jobs to its operations here. It And Jefferson County hopes to be one of the communities that can pro-
was an affirmation that, not only are they doing it vide that opportunity.
here, but that it works!”
Another area of interest was the Fort
Drum community, not just the post itself but the
diverse population that comes along with having
such a large military installation in the county - a
population of highly-trained and educated spous-
es and Fort Drum retirees.
Both Alexander and Fayle say the area re-
ceived high marks from those on the FAM tour.
Adam Bruns is the managing editor of Site Selec-
tor Magazine and participated in the local FAM
tour. He agrees the area has the potential for
growth.
“The border location is a strength,” says
Bruns, explaining that border-crossing delays due
to increased security measures have companies
looking at border areas as a way to avoid those
delays. But Bruns also cites a variety of other
strengths and opportunities, including the
military-related population and the possibility of
attracting manufacturers of a certain size and op-
erations of a certain type like call centers and
financial services. He also says that he sees even
more potential in a regional economic develop-
ment effort.
Based on the response from both the
community and tour participants, JCJDC will
definitely be doing FAM tours again. Fayle says
the whole idea behind the FAM tour concept is
to build a relationship between site selectors and
communities, and this first effort was a great suc-
cess all the way around.
“I think our community understood the

SEPTEMBER 2005 31

Steve Flynn, President, Sackets Harbor Brewing
Company outside the brew pub, one of his three
restaurants.
32 ABSOLUTELY BUSINESS
Those looking for a bite to eat will find a
smorgasbord of choices located within the Village of Sackets
Harbor. The restaurants offer everything from hot dogs to BBQ
to fine gourmet dining and everything in between. The Sackets
Harbor Brewing Company, more commonly known as the “brew
pub,” is one popular spot.
“If you don’t have good food, it doesn’t matter if you have
a brewery or not, they won’t come,” says Steve Flynn, President
of Sackets Harbor Brewing Company. “People come here for the
food and the beer is a bonus.”
The brew pub is most famous for its 1812 Ale. Before
he opened the microbrewery/restaurant in 1995, Flynn surveyed
the community to see what they wanted in a microbrew. The an-
swers returned to him were the formula for 1812 Ale; it’s amber
in color, not too bitter and a little bit sweet. Today, 1812 Ale is
on tap at a hundred different locations and bottled and sold at
1500 different locations throughout western, central and north-
ern New York. You’ll soon find 1812 Ale, along with three new
bottled beers, on shelves across the country.
Riding on the success of his microbrews, the brew pub
restaurant and Goodfellos Brick Oven Pizza and Wine Bar, Flynn
is expanding further by opening a third restaurant in Sackets Har-
bor. Plus, he has merged with another local businessman to form
a corporation to take his successes beyond the North Country.
From all angles, 2005 has the makings to be a very successful year
for Steve Flynn. To understand where he is today, you need to
know how it all began.
Flynn got to know the microbrewery business by doing
business at a microbrewery. This one-time software engineer
lived in Los Angeles, California and would take his clients to the
local microbrewery to discuss business. During his time in Cali-
fornia he got to be good friends with the brew master. One time
on a trip to historic Sackets Harbor to visit his parents he got the
idea for the name, 1812 Ale. The rest, as they say, is history. He
secured his current location and got underway building what is
today, his life’s passion.
He credits his early success to the business instincts of a
local beer distributor, Patsy Doldo of Doldo Bros., Inc. “He be-
lieved in us from the beginning. He is a brilliant businessman. He
put 1812 Ale bottles and kegs in every place overnight. It shocked
us,” says Flynn. Doldo Bros. distributes the beer north of Syra-
cuse, to Oswego and Massena. “There is no doubt that 1812 has
become one of Patsy’s number-one sellers. It’s the number-one
beer on tap in the area.”
As the master distributor, other distributors now pull
from Doldo Bros. and deliver the beer to Syracuse, Rochester
and Buffalo. In order to keep up with the demand for the beer,
Flynn has contracted with a brewery in Saratoga, New York to
brew it, bottle it and keg it. He says there’s a little less profit
margin doing it that way, but more importantly, it’s less of a head-
ache. Sackets Harbor Brewing Company is now Olde Saratoga
brewery’s number- one contractor.
You’ll also find 1812 Ale on tap at Flynn’s other dining
establishments in Sackets Harbor. In 2000, he opened Goodfellos
Brick Oven Pizza and Wine Bar; its stock of fine wines is one rea-
son why the restaurant reminds him of California. In late August,
he opened Sackets Cantina, a restaurant with southwestern flare.
The menu reflects the variety you will find in the village. What
makes dining in Sackets Harbor so convenient is that you can
park the car and walk to any of the restaurants there, including
Flynn’s three eateries.
Flynn’s belief in the distribution side of his product
prompted him to bring on a new business partner, Christopher
Swartz.
Andy Gersten, Brew Master,
Sackets Harbor Brewing
Company, checking on a
batch of beer.
FAR RIGHT
Steve Flynn behind the bar
at Goodfellows.
RIGHT
“We’ve taken two large companies and merged them.
The merger produced North Country Hospitality,” says Flynn.
“Chris has been in the restaurant business for a long time. This
is a smart move overall.” Together, as North Country Hospital-
ity, they inked a deal with Drinks America Holdings to market
and distribute four different types of bottled beer nationwide, his
1812 Ale and three new brews: 1812 Light, 1000 Islands Pale Ale,
and Independence Wheat.
In late September, Flynn and his brew master, Andy Ger-
sten, will put their four bottled beers to the taste test at the
Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado. That contest
gave Samuel Adams the distinction of being the best in America
and catapulted the name to the tip of tongues and bottom of
mugs nationwide. “It’s like Tom Hanks winning the Oscar for
Best Actor. It’s huge!” says Flynn. They will compete against hun-
dreds of breweries from around the country for top honors.
He also has his eye on opening a second brewery, this
one in Onondaga County. If negotiations go well and the papers
are signed, he says he’ll open Armory Square Brewery in Syracuse
in December at the former Empire Brewing Company site on
Armory Square. If the deal goes through, with that acquisition he
will have a much larger brewery at his disposal.
“If we got Empire, our production would be ten times
what we do here,” Flynn says. “We could use Sackets Brewery
as a testing ground for new products and bring them down to
Syracuse.” The possibilities are endless.
“I’m very pleased with what is happening. It has always
been in our business plan (that) if you promote Sackets Harbor
the rest will come. That is why we find bottled beer so important.
Our name is out there; we are in the public... If we grow, Sackets
Harbor will do well.”
Steve Flynn is a busy, busy man who is showing no signs
of backing down. He’ll forever be picky about what he puts in a
bottle, but you’ll always find a new flavor of beer featured at the
brew pub to compliment your meal.
SEPTEMBER 2005 33
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