Business briefs: March 7, 2009

Boat promotion
PLATTSBURGH — The Adirondack Coast Bass Boast, the newest vehicle for marketing Lake Champlain, is making its debut in Lake Eufaula, Ala., this weekend.

Derrick Martineau, a pro bass angler from Ausable Forks, will make the 1,200 mile trip to compete in the FLW Series East Division from March 7 to 10 on Alabama's Lake Eufaula. Martineau will be driving his 2008 Ranger Bass Boat emblazed with "The Adirondack Coast — Lake Champlain in the Adirondacks."

Michele Powers, director of the Adirondack Coast Visitors and Convention Bureau, said of the Adirondack Coast Bass Boat, "It serves as a moving billboard. It's a unique and cost-effective way for us to reach out to East Coast fishermen and promote our wonderful fishery."

It is estimated a wrapped boat generates 138 impressions per mile traveled. The Visitor Bureau approximates the Alabama outing will generate more than 325,000 impressions for Lake Champlain.

This tournament will mark the first of many for Martineau and the Adirondack Coast Bass Boat in 2010. In total, the boat will track an estimated 6,500 miles generating more than 900,000 impressions for the Adirondack Coast and Martineau's other sponsors including Martineau Law Office, Clinton Abstract, B&E; Development, AmeriGas, Loremans Design and Yipes.

"I'm really excited to get out there and fish," Martineau said. "I'm looking for a top 50 finish."

The Visitors Bureau will be tracking his progress in Alabama and posting it on Facebook along with photos.

New offices
PLATTSBURGH — The Development Corporation (TDC) has moved its administrative offices to 190 Banker Road, Suite 500, in Plattsburgh. TDC's administrative offices had previously been located at 61 Area Development Drive in Plattsburgh.

"We are thrilled to have our new administrative offices located in the Banker Road Industrial Park — one of our three premier industrial park facilities," Adore Flynn Kurtz, president of TDC, said. "There is no better first impression or introduction for clients and prospects than to meet us in one of our first-rate buildings."

The building at 61 Area Development Drive is currently available for lease.

The Development Corporation is a not-for-profit economic-development corporation with more than 45 years of economic-development activity in Clinton County. The corporation develops industrial parks, markets the county for new business investments and works to retain and expand local industry. The corporation also administers the County of Clinton Industrial Development Agency, the Town of Champlain Industrial Development Agency, the Clinton County Empire Zone and Clinton County's Foreign Trade Zone.

Appointed to boards
PLATTSBURGH — Stephens Mundy, president and CEO of CVPH Medical Center, will be serving the Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS) Board of Trustees and The American Association Regional Policy Board 2.

The Healthcare Association of New York is dedicated to the health of individuals and their communities. As one of the trustees, Mundy will aid in providing leadership, representation and service to health providers and systems across the entire continuum of care.

Serving as a state alternate delegate and board member, Mundy will also represent CVPH on The American Hospital Association Regional Policy Board 2. This board covers the regions of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The board meets three times a year to discuss policy issues and alternatives for the AHA Board.

Mundy's term for both associations began Jan. 1 and will carry out until Dec. 31, 2012.

CVPH is a regional medical center dedicated to providing the Champlain Valley with quality healthcare and services.

New meeting place
PLATTSBURGH — Beginning immediately, the local business-referral organization BNI chapter, The Lake City Referrals, will hold its meetings in the Conference Room of the Plattsburgh International Airport.

Meetings will begin promptly at 7 a.m. with networking and a continental breakfast, wrapping up at 8:30 a.m. each week. Call Maureen Carlo at 726-0699 — or email mcarlo@wellscomm.com — to reserve a spot as a guest.

Last year, members of BNI passed thousands of referrals which generated millions of dollars worth of business for each other. BNI is a business and professional organization that allows only one person from each profession to join a chapter. Belonging to BNI is like having dozens of sales people working for you because all the other members carry several copies of your business cards around with them. When they meet someone new who could use your products or services, they hand your card out and recommend your services.

Learn more at www.bnineny.com.

Speed increase
PLATTSBURGH — Charter Communications has announced that it has increased its Internet download speeds on the Charter Internet Express and Charter Internet Plus tiers and is also increasing both the upload and download speeds on the Charter Internet Max tier, at no additional cost to customers.

Plus, Charter showed its creative side in the development of its "Fast Free" commercials, airing this month.

Charter chose to let consumers show what it means to them. In an industry first and an example of what is possible to achieve with their service, Charter used its own Internet technology to cast, create and direct three commercials. Using Web cams, the director filmed customers in the comfort of their own homes, sharing how they feel about their faster Internet speeds. "We believe we provided a personal punctuation on what faster Internet means to our customers," said Judy Wu, senior director of customer marketing for Charter.

"For Internet users, it's far more than a service," said Rich DiGeronimo, vice president of product management for Charter. "Fast Internet access with no waiting is an integral part of their lives, giving them an instant connection to the world."

Charter Internet customers have experienced continuous improvements with increasing upload speeds and the recent addition of PowerBoost 2, a temporary extra burst of speed during downloads, when network capacity is available.

The upgrades to Charter Internet speeds are as follows:

Charter InternetTM Express now has download speeds up to 8 Mbps (previously up to 5 Mbps) and upload speeds up to 1 Mbps.

Charter InternetTM Plus offers download speeds up to 16 Mbps (previously up to 10 Mbps) and upload speeds up to 2 Mbps.

Charter InternetTM Max provides downloads up to 25 Mbps (previously up to 20 Mbps) and upload speeds up to 3 Mbps (previously up to 2 Mbps).

Charter Internet Ultra60 service is also available in many of Charter's markets, with download speeds up to 60 Mbps.

For more information on Charter's television, Internet and phone services, visit charter.com. The new Fast Free commercials can be viewed at charter.com/freefast.

Tax service
PLATTSBURGH — Liberty Tax Service is offering free tax preparation next week to salute firefighters, correction officers, police and law-enforcement officers.

These tax breaks on preparation fees will be in effect from Monday through March 15 for those who are first-time customers. For more information, call 324-1040 or stop by the office located at 178 Broad Street.

"This week, we'll honor the courage and dedication of our men and women in law enforcement and public safety to show appreciation for their work to keep this community safe," said Jeff Pier, franchise owner of Liberty Tax Service.

Liberty Tax Service is the fastest-growing retail tax-preparation company in the industry's history. The company has added 350 new locations for a total of 3,300 offices in the United States and 250 in Canada. Founded in 1997 by CEO John T. Hewitt, a pioneer in the tax industry, Liberty Tax Service has prepared more than 7,000,000 individual income-tax returns.

Liberty Tax Service provides computerized income-tax preparation, electronic filing, refund loans and online filing through eSmart Tax. Each office offers customers audit assistance, a money-back guarantee and free tax-return checking.

Showcase attended
PLATTSBURGH — To encourage group travel and tourism in the Adirondack Region, area tourism professionals took part in The Heartland Travel Showcase Feb. 19-21 in Columbus, Ohio.

Kristy Kennedy, group marketing specialist for the Adirondack Coast Visitors and Convention Bureau, took part in the showcase where tour operators from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Ontario, Canada, attended.

Each year, nearly $13 million in group tour business is conducted through the Heartland Travel Showcase bringing in an enormous economic impact on the motorcoach industry.

Kennedy said trade shows are a way to connect with tour operators and keep the Adirondack Region in the top of people's minds. She conducted 33 one-on-one meetings with tour operators. These meetings were designed to discuss what the Adirondack Region has to offer motorcoach groups and can help increase the operator's tour portfolio.

"My experience at The Heartland Travel Showcase this year helped me to continue to build relationships with tour operators and other tourism professionals," Kennedy said. "Several operators are bringing tours to our area and I was even able to book tours on the spot for 2011 and 2012."

For more information about Clinton County tourism, contact the bureau at 563-1000 or visit www.goadirondack.com.

Donation made
PAUL SMITHS — Excellus BlueCross BlueShield has donated an automated external defibrillator (AED) to Paul Smith's College in Paul Smiths. The donation is part of an initiative the health insurer launched several years ago to get AED units in widespread use throughout its 11-county service area.

Excellus BCBS has 1.7 million members located across upstate New York, including in the North Country. The health plan has an office in Plattsburgh.

"We are extremely grateful to Excellus BlueCross BlueShield for its donation," said Les Parrish, director of athletics for Paul Smith's College. "Having a unit at the Saunders Sports Complex will help ensure the safety of our student athletes and spectators."

The college's Saunders Sports Complex, which is in the midst of a multi-million-dollar renovation, includes a 32-foot climbing wall, chlorine-free, salt-water swimming pool, fitness center and 3,000-seat gymnasium. It is a premier health and wellness center for not just Paul Smith's students but also the surrounding community.

Sudden cardiac arrest can strike without warning and requires immediate treatment to increase the victim's chance of survival. It is the leading cause of death in the United States, striking more than 450,000 people a year. For every minute that defibrillation is delayed, the victim's chances of survival go down seven to ten percent. The most effective treatment for sudden cardiac arrest is an electric shock to the heart, called defibrillation. This "shock" is administered by an AED. Cardiac arrest victims can die within 10 minutes unless they receive proper care. The American Heart Association estimates that with increased access to AEDs, up to 40,000 lives could be saved each year.

The AED unit Excellus BCBS donated is a state-of-the-art Philips HeartStart Defibrillator that retails for about $2,500. The unit is the size of a child's lunch box and is fully automated. The unit issues voice commands to coach the user in its operation, including coaching the proper administration of CPR and providing a metronome beat to count and time chest compressions. If the unit's chest pads sense a pulse, it will not allow an electrical charge to be administered.

The AED donation was made through Excellus BlueCross BlueShield's Community Health Award program. Community Health Awards are grants of up to $4,000 for nonprofit groups for programs that improve the health and wellness of the community. Awards are made twice yearly, in January and July. Since their inception in 2000, more than $550,000 has been awarded to more than 200 community organizations.

For more information on AEDs, visit the American Heart Association's Web site at www.americanheart.org.

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