Vendor honored
PLATTSBURGH — On Jan. 8, Lakeside Container Corp. was presented the 2009 Vendor Partner of the Year award from Gardener's Supply in recognition of Excellent Product Quality and Service.
During the presentation, Deborah Fuller, fulfillment manager for Gardener's, said, "Lakeside Container's dedication, customer service and product quality sets an example for all companies to follow."
Lakeside Container has been the sole packaging vendor for Gardener's Supply since 2004 and the first non-resalable vendor to receive this award.
"Lakeside Container has been wonderful to work with and they take the same pride we do in taking care of customers and providing great service," Fuller said.
Lakeside Container is a family-owned, corrugated converting plant located in Plattsburgh. The company moved to a new state-of-the art facility in 2002. It contains modern corrugated converting equipment along with support equipment. A design lab is also part of the operation to provide corrugated packaging solutions and samples for testing purposes.
Gardener's Supply Co. is an employee-owned company of avid gardeners providing garden-tested, earth-friendly products combined with practical information. Located in Burlington, Vt., the company has won many awards for its patented products and innovative management style. Gardener's Supply Co. is the largest direct-to-consumer gardening company in the U.S. with two retail stores in Burlington and Williston, Vt. Gardener's Supply is on the Web at www.gardeners.com. Additional information about the award may be obtained by contacting George J. Bouyea, Lakeside Container Corp., at 561-6150 or e-mail gjbouyea@lakesidecontainer.com.
Employee award
LAKE PLACID — Judy Winch was named the December 2009 Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) Employee of the Month. She received her award from Bruce McCulley, Whiteface general manager, and Jeff Byrne, ORDA senior vice president.
Winch has worked with ORDA for three and a half years and is currently employed in Whiteface's Accounts Payable Department. During the last several months, Winch has not only performed her normal job duties, but she has also taken on additional responsibilities which include following up with workers' compensation and accident reports, processing requisitions and purchasing-agent duties. Taking on these extra responsibilities can be a lot of work, presenters say, but she is always willing to do what it takes to get the job done and always with a friendly smile on her face.
For more information on Whiteface and ORDA's Olympic venues, visit www.whitefacelakeplacid.com.
New director
PLATTSBURGH — The Development Corporation has announced that Joanne Knowlton has joined the company as the new director of marketing and business development. Knowlton brings extensive experience in marketing and public relations.
At TDC, she will be responsible for developing and implementing targeted marketing and business-development initiatives, conducting market research, coordinating special events and representing the company at trade shows. Knowlton will also be responsible for TDC's media relations and e-communication strategies.
Prior to joining TDC, Knowlton worked for Bloomberg in New York City, where she was hired in 1998 as the first professional marketing executive responsible for sales support, branding and new business development, with a special focus on the company's media products. Additionally, she served as the director of marketing for Institutional Investor Magazine, was the assistant vice president of capital markets communications for Merrill Lynch, and was employed by Howard Marks Advertising as an account supervisor. Knowlton is a past president of the Financial Communications Society and served on the Board of Directors for Advertising Week in New York City.
Knowlton holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Hollins College. She grew up in Pound Ridge and is on the board of directors of The Woman Flyfishers Club.
Award received
KEESEVILLE — UniFirst, a leading supplier of work clothing and uniform programs to companies throughout the U.S. and Canada, with facilities in Keeseville, announced that it has won a Stevie Award for the Sales Department of the Year-Services Category.
The national award, which was created to recognize innovative and exemplary business practices, was presented at the Fourth Annual 2010 American Business Awards held at the Eden Roc Renaissance Hotel on Feb. 22 in Miami Beach.
More than 500 entries were submitted to this year's competition, which featured 12 different award categories related to sales department/customer servicing. Others receiving awards in various servicing categories included IBM, UPS and Verizon Communications.
In naming UniFirst as a winner, an international board of judges recognized the company's VIP Uniform Cost Analysis ProgramSM, which provides businesses with free comprehensive audits of their uniform and facility-services programs. Based on a 35-point audit, UniFirst's complimentary service outlines whether companies — particularly in light of today's recessionary economy — are maximizing the overall value of their programs, if they're getting all the services they're paying for and if bottom-line cost savings are possible.
"One of our company's guiding principles is to keep customers the focus of everything we do, and our VIP Analysis Program is a natural outgrowth of that core business philosophy," said Ronald D. Croatti, president and CEO of UniFirst.
The name Stevie is nicknamed for the Greek work "crowned." All judging for the Stevie Awards was done by an independent panel of business executives from companies located around the globe. This year's judges included Craig Adams of Akamai Technologies, John Burchett of Microsoft, Kendall Collins of Salesforce.com, John Cushman of AT&T;, David Hamm of Dow Jones and Co., and 62 other business professionals.
UniFirst is a leading supplier of uniforms, work wear and protective clothing to businesses of all types and sizes. UniFirst currently offers rent, lease and buy program options to customers at more than 225,000 business locations throughout the U.S. and Canada. As part of its image-enhancing services, UniFirst also offers facility-services programs that feature indoor and outdoor floor mats as well as restroom products such as hand cleaners, hand towels and sanitary tissues.
For more information, contact UniFirst at 800-225-3364 or visit www.unifirst.com in the U.S., or call 800-263-4342 or visit www.unifirst.ca in Canada.
Summit attended
PLATTSBURGH — Heidi Clute recently attended the fourth-annual Barron's Winner's Circle Top Women Advisors Summit, hosted by Barron's magazine to promote best practices in the industry and the value of advice to the investing public. The invitation-only conference was held at The Breakers in Palm Beach, Fla., Dec 2-4, 2009.
In addition to Clute, 81 of the Top 100 Women Financial Advisors in the U.S., as ranked and published in Barron's June 8, 2009, issue, were also in attendance. The exclusive conference is designed to promote best practices and generate new ideas across the industry.
The Barron's Top 100 Women Financial Advisors is a select group of individuals who are screened on a number of different criteria. Among factors the survey takes into consideration are the overall size and success of practices, the quality of service provided to clients, adherence to high standards of industry regulatory compliance, and leadership in best practices of wealth management. Portfolio performance is not a factor.
With more than 30 years of experience, Clute, a certified financial planner, is the owner of Clute Wealth Management, a registered investment advisor.
Clute Wealth Management is an independent firm that provides strategic financial and investment planning for individuals and small businesses in the Champlain Valley region of New York and Vermont. Securities are offered through LPL Financial.
Barron's (www.barrons.com) is America's premier financial magazine. Published by Dow Jones & Co. since 1921, it reaches an influential audience for senior corporate decision makers, institutional investors, individual investors and financial professions. With new content available every week in print and every business day online, Barron's provides readers with a comprehensive review of the market's recent activity coupled with in-depth, sophisticated reports on what's likely to happen in the market in the days and weeks to come.
Tax promotion
PLATTSBURGH — Teachers can leave their lesson plans behind, but are invited to bring their tax receipts and information into Liberty Tax Service offices during Educator Appreciation Days.
The company is saluting area teachers, all school employees and bus drivers by offering them free tax preparation if they are new customers from March 1-7. Liberty Tax Service will offer this service at its office located at 178 Broad Street in Plattsburgh.
"Employees involved in educating our children deserve a tax break," said Jeff Pier, franchise owner of Liberty Tax Service. "We have Appreciation Days to show our respect for the teaching profession and those employed by the schools. They have one of the most important jobs, yet the monetary rewards may be greater for those in private business with comparable levels of education." Liberty Tax Service urges teachers and eligible educators who spend their own money on classroom supplies that they should be eligible for a tax break again when filing a 2009 return. An eligible educator is a kindergarten through grade 12 teacher, instructor, counselor, principal or aide who works at least 900 hours in either a public or private school. The adjustment for these expenses, of no more than $250, can be claimed whether or not the taxpayer can itemize.
Liberty Tax Service has 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 million individual income-tax returns. With 41 years of tax-industry experience, Hewitt stands as the most experienced CEO in the tax-preparation business, having also founded Jackson Hewitt Tax Service.
Liberty Tax Service provides computerized income tax preparation, electronic filing and refund loans. Each office offers customers audit assistance, a money-back guarantee and free tax-return checking. The Liberty Tax Service franchise opportunity is No. 9 on the fastest growing franchises list of the 2010 Entrepreneur Franchise 500.
Business Expo
PLATTSBURGH — The Plattsburgh-North Country Chamber of Commerce Business Expo will be held on May 20 at the SUNY Field House. Booth registrations are now being accepted.
The Business Expo is the largest business-to-business show in northern New York and is open to all area businesses. If you want to showcase your products and services, and make hundreds of new business contacts, plan to participate in the Business Expo.
The cost for an 8x10-ft. booth is $395 for chamber members and $495 for not-yet members. High-speed Internet access is available, courtesy of Westelcom. Registration forms can be found at www.northcountrychamber.com. Call the chamber at 563-1000 for more information.
The Business Expo is brought to you by the Plattsburgh-North Country Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by TwinState/Voice.Data.Video.Inc, Denton Publications, Curtis Lumber, Buck Supply & Distribution, AT&T; and WPTZ. Coffee will be sponsored by La Quinta Inn & Suites and Glens Falls National Bank.
Gas rebate
PLATTSBURGH — New York State Electric and Gas's Residential Natural Gas Equipment Rebate program will meet its targeted savings goal 21 months early due to unprecedented customer participation. As a result, the rebate program will be suspended on March 31, pending the Public Service Commission's (PSC) review of NYSEG's request for additional funds to extend the program. The company will accept completed rebate applications postmarked by March 31, 2010.
"Based on savings targets and funding levels provided by the state, we anticipated offering rebates for more than two years," said Mark Lynch, president of NYSEG. "Thanks to the tremendous efforts of over 300 local contractors and unprecedented customer response, we exhausted our rebate funding in seven months and met the state mandated energy savings targets."
The rebate program, targeting natural-gas furnaces, water boilers and heaters, and related control equipment, began in July in accordance with an April 9, 2009, PSC order approving Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standard efficiency programs for natural-gas utilities across the state.
Since the program's inception in July, residential customers have saved 53,399 dekatherms of natural gas by installing more energy-efficient natural-gas equipment and related control equipment.
For additional information regarding rebate programs, customers should visit nyseg.com or call the NYSEG rebate hotline at 1-800-995-9525.
Health plans
PLATTSBURGH — Fidelis Care will be joining CVPH Medical Center in providing quality, affordable health-insurance coverage to uninsured North Country residents.
On Friday, March 5, from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Fidelis Care will be conducting a health-insurance open house at CVPH located at 75 Beekman St. in Plattsburgh. Eligible residents will be able to apply to enroll in free or low-cost health insurance. To apply for enrollment, bring proof of age, income and address. Appointments are not necessary, and representatives will be available to discuss concerns and answer questions.
Programs offered from Fidelis Care include New York State's Child Health Plus, Family Health Plus and Medicaid Managed Care programs. Medicaid Managed Care is for children and adults who meet certain income, resource, age or disability requirements. Members are covered for regular checkups, preventive care, hospital and emergency care, eye exams and more. All uninsured children under 19 living in New York are eligible through Child Health Plus, while adults ages 19 to 64 may qualify for low-cost health coverage through Family Health Plus.
CVPH is a regional medical center recognized as a leader in providing exceptional quality care and improving the health and wellness of the Champlain Valley.
Fidelis Care is the largest government programs-based health-insurance company in New York State. With more than 580,000 members in 48 counties statewide, Fidelis Care was founded on the belief that all New Yorkers should have access to affordable, quality health insurance. Fidelis Care members have access to a provider network of more than 37,000 health-care professionals statewide. Individuals seeking affordable coverage should contact Fidelis Care toll-free at 1-888-FIDELIS (1-888-343-3547) or visit www.fideliscare.org.
Legislative lunch
SARANAC LAKE — The Saranac Lake Area Chamber of Commerce will be welcoming Brian Samspon, CEO of Unshackle Upstate, at a Legislative Luncheon on Tuesday.
Unshackle Upstate is a bi-partisan coalition of more than 70 business and trade organizations representing upwards of 45,000 companies and employing more than 1 million people. They hail from across Upstate New York with one goal: To achieve reforms in Albany that make Upstate a stronger place to do business.
"This is a great opportunity for our members and the community to hear discussion on topics ranging from how the state affects business, the budget, Constitutional Convention, term limits and a range of topics this organization is involved in on our behalf," said Chamber Executive Director Sylvie Nelson.
To find out more about the organization, visit www.unshackleupstate.com.
The event is being held at noon at the Historic Saranac Lake meeting room located at 89 Church Street. The cost is $17 for members and $25 for non-members and includes a lunch, provided by Lakeview Deli.
To participate, RSVP with the chamber at 891-1990 or by e-mail at info@saranaclake.com.
