DAN HEATH
Press-Republican
PLATTSBURGH — A local business promoted the shop-local concept when people stopped by its booth at the North Country Chamber of Commerce 2011 Biz Expo.
Steve Moore, owner of Condo Pharmacy on Montcalm Avenue in the City of Plattsburgh, distributed $2 bills to those who pledged to spend the money at a local business.
"We've got some neat local businesses in Plattsburgh that make this community unique. This is a way to help our neighbors and friends," Moore said.
He said studies have shown that when money is spent at a locally owned business, roughly 70 percent of that money will stay in the local economy. Moore said that drops to 30 to 40 percent if the money is spent at a chain store and dips down to 0 percent if the shopping is done online.
Condo Pharmacy was founded by Joe Condo in 1946. It was acquired by Moore's parents, Jean and Gary Moore, in 1993.
They built the new, larger store in 2004.
Steve said his mother, who has been with the business for 36 years, is one of the reasons they have such a loyal customer base.
"We have patients that my mom took care of their grandparents. Now, we are taking care of their grandkids," he said.
WOMAN-OWNED BUSINESS
Chris DeAngelo, general manager at Lake City Fire Equipment, took part in the Biz Expo.
He said one of their biggest lines is training, service, sale and inspection of fire extinguishers.
"We do pretty much anything related to fire extinguishers," he said.
The company also offers training in CPR and automated electronic defibrillators. DeAngelo said New York state is giving tax credits for installation of the latter.
Lake City also offers sales, service and training on those systems.
The company also does high-pressure hydro-testing for air and other canisters. Depending on the type, the canisters are required to be re-certified after a certain period of use.
That includes air packs, scuba tanks, oxygen and propane tanks, paintball canisters and beverage cylinders used in the restaurant industry.
Chris's wife, Shawna DeAngelo, owns Lake City. They are in the process of getting certified as a woman-owned business, he said.
NEW TERRITORY
Businesses in some of the 186 booths represented at Plattsburgh State Fieldhouse were seeking to expand into new territory. Randy Laue of Pennsylvania-based Hoover Industrial Supply was at the show to seek contacts who might carry Hoover's Creatherm panels, which are engineered insulation panels for installation of any type of concrete-covered radiant heating application.
The panels have nubs spread across the surface that help anchor the radiant heating lines and protect them from damage when concrete is poured and spread on top.
"You can install it in one-fourth the time of a traditional system," Laue said.
The foam panels also supply insulation, while the top surface has a vapor-barrier coating.
TECHNOLOGY SERVICE
Another exhibitor was technology advisory firm NeuEon, which has offered its technology services in this area for about six months and recently brought Kevin Conroy on board as its Plattsburgh-based representative. The company covers the Northeast from that office as well as others in Boston and Westchester County.
"We mainly work with organizations that don't have their own internal technology staff," Tom Gardner said. "We make sure an organization is investing in the right technology."
NeuEon also work with clients when they plan a business event, such as a merger or acquisition.
And the firm can also help with compliance issues when new regulations take effect, such as those anticipated for the banking industry.
"We also do a lot of work with non-profits," Gardner said.
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