By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
“I started from scratch. Now I’m beyond the 10-year anniversary mark. I’ve had time to reflect. Getting your first year under your belt. Many businesses don’t make it to year five. Taking that first leap to get started and proving to yourself and the market that you are here to stay.
— Kevin Nickels, Vice-president Nickels Energy Solutions, Liverpool
“Simply keeping local journalism alive and relevant, while so many newspapers have closed. Reopening the Cortland Standard and adding it to the Sample Media family was a huge win!”
— Mindy Lawrence, Group publisher, Oswego County Media Group & The Cortland Standard, Oswego
“Well, I’d say my top accomplishment in business would be staying focused on my niche of high-end personal training. I started the business in 1995 as a one-on-one, private, personal training studio. As my business-gym evolved over the years, and I paid attention to our industry trends, I made strategic moves and investments such as bringing in other private studio experiences, i.e. Pilates, HIIT and indoor cycling. But my primary focus for 31 years has been on the personal training experience.”
— Randy Sabourin, Owner Metro Fitness, Syracuse
“The longevity of this business. We’ve been in business for 56 years. We’ve been a family-owned restaurant for years and now it’s the third generation of the family. That has a lot to do with it, being able to go from generation to generation and maintain some consistency.”
— Hayden Sachel, Co-manager Mimi’s Drive-In, Fulton
“I help people feel better in their body and mind—meeting themselves as they are, building awareness, self-love, and trust in their body’s wisdom.”
— Rita Anderson, Owner Main Street Yoga, Mexico
“Our primary achievement has been maintaining the standards and personal touch of a small local business while providing the delivery capabilities of a larger corporation.”
— Justin C. Herrington, President JCH Seamless Gutters Inc., Mexico
“My greatest accomplishment is having several thousand opportunities to help people improve their living conditions. Sometimes they need to downsize; sometimes they’re upgrading. In every instance, I hope that they will be better off having used our services. We take it personally. Repeat clients are very valued more than they’ll ever know. When they come back and when they send friends and family, it’s important to us and we appreciate it.”
— Faye Beckwith, Owner and broker Freedom Real Estate, Hannibal
“Buying my Caterpillar excavator. They’re large and expensive. I dig in-ground pools so it’s very important.”
— Dylan Harroun, Owner Upstate Aquatic Construction, Inc., Brewerton
