Interviews by Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
Working someplace you love makes every work day more enjoyable. We recently asked area businesspeople to share what inspired them to take on their current role or start their own business.
“When I was going to college, I thought I wanted to be an accountant. I was falling asleep in classes. I decided to do something beyond the numbers. I learned about financial planning and that steered me to the field and ultimately to starting my own business.”
— Anthony Hinds-Fritz, Certified financial planner and owner Evolution Retirement Solutions, LLC, Syracuse
“Real estate was a family business that I grew up in. I have always sold real estate since 1980, the first year I became licensed. I worked other jobs but never felt the satisfaction I have with taking care of others with one of the biggest and most important purchases of their life.”
— Bill Galloway, Broker and owner Century 21 Galloway Realty, Oswego
“I sought employment at Fulton Savings Bank because I enjoy working for a small employer where I can really get to know all of the employees and build meaningful relationships. I also love that Fulton Savings Bank is so community-focused and gives back in so many ways. It means a lot to me to personally to be a part of that in the community in which I also live and raise a family.”
— Laurie A. Smith, Vice president of human resources and marketing, Fulton Savings Bank, Fulton
“I purchased iHeart Oswego because this resource was too important to let it disappear from the community. Founder Victoria Gailinas was planning to retire and move out of the area. iHeart Oswego would simply cease to exist without a buyer. Since taking ownership, this community has continued to inspire me with their incredible strength, grit and heart; I’m proud to continue sharing our county’s good news and unique events.”
— Bekkah Frisch, Owner and president, iHeart Holdings d/b/a iHeart Oswego, Oswego
“I was a paralegal for 25 years before becoming an attorney. I had a lot of experience seeing what people were looking for. I fell in love with this area of law: probate and estate law. That motivated me. I saw a real need in the area as a lot of attorneys were retiring. It’s not a field a lot of young attorneys are going into. It’s a field that desperately needs someone who understands the legality of it and where you can show compassion for the people you’re helping. All areas of law are very different and I found it’s an area where I can give back to the community an individual who need it the most.”
— Nicole Reed, Attorney and owner Reed Law, PLLC, Oswego
“I started my business as an extension of my mother’s business [Mother Earth Health Foods in business over 50 years] for my love of sustainable products. I started selling cloth diapers in an effort to educate people about the benefits of cloth and make them available to our local community. My very first products were sold out of my mom’s business back in 2009 and grew from there offering a cloth diaper service and toy store in Oswego shortly after our opening.”
— Lisa Emmons, Owner, Mother Earth Baby and Curious Kidz Toys, Oswego
“I wanted a sense of independence. I’m a real estate broker and had been working for another company. At the time, the housing bubble just burst and some decisions were made that I wouldn’t have made and I decided it was time to go out on my own and make my own decisions. I started it as a real estate brokerage in 2008.”
— Patrick O’Connor, Real estate broker and owner CNY Homes, Syracuse
“Growing up, I always wanted to be a football player, then actor, then businessman. Well, being a football player or actor are not very practical. So, that left businessman, whatever that meant. I didn’t really know as a kid. As I got older, the idea of my making money was a no-brainer. At school, I went down the finance and economics path. Then I learned about being a financial adviser and decided to pursue that. My career is so rewarding, I love to help people and make sure that someone is always taking good care of them. I make sure they make good financial decisions. Nothing is more rewarding than when I show a client how I can help them retire with more money than they thought and that they care retire much earlier than they thought they would.”
— Peter Tallarico, Jr., Financial adviser and president of Blue Ridge Financial Services in Syracuse
“This has been my field for almost 30 years. I did go to school for business and [pursued] a concentration in human resources. When I got out of school, my first job in human resources was with a human resources outsourcing organization where I learned compliance and employee handbooks. As my career grew, I really enjoy helping businesses and their employees. Employees are their greatest asset, not to make them sound like objects. It’s the fact that the people are what makes the business. No matter what your business is, I firmly believe that how you treat your employees and how your employees feel is a direct reflection on the quality of their product or service. I think human resources consulting came very naturally for me as I like helping businesses succeed. The core of their success is employee-based.”
— Janine Corea, Vice president of HR management services at HR Works in East Syracuse
“I always wanted to get into the automotive field because I grew up near a racetrack. I always had interest in cars and I wasn’t the ‘office’ type. Cars and garages go together and that’s how I ended up here.”
— Tyler Larkin, Manager Oswego Auto and Tire, Oswego
“I was looking for a job where I wouldn’t have to charge people and was able to help them, whether it was answering questions to help them increase their skills or learn new things. I was looking to move to New York. I had young children and was trying to find a place where I could focus on working as a librarian—not running the whole thing—and provide a great place for them to grow up. This is the largest city I’ve lived in outside of going to college and my ex-wife’s smallest city, so we found a compromise. At the library, we’re always signing people up to help them use the resources, either online or in the library. Libby, the audio books, is probably the biggest increase in use in library material in the last few years, along with new kids signing up who have never had a library card.”
— Edward Elsner, Librarian, Oswego Public Library
“My brother got me interested in cars. I’ve been helping to fix them since I was 14 years old. That was a big part of it. But the biggest thing is I wanted to be my own boss and I didn’t want to work for someone else.”
— John Levkovich, Owner Levy’s Auto, LLC, Central Square
