Interviews by Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
“Labor is challenging. Almost everyone in this type of business is discovering that it’s hard to find people who want to work.”
— Cindy Paine, Co-owner Oliver B. Paine Greenhouses, Fulton
“I will be selling the business by the beginning of May. We have a buyer and have announced it on Facebook. My biggest challenge that affected selling has been keeping up with the cost of supplies. The changing inflation for the cost of supplies and payroll going up made it hard. Things just kept going up and up and up and it was getting harder for me. Also, I’ve been doing this for almost 15 years and it is time for me to be there for the family. Family is first. Family is very important to me. I want to be there to help them. My family is getting a little older and needing assistance. I love what I do; it was a hard decision.”
— Kathy Hotaling, Owner Kathy’s Cakes & Big Dipper Ice Cream, Fulton
“We’ve had a lot of the same challenges we’ve had in the past, including challenges with the pool of talent getting smaller. We have some of the finest craftspeople. As of right now, we look forward to a good year, but what might happen with pricing is scaring some of the consumers. Any time there’s volatility in the market the consumers are hesitant. Other than that, we’ve done well. State and federal regulations have been the same and there haven’t been many changes. That’s not so bad at the moment. We’ve been fortunate.”
— David Hill, Owner Oswego Quality Carpet, Oswego
“With the season transitioning, it’s difficult. When we have warm days, it’s a bike day; when we have cold days, it’s a snowshoe day. I wish there were some type of consistency in what we experience. I’m not experiencing any supply chain or tariff issues. I’m prepared and ready to respond to hopefully a bicycle demand when the weather gets more consistent.”
— Greg Mills, Owner, Murdock’s Bicycles and Sports, Oswego
“You mean after cash flow? I’m glad you asked! One of the biggest challenges is competing with our own vendors. One shoe company has an online platform for consumers with inventory that we cannot access. A customer will call and ask us to order a shoe, stating ‘They have my size on the website’ yet when we order it’s not available to us on the business-to-business platform. Secondly, the same company offers discounts online that we cannot take advantage of. That’s a challenge!”
— Joe Cortini, Owner, Cortini Shoe Store, Fulton
“As a small business, finding sales folks who are willing to have a low base and high commission potential is harder and harder to find. It seems most people want a higher base and lower commission potential. It seems they are valuing the consistent salary more than the potential of higher earnings.”
— Stephanie M. Vavonese, Founder & CEO SMV Recruiting, LLC & Brew Recruit, Syracuse
“Effective marketing using social media.”
— Kevin Samolis, Financial officer, SKY Armory, Syracuse
“Currently, our biggest struggle is finding volunteer photojournalists or interns to support our mission of documenting all the amazing things happening in every corner of our county. Our core group is phenomenal and we are always looking for new talent to increase our coverage beyond Oswego and Fulton to include more happenings in the North Country, Central Square and Hannibal areas.”
— Bekkah Frisch, Owner and president, I Heart Oswego
“Getting qualified employees for our business. We’re a machine shop and unlike some of the modern shops that use computerized equipment, we use manual equipment. It’s a trade skill. The new kids coming up from school learn computerized equipment. It’s hard to get people who are qualified to use our equipment. We need people with the skills of manual machining of pulling levers and turning dials. It’s like working on a car, not working on a computer. We have people applying who can’t do what we do here. It’s an older age group that learned this stuff years ago. Not too many people know about it now.”
— Chris Fragale, Manager, Industrial Precision Products, Inc., Oswego
“Regulatory laws regarding minimum wage, insurance and all that extra stuff that really makes having employees more challenging. That’s the real struggle, along with the increase in costs. It impacts us the most.”
— Lisa Emmons, Owner, Mother Earth Baby, Curious Kidz and Breezy Kleen Laundry, Oswego
“Getting every sale we can. Our ongoing battle with Amazon has been a challenge basically since we opened. But we have a strong following here. There’s a lot of community members who’ve been supporting us since day one and would rather not shop with Amazon and other online retailers. There’s been a movement and shift in consciousness whether people want to support these massive corporations and the local, independent businesses. Consumers are developing a better understanding of where their money goes. If you shop locally, the money stays local to a much higher degree than if you’re shopping at a big box store, where the money is sucked away from the local community. We haven’t really felt the heat of any of the tariffs yet.”
— Emil Christmann, Co-owner and manager of the rivers end bookstore, Oswego
“While the current rate environment presents challenges, we see this as an opportunity to provide tailored solutions that ease the financial burden for our customers. We offer a variety of loan options designed to help reduce upfront costs and I personally sit down with customers to explore payment plans that fit their budget. I also guide them on when they may be eligible to refinance if rates decrease. For community members with questions or concerns, I provide reassurance by sharing historical trends and helping them understand their full financial picture. Additionally, we explore potential grants or loan programs through the county or city that could offer further assistance. Most importantly, our team at Community Bank is always here to support our customers with expert guidance, personalized service and a commitment to their financial wellbeing.”
— Angela Cleary, Branch manager, Community Bank, Oswego
“In order the Top 10 are: Labor … and I forget the other nine. Because I am focused on labor.”
— Jim Sollecito, Owner, Sollecito Landscaping Nursery, Syracuse
“The biggest challenge for Universal Metal Works is finding the right employees to expand our workforce. We are fortunate to currently have a great team, and we want to make sure that we continue to bring on employees who have the traits, skills and work ethic to add long-term value to the organization.”
— John F. Sharkey, IV, President Universal Metal Works, Fulton
