Connor's Cafe

Andy Cullerton (previously representing Cullerton Flooring) has opened Connor's Cafe, a restaurant located in Penfield, NY, serving a delicious selection of sandwiches, wraps, soups, sides, desserts and coffees. You can visit them online at www.connorscafe.com.

PBA Member John Turner Delivers Water To Sudan

From Rochester to the Sudan, a group of local people, including PBA member and founder of Cricket on the Hearth John Turner, headed off to Africa in August with essential equipment to provide the people there with one of life's basic needs: water. A newly-purchased drill will be used by the local group "Water for Sudan," to drill dozens of wells.

This new drill will allow the group to drill about 30 to 40 wells a year. That's more than double what they've previously done.

COO of Water for Sudan, John Turner said,"It's my feeling that this water project we're working on, while it's a basically humanitarian in all its aspects, it becomes the beginning of a nation."

The group says where wells are drilled schools and marketplaces pop up. As much as the wells provide the Sudanese with a better life the people who deliver this relief also take something away.

Turner said, "It's the type of thing, when you get a well dug and come back with pictures of the dancing that goes on and the joy, it just emotional."

The 'Water for Sudan' organization will be holding a meeting to update the community on the progress it's made in the Sudan. That meeting is September 22nd at 7:00 PM at the Dryden Theatre at the Eastman House. Their website is www.waterforsudan.org.

Fairport Savings Bank has an Opening for a Staff Accountant

Anyone looking for a mid-level accounting position, in a solid, friendly community bank, may contact Leslie Zornow at 585-223-9080 x217. Fairport Savings will also consider a very bright, motivated recent college graduate with a degree in Finance or Accounting.
Download Job Description (PDF).

Fairport Savings Bank Announces Scholarship

In celebration of its 120th Anniversary, Fairport Savings Bank has announced the availability of a new scholarship, called the Legacy Scholarship.  Three scholarships in the amount of $1000 each will be awarded to high school students in the Fairport, Penfield and Irondequoit communities where the bank has branch offices.

The Legacy Scholarship is available to students who will be either high school Juniors or Seniors during the 2008-2009 school year.  Selection will be based on a demonstration of community and volunteer service, as well as a solid academic background.

“Since 1888, community service has been at the heart of what Fairport Savings Bank stands for,” said Dana C. Gavenda, President and CEO.  “We want to continue that tradition by supporting the next generation of community leaders.”

A selection committee comprised of employees, board of directors and customers of Fairport Savings Bank will review all applications this Fall and will make the awards prior to December 31, 2008.  Applications can be picked up at any branch of Fairport Savings Bank or on the bank’s website at www.fairportsavingsbank.com.  Application deadline is September 30, 2008.

Fairport Savings Bank is a $190 million community savings bank which has served the greater Rochester community since 1888.  It is the only locally-owned savings bank in this area.

Seeking Nominations for the Penfield Pride Award

Nominations for the Penfield Pride Award presented at the PBA’s annual meeting in November are being accepted. The main criteria is a Penfield business that has made updates/renovations to its establishment that enhances the community. Last year’s winner, Lasalle’s Steak and Crab was awarded for the updates, renovation, and a new business.

Nominations should be sent to Dennis Shew at Dennis@DennisShew.com.

PBA Seeks Board Candidates

It’s never too early to think about running for a position on the PBA Board of Directors. As a member of the Board, you will have an opportunity to work with dedicated and talented colleagues in carrying out the mission of the PBA. Elections will be held at our annual meeting in November.

If you are interested in running, or if you would like more information about being a member of the Board, please contact PBA Vice President, Peter Weishaar. He may be reached by telephone at 546-2500, or by email at pweishaar@mccmlaw.com.

We Are Stronger in Numbers and Together We Can Accomplish Anything

The Penfield Business Association ultimately ... is you. And me. We, together, make up this organization. A group of business owners volunteering our time and efforts to ensure a better and more successful marketplace that has an affect on both our personal and financial well being. But the group is only as strong as our dedication and commitment to unity, communication, participation, and promotion of each other through the group as a whole.

The PBA was originally formed to create a network of Penfield business owners with common interests and to promote their businesses. Through networking events, educational seminars, awareness and outreach programs, and community service, business owners could play a vital role in making Penfield one of the best towns in Monroe County to live and work. We must continue to focus and expand on this directive.

So I am calling on each of you to communicate with each other and the board on what you want from this organization, what you want to contribute, and what you want to accomplish as a group. What is currently working and what is not working? What programs and events would you like to help sponsor? And what goals should we be striving towards? Then, let us act upon those sentiments and work together to make it happen, so that we may all prosper from this relationship.

Membership renewals will be mailed to you soon. Please give some serious thought to how you want to shape this organization and send your feedback with your reply forms. Thank you.

Reduced Democrat & Chronicle Advertising Rates Available For PBA Members!

The PBA has developed a valuable reduced rate-advertising program for members and we want your participation. Here are the details of the program:

The PBA runs one full page, full color ad in the Our Towns section (Northeast Area) of the D&C on the first Wednesday of the month. In addition, the same page appears in the Neighbors section on Friday of that same week. This advertising page is an opportunity for members to place their full color ad on the page for only $185 per week! This means your ad will appear twice that week, reaching over 80,000 potential residents and businesses throughout the Northeast area, in full color, for just $185.

Each individual ad size is 5.25” x 4.75” and will only appear with other PBA members.

Our first ad appeared on July 2. Our next ad will be published on August 6. Keep a look our for it!

Please email diane@threshcreative.com and let her know if you would be interested in participating.

PBA as New LinkedIn.com User Group

For all members with profiles on www.LinkedIn.com, the Penfield Business Association has been recently established as a new user group. Join the group and proudly display the PBA logo on your profile page.

LinkedIn is an online network of more than 25 million experienced professionals from around the world, representing 150 industries.

2008 Penfield Town Holiday Celebration

Penfield's 2nd annual 4 Corners Holiday Celebration will be held Saturday, December 6. The town of Penfield and the Penfield Business Association, working with the 4 Corners businesses are planning another fun day of activities in the Penfield 4 Corners.

Watch the web site at www.penfield.org for further details as December nears.

NE Column: 5 Webster Leaders Join Forces

Karen Boughton Siegelman • Northeast Notes • August 19, 2008

Five people who have a passion for the role they play in the town and/or village of Webster came together last week to announce that they are combining forces to ensure that the community they love continues to move forward in these challenging economic times.

Tom Smith, a member of the village of Webster's Business Improvement District, village Mayor Jake Swingly, Webster Chamber of Commerce President Michael Seelig, Town Supervisor Ronald Nesbitt and Webster school Superintendent Adele Bovard have formed the Webster Community Coalition for Economic Development. They formally introduced this new organization at a meeting last week.

At this meeting, Richard Rising, who is the former city manager of Geneva and is consulting in this effort, described the new partnership as "historic." He said the group would focus on key community issues such as creating employment opportunities, reconstructing Route 404, revitalizing the village, and encouraging new commercial and industrial development.

Nesbitt said coalition members recognize that "the village is a big part of the town, and the town doesn't thrive without the village. In addition, neither the village nor the town thrives without the school district," he said.

Members of the coalition also stressed that residents of Webster need to be involved in this collaborative effort.

Seelig said the group wants to tap into the passion that so many local residents and business people have for Webster. "We need to know what the people want in terms of economic development, and what the businesses want," he said. "We are reaching out to the community for their support."

*The PBA has had an interest in forming a very similar group. If you would be interested in the PBA becoming more visibly involved in Penfield's Economic Development, please contact PBA President, Sam Delucia at sdelucia@rochester.rr.com.

Be Aware of “Variables” When Creating Investment Strategy
by PBA Director Curt Regruit, Edward Jones

In almost any endeavor you can think of, your success depends on a number of factors. The same is true of investing. You can create a strategy to help you achieve your long-term goals, such as a comfortable retirement, but your results will depend a great deal on how you adjust some key “variables.”

What are some of these variables? Consider the following:

• Retirement age — Clearly, the age at which you plan to retire can have a big impact on your savings and investment strategies. If you want to retire early, you will likely need to accumulate more financial resources than if you were to work well into your 60s. To build these additional resources, you might have to invest more aggressively — that is, include more “growth” vehicles in your portfolio — during your working years.

• Lifestyle — We all have different thoughts on the “ideal” retirement and these differences affect our investment strategies. For example, if you plan on spending your retirement traveling around the world, you’ll likely need more money than your neighbors, if they plan on sticking close to home and pursuing inexpensive hobbies. Therefore, you may need to achieve more growth from your investments than your neighbors need from theirs.

• Inflation — If you’re trying to calculate the type of performance you might need from your investments to reach your goals, you should consider your “real” rate of return — that is, the return you get after inflation. If we experienced an annual inflation rate of 3 percent, you would lose about half of your purchasing power after 25 years. To stay ahead of inflation, you should consider including some growthoriented investments in your portfolio.

• Life expectancy — Obviously, you can’t say exactly how long you’re going to live. Still, if you consider your family’s history of longevity and your own level of health, you can probably make an educated guess. If you think it’s entirely possible that you could spend two or three decades in retirement, as many people do, then you’ll need to prepare carefully so that you don’t outlive your resources. This may mean that, during your retirement years, you’ll need to structure your investment portfolio to provide you with both growth and income opportunities.

• Taxes — Many people assume their tax burden will decrease significantly when they retire, but that’s not always the case. Income from a variety of sources, such as retirement plans and individual investments, is going to be taxable when you retire, so you’ll need to have the money available to pay these taxes.

• Health care — Health care costs continue to rise. When you retire, you become eligible for Medicare, but this won’t cover all your costs. So, as you save and invest for the future, you may want to factor in sufficient liquid resources to cover your doctors’ visits, prescriptions and other health care expenses.

As you move ahead with your investment strategies, you may want to consult with a financial advisor — someone who can look at these factors and help you create a “big picture” solution that’s right for your needs. But no matter how you proceed, don’t
wait too long to get started — because life, with all its variables, has a way of moving quickly.

*Edward Jones does not offer tax or legal advice. Consult with a competent tax or legal advisor about your specific situation.

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