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Spring 2023

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THE

Chamber
Factor
CREATING CONNECTIONS — CULTIVATING GROWTH — AMPLIFYING OUR MEMBERS
On Main and more, throughout our neighborhoods, across the farms and fields of Livingston County
2 • April 2023 The Chamber Factor

‘Coffee Connection’ provides a

monthly networking opportunity
The Livingston County Ar-
ea Chamber of Commerce
& Tourism hosts a monthly
networking session called the
“Chamber Coffee Connec-
tion.”
The gatherings take place
around the county, typically in
the early morning.
Those attending can share a
brief summary of their business
and connect with others in the
Livingston County community.
Bring business cards and other
marketing materials to share.
LIVINGSTON COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE PHOTOGRAPH In April, the “Coffee Connec-
Livingston County Chamber of Commerce members gather for a photograph following April’s tion” was hosted at Genesee
“Coffee Connection” at Genesee Country Village and Museum in Mumford. Country Village & Museum in
Mumford.
“It was an invigorating event
with so many connections
made and lots of laughs,” the
Chamber said in a Facebook
post.
“Chamber Coffee Connec-
tion” events are free and open
to Chamber members.
Registration is not required,
but it is encouraged.
For more information, email
Melissa Savino, membership
coordinator at Melissa@living-
stoncountychamber.com, call
(585) 243-2222 or go to https://
www.livingstoncountycham-
ber.com/.

‘Lunch Bunch’ helps

build connections
Members of the Livingston
County Area Chamber of Com-
merce are invited to the month-
ly “Lunch Bunch.”
Each month, members share
a meal at one of Livingston
County’s finest restaurants
to do a little networking while
sharing a meal with other inde-
pendent business owners and
staff.
The informal lunches pro-
vide a great way to connect,
chat, share updates, enjoy
lunch, and check out restau-
rants throughout the county.
Participants also learn the his-
tory and details about these
dining gems.
The gatherings began in May
2021.
This month, the “Bunch”
gathered at Turtle Stone Bar &
Grill, 1 Pine Alley, Conesus.
Past “Lunch Bunch” gather-
ings have taken place at Deer
Run Winery in Geneseo, Borik-
en Restaurant, Mount Morris;
Macfadden’s Coffee Co., Dans-
ville; The Whistling Farmer Pub,
Nunda; Leisure’s Restaurant,
Lakeville; and the Glen Iris Inn
in Letchworth State Park, which
included members of the Wy-
oming County Chamber and
Commerce and Tourism and
featured a special tour of the
historic country inn.
Watch the Chamber’s social
media pages and website for
upcoming locations.
 The Chamber Factor April 2023 • 3

FARM OF THE YEAR

For Phelps family, farming is a labor of love
By BRENDAN MCDONOUGH
bmcdonough@livingstonnews.com
MOUNT MORRIS – Farmers,
friends and family came to-
gether on March 24 to celebrate
agriculture and honor Edge-
wood Farms of Groveland, the
2023 Livingston County Farm
of the Year. The event was at the
Genesee River Reception Cen-
ter in Mount Morris and orga-
nized by the Livingston County
Chamber of Commerce.
“We need to continue to tell
the story of agriculture being
the number one industry in the
County and for that message
to come across as to what does
that really mean. We can say
it but we want to show people
the true impact from economic
standpoint of what agriculture
means to our County,” said
Chamber President and CEO
Laura Lane.
Edgewood Farms has been
around since 1870 and con-
tinues as a sixth-generation
family farm. Across 4,500 acres
it grows a diverse selection of
crops. Some of the things they
produce include: corn grain,
corn silage, haylage (is hay that
is chopped and packed), dry
hay, seed wheat, milling wheat,
soybeans, peas, dry edible
beans, buckwheat, oats, and
barley. Edgewood Farms also
grow organic crops: corn and
dry beans. That is not all either,
a local distillery is supplied with
corn, wheat and rye flour. The
Farm of the Year was a total sur-
prise.
“We are extraordinary hon-
ored,” said Craig.
Equally honored was his son
Clayton, who came to the event
with his wife and two small
children.
“We are just really honored
and we have a really good team.
We have a lot of really good
people that we work with and
we are just really excited and it
is big deal for us. We work really
BRENDAN MCDONOUGH/LIVINGSTON COUNTY NEWS FILE PHOTO hard and knowing that people
From left, David L. LeFeber, chairman of the Livingston County Board of Supervisors, like it is a really good feeling,”
Assemblywoman Marjorie Byrnes, R-Caledonia, Clayton Phelps, Craig Phelps, state Sen. Pam said Clayton.
Helming, R-Canandaigua, and Laura Lane, president and CEO, Livingston County Area Chamber of Coming out to support Clay-
Commerce, are shown following the formal presentation March 24 of the Livingston County Farm of ton and Craig at the awards
the Year award to the Phelps family and Edgewood Farms. presentation was Assem-
blywoman Marjorie Byrnes,
farm also has a large heard of kind of fun to keep having that ers to establish an Ag District. R-Caledonia, state Sen. Pam
beef cattle. change,” said Craig. Craig has served on the Grove- Helming, R-Canandaigua, and
Craig Phelps and his son In addition working the land Town Council and helped Chairman of the Livingston
Clayton run the farm. land the family has also been a to form a Farmland Protection County Board of Supervisors
For them running the farm strong advocate for local farm- Plan. Craig also serve as the David LeFeber, who said it is
has become a labor of love and ers. In the 1980’s Craig’s father, Farmland Protection Commit- important to honor and pay
one that they said is different Robert Phelps III worked to tee chair and is on the Geneseo
everyday. sign up many local landown- School Board. For him winning See FARM T10
“You get the chance to be
outdoors and, in our case, we
get the chance to work with
family, which is great. I think
the other neat thing about
farming is that everyday is dif-
ferent. We go with the season,
so we plant and then we grow
and then we harvest the crop
and then we get everything
ready over the winter and
then we do it again and every
year is a little different. So it is

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585.322.4393
9414 Parker Road,
Hunt, NY 14846

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4 • April 2023
3 solutions to common hiring problems
By Christina Metcalf
Some businesses are saying
we are in the midst of a sec-
ondary pandemic. But it’s not
the kind that requires masks
and handwashing. This one is
harder to control.
There is a dearth of people
willing (or able) to work for
a multitude of reasons. Em-
ployers across the country are
posting signs asking for pa-
tience with their existing em-
ployees because the business
is understaffed. In fact, there
are hiring managers who are
scheduling interviews only to
have no one show up!
So what’s a business to do?
Some people blame the
business. They believe that
the average person wants to
work but can’t afford to be-
cause of minimal wages and
expensive childcare. But the
numbers don’t entirely speak
to that. 30% of U.S. house-
holds are “married without
children” in 2020. Single-per-
son households are 23% of the
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In order to be competitive in the job market, employers need to
stand out to prospective employees.
population. So for over half,
children aren’t a concern.
So, what can you do to
combat the 3 common hiring
problems these days?
Here are some ideas:
EMPLOYMENT HIRING
CHALLENGES POST-COVID
If you brush wages aside as
the main reason people don’t
show up for interviews or first
days for that matter, what are
The Chamber Factor
METRO CREATIVE CONNECTION
you left with?
n Working from home:
It’s the elephant in the room.
Why would a worker want to
work behind a counter when
they can sit at home and work
(or sit by the pool or in a cof-
fee shop). An unparalleled
number of businesses created
work-from-home scenarios,
and many will stick to those
protocols long after COVID.
Work at home is no longer a
perk. It’s an expectation and
it’s hard to compete with that.
Solution: If your business
is entirely in-person, it’s not
like you’ll never be able to
hire again. But it may take
some creativity to appeal to
workers. Things you might
be able to do include flexi-
ble shifts (such as working
around a child’s schedule) or
floating start times within a
window of time. The clue here
is to get creative with the al-
lowances you make.
n Ghosting is the norm:
Ghosting has become the
norm in relationships. Don’t
want to deal with a difficult
situation, ignore it and disap-
pear. We’re starting to see this
trickle down into our work-
force. It’s acceptable to just
not show for an interview,
first day, drug screen, etc.
Solution: This is difficult
to do when you’ve only had
minutes of interaction with a
candidate. However, people
are more likely to ghost when
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they don’t feel a connection
or don’t think of the employer
as a person but rather a large
corporate structure as in the
“they won’t even notice I’m
not there” scenario.
In order to avoid being
ghosted, you have to do your
best to connect with them
in the short time you have.
Share details about your life.
Maybe you’re interviewing
them on a special day and
“fitting” them in or “clearing”
your schedule. Do it respect-
fully and don’t force the guilt
but try and make an impres-
sion. You may still get ghost-
ed, but it will be less likely if
they see you as a person with
needs and feelings.
n Re-evaluating the same
old, same old: With the forced
downtime during the pan-
demic, we were exposed to a
lot of marketing messaging
and frankly many people are
just burned out. They may
See SOLUTIONS T10
 The Chamber Factor April 2023 • 5

FOOD, DRINK AND LIFESTYLES

FLX West Food Festival draws a hungry crowd
By BRENDAN MCDONOUGH
bmcdonough@livingstonnews.com
From meatball sliders to
homemade s’mores, there was
no shortage of things to eat at
the inaugural FLX West Food
Festival.
The event at Willow Creek
Venue, Lakeville, was organized
by the Livingston County Area
Chamber of Commerce to bring
the community together and
help showcase all that the area
has to offer.
“It is about supporting the lo-
cal restaurants, food and bever-
age industry here in Livingston
County and the Western Finger
Lakes region,” said Chamber
President and CEO Laura Lane.
“Being the western gateway
to the Finger Lakes, as people
are passing through on their
way into the Finger Lakes from
the Buffalo area on out west, we
want them to know the food and
beverage scene here in Living-
ston County, and folks coming
down from Rochester to know
what we have to offer,” said
Lane.
From hot to cold food, Lane
said the festival had a little bit of
something for everyone.
“There are meatball slid-
ers, seafood chowder, there is
jambalaya, there is Greek food,
there is sweets and treats, there
is pretzels and then on the bev-
erage side we have distilleries,
we have a number of our craft
breweries from beer to cider,
wineries to the whole works,”
said Lane.
Partyman Catering was of the
popular vendors at the event.
The Avon company does cater-
ing for weddings, graduation
parties, business meetings,
birthdays, bridal showers, or
other special events.
They also have Robin Hoh, a
chef and expert s’mores mak-
er. He said what makes his food
great is that everything is home-
made.
“We hand make all of these
marshmallows in house and
then we decorate them, we
bring them out and then just
torch them and serve them to
people.
“We do sell them non-toast-
ed, so you can actually pick
Caledonia resident Eli Tate and his friend Scott Bowman showcase Tate’s “L.I.T.” sauces or “lost in
the sauce” at the FLX West Food Festival.
them up at our facility and toast
them up yourself,” said Hoh.
Molly Moon of Springwater
discovered both Partyman and
its signature s’mores. She said
she enjoyed the chance to dis-
cover new businesses and also
“businesses who I did not know
made ‘that.’ ”
“Like Partyman Catering ...
they make their signature s’mo-
res sticks, that I have never even
heard of before, which is phe-
nomenal,” said Moon.
Vendor and Caledonia res-
ident Eli Tate owns, “L.I.T.”,
which stands for “lost in the
sauce.” He said his sauces of-
fer something different and are
unique from other sauces that
are out on the shelves.
“The most unique thing
about my sauces is that they
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are all natural ingredients, no
corn syrup – never in any of my
sauces – and that is the biggest
uniqueness as compared to like
Walmart or anything and usual-
ly if you look at the ingredients
on other products the first thing
is corn syrup,” said Tate.
From sweet to savory his
sauces are tasty and in demand.
At the festival people waited in
long lines to sample his sauces.
For him it was an honor to be at
the event and know that people
were enjoying his product.
“They are all fresh ingredients
and I am making these all myself
and the other unique cool thing
that I like can point out by being
here, I mean it is Black History
Month and I was asked to come
here and I think I am one of the
only black vendors here but it
is still a cool thing that I am get-
ting invited and I am getting to
promote my great sauces,” said
Tate.
Also at the event was Tracey
Bloom, a Finger Lakes native
who has taken her talents south
to Atlanta, Ga. Named on of
the top 25 chefs in Atlanta, she
has appeared on “Top Chef,”
“Supermarket Superstar” and
“Don’t Be Tardy.” In addition to
meeting fans she also showed
people that cooking can be fun.
“I hope that people will re-
alize that the intimidation that
they see in some dishes, espe-
cially risotto, that will be re-
moved because cooking is really
simple,” said Bloom,
Wegmans sushi chef Aaron
Young was trying to educate
people about the importance of
eating healthy and that making
sushi can be simple.
“It is really easy to make if you
use the right portions and know
how to roll and you also know
exactly what you are putting in
it, when you are buying your
own ingredients. When you do it
yourself and you know what you
are putting into it,” said Young.
Lane said she hopes the event
will become an annual tradition
to show people the different
foods and drinks that are in the
area and to check them out after
the event is over.
“We are encouraging people
to get out of your cars, stop into
local food vendors and show
them your support,” Lane said.
“They really, really need it at this
time.”
6 • April 2023 The Chamber Factor

Students sample healthcare career

options at first-of-its-kind initiative
By BRIAN QUINN health systems and jobs in there with them and intern-
bquinn@batavianews.com nursing, mental health, social ships, possibly,” she said. Yo-
About 600 students, poten- services and first aid, as well as han said she ultimately plans
tial members of the health- career pathways in healthcare to attend GCC for nursing and
care community someday, through local colleges and get a licensed practical nurs-
walked around the Forum at universities. ing degree or possibly a regis-
Genesee Community College, Mikayla Yohan, a sopho- tered nursing degree, depend-
checking out their options. more at Byron-Bergen, said ing on where her path takes
The first such event in the she visited vendors such as her.
GLOW region drew young Rochester Regional Health As far as what she learned
people from Genesee, Liv- and Le Roy Village Green, and at the first GLOW With Your
ingston, Orleans, and Wyo- saw information about the Hands: Healthcare, the soph- MARK GUTMAN/DAILY NEWS FILE PHOTO
ming counties to the college University of Rochester. omore said, “I learned that it Geneseo Central School students Tessa Reilly, lili Pritchard,
on March 24. Students expe- “I’ve talked to them about was very helpful to do multi- Bridget McMaster, and Amaris Chisom, watch Medina firefighter
rienced “hands-on” career some possible nursing and EMT Andrew Cheverie apply CPR to an infant dummy during the
exploration in hospitals and what paths I can take to get See GLOW T7 GLOW With Your Hands Healthcare Career Exploration event.

MacFadden
Megan Driesbach Photography
MeganDriesbachPhoto.com

Students thrive at health career exploration Coffee Company

By Karyn Winters and Angela Grouse
GLOW With Your Hands: Healthcare Co-Chairs
Volunteers from across
the GLOW Region recently
conducted another success-
ful hands-on career explora-
tion workforce development
program for local students,
demonstrating that we have
the foundation for provid-
ing the next generation of the
healthcare workforce.
Our first GLOW With Your
Hands: Healthcare event wel-
comed 575 students from 29
school districts across Gene-
see, Livingston, Orleans, and
Wyoming counties along with
225 representatives from more
than 50 agencies and employ-
ers guiding students about
careers and pathways in the
healthcare sector.
We are familiar with the cur-
rent state of healthcare, espe-
cially in rural areas such as the
GLOW region. There is a need
for prepared workforce can-
didates in the healthcare in-
dustry. We wanted to take the
model we built for GLOW With
Your Hands: Manufacturing
and mirror it for the healthcare
sector. We have seen the im-
pact other hands-on career ex-
ploration events have had on
employers; this was the per-
fect industry to engage with on
such an initiative.
Vendors and sponsors en-
gaged students with hands-on
activities and friendly conver-
sations throughout the day-
long event. GLOW With Your
Hands: Healthcare offered
hands-on displays, and even
an EMT station where stu-
dents could simulate life-sav-
See THRIVE T7
Established in 2012, MacFadden’s Coffee Company is a tra-
ditional coffee house with a genuine hometown vibe. We of-
fer high quality, eco-friendly, and hand roasted coffee beans
from Evening Star Coffee Roasters. We specialize in fresh,
local, and delicious hot or cold brews and custom flavors.
Tea and bubble tea lovers can enjoy a variety of tasty and
unique drinks. We serve homemade baked goods and food,
like our signature breakfast sandwich, from locally sourced
ingredients. We host private parties and serve as a venue
for creative exchange in Dansville. Stop in and meet new
friends, see original artwork, hear local storytelling, and ex- MacFaddenCoffee.com
perience readings by local and nationally renowned writers. (585) 204-4230

MARK GUTMAN/DAILY NEWS FILE PHOTO

Geneseo Central student
Amaris Chisom tries chest
compressions to an infant
dummy during the GLOW With
Your Hands Healthcare Career
Exploration event.
 The Chamber Factor April 2023 • 7

GLOW Thrive types of career exploration

From T6
ple things at once. If you’re in
one program, try and get in-
volved with other programs.
If you’re in BOCES, try and get
an internship and just expand
your career. If you know you
want to do something, try oth-
er things before you do that.”
Yohan said she would like to
go into the emergency room
or possibly into pediatrics.
“I would love to see some-
thing different every day and
meet a lot of people, and go
through a lot of opportunities
and emergencies,” she said.
Kendall Central School
District freshmen Vincent
D’Agostino and Mikey Coluc-
ci plan to take different paths
– D’Agostino intending to
become a physical therapist
or study athletic science and
Colucci thinking about be-
coming an electric company
linesman.
D’Agostino said he wanted
to pick up some more infor-
From T6
ing activities such as CPR.
Students used the oppor-
tunity to explore careers in
healthcare that they may
have an interest in and oth-
ers they may not have been
familiar with. Our vendors
are subject matter experts
with on-the-job experience,
and they were well equipped
to answer any questions stu-
dents had throughout the
day.
MARK GUTMAN/DAILY NEWS FILE PHOTO
An event of this scale – the
York Central School students Fei Burdick, Gwendolyn Metz, and
largest ever healthcare career
Flora Helton work together on an anatomy dummy at the Allied
exploration event in our re-
Health table at Genesee Community College during the GLOW
With Your Hands Healthcare Career Exploration event. gion – would not have been
possible without the support
mation about physical thera- reer in healthcare, he talked to of so many public and private
py. He said he talked to WNY a number of vendors. He said sector entities. A big thank
R-AHEC, which had a virtual he might benefit from some you to our friends at ESL Fed-
reality display. healthcare-related skills. eral Credit Union who made
“It pretty much helps you “Using CPR if somebody a significant investment that
take, step by step on how you gets shocked and they pass was so important in building
treat a patient for shots and out,” he suggested, adding momentum for a successful
stuff,” he said. knowing how to apply a tour-
event.
Colucci said even though niquet to someone who’s suf- There is a reason we see
he’s not thinking about a ca- fered a serious cut. continued support for these
events – employers know
they can recruit from a
well-educated and prepared
pool of potential workers
seeking career opportunities
right in their own backyard.
In addition to the support
of vendors, 75 people from
across the community vol-
unteered their time to assist
us throughout the day long
event, serving as tour guides,
distributing lunch, and
more. This event would not
have been possible without
their help.
Most of all, thanks to the
students who once again ex-
pressed such strong enthusi-
asm for exploring career op-
portunities through another
successful GLOW With Your
Hands event! We are excited
that the fourth annual GLOW
With Your Hands: Manu-
facturing event is less than 6
months away!
Karyn Winters is director of the
Genesee County Business Edu-
cation Alliance. Angela Grouse is
Livingston County Area Chamber
of Commerce Education to Employ-
ment director.

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8 • April 2023
UR Medicine Noyes Health awarded
accreditation from The Joint Commission
By THE LCN STAFF
DANSVILLE – UR Medicine
Noyes Health has earned The
Joint Commission’s Gold Seal
of Approval for Hospital Ac-
‘ ’
creditation by demonstrating
continuous compliance with
its performance standards.
The Gold Seal is a symbol of
quality that reflects a health
care organization’s commit-
ment to providing safe and
quality patient care.
“We received perhaps the
best survey findings in our
existence, and the surveyors
could not have been more
complimentary of the ded-
ication, transparency, and
commitment to improvement
demonstrated by our entire
staff,” Dr. Chad Teeters, pres-
ident and CEO of UR Medicine
Noyes Health, said in a news
release. “We received a full
3-year recertification and sig-
nificant kudos and congratu-
lations from Joint Commission
surveyors for exemplary per-
formance.”
Noyes Health underwent a
rigorous, unannounced on-
site review in January. During
the visit, a team of Joint Com-
mission reviewers evaluat-
ed compliance with hospital
standards spanning several ar-
eas including emergency man-
agement, environment of care,
infection prevention and con-
trol, leadership, medication
management, and rights and
responsibilities of the individ-
ual.
Joint Commission survey-
ors specifically called out the
Dialysis Center team, noting
the commitment for quality
and safety for exceeding na-
tional standards.
The pharmacy team was
recognized for its medication
reconciliation program for
patients at time of discharge,
a national best practice exam-
ple they intend to share with
other facilities. The antibiotic
stewardship committee was
called out for well-exceeding
national standards and exem-
plary performance and docu-
The Chamber Factor
We received perhaps the best survey
findings in our existence.
Dr. Chad Teeters
President and CEO of UR Medicine Noyes Health
Noyes Health earned The Joint psychiatric, rehabilitation and
Commission’s Gold Seal of specialty hospitals maintain
Approval and the American
accreditation from The Joint
Stroke Association’s Heart- Commission. In addition,
Check mark for Primary Stroke
about 360 critical access hos-
Center Certification. The des-
pitals maintain accreditation
ignation is a collaboration
UR MEDICINE NOYES HEALTH PHOTOGRAPH
between the Joint Commis- through a separate program.
An exterior view of Nicholas Noyes Memorial Hospital in For more information,
Dansville, which was recently awarded the Joint Commission’s sion and the American Heart/
American Stroke Association. please visit The Joint Commis-
Gold Seal of Approval for Hospital Accreditation.
More than 4,000 general, sion website at https://www.
mentation. experts and providers, mea- children’s, long-term acute, jointcommission.org/.
“The surveyors also com- surement experts and pa-
mented on the positivity and tients. They are informed by
morale of the staff and the scientific literature and expert
comments they heard from consensus to help health care
staff and the board on the sig- organizations measure, assess
nificant improvements in staff and improve performance.
morale over the last two years The surveyors also conducted
emerging from the pandem- on-site observations and in-
ic,” said Teeters. “They com- terviews.
mented how rare this has been “As a heath care accreditor,
in their recent surveys, and The Joint Commission works
how positive all of you were with health care organiza-
and committed to this health tions across settings to help
system and its success as well improve patient safety and
as to the health of our commu- quality of care through our ex-
nity.” pert resources and tools, inno-
UR Medicine Noyes Health
previously received Hospi-
vative solutions and rigorous
standards,” says Deborah Ry-
Tri-County
STUMP REMOVAL
tal Accreditation in 2020 and an, MS, RN, interim executive
2017. vice president, accreditation
The Joint Commission has and certification operations,
accredited hospitals for more The Joint Commission. “We FULLY INSURED • FREE ESTIMATES
than 60 years. Accreditation is commend UR Medicine Noyes
for a three-year period. Health for its commitment to
The Joint Commission’s advance safety and quality for
standards are developed in all patients.”
consultation with healthcare In January, UR Medicine
(585) 335-5070
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Quality Used Car Sales
 The Chamber Factor April 2023 • 9

5 ways for businesses to make the most of a county fair

Metro Creative Connection
County fairs are family-friendly events
that provide wholesome fun and foods
that are hard to find elsewhere. Fairs al-
so provide great opportunities for local
businesses to attract new customers.
Fairs draw large crowds, which should
appeal to small business owners who
want to market their businesses in a way
that won’t bust their budget.
The following are five ways local busi-
nesses can take advantage of the unique
promotional opportunities presented by
county fairs.
1. Put it in print
Many county fairs hand out printed
pamphlets or guidebooks that showcase
fair history and highlight all of the attrac-
tions on display. These booklets are filled
with useful information for fairgoers, but
they’re also loaded with advertisements
for local businesses. Local business own-
ers can place an ad in fair pamphlets/
guidebooks highlighting their services
and location. Include a QR code that fair
visitors can instantly scan on their phone
to take them directly to your website.
2. Sponsor an attraction
Fair organizers often raise funds by
County fairs are all about fun, but they also present great opportunities for small
business owners to connect with new customers.
selling sponsorships to featured attrac-
tions. If possible, sponsor an attraction
that aligns with your offerings. For exam-
ple, local restaurants may want to spon-
sor an eating competition, even provid-
ing the foods competitors will eat during
the event. If so, offer free bite-sized sam-
ples of the foods to spectators during the
event itself.
METRO CREATIVE CONNECTION
3. Set up shop on fairgrounds.
A booth on the fairgrounds can be a
great way to interact directly with cus-
tomers. Select a small sample of your
products and offer them directly for sale
at the fair. Hand out business cards with
each purchase and let customers know
there’s more to be had on your website
and in your store. Booths tend to book
quickly, so contact fair organizers as early
as possible.
4. Prepare to engage customers
County fairs harken visitors back to
times when carnival barkers would at-
tract passersby with boastful assertions
or promises that were simply irresistible.
Local business owners who want to set
up shop at a county fair must recognize
that all sorts of attractions and busi-
nesses will be competing for attention,
so they should go there with a plan and
a willingness to engage people who pass
by their booth. Embrace your inner car-
nival barker and offer free samples and
even prizes to draw potential customers
to your booth.
5. Put out a mailing list sign-up
Even the largest fairground booth will
likely offer only a fraction of what’s avail-
able in-store or online. So encourage visi-
tors to your booth to sign up for a mailing
list, enticing them to do so by touting ex-
clusive discounts and other perks avail-
able only to mailing list members. This
is a great way to attract new customers
even if they don’t make any purchases on
the campgrounds.

…Keeping a skilled labor

force employed…
American Rock Salt has supported the
economy of this entire region, bringing
over 410 employees to Livingston
County and hundreds of related jobs
to the region through the trucking,
rail, and construction industries.

…continuing the proud tradition of salt mining in the Genesee Valley. …Dating back to 1885
….To now having the largest producing salt mine in the United States.

Photo Credit: Larry Tetamore

Tetamore Photographic
10 • April 2023 The Chamber Factor

Farm Solutions your job marketing. Ask em-

From T3
tribute to farmers like Edge-
wood Farms.
“It is an opportunity to bring
farmers and neighbors togeth-
er. It is also an opportunity to
recognize an outstanding pro-
ducer here in Livingston Coun-
ty,” said LeFeber.
For Craig Phelps earning
that praise has taken decades
of hard work. He said the key to
producing top quality products
starts with a good foundation.
“The soil is so important to
what we do and we are doing
things that we feel is making
that soil better every year and
it is by tiny increments, so it is
sometimes hard to measure
but it is, every year you are hop-
ing to do things just a little bet-
ter than the last,” said Craig.
From T4
find it hard to believe the
claims of some companies.
Another thing people may
have done is re-evaluating
things in their lives that just
aren’t working. Some peo-
ple may have decided that
life is too short to work at an
unfulfilling job. Others may
have seen the pandemic as
a kick in the pants from the
universe to start their own
job. Maybe they saw how
being a loyal employee can
still result in a layoff or fur-
lough. Whatever the cause
of their employment ennui,
BRENDAN MCDONOUGH/LIVINGSTON COUNTY NEWS FILE PHOTO
people have changed, and
Clayton Phelps, left, and his father, Craig Phelps, right, are the
you’ll need to too.
sixth-generation to run Edgewood Farms of Groveland. The
Solution: Find out what
farm’s history dates to 1870.
your existing employees
want (and what makes them
ployees for referrals. Reward
them for their loyalty and
they’ll talk about how great
you are to their friends.
Employers are facing
an unparalleled time right
now, finding it very difficult
to recruit good people.
For many businesses, it’s
difficult to get interest let
alone keep someone after
their first day.
In order to be competi-
tive in the job market, you
need to stand out. These
tips should help you do that.
But you’ll need to go beyond
them to think of some cre-
ative experiences for new
employees.
While you’re at it throw a
few in for your customers.
You never know. A loyal cus-
tomer may just want to be-

‘ You get the chance

Edgewood Farms is expand-
ing and not only do they oper-
ate the Groveland location but
also operate Cohocton Valley
Mills, in Cohocton, Steuben
County. At this location they fo-
cus on buying, selling and mer-
chandising organic grains.
The Phelps also operate
Edgewood Trucking. This busi-
stay with you). Use that in come part of your team.
to be outdoors and, in
our case, we get the
chance to work with
family, which is great.
The other neat thing 84 Avon-Geneseo Rd. Geneseo, NY 14454
about farming is that Cell: 585-747-2108

ness owns and operates two full
time trucks and trailers, a walk-
ing floor and a grain hopper.
They also run Edgewood Grain
and Linwood Commodities.
’
Office: 585-243-2643
everyday is different. The plaque presented to
BRENDAN MCDONOUGH
Fax: 585-243-1838 Marie Beikirch
Craig Phelps Edgewood Farms as the 2023 marie@abcolerealestate.com Lic. R.E. Salesperson
Livingston County Farm of the www.abcolerealestate.com 585-747-2108
Year.

New members Vacations by Land or by Sea

New members who have Caribbean
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include: South America

And More!

Turtle Stone Bar & Grill Princess Cruises

Asure Software Royal Caribbean

Ol’ Smokey Trucking & Exca- International

Norwegian Cruise Line
vating, LLC Celebrity Cruises

Graves Brothers Home Im- Holland America Line

Carnival Cruise Line
provement And More!

Degraff Collision
Dynamic Elite Athletics
Springbrook Hollow Farm
Distillery CALL TODAY
Babes and Buds A Coffee FOR THE BEST LAND AND CRUISE PACKAGES AVAILABLE
AND ASK ABOUT SPECIAL OFFERS!
Lounge & Boutique
Eagle Vale Country Club/
Argyle’s
Peppermints Restaurant Avon
–––
For membership information,
call (585) 243-2222.

Unique fundraising event a success
Partyman Catering
helped raise more
than $7,400 for Stone’s
Community Resources
AVON — Partyman Ca-
tering on March 18 hosted a
one-of-a-kind fundraising
event at its premises to sup-
port Stone’s Closet, a local or-
ganization dedicated to pro-
viding school supplies and
other necessities to families
in need.
P is for Party was an un-
precedented event for Party-
man Catering and the entire
team was excited to lean into
their creativity, culinary in-
genuity, and event planning
acumen to create a school-
themed party in honor of the
amazing work Stone’s Closet
does under the umbrella of
Stone’s Community Resourc-
es, said Partyman Catering
owner Joe Yantachka.
With 100% of ticket sales
and donations going directly
to Stone’s Community Re-
sources, the event was able
to raise more than $7,400, all
of which will support various
initiatives for children in the
Avon Central School District.
Baylee Barrett, an Avon
Central School District ele-
mentary school social work-
er, came to Partyman Head-
quarters to receive the check
of $7,493 and celebrate all
the good that will come from
such an amazing donation.
Barrett has been working with
Stone’s Community Resourc-
es since June 2019 and, in her
time, hasn’t seen a fundrais-
ing contribution of this size.
“Absolutely amazing!” Bar-
rett says. “I thought the event
was absolutely incredible. I
couldn’t believe how creative
and unique it was.”
Partyman Catering de-
signed the event with elemen-
tary school in mind — with
different stations based on
different classes. Math, sci-
ence, arts, and gym classes all
had curated selections of arti-
‘P IS FOR PARTY’
From left, Partyman Catering owner Joe Yantachka presents
a ceremonial check to Baylee Barrett, an elementary school
counselor in the Avon Central School District, along with Kyle
Sinclair, the P is for Party lead coordinator. The money went to
Stone’s Community Resources, which provides school supplies
and other necessities to families in need.
san foods made with a nod to
some familiar favorites from
childhood. At the nurse’s
station, you could ease your
troubles with an open bar fea-
turing cocktail juice pouches
inspired by kids’ juice boxes.
Each area was an individu-
al experience, but together it
became something so incred-
ibly unique that everyone in
attendance seemed in awe of
the production, laughing and
sharing memories from their
own time in grade school.
Using some of the money
raised, Stone’s Community
Resources plans to contin-
ue supporting students with
school supplies, winter cloth-
ing needs, and field trip fund-
ing. The donations will also
help send two grade-school
students to summer camp at
Camp Stella Maris this year.
They plan to give a second
round of scholarship incen-
tives to the two recipients of
the Elizabeth S. Green Memo-
rial Scholarship from the last
two years and also expanding
the scholarship this year to be
offered to two students from
the 2023 Avon Senior Class.
“[The event] meant so
much to us,” Barrett said.
“The donations that came in
from this event will be able to
help students at ACS for mul-
tiple years!”
If anyone is interested in
The Chamber Factor April 2023 • 11
Partyman expands scholarship program
AVON — Partyman Catering has
expanded its scholarship fund that
invests in the hospitality industry to
$250 scholarship exclusively for
Partyman employees taking any
course to continue their education,
include all of Livingston County. regardless of their field of study. Up
Within the fund, there are two
scholarship categories, one for lo-
to two Employee Scholarships will
be awarded per year.
cal high school seniors and one for
Partyman Catering employees. The
“For nearly 25 years, the com-
munities of Livingston County have
fund gives up to $1,000 per year.
The Community Scholarship is a
always been so incredibly support-
ive of our business. Offering this
$500 scholarship to be awarded to
one local high school senior who:
scholarship is just one small way
that we can give back and help our
n lives in a Livingston County local youth be successful,” said
school district; Partyman owner Joe Yantachka.
n is pursuing a certificate or de- “Partyman Catering is committed to
gree in hospitality or culinary arts; helping build the leaders of tomor-
n has a minimum GPA of 75%; row, by providing the resources and
n has an attendance record of opportunities to the hard-working
90% or greater; and young minds of today.”
n completes an application and Applications are being accepted
submits an essay outlining their until April 30. Winners will be an-
PARTYMAN CATERING PHOTOGRAPH
career goals and how the scholar- nounced by May 31.
ship fund will help them in achieving Qualifying students are encour-
these goals. aged to apply online at partymanca-
The Employee Scholarship is a tering.com/scholarships.
Stone’s Community Resourc-
es or making a donation,
reach out to Baylee Barrett by
email at bbarrett@avoncsd.
org or by phone at (585)226-
2455 ext. 1121.
LUMBER AND BUILDING SUPPLIES
“I appreciate how generous
Mon.-Fri. 7:00-5:00, Sat. 7:00-3:00
and supportive our commu-
11 South State Street Nunda, NY | Phone (585) 468-2521 | Fax (585) 468-2305
nity is,” Barrett says. “There is
Email: nundalumber@frontiernet.net | www.nundalumberandhardware.com
always room for help!”
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128 Cedar St. Batavia, NY • 585-343-2400 / 585-356-4300
RAHAITZ.COM
12 • April 2023 The Chamber Factor

Chamber Golf Campground The Livingston County Area

Chamber of Commerce is host-
Tournament will bag drop ing a Campground Bag Drop
ahead of the Memorial Day
tee off in June weekend. The Chamber will de-
ty-area campgrounds on May 24.
The bags will be filled with
To participate, send or drop off
300 copies of chosen marketing
promotional items and market-
ing materials for local businesses
materials to The Chamber office,
4635 Millennium Drive, Gen-
and communities. These include eseo, by 4:30 p.m. May 16. For

The Livingston County Area

delivers
Chamber of Commerce’s 2023
Leadership Golf Tournament
tees off June 9 at Woodlyn Hills
liver hundreds of “Campground
Bags” to eight Livingston Coun-
member information, brochures,
coupons, and swag.
information and to register, go to
https://tinyurl.com/5n8b8ve5.

CREATING BRILLIANT
Country Club, 8780 State Route
408, Nunda.

SMILES
The tournament, which is
sponsored by Genesee Con-
struction, will have a 10 a.m.
shotgun start. Registration will
begin at 9 a.m. The event con-
cludes with a dinner and raffle,
beginning at 4 p.m.
Proceeds from the tourna-
ment benefit the Livingston
County Education Alliance,
which offers a scholarship pro-
gram and education to employ-
ment initiatives, among other
programs.
Education to Employment
serves students and educators
across Livingston County with • General Dentistry For the Entire Family
programming that expands ca-
reer awareness and exploration • Dental Crowns, Bridges, & Dentures
and focuses on the multitude of
profitable and rewarding op-
portunities with companies in
• Tooth Colored Fillings
our region.
The Education to Employ-
• Teeth Whitening
ment events and programming
at the elementary and middle
• 2 Convenient Locations
school level include access to
classroom career presenters,
coordination of career related
field trip experiences, career
days, career exploration days,
lunch and learn sessions, job
shadow facilitation, and the
GLOW With Your Hands events.
The Leadership Golf Tour-
nament is a cost-effective,
fun-filled way for sponsors and
participants to support these
initiatives as they mingle with
local business decision makers,
school district administrators
and public officials away from
the office.
It is also a terrific way to in-
crease your organization’s visi-
bility in the community, Cham-
ber officials have said.
The Chamber is now accept-
ing golfers and sponsors.
For more information about
the tournament or to regis-
ter, contact Angela Grouse via
phone at (585) 443-2712 or
email angela@livingstoncoun-
Warsaw (585) 786-3676 • Geneseo (585) 243-5588
tychamber.com.
Information and registra- summitfamilydentalcare.com
tion is also available online at
https://tinyurl.com/4s8uad2k .