I can think of no location more suitable for the Third Annual Absolutely Business Forum than the Riveredge Resort in Alexandria Bay, New York. The distinct beauty of the Thousand Islands sets a delightful mood for any event, and the forum was certainly no exception.

The cold, but not quite frozen, waterfront and snowy boat docks were visible through the large windows that surrounded each table where the business owners of the North Country sat, each ready and eager to begin the conversation.

At our round table in the corner sat Kevin Richardson, president of North Country Farms; David Males, general manager for WWTI ABC 50; Stephanie Converse, associate broker at RE/MAX Realty in Watertown; Robert Reddick, president of Con Tech Building Systems; and Kirk Gilchrist, senior pastor at New Life Christian Church.

Following the introductions, I asked, “Why don’t you tell us about your business?” The discussion started with Kevin Richardson. Richardson explained that his business, North Country Farms, is a local food manufacturer that takes locally grown wheat from Old McDonald’s Farm in Sackets Harbor and mills it into flour.

“We stone mill the wheat into flour and package flour products such as pancake mix, muffin mix, pastry flours and all purpose flours,” he said. “We also source out local honey and maple syrup from farmers in northern Jefferson County, so we’ve built our food business around North Country foods.”

Richardson’s products are available on retail shelves around the state of New York, in stores like Price Chopper, Hannaford, Sam’s Club, Big M and almost any other retail store in the North Country that sells food.

David Males was next in line to talk about his company. “I’m vice president and general manager of WWTI ABC 50 and North Country CW. I’ve operated in that capacity for the past 10 years.” Males is, what he says, some might call a broadcast junky. “I’ve been in broadcasting ever since I graduated from SUNY Fredonia. I have dabbled in everything from on-air work, news, sales, sales management and now general manager.”

Stephanie Converse followed, representing RE/MAX Empire Realty, the largest real estate franchise in the world. Stephanie and her brother, Mark Converse, opened up the Watertown franchise in June 2007. “We do everything commercial, residential, waterfront and vacant land,” she said. “We enjoy it.”

Robert Reddick then took his turn, telling us a little about Con Tech Building Systems. His company has been in business for 22 years and is involved with commercial and public bid work in the tri-county area. Based in Gouverneur, he said that the company focuses mainly within about a 50-mile radius. “That opens us up to businesses in the college area, in Potsdam and Canton, then around by the river and nearly to the foothills of the mountains. We can go as far south as Watertown, and sometimes even farther.” Reddick added that he also owns a second business,with a partner, called Premier Building Associates, where they focus on high end residential construction in and around the St. Lawrence River.

Last, but certainly not least, in telling us about his organization was Kirk Gilchrist. He came to the upstate New York area from Detroit approximately 12 years ago, when New Life Christian Church only had about 40 people in the congregation. Having recently relocated to Watertown, the church now is housed in the former Hoytz Cinema building.

“We’re really focused on loving God and loving people. We also strive to help the community and the soldiers,” Gilchrist said.

Being an avid businessman in addition to his pastoral position, he also added, “My businesses are all dedicated toward giving the money away. We don’t keep any of it. We’ve funded eight orphanages around the world, and that’s what it’s all about.”

The discussion then deepened as the table participants moved on to share how their businesses fared in 2009. Richardson reported that North Country Farms went from a one-food brand to five food brands in the last seven months, an increase he was excited to see. They introduced a new brand with only one product, their pastry flour, then extended the line to two different flour mixes, a pancake mix and a muffin mix, later adding honey and syrup.

North Country Farms also went from distributing in just two Big M stores to being on the shelves of nearly 100 retail stores statewide, from Massena to Albany.

“So for the year, I’d say we fared pretty well, considering that we expanded from two or three different stores to close to a hundred,” said Richardson. “It had a huge effect on our sales. Revenues rapidly increased in no time.” The former teacher and basketball coach shared that this endeavor has been a learning experience, since he had no prior knowledge of the food industry. “I just wanted to help people to be more aware of what they were eating and where it was coming from,” he said. He added that persistence and belief in his product played an important

Males shared that there was one big boost that made 2009 a good year for ABC 50. “Last year was a very good year because of one thing, and that was the special election on New York’s 23^rd Congressional District,” he stated. “The race was the television station’s economic bailout plan for the year.”

He also shared that ABC 50 has found success through building local relationships through a number of sales programs and projects. “What the programs allowed us to do was to optimize the use of our inventory. It helped to create more revenue and do it with the local advertising, so that when we ended the year we were not so dependent on the national advertising.” Males went on to say, “In our industry the key driver is automotive. It always has been and always will be at a national level.”

Males said that ABC 50 was able to absorb a number of losses that were due to the Ford and General Motors cutbacks and apply those locally. He was reassured to see that while other regions may be suffering, local auto dealers were still selling cars due to the economic boom of Fort Drum. Having a strong local base is important to his company and they have worked hard to cultivate their relationships in the North Country, increasing ad sales and absorbing some of the losses. Even so, Males said that without the big push from the congressional race that they received near the end of the year, 2009 would’ve been difficult.

Some employment reductions had to be made due to some budget cuts, he noted. “Part of the economic turnaround was taking a look at our budget and plan and making it work with the ad dollars that were present,” he said. “We were able to do that but there was some pain along the way. Like a lot of people, we had to go through some employment reductions and that’s never easy. It’s never a fun thing to do, but we got through it.” Males concluded that as a result of the unplanned and unbudgeted political windfall, it made 2009 a very good year.

Converse reported that on a national level RE/MAX ranked in the top seven on the Fortune 500 as one of the top moneymakers in 2009. Their business also did quite well locally despite the poor state of the economy. Converse credited the local success to the military as well as homebuyer tax credits. “With the first-time and now second-time home buyer credits, there’s a big incentive for people to get out and start shopping around and looking for houses again.” The tax credit was signed into legislation by President Obama on February 17, 2009 and was later extended on November 6, 2009 through April 10, 2010 as part of a $24 million economic stimulus bill.

Converse pointed out that the real estate business fluctuates, slowing down in the winter since many times people don’t want to look at houses or move due to the cold weather. Business picks up again in the summer time when people are anxious to get outdoors.

She also shared that RE/MAX recently hired a new property management company, which is expected to bring in additional revenue. “Our office is literally just a few miles from Fort Drum and we’re always getting calls from people that are coming to the area and want to rent,” she said.

Reddick was excited to report that for Con Tech, 2009 was probably one of their best years ever. “I started the business in 1988, which would’ve been in a parallel time to now because it was near the first big expansion of Fort Drum,” he said. Con Tech started out as a small business with a few employees who worked out of Reddick’s home. Over the past 20 years, the company grew much larger due to public work from schools, hospitals and other businesses.

“For 15 years we grew every single year and we’re able to survive nicely in this area. When Fort Drum expanded, it happened to be a few years before the recession.” Reddick shared that when the time came, he was well positioned and had a few good connections so that Con Tech was able to get in on some of the Fort Drum work. He also added that even though they spend a fair amount of time on Fort Drum, there’s still plenty of business to be had elsewhere. “It’s really not my only focus,” he said of the military base. “It probably amounts to less than 50 percent of our business.”

Con Tech additionally is involved with historic restoration work, which they have found to be a good niche market. Reddick shared that they are currently working on the Franklin building in Watertown. “I think we’re versatile in that we can do so many different things and we’re not limiting ourselves to one-sized jobs,” he said. “We work many small jobs, but can handle projects as high as $10 million.”

To Con Tech, versatility is one of the key points to success. While Reddick knows that Fort Drum has been a big boom for their business, he also believes that there will be plenty of work should it scale back down in the future. “All of us who have been in business for any length of time in northern New York are accustomed to recession because we have one every year,” he laughed. “We just call it winter.”

He went on to say that every winter things slow down and people don’t spend money, and because of that yearly adjustment businesses may not see all the spikes that the rest of the nation does. “I think if you’re established and want to make a nice living, this is a great place to do that. When Fort Drum slows down I expect that 75 percent of the contractors that are working there now will go away, and the rest of us left will all get our share. So if you’re strong enough to wait your turn, you’re going to get all you need.”

Gilchrist reported that Sunday morning services at New Life Christian Church have increased during the past year from 250 to over 400 in attendance. The church’s focus on excellence in service helps improve the community in many different ways, from local city clean-up to high school outreach programs held throughout Jefferson County.

In addition to the church’s move to Watertown, the old building in Depauville is now being used as training grounds for Dibor, an international leadership training program that instructs young adults from all over the world. Through the program, students acquire a world-changing mindset and are geared up to positively influence the people around them.

Though the church moved to its new Arsenal Street location in November of 2008, Gilchrist said that they are still building and renovating. He said that the renovation of the old theater has been a fairly long process and an interesting job at that. “We knocked out a wall and we used two theaters for the sanctuary. We had to put in seating and fix the slanted floors. We also spend a lot of time with music so we had to have room so people could stand.”

A stage was added in the sanctuary and a waterfall was built in the foyer, but the work isn’t done yet. Gilchrist said they are now renovating the other four theaters and there are still repairs to be finished, such as the roof. New Life has just recently launched a new project called the “Roof Mural” to help raise the funds needed for the repairs. The mural, a piece of artwork displayed in the foyer, is hidden beneath 2,652 blocks, each representing a specified dollar amount. As donations are received, the blocks will one by one be removed to later reveal a beautiful mural, which will be left on display to symbolize the completion of the roof fundraiser.

Next the table participants were asked what they felt were the most important issues facing the North Country business community. Richardson believes that loyalty and sustainability were two things of great importance. He would like to see more people pulling together to support local businesses and helping to sustain the local economy, especially in the food industry. “I don’t want to change something that’s working,” he said. “In our sense if products are selling, we should keep the sustainability and run with it.”

Males thought that some of the issues facing the North Country may well be out of our control. He discussed his concern with various government rulings, stating that too many times, laws are passed without consideration to their effects on small and medium sized businesses. “I don’t think anyone sits down and asks, ‘How is this going to affect these small and medium sized businesses that create a majority of the jobs?’ For instance, take a look on a national level at this whole health demand. I have not heard one person ask how it’s going to affect small businesses. Are there going to be additional costs? Are there going to be additional savings?” Males went on to say that the issue would truly not be resolved unless the government took more interest in the effect that suggested legislation would have on business owners.

Reddick would like to see more continuity and common goals among the business community. He used the seasonal shops of Alexandria Bay as an example, stating he’d like to see less competition amongst the shop or restaurant owners and more pulling together to work as a team to bring new people into the area, even in the late part of the year. “It’s one of the most beautiful places on the face of the earth in October, but nobody’s here,” he said. “And why? Because everything’s closed. There’s nothing to do here in the off-seasons.”

After a quick moment of consideration, Reddick added, “The river needs a $500 million project. Somebody needs to come in and build that big resort…that destination location that will bring people from everywhere.”

Males agreed and pointed out that Clayton is a good example of people pulling together and is beginning to display such continuity. “Take a look at all of the wonderful specialty shops,” he said. “It can be done.”

Reddick also suggested that in order to start promoting places like Alexandria Bay, it might be necessary to get a team of people together every few months and talking as a group. “Get some

Converse agreed, saying, “I think everyone just needs to put their minds together and really do something different. There needs to be more coming together and creating new jobs for our community.”

Richardson added, “We need to stand behind each other instead of being against each other. Sometimes it seems that if someone’s doing well, someone else is talking badly about them, instead of praising them. If you want to grow and make things better in the area, it just can’t be like that.”

Gilchrist said that he often sees two particular issues facing the North Country, the first being a lack of appreciation for the beautiful area we live in. “I think that one of the issues that faces us is creating an environment in which there’s a positive attitude about where we live. I think generally speaking that a lot of people from the North Country don’t realize just what we have here.” He noted that many of the young people believe they have to leave the area to find jobs, but he doesn’t see that to be true. His idea is that if our attitude changes from down-talking the North Country to viewing it as a great place of opportunity, that mindset will be imparted down to the youth and in turn may offset their eagerness to leave.

The second issue he sees is a need for more action. He said, “We can talk about things until the day we die, but if we put some feet behind it, maybe we actually bring about some change. I believe it’s out there, it just needs some people that are able to grab a hold of it and say, ‘We can do this.’”

To wrap up the round table discussion, the business owners were asked a final question―what they saw in the future for their business or organization in the north country.

Richardson said, “I always try to hold true to our values of integrity and sustainability, so that’s definitely going to be a big part of our future, just maintaining that level of commitment.” His plans include a goal to grow his brand and the brand name awareness. He’d like to see people continue to become more conscious of where they’re eating and what they’re eating. It all comes down to adding more products and giving back to the community as much as possible.

As far as expansion goes, Richardson said, “Obviously this is home and I want to reach out to our people first, but at the same time if I can expand the business throughout the state and even throughout the East Coast or wherever it may take us, then we’ll take advantage of it if the opportunity’s there.” But for right now, he insisted, his focus will remain on the North Country as his first priority since that’s where the food comes from. He hopes to tap new food products out of his flour mill, since it proves to be more cost effective. “Any time we can bring more flour products out of the mill, it benefits us as far as revenue and margin goes,” he said. He concluded saying that he still likes to help out other local business people that create their own foods and might have an interest in adding to the North Country Farms product line.

Males offered his thoughts, saying that with 320 million people and 327 million televisions in the United States, television isn’t going away. “The idea is being a point of difference. Most of us are probably connected by cable or we have satellite. So what is our point of difference? Finding that and pushing your point of difference is really what’s going to make our television station and our product stand out from the other folks.”

He went on to say that a great point of difference for ABC 50 was the ability for their station to give back to the community. In Males’ opinion, broadcasters need to operate with the public’s trust, because the public really calls the shots. “We pay the bills, but the public owns the airwaves.” He added that it’s important to help the region and see how they can reach out to local residents. He would like to enable more businesses to compete and also be a point of difference through advertising and promoting. This in turn could enable more businesses to start hiring people, thus creating new jobs. As a result this would boost the local economy.

Males also stated that if people hope to create a good community, they need to have a more giving spirit. “Go spend some time at the Salvation Army. Go spend some time at a church. Help do things, because that’s the only way that we as communities grow and I think that we as citizens need to appreciate what we have, appreciate what the opportunities are and give back to make a good community a great community. The bottom line is, we’re making a difference.”

Richardson added that before he went into business, giving wasn’t something he’d ever really taken into serious consideration. “I never really gave back to the community,” he said. “I attended those functions, but after being in business, I donated hundreds of pounds of pancake mix to the children’s home for Christmas. People really recognize that.” He said that through giving, people begin to make a connection and then a familiarity is established, helping build the brand name. Of course that’s not the real motive behind giving to others, but it’s an extra perk.

Males agreed and said, “There should be no business in northern New York that doesn’t have that same feeling. You do it because it’s the right thing.”

Converse was next to summarize her future business goals. Her plans include yearly growth and a goal to eventually hold a majority of the market share in their industry. “We do a lot with the Susan G. Komen and Children’s Miracle Network, not just locally, but internationally,” she said. Every RE/MAX location in the world participates in what they call their Miracle Home program, where individual associates take part of their sales commissions and donate to the Children’s Miracle Network. Through the program, millions of dollars are raised each year.

Converse added in conclusion, “We would like to grow and give back even more to the community. We can donate our time to anything that’s going on in the community and try to help out as much as we can.”

Reddick feels that Con Tech has a bright future based on the growth in the area due to Fort Drum and the influx of new families and businesses into the North Country region. He said, “In addition to that, we have made a point of being very diversified in our area of expertise. Due to our central location in the North Country and the wide variety of construction services we provide, we are confident that we will continue to grow at a controlled rate and will always have work to pursue.”

Reddick added that as the overall effect of a down national economy trickles into the area, there will be more competition and tighter margins competing for fewer projects. “We have lived through this market many times in the past and we rely on patience and perseverance to overcome these conditions and continue to be successful on our share of the market.”

Gilchrist was last to wrap up the discussion with his view of the future for New Life Christian Church and business in general. “I think as long as we place our emphasis on excellence and service and actually doing it rather than just saying it, we’ll be okay,” he said. “If we don’t’ do that, we’ll be in trouble like everybody else.”

In conclusion, Males added one final thought to Gilchrist’s statement. “It’s one thing to sit down and talk about an idea, but it’s got to be put into action,” he said. “We could sit here and have a conversation for five hours about things that we want done better, but then we need to figure out how we get it from here into commission.”

Article written by Mandee Widrick.