NORWICH – Commerce Chenango honored six local businesses for their contributions to the community at their 2010 Annual Salute to Small Business Dinner, held Tuesday night at the Canasawacta Country Club.
“Tonight is about the small businesses, their employees and the entrepreneurial spirit which leads them to start, maintain, and in many cases, expand their small business,” said Commerce Chenango Chairman Kevin Walsh, kicking off the event which recognized the 2010 recipients of the Small Business Gems, Entrepreneur of the Year, Small Business Manufacturer of the Year and Small Business of the Year awards.
“We are really recognizing some of the best we have to offer in Chenango County,” New York Senator James Seward said of the award winners. The Republican was one of more than 200 people to turn out for the event, which was sponsored by NBT Bank, Mang Insurance, Frontier and Golden Artist Colors.
Seward acknowledged that, while Upstate New York is fortunate to have large employers, “the real growth is in the small business community.”
“If we are ever to build a bigger and brighter future, it is with small business,” he said. The Albany lawmaker pledged to support policy aimed at creating “the right environment” to help small businesses grow and encourage the entrepreneurial spirit so that upstate communities “cannot only survive, but thrive.”

2010 Small Business Gems
“Chenango County is very fortunate to have many small businesses that help to drive our economy and make this a place we are all proud to live and work,” said Maureen Carpenter, President and CEO of Commerce Chenango.
Commerce Chenango selects three such businesses each year to receive the prestigious Small Business Gem award. This year, the honor was awarded to B&D Pool and Spa LLC, Rapp Signs Inc. and The Silo Restaurant.
“These Gems manage their organizations with pride and achieve success in different ways,” explained Carpenter. Each of these Gems has something unique, which sets them apart and makes them true treasures in the community, the chamber executive said.
The night’s first award recipient, B&D Pool and Spa, was started in 1976 by Don and Beth Osterhout. Originally, they offered only pool supplies, but over the years the business has expanded.
“From new installations, to repair and maintenance, they offer the region’s top expertise in all things pool and spa,” Carpenter said.
After more than 30 years in business, the venture remains a family affair. It operates two locations – its headquarters in Norwich and a second location in Sidney – and serves customers throughout Chenango as well as in neighboring Broome, Otsego and Delaware Counties. Their offerings now also include RV parking, U-Haul rental and self-storage at their Norwich location.
“B&D provides quality pool and spa products with a commitment to specialized customer service and after-sales support. Their mantra is ‘making backyard memories,’” said Carpenter.
Dee Osterhout accepted the award on behalf of the business.
“It’s nice to be recognized for the work you do,” he said, attributing B&D’s success to two guiding principles. The first, he explained, is “you can’t please all of the people all of the time, but you have to try.” The second, is the golden rule: treat others how you would like to be treated.
The second Small Business Gem was awarded to Rapp Signs Inc. and accepted by Lorraine Detweiler and Ron Rapp.
According to Carpenter, the company began with just one employee in 1954, when John Rapp started the business in Hawthorn, N.J. Rapp relocated both the business and his family to Greene in 1972, and continued to grow the sign company. Today, Rapp Signs has 12 employees and has a customer base which includes companies across New York State as well as in Northern Pennsylvania and Eastern Vermont. Among their clientele are many Chenango County businesses, such as NBT Bank, Mang Insurance, Mirabito Fuel Group, Sidney Federal Credit Union and more.
His children, who took over the company following their father’s death in 2005, have stayed true to his business philosophy and remain committed to the environment and “being green,” by recycling the plastic, steel, aluminum, copper and florescent bulbs used in sign making.
“They believe that each company sign is a graphic representation of your personality and business philosophy and they strive to offer solutions and provide quality signs at affordable prices,” Carpenter said.
“Our family has worked together to continue our father’s business,” said Detweiler, as she and her brother Ron Rapp accepted the award. She made special mention of the company’s employees and customers, who have supported the business over the years.
The evening’s third Small Business Gem was awarded to a Coventry restaurateur who Carpenter also recognized for achieving great success in the business he too inherited from his parents.
“The Silo Restaurant, owned and operated by Gary Kurz, offers fine dining for customers in a peaceful, beautiful isolated country atmosphere,” the chamber executive said.
Despite a devastating fire in 1985, which caused $170,000 in damage to the structure, which was originally built in 1967 as “Ye Olde Silo,” Kurz has remained committed to the business his family took over in 1973.
“Gary’s friends and customers came together and helped with the cleanup from the fire, so that the restaurant could be rebuilt,” Carpenter said. “It reopened a few short months later, ready for business and better than ever.”
In the years since, Kurz has added a banquet room, landscaping and a carriage house, making The Silo a favorite wedding destination. They routinely host 50 to 60 events per year, and are well known for their Sunday brunch, and Friday night surf and turf buffet.
“Gary attributes his continued success to the support and professionalism of his employees,” Carpenter said. “Congratulations to Gary and the Silo Restaurant for achieving your goals, being innovative and demonstrating success.

Entrepreneur of the Year
“Our Entrepreneur of the Year award was created to recognize the strong entrepreneurial spirit in Chenango County,” Carpenter explained. “We honor those who dare to go where others have not.”
The annual award was first created to honor Sam Golden, founder of Golden Artist Colors. The plaque awarded to each year’s recipient features a likeness of Golden. This year’s Sammy, as it is affectionately known, goes to Jim Fowler, owner of the Sherburne Big M Supermarket.
Carpenter said Fowler was 14 when he first started working at the Sherburne store, purchased by his parents, Roger and Gloria Fowler, in 1973.
“They loved catering to the residents of Sherburne and the surrounding area and providing a much needed service,” she said, of Fowler’s parents. Since taking over the reins, the lifelong Sherburne resident has continued to run the business “with the same standards, passion, honesty and responsibility” with which his parents founded it. He has also worked to grow the business, in an effort to meet his customers’ ever changing needs.
It took two years to orchestrate the acquisition of the former Victory Markets building across the street from the original Big M store, but this year the purchase - and relocation - was completed.
“The move has not only increased space, but the store was able to triple their product selection, and Jim has continued to find innovative and creative ways to meet his customer’s needs,” Carpenter reported.
In a time when many mom and pop grocery stores have given way to chain supermarkets, the Big M’s growth and success is a rarity, according to the chamber executive.
“The store serves about 1,000 people per day, and continues to be the one store that will still offer to carry your groceries to the car,” she said.
Jim Fowler accepted the award, saying it has been an “exciting year” for his family.
“Standing still just isn’t an option,” he said, explaining that business owners have to continually put themselves forward because “from risk comes opportunity.”
He thanked his loyal customers. “Our new store is as much for them, as it is for us,” he reported.
He attributed the stores success to its many long-term employees, some of which he asked to stand and be recognized.
“This award is as much yours as it is mine,” he said.

Small Business Manufacturer of the Year
“For a rural county, Chenango County is very fortunate to have a significant presence of manufacturing firms,” said Carpenter. “These small manufacturers not only contribute to our local economy through job creation and local procurement, but often they contribute to other industries.”
This year’s Small Business Manufacturer of the Year is Chentronics Corporation, an ignition system manufacturer based in Norwich. According to Carpenter, the company was founded by Jack McNulty.
“Jack’s forte was creative and innovative engineering in the aerospace industry,” she said, explaining that McNulty worked at Bendix Corporation before founding General Laboratory Associates, which later became Simmonds Precision. “Through research and development in these companies, he worked on ignition applications that would appear in turbine engines.
McNulty’s work to “fine tune” high quality ignition applications lead him to venture out on his own and found the manufacturer we now know as Chentronics. Current President John Killean joined McNulty in 1993. They received a patent in 2000, and incorporated in 2004. Today, they are a wholly owned subsidiary of Hamworthy Combustion Group of Companies.
“Chentronics is a hidden treasure in Chenango County, working quietly, going almost unnoticed, but not in their industry,” said Carpenter, who recognized the company as a leader in their field.
Killean, who accepted the award on behalf of Chentronics, acknowledged that the does “fly under the radar” locally, despite their status in the industry.
“We are the center for excellence in an international company,” he said. “It is a real pleasure to be recognized for accomplishing that.”

Small Business of the Year
“The Small Business of the Year recipient has a substantiated history as an established business,” explained Carpenter, explaining the criteria used to select the winner of this annual award. “This year’s recipient, Blueox Corporation, has more than exceeded this criteria.”
“Blueox is proud of their history, and of the values that a long tradition of service has instilled in the organization,” Carpenter said, as she described how the company had grown from when it was founded as Thompson Fuel Service into the fuel and energy provider it is today with three fuel locations, 11 area gas stations and convenience stores and 150 employees.
Expansion of the business began in earnest after it was purchased by David L. Emerson in 1965. His son David B. Emerson joined the business in 1970, followed by his longtime friend Neil Bartle four years later. Under their leadership, the company grew and evolved. In 1984, they changed the name to Blueox, in recognition of the company’s Oxford’s roots.
“Blueox is not your traditional fuel company,” she said, explaining that the company strives to offer solutions to their customers, while saving them money and providing exceptional service. “They are proud of how far they’ve come and the reputation they’ve built as an industry leader.”
Since David B. Emerson retired in 1994, Neil Bartle has borne the title of president of the organization.
“This is truly an honor to accept this award on behalf of our employees,” said Bartle, who called his partner of over 30 years to join him at the podium. Together, they asked all of the Blueox employees present to stand.
“They are Blueox,” Bartle said. “They are the ones who make up this company.”
Before leaving the podium, Emerson gave his advice to others who want to be successful in business.
“Surround yourself with good people; give them the resources they need and get the (heck) out of the way,” he said.