JOHNSTOWN - A few weeks after the Fulton and Montgomery county chambers of commerce announced they obtained legal counsel to help explore merging into a regional organization, consolidation was a central focus of the Fulton County Regional Chamber of Commerce & Industry's annual dinner Thursday at the Holiday Inn.
After outgoing Board of Directors Chairman Mark Finkle passed the gavel to Terri Easterly, she announced a series of breakfasts that will allow chamber members to provide their input on the proposed merger.
"There are a number of reasons that affiliation with our neighbor to the south is a good idea," Easterly said. "One of the most important is we are looking for our business communities to become a much stronger voice in our region, in Albany and even in Washington, D.C., and we think this proposed affiliation can accomplish this. We already work cooperatively on business issues with Montgomery County - as evidenced in the regional business plan, on economic development issues, education issues and with events that we have held jointly with their chamber."
Finkle said members of the each chamber's Board of Directors attended a retreat in Lake George in November to begin talks on affiliation after presidents from each chamber - Wally Hart in Fulton County and Deborah Auspelmyer in Montgomery County - left in 2011.
"The timing is right," Finkle said, adding the boards have been meeting once a month since the retreat.
He said he expects chamber membership to be able to vote on the idea in the spring.
"Because no matter how much we think this is a great idea, it's up to our membership to make it happen," Finkle said.
Easterly said breakfast events titled "Eggs & Issues" have been scheduled throughout the county in February to discuss merging.
They are all scheduled for 8 a.m. on Wednesdays. The first will be Feb. 1 at the Fulton County Visitors Center. The second will be Feb. 8 at Chef Lomanto's Market. The third will be Feb. 22 at Grandma Millie's Bakery at the Fulton County Airport and the fourth will be Feb. 29 at the NBT Bank Branch in Northville.
She also encouraged members to check email inboxes for contact information of the membership of the Fulton County Affiliation Task Force and urged members to call or e-mail the task force to voice their opinions on affiliating.
During the dinner, the chamber recognized four businesses. Ruby & Quiri of Johnstown was named Small Business of the Year; Peck's Flowers of Gloversville was named Centennial Chamber Business of the Year; Bob Kazmierski of the Wildlife Sports & Educational Museum in Vail Mills received the Tourism Partner Award and Carville National Leather of Johnstown, operated by Hugh and Bob Carville, received the Chamber Family Award.
The 2011 Business Partner of the Year Award, which is awarded by the Fulton-Montgomery-Schoharie Workforce Development Board, was given to Universal Warehousing on Route 30A in the town of Johnstown, owned by Fred Olbrych.
Howard Samuels from the Workforce Development Board described the history of the company, dating back to 1979, and said Olbrych has grown his business to include 86 employees. Director of Logistics David Groff accepted the award on behalf of the company.
Finkle said in 2011, the chamber grew by 69 new businesses and community residents who joined the organization. He highlighted the number of speakers the chamber has hosted and the fact that $125,000 worth of Chamber Checks were sold in 2011, "as we kept shopping dollars local and within our membership."
"We took positions on important business issues - local issues, state issues and federal issues," Finkle said. "We kept abreast of changes in health insurance on the federal level and on the state level because it is such an important issue for our members. We helped put together the regional business plan with the CEO Roundtable, which is a blueprint for regional economic development moving forward."
Finkle emphasized the chamber's advocacy for the business community is "one of the strongest programs this chamber has and one of the most important functions."
"I feel government doesn't always understand the pressures business has and our issues, and this was never more apparent to me than the recent crisis over the Fage expansion," Finkle said.
"I don't think that was the place to draw the line in the sand and risk losing jobs and giving this county a reputation for being difficult to do business with," he said.
The chamber's interim president, Terry A. Swierzowski, the director of tourism and communications, said members have many questions on how a merger would work. She said the potential regionalized organization's location, the president and staffing structure are still unknowns.
"As we go along in the process, we'll be able to share those details," Swierzowski said.
About 250 people attended Thursday's chamber dinner. The cost was $50 per guest. The theme was 212 degrees, which was highlighted in a slideshow.
"The whole premise of it is one degree can make a difference," she said.
Peck's Flowers honored in 100th year of service
JOHNSTOWN - For a century, Peck's Flowers in downtown Gloversville has been a part of the most important times in people's lives.
From weddings to anniversaries to holidays, "Peck's has been there for 100 years for this community," said Bob Peck as he accepted the Centennial Business of the Year award at the Fulton County Regional Chamber of Commerce & Industry dinner on Thursday.
"Peck's Flower Shop is a fixture in downtown Gloversville, and many use it as a "locator" when giving directions to places in the city," said Scott Hohenforst, who presented the award.
Four generations of the Peck family have kept the business going, starting with William E. Peck, who started Peck's Floral Co. in 1912 after operating a meat market.
In the 1920s, Clarence Peck, Bob's grandfather, bought the current location.
Then, William R. Peck, Bob's father, joined the business after World War II. In 1974, Bob took over.
"Thank you to my dad, who is my teacher and my mentor, and my grandfather, who was my inspiration, Bob Peck said.
Carville family's leather business earns acclaim
GLOVERSVILLE - In 1967 Hugh Carville took a chance leaving his well-paying job at a calfskin tannery in Newark, N.J., and starting Carville National Leather out of his basement.
On Thursday, the business that moved to Johnstown in 1972 - now run by his son, Bobby, and his wife, Jennifer - was awarded the Chamber Family Award at the annual Fulton County Regional Chamber of Commerce & Industry dinner.
"They continue to strive for a greater standard of product and workplace environment. They are such a great example of what the Chamber embodies in this award," said Assemblyman Marc Butler, R-Newport, in his presentation of the award.
Hugh Carville spoke of his wife, Gerry, who died in April at age 81 but was always by his side and supportive of his vision.
"The first year my total commissions were just under $3,000. You know what Gerry said? Maybe we'll have to move in with your mother or something," Carville laughed. "She never said you made a mistake."
Bobby said his mother would be proud of the award, and his wife, Jennifer, has taken a similar role as his partner now in "life and business."
Ruby & Quiri receives small-business award
JOHNSTOWN - Ruby & Quiri's success over the past 60 years isn't the only reason the family business was awarded this year's Small Business of the Year award at the Fulton County Regional Chamber of Commerce & Industry's annual dinner. It's also their community involvement, said Fulton-Montgomery Community College President Dustin Swanger, who presented the award to Rick Ruby and his sister, Amy Karas.
Ruby thanked his employees "who make it happen so we can be successful," as well as his wife, Linda, and the rest of his family for their support, calling his sister "the glue of our family."
In 1949, Ruby's parents, Carl and Peg, started the business in Fonda. In the 1950s, they opened a Main Street location in Gloversville and then moved to Elmwood Avenue in the 1960s.
In 2007, they opened their 65,000-square-foot location on Route 30A in Johnstown, in which they are currently building a theater to showcase electronics and host groups seeking meeting space.
The company employs 50 people. It operates a number of community initiatives, including donations of gently used furniture to those in need.
Wildlife center honored for tourism contribution
Robert Kazmierski, who created the Wildlife Sports & Educational Museum in Vail Mills, has a passion for taxidermy that started when he was 7 and finished his first project - a mounted pigeon, said Mike Hauser, a former recipient of the chamber's Tourism Partner Award, while introducing Kazmierski as this year's winner.
Kazmierski worked with bigger operations like the state museum but returned to his hometown of Johnstown to make gloves and began to dream of a place where taxidermists could exhibit their work and youth could learn about outdoor sports.
In 2001, Kazmierski purchased the former Grand Union in Vail Mills and began to invest hundreds of thousands. The museum opened in 2005.
"This place is 'The Cooperstown' of taxidermy," he said. In June, the museum became home to the state Outdoorsman Hall of Fame. It also features 125 world-record whitetail deer mounts and work from more than 65 taxidermists, Hauser said.
Kazmierski thanked the chamber for the award and urged those who haven't visited the museum to stop in.
"I think you'll be amazed," he said.
Amanda Whistle covers Gloversville news. She can be reached at gloversville@leaderherald.com
