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September 2017 l GO WYOMING44th Annual Wyoming County Women’s Business SummitThe Arts Council for Wyoming County (ACWC)and the Wyoming County Chamber of Commerceand Tourism are pleased toannounce the fourth annual Wyoming County Women’s Business Summit to beheld Thursday, September28, 2017 at Beaver Hollow Conference Center/Biggest Loser Resort Niagara, 1083 Pit Road, JavaCenter, NY. The theme ofthis year’s summit is “Closeto Home.”The daylong summitco-sponsored by the Beaver Hollow ConferenceCenter/Biggest Loser Resort Niagara; Women’sOB-GYN of Warsaw; andSilver Lake Brewing Project, will run from 9:00AM until 4:00 PM andwill feature local businessowner and entrepreneurKeirsten Schaffer of LilaPilates as Keynote Speak-er. Participants will alsoattend several break-outsessions, a luncheon of locally sourced foods, and apanel discussion featuringWyoming County businesswomen. General admission is 80.00 per person; 70.00 for ACWC andChamber members.“We are very pleasedto co-host the fourth Women’s Business Summit withthe ACWC at BeaverHollow,” said WyomingCounty Chamber President Scott Gardner. “Ourcontinued goal is to bringwomen business own-ers, professionals, andentrepreneurs, a uniqueopportunity to hear fromdynamic presenters on awide range of issues relevant to the personal andprofessional lives of Wyoming County’s professional women in business.”“Every year we incorporate the ACWC’s year-longtheme into the Women’sSummit, and the themefor this year is “Close toHome.” I am eager tohear the different interpretations regarding close tohome within the context ofour women owned businesses or women in thework place. I am especially eager to hear how ourkeynote speaker KeirstenSchaffer will weave her information about the humanbody into the theme,” saidACWC Executive DirectorJacqueline Hoyt.As a twenty-year resi-dent of Wyoming County,Keirsten Shaffer is the owner of Lila Pilates in downtown Perry, New York. Sheis dedicated to workinglocally and supporting hercommunity. Her early career consisted of community and economic development in Livingston andWyoming Counties. In2001, she cofounded thePerry Farmers’ Market. Shealso spent four years as ahealthcare marketing consultant for the WyomingCounty Community HealthSystem. In 2006, Keirstenwas diagnosed with AcutePromyelocytic Leukemia,which eventually led herto a dedicated study ofbodywork, movement, andwellness. At the Women’sBusiness Summit, she willtake you through her journey to wellness and howshe found movement andmassage therapy to be theNeed Help Enrolling in Affordable Health Care?key for her overall healthand ultimately improve orenhance your work performance.Other presenters will includebreakout session speakers featuring: Negotiating Skills: Victoria Reynolds, DeputyDistrict Director, US SBA Multi-GenerationalWorkplaces – Findingthe Strengths: JoBethRath, Trainer/GoodwillIndustries Personal Branding:Kelly Tracy, Recruiter,Pioneer/Navient Social Media, Wheredo You Want to Be?:Jessica Seymour, PartnerMOTIV Digital MediaPanel Discussion featuring thefollowing panelists: Sarah Keeler, owner/ instructor - GeneseeDance Theatre, PerryCall your Wyoming County Navigator at Lisa Seewaldt, owner- Ash-Lin’s Elegant RoseFlorist and Gift Shop,WarsawSmall Business and Individual AssistanceProviding information and enrollment assistance foraffordable health insurance options offeredthrough the New York State HealthExchange or “Marketplace” Sarah Billings, owner/ Lead Stylist slb salon &boutique, Inc., Perry(800) 466-1191 or 786-8890Small Businesses may qualify for up to a 50%tax credit (only available in the Marketplace), there are no broker fees, andan unbiased selection process for Qualified Health Plans including optionsfrom MVP, Univera and Independent HealthIndividuals may be eligible for tax credits and subsidies.There are several Qualified Health Plans to choose from. Laura DeBadts, Independent Senior SalesDirector for Mary Kay,Warsaw Sandra Pirdy, owner,Creekside Fabrics, andmotivational speaker/instructor, ArcadeTo receive more information or to register forthe Summit, please emailKelly Ashcraft at kelly@wycochamber.org or call theChamber office at (585)786-0307. Seating is limited.

September 2017 l GO WYOMING5Arcade & Attica Railroad Keeps Chugging OnTo ride on the Arcade &Attica Railroad is to take aride through history. Notonly is the station itself historic, it also offers exhibitsabout the history of railtravel, with artifacts andphotographs.You even get a taste ofhistory at the ticket office,fully authentic, as a ticketmaster sells you a ticket foryour train ride.The Arcade & AtticaRailroad’s website continues the tale: “With an‘All Aboard!’ the whistleblows, and the whoosh ofthe air brakes releasingcan be heard. Very soon,the engineer has gotten thetrain up to speed and youare on your way, enjoyingyour 90-plus minute ridethrough history.Along the way, you willsee a few random appearances of today; forthe most part though, thetrip is through the countryside and farmlands thathave remained virtuallyunchanged since the linewas originally laid in the1880s.“The journey into theCurriers Depot is quite enjoyable, as there is no ridelike that behind a steamengine. Once at the depot, the locomotive uncouples from the train, andmoves onto a siding, andstops, where you are freeto look at the engine, takepictures, and talk with thecrew as they prepare #18for her return journey. Asthe engine begins to moveonce more, moving tenderfirst, the engineer blowsthe whistle for the crossing. The Conductor throwsthe switch, and the enginemoves forward once moreto couple up with the endof the train.“Watch as the crew couples up the engine, andthen runs the brake test.With three sharp reportson the whistle, the engine slowly backs up, forthe return trip to Arcade.Whistling once again forthe crossing, the enginepicks up speed, and before you know it, you areonce again ‘buried’ in nature. This time, ride on theopen gondola, which isnow directly in front of theengine. As the train climbsthe hill, coming out of Curriers, listen to the enchant-ing sounds of the exhauststeam, as the engine chugson. Finally, arriving backin Arcade, watch as theyuncouple the engine fromthe train.“Through out the year,we offer special excursions, some powered byour steamer, othersby ourvintage World War Twoera diesel engine. Ourregular excursions run every weekend from Memorial Day Weekend until thelast full weekend of September. The month of October is Fall Foliage monthand we will be operatingon an extended schedulewhich includes Fridaysand 2 trains each day onthe weekends.“Our passenger excursions are powered by oneof our two World War IIera diesel-electric locomotives,which are also usedweekly in our freight operations. Both engines werebuilt by General Electric attheir locomotive facility inErie, PA. The 44-ton centercab No111 was built in1947 and delivered newto the Arcade & Attica Railroad.“No112 was built in1945 and delivered to theUnited States Navy. TheA&A purchased the enginefrom the City of ColoradoSprings Railroad in 1988to supplement the ailingengine No111.”The railroad is locatedat 278 Main St., Arcade,and can be reached at arcadeandatticarr@ yahoo.com or (585) 492-3100A r ca de & A ttica R a ilr o a d278 Main Street, Arcade, NY2017 S pe cia lE ve n tsOctober - Friday 1:00Saturday and Sunday 11:00 & 2:00November/December North Pole Express - See dates and timeson our websiteHALLOWEEN HAUNTED EXPRESSOctober 28th & 29th 11:00 & 2:00Ride in costume the weekend beforeHalloween to the Haunted CurriersDepot. Fun for all ages!GREAT TRAIN ROBBERYSeptember 23 & 24 1:00 departureRide back in time to the Wild West andKeep a weathered eye on the horizonfor greedy outlaws!WINE TASTERS / ALE ON THE RAILSteam Engine Train Rides May thru October October 7th & 14th Departs 5:00Great sampling of wines served withdelicious snacks along the way.Adults only! Reservations required.FALL FOLIAGE - October weekends!Come see the most beautiful hills in WNYOrder Tickets online at www.aarailroad.com or call 585-492-3100

September 2017 l GO WYOMING6Seeking a better YOU?Leadership – everythingrises and falls on Leadership. A quote from JohnMaxwell. BUT how trueis that statement.Stopfor a moment and thinkof the leaders in your life,the people who have influenced you and shapedyou. What made them different and what drove themto the position of “Leader”.Over the past three years,I have been enrolled in theJohn Maxwell Team approach to leadership andbecame certified to sharehis teachings. Along withJohn, I am working witha faculty of educatorswho are second to none.Sharing real experiences, with real people, withreal struggles. We arefinding, many people whoare successful, feel a voidof “real” fulfillment in theirlives.Personal growthand development are paramount to any line of workyou are in or in the people you invest your time,in your place of businessor who you entrust to helpyou build your business.Being on both sides of the585-237-2124career path, from employee to employer, I know thestruggles to fulfillment arereal, yet – curable, onlyif you are willing to investin both yourself and yourstaff. The generations thatare in the work place arevastly different and approach work in differentways which can lead tofrustration. My vision for3165 Route 246 PO Box 106 Perry, NY 14530the workplace of tomorrow is to seek personalgrowth today, understandthe generations and howthey work, process andmove forward. Availability to grow does exist but itstarts from within, not fromthe outside. The process ofobtaining an ear of corn(or fruit) is this - A seed isplanted, explodes from theinside to start a seeding,with nourishment, continues to grow into a stalk,which leads to the formation of an ear of corn. Ifjust one seed of corn cando that, then multiply itwith rows of seeds – imagine what one could do withpersonal growth! Theseare my favorite offerings The 15 Laws of InvaluableGrowth, Everyone Communicates but few Connect and the newest tool inmy box – The LeadershipGame! Contact me todayso we can take steps to abetter way of “Living YourUnlimited Potential” – YUPyou can!Submitted by:Sandra L PirdyLiving Your lpirdy.com

September 2017 l GO WYOMINGA Chocolate-CoveredDream of a TripThirty-year-oldBrandiWalters of Perry recentlyembarked on her first-ever overnight trip – and theexperience couldn’t havebeen sweeter.“Everywhere you went,there was chocolate,” shesays. “You could smell it inthe streets.”Brandi is among 26 menand women with disabilities who went with The ArcofLivingston-WyomingRecreationDepartmentthis June on a two-day tripto the sweetest place onEarth: Hershey, Pa. Thetrip was funded almost entirely through a 15,000grant from NYSARC TrustServices, a branch of TheArc’s parent organization,NYSARC, Inc.“For a lot of our participants, this is their firstmajor trip, and sometimestheir first time outside ofthe county,” said Arc Recreation staff member GaryBuchanan. “It gives themperspective. It shows thatnot everything revolvesaround their hometown.They’re dealing with muchlarger groups of people,too. We learn a lot aboutsafety and interacting withall different kinds of people.”For Brandi, it was a delicious diversion from herdaily routine as part of7BrendaandGaryplanned the event from theground up, with travel consultants at Covered WagonTours and guidance from aRecreation Committee thatconsists mainly of individuals served by The Arc. ArcRecreation supports people with intellectual andother disabilities through acalendar of diverse outingssuch as bowling, danceclass, horseback riding,scrapbooking,sportingevents, shopping, and tripsto local restaurants.The Pennsylvania excursion was the third majortrip in as many years thatwas funded through NYSARC Trust Services. Plansfor 2018 are already inthe works.Holly Hillyard and Gary Buchanan, of The Arcof Livingston-Wyoming Recreation program,prepare to create their custom candy bars at Hersheypark in Pennsylvania.The Arc’s Hilltop Cleaning Services team. Whilein Pennsylvania, Brandiand company visited theHersheypark amusementpark and Chocolate Worldmegastore, experienced atrolley ride, toured the LittleLeague Museum in SouthWilliamsport,shopped,and dined at the FirehouseRestaurant in Harrisburg.In one highlight, eachparticipant was able toselect the ingredients anddesign the wrapper for acustom Hershey candy barthat was created beforetheir eyes.“My candy bar was pretty much all chocolate,”said Arc Recreation’s Brenda Taber, with a laugh.“It was dark chocolate,with dark chocolate chips,dark cookie crumbles, andnuts.”We carry gravel, stone, sand andcrushed stone to meet your needs.585-567-2100 7785 Route 19, Pike

September 2017 l GO WYOMING82017 National Manufacturing DayAs October approaches, it is important torecognize and highlightthe contributions thatmanufacturing is makingevery day to the economy of Wyoming County.This year, on October5, 2017, we will celebratemanufacturingday which is a nationwidegrassroots movement dedicated to overcoming theshared challenges facingmanufacturers today.Wyoming County iscommonly known as aleader in the agriculturalindustry, but it is not wellknown that manufacturing is one of the county’stop business sectors. Thecounty is home to approximately 50 unique manufacturers making productsthat range from automaticgirth welders used on oilstorage tanks around theworld, products used inthe automotive industry,to baked goods foundon Jet Blue airplanes.In fact, manufacturinghas experienced unprecedented growth in Wyoming in metals-basedmanufacturing jobs since2010. This increase isdue to our workforce,low energy and operational costs, and easy accessto 50% of North America’spopulation.Accordingto DataUSA manufacturing jobs represent nearly15% of the workforce inWyoming County. OurmanufacturersemployServing Genesee, Wyoming, & Livingston CountiesPlumbing Heating Air ConditioningResidential Commercial AgriculturalShane Hardingshane@hardingplumbing.com34 North Main St., Perrywww.hardingplumbing.comMember of the Wyoming County Chamberover 1,500 workers, 40%above the national average, and those workerson average earn 56,516per year.However, one of themost pressing issues facing manufacturers todayis finding skilled labor:600,000 manufacturingjobs are currently unfilledin the United States dueto a gap between the jobrequirements and the skillsof those who are applyingfor them.Manufacturers’ ability toaddress this gap has beenhindered by the public perception that careers in manufacturing are undesirableand by insufficient preparatory education. Both ofthese problems stem froma lack of understanding ofpresent-day manufacturingenvironments, which arehighly technical. Manufacturing today includeshighly trained, well-paidemployees who work onstate-of-the-art equipment,although the perceptionpersists that they are commonly thought of as antiquated factories designedfor low-skilled workers.This change in public perception is the first step inaddressing one of themain challenges faced bymanufacturers today-a gapin skilled labor.“We are very pleasedand fortunate to have asolid manufacturing baseright here in the county,”said Scott Gardner, President of the WyomingCounty Chamber & Tourism office. “We recognizethe economic contributions Carpets Upholstery Water Damage Tile VCT and Ceramic Pet odor/stain removal(585) 228-1090

September 2017 l GO WYOMINGthese companies are making every day, and theircommitment to the workforce of Wyoming County.We also recognize thatthese companies also needa skilled labor force andenvironment that is friendlyto business.”One of the main reasons motivating Manufacturing Day is to introducestudents to the potentialof manufacturing careers.The event is a chance tospark student interest inmanufacturing that couldlead to further studies, anew generation of skilledworkers, and an eventualclosing of the skills gap.Giving students early exposure to manufacturingcareers is critically important to ensuring a long-termtalent pipeline. Over 64%of students in career andtechnical education (CTE)programs say that theirown interests and personal experiences are thegreatest influencing theiron their future career decisions.According to Allison Armour-Garb from the PublicPolicy Institute of New YorkState, “Across the state,New York employers responding to a recent Public Policy Institute surveyreported difficulty fillingSTEM positions, and theyproject that these workforce shortages will persistover the coming decade.”New York’s employersdo not expect the skillsgap to go away anytimesoon. When asked whether they anticipated new orcontinuing skills shortagesover the next five to tenyears, survey respondentsidentified several areasfor concern. Skilled production is the categoryin which they anticipatethe most severe ongoingshortage. Bruce Hamm,Director of Business Engagement at the Manufacturers Association of Cen-tral New York, points outthat this is consistent withnational data. “The average age of a skilled worker in manufacturing nationally is 56 years old,” hesays. Taking into accountboth retirements and expansion in the manufacturing sector, a 2015 studyprojects a shortage of 2million workers between2015 and 2025.Employers responding tothe Public Policy Institutesurvey also predict severeshortages in engineeringand information technology occupations. They anticipate a more moderateshortage in mathematicsoccupations.Perhapsunsurprisingly, these arethe same top four workforce categories in whichemployers reported thehighest difficulty fillingjobs currently. Employersare more optimistic aboutsuch occupations as socialscience and architecture.The survey the hardestjobs to fill are skilled production vacancies, according to this study. Onequarter of survey respondents reported moderateor high difficulty fillingpositions in this category,and 12% reported highdifficulty. Engineering isa close second, with 20%of respondents reportingmoderate or high difficultyfilling positions. Fourteenpercent of respondents reported moderate or highdifficulty filling informationtechnology positions, and10% reported moderateor high difficulty filling positions in mathematics occupations. In all of theseSTEM categories, respondents were almost equallysplit between “high” and“moderate” difficulty. Atleast a handful of employers noted difficulty fillingpositions in each of theother listed STEM categories—environmentalscience, social science, archi-9tecture, and health—andseveral wrote in additionalcategories in which theywere having trouble fillingjobs, including telecommunications, machine operators, and technicians.STEM positions comprisefour of the top five categories of positions that NewYork employers are findingmost difficult to fill. Seventeen percent of employersreported moderate or highdifficulty filling non-STEMpositions, with the bulk ofthose saying that they had“moderate” difficulty fillingnon-STEM positions.To bring more awareness to the issue this year,in cooperation with theWyoming County IDA andBusiness Education Council, the Wyoming CountyChamber is inviting area9th and 10th graders tovisit three local manufacturing businesses, MortonSalt, Advanced RubberProducts, and the Marquart Company. Each business is unique in the typesof jobs and manufacturingprocesses that take placeand will offer students anup-close look at potentialjob opportunities.“It’s a constant pleasureto visit and work with manyof our manufacturers andit’s always a treat for me tosee first-hand the productsthat are made here andwitness the pride the workforce takes in their workand the satisfaction theyrealize knowing their quality products are being soldthroughout the world,” saidExecutive Director of theWyoming County Industrial Development AgencyJames Pierce. “The general public drives by thesebusinesses everyday butdoes not have a notion ofwhat amazing things aregoing on behind the walls.That is why manufacturingday was created, to raisethe awareness an

State Park, which was vot-ed the No. 1 state park in the United States.The Middle Falls, which is the tallest of the three major waterfalls within the park, is located steps from the Glen Iris Inn and is illumi-nated each evening. The Glen Iris Inn, formerly the home of Will