1. DemocratandChronicle.com Tuesday, February 12, 2013 Page 5B
Len LaCara Business Editor (585) 258-2416
llacara@democratandchronicle.com
Len LaCara
Google views
invading the workplace
The Rochester Business Alliance
and photographer Jim Hilker have
teamed up to offer local businesses a
Google Maps Street View Indoors — a
detailed, inside view of firms, from
the front door to the rear.
Google’s photographers start out-
side the front entrance of a business
and move indoors, capturing a series
of 360-degree, high-resolution images.
The tour is then available via a Google
search. The technology works on lap-
tops, smartphones and tablets.
The RBA program is available to
members and non-members. There is
a one-time publishing fee, depending
upon the extent of the photo shoot.
Rochester-area businesses already
participating in Street View Indoors
include The Inn on Broadway, Tapas
177, Fox Run Vineyards, and the Dis-
tillery in Victor.
For examples and information, go
to rochesterbusinessalliance.com.
Businesses lobby in Albany
to end state’s scaffold law
Rochester-area businesses are
among those gathering Tuesday in
Albany to urge reform of the so-called
scaffold law, which companies say
penalizes them unfairly.
Among those attending will be
Brian Sampson, head of the local Un-
shackle Upstate coalition, which seeks
to remove governmental impediments
to upstate growth.
The Rochester contingent will join
many other businesses from around
New York to lobby Gov. Andrew Cuo-
mo and lawmakers.
The scaffold law holds building
owners and contractors “absolutely
liable’’ for many construction injuries
even though the facts indicate others
are at fault.
Assembly Majority Leader Joseph
Morelle of Irondequoit and Sen. Pat-
rick Gallivan are sponsoring biparti-
san legislation to reform the near-
century-old law.
At a Glance
DOW
13,971.24
-21.73
2
S&P 500
1,517.01
-0.92
2
NASDAQ
3,192.00
-1.87
2
Stocks of local interest, 6B
Market Watch
Though official results remain
weeks away, GateHouse Media Inc.
tentatively expects that its fourth-
quarter revenues for fiscal year 2012
will be down from the same quarter a
year earlier but its digital business up
strongly.
GateHouse put out preliminary
fourth-quarter results on Monday. Its
official results will be announced
March 7.
GateHouse said it expects to show
revenues of $125.6 million, which
would mark a 6 percent decline on a
same-store basis. At the same time,
the company said that while its print
advertising business continues to
suffer, its digital revenues in the
fourth quarter looks to be up about 22
percent. That revenue drop would be
a particularly bad one for GateHouse,
though the company says it’s been hit
by the small business economy and by
changes in the foreclosure process in
Massachusetts that have resulted in
fewer classified ads.
GateHouse put out the warning
after the market’s close Monday. Ga-
teHouse shares closed the day at 6
cents, down a fraction of a penny.
— Matthew Daneman, staff writer
Local stock highlight
News Tips
Call (585) 258-2416 or (800) 767-7539 from
outside Monroe County.
1 T-note, 10-year yield, 1.96%, up 0.01.
1 Euro vs. dollar, up 0.0023 to $1.3386.
2 Gold, down $17.80 to $1648.20.
1 Oil, light, sweet crude for March delivery, up $1.28
to $97.00.
Key Indicators
Spot nonferrous metal prices Monday.
Metal Price Exchg.
Aluminum $0.9373/lb. London
Copper $3.7180/lb. N.Y. Merc.
Silver $30.895/troy oz. N.Y. Merc.
Platinum $1696.10/troy oz. N.Y. Merc.
Metals
Dreaming of leaving a full-time job
and launching your own business?
While being an entrepreneur can be
very rewarding, it’s sometimes hard to
decide when the time is right to take
that leap. (Hint: It’s NOT when you’ve
had a stressful day and would love to
tell your boss to take a hike.)
There are a few crucial things you
need to have in place before you make
a break from your corporate cubicle:
» A business plan: A business plan
doesn’t have to be daunting. It will
assure you’ve done your due diligence:
evaluating strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities and threats that will face
your new venture. There are good
online guides for creating a business
plan, or you can take a seminar from
SCORE.
» Health care:
Catastrophic medical
expenses can ruin
everything. Don’t
leave your day job
until you’ve got this
figured out.
» Savings: You’ll
need a savings cush-
ion of at least one
year’s living (not
business) expenses. Your entrepre-
neurial efforts will hopefully be suc-
cessful, but it will take time. There will
be lots of start-up expenses and you
will want to re-invest profits in build-
ing the business.
» Exit strategy: What if things
don’t go the way you plan? Create a
backup plan by clearly defining when
and how you’ll know it’s time to call it
quits.
Be sure to carefully think through
other important differences that be-
coming an entrepreneur will entail. No
paid holidays. No vacations. No group
of colleagues bouncing ideas off or
socializing. There’s also the need for
ready cash to make estimated tax pay-
ments (and meet payroll, if you have
employees).
Once you have these pieces in place,
make a graceful departure from your
current employer (no sense burning
bridges — remember Plan B) and en-
joy the exhilarating challenges of be-
ing your own boss and following your
passion.
Kathleen Moore (kathleen.moore@
castleview3d.com) is owner and chief
artist at CastleView3D.com, the archi-
tectural rendering and home visu-
alization company she started in 2007.
WOMEN AT WORK
When to take your entrepreneurial leap
Kathleen Moore
Kathleen Moore
U.S.Sen.KirstenGillibrandseesafu-
ture for advanced manufacturing in
Rochesterandrecentlyintroducedabill
thatwouldaidhigh-techmanufacturers.
The “Made in America Manufactur-
ing Act” would be a federal program in
whichstatesandregionalpublic-private
partnerships could compete for funding
to aid high-tech manufacturing.
Winning states and regions could use
up to $20 million to provide low-interest
loans to companies to build new facili-
ties and upgrade equipment. Funds
could also be used for job training, and
to connect small suppliers with larger
companies. The program would also
support capital and technical assistance
for boosting a company’s exports.
“One of the biggest challenges our
workersandidentify-
ing areas for growth
are some of the big-
gest challenges em-
ployers in the region
face.
“This act is going
to hit on the sweet
spot of all those
needs,” he said.
The bill will aid in job creation, said
Ed Patton, director of business develop-
ment at Rochester Precision Optics, in a
news release.
The act “will provide much needed
support, ensuring our region’s work-
force training programs continue, ac-
celerating job creation and giving rec-
ognition to the real jewel of technology
located here in the Rochester area.”
Manufacturing in America has also
been a key issue for U.S. Rep. Louise
Slaughter, D-Fairport.
manufacturers face around the state
and around the country is access to cap-
ital,” Gillibrand said.
Gillibrand announced details of the
bill at Rochester Precision Optics in
Henrietta Monday.
“Here at Rochester Precision Optics,
they manufacture some of the most
critical thermal imaging and night vi-
sion applications for our military,” Gil-
librand said at a press conference.
“Their technology is central to many
sectors, including health, medical
fields, transportation, security, and de-
spite their tremendous success RPO
continues to need upgraded equipment
to stay at the cutting edge of their indus-
try.”
James Senall, president of High Tech
Rochester, a nonprofit dedicated to
bringing jobs to the region, said finding
capital for investments, finding skilled
Gillibrand bill would aid
high-tech manufacturers
See GILLIBRAND, Page 6B
Kirsten Gillibrand
Senator seeking sponsors for measure
Jessica Alaimo
Staff writer
The 2013 Rochester Regional Busi-
ness Plan Contest received 50 percent
more entries than last year, and the
second-highest number ever.
Six of the 46 companies that entered
this year are repeat competitors. Last
yeartherewere30.Therecordwas50in
2005.
At the end of a two-month process,
five companies will be selected to make
publicpresentationstoapanelofjudges
and compete for the prizes.
The contest is a collaborative initia-
tive involving High Tech Rochester
Inc., Digital Rochester, The Entrepre-
neurs Network, Excell Partners, Great-
er Rochester Enterprise, Rochester In-
stitute of Technology, Nazareth College
School of Management and the Univer-
sity of Rochester Simon Graduate
School of Business.
Workshops for participants began on
Wednesday. The presentations by the
five finalists will be made on April 18
andwinnerswillbeannouncedatthean-
nual Celebration of Entrepreneurship
luncheon the same day.
Among the industries represented
by this year’s contestants are: IT ser-
vices and software, telecommunica-
tions, clean technology, biotechnology,
marketing and advertising, education,
medical devices, nanotechnology, and
media and entertainment.
The winner will get a $25,000 cash
prize and a variety of marketing and
business incubator services. The con-
test ran in 1997 and 1998 and then annu-
ally since 2005.
BLOUDON@DemocratandChronicle.com
Twitter.com/BennettLoudon
46 enter $25,000 contest
Initiative will award
best business plan
Bennett J. Loudon
Staff writer
PepsiCo announced a new drink called Kickstart, made with juice and Vitamins B and C,
along with an extra jolt of caffeine. Read more on PAGE 6B. AP
‘Kickstart’ the day
Wells Fargo & Co., which for
years has provided mortgage and fi-
nancial advisory services in the
Rochester area, now is getting into
the local commercial lending mar-
ket.
The Commercial Banking office
is located in the existing Wells Fargo
Advisors offices in Brighton.
And the expansion comes as Cali-
fornia-based Wells Fargo has been
looking to expand its presence
across upstate New York, said Rich-
ard Ferrari, a Wells Fargo senior
vice president overseeing the Roch-
ester commercial banking office.
“Wells is very much in an expan-
sion mode nationwide,” Ferrari said.
“(Commercial banking) is a growth
area, it’s one of Wells’ leading busi-
nesses and it’s a good business to
moveintoinamarketwherewehave
some presence but don’t have a lot of
brick and mortar yet.”
And the Rochester market lends
itself well to the commercial bank-
ing business, Ferrari said. “Roches-
ter has a lot of manufacturing, and
manufacturing is a great industry
for commercial banking.”
Ferrari said the bank’s lending fo-
cus will be on middle market compa-
nies — typically businesses between
$10 million and $1 billion in value.
“That’swhereallthegrowthinRoch-
ester’s been,” he said.
Although new to banking in the
Rochester region, Wells Fargo is a
sizable financial player elsewhere in
the Empire State. According to the
most recent Federal Deposit
Wells
Fargo
has plans
Will add commercial
lending to services
in Rochester market
Matthew Daneman
Staff writer
See WELLS, Page 6B