1800 CARDS
With generous community support, the Rotary Club of Westfield-Mayville collected and signed over 1,800 greeting cards to help area veterans and others have brighter holidays. The Christmas cards are currently being distributed to long term care patients in the five Western NY Veterans Administration Medical Centers of Batavia, Bath, Buffalo, Canandaigua, and Syracuse, as well as the VA Medical Center in Erie, PA.Others who will receive holiday cards include Meals On Wheels recipients in both the north and south of Chautauqua County, patients of the Chautauqua County Office of the Aging, and the residents of the WCA Home. Westfield-Mayville Rotarian Sheila Chapman coordinated the cards collection and signing. She said, “The volunteer service office representatives in each of the facilities will handle the distribution of the cards to the recipients. Each was extremely excited upon hearing that their facility or agency would be receiving the cards for the veterans and others. They asked us to convey their heartfelt thanks to all who contributed to our project.”
Many area individuals, groups and Rotarians donated bags and boxes of high-quality holiday greeting cards. Collection sites were at the Patterson Library in Westfield and the Ahira Hall Memorial Library in Brocton. Over 5,000 greeting cards were donated. Cards not used this year will be saved for future use for the same purpose of brightening the holidays of long-term patients in Veterans Administration facilities and those of other agencies.
This year, two card signing sessions were coordinated by the Westfield-Mayville Rotary Club at two libraries, one on Nov. 25 at the Patterson Library in Westfield, and the second session on Dec. 2 at the Ahira Hall Memorial Library in Brocton. In addition, 17 high school students of the Chautauqua Lake Central School Interact Club held a gathering in which they signed 320 cards. Rotarians and other kind-hearted individuals signed hundreds of cards on their own.
The Rotary Club of Westfield-Mayville extends its gratitude to all those who offered their overwhelming, kind support of this project. Special thanks are given to the following: Thomas Vitale, Patterson Library Director; Merrie Hanmann, Ahira Hall Memorial Library Assistant Director; Doris Godfrey and the Chautauqua Lake Central School Interact Club; Trinity Lutheran Church of Silver Creek; Michelle Cantrell and her mother of Warren, PA; Lori Harlow of Tidioute, PA; and the countless anonymous card donors and signers who helped to make this project a great success.
FEATURED PRESENTER
On his first official day as NYS Senator for Senate District 57, Senator George Borrello was the featured program presenter during the Rotary Club of Westfield-Mayville’s Nov. 26 “Rural-Urban Day,” which was held at the Lakeshore Assembly of God Church in Westfield. Mr. Borrello’s program outlined the Empire State Brands (ESB) project from its concept through its marketing strategy.
Invited guests to this special Rotary program included 38 high school students and school representatives from the four school districts of Brocton, Chautauqua Lake, Sherman, and Westfield Academy and Central School. Rotarians and community members were also in attendance. Westfield-Mayville Rotary Club President John Hamels welcomed all to the session.
This Rotary club’s annual event titled “Rural-Urban Day” was started in the early 1970’s by Rotarians Steve and Helen Baran. They established the Westfield-Mayville Rotary Club’s tradition of inviting local agribusiness people, farmers, processors and anyone associated with agriculture to attend an annual, special program to learn more about agriculture and its economic impact in our county.
Mr. Borrello was born and raised in Silver Creek. He graduated from Fredonia High School and Purdue University. He is a businessman and a politician. Mr. Borrello served four terms as a Chautauqua County Legislator, and in 2017, he was elected as County Executive. In the 2019 general election, Mr. Borrello was elected as the NYS Senator for District 57. He and his wife Kelly reside in Sunset Bay.
“The overall concept of the ESB initiative is to have Chautauqua County serve as a centralized hub for the processing and distribution of quality hops, malt and specialty grains serving the craft beverage, bakeries and functional food sectors,” stated Mr. Borrello. Key points of his program included innovation, process flow, operational plan, impact on farmers, phased ag-products introduction, and marketing. Mr. Borrello said, “The concept for this project started a couple of years ago when then NYS Senator Cathy Young and I were touring the Cornell facility in Portland. We learned that in the pre-Civil War era, NYS was the top producer of hops in our country. Now almost 95% of the hops supply is grown in Washington State, yet most of the consumers of hops are on the East Coast. Hops and other grains can be successfully grown here. Why not grow quality hops and grains here, and harvest, process, store, and ship them from here?”
He continued, “Right now we have the Grape Growers Cooperative, and we can establish a cooperative effort with the hops and other grains. We have experts in growing hops now. We have farmers with the acreage and years of experience. Plus, we have support from the Cornell Cooperative Extension. After a $120, 000 feasibility study was conducted in August of 2019, the ESB was officially started by Chris LaCorata. We put in a consolidated funding application to NYS, and ESB was chosen to be funded to the tune of $3.2 million.” Mr. Borrello noted that ESB will combine three industries and service four markets under one integrated supplier using a vertical integration model. Also, he stated,
“U.S. big grain producers utilize a 17-step process that may include up to 5 middlemen, and the grain is transported five separate times from its harvest to its end-markets. With ESB, we have reduced the process flow to 12 steps, which is a 30% reduction in steps from the planting and growing of hops and other grains through to the packaging and transportation to the customers. We will utilize an integrated platform, instead of fragmented chains, which will help to reduce costs and waste, and will build scale and a substantial supply base for the Eastern U.S. ESB will be the first of its kind in our nation.”
In terms of the operational plan, Mr. Borrello stated that “Chautauqua County will serve as a centralized operations hub. Up to 4,200 acres are needed from farmers for the growing of hops, grains, and barley. Our key focus is on Chautauqua County, and then we will expand out into neighboring counties.” Mr. Borrello said that ESB is looking at vacant commercial space in Chautauqua County to serve as one sizeable facility site. The outbound distribution will go to key markets in Buffalo, Erie, Pittsburgh, Cleveland and all of NYS, including NY City, all within a day’s reach.
He noted, “Believe it or not, we here in Chautauqua County are about one day’s drive of 25% of the U.S. population. Since the biggest buyer of American grown hops is Canada, our county has a geographical advantage. Quebec and Ontario are key Canadian export markets.”
On the topic of the impact on farmers, Mr. Borrello discussed growing contracts, crop diversification, deferred farm costs, and growing / harvesting support. He said, “With the right training, our farmers can do this. Some already are doing this. There will be efficiency with scale. ESB will offer training modules and best practices sessions on the 23-step process in hops production.” He noted that ESB plans to use three phases for its wholesale and retail growth of its NYS products. Phase 1 includes the wholesale ingredients; Phase 2 is its e-commerce platform, such as for the home beverage brewing market; and Phase 3 is functional foods.
“This is not just about beer. It’s about a truly diverse market,” Mr. Borrello stated. “ESB will market and brand the company and its product, while having partners with the growers. Right now, our dairy farmers are really struggling. The cost of doing business as a farmer in NYS is more than double than in PA. We need to diversify our products. If farmers grow grains for livestock now, with the right training they can grow grains like hops and barley.”
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The ESB initiative states that its major goal to be achieved by 2025 is to have “Chautauqua County and Western NY be considered as a world class growing community and East Coast supplier of hops and grains all over the world.” Mr. Borrello said, “Agriculture is the number one industry in Chautauqua County. How do we continue that for our children and future generations? We don’t want to compete with the Midwest and Anheuser-Busch. We want to work with craft brewers.”
To the high school teens in the audience, Mr. Borrello said, “You young adults here are the future of growth in Chautauqua County. We hope that you stay here after you graduate from high school.” After answering some questions from those who were present, Mr. Borrello concluded his program by saying, “This is a great place to live. I love our area. The Empire State Brands project is about creating sustainability so that you, your children and your grandchildren can stay here and enjoy our area. This is a new day.”
On behalf of the Rotary Club of Westfield-Mayville, President John Hamels presented Mr. Borrello with a small gift of appreciation and also a club trading banner. The Westfield-Mayville Rotary Club applauds NYS Senator George Borrello and those involved with the ESB project as they launch this industry in Chautauqua County. For more information about ESB, please contact Chris LaCorata at clacorata@gmail.com.