Stephen Feehan

Stephen P. Feehan

Say What You Mean and Mean What You Say

In early October, Stephen and I sat down for a few hours in his office in Binghamton, New York. Interestingly, I had never spoken to Stephen before in my life before meeting him for our VIP Conversation. A mutual friend and one of Stephen’s new team members, Matt Wallen, set up the interaction and it was truly an enjoyable experience. Stephen is a dynamic business leader with a successful financial and insurance advisory business through the Northwestern Mutual Financial Network. His tremendous work ethic, personal value system, sound business background and excellent team have helped him and his Associate, Stephen Guinan, meet the needs of clients all over the Southern Tier. - JWN

JWN: Now, I know you grew up in this area (Binghamton) correct…

SF: I grew up in Deposit. That’s where I went to high school. I’m one of those redneck lumberjacks. (Laughs) Then I went to SUNY Albany. After that I came back and worked for my family’s telephone company, the Deposit Telephone Company.

I came back to work there for ten years. It started with my great-grandfather back at the turn of the century. I was fortunate enough to get into it. We sold the company in 1996 and then I worked for the acquiring company for two years and decided I’m better at giving orders than taking orders.

I didn’t like having the same physical space but not the same organizational space. So, I decided to get out.

JWN: Who acquired the Deposit Telephone Company?

SF: TDS Telecom out of Chicago. And that’s what they do. They go around buying small, regional, typically family-owned telephone companies. Then they roll them all up into a big account. So, I left there quite literally without a plan of where to go.

It is kind of funny because people would always say, “Oh, you’ve got a plan.” But, I really didn’t. I just knew I didn’t want to be there anymore. My whole life plan was to run that company. In fact, if you looked at my high school yearbook you would see my quote for future plans, “Run the family telephone company.” I had wanted to do that since I was about twelve years old. At the age of 31, in 1996, I decided that wasn’t what I wanted to do anymore.

I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but I knew what I didn’t want to do. So, I quit. Financially, I had the ability to do that and not worry about where my next paycheck was coming from. I looked at a couple of different opportunities. There were a few folks I had talked to about running their telephone companies.

I was on the board of the hospital here, United Health Services. Of course, I was fairly young, so the CEO said, “Why don’t you come here?” I said, “Why?”

Then, Steve Guinan, my current partner, talked to me about what he did. We were clients of his at the telephone company, so he and I had interacted for many years. He said, “I think you might be good at this.” I liked the idea of staying here locally. It is a great place to raise a family, so I really didn’t want to leave. I enjoyed being on the Board of the hospital, so I didn’t want to give that up. And, I did think this had some sort of appeal to me. I thought I might be really good at it. So, this is what I decided to do. That was almost ten years ago now.

JWN: Now, when did you get your MBA?

SF: When I came back to work for the telephone company I decided to get my MBA at Binghamton University at night. It was interesting because I remember a good friend of mine from college had asked me, “What are you doing that for?” This was right after I started taking classes, but I remember thinking, “You never know.” In retrospect, obviously I’m glad I did it because “you never know” turned out to be right.

It was a bit of a differentiator for me and it was a great experience. I think that was an advantage for me; going through it while doing work that is. I could apply what I was learning in the classroom at work, so I had my own little lab.

Here is the thing, when you get your graduate degree it is a lot more practical then theoretical. To me, it’s almost like they make you go through four years to see if you can get far enough to get what you will really use.

After conversation about the experience I have had with Notable and Newsworthy we started talking about creating access to people…

SF: As a student you can get access to people to have this kind of interaction, but I have personal experience that you can do that as a human being. If you ask someone for help; i.e. share with me your ideas, your ways of being, your ways of doing things. As a human being you can do that as long as you carry yourself in a way that makes people want to be generous with you.

A few years back I was having some difficulties. I felt like I hit a bit of a blocking point and there were some things I was questioning. I called three guys. One of them employed 5,000 people. Matt, the largest employer in the county, Darryl, Chairman and CEO of M & T Bank, and Tom Kelly, who is Vice President of External Affairs at SUNY Binghamton. I asked all three of them, “I need your help. I have some questions prepared that I would like to ask you. I want to see how you do things.”

I sat down with Darryl for a couple of hours and I sat down with Tom and Matt for a couple of hours. So, here is a 38 year old man asking for help and these three guys took a serious amount of time and shared a lot of things that have been very helpful. What you’re offering up for students is definitely available, but I think it works across the board.

JWN: That’s awesome. What did you study at Albany?

SF: Economics

JWN: What was your focus in your MBA?

SF: Didn’t have one. It was a general MBA. I was running a company at the time so it made sense for me to stay general. Strategic Management was one of my favorite courses. In fact, that was one of those courses where I remember literally taking what I was learning and applying it to a major deal I was doing at the time. Then I would go back about two nights later and say, “This is how you do this right? It’s kind of a big deal if I get this wrong.”

What’s neat is here it is 17 years later and my professor still remembers that.

JWN: What has your experience been here relative to running the telephone company before? They are obviously two very different industries.

SF: Well, it’s funny because I think the business I was in before prepared me well for this business. I had always been in a business where it had been about planning for the future. If you think about a public utility which is what a telephone company is, you have to be there when people need you; during the ice storm, the hurricanes, the emergencies, whatever. So, you have to plan to things that will happen to your network.

It is also a long term focus. When you put a pole in the ground it is typically going to be there for thirty years. When you put a mile of copper up in the air, it is typically going to be there for twenty years. If you put fiber up, you are looking at a long term job. It is not about next month or next year. There are poles that have been in the ground since 1940 that we’re still using.

A lot of what I did was the planning and creating the systems behind the scenes that kept that stuff in the air. There was a lot of doing, “What ifs…” What if we come in tomorrow and 30% of our poles are lying on the ground? What is our plan to get them back up?

I remember having meetings with New York State Electric and Gas because we worked together on all of our infrastructure work. I posed them the question, “How are we doing this?” I said, “Right now we do it one pole at a time, what if we have to put up 2,000?”

JWN: Did that happen?

SF: It did. Frankly, it did not happen in our territory specifically, but literally within six months of having that conversation the ice storm happened. I’ll never forget it because when they left, my outside plant supervisor said, “What do you just sit up in your office and think up shit like this?” I said, “Yeah, that is kind of part of my job.”

Six months later the North Country of New York had 60 – 75% of the poles on the ground. We learned a lot because we sent a lot of guys up there. It was not fun stuff, but it was good to learn on someone else’s dime. It was a bit prophetic but the good news was somebody else was living it, not us.

That kind of thinking comes in handy when I prepare the insurance or the risk based plan for people. What if you die too soon or too late? It is about getting my clients and myself into the moment and thinking, this literally could happen this afternoon.

Most people are like, “Why are you talking about this stuff?” But, it has to be thought about. If we wait until it happens then it is too late. The things we need to do are things that don’t seem like they need to be done right now. We need to be thinking about, planning for, and implementing procedures so that those things are taken care of before they ever happen. That makes the risk based planning that we do the hardest thing because it is kind of abstract and seems unbelievable. Yet, that is exactly what we have to do. We need to motivate people to fix that.

I need to get them to imagine a pain that they hope never happens and get them to do something about it. You’ve got to bring a certain belief to the table that that needs to be done. Again, I think my previous history helped prepare me for that. I saw the results of good and bad plans.

As well, the operations experience helped. This is a relationship business. No question about it. And, it is an emotionally driven business. However, it is full of transactions. There are a series of transactions that go into every relationship. How good are we at managing those transactions?

Again, back to my old business, we had 8,000 clients so we put out 8,000 bills every month that had to be straightened out. We had to get all the $.20 toll calls to San Francisco from Washington D.C. accurately billed. We had to do that 250,000 to 300,000 times a month. There were a lot of moving parts that we had to get right. We got pretty good at it over there.

It is the same thing here. How are we making sure the loop gets closed? The people that do this business though are not necessarily transaction type people though. They are relationship people. It is a little rarer to find someone with both strengths.

JWN: What are some of your goals?

SF: We would like to grow this business into a more sustainable business where it doesn’t depend day to day on whether or not clients did a particular piece of business with us. There are pieces of our business that are recurring and others that are one-ups. We would like to be in the $4-$5 million range of annual revenue. We are aiming to build the size of the practice and the nature of it.

We believe it is easier to focus on the client if you have primarily a recurring business structure (one through portfolio management), rather than one that pays you in spurts like the premium business.

JWN: Now you have three children whose names start with ‘D.’ Any reason for that?

SF: Nothing magical about that. The first two had a D and we couldn’t let the last one go without one. It didn’t make sense.

JWN: How old are your children?

SF: They are 6, 8, and 10.

JWN: Being a Deposit guy, what attracted you to running for the Board of Education at Windsor Central School?

SF: Well, there are probably three things. The first is I thought I had something to offer. I have been on four or five different pretty significant non-profit boards. So I’ve been in that governance role before. I felt I had something to offer and I wanted to offer it.

And then the other reasons are really two or four however you want to look at it. My three boys are going to come up through this district so I have a vested interest in making it the best place it can be.

The third is Jason Andrews (the current Superintendant at Windsor and VIP). I’ve had some interaction with that guy for different reasons in the past. And, I’ve been hearing about him even before my interactions. My observations are that that is a good guy, he is going places and he can make a difference. But, he needs a board behind him to help him do what he is capable of doing. That guy deserves a good board.

I fashion myself a good board member, so I want to be there to help him and help that school district. In turn it will help my kids, the community, so on and so forth. In a way it is kind of personal to both my kids and to Jason, even though I don’t really know him that well yet. But, he is the kind of guy that is going to get things done and I think I can help.

JWN: What are some of your hobbies?

SF: You know, my fun is spending time with my kids and outdoors; whether it is fishing, hunting, or riding the four wheelers. I did enjoy golfing at one point in time before my kids were around, but now I don’t do it as much.

JWN: Who are a few people you would like to meet?

SF: I hadn’t really thought about that before you asked me in the email. Some people that have been influential to me to date have been my partner Steve Guinan, my dad because of how he acted as a business man and interacted with people in general, and my grandfather. And, of course my mother has been great.

In terms of three people I would like to meet; Jack Welch, Jesus Christ, and the Dalai Lama.

JWN: What are some books that have been helpful?

SF: I did a talk a few years ago and I have a list of about 35 books that I’ve read in the last few years that I felt were good books. A good book I just finished was Crucial Conversations by Kerry Patterson. Another good book is Blink by Malcolm Gladwell. It is amazing how much we know about a situation but we discount it and push it back. This is a good book that talks about making decisions from the gut.

Maybe students coming out of school do this more than I did, but reading books like this more is essential. I’ve got thirty different books that I’ve read which I would quote as “self-help” books, but that title doesn’t do them justice. There is thinking that has been done about particular subject matter that is so far more developed than our own is that you have to read that stuff. I wish I read more books like these when I was in my twenties.

JWN: In closing, what is a bit of information you would like to offer our readership?

SF: Say what you mean and mean what you say. I uphold myself to that principle and it has served me well.

Stephen P. Feehan

MBA, CLU, ChFC, AEP, CFC

Financial Advisor

Northwestern Mutual Financial Network

99 Hawley Street, Suite 200

Binghamton, NY 13901-3917

Phone: 607.231.7300

Email: stephen.feehan@nmfn.com

Website: www.stephenfeehan.com

Letter from the Editor

Life and Times of JWN

Be a Fan It's road trip season for the Geneseo Cross Country fans. Friday we had a solid crew (of 25) which traveled to Van Cortlandt Park in Bronx, New York. Thursday we will be rocking two RVs out to St. Olaf, Minnesota for the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championship where both the men and women's teams will be competing. Thinking about these recent events has me contemplating what it means to be a fan. REFLECTION POINT: Who are you a fan of? It could be a son or daughter's sports team or a professional team. Either way there is something about that energy you get from rooting for "your" team. Personally, I'm a New York Football Giants fan, so the energy wasn't too great this week. (Tough loss to the Cowboys). Nonetheless, I absolutely love that three and a half hours I spend watching the Giant's game on Sunday afternoon. Why do we become fans? 1) A personal connection. You may play for the team or have played for the team in the past. A member of our family might play for the team or may have convinced us to get on board. I became a New York Giants fan because of my brother and now I'm glued to the screen every Sunday. 2) Hometown Heroes. We may have grown up where the particular team calls home. Everybody loves the hometown heroes. Even I'm becoming a Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres fan after having lived in Geneseo for the last 3.5 years. 3) Success. Or, some may call them the followers. This is the team that keeps winning so we jump on board the success train. You may experience this in your personal life too. Everybody wants to hang around the person who has experienced success. 4) Favorite Player Syndrome. Your favorite player is on the team so you're on board for the duration (or at least for the player's duration). Some people get us pumped up, so we get excited about who they represent. It's natural. What does being a fan do for you? 1) It's an outlet. We are often stressed out creatures taking on too many things. Being a fan gives you an outlet for some of that pent up energy. There is nothing better than getting rowdy at an athletic event your team is playing in. 2) It's an excuse to travel. I have been all over the central and northeast United States because of my passion for Geneseo Cross Country. Without my desire to be a lively supporter, I would have never seen Eau Claire, Wisconsin, Delaware, Ohio, or now St. Olaf, Minnesota. Wouldn't give a second of those trips back... 3) Sense of importance. When you are commited to a team or cause, you feel a sense of importance. For some reason every Sunday I need to be wearing a piece of New York Giants' gear; underwear, a hoodie, etcetera. Does it really help the team win? No. But, it makes me feel like a better fan. ACTION PLAN: Become a fan and get into it. I always like to say to my fellow spectators at sporting events, "What's the point of being here if you're not going to get rowdy?" Granted, I'm a little intense but I think it's good to put yourself into it 100%. In this life too many people tend to operate on a 50% standard, but is there really a point to that? When I speak about leadership and the art of getting involved I say to those listening, "Don't get involved if you can't see yourself running the show." You don't have to run the show, but if you're not passionate enough to want to lead the organization then don't get involved. It's not worth your time. Go ahead and get out there. Become a fan and tap into the energy it brings to your life. I wouldn't trade my GXC flag bearing days for anything (see photo). Best to you, ~JWN

Letter from the Editor

Life and Times of JWN

Back in Action So, we made it home from Ghana safely. I won't give too much away because we are dedicating a future issue solely to the trip, but it was the most incredible cultural experience of my life. How so? I mixed and mingled with people that live in a completely different part of the world. One third of the population lives on less than $1 a day. Thus, I saw the most extreme poverty imaginable. On the other hand, our group's business development initiatives, traditional event attendance, and political meetings left me with a broad view of the whole populous. It was a truly unique opportunity to view the spectrum of life in a developing country. From this brief and relatively superficial stage, I would like to move on to some things that I have taken away from the trip. In due time I will provide the retrospective analysis of the engagement, but for now it is time to think about the present. What did I take away? 1) Everybody forms stereotypes. As much as we may be apt to stereotype Ghanaians, or Africans in general, we must remain questioning and curious because Ghanaians stereotype Americans as well and neither of us are 100% correct. Initially, I had no idea what to expect in terms of how I would be viewed by the Ghanaian people. I did know that they are well known for their hospitality and warm demeanor, but I did not know what they would think of me, the American. It seemed as though every person, young and old, thinks of Americans as a gateway to a better life. I pride myself on my ability to connect with individuals, but in this environment I received more contact information by doing less "work" than I ever have before. Unfortunately, they may be discouraged to know that I had enough trouble getting my own Visa. 2) People are people, no matter where they are born. We're all in this world together and we strive for the same thing; a higher quality of life. I was blessed to be born in America where I have a system which supports and provides an efficient outlet for my ambitious desires. My new Ghanaian friends aren't that lucky. By traveling to a world where people are dealt a hand worse than you can even imagine, you learn to appreciate what you have. In my case, I learned that I can use my hand to make a difference. My unique skill set and wonderful support system enabled me to travel to Ghana and I think it sent me there for a reason. (As cliche as it may sound, all things do tend to happen for a reason). Upon first reflection, the reasons that stick out to me are ones of empathy, opportunity, and global citizenship. As a result of my trip I feel a heightened sense of each of these things. 3) Everybody brings something to the table. Many people may think about a country like Ghana and say, 'What can I learn from these people?' My response would be, 'More than you think.' I am back in America; the land where people smile less, appreciate little, and stress out more. Meanwhile, Ghana and its people reminded me of the beauty of hospitality, friendship, and curiosity. These are a few of the immediate changes that have happened to me in the 'right here, right now' since my arrival back to America. I hope they can be of value to you in your own thoughts on global citizenship and humanity in general. JWN Photo Note: I also came home with a sweet African beard. It has since been shaved but it was fun while it lasted. Goin' global is where it's at, ~JWN

Ken Kamlet, Director of Legal Affairs

Ken Kamlet:

“A Card Carrying Environmentalist”

By: Joseph W. Norman

In early October, I had the pleasure of sharing a Mediterranean flatbread pizza with Ken over dinner at Uno Chicago Grill in Vestal, New York. It was an enjoyable conversation which covered a variety of topics including his family, his extensive and accomplished career practicing environmental law, and his current work with Newman Development Group. Much of our chat focused on Ken’s experience with the current Gateway Town Center development project in Geneseo which has been a source of much controversy over the last two years. This is a must read VIP Profile for those of you in or intimately attached to Geneseo. However, for all readers, it is a candid look into the life of a man who has facilitated much positive change through his passions and pursuits.

JWN: So what exactly do you do at Newman Development Group?

KK: Well, I have a couple different responsibilities. When Mark Newman identifies a site that he thinks retailers have an interest in; for example, Lowes and Geneseo. We do a lot of work for Lowes all over the country and a number of other national or big box retailers.

But, let me tell you first what I don’t do. I don’t get involved in transaction and real estate types of stuff. We attain outside real estate council to do things such as negotiate leases. Once a sight of interest is selected, I’m brought in and my job is to secure any necessary land use approvals from local governments. If there are regulatory issues from the Federal or State level, my job is to get those approvals. We often involve a team of consultants with specialized expertise in traffic engineering, wet lands, and archaeology. So that is pretty much what I do.

I don’t get brought into easy sights. They are mostly difficult ones. As my boss likes to say, ‘Every deal is an ordeal.’

JWN: Where did you grow up?

KK: I grew up in a small town called the Bronx. Went to CCNY as an undergrad and then to graduate school for a year at Duke and three years at Yale studying biochemical sciences. After that I went to law school at the University of Pennsylvania.

I’ve got a pretty diverse background. Most of my practice has been in environmental law and my combined science and law studies have stood me good stead in doing that.

One surprising thing about me is my first full time job after law school was with a public interest environmental law group called the National Wildlife Federation in Washington, DC. I was there for twelve and a half years as their pollution and toxic substance program director. I was also director of legal affairs for a number of years. I helped protect the oceans around the country from ocean dumping and ocean discharges, things of that sort. Good old acid rain and toxic chemical pollution.

JWN: What got you interested with law?

KK: I went to grad school with the intention of getting a Ph. D. and spending my career doing teaching and research. Then I woke up one day and decided that I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life cooped up in a laboratory studying the esoteric sex life of some obscure fly. I wanted to do something that was a little more relevant to the real world and I ultimately hit on that with pursuing environmental law. So I went in that direction.

At law school I tried out various environmental law arenas. I did an internship with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources, now they are the Department of Environmental Protection, helping the state prosecute Clean Streams Law violators. I also did a summer internship with the region three office of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. I organized a canoe flotilla down the Schuykill River as part of that. I spent another summer as Mayor John Lindsay’s summer scholar. There, I worked for the Mayor’s Council on the Environment and the City Environmental Protection Administration. I got involved with trying to toughen up the city’s pre-treatment regulations of industrial discharges going into the sewage system.

What else did I do? I spent six months on an externship with the Center for Law and Social Policy in D.C. where I had the opportunity to work on some interesting phases of the Alaska Pipeline Litigation. And, I wrote a major part of the brief that ultimately prevailed in the D.C. Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals.

In my spare time, I co-founded and headed up the Environmental Law Group at Penn. One of the things we did under a rule of the State Supreme Court was help prosecute Clean Streams Law violators. Second and third year law students were able to argue cases before magistrates.

JWN: What brought you to Vestal, New York?

KK: It is kind of a long story. After the Wildlife Federation I spent just about seven or eight years in private environmental consulting, including seven years with A.T. Kearney, a management consulting firm. I was a Senior Manager and Principal in their Environmental Health and Safety Practice. And, after that I spent a number of years in private law practice in D.C. and Maryland. In both of those roles I often represented various kinds of developers including the Pyramid Companies, which is one of the biggest developers in the country.

One of the developing companies I represented was this Amius Group out of Jamestown, Pennsylvania, I believe. I did several projects with them. When the Newmans decided to launch Town Square Mall (in Vestal) in the early 90s, some Amius people introduced me to them. I got involved with the Newman’s when the real estate recession hit in the early 90s and Amius ended up backing out of the deal, but the Newmans kept me on to finish up. I have been working for them ever since.

I’m their in-house Director of Legal Affairs, so I’m on their payroll. I’m not a hired gun in the sense of somebody from the outside that is brought in. I’m part of the staff and the management team of the firm. We have in house graphics, construction and engineering, and others.

I think one of the things that endeared me to the Newmans is my environmental background and my work with the Wildlife Federation. They knew that I was someone that would help them do things correctly and not try to evade legal requirements, but rather help them efficiently and effectively do what they needed to do to be responsible business people.

JWN: Now, you’re involved with a brownfield organization correct?

KK: I’m involved with a number of brownfield organizations. I’m on the Board of Directors of the New York State Chapter of the National Brownfield Association. I’m also chair of the Brownfield Committee of the Greater Binghamton Coalition (GBC). The GBC is a public / private partnership setup between the business community and the local elected officials to promote economic development in this area, which desperately needs it.

JWN: When we met at the Greater Binghamton Chamber mixer last spring, you had a cowboy hat on. Is that a standard operation for you?

KK: Not really. Last winter was the first time I ever wore a cowboy hat. A previous girlfriend thought I would look good in one. And, it seemed functional. It was good for keeping the rain and snow off of my head.

I’m very active in the Greater Binghamton Chamber. I’m active in a number of committees with the chamber. I recently relinquished the chairmanship of the Legislative Committee, but I’m still serving on the committee though. I also serve on the Governmental Affairs Committee, the Consolidation Committee, the Recognition and Awards Committee.

JWN: With all of these activities, what do you do in your spare time?

KK: I joke that in my spare time I work for Newman Development Group since I seem to spend most of my time at the Chamber.

JWN: Please, tell me more about your experience with the development project in Geneseo…

KK: I probably should choose my words carefully but I won’t. I’ll take my lumps. I think the controversy our there is a tempest in a teapot in a lot of ways. I’ve been involved in a lot of controversial projects; some of them present really significant issues where what we’re proposing represents a major departure from where the community has gone in the past. That is not at all the case in Geneseo.

We’re proposing to build a Lowes across from a Super Wal-Mart and a Wegmans. The opposition referred to it as ‘sprawl development’ and all kinds of other pejoratives. Nothing could really be further from the truth. As a longtime card carrying environmentalist I consider it smart growth. The town board of Geneseo made the conscious and conscientious decision to concentrate commercial development in the area already characterized by concentrated commercial development.

This case does not entail having retail go anywhere it hasn’t been before. It does not entail any new infrastructure that has to be added to the area. It is not going to be radically transforming the landscape. Why the big stink over a Lowes when a Super Wal-Mart is right across the street?

Most of the arguments that have been leveled against the project are disingenuous and in my view extreme. They are make-weight arguments. The academics from the college that have chosen to spear head this effort are engaging in intellectual sophistry and seem to be engaging in debate for the sake of debate. They want some public platform. The Town Board and now Town Supervisor races seem to revolve around which side each individual is on this Lowes project and I don’t see it as a big deal.

We don’t go into a community to destroy it by being oblivious to the character of the community. We are quite sensitive about those kinds of things and we have bent over backwards in Geneseo to study every issue, whether we think it’s legitimate or not.

We have gone through a protracted Environmental Impact Statement that really was superfluous. Most of the data that was contained in a previous statement had been publicized and largely consisted of a compilation of information that had already existed. Not only had it been well ventilated, but exhaustively ventilated through two years of work with the planning board.

Let me give you an example with the traffic issue. One of the more significant potential impacts of a project like this, particularly in a small community like Geneseo, is impact on traffic. We did a very thorough traffic impact study through Fisher Associates which has a good reputation in Western New York.

On the first go around of the traffic study, the consultant relied heavily on traffic data generated by Wal-Mart in the course of the Wal-Mart development. The DOT indicated that it was adequate for this purpose but the naysayers criticized it and wanted traffic counts. So, we did traffic counts and paid for a second traffic study that included the traffic counts data. The counts indicated that the projections in the Wal-Mart study were overly conservative and the impacts were actually going to be less for our project than had been suggested based on extrapolations from the original Wal-Mart data.

We did some additional fine tuning. The naysayers raised concerns about net impact on the National Historic Landmark district of downtown Geneseo. The DOT has very specific criteria for what the study area needs to be in a standard traffic study. Generally, it is only intersections that stand to have a hundred or more additional vehicles during the peak hour of the week and that extended a fairly limited radius out from the project location. It came no where close to downtown Geneseo, but because of those concerns we did more traffic counts all the way into the village and downtown area. The result each time said there was no significant adverse impact.

The DOT, in two separate letters, signed off both on the evaluation of impacts and on the proposal of mitigation as being adequate saying there would be no significant decline in the level of service of traffic in any of the studied intersections. The town’s traffic consultant and engineer, Bill Holtoff, generated a letter and stated not once, but three separate times, that the analyses that our traffic consultant had done were fully consistent with the state of the traffic engineering art as it is practiced in Western New York.

Then we went through this exercise where the naysayers were able to persuade a narrow majority of the planning board to render a positive declaration under seeker of the State Environmental Quality Review Act obligating us to go through the whole Environmental Impact Statement exercise. As part of that process there was a scope of work, a seeker scoping document that was put together, which has a traffic section. The opponents lobbied to have 10 more additional traffic analyses done above and beyond the ones that we had already done through these two plus earlier traffic impact studies.

Bill Holtoff’s advice was sought as to if any of these needed to be done. He identified ten studies. I guess there was a longer list, maybe twice as long, that the opponents wanted to impose on us. But Holtoff after having three times advised in writing that everything we had done was totally adequate bowed to the opposition and agreed that we should do additional studies and gave us a template for how the studies should be designed. So, we went back to Fisher and gave them $100,000 more to do these ten additional studies.

Surprise, surprise. None of the studies revealed anything different from what had been shown before. And, we spent two or three planning board meetings debating whether the studies really showed what they were supposed to show or whether they were carried out properly. But, the net result is the new traffic that will be generated by the Lowes project at the proposed development site will be a relatively small proportion of the traffic generated by the Wal-Mart project and the traffic that is already on the road system.

In fact, there is so much existing traffic on the roadway that most of the visitors to the Gateway Town Center, our proposed project, will be visiting in conjunction with trips to other destinations. So, there are not even really going to be new cars on the roadway, but rather just existing traffic.

JWN: This sounds like it must be incredibly frustrating in terms of how much time and capital
has been invested in the project. I’m curious, in respect to the Newman Group, how do you manage that?

KK: There have been a few instances where we have bailed out of a project, but we don’t do that very often. We have a reputation to uphold and represent. We are not taken to turning tail and running at the slightest provocation. We have done enough projects to know what the issues are and know that any legitimate concerns can be addressed and ultimately addressed to the satisfaction of the local officials.

There is the additional factor that Lowes is a retail client that we have worked with in many, many locations around the state and the country. We are not going to let them down. I’m sure many residents and many of our opponents think that we are some greedy developer that is going to make a killing at the expense of Geneseo’s way of life. But, the fact of the matter is, the time has probably long since passed on this project - with the amount of time, effort, and expense that has been devoted to it - where we, the developing partners, are going to make anything. It is a matter of sticking with it and bringing home this project for Lowes which wants to be located here and is depending on us to get the approval that it needs. It is a very unfortunate state of affairs.

This shopping center at one point was being looked at by the county as a potential site for a solid-waste incinerator. The vigor of the opposition of this retail project seems to be significantly greater than that against a solid-waste incinerator. There seems to be no sense of proportion on the part of some people on the positions they take on things.

The most discouraging thing to me in Geneseo, or disappointing I suppose rather than discouraging, is the fact that some people seem to feel they have to be disagreeable in order to disagree. The opponents are so intense in their opposition that they have demonized those that are identified with the developer and caricatured me and everybody else associated with the project.

When I leave planning board meetings I have to walk past this gauntlet. I was there a few weeks ago and as I was heading out they said, “Have a safe drive home,” as though what they are really saying is, ‘I hope you crash and go up in a fireball or something.’ It is unfortunate. I don’t have a high degree of regard for those people, but I don’t hate them. I don’t think they are evil people, but rather seriously misguided.

As far as the project is concerned, we have really bent over backwards to scale it down and address the concerns that various people have raised, particularly legitimate concerns. We have greatly enhanced the architecture of the buildings and scaled down the project. There were originally going to be six out parcels, now there is going to be just one in addition to the Lowes. We started off with three access driveways along 20A, now we are down to one.

We developed an internal roadway system to address concerns that the County Planning Board raised about certain provisions of the Gateway Overlay District. So we have an internal roadway, kind of like a service road, that people accessing the site from 20A or Volunteer Road would enter. They don’t enter directly into the shopping center which prevents cars from stacking up and potentially interfering with traffic on 20A or Volunteer.

There were concerns raised about impact on the valley view…we were forced to spend thousands and thousands of dollars on 3D renderings and other simulations. I can’t tell you how many planning board meetings we had to go through where the opponents kept accusing us of distorting the photography. We went through an exercise where we did five different building orientations for the Lowes building. We ultimately came up with, what I think, is a very good compromise which is basically a 45 degree orientation towards the intersection of 20A and Volunteer. This minimizes the building mass that lies between 20A and whatever view there is of the valley and it also happens to be the most efficient use of the land, minimizing impacts on wetlands and various other things.

We really have gone to extraordinary lengths to try to accommodate legitimate concerns, but the illegitimate concerns keep coming, and the opponents have no interest, in my view, of making this a better project. They just want it gone.

We’re going to plod through it and we haven’t sought anybody’s recusal. We’ll continue to play the game and play by the rules as best we can and hopefully we’ll get through it.

JWN: Let’s talk more about you. How long were you in the Bronx?

KK: All the way through college. For 20 years until 1966. I lived in the West Bronx and went away to school and never lived there again. Meanwhile, my parents retired to south Florida.

JWN: What did your parents do?

KK: My dad was a, I guess you’d refer to him as a rag-picker; basically he was working with wool clippings on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in the garment district. Some would refer to him as a Textile Engineer, but it was a very low tech application. My dad, his father, and several of my dad’s brothers all sorted wool, taking part in that business for 40 or 50 years. When they sold the business it became a very upscale loft area.

JWN: How many brothers and sisters do you have?

KK: I have one brother and one sister, both younger.

JWN: And, what do they do?

KK: My brother is actually an Orthodox Rabbi and my sister is a retired teacher. She taught Physical Education and Health Education. Now, she does personal training for people. My brother-in-law is also a teacher but he sold bullet proof vests on the side.

JWN: (Joking) You might want to pick one of those up…

KK: (Laughing) Yeah, maybe I should. Every time I visit Geneseo I feel like I need one.

JWN: Do you have any children?

KK: I’ve got a son and a daughter. My son is an entrepreneur. He runs a webhosting company. If you were twenty years older I would probably have to explain what that is, but you probably understand the concept. It is a company called H4Y Technologies, LLC.

My daughter has been married for a few years. She has a son. It’s my first grandson. We celebrated his first birthday recently. She just got her Masters in Nutrition and is poised on the precipice of initiating her own business for the first time. She wants to do nutrition counseling online, so my son is helping her out with that.

JWN: What are some of the other things you’re interested in?

KK: I enjoy digital photography. I like the outdoors. Why I live in this climate, I’m not sure. I like to read. I listen to books on tape. I get through a lot of books on tape on my trips to Geneseo.

JWN: What are some of your favorite reads?

KK: I like Tom Clancy, spy thrillers, detective thrillers, and sci-fi sometimes. I like Dean Koontz. I used to like Stephen King, but some of his more recent stuff I’m not crazy about.

JWN: Do you have any favorite quotes?

KK: Apart from, “Disagreeing without being disagreeable?” (Laughs) I’m not sure if some of them are particularly appropriate in this context; “None but the brave deserve the fair” and maybe “Tis better to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.”

JWN: Ahhh…a little Shakespeare. Are you a fan?

KK: Absolutely.

JWN: Do you watch any sports?

KK: I have never been much of a sports fan. I was always more interested in participatory sports than spectator sports. I like handball, paddle ball, racket ball, tennis, and ping pong.

JWN: If you could meet three people in any time period, who might they be?

KK: Albert Einstein, Thomas A. Edison, and Mark Twain. Those are just three names that popped into my head.

JWN: What is your favorite candy bar?

KK: I used to be a chocoholic but I try to stay away from it now. I used to like the raspberry filled chocolates, but I rapidly move away from such things now. I can’t stay away from potato chips though. I like the unsalted or low salt Lay’s.

JWN: What are some favorite foods?

KK: Apart from the Mediterranean flatbread pizza we’re dining on right now, I like Italian food; veal pecatta, veal marsala, and pasta dishes in moderation. I like Mexican. I’m fairly versatile but I’m not crazy about much seafood other than shrimp and lobster. Never developed a taste for coffee or beer, but I have been known to drink some Pinot Grigio. I like herbal teas.

JWN: What are some goals?

KK: Well, I was 61 at my last birthday, so if I haven’t accomplished most of my goals in life by now… (Laughs) I can look back on my life and take some comfort and pride in the fact that I accomplished quite a few things that have made a real difference in a number of arenas; one of them being the Wildlife Federation. When I’m gone, I’ll be just as gone as anybody else, but while I was here I accomplished some good and did some things that made me feel good.

Editor’s Note: After I gave Ken the fabled VIP sticker he laughed and quipped, “I’ll put it right next to the Phi Beta Kappa key.”

Kenneth S. Kamlet, Esq.

Director of Legal Affairs

Newman Development Group

Vestal, New York

Phone: 607.770.0155

Email: ken@newmandevelopment.com

Letter from the Editor

Life and Times of JWN

"Makin' It Happen" On Tuesday I delivered my first keynote speech. It was an incredible experience. My message taught a few different lessons about "Makin' It Happen" for yourself. Fittingly, as I stood in front of the audience of about 160 students and faculty, I was making it happen for myself. You might ask, "How so Joseph?" Well, a few years ago I started to throw around the idea of motivational speaking as a career choice, or at least a supplemental career. Many people rebuttled, "Joe, you need to have something tragic happen or achieve something great to do that." Disappointed, I put the idea on the back burner for a while, but the fire stayed lit. I kept asking myself, "How can I make this happen?" Over the past few years I have garnered a pretty substantial amount of "real life" experiences that have been valuable to my development as an individual. Reflecting on these adventures helped me start realizing that these nay-sayers were wrong. Even at my age (21), I could add value to audiences - no matter how young or old - by sharing my personal philosophies, core values, and best practices. In short, I started to say, "Why not?" At the same time, I began to think of myself as a writer. For many years I have written, and found it relatively easy, but I never really thought of myself as a "writer." Thanks to some great advice from a few staple books (by Jeffrey Gitomer, Keith Ferrazzi, and others) and the creation of Notable and Newsworthy, I have begun a more active approach to capturing my thoughts. Now, I have a growing collection of well developed material to share at all times. For much of my life, I've been good at "mingling," but this simple step of processing my experiences has dramatically helped my ability to connect with people the first time I meet them. Why? I know more about myself and what I can offer, I have stories to relate to their experiences, and I usually have friends that can help them. My small talk abilities started to have a BIG effect on my network of friends. (Check out my article "Small Talk for a BIG Effect" for more on this topic). I was thinking and writing more, so I said to myself, "Why not go after this 'goal' and start speaking and sharing more?" So, that's what I did. I started to tell people (with conviction) about my goal to speak and they started to buy into it. All of a sudden, after sharing my vision with enough people, I got approached to speak by my friend Mary Jo Wardell and I was on my way to making it happen for myself. So, what did I teach these young impressionable minds? I taught them the power of relationships, tips to make a powerful impression (from my article here), and how to follow up so they don't lose out. In addition, I led four workshops throughout the conference on my definition of leadership; "Leadership is service." All students walked away with outlines of the material, VIP stickers, and my contact information so they could practice follow up (some impressive individuals did). Meanwhile, three students got a Willy Wonka Golden Ticket and a copy of Jeffrey Gitomer's Little Black Book of Connections. We had a lot of fun, Norman Style. NOTABLE: What does "Makin' It Happen" mean to you? 1) Figure out what you want to do. 2) Start to talk about it with conviction. People buy into passion. 3) Keep reaching out until you have your chance. KEY FACT: Do your homework and knock the cover off the ball with that first chance. If you do that, it creates a self-perpetuating turn of events which will lead to many more opportunities in the future. Thanks to my friend Kathleen Wall, one of this week's VIPs, I already have another speaking engagement in the pipeline for late November or early December in Rochester. Make it happen for yourself, ~JWN P.S. I knocked the cover off the ball. If you don't believe me, I've got a video of it. :) Also, here are a few testimonials from some of the folks that impressed me with their follow up and made the experience a rewarding one: "I did in fact learn quite a bit, both from your speech as well as the book you gave me....as far as public speaking goes, and as a person with a short attention span I know this personally, you MUST be able to maintain the attention of your audience, which you did well." - Tyler Keever, Student at OAOC "Thank you for taking the time to speak at the FBLA Fall District Meeting. My students enjoyed your presentations and spoke highly of you on the trip back to school." - Patti Hoyt, FBLA Advisor, Unatego Central Schools

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