Posted on Feb 22, 2005

Exhibit “Photographs by Iraqi Civilians, 2004”
on display at Union College through March 7

 The
Union College Department of Visual Arts is hosting the photography exhibit,
“Photographs by Iraqi Civilians, 2004,” from Feb. 18 through March 7
in the Burns Arts Atrium Gallery.

Ten Iraqi civilians were given
disposable cameras in April and May of 2004 by the Daylight Community Arts
Foundation and asked to reveal Iraq as they knew it.

The exhibit consists of 30
exhibition-quality ink-jet color prints ranging in size from 16-by-20 inches to
20-by-24 inches. The exhibition was curated by PixelPress, funded in part by
the Open Society Institute, the Department of Photography & Imaging and New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.

This exhibition was recently
displayed at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. The New Yorker
magazine describes the exhibition as “sublime.” The Los Angeles Times
describes the exhibit as “striking” and reports, “Some pictures
expose scenes of devastation, such as a family that, along with 500 others,
lives in a garbage dump. But the children still play, and life goes on.”

For more information, please visit the website at http://www.union.edu/PUBLIC/AVADEPT/iraqphoto.html or call Union's Department of Visual Arts at 388-6714.

Posted on Feb 21, 2005

Investigative reporter and author Eric Schlosser will speak on his best-selling
book, “Fast Food Nation,” on Thursday, March 3, at 7:30 p.m. in the Nott
Memorial at Union College.

The talk, part of the College's Perspectives at the Nott
series, is free and open to the public.

Besides his book on the national diet, Schlosser is the
author of another best-seller, Reefer Madness.

Schlosser investigates the hidden realms of American
business and culture and their far-reaching effects on our lives. Heralded as
“society's quiet crusader,” Schlosser challenges us to think about such
critical and often-overlooked issues as food safety, workers' rights, the war
on drugs, marketing to children, and the epidemic of obesity.

In Fast
Food Nation, he
uncovers the inner workings of the fast food industry, and shows how it has
transformed our diet as well as our economy, workforce, and popular culture.

Schlosser is a correspondent for the Atlantic Monthly. His work has also appeared in Rolling Stone and The New Yorker.

Posted on Feb 21, 2005

It is Championship Weekend for both the women and men's
basketball teams. 

The 17-7 Dutchwomen open the defense of their Liberty
League tournament championship against St. Lawrence on Friday at 1 p.m.  The 14-11 Dutchmen, who missed last year's
event, battle Hobart Friday at 8 p.m. 
The women's championship game will be held Saturday at 2 p.m. with the
men's title game set for Saturday at 4 p.m. 

Both tournaments will be held at Hobart-William Smith as
the Statesmen won the Liberty League's regular-season championship with a
record of 10-4 while the Herons captured the women's title with their 11-3
record.

The
Dutchwomen and Saints split their two-game season series with
each team winning on the others court. 
The first game saw Union rally from a 13-point deficit in the final 6:49
to capture a 58-56 win.  Senior forward
Katlyn Cunningham scored 15 of the Garnet's 18 points in the closing minutes
with junior guard Erika Eisenhut accounting for the winning basket with one
second remaining.  Cunningham finished
with 26 points with Eisenhut contributing 14.

St. Lawrence
broke a 44-44 tie with 5:44 left in the second contest and went on to capture a
55-51 victory.  Brittano Gaetano,
Jessica Zuk and Andrea Muszynski scored 18, 13, and 10 points, respectively.

Cunningham leads
the Dutchwomen in both scoring (12.3) and rebounding (7.3) and recently became
just the seventh player to go over 1,000 career points.  Eisenhut, who has a 10.1 scoring average,
leads the Garnet in assists (69), blocks (10), steals (61) and three-point
field goals (34).  Sophomore forward
Krystal Hammond is second to Cunningham with her 5.3 rebounding average and is
fourth in team scoring at 7.3.  Senior
guard Melissa Marra is second in scoring (9.8), third in assists (44) and third
in steals (22).

Union and St.
Lawrence are the only two teams to have played in every league tournament since
the circuit went to that format in 1999-2000. 
The event's champion will receive the Liberty League's automatic NCAA
berth.

The game can be
seen on line at:   http://campus.hws.edu/athletics/herons/basketball/live/xlive.htm

The
Dutchmen, who captured the league crown in 2001-02, are hoping that
the “third time is the charm” after losing both regular-season games to the
Statesmen, 81-69 in Geneva and 66-65 at the Viniar Athletic Center. 

In the first meeting Hobart rallied from a nine-point
first-half deficit to go on a 10-0 midway through the second 20 minutes.  The second game again saw the Statesmen
rally in the second half, this time with a run of 11-3, to pull out the victory
by scoring the winning basket with 22 seconds left to play.  Joe Flacke, a 6'7 senior forward has been
the biggest nemesis for the Dutchmen as he has combined 45 points, 15 rebounds
and three blocked shots in the two games.

Junior guard John Cagianello leads the Dutchmen in scoring
(15.8) and in three-point field goals with 55. 
Senior forward Devon Bruce is second to Cagianello with his 14.2 scoring
average and also leads the team with his 6.0 rebounding average.  Both players have scored over 1,000 points
for their careers.

Junior forward Brian Scordato averages 10.5 points a game
and is second to Bruce with his 5.4 rebounding average while sophomore guard
Joe Mackey, who broke into the starting lineup mid-way through the year, is
averaging 9.2 points and is second to Cagianello with his 44 three-point
baskets.  Junior point guard Chris
Murphy, who became the sixth Dutchman in history to surpass 300 career assists,
has 81 helpers to go along with his 6.8 scoring average.  Murphy also leads the team with his 34
steals.

The game can be seen on line at: http://campus.hws.edu/athletics/hobart/basketball/live/xlive.htm.

GAME
TIMES

Friday,
February 25:

1 p.m. —
#3 Union (17-7 // 10-4) vs. #2 St. Lawrence (14-9 // 10-4) (women)

3 p.m. — #3
Hamilton (14-10 // 9-5) vs. #2 Skidmore (15-8 // 9-5) (men)

6 p.m. — #4
Hamilton (15-9 // 9-5) vs. #1 William Smith (16-7 // 11-3) (women)

8 p.m. —
#4 Union (14-11 // 8-6) vs. #1 Hobart (15-9 // 10-4) (men)

Saturday,
February 26:

2 p.m. —
Women's Championship

4 p.m. —
Men's Championship

All games
will feature live online statistics via the Hobart and William Smith Web site.
The women's online stats can be accessed at: http://campus.hws.edu/athletics/herons/basketball/live/xlive.htm

and the
men's online stats can be accessed at: http://campus.hws.edu/athletics/hobart/basketball/live/xlive.htm.

Posted on Feb 20, 2005

   Business was booming in the three city incubators last year as entrepreneurs rushed to develop ideas that they thought they couldn't afford during the economic slump of earlier years.
   Two of the incubators are considering expanding to a second building because of the demand, and a third expanded at the beginning of the year and had the building nearly full by December.
   At the Nott Street Industrial Park incubator, startups now fill 22,000 of the 30,000 square feet available.
   All 25,000 square feet are being used at the Schenectady County Community Business Center, which reported at the end of the year that it was full for the first time ever.
   U-Start Business Incubator, the smallest incubator in the city, doubled its square footage to 2,000 when it opened a second building last January. There was no waiting list for that space, but by the end of the year, all but one of the offices had been filled.
   “We almost doubled in one year, which is remarkable,” said director Jon Lemelin. U-Start is affiliated with Union College.
   About one-third of the businesses being nurtured in the city incubators can be expected to grow into successful, independent companies, according to national statistics.
SUCCESS RATE
   The success rate for businesses that begin in an incubator is about 66 percent. About one-third move out and continue to grow, while one-third move out and succeed but do not grow larger, and one third fail.
   That may sound like tough odds, but it's four times better than the rate for startups that don't benefit from an incubator.
   Lemelin said the odds are so much worse for what he calls “kitchen-table entrepreneurs” because they don't have access to experts who can explain things like insurance and marketing plans, and because they don't appear professional if they're working from home.
   “When you get a call from your first prospect, that's when the dog starts barking or the baby crying and people aren't going to take you seriously,” he said.
   But all incubators are not the same. The three in the city cater to different groups and have different requirements for their clients.
   Both U-Start and the Business Center put a limit on how long an entrepreneur can stay, while the incubator in the industrial park does not.
   Lemelin said the limit – three years at U-Start – is really a reality check.
   “They've either grown to the point where they've grown out of the space, or if after three years they don't grow out of the space, we start to wonder if they ever will,” he said.
   But industrial park incubator manager George Robertson said there are not many places that a small startup can afford after the incubator.
   Some successful graduates have gone on to build their own buildings, but that's an expense many can't afford, said Robertson, director of the Schenectady Economic Development Corporation. SEDC manages the Nott Street Industrial Park.
   The rest of the “graduates” need to lease space, but it can cost well over $40,000 to build a small laboratory, Robertson said.
   Most landlords would refuse to pay for such expensive renovations for startups because it would be too much of a risk.
   “The traditional landlord's gong to say, 'You nuts? What if you're gone in six months?' ” Robertson said. “That's really the role we play, is to take that risk.”
   He said entrepreneurs also have difficulty finding space even if they can afford to pay for the renovations.
   He said he's considering adding buildings for manufacturing and small office space at the industrial park because there are few available spaces in the city.
QUESTION OF SPACE
   The lack of space is why some startups move to the industrial park incubator after aging out of one of the other incubators, he said.
   The park also offers the largest amount of space, with some clients using 10,000 square feet before being able to afford their own building.
   The other two incubators have more limited space for each business.
   U-Start offers 300 to 400 square feet of space per tenant; cramped quarters if the business has more than two employees.
   The Business Center has 25,000 square feet and leverages that space by only accepting microbusinesses, defined as those with fewer than 25 employees.
   Any business is accepted at the industrial park, while U-Start will only take high-tech companies. The entrepreneurs at U-Start must also promise to hire in Schenectady and at least intend to locate in the city if the business is successful.
NOT AN ADVISER
   For entrepreneurs who want business advice, the industrial park incubator is not the right choice. It doesn't offer any educational programs, although Robertson said some tenants want to arrange a partnership with U-Start so they can attend U-Start's programs.
   U-Start holds monthly meetings on topics of interest, from taxes to legal control of intellectual property, a popular subject at the tech center.
   Entrepreneurs can also work with a mentor or a board of advisers, made up of successful business owners who will go over business plans, marketing and sales reports and other data to pinpoint areas where the entrepreneur could improve.
   Clients have access to U-Start's conference rooms, fax machines, copiers and other office supplies. Rent is low – about $200 per month for a 200-square-foot office – and includes Internet connections.
   The Schenectady County Community Business Center also offers low rent and specialists who can help owners write business plans, make decisions about lending and marketing and related matters. Any company can apply there, but at the end of the year, the center was full.
   The board of directors announced in December that they had accepted the application of a locomotive parts manufacturer who would use the last 4,000 square feet of the available space. That brought the center up to 14 businesses in 25,000 square feet and was the first time the center had been full since it opened in 2000.
   The board of directors is now considering opening a second building. The first building is located at 920 Albany St.
   The Nott Street Industrial Park incubator has no restrictions. It takes in anyone, first come, first serve, with no application process.
   Most of the companies there now are high-tech firms, Robertson said.
   And they're growing fast.
   TADIS, a document-scanning company at the park, has grown from 1,200 square feet to 5,000 square feet and just won a state contract to digitize two years of state accident reports.
   Lakeside Technology Inc., a software company, is developing new software for automotive parts inventories while selling its medical billing software.
   Another new company, Edison Analytical Laboratory, is focusing on nanotech research.
   That meant finding a landlord willing to pay for the expensive renovations needed to build a laboratory, Robertson said. The incubator paid for those costs at no charge to the tenant.
   “Startups barely have the money to run the business, pay the rent,” Robertson said. “They don't have the money for improvements like that.”

Posted on Feb 20, 2005

Area business leaders were growing concerned enough last year that the Capital Region was gaining the reputation of being an “unhip” place for young professionals to work that they decide it was time to act.

To quell fears that they might feel lost in the workplace's turbulent sea, jump ship and head for markets in larger cities, the Albany-Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce in April formed GenNext.

“For the young professionals themselves, they find each other,”

Chamber Senior Vice President Ann Wendth said of the 200-member GenNext. The group hosts networking forums and mentoring programs where young professionals can not only meet each other but also meet high-level business executives.

Almost 10 months after Gen-Next's creation, Chris Brantigan and Chris Macomber talk either on the phone or via e-mail almost daily, bouncing off each other ideas for their businesses.

UNUSUAL PAIR

The two make an unlikely pair. Brantigan, 28, is an operations sales manager for the Nationwide Equities Corp. mortgage company. Macomber, 21, is a biology student at Union College who will start working toward a medical degree at Albany Medical Center in September.

They may have attended the same college in Schenectady and high school in Albany, but the two connected through a new Gen-Next mentoring program that teams young professionals with college students.

Macomber recently established Exousia Health, a medical software company.

While Brantigan said he has limited knowledge in the medical field, he can help the Union senior by sharing his own entrepreneurial experiences.

“You're just not going to have that kind of support if you go to Chicago or New York. You'll be a small fish in a big pond,” said Brantigan, who is also the chairman of GenNext's mentoring program.

GenNext originated as a group that paired regional business executives with young professionals, hoping to make their transition into the workforce less daunting and easier to succeed in.

After pairing 45 executives and young professionals, GenNext extended its services to college students. Since October, the group has teamed 30 area students with young professionals.

The students, young professionals and executives usually keep in contact over the phone or Internet. Sometimes mentor executives let their students shadow them.

They all meet at GenNext's Executive Unplugged events, where a featured business leader fields questions from students and professionals.

Tracy Metzger, owner of the Albany-based TL Metzger & Associates, was the speaker at Feb. 7's unplugged event at the Capital Repertory Theater.

“It's nice to create a program where we can create a comfort zone where we can meet with these people,” Brantigan said. His executive mentor is Pamela Sawchuk, co-owner of the Sawchuk Brown Associates public relations firm in Albany.

For Macomber, GenNext has opened up possibilities that would not have been open to him if he stayed on the Union campus.

Taking Brantigan's advice about writing thank-you letters, for example, Macomber was able to land two more investors for his business. He is trying to raise $1 million to develop an integration engine that the health care industry can use to access electronic records.

For Brantigan, GenNext has made him more of an activist than an apologist for his generation, Generation X. He said by allowing young professionals to interact with executives, workers under 40 can better involve themselves in the business community.

“The more our voice is heard, the more it will go back to my goal of making my generation a factor than a variable, which it is considered,” he said, referring to the “X” in his generation's name.

ADVISORY ROLE

Since the group's formation, Brantigan said at least a dozen GenNext members have been asked to serve in advisory roles to local business committees, such as the Corporate Task Force for the Albany Institute of History and Art.

Wendth said the Albany-Colonie chamber plans to monitor GenNext's ability to retain young professionals in the Capital Region, but she said it is too early to gauge how successful the program has been.