Life After ‘The Syracuse New Times’

Q. You’re 72 and just sold your business — how’s retirement?
A. I don’t have any down time because I’m just as busier than ever. For me, it’s just part of a natural evolution. I’ve owned and operated 11 companies, and have bought and sold companies, and each time I sold a company, I went on to other things.

I’ve been at the Syracuse New Times for 26 years. It was time for another change, not retirement, but just another change. My wife Shirley and I both remain active with the company as consultants.

Q. What are you doing with your free time?
A. Because I do have other business ventures, I don’t really have substantially more free time than I had before. I’m devoting more time to the Zimmer Motor Car Co., whereas before it was just a very limited, part-time thing because I was quite busy with the New Times. Of course, I’m spending time consulting with the new owner, but that will wind down over a period of time.

I also am a counselor for SCORE. We do counseling for people starting a new business and for people who are in business but need some help. I’ve always done volunteer counseling but now I am doing more of it.

Q. Do you plan to become a “snow bird?”
A. No. I love Central New York and am staying in Central New York. Of course, I’ve been an avid skier all my life, and many times have left to go somewhere else like Vermont or Colorado where there is more snow. My wife and I travel south during the winter for limited periods of time, but not long enough to be called a snowbird.

Q. Do you miss the excitement and energy of meeting a weekly deadline?
A. Being the owner and publisher of the New Times was a very fun and prestigious job. The New Times was the most popular of all newspapers in Central New York, and the publisher of the most popular newspaper was a very prestigious position in the community. So I’ll have to admit there’s a little bit of that which I miss. It’s not that I had grown tired of it. I’ve been in the spotlight for 26 years.

Q. What aspect of the business do you miss the most?
A. I think the day-to-day interaction with the staff. Because the New Times is such a unique and special type of business, we attracted a very unique and special type of employee. It was quite an exciting and fun day-to-day activity working with these people. Generally speaking, they were in their own ways very superior-type people, so working on a day-to-day basis with them was fun and exciting. I guess I do miss that.

Q. Are you still active from a managerial standpoint?
A. No. I’m totally out of it as far as management is concerned. Basically, what I do is meet quite regularly with the new owner and we just sit down and talk for several hours about every thing that is going on and the decisions he is making. He wants to know my input and what I would do if I were there based on my 26 years’ experience.

Q. How is the Zimmer Car Co. faring?
A. Slow, like all car companies. But actually I have seen in the last couple of months an up-tick in the interest and inquiries that I’ve been getting. I’ve got two or three deals cooking that look like they will probably be sales. When you do a Zimmer sale, we’re talking $150,000. It’s not like selling a $20,000 Chevy.

Q. What is your favorite car you own?
A. My favorite day-to-day drive is a Chrysler mini-van. It sounds pretty bad when you produce $150,000 luxury cars. But in the past when I was with the New Times, it was such a practical vehicle. You can use it as a truck or bus.

Q. You have been a huge influence on Syracuse theatre. Are you still active in producing plays? What is your favorite aspect of being involved in theatre?
A. I was producing the annual “Cruizin’ Thru the ‘50s and ‘60s,” and our final production this year was in June.
The “Cruizin’ Thru the ‘50s and ‘60s” franchise went with the New Times. It was owned by the New Times, so I turned it over to the new owner. Next spring when it’s time for the next “Cruizin’ Thru the ‘50s and ‘60s,” I won’t be producing but still will be consulting on it.

High-profile Central New Yorkers talk about their retirement life

By Mary Beth Roach

One was involved with county government for more than 40 years; one helped to guide a philanthropic organization for more than 20 years; and one ran a local coffee company with his cousin for nearly 30 years.
They all supposedly retired, but recent chats with Nick Pirro, Peggy Ogden and Paul de Lima prove that they have done everything BUT retire from the community.
A glimpse into their so-called retirements

Nick Pirro

Nick Pirro, 69, served in the public sector for more than four decades—22 years in the Onondaga County Legislature and 20 years as the Onondaga County executive.

During his career, he was instrumental in such projects as the county’s trash-burning plant; Syracuse’s downtown convention center, which bears his name; the Onondaga County Justice Center and Alliance Bank Stadium.

Although he retired in 2007, he continues to remain active in the community.

“I live here. I want it to be a good place,” he said.

He’s an advocate for the North Side neighborhood he grew up in and where he and his wife, Patti, still reside, living in the family home.

He volunteers as treasurer for the Central New York SPCA, an organization near and dear to his heart; he teaches a local government course at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School; he’s a business adviser for Gilberti Stinziano Heintz & Smith, P.C.; and has his own consulting business, NP Associates LLC.

“There’s a lot of time in the day,” Pirro chuckled.

It’s obvious that he’s putting that time to a lot of good use.

After his retirement, he had a lot of requests to go on boards, but he joked that he had had enough meetings for awhile, so he decided to become more involved with the SPCA, a group with which he’s had a long-time association.

Before the three Labrador mixes they have now, the Pirros had had two dogs that they got from the SPCA.

Of their current canine collection—Jeter, named for the New York Yankees star; Rudy, who they got shortly after 9/11, and is so named in honor of then-New York City Mayor Rudy Guiliani; and Rocky—one came from the SPCA, another came from Wanderers Rest, and the third was a stray.

For about 20 years, he has played Santa Paws in the SPCA’s annual fundraiser, “Picture Your Pet with Santa Paws.” According to a news feature on this event in 2008, over the years that he has played Santa Paws, he’s been photographed with snakes, llamas and all kinds of animals, in addition to dogs and cats.
When the organization faced serious financial times a while ago, Pirro suggested that it make the public aware of the situation, and it paid off.

“From my experience, this community responds when there are serious issues with things that people know are important,” Pirro said, noting that the public response helped them a great deal.

His long-term goal is to work with the group to expand its base of ongoing operations and increase the public’s awareness as to all that the SPCA does. Not only does the organization take in and care for abandoned dogs and cats, it operates an animal cruelty program; assists the Onondaga County Health Department with its rabies clinics; and has an education program focusing on the care of animals.
But this is only one side of Pirro’s retirement.

Shortly after his retirement, he was approached by William Coplin, professor and director of public affairs at the Maxwell School at Syracuse University, to design a local policy government course. While many of the classes were on state, national and international government, Pirro said Coplin wanted a class that would focus on local and county government. So for the past two years, he’s taught the local government class during the fall semester.

“It’s been a lot of fun,” he said. “It’s great working with the college students.”

The Syracuse native is also part of the McBride Street Homeowners Group, which has been expanded to Prospect Hill and is working with St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center on the multi-faceted Prospect Hill Project, aimed at improving and expanding the business base in that area and stabilizing housing.

“I like living in the city, certainly like our neighborhood,” he said, and he is encouraged that some positive things are happening.

After 40-plus years in government, does he miss it?

He said that he gave the job as county executive everything he could.

“I wanted to go out at 100 percent effort, and I didn’t want anything less than that,” he mused. “I have no regrets.”

Peggy Ogden

“I wanted to make sure I could stay connected to people and to causes that mattered.”

This statement summed up Peggy Ogden’s plans as she retired in June of 2008 as president and CEO of the Central New York Community Foundation, a philanthropic organization. She then developed a new consulting company that enables her to continue to make positive changes in the area by connecting donors with not-for-profits.

With her company—Peggy Ogden Solutions in Philanthropy—she is able to utilize her talents to match donors’ wishes with the needs of various not-for-profits, while maintaining her own work schedule and pace.

And perhaps find a little time for golf and visiting her grandchildren, she said with a smile. Her husband is Tim Atseff, from The Post-Standard, and together they have five children and three grandchildren.

“Right now, it’s the perfect balance between what I think I can offer. I have experience. I have expertise, and I think there’s a value to using that in the community. I get my rewards from doing that,” she said.

During her 24-year tenure with the Community Foundation, its assets increased from $7 million to more than $120 million.

According to the Community Foundation’s Web site, it annually makes more than $5 million in grants and provides leadership support in the fields of arts and culture, community and economic development, education, environment, health and human services.

“The Community Foundation gave me a lot of advantages,” she said, enabling her to go into all different parts of the community and meeting a lot of different people.

“It is the best job in the whole wide world,” she said with a big smile.

One of the projects she was most proud of during her time with the Community Foundation was the neighborhood leadership training program, in which citizens were taught how to better serve their neighborhoods.

She has taken her passion for such grassroots initiatives as evidenced in an endeavor she took on through her consulting firm—the establishment of the Cayuga Community Fund, which is a fund of the Community Foundation.

Prominent businessman Jerry Bisgrove, who was raised in Auburn but lives in Arizona, was visiting his hometown in 2007, and he suggested that the area build a community endowment that would help the county reach its potential.

He had been involved in the community foundation in Phoenix, Ariz., and saw how instrumental it could be in the development of an area. So, his private foundation, The Stardust Foundation, issued a challenge grant of $250,000, matching contributions raised for the new fund. A leadership council was established that has raised $250,000, and it will begin its first grant-making work within the next several months, Ogden said.
“It benefits the Cayuga community and the Community Foundation,” she said.

Ogden is also helping with some organizational work with the St. Agatha Foundation, created by well-known and much-loved Central New Yorker Laurie Mezzalingua, who valiantly battled breast cancer, but passed away last summer.

In addition, to determine where the foundation might be the most effective in providing care and support to those people with breast cancer, Ogden and Laurie’s mother, Kathy, who serves as foundation president, are researching where there are gaps in services.

She has also become involved in helping Jessie Keating, a fellow member of the Dewitt Community Church, to start “Imagine Syracuse,” which offers enrichment opportunities to those on the near west side of Syracuse.

She will soon be joining the boards of the United Way and the MOST Foundation.

While her work continues to leave a mark on neighborhoods, community service agencies, and individuals throughout Central New York, Ogden has left her mark by breaking down some gender barriers over time.
“I think there have been opportunities for women in this community to break down some of those barriers,” she said. “It’s just my style to want to do that in a way that is gracious but also makes a powerful statement.”

She was among the first women to become members of the Century Club, a club of community leaders and business professionals, but which had been a men’s-only club for more than a century. Her “crowning” moment might have been when she was elected president of the club two years ago. “I pulled a tiara out of my bag and promised that I wouldn’t let it go to my head,” she said with a chuckle.

The tiara has a place of honor in a bookcase at the Century Club. “That tiara is going to stay there,” Ogden joked.

And Ogden is dedicated to stay here in the community for quite a while, too, active, connected and making positive differences.

Paul de Lima

Paul de Lima has had plenty brewing since he retired five years ago as CEO of the coffee company that bears his family’s name.

“When you spend 30 years of your working life managing a rather small business, everyday you’re fully immersed in it,” said de Lima, 67, who ran the Paul de Lima Coffee Co. with his cousin, Peter Miller, for decades. “It’s pretty intense, and when you leave that it takes awhile to move to a different level of thinking.”
Yet, he has always been mindful of how he can make a difference in the community where he was born and raised, grew his company and raised his family. He continues to serve on numerous boards and has taken on a few new projects as well.

“It’s pretty rewarding when you look backwards,” he noted. But, “You have to move onward and provide some value.”

He chooses his volunteer efforts by two criteria—“Can I be useful?” or “Can I make a contribution?”
“I do it if I think I can make a contribution and help either some person or some organization,” he said.
The second criterion is to find those projects in which he feels he has the time and the expertise to do the work satisfactorily.

While still working with the family, de Lima served on a number of boards for a range of organizations, among them Hospice of Central New York, American Red Cross, and the YMCA Foundation. His long-term commitment to the Salvation Army has earned him the status of lifetime board member. His business acumen has served these groups well.

His business skills also prove beneficial for another one of his endeavors—SCORE, a volunteer consulting organization that, partnering with the Small Business Association, provides guidance to those who are starting or trying to grow their own businesses or those experiencing troubles in their existing businesses.
“The theory is that retired people have been through many of these problems,” he explained.

“If you’re involved in managing a business, typically a smaller business like my cousin and I were involved,” he said, “you’re going to learn a few things—some good things and some not-so-good things,” he added with a chuckle. “You’re going to learn a lot through the school of hard knocks. To the extent you can share that with somebody else, you can maybe help them avoid some of the same issues or help them figure out a problem which they’ve never faced but you might have faced.”

With their deep roots to this area, he and his wife, Melanie, are firmly planted here.

De Lima’s grandfather, Paul, founded the coffee manufacturing company in 1916. His father, Paul W., was in the family business from 1936 to 1943, when he went in the Army. He was killed in World War II at Normandy in 1944.

Paul W. Jr. (although he doesn’t often use the “Junior” these days) was just about a year old.

His mother, Kathryn, decided to remain in Syracuse and joined the faculty at Syracuse University.

He graduated from Nottingham High School in 1960 and from Harvard in 1964; he served from 1964 to 1967 in the U.S. Navy, where he was on a minesweeper from 1965 to 1967. He went on to graduate from Syracuse University’s Law School in 1970.

Having grown up in the business and having worked there for a few summers while in school, he and his cousin had often talked about the business.

Miller joined the company in 1967, but de Lima went on to Syracuse University’s Law School and then moved to Illinois, where he practiced law for two years. He and Melanie then moved to Arizona, but between the time they left Illinois and moved to Arizona, his grandfather died, and his uncle, David de Lima, took over the company.

It was 1973, and Paul W. was 30. He and Melanie decided that if he was going to become part of the family business, now was the time.

When his uncle died in 1981, he became CEO, Peter became president, and the two co-managed the company.

In looking back on his career, he reflects on the enjoyment he got from the business and from working with his cousin, his pride in their product, their ability to grow the business amid the changing trends and demographics, and the opportunity to work with good people.

He should also take pride in the company’s initiatives to be a good corporate neighbor.

“From a business point of view,” he said, “you can commit your time, your money or both.”

The de Lima company tried to do both—giving financial support when possible and giving time, serving on boards or volunteering in other ways, he said.

The strategies for profit or not-for-profits are similar, he explained, in that both are concerned about the financial stability of their organizations, their clients or customers and about the development of plans for marketing and growth.

While the social service agencies are helped, he believes that companies and their employees benefit as well.
“It’s good for the corporate culture,” he noted. “It’s good for people within the company. They feel good working for a company that contributes to the community. It’s self-fulfilling in many ways.”

Even when he and his cousin decided to sell the company in 2004, they were mindful of the family legacy and the relationship between their Syracuse-based company and its impact in the community.

They decided that the best way to ensure the company’s continuity was to find a local buyer. And they did.

The cousins sold it to another Syracuse family business, the Drescher Management Group. The Drescher family had sold their own food distribution business about four years prior, and wanted to get back into a food-related operation, de Lima said.

In addition to his interest in community endeavors, de Lima said he enjoys the intellectually challenging courses he has found through OASIS in Shoppingtown in Dewitt and Syracuse University’s Lifelong Learning Institute.

He has also become involved with the planning committee of his 50th class reunion, a project that is taking up more time than he had anticipated since there is so much swapping of stories and memories.

Consider taking life insurance, which can provide a tax-free legacy to your loved ones or additional supplement to your retirement savings

By Nathaniel Goldman

You can’t watch TV or read a newspaper without being reminded of the uncertain times we’re in. Disappearing jobs, disturbing stock market losses — we don’t need to tell you it’s rough out there.
This has made retirement planning more complicated than ever.

From October 2007 to last December, the market lost nearly $3 trillion in retirement savings, according to Urban Institute, a Washington, D.C. nonpartisan agency that provides social and economic analysis. Many who were counting on their 401(k)s don’t even read their account statements anymore.

But other factors have muddied the waters for mapping a course toward retirement. People are living longer. An American born in 1955 was expected to live to age 69, on average. Forty years later, life expectancy was 76. This is good news —  but we need to prepare for more years of retirement.

And, if you thought Social Security would take care of you, think again. Last year, the maximum monthly benefit was $2,185 — not enough for many of you to live comfortably.

While there are no easy solutions, the purchase of a life insurance policy can guarantee the protection of your loved ones and additionally supplement your retirement savings, if the death benefit is no longer needed.

Life insurance’s primary purpose is to provide guaranteed death benefit protection, which can provide a tax-free legacy to your loved ones. But, permanent life also carries many living benefits. Cash value is money that accumulates within the policy, tax deferred. This means you do not pay taxes on any of the accumulation within the policy. In addition, you can access that money tax free through policy loans. These same funds can also be used for college expenses, as collateral for a small business loan or any other happily anticipated or unexpected event.

In addition to the death benefit protection provided by life insurance, it can also be used to supplement your retirement income. As such, it can be a vital piece of the complex puzzle of retirement planning.

Nathaniel Goldman is a Life Underwriter Training Council Fellow (LUTCF) and an agent with New York Life Insurance Company. If you have any questions about wills, contact him at (315) 449-8635.

Longtime On-air Host at WRVO-FM Retires

By Bruce Frassinelli

WRVO’s morning on-air host prefers to be heard but not seen. But soon, that familiar voice that has graced the public radio airways of Central New York for nearly 40 years will go silent when he fully retires at the end of the year.

John Hurlbutt, 60, has been working part time for nearly three years since relinquishing his program director’s position to Fred Vigeant. For 29 years, Hurlbutt has been getting out of bed at 4:30 a.m. or earlier to prepare for Morning Edition, WRVO’s top-rated program. “I love the work,” Hurlbutt says, “but time takes its toll.”

Hurlbutt had a minor heart attack and coronary artery disease that resulted in bypass surgery in 2001. He was off-air for six weeks, and his legion of fans clamored for periodic health updates during his absence.
Two mentors, General Manager Bill Shigley and Dave Nellis, died prematurely; Shigley was 62; Nellis was 57. On top of that, Hurlbutt’s father, Dr. Bryant Hurlbutt, a general practitioner, died when he was 50. Mindful of these early demises, Hurlbutt, who is single, says he wants to experience a more normal lifestyle. He admits to bouts of sleep-deprivation since he finds it difficult to go to bed as early as required to maintain the rigorous early-morning regimen.

Hurlbutt wants to explore opportunities in narrating audio books. Listeners love Hurlbutt’s voice which, they say, sounds like a friend reaching through the radio to have a conversation with them. “I strive to bring that comfort level to listeners,” Hurlbutt says. “I try to stay out of the way of the programming. My role is to tell listeners a story.”

He succeeds so well. He is one of the most recognizable on-air host in the Central New York area. When asked what adjective they would use in describing him, listeners almost unanimously say “credibility.”
Hurlbutt says he first became interested in broadcasting when he practiced being an announcer as a junior high student in Rushville, a Rochester suburb. He had an affinity for memorizing comedy routines by Bob Newhart, Shelly Berman and others, then performing these routines as part of class speaking assignments. “Yeh, there was some ham in the blood,” he admits.

But somewhere between his teen years and early adulthood, the outgoing Hurlbutt became more comfortable behind the microphone and less comfortable as a public personality. He can’t really explain why, but he says a disastrous tryout for a weatherman’s job on WSTM-TV (Channel 3), Syracuse, convinced him that public radio was where he wanted to spend the rest of his career.

“Of course,” he says whimsically, “my dream job would be play-by-play announcer for the Los Angeles Dodgers, but Vin Skully has had that job forever.”

Hurlbutt admits that the steep learning curve of the new technology, which has changed the face of the broadcasting industry, has also contributed to his decision to retire.

Since WRVO moved into its new studio at Penfield Library on the SUNY Oswego campus, Hurlbutt says he has been intimidated by the state-of-the-art equipment and has been somewhat resistant to embracing the new technology. “I’m in awe of the younger staff members and the ease with which they accept these changes,” Hurlbutt says.

The technological landscape over the last 36 years has been ever-changing, Hurlbutt says. One of the most significant is satellite interconnection that has allowed so many more programs to become options for local audiences. He cites the popular “Car Talk” from Boston as one of them.

Armed with this programming candy shop, and as each of the three National Public Radio stations in Central New York struggled to find its respective niche, WRVO decided to go the news/talk route while the others specialized in classical music and jazz. It was a prescient decision, because national ratings always list WRVO among the top 10 most-listened to stations in Central New York, beating out many commercial radio stations.

During any quarter hour between 6 and 10 a.m. weekdays, there is an average of 5,300 listeners tuned to WRVO; between 7 and 8 a.m., there is an average of 7,800 — big numbers for a public radio station.

While Hurlbutt projects a strait-laced personality, he’s not above pulling some high jinks, although he emphasizes that these occurred when he was much younger. He recalls how he tried to break up General Manager Bill Shigley, who was on the air live reading a story. Hurlbutt stripped in an adjoining office, then slowly walked nude in front of the studio window. The unflappable Shigley, however, merely shook his head and continued reading, leaving the repentant Hurlbutt with nothing but a deflated exclamation point.
Although his legacy will be significant, Hurlbutt, in typical self-deprecating style, discounts any concern about memorials. “I hope I’ve made a difference,” he says.

His colleagues certainly believe so. “John’s most important contribution was his assumption of the host duties for mornings on WRVO,” says General Manager John Krauss. He and Hurlbutt were among the charter staff members at WRVO. “Throughout his tenure,” Krauss says, “the smooth, confident, comforting voice in the morning was assurance that no matter what happened overnight, the world was still here. Central New York could go about its daily activities fully informed about news and issues.”

Morning radio shapes the brand of the station airing it, Krauss says. “John Hurlbutt became the flagship voice of the WRVO brand. The loyal listeners that woke up with John stayed on as listeners all day long. As he passes the torch to our younger staff, his example will set a goal of excellence for them to reach.”
Krauss says it will be strange to arrive at work and not be greeted by his cheery “good mornings.” And, Krauss adds, “Makes me want to consider retirement myself.”

Hurlbutt’s successor, Program Director Fred Vigeant, says Hurlbutt is a foundation for WRVO listeners. “He’s been there at the same time, same place and same station,” Vigeant says.

Behind the scenes, Vigeant adds, John is just as much a constant fixture. “His nice bright smile creates a reassuring welcome, even on days when Oswego’s weather is nothing to smile about. His positive spirit will be difficult to replace,” Vigeant says.

Hurlbutt says he is “deeply proud and honored to have been invited into people’s homes and cars to do what I have loved doing all these years and to have gotten paid for it, too.” Now, Hurbutt says, he is looking forward to taking a break when he moves to the other side of the radio to become a listener and consumer.

Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security, in July unveiled a new online calculator — at www.socialsecurity.gov/estimator — that will provide immediate and personalized benefit estimates to help people plan for their retirement.

The “Retirement Estimator” is tied to a person’s actual Social Security earnings record and eliminates the need to manually key in years of earnings information.

“Deciding when to retire is one of the most important and difficult decisions many people face,” Commissioner Astrue said. “The ‘Retirement Estimator ‘greatly improves the information available when trying to decide the right time to retire. It is simple, easy-to-use and will provide highly accurate benefit estimates for those nearing retirement age. For younger workers, it will provide valuable information to help them plan and save for their retirement.”

The “Retirement Estimator” is interactive allowing the user to compare different retirement options. For example, a person can change retirement dates or expected future earnings. Individuals also can print out up to three different scenarios at one time, in addition to information about their benefits at age 62 (current age if older), full retirement age and age 70.

Best of all, the “Retirement Estimator” is secure. The only thing it provides online is retirement benefit estimates. It does not show the earnings record information on which the final benefit estimate was calculated, nor does it reveal other personal information.

“The Retirement Estimator is just one of many things we are doing to make more information and services people need available over the Internet,” Commissioner Astrue stated. “We recently unveiled a new home page at www.socialsecurity.gov that reduces visual clutter and is easier to navigate. Since its release, we have received many positive comments. In the fall, we will introduce the public to our next initiative: a total overhaul of our online retirement application that will reduce the average filing time from 45 minutes to about 15 minutes. These initiatives will help us better handle the baby boomer wave and make it easier for the public to do business with us online.”