Photo by Tom Rivers

BATAVIA – The Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council honored artists and contributors of the local cultural scene on Saturday during GO Art!’s annual community arts awards gala at Terry Hill Country Club.

The honorees include, from left: Michael Bonafede of Albion for his role as drummer and help in planning many community events; Kim Buczek (Linda Blanchet Award) for earning doctorate in music arts and performing in Cincinnati area; Jim Hancock of Medina for his volunteer work with many community causes and events; Albion native Lance Anderson, president of the Lake Plains Players – a community theater group; Cassandra Prong (daughter of honoree Bill Hayes – honored for his years of support for GO ART!); Vincent Pastore, a life-long Batavian and accomplished musician; and Leslie DeLooze, accepting on behalf of the Richmond Memorial Library, which offers many arts and cultural programs through the year.

Orleans Hub will have more on the program later today.

Photo courtesy of Batavia City School District – Michelle Restivo of Albion is pictured at the Jackson Primary School in Batavia. Last week she was picked as a “Teacher Who Opens Door to Education.”

BATAVIA – Michelle Restivo makes fun a priority in her classroom. But that doesn’t mean she skimps on learning.

Restivo of Albion teaches kindergarten at the Jackson Primary School in Batavia. She acknowledged she and other teachers feel pressure to keep the school day packed with instruction so students can score well on tests through the Common Core.

But that doesn’t mean Restivo will eliminate art, crafts and other projects. She said those activities are needed for students, especially those in the elementary grades.

And she incorporates lessons in those activities, having them draw the ocean and sailboats in a lesson about Christopher Columbus, for example.

“If they’re not having fun and looking forward to it, it won’t be meaningful learning,” Restivo said.

She was recognized last week by a Rochester radio station for winning the “Open the Door to Education” contest. She was interviewed on 100.5 The Drive. She will receive a new door for her home from DeRisio Construction.

Restivo was nominated for the award Kelseylynn Chechak, whose son Jacob was in Restivo’s class last year.

“I could not have dreamt of a better teacher,” Ms. Chechak wrote. “She encouraged the children, celebrated their successes, and made learning fun. Learning about different countries, the kids had passports, their chairs set up like airplane seats, and a paper suitcase to put all their research in. This is just one example of Mrs. Restivo’s amazing teaching methods. Although she is an amazing educator, the kids saw her mostly as a friend. Her love, patience, and friendship was shared with all of the kids.”

Restivo and her husband Jonathan have two children in the Albion school district: Shelby and Ben.

Klatt is shared superintedent for Barker, Roy-Hart

Dr. Roger Klatt

Dr. Roger Klatt, a 1978 Albion High graduate and former Albion teacher and coach, was presented with the Educational Leader of the Year Award by Niagara University College of Education on Thursday.

Klatt, who taught and coached at Albion for 15 years, is now the superintendent of both the Barker and Royalton-Hartland School Districts.

He was presented the award for his work as a school leader for the Barker and Roy-Hart Districts.

In presenting the award, Niagara College of Education officials noted that prior to becoming one of the first “shared superintendents,” Klatt spent 17 years in a variety of administrative roles at Barker Central including middle school principal, director of instructional services, assistant superintendent and superintendent. Prior to that his 17 years of teaching experienced were highlighted by being selected as Albion Central’s Educator of the Year in 1995.

“Many of his family, friends and past/present colleagues were in attendance last night sharing in the occasion,” said Barker Athletic Director and former Albion teacher and coach Dave Carson. “I know Roger is proud of his Albion roots and all three of the districts that he has served and it was clear last night that the folks from Albion, Barker and Roy-Hart are proud of him.”

Photo by Tom Rivers – Kim Remley, leader of Stop Polluting Orleans County, speaks during a public hearing on Sept. 16 about a landfill in Albion.

ALBION – Kim Remley has long been active in the Albion community, pushing for park upgrades, youth activities and health care.

She also has led a citizens group in a fight against additional landfills in the community. Remley is chairwoman of Stop Polluting Orleans County.

She is being recognized with the 2014 Pullman Memorial Humanitarian Award. Lee Richards, pastor of the Pullman Memorial Universalist Church, said Remley is primarily being recognized for her volunteer work leading SPOC and the organization’s commitment to protecting the local environment. But he said Remley has been a dynamo in the community, devoted to many causes.

“She is an inspiration to others to get involved,” Richards said.

Remley will be honored at 11 a.m. on Oct. 12 at Pullman, with a reception to follow at noon. The public is invited to the event at 10 East Park St., Albion.

Remley is also a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Albion and is active with Vacation Bible School and a youth group, TGIF. She is spearheading the church’s efforts to erect a Peace Pole.

She is a member of Rebuild Bullard, a committee working on upgrading Bullard Park. She also is a vendor of the Downtown Browsery Co-Op and serves as vice chairwoman of the group’s board.

She has been active with the Albion Main Street Alliance, local political campaigns, Friends of the (Swan) Library, Oak Orchard Lighthouse Committee and was a volunteer for the Lakeside Health System Foundation.

In 2010 she was recognized by the Orleans County Youth Board with the Eileen Heye Adult Volunteer Award.

During the event honoring Remley, Richards said he plans to share a quote Henry David Thoreau: “Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.”

Richards said he is impressed with Remley’s community service, especially the years of devotion to fighting landfills.

“She has shown she can stick to it,” Richards said. “She’s worked long and hard on it.”

File photos by Tom Rivers – Lance Anderson, president of the Lake Plains Players, portrays Jean Valjean in the production of Les Miserables. Anderson said playing Valjean, here shown as prisoner No. 24601, was a dream come true. Anderson has expanded the LPP’s number of productions, including a children’s theater camp over the summer.

BATAVIA – Three Orleans County community members will be recognized for their efforts to promote arts and culture in the county.

The Genesee-Orleans Regional Arts Council on Oct. 11 will present community arts awards to Jim Hancock of Medina, Michael Bonafede of Albion and Albion native Lance Anderson, who is president of the Lake Plains Players, a community theater organization.

Anderson has pushed the Lake Plains Players to put on more shows, including a youth theater camp this summer, culminating in the performance of 101 Dalmations. The group does its main theater show at the Roy-Hart school auditorium. The LPP also performed smaller shows at Leonard Oakes Estate Winery this year.

Anderson, a vocal teacher, played one of the lead roles – Jean Valjean – in the organization’s production of the ambitious show, Les Miserables. The LPP had 78 cast members in the epic production last October.

Michael Bonafede, chairman of the Albion Strawberry Festival Committee, plays the drums and leads a horse-drawn carriage with a replica of Abraham Lincoln’s coffin during the Strawberry Festival Parade in June. The coffin was on display as part of the 100th anniversary celebration for the Merrill-Grinnell Funeral Home.

GO ART! is giving an “Individual Award” to Bonafede, who has been chairman of the Strawberry Festival Committee for several years. Bonafede volunteers in leading a committee that puts on two days of entertainment the second weekend of June, including two venues for musicians besides the parade.

Bonafede also is a talented drummer who performed with the band Black Sheep in the mid-1970s. The band included Lou Gramm, who went on to be lead singer for Foreigner. Black Sheep recorded two albums for Capital Records and shared the stage with Kiss, Aerosmith, REO Speedwagon, and Hall and Oates.

Bonafede also served 16 years on the Albion Board of Education, including more than a decade as its president. He promoted the arts in the school district, which has won national recognition for its music program.

One of the fire trucks has a giant glowing Mickey Mouse at the back as it heads down Main Street through a big crowd in downtown Medina on Nov. 30 during last year’s Parade of Lights. Jim Hancock is the lead organizer of the parade, which is now in its sixth year.

He and his wife Judith Koehler also have been working to restore the Pratt Opera House in downtown Albion with a goal to make it a musical and performing arts venue.

GO ART! is also recognizing Hancock for his efforts in Medina. Since retiring as director of the Job Development Agency in Orleans County, Hancock has stepped up his volunteer efforts. He heads Medina’s Tourism Committee, which plans events, including concerts, and also makes sure the visitor center is staffed inside City Hall.

Hancock is the lead organizer of Medina’s parade of Lights the first Saturday after Thanksgiving, an event that draws a huge crowd to downtown Medina.

Medina Sandstone Society President Bob Waters, left, is pictured with Hall of Fame Committee members David Miller, Jim Hancock and John Slack during the HOF inaugural induction ceremony last Dec. 11.

He is active in the Medina Sandstone Society, and took the lead in establishing a Sandstone Hall of Fame last December inside City Hall. Hancock was part of the HOF Committee with David Miller and John Slack. The group wanted to promote community history and pride, showcasing some of the great structures from around the state made of the local stone.

GO ART! also will recognize Vinny Pastore of Genesee County, the Richmond Memorial Library in Batavia, Bill Hayes from Turnbull Heating & Air Conditioning, and Elba native Kimberly Buczek.

The 14th annual Genesee-Orleans Community Arts Awards Gala will be 6 p.m. on Oct. 11 at the Terry Hills Golf Course and Banquet Facility, 5122 Clinton Street Rd., Batavia. For more information, contact GO ART! at 585-343-9313.

Photos by Tom Rivers – Brad MacDonald, vice president at Brunner International, accepts the “Business of the Year” award from Chamber Executive Director Kathy Blackburn and a citation from Barry Flansburg, a representative for State Assemblyman Steve Hawley.

Bruce Krenning of Albion was recognized for “Lifetime Achievement” for his years of volunteer service. Krenning is the current board chairman for Orleans Community Health and has served as vice president of New York Farm Bureau and on the Albion and Lyndonville boards of education.

GAINES – Some of Orleans County leading businesses and citizens were recognized during an awards dinner on Saturday, and several testified that they have overcome challenges to contribute to the local community.

Brunner International five years ago put on an addition only to have the economy be gripped in a recession. Brunner had to scale back from five days of three shifts a week to only one shift for three days a week.

Brunner weathered the recession, and is expanding again, with a new addition currently under construction. The company expects to grow from 390 employees to 450 that make axle shafts and brakes for the trucking industry. Brunner was named “Business of the Year” by the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce.

Brad MacDonald, the company vice president, said the award and expansion wouldn’t be possible without dedicated and skilled employees. Brunner faces competition in its industry from China and other countries with lower costs of doing business.

“There aren’t too many heavy manufacturers left in the United States,” MacDonald said. “We’re very proud to say we make a product that is American made.”

The Chamber recognized two residents with Lifetime Achievement Awards. Marcia Tuohey was a successful entrepreneur before she entered local politics and was the first woman elected to serve as Medina mayor and then the first woman elected to the Orleans County Legislature. She served 10 years as Legislature chairwoman.

Craig Tuohey, right, accepts the Lifetime Achievement Award with his brother Carl on behalf of their mother, Marcia Tuohey.

“She was a woman who never accepted that glass ceilings existed in the business or the political arena,” said her friend Gabrielle Barone, vice president of business development for the Orleans Economic Development Agency. “If she thought it existed she took a sledgehammer to it.”

Tuohey was 84 when she died at home on Aug. 7. She set a high standard in local government and in her businesses, Barone said, which included a construction company, rehabbing houses, a manufactured housing park and a restaurant.

“She was full of drive, dedication and determination,” Tuohey’s son Craig said Saturday during the awards dinner at Tillman’s Village Inn. “She loved this county.”

Bruce Krenning started a farming career after graduating from Cornell University. He was an orchard manager for George Lamont before Krenning started his own farm. Krenning Orchards was decimated by a hail storm on Labor Day in 1998. Krenning was forced to go out of business.

He had already served on the boards of education for Lyndonville and Albion. But after the storm and the loss of his business, Krenning said he wrestled with self worth.

“I thought after the hail storm that life was over and nobody would want me,” Krenning said. “But that’s not true. I’ve had opportunities with great boards.”

Krenning didn’t stay down long after the storm. He was elected vice president of the New York Farm Bureau, a state-wide organization with 30,000 members, and helped get crop insurance approved at the federal level for fruit and vegetable farms.

He is currently chairman of the board for Orleans Community Health/Medina Memorial Hospital. He will retire in a few months as an insurance agent with the Southcott Agency. He is active with the Orleans Renaissance Group and wants to help with the restoration of the Bent’s Opera House in Medina.

J.J. Heideman, owner of BAD-AsH-BBQ, accepts the award for “New Business of the Year.”

The Chamber also recognized J.J. Heideman as “New Business of the Year” for BAD-AsH-BBQ. Heideman has brought an innovative style to the food business, taking his food business on location. He has an “unstoppable work ethic,” the Chamber said.

Heideman thanked the community for its support. He dedicated the award to his mother.

“This is awesome,” he said. “I never dreamed it would come to this.”

A building that had been vacant for nearly a decade found new life the past year as Fairhaven Treasures. Ray and Linda Burke, owners of the building at the corner of routes 98 and 104, upgraded the house from 1834 with help from many volunteers. The Burkes were recognized with the “Phoenix Award.”

The site sells high-end crafts and art, and is available for concerts and other events.

The Chamber honored Precision Packaging Products in Holley for “Entrepreneurial Excellence.” The company has grown from 30 to 35 employees when it moved to Holley in 2003 to the current workforce of 115. It also has made many innovations in the plastic packaging market for food companies.

Greg Piedmonte, the purchasing manager for Precision Packaging Products, accepts the “Entrepreneurial Excellence” award on behalf of the Holley company.

Lake Ontario Fruit, a packing and storing facility on Ridge Road in Gaines, was recognized as “Agricultural Business of the Year.” The company has invested $7 million since 2008 in additions for storage and a new high-tech packing line. Lake Ontario Fruit packs 1.1 million bushels of fresh apples each year.

“We’re a vessel for the growers in Orleans County,” said John Russell, managing partner for the business. “This is one of the best apple-growing regions in the world. We’ll continue to invest in the county. We’ll continue to invest in our facility and we’ll continue to invest in the future of Orleans County agriculture.”

The Chamber also recognized two residents with community service awards. Anni Skowneski works as case manager for Community of Orleans & Genesee, assisting many families in crisis. She praised the Community Action team, including her boss Annette Finch and her predecessor Joni Dix for being great role models.

Ken DeRoller of Kendall was recognized for his years of service to the Kendall Lions Club, and his service on local Planning Boards, the Orleans Economic Development Agency and now as county legislator.

DeRoller said he always wanted to give back to the community, and he first did so as a volunteer firefighter. When that role became too physically taxing, he switched to service on the boards and through connecting with residents and other local officials.

“Orleans County is a great place to live,” he said. “I enjoy being here.”

Lisa Ireland, former executive director of the United Way of Orleans County, was given a special recognition award from the Chamber and its executive director Kathy Blackburn, right.

The Chamber also issued a surprise special recognition award to Lisa Ireland, the outgoing director of the United Way of Orleans County. She was the first director of the United Way when the eastern and western Orleans chapters merged about three years ago.

She also worked as executive director for the Genesee-Orleans Ministry of Concern and community relations director for Hospice of Orleans. She is leaving the United Way to work as director of donor relations and scholarships for the Rochester Institute of Technology.

“We consider ourselves lucky to work with such a powerful voice for our community,” said Kathy Blackburn, Chamber executive director.

Ireland said she agonized about taking the RIT job because she wants to stay invested in her home county. In her new role she wants to help more Orleans County residents have a shot at attending a prestigious college like RIT.

She thanked the business community for supporting the United Way, which directs money to 20 local agencies.

“We’re not a huge county, but we have huge hearts,” she said.

Photo by Tom Rivers

GAINES – The Orleans County Chamber of Commerce recognized entrepreneurs and community leaders during the 16th annual awards banquet on Saturday at Tillman’s Village Inn. About 110 people attended the event.

The following were recognized, front row, from left: Phoenix Award for Linda and Ray Burke, owners of Fairhaven Treasures; Lifetime Achievement for Bruce Krenning; Community Service Award for Anni Skowneski; New Business of the Year for BAD-AsH-BBQ owner J.J. Heideman; Carl Tuohey, son of the late Marcia Tuohey, winner of Lifetime Achievement.

Back row: Chamber Board Award and special recognition for Lisa Ireland, outgoing director of United Way of Orleans County; Community Service Award for Ken DeRoller; Agricultural Business of the Year for Lake Ontario Fruit – co-owners John Russell, Rod Farrow and Eric Brown; Brad MacDonald, vice president for Brunner International, the Business of the Year; Greg Piedmonte, purchasing manager for Precision Packaging Products, winner of Entrepreneurial Excellence; and Craig Tuohey, son of the late Marcia Tuohey, recognized for Lifetime Achievement.

Orleans Hub will have more on the awards dinner.

Former fruit grower has served many organizations

Bruce Krenning

ALBION – It started when he was about 30. Bruce Krenning joined the Lyndonville Board of Education. For the past four decades he has volunteered his time and talents, helping organizations meet challenges and prepare for the future.

After Lyndonville, Krenning joined the Albion Board of Education. He and his family moved from Lyndonville to Howlett Road in Albion so he could operate his own fruit and hog farm. His BOE colleagues picked him to serve as Albion’s president.

He was active with the Orleans County Farm Bureau and about a decade ago served as vice president of the state-wide organization with 30,000 members.

Community members also reached out to him to serve on the board for Orleans Community Health, the parent organization of Medina Memorial Hospital. He is in his third year as chairman, helping the organization through a time of change.

“He has given us the leadership that we needed,” said Patricia Fox, a hospital board member for nine years. “He is a phenomenal person when it comes to running a board. He has led us through a very difficult time.”

The hospital, like many rural health care organizations, has struggled financially. Other small towns have seen their hospitals close or downsize.

File photos by Tom Rivers – Bruce Krenning, board chairman for Orleans Community Health, is pictured in June 2013 with Diane Bradley, regional clinical coordinator, and Mike Lieb, temporary CEO. Dolores Horvath would later be named OCH’s chief executive officer.

Orleans Community Health last year changed its chief executive officer, opened a new health care center in Albion and affiliated with Catholic Health in Buffalo, giving Medina access to specialists and other medical and surgical services.

“We’ve had some extremely difficult decisions to make,” Fox said. “Bruce is up for the challenge. He listens and he is thinking all the time. He draws us all in and we’re determined.”

The Chamber of Commerce is honoring Krenning tonight during its awards banquet for “Lifetime Achievement” for his service to the community.

Krenning, 71, grew up in Lyndonville and earned an economics degree from Cornell University. He and his wife Diane have four grown children and 12 grandchildren. Their son Adam is the agriculture teacher and FFA advisor for Albion Central School.

Krenning said he has been blessed with great mentors who encouraged him. He cited George Lamont of Albion, he gave Krenning a job when he was 21. Krenning also worked for Dennis Kirby and David Kast before starting Krenning Orchards in 1987.

He grew apples and peaches and also raised hogs. Francis Kirby and Pierson Root also were great mentors, Krenning said. Root, in particular, encouraged Krenning to become involved in Farm Bureau. Root told Krenning he had “a God-given talent to get along with people,” Krenning recalled.

“People respect him and trust him.
He is not afraid of an unpopular decision if it’s the right thing to do.”
Dean Norton, president of NY Farm Bureau

Krenning was elected to the state-wide board, representing several Western New York counties in the mid to late 1990s. That was back when the fruit sector didn’t have much of a voice on the state board. Krenning impressed Farm Bureau so much that they elected him vice president.

They did that after he was forced to exit farming. A Labor Day hail storm swept through the area in 1998, and decimated Krenning’s apple crop. Krenning and several other growers in Orleans County were forced out of business.

But Krenning wouldn’t give up on the agriculture industry. He saw the weakness of insurance programs for fruit growers. He teamed with Albion fruit grower Chris Watt and Larry Meyer, head of the Farm Service Agency in Orleans County, to craft a fruit insurance program that would become federal policy. Fruit growers now have protection should another hail storm wipe out their crop.

Bruce Krenning, president of the board of directors for Orleans Community Health, attended the Treasure Island fund-raiser last November.

Dean Norton, president of the New York Farm Bureau, said Krenning was “monumental” in getting the NYFB to support the insurance protection and secure backing from the federal government.

“He took those lemons after the hail storm and used it as an educational experience to help the farming community,” Norton said. “People respect him and trust him. He is not afraid of an unpopular decision if it’s the right thing to do.”

Since he left farming, Krenning has worked as an insurance agent with the Southcott Agency in Albion. He serves farmers and homeowners. One farmer in Niagara County recently received a $900,000 check, money that kept the farmer in business.
“The Labor Day storm tested our faith and resolve,” Krenning’s wife Diane said during an interview at their home. “You can either give up or move forward. In some ways it feels predestined because Bruce has been able to help other farmers get crop insurance. It’s changed the lives of so many people since then.”

As an insurance agent, Krenning works with farmers running varied operations. He remains closely connected to the industry.

Norton, an Elba resident, often calls Krenning, looking for his opinion.

“He is one of those people I continue to talk to and pick his brain,” Norton said. “He has been a mentor to me.”

Krenning said the roles on the boards are often demanding, especially the latest effort to make sure the hospital and Orleans Community Health remain viable for years to come. He praised his fellow board members for their determination to healthcare in the county.

“I’ve been fortunate that people trusted me and with that trust I can build relationships and with those relationships you can get things done,” Krenning said.

SUNY Fredonia – A lecture hall in the new Science Complex at Fredonia State College will be named the Kelly Family Auditorium after a gift to the project from Medina native, Dr. Jeffery Kelly.

MEDINA – A Medina High School graduate who has become a prominent organic chemistry researcher is helping his alma mater, Fredonia State College, build a new science complex.

Dr. Jeffery Kelly graduated from Fredonia in 1982. He then earned his doctorate in organic chemistry at the University of North Carolina in 1986.

He heads The Kelly Laboratory at The Scripps Research Institute, one of the world’s largest independent, not-for-profit organizations focusing on research in the biomedical sciences. The SRI employs about 3,000 people in La Jolla, Calif. and Jupiter, Fla. Kelly works out of the campus in La Jolla.

Kelly also owns two pharmaceutical companies, said his mother, Janice Kelly-Mack of Medina.

“He’s done very well,” she said. “He’s worked very hard.”

Dr. Jeffery Kelly

Kelly returns to Fredonia and Medina three or four times a year to visit family and friends and to attend Fredonia board meetings. He is on the college’s board of directors.

He will attend the Oct. 17 ribbon-cutting for the new 92,000-square-foot science complex, a $60 million project. Kelly donated to have the 120-seat auditorium named for his family. The Kelly Family Auditorium is among many rooms in the new science center that won support from alumni and friends of the college in Chautauqua County.

The Kelly Laboratory discovered the first regulatory agency-approved drug that slows the progression of a human amyloid disease, and has made other breakthroughs.

Kelly was recognized with a Fredonia Alumni Distinguished Achievement Award in 2000. He has won numerous awards for his research, including in 2012 when he was the winner of the Murray Goodman Memorial Prize for Biopolymers and the Ralph F. Hirschmann Award in Peptide Chemistry from the American Chemical Society.

For more on Kelly, click here.

First woman to serve as Medina mayor and Legislature chairwoman, Tuohey also ran several businesses

Provided photos – In this photo from 1985, Marcia Tuohey is out inspecting flood damage in the village of Medina.

MEDINA – When Fisher-Price left Medina about two decades ago, eliminating 700 jobs, Marcia Tuohey led the push for the community’s rebound.

She worked to establish a business park that would welcome new companies, including Trek, BMP America and American Sigma. She would later push to welcome Western New York Energy and its ethanol plant.

“When Fisher-Price closed she knew people had to step up for other industries,” said her son Craig Tuohey, a former director of the industrial development agency in Orleans County. “She was tireless.”

Tuohey was a trailblazing local leader. She was the first woman elected to serve as mayor of Medina, the first woman elected county legislator and the Legislature’s longest-serving chairwoman with 10 years as the county’s highest-ranking elected official.

She was 84 when she died at home on Aug. 7. The Orleans County Chamber of Commerce is recognizing her with a “Lifetime Achievement Award” on Saturday during the Chamber’s annual awards dinner.

State Sen. George Maziarz is pictured with Marcia Tuohey when she was celebrated as a “Woman of Distinction” last year in the state capitol.

Before she ran for public office, Tuohey ran many several business ventures, including a construction company and a mobile home park. She teamed with her twin sister Barbara Waters in some of the enterprises, including buying run-down homes, fixing them up and then reselling them.

They were active entrepreneurs beginning about 50 years ago, when it was very much a man’s world.

“She was fearless,” Craig said about his mother.

She doled out duties for her young sons, including mowing lawns and pulling weeds. When she operated the Colonial Inn, insisting on no baseball caps for staff and customers, Craig was assigned the manager.

“If you look sloppy, you act sloppy, and if you act sloppy, you think sloppy,” was one of her adages. Tuohey loved to sprinkle in sayings for the staff and her family.

“Don’t ever ask anyone to do something you wouldn’t do yourself,” Craig said, quoting his mother.

Tuohey often brought up her days working summer jobs on the muck farms with her sister.

Marcia Tuohey is pictured in July 1989 at a wedding. She was known for her stylish appearance.

“No matter what you do, even if it’s pulling a weed, do the best job you can do,” was another saying.

Tuohey was the daughter of Frank J. Balcerzak, a respected building contractor who built hundreds of public buildings in WNY. Marcia, her sister and brother Bob would form a spinoff of the family construction business, Balcerzak Incorporated. They would use their company for several business ventures, including Orchard Manor Nursing Home.

Tuohey married a mechanical engineer, Carl “Gus” Tuohey.

“He was proud of mom and didn’t stand in her way,” said their son Carl.

His mother enjoyed business, but she reveled in politics, mainly because of the relationships and the satisfaction of completing projects.

She didn’t like “phony” people. She preferred people who could get the job done and stayed true to their word.

When women interested in running for elected office would ask her for advice, Tuohey often told them to never offer to make the coffee at a meeting. The women shouldn’t go about deferential roles, catering to the men, her son Carl said.

Tuohey shattered local stereotypes about what women can and should do for much of her adult life, whether running a construction company, serving as Medina mayor and then County Legislature chairwoman.

Even after she retired as Legislature leader eight years ago, Tuohey stayed a force in local affairs. She served on Medina’s Planning Board, and attended many village meetings, urging the Village Board to trim expenses. She also was the county’s representative on the board of directors for Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp.

“It wasn’t about being in charge,” Craig said. “It was about doing things right.”

Kendall resident has been involved in numerous community causes

Photos by Tom Rivers – Ken DeRoller is pictured outside his Kendall home where he lives with his wife of 46 years, Susan.

KENDALL – A Kendall resident has decades of giving back to the community, through the Fire Department, leading the local Planning Board, and serving in the Lions Club and other public offices.

Ken DeRoller, 68, is being recognized by the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce with a community service award. He will be honored on Sept. 20.

“Community service is my passion,” DeRoller said at his home on Kendall Road. “I appreciate our environment and our community.”

DeRoller grew up in Spencerport, but visited Kendall often as a kid. His parents had a cottage on Norway Heights. Just before his sophomore year in high school, the family moved to the cottage year-round. He married a Kendall native, the former Susan Preston. They raised two children in Kendall, Marc and Kelly. The DeRollers have three granddaughters.

Mr. DeRoller worked 38 years at Kodak, retiring 12 years ago in the information technology department as a business analyst. He also worked with materials handling and logistics for the company.

He joined the Fire Department and was an active firefighter for 18 years. He continues as a social member.

He served 25 years on the Town Planning Board, including 15 years as its chairman. DeRoller was particularly interested in the lakefront and making better use of the 7 miles of lakefront in Kendall.

He helped write the comprehensive plan that made it possible to turn a former Salvation Army Camp into the Cottages of Troutburg. The first cottages are being built and the infrastructure is going in for the Cottages at Troutburg, a project that could add 400 cottages to the Kendall tax rolls, adding tax base and residents to shop at local businesses, DeRoller said.

County Clerk Karen Lake-Maynard, right, administers the oath of office on Jan. 2 to the following legislators, from left: David Callard of Medina, Lynne Johnson of Lyndonville, Ken DeRoller of Kendall and Fred Miller of Albion.

DeRoller also led the Kendall-Yates-Carlton Waterfront Plan, which took nearly two decades to develop and secure approvals from state and federal officials. The plan promotes recreational opportunities along the 24 miles of shoreline in the three towns. The plan was instrumental in helping the county secure grants for the Marine Park and also for the dredging of the Oak Orchard Harbor.

DeRoller enjoys digging into the details of plans and budgets. He worked as town assessor for four years, and also has been a member of the Orleans Economic Development Agency for the past 12 years.

“He has a passion for Orleans County, for economic development and for everything he does,” said Jim Whipple, Orleans EDA director. “I couldn’t ask for a better board member or a better person.”

DeRoller gives each role in the community his full attention, Whipple said.

“He’s a real asset for Orleans County,” Whipple said.

DeRoller also has been a member of the Lions Club for 30 years and in June was named a Melvin Jones Fellow, the Lions’ top award for humanitarian service. He works with the Leos, the youth component of Lions which includes about 70 students at Kendall.

He urges the students to come back to Kendall as adults and give back to the community.

“He has been instrumental with the Leo’s Club, doing community service projects with the students,” said Terry Bliss, a past president of the Kendall Lions Club and former district governor.

He said DeRoller acts a mentor to many in the community. He also helps line up speakers for the club, bringing in local and state community leaders to address the Lions.

DeRoller joined the Orleans County Legislature in January. He is the Public Safety Committee chairman. He also has pushed the local village and town boards to press the state for more infrastructure funding. He secured formal resolutions from each village and town board about the issue.

Well-maintained roads and bridges are critical for the county’s economic development and quality of life, DeRoller said. He also helped rally residents to submit 70 letters asking the state to better maintain the Lake Ontario State Parkway.

DeRoller said he’s thankful for the Kendall community and the many ways he’s been able to contribute.

“You try to make a difference,” he said.

Photos by Sue Cook – Gerald “JJ” Heideman shows off the meat he is making to help Medina LOYAL football and cheerleaders buy new uniforms.

By Sue Cook, staff reporter

MEDINA – Gerald Heideman started his barbecue business back in May 2014. He’d been making barbecue at his own house for three years and the response to his food was enthusiastic.

“Everybody was telling me, you gotta do something with this,” he said. “You got an itch. I never thought it would ever happen. Now I bring my business to other businesses.”

He wasn’t sure if it would amount to anything or if he’d be doing it for very long, but he was injured about a year ago and was unable to return to work at his regular job.

He never earned even a GED and didn’t have much knowledge of running a business, but he wanted to be able to help support his family more. He has three kids: Makayla, 11; Mason, 2; and Kennedy, 1. He also has a fiance of 10 years, Jamie Payne.

“It’s a dream,” Heideman said. “I’ve got to keep on going forward with it. Nobody could tell me no. Once I had a set mind, I was going to do it. I live it. I sleep it. I eat it pretty much every day. I’m not your average person. I’m a rebel.”

On his own, he built his barbecue pits and sales stand. He also completed multiple classes for food safety and other regulations. The regular menu includes baby back ribs, pulled pork, pulled chicken and sometimes more. He usually purchases between $500 to $700 worth of meat for most events.

Heideman doesn’t consider himself to be a chef, but instead prefers the title of pitmaster. He cooks using his self-built old-fashioned offset stick-burner pits.

“There’s adrenaline,” he said of the excitement of his work. “I haven’t opened my pit in four or five hours today and that could be burning on there. It’s a chance I have to take.”

Now he is on call for events and businesses, which means he has no regular location or schedule. He has even booked dates for weddings and parties into 2015.

This year, the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce awarded him with their New Business of the Year Award. He will be presented with the award on Sept. 20 at Tillman’s Village Inn during their banquet as recognition of his hard work and entrepreneurial spirit.

“I never imagined I was going to win the New Business of the Year Award,” he said. “It’s a good feeling. They said I had a run for my money, but that I had such an abundance of nominations.”

Heideman and his daughter Makayla stand in front of his sales stand stamped with the tagline “So good, you’ll try to lick your elbows.”

While he does work to earn a profit, much of his work is also for charity and other good causes, such as a brain tumor removal for a woman he never even met or new uniforms for the Medina football team and cheerleaders. For charity work, Heideman has the customer pay for the meat, then donates all of the money and his time. This often includes a 10-hour cook time, about eight hours of serving and then added time for cleaning the pits after.

Heideman grew up in Lyndonville and attended school there. He has since moved to Middleport, but believes in supporting the county he came from. Aside from one benefit in Niagara County, all of his work is done in Orleans because it’s where his roots are and where he attended school.

“I’m originally from Orleans County,” he said. “That’s family, you know?”

Local businesses have teamed up with BAD-AsH-BBQ. LynOaken Farms, whose owners are old friends, allow him to cut wood from their property for his pits. Payne’s Carpet in Albion has asked him to attract extra business during special sales. Heideman buys the cornbread for his meals from The Bread Basket in Medina when he hasn’t had the time to do it himself on his smoker.

Heideman has future plans for the business if he can find an investor for his work. He would like to add a food truck and maybe expand into steamed and fried foods, plus a vegan menu.

“I’ve got so many ideas that Orleans hasn’t even seen before that I want to do,” he explained of his hopes for the future.

Heideman enjoys running his own business and helping others while also working for himself.

“I love doing it. If I didn’t love it, I wouldn’t do it,” he said.

Case manager at Community Action helps families in need

Photo by Sue Cook – Anni Skowneski stands by the Community Action sign on East State Street in Albion.

By Sue Cook, staff reporter

ALBION – Anni Skowneski, 27, will be receiving the Orleans County Chamber of Commerce’s Community Service Award. The case manager for Community of Orleans & Genesee works with many local families. She was surprised to be recognized by the Chamber.

“I got the award letter and I had to read it four times,” Skowneski said. “I was shocked and humbled. I don’t like to be in the spotlight. I wouldn’t be able to do what I do if it weren’t for all of the people behind me: my husband dealing with me coming home late at night, my director and executive director helping me with these enigmas I deal with every day, the volunteers and the staff. I feel like this award wasn’t just for me. It’s for all the people that helped me to do what I do.”

Skowneski specifically deals with emergency services at Community Action helping people in crisis who have had situations such as a loss of utilities or housing, but even going as far as to help with car repairs or insurance so that a person still has a way to go to work. Everything is dealt with on a case-by-case basis to provide the best solution. She can also provide referrals to other organizations, such as the Department of Social Services.

Provided photo – Anni Skowneski assists with backpack and school-supply drives.

Skowneski also helps with events such as the Easter egg hunt, the children’s carnival in Bullard Park, job fairs, holiday baskets, school supplies, coat giveaways and the Angels in Action program.

“When I was a kid, I wanted to feed the homeless,” she said. “I would beg my parents to let me go feed the homeless. When we would make dinner, I would want them to take me out and find a homeless person so I could give them my dinner.”

“My mom is the coordinator at Eastern Orleans Community Center (in Holley) and she’s been there 14 years,” Skowneski said. “I kind of followed in her footsteps. I’ve lived a life that has made me see poverty first hand, so it gives me that better understanding of the need no matter where you are. Seeing that need has made me want to help others. I’ve always been like that.”

“That’s the beauty of this job,” she added. ” I’ve gotten to see so many youth do such great things. It is absolutely phenomenal. The FFA here in Albion is beyond amazing. The fourth graders over at the Student Leadership Council at the Albion school, they are doing wonderful things.”

Skowneski moved from Steuben County to Orleans in 2000 after her mother came to the area. She is currently a Waterport resident. Skowneski worked at CRFS for a little while, then returned to school to further her career. She went to Genesee Community College for human services.

“Where we moved from there, there weren’t many opportunities for me there. I wasn’t going down a very good path,” she said. “I’m very honest about that. I’ve had my bad choices. I think moving out here helped me turn that around. I fear for where I would have been.”

Skowneski recalled a time after moving to the area while helping at the center in Holley that meant a lot to her and inspired her to help in this area.

File photo by Tom Rivers – Skowneski leads local Boy Scouts on a tour of the food pantry at Community Action. The Scouts helped collect food for the pantry last November. Skowneski is coordinator of the food pantry.

“Being a part of their holiday distributions really opened my eyes,” she said. “A gentleman had come in one year, very upset and emotional that he couldn’t provide Christmas for his children. We had his family adopted for the holiday. The following year he came in and handed us money to help out other families. I was only about 16 years old and I bawled my eyes out. I was so overwhelmed with how he wanted to give back.”

An internship during college brought her to Community Action. In February 2012, the previous case manager left the position and Skowneski was asked to temporarily fill in. On Oct. 9, 2012, after her graduation, she was hired permanently.

Skowneski has received two other big awards from Community Action in her two years as case manager. In April 2013, she received Rookie of the Year. In April 2014, she was given the Patti Rupnig Award for her commitment, professionalism and dedication to helping those in need and going the extra mile.

“I want to stay here in this position. I like what I do,” she said. “I’ve gained quite the rapport with my clients as well as with other agencies. There’s not many agencies out there that do this work. I don’t see myself working with any other population. Some people go into geriatrics or working with children, but this is more broad. It’s a new thing every day and a new client every hour. It’s exciting and I feel like I have so much more to do here.”

File photo by Tom Rivers – Skowneski works with several local community organizations to provide food for families, including the Albion FFA. In this photo from last December, FFA member Riley Kelly reaches for a bag of potatoes from Brian Bentley. The FFA delivered 19,000 pounds of produce to Community Action.

Skowneski is married and has a 2-year-old son named Liam. She would like to see Liam follow in her footsteps and volunteer to help his community and those who need assistance.

“I’m definitely going to instill in him the things that my parents did when I was a child,” she said. “‘Do unto others’ is my biggest one. It’s important that our youth know we have to help each other. We have to teach our youth to help people or else where are we going to be?”

Skowneski says that needs are very high in Orleans County for many assistance programs and that she is very happy to be a part of Community Action. Next year the organization will be celebrating its 50th anniversary.

“There’s a lot of different things I do to help support Community Action because they are a wonderful employer,” she said. “They stand behind me and support me in my endeavors. I will be here as long as they want to keep me.”

She added, “I appreciate the recognition, but I don’t want people to forget that it’s not just me doing this. There’s a huge team behind me helping me to do this.”

Skowneski will accept the Community Service Award on Sept. 20 at an awards banquet at Tillman’s Historic Village Inn in Childs.