"I enjoy the industry--and lately, I've enjoyed the fight," is how Everett E. "Skip" Boise, of Cortland, NY, looks back at a career as a bar and restaurant operator, as well as his many years of service to industry associations at the local, state and national levels.
Boise came to Cortland years ago to attend college at State University of New York-Cortland, a state school with a current student body of 8,500.
Cortland is in upstate New York, at the edge of the Finger Lakes Region. The Cortland Chamber of Commerce boasts of 130 trout streams in the county, and a nationally known business in this city of 25,000 is the Cortland Line Company, a manufacturer and distributor of flyfishing lines, flyrods, and related angling gear.
"I worked my way through college waiting on tables and tending bar, and just stayed on," Boise recalls, though it wasn't quite that direct.
He graduated with a teaching degree and then went to SUNY-Morrisville to get another degree in business administration and accounting. Then, he says, "My wife and I decided we wanted to come back to Cortland."
In 1969, Boise was able to buy a business, The Tavern, "from a dear, close friend and mentor."
Now age 62, Boise has seen many changes in the industry, though he' in no hurry to turn in his retirement papers.
Early on in his career, Boise adjusted to the many changes in legal drinking ages, as the age barriers dropped from age 21 to 18, bumped up to 19, and finally went back to age 21, all of which had an impact on a significant part of his customer base--the students at SUNY-Cortland, though Boise points out, "We're not a college bar. We do a lot of college business, but it' a good mix of locals and college people."
Boise notes that alcohol use among college students is definitely a local issue in Cortland and says, "We try to keep the kids educated on responsible use of alcoholic beverages."
An important expansion in The Tavern was when he was able to buy the sandwich shop next door.
"Our claim to fame is the "King Submarine' sandwich," he says.
The Tavern and the King Submarine sandwich shop are housed in two separate buildings linked by a common kitchen that provides food service to both facilities.
Boise says, "We have a simple menu featuring light meals and alot of sandwiches. We do a huge carry-out business."
Over the years, Boise has been active in community affairs, serving in the Cortland Chamber of Commerce, the Cortland County Legislature, and maintains his college loyalties as a member of the "C' Club, the SUNY-Cortland athletic booster club.
In addition, throughout his career, Boise has been active in business associations and he readily shares his business philosophy.
"I look at what I call the Three A' of business: Attorneys to keep you on the right side of legal issues; Accountants to help keep your business practices in line, and the Association to help deal with what I think of as the intrinsic aspects of business, such as dealing with city hall or legislatures, or with social issues. We have to band together to work for positive changes."
Boise first became active at the county level, serving as president of the Cortland County licensee association. From there he went on to serve the Empire State Restaurant and Tavern Association.
"I've gone through all the chairs, including President and Board Chairman," he says. He is currently again president of his county association, and now is a new board member of the national American Beverage Licensees (ABL), as well.
Of the Empire State association, Boise notes there' a lot of variety in the association' membership, ranging from a lot of "Mom 'n' Pops" businesses, to some chain operations such as Applebee' and Holiday Inn. While the association' members range from New York City to small towns in upstate areas, their members face similar issues.
A long-time issue, of course, has been the changing drinking ages that were legislated over the last few decades, and also with an associated issue, changing DUI laws.
In the last few years, the over-riding issue facing New York' tavern operators has been the smoking question.
The New York Clean Indoor Air Act became effective July 24, 2003. The Act applies to all public facilities but especially impacts bars and restaurants.
Boise notes that in New York the focus of the Clean Indoor Air Act is to protect workers in the affected businesses.
According to a pamphlet issued by the New York State Department of Health, the law reflects "the state' commitment to ensuring that all workers are protected from secondhand smoke. Localities may continue to adopt and enforce local laws regulating smoking. However, these regulations must be at least as strict as the Clean Indoor Air Act."
From a personal standpoint, Boise says, "I've been observing the letter of the law. I post signs notifying people that smoking is not permitted, and I tell customers that smoking is not permitted. But if they do smoke, I don't stop them, either. I do offer them a cup of water or ice for them to douse their cigarette." The State-issued pamphlet states that the business operator "must make a reasonable effort to prevent smoking."
Boise believes that an inherent problem with New York' smoking regulations is uneven enforcement of the rules.
Environmental Health, a division of local county health departments, has the responsibility of enforcing the Act' provisions and across the state there are varying interpretations of how the law should be administered. Boise quickly adds, however, that the local county health departments do a great job in other areas, such as food and cleanliness inspections,
In any event, Boise says the law has been tough on the tavern and restaurant industry. "It' damaging us, so we've been fighting it," adding, "One person is suing his county health department--it' bankrupting him."
He added that in one county a judge ruled that a local county health department' interpretation of the rules was "capricious."
As a relatively new ABL Board member, Boise has been closely following the fallout resulting from the withdrawal of support from Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S. (DISCUS), the giant distillers' association. He stated his support for the ABL publication, the ABL Leader, and suggests to fellow members, "If it' of value to you--buy it."
Changing times have clearly created many challenges to Skip Boise and his colleagues in the Empire State' bar and restaurant businesses.
Looking back, he says, "I grew up on a farm and decided it was too complicated. I didn't want to be a soil scientist, an animal doc, and all those things. I decided I wanted a simpler life--I could just tend bar and wait on customers."
While he may have had occasions to question whether his career path has fit into that simple life, he has no regrets, and says of America' taverns, "That' what made this country great; these nice, friendly watering holes where people can get together, talk, and maybe do a little business."
Source: ABL Leader, December, 2005, published monthly by Continental Communications, 125 W. Granite St., Suite 102, Butte, MT 59701.