1812 Brewing Company Inc (KEGS)

[VivaLasVegas]

WISEBUYS STORES, INC.

Owners: Thomas W. Scozzafava, Dierdre K. Scozzafava, Joseph LaChausse

Address: 10-18 Park Street , Gouverneur, NY 13642

Phone: [phone]

Established: 2003

Type of Business: Retail department and food store

Selected by: The Canton Small Business Development Center

Financing: 2003 - Thomas Scozzafava needed to secure funding well above the comfort level of most commercial banks. With help from the SBDC at SUNY Canton, Scozzafava identified alternate sources of capital and reviewed his business plan and financial projections. Scozzafava and his partner, sister Dierdre, formed an assetmanagement and merchant-banking company with a management team led by Joe LaChausse and raised $5 million in start-up capital.

Two years ago, when North Country native Scozzafava left his executive position on New York City's Wall Street and relocated to Gouverneur, he saw the need for a retail department store in rural villages throughout northern New York - especially since a national chain retailer had just closed its outlets in the area.

In September 2003, WiseBuys Stores, Inc. - a modern discount department and food store - opened in a 40,000-square-foot facility, followed by stores in Gouverneur, Pulaski, and Tupper Lake. Scozzafava and his partners have created more than 170 jobs and hope to open at least two more stores in 2004.

Copyright Central New York Business Journal Apr 30, 2004
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