The personnel in the picture are part of the original WiseBuys management team. If you'll recall, WiseBuys acquired Hacketts and took on the "Hacketts" name. The stores' two management teams have combined and are gearing up for Phase I Hacketts store expansion. What is Hacketts’ Phase I goal? To prudently but rapidly expand its presence to 25 to 30 stores with revenues approaching $100 million. There are alot of talented people on both management teams including - Joe Etorre, the former CEO of Ames whom was over 467 stores at one time. Ames became the 4th largest discount retailer behind Walmart, Kmart, and Target! I've posted the fantastic Bios of the four talented individuals you saw in the picture below for your reading pleasure.
Joseph R. Ettore Founder, Chairman of the Board
Mr. Ettore is a highly-respected business executive with 40 years of mass retail experience. He is a skilled strategist with the proven vision and demonstrated tenacity to lead companies through challenging, highly competitive environments. He is energetic, detail oriented, hands-on executive who is a talented team-builder who inspires dedication, enthusiasm and loyalty.
Under Mr. Ettore’s leadership since June 1994, Ames experienced a successful merchandising turnaround and continued improvement in operating performance. A major innovation under Mr. Ettore’s direction was the implementation of the 55 Gold Savings Card, a unique program offering special discounts for customers 55 and older. The popular 55 Gold Savings Card Program was a major reason Ames received the 1999 Discount Store News award, Discounters in Service to the Community (DISC). The DISC Award recognizes innovative community service efforts by mass merchandisers and specialty stores.
Mr. Ettore’s leadership qualities are well recognized by his peers, who elected him Chairman of the International Mass Retail Association (IMRA) in 1995, re-elected him in 1997 and again in 1999 to an unprecedented third term. IMRA, the leading industry trade group, represents suppliers, vendors and 210 mass retailers which include discount department stores, warehouse clubs and catalog showrooms.
Prior to Ames, Mr. Ettore served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Jamesway Corporation and Stuarts Department Stores, Inc. Mr. Ettore has held various senior positions with Jamesway, Kings Department Stores, and Unishops, Inc.
Mr. Ettore has been involved with a wide range of charities, including the American Heart Association, the March of Dimes, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the United Way, the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp for children with cancer, and the Jimmy Fund. He received the Humanitarian Award of the Housewares Charity Foundation. Mr. Ettore has also been honored by various organizations, including the Cardinal Cushing School and Training Center and the Valerie Fund (which supports cancer care for children). Mr Ettore received his Bachelor of Science from St. Peters College, Jersey City, New Jersey in 1961.
Joseph G. LaChausse Founder, Chief Executive Officer
Joseph G. LaChausse is a North Country native who has 30 years of extensive retail management and operations experience in both Northern New York and Ohio.
Prior to co-founding WiseBuys in 2003, Mr. LaChausse was a senior General Manager with B.J.'s Wholesale Club, Inc. (NYSE: "BJ") in Cleveland, Ohio, where for nine years he had been instrumental in the company's expansion into major Mid-Western markets. Mr. LaChausse oversaw and managed the construction of several B.J.'s stores from ground breaking to grand opening. In one 24-month period, Mr. LaChausse personally opened three locations and trained the management teams for five others. In one instance, he set the company record of "bulldozer to open door" in just sixty days. He also opened the company's first 70,000 sq. ft. prototype ("small box") club in Western New York.
In 1996, Mr. LaChausse was honored by B.J.'s with its company-wide "Manager of the Year" award. His stores have been consistently successful, with sales volumes ranging from $25 million to $30 million per year. In addition, he has been directly responsible for sales budgets and projections for multi-unit operations.
Prior to B.J.'s, Mr. LaChausse was a General Manager with P&C Foods, a division of The Penn Traffic Company (NASDAQ: "PNFT"). After joining P&C as a teenager, he quickly became one of the company's youngest managers at age 22. Further recognition of Mr. LaChausse's managerial and operational skills led to his designation as P&C’s "turn around" specialist. In an effort to improve upon the poor operating results of numerous P&C stores, Mr. LaChausse was rotated to eleven separate markets where he successfully created profitable contributors of stores that previously had been producing negative cash flow and losses. He was recognized for tight expense control and minimizing "shrink" exposure, and in one location, Mr. LaChausse's efforts led to an increase of profits of over 110% to $1,300,000 in just 36 months. He was also recognized for developing a program that generated company-wide profits of over $1,000,000 per year to help offset "bad check" exposure for the organization.
While with P&C, Mr. LaChausse worked and lived in various North Country communities, including Lowville, Massena, Ogdensburg, Watertown, Gouverneur, Potsdam, Plattsburgh, Herkimer, Syracuse, and Skaneateles.
Thomas W. Scozzafava, Founder
Mr. Scozzafava has over 15 years experience in venture capital and buyout investing and has extensive capital markets experience. In 2002, Mr. Scozzafava founded Seaway Capital Partners, LLC, an investment company that, among other activities, founded and financed WiseBuys Stores, Inc. Prior to founding his own firm, Mr. Scozzafava was a Director of Prudential's Merchant Banking Group where he helped find, evaluate, negotiate, and structure leveraged buyouts and investments of companies in industries that included telecommunications, media, business services, and manufacturing industries. Mr. Scozzafava also held a senior management position at Prudential's employee limited partnerships where he completed numerous venture capital and LBO investments. Prior to joining Prudential, Mr. Scozzafava was member of Lehman Brothers' Merchant Banking Group, where he analyzed leveraged buyout and growth equity investments across various industries. Mr. Scozzafava began his career with GE Capital Corporation, where he completed the company's Financial Management Program.
In March 2006, New York State Governor George E. Pataki appointed Mr. Scozzafava to the Board of Trustees to the New York State Power Authority ("NYPA"). Mr. Scozzafava also sits on the Governance and Audit Committees of NYPA, whose mission is to provide clean, economical and reliable energy while promoting energy efficiency and innovation. NYPA had revenues of over $2.5 billion in 2005.
Mr. Scozzafava received a Bachelor of Arts cum laude with concentrations in economics and mathematics with Honors distinction from Hamilton College in 1992. In 1990, Mr. Scozzafava was invited to join Omicron Delta Epsilon, the international economics honor society for achievement in the study of economics and also won the Charles A. Dana Prize Scholarship for “academic achievement, character, and leadership.” While at Hamilton he also played Varsity Football, JV Basketball and was a member of the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity. Also during college, Mr. Scozzafava completed financial market internships at Tucker Anthony and Merrill Lynch in New York City.
Subsequent to graduating, Mr. Scozzafava completed General Electric’s Financial Management Program and has completed advanced finance courses at Clarkson University (Potsdam, NY) and at the University of California Berkeley (Berkeley, CA). Mr. Scozzafava acquired his National Association of Securities Dealers (“NASD”) Series 7 and Series 63 licenses in 1997. Mr. Scozzafava was also a board member of Thermo Electric Wire and Cable LLC, a New Jersey-based specialty manufacturer. Mr. Scozzafava currently resides in New York, NY
Dierdre "Dede" K. Scozzafava, Founder
Before founding WiseBuys Stores, Inc., Ms. Scozzafava was an investment advisor with Tucker Anthony, Inc. in Watertown, NY (now RBC Dain Rauscher). For over twenty (20) years, Ms. Scozzafava advised both institutions and individuals on a broad range of investment strategies. During this period, Ms. Scozzafava also conducted numerous seminars for various organizations and corporations on topics ranging from devising and administrating retirement plans to investment basics and estate planning for employees.
Ms. Scozzafava maintained Series 7, Series 6, Series 63, and Health, Life & Disability Insurance licenses as well as being registered in foreign currency transactions.
In November 2006, Ms. Scozzafava was elected to her fifth consecutive term in the New York State Assembly, District 122. She has been appointed to serve on numerous Assembly Standing Committees including Economic Development, Job Creation, Commerce and Industry; Codes; Education; Social Services; Ethics; Local Governments; and is currently the Ranking Minority Member on Transportation. Ms. Scozzafava also participated in the Legislative Hearings on the Economic Impact of the 9/11 Terrorists Attack as well a Legislative Hearing on the Upstate Economy. She also served on the Task Force on Education Standards and the Nursing Shortage Task Force.
Prior to her election to the New York State Assembly, Ms. Scozzafava was elected to serve three consecutive terms as Mayor of Gouverneur, NY. Prior to serving as Mayor, Ms. Scozzafava served two consecutive terms as Trustee for the Village of Gouverneur. As Mayor, Ms. Scozzafava led the village from an inherited budget deficit to a positive fund balance while also creating the Gouverneur Area Microenterprise Revolving Loan Fund to help spur local job growth. Other important accomplishments, which included setting up a natural gas utility for village residents and upgrading the village water plant, resulted in Ms. Scozzafava receiving the New York State Conference of Mayors' Award.
Ms. Scozzafava earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the Boston University School of Management and a Masters in Business Administration from the Clarkson University Graduate School of Management.
Ms. Scozzafava also instructed college business courses in various areas including accounting, corporate finance, management, business law, and economics at Jefferson Community College ( Watertown, NY) and Mater Dei College ( Gouverneur & Ogdensburg, NY).
Ms. Scozzafava currently resides in Gouverneur, NY with her husband and their two children.
News 
Market Data 
Discover 
