S2,E22 - Tony Baird

This is Talk CNY, presented by NBT Bank, a semi-monthly podcast by CenterState CEO, Central New York's premier leadership and economic development organization. Join us as we meet the people and explore the projects driving the regional economy forward. This is Talk CNY, presented by NBT Bank. I'm Katie Zilcosky, director of communications at CenterState CEO, and your host of Talk CNY. CenterState CEO's Tech Garden expansion project would not be possible without the Central New York community from local and state elected leaders to regional business owners. All of this support is essential to achieving our vision. Today on Talk CNY, we're joined by one of those supporters, Tony Baird, president and CEO of Tony Baird Electronics. So Tony, thank you so much for joining us here today.

Thank you. Thank you for having me.

Of course. So you are a former Tech Garden tenant, so if you could take us back a little bit and tell us why did you choose the Tech Garden in the first place? What was that like kind of entering that space?

The initiation into the Tech Garden was, I had already been working in my business for a very short period of time,

But I was working with a partner and I was basically at their facility because of the growth that we wanted to have for my company, we knew that we would have to expand some kind of way and have some ownership of our own space. And the Tech Garden offered us that opportunity. Initially, that wasn't a clear cut direction that we should go, but as I was talking with them, Nassar Ali at the time was there and talking with our legal representative, Doreen Simmons, we realized that this was a good place for us to start and to get the information that we needed to get to go farther.

Yeah, I was going to ask, what kind of skills or information did you gain during your time as a Tech Garden tenant?

Well, we had to understand how to do a business from scratch. I'm a teacher and a coach in my other life, so I had no understanding of business that what I did have was the idea that I knew that we had to do something for the culture of Syracuse, for the economy of Syracuse, especially for the underserved populations. But we morphed into the idea of not only the underserved but the veteran population and also the people of criminal past that we wanted to help out the city of Syracuse through that. So with all those things being said, we knew that we would get some of that information from being in the Tech Garden. What we also came to understand was that our needs were so big in the idea of making the company such a big entity that we were going to have to get some help. And that's where we were directed to SCORE. We were directed to SBA and there were others that we were directed to. Matter of fact, the SBA was right around the corner, right across the street from where convenient, where Tech Garden was. So that was very, very convenient. But yes, anything that we needed, we could get help with. But we also needed to know that we were in some pretty big water, deep water in terms of being a government contractor

and the people that we were looking to deal with, which hopefully I'll talk about in a little bit.

Yeah, I mean, how did you take that next step out of the Tech Garden then? Because you are someone who has continued to grow, you have a very longstanding business now, and you are no longer at the Tech Garden, you of your own headquarters. So you were in there, you graduated. I mean, what was that journey like?

Well, we graduated right down the street. We were right on Warren Street, and we actually built that second floor. We built that. We had people that were on board that could do the architecture for that, and we designed it and then we got that done. We were in the second floor of the building on Warren. We actually initially had our name on the building, which was pretty neat.

That is great.

But we knew we had to grow up and the Tech Garden knew we had to grow up and they made it an easy transition for us to do so. And then after that, we grew into another space.

It's

461 East Brighton Ave., which is over on the Southside. We grew into that space, which is a 60,000 square foot facility, but we were already working with the people that had that facility. We're already working with them to build cables and wire harness assemblies, which is what we started out doing. Interesting story with the crew Duke program that we first started out with SRC that we were, that was the manufacturing with the partner that we had. What a beautiful story that is to be able to do something for the servicemen in our country at the Iraq war. It was just a great opportunity to do that considering that we were $10,000 in debt at the beginning - Yeah, that was my first thing we could go...

Wait, so take me through this story then. I guess. Yeah, from the beginning then I'm getting little bits of it here.

But it was a great story because we actually, as I started out in $10,000 with a credit card debt just to stay alive after we made the choice to go ahead and do this.

Then we had, our first contract was probably six to eight months later, and it was for the building of the cable assembly harnesses that went into the crew Duke program, which is the jamming device, which stopped the signal from the insurgents sending it into the bombs, and they would explode when they got the signal. So that would be like your phone, your iPhone would do it garage door opener or anything that would send a signal, which is what I was working on in the Signal Corps in the United States Army. But anything that would send a signal that would explode them. And so we had the convoys that would put the jamming device in them and it would put an umbrella over them so that the signal couldn't get into it. Now the only bad part about it was that it couldn't disarm it. So once the convoy got passed it with the jamming device, it would arm itself. But still, we were able to, and I look at it like this, we were able to save lives because when the soldiers were coming out, out of their barracks or whatever you would say they were, there was an apprehension

because

they knew at any time that could take place. But when they had that jamming device over their convoy, they felt safer.

That's amazing. I

think that's pretty awesome.

So you've been the President and CEO of Tony Baird Electronics for nearly two decades now. So can you tell me a little bit, I mean, we had just that amazing story there, but a little bit about what is Tony Baird Electronics and how has your business changed over the last two decades?

Great question because we have changed an awful lot.

I bet. But we've

changed because we've had to change. But I would say that if you start out dealing with the United States government, the Army, the Department of Defense, if you start out there, you're in pretty good shape,

especially if you can have some success in that field. So we didn't have a fear of what to do. We've morphed because we've had to, and just a quick story about that is that when we were at the Tech Garden, one of the things that happened, which was so interesting, is that we had an opportunity to work at Fort Drum with another opportunity of the Department of Defense. And we just didn't see how we could work that out. We didn't have the capabilities, we didn't have the things that would make that in our playing field, if you will. And the people that I had employed at that time were trying to figure it out as well, and just walked outside of our door and we walked into a company that was at the Tech Garden that just happened to do the things that that requirement was. And they met that and we partnered with them in order to do that. So our next thing at Fort Drum was a simulator for no get this. It was for what we were already building.

Oh, wow.

So it was for the medics when the IEDs exploded or whatever like that, they would have a simulator to go ahead and be able to take care of the soldiers that were involved in that and those types of things. So it was just a great transition into what it was that we were going to do. But that was a relationship we had from the Tech Garden.

That's so great to have someone who probably worked in a space close to you down at the Tech garden. You see them again and you're ready to kind of work. It makes the process all that easier.

It was, and it did. And it was a great, we kept that relationship for quite a while as well.

Now, you were one of our very first members to step up and support this Tech Garden expansion project by sponsoring a new space in this new building. Why was it so important to you to be one of the first people to support this project and to make sure that this vision becomes reality?

We have been working with CenterState for a long time. I've been working with Ralph for a long time with the RADC, and we also work with CNY Works and all of the people that are involved in taking care of the community. So we had this relationship that was so strong in terms of what our vision was, and our vision was not based on, it was based on economics, but it was more based on taking care of the community. So that relation, that strength was just there. And then again, I'm on these boards that also are workforce development boards or economic boards in CenterState is no exception to that. So it was important. And again, when we talk about graduation, when you talk about graduation, I didn't even think about it as we moved on. But yeah, we graduated and we had this plaque. I don't know if they still got the plaque or whatever because...

I'm sure you can find it somewhere.

But that was such a neat thing to see that plaque to saying that we had done something that was very positive in terms of what our goals were. So my wanting to give back or to say thank you, if you will, to show gratitude to CenterState was to go ahead and show them that we appreciate what they're doing and what we are doing together for the community. So what better way to do that than to show them some through our success, because you can't support without success through our success to show them that we supported them as well. So having a namesake on a conference room that we at back in the day, we were in those conference rooms. I bet, yeah. ...As much as possible, I thought that it was an appropriate thing for us to do.

Now, for you, I mean your relationship with CenterState CEO and the Tech Garden is a very close one. You're a very valued member of our CenterState, CEO partners. I mean, what would you say to other businesses and other leaders in the area to support the Tech Garden? Why should they support the Tech Garden project?

I would say very clearly that I believe that one of the things that people associate with is success.

We are in the, I would say we are looking to do probably between 13 and 15 million in revenue this year, which started out with very, very small amounts back in the day when CenterState, we sort of were under their wing in terms of being in their facility and having their support. So I thought it was very important that people outside of this CenterState and outside of Tony Baird Electronics get to see what happens when you are dedicated to something. And I think one of the things is, yes, you can say that there's prosperity involved, but I think there's also longevity involved. How do you stay involved in something for a long period of time? Well, you've got to be involved with the right people, the right entities to do that, the right support groups to do that. I love being on the board for CenterState. I've been on the membership committees. I'm currently on the governance committee. And you just keep yourself in those circles and when you do something, good's going to happen.

And what I would give to those people that are looking to be part of a successful business, first of all, they have a goal. What is your goal for doing that? If it is to make money, I'll tell you that it was better than what I had at the beginning because I didn't think about money at all. And you have to be involved in the business can't survive without having support financially. But I think the big thing is having a goal to do something that's bigger than who you are and what you are. And I felt that that's where I was supportive with CenterState, that we had that same kind of goal of doing something that was bigger than ourselves in the community. And I think we're going to accomplish that. And we can see the growth already in the community. And we can also see it, I believe in CenterState. And we can also see it in Tony Baird Electronics.

We will have more with Tony and just a few moments here. But first, a quick word from our presenting sponsor, NBT Bank.

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This is Talk CNY, presented by NBT Bank. I'm Katie Zilcosky, director of communications at CenterState CEO and your host of Talk CNY. I'm joined today by President and CEO of Tony Baird Electronics. Tony Baird himself. Thanks for being here.

I'm very glad to be here. Thank you for having me.

When we talked at the beginning of the show about first starting your business, and in that you mentioned how important it was to give back to the community to really be intentional around diversity, equity, and inclusion in your work. Can you tell me why you're so intentional about that and how it's helped you in your business?

Yes, that is a great question and I look to support it, but it's really interesting that I have started out, when I first got out of the military, it was in the Army, and I started out with teaching out in the rural society. And then I came into the city, and I looked at the rural and the city and I realized there was a difference. And I was coaching at the time. So I would be coaching against the teams, and I would see, obviously there was a difference because of the diversity or lack of diversity in this rural and diversity into the city. And I realized that some of the things that I was seeing back then were some of the things that were problematic in the city school districts that I was now involved with. And I wanted to at least look at that and say, well, what is that difference and what can we do about it?

Well, what I found out was the difference mostly was the way people thought about things. And one of those things that I looked at was they were thinking of things in terms of, I felt was the economy, what was the difference between there and here - was the economy. And so when I realized that and then had the opportunity to do business in the community, I realized that's one way to affect the economy. And so what I did was I accepted they didn't think I was going to accept it, the opportunity to go into business. And now we must digress a little bit on that because one of the reasons that I was even put in that position was because of the mandates that you have in the business community, which I think the state government for that, putting those things in place, and that is as a service-disabled veteran company and also as a minority business.

But what I realized was if I'm going to take care of these situations or the diversity in what's taken place, if I'm going to do that, then I have to be successful in the business realm as well. And so I said, no, we're not going to just take advantage of the mandates that are there. We're going to also be a quality business so that we can not only help the diverse populations, but we can also give them an example. We can show them how to do things. And it's not just to take what's been given out there, put in there in place and whatever, but it's to do a good job at what it is that you do to be that example. And I think we've done that pretty well. But that was my whole idea, was to make that inclusion part of it so important in the community that we could have more people coming in from the Southside, which where we're located right now from the Westside, for wherever it is that the populations were that were struggling, and it did have a racial tone to it to be an example for them.

Now this new space of the expanded Tech Garden aims to be a space where people from all walks of life can feel comfortable and access resources. So what would you say to someone who might have some entrepreneurial aspirations but might also be a little bit hesitant about accessing those resources?

Don't. Because again, I can be, and then having our namesake in there is one way that I can support that and they can look at it, and even CenterState can utilize that and say, look, so you can see something that's taken place, but also that if I am there or whatever or asked to be there, and I've been asked to speak at certain places, that they can hear what I have to say in terms of what they can do and the growth that they can have. And I think the one thing that is so powerful in what it is that we're doing is just to have that drive, that goal of taking care of the community which you live in. And so if they want to talk to me about anything, please, I would have no problem at all. My door is always open over on 461 South Brighton Ave. It's always open to anybody that wants to come in there and listen to a great story. And I don't say it because I'm bragging or anything like that. It is a great story. It's from rags to riches, if you will. And I don't even say riches yet because we haven't hit that goal yet.

All right. That goal is infinite as far as I'm concerned. But it's one that somebody can look at and say, okay, look what you've done. Now can I do that? And if so, can you give me a little bit of a boost to do that?

Now I can hear it in your voice. It's something you're really passionate about. I mean, has this always been a passion that's been a part of your life, or is it something that's grown in you as you've been a business owner or maybe during your time serving in the Armed Forces? Was it

Well, interesting enough, all those things fit.

They

all do. I didn't know it at the time. I didn't want to go into the military. I sort of fought that. I fought going into the business, so I fought that. But I think the biggest thing that I've always wanted to do, and I have thousands of kids, thousands of kids that I've coached and taught, and I have a lot of 'em on my phone and I still have relationship with is just a caring aspect. That part of it has been very powerful in my life. I'm very spiritual. And I do not digress from that. And I think that's why I'm having the success that I'm having is because I've been very, very pointed in saying, yes, if this is what I'm supposed to be doing and this is the way that it's got to be done, just help me, direct me and I'll do whatever it is I have to do. But it's never been a comfort zone for me, never been a comfort level. It's the idea that, okay, I was called to do this thing. Now how do I do it? And that's what I've been doing for the last how many years? Almost 20 years.

Almost 20 years. Yeah. It's amazing. I mean, we are in a period of great growth right now in Central New York. I mean, beyond just the Tech Garden, we have lots of new businesses and economic development projects happening. What are you hoping to do yourself in terms of growth? Both, whether it be just something individually or for your business?

As I said earlier, there's no limitations on it. I tried that one time. I tried to, because they say sometimes if you can't put a limitation or a number on it, if you can't measure it, how can you do it? Well, the issue for me was I tried to put a limitation on it, and my spirit told me, don't limit me. Don't limit what I am capable of doing. And so the growth is going to come. And if you look at Micron, for instance, we don't know what we're going to be doing with Micron, but we know Micron. There's nothing small coming from Micron. We know that. So I just don't think there's a limit or a number that we can put on this thing and say, this is where you're going to be. And I would say in keeping with that, all the things that we're looking to do, all those division that I talked to you about in terms of the people, criminal history, the underserved populations, the veteran population, which is where I just came from, working with veterans, all those things they need, there is a need there. And so the more we have to give, the more we can give.

We are winding down the year here, just about to enter 2025. So what is something you are looking forward to next year?

Well, I think the biggest thing that is exciting for me is the excitement with my people. And if I have not said that enough times, which I don't know if I've spoken about it, we've got the best staff and we're working now with CenterState and doing some things with CenterState for the growth of the outside of the, the actual namesake. We're doing some business with CenterState, which I think is pretty awesome. But my people have been working with CenterState, they've been working in the community, they've been working with giving me the insights as to what's taken place. And I would say this, one of the biggest companies that we work with is Granger. And in order to work with Granger and Lockheed Martin and Siemens and these places, it's one thing to work with them, but it's another one to be in the position of enabling the growth to work with them in. I did not know about this term, but the term is the back

office.

You've got to be able to support people in that back office in terms of the accounting, in terms of all the things that come with the invoicing and all those things that come with it. You've got to stay on top of those things. And I would say that the one thing that I am most excited about is the background for this company is customer service. And we got part of that. I will say this, we learned some of that from being here at CenterState, but we had to work through it in order to make it happen, we had to put the culture in place and then bring the people on board in that culture to make that work. So I don't have to sit here and think about what's going on while I'm not at the office right now. I know that the people that they're dealing with, that we are dealing with as a company, are getting the best we have to offer.

And we've hired the best to do the best. But the people that came on board understood the culture before they came on board. Matter of fact, it's the reason they came on board. And I would suggest that anybody leaves our company will have trouble adjusting it to not being with our company and being someplace else, even though it might be the move that they've got to make. But I think that they really enjoy the idea that we do a great service to who, whoever we're working with, whether that be CenterState, whether that be the downtown or the businesses that we support, there are other sponsorships that we do, Upstate Medical University, those types of things. Whatever we're doing, we're doing it the best we can possibly do to serve them in their needs.

Tony, thank you so much for being here today and sharing some of your story.

Thank you.

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