1. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY DANI CHERCHIO
Managers at Pontillo’s Pizza used to painstakingly
create weekly schedules using paper and pencil and
then call to tell employees their start times.
Now, thanks to a locally developed mobile app called
ShiftAlertz, the pizza place sends out weekly schedules
digitally, along with shift reminders to every employee
with a touch of a button.
“We all work for the people that buy the slice of pizza,
and by us using this app and our employees showing up
forworkontime,webetterservethosecustomers,”said
Ron Killenbeck, a Pontillo’s manager.
It’s just one way small businesses are replacing old
file cabinets, manilla folders and landlines with apps,
tabletsandsmartphonestogeneratebetterproductivity
than ever before.
To think, it’s only been about five years since Apple
launched its App Store with 500 apps.
Digital technology has helped professionals build
spreadsheets, calculate inventory and other tasks for
years. But apps, or specialized programs accessible on
mobile devices, are gaining in popularity, and are within
afewswipesofafinger’stouchformanysmallbusiness-
es.
Nearly 70 percent of small businesses said they
would lose competitive ground in today’s market with-
out the use of mobile devices and their apps, according
toa2012studyonsmallbusinessmobilitybyCDW,apro-
vider of tech solutions. The report also said that three-
quarters of users said their mobile device use is critical
to their job.
As mobile devices have grown, so have the apps. Ap-
ple has nearly a million apps, and more than 50 billion
downloads. And while Apple initiated the app explosion,
Android now offers identical counterparts for its smart-
phones.
Need help finding the best app for your small busi-
ness? GettApp has developed a list of more than 1,200
appsforsmallbusinesstohelpwithWebanalytics,book-
keeping, accounting, scheduling, sales and inventory
management, and more.
Since many apps are inexpensive or free, business
owners can complete tedious tasks more quickly and for
less money. Although there are a variety of paid options,
apps also allow a business owner to complete more tasks
away from office.
Essential tools
Josh Pies of C47 Films said apps are vital to the suc-
cess of his Rochester film company.
“Everything’s digital anyway now, but not many com-
panies are embracing small screen apps like we are,” he
said.
Pies has been in the film industry for eight years, and
worksoutofhisgarageofficewithhiswifeandoneother
employee. He only has six people in his “core team” at
C47 Films. But he has hundreds of clients all over the
Democrat and Chronicle Sunday, July 21, 2013
Len LaCara Business Editor (585) 258-2416
llacara@democratandchronicle.com
Len LaCara
“Education is the most powerful
weapon which you can use to change
the world.”
— Nelson Mandela
The City School District is big busi-
ness: $734 million in annual spending, a
15-year, $1.2 billion facilities improve-
ment plan, and a success (graduation)
rate of less than 50 percent.
This was the backdrop for a meeting
I was invited to with Superintendent
Bolgen Vargas and his executive team.
Dr. Vargas showed displeasure in the
overall results, though there are pock-
ets of success. We spent a lot of time
talking about his ailing business, and he
suggested the core problem was the
entrenched and deleterious culture that
has firmly taken hold and needs to
change.
I suggested that my experience in
turning around an organizational cul-
ture was that it’s difficult. Those who
have been able to do it end up with a
significantly smaller operation. As the
old saying goes when dealing with poor
performance, either “change the help
or change the help.” The quickest way
to change culture is a competitive
threat that brings survivability into
question.
So does Dr. Vargas see a competitive
threat? He surely does and it’s gaining
steam. In just the last three weeks, the
district’s competitors, charter schools,
have made significant progress.
» The Farash Foundation announced
a $1 million award to create new or
expand existing charter schools.
» Uncommon Schools, which oper-
ates three charter schools in Rochester,
won $250,000 from the Broad
Foundation for its efforts to improve
student performance.
» Finally, the highly successful PUC
charter management organization from
Los Angeles wants to open a school in
Rochester in the fall of 2014.
We are attracting the best of the
best, with outstanding records of high
achievement. I asked one of the com-
munity sponsors, why Rochester? Be-
cause we have high revenue per stu-
dent but low results, he said, charters
know they can have an immediate im-
pact with opportunity to grow.
By 2018, 18 percent of city students
are expected to be in charter schools. I
think that number could easily be be-
tween 20 percent and 25 percent. That
would require the City School District
to distribute as much as $105 million
from its annual budget to charter
schools.
If I’m right, we are at a tipping point
where competitors become counter-
parts in our community. Should this
happen, we should consider housing
some charter and traditional schools in
the same building, as in done in New
York City, to better manage costs.
As a community, we should foster
the success of city and charter schools
while leveling the playing field. We
should not rebuild schools for students
who have left the system. Let’s think
forward and plan accordingly. The
paradigm is shifting.
So let’s get to work.
We should foster success of city, charter schools
PCBURKE61@gmail.com
Patrick
Burke
OUTSIDE INSIGHTS
Small businesses
increase productivity
with inexpensive
mobile programs
APPS THAT WORKSarah Taddeo
Staff writer
GO DEEPER
ON DIGITAL
Go to
RochesterNext
.com for a video on
how mobile apps
help Josh Pies of C47
Films.
See APPS, Page 5E
WHY DOES IT
MATTER?
Small businesses are
increasing produc-
tivity through the
use of mobile apps
that help with tasks
like scheduling, Web
and sales analytics,
file sharing and
more.
D&C
Michael O’Donnell
Vice President – Business Banking Officer
Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Business Banking Solutions: more than just great products and services.
You get a team of business bankers, specialized technical support, quick loan decisions, and a 23-office retail network.
You’ll also enjoy:
Call today and a Business Banking Professional will tailor a package just for you.
We’ve been investing in ways to better serve your business.
• NEW Business Debit Rewards Program • Multiple Checking Options • CNBusiness BillPay
• Cash Management Solutions • Comprehensive Business Financing • Online Banking for Business
Deposit products—Member FDIC CNBank.com/Business (585)419-0670DC-0000308794