Business beat

April 30, 2008 04:00 am

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Smith-Cooperstown Inc. has received a corporate award and as a result will have a fundraising event for Cooperstown Central School Sports Booster Club.

Smith-Cooperstown automobile dealership has earned Ford Motor Co.'s highest honor, the 2007 President's Award, according to owner Edward G. Smith.

As a recipient, the dealership was selected as the only local host of Cruise 4 UR School, a nationwide Ford event to raise up to a $6,000 for a booster club. Smith-Cooperstown chose the CCS club.

Cruise 4 UR School will donate $20 to the club for test drives of new Ford vehicles at Smith-Cooperstown between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. May 10. To raise additional money, student-athletes will wash cars.

The annual award acknowledges Ford and Lincoln Mercury dealerships that have led the nation in vehicle ownership experiences, according to a media release. The President's Award was earned by 408 out of nearly 5,000 dealerships.

``I am proud that our staff continues to take such great care of our customers' needs," Smith said.

Smith-Cooperstown is at 5069 State Highway 28, two miles south of Cooperstown. For more information, call 547-9924.

Otsego IDA to meet

The Otsego County Industrial Development Agency has scheduled a meeting for Thursday morning.

The IDA will meet at 7:30 a.m. at the Economic Development Office, 242 Main St., Oneonta.

For more information, call 432-8871.

Agent certified in home staging

Jill Ogden of Coldwell Banker Timberland Properties in Delaware County has become an accredited home-staging professional.

Ogden is one of more than 15,000 real-estate agents and stagers worldwide who provide sellers with tools to sell their homes faster and/or for more money, according to a media release. She completed a course provided by Stagedhomes.com.

In a 2004-06 study by Stagedhomes.com, 300 homes that had spent an average of 163.7 days on the market were staged by professionals, re-listed and sold in an average of 13.7 days.

Homes staged before listings sold in an average of 8.9 days, according to the release, and on average, staged homes sold 50 percent faster and for 6.9 percent more money than homes not staged.

Home staging is provided free to clients who list a home with Ogden of Coldwell Banker Timberland Properties. For more information, call Ogden at 746-7400, ext. 17, or e-mail her at jogden@timberlandproperties.net.

Dealership awarded national honor

Leonard Bus Sales of Deposit was awarded the Tom Cellitti IC Bus 2007 North American Dealer of the Year Award during an annual dealer meeting in Birmingham, Ala., last month.

Mike Leonard and the team from Leonard Bus Sales last year continued a statewide panel to gather feedback and communicate with customers, according to a media release. They improved service with four daily parts-delivery trucks and six mobile maintenance vehicles. A new sales manager was hired, and Leonard Bus Sales maintained its dominant presence at the New York State School Bus Show. IC Bus, a bus manufacturer with headquarters in Warrenville, Ill., is an affiliate of Navistar International Corp.

Comic books to be given away

A comic book store in Oneonta will celebrate Saturday as ``free comics day'' nationally.

Saturday is ``Free Comic Book Day,'' a single day when participating comic book shops across North America and around the world give away comic books free to anyone who comes into their stores, according to www.freecomicbookday.com. Each retailer will decide the guidelines for receiving comics.

Bearded Dragon Games and Hobbies at 19 Ford Ave. will be open from noon to 10 p.m. Saturday.

Other hours are from 3 to 10 p.m. weekdays and from noon to 8 p.m. Sundays. For more information, call 432-5722.

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To suggest a business story, announce a new business or changes to an existing one, e-mail drichardson@thedailystar.com or call Denise Richardson at 432-1000 or (800) 721-1000, ext. 213.