Courtney M. Hills

Courtney M. Hills
Contact Courtney M. Hills Today For All Your Municipal & Real Estate Legal Needs

Monday, May 29, 2017

Cuse Cheap Spotlight Special: Good Nature Brewing @GoodNatureBeer




Recently I received a message from Twitter friend Allan who has been very supportive of what we're doing (and we appreciate all the support we get) about profiling a place he enjoys. Of course, I said if it's local and there is enough information to do a full blog post, we could do a Spotlight Special on them. That is when Allan introduced me to Good Nature Brewing.

After doing some research myself, I found they would be a perfect fit for a blog post. I know some will likely ask, "Introduce? You didn't know about Good Nature Brewing before this?" To be completely open and honest, I knew the name but not much else and as much as I love CNY, it is hard to stay on top of every local business (but I am trying now). What I found though is a place that is not only local but offers some fun and affordable items...plus I love beer and brats! :)

Maybe you have heard the name but new to Good Nature Brewing like I was and want to become more familiar with it. Below is a video that is a bit longer than I normally share but it's a great introduction into the company and it kept my attention so check this out (plus as someone who spent 2 years serving in Germany, I can attest to her statements on German bier).




As you know, our name is Cuse Cheap so of course part of what we love to do here is sharing deals and local events throughout CNY and Good Nature has those as well. So let's start with some of their weekly occurances (many of which you can find by clicking on their calendar page here). Like Tuesdays are 2 Stamp Tuesday (get your Growler Club Card stamped twice for each growler refill) and also Pitcher Night (buy one, get the second half off), Wednesdays you can fill your 64 ounce growler and get a short of any beer for only $1, Thursdays you can get $1 off a 20 ounce cask ale while they alternate weeks between jazz and funk music, and Fridays are Hoppy Hours where you get $1 off a selected hoppy beer and a selected malt-forward beer.

On select Saturdays, you can find music including June 3rd at 9 PM when you can hear Sylvan Beach acoustic group Doug and Dave. And on Saturday June 17th, you can take part in the Good Nature Brewery Men's Health Event from 2-4 PM, though this event will be limited and requires pre-registration, which you can do on their Facebook page by clicking here.




As you can see above, they also offer an affordable brunch every Sunday and if you have followed us, you know we love sharing brunch deals. Also if you saw the opening picture, you know their Brat Stand has great deals and beer as well (which is what I plan to try first chance I get to stop in for a visit) and you can see their German Plate pictured below (along with one of their Chef's Specialty Entrees) using local sausage manufacturer Liehs and Steigerwald bratwurst or knockwurst for only $10 and most everything on their menu is sourced from local farms or purveyors, per Good Nature Brewing president and co-founder Carrie Blackmore.





Carrie has also informed me of a great deal at the Farm Brewery whether you are a regular who would like to try a different beer or maybe you are new and unsure which you would prefer. If that is the case, you can get FIVE 5 ounce tasters for only $5!

You can find a list of their year round brews here and their current specialties here or even with at least 24 hours notice, you can order a keg as well. Also check out your local retailers in 31 counties throughout New York state because you may find them on their shelves just like I did during a recent visit to a Nice-N-Easy in Cicero, which you can see pictured below.


You can find them at their website and on social media as well by clicking the links below to stay up on other deal news, to-dos and their current brews:

Website
Twitter
Facebook
Instagram

Oh and did you know that in addition to the Tap Room, the Beer Garden is now open!!!




Wednesday, May 17, 2017

Cuse Cheap Spotlight Special: Courtney M. Hills ( @legalybrunetsyr ) Municipal And Real Estate Attorney



If you have followed our blog recently, you know we do a regular feature we call our Spotlight Special that focuses on local businesses who have some deals or events planned. We can also use this to profile a local product or person we think makes Syracuse and Central New York special. In this case, we wanted to introduce you to our very first VI-cheaP member to join our site and her name is Courtney M. Hills Attorney at Law.




In the past, the posts have been about profiling their events, specials or business and I just break it down for you. This time since I consider Courtney a friend, we wanted to try something different so I did this in an interview format. So below you will find 5 questions I asked her and her responses that explain why we wanted her to be a VI-cheaP member and when and why you should reach out for her services. Hereeeeee's Courtney!

1. Could you take a few minutes and introduce yourself and tell us a little more about your background and what you do?
My name is Courtney Hills, and I am an attorney with an office located in Manlius, NY. I have practiced law for more than ten years. I concentrate my practice in the representation of village and town legislative, planning, zoning, and assessment review boards, as well as the representation of buyers, sellers, developers, and lenders with both commercial and residential real estate transactions.

I am a 2001 graduate of Syracuse University colleges of Human Services and Health Professions and Arts and Sciences. I received a B.S. in psychology and a B.A. in child and family studies. Prior to and while attending law school, I worked as a social worker in the healthcare field. I received my Juris Doctor degree from Syracuse University College of Law in 2006.

2. As a real estate attorney, at what point should I contact you if I am pursuing a real estate transaction? What other services do you provide? 

With respect to residential real estate transactions, you will want to contact me once you have a fully executed purchase offer. If realtors are involved, they typically handle the forwarding of the contract to me. This is something that should be done right away because most residential real estate contracts used here in Onondaga County only have a 3-day attorney review period written into them. Commercial real estate transactions on the other hand are more involved and your attorney should be involved in the contract writing and negotiation process from the beginning.

Being a municipal attorney I also have extensive experience with land use and zoning issues. I can assist homeowners who are seeking variances from their local city, town or village zoning ordinances for projects such as pools, sheds, fences, decks, and the like. I can also assist developers with much larger projects, such as apartments, commercial businesses, and the like. 

3. Do you have any local businesses you really love or local sports teams you enjoy rooting for? Any local places you love to visit? 

I am a fan of SU basketball. I like meeting friends out to watch the games or attending games at the Dome. As far as local places are concerned, I’m pretty much a fan of all things Italian! But my (current) absolute favorite is Delmonico’s



4. Are there any organizations, charities or local activities that you take part in?
I am an advocate for women’s health issues and women’s empowerment, and I try to align myself with organizations that focus on the education and funding for such issues. A couple of local organizations I support are Hope for Heather and Stupid Dumb Breast Cancer.

Hope for Heather is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to raise funds in support of ovarian cancer research, to promote education and awareness, and to help provide comfort to women and their families devastated by cancer.



Stupid Dumb Breast Cancer is an unconventional initiative to promote awareness, early detection, and advocacy with a special focus on how the disease impacts younger people.

In addition, I have recently become involved with the Rescue Mission, which organization provides those in need with food, housing and employment in Central New York. 


Another passion of mine is advocating for safer and more regulated personal care products. No beauty products (i.e., lotions, sunscreens, cosmetics, shampoos, etc.) require FDA approval before going to market. In fact the last time Congress passed a major law regulating cosmetics was in 1938 and currently the number of potentially harmful cosmetic ingredients banned or restricted in the U.S. is a mere 30. Meanwhile our neighbors – the European Union have banned or regulated the use of over 1,300 ingredients known to be harmful and Canada has banned or regulated over 600. I am an advocate for the Personal Care Products Safety Act which was just introduced and would give the FDA additional authority to regulate the safety of beauty products, and I have aligned myself with Beautycounter, a company that not only provides safer products but has been actively involved in informing and educating our lawmakers regarding this issue and has been lobbying Congress for the passage of this bill. 

5. I want to say thank you for your time and your support of Cuse Cheap. This is your space to say anything you would like people to know about you or your business. Is there anything you would like to add and where can they find you on the internet? 

I have a website at www.courtneyhills.com where you can find my contact information and helpful blogs regarding both real estate and municipal related matters.

I would like to thank Courtney for her time, her support and her friendship. You can also find her on Twitter and Facebook if you would like to follow her and support her as she supports us and the community. And don't forget to check out her website which also features that blog she mentions in her closing statement.