New ON-RAMP CEO starts work on workforce-training initiative

SYRACUSE — The effort to renovate the former Sears building will take about two to three years, and crews from Sutton Real Estate Company, LLC have been working on weatherizing and cleaning the structure ahead of the upcoming winter season.

That’s according to Carlene Lacey, CEO of the ON-RAMP initiative in Syracuse, who spoke with CNYBJ in an Aug. 27 phone interview. The state’s ON-RAMP is short for One Network for Regional Advanced Manufacturing Projects. New York on March 28 announced the former Sears building at 1300 S. Salina St. in Syracuse as the flagship workforce-innovation hub of the ON-RAMP initiative. CenterState CEO on July 10 announced it had appointed Lacey as the inaugural CEO of ON-RAMP Syracuse. In June, CenterState CEO said it officially acquired the former Sears building for the ON-RAMP initiative. Both Lacey and CenterState CEO are currently working to secure a consulting firm to help them with the community-engagement component to help inform local residents about the purpose of the ON-RAMP program. [The goal is] “so that we can … get the input and ideas from the community, particularly those who live around there as to what do they believe … so we’ll be intentional in developing and designing the renderings for that space utilizing the input,” said Lacey. She also notes that the community-engagement events haven’t happened yet because CenterState CEO is still evaluating requests for proposals (RFP) to help the organization hold those sessions.

Initial work

Since beginning her duties as CEO back in July, Lacey has been working to establish a communications and marketing brand strategy. CenterState CEO is working with three firms to help complete the process by the end of 2025. The company called Such Chaos of Skaneateles is helping with the Syracuse ON-RAMP branding and logo; DD.NYC of New York City is helping with the website; and Phu Concepts of Rochester is assisting with the communications plan, Lacey said. Besides the communications and branding component, the effort early on involves listening tours, understanding from a workforce programmatic perspective what the community is looking for, working to understand what workforce programming already exists for collaboration purposes, and working with colleagues on the industry-partner perspective to identify the positions and the roles that are needed so the training can result in job offers in the market. “I’ve spent time writing and sending out the RFP for the community-engagement consultant that we’ll be bringing on,” Lacey noted. She has also started building the organizational structure with position descriptions for the team that will help advance the ON-RAMP initiative forward. In addition, Lacey has identified a temporary location to begin offering services before the end of 2025. She declined to name the location. Lacey currently does her work at CenterState CEO’s headquarters in the Pike Building at 115 W. Fayette St. in downtown Syracuse. “I’m really excited to work with the community, the industry partners, as well as CenterState CEO to provide this meaningful service,” she said. Lacey likes that the program will provide real-life training, workforce development, and a chance to pursue wealth-building wages for people who are typically in underrepresented communities. “That’s really attractive to me,” she added. CenterState CEO has programs such as Pathways to Apprenticeship and that will come under the umbrella of ON-RAMP, Lacey said. They’ll work with other organizations to help provide that advanced technical training for advanced manufacturing and building trades to meet the workforce needs that are coming now and into the future. “Syracuse is the flagship organization, and we will, as a flagship, put the building blocks, the foundational tools in place that others can use as building blocks for their organizations across Central New York,” Lacey said.