Business Mentors

The season of giving is not just during the holidays. While we tend to be generous during that time, companies should also think about giving back to their community throughout the year. In the same way that giving gifts is good for our personal well-being, corporate giving is good for business.    Businesses that engage […]

The International Trade Administration recently reported U.S. export statistics for 2013. According to the state export fact sheet, the metro areas of Syracuse and Utica–Rome were responsible for more than $2.5 billion in merchandise exports. New York’s top-five export markets were Canada, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Israel, and China. Of the 41,000 exporting companies from New

Done right, employee handbooks serve multiple functions. They provide employees with important information about a company, its practices, and the working environment. They also help protect employers legally by setting clear expectations and standards.   But, done wrong, employee handbooks can do more harm than good. Policies that are too specific and rigid can potentially

“One of the best aspects of health care reform is it starts to emphasize prevention.”  — Anne Wojcicki   My recent column described the monumental Medicaid Managed Care Reform Initiative (MMCRI) being implemented by New York state as rapidly as possible. The reform initiative is being implemented under the umbrella of the Delivery System Reform

Editor’s Note: CNY Executive Q&A is a feature appearing regularly (about every month) in The Central New York Business Journal, authored by guest writer Jeff Knauss who is president of his own digital-marketing firm. In each edition, Jeff chats with a different executive at a Central New York business or nonprofit, with the interview transcript appearing in

New York state, at Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s direction, continues to implement the most dramatic health-care reform of any state in the country. The state’s reform initiatives directly affect the 25 percent of New Yorkers (6 million citizens) who are eligible for Medicaid.    Beginning with the 79 recommendations of the Cuomo-appointed Medicaid Redesign Team (MRT)

If you are a home or business owner and someone is injured on your property, your gut reaction is probably to fix or remove the dangerous condition that caused the accident as soon as possible. An uneven brick paver or pothole that causes someone to trip and fall; a bottle of cleaning solution with a

In times of trouble, or times of transition, we expect the company president or CEO to be delivering the messages. Sure, if the news is big enough, but the CEO doesn’t always have to be your organization’s spokesperson. In fact, it can hurt your company in several scenarios.   For example, if your CEO plain

Put yourself in these shoes: You have some terrific news to share about your company. Maybe you are expanding, have made some key new hires, or perhaps you have a merger/partnership to announce.    So, you have your PR person, either an in-house employee or one from an outside agency, prepare and send out a