Stay up-to-date on the companies, people and issues that impact businesses in Syracuse, Central New York and beyond.

DEC announces land acquisition to preserve more than 3,300 acres in Herkimer County
SALISBURY, N.Y. — The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) on Oct. 22 announced the acquisition of 3,387 acres of forest and wetlands located in the towns of Salisbury and Norway in Herkimer County. The parcel, purchased from the Open Space Institute (OSI), will be managed for forest products, expanded recreational access, protection […]
Oneida County hotel business benchmarks improve in October
UTICA, N.Y. — Oneida County hotels posted an increase in a trio of three key indicators of business performance in October. The hotel-occupancy rate (rooms
Onondaga County hotels see nearly 5 percent increase in occupancy
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Onondaga County hotels hosted more guests in October, as two other key indicators of business performance also rose during the month. The

Utica First Insurance Company readies for leadership transition
UTICA, N.Y. — Utica First Insurance Company will have a new president and CEO when the calendar turns to 2026. Ryan Fleming will succeed retiring president and CEO Scott Shatraw. The firm announced Fleming’s appointment on Sept. 16. Fleming joined Utica First Insurance in 2024 as VP of marketing and agencies and has “demonstrated his

Community Financial System appoints Vaccaro as new independent director
DeWITT, N.Y. — Community Financial System, Inc. (NYSE: CBU) announced it has appointed John A. Vaccaro to its board of directors as a new independent director, effective Oct. 1. Vaccaro is chairman emeritus of MML Investors Services, LLC, a national broker-dealer and registered investment advisor with more than $285 billion in assets under management, and

SRC appoints director of autonomous collaborative systems
CICERO, N.Y. — SRC, Inc. has promoted Michael Addario to director of autonomous collaborative systems (ACS). In this role, Addario will oversee the ACS business unit’s strategic vision, program execution, financial performance, business development, customer satisfaction and engineering excellence, the Cicero–based company said in a Nov. 10 announcement. Addario joined SRC in 2003 as a
VIEWPOINT: Gender-Based Violence & the Workplace Policy Mandate Goes into Effect
It’s for bidders on NYS contracts As part of this year’s budget, New York State added Section 139-m to the State Finance Law, which requires bidders on competitive state procurements to certify that they have a written policy addressing gender-based violence and the workplace and that such policy meets certain requirements. The law went into effect

Fire crews battle another fire at Novelis plant in Scriba
SCRIBA, N.Y. — Fire crews from across Oswego County responded to another fire at the Oswego operations of Novelis in the town of Scriba. Atlanta,

MMRI, MVHS, SUNY Poly form Mohawk Valley Biotech Collective
UTICA, N.Y. — Three Mohawk Valley Institutions on Wednesday formed the MV Biotech Collective, which is designed to “position the Mohawk Valley as a leader in biomedical innovation.” Representatives from the Masonic Medical Research Institute (MMRI), SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly), and Mohawk Valley Health System (MVHS) signed a memorandum of agreement to formally establish

UTICA, N.Y. — The City of Utica is seeking state funding for downtown-improvement projects from two New York programs focusing on such projects. The city
Stay up-to-date on the companies, people and issues that impact businesses in Syracuse, Central New York and beyond.