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

F. M. Howell & Company names new CFO
ELMIRA, N.Y. — F. M. Howell & Company, an Elmira–based provider of packaging products and services, announced on Monday that it has appointed Michael P. Hosey as its new chief financial officer (CFO). He brings extensive experience in financial leadership and community engagement to the role. Hosey has served as the company’s interim director of […]

Firley, Moran, Freer and Eassa names new managing partner
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Firley, Moran, Freer and Eassa CPA, P.C. (FMF&E), a Syracuse–based accounting and advisory firm, announced that it has appointed Andrea LaBarge as its new managing partner. She follows current Managing Partner Daniel Gilheney, who will transition to the role of senior advisor following 38 years of leadership and service at the CPA

SUNY Oswego professor selected for SUNY’s inaugural AI for the Public Good fellows program
OSWEGO, N.Y. — SUNY Oswego’s Mohammad Tajvarpour is one of 20 members in the inaugural class of SUNY’s AI for the Public Good fellows. Tajvarpour’s

New York home sales slide in August as inventory levels rise
ALBANY, N.Y. — Realtors in New York state sold 10,517 previously owned homes in August, down 4.7 percent from the 11,036 homes sold in August 2024. But pending sales edged up in the month, which could portend a rise in closed home sales in the next couple of months. That’s according to the New York

Booz Allen Hamilton wins $23 million Air Force tech contract
ROME, N.Y — Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. was recently awarded a $23.4 million contract from the U.S. Air Force for an ORACL software/hardware prototype, reports,

Cooley Group, which operates Syracuse and Utica offices, has a new owner
PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Its name will remain the same, but a Pittsford–based provider of customized promotional, print, and fulfillment services that has Syracuse and Utica offices is now under new ownership. Grossman Marketing Group of Woburn, Massachusetts, says it has acquired Cooley Group, per a late July company announcement. It didn’t include any financial terms

New state law requires quick reporting of cybersecurity, ransomware incidents
ALBANY, N.Y. — A new state law is now effect that requires all municipal corporations and public authorities to report cybersecurity incidents within 72 hours and ransomware payments within 24 hours to the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES). Within 30 days of making a ransomware payment, the victim organization

Cybersecurity remains a concern for small businesses
Cybersecurity continues to be a key issue for small-business owners, with 41 percent citing payment fraud as their top concern, followed by phishing and email scams (27 percent) and identity theft (26 percent). It’s one of several topics addressed in a survey from Cleveland, Ohio–based KeyBank (NYSE: KEY) released on Sept. 16. Overall, KeyBank’s 2025

Endicott–based IT firm TechMD is now under new ownership
ENDICOTT, N.Y. — TechMD, an Endicott–based information-technology (IT) services firm that operates New York offices in DeWitt and Ithaca, is now under new ownership. Integris, which is based in Cranbury Township, New Jersey, acquired TechMD, along with its security division, 1nteger Security, per a mid-June announcement on the Integris website. It didn’t include any financial

Tops Friendly Markets completes $4.4 million in store remodels in Manlius
MANLIUS, N.Y. — Tops Friendly Markets has completed a combined $4.4 million investment in remodeling its stores at Towne Center at Fayetteville and in the
Stay up-to-date on the companies, people and issues that impact businesses in Syracuse, Central New York and beyond.