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

Hochul nominates Knight as new director of Empire State Development
ALBANY, N.Y. — Gov. Kathy Hochul announced she is nominating Hope Knight as the next president and CEO of Empire State Development (ESD) and as
Onondaga County hotel occupancy jumps more than 39 percent
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Onondaga County hotels again saw a substantial rise in guests in September compared to a year ago as the hospitality industry continued to rebound from the pandemic, according to a recent report. The hotel-occupancy rate (rooms sold as a percentage of rooms available) in the county jumped 39.3 percent to 60.6 percent
New York milk production rises nearly 2 percent
New York dairy farms produced nearly 1.27 billion pounds of milk in September, up almost 1.8 percent from more than 1.24 billion pounds in the year-prior month, the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) recently reported. Milk production per cow in the state averaged 2,015 pounds in September, up 1.5 percent from 1,985 pounds in
New York egg production dips more than 1 percent
New York farms produced 144.2 million eggs in September, down 1.1 percent from 145.8 million eggs in the year-prior period, the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) recently reported. The number of layers in the Empire State averaged 5.71 million in September, a decline of 1.2 percent from nearly 5.78 million in the same month
New York home sales slip nearly 5 percent in September
The drop ends a streak of 12 straight monthly gains ALBANY — New York realtors sold 13,274 previously owned homes in September, down 4.6 percent from 13,907 homes sold in September 2020. The data comes from the New York State Association of Realtors’ (NYSAR) September housing-market report issued Oct. 21. The decline broke a string

Upstate, statewide consumer sentiment plummet in Q3
Upstate New Yorkers became less confident about economic conditions in the third quarter of 2021. Consumer sentiment in Upstate was measured at 63.4 in the third quarter, down 13.2 points from the last reading of 76.6 in this year’s second quarter. The latest reading represents Upstate’s lowest overall index score since 2011. That’s according to

Regional firms to pitch for funding in FuzeHub contest
ALBANY, N.Y. — The finalists in FuzeHub’s 2021 commercialization competition include businesses from Syracuse, Cazenovia, Binghamton, Hamilton, and Potsdam. The event is set for Nov. 8-9 at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona. The competition — part of FuzeHub’s Jeff Lawrence Innovation Fund — is in its fifth year. A total of 12 entrepreneurs

Small area airports to use state funding for construction projects
The state has awarded funding for infrastructure improvements and some construction projects at some smaller airports in Central New York, North Country, and the Southern Tier. New York State has allocated a total of nearly $21 million for improvements at 24 public-use airports. The funding amounts include $2.4 million at facilities in Central New York, $5.2

Three CNY construction-related companies certified as SDVOBs
New York Office of General Services (OGS) Commissioner JoAnn Destito recently announced that three construction-related Central New York businesses were certified as service-disabled veteran-owned business (SDVOBs). The New York OGS Division of Service-Disabled Veterans’ Business Development (DSDVBD) issued the certification to Crossett Construction and Property Management LLC, a Syracuse-based full-service property management firm; Equip-Co Unlimited of New

Onondaga County providing stimulus matching grants for Green Hills Farms, nearby businesses
ONONDAGA, N.Y. — Green Hills Farms will use grant funding of $485,000 to help pay for improvements to the grocery store in the Valley section
Stay up-to-date on the companies, people and issues that impact businesses in Syracuse, Central New York and beyond.