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

Verrier to depart Cayuga County Chamber and CEDA
AUBURN, N.Y. — Cayuga Strategic Solutions, Inc. — the joint venture and umbrella organization of the Cayuga County Chamber of Commerce and Cayuga Economic Development

Commerce Chenango to honor BuildBlockCNY, others during annual luncheon in September
NORWICH, N.Y. — BuildBlockCNY LLC of Sherburne will be receiving the “Excellence in Small Business” award from Commerce Chenango. BuildBlockCNY is a national distributor for BuildBlockBuilding Systems and related modern green-building products in New York state and Northern Pennsylvania. The company says it specializes in insulated concrete forms. BuildBlockCNY is among the companies that Commerce

CPA firm formally opens new office in downtown Ithaca
ITHACA, N.Y. — Karp, Ackerman, Small & Hogan, CPAs, PC (KASH) — a Hudson, N.Y.–based firm that offers corporate accounting, tax advisory, and bookkeeping services — recently formally opened a new office in downtown Ithaca. KASH held a ribbon-cutting event with the Downtown Ithaca Alliance (DIA) and Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick on July 22 at

New York’s small-business COVID-19 recovery grant program expands eligibility
ALBANY, N.Y. — More small businesses can now apply for funding in New York’s $800 million COVID-19 small-business recovery grant program. Starting Wednesday, businesses with

CNY regions see falling jobless rates, rising job growth in July
Unemployment rates in the Syracuse, Utica–Rome, Watertown–Fort Drum, Binghamton, Ithaca, and Elmira regions fell significantly in July compared to a year ago when the pandemic

ConnextCare receives Jobs Award from Operation Oswego County
OSWEGO — Operation Oswego County (OOC) announced that it recently presented its 2021 Jobs Award to ConnextCare, an Oswego County health-care provider. OOC gave out the award at its July annual meeting, in recognition and appreciation of the significant contribution and impact of ConnextCare’s more than 250 jobs and over $14.4 million in payroll on

Upstate Medical University team awarded funding in SUNY startup summer school
SYRACUSE — Taurus Diagnostics, a startup company at Upstate Medical University, secured funding during the SUNY Startup Summer School (S4) Class of 2021 Demo Day virtual event. Taurus Diagnostics includes Dr. Gennady Bratslavsky and Dr. Thomas Sanford of Upstate Medical University, per an Aug. 11 SUNY news release. A student from Stony Brook University on

Genius NY finalists will work to pursue funding at pitch night in October
SYRACUSE — Five companies are now working toward making their final pitch in October for big prize money in the fifth year of the state’s Genius NY program. Empire State Development (ESD) on Aug. 17 announced the five teams selected to take part in round five of the business-accelerator program at CenterState CEO’s Tech Garden

BV Nails to open new Fairmount location, its third in CNY
CAMILLUS — Crews are at work readying the new Fairmount location of BV Nails & Lounge. BV Nails & Lounge will be going into a corner space at the Fairmount Fair shopping center in the town of Camillus, near the town line with Geddes. The nail salon will be next to the Michaels store and

SBA opens direct-forgiveness portal for Paycheck Protection Program
“The SBA’s new streamlined application portal will simplify forgiveness for millions of our smallest businesses — including many sole proprietors — who used funds from our Paycheck Protection Program loans to survive the pandemic,” SBA Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman, said in the July 28 announcement. “The vast majority of businesses waiting for forgiveness have loans
Stay up-to-date on the companies, people and issues that impact businesses in Syracuse, Central New York and beyond.