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

SUNY Poly to host regional business plan contest semifinal in April
UTICA, N.Y. — SUNY Polytechnic Institute will host the New York Business Plan Competition’s Mohawk Valley regional semifinal with Hartwick College and its new Innovation

Griffiss Institute receives $3 million in funding for Internet of Things lab
ROME, N.Y. — U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D–N.Y.) on Friday announced $3 million in funding for the Griffiss Institute, in collaboration with the Central New

Audit finds hotels owe Onondaga County more than $420K in room-occupancy tax revenue
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — An audit has found that a group of Onondaga County hotels owe the county a total of more than $420,000 from the

NYSDOT’s I-81 project leader retires, new leader appointed
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The man who has been leading the effort by the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) on the I-81 viaduct-replacement project

Soft Landing New York program welcomes 2023 spring cohort
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — Soft Landing New York, a partnership between Binghamton University and Cornell University, recently kicked off its spring 2023 cohort with 13 startup

Downtown Ithaca Alliance director Ferguson to retire in June
ITHACA, N.Y. — Gary Ferguson, executive director of the Downtown Ithaca Alliance (DIA), plans to retire at the end of June. Ferguson has led the
Jefferson County hotel-occupancy rate slips slightly in December
WATERTOWN — Jefferson County hotels registered a slight dip in guests in December, the only monthly decline seen last year. The hotel-occupancy rate (rooms sold as a percentage of rooms available) in the county fell 0.8 percent to 41 percent in the final month of 2022 from the year-earlier month, according to STR, a Tennessee–based
Oneida County hotels see 1 percent rise in guests in December
UTICA , N.Y. — Oneida County’s hotel-occupancy rate (rooms sold as a percentage of rooms available) rose 1.1 percent to 44.3 percent in December from the year-prior month. That’s according to a recent report from STR, a Tennessee–based hotel-market data and analytics company. Occupancy in the Mohawk Valley’s largest county was up 6.9 percent to

Hochul details CNY-specific projects in budget proposal
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Funding for a “New 15th Ward” public-housing project, projects at Onondaga Community College (OCC), and workforce-development initiatives are part of the 2024 New York State–budget proposal. Gov. Kathy Hochul on Feb. 6 provided details of key proposals for Central New York during an appearance at the Marriott Syracuse Downtown hotel at 100

Applications open for dairy-product innovation contest
ITHACA, N.Y. — Applications are open for the Northeastern Dairy Product Innovation Competition for producers of value-added dairy products. The competition supports food innovators in launching products made from dairy ingredients produced in the Northeast and gives dairy entrepreneurs, including those on organic and small farms, access to entrepreneurial and technical support. Finalists and winners
Stay up-to-date on the companies, people and issues that impact businesses in Syracuse, Central New York and beyond.