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

Rasheed takes over as board chair for Community Foundation of Herkimer & Oneida Counties
UTICA, N,Y, — Jawwaad Rasheed, a recently retired Oneida County Family Court Support Magistrate, is serving as the new board chair of the Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties. In addition to his years of service on the Community Foundation board, Rasheed has been involved in the Eastern Regional Child Support Enforcement Association, 100 […]
Broome County hotel occupancy rate soars more than 70 percent
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — Broome County hotels continued to see a sharp rebound in customers in June as they recover from the business disruptions of the COVID pandemic, according to a recent report. The hotel occupancy rate (rooms sold as a percentage of rooms available) in the county jumped 70.6 percent to 59.1 percent in June,

Oneida County communities can tap into Main Street program
UTICA, N.Y. — The City of Sherrill, Town of Verona, and all Oneida County communities can benefit from a Main Street program that Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente, Jr. announced July 28. It has a goal of providing support for local municipal downtown-development projects and seeks to assist in the “safe and efficient” redesign of

Tompkins Financial to pay dividend of 54 cents on Aug. 13
Banking company’s profit increased 6.5 percent in latest quarter ITHACA, N.Y. — Tompkins Financial Corp. (NYSE: TMP) recently announced that its board of directors has approved payment of a regular quarterly cash dividend of 54 cents per share. The Ithaca–based banking company will make the dividend payment on Aug. 13, to common shareholders of record as

Lockheed Owego wins nearly $118M contract modification from Navy
OWEGO , N.Y. — Lockheed Martin Corp.’s (NYSE: LMT) Owego unit was recently awarded a nearly $118 million modification to a previous contract from the United States Navy. This order provides non-recurring engineering and field-services representative efforts to bring 12 MH-60R aircraft from standard foreign military sales (FMS) configuration to a Republic of Korea Navy

Work wraps up on $3 million in recreation improvements at Massena Intake Park
MASSENA, N.Y. — A project focusing on $3 million in improvements at Massena Intake Park in in St. Lawrence County is now complete. The Massena Intake Park is a local marina and picnic facility. It’s associated with the New York Power Authority’s (NYPA) St. Lawrence-FDR Power Project on the St. Lawrence River, the New York governor’s

Dulles State Office Building auditorium in Watertown reopens after renovations
WATERTOWN, N.Y. — The newly renovated auditorium at the Dulles State Office Building in Watertown has reopened. The New York State Office of General Services (OGS) spent more than $3.5 million on improvements in the recently completed auditorium rehabilitation and modernization project, per a July 21 announcement. The auditorium is used throughout the year by several

Renovated Arnot Maple Research and Teaching lab reopens in Chemung County
VAN ETTEN, N.Y. — The newly rebuilt Arnot Maple Research and Teaching laboratory in Van Etten houses the “first-of-its-kind” maple product-development lab. The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets and Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) on July 29 formally opened the 4,200-square-foot facility. The renovation work included a new

Orgill opens $70 million distribution center in Rome, creates 225 new jobs
ROME, N.Y. — Orgill Inc., the world’s largest independent hardlines distributor, has opened a $70 million distribution center in Rome that will serve the company’s customers throughout the Northeast. The facility was built at the Griffiss Business and Technology Park and will create 225 jobs, the office of Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced July 29. The

State plans fifth round of Downtown Revitalization Initiative
ALBANY, N.Y. — New York will offer a fifth round of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) with $200 million available for communities across the 10 Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) regions. The funding seeks to “bring new life to their downtowns through a comprehensive strategic planning process,” followed by the implementation of key projects,” the
Stay up-to-date on the companies, people and issues that impact businesses in Syracuse, Central New York and beyond.