MVHS attains accreditation from American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer

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UTICA — Mohawk Valley Health System (MVHS) has recently received accreditation from the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer (ACS CoC) Accreditation Program. The ACS CoC is a consortium of professional organizations dedicated to improving survival and quality of life for patients with cancer by setting and raising standards. Accreditation is granted to health-care […]

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Lockheed Martin Salina wins nearly $12M contract modification for Navy equipment

Manufacturing & Engineering, Subscriber Only, Technology

SALINA — The Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE: LMT) plant in suburban Syracuse was recently awarded an almost $11.7 million modification to a previously awarded contract

Black River Systems wins $16M U.S. Air Force tech contract

Manufacturing & Engineering, Mohawk Valley, Technology

ROME — Black River Systems Co. Inc. was recently awarded a $16.3 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract from the U.S. Air Force for future architecture for national

Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital sees big benefit from new $10M Golisano gift

Health Care, Subscriber Only

SYRACUSE — Rochester businessman Thomas Golisano provided the $6 million naming gift for Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital before it opened in September 2009. Now, 15

Re-Decor and More’s new location gives it room for growth

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Mohawk Valley, Small Business, Subscriber Only

NEW HARTFORD — Re-Decor and More is settling into a new location that gives the small business more space for both its retail side and its interior-design business. Owner Doreen Castronovo had always envisioned an artistic career growing up but ended up working for many years at the family restaurant — Castronovo’s Original Grimaldi’s Restaurant

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NEW HARTFORD — Re-Decor and More is settling into a new location that gives the small business more space for both its retail side and its interior-design business.

Owner Doreen Castronovo had always envisioned an artistic career growing up but ended up working for many years at the family restaurant — Castronovo’s Original Grimaldi’s Restaurant in Utica. When the eatery closed, she then went to work as a library assistant in the New Hartford Central School District.

Along the way, Castronovo decided to return to school to study interior design, graduating with her degree at age 50. She dabbled in interior design as a side hustle and decided in 2019, right before the pandemic hit, to make it a full-time gig.

Despite the pandemic shutdowns, she forged ahead with her plans, and in late 2020, opened what was supposed to be a holiday pop-up shop. The small shop featured home décor, gift items, and other merchandise — located in just over 600 square feet at 70 Genessee St. in the village of New Hartford. It was such a hit, Castronovo says, that the planned three months turned into years.

“The community loved it, and I loved it, and here I am,” she says. “It was nothing I’d ever dreamed I’d be doing, but I absolutely love it.”

These days, the specialty boutique still stocks décor and gift items, but has expanded into much more including clothing, jewelry, home goods, and even floral arrangements.

Things were getting cramped at the old location, so Castronovo began scouting for new options for Re-Decor and More last winter.

What she found was a former physical-therapy office in a shopping plaza on Kellogg Road in the town of New Hartford — situated less than 2 miles south of the business’s prior location. The plaza is also home to a Hannaford grocery store, Rite Aid drug store, a pizza place, and a liquor store.

“I built it out over the summer,” Castronovo says of the nearly 1,100-square-foot space. She worked with Against the Grain Construction and Mohawk Valley Granite on the project. Both businesses are ones she works with frequently on the interior design side of things.

The new space also gives Castronovo more room for that side of her business, providing both ample space to store sample materials and a welcoming place to meet with clients.

The new location also provides Re-Decor and More added space for more products on the retail side, including more housewares and gift items, she adds.

“There is kind of something for everyone,” she says of the store. “The new store allows me to have much more clothing. I even have homemade crocheted blankets that I make myself.” There is also a kids’ section featuring everything from clothing to toys.

To date, Castronovo runs both the retail and interior design operation on her own, but with business already picking up in the new location that may change soon. She is already seeing the benefit of foot traffic in the busy plaza.

“We’re completely booked until the middle of November,” she says of the interior design side.

Re-Decore and More, located at 54 Kellogg Road, is open Wednesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Other hours are available by appointment, and hours may expand if Castronovo adds to her staff.

CNY regional jobless rates rise in August versus a year ago

Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Subscriber Only

Unemployment rates in the Syracuse, Utica–Rome, Watertown–Fort Drum, Binghamton, Ithaca, and Elmira areas all rose in August compared to a year ago, pointing to slowing labor markets across the broader 16-county Central New York region. The figures are part of the latest New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL) data released on Sept. 24. Regional

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AZA renews Rosamond Gifford Zoo accreditation

Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

SYRACUSE — The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) has again renewed the accreditation for the Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse. The zoo has been continuously accredited since 1987, the office of Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon said in the Sept. 30 announcement. “We are thrilled to once again receive AZA accreditation,” Ted Fox, executive

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SUNY Poly enrolls 150 students in ACE program

Education & Training, Mohawk Valley, Subscriber Only

MARCY — SUNY Polytechnic Institute is one of 25 SUNY campuses statewide that opted into the Advancing Completion through Engagement (ACE) program that provides wraparound support to ensure academic success, retention, and on-time graduation. As of this fall, the university has enrolled 150 students in the program. The program, which helps Pell-eligible students, expanded to

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Syracuse, Ithaca firms to compete in FuzeHub contest

Small Business, Southern Tier, Subscriber Only, Technology

Commercialization competition set for Oct. 28-29 ALBANY — Twelve finalists, including a Syracuse company and two firms with operations in Ithaca, will compete in the annual FuzeHub commercialization competition near the end of the month in Syracuse. Triton Bio, Inc. of Syracuse, along with Anova Biomedical, Inc. and Parker Isaac

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Commercialization competition set for Oct. 28-29

ALBANY — Twelve finalists, including a Syracuse company and two firms with operations in Ithaca, will compete in the annual FuzeHub commercialization competition near the end of the month in Syracuse.

Triton Bio, Inc. of Syracuse, along with Anova Biomedical, Inc. and Parker Isaac Instruments d/b/a FormaPath, both with operations in Ithaca, are the regional finalists. Additional finalists are located in the New York City, the Capital Region, Long Island, and Mid-Hudson regions.

Albany–based FuzeHub is a nonprofit organization that supports small and medium-sized manufacturing companies in New York state.

The eighth annual commercialization competition — which is part of the upcoming New York State Innovation Summit — is set for Oct. 28-29 at the Nicholas J. Pirro Convention Center at Oncenter in downtown Syracuse. It happens yearly as part of the Empire State Development (ESD)-supported FuzeHub Jeff Lawrence Innovation Fund.

The finalists have the chance to win $50,000 by pitching their business plan before a panel of judges and a live audience. One firm will win the top funding award of $150,000.

“I would like to take a moment to celebrate our twelve outstanding finalists” Patty Rechberger, Innovation Fund manager for the Jeff Lawrence Innovation Fund at FuzeHub, said in the announcement. “It is a significant accomplishment to reach this stage. These companies have proven that they have what it takes to break through the noise and the tenacity required to turn their innovative ideas into reality. I cannot wait to work with them to get ready for their live pitches at the Summit.”

Regional finalists

The finalists include Triton Bio, Inc., which is working on scalable manufacturing of a “smart” incubator for automating microbial analysis. The firm’s website lists an address of 841 E. Fayette St. in Syracuse, which is Upstate Medical University’s Central New York Biotech Accelerator.

FuzeHub in its announcement said, Triton Bio is “building Mira, an incubator with AI computer vision to automate microbial analysis and supercharge research. Mira automatically captures images of samples (such as Petri dishes) over time. This will automate laborious tasks for microbiologists and give them unprecedented access to biological characteristics and activity. Real-life application examples are the identification of drug resistance characteristics, the study of the effects of preservatives on food shelf-life, and the effects of insecticides in real time.”

The finalists also include Anova Biomedical, Inc. of Ithaca, which says it is working on the first self-transforming, fully biodegradable vascular grafts.

The project description in the FuzeHub announcement says, “As part of their treatment, some dialysis patients must undergo surgery to create ‘vascular access.’ Current vascular access grafts are made of porous Teflon, the same material used in non-stick pan s, and they perform terribly. Anova Biomedical is making a new form of vascular access graft made from a novelty material that slowly degrades over time as the body regenerates. This technology will help prevent excess hospitalizations and premature patient deaths.”

Another finalist, Parker Isaac Instruments d/b/a FormaPath, has a manufacturing facility in Ithaca. It is working on nToto, automated tissue handling and visualization system to gross small biopsies.

Its description in the FuzeHub announcement says, “FormaPath has proven their concept combining robotics and computer vision to automate small biopsy grossing. Labs are under significant pressure to meet turnaround time and limited resources; manual processes are inherently inconsistent. nToto quickly delivers high-confidence reports to guide appropriate treatment for all patients.”

Besides its Ithaca manufacturing location, the firm’s website also lists a location in Brooklyn, as well as one in Hood River, Oregon.

Upstate Ink & Thread opens first location

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Mohawk Valley, Small Business, Subscriber Only

MARCY — After starting as an online business last fall, Upstate Ink & Thread, LLC recently cut the ribbon on its first brick-and-mortar location at 9443 River Road in Marcy. Upstate Ink & Thread owners CaSandra Packard and Darin Pearo both owned other businesses, but found themselves frequently referring customers to each other. Packard created

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MARCY — After starting as an online business last fall, Upstate Ink & Thread, LLC recently cut the ribbon on its first brick-and-mortar location at 9443 River Road in Marcy.

Upstate Ink & Thread owners CaSandra Packard and Darin Pearo both owned other businesses, but found themselves frequently referring customers to each other. Packard created custom apparel, while Pearo specialized in vinyl signs.

After a few years of referring customers back and forth, they decided to dissolve their solo businesses and join forces as Upstate Ink & Thread, Packard explains.

The business has grown so quickly since they launched it, she notes, “it was either get the space and embrace it or slow it down.”

That led to the business leasing about 4,000 square feet on River Road and moving into it this past May. The space includes offices, a showroom, an embroidery room, and a vinyl graphic room, giving Upstate Ink & Thread the space it needs for its three employees, Packard says.

She previously operated Dolce Vita Children’s Boutique at Sangertown Square mall, and that’s really where her custom-apparel business began. Packard offered a few custom options for events like birthdays, designing the apparel and outsourcing the production, but people began requesting more and more custom items.

The business naturally evolved, eventually leading to Packard closing the storefront and running a full-time custom apparel business from her home.

Now at Upstate Ink & Thread, Packard uses her experience and background in fashion to guide product offerings, while Pearo is a technical whiz with the machinery.

Now that the business partners have a storefront, Upstate Ink & Thread can offer more options, and with the showroom customers can now come in and see and feel the products before buying.

“We love what we do, and I think we bring a little something different to the area,” Packard says. One service the business offers that customers enjoy is a print-on-demand option that allows them to order and receive merchandise faster. Instead of having to collect orders for weeks and then doing a big print run, customers can order individual items, which are printed immediately.

“We’re just trying to do things a little differently,” Packard says of what sets Upstate Ink & Thread apart. The showroom is set up more like a boutique, and there are a number of prints that are on display and ready to go.

Upstate Ink & Thread’s customer list includes Rome Health, Mohawk Valley Wellness, and several area schools. Business has grown so fast that the business owners haven’t yet done much in the way of marketing to attract new customers, Packard says. Most of their customers represent repeat business or heard about them from other customers.

“We’re thankful to be doing what we love doing,” she says.

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