Town clerk in the Finger Lakes pleads guilty to theft of public funds

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POTTER, N.Y. — A former town clerk in the Finger Lakes region admitted in court this week she used her position to take nearly $47,000

MVP Health Care offers level-funded insurance plans

Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Health Care, Insurance & Financial Services, New York News, Nonprofits, Regional News

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. — MVP Health Care this summer plans to offer New York employers with more than 100 subscribers a product it’s calling a “level-funded”

Marquardt expands into contract manufacturing following pandemic experiences

Manufacturing & Engineering, Subscriber Only

CAZENOVIA — Marquardt, an electro-mechanical component designer and manufacturer in the Cazenovia area, recently announced it has added contract manufacturing to its portfolio of services. Marquardt said that during the pandemic, it was one of the many manufacturers that joined the effort to fulfill “a dire need for medical equipment” by producing personal protective equipment

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LGS launches ROI of Civic Engagement training program

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DeWITT — Leadership Greater Syracuse (LGS), a nonprofit that offers a yearlong civic-leadership training program, recently announced it has added a new, customized consulting session for business-leadership teams. The new program, called ROI of Civic Engagement, is a three-hour session for area business leaders to help them navigate and prioritize their community involvement. LGS says

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Casino magnate with Utica roots donates $50M to the MVHS downtown hospital

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Health Care, Regional News, Subscriber Only

UTICA, N.Y. — The Mohawk Valley Health System (MVHS) will use a $50 million donation from the family foundation of casino magnate Steve Wynn for services at the upcoming downtown hospital in Utica. It represents the largest donation in the history of MVHS, per its March 4 announcement. In recognition of the Wynn family’s contribution,

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UTICA, N.Y. — The Mohawk Valley Health System (MVHS) will use a $50 million donation from the family foundation of casino magnate Steve Wynn for services at the upcoming downtown hospital in Utica.

It represents the largest donation in the history of MVHS, per its March 4 announcement.

In recognition of the Wynn family’s contribution, the regional medical center will be named the Wynn Hospital of the Mohawk Valley Health System.

The donation will directly support services for the new regional medical center in downtown Utica and allow MVHS to invest in “innovation, technology and services beyond what was originally possible.”

“This is an incredibly generous gift — one that will make an impact on thousands upon thousands of Mohawk Valley residents each year,” Darlene Stromstad, president and CEO of MVHS, said in a release. “The funds will elevate the Wynn Hospital to greater heights and result in important service enhancements and lifesaving outcomes. I can’t thank the Wynn family enough for making this level of investment in the region, its people, its local families and its crucially important healthcare. This gift will have a lasting legacy on the Mohawk Valley.”

It was the intention of the Wynn family to leave a “lasting legacy of state-of-the-art health care” on the community where it all started for Steve Wynn, MVHS said.

MVHS and the Wynn Family Foundation plan to unveil branding for the new Wynn Hospital “in early-to-mid 2021.” MVHS expects the hospital to open in 2023.

“Our family has deep roots in Utica,” Steve Wynn said in the release. “I have everlasting and fond memories of my childhood in the community, which provided a strong foundation for the rest of my life. This is my way of thanking the community and recognizing my parents.”

The Wynns are frequent visitors to the Mohawk Valley of New York.

Wynn added that “MVHS has a bold plan for the Wynn Hospital — a plan that we believe in. We are proud to make this gift to advance the project even further and help ensure better health outcomes and an enhanced quality of life for the community.”

New York manufacturing index rises in March to highest level since last summer

Manufacturing & Engineering, Subscriber Only

The Empire State Manufacturing Survey general business-conditions index climbed 5.3 points in March to 17.4, “its highest level since July of last year.” It’s the second straight strong month for the index, a monthly gauge of New York’s manufacturing sector, which rose 9 points in February to 12.1. The March reading — based on firms responding

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The Empire State Manufacturing Survey general business-conditions index climbed 5.3 points in March to 17.4, “its highest level since July of last year.”

It’s the second straight strong month for the index, a monthly gauge of New York’s manufacturing sector, which rose 9 points in February to 12.1.

The March reading — based on firms responding to the survey — indicates business activity “grew at a solid clip” in New York, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said in its March 15 report.

A positive number indicates expansion or growth in manufacturing activity, while a negative index reading points to a decline in the sector.

The latest survey found 34 percent of respondents reported that conditions had improved over the month, while 17 percent said that conditions had worsened, the New York Fed said.

Survey details

The new-orders index was little changed at 9.1, indicating that orders increased, and the shipments index “shot up” 17 points to 21.1, its highest level since before the pandemic, the New York Fed said.

Delivery times again rose at the “fastest pace in a year,” and inventories edged higher.

The index for number of employees was little changed at 9.4, indicating “ongoing modest” gains in employment, and the average-workweek index inched up to 10.9, “signaling an increase in hours worked.”

The prices-paid index rose 7 points to 64.4, again reaching its highest level in a decade, pointing to “sharp” input-price increases. The prices-received index was little changed from the prior month’s two-year high, pointing to ongoing selling price increases.

The index for future business conditions was fairly flat at 36.4, but still suggested that firms “remained optimistic” about future conditions.

The index for future shipments bounced up to 46.5. The index for future inventories rose to a multi-year high, and both the future prices-paid and prices-received indexes continued to “march upward,” the New York Fed said.

The index for future employment rose to its highest level in over 10 years, suggesting that manufacturers “widely expect” to increase employment in the months ahead. The capital-expenditures index came in at 26.8, and the technology-spending index was 20.1.

The New York Fed distributes the Empire State Manufacturing Survey on the first day of each month to the same pool of about 200 manufacturing executives in New York. On average, about 100 executives return responses.

Nascentia Health plans to convert Beeches property in Rome to senior housing

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Regional News, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

ROME — With its acquisition of the Beeches property in Rome, Syracuse–based Nascentia Health has plans for a mixed-use development that will include independent and supportive-housing options for seniors. Nascentia expects to close on its purchase of the more than 50-acre property in mid-April, per a March 9 news release. The organization did not release

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Nascentia expects to close on its purchase of the more than 50-acre property in mid-April, per a March 9 news release. The organization did not release the price or any financial terms of its purchase agreement.

“This is an exciting opportunity for Nascentia Health to adapt this beautiful and historic estate for the future in a meaningful way that exemplifies the importance of the Beeches and the Destito family to the Rome community,” Kate Rolf, CEO of Nascentia Health, said. “Our renovation plans will bring needed jobs and resources to the area. We’re looking forward to partnering with our Rome neighbors to plan and deliver a new community resource.”

Nascentia Health is a home and community-based health-care system with operations in 48 upstate New York counties.

The Destito family owned and operated the Beeches since 1949. The family wanted to ensure that the parcels would not be broken up or used in a way that would not benefit the community, so Nascentia Health’s plan to create a “community-focused,” mixed-use development was a “perfect fit for the vision” that the family had for the site.

The Destito family — Frank, Dominick, and Orrie — who were 3rd generation owners of the property, noted that “we explored [many] options and proposals for the reuse of this iconic property, hoping to find one that would have the resources and vision to keep it in its entirety, develop something that would benefit the community, and keep its history and beauty intact. It was with Nascentia we found this great combination.”

The Beeches Restaurant and Conference Center and the Inn at The Beeches — which closed at the end of 2018 — had a “long history in the Rome community as a premier venue for conferences and events,” Nascentia said.

Existing business tenants will be unaffected by the sale and will continue to maintain their leases.

The property conversion will focus on re-purposing the existing inn building as well as other parts of the campus, to a “true community” for seniors to “age in place,” allowing them to continue to live independently with support from a range of health-care professionals.

The conference center will be updated as communal space and will once again be available for holding private meetings and venues, Nascentia Health said. The organization expects the project to bring “valuable” health-care jobs to the area, including positions for nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and home-health aides.

“We applaud Nascentia Health for their forward-thinking investment to both preserve and enhance a community asset with their purchase of the Beeches complex,” Steven DiMeo, president of Mohawk Valley EDGE, said in the release. “This mixed-use senior-housing project will bring a much-needed new housing product to the marketplace to serve a population that is desperately in need of more options. The economic impact of this investment will be seen both by the adaptive reuse of a historic community property as well as new jobs. We look forward to seeing this project take shape and welcome Nascentia Health to the community.”

Lobby of Syracuse Fire Department Employees FCU reopens after renovation

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Subscriber Only

SYRACUSE — The lobby of the Syracuse Fire Department Employees Federal Credit Union has reopened following renovation work that started in June 2020. The lobby reopened March 8. It had been closed since March 2020 “due to COVID-19,” the credit union said in a March 4 news release. The Syracuse Fire Credit Union is located

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Part-time TSA jobs available at Syracuse airport

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SYRACUSE — The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) says it has about 25 positions available between Syracuse Hancock International Airport and the airports that service Buffalo and Albany. The agency hopes to fill the jobs “within the next few months,” and most of the openings are for part-time employees, the TSA said in a March 12

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Most CNY jobless rates still higher in January than a year prior

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Even as the jobs picture has improved since the worst of the pandemic’s financial effects, unemployment rates in the Syracuse, Utica–Rome, Binghamton, Ithaca, and Elmira regions remained higher in January compared to January 2020, one of the final two months before the public-health crisis exploded. Bucking the trend was the Watertown–Fort Drum area, which posted a lower

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Bucking the trend was the Watertown–Fort Drum area, which posted a lower jobless rate in January than in the same month in 2020.

The figures were part of the New York State Department of Labor data for January that was released on March 16. The department was set to issue the February jobless figures on March 30.

Regional unemployment rates

The unemployment rate in the Syracuse metro area stood at 7.2 percent this January, up from 4.8 percent in January 2020.

The Utica–Rome region’s January rate hit 7.6 percent, up from 5 percent a year ago; the Binghamton metro area’s number was 7.3 percent, up from 5.5 percent; the Ithaca region’s rate rose to 5.3 percent from 3.7 percent; and the Elmira area posted 7.3 percent in January, up from 4.7 percent in the same month a year ago. In contrast, the Watertown–Fort Drum region’s jobless rate dipped to 7.1 percent in January from 7.3 percent in the year-prior month.

The local-unemployment data isn’t seasonally adjusted, meaning the figures don’t reflect seasonal influences such as holiday hires. The unemployment rates are calculated following procedures prescribed by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the state Labor Department said.

State unemployment rate

New York’s statewide seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 8.8 percent in January, up from 8.7 percent in December and much higher than the 3.8 percent figure the state posted in January 2020, before the pandemic hit.

The 8.8 percent unemployment rate was also significantly higher than the U.S. jobless rate of 6.3 percent this January.

The federal government calculates New York’s unemployment rate partly based upon the results of a monthly telephone survey of 3,100 state households that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics conducts.

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