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

Ithaca College professor, research partners awarded federal grant for computer-power research
ITHACA, N.Y. — An Ithaca College professor and his research partners will use a nearly $200,000 grant from the National Science Foundation as they search

UHS, Lourdes hospitals easing visiting rules as of Monday
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — The UHS and Lourdes hospitals are revising visiting-hour rules as of Monday following pandemic-impacted restrictions. The new visiting hours at Lourdes Hospital
CLAYTON, N.Y. — New York Office of General Services (OGS) Commissioner RoAnn Destito recently announced that a cleaning business in Jefferson County has been certified as a service-disabled veteran-owned business (SDVOB). The New York OGS Division of Service-Disabled Veterans’ Business Development (DSDVBD) issued the certification to River Rat Cleaning, a business located in the St.
Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article.
CLAYTON, N.Y. — New York Office of General Services (OGS) Commissioner RoAnn Destito recently announced that a cleaning business in Jefferson County has been certified as a service-disabled veteran-owned business (SDVOB).
The New York OGS Division of Service-Disabled Veterans’ Business Development (DSDVBD) issued the certification to River Rat Cleaning, a business located in the St. Lawrence River community of Clayton. The firm says it provides residential and commercial cleaning services throughout the Thousand Islands Region and Jefferson County. Tristan Smith, who retired from the U.S. Army in 2018, opened River Rat Cleaning in 2020.
River Rat was among five newly certified businesses announced by OGS on March 15. The DSDVBD was created by Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2014 through enactment of the Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Business Act. As of March 15, a total of 859 businesses were certified in the state.
For a business to receive certification, one or more service-disabled veterans — with a service-connected disability rating of 10 percent or more from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (or from the New York State Division of Veterans’ Affairs for National Guard veterans) — must own at least 51 percent of the business. Other criteria include: the business must be independently owned and operated and have a significant business presence in New York, it must have conducted business for at least one year prior to the application date, and it must qualify as a small business under the New York State program. Several more requirements also need to be met.

Broome County Youth Bureau announces $190,000 in youth-programming grants
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — The Broome County government has announced $190,000 in grant funding for youth programs in the community. Broome County Executive Jason Garnar made

NUAIR conference lays automation groundwork for high-density vertiports
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — NUAIR on March 5 held an all-day virtual conference to further develop a plan that supports NASA’s advanced air mobility (AAM) efforts.

Audible executive Glover to keynote CenterState CEO annual meeting April 29
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — An executive with a New Jersey–based audiobook company will provide the keynote address at the upcoming virtual annual meeting of CenterState CEO,
Click to View the 2021 Manufacturing Directory
Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article.
Onondaga County hotel occupancy rate falls 22.5 percent in February
SYRACUSE — Hotels in Onondaga County had significantly more vacant rooms in February than in the year-ago month, as the COVID-19 pandemic continued to hurt the hospitality business, according to a recent report. The hotel occupancy rate (rooms sold as a percentage of rooms available) in the county fell 22.5 percent to 37.5 percent in
Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article.
SYRACUSE — Hotels in Onondaga County had significantly more vacant rooms in February than in the year-ago month, as the COVID-19 pandemic continued to hurt the hospitality business, according to a recent report.
The hotel occupancy rate (rooms sold as a percentage of rooms available) in the county fell 22.5 percent to 37.5 percent in February compared to the year-prior period, according to STR, a Tennessee–based hotel market data and analytics company.
Revenue per available room (RevPar), a key industry gauge that measures how much money hotels are bringing in per available room, plunged 37.5 percent to $29.58 in February from February 2020.
Average daily rate (or ADR), which represents the average rental rate for a sold room, dipped 19.4 percent to $78.92 in February from the same month last year.
This report is the last month in which the year-over-year comparison will be to a month before the pandemic hit. Starting with the March STR hotel reports, the comparisons will be to months also affected significantly by the COVID crisis.
New York milk production slips nearly 2 percent in February
New York dairy farms produced almost 1.2 billion pounds of milk in February, down 1.8 percent from nearly 1.22 billion pounds in the year-ago month, the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) recently reported. Milk production per cow in the state averaged 1,910 pounds in February, off 1.8 percent from 1,945 pounds 12 months prior.
Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article.
New York dairy farms produced almost 1.2 billion pounds of milk in February, down 1.8 percent from nearly 1.22 billion pounds in the year-ago month, the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) recently reported.
Milk production per cow in the state averaged 1,910 pounds in February, off 1.8 percent from 1,945 pounds 12 months prior.
The number of milk cows on farms in New York state totaled 626,000 head in February, unchanged from February 2020, NASS reported.
On the milk-price front, New York dairy farmers in January were paid an average of $17.10 per hundredweight, down $1.20 from December and off $2.70 from January 2020.
In neighboring Pennsylvania, dairy farms produced 798 million pounds of milk in February, down 4.2 percent from a year earlier.
Broome County hotel occupancy rate declines nearly 18 percent in February
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — Broome County hotels saw fewer guests in February than in the year-prior month amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, according to a recent report. The hotel occupancy rate (rooms sold as a percentage of rooms available) in the county declined 17.8 percent to 40 percent in February, according to STR, a Tennessee–based hotel
Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article.
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — Broome County hotels saw fewer guests in February than in the year-prior month amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, according to a recent report.
The hotel occupancy rate (rooms sold as a percentage of rooms available) in the county declined 17.8 percent to 40 percent in February, according to STR, a Tennessee–based hotel market data and analytics company. It marked the 13th straight monthly decrease in occupancy.
Broome County’s revenue per available room (RevPar), a key industry gauge that measures how much money hotels are bringing in per available room, plummeted 27.9 percent to $29.25.
Average daily rate (or ADR), which represents the average rental rate for a sold room, was down 12.3 percent to $73.20 in February.
This report is the last month in which the year-over-year comparison will be to a month before the pandemic hit. Starting with the March STR hotel reports, the comparisons will be to months also affected significantly by the COVID crisis.
Stay up-to-date on the companies, people and issues that impact businesses in Syracuse, Central New York and beyond.