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Broome Tioga talent task force says pandemic will affect workforce development going forward
DICKINSON, N.Y. — Participants in the Broome Tioga talent task force say that the COVID-19 pandemic is having a lasting impact on workforce development in
Pawsitivitea CNY opens at CNY Regional Market in Syracuse
SYRACUSE — Central New Yorkers have a new spot to grab a coffee, a snack, and relax with a few furry, feline friends. Pawsitivitea CNY has opened in a 1,200-square-foot space at the CNY Regional Market at 2100 Park St., according to JF Real Estate, which helped arrange the transaction. Matt Funiciello and Alec Sessa
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SYRACUSE — Central New Yorkers have a new spot to grab a coffee, a snack, and relax with a few furry, feline friends.
Pawsitivitea CNY has opened in a 1,200-square-foot space at the CNY Regional Market at 2100 Park St., according to JF Real Estate, which helped arrange the transaction. Matt Funiciello and Alec Sessa were the agents.
The concept for the business is simple: coffee and tea, baked goods, and cats. Owner Alisha Reynolds said this is the first of two cat cafés planned for the Syracuse area.
The dining room and cat-lounge area will be separate. The café will serve as a satellite location for the CNY SPCA and Reynolds said she is also working with the CNY Cat Coalition and other organizations to provide the cats for the café. All the cats, about a dozen or so at a time, will be available for adoption.
Along with the regular café hours, Pawsitivitea CNY will host paint nights, movie nights, cat yoga, and other special events.
New York state’s organic-farm sales grew nearly 40 percent in last three years
Certified-organic farms in New York state sold a total of $298 million in organic products in 2019, up 38 percent from $216 million in 2016, according to a new report from the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). The Empire State had 1,321 certified organic farms last year. Nationally, 16,585 certified-organic farms sold a total
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Certified-organic farms in New York state sold a total of $298 million in organic products in 2019, up 38 percent from $216 million in 2016, according to a new report from the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). The Empire State had 1,321 certified organic farms last year.
Nationally, 16,585 certified-organic farms sold a total of $9.9 billion in organic products in 2019, up 31 percent from $7.6 billion in 2016, per the NASS report issued on Oct. 22. New York ranked in the top 10 in organic-product sales.
Ithaca firm wins $500K in 76West clean-energy contest
Combplex of Ithaca was one of the three companies winning $500,000 funding award in the 76West clean-energy competition during the Oct. 19 award announcement. A company from the Montreal, Quebec area captured the $1 million grand prize in this year’s contest, the office of Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a news release. Combplex works to create
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Combplex of Ithaca was one of the three companies winning $500,000 funding award in the 76West clean-energy competition during the Oct. 19 award announcement.
A company from the Montreal, Quebec area captured the $1 million grand prize in this year’s contest, the office of Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a news release.
Combplex works to create a “more resilient” farming ecosystem by eliminating pests that threaten the health of honeybee hives. The firm uses low-power laser technology and sensors to collect data, prioritize hive health, inform crop-yield forecasts, and identify intensive pesticide use, as a described in Cuomo’s release.
Finalists are required to move business operations to the area or establish direct connections with the Southern Tier economy, such as enhancing supply-chain opportunities, adding jobs, or establishing other strategic relationships, the state said.
Competition finalists also receive continued mentoring support for up to two years after the awards are made. If a company is already in the Southern Tier, it must “commit to substantially growing” the business and employment in the region.
The winners, along with 19 semifinalists, were paired with regional companies for mentorship and advisement as part of advancing through the competition. The semifinalists, selected from over 183 applicants worldwide, presented final project pitches of the competition to a panel of judges in August and were selected based on how their technology reduces carbon emissions, promotes renewable energy or energy efficiency.
2020 76West grand prize winner
The $1 million grand prize winner — ThermoAI of Montreal, Quebec — is utilizing artificial intelligence and its software helps industrial companies optimize combustion operations with the goal of decreasing greenhouse-gas emissions by up to 50 percent and increasing efficiency by up to 20 percent.
Other $500,000 winners
COI Energy Services of New York City offers an end-to-end product that helps utilities and businesses improve building-energy performance and grid optimization. The company has software that helps reduce grid constraints and improve capacity utilization while decreasing energy spending and increasing operational efficiency, the state said.
AGreatE of Carlsbad, California makes renewable energy, such as solar and wind, “more affordable and accessible to all people by developing and deploying a wide range of artificial intelligence-enabled, safe, and environmentally friendly battery-based energy storage systems.”
SUNY trying to prevent virus spread by requiring tests before students leave town
Campuses must develop schedules that conduct the test as close to a student’s departure date as possible, SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras announced Oct. 27. In all, SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities will test about 140,000 students over a 10-day period preceding Thanksgiving break, SUNY said. SUNY contends that this testing requirement will help prevent community
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Campuses must develop schedules that conduct the test as close to a student’s departure date as possible, SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras announced Oct. 27. In all, SUNY’s 64 colleges and universities will test about 140,000 students over a 10-day period preceding Thanksgiving break, SUNY said.
SUNY contends that this testing requirement will help prevent community spread as students return to their hometowns. Colleges and universities must submit a plan to test all of their on-campus students within that 10-day window no later than Nov. 5.
All students who are taking at least one class on campus; utilizing on-campus services such as the gym, library, or dining hall; or working on campus must test negative for COVID-19 within 10 days prior to their college closing on-campus instruction and services.
Antibody tests do not count toward this requirement, SUNY noted.
“As in-person classes and instruction come to a close [in late November], tens of thousands of students will travel across the state and country to be with their families and complete their fall courses remotely,” Malatras said in a statement. “By requiring all students to test negative before leaving, we are implementing a smart, sensible policy that protects students’ families and hometown communities and drastically reduces the chances of COVID-19 community spread. While we understand there is a lot of focus on plans for the spring semester, we must first finish this semester safely.”
Under previously approved, fall-semester plans, most SUNY colleges and universities are set to shift to 100 percent remote learning after Thanksgiving, with residential facilities shutting down, barring exceptions for students “with extenuating circumstances.”
New York home sales climbed 12 percent in September
Pending sales skyrocketed ALBANY, N.Y. — New York realtors closed on the sale of 13,322 previously-owned homes in September, up 12.2 percent from the 11,878 homes sold in September 2019, amid strong buyer interest as the market emerged from the worst effects of the pandemic. Pending home sales jumped 49.3 percent to 16,813 in September from
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Pending sales skyrocketed
ALBANY, N.Y. — New York realtors closed on the sale of 13,322 previously-owned homes in September, up 12.2 percent from the 11,878 homes sold in September 2019, amid strong buyer interest as the market emerged from the worst effects of the pandemic.
Pending home sales jumped 49.3 percent to 16,813 in September from 11,264 a year ago. That’s according to the New York State Association of Realtors (NYSAR)’s September housing-market report issued Oct. 22.
“As cooler weather approaches, the New York State real estate market continues to heat up with strong buyer activity amid continued low inventory,” NYSAR said in the report.
New listings increased as well, rising 13.6 percent from 18,542 homes a year ago to 21,062 this September.
As buyer demand rose amid limited inventory, it caused house prices to soar. The September 2020 statewide median sale price popped 17.5 percent to nearly $325,000 from over $276,000 in September 2019.
The months’ supply of homes for sale at the end of September stood at 4.5 months’ supply, down about 22 percent from 5.8 months a year ago, per NYSAR’s report.
A 6-month to 6.5-month supply is considered to be a balanced market, the association said.
The number of homes for sale fell 21.5 percent from 67,107 units in September 2019 to 52,687 homes this September.
Central New York data
Realtors in Onondaga County sold 481 previously owned homes in September, down 4 percent from the 501 homes sold in the year-ago month. The median sale price rose 16.7 percent to $178,000 from $152,500 a year prior, according to the NYSAR report.
The association also reports that realtors sold 195 homes in Oneida County in September, up 8.9 percent from the 179 homes sold during September 2019. The median sale price increased 14.4 percent to $152,950 from $133,700 a year ago.
Realtors in Broome County sold 189 existing homes in September, up 21.9 percent from 155 a year earlier, according to the NYSAR report. The median sale price rose 8.4 percent to $135,500 from $125,000 in September 2019.
In Jefferson County, realtors closed on the sale of 143 homes in September, up 32.4 percent from 108 a year ago. The median sale price rose 5.7 percent to $161,000 from $152,350 in September 2019, according to the NYSAR data.
All home-sales data is compiled from multiple-listing services in New York state and it includes townhomes and condominiums in addition to existing single-family homes, according to NYSAR.
New AMA survey finds physician practices struggling to stay viable financially
Doctors’ practices are in a fight to stay financially viable as they battle against the COVID-19 pandemic. Results of a new nationwide physician survey, issued Oct. 28 by the American Medical Association (AMA) shows medical practices have been economically stressed by the public-health crisis with a 32-percent average decline in revenue. “Physician practices continue to be
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Doctors’ practices are in a fight to stay financially viable as they battle against the COVID-19 pandemic. Results of a new nationwide physician survey, issued Oct. 28 by the American Medical Association (AMA) shows medical practices have been economically stressed by the public-health crisis with a 32-percent average decline in revenue.
“Physician practices continue to be under significant financial stress due to reductions in patient volume and revenue, in addition to higher expenses for supplies that are scarce for some physicians,” AMA President Susan R. Bailey, M.D. said in a release about the survey. “More economic relief is needed now from Congress as some medical practices contemplate the brink of viability, particularly smaller practices that are facing a difficult road to recovery,” she contends.
The AMA’s nationally representative survey of 3,500 physicians, administered from mid-July through August 2020, “illustrates precarious trends and realities that physicians face as they continue to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic,” per the release.”
Financial impact
• 81 percent of physicians surveyed said revenue was lower than in February. Revenue reductions were 50 percent or more for nearly 1 out of 5 physicians.
Patient volume
• 81 percent of doctors were providing fewer in-person patient visits than in February. In-person patient visits fell 50 percent or more for greater than one-third of physicians.
• Despite increased telehealth visits since February, almost 7 out of 10 physicians were providing fewer total visits (in-person plus telehealth). Total patient visits fell 50 percent or more for greater than 1 out of 5 physicians.
Practice expenses
• Spending on personal protective equipment (PPE) since February increased 50 percent or more for nearly 2 out of 5 medical-practice owners.
• 36 percent of physicians said that acquiring PPE was very or extremely difficult, especially for smaller practices that lack purchasing power to compete with larger health systems.
According to the AMA survey, most medical-practice owners reported that the federal financial-assistance programs offered early in the pandemic were very or extremely helpful.
You can check out the full AMA survey results at https://www.ama-assn.org/system/files/2020-10/covid-19-physician-practice-financial-impact-survey-results.pdf
Syracuse Stage announces new board president, chair, and treasurer
SYRACUSE — Syracuse Stage announced that it has named Herman Frazier, who is senior deputy director of athletics at Syracuse University, as president of its board of trustees. Frazier has been a member of the Syracuse Stage board since 2017 and served as treasurer during the 2019-2020 season. Before coming to Syracuse in 2011, he
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SYRACUSE — Syracuse Stage announced that it has named Herman Frazier, who is senior deputy director of athletics at Syracuse University, as president of its board of trustees.
Frazier has been a member of the Syracuse Stage board since 2017 and served as treasurer during the 2019-2020 season. Before coming to Syracuse in 2011, he held positions at Temple University, University of Hawaii, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), and Arizona State. Frazier replaces outgoing board president Bethaida (Bea) González, who will remain on the board as a trustee.
Syracuse Stage also announced that Nancy Green, managing member at Edward S. Green & Associates, LLC, has taken the position of Syracuse Stage board chair. Green has been on the Syracuse Stage board since 2008. Prior to her time at Edward S. Green & Associates, she held investment advisory roles at Armory Capital Management, UBS Financial Services, and Dean Witter, and is a past board member of Manlius Pebble Hill School and board president of CazCares.
Syracuse Stage also announced that Amir Rahnamay-Azar — who is senior VP for business, finance, and administrative services and chief financial officer at Syracuse University — is its new board treasurer. Rahnamay-Azar has been a member of the Syracuse Stage board since 2017. With nearly 25 years of experience in higher education, he has held roles at Carnegie Mellon University, Georgia Institute of Technology, and the University of Southern California. In his current position at Syracuse University, Rahnamay-Azar is responsible for overseeing auxiliary services, campus development and facilities operations, campus safety and emergency management services, financial planning and resource management, internal audit and real estate, and asset management.
Founded in 1974, Syracuse Stage is the nonprofit, professional theatre company in residence at Syracuse University.
Onondaga County hotel occupancy falls 31 percent in September compared to a year ago
SYRACUSE — Just over four out of 10 hotel rooms in Onondaga County were filled with guests in September, as the coronavirus pandemic continued to hamper the hospitality industry. The hotel occupancy rate (rooms sold as a percentage of rooms available) in the county was 43.5 percent in September, down 31.3 percent from September 2019
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SYRACUSE — Just over four out of 10 hotel rooms in Onondaga County were filled with guests in September, as the coronavirus pandemic continued to hamper the hospitality industry.
The hotel occupancy rate (rooms sold as a percentage of rooms available) in the county was 43.5 percent in September, down 31.3 percent from September 2019 levels. That’s according to STR, a Tennessee–based hotel market data and analytics company. Year to date, hotel occupancy in the county is down more than 39 percent compared to 2019.
Onondaga County’s revenue per available room (RevPar), a key industry gauge that measures how much money hotels are bringing in per available room, was $35.70 in September, down 47.4 percent from a year prior. RevPar is off nearly 51 percent through the first nine months of 2020, compared to the same period last year.
Average daily rate (or ADR), which represents the average rental rate for a sold room, was $82.15 in September, down 23.3 percent from September 2019. ADR is down almost 19 percent year to date, from 2019 levels.
Broome County hotels had nearly half their rooms occupied in September
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — Broome County hotels posted an average occupancy rate (rooms sold as a percentage of rooms available) of 49.6 percent in September, the highest mark since the COVID-19 pandemic started. In comparison, the county’s occupancy rate was 46.2 percent in August, 38.1 percent in July, 34.1 percent in June, and 27.3 percent in
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BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — Broome County hotels posted an average occupancy rate (rooms sold as a percentage of rooms available) of 49.6 percent in September, the highest mark since the COVID-19 pandemic started.
In comparison, the county’s occupancy rate was 46.2 percent in August, 38.1 percent in July, 34.1 percent in June, and 27.3 percent in May, according to STR, a Tennessee–based hotel market data and analytics company. Still, September’s occupancy rate was down nearly 17 percent from a year ago. Also, it’s likely hotels will take a significant business hit in October as a surge in coronavirus cases has led to stay-at-home recommendations and parts of the county being declared a “Yellow Zone” by the state, which placed restrictions on gatherings, events, and restaurants.
Broome County’s revenue per available room (RevPar), a key industry gauge that measures how much money hotels are bringing in per available room, improved to $38.87 in September from $37.36 in August, $28.97 in July, and $24.93 in June. However, RevPar was down more than 31 percent from a year earlier.
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