NBT Bancorp to pay quarterly dividend of 27 cents in mid-March

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NORWICH, N.Y. — NBT Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ: NBTB) recently announced that its board of directors has approved a first-quarter cash dividend of 27 cents a share. The dividend will be paid on March 15, to shareholders of record as of March 1. At NBT’s current stock price, the dividend yields about 3.05 percent on an […]

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Seneca Foods increases size of board of directors, adds Nelson

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MARION — Seneca Foods Corp. (NASDAQ: SENEA, SENEB) recently increased the size of its board of directors from seven to eight members and appointed Linda K. Nelson to fill the newly created board position. Seneca Foods, headquartered in the town of Marion in Wayne County, is a provider of packaged fruits and vegetables, with facilities

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Fewer than 3 in 10 Broome County hotel rooms were filled in December

Regional News, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — Broome County hotels posted an average occupancy rate (rooms sold as a percentage of rooms available) of 28.3 percent in December, down 35.6 percent from a year ago, as the COVID-19 pandemic continued to take a bite out of the travel and hospitality business. For all of 2020, hotel occupancy fell 37.6

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USDA reports New York onion production fell 7 percent last year

Small Business, Subscriber Only

New York farms produced an estimated 209 million pounds of onions in 2020, down 7 percent from the 2019 estimate. That’s according to a USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) 2020 vegetable production summary report issued on Feb. 12. NASS reported that the average yield per acre was 29,000 pounds last year, down more than

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Newly rebranded Rome Health to build physician center

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

ROME, N.Y. — Rome Health — the rebranded name of Rome Memorial Hospital — has announced plans to build a physician center on its campus in Rome. The health-care provider is gearing up for a $13.1 million capital project to create the new physician center on its main campus, which is located at 1500 N.

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ROME, N.Y. — Rome Health — the rebranded name of Rome Memorial Hospital — has announced plans to build a physician center on its campus in Rome.

The health-care provider is gearing up for a $13.1 million capital project to create the new physician center on its main campus, which is located at 1500 N. James St. in Rome.

Primary and specialty-care clinics are currently scattered across multiple locations within two miles of the hospital, Mark Murphy, president and CEO of Rome Health, said in a Feb. 16 announcement.

“Bringing them together on the hospital’s main campus will provide greater convenience for patients with the proximity of diagnostic testing and pharmacy in a single location,” said Murphy.

Primary care and specialty physicians, diagnostic testing, lab tests, and pharmacy services will all be available in one location, he added.

Pending state approval, Rome Health expects to begin construction in August, with the new physician center opening in June 2022. The project involves renovating existing administrative space on the ground floor and first floor and finishing the open space under the Bartlett Wing, which faces Black River Boulevard.

Rome Health has selected King + King Architects and the Hayner Hoyt Corporation, both of Syracuse, to design and construct the new physician center.

When complete in June 2022, providers from the hospital’s affiliated practices will relocate to the new center. These include primary care providers from Rome Medical Group and Delta Medical, as well as many of the specialists from Rome Medical Practice.

Rebranding

The organization says the name Rome Health is meant to “more accurately reflect the breadth of services provided by the health-care system to enhance the health and well-being of the local community,” Murphy said in a Feb. 12 release.

The new name also “ushers in a new era” for Rome Health as the system prepares to welcome many new primary-care providers and physician specialists, including two new general surgeons and a cardiologist; introduce new service lines, such as bariatric surgery; and break ground on the new physician center.

“…We’ve become a comprehensive health-care system that connects people to the best clinicians and the latest technologies so they are easily accessible to our community,” Murphy said. “We’re more than a hospital. From primary care to long-term care, we deliver the care people need here in Rome, including the latest advancements in spinal surgery and hereditary risk screening.”

Murphy went on to say that Rome Health has also forged relationships with “highly-ranked experts,” such as St. Joseph’s Health’s cardiologists, to coordinate patient care.

The new Rome Health name will begin to appear “over time” at its many off-site physician practices and outpatient centers. They include primary-care offices, such as Rome Medical Group; Boonville Family Care; Camden Family Care; and Delta Medical. They also include specialty-care locations such as Rome Medical Practice neurology; pulmonology and sleep medicine; surgical services; orthopedics and sports medicine; general surgery; and All About Women obstetrics/gynecology.

Its outpatient services — such as community recovery center; prenatal care; Regional Center for Wound Care, and Chestnut Commons therapy, lab, and X-ray — will also operate under the new name, Rome Health said.

New York manufacturing index jumps in February

Manufacturing & Engineering, Subscriber Only

Hits highest level since last July An increase in new orders and prices paid for goods helped boost a monthly gauge of New York state’s manufacturing sector. The Empire State Manufacturing Survey general business-conditions index rose 9 points in February to 12.1, its highest level since July of last year. The result also easily beat economists’ expectations

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Hits highest level since last July

An increase in new orders and prices paid for goods helped boost a monthly gauge of New York state’s manufacturing sector.

The Empire State Manufacturing Survey general business-conditions index rose 9 points in February to 12.1, its highest level since July of last year. The result also easily beat economists’ expectations of 5.9, according to a survey by the Wall Street Journal.

The February reading — based on firms responding to the survey — indicates business activity “grew modestly” in New York, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said in its Feb. 16 survey report.

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

The survey found 32 percent of respondents reported that conditions had improved over the month, while 20 percent said that conditions had worsened, the New York Fed said.

Survey details

The new-orders index rose 4 points to 10.8, indicating that orders increased, and the shipments index fell to 4.0, pointing to a small increase in shipments.

Delivery times rose at the “fastest pace in a year,” and inventories were higher, the New York Fed said.

The index for number of employees was little changed at 12.1, indicating “ongoing modest” gains in employment, and the average-workweek index edged up to 9.0, signaling an increase in hours worked.

The prices-paid index jumped 12 points to 57.8, a level last reached in 2011, pointing to a “sharp” increase in input prices. The prices-received index climbed 8 points to 23.4, its highest level in two years, showing a “pickup” in selling-price increases.

The index for future business conditions rose 3 points to 34.9, suggesting that firms “remained optimistic” about future conditions.

The indexes for future new orders and shipments rose to similar levels. Respondents expect delivery times to lengthen and also expect inventories to increase in the months ahead. Both the future-prices paid and prices-received indexes were also “notably” higher.

The capital-expenditures index rose to 28.6, its highest level in more than a year, and the technology-spending index rose to 23.4.

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.

Schumer discusses restaurant- relief fund in Camillus stop

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CAMILLUS — Onondaga County’s restaurants experienced a 27 percent drop in revenue during the pandemic-impacted months of 2020. Consumers spent about $462 million in eateries during the spring, summer, and fall of 2020, compared to the $631 million they spent during the same period the year before. Some restaurants in the county chose to close temporarily

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CAMILLUS — Onondaga County’s restaurants experienced a 27 percent drop in revenue during the pandemic-impacted months of 2020.

Consumers spent about $462 million in eateries during the spring, summer, and fall of 2020, compared to the $631 million they spent during the same period the year before.

Some restaurants in the county chose to close temporarily during the pandemic and others — including 22 in Onondaga County alone — “will never reopen.”

That’s according to the office of U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D–N.Y.).

Schumer on Feb. 15 said he plans to include a restaurant-relief fund in the proposed $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill pending in Congress.

Schumer announced the fund during an appearance at Brasserie Bar and Bistro, located at Township 5 in Camillus. Michelle Roesch, owner of Brasserie Bar and Bistro, and Bud Loura, owner of Restaurant QB, joined Schumer for the announcement.

Schumer’s office tells CNYBJ that the fund is contingent upon Congressional passage of the latest federal COVID relief bill and President Joe Biden’s signature, which are “anticipated in the coming weeks.”

Food service or drinking establishments — including caterers, brewpubs, taprooms, and tasting rooms, that are not part of an affiliated group with more than 20 locations —would be eligible for the grants.

Schumer explained that the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) would administer the restaurant grant assistance and “provide much-needed relief” to Central New York’s restaurants.

Restaurants could use grants from the fund alongside first and second Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan assistance, and the Employee Retention Tax Credit.

Schumer said the federal aid would aim to provide a “lifeline” to struggling restaurants and help recuperate some of the industry’s “significant” revenue losses. The majority leader cited a media report that said Onondaga County’s restaurants have experienced a 27 percent drop in revenue during pandemic.

The proposed restaurant-relief fund will be designed to provide flexible grants that can be used to cover payroll, mortgages or rent, setup for outdoor seating, PPE, paid leave, food and other supplies, or debt and other expenses.

“Central New York’s economy has been hit hard by the pandemic, burning our beloved restaurant industry,” Schumer said. “Restaurants and bars are the heartbeat of our Main Streets and sadly are on life support as the first to make sacrifices and close for the sake of public. It’s time for the federal government to whip up some federal dollars and finally serve the restaurants that have served our communities for years.”

The most recent survey released by the New York State Restaurant Association (NYSRA) indicates that more than half (54 percent) of New York restaurants said they likely would not survive the next six months without federal relief.

That figure compares to 37 percent of restaurants nationwide, which indicates the “dire situation” that the restaurant industry in New York is facing, Schumer said.

The NYSRA also estimated from its survey that 3,833 restaurants in upstate New York have already been forced to close due to the pandemic.

Additional details

Should lawmakers approve this fund, the maximum grant amounts would be $10 million per restaurant group and $5 million per individual restaurant, per Schumer’s office.

The eligible expenses would include payroll and benefits; mortgage, rent, utilities, and maintenance; supplies including protective equipment and cleaning materials; food; operational expenses; covered supplier costs as defined by the SBA under the PPP program; sick leave; and any other expenses deemed essential by the administrator.

The grants can be spent on eligible expenses occurring between Feb. 15, 2020 and Dec. 31, 2021 and the administrator may extend the period “two years from enactment if conditions warrant.”

Tops, Price Chopper/Market 32 merging into one company

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Two competing upstate New York grocery store chains with operations in the Syracuse area will soon be one company. Price Chopper/Market 32 and Tops Markets announced on Feb. 8 that they have agreed to merge in a deal that “nearly doubles” their collective footprint in the Northeast. The transaction will bring together nearly 300 Price Chopper/Market 32,

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Two competing upstate New York grocery store chains with operations in the Syracuse area will soon be one company.

Price Chopper/Market 32 and Tops Markets announced on Feb. 8 that they have agreed to merge in a deal that “nearly doubles” their collective footprint in the Northeast.

The transaction will bring together nearly 300 Price Chopper/Market 32, Market Bistro and Tops Markets stores that collectively employ more than 30,000 employees, per a joint news release.

Both grocery-store chains have locations in the Syracuse area. Price Chopper/Market 32 is headquartered in Schenectady while Tops Markets is based in Williamsville in suburban Buffalo.

Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The deal is expected to close “in the coming months,” subject to regulatory approval and customary closing conditions.

The new parent company will be headquartered in Schenectady. The Price Chopper/Market 32 and Tops Markets businesses will retain main offices in Schenectady and Williamsville and will continue to be managed locally by their respective leaders.

Both grocery-store chains will continue operating under their respective names, a company spokesman tells CNYBJ in an email.

Union reaction

The head of the union representing workers at Tops Markets calls the deal with Price Chopper/Market 32 “a marriage of a totally union operator, Tops Friendly Markets with a totally non-union operator the Golub Corporation.” The union representing Tops workers says it will fight for its members’ jobs following the merger announcement.

“Our members at Tops Friendly Markets are essential frontline workers, and as always Local One will continue to fight for our members’ jobs and their livelihoods. Our collective bargaining agreements are in full effect, and have years left before they expire. We will be bargaining with Tops on the Adirondack stores very soon, and expect no issues,” Frank C. DeRiso, president of UFCW Local One said in a statement. “We will use every legal measure to make sure our members are treated fairly, and we look forward to working with the new management, as we always have, to ensure of members have stable employment.”

UFCW is short for United Food & Commercial Workers. UFCW Local One represents 10,000 Tops Friendly Markets employees. UFCW Local One has 16,000 members working in retail food, drug, food processing, transportation, hospitals, and nursing homes in upstate New York and northern Pennsylvania.

A spokesperson for Price Chopper/Market 32 says the company has “no plans” close any Tops or Price Chopper/Market 32 stores “at this time,” per a Feb. 10 email.

That same day, a spokesperson for Tops Markets forwarded a statement that’s attributed to both companies.

“There are a lot of decisions that need to be made as we bring our companies together. We are working through the regulatory approval process and no decisions have been made yet about specific stores. Rest assured, the merged companies expect to continue serving their communities and customers,” the statement said.

Coming together

With increased scale across their footprints, the two companies expect they’ll be “better positioned to compete” across the Northeast.

Scott Grimmett, president and CEO of Price Chopper/Market 32, will be the CEO and serve on the board of directors of the new parent company. Frank Curci, chairman and CEO of Tops Markets, will also serve on the board of the new parent company and as a consultant to assist in the transition.

Blaine Bringhurst, executive VP of merchandising, marketing, and store operations, will lead the Price Chopper/Market 32 business. John Persons, president and COO of Tops Markets, will lead the Tops Markets business.

“This merger marks a major step forward and collectively elevates our ability to compete on every level,” said Grimmett.

Founded by the Golub family in 1932, Price Chopper/Market 32 operates 130 Price Chopper and Market 32 grocery stores and one Market Bistro, with 18,000 employees in New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania.

Tops Markets operates 162 grocery stores in New York, Vermont, and Pennsylvania, including five that are run by franchisees. It describes itself as the largest private, for-profit employer in Western New York, with more than 14,000 employees.

B&C Storage acquires Tully Mini Storage facility

Small Business, Subscriber Only

TULLY — B&C Storage, a locally owned storage company, recently announced it has acquired a self-storage facility in Tully and made it its 18th location in Central New York. The property, formerly known as Tully Mini Storage, is located at 5720 Meetinghouse Road, just off Interstate 81. It’s currently made up of 87 units in

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TULLY — B&C Storage, a locally owned storage company, recently announced it has acquired a self-storage facility in Tully and made it its 18th location in Central New York.

The property, formerly known as Tully Mini Storage, is located at 5720 Meetinghouse Road, just off Interstate 81. It’s currently made up of 87 units in five buildings, encompassing about 22,000 square feet, according to Bruce Pollock, managing partner of B&C Storage.

B&C didn’t disclose the purchase price, but Pollock says his company financed the purchase with a combination of a bank loan and financing provided by the prior owner of Tully Mini Storage. The property’s total assessment and full market value for 2020 were listed as $350,000, per Onondaga County’s online property records. The previous property owners were Theodore Shaw and Ronald Shaw.

The acquisition extends B&C’s geographic footprint further south in Central New York, says Pollock.

“We’re working closely with the current tenants to help them transition to our standard amenities including our online account management,” he said in a release. “We’re excited to be a part of the Tully neighborhood.”

B&C Storage, whose main office is at 4004 Box Car Lane in Camillus, has self-storage locations in Auburn, Baldwinsville, Bridgeport, Camillus, Central Square, Clay, DeWitt, East Syracuse, Eastwood, Liverpool (2), Marcellus, North Syracuse, Onondaga Hill, Radisson, Skaneateles, Westvale, and now Tully, per its website.

“B&C has expanded pretty aggressively these past few years,” Pollock tells CNYBJ in an interview. “We wanted to spread [out] in the market a little bit more. Our goal is to provide the best storage experience.”

B&C Storage says it is planning to begin property upgrades and renovations soon at the Tully location, including adding more buildings featuring interior climate-controlled, drive-up climate control, and additional regular storage units. Pollock says the company still has to go through the approval process for the new units, and that two additional buildings will be added to the Tully property in September.

B&C Storage, which was founded in 1995, is always looking to expand, Pollock says, He indicates that his company could add new self-storage locations in Utica or Cortland in the future, but says the firm is not looking to expand across the state at this point.

Square Deal Machining acquires a nearby company to expand business operations

Manufacturing & Engineering, Regional News, Small Business, Subscriber Only

MARATHON, N.Y. — Two companies with operations in Marathon in southern Cortland County are now working together. Square Deal Machining Inc. (SDMI) — a metal fabrication and machining company based in Marathon — acquired Kurtz Truck Equipment, a truck equipment and fabrication company, also of Marathon. SDMI says the deal allows it to expand its

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MARATHON, N.Y. — Two companies with operations in Marathon in southern Cortland County are now working together.

Square Deal Machining Inc. (SDMI) — a metal fabrication and machining company based in Marathon — acquired Kurtz Truck Equipment, a truck equipment and fabrication company, also of Marathon.

SDMI says the deal allows it to expand its business operations. The firm officially announced the acquisition on Feb. 1. The transaction closed the same day, SDMI tells CNYBJ in an email.

To expand production and continue to provide machining and fabrication services with “faster processing times,” SDMI company leaders decided to buy another local fabrication company.

Under the acquisition agreement, Kurtz Truck Equipment will operate under the same business structure, and all 25 employees “will operate separately from SDMI.”

Kurtz Truck Equipment is known for fabricating propane trucks, crane trucks, and dump bodies.

“After getting to know the team at SDMI, it became clear that they were the perfect partner to expand with to provide the same high-quality service and technologies to our customer base that encompasses seven states and multiple markets,” Roger Smith, general manager and VP of Kurtz Truck Equipment, said in the release.

Established in 1963 as Kurtz Welding Inc., it functioned as a builder and fabricator of new and refurbished fire apparatus, specialty welding, and custom fabrications. In April 2007, Kurtz Welding changed its name to Kurtz Truck Equipment to better reflect the types of fabrication lines available.

SDMI, which began as a one-room machine shop, has grown into a 300,000-square-foot machining facility that offers fabrication, machining, and welding capabilities and employs more than 150 people.

Its 140,000-square-foot fabrication and welding facility is located at 98 Route 11 in Marathon, while its 125,000-square-foot CNC machining and distribution center is situated at 496 Route 11 in Marathon. In addition, the firm also has a 10,000-square-foot tool room in Killawog in Broome County, along with a 25,000-square-foot stainless-steel welding and assembly facility near Binghamton, per its website.

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