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 […]
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.”
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,
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.
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
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.
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
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.
OSWEGO — Pathfinder Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: PBHC), the holding company for Pathfinder Bank, recently reported that its net income rose 4.5 percent to $1.95 million in the fourth quarter from $1.86 million in the year-ago quarter. The Oswego–based banking company generated earnings per share of 33 cents in the fourth quarter, up from 32 cents in
OSWEGO — Pathfinder Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: PBHC), the holding company for Pathfinder Bank, recently reported that its net income rose 4.5 percent to$1.95 million in the fourth quarter from $1.86 million in the year-ago quarter.
The Oswego–based banking company generated earnings per share of 33 cents in the fourth quarter, up from 32 cents in the same period in 2019.
Pathfinder reported total revenue (net interest income plus total noninterest income) of $10 million in the fourth quarter, up almost 10 percent from $9.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2019.
Revenue growth was led by decreased interest expense and a rise in noninterest income, including net gains from the sale of real estate and securities.
For the full-year 2020, Pathfinder produced net income of $7 million, up more than 62 percent from $4.3 million in 2019. Net income available to common shareholders for 2020 was $5.4 million, up 50 percent from $3.6 million for the prior year. The banking company’s earnings per share last year was $1.17, up 46 percent from 80 cents a share in 2019. Total revenue for 2020 came in at $38.5 million, an increase of 16 percent from $33.1 million the year before.
“Despite 2020’s challenges, we realized record earnings as we continued to build a larger, stronger, and more capable company for our shareholders, customers, and employees. We have been an active participant in the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), originally providing access to this low-interest rate loan facility totaling approximately $76 million in loans to 699 existing and new customers. Throughout 2020, we have had our customers’ backs. Providing support and stability to them in 2021 and beyond remains an important focus for our team,” Thomas W. Schneider, president of Pathfinder Bancorp, said in the company’s earnings report, which was issued on Feb. 1. “We were able to achieve strong growth in assets during the year, with total assets and earning assets each growing more than 12 percent to $1.23 billion and $1.16 billion, respectively. In order to remain solidly positioned to respond to appropriate growth opportunities, we raised additional capital in the fourth quarter of 2020 through a private placement of $25 million in fixed-to-floating rate subordinated notes. We had a very productive year in attracting additional funding as deposits increased by more than $114 million through a combination of sources, including PPP lending, new and expanded commercial banking relationships, seasonal tax receipts from municipalities and retail customer deposits. Along with successfully attracting additional funding, we were able to significantly reduce our cost of deposits during 2020…”
Schneider added that the banking company’s noninterest expenses rose 5.6 percent in the fourth quarter but declined 3.7 percent for the full year. Management will continue to focus on that area throughout 2021.
Pathfinder Bank is a New York State chartered commercial bank with 10 full-service branches located in its market areas of Oswego and Onondaga counties, as well as one limited-purpose office in Oneida County. Through its subsidiary, Pathfinder Risk Management Company, Inc., the bank owns a 51 percent interest in the FitzGibbons Agency, LLC.
As of Dec. 31, Pathfinder Bancorp and its subsidiaries had total consolidated assets of $1.23 billion, total deposits of nearly $996 million, and shareholders’ equity of almost $98 million.
Welcome to the 2021 Innovation & Entrepreneur Resource Directory. The following organizations foster innovation and provide funding, consultation, training, and other support to entrepreneurs across Central New York. Note: This is an update of the Innovation and Entrepreneur Resource Directory that ran in the Nov. 23 issue of The Central New York Business Journal. Blackstone LaunchPad & Techstars
Welcome to the 2021 Innovation &Entrepreneur Resource Directory. The following organizations foster innovation and provide funding, consultation, training, and other support to entrepreneurs across Central New York.
Note: This is an update of the Innovation and Entrepreneur Resource Directory that ran in the Nov. 23 issue of The Central New York Business Journal.
Blackstone LaunchPad & Techstars at SU Libraries
222 Waverly Ave.
Syracuse, NY 13244
Website: launchpad.syr.edu
Year Established: 2016
Organization Type: innovation center, incubator, funding source, consulting/training provider
Services/Resources Offered: Competitions: Campus challenges, as well as national, state, and regional business plan competitions that provide opportunities for students from across the network to connect and innovate. Coworking: Campus-wide accessibility to open coworking space, specialized applications, and tools to help get startups off the ground and scale, with a focus on inclusive entrepreneurship. Workshops: Workshops and technical assistance programs that build competence through experiential learning, and referral to highly ranked Syracuse University entrepreneurship education programs. Networking: Networking events that build university-wide innovation infrastructure and bring together entrepreneurs, researchers, investors, and funders, as well as technical service providers. Mentors: One-on-one mentoring that cultivates entrepreneurial thinking and problem solving for both non-profit and for-profit businesses of any size and industry. Connections: Regional, national, and global connections to university programs and venture leaders to share best practices, engage with successful entrepreneurs, and find partners. Team Building: Interdisciplinary team-building that fosters a team approach and utilizes collaboration as a tool for innovation. Resources: One-stop connections to the university’s robust network of entrepreneurial resources, programs, and activities. Events: Access to world-class content, experts, and global events through the Blackstone Charitable Foundation.
Industries Served: All
Notable Initiatives/Success Stories/Events: “From our launch, we’ve seen over 4,550 program participants who are faculty, staff, students, and alumni innovators with 825 venture ideas. We’ve raised $37.25 million in investments, with $3.55 million won in competitions. Our ventures span over 118 countries, with over 110 ventures incorporated. We’re proud of our 50/50 female/ male ratio, and commitment to diversity and inclusion.”
Number of Businesses/Entrepreneurs worked with in 2020: 812
Total Admin. Staff: 2
No. of CNY Offices: 1
Total No. of Offices: 0
Executive Director: Linda Dickerson Hartsock
CASE at Syracuse University
2-212 Center of Science & Technology
Syracuse, NY 13244
Phone: (315) 443-1060
Website: case.syr.edu
Year Established: 1984
Organization Type: incubator, funding source
Services/Resources Offered: university-industry research and development collaborations; engage students; deliver customized technology workshops and short-courses; host networking events; pursue funding opportunities; commercialize technology; facilitate access to University resources
Industries Served: works with companies of all sizes, from any industry sector
Total Admin. Staff: 6
No. of CNY Offices: 1
Director: Pramod Varshney
Central New York Biotech Accelerator (CNYBAC)
841 East Fayette St.
Syracuse, NY 13210
Phone: (315) 464-9288
Website: cnybac.com
Year Established: 2011
Organization Type: innovation center, incubator
Services/Resources Offered: license state-of-the-art wet lab space, shared equipment, access to Upstate Medical University clinical and basic science expertise, access to Upstate Medical University core facilities, educational programming, service Provider network, mentor network, match resources, 200+-seat theater and café event space rental, collaborative partnerships
Services/Resources Offered: FuzeHub provides New York State manufacturers and startups with guided access to network of industry experts, programs, and assets to solve productivity, commercialization, research and development issues, and other challenges to growth.
Industries Served: Small to medium-sized manufacturing companies and startups
Industries Served: advocates and facilitates the co-operation of private industry, academia, and the Air Force Research Laboratory Information Directorate, in developing solutions to critical cyber security problems
Interim President and Chief Engineer: Mike Wessing
Integrated Electronics Engineering Center at Binghamton University
Integrated Electronics Engineering Center
Binghamton, NY 13902
Website: binghamton.edu/ieec
Year Established: 1991
Organization Type: research center
Services/Resources Offered: Reliability and Failures Lab, Smart Electronics Manufacturing Lab; collection of equipment open for students, faculty, and industry members use; archive of past and on-going industry research projects, knowledge-sharing, networking
Kevin M. McGovern Family Center for Venture Development in the Life Sciences
405 Weill Hall, Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853
Phone: (607) 255-3756
Website: mcgoverncenter.cornell.edu
Year Established: 2008
Organization Type: incubator
Services/Resources Offered: lab equipment, office space
Industries Served: life sciences
McGovern Center Director: Lou Walcer
Koffman Southern Tier Incubator
120 Hawley St.
Binghamton, NY 13901
Phone: (607) 777-5094
Website: southerntierincubator.com
Year Established: 2017
Organization Type: incubator
Services/Resources Offered: 35,000 square-feet of offices, high-tech labs, and co-working spaces that encourage collaboration between members; access to financial, legal, and regulatory resources and services
Industries Served: energy, electronics, health
Assistant Vice President for Entrepreneurship and Economic Development: Per Stromhaug
Services/Resources Offered: mentoring, proof-of-concept funding, business tools, resource network
Industries Served: advanced manufacturing, biomedical, chemicals/materials, cleantech, consumer goods & services, food and beverage, IT & web technology, life sciences & pharmaceuticals, medical devices, mobile technology, nanotechnology, sensors
Services/Resources Offered: one-on-one business counseling, business-plan development, startup assistance, sources of financing, government contracting assistance, training workshops, research services, and MWBE resources
Director: Paul Arvantides
MVCC’s thINCubator
326 Broad St.
Utica, NY 13501
Phone: (315) 880-0511
Website: thincubator.co
Year Established: 2014
Organization Type: innovation center, incubator
Services/Resources Offered: offers programs to help you generate better business ideas, refine and accelerate startups (The Refinery), and meet other CNY creatives (MESH); coworking
Total Admin. Staff: 2
Co-Director: Stacey Smith Co-Director: Ryan Miller
New York Business Development Corp.
1220 Coffeen St.
Watertown, NY 13601
Phone: (315) 782-9262
Website: watertown.nyssbdc.org
Year Established: 1986
Organization Type: consulting/training provider
Services/Resources Offered: free confidential business counseling for new and existing businesses in Jefferson, Lewis, and Oswego counties including business planning, marketing, financial assistance, government-procurement opportunities
Regional Director: Elizabeth Lonergan
North Country Innovation Hot Spot
65 Main St.
Potsdam, NY 13676
Phone: (315) 268-3810
Website: northcountryhotspot.com
Organization Type: incubator
Services/Resources Offered: office and lab space, press releases, business development, business plan review, growth strategies, market channels, product development
Industries Served: small and early-stage businesses
Director of the Shipley Center: Jamey Hoose
Praxis Center for Venture Development
350 Duffield Hall, Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853
Phone: (607) 255-6032
Website: https://pcvd.cornell.edu/
Year Established: 2019
Organization Type: innovation center, incubator consulting/training provider
Services/Resources Offered: provides a launchpad for Cornell University based researchers to commercialize their technologies
Industries Served: semiconductors, medical devices, enterprise software, chemicals, instruments, and many others
Administrative Academic Director: Robert Scharf Program Assistant: Stacy Clementson
Rev: Ithaca Startup Works
314 East State St.
Ithaca, NY 14850
Phone: (607) 882-2400
Website: revithaca.com
Organization Type: incubator
Services/Resources Offered: business mentorship, workspace, and startup resources
Industries Served: any new or growing business that will create jobs in Ithaca and surrounding communities, mentorship is field-agnostic
Notable Initiatives/Success Stories/Events: COVID-19 programs, assistance, and resources ESD Digital Initiative
Total Admin. Staff: 9
Regional Director: Joan A. Powers
South Side Innovation Center
2610 South Salina St.
Syracuse, NY 13205
Phone: (315) 443-8466
Website: southsideinnovation.org
Year Established: 2006
Organization Type: innovation center
Services/Resources Offered: Entrepreneurial Assistance Program (EAP), supporting clients and tenants of SSIC; WISE Women’s Business Center for women seeking to start or grow a business; Syracuse Commercial Test Kitchen (COMTEK) to help food entrepreneurs launch businesses; Start-up NY/ Program for Investment in Micro-entrepreneurs (PRIME) supporting disabled and low-income entrepreneurs with training and assistance
Industries Served: aspiring, new, and existing entrepreneurs, women, minorities, low-income individuals, individuals with disabilities, and those interested in food product development and manufacturing
Director: El-Java Abdul-Qadir
SUNY Canton Small Business Development Center
French Hall 201
Canton, NY 13617
Phone: (315) 386-7312
Website: canton.edu/sbdc
Organization Type: consulting/training provider
Services/Resources Offered: free direct counseling and a wide range of management and technical assistance services; helps start-ups develop a business plan, assist existing businesses prepare to expand, or offer resources for industry-specific topics
Director: Dale Rice
SyracuseCOE
727 E. Washington St.
Syracuse, NY 13244
Phone: (315) 443-4445
Website: syracusecoe.syr.edu
Organization Type: Center of Excellence
Services/Resources Offered: University and corporate R&D expertise, state-of-the-art R&D facilities, industry-led product development, exposure to funding opportunities, assistance with grant proposals networking and intellectual collisions, focused economic development programs, start-up assistance, business attraction opportunities
Industries Served: environmental and energy technologies
Services/Resources Offered: help manufacturers and technology entrepreneurs through lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, Toyota Kata, Quality Management Systems, global business development, technology commercialization, SBIR assistance, ISO certification
Services/Resources Offered: “Flexible Technology” research building for entrepreneurs/start-up companies and diversifying companies; multi-tenant flex space for mid-sized research and development companies; build-to-suit sites for large, mature companies ranging in size from 4 to 20 acres
Industries Served: agriculture, food, and biotechnology
Executive Director: John Johnson
U.S. Small Business Administration Syracuse District Office
224 Harrison Street
Syracuse, NY 13202
Phone: (315) 471-9393
Website: sba.gov/ny/syracuse
Organization Type: federal agency
Services/Resources Offered: business counseling and training programs, access to capital, government contracting programs, disaster recovery, small business advocacy
Industries Served: small business
Notable Initiatives/Success Stories/Events: SBA Emerging Leaders program
District Director: Bernard J. Paprocki
Upstate Venture Connect
235 Harrison St., #41
Syracuse, NY 13202
Phone: (315) 235-1283
Website: uvc.org
Year Established: 2010
Organization Type: consulting/training provider
Services/Resources Offered: connects and empowers upstate New York entrepreneurs with the resources for building high-growth companies
Founder & Chairman: Martin Babinec Cofounder & CEO: Nasir Ali
WISE Women’s Business Center
100 Madison St.
Syracuse, NY 13202
Phone: (315) 443-8634
Website: wisecenter.org
Year Established: 2003
Organization Type: consulting/training provider
Services/Resources Offered: Offers counseling, coaching, consulting, training, networking, and mentoring opportunities to women interested in launching or growing a business venture
Support for entrepreneurs and targeted real-estate development are critical building blocks for economic development. Ensuring those resources and investments reach historically marginalized and disinvested communities is necessary to drive greater shared prosperity. This month, CenterState CEO’s community investment team, part of our economic inclusion portfolio, joined neighborhood partners and private and public-sector leaders to celebrate the
Support for entrepreneurs and targeted real-estate development are critical building blocks for economic development. Ensuring those resources and investments reach historically marginalized and disinvested communities is necessary to drive greater shared prosperity. This month, CenterState CEO’s community investment team, part of our economic inclusion portfolio, joined neighborhood partners and private and public-sector leaders to celebrate the successful completion of two important projects — the Salt City Market and the Northside Women’s Wellness Center. Both projects highlight the broad impact of this work as we strive for inclusive growth.
The Salt City Market, developed by the Allyn Family Foundation, opened late last month transforming an underutilized corner of the city into a mixed-use building that includes a food hall, mixed-income housing, and office space for nonprofits, including the Allyn Foundation. The $25 million project features a food hall including eight merchants that participated in CenterState CEO’s Up Start program. The training program provided these small-businesses owners and entrepreneurs with business-plan development support, concept testing. and technical assistance. CenterState CEO is proud to partner with the Allyn Foundation’s Community Prosperity portfolio and is grateful for Allyn’s support of our work to drive economic solutions within low-income communities.
The long-awaited Northside Women’s Wellness Center also recently opened with assistance from CenterState CEO’s Northside UP program. The need for a Women’s Wellness Center was identified after a series of health and wellness conversations between St. Joseph’s Health and neighborhood residents revealed an alarming trend in which women felt isolated and unable to access outlets of exercise. Operated by the YMCA, the center now offers a welcoming, safe, and empowering place for all women to improve their health and the health of their families. The project was completed in collaboration with St. Joseph’s Health, the YMCA of Central New York, M.S. Hall and Associates, and several neighborhood partners. It is an example of how CenterState CEO’s Economic Inclusion team convenes community stakeholders to implement strategies and programs that empower residents and revitalize neighborhoods.
If you have not already, I strongly encourage you to visit these new vibrant Syracuse assets and support the entrepreneurs and communities they serve. The opening of these projects are important milestones in our economic-inclusion efforts and we will continue to work alongside our partners to ensure their success. To learn more about CenterState CEO’s community-investment work, contact Dominic Robinson, VP of economic inclusion, at drobinson@centerstateceo.com.
Robert M. Simpson is president and CEO of CenterState CEO, the primary economic-development organization for Central New York. This article is drawn and edited from the “CEO Focus” email newsletter that the organization sent to members on Feb. 11.
GREENE, N.Y. — The Raymond Corporation, a Chenango County–based manufacturer of forklift trucks and other material-handling products, has recently introduced a new automated tow tractor. The Raymond Courier 3220 Automated Tow Tractor uses vision-guided technology and can tow up to 15,000 pounds. The new tow tractor is the latest addition to Raymond’s line of automated
GREENE, N.Y. — The Raymond Corporation, a Chenango County–based manufacturer of forklift trucks and other material-handling products, has recently introduced a new automated tow tractor.
The Raymond Courier 3220 Automated Tow Tractor uses vision-guided technology and can tow up to 15,000 pounds. The new tow tractor is the latest addition to Raymond’s line of automated guided vehicles (AGVs), the company announced on Jan. 19.
“The addition of the Raymond Courier 3220 to our line of AGVs showcases our drive for continuous improvement. This model offers higher towing capacity and more ramp capability, resulting in an ability to handle peak loading needs,” Tiger Xu, product manager of automated products at Raymond, said in a company release. “Raymond Courier automated guided vehicles leverage vision technology for navigation.”
The company has a fleet of three additional Courier AGVs besides the new tow tractor.
Raymond is a unit of Toyota Industries Corp. Its plant is located at 22 S. Canal St. in the town of Greene.
When running a business, you are constantly striving to promote growth. Once things start to take off, firms often face a whole new set of challenges that they must address. Here are 10 tips I have found useful when navigating a period of business growth and expansion. 1. Don’t lose sight of your “why.” Seeing your business grow and
When running a business, you are constantly striving to promote growth. Once things start to take off, firms often face a whole new set of challenges that they must address. Here are 10 tips I have found useful when navigating a period of business growth and expansion.
1. Don’t lose sight of your “why.” Seeing your business grow and thrive is exciting, but it’s important to stay focused on your mission. A rapidly growing business can sometimes take off in a direction that doesn’t align with your core mission. Periods of growth are an opportune time to reflect and realign with your “why.”
2. Learn to delegate. As an entrepreneur, you often begin by handling almost every aspect of your business. As your business expands, you must delegate to manage your workload. If you have been feeling overwhelmed by your organization’s growth recently, look over your responsibilities. Are there aspects of your workload that could be handled efficiently by someone else?
3. Hire with culture in mind. Retaining quality talent is essential to the long-term success of a business. When searching for new hires, consider how candidates will do in your company’s unique culture. Of course, credentials are important, but the candidate that looks the best on paper is not always the best fit.
4. Listen to your customers. Your clients are the life force of your company. Never lose touch with what your customers want out of your brand. Especially in periods of rapid growth, be sure to focus on customer experience. You can show clients you care through meaningful communications and requests for feedback.
5. Encourage employee feedback. Speaking of feedback, it’s vital to listen to your employees as well. During periods of growth, lots of things shift and employees are invaluable sources of information. Their insight into what needs revision or improvement can help your business grow with grace and agility.
6. Analyze your inefficiencies. In addition to listening to employee feedback regarding ways to improve your business, seek out inefficiencies in the processes you currently have in place. Is there a manual task that could be automated? Are employees spending too much time on tasks that don’t benefit overall productivity?
7. Reduce regulation risk. A growing business has to be on the lookout for new government and industry regulations. Growth can take many different forms — expanding your markets, utilizing new sales channels, teaming up with a distributor, rolling out new products, etc. Big changes like these might mean dealing with new or different regulations. Be sure to do your homework to ensure that you’re in compliance.
8. Integrate your processes. When a business is just starting out, the decision is often made to go with the most economical software solutions. This can mean patching many different systems together, which can be especially problematic during high-growth periods. Disparate systems will struggle to keep up with the demand, causing internal issues as well as a diminished customer experience. Switching to a comprehensive business-management system allows all departments to communicate effectively and efficiently. It also allows you to access all the data you need at any time, rather than having to gather it from multiple programs.
9. Make scalability a priority. When thinking about how to navigate growth in your business, always consider the scalability of your decisions. Demand fluctuates over time, and — if things keep going this way — you will need to account for more growth in the future. Make sure the solutions you implement now can support growth in the future as well.
10. Bring in an expert. All of this may sound daunting to tackle on your own, but the good news is you don’t have to. Partner with someone that can help grow your business and find software solutions that make business processes more fluent and efficient.
Joel Patterson (www.JoelPatterson.com) is a workplace culture expert and founder of The Vested Group, a business technology consulting firm. He is the ForbesBooks author of “The Big Commitment: Solving The Mysteries Of Your ERP Implementation.”
ITHACA, N.Y. — Tompkins Connect, a local young-professional organization in Tompkins County, recently announced the winners of the 6th Annual Fab5 Young Professional Awards, sponsored by the Tompkins Trust Company. The Fab5 Awards highlight and celebrate the achievements of young professionals ages 21-40 who are excelling in their fields and making an impact in Tompkins
ITHACA, N.Y. — Tompkins Connect, a local young-professional organization in Tompkins County, recently announced the winners of the 6th Annual Fab5 Young Professional Awards, sponsored by the Tompkins Trust Company.
The Fab5 Awards highlight and celebrate the achievements of young professionals ages 21-40 who are excelling in their fields and making an impact in Tompkins County.
This year, the Fab5 Committee sought young professionals who have been able to shine and excel despite the unprecedented challenges the community has faced. The committee said in a news release that it “received a historic number of nominations for individuals who did remarkable things this past year.”
Tompkins Connect added two additional awards this year. The Essential Worker “Hero” award was created to recognize a young professional who was considered “essential” throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The Above and Beyond award was added to recognize an outstanding individual who has made significant contributions to the area community.
This year’s winners are the following individuals.
• Not-for-Profit Leader of the Year — Johanna Anderson, Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services — for her remarkable leadership during this challenging time.
• Business Leader of the Year — Patrick Blackman, Coltivare — for his inspiring leadership to the Coltivare staff, TC3 students, and Ithaca community.
• Rookie of the Year — Ben Sandberg, The History Center in Tompkins County — for his creativity and commitment as a new leader of The History Center during this challenging year.
• Entrepreneur of the Year — Olivia Ashline-Royale, Easy Living Hats — for her exceptional entrepreneurship and dedication to supporting the Ithaca community.
• Volunteer of the Year — Juliana Garcia, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County — for her contributions toward developing the Tompkins County Mutual Aid response, with the help of her team.
• Essential Worker “Hero” Award — Emily Mallar, Cayuga Health Partners — for her exceptional efforts of providing rapid medical communications throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, enabling the medical community to reduce the number of hospitalizations and emergency-room visits.
• Above and Beyond Award — Melissa Madden, PressBay Food Hub — for her work in bringing fresh, local food to the community during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tompkins Connect says it is inviting all members of the community to honor and celebrate these young professionals at the free, virtual 2021 Fab5 Young Professional Awards Celebration on Thursday, March 4, from 6-7:30 p.m.
The event will be live-streamed with a watch-party option for those who would like to virtually see and chat with other guests attending the event.
“Fab5 is a unique event that showcases the great work young professionals are doing in our community,” David Walton, event and program manager at the Tompkins Chamber and member of the Fab5 planning committee, said in the release. “This past year has been challenging in so many ways, but it has been inspiring to see so many people step up and help each other out.”
Tompkins Trust Company President and CEO Greg Hartz says young professionals like those honored in these awards are critical to the community’s future.
“There are countless young professionals living and working in our community who are shaping both the short-term and long-term success of our organizations. Our young professionals are so important to the healthy future of our community and we are pleased to honor these young professionals for their achievements,” he said. “It is especially important to recognize the accomplishments of our young professionals who have stepped up to help our community this past year, as COVID-19 has had a tremendous impact on our community.”
The Fab5 Awards are co-sponsored by Communiqué Design & Marketing and the Tompkins Chamber. Visit http://www.tompkinschamber.org/Fab5Awards to learn more about the winners and to register for the event.
Tompkins Connect is a local young professional organization, which was formed in 2010 and currently has more than 700 members. Tompkins Connect is housed within the Tompkins Chamber. The mission is to connect young professionals and emerging leaders through networking, community building, and volunteerism in Tompkins County.
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