Lockheed Martin taps company CEO as new board chairman; former CEO Hewson to retire

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BESTHESDA, Maryland — The board of directors of Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE: LMT), which operates plants in suburban Syracuse and Oswego, has elected James Taiclet,

Jefferson County hotels had fewer than a quarter of rooms filled in December

Regional News, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

WATERTOWN — Just under one out of four Jefferson County hotel rooms, on average, were occupied in December as the COVID-19 pandemic continued to hinder travel and the hospitality industry, according to a recent report. The hotel-occupancy rate (rooms sold as a percentage of rooms available) in the county was 24.7 percent in December, down

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CNY ATD appoints 2021 leadership team

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. — CNY ATD announced it has appointed the following people to its 2021 leadership team. • President — Melissa McLean, Oracle • President Elect; VP Programs — Christy Rohmer, NYSERNet • Past President — Steven DeHart, Progressive Insurance • VP CNY BEST — Jim D’Agostino, TDO – Train, Develop, Optimize • VP Employee Learning Awareness — Erin Cunia,

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Mohawk Valley EDGE board elects three new members, slate of officers

Regional News, Subscriber Only

ROME, N.Y. — Mohawk Valley EDGE announced that its board of directors recently elected three new members to the board, as well as a full slate of officers for 2021. Mohawk Valley EDGE is a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to strengthening and growing the economy of the Mohawk Valley. Ronald Belle, CEO and president of AmeriCU

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Finger Lakes Wine Alliance names new executive director

Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

GENEVA, N.Y. — The Finger Lakes Wine Alliance, a nonprofit marketing association for wines in the region, recently announced it has appointed Kyle Anne Pallischeck as its new executive director. She will lead the Geneva–based organization’s efforts in raising the visibility and reputation of the Finger Lakes American Viticultural Area (AVA), its wines, and wineries.

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GENEVA, N.Y. — The Finger Lakes Wine Alliance, a nonprofit marketing association for wines in the region, recently announced it has appointed Kyle Anne Pallischeck as its new executive director.

She will lead the Geneva–based organization’s efforts in raising the visibility and reputation of the Finger Lakes American Viticultural Area (AVA), its wines, and wineries.

Pallischeck is a Finger Lakes native with 10 years of experience working in the local wine industry. Most recently, she was brand manager at Sheldrake Point Winery on Cayuga Lake, and has previous experience at both the Seneca Lake Wine Trail and Fox Run Vineyards on Seneca Lake. Pallischeck has earned her sommelier certification via the Court of Master Sommeliers and holds the WSET 3 advanced certificate from the Wine & Spirits Education Trust of London.

As executive director, Pallischeck will “focus on reinforcing the status of the Finger Lakes as North America’s preeminent cool-climate winemaking region. She will continue the long tradition of the FLWA exposing Finger Lakes wines to a broad audience of consumers, wine trade, and media influencers,” the alliance contended in a news release.

The Finger Lakes Wine Alliance offers a range of programs to its members that include coordinating wine submissions for review by trade publications, presenting seminars on best practices in social media and distribution networks, and holding a number of events that increase the visibility of Finger Lakes wines.

In 2020, the FLWA pivoted its entire in-person marketing event schedule to virtual events. Targeted special programs, including the popular Riesling Camp and Riesling Roadshow, were offered in a series of online Zoom presentations connecting select media and trade with personal seminars hosted by winemakers and winery owners, the alliance said.

Founded in 2004, the Finger Lakes Wine Alliance has 31 members and 15 affiliated businesses and vendors and is guided by a board of directors composed of winery owners and principals from the Finger Lakes AVA.

ConnextCare selects company COO as its next CEO

Small Business, Subscriber Only

PULASKI, N.Y. — The woman who has been serving as executive VP and chief operating officer of ConnextCare will become the organization’s top official later this year. ConnextCare, which provides health-care services to northern Oswego County, is promoting Tricia Peter-Clark to president and CEO, effective June 4. Peter-Clark will succeed Dan Dey in that role,

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Erie Canal Museum to use Canalway grants for projects

Nonprofits, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

A total of 13 nonprofit organizations — including the Erie Canal Museum in Syracuse and the Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum — will use Erie Canalway IMPACT! grants for projects. The 2021 grants total more than $108,000, the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor said. The grants “advance vital work to preserve and showcase canal heritage, educate youth,

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A total of 13 nonprofit organizations — including the Erie Canal Museum in Syracuse and the Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum — will use Erie Canalway IMPACT! grants for projects.

The 2021 grants total more than $108,000, the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor said.

The grants “advance vital work to preserve and showcase canal heritage, educate youth, and welcome people to explore the canal in their local communities,” per a news release. The dollar amounts range from $1,500 to $12,000 and will leverage an additional $146,630 in private and public project support.

“As the pandemic continues to present abnormal challenges it is especially gratifying to support diverse canal inspired innovations. We are so pleased to make these timely investments and contribute to the resilience of our canal communities,” Bob Radliff, executive director of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor, said.

IMPACT! Grants are made possible with funding support provided by the National Park Service and the New York State Canal Corporation.

The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor says it has made 96 grants to communities and nonprofit organizations since 2008 that have spurred $2.49 million in additional investments in heritage preservation, recreation, and education.

Grant recipients

The Erie Canal Museum in Syracuse will use its $11,000 grant to partner with restaurants and other local businesses to offer public programming on the Erie Canal’s relationship to food, “specifically as it pertains to agriculture, irrigation and transportation of goods.”

Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum will use its grant of nearly $10,000 to produce a virtual 3-D tour of the museum complex to expand outreach efforts and create new opportunities for education. It additionally seeks to develop a STEM-based distance-learning program for youth, blending concepts of robotics and canal infrastructure.

Montezuma Audubon Center in Savannah plans to use its nearly $11,000 grant award to organize a Canalway Conservation Corps to develop early detection invasive-species management programs and STEM-based educational opportunities at the Montezuma Wetlands Complex.

Canal Society of New York State in Port Byron will use its $5,300 grant to install wayside signs to “improve outreach and accessibility to cultural and natural resources” at the Erie Canal Heritage Park at Port Byron.

The Village of Newark will use its $1,500 grant award to repair vandalism damage to a “prominent” Erie Canal-themed mural on the canal front and guard against further damage or deterioration with protective coatings.

HCR Home Care moves CNY office to Thruway Office Building in Salina

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Small Business, Subscriber Only

SALINA, N.Y. — The Central New York office of HCR Home Care, a Rochester–based home-care agency, is now operating in a new, larger location in the town of Salina with plans for additional hiring. HCR’s Certified Home Health Agency (CHHA), Licensed Home Care Services Agency (LHCSA) and HCR Care Management operations are now located at

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SALINA, N.Y. — The Central New York office of HCR Home Care, a Rochester–based home-care agency, is now operating in a new, larger location in the town of Salina with plans for additional hiring.

HCR’s Certified Home Health Agency (CHHA), Licensed Home Care Services Agency (LHCSA) and HCR Care Management operations are now located at 290 Elwood Davis Road, Suite 104 in the Thruway Office Building.

The new space shifts HCR’s operations from two offices, totaling 3,000 square feet, to one location composed of more than 6,000 square feet. The lease for the new space took effect on Nov. 1, HCR tells CNYBJ in an email.

The company previously operated at 6007 Fair Lakes Road in the town of DeWitt (just south of the Thruway) and also had some different, smaller office space at the 290 Elwood Davis Road property, HCR Home Care tells CNYBJ.

The office expansion will enable HCR to serve more people across its Central New York footprint. To meet the emerging demand for services, HCR announced that it’s looking to hire between five and 10 additional nurses and home-health aides. Those interested can apply or see a list of openings at hcrhealth.com/hcr-careers.

HCR Home Care currently employs a total of 770 people, including 90 in Central New York.

HCR’s Central New York operations serve people in Cayuga, Cortland, Jefferson, Madison, Onondaga, and Oswego counties.

“By combining our operations into one expanded location, we will be able to serve more people in the region and do it more efficiently,” Andrew Bascom, COO of HCR Home Care, said in a statement. “In addition to providing our teams more space to collaborate, there will be a dedicated training environment allowing HCR to grow LHCSA services and coverage for the community.”

Founded in 1978, HCR Home Care is a provider of home-health services to individuals, physicians, and other health-care professionals across New York. The woman-owned business operates in 25 counties across the Catskill, Central New York, Finger Lakes, and North Country regions.

New York closed, pending home sales jump in December

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Subscriber Only

CNY sales also rise ALBANY, N.Y. — New York realtors sold 15,417 previously-owned homes in December, up about 34.5 percent from 11,461 homes sold in the year-ago month. Pending sales in December also jumped. That’s according to the New York State Association of Realtors (NYSAR)’s December housing-market report, which was issued on Jan. 22.

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CNY sales also rise

ALBANY, N.Y. — New York realtors sold 15,417 previously-owned homes in December, up about 34.5 percent from 11,461 homes sold in the year-ago month. Pending sales in December also jumped.

That’s according to the New York State Association of Realtors (NYSAR)’s December housing-market report, which was issued on Jan. 22.

“Despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, real estate activity in the Empire State continued to rise with sales and new listings remaining strong through December,” NYSAR said in the report.

Sales data

Pending sales totaled nearly 10,967 in December, up 37.3 percent from pending sales of 7,985 in the same month in 2019, according to the NYSAR data.

The December 2020 statewide median sales price was $350,000, up about 22 percent from $286,000 in December 2019.

The months’ supply of homes for sale at the end of December stood at 3.3 months, down from 4.6 months at the end of December 2019, per NYSAR’s report. A 6-month to 6.5-month supply is considered to be a balanced market, per the association.

The number of homes for sale totaled 40,836 in December, a decrease of about 22 percent from 52,743 homes a year before. However, the state had 8,955 new listings in December, up 10 percent from 8,131 in December 2019.

Central New York data

Realtors in Onondaga County sold 572 previously owned homes in December, up 30 percent from the 439 homes sold in the same month in 2019. The median sales price rose about 4 percent to $165,000 from more than $159,000 a year earlier, according to the NYSAR report.

The association also reports that realtors sold 194 homes in Oneida County in December, up about 11 percent compared to the 175 sold during December 2019. The median sales price increased 14 percent to $155,000 from $136,000 a year prior.

Realtors in Broome County sold 179 existing homes in December, up over 11 percent from 161 a year ago, according to the NYSAR report. The median sales price rose 29 percent to $145,000 from more than $112,000 a year before.

In Jefferson County, realtors closed on 153 homes in December, up about 76 percent from 87 a year ago, and the median sales price of $175,000 was up more than 14 percent from $153,000 a year earlier, 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 York manufacturing index dips in January, but still shows growth

Manufacturing & Engineering, Subscriber Only

Firms also remained optimistic about the future The Empire State Manufacturing survey general business-conditions index slipped more than point to 3.5 in January as the monthly gauge of New York’s manufacturing sector continue to point to modest growth. The survey’s January index reading — based on firms responding to the survey — indicates

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Firms also remained optimistic about the future

The Empire State Manufacturing survey general business-conditions index slipped more than point to 3.5 in January as the monthly gauge of New York’s manufacturing sector continue to point to modest growth.

The survey’s January index reading — based on firms responding to the survey — indicates business activity was “little changed” in New York, the New York Fed said.

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

The survey found 27 percent of respondents reported that conditions had improved over the month, while 23 percent indicated that conditions had worsened, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said in its Jan. 15 survey report.

Survey details

The new-orders index rose three points to 6.6, indicating a “small” increase in orders, and the shipments index fell to 7.3, pointing to a “modest” increase in shipments. Delivery times were “somewhat longer,” and inventories held steady.

The index for number of employees fell 3 points to 11.2, a level pointing to ongoing gains in employment. The average-workweek index was little changed at 6.3, signaling another small increase in hours worked. The prices-paid index rose 8 points to 45.5, “its highest level in two years, indicating a pickup in input price increases.” This index has risen a cumulative 41 points since May.

The prices-received index climbed 5 points to 15.2, its highest mark in a year, “pointing to an acceleration in selling prices.”

Future indicators

The Empire State survey’s index for future business conditions came in at 31.9, suggesting that firms “remained optimistic” about future conditions. The indexes for future new orders and shipments were “positive and slightly higher” than December’s readings, per the survey report.

Employment levels and the average workweek are expected to continue to increase in the months ahead. The capital-expenditures index came in at 17.9, and the technology-spending index moved down to 13.1.

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

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