C&S Companies generating solar power at Salina HQ following panel-installation project

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SALINA, N.Y. — C&S Companies on Wednesday announced that it has begun generating solar power at its headquarters in Salina, not far from Syracuse Hancock

GWNC Chamber to host virtual week-long economic forum

Health Care, New York News, Nonprofits, Regional News, Small Business, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Technology

WATERTOWN, N.Y. — The Greater Watertown – North Country (GWNC) Chamber of Commerce will host its economic forum Jan. 25 through Jan. 29 from 9

ReUse Caboose & Training Center opens in Ithaca

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

ITHACA, N.Y. — Finger Lakes ReUse — an Ithaca nonprofit that promotes the reuse of materials while providing job training and employment opportunities — formally opened its ReUse Caboose & Training Center in mid-December. The ReUse Caboose — located at 700 W. Buffalo St., on the north side of the building in Greenstar’s former “The

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The ReUse Caboose — located at 700 W. Buffalo St., on the north side of the building in Greenstar’s former “The Space”— is ReUse’s newest retail location, now open daily. The entrance is at the intersection of Fulton Street/Route 13S at Court Street, just over the railroad tracks.

Finger Lakes ReUse says it is working to provide pandemic relief in the form of affordable and free access to materials, living-wage jobs, job training, and career-building opportunities.

The ReUse Caboose is part of a pilot ReUse Warehouse and Training Center offering combined virtual and hands-on instruction for job-skills training, in partnership with Cornell Cooperative Extension and led by Dr. Aloja Airewele.

“Through this expansion, Finger Lakes ReUse is creating critical, paid job training opportunities for local people in need at a time when city residents need additional support and access to affordable goods,” City of Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick said in a news release from Finger Lakes ReUse.

Finger Lakes ReUse signed the temporary lease in August, in order to provide “much-needed space for materials and immediate paid job-training opportunities amid the COVID-19 crisis. This pilot Training Center program is financially supported by Tompkins County, Park Foundation, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Triad Foundation, Legacy Foundation of Tompkins County, and an anonymous donor.

With this training center, ReUse will be able to provide opportunities for skill-building and developing career pathways for employment in fields like green energy. Employment and training experiences at ReUse locations, including the pilot ReUse Warehouse & Training Center, are geared toward creating customized, supportive spaces for each individual who enters the ReSET job training program. Finger Lakes ReUse is partnering with Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Energy Warriors program led by Dr. Aloja Airewele, enhancing ReUse’s current ReSET Job Training program with modules such as “Raising Your Personal Value” and “Mental Toughness Bootcamp.”

The ReUse Caboose is now open daily, from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. A wide variety of local reused materials are available there at affordable prices, including building materials, clothing, textiles, media, household items, and lighting with new items added daily. Purchases support Finger Lakes ReUse’s waste-diversion efforts as well as its job training and community-support programs.

Unity House adds board member

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AUBURN, N.Y. — Unity House of Cayuga County, Inc. recently announced that it has added Kerry Barnes of the Tompkins County Public Library Foundation to its board of directors. Barnes has been assistant director of the Tompkins County Public Library Foundation for the past three years, where she is responsible for public fundraising and development

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KeyCorp to pay quarterly dividend of 18.5 cents a share in mid-March

Banks & Credit Unions, Subscriber Only

KeyCorp (NYSE: KEY) — parent of KeyBank, the No. 2 bank ranked by deposit market share in the 16-county Central New York area — has declared a quarterly cash dividend of 18.5 cents per share of its common stock. The dividend is payable on March 15, to holders of record as of the close of

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Mixed Methods: Shopping Small Made Easy

Small Business, Subscriber Only, Technology

The COVID-19 pandemic has sped up the adoption of e-commerce sites and online-shopping portals for small enterprises, and one example we see of that locally is Mixed Methods, nestled in Hanover Square in Syracuse. Mixed Methods is a brick-and-mortar retail shop, located at 215 E. Water St. Rear, that features a variety of unique artists’ work from

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Mixed Methods is a brick-and-mortar retail shop, located at 215 E. Water St. Rear, that features a variety of unique artists’ work from across the United States — including pottery, jewelry, glass, metal, wood, stationery, candles, and much more. Owner Amy Wilson has demonstrated some of the best practices of small businesses by moving her shop inventory online, quickly and professionally.

Wilson first came to the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Onondaga Community College (OCC) in January 2019, when the artisan shop, Eureka Crafts in Armory Square, shut its doors after 37 years. Wilson had worked at Eureka Crafts and recognized the void that would be opening with its closing. She discovered that she had the desire, acumen, and organizational skills to make her dream of Mixed Methods a reality.

It was my pleasure to work with Wilson, providing her with coaching, research assistance, proofreading, constructive criticism, and general business startup mentoring. We worked together on the development of Mixed Methods’ business plan, LLC formation, budgeting and cash-flow financial statements, and real-estate options.

“From the beginning, SBDC has been a reliable resource and one of my go-to places to get information, ask questions, or learn about something new,” Wilson says.

The doors of Mixed Methods opened in mid-2019, and together we coordinated a ribbon-cutting ceremony and media event that included SBDC and U.S. Small Business Administration representatives.

When COVID-19 hit brick and mortar stores hard in March 2020, Amy was quick to transition her inventory online, even though it was not part of her strategic plan for years one and two of the business. She demonstrated numerous best practices that other brick and mortars would likely find beneficial to adopt. First, she recognized the necessity of the pivot to online sales and, in response, she shifted her time allocated to managing the business from in-store operations to converting her inventory to an online catalog and check-out powered by a free online store using the Square platform.

Wilson got back in touch with me to help her navigate the small-business stimulus funds from the federal government’s CARES Act. She had some reserves in place to cover general operating expenses for a few months (another best practice any business needs to implement), but she needed help with outstanding invoices, employee wages, and determining other answers to application questions. Mixed Methods ended up receiving a COVID Economic Injury Disaster Loan for $2,000 and a $5,000 grant through Syracuse Small Business Emergency Relief Fund provided by the KeyBank Business Boost and Build program.

It’s valuable to recognize the many best practices that make Mixed Methods a success story. Amy very clearly and completely lays out and communicates the store’s COVID safety protocols on her website, both in writing and with a graphic presentation. She also has up-to-date and functioning social-media presences on Facebook and Instagram. Both use the handle “LetsGetMixed,” which are integrated with her website, inventory, and communications.

“The recent holiday shopping season was so different from last year, but by making adjustments and receiving valuable financial assistance I was able to offer additional shopping options of local delivery, in-store pickup and shipping through the online store and well as in-store hours,” Wilson says. “This allowed shoppers different ways to still shop locally and safely. Over the next couple of months, I’ll review sales trends and processes and work to maintain the online shopping options and storefront.”

Visit Mixed Methods online at https://letsgetmixed.com/ and shop for delivery, pickup, or shipping options from amazing artisans. Gift purchases receive complimentary packaging with artist information — a unique feature of the shop. Also, appointments to visit the store can be specially scheduled outside of normal operating hours.

Advisor’s Tip: All SBDC clients can take advantage of a special partnership with Square through the Empire State Development Digital Initiative, which offers new users free processing on up to $1,000 in credit-card transactions for the first 180 days after joining. Other offerings from the Digital Initiative include resources and financial benefits from Etsy, Shopify, Clearbanc, and RitualONE.

Frank Cetera is an advanced certified business advisor at the SBDC, located at Onondaga Community College. Contact him at ceteraf@sunyocc.edu

Upstate consumer sentiment dips in fourth quarter

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State sentiment rises slightly Consumer sentiment in upstate New York was measured at 71.0 in the fourth quarter of 2020, down 2.8 points from the reading of 73.8 in the third quarter. That’s according to the latest quarterly survey of upstate and statewide consumer sentiment that the Siena College Research Institute (SRI) released Jan. 6. Upstate’s overall

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State sentiment rises slightly

Consumer sentiment in upstate New York was measured at 71.0 in the fourth quarter of 2020, down 2.8 points from the reading of 73.8 in the third quarter.

That’s according to the latest quarterly survey of upstate and statewide consumer sentiment that the Siena College Research Institute (SRI) released Jan. 6.

Upstate’s overall sentiment of 71.0 was 3.8 points below the statewide consumer-sentiment level of 74.8., which rose 0.4 points from the third quarter.

The statewide figure was 5.9 points lower than the fourth-quarter figure of 80.7 for the entire nation, which was up 0.3 points from the third-quarter measurement, as measured by the University of Michigan’s consumer-sentiment index.

All three indexes for New York held steady or rose slightly this past quarter and are approaching — or in the case of the future index — exceeding their breakeven points at which optimism and pessimism balance. The national indexes were little changed, but as the national future outlook fell slightly, New Yorkers now are more optimistic about future economic conditions than the nation as a whole.

“First glance tells us that consumer sentiment, up less than a point this quarter, is little changed but like so many things it depends upon party registration,” Doug Lonnstrom, professor of statistics and finance at Siena College and SRI founding director, said. “Democrats are now far more bullish about economic conditions as their index soared by nearly 12 points overall and by almost 15 points on the future score. Republicans whose index last quarter was 17 points higher than Democrats, now are pointed in the pessimistic direction, falling 14 points and trailing Democrats by nearly 9 points. Despite COVID, Democrats are now only down 3 points from last winter, while Republicans are down 32 points.”

In the fourth quarter of 2020, buying plans were up 1.2 percentage points since the third quarter to 20.7 percent for cars and trucks; edged up 3 points to 49.6 percent consumer electronics; rose 2.1 points to 29.7 percent for furniture; were up 0.8 points to 13.4 percent for homes; and increased 1 point to 27.5 percent for major home improvements, per the SRI data.

Gas and food prices

In SRI’s quarterly analysis of gas and food prices, 29 percent of upstate New York respondents said the price of gas was having a serious impact on their monthly budgets, down from 31 percent in the third quarter and up from 19 percent in the second quarter.

In addition, 34 percent of statewide survey takers said the price of gas was having a serious impact on their monthly spending plans, up from 30 percent in the third quarter and 25 percent in the second quarter.

When asked about food prices, 58 percent of upstate respondents indicated the price of groceries was having a serious impact on their finances, up from 57 percent in the third quarter and 54 percent in the second quarter.

At the same time, 57 percent of statewide consumers indicated the price of food was having a serious impact on their monthly finances, down from 59 percent in the third quarter and 58 percent in the second quarter.

SRI conducted its survey of consumer sentiment between Dec. 10 and Dec. 16 by random telephone calls to 404 New York adults via landline and cell phone. The survey has an overall margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points, according to SRI.

New York soybean production soared 47 percent in 2020

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New York farms produced more than 15.9 million bushels of soybeans in 2020, up 47 percent from 10.8 million bushels in 2019, according to a USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service 2020 crop-production summary report issued on Jan. 12. The Empire State production amount for 2020 was substantially above prior USDA forecasts released in recent months. New York

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ICS expands footprint into New England with acquisition of Massachusetts IT firm

Small Business, Subscriber Only, Technology

ENDICOTT, N.Y. — An Endicott–based information-technology company has expanded its footprint into the New England region with a recent acquisition. ICS on Jan. 7 announced it has acquired AKUITY Technologies, a provider of information technology (IT) managed services in the greater New England area. ICS — a provider of IT managed services and cybersecurity products

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Crews finish project addressing high-water damage at Port of Oswego dock

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Subscriber Only

OSWEGO, N.Y. — A project at the Port of Oswego that addressed high-water damage to the north end of the Port Authority’s east operating dock is now complete. It was part of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Resiliency and Economic Development Initiative (REDI). That dock is located directly on Lake Ontario and “highly susceptible” to wave action

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OSWEGO, N.Y. — A project at the Port of Oswego that addressed high-water damage to the north end of the Port Authority’s east operating dock is now complete.

It was part of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Resiliency and Economic Development Initiative (REDI).

That dock is located directly on Lake Ontario and “highly susceptible” to wave action and flooding, the New York State Department of Transportation (DOT) announced Jan. 15.

During high-water events, the existing stone retaining wall failed to break waves, resulting in a breach of the wall and direct undercutting of the main dock.

It’s the third of five projects awarded to the Port Authority of Oswego.

The REDI Commission awarded $300,000 for the project focused on the east operating dock. In total, the Port Authority of Oswego has been awarded $2,310,000 for five resiliency projects, DOT said.

“The completion of work on the East Operating Dock will ensure the safety of our employees and ensure that the vital work that we do here continues without interruption,” Bill Scriber, director of the Port of Oswego Authority, said.

Mitigation measures for the east operating dock project included installing a cellular steel sheeting wall to break high-water wave action in the impacted area, protecting the north end of the dock.

The Port of Oswego is an international port, which supports nearly 120 vessels, allowing more than 1 million tons of cargo to pass through the port each year. The preservation of the east operating dock is key to the economic vitality of the Port of Oswego Authority, the DOT said.

The project will “protect the integrity” of the dock, ensuring continued operation and maintaining public safety. Additional REDI funded projects at the Port Authority are anticipated to continue this year, per the department.

About REDI

In response to the “extended pattern” of flooding along the shores of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River, Cuomo created REDI to increase the resilience of shoreline communities and “bolster” economic development in the region.

Five REDI regional-planning committees, comprised of representatives from eight counties (Niagara, Orleans, Monroe, Wayne, Cayuga, Oswego, Jefferson, and St. Lawrence) were established to identify local priorities, at-risk infrastructure and other assets, and public-safety concerns. The committees include representatives from those eight counties.

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