New York manufacturing index declines over 1 point in December

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Still indicates slight expansion The Empire State Manufacturing Survey general business-conditions index dipped 1.4 points to 4.9 in December as the monthly gauge indicated New York’s manufacturing sector “expanded only to a small degree.” The index number fell below analysts’ expectations, as Investing.com had forecast a reading of 6.9. This follows a more than 4-point drop […]

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Still indicates slight expansion

The Empire State Manufacturing Survey general business-conditions index dipped 1.4 points to 4.9 in December as the monthly gauge indicated New York’s manufacturing sector “expanded only to a small degree.”

The index number fell below analysts’ expectations, as Investing.com had forecast a reading of 6.9.

This follows a more than 4-point drop in the manufacturing index in November and 7-point decline in October

The December reading — based on firms responding to the survey — indicates business activity “edged slightly higher” in New York, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said in its Dec. 15 report.

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

The survey found 26 percent of respondents reported that conditions had improved over the month, while 21 percent said that conditions had worsened, the New York Fed said.

Survey details

The new-orders index was little changed at 3.4, indicating a slight increase in orders, and the shipments index climbed 6 points to 12.1, pointing to a “relatively substantial increase” in shipments, per the New York Fed.

Delivery times were somewhat longer, and inventories edged lower.

The index for number of employees rose 5 points to 14.2, its highest level in over a year, pointing to “ongoing significant gains” in employment.

The average-workweek index was unchanged at 4.8, signaling a small increase in hours worked. The prices-paid index rose 8 points to 37.1, its highest level in two years, indicating a “pickup” in input price increases.

The prices-received index held steady at 10.0, pointing to “ongoing modest” selling price increases, the New York Fed said.

The index for future business conditions was little changed at 36.3, suggesting that firms remained optimistic about future conditions.

The indexes for future new orders and shipments were positive and similar to the prior month’s readings. Employment levels and the average workweek are expected to “continue to increase” in the months ahead.

The indexes for future prices paid and prices received both picked up for a third consecutive month. The capital-expenditures index came in at 16.4, and technology-spending indexes moved down to 12.1.

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.

Stromstad talks staffing, PPE issues as COVID-19 cases rise

Health Care, Regional News, Subscriber Only

That’s according to a YouTube video from Darlene Stromstad that MVHS released on Wednesday, Dec. 9 to update the community on key issues related to the resurgence of COVID-19 in the community and at the MVHS hospitals. MVHS is an affiliation between Faxton St. Luke’s Healthcare and St. Elizabeth Medical Center. In the video, Stromstad

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MVHS is an affiliation between Faxton St. Luke’s Healthcare and St. Elizabeth Medical Center.

In the video, Stromstad also discussed the organization’s supply of personal protective equipment (PPE), hospital capacity, and what both employees and the community can do to help.

“We are doing everything we can to protect our patients, our employees, and our community,” Stromstad said in the video.

She wanted the video to “address some of the confusing and conflicting messages people are hearing,” so Stromstad said she would just “focus on the facts.”

The MVHS CEO noted that “at this time, we have not eliminated elective surgeries and procedures. We saw last spring that delayed care could be risky for people.”

Stromstad began her message by saying how proud she is of the dedicated MVHS health-care workers who continue to care tirelessly for patients and the community, calling them the “real heroes of this pandemic.”

Staffing challenges

Just like hospitals across the country, MVHS is struggling with staffing, given that there is a nationwide nursing shortage, which has been made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This shortage existed even before COVID-19,” Stromstad noted in her remarks. “Last winter, before we had heard about this coronavirus, there was a national shortage of nurses of 1.2 million nurses … in the United States and then you [add] on to that increased demand on hospitals due to COVID and the numbers of staff that are out because they’ve been exposed or have become ill with this dreaded virus.”

The Mohawk Valley is not immune to this shortage, she added.

The MVHS leadership team and the human-resources (HR) department are working “aggressively” to recruit employees, in particular nurses, care techs, lab personnel, and workers in environmental systems and nutrition.

“In addition to recruiting, we’re implementing a staffing plan for the next three weeks that offers increased compensation for nurses who are willing to work extra shifts,” Stromstad said.

MVHS also plans to bring in agency nurses (travelers) as quickly as possible and is exploring other agency options for care techs and other essential jobs.

It is reaching out to past employees as well as those who have applied to MVHS in the past. This includes the 10 nurses who took a layoff and asking them to consider taking an open position. Stromstad also noted that all affected staff members have long been back from furloughs.

“And you may recall that one of our unions, NYSNA, chose to take a layoff instead of the furlough option. Of those nurses involved, all but about 10, have [chosen] to come back to other nursing positions at MVHS,” the MVHS CEO said.

MVHS HR officials are also contacting schools and connecting with businesses where there have been layoffs to look for workers, in addition to bringing in nursing students during their winter breaks.

The organization is inviting representatives from the nursing unions to join it in “developing other solutions.”

“We are seeking to adjust wages where we are not competitive,” said Stromstad. “We’re offering incentives for joining MVHS and we’re identifying other innovative approaches for filling all of the open positions for these critical jobs,” she added.

MVHS says a list of open positions is available at careers.mvhealthsystem.org.

Personal protective equipment (PPE)

MVHS said it reviews its supply of PPE (masks, gloves, gowns, etc.) “every single day,” and New York requires that all hospitals, including MVHS, have a 90-day supply of PPE. MVHS says it currently has “ample supplies.”

MVHS recently received 20,000 N95 respirators from Oneida County and will also get an additional 20,000 N95 respirators over the next 10 weeks, for a total of 40,000 masks.

The N95 respirator masks offer the “highest level of protection” for health-care workers caring for COVID-19 patients, MVHS said.

“Given the challenge of obtaining N95s throughout the year,” MVHS said employees and providers were asked to reuse masks using a sterilization process that was recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). However, given the supply that MVHS now has, “along with evolving science,” MVHS employees will no longer be reusing the N95s, as all employees will have a new mask that they will discard at the end of each day.

How community members can help

In her remarks, Stromstad also requested that all community members support the MVHS health-care workers by wearing a mask, washing their hands, maintaining social distancing, and avoiding indoor gatherings. The health-care workers at MVHS are “counting on the community” to help flatten the curve of COVID-19 cases and decrease hospitalizations, she added.

“The vaccine is coming, and we’re working on a distribution plan, which will begin in the next few weeks. We’ll follow CDC and state guidelines and start with the most at-risk population and the front-line health-care workers,” said Stromstad. “It will take months before enough people have been vaccinated for our country to again be safe and for us to resume our former lifestyles. So keep practicing your safe habits.”

VIEWPOINT: What Happens to the Home & Economy When Women Leave the Workforce?

Business Mentors, Subscriber Only

The pandemic-induced recession forced many women to drop out of the workforce, with research showing they were much more likely than men to give up jobs so they could take care of children when schools went online. The consequences of these decisions may go beyond each individual, though. They could have large repercussions for the

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The consequences of these decisions may go beyond each individual, though.

They could have large repercussions for the economy, the home, and society as a whole.

Some ramifications of this 2020 exodus from the workforce for women could include:

• A drop in consumer spending. When one spouse loses a job, whatever the reason might be, it means an immediate and sudden drop in income for that household. The impact on household earnings will lead to reduced spending. That will have ripple effects throughout the economy.

• An impact on women’s careers and advancement. Eventually, many of these women will no doubt go back to work, but how well they will be able to just pick up their careers where they left off could be another matter. Will they have lost ground in the line for promotions to men who didn’t take any time away from work? Also, depending on how slow the recovery is, rejoining the workforce might not be that quick and easy.

• A reduction in demand for family-related industries. When both spouses work outside the home, couples often need to make use of services that developed or grew because one adult — usually the woman — wasn’t around to take care of certain household duties. For households where a mother is now back in the home, that has changed. They no longer need to pay someone for childcare services. In addition, the need for house-cleaning services is likely to drop.

• Changes to retail markets. A woman who stays home with the kids has different needs than a woman who commutes to an office each day, and those differences could be reflected in the world of retail. Just as an example, there could be a drop in demand for makeup. Sales of business attire for women may plummet — or at least take a hit as more casual, comfortable clothes become more important wardrobe necessities. Restaurants could continue to struggle as people eat out less and cook at home more.

• Entrepreneurial urges could shift to home businesses. Some women could still keep their career mindsets and try to establish their own businesses run from their homes. But there are questions about just what those businesses might be since some potential areas — such as marketing, consulting, and business coaching — have seen a downshift in demand for their services. That leaves you to wonder just how viable setting up a home business might be.

Despite all those concerns, some good can come out of this period as well for women who want a better life, both personally and professionally.

If you have not been satisfied with your career and your life, this could be an opportunity to rethink and rewrite your personal story. You need to imagine what you want to become, focus on how to make that possible, and then begin to take steps to make it happen.

Andi Simon, Ph.D. (www.andisimon.com), author of the upcoming book “Rethink: Smashing the Myths of Women in Business,” is a corporate anthropologist and founder of Simon Associates Management Consultants (www.simonassociates.net).

State breaks ground on $7.6M resiliency project in Sodus Point

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SODUS POINT, N.Y. — Construction has started on a $7.58 million Resiliency and Economic Development Initiative (REDI) project in the village of Sodus Point in Wayne County. The project will protect public areas, businesses, and homes along Wickham Boulevard and Greig Street from lakeshore flooding, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced in a Dec. 4 news release.

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SODUS POINT, N.Y. — Construction has started on a $7.58 million Resiliency and Economic Development Initiative (REDI) project in the village of Sodus Point in Wayne County.

The project will protect public areas, businesses, and homes along Wickham Boulevard and Greig Street from lakeshore flooding, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced in a Dec. 4 news release.

Projects like this are needed after several years of flooding on Lake Ontario has “devastated the infrastructure and economies of numerous communities,” Cuomo says.

The project along Wickham Boulevard and Greig Street, which will be undertaken by the Village of Sodus Point with oversight by the New York State Department of State, includes important flood mitigation and water-quality protection measures.

They include replacing and adding storm sewers throughout the area. New storm sewers will convey flood and storm water to existing and proposed outlets and provide gate valves on all storm water outlets. The implemented storm system will also benefit the adjoining water body by reducing the amount of sediment and debris entering the bay through a series of practices within the design.

The measures also include installing a seawall to help protect the area from flooding and erosion.

“Since 2017, residents and businesses in Sodus Point have been dealing with the uncertainty of unprecedented flooding. Losses have been in the millions of dollars,” Sodus Point Mayor Dave McDowell said in the release. “This project will alleviate flooding concerns and restore our local economy while concurrently implementing pedestrian improvements that will enhance the safety and appearance of our community. We are grateful for the assistance from New York State as we recover from these flood events.”

In addition, the project also integrates public access and recreation improvements. They include a multi-purpose conceptual design for the shoreline stabilization measures. The design involved a bench sitting area along the road for recreational opportunities.

The improvements also include installing new pavements, gutters, curbs, and sidewalks to serve as a pedestrian link between the businesses and residential areas.

“This [REDI] project will protect public areas, beaches and restaurants on the bayfront, as well as the residents of Greig Street from flooding,” Kenneth Miller, chairman of the Wayne County Legislature, said. “The project will protect the Sodus Point shoreline from continued erosion and benefit property values and economic development. Wayne County is truly thankful action is being taken to help our lakefront communities with the recent flooding experienced along Lake Ontario’s southern shorelines.”

The Department of State has also been working with the Village of Sodus Point to address the loss of beachfront from erosion and flooding by building a protective dune system. The dune system is a nature-based shoreline feature that increases flood protection and reduces risk by placing sand along approximately 1,800 feet of impacted shoreline.

The elevated dune will function to reduce risk of damages from future inundation similar to the temporary flood protection systems installed during the 2019 high-water event. The Sodus Point Beach restoration project completed this month, the state said.

Cryomech settles into newly built DeWitt building

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DeWITT, N.Y. — Following a construction project that lasted just over a year, Cryomech says it has relocated to its new building at 6682 Moore Road in the town of DeWitt. It previously operated in a nearby location at 113 Falso Drive in DeWitt. Cryomech’s new 76,000-square-foot facility houses all of the company’s manufacturing and

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DeWITT, N.Y. — Following a construction project that lasted just over a year, Cryomech says it has relocated to its new building at 6682 Moore Road in the town of DeWitt.

It previously operated in a nearby location at 113 Falso Drive in DeWitt.

Cryomech’s new 76,000-square-foot facility houses all of the company’s manufacturing and machinery. Crews finished work on the close to $17 million project in slightly more than a year.

The firm held its initial groundbreaking ceremony at the 14-acre construction site in early October 2019.

Empire State Development (ESD) assisted the expansion with a $600,000 capital grant, and up to $600,000 through the Excelsior Jobs program in exchange for job-creation commitments.

Cryomech currently employs 125 people and has plans for additional hiring, the company tells CNYBJ in an email.

VIP Structures of Syracuse handled the construction and design work on the project. The firm also coordinated electrical work from DEMCO of DeWitt and plumbing by Woodcock and Armani, also of DeWitt.

JPW Riggers provided and installed all the steel for the building and Sedgwick Business Interiors furnished the office space.

Koffee King Vending & Food Services handled construction on the employee vending area, Cryomech said.

“After many years of rapid growth, this new facility offers the opportunity for Cryomech’s outside to match the energy inside,” Tabitha Sebastino, business development manager at Cryomech, said. “The expansion will allow us to have stronger collaboration within our internal teams. It also gives us the opportunity to develop better information and knowledge sharing, which is at the foundation of what makes Cryomech great.”

Cryomech said it believes it now has the space and infrastructure to “plan for the future and strategically grow with customers at the pace they demand.”

Founded in 1963, Cryomech develops and manufactures high-performance cryogenic equipment, including cryocoolers and laboratory-scale helium management systems. The company develops products that cater to the specific needs of researchers and industries in a wide array of fields, including medical, agricultural, energy, and aerospace. Half of its revenue is generated from highly custom-designed products, ESD said.

Syracuse firm targets spring start for Utica Steam Cotton Factory project

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UTICA, N.Y. — Lahinch Group, LLC of Syracuse anticipates beginning work this spring on a project to redevelop the former Utica Steam Cotton Factory at 600 State St. in downtown Utica. The structure is near the site of the Mohawk Valley Health System downtown hospital, per the office of Utica Mayor Robert Palmieri, which referred

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Contractor completes work on Empire State Trail segment in Herkimer County

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Tioga Construction of Herkimer County recently finished building a new 2.4-mile section of the Empire State Trail in Herkimer County between Erie Canal Lock E-18 in Jacksonburg and State Route 167 in Little Falls. The $3.3 million project was funded by the Empire State Trail, New York Power Authority, and the New York State Canal Corporation.

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The $3.3 million project was funded by the Empire State Trail, New York Power Authority, and the New York State Canal Corporation. The work began during the summer of 2019.

This new section fills a gap in the trail allowing users to travel between Fort Herkimer Church and Little Falls on “one continuous off-road path,” the office of Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a Nov. 20 news release.

The Lock E-18 to Route 167 trail is one of four Canal Corporation projects in the Mohawk Valley that are helping to close a nearly 20-mile gap in the trail system.

“Stretching from New York City to both Western New York and the North Country, the Empire State Trail not only allows users to experience New York’s natural beauty, but provides a window into the history of many of the state’s distinct regions as well,” Cuomo said. “Set alongside the iconic Erie Canal, this new section will give New Yorkers and visitors alike the opportunity to experience the rich history, heritage and culture of the Mohawk Valley as they travel through the heart of the region.”

As part of the Empire State Trail system, the Erie Canalway Trail connects communities, “drives tourism, and boosts local economies along New York’s iconic Erie Canal,” Cuomo’s office said.

This 10-foot wide, 2.4-mile-long asphalt pathway spans across land owned by the New York State Canal Corporation, New York State Department of Transportation, and New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation.

Cuomo announced the Empire State Trail in January 2017. When completed, the Empire State Trail will be the “longest multi-use state trail in the nation.” The Empire State Trail provides a safe place for outdoor recreation while supporting tourism and community revitalization across the state, the state contends.

“The Empire State Trail is a staple of New York State tourism, and with these upgrades, it will serve as a resource for generations to come [offering] … an expanded option for outdoor recreation,” Andy Beers, director of the Empire State Trail, said in the release.

Finger Lakes Land Trust adds James Walsh as board member

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Subscriber Only

ITHACA, N.Y. — The Finger Lakes Land Trust (FLLT) announced on Dec. 10 that it has appointed former U.S. Congressman James T. Walsh to its board of directors for a three-year term. Walsh is currently serving as a government-affairs counselor for K&L Gates, a law firm based in Washington D.C. He and his wife DeDe

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New tenant begins operations in Earlville Opera House storefront

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EARLVILLE , N.Y.— After some renovation work, the Earlville Opera House (EOH) has a new tenant that will generate rental income for the organization. The new shop called The 3 Olde Hags had its grand opening Dec. 5, per an EOH news release. It’s an arts and crafts variety store that has “everything you thought

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EARLVILLE , N.Y.— After some renovation work, the Earlville Opera House (EOH) has a new tenant that will generate rental income for the organization.

The new shop called The 3 Olde Hags had its grand opening Dec. 5, per an EOH news release. It’s an arts and crafts variety store that has “everything you thought you never needed,” the store boasts.

The Earlville Opera House is located at 18 E. Main St. in Earlville.

The project served a “dual purpose” of preserving the 1892 EOH building while providing rental income to help sustain the EOH’s artistic mission.

The EOH used $15,000 in grant funding to renovate one of the storefronts in its facility for its new tenant. The Pickert-Hickok Fund of Community Foundation for South Central NY provided the funding.

EOH used the grant money to restore the storefront to a rentable space, Michelle Connelly, executive director of the Earlville Opera House, told CNYBJ in an email.

The work included the installation of an electric heating system; replacing old plumbing; upgrading the electric system and circuits; new lighting; ceiling repair, floor finishing; and painting.

The project involved a local contractor who overhauled the electric system in the space, along with volunteers that included architects, electricians, plumbers, construction contractors, engineers and community planners, according to Connelly.

About the Earlville Opera House

The EOH was founded in 1972 as a nonprofit, volunteer-based, community-service organization with a dual mission: to promote the arts in a rural region of Central New York by offering programs of cultural, educational, and historical significance; and to preserve and restore the architectural and historic integrity of the EOH, a unique second-story theater constructed in 1892.

EOH programs include a wide range of eclectic culturally diverse visual and performing arts programs represented through rotating gallery exhibitions, a live-performance series, arts workshops, classes, and arts-education opportunities for all populations.

The EOH was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, the organization said.

Mohawk Valley Association of Realtors names 2021 board members

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UTICA, N.Y. — The Mohawk Valley Association of Realtors (MVAR) has announced the 2021 MVAR board of directors and Mid New York Regional MLS board of managers, as voted upon by the membership on Dec. 3. MVAR board members for 2021 include: • President: Calvin Lyon, Pondra’s Homes & Hearth Realty • President-elect: David Paciello, One Realty

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