Oneida County reports rise in virus cases from church testing site in Utica

Get our email updates

Stay up-to-date on the companies, people and issues that impact businesses in Syracuse, Central New York and beyond.

UTICA, N.Y. — Oneida County on Friday reported that 38 people tested positive for the coronavirus, up from 10 the day before. The county says

Central New York Community Foundation announces three new board members

Subscriber Only

SYRACUSE — The Central New York Community Foundation board of directors recently elected three new board members. The following people were appointed to serve their first three-year term: • William H. Brower, VP of communications and advancement at Le Moyne College. Brower has 32 years of experience working in higher-education advancement. He is skilled in board development,

Already an Subcriber? Log in

Get Instant Access to This Article

Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.

Learn More and Become a Subscriber

New York oat production projected to decline 10 percent this year

Subscriber Only

New York oat production is forecasted to drop 10 percent to nearly 2.11 million bushels in 2020 from 2.34 million bushels last year, the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) reported on July 10. The Empire State’s yield per acre is projected at 54 bushels this year, down 6 bushels (or 10 percent), from 60

Already an Subcriber? Log in

Get Instant Access to This Article

Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.

Learn More and Become a Subscriber

Hourigan goes from employee to owner of MoonDance Restaurant

Business Mentors, Small Business, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

MARCELLUS — The coronavirus pandemic has crippled the hospitality and food industries. While struggling to stay afloat financially, many local restaurants have relied on their loyal customer base. Offering take-out options has been an essential tool for these small businesses to maintain their cash flows, until the public can gather once again and enjoy all

Already an Subcriber? Log in

Get Instant Access to This Article

Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.

Learn More and Become a Subscriber

MARCELLUS — The coronavirus pandemic has crippled the hospitality and food industries. While struggling to stay afloat financially, many local restaurants have relied on their loyal customer base.

Offering take-out options has been an essential tool for these small businesses to maintain their cash flows, until the public can gather once again and enjoy all the culinary options the Syracuse area has to offer. Hope seems nearly here as New York state slowly reopens in a strategically phased approach.

Courtney Hourigan has been an employee of MoonDance Restaurant & Tavern in Marcellus for the past 11 years now. She began working there at the age of 18, and she has learned every facet of the business over the past decade. When the owner, Frank Mincolla, was ready to sell the business and move into retirement, Hourigan saw her opportunity. But Courtney had no idea how she would proceed with the purchase, or even where to start.

After searching online, Hourigan found the Onondaga Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and started to work with me in 2018.

“Keyona [Kelly] was great from the very beginning. She gave us really simple, easy examples and instructions that laid out the steps for us to take in order for us to start buying a business. She led us to the legal, CPA, and insurance professionals we needed for the purchase to get us on the right path to where we are today,” Hourigan said.

I worked with Courtney and her husband to develop a business plan and financial projections. I helped them understand the profitability and assess the value of the business before pursuing the purchase.

Hourigan and her husband closed on the purchase of the business on April 15, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. “In my eyes, it was the perfect opportunity to watch my dreams fall into place. We are taking this time to get some remodeling and updating done, while planning for reopening under the new social-distancing protocols,” she said.

The purchase of the business was a combination of lender and owner financing of the 1,876-square-foot location at 2512 Cherry Valley Turnpike (Route 20) in Marcellus. By purchasing this business, Courtney and her husband have been able to save the jobs of 11 employees, and they plan to add two more positions once MoonDance Restaurant & Tavern reopens at full capacity.

The MoonDance menu includes BBQ chicken, pulled pork, BBQ ribs, prime- rib sandwiches, clams, shrimp, fish dinners and sandwiches, chicken parmigiana, meatballs, pasta, tacos, chicken wings, and more. Check out the restaurant on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Moondance-235004333989386/ or call MoonDance at (315) 673-1135.

Advisor’s Business Tip: The purchase of an already-established business can have many financial benefits and can also minimize the entrepreneurial risk.

Keyona Kelly is a certified business advisor at the SBDC, located at Onondaga Community College. Contact her at k.r.kelly@sunyocc.edu

New York manufacturing index turns positive in July

Manufacturing & Engineering, Subscriber Only

The Empire State Manufacturing Survey general business-conditions index jumped to 17.2 in July from -0.2 a month before, as new orders and shipments both expanded substantially. This was the first time the Empire State index was in positive territory since February, before the coronavirus shutdowns started in March. Economists had anticipated a July reading of

Already an Subcriber? Log in

Get Instant Access to This Article

Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.

Learn More and Become a Subscriber

The Empire State Manufacturing Survey general business-conditions index jumped to 17.2 in July from -0.2 a month before, as new orders and shipments both expanded substantially.

This was the first time the Empire State index was in positive territory since February, before the coronavirus shutdowns started in March.

Economists had anticipated a July reading of 8.9, according to Marketwatch, citing a survey by Econoday.

The July index number, based on firms responding to the survey, indicates business activity “increased in New York for the first time in several months,” the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said in its July 15 report. The Empire State index staged a massive 48-point comeback in June to climb to -0.2, after “breaching” record lows in April and May. July’s jump completed the New York manufacturing industry’s round trip back to expansionary conditions.

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

The survey found 41 percent of respondents reported that conditions had improved over the month, while 24 percent reported that conditions had worsened, the New York Fed said.

Survey details

The Empire State new-orders index rose 15 points to 13.9, indicating that orders increased, and the shipments index climbed 15 points to 18.5, pointing to a “solid increase” in shipments, the New York Fed said.

Unfilled orders were unchanged. Delivery times were “slightly longer,” and inventories declined.

The index for number of employees edged up to 0.4, signaling that employment levels were steady. Notably, 22 percent of firms said that employment levels increased in July, the same proportion that reported a decrease.

The average workweek index increased 9 points to -2.6, pointing to a small decline in hours worked.

The prices-paid index was little changed at 14.9, indicating that input prices increased at about the same pace as the prior month. The prices-received index moved down to -4.5, indicating that selling prices declined.

Future indexes

After rising sharply the previous month to a multi-year high, the index for future business conditions fell 18 points to 38.4, suggesting that firms remained optimistic about future conditions, “though less so than in June,” the New York Fed said.

The indexes for future new orders and future shipments fell “somewhat,” but remained near 40. The index for future employment rose to 21.1, suggesting manufacturers expect to increase employment in the months ahead.

The capital-expenditures index rose to 9.1, a sign that firms, on net, planned to increase capital spending.

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 state. On average, about 100 executives return responses.

Hamilton College elects three alumni to board of trustees

Health Care, Subscriber Only

CLINTON — Hamilton College announced that its Alumni Council has nominated and elected three candidates to serve as members of the college’s board of trustees for four-year terms beginning on July 1. The new trustees are Elizabeth G. Bacot-Aigner, Aditya Bhasin, and Daniel I. Rifkin. Bacot-Aigner is a “generous supporter,” both of Hamilton College’s annual

Already an Subcriber? Log in

Get Instant Access to This Article

Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.

Learn More and Become a Subscriber

Corning expands production of glass vials for possible COVID-19 vaccines

Manufacturing & Engineering, Regional News, Subscriber Only

BIG FLATS — Corning Inc. (NYSE: GLW) is using a more than $200 million federal award to “substantially accelerate” manufacturing capacity for producing glass vials for upcoming COVID-19 vaccines and other medicines. The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority under the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) awarded the money in June. The

Already an Subcriber? Log in

Get Instant Access to This Article

Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.

Learn More and Become a Subscriber

American Racing and Entertainment closes hotel, warns of job losses

Regional News, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

The owner of both Vernon Downs and Tioga Downs is hoping the state will give it the greenlight to reopen so it can preserve hundreds of jobs. American Racing and Entertainment on July 13 announced it has informed its more than 900 employees at both Vernon Downs and at Tioga Downs that they will be

Already an Subcriber? Log in

Get Instant Access to This Article

Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.

Learn More and Become a Subscriber

The owner of both Vernon Downs and Tioga Downs is hoping the state will give it the greenlight to reopen so it can preserve hundreds of jobs.

American Racing and Entertainment on July 13 announced it has informed its more than 900 employees at both Vernon Downs and at Tioga Downs that they will be terminated at the end of September, if New York doesn’t allow the gaming facilities to reopen soon.

The company calls it a “difficult but legally required step,” per a July 13 news release.

That announcement came a few days after Tioga Downs said it was closing its hotel for a second time as the venue waits for guidance on the safe reopening of casinos and movie theaters.

Both Vernon Downs in Vernon in Oneida County and Tioga Downs in Nichols in Tioga County remain closed to the public.

Non-Native American casinos in New York remain shuttered while state government continues to review the requirements for a safe reopening.

American Racing and Entertainment cites the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act in noting that an employee that has been furloughed will automatically be terminated after six months.

Jeff Gural, chairman of American Racing and Entertainment, said in a release that he is “very concerned” for the employees that have been furloughed due to the coronavirus pandemic since mid-March.

Most of Gural’s employees at both locations have been furloughed since then and will surpass the six-month mark in late September or early October.

American Racing and Entertainment also notes that the current furloughed employees are “financially managing” with enhanced unemployment benefits through the CARES Act, but those benefits are “quickly coming to an end as of July 31.”

Gural said the pandemic has been a “financial disaster for the company” and he is also concerned about the safety of customers “who we know are traveling elsewhere” for their casino activity.

Tioga Downs Casino Resort originally reopened its hotel on June 26 in anticipation that the casino would be allowed to reopen in phase 4 of New York’s regional economic reopening process. That didn’t happen.

With Gov. Andrew Cuomo indicating that “it will be some time” before non-Native American-operated casinos are allowed to reopen in New York state, Tioga Downs Casino Resort said it decided to halt hotel operations “until there is a better understanding of when [it] can also reopen the casino.”

Tioga Downs also notes that even though the hotel is closed to the public, customers can still dine at its PJ Clarke’s restaurant — both outdoors on the patio or inside with socially distant seating on Fridays and Saturdays from 3-10 p.m., as well as on Sundays from 12-6 p.m., with limited menus.

Entertainment will also be provided on the PJ Clarke’s patio on Saturdays from 6-9 p.m., Tioga Downs said.

Safety preparations

Gural said American Racing and Entertainment is “prepared” and both casinos are in the process of upgrading their filters to MERV-13 filters for their heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems as recommended by the state for shopping centers. MERV is short for minimum-efficiency reporting values.

The company is also arranging for COVID-19 antibody testing for all employees prior to coming back to work to prevent the spread of the virus.

Both casinos are additionally setting up protocols to monitor guests to ensure that if they have recently visited or are coming from a high-risk state or local zip code that’s having a spike in cases, “they will be excluded from the facilities.”

Innovare Advancement Center in Rome to host Accelerator in early September

Manufacturing & Engineering, Regional News, Subscriber Only

ROME — Innovare Advancement Center announced it will host the upcoming $1 million International Quantum U Tech Accelerator in early September. Innovare (pronounced Inn-oh-VAR-ay) Advancement Center is the new “open innovation” campus located at the Griffiss Business and Technology Park in Rome, the Griffiss Institute said in a July 13 news release. The event is scheduled

Already an Subcriber? Log in

Get Instant Access to This Article

Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.

Learn More and Become a Subscriber

ROME — Innovare Advancement Center announced it will host the upcoming $1 million International Quantum U Tech Accelerator in early September.

Innovare (pronounced Inn-oh-VAR-ay) Advancement Center is the new “open innovation” campus located at the Griffiss Business and Technology Park in Rome, the Griffiss Institute said in a July 13 news release.

The event is scheduled from Sept. 1-3, with both in-person and virtual components. It will include a $1 million quantum-focused pitch competition for university researchers; fast-pitch sessions for members of industry, government, and academia; keynotes and remarks by world leaders in quantum information science (QIS); and opportunities for tours to learn more about Innovare and its mission and capabilities.

Innovare is a partnership of the Air Force Research Laboratory Information Directorate (AFRL/RI or Rome Lab), Griffiss Institute in Rome, Oneida County, and SUNY.

The announcement expands upon that partnership with the support of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) and the Office of Naval Research (ONR) for a global quantum pitch event. It will include speakers and leaders, interactive and virtual-networking opportunities, and the launch of the Innovare Advancement Center, which is located “just over the fence” from the Rome Lab.

Crews handling the center’s construction are working to finish up the project, Jennifer Sumner, public relations & marketing manager at the Griffiss Institute tells CNYBJ. National Building & Restoration Corporation of Utica is the contractor on the project, while the C&S Companies of Syracuse designed the center, Sumner adds.

Innovare contends it enables a “robust high-tech entrepreneurial, [research & development], and educational ecosystem” for the region and the nation by “driving advancements in key strategic areas,” including artificial intelligence/machine learning; cybersecurity; and quantum, with Innovare-connected research “taking place at partnering organizations all over the world,” per the release.

“AFRL is committed to transformational areas of [science and technology] like quantum, and we are excited to bring together the world’s leading researchers and trailblazers across government, industry, and academia,” Brig. Gen. Heather Pringle, commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory, Air Force Materiel Command in Dayton, Ohio, said. “This million-dollar international quantum accelerator and the Innovare open campus provide new opportunities to accelerate quantum basic research and facilitate innovation.”

The Innovare launch is a “significant step forward” in implementing the National Quantum Initiative Act, which aims to foster the development of a quantum technology ecosystem among government, industry, and academia.

Innovare and its strategic partners seek to engage partners in the above technology areas through entrepreneurial ventures and tech startups, in addition to building a “robust talent pipeline at a time when scientific advancement across boundaries is needed now more than ever to remain economically and strategically competitive in this fast-changing world.”

“Oneida County continues to emerge as a global epicenter for high-tech innovation and advancement,” Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente, Jr. contended. “As the Innovare Advancement Center begins to take shape at our Griffiss International Airport in Rome, the partnership we have forged with Rome Lab, the Griffiss Institute, and SUNY will lead this region to new heights. This Quantum U Tech Accelerator event will be a great opportunity to showcase the amazing things that are on the horizon.”

About the accelerator

The Accelerator event will connect QIS researchers to advance technologies and applications in this critical area. A total of 48 teams across four quantum tracks related to timing, sensing, information processing/computing, and communications/networking are expected to compete before a panel of cross-agency quantum leaders.

The top performing university teams will be eligible for more than $1 million in basic research funding provided by the AFRL/RI, AFOSR, and ONR.

This competition builds upon the success of the QIS 1st international workshop, hosted by AFRL/RI and held at SUNY Polytechnic Institute. The event enabled nearly 200 researchers and leaders from 13 countries to share their discoveries and advancements in this “rapidly expanding” field, facilitating “invaluable opportunities” to connect with the agencies spearheading or taking part in the experience.

“Significantly, the Accelerator will act as a launching pad for the discovery and promotion of international university collaborations and research in the pursuit of novel quantum solutions,” Col. Timothy Lawrence, director of the Information Directorate and Commander, Detachment 4, Air Force Research Laboratory, said.

William Wolf, president of Griffiss Institute, added, “This $1 [million] International Quantum U Tech Accelerator is an exciting way to share with the world the new Innovare Advancement Center, which will continue to push talent and technologies “into the new’ for years to come.”

Getting involved

A link to the request for proposal (RFP) for those interested in taking part in the Accelerator is available at this website: https://www.innovare.org/innovare-news.

Additional information about Innovare Advancement Center and updates related to the International Quantum U Tech Accelerator are available at www.innovare.org.

Eck Plastic Arts expands capability with new molding machine

Manufacturing & Engineering, Subscriber Only, Technology

BINGHAMTON — Eck Plastic Arts, of Binghamton, announced it has purchased a new machine to enhance its capacity for injection molding, the firm’s fastest-growing market segment. Eck Plastic Arts acquired a 1,012-ton Mars II S injection-molding machine from Absolute Haitian in June, according to a company news release. It didn’t say how much the machine

Already an Subcriber? Log in

Get Instant Access to This Article

Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.

Learn More and Become a Subscriber

BINGHAMTON — Eck Plastic Arts, of Binghamton, announced it has purchased a new machine to enhance its capacity for injection molding, the firm’s fastest-growing market segment.

Eck Plastic Arts acquired a 1,012-ton Mars II S injection-molding machine from Absolute Haitian in June, according to a company news release. It didn’t say how much the machine cost.

Absolute Haitian is the Worcester, Massachusetts–based sales and service partner in the U.S. and Canada for Haitian International based in Ningbo, China. Ningbo Haitian Machinery Co., Ltd. is the world’s largest supplier of plastics injection-molding machinery, shipping more than 32,000 machines in 2019.

Eck Plastic Arts, located at 87 Prospect Ave. in Binghamton, produces plastic parts for original-equipment manufacturers, including vacuum forming, injection molding, and fabrication of sheet plastic. The company says it caters to industrial-equipment manufacturers for markets including medical and defense-equipment suppliers.

The new MA 9000 II S machine is four times larger than Eck Plastic Arts’ next- largest press.

“When looking to grow our business, we realized it is not hard to find work for a molding machine this size,” Brett Pennefeather, president of Eck Plastic Arts, said in the release. “At the time the machine was ordered, we had one project lined up for the 1,012-ton Mars. Now, we have five other projects lined up right behind that.”

This is the first Haitian press that Eck Plastic Arts has purchased. Asked why the firm selected the MA II S, Pennefeather noted the machine’s easy-to-use tie-bar puller. “Our ceilings top out at 11 feet and machines this size are about 9 feet high. The only way to install or change out a mold is to load the mold from the side,” he noted. “We ordered the MA II S with an automatic tie bar puller that was on the preferred side of the machine and operated with a push of a button.”

The coronavirus pandemic added another challenge for Eck Plastic Arts as it prepared for delivery of the machine. A new concrete floor had to be poured and new electrical and plumbing services had to be installed while keeping employees and contractors safe. Delivery of the large-tonnage machine was equally challenging as the riggers, Rogers Service Group, had to navigate several tight intersections and a narrow delivery dock. “The clamp alone weighed some 50,000 pounds and was assembled outside and then rolled into the building,” said Pennefeather.

The first product Eck Plastic Arts is manufacturing on the MA II S is a souvenir drinking cup shaped as a baseball bat and sold at major-league and minor-league baseball stadiums. “The delay in opening professional baseball ended up working in our favor as it took the fire drill out of starting up the machine,” Pennefeather conceded. “It gave us more time to make sure everything was assembled properly, and auxiliaries were hooked up correctly as we familiarize our team with this new machine make.”

During the COVID-19 outbreak, Eck Plastic Arts has partnered with a local nonprofit, the Association for Vision Rehabilitation and Employment (AVRE) to manufacture thousands of face shields. AVRE has contracts with federal agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to assemble the face shields from components produced by Eck Plastic Arts. “AVRE has been able to distribute the shields not only to federal agencies but also to several local hospitals,” explained Pennefeather. “We provide the parts at cost, keeping our shop active, enabling AVRE to provide contract work for its visually impaired clients and lower the price of the face shields for entities that badly need them.”

Get our email updates

Stay up-to-date on the companies, people and issues that impact businesses in Syracuse, Central New York and beyond.

Get our email updates

What's New

Upcoming Events

Project Homecoming Job & Career Fair 2025

Annual Nonprofit Conference 2026

2026 CenterState CEO Economic Forecast Breakfast

CNYBJ Job Board

Get Instant Access to This Article

Get Instant Access to This Article

Get Instant Access to This Article

Get Instant Access to This Article

Get Instant Access to This Article

Get Instant Access to This Article

Get Instant Access to This Article

Get Instant Access to This Article

Get Instant Access to This Article

Get our email updates