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Westelcom banks on expanded data center for Syracuse growth
SYRACUSE — After expanding its Syracuse data center nearly two years ago, Watertown–based Westelcom Networks is ready to continue that expansion with new clients in the Syracuse market. Westelcom has operated a data center in the State Tower Building on 109 S. Warren St. since about 1998, says Paul Barton, company president. In March 2018, […]
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SYRACUSE — After expanding its Syracuse data center nearly two years ago, Watertown–based Westelcom Networks is ready to continue that expansion with new clients in the Syracuse market.
Westelcom has operated a data center in the State Tower Building on 109 S. Warren St. since about 1998, says Paul Barton, company president. In March 2018, after maxing out the capacity, Westelcom acquired an additional 2,400 square feet of space. “That data center is set up as a carrier-neutral colocation center,” Barton says.
That means Westelcom works with a variety of service providers, which allows carriers to interconnect and offer wider coverage, he says. When the new center opened, it highlighted its wide range of options for dedicated internet access and regional connectivity as well as direct access to Google, Amazon, and Microsoft cloud platforms.
The next step, Barton says, is to begin offering internet and voice service in the Syracuse area.
Westelcom focuses on mission-critical level services — offering services that rarely if ever fail to businesses that need a connection at all times. The company’s networks are on rings so they can reroute if needed. Customers receive dual connections so there is a backup if one fails. Westelcom also offers a mission-critical app that allows customers to see network stats, submit tickets for issues, and receive threat-intelligence information.
“Our focuses are really on businesses that need highly reliable services,” Barton says.
Health care is a large market for Westelcom, which provides managed internet services to 10 hospitals, more than 120 medical facilities, and a number of telemedicine networks. The company also offers services to more than 70 school locations and several industrial parks in Watertown and Plattsburgh.
In preparation for offering internet and voice services in Syracuse, Westelcom is deploying software-defined large-area networks, which will help the company provide customers with two connections from two different carriers.
“It’s affordable for a smaller business or, say, a branch of a bank,” Barton says. “We can also integrate wireless connections into it.”
The connections do not need to be Westelcom connections, he adds. It can be any two connections from any two providers, which means customers have a wider array of options to choose from and can pick the carriers that work best for them. In those cases, Westelcom still installs the equipment and manages the connection for the customer.
“There’s a lot of competition in Syracuse,” Barton says. Westelcom will first focus its efforts on the greatest need and where the company can deliver services quickly.
The company, which has more than 50 employees, will reach out to businesses on existing infrastructure that need critical-level services and that it can serve immediately, he says. “We have been focused on and delivering successful mission-critical level services for 19 years.” That track record will speak for itself with potential customers, he contends.
Westelcom (www.westelcom.com) provides telecommunication services throughout Northern New York between Lake Ontario and Lake Champlain. Services over the company’s fiber network include telephone, long distance, high-speed broadband, dedicated internet, and private Ethernet network services. The company operates additional data centers in Watertown and Plattsburgh. Chazy Westport Telephone Corporation owns Westelcom.
Costello, Cooney & Fearon readies HQ move to Armory Square
SYRACUSE — Syracuse–based law firm Costello, Cooney & Fearon, PLLC is preparing to move its headquarters from Franklin Square to Armory Square. The firm’s operations at 500 Plum St. and at 5701 W. Genesee St. in Camillus will move into the first floor in the Jefferson Clinton Commons, at 211 W. Jefferson St., across from
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SYRACUSE — Syracuse–based law firm Costello, Cooney & Fearon, PLLC is preparing to move its headquarters from Franklin Square to Armory Square.
The firm’s operations at 500 Plum St. and at 5701 W. Genesee St. in Camillus will move into the first floor in the Jefferson Clinton Commons, at 211 W. Jefferson St., across from the Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science & Technology, or the MOST.
The law firm hopes to move to its new location by Oct. 1. Robert Smith, CEO of Costello, Cooney & Fearon, tells CNYBJ.
The firm had opened its Camillus location about a decade ago and “saw the value” in having all the local employees back under one roof.
“This new space that we’re going into gives us that opportunity,” says Smith, who spoke with CNYBJ on Feb. 17.
Costello, Cooney & Fearon has finalized a lease with Jefferson Clinton Commons building owner Washington St. Partners for 35,000 square feet of office space. The 80-employee law firm will be occupying the building’s entire first floor.
The firm will be vacating a 24,000-square-foot space in Franklin Square and an 8,000-square-foot space in Camillus, according to Smith.
John Clark and Brian Balash of Cushman Wakefield/Pyramid Brokerage brokered the transaction, the law firm says.
The Costello firm had looked at three or four other places in the downtown area before deciding on a location for which it signed a 10-year lease, says Smith.
“We determined we weren’t going to go to the suburbs. We determined we wanted to be in the city of Syracuse and wanted to be in the city center with proximity to court houses and other clients of the law firm,” he adds.
The firm’s move into the Jefferson Clinton Commons will require a buildout, but Smith declined to disclose the cost involved.
The firm will move more than 60 employees from the 500 Plum Street office, along with about 16 employees from the Camillus location.
Altogether, Costello, Cooney & Fearon has 39 attorneys, 18 of whom are partners in the firm, according to Smith.
Costello, Cooney & Fearon’s move to the Jefferson Clinton Commons will impact some of the building’s existing tenants. Mower, an anchor tenant and Central New York’s second-largest advertising agency (as measured by number of local employees), will move upstairs to the building’s second floor, Stephanie Crockett, executive VP and managing director, tells CNYBJ in an email.
CNYBJ, which also operates on the first floor, will be leaving the building this summer.
Headquartered in Syracuse and with an office in Albany, Costello, Cooney & Fearon provides legal services in the areas of litigation; labor and employment; environmental; estate planning; banking/commercial; real estate law; along with civil litigation, commercial litigation, and education law.
Kreuter to manage Syracuse Mets during 2020 season
SYRACUSE — The Syracuse Mets on Feb. 8 announced that Chad Kreuter will serve as the team’s manager during the upcoming season. He takes over for Brian Schneider after the New York Mets named Schneider their quality control coach on Feb. 7, the Syracuse Mets said. This came just over one month after Schneider had
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SYRACUSE — The Syracuse Mets on Feb. 8 announced that Chad Kreuter will serve as the team’s manager during the upcoming season.
He takes over for Brian Schneider after the New York Mets named Schneider their quality control coach on Feb. 7, the Syracuse Mets said. This came just over one month after Schneider had been named Syracuse Mets manager for 2020. Tony DeFrancesco managed the team in 2019.
Kreuter spent the last three seasons as manager for the St. Lucie Mets, the Advanced-A affiliate of the New York Mets.
Kreuter is in his fourth season in the Mets’ organization. The 55-year-old previously managed the Modesto Nuts, the Advanced-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, to begin the 2006 season before he was named the head coach at the University of Southern California in June 2006. Kreuter managed the USC Trojans for four years, from 2007 to 2010.
The Santa Barbara, California native also worked in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization as the minor-league field coordinator in 2011.
As a player, Kreuter was a catcher for 16 seasons in the majors from 1988 to 2003, having played for the Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, Seattle Mariners, Chicago White Sox, Anaheim Angels, Kansas City Royals, and Los Angeles Dodgers. During his major-league career, Kreuter was behind the plate for 892 games and caught 36 percent of baserunners stealing.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity the Mets have given me to manage their Triple-A team,” Kreuter said in a statement. “One of the cool things about this opportunity is getting the chance to manage players in Syracuse that I also managed in St. Lucie over the last three years. I’m hearing a lot of great things about Syracuse with the stadium renovations, the fans, and both the coaching and front office staffs. The Mets are committed to putting a strong team on the field, and I’m excited to lead that team this season.”
The Syracuse Mets open the 2020 season on the road on April 9 against the Pawtucket Red Sox. Syracuse’s home opener is on April 17 at NBT Bank Stadium against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.
N.Y. manufacturing index rises in February to highest level since last May
The Empire State Manufacturing Survey general business-conditions index rose 8 points to 12.9 in February, “its highest level since May of last year.” New York manufacturing firms reported that business activity “grew at a faster pace than in recent months,” the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said in its Feb. 18 report. The February
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The Empire State Manufacturing Survey general business-conditions index rose 8 points to 12.9 in February, “its highest level since May of last year.”
New York manufacturing firms reported that business activity “grew at a faster pace than in recent months,” the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said in its Feb. 18 report.
The February reading, based on firms responding to the survey, indicates “business activity picked up in New York,” the New York Fed said.
A positive index number shows expansion or growth in manufacturing activity, while a negative reading indicates a decline in the sector.
The survey found 34 percent of respondents reported that conditions had improved over the month, while 21 percent said that conditions had worsened, the New York Fed said.
Economists had expected a reading of 4.0 for the February general business conditions index, according to a survey by Econoday, a California company that tracks economic reports. So, the report exceeded expectations.
Survey details
The new-orders index climbed 16 points to 22.1, its highest level in “well over a year, indicating that orders rose significantly,” the New York Fed said.
The shipments index rose 10 points to 18.9. Delivery times were longer, and inventories “climbed.”
The index for number of employees edged down to 6.6, indicating that employment “grew to a small degree.” The average workweek held near zero, a sign that the average workweek was little changed.
The prices-paid index moved down 7 points to 25.0, pointing to a slower pace of input price increases this month, while the prices-received index edged up 2 points to 16.7.
Indexes assessing the six-month outlook suggested that optimism about future conditions was “somewhat restrained.”
The index for future business conditions was little changed at 22.9. The indexes for future new orders and future shipments edged lower. Employment and hours worked are expected to grow “modestly” in the months ahead.
The capital-expenditures index came in at 22.0, and the technology-spending index was little changed at 21.2.
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.
Pictured is the new branch office that Empower Federal Credit Union is getting ready to open in Central Square. The new office, located at 3056 East Ave. (Route 49) in the village of Central Square, is slated to open in March, Empower said in a recent newsletter to its members. Empower currently has 22 branches
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Pictured is the new branch office that Empower Federal Credit Union is getting ready to open in Central Square. The new office, located at 3056 East Ave. (Route 49) in the village of Central Square, is slated to open in March, Empower said in a recent newsletter to its members. Empower currently has 22 branches in Central New York and 27 overall. It had nearly $1.9 billion in total assets in 2019.
(ERIN ZEHR/ CNYBJ)
Downtown Dining Weeks continue through March 1
SYRACUSE — The Downtown Committee of Syracuse Inc. says Downtown Dining Weeks, which started Feb. 17, will continue through March 1. This year’s event — now in its 16th year — includes 46 locally-owned restaurants. In all, 29 eateries are dishing out three-course lunch specials for $10 (or less), while 35 restaurants serve up three-course
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SYRACUSE — The Downtown Committee of Syracuse Inc. says Downtown Dining Weeks, which started Feb. 17, will continue through March 1.
This year’s event — now in its 16th year — includes 46 locally-owned restaurants. In all, 29 eateries are dishing out three-course lunch specials for $10 (or less), while 35 restaurants serve up three-course dinner specials for $30 (or less).
Several restaurants have dinner options featured at a $20 to $25 price point. As menus are received, they will be uploaded to DowntownSyracuse.com, per a news release.
Those interested can visit website DowntownSyracuse.com/DiningWeeks where users have the option to sort their preferences according to “Lunch,” “Dinner,” or “All.” Menus are clickable underneath the website link for each respective restaurant, the Downtown Committee said.
Downtown Dining Weeks was designed to generate business during what “typically tends to be a slower dining season.” It typically attracts as many as 50,000 diners from Onondaga, Cortland, Madison, Oneida, and Oswego counties.
“It’s amazing to see how much Downtown Dining Weeks has grown since its 2005 inception,” Merike Treier, executive director of the Downtown Committee of Syracuse Inc., said in the release. “Each year, we field inquiries earlier and earlier about when we’ll be posting our menus to our website. It’s exciting to see how the community looks forward to planning their Downtown Dining Weeks experience(s). The two-week-long celebration of high-quality, locally owned restaurants presents unique opportunities for our community to ‘eat their way’ through the center of our city. Whether they’re trying a new restaurant for the first time, or looking forward to returning to a favorite place, there really is something for everyone.”
Title sponsor, promotion
Endwell–based Visions Federal Credit Union is the title sponsor of Downtown Dining Weeks for the fourth year in a row. The nonprofit has more than 210,000 members across New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, including more than 5,000 members in Onondaga County.
The Downtown Committee and Visions are bringing back the “Spot the Chef’s Hat Promotion.” Each participating Downtown Dining Weeks restaurant has one chef’s hat placed somewhere in its dining area.
Diners are encouraged to spot the chef’s hat, take a picture of it, and email the picture — or a thorough description of its location — to mail@downtownsyracuse.com. All correct guesses will be entered into multiple drawings for gift cards/gift certificates. Winners will be notified via email.
Klemanski sees Helio’s new Clay facility as a community asset
CLAY — Jeremy Klemanski, president and CEO of Syracuse–based Helio Health, calls it a “community asset.” “[It’s] a facility that is going to be a place that provides an opportunity for an awful lot of people … people who have dedicated their lives to working with folks with substance-use disorders, but also to the folks
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CLAY — Jeremy Klemanski, president and CEO of Syracuse–based Helio Health, calls it a “community asset.”
“[It’s] a facility that is going to be a place that provides an opportunity for an awful lot of people … people who have dedicated their lives to working with folks with substance-use disorders, but also to the folks that may be experiencing that in their life and are looking for support and care and a place to live while they begin their recovery journey,” Klemanski said in his remarks describing a new residential-treatment facility.
Helio Health on Feb. 12 formally opened the $14 million, 75-bed residential treatment facility in the town of Clay. The program — called Elements of Central New York — is located at 4567 Crossroads Park Drive.
The residential program is a multi-level of care approach to treatment for substance-use disorders, offering three levels of care. They include stabilization, rehabilitation, and reintegration, Helio Health said.
“This is a really important day because after today when we all leave for 20, 30 … years to come, at different times of the day, people will come here to get a healthier start on their recovery journey,” Klemanski added.
The 44,000-square-foot residential program includes 55 stabilization and rehabilitation beds and 20 reintegration apartments. It will be staffed by 28 people.
Salina–based Parsons-McKenna Construction Co. handled the renovation work on the building.
When Helio Health was looking for a site for this facility, the nonprofit looked “high and low and far” to find a place that could accommodate a program “of this magnitude,” according to Klemanski.
“When we approached the Town of Clay, I’ll never forget the first experience because we had a work session with some of the town board [members] so they could explain to us the processes and we could explain to them what this is all about … They couldn’t have been more receptive, open to this,” he added.
The New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) contributed $14 million for the renovation of the building and is providing more than
$1.1 million in annual operational funding for the new facility, the office of Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a separate news release.
OASAS has worked with Helio Health for a “very long time” now and this facility really represents “the next step in this important leadership,” Arlene Gonzalez-Sanchez, commissioner of OASAS, said in her remarks at the event.
“This new 75-bed facility will provide stabilization, rehabilitation, and reintegration services together all under one roof, letting people enter treatment at the level that is most appropriate for their specific needs and move them through the treatment process at the speed that is right for them,” said Gonzalez-Sanchez.
Gonzalez-Sanchez co-chairs the governor’s heroin-opioid task force with Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, who also spoke during the formal-opening event. Hochul noted how addiction has impacted her own family.
“I only wish that a place like this had been available five years ago when my nephew had reached rock bottom with his addiction started by a doctor prescribing opioid-based drugs that led to heroin on the streets and led to a very different life than our family had expected for this bright young man. He overdosed after seeking treatment facilities. There just were not enough beds for him,” said Hochul.
Helio Health provides health services and support for individuals in detox, inpatient rehabilitation, integrated outpatient treatment and a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic, residential services, and housing.
Helio Health also provides substance-use disorder assessments 24/7 at its Regional Open Access Center for Addiction at 329 N. Salina St. in Syracuse in addition to its peer outreach Center of Treatment Innovation at 610 N. State St. in Syracuse to meet the needs of the opiate epidemic.
Lockheed Martin’s Salina plant awarded more than $15 million radar systems order from U.S. Navy
SALINA — Lockheed Martin Corp.’s (NYSE: LMT) Salina plant has been awarded a nearly $15.3 million delivery order from the U.S. Navy for four retrofit advanced-radar processor systems. The order includes required non-recurring engineering and 16 high-density servers for the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye radar plane. Work will be performed in Salina (54 percent) and Andover,
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SALINA — Lockheed Martin Corp.’s (NYSE: LMT) Salina plant has been awarded a nearly $15.3 million delivery order from the U.S. Navy for four retrofit advanced-radar processor systems.
The order includes required non-recurring engineering and 16 high-density servers for the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye radar plane.
Work will be performed in Salina (54 percent) and Andover, Maine (46 percent), and is expected to be completed in May 2023, according to a U.S. Defense Department contract announcement issued on Feb. 13.
Fiscal 2019 aircraft procurement (Navy) funds for $15,285,603 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year, per the announcement. The Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, Maryland is the contracting authority.
How Social Media Can Change The Whole Game For A New Business
To become a successful entrepreneur, the new business owner must find ways to reach customers. Social media can make that job easier. The rise of social media as a marketing tool has had a major impact on businesses, particularly startups. Studies have shown that more people follow brands on social media than follow celebrities. But
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To become a successful entrepreneur, the new business owner must find ways to reach customers. Social media can make that job easier.
The rise of social media as a marketing tool has had a major impact on businesses, particularly startups. Studies have shown that more people follow brands on social media than follow celebrities.
But while social-media marketing can put a new business on the map, missteps can be made that are costly to the bottom line, and one’s reputation.
There’s good and bad social-media marketing. As an entrepreneur, few of us are good at it. We can play around with it and learn about it, or throw a little money at it here and there.
Now that social-media marketing is such a big business, you really have to find the right marketing company that fits you. Either way, through a company that focuses on it or doing your social-media marketing in-house, it’s imperative to learn what to do, and what not to do, if you want social media to be an effective tool to attract and retain customers.
Here are five ways to make social media work for your new business:
Know who and where your customers are. Adopting social-media tools must be a well-planned and researched step. It starts with determining who your target audience is — who would have a need for your product? — and their demographics. Then it’s vital to find out which platforms your potential customers are on before devising an appropriate strategy for each.
Know what your message is. This has to be specific. You need various angles in order to pull them into a core message. There’s too much clutter and competition out there in social media for you to be general and bland about your product’s value. If you want to build more customers, you need to give them what they want and message it in a way they can relate to.
Set goals on customer engagement. The whole idea is creating curiosity in your product. How many responses should you expect in the early weeks, the third month, and so on? Is your message working or does it require tweaking? Setting a goal for number of responses is a metric you need to have.
Find the right marketing company. Social-media marketing can be of utmost importance to entrepreneurs who do it themselves because they don’t have the large marketing budgets that more established companies have. But those entrepreneurs who do hire social-media marketing companies shouldn’t get aligned with a firm that has too many accounts to spend significant time with them. Finding the right marketing team is easier said than done. They need to understand you and your message completely. They need to see your passion for the business and you must see their passion for getting your message out there effectively. The right marketing company becomes an integral member of your team, not just a vendor.
Learn from failure. This is often the best teacher. I fail every day but my company has come a long, long way. From losses come victories, creative solutions, more curiosity and optimism. All of that drives you and your company forward on various social media platforms.
Social media is a great way to create a buzz about your business. But it takes time, patience, flexibility, and perseverance. And for many entrepreneurs, it’s become a daily part of their business model that they can’t do without.
Deni Sciano (www.ScoreGameDayBag.com) is the founder of Score! Designs, LLC, a women-owned designer handbag company.
New York State seeks to boost snowmobiling winter tourism
SARANAC LAKE — New York wants to boost the winter-tourism industry in the North Country and across the state through snowmobiling. Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Feb. 16 announced that New York State will host a free snowmobiling weekend for all out-of-state and Canadian snowmobilers March 14-15. During the promotional weekend, the state will waive fees
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SARANAC LAKE — New York wants to boost the winter-tourism industry in the North Country and across the state through snowmobiling.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Feb. 16 announced that New York State will host a free snowmobiling weekend for all out-of-state and Canadian snowmobilers March 14-15.
During the promotional weekend, the state will waive fees for visitors from out of state with “properly registered and insured” vehicles who want use New York’s nearly 10,500 miles of snowmobile trails.
Cuomo made the announcement before snowmobiling with his three daughters — Cara, Mariah, and Michaela — at Saranac Lake.
Participants in the free snowmobiling weekend must operate a snowmobile with valid registration in their home state or Canadian province and must carry any applicable insurance as required by their home state or province.
Non-New Yorkers who wish to use a snowmobile in New York before or after this promotional weekend can use the “NYS registration for out-of-state snowmobile” service to get a 15-day registration and operate their snowmobile here immediately. The state DMV will send a permanent registration in the mail.
The tourism promotion agency I Love NY will promote the weekend by launching a digital and social-media campaign targeting out-of-state snowmobiling enthusiasts.
To further support the snowmobiling community this season, the state has awarded $4.2 million in local grants for snowmobile trail maintenance and grooming across New York.
Sledders can get more information about snowmobiling at destinations such as the Tug Hill Plateau, along with updated information about the free snowmobiling weekend at iloveny.com, the governor’s office said.
New York State says it supports snowmobiling with a Statewide Snowmobile Trail System traversing 45 counties, maintained by about 230 clubs, and funded through 51 municipal sponsors.
Snowmobiling tourism economic impact
Cuomo’s office cites a 2011 study by SUNY Potsdam indicating that the state’s snowmobiling community has a seasonal economic impact of $868 million.
Winter-tourism activities also support economic growth across the state, generating nearly $14.4 billion in direct visitor spending, per Cuomo’s office. The North Country attracted more than 13 million visitors in 2018, up 21.6 percent since 2011. Direct spending increased by more than 23 percent to $1.26 billion.
“New York is home to more than 10,000 miles of some of the best snowmobiling trails in the nation, all with the backdrop of stunning natural beauty that has to be seen to believe,” Cuomo said. “With this free snowmobiling weekend, we are encouraging visitors from far and wide to come to the North Country and points between, experience our great outdoor recreational activities for themselves and further strengthen New York’s booming tourism industry.”
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