Raymond Corp. to produce more than 2,000 face shields for local health-care professionals

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GREENE — The Raymond Corporation says engineers and staff at its plant in the Chenango County town of Greene recently began to 3D print face shields to provide local doctors, nurses, and first responders with needed personal protective equipment (PPE). The manufacturing firm expects to produce more than 2,000 face shields to be distributed to […]

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Survey of upstate CEOs reveals severe impact of coronavirus on businesses

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Only 31 percent of upstate New York CEOs expect New York State’s economy to return to pre-virus levels of revenue and employment within six months, but 72 percent believe it will recover by the first quarter of 2021 according to a recent survey from the Siena College Research Institute (SCRI). SCRI’s Upstate New York Business

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SCRI’s Upstate New York Business Leader COVID-19 Survey was conducted April 3-14 by online interviews with 307 CEOs from across upstate New York including the Capital region, Central New York, the Finger Lakes region, the Mohawk Valley, the Southern Tier, and Western New York. The survey’s overall margin of error is +/-5.6 percentage points.

The survey results, released on April 16, reveal that the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on upstate businesses has been significant.

• Forty percent of respondents have laid off employees.

• Almost one-quarter (23 percent) have closed at least one location.

• Expectations for 2020 revenue and profit have been lowered due to the crisis. Eighty-nine percent of the surveyed CEOs predicted “somewhat” (32 percent) or “significantly” (57 percent) less revenue due to the pandemic and 87 percent forecast “somewhat” (27 percent) or “significantly” (60 percent) less profits.

• Over half (58 percent) now plan to purchase fewer fixed assets in 2020 than they did at the start of the year.

• Just under two-thirds (64 percent) have postponed or canceled new initiatives.

• Twenty-eight percent have contacted suppliers, landlords, or financial institutions about the need to delay payments.

• Forty-four percent have been notified by clients that they will have difficulty paying on time.

In spite of the negative impacts, 89 percent of the respondents were at least somewhat confident that their business “will survive this crisis and be in business a year from today.” Only 8 percent of respondents said they are “not too confident” or “not at all confident” of surviving.

A majority were also supportive of New York’s ongoing social-distancing policies. Fifty-seven percent of the CEOs said the state’s primary focus should be addressing the public-health crisis, while only 35 percent said New York should plan to relax restrictions on business operations and move towards being back in business by May 1. (Note: The survey was conducted prior to Gov. Andrew Cuomo extending the statewide restrictions on much of business and daily life to May 15.)

“Despite having to lay off workers and downgrade economic projections, a majority of upstate CEOs agree with the sentiment expressed by one CEO: ‘people and health first, the economy can wait.’ The good news is that virtually all the CEOs we interviewed expect their business to survive this crisis. And 61 percent think that New York State’s ‘social distancing’ efforts, including restrictions on business operations in order to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 have been about right,” SCRI Director Dr. Don Levy said in a release summarizing the findings.

The survey results showed that optimism regarding state assistance was mixed. Forty-six percent were confident that “New York State government will take the appropriate steps to assist businesses to weather the impacts of COVID-19,” while 50 percent were “not very” or “not at all” confident.

Confidence was higher in the federal government, with 59 percent saying they were “somewhat” or “very” confident that the federal government would take the appropriate steps to assist New York businesses.

Eighty-six percent said they were at least somewhat familiar with the new and expanded U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) loan provisions. Almost three-quarters (72 percent) planned to participate in the SBA Paycheck Protection Program and 26 percent said they planned to partake in the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program.

The survey was sponsored by the Business Council of New York State, the Greater Binghamton Chamber of Commerce, CenterStateCEO, and the Buffalo Niagara Partnership.

“The results of this poll showed what many expected; businesses are hurting, especially smaller businesses and those in sectors whose operations have been most impacted by the reasonable state-imposed restrictions. Perhaps the most encouraging result showed employers expect their own companies and their industry sectors to recover by early 2021,” Heather Briccetti, president and CEO of the Business Council of New York State, said in the release.

Robert Simpson, president of CenterState CEO, added, “The scale of the economic disruption we are experiencing is unprecedented. Direct business insight is critical to economic development organizations like ours as we work to assess, respond and mitigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

SCRI, an independent, non-partisan research institute, conducts political, economic, social, and cultural research primarily in New York state. Additional survey details, including cross-tabs and frequencies are available at: www.Siena.edu/SCRI.

Oneida County hotel occupancy rate plummets nearly 42 percent in March

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UTICA, N.Y. — Hotels in Oneida County saw a massive decrease in guests in March, as the coronavirus pandemic and its resulting government shutdowns of much of business and daily life in New York took effect, starting mid-month. The hotel occupancy rate (rooms sold as a percentage of rooms available) in the county plunged 41.7

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Survey: 55 percent of CNY firms reduce workforce in COVID-19 crisis

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SYRACUSE — More than half (55 percent) of responding Central New York businesses reported a decrease in product demand during the coronavirus shutdown that led them to implement layoffs, reduced operating hours, shifts, or workdays. That’s according to a new survey from CenterState CEO, which also found 10 percent of firms are looking to hire

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That’s according to a new survey from CenterState CEO, which also found 10 percent of firms are looking to hire employees to meet new demand during the crisis. One out of five manufacturers reported an increase in demand requiring hiring.

Those findings are part of CenterState CEO’s Phase 1 COVID-19 Business Impact Survey of area businesses. The economic-development organization’s officials released details during a virtual media roundtable held April 16.

The survey found 34 percent of businesses saying that supply chain impacts are “high or of the highest impact.” That number is up from 15 percent on March 23, CenterState CEO said.

The survey’s first phase was available between March 19 and April 8, generating 263 responses in that time.

Robert Simpson, president and CEO of CenterState CEO, said his organization called more than 1,500 members in the upstate business community, “trying to understand … how they’re being influenced and impacted by the economic reality that we find ourselves in.”

In those conversations, Simpson said the organization heard “a lot of anxiety, a lot of concern, a lot of uncertainty, but also I think a very significant amount of care and concern for those business owners’ employees.”

CenterState CEO on April 9 launched the second phase of its COVID-19 Business Impact Survey. As of April 15, the survey’s second phase has generated more than 50 responses.

Survey’s second phase

Initial findings from the Phase 2 COVID-19 Business Impact Survey indicate that revenue and customers are “ongoing challenges,” and many companies have had to reduce payroll, but some firms are seeking to add employees.

The survey also found that 75 percent of respondents applied for the Paycheck Protection Program, which offers potentially forgivable, low-interest loans to help small businesses keep their employees.

CenterState CEO will continue to track responses to the Phase 2 COVID-19 Business Impact Survey and offer updates on its COVID-19 Business Resources page, the organization said.

CNY, state unemployment rates rose in March as pandemic began to hit hard

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Unemployment rates in the Syracuse, Utica– Rome, Watertown–Fort Drum, Binghamton, Ithaca, and Elmira regions rose in March compared to a year ago as the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic began to materialize. The figures are part of the latest New York State Department of Labor data released April 21. The department indicated that the

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The figures are part of the latest New York State Department of Labor data released April 21. The department indicated that the worst is yet to come.

“While these data broadly reflect the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and related public-health efforts on the state’s labor market, it is important to note the March reference period for this survey occurred before many coronavirus-related business and school closures were implemented. In addition, data-collection rates were lower than normal due to coronavirus-related challenges. As a result, the scope of coronavirus-related unemployment from March is not fully reflected in these figures,” the state Labor Department said in its report.

New York state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose from 3.7 percent in February to 4.5 percent in March. The 0.8 percentage point change was the state’s largest recorded monthly increase, “since at least 1976.” In addition, the number of unemployed New York State residents rose by 73,900, while labor-force levels dropped by 132,300 — “both monthly records,” per the state Labor Department. That’s according to the latest monthly employment report that the department issued April 16.

The April 16 data also indicates that the Syracuse area was the only CNY region that had more jobs (only 100 more) in March 2019 relative to a year ago. The Utica–Rome, Binghamton, Watertown–Fort Drum, Ithaca, and Elmira area all lost jobs in March compared to a year prior.

Regional unemployment rates

The jobless rate in the Syracuse area was 4.9 percent in March, up from 4.6 percent a year earlier.

The Utica–Rome region’s rate rose to 5.1 percent from 4.8 percent; the Watertown–Fort Drum area posted 7.5 percent unemployment, up from 6.4 percent; the Binghamton region’s rate hit 5.6 percent compared to 5 percent a year prior; the Ithaca area’s jobless rate edged up to 3.7 percent from 3.5 percent; and the unemployment rate in the Elmira region was 4.9 percent in March, up from 4.4 percent 12 months ago.

The local-unemployment data isn’t seasonally adjusted, meaning the figures don’t reflect seasonal influences such as holiday hires.

Utica College freezes tuition for 2020-21 academic year

Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Health Care, Nonprofits, Regional News

UTICA, N.Y. — Utica College will freeze its tuition for the 2020-2021 academic year, Laura Casamento, school president, announced Friday. This applies to on-campus undergraduate

New York egg production rises nearly 1 percent

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New York farms produced 145.5 million eggs in March, up almost 1 percent from 144.3 million eggs in the year-ago period, the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) reported. The number of layers in the Empire State averaged nearly 5.62 million in March, up 2 percent from almost 5.51 million layers a year prior. March

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How To Make Smart Marketing Decisions Through a Pandemic

Business Mentors, Subscriber Only

Exploring the Five Rs In the midst of the unexpected COVID-19 pandemic, many companies may be facing uncertainty around their advertising and public-relations strategies. With changing budgets, staffing, and environments, it is essential to foster appropriate communication between your business and your customers. Below are the five steps to making smart marketing decisions during and

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Exploring the Five Rs

In the midst of the unexpected COVID-19 pandemic, many companies may be facing uncertainty around their advertising and public-relations strategies. With changing budgets, staffing, and environments, it is essential to foster appropriate communication between your business and your customers. Below are the five steps to making smart marketing decisions during and after the pandemic:

1. Reflect: Before creating or adjusting your marketing strategy, you first need to look at your company as a whole. Reach out (and keep reaching out) to your major stakeholders — your top customer segments, employees, and board members, etc. Do more listening than talking. Ask about what they are seeing, feeling, and what they want/need from your business during this time and after the shutdown lifts.

2. Reassure: More than anything, consumers want to know that your company is there for them. That reassuring started with what you were doing to protect them and stop COVID-19’s spread — sanitation efforts, reduced hours, digital offerings, etc. Now, it’s about what discounts and/or informative advice you can give your customers, along with what philanthropic support you can give your community.

3. Reinvent: While this might not be the best time to run your previously scheduled ads, it may be the perfect time to consider a fresh perspective or a possible shift in brand positioning. Give a new look to that old marketing plan. Anything you’re seeing differently in light of COVID-19? Keep in mind, in previous recessions, some of the best ideas for new products and even entire companies came out of this process.

4. Relay: Once you have reflected, reassured, and at least considered reinventing, now it’s time to relay your new set of messages. Resist the urge to pull back advertising spend completely, which could diminish your brand’s resilience and interrupt its momentum. Position yourself as a calm, resilient, and collaborative partner who anticipates the brighter future ahead for all of us.

5. Recover: Anticipate the post-pandemic release, particularly the pent-up consumption of goods and services that help consumers destress, maintain security, and feel “back to normal.” Embrace the new behaviors learned during shutdown, including all those technology barriers overcome.

Jamie Jacobs is partner at Riger Marketing Communications. Contact her at jjacobs@riger.com. (Note: Binghamton University intern Kaitlyn Liu assisted with this article.)

The List feature is on hold at this time

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The Central New York Business Journal has temporarily put our weekly The List feature on hold for the duration of the statewide coronavirus shutdown. Pausing a popular and longstanding part of our publication was not an easy decision, but is necessary to uphold the quality, completeness, and integrity of information we provide our readers. The

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The Only Message Customers Want from You Right Now

Business Mentors, Subscriber Only

It only took the pandemic a couple of weeks to turn it all upside down — including marketing and sales. And along with it has come an endless tsunami of email messages flooding consumer email mailboxes. It was war with 50 percent to 80 percent off sales, “Lowest prices ever,” “Free shipping & Free returns,” “Final

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We’ve seen emails to customers from well-meaning businesses streaming to smartphones and computer desktops. It seems like a domino effect. One company starts it, and everyone else follows — with its version of the same message. Most open with a comment on the COVID-19 scourge and then quickly offer assurances that “We are here for you.” Words that companies would like to think customers want to hear.

Then, in a nanosecond, attitudes changed. Customers rejected the century-long proposition that the near-sacred role of marketing and sales was getting customers to buy more stuff and doing anything and everything to get the job done. And driving it all was the arrogant (and mistaken) belief that, no matter how you dress it up, customers exist for only one reason: what they can do for us. And it worked — then it didn’t.

How has the marketing and sales world changed? Some companies are listening. They get it: It’s no longer about what customers can do for us by buying our stuff. Now, it’s all about what we can do for them.

Arrogance is out; candor is in. Opinion is out; facts matter. Lying is out; empathy is in. Telling customers what they want to hear so they will take the bait is out; understanding and transparency are in. Being conned and ignored are out; truth matters and play-it-straight are in.

Sending customers BS-filled messages isn’t just unacceptable and stupid, it’s far more than that — it’s a missed opportunity. As demanding as it is to craft meaningful messages in troubling times, customers respond to those that make a difference in their lives.

What customers want to hear

What customers are looking for is understanding and help. Not the run around, not endless delays, not a pat on the head, calling another number, not incomplete information, not being dropped like a hot potato the moment the order is placed.

Isolated, alone, stressed, and frightened by an unseen enemy, they look for those who are prepared to come to their aid, who are on their side. It’s also a message that better be clear, compelling, and positive, if we want their attention and their business.

The good news is that the growing cadre of companies that get it is growing. But it may take sales reports dripping with gloom to spur the creative juices flowing in many more businesses.

Nevertheless, it’s happening and that’s good news. Here is a sampling of companies that are looking inward to find ways to help customers cope with a relentless enemy that would harm their health and safety.

Anton’s Cleaners, New England’s largest dry-cleaning company, took the what-can-we-do-to-help question seriously and came up with an on-target message for the COVID-19 crisis:

• We care about your health.

• Sterilization is a standard part of our cleaning process

No coupons, no discounts, no “Offer expires in 2 days.” Just a simple, direct, and factual message that answers the question why someone should take their clothes to Anton’s: the company sterilizes your clothes. The message neither knocks competitors, nor is it price-driven. It highlights an existing benefit. It’s a guess that few of Anton’s customers knew their clothes were being sterilized and all of a sudden, it’s a huge deal.

Even so, there’s another side to the story. Supermarkets everywhere jumped in with early morning hours for the most vulnerable coronavirus age group, those age 60 and older. Some didn’t stop there. They limited the number of customers in a store at the same time, provided wipes, and installed see-through barriers at check-out.

Come to think of it, “Early Senior Hours” may deserve becoming permanent at least a day or two a week. Seniors tend to rise early and seem to like a slower pace when shopping, which may also please those who are in more of a hurry later in the day.

What’s it take to get your message right?

Now, here’s the point. Why does it take something like a whack on the head with a two-by-four to come up with a worthwhile idea like early morning hours for seniors? We talk “customer commitment” to death, without having a clue as to what that means. Happily, a growing number of businesses are now getting it and are coming up with helping, innovative ideas that benefit customers. Here is a snapshot of a few that are doing it right:

• Cox Communications has increased internet download speeds from 30 MPS to 50 MPS to help improve productivity for at-home workers.

• Allstate’s “Shelter-in-place payback” is returning $600 million of auto-insurance premiums to customers because fewer motorists are driving due to COVID-19, according to the Chicago Tribune.

• Best Buy offers contactless curbside service for purchases and returns.

• Constant Contact has a free Website Builder Business Plus plan to help small businesses get an e-commerce site up and running.

• The Institute of WorkComp Professionals is offering its members a free five-part webinar series on prospecting and LinkedIn positioning.

• Meero offers free large-file transfers to help remote workers, according to Forbes.

• Planet Fitness offers free online home workouts.

Sure, the cynics may scoff. Sure, these companies want more business. But, so what? Yet, these firms, along with others, are digging deep to find new and innovative ways to be of help to their customers at a painfully difficult time. All we need now is more like them and we’ll come through this energized and on our feet.

John Graham of GrahamComm is a marketing and sales strategy consultant and business writer. He is the creator of “Magnet Marketing,” and publishes a free monthly eBulletin, “No Nonsense Marketing & Sales Ideas.” Contact him at jgraham@grahamcomm.com or johnrgraham.com

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