Stevens Office Interiors and parent company rebrand as Intivity

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DeWITT, N.Y. — Stevens Office Interiors of DeWitt, which was acquired by a Rochester–area company nearly two years ago, is finally getting a new name.

Binghamton’s Stenger applauds Cuomo’s proposed Excelsior threshold increase

Health Care, New York News, Nonprofits, Regional News

VESTAL, N.Y. — A proposed increase in the eligibility threshold for the Excelsior scholarship has received a thumbs up from Binghamton University President Harvey Stenger.

What channel is the Syracuse basketball game on at Virginia?

New York News, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Syracuse basketball (8-7, 1-3 ACC) seeks to snap a two-game losing streak when it visits the No. 18 Virginia Cavaliers (11-3, 3-1

Syracuse one-bedroom apartment rent prices declined 10 percent in the last year

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Subscriber Only

The median rental price for most apartments in the Syracuse metro area fell 10 percent in the past year. That’s according to the January 2020 national rent report from Zumper, an apartment-rental listings website. The median rental price of one-bedroom apartments in the Syracuse region declined 10 percent to $810 in the last 12 months,

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New York milk production increases 2 percent in November

Subscriber Only

New York dairy farms produced 1.21 billion pounds of milk in November, up 2 percent from 1.19 billion pounds in the year-prior period, the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) recently reported. Production per cow in the state averaged 1,940 pounds in November, up 1.6 percent from 1,910 pounds a year ago. The number of

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Mohawk Valley Association of Realtors names 2020 board members

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

UTICA — The Mohawk Valley Association of Realtors (MVAR) announced it has named its 2020 MVAR board of directors and Mid New York Regional MLS board of managers. The MVAR board members for 2020 are: President: Amanda Reinfelds, Coldwell Banker Faith Properties; President-Elect: Calvin Lyon, Pondra’s Homes & Hearth Realty; Treasurer: David Paciello, One Realty

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Onondaga County hotel occupancy rate increases almost 3 percent in November

Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

SYRACUSE — Hotels in Onondaga County welcomed more guests in November than in the year-prior month, while room revenue also increased, according to a recent report. The hotel occupancy rate (rooms sold as a percentage of rooms available) in the county rose 2.7 percent to 51.3 percent in November, according to STR, a Tennessee–based hotel

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CNY Tweets – January 13, 2020

Business Mentors, Subscriber Only

Some recent tweets that came across the @cnybj Twitter feed, offering various small business, HR, and career tips. SBA Atlantic (Region II) @SBAatlanticLooking for a business mentor? @SBAgov can help, especially during National #MentoringMonth — http://ow.ly/b9Q950xCO94 GSA @USGSAThere are many ways to sell to GSA: Schedules, GWACs, IDIQ, & Partnering! Learn what procurement programs best

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Some recent tweets that came across the @cnybj Twitter feed, offering various small business, HR, and career tips.

SBA Atlantic (Region II) @SBAatlantic
Looking for a business mentor? @SBAgov can help, especially during National #MentoringMonth — http://ow.ly/b9Q950xCO94

GSA @USGSA
There are many ways to sell to GSA: Schedules, GWACs, IDIQ, & Partnering! Learn what procurement programs best fit your #SmallBusiness: http://go.usa.gov/xVGAS

Boots to Business @Boots2Business
Happy New Year. It’s your year to become an entrepreneur! If you’re not sure where to start, there are tons of resources to help you prepare for your first steps toward #VetBiz ownership. Learn more: http://bit.ly/39vCJ1S

SBA @SBAgov
What are your #smallbusiness resolutions for #NewYear2020? We’ve got resources to help you achieve them! https://sba.gov

Sarah Skerik @SarahSkerik
What #SmallBiz needs to know about 2020 Form W-4, redesigned to comply w/ the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Via SmallBizDaily: https://www.smallbizdaily.com/tax-form-changes/

Monica Hinchey @hinchred
#Millennials and #GenZ have grown up in a consumer-centric world, and it shows in their health care preferences: https://bit.ly/2toy0P7 #HR # EmployeeExperience

Mark C. Crowley @MarkCCrowley
How Well Are Organizations Developing Their Managers? Gallup asked 50,000 #workplace managers & just 1-in-3 strongly agreed that they had opportunities to learn & grow in the past year. 36% don’t fully believe they have the requisite skills to do their best #work. #Leadership #HR

Catherine Adenle @CatherineAdenle
Change is Consistent in Organisations. Change is around the Corner in Your Workplace. This is How to Cope with Change at Work: 10 Ways https://catherinescareercorner.com/2016/05/03/how-to-cope-with-change-at-work-10-ways/ via @catherineadenle

John Rampton @johnrampton
You May Not Have Considered Looking for New Hires in These 9 Places http://bit.ly/2VzM6qU – http://due.com #HR

Brian Noe @briandnoe
Workers with commutes less than 30mins gain an additional 7 days of productive work time yearly when compared with those who had commutes of an hour or more. Via @forbes #HR #futureofwork #workfromhome http://bit.ly/2MQxXlO

Hannah Morgan @careersherpa
How to Leverage Being an Introvert during job search and in your career: https://careersherpa.net/how-to-leverage-being-an-introvert/

Andrew Stenhouse @AndrewStenhouse
“The occupations most in danger are routine jobs with little demand for transferable skills or social interaction.” https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2019-12-07/why-the-automation-of-jobs-is-much-worse-for-millennial-workers?srnd=future-of-work

Affiliate Marketing @AffiliateMarkng
Lost Your Job? Here’s How to Start a Business in 9 Steps http://dlvr.it/RMCsdg

Life at TE @TECareers
#Career Resolutions to Make for 2020: https://themuse.com/advice/your-new-years-goal-get-a-new-job via @TheMuse

Crews begin work on $30M project to renovate SUNY Cortland dorms

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Health Care, Subscriber Only

CORTLAND — The Smith and Casey Tower complex at SUNY Cortland is undergoing a $30 million renovation project. The Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY) is managing the construction effort. DASNY-issued low-cost, tax-exempt bonds are financing the renovation project as part of its SUNY Dormitory Facilities program. The Dormitory Authority said it

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CORTLAND — The Smith and Casey Tower complex at SUNY Cortland is undergoing a $30 million renovation project.

The Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY) is managing the construction effort. DASNY-issued low-cost, tax-exempt bonds are financing the renovation project as part of its SUNY Dormitory Facilities program. The Dormitory Authority said it expects construction will finish in August 2021.

DASNY issued low-cost, tax-exempt bonds to finance the renovation project. The bonds are part of the SUNY dormitory facilities program.

About the project

The Smith and Casey Towers will undergo renovations to modernize the 147,000-square-foot complex, DASNY said in a news release.

Crews will remodel the first-floor entry and lobby to include moveable walls, allowing for functions of various sizes. In addition, they’ll add another small lounge with a kitchenette to that floor.

Bedrooms and corridors in the two towers, which house about 560 students, will receive fresh paint and finishes as well as new lighting. The work will also target bathrooms, which will get new showers, sinks, plumbing fixtures, exhaust fans, paint, and tile.

Crews will also install low-flow faucets and toilets to conserve water. The lounges on the upper floors of both towers will also be upgraded to include “modern” kitchenettes, while floors nine and 10 will include new laundry facilities.

Contractors will fit new exterior windows on floors three through 10 to “improve comfort and energy efficiency of the complex.” In addition, the installations will include two new heating, ventilation, and air conditioning units (known as make-up air units) on the roof to “ensure optimum ventilation and healthy building conditions are achieved.” They’ll also install new high-efficiency boilers as well, DASNY said.

Crews will replace all doors on floors three through 10 and all bedrooms will receive power and data upgrades. They’ll also extend fire-protection systems to the upper floors, providing a full-coverage sprinkler system throughout the building. The work will also include fire-alarm upgrades to “enhance resident safety.”

“When it is done, all of our on-campus student apartments will be completely modern, energy efficient and competitive with residences available at more expensive, private colleges,” SUNY Cortland President Erik Bitterbaum contended in the release.

Company veterans begin top leadership roles at McFarland Johnson in Binghamton

Regional News, Subscriber Only

BINGHAMTON — Two long-time employees who have worked closely for nearly 20 years have assumed top leadership roles at Binghamton–based McFarland Johnson, Inc. (MJ). The planning, design, and construction-services firm announced it has named James Festa CEO and Chad Nixon president and chairman of the company’s board of directors. Festa is replacing Richard Brauer in

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BINGHAMTON — Two long-time employees who have worked closely for nearly 20 years have assumed top leadership roles at Binghamton–based McFarland Johnson, Inc. (MJ).

The planning, design, and construction-services firm announced it has named James Festa CEO and Chad Nixon president and chairman of the company’s board of directors.

Festa is replacing Richard Brauer in the CEO role. Brauer resigned after 13 years with the firm “in pursuit of new endeavors,” Ruthanne Bulman, human resources director at McFarland Johnson, tells CNYBJ in an email.

Nixon is assuming the duties that Brauer previously had as the company president along with duties that the now-retired David Lee had as board chairman, according to Bulman.

Both Festa and Nixon bring business, engineering, and finance experience to their respective roles, the company said.

Both have served as leaders of MJ’s operations and business-development functions for the last decade.

Festa has served as MJ’s COO since 2008, focusing on internal operations and office management at the firm. Nixon has served as the business-development officer, expanding MJ’s geographic reach and leading the firm’s “innovation initiative” on the national level.

“This is an exciting time for MJ’s employee owners,” Bulman says. “With Jim’s strong command of our business and operations, his focus will remain internal, delivering value to our employee owners. Chad’s strengths and energy lend him to focus mostly externally, forging strong client relationships while developing and leading MJ’s strategic growth and innovation initiative.”

About the firm

McFarland Johnson is an employee-owned planning, design, and construction-services firm.

The company was founded in Binghamton in 1946 by engineer William McFarland, who was later joined by another engineer, John Johnson.

For more than 70 years, MJ has grown its services and expanded geographically throughout the Mid-Atlantic, New England, and the Southeast with more than 15 offices serving public and private clients.

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