PJ Green announces print shop expansion

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UTICA — PJ Green, Inc., recently announced that is in the process of building a new press at its Utica facility and expanding the print shop to house it. PJ Green, which celebrated 90 years in business last September, said it is investing more than $2 million back into the business to enhance the customer […]

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Adirondack Bank opens second branch in Lake Placid area

Banks & Credit Unions, Construction, Design & Real Estate, Subscriber Only

LAKE PLACID — Adirondack Bank on Aug. 15 opened a new branch in the village of Lake Placid at 2426 Main St., its second location in the Lake Placid area. “We could not be more thrilled to continue investing in the Lake Placid community by opening a brand new, convenient branch,” Rocco Arcuri Sr., president

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CNY jobless rates mixed in July compared to a year ago

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Unemployment rates in the Syracuse, Binghamton, and Elmira regions declined in July compared to the year-prior period. At the same time, the jobless rate in the Watertown–Fort Drum area rose in July compared to a year ago. The rates in the Utica–Rome and Ithaca regions remained unchanged in the past 12 months. The figures are

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Unemployment rates in the Syracuse, Binghamton, and Elmira regions declined in July compared to the year-prior period.

At the same time, the jobless rate in the Watertown–Fort Drum area rose in July compared to a year ago. The rates in the Utica–Rome and Ithaca regions remained unchanged in the past 12 months.

The figures are part of the latest New York State Department of Labor data released on Aug. 20.

On the job-growth front, the Syracuse, Watertown–Fort Drum, Ithaca, Binghamton, and Elmira regions gained jobs between July 2018 and this past July. But the Utica–Rome area lost jobs in the same period.

That’s according to the latest monthly employment report that the New York State Department of Labor issued Aug. 15.

Regional unemployment rates

The jobless rate in the Syracuse area dipped to 4.1 percent in July from 4.2 percent in July 2018.

The Utica–Rome region’s unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.2 percent; in the Watertown–Fort Drum area, the rate ticked up to 4.7 percent from 4.6 percent a year prior; in the Binghamton region, it dipped to 4.5 percent from 4.6 percent; in the Ithaca area, the jobless rate was unchanged at 3.9 percent; and in the Elmira region, it fell to 4.2 percent from 4.5 percent in the year-earlier period.

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

The unemployment rates are calculated following procedures prescribed by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the state Labor Department said.

State unemployment rate

New York state’s unemployment rate remained at 4 percent in July for a third straight month and was unchanged from a year ago. It was higher than the U.S. unemployment rate of 3.7 percent in July.

The federal government calculates New York’s unemployment rate partly based upon the results of a monthly telephone survey of 3,100 state households that the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics conducts.

July job-growth data

The Syracuse region gained 4,000 jobs in the past year, up 1.3 percent.

The Watertown–Fort Drum area gained 100 jobs, an increase of 0.2 percent; Binghamton picked up 300 positions in the past year, up 0.3 percent; Ithaca gained 1,400 jobs, an increase of 2.2 percent; Elmira added 100 positions, an increase of 0.3 percent; and the Utica–Rome metro region lost 100 jobs in the past year, off 0.1 percent.

New York state as a whole gained nearly 131,000 jobs in July compared to a year ago, an increase of 1.3 percent. The state economy gained 1,400 jobs in the last month, the department reported.

Crews finish work on Oswego Industries renovation project

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Subscriber Only

FULTON — Oswego Industries says the renovation project on its 85,000-square-foot location in Fulton is complete. The project at 7 Morrill Place targeted improvements throughout the facility to “promote the safety and well-being of both staff and individuals,” Oswego Industries said in a news release. The work included roof repairs; the replacement of aging doors,

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FULTON — Oswego Industries says the renovation project on its 85,000-square-foot location in Fulton is complete.

The project at 7 Morrill Place targeted improvements throughout the facility to “promote the safety and well-being of both staff and individuals,” Oswego Industries said in a news release.

The work included roof repairs; the replacement of aging doors, dock seals and canopies; and the addition of control systems to secure the facility. The project also reorganized program locations throughout the building to increase access for individuals with limited mobility and to streamline operations, “which ultimately increased productivity.”

Gov. Cuomo’s office in December 2016 called Laurie Davis, executive director of Oswego Industries, saying the agency had been awarded a grant of more than $800,000 to make “significant improvements” to its Fulton facility. The funding came from the Dormitory Authority of New York State’s Nonprofit Infrastructure Capital Investment Program (NICIP). The work took about two years to complete, with the last of the funding being disbursed in 2019.

“The NICIP grant represents a significant investment … not just in Oswego Industries, but in our community as a whole,” Davis said.

The total cost of the project was about $821,000, Rebekkah Frisch, marketing & communications associate for Oswego Industries, tells CNYBJ in an email.

The agency then hired six local contractors, including Rowlee Construction. The contractors also included Volney Multiplex Inc. The firm installs and services fire-alarm systems, security systems, video-surveillance systems, per its website.

The grant funding also allowed crews to make improvements to the agency’s production department that manufactures items such as belts, hospital gowns, scrubs and coveralls. The department employs a workforce of about 90 developmentally disabled adults.

Most of the products are manufactured under federal contracts through SourceAmerica and New York State Industries for the Disabled (NYSID) but orders for local or domestic customers also accounts for a “large percentage of its work.”

The improvements and expanded space for production “will create more jobs and provide additional revenue for Oswego Industries,” per the release.

About Oswego Industries

For more than 50 years, Oswego Industries has provided services and support for adults with disabilities while partnering with local businesses to deliver production and workforce services.

Services at Oswego Industries include pre-vocational and vocational training, supported employment, day habilitation programs, and Medicaid-service coordination.

Its sister agency, the Arc of Oswego County, provides services to children and seniors with disabilities.

CNY Tweets-August 26, 2019

Business Mentors, Subscriber Only

Some recent tweets that came across the @cnybj Twitter feed, offering various small business, tech, HR, and career tips. SBA @SBAgovWant to increase business sales? Get to know your customers — http://ow.ly/b1Gt50vyOAW Small Business Expo @SmallBizExpoChoose the Best Small Business Loan for your Needs: http://twib.in/l/9MAMBKqXbRbd Talkroute @Talkroute10 Signs That You’re a Smart Business Owner: http://bit.ly/2WNcIE5

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

SBA @SBAgov
Want to increase business sales? Get to know your customers — http://ow.ly/b1Gt50vyOAW

Small Business Expo @SmallBizExpo
Choose the Best Small Business Loan for your Needs: http://twib.in/l/9MAMBKqXbRbd

Talkroute @Talkroute
10 Signs That You’re a Smart Business Owner: http://bit.ly/2WNcIE5

Strategic Watch @Strategic_Watch
How To Get Your Business Acquired – http://dlvr.it/RBHXLq #GrowthHacking #SmallBusiness #Entrepreneur

Mitch Mitchell @Mitch_M
#LinkedIn Posts Experiment; What I Learned… http://imjustsharing.com/linkedin-posts-experiment/

Small Business Expo @SmallBizExpo
If You Have to Ask How Much a Data Breach Costs, You Can’t Afford One http://twib.in/l/7jrjKyqKkeMB

Bonadio Group @bonadiogroup
On July 25, NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the Stop Hacks and Improve Electronic Data Security, or “SHIELD Act.” What does this mean for you & your business? Carl Cadregari, CISA, CCSFP, CTPRP weighs in: https://www.foxpointesolutions.com/foxpointe-security-hub/what-every-new-yorker-and-every-business-owner-needs-to-know-about-the-new-data-breach-legislation

eXo Platform @eXoPlatform
Why Businesses Aren’t Handing HR Over to AI? – https://www.cmswire.com/digital-workplace/before-you-hand-human-resources-over-to-ai-/

Deloitte Digital @DeloitteDigital
Even as HR leaders are stepping into a new world and embracing a new future of #HR, change won’t happen if an org’s culture isn’t ready for it. So how can you measure and lead culture change to support HR’s bold new role within the broader enterprise? https://deloi.tt/2Z0TYl6

Paychex @Paychex
87% of #HR leaders say technology strengthens their contribution to corporate success. Learn about the tools they use in our new Pulse of #HR Survey: https://paychex.com/secure/whitepapers/hr-pulse-2019

Mark C. Crowley @MarkCCrowley
You never know when you might end up working with the same people (or boss) again so always quit a job with the highest professionalism. Give 2 weeks notice, ensure your boss is the first to know. And even if that boss treated you badly, leave on the best terms possible.

Dr N S Rajan @RajanNS
Some bosses do work hard; just to make their team work so much harder.

Angel Biz Advisors @AngelBiz
Surprising Reasons Why Your Employees Are Not Motivated: http://ow.ly/WbCr30pmgiZ #HR #smallbiz

Hannah Morgan @careersherpa
The Best LinkedIn Profiles for Job Seekers Rock These 10 Fields (according to a recruiter) by @DonnaSvei – https://buff.ly/30fD1Fj #LinkedIn #profile #jobsearchtips

New York milk production edges up in June

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New York dairy farmers produced 1.279 billion pounds of milk in June, up 0.2 percent from 1.277 billion pounds in the year-ago period, the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) recently reported. Production per cow in the state averaged 2,040 pounds in June, down 0.5 percent from 2,050 pounds a year earlier. The number of

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New York egg production rises 2 percent in June

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New York farms produced 138.2 million eggs in June, up 2 percent from 135.5 million eggs in the year-ago period, the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) recently reported. The number of layers in the Empire State averaged 5.64 million in June, up 1.1 percent from 5.58 million layers in the year-prior month. June egg

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Broome County hotel occupancy rate falls almost 2 percent in June

Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

BINGHAMTON — Hotels in Broome County were less full in June than in the year-earlier month, according to a recent report. The hotel occupancy rate (rooms sold as a percentage of rooms available) in the county slipped 1.7 percent to 65.3 percent in June from 66.5 percent a year ago according to STR, a Tennessee–based

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Onondaga County hotel occupancy rate falls more than 14 percent in June

Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

SYRACUSE — Hotels in Onondaga County welcomed substantially fewer guests in June than in the year-ago month, according to a recent report. The hotel occupancy rate (rooms sold as a percentage of rooms available) in the county plummeted 14.2 percent to 63.4 percent in June from 74 percent a year earlier, according to STR, a

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Empire State manufacturing index remains steady in August

Manufacturing & Engineering, Subscriber Only

The Empire State Manufacturing Survey general business-conditions index rose half a point to 4.8 in August, pointing to “two months of modest growth” after a brief decline in manufacturing activity in June. In July, the index jumped 13 points to 4.3 to “climb out of negative territory” after plummeting 26 points to -8.6 in June,

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In July, the index jumped 13 points to 4.3 to “climb out of negative territory” after plummeting 26 points to -8.6 in June, representing its “largest monthly decline on record.”

The August reading of 4.8 beat economists’ expectations for an index number of 0.5, according to a Dow Jones survey.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York said in its Aug. 15 report that the latest results indicate “business activity increased modestly in New York.” A positive index number indicates expansion or growth in manufacturing activity, while a negative reading points to a decline in the sector.

The August survey found that 27 percent of respondents reported that conditions had improved over the month, while 22 percent reported that conditions had worsened, the New York Fed said.

Survey details

The new-orders index climbed above zero, and at 6.7, indicated that orders increased. Unfilled orders declined for a third consecutive month.

Delivery times were “steady,” and inventories rose for the first time since April. Meanwhile, the shipments index moved slightly higher to 9.3, pointing to an increase in shipments, the New York Fed said.

The index for number of employees held below zero for a third consecutive month, coming in at -1.6, and the average workweek index was at -1.3, pointing to “ongoing sluggishness” in employment levels and hours worked.

The prices-paid index edged down 2 points to 23.2, “suggesting a slightly slower” pace of input-price increases than in July.

The prices-received index was little changed at 4.5, with selling-price increases maintaining a modest pace.

Indexes assessing the six-month outlook suggested that firms were “somewhat less optimistic” about future conditions than they were the prior month.

The index for future business conditions fell 5 points to 25.7, and the index for future new orders also moved lower. Firms expected increases in employment levels but no change in the average workweek in the months ahead.

The capital expenditures index rose 4 points to 23.2, and the technology spending index moved up to 17.4.

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.

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