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

Syracuse Crunch hire Veilleux as assistant coach
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The Tampa Bay Lightning have hired Éric Veilleux as an assistant coach for their top minor-league affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, the local

WellNow Urgent Care opens office in Clay
CLAY, N.Y. — WellNow Urgent Care on Wednesday opened its newest facility at 3840 State Route 31 in Clay, its sixth Onondaga County office. The

ADHD & Autism Psychological Services buys Syracuse property for more than $1M
SYRACUSE — ADHD & Autism Psychological Services and Advocacy PLLC recently purchased the 11,134-square-foot office building located at 1031 East Fayette St., in Syracuse for more than $1 million. Cushman & Wakefield/Pyramid Brokerage Company announced that 1031 E Fayette Associates sold the property in June for $1,018,000. Christopher Savage and Samuel Vulcano of Cushman &
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SYRACUSE — ADHD & Autism Psychological Services and Advocacy PLLC recently purchased the 11,134-square-foot office building located at 1031 East Fayette St., in Syracuse for more than $1 million.
Cushman & Wakefield/Pyramid Brokerage Company announced that 1031 E Fayette Associates sold the property in June for $1,018,000. Christopher Savage and Samuel Vulcano of Cushman & Wakefield/Pyramid Brokerage represented the buyer in the transaction.
ADHD & Autism Psychological Services and Advocacy says it provides outpatient mental-health treatment for individuals ages 2 years and older, including assessment for developmental disabilities, especially ADHD and autism spectrum disorders. It also has a Utica location in addition to the one in Syracuse.
Five Star Bank parent to pay quarterly dividend of 25 cents on July 2
WARSAW, N.Y. — Financial Institutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: FISI), parent of Five Star Bank, will pay a quarterly cash dividend of 25 cents a share per common share outstanding for the latest quarter. The banking company said it will pay the dividend on July 2, to shareholders of record on June 14. The dividend is the
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WARSAW, N.Y. — Financial Institutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: FISI), parent of Five Star Bank, will pay a quarterly cash dividend of 25 cents a share per common share outstanding for the latest quarter.
The banking company said it will pay the dividend on July 2, to shareholders of record on June 14.
The dividend is the same amount that Financial Institutions paid last quarter, when it boosted the payment by one cent over the prior quarter.
Five Star Bank, based in Warsaw in Wyoming County, has more than 50 branches throughout Western and Central New York. Its CNY branches include offices in Auburn, Geneva (2), Seneca Falls, Elmira (2), and Horseheads.
Financial Institutions and its subsidiaries employ about 700 people.

EDOS Manufacturers’ Reps leases 12,000-square-foot space at Salina Industrial Powerpark
SALINA — EDOS Manufacturers Reps, Inc. recently leased about 12,000 square feet of industrial warehouse space at the Salina Industrial Powerpark at 1 General Motors Drive. Paul Mackey and John Clark of Cushman & Wakefield/Pyramid Brokerage Company represented the landlord, Racer Trust, in this transaction, according to a news release from the real-estate firm. Donald
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SALINA — EDOS Manufacturers Reps, Inc. recently leased about 12,000 square feet of industrial warehouse space at the Salina Industrial Powerpark at 1 General Motors Drive.
Paul Mackey and John Clark of Cushman & Wakefield/Pyramid Brokerage Company represented the landlord, Racer Trust, in this transaction, according to a news release from the real-estate firm. Donald O’Leary represented the tenant.
EDOS Manufacturers Reps is a wholesaler of heating and plumbing products across New England and upstate New York. The Granby, Massachusetts–based company was founded in 1975.
Some recent tweets that came across the @cnybj Twitter feed, offering various small business, tech, HR, career, and personal tips. SBA @SBAgovSBA’s MaTCH Pilot Competition will help address the job skills and placement gaps faced by U.S. businesses. And, there’s up to $1 million in total prizes to fund selected winning proposals — http://ow.ly/1p6P50ulnCd Jem
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Some recent tweets that came across the @cnybj Twitter feed, offering various small business, tech, HR, career, and personal tips.
SBA @SBAgov
SBA’s MaTCH Pilot Competition will help address the job skills and placement gaps faced by U.S. businesses. And, there’s up to $1 million in total prizes to fund selected winning proposals — http://ow.ly/1p6P50ulnCd
Jem Bahaijoub @jembahaijoub
“Allow room for your team to be accountable and make decisions. This helps them feel they have a direct impact on your company’s success.” https://buff.ly/2KEDImD Some great #leadership tips for #SmallBiz owners.
Entrepreneur @Entrepreneur
Why Embracing Failure Is Good for Business: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/315384
Small Business Expo @SmallBizExpo
Acquire Traffic and Drive Revenue With This $11 Digital Marketing Course http://twib.in/l/MxE67rgBq4eM
Erica Burdett @MsEricaVertica
How to use #AI technology to enhance the buying and selling experience on your site? The following article will give you an idea. http://bit.ly/2Xm3SkC
PwC @PwC
Trains, planes and automobiles – where is the mobile workplace headed? https://pwc.to/2WU4Np9
Elaine Beare @elainebeare
#LinkedIn’s Top #InterviewQuestions to Assess #SoftSkills Are Here (You Can Use Them Too) via @MSchneiderTwts @Inc #HR https://buff.ly/31NBdV8
Mark C. Crowley @MarkCCrowley
Learn To Wear Many Hats: Deloitte says within 10 Yrs, 70-90% of workers will be in hybrid jobs or super-jobs: positions combining tasks once performed by people in two or more traditional roles. Orgs will want fewer specialists & more problem-solving generalists.
Dave Ulrich @dave_ulrich
People work for meaning and purpose, but without winning in the marketplace (making profit), there is no work. Leaders become both meaning makers and market creators.
Work Coach Café @WorkCoachCafe
#JobSearchTip – Sick & Tired of your long #jobsearch? 5 ways to land your new job faster! By @CareerSherpa — https://buff.ly/2Cu7BjN
Colette Robicheau @colettecoaches
60 Great Business and #Leadership Books, All Written By Women @jeff_haden https://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/60-great-business-and-leadership-books-all-written-by-women.html … via @Inc #Career
Mitch Mitchell @Mitch_M
Are We Wasting Time Trying To Reach Our Goals Or Perfection? http://www.syracusewiki.com/trying-to-reach-goals-perfection/ … #motivation
Syracuse University @SyracuseU
Did you know you can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease simply by going on vacation? A new study by #SyracuseU professors reveals medical proof that vacations are good for your heart. http://ow.ly/Xk2y50uJfvJ
Lori Shemek, PhD @LoriShemek
Did You Know? Fat and protein are necessary for health but carbohydrates are not. Your body can synthesize glucose from amino acids from protein if need be, and your body can run on ketones (from fat) rather than glucose very efficiently.

AIS adds new Rome office for unit handling contract work
ROME — Nearly 45 employees of Rome–based Assured Information Security (AIS) are working in a new office not far from the firm’s headquarters. AIS has opened a new office at 160 Brooks Road in Rome, which is located across the road from the company’s main office. The company’s SecureView unit is using the new office
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ROME — Nearly 45 employees of Rome–based Assured Information Security (AIS) are working in a new office not far from the firm’s headquarters.
AIS has opened a new office at 160 Brooks Road in Rome, which is located across the road from the company’s main office. The company’s SecureView unit is using the new office space, AIS says.
AIS is leasing the more than 13,000-square-foot space from Community Bank, Erin Bushinger, senior manager of marketing & communications, tells CNYBJ.
The company on June 6 held a formal-opening event at its new office space that included officials from the Rome Area Chamber of Commerce.
The U.S. Air Force recently awarded AIS a $93.6 million indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract, allowing for the performance of work in support of VIPER software baselines through April 2026. VIPER is short for virtualized intelligence platform engineering and research.
SecureView, a unit within the cross-domain virtualization solutions (CDVS) group at AIS, will be handling this work for Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) in Rome. AFRL is also known as Rome Lab.
“We have a dedicated training room to support our monthly SecureView training classes and a large test lab which will support customer specific engineering, troubleshooting and support,” Sue Stein, program manager at AIS, said in a company news release. “There is also a conference room equipped with video teleconferencing equipment, so we can easily meet with our remote employees and customers, which is extremely important to us.”
Founded in 2001, AIS operates locations across the U.S. offering cybersecurity capabilities and services.
AIS says it has “doubled its workforce, more than quadrupled its revenue, acquired three companies and expanded to 10 locations” in the past six years.

Most regional unemployment rates declined in May
Regional job growth numbers were mixed Unemployment rates in the Syracuse, Utica–Rome, Watertown-Fort Drum, Binghamton, and Elmira regions declined in May compared to a year ago, while the jobless rate in the Ithaca area was unchanged. The figures were part of the latest New York State Department of
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Regional job growth numbers were mixed
Unemployment rates in the Syracuse, Utica–Rome, Watertown-Fort Drum, Binghamton, and Elmira regions declined in May compared to a year ago, while the jobless rate in the Ithaca area was unchanged.
The figures were part of the latest New York State Department of Labor data released on June 25.
On the job-growth front, the Syracuse, Watertown–Fort Drum, Ithaca, and Elmira regions gained jobs between May 2018 and this past May.
Bucking the trend, the Utica–Rome and Binghamton areas lost jobs in the same period.
That’s according to the latest monthly employment report that the New York State Department of Labor issued June 20.
Regional unemployment rates
The jobless rate in the Syracuse area was 3.7 percent in May, down from 3.9 percent in May 2018.
In the other CNY areas, the unemployment rate in the Utica–Rome region fell to 3.9 percent from 4 percent; in the Watertown–Fort Drum area, it dipped to 4.5 percent from 4.8 percent; the rate fell in the Binghamton region to 3.9 percent from 4.2 percent; it was unchanged in the Ithaca metro area at 3.2 percent; and the rate fell in the Elmira region to 3.8 percent from 4.4 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 rose from 3.9 percent to 4.0 percent in May. The state unemployment rate was higher than the U.S. unemployment rate of 3.6 percent in that month.
The May statewide unemployment figure of 4 percent was down from 4.2 percent in May 2018, according to department figures.
“The slowdown this month in New York State’s labor market reflects the weak national jobs report in May, as private-sector payrolls in the U.S. increased by less than 100,000, when a gain of 200,000 is more typical. The state’s monthly jobs data can be volatile and are subject to revision as more information becomes available. As a result, it is necessary to observe several months of data before establishing a trend,” the state Labor Department noted in its June 20 report.
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.
May jobs data
The Syracuse region gained 6,200 jobs in the past year, up 1.9 percent.
The Utica–Rome area lost 900 jobs, a decrease of 0.7 percent; the Binghamton region shed 800 jobs, a decline of 0.8 percent; the Watertown–Fort Drum area gained 300 jobs, an increase of 0.7 percent; the Ithaca region picked up 1,600 positions, a rise of 2.4 percent; and the Elmira area added 100 jobs, up 0.3 percent.
New York state as a whole gained more than 95,000 jobs, an increase of 1.0 percent, in that 12-month period. The state economy lost nearly 14,000 jobs, a 0.1 percent dip, in May compared to April, the labor department said.

CNY Point of Sale: A small business advocating for small businesses
In 2015, Cortland became home to the technology development company called CNY Point of Sale (Catch Clients LLC). Jonathan Milton, CEO and chief technical officer, is no stranger to the small-business lifestyle. So, it should come as no surprise that he would be familiar with the many needs of small-business owners. In fact, he has spent
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In 2015, Cortland became home to the technology development company called CNY Point of Sale (Catch Clients LLC). Jonathan Milton, CEO and chief technical officer, is no stranger to the small-business lifestyle. So, it should come as no surprise that he would be familiar with the many needs of small-business owners. In fact, he has spent years developing a knowledge base and a passion for small businesses that he now uses to serve his customer base.
A graduate of the University of Miami Business School, Milton proved his passion for small business early on when he founded the Miami Business School Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Club. Before graduating from the university in 2004, Jonathan was presented the opportunity to open a restaurant in Miami called ‘The Sake Club’ with a few classmates. The experience of starting, owning, and operating a restaurant from scratch with little to no experience was invaluable.
Unfortunately, partly due to his inexperience at the time, the restaurant eventually closed. Devastated, Milton vowed never to repeat his past mistakes. He has spent over a decade gaining the experience necessary to make sure other businesses have the tools they need to succeed and thrive. Jonathan relates his empathy often, saying “at CNY Point of Sale, we know that running a small business is a lot of work. We’ve dedicated ourselves to helping small businesses prosper through effective technology solutions. We love connecting great businesspeople with great technology. With years of experience in point of sale systems, website management, customer relationship management, digital signage, and credit card processing we’re confident that we can help bring small businesses to a new level.”
Every startup needs guidance to succeed. That’s why Milton brought his own startup to the next level by reaching out to the Onondaga Small Business Development Center (SBDC) in 2017. After completing the “SBDC Fast Track to Business Start-Up” course Jonathan stayed in contact with me. Having continuous business advisement helped him concentrate on making connections, business planning, and presentations. Jonathan’s continuing education eventually enabled him to place second in the 2018 Cortland County Pitch Competition.

Milton has said that he started to work with a local small-business advisor because “starting a technology-based business in upstate New York is challenging, especially during product development. The SBDC has been able to connect us with the right information and contacts regarding grants, business plan competitions, and legal counsel, as well as general feedback and guidance. In a relatively small town, I’m not sure who else I could turn to get this level of advice.”
At CNY Point of Sale, providing customers with the most up-to-date technology is a number one priority. The business is currently conducting a beta test on its latest software app, partially funded by its Cortland County Business Competition winnings. Customers will be able to use the app to display their business information online, helping them run their business-operation functions with a secure dashboard control panel. Created with the busy small-business owner in mind, this software will also provide multi-function capabilities without additional design or programming.
And the progress doesn’t stop there. While currently located on the third floor of the Cortland Corset Building at 75 E. Court St., Milton is working hard to scale his business. In addition to part-time sales personnel, CNY Point of Sale has reached the milestone of hiring its first full-time employee. And, in the next 12 months, the firm expects to hire two more. CNY Point of Sale also recently announced on Twitter that it has been invited to join the Tech Garden in Syracuse.
As his business continues to expand, Jonathan will continue to work for his small-business customer base — making CNY Point of Sale a great model for how a successful small business can advocate for other local small businesses.
For more information on CNY Point of Sale, visit: cnypointofsale.com.
Advisor’s Business Tip: Early stage entrepreneurs need mentorship. Do not hesitate to reach out to business experts for the information and knowledge you do not yet possess. It will enhance your chances of success.
Paul Brooks is a certified business advisor with the Onondaga SBDC. Contact him at p.c.brooks@sunyocc.edu

Orgill’s $68M Rome distribution center to serve Northeast customers
ROME — Collierville, Tennessee–based Orgill Inc. has distribution centers in places like Inwood, West Virginia and London, Ontario, and it will soon add a Central New York location to that list. Orgill — which says it’s the world’s largest independent hardlines distributor — plans to build a 780,000-square-foot distribution center in Rome, its first such
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ROME — Collierville, Tennessee–based Orgill Inc. has distribution centers in places like Inwood, West Virginia and London, Ontario, and it will soon add a Central New York location to that list.
Orgill — which says it’s the world’s largest independent hardlines distributor — plans to build a 780,000-square-foot distribution center in Rome, its first such facility in the northeastern U.S.
With it, the firm will create 225 new jobs, the office of Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on June 21.
Orgill will build the distribution center, the company’s first in New York state, in the Griffiss Business and Technology Park. The company plans to spend
$68 million to construct and equip the facility, which will serve Orgill’s customers throughout the Northeast.
“Over the past few years we at EDGE have adapted our business-development strategy to target site selectors. It is from that strategic relationship that this project was identified,” Steven DiMeo, president of Mohawk Valley EDGE, said in a news release issued by the governor’s office. “Our team was then able to work with [Memphis, Tennessee–based] J.M. Mullis, Inc. who represented Orgill on this competitive site search, Empire State Development, and Orgill to find a location and workforce that met their needs. We are excited that Rome and the Griffiss Business and Technology Park is that location.”
To encourage Orgill’s investment in the Mohawk Valley, Empire State Development has offered up to $3.5 million in performance-based Excelsior jobs program tax credits, which are tied directly to the creation of 225 jobs as well as the purchase of equipment and machinery, the state says.
The $68 million, 780,000-square-foot distribution center will have the potential to expand to 1 million square feet.
The new facility will be Orgill’s eighth distribution center. Besides the existing facilities in West Virginia and Ontario, Orgill has sites operating in Tifton, Georgia; Sikeston, Missouri; Hurricane, Utah; Kilgore, Texas; and Post Falls, Idaho.
Orgill serves more than 6,000 retail hardware stores, home centers, professional lumber dealers, and farm stores throughout the U.S. and Canada, and more than 50 countries around the world. Orgill will begin hiring key personnel in early 2020 “and will continue staffing of the facility closer to opening,” per the release.
The primary reason for the addition of the new Rome facility is to provide “faster and more efficient service” to Orgill’s growing customer base in the Northeast, the firm said.
The new facility will service customers in seven states throughout the Northeast, including New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.
Orgill currently serves the customers from its distribution center in West Virginia, but the addition of the new facility will streamline the delivery process, the company said.
Those interested in job opportunities should visit www.orgill.com/careers for more information as it becomes available.
“There were many positive things that led us to select Rome as the home for our newest distribution center, including the excellent workforce in the area and the assistance and cooperation of local officials,” Ron Beal, Orgill’s chairman and CEO, said in Cuomo’s release.
Stay up-to-date on the companies, people and issues that impact businesses in Syracuse, Central New York and beyond.