SUNY Poly renames nursing program

Get our email updates

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

MARCY, N.Y. — The Department of Nursing at SUNY Polytechnic Institute is now the School of Nursing, a change that reflects the program’s growth and

After weekend fire, City of Syracuse, developer still want Maria Regina College project to move forward

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Featured, Law, Accounting & Taxes, Nonprofits, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Syracuse Deputy Mayor Sharon Owens says city officials and the developer still want to move forward with plans to redevelop the former

Oneida Indian Nation selects New York businesses for Turning Stone project

Subscriber Only, Construction, Design & Real Estate, Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Mohawk Valley, New York News, Small Business, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism

VERONA, N.Y. — The Oneida Indian Nation’s renovation and expansion project at Turning Stone Resort Casino continues to support businesses based in the state. The Oneida Nation says it has selected 32 new businesses in the state to support aspects of the project. The businesses will provide a variety of services under the supervision of

Already an Subcriber? Log in

Get Instant Access to This Article

Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.

Learn More and Become a Subscriber

VERONA, N.Y. — The Oneida Indian Nation’s renovation and expansion project at Turning Stone Resort Casino continues to support businesses based in the state.

The Oneida Nation says it has selected 32 new businesses in the state to support aspects of the project. The businesses will provide a variety of services under the supervision of The Hayner Hoyt Corporation and TN Ward Company.

A number of the companies are in Central New York, the Mohawk Valley, and the Southern Tier. They include:

Bon-Ton Company; Butler Fence Co. Inc., Central New York Sheet Metal, Inc., CHA Design/Construction Solutions, Ferguson Electric/E-J Electric JV, John P. Stopen Engineering Partnership, JPW Structural Contracting, Inc., THHC/TNW, A Joint Venture, and Ultraclean of CNY, Inc., all of Syracuse; Bruce Electric, Inc. of East Syracuse; C.J. Marly Construction, Inc. of Marcellus; Carpets Wholesale, Inc., PASCO, and KSP Painting of Liverpool; Delta Engineers, Architects & Surveyors of Vernon; Virtual Design Construction Operations of Whitney Point; West Entities, Inc. of Oneida; Jon’s John Portable Toilets & Temporary Fencing of Mohawk; Lemoyne Interiors of East Syracuse; Menninger’s Cleaning Service of Bridgeport; Riccelli Trucking LLC of North Syracuse; Southern Tier Custom Fabricators, Inc. of Elmira; St. Germain & Aupperle Consulting Engineers, LLP of Camillus; and Victory Sign of Canastota.

“The Turning Stone evolution is creating significant opportunities for New York state businesses, and we are thrilled to be part of this project,” C.J. Marley Construction President Christopher Farnett said in a statement. The company will provide roofing, insulation, and sheet metal for The Crescent Hotel, The Grand Expo, and the new parking garage.

“The investment in the Turning Stone evolution and all of the subcontractors supporting it will help provide steady, good-paying work for our team members and encourage the growth of our business throughout the duration of this project and, we believe, for many years to come,” KSP VP Jeff Pisciarino said. KSP will provide painting and wallcovering services.

The Oneida Indian Nation and Turning Stone Enterprises have granted nearly 90 awards to businesses, including 60 in New York state, since work began last fall on the $370 million project. With an expected completion date of 2028, the project will add 165,000 square feet of conference and event space at Turning Stone. The Grand Expo is a new facility that will include a 30,000-square-foot grand ballroom and outdoor event spaces.

The new Crescent Hotel will add 258 rooms to complement the resort’s existing offerings at The Lodge, The Tower, and The Brook. It will also be home to Salt Seafood & Raw Bar.

A new 1,500-space parking garage will provide additional parking for the expanded amenities at Turning Stone.

Dinosaurs come alive at new Utica Zoo exhibit

Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Construction, Design & Real Estate, Education & Training, Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Featured, New York News, Nonprofits

UTICA, N.Y. — The Utica Zoo is adding a new international exhibit — Dino Discovery presented by The Flemma Group at Baird — from May

Melissa Fernalld

People on the Move

Strategic Financial Services, Inc., a leading independent wealth-management firm in Central New York, announced that Melissa Fernalld, senior advisor and partner, has earned the Certified

SU Chancellor: No “large-scale” layoffs to deal with federal spending cuts

Education & Training, Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Featured, Law, Accounting & Taxes, Nonprofits, Subscriber Only

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Syracuse University (SU) Chancellor Kent Syverud says SU isn’t planning mass layoffs or hiring freezes to deal with federal spending cuts announced since President Donald Trump took office back in January. Syverud recently updated SU’s University Senate on the school’s budget in response to federal spending cuts, per a Thursday announcement on

Already an Subcriber? Log in

Get Instant Access to This Article

Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.

Learn More and Become a Subscriber

Syverud recently updated SU’s University Senate on the school’s budget in response to federal spending cuts, per a Thursday announcement on the school’s news website.

“We’re not going to have large-scale layoffs. We’re not going to have across-the-board hiring freezes. We’re not going to have deep budget cuts or other drastic measures in graduate programs,” Syverud said, per the announcement.

He went on to emphasize “that doesn’t mean that we don’t have to be responsible as we’ve been all year” in delivering a balanced budget.

“Basically, what we’ve been doing since August is asking every unit, school, and college to identify efficiencies and realign their resources in ways that really make sense. That doesn’t mean there won’t be any changes, but they’ll be more consistent with the changes we do every year at Syracuse University in landing the plane or at least have been doing for recent times.”

Syverud also noted that if SU had done nothing since last August, the school would be facing a 3 percent budget deficit.

“By the way, 3% translates into millions of dollars. But if we can’t handle a 3% budget deficit humanely as managers and as a community, we’re not a very effective financial community, I believe,” Syverud said.

In his remarks, Syverud mentioned that Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland was laying off thousands of staff and instituting freezes of faculty hiring and graduate admissions.

“Really, I think you’ll see more of them, since a lot of academic institutions like to behave in a herd, and think behaving in a herd is the safe thing. I think you’ll see lots of institutions, including most of the AAU [Association of American Universities] doing things like this in the next couple of weeks,” Syverud said.

Syracuse will propose a balanced budget for fiscal year 2026, which it’ll submit to the board of trustees for approval, the chancellor added.

Karen Callahan

People on the Move

Karen Callahan, MSN, RN has been appointed the new chief clinical officer at Hematology-Oncology Associates of CNY (HOA). She will be overseeing all nursing, research,

MVHS, nurse union reach tentative agreement

Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Health Care, Insurance & Financial Services, Mohawk Valley, Nonprofits, Regional News

UTICA, N.Y. — The New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) announced nurses at Mohawk Valley Health System (MVHS) and Wynn Hospital reached a tentative contract

Hiring event set for Empower FCU Amphitheater at Lakeview

Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Education & Training, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The company that manages the Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater at Lakeview in the town of Geddes will host a hiring event

State accepting applications for 7th round of Grow-NY agribusiness competition

Energy, Environment & Sustainability, New York News, Small Business, Southern Tier, Subscriber Only

ITHACA, N.Y. — Firms interested in getting involved in the 7th round of the Grow-NY competition have until mid-May to apply. Empire State Development (ESD) says it’s now accepting applications for the food, beverage, and agriculture business competition. Organizers will select up to 20 “high-growth potential” food and agriculture startups from around the world as

Already an Subcriber? Log in

Get Instant Access to This Article

Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.

Learn More and Become a Subscriber

ITHACA, N.Y. — Firms interested in getting involved in the 7th round of the Grow-NY competition have until mid-May to apply.

Empire State Development (ESD) says it’s now accepting applications for the food, beverage, and agriculture business competition. Organizers will select up to 20 “high-growth potential” food and agriculture startups from around the world as finalists and compete for $3 million in total prize money, per ESD’s March 3 announcement.

Those interested must submit applications by 5 p.m. ET on May 15. To apply, visit the website: https://growny2025.skild.com/login

During the accelerator program, finalists will undergo a business-development phase, receiving dedicated mentorship from experienced entrepreneurs and introductions to potential regional partners. The Grow-NY region is a 22-county area spanning Central New York, the Finger Lakes, and the Southern Tier.

“The Grow-NY accelerator has been instrumental in attracting cutting-edge agribusiness companies from around the world and spurring private investment in the three targeted regions,” Hope Knight, president, CEO, and commissioner of Empire State Development, said in the announcement. “The seventh round will build on the foundational success of previous competition winners whose dynamic innovations and ideas are generating economic growth throughout Upstate.”

Grow-NY winners must commit to making a positive, measurable impact to the targeted region’s economies through job creation, strategic partnerships and other economic development activities. One grand-prize winner will receive $1 million, while two others will be awarded $500,000 prizes. Also, four more winners will take home $250,000 prizes.

Funding for Grow-NY is provided through New York State’s Upstate Revitalization Initiative’s three regional entities, including CNY Rising, Finger Lakes Forward and Southern Tier Soaring. The money is administered by Cornell University’s Center for Regional Economic Advancement.

The selected finalists will present their business plans to a panel of expert judges during the Grow-NY Summit on Nov. 12-13 in Canandaigua, in Ontario County. The event will also include a symposium of panel conversations and keynotes and a showcase of service providers for food and ag startups.

The program will also feature a student-stage portion in which middle-school and high-school students pitch their food and ag tech ideas, ESD noted.

Program history

Since the Grow-NY program launched in 2019, its winning startups have created new jobs and attracted millions of dollars of investment, ESD said.

The region is home to more than 40 percent of New York’s 30,650 farms and includes an abundance of fertile lands and fresh water. With major urban population centers such as Syracuse, Rochester, Ithaca, and Binghamton, the region also boasts research and development, education, and business resources that make it the “ideal place for startups to take root and grow,” ESD contends.

In Grow-NY’s first six years, more than 1,800 businesses in 44 unique states and 95 countries outside of the U.S. applied for the competition. In all, 117 startups have participated as finalists, with 42 winners sharing $18 million in startup funding in addition to the invaluable mentorship and networking benefits the program delivers to finalists.

Since competing in Grow-NY, past winners have continued to raise money, expand and succeed, ESD said.

Hempitecture, a $500,000 winner from the fourth round, is set to receive $8.42 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy to expand industrial hemp fiber processing and manufacturing capabilities in New York.

Through its partnership with Pat LaFrieda Meat Purveyors, fifth round winner Mush Foods has its 50CutTM burger available for more than 1,600 restaurants and food-service customers nationwide and is one of five startups to receive investments from Lever VC’s $50 million agrifood tech fund.

PureNanoTech, a sixth-round awardee, received a $250,000 grant from the New Jersey Commission on Science, Innovation and Technology shortly after winning $500,000 from Grow-NY.

“We’re thrilled to see Grow-NY startups validated by their customers, industry leaders, and investors,” Jenn Smith, program director for Grow-NY, said. “We see spectacular outcomes when startups join in where Upstate NY’s agrifood, innovation, and economic development communities converge, and we’re looking forward to seeing what this year’s application pool offers the competition.”

Get our email updates

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

Get our email updates

What's New

Upcoming Events

Project Homecoming Job & Career Fair 2025

Annual Nonprofit Conference 2026

2026 CenterState CEO Economic Forecast Breakfast

CNYBJ Job Board

Get Instant Access to This Article

Get Instant Access to This Article

Get Instant Access to This Article

Program history

Get our email updates