State program to help improve six Liverpool properties

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LIVERPOOL — Onondaga County expects the work will start later this year on an improvement project involving six properties in the village of Liverpool. The project involves funding from the New York Main Street program. Plans are to restore the properties to “better reflect the character of the village of Liverpool,” according to the office […]

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LIVERPOOL — Onondaga County expects the work will start later this year on an improvement project involving six properties in the village of Liverpool.

The project involves funding from the New York Main Street program. Plans are to restore the properties to “better reflect the character of the village of Liverpool,” according to the office of Onondaga County Executive J. Ryan McMahon II.

The restorations will include enhancing dated exteriors, along with new streetscapes and energy-efficient upgrades.

The properties involved are located at 101 & 105, 215, 223, 304, 316, and 324-326 First Street in the village, the county said.

McMahon announced the initiative on March 12 inside the Village Mall at 304 First St. in Liverpool.

“There will be $455,000 of county funding going toward this program; $270,000 of private-sector funding coming from the owners of the properties; and $279,000 from the New York State Main Street program. Also, there will be about $25,000 worth of streetscape dollars from the Village of Liverpool and the New York State Main Street program being put in,” McMahon said in his remarks inside the Village Mall.

The villages of Solvay and Camillus have also benefited from the Main Street program, McMahon noted.

“This is key because I’m going to be asking the [Onondaga County Legislature] for $1.5 million for a competitive process for other villages to have Main Street programs,” he added.

The New York Main Street program is part of the New York State Office of Homes and Community Renewal (HCR), per the HCR website.

The Main Street program “provides financial resources and technical assistance to communities to strengthen the economic vitality of the state’s traditional Main Streets and neighborhoods. The New York Main Street grant program provides funds to units of local government, and nonprofit organizations that are committed to revitalizing historic downtowns, mixed-use neighborhood commercial districts, and village centers,” the HCR website says.

5 Reasons Green Dentistry is Gaining Popularity

Business Mentors, Subscriber Only

For a growing number of patients, a trip to the dentist isn’t what it used to be — and that’s how they want it. Rather than just a routine “drill-and-fill” for a cavity, they may receive a head massage, meditative advice, and diet suggestions that would seem more befitting a gastroenterologist. What they won’t receive

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For a growing number of patients, a trip to the dentist isn’t what it used to be — and that’s how they want it.

Rather than just a routine “drill-and-fill” for a cavity, they may receive a head massage, meditative advice, and diet suggestions that would seem more befitting a gastroenterologist. What they won’t receive are traditional amalgam fillings — about 50 percent of which are composed of mercury, which has been associated with numerous health issues and is considered an environmental hazard.

This emerging branch of dentistry — which dental professionals say is largely patient-driven — is called “holistic” or “holistic biological.” Holistic dentists believe that poor oral health leads to poor physical health. They perform traditional procedures but consider the whole body — diet, lifestyle, emotional health — when treating teeth. They also focus on using what they consider to be safer materials.

It’s the opposite of common dental culture, which is simply “drill and fill.” Holistic dentistry is looking at and addressing the underlying causes for gum disease and cavities; for example, is it your diet, hormonal changes, or acid reflux?

For many years in the dental profession, it was assumed that your oral health had only a tangential effect on your overall health. We now know better.

Here are five reasons holistic dentistry is trending up as a treatment approach by patients.

• Focus on the whole body and root cause. Holistic dentistry looks beyond symptoms to find root causes for dental issues while expanding methods of preventive care. It’s a deeper look at patients that offers them numerous benefits when considering diet and lifestyle and how it all connects with oral health.

• Minimally-invasive treatments. The focus is on helping patients avoid unnecessary, painful, and drawn-out procedures that can hurt overall well-being. That doesn’t mean sacrificing high-tech treatments for disease. Laser treatments for gum disease and cleaning are one example of minimally-invasive. The latter does a great job of destroying bacteria that are the biggest danger to your oral health. Air abrasion and ozone therapy are effective other effective minimally-invasive procedures.

• Biocompatible and non-toxic materials. Holistic dentists will remove amalgam (mercury) fillings and favor dental appliances made from more natural substances. A traditional approach to dentistry often uses mercury fillings or crowns and other harmful materials when treating dental issues. Research has shown all kinds of health problems related to mercury, from thyroid issues to Alzheimer’s. Holistic dentistry will use non-toxic resins and materials fully compatible with the body.

• Alternatives to root canals. Holistic dentists are more likely to look at alternatives, such as herbs, laser therapy, or extractions. A key reason: Research shows unless root canals are completely sterilized and cleaned of all bacteria, the bacteria can get in the bloodstream can cause chronic health complications.

• Balances cosmetics and function. Missing, damaged, or crooked teeth can make you feel self-conscious and affect your quality of life. Holistic care takes a balanced approach to both form and function when developing a dental-care plan. For example, if you’re worried about stained teeth, holistic dentists guide you first to healthy foods that alleviate the problem.

Holistic dentistry is committed to making sure you’re comfortable, making your teeth last a lifetime, and using the most natural materials available.

Nammy Patel, DDS (www.sfgreendentist.com) operates a practice called Green Dentistry in San Francisco and is the author of “Age With Style: Your Guide To A Youthful Smile & Healthy Living.” Dr. Patel focuses on helping patients recognize the vital connection between dental health and whole-body health.

CNY areas post job growth, unemployment-rate declines

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Unemployment rates in the Syracuse, Utica–Rome, Watertown–Fort Drum, Binghamton, Ithaca, and Elmira regions declined in January compared to a year ago. The figures are part of the latest New York State Department of Labor data released March 12. The Syracuse, Utica–Rome, Watertown–Fort Drum, Binghamton, and Elmira areas gained jobs between January 2018 and this past

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Unemployment rates in the Syracuse, Utica–Rome, Watertown–Fort Drum, Binghamton, Ithaca, and Elmira regions declined in January compared to a year ago.

The figures are part of the latest New York State Department of Labor data released March 12.

The Syracuse, Utica–Rome, Watertown–Fort Drum, Binghamton, and Elmira areas gained jobs between January 2018 and this past January. Bucking the trend, the Ithaca region lost jobs in that period.

That’s according to the latest monthly employment report that the New York State Department of Labor issued March 7.

Regional unemployment rates

The jobless rate in the Syracuse area fell to 4.7 percent in January from 6 percent a year before.

The Utica–Rome region’s rate was 5.1 percent, down from 6.4 percent; the Watertown–Fort Drum area had a 6.7 percent jobless rate, down from 8.4 percent; the Binghamton region posted 5.3 percent, down from 6.8 percent; the Ithaca area had a 3.8 percent unemployment rate, off from 4.7 percent; and the Elmira region came in at 4.5 percent, compared to 6.2 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.

January job-growth data

The Syracuse region gained 5,900 jobs in the past year, up 1.9 percent.

The Utica–Rome metro area gained 600 positions, an increase of 0.5 percent; the Watertown–Fort Drum region picked up 300 jobs, up 0.7 percent; the Elmira area gained 100 positions, a rise of 0.3 percent; the Binghamton region gained 600 jobs, up 0.6 percent; and the Ithaca area lost 100 positions in the past year, off 0.2 percent.

New York state as a whole gained 109,000 jobs, an increase of 1.2 percent, in that 12-month period. The state economy gained 9,800 jobs, a 0.1 percent rise, from December to January, the labor department said.

New York Air Brake acquires Missouri locomotive-equipment firm

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WATERTOWN — New York Air Brake LLC (NYAB has acquired the business assets of a Missouri firm and expects that a “complete integration” process will take between one year and 18 months. Watertown–based NYAB is purchasing the assets of Snyder Equipment Company, Inc., a Nixa, Missouri–based manufacturer of locomotive fueling and servicing equipment as well

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WATERTOWN — New York Air Brake LLC (NYAB has acquired the business assets of a Missouri firm and expects that a “complete integration” process will take between one year and 18 months.

Watertown–based NYAB is purchasing the assets of Snyder Equipment Company, Inc., a Nixa, Missouri–based manufacturer of locomotive fueling and servicing equipment as well as locomotive-component remanufacturing, NYAB said in a March 15 news release.

New York Air Brake didn’t disclose the terms of the acquisition. The company said the transaction represents a “continuation of NYAB’s strategic plan to diversify and expand its current capabilities and strong geographic reach.”

NYAB, which is part of the Knorr-Bremse Group, develops and supplies air-brake control systems and components; electronically controlled braking systems; foundation brakes; training simulators; train-handling systems, and wayside equipment to the rail industry.

Based in Munich, Germany, Knorr-Bremse is a manufacturer of braking systems for rail and commercial vehicles.

The transaction will immediately establish Snyder as a division of NYAB, incorporating the complete lineup of Snyder’s existing brands, products, sales, service, and manufacturing operations.

As of March 15, Snyder is now conducting business under the name of Snyder Equipment, a division of New York Air Brake LLC.

“With the addition of Snyder’s top-line products to our portfolio, railroad and support service customers will be able to turn to NYAB as a one-stop destination for an even wider range of high-quality products and services,” Ulisses Camilo, New York Air Brake president and CEO, contended in the release.

G. Samuel Benson, former president and CEO of Snyder, will continue in his current role as head of the division, NYAB said.

With the addition of Snyder Equipment, New York Air Brake “further strengthens” its air-supply product offering and adds wayside systems and service to better meet the needs of the North American market, per its release.

“Snyder has been an integral partner with its railroad customers in identifying opportunities and designing products to meet their challenges, from the equipment used to supply water to steam locomotives, to complete servicing systems for today’s powerful diesel electric locomotives,” Jason Connell, senior VP of marketing, sales, and service at New York Air Brake, said.

New York Air Brake now has more than 850 employees, a figure that includes the 100 employees at Snyder Equipment Company, Barbara Gould, a spokesperson for New York Air Brake, said in an email response to a CNYBJ inquiry.

It operates manufacturing plants in Nixa, Missouri; Riverside, Missouri; Salisbury, North Carolina; West Chicago, Illinois; and Wheatland, Missouri; along with Train Dynamic Systems (TDS), a technology development unit located in Irving, Texas. New York Air Brake has been serving the rail industry since 1890.

The Nixa, Missouri and Wheatland, Missouri manufacturing plants are part of the Snyder Equipment acquisition deal, Gould noted.

With state help, Tractor Supply opens distribution center in Herkimer County

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FRANKFORT — Tractor Supply Company’s new distribution center in the town of Frankfort in Herkimer County currently services more than 140 Tractor Supply stores. The facility has the potential to service over 200 stores in the Northeast region within its first year of operation, the Brentwood, Tennessee–based firm said in a news release. Tractor Supply

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FRANKFORT — Tractor Supply Company’s new distribution center in the town of Frankfort in Herkimer County currently services more than 140 Tractor Supply stores.

The facility has the potential to service over 200 stores in the Northeast region within its first year of operation, the Brentwood, Tennessee–based firm said in a news release.

Tractor Supply on March 14 formally opened its distribution center. It has already created more than 280 local jobs, with plans to create more than 350 full-time jobs in the first five years.

The new 925,000-square-foot location will help service the “growing needs” of the company’s stores throughout the Northeast, as well as its online customers, according to the office of Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

When asked about the project cost, the company tells CNYBJ, “Tractor Supply made a substantial investment spread over several years that’s necessary as we continue our store growth.”

The construction of this project is the “largest economic-development project in 30 years in Herkimer County,” Cuomo’s office said. It’s located in the Frankfort 5S South Business Park.

Jackson, Tennessee–based H&M Company Inc. handled the design work and construction on the distribution center, according to Tractor Supply.

Tractor Supply Company is described as the country’s largest rural lifestyle retailer.

“This new distribution center allows us to expand our store base in the Northeastern corridor of the country and better serve our existing customers with faster, more efficient delivery to our stores, while expanding our digital-fulfillment strategy,” Greg Sandfort, CEO of Tractor Supply Company, said in the release.

The Frankfort distribution center is Tractor Supply’s eighth center nationwide.

Empire State Development has committed up to $3 million in performance-based Excelsior Jobs Program tax credits, which are tied directly to the creation of 350 new jobs over the next five years.

New York State Homes and Community Renewal awarded Herkimer County $750,000 in Community Development Block Grant economic-development funds to support the project.

In addition, the New York Power Authority has allocated more than 1.3 megawatts of low-cost hydropower to the Village of Frankfort for the direct benefit of Tractor Supply.

Tractor Supply Company (NASDAQ: TSCO) has more than 29,000 employees. It sells products both in stores and online. As of Dec. 29, 2018, the company operated 1,765 Tractor Supply stores in 49 states and an e-commerce website.

Egg production on New York farms drops 1 percent in January

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New York farms produced 139.7 million eggs in January, down 1 percent from 140.6 million eggs in the year-earlier period, the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) recently reported. The total number of layers in the Empire State slipped 0.4 percent in January to 5.53 million from 5.56 million a year prior. New York egg production per

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Cuomo: New seven-year power agreement with Alcoa preserves 450 jobs at Massena facility

Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Energy, Environment & Sustainability, New York News

The new seven-year agreement is subject to approval by the NYPA board of trustees. Cuomo is recommending the board vote in support of the proposed

State: Tax preparers who ignore state rules face penalties

Law, Accounting & Taxes, Subscriber Only

The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance says tax preparers must meet “several” obligations to avoid possible penalties and revocation of their authorization to file tax returns in New York. The department made the statement in a Feb. 11 news release announcing that it had issued more than $453,000 in fines to noncompliant

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The department made the statement in a Feb. 11 news release announcing that it had issued more than $453,000 in fines to noncompliant tax professionals. The dollar-figure in fines is combined for the calendar years 2017 and 2018, James Gazzale, a department spokesman, said in an email response to a CNYBJ inquiry.

The obligations include registering with New York State, paying an annual fee, and filing electronically. Preparers must also sign all returns they prepare and provide a copy of the return to the taxpayer.

They must also ensure all information submitted is “accurate and truthful” and meet continuing-education requirements each year, the department said.

“Tax professionals, with access to the sensitive personal information of clients, must be held to a high standard,” Nonie Manion, the department’s acting commissioner, said in the release. “While most are honest professionals intent on delivering exceptional services, the relatively few unreliable or unethical practitioners can tarnish the industry and cause serious problems for their clients.”

The department listed the penalties if tax preparers don’t meet specific requirements. The penalty is $5,000 for submitting a fraudulent return, $250 for failing to register, and $250 per return filed for failing to sign a completed return.

In addition, the penalty is $100 per return filed up to $2,500 for failing to include a registration number.

If a tax preparer doesn’t file electronically or fails to submit an annual registration fee, the penalty is $50 per return filed. The penalty is also $50 per return filed up to $25,000 for not providing a copy of the return to the taxpayer.

The department also provided the following example.

If tax preparers fail to register or pay the annual fee; submit 40 income tax returns without their signature or registration number; fail to electronically file the returns; and fail to provide clients with a copy of the return, the Tax Department could assess nearly $19,000 in fines.

Hancock Estabrook boosts real-estate practice with deal

Law, Accounting & Taxes, Subscriber Only

SYRACUSE — A Syracuse law firm known for its commercial real-estate practice will combine with Hancock Estabrook, LLP, effective May 1. Hancock Estabrook, which is also based in the Salt City, didn’t release any financial terms of its agreement with Shulman Grundner Etoll & Danaher, P.C. Attorneys C. Daniel Shulman, Charles Grundner, Stephen Etoll, and

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SYRACUSE — A Syracuse law firm known for its commercial real-estate practice will combine with Hancock Estabrook, LLP, effective May 1.

Hancock Estabrook, which is also based in the Salt City, didn’t release any financial terms of its agreement with Shulman Grundner Etoll & Danaher, P.C.

Attorneys C. Daniel Shulman, Charles Grundner, Stephen Etoll, and Christian Danaher are joining Hancock Estabrook as partners, the firm announced March 4.

The two law firms have worked together on many different matters over the years, says Timothy Murphy, managing partner at Hancock Estabrook.

“It really got finalized in the last quarter of 2018. That’s when things really came together,” he tells CNYBJ in a March 7 phone interview.

With the addition of the new partners, the number of attorneys at Hancock Estabrook will increase to 64 as of May 1, says Murphy.

Besides the lawyers, three support staff members will also join the law firm to bring its total employee count to 117, he adds. The attorneys and support staff will be moving to the Hancock Estabrook office inside Axa Tower I at 100 Madison St. in downtown Syracuse.

Shulman Grundner Etoll & Danaher currently operates in space at 250 S. Clinton St. in Syracuse, per its website. The building’s owner is listed as 250 South Clinton LLC, according to Onondaga County’s online property records.

What Shulman brings

The Shulman firm “really has been the leading real-estate firm in upstate New York for the last 30 [to] 40 years,” Murphy contends.

“They really complement our existing practice and lot of our institutional and corporate clients need real-estate services … and bringing lawyers in of their caliber just really complements the real-estate practice that we already have,” he adds.

Working with Hancock Estabrook’s real-estate practice group, the new partners will focus on “all aspects” of commercial real estate. That includes land acquisitions and sales, construction loans and permanent financing, retail and office leasing, title insurance and “various other matters” related to real-estate development.

“I believe our firm’s expertise will complement [Hancock Estabrook’s] diverse practices, and we look forward to their attorneys being able to assist our firm’s existing clients in any number of practice areas outside of our core expertise of real estate. In considering the move, the fit between the two firms in this regard became obvious and we feel will be beneficial to both of us,” C. Daniel Shulman, senior partner of Shulman Grundner Etoll & Danaher, said in a Hancock Estabrook release.

In addition to its downtown Syracuse office, Hancock Estabrook has a location at the Gateway Center at 401 E. State St. in Ithaca. The firm provides legal services and representation for large corporations, small and medium-sized businesses, nonprofit institutions, governmental entities, and individuals.

Peters & Associates, CPAs acquires Utica firm

Law, Accounting & Taxes, Subscriber Only

SYRACUSE — Peters & Associates, CPAs, P.C. (P&A), a Syracuse–based accounting firm, recently announced it has completed the acquisition of a Utica–based CPA firm. P&A acquired Robertello & Harrington, CPAs, P.C. “The merger is expected to bring P&A additional revenue in excess of 25 percent,” the firm said in a news release. This transaction is

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