Broome County finishes bustling 2024 road-work season

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BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — The Broome County Highway Division has finished a record-setting roadwork season across Broome County that saw completed projects across 14 municipalities, County Executive Jason Garnar, Deputy Commissioner of Public Works Chet Kupiec, and other officials recently announced. For the 2024 construction season, more than 84 miles of roadway was fixed including 48.5 […]

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SBA accepts nominations for Small Biz Week Awards through early December

Small Business, Subscriber Only

SYRACUSE — The Syracuse-Upstate New York district office of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) says it will take nominations for the 2025 national and district Small Business Week Awards through early December. The honors include the annual Small Business Person of the Year Award. The SBA wants to recognize small businesses with “exceptional” innovation,

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Two Lewis County firms win $50,000 in startup funds

Small Business, North Country, Subscriber Only

LOWVILLE — Two Lewis County businesses will use a total of $50,000 in startup funding to help build their operations. Coffee & Clay Cafe will utilize $20,000 for startup equipment, furniture, and inventory for a new café and pottery studio in Constableville. At the same time, Hartley’s Meat Market will use $30,000 for startup equipment

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LOWVILLE — Two Lewis County businesses will use a total of $50,000 in startup funding to help build their operations.

Coffee & Clay Cafe will utilize $20,000 for startup equipment, furniture, and inventory for a new café and pottery studio in Constableville.

At the same time, Hartley’s Meat Market will use $30,000 for startup equipment and inventory for a retail meat market in Port Leyden.

Naturally Lewis awarded the funding on behalf of the Lewis County Development Corporation (LCDC) as part of the Launch Lewis County initiative. Launch Lewis County is made possible through a grant from the New York State Homes and Community Renewal’s Community Development Block Grant program. Launch Lewis County is a partnership between LCDC and Lewis County.

Based on state requirements, Launch Lewis County is a microenterprise grant program for low-to-moderate income entrepreneurs or for those creating a new, full-time position.

“As we are working to develop an entrepreneur-led economy, programs like Launch Lewis County are driving us forward,” Brittany Davis, executive director of Naturally Lewis, Inc., said in the announcement “Our partnership with Lewis County to administer the Launch Lewis County program has allowed small businesses and entrepreneurs to start and expand products and services, which in turn creates and retains jobs, creates unique experiences for residents and tourists, and ultimately enhances the tax base of Lewis County.”

Qualifying for funding

In order to qualify for the Launch Lewis County Microenterprise Grant program, businesses must have a small-business idea or a desire to innovate their existing small business.

In addition, an applicant must be considered low-to-moderate income based on 2023 income tax returns or create a new full-time job that will be made available to low-to-moderate-income people.

Applicants must also contribute at least 10 percent of total project costs and must complete their project by December 2025, Naturally Lewis said.

The economic-development agency says it’s currently seeking additional applicants for the Launch Lewis County grant program with $205,000 in grant funds still available.

For more information on the Launch Lewis County grant program and the process to apply for funds, you can visit naturallylewis.com/growing-opportunities/launchlc.

Oneida County property management firm certified as SDVOB

Small Business, Subscriber Only

ALBANY— New York State Office of General Services (OGS) Commissioner Jeanette Moy recently announced that 15 businesses across the state were certified as service-disabled veteran-owned businesses (SDVOB), including one small firm in Oneida County. The New York OGS Division of Service-Disabled Veterans’ Business Development (DSDVBD) issued the certification to C6 Property Management, which is a

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So Sweet Candy Shoppe moves to Clinton

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Mohawk Valley, Small Business, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

CLINTON — After more than three decades as a floral designer, Margaret Rienzo never planned to open her own business. However, a lifelong love of baking led to her second career as an entrepreneur and owner of So Sweet Candy Shoppe in Oneida County. Rienzo started the business in her home in Utica in 2005,

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Rienzo started the business in her home in Utica in 2005, making baked goods and candy that she sold at area farmers’ markets and festivals. In 2016, the business had grown enough that she opened her first brick and mortar So Sweet Candy Shoppe location in about 750 square feet on Varick Street in Utica.

“That location was really good for us,” she says of the space, which featured a tin ceiling that tied in perfectly with the old-time candy shop feel that Margaret and her husband, Roy, were seeking.

Along with cookies, biscotti, and French macarons, So Sweet Candy Shoppe sells a variety of house-made treats such as chocolate-covered sandwich cookies and truffles made by small chocolatiers. “Penny” candy selections include root-beer barrels, Necco Wafters, and other nostalgic favorites for 15 cents each.

After years of Roy Rienzo buying fudge from others, the couple began making their own fudge as well. “He makes so many varieties,” Margaret Rienzo adds, including traditional choices like chocolate and vanilla and fun flavors like rainbow sherbet.

The So Sweet Candy Shoppe location on Varick Street ultimately became too small for the growing business, she says, leading to the move into 1,000 square feet of space at 16 College St. in Clinton in the Coldwell Banker building.

“We needed more room,” Rienzo says. Now, the shop has room for two chocolate candy cases instead of one, and the business owners were able to redesign the shop’s fudge counter so they can cut slabs of fudge instead of only selling pre-packaged fudge. Slab-style fudge makes it easier to make layered flavors, and they have space now to make up to 33 pounds of fudge at a time.

To get the space ready, the Rienzos had to install the kitchen.

So Sweet Candy Shoppe isn’t entirely new to the Clinton area, having participated in the Clinton Farmer’s Market for the past 15 years, Rienzo says.

“We already had a presence here in Clinton, and people already know us,” she says. Many of those people have stopped in since the shop opened on Sept. 28.

“So far, I’m telling you, it’s been wonderful,” Rienzo says. “I have seen quite a few of my regular customers.” There have also been a lot of new customers stopping by to check things out.

Rienzo and her husband staff the shop alone and are gearing up for the busy holiday season.

“We do very well around the holidays,” she says. “We are big on stocking stuffers.” After Christmas, the shop will be busy making custom chocolate-covered strawberries for Valentine’s Day and chocolate bunnies for Easter.

So Sweet Candy Shoppe is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

New York manufacturing index contracts in October

Manufacturing & Engineering, Subscriber Only

New York manufacturers reported declines in new orders and shipments, and the general business conditions index of the monthly Empire State Manufacturing Survey again indicated sector contraction in October. The index plunged 23 points to -11.9 in the 10th month of the year. This followed a 16-point climb to 11.5 in September with manufacturing activity

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The index plunged 23 points to -11.9 in the 10th month of the year. This followed a 16-point climb to 11.5 in September with manufacturing activity expanding for the first time since November 2023 and hitting its highest level in 30 months.

The general business conditions index is the monthly gauge of New York state’s manufacturing sector.

Based on manufacturing companies responding to the survey, the October reading indicates business activity “contracted modestly” in New York state, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said in its Oct. 15 report.

A negative reading for the general business conditions index indicates a decline in the sector, while a positive index number shows expansion or growth in manufacturing activity.

The Empire State Survey found “new orders fell, and shipments edged lower,” the New York Fed said.

The survey report also found that “despite the weakness in general business conditions, optimism about the six-month outlook grew strongly,” per the New York Fed.

Survey details

The new-orders index fell 20 points to -10.2, and the shipments index dropped 21 points to -2.7, pointing to declines in both orders and shipments.

Unfilled orders were little changed. The inventories index fell 8 points to -7.5, indicating that inventories were lower. The delivery-times index edged down to -3.2, suggesting that delivery times were somewhat shorter. The supply-availability index fell 5 points to -7.5, a sign that supply availability “worsened” in October, the New York Fed said.

Despite the decline in activity, labor-market conditions improved. The index for number of employees climbed 10 points to 4.1, its first positive reading in a year, and the average-workweek index edged up to 4.7, pointing to small increases in employment levels and hours worked.

Price increases remained modest but “ticked up somewhat,” the prices-paid index rose 6 points to 29.0, and the prices-received index edged up 3 points to 10.8.

Though firms reported that activity declined overall this month, optimism about the outlook “grew strongly.”

The index for future business activity moved up 8 points to 38.7, a multi-year high, with 55 percent of respondents expecting conditions to improve over the next six months. Capital spending plans were “modestly positive,” the New York Fed said.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York 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 state. On average, about 100 executives return responses.

Syracuse Fire Department to hire up to 20 new firefighters

Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Law, Accounting & Taxes, Subscriber Only

Using nearly $7.6 million federal grant SYRACUSE — The Syracuse Fire Department will be able to hire up to 20 new firefighters after it was awarded a federal grant of nearly $7.6 million. The funds will cover 100 percent of the salary and benefits of the newly hired firefighters for three years. The FEMA grant

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Using nearly $7.6 million federal grant

SYRACUSE — The Syracuse Fire Department will be able to hire up to 20 new firefighters after it was awarded a federal grant of nearly $7.6 million.

The funds will cover 100 percent of the salary and benefits of the newly hired firefighters for three years.

The FEMA grant is the largest the department has ever been awarded, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D–N.Y.) and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D–N.Y.) said in their announcement.

The funding was allocated through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program, the lawmakers said.

“FEMA’s SAFER Grant will aid the Syracuse Fire Department in providing more efficient services to meet the needs of a city growing in population and new housing, increasing safety in our neighborhoods,” Syracuse Chief of Fire Michael Monds said in the announcement. “This grant will also better support those firefighters who serve our city bravely, protecting our community and those who live in it. I thank Senator Schumer for his continued attention to the needs of our department and city.”

Specifically, this grant will provide $7.59 million to hire 20 new firefighters.

“The Syracuse Fire Department has earned a reputation as one of the best fire departments in the nation. The SAFER and FEMA AFG Grants will help ensure our city has the appropriate staffing and training to meet the demands of a growing city,” Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh said in the announcement. “I thank Senator Schumer for his commitment to public safety and emergency services response for the people of the city of Syracuse.”

Schumer and Gillibrand have previously secured more than $5 million for the Syracuse Fire Department through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) and SAFER grant programs, including $1,991,532 in August 2016 to hire 12 new firefighters.

The Syracuse Fire Department was also awarded a SAFER grant for 12 firefighters in 2020 as well, per a separate announcement on the grant funding from the City of Syracuse.

This latest award comes after the lawmakers announced several rounds of AFG and SAFER funding earlier this year for fire departments across upstate New York. Schumer, who helped create the AFG and SAFER programs, said that since their inception, these programs have provided almost $700 million for firefighters across the Empire State, per Schumer’s office.

Programs extended

Earlier this year, Schumer applauded the signing of the Fire Grants and Safety Act, which extends the AFG and SAFER programs, to help keep firefighters and communities safe. Schumer explained that the AFG and SAFER programs have been a “lifeline” for fire departments across the state and have become essential to their continued operations.”

Fire departments, especially those in upstate New York, often face budget shortfalls and high costs that mean they cannot purchase the modern equipment they need to combat emergencies and keep firefighters safe.

FEMA administers the AFG and SAFER grant programs to provide funding directly to fire departments and volunteer firefighter interest organizations to purchase essential equipment and help them increase the number of trained, “front line” firefighters available in their communities.

The grants are awarded on a competitive basis to the applicants that “most closely address the program’s priorities and demonstrate financial need,” per Schumer’s office.

CTA filing deadline approaches, area law firm reminds clients

Law, Accounting & Taxes, Subscriber Only

SYRACUSE — Businesses face a key regulatory filing deadline at the end of this year under a federal law that seeks to prevent money laundering and other illicit financial transactions via companies. The filing deadline for the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) is Dec. 31, Syracuse law firm Mackenzie Hughes LLP reminded its clients in an

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The filing deadline for the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) is Dec. 31, Syracuse law firm Mackenzie Hughes LLP reminded its clients in an Oct.7 email.

The CTA is intended to address and guard against money laundering, terrorism financing, and other forms of illegal financing by mandating certain entities (primarily small and medium-size businesses) to report “beneficial owner” information to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).

Penalties for willfully violating the CTA’s filing requirements include (1) civil penalties of up to $591 per day, (2) a criminal fine of up to $10,000, and/or (3) imprisonment of up to two years, the law firm said.

The CTA was enacted on Jan. 1, 2021, as part of the National Defense Authorization Act, representing the most significant reformation of the Bank Secrecy Act and related anti–money laundering rules since the U.S. Patriot Act.

Entities required to file under the CTA will also have ongoing filing requirements when there is a change in owner information, including address change. Mackenzie Hughes then noted that the details of the ongoing CTA filing requirements aren’t part of the Oct. 7 announcement.

Entities dealing with the new CTA reporting requirements

Entities required to comply with the CTA include corporations, limited liability companies (LLCs), limited liability partnerships (LLPs) and other types of companies that are created by a filing with a Secretary of State (SOS) or equivalent official.

The CTA also applies to non–U.S. companies that register to do business in the U.S. through a filing with an SOS or equivalent official, the law firm said.

The filing requirements under the CTA have some exceptions. Many of the exceptions apply to entities already regulated by federal or state governments and already disclose their beneficial ownership information to governmental authorities.

Another notable exception is for “large operating companies” defined as businesses that meet requirements that include employing at least 20 full-time employees in the U.S.; generating U.S. gross revenue (or sales) of more than $5 million on the prior year’s tax return; and maintaining an operating presence at a physical office in the U.S.

“Beneficial owner” of a reporting company

The Mackenzie Hughes email then addressed the question of who is considered a “beneficial owner” of a reporting company?

A beneficial owner is any individual who, directly or indirectly, exercises “substantial control” or owns or controls at least 25 percent of the company’s ownership interests.

An individual exercises substantial control if the individual: (1) serves as a senior officer of the company; (2) has authority over the appointment or removal of any senior officer or a majority of the board; or (3) directs, determines, or has substantial influence over important decisions made by the reporting company.

Thus, senior officers and other individuals with control over the company are beneficial owners under the CTA, “even if they have no equity interest in the company,” per Mackenzie Hughes.

In addition, individuals may exercise control directly or indirectly, through board representation, ownership, rights associated with financing arrangements, or control over intermediary entities that separately or collectively exercise substantial control.

For a CTA filing, required information for each beneficial owner includes full legal name, residential address, date of birth, and a copy of front and back of current valid driver’s license.

Mackenzie Hughes also noted that those needing to do so can make filings with FinCEN at no cost using FinCEN’s website: https://www.fincen.gov/boi.

The assistance of counsel isn’t needed to make such filings, the law firm added.

Ask Rusty: Signing up for Social Security and Medicare Part B at 70

Business Mentors, Subscriber Only

Dear Rusty: I just turned 69 years old in August 2024 and am still working full time. I signed up for Medicare Part A, but it is my secondary insurance because I have great health insurance through where I work. My wife is retired and has Medicare Part A but, is on my insurance also,

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Dear Rusty: I just turned 69 years old in August 2024 and am still working full time. I signed up for Medicare Part A, but it is my secondary insurance because I have great health insurance through where I work. My wife is retired and has Medicare Part A but, is on my insurance also, and she is taking Social Security (SS). Our plan is for me to work until August 2026 when I become 71. I’ll file for SS when I turn 70, and bank all of it for a year until I retire. That is money we plan to use for travel and fun things. I have three questions: when should I file for my Social Security so it starts in September?; when do my wife and I file for Medicare Part B (with a supplement) so it starts in September?; and are there negative tax implications to this plan that I haven’t thought of?

Signed: Needing Info

Dear Needing Info: Sounds like you have a great strategy planned for your personal Social Security benefits and your Medicare Part B enrollment for both of you. To your questions:

If you will be 70 in August 2025, you can apply for Social Security about three months prior (May 2025). Just be sure to specify that you wish your SS benefits to start effective with the month of your 70th birthday. Signing up a few months early is perfectly okay — you will indicate your desired benefit start date on your application, and that is when SS will start your benefits. Remember, SS pays benefits in the month following the month earned, so your first payment will be received in September 2025 (on the 2nd Wednesday if you were born before the 11th of the month).

As for Medicare Part B coverage for you and your wife, both of you can enroll in Medicare Part B a couple of months prior to you leaving work, but request that Medicare Part B coverage starts in the month your work coverage ends. In other words, you can enroll in Medicare before you retire from work but request that your Part B coverage starts in the first month your employer coverage ends (to avoid any gap in health-care coverage). Obviously, you should begin your private supplemental health-care coverage to coincide with the start of your Medicare Part B coverage.

Regarding the tax implications, just be aware that a portion of your received Social Security benefits become taxable income if your modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) as a married couple exceeds certain thresholds. FYI, MAGI is your adjusted gross income (AGI) on your tax return, plus 50 percent of your received SS benefits, plus any non-taxable interest you may have had. If you file your taxes as “married/jointly” and your MAGI is more than $32,000, then 50 percent of the SS benefits you receive during the tax year becomes taxable income, or if your MAGI as a married couple is over $44,000 then up to 85 percent of the SS benefits received during the tax year becomes taxable income (at your normal IRS tax rate). Income tax on SS benefits occurs when your MAGI is over the thresholds for your tax-filing status, so you should plan accordingly. If your MAGI will be consistently over these thresholds after you retire from working, you may choose to have income tax withheld from your SS benefits, which is easy to do by submitting IRS FORM W-4V to your local Social Security office.

Russell Gloor is a national Social Security advisor at the AMAC Foundation, the nonprofit arm of the Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC). The 2.4-million-member AMAC says it is a senior advocacy organization. Send your questions to: ssadvisor@amacfoundation.org.

Author’s note: This article is intended for information purposes only and does not represent legal or financial guidance. It presents the opinions and interpretations of the AMAC Foundation’s staff, trained, and accredited by the National Social Security Association (NSSA). The NSSA and the AMAC Foundation and its staff are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Social Security Administration or any other governmental entity.

State agencies offer resources to help fill job openings

Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Law, Accounting & Taxes, Subscriber Only

ALBANY — New York State says it seeks to bolster recruitment for thousands of vacant openings with state agencies and says multiple resources are available for jobseekers. The New York State Department of Civil Service has partnered with the New York State Department of Labor in establishing the Centers for Careers in Government within specific

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ALBANY — New York State says it seeks to bolster recruitment for thousands of vacant openings with state agencies and says multiple resources are available for jobseekers.

The New York State Department of Civil Service has partnered with the New York State Department of Labor in establishing the Centers for Careers in Government within specific New York State Department of Labor Career Centers, the office of Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Sept. 17. It represents one of the many initiatives to fill public-service vacancies.

In Albany, the joint-agency Center for Careers in Government is one of 10 facilities throughout New York where staff with the state Labor Department and state Civil Service Department collaborate to provide support to assist jobseekers.

They help them to learn about the state’s civil-service merit and job-classification systems, as well as the New York Hiring for Emergency Limited Placement Statewide (NY HELPS) program.

Prospective candidates can visit the Centers for Careers in Government website to view upcoming job fairs and workshops to learn about careers in public service, Hochul’s office said.

The NY HELPS program temporarily waives the civil-service exam requirements for thousands of vacant state job openings available to the general public. For those remaining positions that require exams, all state exam-application fees are waived through December 2025 following an agreement secured by Hochul in the FY 2024 state budget.

Staff at the centers assist job seekers in learning about the varied opportunities in public service and how and when to apply, while also providing enhanced resources to current state employees within their coverage area to bolster career mobility and transfer opportunities. This complements the wide-ranging career guidance available in all 100 career centers across New York that serve to connect individuals to training and career pathways in both the public and private sectors.

Earlier this year, the governor announced an expansion of the NY HELPS program to assist agencies in filling vacancies open to the public so that the state can better meet the needs of New Yorkers. Since the program’s inception in 2023, more than 20,000 New Yorkers have been hired into the NY HELPS program, allowing the state and local governments to quickly fill roles.

Her office says Hochul has also taken additional steps to bolster the state’s workforce, such as lifting the yearslong state hiring freeze, expanding opportunities via the Governor’s Program to Hire Individuals and Veterans with Disabilities (55/b/c), and providing funding for new testing centers across the state.

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