Metzler, Noun appointed to statewide credit union commission

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Two area credit-union officials have been appointed officers of the New York Credit Union Association’s (NYCUA) Young Professionals Commission. Madelyn Metzler, AVP of asset recovery and loan servicing at CFCU Community Credit Union in Ithaca, was appointed secretary. Jacqueline Noun, senior commercial lending associate at Empower FCU in Syracuse, was appointed treasurer. According to NYCUA, […]

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Mollywood Properties sells DeWitt building for $275,000

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Subscriber Only

DeWITT — The 5,500-square-foot industrial flex building located at 6171 East Molloy Road was recently sold. A flooring company purchased the property from Mollywood Properties LLC for $275,000, according to a news release from Cushman & Wakefield/Pyramid Brokerage Company. Donald O’Leary of Cushman & Wakefield/Pyramid Brokerage exclusively marketed the property and represented the seller in

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APT Global Sales leases industrial warehouse

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Subscriber Only

CLAY — APT Global Sales, Inc. recently leased 12,000 square feet of space at the 42,000-square-foot industrial warehouse facility located at 4582-4594 Buckley Road in the town of Clay. Samuel Vulcano of Cushman & Wakefield/Pyramid Brokerage Company brokered this lease transaction on behalf of the tenant, according to a news release from the real-estate firm.

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CNY Tweets – July 2, 2018

Business Mentors, Subscriber Only

Some recent tweets that came across the @cnybj Twitter feed, offering various small business, marketing, technology, HR, career, and personal tips. SBA @SBAgovMost U.S. banks view loans for exporters as risky. That’s why the SBA created programs to provide lenders with up to a 90% guaranty on #export loans. Contact your local SBA International Trade

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

SBA @SBAgov
Most U.S. banks view loans for exporters as risky. That’s why the SBA created programs to provide lenders with up to a 90% guaranty on #export loans. Contact your local SBA International Trade Finance Specialist to learn about our export loan programs → http://ow.ly/OvPO30kCGmT

Barbara Weltman @BarbaraWeltman
Survey reveals #1 concern of #smallbiz owners is the tight #job market – what can you do? – 5 Ideas for a Tight Labor Market http://ow.ly/Ju8M30kBOpR

Real Marsha Wright® Brand Influencer @marshawright
Learn to #lead and you can learn to succeed! #business #smallbiz #leadership

SBA @SBAgov
The SBA offers support for veterans as they enter the world of business ownership. Look for funding programs, training, and federal contracting opportunities — http://ow.ly/NUqr30kBBEQ . #SBAchat

SmBizAmerica @SmBizAmerica
How to Measure the Impact of Social Media on Your Business https://rebekahradice.com/measure-social-media-impact-on-your-business/ …

Wendy Weir @WWeirRelocation
5 Smart Social Marketing Strategies! @cktechsandi https://buff.ly/2FzKHI1

World Economic Forum @wef
5 technologies that will forever change global #trade https://wef.ch/2JffOOU #technology

Mitch Mitchell @Mitch_M
RT @surprisinglives How to Get Your Website Ready For WordPress 5.0 Update http://bit.ly/2JzAqNO via @SusanGilbert

Tony Horan @t0nyh0ran
Research shows that diverse teams make better decisions 87% of the time: https://bloom.bg/2E7NYh1 #HR

Dave Ulrich @dave_ulrich
Help employees find a job that matches their passions. If they are doing something that they love, management doesn’t need to worry about their productivity. #HR

Dr. Justin Tarte @justintarte
A leading cause of employee turnover is lack of acknowledgment, appreciation, and supportive affirmation. If you’re interested in retaining your best employees, make sure they know how valued they are.

Hannah Morgan @careersherpa
50+ Best Job Search Websites https://buff.ly/2J8ovqH #jobsearch

Fitness Wits @FitnessWits
#Fitness needs to be perceived as fun and games or we subconsciously avoid it.

Kristie Leong M.D. @DrKristieLeong
Don’t just think of the endpoint or goal. Enjoy the PROCESS of becoming fitter & healthier. With #health comes greater energy & stamina to take advantage of all that life offers.

Greater Binghamton Airshow’s return draws crowd of 8,500

Regional News, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

BINGHAMTON — The Greater Binghamton Airshow attracted about 8,500 visitors to the Greater Binghamton Airport in the town of Maine on June 23, despite damp, low clouds that forced some participants to change their acts, organizers say. While some performers had to cancel, others had pre-planned alternatives for when clouds are low, says David Hinkling,

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While some performers had to cancel, others had pre-planned alternatives for when clouds are low, says David Hinkling, commissioner of aviation for Broome County.

By 2 p.m., as the lowest clouds lifted, acts were able to take to the air, he explains.

“People who stayed had a good time,” Hinkling says of spectators.

While the Army’s Golden Knights Parachute Demonstration Team had to cancel, “most every other demonstration got off the ground,” he says. He adds that some air-show aficionados actually prefer low-altitude demonstrations like those required by the June 23 weather.

This was the first Greater Binghamton Airshow since 2014. That show drew about 4,000 more people, Hinkling says. “But we were pretty pleased, considering the weather.”

The show took place as the Greater Binghamton Airport is looking to grow the number of scheduled flights. Right now only Delta serves the airport with twice-daily service to and from Detroit.

Hinkling hopes to see other flights added, and says the airport has made it clear that it would like to add a flight to a Southern U.S. airport that could provide connections.

Right now, he says, many of those seeking to travel by air first travel by car to Syracuse or Albany, which are served by full-service and low-cost airlines.

While other airports across Upstate have been using state grants to renovate terminals, Hinkling says Greater Binghamton Airport already has a nice terminal. Instead of spending on improving that, he said the airport is working to develop businesses nearby to increase demand for the airport and create revenues that will allow it to reduce what it charges airlines for landing fees and space rental, “while not increasing the cost of the airport to taxpayers.”

“A lot of getting new service is timing,” he says, and thinks that keeping airlines aware his airport is ready, and there are potential passengers already in the market, could prove successful if an airline is looking to move flights. “I’m optimistic that we could do that,” Hinkling says.

Syracuse Behavioral Healthcare rebrands as Helio Health

Health Care, Small Business, Subscriber Only

SYRACUSE — Syracuse Behavioral Healthcare (SBH) has changed its name to Helio Health as part of an organization-wide rebrand. “We’re really excited because this new name, this new identity … better reflects for everyone who we are and what we do,” Jeremy Klemanski, president and CEO of Helio Health, said in his remarks at the

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SYRACUSE — Syracuse Behavioral Healthcare (SBH) has changed its name to Helio Health as part of an organization-wide rebrand.

“We’re really excited because this new name, this new identity … better reflects for everyone who we are and what we do,” Jeremy Klemanski, president and CEO of Helio Health, said in his remarks at the June 26 announcement.

Klemanski announced the rebranding to Helio Health at its office located at 329 N. Salina St. in Syracuse.

In a news release issued that day, Klemanski noted that “the SBH name has become outdated.”

The organization has clinics, treatment services, and other community-support services in Rochester and in Binghamton. Helio Health also treated people in 60 different New York counties last year.

“We need a name that reflects that, so that the people in Rochester and Binghamton and all those other counties aren’t confused and think they’re all going to Syracuse for treatment,” Klemanski told CNYBJ after the formal announcement.

The name change to Helio Health won’t alter any of its current services, and its relationships with referral partners will remain the same, the organization contends. The rebrand also won’t result in any change to staffing, leadership, or current locations.

During his remarks, Klemanski played a short video of an advertisement campaign that will be seen “primarily” in the Syracuse, Binghamton, and Rochester markets so the organization can inform the public about itself and its services. The ads will show “that if they are experiencing a substance abuse or mental health or some other type of mental-health related disorder, that we’re that place that they can go,” he adds.

The process

The organization had been thinking about a rebrand “for a couple of years,” says Klemanski.

It resulted from feedback from “friends and colleagues” in Rochester and became a priority once it moved into the Binghamton market.

Helio Health worked with Mower, a Syracuse–based advertising and marketing agency, on its rebrand.

The new name, inspired by an ancient Greek term relating to the sun, reflects the organization’s “mission to be a patient-centric and innovative bright spot in the recovery landscape with a continuum of care patients need to reach their full potential,” according to its release.

The organization’s new tagline, “Where hope meets healing,” expresses its goal to improve patient outcomes “through a balance of compassionate care and clinical excellence.”

About Helio Health

Helio Health provides clinical programs for people of all ages with substance-use problems and/or mental-health disorders.

It has 509 beds and more than 360 employees located at treatment facilities in Syracuse, Binghamton, and Rochester that serve seven counties and treat people from more than 40 counties in New York.

Helio Health provides programs that seek to support individuals in detox, inpatient rehabilitation, and outpatient or residential treatment who “want their lives back.” The services include its 24/7 regional open access center for addiction, center of treatment innovation to meet the needs of opioid addiction in remote areas, certified community behavioral health clinic, and a training institute for continuing education and public training.

Founded in 1920 as the Syracuse Brick House, a residential-rehabilitation facility for men struggling with alcoholism, the organization says it grew to “meet the demand” for services to treat substance use and mental-health disorders in areas throughout Central New York.

Klemanski made the rebranding announcement in Helio Health’s children and adolescent clinic that it opened in 2017, which he said is now serving more than 400 area children.

“It’s just one example of all the really cool things that Helio Health is doing,” Klemanski told those gathered for the announcement.

Speach Family Candy Shoppe introduces new line of fruit and chocolate arrangements

Health Care, Manufacturing & Engineering, Small Business, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism

SYRACUSE — The Speach Family Candy Shoppe — a 98-year-old candy company passed down through four generations — will launch a new line of fruit

Downtown Syracuse population swells to 3,600 residents

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Nonprofits, Small Business, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

SYRACUSE — More than $360 million of investment activity is either underway or announced, and 3,600 people call downtown their home, the Downtown Committee of Syracuse, Inc. reports. “And this [downtown population] number will continue to grow,” said Merike Treier, executive director of the Downtown Committee. She noted that downtown’s residential population has increased 77

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SYRACUSE — More than $360 million of investment activity is either underway or announced, and 3,600 people call downtown their home, the Downtown Committee of Syracuse, Inc. reports.

“And this [downtown population] number will continue to grow,” said Merike Treier, executive director of the Downtown Committee.

She noted that downtown’s residential population has increased 77 percent in the last 10 years.

The figures were part of the “State of Downtown” report that Treier delivered during the organization’s annual meeting on June 21. Her report also noted that 159 apartments have come online since last July and 160 apartments “are under construction right now.”

Treier’s report also outlined ongoing projects, activities, and events that impact downtown Syracuse.

The Downtown Committee held the event in the grand ballroom of the Marriott Syracuse Downtown, the former Hotel Syracuse. The organization estimates about 400 people attended the annual meeting, which included remarks from Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh.

Awards

Before Treier’s remarks, the Downtown Committee honored the Redhouse Arts Center with the Urban Innovation Award, which is now operating in the downtown building at 400 S. Salina St. now known as City Center. Sibley’s department store previously occupied the space until closing its doors in 1988.

The Redhouse is a primary tenant in the building that’s been redeveloped for use as a mixed-use facility. It offers professional theater and partners with school districts and other institutions in our community to provide innovative arts-based education.

Bill Hider, who chairs the Redhouse board of directors, and Samara Hannah, the organization’s executive director, accepted the award.

The Downtown Committee also recognized the Syracuse–based Pioneer Companies with the Heart of Downtown Award for its $40 million renovation of the building now known as State Tower.

When the building was established in 1927, it was marketed primarily as office space, the Downtown Committee said. Now, reborn as State Tower, the building is “truly a mixed-use neighborhood,” featuring high-end residential units, office space, and later this summer, new retail and restaurant opportunities, the Downtown Committee said.

Melissa Zell, Sue Smith, Donna St. Cyr, and Mark Roney of Pioneer Companies accepted the award.

The Downtown Committee also recognized the Central New York chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) with the Perfect Partner Award for its work on the “Immersive Cloud,” an interactive, public art piece, to “activate downtown’s Eastern gateway.” Through partnerships with the City of Syracuse, Public Art Commission, Connective Corridor, and the Downtown Committee, “this previously underdeveloped parcel has become a conversation starter and a landmark.”

Anthony Rojas, president-elect of the AIA, accepted the award along with representatives from the City of Syracuse, Syracuse University, Adapt CNY and the Downtown Committee.

The Downtown Committee also honored Southern Downtown Advocates with the Downtown Newsmakers Award. The advocates include nearly 50 business owners, organizations, and agencies that provided input and insight on supporting the ongoing development in downtown’s southern district.

With more than $125 million of investments completed since 2012, and another $45 million of investment underway, the neighborhood is “poised for incredible transformation,” the Downtown Committee contends.

Representatives from the City of Syracuse, Syracuse Police Department and key projects in the area accepted the award.

New York ranks 4th nationwide in credit-card debt, DiNapoli reports

Subscriber Only

New York state ranked fourth nationwide in total credit-card debt at $58.2 billion in 2017, according to a report issued by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli in late May. New York had the seventh highest per-capita credit-card balance of all states in 2017, at $3,710, almost 20 percent higher than the national average of about $3,100

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Two Auburn McDonald’s switch from corporate ownership to area franchisee

Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Small Business, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

AUBURN — The two McDonald’s locations in Auburn are now operated by a franchisee that also runs six other restaurants in the Southern Tier. Chicago, Illinois–based McDonald’s Corp. (NYSE: MCD) on June 7 finalized a franchise agreement with Cayuga Restaurant Group, which has its main office in Elmira Heights in Chemung County. Courtney and Mike

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AUBURN — The two McDonald’s locations in Auburn are now operated by a franchisee that also runs six other restaurants in the Southern Tier.

Chicago, Illinois–based McDonald’s Corp. (NYSE: MCD) on June 7 finalized a franchise agreement with Cayuga Restaurant Group, which has its main office in Elmira Heights in Chemung County.

Courtney and Mike Feehan, Lansing residents and co-owners of the Cayuga Restaurant Group, have added the McDonald’s at 198 Grant Ave. and the one at 357 Genesee St. in Auburn to their restaurant portfolio.

The Feehans have owned and operated McDonald’s restaurants since 2012.

Both locations are part of the Cayuga Restaurant Group as wholly owned subsidiaries, says Mike Feehan. Cayuga Restaurant Group is a McDonald’s franchisee.

The two restaurants in Auburn join locations in Ithaca, Lansing, Elmira (2), Horseheads, and Big Flats, says Courtney Feehan. Both Feehans spoke with CNYBJ in a phone interview on June 25.

They contend that they’ll be able to “substantially increase” the sales at both Auburn McDonald’s eateries.

“Just by going in and taking a hands-on approach and treating the customers’ right and treating the employees right,” says Mike Feehan.

Refranchising

McDonald’s first contacted the Feehans about the Auburn locations in early spring, they say.

McDonald’s was operating both Auburn restaurants, according to Mike Feehan. The company refers to those locations as McOpCos, or restaurants that don’t have a franchisee. He notes that the company has “traditionally” operated about 10 percent of its U.S. eateries as McOpCos, but says McDonald’s wants to reduce that percentage figure by refranchising.

“These restaurants were chosen to be sold to franchisees and become franchised locations,” says Feehan

McDonald’s has owned the land for both locations for several years at both sites, so the land ownership “did not change hands,” he says. “And I can’t comment on the rest of the real estate portion of that.”

The company issued the franchise agreement and the restaurant’s equipment as well.

When purchasing a McDonald’s restaurant, Feehan explains, the price is based on the location’s “profitability potential.” Both Auburn restaurants “historically have done a little bit better than average.”

When asked if they could reveal the cost figure, he replies, “Unfortunately, we can’t.”

Plans for locations

Each Auburn restaurant has about 80 employees in full- and part-time roles, according to Feehan.

The couple plans to rebuild the McDonald’s at 357 Genesee St. and remodel the restaurant at 198 Grant Ave. sometime in 2019.

“We won’t know the timing of that until it’s much closer because we will have to agree with McDonald’s on when that will happen,” says Mike Feehan.

It was too early to share details on a contractor or architect, and the company will help the Feehans select local vendors.

McDonald’s doesn’t provide any financing for rebuilds or remodels, but Mike Feehan says the company has a “network of lenders” in the U.S. that provides financing to McDonald’s franchisees.

“Our banking relationships are mixed between local banks that handle our deposit accounts and national McDonald’s lenders,” he adds.

The Feehans work with Tompkins Trust Company and Chemung Canal Trust Co.

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