Habitat for Humanity buys Watertown property for $200,000

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WATERTOWN — The Thousand Islands Area Habitat for Humanity recently purchased the 8,000-square-foot industrial property located at 22737 U.S. Route 11 in Watertown for $200,000. Christopher Clark of Cushman & Wakefield/Pyramid Brokerage Company exclusively represented the marketing of the property and facilitated the sale on behalf of the seller, the real-estate firm said in a […]

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Christopher Community buys warehouse structure in Syracuse for $450,000

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SYRACUSE — The 10,800-square-foot warehouse building located on about 0.6 acres at 117 Game Road in Syracuse, was recently sold. Christopher Community, Inc. purchased the property from Syracuse Mosiac Terrazzo Corp. for $450,000. Gary Cottet of Cushman & Wakefield/Pyramid Brokerage Company represented the buyer in this transaction. The property was assessed at $590,000 for 2018,

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Burger King opens in Destiny USA food court

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SYRACUSE — Burger King, the No. 2 fast-food chain, has opened a location in Destiny USA’s food court, the mall announced on June 7. It is in the former Kraze Burger space. The Destiny USA location is owned and operated by the Cammilleri Family, a local franchisee. The Cammilleri Family now has nine restaurants in

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Sotera Investigative Group seeks growth after rebranding

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UTICA — A Utica–based investigative firm has formally rebranded as Sotera Investigative Group, LLC following its split from Canada–based Investigative Solutions Network (ISN) and is eyeing steady growth in the future. Sotera initially opened an office in Utica in March 2017 as ISN, but rebranded in March 2018 after one of the then-owners of ISN

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Sotera initially opened an office in Utica in March 2017 as ISN, but rebranded in March 2018 after one of the then-owners of ISN bought out a portion of the business to form Sotera Investigative Group, says Francis Manfredo, president of Sotera. The local office and staff remained from ISN when the rebrand took effect. He declined to name Sotera’s owner.

“I think the best way to say it is that at Sotera, nothing changed. Nothing changed except for the ownership and rebranding of the company,” Manfredo tells CNYBJ.

Sotera Investigative Group offers several types of investigative services, including civil, corporate, and criminal, according to its LinkedIn page. Investigators include former law-enforcement officers and certified fire investigators. Clients include lawyers, corporations, and individuals.

The investigations the company handles vary between covert operations and hands-on work, such as fire-scene analysis for insurance companies. In addition to investigations, Sotera also offers different types of training, including sexual harassment and workplace-environment issues, as well as active-shooter situations.

Fire-scene analysis investigations can last weeks to several months, depending on the size of the scene, and cost on average about $150 per hour, Manfredo says. He adds that other types of cases, such as sexual-harassment investigations, usually take a few weeks, and cost about $110 per hour. Sotera handled slightly more than 130 cases from May 2017 to May 2018.

Currently based in a 2,700-square-foot office space under a five-year lease at 6 Rhoads Drive in the Utica Business Park, Sotera employs 24 people (20 investigators and four-person executive team). It handles cases throughout New York state. Each investigator can have one or more cases at a time, with occasional time between them.

The company’s executive team is made up of Manfredo; Jeffrey Morgan, director of investigations; Robert Stephens, director of fire investigations; and Tina Pavlot, finance administrator.

“We have a solid team in place. We have outstanding investigators, they have decades of experience,” Manfredo says. “I think we’re in a really good position to serve our clients with their varying needs.”

Manfredo says the goal of the company is to continue to grow — slowly and steadily. He adds that he hopes to expand first within New York state and then eventually expand to adjoining states, ultimately hiring more employees and moving into a larger office space. He declined to provide the firm’s revenue figures.

Manfredo says he will partner with other companies to maximize efficiency. For example, he says that if he has a client who needs security work, he will ask LB Security and Investigations Inc., also based in Utica, to assist in providing guard service.

“I’d like to say that we’re unique in the fact that we do all sorts of investigations…We do many types of investigations, we do training,” Manfredo says. “We work very well with human resource departments and corporations and companies on a variety of issues.”

Sotera was slated to hold a formal rebranding ceremony with the Greater Utica Chamber of Commerce on June 18 at 4:30 p.m at its office in the Utica Business Park.

Community Bank System makes senior management promotions

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DeWITT — Community Bank System, Inc. (NYSE: CBU), and its wholly owned subsidiary, Community Bank, N.A., recently implemented several key senior management promotions. Scott Kingsley was promoted to executive VP and chief operating officer of both the parent company and bank, effective June 1. Kingsley has served as executive VP and chief financial officer (CFO)

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DeWITT — Community Bank System, Inc. (NYSE: CBU), and its wholly owned subsidiary, Community Bank, N.A., recently implemented several key senior management promotions.

Scott Kingsley was promoted to executive VP and chief operating officer of both the parent company and bank, effective June 1. Kingsley has served as executive VP and chief financial officer (CFO) since joining Community Bank System in 2004. In his new role, Kingsley will have oversight responsibilities for all banking, wealth management, employee-benefit services, and insurance operations and related business activities, according to a Community Bank news release.

Joseph E. Sutaris has been promoted to executive VP and CFO of both Community Bank System and Community Bank, N.A., succeeding Kingsley in that position, effective June 1. Sutaris had been serving as the bank’s senior VP of finance and accounting. In his new role as CFO, Sutaris’ responsibilities will include supervision of all activities related to finance, accounting, and investor relations, the banking company said. Sutaris joined Community Bank System in 2011 as part of its acquisition of Wilber National Bank, where he served as executive VP, CFO, and treasurer.

Finally, Community Bank System also announced that it has promoted Joseph F. Serbun to executive VP and chief credit officer, effective June 1, upon the previously announced retirement of Brian D. Donahue as executive VP and chief banking officer. Serbun’s responsibilities will be expanded to include supervision of all aspects of the bank’s lending and credit operations related to commercial lending, residential lending, direct and indirect consumer lending, credit administration, cash management, and regional banking, per the release. Serbun joined the bank in 2008 as credit officer team leader and has served as senior VP and chief credit officer since 2010. He has more than 34 years of experience in the banking industry, having served in various roles with larger money center banks and regional community banks.

“I am excited to announce these senior management changes. Scott Kingsley has been instrumental in the growth and success of the Company and its subsidiaries and the decision to have him act as the Company’s Chief Operating Officer will enable him to further focus his attention on our banking operations and the wealth management, employee benefit services, and insurance operations with the intent to grow those lines of business in a dynamic way,” Mark E. Tryniski, president and CEO of Community Bank System, said in the release. “Joe Sutaris and Joe Serbun are seasoned bankers and their long-tenure and experience with the Company has positioned them for continued success in their expanded roles and I believe their energy and leadership will support the continued growth and success of the Company.”

Community Bank System operates more than 230 branches across upstate New York, northeastern Pennsylvania, Vermont, and western Massachusetts through Community Bank. With assets of about $11 billion, the DeWitt–headquartered banking company says it ranks among the nation’s 150 largest financial institutions. The company also operates subsidiaries Community Bank Wealth Management Group; OneGroup NY, Inc; and Benefit Plans Administrative Services, Inc., which includes Northeast Retirement Services, LLC.

Cummins Diesel adds six bays, enlarges others

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SYRACUSE — Cummins Diesel Inc. has completed a nearly $4 million expansion and renovation to its facility on Eastern Avenue in Syracuse, according to William Taylor Architects. In a release, Taylor explained that continued growth required the motor-repair shop to expand, putting on two additions. The first added six service bays to work on diesel

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Enterprise Lease Solutions adds Denver office

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DeWITT — Enterprise Lease Solutions (ELS), which helps clients manage the leasing and financing of equipment to customers, has opened a new office in Denver, Colorado. ELS operates its main office in a 13,000-square-foot building at 6370 Vip Parkway, off East Molloy Road, in DeWitt. The Denver office was a “recent addition,” says Louis Centolella,

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DeWITT — Enterprise Lease Solutions (ELS), which helps clients manage the leasing and financing of equipment to customers, has opened a new office in Denver, Colorado.

ELS operates its main office in a 13,000-square-foot building at 6370 Vip Parkway, off East Molloy Road, in DeWitt.

The Denver office was a “recent addition,” says Louis Centolella, III, president of ELS, noting the location opened last November. Centolella spoke with CNYBJ on June 7.

“There’s a lot of technology activity out there, and we’re seeing growth there because of that, and we wanted to have more of a proximity to our program customers there,” he adds.

His brother, John Centolella, is currently the lone employee out in Denver.

Louis Centolella is projecting that ELS in 2018 will service $150 million in third-party administration for the leasing and financing industry, representing revenue growth of between 40 percent and 50 percent compared to 2017. The firm generated revenue growth of between 30 percent and 35 percent in 2017 compared to the previous year, he adds.

“The financial industry in general has rebounded. If you look at 2008, 2009 there was a substantial dip at that point. It’s a robust marketplace right now, so that helps the growth as well,” he notes.

ELS is currently servicing between 20 and 25 of what Centolella calls its program customers.

When asked to elaborate on the phrase, “program customer,” Centolella says the local firm maintains the customer name and private label, and ELS services on its behalf the same as if they were working directly with ELS, “so we really become an extension” of the client’s leasing and finance unit.

“There [are] thousands of end-user customers that we service on behalf of [that] group of companies,” he explains.

ELS currently employs 24 people, including 20 in Syracuse between ELS and two associated entities — Ontario Credit Corporation and Computer Gallery.

The employee count includes three employees who work in Richmond, Virginia in roles that focus on system development.

ELS plans to hire at least one new employee in 2018, perhaps two or three as the year proceeds. The firm has operated in its current location since 2014.

About the firm

Enterprise Lease Solutions, Ontario Credit Corporation, and Computer Gallery all operate at 6370 Vip Parkway in DeWitt.

Enterprise Lease Solutions is a third-party servicer for other leasing companies. “We’re doing the operational work on behalf of a different lessor or originator,” says Centolella.

ELS services on behalf of Ontario Credit, which has direct customers that it works with, mainly focused on technology and material-handling equipment.

“It’s the Enterprise Lease team that’s interacting with those customers on behalf of Ontario Credit Corporation,” says Centolella.

As he described it, ELS and Ontario Credit focus on “the beginning of the life cycle of any transaction.”

The third entity, Computer Gallery, focuses on “the end of the life cycle of a transaction” when a customer wants to return the equipment to whoever functions as the lessor on the transaction. Computer Gallery helps with valuing what the product might be worth two, three, or four years down the line.

“If it ultimately gets returned by whoever’s using that product, it’ll come back to our warehouse we receive it in. We test it and re-market it to the secondary market,” says Centolella.

When asked to name specific clients, Centolella declined citing “confidentiality” in the firm’s service agreements but noted most are involved in the leasing and finance industry.

“The groups that we work with … their parent organizations would sell computers, material handling equipment, furniture, tangible products,” he adds.

When asked about the difference in products, Centolella noted that although the products are different; the handling of the equipment is different; and the user of that equipment is different, “the mechanics of leasing and finance [of the products] are the same,” he says.

Centolella, his brothers John and Jason, and his mother, Emilia Centolella, have equal ownership of the company, he says. “We’re 100 percent family-owned.”

Jason Centolella, an attorney with Virginia–based Hancock Daniel, “acts as our outside counsel.”

“One of the services that we provide for any of our program clients is, that part of the life cycle is you’ve got to negotiate a contract with the end user. We help our program customers with that, so he’s responsible for leading that effort,” he adds.

Father’s death

Centolella’s late father, Louis Centolella, launched Ontario Credit Corp. in 1995. The elder Centolella died in 2010, after which the family decided to form ELS and Computer Gallery as separate entities.

“Prior to that, everything was legally part of Ontario Credit Corporation,” the younger Centolella notes.

His father had worked for CIS Leasing, another leasing company located in DeWitt. In the 1980s, he and some business partners formed another company that the younger Centolella called a “predecessor” to Ontario Credit, which his father started in the mid-1990s. The younger Centolella joined the company in 2001 but had become familiar with the industry while growing up. ν

Downtown Syracuse farmers market returns for the season

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SYRACUSE — The downtown farmers market, presented by the Downtown Committee of Syracuse Inc., opened June 12 for its 46th season in Clinton Square. It’ll be available, “rain or shine,” every Tuesday through Oct. 9, the organization said in a news release. The market is scheduled between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. The farmers market

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Syracuse Fire Department conducts training for its drone team

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SYRACUSE — The Syracuse Fire Department (SFD) has added drones to the equipment it uses in emergency situations. The department on June 8 demonstrated how it uses drones in an event held at the Syracuse Fire Department Regional Training Facility at 312 State Fair Boulevard in Syracuse. “This new piece of equipment will be utilized

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SYRACUSE — The Syracuse Fire Department (SFD) has added drones to the equipment it uses in emergency situations.

The department on June 8 demonstrated how it uses drones in an event held at the Syracuse Fire Department Regional Training Facility at 312 State Fair Boulevard in Syracuse.

“This new piece of equipment will be utilized at emergency scenes and for preplanning purposes, among other activities,” Syracuse Fire Chief Michael Monds told reporters ahead of the demonstration.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on June 1 awarded the department a certificate of authorization to use drones, or what are also known as unmanned aircraft systems (UAS).

“With the City of Syracuse receiving a jurisdictional certificate of authorization from the FAA, we can now utilize our drone in the city’s airspace,” said Monds.

The FAA considers drones to be aircraft, Syracuse Fire Department Captain Timothy Gleeson told reporters.

“They’re registered with the FAA, and we fly them in accordance with FAA rules,” said Gleeson.

The department has started using two drone systems. The drone demonstration came on the same day that the department completed a week-long training session for its UAS team, according to Gleeson.

The UAS team includes a representative from the Syracuse Police Department and the City of Syracuse Water Department, he noted.

The fire department spent close to $20,000 for its drone program, according to Monds.

How drones help

The technology will give the fire department what Gleeson called a “new perspective” as it responds to fires and emergencies.

“These platforms will have photo and video capability and we’ll also be showing you today a platform that has thermal imaging. The benefit to the community … this technology certainly has the ability to save lives,” the SFD captain added.

As Gleeson explained, the systems provide on-scene commanders with “enhanced information,” which will “improve safety” on emergency scenes and provide the department with “real time” air-to- ground video and thermal imaging for firefighting, search and rescue missions, and “enhanced situational awareness, and most importantly operational safety.”

“It puts eyes in locations that we haven’t been able to previously without risking injury or harm to our personnel,” said Gleeson.

The Syracuse Fire Department has been working for about a year to determine the feasibility of the integration of drones into the department’s operations. The effort included developing “safe” concepts of operations, along with policy and procedure.

Department leaders participated in a 40-hour training course provided by In Sky Aerial Services, an organization that’s located in New York’s Capital Region, according to its website. The firm includes public-safety professionals who have “real world,” UAS experience, said Gleeson

They taught the Syracuse Fire Department UAS team the “best ways” to ensure that it’s using the systems to provide service for the fire department “while protecting the public.”

“As firemen, we needed to receive that training to be in the airspace appropriately, so we attended a 40-hour training course. The training course that’s been there this week for our team operators is a 32-hour course built off of that same training program,” said Gleeson.

He called the training “pretty intense,” noting that they’re trained in fighting fires and responding to emergencies.

“This was really learning a brand new field and learning aviation,” he added.

Partners in the UAS operation include the National Council on Public Safety UAS; Syracuse–based NUAIR Alliance; Syracuse City School District; and, Albany County Sheriff’s Office, according to the office of Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh.

Lockheed Martin announces $100M venture-fund increase

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Fund invests in disruptive, cutting-edge technologies Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) recently announced the doubling of its venture-capital fund to $200 million and recent investments in early-stage companies focused in the areas of autonomy and advanced manufacturing. “Our focus is on finding and investing in companies developing cutting-edge technologies that will grow our business and disrupt our industry,”

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Fund invests in disruptive, cutting-edge technologies

Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) recently announced the doubling of its venture-capital fund to $200 million and recent investments in early-stage companies focused in the areas of autonomy and advanced manufacturing.

“Our focus is on finding and investing in companies developing cutting-edge technologies that will grow our business and disrupt our industry,” Chris Moran, VP and general manager of Lockheed Martin Ventures, said in a news release. “We’re developing long-term strategic partnerships with companies and helping them navigate through the early stages of product development while leveraging our decades of experience working with government customers.”

Enabled by tax-reform legislation (the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017), Lockheed Martin Ventures said it is focusing the additional $100 million on early-stage companies in the areas of sensor technologies, autonomy, artificial intelligence, and cyber.

With the fund’s latest investment, Lockheed Martin expanded its relationship with nTopology, creator of ELEMENT, an emerging software technology in the high-growth additive and advanced-manufacturing sectors.

“Our investment in nTopology will bring strategic advantages in Lockheed Martin’s computational design processes and help shorten the periods between the design and manufacturing phase,” Moran said.

The increase in the venture fund is part of $460 million that Lockheed Martin is investing as a direct result of tax-reform savings. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act enables Lockheed Martin to make investments that improve its global competitiveness, including investing in transformative technologies that will bring lasting benefits to customers, employees, and communities, the company noted.

The Bethesda, Maryland–based global security and aerospace company is making additional investments enabled by tax-reform savings, including:

• 200 million in additional investments in capital expenditures and research and development in 2018

• 100 million in employee training and educational opportunities over the next five years

• 50 million to be invested in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education enrichment, including the establishment of a new Lockheed Martin STEM scholarship fund

• 10 million for the launch of the Lockheed Martin Innovation Prize competition

Lockheed Martin employs more than 100,000 people worldwide — including 2,350 in Central New York, where it operates plants in Salina and Owego.

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