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Vera House names Jadran board president
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Vera House, Inc. announced that Farah Jadran, a NewsChannel 9 WSYR TV reporter and anchor, has been named president of its board
Haines retires from CFO post after 44 years with Gear Motions
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Samuel R. Haines has retired from the CFO position at Gear Motions, Inc. Haines, who has worked for the company for 44
Tompkins Financial boosts dividend again
ITHACA, N.Y. — Tompkins Financial Corp. (NYSE: TMP) announced that it has raised its quarterly dividend for a second time in as many quarters. The
2018 Presidents’ Forecast Messages
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Here are some recent tweets that came across the @cnybj Twitter feed, offering various small business, HR, career, and digital/social media tips. NFIB @NFIBInterested in buying a franchise, but don’t know where to start? These tips can help you choose a successful #franchise: http://on.nfib.com/2DGUDPE SBA @SBAgovAre you an established #smallbiz owner looking to grow your
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Here are some recent tweets that came across the @cnybj Twitter feed, offering various small business, HR, career, and digital/social media tips.
NFIB @NFIB
Interested in buying a franchise, but don’t know where to start? These tips can help you choose a successful #franchise: http://on.nfib.com/2DGUDPE
SBA @SBAgov
Are you an established #smallbiz owner looking to grow your business? Learn about SBA’s Emerging Leaders Initiative and get counseling and mentorship like pie company @pacificpieco did → http://owl.li/78D830hXjng . #NationalPieDay
SAP @SAP
Is your small or midmarket business attracting the right people? Learn 3 fundamental HR strategies: http://spr.ly/6019Dzg6P #smallbiz
Dave Ulrich @dave_ulrich
Great and interesting read! Why Chief Human Resources Officers Make Great CEOs http://ow.ly/gbQe30hVQ1W #HR #Leadership #CEO
Dr. Justin Tarte @justintarte
Don’t ever be afraid to admit you’re wrong; it’s the ability to admit you’re wrong that shows true strength & confidence. #leadership #hr
Maria Johnsen @iMariaJohnsen
Impact of #ArtificialIntelligence in the #Workplace http://maria-johnsen.com/multilingualSEO-blog/ai-in-workplace/ …
Hannah Morgan @careersherpa
Networking means building relationships: http://careersherpa.net/networking-equals-relationships/
Amber Gantt @ganttamber
Just a few #Tips for applying to #gradschool school http://duclarion.com/2018/01/5-tips-to-help-you-on-your-way-to-graduate-school/ …
Mitch Mitchell @Mitch_M
RT @surprisinglives 7 Dreadful #Marketing Mistakes to Avoid in 2018 http://bit.ly/2CWzkZa by @reshurathi
Neal Schaffer @NealSchaffer
14 Great Content Marketing Tools You’ve Got to Try In 2018 https://maximizesocialbusiness.com/14-great-content-marketing-tools-youve-got-try-2018-27640/ … via @msocialbusiness #socialmedia
Current Content @current_content
Content creation that gets results has to include good visual content. Give time to look at and choose your images. #DigitalMarketing
Rebekah Radice @RebekahRadice
The Only #SocialMedia Checklist You’ll Ever Need: Daily, Weekly, Monthly http://bit.ly/1qg0K5q

Five Star Urgent Care expands into Oswego County with new walk-in clinic
OSWEGO — Five Star Urgent Care has formally opened a new walk-in medical clinic at 200 E. 1st St. in Oswego, adding to its growing list of upstate New York locations. The new office serves patients daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The company says its staff treats patients on a walk-in basis with
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OSWEGO — Five Star Urgent Care has formally opened a new walk-in medical clinic at 200 E. 1st St. in Oswego, adding to its growing list of upstate New York locations.
The new office serves patients daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The company says its staff treats patients on a walk-in basis with most insurance accepted. Patients may view up-to-date wait times at the facility on the urgent care provider’s website.
The facility is “equipped to offer treatment for non-life-threatening ailments, such as bronchitis, sprains, strains and gastrointestinal ailments, as well as providing onsite x-rays, lab testing and diagnostics,” Five Star said in a news release.
Launched in 2012, Five Star Urgent Care opened its first clinic in Big Flats. The company continues to expand its footprint and plans to open additional offices throughout the state in 2018. Its other current locations are in Cicero, Fairmount, Fayetteville, Geneva, Greece, Ithaca, Jamestown, Lancaster, Liverpool, Oneonta, Oswego, Plattsburgh, and Vestal.
Jefferson County hotel occupancy rate rises 6 percent in December
Hotels in Jefferson County welcomed more guests in December compared to a year ago, continuing a string of recent monthly gains, according to a recent report. The hotel occupancy rate (rooms sold as a percentage of rooms available) in the county rose 6 percent to 34.8 percent in December from 32.8 percent in the year-earlier
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Hotels in Jefferson County welcomed more guests in December compared to a year ago, continuing a string of recent monthly gains, according to a recent report.
The hotel occupancy rate (rooms sold as a percentage of rooms available) in the county rose 6 percent to 34.8 percent in December from 32.8 percent in the year-earlier month, according to STR, a Tennessee–based hotel market data and analytics company. It’s the fifth straight month in which Jefferson County’s occupancy rate rose compared to the year-prior period.
Revenue per available room (RevPar), a key industry indicator that measures how much money hotels are bringing in per available room, jumped 6.9 percent to $30.22 in December from $28.27 in December 2016.
Average daily rate (or ADR), which represents the average rental rate for a sold room, edged up 0.9 percent to $86.93 in December from $86.19 a year earlier.
For all of 2017, Jefferson County’s occupancy rate rose 0.7 percent to 52.5 percent compared to 2016, while its RevPar was up 3.2 percent to $50.82. The county’s ADR rose 2.5 percent in 2017 to $96.85, according to STR.

Craftsman Inn & Conference Center begins two-phase renovation
MANLIUS — By July, the 23-year old Craftsman Inn & Conference Center in the town of Manlius will have a new look and the inn’s Limestone Grille may have a new name. Phase one of the two-phase renovation plan has begun, explains Robert Richie, director of sales and marketing at the Craftsman, located on East
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MANLIUS — By July, the 23-year old Craftsman Inn & Conference Center in the town of Manlius will have a new look and the inn’s Limestone Grille may have a new name.
Phase one of the two-phase renovation plan has begun, explains Robert Richie, director of sales and marketing at the Craftsman, located on East Genesee Street. The 69-room inn, on the west side of the property, is undergoing renovation. Part of the work involved selling furniture that would not be needed after the renovation.
However, Richie tells CNYBJ, that the Craftsman Inn will continue to feature Stickley furniture, a signature of the inn since it opened in 1995.
On a recent morning, workers could be seen tossing items into a dumpster in front of the main building while printed signs directed visitors to the temporary registration desk in the building on the east side of the property. Work is being carried out by crews from DeWitt–based Widewaters Group, Richie says. Widewaters purchased the property to become part of its Widewaters Hotels in 2016.
Phase one of the renovation involves updates to the rooms and the lobby of the inn section. It should be done in April, Richie says.
Phase two will involve renovating the east-side building, including 21 suites, meeting rooms and the Limestone Grille, he says.
The work will require the restaurant to close from March 4 until sometime in July, Richie says. When it returns, much will be changed.
“The restaurant is going to have a brand new concept that Syracuse has never seen,” he says, declining to offer more details on the concept.
Architect renderings of the renovations show added space under cover matching the craftsman style of the existing buildings. Part of the new space created, a covered patio with infrared heat, is meant to allow diners to extend the al fresco season, Richie says. Changes may even include a new name for the Limestone Grille, though that isn’t settled yet, he says.
Richie says the independent hotel is stressing that it is a “community hotel,” a place where families can mark life’s major milestones with wedding receptions, baby showers and even post-funeral gatherings. “We get to know who everybody is,” he says of the hotel located on the Fayetteville village line.
“We work with local vendors and give back to the community,” he adds, noting upcoming charitable fundraisers. “People know we are a community hotel,” he says. That is reflected in who uses the hotel on weekends, he adds. People check in for events at Syracuse University or Cazenovia College, as well as to attend local weddings.
More than 100 meetings of various kinds are hosted at the hotel and conference center each year. With 4,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, Richie says the Craftsman Inn can accommodate up to 200 people in a single room for an event.
According to the Widewaters website, the company has 21 hotels, including three being renovated or under construction.
LMV announces 2018 Follow the Leader honorees
UTICA — Leadership Mohawk Valley (LMV) recently announced the winners of its upcoming Follow the Leader Awards, to be presented in March. Individuals being honored by LMV are: Lenora D’Apice, Community Wellness Partners; Jacob DiBari, American Building Components; Mark Dudek, The Arc, Oneida-Lewis Chapter; Cathy Newell, Mohawk Ltd.; Frank Reid, Arc Herkimer; Ernie Talerico, Rescue
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UTICA — Leadership Mohawk Valley (LMV) recently announced the winners of its upcoming Follow the Leader Awards, to be presented in March.
Individuals being honored by LMV are: Lenora D’Apice, Community Wellness Partners; Jacob DiBari, American Building Components; Mark Dudek, The Arc, Oneida-Lewis Chapter; Cathy Newell, Mohawk Ltd.; Frank Reid, Arc Herkimer; Ernie Talerico, Rescue Mission of Utica; Dennis Webster, Central Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired; and Steve Zogby, Scalzo, Zogby & Wittig
Businesses and organizations being honored by LMV are: Kids Oneida and Mohawk Valley Community College.
The organization selected these honorees “for their exemplary leadership in the workplace and community,” according to an LMV news release.
This year’s 16th annual Follow the Leader Awards dinner will be held March 21 at the Hotel at Utica Centre (formerly the Radisson) at 200 Genesee St. in Utica, beginning with cocktails at 5:30 p.m.
David T. Casullo, CEO of Daneli Partners, LLC, author, entrepreneur, and leadership coach, will be the evening’s keynote speaker.
More information on the event will be available on the LMV website: www.leadershipmohawkvalley.net.

State money to support hemp processing plant in Southern Tier
State Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo, D–Endwell, has been a vocal supporter of the moves, co-sponsoring the 2014 bill that created the pilot program. She praised the governor’s announcement, adding that she saw more growth on the horizon. “I expect the size of this proposed plant will need to expand because of the growing demand to process
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State Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo, D–Endwell, has been a vocal supporter of the moves, co-sponsoring the 2014 bill that created the pilot program. She praised the governor’s announcement, adding that she saw more growth on the horizon.
“I expect the size of this proposed plant will need to expand because of the growing demand to process different varieties of hemp,” she said in a release. “Industrial hemp has tremendous economic potential for our region: putting farmland back to use, establishing processors like Southern Tier Hemp, and bringing many new manufacturing opportunities.”
According to Lupardo’s office, no site has yet been chosen for the Southern Tier Hemp plant.
Contact McChesney at cmcchesney@cnybj.com
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