Seventeen students explore health-care careers at Rome Memorial Hospital

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ROME, N.Y. — Rome Memorial Hospital’s three-day Health Care Academy (HCA) program last month introduced 17 campers from nine different schools to a broad array of health-care careers. The Health Care Academy was held at the hospital Aug. 2-4. “The students had an opportunity to meet with health-care workers from numerous departments throughout the hospital, […]

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“The students had an opportunity to meet with health-care workers from numerous departments throughout the hospital, talk about their jobs, and see them in action in addition to participating in hands-on activities,” Julie Chrysler, Rome Memorial Hospital’s director of education, volunteer services, and employee health, said in a news release. “We are eager to help these students become familiar with the broad range of opportunities that health care offers because there is a tremendous need for more people to choose these challenging and rewarding career fields.”

“When exploring careers, today’s young people are often faced with choosing between a high-tech environment and working with people,” Chrysler contended. “Health care is unique because it offers the best of both worlds.”

Area students, entering eighth or ninth grade in September, with an interest in exploring a health-care career, attended the interactive summer camp. Participants included: Rachel Bellinger, Carissa Bourgeois, and Ella Hale, eighth graders at Adirondack Central Schools; Shayla Oatman, Holland Hawkes, and Autumn Kahler, ninth graders at Camden High School; Anthony Carrock and McKenna Smyth, ninth graders at Holland Patent High School; Emery Crossley, eighth grader at Holland Patent Middle School; Peter Stokes, eighth grader at Utica Notre Dame School; Adam Myers, eighth grader at Otto Shortell Middle School; Megan Mead, ninth grader at Rome Free Academy; Madelyn Jabs, eighth grader at Saugerties Middle School; James Pike and Ashton Thompson, eighth graders at Strough Middle School; and Perri Cronk and Anna Rossi, ninth graders at Vernon Verona Sherrill High School.

The students, dressed in scrubs, met with professionals in pharmacy, nursing, respiratory, speech and physical therapy, medical imaging, the laboratory, and maternity. They also learned how to use a stethoscope, how to perform CPR, and how to operate an automatic external defibrillator (AED).

Students spent their final day at the camp immersed in a disaster drill which featured a mock accident and a first-hand tour through the hospital’s decontamination tent. They were able to follow a patient from the accident scene to an Amcare Ambulance and through the emergency department, the release stated.

In addition to their hospital scrubs, each camper was given his/her own t-shirt, stethoscope, breakfast, and lunch, and a certificate of completion.

“Many of the 2017 graduates have expressed an interest in returning as a volunteer or to shadow an employee in a specific department,” Chrysler noted.

HCA Camp is only one of many educational outreach programs at Rome Memorial Hospital.

“Career exploration and education is an ongoing initiative at Rome Memorial Hospital,” explained Chrysler. “We partner with business, education, and the community to support workforce development in our area and increase awareness of health-care careers.”

Rome Memorial Hospital said funding from its foundation and M&T Bank made the camp possible.

Contact The Business Journal News Network at news@cnybj.com

State completes $4M improvement project at SUNY Canton’s Mohawk Hall

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CANTON — Crews installed new electrical and heating systems as part of a $4 million project to improve Mohawk Hall at SUNY Canton in St. Lawrence County. The completed project is part of $47 million in capital projects on SUNY campuses statewide by DASNY, the office of Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced in an Aug. 31 news

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CANTON — Crews installed new electrical and heating systems as part of a $4 million project to improve Mohawk Hall at SUNY Canton in St. Lawrence County.

The completed project is part of $47 million in capital projects on SUNY campuses statewide by DASNY, the office of Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced in an Aug. 31 news release.

DASNY is short for the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York.

The state financed the project through DASNY’s SUNY dormitory-facilities program, which issues low-cost, tax-exempt bonds supported by student residence hall fees.

“This investment helps put SUNY Canton on the map as a competitive, 21st century school offering top-notch living and community space for students,” Cuomo contended.

The $4 million improvement project included the “total rehabilitation” of one of the three wings in Mohawk Hall.

Besides the installation of new electrical and heating systems, the project included renovation of 36 rooms and 12 bathrooms and new furniture purchased for the wing.

By working with DASNY, SUNY Canton has been able to upgrade one of its most popular residence halls, Zvi Szafran, president of SUNY Canton, said.

“Mohawk Hall is home to our famous Pet Wing, which allows students to bring their small animals with them to college. The renovations allow us to keep our historic buildings current and helps us provide a home away from home for our students, and their pets,” said Szafran.

Since 1997, the “pet wing” has enabled students to bring a variety of pets with them to live on campus, including cats, ferrets, rabbits, hamsters, gerbils, and fish.

Founded in 1944, DASNY is New York’s capital-project development authority. It finances and constructs “sustainable and resilient” science, health, and education institutions.

It is one of the “largest issuers” of tax-exempt bonds in the nation with a bond portfolio of about $47.9 billion as of June 30, 2017.

DASNY is also a “major” public builder with a construction pipeline of 940 projects valued at more than $6.1 billion as of May 31, 2017, according to Cuomo’s release.

Tenney: Remington Arms laying off 55 workers at Ilion plant

Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Manufacturing & Engineering, Technology

ILION, N.Y. — Remington Arms Company, LLC plans to lay off 55 people at its plant in Ilion. That’s according to a statement posted Thursday on

New York home sales fall in July on low inventory

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CNY numbers mixed New York realtors sold more than 1,500 previously owned homes on uly, down 7.4 percent from the nearly 12,500 homes sold in July 2016. That’s according to the latest housing-market report from the New York State Association of Realtors (NYSAR). “July home sales were typically strong and likely would have been higher except for

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CNY numbers mixed

New York realtors sold more than 1,500 previously owned homes on uly, down 7.4 percent from the nearly 12,500 homes sold in July 2016.

That’s according to the latest housing-market report from the New York State Association of Realtors (NYSAR).

“July home sales were typically strong and likely would have been higher except for the ongoing decline in the number of homes for sale,” Duncan MacKenzie, CEO of NYSAR, contended in a news release. “Newly listed homes are moving quickly and multiple purchase offers are becoming more common. These conditions have driven growth in the statewide median sales price to near record levels.”

The NYSAR data indicates that housing inventory stood at 72,316, a decrease of 12.9 percent compared to July 2016.

MacKenzie contends the housing market “should remain active” through the balance of the year, citing “steady” employment levels and consumer confidence and mortgage rates that are “still low.”

“We project that sales will be near the 2016 record, but will continue to be constrained by the low number of homes listed for sale,” said MacKenzie.

Sales data

The year-to-date (Jan. 1 through July 31) home sales total of 70,928 was 2.3 percent above the same period last year.

The statewide median sales price of $270,000 is up 8.4 percent from a year ago.

Pending sales in July rose 3 percent from a year ago to reach 12,568.

The months’ supply of homes for sale dropped 15.8 percent at the end of July to 6.4 months’ supply. It stood at 7.6 months at the end of July 2016. NYSAR considers a 6 month to 6.5 month supply a balanced market.

Central New York data

In the 16-county region of Central New York, realtors sold 1,598 existing homes in July, up 0.4 percent from 1,592 a year earlier.

Realtors in Broome County sold 161 homes in July, down nearly 2 percent from 164 a year ago, according to the NYSAR report. The median sales price increased about 19 percent to nearly $125,000 from more than $105,000 a year ago.

In Jefferson County, realtors closed on 105 homes in July, up 4 percent from 101 a year ago, and the median sales price increased more than 1 percent to nearly $140,000 from $138,000 in July 2016, according to the NYSAR data.

NYSAR also reports that realtors sold 168 homes in Oneida County last month, down more than 9 percent compared to the 185 sold during July 2016. The median sales price rose about 11 percent to nearly $140,000 from more than $126,000 a year ago.

Realtors in Onondaga County sold 511 previously owned homes in July, a sales decrease of nearly 6 percent compared to the July 2016 total of 542. The median sales price edged up 0.3 percent to $145,500 from $145,000 a year ago, according to the NYSAR report.

All home-sales data is compiled from multiple-listing services in New York state and it includes townhomes and condominiums in addition to existing single-family homes, according to NYSAR.

ConMed to pay quarterly dividend of 20 cents a share in October

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UTICA — ConMed Corp. (NASDAQ: CNMD), a Utica–based surgical-device maker, recently announced that its board of directors has declared a cash dividend of 20 cents a share for the latest quarter. The dividend is payable on Oct. 5 to shareholders of record as of Sept. 15, according to a company news release. At its current

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New York Paid Family Leave: Which Employers are Not Covered

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Answering some common employer questions The New York Workers’ Compensation Board on July 19 published its final regulations implementing the New York Paid Family Leave Law (PFL). Now that the regulations are final, employers should be modifying existing leave policies and processes to incorporate PFL requirements, and to develop new PFL policies that provide employees with

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Answering some common employer questions

The New York Workers’ Compensation Board on July 19 published its final regulations implementing the New York Paid Family Leave Law (PFL).

Now that the regulations are final, employers should be modifying existing leave policies and processes to incorporate PFL requirements, and to develop new PFL policies that provide employees with information about their rights and obligations under the law.

We held a webinar on New York’s PFL on July 25, in which we received hundreds of questions. While we didn’t have the opportunity during the webinar to address all the inquiries that we received, we noted afterwards that many employers raised the same questions. Accordingly, this article is dedicated to answering some of the most frequently asked questions we received. We hope this follow-up will be helpful to employers in preparation for the launch of PFL in 2018.

This batch of questions and answers focuses on which employers are and are not covered. We also answer your questions about what certain exempt employers (i.e., those who are not required to have PFL coverage) must do in order to opt in for voluntary PFL coverage. In fact, certain exempt employers have an obligation to make a decision by Dec. 1, as to whether to opt in for PFL coverage and will be required to report their decision to the New York State Workers Compensation Board (WCB).

Q: Are there any employers in New York that are not covered by PFL?

A: Yes. In light of the fact that PFL is intended to piggy back onto the Disability Benefits Law (DBL), it applies to any entity considered a covered employer under DBL. While all private-sector employers in New York that have one or more employees are subject to and must comply with DBL, and now PFL, the same exclusions as to who is a “covered employer” apply. Thus, employers exempt from DBL are also exempt from PFL. PFL does not apply to public-sector employers, including the state, any political subdivision of the state, a public authority, or any other governmental agency or instrumentality. This exemption applies to cities, villages, towns, public libraries, public authorities, municipalities, fire districts, water districts, and school districts.

A few others who are not required to provide PFL benefits include owners/shareholders of a corporation with no employees, owners/shareholders of partnerships, LLCs, LLPs with no employees, individuals who employ personal or domestic workers that work less than 40 hours per week, Native American enterprises (i.e., casinos), self-employed individuals, or sole proprietors and members of an LLC/LLP.

Q: Can public-sector employers choose to be covered under the PFL law?

A: Yes. The PFL regulations lay out the process a public employer must follow if it elects to opt in. The process is slightly different for unionized and non-unionized employers. If a public employer chooses to cover its non-unionized workers, it must provide 90 days’ notice of its decision to opt in. The notice must tell employees that the payroll deduction will not exceed the maximum amount allowed by law.

Not surprisingly, in order for a public employer to cover its employees who are represented by a union, it must engage in collective bargaining and obtain the agreement of the union. Once an agreement is reached, the employer must notify the WCB for approval.

Notably, public employers are the only employers who can elect to provide DBL only, PFL only, or both DBL and PFL coverage. Public employers who elect to provide PFL must maintain it for at least one year. Prior to discontinuing voluntary PFL coverage, the public employer must provide 12 months’ written notice to the WCB and the affected employees. Those employers will also need to have made provisions for the payment of any benefits incurred on and prior to the effective termination date of such benefits.

Q: Are public-sector employers who are already providing voluntary DBL coverage required to also provide PFL?

A: No. However, public-sector employers that currently provide voluntary DBL to their employees must notify their employees and the WCB whether they will (or will not) be providing PFL to their employees. They must make this decision and report it to the WCB by Dec. 1.

Christa Richer Cook and Kristen Smith are labor and employment law attorneys at Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC in Syracuse. This viewpoint article is drawn from the firm’s New York Labor & Employment Law Report blog. Contact Cook at ccook@bsk.com and Smith at ksmith@bsk.com

3 Strategies to Increase the Value of your Financial Legacy

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After a lifetime of accumulating money, it’s common to start thinking about your legacy and what you want to leave to your children, grandchildren, or a favorite charitable cause. But despite the dollar signs you see on your investment and bank accounts, there’s no guarantee your loved ones or your chosen charity will get the

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After a lifetime of accumulating money, it’s common to start thinking about your legacy and what you want to leave to your children, grandchildren, or a favorite charitable cause.

But despite the dollar signs you see on your investment and bank accounts, there’s no guarantee your loved ones or your chosen charity will get the full amount.

Uncle Sam is lurking to snatch a sizable share.

It’s important to plan carefully if you want to make sure that as much of your money as possible goes to the people or organizations you choose.

It’s very easy for someone to think they’ve covered all the bases, when in reality there are potential pitfalls they didn’t know about or didn’t count on. The good news is that there are plenty of options people can consider that will allow them to leverage those gifts so that the person or organization receiving them gets the maximum amount possible.

Those options include the following:

• Leverage your IRA to increase your legacy. When you leave a traditional IRA to your loved ones, they pay a hefty tax. But there are ways to eliminate — or at least mitigate — the tax bill. For example, you could use some of the IRA money to buy a survivorship universal life (SUL) insurance policy that would pay enough to your beneficiaries to offset the amount of the taxes. There are additional ways using an SUL where you can eliminate the taxes, give to charity, and still increase what your loved ones receive.

• Make a charity your life-insurance beneficiary. People usually think of naming a spouse or a child as the beneficiary on a life insurance policy, but the money doesn’t have to go to an individual. You can direct that the policy be paid to a charity instead. The main downside to this approach is that there’s no income-tax advantage for you.

• Donate your life-insurance policy. This strategy does come with some tax advantages. Giving a life insurance policy to a charity as a gift can provide an income tax deduction now, and can significantly reduce the taxable estate of the person who made the donation when that person dies. The charity, meanwhile, receives the full-face value of the policy.

Many people have a good idea who they want to benefit from their financial legacy. They just don’t always know how to make it happen. But if they lay out all their wishes to their financial professional, he or she should be able to help them come up with a plan that will meet their legacy goals.

Rich M. Groff, II (www.TheMoneyMD.com) is a third-generation certified financial planner and entrepreneur. Although he has worked with people from all walks of life, he has focused his practice primarily around high-income and high-net-worth professionals.

Binghamton University’s new Smart Energy Building focuses on R&D activities

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VESTAL — Binghamton University’s new smart-energy research and development (R&D) facility will accommodate R&D initiatives for the departments of chemistry and physics. The school formally opened the new $70 million, 114,000-square-foot Smart Energy Building on Aug. 31, according to a university news release. The Smart Energy Building is part of the university’s Innovative Technologies Complex (ITC),

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VESTAL — Binghamton University’s new smart-energy research and development (R&D) facility will accommodate R&D initiatives for the departments of chemistry and physics.

The school formally opened the new $70 million, 114,000-square-foot Smart Energy Building on Aug. 31, according to a university news release.

The Smart Energy Building is part of the university’s Innovative Technologies Complex (ITC), located at 85 Murray Hill Road in Vestal.

Laboratories, classrooms, and offices are included in the project, which aims to provide space for faculty, students, and industry scientists and engineers to work side by side to create new energy technologies and maintain and expand the regional workforce.

“This opening is a turning point in the history of Binghamton University,” President Harvey Stenger boasted in the release. “The Innovative Technologies Complex was constructed with the intent of adding research facilities, but this new Smart Energy Building integrates the basic sciences of chemistry and physics into the ITC.”

During the design and construction phase of this project, the investments made to build the smart energy R&D facility generated an economic impact of $90.7 million on the Broome/Tioga County region, Binghamton University said.

The expenditures also supported 915 local jobs, including 366 direct construction jobs, the school added.

The building’s features include photovoltaic panels on the roof to produce electricity, hydronic radiant heating in the floor, controlled LED lighting, individual space monitoring to reduce air flows and energy use, and water-cooled equipment wherever possible to conserve energy. LED is short for light-emitting diode.

The two-story building features ornate custom steel in public areas, as well as a basement and a green roof.

Natural stone landscaping and grading complement the Center of Excellence, Biotechnology, and Engineering and Science buildings.

The university first broke ground on the facility in the summer of 2014.

The Smart Energy Building is a “direct result” of the NYSUNY 2020 plan that Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the state legislature approved in 2012, the school said.

Baldwin Richardson Foods to expand in Wayne County

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WILLIAMSON — Baldwin Richardson Foods, a manufacturer of custom ingredients, will expand its operations in Williamson in Wayne County on a project that carries a cost of close to $35 million. The Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois–based company will install new machinery and equipment and add at least 50,000 square feet to its existing facility, the office

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WILLIAMSON — Baldwin Richardson Foods, a manufacturer of custom ingredients, will expand its operations in Williamson in Wayne County on a project that carries a cost of close to $35 million.

The Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois–based company will install new machinery and equipment and add at least 50,000 square feet to its existing facility, the office of Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced in an Aug. 9 news release.

The expansion is supporting the creation of up to 30 new jobs and retention of 275 positions. The company plans to break ground on the project in spring of 2018, Cuomo’s office said.

To encourage Baldwin Richardson Foods to proceed with its expansion plan, Empire State Development offered up to $700,000 in Excelsior tax credits in return for job-creation commitments.

The Town of Williamson is offering $450,000 through the community development block grant program to assist Baldwin Richardson.

Wayne County is also providing funding and assistance for the company’s expansion project, Cuomo’s office said.

Baldwin Richardson Foods develops and manufactures custom ingredients, marketing branded products such as Mrs. Richardson’s Toppings and Nance’s Mustards and Condiments.

It also custom develops sauces, syrups, condiments, flavored beverage syrups, and flavor bases offering a “standardized” line of products for distributors.

The company plans to make the “necessary” equipment, technology, and construction investments at its Williamson facility to meet “changing” requirements for food manufacturing and labeling that consumers are “demanding,” according to the Cuomo release.

“Our business continues to grow in Upstate New York and this expansion will allow us to serve the needs of our expanding customer base,” Eric Johnson, president and CEO of Baldwin Richardson Foods, said. “Making ‘better for you’ products and ingredients in a modern facility, with a competitive structure and workforce, will insure and protect our future.”

In addition to its Williamson location, Baldwin Richardson Foods has a second facility in the Wayne County community of Macedon.

The firm is a registered minority business enterprise with the New York City–based National Minority Supplier Development Council, Cuomo’s office said.

Spencer firm is among winners in Southern Tier 76West clean-energy competition

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BINGHAMTON — A Tioga County company has won $250,000 in the 76West clean-energy competition conducted in the Southern Tier. Biological Energy of Spencer provides technology that “increases wastewater-treatment capacity while reducing energy use,” according to a NYSERDA news release. NYSERDA is the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. Skyven Technologies, a Dallas, Texas–based

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BINGHAMTON — A Tioga County company has won $250,000 in the 76West clean-energy competition conducted in the Southern Tier.

Biological Energy of Spencer provides technology that “increases wastewater-treatment capacity while reducing energy use,” according to a NYSERDA news release. NYSERDA is the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.

Skyven Technologies, a Dallas, Texas–based solar-heating company won the $1 million grand prize in the competition and will expand its operations in the Southern Tier.

The state on Aug. 16 announced the winners in a ceremony at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in downtown Binghamton. Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul attended the event to announce the winners.

NYSERDA describes the 76West clean-energy competition as “one of the largest competitions in the country that focuses on supporting and growing clean-energy businesses and economic development.”

“Skyven Technologies and the rest of the winners from this competition will bring jobs and economic growth to the Southern Tier and beyond, ensuring that New York remains at the forefront of the new clean energy economy,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo contended in the release.

The competition complements “Southern Tier Soaring,” the region’s economic-development blueprint.

Winning firms

The state awarded a total of $2.5 million to six companies, three of which are from New York.

Besides Skyven and Biological Energy, the event also named a $500,000 winner and three additional $250,000 winners.

SunTegra of Port Chester, New York in the Mid-Hudson Valley will use its $500,000 award to develop solar products that are “integrated” into the roof to provide clean energy and an “alternate” look to conventional solar panels.

SolarKal of New York City will use its $250,000 award to provide a brokerage service to help businesses simplify the process of going solar.

In addition, EthosGen of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania captured a $250,000 award and will use the funding in its work that focuses on capturing and transforming waste heat to “resilient, renewable on-site electric power.”

Visolis of Berkeley, California also won a $250,000 award. The firm produces “high-value” chemicals from biomass instead of petroleum, which reduces greenhouse gases.

As a condition of the award, companies must either move to the Southern Tier or establish a direct connection with the region. That connection could be a supply chain, job development with Southern Tier companies, or other “strategic” relationships with Southern Tier entities that boosts wealth creation and creates jobs.

If the companies are already in the Southern Tier, they must commit to “substantially” growing their business and employment in the region.

About the program

The state launched the second round of the 76West competition in December 2016, receiving applications from companies in countries around the world, including Switzerland, South Africa, and Israel.

Of these, 15 semifinalists were chosen and participated in a marathon pitch session on July 11, at Alfred State College in eastern Allegany County.

Judges selected eight finalists, who then pitched their companies to a different panel of judges on July 13 in Corning. That pitch session determined the winning six firms.

NYSERDA administers the 76West competition which supports New York’s clean-energy standard, which seeks to “ensure that 50 percent of the state’s electricity comes from renewable energy by 2030.”

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