Onondaga Grown campaign begins 11th year

Get our email updates

Stay up-to-date on the companies, people and issues that impact businesses in Syracuse, Central New York and beyond.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The 11th year of the “Buy Local. Buy Onondaga Grown.” campaign is now underway. The Onondaga County Agriculture Council launched the campaign

Le Moyne College selects Salt City Coffee to operate eatery in McNeil Firehouse

Subscriber Only, Construction, Design & Real Estate, Education & Training, New York News, Nonprofits, Small Business, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Le Moyne College says it has selected Salt City Coffee to operate Barb’s Bistro that will open in the McNeil Firehouse at 1150 Salt Spring Road in Syracuse late this summer. Salt City Coffee is the anchor tenant of the Salt City Market on South Salina Street in Syracuse and has four

Already an Subcriber? Log in

Get Instant Access to This Article

Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.

Learn More and Become a Subscriber

Community Memorial Hospital receives Excellus award in support of biopsy program

Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Health Care, Insurance & Financial Services, Mohawk Valley, New York News, Nonprofits, Southern Tier

HAMILTON, N.Y. — The Community Memorial Hospital (CMH) Center for Surgical Services has received a 2025 Health and Wellness Award from Excellus BlueCross BlueShield to

Gracie Thorpe

People on the Move

Gracie Thorpe has joined the team at Make-A-Wish Central New York as the director of development. In this role, she will oversee fundraising initiatives across

Cayman George

People on the Move

Chimera Integrations has added Cayman George to its growing team of technicians. With two years of hands-on experience in the security industry, Cayman brings a strong

Cayuga Milk Ingredients’ expanded plant near Auburn is now open

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Manufacturing & Engineering, Subscriber Only

AURELIUS — Cayuga Milk Ingredients (CMI) is now operating in a $270 million expanded plant in the Cayuga County town of Aurelius, near Auburn. The new facility will allow the company to more than double its workforce, adding up to 150 new jobs to the existing workforce of 100 employees, the office of Gov. Kathy

Already an Subcriber? Log in

Get Instant Access to This Article

Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.

Learn More and Become a Subscriber

AURELIUS — Cayuga Milk Ingredients (CMI) is now operating in a $270 million expanded plant in the Cayuga County town of Aurelius, near Auburn.

The new facility will allow the company to more than double its workforce, adding up to 150 new jobs to the existing workforce of 100 employees, the office of Gov. Kathy Hochul announced June 18.

The addition will also allow the company to better serve its clients and “create opportunities” for New York dairy farmers as well.

The company formally opened the expansion in a ceremony held June 18.

CMI announced the grand opening in collaboration with Tetra Pak, a food-processing and packaging-solutions company, per a separate company statement. The U.S. and Canadian operations of Tetra Pak are headquartered in Denton, Texas, a company spokesperson tells CNYBJ in an email.

“Tetra Pak started working with Cayuga in early 2023 on the processing scope for their new aseptic plant,” the spokesperson says. “Cayuga wanted to have a partner that not only supplies equipment but also supports the technological and product development aspects of the project on this new journey for them. They soon realized that it’s not just about the UHT [ultra-high temperature] process, but all of the processes around it which create a superior product, and which we are able to provide.”

New York State is supporting the project through a $4 million capital grant and up to $4 million made available through the performance-based, Excelsior Jobs tax-credit program in exchange for job-creation commitments.

Cayuga Milk Ingredients says it is a farmer-owned dairy processor, producing premium milk and dairy ingredients for customers across the globe. The announcement comes as the state acknowledges Dairy Month this June, Hochul’s office noted.

“Cayuga Milk Ingredients is proud to be a key player in New York’s dairy industry, with the investment in our new aseptic and extended shelf-life fluid dairy production facility driving long term growth in our community with more than 150 new permanent jobs, as well as another [350-plus] jobs during facility construction,” Brian Linney, Cayuga Milk Ingredients and Cayuga Marketing CEO, said in the state’s announcement. “We are grateful for the support of Governor Hochul in this project expansion as we work to ensure the continued success and longevity of the agricultural industry in New York State.”

The first phase of the expansion at the Eagle Drive facility included the purchase and installation of a UHT/aseptic low acid packaging system and a new reverse osmosis filtration system. The second phase included the addition of machinery and equipment, and the expansion of the facility’s wastewater-treatment plant.

In its facility, CMI monitors all aspects of product integrity, offering a “high level” of traceability and sustainability, combining innovative manufacturing technology with a focus on reducing their environmental impact, Hochul’s office said.

CMI processes more than 1.5 billion pounds of milk from 22 family-owned dairy farms within the region. The farmer-owners are “recognized globally for their higher level of commitment” in animal welfare, environmental sustainability, and worker wellness “all based around a culture of continuous improvement,” the governor’s office noted.

Natural foods co-op opens in village of Clinton

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

CLINTON, N.Y. — When Tom’s Natural Foods closed in 2021, the village of Clinton wasn’t just left without a beloved store. It lost a hub where people would gather not just to purchase local vegetables, meats, and more, but also to say hi to a friend. Now, through a literal cooperative effort, the village has

Already an Subcriber? Log in

Get Instant Access to This Article

Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.

Learn More and Become a Subscriber

Now, through a literal cooperative effort, the village has such a place again with the opening of Tom’s Natural Foods Co-op.

“Tom’s really was a community institution,” says Jim Frederick, one of the co-op’s board members. It was a place where people felt at home, and the community really stepped up to support opening a co-op, he adds.

The co-op effort began about a month before the original Tom’s, which was under new ownership, closed in April 2021. However, the group wasn’t organized enough to start operations before the store closed. So, the group took its time to craft by-laws, build its membership, and line up financing to open a co-op. Naming it after Tom’s just felt right, he says.

The co-op first opened in December 2024, starting with just Saturdays. Located at 3 Fountain St., the store has about 900 square feet of retail space. Now, the store is open four days a week (Wednesday through Saturday) staffed by volunteers. The co-op offers local, minimally processed, and responsibly packaged foods including spices, herbs, flour, meat, dairy, vegetables, eggs, dried fruits, nuts, coffee, chocolates, and more.

“We wanted to be local,” Frederick says. “We wanted to be fresh. We wanted to be bulk. We wanted to be minimally processed or packaged.”

The spices, in particular, have been a bit hit, Frederick says. In homage to the original store, the co-op has tried to recreate the same type of spice display and offerings with bulk containers that allow people to take as much or as little of whatever spice they choose.

Shoppers can bring in their own bags, bottles, or jars to fill with items, whether they are spices or other offerings such as flour, oats, or rice. In fact, the co-op encourages people to bring reusable containers to help eliminate waste.

The process has been a learning one, Frederick notes, but the co-op is getting up to speed. “None of us has experience in retail grocery,” he says. “We’re just feeling our way.” That includes everything from what to stock to how to display it. Overall, Frederick says the co-op board is pleased with the selection the co-op has to offer.

He is also happy with the progress the co-op has made toward its goals, the first of which was to rebuild that sense of community the original Tom’s store provided. “I think we’ve been fairly successful in doing that,” Frederick says.

The co-op has also been successful in supporting local producers. It sources chicken and cheese from Jones Family Farm and eggs from Oliver’s Organic Eggs, both in Herkimer County, and beef from Blue Sky Ranch in Waterville.

Finally, the co-op is working to have an impact on the nutrition and dietary needs of the community by providing those fresh, local foods.

“It was important to me to make those things available to the community,” Frederick, a retired doctor, says.

The co-op is open Wednesday from 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Thursday from 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Friday from 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

New York home sales drop nearly 11 percent in May

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Subscriber Only

ALBANY — New York realtors closed on the sale of 7,846 previously owned homes in May, down 10.9 percent from the 8,807 homes they sold in May 2024. At the same time, pending sales fell slightly in May, perhaps foreshadowing further declines in closed home sales in the next couple months. That is according to

Already an Subcriber? Log in

Get Instant Access to This Article

Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.

Learn More and Become a Subscriber

ALBANY — New York realtors closed on the sale of 7,846 previously owned homes in May, down 10.9 percent from the 8,807 homes they sold in May 2024.

At the same time, pending sales fell slightly in May, perhaps foreshadowing further declines in closed home sales in the next couple months. That is according to the New York State Association of Realtors (NYSAR) May housing report issued on June 23.

“Home sales dropped across New York State in May as mortgage rates continued to remain above seven percent,” NYSAR said to open its housing report. NYSAR cites Freddie Mac as indicating mortgage rates hit as high as 7.22 percent in May and settled at an average monthly rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage of 7.06 percent. A year ago, at this time, the interest rate stood at 6.43 percent. Freddie Mac is the more common way of referring to the Virginia–based Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation.

New York sales data

Pending home sales totaled 10,279 in May in New York, a drop of 1.4 percent from 10,421 pending sales in the same month in 2024, according to the NYSAR data.

The housing supply in the state rose modestly in the latest month after a prolonged period of tight supply. The inventory of homes for sale totaled 28,810 in May, up 3.6 percent from the May 2024 figure of 27,806. The months’ supply of homes for sale at the end of May stood at 3.3 months’ supply, up from 3.1 months at the end of May 2024, per NYSAR. A 6 month to 6.5-month supply is considered a balanced market. New listings of homes in the state increased 3 percent to 15,745 this May from 15,279 in the year-prior period.

The May 2025 statewide median sales price was $436,000, up 3.8 percent from the May 2024 median sales price of $420,000.

Central New York data

Realtors in Onondaga County sold 255 previously owned homes in May, down 25 percent from the 340 homes sold in the same month in 2024. The median sales price increased about 5 percent to more than $252,000, up from $240,000 a year ago, NYSAR said.

The association also reports that realtors sold 94 homes in Oneida County in May, down about 31 percent from the 136 sold during May 2024. The median sales price increased 18 percent to nearly $236,000 from $200,000 a year ago.

In Broome County, realtors sold 111 existing homes in May, down nearly 7 percent from the 119 sold a year prior, according to the NYSAR report. The median sales price of nearly $206,000 was up almost 23 percent from $168,000 a year earlier.

Realtors in Jefferson County closed on the sale of 89 homes in May, down nearly 9 percent from the 98 homes sold a year ago, and the median sales price of $248,000 was up more than 15 percent from nearly $215,000 a year before, according to the NYSAR data.

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

CBRE Upstate outlines Syracuse real-estate market trends

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Subscriber Only

SYRACUSE —The Syracuse metropolitan commercial real-estate market experienced increased demand for office space and multifamily housing in 2024, according to findings presented at CBRE Upstate NY’s Syracuse Market Outlook Midyear Review. The event was held June 5 at SKY Armory in Syracuse. The keynote speaker was Travis Deese, CBRE’s director of multifamily research, who provided

Already an Subcriber? Log in

Get Instant Access to This Article

Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.

Learn More and Become a Subscriber

The event was held June 5 at SKY Armory in Syracuse. The keynote speaker was Travis Deese, CBRE’s director of multifamily research, who provided national context to Syracuse’s high-demand residential real-estate market by pointing out that the Northeast and Midwest lagged behind the rest of the nation in building new multifamily inventory to meet demand.

Deese was joined by local representatives from CBRE Upstate NY’s Syracuse office, who highlighted trends in the commercial real-estate market, including the office and industrial sectors. The highlights of the presentation included the following:

• Office-vacancy rates in the Syracuse metro area are down slightly from 2023 and are below the national average. According to the firm’s most recent market report, “The Syracuse metro office market finished 2024 with a vacancy rate of 12.0 percent, as compared to the U.S. national average of 18.9 percent.”

• The 2024 office asking lease rate for the Syracuse market was $17.26 per square foot. This was up from last year, and was attributed to conversions of office space into residential and storage, which, “are continuing to decrease supply, which is helping with the overall absorption of space in the market and helping the office sector find a new equilibrium.”

• The “flight to quality” continues to be a trend in the Syracuse office market. This refers to Class A properties overperforming Class B and C properties in the market at a widening rate.

• The Syracuse metro area’s industrial and logistics real-estate market’s vacancy rate jumped from below 5 percent at the beginning of 2024 to 6.9 percent at year’s end, largely because of the closure of a Rite Aid distribution center in Onondaga County.

• Despite the market’s increased industrial vacancy, asking rates in the sector increased 8.4 percent year-over-year to $6.89 per square foot.

• “Significant progress” is projected in Syracuse’s industrial market in 2025, driven by Micron’s expected breaking ground on the first phase of their plant and TTM Technologies’ $130 million facility in the town of DeWitt, according to the real-estate firm.

CBRE forecasts that the national office market will benefit in 2025 from falling interest rates, increased optimism over the economy, and deregulation, but will see challenges in the form of labor shortages and the use of artificial intelligence to replace some office-based jobs.

In the national industrial market, CBRE projects that the greatest demand for new space in 2025 third-party logistics providers, as retailers and wholesalers outsource their distribution operations.

Recapping the Downtown Committee’s 2025 annual meeting

Subscriber Only

More than $290 million in projects highlighted SYRACUSE — More than $290 million in development activity is either announced or underway in downtown Syracuse, including the ongoing renovation and expansion of CenterState CEO’s INSPYRE Innovation Hub (the former Tech Garden), which will open this fall. In addition, the War Memorial’s Upstate Medical University Arena is

Already an Subcriber? Log in

Get Instant Access to This Article

Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.

Learn More and Become a Subscriber

More than $290 million in projects highlighted

SYRACUSE — More than $290 million in development activity is either announced or underway in downtown Syracuse, including the ongoing renovation and expansion of CenterState CEO’s INSPYRE Innovation Hub (the former Tech Garden), which will open this fall.

In addition, the War Memorial’s Upstate Medical University Arena is undergoing upgrades to improve seating and accessibility.

The $292 million in projects also includes new housing units that are planned at the redevelopment of 250 Harrison St., the work at Mizpah Towers, the property at 420-430 East Genesee St., and the Chimes building across from the Salt City Market.

In addition, the War Memorial’s Upstate Medical University Arena is undergoing upgrades to improve seating and accessibility, and CenterState CEO’s INSPYRE Innovation Hub (the former Tech Garden) will open this fall.

The development activity was highlighted in the State of Downtown report that Merike Treier, executive director of the Downtown Committee of Syracuse, Inc., delivered during the organization’s annual-meeting luncheon held June 18 in the ballroom of the Nicholas J. Pirro Convention Center at Oncenter.

More than 400 members of the downtown community — including property owners, businesses, residents and other stakeholders — gathered for the event.

The State of Downtown report also included details about the work that underway at Hanover Square Park with plans for restoration of the original 1981 fountain, with improved lighting and more seating. In addition, the City of Syracuse, in partnership with the Syracuse Firefighters Memorial Fund, will invest funds to improve Fayette Firefighters Memorial Park.

The Downtown Committee also used the event to acknowledge an organizational milestone, something it considers a “remarkable achievement” — 50 years of “playing an essential role in shaping the heart of the city.”

“A 50th anniversary is an exciting milestone. It’s an opportunity to celebrate the work we’ve achieved and reinforce that a strong city center benefits our entire region,” Treier said in the Downtown Committee’s announcement. “We are fortunate to work with strong leadership and community partners, which have been instrumental in the shared success we experience.”

As the steward of the district, the Downtown Committee says it “actively supports the city center and is essential in establishing a foundation for future growth,” per its announcement.

The Downtown Committee also acknowledged the work of Daylight Blue Media for producing three videos used during the annual meeting. The videos “narrated the story of the past, emphasized the present, and built excitement for the future.”

The videos “illustrated the significant role” the Downtown Committee has played in “establishing a vibrant, inclusive, and thriving center” for all Central New York. Featured in the videos were guest speakers who have supported the Downtown Committee through the decades including Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon and Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh, along with Downtown Committee board members and community supporters.

Get our email updates

Stay up-to-date on the companies, people and issues that impact businesses in Syracuse, Central New York and beyond.

Get our email updates

What's New

Upcoming Events

Microelectronics Forum

Tompkins Chamber Business After Hours

Greater Binghamton Chamber of Commerce Connect Over Lunch

CNYBJ Job Board

Get Instant Access to This Article

Get Instant Access to This Article

Get Instant Access to This Article

Get Instant Access to This Article

New York sales data

Central New York data

Get Instant Access to This Article

Get Instant Access to This Article

More than $290 million in projects highlighted

Get our email updates