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Electronics recycler rebrands as Sunnking Sustainable Solutions
BROCKPORT — Sunnking, which operates an electronics recycling and resale location in Whitesboro, announced it has rebranded as Sunnking Sustainable Solutions. The new brand marks the company’s commitment to sustainability and innovation, as well its evolution to providing comprehensive, sustainable e-waste-management solutions to businesses and organizations. “Sunnking has always embraced its passion for creating a […]
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BROCKPORT — Sunnking, which operates an electronics recycling and resale location in Whitesboro, announced it has rebranded as Sunnking Sustainable Solutions.
The new brand marks the company’s commitment to sustainability and innovation, as well its evolution to providing comprehensive, sustainable e-waste-management solutions to businesses and organizations.
“Sunnking has always embraced its passion for creating a more sustainable future through responsible electronic-waste-management practices,” Adam Shine, company president, said in a news release. “This rebranding represents our unwavering commitment to sustainability, innovation, and corporate environmental initiatives. By leveraging cutting-edge technologies and best practices, we empower businesses to responsibly manage their electronics, reduce their footprint, and contribute to the circular economy.”
Sunnking Sustainable Solutions, based in Brockport, provides an array of services including electronics recycling, secure data destruction, asset recovery, and IT asset-disposition services.
The new brand comes with a newly refreshed website at sunnking.com. The company also remains committed to fostering partnerships with businesses, government agencies, educational institutions, and nonprofit organizations to promote sustainability and environmental responsibility.
Auburn firm awarded a more than $18 million U.S. Army Fort Drum contract for roof work
AUBURN — JJ Contracting Corp., a small business in Auburn, recently won a nearly $18.3 million firm-fixed-price contract from the U.S. Army to repair and
Taste of Syracuse, Syracuse Nationals details unveiled
Syracuse–based Galaxy Media used separate March events to announce details of both the upcoming Taste of Syracuse event and Syracuse Nationals classic car show at the State Fairgrounds. Taste of Syracuse The group that gave listeners the song “MMMBop” will headline this year’s Taste of Syracuse event. Described as “Central New York’s biggest food and
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Syracuse–based Galaxy Media used separate March events to announce details of both the upcoming Taste of Syracuse event and Syracuse Nationals classic car show at the State Fairgrounds.
The group that gave listeners the song “MMMBop” will headline this year’s Taste of Syracuse event.
Described as “Central New York’s biggest food and music festival,” Taste of Syracuse returns for its 26th year on June 7-8 in and around Clinton Square from 11 a.m.-10 p.m. both days, Galaxy Media announced on March 20. Admission is free.
The Grammy-nominated Hanson will take the main stage on Saturday night. Hanson will be among 30 bands and 100 local musicians providing entertainment for the annual two-day event.
Besides Hanson, American rock band Cracker will perform on the Clinton Stage early Saturday evening. The Zac Brown Tribute Band will also perform on Friday. The youth talent showcase will also return to the festival on Saturday from 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Taste of Syracuse is sponsored by The Summit Federal Credit Union and presented by Tops Friendly Markets.
As always, those attending will have the chance to sample items from local eateries for $2. Several new restaurants and vendors will be joining the 2024 festival as well, along with “many fan favorites” as well, per the announcement.
Besides the food and music, the Taste of Syracuse will collect donations for two charitable organizations — Griffin’s Guardians and Paige’s Butterfly Run.
The Summit, Tops Markets, and other sponsors and vendors will be working with festival organizers to raise money for the charities all weekend long. Both the Summit and Tops will donate the proceeds from their tents to the charities, Galaxy Media said.
“We stand by our message that no matter what you’re looking for, musically or food-wise, we truly can say we’ve got it at the Taste of Syracuse!” Carrie Wojtaszek, COO of Galaxy Media, said in the announcement. “We’re also thrilled to be raising awareness and funds for both Griffin’s Guardians and Paige’s Butterfly Run. We’d like to thank The Summit Federal Credit Union and Tops Friendly Markets for their support. With help from our sponsors, we’re able to showcase this amazing event to the CNY community!”
The hosts of a show on MotorTrend TV will be among the attractions as the Napa Auto Parts Syracuse Nationals returns to the New York State Fairgrounds in the town of Geddes during the weekend of July 19-21.
Described as a “hallmark of summer,” the Syracuse Nationals is the largest car show in the Northeast, drawing hundreds of thousands of fans from across the country and even around the world, Galaxy Media said in its March 27 announcement.
Organizers held a news conference at Mercurio’s Garage in Cicero to announce details about this summer’s Syracuse Nationals. One new aspect of this year’s show is kids ages 12 and under are admitted free.
Fans will get to check out more than 8,000 hot rods, classic cars, and trucks. They’ll also be able to browse the wares of more than 400 vendors.
Those attending can also enjoy the event’s “signature features,” which include the Syracuse Signature Showcase; Sparky’s Rockabilly Roundup; Nitro Row; Memories on Main Street; Swap Meet & Car Corral; and Brush Fest.
This year’s show will also include Dave Kindig and KevDogg, the hosts of “Bitchin’ Rides” on MotorTrend TV. They’ll be on-site greeting fans and signing autographs, and they’re bringing three custom cars, including their 2024 Ridler Award winner.
The event will also feature a special appearance by Optimus Is Here, the only officially licensed Optimus Prime replica, Galaxy Media said.
“This year’s Syracuse Nationals promises to be another great show, and we can’t wait to welcome Dave Kindig and KevDogg. It’ll be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for their many fans,” Ed Levine, president and CEO of Galaxy Media, which co-owns the event, said in the announcement. “Now that kids under 12 get in free, we hope to see multiple generations out enjoying the festivities together.”
Paradise Galaxy LLC — a joint venture between locally owned businesses Paradise Companies and Galaxy Media Partners — purchased the Syracuse Nationals car show in May 2023.
Last year’s Syracuse Nationals had an economic impact of more than $19 million, Galaxy Media said, citing Tourism Economics and Visit Syracuse. It also raised more than $85,000 for local charities.
Pre-sale tickets, show-car registrations, and camping registrations are currently available at SyracuseNationals.com or by calling (800) 753-3978.
SU to use more than $2M donation for ECS student center
SYRACUSE — Syracuse University (SU) says it will use a more than $2 million donation for a student center in its College of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS). The funding comes from the Campos Foundation and its founders, Marcos Campos and his sister, Deanna Compos-Miller. Marcos Campos’ son is a third-year student in SU’s College
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SYRACUSE — Syracuse University (SU) says it will use a more than $2 million donation for a student center in its College of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS).
The funding comes from the Campos Foundation and its founders, Marcos Campos and his sister, Deanna Compos-Miller. Marcos Campos’ son is a third-year student in SU’s College of Visual and Performing Arts.
The Campos Student Center will be housed on the second floor of the Center for Science and Technology. The student center will offer programming designed to attract underrepresented students to the college and “support the academic success of all ECS students,” SU said.
It comes at a “time of tremendous growth” for ECS. As part of SU’s academic strategic plan, ECS will grow its enrollment and faculty ranks by 50 percent by 2028, per the university’s announcement.
“The Campos Student Center will provide dedicated space for our students with a home for collaboration, community and access to resources that maximize their success,” J. Cole Smith, dean of the SU College of Engineering and Computer Science, said in a news release. “This space will facilitate club activities that enhance the experience of our diverse student body. More than that, it will be a home on campus that is inviting and welcoming to all.”
Campos’ donation was inspired by a recent visit to the SU campus and by the success of an earlier gift made by his foundation to the University of Colorado in Boulder.
He says he saw the geography and the demographics of Syracuse and “thought he could make a similar impact,” SU noted.
Campos believes the new student center will be a welcoming and inclusive home where engineering, computer science, and other STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) students can go for academic support, financial advice, and career direction.
Campos’ career began with an internship at Texaco during his college years, and he joined the firm after graduation.
By age 30, he had accumulated enough work and consulting experience, confidence, and wealth to start his own company and start giving back, SU said. Campos EPC, established in 2005 with headquarters in Denver, offers engineering, procurement and construction counsel for utility, energy and midstream organizations.
New orders, shipments slip in New York manufacturing sector in April
For New York manufacturers, new orders and shipments both declined substantially and unfilled orders “continued to shrink.” That’s according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, which released the monthly Empire State Manufacturing Survey on April 15. The survey’s general business-conditions index rose 7 points in April, but remained underwater at -14.3, pointing to
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For New York manufacturers, new orders and shipments both declined substantially and unfilled orders “continued to shrink.”
That’s according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, which released the monthly Empire State Manufacturing Survey on April 15.
The survey’s general business-conditions index rose 7 points in April, but remained underwater at -14.3, pointing to continued contraction in the state’s manufacturing sector. The result was worse than the consensus economists’ expectation for a reading of -5.2, according to a Seeking Alpha article.
The index has been volatile in recent months. It declined 19 points to -20.9 in March after rising 41 points in February to -2.4, rebounding from a nearly four-year low in January but still remaining in negative territory.
The general business-conditions index is the monthly gauge of New York’s manufacturing sector. Based on firms responding to the survey, the April reading indicates business activity “continued to decline” in New York state, the New York Fed said in its April 15 report.
A negative index number indicates a decline in the state’s manufacturing sector, while a positive number shows expansion or growth in manufacturing activity.
Besides the decline in new orders and shipments, the Empire State Survey also found the six-month outlook for manufacturers improved, though optimism “remained subdued.”
The new-orders index was little changed at -16.2, and the shipments index fell 8 points to -14.4, pointing to an ongoing decline in both orders and shipments, the New York Fed said.
The unfilled-orders index held steady at -10.1, a sign that unfilled orders “continued to fall.” The inventories index moved up 16 points to 3.4, indicating that inventories edged higher for the first time in several months, and the delivery-times index fell to -7.9, suggesting that delivery times shortened.
The index for number of employees came in at -5.1 and the average-workweek index was little changed at -10.6, pointing to an ongoing decline in employment levels and hours worked.
The prices-paid index moved up 5 points to 33.7, indicating that input price increases “picked up slightly,” and the prices-received index held steady at 16.9.
The index for future business conditions dipped 5 points to 16.7, with only 37 percent of respondents expecting conditions to improve in the next six months.
The outlook for employment growth “weakened noticeably.” The capital-spending index fell to 6.7, suggesting that capital-spending plans remained soft.
The New York Fed distributes the Empire State Manufacturing Survey on the first day of each month to the same pool of about 200 manufacturing executives in New York. On average, about 100 executives return responses.
Solvay Bank to pay quarterly dividend of 43 cents a share at end of April
SOLVAY — Solvay Bank Corp. (ticker: SOBS), the holding company for Solvay Bank, recently announced that its board of directors has approved a cash dividend of 43 cents per share of its common stock for the first quarter of this year. The dividend is payable on April 30, to shareholders of record at the close
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SOLVAY — Solvay Bank Corp. (ticker: SOBS), the holding company for Solvay Bank, recently announced that its board of directors has approved a cash dividend of 43 cents per share of its common stock for the first quarter of this year.
The dividend is payable on April 30, to shareholders of record at the close of business on April 5.
This marks the 32nd straight year of the bank increasing the dividends it pays to shareholders, according to a Solvay Bank news release.
Founded in 1917, Solvay Bank says it is the oldest community bank established in Onondaga County. Solvay Bank has nine branch offices in Solvay, Baldwinsville, Camillus, Cicero, DeWitt, Liverpool, North Syracuse, Westvale, and downtown Syracuse (State Tower Building), , and a commercial-lending presence in the Mohawk Valley.
Solvay Bank Insurance Agency, Inc., a full-service general insurance agency, is also part of Solvay Bank Corp.
Recapping the 2024 CenterState CEO annual meeting in Syracuse
SYRACUSE — More than 800 business and community leaders watched the announcements of the Business of the Year Awards, a keynote address, and remarks from Robert Simpson, president and CEO of CenterState CEO, at the April 11 annual meeting of CenterState CEO at the Nicholas J. Pirro Convention Center at Oncenter in Syracuse. Awards In
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SYRACUSE — More than 800 business and community leaders watched the announcements of the Business of the Year Awards, a keynote address, and remarks from Robert Simpson, president and CEO of CenterState CEO, at the April 11 annual meeting of CenterState CEO at the Nicholas J. Pirro Convention Center at Oncenter in Syracuse.
In the Business of the Year Awards, the economic development and chamber of commerce organization recognized Crouse Health in the “More than 50 Employees” category. The finalists in the category also included Bond, Schoeneck & King PLLC; Tompkins Community Bank; and Woodford Bros., Inc.
Drakos Dynamics prevailed in the “Fewer than 50 Employees” category. The additional finalists in that grouping included 325 Productions; Potter Heating & AC – Perrone Plumbing Services; and ResilienX.
CenterState CEO recognized Food Bank of Central New York in the “Nonprofit” category. The additional finalists included Catholic Charities of Onondaga County; ConnextCare; and Housing Visions.
SGTR LLC was honored with the “Minority-owned Business” Award, which CenterState CEO presented in partnership with the Upstate Minority Economic Alliance. Additional finalists in the category included Brackens Financial Solutions Network; Cocoa’s Candle Bar; and La Liga.
In addition, CenterState CEO recognized NBT Bank with the “Community Involvement” award. The category’s additional finalists included CPS Recruitment, Inc.; Firley, Moran, Freer & Eassa, CPA, P.C.; and Novelis, Inc.
CenterState CEO President Robert Simpson talked about the opportunity for Central New York to “think bigger about its own economic future and to shape the growth that is coming.”
“As humans, we are so deeply rooted in what we’ve known … stagnation, population loss, progress that can sometimes feel glacially slow. But the moment we have now entered is entirely different,” Simpson said as he addressed the gathering at the annual meeting. “In a world of data, it’s an outlier, a full standard deviation or two from our past and even recent experience. Don’t believe me? Consider this: by the end of this decade there will be more people living in Central New York than at any other time in history. Over the next 15 years, projected job growth with Micron’s investment alone will drive our population up by nearly 8 percent, create as many as 50,000 new jobs. Can anyone tell me the last time we had 50,000 more jobs in this community than we have today? Of course not. It’s a trick question. We’ve never had 50,000 more jobs in this community than we have today.”
Simpson went on to say that Micron’s investment isn’t just reshaping the economic landscape, it’s “reshaping our nation’s economic competitiveness and vaulting upstate New York into an entirely new tier of criticality to our nation’s future.”
“Within the next decade, when Micron has just two of its four fabs up and operating, one in four American-made chips will be produced within 350 miles of this corridor,” Simpson said. “No other area of the country will account for a greater share of domestic production of one of the most fundamental inputs to the modern economy that there is. This region matters.”
He also noted that the moment is “so much bigger” than Central New York alone, which is why CenterState CEO has joined with partners in Buffalo, Rochester, Ithaca, and Syracuse to compete for the designation as one of 31 tech hubs nationwide. It works with almost 100 private-sector partners, academic partners, and community organizations across upstate New York.
“The Smart-I corridor has a generational opportunity to build a globally leading semiconductor cluster to advance not just our region’s economic prosperity but our national security as well,” he said.
Simpson also says he understands why some might be anxious about future possibilities because they come with immediate challenges, such as housing with rent prices rising 57 percent in Onondaga County in the last seven years. The figure makes Syracuse “one of the places with the fastest rising rents in the country.”
“Every single city and town and village in Central New York will benefit from our evolution from stagnation to growth and therefore we all share a responsibility for delivering real solutions in the form of more and more affordable housing for the people who live here and the people we want to move here,” Simpson said in his remarks.
And it’s not just housing that’s “under pressure,” but the region’s health-care system as well, he said.
“Aging facilities. A lack of necessary IT [information technology] infrastructure and an acute shortage of nurses and doctors that are going to require massive investments to modernize and to scale with the growth of our community,” Simpson said.
He also talked about Syracuse Hancock International Airport, which is now the fourth busiest in the state, surpassing Albany and Rochester within the last year.
“And yet, we will need more than a billion dollars of investment in that airport just to accommodate traffic that we can accurately foresee and plan for today,” Simpson said.
He also mentioned the energy grid, which he said faces the simultaneous challenges of growth in energy-intensive industries like semiconductor manufacturing and advanced manufacturing.
“But also an electrification and a decarbonization mandate from New York State that, absent rational debate and new carbon-free generation, will actually slow or stall the growth that we anticipate,” he said.
Housing, transportation, energy, he added, are just a few of the systems “that are going to be strained by this moment that we’re in.”
Simpson went on to say it was the region’s “civic cohesion” that allowed it to fight back from economic collapse.
“Our civic leadership and our collaboration and our creativity and our willingness to work together is what brought us back to this moment, and it is that civic cohesion that must not only hold but strengthen for us to maximize this moment,” Simpson said.
Prior to Simpson’s remarks, Elizabeth Kelly, CEO of the U.S. AI Safety Institute at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), delivered the keynote presentation, speaking about the positive power of AI and the need for safeguards.
“First and foremost, AI holds transformative potential. We would not be having any of the conversations we are having today if we did not recognize the tremendous potential and want to harness it. The number of positive uses for AI truly has no limit but the human imagination.”
She then elaborated using Syracuse as an example. She pointed to chemical manufacturing, one of Syracuse’s earliest industries.
“Today, AI holds the potential to revolutionize chemical discovery and engineering processes. It has the ability to digitally synthesize tens of thousands of different chemicals and then choose among them [to] select the best one for the job. That makes chemical [research & development (R&D)], like other types of R&D, go a lot faster,” Kelly said in her remarks.
NIST is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, which Kelly said works to promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness and advancing AI safety is a “key part of that.”
Community Living Advocates provides a network for senior care
SALINA— After years of helping her mother take care of her elderly grandmother, Nancy Aureli figured there had to be an easier way to find and manage the care loved ones require as they age. “I am an RN and still didn’t understand what to do,” she recalls of those years providing care. Even though
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SALINA— After years of helping her mother take care of her elderly grandmother, Nancy Aureli figured there had to be an easier way to find and manage the care loved ones require as they age.
“I am an RN and still didn’t understand what to do,” she recalls of those years providing care. Even though she worked as an oncology nurse and routinely dealt with end-of-life care at work, Aureli says it was so challenging to figure out where to go for the different services and care her grandmother required.
“There’s got to be a better way of helping people take care of their loved ones,” she recalls thinking, so she set out to create one.
In 2017, Aureli took over an informal networking group in Onondaga County and turned it into Community Living Advocates (CLA), a network of more than 140 businesses, nonprofits, organizations, and others that provide services for seniors.
“I took it and I just decided to grow it into something that was a lot bigger,” she recalls.
CLA members include businesses like pharmacies, medical-equipment suppliers, and transportation providers; professionals serving the senior population including lawyers, insurance companies, and real-estate agents; nonprofits and agencies providing services including housing, rehabilitation, therapy, and at-home care; and even small businesses that provide services like installing ramps.
“We have someone who actually will go in and do gardening for seniors,” Aureli says.
The CLA network has helped connect seniors to members for the services they need, which, in turn, helps the member organizations thrive.
But more importantly, working together means seniors — or those caring for them — are never turned away without a connection to services they need, says Tess Kenney, community relations manager at Touching Hearts at Home and CLA’s Onondaga County coordinator.
“It gives us the opportunity to help our clients better, because we can’t do it all,” she says. So, if Touching Hearts at Home receives a request for something it can help with, Kenney is able to go right to the CLA member directly and steer the person in need toward a business or organization that can help them.
Along with maintaining an active network for referrals, CLA also provides regular networking events for members to build relationships and boost that referral network.
CLA, which has an office at 220 Beechwood Ave. in the town of Salina, also hosts several events throughout the year that give members a chance to get into the community and connect with people who may need their services. Its annual expo, scheduled this year for May, attracts several hundred attendees, Aureli notes. CLA also hosts senior fairs at senior centers with more than 100 people typically attending and holds a retirement showcase every fall.
“We also [provide] resource bags for discharge planners at the hospitals,” Aureli says. Discharge planners are employees who help coordinate continuing care for patients who are well enough to leave the hospital, but still need care going forward.
Often, Aureli says, these employees have to develop their own network of care providers, so CLA gives them the resource bags to give them a head start.
The organization also provides a resource page on its website (www.communitylivingadvocates.com) for each county it serves — Cayuga, Cortland, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, and Oswego.
“People don’t know what they don’t know,” when they are overwhelmed by caring for a loved one, Kenney says. “They don’t even know what to ask.”
CLA is making sure to provide the questions — and the answers — that seniors and their caregivers need.
Ithaca College professor named to lead George W. Bush Presidential Library
ITHACA — Ithaca College Professor of History Pearl Ponce has been named director of the George W. Bush Presidential Library in Dallas, Texas. In that
Broome County readies for annual airshow in July
MAINE, N.Y. — The Greater Binghamton Airshow returns to the Southern Tier July 6-7 at the Greater Binghamton Airport, 2534 Airport Road. Gates open at 9 a.m. with performances scheduled for noon-4 p.m. each day. Airport officials estimate between 15,000 and 25,000 visitors will attend the event each day. The U.S. Navy Blue Angels Flight
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MAINE, N.Y. — The Greater Binghamton Airshow returns to the Southern Tier July 6–7 at the Greater Binghamton Airport, 2534 Airport Road.
Gates open at 9 a.m. with performances scheduled for noon-4 p.m. each day. Airport officials estimate between 15,000 and 25,000 visitors will attend the event each day.
The U.S. Navy Blue Angels Flight Demonstration Squadron headlines this year’s show, which returns to its classic airshow format. The Broome County Department of Aviation will release information about more performers in the coming weeks.
Tickets are available online at binghamtonairshow.com and will cost $25 for adults and $20 for youth ages 6-18 when purchased before July 1. Children ages 5 and under are admitted free. Ticket prices increase by $5 after July 1. Onsite parking will cost $20, while offsite parking is available for $5.
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