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Auburn and Rochester hospitals end affiliation talks
AUBURN — Auburn Community Hospital will not affiliate with Rochester General Health System after the two parties ended four months of discussions. The health-care providers
Housing Visions, residents reap rewards of green-home construction
SYRACUSE — The benefits of green building don’t evaporate after the last pieces of drywall are in place for a Central New York nonprofit housing organization. They trickle down long after work is complete, according to Benjamin Lockwood, the director of development at Housing Visions, a 501(c)(3) that focuses on revitalizing neighborhoods by building and
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SYRACUSE — The benefits of green building don’t evaporate after the last pieces of drywall are in place for a Central New York nonprofit housing organization.
They trickle down long after work is complete, according to Benjamin Lockwood, the director of development at Housing Visions, a 501(c)(3) that focuses on revitalizing neighborhoods by building and managing affordable housing. The Syracuse–based organization has been building all its homes to meet federally backed Energy Star efficiency standards for about the last four years, he says.
“Not only are we building them, we’re managing them,” Lockwood says. “The more sustainable the products can be, the less it’s going to cost to operate them as they age.”
Housing Visions typically installs power-saving equipment like tankless water heaters and efficient heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems, he continues. It pays attention to details during construction.
For example, the organization makes sure buildings have proper drainage, eliminating the possibility that water damage could lead to future energy losses. And, it invests in airtight walls, windows, and doors.
“Our buildings are sealed so tightly now that we introduce ventilation into the buildings to ensure that we’re getting the proper amount of airflow into them,” Lockwood says.
The nonprofit received a 2012 Energy Star Leadership in Housing Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in April for building more than 200 Energy Star-certified units since 2010. It has built 206 Energy Star-certified units since that year — 78 in Syracuse, 58 in Oswego, 33 in Rome, and 37 in Utica.
The energy-efficient homes benefit both Housing Visions and its residents, according to Lockwood. The organization estimates that the power-saving units it built since 2010 will save their residents a total of more than $92,000 on utility bills.
“If you can save someone 20, 30, 40 percent on their energy bills, and they’re low income, that’s a huge savings,” Lockwood says.
Housing Visions started to invest heavily in green building after the state Division of Housing and Community Renewal, which provides some funding for the organization, launched a green-building initiative in 2007, according to Lockwood. That initiative prompted the Syracuse–based organization to work to build units that meet Energy Star standards.
Now, the nonprofit is aiming for one of its current projects to achieve U.S. Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) platinum certification, the highest of four LEED levels. The project is an $8.1 million, 50-unit apartment building for homeless veterans slated for the former Jewish Community Center on East Genesee Street in Syracuse.
Housing Visions plans to pursue LEED certification for the project because, at 45,000 square feet, the facility will be larger than a typical home the organization builds. Most of the time, it builds homes to a LEED level, but opts not to apply for certification.
“We generally build to a very high standard,” Lockwood says. “But the cost to get LEED certification generally outweighs any plaque you’d get.”
Housing Visions was founded in 1990 and is based in about 7,500 square feet of space it owns at 1201 E. Fayette St. in Syracuse. Its other offices include locations in Oswego, Utica, Rome, and Cortland.
The organization completes between 60 and 100 units every year, Lockwood estimates. About half of the units it finishes are rehabilitated existing structures, and half are new construction, he says.
Between 85 and 100 people work at Housing Visions, depending on the number of projects it has active. Its employment levels have steadily increased since eight years ago, when it had 15 to 20 workers, according to Lockwood.
The nonprofit’s employees include construction workers who work on its projects. However, it also uses labor from outside contractors, and it turns to outside consultants to draw architectural designs.
Housing Visions has between 30 and 40 employees working in Syracuse, and it generated $14 million in revenue in 2011, according to Lockwood. It is projecting revenue will grow to between $16 million and $18 million in 2012, he says.
Revenue sources include developer fees and fees associated with property management, Lockwood says. In addition, the organization specializes in low-income housing tax credits.
AECC expects acquisitions before year’s end
DeWITT — A DeWitt–based environmental consulting firm has been growing rapidly since its launch in 2009. AECC had nine employees when it was founded and is up to 25 people now. Company President Bryan Bowers originally expected to have that many employees after five years. “Things are going well and much faster than anticipated,” he
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DeWITT — A DeWitt–based environmental consulting firm has been growing rapidly since its launch in 2009.
AECC had nine employees when it was founded and is up to 25 people now. Company President Bryan Bowers originally expected to have that many employees after five years.
“Things are going well and much faster than anticipated,” he says.
AECC is on pace to generate revenue of $3.5 million to $4 million in 2012, up from $2 million in 2010 and $850,000 in 2009. AECC completed 375 projects for clients last year, up from 308 in 2010 and 159 in its first year in business.
The firm served 175 clients in 2011, up from 150 in 2010, and 90 in 2009.
AECC’s key areas of expertise include environmental-site investigation and remediation, wetland work, environmental health and safety compliance, and industrial hygiene, including work with lead paint and mold issues. Bowers says the growth has been driven by some key hires he’s made since founding the business.
Clients in the field, he notes, tend to follow individuals rather than companies. That means the employees he’s hired in recent years have often brought business relationships with them.
In the past year, he says he’s added staff members with expertise in some of the firm’s critical business areas.
The company has managed to shift with changing market forces in recent years. When AECC first launched, about two-thirds of its work came from municipalities.
Now, the balance has shifted toward the private sector as municipal funding for environmental projects has been tight, Bowers says. AECC has managed to keep growing despite the change.
“We’re kind of a unique blend of both [municipal and private-sector clients],” he says. “We’ve managed to capture more work on the private side the past two years.”
AECC opened its fourth office in November 2011. The company added Albany to its list of locations, which also includes Rochester, Auburn, and its home base in DeWitt.
The company already had some customers in the Albany area and Bowers says the market should provide fertile ground for expansion. The office there is headed by Joseph Campisi, who Bowers says has been a mentor of his.
Campisi lives in the Albany area and has a number of contacts in the market, Bowers adds. He has more than 25 years of experience in environmental consulting.
The Albany location has two other AECC staff members as well. Bowers says he’s planning more additions to the office this year.
Companywide, Bowers expects to add 10 more employees by the end of the year.
He’s also eyeing acquisitions. Bowers says he’s in talks with several firms in Central New York and other markets. The company could close on up to two acquisitions by the end of the year.
AECC may also open more offices on its own in the years ahead. The Buffalo and Hudson Valley markets are two potential targets for the company, Bowers says.
The growth has resulted in tight quarters for AECC at its 2,000-square-foot headquarters at 6296 Fly Road. The firm is looking to move into a 5,000-square-foot to 10,000-square-foot space in the next three months, Bowers says.
Bowers, AECC’s sole owner, graduated from Le Moyne College in 2000 with a bachelor’s degree in biology. He worked as a field technician for Pearl River, N.Y.–based Lawler, Matusky & Skelly Engineers, LLP after graduation.
Bowers then moved back to the Syracuse area and worked for the local office of Los Angeles–based AECOM (NYSE: ACM), and Environmental Compliance Management Corporation (ECMC) in Chittenango.
He then joined Geomatrix of DeWitt as an industrial-hygiene project manager in the summer of 2006.
San Diego, Calif.–based Kleinfelder acquired the DeWitt office of Geomatrix in April 2007. Bowers remained with the company until January 2009, when he left to launch AECC.
Kinney acquires two pharmacies in Finger Lakes
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Verizon Wireless upgrading data network in Southern Tier
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Clay–based helmet maker Cascade sold for $64 million
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State adds jobs, unemployment rises on expanding labor force
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New Business Council website promotes New York firms
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Assembly bill would criminalize foreclosure abuse
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DFS orders forced-placed insurers to propose new rates
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Stay up-to-date on the companies, people and issues that impact businesses in Syracuse, Central New York and beyond.