CenterState CEO to use $500K KeyBank donation to help BIPOC, women and veteran-owned firms

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. — CenterState CEO will use a $500,000 donation from KeyBank (NYSE: KEY) to expand business coaching and technical assistance programs for Black, Indigenous and other People of Color (BIPOC), women- and veteran-owned firms in Central New York. The grant is part of KeyBank’s commitment to invest $40 billion in the communities it serves […]

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The grant is part of KeyBank’s commitment to invest $40 billion in the communities it serves and support diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, CenterState CEO said in its announcement this week.

KeyBank made its donation to the CenterState CEO Foundation, which works to “attract philanthropic support for CenterState CEO programs that remove barriers to economic prosperity for people and places,” per the announcement.

“This unique approach to equitable growth by CenterState CEO will help entrepreneurs from all backgrounds have access to assistance and financing they need that will help our region grow,” Stephen Fournier, KeyBank’s Central New York market president, said in a news release. “We are proud to invest in their efforts that will make it possible for marginalized entrepreneurs to build successful futures and generational wealth.”

This funding will also play a key role in helping CenterState CEO scale efforts to expand access to business financing for “under-capitalized founders,” for whom traditional business loans and investments are “often challenging,” the organization contends.

It will support the launch and growth of underrepresented and BIPOC firms through training, coaching, and technical assistance under CenterState CEO’s Up Start program and other small–business development programming. That programming includes a real–estate developer-in-residence pilot.

The funding will also provide direct lending to — and investment in — undercapitalized firms via CenterState CEO’s Growth + Equity Fund.

“Systemic barriers have often left the talent of many entrepreneurs in our community untapped and their potential under supported,” Dominic Robinson, senior VP of inclusive growth at CenterState CEO, said in the release. “This investment from KeyBank will support important tools like the Growth + Equity Fund and Up Start that address these equity gaps and scale their economic impact on entrepreneurs from historically disinvested populations and neighborhoods.”

Since 2017, KeyBank has followed through on community commitments totaling more than $599 million in Central New York, supporting affordable housing and community development projects; small business and home lending to low-to-moderate income individuals and communities; and transformative philanthropy, per the CenterState CEO announcement.

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LINCOLN, N.Y. — The former clerk for the Town of Lincoln in Chenango County pledguilty to stealing nearly $4,000 from the town, New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli announced. Amy Becker, 54, was charged with petit larceny. She served as town clerk in Lincoln from 2018-2022. During that time, she accepted payments for the

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State corrections officer sentenced for forging documentation for sick time

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A former state corrections officer who submitted forged medical documentation to improperly obtain sick-leave benefits from the state has been sentenced to five years of felony probation. Stephanie Saber, 29, of Lewis County, was sentenced Feb. 1 in Seneca County Court by Judge Barry Porsch after pleading guilty Nov. 15, 2023, to first degree offering

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A former state corrections officer who submitted forged medical documentation to improperly obtain sick–leave benefits from the state has been sentenced to five years of felony probation.

Stephanie Saber, 29, of Lewis County, was sentenced Feb. 1 in Seneca County Court by Judge Barry Porsch after pleading guilty Nov. 15, 2023, to first degree offering a false instrument for filing, according to a press release from New York State Inspector General Lucy Lang.

The inspector general’s investigation, prompted by a referral from the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS), revealed that Saber submitted 13 false medical notes to justify absences between December 2021 and July 2022 while employed as a correction officer at Five Points Correctional Facility in Romulus in Seneca County.

Upon questioning, Saber admitted she had created fake notes appearing to be from legitimate medical practitioners to excuse prior absences from work.

“The conduct of this correction officer abusing sick leave benefits is particularly egregious because she was in a prime position to know the impact that shortages in correctional facility staffing pose to the safety of staff and incarcerated individuals alike,”Lang said in the release. “By forging these notes to justify unwarranted sick days, she betrayed not only her oath to New York state but her colleagues.”

DOCCS terminated Saber during the investigation.

“This sentencing sends a clear message that the department does not tolerate fraudulent misconduct from staff and will refer any case to the Office of the Inspector General that defrauds New Yorkers,” New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Acting Commissioner Daniel Martuscello said in the release. “As we face critical staffing shortages, this type of behavior further exacerbates the difficulties of this job and does a disservice to the hardworking staff who show up day in and day out to help keep our communities safe.”

Seneca County District Attorney John Nabinger appeared in court at sentencing on behalf of the people. Staff involved from the inspector general’s office include Kerry Buske, investigative counsel; Joel Mercer, investigator; under the supervision of Martin Stanford, chief investigator; and Jeffrey Hagen, deputy inspector general for the western regional offices.

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Syracuse airport says 2023 was its busiest year ever

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Nearly 3 million air travelers passed through Syracuse Hancock International Airport (SYR) in 2023, making it the “busiest year in the airport’s history.” The 2.86 million passenger figure at SYR surpasses 2019 traffic levels, which produced a 30-year record for the airport, by 11 percent. The Syracuse Regional Airport Authority (SRAA) on

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Nearly 3 million air travelers passed through Syracuse Hancock International Airport (SYR) in 2023, making it the “busiest year in the airport’s history.”

The 2.86 million passenger figure at SYR surpasses 2019 traffic levels, which produced a 30-year record for the airport, by 11 percent.

The Syracuse Regional Airport Authority (SRAA) on Friday announced the data in its annual report, which it discussed during its State of the Airport event.

The number of people flying is “surging” at airports across the U.S., but data from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) indicates SYR is one of the “fastest growing”airports in the nation, SRAA said.

“Multiple” factors have contributed to this 11 percent growth at SYR, which is more than double the national average for commercial airports. Hub routes previously served by smaller, regional aircraft (50 to 70 seats) are now served by larger, mainline aircraft (about 109 to 240 seats).

Additionally, the airport continues announcing new routes and “increased frequencies”on existing flights. Another significant growth factor is the changing makeup of the airport’s catchment area, which is described as the geographic area from which SYR draws passengers.

Emerging from the pandemic, airlines began to question the economic viability of running smaller, regional aircraft to surrounding, smaller regional airports such as Watertown, Ithaca, Elmira, and Binghamton, the SRAA said. The Syracuse airport’s airline partners are instead choosing to funnel this demand from surrounding communities through SYR by running more frequent, larger mainline aircraft, the authority explained. The reduction in traffic observed at the nearby, smaller regional airports is a “direct correlation” with the “dramatic uptick” in passengers at SYR.

“We are uniquely aware of and sensitive to the changing traffic patterns within our catchment area,” Jason Terreri, SRAA executive director, said in the news release. “Planning for the future is now done through the lens of regional responsibility, ensuring our team and facilities can meet the demand of the entire population residing within the Central New York service area.”

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