Buffalo-Rochester-Syracuse region to pursue huge federal investment

Get our email updates

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

DeWITT — Now that Buffalo-Rochester-Syracuse has a federal Tech Hub designation that was created in the CHIPS & Science Act, the next step is to pursue the funding. With the designation, the region will now be in an “exclusive group of only 31 regions in America to compete for potentially billions in federal funding 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

DeWITT — Now that Buffalo-Rochester-Syracuse has a federal Tech Hub designation that was created in the CHIPS & Science Act, the next step is to pursue the funding.

With the designation, the region will now be in an “exclusive group of only 31 regions in America to compete for potentially billions in federal funding to transform Upstate NY as a global hub for workforce training, innovation, and manufacturing of semiconductor technology,” per the Oct. 23 announcement from the office of U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D–N.Y.).

The region’s proposal — called the NY SMART I-Corridor Tech Hub — will build on the investments that have “spurred a boom” in semiconductor manufacturing and innovation across upstate New York, Schumer’s office said.

Schumer (D–N.Y.) announced the designation during an Oct. 23 visit to Saab Defense and Security at 5717 Enterprise Pkwy in DeWitt.

The Democrat sees the tech-hub designation as “putting Upstate NY further on the road to becoming America’s semiconductor superhighway.”

“There’s an application as to here’s what we’d use the money for, and they have a lot of good uses. We’ve discussed them,” Schumer said in answering a reporter’s question. “I’ll leave it to them to make that public when the application is actually filed.”

Schumer said he’s working hard to secure the funding, and he would call himself “very optimistic” that the regional tech hub will get it.

NY SMART I-Corridor is short for New York Semiconductor Manufacturing and Research Technology Innovation Corridor.

The NY SMART I-Corridor Tech Hub proposal will now be able to compete for the next phase of the Tech Hubs program that will invest between $50 million and $75 million in each of 5 to 10 designated hubs.

“This is an amazing, seminal, turnaround day for Central New York and upstate New York,” Schumer said to open his remarks at the event at Saab. “I am thrilled to announce that thanks to the CHIPS & Science Act, which I authored, the Buffalo-Rochester-Syracuse region has just been designated one of the first federal tech hubs in America and we will transform the I-90 corridor into the semiconductor superhighway.”

What it means

As Schumer’s office explained it, the NY SMART I-Corridor Tech Hub proposal seeks to propel the Buffalo-Rochester-Syracuse corridor by attracting new suppliers to the region, including onshoring companies from overseas; advancing research & development programs for the semiconductor industry; training the next generation of upstate New York’s manufacturing workforce; and “specifically helping ensure that underserved populations are connected to the tens thousands of good-paying jobs expected to be created in this growing industry in the region.”

Schumer said that with this designation, the NY SMART I-Corridor will bring together the combined assets of Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse to help the region become a “globally recognized” semiconductor-manufacturing hub in the next decade, with innovation focused on “improving the quality and quantity” of semiconductor manufacturing and, along with it, augmenting the region’s microelectronics and microchip supply chain ecosystem.

The Buffalo-Rochester-Syracuse consortium includes more than 80 members from across the public sector, industry, higher-ed, economic and workforce development, and labor. This includes over 22 industry groups and firms, 20 economic-development organizations, eight labor & workforce training organizations, and 10 institutions of higher learning.

This application-development process was led by three designated conveners, one from each region: The John R. Oishei Foundation in Buffalo, ROC2025 in Rochester, and CenterState CEO in Syracuse.

In his remarks, Robert Simpson, president and CEO of CenterState CEO, acknowledged all those involved from the business and higher-education sectors who have been working toward this goal a long time.

“What is so exciting about the tech hubs opportunity is that we’re taking that same mindset of collaboration and partnering with Rochester, and with Ithaca, and with Buffalo,” Simpson said in his remarks. “And together, we are being reminded that when we work together, we win.”

Sanjay Mehrotra, CEO of Boise, Idaho–based Micron Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: MU) told the gathering that he’s “very excited” to see the region secure the designation as a tech hub.

Micron on Oct. 4, 2022 announced it would build the largest semiconductor facility in the U.S. in the White Pine Commerce Park in the town of Clay. Micron plans to invest more than $100 billion over the next two decades building a semiconductor campus that will employ 50,000 people.

“We anticipated that our $100 billion investment would help inspire other technology leaders to choose New York. In fact, we see the [opportunity] for a 300-mile tech corridor stretching from Buffalo to Hudson Valley and even to New York City,” Mehrotra said.

Besides Mehrotra and Simpson, several additional local government, higher education, and business leaders joined Schumer for the announcement. They included Erik Smith, president and CEO of Saab U.S.; Catherine Gridley, executive VP and president of aerospace at TTM Technologies in DeWitt; Mike Haynie, vice chancellor of Syracuse University; Warren Hilton, president of Onondaga Community College; Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon, Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh, and Greg Lancette, president of the Central and Northern New York Building and Construction Trades Council.

New York home sales slip more than 22 percent in September

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

ALBANY, N.Y. — New York realtors sold 9,564 previously owned homes in September, a decline of 22.5 percent from the 12,335 existing homes sold in September 2022. Pending sales also fell more than 8 percent in the ninth month of 2023, pointing to further declines in closed home sales in the next couple months. The

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, N.Y. — New York realtors sold 9,564 previously owned homes in September, a decline of 22.5 percent from the 12,335 existing homes sold in September 2022.

Pending sales also fell more than 8 percent in the ninth month of 2023, pointing to further declines in closed home sales in the next couple months.

The data comes from the September monthly housing report that the New York Association of Realtors (NYSAR) issued on Oct. 19.

“Mortgage rates reached their highest point in over two decades while inventory continues to dwindle across the Empire State,” NYSAR said to open its housing report.

NYSAR cited Freddie Mac as indicating interest rates finished September at 7.31 percent on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage. This is the highest level since the year 2000. In the latest month, the average on a 30-year fixed rate mortgage rose from a 7.07 percent average in August to 7.20 percent in September.

New York sales data

New listings of homes for sale fell 10.2 percent to 12,592 this September from 14,017 in the year-ago month, per NYSAR’s data.

Pending sales totaled 9,232 in September, off 8.1 percent from 10,049 pending sales in September 2022.

Home prices continued to climb amid the tight inventory. The September 2023 statewide median sales price was $390,000, up 6.8 percent from the year-ago median sales price of $365,000.

The months supply of homes for sale at the end of September stood at 3.1 months, down more than 9 percent from 3.4 months at the end of September 2022, per NYSAR’s report. A 6-month to 6.5-month supply is considered a balanced market, the association said.

The total inventory of homes for sale totaled 28,943 in September, down 24 percent compared to the September 2022 figure of 38,082. It marks 47 straight months that the number of homes available for sale has fallen in year-over-year comparisons, NYSAR said.

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.

Pinkies Dog House opens for business near Binghamton

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Regional News, Small Business, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

CHENANGO, N.Y. — Dan Napierala is getting back to his culinary roots with his latest restaurant venture Pinkies Dog House, which opened on Oct. 17 at 1237 Upper Front St. in the town of Chenango, north of Binghamton. Months in the making, the hot dog restaurant takes over the space previously occupied by Pinkies Bakery

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

Months in the making, the hot dog restaurant takes over the space previously occupied by Pinkies Bakery & Cafe before the bakery moved to the former Friendly’s restaurant at 1148 Upper Front St. Both locations are less than half a mile away from Napierala’s original restaurant, Pinkies BBQ at 1166 Upper Front St.

Napierala’s first venture into the restaurant world was when he operated a hot dog cart about 25 or 30 years ago, he recalls. After spending some time in the corporate world, he felt his family’s roots in the food industry calling him. His grandfather and uncle owned a meat market and butcher shop in the Binghamton area.

In 2010, he decided to answer the request for hot food at an area farmer’s market by opening the Hilltop BBQ food truck. The truck was well-received and, in 2017, Napierala and his wife and business partner, Rachel Richmond, decided to open a brick-and-mortar restaurant. The eateries operate under Pinkies Barbeque and Catering LLC.

“Things were going along well,” he says of Pinkies BBQ, so the couple began talking about opening another business. Richmond has a culinary background, specifically in baking, so the pair signed a lease in the fall of 2019 with plans to open Pinkies Bakery & Cafe the following spring. Less than two weeks after the bakery opened in March 2020, much of the state shuttered amid the COVID pandemic.

The bakery was eventually able to fully open and really took off, Napierala says. “We quickly outgrew the space,” he says. “It was pretty small.” When the opportunity arose about a year and a half ago to lease the former Friendly’s location, he jumped on it. After more than $100,000 in renovations and additional investment in new doughnut-making equipment, Pinkies Bakery & Cafe moved in October 2022.

Pinkies still held the lease on the bakery’s old location, Napierala says, so it just made sense to dream up a third concept to fill that spot. “We thought, ‘Hey, let’s do a hot dog joint,’” he recalls. “Most people love a hot dog.”

Work to prep the site was minimal and mostly involved moving in equipment Pinkies already owned, he says. The décor was updated with a fun pop-art feel. Napierala also added a self-order kiosk.

“It was a hard decision for me because I’m big on customer service,” he says of the kiosk. The decision was a business one, especially since it’s hard to find employees, he says. Customers have received it well, and he’s considering adding a second kiosk.

Rather than just your basic dogs, Pinkies puts a spin on things, serving up specialty dogs including a Chicago dog with ingredients brought in from Chicago. A Korean dog adds kimchi and gochujang sauce and the Pinkies cowboy dog features Pinkies BBQ pulled pork and barbecue sauce. The restaurant also serves a variety of poutine dishes.

“We’re taking a simple thing and just elevating it,” Napierala says. He follows the same concept at all his locations. The bakery is known for its over-the-top doughnut creations.

Food can bring back memories, he says, recalling how his mother brought him along shopping on Saturdays when he was a child.

“If we were good, we’d stop at this one bakery and get a brownie or a halfmoon cookie,” he says. “We’re trying to create memories for a new generation.”

Between the three restaurants, Pinkies employs between 25 and 30 people and is looking to hire more staff.

Lockheed Martin to pay Q4 dividend of $3.15 per share in late December

Manufacturing & Engineering, Subscriber Only, Technology

The Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE: LMT) board of directors has declared a fourth-quarter, 2023 dividend of $3.15 a share. The dividend is payable on Dec. 29, to holders of record as of the close of business on Dec. 1, according to an Oct. 6 company news release. At Lockheed’s current stock price, the dividend yields

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

Oneida County awards $250K to Thea Bowman House for elevator

Health Care, Nonprofits, Regional News, Subscriber Only

UTICA, N.Y. — Oneida County has awarded $250,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding to Thea Bowman House for construction of an elevator at its DeSales Center. The elevator will improve accessibility for childcare services and expand growth opportunities. “The Thea Bowman House has been delivering crucial services to at-risk families in Utica for over

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

UTICA, N.Y. — Oneida County has awarded $250,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funding to Thea Bowman House for construction of an elevator at its DeSales Center.

The elevator will improve accessibility for childcare services and expand growth opportunities.

“The Thea Bowman House has been delivering crucial services to at-risk families in Utica for over 30 years, providing quality care to some of our community’s most vulnerable children and youth,” Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente, Jr. said in a recent news release. “Its DeSales Center is in desperate need of improvement, and Oneida County is happy to assist by funding the construction of an elevator that will finally provide access to all four floors of the facility.”

Located at 309 Genesee St. in Utica, the 92-year-old facility currently has a chair lift that provides only limited access to a small section of the first floor.

The addition of an exterior elevator will provide access to all levels of the building, assist in transporting food from the ground-floor kitchen, and improve the chances of filling the vacant third and fourth floors with more nonprofit organizations. Many organizations have expressed interest but haven’t committed due to the lack of accessibility.

“This generous grant will provide opportunities for growth at the DeSales Center,” Jane Domingue, executive director of Thea Bowman House, said in the release. “It will significantly fund an exterior elevator that will be constructed for our four-story building. The elevator will make it possible for persons with handicapping conditions to fully utilize our serves, as well as to allow affordable rental space for not-for-profits with compatible missions to occupy the top floor of the building.”

The DeSales Center serves more than 400 children, ages 20 months to 12 years, every day through its childcare center for low-income and culturally diverse children, its universal pre-kindergarten program through the Utica City School District, and Academics First, a separate childcare agency that accommodates families with non-traditional working hours.

The building is also home to a program for teenagers and the DOVE program dedicated to helping children with social-emotional needs. Various community groups use the facility’s auditorium for special meetings and events and the Levitt AMP Concert Series uses the space and parking lot for summer concerts.

New president of Utica University tells its story

Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Health Care, New York News, Nonprofits, Regional News, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

UTICA, N.Y. — In the three months since he’s taken over as Utica University’s 10th president, Todd Pfannestiel welcomed new and returning students on campus, learned the “Gwiddy” for a TikTok dance video, and walked into his inauguration on Sept. 29 to a rousing chorus from the student body. “That was truly one of the

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

“That was truly one of the happiest days of my entire adult life,” he says in an interview.

While the lighthearted moments may seem as boundless as Pfannestiel’s energy, there is no doubt about his commitment to the institution he now leads.

It’s a role that Pfannestiel has been preparing for over the past six months, following the Feb. 27 announcement he would step into the role vacated by the retiring Laura Casamento.

The reality, Pfannestiel says, is that he’s been preparing for this moment his entire 25-year career in higher education. The last five years of that career have been at Utica University, where he served as provost and senior VP for academic affairs.

In that role, his interactions with students were limited, so he’s embracing the opportunity as president to connect with the students. Their warm reception at his inauguration is testament to the relationship he has already forged with them.

While he’s not leaving the fun behind him, Pfannestiel is already hard at work in his new role. One of the keys to being a successful president is being able to tell Utica’s story, he says. “And I know this story.”

In the current higher-education climate, it’s more important than ever to be able to tell — and sell — that story to prospective students, their families, donors, and other supporters.

“We’re a small private institution, and we see what’s happening around us,” Utica University’s new president says. Facing mounting financial hurdles, Cazenovia College closed its doors on June 30. Even public institutions are facing difficulties. SUNY Potsdam recently announced layoffs as it battles a $9 million budget gap and enrollment that has declined 43 percent since 2010.

“There are a lot of headwinds,” Pfannestiel says. First-year deposits at Utica University are higher than they’ve been in a decade, but universities are still recovering from the pandemic and with people looking to spend their education dollars wisely. It’s important that Utica University asks itself the hard questions, manages the headwinds, and finds its path to a sustainable future, he says.

That future is already happening today as Utica University evolves to become an institution that not only prepares students for the careers of today but also for the careers of tomorrow.

“I need to be sure [our students] can think well, write well, compute well,” Pfannestiel says. It’s about having the right mix of classroom learning and hands-on experience — through simulation labs and internship experiences — to make sure students are ready for the “real world” that faces them after college.

A planned cyber range and crime-scene lab will help provide some of that experience, but Pfannestiel wants to take it even further, making sure the university is providing meaningful internship opportunities for all students.

“I want all of our students that have hit all the markers to have the opportunity from freshman and sophomore year,” he says. The earlier the better, he says, because sometimes that’s where people figure out “this isn’t what they want to do.”

If that does happen, Pfannestiel says it’s his job to make sure those students who do change their majors can still graduate in four years. To help in that regard, the university revamped its general-education requirements — going from 54 required credits down to 36.

“We basically gave those back to the students,” he says of the 18 credits, about equal to a semester’s courseload. “That’s a great gift.” It opens opportunities for many things like adding a minor, studying abroad, or doing an internship and still being able to graduate within four years, he says.

Pfannestiel also realizes that Utica University, and its students, can’t reach their full potential alone. That’s why he’s actively researching partnerships with other institutions and organizations that could provide opportunities for firsthand learning or even joint degrees. “We can be a better institution when we partner,” he says.

Utica University already has some partnerships like at the Utica University Nexus Center. Through that partnership, which costs the university $150,000 annually for the next decade, its hockey teams have a practice and playing facility and students in the sports-management program have a hands-on learning environment.

The new Wynn Hospital provides another opportunity, Pfannestiel says, and Utica University is in discussions with Mohawk Valley Health System.

“I want our students to benefit from the community and be of benefit to the community,” he says.

Before joining Utica University, Pfannestiel served on the faculty of Clarion University of Pennsylvania for 20 years as a professor of history, as well as dean of the College of Arts, Education, and Sciences, interim provost, and acting president. He holds a Ph.D. in history from the College of William and Mary and a bachelor’s degree in history and economics from the University of Arkansas.

OCC to soon start construction of Micron cleanroom simulation lab

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Health Care, Manufacturing & Engineering, Subscriber Only, Technology

ONONDAGA, N.Y. — Onondaga Community College (OCC) expects construction will begin in November on the upcoming Micron cleanroom simulation lab, which will be located in the school’s Whitney Applied Technology Center. OCC on Oct. 19 hosted an event at which it released renderings and outlined plans for the lab. The school expects the construction effort

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

OCC on Oct. 19 hosted an event at which it released renderings and outlined plans for the lab. The school expects the construction effort will finish in 2025. PAC General Contractors of Oswego is the general contractor on the project, OCC tells CNYBJ in an email.

“Our Micron cleanroom-simulation laboratory will be a place where our students will learn, and it will be a showcase for our entire community,” Warren Hilton, president of OCC, said in his remarks during the ceremony. “This cleanroom-simulation laboratory will be built in the very space we are gathered in today.”

The facility will also be available for K-12 students across the region, Hilton adds.

Boise, Idaho–based Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: MU) plans to build a massive semiconductor campus in the town of Clay.

A cleanroom is used to keep contaminants out of the manufacturing process so that it can create chips that are free of defects and provide the reliability that is needed in devices, OCC Professor Mike Grieb, chair of OCC’s applied technology programs, explained in speaking to reporters following the ceremony.

The cleanroom-simulation lab will be a 5,000-square-foot facility. It’ll also have a designation as an ISO (International Organization for Standardization) class 5 and class 6 facility, where students will be trained for careers in the semiconductor and microelectronic industries.

Micron, Onondaga County, and New York State are each contributing $5 million to help pay for the cleanroom-simulation lab, OCC said. Ashley McGraw Architects of Syracuse designed the lab.

Simulation lab purpose

Manish Bhatia, executive VP of global operations at Micron, called the lab “a down payment” on Micron’s future in Central New York.

Bhatia told the gathering that the lab will be able to simulate all manner of operations. That includes processing of wafers, installation and maintenance of equipment, installation and maintenance of facilities, and understanding the execution systems that will be able to move wafers between steps to complete the process flow.

“All of that will be able to be simulated here for students at OCC to be able to learn more about the most advanced manufacturing process in the world,” Bhatia added.

He recalled his visit to OCC in 2022 when he discussed “how there is no manufacturing process on the planet that is more complex than building semiconductors at the leading edge.”

Nanoscale features and devices on wafers cannot have “even the most microscopic defects” fall on them, otherwise quality, reliability yield “will be compromised,” Bhatia noted in his remarks.

“And this cleanroom will be able to simulate all of the precision that goes into building these incredible, magical pieces of silicon that power our world, whether it’s the phone in your pocket, the [personal computer] on your desk, all the things we do in the cloud, the increasingly autonomous vehicles … all of them need memory … and students will be able to get the benefit of first-hand knowledge of how these are built,” Bhatia added.

SUNY campuses have 35,000 students enrolled in programs that are connected to the semiconductor industry and thousands more in programs that are indirectly connected as well, SUNY Chancellor John King, Jr. said in addressing the gathering.

“This [upcoming simulation lab] is an exciting enhancement of the learning for our students and this is important to us at SUNY as we try to prepare thousands of New Yorkers for jobs in the semiconductor industry,” King said.

Besides Hilton, Bhatia, and King, additional speakers at the event included Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon and April Arnzen, Micron executive VP and chief people officer and president of the Micron Foundation.

The Oct. 19 ceremony happened nearly a year after U.S. President Joseph Biden visited OCC for a Micron-related event. Following Biden’s visit, OCC created two Micron-related programs, which it began offering to students in the current (fall 2023) semester. They include an associate degree in electromechanical technology and an electromechanical technology certificate program, OCC said.

In his remarks, Hilton used four words — faster alone, further together. “Because we have all worked together, we have made this moment possible, and by continuing to work together, we can accomplish anything for the good of our students and the good of our entire region,” Hilton said.

CNY airports among 36 in upstate getting state funds for projects

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Regional News, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

The state has awarded funding to 36 public-use airports from St. Lawrence County to Broome County for use in various improvement projects and purchases. Airports serving Syracuse, Rome, Oswego, Ithaca, Watertown, Elmira, and Binghamton are among the three dozen facilities awarded state funding. The facilities will use about $49 million for “strategic infrastructure enhancements,” the

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 state has awarded funding to 36 public-use airports from St. Lawrence County to Broome County for use in various improvement projects and purchases.

Airports serving Syracuse, Rome, Oswego, Ithaca, Watertown, Elmira, and Binghamton are among the three dozen facilities awarded state funding.

The facilities will use about $49 million for “strategic infrastructure enhancements,” the office of Gov. Kathy Hochul announced.

The projects will focus on safety, facilitate innovation, leverage existing resources, advance business development, and promote sustainability and resiliency.

Administered by the New York State Department of Transportation, projects funded through the aviation capital-grant program include the construction and rehabilitation of new and existing hangars; electrification and carbon-reduction programs; new and upgraded snow-removal equipment; and updated security systems.

These investments will “serve to make the surrounding communities more economically competitive with neighboring states,” Hochul’s office contends.

Airports, funding awards

Central New York

The state awarded Syracuse Hancock International Airport $2.5 million for the construction phase of a redesigned de-icing pad and control center to address current capacity and safety concerns.

Cortland County Airport, Chase Field will use $2.5 million to help pay for construction of a new conventional aircraft-storage hangar building that includes offices and an expansion of the existing landside vehicle parking lot.

Oswego County Airport will use its $500,000 award to help purchase aviation-fuel trucks.

Mohawk Valley

Griffiss International Airport will use its $2.5 million award to renovate and outfit an existing building to accommodate Navmar Applied Sciences Corporation’s expansion that will have it leasing the building long term, per Hochul’s office.

Southern Tier

The state awarded Ithaca Tompkins International Airport $1.4 million that it will use toward the construction of a 2,600-square-foot emergency-operations facility. It would be co-located within a proposed airport rescue and firefighting/snow-removal equipment (ARFF/SRE) facility that the FAA is funding.

In addition, Tri-Cities Airport in Broome County will use a $1.2 million funding award to help pay for the replacement of its existing refueling facility and the installation of new fuel tanks, along with a new self-service credit-card reader and tank-monitoring system.

Greater Binghamton Airport/Edwin A. Link Field in town of Maine was awarded $800,000 to help pay for the acquisition of several pieces of ground-service equipment. They including electric vehicles in the form of pushback tractor/tugs (large and small) in order to prepare for an electric fleet “in a strategic manner,” per Hochul’s office.

New York also awarded Elmira Corning Regional Airport $800,000 to purchase electrified equipment and associated charging infrastructure.

The Lt. Warren E. Eaton Airport in Chenango County will use a $600,000 funding award to help pay for the acquisition of a new snowplow, and attachments including snowplow and wing combination, and slide-in hopper with spreader for deicing and traction materials.

North Country

Watertown International Airport will allocate $2.1 million toward the rehabilitation of a portion of Hangar D to extend its useful life. The work will include reinforcing the building envelope to reduce areas where deficiencies were identified.

The state also awarded Massena International Airport in St. Lawrence County $100,000 toward the purchase of a batwing trailed mower and a snow-removal support vehicle that includes a commercial grade pick-up truck with material spreader and plow blades.

Ambulance services, lawmakers urge Hochul to sign direct-pay bill

Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Health Care, Law, Accounting & Taxes, New York News, Nonprofits, Regional News, Subscriber Only

Ambulance-service providers want Nov. Kathy Hochul to sign a bill that would “change the pay model” so that they’re paid directly by health insurers. Those pushing for passage refer to it as the “direct pay” legislation, per an Oct. 12 news release about the efforts from supporters. Ambulance-service providers and a bipartisan coalition of state

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

Ambulance-service providers want Nov. Kathy Hochul to sign a bill that would “change the pay model” so that they’re paid directly by health insurers.

Those pushing for passage refer to it as the “direct pay” legislation, per an Oct. 12 news release about the efforts from supporters.

Ambulance-service providers and a bipartisan coalition of state legislators from across New York held Oct. 12 press conferences in their respective districts, urging the Democratic governor to sign the legislation.

The press conferences were held in Syracuse at American Medical Response of CNY at 101 Richmond Ave.; in Utica at the State Office Building at 207 Genesee St.; and in Binghamton at the Broome County Emergency Services at 153 Lt. VanWinkle Drive.

The bill passed both the New York Senate and state Assembly unanimously this past legislative session. It will ensure ambulance-service providers receive the resources needed to continue doing their jobs “safely and effectively” for patients across New York, supporters say.

As of press time on Oct. 25, Hochul’s office hadn’t announced any signing of this bill.

“No longer will ambulance providers have to wonder if they will be paid for the services they are mandated to provide, nor will New Yorkers be held accountable for paying for out-of-network emergency medical services,” Assemblyman Bill Magnarelli (D–Syracuse), a bill sponsor, said in a news release. “This legislation will strengthen the Ambulance/EMS system and provide relief to patients during some of the most stressful situations. I am proud that my colleagues and I were able to end the legislative session with this measure approved. Now we strongly urge Governor Kathy Hochul to sign it into law.”

Jeffrey Call, chairperson of the United New York Ambulance Network, was among those requesting the governor’s signature.

“On behalf of the United New York Ambulance Network (UNYAN) and our over 40 members who provide vital ambulance services for the entire state, I ask Governor Kathy Hochul to sign this crucial legislation so that it becomes law. It will provide for a more efficient system in delivering the reimbursement to the providers who are entitled to it, strengthening the EMS system and ensuring better healthcare for all New Yorkers,” Call said.

Assemblymember Marianne Buttenschon (D–Marcy) said the bill guarantees emergency medical services agencies are compensated for the essential service they are providing.

“Our ambulance service providers are there for us when we dial 911 and play a vital role in public health and safety across the Mohawk Valley. We must prioritize critical health care service providers and mandate that those that receive those services pay for them. This bill requires direct reimbursement from the insurance companies to the EMS providers,” Buttenschon said in the release.

Buttenschon hosted the press conference in Utica and was joined by State Senator Joe Griffo (R–Rome), Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente (R), and Utica Mayor Robert Palmieri (D), as well as representatives from local emergency medical services and ambulance-service providers.

Oneida County, public-service employees union reach agreement

Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Law, Accounting & Taxes, Regional News, Subscriber Only

UTICA, N.Y. — Oneida County and the United Public Service Employees Union (UPSEU) Blue Collar Unit announced on Oct. 19 that they had reached a collective-bargaining agreement that includes salary increases for new and existing employees. The five-year labor pact came after six weeks of negotiations between the county and union. The UPSEU Blue Collar

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 five-year labor pact came after six weeks of negotiations between the county and union.

The UPSEU Blue Collar Unit represents employees in public works, water quality, water-pollution control, Griffiss International Airport, Mohawk Valley Community College (MVCC) buildings and grounds, and MVCC public safety.

“I thank the UPSEU leadership for coming to the table with our team early and getting a fair and equitable deal done in such quick and efficient manner,” Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente, Jr. said in a release. “The county employees represented by the union are a valuable workforce that maintains our infrastructure and ensures public safety. I believe this agreement will help to retain these dedicated workers and recruit new ones.”

The five-year contract runs from Jan. 1, 2024, through Dec. 31, 2028.

The deal includes a new salary schedule for the entire unit that raises starting salaries as well as salaries at various steps, provides longevity raises, and offers shift-differential increases in the majority of departments. The pact also brings enhanced salary provisions for promotions, and $5,000-per-year incentive payments for employees holding and utilizing specialized licenses such as CDL A licenses, professional engineer and land-surveyor licenses, and certified motor-vehicle inspector licenses.

Negotiations began Aug. 29 and concluded on Oct. 10. Amanda Cortese-Kolasz, commissioner of personnel; Thomas Keeler, budget director; Matthew Baisley, commissioner of public works; Alfred Barbato, purchasing director; and Crystal Marceau, MVCC executive director of human resources negotiated on behalf of the county. UPSEU’s negotiators included Cary Hickey, UPSEU executive VP/regional director; Tim Cottrell, UPSEU labor relations representative; Mike Wakefield; Jarett Carpenter; Steven Jeffers; Frederick Wehrenberg; and Robert Miller.

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

Project Homecoming Job & Career Fair 2025

Annual Nonprofit Conference 2026

2026 CenterState CEO Economic Forecast Breakfast

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

Get Instant Access to This Article

Get Instant Access to This Article

Get Instant Access to This Article

Get Instant Access to This Article

Get Instant Access to This Article

Get Instant Access to This Article

Get our email updates