Site-inventory project ID’s, markets developable sites in Broome County

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BINGHAMTON — In an effort to be as proactive as possible in spurring development in Broome County, The Agency has been working with a consulting firm to identify, rank, and create marketing sheets for developable sites around the county. In the first phase of this project, Elan Consulting and Planning of Albany identified 250 sites, […]

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In the first phase of this project, Elan Consulting and Planning of Albany identified 250 sites, Brendan O’Bryan, director of community and economic development at The Agency, says. “Once we knew all the sites, we could figure out which would have the highest level of community impact and the barriers for those sites to achieve future development.”

Using those factors, and some others, The Agency worked with the consulting team to rank the sites in advance of creating “spec sheets” for them all, he says.

“In phase one, they collected a lot of baseline info on sites,” O’Bryan says of Elan Consulting and Planning. Phase two will include much more detail, even including environmental information on relevant sites. Ultimately, the spec sheets will go on the Agency’s website — accessible to developers and anyone else with an interest.

“These spec sheets will have everything on them that developers ask for when seeking ownership of a site to develop on,” he says.

The Agency received an Appalachian Regional Commission Area Development grant totaling just over $85,000 for the project. That grant runs through late October, and the Agency hopes to have an initial batch of about 75 spec sheets online by the end of the year, O’Bryan says.

“There are 250 sites, so obviously we can’t do spec sheets for all 250 right off the bat,” he says. The plan is to get that first batch of 75 live on the website and continue to work on the rest of them. Then, as a parcel is developed, it can come off the website and a new one will replace it. “So, it’s constantly getting reloaded,” says O’Bryan.

The project came about as the Agency would receive leads for anonymous businesses looking for certain types of sites. The Agency was finding it could not quickly react to such requests and provide information fast enough.

With areas such as renewable energy, batteries, and semiconductors growing quickly, there has been a growing amount of interest in developable sites and requests for information, O’Bryan says.

With the new spec sheets, The Agency will be able to quickly send information on multiple sites that might meet a developer’s needs, increasing the chances the developer may select a Broome County location.

The process has been eye opening, O’Bryan says. “I think there were more [sites] than we thought,” he notes. The organization was also able to see some areas where multiple smaller sites were close together and could be packaged as a parcel cluster.

“What also surprised us were some sizes,” he adds. The more urban areas are running out of large, developable sites, but this process revealed some larger rural, often green field sites, with potential, he says.

Another thing the process enabled the Agency to do is note parcels that have a lot of potential, but a few small barriers. “We might not have the funds to throw everything at a site to get it ready, but we can chip away at it,” O’Bryan says. Every little bit can help make a site more attractive to developers.

The Agency is the lead economic-development organization for the county, governing the Broome County Industrial Development Agency and the Broome County Local Development Corporation. The Agency is also part of the Leadership Alliance, a partnership between it and the Greater Binghamton Chamber of Commerce.

Endicott DRI projects moving forward, village mayor says

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

ENDICOTT — With jobs, jobs, and more jobs on the way, the Village of Endicott’s $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) award couldn’t have come at a better time. “We need good apartments for all the new jobs that we have,” Endicott Mayor Linda Jackson says. Imperium 3 NY plans to create more than 2,000

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ENDICOTT — With jobs, jobs, and more jobs on the way, the Village of Endicott’s $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) award couldn’t have come at a better time.

“We need good apartments for all the new jobs that we have,” Endicott Mayor Linda Jackson says. Imperium 3 NY plans to create more than 2,000 jobs at its lithium-ion battery plant. Binghamton University and other partners received nearly $64 million last fall to progress in its plan to make the Tri-Cities region, including Endicott, a hub for battery manufacturing.

The DRI funding will allow for public and private projects in the village that create housing, expand community and cultural amenities, create new businesses, and more to unite four distinct downtown region into a vibrant city center.

Jackson credits the beginning of the revitalization to Phoenix Investors, LLC, which purchased the former IBM campus in the village. “It really gave Endicott the shot in the arm that it needed,” she says.

Since then, renovations are taking place at 10 Washington Ave., at a former furniture store, and a new restaurant is opening in the old Acropolis Restaurant location.

It just took a few projects to break the ice, Jackson says, to spur further development plans.

Projects to benefit from DRI funding include renovating a large mixed-use building at 32-36 Washington Ave. to add apartments and a high-end restaurant, building a mixed-use development with 15 apartments along Washington Avenue, and revitalizing the Southern Tier Community Center with building and site upgrades.

“It’s very important we have this community center to give the kids something to do,” Jackson contends. Work will also include pool upgrades and transforming a parking lot into a basketball court.

A project to redevelop a long-vacant site, once home to a Kmart discount-retail store, isn’t moving forward as planned, Jackson notes, but there is still hope for the site. Green Mountain Electric Supply was going to locate there, but recently it was learned there are limitations to the site due to environmental issues. While Green Mountain is now looking in nearby Kirkwood for a possible site, Jackson says the former Kmart site can still be redeveloped into something else. Parking, in particular, would be helpful, she adds. “There are a lot of things that can be done.”

One of the projects Jackson is most looking forward to is the creation of a wine-tasting facility in the village’s Little Italy region. While Endicott is already home to Crooked Mouth Brewing, it’s good for people to have options, she adds.

Jackson is also excited about the $600,000 matching-grant program the village is starting. While the matching level hasn’t been set yet, the mayor says Endicott’s portion will be sizeable as an incentive for owners to fix up buildings.

The village’s part in all the improvements will include street and sidewalk improvements, including signage, to build on work started several years ago.

The state’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative helps communities transform downtown neighborhoods to improve quality of life and become magnets for redevelopment, business growth, job creation, and economic and housing diversity. In late 2021, New York State announced Endicott had won a $10 million DRI award. A year later, Endicott announced the projects it had selected for the DRI funding.

Visit Binghamton film office pitches area as home for filmmaking

Regional News, Small Business, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

BINGHAMTON — The Visit Binghamton film office is trying to promote the area as a good home for filmmakers and it has an aptly named, recent success story to pitch. The office provided assistance for the film “Stationed at Home,” an independent production that filmed in the Binghamton area during February. “That was a huge

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BINGHAMTON — The Visit Binghamton film office is trying to promote the area as a good home for filmmakers and it has an aptly named, recent success story to pitch.

The office provided assistance for the film “Stationed at Home,” an independent production that filmed in the Binghamton area during February.

“That was a huge project for us,” says Louis Newman, manager of the film office at Visit Binghamton. “Our first feature production here in my time. It also was set in Binghamton, so that was really important, too.” He spoke with CNYBJ on May 3.

Newman is part of the Greater Binghamton Chamber of Commerce and largely responsible for the film office’s day-to-day operations, he tells CNYBJ. He started his role in February 2022 and the office had been operational for a few years prior to his arrival.

Regarding “Stationed at Home,” Newman says, “We are no longer assisting with that project as much. I know that they’re editing right now … hoping that it gets a wide distribution next year or so.”

A production company called Full Fledged Production from Buffalo handled work on the film. Daniel Masciari was the writer and director of “Stationed at Home.”

Every film is an “adventure,” Masciari said in a news release from the Visit Binghamton film office.

“In preparing ‘Stationed at Home,’ my first feature film set in Binghamton, the Binghamton Film Office has been right by our side all along the way. Their enthusiasm and care have been second to none and has helped make our film production a memory I will always admire,” Masciari said.

The assistance that the office provided included help securing hotels, location scouting, connecting the production company staff with people in the city office and governmental positions for permitting, and connecting them with police, Newman tells CNYBJ. The film office helps film producers with anything that needs to get done in pre-production and during production.

“We like to bill it as one-stop shop for all production needs,” he adds.

As for the remainder of 2023, Newman says he’s reading scripts and is also in talks with some film-production companies and hoping that they decide to film their movies in Binghamton or somewhere in Broome County.

Prior to his arrival, the Visit Binghamton film office assisted the production team behind the horror film called “The Harbinger” that was recently distributed through XYZ Films, according to Newman. The crew filmed scenes in places that included the Goodwill Theater, Firehouse Stage, and Visions Veterans Memorial Arena, per imdb.com, an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online.

As for the local economic impact of film production on the Greater Binghamton area, Newman “conservatively” estimates that generally anywhere from 50 percent to 70 percent of the production budget will stay in the community.

“Local productions are a great driver of economic development mainly through job creation and location fees and especially beyond economic development, just establishing local pride and excitement,” he adds.

Visit Binghamton and Visit Syracuse announced in early 2023 they are working together to market the Southern Tier and Central New York as an “ideal location” where production companies can film their movies. Using New York State’s film-incentive program, they help in connecting productions to local crew, talent, equipment, services, vendors, municipalities, local government, and hotels.

Village of Johnson City eyes projects for DRI funds

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

JOHNSON CITY — Flush with $10 million in state Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) funding, Johnson City is eyeing a slate of projects to help transform its downtown into one that matches the vibrancy of growth seen in the village in recent years. “We’ve had a tremendous amount of growth in our downtown in recent years,”

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“We’ve had a tremendous amount of growth in our downtown in recent years,” Mayor Martin Meaney says. Once home to the Endicott-Johnson Shoe Company, the village is now home to several Binghamton University facilities recently opened or in the works. UHS Wilson Medical Center is undergoing a $175 million transformation. Also, the former Endicott-Johnson factory building was converted into apartments.

“Those are all really great building blocks,” Meaney says. Now, through the DRI, it’s the village’s job to help leverage those building blocks into more development such as new businesses, improved streetscaping, and more.

About $300,000 of the DRI funding goes toward consulting fees and the formation of the committee that will help develop a strategic investment plan. That plan examines local assets and opportunities to identify potential projects for DRI funding.

A number of projects — both private and public — have already been identified as potential projects for such pay-to-play funding, meaning developers must fund the projects upfront and apply for DRI funding to reimburse them.

Goodwill Theatre, Inc., has proposed a second phase of renovation at the Firehouse Stage — as part of a future multi-stage Goodwill Theatre Complex to anchor the downtown’s health and cultural district. Work would complete renovation of the first, second, and third floors into a double-venue facility, increasing occupancy by 400 percent.

The former Endicott-Johnson building at 19 Avenue B will be redeveloped into mixed-use residential and commercial space including 28 market-rate apartments and 7,200 square feet of commercial space.

Binghamton Brewing Company, shut down during the pandemic, is reestablishing operations in 3,300 square feet in the Century Sunrise building at 135 Baldwin St. A second project phase would renovate more than 7,000 additional square feet to accommodate a 15-barrel brewing system, food-service operations, and seating for 100 people in a project that will create an estimated 27 jobs.

A vacant building on the corner of Main Street and North Broad Street will be renovated to house four two-bedroom apartments on the upper floors with commercial space on the first floor and basement level.

A wine bar is coming to 252 Main St. with the renovation of a vacant, three-story building. Apartments are planned for the upper floors.

Planned public projects include streetscape improvements along Main Street using Greater Binghamton Funds (a previous $950,000 award) to extend improvements such as high-visibility crosswalks, brick pavers, lighting, and landscaping east and west from the core of Main Street.

There are also plans to develop “gateways” into the downtown district with masonry gateway elements, lighting, and landscaping at locations such as Lester Avenue and Willow Street.

The village’s downtown connectivity initiative will link areas of downtown such as the UHS Wilson campus, Binghamton University facilities, and more to the Main Street business district in a way that supports both pedestrian and bike access.

“We’re trying to develop more parking lots,” Meaney adds. Plans also call for electric-vehicle charging stations, and expansion of the village’s rail trail.

The hope is the projects will not only improve the look and feel of the downtown district, but also attract even more development.

“There’s a developer that’s been knocking on the door that wants to bring a hotel downtown,” Meaney notes.

Prior to the DRI funding, Meaney says about $429 million has been spent on projects within the DRI area. “This $10 million is just going to be icing on the cake,” he adds.

Lesko Financial Services’ new office helps firm better serve clients

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Insurance & Financial Services, Regional News, Small Business, Subscriber Only

VESTAL — Lesko Financial Services, Inc. has served the greater Binghamton region since 1948. Since 1998, it did so from downtown offices at 58 Chenango St. In 2022, however, the firm made a move just across the river to 400 Plaza Drive in Vestal. It still serves the greater Binghamton region but does so now

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VESTAL — Lesko Financial Services, Inc. has served the greater Binghamton region since 1948.

Since 1998, it did so from downtown offices at 58 Chenango St.

In 2022, however, the firm made a move just across the river to 400 Plaza Drive in Vestal. It still serves the greater Binghamton region but does so now from a location that’s easier for employees and customers, alike, to access — complete with parking, CEO Gregory Lesko says.

While Lesko notes he enjoyed having the office downtown, watching the area revitalize and grow, the reality is the former location wasn’t convenient. Parking was an issue and the office, located on the second floor, wasn’t easy for everyone to access, he says.

On top of that, the majority of Lesko’s local client base is west of Binghamton, making the new Vestal office much more convenient, he adds.

The move is just one way in which Lesko Financial Services strives to serve its customers.

“What has also helped us to grow is that one of our top priorities is client education,” Lesko says. Over the years, he has found that being educated on investing helps clients ride out the ups and downs of stock and bond markets much more easily.

“

We go over with them the history of the markets,” he says, and also explain the whys behind their investment recommendations. Agents assess a client’s investment needs and risk tolerance.

“We don’t work with models,” Lesko says. “We try to tailor everyone’s portfolios.”

That level of service and attention to detail has helped the firm grow over the years. Lesko’s grandfather Charles Lesko, Sr., started the Lesko Agency in 1948 as an insurance agency. Lesko’s father and uncle, Michael and Charles, Jr., respectively, took over the business in 1962 and began to add investment services in the late 1960s. In 1971, they renamed the business Lesko Financial Services.

Gregory Lesko first joined the firm in 1983, but spent 14 years away from the company gaining financial and legal experience outside the Southern Tier, including practicing law in Albany. He rejoined Lesko Financial Services in 2002, becoming the third generation to operate the business.

Today, Lesko Financial Services works with clients to cover “all of life’s major financial challenges” from education to buying a home to retirement, he says.

“We’ve grown into a company that has over 7,000 household clients,” Lesko notes.

The company serves clients in Binghamton and in 30 other states besides New York, has about $1 billion in assets under management, and employs 24 people. The insurance side currently makes up less than 10 percent of the company’s overall business.

Now that Lesko Financial Services has settled into its new Vestal location, Lesko says he’s looking for opportunities to become a bigger part of the community.

“We, as a priority, want to give back to our community,” he says. Lesko hopes the company can participate in the Town of Vestal’s bicentennial festivities in the coming months.

VIEWPOINT: Why Businesses and Families Are Choosing To Relocate To Binghamton

Business Mentors, Construction, Design & Real Estate, Regional News, Subscriber Only

COVID-19 has changed the fabric of daily life in America, reshaping our communities and how we think about the future. The rise of remote work means people, increasingly, can live anywhere. So when it isn’t a job that drives a person’s decision on where to live, what is it? In Binghamton, we’re seeing those answers

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COVID-19 has changed the fabric of daily life in America, reshaping our communities and how we think about the future.

The rise of remote work means people, increasingly, can live anywhere.

So when it isn’t a job that drives a person’s decision on where to live, what is it?

In Binghamton, we’re seeing those answers play out. People relocating to our community are drawn by a vibrant, affordable city with a lively downtown and inviting neighborhoods.

Public and private investments are raising Binghamton’s appeal as an ideal place to live. At Binghamton’s City Hall, we’re advancing projects to make our downtown more walkable and attractive, build quality housing for people of all ages and incomes, and support the small businesses that help our city thrive. We’re also focused on the basic quality-of-life issues that drive resident satisfaction, like increased public safety, park upgrades, and new infrastructure.

Here’s a glimpse at some of those recent investments and a look at what’s on the horizon:

This spring, the City of Binghamton is putting the finishing touches on the first phase of a multi-million-dollar project to create a Downtown Arts District. Built around Artists’ Row, a part of the city known for its art galleries and monthly First Friday Art Walk, the project has transformed the area by narrowing the road, improving stormwater management, installing new sidewalks and curbs, and adding streetscape improvements like new signage, landscaping, and lighting.

The Downtown Arts District is anchored by the Forum Theatre, home to Broadway in Binghamton and the Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as popular restaurants like 205 Dry, a 1920s style speakeasy, and Social on State, a staple on the street celebrating its 10-year anniversary this year. Shops like Old Barn Market, offering gluten-free baked goods and local meat and produce, and the Artisan Gallery, selling wares from local artists, attract people from across the area. This makes the Downtown Arts District a one-stop shop for dining, entertainment, and retail activity.

With phase one complete, we are looking ahead to phase two, which will expand the bounds of the district and encourage additional private investment in this important node for culture and entertainment.

A short walk from the Downtown Arts District is Mirabito Stadium, home of minor league baseball’s Binghamton Rumble Ponies. Fans have recently seen greats like Max Scherzer and Brett Baty — stars of the Rumble Ponies’ major-league parent, the New York Mets.

The City of Binghamton recently completed a Stadium District master plan for the area around the public ballpark and is advancing plans to reimagine the neighborhood. Design will begin soon on a road diet and improvements to make the area more pedestrian-friendly. We are seeking to realize the vision of a walkable, connected city with convenient and pleasant access to the ballpark and nearby attractions such as Amici’s, an intimate pizza and pasta restaurant, and DiRienzo Brothers Bakery, a family owned and operated deli and production bakery.

The city’s emphasis on the Stadium District is already attracting private investment, with a $24 million mixed-use Stadium Lofts housing project in the works and plans for a local food-truck festival to move adjacent to the stadium this summer.

Beyond major investments, Binghamton is also moving the needle in small but impactful ways that improve the lives of residents and visitors. Whether it be the launch of a $500,000 program to support local businesses in improving their storefronts, investments in youth sports facilities at our many beautiful parks, or a taskforce to improve downtown refuse pickup, the City of Binghamton is constantly looking to make investments that raise our community’s profile.

Part of the draw of the Greater Binghamton area has always been its central location at the intersection of major interstate highways and its proximity to several major metro areas. But now more than ever, the appeal is Binghamton itself, with everything that makes it a great place to live and work.

Mayor Jared M. Kraham was sworn into office as Binghamton’s 51st mayor — and at 30 years old, the youngest mayor in city history — on Jan. 1, 2022. He had served as deputy mayor since 2014. Contact Kraham at MayorKraham@cityofbinghamton.gov.

Vestal firm wants to help local retailers navigate shoplifting

Insurance & Financial Services, Law, Accounting & Taxes, Regional News, Subscriber Only, Technology

VESTAL — Scorpion Security Products, headquartered on Jensen Road in Vestal, says it wants to make sure local retailers are aware of the tools and technologies available to stop shoplifters. “Alongside rising retail prices and recession fears, shoplifting incidents are also increasing,” the firm said in a recent news release. Scorpion says shoplifters have stolen

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VESTAL — Scorpion Security Products, headquartered on Jensen Road in Vestal, says it wants to make sure local retailers are aware of the tools and technologies available to stop shoplifters.

“Alongside rising retail prices and recession fears, shoplifting incidents are also increasing,” the firm said in a recent news release.

Scorpion says shoplifters have stolen “several hundred to several thousand” dollars’ worth of merchandise from retailers like Walmart, Target, Lowe’s, Weis, Walgreens and CVS stores across the Southern Tier “in recent months.”

Scorpion Security Products says it specializes in mechanical retail-display security and has working relationships with more than 2,200 retailers across the globe. Scorpion’s products secure everything from smartphones to baby formula, the company noted.

“We’re securing every type of hand-held electronic device out there now in many different retailers. But from demand from some of our customers over the years, we’re now expanding our offering[s] into many different verticals,” Pete Gulick, president and CEO of Scorpion, said in a video on the firm’s website.

Scorpion’s mission is to eliminate retail theft without “obstructing customers’ shopping experience.” The company designs mechanical retail-display devices to secure electronics, power tools, golf clubs, wine and liquor, baby formula and other merchandise.

“Our patented technology lets sales associates focus on their customers, and customers focus on the products in front of them,” Annie Bensley, company VP, said. “Retailers worldwide trust Scorpion to adapt quickly to not only the latest digital devices hitting the market, but also shoplifters’ latest tactics.”

Scorpion says it’s had to stay at the forefront of developing technology to combat the effects of organized retail crime (ORC), citing recent trends in retail crime. Since 2020, stories of “smash and grabs” and “flash robs” have made headlines as groups of people swiped tools, handbags and smartphones in bulk, the company said.

The firm also cites data from the National Retail Federation that indicates shrink represented $94.5 billion in losses in 2021, up from $90.8 billion the year prior. Shrink is the loss of inventory caused by various factors, such as shoplifting, employee theft, vendor fraud, administrative errors, and operational loss.

On average, retailers have seen a 26.5 increase in ORC incidents since 2021, with 80 percent reporting an increase in violence and aggression.

Serenity Tower project proposal adds more apartments

ENDICOTT — Atlas James Construction & Fabrication pushed back the spring groundbreaking for its proposed $30 million Serenity Tower project planned near the intersection of

Lesko Financial Services adds Barber as financial advisor

Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Insurance & Financial Services, Regional News, Subscriber Only

VESTAL — Lesko Financial Services, Inc. recently announced that RJ Barber has joined the firm as a financial advisor. Barber comes to Lesko Financial after 15 years with Visions Investment Services, where he led the Barber Porter Group. “RJ Barber is a prominent, local wealth management advisor, bringing more than 20 years of experience in

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Oneida Health searches for next president and CEO; interim CEO named

Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Health Care, Law, Accounting & Taxes, Nonprofits, Regional News

Oneida Health says CFO Jeremiah Sweet will be serving as its interim president and CEO, effective Thursday. Sweet will retain his authority as CFO during

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