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

California firm to move into Lansing facility, create more than 100 jobs
LANSING, N.Y. — Menlo Microsystems, Inc., headquartered in California with operations in Albany, plans to invest $50 million in Lansing facility and create more than

NBT Bancorp to close on Salisbury Bancorp acquisition on Aug. 11
NORWICH, N.Y. — NBT Bancorp Inc., (NASDAQ: NBTB) announced it will complete its acquisition of Connecticut–based Salisbury Bancorp, Inc. on Aug. 11, now that it

Oswego County awarded nearly $1.8M in state matching funds after shared-services tax savings
OSWEGO, N.Y. — New York has awarded Oswego County nearly $1.8 million in state matching funds as a result of taxpayer savings from shared services

Two new Southern Tier cannabis dispensaries open
VESTAL, N.Y. — Two new Southern Tier cannabis dispensaries recently opened, bringing the total number of legal and licensed dispensaries in the state to 19.

Moody’s, S&P affirm “stable outlook” for Onondaga County bond ratings
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Moody’s Investors Service has affirmed Onondaga County’s bond rating of “Aa2” with a stable outlook, and S&P Global Ratings also affirmed its

Smith Brothers Insurance acquires Massachusetts firm
Smith Brothers Insurance, which has New York offices in Vestal, Owego, Waverly, and Rensselaer, says it has acquired an independent insurance agency located in Worcester,

SUNY Poly names new chief of staff
MARCY, N.Y. — Wayne Westervelt has joined SUNY Polytechnic Institute as the new chief of staff and VP for external relations. Westervelt brings more than

Ogdensburg realtor named National Association of Realtors Region 2 VP
Jennifer Stevenson, of Ogdensburg, was recently named the 2024 National Association of Realtors (NAR) Region 2 vice president at the recent NAR Conference and Expo in Washington, D.C. NAR regional VPs include 13 elected members who are appointed to oversee the work of the national association in their respective region. NAR’s Region 2 covers New
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Jennifer Stevenson, of Ogdensburg, was recently named the 2024 National Association of Realtors (NAR) Region 2 vice president at the recent NAR Conference and Expo in Washington, D.C.
NAR regional VPs include 13 elected members who are appointed to oversee the work of the national association in their respective region. NAR’s Region 2 covers New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.
A realtor for nearly 30 years, Stevenson is the broker/owner of Blue Heron Realty in Ogdensburg, which offers both seller and buyer representation throughout St. Lawrence, Jefferson, and Franklin counties. She founded Blue Heron Realty in 1999.
Stevenson served as president of the New York State Association of Realtors (NYSAR) in 2020 and is a 2012 graduate of the NYSAR Leadership Academy, which identifies emerging realtor leaders, according to a NYSAR news release.
She is an active member and past president of the St. Lawrence Jennifer County Board of Realtors and is also an active member of the Northern Adirondack Boards of Realtors. Stevenson currently serves as immediate past-chair for the NAR Fair Housing and Policy Committee.
NYSAR is a not-for-profit trade organization representing more than 65,000 of New York state’s real-estate professionals.

Cortland County man charged with grand larceny for jet-ski theft
MARATHON, N.Y. — New York State Police in Homer on June 27 arrested Benjamin C. Truitt, age 28 of Marathon, for fourth degree grand larceny, a felony, after he allegedly stole a jet ski and trailer. The State Police say there was a report of a jet ski and trailer stolen in April from outside
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MARATHON, N.Y. — New York State Police in Homer on June 27 arrested Benjamin C. Truitt, age 28 of Marathon, for fourth degree grand larceny, a felony, after he allegedly stole a jet ski and trailer.
The State Police say there was a report of a jet ski and trailer stolen in April from outside a residence on Merrill Creek Road in the village of Marathon. An investigation revealed that Truitt hooked the trailer and jet ski to a vehicle and removed it from the property, before then putting it in the backyard of a residence on Front Street. The trailer and jet ski were ultimately returned to the owner, per the State Police.
On June 27, troopers were on another call when one of the troopers recognized Truitt walking down Front Street. They arrested Truitt and transported him to the State Police location in Marathon for processing. He was issued an appearance ticket to the Town of Marathon Court for July 12.

Syracuse one-bedroom apartment rent prices rise 2 percent in June, but remain flat year over year
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The median rental price for most apartments in the Syracuse metro area was up more than 2 percent in June from the prior month but was unchanged from a year ago. That’s according to the latest Zumper National Rent Report, issued on June 27. The median rental price of one-bedroom apartments in
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SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The median rental price for most apartments in the Syracuse metro area was up more than 2 percent in June from the prior month but was unchanged from a year ago.
That’s according to the latest Zumper National Rent Report, issued on June 27.
The median rental price of one-bedroom apartments in the Syracuse region was $930 in June, up 2.2 percent from $910 in May, but unchanged from the $930 median price posted in June 2022, according to Zumper, an apartment-rental listings website.
The median rental rate for two-bedroom units in the Syracuse area was $1,200 in June, up 3.4 percent from $1,160 in May, but down 2.4 percent from $1,230 in the year-earlier month.
Syracuse now ranks as tied for the 88th most expensive rental market (or tied for 11th least expensive) among the top 100 metro areas by population, according to the report.
The Zumper National Rent Report analyzes rental data from more than 1 million active listings across the U.S. The company aggregates the data monthly to calculate median asking rents for the top 100 metro areas.
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