Renzi Food Service of Watertown wins contract modification worth up to $7.9 million

Get our email updates

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

WATERTOWN, N.Y. — Renzi Brothers Inc. (doing business as Renzi Food Service) of Watertown, was recently awarded a contract modification from the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency worth a maximum of nearly $7.9 million for full-line, food-distribution services to the military. The contract adjustment exercises the first 18-month option period of a two-year base contract with […]

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

Siena says Upstate, statewide consumer sentiment fell in Q2

Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Health Care, New York News, Nonprofits, Regional News, Small Business, Subscriber Only

Upstate New York consumers became slightly less optimistic about the economy in the second quarter than they were in this year’s first three months, according to a new report. Consumer sentiment in upstate New York was measured at 62.4 in the second quarter of 2023, down 2.2 points from the last reading of 64.6 in

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

Upstate New York consumers became slightly less optimistic about the economy in the second quarter than they were in this year’s first three months, according to a new report.

Consumer sentiment in upstate New York was measured at 62.4 in the second quarter of 2023, down 2.2 points from the last reading of 64.6 in this year’s first quarter. That’s according to the latest quarterly survey of Upstate and statewide consumer sentiment that the Siena College Research Institute (SRI) released July 6.

Upstate’s overall sentiment of 62.4 in the second quarter was 11.1 points below the statewide consumer-sentiment level of 73.5, which dipped 1.5 points from the first quarter.

The statewide reading was 9.1 points higher than the second-quarter figure of 64.4 for the entire nation, which was up 2.4 points from the first quarter, as measured by the University of Michigan’s consumer-sentiment index.

New York’s current consumer sentiment index decreased 0.4 points to 69.7 and the future index decreased just over 2 points resulting in New York’s measure of future expectations moving from 78.1 last quarter to 75.9 today. Overall confidence remains higher in New York than across the nation. Future confidence in the Empire State is now one point above the breakeven point of balanced optimism and pessimism and 14.4 points higher than national future confidence.

Consumer sentiment dipped slightly across New York state this quarter, but the overall and future scores continue to outpace national sentiment, Donald Levy, SRI director, said in the survey report.

“However, in New York scores vary wildly. New York City area consumers are more optimistic than pessimistic, [exceeding] the national score by nearly 16 points and the NYC index is nearly 18 points higher than Upstate,” Levy said. “Democrats’ index is over 10 points higher than the city and a whopping 32 points above Republicans across the state. Geography and politics matter when it comes to New Yorkers’ economic outlook.”

In the second quarter of 2023, buying plans were up 2.2 percentage points from the first-quarter measurement to 47.2 percent for consumer electronics; buying plans were down 4.5 points to 12.6 percent for homes; declined 0.8 points to 27.4 percent for cars and trucks; dipped 0.6 points to 30.2 percent for furniture; and slid 1.8 points to 26.2 percent for major home improvements.

“Despite declines in current demand for homes and home improvements, those buying plans as well as those for cars, electronics and furniture are all up between two and nine points from this time last year,” Levy said.

Gas and food prices

In SRI’s quarterly analysis of gas and food prices, 62 percent of Upstate respondents said in the second quarter that the price of gas was having a serious impact on their monthly budgets, down from 70 percent in the first quarter, and down from 68 percent in the final quarter of last year.

In addition, 62 percent of statewide respondents said the price of gas was having a serious impact on their monthly spending plans, off from 63 percent in the first quarter of this year and 66 percent in the fourth quarter of 2022.

When asked about food prices, 79 percent of Upstate respondents in the second quarter indicated the price of groceries was having a serious impact on their finances, unchanged from the first quarter and down from 80 percent in the fourth quarter of last year.

At the same time, 79 percent of statewide respondents indicated the price of food was having a serious impact on their monthly finances, down from 81 percent in the first quarter of the year and unchanged from the final quarter of 2022.

SRI conducted its survey of consumer sentiment between June 4 and June 12 by random telephone calls to 382 New York adults via landline and cell phone. It has an overall margin of error of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points, according to SRI.

Excellus names new advisory board members for Utica region

Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Health Care, Insurance & Financial Services, People on the Move, Regional News, Subscriber Only

Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, the largest health insurer in the Mohawk Valley and Central New York, announced it has named Lisa Betrus, Justin Hummel, Kelly Walters, and Dr. Mario Victoria to its Utica regional advisory board. Betrus is the senior VP and chief value officer for Bassett Healthcare Network and president of Valley Health Services and

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

Betrus is the senior VP and chief value officer for Bassett Healthcare Network and president of Valley Health Services and Valley Residential Services in Herkimer. A licensed nursing-home administrator, Betrus holds a bachelor’s degree in health-services administration from Ithaca College and completed her MBA degree, with a concentration in finance, at Sage Graduate School. She currently serves on the boards of the Central New York Community Arts Council, Mohawk Valley EDGE, and the Workforce Investment Board for Herkimer, Madison and Oneida Counties.

Hummel is CEO of Hummel’s Office Plus in Mohawk. He earned an associate degree in business administration from Herkimer County Community College and serves on several boards including the Herkimer County Chamber of Commerce, Pinnacle Affiliates, Mohawk Valley EDGE, and Little Falls Hospital.

Walters has served as the executive director of 50 Forward Mohawk Valley for more than 18 years. She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Utica College. Walters serves on numerous boards and committees, including the HomeOwnership Center, Center for Family Life & Recovery, Workforce Investment Board, Mohawk Valley Housing and Homeless Coalition board, Oneida County Office for Aging advisory board, City of Utica youth advisory board, and Oneida County Livable Communities Steering Committee.

Dr. Victoria is VP for medical affairs and chief medical officer at Samaritan Medical Center in Watertown and medical director for Clifton Fine Hospital. He is a member of the Health Care Partners of the North Country board and North Country Initiative board. Victoria is also a member of the Excellus BlueCross BlueShield Credentials Committee. Victoria earned his medical degree from the University of Medical Sciences of Havana and completed his residency in pediatrics at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences Center. He holds a master’s degree in medical management from Carnegie Mellon University and is a member of the American Association of Physician Leadership, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, and the Medical Society of the State of New York.

“As a local health plan, our mission is to help people in our communities live healthier and more secure lives through access to high quality, affordable health care,” Excellus Utica Regional President Eve Van de Wal said in a statement. “With their wide range of experience and expertise in health care, community wellness, and business, these individuals add breadth and depth to our board as we work to fulfill our mission.”

Excellus BlueCross BlueShield is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. The nonprofit health plan has 1.5 million upstate New York members.

Ask Rusty: About Income Tax on Social Security Benefits

Business Mentors, Subscriber Only

Dear Rusty: I just started receiving my Social Security [benefits] in February of 2023. I am also working part time at a company 24 hours a week. My question is: I feel like I missed something when I signed up for Social Security because they are not taking any taxes out. What did I miss?

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

Dear Rusty: I just started receiving my Social Security [benefits] in February of 2023. I am also working part time at a company 24 hours a week. My question is: I feel like I missed something when I signed up for Social Security because they are not taking any taxes out. What did I miss? How do I go about fixing it so I don’t get hit at the end of the year? They are taking taxes out of my paycheck now; do they still take it out of my Social Security because I am working? Please help if I am not doing something right.

Signed: Conscientious Senior

Dear Conscientious: Unfortunately, when the Social Security Administration (SSA) processes your application for benefits, it doesn’t usually inform you that your Social Security benefits may become part of your taxable income. I expect that’s because your benefits only “may” become taxable — they do not definitely become taxable, because Social Security benefits are taxed only if you exceed a certain income threshold.

The thresholds at which Social Security benefits become part of your taxable income are different depending on your income-tax filing status — those who file as an individual have a different threshold from those who file as “married — filing jointly.” And to further complicate matters, there is more than one threshold for both individuals and joint filers. Here is how it works.

If you file your income tax as an individual and your “combined income” from all sources is more than $25,000, then 50 percent of the Social Security (SS) benefits you received during the tax year becomes part of your overall taxable income at your particular IRS tax rate. But if your combined income as an individual tax filer is more than $34,000, then up to 85 percent of the SS benefits you received during the tax becomes part of your overall taxable income.

If your income-tax filing status is “married – filing jointly” the thresholds are higher — if your combined income from all sources as a married couple exceeds $32,000, then 50 percent of the Social Security benefits you received during the tax year becomes part of your taxable income. But if your combined income as a married couple exceeds $44,000, then up to 85 percent of your SS benefits received during the tax year are taxable.

“Combined income” is also known as your “modified adjusted gross income” or MAGI. Your MAGI is your adjusted gross income on your tax return, plus 50 percent of the Social Security benefits you received during the tax year, plus any non-taxable interest or untaxed foreign income you had (note that withdrawals from a Roth IRA are not included). If your MAGI exceeds the above thresholds, some of your Social Security benefits are taxable; if you are under the first threshold for your IRS filing status they are not.

The SSA doesn’t automatically withhold taxes from your monthly benefits, and the FICA taxes being withheld from your earnings are not used for that purpose. Everyone who works and earns must pay SS tax on his/her earnings, which are mandatory contributions supporting the federal Social Security program. But that FICA payroll tax has nothing to do with income tax on your Social Security benefits. If you are working 24 hours per week and also collecting Social Security benefits, you will likely exceed the threshold for your tax-filing status, which means that at least some of your 2023 benefits will become taxable. That could, as you suspect, result in a surprise “hit” when you file next year’s income-tax return. Nevertheless, fixing this is quite easy.

Download IRS form W-4V from the IRS website here: www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw4v.pdf. You will be able to choose the percentage of your Social Security benefits you wish to have withheld for income-tax purposes. Complete the form and mail it to your local Social Security office (get the mailing address here: www.ssa.gov/locator). The SSA will then start withholding income tax from your monthly Social Security benefit payment, which will mitigate any additional tax due when you file your 2023 tax return next year.

Russell Gloor is a national Social Security advisor at the AMAC Foundation, the nonprofit arm of the Association of Mature American Citizens (AMAC). The 2.4-million-member AMAC says it is a senior advocacy organization. Send your questions to: ssadvisor@amacfoundation.org.

Author’s note: This article is intended for information purposes only and does not represent legal or financial guidance. It presents the opinions and interpretations of the AMAC Foundation’s staff, trained and accredited by the National Social Security Association (NSSA). The NSSA and the AMAC Foundation and its staff are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Social Security Administration or any other governmental entity.

Proposed ONSHORE Act seeks to breathe new life into Upstate industrial sites

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Manufacturing & Engineering, New York News, Subscriber Only

SULLIVAN, N.Y. — The Town of Sullivan has been trying to develop the Harbor Lights Business Park for decades to make it shovel-ready for employers. But it has “lacked the funding” to be able to complete the needed infrastructure upgrades, the office of U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D–N.Y.) said. With Micron Technology’s (NASDAQ:

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

SULLIVAN, N.Y. — The Town of Sullivan has been trying to develop the Harbor Lights Business Park for decades to make it shovel-ready for employers.

But it has “lacked the funding” to be able to complete the needed infrastructure upgrades, the office of U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D–N.Y.) said.

With Micron Technology’s (NASDAQ: MU) $100 billion investment in nearby Clay, Sullivan is now considering the park for high-tech opportunities, and programs like those created in Schumer’s proposed ONSHORE Act “could help bridge the gap needed to land these major employers in Madison County.”

On June 26, Schumer revealed the ONSHORE Act, a proposal targeting federal investment to “breathe new life” into industrial sites across upstate New York and bring good-paying manufacturing jobs back from overseas.

ONSHORE is short for Opportunities for Non-developed Sites to Have Opportunities to be Rehabilitated for Economic Development, Schumer’s office said.

Specifically, the new federal legislation would provide $100 million per year for five years in dedicated funding for a “critical” supply chain site-development grant program within the Economic Development Administration (EDA). Through this program, EDA would provide assistance for site and utility readiness, workforce development, distribution, and logistics, to prepare strategic mega sites and regionally impactful sites across places like upstate New York for new industrial investment.

Schumer spoke at Chapman Park at 1463 Route 31 in the Bridgeport area of the town of Sullivan in Madison County.

“The Onshore Act will help sites like the Harbor Lights Business Park take the final step to being ready for businesses to move in. Thank you to Senator Schumer for working with communities to remove the barriers in the way of developing shovel ready sites here in the U.S. It is now more important than ever to strengthen and grow domestic manufacturing. This will not only protect our economic future but also our national security,” Madison County Board Chairman and Sullivan Town Supervisor John Becker said. “Harbor Lights Business Park has so much to offer with a great location, modern infrastructure, high speed internet, and a supportive community. Thanks to this bill, this business park can become prime real estate for any potential Micron spinoff business. Making Harbor Lights Business Park a reality has been a longtime coming.”

Schumer said that this proposal would help provide “much-needed” federal support with “major” site-readiness and workforce development that can boost sites like Harbor Lights Business Park in Madison County; White Pine Commerce Park in Clay; and the Marcy Nanocenter in Oneida County, per the lawmaker’s office.

“Micron’s historic investment as well as investment’s like Wolfspeed’s at Marcy Nanocenter, are proof positive that with increased support for shovel-ready sites and workforce development, in tandem with the federal incentives I led to passage, we can bring manufacturing and good-paying jobs back from overseas to Central New York and the Mohawk Valley. The ONSHORE Act is about preparing our industrial sites and workforce to tap into Upstate NY’s amazing assets to power the revival of American manufacturing. Upstate NY can tap the ONSHORE Act to supercharge critical industries like chips and clean technology and ensure they are made in America, including right here in places like CNY and the Mohawk Valley,” Schumer said in a news release. “The ONSHORE Act will build on the historic new investments and manufacturing boom that Upstate NY is already seeing from the bills I pushed through into law last Congress, and I will fight tooth and nail to lead the ONSHORE Act to passage to continue to deliver federal investment in manufacturing across Upstate NY.”

For his announcement, Schumer was joined by Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon; Madison County Administrator Mark Scimone; Becker; Madison County IDA Executive Director Kipp Hicks; Robert Simpson, president and CEO of Centerstate CEO; and New York State Senator Joe Griffo (R–Rome).

Syracuse–area native serves as U.S. Navy fighter pilot

Business Mentors, Subscriber Only

Lt. Shawn Picciott, a native of the Syracuse area, serves the U.S. Navy assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 122. The command is a strike fighter squadron located aboard the U.S. Navy’s largest master jet base. Picciott joined the Navy four years ago. Today, he serves as a pilot. “I wanted to find a direction after

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

Picciott joined the Navy four years ago. Today, he serves as a pilot.

“I wanted to find a direction after high school,” says Picciott. “I saw attending the Naval Academy as a chance to serve and attend a prestigious college at the same time.”

Growing up in Camillus, Picciott attended West Genesee High School and graduated in 2015. Today, Picciott relies upon skills and values similar to those found in Central New York to succeed in the military.

“Growing up in Syracuse taught me how to live and work in a diverse environment,” says Picciott. “The Navy is extremely diverse, with people representing a variety of different backgrounds.”

These lessons have helped Picciott while serving with the Navy.

Members of VFA-122 fly and maintain the F/A 18 Super Hornet, one of the most advanced aircraft in the world. The Super Hornet takes off from and lands on Navy aircraft carriers at sea and is capable of conducting air-to-air combat, as well as striking targets on land.

Operating from sea aboard aircraft carriers, the Super Hornet gives the Navy the power to protect America’s interests anywhere, at any time. The versatile jet has the ability to destroy targets located hundreds of miles inland. Super Hornets are an all-weather aircraft used as an attack aircraft as well as a fighter. In its fighter mode, the F/A-18 is used primarily as a fighter escort and for fleet air defense; in its attack mode, it is used for interdiction and air support.

With 90 percent of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the internet relying on the security of undersea fiber-optic cables, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity of the U.S. is directly linked to trained sailors and a strong Navy.

As a member of the Navy, Picciott is part of an organization focused on maintaining maritime dominance, strengthening partnerships, increasing competitive warfighting capabilities, and sustaining combat-ready forces in support of the National Defense Strategy.

“The Navy is critical to national security and superiority at sea,” says Picciott. “F-18 pilots can travel across the world at a moment’s notice, which is a unique capability in the Navy.”

Picciott and the sailors they serve with have many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during their military service.

“I was extremely proud to earn my wings as a fighter jet pilot,” he says. “There are many challenges to overcome in order to become an F-18 pilot, requiring a significant amount of dedication and perseverance.”

As Picciott and other sailors continue to train and perform missions, they take pride in serving their country in the U.S. Navy.

“Serving in the Navy means purpose and dedication,” he says. “My work in the service is part of a larger effort and I am proud to contribute to a greater goal.”

Picciott is grateful to others for helping make a Navy career possible.

“I would like to thank my family from Syracuse, who has been there every step of the way,” says Picciott. “I am also extremely grateful for my Naval Academy family, who continue to provide me with a community wherever I go.”

“Making the most of every situation is critical,” added Picciott. “Having an open mind and building relationships can make every Navy challenge great.”

Telecom company opens new Clinton office

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

CLINTON, N.Y. — Smart Carrier, a telecom-compliance manager and service provider, recently cut the ribbon on its new office in Clinton. After working for several years from the Mohawk Valley Community College thINCubator in Utica, it was time for the company to expand into space of its own says chief marketing officer and co-founder Rachelle

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

CLINTON, N.Y. — Smart Carrier, a telecom-compliance manager and service provider, recently cut the ribbon on its new office in Clinton.

After working for several years from the Mohawk Valley Community College thINCubator in Utica, it was time for the company to expand into space of its own says chief marketing officer and co-founder Rachelle Guitán, who operates the business with her husband Orlando Guitán.

Smart Carrier started as a part-time venture about 13 years ago as a telecom and voice over internet protocol (VoIP) consulting firm. In 2019, Orlando Guitán says they began to work on understanding the new Secure Telephone Identity Revisited/Signature-based Handing of Asserted Information Using toKENs (STIR/SHAKEN) protocol issued by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

All telecommunications providers were required to implement the protocol by June 2021. It’s a framework designed to validate the authenticity of phone calls in order to stop unauthorized spoof calls.

“It turns out there wasn’t any software to do this,” Orlando Guitán says. It took his company about four months to figure out a solution, working in partnership with Amazon Web Services, which provided some funding for the project.

Now Smart Carrier offers its solution to U.S.–based small- to medium-sized phone companies, call centers, and others so they can make the calls required for their businesses.

“Every phone call needs to have a token attached to it,” Guitán says. Smart Carrier provides that token for its clients, which lets the carrier at the other end of the call know that it’s a legitimate one.

“We like to keep the good guys in and the bad guys out,” Rachelle Guitán says. This helps Smart Carrier customers keep their contact rates high and helps them regain consumer trust after years of receiving junk robocalls and other spam calls trying to scam information.

In simple terms, Smart Carrier’s technology allows the automated call from your doctor’s office reminding you of an upcoming appointment to go through, she says, while blocking the “you’ve won a cruise” junk call. It also makes it easier for people to just go ahead and answer the call instead of having to screen every call in case it’s junk, she adds.

It may not seem like a lot, but Smart Carrier conducts about 25,000 token transactions every second.

With the new office space in Clinton, Smart Carrier is hoping to connect with more Oneida County businesses, Rachelle Guitán says.

Currently, Smart Carrier occupies two offices in shared space at 43 College St., with hopes of adding a third office soon, she says. The company also operates an office on Williams Street.

Smart Carrier has 13 employees, including contractors, and is also working hard to be involved in its new Mohawk Valley community. The company participated in several June events including a blood drive, a benefit for the Neighborhood Center, and the Heart Run & Walk. It also sponsored a Clinton Little League Community Day in conjunction with the Utica Blue Sox.

Smart Carrier’s solutions also include Smart Caller ID, AI answering detection in conjunction with Khomp International, and more.

Oneida County announces broadband expansion project in Vienna

Law, Accounting & Taxes, Regional News, Subscriber Only, Technology

VIENNA, N.Y. — Nearly 1,000 homes and 2,600 residents will now receive high-speed internet services as part of Oneida County’s $2 million in broadband-expansion projects, County Executive Anthony J. Picente, Jr. announced. “We are committed to bridging the gaps the became evident during the pandemic,” Picente said in a news release. “Lack of high-speed internet

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

“We are committed to bridging the gaps the became evident during the pandemic,” Picente said in a news release. “Lack of high-speed internet creates an inequity that puts students at a disadvantage, leaves businesses unable to modernize, and limits growth in communities. Broadband is something that everyone should have access to, and this is a step toward making that a reality for everyone in Oneida County.”

The expansion projects cover 10 areas including six towns — Forestport, Ava, Boonville, Remsen, Augusta, and Vienna — working with two internet-service providers selected through a request for proposals (RFP) process. Adirondack Techs will handle nine project areas and Charter will handle the remaining area.

The $1,950,967 capital program includes $150,000 in internet-service provider (ISP) investment and nine of the projects include a 2 percent revenue share to offset a percentage of the cost to the county.

An extensive mapping analysis between Oneida and Herkimer counties, the Tug Hill Commission, and Mohawk Valley Economic Development District allowed the Oneida County Department of Planning to identify 2,079 Oneida County homes in about 32 areas with clusters of 20 or more homes. This first step of the initiative will reach 46 percent of the unserved homes identified.

Oneida County offered municipalities the opportunity to partner financially and leverage the funding to expand coverage even further into their communities. The Town of Vienna was the only municipality to take the county up on the offer, which led to the town securing $226,761 to service 111 homes.

“Since becoming town supervisor, the expansion of internet service is something I hear about most often from residents and was an issue I have looked to tackle since day one,” Town of Vienna Supervisor Michael M. Davis, Sr. said.

Oneida County is utilizing American Rescue Act funding to expand internet service to underserved areas of the county. The federal funding must be allocated by 2024 and spent by 2026 on projects, initiatives, or programs that address issues exacerbated by the pandemic.

SUNY Poly joins UB on Internet of Things lab project

Health Care, Regional News, Subscriber Only, Technology

MARCY, N.Y. — Faculty at SUNY Polytechnic Institute and the University at Buffalo (UB) have partnered on a project called SUNY OpenIoTLab: The SUNY Laboratory Federation for Wireless Intelligent Internet of Things. The project received a $60,000 SUNY Innovative Instruction Technology grant. The initiative will develop UnionLabs, an open, cloud-enabled federation of heterogeneous testbeds for

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 project received a $60,000 SUNY Innovative Instruction Technology grant. The initiative will develop UnionLabs, an open, cloud-enabled federation of heterogeneous testbeds for sharing data, code, software, and hardware resources for research in next-generation networks and wireless Internet of Things.

The joint effort is led by UB’s Zhangyu Guan and Nicholas Mastronarde, along with SUNY Poly Associate Professor Timothy E. Busch of the electrical and computer engineering program. Other key project personnel include associate professors Michael J. Medley, Daniel Benincasa, and Arjun Singh with Adjunct Professor Chester Wright.

“Given the evolution of wireless network systems in recent years and the impact on our daily lives, there is a great need for a shared resource for collaboration, education, and experimentation of these systems,” Busch said in a press release. “Significant efforts have been made to fill the void, and this project between SUNY Poly and the University at Buffalo is yet another step forward. We are grateful for this grant and for the support we have received from our peers, project partners, and institutions.”

The proposed UnionLabs initiative will provide the Air Force, UB, and the wireless community an open experimental ecosystem where researchers and engineers can collaborate and share resources. Once deployed, UnionLabs would serve as the global entry for academia, the U.S. Department of Defense, and industrial researchers to conduct experimental research in the field of next-generation networks and wireless Internet of Things.

UnionLabs’ objectives include: creating a collaborative campaign to democratize access to wireless research testbeds with heterogeneous hardware resources and network environments spanning aerial, ground, underwater, and underground domains, and in a wide range of frequency bands, from sub-6 GHz up to the mmWave and terahertz bands, per the release. It also seeks to deploy a federation plane that will be hosted in the Amazon Web Service (AWS) cloud to bridge the testbeds and users and enable researchers to share, remotely access, and control their resources and conduct experiments collaboratively via a unified user interface. Another goal is to build a two-tier cloud, comprising a public cloud powered by AWS and edge computing resources at individual wireless systems to allow researchers to share experimental datasets, wireless communication, networking and sensing algorithms/code, and evaluate them over heterogeneous testbeds.

UnionLabs’ federation plane APIs will be made available for other wireless testbeds to join the federation. The team also plans to eventually commercialize it by launching a startup.

Genius NY finalists begin prepping for October pitch event

Manufacturing & Engineering, Small Business, Subscriber Only, Technology

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The seventh round of the Genius NY business-accelerator program at the Tech Garden in Syracuse has five finalists looking ahead to the final pitch event in October. Genius NY stands for Growing ENtrepreneurs & Innovators in UpState New York. The teams are from New York City, Maryland, Michigan, the United Kingdom, and

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

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The seventh round of the Genius NY business-accelerator program at the Tech Garden in Syracuse has five finalists looking ahead to the final pitch event in October.

Genius NY stands for Growing ENtrepreneurs & Innovators in UpState New York.

The teams are from New York City, Maryland, Michigan, the United Kingdom, and Florida, Empire State Development (ESD) announced.

The program is described as the “largest business accelerator for the UAS industry in the world.” An uncrewed-aircraft system (UAS) includes a drone and equipment used to control its flight. A drone is also referred to in the industry as an unmanned aerial vehicle, or UAV.

The five finalists are the following startups.

• Voltela is from the Brooklyn borough of New York City and provides connectivity assurance for commercial drones. “Remote pilots must rely on reliable Command and Control connections. The mobile network was not built for aerial connectivity and changing the infrastructure is not viable. Voltela’s patented software operates with off-the-shelf modems enabling prioritized connections with guaranteed low latency via any mobile network. Voltela’s superior connectivity performance achieves aviation-grade reliability levels and is the foundation for building the Aerial Virtual Network Operator,” as described in an ESD news release.

• Aloft from Silver Spring, Maryland is an FAA-approved UAS service supplier (USS) for LAANC (low altitude authorization and notification capability), “powering the vast majority of recreational and commercial airspace authorizations … Through state-of-the-art technologies and sophisticated data services, Aloft aims to enhance the safety and efficiency of drone operations, facilitating their integration into the National Airspace System,” ESD said.

• Blueflite from Detroit, Michigan is a company designing and manufacturing a logistics drone platform to solve the “modern-day challenges in the logistics industry. Blueflite’s drones offer faster and greener deliveries at a lower cost compared to conventional transport. The unique and patent pending tiltrotor design features vectored thrust giving it unrivaled maneuverability and the ability to operate under challenging conditions. The digital element of the platform allows for integration into an all-automated supply chain for high-speed deliveries at scale,” ESD stated.

• Greenjets from Milton Keynes, United Kingdom is building next generation electric propulsion systems for advanced air mobility. Its “ducted fan propulsion technology is the quietest, safest and most efficient of its class. The Greenjets team has over 300 years of deep domain knowledge carried over from Rolls-Royce, BAE Systems & Formula 1. Learnings from these experiences are reflected in a unique design & manufacturing methodology, which allows production of propulsion systems at an unrivaled pace, the release contended.

• Votix of Weston, Florida is an “American Enterprise Drone Orchestration and Automation platform and the first universal (hardware-agnostic) drone operating system for commercial operations at scale. “VOTIX integrates the entire drone ecosystem, ensuring high-quality results, and safe and robust operations, guaranteeing compliance with regulators and stakeholders, creating synergies within the industry’s ecosystem, reducing process time and generating superior intelligence. VOTIX supports VLOS/EVLOS while enabling BVLOS operations, autonomous flights, real-time cloud video streaming and AI, precision landing, drone-in-a-box integration and much more,” per the ESD description.

Starting July 12, the five selected companies were scheduled to move into downtown Syracuse where they will begin to refine work on their business cases, which they’ll present at the pitch finals event on Oct. 4.

The five finalists were selected from a pool of more than 450 submissions. They will compete for $3 million in direct investment, with one grand prize of up to $1 million and four $500,000 awards.

Supported by the CNY Rising Upstate Revitalization Initiative and administered by CenterState CEO and the Tech Garden in downtown Syracuse, these startup, uncrewed-systems industry companies will participate in a yearlong program.

“The GENIUS NY accelerator has helped to establish Central New York as a hub for uncrewed aerial systems by attracting the next generation of innovative entrepreneurs,” said Empire State Development president, CEO, and commissioner Hope Knight. “New York State’s ongoing UAS investment will ensure that continued industry leadership, bringing top-quality jobs and growth to the region and beyond.”

Genius NY participants are required to commit to operating their business in Central New York for at least one year.

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