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Dryden Family Medicine to join Cayuga Medical Associates in June
DRYDEN, N.Y. — Dryden Family Medicine will become part of Cayuga Medical Associates (CMA) as of June 1. The new practice will be re-named Cayuga

People news: Hancock Estabrook adds corporate attorney Appler as partner
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Hancock Estabrook, LLP announced it has added corporate and commercial real-estate attorney, John R. Appler, as a partner in the firm. He

Christopher Community appoints Lutz as controller
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Christopher Community, Inc. — a nonprofit that develops and operates safe, affordable housing for low- and moderate-income individuals and families — has announced the appointment of John Lutz as controller. “John’s previous accounting and management experience will be of great benefit to our non-profit as we continue to grow our development and
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SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Christopher Community, Inc. — a nonprofit that develops and operates safe, affordable housing for low- and moderate-income individuals and families — has announced the appointment of John Lutz as controller.
“John’s previous accounting and management experience will be of great benefit to our non-profit as we continue to grow our development and management portfolios,” Christopher Community President and CEO Justin Rudgick said in a release.
Lutz worked most recently as the controller at Frazer & Jones in Solvay, and previously as an accounting manager for Pyramid Management Group in Syracuse.
A resident of Syracuse, Lutz has a master’s degree in accounting from King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and an MBA from Le Moyne College in Syracuse.
Established in 1971, Christopher Community currently manages more than 3,000 units and more than 100 buildings, as well as administers Onondaga County’s Rental Assistance Program which serves over 1,200 households. The organization serves communities across New York state, including Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo, Utica, Watertown, Oswego, Cortland, Elmira, and Canandaigua.
Lockheed Martin’s suburban Syracuse plant wins more than $73 million Navy order
SALINA, N.Y. — Lockheed Martin Corp.’s (NYSE: LMT) facility just north of Syracuse has recently been awarded a $73.1 million contract order for the procurement of submarine-modernization kits, equipment, and installation. Work on the cost-plus-incentive-fee delivery order will be performed in the town of Salina and is expected to be completed by August 2025, according
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SALINA, N.Y. — Lockheed Martin Corp.’s (NYSE: LMT) facility just north of Syracuse has recently been awarded a $73.1 million contract order for the procurement of submarine-modernization kits, equipment, and installation.
Work on the cost-plus-incentive-fee delivery order will be performed in the town of Salina and is expected to be completed by August 2025, according to an April 10 contract announcement from the U.S. Department of Defense. Lockheed Martin Rotary & Mission Systems has 2,170 full-time employees at its plant at 497 Electronics Parkway in Salina, according to a company spokesperson.
Fiscal 2023 other procurement (Navy) funds totaling $73,117,937 will be obligated at the time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year, per the contract announcement. The Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington, D.C. is the contracting activity.
Jefferson County hotel occupancy slips 5 percent in March
WATERTOWN, N.Y. — Jefferson County hotels registered fewer overnight guests in March, but two other indicators of business performance improved. The hotel-occupancy rate (rooms sold as a percentage of rooms available) in the county fell 5 percent to 45 percent in the third month of 2023 from March 2022, according to STR, a Tennessee–based hotel
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WATERTOWN, N.Y. — Jefferson County hotels registered fewer overnight guests in March, but two other indicators of business performance improved.
The hotel-occupancy rate (rooms sold as a percentage of rooms available) in the county fell 5 percent to 45 percent in the third month of 2023 from March 2022, according to STR, a Tennessee–based hotel market data and analytics company.
Revenue per available room (RevPar), a key industry gauge that measures how much money hotels are bringing in per available room, increased 2.8 percent to $45.74 in March compared to the year-prior month.
Average daily rate (ADR), which represents the average rental rate for a sold room, rose 8.2 percent to $101.66 in March from the same month in 2022.

United Way of CNY board elects eight directors, approves officer slate
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — United Way of Central New York’s board of directors has voted unanimously to add eight new directors and approve the slate of officers, the nonprofit announced on May 4. The eight new directors are Brian Butler, Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC; Marcelle Haddix, Syracuse University; Karina Hernandez, Eaton Crouse-Hinds; Courtney Merriman, Barclay
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SYRACUSE, N.Y. — United Way of Central New York’s board of directors has voted unanimously to add eight new directors and approve the slate of officers, the nonprofit announced on May 4.
The eight new directors are Brian Butler, Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC; Marcelle Haddix, Syracuse University; Karina Hernandez, Eaton Crouse-Hinds; Courtney Merriman, Barclay Damon; William Patrick, Equitable; Shaun Stimpson, Mitten Fluidpower Corporation; Gwendolyn Sykes, SRC; and Ashley White, Anheuser-Busch.
The current slate of United Way of CNY officers are:
• Chair: Evelyn Ingram, Wegmans Food Markets
• Vice Chair: Kerry Tarolli, King + King Architects LLP
• Treasurer: Martha Winslow, Saab, Inc.
• Secretary: James D. Freyer, Jr., Haylor, Freyer & Coon, Inc.
• Immediate Past Chair: Stephanie A. Crockett, Mower
The board members serve a three-year term, while officers are approved annually, per the United Way.

Syracuse University Press names director
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Catherine Cocks was recently appointed director of Syracuse University Press, which is part of Syracuse University Libraries. Cocks was previously interim director of Michigan State University’s Press, where she also served as assistant director and editor-in-chief. She has more than 20 years of experience in academic publishing, having worked as senior acquisitions
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SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Catherine Cocks was recently appointed director of Syracuse University Press, which is part of Syracuse University Libraries.
Cocks was previously interim director of Michigan State University’s Press, where she also served as assistant director and editor-in-chief. She has more than 20 years of experience in academic publishing, having worked as senior acquisitions editor at the University of Washington Press and editorial director at the University of Iowa Press.
Cocks holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of California, Davis and a bachelor’s degree in history and Spanish from Williams College. She has served on several professional committees for the Association of University Presses (AUPresses) and is currently a member of a joint taskforce on career progression of the AUPresses and the Society for Scholarly Publishing, as well as the National Humanities Alliance working group on publishing publicly engaged humanities projects. She is also a published author of three scholarly books.

Joint venture Paradise Galaxy buys Syracuse Nationals car show
CAMILLUS — The largest car show in the Northeast, which annually draws enthusiasts to the New York State Fairgrounds in mid-July, has a new owner. The Syracuse Nationals car show is now under the ownership of Paradise Galaxy LLC, a joint venture between locally owned businesses Paradise Companies and Galaxy Media Partners, has purchased the
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CAMILLUS — The largest car show in the Northeast, which annually draws enthusiasts to the New York State Fairgrounds in mid-July, has a new owner.
The Syracuse Nationals car show is now under the ownership of Paradise Galaxy LLC, a joint venture between locally owned businesses Paradise Companies and Galaxy Media Partners, has purchased the Syracuse Nationals. Both companies are based in Syracuse.
The firms announced the purchase on May 1 at Ivanchak’s Rock Farm at 6691 Van Buren Road in the town of Camillus. Financial terms of the purchase agreement weren’t disclosed.
Paradise Companies says it’s been a long-term partner of the Syracuse Nationals and Galaxy Media says it’s been a long-term promotional partner of the event. Paradise Galaxy says it will “uphold the traditions and culture of the Syracuse Nationals while continuing to elevate this beloved event,” per the venture’s announcement.
His father’s dream of bringing his car friends together 22 years ago has grown into one of the largest car shows in the country, Rob O’Connor, who owns event promoter Right Coast Inc. and whose father was the founder of the Syracuse Nationals, said.
“A drag racer from the Sixties, his passion for cars and entrepreneurial spirit drove him to start the Syracuse Nationals. He never imagined the event would bring so many people together who share his passion. It was also important for him to give back, and I’m proud to say the Syracuse Nationals has contributed over $1.75 [million] to local charities and is responsible for over $250 [million] in economic impact in Central New York. As the Syracuse Nationals turns the page to a new chapter, I’m excited for the future because Paradise Galaxy holds the same values as my family. I look forward to working with them to continue my father’s legacy for many, many years to come,” O’Connor said.
O’Connor and his wife, Kaylie, will be staying on with Paradise Galaxy as consultants.
The 2023 Napa Syracuse Nationals is set for July 14-16 at the New York State Fairgrounds in Geddes. Paradise Galaxy will release additional information regarding this year’s lineup and ticket information soon.
Embassy Suites by Hilton Syracuse Destiny USA will serve as the host hotel for this year’s edition, per the event’s website.

N.Y. manufacturing index plunges back into negative territory
The benchmark index measuring manufacturing activity in New York state returned to negative territory in May. The Empire State Manufacturing Survey’s general business-conditions index plummeted 43 points in the fifth month of the year to -31.8 as business activity “declined significantly,” according to a May 15 report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
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The benchmark index measuring manufacturing activity in New York state returned to negative territory in May.
The Empire State Manufacturing Survey’s general business-conditions index plummeted 43 points in the fifth month of the year to -31.8 as business activity “declined significantly,” according to a May 15 report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
The index had climbed 35 points in April to 10.8 with an uptick in business activity after falling 19 points in March to -24.6. The general business-conditions index is the monthly gauge on New York’s manufacturing sector.
The May reading — based on firms responding to the survey — indicates business activity “fell sharply” in New York state, the New York Fed said.
A negative index number indicates a decline in the sector, while a positive reading shows expansion or growth in manufacturing activity.
The May Empire State survey found 17 percent of respondents reported that conditions had improved over the month, while 49 percent said that conditions had worsened, the New York Fed said.
Survey details
The new-orders index collapsed 53 points to -28.0, and the shipments index plunged 40 points to -16.4, indicating that both orders and shipments declined after increasing in April.
The unfilled-orders index fell to -13.2, a sign that unfilled orders were lower. The delivery times index dipped to -5.7, suggesting delivery times “shortened somewhat,” the New York Fed said. The inventories index fell to -12.3, indicating that inventories moved lower.
The index for number of employees remained negative for a fourth straight month at -3.3, and the average-workweek index held below zero at -3.5, pointing to a slight decline in employment and hours worked.
The prices-paid index was little changed at 34.9, and the prices-received index held steady at 23.6, suggesting the pace of price increases was little changed.
The index for future business conditions edged up to 9.8, suggesting that firms do not expect activity to improve much over the next six months.
New orders and shipments are expected to increase, and employment and the average workweek are expected to “edge somewhat higher.”
The capital-spending index fell to 0.9, its lowest level in three years, suggesting that capital spending plans “weakened,” and the technology-spending index fell to 1.9, the New York Fed said.
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York distributes the Empire State Manufacturing Survey on the first day of each month to the same pool of about 200 manufacturing executives in New York. On average, about 100 executives return responses.

LGS SPOTLIGHT: William Nicholson, Community Action Partnership for Madison County
(Editor’s note: This new feature is a partnership between CNYBJ and Leadership Greater Syracuse (LGS), spotlighting graduates of the civic-leadership training program and their community involvement.) LGS Class of 2019 Job Title: Community Services DirectorHometown: Syracuse Home today: Manlius Pride & Vision What makes you proud to be a Syracusan? Syracuse is where I became
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(Editor’s note: This new feature is a partnership between CNYBJ and Leadership Greater Syracuse (LGS), spotlighting graduates of the civic-leadership training program and their community involvement.)
LGS Class of 2019
Job Title: Community Services Director
Hometown: Syracuse
Home today: Manlius
Pride & Vision
What makes you proud to be a Syracusan?
Syracuse is where I became what I am today. My parents met in Syracuse. My grandparents came to Syracuse as immigrants. As a struggling single parent, I moved from neighborhood to neighborhood in Syracuse — living on the Northside, Eastwood, Westcott, and Lyncourt at various points. I learned to value and harness the power of the indomitable underdog spirit, in Syracuse. What is your vision for Syracuse?
What is your vision for Syracuse?
I believe that it is by actively cultivating diversity that we build strength and lasting resilience. I believe in deliberately removing barriers to resources and in strategically creating spaces for honest, authentic collaboration. To that end, I envision a region where meaningful resident engagement leads every decision, where disagreement is not dismissed but is embraced as a learning opportunity, and where conflict is productive without needless escalation.
About Your Community Work
How do you help strengthen our community?
Most of my life has been spent working in direct service to underrepresented populations, people living with disabilities, people with mental illnesses, and individuals wrestling with poverty — and all that goes with it. My effort has always been to insist on full inclusion and rights, with dignity and respect for all members of our collective community, regardless of social standing. At a moment of deep personal reflection, I came to understand that the best use of my remaining days and energy, in order to have the most meaningful positive impact, would be to address poverty and its many implications for individuals, families and communities. Today I am proud to continue waging President Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty, at a community action agency.
Causes Supported
What causes, issues, or organizations do you actively support?
So many of the most important influences and heroes throughout my life have been women, and their lasting positive impacts upon my perspective and life course have made me a strident advocate for supporting women in positions of authority and power. I joined the board of a startup refugee women’s organization in 2018 to help get them on track; I helped a local refugee woman start a childcare facility to serve other working refugee mothers; I assisted with fundraising for a startup doula organization focused on serving black mothers; and I continue working to elect and support women in local, regional and state government.
ABOUT LGS
Share an LGS memory
My most important memory of the LGS year is that I learned to lean into discomfort, to go directly where I thought I might not find agreement or comfort and start dialog there. It has enhanced my perspective, my work, and indeed my personal life and lasting relationships. Some of the deepest friendships and collaborations have been with my LGS cohort.
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