DEC seeks grant applicants for Mohawk River watershed projects

Get our email updates

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

Grant funding totaling about $600,000 is available to help municipalities, soil and water-conservation districts, school districts, college and universities, and not-for-profit organizations to implement efforts to conserve, preserve, and restore the Mohawk River and its watershed, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos announced. The grants, supported by the state’s Environmental […]

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

UHS leader recognized on top 10 list for rural hospital CFOs

Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Health Care, New York News, People on the Move, Regional News, Subscriber Only

WALTON, N.Y. — LuCinda Rider of UHS Delaware Valley Hospital in Walton has received national industry recognition as a key chief financial officer (CFO) in the rural-hospital field, United Health Services, Inc. (UHS) announced. Specifically, Rider was named one of “10 Rural Hospital CFOs to Know/2023” by the website of Becker’s Hospital Review, a health-care

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

Specifically, Rider was named one of “10 Rural Hospital CFOs to Know/2023” by the website of Becker’s Hospital Review, a health-care news and information provider.

“LuCinda Rider is responsible for financial operations at UHS Delaware Valley, a progressive critical access hospital in upstate New York,” the website reported. “For 10 consecutive years, she has led the hospital to a positive bottom line.” The article noted that Rider “has implemented a strategic investment and cost containment plan” that improved its cash-flow situation.

In addition to her role as CFO, Rider serves as the UHS Delaware Valley Hospital compliance officer and as board chair of the UHS Employee Federal Credit Union. Prior to becoming the hospital’s CFO, she was its controller, according to UHS.

Becker’s stated: “Rural hospitals provide access to health services for communities that may otherwise face barriers to quality care. CFOs of rural hospitals play a key role in ensuring that hospital operations run smoothly.”

This wasn’t the first time that Rider has been spotlighted by Becker’s. In 2021, the health news provider recognized her nationally as “one of more than 50 women responsible for their hospital’s or health system’s financial operations as CFO.”

United Health Services is a locally owned, not-for-profit hospital and health-care system serving Greater Binghamton and surrounding counties. The system includes UHS Binghamton General Hospital, UHS Chenango Memorial Hospital in Norwich, UHS Delaware Valley Hospital, UHS Wilson Medical Center in Johnson City, UHS Senior Living at Ideal in Endicott, UHS Home Care in three locations, and a number of medical practices. Founded in 1981, UHS provides a full range of medical, surgical, rehabilitative and long-term care services throughout New York’s Southern Tier.

Jefferson County hotel-occupancy rate slips slightly in December

Regional News, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

WATERTOWN — Jefferson County hotels registered a slight dip in guests in December, the only monthly decline seen last year. The hotel-occupancy rate (rooms sold as a percentage of rooms available) in the county fell 0.8 percent to 41 percent in the final month of 2022 from the year-earlier month, according to STR, a Tennessee–based

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 hotels see 1 percent rise in guests in December

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

UTICA , N.Y. — Oneida County’s hotel-occupancy rate (rooms sold as a percentage of rooms available) rose 1.1 percent to 44.3 percent in December from the year-prior month. That’s according to a recent report from STR, a Tennessee–based hotel-market data and analytics company. Occupancy in the Mohawk Valley’s largest county was up 6.9 percent 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

Hochul details CNY-specific projects in budget proposal

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Health Care, Law, Accounting & Taxes, Manufacturing & Engineering, New York News, Nonprofits, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Funding for a “New 15th Ward” public-housing project, projects at Onondaga Community College (OCC), and workforce-development initiatives are part of the 2024 New York State–budget proposal. Gov. Kathy Hochul on Feb. 6 provided details of key proposals for Central New York during an appearance at the Marriott Syracuse Downtown hotel at 100

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

Gov. Kathy Hochul on Feb. 6 provided details of key proposals for Central New York during an appearance at the Marriott Syracuse Downtown hotel at 100 E. Onondaga St.

In line with the governor’s 2023 State of the State address, the budget includes significant funding to “increase housing supply and expand economic opportunity and innovation in the region,” Hochul’s office said in a news release about the Central New York projects.

The proposal includes $36 million for Onondaga Community College, $11 million for local workforce and economic-development initiatives, $10 million for the New 15th Ward public-housing project, and $26 million for the State Fair and local parks.

Hochul also announced $45 million for GO SEMI: Governor’s Office of Semiconductor Expansion, Management and Integration.

GO SEMI will provide administrative and operational support for Micron Technology (NASDAQ: MU) during its $100 billion investment for a new semiconductor campus in the town of Clay and lead a broader effort to develop New York’s semiconductor industry.

“With new, deeper commitments to housing, education, and economic development, our budget will build on Micron’s investment to create opportunity for even more New Yorkers, and I look forward to working with local leaders to make this vision for Central New York a reality,” Hochul said.

For Central New York, the projects include the following:

• $10 million for the New 15th Ward public housing project in Syracuse, which will support construction of the first three phases of the multi-year-12 phase project.

• $5 million to help the Syracuse Economic Development Corporation create a revolving-loan fund to help small- to mid-size city businesses fill critical gaps in the need for qualified contractors for housing construction and rehabilitation as well as for lead-hazard reduction in homes.

• $5 million for the Flexible Finance Program to support economic development in the City of Syracuse.

• $1 million to expand the successful Syracuse Build Pathways to Apprenticeship program to support building trades apprenticeships in Syracuse and expand Vehicles to Work program.

• $1 million to create the Syracuse Surge High-Tech Careers Bridge Program, which will help connect Syracuse residents with semiconductor careers, eSOL programs and skills training for advanced manufacturing careers.

• $36 million for Onondaga Community College, including:

– $15 million to expand the School of Health.

– $5 million to support construction of a 5,000 square foot, ISO class 5 and 6 clean room for training students in the semiconductor and microelectronics industries.

– $3 million for an open warehouse space for use in applied engineering, technical, and workforce education.

– $2.5 million for an energy retrofit of Coyne Hall.

– $10.25 million for various improvements across the campus.

• $14 million to support State Fairgrounds maintenance and needed infrastructure upgrades.

• $7 million to construct two brand-new comfort stations at campgrounds and make circulations improvements at Selkirk Shores State Park.

• $5 million for improvements at Green Lakes State Park.

Applications open for dairy-product innovation contest

Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Manufacturing & Engineering, New York News, Small Business, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

ITHACA, N.Y. — Applications are open for the Northeastern Dairy Product Innovation Competition for producers of value-added dairy products. The competition supports food innovators in launching products made from dairy ingredients produced in the Northeast and gives dairy entrepreneurs, including those on organic and small farms, access to entrepreneurial and technical support. Finalists and winners

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

ITHACA, N.Y. — Applications are open for the Northeastern Dairy Product Innovation Competition for producers of value-added dairy products.

The competition supports food innovators in launching products made from dairy ingredients produced in the Northeast and gives dairy entrepreneurs, including those on organic and small farms, access to entrepreneurial and technical support.

Finalists and winners will share in a total of $365,000 in awards that provide funding and technical support to bring value-added products to market. The initiative fast tracks products reaching the market while also increasing the utilization of milk produced in the Northeast.

“This competition provides an onramp to entrepreneurship for people passionate about meeting customer needs with high-quality dairy products,” Jenn Smith, director of food and ag startup programs at the Cornell University Center for Regional Economic Advancement (CREA), said in a release.

CREA is producing the competition in partnership with the Northeast Dairy Foods Research Center (NDFRC) supported by a $1 million grant from the Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center (NE-DBIC).

More information, including the application, is available at dairyinnovation.org.

The competition grants early-stage incubation assistance from Cornell’s business- and food-processing faculty, access to the university’s Food Processing and Development Laboratory, industry mentorship, and training on product prototyping and optimization, food safety and compliance, and business planning.

Along with access to Cornell facilities and faculty, finalists receive $20,000, and three winners receive an additional $55,000 and a spot at the Dairy Innovation Showcase at the 2023 Grow-NY Summit.

“This competition responds to a growing demand for innovative dairy products that reflect consumer preference for premium ingredients and positions the Northeast dairy community as a leader in entrepreneurship,” NDFRC Director Samuel Alcaine said.

The competition is open to all food innovators including small and organic farms, nonprofits, and dairy co-ops located in the United States that use or commit to using milk and/or dairy ingredients produced at dairies in New York, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont in their production.

“The high-quality milk our Northeast dairy farmers produce is an excellent ingredient for many value-added products,” NE-DBIC Director Laura Ginsburg said. “This competition, along with our specialized grants for dairy processors, creates more pathways for regional dairy processing that benefits farmers, consumers, and our regional economy.”

State comptroller cautions against Thruway toll increases

Law, Accounting & Taxes, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

ALBANY, N.Y. — In the wake of a proposed multi-year schedule of toll increases starting next year on the New York State Thruway, state Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli cautioned that toll increases should be the last option. Instead, he encourages the New York State Thruway Authority to first improve operations and maximize non-toll revenues. DiNapoli

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

DiNapoli came to this conclusion after his office reviewed a decade of Thruway finances and the toll-hike proposal, and found gaps in information necessary to evaluate the proposal.

“The Thruway Authority’s toll-increase proposal comes at a time of extraordinary challenges for New Yorkers who are faced with rising costs for everything from food to shelter to gas,” DiNapoli said in a news release. “The Thruway should be more transparent with the public and disclose critical information and identify and put in place all possible cost-savings and alternate revenue actions to minimize costs to drivers. Raising tolls should be the last option, and the Thruway has more work to do.”

The Thruway’s board of directors began implementing the multi-year schedule of increases in December 2022. The proposal calls for rate hikes on Jan. 1, 2024 and Jan. 1, 2027 for the highway system and barriers, and annually over four years beginning in 2024 for the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge. The proposal also expands the rate differential between New York–issued E-Z Pass users and all others.

The Thruway expects the rate increases to grow toll revenue by 28.4 percent, or $1.9 billion, through 2031.

In his report, DiNapoli noted the Thruway’s finances and operations were influenced by five key factors over the last decade. Those issues include concerns over cashless tolling and tolls by mail, accurately predicting traffic following the COVID-19 pandemic, borrowing costs for the construction of the Cuomo Bridge, and debt totals and debt-service costs. The final factor involves the blurry lines between the state government and Thruway, including a claim the state has relied on the Thruway as a “backdoor borrowing” financing vehicle with more than $5 billion in state-supported outstanding Thruway debt.

Before any tolls are increased, DiNapoli urged the Thruway Authority to resolve the cashless tolling and tolls-by-mail system to resolve implementation problems and ensure it has accurate traffic forecasts. He also wants the Authority to perform a comprehensive assessment of operating needs and expenses to identify costs that may no longer be necessary, maximize non-toll revenue sources such as federal funding and revenue from assets, and disclose capital-needs assessment to justify cost projections.

The last toll increases on the Thruway occurred in January 2021 when tolls were boosted for the Cuomo Bridge, those paying by mail, and drivers from out of state. Tolls increased again in January 2022 for the Cuomo Bridge.

Lockheed Martin to pay dividend of $3 per share in late March

Insurance & Financial Services, Manufacturing & Engineering, New York News, Regional News, Subscriber Only, Technology

The Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE:LMT) board of directors has authorized a first-quarter, 2023 dividend of $3 a share. The dividend is payable on March 24, to holders of record as of the close of business on March 1. The payment is the same amount that the company paid in the fourth quarter, when it boosted 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

CNY regions grew jobs by 1.2 to 3.6 percent in last year

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

The Syracuse, Utica–Rome, Watertown–Fort Drum, Binghamton, Ithaca, and Elmira regions all gained jobs between December 2021 and this past December. The Central New York subregions generated job growth ranging from 1.2 percent in the Watertown–Fort Drum area to 3.6 percent in the Binghamton region in the past 12 months. That’s according to the latest monthly jobs report

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

Crouse’s Pomeroy College of Nursing now located in DeWitt

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Health Care, Subscriber Only

DeWITT, N.Y. — Students attending the Pomeroy College of Nursing at Crouse Hospital have a new location for their academic training. The nursing school has relocated its operations to a newly created space within the Crouse Medical Center at 5000 Brittonfield Parkway in DeWitt. The sale of the Marley Education Center in 2022 prompted 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

DeWITT, N.Y. — Students attending the Pomeroy College of Nursing at Crouse Hospital have a new location for their academic training.

The nursing school has relocated its operations to a newly created space within the Crouse Medical Center at 5000 Brittonfield Parkway in DeWitt.

The sale of the Marley Education Center in 2022 prompted the move of the Pomeroy College of Nursing to the Brittonfield location, Bob Allen, VP, communications and governmental affairs, told CNYBJ in an email message. Students will continue their training in the main hospital, he noted.

Crouse worked with King + King Architects on the design of the new space, which encompasses the entire second floor of the building. The cost of the build out was part of the lease agreement that Crouse maintains with the building owner, Allen tells CNYBJ.

The Brittonfield site includes all new classrooms, a nursing skills lab, a high-tech simulation area, library, computer labs, social and study spaces for students, and administrative/faculty office space. The new facility is designed to meet the needs of all students, per the Crouse Health announcement.

Academic operations at the new site began on Jan. 9 as the Pomeroy College welcomed back returning students from the evening/weekend option. Traditional day students begin their courses on Jan. 17.

“We are excited to welcome our students, faculty and staff to our new home, which features an all new learning and teaching space in an innovative and collaborative learning environment,” Patricia Morgan, dean of Pomeroy College of Nursing at Crouse Hospital, said.

Pomeroy College of Nursing at Crouse Hospital offers a two-year associate degree in applied science with a major in nursing. It is fully accredited by the Atlanta, Georgia–based Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN).

More than 6,000 people have graduated from Pomeroy College of Nursing at Crouse Hospital over its century of serving Central New York, Crouse Health said.

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