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

Griffiss Institute receives $3 million in funding for Internet of Things lab
ROME, N.Y. — U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D–N.Y.) on Friday announced $3 million in funding for the Griffiss Institute, in collaboration with the Central New

New York State ends mask mandate at health-care facilities
ALBANY, N.Y. — The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) on Friday said its mask mandate for the state’s health-care facilities will end on

Audit finds hotels owe Onondaga County more than $420K in room-occupancy tax revenue
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — An audit has found that a group of Onondaga County hotels owe the county a total of more than $420,000 from the

NYSDOT’s I-81 project leader retires, new leader appointed
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The man who has been leading the effort by the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) on the I-81 viaduct-replacement project

Soft Landing New York program welcomes 2023 spring cohort
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — Soft Landing New York, a partnership between Binghamton University and Cornell University, recently kicked off its spring 2023 cohort with 13 startup

Downtown Ithaca Alliance director Ferguson to retire in June
ITHACA, N.Y. — Gary Ferguson, executive director of the Downtown Ithaca Alliance (DIA), plans to retire at the end of June. Ferguson has led the

DEC seeks grant applicants for Mohawk River watershed projects
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
Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article.
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 Protection Fund and administered under the DEC’s Mohawk River Watershed Grants program, will benefit those looking to implement the goals and objectives of the Mohawk River Basin Action Agenda 2021-2026 five-year plan.
“Gaining a better understanding of the Mohawk River Basin’s unique watershed is critical to determining best management practices and procedures to improve it,” Seggos said in a release.
Awards ranging from $15,000 to $50,000 are available for projects that have defined, measurable project objectives, tasks, and deliverables completed with a two-year contract term and located within the geographic boundaries of the Mohawk River watershed.
Examples of eligible project types include ones designed to reduce point and nonpoint source pollution; those that seek to conserve, protect, or enhance fish, wildlife, and habitats; those that promote flood-hazard risk reduction; and projects that improve stewardship within the watershed by creating and fostering partnerships and stakeholder engagement.
A request for applications is available at grantsgateway.ny.gov, the state’s online grants-management system. Applications are due no later than 3 p.m. on Friday, March 3.
The Mohawk River is the largest tributary to the Hudson River and encompasses 14 counties and 172 municipalities. The action agenda aims to bring together local, state, and federal agencies with other organizations interested in the conservation and preservation of the river, its watershed, and its communities.

UHS leader recognized on top 10 list for rural hospital CFOs
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
Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article.
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 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
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
Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article.
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 hotel market data and analytics company. For the full 12-month period, Jefferson County’s occupancy rate was up 10.4 percent to 55.8 percent, as occupancy increased in each of the first 11 months of the year.
Revenue per available room (RevPar), a key industry gauge that measures how much money hotels are bringing in per available room, rose 12 percent to $44.14 in December from the year-prior month. For all of 2022, RevPar jumped by 21.6 percent to $63.67.
Average daily rate (ADR), which represents the average rental rate for a sold room, went up 12.9 percent to $107.76 in December from the same month in 2021. For the entire 2022 year, ADR gained 10.1 percent to $114.11.
Oneida County hotels see 1 percent rise in guests in December
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
Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article.
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 58.6 percent for all of 2022.
Revenue per available room (RevPar), an important industry gauge that measures how much money hotels are bringing in per available room, jumped 12.4 percent to $55.93 in December, compared to December 2021. For the full year, RevPar was up an even 20 percent to $77.18.
Average daily rate (ADR), which represents the average rental rate for a sold room, rose 11.2 percent to $126.26 in Oneida County in the last month of 2022. For the entire 2022 year, ADR gained 12.3 percent to $131.75.
Stay up-to-date on the companies, people and issues that impact businesses in Syracuse, Central New York and beyond.