Syracuse University, Northeast Clean Energy Council sign collaboration agreement

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Syracuse University and the Northeast Clean Energy Council (NECEC) recently signed an agreement forming a collaborative partnership between the two organizations. The

Broadview FCU veterans' check presentation

Clear Path for Veterans, Southern Tier Veterans Support Group receive credit-union donation

Banks & Credit Unions, Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Insurance & Financial Services, New York News, Nonprofits, Regional News

ALBANY, N.Y. — Clear Path for Veterans in Chittenango and the Southern Tier Veterans Support Group in Vestal are among the nonprofit organizations that will

NBT Bancorp to pay quarterly dividend of 30 cents a share in fourth quarter

Banks & Credit Unions, Insurance & Financial Services, New York News, Regional News, Subscriber Only

NORWICH, N.Y. — NBT Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ: NBTB), parent of NBT Bank, recently announced that its board of directors has approved a cash dividend of 30 cents per share for the fourth quarter of this year. The payment is up by 2 cents, or 7.1 percent, from the 28 cents that NBT paid in the

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Herkimer County IDA receives more than $9 million in funding for water-main project

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Nonprofits, Regional News, Subscriber Only

HERKIMER, N.Y. — The Herkimer County Industrial Development Agency (HCIDA) has received $9.34 million in state grant funding for a key water-infrastructure project. The money is part of $279.3 million in Water Infrastructure Improvement and Intermunicipal grants from the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation to support nearly $900 million in projects across the state

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HERKIMER, N.Y. — The Herkimer County Industrial Development Agency (HCIDA) has received $9.34 million in state grant funding for a key water-infrastructure project.

The money is part of $279.3 million in Water Infrastructure Improvement and Intermunicipal grants from the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation to support nearly $900 million in projects across the state that protect public health or improve water quality.

“This is a great opportunity for Herkimer County as [the county] and the surrounding region suffer from aging infrastructure that requires modernization and improvement to provide services such as clean drinking water to ensure the health and safety of the region’s residents,” HCIDA CEO John J. Piseck said in a news release.

Herkimer County is developing the Eastern Mohawk Valley Regional Water Transmission Main, a 10.4-mile line to serve the villages of Herkimer, Ilion, and Frankfort and the towns of Herkimer and Schuyler. This new main will connect to the Mohawk Valley Water Authority’s existing water-delivery system to provide drinking-water service as both a primary and a backup supply for these communities. The project will support more than 22,000 residents in the county.

According to a press release from Gov. Kathy Hochul, the projects supported by these grants will safeguard drinking water from the risk of toxic chemicals, increase community resilience to flooding, regionalize water systems, support local economies, and are critical to protecting public health and the environment. The state projects that the grants will save local taxpayers an estimated $1 billion.

The regional transmission main is the best option for the participating municipalities because it is the most fiscally prudent way to address water quality issues in those areas, according to the IDA. “The second option of pursuing individual projects would be too large of an expense for each municipality and would result in an extreme tax burden on the residents,” IDA Board Chairman Jim Bono said.

In total, nearly $300 million is being awarded through Water Infrastructure Improvement, Intermunicipal, Green Innovation, and Engineering Planning grants to support more than 150 projects around the state. This is the second round of grant funding this year, bringing the total grant awards to nearly $900 million in 2022.

Rescue Mission elects board chair, names six new members

Nonprofits, Subscriber Only

SYRACUSE — The Rescue Mission Alliance recently announced the election of Dr. John B. McCabe as chair of its board of directors, and the appointment of six new board members. A member of the Rescue Mission board for four years, Dr. McCabe sits on its finance, investment, and executive committees. He is a retired professor

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TCGplayer now operates under the ownership of eBay

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SYRACUSE — Syracuse’s TCGplayer is now operating under the ownership of eBay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY), which announced the completion of the acquisition on Oct. 31. The total deal value was listed at up to about $295 million, per the eBay announcement. San Jose, California–based eBay specializes in global commerce “that connects millions of buyers and

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SYRACUSE — Syracuse’s TCGplayer is now operating under the ownership of eBay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY), which announced the completion of the acquisition on Oct. 31.

The total deal value was listed at up to about $295 million, per the eBay announcement.

San Jose, California–based eBay specializes in global commerce “that connects millions of buyers and sellers around the world,” per its announcement.

It describes TCGplayer as a “trusted marketplace for collectible card game enthusiasts.” The company is located at 440 S. Warren St. in Syracuse.

“By joining forces with TCGplayer, eBay has even more ways to connect brick-and-mortar hobbyists and sellers with passionate collectors around the world,” Dawn Block, VP of collectibles at eBay, said. “Our two companies share similar values and a deep commitment to the collectibles community, and together we will continue delivering best-in-class experiences for our customers.”

TCGplayer will continue to operate “autonomously” as one of the largest online marketplaces for trading-card games. TCGplayer employs more than 600 people, serving millions of hobbyist buyers, and tens of thousands of online sellers and brick-and-mortar retailers through the TCGplayer Marketplace and its authentication center.

“I look forward to working with eBay to improve the collecting experience online and in everyone’s favorite local hobby store,” Chedy Hampson, founder and CEO of TCGplayer, said. “We will benefit from eBay’s decades of industry experience, coupled with powerful technology solutions, a shared vision, common core values, and a deep commitment to the collectibles community. Thank you to the teams at TCGplayer and eBay for your incredible work, which got us to this milestone.”

The acquisition complements eBay’s focus category strategy and furthers the company’s commitment to trading-card enthusiasts — providing eBay with “strategic omnichannel capabilities” like order fulfillment and cart optimization.

Grant helps Oneida Health increase access to behavioral-health services

Health Care, New York News, Nonprofits, Regional News, Subscriber Only

ONEIDA, N.Y. — Excellus BlueCross BlueShield has won a $150,000 Excellus BlueCross BlueShield Member and Community Health Improvement (MACHI) grant to support increased access to behavioral-health services at Oneida Health. The grant will award the funds over a three-year period to establish services to address mental health, substance abuse, or age-specific women’s behavioral-health conditions of

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The grant will award the funds over a three-year period to establish services to address mental health, substance abuse, or age-specific women’s behavioral-health conditions of Oneida Health patients receiving care at its Women’s Health practice, Lullaby Center, or emergency department.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the mental and behavioral health crisis we are facing in our communities,” Oneida Health President and CEO Jonathan Schiller said in a news release. “The need for coordinated behavioral-health services has never been greater and represents a significant clinical health improvement priority for our medical staff and clinical team. Through the support provided by Excellus BCBS, we will be able to connect a critical network of services and resources that already exist within our communities to improve the outcomes and lives of our patients.”

The new Women’s Care Coordination Program at Oneida Health helps bridge the gap between patients and access to mental health and substance-abuse treatment services through a care-coordinated model. Through a single point of contact, patients can receive coordinated care from a range of community resources and services available for women including mental-health and substance-abuse counseling, bereavement support, transportation, domestic violence advocacy, care management, and other community services.

The program aims to increase depression screenings for maternity and gynecological patients by 70 percent and reduce return emergency-department visits of those presenting with behavioral and mental-health conditions by 17 percent. Achieving those goals will drive early detection and treatment of behavioral-health conditions and reduction in unnecessary return visits to the emergency department.

“We thank Excellus BCBS for their shared vision in addressing opportunities to improve the overall health of our communities,” Schiller said. “This program would not be possible without their support.”

The MACHI grant program provides funding to local, nonprofit organizations that promote healthier communities and supports initiatives with specific objectives and measurable outcomes for improving health.

“Providing access to high-quality health care is core to our mission as a nonprofit health plan,” Eve Van de Wal, Excellus regional president for the Mohawk Valley region, said. “We are excited to partner with Oneida Health to support this vital behavioral health program that addresses the needs of our region by increasing access to mental health and substance-use services.”

Oneida Health is a regional health-care system that includes a hospital, primary and specialty care, physical rehabilitation, and skilled-nursing services.

Excellus BlueCross BlueShield is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and has more than 1.5 million members in upstate New York.

Dannible & McKee acquires Auburn CPA firm

Insurance & Financial Services, Subscriber Only

SYRACUSE — Syracuse–based accounting firm Dannible & McKee, LLP has acquired an Auburn firm in a deal that took effect Nov. 1. Buffington & Hoatland CPAs, PLLC is a certified public accountant (CPA) and consulting firm that is now operating under the Dannible & McKee, LLP brand, the Syracuse firm said in its Oct. 31

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SYRACUSE — Syracuse–based accounting firm Dannible & McKee, LLP has acquired an Auburn firm in a deal that took effect Nov. 1.

Buffington & Hoatland CPAs, PLLC is a certified public accountant (CPA) and consulting firm that is now operating under the Dannible & McKee, LLP brand, the Syracuse firm said in its Oct. 31 announcement.

Dannible & McKee didn’t disclose any financial terms of the deal. The acquisition is part of its “strategic plan to strengthen its position” throughout Central New York, the Syracuse firm noted.

“Dannible & McKee’s focus on growth is driven by our commitment to deliver the highest level of quality service to our clients, while attracting and retaining bright and collaborative team members,” Christopher Didio, managing partner at Dannible & McKee, said. “With our mutual priority on client service excellence, the strong synergies between our businesses and a shared culture focused on team member success, we see tremendous opportunities in this partnership for both our clients and our people. We are excited to welcome the staff, clients and friends of Buffington & Hoatland CPAs to our firm.”

Besides its Syracuse headquarters, Dannible & McKee also operates offices in Vestal and Schenectady.

The acquisition will add seven employees, including two partners, to Dannible & McKee, and the firm will maintain its current location in Auburn. Buffington & Hoatland CPAs has been providing accounting, tax, and consulting services to individuals and businesses since 2009.

“We are very proud of the nearly 13-year history of our firm and recognized that the next step for our team and clients was to join with a firm as highly respected by their clients and within the community as Dannible & McKee,” Elaine Buffington, managing partner of Buffington & Hoatland CPAs, said in a statement. “We look forward to offering expanded specialized services and deep industry insights for our clients and advancement opportunities for our employees.”

Buffington will continue to practice as a partner at Dannible & McKee. She has more than 35 years of experience in both private and public practice. Her areas of specialization are auditing and accounting, business consulting, and tax preparation. She has extensive experience with nonprofit organizations, as well as manufacturers, wholesale distributors, and retail businesses.

Alice Hoatland will continue to serve as a consulting partner. Hoatland has more than 40 years of experience as a CPA in small-business consulting and taxation.

CNY regions post year-over-year job gains in September

Employee Benefits & Human Resources, New York News, Nonprofits, Regional News, Small Business, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

The Syracuse, Utica–Rome, Watertown–Fort Drum, Binghamton, Ithaca, and Elmira regions all gained jobs between September 2021 and this past September. The Central New York subregions generated job growth ranging from 0.8 percent in the Ithaca region to 3.1 percent in the Binghamton area in the past 12 months. That’s according to the latest monthly employment

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Oncenter renovation work planned as it marks 30 years

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Subscriber Only

SYRACUSE — As the facility marks 30 years of operation in downtown Syracuse, Onondaga County has plans for some renovation work at the Oncenter Nicholas J. Pirro Convention Center. The plans include work on meeting rooms that will be starting soon and continuing through next May. The county expects to add five new meeting rooms

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SYRACUSE — As the facility marks 30 years of operation in downtown Syracuse, Onondaga County has plans for some renovation work at the Oncenter Nicholas J. Pirro Convention Center.

The plans include work on meeting rooms that will be starting soon and continuing through next May. The county expects to add five new meeting rooms with 3,000 square feet of meeting space outfitted with presentation technologies.

The renovation work will also include some new restrooms and new flooring and lighting, along with and heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning units in the venue’s ballroom atrium.

“We are going to look at an ambitious and aggressive plan for the needs of our new economy here, and future investment in this facility and in the Oncenter campus is going to be a big part of that,” Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon said.

McMahon shared details during an Oct. 24 press event in the convention center’s atrium area. The renovation work should cost between $2 million and $5 million, he told reporters covering the event.

“This building is evolving, and certainly every year we put capital into this venue,” the county executive said in his remarks. “With the latest news in the community [Micron Technology coming to Clay], we need to look at the opportunity in front of us now and this venue needs to meet the needs of the community moving forward.”

McMahon then added, “Our community is now instantaneously the semiconductor hub for memory technology in the world.”

The convention center is part of the Oncenter complex. “It’s more than just this [convention center] building. We have the Upstate Medical Arena at the Oncenter War Memorial, the John H. Mulroy Civic Center Theaters, all managed under the Oncenter brand since 1992,” McMahon explained.

Los Angeles, California–based ASM Global currently manages the Oncenter complex.

Former Onondaga County Executive Nicholas J. Pirro, for whom the facility is named, was out of town and couldn’t make the event, McMahon said.

However, Edward Kochian, longtime deputy county executive, was among those attending the event. The county office building at 600 S. State St. in Syracuse is named in honor of Kochian.

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