MVHS Sleep Disorders Center reopens, gets accreditation

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UTICA, N.Y. — The Mohawk Valley Health System (MVHS) Sleep Disorders Center, located at 2215 Genesee St. in Utica, recently reopened to new patients after being closed for a year due to staffing issues, according to a news release from the health-care system. In addition, the sleep center also received its sixth five-year accreditation from […]

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Utica University’s Corbo awarded endowed professorship in cybersecurity

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

UTICA, N.Y. — Leslie Corbo, associate professor of cybersecurity and director of undergraduate cybersecurity programs at Utica University, was recently awarded the Karl Zimpel Endowed Professorship in Cybersecurity, the university announced. This endowed professorship, made possible by support from Fredericka (Fritzie) Paine in memory of her brother, is one of the “most prestigious honors an

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New York milk producer prices dip from prior month

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Milk prices at the producer level in New York state stayed high in the latest month as inflation pressures continued. New York dairy farms in July were paid an average of $26.70 per hundredweight of milk, down 2.2 percent from $27.30 in June, but up 47.5 percent from the $18.10 average in July 2021. The

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SRC wins nearly $50 million radar contract from U.S. Army

Manufacturing & Engineering, Subscriber Only, Technology

CICERO, N.Y. — SRC Inc. was recently awarded an almost $50 million firm-fixed-price contract from the U.S. Army for a precision fire-control radar. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Sept. 16, 2025, according to a contract announcement issued by the U.S. Department of Defense on

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Lowville man arrested on identity theft charges for fake reservations at North Country winery

Law, Accounting & Taxes, New York News, Regional News, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

LOWVILLE, N.Y. — The New York State Police in Lowville on Sept. 16 arrested a Lewis County man for 1st degree identity theft connected to a scheme that cost a North Country winery about $13,000 in financial losses. State Police charged 33-year-old David R. Nisley Jr., of Lowville, with the class “D” felony. Nisley is

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OCC to lead community colleges in health-care training initiative

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ONONDAGA, N.Y. — Onondaga Community College (OCC) will lead a group of 10 community colleges in a project to expand workforce-development programs to strengthen the health-care workforce in the upstate New York region, The initiative will help underserved individuals get the skills they need to enter these good-paying careers that are in demand across New

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The initiative will help underserved individuals get the skills they need to enter these good-paying careers that are in demand across New York.”

The colleges will work in partnership with leading workforce-development agencies, health-care industry leaders, unions, and other community partners in a project called the Community College Health CARES Consortium. CARES is short for Career, Acceleration, Retention + Employment Support.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has awarded $5 million to expand health-care education programs, close opportunity gaps, and increase access to good-paying, in-demand health-care careers across New York state.

The funding comes from the department’s Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grants program, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D–N.Y.) and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D–N.Y.) announced Sept. 15.

“Health-care providers across the state are struggling to find enough workers to meet the demand for services, but this funding will help students and job seekers get the skills they need to enter better paying careers and give back to the community. This funding will go a long way to filling health-care jobs in the areas that need them most and will strengthen upstate New York’s medical workforce for years to come,” Schumer said.

Specifically, this funding will allow OCC to lead SUNY Broome, Corning, Cayuga, Genesee, Herkimer, Jamestown, Jefferson, North Country, Schenectady, and Tompkins Cortland Community Colleges to expand their health-care training programs.

It’ll be done in partnership with top regional health-care employers such as Upstate Medical University, United Health Services, Arnot Health, Cayuga Medical, Lourdes, Samaritan Medical Center, “and many others,” per Schumer’s office.

“We are extremely grateful to Senator and Senator Gillibrand for their support of Onondaga Community College and their understanding of our mission as Central New York’s partner in education for success,” Warren Hilton, president of OCC, said. “In our School of Health, we are creating programs which will train students for good-paying jobs in the shortest time possible. Their success in the classroom will both satisfy significant workforce needs and give our students an entry point to a rewarding career and ultimately a better life. Moreover, the broad reach of this project will allow OCC and ten other collaborating community colleges to bring these benefits to individuals and communities across New York State.”

New consulting firm helps businesses define, achieve goals

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Just about a year ago, Mark O’Donnell found himself at a crossroads. He had just wrapped up a career that began in engineering and ended in management and needed to figure out his next steps. After playing a lot of golf, he realized he wasn’t ready to give up work just yet.

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After playing a lot of golf, he realized he wasn’t ready to give up work just yet.

“I found myself in a position where I wasn’t ready to retire and was looking for the next chapter in my life,” O’Donnell says. He took a step back, evaluated his career, and thought about what he really enjoyed doing. “The engineer in me likes to solve problems, and I love to help people.”

With that thought in mind, O’Donnell launched Operations Excellence, LLC, late last year. The consulting firm helps small to mid-sized businesses and organizations with anything from increasing productivity to planning leadership transitions. He does this by working through root-cause analyses and helping clients define goals in order achieve the desired results.

O’Donnell’s one-on-one coaching approach combines skills that he developed during his 20 years working in management roles including strategic planning, team building, staff development and process improvement. With these skills, he can help clients build a cohesive, energized, committed, and positive team as well as refine the organization’s vision. O’Donnell can also tackle issues such as retaining customers, growing the business, improving profits, reducing waste, and improving customer satisfaction.

“I’m not afraid to bring in outside people when I need help,” O’Donnell notes.

To start the business, O’Donnell began networking with his peers and working relationships he developed over the years. While he filed the paperwork to start the company in September, it wasn’t until the end of last year that he was fully up and running. To help accomplish that, he affiliated with Trusted Advisors Network, LLC. The Reading, Pennsylvania–based company is a network of more than 200 advisors, consultants, and coaches that can turn to each other for help, support, and advice when it comes to operating their own consulting business.

Now that O’Donnell has done work for some clients, word of mouth is helping the business attract more clients. Once he gets the opportunity to get in front of his target audience, the response has been positive, O’Donnell says. He is an active member of Center State CEO, MACNY, and his local rotary club — all of which give him opportunities to network and spread the word about Operations Excellence.

While he is the company’s sole employee at this time, O’Donnell says he could see things expanding in the future to a point where he brings in other consultants on a part-time basis.

“I’m doing something I love,” he says, and he can see the business taking him through to a time when he is ready to retire.

O’Donnell spent years working as an industrial engineer before transitioning into management roles including director of engineering and VP of operations. Most recently, he was general manager at JR Clancy Wenger Corporation’s Syracuse location from 2010 through last July.

O’Donnell is a Syracuse native but offers his services across the country. He received a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering and operations research from Syracuse University and an MBA from Le Moyne College.

E-commerce platform Rosie of Ithaca is now part of Instacart

Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Regional News, Small Business, Subscriber Only, Technology

ITHACA, N.Y. — Rosie, the Ithaca–based e-commerce platform for local and independent retailers and wholesalers, has a new owner. San Francisco–based Instacart, a grocery technology company, on Sept. 7 announced it has purchased Rosie for an undisclosed sum. Rosie operates at 171 E. State St. in Ithaca. On its website, it now refers to itself

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ITHACA, N.Y. — Rosie, the Ithaca–based e-commerce platform for local and independent retailers and wholesalers, has a new owner.

San Francisco–based Instacart, a grocery technology company, on Sept. 7 announced it has purchased Rosie for an undisclosed sum.

Rosie operates at 171 E. State St. in Ithaca. On its website, it now refers to itself as an Instacart company.

Instacart tells CNYBJ that Rosie will maintain its operations in Ithaca but wasn’t able to provide specific figures on the number of Rosie employees joining the firm.

With this acquisition, Instacart says it is “deepening its commitment” to serving local and independent grocers and expanding its Instacart Platform e-commerce offerings. The company didn’t release any terms of its acquisition agreement with Rosie.

In acquiring Rosie, Instacart is introducing new e-commerce services built specifically for local and independent retailers that complement the company’s existing Instacart Platform offerings. Through the Instacart Platform, Instacart contends it is “further enabling grocers to chart their own digital transformation through a suite of enterprise-grade technologies.”

With Instacart Platform, Instacart says it gives retailers access to the solutions behind Instacart’s consumer marketplace, helping retailers like Tops Friendly Markets, create new online and in-store solutions that “enhance the customer experience and help their businesses grow.”

“Our focus is on creating technology solutions that are tailor-made to meet the online and in-store needs of all grocers — whether they’re national chains or independently-owned and operated,” Chris Rogers, chief business officer at Instacart, said in a news release. “Local and independent grocers are so important to the grocery ecosystem. They have loyal customers, create meaningful job opportunities and serve as cornerstones of their communities. The Rosie team understands these grocers better than anyone, and that’s why we’re proud to welcome them to Instacart. Together, we’ll build more technologies that help independent grocers accelerate their pace of innovation so they can continue to compete, grow, and serve their customers however they choose to shop.”

Moving forward, the Rosie team will lead Instacart’s business strategy and technology development for local independent grocers, as Instacart continues to build e-commerce and fulfillment products and services for this key segment of the grocery industry, the company stated.

“For nearly a decade, our team has lived, breathed, and devoted ourselves to the success of local independent grocers and I couldn’t be more proud of what we’ve accomplished together,” Nick Nickitas, founder and CEO of Rosie, said. “Instacart’s mission of powering the future of grocery is closely aligned with our own, and I’m confident that combining our teams and technologies is the way to best continue serving these important retailers. Together, we will continue to innovate and build easy to use and affordable digital solutions that help our retailer, wholesaler, and brand partners thrive and better meet the needs of their customers.”

With Instacart, Nickitas is now working under the title general manager of local independent grocers, the California company tells CNYBJ.

About Rosie

Founded in Ithaca in 2013, Rosie has spent nearly a decade building relationships and supporting local and independent retailers across more than 40 states. Rosie offers independent grocers branded e-commerce websites and mobile-app capabilities that power order flow, fulfillment, and customer insights.

Rosie’s product features include shoppable weekly ads, store loyalty and rewards programs integrations, third-party fulfillment logistics integrations, and payment processing — all developed for local and independent grocers.

Rosie has raised nearly $12 million in funding from investors to date, according to an article on the website of TechCrunch.

RADAR program aims to connect disabled job seekers with apprenticeship opportunities

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

UTICA , N.Y. — The Workforce Development Board of Herkimer, Madison and Oneida Counties is hoping to close the employment gap for people with disabilities. Its new Regional Apprenticeship Development and Readiness (RADAR) program, funded by a nearly $3 million Apprenticeship Building America grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, focuses on developing job-training programs

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UTICA , N.Y. — The Workforce Development Board of Herkimer, Madison and Oneida Counties is hoping to close the employment gap for people with disabilities.

Its new Regional Apprenticeship Development and Readiness (RADAR) program, funded by a nearly $3 million Apprenticeship Building America grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, focuses on developing job-training programs to connect job seekers with local companies that need workers.

“A lot of our unemployed population is mostly made up of individuals with disabilities,” says Sommer Edwards, project director for RADAR. In New York, there is currently a 36 percentage point gap in the employment rates of disabled and non-disabled individuals.

For many with disabilities, lack of access to training and other support they may need is the major roadblock to finding a job, Edwards says. RADAR, which just launched in early September, aims to fill that void by working with local companies to establish apprenticeship programs.

“Instead of college, people can go right to work and get paid to learn the job,” she says. Most apprenticeships last anywhere from one to three years, and the apprentice becomes a regular full-time employee after that.

Starting as an apprentice and working with a mentor on the job can help someone who is disabled and has struggled to find employment feel confident and secure as they learn a new job, Edwards says. The end result of that is a happier employee who is less likely to leave the company.

RADAR hosted a virtual job fair on Sept. 28 for businesses and job seekers in Herkimer, Madison, Oneida, Chenango, Delaware, Otsego, Fulton, Montgomery, Schoharie, Onondaga, and Cortland counties.

Currently, RADAR has partnerships with some companies that already have apprentice programs in the trades and manufacturing but is looking to expand to additional businesses.

“Not everyone wants to or even can go into the trades,” Edwards notes, so the hope is to offer at least five different occupation options once the program is fully up and running.

Edwards says businesses may be reluctant to start an apprenticeship program thinking that it is costly or worried they may have to modify the workspace. However, there are cash incentives for businesses that start a program and RADAR can reimburse the company for up to 50 percent of the cost of on-the-job training.

While the word disability might conjure up a specific image, Edwards points out that disability doesn’t just mean a visible physical disability. RADAR is open to any job seeker that has an Americans with Disabilities Act-recognized disability, she says. The ADA recognizes anyone with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits major life activities.

Businesses with apprenticeship programs may also be eligible for tax incentives, and firms can benefit from fostering an inclusive environment, she adds.

Carmina Wood Design opens Utica office

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Manufacturing & Engineering, New York News, Regional News, Small Business, Subscriber Only

UTICA, N.Y. — For one Buffalo-based architecture, civil engineering, and interior-design firm, it wasn’t enough to just work in Utica. That’s why Carmina Wood Design opened an office in the city. The firm recently cut the ribbon on its new 1,800-square-foot office at 54 Franklin Square, just off Genesee Street. “We have this cool little

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The firm recently cut the ribbon on its new 1,800-square-foot office at 54 Franklin Square, just off Genesee Street.

“We have this cool little space,” Steven Carmina, the firm’s president and CEO, tells CNYBJ. Carmina signed a multi-year lease with building owner Robert Pellegrino and hired the Charles A. Gaetano Construction Corp. to renovate the space. Work included tearing out old carpeting, redoing the floors along with repairing the ceiling and walls, and adding a new bathroom.

Now the space truly represents Carmina Wood Design, Carmina says. “For us, it needs to demonstrate and show what we do,” he adds.

What the firm does, at least in Utica, is work on a number of housing projects around the city. In partnership with KCG Development & Companies of Indiana, Carmina Wood Design worked on the redesign of the former Globe Woolen Company Mills building. The structure, which sits at the finish line for the 15K Boilermaker Road Race on Court Street, is being converted into mixed-use with mixed-income loft apartments, as well as commercial space on the first floor.

Working on that project is what really got Carmina thinking about opening an office in Utica. “As we were doing Globe Mills, we were constantly looking around and trying to scope the area out,” he recalls.

At the same time, the company received a request for a quote from People First, formerly the Utica Municipal Housing Authority, and is now working with the Vecino Group of Troy to rehabilitate the Chancellor Apartments on Bleecker Street, the redevelopment of an old warehouse at 700 Broad St. into apartments over the next decade, and the rehabilitation of the Olbiston Apartments on Genesee Street with Liberty Affordable Housing of Rome.

“The Olbiston is the kind of project that can demonstrate what can be done and what should be done for low-income housing,” Carmina says. He and his staff have a passion for projects that provide affordable, quality housing for people who need it. “It’s a broad cross section of people who are on the poverty spectrum and also people looking to come out of it,” he notes.

By next May, Carmina expects his firm will be working on six or seven projects around the city, making the Utica office a necessity.

“We want feet on the ground there,” he says. The firm is actively looking to hire people for that office. “We’re looking for hometown kids with a couple years of experience. We want to have people there who can react quickly for us,” Carmina notes.

The office is in a prime location to keep tabs on the firm’s numerous projects and is a great location for employees and clients alike. It’s right next door to the Wisk Baking Company of Utica, which provides a convenient option for breakfast or lunch, and nearby hotels offer options for employees or clients spending the night in Utica.

While the renovation work was completed in July, the firm has been putting the finishing touches on the place such as moving in furniture and getting technology set up.

Established in February 2001 with just three people, Carmina Wood Design now employs 40 and also has an office in Greensboro, North Carolina. The firm will continue to grow in ways that make sense for it, Carmina says.

“I think that our philosophy has always been careful expansion,” he says. Utica makes sense not only for the projects there but also due to Carmina’s own connections to the area. His sister attended Mohawk Valley Community College, and his best friend lives in nearby Ilion.

It also fits because of the city itself, Carmina says. First, it reminds him of Buffalo, where Carmina Wood Design is based. Second, the passion of the people impressed him.

Finally, projects like the new Wynn Hospital and the Wolfspeed’s Mohawk Valley Fab chip plant showed him that Utica is a “comeback city” with solid leadership.

“The leadership is strong and not divided,” Carmina contends. “They are working together.”

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