VIEWPOINT: It’s Just the Beginning of Mohawk Valley’s Economic Transformation

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The Mohawk Valley region underwent gut-wrenching economic changes in the mid-1990s with the realignment of Griffiss Air Force Base in Rome and major industrial plant downsizings and closures. Back then, the region’s future appeared to be rather bleak, and its psyche was badly shaken. Fast forward to today, the region is not losing jobs or bleeding […]

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Fast forward to today, the region is not losing jobs or bleeding population. Instead of disinvestment, the Mohawk Valley is seeing unprecedented levels of new investment, with over $2 billion in public and private investment that is driving the region’s community and economic revitalization. The region’s economic landscape is undergoing dramatic changes that has turned pessimism and cynicism into confidence and progress. Instead of looking back, the area is forging forward by pursuing economic strategies that support growth of STEM-intensive industries that offer better opportunities for economic growth. The progress made to date marks just the beginning of the region’s economic transformation.

Prime examples of the Mohawk Valley’s economic transformation include the following development initiatives.

“The former Griffiss Air Force Base, once a key Cold War asset, has proven to be a key asset that is rebuilding the region’s economy, with nearly 6,000 jobs.”

1. Downtown Utica’s Economic Revitalization

Downtown Utica is undergoing a major economic resurgence, which symbolizes the region’s economic upswing. Two projects in particular are major contributors to downtowns revitalization.

Construction of the Mohawk Valley Health System’s (MVHS) Wynn Hospital is a major addition to downtown’s skyline and is the catalyst for downtown’s economic revitalization. Oneida County has awarded bids on construction of a 1,350-car parking garage for the hospital and public parking for downtown needs.

A private physician’s group (Central Utica Building) will build an 80,000 to 90,000-square-foot medical-office building across from the hospital to deliver health-care services essential for Wynn Hospital. This $42 million investment will generate more property taxes than what was lost with the assemblage of the downtown site for the hospital.

Construction of the Nexus Center has resumed and is expected to be completed by the end of the year. This nearly 170,000-square-foot facility features state-of-the-art amenities, which includes three multi-purpose indoor fields that can be used for ice-hockey, indoor soccer, lacrosse, and turf surfaces for other purposes. Nexus makes Utica a destination for sports tournaments and anchors the region’s leisure and hospitality industry and infuses sales-tax receipts that benefits Oneida County and local government.

The Wynn Hospital and Nexus are catalytic investments that have sparked private-developer investment in downtown Utica and is helping to transform the downtown area as a mixed-use residential-commercial neighborhood, cultural, and event center.

Other projects currently under development include the redevelopment of the Utica Steam Cotton Building at 600 State St. This 19th-century building is being transformed into 64 units of loft-style apartments and ground-floor commercial uses, which includes the announcement that Brooklyn Pickle will open a deli. The former Commercial Traveler’s building at 70 Genesee St. is being redeveloped to support 32 loft-style apartments and commercial space. Barton & Loguidice, D.P.C. — an engineering, planning, environmental, and landscape-architecture firm based near Syracuse — has announced plans to locate offices within the Commercial Travelers building. The 310 Main Street building – formerly home to the Children’s Museum at historic Bagg’s Square — is being transformed into ground-floor commercial space and market-rate apartments. The Tailor and the Cook plans to relocate its farm-to-table restaurant as part of its need to expand. These investments build on the success of the Landmarc, The Doyle and Rathbun Lofts and validate developer confidence in the region’s economic future.

2. Building a New Mohawk Valley Economy

In April, Wolfspeed celebrated the opening of its state-of-the-art 200 mm silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductor facility at Marcy Nanocenter, which is the first, largest, and only 200 mm SiC semiconductor plant in the world. About 300 employees of the 600 forecast have been hired. Wolfspeed is completing the qualification of its Mohawk Valley Fab. The company expects to begin ramping production for customers later this year. The pace of the global transition from the internal-combustion engine to electric vehicles is accelerating plans the build out of the balance of Wolfspeed’s Mohawk Valley Fab based on growing demand and customer commitments for Wolfspeed’s SiC devices.

Danfoss Silicon Power is adding power module lines at Quad C for its growing automotive business. The company is increasing employment from its current 75 employees and expects to build out the balance of the Quad C cleanroom.

A critical part of the region’s strategy is to build a regional semiconductor and advanced-electronics ecosystem. As a result, Mohawk Valley EDGE intends to build, own, and lease a 60,000-square- foot flex-space facility that would support supply chain businesses that co-locate to support Wolfspeed, Danfoss Silicon Power, and other semiconductor firms that expand on the balance of the Marcy site. Financing is being secured on this facility and EDGE hopes to bid the project later this fall.

To help support talent-attraction efforts with Wolfspeed and Danfoss Silicon Power’s expansions, EDGE has created a master plan for a 33-acre site that it owns along the Parkway between River Road and Technology Drive as a mixed-use residential and commercial development, known as “Tech Barn.” EDGE advertised for developer interest, and selected Park Grove Realty, a Rochester–based developer to implement the Tech Barn master plan.

Park Grove plans to construct 232 units of market-rate apartments (182) and town homes (50), with 42,000 square feet of commercial space and lifestyle amenities that meet the demand for housing from a growing technology workforce. The project also creates an inviting vista that complements SUNY Polytechnic Institute and is well situated to take advantage of downtown Utica’s revitalization and proximity to Griffiss.

Wolfspeed and Danfoss are not singular investments at Marcy Nanocenter. Mohawk Valley EDGE is aggressively marketing the balance of the Marcy site to other semiconductor and advanced-electronics firms. Full build out of the balance of the Marcy site can support another 1 million square feet of cleanroom space that would support an additional 2,000 direct and indirect jobs. Semiconductor companies have taken notice of Wolfspeed’s development at Marcy Nanocenter and of Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer’s push for federal funding under the CHIPS for America Act, working its way through a House-Senate Conference Committee, that would help the industry to expand within the United States and reverse the trend of off-shoring of the industry. Gov. Kathy Hochul secured approval of the state Green CHIPS Act that strengthens New York’s competitive position to attract new semiconductor growth.

3. Continued Growth of Griffiss as a Regional Employment Center

The former Griffiss Air Force Base in Rome, once a key Cold War asset, has proven to be a key asset that is rebuilding the Mohawk Valley regional economy, with nearly 6,000 jobs.

The Griffiss Business & Technology Park continues to attract new investment. In 2021, there was $91 million in new investment and for the period of 1995-2021 total investment at Griffiss exceeds $920 million. All that has transformed this former Cold War installation into a vibrant, growing, regional employment center.

Last year, Orgill opened its northeast regional distribution center, with 225 jobs. Bonacio Construction cut the ribbon on Phase 1 of Air City Lofts and has since completed the project’s Phase 2 development. Additionally, construction on Phase 3 is currently underway. Air City Lofts will have 256 market-rate apartments and 50,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space with completion of Phase 3. Air City Lofts is pivotal to helping with talent-attraction efforts as the region looks to attract a technology workforce.

Last year, Northpoint Defense, Booz Allen Hamilton, and the Innovare Advancement Center completed expansion projects at Griffiss Business & Technology Park that are bolstering the park’s continued development as a growing regional technology hub, focused on C4I, cybersecurity, and quantum computing.

Oneida County and the Griffiss unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) test site have cut the ribbon on Skydome — a one-of-a-kind, year-round indoor small UAS research facility that will support the safe experimentation of drone technology and techniques and adds a key piece of capability at the Griffiss UAS test site for military and commercial use. This is in addition to the thousands of test-site flight operations using small and large UAS platforms. Additional capabilities that have been added at the test site include:

• Installation of UAS tracking radars and development of the UAS Operations Center, and

• Development of a fully instrumented Rome-to-Syracuse unmanned aircraft system traffic management (UTM) demonstration corridor

To support business-attraction efforts, Mohawk Valley EDGE is working with Oneida County on developing the 258-acre area site (former “Triangle parcel”) that is located within the Griffiss International Airport boundary. Development of this prime site will support business-attraction efforts for UAS testing, advanced manufacturing, R&D, as well as other aeronautical and non-aeronautical uses. This is the largest remaining development tract at Griffiss and is well-positioned to support the region’s business-attraction efforts.

Oneida County has kicked off the National Environmental Policy Act review process and State Environmental Quality Review Act process to complete the environmental and permitting requirements based on the planned development as an airport business park. The Triangle site is potentially eligible for funding through the FAST NY Program that is part of this year’s New York State budget and would help create shovel-ready development sites to enhance New York’s competitive position to attract new development.

4. Building Vibrant Communities

Reclaiming older vacant, underutilized sites with prior environmental history is a critical part of EDGE’s strategy to build vibrant communities.

Cold Point’s new 50,000-square-foot production facility on a portion of the former Rome Cable site illustrates the economic benefits of brownfield development. The former Building 4 complex has been demolished and the site has been remediated, which removes a blighted building and offers opportunities for reuse of the site.

EDGE has secured two U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grants to assist efforts to redevelop underutilized properties with environmental history to be repurposed.

First, EDGE secured a $300,000 Brownfield Assessment grant through EPA, which is targeted to several sites within Oneida County that will go through brownfield-site assessments. Efforts are currently underway on sites in Utica, Rome, and Oriskany, with other sites expected to be added during the course of the year.

This year, EDGE secured a $1 million EPA Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund that would provide grants and loans for implementation activities on high-profile brownfield sites in Oneida and Herkimer Counties. EPA funds will help underwrite environmental-remediation efforts that can leverage other funding and tax credits to support reuse of these sites.

5. Other Strategic Site-Development Initiatives

Herkimer County Industrial Development Agency (HCIDA) has successfully developed the 188-acre Schuyler Business Park expansion that has attracted local business expansions by Fountainhead Group and Pepsi. HCIDA is also securing prospective business interest for the remaining Schuyler Business Park parcels.

The former Chaminade Site in Marcy is being positioned for development. This site can support nearly 800,000 square feet in new buildings. EDGE is working with National Grid and the property owners on completing pre-permitting activities and developing schematic engineering-design documents for access road and infrastructure improvements, and this site may also be positioned for participation in the upcoming FAST NY Program.

6. Small Business Expansion and Recovery Assistance

Working with Oneida County, EDGE has administered the federal CARES Act Business Assistance Program and Microenterprise Grant Programs, which provided $1 million in small-business assistance. These programs have helped infuse small-business development and business-recovery efforts for businesses impacted during COVID. To date, EDGE has facilitated 14 grants to eligible businesses totaling $730,000 under both programs.

In conclusion, the strategies and efforts that have coalesced between public and private-sector stakeholder interests have helped reverse decades of disinvestment and community despair in the Mohawk Valley. The region’s changes in its physical landscape are being equaled with the generational changes that are taking place that bode well for the area’s continued growth and development.

Steve DiMeo is president of Mohawk Valley EDGE, a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to strengthening and growing the economy of the Mohawk Valley.

Utica University students to help operate Nexus Center

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Health Care, Regional News, Subscriber Only, Technology

UTICA — Utica University will partner with the Nexus Center to provide students in the school’s sports-management program a chance to gain some professional experience helping to operate the new, almost 170,000-square-foot facility after it opens this fall. The Nexus Center will allow students to have a “hands-on, interactive learning experience to help put their

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The Nexus Center will allow students to have a “hands-on, interactive learning experience to help put their foot in the door” when searching for employment after graduation, the university said in a June 24 announcement.

Utica University President Laura Casamento and Mohawk Valley Gardens CEO Robert Esche announced the partnership that same day.

“The ability to have experience on their résumé, genuine experience like facility management, corporate sales, ticket sales, running a tournament, and the financial end of an organization — I think that is where the real pipeline lies,” said Esche, who is also president of the Utica Comets minor-league hockey team.

Casamento also emphasized how “impactful” this project is for Utica and the entire region.

“We love when local students can find an opportunity to be educated and find meaningful careers here, raise their families here — that’s what it’s all about,” Casamento said. “It’s about growing our region. We need young people to stay here; that has been a part of the resurgence of Utica.”

Joshua Ward, a member of the Utica University class of 2024, said this partnership will help students build a résumé and stand out to potential employers upon graduation.

“A lot of places require two to three years of experience before you even get the job, so it is better to learn the ins and outs of how the business works while you’re still in college,” Ward said. “You’ll have some experience to take with you to those first interviews.”

Construction continues on the Nexus Center but it should be operational by the beginning of November. It’s already fully booked from November 2022 until May 2023, and Casamento wants students to be there “as soon as the doors open” to start their learning experience.

In the last decade, the sports industry soared from 23rd largest to the 6th biggest industry across the country, Utica University said. The sports industry offers career opportunities that include communications, public relations, facility management, marketing, budgeting, and dealing with legal matters. Utica University currently has about 40 students in its sports-management program.

Utica’s Nexus Center nears completion

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

UTICA — The nearly 170,000-square-foot Nexus Center will open in Utica this fall, bringing a new sports facility and, hopefully, thousands of visitors to the area. “We have to be open in November because we have tournaments scheduled,” says Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente, Jr. With three 200-foot by 85-foot playing surfaces for ice

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UTICA — The nearly 170,000-square-foot Nexus Center will open in Utica this fall, bringing a new sports facility and, hopefully, thousands of visitors to the area.

“We have to be open in November because we have tournaments scheduled,” says Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente, Jr.

With three 200-foot by 85-foot playing surfaces for ice or turf, the $65 million Nexus Center already has tournaments booked for almost every weekend from November through next March, the county executive notes.

“There’s not a facility like this nearby,” Picente contends, adding that the closest similar facilities are in Marlborough, Massachusetts, and Toronto, Ontario. There was a real need for a venue to serve the numerous youth-sports teams in the Northeast and along the East Coast, he adds.

As teams travel to the area for tournaments, Picente expects the economic impact to be significant. “With the teams come the parents, and with the parents come other children,” he says.

A typical tournament could bring anywhere from 32 to 64 teams to town for the weekend, Picente notes. Then add in coaches, parents, and siblings. Estimates peg the total number at upwards of 80,000 recurring visitors annually.

“That’s a lot of people,” Picente stresses. “They’re going to need to eat. They’re going to need a hotel room.” He expects occupancy rates at Utica hotels and those in surrounding communities to rise accordingly, while restaurants, especially those near the center in downtown Utica and along North Genesee Street, will benefit from hungry crowds.

Picente predicts the greater Utica area will need more hotels and restaurants, along with activities for the families, as the number of visitors increases. Nearby restaurants and recreation activities planned at the city’s Harbor Point development area will provide some options for visitors.

The Nexus Center could be a gateway to a new type of tourism for Oneida County.

“It opens up this whole new sports tourism market to us,” says Kelly Blazosky, president of Oneida County Tourism.

Attractions such as the Utica Zoo, Fort Stanwix, and more will benefit from the tourism market as the family members of teams look for things to do while teams practice. The area is fortunate, she adds, to have so many activities to offer for visitors.

Initially, the Nexus Center will primarily host hockey tournaments and also serve as home to the Utica University women’s hockey team and the Utica Jr. Comets teams. Picente says the center could add other sports such as soccer and lacrosse once it gets up and running.

Along with three playing surfaces, the ground floor will also house spectator amenities including 1,200 seats and concessions. Talks are underway to house a sports medicine and management program with Utica University on the second floor. Other amenities include locker rooms, commercial office space, training space, and retail space.

“We’re still trying to figure out what else we want to be there,” Picente says, adding that the space could be used for events when it isn’t being used for tournaments.

Mohawk Valley Garden Corp., headed by Robert Esche (who is also president of the Utica Comets), will operate the Nexus Center. Hueber Breuer Construction Co., Inc. of Syracuse is the general contractor for the project.

Wynn Hospital allows MVHS to start with a clean slate

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

UTICA — Once complete next year, Mohawk Valley Health System’s (MVHS) 10-story, 72,000-square-foot Wynn Hospital will serve area residents with a state-of-the- art facility that improves upon the flaws of existing buildings, hospital officials say. Building an entirely new structure allowed MVHS to start with a clean slate and truly design the space from the

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Building an entirely new structure allowed MVHS to start with a clean slate and truly design the space from the ground up, Robert Scholefield, executive VP of facilities and real estate for MVHS, says during a recent tour of the site.

In fact, MVHS solicited input from more than 400 employees during the design process, he says, to make sure the new facility met their needs as well as the requirements of patients.

Patient privacy played a huge role when Seattle, Washington–based architecture firm NBBJ designed the building. That’s why patient areas are separated from areas visitors and the public can access, Scholefield says. The 62-room emergency department, which can handle 95,000 visits a year, flows right into radiology. This makes it convenient when patients need X-rays and also eliminates the need to move patients through public areas in order to reach other departments.

Staff workflow was also critical during the design, he says, so spaces are laid out to maximize efficiency. Instead of central nursing stations, the new hospital has more plentiful smaller stations, complete with nearby supply closets. The new setup puts nurses closer to the patients they are taking care of and to the supplies they need to do so, Scholefield says.

Another important design element is lighting. “We know natural light provides wellness not only to our patients and their families but also visitors and our staff,” he says. Patient rooms feature large windows to let in natural light, and most staff spaces also have a natural light source.

Starting from scratch also allowed MVHS to introduce some innovative technology and features to the 14 operating rooms. Each feature a modular ceiling that improves efficiency as well as patient care, Scholefield says. The modular compartments on the ceiling house the various necessities of an operating room, but the suspended design means staff can service those components from above. That results in faster service times, putting the operating room back into use much sooner.

The units also provide positive pressure to keep outside air from entering the operating room when the door opens and also provides laminar air flow, which moves air away from the patient during surgery. Both of these features reduce the risk of infection during surgery, Scholefield says.

Other new-to-MVHS technology includes a tracking board in the surgical waiting room so family members can keep tabs on their loved ones. “It just kind of lets you know where they are,” he says. It also minimizes the need for family members to ask staff for this information.

A command center will not only take over as the main switchboard for incoming phone calls, but also will serve as the hub of all patient flow. “In this room is where all patient traffic will be monitored,” says Scholefield. At a glance, staff can see who is ready to discharge, what room a patient was admitted to, and where patients are at that given moment.

Each of the 22 intensive-care unit (ICU) rooms will have smart TVs that will allow doctors to show images or other medical information to patients and their families. Electronic room signs just outside the door show pertinent information, such as whether a patient is a fall risk or is hard of hearing.

The $611 million project will be “substantially complete” by August 2023, Scholefield says. In the meantime, MVHS continues to host operations meetings with hospital staff members so they can learn the layout and workflow of their departments.

MVHS anticipates moving patients into the Wynn Hospital in October 2023. The health system anticipates selling both the St. Elizabeth Medical Center campus in Utica and the St. Luke’s Hospital campus in New Harford. MVHS will retain the Faxton building in Utica as an outpatient facility and plans to continue leasing the former Utica National building at 201 Lafayette St. for office space adjacent to the new Wynn Hospital.

Gilbane Building Company — a Providence, Rhode Island–based firm with upstate New York offices in Albany and Rochester — is the project’s construction manager. Hammes Company, a Milwaukee, Wisconsin–based health-care consulting firm, serves as the project-management company hired to facilitate the effort. Hammes is offering advisory services and program management.

MVHS, formed in 2014, is an affiliation between St. Elizabeth Medical Center and Faxton St. Luke’s Healthcare that also includes MVHS Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, Visiting Nurse Association of Utica and Oneida County, and Senior Network Health.

MVHS received a $300 million grant from the New York State Department of Health and a $50 million donation from casino magnate Steve Wynn’s family foundation for the $611 million project. MVHS also secured $180 million in financing through Barclays, a multinational investment bank and financial-services company.

The 25-acre Wynn Hospital campus will include an 80,000-square-foot central utility facility, outdoor relaxation areas for visitors, space set aside for future growth, and a parking garage. Oneida County is building the $40.5 million, 1,550-space garage with 1,150 spaces allocated for hospital needs.

Wolfspeed hiring is ahead of schedule at Mohawk Valley Fab

Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Manufacturing & Engineering, Regional News, Subscriber Only

MARCY — Just a few months after a high-tech grand opening that involved a ribbon cutting by an electric vehicle, things are ramping up so fast at Wolfspeed that the company is already ahead of its employment projections. The 200mm silicon-carbide fabrication facility opened at the Marcy Nanocenter in April. Headquartered in North Carolina, Wolfspeed

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The 200mm silicon-carbide fabrication facility opened at the Marcy Nanocenter in April. Headquartered in North Carolina, Wolfspeed (NYSE: WOLF) produces silicon-carbide wafers for components used in devices such as electric vehicles, fast chargers, 5G applications, and the renewable energy, aerospace, and defense industries.

At the time of the grand opening, Wolfspeed had 265 employees with the plant running at 10 percent of its full capacity. At the time, the company predicted it would reach 270 employees by early 2023, but it has already reached, and surpassed, that benchmark nearly six months ahead of schedule.

At press time, Adam Milton, VP of the Mohawk Valley Fab facility, confirmed to CNYBJ that Wolfspeed recently hired its 300th employee and is still hiring.

The company has continued to add both equipment and employees since its grand opening as it ramps up to full speed, he says. Currently, Wolfspeed is working on preparing equipment for a process known as qualification, which ensures the equipment produces materials to the correct specifications.

“We have to meet all the customer specifications,” Milton adds. To date, Wolfspeed has announced both General Motors and Lucid Motors as major customers of the silicon-carbide chips produced there.

Milton says he expects them to be the first of many customers as interest in U.S.-produced chips continues to grow, especially after the chip shortage experienced during the pandemic that led to shortages of cars and other products.

Wolfspeed’s silicon-carbide chips provide an efficiency boost of anywhere from 5 to 15 percent over traditional chips. “You can imagine all the main players … are looking very closely at silicon carbide and working with Wolfspeed,” Milton contends.

Those companies want a domestic chip supplier than can guarantee a steady supply, he says. “It’s a great position to be in right now with this factory coming online.”

As business increases, so will the need for employees, and Ashley Evans, manager of talent acquisition for Wolfspeed, continues to actively recruit new employees.

“I have staffed this thing from the ground up,” she says of the Mohawk Valley Fab. The company is about halfway to its total staffing goal of 600 employees by the end of 2029. “It’s just a testament to the local talent up there and the excitement over Wolfspeed,” Evans says.

The majority of jobs at the plant are technical, including equipment technicians, process technicians, and manufacturing technicians. “We’re also hiring engineers,” Evans adds. In addition, the factory employs IT and facilities workers, as well as other shared-services employees.

Evans is currently recruiting for about 60 open positions, with more jobs added by the day. New York residents fill a majority of the technician positions, while the salaried workforce tends to come from a wider geographic area due to the specialized skillsets required.

Wolfspeed already partners closely with nearby SUNY Polytechnic Institute to provide training for students, whom it hopes to recruit as employees upon graduation.

“We want to hire locally,” Evans stresses. “We want to bring the students in to work right in their backyard.”

Food trucks, events bring mobile feasts to Mohawk Valley

Regional News, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

ILION — When Food Network’s “The Great Food Truck Race” premiered in 2010, food trucks were common in large urban areas, but still rare in the Mohawk Valley outside of fairs and festivals. That has certainly changed in the years since, with the Mohawk Valley now boasting dozens of food trucks and regular food-truck events

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ILION — When Food Network’s “The Great Food Truck Race” premiered in 2010, food trucks were common in large urban areas, but still rare in the Mohawk Valley outside of fairs and festivals.

That has certainly changed in the years since, with the Mohawk Valley now boasting dozens of food trucks and regular food-truck events in communities across the valley. Those events — which include What the Truck? Utica, Town of Marcy Food Truck and Concert Series, the New Herkimer Downtown Chowdown, and the Ilion Food Truck Frenzy — have grown from informal gatherings of trucks to full-blown scheduled events complete with entertainment and sponsors.

For Jackie Moore, the idea to start the Ilion Food Truck Frenzy came from seeing how families would gather together on summer nights to enjoy food and music. The result of her idea is a regular Wednesday event held from 4-8 p.m. in the Ilion Fireman’s Field at 39 Pleasant Ave.

The event not only brings something to the area for people to enjoy, but also benefits the community and its businesses. “It brings in people from other towns who may stop and get gas in Ilion,” she notes. The trucks also patronize local businesses for things like ice and gas. “It brings revenue in,” Moore says, adding that some trucks have even hired local teens from the village to work on the truck during the event.

The food-truck rallies also provide large groups of people all in one place — something that can be challenging in the mostly suburban and rural Mohawk Valley.

According to Food Truck Nation, a 2017 study of food-truck regulations by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the modern food truck industry began in Los Angeles in 2008 with Kogi Korean BBQ, which used social-media marketing and cleared $2 million in sales by the end of its first year in business.

“Their clever dishes and savvy social media have jump-started a $2 billion-plus industry in cities across America,” the report read. “Food trucks are rapidly becoming fixtures of our communities.”

Food trucks typically have lower start-up costs, making them a viable option for those looking to get into the restaurant business.

Chris Woodbeck, owner of the Mangia Macrina’s Wood Fired Pizza truck, originally intended to open a brick-and-mortar restaurant, but he just couldn’t find a suitable location at a decent price.

Driving past a trailer company one day, he decided to stop and see if it could make a trailer that could house a pizza oven. It could, and Woodbeck opened his first truck in 2012, setting up in business parking lots or even outside his house at times. It was all about getting his name and product out there.

By 2016, the demand for Woodbeck’s Neapolitan-style, wood-fired pizza grew enough that he finally got to open that brick-and-mortar restaurant in New Hartford. In the years since, Woodbeck opened a second restaurant in Little Falls and launched a second food truck this year.

For Michael Trunsio, his Michael T’s restaurant in New Hartford came first, followed by the food truck. His Italian restaurant opened in 1996, but he didn’t launch his food truck until 2017 after seeing the growing popularity of trucks and the events that host them.

“They’re fun to do,” he says of events like What the Truck? Utica. “People look forward to it.”

The truck is a way for Trunsio to reach out to potential new customers with the best kind of marketing when someone walks past with a plate of food from his truck.

“It’s getting better every year,” he says of the food-truck business. The truck has also become a handy catering facility for the restaurant, allowing Trunsio to cater company picnics and other events.

Melanie Osier had worked on a barbecue food truck in the past, but it wasn’t until she was laid off from her job as an outpatient surgical scheduler during the COVID-19 pandemic that she decided to take the plunge and open her own truck.

“I always wanted a waffle truck,” she says. After hearing someone was selling a truck, “I just kind of swooped in,” Osier quips.

By the time she opened Oh Crepe and Waffles Food Truck in 2020, food trucks were already an established industry in the Mohawk Valley and there were a bunch of food-truck nights in which she could participate.

“It paved the way for me,” Osier notes. The events definitely helped get the business name out there and expose people to her food. Within weeks, she was already getting inquiries about catering events, and she hasn’t looked back since.

While the idea of a restaurant is somewhere in the back of her mind, Osier is firmly focused on food trucks for now.

“I have plans for about six new trucks,” she says. The first will most likely be a funnel cake truck. Right now, she’s testing the waters with a funnel-cake stand next to her food truck at events.

Osier and William Balsamico of the Squeezer’s Lemonade food truck also launched the 315 Food Truck Finder group on Facebook to make it easy for everyone to find out where their favorite food truck will be or how to reach its operators to book an event.

NUAIR, NYS to host upcoming public safety UAS summit

Manufacturing & Engineering, Regional News, Subscriber Only, Technology

ROME — NUAIR is set to host an upcoming UAS public-safety meeting a few months after hosting a committee meeting of ASTM International. The annual public safety UAS summit is scheduled for Aug. 16-17 in Oriskany and Rome. Both NUAIR and the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services will host the

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ROME — NUAIR is set to host an upcoming UAS public-safety meeting a few months after hosting a committee meeting of ASTM International.

The annual public safety UAS summit is scheduled for Aug. 16-17 in Oriskany and Rome. Both NUAIR and the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services will host the event.

UAS is short for uncrewed aircraft system. A UAS includes a drone and equipment used to control its flight. A drone is also referred to in the industry as an uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV).

Syracuse–based NUAIR is short for Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research. The nonprofit focuses on UAS operations, aeronautical research, safety management, and consulting services.

The first day of the summit will take place at the State Preparedness Training Center (SPTC) in Oriskany, NUAIR said. The day will include a series of presentations on key policy issues, case studies, and best practices concerning the use of UAS for public-safety operations.

The event will also feature UAS demonstrations leveraging the grounds of the SPTC.

NUAIR will host the second day of the summit at Griffiss International Airport in Rome. NUAIR has arranged for top drone companies with the latest technologies developed specifically for public-safety operations to be on-site to showcase their products/services with live demonstrations.

ASTM International committee

NUAIR earlier this year hosted the June meeting of ASTM International’s “Committee F38 on Unmanned Aircraft Systems” at the New York UAS test site in Rome.

West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania–based ASTM International is a standards organization.

The meeting, held between June 1 and June 3, included up to 100 international industry leaders in the UAS industry, focused on developing industry standards to advance the integration of UAS into the national airspace.

ASTM’s F38 committee addresses issues related to design, performance, quality acceptance tests, and safety monitoring for UAS. Stakeholders include manufacturers of UAS and their components, federal agencies, design professionals, professional societies, maintenance professionals, trade associations, financial organizations, and academia.

More than 600 members are involved in this multinational initiative: all participating actively within a three-tiered subcommittee structure focusing on airworthiness, flight operations, and operator qualifications.

“NUAIR has had an active voice in ASTM International and many other UAS standards organizations for years, helping to develop the standards needed for safe, commercial drone operations,” Ken Stewart, CEO of NUAIR, said. “We are looking forward to hosting and taking part in the next ASTM International meeting at the New York UAS Test Site.”

One key standard that NUAIR has helped ASTM International establish was the small UAS (sUAS) parachute-recovery systems standard (ASTM F3322-18). NUAIR says it has validated multiple parachute-recovery systems on multiple drone platforms since the standard was published in late 2018. Having an sUAS parachute recovery system validated to the ASTM standard opens a “wide range” of commercial opportunities for companies by “enhancing their safety case” with the FAA when applying for their waiver to fly over people, according to NUAIR.

Teams compete in HUSTLE Defense Accelerator at Innovare Advancement Center

Health Care, Regional News, Subscriber Only, Technology

ROME — Five teams are competing for investment funding in the inaugural HUSTLE Defense Accelerator at the Innovare Advancement Center in Rome, part of the Griffiss Institute. HUSTLE stands for Helping Upstate Science and Technology Leaders and Entrepreneurs. The HUSTLE Defense Accelerator is described as an “elite and immersive” accelerator for seed-stage tech startups pushing

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ROME — Five teams are competing for investment funding in the inaugural HUSTLE Defense Accelerator at the Innovare Advancement Center in Rome, part of the Griffiss Institute.

HUSTLE stands for Helping Upstate Science and Technology Leaders and Entrepreneurs.

The HUSTLE Defense Accelerator is described as an “elite and immersive” accelerator for seed-stage tech startups pushing artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML), cyber, quantum and UAS solutions with dual-use potential and the drive to elevate the United States’ national security and economic competitiveness, per the organization’s website.

UAS is short for uncrewed aircraft system. A UAS includes a drone and equipment used to control its flight. A drone is also referred to in the industry as an uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV).

The program is similar to Genius NY at the Syracuse Tech Garden, 76West in Binghamton, and 43North in Buffalo, except it’s the only New York accelerator focused on defense and national-security applications

“HUSTLE is about unleashing innovation that is happening in our upstate New York ecosystem all across academia, in industry, as well as in the government,” says Heather Hage, president and CEO of the Griffiss Institute in Rome. “We put together a framework to be able to call out to people who are pushing technology boundaries … in artificial intelligence and machine learning, in cyber, in quantum, and in UAS.” Hage spoke with CNYBJ in a phone interview on July 8.

Those involved in the program are participating on-site, having started May 23 and continuing through Aug. 12, per its website.

The HUSTLE Defense Accelerator culminates in a pitch day where qualifying HUSTLE teams will have the opportunity to make their case for up to $300,000 in investments to scale their ventures in the Mohawk Valley. Empire State Development provided the $300,000 in seed funding.

HUSTLE specifics

The program, which Hage describes as a “really aggressive and intensive curriculum,” is 12 weeks long, is organized topically, and is also customized for the teams involved in the program to help them advance in their development.

Some are early-stage inventors, and the program helps them discover use-cases in the national-security and defense environment so they can build their technologies to “both enhance our national security and also help us grow the regional economy,” according to Hage.

The five teams involved only have operations at the Griffiss Institute, and most of the companies are from upstate New York, she notes.

The five teams are from Canton in St. Lawrence County, Syracuse, Binghamton, Albany (a firm with a CEO from the Mohawk Valley), and a team from Maine that has partnered with Quanterion Solutions Inc. of Utica.

The teams include ThermoAI with operations in Binghamton; Cyberspara of Canton with technology developed at SUNY Canton that it’s spinning out into a commercial and defense focus; McGuirk USA of Maine, which is partnering with Quanterion Solutions; and SecWins of Syracuse, says Hage.

The program is similar to Genius NY at the Syracuse Tech Garden, 76West in Binghamton, and 43North in Buffalo, except it’s the only New York accelerator focused on defense and national-security applications, she added.

“When we conclude this summer’s program in August, some of them will be offered the opportunity to stay on in our incubator. They will also compete for $300,000 in investment capital to grow and scale their businesses in the Mohawk Valley. Upon conclusion of the program, we’ll work out with the teams who will stay on [and who won’t],” says Hage.

Mentoring involved

The program selected teams though a competitive process. The program has a proprietary curriculum that involves focusing on different topics in different weeks, including business development, communications and marketing, intellectual-property, systems, and defense contracting.

“I have been overwhelmed by the amount of support that we’ve achieved in engagement from our local business community, in particular… mid-stage or mid-tier companies that have broken through and have been successful and are very interested to come back and help support these teams to be successful,” says Hage.

Griffiss Institute has a team of about 40 mentors who volunteer their time to come in and give talks and meet one-on-one with each of these teams. They also get support from an entrepreneur-in-residence and the institute’s director of innovation and partnership as well.

The teams involved will compete in the second week of August for $300,000 in seed capital. They’ll pitch their product before a panel of experts including those from the security and intelligence and investment communities.

Program officials will determine how they’ll disperse the investment funding on the day of the pitch event, Hage noted.

The Demo Day is set for Thursday, Aug. 18 from 4-7 p.m. The event is open to the public and those interested can register on the Griffiss Institute website.

Teams that secure funding are required to continue their operations in the Mohawk Valley.

Greater Utica Chamber launches What’s Upstate initiative

Regional News, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only, Technology

UTICA — The Greater Utica Chamber of Commerce recently launched a new website to inform future, new, and current residents about all the attractions, activities, and amenities that the Mohawk Valley region has to offer. The chamber’s What’s Upstate initiative uses a comprehensive website (www.whatsupstateny.com) that highlights Oneida and Herkimer counties. “It’s really about showcasing

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The chamber’s What’s Upstate initiative uses a comprehensive website (www.whatsupstateny.com) that highlights Oneida and Herkimer counties.

“It’s really about showcasing the best of the best our area has to offer,” says Sean Farrell, special projects officer at the Greater Utica Chamber. “We have so many new businesses moving into the area, and we need to fill jobs.”

The website is a tool employers can share with their new and prospective employees to give people an overview of the area.

Rather than just using links and pictures of area attractions, the site uses storytelling to convey the region’s offerings. Lifelong residents, those who moved away and then returned, and those who relocated here from somewhere else all share their stories about the Mohawk Valley and what they love about it on the site.

“I wanted it to be relatable,” Farrell says. The website is broken into four main areas — live, work, explore, and tour — to provide information on housing options, business opportunities, attractions for area residents to enjoy, and information on how to plan a visit to the Mohawk Valley to experience it firsthand.

To get the word out about the new website, the Greater Utica Chamber is promoting it through social media and held a launch event on July 8 at the Boilermaker Expo at Mohawk Valley Community College.

“We have a great group of ambassadors,” Farrell adds. Those ambassadors will be out and about at area events promoting the website and the region.

The response to What’s Upstate has been great so far, he notes. “When you launch something like this, you open yourself up to criticism,” he says, but he’s only received positive feedback so far.

He encourages area residents to visit the site and to also share with others what they love about the Mohawk Valley. “Be a cheerleader for the area,” Farrell says.

Harbor Point project in Utica moves forward

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

UTICA — After years of delay, things are progressing again with the City of Utica’s plan to turn its waterfront area into a destination for residents and tourists, alike. On June 16, the city announced it formally took ownership of the 1933 building from the New York State Canal Corporation, which is a major step

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UTICA — After years of delay, things are progressing again with the City of Utica’s plan to turn its waterfront area into a destination for residents and tourists, alike.

On June 16, the city announced it formally took ownership of the 1933 building from the New York State Canal Corporation, which is a major step forward in its Utica Harbor Point project.

“The harbor has been talked about for decades and decades,” Utica Mayor Robert Palmieri says.

Just a step away from North Genesee Street, the harbor area was truly a hidden gem—hidden away by buildings. Now that the city has ownership of the 1933 building, work is underway to demolish two adjacent buildings and remediate the area for reuse using American Rescue Plan Act funding. The City of Utica is in talks with two interested developers.

No reuse plans are finalized yet, Palmieri says, but he envisions restaurants, stores, apartments, and water-use business like kayak rentals along a waterside promenade.

“Water has always captivated everyone,” he notes. “This is going to be a destination.”

The project dates back to 2008 when then-Gov. David Paterson signed legislation allowing the transfer of about 15 acres of state land around the Utica harbor to the city. The intent at the time was for a local development corporation to steward the land and foster an environment for private development to flourish.

The city established the Utica Harbor Point Development Corporation (UHPDC), with the city as the sole member, which is guided by an 11-person board. To date, the UHPDC secured nearly $20 million in state and local funding to create a master plan, establish design guidelines, construct improved access to the area, extend utilities to the site, reconstruct the concrete bulkhead around the harbor, and improve pedestrian access between downtown Utica and the harbor.

Palmieri cites the construction of a Starbucks just outside the harbor entrance as proof the project is truly finding its footing.

“Starbucks only goes where they believe in an area,” he says, adding that walkability, livability, and “job-ability” are three benchmarks the company seeks.

Another nearby project, the Nexus Center multi-surface sports complex on Oriskany Street West dovetails well with the Harbor Point project, Palmieri says. Part of the harbor plan calls for development of about five acres of recreational fields just a short walk away. Families with members participating in tournaments at the Nexus Center can walk over to Harbor Point to enjoy some outdoor time, grab a little lunch, or just enjoy the water, he says.

Growth across the entire downtown Utica region, he says, is booming and all the regions from Bagg’s Square to Varick Street will benefit.

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