North Country contractor certified as service-disabled vet-owned business

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THERESA, N.Y. — New York Office of General Services (OGS) Acting Commissioner Jeanette Moy recently announced that a North Country contracting firm has been certified as a service-disabled veteran-owned business (SDVOB). The New York OGS Division of Service-Disabled Veterans’ Business Development (DSDVBD) issued the certification to the Gutter Cutter Seamless Gutters, which is a gutter […]

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New York milk producer prices increase again in latest month

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Milk prices at the producer level kept going up in New York state in the latest month for which data is available. New York dairy farms in March were paid an average of $25.90 per hundredweight of milk, up 50 cents, or almost 2 percent, from $25.40 in February. The year-over-year rise in prices was

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Broome County hotel occupancy jumps 39 percent in April

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BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — Broome County hotels saw an influx of guests in April compared to a year earlier, according to a new report. The hotel-occupancy rate (rooms sold as a percentage of rooms available) in the county soared 39.3 percent to 65.8 percent in April, according to STR, a Tennessee–based hotel market data and analytics

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Onondaga County hotel-occupancy rate rises nearly 27 percent in April

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Onondaga County hotels served significantly more guests in the fourth month of this year than they did in April 2021 as the lodging industry continued to bounce back, according to a new report. The hotel-occupancy rate (rooms sold as a percentage of rooms available) in the county jumped 26.8 percent to 58.3

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Bristol’s DeWitt facility sale to close later this year

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DeWITT, N.Y. — Lotte Corporation of Seoul, South Korea anticipates the deal to purchase the DeWitt manufacturing facility of Bristol Myers Squibb Co. (NYSE: BMY) will be complete by the second half of this year. It’s “subject to receipt of regulatory approvals and the satisfaction of other closing conditions,” Bristol Myers Squibb said in a

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It’s “subject to receipt of regulatory approvals and the satisfaction of other closing conditions,” Bristol Myers Squibb said in a May 13 announcement about the transaction.

The site along Thompson Road will serve as the Lotte Center for North America Operations for Lotte’s new biologics contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) business in the U.S., per the May 13 release.

Terms of the acquisition agreement, including the sale price, weren’t disclosed by the companies.

Headquartered in Lawrence Township, New Jersey, Bristol Myers Squibb is a global biopharmaceutical company.

Upon closing, Lotte will acquire the DeWitt site’s operations and assets, which include the property, plant and equipment, as well as the workforce “with technical capabilities and expertise.”

About 420 Bristol Myers Squibb employees work at the facility with the direct support of over 100 on-site contractors, a Bristol spokesperson tells CNYBJ in an email.

Following the closing of the transaction, Lotte will manufacture products for Bristol Myers Squibb from the DeWitt site under a newly established CDMO relationship. Over time, Lotte is expected to use the facility to expand its CDMO offerings for the biopharma industry, Bristol Myers Squibb noted.

“The [DeWitt] site has been an important part of our company’s history and our manufacturing network for many decades, and we are confident that Lotte will fully leverage the facility, its capabilities and its experienced workforce as it continues to play a vital role for patients around the world,” Karin Shanahan, executive VP, global product development and supply, at Bristol Myers Squibb, said. “We have taken a thoughtful approach to this decision and are confident this will best support the continued evolution of our manufacturing network and our mission to deliver innovative medicines that help patients prevail over serious diseases.”

The DeWitt site will continue to operate as part of Bristol Myers Squibb’s manufacturing network until the closing of the transaction.

“We are pleased to add this state-of-the-art facility to our global pharma operations, which will enable us to rapidly scale and expand our biologics CDMO business in North America,” Hunki Lee, executive VP of Lotte, said. “We look forward to welcoming the talented team in [DeWitt] to Lotte, and we intend to make significant investments to further enhance the facility and its capabilities to support our strategic growth objectives moving forward.”

Bristol Myers Squibb describes the DeWitt site is as a “state-of-the-art” manufacturing facility with commercial-scale production capacity for biologics. The plant was originally established in 1943 to answer the U.S. government’s call for large scale production of penicillin, Bristol said.

SMALL BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT: Hart Lot is a Happening Place

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ELBRIDGE, N.Y. — Take two creatively talented people, add a historic abandoned site with equal portions of imagination and vision, and voila — you get the answers to “where will we hold our event?” “where will we find the right ambience?” and “who makes stuff like that?” When Katie Peck visited the Small Business Development

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When Katie Peck visited the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Onondaga Community College (OCC), she had a cornucopia of thoughts running through her head. She already had developed a successful business and she had allied herself with a successful business partner in Keith Traub. Together, they had purchased the ideal location for expanding and co-existing. However, Katie wanted input from a neutral business advisor. What she had planned and executed so well in her head, her SBDC advisor helped her commit to paper.

Peck and Traub are collaborators who co-own and co-manage the property and business at Hart Lot Happening (www.hartlothappening.com) in the town of Elbridge, close to the town line with Skaneateles. The two-acre property is an industrial space host to several buildings, including a roughly 20,000-square-foot building that formerly housed Vanderveer & Coleman, Inc., a beanery that closed in 1983. The beanery is still full of all the original machinery used in the processing of various beans — this includes sorting machines and a large roaster. Nearby was the Skaneateles Junction Train Station. The railroad tracks still add to the historical significance and ambiance. The property is situated on Hartlot Street; hence the name Hart Lot Happening.

One of the buildings houses a commercial kitchen that is available for rent. The licensed kitchen is convenient to use for events booked at the site as well as for those requiring a food-preparation space for items served or sold elsewhere. Peck mentioned during a tour that the kitchen recently has been successfully inspected.

Much of the space at 639 Hartlot St. is under construction. Newly poured concrete floors are seen in one of the barns and another of the venue buildings. Creative lighting, rustic walls, and cathedral ceilings create the perfect setting for the perfect occasion. A patio for the courtyard is also being added. A huge open lot is being prepared as a stage for wedding ceremonies. The outdoor area can provide tables and chairs for up to 75 guests. The venue’s indoor maximum capacity is 105, but floorplans for a seated dinner max out at 75.

The property now hosts Unite Two Design (www.unitetwodesign.com), Traub’s custom fabrication business, as well as She Rents Vintage (www.sherentsvintage.com), Peck’s vintage rentals business. This means Hart Lot Happening clients have easy access to the rentals they need to have a dreamy event. With Katie’s flair for creating a timeless setting for any event, it’s difficult to imagine a vision she cannot bring to bear. Her warehouse collections lend themselves to creating the most elegant to the most rustic backdrops. Photo ops abound.

As a metal fabricator, Keith has constructed signs, tables, chairs, doors, and various decorative pieces found throughout the site. No small feat. One of the barns has been designated his shop but, it’s shaping up as another possible venue. Keith’s work can be seen at several businesses in the Auburn-Elbridge-Skaneateles vicinity. His and Katie’s visions complement one another splendidly.

Hart Lot Happening has already logged event bookings. The first event of the season is a wedding scheduled for June 25. Knowing that one has both outdoor and indoor space for guests to mingle lends a sense of old-world conviviality to any event.

Advisor’s Business Tip: How do you know when you have a great idea? Perhaps when the next person with a great idea wants to partner with you. That just might be the litmus test for your business.

Nancy Ansteth is a certified business advisor at the SBDC, located at OCC. Contact her at anstethn@sunyocc.edu

North Country hospitals evaluate finances after job cuts

Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Health Care, Regional News, Subscriber Only

CARTHAGE, N.Y. — Carthage Area Hospital (CAH) and Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center (CHMC) in Ogdensburg say they’re “focused on the continued evaluation of their financial situations [in the coming months] to ensure long-term viability and success.” Both CAH and CHMC on May 13 announced they’re cutting jobs that “could potentially affect” 4 percent of each hospital’s

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Both CAH and CHMC on May 13 announced they’re cutting jobs that “could potentially affect” 4 percent of each hospital’s workforce.

The cuts could also impact the Meadowbrook Terrace assisted-living facility, a CAH affiliate.

The organizations cite “decreasing patient volumes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, changing demographics, and an evolving market,” for the job cuts, per the announcement.

The hospitals declined to provide a job-cut figure beyond the percentage provided in the announcement, Taylour Scanlan, foundation and marketing director for Carthage Area Hospital, tells CNYBJ in an email.

The reductions will not disrupt services for the institutions, they said.

“At the start of the pandemic in 2020, we furloughed some of our workforces and offered early retirement to others. The continued erosion of revenue caused by the pandemic and other factors place us in a challenging position,” Richard Duvall, president and CEO of Carthage Area Hospital and Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center, said. “It’s a time for difficult decisions to keep these hospitals in their local communities. We are not the only health-care institutions dealing with these issues or reductions, but we want to be transparent that we are doing all we can to stop further impacts on our workforce.”

Duvall added CEO duties at CHMC in October 2019 in a move that both organizations noted did “not” represent an acquisition or merger, only a partnership.

Regarding these jobs’ cuts, Duvall went on to say that every effort to increase revenues and reduce costs “by any other means has been exhausted.”

“CHMC and CAH have taken deliberate approaches to examine solutions that balance employee benefits and the financial health of the organizations,” Duvall said. “We have created cooperative programs, shared staff, and cut back on spending. Employee cuts are a final resort, and one that we know will impact the lives and families of dedicated employees that serve our communities.”

About the hospitals

Carthage Area Hospital is a 25-bed hospital, serving about 83,000 residents in Jefferson, northern Lewis and southern St. Lawrence counties. The hospital formed a clinical affiliation with Crouse Health in Syracuse in 2017.

Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center maintains a 67-bed acute care medical-surgical unit, 10-bed intensive care unit, 28-bed secure adult inpatient acute psychiatric unit, and 10-bed obstetrical suite, and a 12-bed secure child and adolescent inpatient acute psychiatric unit.

UMN For the Arts starts 25th year with incubator program

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The goal, says Angela Johnson DeCarlis, new board president, is to create an economic impact through art while making art accessible to everyone. That’s where the Artist Refinery Program, in partnership with MVCC and the ThINCubator, comes into play. The eight-week program, funded by a $10,000 grant from KeyBank and matching funds from MVCC, aims

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The goal, says Angela Johnson DeCarlis, new board president, is to create an economic impact through art while making art accessible to everyone.

That’s where the Artist Refinery Program, in partnership with MVCC and the ThINCubator, comes into play. The eight-week program, funded by a $10,000 grant from KeyBank and matching funds from MVCC, aims to teach artists how to leverage their passion into a business.

“These people have the talent, passion, and have the interest,” DeCarlis says. The program will give them the business knowledge they need to take those next steps.

Applications for the program closed on May 20 and as of press time, at least half of the 30 available spots were filled. The program started on May 25 and meets for two hours each week. Topics covered will include building a business model, how to price art/services, marketing, branding, technology, business structuring, accounting and taxes, and more.

There is no cost for those selected to participate.

DeCarlis hopes to offer a second session in the fall with that session focusing more on existing art businesses and how to take them to the next level.

She hopes the program will also serve another purpose and open people’s eyes to the legitimacy of art as a business. Whether it’s someone running an Etsy business from their spare bedroom or a professional photographer or musician, all are legitimate businesses that contribute to the economy of the Mohawk Valley.

Art as a whole is a critical component to economic growth, DeCarlis notes.

“When you step into a place that has public art, concerts, vibrancy, you’re going to want to come back,” she says. A rich cultural environment is good for tourism and also plays a key role in helping businesses attract new employees.

The hope is the newly rebranded UMN For the Arts will promote that in the Mohawk Valley’s cultural corridor.

“We have some fun marketing ideas that are going to be coming out,” DeCarlis says. She couldn’t divulge any specifics but teased out, “You’re definitely going to be seeing us all over the place.”

The organization’s new logo, designed by McGrogan Design, features the name on a background that is a topographical map of the region, recognizing the cultural corridor with Utica at the center.

It goes with UMN’s identity statement, “Creating Opportunities. Driving Progress.”

There will be more announcements coming as well as the organization celebrates its 25th year.

Founded as Utica Monday Nite by Lynne Mishalanie with a weekly street festival in Utica, the organization has grown through the years to its current role as advocate and activist for the arts. It also serves as the fiscal sponsor for the Levitt AMP Utica Music Series, a weekly concert series that begins June 20 at Kopernik Park in Utica.

New lab at Port of Oswego tests each load of delivered grain

Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Manufacturing & Engineering, New York News, Subscriber Only, Technology

OSWEGO, N.Y. — The new $15 million grain-export center at the Port of Oswego includes a grain-testing lab that tests each load of grain delivered to the port. The facility can store up to 22,000 metric tons, or 780,000 bushels. The Port of Oswego Authority (POA) formally opened the lab with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on

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OSWEGO, N.Y. — The new $15 million grain-export center at the Port of Oswego includes a grain-testing lab that tests each load of grain delivered to the port.

The facility can store up to 22,000 metric tons, or 780,000 bushels. The Port of Oswego Authority (POA) formally opened the lab with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 10.

“This lab is the only one of its kind among our sister Great Lakes ports,” William Scriber, executive director of the Port of Oswego, said in a release. “There are 15 major international ports and some 50 smaller, regional ports on the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway system.”

The New York State Department of Transportation helped pay for the grain-export center with a $15 million grant. Scores of local workers and tradespeople have helped build the facility, Scriber noted.

To operate it, the POA is collaborating with SUNY Oswego, which provides paid student interns to staff the lab. The students are part of a program that is under the direction of university professor Cleane Medeiros, director of agricultural testing and analysis laboratories.

“The interns’ majors range from chemistry and biochemistry to biology and zoology. We appreciate their assistance and support, while the students gain valuable experience in the field,” Scriber said.

The New York State Department of Agriculture provided a $250,000 grant to help pay for equipment used at the port’s lab and a student-training lab on campus, POA said. Students who participate are part of SUNY Oswego’s new micro-credentialing program for grain testing and analysis, which “makes students more marketable and competitive” when seeking top jobs in their field, the POA and SUNY Oswego contend.

The lab handles as many as 40 trucks per day, Medeiros said. It takes about 10 to 15 minutes to check each truck’s load.

“In that short span of time, we test four major areas,” Medeiros said. “Moisture level in each load is extremely important because too much moisture can lead to the grain overheating in storage or transport. We also test for damaged grain, which could have heat damage or other issues, and for broken corn and toxins such as vomitoxin. Vomitoxin is exactly what it sounds like. If corn with this toxin is used in food products for humans, they can become violently ill.”

In addition to the “priceless real-world experience,” Medeiros went on to say that students also have opportunities for employment “right after they graduate.” For example, one of the students interviewed for a position this spring with Maumee, Ohio–based The Andersons, Inc., which has a “major” grain contract with the Port of Oswego.

For many years, Oswego was a “major player” both regionally and nationally in grain exports, Scriber said.

That ended the in the early 1980s, when the port’s west pier grain silos were demolished. Moving forward, POA wants to bring Oswego back to its “prominent position” as a major Northeast grain exporter to international markets.

“Because local farmers can deliver their grain locally — instead of trucking them to Ohio or Baltimore — with a relatively short haul to the Port and water transport, this moves 4,513 truck trips off the road and equates to almost $95,470 in saved road-repair costs in the first five years,” Scriber said. “Ships are the most environmentally friendly way to transport goods. For every gallon of fuel per ton of cargo, a ship emits less greenhouse gases than either truck or rail.”

About the Port of Oswego

Besides grain-export center, the Port of Oswego is also home to the Oswego Marina, the H. Lee White Marine Museum, historic maritime district, and 14 businesses that “call it home” for their domestic and international operations.

The port’s location at the “crossroads of the Northeastern North American shipping market” puts it less than 350 miles from 60 million people, per its release.

“We are accessible from any international port in the world,” Scriber said. “That’s why we are one of the most productive ports in America, with more than 1 million tons of cargo — from grain and aluminum ingots to windmill generator parts— moving through the port on an annual basis.”

A 2018 economic-impact study commissioned by the Great Lakes Seaway Partnership documented that in 2017, the Port of Oswego supported 209 jobs, $26.7 million in economic activity, $13.8 million in personal income and local consumption expenditures, and $5.8 million in federal and state tax revenue.

Tropical Smoothie Cafe locations planned around CNY

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. — A group of seasoned multi-franchise operators have brought a new franchise to the Central New York fast-casual restaurant scene. Roger Wagner, Jr. and his partners, brothers Rick and Mark Bartlett, at W2B Management LLC, already operate 20 Burger King franchise restaurants along with 12 Moe’s Southwest Grill locations. Most of those eateries

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. — A group of seasoned multi-franchise operators have brought a new franchise to the Central New York fast-casual restaurant scene.

Roger Wagner, Jr. and his partners, brothers Rick and Mark Bartlett, at W2B Management LLC, already operate 20 Burger King franchise restaurants along with 12 Moe’s Southwest Grill locations. Most of those eateries are in the Syracuse and Rochester markets.

With other franchisees operating all around them, opportunities for growth were fairly limited, but a chance breakfast experience during the pandemic opened Wager’s eyes to a new opportunity.

It was that breakfast at a Tropical Smoothie Cafe in Pennsylvania that changed things.

“The product was great,” Wagner says. And a conversation with the manager piqued his interest. He talked this over with his partners, they gathered some more information, and within six months, the trio had a development deal as a franchisee.

W2B opened its first Tropical Smoothie Cafe franchise in Victor in the fall of 2021, followed shortly by locations in New Hartford and Webster. A café is under construction in Irondequoit and will open soon and plans are underway for a Watertown location.

Next year, W2B plans to open cafés in Cicero, DeWitt, and Penfield, while Camillus, Clay, and Pittsford are on track for 2024.

In total, W2B will open between 10 and 12 cafés over the next several years, Wagner says. “We’ve been moving and building really quickly because we want to be first to market,” he adds.

The cost to open a café, according to the Tropical Smoothie Cafe franchise website, ranges between $277,000 and $584,000, with the average cost running around $400,000. The franchise fee ranges between $15,000 and $30,000.

Ongoing franchise fees include a 6 percent royalty fee, 3 percent national marketing fee, and 2 percent local advertising-cooperative contribution.

Along with bringing a new choice to the areas where they located, Wagner notes, each café creates about 20 jobs, and also provides opportunities for growth to employees at the Burger King and Moe’s restaurants that Wagner and his partners operate under their BRG and M2R management groups.

“In a franchise business, you reach a ceiling of giving people an opportunity,” Wagner notes. The new restaurants will provide avenues for promotions to current employees looking to move up the ladder.

Response to the cafés has been fantastic, he notes. “We’ve been super surprised with how well we’ve done.”

While smoothie is in the name — and the cafés feature a wide variety of them — 40 percent of sales come from food including wraps, flatbreads, and salads.

The average café ranges between 1,500 and 2,000 square feet. W2B’s Victor location at 165 Cobblestone Court Drive is 2,000 square feet. The New Harford café, located at 4797 Commercial Drive, covers 1,400 square feet. The Webster café at 927 Holt Road takes up 1,700 square feet.

The Irondequoit location is 2,800 square feet, and Wagner says the plan is to use about 1,000 square feet of that space to operate a central catering site.

W2B’s aggressive growth strategy is already paying off, not just in sales but also positive reactions from customers.

In March, they won a Rookie of the Year franchise award from Tropical Smoothie Cafe, LLC.

“We were shocked and surprised and humbled to be able to accept an award like that after only being in the business for a couple of months,” Wagner says.

Tropical Smoothie Cafe started in 1997 in Destin, Florida and the first franchise location opened in 1998. Today, there are more than 1,000 café locations nationwide. The company has available markets in more than 30 states and future development plans in seven states.

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