Baldwinsville native supports Navy task group countering Russian undersea threats

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Chief Petty Officer Thomas Werth, a native of Baldwinsville, will support the U.S. Navy’s new Task Group Greyhound while serving aboard USS Thomas Hudner. The task group was established to ensure warships in the Western Atlantic are continuously ready to accomplish a full range of on-demand missions including missions to counter Russian undersea threats to the […]

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“It is important to maintain not only our presence with our capabilities, but to also keep our skills sharp in case the need ever arises that we need to utilize them,” said Werth.

Undersea security is a major concern in the Atlantic because adversaries are closing the gap in the undersea domain, according to Rear Adm. Brendan McLane, commander of Naval Surface Force Atlantic. He joined Rear Adm. Brian Davies, commander, Submarine Group Two and deputy commander, 2nd Fleet, formally introducing Task Group Greyhound at an event held at Naval Station Mayport (in Jacksonville, Florida) aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Thomas Hudner on Sept. 27.

“Task Group Greyhound provides us a way to increase continuity between training and operating against high-end competitors in a dynamic environment,” McLane said. “These destroyers are now designated under Task Group Greyhound in the western Atlantic on watch 24/7 ready to practice, integrate, and operate at a moment’s notice.”

The Task Group is a reference to the World War II destroyers, or “Greyhounds of the Fleet,” that patrolled the seas in the “Battle of the Atlantic.” The modern version is similar to how readiness is maintained aboard Forward Deployed Naval Forces in Spain.

The first two ships participating will be USS Thomas Hudner and USS Donald Cook. Additional ships will be added as the initiative reaches Final Operational Capability in the summer of 2022. Serving in the Navy means Werth is part of a team that is taking on new importance in America’s focus on rebuilding military readiness, strengthening alliances, and reforming business practices in support of the National Defense Strategy.

“The Navy provides a world wide presence, maintaining friendly relationships with our allies and partners, all the while keeping our adversaries in check,” said Werth.

For Werth, training and preparing for missions in the U.S. Navy runs in the family. “Serving in the Navy is a family tradition,” he said. “I am proud to carry on my heritage through three generations.”

Chicago firm wins $1M grand prize in Grow-NY competition at the Oncenter

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. — A company based in Chicago, Illinois is the winner of the $1 million grand prize in the third round of the Grow-NY food innovation and agriculture technology business competition. Every Body Eat makes, markets, and sells food that is free from corn, sugar, and the most common 14 allergens, “so that people

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. — A company based in Chicago, Illinois is the winner of the $1 million grand prize in the third round of the Grow-NY food innovation and agriculture technology business competition.

Every Body Eat makes, markets, and sells food that is free from corn, sugar, and the most common 14 allergens, “so that people can enjoy it, together, regardless of dietary restrictions or preferences,” the office of Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a Nov. 17 news release announcing the winner.

Every Body Eat was one of eight finalists to take home prize money during the Grow-NY Food and Ag Summit’s awards ceremony held Nov. 16-17 at the Oncenter in downtown Syracuse.

Grow-NY is focused on the food, beverage, and agriculture-innovation cluster in Central New York, the Finger Lakes, and the Southern Tier.

“We are absolutely honored to be selected — from such an incredible pool of food and agriculture startups — as this year’s $1 million top prize winner at Grow-NY,” Nichole Wilson, co-founder and president of Every Body Eat, said in the release. “We look forward to leveraging this award and all of the connections we have made in the region to take our company to the next level, expand our market, and hire more talent.”

The winning teams must commit to operating in the Central New York, Finger Lakes, or Southern Tier regions for at least one year, while providing Grow-NY with a small equity investment stake in each entity. Funding for the competition, which is administered by Cornell University’s Center for Regional Economic Advancement, is provided through the state’s Upstate Revitalization Initiative.

The competition attracted a group of startups from around the globe to compete in its two-day pitch competition and symposium.

Additional funding winners

In addition to the $1 million top prize, two $500,000 prizes and four $250,000 prizes were also awarded at the finals event.

Ascribe Bioscience from Ithaca secured one of the $500,000 prizes. That firm uses naturally occurring signaling molecules from the soil microbiome to produce a novel class of broad-spectrum, non-toxic biopesticides that prime plants’ immune systems to enhance resistance to pathogens and increase crop yields.

Neupeak Robotics of Surrey in British Columbia, Canada, won the other $500,000 prize.

Companies from Webster in Monroe County; Buffalo; Houston, Texas; and Copenhagen, Denmark won the $250,000 prizes, Hochul’s office said.

“By creating new jobs and sharing new ideas, the winners of the first two rounds of the Grow-NY food and ag competition have made an important difference in our region’s food and ag ecosystem in less than two years,” Jenn Smith, program director of Grow-NY, said. “We’re confident that this year’s winners will continue that growth. The quality of the startups vying for awards this year was incredible — congratulations to all the winners!”

The 20 finalists received dedicated mentorship from hand-selected regional business advisors leading up to the competition.

In all, 330 startups applied from 32 countries including Singapore, Israel, and Switzerland.

In the U.S., 23 states were represented, including 138 entries from New York.

Grow-NY also noted that 44 percent of applicants had a female founder and 51 percent included a founder from an underrepresented minority group, which is a “significant” increase from last year’s applicant pool.

About the summit

For year three of the Grow-NY Food and Ag Summit, more than 1,200 people registered for the event and audiences had the option to attend either in-person at the Oncenter or virtually.

The in-person event featured panel discussions on the biggest issues facing the food and agriculture industry, a summit showcase of vendors and organizations supporting the startup community, and a pitch competition where the top 20 finalists presented their business ideas to a live audience.

A panel of five independent judges — reflecting a depth and breadth of agriculture, food production, and entrepreneurial expertise — listened to each presentation and presented questions before determining the top winners.

MACNY partnering with Laura Thorne Consulting for workshops, online courses

Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Manufacturing & Engineering, Small Business, Subscriber Only, Technology

DeWITT, N.Y. — MACNY, The Manufacturers Association has a new partnership with Laura Thorne Consulting of Syracuse. Thorne has joined the organization as a partner consultant. In her role, Thorne will help with MACNY’s expansion of workshops and coaching, consulting directly with MACNY members, and support the creation of on-demand online courses. She’ll provide training,

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DeWITT, N.Y. — MACNY, The Manufacturers Association has a new partnership with Laura Thorne Consulting of Syracuse.

Thorne has joined the organization as a partner consultant. In her role, Thorne will help with MACNY’s expansion of workshops and coaching, consulting directly with MACNY members, and support the creation of on-demand online courses.

She’ll provide training, coaching, and strategy services to help members “perform better, improve culture, and make more impactful decisions,” MACNY contended in a news release.

Thorne is not a MACNY employee and is instead serving as an independent contractor who gets paid consulting fees, Marisa Norcross, chief digital officer at MACNY, tells CNYBJ in an email.

MACNY doesn’t have a set number of hours per month or year for Thorne as of now, Norcross added.

Thorne has been managing and leading programs in various industries for more than 25 years. She has a background in environmental science, programming, and “business excellence.” Her services include “engaging” workshops, coaching, strategic facilitation, and organizational-performance evaluations.

She uses a framework and approach to leadership she created, called “The Role Model Way,” as the basis of her consulting. She also “has a passion” for mentorship and designing mentor programs.

Thorne enjoys coaching people “from all levels” about career navigation and leadership development. Her clients “accomplish goals that have been eluding them, improve their relationships, devise creative solutions to problems, and become role models in their respective positions,” MACNY’s release stated.

“We are very excited to be working more closely with Laura Thorne to bring MACNY members high-quality workshops, training, coaching, and consultative services,” Randy Wolken, president & CEO of MACNY, said. “Laura brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to our team and will be able to serve MACNY members in new value-adding ways.”

A sampling of upcoming courses and workshops include Set Up for Success in 2022, Extreme Accountability, Conflict Resolution, Strategy Design Lab, DIY [do it yourself] Business Performance Evaluation, Designing a Corporate Mentor Program, and How to Modernize Your Website.

DeWitt–based MACNY, The Manufacturers Association, represents more than 300 companies in a 26-county region in Central and upstate New York. The organization provides human-resource services, training, workforce development, purchasing solutions, networking opportunities, and advocacy support for its members.

New York manufacturing index bounces back in November

Manufacturing & Engineering, New York News, Subscriber Only

The Empire State Manufacturing Survey general business-conditions index rose 11 points to 30.9 in November after falling in the prior month. The index — the monthly gauge on New York’s manufacturing sector — had declined 15 points to 19.8 in October, “pointing to a slower pace of growth” that month. It had climbed 16 points

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The Empire State Manufacturing Survey general business-conditions index rose 11 points to 30.9 in November after falling in the prior month.

The index — the monthly gauge on New York’s manufacturing sector — had declined 15 points to 19.8 in October, “pointing to a slower pace of growth” that month. It had climbed 16 points to 34.3 in September.

The November reading of 30.9 — based on firms responding to the survey — indicates business activity in New York “grew strongly in New York State,” the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said in its Nov. 15 report. Economists had forecast an index number of 22 in November, according to a survey by The Wall Street Journal.

A positive reading indicates expansion or growth in manufacturing activity, while a negative index number points to a decline in the sector.

The survey found 43 respondents reported that conditions had improved over the month, while nearly 12 percent said that conditions had worsened, the New York Fed said.

Survey details

The new-orders index rose 5 points to 28.8, and the shipments index “shot up” 19 points to 28.2, indicating “strong growth” in both orders and shipments, the New York Fed said.

The unfilled-orders index edged down to 12.7. The delivery-times index came in at 32.2, indicating “significantly longer” delivery times. Inventories increased modestly.

The index for number of employees rose 9 points to 26.0, a record high, and the average-workweek index increased 8 points to 23.1, pointing to “strong” gains in employment and hours worked.

The prices-paid index edged up 4 points to 83.0, and the prices-received index moved up 7 points to a record high of 50.8, signaling “ongoing substantial increases” in both input prices and selling prices.

Firms were less optimistic about the six-month outlook than they were last month, with the index for future business conditions falling 15 points to 36.9.

The indexes for future new orders and shipments fell to similar levels.

Longer delivery times, higher prices, and increases in employment are all expected in the months ahead.

The capital-expenditures index edged up 3 points to 34.7, and the technology-spending index ticked up to 28.0, suggesting that firms plan “significant increases” in both capital spending and technology spending.

The New York Fed distributes the Empire State Manufacturing Survey on the first day of each month to the same pool of about 200 manufacturing executives in New York. On average, about 100 executives return responses.

Three firms win cash in Oswego County’s Next Great Idea contest

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OSWEGO, N.Y. — Six Acres Farm Brewery of Mexico, North 40 Clover of Lacona, and Moth & Flame Base Camp were awarded funding in the 2021 “Next Great Idea” (NGI) Oswego County Business Competition. The winning businesses were awarded cash and business services totaling $90,000 in value to expand in Oswego County. Operation Oswego County

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The winning businesses were awarded cash and business services totaling $90,000 in value to expand in Oswego County.

Operation Oswego County announced the prizes during a reception held Nov. 16 at The Lake Ontario Event & Conference Center in Oswego.

“It was a great honor to present our fifth NGI awards on National Entrepreneur’s Day,” Austin Wheelock, NGI chair and deputy director of Operation Oswego County, said in a release. “Entrepreneurs and small business are the backbone of our economy and the building blocks for growth in our county. We believe that these three businesses are excellent examples of this and will be great ambassadors of the ‘Next Great Idea’ for Oswego County.”

Local companies, private banks, business organizations, and public and private institutions helped raise the $90,000 in cash and business services, according to Wheelock.

About the companies

Six Acres Farm Brewery secured the first-place prize of $50,000. The company — founded by Jenna Behling and head brewer Denyel Busch in Mexico — is the first niche craft-brewing company of its kind to develop fruit-infused beers with locally grown fruit and “proprietary methods to create naturally full-flavored fruit ale beverages,” per the news release.

With the brewery already producing 13 unique recipes onsite at Behling Orchards, the owners see an opportunity to capitalize on growing the fledgling craft-beverage industry in Oswego County and building on the region’s existing agri-tourism assets.

“We are extremely grateful for the opportunities that NGI has given our business and are excited to get started on expanding Six Acres Farm Brewery,” Behling said. “Winning the NGI will open up the possibility for us to increase our brewing production and expand our brewery. This will be highly beneficial as we plan to open a tasting room in the area.”

North 40 Clover On Site Hydraulic Hose Repair & Fabrication ended the competition with the second-place prize of $25,000 in cash and business services.

The business is a startup that James Macklen of Lacona created. Macklen will use the NGI prize money to expand his mobile hydraulic repair and fabrication business that services several industries. They include manufacturing, mining, road plowing, agriculture, and trucking and logging operations around Oswego County and the North Country.

The mobile business is “especially needed in rural areas where extended downtime due to distance from repair services can be catastrophic to business,” per the release. Macklen believes the prize money will help him pursue “multiple future opportunities to expand” in the industry.

Moth & Flame Base Camp was the third-place winner of $15,000 in cash and business services. It’s a “glamping” business developed by co-founders Amanda McLaughlin and Paula Barreto. Glamping is outdoor camping with amenities and comforts (such as beds, electricity, and access to indoor plumbing) not usually used when camping, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary.

Moth & Flame Base Camp says it allows visitors to “stay, play and support local business in the outdoors of Oswego County while having a unique and secure stay and experience in a vintage recreational vehicle, airstream and eclectic structure ‘glampground.’ “

The business will utilize social media and technology platforms to market to the quickly growing target segment of “glampers.”

The co-founders will use the prize towards developing “distinctive fully furnished basecamps in a scenic location that will complement the growing” outdoor recreation and event-tourism industry in Oswego County.

The judges

Operation Oswego County selected judges for this year’s event based on their local business knowledge and expertise in the fields of operations, management, financing, and entrepreneurship.

Those judges were Ed Alberts, local entrepreneur and former NGI winner; Mike Backus of Oswego Health; Rich Burritt of Burritt Motors; Allen Chase of Chase Enterprises; Nate Emmons, Oswego County legislator; Karen Goetz of the Richard S. Shineman Foundation; Keiko Kimura of Cayuga Community College’s Fulton campus; Kevin LaMontagne of Operation Oswego County; Liz Lonergan of the Watertown Small Business Development Center; and Tim McKernan of EJ USA of Phoenix.

Lockheed wins nearly $106M Navy contract modification

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SALINA, N.Y. — Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE: LMT) was recently awarded a $105.7 million modification to a previously-awarded U.S. Navy contract. The firm-fixed-price modification will exercise options for the production of MK 48 Mod 7 guidance and control sections and MK 48 Mod 7 Common Broadband Advanced Sonar System kits, according to a Nov. 5

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Solar-roof manufacturer SunTegra moves to Binghamton

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KIRKWOOD, N.Y. — SunTegra, a startup manufacturer of solar roof tiles and shingles, recently announced that it’s moving manufacturing and administrative activities to the Binghamton area. Previously located in Highland, New York, near Poughkeepsie, SunTegra was formerly known as Integrated Solar Technology. Founded in 2013 by current CEO Oliver Koehler, the company designs and manufactures

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KIRKWOOD, N.Y. — SunTegra, a startup manufacturer of solar roof tiles and shingles, recently announced that it’s moving manufacturing and administrative activities to the Binghamton area.

Previously located in Highland, New York, near Poughkeepsie, SunTegra was formerly known as Integrated Solar Technology. Founded in 2013 by current CEO Oliver Koehler, the company designs and manufactures solar shingles and tiles that replace traditional roofing materials, per the SunTegra website.

Koehler came into the venture with plenty of experience in the solar world, having held product-management positions with BP Solar, a manufacturer and installer of photovoltaic solar cells, and SunPower, a firm that specializes in solar-power generation and energy storage, he tells CNYBJ. “In that role I certainly saw the consumers wanted alternatives … but as the market matures, people want more choices,” he says of the inspiration for starting what was then known as Integrated Solar Technology. He says he renamed the business to SunTegra, originally the name of its product line, in 2017.

SunTegra “will use its new facility as a main office supporting administration, sales, R&D, and to ramp up production to meet increasing demand,” the firm said in a November 10 news release.

SunTegra’s new 10,000-square-foot facility is located at 27 Link Drive in the town of Kirkwood. Koehler says that about 6,000 square feet are dedicated to manufacturing with the balance split across office space and warehousing.

It has been a circuitous route for SunTegra to end up in the Southern Tier and with a focus on the Northeast. Koehler says that the company’s initial focus was on the California market and that manufacturing was done in China and then in Mexicali, Mexico.

“We’ve basically been jumping around solar tariffs pretty much from the start of the company,” Koehler says, adding that the Trump administration’s imposition of solar tariffs on Mexico in 2017 was the impetus for moving production first to the Poughkeepsie area, and then to the Binghamton region. Koehler says that the firm’s manufacturing today is split between the Southern Tier and a subcontractor’s facility in China. Production capacity at the Binghamton–area site is about 20,000 units per year, according to materials provided by Koehler.

SunTegra’s Kirkwood facility does not manufacture the solar laminate itself, but rather assembles the final product, ready to integrate with roofing materials. It’s there that SunTegra attaches what Koehler calls “our own special polymer composite framing systems” along with all the other requisite hardware. The company also provides materials for installation such as flashing, cables, and the solar inverter responsible for converting the solar-energy output into usable electricity.

“Binghamton offers access to great technical expertise, has talented labor and features a robust network of regional suppliers. We see Binghamton as a great platform from which to grow our business,” Koehler said in the company’s news release. He made the same points in an interview with CNYBJ and added that the company was able to find “the best facility for a reasonable price” in Binghamton rather than in the Mid-Hudson region.

Koehler and SunTegra cite the 2017 76West Clean Energy Competition as the venue where they first learned of the benefits of doing business in the Southern Tier. The competition is run by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, or NYSERDA, to promote innovative clean-energy companies in the Southern Tier. SunTegra finished second that year and was awarded $500,000.

The company’s ties to the Binghamton area also began in 2017 as SunTegra joined the Koffman Southern Tier Incubator, located at 120 Hawley St. in Binghamton.

“Bringing innovative companies to the Binghamton area is what the Koffman Southern Tier Incubator is all about. SunTegra’s patented solar roofing products offer consumers an alternative to bulky solar panels, compete head-to-head with Tesla’s solar roof products, and are the type of technology that will help clean energy to go mainstream,” Michael Jagielski, director of clean energy programs at the incubator, said in the release.

Jagielski’s invocation of Tesla likely stems from the high visibility of that company’s solar-roofing products, which have yet to be widely released and while praised for their design have been criticized by customers and tech media for production issues and high costs.

Koehler says that SunTegra products were designed to offer similar aesthetic benefits and a more practical installation process at a lower cost. “Our product is kind of a middle ground between standard rack-mounted solar and the high-end solution that Tesla is trying to push,” he says.

SunTegra moved into the new Kirkwood facility on Aug. 1, and Koehler says that recent pandemic-related macroeconomic conditions have cut both ways for the company. “On one hand, supply chain costs have gone up … but on the other hand we’re getting lots of leads, lots of interest from customers and increasing sales too,” he says.

Building upon that potential for growth, SunTegra plans to release a second-generation product — which Koehler says is due in 2022 or early 2023. The company plans to at least double the number of employees in Binghamton by the end of 2022, from five to 10 or more. Koehler adds that the biggest obstacle to the company’s growth going forward is “expanding our dealer network,” referring to the roofers and builders to which SunTegra primarily sells. The firm also sells directly to homeowners on a limited basis.

SunTegra is also currently competing in the U.S. Department of Energy’s American-Made Solar Prize competition. It’s a $3 million prize competition “designed to energize U.S. solar manufacturing through a series of contests and the development of a diverse and powerful support network that leverages national laboratories, energy incubators, and other resources across the country,” per a description on the contest’s website. Koehler tells CNYBJ that the company won $50,000 as part of round four of the American-Made Solar Prize competition and has made a submission for round five. He says if it wins, SunTegra will be collaborating with the Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems Innovations at Syracuse University.

Byrne Dairy to invest $25 million in Cortlandville plant

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CORTLANDVILLE, N.Y. — Byrne Dairy, Inc. announced on Nov. 9 that it is making another major investment in its dairy-processing facility in Cortlandville. Originally built in 2014, Byrne says it will invest $25 million to retool the facility to produce extended shelf life and shelf-stable dairy products. It will install new processing and filling-equipment lines

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VIEWPOINT: N.Y. Employers Now Must Provide Notice of Electronic Monitoring

Business Mentors, Subscriber Only

On Nov. 8, 2021, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a bill amending New York’s Civil Rights Law by adding a new section that requires employers to give prior written notice of any electronic monitoring to employees upon hire. The law takes effect on May 7, 2022. The law applies to all private-sector employers in New York,

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The law requires notice for any employer who monitors or intercepts telephone conversations/transmissions, emails, or internet access or usage. The law necessitates the notice to be given in writing, in an electronic record, or in another electronic form. Further, employers must receive a written or electronic acknowledgement from employees of receipt of the notice. Employers must also post the notice in a conspicuous place so that employees who are subject to electronic monitoring can readily review the notice.

The law does not apply to processes that are designed to manage the type or volume of email, voicemail, or internet usage; that are not targeted to monitor or intercept employee communications; and that are performed solely for the purpose of system maintenance and/or protection.

Regarding the content of the notice, the law provides as follows:

For purposes of written notice . . . an employee shall be advised that any and all telephone conversations or transmissions, electronic mail or transmissions, or internet access or usage by an employee by any electronic device or system, including but not limited to the use of a computer, telephone, wire, radio or electromagnetic, photoelectronic or photo-optical systems may be subject to monitoring at any and all times and by any lawful means.

The law does not provide for a private right of action. The New York State attorney general is responsible for enforcement of the law. Employers found to be in violation of the law may be subject to a maximum civil penalty of $500 for the first offense, $1,000 for the second offense, and $3,000 for the third and each subsequent offense.

Employers should determine if any new hires will be subject to the notice provisions of this law and determine the manner in which they will provide such notice.

Richard C. White is an associate attorney in the Albany office of Syracuse–based Bond, Schoeneck & King PLLC. He is a labor and employment law attorney who represents employers in proceedings before federal and state courts and various government agencies. Contact White at rwhite@bsk.com. This article is drawn from Bond’s New York Labor & Employment Law Report blog.

CEO FOCUS: A Unicorn, an Acquisition, & Millions in Investments

Business Mentors, Subscriber Only

These are worth celebrating in CNY’s startup ecosystem Over the past few weeks, several significant announcements have placed a spotlight on the strength of our innovation ecosystem, serving as categorical proof that Central New York is a place where tech companies and startups can grow and thrive. Among the most exceptional, CenterState CEO member and Tech

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These are worth celebrating in CNY’s startup ecosystem

Over the past few weeks, several significant announcements have placed a spotlight on the strength of our innovation ecosystem, serving as categorical proof that Central New York is a place where tech companies and startups can grow and thrive.

Among the most exceptional, CenterState CEO member and Tech Garden anchor tenant Density announced a $125 million capital raise led by Kleiner Perkins (https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/density-secures-125-million-in-series-d-funding-to-accelerate-growth-acquires-helix-re-301421033.html). This investment brings the startup’s valuation to $1.05 billion, officially making it the first “unicorn” — a privately held startup company valued at more than $1 billion — to come out of the Tech Garden. With just over 900 “unicorns” worldwide, and fewer than 450 in the U.S., this is truly a remarkable accomplishment.

Density’s people-counting, AI-powered sensors, manufactured within the Tech Garden’s hardware center, anonymously measure how people use space, allowing customers to build better workplace experiences. In addition to this Series D raise, the company also announced it acquired HelixRE, a technology that creates a digital representation of buildings to streamline data collection. Since March 2020, Density has experienced more than 500-percent growth, and expanded its employee base by 300 percent since the start of 2021, with plans to double its headcount in the next year.

Just down the road from the Tech Garden, TCGplayer is also experiencing explosive growth, expanding its workforce by more than 81 percent in the past year — creating hundreds of jobs in downtown Syracuse and adding nearly 100,000 square feet of office space. The company, which is the leading technology platform for the collectibles industry and operator of the largest online marketplace for trading card games, announced earlier this month that it has acquired Roca Robotics Inc. (https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tcgplayer-acquires-roca-robotics-301416101.html). [That Colorado–based company] has produced the world’s leading robotic card-sorting machine for the trading-card market. The acquisition will allow the company to better support its customers and clients, and continue its significant growth.

Our GENIUS NY teams have also announced recent investments. Over five rounds, 26 unmanned-systems startups have used $15 million invested to date to leverage more than $75 million in follow-on funding, and have contributed to more than 70 new jobs in upstate New York.

Anyone who has watched the evolution of this innovation ecosystem over the past two decades knows how truly incredible these benchmarks are. It speaks to the positive trajectory of a region that once lagged so many of its peers in resources, investment opportunities, public and private-sector support, and the collaborative partnerships needed for startups and entrepreneurs to excel. Today, the speed of growth for these young firms is accelerating. They are job drivers, contributors to the vibrancy of our community, and integral to the vitality of our 21st century regional economy. As we celebrate these companies and their milestones, we remain committed to supporting the environment that will ensure similar success for others within this ecosystem.

Please join me in congratulating these companies on their progress and success. To learn how you can mentor and support companies in our innovation ecosystem, please contact Jeff Fuchsberg, CenterState CEO’s VP of innovation and entrepreneurship, at JFuchsberg@thetechgarden.com.

Robert M. Simpson is president and CEO of CenterState CEO, the primary economic-development organization for Central New York. This article is drawn and edited from the “CEO Focus” email newsletter that the organization sent to members on Nov. 18.

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