Baseball Hall of Fame awarded nearly $5M in federal funds

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COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Live venues and cultural institutions were among the hardest-hit industries during the pandemic, including the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown. To help recover, the Baseball Hall of Fame will use nearly $5 million in federal funding that’s meant to help it move beyond the pandemic, the office of […]

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MVCC’s Ireland elected president of SUNY Librarians Association

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

UTICA, N.Y. — Jocelyn Ireland, instructional-design librarian at Mohawk Valley Community College (MVCC), was recently elected president of the SUNY Librarians Association (SUNYLA) for the 2021-2022 year. After serving as second vice president/conference chair and first vice president over the past two years, Ireland assumed the position of president at the SUNYLA annual conference, hosted

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ConMed to pay 3rd quarter dividend of 20 cents in early October

Health Care, Manufacturing & Engineering, Regional News, Subscriber Only

ConMed Corp. (NYSE: CNMD), a surgical-device maker founded in the Utica area, announced that its board of directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend of 20 cents a share for the third quarter. The dividend is payable on Oct. 5 to all shareholders of record as of Sept. 15. ConMed manufactures surgical devices and equipment for

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NYS Common Retirement Fund up nearly 6% in latest quarter

Insurance & Financial Services, Law, Accounting & Taxes, Subscriber Only

ALBANY —The New York State Common Retirement Fund’s estimated return in the quarter ending June 30 was 5.82 percent, according to New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. The fund ended the quarter with an estimated value of $268.3 billion. “The financial markets remain strong, as industry sectors and companies recover and adapt to the pandemic,”

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New York manufacturing index reverses July’s gain in August

Manufacturing & Engineering, New York News, Subscriber Only

The Empire State Manufacturing Survey general business-conditions index fell 25 points to 18.3 in August. The decline nearly reversed the entire 26-point gain that the index — a monthly gauge on New York’s manufacturing sector — posted in July to reach a “record high.” The latest report also missed analysts’ expectations for a reading of 29.0, according

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The Empire State Manufacturing Survey general business-conditions index fell 25 points to 18.3 in August.

The decline nearly reversed the entire 26-point gain that the index — a monthly gauge on New York’s manufacturing sector — posted in July to reach a “record high.” The latest report also missed analysts’ expectations for a reading of 29.0, according to Reuters.

Despite the decline, the August index number — based on firms responding to the survey — indicates business activity in New York “continued to expand … though growth was significantly slower than last month’s record-setting pace,” the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said in its Aug. 16 report.

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

The survey found more than one-third of respondents reported that conditions had improved over the month, while 16 percent said that conditions had worsened, the New York Fed said.

Survey details

The new-orders index fell 18 points to 14.8, still pointing to a “solid increase” in orders, while the shipments index tumbled nearly 40 points to 4.4, but still suggesting a “slight increase” in shipments, the New York Fed said. Unfilled orders rose.

The delivery-times index climbed to 28.3, indicating “significantly longer” delivery times, as has been the case for the past several months, per the New York Fed. Inventories edged higher.

The index for number of employees dipped 8 points to 12.8, and the average-workweek index dropped to 8.9, indicating a “modest increase” in employment and hours worked.

Both price indexes remained at or near record highs: the prices-paid index held steady at 76.1, while the prices-received index climbed 7 points to 46.0, setting a record.

The index for future business conditions climbed 7 points to 46.5, pointing to “ongoing optimism” about future conditions. The indexes for future new orders and shipments rose to similar levels.

Substantial increases in employment and prices are expected in the months ahead. The capital-expenditures index was little changed at 23.0, and the technology-spending index held steady at 15.0.

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.

Cornell researchers receive $5.4M for two quantum-science projects

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

The Cornell project, called “Hybrid Quantum Magnonics for Transduction and Sensing,” received $1.8 million of the funding and is led by Greg Fuchs, associate professor of applied and engineering physics in Cornell’s School of Applied and Engineering Physics (Cornell Engineering). The research aims to make advances on one of the fundamental challenges of solid-state quantum

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The research aims to make advances on one of the fundamental challenges of solid-state quantum technologies: networking quantum processors together to exchange information, according to an Aug. 16 news release on the Cornell website.

The project will also focus on quantum-enhanced sensing, by using magnons — the magnetic excitations in ultra-low damping materials — to connect superconducting circuits to individual quantum bits. By combining desirable properties from different quantum systems, the hybrid systems will create new opportunities for enhanced quantum functionality, including the control of large-scale quantum states, new interconnects for solid-state quantum bits, and the ability to control the direction of quantum information flow.

“I’m excited to push magnetic materials into the quantum limit to enable new ways to make quantum devices,” Fuchs said in the release. “The project is fundamental, but the opportunity is to take advantage of the fact that magnetic materials are nonreciprocal, meaning they can enforce ‘one-way’ interactions. That is currently difficult in quantum systems.”

Research collaborators include Dan Ralph, a physics professor in Cornell’s College of Arts and Sciences; Michael Flatté, professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Iowa; and Ezekiel Johnston-Halperin, professor of physics at Ohio State University.

The Cornell project “Planar System for Quantum Information” received $3.6 million and is led by Jie Shan, professor of applied and engineering physics at Cornell Engineering.

Shan and her research partners will focus on developing moiré materials for quantum simulation, which are formed by overlaying layers of 2D materials with a small twist angle or lattice mismatch. Electrons can tunnel between traps created by the moiré structure, presenting “unprecedented possibilities” for simulation of interacting quantum particles in a solid-state platform.

The project will also develop advanced methods for material synthesis and 2D assembly, such as bulk crystal growth using a flux-synthesis method and the creation of tailored 2D heterostructures with on-demand control of rotation angle using dry-transfer techniques.

Co-principal investigators include Kin Fai Mak, associate professor of physics in Cornell’s College of Arts and Sciences, as well as collaborators from Columbia University, the University of Texas at Austin, and the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, operated by Stanford University.

Upstate Medical University team awarded funding in SUNY startup summer school

Health Care, Small Business, Subscriber Only

SYRACUSE — Taurus Diagnostics, a startup company at Upstate Medical University, secured funding during the SUNY Startup Summer School (S4) Class of 2021 Demo Day virtual event. Taurus Diagnostics includes Dr. Gennady Bratslavsky and Dr. Thomas Sanford of Upstate Medical University, per an Aug. 11 SUNY news release. A student from Stony Brook University on

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SYRACUSE — Taurus Diagnostics, a startup company at Upstate Medical University, secured funding during the SUNY Startup Summer School (S4) Class of 2021 Demo Day virtual event.

Taurus Diagnostics includes Dr. Gennady Bratslavsky and Dr. Thomas Sanford of Upstate Medical University, per an Aug. 11 SUNY news release. A student from Stony Brook University on Long Island was the other grant recipient.

Both Bratslavsky and Sanford are members of Upstate Medical’s urology faculty, and they plan to use their grant funding to pursue new imaging technology to aid in the detection of prostate cancer, per a news release on the Upstate Medical website.

In addition to each team earning a $10,000 S4 technology-accelerator-fund catalyst investment, SUNY will also provide each winning team follow-on support to identify and write proposals for grant funding. That funding will allow the teams to continue commercializing their technology, SUNY said.

In addition, the Venture Advisors — successful entrepreneurs and seasoned executives — will continue to serve as mentors and coaches to the most promising teams from the S4 Class of 2021. They’ll be providing additional business development and commercialization support in the coming months.

Demo Day is designed to showcase grant proposals and research of 153 SUNY students and faculty in the “emerging technologies” fields. Recent studies show small businesses employ nearly 50 percent of American workers, and about 43 percent of American businesses were at least temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with employment falling by about 40 percent.

“Being an entrepreneur takes a strong team working together collaboratively, and that’s especially the case with breakthrough research,” SUNY Chancellor James Malatras said. “Programs like the SUNY Startup Summer School help to give our students, faculty, and staff opportunities where they wouldn’t have them otherwise. Our SUNY participants are helping spur innovation crucial to society. I’m excited by what we’re doing — and we need to do more. This is where we give students — no matter their background —opportunities to succeed. My congratulations to this year’s winners from Stony Brook University and Upstate Medical, as well as all the participants that made this year’s competition a success.”

This year’s competition had a 20 percent increase in participation from the previous year. In all, 153 faculty, students, and staff and 22 SUNY campuses were involved in this year’s program, SUNY said.

S4 provides faculty, students, and staff with the knowledge and networks that will enable them to commercialize breakthrough technology and offers virtual accelerated entrepreneurial education and training for participants to help them secure the initial funding needed to get their technology to market.

“SUNY’s innovative and research power can be found throughout our system in labs, fieldwork, the classroom, and the S4 competition has brought together the best and brightest minds who are looking to use their talents to better support entrepreneurs and small businesses throughout New York state as we work to rebuild after the pandemic. Over the span of nearly three months, faculty, students, and staff worked tirelessly at their proposals and fine-tuning their pitches, while receiving assistance from experts and connecting with industry leaders,” Courtney Burke, a member of the SUNY board of trustees, said.

Genius NY finalists will work to pursue funding at pitch night in October

Small Business, Subscriber Only, Technology

SYRACUSE — Five companies are now working toward making their final pitch in October for big prize money in the fifth year of the state’s Genius NY program. Empire State Development (ESD) on Aug. 17 announced the five teams selected to take part in round five of the business-accelerator program at CenterState CEO’s Tech Garden

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SYRACUSE — Five companies are now working toward making their final pitch in October for big prize money in the fifth year of the state’s Genius NY program.

Empire State Development (ESD) on Aug. 17 announced the five teams selected to take part in round five of the business-accelerator program at CenterState CEO’s Tech Garden in Syracuse.

Genius NY stands for Growing ENtrepreneurs & Innovators in UpState New York. The competition is described as the “largest” business-accelerator competition for the UAS industry in the world. UAS is short for unmanned aircraft systems.

The finalists are Circle Optics of Rochester; Airtonomy of Grand Forks, North Dakota; Airial Robotics of Hamburg, Germany; CarScanner of Krakow, Poland; and WindShape of Geneva, Switzerland.

The program chose the finalists from among 13 semifinalists that were announced at the end of June.

Supported by the CNY Rising Upstate Revitalization Initiative and administered by CenterState CEO at the Tech Garden, these startup, unmanned-systems industry companies will participate in a yearlong program.

The five finalists include teams with international and New York state representation and were selected from a pool of more than 600 submissions. They will compete for $3 million in direct investment, with one grand prize of up to $1 million and four $500,000 awards.

Genius NY participants are required to commit to operating their business in Central New York for at least one year.

“The GENIUS NY competition has helped to establish Central New York as a hub for unmanned [aircraft] systems by attracting the next generation of innovative entrepreneurs,” Kevin Younis, COO and executive deputy commissioner of Empire State Development, said. “New York’s ongoing UAS investment will ensure that continued industry leadership, bringing top quality jobs and growth to the region and beyond.”

“We look forward to welcoming these teams from around the world to our community so we can support their growth and integrate them into the thriving ecosystem we have developed for the unmanned systems industry,” Kara Jones, director of Genius NY, added. “Over the next year, they will receive targeted business development resources and mentoring that, coupled with the state’s high-value investment, will ensure their success. It has been incredibly rewarding to see the growth of the teams from previous rounds of the competition and I know this new cohort will join them to further establish the Tech Garden as the leading place to grow your UAS company.”

A UAS includes a drone and equipment used to control its flight. A drone is also referred to in the industry as an unmanned aerial vehicle, or UAV.

This month, those five companies will move into the Tech Garden in downtown Syracuse and begin to work on their business cases, which they will present at the pitch event, which is set for Oct. 21 at the Marriott Syracuse Downtown.

Throughout the program, teams will communicate with community leaders, mentors, and advisers from leading companies in Central New York while also participating in tourism activities. The goal is to encourage all participants to put down roots and stay in the region following the conclusion of the program.

About the finalists

Airial Robotics of Hamburg, Germany develops commercial UAVs for surveillance, logistics, and agriculture modeled after gyrocopter/helicopter hybrid that are challenging industry performance limits for safety, payload, range, and speed.

Airtonomy of Grand Forks, North Dakota has a push-button software that automates uniform collection, packaging-and analysis of data acquired by autonomous vehicles and sensors, specifically targeting critical energy infrastructure.

CarScanner of Krakow, Poland develops a used-car inspection robot that autonomously navigates around a car and automatically detects scratches, dents, repainted body surfaces, and other damages with structured light, thermography, and machine-learning algorithms.

Circle Optics of Rochester develops high-resolution, wide field-of-view imaging systems that enable real-time capture without the time and expense of post-processing required by other multicamera systems. Paired to a UAS, this technology can enable immersive telepresence, better autonomy, and a platform to run edge applications such as self-localization, object recognition/tracking, and volumetric data capture.

WindShape of Geneva, Switzerland develops indoor weather-simulation technology to test and certify drones under “controllable and repeatable” flight conditions to enable “autonomous and scalable” drone applications.

BV Nails to open new Fairmount location, its third in CNY

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Small Business, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

CAMILLUS — Crews are at work readying the new Fairmount location of BV Nails & Lounge. BV Nails & Lounge will be going into a corner space at the Fairmount Fair shopping center in the town of Camillus, near the town line with Geddes. The nail salon will be next to the Michaels store and

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SBA opens direct-forgiveness portal for Paycheck Protection Program

Small Business, Subscriber Only

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“The SBA’s new streamlined application portal will simplify forgiveness for millions of our smallest businesses — including many sole proprietors — who used funds from our Paycheck Protection Program loans to survive the pandemic,” SBA Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman, said in the July 28 announcement. “The vast majority of businesses waiting for forgiveness have loans under $150,000. These entrepreneurs are busy running their businesses and are challenged by an overly complicated forgiveness process. We need to deliver forgiveness more efficiently so they can get back to enlivening our Main Streets, sustaining our neighborhoods and fueling our nation’s economy.”

“The SBA is making the forgiveness process more efficient for small businesses so they can recover more fully, get back on track and grow,” Bernard J. Paprocki, SBA acting regional administrator, said. “The largest segment of Paycheck Protection Program loans awaiting forgiveness in the Atlantic region are $150,000 or less. Small businesses and nonprofits with a PPP loan through a lender that opts into this portal will be able to apply for forgiveness through this easier method.”

Besides that role, Paprocki is also the district director for upstate New York and based in Syracuse.

The new forgiveness portal will help rush relief to more than 6.5 million of the “smallest of small businesses,” the SBA contends.

The SBA is also providing a PPP customer-service team to answer questions and directly assist borrowers with their forgiveness applications. Borrowers who need assistance or have questions can call (877) 552-2692, Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.

PPP summary

Overall, the SBA and lenders worked to originate more than 11.7 million loans totaling nearly $800 billion in relief to over 8.5 million small businesses.

In 2021, the SBA approved more than 6.5 million loans totaling over $275 billion. The average PPP loan size was approximately $42,000, compared to $101,000 in 2020. In addition, 96 percent of PPP loans went to businesses with fewer than 20 employees, compared to 87 percent in 2020.

The SBA also noted that 32 percent of loans went to businesses in low- to moderate-income communities, compared to 24 percent in 2020.

Established by the CARES Act in 2020, the PPP was among the first COVID-19 small-business, economic-aid programs. It provided more than $798 billion in economic relief to small businesses and nonprofits across the nation.

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