BINGHAMTON — The past year in Greater Binghamton business news featured big projects and the area moving forward after heavy flooding devastated much of the region in late 2011. For many businesses, 2012 was a year for not only regaining lost ground following the flooding, but also expanding even further.
JANUARY—FEBRUARY—MARCH
Yogurt-maker Chobani started off 2012 on a strong note with two major projects in the works. The company broke ground in late December 2011 on its new nearly 1 million square-foot product facility in Twin Falls, Idaho, and finalized plans to expand its plant in South Edmeston.
Guthrie Health cut the ribbon Jan. 6 on a new 9,000-square-foot weight-loss center in Sayre, Pa. The center expects to serve a number of patients from the Southern Tier region at the Endocrine and Bariatric Center, which houses Guthrie Weight Loss Center, Guthrie Diabetes Center, and Guthrie’s endocrinology department.
Elmira Savings Bank announced plans in January to purchase an Empower Federal Credit Union branch in Big Flats. The new Elmira Savings Bank Big Flats branch opened Feb. 1.
Ollie’s Bargain Outlet reopened its Johnson City store Feb. 15 after an extensive flood cleanup. The store first opened in early August 2011, before having to close just a month later when five feet of floodwater filled the store. Along with replacing all of the merchandise, the retailer also put down a new cement floor and replaced an electrical transformer.
Vestal–based Southern Tier Dermatology expanded into the Elmira market by opening an office in Big Flats, and finalized plans to expand its headquarters into a new, larger building in Endwell.
D&W Diesel, Inc. of Auburn set up shop at a new facility at 27 Link Drive in Kirkwood in March. The provider of diesel-engine component parts took over a 7,500-square-foot facility and purchased the customer list and assets of Fleetsource, which operated at 155 W. Service Highway in Binghamton before closing.
BAE Systems, displaced from its Johnson City location by the 2011 flooding, signed a five-year lease to stay at the Huron Campus in Endicott. The company temporarily relocated to the campus after the flooding, but after shopping around, found that Huron offered the best options for a permanent location.
Ben Weitsman & Son, Inc. in Binghamton announced a $5 million renovation and upgrade project at its facility located at 10 Brandywine St. Work included the demolition of old buildings, construction of new buildings, landscaping, paving, and new equipment.
APRIL—MAY—JUNE
Binghamton University pitched a plan that included a $70 million research and development facility as part of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s NY SUNY 2020 Challenge Grant initiative. Cuomo looked to four SUNY university centers — Binghamton, Albany, Buffalo, and Stony Brook — to craft plans to utilize a $35 million capital construction grant to boost academic and research programs and stimulate economic development.
Lourdes Hospital wrapped up its three-year, $70 million Mission 2012 project by holding an open house at the new facility in May. Lourdes broke ground on the project in 2009, expanding and modernizing its emergency department, adding two new surgical suites, expanding the radiology department, and building a new flood wall.
A new partnership between the Association for Vision Rehabilitation and Employment, Inc. (A.V.R.E.) and Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, the Southern Tier’s largest health insurer, will provide $90,000 in funding over three years to A.V.R.E. That will allow the organization to continue serving infants and children who are blind or visually impaired.
Rochester–area based Popli Design Group opened an office at 7 S. Washington St. in Binghamton. Following a state contract to inspect bridges in the area, the multi-disciplined architectural, engineering, and land-surveying firm saw an opportunity for growth in Binghamton. The company hired three new employees to staff the 1,000-square-foot office. Popli Design Group also has offices in the Syracuse, Buffalo, and Albany markets.
Norwich–based NBT Bancorp finalized its merger with Hampshire First Bank in early June, giving the banking company five branches in New Hampshire. Those branches continue to do business under the Hampshire First name. The deal further expands NBT’s reach into New England. It also operates branches in Vermont and Massachusetts, as well as across New York and in Pennsylvania under its NBT Bank, N.A. and Pennstar Bank divisions.
Gearcor, Inc. made the jump from online to brick and mortar when it opened a retail store in Johnson City in June as a companion to its online store (www.gearcor.com). The retailer sells footwear, heavy work gear, and safety gear at the store and online.
JULY—AUGUST—SEPTEMBER
Iberdrola USA inked a deal to sell its Binghamton–based NYSEG Solutions, Inc. energy-services retailer to Houston–based Direct Energy. In a deal announced July 12, Direct Energy will acquire NYSEG Solutions along with Rochester–based Engergetix, Inc., another Iberdrola subsidiary, in a $110.2 million deal.
Endicott Interconnect Technologies, Inc., laid off an undisclosed number of workers at its headquarters in Endicott in July. The company did not provide any information about the layoffs, but news reports indicated soft sales in the third quarter, with only marginal improvement predicted for the fourth quarter, prompted the lay off.
Chobani furthered its expansion efforts by opening a yogurt bar, Chobani SoHo, in New York City. The restaurant, which opened July 25, serves non-frozen yogurt creations mixed with seasonal ingredients as well as a variety of Chobani yogurt flavors in various sizes. Chobani SoHo is located at 150 Prince St.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo put his seal of approval on Binghamton University’s NY SUNY 2020 Challenge Grant proposal, paving the way for the university to break ground on a $70 million Smart Energy Center. Binghamton University’s plan also calls for the university to create more than 840 university and private-sector jobs and increase enrollment.
Elmira Savings Bank continued its expansion and announced plans to open a branch in Elmira Heights in August. Located at 2081 Lake Road, the branch opened August 27 and is the second new branch the bank added in 2012.
Willow Run Foods, Inc. of Kirkland landed a new contract that should push sales toward the $500 million mark and create 75 new jobs at the company. Willow Run provides food, paper, and cleaning products to restaurants. The new contract is a five-year contract with Wendy’s, the nation’s third largest burger chain and fourth largest fast-food company in America.
Big Lots, Inc. moved on to a bigger and better location at 10 Glenwood Ave. in Binghamton in August. The new 30,000-square-foot store is twice the size of Big Lots’ old store at 435 State St.
OCTOBER—NOVEMBER—DECEMBER
Coughlin & Gerhart LLP announced plans to move into a new headquarters location nearly two years after a fire damaged the firm’s office in Binghamton. The firm operated from a temporary location on the Huron Campus following the fire, but plans to move into its new office at the NYSEG building in Kirkwood by year’s end.
Binghamton University is big business for the Southern Tier. A report released by the university shows that its impact on the region is nearly $1 billion and students spent $96 million in the local economy.
Binghamton held its first Startup Weekend Binghamton Nov. 9-11. The event gave entrepreneurs a chance to pitch their business ideas and compete against teams of other entrepreneurs for prizes, which included cash and services to help start their business. More than 60 entrepreneurs participated in the inaugural event.
The Decker School of Nursing at Binghamton University received a $757,000 two-year grant to provided financial assistance to nursing students. The school will use the money to fund tuition costs and provide a stipend to 15 full-time and eight part-time students. The goal is to give students the financial freedom to focus exclusively on their schooling in order to graduate and enter the workforce faster.
Binghamton merchants teamed up on Nov. 24 to participate in Small Business Saturday, a national event that promotes local shopping for the holidays. More than 20 businesses joined forces to form Binghamton’s North Pole and offer discounts and prizes during the event.
Contact DeLore at tdelore@tgbbj.com