Stay up-to-date on the companies, people and issues that impact businesses in Syracuse, Central New York and beyond.
Syracuse Cultural Festivals Fund helps bring vibrant events to the city
SYRACUSE — The Syracuse Cultural Festivals Fund is helping rejuvenate areas across the city with vibrant festivals and events that do more than just bring people out to enjoy them. This year, the City of Syracuse government has $140,000 available for festivals taking place from this September through September 2025. Grant amounts range from $3,000 […]
ELITE Gaming Arena offers venue for gaming, learning
SYRACUSE — Esports — the world of competitive video gaming — is not just here to stay. It has grown into a multi-billion-dollar industry that has spawned everything from competitive tournaments to college majors. For friends Rob O’Connor and Matt Guernsey, esports also provided an avenue to opening a business for fellow gamers that allowed
Whiskey Coop brings Nashville chicken and whiskey to Syracuse
SYRACUSE — A trip to Tennessee and some Nashville hot chicken inspired chef Cheryl Chaif to create The Whiskey Coop. Now, she’s bringing that chicken and a whiskey menu to Armory Square. Chaif opened her first location in Sackets Harbor in 2020. “It was inspired by a trip to Nashville in 2017,” she recalls. Chaif
Onajava Coffee and Soul Café to launch in long-vacant South Salina Street building
SYRACUSE — Onajava Coffee and Soul Café, a family owned and operated business, is getting set to launch operations on Oct. 1 in the redeveloped former Sumner Hunt building at 1555 S. Salina St. in Syracuse, at the intersection with East Kennedy Street. That’s according to owner Reggie Pickard in a Sept. 5 email response
The reborn Hotel Syracuse turns 100 years old
Marriott Syracuse Downtown celebrates the birthday SYRACUSE — For than a century, it’s been a venue for weddings and wedding receptions, high-school proms, New Year’s Eve celebrations, other big events, and overnight lodging. The time period also included a two-year, $76 million
Syracuse mayor appoints public-arts coordinator
SYRACUSE — Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh in early June announced the appointment of Anne Cofer to serve as public-arts coordinator for the City of Syracuse. In this role, Cofer leads oversight and supervision of public-art planning and coordination initiatives for city government, including advising and assisting the Syracuse Public Art Commission. Cofer collaborates with the
Syracuse testing cement replacement in sidewalks
SYRACUSE — The City of Syracuse Department of Public Works (DPW) is pilot testing a new approach to infrastructure by using recycled glass as a cement replacement in concrete, the city government announced on Sept. 4. This initiative, a collaborative effort with Riccelli-Northern and KLAW Industries, aims to create high-performance, low-carbon infrastructure. The test projects
Adopt-a-Block neighborhood cleanup program in its 7th year
Groups can still sign up SYRACUSE — The City of Syracuse’s Adopt-a-Block program is now in its seventh year and anyone who would like to participate can still do so. City officials launched the program’s seventh year with an event at Kirk Park back on May 31 when Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh
With $50M HUD grant, SHA to redevelop Syracuse public housing near I-81
SYRACUSE — It was a big check with a big dollar amount that was unveiled during a late-morning ceremony on July 17 at Wilson Park in Syracuse. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) delivered $50 million for the upcoming East Adams neighborhood-transformation project. The funding comes through the HUD’s Choice Neighborhoods Initiative
Chimes Building renovation work set to wrap in early 2026
SYRACUSE — The Allyn Family Foundation says the renovation work inside the Chimes Building at 500 S. Salina St. in Syracuse will continue through the first quarter of 2026. That’s according to Meg O’Connell, executive director of the foundation, who spoke with CNYBJ in an Aug. 23 telephone interview. “We have been approved by the
Stay up-to-date on the companies, people and issues that impact businesses in Syracuse, Central New York and beyond.