The Downtown Committee of Syracuse, Inc. on Thursday held its spring progress breakfast at the Marriott Syracuse Downtown. (Photo credit: Downtown Committee of Syracuse Twitter page)
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Three speakers discussed their involvement in downtown Syracuse projects during Thursday morning’s spring progress breakfast held at the Marriott Syracuse Downtown.
The event focused on a series of projects that have helped reinvigorate underutilized spaces. It also sought to “call attention to how a downtown location, with the variety of amenities offered, influences talent retention and attraction,” the Downtown Committee said.
The speakers
Norman Jemal, managing principal of Douglas Development Corporation, discussed the redevelopment of the 126-year-old former Onondaga County Savings Bank into what is now called The Treasury.
Jemal also spoke about his “positive experiences” working on projects in downtown Syracuse and how it is “one of the best places to do business,” per the Downtown Committee news release.
In addition, Peter Belyea, CEO of CXtec, explained the reasoning behind the firm’s upcoming move of 100 employees into 31,000 square feet of new office space inside City Center, the former Sibley’s department store which has been under renovation work. With plans to move in later this summer, Belyea told the gathering that CXtec chose a downtown Syracuse location because of the “unique amenities” it has to offer employees outside of the office.
Belyea said he is excited that his employees will have a workspace that allows for more collaboration, fun and productivity, but “also be in a location rich with Syracuse history, the arts and cultural opportunities,” per the Downtown Committee news release.
The speakers also included Rob O’Connor, co-founder of ELITE Gaming, who announced his company’s new presence in Armory Square.
The company is taking over 12,000 square feet of space in the Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science and Technology (the MOST) in late 2022.
O’Connor discussed how his Esports gaming arena “brings together the large and growing” world of Esports and the gaming community. As an industry, it is “bigger than the movie and music industries combined,” as described in the news release.
Besides serving as a gathering place for game lovers and professional gamers, the facility provides a platform where local students can earn credits towards higher-education programs in graphic design, 3D modeling, CGI (computer-generated imagery) and more.
OSWEGO, N.Y. — Oswego Health says it had the system’s first robotically assisted surgery using…
JOHNSON CITY, N.Y. — Tioga State Bank (TSB) will open a new branch in Johnson…
UTICA, N.Y. — A report by the Oneida County Childcare Taskforce made a number of…
ITHACA, N.Y. — Cayuga Health System (CHS), based in Ithaca, and Cancer Resource Center of…
DeWITT, N.Y. — MACNY, the Manufacturers Association will use a $6 million federal grant to…
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The Syracuse Housing Authority (SHA) and the City of Syracuse will use…