Syracuse is designated as a workforce hub, focused on chip manufacturing

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. — U.S. President Joseph Biden on Thursday announced Syracuse as one of four additional Investing in America Workforce Hubs, and the Syracuse hub will focus on semiconductor manufacturing. The 46th president made the announcement during his visit to the Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science & Technology (the MOST) in downtown Syracuse. Biden […]

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The 46th president made the announcement during his visit to the Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science & Technology (the MOST) in downtown Syracuse.

Biden also touted the agreement between Micron Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MU) and the U.S. Department of Commerce for $6.1 billion in federal funding from the CHIPS and Science Act for the company’s projects in the town of Clay and at its headquarters in Boise, Idaho.

Besides Syracuse, Biden also announced hubs for Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Philadelphia,Pennsylvania; and Detroit and Lansing, Michigan.

The hubs complement five existing workforce hubs, including those in Phoenix, Arizona, and Columbus, Ohio that have supported new semiconductor training programs, per a White House fact sheet about Biden’s visit to Syracuse. These hubs seek to leverage and develop partnerships between companies, educational institutions, and labor unions on workforce development.

“And I know that Micron is also partnering with American Federation of Teachers to develop technology curricula for high schools in New York State,” the president said in his remarks at the MOST.

First Lady Jill Biden in 2023 announced the first five workforce hubs in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Phoenix, Arizona; Baltimore, Maryland; Columbus, Ohio; and Augusta, Georgia.

“Thousands of workers will be training in these facilities,” President Biden said in his remarks at the MOST.

Federal officials first discussed the announcement of Syracuse as a workforce hub during a Wednesday morning press call with reporters in New York and Idaho ahead of the president’s visit to Syracuse.

“I worked with the Biden Administration to make Syracuse one of only a handful of locations around the country designated as a workforce hub, and that’s going to help deliver assistance to companies, educational institutions, labor unions … to build a pipeline of workers to fill the thousands of good-paying jobs being created,” U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D–N.Y.), said in the press call. “It’s one of the reasons that Micron was excited to come to Syracuse … they knew they’d have a good labor supply. The workforce hub designation will build on the major efforts Micron is already undertaking on its own to train a new generation of workers.”

Schumer went on to say, “Major funding from [the] CHIPS announcement will help support these workforce efforts and highlight Micron’s leadership in investing in workers in the entire region.”

ConMed promotes Beyer to newly created COO role

Manufacturing & Engineering, Mohawk Valley

ConMed Corp. (NYSE: CNMD) has promoted Patrick Beyer to the newly created role of chief operating officer, effective immediately, the medical-device maker announced Wednesday afternoon.

Southwest Airlines to cease operations at Syracuse airport in August

Sports, Entertainment & Tourism

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) has informed the Syracuse Regional Airport Authority (SRAA) that it will end operations at Syracuse Hancock International Airport

Bassett Healthcare plans May 4 career fair with job openings across the health system

Health Care, Mohawk Valley, Subscriber Only

COOPERSTOWN — Bassett Healthcare Network will hold a career fair on Saturday, May 4 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Bassett Medical Center’s outpatient clinic, located at 1 Atwell Road in Cooperstown. Both clinical and non-clinical health-care jobs are open across the organization’s eight-county service area of Chenango, Delaware, Herkimer, Madison, Montgomery, Oneida, Otsego,

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Lockheed Martin Owego wins $13M Navy contract modification

Manufacturing & Engineering, Southern Tier, Subscriber Only, Technology

OWEGO — Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems in Owego has recently been awarded a nearly $13.2 million modification to an order against a previously issued basic ordering agreement from the U.S. Navy. This modification exercises an option to provide 105 mission-computer retrofit kits (101 for the Navy, three for the government of Australia, and

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SUNY Poly professor awarded $175K in NSF research funding

Education & Training, Mohawk Valley, Subscriber Only

MARCY — SUNY Polytechnic Institute’s Tarannum Shaila Zaman, an assistant professor of computer science, has recently received a $175,000 National Science Foundation Computer and Information Science and Engineering Research Initiation Initiative (NSF CRII) grant to support her project, called, “An Automated and User-centered Framework for Reproducing System-level Concurrency Bugs by Analyzing Bug Reports.” The research

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The research will create a novel framework named RepSON that addresses challenges caused by system-level concurrency bugs that frequently appear in modern software systems, lessening the burden faced by developers who must currently troubleshoot them manually, the university said.

“I applaud Dr. Zaman’s efforts on this project, which will develop a game changing resource for those in the software industry,” SUNY Poly Interim Dean of the College of Engineering and Associate Provost for Research Michael Carpenter said in a news release. “Furthermore, this project will increase workplace efficiency, cutting down the amount of time developers spend debugging software, so they can focus on other important tasks.”

According to Zaman, reproducing software bugs is necessary to ensure that they exist so their behavior can be observed, and they can be fixed. Reproducing system-level concurrency bugs is challenging.

“I’m grateful for this investment by the National Science Foundation that will allow this incredibly important research to come to fruition,” Zaman said. “In addition to the creation of a novel framework (RepSON), this project will also develop a technique for extracting information and generating executable inputs from bug reports that can also be applied to other types of software bugs.”

Zaman joined SUNY Poly’s College of Engineering faculty in August 2022 after graduating with her Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Kentucky. Prior to this, she obtained her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer science from the University of Dhaka in Bangladesh, in 2011 and 2013, respectively. She worked at Samsung Research and Development from 2012-2013.

Her research focuses on devising novel techniques that make computer systems more efficient, reliable, autonomous, and user friendly.

SUNY Poly offers undergraduate and graduate degrees through its four colleges — arts and sciences, engineering, business, and health sciences.

Raymour & Flanigan now owns Northern Lights in Salina

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

Plans a new store in the shopping center SALINA — With its purchase of the Northern Lights shopping center in the town of Salina, Raymour & Flanigan Furniture and Mattresses has plans to open a retail store there. But the retailer tells CNYBJ that it hasn’t set a timeline

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Plans a new store in the shopping center

SALINA — With its purchase of the Northern Lights shopping center in the town of Salina, Raymour & Flanigan Furniture and Mattresses has plans to open a retail store there.

But the retailer tells CNYBJ that it hasn’t set a timeline for opening a new store. Northern Lights is located at 132 Northern Lights Plaza in the Mattydale hamlet within Salina.

The acquisition closed on April 11, the office of Salina Town Supervisor Nick Paro said in an announcement the following day. Raymour & Flanigan declined to disclose the purchase price in its email response to a CNYBJ inquiry.

The town’s announcement indicated Raymour & Flanigan plans to open a retail store in the plaza “in the coming months” and “focus on attracting national retailers to fill vacant spaces.”

“As a family-owned business that considers Syracuse its home, the company has always been committed to serving the people in the area and is always looking for new ways to grow in its backyard,” Raymour & Flanigan tells CNYBJ. “We’re excited about the opportunity to contribute to economic growth in the area, including development in the region and new job opportunities.”

Raymour & Flanigan is headquartered in the Syracuse suburb of Clay.

The retailer bought the Northern Lights property from Cushman & Wakefield (NYSE: CWK), a Chicago, Illinois–based commercial real-estate firm that operates offices in the Syracuse area.

“This plaza was once a jewel of our community, but has been in disrepair for many years now,” Salina Town Supervisor Nick Paro said in the announcement. “Its placement along Interstate-81 makes it a prime location for retailers to serve our community and grow their customer base, and I am thrilled to welcome [Raymour & Flanigan] to Salina.”

The large entrance sign at Northern Lights lists current tenants that include Olum’s Furniture & Appliances, Petco, Party City, Flaming Grill & Buffet, and Paladino’s Pizza.

Originally built in 1956, Northern Lights has been a “retail staple” of the town of Salina for generations, the town said. “In its heyday,” the plaza was home to retailers like T.J. Maxx and Michaels, Media Play, and even local-favorite restaurants like Hofmann’s Hot Haus and Paladino’s Pizza, Paro’s office said.

“When Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy visited Paladino’s Pizza two years ago, he commented on the great pizza but dismal strip mall,” Paro noted. “I am excited to say that Northern Lights Plaza will be much more attractive and full of life for Portnoy’s next visit.”

NYS Secretary of State Rodriguez to begin new role with DASNY in May

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Subscriber Only

ALBANY — The man who currently serves as New York’s 68th Secretary of State will begin a new role in early May. The board of directors of the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY) has appointed Robert Rodriguez as acting president and CEO. Rodriguez will begin his new duties at DASNY on

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ALBANY — The man who currently serves as New York’s 68th Secretary of State will begin a new role in early May.

The board of directors of the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY) has appointed Robert Rodriguez as acting president and CEO.

Rodriguez will begin his new duties at DASNY on May 8. He will serve as acting president and CEO until confirmed by the New York State Senate, the office of Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on April 10.

Rodriguez will assume the role previously held by Reuben McDaniel III, who left DASNY last October and now serves as managing director of the Alice Walton Foundation, according to his LinkedIn profile.

DASNY is New York State’s public finance and construction authority. It finances, designs, and builds health and education infrastructure that is “the foundation of inclusive, sustainable communities,” per its website.

“As Secretary of State, Robert has been a skilled manager, a sharp tactician, and a devoted public servant for the people of New York, and I have the utmost confidence that he will continue to succeed in this new role,” Hochul said. “DASNY staff stepped up in extraordinary ways to fulfill the authority’s mission while my office conducted its search for new leadership, and I look forward to continuing our partnership with Robert at the helm.”

About Rodriguez

As Secretary of State, Rodriguez oversaw the New York State Department of State. The department contends that it fosters “community revitalization, catalyzing economic growth through business formation, protecting consumers, helping new Americans, supporting local governments, assisting individuals and families to achieve upward economic mobility, and ensuring safety and integrity through the regulation of licensed occupations and the development of building standards and codes.”

Prior to joining the Hochul administration as Secretary of State, Rodriguez, a Democrat, served as a member of the New York State Assembly for 11 years. He represented Assembly District 68, which encompasses northeastern Manhattan.

He served as co-chair of the legislative task force on demographic research and reapportionment; founding chair of the Assembly sub-committee on infrastructure; and member of committees on ways and means, housing, labor, banking, corporations and authorities and mental health.

Rodriguez also held private-sector roles as a director at Public Financial Management, VP at A.C. Advisory, Inc., and various management and operations roles at Bloomberg LP, Hochul’s office said.

Madison County receives $2 million grant for healthy housing program

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Health Care, Subscriber Only

WAMPSVILLE — Madison County Public Health (MCPH) has received a $2 million grant from the Healthy Homes Production Grant Program of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to help mitigate housing-related hazards that can contribute to childhood diseases and injuries in low-income households across the county. “This grant will make it possible

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Commerce Dept. starts work on finalizing funding for Micron projects

Insurance & Financial Services, Construction, Design & Real Estate, Manufacturing & Engineering, Subscriber Only, Technology

CLAY — The U.S. Department of Commerce is working on a due-diligence process on Micron Technology’s (NASDAQ: MU) planned projects in both the town of Clay and in Idaho. Micron has reached a $6.1 billion preliminary memorandum of terms (PMT) funding agreement with the Commerce Department under the federal CHIPS & Science Law. The PMT

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CLAY — The U.S. Department of Commerce is working on a due-diligence process on Micron Technology’s (NASDAQ: MU) planned projects in both the town of Clay and in Idaho.

Micron has reached a $6.1 billion preliminary memorandum of terms (PMT) funding agreement with the Commerce Department under the federal CHIPS & Science Law.

The PMT outlines key terms for Micron’s CHIPS agreement. To finalize the federal CHIPS agreement, the Commerce Department will now begin a due-diligence process on the proposed project and other information contained in the application, the office of U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D–N.Y.) announced April 17.

After satisfactory completion of the due-diligence phase, the Commerce Department will finalize the PMT.

President Joseph Biden on April 25 visited the Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science & Technology in downtown Syracuse to formally announce and showcase the funding agreement.

This federal funding is part of a planned public-private investment of more than $100 billion over the next two decades. It represents the largest private investment in New York’s history, Schumer’s office said.

The money “was made possible thanks to Schumer’s push to bring Micron to Central New York,” his office noted.

“To all those who have had their doubts, believe it, Micron is here, Micron is real. And now with billions in federal investment from my CHIPS & Science Law, we are taking the next steps to get shovels in the ground to transform the Syracuse region and all of Upstate into a global hub for the chips that will power America’s future,” Schumer said in an April 17 release. “From smartphones to AI to our nation’s most sensitive defense technologies, the memory chips Micron makes are in nearly every product of our modern economy, but as the pandemic showed when we don’t shore up our supply chains and make these chips in America it can skyrocket prices and threaten our national security. This investment will build a more secure economy for the entire country, with Micron in Central NY as its beating heart.”

Micron announced its plans for a semiconductor-manufacturing campus at the White Pine Commerce Park in the town of Clay on Oct. 4, 2022.

Gov. Kathy Hochul reacted to Schumer’s announcement in a statement on April 18.

“The largest private investment in American history is on its way to Central New York. New federal funding from President Biden’s CHIPS and Science Act will help lock in 50,000 jobs, a $100 billion investment, and millions of dollars in community benefits, along with aid from the Green CHIPS Act we passed here in New York,” Hochul said.

This is the second agreement for a New York company from the CHIPS-incentives program funded by Schumer’s CHIPS & Science Law.

Earlier this year, Schumer announced that GlobalFoundries in Malta in Saratoga County had reached a $1.5 billion in-direct grant funding pact under the CHIPS & Science Law, with an additional $1.6 billion in loans available. The firm will use the combined $12.5 billion public-private investment over the next 10 plus years to expand and construct a second, new state-of-the-art computer chip factory in Malta, per Schumer’s office.

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