Cuomo welcomes 14 licensed farm breweries in New York

Get our email updates

Stay up-to-date on the companies, people and issues that impact businesses in Syracuse, Central New York and beyond.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo today welcomed 14 newly licensed farm breweries that have opened since the beginning of the year with a Farm Brewery license that is part of a law Cuomo signed in January. The “Farm Brewery” license allows craft brewers that use products grown in New York to operate in a fashion similar to […]

Already an Subcriber? Log in

Get Instant Access to This Article

Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.

Learn More and Become a Subscriber

HealtheConnections Health Planning serves as navigator for NY State of Health

Health Care, Subscriber Only, Technology

SYRACUSE — HealtheConnections Health Planning is spearheading the navigator program for Onondaga County to help consumers as they pursue the purchase of health-care coverage through NY State of Health, the state’s health-insurance exchange. The New York State Department of Health and NY State of Health chose the Syracuse–based organization to lead the local navigator program,

Already an Subcriber? Log in

Get Instant Access to This Article

Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.

Learn More and Become a Subscriber

The New York State Department of Health and NY State of Health chose the Syracuse–based organization to lead the local navigator program, the organization announced Sept. 10.

NY State of Health is New York’s health-plan marketplace for purchasing health-care coverage under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the federal health-care reform law.

NY State of Health on Oct. 8 announced that over 40,000 New Yorkers had signed up for health insurance in the exchange’s first week of operation, “more than any other state reporting thus far,” according to a news release on the NY State of Health website.

The HealtheConnections navigator program is designed to reach individuals, sole proprietors and employers, and its target audience is uninsured and underinsured individuals, the organization said.

Nearly 40,000 individuals in Onondaga County, amounting to about 8 percent of the population of the county, are uninsured, according to HealtheConnections.

Of those, more than half (54 percent) are employed, the organization said.

New York’s navigator program requires each county to designate individuals at select organizations to facilitate access to health insurance.

HealtheConnections Health Planning is partnering with four community agencies to provide navigators who are located near and “culturally engaged” with their respective neighborhoods, the organization said in a news release.

The partner agencies include Benefit Specialists of NY, Northside Urban Partnership, the Salvation Army, and the South Side Innovation Center, according to HealtheConnections.

Each agency will have one navigator available to provide services that include educating potential enrollees about the health-plan marketplace, the types of available health-insurance plans, and opportunities for tax credits and cost-sharing.

In addition, the agencies will provide facilitated enrollment into plans available through the marketplace, which include Medicaid and Child Health Plus. They’ll also assist with plan renewals and appeals, according to HealtheConnections.

The role of the navigator is to assist individuals in person, says Sara Wall Bollinger, executive director for health planning at HealtheConnections.

“So, the focus is on people who find, for whatever reason, that enrolling through the 800 number or the website didn’t work for them,” Bollinger says.

The website for NY State of Health (https://nystateofhealth.ny.gov) lists the number at 1-855-355-5777.

Those needing help locally can also call (315) 470-1847 to set up an appointment with a local navigator, Bollinger says.

“Essentially, we will meet people wherever they need [to meet],” says Bollinger, noting they can meet with applicants in libraries, community centers, and the Onondaga Nation Health Center, if need be.

The process to get consumers signed up for coverage involves two parts, which includes determining an individual’s premium support and choosing the plan that’s right for the person and his or her family, Bollinger says.

The process starts with an assessment of a consumer’s personal-income situation, which is based on a person’s 2012 New York state tax return.

“So, if you a have a 2012 tax return in New York state, pretty much all the information you’ll need is going to be there,” Bollinger says.

Once the navigator helps the applicant determine the amount of the subsidy credit for which he or she is eligible, the consumer then chooses coverage from the bronze, silver, gold, and platinum levels and the companies that offer coverage in the area.

“You might have a choice of 10 or 12 different insurance coverage [options] to look at and so you have to think about that and take your time,” Bollinger says.

“We’ll go through doctors. We’ll go through prescriptions and just try and make the process as easy as we can for each person,” says Stacy Sturdevant, a navigator who’s based at the Salvation Army of the Syracuse area at 677 South Salina St.

Armed with a laptop computer, Sturdevant also offers her services at other sites, including the Onondaga Nation Health Center on the third Friday of every month to help people enroll, she says.

Sturdevant trained a total of 24 hours over a three-day period and had to pass a certification exam, she says.

But the training is ongoing. “The training’s not done yet,” Sturdevant adds.

The navigators will also participate in webinars to keep themselves up to date on what they need to know.

HealtheConnections Health Planning is a service of HealtheConnections, a regional health-information organization which provides health-information exchange and electronic-health record adoption services to the medical community in Central New York, according to its website.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com

‘Fish FINatics’ store coming to Manlius Nov. 1

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

MANLIUS — Central New York fish and aquarium enthusiasts will soon have a new store in town. Fish FINatics, LLC — a provider of freshwater and marine fish, aquariums, supplies, maintenance services, and more — is set to open at 7037 Manlius Center Road in the town of Manlius on Friday, Nov. 1. The business,

Already an Subcriber? Log in

Get Instant Access to This Article

Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.

Learn More and Become a Subscriber

The business, co-owned by Christopher Fowler and Thomas O’Connor, will offer fish and invertebrate supplies for aquarium hobbyists, Fowler says. The owners are leasing the store’s 1,700 square feet of space from Fremont First Associates. JS Hagan Architect PC designed and helped renovate the facility, according to Fowler.

The store will sell shrimp, crabs, snails, and corals in addition to its array of fish. Supplies will include filters, tanks, tank stands, lighting, and fish food, Fowler says.

“Most stores in town specialize in one specimen such as saltwater fish, but we will have variety,” he says.

Fowler says that he expects about 70 percent of the store’s customers to be men between the ages of 20 and 50 who are most into the aquarium hobby and the technical work it requires. Fish FINatics is also seeking to attract women aquarium hobbyists by offering varieties of colorful saltwater fish, live corals, and living rocks that are usually their favorites, he says.

Fish FINatics will also offer special home and office services including set-up and maintenance support, scheduled feeding, consultation, and in-store free water sample testing for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, calcium, salinity, and phosphates, Fowler says.

Invertebrate and saltwater fish varieties range from $1 to $300 each, fresh water fish go for anywhere between $1 and $100 a piece. The store’s services rate is $40 per hour and $15 per feeding.

Fish FINatics’ store hours will be Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Fowler previously worked at the Cicero location of the Petland pet-store chain for six years and O’Connor has bred fish for two years, Fowler says. For now, they will work as Fish FINatics’ only employees, he says.

Fish FINatics will compete with other local aquarium-hobby stores such as Syracuse Aquarium & Pond Supply, as well as the two locations of ABC Reefs.

Contact The Business Journal at news@cnybj.com

New BCIDA executive director outlines goals for agency

Regional News, Subscriber Only

BINGHAMTON — Now that he’s had three months to get his feet wet, the Broome County Industrial Development Agency’s (BCIDA) new executive director, Kevin I. McLaughlin, is fast attacking a list of goals he’s set out for the organization. First on the agenda is the development of a strategic plan for BCIDA, outlining its purpose

Already an Subcriber? Log in

Get Instant Access to This Article

Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.

Learn More and Become a Subscriber

First on the agenda is the development of a strategic plan for BCIDA, outlining its purpose and goals for the next one, three, and five years, McLaughlin says. “We’re in that process now,” he notes and adds that he hopes to have the plan completed within the next two to three months. “I think the board is really looking forward to putting this together,” he says.

The plan will serve as BCIDA’s blueprint over the coming years, keeping people on task and working toward the agency’s mission to generate economic development across the county, McLaughlin says.

Second on McLaughlin’s list was to reconvene BCIDA’s loan committee and loan programs, which have about $450,000 to lend. BCIDA administers two loan programs. Southern Tier East Economic Development (STEED) is a revolving-loan program that serves Broome, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Otsego, Tompkins, Tioga, and Schoharie counties. The Title IX Economic Adjustment Revolving Loan program works with small businesses in Broome County.

The goal, McLaughlin says, is to make as many good loans in Broome County, as well as the other counties the funds serve, as the agency can. “We don’t want it to sit around,” he says of the loan funding. “We want it to be active.”

To help drum up interest in BCIDA’s loans, McLaughlin, who started in his new position on Aug. 5, plans to get out and mingle throughout the region.

“I think it’s important that businesses and communities know we are out there to assist them,” he says.

Along with setting his list of goals, McLaughlin has been busy getting to know the agency’s board of directors, and together they recently secured $2.5 million in funding from Empire State Development to offer the winning bidder for the bankrupt Endicott Interconnect Technologies as an incentive to keep the business going and keep jobs in the area.

BCIDA (www.bcida.com) is a not-for-profit public-benefit corporation — chartered by the state and overseen by a nine-member board appointed by the Broome County Legislature — that promotes economic development in the greater Binghamton region. The agency owns and manages the 600-acre Broome Corporate Park in Conklin and more than 1.2 million square feet of real estate. That includes 265 Industrial Park Drive, a 435,000-square-foot multi-tenant facility in Kirkwood, and 600 Main St., the former BAE Greater Binghamton headquarters in Johnson City. BCIDA’s 2013 budget totals more than $820,500 in revenue, according to its website.

McLaughlin’s background

Prior to joining BCIDA, McLaughlin served as regional director for Empire State Development and president of the Empire State New Market Corporation.

In his role as regional director, McLaughlin helped secure more than $140 million for the Southern Tier Economic Development Council to support community and economic-development projects across an eight-county region. At Empire State New Market Corporation, he led the management and implementation of the $30 million New Market Tax Credit allocation made in May 2009.

“Kevin is an experienced economic development professional who brings a lot to the table in his new leadership role at the IDA. I look forward to working with him to continue our focus on job creation and economic development,” Broome County Executive Debbie Preston, said in a BCIDA news release issued in July, when McLaughlin’s appointment was announced.

McLaughlin also served as a director of the National Development Council, where he worked with state agencies, municipalities, and industrial-development agencies to identify development opportunities and create loan programs.

McLaughlin replaced Richard D’Attilio, who retired after 18 years as head of BCIDA. McLaughlin’s annual salary is $135,000, according to BCIDA.

Contact The Business Journal at news@tgbbj.com

Central New York’s quarterly consumer sentiment falls in Q3

Subscriber Only

Overall-consumer sentiment decreased in the Syracuse, Utica–Rome, and Binghamton areas in the third quarter of 2013, according to the latest quarterly survey of nine metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) of the state by the Siena (College) Research Institute (SRI) released Oct. 9. The consumer-sentiment figure declined in all metro areas, except Buffalo, where quarterly sentiment inched

Already an Subcriber? Log in

Get Instant Access to This Article

Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.

Learn More and Become a Subscriber

The consumer-sentiment figure declined in all metro areas, except Buffalo, where quarterly sentiment inched up 0.6 points to 73.8 during the third quarter, according to SRI.

Consumer sentiment in the Syracuse area fell 3.4 points to 73.6, which ranked fifth among the nine areas surveyed.

The sentiment figure in the Utica–Rome area dropped 4.8 points during the third quarter to 63.4, representing the lowest sentiment figure among the nine MSAs surveyed, according to the SRI data.

Consumer sentiment in the Binghamton area came in at 66.4, which was down 1.5 points in the third quarter and the second lowest among the nine regions.

At 79.6, the New York City MSA posted the highest overall-consumer sentiment in the third quarter.

An MSA is a core, urbanized area of 50,000 or more people plus adjacent counties with strong social or economic ties, as measured by commuting patterns, according to SRI.

The top five MSAs, New York City, Albany, Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse are “all tightly bunched within a few points of each other, all very close to the break-even point where optimism equals pessimism,” says Douglas Lonnstrom, professor of statistics and finance at Siena College and SRI founding director.

It was a quarter that started with a fair amount of optimism, he adds.

“The stock market had done well the first half of the year. The housing market was showing signs of coming to life. The job market, while it wasn’t robust, was at least growing. It wasn’t shrinking,” Lonnstrom says.

However, in September, consumers started hearing about the government shutdown, and the concern about nation’s debt ceiling and the potential inability to pay the nation’s bills.

“So we went from some optimism in the beginning of the quarter to pessimism at the end of the quarter, and as a result, I think there was a lot of uncertainty out there for the consumer,” Lonnstrom says.

Of the 27 indexes measured in the survey — including the overall, current, and future-sentiment components in all nine MSAs — 24 were down, according to the SRI data.

With the future-sentiment indexes down in all regions of New York, what could that mean for the upcoming holiday shopping season?

“Right now, if I had to guess, I don’t see a really strong holiday-buying season,” Lonnstrom says.

When compared to the same quarter a year ago, the Syracuse overall-sentiment figure of 73.6 is up 5.6 points from the 68 figure in 2012, according to the SRI data. At the same time, the Utica–Rome figure of 63.4 is up 1 point from the 62.4 number registered a year ago, and the Binghamton figure of 66.4 is up less than one point, according to the SRI data.

“Syracuse area is up six points from where [it was] a year ago, and that’s probably one of the better increases [in this survey],” Lonnstrom says.

As for the Utica–Rome MSA, which ranked last among the MSAs in overall consumer sentiment, the region tumbled into the “economic cellar,” Lonnstrom says.

“The good news is the only place they can go is up,” he adds.

The intent of the consumer-confidence index is to measure people’s willingness to spend, as opposed to their ability to spend, SRI says. This data reports consumer confidence for the second quarter by MSA and should not be confused with SRI’s monthly New York index.

Buying plans

While consumer confidence is reported as an index number, the buying-plans portion of the survey reflects the percentage of respondents who plan specific expenditures in the next six months.

Of the 36 decisions possible across the nine MSAs, 20 increased in the third quarter, 16 decreased, according to SRI.

As it has done with its monthly consumer-sentiment surveys, SRI has replaced the computer category with consumer electronics for the first time in this survey.

In the Syracuse MSA, buying plans were up 1.4 points to 17.8 percent for major home improvements, rose 1 point to 2.7 percent for homes, inched up 0.2 points to 15.4 percent for furniture. Buying plans declined 3.3 points to 9.5 percent for cars and trucks.

The survey also found 25 percent of Syracuse MSA respondents had buying plans for consumer electronics in the third quarter.

In the Utica–Rome MSA, buying plans increased 2.2 points to 14.2 percent for furniture and increased 0.9 points to 3.1 percent for homes. Buying plans declined 1.5 points to 9 percent for cars and trucks and fell 1.4 points to 14.9 percent for major home improvements.

Nearly 24 percent of respondents in the Utica–Rome MSA had plans to purchase consumer electronics in the third quarter, according to the SRI data.

In the Binghamton MSA, buying plans rose 1.4 points to 4.1 percent for homes. Buying plans declined 1.7 points to 9 percent for cars and trucks, fell 1.3 points to 12 percent for furniture, and decreased 2.3 points to 14.9 percent for major home improvements.

The survey also found nearly 25 percent of respondents in the Binghamton MSA had plans to purchase consumer electronics, SRI said.

SRI conducted the quarterly consumer-sentiment survey by random telephone calls to more than 400 respondents over the age of 18 in all of the MSAs, except for New York City and Long Island, which are based on an average of SRI’s monthly consumer-confidence surveys.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com

NYAG, DEC announce funding to improve water quality on Onondaga Lake

Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Subscriber Only

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman on Oct. 8 announced an agreement between his office, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), the Atlantic States Legal Foundation, and Onondaga County that directs environmental-penalty funds toward projects to reduce sewage overflows to Onondaga Lake and its tributaries. The funds originate from a 1996 court

Already an Subcriber? Log in

Get Instant Access to This Article

Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.

Learn More and Become a Subscriber

The funds originate from a 1996 court order against Onondaga County related to water-quality violations at its Metropolitan Syracuse Wastewater Treatment Facility.

The U.S. District Court for the northern district in Syracuse approved the projects, Schneiderman’s office said in a news release.

The agreement identifies two projects targeted for funding, including the green-infrastructure demonstration project in Syracuse’s Near Westside neighborhood, and an erosion and sediment-control project in the village of Solvay.

Both projects are intended to enhance the county’s ongoing work to reduce sewage overflows and improve water quality in Onondaga Lake and its tributaries, Schneiderman’s office said.

Just a few decades ago, some considered Onondaga Lake “the most polluted” body of water body, but its recovery since then has been nothing short of “remarkable,” Schneiderman said in the news release.

“Today, through the cooperation of state agencies and local government, water quality is improving, the ecosystem is recovering, and people are once again embracing the lake as an economic, recreational, and cultural treasure,” Schneiderman said.

The green-infrastructure projects fit “perfectly” with Onondaga County’s “ambitious,” ongoing program to capture and treat polluted runoff, “dramatically” reduce combined-sewer overflows, limit localized flooding, recharge aquifers, and “beautify” the urban landscape, DEC Commissioner Joe Martens said in the news release.

“Gov. Cuomo’s NYS 2100 Commission strongly promotes the use of green infrastructure, and the collaborative partnership to clean up Onondaga Lake is a national model that demonstrates how green infrastructure can be part of an effective strategy to restore a valued water body that has suffered extensive contamination,” Martens said.

Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney thanked the attorney general’s office for investing the projects.

“Our community has been investing for many years in the cleanup of Onondaga Lake — and we are seeing tremendous results,” Mahoney said in the news release.

The Central New York Regional Planning and Development Board will implement the projects under a contract with the DEC, according to the attorney general’s office.

The agreement will pay for the green-infrastructure demonstration project, which is occurring in the vicinity of West Onondaga Street in Syracuse’s Near Westside, the attorney general’s office said.

When heavy rains produce excess storm water in this area, it overwhelms the sewage-collection system and leads to untreated-sewage overflows into Onondaga Creek, a tributary of Onondaga Lake.

After siting and design work, the funding will help pay for disconnecting downspouts and installing rain barrels to redirect storm water away from the sewer system.

The project also involves planting trees, constructing rain gardens, and installing porous pavement to allow rainwater to percolate directly into the ground.

Once constructed, local officials will be monitor the projects to gauge their effectiveness, and they’ll conduct tours and other outreach efforts.

The total project costs are estimated at $250,000, the attorney general’s office said.

The erosion and sediment-control project in the village of Solvay will occur on the 3.2-acre site of the Solvay Youth Center, which is adjacent to the Solvay village and Geddes town offices on Woods Avenue, according to Schneiderman’s office.

A hill in the rear of the building is severely eroding, resulting in the discharge of sediment and phosphorous into Harbor Brook and into Onondaga Lake.

The funding is intended to help stabilize and terrace the eroding slope, install storm- water controls to better manage runoff, and plant shrubs and grass to keep soil in place.

The total project costs are estimated at $93,505, the attorney general’s office said.

Assistant Attorney General Norman Spiegel and John Davis, a scientist with the attorney general’s environmental-protection bureau are handling the matter, under the supervision of bureau chief Lemuel Srolovic; Alvin Bragg, executive deputy attorney general for social justice; and Janet Sabel, first deputy for affirmative litigation, Schneiderman’s office said.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com

Whitman school’s alumni-mentor program enters 6th year of providing advice

Health Care, Subscriber Only

SYRACUSE — In addition to their professors, sophomores and juniors studying in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University also have a chance to learn from those who have already graduated from the school. The Whitman Alumni Club has a mentor program, which allows graduates to connect with second- and third-year students,

Already an Subcriber? Log in

Get Instant Access to This Article

Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.

Learn More and Become a Subscriber

The Whitman Alumni Club has a mentor program, which allows graduates to connect with second- and third-year students, who are referred to as the “mentees.”

The school on Sept. 23 held an opening, meet-and-greet event for those involved to begin the program’s sixth year of advising students enrolled at the Whitman School.

The role of the mentor is simply to give the students advice, says Kim Michalak, president of the Whitman Alumni Club and a certified financial planner at Wells Fargo Advisors in Syracuse.

“We’re not supposed to give them internships. We’re not supposed to give them jobs. We can if something opened up, but our primary goal here is to give the students advice,” Michalak says.

Mentors in the program have discovered that some students need help in transitioning from college life to the business world, Michalak says.

They can offer their mentees recommendations for academic-course work or simply share life experiences that impacted their working life, Michalak adds.

This year, the program has 84 mentees and about 81 mentors (as of Sept. 23).

“If we can’t find another three mentors, some of the mentors will take two [mentees],” Michalak says.

The students are studying managerial subjects that include entrepreneurship, finance, accounting, and supply-chain management, Michalak adds.

The students and the mentors can decide how often and when they want to meet.

“You can meet once a week in person. You can meet once a month in person. You can meet once a week by email or Skype or on the telephone. Whatever works for the mentor and the mentee,” Michalak says.

Michalak launched the program. Bruce Ruppert, who serves as chairperson of the Whitman Alumni Club Mentor Program, is running the day-to-day operations, Michalak says.

Ruppert also serves as director of business development for Superior Plus Energy Services in Van Buren.

Most mentors are located in the Syracuse area, and some are in New York City. At least one is in Colorado, Ruppert says.

Besides the one-on-one mentoring, the program also offers students help with their interviewing skills, Ruppert said in his remarks to the gathering at the Sept. 23 event.

“Angela [Petrucco] will tell you what she hears from recruiters is that bright students sometimes only interview ‘okay’,” he says.

Angela Petrucco, assistant dean of career services at the Whitman School, also spoke to the students gathered for the event and emphasized the flexibility involved.

“It’s going to really be up to you [and] what you really need in setting that agenda for that [mentor-mentee] relationship,” said Petrucco.

The mentor is someone to whom you can bring your “stupid questions,” Ethan Rothschild, a returning mentee, told the students in his remarks.

“When you’re first entering the work force, whether it’s an internship or a first job, you’re not going to know how to do everything,” he said.

He told his peers they’ll eventually wonder about etiquette and process in a job search, their cover letter and resume, and interviewing. The mentor, he said, won’t judge the students for asking about those questions.

“This is a resource for you, and you really need to realize that if you want to get the most out of this program,” Rothschild said.

Rothschild is a junior majoring in management in the Whitman School and public relations in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, he said.

The mentors have a common goal in their desire to see the undergraduates “be successful,” Ruppert told the students.

“The mentors are giving freely of their time. They don’t get paid for what they do. They do it because they want to do it,” Ruppert told the students.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com

Utica College formally opens nursing facility in Salina for ASDN program

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

SALINA — Utica College on Oct. 3 formally opened a simulation laboratory and testing site for its Accelerated Second Degree Nursing (ASDN) program at the school’s site at the Thruway Office Building at 290 Elwood Davis Road in Salina. Utica College is citing the 2010 to 2020 employment projections from the U.S. Bureau of Labor

Already an Subcriber? Log in

Get Instant Access to This Article

Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.

Learn More and Become a Subscriber

Utica College is citing the 2010 to 2020 employment projections from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) as one of the reasons for launching the ASDN program The BLS projection indicates “employment opportunities are on the rise for registered nurses,” according to Utica College.

The school sees the ASDN program as a way to meet a “very important economic need,” says Todd Hutton, president of Utica College.

“We really need to find ways in this state to train more nurses,” Hutton says.

The ASDN program is a 16-month hybrid curriculum of online study and hands-on clinical-placement experience, says Cathy Brownell, chair and associate professor of nursing at Utica College.

It is designed for individuals who have a bachelor’s degree in a field other than nursing and are seeking a second career in nursing, she adds.

The 16-month instruction will include online theory courses and on-site clinical and laboratory work. The teaching methods include multi-media resources, and proctored testing on location to assess the students’ progress.

The school has had more than 7,300 inquiries about the ASDN program since the college started advertising it in the fall of 2012, says Brownell.

“By the time we got to the application phase [in October 2012], we had had a significant number of inquiries already,” she adds.

The ASDN program is currently full with 72 students, she adds. The next term begins Jan. 6 with a cohort of 48 students.

The school looked at about five locations before deciding on the space at 290 Elwood Davis Road, according to Hutton.

“The one thing we had to have was adequate parking because eventually this [program] will have 288 students,” he says.

The school wanted easy access to the site for students traveling to the area from communities such as Utica, Auburn, Binghamton, and Watertown, he adds.

The site is located near the Electronics Parkway exit along Interstate 90.

“It’s housed here in Syracuse based on needing to be centrally located,” says Jennifer Hill, site director for the Utica College ASDN program.

The 8,900-square-foot structure is equipped with a simulation lab and the same medical technology and equipment used in hospitals and other health-care settings, along with instruction rooms, computer areas, and a student lounge.

Utica College isn’t alone in offering this new nursing program, Hutton says.

The school has partnered with Carmel, Ind.–based Orbis Education, which “creates, markets collaborative health-care education programs designed to alleviate the growing shortage of practitioners,” according to the Orbis Education website.

The Utica College logo is among those displayed on the Orbis Education website, along with others that include Marian University in Indianapolis and Northeastern University.

Orbis Education handled the cost of preparing the space at the Thruway Office Building, the school will repay the Indiana firm “over time” for that investment, Hutton says.

The Central New York Business Journal inquired about the cost involved in offering the program and preparing the site, but Utica College officials didn’t respond before press time.

The New York State Education Department has approved Utica College’s ASDN program. The Middle States Commission on Higher Learning has regionally accredited the program, while the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education has “fully” accredited the program as well, the school said.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com

Community Foundation pledges $1M to support Say Yes Syracuse

Health Care, Nonprofits

SYRACUSE — The Central New York Community Foundation (CNYCF) announced Oct. 8 that its board of directors voted to renew its $1 million commitment to

Two local health centers expand with Community Foundation grants

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

SYRACUSE — The Central New York Community Foundation recently awarded more than $400,000 in grants to charitable organizations in Onondaga and Madison counties, including two grants focused on expanding access to quality health-care services. Residents of the Near Westside neighborhood will have increased access to primary and mental health care with the construction of the

Already an Subcriber? Log in

Get Instant Access to This Article

Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.

Learn More and Become a Subscriber

Residents of the Near Westside neighborhood will have increased access to primary and mental health care with the construction of the new Westside Family Health Center, the foundation said in a news release. This capital project, spearheaded by St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center Foundation, received a $150,000 boost from the Community Foundation. Its current 4,000-square-foot facility will be relocated to a new 18,000-square-foot location on Gifford Street.

The larger footprint will provide enough room to house primary care, pediatrics, OB/GYN, mental health, radiology, and phlebotomy services in one facility, according to the news release. Located in a neighborhood that holds one of the highest poverty rates in the nation, the center expects to serve members of the low-income, minority, immigrant, and refugee populations of Syracuse, the Community Foundation said.

In addition to providing standard health-care services, the center will be partnering with Nojaim’s Food Market, the Syracuse University Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion, Huntington Family Centers, and the Onondaga County Health Department to develop a wellness-outreach program. That initiative will address health risks such as diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease, and obesity by educating people on healthy shopping and eating habits, the Community Foundation release stated.

In Madison County, the Madison County Community Action Partnership (CAP) will utilize a $50,000 CNY Community Foundation grant toward the relocation and expansion of the Mary Rose Center. This free clinic in Oneida sees patients who are uninsured, underinsured, or otherwise unable to access primary care.

High demand at the Mary Rose Center’s current 700-square-foot space has contributed to long wait times to see physicians. The center’s new 3,000-square-foot space, located within the Gorman Community Center at the Northside Shopping Plaza, will add space for private client intake, a more comfortable waiting area, and three additional exam rooms to decrease wait times, the foundation noted. Neighboring nonprofit tenants in the same building will allow clients the opportunity to access multiple services at one location. Case workers from CAP will also be on site to provide wrap-around services and referrals, the Community Foundation said.

“These two grants will help expand access to health care for residents of Onondaga and Madison counties in new ways,” Peter Dunn, Community Foundation president and CEO, said in the release. “Both health centers are implementing unique partnerships with neighborhood community organizations and businesses that will contribute to the overall health and wellbeing of their patients. At a time of rapid change in health-care delivery, this innovative thinking makes these organizations models for providing well-rounded care to underserved populations.”

Contact The Business Journal at news@cnybj.com

Get our email updates

Stay up-to-date on the companies, people and issues that impact businesses in Syracuse, Central New York and beyond.

Get our email updates

What's New

Upcoming Events

Greater Binghamton Chamber Connect Over Lunch

NOFA-NY 43rd Annual Winter Conference

Central New York Political Leadership Institute Information Session

CNYBJ Job Board

Get Instant Access to This Article

Get Instant Access to This Article

Get Instant Access to This Article

Get Instant Access to This Article

Get Instant Access to This Article

Get Instant Access to This Article

Get Instant Access to This Article

Get Instant Access to This Article

Get Instant Access to This Article

Get our email updates