New York manufacturing index soars to highest reading in three years in November

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The Empire State Manufacturing Survey general business conditions index climbed 43 points to 31.2 in November, representing its highest reading in nearly three years. The index had dropped 23 points to -11.9 in October after rising 16 points to 11.5 in September (activity expanding for the first time since November 2023.) The general business conditions […]

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MVHS Foundation surpasses $30 million fundraising goal

Health Care, Construction, Design & Real Estate, Mohawk Valley, Nonprofits, Regional News

UTICA, N.Y. — The Mohawk Valley Health System (MVHS) Foundation’s “This is for You: The Campaign to Transform Healthcare” exceeded its $30 million fundraising goal

AIS receives two new patents

Manufacturing & Engineering, Subscriber Only, Technology

ROME — Assured Information Security (AIS) now has 24 issued patents, with the issuing of two new patents in October by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the company announced. “Expanding our patent portfolio is central to our mission of advancing cybersecurity solutions that can adapt to evolving threats,” AIS Chief Engineer Michael Seiffert said

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Oswego Health’s 5th Annual Gala raises more than $133,000 to support local health care

Health Care, Nonprofits, Subscriber Only

OSWEGO — The 5th Annual Oswego Health Foundation Gala, themed “A Night of Glitz and Glamour,” attracted 282 attendees in a sold-out Nov. 2 event at the Lake Ontario Conference Center and raised more than $133,000 to support local health care and the Oswego Health Foundation Endowment Fund. During the program, Oswego Health presented three

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During the program, Oswego Health presented three prestigious awards: Community Partner, Physician of the Year, and Nurse of the Year.

The 2024 Community Partner Award was given to Oswego County Opportunities (OCO). As a private, nonprofit health & human-service agency and the county’s designated community action agency, OCO has been an integral part of the community since 1966, according to an Oswego Health release. OCO now serves about 15,000 people each year through more than 50 programs, including assistance for the homeless; education services for children, youth, and adults; reproductive health care for women and men; independence for those with disabilities; and more.

The 2024 Physician of the Year Award was presented to Dr. Mark Humphrey. Dr. Humphrey started at Oswego County Opportunities before transferring to Oswego Family Physicians in September 2001 (now Oswego PrimeCare) and has been caring for patients there ever since, per the release. Board certified by the American Board of Family Medicine, Humphrey completed his family practice residency at Wilson Memorial Regional Medical Center. He earned his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from New York College of Osteopathic Medicine and his undergraduate degree at Clarkson University in Potsdam.

Linda Cole, RN, received the 2024 Oswego Health Nurse of the Year Award. She joined the Oswego Health team in 1991 as an LPN, caring for patients on the medical-surgical unit until 2000, when she transferred to its intensive care unit (ICU) to care for critically ill patients. In 2006, Cole graduated from St. Joseph’s College of Nursing as a registered nurse, and even after all these years, she still works in the ICU as a full-time night shift RN. Cole also serves as president of the Oswego Health Employee Fund.

Pathfinder Bancorp reports net loss in third quarter of 2024

Banks & Credit Unions, Subscriber Only

OSWEGO — Pathfinder Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: PBHC), the holding company for Pathfinder Bank, recently reported a net loss of $4.6 million, or 75 cents per share, in the third quarter, compared to net income of $2.2 million, or 35 cents a share, in the same quarter in 2023. The net loss reflected $9 million in

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Berkshire Bank parent company to pay Q4 dividend of 18 cents in late November

Banks & Credit Unions, Mohawk Valley, Subscriber Only

Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc. (NYSE: BHLB) — parent company of Berkshire Bank, which has a significant presence in the Mohawk Valley region — recently announced that its board of directors has approved a quarterly cash dividend of 18 cents per common share. The dividend is payable on Nov. 27, to shareholders of record as of

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Corning Inc.’s Canton plant to create up to 130 jobs

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Manufacturing & Engineering, Southern Tier, Subscriber Only

It comes after winning $32 million in CHIPS funding CANTON — More manufacturing jobs are on the way for the Canton plant of Corning Incorporated (NYSE: GLW). The company has reached an up to $32 million preliminary memorandum of terms (PMT) funding

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It comes after winning $32 million in CHIPS funding

CANTON — More manufacturing jobs are on the way for the Canton plant of Corning Incorporated (NYSE: GLW).

The company has reached an up to $32 million preliminary memorandum of terms (PMT) funding agreement with the U.S. Department of Commerce to increase production at its Canton facility of specialized glass that’s vital for the semiconductor industry.

The expansion is expected to create up to 130 new manufacturing jobs, including new union positions, and more than 175 union construction jobs, the office of U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D–N.Y.) said in its Nov. 8 announcement.

The senator also contends the expansion will “help strengthen this vital supply chain for America’s national security.”

Schumer explained that the proposed CHIPS award will support Corning’s planned $315 million investment that will boost glass production in Canton. Corning Inc. is one of the largest industrial employers in the North Country, the senator’s office noted.

To carry out the expansion, Corning Inc. will work with local unions, including United Steelworkers Local 1026, which represents Corning’s glass-making workforce at the Canton facility and will represent applicable new workers.

Specifically, Corning Inc. plans to increase the production of high purity fused silica and ultra-low expansion glass, which are key components of deep ultraviolet (DUV) and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines and photomasks, Schumer’s office said.

DUV and EUV technology are important to semiconductor manufacturing, and this project will improve EUV performance with a lower carbon footprint.

“We are grateful for Majority Leader Schumer’s vision and tireless efforts to strengthen the domestic semiconductor supply chain through the direct funding award and the Advanced Manufacturing Investment Credit created by the CHIPS and Science Act,” Wendell Weeks, chairman and CEO of Corning Inc., said in the Schumer announcement. “This strategic investment will help our Canton, New York facility continue to expand production of advanced optics components and create up to 130 good paying jobs that are critical to making the world’s most complex microchips.”

To support both the company’s workforce and the broader community’s child-care infrastructure, Corning Inc. also plans to invest $300,000 per year for the duration of the proposed project to support the St. Lawrence County Childcare Training Program.

The effort would help build and stabilize the child-care workforce and increase child-care supply for the community, making it easier for employees to find and obtain care and helping the company access the additional workers needed to make this expansion a success, Schumer’s office said.

The lawmaker also recently announced that Albany NanoTech would be home to the country’s first National Semiconductor Technology Center facility as the headquarters focusing on EUV (extreme ultraviolet lithography) research. By increasing production at Corning’s North Country plant, more American-made glass “critical” to the technology required by new chip fabs such as Micron Technology Inc. (NASDAQ: MU) in Clay, GlobalFoundries in Malta, and Wolfspeed, Inc. (NYSE: WOLF) in Marcy will be made available, “strengthening U.S. supply chains and offering microchip producers shorter wait times and improved responsiveness from an American-made product,” Schumer’s office contends.

Firm that recently expanded into Utica plans more growth

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Manufacturing & Engineering, Mohawk Valley, Subscriber Only

Just months after opening a satellite office in Utica, architecture and engineering-design firm CSArch has inked a new partnership deal that will fuel more growth at the Albany–based firm. CSArch finalized a partnership deal on Oct. 31 with Signal Hill Equity Partners, a Canadian middle-market private-equity firm that focuses on investing in regulated and essential-service

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Just months after opening a satellite office in Utica, architecture and engineering-design firm CSArch has inked a new partnership deal that will fuel more growth at the Albany–based firm.

CSArch finalized a partnership deal on Oct. 31 with Signal Hill Equity Partners, a Canadian middle-market private-equity firm that focuses on investing in regulated and essential-service businesses. The deal adds Signal Hill as an owner of CSArch, keeping the firm’s existing owners along with the firm’s name, employees, and corporate culture.

“It’s a good time for CSArch,” Dan Woodside, company president, tells CNYBJ in an interview. The partnership makes the firm the first of what Signal Hill plans to be a nationwide platform of companies that provide similar as well as complementary services, he adds.

What that means for CSArch is the creation of a network of experts that can work and grow together. That network will help expand the services the firm can offer to its existing clients, Woodside says, because CSArch will be able to reach out to other companies in the network when it needs their expertise. Those same companies can also reach out to CSArch.

“The other piece is being able to grow into new markets as well,” he adds.

CSArch has been open to opportunity for several years now, Woodside says, but none of the companies that have approached the firm were the right fit. With Signal Hill, all the pieces aligned.

It was important that CSArch can continue to operate independently, Woodside notes. During the due-diligence process, he says the firm learned that Signal Hill has crafted a similar network in Canada with much success.

“Nothing changes in terms of the overall management of the company,” he says. Woodside remains president while Rich Peckham remains CEO and Tom Ritzenthaler continues as VP.

“It was obvious from our first conversation that CSArch would be key to our plans in the United States,” Signal Hill Managing Director Ahmed Abdel-Saheb said in a statement. “It has all the core traits we look for in private companies that can grow into truly exceptional businesses. I look forward to working alongside the CSArch team as we build on their well-earned reputation, and Signal Hill’s 30 years of collective experience, investing in the architecture, engineering, and consulting sector of the U.S.”

CSArch started its growth initiative earlier this year when it opened a satellite office in August in Utica. That office will be headquarters for the company’s growth across central New York, Woodside says.

“We’ve already done a lot of work at Binghamton University,” he notes. The Syracuse area is ripe with opportunity as Micron moves forward with plans to build in that area. With strong roots in the education sector, Woodside says CSArch has naturally transitioned into work in advanced manufacturing as colleges seek to add workforce-training facilities to serve that growing industry as well as designing STEAM spaces.

“That’s our natural fit into the manufacturing world,” Woodside says.

Some of the CSArch projects of note include Binghamton University’s 84,000-square-foot baseball stadium and field house, a $106.5 million capital-improvement project for the City School District of New Rochelle, and the transformation of the former Albany High School into the University of Albany’s College of Nanotechnology, Science, and Engineering.

As the first company to under Signal Hill Fund IV, CSArch also gets to play a guiding role going forward. “We get to shape what other companies become part of the platform,” Woodside says.

CSArch currently has 70 employees across its locations in Albany, Newburgh, and Utica, but Woodside expects that number to grow as the network builds momentum.

Founded in 1991, the architecture, engineering, and construction-management firm specializes in K-12, higher education, civic, corporate, and advanced-technology facilities.

Signal Hill Equity Partners, which has raised more than $500 million in long-term capital, has U.S. offices in Washington, D.C.

Upstate N.Y. Energy Storage Engine CEO starts position

Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Southern Tier, Subscriber Only

VESTAL — An engineer with “decades of experience in industry and higher education” is now serving as the CEO of the Upstate New York Energy Storage Engine that Binghamton University leads. Meera Sampath previously served as the associate dean of research in Binghamton’s Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science, according to its

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VESTAL — An engineer with “decades of experience in industry and higher education” is now serving as the CEO of the Upstate New York Energy Storage Engine that Binghamton University leads.

Meera Sampath previously served as the associate dean of research in Binghamton’s Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science, according to its Oct. 22 announcement.

The Upstate New York Energy Storage Engine is one of 10 inaugural engines funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and established under the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. The program is one of the largest investments in place-based innovation in U.S. history, Binghamton University said.

Sampath spent the first 20 years of her career with Xerox Corp., including time as the VP for innovation and business transformation at Xerox Services and as founding director of the Xerox Research Center India. From there, she joined SUNY, serving as associate vice chancellor for research and as executive director of the SUNY-IBM AI Collaborative Research Alliance.

Sampath holds a doctorate in electrical engineering from the University of Michigan, the school noted.

“I am excited and honored to lead this transformative project that brings together technology, innovation and talent development with a deep focus on the community,” Sampath said in the Binghamton announcement. “I look forward to working closely with our leadership team and our colleagues at the National Science Foundation to establish upstate New York as America’s battery capital.”

Sampath began serving as interim CEO of the Upstate New York Energy Storage Engine during the summer and formally stepped into the role in late September.

Sampath, who holds 15 U.S. patents, is recognized for her contributions to the field of discrete-event systems and model-based failure diagnosis. Her professional interests include social implications of technology, innovation for developing countries, and fostering interdisciplinary research.

Binghamton University describes the Energy Storage Engine as a coalition of more than 40 academic, industry, nonprofit, state and community organizations. Cornell University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Syracuse University, New York Battery and Energy Storage Technology Consortium (NY-BEST) and Launch NY serve as core partners.

The coalition received an initial $15 million for the first two years and may receive up to $160 million during the next decade. It will receive an additional $16 million over 10 years from Empire State Development.

“The NSF Engine is a critical initiative for the future of our region,” Harvey Stenger, president of Binghamton University, said in the school’s announcement. “I am excited to have Meera lead this effort as CEO. Her strong leadership skills, global perspective and deep commitment to the community are critical to advancing the Engine’s mission of technology-based inclusive economic growth.”

Engine’s work

The Upstate New York Energy Storage Engine will help to “drive domestic self-sufficiency and achieve global competitiveness in battery technology” by providing grants in use-inspired R&D to industry-academia coalitions to address critical challenges along the entire battery lifecycle with a focus on safety and sustainability.

It will also support regional energy-storage companies with training, mentoring, access to infrastructure and investments to accelerate technology and market readiness.

The Engine will also be providing grants for community organizations, businesses, and educational institutions to develop and scale innovative programs to build a skilled workforce for the battery industry.

“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Sampath to the Upstate New York Energy Storage Engine,” William Acker, a member of the Engine’s governance board and executive director of the New York Battery and Energy Storage Technology Consortium (NY-BEST), said. “Her technical leadership and extensive experience in building successful partnerships across industry, academia and government will be instrumental in driving the growth and success of the Engine.”

Utica University Nexus Center chalks up win for Oneida County

Education & Training, Mohawk Valley, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

UTICA — Two years after opening, the Utica University Nexus Center is not just meeting Oneida County’s expectations, but also exceeding them, the county’s leader says. First announced in 2017, the $64 million sports complex opened in November 2022, and has been busy ever since, according to Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente, Jr. “In

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UTICA — Two years after opening, the Utica University Nexus Center is not just meeting Oneida County’s expectations, but also exceeding them, the county’s leader says.

First announced in 2017, the $64 million sports complex opened in November 2022, and has been busy ever since, according to Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente, Jr.

“In that two-year time period, almost every weekend has been occupied,” he tells CNYBJ in an interview. And that’s not counting the normal weekday operations and big events the venue has hosted including the IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship this past April and the World Box Lacrosse Championships in September.

From world championships to youth sports tournaments, the venue has remained steadily busy since opening, exceeding all early expectations, Picente says.

“We had these visions of success, but we thought it would take a little more time to ramp up,” he says. Oneida County projected the Nexus Center could host two dozen hockey and lacrosse championships annually, bringing in more than 320,000 visitors and generating over $26 million in visitor spending.

The Nexus Center offers an ideal setting both geographically, right in the center of the state, and opened at the right time to capitalize in the growing tournament market, Picente says.

“It just opened up a whole new venue for these tournaments to come to,” he says, adding that the next closest venues of comparable size are in Buffalo; Marlborough, Massachusetts; and Toronto, Canada.

Oneida County committed $32 million on bonds to fund the center along with securing a $22 million grant from the state and raising the hotel and occupancy tax to 5 percent to fund the project.

The idea was that the bed tax would pay for Nexus, “and that’s what it’s been doing,” Picente says. Hotel occupancy rates have risen from an average of about 59 percent in 2022 to almost 62 percent in 2024, according to Oneida County Tourism.

“The Nexus Center has significantly boosted tourism in Oneida County, drawing visitors from across the country and beyond for events like the International Ice Hockey Federation tournament and the Lacrosse Box Championships,” Oneida County Tourism Interim President Pietra Yozzo tells CNYBJ in an email statement. “On a personal note, as a hockey mom and a proud spectator, I’ve seen firsthand how the Nexus Center has energized our community, filling local hotels and restaurants with enthusiastic guests.”

At nearly 170,000 square feet, the 1,200-seat sporting facility features three multipurpose 200-foot-by-85-foot playing surfaces that can be used as ice sheets or turf. There are times the venue offers open skating to the public. Utica University sports medicine students gain real, professional experience at the venue, which also features classrooms, faculty offices, and conference/meeting rooms. The Nexus Center also serves as the home of the Utica University’s women’s hockey team and the Utica Jr. Comets Junior A hockey team, and as a practice and training facility for the American Hockey League’s Utica Comets.

While the venue itself is sports focused, it’s part of a bigger picture in both welcoming people to the region and adding to the area’s offerings and quality of life, Picente says.

“Since Nexus opened, almost 40 percent of visitors are from out of state,” he notes. Those visitors have visited other attractions in the area, dined at area restaurants, and saw what the greater Utica area and central New York have to offer. Some of those people may choose to come back here for vacations, he says, while others may even choose to move here.

“I think that bodes well for us when we’re attracting industry,” Picente says.

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It comes after winning $32 million in CHIPS funding

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Engine’s work

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