Stay up-to-date on the companies, people and issues that impact businesses in Syracuse, Central New York and beyond.
Syracuse small business certified as SDVOB
ALBANY — New York State Office of General Services (OGS) Commissioner Jeanette Moy recently announced that 14 businesses across the state were certified as service-disabled veteran-owned businesses (SDVOB), including one small firm in Syracuse. The New York OGS Division of Service-Disabled Veterans’ Business Development (DSDVBD) issued the certification to Gov Con Nexus, which is a […]
Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article.
ALBANY — New York State Office of General Services (OGS) Commissioner Jeanette Moy recently announced that 14 businesses across the state were certified as service-disabled veteran-owned businesses (SDVOB), including one small firm in Syracuse.
The New York OGS Division of Service-Disabled Veterans’ Business Development (DSDVBD) issued the certification to Gov Con Nexus, which is a Syracuse–based administrative management and general management consulting firm, the OGS announced on July 8.
The DSDVBD was created by New York State government in May 2014 through passage of the Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Business Act. The state had 1,269 certified businesses, as of the July 8 announcement.
For a business to receive certification, one or more service-disabled veterans — with a service-connected disability rating of 10 percent or more from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (or from the New York State Division of Veterans’ Affairs for National Guard veterans) — must own at least 51 percent of the company. Other criteria include: the business has to be independently owned and operated and have a significant business presence in New York, it must have conducted business for at least one year prior to the application date, and it must qualify as a small business under the New York State program. Several more requirements also need to be met.
Spence appointed City of Syracuse assistant director of purchase
Role includes ensuring opportunities for SDVOB vendors SYRACUSE — Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh recently appointed Laura Spence to assistant director of purchase for the city government. Spence is responsible for overseeing the procurement of all materials, services, and construction needs. She will also create and implement procurement processes to comply with City of Syracuse ordinances and
Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article.
SYRACUSE — Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh recently appointed Laura Spence to assistant director of purchase for the city government.
Spence is responsible for overseeing the procurement of all materials, services, and construction needs. She will also create and implement procurement processes to comply with City of Syracuse ordinances and advise on updates to relevant policies and procedures.
Spence will work in close collaboration with the city’s Division of Equity Compliance and Social Impact (DESCI) to ensure upcoming contracting opportunities are open and accessible to prospective minority and women-owned business enterprise (MWBE) and service-disabled veteran-owned business (SDVOB) vendors. Her work will increase clarity, transparency, standardization, and accountability around procurement processes to reduce the contracting timeline, lower costs, increase competition, expand supplier diversity opportunities, and improve the results of contracted services, the mayor’s office said in a mid-August announcement.
Previously, Spence worked for the City of Syracuse as a social-impact analyst for the Division of Equity Compliance and Social Impact. There, she devoted most of her time to leading and collaborating with others to further the city’s goals of creating an equal and fair environment for women and minorities. In this role, Spence also spearheaded the implementation of the Spend Analysis module in B2G Now, a software program that enables local governments to accurately track and analyze expenditures related to minority-and women-owned entities to promote transparency and equitable spending practices.
Spence has a bachelor’s degree in economics from Ave Maria University in Florida and a master’s degree in integral economic development management from Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.
AAA Western and Central New York acquires Watertown agency
WATERTOWN — AAA Western and Central New York acquired The Jones & Doldo Insurance Agency earlier this summer, consolidating the office into its AAA Watertown Travel & Insurance Center branch at 19472 U.S. Route 11, the organization announced. “We’re excited about this investment in the Watertown community,” AAA Western and Central New York President/CEO Tony
Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article.
WATERTOWN — AAA Western and Central New York acquired The Jones & Doldo Insurance Agency earlier this summer, consolidating the office into its AAA Watertown Travel & Insurance Center branch at 19472 U.S. Route 11, the organization announced.
“We’re excited about this investment in the Watertown community,” AAA Western and Central New York President/CEO Tony Spada said in a Sept. 9 news release. “We continually look to acquire insurance agencies as part of our strategic plan, and we are thrilled that we were able to create jobs and expand our Watertown location while also furthering our commitment to members and policyholders.”
This acquisition enhances AAA’s insurance portfolio and underscores AAA Insurance’s commitment to expanding its service offerings and delivering comprehensive insurance solutions, it said.
“By integrating The Jones & Doldo Agency’s specialized knowledge and experience in commercial insurance, specifically in Watertown, AAA Insurance is poised to provide even more tailored and robust coverage options to our customers in the region,” Senior VP of Sales and Operations James Miller said. “We’re providing clients of both AAA Insurance and The Jones & Doldo Agency with seamless transition and uninterrupted service with continued access to the exceptional coverage and support they have come to rely on. This acquisition reaffirms our dedication to protecting what matters most to our customers, now with expanded services across the region and a suite of products designed to meet the evolving needs of individuals and businesses.”
Founded in 1963 and passed down in 1977 to John Doldo III, The Jones & Doldo Agency was a founding member of the Spectrum Empire insurance cluster, which represents 38 other insurance agencies around the state.
The client base was a mix of property and casualty and commercial customers, most of which were within a 50-mile radius of Watertown. Jones & Doldo employees are now serving their clients from AAA’s Watertown location.
“This is an exciting time, and we’re thrilled to have new members on the Watertown team,” AAA Watertown Manager Barb Park said.
AAA Western and Central New York offers a variety of insurance products including auto, home, renters, life, commercial, motorcycle, pet, and Medicare. It also provides more than 800,000 members with travel, insurance, financial, and automotive-related services.
VIEWPOINT: 5 Themes from the 2024 Best Places to Work Employee Engagement Survey Results
For the past 12 years, RMS has partnered with The Central New York Business Journal to conduct the CNY Best Places to Work competition (see winners’ profiles in the special section in this issue). This year was one of the most competitive years ever. We had a record number of submissions, which resulted in high
Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article.
For the past 12 years, RMS has partnered with The Central New York Business Journal to conduct the CNY Best Places to Work competition (see winners’ profiles in the special section in this issue). This year was one of the most competitive years ever. We had a record number of submissions, which resulted in high employee participation. The results provide a great snapshot of what it’s like to work in Central New York and current trends in the local workforce.
The data confirms what you would expect — a shift is occurring regarding workplace management and employee expectations. The data also shows the importance of supervisors and their role in employees’ day-to-day satisfaction. Throughout the survey, the winning companies had highly rated supervisors. In addition, many winning companies scored high on having clear direction and aligning work to their mission, values, and goals.
Work/life balance was another major theme this year. Employees felt that having balance is critical to their happiness and satisfaction in the workplace. Closely related, there seems to be an interesting finding around the need for connection in the workplace. The winning companies tended to have higher scores in the connection dimension, which suggests that more engaged employees tend to rate their satisfaction higher. We know this is the case from other RMS research — and when organizations can connect purpose and passion, employee satisfaction skyrockets.
As RMS analyzed the data, five key recommendations emerged for organizations looking to make the winners’ list.
1. Customize your training for supervisors and leadership.
Beyond the Best Places to Work Survey, RMS has designed and customized countless employee-engagement surveys. We see a common refrain of individuals wanting to be valued and heard. These findings are often found in comments such as, “My supervisors didn’t listen to me when I voiced concerns about department productivity” or “My ideas are never taken seriously.” One strategy is to help supervisors identify their “blind spots” to help improve management and leadership skills. Working closely with their next-level leadership, they can find resources and training to build their supervisory skills.
2. Champion and implement diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies and programs
This year, RMS added a new set of questions around DEI initiatives (we pilot tested these in 2023). Organizations across CNY scored well when asked questions exploring how their organization embraces, acts, and incorporates diversity, equity, and inclusion. The evidence was clear that DEI policies and programs are crucial to being named a Best Place to Work.
3. Be intentional about building connections among staff
The data suggests a strong desire for increasing connections with staff. Organizations need to think critically about new ways to build connections with their team and understand the best ways to make everyone feel engaged. We often hear, “We have a rewards program, but no one participates.” Or, “We have social events, but it’s always the same 10 people who go.” Organizations should spend the time to identify strategies and motivational tools that will resonate with staff. What is the best way to do this? Ask. Best Places to Work is an excellent indicator of employee satisfaction, but you can go deeper by conducting focus groups, interviews, or short, targeted surveys with staff.
4. Provide clear direction on work-from-home policies.
Flexible work schedules continue to take shape and evolve. We are seeing a variety of work-from-home models. Generally, the data suggests that the flexibility many of us have been afforded over the last three years is now commonplace. Similar studies that RMS has conducted find that employees want clarity on work-from-home policies and implementation of these policies consistently and fairly.
5. Analyze your pay, benefits, and assess market rates — then adjust if feasible.
If you can, re-think your pay structures and benefits to remain competitive. Even better, do some research to ensure that your salaries are competitive. We know from other RMS research that people want a roadmap or a growth plan to gain clear expectations for advancing. We have also found that paying people competitively typically removes a major stressor and those who feel they are compensated fairly score other dimensions in the Best Places to Work survey higher.
These are just a few of the recommendations from the 2024 Best Places to Work survey. Many winners already incorporate these activities, so if you implement these recommendations, perhaps you’ll find your organization on the winners’ list next year.
Patrick Fiorenza is director of research analytics at Research and Marketing Strategies, Inc. (RMS), a nationwide market-research firm based in Baldwinsville.
Projects to improve Watertown, Saranac Lake airports begin
HOUNSFIELD — Projects that will modernize both the Watertown International Airport in the town of Hounsfield and the Adirondack Regional Airport near Saranac Lake are underway. Additionally, work is progressing on the expansion of the main terminal and other enhancements at the Ogdensburg International Airport in the town of Oswegatchie in St. Lawrence County. The
Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article.
HOUNSFIELD — Projects that will modernize both the Watertown International Airport in the town of Hounsfield and the Adirondack Regional Airport near Saranac Lake are underway.
Additionally, work is progressing on the expansion of the main terminal and other enhancements at the Ogdensburg International Airport in the town of Oswegatchie in St. Lawrence County.
The three projects were awarded money from the governor’s $230 million Upstate Airport Economic Development and Revitalization Competition. The projects represent a $54.5 million investment in the North Country’s transportation infrastructure, the office of Gov. Kathy Hochul announced recently.
Hochul announced the projects during an Aug. 13 visit to the Watertown International Airport.
The $32.5 million project at the Watertown airport includes $28 million from the Upstate Airport competition. It’ll involve construction of a new, 25,000-square-foot terminal that will house a new lobby, ticketing, and baggage-claim areas; a jet bridge; expanded passenger waiting areas; and dedicated car-rental counterspace, “among other amenities,” per Hochul’s office.
The current terminal will continue operating until the new terminal, which is being built next to the original building, is finished in the summer of 2025. Upon completion, operations will be transferred to the new terminal and extensive renovations will begin on the old terminal building to add a new restaurant, offices and classroom/event spaces.
Established in 1928, Watertown International Airport handled more than 22,000 enplanements in 2023. It serves as a key gateway to the Thousand Islands Region and is a “vital hub” for Fort Drum military personnel and their families. However, the airport is “outdated” and currently lacks a jet bridge, leaving passengers with little protection from weather as they board or disembark from an aircraft. Waiting spaces are also cramped, often forcing soldiers and other passengers to remain outside while they await transport, per Hochul’s office.
The project at the Adirondack Regional Airport was awarded $8.5 million from the Upstate Airport competition. With an estimated total cost of $8.8 million, the project is expected to create more than 90 jobs and be completed by the winter of 2025.
The effort will expand the central receiving area, update the furniture and lighting, and relocate and expand the café. Additional improvements include air-circulation enhancements such as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, the installation of solar panels, and an upgraded water well.
Built in 1942, the Adirondack Regional Airport handles more than 4,700 enplanements annually and is the only commercial-service airport within the Adirondack Park. Located in the Town of Harrietstown, the airport is a short drive from Saranac Lake, Lake Placid, Tupper Lake and other popular destinations in the High Peaks region.
“From the Thousand Islands to the Adirondack Mountains, the North Country is home to some of New York State’s most popular attractions, and the improvements we are making to the Watertown, Ogdensburg and Adirondack airports will create world-class travel experiences that will make the region an even more desirable place to live, work and visit,” Hochul said in the announcement. “The work now underway at these three airports will provide the North Country with state-of-the-art gateways that will keep visitors coming back again and again, boosting tourism and providing a high-energy charge to the region’s economy.”
OPINION: Price Relief Hasn’t Been a Priority, and it Shows
One of the basic responsibilities of public service is to try to improve the day-to-day lives of the people we serve. Unfortunately, when it comes to basic economic conditions like responsible state spending, cost of living and managing inflation, New Yorkers have been ignored. Our affordability crisis should be near the top of the list
Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article.
One of the basic responsibilities of public service is to try to improve the day-to-day lives of the people we serve. Unfortunately, when it comes to basic economic conditions like responsible state spending, cost of living and managing inflation, New Yorkers have been ignored.
Our affordability crisis should be near the top of the list of priorities for any legislative or executive body, as it impacts every New Yorker and every American. However, since President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have been in office, the rising costs for basic goods and services in the U.S. have been unbearable for many families.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, grocery prices are up nearly 25 percent compared to 2019. Beverages, cereal, bakery products, meat, eggs, poultry and fish have all seen increases of 20 percent or more during the current administration. In New York, we have seen especially challenging economic conditions due to inflation. One recent report identified Syracuse as one of New York’s most severely impacted locations, as it has seen some of the most drastic grocery-price increases anywhere in the state.
Inflation is a complicated economic consideration, and while it is not traditionally associated with state-level policymaking, the Assembly Minority Conference worked hard to craft legislation to make it more affordable to live in New York. Affordability has been our calling card, and it will continue to be a priority until some real progress is made.
Our “Inflation Relief & Consumer Assistance Plan” (A.1690) would immediately suspend state sales-tax charges for two years on items like gasoline, personal-care products, housekeeping and cleaning supplies, as well as some food purchases. Unfortunately, that proposal was rejected by the Assembly Majority Conference and has stalled.
We have also proposed a number of bills to help make childcare more affordable. These costs have been especially burdensome to families across the state in recent years, and they impact those least able to afford unexpected increases the most. In response, we developed a plan that would save the average family more than $2,300 a year in childcare costs. That plan includes calling on the federal government to reinstate the Enhanced Federal Child Tax Credit, as well as bills to:
• stablish a supplemental household and dependent care credit payment. (A.9242)
• ncrease the aggregate funds available for the childcare tax credit. (A.9245)
• ncrease the applicable percentage of the child tax credit allowed in the Empire State Child Tax Credit to 45 percent. (A.9257)
•Increase the Earned Income Tax Credit. (A.9258)
Perhaps the most frustrating part of this equation is the lack of urgency to address cost-of-living concerns plaguing New Yorkers. Many are struggling to make ends meet, and there has been little economic relief to help offset increasing costs. We clearly cannot sustain this level of economic uncertainty, and I hope to see a much greater emphasis on fixing this problem in these critical upcoming months.
William (Will) A. Barclay, 55, Republican, is the New York Assembly minority leader and represents the 120th New York Assembly District, which encompasses all of Oswego County, as well as parts of Jefferson and Cayuga counties.
Byrne Dairy opens R&D facility in DeWitt
DeWITT, N.Y. — Byrne Dairy, Inc. has unveiled its new research and development (R&D) facility, the Byrne Innovation Center. Located next door to Byrne’s flagship
OPINION: Maybe the Vitriol in Congress Isn’t as Bad as It Seems
If you have followed media coverage of Congress over the past few years, it’s been hard to escape two impressions: Not much gets done there, and members spend a lot of their time tearing into one another. We can argue about the first — certainly, recent [sessions of] Congress have been less productive than their
Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article.
If you have followed media coverage of Congress over the past few years, it’s been hard to escape two impressions: Not much gets done there, and members spend a lot of their time tearing into one another. We can argue about the first — certainly, recent [sessions of] Congress have been less productive than their predecessors — but now there’s hard evidence that the second impression is just plain wrong. The vast majority of members, it turns out, focus on substance and policy, not on personal attacks.
That conclusion comes from an interesting and useful new online tool created by a group of academics at Dartmouth College, the University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University. Their group, the Polarization Research Lab, recently went up with something called “America’s Political Pulse,” which you can find at: https://americaspoliticalpulse.com/. Basically, every day the site tracks, analyzes, and catalogs all public statements made by members of Congress, including Twitter/X posts, newsletters, press releases, and floor speeches. It then uses AI models that the group developed to classify those statements into five categories: personal attacks, policy discussion, constructive debate, accomplishments, and bipartisanship/compromise.
With more than 1.6 million statements since September of 2022 in the database, the findings are intriguing. Most notably, during the current Congress 66 members, or 12 percent, have not insulted anyone once — at least, within the publicly available statements found by the Lab — while 350 of Congress’s 535 members, or 65 percent, have done so in less than 1 percent of their communications. That leaves 119 members who have engaged in personal attacks more than 1 percent of the time.
That’s more than it should be, but it’s not the wholesale flame-throwing that much press coverage suggests. The director of the Polarization Research Lab, Dartmouth government Prof. Sean Westwood, summed up the findings this way: “What we’ve identified is that there are a lot of members of Congress who are showing up and doing their jobs and engaging in meaningful debate and they’re not getting the attention they deserve. What is instead happening is that firebrands are absorbing all the media attention. Our data show that Congress is not nearly as dysfunctional or polarized as people may think.”
What may be most useful about the online tool is that it names names, so you can go see for yourself. It lists the top senators and House members who engage in policy discussion, constructive debate, and so on: Wisconsin Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin, for instance, leads both chambers on policy discussion; Republican Sen. Bill Hagerty of Tennessee leads similarly on constructive debate; and Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia is tops for bipartisanship.
It also lists the legislators within each party most prone to engaging in personal attacks, led by Republicans Lance Gooden of Texas and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia; and by Democrats Bill Pascrell of New Jersey, who died in August, and Eric Swalwell of California. You can search for any member and get a breakdown of what percentage of their communications fall into each category and where they stand compared to their peers. You can also dig into examples of comments parsed by the model and see if you agree with how they were characterized — and flag them for researchers if you disagree.
It’s reassuring to know that attack-dog rhetoric isn’t as widespread as it might seem, but it’s still problematic. Every moment taken up by conflict — especially on the congressional floor or in committee — is time not spent on the very real challenges our country faces, or on advancing legislation aimed at addressing them. And every clickbait news story that focuses on attacks is a journalist bypassing an opportunity to improve Americans’ understanding of issues that affect their lives.
What the tool does is make it possible for you, as a voter, to exert some small measure of influence on this picture.
“The current media landscape paired with a small number of firebrands in Congress creates a harmful cocktail of nonstop news of incivility and dysfunction,” says UPenn communications Prof. Yphtach Lelkes. “Holding the individuals engaging in conflict accountable and elevating effective lawmakers is critical to slowing the tide of toxic polarization in America.” Nobody is better equipped to do this than an informed voter.
Lee Hamilton, 93, is a senior advisor for the Indiana University (IU) Center on Representative Government, distinguished scholar at the IU Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, and professor of practice at the IU O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. Hamilton, a Democrat, was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for 34 years (1965-1999), representing a district in south-central Indiana.
2024 Best Places to Work Awards Event Photos
Photos from the 2024 Best Places to Work Awards, help on September 9, 2024. Photos courtesy of Ana Gil Photography.
Oswego Health promotes chief nursing officer to COO
OSWEGO, N.Y. — Oswego Health has promoted Kathryn (Katie) Pagliaroli to the role of chief operating officer (COO). Pagliaroli currently serves as senior vice president (SVP) and chief nursing officer (CNO). She will retain those titles in her new role, Oswego Health announced. Michael Backus, president and CEO of Oswego Health, served as the organization’s
Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article.
OSWEGO, N.Y. — Oswego Health has promoted Kathryn (Katie) Pagliaroli to the role of chief operating officer (COO).
Pagliaroli currently serves as senior vice president (SVP) and chief nursing officer (CNO). She will retain those titles in her new role, Oswego Health announced.
Michael Backus, president and CEO of Oswego Health, served as the organization’s COO between 2020 and 2022, before he was appointed to his current role in 2023, Jamie Leszczynski, SVP of communications & chief brand officer at Oswego Health, tells CNYBJ in an email.
Pagliaroli has worked at Oswego Health since 2001, starting as a registered nurse (RN) in the intensive-care unit and advancing through various leadership positions.
Her career trajectory includes roles such as clinical trainer, RN case manager, and director of quality management, culminating in her recent positions as corporate director of integrated health care and VP of clinical services.
As COO, SVP, and CNO, Pagliaroli will oversee the integration of clinical and operational strategies to elevate patient care and ensure alignment with Oswego Health’s mission. Her role will involve driving strategic initiatives to improve health-care delivery and strengthen the organization’s role as a leading regional provider.
“Katie Pagliaroli’s dedication to Oswego Health needs to be recognized and this promotion demonstrates her tremendous professional growth,” Backus said in the health system’s announcement. “…Katie will build off her deep expertise and unwavering commitment to local healthcare transformation. Through her leadership, Katie will undoubtedly enhance the quality of care we provide and expand our impact in the community.”
Pagliaroli earned her master’s in management degree from Keuka College in 2009 and her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Roberts Wesleyan College in 2001.
Stay up-to-date on the companies, people and issues that impact businesses in Syracuse, Central New York and beyond.