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Coughlin & Gerhart formally opens new Bainbridge office
BAINBRIDGE, N.Y. — Coughlin & Gerhart, LLP celebrated the relocation of its Bainbridge office to a new location at 109 North Main St. with a ribbon-cutting event on Thursday, June 20. “There is a need in the community for the talent, skills, and resources that C&G offers, and it is important that Coughlin & Gerhart […]
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BAINBRIDGE, N.Y. — Coughlin & Gerhart, LLP celebrated the relocation of its Bainbridge office to a new location at 109 North Main St. with a ribbon-cutting event on Thursday, June 20.
“There is a need in the community for the talent, skills, and resources that C&G offers, and it is important that Coughlin & Gerhart is here to support the community,” Assembly Member Joseph Angelino (R,C,I–Norwich) said at the formal opening.
Other attendees included Bainbridge Chamber of Commerce President John Payne, Bainbridge Mayor Philip Wade, Commerce Chenango President/CEO Sal Testani, and Matt Germond of Germond Chiropractic Healthcare and Wellness Center. The firm shares space in Germond’s building.
Coughlin & Gerhart partners Mei Austin, Brady Begeal, and Caroline Guiles; along with Beth Westfall, of counsel; associates and staff of the firm; and various other government officials and business leaders attended the ceremony, which included a tour, refreshments, and giveaways.
Angelino presented a framed certificate commemorating the event to Coughlin & Gerhart Managing Partner Rachel Abbott.
“Coughlin & Gerhart is proud to be part of such a great community,” Abbott said. “We have an office that’s open and fully staffed five days a week so people can stop to sign documents, drop off paperwork, and meet attorneys in person without having to drive 45 minutes or more.”
Along with being more convenient for clients, the new office provides onsite parking and an accessible ground-level entrance.
Coughlin & Gerhart is a multi-service law firm with more than 55 lawyers, along with professional support staff. Headquartered at 99 Corporate Drive in Binghamton, the law firm also has offices in Bainbridge, Cortland, Hancock, Ithaca, Owego, and Walton in New York and Montrose, Pennsylvania.
SENECA FALLS, N.Y. — Canisius University in Buffalo and the Northeast College of Health Sciences in Seneca Falls are collaborating to help students transfer into a chiropractic program at the Finger Lakes school. The collaboration guarantees that Canisius students can seamlessly transition into Northeast’s doctor of chiropractic program, Canisius said in its June 17 announcement.
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SENECA FALLS, N.Y. — Canisius University in Buffalo and the Northeast College of Health Sciences in Seneca Falls are collaborating to help students transfer into a chiropractic program at the Finger Lakes school.
The collaboration guarantees that Canisius students can seamlessly transition into Northeast’s doctor of chiropractic program, Canisius said in its June 17 announcement.
Canisius students need to meet specific program requirements while earning bachelor’s degrees in sports and exercise healthcare or health and wellness.
The accelerated 4+3 option enables students to earn their bachelor’s degree from Canisius and doctorate degree from Northeast a full year earlier than it would take to earn each degree separately, “saving students time and money.”
In addition, Canisius students are eligible for merit scholarships from Northeast, based on their academic standings, per the Canisius announcement.
“With job growth in allied healthcare professions projected to grow faster than average in the next 10 years, Canisius is excited to partner with Northeast College to offer students a clear and accessible pathway to graduate study in chiropractic care,” Karl Kozlowski, professor and chair of the department of kinesiology at Canisius, said in the school’s announcement.
“We are honored to partner with Canisius University to create academic opportunities for even more students and provide pathways that will allow them to seamlessly enter our Doctor of Chiropractic Program,” Michael Mestan, president of Northeast College of Health Sciences, said in the Canisius announcement. “We look forward to welcoming Canisius students who want to become future doctors and leaders in healthcare.”
The Northeast College of Health Sciences in Seneca Falls was founded in 1919 and focuses on the education and training of health-care professionals. The school offers graduate and undergraduate academic programs in areas such as chiropractic, nutrition, human anatomy instruction, massage therapy, and the imaging sciences.
Northeast Jazz and Wine Festival is moving to a new Syracuse location in 2024
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The Berkshire Bank Northeast Jazz and Wine Festival, which has been held in Clinton Square since 2001, is moving to a new part of downtown Syracuse July 26-27. The Landmark Theater will host the festival’s main stage and a second stage on the mezzanine level. In addition to the music, the festival
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SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The Berkshire Bank Northeast Jazz and Wine Festival, which has been held in Clinton Square since 2001, is moving to a new part of downtown Syracuse July 26-27.
The Landmark Theater will host the festival’s main stage and a second stage on the mezzanine level. In addition to the music, the festival will include wines from around the world in the lobby bar, along with beer and whiskey.
The event, presented annually by CNY Jazz, is considered “the performing arts anchor of Artsweek in Downtown Syracuse,” per the Thursday announcement.
Besides the activity inside the Landmark, the 100 block of West Jefferson Street, adjacent to the theater, will host a food truck and vendor village, the event organizer said. It’ll include the Stanley Law youth and community stage, which will feature the area’s emerging talent, along with community groups and strolling musicians.
“The move makes a lot of sense for us, and for our audience,” Larry Luttinger, CNY Jazz founder and festival organizer, said in the announcement. “We’re enhancing public safety and improving climate resiliency in one stroke and retaining all the elements of a festival that’s been serving Syracuse for over 20 years. We’re now only two blocks from the Arts and Crafts Festival, and now situated at the gateway of Armory Square. We’re reducing street closings at a time when we’re entering a long period of I-81 construction around downtown. Plus, we’re next to the biggest parking lot downtown, next to the Armory. All this spells success, a better audience experience, and a better arts showcase for downtown, Central New York, and cultural tourists.”
Event headliners include Shayna Steele, who will be the final performer on July 26, and the Family Stone will take the stage July 27 to “celebrate the five decade-plus legacy that changed soul music forever.” The new band is led by original member and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Jerry Martini and includes second generation band members Phunne Stone and Swang Stewart. The group is presented in association with Tom Honan and Live Space Entertainment.
The jazz and wine festival continues to benefit from “strong” support at the state level, and a large group of corporate sponsors also contributes to the success of the festival, per the announcement.
Woman arrested for stealing more than $50K from Rome auto dealership
ROME, N.Y. — The Oneida County Sheriff’s Department announced it has arrested a town of Stockbridge woman for stealing from her place of employment, a Rome auto dealership. Jodi Haddad, 48, was charged with second-degree grand larceny and first-degree falsifying business records for allegedly stealing more than $50,000, according to a news release from Sheriff
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ROME, N.Y. — The Oneida County Sheriff’s Department announced it has arrested a town of Stockbridge woman for stealing from her place of employment, a Rome auto dealership.
Jodi Haddad, 48, was charged with second-degree grand larceny and first-degree falsifying business records for allegedly stealing more than $50,000, according to a news release from Sheriff Robert Maciol.
Victory Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Rome contacted the sheriff’s office road patrol unit with a complaint of an employee stealing money. The case was turned over to the sheriff’s criminal investigation unit for further investigation.
Haddad, who was arrested on June 20, was processed and arraigned in CAP Court located at the Oneida County Correctional Facility.
She was released on her own recognizance to reappear in Rome City Court at a later date.
MVCC announces new certificate and degree programs
UTICA, N.Y. — Mohawk Valley Community College (MVCC) has announced several new academic programs to meet the evolving demands of both students and the regional workforce. The new degree and certificate programs will equip learners with specialized skills in high-demand fields, the college contends. The new data analytics certificate, offered through MVCC’s School of Business
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UTICA, N.Y. — Mohawk Valley Community College (MVCC) has announced several new academic programs to meet the evolving demands of both students and the regional workforce.
The new degree and certificate programs will equip learners with specialized skills in high-demand fields, the college contends.
The new data analytics certificate, offered through MVCC’s School of Business and Hospitality beginning with the fall 2024 semester, is a one-year program that provides the tools and techniques for using data analysis to make strategic business decisions. Through a blend of data science, mathematics, and general business knowledge, students will learn to college, organize, cleanse, and visualize data, the college says. The certificate transfers into MVCC’s business analytics degree program, offering a pathway for further academic advancement.
MVCC’s new motion media associate degree, offered through the School of Art beginning with the fall 2024 semester, was added in response to increased interest in 2D animation and motion graphics. The two-year program teaches the skills and knowledge required for 2D motion artists to communicate effectively in visual and verbal formats, solve visual problems, and create 2D motion artwork using industry software and technologies. The program prepares graduates for careers in fields including motion graphics, 2D animation, and creative direction.
The School of Art will also offer a game art associate degree this fall, replacing the digital animation program originally developed in the early 2000s. Since then, software, concepts, techniques, and processes have evolved substantially. The curriculum changes reflect industry practices. This revamped program covers everything from modeling and texturing to lighting, rendering, and animation. The new courses simplify and streamline content, giving students more time to explore various topics. The program aligns with SUNY Polytechnic Institute’s interactive media and game design curriculum for those looking to continue their education.
MVCC’s School of Art is also introducing a fashion design associate degree beginning in the fall of 2025. The program focuses on garment and apparel creation and will prepare students for careers in the fashion industry through the development of skills in effective visual communication and problem solving along with the utilization of industry-specific software to create fashion designs.
“We are excited about these new offerings,” Lewis Kahler, MVCC’s VP for learning and academic affairs, said in a statement. “We aim for our academic programs to serve the community’s needs, and these programs are comprised of needed updates and exciting additions that grew out of student interest and industry need.”
More information about all MVCC degree and certificate programs is available at www.mvcc.edu/academics.
SRC wins $60 million U.S. Air Force contract for cyber, electronic-warfare technologies R&D
CICERO — SRC, Inc. announced on June 10 that it has been awarded a $60 million contract from the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Sensors Directorate, Spectrum Warfare Systems Engineering Branch. Under the pact, Cicero–based SRC will explore new and emerging concepts related to the development, integration, assessment, evaluation and demonstration of cybersecurity, open-system architecture,
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CICERO — SRC, Inc. announced on June 10 that it has been awarded a $60 million contract from the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Sensors Directorate, Spectrum Warfare Systems Engineering Branch.
Under the pact, Cicero–based SRC will explore new and emerging concepts related to the development, integration, assessment, evaluation and demonstration of cybersecurity, open-system architecture, novel avionics, and sensor technologies, as well as multi-domain electronic-warfare technologies.
SRC will provide Next Generation Electronic Warfare Environment Generator equipment and engineering staff to perform testing of Air Force and Space Force technologies. The contract is estimated to run through April 2031.
“We are proud to support AFRL with cutting-edge research and development,” Kevin Hair, president and CEO of SRC, said in a statement. “Our products and services will help advance technology for the warfighter, aiding the successful completion of the mission.”
SRC is a not-for-profit research and development company that says it combines information, science, technology, and ingenuity to solve problems in the areas of defense, environment, and intelligence. It employs more than 1,400 people.
Former board chair of NY CREATES returns to the position
ALBANY — The New York Center for Research, Economic Advancement, Technology, Engineering, and Science (NY CREATES) recently announced the return of Douglas A. Grose as the nonprofit organization’s appointed board chair. Grose brings extensive experience and leadership to this post, having previously served as NY CREATES’ president and board chairman until 2021. Grose’s return to
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ALBANY — The New York Center for Research, Economic Advancement, Technology, Engineering, and Science (NY CREATES) recently announced the return of Douglas A. Grose as the nonprofit organization’s appointed board chair.
Grose brings extensive experience and leadership to this post, having previously served as NY CREATES’ president and board chairman until 2021. Grose’s return to NY CREATES follows his support of the American Semiconductor Innovation Coalition (ASIC) during the last two years.
“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Grose back to NY CREATES as our returning Board Chair,” Dave Anderson, president of NY CREATES, said in a statement. “His extensive industry expertise and proven leadership will be instrumental in further guiding our organization as we engage in our next phase of growth and establish North America’s only non-profit-led, public-private High NA EUV Lithography Center where sub-2 nanometer computer chip components will be produced. This will enable NY CREATES to continue to innovate, train the 21st century workforce, and create rewarding high-tech careers.”
Grose’s career in the semiconductor industry included more than 20 years at IBM before he became the senior VP of technology development, manufacturing, and supply chain at Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), later helping to direct the formation of GlobalFoundries, where he served from 2009-2011 as CEO.
NY CREATES says it serves as a lab-to-fab bridge for advanced electronics, fostering public-private and industry-academic partnerships for technology development and innovation. It operates the Albany NanoTech Complex.
RENSSELAER — The New York Independent System Operator (NYISO), a nonprofit corporation that operates the state’s bulk electricity grid, recently released Power Trends 2024, an annual publication that discusses the key issues and challenges shaping the grid of the future. Including new data and metrics, the report also summarizes work by the NYISO to maintain
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RENSSELAER — The New York Independent System Operator (NYISO), a nonprofit corporation that operates the state’s bulk electricity grid, recently released Power Trends 2024, an annual publication that discusses the key issues and challenges shaping the grid of the future.
Including new data and metrics, the report also summarizes work by the NYISO to maintain reliability and advance competitive electric markets through the grid in transition.
NYISO highlighted the following key messages in Power Trends 2024:
• Public policies are driving rapid change in the electric system in the state, affecting how electricity is produced, transmitted, and consumed.
• Electrification programs and economic-development initiatives are driving projected demand higher. Generator deactivations are outpacing new supply additions. Specifically, “traditional fossil-fueled generation is retiring faster than renewable and other clean energy resources are entering service,” NYISO wrote in its report. Together, these forces are narrowing electric-grid reliability margins across New York.
• The potential for delays in construction of new supply and transmission, higher than forecasted demand, and extreme weather are threatening reliability of the grid.
• The statewide grid is projected to become a winter-peaking system in the 2030s, mostly driven by electrification of space heating and transportation. The switch to a winter peak brings new reliability concerns related to fuel security that the NYISO says it is working to address through changes to planning and market rules.
• NYISO’s interconnection processes is evolving to balance developer flexibility with the need to manage the process to more stringent timeframes. It says efforts are underway to make this process more efficient while protecting grid reliability.
• New emission-free resources are needed to meet the goals of the state’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA). Those resources are not yet available on a commercial scale, NYISO contends.
• NYISO’s wholesale electricity markets are an important tool to attract necessary investments to facilitate the transition of the grid in the coming decades.
You can read the full Power Trends 2024 report at: https://www.nyiso.com/documents/20142/2223020/2024-Power-Trends.pdf/31ec9a11-21f2-0b47-677d-f4a498a32978?t=1717677687961
Syracuse apartment rent prices for one-bedroom units jump in May
SYRACUSE — The median rental price for most apartments in the Syracuse metro area soared almost 29 percent in May from a year earlier and increased more than 6 percent from the prior month. The year-over-year rise in rent in Syracuse was the highest among all 100 largest metro areas in the U.S., according to
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SYRACUSE — The median rental price for most apartments in the Syracuse metro area soared almost 29 percent in May from a year earlier and increased more than 6 percent from the prior month.
The year-over-year rise in rent in Syracuse was the highest among all 100 largest metro areas in the U.S., according to the latest Zumper National Rent Report, issued on May 29
The median rental price of one-bedroom apartments in the Syracuse region was $1,170 in May, up 6.4 percent from $1,100 in April, but was up 28.6 percent from the $910 median rent seen in May 2023, according to Zumper, an apartment rental-listings website.
The median rental rate for two-bedroom units in the Syracuse area was $1,450 this May, up 5.8 percent from $1,370 in April, but up 25 percent from $1,160 in the year-prior month.
“Syracuse has recently seen historic population growth, the city houses a large national university, and many homes are owned, rather than for rentals, so the demand and competition in this market have swelled considerably,” Zumper said in its May National Rent Report.
Syracuse now ranks as 70th most expensive rental market (or 31st least expensive) among the top 100 metro areas by population, according to the report.
The Zumper National Rent Report analyzes rental data from more than 1 million active listings across the U.S. The company aggregates the data monthly to calculate median asking rents for the 100 largest regions.
Meyda Lighting designs its future
YORKVILLE — Fifty years after its start by Meyer and Ida Cohen, Meyda Lighting is still going strong with the third generation hard at work at the business. The business got its start in 1974 when Ida asked her husband Meyer to build a stained-glass lamp for their kitchen window to block out the neighbor’s
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YORKVILLE — Fifty years after its start by Meyer and Ida Cohen, Meyda Lighting is still going strong with the third generation hard at work at the business.
The business got its start in 1974 when Ida asked her husband Meyer to build a stained-glass lamp for their kitchen window to block out the neighbor’s cars. After that, they joined forces — and their first names — to create Meyda, which became known for its stained-glass lighting.
Over the years, the business has moved locations after starting in the Cohen home. It operated from a one-car garage in Utica, from a three-story building on Bleecker Street, and eventually settled in its location on Oriskany Boulevard in Yorkville in 1994.
Meyda also acquired a number of competitors and suppliers over the years including Quality Bent Glass, which was known for supplying fixtures and components to the original Lous C. Tiffany studios, and 2nd Ave Lighting, known for custom and customizable chandeliers, pendants, lanterns, streetlamps, and other fixtures.
During the 1980s, Tiffany style lamps soared in popularity, keeping Meyda busy. Cohen’s son Robert took the helm at the company, which had made a name for itself as “The Home of the $40 Tiffany Lamp” for the 12-inch stained-glass lamps it sold.
Today, Cohen’s three sons, Chester, Max, and Ben, all work at Meyda with him and are actively charting the company’s future growth.
“We’ve had a huge transition over the past 20 years,” Max Cohen tells CNYBJ in an interview. While the early years focused on consumer lighting products like the Tiffany-style lamps, the business today is growing quickly in the custom-lighting industry, especially for large-scale projects.
“We’ve really focused on decorative,” he says. “It seems like we’re building a lot of large-scale fixtures” for clients that include casinos, ballrooms, theaters, and other hospitality venues while also still serving high-end residential projects.
Locally, Meyda creations can be seen at The Tailor & The Cook restaurant and the Stanley Theatre in Utica. Meyda lighting will also be featured at the dining and banquet facility at Valley View Golf Course in Utica that is currently undergoing renovations.
The business attracts customers looking for something unique, Cohen says, and Meyda’s designers turn their often “wild” concepts into custom light fixtures.
“We certainly chase the work that’s the most challenging to produce,” Cohen notes with pride, contending that Meyda’s engineering staff is second to none.
These days the high-volume fixtures are imported from overseas, leaving Meyda’s staff of about 50 employees free to focus on the custom pieces.
Today the company operates from a 180,000-square-foot manufacturing facility at 55 Oriskany Boulevard. While it isn’t going to happen right away, Cohen noted the property has room for another 80,000-square-foot expansion there when needed.
Meyda has invested in both purchasing and designing state-of-the-art machinery over the years, Cohen says. The invention of some of its own tools, including a laser tube cutter for three-dimensional cuts, has increased both the quality of products and production time, he adds.
“The factory is becoming much more efficient,” he says.
Looking ahead, Cohen expects the custom side of the business to continue to grow. “I think we’re going to see more custom lighting,” he says. “We are seeing a little bit of uptick in our Tiffany business as well.”
“Upstate New York seems to be having a little bit of a growth spell right now,” he says, and Meyda wants to be part of that.
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