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OHA awarded $3 million state grant for renovation project
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The Onondaga Historical Association (OHA) will use a $3 million New York State grant for a renovation project at its building at 321 Montgomery St. in downtown Syracuse. New York State Assemblyman William Magnarelli (D–Syracuse) secured the grant funding for the OHA project. The project will involve installation of better air conditioning, […]
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SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The Onondaga Historical Association (OHA) will use a $3 million New York State grant for a renovation project at its building at 321 Montgomery St. in downtown Syracuse.
New York State Assemblyman William Magnarelli (D–Syracuse) secured the grant funding for the OHA project.
The project will involve installation of better air conditioning, humidity controls, and the renovation of its research center, which is a “huge resource for the community,” Lisa Romano Moore, executive director of the OHA, said.
“We hold multiple collections from artwork to newspapers to clothing,” Romano Moore said. “All of those are to be stored in the spaces that need good environmental controls.”
Romano Moore spoke with reporters outside the OHA on Thursday morning. She noted that the project’s total cost will approach about $4 million and private donations will also help pay for the renovation effort.
The project also involves adding some bathrooms and a kitchen on the second floor, so that OHA can accommodate more public programming in its space. The project will also involve adding better internet-connectivity technology as well.
The project should take about a year to complete. OHA is in the final stages of reviewing project designs from IPD Engineering and still needs to choose a contractor for the project.
“Hopefully by the fall, we’ll be underway with construction,” Romano Moore said.
OHA occupies the former Bell Telephone building that Romano Moore described as previously serving as the “largest switchboard on the East Coast,” and the building includes photos and equipment from those days.
“The building itself is a historic building. We’re in a historic district of the city, so this is a really important time for us to make some changes,” Romano Moore said.
Broome-Tioga Workforce NY to open a satellite office
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — Broome-Tioga Workforce NY will open a satellite office at the Broome County Library at 185 Court St., with hours every Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. beginning Aug. 9. Broome-Tioga Workforce NY operates two One Stop American Job Centers to assist local businesses with recruiting and training and to provide people
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BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — Broome-Tioga Workforce NY will open a satellite office at the Broome County Library at 185 Court St., with hours every Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. beginning Aug. 9.
Broome-Tioga Workforce NY operates two One Stop American Job Centers to assist local businesses with recruiting and training and to provide people with career advice, resume help, and training assistance. The offices are located at 501 Reynolds Road in Binghamton and in the Tioga County Human Services building, 1062 Route 38 in Owego.
“This partnership is vital to fulfilling County Executive Jason Garnar’s mission of eliminating the public’s barriers to life-changing services,” Broome-Tioga Workforce NY Executive Director Robert C. Murphy said in a press release announcing the news. “People who could benefit most from our services, many times, have limited access to transportation. Making our services consistently available to folks who lack transportation is vitally important, not only to the job seekers, but to employers in the community trying to find valuable employees as well.”
“Our mission at the Broome County Public Library is to serve as a community hub for downtown Binghamton and all of Broome County,” Library Director Josias Bartram said. “Partnering with Broome-Tioga Workforce NY will be a big step towards fulfilling this mission by providing the resources and services that our community needs to thrive.”
Broome-Tioga Workforce NY is a partnership between Tioga and Broome counties, the New York State Department of Labor, and the regional business community to help business recruit and retain workers, assess and respond to current and future workforce needs, and help individuals seeking career opportunities.
MVCC thINCubator, Clarkson, and Cornell awarded FuzeHub manufacturing grants
ALBANY, N.Y. — thINCubator in Utica, Clarkson University, and Cornell University are among seven nonprofits awarded manufacturing grants in this year’s second round of funding from FuzeHub. The Empire State Development-supported, manufacturing-grants program awarded $455,000 in grants to facilitate research and development, technical advancements, and process improvements for New York State manufacturers. Two applicants each
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ALBANY, N.Y. — thINCubator in Utica, Clarkson University, and Cornell University are among seven nonprofits awarded manufacturing grants in this year’s second round of funding from FuzeHub.
The Empire State Development-supported, manufacturing-grants program awarded $455,000 in grants to facilitate research and development, technical advancements, and process improvements for New York State manufacturers.
Two applicants each from both the Finger Lakes and New York City regions were also among the grant recipients.
FuzeHub is an Albany–based nonprofit that works to help New York State manufacturers and technology companies.
FuzeHub offers manufacturing grants to New York State nonprofit organizations, including higher education institutions, that propose projects in partnership with a New York State small to medium-sized manufacturer.
The funding comes through the Jeff Lawrence Innovation Fund, which has more than $1 million annually. It supports a set of activities designed to spur technology development and commercialization across New York State and is made possible through funding and support from Empire State Development’s Division of Science, Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR) and the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA).
Regional grant recipients
FuzeHub awarded $65,000 grants to each of the recipients.
They include thINCubator (Mohawk Valley Community College Foundation) and Modovolo, Inc., which is working on the Modovolo Lift. The company describes the product as a “drone with amazing flight time; extremely low cost,” per the FuzeHub announcement.
In addition, Clarkson University CAMP (Center for Advanced Materials Processing) is working with KLAW Industries LLC, which has operations in the North Country and Southern Tier.
Clarkson University and KLAW Industries are partnering with FuzeHub to bring a new recycling technology leveraging artificial intelligence to market in the Southern Tier.
Cornell University’s department of biomedical engineering is working with Anova Biomedical Inc.
The FuzeHub announcement included their product description,”800,000 Americans undergo dialysis every year as treatment for kidney failure. Vascular access – the conduit through which blood is collected for dialysis – is referred to as the Achilles’ Heel of dialysis. Faulty vascular access causes hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations every year and accounts for billions of dollars of excess spending in our healthcare system. The “Anova graft” will be the first vascular access to harness the body’s healing potential to transform from a synthetic implant to a fully biological conduit to revolutionize dialysis access for millions of patients.”
Honoring Steve DiMeo by championing regional projects
Earlier this year, our region suffered a tremendous loss with the passing of Mohawk Valley EDGE President Steve DiMeo. He was the guiding force behind EDGE, Marcy Nanocenter, Griffiss Business & Technology Park, and countless other projects that have led to massive growth and success. His leadership and vision were unparalleled to all those who
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Earlier this year, our region suffered a tremendous loss with the passing of Mohawk Valley EDGE President Steve DiMeo. He was the guiding force behind EDGE, Marcy Nanocenter, Griffiss Business & Technology Park, and countless other projects that have led to massive growth and success. His leadership and vision were unparalleled to all those who came before him. Steve was never afraid to take risks. If he were still alive today, we at Mohawk Valley EDGE all believe his message to us would be the same: Be a champion for this region. He would want us to keep moving forward, be relentless, trust each other, and our abilities to go after regional projects.
So where do we go from here? The answer from EDGE is: forward. Steady progress is happening at the Marcy Nanocenter, where Wolfspeed continues its growth and production, which supports the increasing demand for electric vehicles, 4G/5G markets, and the establishment of a semiconductor-manufacturing corridor in New York state and along the east coast. We are excited to see the commitment of both New York State Green CHIPs program and the federal CHIPs Act to shore up our domestic supply chain to meet the needs of the 21st-century economy, with thousands of jobs expected in the next several years with Micron, Semikron Danfoss, Indium, and Wolfspeed. In July, Kevin Younis of Empire State Development spoke at the SEMICON West conference in San Francisco about New York State’s semiconductor industry’s growth, touting Micron and Wolfspeed, detailing how New York is quickly becoming one of the leaders in semiconductor manufacturing in the country. To do so, however, EDGE will work closely with New York State to create and build a more direct pipeline of workers and launch initiatives such as ON-RAMP to foster workforce development to help meet the needs of thousands of new jobs in advanced manufacturing. We aim to work with all levels of educators from K-12, as well as our local colleges and universities to ensure they have the tools needed to educate, train, recruit, and support students entering this fast-evolving job market.
For the Mohawk Valley region, Marcy Nanocenter is a perfect location meeting for supply chain growth, with construction officially underway at Flex Space at Marcy Nanocenter. The Flex Space is a 60,000-square-foot facility to provide needed storage, including about 20,000 square feet for Semikron Danfoss, housed just adjacent to the Nanocenter at the Quad-C Facility at the SUNY Polytechnic Institute. Mohawk Valley EDGE received $14 million from New York State through the FAST NY program to develop the second-tier section of the Marcy site beneath Wolfspeed, further building the ecosystem necessary to support the supply chain for semiconductor manufacturing, with construction already underway with an expected completion date of 2025.
In addition, there is significant excitement around the 332-acre Triangle Site at the Griffiss International Airport in Rome, where $23.6 million in FAST NY Funds were also awarded to Oneida County to develop a semiconductor supply chain campus. A significant part of this project includes electrical upgrades, providing up to 50 megawatts of power, which is in considerable demand throughout the Upstate region to bring more prominent manufacturers to the area. This demand will only increase, so having it available will be part of our strategic vision to attract new businesses in the future. This site is one of New York state’s largest shovel-ready site, potentially creating up to 3,000 new jobs. A tremendous thank you to all our local partners, especially Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente, Jr., who has provided EDGE with significant investments in these transformational projects. In addition, we applaud the efforts by such groups as Griffiss Local Development Corporation (GLDC), C&S Companies, and the City of Rome for working together to move forward critical infrastructure and transportation upgrades that will make this site a premier semiconductor supply chain, perfectly positioned between Micron and Wolfspeed.
We saw a significant effort finally come to fruition in October 2023, when doors to the new Wynn Hospital in downtown Utica finally opened, signaling the beginning of the consolidation of several Mohawk Valley Health System (MVHS) facilities into one main center for healthcare for the region. The majority of the former Faxton St. Luke’s Healthcare campus is now being looked at for redevelopment, with Mohawk Valley EDGE, Oneida County, MVHS, and the Town of New Hartford joining forces to create a master plan for the best usage of this 53-acre site that has held multiple public information and engagement sessions to study, identify, and implement a strategy that benefits the community for generations to come.
Mohawk Valley EDGE has continued its progress in remediating contaminated areas of Oneida County through the help of federal funding secured by U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer. In May, EDGE received $500,000 in EPA Brownfields Community-Wide Assessment grant program funds to focus on multiple sites, including St. Luke’s, the former Rome Cable Tower Site, the Ethan Allen furniture plant in Boonville, with an additional 12 sites potentially in the works for environmental assessment. The staff at EDGE are confident that about half of these sites will spin off into new, distinct projects that will further our growth.
There is great optimism in the Village of Boonville after receiving a $4.5 million grant from New York State in the second round of the New York Forward program.
Much like the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI), the New York Forward program targets smaller municipalities like Boonville to assist with planning and strategic vision to help increase economic opportunities in their downtown corridor. EDGE will support Boonville’s local planning committees and guide them along the way so that each project submission fits within the committee’s master plan for future growth, highlighting Boonville’s historic past while cultivating new areas for development. We thank the Mohawk Valley Economic Development Regional Council for its leadership in providing these funds to communities making strides to realize their long-term visions.
Our business-outreach efforts continue to be essential to our strategic vision. We are continuing our efforts with $200,000 in microenterprise-grant assistance working alongside Oneida County. In addition, we will leverage the efforts of partners at Mohawk Valley regional office of Empire State Development to assist other businesses through Round 14 of the Regional Economic Development Council’s (REDC) Consolidated Funding Application. Through our small-business networks, our chambers of commerce, local governments, and educational institutions, we follow the evolving job market and economy and put the pieces of the puzzle together to move our region out of the post-pandemic economy. EDGE is also partnering with ESD on its Semiconductor Growth Access Program Application (SGAP) to help small businesses enter the supply chain industry. A new endeavor will be leveraging the consolidated funding application process to assist companies in applying for the ESD Small Manufacturer’s Modernization Grant. This year alone, $225,000 in loans and capital leases have been approved.
There is renewed excitement and energy coming back to downtown Utica. Everywhere you turn, there is plenty of optimism. Our region now has a fully utilized health-care campus at the Wynn Hospital for MVHS, with Oneida County’s newly completed parking garage which opened this summer. Just a few hundred yards away, the Nexus Center at Utica University hosted the IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship, bringing thousands of spectators from around the globe to Utica. The Nexus Center will be hosting similar exciting events in the coming months.
As part of efforts to better serve Oneida County’s economic growth, the staff at EDGE pulled together a list of projects coordinated through both the Oneida County Industrial Development Agency (OCIDA) and the Oneida County Local Development Corporation (OCLDC) to evaluate our success further. Of 103 active projects since 2018, over $2 billion in total project value has been generated between both organizations. In 2023 alone, $51.8 million went to projects in Oneida County, the beginning of construction of Flex-Space at the Marcy Nanocenter, as well as new facility construction at the former Oneida Ltd. Complex in Sherrill. Of 103 IDAs across New York state, OCIDA ranks 11th in total active projects, proving that the management and oversight of projects are delivering benefits at a practical cost.
Our future prospects are especially promising, thanks to the solid historical groundwork we have established for enhancing Oneida County and the Mohawk Valley region, paving the way for even more growth. The work does not happen alone, and we are very grateful for the support of the Mohawk Valley EDGE board of directors for their trust in providing our organization with the ability to carry out our mission and ensure that our future remains bright for years to come. We value the partnerships we have established to achieve these remarkable projects.
Shawna Papale is acting president of Mohawk Valley EDGE. She has served the organization for nearly three decades, most recently as chief administrative officer.
Boonville making plans on how to spend its $4.5M NY Forward award
BOONVILLE — Those involved in the local planning committee (LPC) for the Village of Boonville in northern Oneida County are working to figure out how to spend $4.5 million in state funding it was awarded earlier this year. The open call for NY Forward project proposals, which started on June 3, was set to close
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BOONVILLE — Those involved in the local planning committee (LPC) for the Village of Boonville in northern Oneida County are working to figure out how to spend $4.5 million in state funding it was awarded earlier this year.
The open call for NY Forward project proposals, which started on June 3, was set to close on Aug. 1, per a notice on the website: boonvilleforward.org.
The village also launched a community survey on July 3 to gather public input on the vision and development priorities for the NY Forward Area. The survey was scheduled to remain open through July 25, per a posting on the village’s Facebook page. The Village of Boonville was also scheduled to host an open house for community input at Erwin Library on July 18.
Gov. Kathy Hochul on Feb. 12 announced both Boonville and Richfield as this year’s Mohawk Valley region winners NY Forward funding, receiving $4.5 million each.
The Village of Boonville’s application — entitled, “We’re Just Up the Road”— seeks to transform its downtown into an attractive destination for tourists and residents alike, building on its reputation as a hub for tourism and recreation, as well as the “Gateway to the Adirondacks.”
Referring to itself as “walkable, bikable, adorable,” the village’s downtown destinations and amenities are never more than a 10 or 20-minute walk away. Through this NY Forward award, village officials envision improved pedestrian-friendly infrastructure, expanded small business opportunities, and enhanced public spaces with ample cultural activities.
“We are profoundly grateful that Governor Hochul has taken an interest in our small village and sees potential for Boonville’s future,” Judith Dellerba, mayor of the Village of Boonville, said in the state’s announcement. “The generous award from NY Forward will enable us to embark on transformative projects that will positively impact the lives of our citizens and strengthen the fabric of the Boonville community. This new partnership between the Village of Boonville and Governor Hochul’s office exemplifies a shared vision for a brighter future, and together we will work tirelessly to maximize the impact of this funding, ensuring it reaches every bit of our village, and leaves a lasting legacy for generations to come.”
Boonville is in the process of developing a strategic-investment plan to revitalize its downtown. A local planning committee made up of municipal representatives, community leaders, and other stakeholders is leading the effort, supported by a team of private-sector experts and state planners.
The New York Department of State is overseeing the Boonville NY Forward process with support from a consultant team led by Laberge Group, an Albany–based engineering consultant, per the website of boonvilleforward.org. At the same time, the LPC will be responsible for meeting regularly with the consultant team and representing the public throughout the process.
Both Dellerba and Laura Casamento, who serves on the Mohawk Valley Regional Economic Development Council, are the LPC co-chairs, per the website. Casamento previously served as president of Utica University.
The LPC held a meeting back on June 27, per a post on the village’s Facebook page.
The Village of Boonville’s NY Forward boundary extends from Awesome Country Farmhouse, LLC and the former Delta Hardwood manufacturing facility in the southeast, continues through the Main Street / Schuyler Street corridors, and terminates at the Boonville-Oneida County Fairgrounds in the west, per the website.
Rome Health construction on ICU addition, surgical center project progresses
ROME — Construction crews continue their work on the upcoming intensive-care unit (ICU) addition and the Kaplan Center for Surgical Services at Rome Health Hospital. The project involves constructing a 30,000-square-foot, three-floor addition on the north side of the hospital. The expansion will allow the hospital to replace its aging operating rooms and ICUs. Construction
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ROME — Construction crews continue their work on the upcoming intensive-care unit (ICU) addition and the Kaplan Center for Surgical Services at Rome Health Hospital.
The project involves constructing a 30,000-square-foot, three-floor addition on the north side of the hospital. The expansion will allow the hospital to replace its aging operating rooms and ICUs.
Construction workers from the Hayner Hoyt Corporation of Syracuse will complete the $45.7 million project in three phases, and King + King Architects of Syracuse designed the project.
Rome Health anticipates project completion in the summer of 2026. “At this time, the construction is on budget and on time,” per a July 2 update on the Rome Health website.
The concrete floors have been poured for both the 1st and 2nd floors of the center, as indicated in the July 2 website update. Crews were also pouring concrete for the basement level of the center.
Stairs have been installed but are not yet accessible. Workers have also started positioning and laying piping throughout the building.
Rome Health says the project is being funded through a partnership of more than $29 million in public funding and private philanthropy, including a $26 million New York State Transformation Grant and $3 million in ARPA funds from the City of Rome, according to a November 2023 Rome Health website posting.
Besides the $29 million in public funding, the Rome Health Foundation has also raised $15 million through private philanthropy and continuing its outreach to donors to raise the balance, Cassie Evans Winter, VP of communications/grants administration at Rome Health, tells CNYBJ in a July 11 email.
The Kaplan Center for Surgical Services is named in honor of Charles and Florence Kaplan.
“The $45.7 million capital project will enhance the experience for patients and their families while supporting the care team in delivering the best care out there here,” AnneMarie Czyz, president and CEO of Rome Health, contended in a statement.
AmeriCU Credit Union says it’s partnering with Rome Health on initiatives to acquire advanced medical equipment, enhance facilities, improve technology, and support specialized training for medical staff, per a May 30 announcement from the credit union.
“We are excited to partner with Rome Health in their mission to deliver exceptional healthcare services for our community and assist those facing challenges, by bringing their needs to the forefront of our focus,” Ron Belle, president and CEO of AmeriCU Credit Union, said in the announcement. “By coming together, we can work to build a stronger, more resilient community.”
The partnership between AmeriCU and Rome Health will significantly impact Rome and surrounding area’s healthcare, strengthening the availability of state-of-the-art surgical procedures and critical care services for patients. By investing in these critical areas, AmeriCU helps to improve patient outcomes and enhance the overall health-care experience for individuals and families in the community.
ANDRO pushes the envelope on disruptive innovation
ROME — ANDRO Computational Solutions, LLC is making its mark on both the scientific world and the local Mohawk Valley economy. Between a new headquarters and new defense contracts, the Rome–based tech company is well on its way toward its goal of leading advancements in disruptive innovation. Disruptive may sound like a negative term, but
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ROME — ANDRO Computational Solutions, LLC is making its mark on both the scientific world and the local Mohawk Valley economy.
Between a new headquarters and new defense contracts, the Rome–based tech company is well on its way toward its goal of leading advancements in disruptive innovation.
Disruptive may sound like a negative term, but when it comes to technology, it’s all about innovation and changing the way people and businesses do things. For ANDRO, that means stirring the pot and pushing the United States to be a technology leader.
“We’re trying to improve wireless communication,” ANDRO President/CEO Andrew Drozd says. The Department of Defense (DoD) needs it for soldiers — thus the many defense contracts ANDRO has received — but ultimately, most of the solutions developed for the DoD have commercial consumer applications as well.
“We’re are also experts at dynamic spectrum-sharing policy,” he notes. In the United States, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (part of the Department of Commerce) oversee how the spectrum is used. That’s no small task when all forms of wireless communication from air traffic to weather satellites to our own personal cell phones must share the spectrum.
In the U.S., spectrum management still tends to be fixed while today’s technology has become increasingly fluid, Drozd says. “This restricts how we do things in the United States,” he says, adding that leads customers to reach out to ANDRO when they need to figure out how to make their technology work on the spectrum. “We’re the unicorns in this field.”
ANDRO has also carved out a niche in software-based waveform development, he says. Communication devices have a particular type of chip in them for digital-signal processing. Radio waveforms are the functions that convert input such as a person’s speech or typed data into transmitted energy, which is then converted back at the receiving device at the other end.
The chips that carry the waveforms are typically pre-programmed before being used in a device and updating them with new technology is a costly process that can take between one to three years, Drozd says. ANDRO has developed a process to “flash” those waveforms onto those chips, providing a way to develop, test, and evaluate waveform designs much more quickly.
“This is one of our growing markets,” Drozd says.
All that growth meant that ANDRO needed more laboratory space. While it had been located at the Beeches complex for many years, the company decided to move elsewhere in late 2022 when it moved to Griffiss Business & Technology Park at the Steven J. DiMeo Campus.
The company reduced its overall facility space — going from 22,000 to 8,000 square feet — and manages the downsizing with a work-from-home model.
“It works well because it’s modern,” Drozd says of the space. He hopes ANDRO will eventually build its own small-scale manufacturing and research facility as it works closer to its goal of commercializing some of the technologies it has developed.
“We’re trying to really develop more and more products we can sell,” he says. The company will also continue the government and defense work it excels at.
ANDRO employs about 50 people and has been growing steadily in recent years, adding groups of four to five employees at a time, with each new defense contract it has landed.
Those contracts include a $2 million Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency contract to develop a 5G testbed environment and a $1.3 million U.S. Navy contract Phase II Small Business Innovation Research contract to develop a new type of autonomous radio frequency signal intelligence capability.
Drozd was also recently reappointed to the FCC’s Communications Security, Reliability, and Interoperability Council IX for another two years.
“I’m the only one from New York state,” he says of members of the council, which consults and weighs in on topics related to the development of FCC policies. “I’m very proud to be part of that.”
Founded in 1994, ANDRO serves defense and commercial customers in software radios, spectrum access, cybersecurity, machine learning, and more.
Planning proceeds for Triangle site development at Griffiss
ROME — The future development of the 332-acre Triangle site at Griffiss International Airport in Rome is progressing in the planning stages following the March 5 announcement of a $23.6 million state grant to help turn into a semiconductor supply-chain campus. “It has started in design and concept,” says Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente Jr.,
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ROME — The future development of the 332-acre Triangle site at Griffiss International Airport in Rome is progressing in the planning stages following the March 5 announcement of a $23.6 million state grant to help turn into a semiconductor supply-chain campus.
“It has started in design and concept,” says Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente Jr., noting the planning for the development of the parcel had started well before the grant announcement.
It’s called the Triangle site because it has the “general outline” of a triangle, Picente notes in a July 10 phone interview with CNYBJ.
“While there’s nothing physically in the ground … the process has begun,” he adds.
Oneida County will chip in a local match of nearly $2.7 million.
Picente would like to see development get started in the first quarter of 2025 to start preparing the water, sewer, and electrical components so the site is on the fast track and by the end of 2026, perhaps into 2027, it is “shovel ready.”
When asked if Oneida County knows of any supply-chain firms that are interested in eventually coming to the site, he says, “We have had discussions, confidentially with some companies that we’re in contact with.”
With Micron Technology (NASDAQ: MU) securing the White Pine Commerce Park in the town of Clay in Onondaga County, Picente notes that the Triangle site is “now the largest site … in the state of New York for development.”
Oneida County received the largest amount among seven sites awarded funding under the Focused Attraction of Shovel-Ready Tracts New York (FAST NY) grant program, per the March 5 announcement. The money will allow for the county and its partners to complete infrastructure and transportation improvements to the Triangle site to support up to 3.9 million square feet of developable area.
The partners include Griffiss Local Development Corporation (GLDC), Mohawk Valley EDGE (MV EDGE), Salina–based C&S Companies, and the City of Rome.
The work will include electrical upgrades and extension, doubling capacity to provide up to 50 megawatts; water and sewer extension; force main and pump station; looping for increased pressure; transportation and access upgrades; roundabout construction; sound-barrier construction; lighting and pedestrian infrastructure; natural-gas extension from State Route 825; general site work; perimeter fencing; site grading and green infrastructure; and duct bank and utility corridors, per the March 5 announcement.
“Conveniently located in the center of New York State and positioned adjacent to Wolfspeed and Micron, Oneida County’s ‘Triangle Site’ at Griffiss is positioned to be the state’s premier semiconductor supply chain campus, offering up to 50 megawatts of power,” Picente said in the March 5 announcement. “This largest shovel-ready site in the state will unlock up to 2.6 million square feet of new construction and the potential for 3,000 new jobs.”
The announcement included Rome Mayor Jeffrey Lanigan thanking Gov. Kathy Hochul for the “significant investment that will propel our region’s semiconductor industry forward” and additionally expressing gratitude to Picente and the project partners.
“We also want to thank County Executive Anthony Picente, MV EDGE and GLDC for their visionary leadership in spearheading the development of a shovel-ready semiconductor supply chain site,” Lanigan said. “Their outstanding application showcased the strength of our community’s commitment to innovation and we look forward to collaborating on the development of this site, paving the way for further advancements in our local economy and technology sector. Together, we will continue to foster growth and prosperity for generations to come.”
All Seasonings has all the ingredients for growth
ONEIDA — All Seasonings Ingredients has been the Oneida area’s hidden secret, but that’s changing now that the food-production company is growing. Without a retail brand on the shelves, All Seasonings isn’t a household name, CEO Brendan Farnach says, but it is well known in the spice industry. His father, Joe, started the business in
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ONEIDA — All Seasonings Ingredients has been the Oneida area’s hidden secret, but that’s changing now that the food-production company is growing.
Without a retail brand on the shelves, All Seasonings isn’t a household name, CEO Brendan Farnach says, but it is well known in the spice industry.
His father, Joe, started the business in 1994 out of the kitchen of his Sylvan Beach restaurant, Cinderella’s Café. It was really a side project, Farnach says, where his father bought spices in bulk and packaged up the extras to sell to other restaurants who didn’t need to buy so much at once.
It wasn’t until about 2003 — after Farnach graduated from Syracuse University, where he studied finance, and joined the business — that the focus turned toward growing it into something more.
All Seasonings Ingredients imports spices from around the world and then bottles them — but it’s more than just putting some garlic powder in a bottle. The company can blend spices and customize the product on several levels including granulation size and potency.
It serves the food service, industrial, and retail industries and does private-label work for clients.
“We focus on customer service,” Farnach says. That means from the label to the spice itself, products are consistent and meet the customers’ needs. All Seasonings is one of just a few privately owned companies that both imports and bottles product ingredients, he says. Most companies do one or the other.
While it can be challenging, the effort allows All Seasonings to employ more people, have better control over its supply chain, and the most control over the finished product.
That focus has paid off. In 2004, the company had about five employees and imported about 100,000 pounds of spices.
By 2023, the business had grown to employing 106 workers and importing 30 million pounds of spices.
All Seasonings Ingredients has seen explosive growth over the past five years, including during the pandemic. Restaurants may have been closed for dining, but delivery options boomed — including pizza, Farnach notes. All Seasonings already had built a strong business in the pizza industry, and it grew even more during the pandemic.
Until now, the company didn’t really push the needle on further growth because it was already operating at full capacity, he says. The company has been based at 1043 Freedom Drive in Oneida for many years, where it has both office and warehouse space.
Now, it has expanded with a new 9,000-square-foot research and development facility that houses the company’s sales, customer service, purchasing, and marketing teams along with a state-of-the-art test kitchen.
The 2,500-square-foot kitchen allows All Seasonings Ingredients to continue to innovate for its customers as well as for itself as it looks to expand its product offerings, Farnach says. The company markets its Papa Joe’s salad dressing mixes to restaurants and hopes to add more products along those lines.
More facility expansion is also on the way as the company is building a 63,000-square-foot warehouse in nearby Sherrill to house raw materials, he adds.
All Seasonings worked with Mohawk Valley EDGE, the City of Oneida, and the Madison County Industrial Development agency on its expansion projects. The new R&D facility benefited from state Downtown Revitalization Initiative funding, while the company will receive a payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) agreement for the Sherrill warehouse.
“The new additions allow us to double our business,” Farnach says, adding he expects that growth over the next five years.
That means employment at the company is growing further. The new warehouse will add 10 new employees, and Farnach expects the firm will need between 30 and 40 new employees over the next five years. And that’s on top of adding automation and building efficiency along the way, he adds.
All Seasonings is primed and ready for growth but won’t lose track of what sets the business apart, Farnach says. It’s the customer service, the product itself, and its insider history in the restaurant industry that help the firm understand the needs of its customers.
Name change at Griffiss business park honors DiMeo
ROME — Pick a spot in the Mohawk Valley, spin around, and point. Odds are good, you’ll be pointing at some project that Steven J. DiMeo had a hand in. A graduate of T.R. Proctor High School, DiMeo began his economic-development work in the Mohawk Valley in 1984 when he worked for the Department of
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ROME — Pick a spot in the Mohawk Valley, spin around, and point. Odds are good, you’ll be pointing at some project that Steven J. DiMeo had a hand in.
A graduate of T.R. Proctor High School, DiMeo began his economic-development work in the Mohawk Valley in 1984 when he worked for the Department of Urban and Economic Development in Utica. In 1986, he became its commissioner.
But it was the 1993 battle to save the former Griffiss Air Force Base in Rome and the subsequent redevelopment of the closed base into a thriving business and technology park that is perhaps his most publicly recognizable career accomplishment. The park is also home to the Mohawk Valley EDGE offices, where DiMeo served as president from its founding until his death on March 6, 2024.
“The day of his passing, I met with the staff that morning,” Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente, Jr. says. Amid the sadness, talk quickly turned to ways to honor the memory of the man who led so many economic-development efforts across the region — from fighting to keep the Air Force Research Lab in Rome to bringing the semiconductor industry to the area with Wolfspeed.
They all agreed something must be done, but “it’s got to be the right thing,” Picente says.
Looking around the region, you could point a finger at dozens of projects, he says, “But it started at Griffiss.”
Once a bustling Air Force base, Griffiss was listed as one of the bases targeted under the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC), a congressionally authorized process the Department of Defense uses to reorganizes its base structure to improve efficiency and operational readiness.
Despite all efforts waged by DiMeo and other area economic-development leaders, the 3,689-acre Griffiss Air Force Base closed in September 1995. The Griffiss Local Development Corporation (GLDC) became the entity responsible for figuring out how to reuse the base. DiMeo, as a representative on the board, worked together with GLDC to turn those acres into what is now the thriving Griffiss Business & Technology Park.
Shawna Papale, acting president of Mohawk Valley EDGE, recalls talking with GLDC Board Chair Elis DeLia and others when the topic of renaming the park in DiMeo’s honor came up. While people were “ready to change the signs the next day,” she says, things had to go through the proper process.
Picente agrees and a big part of that process was making sure DiMeo’s wife, Dianne, and their three children were on board.
“The whole family, we’re just honored,” Dianne DiMeo tells The Central New York Business Journal.
The park is now known as the Griffiss Business & Technology Park at the Steven J. DiMeo Campus in his honor.
Looking at the transformation of the base is amazing, she adds. “It was such a huge undertaking,” she says. “I think most people would look at that and say, ‘I don’t know how we’re going to reach that vision.’”
Steve DiMeo never gave up on that vision, and that’s why it’s so necessary to honor his work and his legacy, Papale says. “Anybody who comes to it or just comes through it is in awe,” she says of the bustling park, which is home to nearly 70 businesses employing thousands of people.
“Steve would tell us, ‘Don’t change the sign. You don’t need to do that,’” Papale says. But “he and his family deserve that honor.”
There will be a ceremony, set for Sept. 13, to unveil the new signage.
While the name changes, the work remains the same, Papale says, and MV EDGE continues to take the blueprint DiMeo left for them to continue the vision.
“Steve would want us to keep moving forward,” she says.
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