Economy
Upstate Economic Development Program Gets A Boost
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Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a $1 billion high-tech development project on the State University of New York’s Polytechnic Institute campus near Utica.
WSKG (https://wskg.org/tag/upstate-economy/)
Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a $1 billion high-tech development project on the State University of New York’s Polytechnic Institute campus near Utica.
The Trump Administration’s decision to end the tariffs it had imposed on aluminum shipments from Canada is welcome news in Oswego, where the tax took a toll on two of the city’s largest businesses.
“Jobs are very important to us in Livingston County and these were jobs that were well paying and jobs, which the individuals spent money; some of the folks do live here in our county and they spend dollars at businesses and help sales tax.”
“It seems natural for us to do that, with the hydroelectric power generation that goes on here.”
A Wegmans senior vice president says as technology has evolved to enable more self-service, customers are increasingly looking for options that save time and allow them to shop how they want.
“It really put a hurt on us, the tariffs, making it very difficult for us to ship back and forth across the border.”
Overall, the Finger Lakes Council says that the projects created with the state funds will spawn about 4,000 new jobs and help retain over 6,200 others.
“For every dollar that New York State expends on this particular credit, it gets back a dollar and 15 cents.”
Top business organizations in New York are supporting Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposal to make the 2% property tax cap permanent.
The village of Sackets Harbor is losing one of the only stores where residents could get groceries, and its owner is blaming the opening of a nearby Dollar General as one of the reasons for its closing.
Job seekers now have a new tool for finding local work. The website ShiftDiff, is a locally focused job search site, listing only career opportunities across the Finger Lakes region.
Airbnb hosts in the Finger Lakes region earned almost $10 million through the app in 2018.
A new federal proposal would change the way New York’s military installations get milk, and could hurt local dairy farmers. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) is trying to stop it.
Awards were announced Tuesday in Albany for the eighth round of Regional Economic Development Council funding.
Local and state officials are promoting farm-fresh Christmas trees this holiday season. It’s an $8 million industry in New York State and the trees are also good for the environment.
Harris Corporation has been awarded a nearly $196 million contract to help build a space-based telescope. The work involves the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope, or WFIRST, for short.
The owners of the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres have hired a consulting firm to help them study possible next steps for the venues where the professional football and hockey teams play. In the case of the Bills, the upcoming feasibility analysis includes exploration of an entirely new stadium.
Reaction has been mixed to Amazon’s selection of Long Island City in Queens as one of its new headquarters, promising 25,000 high-paying jobs. But Syracuse business leaders said they are expecting a spill-over effect of investment in central New York, because of the region’s drone corridor.
ROCHESTER, NY (WXXI) – Tops Markets is announcing plans to close 10 stores it says are underperforming as part of its effort to restructure and emerge from the Chapter 11 bankruptcy it filed for earlier this year.
Canada’s Foreign Minister is expected to travel to Washington Tuesday to begin negotiations, one day after the Trump administration announced was a tentative deal with Mexico that would end and replace the North American Free Trade Agreement.
SYRACUSE, NY (WRVO) – In addition to tax cuts, the recently passed federal tax overhaul includes a measure to encourage the private industry to invest in low-wealth areas. The program offers tax discounts and other incentives for people to put their profits from stocks and other holdings to work in so-called Opportunity Zones.
BUFFALO, NY (WBFO) – New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli is reporting strong growth in local state sales tax collections through the first half of the year.
ALBANY, NY (WSKG) – Government reform groups are urging the state Assembly to pass two bills that have already been approved in the Senate that would reform New York’s economic development programs.
ROCHESTER, NY (WXXI) Governor Andrew Cuomo was in Geneva Wednesday to help debut the new Finger Lakes Welcome Center.
SYRACUSE, NY (WRVO) – Passengers are flying out of Syracuse’s Hancock International Airport in numbers the airport has not seen in a decade.
BUFFALO, NY (WBFO) – General Motors’ Tonawanda Engine Plant has been selected as the first of the automaker’s plants to produce a new V-8 engine line that utilizes a cylinder deactivation technology that helps the engine produce only the power that is needed, in order to increase efficiency.
SYRACUSE, NY (WRVO) – Remington Arms, a firearms manufacturer that employs roughly 900 people in the Mohawk Valley, has emerged from bankruptcy proceedings.
SYRACUSE, NY (WRVO) – A non-profit group is rolling out a set of resources it hopes will make it easier for film companies to shoot a movie in central New York.
SYRACUSE, NY (WRVO) – Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) is pushing for legislation that would provide more access to funding for employee-owned businesses. Gillibrand said there is an urgency to create more opportunities for retiring baby boomer business owners.
ROCHESTER, NY (WXXI) – Current U.S. immigration policies pose an economic threat to New York’s struggling dairy industry, according to the director of a farmworker program at Cornell University.
SYRACUSE, NY (WRVO) – Low fare air carrier Frontier Airlines begins service out of Syracuse’s Hancock International Airport this summer.
SYRACUSE, NY (WRVO) – Remington Arms, a firearms manufacturer that was founded in the Mohawk Valley, is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, raising concerns about what will become of the company’s Herkimer County plant.
ROCHESTER, NY (WXXI) – A company with operations in Seneca Falls is laying off about a quarter of its workforce. Xylem, a water technology company, recently informed the NYS Labor Department it is laying off 36 of its 138 employees for economic reasons.
ROCHESTER, NY (WXXI) – Tops Markets has confirmed the story first reported by Bloomberg last week; the company will file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
ROCHESTER (WXXI) – Industry experts and retirees are weighing in on Wednesday’s news that Fuji and Xerox will merge, with the Japanese company taking a controlling interest in the new venture.
SYRACUSE (WRVO) – The Syracuse job market has been mixed recently, with some companies adding and others eliminating jobs in the area. While the national economy is booming, some experts say the outlook is not as good for upstate.
SYRACUSE (WRVO) – Economic forecasters expect central New York to continue the slow but steady growth seen in the past few years. While that growth should continue, there are potential roadblocks keeping the region from reaching the robust growth found in other parts of the country. M&T Bank Regional Economist Gary Keith says the future of central New York’s economy hinges on the workforce. “It’s one thing to be able to put up buildings, and attract businesses, and retain businesses, but if they don’t have the right mix of labor to move forward, that’s just going to keep one foot on the break,” Keith said. Keith worries about the exodus of older workers retiring and taking their skills with them.
SYRACUSE (WRVO) – Central New York economic development boosters are hoping some positive trends from 2017 continue this year. One that CenterState CEO director Rob Simpson expects to hold course in 2018 is a change in something that’s plagued the area for years: brain drain. “We have seen the latest census department estimates that the population 18-25 in central New York is actually growing at a more rapid rate than we’ve seen in recent memory,” Simpson said. Simpson says more college-aged students are staying in the area in part because there are more job opportunities out there. He also cites a low cost of living that’s attractive for young people and suggests the improved qualities in upstate cities also has something to do with it.
ROCHESTER (WXXI) – Senator Kirsten Gillibrand was in Rochester Monday announcing bipartisan legislation to expand the Small Business Administration’s microloan program, helping women and minority owned businesses succeed. The Microloan Modernization Act will strengthen the current program, Gillibrand said, by raising the total limit on outstanding loans from intermediary lenders, which would allow for more loans to be made. “The lending organizations aren’t making enough loans. And they’re not reaching enough entrepreneurs to actually reflect the population of incredibly diverse communities like the ones here in Rochester. And they’re not reaching enough women entrepreneurs.”
SYRACUSE (WRVO) – Central New York was a big winner once again at this year’s Regional Economic Development Council awards, announced last week in Albany. The state will funnel more than $86 million to projects in five central New York counties. It includes things like $140,000 for a new park in East Syracuse and a half-million dollars for an expansion of the Apple Acres apple orchard in LaFayette. In all, incoming REDC co-chair Randy Wolken says there are 112 projects in line for state funding. “Central New York has been a top performer, this year receiving the most dollars of all the regions.
ROCHESTER (WXXI and Associated Press) Communities in New York state are splitting $755 million in state economic development funding. State officials announced the awards Wednesday at an event in Albany. The money will support hundreds of local economic development efforts, including job training, subsidies for expanding businesses and funding for community organizations. This year’s big winners include central New York, the Mohawk Valley, the Albany region, the mid-Hudson Valley and Long Island, which each received more than $80 million. The Finger Lakes got this lowest amount this time around, receiving the lowest amount at $63.9 million dollars.