fuse2005
Destiny USA
"Patting Ourselves on the Back"
Get This Newsletter by Email
Job Growth
S.U. Investing in Downtown
Sensis
Gaylord
Syracuse a Safe Place
MDA Launches Major Program

To Showcase Tech Boom, Syracuse Lights the Fuse
On October 17th and 18th, 400 technology thought leaders, senior executives, entrepreneurs, creative technologists, venture capitalists, and academic researches met at the Oncenter in Syracuse, NY to explore opportunities with prospective customers, investors, and business partners.
During the two day event, experts from leading companies including IBM, Cisco, Kodak, Xerox, and Welch Allyn, discussed how technology changes are driving business growth and creating new opportunities in Central New York.

“The goal of fuse 2005 is to provide an organized forum to foster productive corporate relationships and expand avenues for technology-enabled business growth”, Nasir Ali, the Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce VP for New Venture Development and Chair of the fuse2005 Advisory Board, said. “By pulling together and leveraging the collective experience, expertise and resources that exist in our own backyard, fuse2005 will showcase the progress already underway and demonstrate the keys to sustainable business growth in Central New York.”

fuse2005 Objectives

• Combine energies and talents to expand technology base and bring new business opportunities, talent and capital to Central New York
• Highlight regional initiatives representing business opportunities such as DestiNY USA, the medical technology and bio sciences cluster, the information and communications technology cluster, fiber/Wi-Fi broadband initiatives, and more
• Complement regional programs and accelerate the momentum of existing technology and business growth initiatives
• Attract established and emerging technology businesses to Central New York
• Retain and attract talented people
  

$6 Billion Complex is Our Destiny
So, just what is Syracuse’s destiny? Hard to say. But its DestiNY could well be a $6+ billion entertainment/food/retail complex, the likes of which hasn’t been seen anywhere in the world. And when it’s built, it could certainly shape Syracuse’s destiny, with the promise of tourism dollars pouring in the area (as well as retail and construction jobs aplenty). Plans for the megamega complex are progressing, with design and development work moving forward. The first phase, as announced late last year by developer Pyramid Companies, is an 800,000-square foot expansion of the company’s Carousel Center. Steel beams are being shipped in as you read this.

We’re Getting Better at Getting the Word Out
Syracuse has enjoyed dynamic economic growth (see “Rain” article) that has made our city a haven for new business. So telling others about our great story is important. Apparently, people are listening:

• Expansion Management Magazine recognized Syracuse as a “five-star business metro” and one of the 50 hottest cities for expansion
• the New York State EDC recognized our website, SyracuseCentral, as “best in class”
• the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) announced that our “executive profile (general information brochure)” was their 2005 contest winner

We like the recognition of our efforts, but we love the recommendations of our city.

Thank you.

Get More News Faster: Expanded Newsletter Available by E-mail
To stay current on economic news in Syracuse that could help your company, get SuccesSyracuse by e-mail. Contact Greg Hitchin at GregoryHitchin@ongov.net. You can also read the expanded version by simply going to SyracuseCentral.com, clicking on “Find it Fast,” and downloading the current newsletter.

Even Without Summer Rain, Jobs Kept Growing
It was one of the driest summers on record in Syracuse, but that didn’t stop jobs from growing at a torrid pace. In the Syracuse metropolitan statistical area (MSA), non-farm employment increased 2.3% (11,200 jobs), with “goods producing” up 5.8% and “service providing” adding 1.7%. Several area high-tech and knowledge-based companies reported significant growth, with several among them making major announcements.

The good news included:

• Lockheed Martin Naval Electronics and Surveillance Systems-Radar Systems won a $625 million contract to design radars for a new air defense system.
• Welch Allyn, an internationally known manufacturer of medical and dental diagnostic instruments, data collection and lighting devices, acquired two manufacturing companies, making defibrillators and cardiopulmonary diagnostic equipment.
• Bristol-Myers Squibb Company recently completed a $61 million expansion associated with the development of two potential medicines.
• Sensis Corporation (see separate story), a privately held high-tech firm that develops radar and aviation data software and hardware, was recently awarded a $100 million FAA contract to build and install systems to guide aircraft and vehicles around airport grounds.
• Syracuse Research Corp. added 160 new jobs in 2004 plans to add 200 more jobs in 2005, is expanding its facility by 15,000 square feet, and received a $550 million contract to make a device that will protect U.S. soldiers from explosive devices planted by insurgents.
• AXA Financial Group announced plans to create 300 jobs in addition to retaining 650 jobs following its acquisition of Mutual of New York.
• Bank of New York announced an expansion of 320 employees.
• L. & J. G. Stickley, Audi & Co., an internationally known producer of fine furniture, announced a $6 million investment to expand its factory.
• Tessy Plastics Corp., a plastics-parts maker, announced a 38,000 square foot addition to expand its manufacturing capacity.
  

Syracuse University Expanding into Downtown
Town-gown is moving downtown, and taking economic development along with it.

The growing collaborative relationship between Syracuse University and the City of Syracuse is paying big dividends for the city, university, and local businesses. S.U. recently announced multi-million dollar plans to purchase and renovate several buildings in the heart of Syracuse. Chief among those purchases is a large warehouse, which will serve as the temporary home of the university’s School of Architecture. After the School of Architecture moves into its permanent residence up on University Hill, the facility will turn into a permanent home for the School of Architecture’s Upstate Institute, a newly created design think tank that will focus on rejuvenating the upstate New York region. The facility will also be home to several exciting programs: an arts education collaboration between the university and the Everson Museum, which will allow the museum to reach more elementary school children; a community art gallery and lobby space for local artists and organizations; an artist support and development space; a 125-seat lecture hall, which will host community-directed speakers and programs to create a “town hall” atmosphere at minimal cost; and a community box office to provide one-stop shopping for community events. S.U. will also open one-fifth of the building to community and public use, free of charge.

Plans for the 10 other buildings that S.U. has purchased are still in the air.

The school also recently opened the 160,000-square-foot Martin J. Whitman School of Management, which welcomed 350 new freshmen, 90 new full-time M.B.A. and M.S. students, and 12 new doctoral students to its student body.

You Get the Sense They Like it Here
When Sensis Corporation, a privately held high tech firm that develops sensors, information processing and navigation technology, decided to build its spectacular new world headquarters, it could’ve gone anywhere in the world. It chose DeWitt, a suburb of Syracuse, to open its 89,000-square foot building. The headquarters is located in a gorgeous new business park, Collamer Crossings, which features over 200 wooded acres with ponds and trails. Offering fast access to major highways—Sensis is just east of Interstate 481—the building is the first of four planned for the 44-acre campus-like setting. It has enough room for 245 employees and already has 145 working there. All four buildings will have room for 1,500 workers.

Jud Gostin, chairman, president and chief executive officer, hopes the stunning new facilities will help its recruiting efforts. Founded in 1985, Sensis has grown rapidly, with technology deployed in more than 25 countries across five continents. It makes air defense systems for the military and systems that track planes on the ground at airports, and it provides advanced electronic hardware, software and semiconductor design services for major industrial, military and consumer electronics companies.

All of which means the company will need more engineers quickly. It’s not a stretch to imagine prospective employees observing the glass-walled, 130-seat dining hall overlooking a pond and woodlands, strolling through the fully equipped weight room and aerobics center, or eyeballing the expansive, 2,500-square-foot, two-story lobby with a curved glass wall and polished marble floor, and signing on right there.

Much of the company’s growth is coming from its air traffic systems, which use radars and sensors to pinpoint the location of planes on the ground at airports. But the company is trying to expand into more commercial markets with a system that helps doctors quickly process patient medical data and a system that monitors water supplies for impurities. And Syracuse is the place Gostin intends to nurture that growth. “We really want to diversify our vision,” he says. “In each of our two decades of business, we’ve grown by a factor of 10. We want to do that in the third decade, too.”

Gaylord Bros.’ Newest Facility Takes Flight
Gaylord Bros., a manufacturer and supplier of library equipment, has opened a new light manufacturing facility in Hancock Air Park, a 200-acre business park adjacent to Syracuse Airport and major interstate highways. The company took advantage of incentives offered by the Onondaga County Industrial Development Agency virtual building site, a prime location that has been pre-approved for a light industrial application, with office space and loading docks already in place. The AirPark is located in the NYS Empire Zone and qualifies for development in the Federal Empowerment Zone.

Information about Hancock AirPark is available on our web site, SyracuseCentral.com, and space is still available; check our website, www.SyracuseCentral.com (click “Real Estate”).

Want to Feel Secure? Syracuse is a Safe Bet
How do you define security? A short answer, according to The Farmers Insurance Group of Companies, is Syracuse. We’re not just talking crime, either; Farmers measures security in many ways, rating municipalities on extreme weather, risk of natural disasters, job loss numbers, and—of course—crime statistics.

The result? If you live and work here, you can feel pretty secure. In fact, Syracuse is one of the most secure places to live in the United States, placing 11th in the top 20 for metropolitan areas with more than 500,000 residents.

That’s good news not only for the people of Syracuse, but for the businesses that employ them. After all, “living, working and raising a family in a safe, secure area is important to many people,” said Jeff Beyer, chief communications officer for The Farmers Insurance Group.

We couldn’t agree more, Jeff. Welcome to Syracuse.

MDA Launches Major Program of Essential New York Initiative:
$1,000,000 in Seed Funding For University-Industry Partnerships
The Grants for Growth program is a unique seed program that offers up to $50,000 in matching funds for innovative applied research projects between universities and industry that have the potential to improve business competitiveness and create jobs.

By seeding applied research relationships between university and industry, the program seeks to increase innovation and technology commercialization within the Central Upstate regional economy.

Through a combination of grants and no-interest loans, the GFG program is designed to give companies in Central Upstate New York greater access to the unique knowledge, expertise and educational resources available at regional research institutions. The program is part of the Metropolitan Development Association’s (MDA) Essential New York Initiative – a plan to accelerate the transition of the regional economy, one based on knowledge and technology.

To be eligible for GFG funding, projects must:

• Provide a 1:1 match for all GFG funds
• Focus on research, development or commercialization in one or more of the following industries: agriculture, biosciences, digital and electronic devices, energy, environmental systems, information technology, packaging, and precision metalworking
• Include business and university partners from the 12-county Central Upstate region (Cayuga, Cortland, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego, Seneca, St. Lawrence, and Tompkins)
• Have the potential to create jobs and deliver economic impact to Central Upstate
  

All proposals require evidence of detailed planning and sound budget justification, and must clearly spell out the underlying assumptions, intended approaches, milestones and deliverables. Proposals will be reviewed by an 11-member Advisory Committee. Awards will be made on a rolling basis until all program funds have been expended.

To view complete program guidelines or download an application, please visit:
www.essentialny.com/gfg

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Newsletter Archive

• Fall 2003 Newsletter
• Spring 2004 Newsletter
• Fall 2004 Newsletter
• Spring 2005 Newsletter