Venture Forum draws 300 to Buffalo

More than 30 companies from around the state participated this week in the 2012 Venture Forum in Buffalo.

The event, which took place Wednesday and Thursday, was a partnership between two long-running venture forums: Buffalo Niagara’s Bright Forum and the Albany–based Center for Economic Growth SmartStart UNYTECH Forum, an upstate New York event that travels to different locations.

Three companies from Central New York, iMuzik, Georeader, and Full Circle Feed, were among the 33 that pitched to angel investors and venture capitalists during the event. The forum drew an audience of more than 300, including nearly 60 investors from New York and elsewhere.

“The high quality of the presenters we attract each year is a testament to the wealth of innovation we have in upstate New York,” Jeff Lawrence, Center for Economic Growth executive vice president for technology, said in a news release.

The featured keynote speaker was Victor Thorne, director of Ohio TechAngel Funds, the largest angel group in the United States. Events took place at the University at Buffalo’s Center for the Arts and Statler City and at the Albright Knox Art Gallery.

“These forums give us the opportunity to showcase our very best early-stage companies,” Marnie LaVigne, University at Buffalo associate vice president for economic development, said in the release. “Investors travel from all over upstate New York, the eastern United States and Ontario, Canada to attend because they see the value and promise in the technologies emerging from our region.”

Contact Tampone at ktampone@cnybj.com

Hofmann, Heid’s begin distribution, promotion partnership

SYRACUSE — Hot on the heels of the announcement of its new ownership, Hofmann Sausage Co. revealed it has once again started distributing its products directly to Heid’s of Liverpool hot dog restaurant.

The deal also includes co-promotion of the Hofmann and Heid’s brands through website ads and links.

New Hofmann Sausage Co. CEO Frank Zaccanelli pushed for the distribution and co-promotion deal to smooth the rift created in 1993 when Heid’s dropped Hofmann products to market its own brand. Heid’s again started selling Hofmann hot dogs in 1997, but purchased the products through a third-party distributor.

“This direct distribution and co-promotion deal removes any doubt that Hofmann and Heid’s have a solid relationship in the Syracuse hot dog market,” Zaccanelli said in a release. “These iconic brands go together like hot dogs and mustard. We are happy to heal any past wounds or public perception of tension between Hofmann and Heid’s.”

Heid’s opened as a hot dog stand in Liverpool in 1917 and grew to several outlets in the 1990s. John Park and his family bought the original Liverpool location in 1995, and it is now the only remaining Heid’s restaurant.

“The big fight between Hofmann and Heid’s was before my family owned the restaurant,” Parker said. “We brought back Hofmann, which has always been there for us. The two brands have a 90-plus-year history together and we hope to have another 90 years.”

Zaccanelli Food Group of Dallas, along with a group of investors, acquired Hofmann Sausage earlier this month in a multimillion dollar deal. The investor group, which includes the Oneida Indian Nation, plans to transition Hofmann from a regional brand to a national and even international brand, starting with a distribution deal at Albertson’s Grocery Stores in the Dallas area.

Hofmann investor Phil Romano, who created Macaroni Grill and Fuddruckers, plans to open a national chain of Hofmann World’s Greatest Hot Dogs restaurants.

Hofmann (www.hofmannsausage.com) is a meat manufacturer and distributor based in Syracuse that employs nearly 40 people and offers more than 80 products online and at a variety of retail locations.

Contact DeLore at tgregory@cnybj.com

Syracuse, Onondaga County land bank application approved

Syracuse and Onondaga County are among the first municipalities in the state that received approval to create land banks to redevelop vacant or abandoned properties.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo signed the state’s Land Bank Program into law in July 2011 and Empire State Development approved the first round of applications Thursday.

“The Land Bank Program empowers local entities to transform urban blight into a source of economic development that will strengthen communities across New York,” Cuomo said. “The Land Bank Program is a central part of my administration’s urban agenda to help transform our struggling urban communities.”

Syracuse and Onondaga County partnered in their application. Other municipalities and partnerships that received approval in this round are the cities of Buffalo, Lackawanna, and Tonawanda with Erie County; the cities of Schenectady and Amsterdam with Schenectady County; Chautauqua County; and the city of Newburgh.

 “These applicants made a strong case that the land bank will be successful in their communities and we fully expect them to make a difference,” Empire State Development (ESD) President, CEO, and Commissioner Kenneth Adams said.

Under the program, 10 land banks may be created with ESD’s approval. Following the approval of the first five land banks in round one, ESD will select an additional five land banks in the second round. Municipalities not selected in the first round are encouraged to reapply.

“The approval of this land bank is great news for Onondaga County,” Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney said. “Our land bank will work with the private sector to redevelop abandoned and vacant properties in the city and the suburbs.”

The land banks will acquire tax delinquent, foreclosed, vacant, and abandoned properties and work with developers to return them to productive use.

“The designation of the Greater Syracuse Property Development Corporation as one of the first land banks in New York state is a testament to the innovative public-private partnership forged in recent years to proactively address the challenge of vacant and tax-delinquent properties throughout Onondaga County,” Syracuse Mayor Stephanie A. Miner said.

For more information on the New York State Land Bank Program, visit www.esd.ny.gov/BusinessPrograms/NYSLBP.html.

Contact DeLore at tgregory@cnybj.com

State gains few jobs, unemployment steady

New York gained 100 private-sector jobs in April, but with a private sector job count of 7.3 million, New York is one of only five states that have more private-sector jobs now than they did before the recession, according to the state Labor Department.

“The statistics show New York grew and continues to grow jobs in the private sector, and we are seeing that growth reflected in the number of job seekers returning to work,” state Department of Labor Deputy Director of the Division of Research and Statistics Bohdan Wynnyk said in a news release. “In April, the number of unemployed state residents fell by 3,000.”

The state had 807,700 unemployed workers in April.

The Utica-Rome area was one of the highest ranking areas across the state in terms of job growth in April. Over the past year, that area added 3,100 nonfarm jobs and 3,000 private-sector jobs.

The Binghamton region also showed strong growth, adding 2,300 nonfarm jobs and 2,900 private-sector jobs. The Syracuse area gained jobs as well, adding 2,900 nonfarm jobs and 900 private-sector jobs.

The state’s unemployment rate was 8.5 percent in April, unchanged from March and up from 8 percent a year ago.

The nation’s unemployment rate was 8.1 percent, down from 8.2 percent in March and 9 percent last April.

Contact DeLore at tgregory@tmvbj.com

Attorney general announces rebate checks in Syracuse stop

SYRACUSE  —  New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman visited Syracuse today to announce that restitution checks are on their way to nearly 2,700 New York customers of two Brooklyn–based energy companies.

Columbia Utilities, LLC, a retail natural-gas service provider, and Columbia Utilities Power, LLC, a retail electricity service provider, are sending checks totaling almost $2 million to customers they attracted by falsely promising lower rates, Schneiderman said.

The average restitution payment is $700, although the largest is $3,800, he added. Most of those receiving payments are individual consumers, but some are businesses, cooperatives, and nonprofit organizations, according to the attorney general’s office.

In upstate New York, 736 customers will receive payments. Of those customers, 343 live in Central New York, while 70 are in the Southern Tier and 70 are in the North Country. Of the remaining Upstate customers, 80 live in the Capital Region, 35 live in the Buffalo area, and 138 are in the Rochester area, according to the attorney general’s office.

“One of the reasons I’m here today in Syracuse is that of all of the areas certainly in upstate New York, the highest concentration of activity for this company was in Central New York,” Schneiderman said.

In New York City, 1,273 customers will receive restitution. In Long Island and the Hudson Valley, 672 customers are slated for payments.

The restitution is on its way after the attorney general’s office first shared details of a settlement with Columbia Utilities, LLC and Columbia Utilities Power, LLC in April 2011. In addition to the $2 million in restitution, that settlement called for the companies to pay $200,000 in state penalties and set up a $750,000 suspended penalty if the firms failed to comply with settlement terms.

The attorney general’s office investigated the companies after receiving consumer complaints, Schneiderman said.

“It’s a service provider that had a very aggressive telemarketing campaign, door-to-door campaign, telling people that they could save 15 to 20 percent on their electricity and gas prices,” he said. “Very few people saw any savings at all. The overwhelming majority saw their bills go up.”

Company representatives also refused to cancel customers’ service when they complained, citing a 12-month contract that hadn’t been clearly disclosed at the time of enrollment, Schneiderman said. And some of the utilities’ sales staff members represented themselves as being from customers’ existing utilities, he added.

Columbia Utilities and Columbia Utilities Power share a headquarters and staff members at 1350 60th St. in Brooklyn. A representative from the companies was not available for comment.

Contact Seltzer at rseltzer@cnybj.com

Little Falls Hospital plans renovation project

LITTLE FALLS — Little Falls Hospital is set to begin a $12.3 million expansion and renovation project to upgrade the facility to meet the rising need for outpatient services.

The project, which will help the facility accommodate a double-digit increase in the demand for outpatient services, will focus on the hospital’s surgical suite as well as radiology, cardiology, and rehabilitation services.

“In just the last several years, demand for most services at the hospital has grown by double digits,” CEO Michael Ogden said in a news release. “Since 2006, when we became an affiliate of the Bassett Healthcare Network, we’ve invested nearly $8 million in improving the emergency department, establishing a dialysis center operated by Bassett, an adult day center operated by Valley Health Services, and making renovations to the inpatient unit.

“Now, it’s clear we need to make a similar investment in improving the hospital’s outpatient facilities to keep up with the demands, needs, and expectations of our patients.”

Over the next two years, Little Falls Hospital will update its 50-year-old surgical suite, consolidate and modernize physical and occupational therapy services, expand cardiology services, and add cardiology diagnostic testing and consults. The hospital will also consolidate radiology services, expand the area for women’s services, construct a dedicated emergency entrance for ambulances, and replace an obsolete emergency backup system with a modern one.

The hospital will fund the project with a Health Care Efficiency and Affordability Law for New Yorkers (HEAL NY) grant, assistance from the Kirby Foundation, bequests to the hospital, and other private and community funding sources.

Little Falls Hospital handles between 14,000 and 15,000 emergency visits each year, performs more than 80,000 lab tests, handles more than 10,000 physical therapy sessions, and performs more than 1,000 outpatient surgeries.

Contact DeLore at tgregory@tmvbj.com

Carrols to sell $140 million in notes to raise cash for Burger King purchase

SYRACUSE  —  Carrols Restaurant Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: TAST) shared borrowing plans today that will help the company fund its acquisition of nearly 300 Burger King restaurants.

Carrols will offer $140 million in private placement, senior secured second lien notes. The company will use some of the proceeds from the notes to make cash payments that will be due when it closes on 278 Burger King restaurants it is acquiring from Burger King Corp.

Carrols expects to close on the restaurant acquisition this month. It will pay Burger King Corp. $15.8 million in the deal. Plus, Burger King Corp. will receive a 28.9 percent equity interest in Carrols.

The proceeds from the second lien notes will also help Carrols repay outstanding borrowing, the company said in a news release. Additionally, Carrols will use the proceeds to fund renovations at Burger King restaurants and to help it pay related fees and expenses.

Carrols also said it will enter a new $20 million first lien senior secured revolving credit facility. The company, which is headquartered at 968 James St. in Syracuse, is a major Burger King restaurant franchisee that owned and operated 297 Burger King restaurants as of April 1. It first publicized plans to purchase the 278 company-owned Burger King restaurants in March.

Earlier this month, Carrols wrapped up a spinoff of its Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc. subsidiary. That company, which owns and operates the Pollo Tropical and Taco Cabana restaurant chains, is now traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol FRGI.

Contact Seltzer at rseltzer@cnybj.com

UConn women’s basketball coach named director at Berkshire Hills

Berkshire Hills Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: BHLB) appointed Geno Auriemma as a director of the company and its Berkshire Bank subsidiary and plans to enter into a marketing agreement to have him serve as spokesman for the bank.

Berkshire operates five former Rome Savings Bank branches in Rome, Lee, and New Hartford.

Auriemma, 58, has been the head coach of the University of Connecticut’s women’s basketball team since 1986. The team has won seven national championships during his tenure.

“We are delighted that Geno Auriemma is joining our board of directors,” Berkshire President and CEO Michael Daly said in a news release. “He understands the opportunities and challenges facing our industry and brings important perspectives on the greater Connecticut region and on the regional and national forces affecting our markets.”

Berkshire Hills has $4.3 billion in assets and 68 branches in Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, and Vermont. The company acquired Connecticut Bank and Trust Co. on April 20.

Contact DeLore at tgregory@tmvbj.com

Credit union in Liverpool changes name

LIVERPOOL — Liverpool Central Schools Federal Credit Union has changed its name to Edge Federal Credit Union.

The change follows two years of planning and research, according to the credit union.

“When initially looking to expand and incorporate more of the community, we found the name to be limiting. Many businesses and other educational organizations would turn away thinking that the credit union was only for the Liverpool School District,” Shelly Gayring, assistant manager for Edge, said in a news release.

Teachers of the Liverpool Central School District founded the credit union in 1956. It operated from a school originally, but has been in its own building on Morgan Road since 2004.

Edge said it has seen growth in single employer groups in the past year as it has partnered with another school district, other educational institutions, and small businesses.

Contact Tampone at ktampone@cnybj.com

NY voters remain divided on hydrofracking in Upstate

New York voters continue to be split on whether the state should allow hydraulic fracturing Upstate, according to a poll released this morning by the Siena (College) Research Institute (SRI).

Support for the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to allow the natural gas recovery procedure in parts of upstate New York stood at 37 percent, according to the SRI poll. Opposition was essentially equal at 36 percent.

Another 25 percent of survey respondents said they did not have enough information to answer. And 2 percent said they had no opinion.

The equal amounts of support and opposition are similar to the results of a poll taken last year, according to SRI Director Donald Levy.

“Voters remain divided on hydrofracking,” Levy said in a news release. “In September of 2011, 44 percent were in favor of allowing fracking on private lands outside of areas that provide drinking water under strict regulation by the DEC, while 40 percent opposed.”

Most survey respondents had heard about the hydrofracking issue. SRI found that 66 percent of respondents said they had heard or read about the debate.

SRI conducted its poll by making random telephone calls from May 6 to May 10. The institute surveyed 766 registered voters in New York, and the poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

Contact Seltzer at rseltzer@cnybj.com

Whitman dean joins Aflac board

SYRACUSE — The dean of Syracuse University’s management school is now a member of the board of directors at Aflac, Inc., a Fortune 500 company based in Columbus, Ga.

SU announced Melvin Stith’s appointment to the Aflac board Monday. His term began May 7.

Stith is dean of the university’s Martin J. Whitman School of Management. Aflac provides insurance to more than 50 million people around the world.

Stith has previously served on the boards of GMAC, Florida Endowment Fund, JM Family Enterprises Youth Automotive Training Center, Tallahassee State Bank, Correctional Services Corp., Corporate and Estate Analysis, Inc., Keebler Foods Co., Sprint/United Telephone Florida, and Rexall Sundown, Inc. He has been dean at the Whitman School since 2005.

Contact Tampone at ktampone@cnybj.com

Improvement in manufacturing conditions quickens in May

New York manufacturing activity expanded moderately in May, as manufacturers reported an upswing in general business conditions.

The general business conditions index in the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s May Empire State Manufacturing Survey jumped 10.5 points to 17.1. The increase largely makes up for last month’s survey, which showed a 13.6 point drop in the index.

In May, 40.5 percent of manufacturers said conditions improved. Another 23.4 percent said conditions deteriorated, and 36.1 percent said they stayed the same.

The survey’s future general business conditions index, which measures expectations for a time six months in the future, tumbled 13.9 points. The index remained positive at 29.3, demonstrating that more manufacturers expect better conditions in six months.

Just under half of survey respondents, 47.6 percent, expect better conditions, while 18.3 percent believe conditions will decline. The final 34.1 percent think conditions will be the same.

The New York Fed polls a set pool of about 200 New York manufacturing executives for the monthly survey. About 100 executives typically respond, and the Fed seasonally adjusts data.

Contact Seltzer at rseltzer@cnybj.com

Anaren captures $14M in radar-related orders

DeWITT — Anaren, Inc. (NASDAQ: ANEN) said today it received more than $14 million in new orders for parts involved in a ground-based radar system.

Deliveries will begin in the fourth quarter this year and take about 15 months, according to the company. DeWitt–based Anaren develops and manufactures components and subsystems for markets including satellite communications, defense, and wireless communications.

Profit in Anaren’s fiscal third quarter, which ended March 31, totaled $2 million, or 14 cents a share, down more than 41 percent from the same period a year earlier. Net sales dropped more than 21 percent to $34.7 million.

Declining profits and sales sparked job cutting at the firm. The company began eliminating jobs last July and has so far reduced its work force of 1,000 employees by 19 percent.

Weak demand for some of the company’s wireless products drove the sales dip, according to Anaren. Company leaders believe the dip in wireless sales is temporary. Customer forecasts are showing strength and wireless sales should increase during Anaren’s fiscal fourth quarter, according to the firm.

Anaren, which has locations in the Syracuse area, New Hampshire, Colorado, and China, has not provided details on where the job cuts have occurred.

Contact Tampone at ktampone@cnybj.com

Oneida County Tourism names grant winners

UTICA — Twenty area attractions, organizations, and events will benefit from the Tourism Marketing Grant Assistance Program of Oneida County Tourism, which awarded more than $80,000 in grants to help promote tourism in Oneida County.

The grant recipients are: Adirondack Scenic Railroad, $5,625; ATC Endurance/Delta Lake Triathlon, $2,853; Boonville Area Chamber of Commerce, $3,750; Boonville-Oneida County Fair, $4,500; Boonville Snow Festival II, $3,750; Capitol Civic Center, $2,000; Clinton Chamber of Commerce, $4,612; Fish Creek Cabin Resorts, $5,625; Fort Rickey Discovery Zoo, $3,750; Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute, $5,400; NYS Woodsmen’s Field Days, Inc., $6,000; Oneida County Public Market, $4,749; Rome Art & Community Center, $3,750; Sylvan Beach Amusement Park, $4,500; Sylvan-Verona Beach Resort Association, $4,500; Tri-City LaCrosse, $1,461; Trout Power, $3,750; Utica Curling Club, $1,500; Utica Zoological Society, $3,750; and the Village of Sylvan Beach, $6,000.

Oneida County Tourism dedicated more than $81,000, or 12 percent of the county’s occupancy tax receipts, to fund the grants, which range from $1,000 to a maximum of $7,500. The program was open to both for profit and nonprofit tourism-related businesses and organizations that needed assistance with marketing activities such as advertising placements, website development, direct mail, travel show expenses, and printing of promotional materials.

The goals of the program are to expand the advertising reach of tourism businesses beyond Oneida County, promote a positive image and increase awareness of Oneida County attractions and events, and increase overnight stays in Oneida County lodging facilities, according to Oneida County Tourism.

Contact DeLore at tgregory@tmvbj.com

Poll finds support for minimum-wage hike, tax breaks

Proposals to increase New York’s minimum wage and to give small businesses in the state a package of tax cuts and credits received high levels of support in a poll released today by the Siena (College) Research Institute (SRI).

More than three-quarters of voting-age residents, 78 percent, support increasing the state’s minimum wage from $7.25 per hour to $8.50 per hour. Only 17 percent opposed the hike, while 5 percent said they did not have enough information to respond to SRI’s poll.

“At least 70 percent of voters from every region support the increase,” SRI pollster Steven Greenberg said in a news release. “About two-thirds of voters have heard or read a great deal or some about the issue, and the vast majority would like to see the legislature pass the minimum-wage increase before session ends next month.”

SRI also asked voters whether they support a $200 million package of tax cuts and credits for small businesses. A majority of voters, 65 percent, supported that move. Just 13 percent opposed it. Another 21 percent of voters said they did not have enough information to answer, and 1 percent said they didn’t have an opinion.

“At least 63 percent of voters from every party and region support a small-business tax package,” Greenberg said.

Voters viewed the Occupy Wall Street and Tea Party movements far less favorably. Occupy Wall Street was seen as favorable by 38 percent of survey respondents and unfavorable by 52 percent. The Tea Party was looked upon favorably by 30 percent and unfavorably by 58 percent.

New York state is headed on the right track, according to voters, as 55 percent said the state is moving in the right direction. In comparison, 34 percent said it is going the wrong way.

But the country is a different story, voters said. Fewer than half of New Yorkers, 42 percent, said the country is headed in the right direction. And more than half, 51 percent, said it is on the wrong track.

SRI polled New York state registered voters by making random telephone calls from May 6 to May 10. The institute surveyed 766 voters, and the poll results have a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

Contact Seltzer at rseltzer@cnybj.com