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New infrastructure don’t just appear. It requires a skilled workforce. So, as the Central New York region grows, we’ll need more people in building trades careers to construct and maintain all that we need. And to grow equitably, it’s vital that the workforce is representative of our entire community.

Women and people of color are traditionally underrepresented in the building trades. But if more people from these populations can access training and activate their potential, an entirely new talent pipeline could be created for the industry. Syracuse Build’s Pathways to Apprenticeship program does just that by creating more access and exposure to careers in the building trades to women and people of color in the city of Syracuse.

CenterState CEO’s Work Train staff helped to develop the program, and now Ebony Farrow serves as the Pathways to Apprenticeship program manager. She’s played a vital role in the program’s development, has helped to lead 6 cohorts to completion and is planning and recruiting for the next. She joins Talk CNY, presented by NBT Bank, to discuss the program’s successes and its community impact.

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CenterState CEO’s unique position as both a chamber of commerce and an economic development organization allows us to implement holistic strategies when working towards our goal of creating a region where businesses thrive and all people prosper. One example of this is our workforce development team.

On this episode of Talk CNY, presented by NBT Bank, CenterState CEO’s Vice President of Workforce Innovation discusses how they’re helping to bring together members from the community, educational institutions, regional employers and more to find creative solutions to one of our region’s most pressing challenges to growth: building a skilled workforce to fill the jobs that are currently open and soon coming to Central New York.

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Central New York needs a skilled workforce that is representative of its population to build a vibrant, equitable economy. That’s something our partners at SUNY Oswego know well.

As the largest public employer in Oswego County, SUNY Oswego is committed to making a positive economic, social and civic impact. They recently established the Office of Workforce Innovation and External Relations (OWIER) is a single point-of-entry to enhance partnerships with the university and access resources. They also offer programs aimed at upskilling, preparing and advancing community members for the increasing regional opportunities.

On this episode of Talk CNY, presented by NBT Bank, Assistant Vice President for Workforce Innovation and External Relations at SUNY Oswego Kristi Eck discusses the university’s role in the sphere of regional workforce innovation.

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Talk CNY: Economic Champions Miniseries, presented by NBT Bank, gives us a chance to celebrate all the amazing businesses that make Central New York a great place to live and work. Host Kate Hammer speaks with a different business leader each episode to discuss who they are, what they do and how they’re tackling the growth in the region.

On this episode, Kate talks to Haun Welding Supply and Haun Specialty Gases COO Kyle Pipes and Co-President Josh Haun. They discuss leaving and coming back to Central New York, their family’s journey to the business they run today, the hope they feel for the region’s future.

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Talk CNY: Economic Champion Miniseries, presented by NBT Bank, gives us a chance to celebrate all the amazing businesses that make Central New York a great place to live and work. Host Kate Hammer speaks with a different business leader each episode to discuss who they are, what they do and how they’re tackling the growth in the region.

On this episode, Kate talks to Dr. Bianca Gonzalez, CEO of AMPAworks, a company that manufactures IoT devices to count inventory. They discuss how Dr.Gonzalez’s medical background led her to her current position, the challenge of recruiting as a small company, and why she’s excited to be in this region.

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Talk CNY: Economic Champions Miniseries, presented by NBT Bank, gives us a chance to celebrate all the amazing businesses that make Central New York a great place to live and work. Host Kate Hammer speaks with a different business leader each episode to discuss who they are, what they do and how they’re tackling the growth in the region.

On this episode, Kate talks to VIP Structures CEO Meg Tidd. Meg discusses her music background, transforming the building that CenterState CEO now calls home, and finding “a better way” for the entire community.

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Central New York’s current economic development pipeline, the mechanism we use to monitor economic opportunities, is 20 times what it was in 2019. As of May 2024, it’s tracking around $10 billion in interest investment, and advanced manufacturing projects make up around 75% of that. It’s a big shift from what we were seeing even a year ago.

But CenterState CEO’s economic development work isn’t limited to the traditional business attraction and retention. It also aims to create opportunities and wealth for local residents and in underinvested neighborhoods.

On this episode of Talk CNY, CenterState CEO Vice President of Economic Development Nora Spillane discusses the work we’re doing now and how we’re planning to grow sustainably.

Learn more about starting a business in Central New York.

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Communities don’t often have the advantage of being able to plan for exponential growth until they’re in it. However, Central New York has the unique opportunity to do just that.

Because there is time to plan, there’s a chance to address the region’s current and upcoming demand for housing without creating unsustainable, inequitable conditions that often result from significant economic investment. CenterState CEO convened a Housing Task Force in the summer of 2023 to examine interrelated challenges and make policy recommendations that can be implemented under existing laws and economic conditions, while maintaining equity as a core tenant.

On this episode of Talk CNY, presented by NBT Bank, Housing Task Force co-chairs Andy Breuer, president of Hueber Breuer Construction Company, and Jo Anne Gagliano, president of EDR, discuss the Task Force’s work and the solutions needed to build an equitable future.

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