Talk CNY

From connecting Central New Yorkers to essential services and preventing lead poisoning to building a love of reading among city school district students and empowering workers to build strong financial futures, the United Way of Central New York is helping to create a region where all people can find opportunities to thrive.  

Now with a new President and CEO, the United Way of Central New York is continuing its tradition of c...

What does it take to scale a company without losing sight of its values? In this episode of the Talk CNY Miniseries: Leadership Lessons, presented by Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, Community Financial System President and CEO Dimitar Karaivanov shares how one of Central New York's largest financial services organizations has grown into a national enterprise through intentional leadership, strategic planning and an unwavering commit...

Learn about the strategies and priorities guiding CenterState CEO’s work directly from those leading it. This special episode of Talk CNY, presented by NBT Bank, features CenterState CEO’s entire Corporate Leadership Team and is guest hosted by Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications Elle Hanna. 

On this episode, the Corporate Leadership Team discusses the highlights of the last year and the big projec...

CenterState CEO announced Dr. Carlene Lacey as the inaugural Chief Executive Officer of ON-RAMP CNY just about a year ago. In that time, Dr. Lacey has hired new staff members, forged partnerships across the workforce ecosystem, welcomed dozens of community residents into training programs, helped establish a Community Advisory Committee and much more. 

As we enter year two, we sit down with Dr. Lacey on this episode of Talk CNY...

One of the greatest challenges we will undertake as Central New York grows is building enough housing to accommodate all the region’s residents. Available, affordable housing is imperative to creating a truly inclusive, competitive and sustainable future for Central New York. 

For that reason, CenterState CEO and its Network have prioritized examining the region’s housing landscape, its obstacles and what needs to b...

What does it take to build trust, unite communities and lead with purpose? In this episode of theTalk CNY Miniseries: Leadership Lessons, presented by Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, Evelyn Ingram of Wegmans reflects on her leadership journey, the power of showing up authentically and the role businesses can play in strengthening communities. From career-defining lessons to rapid-fire leadership insights, hear how integrity and a co...

Communicating with animals is not just something out of a storybook, but a reality for the GENIUS NY Cohort 9 grand prize winner. Flox Intelligence is a wildlife AI company that aims to minimize harmful interactions between humans and animals. The idea recently won them a $1 million grand prize at the GENIUS NY pitch finals during CenterState CEO’s annual Innovation Night.

On this episode of Talk CNY presented by NBT Bank, we ...

Central New York is home to the world’s largest accelerator for robotics and uncrewed systems, GENIUS NY. Funded by Empire State Development and operated by CenterState CEO with support from National Grid, GENIUS NY has been bringing some of the most innovative uncrewed systems startups in the world to set up a headquarters in downtown Syracuse for nearly a decade now. 

On this episode of Talk CNY, presented by NBT Bank, ...

In this episode of Quarterly Market Insights, a special series part of CenterState CEO’s Talk CNY podcast, presented by NBT Bank, host Kevin Schwab sits down with NBT Bank’s Chief Economist and Chief Investment Officer Ken Entenmann. From a strong jobs report to volatile oil prices, the conversation explores what the markets are signaling about inflation and growth.  Ken breaks down shifting labor dynamics, inflati...

What happens when two experts decide the solution they need doesn’t exist? They build it themselves.

In this episode of Talk CNY Miniseries: Leadership Lessons, presented by Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, we sit down with Dr. Adrienne Bitar, co-founder of Seen Nutrition, to explore how she and her team transformed a deeply personal connection to bone health into a growing business serving customers across all 50 states.

From na...

CenterState CEO is hosting Micron’s Executive Vice President of Global Operations Manish Bhatia for its 2026 Annual Meeting. Bhatia’s visit to Syracuse comes as Micron preps its site for its first fab in Clay, NY, and the company continues to lay its roots in Central New York. 

There are many moving parts, and it’s not always easy to stay on top of all of Micron’s activity in the region. On this episode ...

After more than 15 years, CenterState CEO is changing its leadership structure, splitting the President and CEO role in two. But the new titles are taken on by some very familiar faces. 

On this episode of Talk CNY, presented by NBT Bank, we speak to Rob Simpson and Ben Sio about their new positions as CenterState CEO Chief Executive Officer and CenterState CEO President. 

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CenterState CEO’s traditional membership model has evolved into a dynamic ecosystem of members and clients, designed to meet businesses wherever they are in their journey.  But it's the thoughtful and innovative organizations that make up the CenterState CEO Network that make its impact so powerful.

On this episode of Talk CNY, presented by NBT Bank, we hear from two members of the Network. Kathleen Avery Connell and Jim ...

In this episode of Talk CNY Miniseries: Leadership Lessons, presented by Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, our guest Dr. Martin Stallone, Executive Vice President and Chief Healthcare Services Officer for Lifetime Healthcare Companies, the parent organization of Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, shares how his leadership journey is fueled by service and purpose. From a passion for helping others to a distinguished career as a physician, ...

This episode of Talk CNY, presented by NBT Bank, examines the launch of the new CenterState CEO Network and what it means for business owners. CenterState CEO’s Senior Vice President of Member and Business Experience Jess Abbott and Senior Vice President of Inclusive Growth Honora Spillane explain how the network connects businesses of all sizes and stages to resources, networking and support from CenterState’s team of ...

In this episode of Quarterly Market Insights, a special series part of CenterState CEO's Talk CNY podcast, presented by NBT Bank, guest host Jared Shepard sits down with NBT Bank’s Chief Economist and Chief Investment Officer Ken Entenmann. They explore the economic outlook for 2026—from tariffs and AI disruption to consumer spending and labor market trends. Despite headlines filled with uncertainty, Ken explains why th...

The Greater Oswego Fulton Chamber of Commerce, or GOFCC, is recognizing 110 years in the Oswego County community this year, and the GOFCC will soon be celebrating at its upcoming annual meeting. 

The Annual Meeting is not only an opportunity to celebrate milestone anniversaries, but also a time to take stock of all that we’ve accomplished in the last year. This year’s event will allow attendees an even greater chanc...

84% of business leaders who participated in CenterState CEO’s 2026 Economic Forecast Report said they see themselves as beneficiaries of the anticipated growth of Central New York’s emerging technology sector, meaning most people can see how major projects, like Micron, TTM or the Tech Hubs designation, will impact them. 

But we also know that small and midsized businesses face unique challenges that may keep them f...

Earlier in January, we marked an exciting moment for Central New York’s economic future, the groundbreaking of Micron’s historic project in Clay, NY. A vital partner in bringing Micron to Central New York was Onondaga County, led by County Executive Ryan McMahon. But CenterState CEO’s work with the county goes beyond just attracting major projects like Micron and extends to all facets of making this a vibrant comm...