New research from Paychex Inc. has found that three of the biggest obstacles businesses face are financial instability, bringing employees back to the office and developing a COVID-19 vaccine policy. The survey showed that small- and mid-size business owners continue ...

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The Village of Fairport Local Development Corp. LIFT Grant program has been expanded to provide cash assistance to village retail and restaurant businesses impacted by COVID-19. The LIFT grant program was introduced in August 2020 to provide reimbursement for purchases ...

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More than 2,000 applications were submitted for Fast Forward Monroe Small Business Grants and 1,315 were approved, county officials said last week. The $17 million program, announced in October, was designed to support local small businesses affected by the pandemic. ...

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The CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival has been put back on the calendar this year, festival producers said Thursday. Producers Marc Iacona and John Nugent have slated the popular event for July 30 to Aug. 7 at Rochester Institute of ...

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Some 365 people have lost their jobs at the YMCA of Greater Rochester as a result of COVID-19 and its economic impact, a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) filed with the state Department of Labor last year and amended ...

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A new report from New York Attorney General Letitia James on COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes has community members and organizations statewide calling for answers and looking for solutions. Thursday’s report — a sprawling, in-depth 76-page document — details an ...

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Nearly $37 million in federal funding has been made available to Upstate New York airports that have been devastated by the pandemic, including more than $4.7 million for the Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport. Last month’s bipartisan COVID-19 relief ...

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Unshackle Upstate, a pro-taxpayer education and advocacy organization, has released its 2021 Advocacy Agenda. The group again takes issue with taxes, prevailing wage mandates and the Scaffold Law, but this year also addresses the pandemic. “Given the state of New ...

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Catholic Family Center has received a second, significant donation of personal protective equipment from community partner Bank of America. The most recent donation includes 60,000 masks, 50 cases of hand sanitizer and 24,000 pairs of protective gloves. The PPE will ...

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The Urban League of Rochester has teamed with ESL Federal Credit Union’s Charitable Foundation to provide small businesses in Monroe County $300,000 total in COVID-19 relief funds. The Sustaining Small Businesses and COVID-19 Relief Grant Program will support small business ...

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A local lawn care application firm has added contactless snow removal to its offerings. Lawn Love, an Uber-like company that connects clients to lawn care firms, has partnered with dozens of Rochester snow removal businesses to offer a contactless, on-demand ...

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ESL Federal Credit Union invested more than $10 million last year to help support local organizations with their pandemic efforts, the company said this week. ESL FCU reinvested nearly $20 million in the community overall. “Nonprofits have been experiencing critical ...

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Operating conditions in the manufacturing sector improved significantly in December, a monthly report from IHS Markit shows. The IHS Markit U.S. Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index recorded the sharpest upturn since September 2014. The seasonally adjusted PMI was 57.1 in December, ...

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Farmington’s Leonard’s Express, an asset-based transportation provider, will reward its drivers with COVID bonus pay. From Nov. 30 through April 2, Leonard’s drivers will earn an extra 3 cents per mile driven. At the end of the four-month period, the ...

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A Seneca Falls dental laboratory will spend more than $240,000 to ensure its staffers enjoy their holidays. The company also recently awarded $100,000 to Huntington Living Center to cover staff wages for two weeks during the holidays. BonaDent Dental Laboratories’ ...

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