CenterState CEO Honors Syracuse Business Achievements

The annual Economic Champions Celebration recognized 318 local organizations for growth and development.

Updated on Oct. 16, 2026 in Jobs — General

Isometric editorial illustration of a steel beam rising from an industrial foundation, symbolizing regional economic development and workforce growth in Syracuse. — CenterState CEO recognized 318 Syracuse-area organizations for contributing over $1.5 billion in capital investments and hiring thousands of new employees. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Should your local government prioritize expanding the total workforce over attracting new business growth?

CenterState CEO honored 318 businesses and organizations at its annual Economic Champions Celebration held at the Oncenter. The recognized entities reported hiring over 3,700 employees and contributing more than $1.5 billion in capital investments.

Why it matters

Expanding workforce capacity is critical for the Syracuse region to prevent fierce employer competition for the same labor pool. With over 70,000 local workers already skilled for higher-paying roles despite lacking bachelor degrees, these investments aim to bridge that economic gap.

Participating honorees reported a combined expansion of more than 1.4 million square feet across their facilities. These investments involved 110 businesses opening new sites and 54 firms celebrating milestone anniversaries.

The players

CenterState CEO

This is a regional business leadership and economic development organization that focuses on driving prosperity in Syracuse and Central New York.

Constellation

The company is a major energy producer that operates three nuclear sites with four reactors across New York.

The details

The program celebrated a wide range of corporate milestones, including 143 awards for achievements and 22 honors for advancing equity and inclusion. Constellation, which employs 2,300 people at its New York nuclear sites, received the Community Visionary Award for its regional contributions.

The Economic Champions Celebration took place at the Oncenter on October 15, 2026.
Constellation began contributing to an Oswego County Child Care Fund in 2024.

Market Landscape

This business celebration aligns with efforts to address the Syracuse regional workforce skills gap by incentivizing corporate investment. These organizational milestones help stabilize the local economy by fostering long-term development strategies rather than short-term hiring spikes.

Local job seekers may benefit from the increased hiring activity and new facilities opened by the 318 recognized businesses. These developments signal continued regional investment that could lead to new employment opportunities for workers without four-year degrees.

The takeaway

The sustained growth of local businesses is tied to their ability to hire from the existing workforce pool that lacks traditional university credentials. Readers should note that regional economic development relies heavily on these large-scale investments to keep the local job market competitive.