Upstate Medical University moved 340 employees to a new location in downtown Syracuse bringing their downtown workforce to about 400. Businesses are also moving downtown as part of a revitalization of the district.
Upstate University Hospital Chief Financial Officer Stuart Wright said the move was what he calls a trifecta: a win-win-win situation.
“It was good for Upstate to find enough space to house all our staff in one location," Wright said. "It was good for the city to bring almost 400 jobs to downtown to improve the economy locally down here. It was also good for the county because the county had excess space and was paying rent on this space and it helped them financially as well.”
Wright said it also moved them closer to their main campus from where there offices previously were in DeWitt.
"Our hospital is 10 blocks from here," Wright said. "Support services interact very closely with hospital clinical activities. To be close and to be able to get there quickly was a key consideration for us."
And Upstate is not alone. Arcadis Engineering, Blue Rock Energy and TCGplayer.com are also moving or expanding downtown. Downtown Committee of Syracuse Executive Director Merike Treier said by next year, downtown could add 1,000 new employees. 27,000 employees workers come downtown daily. Treier said in 2010, a trend of companies moving away from downtown into suburban locations reversed.
“In order to attract their next generation of talent, their next generation of leaders within the company, they needed to be where their employees wanted to be,” Treier said. "Downtown Syracuse historically, has been the employment center of our region. Since 2010, we've had over $400 million invested into the area.
And Treier said it’s the atmosphere of downtown that people are attracted to. She said there is no shortage of restaurants and bars, cultural establishments and amenities like the Creek Walk and Clinton Square’s ice rink.
“And also, with some of the companies moving into downtown, it makes business sense for them," Treier said. "It’s good for their business to be in visible location where they have conveniences and accessibility with other companies they may be doing business with.”
The Marriott Downtown Syracuse also added more than 200 jobs this past summer.
