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Results for " specialty " 257 found 🔀 AI-powered Shuffle

Artist of bird at center of Kelly Clarkson feud speaks out

Bliss Kolb, the creator behind the now-$15 million wooden singing bird at the center of Kelly Clarkson's feud with a New York City specialty shop, is speaking out.

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Oct 22 • 10:48 AM EDT • Entertainment • centraloregondaily.com
Ategrity Specialty’s underwriting gains offset by investment losses

Excess and surplus lines insurer Ategrity Specialty reported lower third-quarter profits Wednesday despite improved underwriting results.

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Oct 22 • 10:39 AM EDT • Business • businessinsurance.com
New Business Spotlight: Simpson’s Meats brings farm-to-table tradition to Belltown

A new addition to Belltown Commons is bringing a little old-fashioned butcher-shop service to one of Northwest Knox County’s growing communities. Simpson’s Meats Butchery & Market opened its second Knoxville-area retail location Sept. 28 at Belltown Commons in Powell, offering fresh beef, pork, chicken, specialty cuts and prepared foods. The locally owned business has deep […]

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Oct 22 • 12:03 AM EDT • Business • knoxtntoday.com
Chandler family acquires specialty truck manufacturer

Springdale business owners Chris and Morgan Chandler recently acquired Stephenson Specialty Trucks LLC, a Parsons, Kan.-based manufacturer of vacuum, grapple, roll-off and hook lift trucks. Financial terms of the deal...

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Oct 20 • 4:55 PM EDT • Business • talkbusiness.net
Chandler family acquires specialty truck manufacturer

Springdale business owners Chris and Morgan Chandler recently acquired Stephenson Specialty Trucks LLC, a Parsons, Kan.-based manufacturer of vacuum, grapple, roll-off and hook lift trucks. Financial terms of the deal...

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Oct 20 • 4:55 PM EDT • Politics • talkbusiness.net
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty launches in Poland

U.S.-based Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Company has entered the Polish market, Coverager reported. The company offers a wide range of commercial insurance across Central and Eastern Europe…

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Oct 20 • 10:19 AM EDT • Business • businessinsurance.com
DHR Health Expands Behavioral Health Team with Dr. Alexandra Treviño, Psychiatrist

DHR Health, the largest provider of specialty healthcare in the Rio Grande Valley, is pleased to announce that Dr. Alexandra Treviño, has joined its team of physicians.

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Oct 20 • 9:58 AM EDT • Health • megadoctornews.com
Hartford names wholesale, financial lines leaders

The Hartford on Tuesday named Charles Chin head of wholesale casualty for its Navigators unit and Anthony Dolce head of financial lines, U.S. and global practice for its global specialty business unit.

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Oct 20 • 9:43 AM EDT • Business • businessinsurance.com
Net Health Announces Leadership Transition: Ron Books Appointed Executive Chairman, Patrick Rooney Named Interim CEO

/PRNewswire/ -- Net Health, an AI-native specialty platform serving clinicians across the care continuum, today announced that Ron Books is transitioning from...

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Oct 19 • 9:55 AM EDT • Health • prnewswire.com
AmTrust announces plans to be bigger than Lloyd’s in London

The New York specialty insurer has hired Canary Wharf veteran Sir George Iacobescu to plan a skyscraper that would rival the Shard - and the project says a lot about how much London matters to its business

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Oct 18 • 10:24 PM EDT • Business • insurancebusinessmag.com
Can AI solve our mental health access problem?

Last week I asked you what worries you most about AI in health. It was close, but your top answer was “AI giving bad health advice.” Last week’s poll results: You’re in good company. This concern was top of mind at a conference I joined at Stanford last week, where researchers, clinicians, and people who build AI systems spent a day debating trust and safety in health AI. Stepping back, I’m also hearing your emerging concerns about AI’s impact on our well-being generally. I see this as a matter of public health, and we’ll take it in pieces as we learn together. Today we’ll focus on AI chatbots used for therapy for mental health. Early this month, Governor Newsom vetoed Senate Bill 903, California’s most ambitious attempt to regulate AI use for mental health. It’s at the center of active debate, and raises the questions patients, family members, citizens, and voters will face as AI moves deeper into health care. Let’s work through it. What is “AI-based therapy”? It’s really two things: purpose-built mental health apps designed to deliver structured support, and general chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini that people increasingly use for emotional support—even if they weren’t built for it. Spoiler alert: I don’t know whether the shift toward AI therapy is good or bad. The evidence isn’t there yet. But I do know it’s already happening, and I have some ideas about how we can roll it out with safety in mind. The therapy dilemma, in a nutshell Mental health challenges are common, and strain health and well-being across populations. Therapy (interactive dialogue with a trained, empathetic practitioner) helps many people heal. The demand for licensed therapists far exceeds the supply in California, and AI-based therapy can narrow that gap. AI-based therapy remains novel, unproven, and not well tested. Right off the bat, we can see we’re dealing with trade-offs here. Since the main driver of demand for therapy from a robot is lack of access to therapy from a human, we’ll start there. It’s too hard to find and afford a human therapist California is short roughly 55,000 licensed, non-prescribing therapists and counselors, about 40% of what we need. Psychiatrists, who rely on talk therapy as a complement to prescribed medications, are even more scarce. Eight counties have none, and density ranges from 1.7 per 100,000 residents in San Benito County, to 68.1 in Marin County. My wife is a psychiatrist in Marin, and even here access is tight. If it’s hard in the best-supplied county, imagine rural Sierra County, or the San Joaquin Valley. In 2024, more than half of Californians who tried to make a mental health appointment struggled to find a provider who took their insurance, compared with 14% for physical health care. When Senate staff posed as “secret shopper” patients and called 120 mental health providers in Medicare Advantage networks, they landed an appointment less than once for every five tries. Insurers pay behavioral health clinicians about 22% less than medical and surgical clinicians for comparable office visits. On top of that, billing denials and prior authorizations hit hardest at the solo and small practices common in mental health. Psychiatrists opt out of Medicare at the highest rate of any specialty. In many places, a cash practice for therapy fills quickly with patients paying $250 or more an hour, with no insurance paperwork at all. Families who can pay cash find providers more easily. Those who rely on insurance, including Medi-Cal enrollees, older adults, rural residents, and non-English speakers, compete for what’s left. So we can’t pretend the human system works, and we can’t blame people for turning to AI for support when they’re in distress. AI is filling the gap It’s estimated that roughly a quarter of AI users use it for mental health support. If you have internet, it’s available 24/7, it’s cheap, and it speaks your language. Uninsured adults are about twice as likely as insured adults to do it (30% vs. 14%). It feels anonymous in ways that may enable people to ask things they’re unsure or embarrassed about. The largely hidden, personal use makes it hard to study whether it’s actually helping people with their mental health issues, but researchers are trying. Does AI therapy work? A 2026 analysis of nearly 40 randomized trials found chatbots showed a real but small reduction in depression symptoms. But most of these trials were compared to an alternative of no therapy, not a human therapist. So the benefit of AI therapy is probably real, but modest, and mostly untested against the alternative of human contact. We need more studies. Serious concerns OpenAI’s own estimate is that more than a million ChatGPT users each week show signs of suicidal planning or intent. These are high stakes encounters, and AI doesn’t always get it right. That’s partly because a chatbot can sound like a therapist, but it has no license, no duty of care, and it’s not clear who to hold accountable when it gets things wrong. AI is also designed to help users in whatever task they’re seeking to accomplish. People may feel like they’re getting therapy, but they’re mainly getting a convincing conversation. It’s easy for an AI companion to wander into gray areas, like playing along with “creative writing” that may be about the user’s own suicidal intent. Courts are driving safety conversations A wave of lawsuits have been filed on behalf of families claiming that chatbots pushed people they loved toward self-harm, including teens who died by suicide. The first settlements came this year. OpenAI is headquartered in San Francisco, and dozens of cases alleging that ChatGPT drove users to suicide or self-harm are now before a San Francisco judge. Character.ai has filed for bankruptcy after several states brought lawsuits accusing the chatbot of pushing dangerous content to kids. But the technology seems to be improving. Last month, an independent evaluation found that newer AI models “almost never endorse suicide.” That’s progress, but our societal appetite for even one preventable death is very low. So how do we move forward? Finding a middle ground Earlier this month the governor vetoed Senate Bill 903, a bill designed to place guardrails on the use of AI for therapy. The bill would have prohibited any AI-based platform from being advertised as psychotherapy, and would have required a licensed professional to review and approve each encounter where AI was used to support therapeutic decisions. Newsom called it overly broad, since even routine screening questions would have needed clinician sign-off. Knowing we’re already short on mental health providers, requiring human review of AI encounters may not relieve our access problems. Still, the answer isn’t no oversight. Here’s one feasible short term solution. Rather than reviewing each encounter, a licensed clinician can design the guardrails: what counts as a crisis, what triggers an immediate handoff to a human, and what gets sampled for audit each month. The AI runs inside that structure. Conversations get checked, failures get reported, and a real clinician owns the framework. Medicine already has models to learn from. The FDA process for rolling out newly approved medications is an example. After a product reaches patients, we keep watching for adverse events. Patient-facing AI needs the same “digital pharmacovigilance”: systematic tracking of harms, near misses, and the types of groups that get hurt and why. It’s also critical that users know that they can reach a human if they’re in crisis. Most chatbots now include messages like these: Bottom line The rush to use unproven AI tools for mental health support is mostly a workaround, a sign of a health system people can’t get into. We need better access to proven care from licensed clinicians. That takes reimbursement that makes accepting insurance viable, and a bigger workforce. But, built and tested well, AI could be part of the answer. It could be the 2 a.m. check-in when no one else is awake, or a way for patients to practice skills their therapist taught them. It could be the first step to get someone the right level of care, and take paperwork off clinicians’ plates so they spend more time with patients. None of this is simple. The SB 903 veto doesn’t end the debate, and the legislature will be back. In the meantime, those of us using these tools need to stay informed, ask hard questions, and hold the companies building them accountable. I’ll try to do my part, and we’ll keep learning together. Love,Matt P.S. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988- you’ll reach a real person— or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7. Dr. Matt Willis is the author of Your Local Epidemiologist in California. A California native, he’s served as a primary care physician, CDC epidemiologist, and public health officer for Marin County, where he guided the pandemic response. He lives in Marin with his family and their dogs, Teddy and Ramona. Thank you Cynthia He, MD, PhD, and Parnika Saxena, MD, for their guidance in preparing this article. Cynthia works in an outpatient mental health clinic, treating patients who have Medi-Cal or, sometimes, no insurance. Parnika works in an inpatient psychiatric unit, treating patients with public or private insurance or self-pay ability. All opinions are their own and do not represent their employers.

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Oct 16 • 10:32 AM EDT • Health • yourlocalepidemiologistca.substack.com
Iowa specialty crop producers receive more than $435,000 in grants

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is distributing more than $435,000 through 13 Specialty Crop Block Grants to support education and outreach, research and market development for Iowa specialty crop producers. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced the funding Wednesday. Recipients include Iowa State University, Practical Farmers of Iowa, the Iowa Specialty…

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Oct 15 • 4:50 PM EDT • Business • businessrecord.com
Cardiology’s busy year: Compensation, productivity, imaging volumes and TAVR cases all on the rise for heart specialists

Cardiologists appear to be thriving in the face of adversity. Even as the specialty juggles an aging population, a workforce shortage and unfavorable reimbursement policies, compensation and productivity continue to climb.

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Oct 15 • 4:11 PM EDT • Business • cardiovascularbusiness.com
PACSUN SPOTLIGHTS YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH AS OFFICIAL SPONSOR OF SELENA GOMEZ'S FOURTH ANNUAL RARE IMPACT FUND BENEFIT

/PRNewswire/ -- Pacsun, the purpose-driven specialty fashion retailer rooted in youth culture, celebrated its continued partnership with Selena Gomez's Rare...

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Oct 15 • 12:33 PM EDT • Health • prnewswire.com
A Major Labor Boom in CNY? Not Here Yet

With so many major projects going on — Micron, I-81 viaduct and others — job growth is predicted to increase. But so far the number of jobs in the region has declined By Aaron Gifford [caption id=attachment_11065 align=alignright width=350] Amy Stage, deputy director at the Manufacturers Association of Central New York (MACNY): “For us, the conversation isn’t just about filling jobs. It’s about creating sustainable pathways that help people see a future for themselves in manufacturing.”[/caption] The I-81 viaduct project in Syracuse and Micron facility construction in Clay are expected to create a major labor boom for Central New York. But for the time being, the number of jobs here has actually decreased in the past year. The New York State Department of Labor reported that, for the annual comparison of June 2025 to this past June, private sector jobs decreased by 2,200 or less than 1% to 260,000. Job gains were concentrated in leisure and hospitality (+700), private education and health services (+400) and other services (+300). Job losses for that annual period were reported in the areas of trade, transportation and utilities (-1,500); professional and business services (-1,000); financial activities (-500); mining, logging and construction (-300); manufacturing (-200); and information (-100). The public sector job count rose over 12 months, with most growth concentrated in education, the state Department of Labor reported. Looking ahead, the Central New York economy is expected to benefit from both the Micron and I-81 viaduct projects over a period of several years. Initial job growth is foreseen in construction and computer and electronic manufacturing. Spin-off jobs will be created in the areas of professional and business services, health care and education, the state Department of Labor said in an email response to Oswego County Business magazine. “Population growth tied to the buildout of Micron Technology semiconductor complex in Clay is also expected to bring more workers and residents to the region, increasing demand for transportation services,” the agency said. New York Department of Labor highlighted current or projected job growth trends in various sectors. An increase in defense-related contracts at local high-tech employers has continued to support employment growth in the computer and electronic product manufacturing sector and Micron is expected to generate thousands of direct and indirect jobs as the project progresses. This sector paid an annual average wage of $117,500 in 2025 and employment in the sector is projected to grow by over 60% through 2032, making it the fastest-growing industry in the region. Typical occupations in this industry include electrical, electronic and electromechanical assemblers, software developers and industrial engineers, the state agency reported. Specialty trade contractors include several different types of tradespeople — electricians, plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters and HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) mechanics and installers. Many of these positions are trained through apprenticeships, the state Department of Labor reported. The Interstate 81 construction project is generating local jobs, including construction laborers, projected to grow at a 6.4% rate, and operating engineers and other construction equipment operators, projected to grow at a 7.3% rate over the next several years. Construction of the Micron Technology facility is also “creating thousands of job opportunities that will continue over the next two decades,” the state agency reported. The specialty trade contractors sector paid an annual average wage of $86,200 in 2025. For Central New York, the challenge isn’t creating jobs, it’s filling them. Amy Stage, a deputy director at the Manufacturers Association of Central New York (MACNY), said meeting this unprecedented growth is a much larger task than just replacing retirees. “We’re seeing workforce gaps at every experience level,” she said. “Companies need entry-level employees, experienced technicians, supervisors, engineers and skilled trades professionals. The opportunity is tremendous, but we need more people entering these career pathways.” Employers are looking for people who can troubleshoot, read technical information, use computers and learn new processes, not just perform repetitive production work, Stage said. To address this demand, the MACNY created the Manufacturers Talent Institute, which aims to connect students and job seekers with meaningful career pathways while helping employers build their workforce. Twenty-one companies have so far signed up to provide opportunities for more than 800 students. “For us, the conversation isn’t just about filling jobs,” Stage said. “It’s about creating sustainable pathways that help people see a future for themselves in manufacturing.” Several manufacturing facilities in the region are in the midst of expansion: • TTM Technologies, a leading U.S. manufacturer of advanced electronics and interconnect solutions for aerospace, defense and high-technology markets, which has a plant in DeWitt, completed its buildout of an additional facility, adding 400 jobs and expanding production of high-tech circuit boards for defense and critical electronics applications. • In Cortlandville, the Byrne Hollow Crossing Plant, a dairy manufacturing and processing facility, is increasing its operations, creating 100 new jobs. • The Chobani yogurt company is building a 1.4-million square foot dairy processing facility in Oneida County. This will create more than 1,000 good-paying jobs and double Chobani’s New York state workforce, Stage said. Stage noted several ways that local, state and federal governments can help spur manufacturing job growth in this region. Elected leaders and public agencies could work with industry representatives to create pre-apprenticeship and registered apprenticeship programs seeking to upskill workers and improve employee retention. New York state has a variety of grants, tax incentives and financing programs to support site preparation, infrastructure, workforce development and capital investment. The U.S. Department of Labor has a pay-for-performance incentive program that provides employers $3,500 per new apprentice hired and retained for 90 days. MACNY was previously awarded an $87,000 federal grant that will cover 25 apprentices at nine companies. The manufacturing skills gap in the United States, at its current rate, could result in 2.1 million unfilled jobs by 2030, according to a study by Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute. In New York state, that gap is on pace to exceed 100,000 unfilled positions within six years. Manufacturing companies will be counting on more women to help fill that gap. While women make up half of the overall U.S. workforce, they only account for 29% of the manufacturing workforce in this country, Stage said. “Pre-apprenticeship programs like Real Life Rosies help to bring awareness to the manufacturing industry to fill some of the gaps, but we have a long way to go and it starts with educating people at younger ages about careers in manufacturing and earn-and-learn opportunities,” she said. As for Micron, that $100 billion-plus project, considered the largest private investment in New York state history, is expected to eventually create up to 50,000 jobs throughout the region, factoring in the spin-off opportunities for construction and supply chains. The plant’s foundation was poured on July 9. “As America celebrates its 250th anniversary, data and memory are foundational to the modern economy — and Micron is increasing our U.S. investments to more than $250 billion through 2035 to meet that moment,” the company’s president and CEO, Sanjay Mehrotra, said in a news release. Bechtel, Micon’s construction partner in the project, reported that 4,500 people will be employed to help build the facility, including skilled craft professionals, local union members representing various trades and apprentices. The Syracuse-based CenterState CEO organization tallies the regional labor force at 397,582 workers (Onondaga, Cayuga, Cortland, Madison and Oswego counties). Job growth isn’t limited to the Central New York region. For the larger area covering portions of the Mohawk Valley, the North Country, the Southern tier, and the western part of the state, there are 155,601 employees in the advanced manufacturing sector, and 155,275 construction workers. The agency’s 2026 Economic Forecast report noted that 41% of community and business leaders surveyed said a shortage of skilled workers in this area remains a problem, though 77% shared a positive economic outlook for the year ahead. Beyond the semiconductor and advanced manufacturing areas, local business leaders also see growth in small manufacturing companies, storage businesses, housing, unmanned flight technology and general construction. “Productive reuse of property,” the report said, “will hopefully continue to preserve unique architecture while driving business.” The report identified several challenges for economic growth in the region, including an aging workforce, outdated equipment, the rising cost of raw materials and “the disconnect between the speed of business needs and the pace of talent readiness.”

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Oct 14 • 8:23 AM EDT • Business • oswegocountybusiness.com
N. Syracuse Manufacturer Marks Milestone, Plans for the Future

Air Innovations has grown from a small local manufacturer into a global business, selling its products in 74 countries organizations. Some of its clients include NASA, Blue Origin and SpaceX. By Stefan Yablonski [caption id=attachment_11117 align=alignright width=450] Michael Wetzel, president and CEO, and his father, Larry, who currently is an adviser to the board of directors. Larry served as the chairman of the board until 2024, when the company was acquired by Altus Capital Partners, a private equity firm.[/caption] Air Innovations in North Syracuse hopes to add more employees and possibly even expand its facility in the near future. The company is a global leader in designing and building environmental process control systems for applications that can’t be addressed with standard HVAC equipment, according to Michael Wetzel, president and CEO. “We customize solutions for temperature, humidity, filtration and pressurization, with additional capabilities in direct-expansion, chilled-water and thermoelectric technologies. Our business now is entirely focused on specialty or niche markets.” Air Innovations celebrated its 40th anniversary on Sept. 18, marking four decades of doing business, manufacturing products and growing in Central New York. In the beginning [caption id=attachment_11138 align=alignright width=451] A worker, Ezzy Salehi, tests a Wine Guardian condenser unit at Air Innovations.[/caption] “A guy by the name of Jim Kelley started the business [known as Floratech] in 1986. It was focused on refrigerated display cases for supermarket fresh flowers,” Wetzel said. “My father [Larry] started Clean Room Technology in the early 1980s, then sold that to a French company called Clestra Cleanroom. “My father and I bought Floratech in 1996 — 30 years ago, 10 years after it was started. Then in 1999, Floratech bought a portion of Clestra and their building. At that point everything was still called Floratech. But, as that was not reflective of the diversity of the business, we rebranded as Air Innovations in 2001.” The company rebranded to pursue a strategy of diversification in specialty HVAC systems. Wetzel explained that since then, it has become a trusted global partner, earning the President’s “E” Award for Exports and securing contracts in the most demanding fields, including aerospace, defense and semiconductor manufacturing. Air Innovations has grown from a small local manufacturer into a global business, selling nearly 70,000 units in 74 countries and territories and developing custom environmental control systems for companies and organizations including NASA, Blue Origin and SpaceX. “We work with all the big names you ever heard of and some you never heard of,” Wetzel added. The Wetzels sold the business two years ago to Altus Capital Partners, a private equity firm focused on control investments in lower middle-market, niche manufacturing companies in North America. Founded in 2003, Altus Capital Partners’ headquarters is in Wilton, Connecticut, with an additional office in Lincolnshire, Illinois. “They are an equity firm. Both my father and I both maintain a small minority share. I am going to continue to be involved. I call myself a part-time CEO. I will continue that role for the foreseeable future; I don’t see any change there.” Building to the future “We are at 58 employees right now, which is a little bit down. We had a high of 70. That moves along with the activity we have,” Wetzel said. “We’ll start ramping up here in the fourth quarter into next year. More than 20% of our employees have been with the company for more than a decade. “I am fairly certain that sometime in the next several years we are going to have to enlarge the footprint of our facility and for sure we are going to have to add employees. We already are. We are probably going to have to add five or six people next year. We are always in the market for HVAC technicians; we always need those.” Air Innovations will remain in Central New York, with its current workforce staying in place, he added. “I believe the primary driver of our success over time is the diversity of our business which is a direct result of our willingness to tackle new challenges,” Wetzel said.

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Oct 14 • 8:23 AM EDT • Business • oswegocountybusiness.com
Mom-and-Pop Business Owners Grapple with Harsh Times

Report shows small business owners in NYS less optimistic about the economy. Taxes, inflation, labor costs and competition from larger businesses are major concerns right now, they say By Aaron Gifford [caption id=attachment_11067 align=alignright width=300] Ashley Ranslow is director for New York state at The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB).[/caption] Owners of mom-and-pop businesses in New York state have been less optimistic lately than their peers in other parts of the country, a recent report indicates. The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), based on a survey of 11,000 of its members in the Empire State, reported that taxes, inflation, labor costs and competition from larger businesses are major concerns right now. “Indeed, while taxes are a major problem in New York and the United States overall, New York small businesses notably are struggling more with the state’s onerous, multi-level tax burden,” Ashley Ranslow, NFIB’s director for New York state, said in the July report. Compared with surveys of business owners in other states, far fewer New York respondents rated their businesses as in excellent or good health. The report also said labor costs here are about 25% higher than the national average and are the “single most important problem” facing businesses. One respondent to the New York-specific survey complained that too much red tape, taxes and laws that restrict high-yielding companies have stifled their operation’s growth. Others said high disability and workers’ compensation insurance costs, alarming increases in utility rates and excessive building regulations are discouraging. Statewide, New York has a gross domestic product of $2.53 trillion (third in the nation, followed by Texas, $2.90 trillion; and California, $4.25 trillion), a per capita income of $90,500 (sixth) and an unemployment rate of 4.6% (34th). There are 2.4 million small businesses that employ 3.9 million people. [caption id=attachment_11112 align=alignright width=451] Member of the Greater Liverpool Chamber of Commerce gather at one of the several functions the chamber organizes monthly. “Everyone in this business community encourages each other to shop local. Everyone just wants to see each other succeed,” says Megan Wilmot, the chamber director[/caption] “New York state boasts one of the largest, wealthiest and most diverse cities in the world — and that’s still only about half the state’s population,” the report said. “In other words, the state is both its iconic city and so much more — geographically, demographically, economically. But New York is not without its challenges, challenges that include notably high taxes and other weaknesses that impact the small business environment,” it said. The report includes an optimism index that compares responses from New York (NFIB) members with those of their peers in other states across several categories. This ranges from plans to increase employment to expectations for higher sales, to plans to increase inventory or expand. The scores for Empire State business owners were lower in most categories, but they did score higher than the national average in noting that they have current employment openings, and that they are hopeful that the economy will improve. “The metrics so far paint a picture of a state with a series of challenges for small businesses, from a slightly below national average Optimism Index to a more seriously below national business health to very substantially below national Employment Index. What is going on with businesses that are creating these differences?” the report stated. In Central New York, the regional labor force comprises nearly 398,000 workers. The median household income here is $71,463, and the gross domestic product for the region last year totaled $61.3 billion, according to the CenterState CEO economic development and research organization. About half of the region’s labor force works for small and mid-sized businesses, although the number of people employed in that sector has decreased by 7% since 2010, according to CenterState’s 2026 economic forecast report. “While record-high employment in large-scale enterprises provides a strong foundation for Central New York,” the report says, “the long-term health of communities depends on a thriving small business sector to serve as a stabilizer.” Area employers identify several barriers to Central New York’s anticipated growth, including lack of specialized or skilled workers, government regulations, unaffordable housing options and long-term construction disruptions. In the city of Syracuse, the number of jobs in retail trade decreased by 1,500 or 4.7% between July 2025 and this past July. By contrast, the number of jobs in the leisure and hospitality sector increased by 2.5% or 700 jobs, in the same annual period, according to the New York State Department of Labor. Still, there’s plenty of interest for new businesses across Central New York. U.S. Census figures show that the number of applications for new businesses in all four counties increased significantly in the past 20 years. In Cayuga County, there were 324 applications in 2005 compared to 470 last year. In Madison County, the number increased from 385 to 480; Onondaga County, from 2411 to 4132; and Oswego County, from 553 to 836. Downtown Cazenovia is exemplary of Madison County’s trend: In the past year, the village welcomed a bait shop, a thrift store, a vitamin infusion center, a pizzeria, a Pilates studio and an Italian restaurant. A candy store is scheduled to open on the main drag in the months ahead. Oswego’s list of interesting new businesses in the past year includes a bubble tea shop, a hot dog eatery in Fulton, a specialty grocery store that features New York state products in Mexico, a beauty and esthetics studio in Hannibal and a hardware and farm supply store in Sandy Creek. In Onondaga County, the Liverpool area has also enjoyed a steady stream of new shops and eateries in recent years. That suburban community is unique in that, unlike neighboring communities, most of the restaurants are family-owned and not part of a national chain. [caption id=attachment_11116 align=alignright width=300] Megan Wilmot is the executive director of the Greater Liverpool’s Chamber of Commerce.[/caption] Megan Wilmot, executive director of the Greater Liverpool Chamber of Commerce, said independent business owners in her community maintain a strong sense of pride in holding their own against national companies. The chamber helps boost morale with red carpet events, ribbon cuttings, coffee hours and five-year anniversary celebrations for participating businesses. “We have built such a strong community,” Wilmot said. “Everyone in this business community encourages each other to shop local. Everyone just wants to see each other succeed.” In Syracuse, the downtown retail occupancy rate last year was about 82%, a slight improvement from 2024, according to the Downtown Syracuse Committee’s most recent annual report. Buildings with the largest amount of vacant space included The Galleries, One Park Place, and Equitable Towers, though not all of those spaces are designated for retail use. New businesses that opened in downtown Syracuse last year: Better with Time Clothing, Dakshin Curry & Biriyani, Havana Tattoo Society, Milano Bean Café, Miss Daisy, Pausa Coffee, Sweets for Babe, The Society CNY and Yafah Beauty Studio. The Destiny USA mall’s occupancy rate decreased from 80% in 2023 to 72% by the end of 2024, according to Integra Realty Resources. That leaves more than a quarter of the mall’s retail space vacant. “Looking ahead, the retail market is expected to see minimal rent growth, with vacancy rates likely remaining stable in community and neighborhood centers but continuing to rise in enclosed malls,” Integra’s report said. “New construction activity is low and redevelopment plans for former malls like Shoppingtown and Great Northern are still in the planning stages. The proposed Micron chip plant may spur development, but challenges remain in finding co-developers for large-scale projects.” Nationally, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce expects that small businesses will remain resilient and see their sales and revenues eventually improve. That organization, in a recent national survey, found that 25% of small business owners expect the economy to improve in 2027, while 45% indicated that they plan to increase employment in the next 12 months. And 69% said they believe their small business is in good shape and 70% said they are comfortable with their current cash flow. Thirty-one percent of small businesses reported raising their prices in July and 28% are planning to raise their prices within the next three to four months, the report said. Twelve percent indicated that this is a good time to expand their business. “Small business owners voice optimism for future revenues and hiring,” the report said. “High costs continue to be a wet blanket on reinvestment.” The NFIB reported in July that Main Street, despite gas price hikes, “is OK … for now.” Its small business economics trend report said sales across the country have been strong compared to last year, but continued inflation and higher prices from mom-and-pop establishments are causing some “cracks” to show. “If costs stay this high for much longer, reduced investment will have a tangible economic impact,” the report said. “The status quo is OK, but the outlook? The outlook is uncertain.”

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Oct 14 • 8:23 AM EDT • Business • oswegocountybusiness.com
Wintrust Hires Atwell to Help Expand Business Development for Wintrust Specialty Finance

Wintrust Financial added Sean Atwell, vice president of business development, to Wintrust Specialty Finance.

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Oct 14 • 2:52 AM EDT • Business • monitordaily.com
Intermountain Health McKay-Dee Hospital Breaks Ground on New Specialty and Primary Care Facility to Increase Access for Patients in Weber County

Community leaders and caregivers from Intermountain Health McKay-Dee Hospital in Ogden broke ground on Tuesday for a new 80,000-square-foot medical building that will increase access to specialty and primary care for patients in Weber County.The new project will bring multiple specialty clinics together in a new facility with additional space fo...

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Oct 13 • 6:42 PM EDT • Health • news.intermountainhealth.org
BJC HealthCare and WashU Medicine to open new Center for Advanced Medicine in Sunset Hills

The outpatient facility will bring together WashU Medicine specialty care, BJC Medical Group primary care and advanced diagnostic services.

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Oct 13 • 1:23 PM EDT • Health • medicine.washu.edu
Aviva appoints Slabbert to dual leadership roles

U.K.-headquartered Aviva plc has appointed Johan Slabbert as managing director of its global corporate and specialty business and chief executive of Aviva Syndicates, effective Dec. 1…

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Oct 13 • 10:20 AM EDT • Business • businessinsurance.com
Kelly Clarkson's online feud with Art of Play, explained

Kelly Clarkson called out Art of Play for the way she was treated as a customer. The specialty shop now says it was a 'misunderstanding.'

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Oct 12 • 5:49 PM EDT • Entertainment • latimes.com
OAK Global launches multi-class MGA capacity unit at Lloyd’s

OAK Partnerships will write property, specialty, credit and casualty portfolios through Syndicate 1440 from 2027

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Oct 11 • 11:15 PM EDT • Business • insurancebusinessmag.com
Starbucks lawsuit puts sugary drinks in spotlight as doctor warns of health risks

Dr. Michael Aziz, an attending physician at Lenox Hill Hospital, discusses the sugar content of specialty coffee beverages amid litigation involving Starbucks, with estimates reflecting specific sizes and customizations.

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Oct 10 • 4:22 PM EDT • Health • foxnews.com
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Saratoga Springs Specialty Clinic and Cancer Center Expanded

Intermountain Health is expanding access to specialized care close to home with the opening of the new Saratoga Springs Specialty Clinic and Cancer Center.

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Oct 9 • 4:37 PM EDT • Health • news.intermountainhealth.org
Assort Health and Nextech to Codevelop Integrated AI Agent Offering for Ophthalmology Practices

/PRNewswire/ -- Assort Health, the AI agents platform for the patient journey, and Nextech, a leading technology provider for specialty practices, today...

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Oct 9 • 8:00 AM EDT • Health • prnewswire.com
ACIC launches E&S carrier for coastal commercial property

ACES Specialty Insurance will begin writing in Florida, Texas and South Carolina on December 1, adding a direct market for catastrophe-exposed placements

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Oct 9 • 5:29 AM EDT • Business • insurancebusinessmag.com
William Obremskey named President of Orthopaedic Trauma Association

William Obremskey, has been named president of the Orthopaedic Trauma Association, the leading orthopaedic trauma specialty association in North America.

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Oct 7 • 10:38 AM EDT • Health • news.vumc.org
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Aviva launches US specialty business

Aviva on Wednesday launched Aviva Specialty, its U.S. specialty insurance platform, based in New York.

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Oct 7 • 10:20 AM EDT • Business • businessinsurance.com
Gastro Health and House Rx Announce Launch of Medically Integrated Dispensing

/PRNewswire/ -- House Rx, the leader in medically integrated dispensing solutions for specialty care clinics, and Gastro Health, one of the nation's largest...

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Oct 7 • 8:00 AM EDT • Health • prnewswire.com
AMO Pharma in Collaboration with Population Health Research Institute (PHRI) and Venca Research Inc. Announces FDA Advice on Potential Phase 3 Development Path for AMO-02 in Treatment of Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy (ACM)

/PRNewswire/ -- AMO Pharma Limited ("AMO Pharma"), a privately held clinical-stage specialty biopharmaceutical company focusing on rare genetic disorders with...

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Oct 7 • 8:00 AM EDT • Health • prnewswire.com
AmTrust launches treaty property reinsurance unit

AmTrust Financial Services on Tuesday launched East Reinsurance Services, a treaty property reinsurance operation focused on U.S. property and specialty business.

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Oct 6 • 3:32 PM EDT • Business • businessinsurance.com
Beazley and Zurich Global Specialty Names New CEO

Kristof Terryn has been appointed as chief executive of Beazley and Zurich Global Specialty following Switzerland-based Zurich Insurance Group AG’s acquisition of British firm Beazley plc…

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Oct 6 • 10:07 AM EDT • Business • businessinsurance.com
Amwins launches MGA for complex liability risks

Amwins on Tuesday launched illumin Specialty, a managing general agency offering primary general liability and excess liability coverage for complex risks.

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Oct 6 • 8:30 AM EDT • Business • businessinsurance.com
Beazley and Zurich Global Specialty Names New CEO

Kristof Terryn has been appointed as chief executive of Beazley and Zurich Global Specialty following Switzerland-based Zurich Insurance Group AG’s acquisition of British firm Beazley plc…

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Oct 5 • 10:11 AM EDT • Business • businessinsurance.com
More than a prescription: Removing barriers so patients can get back to living

See how integrated specialty pharmacy support helped one patient overcome treatment barriers and get back to the moments that matter most.

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Oct 5 • 9:58 AM EDT • Health • optum.com
Madison nonprofit celebrates 25 years providing free health care to uninsured residents

MADISON, (WKOW) — The Madison Specialty Care Free Clinic, a local nonprofit, is celebrating 25 years of providing free health care to uninsured patients across South Central Wisconsin on Sunday.

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Oct 4 • 5:58 PM EDT • Health • wkow.com
Three Rivers Corporation promotes Jamie Crockett

Three Rivers Corporation has promoted Jamie Crockett to chief operating officer, placing him in charge of construction and specialty trade operations.

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Oct 4 • 3:54 PM EDT • Business • ourmidland.com
ACO Expansion Might Change The Case For Investing In agilon health Stock (AGL)

In late September 2026, agilon health reported that The Jackson Clinic and Springfield Clinic would expand their partnerships by joining agilon’s Senior Health Connect ACOs. This extends value-based care support to roughly 30,000 additional Traditional Medicare beneficiaries on top of existing Medicare Advantage panels. The moves deepen agilon health’s integration with large multi-specialty groups, tying more senior lives into full-risk accountable care models that rely heavily on the...

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Oct 4 • 4:13 AM EDT • Health • simplywall.st
Memorial Health System expanding healthcare services at Gulfport clinic

GULFPORT, Miss. (WXXV)- Memorial Health System is expanding services at one clinic in northern Gulfport. Dr. Rolando Barnes now provides comprehensive family medicine services at the Highway 49 clinic. This gives patients more convenient access to both primary and specialty care in their community. Barnes will also provide preventative care, wellness visits, chronic disease management, and ongoing care for patients...

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Oct 3 • 9:00 PM EDT • Health • wxxv25.com
Steve Oberman Joins SoundCheck Capital As SVP, Business Development

Former Tixr, See Tickets and Flavorus executive Steve Oberman joins SoundCheck Capital, a specialty finance company providing revenue-based financing to the

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Oct 1 • 3:22 PM EDT • Business • news.pollstar.com
StarCare Specialty Health System expanding local access to mental health care

The expanded facility at Aspen Ave. and East 19th St. now features 60 inpatient psychiatric beds, doubling its previous capacity of 30 beds.

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Sep 30 • 10:59 PM EDT • Health • kcbd.com
Ron Riegler dies at 71, led family business, Riegler Blacktop, one of largest privately-owned companies in Tri-State

Staff report Ronald Joseph Riegler Sr., 71, of Union, passed away peacefully on September 24 at Select Specialty Hospital in Fort Thomas surrounded by his loving family. With his brother, Boone…

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Sep 30 • 12:38 AM EDT • Business • nkytribune.com
SPH researchers publish new tracker to map private equity involvement in healthcare nationwide

The interactive tracker shows private equity consolidation of hospitals and specialty practices across the U.S.

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Sep 28 • 11:25 PM EDT • Health • browndailyherald.com
BrightSpring Health Targets Growth Through Specialty Pharmacy, M&A and AI

BrightSpring Health Services (NASDAQ:BTSG) outlined its growth strategy across pharmacy and provider services at the Bernstein healthcare services conference, emphasizing specialty pharmacy expansion, home health acquisitions, technology investments and opportunities to integrate services for comple

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Sep 27 • 7:01 AM EDT • Health • finance.yahoo.com
WCES targets India’s semiconductor market with specialty gas business

Indian renewable energy firm Waaree Clean Energy Solutions (WCES) will enter the domestic specialty gases market to target semiconductor manufacturing amid the Indian government’s $13.2bn Semiconductor Mission 2.0 programme.

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Sep 25 • 11:40 AM EDT • Business • gasworld.com
Med Center Health celebrated Cal Turner Rehab & Specialty Care's 30th Anniversary in Scottsville

Email newsletter signup Polls What is the biggest challenge facing Bowling Green? Vote Now View Results

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Sep 25 • 9:11 AM EDT • Health • bgdailynews.com
Kemper rebuilds its distribution structure as California diversification accelerates

Three leadership changes reflect a carrier managing a California correction while pursuing growth in Florida, Texas and specialty commercial auto

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Sep 25 • 6:39 AM EDT • Business • insurancebusinessmag.com
Best of Denton 2026: Specialty Eats

Each year, the Denton Record-Chronicle hosts the Best of Denton awards to highlight a few deserving and beloved Denton businesses who are just the best at what they do. Here

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Sep 25 • 6:00 AM EDT • Business • dentonrc.com
Kevin Byram named Medical Director of the Vanderbilt Specialty Pharmacy

Kevin Byram, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, has been named Medical Director of the Vanderbilt Specialty Pharmacy, effective Oct. 1.

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Sep 24 • 10:12 AM EDT • Health • news.vumc.org
Holy Cross Health Opens $41 Million Deerfield Beach Center and Breaks Ground in Fort Lauderdale

Leaders, supporters and community members gather to celebrate the ribbon cutting of Holy Cross Health Center & Emergency Care – Deerfield Beach. Credit: Downtown Photo Holy Cross Health is at the forefront of one of the hottest emergency department (ED) trends by embedding freestanding EDs and multispecialty health centers in communities they didn’t previously have […]

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Sep 24 • 8:25 AM EDT • Health • southfloridahospitalnews.com
U.S. News 2027 Best Undergrad Business Schools Ranking: Wharton Reclaims The Solo Crown

U.S. News’ 2027 undergraduate business ranking puts Wharton alone at No. 1. Plus specialty leaders and the ranking's biggest movers.

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Sep 23 • 3:32 PM EDT • Business • poetsandquants.com
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U.S. News 2027 Best Business Schools Ranking: Wharton Reclaims The Solo Crown

U.S. News’ 2027 undergraduate business ranking puts Wharton alone at No. 1. Plus specialty leaders and the ranking's biggest movers.

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Sep 22 • 12:08 PM EDT • Business • poetsandquantsforundergrads.com
RWJBarnabas Health Celebrates Ribbon Cutting of New Multi-Specialty Ambulatory Care Facility in Toms River

RWJBarnabas Health celebrated the grand opening of its updated, state-of-the-art Women’s Health and Urology suites yesterday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in the Toms River Nexus Building.

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Sep 22 • 10:25 AM EDT • Health • newswise.com
Hiscox USA names a new finance chief from Liberty Mutual

The hire comes as Hiscox USA continues expanding its specialty insurance platform

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Sep 21 • 6:07 PM EDT • Business • insurancebusinessmag.com
Cardinal Health Targets 13%-15% EPS Growth as Specialty Momentum Builds

Cardinal Health (NYSE:CAH) CEO Jason Hollar said the company expects fiscal 2027 to extend the broad operating momentum it generated in fiscal 2026, with all five operating segments positioned for what he described as a “constructive” period. Speaking at the Morgan Stanley Global Healthcare Confere

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Sep 19 • 6:01 PM EDT • Health • finance.yahoo.com
Cardinal Health Sees Growth Normalize as Specialty, At-Home Investments Expand

Cardinal Health (NYSE:CAH) CEO Jason Hollar said the company’s fiscal 2026 performance was supported by double-digit earnings growth across each of its five operating segments, while fiscal 2027 guidance reflects continued growth from a more normalized base. Speaking at a Baird event, Hollar said t

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Sep 19 • 12:02 PM EDT • Health • finance.yahoo.com
LVHN Health Care Partner of the Month

Elissa Remmel Job: PharmD, Pharmacy Supervisor Education/Training: Elissa Remmel earned her Doctor of Pharmacy at the University of the Sciences, Philadelphia. Service line or specialty: Lehigh Valle...

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Sep 19 • 8:00 AM EDT • Health • tnonline.com
$1 Million Fellowship in Coffee Science Established at UC Davis

The Specialty Coffee Association, or SCA, and the University of California, Davis, announced the establishment of the Specialty Coffee Association Endowed Fellowship in Coffee Science, made possible by a $1 million gift from the SCA to support graduate coffee research at the UC Davis Coffee Center, a center of excellence in the College of Engineering.

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Sep 18 • 7:24 PM EDT • Science • giving.ucdavis.edu
Novant Health drives $4.33B in regional economic impact, study says

Novant Health Coastal Region generates an annual overall economic impact of $4.33 billion in the Wilmington Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), according to a new report. Commissioned by Novant Health and conducted by Mouhcine Guettabi, associate professor of economics at the University of North Carolina Wilmington and the area’s regional economist, the report evaluates population growth in New Hanover, Brunswick and Pender counties and whether the area’s healthcare infrastructure is positioned to meet the region’s demand. According to the study, while healthcare employment has kept pace with population growth in New Hanover and Pender counties, it has not kept up with the rapid population growth in Brunswick County, which is skewed toward an older population. “It points very clearly to Brunswick County being the bottleneck, or being the place where investment is most needed,” Guettabi said to the Business Journal Friday, “because the growth is the fastest, the composition of the growth is older (adults) and demand for healthcare is much higher for the subpopulation.” The Novant Health Coastal Region employs 8,295 full-time equivalent workers, according to the report, and is the region’s largest employer. Overall, through direct, indirect and induced impacts, the Novant Health Coastal Region supports 19,573 jobs, the report said. Using data collected from internal payroll, financial and capital reports, the report estimates that Novant Health Coastal Region pays approximately $1.15 billion in total compensation to its employees. According to the study, the provider’s annual operating expenditures, or direct economic impact, total $2.36 billion. That direct impact ripples through the regional economy through spending at its suppliers, or indirect impact, and household spending by staff and its suppliers’ workers, or induced impact. The report estimates the Novant Health Coastal Region’s indirect economic impact is $786 million, reflecting the multiplying effect of the provider’s operating expenses on expenditures like medical supplies, facilities, food, IT and professional services. Because 86.9% of Novant Health Coastal Region employees live within the tri-county region, the report estimates that wages paid by Novant circulate into the regional economy, creating an induced economic impact of $1.17 billion. “That money just doesn’t go into thin air,” Guettabi said of the wages paid to Novant Health Coastal Region employees. “Some of that money is being re-spent, and therefore it’s supporting grocery stores, hiring, restaurants and bars, and there are a lot of other companies or organizations whose employment, whose activity partially depends on that.” The combination of direct ($2.36 billion), indirect ($786 million), and induced ($1.17 billion) impacts totals an estimated $4.33 billion, according to the report. A study commissioned by Novant Health in 2024 and conducted by FTI Consulting’s Center for Healthcare Economics and Policy found that Novant Health generated nearly $2 billion of direct impact, with $628 million in indirect impact and $857 million in induced impact. Healthcare investments in the pipeline for Brunswick County Additionally, the study found that while healthcare employment has kept pace with population growth in New Hanover and Pender counties, it lags in Brunswick County. “Once you go below the metro level and you decompose the three counties that make up the Wilmington Metro,” Guettabi said, “it becomes fairly clear that Brunswick is the standout. And not only that, but clearly the growth there is fully domestic migration and largely retiree-driven migrants.” Using data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on per-capita healthcare spending among age groups, Guettabi estimates that adults aged 65 and older demand 2.44 times the healthcare of working-age adults. “The share of the population in Brunswick County that’s over the age of 65 is 33%,” Guettabi said, “which is so much higher than the average share of people over the age of 65 within the state or within the country.” The report emphasizes that Brunswick County is the “strongest candidate” for new healthcare investment, adding that patient discharge records show Brunswick residents rely heavily on facilities in New Hanover County for inpatient care. “Investments in Brunswick County would not only meet the demand for those residents, but it would also relieve pressure for New Hanover County residents,” Guettabi said. Laurie Whalin, president of the Novant Health Coastal Region, told the Business Journal Friday that the provider plans to expand services at Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center, in addition to other investments in the area. In April, the state granted conditional approval to both Novant Health and Columbus Regional Healthcare System to build new hospitals, just miles apart, on either side of the Columbus County and Brunswick County borders. Columbus Regional’s $214 million 30-bed hospital would be located at the former Acme-Delco Middle School in Delco, according to the application. The project’s approved timetable has construction slated to finish in May 2029, with the hospital open for service by October 2029. The Whiteville-based provider, which Atrium Health manages, broke ground on an Advanced Care facility in December 2025 and operates four specialty clinics in Leland. Meanwhile, Novant Health’s proposed $251 million 20-bed hospital would be built just miles from Columbus Regional’s proposed hospital, near the Compass Pointe community in Leland. The provider estimates the hospital will open by 2030. State officials also approved Novant Health in March to build a freestanding emergency department in Carolina Shores, near U.S. 17. The project is estimated to cost $24 million, according to the application, and will operate under the Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center license. Additionally, Novant Health’s 16,000-square-foot ambulatory surgery center is slated to open in Leland by year’s end, officials said.

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Sep 18 • 2:16 PM EDT • Health • wilmingtonbiz.com
Trump administration doles out $16.8M for healthcare tech in rural Kansas

Rural healthcare in Kansas will benefit from nearly $17 million in federal dollars to expand technology such as telehealth, artificial intelligence and diagnostic tools, and expedite transportation to specialty healthcare.

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Sep 18 • 1:02 PM EDT • Health • kansasreflector.com
$1 Million Fellowship in Coffee Science Established at UC Davis

A $1 million endowment from the Specialty Coffee Association will provide lasting support for graduate researchers at the UC Davis Coffee Center and help prepare future leaders in coffee science.

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Sep 18 • 12:45 PM EDT • Science • engineering.ucdavis.edu
Groundbreaking held for $700 million AWSOM Whole Health Campus

It’s been seven years in the making, but the effort to bring specialty health care to Northwest Arkansas is one step closer to reality. Alice Walton was front and center...

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Sep 17 • 5:55 PM EDT • Health • talkbusiness.net
Groundbreaking held for $700 million AWSOM Whole Health Campus

It’s been seven years in the making, but the effort to bring specialty health care to Northwest Arkansas is one step closer to reality. Alice Walton was front and center...

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Sep 17 • 5:55 PM EDT • Business • talkbusiness.net
Alice Walton says Bentonville healthcare campus to expand Arkansans’ access to specialty care

A new Bentonville healthcare campus backed by billionaire philanthropist Alice Walton will increase Arkansans’ access to specialty care and a “whole person” approach to medicine, she said at a groundbreaking ceremony Thursday.

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Sep 17 • 4:19 PM EDT • Health • arkansasadvocate.com
How Jesus Sanchez could help Diamondbacks ahead of Yankees series

Sanchez has one specialty the Diamondbacks lack.

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Sep 17 • 11:34 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
LifeStance Health Group (NASDAQ:LFST): Strongest Q2 Results from the Outpatient & Specialty Care Group

Earnings results often indicate what direction a company will take in the months ahead. With Q2 behind us, let’s have a look at LifeStance Health Group (NASDAQ:LFST) and its peers.

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Sep 16 • 2:44 PM EDT • Health • finance.yahoo.com
ANV Group rebrands Specialty Comp Insurance as ANV Comp

Specialty Comp Insurance is the second of three workers' comp businesses ANV has bought this year

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Sep 15 • 5:56 PM EDT • Business • insurancebusinessmag.com
Onspire Health Marketing Partners with Vidscrip to Bring Provider-Recorded Video Into Patient Engagement Programs

New capability helps practices personalize patient communications and strengthen their digital presence using their providers’ own voicesKansas City, MO, Sept. 15, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Onspire Health Marketing today announced a partnership with Vidscrip that gives healthcare practices a simple way to incorporate provider-recorded video into automated patient communications, practice websites and digital marketing. The initial rollout focuses on independent specialty practices, with potential

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Sep 15 • 3:40 PM EDT • Health • finance.yahoo.com
Net Health Names Audrea Madey Senior Vice President of Marketing

/PRNewswire/ -- Net Health, an AI-native specialty platform serving clinicians across the care continuum, today announced the appointment of Audrea Madey as...

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Sep 15 • 10:26 AM EDT • Health • prnewswire.com
Rural specialty care access at risk: How 5 systems are responding

Rural and underserved hospitals nationwide face a growing challenge: widening gaps in specialty care. A Becker's Healthcare survey of 100 hospital and

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Sep 14 • 2:08 PM EDT • Health • beckersbehavioralhealth.com
Major CT marketing agency launches healthcare specialty, taps leader from local firm

The agency says CK Health is designed to help healthcare organizations navigate a rapidly changing landscape and build stronger brands.

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Sep 14 • 11:54 AM EDT • Health • hartfordbusiness.com
Family Village and Delaware County Health Department launch doula directory

Users can search Delaware County doulas by language, specialty and whether the provider accepts Medicaid.

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Sep 14 • 5:00 AM EDT • Health • whyy.org
Atlanta Beltline expands small-business incubator with 13 businesses

The Atlanta Beltline has expanded its small-business incubator program to 13 businesses, adding entrepreneurs offering everything from vegan food and desserts to fashion, gifts, specialty foods and ha...

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Sep 12 • 11:18 PM EDT • Business • yahoo.com
Following Specialty And Infusion Growth, Is BrightSpring Health Services (BTSG) Still Cheap?

BrightSpring Health Services (BTSG) is back in focus after highlighting fresh momentum in its Specialty and Infusion unit, including 30% year-over-year revenue growth and a 31% rise in scripts for the second quarter. Despite a softer 7-day share price return of down 3.3% and a 90-day move down 7.1%, BrightSpring Health Services still shows a strong year-to-date share price return of 52.9% and a 1-year total shareholder return of 122.0%. This points to momentum that has built over the past...

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Sep 12 • 5:20 PM EDT • Health • simplywall.st
Vandalia Health to receive $612,000 in first round of state rural health funding

Vandalia Health will receive $612,000 in West Virginia’s first round of rural health funding. Its WorkWell Connect network will link employees statewide to screenings, primary and specialty care, mobile clinics and telemedicine.

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Sep 11 • 8:47 PM EDT • Health • mybuckhannon.com
Suzanne Foley, 2026 Outstanding Women in Business Recipient

Suzanne is the founder and president of Port City Pretzels, a Portsmouth-based specialty snack food company she launched in 2015 after a long career in finance, business operations and healthcare administration.

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Sep 11 • 7:15 AM EDT • Business • nhbr.com
DeGrange Joins First Business Bank as VP, Equipment Finance

Jace DeGrange has joined First Business Bank's subsidiary, First Business Specialty Finance as vice president — Equipment Finance.

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Sep 11 • 3:00 AM EDT • Business • monitordaily.com
Peapack Private launches yacht financing business to grow specialty lending capability

Peapack-Gladstone Financial Corp. and Peapack Private announced Sept. 9 its entrance into the yacht financing business.

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Sep 10 • 12:26 PM EDT • Business • roi-nj.com
Fayetteville Technical Community College, North Carolina Military Business Center announce executive leadership transition

FTCC and the North Carolina Military Business Center (NCMBC) announced a succession of executive leadership.

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Sep 10 • 9:10 AM EDT • Business • specialtyfabricsreview.com
Peapack Private Expands Specialty Lending Capabilities with Launch of Yacht Financing Business

Jim Velez Jim Velez, Senior Managing Director and President of Yacht Financing at Peapack Private BEDMINSTER, N.J., Sept. 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Peapack-Gladstone Financial Corporation (NASDAQ Global Select Market: PGC) and Peapack Private announced today its entrance into the yacht financing business, further expanding the Bank’s suite of customized lending solutions for high-net-worth individuals, families and their advisors. As part of the launch, Peapack Private has hired industry vete

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Sep 9 • 1:01 PM EDT • Business • finance.yahoo.com
NovaOne Launches Next-Generation Platform Uniting Behavioral and Physical Health

NovaOne today announced general availability of its next-generation solution: a modular platform, uniting purpose-built preventive tools, clinically validated assessments, an AI care navigator with deep human clinical oversight and a curated network of evidence-based specialty providers. One platform for integrated preventive and curative healthcare.

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Sep 9 • 11:35 AM EDT • Health • finance.yahoo.com
Madera Fair brings daily entertainment

The 2026 Madera District Fair, presented by Valley Children’s Healthcare, is bringing entertainment beyond the main stage as part of its “All American Party!” celebration September 10-13. Throughout the four-day fair, guests can enjoy a free lineup of magicians, animal performances, characters, live music, interactive shows and specialty attractions appearing throughout the fairgrounds. Guests can […]

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Sep 9 • 10:10 AM EDT • Entertainment • maderatribune.com
Clearway Health Scales Operational Excellence with Appointment of Chief Operating Officer

/PRNewswire/ -- Clearway Health, a company that partners with hospitals and health systems to plan, build and operate specialty pharmacy programs, announces...

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Sep 9 • 8:00 AM EDT • Health • prnewswire.com
America Is In Pain. Flagler Health Is Transforming Clinics On The Front Lines

Hinge Health put MSK care on the digital-health map. Flagler's $50M Series B reflects a different bet: use AI to transform the specialty clinics where care still happens

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Sep 9 • 8:00 AM EDT • Health • forbes.com
Findhelp Partners With Maryland Health Care Commission as the First Specialty Exchange to Advance Social Care Interoperability

/PRNewswire/ -- Findhelp, the nation's leading social care technology platform, today announced it is the first specialty exchange that has registered with the...

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Sep 9 • 8:00 AM EDT • Health • prnewswire.com
Findhelp Partners With Maryland Health Care Commission as the First Specialty Exchange to Advance Social Care Interoperability

Findhelp, the nation's leading social care technology platform, today announced it is the first specialty exchange that has registered with the Maryland Health Care Commission (MHCC).

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Sep 9 • 8:00 AM EDT • Health • finance.yahoo.com
Southcoast Health adds seven new medical providers

Southcoast Health has expanded its medical team by adding seven new providers across several specialty areas.

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Sep 9 • 4:01 AM EDT • Health • heraldnews.com
Is Cardinal Health Building a New Tech-Enabled Healthcare Platform?

Technology is becoming a bigger part of CAH's strategy, linking distribution, specialty services and logistics through digital workflows.

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Sep 8 • 11:07 AM EDT • Health • finance.yahoo.com
The Row brings new retail, dining and entertainment to Heartwood

The Row, a new in-line retail center located in Poplar Place within Heartwood’s Town District, will bring a growing mix of dining, entertainment, services and specialty retail to one of the community’s most visible commercial areas at Exit 82.

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Sep 8 • 11:01 AM EDT • Entertainment • bryancountynews.com
LMH Health announces participation in Astra Health to expand access, improve care and reduce healthcare costs

We are pleased to announce that LMH Health is one of five independent Kansas health systems joining together to form Astra Health, a new regional healthcare collaboration designed to improve patient care, strengthen access to specialty services, and deliver more affordable healthcare options for employers and communities across Kansas. By working together, participating health systems […]

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Sep 8 • 10:00 AM EDT • Health • lmh.org
Parakeet Health lands major AI partnership with national dermatology group Qualderm

Parakeet Health landed a major partnership with Qualderm, one of the nation's largest dermatology organizations, as the company looks to apply agentic artificial intelligence to a growing specialty | Parakeet Health landed a major partnership with Qualderm, one of the nation's largest dermatology organizations, as the company looks to apply agentic artificial intelligence to a growing specialty care access problem.

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Sep 8 • 9:00 AM EDT • Health • fiercehealthcare.com
Burgers Specialty Foods-owned business wins $10 million for ham

A 16.7-pound ham won $10 million Thursday at the 62nd Annual Kentucky Farm Bureau Country Ham Breakfast and Charity Auction.

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Sep 6 • 5:00 AM EDT • Business • newstribune.com
Is UT Tyler Specialty Expansion Reframing the Investment Case for Ardent Health (ARDT)?

Ardent Health recently marked a milestone in its East Texas partnership as UT Health East Texas expanded specialty care into the UT Tyler School of Medicine Building in Tyler, bringing women’s health, pulmonary, orthopedic, imaging and surgical services alongside the region’s first medical school. This integration of patient care and physician training, supported by more than US$315 million of capital investment since 2018 and a provider network that has grown by 116%, underscores Ardent’s...

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Sep 5 • 12:25 PM EDT • Health • simplywall.st
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Switchboard Health Acquires Livara Health to Integrate Value-Based Musculoskeletal Care

Acquisition Brings Livara’s Virtual MSK Care Model Onto Switchboard’s Specialty Care Platform; Closes $5M+ Round of Funding Switchboard Health, creators

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Sep 4 • 9:00 AM EDT • Health • healthcareittoday.com
President Trump puts Colorado farmers and ranchers first

By Brooke L. Rollins Ever since Colorado was admitted to the union 150 years ago this month, farmers and ranchers across the state have kept our nation’s food supply secure and our freedom alive. From cattle ranchers on the eastern plains to specialty crop producers on the Western Slope, Colorado is home to more than 36,000 farms spread across more than 30 million acres. Last week, I saw the tremendous effect of agriculture in the Centennial State firsthand as, along with U.S. […]

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Sep 4 • 3:00 AM EDT • Politics • coloradopolitics.com
Radiologist seeks to better understand consolidation in the specialty

Benjamin E. Northrup, MD, with the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, recently scored a grant from the Neiman Health Policy Institute to help fuel his curiosity

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Sep 4 • 2:02 AM EDT • Business • radiologybusiness.com
Jim Cramer Notes Cardinal Health (CAH) is “Too Attractive to Ignore”

On the September 2 episode of Mad Money, Jim Cramer called Cardinal Health, Inc. (NYSE:CAH) one of his “absolute favorites” and mentioned its growing exposure to specialty pharmaceuticals and higher-margin healthcare services. Cardinal’s been running circles around McKesson and Cencora. They consistently put up the best numbers because this company has gradually become less of […]

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Sep 3 • 5:52 PM EDT • Health • finance.yahoo.com
CMI boosts medical affairs capabilities with new specialty communications unit

CMI Media Group is adding to its spread of media services through a new specialty communications business that introduces a slate of new cutting-edge marketing tools. | The new business unit is centered on four core capabilities, which includes AI-enhanced scientific intelligence, omnichannel "scientific ecosystems," and more.

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Sep 3 • 11:35 AM EDT • Business • fiercepharma.com
Changes to Medicare’s quality payment program may disadvantage radiologists

CMS is moving to new MIPS Value Pathways, or MVPs, which are specialty-specific measures intended to replace traditional ones, experts write in JACR.

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Sep 3 • 2:20 AM EDT • Business • radiologybusiness.com