Our diverse business economy has enabled the Syracuse community to fare better than most of our upstate neighbors. Although a significant number of manufacturing jobs have been lost, the service-providing industry continues to grow strong. Syracuse is crossing a threshold, making an irreversible transition away from the manufacturing-centered economy of yesterday to high-valued, knowledge-intensive businesses and industry. Among the fast-growing segments of the service economy is the healthcare industry and the professional and business services industry. Companies with their roots in the Syracuse area, others that have moved here, and those whose entrepreneurial vision have taken root in this community, find Syracuse an excellent place to work and live.

Here are some highlights:

• Places Rated Almanac ranked Syracuse as the 32nd best place to live out of 354 metropolitan areas in the US and Canada
• Employment opportunities remain stable
• Syracuse ranked in the top 10 cities nationally for Internet penetration, according to a national survey by Scarborough Research
• Syracuse was named one of the nation’s top 50 cities for business expansion and relocation by Expansion Management magazine
• Syracuse has an international presence as one of only 14 cities globally that is a member of the Sesame Network. An important international business organization whose purpose is to promote economic and cultural cooperation worldwide.
• Inc. Magazine selected the Syracuse metro area as one of the "Top 25 cities for Doing Business in America."

The Greater Syracuse Economic Growth Council was formed in 1996 to develop and promote the attributes of our city and its communities to the global marketplace as a logical location from which to operate a business thereby producing additional employment, population, income and growth

The Chamber's Entrepreneurial Council was formed in 1999 to help provide or connect to a comprehensive array of programs to support the development of entrepreneurial ventures in Greater Syracuse.

The Chamber manages the Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program (SATOP) for all of New York State. This NASA-funded program offers up to 40 hours of FREE engineering assistance to small businesses, to help
them overcome technical challenges.

The Greater Syracuse Business Development Corporation (GSBDC), founded in 1964, is the premier economic development financing organization in Central New York. It is a private, not-for-profit corporation managed by the Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce. Its primary purpose is to assist businesses in Central New York with their expansion and financing needs.