Oneida Indian Nation Announces Awards for Turning Stone Evolution Contracts to 26 Upstate New York Businesses

Oneida Indian Nation (November 12, 2024) – As 78 tons of steel arrive at Turning Stone Resort Casino to begin the next phase of construction for the Turning Stone Evolution, the Oneida Indian Nation today announced the awarding of contracts to 26 Upstate New York businesses in support of its $370 million expansion of the resort.

Under the supervision of the Turning Stone Evolution general contractors The Hayner Hoyt Corporation and TN WARD, the 26 regional businesses selected will support construction for The Grand Expo, The Crescent Hotel and a new parking garage with a diverse range of services. These companies include:

Absolute Fire Protection (Selkirk)

Digesare Mechanical (Schenectady)

G.C. Zarnas & Company, Inc. (Bethlehem)

W&D Smith & Sons Construction Inc. (Whitney Point)

Ferraro Pile & Shoring, Inc. (Alden)

Crosby-Brownlie Inc. (Rochester)

Flower City Glass Co. of NY (Rochester)

Array Construction Services LLC (Skaneateles)

Blue Water Management LLC (Skaneateles)

BR Johnson (East Syracuse)

Bruce Electric (East Syracuse)

Butler Fence Co., Inc. (Syracuse)

C.J. Marly Construction, Inc. (Marcellus)

Casler Masonry (Auburn)

Edward Schalk & Son, Inc. (East Syracuse)

Ferguson Electric/E-J Electric JV (Syracuse)

Gitzen Companies (Syracuse)

Hearth & Home (East Syracuse)

J & A Plastering & Stucco (Syracuse)

John W Danforth Co (Syracuse)

JPW Structural Contracting, Inc. (Syracuse)

M&S Fire Protection (East Syracuse)

Mullen Industrial Handling Corp. (East Syracuse)

Murnane Building Contractors (East Syracuse)

Atlantic Testing Laboratories (Utica)

Lupini Construction, LLC (Utica)

“As the Turning Stone Evolution continues to transform the resort, it is also transforming our role as an economic engine for Upstate New York,” said Ray Halbritter, Oneida Indian Nation Representative and Turning Stone Enterprises CEO. “Partnerships with our region’s businesses have always been essential to our growth and success, and we are thrilled to expand these partnerships as the Evolution creates new opportunities today and for generations to come.”

The $370 million Turning Stone Evolution represents the Oneida Indian Nation’s largest investment in the resort in two decades. Work on the Turning Stone Evolution is well underway and has already created NY Rec & Social Club, a new venue at the resort’s Exit 33 nightlife complex, and an all-new Sportsplex with 36 new golf bays, Trackman technology, indoor pickleball courts and a brand-new retail experience offering an expanded selection of industry-leading products from top brands.

The latest phase of Turning Stone Evolution construction will include:

• The Grand Expo, a brand-new 165,000-square-foot conference facility that will double existing events space and add new outdoor event spaces
• The Crescent Hotel, with 258 guest rooms and suites
• Salt Seafood & Raw Bar, a new fine-dining venue
• A new 1,500-space parking garage that will double currently available parking

When complete, the Turning Stone Evolution will make Turning Stone the largest conference destination in Upstate New York – and one of just three venues of similar size and caliber in the entire state. All of these new and upgraded amenities will allow Upstate New York to compete with New York City and other major metropolitan areas for large-scale events and business and leisure travel, drawing visitors from throughout the Northeast and across the country.

In addition to the Oneida Indian Nation’s $370 million capital investment, the Turning Stone Evolution will:

• Generate a one-time economic impact exceeding $600 million
• Create more than 3,500 construction and related jobs
• Generate hundreds of permanent jobs for area residents
• Produce more than $22 million in state and local tax revenues
• Dramatically expand spending with local vendors, which exceeded $142 million spent with 792 vendors in Oneida, Madison and Onondaga Counties during 2023 alone

This generational impact builds on the Nation’s more than $1 billion in economic activity in Upstate New York during 2023 as reported in an economic impact analysis conducted by Oxford Economics, one of the world’s foremost independent global advisory firms.

For photos of the steel arriving at Turning Stone Resort Casino for the next phase of the Turning Stone Evolution, click HERE

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About the Oneida Indian Nation

The Oneida Indian Nation is a federally recognized Indian nation in Central New York. A founding member of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy (also known as the Six Nations or Iroquois Confederacy), the Oneida Indian Nation sided with the Americans in the Revolutionary War and was thanked by Congress and President George Washington for its loyalty and assistance. Today, the Oneida Indian Nation consists of about 1,000 enrolled Members, most of them living in Central New York. The Nation’s enterprises, which employ more than 5,000 people, include Turning Stone Resort Casino, YBR Casino & Sports Book, Point Place Casino, The Lake House at Sylvan Beach, The Cove at Sylvan Beach, Maple Leaf Markets, SāvOn Convenience stores, Verona Collective, a seed-to-sale cannabis operation, RV Park, and marinas. Proceeds from these enterprises are used to rebuild the Nation’s economic base and provide essential services, including housing, health care, and education incentives and programs, to its Members.