Upstate NY Entertainment owner says gas spike still hurts business

Gas prices may be slipping from their spring peak, but Jason Howard says the hit to his DeWitt business still shows up every time Upstate NY Entertainment has to move people, equipment and setups across Central New York. Howard, president and co-owner of the company, said gas remains one of his biggest challenges and added, “I have not seen it this bad in 15 years.”

The pressure comes as pump prices remain high by both state and local measures. AAA listed New York’s average regular gas price at $4.217 per gallon on June 23, compared with the U.S. average of $3.926. In the Syracuse area, a local tracker put prices around $4.339 per gallon on June 19, still above the national average even after recent declines from earlier June and May levels.

For a company built around travel and logistics, those numbers matter beyond the fuel bill itself. Every trip to a venue, every equipment run and every return drive adds cost, and that can ripple into event pricing, staffing decisions and how many jobs a company can accept at once. Howard’s business sits in the middle of that squeeze: when gasoline swings sharply, the cost of doing business rises even if customer demand does not.

The broader market has offered some relief, but not enough to erase the earlier spike. AAA said the national average fell for three straight weeks, sliding from $4.56 on May 21 to $4.12 by June 11 as crude oil stayed below $100 a barrel. That drop has eased some pressure at the pump, yet prices remain elevated enough to keep fuel a live issue for small operators in Onondaga County.

Local officials have also looked for a way to blunt future spikes. Onondaga County lawmakers approved a temporary cap on the county sales tax collected on gasoline and diesel, limiting county tax to the first $4 per gallon and capping that levy at 16 cents per gallon. The change still needs state approval before it can take effect, but county leaders framed it as a way to reduce pain if prices surge again.

For Central New York businesses that depend on wheels and miles, the recent run-up was more than a headline. It was a reminder that fuel volatility can quickly become a local cost-of-doing-business problem, with higher prices that eventually reach customers, workers and the event calendar alike.