So often we hear about manufacturers packing up and leaving Central New York, but there are many others not just surviving, but thriving.

There's a flurry of activity at Morse Manufacturing in East Syracuse. It's proof that manufacturing is still very much alive in Central New York. "You have to stay innovative and keep moving ahead of the curve," said Nate Andrews, Vice President of Morse Manufacturing. "If you stay in the same place, you're moving backwards."

Andrews should know, as manufacturing runs in his blood. The drum and barrel handling business has been in his family for three generations. Now, 86 years after the company opened its doors, it's still thriving.

On Thursday, more than 150 manufacturers and elected leaders gathered at the Manufacturers Association of Central New York (MACNY) breakfast to talk about the state of their industry. They're all too familiar with the closings of Carrier, Syracuse China and many others that did not survive. But they celebrate those companies like Morse that have managed to adapt. "We face a lot of foreign competition and it has forced us to move away from the bread and butter products that were our livelihood for years and years and became more innovative with new and different products," Andrews said.

Syracuse has a rich history of manufacturing dating back to the mid-19th century. It's seen times of great prosperity and companies that have faded away and the Onondaga Historical Association has documented it all. "Sometimes they're not as visible, the manufacturers, as they used to be," said Dennis Connors, Curator of History. "They don't have the huge sprawling factories with the big smoke stacks belching out smoke. They're a little lower key. But there's still a lot of very creative manufacturing that goes on in our area."

Flipping through old pictures with Connors, it's clear manufacturing has been a mainstay in Syracuse for generations. It's a promise Nate Andrews has made to himself and his employees, to stay innovative, always one step ahead and make sure Morse Manufacturing is a staple in Central New York for many years to come.

"You know, there's a lot of companies like us that are out there that are really making a go of it still in this community," Andrews said. "Hopefully, we've got another couple generations in us."