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MICHAEL D. SISTI has joined the Vernon office of Delta Engineers, Architects, Land Surveyors, & Landscape Architects, DPC, as a construction inspector in the Vernon Civil Group. His professional background includes transportation planning work, as well as construction projects, inspection work, and managerial/administrative duties. Sisti recently became a licensed professional engineer. In addition, he has […]
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MICHAEL D. SISTI has joined the Vernon office of Delta Engineers, Architects, Land Surveyors, & Landscape Architects, DPC, as a construction inspector in the Vernon Civil Group. His professional background includes transportation planning work, as well as construction projects, inspection work, and managerial/administrative duties. Sisti recently became a licensed professional engineer. In addition, he has been teaching engineering courses full time at Mohawk Valley Community College for the past three years. Sisti is responsible for inspections to ensure that building codes, ordinances, zoning regulations, and contract specifications are met.

PAUL SANSONE, M.D. has joined the Palliative Care department at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Syracuse. Dr. Sansone, who assumed his role last summer, leads a team of clinicians, whose focus is improving the quality of life for patients coping with serious and complex illnesses. Leading up to his fellowship in hospice & palliative medicine, Sansone
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PAUL SANSONE, M.D. has joined the Palliative Care department at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Syracuse. Dr. Sansone, who assumed his role last summer, leads a team of clinicians, whose focus is improving the quality of life for patients coping with serious and complex illnesses. Leading up to his fellowship in hospice & palliative medicine, Sansone spent six years as the director of pain medicine at Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital in Lebanon, New Hampshire. Prior to that, he was an assistant professor of anesthesiology at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. Sansone earned his bachelor’s degree in physics and medical degree from the University at Buffalo. He went on to complete an internal-medicine residency, anesthesiology residency, and pain-medicine fellowship at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. During his anesthesiology residency, he served as chief resident. After practicing pain medicine for several years and prior to joining St. Joseph’s Health, Dr. Sansone returned to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center to complete his fellowship in hospice & palliative medicine. He is board certified in pain medicine, anesthesiology, and internal medicine. St. Joseph’s Health has also appointed
JULIE EDMUNDS SMITH VP, financial operations and planning, effective immediately. She will be instrumental in setting and achieving performance metrics as well as working with operations on new business ventures. Smith joined St. Joseph’s Heath in April 2016 after 14 years of progressive experience with PriceWaterhouseCoopers in Syracuse and Atlanta, Georgia. During her nearly five years at St. Joseph’s Health, she served first as the director of finance, then system controller. In those positions, she has been responsible for accounting, finance, budget, strategic planning, and financial analysis. Smith has led several initiatives that improved the competency and efficiency of St. Joseph’s Health financial operations. She is a CPA and holds an MBA from the University of Phoenix and a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Le Moyne College.

Appel Osborne Landscape Architecture
Appel Osborne Landscape Architecture has recently made the following promotions. TIM BONAPARTE has taken the reins as the managing partner of the firm. He has been with Appel Osborne since 1998 and has been a partner since 2008. Over the past 20-plus years, he has designed and overseen projects in the K-12, higher education, commercial,
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Appel Osborne Landscape Architecture has recently made the following promotions.
TIM BONAPARTE has taken the reins as the managing partner of the firm. He has been with Appel Osborne since 1998 and has been a partner since 2008. Over the past 20-plus years, he has designed and overseen projects in the K-12, higher education, commercial, and athletic markets.
BERNIE MARTIN, after 11 years as a project manager, has been named an associate. He joined the firm after graduating from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry with his bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture in 2007. Martin earned his New York State registered landscape architect license in 2016. As a project manager, he has designed and managed projects for K-12 campuses throughout New York state, improving their facilities through the design of pedestrian and vehicular circulation, outdoor athletic complexes, and outdoor learning areas.
JENNIE KURTZ has been named an associate after nine years with the firm. She earned her bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in 2011 and joined Appel Osborne as a designer upon graduation. During her tenure at Appel Osborne, Kurtz has designed sites for K-12 and higher-education campuses, including athletic facilities. As a project manager, she has become a mentor to many of the firm’s designers. Kurtz obtained her New York State registered landscape architect license in 2018.
RYAN MACKERER has been a designer at Appel Osborne for two-and-a-half years and has been promoted to a project manager. He began at Appel Osborne in 2016 as an intern and worked in this capacity throughout his fourth and fifth year of college. He became a full-time designer upon graduating from SUNY-ESF in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture. He has designed projects for a multitude of clients in the K-12, higher education, health care, and corporate markets.

Turning Stone Resort has hired KAY MCMAHON as its newest golf teaching professional. She is one of the few LPGA instructors who is also a member of the PGA of America. McMahon also received the distinction in 2020 as one of the top four elite LPGA instructors. During her amateur playing days, McMahon captured the
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urning Stone Resort has hired KAY MCMAHON as its newest golf teaching professional. She is one of the few LPGA instructors who is also a member of the PGA of America. McMahon also received the distinction in 2020 as one of the top four elite LPGA instructors. During her amateur playing days, McMahon captured the Minnesota State Public Links Championship twice. Her professional playing career includes qualifying and playing in three U.S. Women’s Open Championships, among many other LPGA events. McMahon’s leadership in the industry included teaching tour players to rank beginners, women, men, juniors, and seniors. She is also director of instruction and co-founder of eduKaytion Golf, featuring her innovative teaching program, Golf 8.5, her simplified approach to learning, and improving every aspect of the golf swing. Using her trademarked technique, McMahon will be conducting in-person lessons, clinics, and golf schools at Turning Stone’s Golf Dome, with health and safety protocols, which include mandatory face coverings.
VIEWPOINT: Businesses were unwilling to change but now they can see 20/20 in 2021
Many business leaders say that change is a good thing, until it is hoisted upon them and they must decide to change or die. I’m a little tired of hearing the term “new normal,” but the economy, the way we do business, and the way we will do life have changed forever; therefore, it might be time
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Many business leaders say that change is a good thing, until it is hoisted upon them and they must decide to change or die.
I’m a little tired of hearing the term “new normal,” but the economy, the way we do business, and the way we will do life have changed forever; therefore, it might be time to break some long-established protocols and habits that will no longer enhance our organizations.
It’s time for you to take the mask off the way you communicate, but please keep it on in the grocery store.
2020 was a year of change because it encouraged everyone to look at a mirror that reflected aging and dysfunctional business models. Multitudes of long-established organizations didn’t have the courage, education, skills, and leadership to redirect their ship until the winds of change blew hard from an unanticipated direction, and only then were forced to do so. The time to change or die had come, and sadly for some businesses, die they did. For several industries that change wasn’t possible, as they were prohibited from doing business by government restrictions attempting to control the virus, thus taking them out. Unfortunately, a number of small businesses said, “That’s it, we’re done,” and pulled the plug, cashing out on what they could. And for the organizations that made the critical operational changes, many of them will never go back to their former way of doing business.
Remote workers are here to stay
Owners, leaders, and employees were pushed out of their comfort zones this past year and discovered that remote work could actually be as or more productive than clustered cubicles or an open work environment.
I was not personally a fan of remote workers for our company, Zoey Advertising, pre-COVID because I felt it was more difficult to collaborate creatively. Brainstorming and creative problem solving is what advertising agencies do every single day; teammates throwing ideas around at each other waiting for that “Ah-ha” moment. Well, not only does that still happen, but it seems to happen more often when the team is all looking at each other straight into the eyes on the screen. Everyone is expected to come to the table with fresh ideas and solutions to the challenge at hand, and now they do.
Our daily 8 a.m. rendezvous actually happen on time with the whole team present, rather than some people stuck in traffic, a snowstorm, or dealing with another distraction.
So, my view of the effectiveness of remote work has changed over the past several months. Like most professional organizations, our employees track all of their time, and when all the data was in, this owner was totally wrong and found out we had become more efficient, and not less.
I was incorrect about always needing to be in the same room when collaborating. Make no mistake, we will at times need to work on set producing videos for TV or the internet and be up close and personal on other projects. However, the everyday routine of having everyone in the same space at the same time is over. Remote workers are here to stay. So, if you are working in an office, expect to have more elbow room.
Make your Zoom space amazing
Making the home workspace background presentable on your Zoom call takes precedence over making the bed or cleaning the kitchen for remote workers these days.
To offer a little tidbit of information, stand up when you are communicating. Use a stand-up desk or make one, it doesn’t matter, but please don’t make me stare up your nose. Public communicators stand up, don’t they? Also, don’t make the fatal flaw of sending over your Word document or presentation ahead of the meeting and to participants. Come on, you know we all read ahead. Reading is not presenting, you deserve more.
• Light your space and prep your communication.
I’m not saying you need to be someone you are not, but I am saying that a brightly lit, professional-sounding communication will connect better. Spend a few bucks and get a camera and a mic that are better than the norm.
• Don’t apologize for the sound, fix it.
A high-quality headset with a microphone that is relatively inexpensive will allow you to communicate more professionally. You wouldn’t show up to an important presentation or meeting with muddy pants and a ripped shirt, so invest a few bucks and have the best sound on every call.
A recent survey of leaders found that even after the pandemic, 80 percent plan to allow employees to work remotely sometimes, and 47 percent are allowing working from home full-time.
Businesses are coming to a consensus that remote work causes way fewer meetings after the meetings and dysfunctional drama. Time is our greatest resource and many organizations are finding measurably higher productivity and efficiency when it comes to our workers.
What leaders once couldn’t control by rules and decrees has been accomplished by forcing independence and more efficient collaboration online.
Zoom has become the Kleenex of facial tissues. We call online video meetings Zoom, even though dozens of other tools are used to accomplish the same thing (our company actually use Google Meet). I think it is entertaining and makes the online conferences more interesting and real when the cat jumps on the screen, the dog barks, or the roommate walks by or speaks out of turn. I think we all got to know each other a little better. So let’s keep Zooming.
Steve Roberts is the owner of Zoey Advertising, a full-service advertising agency based in Syracuse. Contact him at (315) 471-7700 or email: steve@zoeyadvertising.com
VIEWPOINT: 5 Ways Small Businesses Can Grow in 2021 After Emerging From Disruption
The pandemic made 2020 a difficult year for many small businesses, as many closed permanently. But other small companies had success despite the surge in outbreaks and are hoping to build on those achievements in 2021. How can they keep their momentum going, and what can other businesses learn from their struggles to navigate the challenges of
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The pandemic made 2020 a difficult year for many small businesses, as many closed permanently. But other small companies had success despite the surge in outbreaks and are hoping to build on those achievements in 2021.
How can they keep their momentum going, and what can other businesses learn from their struggles to navigate the challenges of the new year?
To stay afloat, owners adjusted on the fly and creatively found ways to change their operations. Those that survived can use innovations they came up with during the pandemic to generate new opportunities and drive revenue.
But there is a lot of uncertainty still ahead in the business world, and strategy should be a combination of honest reflection and a deep study of where your industry and audience currently are.
Here are five tips for small businesses to improve or keep their momentum going in 2021:
• Fine-tune your messaging. Research shows that effective branding is connected with a company’s authenticity, so it’s important to coordinate messaging across all channels. Your branding is your promise to customers, so you need to make sure all of your messaging is valid, consistent, and on point. Every aspect of your branding should align to show iron-clad authenticity.
• Maximize social-media marketing through storytelling. More than half of social-media users research brands they’re not familiar with, and keeping their attention is the key. Storytelling about the company on social-media channels resonates with customers and can create a connection that leads to customer loyalty. It connects to authenticity and its importance to customers. Use different forms, long and short, of your company’s story — vignettes and quotes in your social-media marketing, a complete version on your website. Humanize and let potential customers see the people behind the brand and the people your company has helped.
• Emphasize customer service. Some businesses that did well during the pandemic did so because they went the extra mile for customers. Now take that lesson another step. People expect good customer service from a small business, which has more at stake and fewer resources than a large company. Customer service is how you hold onto them. Sometimes the customer service that has the most impact is the type that provides an unexpected solution. Train your people to think outside the box and make it Goal No. 1 to make customers much happier than they were before presenting you with a problem.
• Focus on building and improving your team. A successful company is built on the strength of its employees. Leaders need to see their people have passion for their jobs, which is essential to success in small business. If you have a great team, it can always be better, and it’s important they know that. This is no time to coast. Talk to your team leaders about gaps and opportunities. Invite discussion that promotes growth.
• Keep adapting. If companies, big and small, learned anything during the pandemic, it was about how to adapt. That concept doesn’t figure to change. Adaptability means being prepared to pivot, whether you see big change coming or not. For example, a major switch to online sales by many companies was the only way they could survive. Then they learned how to offer more online services. Building on those changes, and finding creative ways to adjust to new customer demands, will continue to grow businesses.
The pandemic made companies think about their operations in a very in-depth way. Going forward, more small-business owners will be better positioned for success — if they really learned from what it took to survive 2020.
Chris Buitron is president of Mosquito Authority (www.mosquito-authority.com), a national mosquito-control firm with franchises serving communities across the U.S. and Canada. He has an extensive background in franchise industries. Buitron was chief marketing officer for Senior Helpers, VP of marketing for Direct Energy (home services division), and director of marketing for Sunoco Inc.
Survey: service firms in N.Y., nearby states expecting improvement later this year
Firms operating in the service sector in New York, northern New Jersey, and southwestern Connecticut are looking for improvement as 2021 moves along. That’s according to a monthly survey of business leaders that the Federal Reserve Bank of New York released on Jan. 16. The index for future business activity rose 17 points to 21.6,
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Firms operating in the service sector in New York, northern New Jersey, and southwestern Connecticut are looking for improvement as 2021 moves along.
That’s according to a monthly survey of business leaders that the Federal Reserve Bank of New York released on Jan. 16.
The index for future business activity rose 17 points to 21.6, “its highest level in several months,” and the future business- climate index rose to 16.7, “signaling that firms expect conditions to improve over the next six months,” the New York Fed said.
Employment levels, wages, and prices are all expected to increase, while capital spending is expected to be flat.
Survey responses were collected between Jan. 4 and Jan. 11.
The monthly snapshot indicated that activity in the region’s service sector declined at an “accelerated pace.”
The survey’s headline business-activity index fell 5 points to -31.8. The business-climate index fell 3 points to -63.3, indicating that the vast majority of firms continued to view the business climate as “worse than normal.”
Employment levels declined at a faster clip than the prior month, though wage increases picked up. Both input prices and selling prices increased at a faster pace than in December. Capital spending fell for a 10th straight month.
Conditions remain weak
Business activity in the region’s service sector declined for an 11th consecutive month. After falling 11 points in each of the prior two months, the headline business-activity index fell another 5 points to -31.8, its lowest reading in seven months.
The survey also found 19 percent of respondents reported that conditions improved over the month, while 51 percent said that conditions worsened. The business-climate index fell 3 points to -63.3, with just over three-quarters of respondents viewing the business climate as “worse than normal.”
Employment continues to shrink
The employment index moved down 6 points to -17.6, indicating that employment levels “fell at a faster pace” than the previous month. However, wages increased at a faster pace, with the wages index rising 9 points to 19.9, its highest level since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the New York Fed said.
Price increases picked up. The prices-paid index rose 6 points to 38.9, and the prices-received index increased 8 points to 7.4, the “first sign of any significant selling price increases” since the pandemic began.
The capital-spending index continued to increase but remained negative at -14.2, suggesting ongoing declines in capital spending, though fewer respondents reported such declines compared to previous months, the New York Fed said.
The business-leaders survey is sent on the first business day of each month to the same pool of about 150 business executives, usually the president or CEO, in the region’s service sector. In a typical month, about 100 responses are received by around the 10th of the month when the survey closes.

Oneida County reports highest COVID-19 single-day death toll of nine
UTICA, N.Y. — Oneida County on Thursday reported nine people had died from a COVID-19 infection, its highest single-day total during the ongoing pandemic. Of

Best Buy store at Destiny USA to close in early March
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — A spokesperson for Best Buy says the retailer plans to close its store at Destiny USA on March 6. The company cites

Syracuse orange-zone restaurants spring back to life with indoor dining
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — One by one, restaurants in the former orange zone encompassing the city of Syracuse are springing back to life now that they
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