Stay up-to-date on the companies, people and issues that impact businesses in Syracuse, Central New York and beyond.

Bergmann hiring for new Binghamton office
BINGHAMTON — Bergmann — a Rochester–based architecture, engineering, and planning firm with an office in Syracuse — is hiring for its new office in Binghamton. The firm is an anchor tenant in the Koffman Southern Tier Incubator at 120 Hawley St. in Binghamton. Bergmann plans to hire urban planners and civil engineers to join that […]
Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article.
BINGHAMTON — Bergmann — a Rochester–based architecture, engineering, and planning firm with an office in Syracuse — is hiring for its new office in Binghamton.
The firm is an anchor tenant in the Koffman Southern Tier Incubator at 120 Hawley St. in Binghamton.
Bergmann plans to hire urban planners and civil engineers to join that office. Those interested can apply at www.bergmannpc.com/careers, the company said.
A Bergmann employee from the firm’s Syracuse office is currently handling work in the new Binghamton venue, the company tells CNYBJ in an email.
The Binghamton office joins five other Bergmann locations in New York, including Syracuse, Horseheads, Albany, Buffalo, and its headquarters in Rochester. It is Bergmann’s 15th office nationwide.
Bergmann says its recent projects in the Binghamton region include the Village of Endicott iDistrict revitalization strategy and the Greater Binghamton Fund.
“Bergmann has served Greater Binghamton for more than 30 years with design and planning projects throughout the region,” Andy Raus, senior VP at Bergmann, said in a statement. “During this time of economic evolution for the area, we’re excited to establish an office in Binghamton, especially in a space as energetic, innovative and entrepreneurial as the Koffman Southern Tier Incubator.”
Bergmann services clients across the U.S. and Canada. The firm has more than 400 professional and technical staff in the Northeast, Midwest, and Atlantic regions.
Career Assistance for Veterans Available at Local Job Centers
On Nov. 11, our country celebrates Veterans Day. This day provides our nation the opportunity to honor all those who served and sacrificed for our country. It also offers a chance to acknowledge some of the practical difficulties’ veterans encounter in transitioning from military life back to civilian. One of the biggest concerns returning veterans
Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article.
On Nov. 11, our country celebrates Veterans Day. This day provides our nation the opportunity to honor all those who served and sacrificed for our country. It also offers a chance to acknowledge some of the practical difficulties’ veterans encounter in transitioning from military life back to civilian.
One of the biggest concerns returning veterans face is finding a job back home. Given this, many state and federal resources for returning veterans are focused on job placement and career development. The hope is that providing resources that lead to an occupation and financial stability for veterans will directly benefit the veteran and his or her family members in more ways than one.
In order to assist veterans in gaining employment, New York State Career Centers —which are located in Jefferson, Oswego, and Onondaga counties — are staffed with specially trained personnel dedicated to servicing veterans. These trained specialists are known as Local Veterans Employment Representatives (LVERs). They are veterans themselves and can easily relate to what it is like to be in the military and the challenges that veterans face following their service. It is hoped that these LVERs can serve as a bridge between a veteran and an employer, which will lead to a fulfilling career that is beneficial to both the veteran and employer.
LVERs are tasked with working with businesses, industry leaders, and community organizations to promote the hiring of veterans. In addition, they provide services, such as job training, job matching, and job placement for veterans, inform federal contractors of the process to hire qualified veterans, and promote credentialing and licensing opportunities for veterans. To find an LVER, visit www.labor.ny.gov/vets/employspec/veteransemployspec.shtm.
Disabled Veterans’ Outreach Program (DVOP) specialists, which are also located at the same career centers, provide more intensive case-management services to veterans with disabilities. DVOP specialists themselves are disabled veterans. They provide individual employment plans, job referrals, referrals to training and support services, and résumé and interview-preparation assistance to disabled veterans. To learn more, visit https://labor.ny.gov/vets/employspec/dvop.shtm.
A degree or coursework is sometimes necessary depending on the veteran’s next career pursuit. The state also provides Veterans Tuition Awards for full- or part-time study for eligible veterans. These awards are provided for classes taken at undergraduate or graduate institutions or at an approved vocational training program. Full-time students can receive awards up to the full cost of tuition. For the 2019-20 academic year, the maximum annual full-time award is set at $7,070. More information on this award and other tuition awards such as the Military Service Recognition Scholarship and the Regents Award, which are available to veterans’ family members, can be found at www.hesc.ny.gov.
The time of reintegration is critical and often the most difficult for veterans and their families. Career assistance during this period is one way that can help. For broader services, the New York State Division of Veterans’ Affairs has veteran-benefits advisors who work with veterans on a case-by-case basis to connect them with services and benefits they may need. If you are a veteran or a family member of a veteran, you can contact a benefits advisor at (888) 838-7697 or online at www.veterans.ny.gov.
William (Will) A. Barclay is the Republican representative of the 120th New York Assembly District, which encompasses most of Oswego County, including the cities of Oswego and Fulton, as well as the town of Lysander in Onondaga County and town of Ellisburg in Jefferson County. Contact him at barclaw@assembly.state.ny.us or (315) 598-5185.

Opinion: Climate Change Policy that CNY Businesses Should Support
In late 2018, a group of nine Republican and Democratic Congressional representatives co-sponsored a bill in Congress to address climate change. If enacted, the bill would reduce U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions by 40 percent in 12 years while not growing government, not imposing burdensome regulations on businesses, and protecting U.S. business from inequitable foreign competition. The
Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article.
In late 2018, a group of nine Republican and Democratic Congressional representatives co-sponsored a bill in Congress to address climate change. If enacted, the bill would reduce U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions by 40 percent in 12 years while not growing government, not imposing burdensome regulations on businesses, and protecting U.S. business from inequitable foreign competition.
The bill, titled the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act (EICDA), applies a gradually rising fee on fossil fuels and returns the revenues 100 percent to American households. The bill’s border-adjustment provision levels the playing field for U.S. manufacturers by imposing a fee on imports that are not subject to equivalent policies. A month or so later, a companion, almost identical bill was introduced in the Senate — also on a bipartisan basis.
In January of this year, the bill was reintroduced in the House of Representatives on a bipartisan basis as H.R. 763 and as of this writing has 67 co-sponsors. I believe Central New York businesses should express their support and ask our representatives in Congress to co-sponsor this bill. Here is why:
1. Federal climate policy is inevitable.
President Trump’s denial of human-caused climate change in favor of implausible conspiracy theories (a “Chinese hoax”) is well-known. But this stance becomes more untenable every day and is out of step with virtually every other nation in the world, our own Defense Department, many Republicans (especially younger Republicans), and the business community, among many others. The trend, which will outlive the current administration, is inexorably toward action on the climate-change issue. The debate is already evolving toward whether we enact the kinds of policies currently being advocated by Democratic presidential candidates (e.g., the “Green New Deal”), which would be of debatable effectiveness and representative of a kind of government heavy-handedness disfavored by many in the business community, or whether we adopt more business-friendly, less intrusive market-oriented legislation.
2. Business is becoming more supportive of action on climate change.
As science has continued to build the case that human-caused climate change is an imminent and urgent crisis, the business community is beginning to acknowledge that reality. Even companies most vested in fossil fuels like ExxonMobil, BP, and Royal Dutch Shell are on the record that climate change is happening and policies are needed to address it.
Studies published by Citibank, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (or IPCC), and the National Bureau of Economic Research, among others, have quantified economic impacts expected by unmitigated climate change. And earlier this year, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce stated that “climate change is a serious challenge that needs to be addressed through thoughtful policies that will have a meaningful impact” and concluding that “inaction is not an option.”
Locally, many prominent Central New York businesses have pledged to reduce their emissions and have undertaken tangible measures to do so.
3. Federal vs. State action
A recent op-ed appearing in The Post-Standard by Randy Wolken, president and CEO of the Manufacturers Association of Central New York (or MACNY), while critical of policies being considered at the state level, stated that “we understand measures addressing climate change should be made.” He identified legitimate drawbacks that climate-change policies enacted in New York can have on manufacturers and businesses in Central New York and the state more broadly, in terms of competitiveness with other states. Policies enacted at the federal level will address such inter-state inequities and, if constructed properly, can also address “leakage” issues associated with international competition (e.g., through the border-adjustment provision of the EICDA). What’s more, because New York State’s energy sources are greener than other states, federal policies that incentivize renewable vs. fossil-fuel sources of energy can actually be to the advantage of New York’s businesses relative to other states.
4. Businesses should support Congressional climate action.
About 60 percent of Central New Yorkers (those polled in New York’s 24th Congressional District) are worried about global warming with strong majorities favoring various climate-change policies, and the issue was prominently discussed in local debates for Congressional offices. So the choice seems clear for the Central New York business community with respect to the ever-more pressing climate-change issue: Support climate policy that is friendly to Central New York business and industry, and support our current members of Congress taking action on this. I believe that includes advocating for them to co-sponsor H.R. 763, the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act.
Kyle E. Thomas, P.E. is the principal engineer at Natural Systems Engineering, PLLC in Syracuse. Contact him at kthomas@naturalsystemsengineering.com

Grossman St. Amour CPAs recently promoted the following people. JAIMIE P. GALANTE was promoted to senior manager. She joined Grossman St. Amour CPAs in 2012 and practices in the areas of audit and attest engagements and financial-statement preparation. Galante is a graduate of Le Moyne College with an MBA and bachelor’s degree in accounting and
Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article.
Grossman St. Amour CPAs recently promoted the following people.
JAIMIE P. GALANTE was promoted to senior manager. She joined Grossman St. Amour CPAs in 2012 and practices in the areas of audit and attest engagements and financial-statement preparation. Galante is a graduate of Le Moyne College with an MBA and bachelor’s degree in accounting and is a CPA.
ELIZABETH A. GARDNER was promoted to senior manager. She has been with Grossman St. Amour CPAs since 2005 and practices in the areas of individual, partnership, and corporation tax return preparation and tax planning for individuals and businesses. Her experience includes bookkeeping, financial-statement preparation, and payroll and sales-tax return preparation for various industries. Gardner is a CPA and a graduate of Le Moyne College with a bachelor’s degree in accounting.
GIANNA F. CONTE was promoted to supervisor. She joined Grossman St. Amour in 2016 and her areas of practice include financial-statement preparation, income-tax return preparation, payroll and sales-tax return preparation, and bookkeeping. Conte is a CPA and a graduate of Syracuse University’s Martin J. Whitman School of Management with a master’s degree in accounting, and a bachelor’s degree in accounting.
JASON M. HELD was promoted to supervisor. He joined Grossman St. Amour in 2016 and his areas of practice include audit and attest engagements, financial-statement preparation, and bookkeeping. Held is a veteran of the U.S. Army. He is a CPA and a graduate of Le Moyne College with an MBA and a bachelor’s degree in accounting.
ADAM L. KROFT was promoted to supervisor. He has been with Grossman St. Amour CPAs since 2017 and his areas of practice include income-tax return preparation, payroll and sales-tax return preparation, and bookkeeping. Kroft is a CPA and a graduate of SUNY Oswego with an MBA in public accounting, as well as a bachelor’s degree in business administration from SUNY Buffalo.

Beardsley Architects + Engineers
Beardsley Architects + Engineers has named DENNIS G. MCCARTHY a principal of the firm. He is a NYS-licensed engineer with a degree in electrical and computer engineering from Clarkson University. McCarthy joined the firm in 1993 as an electrical engineer. In addition to his role as principal, he serves as a project manager for federal
Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article.
Beardsley Architects + Engineers has named DENNIS G. MCCARTHY a principal of the firm. He is a NYS-licensed engineer with a degree in electrical and computer engineering from Clarkson University. McCarthy joined the firm in 1993 as an electrical engineer. In addition to his role as principal, he serves as a project manager for federal clients and oversees Beardsley’s building systems team.
JARED M. BRACKEN has joined the firm as senior architect. He comes to Beardsley from Salt Lake City, Utah, where he served as project architect for multi-family residential, institutional, educational, commercial, and civic clients. With more than 14 years of experience, Bracken brings to Beardsley a well-rounded skill set gained from working on a diverse portfolio of projects.

NBT Bank has promoted MATTHEW MILLER, KIM KUTZER, and BENJAMIN VERRETTE. Miller is now North Syracuse market manager and will assume branch manager duties for NBT Bank’s North Syracuse office. He has 21 years of experience in banking and retail management. Miller joined NBT in 2015 as a branch manager at the Camillus office. He
Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article.
NBT Bank has promoted MATTHEW MILLER, KIM KUTZER, and BENJAMIN VERRETTE.
Miller is now North Syracuse market manager and will assume branch manager duties for NBT Bank’s North Syracuse office. He has 21 years of experience in banking and retail management. Miller joined NBT in 2015 as a branch manager at the Camillus office. He was promoted to assistant VP at NBT Bank in 2018. Miller earned his associate degree from SUNY Jefferson in Watertown.
Kutzer is now South Syracuse market manager. She has 25 years of experience in banking and retail management. Most recently, Kutzer served as branch manager for NBT’s office in Manlius, which she will continue to manage. She earned her bachelor’s degree in business and communications from St. John Fisher College.
Verrette previously served as North Syracuse branch manager and is now business banking officer. He has 20 years of experience in the financial services industry. He joined NBT Bank in 2015 as branch manager of the North Syracuse office and was promoted to assistant VP at NBT Bank in 2018. Verrette graduated from SUNY Buffalo with a degree in economics and finance.
Tompkins Financial Corp. has promoted JASON ELLIOT to assistant VP, information security architect and AMANDA LIPPINCOTT to officer, legal analyst. Elliot started with the company in 2013. He has six years of experience in the banking industry. Elliot received his associate degree in computer forensics from Tompkins Cortland Community College and his bachelor’s degree in
Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article.
Tompkins Financial Corp. has promoted JASON ELLIOT to assistant VP, information security architect and AMANDA LIPPINCOTT to officer, legal analyst. Elliot started with the company in 2013. He has six years of experience in the banking industry. Elliot received his associate degree in computer forensics from Tompkins Cortland Community College and his bachelor’s degree in information assurance from Utica College. Lippincott began with the company in 2018. She previously worked at Ithaca College and has just over one year of experience in the banking industry. Lippincott received her bachelor’s degree in political science from Alfred University, and her master’s degree in student affairs in higher education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Tompkins Trust Company, a banking subsidiary of Tompkins Financial, has promoted CALLYN PYHTILA to assistant VP, branch manager, and COURTNEY REINHART to officer, branch manager. Pyhtila started with the bank in 2011. She has eight years of experience in finance and banking. As branch manager for the bank’s West End and Cornell branches, she works with customers in all aspects of retail and commercial banking, while also serving the student population at Cornell. Pyhtila earned her bachelor’s degree of psychology at University of Phoenix and is also a certified notary. Reinhart started with Tompkins Trust in 2017. She has 11 years of experience in finance and banking. As branch manager for the East Hill Plaza location, she works with customers in all aspects of retail and commercial banking. Reinhart earned her associate degree in business administration from Tompkins Cortland Community College and is also a certified notary.

Orthopedic surgeon MARK MORIARTY has joined Rome Medical Practice Orthopedics and Sports Medicine. A member of Rome Memorial Hospital’s (RMH) medical staff, Dr. Moriarty joins R. Mitchell Rubinovich and Alfred Moretz, III at the Chestnut Commons practice, which has been open in Rome since 2005. Dr. Moriarty has more than 33 years of experience in
Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article.
Orthopedic surgeon MARK MORIARTY has joined Rome Medical Practice Orthopedics and Sports Medicine. A member of Rome Memorial Hospital’s (RMH) medical staff, Dr. Moriarty joins R. Mitchell Rubinovich and Alfred Moretz, III at the Chestnut Commons practice, which has been open in Rome since 2005. Dr. Moriarty has more than 33 years of experience in orthopedic medicine with a focus on general orthopedics, adult reconstructive surgery of the knee, hip and shoulder, sports medicine and trauma, as well as arthroscopic procedures of the knee and shoulder. Moriarty comes to Rome after spending most of his career in the Southeast, including the past 19 years in North Carolina. In addition to his work in private practice orthopedic medicine, Dr. Moriarty has served as an assistant clinical professor of orthopedics at Duke University Medical Center, as well as working with U.S. Air Force’s 56th Fighter Wing in Tampa, Florida. Certified by the American Board of Surgery, Dr. Moriarty earned his medical degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C. He completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at Monmouth Medical Center in New Jersey.

CAITLIN KETCHAM recently joined Finger Lakes Health as a certified athletic trainer who will be stationed at local school sporting events in Geneva. Finger Lakes Health provides a continuum of care to young athletes through its network of physicians, orthopaedic surgeons, physical therapists, and a dedicated athletic trainer. Ketcham will treat students ranging from in-and-out
Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article.
CAITLIN KETCHAM recently joined Finger Lakes Health as a certified athletic trainer who will be stationed at local school sporting events in Geneva. Finger Lakes Health provides a continuum of care to young athletes through its network of physicians, orthopaedic surgeons, physical therapists, and a dedicated athletic trainer. Ketcham will treat students ranging from in-and-out of season athletes as well as the general population. In addition to treating students in the athletic training room and attending team practices, she will attend games, and also work with athletes who may be unable to fully participate with the rest of their team due to injury. She received her bachelor’s degree in exercise science from Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs in 2011 before earning a master’s degree in athletic training from Plymouth State University in Plymouth, New Hampshire, three years later. Ketcham previously worked as an assistant athletic trainer at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. She created and supervised therapeutic exercise programs, worked on computerized concussion testing, and evaluated and treated NCAA Division I and Division III student athletes.
DOROTHY RICKS has been promoted to nutritional services director at Finger Lakes Health for all its acute and long-term care facilities. Ricks has been the manager of nutritional services at Huntington Living Center for the last 28 years and has been serving in the capacity of interim director since February 2019. Before her career path began, Ricks graduated from SUNY Alfred State College. She then received a bachelor’s degree from SUNY College at Fredonia, and completed training at the Cornell Leadership Program.

Bankers Healthcare Group has added five new employees to its Syracuse staff. SETH GUSTAFSON joins BHG as a help desk specialist. Prior to BHG, he worked in IT contracting with Mission Health. TYLER UNDERWOOD joins as a junior account manager. He is a recent graduate of Le Moyne College and previously worked at Delmonico’s Italian
Become a Central New York Business Journal subscriber and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article.
Bankers Healthcare Group has added five new employees to its Syracuse staff. SETH GUSTAFSON joins BHG as a help desk specialist. Prior to BHG, he worked in IT contracting with Mission Health. TYLER UNDERWOOD joins as a junior account manager. He is a recent graduate of Le Moyne College and previously worked at Delmonico’s Italian Steakhouse. HANNAH BENDER also comes aboard as a junior account manager. She previously worked as a business administrator at Comfort Systems USA. IAN FARRELL joins as an account executive. Prior to joining BHG, he worked as an account manager at CXtec, focusing on supplying communication equipment to hospitals and medical providers across the country. EMILY CHRISTIANSEN joins as a customer service representative. She previously worked at the Empire Farm Brewery as director of events and marketing team content creator.
Stay up-to-date on the companies, people and issues that impact businesses in Syracuse, Central New York and beyond.