WHITESBORO — U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer and U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, both Democrats from New York, recently announced $47,620 in federal funding for the Whitesboro Fire Department in Oneida County. 

The money was allocated through the Department of Homeland Security’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) Program and will be used to replace a diesel exhaust system, which will help remove harmful chemicals and particles from the department’s fire truck engines to ensure clean air in the station, the senators said in a release.

“The fire department is excited to be able to secure the grant to install the diesel exhaust system. This project will considerably reduce carbon monoxide exposure which will ultimately keep our firefighters safer,” Whitesboro Fire Chief Peter Sobel said in the release.

WARSAW, N.Y. — Financial Institutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: FISI), parent company of Five Star Bank, recently announced it has appointed Valerie C. Benjamin as its chief human resources executive.

Benjamin is an experienced human-resources leader, most recently serving as associate dean and chief human resources officer (CHRO) at Cornell University’s School of Labor and Industrial Relations, according to a Financial Institutions news release. She previously was CHRO at EarthLink, an IT services company. 

At Financial Institutions, Benjamin succeeds Paula D. Dolan, former director of human resources and enterprise planning at the banking company. Dolan stepped down from her role as HR director in July, but to help with the transition she will continue to serve as human resources project manager through her retirement on Dec. 31, according to the release.

Benjamin’s career also includes 11 years as a global human capital consultant at Accenture, a worldwide management consulting and professional services firm. Benjamin earned a master’s degree in organizational psychology from Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree in labor relations from Cornell. 

Financial Institutions, Inc. — headquartered in the town of Warsaw in Wyoming County — provides financial services through its subsidiaries Five Star Bank; Scott Danahy Naylon, LLC; Courier Capital, LLC; and HNP Capital, LLC. It employs about 700 people total. 

Five Star Bank has more than 50 offices throughout Western and Central New York. Its Central New York branches include offices in Auburn, Geneva (2), Seneca Falls, Ovid, Elmira (2), and Horseheads.     

HOUNSFIELD — U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer recently announced $700,000 in federal funding for the Jefferson County Industrial Development Agency (JCIDA) and the Town of Hounsfield. The money was allocated through the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) and will be used to construct public infrastructure to attract businesses to a new 100-acre business complex at Watertown International Airport. 

The EDA funding seeks to help JCIDA and the Town of Hounsfield to install water, sewer, stormwater management, and fiber-optic cable necessary for business development at the complex. Schumer said in a release that he has “long advocated for this vital funding for Jefferson County,” and in March 2017, sent a letter to the U.S. Commerce in support of JCIDA’s application.

“This is great news for Jefferson County. This federal investment in the exciting, new Business Complex at Watertown International will help Jefferson County attract good-paying jobs by creating shovel-ready sites needed to push the region’s economy into the future,” Schumer contended in the release.

David J. Zembiec, deputy CEO of Jefferson County Economic Development, said the federal money will help the county provide “shovel-ready site options that the county needs in order to compete for new business development in today’s global economy.” He said the location of the business complex adjacent to Watertown International Airport and near Interstate 81 and the Canadian border make it “a logistically attractive location.” 

The EDA provided this grant through its Local Technical Assistance Program, which “assists eligible recipients in developing economic-development plans and studies designed to build capacity and guide the economic prosperity and resiliency of an area or region,” the release stated.