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Syracuse University invests $9M in classroom, technology improvements
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Syracuse University announced it is investing more than $9 million in classroom and technology improvements as part of its “campus framework” plan.

Hancock International, North Country airports get funding for equipment
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has awarded Syracuse’s Hancock International Airport a federal grant of $720,000 to buy snow-removal equipment. North Country airports in Watertown,

Report: START-UP NY created 332 jobs in 2015
Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s START-UP NY program created 332 jobs during 2015 and a total of 408 net new jobs in the program’s first two years.

People news: Hurley, Tietje join Erie Canal Museum board
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Dan Hurley and Sarah Tietje were recently elected to three-year terms on the board of trustees of the Erie Canal Museum in
KRISTY LEE WITT has joined Fusion Advertising as social media & marketing manager on its marketing team. Witt brings 10 years of experience to the position, including knowledge of digital design, marketing, advertising, entrepreneurship, and nonprofit management. Currently, she is also the social media & booking manager of the Miss Syracuse Organization and co-founder of
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KRISTY LEE WITT has joined Fusion Advertising as social media & marketing manager on its marketing team. Witt brings 10 years of experience to the position, including knowledge of digital design, marketing, advertising, entrepreneurship, and nonprofit management. Currently, she is also the social media & booking manager of the Miss Syracuse Organization and co-founder of Salt City Legacy Scholars, Inc. Witt holds a bachelor’s degree from Wells College and an MBA.
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CenterState CEO has hired LAUREN DEVENDORFas its new account manager for the Benefit Specialists of NY (BSNY) group. Previously, she served as policy owner services coordinator for Northwestern Mutual where she worked directly with clients to connect them to the company’s services. In addition to her client relations experience, she also brings a diversity of
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CenterState CEO has hired LAUREN DEVENDORFas its new account manager for the Benefit Specialists of NY (BSNY) group. Previously, she served as policy owner services coordinator for Northwestern Mutual where she worked directly with clients to connect them to the company’s services. In addition to her client relations experience, she also brings a diversity of knowledge of the insurance and legal fields. Devendorf is a graduate of SUNY Oswego. She earned degrees in public justice and history.
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JOHN STELMACK, JR. has joined Preferred Mutual Insurance Co. as a liability claims representative. He brings more than 11 years of claims experience to Preferred Mutual, having most recently served in a similar capacity at a national insurance carrier. Stelmack earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Hartford and a master’s
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JOHN STELMACK, JR. has joined Preferred Mutual Insurance Co. as a liability claims representative. He brings more than 11 years of claims experience to Preferred Mutual, having most recently served in a similar capacity at a national insurance carrier.
Stelmack earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Hartford and a master’s degree in history from Long Island University.
XX JEFFREY SMITH has joined Preferred Mutual Insurance as a senior internal auditor. He previously worked for 21 years as a senior lead auditor at KeyCorp. Smith earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Siena College and is a certified internal auditor.
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Schneider Packaging Equipment Co. has promoted BOB BROTZKI to chief operating officer. He previously served as director of sales and marketing. Brotzki, a former NFL player, has been a part of the sales, operations, and management teams at Yellow Freight/Precision Trucking and owned his own business, Penn Select Hardwoods. He holds a bachelor’s degree in
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Schneider Packaging Equipment Co. has promoted BOB BROTZKI to chief operating officer. He previously served as director of sales and marketing. Brotzki, a former NFL player, has been a part of the sales, operations, and management teams at Yellow Freight/Precision Trucking and owned his own business, Penn Select Hardwoods. He holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Syracuse University, where he served as assistant athletic director for football player development.
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Thompson & Johnson Equipment Co., Inc.
Thompson & Johnson Equipment Co., Inc. has hired 19 new employees this year. The firm hired the following as mechanics: BRAD BENSON, JIM BERRY, RICH CERUTTI, JOSH CHAMBERLAIN, NATE DARLING, BOB GUYER, PHILIP LONG, JOHN RYALS, JASON STENE, KEN STEVENS, and JERRY WOODWORTH. Hired for the parts counter were CHRIS DOOLITTLE and JIM MCCARTHY. DON
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Thompson & Johnson Equipment Co., Inc. has hired 19 new employees this year. The firm hired the following as mechanics: BRAD BENSON, JIM BERRY, RICH CERUTTI, JOSH CHAMBERLAIN, NATE DARLING, BOB GUYER, PHILIP LONG, JOHN RYALS, JASON STENE, KEN STEVENS, and JERRY WOODWORTH. Hired for the parts counter were CHRIS DOOLITTLE and JIM MCCARTHY. DON WESTERVELT joined the company as a salesman, and MARTIN GENDRON was hired as a truck driver. AUSTIN LOCKHART was hired for shop utility, and PATRICK WARD has joined shipping/receiving. LAURIE BUNNEY is a new service dispatcher at the firm, and STACEY WOODWARD has joined the company as a rental/service coordinator.
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HARRY P. HARKAWAY has joined CBD Companies as director of real-estate services. He has more than 30 years of commercial real-estate experience having started his career with JMB Realty of Chicago, Illinois, where he worked in leasing and property management in Minneapolis and Syracuse. Harkaway later acted as area manager in Washington, D.C., directing transactions for
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HARRY P. HARKAWAY has joined CBD Companies as director of real-estate services. He has more than 30 years of commercial real-estate experience having started his career with JMB Realty of Chicago, Illinois, where he worked in leasing and property management in Minneapolis and Syracuse. Harkaway later acted as area manager in Washington, D.C., directing transactions for more than 1 million square feet for seven properties. In 1993, he became a partner with the Bell Group of Syracuse, and from 2001 – 2003, he worked at Kidder, Mathews & Segner, a large Northwest commercial real-estate firm. In 2004, Harkaway joined the Pioneer Companies serving as senior vice president of operations and leasing. He has an MBA and received his bachelor’s degree in economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
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