SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The Home Care Association of New York State (HCA) has appointed June Castle to its board of directors.

Castle is the CFO of Syracuse–based VNA Homecare. She brings 15 years of leadership experience to the HCA board of directors. 

As a member of VNA Homecare’s executive team, Castle’s leadership and financial expertise have enabled the system to “remain flexible” in adjusting to the “changing needs of the region’s health-care delivery system,” VNA Homecare said in a news release.

Home care allows patients to “live independently while simultaneously providing vital support for families and improving a patient’s quality of life,” VNA Homecare noted. Nurses, therapists, home health aides and other direct-care staff provide the services.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The Colorado–based fast-casual restaurant chain Smashburger has announced plans to expand into Central and Western New York with nearly two dozen franchised locations expected to open throughout the area.

Brothers Brad and Drew DeGrazia, who have restaurant experience as owners of several Moe’s Southwest Grill franchises, plan to bring 23 franchise locations of Smashburger to the Syracuse, Rochester, and Buffalo regions, according to a company news release issued Wednesday. The release didn’t specify how many restaurants each area would get, nor provide specific locations and timelines.

Smashburger currently has two eateries open in the Albany–Saratoga Springs region and about 10 in the New York City metro area, according to its website.

The company describes itself as a “better burger restaurant concept.” Hamburger patties are “smashed on the grill to sear in the juices.” Menu items include the classic smash, avocado club, and the bacon cheeseburger, as well as chicken sandwiches, salads, and shakes made with Haagen-Dazs ice cream, according to the company’s site.

Regional menu items based on local food tastes also dot the menu. The New Yorker Smashburger is topped with peppercorn garlic aioli, tomato, spinach, garlic-grilled onions, and New York cheddar cheese. The release did not say if the burger chain would offer menu items unique to Central New York.

The upstate New York market presents “substantial growth opportunities for the brand as residents are looking for restaurants with quality ingredients at an affordable price,” Smashburger’s CEO, Scott Crane, said in the release.

The first Smashburger opened in Denver in 2007. It now has 315 corporate and franchise locations across 34 states and seven countries.

The company plans to grow to more than 350 restaurants by the end of 2015. It also announced plans to open eateries in Florida and North Carolina in the same release that spelled out the upstate New York plans.

Smashburger franchisees are required to have a minimum net worth of $1.5 million and a minimum of $500,000 in liquid assets, according to the company site.

Contact The Business Journal News Network at news@cnybj.com