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NASRCC recruiting women for pre-apprenticeship program
The North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters (NASRCC) has launched its annual Sisters in the Brotherhood recruitment program. The effort is aimed at providing women the opportunity to establish a career in carpentry, which the NASRCC says is an “industry that is traditionally overlooked,” per its March 19 announcement. It cites data from the […]
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The North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters (NASRCC) has launched its annual Sisters in the Brotherhood recruitment program.
The effort is aimed at providing women the opportunity to establish a career in carpentry, which the NASRCC says is an “industry that is traditionally overlooked,” per its March 19 announcement.
It cites data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics as indicating women continue to be “underrepresented” within the industry. In 2023, just 10.8 percent of construction workers in the U.S. were women.
The NASRCC also cites Construction Coverage analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data that indicates only 9.4 percent of construction workers in New York State are women.
The Sisters in the Brotherhood program has launched the carpentry careers of over 150 women across New York since 2015, the NASRCC noted.
To begin the program, the NASRCC will be holding a virtual information session on April 11 at 6 p.m. for women who are interested in learning more about a career in carpentry. The session will provide the chance to learn about the 8-week pre-apprenticeship program that will begin this spring at NASRCC training centers across New York state.
The NASRCC Syracuse Training Center is located at 6920 Princeton Ct. in the town of Salina.
The program also represents the first step toward a five-level apprenticeship program with the Carpenters’ union.
The pre-apprenticeship program provides women with the “valuable opportunity” to gain experience and become skilled, qualified carpenters, “offering them a path to a career with excellent wages, benefits and independence through trade education,” per the NASRCC announcement.
“The Sisters-in-the-Brotherhood pre-apprentice program was created to open the doors of opportunity for women who may not have considered a career as a carpenter,” Nicole Grodner, Carpenters Local 290 Council representative and New York chair of the Sisters in the Brotherhood committee, said in a statement. “We hope to inform and motivate a new generation of carpenters that reflect our communities, and we look forward to supporting new members as they begin their career as a union carpenter.”
The NASRCC’s pre-apprentice program provides an opportunity for women 17 years or older with a high-school degree or equivalent in New York, outside of the five boroughs of New York City, to find out if carpentry fits their career path.
Those interested can register for a virtual information session by visiting: nasrcc.org/sib.
NETI fellowship program to expand exit-planning help for small firms
The Northeast Transition Initiative (NETI) selected 18 fellows from across the small-business ecosystem of New England and New York state to join its inaugural NETI fellowship program cohort. NETI is a partnership of organizations whose mission is to expand the knowledge, resources, and tools needed to support exit planning for business owners and transitions to
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The Northeast Transition Initiative (NETI) selected 18 fellows from across the small-business ecosystem of New England and New York state to join its inaugural NETI fellowship program cohort.
NETI is a partnership of organizations whose mission is to expand the knowledge, resources, and tools needed to support exit planning for business owners and transitions to employee ownership, per the April 2 announcement from the Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA).
ANCA is one of nine organizations across the Northeast that currently make up the NETI partnership. This project is made possible through funding from Wells Fargo (NYSE: WFC).
The fellows include representatives for New York’s North Country region, such as Robert Griffin, regional director at Onondaga Regional Small Business Development Center (SBDC); Aviva Gold, director of marketing and communications at CITEC Business Solutions in Potsdam; and Russ Kinyon, business-development director at Adirondack Economic Development Corporation (AEDC) in Saranac Lake.
The service area for the Onondaga SBDC includes Jefferson and Lewis counties, according to its website. Other members of NETI Fellowship’s inaugural cohort represent organizations across New England.
In Northern New York, Griffin and Kinyon also represent the North Country Center for Businesses in Transition (CBIT), an ANCA program that provides technical support and guidance for businesses navigating ownership transitions.
“I am grateful to have the opportunity to represent Central New York and the New York Small Business Development Centers in this inaugural cohort of the NETI Fellowship,” Griffin said in the ANCA announcement. “Small-business owners across our region are nearing a time when education and the support ecosystem of NETI Fellowship partners will be critical for navigating the natural process of exit planning and ownership transition. Now is that pivotal moment where we can begin to change the tide of pointless business closures in an effort to preserve valuable jobs and our small business economic fabric.”
The nine-month-long fellowship, which started in February, will move fellows through a curriculum and projects that help each participant develop a “strategic, region-specific model” to support businesses and business owners in navigating the exit-planning process and the employee-ownership option.
As ANCA put it, “A wave of baby boomer business owners are looking to retire in the next few years, threatening jobs and the stability of the economy within the communities their businesses serve. Organizations that provide services to business owners have great expertise in growing businesses but are not always equipped to answer questions or provide assistance for those looking for ways to exit a business. Employee ownership is a proven strategy to preserve critical businesses and jobs and provide wealth building opportunities for workers who are often left behind.”
“In rural communities like ours, losing even small numbers of existing businesses has an outsize effect on our economy, so it is really important that we explore as many avenues as possible to keep that from happening,” Gold added. “It is exciting to be part of the NETI fellowship where we can leverage the knowledge of so many different kinds of organizations and an immense brain trust of experiences. CITEC is looking forward to sharing the resources across the region, especially in the manufacturing sector.”
The AEDC’s Kinyon said NETI is addressing a vital issue.
“Business succession is emerging as a key economic development and community issue. Preserving the meaningful amenities, experiences and skills that existing businesses provide and passing them to future generations is critical and valuable work,” he said. “We are striving to identify the elements needed to plan, fund and implement successful transitions, which require extensive collaboration. We are pleased to be a part of the NETI fellowship, which will benefit our region through the broad knowledge and resources our shared network will bring together.”
Syracuse Orchestra searches for new music director
Current director, Loh, to leave in 2025 SYRACUSE — The board of directors of the Syracuse Orchestra says it has started initial discussions about the upcoming search for the orchestra’s next music director. Lawrence Loh, the current music director, will conclude his tenure with the organization at the end of the 2024-25 season, per
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SYRACUSE — The board of directors of the Syracuse Orchestra says it has started initial discussions about the upcoming search for the orchestra’s next music director.
Lawrence Loh, the current music director, will conclude his tenure with the organization at the end of the 2024-25 season, per a March 27 announcement. His departure coincides with the end of his current contract.
He was recently named music director of the Waco Symphony Orchestra in Waco, Texas.
Pamela Murchison, executive director of the Syracuse Orchestra, said Loh led the orchestra through a “most difficult time.”
“Larry’s leadership and generosity of spirit have led us through many amazing musical moments, and through the ever-changing landscape of the pandemic,” Murchison said in the announcement. “His flexibility and collaborative nature have kept The Syracuse Orchestra playing, enabling us to connect with our community while many orchestras went silent in 2020.”
Loh joined the orchestra in 2014 as its first music director when it was known as Symphoria.
Loh previously held major conducting positions with the Pittsburgh Symphony, West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, Syracuse Opera, Pittsburgh Youth Symphony, Dallas Symphony, and the Colorado Symphony.
“My time with The Syracuse Orchestra as its first music director will remain one of the most important and gratifying positions of my career,” Loh said in the announcement. “I’m so fond of the musicians in the orchestra, and my family and I will always think of Central New York as a very special place. I look forward to a celebratory and bittersweet final season in 24-25!”
The 2024-25 season will be a “celebration” of Loh’s 11 years leading the Syracuse Orchestra, first as music director designate then 10 years as music director, Mary Ann Tyszko, president of the Syracuse Orchestra’s board of directors, said.
The Syracuse Orchestra is a nonprofit formed in 2012 as a musician-led cooperative orchestra, one of only two in the U.S.
Northwoods signs management agreements with Southern Tier insurance agencies
The Northwoods Corporation, based in Williamsville, is expanding in the Southern Tier with new management agreements with two agencies — one looking to grow and expand and another seeking to pass the reins in the future. The company entered into a management agreement in January with Michael Santore Insurance in Owego. Michael Santore, Sr. founded
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The Northwoods Corporation, based in Williamsville, is expanding in the Southern Tier with new management agreements with two agencies — one looking to grow and expand and another seeking to pass the reins in the future.
The company entered into a management agreement in January with Michael Santore Insurance in Owego. Michael Santore, Sr. founded the agency 31 years ago, and his son Michael Santore II took over the business upon his passing in 2019.
“Joining Northwoods allows me the opportunity to expand the offers available to my customers in Owego and Tioga County without jeopardizing the personal relationship that has been key to Santore Insurance since my father started the agency in 1992,” Santore II said in a news release.
Tony Vecchiotti, executive VP at Northwoods, says the independent insurance agency’s size and scope allows the smaller agencies it manages to offer more products and services to their customers.
“It’s been a one-person operation, which is really hard to do these days,” Vecchiotti says of the Santore agency. It’s also hard for small agencies to find carriers they can represent, he adds. Many of the carriers have sales expectations that may prove challenging for small operations. But Northwoods already has the numbers to represent those carriers, he adds.
With those new offerings, Santore is staying on board and looking forward to focusing on growing the agency while Northwoods takes care of things in the office.
“While he’s visiting with clients and working with prospective clients, his phone is getting answered,” Vecchiotti says.
In the case of D.A. Wheeler Insurance in Bath, Northwoods has a vital role in the succession planning of the agency. With hopes of retiring at some point, and no successor to pass the business to, Wheeler reached out to Northwoods to see if they could work together, Vecchiotti says.
Northwoods already manages the John W. Taggart Agency, located just across the village square from Wheeler. In fact, Vecchiotti says, Wheeler reached out to the Taggert agency to ask about Northwoods, which started the process in motion for the 50-year-old agency. The two agencies signed the management agreement on Feb. 1.
Now, with Northwoods, Wheeler has the support he needs to take a step back from the business, but still be available to clients.
“Being able to serve the community with a hands-on approach, while also having the technology of a regional organization, is a win-win,” Wheeler said in the news release.
And with the Taggart office so close, “we can provide service at either location,” Vecchiotti adds.
Northwoods is now looking to expand employment with the two new offices. The agency already hired one person for the Wheeler office, and is looking to add another, Vecchiotti says. To help with Santore’s office, the company hired two people in nearby Binghamton, where Northwoods has an existing location, and plans for one more employee.
“In general, we’re always looking to add,” Vecchiotti says. The company currently employs just over 100 people across its 14 offices, which are located in Broome, Monroe, Erie, Wayne, Ontario, Steuben, and Cayuga counties.
Northwoods is also actively looking for other agencies to join forces with, Vecchiotti says. “We’re in a position where we are still growing organically, too,” he adds.
Founded in the mid-1990s, the Northwoods Corporation is a full-service management firm for a group of independent insurance agencies. It specializes in agency startups, working with owners looking to grow their agency, and those in need of perpetuation planning.
MVP Health Care appoints Le Moyne graduate to executive role
SCHENECTADY— MVP Health Care has appointed Dr. Richard Dal Col to its newly created role of president of health management and provider & network strategy. Dal Col, a graduate of Le Moyne College, will work to help MVP in aligning clinical operations and services with its provider network, “driving enhanced care quality and outcomes” for
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SCHENECTADY— MVP Health Care has appointed Dr. Richard Dal Col to its newly created role of president of health management and provider & network strategy.
Dal Col, a graduate of Le Moyne College, will work to help MVP in aligning clinical operations and services with its provider network, “driving enhanced care quality and outcomes” for customers across New York and Vermont,” per its March 28 announcement.
He most recently served as the enterprise chief medical officer at Emblem Health. In that role, he implemented clinical operations and technologies that “improved” population health outcomes for one of the largest nonprofit health plans in the country.
Prior to his role at Emblem, Dal Col served as chief medical officer and senior VP of medical affairs for Capital District Physicians’ Health Plan (CDPHP). He is also the former assistant chief of the department of cardiac surgery and the senior cardiothoracic surgeon at St. Peter’s Hospital.
“With decades of experience, Dr. Dal Col is an accomplished health care executive who will bring unique expertise to MVP,” Chris Del Vecchio, president and CEO of MVP Health Care, said in the health plan’s announcement. “His deep understanding of the health-care landscape, combined with his passion for leveraging innovative solutions, will enhance our customers’ experiences. I am confident that his dedication to advancing patient care and improving health outcomes will accelerate our business transformation and strengthen MVP’s relationships with providers, health care systems, customers, and communities.”
Besides receiving his bachelor’s degree from Le Moyne, Dal Col earned his medical degree from Albany Medical College and is board certified in preventive medicine, cardiothoracic surgery, and general surgery.
He also holds a master’s degree in public health from the University at Albany, MVP said.
Based in Schenectady, MVP Health Care operates an office in Rochester. A company spokesperson tells CNYBJ that even though the health insurer doesn’t have an office in Central New York, it does have employees working remotely and serves customers across the region.
First executive director of NENY’s Battery-NY takes office
Malliband focuses on expanding, localizing battery manufacturing VESTAL — New Energy New York has selected British engineer Paul Malliband as the first executive director of Battery-NY. Battery-NY is part of the Binghamton University-led New Energy New York (NENY) initiative. New Energy New York is designed to establish a robust lithium-ion battery-manufacturing
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VESTAL — New Energy New York has selected British engineer Paul Malliband as the first executive director of Battery-NY.
Battery-NY is part of the Binghamton University-led New Energy New York (NENY) initiative. New Energy New York is designed to establish a robust lithium-ion battery-manufacturing infrastructure in upstate New York.
“I am honored and excited to have been appointed to the role of executive director for Battery-NY, leading the establishment of this new state-of-the-art battery technology development and prototyping facility in upstate New York,” Malliband said in a March 8 release. “I look forward to building upon Binghamton University’s strong foundations in battery R&D [research and development] under the leadership of Nobel Laureate Stanley Whittingham and working alongside our dedicated teams, industry partners, and equipment suppliers to build a world-leading facility with the ultimate goal of expanding and localizing battery manufacturing within the U.S.”
Malliband, who began work March 4, will collaborate with Whittingham to usher Battery-NY into its operational phase, NENY said.
Malliband brings more than 25 years of experience in academia, manufacturing, and management to the executive-director role. He comes to NENY and Battery-NY from WMG’s Energy Innovation Centre at the University of Warwick in Coventry, England, where he served as chief engineer and head of battery scale-up. In that role, he oversaw pilot-line operations, including a facility that houses more than 60 assets for manufacturing and testing battery electrodes, and pouch and cylindrical cells.
“I am excited to welcome Paul Malliband to Binghamton University and the New Energy New York initiative,” Binghamton University President Harvey Stenger said in the announcement. “His experience in both research and business is going to be crucial in Battery-NY launching its prototyping capabilities, which are the first of its kind in the U.S, and working with industry partners. The NENY project, which is built around its great people, has been fortunate to have received external support through the EDA’s Build Back Better Regional challenge, the U.S. National Science Foundation and New York state. We’re proud to now include Paul as a member of the NENY team.”
EDA is the U.S. Economic Development Administration, which is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce.
In addition to Malliband’s role at the Energy Innovation Centre, he also worked with the UK Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC) team on the development of its volume industrialization line (VIL) and also co-managed its new flexible industrialization line (FIL).
Assured Information Security is awarded its 22nd patent
ROME — The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has recently issued Assured Information Security (AIS) a new patent for a new method of determining the location of radio-frequency (RF) emitters including Wi-Fi routers, wireless laptops, walkie-talkies, garage-door openers, and more. This latest patent raises AIS’s total number of patents to 22 with multiple others pending,
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ROME — The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has recently issued Assured Information Security (AIS) a new patent for a new method of determining the location of radio-frequency (RF) emitters including Wi-Fi routers, wireless laptops, walkie-talkies, garage-door openers, and more.
This latest patent raises AIS’s total number of patents to 22 with multiple others pending, the company announced in a news release.
“Expanding our patent portfolio is pivotal in our mission to introduce groundbreaking technologies to the market,” COO Scott Robidoux said. While the new location determination method “may not be a routine concern for the average individual, it poses significant challenge for law enforcement and investigative agencies. Existing methods for locating emitters require extensive computational resources, often leading to compromises in accuracy due to impractical computing demands. This patent addresses this issue by enhancing emitter localization with optimized resource utilization, facilitating more precise results.”
The invention is credited to Jason Eric Smith.
The patent, U.S. Patent Number 11,899,122, was issued on Feb. 13.
AIS, headquartered in Rome, provides cybersecurity and information-security services, products, and operations to commercial and government customers. With multiple offices around the U.S., the company employs more than 220 people.
Employers can no longer ask for employees’ social-media logins in NYS
An amendment to New York labor law means that as of March 12, employers are no longer allowed to request or require employees to disclose the login credentials for their personal social-media accounts. While the change may not affect some employers, others may have to revamp how they handle social-media accounts in the workplace, an
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An amendment to New York labor law means that as of March 12, employers are no longer allowed to request or require employees to disclose the login credentials for their personal social-media accounts.
While the change may not affect some employers, others may have to revamp how they handle social-media accounts in the workplace, an attorney at Tully Rinckey PLLC cautions.
The amendment, signed last September by Gov. Kathy Hochul, not only prohibits employers in most circumstances from asking an employee for their username or login information, but also bars them from requesting that information from applicants either, Jared Cook, senior counsel at the law firm’s Rochester office, notes. Tully Rinckey also has an office in Syracuse.
“It basically gives employees some protection,” Cook says. Previously, there was never any specific law that said an employer couldn’t ask for that information, he adds, nor terminate an employee who refused to comply.
Now that the law is in effect, employers should review their policies to make sure they are complying.
There are a few exceptions to the new rule, Cook notes. The first is that it does not apply to any law-enforcement agency, fire department, or correctional department.
The next exception is that if the account is one known to the employer to be used for business purposes, the employer can ask for the login credentials. “This new law treats that as a business account,” Cook says.
The tricky part with this exception is figuring out where to draw the line, he adds. The accounts of employees who occasionally share news or information about their employer probably do not meet the business-account criteria, he notes.
Company-provided cell phones are another tricky area, Cook says. “If you are a business who provides cell phones to your employees, you should know how the law impacts that.”
For an employer to request access to accounts used on that phone, the employer must pay for all, or part of the cell-phone cost and service and the employee must know in advance of using the phone that the employer can request that information, Cook says.
At this time, it’s unclear what, if any, fines or penalties will be associated with the amendment, he explains. While the amendment is officially in effect, it will take some time for the New York State Department of Labor to draft regulations that fill in the missing pieces.
Some elements may also be hashed out in court as employers and employees navigate the new rule, he adds.
In any case, employers should make sure they are in compliance with the amendment and update their policies accordingly, Cook says.
Tully Rinckey is a multi-state, full-service law firm headquartered in Albany. The firm has additional New York offices in Syracuse, Rochester, Saratoga Springs, Buffalo, Manhattan, and White Plains.
MACNY appoints Norcross as chief operations officer
DeWITT — MACNY, The Manufacturers Association of Central New York announced it has recently promoted Marisa Norcross to chief operations officer. She started this new role at the beginning of this year. Reporting directly to the MACNY president & CEO, the chief operations officer serves as a key member of MACNY’s executive leadership team. In
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DeWITT — MACNY, The Manufacturers Association of Central New York announced it has recently promoted Marisa Norcross to chief operations officer.
She started this new role at the beginning of this year. Reporting directly to the MACNY president & CEO, the chief operations officer serves as a key member of MACNY’s executive leadership team.
In this position, Norcross will play a critical role in the refinement, design, and integration of organization-wide, cross-team systems and processes to ensure alignment and increased operational efficiency, the association said in a news release. She will provide direct oversight of MACNY’s member services (including events, training, and membership development), and the marketing and communications department.
“Marisa is an exceptional leader and asset to our team. Her ability to refine and streamline our operations is invaluable to our team and directly impacts the delivery of our services to MACNY members and the community,” MACNY President and CEO Randy Wolken, said. “In this new role, Marisa will continue to be instrumental in the development and success of our organization.”
Norcross joined MACNY in 2014 as membership coordinator, later moving into expanded roles including member relations manager, communications manager, and chief digital officer, per the release. She has a bachelor’s degree from Le Moyne College in business analytics and marketing, and currently serves as a board member of the CNY Diaper Bank.
MACNY represents more than 300 companies in a 26-county region in Central and Upstate New York. The 110-year-old organization provides human-resource services, training, workforce development, purchasing solutions, networking opportunities, and advocacy support for its members. MACNY is also one of the founding members of the Manufacturers Alliance of New York and leads the Alliance today.
VIEWPOINT: Talent strategies in the face of a worker shortage
The “Silver Tsunami” is hitting its peak as 4.1 million Americans will turn 65 each year between 2024 and 2027, according to a report by the Alliance for Lifetime Income. Granted, a portion of those 16 million Baby Boomers will remain in the workforce after age 65, but organizations are bracing for a significant talent
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The “Silver Tsunami” is hitting its peak as 4.1 million Americans will turn 65 each year between 2024 and 2027, according to a report by the Alliance for Lifetime Income. Granted, a portion of those 16 million Baby Boomers will remain in the workforce after age 65, but organizations are bracing for a significant talent gap as workers with decades of experience and institutional knowledge leave in record numbers.
In Central New York, factors such as post-COVID employee expectations, inflation, economic pressures and an aging population further strain our labor pool.
So, what are businesses to do? The simple answer is not always the easiest: Businesses must invest time and resources to develop programs to not only attract candidates, but also to keep them once they’re on board. That means going beyond obvious incentives, such as flexibility and attractive benefits, and developing more career-advancement opportunities.
Regardless of organizational size, one effective development strategy that has proven to be successful is coaching. At NBT, we have implemented a coaching culture that is reinforced with individual development planning, clearly defined career paths, and mentoring.
While mentoring calls to mind older, more-experienced employees teaching younger ones, that isn’t always the case. Mentoring could also take place between peers with different experiences. In all cases, the learning transfer goes both ways.
Beyond the obvious teaching and learning that occurs, coaching and mentoring are required to ensure employee engagement, retention, and succession-planning efforts.
In addition to providing more formal development programs and opportunities, it is important to prioritize and encourage asynchronous learning organization-wide. For some organizations, that might include an investment like LinkedIn Learning, and for others it might be publicly available or free resources like YouTube videos.
At NBT, employees have access to relevant content through NBT University, LinkedIn Learning, and corporate-designed content to help the organization meet its strategic objectives.
While our banking company comprises more than 2,000 employees at over 150 locations in primarily seven states, these tactics are scalable to any size organization, large or small. Learning and development, coaching, and mentoring are all instrumental in helping employees to develop skills, improve performance, and strengthen relationships — while also fostering innovation, collaboration, and ultimately, retention. ν
Bill Butcher is director of talent strategy and organizational development at NBT Bank, based in Norwich.
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