Mohawk Valley EDGE accepting proposals for St. Luke’s campus reuse

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NEW HARTFORD, N.Y. — Mohawk Valley EDGE has opened a request for proposals (RFP) for the repurposing of the St. Luke’s campus once Mohawk Valley

Bond, Schoeneck & King elects new management committee chair

Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Law, Accounting & Taxes, New York News, People on the Move

The Syracuse–based firm’s membership has elected Brian J. Butler as its chair, succeeding Kevin M. Bernstein who served as chair for two four-year terms, the

People news: BeerBoard hires sales-development executive

Employee Benefits & Human Resources, People on the Move, Small Business, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — BeerBoard — a Syracuse–based provider of technology solutions and alcohol management to restaurants, bars, and beer companies — announced it has appointed

MVHS residency program graduates 11 doctors, with five of them staying in the area to work

Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Health Care, Nonprofits, Regional News, Subscriber Only

UTICA, N.Y. — Eleven doctors graduated on June 30 from the St. Elizabeth Family Medicine Residency Program, bringing the total number of family physicians completing the three-year, post-doctoral training program to 327. The program is an affiliate of Mohawk Valley Health System (MVHS). Program participants trained and provided care at the St. Elizabeth campus of

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Schuyler Health Foundation names two new board members, three officers

Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Health Care, Nonprofits, People on the Move, Subscriber Only

MONTOUR FALLS, N.Y. — The Schuyler Health Foundation recently welcomed new board members, Dr. Joseph Mannino and Kathie Notarfonzo. Dr. Mannino recently retired from orthopedics medicine. He cared for Cayuga Health patients for more than 20 years. During his tenure, he took a strategic role in the early affiliation process as he cared for patients

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MONTOUR FALLS, N.Y. — The Schuyler Health Foundation recently welcomed new board members, Dr. Joseph Mannino and Kathie Notarfonzo.

Dr. Mannino recently retired from orthopedics medicine. He cared for Cayuga Health patients for more than 20 years. During his tenure, he took a strategic role in the early affiliation process as he cared for patients at Schuyler Hospital, as well as Cayuga Medical Center. Born and raised in Brooklyn and Queens, Mannino is a member of the Trumansburg community. He recently demonstrated his life-long commitment to service by signing up for the Army Reserve Corps.

Notarfonzo has been in the Watkins Glen area since the age of 11 and is a local business owner of Inner Peace Floats and Exercise Enterprise. Working for the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation for 37 years, she is currently assistant regional director. Notarfonzo also serves on the Advisory Council for Catholic Charities, volunteers for M.R. Hess Homeworks, and participates in many local community fundraisers.

The Schuyler Health Foundation also appointed the following board officers: Brenda Warren-Fitch, as chair; Tom Phillips, as vice-chair; and Jerry Mickelson, as secretary/treasurer.

The Schuyler Health Foundation says its mission is to inspire philanthropy in its communities to support the highest quality and equitable health-care services at Schuyler Hospital and Seneca View Skilled Nursing Facility.

Schuyler Hospital, part of Ithaca–based Cayuga Health, is a 16-bed critical access hospital, with a 120-bed skilled nursing facility attached. Schuyler Hospital’s main campus — overlooking Seneca Lake — is located in Montour Falls.

For more than 100 years, Schuyler Hospital has been the primary health-care provider in and around Schuyler County. It has evolved over the years into a network of providers, programs, and services that reaches throughout Schuyler County and into neighboring counties to meet the health-care needs of a population of over 32,000 residents.

CNY Community Foundation names two new board members

Nonprofits, Subscriber Only

SYRACUSE — The Central New York Community Foundation board of directors recently elected two new board members. Warren Hilton, president of Onondaga Community College (OCC), and Leyla Z. Morgillo, a financial planner at Madison Financial Planning Group, were both appointed to serve their first three-year term. Before becoming OCC president, Hilton served as the VP

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New York corn planted area jumps 10 percent in 2023

Energy, Environment & Sustainability, Manufacturing & Engineering, New York News, Regional News, Small Business, Sports, Entertainment & Tourism, Subscriber Only

New York farms planted corn for all purposes on an estimated 1.13 million acres this year, up 10 percent from the 2022 planted area of 1.03 million acres, according to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) New York field office. The 2023 total is the highest in a decade. Empire State growers expect to

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WCNY to use nearly $500K state grant for film industry workforce development

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The WCNY Entertainment Academy is coming this fall with the goal of workforce development for the film industry. WCNY in Syracuse will use a state grant of nearly $500,000 for the effort. The funding comes from the state’s grant program targeting entertainment workforce diversity, Empire State Development (ESD) said in a news

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The WCNY Entertainment Academy is coming this fall with the goal of workforce development for the film industry.

WCNY in Syracuse will use a state grant of nearly $500,000 for the effort. The funding comes from the state’s grant program targeting entertainment workforce diversity, Empire State Development (ESD) said in a news release about the grant funding.

The academy will train the next generation of television and film-production engineers, electricians, set designers, sound mixers, and camera operators to help support the growing entertainment industry in Central New York, ESD said.

To apply for the WCNY Entertainment Academy, visit WCNY.org/academy.

WCNY is a public-communications organization located at 415 W. Fayette St. in Syracuse.

The WCNY Entertainment Academy, which is scheduled to open this fall, will train a diverse group of people ages 25 to 39 in one of three annual 14-week training sessions with about 16 trainees per session, ESD said.

The curriculum will be taught by local union representatives, experienced staff at WCNY, and adjunct faculty members and guest lecturers from across the entertainment industry.

Graduates will earn certifications and will develop relationships that may lead to union membership and job placements.

They will also have the chance to gain professional and life skills in areas focused on television and film-production roles.

I.A.T.S.E. Local 52 will collaborate with WCNY to provide instructors for the program and offer a “real-world baseline of knowledge” and specific skills in grip, electric, video, sound, and shopcraft, which are necessary for graduates to be “job-ready” upon completion.

“This initiative fits the goals we have for WCNY to provide education, create economic opportunity, and enhance quality of life,” Mitch Gelman, president and CEO of WCNY, said in the ESD release. “The Academy builds on the education services WCNY offers and will give us the opportunity to expand our commitment to help further workforce development.”

The funding award comes from the “first-in-the-nation” grant program targeting entertainment workforce diversity, ESD said. The program helps pay for job training and workforce development across the state’s entertainment industry.

It is financed by a percentage from the state’s film tax-credit program.

The program is designed to “further diversify” the industry by targeting residents of economically distressed areas of the state and “creating a pathway” to permanent jobs in film and television production, ESD said. The grant will complement more than $300,000 that WCNY will contribute to launching the Entertainment Academy, it added.

OCC to use $50K Amazon donation to support its student-success coaches

Employee Benefits & Human Resources, Health Care, New York News, Nonprofits, Subscriber Only, Technology

ONONDAGA — Onondaga Community College (OCC) will use an Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) donation of $50,000 to support student-success coaches at the college. The Seattle, Washington–based e-commerce giant operates a massive fulfillment center at 7211 Morgan Road in Clay and a delivery station at 6834 Kirkville Road in DeWitt. In October 2022, Amazon chose OCC to

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ONONDAGA — Onondaga Community College (OCC) will use an Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) donation of $50,000 to support student-success coaches at the college.

The Seattle, Washington–based e-commerce giant operates a massive fulfillment center at 7211 Morgan Road in Clay and a delivery station at 6834 Kirkville Road in DeWitt.

In October 2022, Amazon chose OCC to be its partner in the Career Choice program. Career Choice provides Amazon’s hourly employees the opportunity to take classes at OCC at Amazon’s expense, the school said. Employees can focus on the academic programs of their choosing and learn new skills for career success at Amazon or elsewhere.

During the spring 2023 semester nearly two dozen Amazon employees took advantage of Career Choice, OCC noted.

“We are grateful to Amazon for their partnership with us at Onondaga Community College. From the Career Choice program, which is already changing lives, to today’s support of our Student Success Coaches, Amazon is truly making a difference,” Warren Hilton, president of OCC, said in a release. “Their transformational support is paying dividends today and will continue to do so in the future.”

The responsibilities of student-success coaches include monitoring student academic progress and providing “proactive and just-in-time” guidance and support.

They also include providing a “sense of community” by organizing educational and social events for students in their respective school; guiding students through the higher-education landscape and managing competing demands from school, family, and work; and collaborating with colleagues and departments across the institution to provide “holistic support and meet the unique needs of individual students.”

“We know that OCC’s Student Success Coaches program is a critical resource for supporting students as they achieve their education goals,” Carley Graham Garcia, Amazon’s head of community affairs in New York, said “It’s also a great way to support Amazonians who are taking advantage of Career Choice and all the benefits it has to offer them and other employer-sponsored students.”

Stevens named construction president at VIP Structures

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Employee Benefits & Human Resources, People on the Move, Subscriber Only

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — After serving in the role on an interim basis since November 2021, Christine Stevens was recently formally promoted to president of construction at VIP Structures. The role is a natural evolution for her, Stevens says. She joined VIP just over seven years ago after an eight-year career working for a real-estate developer.

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SYRACUSE, N.Y. — After serving in the role on an interim basis since November 2021, Christine Stevens was recently formally promoted to president of construction at VIP Structures.

The role is a natural evolution for her, Stevens says. She joined VIP just over seven years ago after an eight-year career working for a real-estate developer. At that job, Stevens was well versed in the customer side of capital projects and gained experience working with the real estate, construction, and design sides of those projects.

“I really enjoyed the way all those things came together,” she says.

When she started at VIP, Stevens worked in construction leading projects and then spent several years on the development team before taking over as the interim general manager of construction last fall.

“I had earned a reputation for being a good person to have on a team,” she says when asked what set her apart for the role.

As president of construction, she works to turn clients’ visions into reality while also establishing schedules, managing budgets, and allocating resources, along with helping clients find and obtain economic-development incentives.

“Christine’s unwavering dedication to fostering an efficient and productive client and team experience is a key component of her success,” VIP Structures CEO Meg Tidd said in a release announcing Stevens’ promotion. “From the initial vision to the final delivery, her attention to detail ensures every moving part aligns perfectly.”

During her interim tenure, company officials credit Stevens for strengthening financial performance, operations, and morale; retaining and recruiting staff; and serving as a role model for client relations and teamwork.

“We take tremendous pride on those relationships we develop with clients,” Stevens says.

Through her years at VIP, Stevens has led several of the company’s largest and most-complex projects including Cryomech’s high-tech manufacturing facility in DeWitt and the redevelopment of the former Post-Standard building in downtown Syracuse.

The Cryomech project, along with the Food Bank of CNY warehouse renovation, and Kris-Tech Wire new manufacturing facility designed and built by VIP are all repeat customers, she notes. “We’re really proud to be doing work for repeat clients,” she says. In a market where clients could choose any construction company, it means something when they return to VIP for the next project.

“I just feel really fortunate to be here at this time when we’re poised for such growth,” she adds.

Stevens holds a master’s degree in international relations and economics from Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Fordham University. Prior to her jobs in commercial real estate and joining VIP, Stevens spent 15 years working in international development and living overseas.

Founded in 1975, VIP is an integrated design-build company that offers architecture, engineering, construction, and development services. VIP employs about 130 people companywide.

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