New York State Office of General Services (OGS) Commissioner Jeanette Moy recently announced that a Binghamton–area construction firm has been certified as a service-disabled veteran-owned business (SDVOB).

The New York OGS Division of Service-Disabled Veterans’ Business Development (DSDVBD) issued the certification to Buono Construction, LLC, a contractor specializing in site preparation. The business is located at 49 Rogers Mountain Way in the town of Dickinson.

Buono Construction was among 14 newly certified businesses across the state announced by the OGS on March 7. The DSDVBD was created by New York State government in May 2014 through enactment of the Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Business Act. The state had 1,078 certified businesses, as of March 7.

For a business to receive certification, one or more service-disabled veterans — with a service-connected disability rating of 10 percent or more from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (or from the New York State Division of Veterans’ Affairs for National Guard veterans) — must own at least 51 percent of the company. Other criteria include: the business must be independently owned and operated and have a significant business presence in New York, it must have conducted business for at least one year prior to the application date, and it must qualify as a small business under the New York State program. Several more requirements also need to be met.