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OPINION: Best Days Lie Ahead for the Rural Economy
President Joe Biden recently used his first State of the Union address to talk about where our country has been and where we are going. The president mentioned a lot we can be proud of and even more to look forward to, especially in rural America. The country has faced deep challenges over the past year, and […]
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President Joe Biden recently used his first State of the Union address to talk about where our country has been and where we are going.
The president mentioned a lot we can be proud of and even more to look forward to, especially in rural America.
The country has faced deep challenges over the past year, and the people of rural America know this better than anyone. But rural communities are resilient, and as the success of rural America goes, so goes the rest of the country.
That’s why the progress we have made in rural New York over the past year is a good sign for everyone. By investing in water infrastructure and broadband, rural business opportunities and the American food supply chain, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is helping communities build a foundation for sustained economic growth.
I have been meeting with representatives from across the state, listening to their concerns and challenges, identifying program linkages, as well as how we may play a role as their partner going forward. USDA Rural Development’s programs can play a pivotal role in narrowing the digital divide, improving a community’s infrastructure through water and sewer programs, safety, and wellbeing by providing needed tools like first-responder equipment and vehicles, helping a rural family realize the dream of homeownership, or working with a rural small business with any number of our loan or grant programs.
Through the Food Supply Chain Guaranteed Loan Program and the Meat and Poultry Processing Expansion Program, we’re answering the president’s call to create more resilient, diverse, and secure supply chains. Promoting competition in the processing sector will lead to fairer prices for farmers, greater value for workers, and more affordable and healthier food produced closer to home for families.
These investments create jobs and economic opportunities in rural areas. They help grow the economy from the bottom up and middle out like the president talked about. And they contribute to a circular economy where the resources and wealth we build in rural New York stay right here in New York.
And they’re just the beginning. In the State of the Union, President Biden committed to build a national network of 500,000 electric-vehicle charging stations, begin to replace poisonous lead pipes — so every child — and every American — has clean water to drink at home and at school, provide affordable high-speed internet for every American — urban, suburban, rural, and tribal communities.
The Biden-Harris Administration’s plan for the economy is already producing historic wins, and there’s room for everyone to participate, no matter their zip code.
That’s why we’re optimistic that our best days lie ahead.
By giving everyone a fair shot and providing equitable access to federal resources, we can do our part to carry out the president’s economic vision. That means making more things here at home, strengthening our supply chains, and lowering costs for working families. It means giving people opportunities to make a good living without having to leave the communities they know and love.
For a lot of us, that means staying right here in rural New York.
Brian Murray is the New York State director for USDA Rural Development.
Dermody, Burke & Brown CPAs, LLC
Dermody, Burke & Brown CPAs, LLC has promoted seven employees. RICHARD VITI, CPA has been elevated to audit & accounting senior associate. He joined the firm as an audit & accounting associate in 2020, with previous experience in private accounting. Viti received a bachelor’s degree in accounting and MBA degree in professional accountancy from Utica
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Dermody, Burke & Brown CPAs, LLC has promoted seven employees.
RICHARD VITI, CPA has been elevated to audit & accounting senior associate. He joined the firm as an audit & accounting associate in 2020, with previous experience in private accounting. Viti received a bachelor’s degree in accounting and MBA degree in professional accountancy from Utica College. He has recently completed the certification process to earn his designation as a certified public accountant (CPA).
JOHN ZOPF has been promoted to audit & accounting senior associate. He started with Dermody, Burke & Brown in 2019 as an audit & accounting associate. Zopf received a bachelor’s degree in accounting and MBA, with a concentration in public accounting, from SUNY Oswego. He is working to complete the certification process to earn his designation as a CPA.
MIKE BURT, CPA has been elevated to tax senior manager. He joined the firm as a tax senior associate in 2012 with 14 years of previous tax and accounting experience. Burt received a bachelor’s degree in accounting and MBA degree from SUNY Oswego.
CHRISTIAN SAMARA, CPA has been promoted to tax manager. He joined Dermody, Burke & Brown in 2016 as a tax associate. Samara received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Le Moyne College.
JIM SIKORA, CPA has been promoted to tax manager. He started with the firm as a tax associate in 2017. Sikora received a bachelor’s degree in accounting and MBA from Le Moyne College.
TAYLOR MOORE has been elevated to tax senior associate. She joined Dermody, Burke & Brown in 2019 as a tax associate. Moore received a bachelor’s degree in accounting and MBA degree from Le Moyne College. She is working to complete the certification process to earn her designation as a CPA.
ERICA MUSCATELLO has been promoted to director of marketing. She joined the firm in 2013 as marketing manager. Muscatello holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration, with a concentration in marketing, from Towson University and a master’s degree in new-media management from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. She was awarded the 40 Under Forty Award from CNYBJ and BizEventz in 2017.
TYLER STELLMACK has joined Pinckney Hugo Group as an art director. Prior to joining Pinckney Hugo, Stellmack was the communications and media director at The Vineyard Church in Chester Springs, Pennsylvania. He has a bachelor’s degree in graphic design from SUNY Oswego.
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TYLER STELLMACK has joined Pinckney Hugo Group as an art director. Prior to joining Pinckney Hugo, Stellmack was the communications and media director at The Vineyard Church in Chester Springs, Pennsylvania. He has a bachelor’s degree in graphic design from SUNY Oswego.
Delta Engineers, Architects, Land Surveyors, & Landscape Architects, DPC
REBECCA DIORIO has joined the Delta Engineers, Architects, Land Surveyors, & Landscape Architects, DPC corporate general team as an administrative assistant. She has several years of experience in the administrative-assistant role, as well as in customer service. Her responsibilities include data entry and maintaining project plans electronically for project managers, reviewing timesheet and expense reports,
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REBECCA DIORIO has joined the Delta Engineers, Architects, Land Surveyors, & Landscape Architects, DPC corporate general team as an administrative assistant. She has several years of experience in the administrative-assistant role, as well as in customer service. Her responsibilities include data entry and maintaining project plans electronically for project managers, reviewing timesheet and expense reports, and assisting with the onboarding process for new employees.
ELIZABETH BLINN has also joined the corporate general team as human-resources coordinator. She brings a broad range of experience to her role. Blinn has several years of HR experience, working in the banking industry, higher education, and at private businesses. Her responsibilities include leading Delta’s workforce administration & development, including serving as the point person for issues involving new-employee recruitment, employee onboarding, and the administration and processing of benefits and payroll.
CYNTHIA DUBOIS has come aboard Delta’s corporate general team as a project accountant. She is well-versed in financial statements and processes since she has previously worked as a title clerk. Her responsibilities include processing billing, accounts payable, and accounts-receivable transactions, reviewing subcontractor invoices for compliance with contracts, and providing support in state and federal audits.
TRICIA KUNZMAN has joined Delta as a construction administrator. Kunzman brings eight years of construction-administration experience, with a background in administration and proposal development for government contractors within multiple industries for various government agencies. Her typical project responsibilities include supervision of ongoing construction, cost estimating and review of cost proposals, review of requests for information (RFIs) and submittals, issuing field-work directives, and noncompliance reports and communication between the contractors and the owners.
SHAUNI JONES has joined the Delta architectural team as a senior architectural designer. Jones is a versatile designer who is comfortable executing a wide range of design tasks including AutoCAD/Revit drafting and 3D modeling, construction documentation, and cross-discipline coordination. He is knowledgeable about building codes and accessibility guidelines and has worked for clients with diverse design standards on commercial, industrial, and residential projects.
NOORUL NOORI has joined the facilities group at Delta as a senior structural engineer. He has 22 years of experience with design and construction management of buildings, bridges, and other structures. Noori spent part of his career in Afghanistan and had his own book, called “Building Estimating Handbook,” published in 2016. His primary responsibility will be quality control of structural work associated with Delta’s facilities, transportation, and some specialty precast and architectural projects.
SAMUEL LAUBER has joined Delta’s precast team as a senior project engineer. He has more than 20 years of experience in industrial, petrochemical, government, and commercial civil and structural-design applications. Lauber specializes in underground concrete engineering, design, and evaluation for both pre-cast and field-placed concrete. He has worked all over the world, including in the United States, Southern Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan, and Dubai, UAE.
ALALEH TAVAKOLI has also joined Delta’s precast group as a senior project engineer. Tavakoli received her bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in her home country of Iran, before getting her master’s degree and later, her Ph.D., in Milan, Italy. While serving as an adjunct professor at the same university in Milan, she won two post-doc fellowships in her field. Tavakoli later moved to the U.S. and has been working as a structural engineer ever since.
MARIA CAPPOLETTI recently started her new role as chief operations officer at The Kelberman Center, a provider of autism services for children, adults, and families in the Mohawk Valley and Central New York. Cappoletti has more than 25 years’ experience in the field of intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (I/DD) and autism. She brings an in-depth
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MARIA CAPPOLETTI recently started her new role as chief operations officer at The Kelberman Center, a provider of autism services for children, adults, and families in the Mohawk Valley and Central New York. Cappoletti has more than 25 years’ experience in the field of intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (I/DD) and autism. She brings an in-depth knowledge of key systems including New York State Education, Office for People with Developmental Disabilities and Department of Health. In her new role, she provides leadership through oversight of the operations, programs, and clinical services at the Kelberman Center. Cappoletti most recently worked at LIFEPlan Care Coordination Organization (CCO) NY, LLC., first, as director of program development and member and family relations. She successfully led the organization’s efforts to prepare for and achieve designation as an IDD health home-care coordination organization, developing and implementing several of the organization’s key support departments. Cappoletti was promoted to VP of quality management and program, where she directed the organization’s comprehensive quality management initiatives including the implementation of the quality management plan, quality assurance functions, program regulatory adherence, customer satisfaction, and corporate learning and development, to support the delivery of services for 18,500 people with I/DD across New York state. Cappoletti received her bachelor’s degree in music therapy from Nazareth College, with minors in psychology and gerontology, and also completed a post-graduate internship, specializing in autism and sensory integration.
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