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JULY 20, 2015 I MOHAWK VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL I 1TMVBJ.COM

THE LIST:

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PAGE 7

PAGE 5UTICA COLLEGE RIDES THE CYBERSECURITY WAVE

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BRIGHTWATERS FARMS STORY 3

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PAGE 3BRIGHTWATERS FARMS SEEKS MEDICALMARIJUANA LICENSE

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Board Moves: ConMed adds two members to board.

Page 2.

Meyda Lighting transitioning to third generation

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Max Cohen, part of the third generation of the family to work at Meyda Lighting, stands near a custom fixture created at the plant in Yorktown. Cohen and his brother Chet are transitioning with their father Bob to assume more responsibility for running the business.

2 I MOHAWK VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL I JULY 20, 2015TMVBJ.COM

HERKIMER — First Source Federal Credit Union (FCU) announced it has re-cently expanded its Herkimer branch.

A new office was constructed inside the Herkimer branch and a freestanding drive-thru ATM, plus additional parking, was added behind the branch.

“Our Herkimer loca-tion handles the second largest volume behind our cor-porate office in New Hartford,” Mike Parsons, president and CEO of First Source FCU, said in a news release. “Expansion was imperative to alleviate some of the congestion in the drive-thru area as well as offer additional private office space for members to meet with branch staff to discuss their financial needs. As our member-base grows, es-pecially in the Valley, we adapt to meet their changing needs.”

The new ATM offers updated deposit

features. Customers can make deposits at the ATM without envelopes. Cash and checks can be deposited together without the need to separate, straighten, or face the bills and checks. The ma-chine will read them and tally the total, and then the user can verify the math

before finalizing the transaction. Customers will be able to deposit 50 items in one session. Other benefits include two-sided re-

ceipts and check images printed right on the receipt.

The original branch ATM lane was converted into a drive-thru lane with teller service as of July 1, the release stated.

New Hartford–based First Source FCU serves more than 35,000 members with current branches in New Hartford, South Utica, North Utica, Herkimer, and Rome.

First Source FCU expands Herkimer branch

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AmeriCU president named chairman of New York Credit Union Association

ROME — Mark Pfisterer, president and CEO of AmeriCU Credit Union, has been named chairman of the New York Credit Union Association’s board of directors.

He assumed the position June 14, according to a news release issued by AmeriCU.

The board of directors of the New York Credit Union Association (NYCUA) is comprised of 11 volunteer directors, representing three categories based on the level of their credit union’s as-sets: up to $25 million, between $25 million and $100 million, and more than $100 million. AmeriCU Credit Union is in the more than $100 million category.

Pfisterer, who has been on the board since 2009 and was recently re-elected, is serving a three-year term, according to the release. He previously was board vice chairman.

“The Association is in extremely ca-pable hands with Mark Pfisterer leading our board,” NYCUA President and CEO William J. Mellin said. “Mark brings years

of leadership experi-ence to the chair-manship, and he will undoubtedly continue to help move the New York credit union movement forward.”

Pfisterer also serves on NYCUA’s audit committee and executive com-mittee. He is board chairman of the credit union shared-branching network, Universal Sharing Network (UsNet), and a trustee on the New York Credit Union Foundation board.

AmeriCU Credit Union is a nonprofit financial cooperative headquartered in Rome, with 18 branch offices and more 100,000 members.

NYCUA was founded in 1917, and seeks to advance credit unions in the state by “advocating, educating and unifying the interests of all credit unions statewide,” according to its web-site. State credit unions have more than 5 million members and $70 billion in assets, combined.

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ConMed adds two members to board

UTICA — ConMed Corp. (NASDAQ: CNMD), a Utica–based surgical-device manufacturer, has added two health-care executives to its board of directors.

The addition of David Bronson and John Workman are “effective immediately,” ConMed said in a news release issued July 1.

Bronson is currently director and audit-committee chair of Lenexa, Kansas–based AxelaCare, Inc. and a director and a member of the audit committee of Louisville, Kentucky–based Labsco, Inc. (Laboratory Supply Co.).

Bronson previously was executive vice presi-dent and CFO of Jacksonville, Florida–based PSS World Medical, Inc. from 2002 until McKesson Corp. acquired the firm in 2013, ConMed said.

Workman is currently board chairman and audit-committee chair of Minneapolis, Minnesota–based Universal Hospital Services and a director and audit-committee chair of Oak Brook, Illinois–based Federal Signal Corp. (NYSE: FSS), according to the ConMed news release.

He previously was CEO of Cincinnati, Ohio–based Omnicare, Inc. (NYSE: OCR) from 2012 to 2014, president and CFO from 2011 to 2012, and executive vice president and CFO from 2009 to 2010.

Mark Tryniski, chairman of the ConMed board of directors, called Bronson and Workman “outstanding additions” to the board.

“They both have extensive experience lead-ing sophisticated health care organizations, executing successful turnarounds, and improving shareholder returns. Their impressive track re-cords will make them vital contributors in guiding ConMed’s growth strategy,” Tryniski said in the release.

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P� sterer


BY NORMAN [email protected]

UTICA — Thomas Jefferson, a cannabis farmer and third President of the United States, wrote that these plants were “… of first necessity to the wealth and protection of the country.” The Empire State agreed last July when it passed the Compassionate Care Act, authorizing the growing and dis-tribution of medical marijuana. Applications for the licenses were submitted by May 29 of this year, and in July, the New York State Department of Health will grant licenses to five of the 43 applicants. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has set three criteria for selecting the licensees: create jobs, set up operations quickly, and enjoy the support of the local community.

Brightwaters Farms — a business oper-ating three farms in Suffolk, Delaware, and Oneida counties — says it meets all three criteria. “We have over 1 million square feet of greenhouses ready for planting,” says Anthony Quintal, Jr., company presi-dent. “We have also leased four locations in the state for our medical dispensaries: Rochester, Albany, Manhattan, and Suffolk. The plan is to hire 100 professionals and another 100-200 employees to staff the op-eration. Most will work locally. The profes-sionals will include lawyers, accountants, security officers, physicians, engineers, pharmacists, and plant scientists. The an-nual payroll is projected at $10 million. As for community support, I have spoken to a number of area organizations and with area politicians to explain the plan and to assure them that this operation will not attract criminals … We have [garnered] very strong support from area residents. I believe Brightwaters Farms is the only applicant that is ready on day one to meet the governor’s directive.”

The Brightwaters Farms professional team will include the chief of pediatrics at South Side Hospital in Bayshore on Long Island; the chief of internal medicine at Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip (also on Long Island); Lighthouse Pharmacies; and MedMen, a national medical mari-juana consulting firm. As part of the ap-plication process, Quintal has retained the services of the Harris Beach, PLLC law firm; Posinelli Affairs, a political consul-tant; and Scheinkopf Communications.

The marijuana will be grown and distrib-uted to those with serious illnesses, such as seizure disorders, ALS, cancer, and epilepsy. The plant in its medicinal form

alleviates nausea and seizures. Access is available only by prescription. The product originates from female marijuana plants and comes in the form of a pill, vapor product, or an oil-based product; it can’t be smoked for recreational purposes and thus has no street value. The marijuana oil extract must be processed and separated differently for each illness.

Quintal had 35 days to complete the ap-plication process. “The requirement was to submit 10 copies of the application,” he says. “We submitted a total of 70,000 pages after running background checks and vet-ting everybody involved. The application alone cost well over $1 million.” Quintal estimates the New York state market for medical marijuana exceeds $1 billion. Payment is currently the responsibil-ity of the purchaser, since insurers do not cover reimbursement. U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D–N.Y.) is seeking support for national legislation to require coverage by insurance carriers.

Brightwaters Farms’ investment to date far exceeds just the cost of the application. “In 2014, the company began the process of purchasing the former C.F. Baker & Sons nursery [in North Utica] out of bankruptcy. Farm Credit held the lien. Brightwaters Farms is the fourth owner of the property in 20 years. In addition to the purchase price, we have sunk more than $1 million on capital improvements to restore the facility. The original plan was to grow not just shrubs, flowers, and plants but also to add fruits, vegetables, evergreens, and landscape plantings for sale to wholesalers. Last July, when the legislature and governor authorized med-ical-marijuana legislation, we decided to add this to our … [offerings]. Initially, I have set aside 100,000 square feet to grow medical marijuana with expansion of another 300,000 feet in three phases. The operation will also require a 40,000-square-foot lab located inside the existing facility; the projected cost is $10 [million] to $15 million.”

The Oneida County Brightwaters Farms operation, situated at 1113 Herkimer Road in North Utica, projects employment at 100 to 200 people to operate the non-marijuana facility. If the company receives a license to grow and dispense marijuana, it will add another 200 to 300 employees to the total. Quintal, his wife Robin, and another couple hold the stock in the Utica venture.

The Quintals are also the stockhold-ers in the other two Brightwaters Farms.

The original site is located on 15 acres in Bayshore. The farm was originally purchased from the King of England by the Phelps family in the late 1600s. The Quintals purchased the business in 1997. The couple bought an 85-plus-acre dairy farm in Masonville in Delaware County in 2006, on which they now grow hay. The deal for the Oneida County property, sited on 64 acres, closed on March 31, 2015.

QuintalQuintal also owns Quintal Contracting

Corp., which he incorporated in 1989. The company offers landscape/site develop-ment, wetlands remediation and restora-tion, arboriculture, paving, hardscaping, demolition, marine construction, and parks/athletic fields to civil, commercial, industrial, and large residential customers located on Long Island. About 75 percent of the work is for public entities, the remain-der is private. Another company, Quintal Realty Holdings, manages the multiple properties owned by the Quintal family on Long Island and Upstate.

Quintal began his business career in high school. “When I was a senior at Islip High School, I cut out of school one day to sell my first commercial ac-count,” confesses Quintal. “That year, I did $750,000 in business. I worked as the head gardener at the Macy estate in Islip and for other South Shore estates. I founded

Quintal Landscaping in 1983, incorporated as Quintal Contracting Corp. in 1989, and later set up the Quintal Group as a hold-ing company. In 1995, Robin and I worked with Edith DeFere to cultivate crops on the Brightwaters Farm in Suffolk. The addi-tion of the Oneida County farm now gives us the opportunity to become one of the Northeast’s largest growers and distribu-tors of fresh vegetables and fruits grown year-round.” The Quintals live in Suffolk County with their three sons: Anthony III, Barry, and Michael.

Community activityBrightwaters Farms recently formed a

partnership with Upstate Cerebral Palsy (UCP). “We leased 80,000 square feet of greenhouse space to UCP, of which a siz-able space was donated. The agency plans to grow vegetables that will put many of its clients to work. The idea originated with Cornell Cooperative Extension to start a pilot project with UCP, which obtained a grant to underwrite the initial phase. The idea was to create a sustainable model. Brightwaters Farms has committed to em-ploy UCP clients as production expands for its own operations. Our Oneida County farm has also partnered with the Veteran’s Outreach Center [in Utica] to help get unemployed veterans back to work. These are just a couple of examples of how we work with the local community.” n

Brightwaters Farms seeks medical-marijuana license

Robin and Anthony Quintal, Jr., two of the four own-ers of Brightwaters Farms’ Oneida County location, stand in 1 million-plus square feet of greenhouse space purchased on March 31.

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http://www.nysif.com/reportfraud

4 I MOHAWK VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL I JULY 20, 2015TMVBJ.COM


YORKVILLE — “This July 11, you can meet the fabulous Beekman Boys at the Old Forge Home Show,” Max Cohen, event impresario, said in a recent YouTube video. The Beekman Boys, who bought a man-sion in Sharon Springs where they became farmers and launched their lifestyle brand with goat-milk soups and cheeses, created a reality-television show that runs on the Cooking Channel.

“The Old Forge Home Show is just one of 10 trade shows I attend annually,” notes Cohen, a nine-year employee of Meyda Lighting (pronounce MY-DA), a Yorkville–based manufacturer and retailer of custom and decorative lighting. His grandfather Meyer launched the business as a hobby in 1974. “My primary role at the company is sales and design,” Cohen stresses. “This keeps me on the road six months out of the year to brand the uniqueness of a four-de-cades-old design tradition inspired by artists such as Tiffany and Stickley. The goal is to promote national recognition of our brand.”

Max Cohen, 28, is not the only third-generation scion in the family business. His older brother Chester (Chet) Cohen, 29, a five-year employee, focuses on manufactur-ing operations. “We’re passing up business,” opines Chet. “Our current lead time of eight

weeks (from a signature on a drawing) is too long for some customers, who simply won’t consider us [as a vendor]. We need to add a few engineers, fabricators, and wiring spe-cialists now to reduce the production time to four weeks. But finding the right help is not easy for our facility here in Utica.”

The two brothers work with their father, Robert (Bob) Cohen, the company presi-dent and a 40-year employee who is active in the business. “Meyda is a complicated busi-ness,” opines the president, “that deals with a lot of market segments including Internet dealers, brick-and-mortar dealers, design-ers, customers who buy directly at our retail outlets, and buyers in industries such as hospitality and restaurants … Recently we added another market segment — restora-tion. The chandelier we built for the recently refurbished Stanley Theater in downtown Utica was 35 feet wide, 11 feet high, and weighed 6,000 pounds. Meyda Lighting is currently bidding on lighting in the Hotel Syracuse’s restored grand lobby and the Persian Terrace [part of a $60 million reno-vation].

What further complicates the business is keeping track of 15,000 [discrete] items in our catalog; a growing manufacturing opera-tion that produces unique lighting; and the fact that our products include aluminum, bronze, brass, copper, textiles, acrylics, and wood.” Bob Cohen later added stone as an-

other material when he showed this reporter a new fixture made of translucent stone from India. Meyda calls the line “Opykta,” the Greek word for stone. The company is not only a manufacturer and retailer but also an importer, designer, and distributor.

The start“As Max says, we didn’t start out as a busi-

ness,” remembers Bob Cohen. “My mother [Ida] was tired of looking at ‘vintage cars’ in our backyard, which my father [Meyer] said he would restore one day. She asked him to install a stained-glass window to block the view. Since Meyer was retired and a master tinkerer, he and my mother took a course in making stained-glass windows … That was in 1974. My parents had fun making win-dows, terrariums, lamps, and planters in our basement and sold them at area craft shows. Business was slow; the door usually opened only when the wind blew. In 1980, a local Methodist Church ordered four stained-glass windows. Then, I started to think of my parents’ hobby as a business.”

Bob Cohen joined his parents in 1975 while still a teenager. “I helped out at the craft shows and watched the business begin to grow,” posits the company president. “Our growth was spurred by an interest in Tiffany designs that swept the country in the 1980s and 1990s. In 1995, we bought the Quality Bent Glass Co., which created origi-nal lighting fixtures, including the famous Coca-Cola chandeliers supplied in the early 1900s to Louis Comfort Tiffany’s studio in New York City. In the late 1990s, we bought Mecco Art, a metal-art studio, and in 2009, Meyda acquired 2nd Ave Lighting to expand our metal-lighting sales both on the com-mercial and residential side of the business. Our development has been a combination of organic growth and acquisitions.”

To Bob Cohen, Meyda Lighting is still a hobby. But he and his sons recognize that it’s also a business, which currently employs 75 people at the plant and retail store in Yorkville. The facility encompasses 170,000 square feet of manufacturing, inventory, re-tail, and distribution space sited on 8.5 acres.

Meyda also leases 1,600 square feet in Old Forge for a retail outlet.

The company stock is held by the fam-ily. The Business Journal estimates Meyda Lighting’s annual revenue is between $12 million and $15 million.

Since 1989, Meyda has contracted with manufacturers in China to produce some of their lamps. The plant operates one shift, five-days a week.

Meyda Lighting’s corporate mission state-ment is simple. “We’re here to say yes,” says Max Cohen, “and make it happen,” quips his father. “Designers and customers are always sending us sketches and asking whether we can produce the design,” continues the younger son. “Sometimes the sketch is just a scrap of paper and sometimes it’s a verbal idea of what a product should look like. We pass on the ideas to our engineers, who [uncannily] turn the concept into real-ity. Meyda’s growth is also based on new-product development. A few years ago, we created a lighting innovation by integrating lighting fixtures and fan mechanisms. The new collection takes a lighting fixture and in-serts a fan mechanism inside the fixture. We call the line ‘Chandel-Airs’ and offer them in any size or color combination. This really is a creative business.”

Meyda Lighting started in the Cohens’ residence in Old Forge. On June 7 of this year, the family dedicated a new “Creative Arts Wing” at View, a nonprofit visual and performing-arts center in Old Forge. The wing houses a pottery studio, stained-glass and fused-glass stations, woodworking area, and culinary-arts teaching kitchen. “The wing is the result of a challenge grant by Bob Cohen,” says Kevin Jost, a longtime friend and volunteer fundraiser for View. “Old Forge has had a robust arts community going back to the 1950s. It was natural to turn to those families with a long association with the area. Bob and his sons are artists, and the wing was a perfect match with Meyda’s mission.” Bob Cohen’s response: “This was just a nice way to say thank you

Meyda Lighting transitioning to third generation

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Max Cohen, part of the third genera-tion of the family to work at Meyda Lighting, stands near custom fixture created at the plant in Yorktown. Cohen and his brother Chet are transitioning with their father Bob to assume more responsibility for running the business.

SEE MEYDA, PAGE 7

july 20, 2015 I mohawk valley busIness journal I 5 tmvbj.com


UTICA — Premera, Anthem Health, SONY, Staples, Home Depot, JPMorgan Chase, Michaels, Target, the Pentagon, Westinghouse Electric, U.S. Steel, the United Steelworkers union, and Community Health Systems. What do these organiza-tions have in common?

It turns out that the above entities have all suffered a security breach of their com-puter systems, with hackers enjoying ac-cess to hundreds of millions of sensitive, private records. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ website states that since September 2009, the health-care industry alone has recorded “133.2 million breach victims.” (The website lists only health-data breaches affecting 500 or more individuals.) Usually, the offenders are in-tent upon committing economic crime, but an increasing number are focusing on pen-etrating national security.

“Today, cybersecurity is involved in most economic crimes,” says Raymond L. Philo, a professor of practice in criminal justice at Utica College and the executive direc-tor of the college’s Economic Crime and Cybersecurity Institute (ECCI). “Both the public and private sectors are starting to realize just how big the problem is.”

In a research report issued in October 2014, the Ponemon Institute — a Michigan–based research firm focused on privacy, data protection, and information-security policy — quantified the economic impact of cyber attacks conducted via the Internet. (The report dealt only with those costs associated with detecting, investigating, managing incident responses, business disruption, and loss of customers. Costs associated with maintaining a security pos-ture or compliance were excluded from the study.) Ponemon estimated cybercrime cost the U.S. $12.69 billion last year, an average increase of 9.3 percent over the previous year. All industries fall victim to cy-bercrime, but energy and utilities, defense, and financial services experience the high-est costs. Information theft represents the largest external cost followed by the costs associated with business disruption. The mean number of days to resolve or contain cyber attacks is 45, at an average cost of $35,647 per day, a 33 percent cost increase over last year. Cybercrime detection and recovery costs represent about half of all costs associated with a breach, highlighting a significant cost-reduction opportunity for government and business.

ECCIUtica College is focused on the oppor-

tunity. “The growing trend of cybercrime is drawing attention to economic-crime issues,” says Philo, “and consequently leading corporate, government, and law-enforcement organizations to the Institute. ECCI was established back in 1988 as the Economic Crime Institute (ECI), in a world

then dominated by mainframe and mini-computers; personal computers were still new and far from … [ubiquitous]. Our role was to serve as a think-tank that supports leading-edge thinking on economic-crime issues faced by business, government, and enforcement agencies and that offers educational programs, policy guidance, re-search, and solutions. In short, we were and continue to be a forum for the exchange of ideas, innovative solutions, and technology that manages the risk of economic crime and serves as a resource for investigation and prevention of cybercrime.

ECCI also supports the college faculty in the development of academic programs to foster the next generation of leaders in this field. We added ‘cybersecurity’ to our name in 2013 to reflect the growing awareness of cybercrime. This change came from a recommendation of our board of advisers, a group of approximately 30 practitioners who help to guide the Institution.”

NCFCComplementing ECCI’s role as a think-

tank is the Northeast Cybersecurity and Forensics Center (NCFC). Located on the Utica College campus in the same building as ECCI, NCFC operates two laboratories — one that focuses on forensics and the other on cybersecurity.

“We are a partnership of academic, govern-ment, and private-sector resources,” says Anthony Martino, NCFC director and an adjunct instruc-tor at Utica College, “that provides digital-forensic services as well as the op-eration of a state-of-the-art

computer-crime laboratory. The forensics lab has long been a resource to law-en-forcement agencies, including all agen-cies in Oneida County, the FBI, Homeland Security, the Secret Service, and other state and local agencies.”

On the cybersecurity side, “… we are now processing more work for the private than the public sector. The rise in data breaches has been the impetus for cor-porations to use our vulnerability assess-ments where we test-penetrate a company’s computer-security system. With the rise of mobile banking, financial services is becoming a major area of concentration fol-lowed by manufacturing, insurance, small business, and health care,” Martino says. “Also, many of our private-sector clients are coming to us because growing cybersecu-rity regulations demand strict compliance. Our clients are not usually technical people, so they come to the center for help. For example, ECCI is currently working with a financial-services firm to develop policy and procedures to be in compliance with mounting regulation. Our responsibility is not only to develop the plan but also to train the company’s staff.”

NCFC grew from an alliance be-

tween Utica College and the Utica Police Department. “The college provided the lab space on campus and the police depart-ment ran the operation,” recalls Martino, a 20-year veteran of the police department. “When I retired from the Utica Police Department, Utica College took over the

responsibility for the crime lab (June 2013), which today… [boasts] an outstanding skill set. NCFC has built a reputation for exper-tise and quick turnaround times, all based on a proven track record. On the forensic

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keep life simple.

Utica College rides the cybersecurity wave

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Ray Philo is the director of the Economic Crime

and Cybersecurity Institute at Utica

College.

Martino

See cYBERSEcuRiTY, page 6 4

http://www.mgriffithinc.com

6 I Mohawk valley busIness journal I july 20, 2015TMvbj.coM

CYBERSECURITY: Philo also points to the recent college valedictorian as another example of student marketabiligy Continued from page 5

side, we are working more with law firms and individuals in litigation support and in internal investigations. There is a growing demand for digital forensics, and fortu-nately I have half-a-dozen, full-time [Utica College] faculty plus adjuncts and students to support the center.”

Martino has ambitious plans for NCFC. “The demand from companies has pushed us to create a new program called ‘Cybersecurity for Managers,’ ” he says. “This September, we will kick off a three-day boot camp here on campus to teach managers how to talk the talk with em-ployees and regulators. The boot camp is designed to give them a working knowl-edge of and solutions for cyber threats. The session will provide hands-on, practical

course work and is limited to 25 registrants. If the demand is there, we will schedule ad-ditional sessions later in the year.”

Small-business incubatorWhile the boot camp is on Martino’s

front burner, he is also turning his atten-tion to another idea, one that has been sim-mering for a long time. “I want to create a small-business incubator for students with entrepreneurial interests. I would make it part of the academic programs here at the college for those who would like to start a business. [Utica College] has a large body of alumni who could help mentor the stu-dents in business areas and a number of alumni from the School of Economic Crime and Justice Studies who bring cybersecu-

rity experience. The college also has a large faculty to act as mentors. I would like to see this project launched next year.” Martino is already thinking about potential sites for the incubator.

Students in the Economic Crime, Justice Studies, and Cybersecurity program at Utica College get hands-on experience both at ECCI and NCFC. “We work with under-graduate and graduate students,” affirms Philo. “The idea is to encourage student engagement and provide real-world expe-rience.” Martino echoes the sentiment. “NCFC encourages 15-week internships, typically for seniors.” He cites the following example. “Some of the students at the cen-ter are currently engaged in a research proj-ect for the Air Force Research Laboratory, testing the security of desktop computers. There is no doubt that this practical work makes our students more marketable.” In an interview last September with this reporter and James Norrie, dean of the School of Business and Justice Studies, the dean pointed out that 93 percent of the school’s recent graduates found jobs and the other 7 percent went on to graduate school. The industry currently has a 1 per-cent unemployment rate nationally.

Philo also points to the recent college valedictorian as another example of student marketability. Jared Platt, who majored in economic crime and who carried a 4.0 GPA, was a student researcher and vol-unteered in the Oneida Country District Attorney’s office. He attended a mock inter-view on campus with a member of ECCI’s board of advisors, Matthew Quinn, who is a cybersecurity officer at the Boston office

of Santander Bank, N.A. (The Santander Group, headquartered in Spain, has 190,000 employees in Europe and the Americas, 14,500 branches, and 102 million custom-ers.) The mock interview became a real in-terview, and Platt was hired on the spot for a position as a financial analyst. “That’s how good our students are,” exclaims Philo.

Both Philo and Martino bring strong cre-dentials to their director positions. Prior to joining Utica College, Philo was a law-enforce-ment administrator, retiring as the chief of po-lice of the New Hartford Police Department. He received a bachelor’s degree in political science from Utica College and earned a master’s degree in public administration from Marist College in Poughkeepsie. A faculty member at Utica College since 2001, he also serves as director of research for the col-lege’s department of Economic Crime, Justice Studies, and Cybersecurity. Philo is currently a consultant with the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, a member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and a director of the Griffiss Institute.

Martino earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from SUNY Geneseo in 1992 and a master’s degree in economic-crime management from Utica College in 2004. In his two-decade career at the Utica Police Department, he supervised four units and conducted 100 digital foren-sic examinations a year. His professional experience also includes work with the U.S. Secret Service and the Department of Homeland Security. Martino has headed NCFC since 2013. n

CioniAssociates

Improving business decisions, operations, and performance

Consulting that maximizes the value from your key business resourcesn People n Processesn Information n Technology

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education & training

RYAN MILLER has been appointed full-time director of thINCubator, a business incubator and student accelerator located at 106 Genesee St. in Bagg Square West district of Utica. He was most recent-ly the interactive director at Romanelli Communications and is also one of the organizers of TEDxUtica.

financial services

MAKINO (KINO) RUTH has joined M. Griffith Investment Services to support the Evans & Topi Retirement Advisors team. He comes most recently from the higher educa-tion sector and Hamilton College, with more than 20 years of experience in providing career counsel-ing to undergraduate and graduate students pursu-ing careers in the finance, insurance, and consulting sectors. Ruth previously worked in the corporate sector as a VP of sales & marketing (machinery) and as a sales consultant (insurance.) JESSICA PRUCKNO has been promoted to operations assistant.

She first joined M. Griffith in 2015 as an administrative assistant.

insurance

JON SCHLOOP has been named senior account manager in the commer-cial lines division at Gilroy Kernan & Gilroy Inc. (GKG) in New Hartford. He brings 28 years of experience in the insur-ance industry and will work with GKG’s largest clients. The appointment marks Schloop’s return to GKG, where he served as com-mercial lines account executive from 1995-1997. From 1997 until most recently, he was people development administrator for NYCM Insurance in Edmeston, New York, where he was responsible for developing the company’s insurance education and training programs. Schloop is a 1985 gradu-ate of Utica College of Syracuse University, from which he earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration, with a concen-tration in finance.

nonprofits

The Arc, Oneida-Lewis Chapter, NYSARC, appointed FRANK COLUCCIO as direc-tor of Medicaid service coordination. He

joined The Arc in 2007 as a Medicaid service coordinator, was pro-moted to quality assur-ance coordinator in 2010, team leader in 2012, and deputy director in 2014, all within the Medicaid Service Coordination Department. Most re-cently, Coluccio was named director of devel-opment and planning. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University in psychology and a mas-ter’s degree from the Rochester Institute of Technology in school psy-chology. LORRAINE IZZO has been named director of human resources. She has more than 20 years experience in the human-resources field. Izzo began her career at The Arc 12 years ago, and has thrived in her role as human-resources generalist during that time. She takes over for long-time director of human resources, FAITH BURKE, who recently joined the executive management team at The Arc, as the chief administra-tive officer. STEVEN NICOTERA has been named director of development and plan-

ning. He began his career with The Arc in 1996 as a vocational rehabilita-tion coordinator, and was promoted to vocational rehabilitation counselor. Nicotera then left The Arc for a short period of time before returning in 2006 to serve as assis-tant director of vocational services and in 2012 was promoted to director of vocational services. Most recently, he served as di-rector of employment so-lutions. Nicotera received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Hartwick College. He also holds a master’s degree in health services administration from The New School for Social Research. NYSARC an-nounced that JENNIFER DODGE is now the assistant director of employment solutions. She graduated from SUNY Polytechnic Institute, receiving a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Dodge began her career at The Arc in 2006 as an employment special-ist. In 2009, she was promoted to program coordinator for intensive services and most recently was promoted to program manager of intensive services. n

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AREA'S HIGHEST PAID OCCUPATIONSRanked by 2014 Annual Mean Wage in the Utica-Rome MSA

Rank OccupationAnnual Mean Wage

($)Mean Hourly Wage

($)Estimated No. of Utica-Rome Workers in

Occupation

1.�)82*$*".2�".%��41(&/.2��,,��3)&1 ��

2.�"1+&3*.(��"."(&12 ��

3.�28$)*"31*232 ��

4.�)*&'��7&$43*5&2 ��

5.�&.3*232��&.&1", ��

6.�4%(&2��"(*231"3&��4%(&2��".%��"(*231"3&2 ��

7.�)"1-"$*232 ��

8.�",&2��"."(&12 ��

9.�"68&12 ��

10.�/-043&1�".%��.'/1-"3*/.��823&-2��"."(&12 ��

11.�%4$"3*/.��%-*.*231"3/12��/232&$/.%"18 ��

12. &3&1*."1*".2 ��

13.�4#,*$��&,"3*/.2�".%��4.%1"*2*.(��"."(&12 ��

14.�)82*$*".��22*23".32 ��

15.�4-".��&2/41$&2��"."(&12 ��

16.�/-043&1��&36/1+��1$)*3&$32 ��

17.�,&$31/.*$2��.(*.&&12��7$&03��/-043&1 ��

18.�/'36"1&��&5&,/0&12��823&-2��/'36"1& ��

19.�&.&1",�".%��0&1"3*/.2��"."(&12 ��

20.�$/./-*$2��&"$)&12��/232&$/.%"18 �� 1 ��

21.�/-043&1�".%��.'/1-"3*/.��&2&"1$)��$*&.3*232 ��

22.�*.".$*",��"."(&12 �� 2

23.�/.2314$3*/.��"."(&12 ��

24.�.(,*2)��".(4"(&�".%��*3&1"341&��&"$)&12��/232&$/.%"18 �� 1 ��

25.�",&2��&01&2&.3"3*5&2��!)/,&2",&�".%��".4'"$341*.(��&$).*$",�".%��$*&.3*9$�1/%4$32

��

THE LISTResearch by Vance [email protected](315) 579-3911Twitter: @cnybjresearch

$41,710Annual Mean Wage – All Occupations

$20.05Mean Hourly Wage – All Occupations

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employ-ment and Wage Estimates for the Utica-Rome MSA, Q1 2014.

NOTES1. Wages for some occupations that do not generally work year-round, full time, are reported either as hourly wages or annual salaries, depending on how they are typically paid.

2. Estimates not released.

ABOUT THE LISTInformation was provided by representatives oflisted organizations and their websites. Other groups may have been eligible but did not respond to our requests for information. Organizations had to complete the survey by the deadline to be included on the list. While The Business Journal strives to print accurate information, it is not possible to independently verify all data submitted. We reserve the right to edit entries or delete categories for space considerations. Mohawk Valley includes Herkimer and Oneida counties.

NEED A COPY OF A LIST?Electronic versions of all of our lists, with addi-tional fi elds of information and survey contacts, are available for purchase at our website: cnybj.com/ListResearch.aspx

WANT TO BE ON THE LIST?If your company would like to be considered for next year’s list, or another list, please email [email protected]

to the community which has supported us [for decades].”

Third generationMeyda Lighting’s transition to the third

generation is an ongoing process. “There are a lot of moving parts to this business,” observes Chet Cohen. “Also, my dad has 40 years of knowledge and long-term relation-

ships with customers. Max and I are slowly absorbing the knowledge, much of which is in his head, and building relationships with his customers. We have a strong brand and want to build on our reputation. The busi-ness is growing, but it’s a daily challenge to create unique products, price them properly, and produce them efficiently.”

Family-business experts tell us that 40 per-

cent of businesses are passed to the second generation and only 13 percent to the third generation. These companies need to be nimble and build a consensus around change, according to Craig Aronoff, co-founder and principal consultant at the Family Business Consulting Group in Chicago.

Bob Cohen, his wife Ellie (who has the corporate moniker: director of visual mer-

chandising), Chet, and Max are steering Meyda Lighting successfully as the com-pany transitions to the third generation. The spark of entrepreneurship is also alive in the Cohens’ youngest son Ben, who runs a business in Old Forge, and in Bob’s mother Ida, who at 95, still manages the Nutty Putty Miniature Golf course in Old Forge. n

MEYDA: Company’s transition to the third generation is an ongoing process. Continued from page 4

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MV AREA’S HIGHEST-PAID OCCUPATIONSRanked by 2014 Annual Mean Wage in the Utica–Rome MSA

8 I Mohawk valley busIness journal I july 20, 2015TMvbj.coM

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