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Paradigm Consulting: Moves to new offices. Page 2.

CTM: Not your father’s machine shop. Page 3.

National Electrical Systems moves to new Rome office

BY TRACI DELORECONTRIBUTING WRITER

ROME — National Electrical Systems, Inc. (NESI) start-ed and has a long history in Boonville, but the company also has some roots in Rome. That’s part of what made Rome the perfect choice as the site of the company’s new headquarters.

On Aug. 28, NESI moved from its 4,800-square-foot former headquarters facility on Route 12 in Boonville to 7,200 square feet of space at 1501 E. Dominick St. in Rome, where the company leased and renovated the for-mer O.J. Gulla Pools & Spas, Inc. building from property-

See NESI, page 11

Gaetano Construction: Poised to grow with “Nano Utica” development

BY NORMAN POLTENSONJOURNAL STAFF

UTICA — “Nano Utica is a game-chang-er,” says Brian A. Gaetano, president of Charles A. Gaetano Construction Corporation, LLC. “This is like winning the Super Bowl,” he exclaims.

Nano Utica, a moniker applied to the nanotechnology development under way in the Mohawk Valley, got a huge boost on Oct. 10 when Gov. Andrew

Cuomo announced that six global tech-nology companies formed a consor-tium to invest $1.5 billion to launch the state’s second hub of nanotechnology.

The consortium will be head-quartered at the Computer Chip Commercialization Center located on the SUNYIT campus in Marcy. The Empire State agreed to invest $200 million over 10 years for the purchase of new equipment for the Nano Utica facility. The R&D facility is expected

to cost $125 million and encompass 253,000 square feet, including clean-rooms, laboratories, hands-on educa-tion and workforce-training facilities, and integrated offices.

The focus of the research is on com-puter-chip innovation for new technolo-gies and products in the consumer and business marketplace. The growing reli-ance on computer chips affects nearly

See GAETANO, page 7

Philipson: Slow and steady wins the race

BY NORMAN POLTENSONJOURNAL STAFF

ROME — Six years after Sam Walton opened his first five-and-dime store in 1945 with the goal of being the lowest-cost provider, Herb Philipson opened his first retail outlet in Rome. Incorporated as Herb Philipson’s Army & Navy Store, Inc., the proprietor focused on providing brand value at low cost.

“My father introduced the concept of ‘price-fighter’,” says Gary L. Philipson, the company’s current president. “He never tried to be the cheapest, focusing instead on selling recog-nized brands at prices below his competitors. But pricing was not the only secret to his suc-

See HERB PHILIPSON’S, page 4

NORMAN POLTENSON/THE MOHAWK VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL

Gary Philipson, president of Herb Philipson’s, sits behind his desk at corporate headquarters in Rome. The eight-store chain employs 250 and generates $25 million in annual revenue.

PHOTO COURTESY OF NATIONAL ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS, INC.

National Electric Systems, Inc. (NESI) employees work on a job for the company. On Aug. 28, NESI moved from its 4,800-square-foot former headquarters fa-cility on Route 12 in Boonville to 7,200 square feet of space at 1501 E. Dominick St. in Rome.

2 • The Mohawk Valley Business Journal November 22, 2013

By NormaN PolteNsoNJournal Staff

UTICA — Paradigm Consulting, Inc., a local, independent advisory firm, has re-cently moved its office at 2717 Genesee St. to 133 Business Park Drive in Utica.

The operating company’s principals, Laurie A. Schoen and Amy L. Mielnicki, bought a former bank-branch facility and gutted the interior of the 4,500-square-foot structure. M&T Bank holds the mortgage on the building. The facility was owned by Brian Gaetano and renovated by Celia Construction.

“We’re out of space,” says Schoen, Paradigm’s president. “We currently have 15 employees (all located in the Mohawk Valley) and need [room] to eventually house 20 to 25 employees … Our growth is … [propelling] us to expand.” Paradigm offers personal-investment advice, retire-ment-income options, group-plan con-sulting, human-resources strategies, and employee-benefits advice.

Schoen, and Mielnicki, the firm’s execu-tive vice president, launched Paradigm in 1989 as a sub-S company. “The first year, our revenues totaled about $24,000 … I spent more on day-care than I took home in salary,” remembers Schoen. Today, the company provides pension consulting ser-vices to $430 million in retirement assets. It also has $66 million in individual assets under management and sub-advises $5 mil-lion of individual assets under management for D’Arcangelo Financial Group, LLC. The

Business Journal estimates that Paradigm generates more than $2 million in annual revenue.

Schoen and Mielnicki met in 1987, when Schoen joined a Utica firm owned by August J. Baglio, who specialized in Taft–Hartley pension and defined-benefit plans. Baglio closed his business in 1989 and moved to New Jersey to merge with investment advi-sor HGK Management, Inc.

Schoen, Mielnicki, and another partner

then formed Preferred Planning Concepts, catching the wave of defined-contribution plans that were growing in popularity in the employee-benefits marketplace. In 2007, the principals changed the corporate name to Paradigm Consulting, Inc.

“Laurie and I listened carefully to the business owners here in the [Mohawk] Valley, who had a lot of questions about the new 401(k) plans,” says Mielnicki. “We were convinced that we could help them understand their options and set up their plans. Our focus initially was on businesses mainly in Upstate, but we grew to handle companies with sites in multiple states.”

Paradigm Consulting then formed a key partnership to help it grow to accommodate larger clients.

“An important reason that we were able to grow and handle companies with thou-sands of employees was that our [software] systems were scalable, and we partnered with United Benefit Advisors (UBA),” says Schoen. “UBA provides us with a wide range of state-of-the-art tools and services, including benefit-plan management, HR consulting, compliance, retirement servic-es, and the nation’s largest benchmarking survey of employer-sponsored health plans. UBA’s annual, employee-benefit revenues rank it as the fourth-largest employee-ben-efit brokerage organization in the country. This partnership lets us remain an indepen-dent advisory firm which knows the local marketplace, backed by the knowledge and resources of a national … [powerhouse]. This positions us to compete against big companies.”

Paradigm Consulting has also affiliated with D’Arcangelo & Co., LLP. The two companies have a formal agreement to provide a registered, investment-advisory service and to refer clients. D’Arcangelo, with seven offices around the Empire State, has 34 partners and a professional staff of 150, including 68 in Central New York.

Mielnicki was born in New York City and moved at age five to Utica. She graduated from Utica College with a bachelor’s de-gree. Her focus is on providing investment

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News of note for and about Mohawk Valley businesses

Health-care staffing firm Fortus Group rebrands

UTICA — The Fortus Group, a Utica–based health-care staffing firm, recently announced it has rebranded to Fortus Healthcare Resources.

The change is intended to “accurately re-flect and expand its full range of services for healthcare facilities and professionals,” the firm said in a news release.

Launched in 1993 as a dialysis-staffing firm, Fortus has since “enhanced” its focus and specialties to in-clude recruitment and placement

of health-care professionals, along with providing clinical-practice consulting and business-development services, the com-pany said.

The rebranding strategy included a cor-porate logo, social-media outreach, and a redesigned website, www.fortusgroup.com.

“We recognize the importance of diver-sification and have expanded our business model to become a full-service healthcare consultant,” Michael Maurizio, president and CEO, said in the news release. “The new brand, Fortus Healthcare Resources, is an integral part of that continued growth strategy.”

Faxton St. Luke’s Healthcare opens new urgent-care location

UTICA — Faxton St. Luke’s Healthcare (FSLH) on Friday, Nov. 15 opened the newly named Genesee Urgent Care at 1904 Genesee St. in Utica.

It followed FSLH’s acquisition of what was previously known as Independent Physicians Urgent Care, PLLC, the organiza-tion said in a news release.

The release didn’t indicate when FSLH completed the acquisition or any financial terms of the deal.

FSLH acquired Independent Physicians from the three principal physician owners, including Dr. Domenic Aiello, Dr. Venkata Mannava, and Dr. Anthony DeIorio.

FSLH also owns and operates an urgent-care center at its Faxton campus at 1676 Sunset Ave. in Utica.

The Faxton and Genesee Urgent Care Centers each log nearly 20,000 patient visits annually, according to FSLH.

It was a “smooth and successful” transi-tion, Bradley Crysler, executive director of Adirondack Community Physicians for FSLH, said in the news release.

“Urgent Care Centers provide a needed service for less threatening injuries and illnesses, leaving the emergency depart-ments available for the more serious and life-threatening issues,” Crysler said.

Health-care providers are referring “more and more” people to urgent-care centers if they suffer from minor medical problems such as seasonal allergies, coughs and colds, flu, pink eye, sprains, minor burns and lacerations, urinary-tract infections, minor back pain, rashes, and nausea, FSLH said.

Both urgent-care locations are open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., according to FSLH.

Paradigm Consulting moves to new digs

photo courtesy of paradigm consulting

the three principals of Paradigm Consulting, Inc. celebrate the company’s recent move to 133 Business Park Drive in Utica. angela semo, left, is a partner in the em-ployee-benefits/human-resources division. laurie schoen, center, is the president, and amy mielnicki, right, is the company’s executive vice president and a principal.

see ParaDIgm, page 6

November 22, 2013 The Mohawk Valley Business Journal • 3

By NormaN PolteNsoNJournal Staff

This is not your father’s Oldsmobile; this is the new generation of Olds.

— Advertisement from the 1980s.

FRANKFORT — Back in the days when an auto called Oldsmobile still roamed the earth, the above catch phrase was invent-ed to rescue the brand. Despite featuring William Shatner as Captain Kirk, the ad-vertising effort failed to save Oldsmobile. Nevertheless, the tag line became part of our pop culture.

Fast forward to Frankfort, N.Y. and Custom Tool & Model, Inc. (CTM) — this is definitely not your father’s machine shop. Founded in 1969 by Erich O. Naegele as a precision engineering machine company, CTM produces prototypes and short runs of finished parts, combining old-world train-ing and state-of-the-art design and produc-tion technology.

The production facility, comprised of two buildings at 151 Industrial Drive, sits on three acres and contains 10,000 square feet of space. The factory is jammed full of mill-ing machines, lathes, grinders, saws, drills, and welders/fabricators, many of which are computer-controlled. CTM employs 25

people and generates between $4 million and $5 million in annual revenue.

“We’re not your average machine shop,” says John J. Piseck, Jr., a sales engineer with the company. “We’re a high-tech oper-ation focused on quality and fast response to our customers.” He proudly points out the latest addition to the company’s tech-nology — a 3-D printer designed to provide accurate, durable, and repeatable prototyp-ing, tooling, and manufacturing. “It was a $200,000 capital investment, including the printer, materials, a washing station, and compressor. This pistol receiver (Piseck holds up a plastic model) only took us three hours to build on the new printer, once we received the e-file from the customer. It used to take us days,” he says.

On a tour of the plant, Piseck points with pride at the number and variety of machines. “This company is all about quality and precision,” says Piseck. “We have invested millions of dollars in equip-ment to achieve tolerance levels of up to 50/1,000,000 of an inch. Sometimes, I even have to convince my customers that we can actually hold this tolerance.”

CTM is owned by three principals, who are all active in the business. Steven M. Naegele, 47, is the company president; his brother, Erich R., 55, is vice president;

and his sister, Sharon Lanza, 51, is sec-retary/treasurer. The three stockholders and Piseck, 50, constitute the management team along with Bryan Nestle, the quality manager, and Jason Christman, the shop foreman. The team, in turn, is supported by key professional vendors: NBT for banking; Fitzgerald, DePietro & Wojnas CPAs, P.C. for accounting; and Kowalczyk, Deery & Broadbent, LLP for legal matters.

“Sixty percent of our business comes from

three areas: aerospace, optics, and firearms,” notes Piseck. “People don’t realize that we do work for NASA and JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) as well as large, national compa-nies … CTM built parts for the moon vehicles and for the Phoenix Lander and Curiosity, which probed Mars. We also produce spe-cialty optics for companies like General Dynamics and work with a number of fire-

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CTM: Not your father’s machine shop

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John Piseck, a sales engineer at Ctm in Frankfort, stands next to a 3-D printer, designed to provide accurate, durable, and repeatable prototyping, tooling, and manufacturing. the company recently invested $200,000 to acquire and install the new printer, including materials, a washing station, and compressor.

see Ctm, page 10

4 • The Mohawk Valley Business Journal November 22, 2013

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cess. He [Herb] didn’t sit behind a desk, preferring to be on the store floor listen-ing to customers and understanding what merchandise was selling. It’s really old-time selling, where you employ people to wait on the customers and include alterations as part of the price … I had the privilege of working with my father for 23 years before he passed and learning what made us suc-cessful.”

From its humble beginnings in 800 square feet of space located in downtown Rome, Herb Philipson’s (the company has dropped the Army & Navy moniker) has grown to an eight-store chain plus a distri-bution center, covering more than 270,000 square feet. The company leases its prop-erties, except for Herkimer and Oneida, which are owned.

“We opened our first store in 1951 and didn’t open our second store in Oneida until 1970. The third store in New Hartford fol-lowed 11 years later and Herkimer opened in 1987. The company waited until 2003 to … [launch] number five in Watertown and then added three more in just nine years [Liverpool, Syracuse, and Newark].”

The Philipson’s store footprint averages about 30,000 square feet. Gary Philipson, who uses a Goldilocks approach to explaining store size, says “This size is not too big, not too small; it’s just right.” Today, Philipson’s chain of stores generates more than $25 mil-lion in sales annually and employs 250.

“Philipson’s has always catered to a cus-tomer base of hunters, fishermen, and campers,” says Philipson. “Over time, the

stores have added work wear, a boys’ de-partment, and outer wear. In addition to selling the traditional work boots, over-alls, and other work wear, Philipson’s has also attracted an industrial and health-care following, since we offer work uniforms like scrubs for nurses. We also stock ath-letic equipment and fashion wear. One thing hasn’t changed, however, our strong brand names such as Lee [Jeans], Levi’s, Columbia [Sportswear], Under Armour, and Remington.”

Not surprisingly, Philipson’s has a num-ber of competitors. “We compete with Dick’s [Sporting Goods], Gander Mountain, Bass Pro [Shops], JCPenney, and Walmart, just to name a few,” notes Philipson. “In fact, there’s a Walmart in every town where we have stores. To compete, we advertise [in a number of traditional venues] … radio, TV, newspapers. We also run a number of in-store promotions as well as exhibit at area trade shows.

“In addition, we utilize social media such as Facebook where we have [over] 3,500 followers and two months ago set up a Twitter account,” continues Philipson. “The company just upgraded its website (www.herbphilipsons.com) to help drive traffic to the stores … We currently sell gift cards on line and are exploring the online sale of merchandise.

The retailer also generates repeat busi-ness with its customer-loyalty initiative.

“Our Price Fighter Club loyalty program is very successful with over 50,000 mem-bers who generate points for signing up, providing an email address, and purchases. It’s a great way to generate repeat business

as customers redeem their points. We are even looking at how to use mobile apps to draw traffic,” Philipson says.

Philipson, 56, a New Hartford native, joined the business in 1980, shortly after re-ceiving a bachelor’s degree in history from Union College in Schenectady. He became company president in 2001. As the corpo-rate principal of the family-owned business, he is joined on the executive team by David Sawdy, senior vice president; Michael Palmer, CFO; Guy Viti, vice president of operations and merchandise; and Sandy Kelsey, vice president of human resources.

“We have a great executive team,” opines Philipson, “backed up by great store man-agers and a number of long-term employ-ees. The managers are on the floor with the customers, not stuck behind a desk. They are involved.”

Philipson’s also relies on local partners to ensure the company’s financial success. “We have banked with NBT for a very, long time,” says Philipson. “We rely on Fitgerald, DePietro & Wojnas [CPAs, P.C.]

for our accounting, and Saunders Kahler [L.L.P.] for our legal work.”

When discussing future growth, Philipson compares his company’s decision-making process to a tortoise. “We are considering opening another store or two, but have no specific plans for expansion …The team is always looking for another opportunity,” says the company president, “but it has to be the right fit. We also have to consider that our distribution center in Oneida needs to expand to accommodate further growth and think about the size of our truck fleet. For us, it’s a deliberate process. Slow and steady wins the race.”

The word “deliberate,” of course, is rela-tive. It took Herb Philipson’s 52 years to expand to four stores and less than a de-cade to add another four. Gary Philipson doesn’t have a vision of being the next Walmart, but he knows how to compete in retail by understanding his retail niche well. Looking to the future, he is optimis-tic about growth in the Mohawk Valley, especially with the announcement of Nano Utica. No one should be surprised when the president announces adding a ninth store to the chain.

Philipson resides in New Hartford with his wife, Lisa, who is a community education coordinator at Mohawk Valley Community College. The couple has three children: Evan, 24, who resides in Washington, D.C.; Jeremy, 21, a senior at Syracuse University; and Rachel, 18, a freshman at Boston University.

Contact Poltenson at npoltenson@tmvbj.com

HERB PHILIPSON’S: The Philipson’s store footprint averages about 30,000 square feetContinued from page 1

Herb Philipson’s Rome storefront, the company’s original location.

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November 22, 2013 The Mohawk Valley Business Journal • 5

Overuse of electronic devices can lead to injuries, Rome therapist says

By Angie n. ToriBioContributing Writer

ROME — Today’s workers, especially the young, often seem tethered to smartphones, tablets, and laptops. When combined with the use of video-gaming devices at home, this can cause overuse injuries such as tendon-itis, carpal tunnel syndrome, and bursitis, an area health-care professional says.

Michelle Madore, an occupational thera-pist at Chestnut Commons Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Center in Rome, says these common devices can lead to pain from inju-ries of muscles and joints in the hands, arms, and upper body, according to a news release from Rome Memorial Hospital, parent of Chestnut Commons.

According to the release, occupational therapists have seen an increase of young patients with these repetitive-motion injuries since the overuse of electronic devices is common among young people. Most patients that come in with overuse injuries are in their mid-20s, Madore said in an email.

These injuries were previously typically developed over time from work-related ac-tions such as typing or operating machinery and it is important for young people to un-derstand that too much continuous texting or game play can lead to physical problems, Madore said in the release.

Madore explained that common injuries from overuse of mobile phones and gaming devices involve the thumb, which can limit the use of the hand.

“In my opinion, the worst devices would be the video-gaming systems,” Madore said in the email. She explained that the control-lers for those gaming devices are designed to encourage wrist flexion and the buttons force repetitive use of the thumb in all directions.

How bad can it get?“I had one patient that came to me for

carpal tunnel symptoms; she admitted that she is often on her phone or laptop and tablet, and upon further evaluation, I found that she had nerve impingement up to her neck from her poor posture,” Madore said.

Madore suggests taking frequent breaks when using electronic devices because hours of continuous use can take a toll on joints in the hand, elbow, forearm, shoulders, and neck. She also recommends changing posi-tions frequently and using light pressure when operating any device.

“If you notice any pain or stiffness, you should stop immediately and rest your hands,” Madore said in the news release. “If the pain continues, you should take a break from all devices for a few days,” she said.

If pain continues even after a break from use, medical treatment may be required to prescribe anti-inflammatory medicines, brac-ing of the affected areas, or physical and oc-cupational therapy, according to Madore.

Madore said she is careful with how she uses her own electronic devices.

“I am aware of how common these issues are, so I take [preventive] measures to avoid problems,” she explained. “I try to be more aware of how I hold onto devices; a neutral position is the best position for your wrist.”

A neutral wrist position means the wrist is straight, not bent backwards or down, and there is no force on it, according to Madore.

“If you are using something like a laptop or tablet, you should place several pillows on your lap to rest your arms on. Ideally, the screen should be at eye level. This will allow for a more neutral neck position by not having to look down significantly,” she explains in the release.

She also recommends sitting in a chair with good back support when using any device. “Positions that could cause injuries include

photo courtesy of rome memorial hospital

occupational Therapist Michelle Madore, of Chestnut Commons Physical Therapy & rehabilitation Center in rome, says it’s important to have a straight wrist when holding electronic devices.

See deviCeS, page 11

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6 • The Mohawk Valley Business Journal November 22, 2013

MOHAWK VALLEY BANKSRanked by Mohawk Valley Market Share, 06/30/13

Rank

NameAddressPhone/Website

June 2013 MVMarket Share

(%)1

MV DepositsTotal Deposits

($000)

Total Assets20132012

($000)

Local OfficesCNY Employees

Total FTE Employees Top Local ExecutiveYear

Estab.

1.Bank of Utica222 Genesee St.Utica, NY 13502(315) 797-2700/ bankofutica.com

19.49 $726,864$726,864

$912,120$878,605

13838

Thomas E. Sinnott, President & CEO 1927

2.M&T Bank1 Herkimer RoadUtica, NY 13502(315) 738-4760/ mandtbank.com

16.73 $623,816$66,479,783

$82,376,247$79,846,314

12672

14,729

Allen J. Naples, Regional PresidentDavid Manzelmann, Utica Market President

1856

3.Bank of America268 Genesee St.Utica, NY 13502(315) 798-2452/ bankofamerica.com

11.75 $438,177$1,090,917,000

$1,429,737,000$1,445,093,157

12NA

167,162

Joseph P. Powers, SVP, Eastern UnitedStates

1871

4.Adirondack Bank185 Genesee St.Utica, NY 13501(315) 798-4039/ adirondackbank.com

11.3 $421,257$515,908

$608,629$584,547

13128159

Rocco F. Arcuri, Sr., President & CEO 1898

5.NBT Bank8549 Seneca TurnpikeNew Hartford, NY 13413(315) 797-0698/ nbtbank.com

10.81 $403,224$5,905,573

$7,471,637$5,918,349

91,1001,263

Martin A. Dietrich, President & CEO 1856

6.First Niagara Bank1125 Mohawk St.Utica, NY 13501(315) 792-9572/ firstniagara.com

10.31 $384,250$27,668,550

$37,101,238$35,064,468

7NA

5,779

David Kavney, Central New York MarketExecutive

1870

7.Berkshire Bank212 Main St.Oriskany Falls, NY 13425(315) 821-2405/ berkshirebank.com

7.87 $293,366$3,847,809

$5,197,998$4,479,401

7126934

Michael P. Daly, Chairman, President, &CEO

1846

8.Citizens Bank710 Horatio St.Utica, NY 13502(315) 724-8780/ citizensbank.com

4.48 $166,879$76,635,324

$103,028,520$106,894,242

5NA

15,442

James P. Gaspo, President, New York 1828

9.Oneida Savings Bank160 Brooks RoadRome, NY 13441(315) 339-2000/ oneidabank.com

3.29 $122,771$597,626

$698,251$676,614

5311349

Michael R. Kallet, President & CEO 1866

10.Community Bank, N.A.101 Main St.Boonville, NY 13309(315) 942-4460/ communitybankna.com

2.56 $95,464$5,748,137

$6,994,046$7,139,903

3NA

1,784

Mark E. Tryniski, President & CEO 1859

11.KeyBank, N.A.255 Genesee St.Utica, NY 13501(315) 797-8484/ key.com

1.36 $50,548$68,956,158

$88,293,180$83,966,458

2400

15,095

Stephen D. Fournier, CNY District President 1869

12.Woodforest National Bank103 North Caroline St.Herkimer, NY 13350(315) 866-7212/ woodforest.com

0.05 $1,851$3,473,231

$3,911,781$3,612,992

3NA

4,875

Robert E. Marling, CEO 1980

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Twitter: @cnybjresearch

NOTES1. Data for this list came from the June 30, 2013 FDIC Deposit Market Share Report, previously reported data from other lists, and the institutions’ individual websites.

ABOUT THE LISTInformation was provided by representatives of listed orga-nizations and their websites. Other groups may have been eligible but did not respond to our requests for informa-tion. 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.

WHAT CONSTITUTES THE MOHAWK VALLEY?Mohawk Valley includes Herkimer and Oneida counties.

NEED A COPY OF A LIST?Electronic versions of all our lists, with additional 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 ncollins@tmvbj.com

management to individuals and organiza-tions and retirement plans for businesses. Schoen is a Utica native who graduated from SUNY Geneseo with a major in busi-ness management and a minor in finance.

In addition to the two principals, Paradigm’s management team includes Angela Semo, the executive vice president of human resources, who joined the compa-

ny in 2010. Semo has an MBA from SUNY Institute of Technology and more than 20 years of experience as the HR director at Herkimer Valley Community College.

Gail Manfredo, a resident of Marcy, and a Utica College graduate with a bachelor’s degree in accounting, recently joined the firm as the vice president of sales and marketing.

Manfredo’s addition to the company is a signal that Paradigm Consulting will continue

to grow. “Our strategy includes a 10 percent increase in revenues next year,” says Schoen. “Amy and I have handled the sales and mar-keting up to this point while juggling our other duties. It’s time to focus on business develop-ment and spend more time communicating with our clients and prospects.”

Schoen and Mielnicki both enjoy their work and look forward to the contin-ued expansion of Paradigm. “We want to give young people an opportunity,” notes

Mielnicki. “We have a great staff of very bright employees … We want them to stay here for a career; we want them to call the Mohawk Valley home. Our succession plan is to develop young talent in order to offer our clients continuity. We want our staff to grow up with the area’s family busi-nesses.”

Contact Poltenson at npoltenson@tmvbj.com

Continued from page 2

PARADIGM: Manfredo’s addition to the company is a signal that Paradigm Consulting will continue to grow

November 22, 2013 The Mohawk Valley Business Journal • 7

every industry.“This project will create 1,000 high-tech

jobs just in research,” says Gaetano. “We’re expecting thousands … [more] from the manufacturing companies and suppliers which will be drawn to the area. The town of Marcy [plant site] has a 420 acre park near the college with the infrastructure in place: roads, power, sewers, and the necessary zoning.” The Marcy Town Supervisor, Brian N. Scala, estimates that the public-private investment could reach more than $46 bil-lion and generate up to 6,500 jobs over the next decade.

That’s music to Gaetano’s ears. “I see tremendous potential for real-estate invest-ment and for construction,” he opines. “The area will need plants, offices, apartments, condos, additional road construction, and … [perhaps] school buildings. Just look at what happened to Malta [a town in Saratoga County] when Global Foundries built a giant chip factory to manufacture integrated cir-cuits for semi-conductor companies.” The factory now employs more than 2,000 people on top of the 1,000 employed at the R&D center in Albany.

The Gaetanos — brothers Brian, 62, William, 66, and Greg, 48 — are sitting in the catbird’s seat, ready to benefit from the pro-jected boom in real-estate development and construction. William is the executive vice president of the construction company and Greg is the corporate secretary-treasurer.

Gaetano Construction is located in 14,000 square feet of office space on the mezzanine at 258 Genesee St. in downtown Utica, a building owned by the family. The construc-

tion company is celebrating 58 years in busi-ness.

“My father started the company in 1955,” says the oldest brother, William. “He was a mason contractor with a small crew, who de-cided in 1960 to become a GC [general con-tractor]. He didn’t incorporate the business until the early 1970s. Gaetano [Construction] has grown into a full-service, general-con-tracting, and design-build company that did $52 million in sales last year and employs 50

full time. We’re projecting about the same sales volume for 2013.”

The brothers Gaetano are the principals and equal stockholders of the construc-tion company. Rounding out the executive management team are David L. Kleps, vice president for design/build; John Kinney, con-troller; Anthony Obernesser, senior project manager; Michael Bushardt, chief estimator; and Steve Perez, general superintendent.

The Gaetanos also work with area profes-

sionals to help steer the company: M&T is the company’s primary bank; Firley, Moran, Freer & Eassa CPA, P.C. in DeWitt is Gaetano’s accounting firm; and Mentor Rudin & Trivelpiece, P.C. in Syracuse provides the construction firm legal representation.

Gaetano’s clients and approachThe Gaetano conference room displays

dozens of buildings completed over the years, including projects in the fields of edu-cation, health care, commercial and indus-trial, institutional, housing, manufacturing, and warehousing/distribution. The client list reads like a “Who’s Who” of area compa-nies and institutions: Hamilton College and Colgate University, Cayuga Medical Center and Faxton St. Luke’s Healthcare, Utica National Insurance, the Rescue Mission of Utica, Acacia Village, F.X. Matt Brewing Co., Feldmeier Equipment, Inc., and Fiber Instrument Sales, Inc., just to name a few.

Gaetano Construction also specializes in building custom vacation homes, renova-tions and repairs, pre-construction services, and has been a Butler Builder franchisee for 32 years. Gaetano Construction is currently working on its largest project — an 80,000-square-foot Theatre & Studio Arts complex at Hamilton College, scheduled for comple-tion in 2014 and valued at $36 million.

William Gaetano says the company’s phi-losophy and people set it apart in attracting and keeping clients.

“We focus on our customers and work on projects typically in a 50-mile radius of Utica, because it’s easier to control the work. It’s common for us to do repeat business, often on

GAETANO: Located in 14,000 square feet of office space on the mezzanine at 258 Genesee St. in downtown Utica

Continued from page 1

Brian Gaetano, left, president of Charles A. Gaetano Construction Corp., and his brother William, right, execu-tive vice president, in

the company’s office in downtown Utica.

norman poltenson/the mohawk valley Business Journal

See GAetAno, page 10

8 • The Mohawk Valley Business Journal November 22, 2013

THE LISTResearch by Nicole Collins

ncollins@tmvbj.com (315) 579-3911

Twitter: @cnybjresearch

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!The next Mohawk Valley issue comes out on Jan. 24 with the Colleges & Universities Top Ranks list.

ABOUT THE LISTInformation was provided by representatives of listed orga-nizations and their websites. Other groups may have been eligible but did not respond to our requests for informa-tion. 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.

WHAT CONSTITUTES THE MOHAWK VALLEY?Mohawk Valley includes Herkimer and Oneida counties.

NEED A COpY Of A LIST?Electronic versions of all our lists, with additional fields 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 ncollins@tmvbj.com

MOHAWK VALLEY MANUFACTURERSRanked by No. of MV Full-Time Employees

Rank

NameAddressPhone/Website

MV FT Employees—

Companywide2012

Revenue Products Manufactured Locally Top Local ExecutiveYear

Estab.

1.CONMED525 French RoadUtica, NY 13502(315) 797-8375/ conmed.com

950—

3,600

$767.1M devices and equipment for orthopaedic, general andminimally invasive surgery, gastrointestinal procedures,

cardiology, and critical care

Joseph J. Corasanti, President & CEO 1970

2.Remington Arms Co.14 Hoefler Ave.Ilion, NY 13357(315) 895-3200/ remington.com

800—

4,000

NA gun manufacturer George Kollitides, CEOPaul V. Merz, Plant Manager

1816

3.Special Metals Corp.4317 Middle Settlement RoadNew Hartford, NY 13413(315) 798-2900/ precast.com

430—

27,850

$7.2B aerospace premium rotor grade superalloy Don Bierstine, General Manager 1952

4.Indium Corporation34 Robinson RoadClinton, NY 13323(315) 853-4900/ indium.com

400—700

NA materials manufacturer and supplier to the globalelectronics, semiconductor, solar, thin-film, and thermal

management markets

Gregory P. Evans, President & CEOLeslie Schenk, CFO

Ross Berntson, VP SMWayne Hosey, VP Operations

1934

5.Giotto Enterprises (Fiber InstrumentSales, Inc.)161 Clear RoadOriskany, NY 13424(315) 736-2206/ fiberinstrumentsales.com

360—360

$75M fiber-optic cable, cable assemblies, tools, connectors;broadcast and military cables, distributor for fiber-optictelecommunication manufacturers; datacomm supplier;CNC machining, control safety relays, precision plastic

injection molding, energy efficient LED lighting and solarunits

Frank Giotto, President, CEOKirk Donley, SVP of Sales

Susan Grabinski, SVP of Accounting &CFO

1985

6.PAR Technology Corp.8383 Seneca TurnpikeNew Hartford, NY 13413(315) 738-0600/ partech.com

350—

1,300

$239.9M provides hardware, software, and services includingpoint-of-sale systems, property-management systems,

and government contract services

Ronald J. Casciano, CEO & President 1968

7.Trenton Technology1001 Broad St.Utica, NY 13501(315) 797-7534/ TrentonSystems.com

200—235

NA single-board computers, computer backplanes, computermotherboards, contract-manufacturing service

Michael Bowling, President, TrentonSystems

1977

8.Burrows Paper Corporation501 W. Main St.Little Falls, NY 13365(315) 823-2300/ burrowspaper.com

195—928

NA lightweight specialty paper R.W. Burrows, Chairman, CEO, PresidentRose Mihaly, EVP & COOPhilip Paras, SVP & CFO

John Sterzinar, VP Manufacturing

1919

9.Central Association for the Blind andVisually Impaired507 Kent St.Utica, NY 13501(315) 797-2233/ cabvi.org

175—220

$40.8M Nitrile, latex, and synthetic examination gloves, medicalsupplies, kitting, office supplies textiles, neckerchiefs,

garbage bags, flashlights, work gloves, disposable wipes,biodegradable products

Rudy C. D'Amico, President & CEOJill Koch, CFO

Dennis Webster, VP of Manufacturing &Business Services

Vincent J. Salatino, VP of Operations

1929

10.Supply Chain Logistics (HTC)2260 Dwyer Ave.Utica, NY 13501(315) 724-9891/ htcorp.net

163—351

$12.4M narrow-web sewn harnesses, carriers, strapping, safetydevices, wiring harnesses, federal and NYS uniform

programs, embroidered and screen printed products,warehousing, and distribution

Richard Sebastian, President & CEO 1954

11.Sovena USA1 Olive Grove St.Rome, NY 13441(315) 797-7070/ sovenausa.com

160—170

$250M branded and private-label olive oils, vegetable oils, fryingoils, organic oils, vinegars

Luis Arriba, CEORodney Mayette, CFO

Gabi Estevez, COO

1991

12.Gehring-Tricot Corp68 Ransom St.Dolgeville, NY 13329(315) 429-8551/ gehringtextiles.com

145—190

$29.5M highly engineered warp knit, circular knit, and stretchwoven fabrics used in industrial, military applications,

composites, athletic, and safety applications

Skip Gehring, President & CEOPaul Gutowski, EVP

Laura Donna, VP FinanceGary Farquhar, VP Manufacturing

Bill Christmann, VP Sales

1946

13.Rome Strip Steel CompanyP.O. Box 189Rome, NY 13442(315) 336-5500/ romestripsteel.com

125—126

NA cold-rolled strip steel Kirk B. Hinman, PresidentMary Faith Messenger, CFO

Mark F. Hinman, VPDavid M. Bovi, VP

1926

14.Fiberdyne Labs, Inc.127 Business Park DriveFrankfort, NY 13340(315) 895-8470/ fiberdyne.com

100—100

NA fiber-optic networking products and cabling installationservices; LED lighting products, sign sales, advertising

billboards

A. Peter Polus, CEO & PresidentAl Amendolare, CFO

Chad Polus, VP OperationsPeter Polus, VP Sales & Marketing

1992

.DeIorio's Frozen Dough2200 Bleecker St.Utica, NY 13501(315) 732-7612/ deiorios.com

100—150

NA frozen pizza dough, bread, rolls, cookies, and brownies Robert Raguso, CEORobert Horth, VP SM

1924

16.Riverhawk Company215 Clinton RoadNew Hartford, NY 13413(315) 768-4855/ riverhawk.com

90—90

NA rotating equipment accessories including tensioningproducts, engineered hardware, torque monitoring &control equipment, coupling installation equipment,

frictionless bearings

Edward Gunn, General Manager 1993

17.Hubbell Galvanizing/ Fortress FusionCoatings5124 Commercial Drive EastYorkville, NY 13495(315) 736-8311/ whyrust.com

75—75

$9M hot dip galvanizing; powder coating, metalizing of steel Jonathan Hubbell, President 1962

18.Mohawk Ltd.P.O. Box 340Chadwicks, NY 13319(315) 737-7328/ mohawkltd.com

70—70

$17M sales, calibration, repair, refurbishment of electronic andhydraulic equipment, track vehicles and snow-grooming

equipment, custom trailers, and command centers

Cathy M. Newell, President & CEODiane Fetterolf, CFO

James Peterson, EVP & COO

1959

19.Alion Science and TechnologyOneida Financial CenterRome, NY 13341(315) 339-7009/ alionscience.com

69—

2,900

$817.2M engineering, IT, modeling and simulation, cyber securityand operational support

Dr. Bahman Atefi, Chairman & CEO 2002

20.Progress Industries—LCI14 Arnold Ave.Utica, NY 13502(315) 272-1703/ progressindustries-lci.com

55—50

$2.5M custom-machined component parts for use in theconstruction of bowling alley lanes. manual laundry and

dishwashing detergent products sold to NYSOGScustomers

Karen Korotzer, CEOVincent Vetere, CFO

Gail Miskowiec, VP OperationsMary Jane Tottey, VP Community Support

1954

21.F.E. Hale Manufacturing Co.120 Benson PlaceFrankfort, NY 13340(315) 894-5490/ halesince1907.com

50—65

NA manufacture wood office and library furniture products James Benson, CEO & CFO 1907

22.GEA Farm Technologies, Inc.4754 State Route 233Westmoreland, NY 13490(315) 853-3936/ gea-farmtechnologies.us

49—

24,500

NA barn and dairy equipment Todd Finn, Director of ManufacturingOperations

1981

23.C & H Plastics, Inc.145 Conger Ave.Waterville, NY 13480(315) 841-4101/ chplastics.com

46—46

$4.2M thermoplastic injection molding, part design, rapidprototyping, assembly, and packaging

William Clark, President 1970

24.Williams Tool, Inc.9372 Elm St.Chadwicks, NY 13319(315) 737-7226/ wmstool.com

42—42

NA CNC machine parts to customer specifications Raymond H. Williams, President 1967

25.Empire Fibreglass Products Inc.P.O. Box 1006Little Falls, NY 13365(315) 823-4030/ empirefiberglass.com

30—30

NA chemical storage/process vessels, scrubbers, platforms,grating, stairs, duct systems, stacks, and special

entertainment parks structures

Thomas Baum, PresidentNeil F. Baum, VP

James Tylor Schmid, Mechanical Engineer

1961

November 22, 2013 The Mohawk Valley Business Journal • 9

MOHA WK V ALLEY COM MUNITY CO LLEGEMVCC

OPTIONS & OPPORTUNITY

VISIT WWW.MVCC.EDU/FUTURE-STUDENTS FOR MORE!

MORE OPTIONS. MORE OPPORTUNITIES.Now accepting applications for Spring, Summer, and Fall 2014

Apply online or in person in Utica or Rome

Housing is still available for Spring

Majors to prepare for nano, cybersecurity, entrepreneurship, business, and more

10 • The Mohawk Valley Business Journal November 22, 2013

M O H A W K V A L L E YBUSINESS JOURNAL

Vol. 13, No. 6 • November 22, 2013

NEWS Editor-in-Chief .......................Adam Rombel

arombel@tmvbj.com

Associate Editor ............Maria J. Carbonaromcarbonaro@tmvbj.com

Staff Writers ........................Norm Poltensonnpoltenson@tmvbj.com

......................................................... Eric Reinhardtereinhardt@tmvbj.com

Contributing Writers ...............Traci DeLoreAngie N. Toribio

Production Manager ......................Erin Zehrewebb@tmvbj.com

Research Manager ................. Nicole Collinsncollins@tmvbj.com

SALES

Sr. Account Managers ......................................Bernard B. Bregman

bbregman@tmvbj.com

Mary LaMacchiamlamacchia@tmvbj.com

Daniel R. Buddiedbuddie@tmvbj.com

Marketing ......................BBB Marketing Inc.

CIRCULATION Circulation Management ...(315) 579-3927

ADMINISTRATIVE Publisher..........................Norman Poltenson

npoltenson@tmvbj.com

Chief Operating Officer .....Marny Neshermnesher@tmvbj.com

Business Manager .................... Kurt Bramerkbramer@tmvbj.com

THE MOHAWK VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL (ISSN #1050-3005) is published six times a year by CNY Business Review, Inc. All contents copyrighted 2013. All rights reserved. No part of this publica-tion may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher.

arms manufacturers including Remington, Smith & Wesson, and Sig Sauer.”

CTM is a custom manufacturer. “While we have a lot of repeat business from our customers, we rarely see the same job twice,” says Piseck. “Most of our runs are one to five parts. A huge production run is 175 parts. We certainly have recurring customers, but we’re usually not producing the same parts.”

Quality has taken on a very different meaning from the firm’s founding in 1969. “In order to do work for big companies today, we need to be ISO-AS compliant,” notes Piseck. “This international standard says that we have reduced our environ-mental impact by reducing waste and en-ergy consumption. It includes even the company’s organizational structure, plan-ning and resources for development, and implementing and maintaining policy for environmental protection.”

CTM is also AS-9100 compliant, a re-quirement of the aerospace industry. “AS-9100 is the aerospace version of ISO-9001,” says Piseck. “The aerospace industry is considerably more demanding in terms of safety and quality. In fact, AS-9100 contains ISO-9001, adding requirements specific to aerospace. This certification places us on the leading edge of quality initiatives.

“Because we work with the firearms indus-try,” continues Piseck, “CTM needs to qualify for federal firearms licenses. Aside from the

annual cost, we are subjected to inspections by BATFE (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, an agency of the U.S. Dept. of Justice). The U.S. government also requires us to be ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations) compliant. This means we are registered with the U.S. State Department’s DDTC (Directorate of Defense Trade Controls). It takes a lot of time, effort, and money to comply with all the regulations and certification requirements.”

CTM has experienced steady, organic growth, not only by servicing its customer base, but also by diversifying its revenue streams. “In addition to being a machine shop, we are also a distributor for manufac-turers,” says Piseck.

“CTM now represents a company that manufactures a portable, metal detector. The walk-through device can be set up in 5 min-utes and only requires one operator. We also just closed a deal to represent an Israeli man-ufacturer of automatic, ammunition-loading devices. In addition to acting as a distributor, CTM has set up a clean room on the shop floor for rental to area companies working on an array of manufacturing and R&D projects. The space is very flexible and can be config-ured to suit the customer’s need.”

Piseck then takes this reporter for a tour of the second building on the site. “Welcome to the Golf Box,” declares Piseck. “We have installed two upgraded simulators representing more than 50 major U.S. golf courses. You can golf here 365 days a year and have enough space to sponsor both

private and corporate parties.”CTM prides itself on its workforce, but

also notes the difficulty of recruiting and training employees. “Our industry has the wrong image today. Young people think it’s a dirty business and their parents and school advisers often share that image. Everyone at CTM needs at least a high-school degree and many have college de-grees. We work closely with area schools like Mohawk Valley Community College which offers certification in CNC (com-puter- numerical control) machinery. CTM doesn’t just offer jobs; we offer careers to mill and lathe operators, CNC operators, and precision tool- and die-makers.”

“CTM is poised for continued growth,” Piseck declares. “Herkimer County is a hub for manufacturing, which should benefit from the recently announced Nano-Utica commitment. Suppliers coming into the area will need tools, fixtures, and gaug-ing to meet the demand … The Village of Frankfort has its own municipal electric plant, which provides power at 3.5 cents [per kilowatt] … The company has posi-tioned itself as a leading-edge machine shop with a great workforce, … and we continue to diversify, looking at new markets.”

CTM is definitely not your father’s ma-chine shop. It is looking to the moon, Mars, and beyond. And it doesn’t need Captain Kirk to burnish its brand.

Contact Poltenson at npoltenson@tmvbj.com

CTM: “Sixty percent of our business comes from three areas: aerospace, optics, and firearms,” notes Piseck.

Continued from page 3

Awards

a design-build basis. The bottom line is that we build relationships. After all, the customer can fire us anytime.”

Gaetano goes on to say that “… the company is also focused on our … [staff]. We spend a lot of time recruiting employ-ees, turning to schools like [SUNY] Delhi, which has an outstanding program in con-struction management. We make sure that our new hires receive a lot of on-the-job-train-ing, including estimating, before giving them positions of responsibility. This is a tough business to manage, and we encourage them to make decisions, but only after they have paid their dues. We have also learned from experience that we need to hire people who want to live in the Mohawk Valley, who enjoy the lifestyle.”

ChangeLooking back over decades in the con-

struction/commercial real-estate business, Brian Gaetano notes the changes in the industry — especially the impact of tech-nology, the emphasis on safety, and going green. “Everybody has computers and smart phones, which is pushing our business to re-spond faster. It’s the ‘now society.’ Customers want everything cheaper and faster, and they are not always giving us time to think how we can do that. We may be able to communicate faster, but we still need time to consider how to build or renovate a facility. Each project is a custom effort; this is not a … [cookie-cutter] business,” he says.

Brother William Gaetano adds that “[s]afety is our primary concern on the job. We’re proud to have received the GCI Risk Control award for 2012-2013, which recogniz-es our safety program and workshops. The upside is not only a healthy work force but also a favorable claims experience, because our EMR (experience modification ratio) is low. We’ve worked hard to institute a com-pany culture that emphasizes safety.”

Gaetano Construction has also gone green. “We currently have six LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) associ-ates who are certified in green building,” says William Gaetano. “All New York State projects are now built to LEED standards, and some in the private sector have fol-lowed suit.” Gaetano cites his firm’s work on projects such as the Cayuga Medical Center in Ithaca, the Old Forge Arts Center, and Hutchings Psychiatric Center in Syracuse. “As for recycling our construction materi-als and debris, we created a waste stream long before it became mandatory,” declares Gaetano.

Giving backThe Gaetanos are very active in their com-

munity involvement and professional associa-tions. “Over the years, we have contributed to a number of worthy causes that improve the quality of life in our community,” says Brian Gaetano. “We are a proud supporter of not-for-profit efforts such as America’s Greatest Heart Run & Walk, the Saranac Concert Series, The Mighty Run, and Habitat for Humanity. We provide labor and material

for many of these events and encourage the staff to volunteer. Our company also hosts several live telethons from our corporate of-fice to help promote ticket sales. It’s our way of giving back.”

“I have committed a great deal of time to AGC (Associated General Contractors of America) and GBC (General Building Contractors of New York State), where I served both as the association’s president and a director,” says William Gaetano. He currently serves as a board member of Mohawk Valley EDGE and is the president of the Utica Industrial Development Corp. “These organizations have helped us to be-come more professional by sharing industry best practices. They benchmark a standard that helps us to serve our customers better and to compete. We also spend a lot of time lobbying in Albany trying to change anti-quated laws like the Scaffold Law and to help write new legislation.”

In the corner of the conference room at Gaetano Construction rests a plaque recog-nizing a generous contribution by Charles A. Gaetano, who gifted a multi-purpose stadium to Utica College. The stadium is named after the donor. Under the picture of the stadium is a sentence in Italian: Non c’e male per il figlio di un giardinere! Translation: “Not bad for the son of a gardener.” Considering the growth of Gaetano Construction, the plaque needs an addition: “Not bad for the grand-sons of a gardener.”

Contact Poltenson at npoltenton@tmvbj.com

GAETANO: The firm has also gone green with several LEED projects

Continued from page 7

November 22, 2013 The Mohawk Valley Business Journal • 11

owner David Gulla. Lease arrangements were not disclosed.

“It gives us room to expand and grow,” NESI President and CEO Edward Stratton says. The old building, he explains, just didn’t have enough room to accommodate all its growth over the years and didn’t have a layout that was conducive to expanding. Neighboring business Lee Buick/GMC purchased the Boonville building for an undisclosed sum, Stratton adds.

NESI got its start in Boonville in 1973 when Stratton’s father opened Allen Electrical Supply. The business expanded over the years and began marketing to the farm industry, incorporating as Dairymens Industrial Supply Co. in the early 1980s. In 2006, the company opened a Rome retail branch under the Disco Electrical Supply moniker.

Stratton says the company started seek-ing federal contract work around 1989, bidding on, and winning, electrical supply projects. That division of the business, based at the Boonville headquarters, con-

tinued to grow, and the company incorpo-rated as National Electrical Systems, Inc. in 1990 to reflect better the federal-contracting business it had become, he says. In 2004, the company sold its Disco location, which eventually closed, to the employees. The financial arrangements were not disclosed.

“We do turnkey projects as prime con-tractors for different levels of government,” Stratton says. Currently, NESI is work-ing on a project in Texas for the Federal Bureau of Prisons to upgrade the electrical grid at the federal prison in Seagoville.

NESI works with numerous federal agencies, including the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, NASA, the Department of Defense and all branches of the military, the Department of the Interior, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. Projects include gen-erators, transformers, substations, switch gear, SF6 breakers, and service contracts, while on-site services include field testing, training, inspection, repairs, equipment re-moval, and equipment relocation.

NESI has supplied and installed mul-tiple emergency power systems for vari-

ous states at locations including hospitals, federal prisons, and railroads for organiza-tions including the Texas Transtar System, Virginia Rocky Gap Tunnel System, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigations. NESI has also worked on several wind-power projects.

The company performs a lot of high-ly technical work, Stratton states, and he hopes the move to Rome will help attract the caliber of employee the company needs to continue to grow.

“It’s difficult to hire the level of expertise we need when we’re outside a metro area,” Stratton says. The new location’s close prox-imity to Griffiss Business and Technology Park, home to many government entities, should also be a benefit, he adds.

The new structure features office areas for the company’s various departments, includ-ing estimating and project management, as well as a conference room and a break room for the firm’s staff. NESI has about 15 full-time employees, Stratton says, but employ-ment figures fluctuate because some project employees are part of the company’s payroll while others are subcontractors.

NESI is already looking to expand its employment numbers as it searches for a full-time electrical estimator, Stratton says. He expects to hire more employees over time as the business continues to grow. He declined to share revenue figures, but says the company has generated continued growth over the past five years.

Stratton hopes to boost that growth by net-working with large federal contractors such as Lockheed Martin and Raytheon. As that growth continues, he will consider opening additional locations around the country to better serve and support NESI project teams at job sites around the nation.

NESI (www.nesi-ny.com) is an engineer-ing, procurement, construction, and man-agement company that serves as a prime contractor for the federal government pri-marily, but also works with state, county, and local governments across the United States and around the world in locations including the Antarctic, Egypt, France, and Africa.

Contact The Business Journal at news@tmvbj.com

NESI: The firm has supplied and installed multiple emergency power systems for various states

Continued from page 1

William G. PomeroyFounder and CEO

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Terry WoodPresident and CEO

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of Visions Federal Credit Union

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Legacy Bernie Bregman

For more information or for sponsorship opportunities, please contact Joyl Clance at

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slouching on the couch, looking down into your lap and holding the device or game con-troller close to your body,” she explained.

But in the end, it’s all about moderation.“It is important to not use these devices con-

stantly; I see it all the time, a group of people at a restaurant and everyone has their nose in their phone or tablet when it isn’t likely a neces-

sity at that point,” Madore said in the email.Chestnut Commons Physical Therapy

and Rehabilitation Center, located at 107 E. Chestnut St., is the rehabilitation center of Rome Memorial Hospital. Chestnut Commons

is one of the largest outpatient rehabilitation centers in the area, according to its website.

Contact The Business Journal at news@tmvbj.com

Continued from page 5

DEVICES: Madore suggests taking frequent breaks when using electronic devices

12 • The Mohawk Valley Business Journal November 22, 2013

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