MARCH 2, 2015 I MOHAWK VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL I 1TMVBJ.COM

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FORTUS STORY 3

MVCC STORY 4

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THE LISTS 6, 7

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New Hire: Bassett Healthcare Network appoints new CFO.

Page 2.

Covering the Mohawk Valley

THE LISTS:

MOHAWK VALLEY CONFERENCE & MEETING FACILITIES

Ranked by Maximum Exhibit Area in Square Feet

Rank

NameAddressPhone/WebsiteMax. Exhibit Area(Sq. Ft.)—No. of Mtg.Rooms

Max. RoomCapacity Seated:Banquet—Theater

No. ofSleepingRoomsMeeting Equipment Available

Top Management YearEstab.

1. Turning Stone Resort Casino

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MEETING FACILITIES/HOTELS:

PAGES 6/7

M O H AW K VA L L E Y

BUSINESS JOURNALBUSINESS JOURNAL

PAGE 4NORMAN POLTENSON/BUSINESS JOURNAL NEWS NETWORK

n INDEX:TMVBJ.COMTMVBJ.COMTMVBJ.COMTMVBJ.COMTMVBJ.COMTMVBJ.COMTMVBJ.COMTMVBJ.COMTMVBJ.COMTMVBJ.COM Covering the Mohawk

PAGE 4NORMAN POLTENSON/BUSINESS JOURNAL NEWS NETWORK

Free community colleges: Getting ahead of the future

Randy VanWagoner, president of Mohawk Valley Community College, comments on the role of community colleges while sitting in his office at the Utica campus. He hopes that President Obama’s recent proposal to make community colleges “free” will begin a serious national discussion about investing in higher education. See story, page 4.

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PAGE 3FORTUS POISED TO DOUBLE SALESNO

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2 I Mohawk valley busIness journal I March 2, 2015TMvbj.coM

Berkshire Bank has promoted Heather Lashway to the new role of first vice presi-dent, retail banking district manager of New York and Vermont.

She will lead Berkshire Bank’s New York and Vermont branches and regional managers, in addition to continuing to lead Berkshire Banc Investment Services, the bank said in a news release.

Berkshire Bank, headquartered in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, has 47 branch offices in New York state and six branches in Vermont, among its 95 total offices, according to FDIC information. In the Mohawk Valley, the bank

has 13 branches in Oneida County and three in Herkimer County.

In her new role, Lashway will be actively in-volved in creating and implementing the stra-tegic direction of sales and service initiatives for Berkshire Bank’s retail-banking business in New York and Vermont, the bank said. She will also be responsible for the design, imple-mentation, and support of new products and services for regional campaigns.

“Heather’s experience will strengthen the district by providing a high level of expertise in large-scale initiatives, operations efficien-cies, and maximizing the customers’ experi-

ence through all services dedicated to the retail mar-ket. Her strength in leader-ship, sales performance and communication will drive market-leading performance across retail banking in New York and Vermont,” Tami Gunsch, senior vice president of retail banking at Berkshire Bank, said in the news release.

Lashway joined Berkshire Bank as vice president, regional manager for the New York region in April 2011. Before that, she worked for Citizens Financial Group, where she was senior vice president, sales manager for 225 branches in New York and Pennsylvania. Lashway earned her bachelor’s degree in accounting from Saint Michael’s College in Vermont.

UTICA — A Utica licensed practical nurse was recently arrested and arraigned for allegedly failing to report panic-high potassium levels appearing in a patient’s laboratory-test results.

The criminal complaint alleged that Robert Hartnett, 57, “failed to follow protocol” in not reporting the lab results to a doctor or a nurs-ing supervisor, putting the patient’s health “at serious risk,” the office of New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said in a news release issued Feb. 17.

Schneiderman’s office charged Hartnett with endangering the welfare of an incom-petent or physically disabled person in the second degree and willful violation of health laws.

The accused pleaded not guilty during his arraignment in Utica City Court before Judge Ralph Eannace, Jr. released him on his own recognizance.

“Every New Yorker deserves the peace of mind that their loved ones are receiving appropriate care in nursing facilities across our state, and my office will hold people ac-countable when they fail to meet their obli-

gations,” Schneiderman said in the release. “Elderly patients are often at high risk and it is important that proper protocols are followed to keep people safe.”

The charges stem from an alleged incident on March 10, 2014, at Heritage Health Care Center in Utica, Schneiderman’s office said.

As a result of Hartnett’s alleged failure to follow the nursing home’s notification policy, the facility gave the resident an ad-ditional ordered dose of potassium.

Panic-high potassium levels can cause arrhythmia and also cause the heart to stop, according to Schneiderman’s news release.

The facility’s staff had to provide the patient another medication to lower his potassium level.

Hartnett began working at Heritage Health Care Center in July 2013 and faces a maximum of one year in jail if found guilty, Schneiderman’s office said.

Utica nurse arrested for failing to report a patient’s high-risk, lab-test results

COOPERSTOWN — Bassett Healthcare Network has appointed Michael Tengeres as cor-porate vice president and CFO, effective April 6.

Tengeres takes over for Nicholas Nicoletta, Bassett’s previous CFO, who retired Dec. 31, ac-cording to a news release that Bassett issued on Feb. 16.

Tengeres comes to Cooperstown–based Bassett from the Cleveland Clinic, where he cur-rently is senior director of international finance operations.

In his new job, Tengeres will serve as the financial, insurance, capital, debt, and business strategist for Bassett Healthcare Network.

Bassett is “fortunate” to have Tengeres join the organization, Dr. Vance Brown, Bassett president and CEO, said in the release.

“He brings extensive experience and exper-tise to the role of Corporate CFO that will be

invaluable to our network as we continue our transition, under health reform, from a volume-based health-care delivery system to a value-based model,” said Brown.

Tengeres is a native of upstate New York, the orga-nization said.

He grew up in the Rochester area and earned his undergraduate degree from the University at Buffalo.

He later earned his master of business administration degree from the University of Rochester and began his career at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

Tengeres then moved on to MedStar Health in Baltimore before joining the Cleveland Clinic where he has served for the past nine years, in-

cluding the last four in his current role.“It is a challenging but exciting time to be in

health care, and I am honored to have this op-portunity to serve and work closely with leader-ship, caregivers, and surrounding communities in continuing to advance the Bassett Healthcare Network mission,” Tengeres said in the news release. “I look forward to building our relation-ships and the collective effort of further improv-ing patient care.”

Bassett Healthcare Network includes six hos-pitals; First Community Care of Bassett, which provides home-care equipment, supplies, and related services; At Home Care, a nonprofit, home-health agency; Templeton Foundation, Bassett’s real estate holding company; and Friends of Bassett, the fundraising arm of the Bassett Healthcare Network, according to its news release and website.

Coming Up:

next issue: April 13, 2015

Top Ranks List: Manufacturers

may 25 issue:

Top Ranks List: Chambers of Commerce

July 20 issue:

Top Ranks List: Highest-Paid Occupations

August 31 issue:

Top Ranks List: Largest Employers

october 5 issue:

Top Ranks List: Nonprofits

november 16 issue:

Top Ranks List: Credit Unions/Banks

CCNY Tech formally opens North Utica store

UTICA –– CCNY Tech — a systems integrator, reseller, and electronics recycler of IT network-ing and security hardware — formally opened a new store, serving residential customers and business owners, in North Utica on Feb. 23.

CCNY Tech, formally known as Computer Connection of CNY, Inc., contends this is North Utica’s first technology-repair facility, focus-ing primarily on computer-repair services and business-technology consulting.

The store’s hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays.

The company opened a store in the North Utica area because it saw a need for profession-al technology-repair services there, according to Scott Fluty, CCNY Tech’s CEO and president.

“We want to be available to offer affordable repair services to the community as well as con-sult with some of the local businesses that have helped to build this area to make it prosperous,” Fluty said in a news release. “The local residen-tial consumers need information-technology support as well as business owners and opera-tors of businesses.”

CCNY Tech is headquartered at 11206 Cosby Manor Road in the town of Schuyler. The com-pany has 25 total employees in Central New York and generated revenue of $9.4 million in 2013, according to The Business Journal’s re-search.

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Hartnett

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Lashway

MARCH 2, 2015 I MOHAWK VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL I 3TMVBJ.COM

BY NORMAN POLTENSONnpoltenson@tmvbj.com

UTICA — The staffing and recruiting busi-ness, a $400 billion industry, is thriving from increased placements and revenue, according to a survey from Bullhorn, an online recruiting-software firm.

Fortus Healthcare Resources, headquar-tered in Utica, leads this industry trend with a 32 percent, annual-compounded growth rate that has put it on the Inc.–5000 list for the past three years. (The 2014 Inc. listing is based on the percentage of revenue growth when comparing 2010 to 2013.) Michael Maurizio, the president, CEO, and founder of Fortus, says the com-pany is poised to double sales in the next few years.

Maurizio is basing his projections on a business plan he began implementing in November 2013. The first step was to re-brand the firm, which had been known by its two operating corporations: The Fortus Group, Inc., a C-Corp. for the direct-place-ment business, was set up in 1993 to handle staffing for dialysis units; the second corpo-ration, Fortus Group Travel, Inc., an S-corp. for the travel business, was created in 2006 to place traveling nurses and patient-care technicians. Fortus Healthcare Resources is a d/b/a.

“We recognized the importance of di-versifying the business and expanded our business model to become a full-service consultant,” says Maurizio. “The new brand — Fortus Healthcare Resources — is an integral part of our growth strategy.”

The second step was to hire a company CFO to help guide the growth. “I hired Dave (David L.) Keenan,” notes Maurizio, “a certified public accountant, whose pre-vious experience included working at PriceWaterhouseCoopers for eight years as a tax manager and most recently more than a dozen years at Oneida Ltd. as the vice president of treasury and tax. He also has experience in the mergers and acquisitions area, which we are looking at to supple-ment our organic growth. Dave has already pointed out a number of opportunities to increase our growth and profitability.”

Keenan is certainly bullish on the direc-tion of the company he joined at the end of October 2014. “The direct-placement business continues to be strong and con-sistent,” affirms the new CFO. “But Fortus has seen explosive growth in the travel business, which has grown from $2 mil-lion to $6 million just in the last few years. Further growth in both divisions has come from the new initiatives in diversifying our reach to clinicians in other areas of the hospital outside of dialysis. While the potential for organic growth is our primary focus, if the right opportunity appeared, we are open to acquiring a health-care-staffing company. To me, however, our most imme-diate path is to increase revenue and profit-ability within our defined organic-growth initiatives.”

The third step was to add the required space to accommodate the projected growth. “In September 2014, we moved our office from the old Harza Building in down-town to our new building on the south side of Utica at 2717 Genesee St. We replaced 5,000 square feet with 8,000 square feet and

organized each of the operating corpora-tions on its own floor. This not only gives us room to add staff, but also makes for a smoother operation flow,” Mauruzio says. He owns the new office building through a real-estate company he calls Performance Plus, LLC. Oneida County real-property records indicate that the building and land was sold for $475,000 on July 17, 2014. The structure was built in 1980.

DiversificationFortus has come a long way since its early

days of only placing dialysis professionals. “We really are diversified now,” Maurizio stresses. “In addition to dialysis health-care professionals, we provide health-care organizations with RNs and LPNs, social workers, dieticians, surgeons, in-service and educational clinicians, executive-level management, bio-med technicians, neph-rologists, and administrators. Our specialty areas include nephrology, travel positions, ambulatory, and perioperative/surgery. Fortus also offers clinical-practice consult-ing. With more than 20 years of industry experience, we help our clients prevent critical staff gaps, reduce the time-to-hire as well as the cost-to-hire, provide the best clinical talent available, and eliminate

staffing hassles. The bottom line is that health-care institutions need to focus on their patients: We help them do that.”

Fortus’s revenue of $120,000 in year one has blossomed into a business that generated $2.6 million in revenue in 2009,

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4 I MOHAWK VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL I MARCH 2, 2015TMVBJ.COM

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Free community colleges: Getting ahead of the futureBY NORMAN POLTENSONnpoltenson@tmvbj.com

The future ain’t what it used to be. — Yogi Berra

UTICA — “The world is changing faster than any one of us can comprehend,” says Randall J. (Randy) VanWagoner, Ph.D., president of Mohawk Valley Community College (MVCC), which was the first community college founded in the state. “That means the future is here. Our role at MVCC is to get ahead of the future and plan a curriculum that meets our mission.

“In an increasingly competitive world,” he continues, “America’s economic strength de-pends on the education and skills of its work-force. In just five years from now, 35 percent of job openings will require at least a bachelor’s degree and another 30 percent will require an associate degree. [Or viewed another way], … jobs requiring an associate degree are projected to grow almost twice as fast those re-quiring no college education. That means that America’s 1,100 community colleges, which currently enroll more than 6 million students, will need to accommodate another 5 million.”

On Jan. 9, President Barack Obama pro-posed to make “… two years at community col-leges free for responsible students.” Full-time students could save an average of $3,800 in tuition per year. To receive the necessary fund-ing, the community colleges must strengthen their programs by increasing the number of students who graduate, ensure that their pro-grams are transferrable to local, four-year pub-lic colleges and universities, and attain high graduation rates that lead to degrees or cer-tificates; the states must invest more in higher education, reduce the need for remediation and repeated courses, and allocate a significant por-tion of funding based on performance; and the students must attend school at least half-time, maintain a 2.5 GPA, and make steady progress toward completing their program. In addition to the free-tuition proposal, the president also proposed the American Technical Training Fund to establish 100 training centers targeted to help high-potential, low-wage workers. These centers are anticipated to have strong employer partnerships that include work-based learning and accelerated training.

“At first glance, this is a bold proposal,” opines VanWagoner, “that carries a $9 billion annual price tag. But remember that it was only a century ago that America opted for free sec-ondary education not just to promote economic prosperity but also to ensure an educated citi-zenry, which is fundamental to a democracy. Our country thrived, in large part, because we had the most-educated workforce in the world. In today’s global economy, however, we can’t rest on our laurels. In retrospect, perhaps the president’s proposal isn’t radical at all: it’s just a continuation of our 100-year-old commitment.”

MVCC’s evolutionMVCC’s president then reminded this

reporter why community colleges were es-tablished. “In 1946, millions of veterans were returning from WWII,” he notes. “The GI Bill guaranteed them free admission to higher edu-cation. The leaders in this community estab-lished MVCC to respond to the need and to mirror the community’s needs. Community colleges are unique because they are at the nexus where education, business, government, and the community intersect. Our mission in-

cluded affordable tuition, an open-admissions policy, flexible course schedules, and convenient locations, all designed primarily for local students who are older, working, or need remedial classes. In 1946, MVCC sponsored two program clusters: one in engineering and the other in retail/business. Students in each program spent six weeks per semester in class and the other six weeks in the workforce garnering practical experience. While the cur-riculum may have changed over the past seven decades, the mission is the same.”

Today, the average age of students at MVCC is 24. “Half of our 7,000 students are on a career path and the other half have plans to transfer to a four-year institution,” states VanWagoner. “Most of them commute, and another 515 students live in residence halls. About 20 percent of entering students transfer on to a four-year college or university. Eighty percent of our students work while attending school. MVCC also serves a large refugee/immigrant population with [approximately] 250 students pursuing an ESL (English-as-a-second-language) certificate. Our graduation rate is 23 percent, which is on par with the average rate among SUNY community col-leges. MVCC’s overall success rate rises to 41.7 percent when you include students who graduate or transfer within three years of enrolling full time. About 75 percent of the students are from Oneida County. The Utica campus enrolls 65 percent of our students, the Rome campus serves 12 percent, 12 percent study online, 8 percent take dual-credit classes in area high schools, and 4 percent study at other off-campus sites. The student body is 74 percent white, 6.5 percent African–American, 4 percent Asian, 5.5 percent Hispanic, and the remainder is either multi-racial or unknown.”

FundingTrends in financial support of community

colleges show that the burden is falling increas-ingly on students. “MVCC receives 27 percent of its funding from New York state, 22 percent from the county, 46 percent from tuition, and the remaining 5 percent from other sources such as grants,” stresses VanWagoner. “Student enrollment is countercyclical to the economy, which means in times of recession our enroll-ment grows, and when the economy recovers, our enrollment declines. Currently, funding from the state is based on enrollment, but the state share has been gradually shrinking in comparison to county and tuition revenues.

“Now, the state’s reimbursement system based on enrollment is about to change,” observes MVCC’s president, “and so is the federal contribution. New York will soon join 33 other states which have instituted perfor-mance-based funding. Government wants the same things we do: to graduate more students within a shorter time-frame; improve student retention rates; enhance job placement; boost post-graduation compensation levels; and cre-ate milestones for credits earned, for example, success rates in remedial coursework. A por-tion of our government funding will be depen-dent on meeting established goals along these lines. To me, it’s imperative that we meet the new standards without lowering our academic

SEE MVCC, PAGE 7

VanWagoner

MARCH 2, 2015 I MOHAWK VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL I 5TMVBJ.COM

$6.2 million in 2012, and more than $10 million last year. The Fortus headquarters currently houses a staff of 40, of whom 30 are recruiters. The company employs another 60 nurses and patient-care techni-cians who are in the field. In addition to the Utica office, Maurizio set up an office in Hof, Germany in 2008 to make perma-nent placements, primarily in Europe. “We live in a global economy, and we want to take advantage of opportunities outside our borders,” asserts Maurizio, who is the sole stockholder of the enterprise. Keenan notes that the Hof office currently represents approximately 6 percent of the non-travel-related revenues.

Maurizio and his leadership team, which includes Keenan, Jeremy Enck as the vice president of sales, and Kathy Paquette as the director of human resources, are fo-cused on outpatient-based services as the primary growth area. “We see areas like oncology, emergency medicine, labor and delivery, and burn centers growing in their demand for our services. But the number-one growth area for us is ambulatory-sur-gery centers,” Maurizio says. (December 2014 figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicated that of the 34,000 new jobs created in health care that month, 16,000 were in ambulatory settings.)

“The country has an aging population. Our care-facilities need nurses to fill in as needed. They also need executives. This is a very competitive industry, but what’s really interesting is that most of our compe-tition comes from national and international recruiting companies,” he adds.

Maurizio muses on how high-tech the business has become. “I started this business with a rotary telephone and a Rolodex,” he quips. “Today, we supplement the phone with emails and a variety of social media, and the Rolodex has been replaced by sophisticated databases that monitor our various expenses for the traveling nurses such as housing, car rentals, and per-diems, while also helping us to offer 24-hour con-cierge service.” Dan Hartman, the com-munications executive with the company, adds that Fortus utilizes Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn as channels for communicat-ing with its clients, candidates, and media contacts. “I estimate that I spend a couple of hours each day communicating via social

media,” he observes. “We use Facebook and Twitter a lot to reach out to our nurses and to candidates, and the recruiters also leverage LinkedIn … Our blog posts are another way to educate our audience about the industry and the company.”

MaurizioMaurizio, 57, is a self-described “Southside

boy” who attended high school in Utica be-fore matriculating at Paul Smith’s College to major in hospitality. In 1984, he went to work as a salesman for Whitehall Laboratories, a Fortune 100 company. The Southside boy was promoted to division manager before he left to join Baxter International, a global, diversified health-care company that devel-oped, manufactured, and marketed prod-ucts for chronic and acute conditions, such as kidney disease. In 1988, Maurizio went to work for the Boston office of Carter/MacKay, a company formed in 1970 to place sales, sales-management, and market-ing personnel, plus scientific professionals, in the health-care industry. Family reasons brought him back to the Mohawk Valley to start his own firm.

“Placement is a tough business,” de-clares Maurizio, “because it’s a double sale. First you have to convince doctors, nurses, technicians, and administrators that the companies we represent are the right choice. Then you have to convince your clients that you have the best candidates to fill the open positions. We spent years building our reputation as the number-one nephrology recruiter in the world. Now, we are getting traction with health-care profes-sionals in the ambulatory-surgery specialty. There’s no doubt that we’re on track to see our revenues … [balloon] to the $20 million mark.”

Fortus’s growth has been reflected his-torically in the numbers posted on the Inc.5000. The company was also recognized last year by BizEventz and The Business Journal as one of the “Best Places to Work” in the 16-county Central New York area. Maurizio was honored recently by The Staffing Industry Review magazine, a pub-lication featuring the 100 most influential people in the staffing industry.

When Maurizio says the company is poised to double its revenues, the only question is: how quickly? n

FORTUS: Firm’s growth has been reflected in the numbers posted on the Inc. 5000 Continued from page 3

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EDUCATION & TRAINING

Herkimer College has appointed JOHN LASHER to the position of registrar. He was recently employed as the registrar at SUNY Polytechnic Institute. Lasher holds a bachelor’s degree in biology and a master’s degree in education from SUNY Albany. AMY ROEPNACK has been appointed to the position of assistant professor for fash-ion buying & merchandising at Herkimer College. She was previously employed as an art education teacher at Sherburne-Earlville Central School. Roepnack has a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in teaching from SUNY Purchase.

FINANCIAL SERVICES

M. Griffith Investment Services announced that LOIS A. MARIANO has joined the firm as an implementation & train-ing specialist. She brings with her more than 25 years of management and customer-service skill experience. Mariano is an implementation & training specialist. M. Griffith Investment

Services has promoted MARY GURTOWSKI to the position of corpo-rate secretary. She has been a member of the M. Griffith team since 2002. Gurtowski is Series 7 & 66 registered, and holds a bachelor’s degree in business from SUNYIT.

HEALTH CARE

Valley Health Services (VHS) in Herkimer has named BETHANY WILLIAMS chief financial officer and AMANDA HEIN has been promoted to director of rehabilita-tion services. Williams served as vice president of finance/assistant con-troller at Upstate Cerebral Palsy. She graduated from Utica College of Syracuse University with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and was a member of the Leadership Mohawk Valley Class of 2013. Hein has been an employee at VHS since 2010, most recently serving as inpatient rehab coordinator. Prior to join-

ing VHS, she had lengthy experience in the field of physical therapy in the skilled nursing facility setting. Hein graduated from Ilion High School and received her bach-elor’s degree in clinical science and her master’s degree in physical therapy from Ithaca College.

JOHN D. THOMAS II, M.D. has been named medical direc-tor of rehabilitation services at Mohawk Valley Health System (MVHS). He has served as medical director for rehabilitation services at St. Elizabeth Medical Center since 1998; he also serves as assistant to the chief medical officer at SEMC. Thomas at-tended Hamilton College in Clinton, and the University of the Northeast Medical School in Tampico, Mexico. He complet-ed an internship at St. Vincent’s Hospital in New York City and a residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation at Strong Memorial Hospital.

NONPROFITS

Upstate Cerebral Palsy recently an-nounced that TARA COSTELLO has joined as the new vice presi-dent of its Behavioral Health Service Division. She received her bach-elor’s degree from Utica College in psychology and has obtained her certified alcoholism and substance abuse cre-dential; she is actively pursuing her master’s degree in social work at the University of Albany. Costello has served in various positions for the past 16 years including working as the director of substance abuse for Oneida County Mental Health. JOHN A. MARTIN has joined as the vice president of human resources at Upstate Cerebral Palsy. He has worked as a professional in human resources for more than 15 years, including leadership positions in health-care, education, and not-for-profit organizations. Martin is certified as a senior professional in human resources by the Society for Human Resources Management and holds an MBA from the Franciscan University in Ohio. n

People on the Move NEWS

Mariano

Gurtowski

Williams

Hein

Thomas

Costello

Martin

MOHAWK VALLEY CONFERENCE & MEETING FACILITIESRanked by Maximum Exhibit Area in Square Feet

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THE LISTResearch by Nicole Collinsncollins@tmvbj.com(315) 579-3911Twitter: @cnybjresearch

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 ncollins@tmvbj.com

MARCH 2, 2015 I MOHAWK VALLEY BUSINESS JOURNAL I 7TMVBJ.COM

THE LISTResearch by Nicole Collinsncollins@tmvbj.com(315) 579-3911Twitter: @cnybjresearch

Oneida County Hotel Results for 2014

Occupancy rate for year: 54.9%

Month with highest occupancy: July at 72.6%

Total room revenue generated for year: $59.5 million

Average daily rate of rooms: $105.66

Source: STR

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 ncollins@tmvbj.com

MVCC: VanWagoner serves as the fifth president of MVCC, a position he has held since 2007. Continued from page 4

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standards, inflating grades, or restricting our open-door policy.”

Partnerships with businessOne thing that hasn’t changed is MVCC’s

commitment to working with business. “The president’s proposal for free tuition wants community colleges to build partnerships with business to create career pathways,” posits VanWagoner. “We’ve been doing that since we opened our doors. The college works closely with area businesses on work-site-education programs that build essential skills. We design training that is relevant to the local market, including machine shops, the aviation industry, and the health-care com-munity, and likely to lead to employment and careers. We are also designing courses for emerging industries: nanotechnology, which fits into our electronics and semi-conductor curriculum; unmanned aerial systems, which

is an extension of our aviation-maintenance curriculum; and cybersecurity, which is a collaboration with Utica College and SUNY Polytechnic Institute. All three are turning the region into a technology center and regional powerhouse. Local employer reps sit on our advisory committees that shape the institution’s curricula, and more than 40 area employers offer paid internships to our students.”

VanWagoner returns to the president’s pro-posal with these thoughts: “Back in January, I wrote a blog entitled ‘A Big Idea for a Big Problem,’ ” he reflects. “Like most transfor-mative ideas, we need time to consider all of the implications. Free tuition at community colleges would certainly accelerate a better-trained workforce, which will surely benefit the country economically and perhaps even help to close the wealth gap. It will also deal with the ballooning student-loan debt, which

now surpasses all of America’s credit-card debt. (February figures put student-loan debt at $1.16 trillion.) The financial wreckage of our higher-education system is on display every day at our admissions office. Getting a degree while working is hard, but we also know that human beings try harder and perform better when they have some skin in the game. Should we ask students to contribute something to their education? In addition, America needs to deal with its … [obsession] that all high-school graduates should attend four-year institutions of higher learning regardless of their interests or level of preparedness. Society has a narrow un-derstanding of success which has significant negative consequences. At minimum, the president’s proposal should begin a national conversation.”

MVCC, which was founded in 1946, oper-ates from two campuses — one in Utica and

one in Rome — and from off-campus loca-tions. In the academic year 2014-15, the school enrolled 4,024 full-time and 3,124 part-time students. The full-time faculty and staff num-bered 419 and total employment was 733. The projected annual budget was $52.6 million. In-state tuition was $3,810 and room and board cost $9,800. Sixty-nine percent of the students receive financial aid, and the college boasts nearly 44,000 alumni.

VanWagoner serves as the fifth president of MVCC, a position he has held since 2007. He came to the Mohawk Valley, having served as the chief academic officer at Metropolitan Community College in Omaha and as the chief student-affairs officer at Red Rocks Community College in Golden, Colorado. He received his graduate degrees from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. He and his wife, Jennifer, live with their two daughters in New Hartford. n

8 I Mohawk valley busIness journal I March 2, 2015TMvbj.coM

The Business Journal News Network and Berkshire Bank announce the most exciting event coming to the Mohawk Valley. On April 30th we will recognize Mohawk Valley’s most dedicated and visionary leaders. Entrepreneurs who have built thriving corporations and who have also generously supported our community, both fi nancially and with their time and talent.

Visit bizeventz.com to register or for more information

Thursday, April 30, 2015

Stanley Theatre, Utica

Mohawk ValleyAWARDSPresented By:

Thursday, April 30, 2015

Stanley Theatre, Utica

Mohawk ValleyAWARDSPresented By:

LEGACY

Announcing the 2015 honorees!Nick & Fred Matt

F.X. Matt Brewing Co./Saranac

Greg HardenHarden Furniture

Charles, Bill & Brian GaetanoCharles A. Gaetano Construction Corp.

Kirk & Mark HinmanRome Strip Steel Co., Inc.

Event Details:Event date: April 30, 2015Location: Stanley Theatre, UticaTime: 6:00 pm-8:30 pm

6:00 pm-7:30 pm: Enjoy delicious food stations, open bar, networking & live music! (Please note: this is not a sit-down dinner, it is open-seating)7:30 pm-8:30 pm: Awards Program, Dessert & Photos

Cost: $75/ticketBlack Tie Optional