Kudos: Westchester County Promotions And Awards, May 11, 2015

Notable awards, promotions, and recognitions around Westchester.

Westchester District Attorney Honored by Cuomo

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo joined more than 500 guests in April to present the inaugural Mario M. Cuomo Award in Public Service to Janet DiFiore, the Westchester County district attorney. The award recognizes Italian American public servants who are known for their passion, conviction, and dedication to serving the Italian American community. “My father was dedicated to represent the best of the Italian American people and he wanted to model the best of the Italian American culture,” Cuomo said.  “He led a life of principle, dignity, and honor.  He was about honor and commitment and living up to his word.” DiFiore thanked Cuomo for taking the time to be at the National Italian American Foundation Gala. “This evening is about scholarship and education. Thank you for the fight for quality education and educational opportunities for every child in the State of New York,” DiFiore said. “Mario Cuomo is a model, the most cherished Italian American to call our own.”

One Of Westchester’s Best Places To Work

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Curtis Instruments, Inc.—a privately held international instruments and controllers manufacturer headquartered in Mount Kisco—has been recognized by The New York State Society for Human Resource Management (NYSSHRM) as the fourth-best company to work for in New York. Curtis, currently celebrating its 55th anniversary, received the recognition in the Large Employer category at NYSSHRM’s eighth annual awards ceremony in April. The company currently operates 15 sales, engineering, and manufacturing locations across the globe, and employs more than 1,000 people. Curtis was recognized for workplace excellence, demonstrated through multiple facets including its distinctive approach to cultivating and supporting its staff. The company says it promotes corporate principles that drive ethical behavior, global citizenship, and community involvement.  “One of our guiding principles at Curtis is that our people are our number one resource,” said Anne Papaelias, vice president of human resources at Curtis Instruments, and a 914INC. 2014 Women in Business honoree. “Each person in this diverse network of employees is responsible for Curtis’ progress, and each person equally shares in the company’s success, including this special recognition. Being named a Best Company is a clear reflection of our core values in treating employees fairly and with respect.” 

The Westchester Bank Named One of Top 100 Best-Performing Community Banks in America

SNL Financial, a leading provider of financial information, has named The Westchester Bank one of the Top 100 Best Performing Community Banks in America in 2014. Community banks were defined as institutions with assets between $500 million and $5 billion and 60 or fewer offices. In addition, at least one-third of the bank’s balance sheets must be composed of loans with less than half of those loans attributable to credit card lending. The bank also had to be well-capitalized according to regulatory standards and could not have a majority of revenue derived from non-traditional banking activities. Based on these criteria, 805 banking entities were eligible. The Westchester Bank ranked 85th nationwide and was one of only two banks from all of New York State to receive a Top 100 Best Performing Community Bank distinction. “We’re truly honored to be chosen a Top 100 Best Performing Bank in the country,” said John M. Tolomer, president and CEO of The Westchester Bank. “It’s a testament to the quality and caliber of our entire bank team who work tirelessly to deliver world-class banking service to our customers. Our service model, ‘banking made personal,’ resonates with the local business community and we remain very proud to be working with many of the most respected companies in Westchester County.”

Timothy G. Boyland, AIA, president; AIANYS Paul McDonnell, AIA Buffalo Schools, director of facilities, planning, design, and construction (also a Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller Award recipient); Georgi Ann Bailey, CAE, executive director; Kelly Hayes McAlonie, AIA, past president, AIANYS and associate vice provost, University at Buffalo; Russell A. Davidson, FAIA KG&D president and AIA national 2015 first vice president/2016 president elect.

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KG&D Architect’s School Project Nabs Honors

The Post Road School in White Plains, designed by Mount Kisco architecture firm KG&D Architects, was recently honored with the Excelsior Award of Distinction in Public Architecture by the American Institute of Architects New York State (AIANYS). AIANYS honors New York State-funded projects that serve the public; the Excelsior Award celebrates design and professional excellence in publicly funded buildings in New York State. AIANYS, in collaboration with New York State contracting agencies, created these awards to provide a model of excellence for future state-funded building design and professional practice and advocacy. The KG&D project won in the New Construction category. “KG&D is honored to be recognized by AIANYS for our work with White Plains Public Schools on the new Post Road Elementary School,” said Russell A. Davidson, FAIA president of KG&D Architects, PC. “Our team takes pride in collaborating with our clients to develop a valid concept and exceptional design that is durable and economical for the owners, functional for the users, and inspiring to the greater community.”

Six Businesspeople Honored by St. Christopher’s Inc.

Six Westchester businesspeople were honored for their contributions to St. Christopher’s, an adolescent development organization based in Dobbs Ferry, at the organization’s Annual Superhero Gala in Tarrytown. This year’s honorees were: Michael Aisner of the Torch Foundation; Jessica Manfro and Christine Wexler of Mind Ur Body & Soul; John Dimling, St. Christopher’s board member and former chairman and CEO of Nielsen Media Research; and John and Diane Durante of Durante Rentals. “We are ecstatic to recognize and honor these caring individuals and organizations for their contributions to St. Christopher’s. Each, in their own right and special way, has developed long lasting relationships with our students and staff, and we are indebted to them for their continued and critically important support in helping us shape the lives of our students,” said Robert Maher, St. Christopher’s CEO.

White Plains Financial Advisor Named Five Star Professional

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Jesus E. Lopez, financial advisor with Ameriprise Financial in White Plains, has been named a recipient of the 2015 Five Star Wealth Manager award by Five Star Professional. This is Lopez’s third consecutive year as a recipient for this prestigious award. The award goes to less than seven percent of the wealth managers in the region based on research administered by Five Star Professional, a third-party research firm. To receive the 2015 Five Star Wealth Manager award, a wealth manager must meet 10 objective eligibility and evaluation criteria associated with providing quality services to clients including client retention rates, client assets administered, firm review, and favorable regulatory and complaint history.

Lopez, who is celebrating his 15h anniversary as a financial advisor with Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc., works with clients to plan for their financial goals for a lifetime through a personal long-term financial planning relationship.

Two Local Attorneys Named Fellow of the New York Bar Foundation

Elder law attorney Anthony J. Enea, a managing partner at Enea, Scanlan & Sirignano, LLP, in White Plains and Somers, and Lawrence A. Mandelker, a resident of Katonah and senior partner with Manhattan law firm Kantor Davidoff, have both been named a Fellow of the New York Bar Foundation. The honor recognizes the attorneys for distinguished achievement, dedication to the legal profession, service to the public, and commitment to the organized bar. Named Westchester County’s Leading Elder Care Attorney at the Above the Bar Awards, Enea’s practice areas include elder law, Medicaid planning and applications, special needs planning, wills, trusts, and estates, and guardianships and estate litigation. “Selection as a Fellow of the New York Bar Foundation is an outstanding honor. I am proud to be recognized by my peers, particularly for work that I find so personally rewarding,” said Enea. A successful commercial litigator, and AV-rated attorney, Mandelker is widely known for his election law and government relations practice. He has represented numerous candidates for public office (among them Ed Koch, Rudy Giuliani, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, and Michael Bloomberg) and both the New York State Democratic and Republican parties. As Foundation ambassadors, Fellows exemplify the spirit of caring and sharing by demonstrating their belief that the practice of law is a helping profession. “Fellows represent one percent of the New York State Bar Association membership. Being nominated and elected is a notable achievement,” said Emily F. Franchina, fellows chair.

Our Westchester Home Builders Awards take place on April 4!

Our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Forum is March 14!

Unveiled: A Boutique Bridal Brunch is February 25!

Our Best of Westchester Elimination Ballot is open through March 6!

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