ALBANY, N.Y.—The Business Council of New York State's Board of Directors has elected G. Thomas Tranter, Jr., president of Corning Enterprises, as Chairman of the state’s leading business advocacy organization. For the past year, Mr. Tranter has served as co-chair alongside David Smith, who exits as the longest serving chair in The Business Council’s history.
“The Business Council is fortunate to have a long history of strong and active board chairs and I have no doubt that Tom Tranter will carry that tradition forward,” said Heather C. Briccetti, president and CEO of The Business Council of New York State. “At the same time, we are sad to see David Smith leave as chair, but delighted that he has decided to continue on as a member of our board.”
“This is a bittersweet moment for me. It has been an honor to serve alongside David Smith for the past year and I’m sorry to see him go. I pledge to lead The Council down the path he has paved and will continue to seek his advice and counsel,” said G. Thomas Tranter, incoming board chair and president of Corning Enterprises. “The Business Council has made great strides over the past few years thanks in large part to Heather’s leadership, David’s guidance, and strong relationships with Governor Cuomo and the state Legislature. But our work is far from done. Next year is shaping up to be a critical year for business interests across New York State and I look forward to working with my fellow board members and the team at The Business Council to ensure we deliver results for our members and the broader business community.”
In addition to re-electing 16 board members, The Business Council is proud to welcome six new members to the board.
They are:
B. Reuben Auspitz, Managing Member & Co-Founder, IP.com, LLC:
B. Reuben Auspitz is Managing Member and Co-Founder with Bill Manning of IP.com, LLC, a Fairport, New York-based member of The Business Council. (Until his retirement in June, 2015, Reuben was previously the Vice Chairman and Executive Vice President of Manning & Napier Advisors, Inc., where he had served for 32 years and which he represented as a Director of The Business Council.)
Peter Chynoweth, Senior Vice President, CMA Consulting:
Peter M. Chynoweth serves a Senior Vice President of CMA Consulting Services, a Latham, New York- based Information Technology consulting firm. His responsibilities include overseeing the professional services division of CMA as well as all business development aspects throughout the United States. Peter prides himself on the fact that he has lived and/or worked in every major city in NYS from Buffalo to Brooklyn. He received his BS degree from Syracuse University and his MBA from RPI.
Mitchell W. Miller, Senior Vice President and Director, Public Sector Banking, New York Region, KeyBank N.A.:
Mitchell W. Miller serves as senior vice president and director of Public Sector Banking in KeyBank’s New York Region, providing sales leadership and management to KeyBank’s Public Sector team throughout New York and New England.
Prior to joining KeyBank in 1998 after 27 years of service with New York state government, Miller was chief administrative officer and deputy commissioner for Administration for Empire State Development, the economic development arm of New York State.
Michael Printup, President, Watkins Glen International:
Western New York native, Michael Printup, was named the president of Watkins Glen International (WGI) in June of 2009. He is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the world-renowned road course and keeping it the premier road-racing facility in North America and the lone track in New York State to host NASCAR.
Prior to taking the helm at Watkins Glen International, Printup served as the senior director of facility management at Michigan International Speedway (MIS). While with MIS, Printup directed all business and facility development, oversaw $30 million in construction projects and led new business initiatives.
Raymond L. Rudolph, Executive Chairman and Chief Client Officer, CHA Consulting, Inc.:
Raymond L. Rudolph is an engineer in every sense of the word. He holds a Civil Engineering degree from Union College, and has spent much of the last 30 years designing and managing engineering projects nationally and globally.
His background also includes engineering the creation and development of a specialized, and highly successful, niche design service for athletic fields, arenas and other recreation facilities. CHA’s sports and recreation division, is widely recognized as the leader in its field, having developed hundreds of athletic venues ranging from MetLife field for the Giants and Jets to winter Olympic facilities.
Philip R. Van Horne, Chairman & CEO, BlueRock Energy:
Phil Van Horne serves as president, chairman and CEO of BlueRock Energy, a privately held energy solutions company based in Syracuse, New York, that provides electricity, natural gas and renewable energy products to residential customers and to small and medium-sized businesses across New York State. Phil founded BlueRock Energy in 2003 and under his leadership the company has solidified its position as a leading provider of energy solutions built around specific business needs.
Several vice-chairs were also elected or re-elected, they include:
Vice Chair and Treasurer Paul Speranza, vice chairman and secretary of Wegmans Food Markets Inc.
Vice Chair and Secretary Marissa Shorenstein, president, AT&T New York
Vice Chair for Membership Eric Mower, chairman and CEO of Eric Mower + Associates
Vice Chair Chris Booth, CEO of Excellus BlueCross BlueShield
Vice Chair Karen Boykin-Towns, vice president, corporate affairs, Pfizer Inc
Vice Chair Tom Judson, chairman of The Pike Company, Inc.
Vice Chair John McAvoy, chairman and CEO of Consolidated Edison, andÂ
Vice Chair David Smith, chairman of the board of National Fuel Gas Company