From left: New York State Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon; Carter McArthur, Industrial Manufacturing Technician, Giovanni Food Company; and Randy Wolken, MACNY President & CEO.
On June 12, MACNY, The Manufacturers Association and Partners for Education & Business, Inc. (PEB) hosted the 2024 Workforce Development Awards at Le Moyne College. This well-attended event celebrated the accomplishments of students and Registered Apprentices pursuing an education or careers in manufacturing and other industries. Also receiving recognition were individuals and companies that support the career preparation of youth and adults in Central New York. We extend our congratulations to all of the individuals and organization honored at this year’s event!
MACNY President & CEO, Randy Wolken, shares, “It’s an honor to host this annual awards ceremony to celebrate the achievements of students pursuing higher education in STEM fields, the Registered Apprenticeship graduates that have achieved Journeyworker status, and all the exemplary local organizations and community leaders that support the career development of youth and adults. This year was especially meaningful for MACNY because four of our own staff members signed their apprenticeship paperwork, demonstrating our belief in the effectiveness of the program and the value of building our workforce through upskilling.”
The award ceremony kicked off with the announcement of PEB’s 12th cohort of CNY STEM Scholars. To date, the program has awarded over $1,068,000 in scholarships to local students and stands as one of the most effective strategies for recruiting talented students from our region. The 11 Central New York students awarded these scholarships and their company sponsors were:
- Beardsley Architects + Engineers: Sophia Synborski (Cazenovia High School)
- INFICON: Kelsey Dwyer (Baldwinsville High School)
- King+King: Megan Reymond (Chittenango High School)
- Novelis: Elijah Haga (Cato-Meridian High School) and Gavin Nichols (Cicero-North Syracuse High School)
- SRC, Inc.: Ethan Harbinger (East Syracuse Minoa High School), Hayley Harbin (Fayetteville-Manlius High School), and Yandel Valdes (East Syracuse Minoa High School)
- TTM Technologies: Ahmad Alawaad (SCSD) and Brooke Kirkpatrick (East Syracuse Minoa High School), and
- WestRock: Evan Gray (New Hartford High School)
Several partners, organizations, and individuals were recognized for their dedication to supporting STEM careers and education in our community, including:
- Community Partnership of the Year: The MOST
- 2024 SRC STEM Champion of the Year: Matthew Eaton, Senior Business Consultant, JPMorgan Chase
- Business Partnerships of the Year: Belden Inc., Byrne, City of Syracuse, and Giovanni Food Company
- Lifetime Achievement: Steve Schill, Senior Director of Global Sales Projects at INFICON
From left: Nicole Broadnax and Egzona Imeri, City of Syracuse
An incredible 29 Registered Apprenticeship graduates were celebrated for earning their Journeyworker credential in 2023 from the New York State Department of Labor:
- Bausch + Lomb: Alara Powell – Electro-Mechanical Technician
- Baxter: David Sipes – Toolmaker
- City of Syracuse: Egzona Imeri and Nicole Broadnax – Software Developer
- CNY Fabrication, LLC: Joshua Jones – Welder
- Custom Tool and Model Corporation: Landon Malanoski – Machinist (CNC)
- Gaylord Archival: Eric Short and Nicholas Piciuccio – Industrial Manufacturing Technician
- Giovanni Food Company: Carter McArthur – Industrial Manufacturing Technician; Shaun Tiffany – Maintenance Mechanic
- Hardinge, Inc: Preston Mele, Emily Sheerer, and Daniel Saunders – Industrial Manufacturing Technician; Matthew Snyder – Electro-Mechanical Technician
- Hartman Enterprises, Inc.: Alyssa Enslow – Industrial Manufacturing Technician
- Hubbard Tool & Die: Brian Trexler – Machinist (CNC)
- Indium Corporation: Efrain Diaz, Taylor Zammiello, Timmy Le, Anthony George, Hone Kim, Brianna Bouck, Julianne Burchill, Michael Ziobro, and Madyson Bridge – Industrial Manufacturing Technician
- North Country Dairy: James Miller, Jr. – Electro-Mechanical Technician
- Twinco Manufacturing Co., Inc.: Raul Flores – Machinist (CNC), and
- WestRock: Wendi Czirr and Jacob Money – Plant Maintenance-Electrician
Additionally, as a testament to MACNY’s commitment to upskill and bolster the talent development pipeline, we concluded the program with a first-ever apprentice signing for four of our own team members to signify the beginning of their apprenticeship journey.
- Murjan Abdi – Workforce Development Specialist apprentice
- Colleen Blagg – Project Manager apprentice
- Amanda Rice – Project Manager apprentice
- Justyna Valencia – Marketing Coordinator apprentice
Eight companies were recognized as new Registered Apprenticeship Program signatory companies, while another 14 were recognized for expanding their Registered Apprenticeship Programs.
New Registered Apprenticeship signatory companies include: Buxton Medical Equipment Devices, Eaton Crouse-Hinds, Flex-Hose Co. Inc., F.X. Matt Brewing Company, GSE Dynamics Inc., Plug Power Inc., Semikron Danfoss, and Wolfspeed.
Companies who expanded their Registered Apprenticeship programs from January 2023 – April 2024 were: 110 Metalworks Inc., Allen Tool Phoenix, Inc., Bausch + Lomb, Belden Inc., Bush Industries, Consolidated Precision Products (CPP), EMCom, Inc., Hardinge, Inc., Hubbard Tool & Die Corp., Indium Corporation, Knowles, North Country Dairy, Superior Metals Manufacturing, and Thompson & Johnson Equipment Co., Inc.
New York State Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon said, “This event is a powerful testament to the dedication and hard work of students, apprentices, and the companies that support them in their journey towards successful careers. The recognition of these individuals and the commitment shown by MACNY and PEB in fostering talent development underscores the vital role of workforce development in the economic growth of Central New York. The DOL is proud to support these efforts and celebrate the accomplishments of all the awardees and apprentices.”