A changing of the guard at Cooley Group

Yawman is a life-long native of Rochester and has more than 25 years of leadership experience. Before joining Cooley Group, he was executive VP of sales and marketing operations at Annese & Associates. Prior to that, Yawman was a senior VP of business development at Finger Lakes Technologies Group and VP/general manager at Frontier Communications, according to his LinkedIn profile. He was also formerly CEO of Rocket Broadband and co-founder of Choice One Communications. Yawman received his MBA degree from the University of Rochester’s Simon School of Business Administration and bachelor’s degree from Hobart and William Smith Colleges.

“Phil’s appointment represents an exciting new chapter in the long and successful history of the company,” the Cooley Group board of directors said in a news release. “His entrepreneurial and people-focused leadership style, proven track record of driving profitable growth in competitive markets, and his knowledge and operating experience throughout New York State positions the Cooley Group to continue to be a leader in the specialty print, branding and promotions marketplace.”

Yawman will be responsible for the overall management of Cooley Group and will also serve as chairman of the company’s board of directors.

“The Board of Directors speak for everyone at the Cooley Group in thanking Stuart [Boyar] for his dedication and many accomplishments to the company. He will leave a considerable legacy, and we’re grateful for his leadership over the years,” the board said in the release.

Yawman joined the Cooley Group on Dec. 17 and transitioned to the role of president a couple weeks later.

In addition to the Rochester, Syracuse, and Utica regions, the Cooley Group also has offices in the Albany and Hudson Valley areas. Cooley’s Syracuse and Utica–area offices are in the towns of DeWitt and New Hartford, respectively.

Contact Rombel at arombel@cnybj.com