CenterState CEO announces annual meeting keynote speaker, finalists for Business of the Year

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The leader of the U.S. AI Safety Institute will deliver keynote remarks at CenterState CEO’s annual meeting, which is set for April 11 at the Nicholas J. Pirro Convention Center at Oncenter.

The organization has also announced the finalists in five categories for its Business of the Year honors, which will also be unveiled during the annual meeting. The event is scheduled for 3–4:30 p.m., with a 90-minute networking reception to follow.

This year’s annual meeting will explore the theme Aligned: Leading at the Pace of Change, CenterState CEO said. Robert Simpson, the organization’s president and CEO,will also share remarks on “what our community can become if we are aligned in a forward-looking vision and committed to leading at the pace of change,” per the announcement.

Keynote speaker

In her remarks, Elizabeth Kelly, CEO of the U.S. AI Safety Institute at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, will discuss the “real-world opportunities” of artificial intelligence (AI) and how this rapidly evolving technology affects people and business.

Kelly will also discuss how human–centered strategies and governance can support AI’s “transformational impact, while mitigating potential societal and ethical risks associated with this technology,” CenterState CEO said.

“Our mission at the U.S. AI Safety Institute is to advance AI safety, so we can promote trust and speed adoption and innovation,” Kelly said in the CenterState CEO announcement. “The Safety Institute will further our understanding of how AI models and systems work, what their capabilities and risks are, and how to make them safer.”

Business of the Year finalists

The organization named four finalists in five categories for its annual Business of the Year awards that recognize member companies and organizations for their “outstanding success and the role they play in strengthening the region.” The categories and finalists are listed below, and CenterState CEO will announce the winner in each category during the annual meeting.

More than 50 Employees

•​Bond, Schoeneck & King PLLC

•​Crouse Health

•​Tompkins Community Bank

•​Woodford Bros., Inc.

Fewer than 50 Employees

•​325 Productions

•​Drakos Dynamics

•​Potter Heating & AC – Perrone Plumbing Services

•​ResilienX

Minority-owned Business, in partnership with the Upstate Minority Economic Alliance

•​Brackens Financial Solutions Network

•​Cocoa’s Candle Bar

•​La Liga

•​SGTR LLC

Nonprofit

•​Catholic Charities of Onondaga County

•​ConnextCare

•​Food Bank of Central New York

•​Housing Visions

Community Involvement

•​CPS Recruitment, Inc.

•​Firley, Moran, Freer & Eassa, CPA, P.C.

•​NBT Bank

•​Novelis, Inc.