UTICA , N.Y.— Earlier this month, the Mohawk Valley Chamber Alliance celebrated the area’s small businesses and honored a longtime champion of those businesses with the presentation of the inaugural William K. Guglielmo Legacy Award. “He and I were the best of friends,” Raymond J. Durso, Jr., president and CEO of The Genesis Group says […]
UTICA , N.Y.— Earlier this month, the Mohawk Valley Chamber Alliance celebrated the area’s small businesses and honored a longtime champion of those businesses with the presentation of the inaugural William K. Guglielmo Legacy Award.
“He and I were the best of friends,” Raymond J. Durso, Jr., president and CEO of The Genesis Group says of Guglielmo. The MV Chamber Alliance is part of The Genesis Group.
Durso says he enjoyed not only a friendship with Guglielmo, who served as president of the Rome Area Chamber of Commerce for a quarter century, but also a strong working relationship. “I learned a lot from being with him,” Durso notes.
Guglielmo retired from the Rome Area Chamber in January and passed away on Feb. 23. While he served as president since 1996, Guglielmo’s chamber career actually spanned 50 years. He first began working there in 1973 as a staff assistant. Later, he was promoted to director of government affairs and membership development, administrator, and executive VP — before eventually becoming president.
Durso recalls his friend always being there for the small businesses the Rome Area Chamber serves. Guglielmo would never skip out of the office early, he says, because a member might need him.
It was only fitting to honor that devotion to the area’s businesses by creating an award for small businesses in his honor, Durso says. “It’s really important for me to keep his legacy alive, because there will never be anybody else like him.”
With Guglielmo’s wife Luba’s permission, along with the seal of approval from the Rome Area Chamber, the MV Chamber Alliance created the award. The alliance spans across six counties — Oneida, Herkimer, Madison, Otsego, Fulton, and Montgomery — with 3,000 member businesses and 24 chambers of commerce and other organizations involved.
“We all believe small businesses are the backbone of the community,” Durso notes, adding that they also realize how challenging it is to run a small business. “How about the community saying thank you?”
The awards do just that by honoring business owners and managers who not only invest in their business but also invest in their community. “There are a lot of businesses that meet those criteria,” Durso says. This year, the MV Chamber Alliance honored eight.
The inaugural recipients of the William K. Guglielmo Legacy Awards are:
Indium Corporation — Headquartered in Clinton, the company operates worldwide as a materials refiner, smelter, manufacturer, and supplier to the electronics, semiconductor, thin-film, and thermal management markets.
Sherrill Manufacturing, Inc. — the Sherrill company produces Liberty Tabletop flatware, the only flatware produced in the United States, and other kitchen products in the former Oneida Ltd. manufacturing facility.
Hummels Office Plus — Based in Mohawk, the office-supply company operates from an 80,000-square-foot distribution center and serves customers from Syracuse to Oneonta and Amsterdam to Old Forge
Mohawk Valley Garden Corp. — Headed up by former National Hockey League player Rob Esche, the company handles all operations for the Utica Memorial Auditorium and was key to securing the area’s American Hockey League team, the Utica Comets.
A&P Master Images — The Utica company, owned by Amanda and Howard Potter, continues to grow its facilities, client list, and offerings to help its clients with all of their branding needs from custom apparel, promotional products, marketing materials, and more. “It was truly an honor to be one of the first recipients of the William K. Guglielmo Legacy Award,” A&P Master Images CFO and co-owner Amanda Potter says. “It is humbling to know that people in the community see us in the same amazing light that Bill always showed to everyone in the community.”
Utica Coffee Roasting Company — Company President Frank Elias formed the company in 2002. It has since grown into two cafes, a roasting and education center, and a production facility. Utica Coffee can be found in many local stores and the coffee is also served by establishments throughout upstate New York.
Giotto Enterprises —With seven affiliate companies, located in the greater Utica–Rome area, and involved in the manufacturing of components used in the fiber optic, broadcast, automotive, compressor, pump, safety relay, and firearms industries, the company employs 450 people and continues to grow.
Coldwell Banker Faith Properties — Based in Utica, the agency employs more than 50 real-estate agents and sells upwards of 1,000 properties annually.