Greater Binghamton Chamber recognizes young professionals at HYPE event
Endwell, NY The Greater Binghamton Chamber of Commerce honored nine young professionals and one mentor to a young professional at the Riverdale Banquet Hall. The HYPE Awards highlight professionals under the age of 30 who have demonstrated success in their career and industry in addition to making a significant positive impact in the Greater Binghamton community.
Nominations were submitted by a mix of colleagues, supervisors, businesses, and organizations. Up to three finalists were chosen from each category including: Business services, creative, education & training, health & wellness, law & government, non-profit, service industry, skilled trades, and STEM. The last category, Mentor to a YP is a special category where the honoree does not need to be a young professional but must influence and help establish YP’s in their professional journey. The winners were selected by a committee made up of established area professionals as well as previous HYPE award winners.
“Few realize the strides local young professionals are making and this event is just one way to provide insight to the community and to encourage YPs to continue making their impact. Visit our social media pages to recognize their hard work and the public service they provide to improve the Greater Binghamton area,” said Greater Binghamton Chamber of Commerce, talent initiatives & special projects manager, Morgan White.
“The future of Greater Binghamton already lives within our community in our incredible young professionals. The HYPE Awards captures only a sliver of the amazing work that our YP’s have accomplished so far. By supporting our young professionals, we are supporting the growth of our community as a whole,” said Leadership Alliance CEO Stacey Duncan.
Thank you to our additional sponsors: Gold Sponsors, The Agency, Mirabito Energy Products, Silver Sponsor, NBT Insurance Agency, and Supporting Sponsor, IdeaKraft.
Please refer to the list below for all award finalists and winners.
Creative Finalists
Bella Seastrand, Broome County Arts Council
Joe Roma, Goodwill Theatre, Inc.
Quinn Singer, Parlor City Burlesque
Creative Winner
Quinn Singer
Quinn is the Founder and Producer of Parlor City Burlesque. She has successfully led diverse and dynamic teams of performers, designers, and technicians, oversaw all aspects of production, and created engaging shows. In her role as an assistant director to musicals, she collaborated closely with the director, providing guidance to actors, managing logistics, and maintaining a unified artistic vision.
Through her involvement in the LUMA Projection Arts Festival, she showcased leadership by planning and executing multiple large-scale projection art installations & events, collaborating with community entities, artists, and event organizers. She assisted in leading teams during the festival to ensure the smooth operation of installations and performances. She recently applied for the Creatives Rebuild New York program and was selected as one of the recipients of the first Guaranteed Income for Artists program in New York state--with the initiative to bring those funds back into Broome County in an intentional and meaningful way.
Within her community, she is constantly looking for ways to organize & create meaningful experiences for individuals to create and find healing through artistic expression and experiencing joy. She finds ways to prioritize artists who exist within marginalized groups and who lack access to safe, judgement free spaces to express themselves, to connect with others that they can identify with and to create more spaces where all individuals can be celebrated and witnessed.
STEM Finalists
Rainer Lucas, Upper Susquehanna Coalition
Brooke Albanese, IBM Endicott
STEM Winner
Rainer Lucas
Ranier Lucas is a Riparian Buffer Technician and USC Trees for Tributaries Coordinator for the Upper Susquehanna Coalition. In this position, he steps up as a leader when his peers are planning tree plantings. He is responsible for monitoring the plantings when they are run by other colleagues and when they are run by a contracted company. He also has the responsibility of training new staff members on day-to-day tasks as well as on different machinery and planting tools. Ranier is a leader when he is hosting his own plantings as well, and guides volunteers through the process of planting trees and the reason behind why we plant these trees, which for many of them is a brand-new skill.
Outside of his workplace he likes to prioritize volunteerism and contributes to the community that he lives in as much as possible. Even on his off days, he still continues to plant trees and clean up rivers and public spaces. In their spare time, Ranier and his fiancé like to spend time in their community. They attend as many of the local events as they can, and frequent their local restaurants and businesses when they are looking for things to do. He believes that he expresses leadership in the community by being engaged in their local activities, and by striving to make their community a safe, clean, and beautiful place to live.
Ranier is proud that he has been able to make a childhood dream of his come true. His mom taught him as a kid that healthy water means a healthy community. His job allows him to make waters cleaner and communities healthier places to live. He is proud that he has taken his passion and made it his career.
Business Finalists
Gene M. Swartz, United Health Services
Kendra Pickett, Visions Federal Credit Union
Mark Heefner, Greater Binghamton Airport
Business Winner
Gene Swartz
Gene is a Senior Human Resources Business Partner at United Health Services. Gene currently works primarily with UHS nursing and behavioral health organizations. He has led and provided support for engagement initiatives recognizing and rewarding staff members for their numerous contributions including honoring employees who hit significant length of service milestones with awards, dinner and ceremony at Traditions at the Glen. He believes that the best part of his job is that he is always in service to help others, whether they are a brand-new entry-level employee or a tenured executive.
During the peak of the pandemic, he was part of an interdisciplinary team made up of healthcare professionals to identify staffing challenges and implement measures to ensure they had the resources to continue to provide the high-quality patient care in their community. He was able to offer new positions to all the employees that were impacted by the position eliminations so they could continue to support their community and their families.
Gene developed UHS Restaurant Week in collaboration with local Broome County restaurants to honor healthcare workers and all they do to support our community. He has supported the community as the WBNG Backpack Drive Coordinator, United Way donor, reoccurring participant in the Day of Caring, and has helped with re-painting the interior of the Downtown Binghamton American Legion #80, deep cleaned attractions and re-painted displays at the Discovery Center during the pandemic, Park Maintenance and brush-clearing at Chenango Valley State Park, Outdoor maintenance, and delivered/spread mulch at the downtown YMCA.
Health & Wellness Finalists
Carlyne Fernald, Synergy Athletics
Kayla Velie, United Health Services
Cassarah Jones, United Health Services
Health & Wellness Winner
Kayla Velie
Kayla is leading a non-clinical team through a work transition as they pivot away from a pandemic response and delve into post pandemic recovery and growth. She manages a talented team of individuals who strive to keep the UHS workforce happy and healthy. She is responsible for the development and implementation of their workforce wellness programming for over 6,000 employees.
She has developed an annual wellness calendar, which has monthly themes, and she composes targeted messages that are distributed to the workforce each month. Kayla also promotes their quarterly wellness challenges and role model positive healthy behaviors in the workplace. To promote healthy behaviors at work, her current office space has a “Zen Den” where staff can go to decompress during their shift. Their “Zen Den” has a yoga mat, yoga ball, salt lamp, and it serves as a quiet space for staff to take a quick break.
In addition to managing a team, she continues to serve as the co-chair of their Wellness Committee alongside their HR benefits team and lead a network of Wellness Champions who disseminate information about their monthly wellness activities. Kayla continues to facilitate change by pushing the workforce wellness agenda with key stakeholder groups including senior leadership, service line directors, and frontline staff. She is also an active member of several other committees including Employee Injury Prevention, Workplace Violence, and Employee Engagement Advisory Council.
Service Finalists
Garrett Wagner, Fat Cowboys BBQ
Jacqueline Wahl, McCoy’s Chophouse
Austin Sadlemire, Kampai Japanese Steakhouse
Service Winner
Jacqueline Wahl
Jacqueline was only at Number 5 for a short 3 months before the restaurant was almost destroyed by the flood in 2011. She helped clear, clean, and rebuild the restaurant for 3 months before reopening. For the next 8 years, she catered many events through Number 5 for numerous charity and local business events. Since being in the office for multiple restaurants, she has planned and led many meetings that uplift, encourage, and promote a team effort for their front of the house staff. When they opened McCoy’s she led the meetings and trainings to bring together their staff, menus, and ideas from Number 5 and Lampy’s into one team.
She was on the board for EatBING where she helped organize, create new events, and promote local restaurants and events like First Friday and Beer Walk. At the same time, she joined the board for STIR- Southern Tier Independent Restaurants, while also assisting with the transition of merging STIR with the Binghamton Chamber. In 2018, she was part of a small group of leaders from other local restaurants that were rallying locally and in Albany/NYC to save the Tip Credit and in the same year was approached by the organizers of Endicott Restaurant Week to take over the event, which she happily accepted.
She said her biggest accomplishment professionally is taking on a pandemic with 2 restaurants with takeout for 2 months, while selling and planning an auction for Number 5, and rebranding/merging her 2 long standing restaurants into 1. Almost 3 years later and they still have a majority of the same staff, loyal guests but have also grown with great new staff and guests from all over, even Pennsylvania!
Education & Training Finalists
Brittney Richardson, SUNY Broome Community College
Derek C. Jorden, Binghamton University
Kyra Hickey, Binghamton University Center for Civic Engagement
Education & Training Winners
Kyra Hickey
Kyra Hickey is the Community Engagement Coordinator at Binghamton University Center for Civic Engagement. In this position she facilitates meaningful partnerships between college students and local off campus organizations, nurture different avenues for student democratic participation and advocacy, and train/guide their student staff.
In collaboration with students and colleagues, she spearheaded the creation of a leadership retreat at the beginning of the fall 2022 semester to reconnect students to one another and reflect on their preferred approaches to communication and civic engagement. She served as the CCE’s liaison for the Pathways to Inclusive Leadership program, supervises their voter engagement team and was nominated as a Career Champion this past academic year. She is most proud of her intentional approach to projects and partnerships. She said that moving from a place of authentic motivation is crucial to anything, and she is proud of how I’ve cultivated that for others.
She has the privilege and pleasure of teaching dance two nights a week at the Broome County Dance Center in Binghamton. Passion for the performing arts and access to enriching artistic experiences has also led her to volunteer as an usher at the Endicott Performing Arts Center (EPAC) and the Anderson Center at Binghamton University. She also enjoys volunteering at the North of Maine (NOMA) Community Center.
Law & Government Finalists
Evan Maslin, Senator Chuck Schumer
Caitlin Gilligan, Office of Congressman Marc Molinaro, NY-19
Corinne Glassman, Broome County Department of Social Services
Law & Governement Winners
Evan Maslin
Evan Maslin is the Southern Tier Deputy Regional Director in the Office of Senator Chuck Schumer. In this role he has helped secure $63+ million investment from the U.S. Economic Development Administration for Binghamton University’s New Energy New York coalition to establish a national battery research and manufacturing hub that will create thousands of good-paying jobs. He also launched a regional investment platform in consultation with municipal officials, planning directors, and economic developers featuring 28 projects seeking $227 million in investment across 19 economically distressed communities.
He coaches youth soccer with BC United Soccer Association, serving as a staff coach on the U10-U18 boys’ teams and as the club’s director of goalkeeping. He is also a volunteer assistant coach with the Vestal boys’ varsity soccer team. In these capacities, he actively mentors many young adults, helping them to build confidence and prepare to enter a challenging, ever-changing world. Evan holds an Advanced National Goalkeeping Diploma from U.S. Soccer and am actively completing his National C License. Prior to the pandemic, he was also extensively involved as a volunteer with youth education programs, international exchange programs, and community organizations serving youth living with disabilities.
Evan is most proud to be of service to his community by helping to advance efforts that will build a robust regional economy, create good-paying jobs in advanced manufacturing, and bolster public-private partnerships across the Southern Tier.
Non-Profit Finalists
Kadidiatou Keita, The Children’s Home of Wyoming Conference
Kevin Ludwig, Helping Celebrate Abilities
Quentin Pappadakis, Liberty Partnerships Program
Non-Profit Winners
Kadidiatou Keita
Kadidiatou Keita is the Director of Youth Act, at the Children’s Home of Wyoming Conference. In this position she is leading, empowering, and guiding young girls who have been abused, neglected, and a part of the judicial system. She has taken on social work interns which has allowed her to mentor future leaders in the field, which can help build company morale. She has been involved in the startup of two state initiatives that have been viewed as model programs in which she has been asked to speak regarding how she has achieved success and been asked to mentor other team leads.
She is a member of the Child Single Point of Access committee in which she collaborates with other professionals in the community to make recommendations for youth with mental health issues.
Kadidiatou has been a mentor to young teens, facilitated trauma groups, sex trafficking prevention group, and facilitated restorative practice groups and facilitated parent support groups. She is on the justice center committee and am committed to supporting and protecting the health, safety, and dignity of all people with special needs and on the diversity equity inclusion committee.
She said one of the things she is most proud of is being a woman of color and is the first person in her family to graduate high school and earn a master’s degree. She is proud of how far she has come. She said that if you had told her that she would be a director in her 30s she would have said you were crazy. She has a passion to lead, empower, and guide others to their greatest potential and is a shiny example of drive, determination, sacrifice, and success.
Skilled Trades Finalists
Austin Schmidt, Evans Plumbing and Heating
Austin Standish-Warpus, Smith Site Devel
Brandon Ritter, Atlas James Construction & Fabrication
Skilled Trades Winner
Austin Schmidt
Austin Schmidt is the Service Manager and Co-owner at Evans Plumbing & Heating. His role requires him to meet with customers and develop a solution through both a comfort and economic standpoint. He guides his team of service technicians to complete the job in an efficient and professional manner. Along with his business partner, Cody Chandler, they frequently receive training on the most cutting-edge technologies available in the industry. From there, he works to develop and organize training for their service technicians in order to continue their education.
Outside of the workplace, he gets much enjoyment out of being involved in his local community. As a proud alumnus of Chenango Forks, he enjoys donating both his time and resources to the school through various aspects such as volunteering to speak with students about career opportunities available in the plumbing and HVAC industry. Previously he has coached youth football, lacrosse, and wrestling.
He is proud of the life he has built with his wife, Meredith while being able to achieve goals both personally and professionally that may have otherwise seemed far-fetched. Personally, he is most proud of himself for becoming a licensed and insured master plumber in both the City of Binghamton and Johnson City. In order to achieve this goal, he could not just rely on his experience, but also I needed to study and learn the International Plumbing Code. Professionally, he is proud to have become a co-owner of a respected company at the age of 30 & civically, he is proud to have the opportunity to mentor youth by shedding light on opportunities that are available to them through hard work.
Mentor to a YP Winner
Sandy Jones, Express Employment Professionals
Sandy Jones is the owner of Express Employment Professionals. She has participated as a mentor in Launchpad for several years and has taken several interns/externs from various schools to aid in their growth and development. Most of her time at work is spent coaching and guiding the team of professionals they have at Express. She has always enjoyed coaching and mentoring and believes it’s imperative to invest in the growth of others (especially YPs)!
Over the years there have been several young HR professionals that she has had the privilege of mentoring. She is proud to say that she’s been able to play a small part in their professional growth and helped them get to the next level in their careers as recruiters, human resource professionals and sales & marketing professionals.
Sandy has an open-door policy and is actively engaged in the day-to-day operations of the business. Additionally, she has weekly one-to-one meetings which are focused on the individual’s growth and development in their current role or to prepare them for their next role. Personally, her biggest accomplishment is raising her beautiful children to be successful on their own and professionally she is proud of building a successful staffing business. Her work with the youth in the area to help them understand employment (speaking engagements with local schools, BOCES, LaunchPad, etc.) is what makes her most proud civically.