WTCBN Adds 11 New Board Memebers, Expands Services
(Buffalo, NY)—On January 1, 2017, World Trade Center Buffalo Niagara (WTCBN) added 11 new board members and expanded its services to help support companies in Upstate New York and Southern Ontario in navigating the global marketplace.
“The vast majority of economic growth is occurring abroad. To reach these markets, our companies need to export to a greater degree while reducing risks. This will help our region improve economic growth and create jobs benefiting our families and communities,” said John Manzella, WTCBN President and CEO.
“WTCBN board members provide invaluable counsel and advice to our organization, as well as to local companies. The 11 new board members, which brings our board up to 24, will expand our reach into the community and help us in our educational and awareness process,” added Manzella.
New board members being welcomed include:
- John DeLuca, International Sales Manager, Liberty Pumps Inc.
- Nancy Dempsey, Logistics and Trade Compliance Specialist, Unifrax LLC
- Mike Durkin, President, Cobey Inc.
- William Fierle, Chief Operating Officer, Conax Technologies
- Michael Gebera, Director of Operations, Tapecon Inc.
- Garry Graber, Partner, Hodgson Russ LLP
- James Manno, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Sonwil Distribution Center
- Pat Scanlon, Sales Manager, Hebeler Process Solutions LLC
- Rich Stauffer, Vice President, Supply Chain Operations, Sherex Fastening Solutions LLC
- James Trubits, General Manager, Mohawk Global Logistics
- John Vilardo, Vice President, International Trade Finance, M&T Bank
Rejoining the board is newly elected chairwoman, Nancy Dempsey, Logistics and Trade Compliance Specialist at Unifrax I LLC. Stated by Dempsey, “It is an honor to serve the constituents of the WTCBN. The aggregate leadership, wisdom and experience of our board and membership provide a relevant resource for the business community. Under the governance of our immediate past chairman, Ken Franasiak, WTCBN has enjoyed its own renaissance and we look forward to carrying on that momentum.”
New 2017 vice-chairmen are Trevor Stevenson, Vice President, Manufacturing and Engineering at Eastman Machine Corporation and Steven Briggs, Global Key Accounts Manager at Dynabrade, Inc.
Note that Rob Clark, Director, Ingredients Procurement, USC Region, Rich Products Corporation, and Richard Brown, Vice President, Commercial Banking, Canada-USA Cross-Border, HSBC Bank, USA, joined the WTCBN board in 2016.
In an effort to better serve companies in our binational region, WTCBN has expanded its services by engaging, Bob Arnold, President and CEO, RHA Results and Tom Bienias, President, Triex Consultants. Both men are former CEOs with a wealth of practical international knowledge and experience. They are available to assist companies to achieve greater growth through trade and investment. This complements our core services and educational events that feature nationally known speakers.
