John Buffa – Executive Vice-President & Chief Lending Officer – Adirondack Bank
John’s primary responsibilities include the oversight of Commercial Banking activities including business development and overall loan portfolio maintenance. Prior to this position at Adirondack Bank, he was the Chief Credit Officer from 2019 – 2021. In this role, he was responsible for all of the credit functions of the bank. Before joining Adirondack Bank, John was with NBT Bank from 1994-2019. At NBT, he was the Mohawk Valley Regional President. In this role, John oversaw the bank’s activities in the market with an emphasis on commercial banking. From 1987-1994 John worked at Marine Midland Bank and Fleet Bank (Bank of America). John has been active in the local community for the past 35 years. He is currently on the Board of the Mohawk Valley EDGE, UCP, Utica Industrial Development Corp, and Liberty Affordable Housing.
Jennifer B Giaccio – Commercial Insurance Agent, Gates-Cole Insurance
Jennifer is a native of New Hartford. She has a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Binghamton University. She has over 20 years of experience in the insurance industry. During her career, she has held a wide variety of roles as an underwriter and an agent with specialties in property, casualty, pollution, Workers Compensation, and errors & omissions insurance. She currently works at Gates Cole Insurance Associates, Inc. as a Commercial Account Manager with a concentration in municipal, fire department, and ambulance insurance.
Shawn M. Kain – Senior Vice President and Chief Underwriting & Compliance Officer – Utica First Insurance Company.
Shawn has been with Utica First since 1998 and he holds several insurance-related designations including Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter (CPCU), Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC), and Associate of Reinsurance (ARe). He also has a Master’s in Business Administration from Northeastern University in Boston. He currently serves on several industry boards and committees including those of the New York Insurance Association and the Genesis Center for Analytics Excellence. He is also the chair of the Commercial Property Committee of the American Property Casualty Insurance Association and he is a board member of the Pennsylvania Association of Mutual Insurance Companies and the Insurance Council of New Jersey.
Justin Miller – CEO, Universal Bookkeeper
Justin is the Chief Executive Officer of Universal Bookkeeper, Inc., a remote accounting firm that specializes in small business accounting, payroll, and tax. The business, which was started by him and his wife Beth in 2015 and combines a deep-rooted passion to help businesses in the community with decades of accounting and customer services experience. Justin’s outlandish passion for helping small business owners grow their operations, finding their passion in doing something that they love, and assisting them in understanding how to efficiently run their back-office operations are the main factors behind why Universal Bookkeeper was originated. Universal Bookkeeper is located in the Baggs’ Square District of downtown Utica and supports a team of 3 other full-time accountants. In his prior experience, Justin served as CFO of Hospice & Palliative Care, Inc., Controller of Restaurant and Retail at Par Technology, and Senior Auditor at D’Arcangelo & Co. Justin holds a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Rochester Institute of Technology and has been a Certified Public Accountant since 2012 and is a current member of the NYS Society for CPAs. Outside of work, Justin stays busy spending time with his wife, 2 sons, and daughter. He is an avid golfer, occasional Peloton rider, and regular self-development book reader.
Steve Zogby – Executive Vice President – Scalzo, Zogby & Wittig Insurance
Steve Zogby was born and raised locally, graduating from both Mohawk Valley Community College, SUNY Brockport, and Leadership Mohawk Valley. In 1992, Steve, along with Gary Scalzo and Leon Wittig, started an independent insurance agency; Scalzo, Zogby & Wittig, Inc. in Utica. He currently serves as the State National Director for Big I NY, representing New York as a board member of the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America. Steve has served on many insurance company agent advisory councils over his 30+ years in the industry and is currently a member of the advisory board of Adirondack Insurance Exchange. In his community he serves on the Board of the Oneida County Industrial Development Agency; is President and Board member of the Mohawk Valley Community College Foundation; VP and Board member of CNYHHN, Inc. & a Board member of the Stanley Center for the Arts. Steve resides in New Hartford with his wife, Noreen Sheridan. They have 3 adult sons, Harrison, Adam, and Ryan.