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Mount Mercy Holds Its National Honor Society Induction On Tuesday March 29th the McAuley Chapter of National Honor Society at Mount Mercy Academy hosted its annual induction at the Mercy Center Convent Chapel. Four new senior and twentyseven new junior members were inducted, joining 12 previously inducted members. Membership in the National Honor Society is based on excellence in knowledge, scholarship, leadership, service and character. The National Honor Society was started in 1921 and there are over 20,000 chapters worldwide.

The NHS members who were installed in 2016 explained the history of National Honor Society and explained what the five pillars of NHS mean. President Margaret Cronin presented the candidates for membership and Principal Margaret Staszak draped the NHS stoles on the inductees.

Erin Gormley of Buffalo, a member of Mount Mercy’s class of 2006 and a past NHS member was the guest speaker for the evening. Gormley graduated from the Northeastern University with a BS and The University of Pittsburgh Law School with her Juris Doctorate. She spoke of the importance of the principles of the National Honor Society in her life and encouraged the members to continue to strive to excel in all five areas.

The newly inducted members from Buffalo are: senior Brynn Covington and juniors Julia Acosta, Emily Burns, Olivia Cudney, Fiona Danahy, Colleen Keane, Julia Khoury, Megan Michalski, Margaret O’Malley, DesTiny Overton, Naomi Parisi and Alexis Sandor.

West Seneca residents who were inducted include senior Allyson Pfeil and juniors Mary Bala, Hannah Bray, Olivia Harrington, Siobhan Harrington, Paige Siebold and Allison Rogowski.

Senior Brianna Gawronski of Dunkirk and juniors Mary Barnes and Catherine Roth of Fredonia were also inducted. Senior Robyn Seibert of South Wales and juniors Paris Green and Emily Lewandowski of East Aurora, along with juniors Christina Billittier and Abigail Hillery of Hamburg, Shea Halpenny and Abigail Swiger of Lackawanna, Chloe Manikowski of Depew and Kathryn Marabella of Cheektowaga were also inducted.

The previously inducted members of the McAuley Chapter of the National Honor Society are seniors: Anne Bamrick, Hannah Colin, Colleen Finn and Samantha Lawicki from Buffalo; Samantha Budzinski and Clare Smokowski of West Seneca, Elizabeth Colton, Elizabeth Hughes and Jena MattinaChmiel of Orchard Park and Clare McKeone, Jillian English and Molly McLaughlin of Hamburg.

Original article can be found on the Mount Mercy website:

https://www.mtmercy.org/documents/Press%20Releases/NHS%20Induction%202017.pdf

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By Robert Townsley

Becoming a registered practitioner under the Medical Marijuana Program could provide pain management alternatives to opioids, grow your patient base, expand your practice, and increase revenues. New York State’s Medical Marijuana Program now makes it easier for practices to certify patients by adding more qualifying conditions (such as chronic pain)[1], increasing the number of medicinal manufacturers[2], and allowing nurse practitioners and physician’s assistants to certify patients.[3]

However, only one of three patients will have their consultation covered by insurance, once registered, practitioners typically receive up-front cash and can quickly recoup their costs with just a few booked appointments.[4] Navigating the registration process for the Medical Marijuana Program, qualifying for the program, and meeting ongoing compliance requirements are vitally important – and missteps can result in steep penalties. Legal counsel ensures a smooth and lawful integration of marijuana certification into your practice.

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By David J. Colligan

The First Annual Critical Path Life Sciences Accelerator Program sponsored concluded Thursday, January 12, 2017.  As part of the final preparation of the eight startup companies who participated until the end of the program, a panel of investors was assembled to present their experiences as investors in various roles.  David Colligan of the Colligan Law Firm was selected to present his experiences as a lawyer for investors, both Angel and Venture Capital, as well as a lawyer for many startups.  Kevin Centofanti, president of Brooks Houghton Investment Bank, was selected based on his ability to assemble large pools of capital to finance rapidly growing startup companies.  Theresa Mazullo of Excell Partners was selected as Excell Partners runs several different venture capital funds that have many startup companies in their portfolios.  Lindsay Stencel of Launch NY was selected as she is a general partner of a venture fund in Columbus, Ohio and serves part-time as the seed fund manager for Launch NY here in Buffalo, New York.  Sharon Weinberg was on the panel representing Empire State Development’s new $10,000,000 fund to support entrepreneurs with actual funding.  Alex Zapesochny was on the panel because of his successful co-founding of Icardiac and other successful startups before that which had a successful run from startup to exit.

Each of the panelists were asked questions and responded to subjects of great interest to the Critical Path participants.  The panel discussed many issues and the issues were divided almost equally between “investment killers” and “real positives.”  Amongst the investment killers that were discussed were startups seeking to: penetrate a market that is too small an opportunity; having a sole founder or a small team; cap table problems; likeability of the founders seeking fundraising; length of time for life sciences to get to market; and reasonable valuations.  Amongst the subjects that were real positives, the panel discussed: big markets; experienced, diverse management teams; robust IP portfolios; strong due diligence binder; obvious exit opportunities; amongst other topics.

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By Matthew K. Pelkey

Upstate’s startup ecosystem is booming. Our office is based in Buffalo, NY, but I recently had the pleasure of touring Syracuse’s startup scene and met with Nasir Ali from Upstate Venture Connect and Seed Capital Fund of CNY. I started the day with lunch in the beautiful and historic Armory Square, followed by tours of co-working spaces, stopped in to chat with the folks at Genius NY, had coffee with some finance professionals, and ate dinner at the newly renovated Syracuse Hotel—a renovation which rivals that of one of Buffalo’s most symbolic retreats, the Hotel Lafayette. Suffice it to say, it was a busy day, with so much to see in Syracuse, much of which mirrors similar developments being made in Buffalo and throughout Upstate.

Lobby of the Hotel Syracuse

Syracuse has its challenges, and in many ways, cities like Buffalo are far better-positioned to ensure sustainable growth for our future generations. I firmly believe that every community in Upstate New York can—and should—learn from one another to create a thriving, regional ecosystem. After all, while each community is unique, we all face similar challenges and legacies, from a thriving manufacturing past, now relegated to memories and inspiration. Here are a few takeaways that we can all learn from across Upstate New York’s startup ecosystem.

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By Rob Townsley

I work in a firm that usually provides legal services for startups and entrepreneurs, but pitching my own business idea in the UberPITCH startup competition last month was something I couldn’t pass up. UberPITCH, was a hybrid of the shows Shark Tank and CashCab. Call an Uber, and instead of a driver, a venture capitalist (VC) is delivered to your doorstep, and I had seven minutes to pitch my startup. The grand prize was five thousand dollars cash! And it was the first time Uber was in Buffalo, through a partnership with 43North.

After practicing my pitch in the morning and running it by a few colleagues at Colligan Law, I was ready to request my Uber and try to win $5,000! I opened the app and discovered that all the UberPITCH vehicles were in use and I would have to wait a while for my ride to arrive. It was a testament to the popularity of the mini startup competition, and also made me look forward to the day when the Uber is operating and available in Buffalo, with minimal wait times.

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By David J. Colligan

The First Annual Critical Path Life Sciences Accelerator Program sponsored concluded Thursday, January 12, 2017.  As part of the final preparation of the eight startup companies who participated until the end of the program, a panel of investors was assembled to present their experiences as investors in various roles.  David Colligan of the Colligan Law Firm was selected to present his experiences as a lawyer for investors, both Angel and Venture Capital, as well as a lawyer for many startups.  Kevin Centofanti, president of Brooks Houghton Investment Bank, was selected based on his ability to assemble large pools of capital to finance rapidly growing startup companies.  Theresa Mazullo of Excell Partners was selected as Excell Partners runs several different venture capital funds that have many startup companies in their portfolios.  Lindsay Stencel of Launch NY was selected as she is a general partner of a venture fund in Columbus, Ohio and serves part-time as the seed fund manager for Launch NY here in Buffalo, New York.  Sharon Weinberg was on the panel representing Empire State Development’s new $10,000,000 fund to support entrepreneurs with actual funding.  Alex Zapesochny was on the panel because of his successful co-founding of Icardiac and other successful startups before that which had a successful run from startup to exit.

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By Matthew K. Pelkey

On Wednesday, the New York State Department of Transportation will hold what is likely its final public meeting on design changes to the Scajaquada Expressway – a project that has no doubt garnered controversy and heated discussions between officials and community stakeholders. But those pushing for further traffic calming measures may have just gotten a little help from the New York State Court of Appeals.

Turturro v. City of New York (December 2016) is a case involving a 12-year-old boy who was seriously injured when he was struck by a speeding car while riding his bicycle on Gerritsen Avenue in Brooklyn. Gerritsen was a 30-mph, four-lane roadway bordered by parkland. New York City officials had received many complaints about speeding but recommended additional police enforcement instead of traffic calming – a decision that ultimately resulted in New York City being held liable for the child’s injuries.

What is important about this case is the shift from simply relying on police enforcement to curb traffic and speeding problems, to now placing an affirmative duty on municipalities to study and implement traffic calming. If a government agency is aware of a dangerous condition and fails to study or implement traffic-calming measures, it may now be liable for resulting damages and injuries. Whether our state’s highest court realizes it or not, it may have just ushered in a new era of transportation design and put an end to prioritizing automobiles over people.

This shift in duty has the potential to fundamentally alter the DOT’s current design plans for the Scajaquada. It also likely ensures that the speed limit remains at 30 mph.

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New York State employers must pay an increased minimum salary for exempt employees effective December 31, 2016. The NYS Labor Department on December 28 adopted a rule increasing the minimum salary for exempt executive and administrative employees in upstate New York from $675.00 weekly to $727.50 weekly ($37,830 annually). The minimum exempt employee salary for New York City and Long Island is higher.

The proposed U.S. Department of Labor regulations which would have increased the minimum salary for exempt employees to $913.00 weekly are still on hold because of the injunction issued by a Federal Judge in Texas. The Labor Department has appealed this ruling, but it is questionable whether this challenge to the injunction will continue after Donald Trump takes office.

Also, on December 31, 2016 the minimum wage for upstate New York will increase to $9.70 per hour, and the upstate fast food minimum wage will increase to $10.75 per hour.

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On November 17th, David Colligan joined a panel of investors and entrepreneurs to discuss startup companies in Western New York.

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