Annual Meeting

Ronald P. Romano, President and CEO

Jennifer Lawrence, Editor

518-694-0225

fax: 518-455-0325

e-mail: JLawrence@nysid.org

Continuing a tradition of excellence forged over a decade ago, this year’s NYSID Annual Meeting delivered a new benchmark of business achievement and personal success on September 19th.

John Schwartz, a participant of Living Resources in Albany, opened the event once again with a stirring rendition of ‘The Star Spangled Banner.’ Robert Wells, the recipient of last year’s William B. Joslin Outstanding Performance Award, returned to welcome the 2011 audience and remind us all that NYSID’s mission of “Turning business opportunities into JOBS for people with disabilities” is about making connections to better lives for Preferred Source workers.

Fiscal Year 2011 saw highest-ever wages to NYSID Preferred Source workers – $46 million in wages and an average hourly wage of $12.92! This shows that even in these tough economic times, our network of 163 community rehabilitation members and private sector business partners continue to more than satisfy government agency customers.

This year’s outstanding customers who helped make these employment achievements happen were:

New York State Office of the State Comptroller: State Government Agency Customer of the Year

New York City Department of Correction: Local Government Agency Customer of the Year

As always, the recognition of individual member agencies – and one of their workers who personifies excellence in employment – made the NYSID Annual Meeting an event not to be missed. In addition to recognizing two community rehabilitation programs as ‘Member Agency of the Year,’ we honored one of our private sector business partners as our first-ever ‘Corporate Partner of the Year.’

Those NYSID members in the 2011 spotlight were:

ACHIEVE and Country Valley Industries:
Member Agency of the Year

Seneca Cayuga Counties Chapter NYSARC, Inc./Seneca Cayuga Industries: Member Agency of the Year

American Maintenance: Corporate Partner
of the Year

Finally, we honored this year’s William B. Joslin Outstanding Performance Award recipient, Nelson Hooper of F•E•G•S, one of 54 New Yorkers with disabilities nominated through our annual people-centered recognition program. Nelson is the eighth individual to receive NYSID’s highest award to a New Yorker with disabilities, and we commend him for this significant accomplishment.

Annual Meeting 2011 was a fitting recap of the ‘Members*Customers* Opportunities’ that resulted in an impressive year of employment for New Yorkers with disabilities working on NYSID contracts. Our thanks go out to all the many contributors to this considerable team effort!