Genesee Gateway Local Development Corporation Board of Directors and Committees
Don Cunningham
Chairman
Term Start Date: September 1, 2017
Term Expires: June 30, 2023
Don Cunningham is a resident and native of Bergen NY and a 1981 graduate of Byron-Bergen Central School.
He is currently employed by Liberty Pumps as Manufacturing Manager and is a member of the Executive Team. His previous roles with Liberty Pumps include Supervisor for the Machining, Powder Coating, and Assembly departments. Don carries over 33 years of manufacturing experience with various management roles and emphasis in machining, tooling, machine building, light-medium assembly, foundry operations, and fabrication.
Don was an elected member of the Bergen Town Board for 16 years carrying the position of Deputy Supervisor from 2007-2009, Bergen Town Supervisor from 2010-2017, and is currently the acting Deputy Supervisor. In addition he has served various positions with non-profit organizations and committees to include; Genesee Association of Municipalities (President 2014, 2015, Vice President 2012, 2013, Sales Tax Allocation Committee 2016-present), Leadership Genesee (Co-Chair LG Bowling Tournament Committee 2009-2013), United Way of Wyoming County (past member of the Board of Directors & Allocations Committee), The Bergen Business and Civic Association, and The Bergen Fire Department (current member).
Thomas H. Felton
Vice Chair
Term Start Date: August 4, 2011
Term Expires: June 30, 2025
Tom Felton currently serves as a Commercial Lender for the Bank of Castile located in Batavia, NY. He is responsible for servicing agricultural and commercial loans in a multi-county area and handling a multimillion dollar portfolio. Prior to his employment at the Bank of Castile Felton was an Agricultural Lender at Pavilion State Bank and the District Manager of Monroe Tractor.
Felton graduated from Cornell University School of Agriculture and Life Sciences with his B.S. concentrating in Business Management and Marketing.
Felton has served his community in a number of different roles including President and VP of Genesee County Cornell Cooperative Extension, serving as Supervisor of the Town of Byron as well as Councilman and Planning Board Member. He was the Treasurer of the Byron-Bergen Education Foundation, Treasurer of the North Bergen Presbyterian Church Elder, and a Member of the Byron Kiwanis Club. Currently Felton is a member of the Gillam Grant Center Board, the Genesee Valley Rural Preservation Council, and the Cornell Dairy Farm Business Summary. He serves as the President of the Northeast Agriculture Bankers Association and Treasure of the North Byron Cemetery Association.
Sarah Noble-Moag
Secretary
Term Start Date: August 12, 2014
Term Expires: June 30, 2026
Sarah Noble-Moag works as Personnel Manager for Linwood Management Group, LLC. In this role she coordinates staffing, employee payroll and benefits, communication and recruitment for the group along with being responsible for overseeing internal personnel controls and staffing for Noblehurst Farms and Synergy LLC Dairy.
Noblehurst Farms Inc., is a multi-family farm corporation. This seven-generation farm works 2200 acres of corn, alfalfa and wheat and milks 1700 cows in the three county regions of Livingston, Genesee and Wyoming counties. The corporation also owns and operates a commercial equipment and service dealership, Linwood Turf Equipment. Committed to environmental stewardship and conservation, Noblehurst Farms was one of the first farms in the state to build a methane digester.
As a member of Craigs Station Ventures, a joint venture with Dairy Farmers of America, Noblehurst is building a cold separation milk processing facility on site. Over these seven generations of both family and key employees, Noblehurst Farms has carefully incorporated technology and management strategies combined with education, training and networking to bring the business from one generation to the next. Linwood Management Group provides management services to dairy companies. It is principally a people-based business and is extensively experienced in all aspects of dairy business management. Client relationships are typically contractual engagements with owners who seek a proven, professional dairy management company to run the daily functions of the business.
Sarah is the past President of the Board of Education for the Pavilion Central Schools, and continues to serve on the audit committee. She maintains an active role in education and training for our rural communities, advocating for affordable, quality public education. Sarah currently serves on the Agricultural Affiliates Board of Directors, which provides leadership necessary to build a strong workforce for agriculture in the Northern U. S. and is a member of the National Council of Agricultural Employers and New York State Agricultural Society. She is a graduate of Cornell University and a graduate of Class VI of LEAD New York. Sarah is an Elder in the Covington Presbyterian Church, and has served on the Committee on Ministry and Migration Working Group (a forum on immigration reform) for the Presbytery of the Genesee Valley. She and her husband Timothy Moag have three grown children, Griffin, Rella and Austin.
Gregg Torrey
Treasurer
Term Start Date: February 1, 2017
Term Expires: June 30, 2027
Gregg is a 1994 graduate of Notre Dame High School in Batavia, NY, a graduate of Canisius College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, as well as a MBA in Finance.
Torrey currently works as a commercial real estate agent and licensed real estate appraiser across New York State and is the is the managing partner of Springbrooke Properties, LLC.
Torrey supports the community as a member of the Board of Directors for Genesee County Soil & Water Conservation District, Genesee Cancer Assistance and Tonawanda Valley Federal Credit Union. Torrey is the past president of the Batavia Development Corporation and past member of the City of Batavia Planning and Development Committee. He currently serves in the Genesee County Legislature for the towns of Alexander, Bethany, and Pavilion. He resides in Bethany with his wife Jessica and their daughter Rhowen.
Todd Bender
Boardmember
Term Start Date: August 9, 2017
Term Expires: June 30, 2023
Todd J Bender is the co-founder of The Igniter Group, LLC; a point-in-time investment firm that specializes in the acquisition of underperforming companies that are seeking the help and support of performance enhancing equity partners that provide capital and infrastructure to realize their business potential.
He has executive-level management experience working at Fortune 500 companies before joining a partnership in a startup company in 2000. After successfully building and selling that start-up in 2005, he turned his attention to the acquisition of other companies. The Igniter Group has a combination of startup and acquired companies operating within their current portfolio.
Mr. Bender is a passionate visionary with outstanding record of delivering bold concepts, strategies, and products to achieve significant revenue / margin gains and sustainable growth for small to Fortune 500 entities. He has expertise in developing and directing all aspects of new business initiatives and is a seasoned professional who blends entrepreneurial spirit with business savvy and exceptional technical acumen (including e-business) to lead organizations to optimal profitability. Mr Bender is a keen, insightful analyst, adept at identifying new markets and providing strategies / tactics for expedited penetration and expansion. He is a persuasive communicator, adept at initiating and forging key relationships and negotiating major deals. He is a dynamic team manager, proficient at training and motivating top-level sales professionals to achieve peak performance levels.
Bender holds a BS with High Honors in Business Management and Decision Sciences from RIT. He serves as President of the GCC Foundation Board, Board Member of the Wireless Franchise Association, past President of Notre Dame Board of Trustees, church board member and volunteer, member of the BPOE and Civic Club. He has been married to Kathy for 25 years and has three children.
Paul Battaglia
Boardmember
Term Start Date: March 6, 2014
Term Expires: June 30, 2023
Battaglia, of Batavia, NY, is the managing director of the Batavia Practice Unit of Freed Maxick CPAs, P.C. He has been responsible for firm engagements that involve governmental entities, manufacturing companies, agricultural enterprises, commercial enterprises and non-profit organizations. Mr. Battaglia has extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions, negotiations, design and implementation of financing plans, estate planning and business succession planning. In addition, he has the responsibility to ensure that the missions, goals and objectives of the Firm are attained.
Mr. Battaglia’s leadership qualities and skills have been recognized in the community through his involvement and recognitions in several community and non-profit organizations. He has served on many boards including United Memorial Medical Center, Catholic Health System, Batavia Rotary Club, United Way, Private Industry Council, Business Education Alliance, Genesee Chamber of Commerce, Genesee Wyoming BOCES and the YMCA. He has also received many service awards for his community activities.
Mr. Battaglia graduated from St. Bonaventure University. After graduation he accepted a position with the Buffalo office of the international accounting firm of Price Waterhouse & Company, where he held the position of audit manager. During his career there, Mr. Battaglia had extensive experience with and was responsible for audit engagements of many clients in areas of manufacturing, local government, retailing, food processing and distribution, transportation, and non-profit organizations. Mr. Battaglia left Price Waterhouse & Company in 1980 to start his own firm, which became known as Battaglia, Andrews & Moag, P.C. He was Managing Director of Battaglia, Andrews & Moag, P.C. when the Firm merged with Freed Maxick Sachs & Murphy to become what was formerly known as Freed Maxick & Battaglia, P.C.
Mr. Battaglia is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants, the Institute of Management Accountants and the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts.
Jonathan Tretter
Boardmember
Term Start Date: September 9, 2021
Term Expires: September 9, 2027
Jonathan Tretter, CPA is a Director in Freed Maxik's Enterprise Advisory Services Practice who focused on corporate and flow-through tax, high-net worth individual taxation, and federal & multi-state traxation. In addition to taxation, Jonathan leads review and compilation atest engagements for his clients. Additional areas of focus in taxation include federal and state tax credits and incentives, methods of accounting, UNICAP 263A, estate and business succession planning, along with tangible property and cost recovery. Jonathan was a leader in the firm's response to federal legislation surrounding the CARES Act most notably focused on the Paycheck Protection Program and the Employee Retention Credit.
Jonathan has over 11 years of public accounting experience. During his professional career, Jonathan has worked with manufacturing, automobile dealerships, real estate, equipment rental and sales, construction, restaurant and hospitality and medical and professionals service clients to save taxes and preserve wealth. Jonathan stays abreast to all regulatory and legislative changes to properly consult and advist his clients.
Jonathan was a Magna Cum Laude graudate of Canisius College, earning Bachelor of Science degrees in accounting and finance, and is member of NYSSCPA and AICPA. He serves as a Business & Accounting Advisory Board Member for SUNY Genesee Community College, a Campaign Cabinet Member for United Memorial Medical Center, a Committee Member for the Batavia Development Corporation's Small Business Working Group, and Treasurer for the Kiwanis Club of Batavia. Jonathan is a member of Leadership Genesee, Class of 2016. He is a graudate of Batavia High School and lives in Batavia with his wife, Kristi, and their three sons.
Craig Yunker
Boardmember
Term Start Date: June 4, 2015
Term Expires: June 30, 2026
Craig Yunker is a managing partner of CY Farms headquartered in Elba, New York. CY Farms is one of the largest crop farms in Western New York growing turf, corn, wheat, soybeans, alfalfa, onions, and green peas. The farm encompasses more than 6,000 acres in Genesee County. Yunker is also owner of Batavia Turf, a turf farming operation in Batavia, and CY Heifers, a 4000 head replacement heifer business that raises calf’s for local dairy farms. CY Farms employ over 50 people locally and has been in operation since 1963.
In addition to running CY Farms Yunker is active within the community. He is the past Genesee County legislature chairman serving from 1984-1991, a former Trustee of Genesee County Community College, a current Director of Tomkins Financial Corporation/ Bank of Castile, and a current Trustee of Cornell University.
Yunker holds a BS degree in Applied Economics and Management from Cornell University and a MS degree in Resource Economics from the University of New Hampshire. He currently resides in Elba with his wife Kimberly and is a proud father of three children and grandfather to two grandchildren.
Peter Zeliff
Boardmember
Term Start Date: Feburary 7, 2019
Term Expires: June 30, 2022
Peter H. Zeliff is the Senior Executive Vice President and COO of EIF Renewable Energy Holdings, LLC which wholly owns Innovative Energy Systems of Oakfield, New York, an independent developer and energy provider specializing in the recovery and utilization of landfill gas. In addition to founding Innovative Energy Systems, he also developed a proprietary gas pretreatment system which is utilized at all his projects. With over twenty years of experience in the landfill gas industry, he is responsible for the management and financial operations of the company as well as oversight of the engineering, design, permitting, and construction of the company’s landfill gas energy recovery projects. He has a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the Rochester Institute of Technology.
Zeliff is active in a variety of civic and cultural organizations, and he is the Chairman of the 2012 WNY Aviation Adventure Camp. He also volunteers for Wings Flights of Hope, Veterans Airlift Command and the Special Olympics Airlift.
GGLDC Committee Assignments
GGLDC Audit & Finance Committee- Established June 14, 2006
Don Cunningham - Chair
Paul Battaglia
Todd Bender
Thomas Felton
GGLDC Governance & Nominating Committee- Established June 14, 2006
