students traveled to Washington D.C. to visit the FBI National Academy and the Headquarters and Training Center for the United States Secret Service. (Photo 5) Treesa J. Salter ’88, Springfield, VA, was honored in a retirement ceremony after 24 years, 9 months, and 22 days of distinguished service to the United States Air Force. (Photo 6) Kristan M. Koch ’91, Havenuerhill, MA, has been promoted to chief financial officer, Civil & Utility Division, at BOND, a Boston-based construction firm. Koch will oversee the accounting and financial management of the division, focused on markets such as oil and gas, electric transmission and distribution, power generation, and civil infrastructure. (Photo 7) Traci L. DeLore ’94, Ilion, NY, co-owner of Crazy Williez
Brewery in Ilion, hosted a UC faculty/staff retiree event in August. Attendees included (pictured, left to right) Tom Maroney, George Curtis, Bruce McBride, Joan Blanchfield, Bill Blanchfield, Kim Landon ’75, Mary Kay Maroney, Jan DeAmicis, Dominic Aiello, Melodee Moltman, Steve Pattarini, and (seated in front) former UC president Michael Simpson and his wife, Carol. (Photo 8) The Honorable Anthony J. Picente Jr. ’94, Rome, NY, was selected as a Genesis Group and Medical Societies Distinguished Service Award recipient for his leadership in the areas of health and wellness. Kyo M. Dolan ’98, G’03, Woodbridge, VA, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the United States Secret Service, helped facilitate an Organization of Justice Studies
event in which 50 graduate and undergraduate, ground, and online students traveled to Washington D.C. to visit the FBI National Academy and the Headquarters and Training Center for the United States Secret Service. Jeremy W. Earl ’99, G’13, Utica, NY, (top row, far right), executive director of The Root Farm in Sauquoit, NY, and equine program assistant, Kyle J. Sikes ’17 (front, far right) hosted Utica College’s advancement staff for the annual division retreat in July. (Photo 9) Jessica Burmaster ’00, Frankfort, NY, medical technologist, MPH, BSMLS, has been appointed director of the laboratory services department at Rome Memorial Hospital. Burmaster coordinates the efforts of various departments within the laboratory to meet the needs of patients, physicians,
and the rest of the hospital. Marc DePerno ’00, Utica, NY, the USA Wheelchair Curling national director of outreach and development, attended the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea. (Photo 10, front left) Myra Camino ’00, Pembroke Pines, FL, was unanimously selected as Big Sister of the Year for the state of Florida for her commitment to her mentoring relationship with her “little sister,” despite battling stage 4 breast cancer. She was chosen from 15,000 mentors statewide. (Photo 11) Holly A. Burline ’01, New Hartford, NY, was named nurse navigator for the Mohawk Valley Health System Breast Care Center at the Faxton Campus. In her new role, Burline offers individualized guidance and support to patients and their
A Cut Above: Ray Escobar ’12 and Fabio Sanchez ’12 When Ray Escobar ’12 and Fabio Sanchez ’12 met at UC’s New Student Orientation in 2008, they knew instantly they’d become friends. Both grew up in nearby neighborhoods in the Bronx, New York, and were into similar music. They later pledged Lambda Sigma Upsilon together and became members of BOND. “We experienced so much together at UC, we’re like brothers,” says Sanchez. After graduation, the friends remained close as they moved back to New York and started their careers; Sanchez as a financial manager at Ernst and Young in Manhattan, Escobar as a property manager for a Bronx-based real estate company. “Ray is the dreamer with the wild ideas, and I’m the finance guy who is more realistic,” says Sanchez. “We always said that we’d make great business partners.” So in summer 2017, when Escobar learned of a property for sale in a prime location in his Bronx neighborhood, he approached Sanchez with an idea: to transform the spot into an upscale salon for men, an alternative to the bare-bones barber shops in the area. After examining the financial and legal details, Sanchez was onboard. “We wanted to do something different, more high-end,” says Escobar. “Men want to feel like they look clean and sharp, and that gives them that boost of confidence.” Sanchez and Escobar purchased the location and set out to create a salon that offered men in the Bronx the type of upscale experience more common in Manhattan, but for a more reasonable price. As a bonus, a salon would be a relatively low-maintenance investment for the business owners, who planned to keep their day jobs, since individual stylists work as independent contractors and promote themselves. “We just provide the platform,” says Sanchez. After a year of meetings, negotiations, and “lots of legal details,” says Escobar, Level Up Grooming Studio opened in June 2018. The response, says Sanchez, has been “fantastic.” “We went from two stylists to four, and the clients keep coming in,” says Escobar, who is already thinking up creative new ventures for Level Up, such as partnering with local charities for events or starting a podcast. But, as usual, his buddy and business partner helps keep his creativity in check. “I tell him we need to focus on building the business now,” says Sanchez, with a laugh. “Then we’ll 64 think about those other things.”
