Chamber To Honor
Seward As ‘Citizen,’
Custom Electronics
Spring Gala May 7 In Foothills Atrium
ONEONTA – State Sen. Jim Seward, R-Milford, will be the Otsego County Chamber’s Eugene A. Bettiol Jr. Distinguished Citizen of 2020, and Custom Electronics the NBT Bank Distinguished Business Of The Year, the chamber announced this afternoon.
Seward and the high-tech battery company will be toasted Thursday, May 7, in the Foothills Atrium, beginning with a cocktail hour at 5:45 p.m.
The senator, who is retiring at the end of the year, receives an award that has been given annually since 2002 to local citizens who have made a long-term impact on the region and have given back to the community through their professions.
Custom Electronics, under President/CEO Michael Pentaris, is implementing a $2.2 million expansion plan, adding 90 jobs and planning to hire another 50 employees.
Both of this year’s award recipients have enjoyed a close association throughout the years: Early in his career, Seward was an aide to Assemblyman Peter S. Dokuchitz, R-Oneonta, who founded Custom Electronics in 1964.
Invitations will be sent out early next week with details about the evening.