Business First: Introducing the business leaders on this year's Power 250 list

For the last 13 years, Business First has compiled a list of the most powerful people in Buffalo and Western New York. It's a list that we take seriously, with a vast research and reporting happening year round.

We take into consideration the parameters of a job, number of employees, community activities, length of time at a company and the overall impact of a person's personality. The newsroom then uses our collective years of news experience to determine who belongs on the newest Power 250 list (followed by the Power 200 Women list in the summer and the Power 100 Business Leaders of Color in the fall).

Over the course of a year, some people stand out and some stand down. And sometimes a person's prominence in the community can outweigh their job. There are many factors, but think about this: When you see someone at a cocktail party, would you say, "Wow, I know him/her!"? If that person calls you, how quickly do you return the call?

We know it's a subjective list. We know that everyone thinks someone else should be on this list — or someone should come off it.

Below are the people on the 2025 version of the Power 250, listed alphabetically and unranked. Look for the complete ranking in March.

The 2025 Power 250

• Meghan Aldrich, Sisters of Charity and St. Joseph hospitals
• Wesley Alves, Armor-IIMAK
• LaVonne Ansari, Community Health Center of Buffalo Inc.
• Corey Auerbach, Barclay Damon LLP
• Tricia Barrett, Crowley Webb
• James Basil, Joe Basil Chevrolet
• David Bauer, National Fuel Gas Co.
• Judy Baumgartner, Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital, DeGraff Medical Park of Kaleida Health
• Anthony Baynes, A.J. Baynes Group
• A.J. Baynes, Amherst Chamber of Commerce
• David Beaton, Kelton Enterprises LLC
• Thomas Beauford Jr., Buffalo Urban League
• Robert Beck, John W. Danforth Co.
• Raymond Bednarski, Kideney Architects PC
• Herbert Bellamy Jr., Bellamy Enterprises
• Christopher Belter, Goldberg Segalla LLP
• Randy Benderson, Benderson Development LLC
• Gary Bichler, RP Oak Hill Building Co. Inc.
• Scott Bieler, West Herr Automotive Group
• Mark Blue, NAACP Buffalo
• Don Boyd, Kaleida Health
• Allison Brashear, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
• Renier Brentjens, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
• Jody Briandi, Hurwitz Fine P.C.
• Michael Brophy, Hilbert College
• Gerry Buchheit Jr., Accent Stripe Inc.
• Trina Burruss, United Way of Buffalo & Erie County
• Tom Calderone, Buffalo Toronto Public Media
• Paul Cambria, Lipsitz Green Scime Cambria LLP
• Christian Campos, TM Montante Development
• John Cappellino, Erie County Industrial Development Agency
• Michael Capuana, Erie 1 BOCES
• Mindy Cervoni, Community Services for Every1
• George Chamoun, ACV
• Kent Chevli, Kaleida Health
• Paul Ciminelli, Ciminelli Real Estate Corp.
• Kyle Ciminelli, Ciminelli Real Estate Corp.
• Frank Ciminelli II, Arc Building Partners
• Lorrie Clemo, D'Youville University
• David Colligan, Colligan Law LLP
• Betsy Constantine, Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo
• Russell Corigliano, Rosina Food Products Inc.
• Amy Craib, General Physician PC
• Michael Cropp, Independent Health
• Kevin Cross, Lippes Mathias LLP
• Russ D'Alba, Paramax Corp.
• John Daly, Trautman Associates
• Jonathan Dandes, Rich Products Corp.
• John Dandolph, Alkegen
• Greg Daniel, Luthuli Group and Focus Medical
• Joseph Dash, Dash Markets Inc.
• Andrew Davis, Erie County Medical Center
• Sara Dayton, Lumsden & McCormick LLP
• Donna DeCarolis, National Fuel Gas Distribution Corp.
• Bassam Deeb, Trocaire College
• Joseph DeFazio, Wendel
• Carolyne DeFranco, New View Alliance
• Robert Denning, Perry's Ice Cream Co. Inc.
• James Dentinger, Noco Enterprises LLC
• Anna Dibble, Cummins Inc.
• Douglas DiGesare, Arc Erie County New York
• Erin DiGirolamo, The Horizon Corps.
• Douglas Dimitroff, Phillips Lytle LLP
• Frank Downing, Towne Automotive Group
• Bonita Durand, SUNY Buffalo State University
• Gregory Duval, HSBC Bank USA N.A.
• John Eagleton, Community Bank N.A.
• Michael Edbauer, Highmark Western and Northeastern New York
• Alan Elia Jr., Sevenson Environmental Services Inc.
• Tara Ellis, FeedMore WNY Inc.
• Kevin Ellis, Upstate Niagara Cooperative Inc.
• Thomas Emmerling, Dopkins & Co. LLP
• Dennis Eshbaugh, Holiday Valley Resort
• JoAnn Falletta, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra
• Eric Feldstein, M&T Bank
• Richard Ferranti, Rich Products Corp.
• Ron Ferri, Tops Markets
• Victor Filadora, Catholic Health
• Renee Filip, Aspire of Western New York Inc.
• Brian Fitzharris, Fisher-Price
• Kent Frey, Frey Electric Construction Co.
• Terry Galanis Jr., Sealing Devices Inc.
• Dottie Gallagher, Buffalo Niagara Partnership
• Raymond Ganoe, Evergreen Health
• Thomas Garigen, CannonDesign
• James Garvey, Catholic Health
• Mark Geise, County of Chautauqua Industrial Development Agency
• Kevin Gibbons, UBMD Physicians' Group
• Jeff Gingerich, St. Bonaventure University
• Matthew Giordano, Villa Maria College
• William Gisel Jr., Rich Products Corp.
• Jack Greco, Cupule Ventures, Fillmore Farms and Stronghold Fund
• Lisa Greisler, Visiting Nursing Association of WNY Inc.
• Peter Gundermann, Astronics Corp.
• Dan Hamister, Hamister Group LLC
• Richard Hamister, Northwest Bank
• Morgan Hardy, Leadership Buffalo
• Colleen Heidinger, 43North
• Sam Heleba, Nissha Medical Technologies
• Amy Hemenway, Harter Secrest & Emery LLP
• Eric Hepkins, Cornerstone Community Federal Credit Union
• Brian Higgins, Shea's Performing Arts Center
• Cynthia Hoover, Linde Engineering Americas
• Mari Howard, Intandem
• Beth Hughes, Buffalo General Medical Center/Gates Vascular Institute
• Mike Hughes, Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority
• Peter Hunt, Hunt Real Estate Corp.
• Charles Hunt, Hunt Real Estate Corp.
• William Huntress, Acquest Development
• Paul Iskalo, Iskalo Development Corp.
• Jeremy Jacobs, Delaware North
• Jerry Jacobs Jr., Delaware North
• Louis Jacobs, Delaware North
• Ted Janicki, Bank of America
• Douglas Jemal, Douglas Development Corp.
• Candace Johnson, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
• Dwayne Jones, Community Hope Builders CDC
• René Jones, M&T Bank Corp.
• Denise Jones, The Resource Center
• Patrick Kaler, Visit Buffalo Niagara
• Patty Kaminski, Wegmans Food Markets
• Christopher Kerr, Hospice & Palliative Care Buffalo
• Earl Ketry, Pearl Street Properties
• Irfan Khan, Circuit Clinical
• Andrea Klyczek, Niagara County Industrial Development Agency
• Christopher Koch, New Era Cap LLC
• John Koelmel, New York Power Authority
• Christopher Koenig, Niagara Lutheran Health Care System and Lineage Care Group
• Paul Kolkmeyer, Priam Enterprises LLC
• Nicholas Kosinski, Odoo
• Bart Kresse, Gallagher
• Peter Krog, The Krog Group
• Thomas Kucharski, Invest Buffalo Niagara
• Kenneth Kujawa, National Grid
• Marnie LaVigne, Launch NY
• William Lawley Jr., Lawley
• Cindy Lee, OLV Human Services
• Patrick Lee, Patrick P. Lee Foundation
• Elad Levy, University at Buffalo Neurosurgery
• Irving Levy, Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies
• Jordan Levy, SBNY
• Brian Lipke, Gibraltar Industries Inc.
• Dave Macholz, Catholic Health
• William Maggio, Lorraine Capital
• Dan Magnuszewski, Lightning Strike Venture Studio
• James Maher, Niagara University
• Charles Makey III, Merchants Insurance Group
• Gary Marchiori, EnergyMark
• Joyce Markiewicz, Catholic Health
• Patrick Marrano, Marrano/Marc Equity Corp.
• Nadine Marrero, Buffalo Office of Strategic Planning
• Tony Masiello, Masiello Martucci Hughes
• Mark Masse, Genesee County Economic Development Center
• Chuck Mauro, Local Boys
• Robert McArdle, JPMorgan Chase & Co.
• Anne McCaffrey, People Inc.
• Brenda McDuffie, Erie County Industrial Development Agency
• Michael McMahon, KeyBank N.A.
• Laszlo Mechtler, Dent Neurologic Institute
• Brandye Merriweather, Buffalo Urban Development Corp.
• Jeffrey Meyer, Baillie Lumber Co.
• Michael Mineo, Kaleida Health
• Kimberley Minkel, Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority
• Mark Mistretta, New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
• Michael Montante, Uniland Development Corp.
• Carl Montante, Uniland Development Corp.
• David Nasca, Evans Bank
• Denise Neamon, Bonadio & Co. LLP
• Kevin Nephew, Seneca Gaming Corp.
• James Newman, Noco
• Michael Noah, CNB Bank
• John Notaro, Buffalo Medical Group PC
• Gary Olson, Daemen College
• Christina Orsi, John R. Oishei Foundation
• Duane Paddock, Paddock Chevrolet Inc.
• William Paladino, Ellicott Development Co.
• Louis Panzica, Power Drives Inc.
• Margaret Paroski, Catholic Medical Partners
• Kenneth Pawlak, Evans Bank/NBT Bank
• Terry Pegula, Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres
• Jon Pellish, CTBK
• John Percy, Destination Niagara USA
• Steven Perrigo, Turner Construction Co.
• John Persons, Northeast Grocery Inc.
• Victor Peterson III, MJ Peterson Corp.
• David Pfalzgraf Jr., Rupp Pfalzgraf LLC
• Eric Pleskow, BryLin Hospital
• Thomas Quatroche Jr., Erie County Medical Center Corp.
• Kevin Quinn, Five Star Bank
• Tom Quinn, WNY Impact Investment Fund
• Nagendra Raina, Buffalo Games Inc.
• Sharon Randaccio, Performance Management Partners Inc.
• Eric Recoon, Benderson Development Co.
• Chandra Redfern, Buffalo Federation of Neighborhood Centers Inc.
• Eric Reich, Western New York Regional Economic Development Council
• Pat Roche, Moog Inc.
• Kevin Roland, Ferguson Electric
• James Rooney, Bond Schoeneck & King PLLC
• Christopher Ross, Lawley
• Jason Rousell, General Motors Lockport Operations
• Joseph Ruffolo, Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center
• David Rust, Say Yes to Education Buffalo
• Joseph Salvatore, Salvatore's Italian Gardens
• Jake Schneider, Schneider Services Cos.
• Craig Schreiber, Northtown Automotive Cos.
• Dave Schutte, Schutte Hospitality Group
• James Segarra, Tronconi Segarra & Associates LLP
• Mindy Seibold, Geico
• Tracy Sendor Woodrow, M&T Bank
• J.C. Seneca, Seneca Nation
• Adnan Siddiqui, Jacobs Institute
• Nick Sinatra, Sinatra & Co.
• Janne Sirén, Buffalo AKG Art Museum
• John Somers, Harmac Medical Products Inc.
• Shana Stegner, CBRE Upstate NY
• Scott Stenclik, Aleron
• Steve Stoute, Canisius University
• Richard Suchan, Roman Catholic Diocese of Buffalo
• Kathleen Sweet, Gibson McAskill & Crosby LLP
• Sarah Tanbakuchi-Ripa, 43North Foundation
• Rocco Termini, Signature Development
• Thurman Thomas, 34 Group
• Daniel Thoren, Graham Corp.
• Satish Tripathi, University at Buffalo
• Adiam Tsegai, SUNY Erie
• Stephen Tucker, Northland Workforce Training Center
• Stephen Turkovich, Oishei Children's Hospital
• David Uba, Excelsior Orthopaedics and Buffalo Surgery Center
• Julie Urban, M&T Bank
• Karen Utz, Empire State Development
• Tony Vazquez, Citi
• Cindy Voelker, Spectrum Health & Human Services
• Paul Vukelic, Try-It Distributing Co. Inc. and Balkan Beverage
• Matthew Wagner, Sodexo Live!
• Edward Walsh Jr., Walsh Duffield Cos. Inc.
• Richard Warzala, Allient Inc.
• Tara Wasik, General Motors Tonawanda Engine Plant
• Matthew Whitehead, Howard Hanna Real Estate Services
• Tom Wiley, The Buffalo News
• Tonja Williams, Buffalo Public Schools
• Jon Williams, Viridi Parente Inc.
• Mary Wilson, Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation
• Peter Wilson, Sonwil Distribution
• Art Wingerter, Univera Healthcare
• Michael Wisler, M&T Bank
• Elizabeth Woike, BestSelf Behavioral Health Inc.
• Richard Wright Jr., Freed Maxick CPAs PC
• John Yurtchuk, Genesis Development & Construction
• Howard Zemsky, Larkin Development Group
• Benjamin Zuffranieri Jr., Hodgson Russ LLP
  
  

Introducing the Power 250 business leaders for 2025 - Buffalo Business First