News & Events

Annese is Awarded Woman Owned Business Enterprise (WBE) Status
Herkimer, N.Y., January 20, 2010— Annese & Associates, Inc. has recently received official notification from the State Department of Economic Development that it is now recognized as a Woman Owned Business Enterprise (WBE) in New York State. The certification kicks off the beginning of Annese’s 40th year in business, and is a direct result of the company’s strategic planning initiative that began in January of 2009, which appointed a new President and CEO to the organization and restructured the senior management team.

This initiative involved a Succession Plan that went into effect in 2008 when founder and former CEO, Frank Annese, officially retired and stepped down from his position of Chairman of the Board, dividing sole ownership of the family owned company between his four daughters. The organization is now exclusively owned, operated, and controlled by Michelle Annese, Yvonne Annese LoRe, Andrea Annese Como, and Francine Annese Apy, who are all currently employed within the company. This surpasses the certification’s requirement that states the organization must be at least 51% owned by a woman or women actively involved in the company’s daily business policies and practices.

To coincide with the strategic planning process within the company, Annese outlined a three-to-five year Strategic Plan for Growth as well as delineated a set of core values, formulated a customer service policy, and launched a new mission statement in an effort to continue to highlight the customer intimacy model that they have always strived for and further unify the employees, departments, and offices. 2009 was a strong year for the company as they hired several new employees, constructed a larger office building in Clifton Park, and expanded into new territories.

Frank’s four daughters, Michelle, Yvonne, Andrea, and Francine, each retain an active role within the organizational structure of the company and reside on the Board of Directors alongside their mother, Dominica Annese. They look forward to the government opportunities that this new certification entails, and to helping their customers fulfill certain business requirements such as working with women owned companies.

Michelle Annese most recently joined the company’s sales force in the fall of 2009 as a representative for Symphony’s Ensemble Video—a software solution that Annese currently resells. Her responsibilities include attending tradeshows and demonstrations to help commercialize the product to school districts throughout New York State. She has served on the Board of Directors with her sisters since 2005.

Yvonne Annese LoRe is currently the Vice President of Corporate Projects and has been employed at Annese since 1987. Her role is to execute strategic and tactical projects in alignment with the corporation’s mission, core values, strategic goals, and tactical objectives.

Andrea Annese Como is the company’s Operations Representative and has been actively employed for 21 years. Her role within the company is to handle various operations, administration, and financial tasks as well as serve as the direct point of contact for company vendors and partners.

Francine Annese Apy is currently the Vice President of Human Resources and has been actively employed at Annese since 2000. She is responsible for managing employee relations, recruitment, compensation and benefits, and to ensure that Annese remains an Employer of Choice. She acknowledges the strong foundation that the company was built on and continues to employ. “Our company founder, Frank J. Annese, has always promoted the concept that great people are what make companies successful. At Annese, we provide communications technology solutions but the only thing we manufacture is goodwill; to us, that is an end in-and-of itself. The whole thing is based on goodwill and we couldn’t wish for a stronger foundation.”

Francine goes on to speak to the value of the Strategic Plan currently in motion which has set the pace for a clear outlook and direction for the future of the company as it continues to evolve: “With the growth of the company over the last 12 months, several new employees have been added to our team and we have created new practices around SMB and Data Center. We have recently extended our reach to New York City, New Jersey, and Long Island, expanding outside of New York State and further into the New England region. Looking toward the future, our goal is to take the company to the next level of organizational capacity and capability, and ensure ongoing business success.”

About Annese & Associates, Inc.
As a NYS certified Woman Owned Business Enterprise (WBE), Annese & Associates, Inc. provides unified communications solutions, converging our clients’ voice, video, and data networks onto a single platform. With a caring and talented team, Annese brings industry-level technology together with advanced professional services to meet our clients’ needs today, and as they evolve in the future—see the difference with Annese.
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