The Downtown Albany Business Improvement District (BID) presented the 5th Annual James M. DiNapoli Award to Anders Tomson, President and CEO of Chemung Canal Trust Company, at the BID’s Annual Meeting on Wednesday, May 3, 2017 at Sixty State Place. Created in 2013 in honor of a founding member and inaugural Chairman of the Downtown BID, the James M. DiNapoli Award is given annually to an individual, organization, or business that has exemplified Mr. DiNapoli’s spirit of partnership with the BID in shaping the direction of downtown Albany.

Tomson has been an important figure in downtown Albany for the past 20 years through his time on the Capitalize Albany Corporation Board. His active role reaches far beyond a Board room however; as President of the Capital Bank division of Chemung Canal Trust Company, he moved their regional headquarters and new bank branch into Downtown in 2015, playing a key role in the redevelopment of Wellington Row. Through his time as Senior Vice President and Regional Director of Community Preservation Corporation Tomson was instrumental in securing a $1 million grant for vacant and blighted buildings. He recognized the potential of residential in Downtown early on and financed the first several conversion projects that jump-started Albany’s newest neighborhood, which now experiences 100 market-rate apartments coming online each year.

But his passion extends throughout the City where he has served as the Chairman of the Arbor Hill Implementation Committee, a member of the Park South Redevelopment Planning Committee, and a Historic Albany Foundation Board member. He currently serves as Past Chair of the Visiting Nurses Association, YMCA of the Capital District Executive Committee member and on Albany Medical Center’s Development Committee.

“It’s not about the project, it’s about the people. I’ve had the privilege of working with Albany elected officials, developers, and community members, and their commitment to making our city a better place is very inspiring,” said Tomson. “After being an advocate for so long, I’m excited that through Capital Bank’s investment in Downtown we can continue to play a meaningful role and be an engine for progress.”

“A city is only as good as its partnerships,” said Mayor Kathy Sheehan. “Through collaborating with business leaders like Anders Tomson in the private sector and non-profit organizations like the Downtown BID, we’ve been able to achieve great results. Together, we’re working to create a Downtown that will keep residents engaged and visitors coming back.”

“The BID is proud to present this year’s James M. DiNapoli Award to Tomson, a true leader in the evolution of Downtown and the City of Albany as a whole,” said Georgette Steffens, Downtown Albany BID executive director. “His passion and dedication continue to have an undeniably positive impact on our community. The game-changing residential and commercial developments we’ve seen over the last year are directly attributable to visionaries like Tomson valuing our District’s momentum.”

Previous James M. DiNapoli Award recipients include Tracy Metzger (2013), I. David Swawite (2014), Joseph Nicolla (2015), and Nancy Zimpher (2016).