Sen. Griffo honors Linda, Jacqueline Romano as 2018 Women of Distinction

ALBANY - State Sen. Joseph Griffo, R-C-I-Rome, announced today that both Linda E. Romano and Jacqueline C. Romano were recently honored in Albany as 2018 New York State Women of Distinction.

Linda Romano is a corporate attorney with and established the Utica office of Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC, and serves as CEO, President and General Counsel of Pacemaker Steel and Piping Co., Inc. She has served as both a volunteer and board member of many nonprofit and community organizations and she donates to countless local charities and institutions.

Jacqueline Romano is vice president of Global Procurement for The Fountainhead Group, Inc. and has spent more than 30 years with the company. She has been active in her community, serving on a variety of boards and committees in the region.

Sen. Griffo recognized each of the Romanos during a ceremony and reception in Albany.

“Linda and Jacqueline are very deserving of this honor,” Sen. Griffo said. “They have both accomplished much in their careers, while also finding time to give back to their community by volunteering and serving a number of local organizations, nonprofits and groups. Through their tremendous efforts, both of these wonderful women have made the Mohawk Valley a better place for everyone.”

The State Senate’s Women of Distinction program was created in 1998 to honor exceptional achievement, personal excellence and outstanding, courageous and heroic actions on the part of individual women from across the state. Each honoree’s photograph and biography has become part of a special exhibit proclaiming the unique contributions of exemplary women in New York.

Linda Romano’s full bio is as follows:

Linda Romano is a graduate of Boston College (B.A., magna cum laude, 1975) and the University of Virginia School of Law (J.D., 1978). She is a member of the New York State Bar Association (Corporate and Banking Division), Oneida County Bar Association, and the National Association of Municipal Bond Attorneys and is admitted to practice in New York and in the Supreme Court of the United States.

She is a corporate attorney with Bond, Schoeneck & King, PLLC, and opened the firm’s Utica office in 2002, concentrating her practice in matters concerning business law and public finance, serving as bond counsel and transaction counsel to public agencies, municipalities and school districts. Since beginning her practice in 1978 at Nixon Peabody in New York City and Rochester, Linda has been responsible for the structuring and legal negotiation of over 200 real estate and corporate financings, including major corporate credits, letters of credit, leasing, leveraged buyouts, asset-based loans, construction and mortgage loans, workouts and corporate reorganizations.

Linda has been selected by her peers to be included in “The Best Lawyers in America” for several years and, in 2013 was recognized by the YWCA of the Mohawk Valley as a Business & Industry leader in its “Salute to Outstanding Women.” In 1984, she joined her family’s real estate, manufacturing and distribution businesses and returned to the Mohawk Valley in 1992. Linda is President and General Counsel of Romano First Properties Group (Utica); Chief Executive Officer, President and General Counsel of Pacemaker Steel and Piping Co., Inc.

(Utica); Senior Vice President and General Counsel of The Fountainhead Group, Inc. (New York Mills); and Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Ashford Management Group, Inc. (Utica). Until the property sold in 2005, Linda was Chairman of the Radisson Ambassador Plaza Hotel & Casino (San Juan, Puerto Rico). She is involved in all aspects of the above distribution, manufacturing and real estate business enterprises, including legal, financing, acquisitions, strategic alliances and various transactional and operational matters and serves on each board of directors.

Linda also has served as both a volunteer and board member of many nonprofit organizations and she donates generously to countless local charities and institutions. She is past President of the Board of Trustees of the New Hartford Public Library and past President of the New Hartford Senior High School Parent Teacher Association, as well as a long-time Trustee of Utica College, having chaired the Institutional Advancement Committee. Linda serves on the Board of Directors of Utica National Insurance Group and Utica National Foundation and is a founding member of the National Long Distance Running Hall of Fame. She also has served as Co-Chair to the Oneida County World War II Memorial Trip Committee and was Capital Campaign Chair for The Birthplace at St. Luke’s Hospital in New Hartford.

Linda has been instrumental in the establishment and funding of the Oneida County chapter of the Syracuse University School of Law Wohl Family Veterans Legal Clinic, which provides free legal services to United States veterans. She also was a major contributor and assisted Mohawk Valley Health Systems Development Office in securing funds to purchase a Linear Accelerator for its Regional Cancer Center.

Linda resides in New Hartford with her husband, Russell J. Petralia, and their daughter, Whitney. Russell is president of Ashford Management Group, Inc., a property management company that owns and manages shopping centers, apartment complexes and mobile home communities in the Northeastern United States. Whitney graduated from Boston College in December 2017 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science with a minor in Latin American Studies. She is pursuing a career in the digital marketing and communications field.

Jacqueline Romano’s full bio is as follows:

Jacqueline Romano is vice president of Global Procurement for The Fountainhead Group, Inc. and has spent more than 30 years with the company. She has more than 25 years of executive management experience with a leading manufacturer of applicators (compressed air sprayers, foggers, backpack sprayers, fire pumps and insecticide) for the consumer lawn and garden and professional products industries. The family company, founded in 1888, owns several patented technologies and an exclusive selection of brand reinforcing its position as a market leader in its industries, with gross revenue in excess of $60 million. 

Jacqueline has spent 28 years in various capacities including vice president of global procurement and vice president of operations. Her understanding of the internal and external operation including domestic and international procurement, logistics, information systems and business processes has resulted in annual cost savings in excess of $1 million. Jackie participated in three company acquisitions and managed the seamless integration into corporate business processes on time and on budget.

Jacqueline also is a former adjunct professor at Mohawk Valley Community College, where she instructed students in accounting, criminal justice and business law. She also currently serves as director of the Oneida County Sheriff Law Enforcement Foundation, committee co-chair for the House of the Good Shepherd Sponsorship Committee and fundraising chair for the Stevens-Swan Humane Society, where she also is on the organization’s board. Jackie previously served on the Board of Directors for the United Way of the Valley and Greater Utica Area, as treasurer of the Mohawk Valley Export Council and has held various seats on local nonprofit committees.

Jacqueline holds a Bachelor of Science degree, Summa Cum Laude from Utica College of Syracuse University, a Master of Science degree in economic crime management from Utica College and is a certified fraud examiner. 

Jacqueline was born and raised in Utica and now lives in New Hartford with her husband, John Romano, who is the CEO of The Fountainhead Group. They have two sons, Dominic and Francis, and two stepdaughters, Francesca and Alexandra.

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