Each year Siena’s entrepreneurship program honors local business luminaries, as well as a current student who may one day join their ranks.
The annual Civitella Entrepreneurial Awards reception was held on campus April 24. William Lia ’90 was named Entrepreneur of the Year; Ruth Mahoney received the Community Impact Award; and James “Jimmy” Smith ’24 was named Student Entrepreneur of the Year.
Daniel Robeson, Ph.D., director of Siena’s Stack Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, recognized this year’s recipients.
“Siena College and its entrepreneurship program are delighted to recognize Bill Lia and Ruth Mahoney as this year’s Civitella Award recipients,” said Robeson. Their commitment to excellence and innovation are an inspiration to our students, as are their high standards of performance to all area professionals. Jimmy Smith’s dedication to our program during his years as a student at Siena will I’m sure reap dividends as he continues his studies and pursues his own career.”
Smith and his team won the College’s Spark Tank entrepreneurship competition in 2021 with SoundU, a software product that adds music and sound effects to audio books. The team also took SoundU to the New York State Business Plan Competition. Smith, who served as president of the College’s student entrepreneurship club, will return to Siena this fall to earn his master of science in business analytics.
“The entrepreneurship department has been like a second home for me at Siena,” said Smith. “I have been very grateful to my professors and classmates who have helped me become the best student I could be.”
He said he took an entrepreneurship class as a sophomore out of curiosity, and that’s how he got involved in the discipline.
“I would encourage anyone to take a class in entrepreneurship,” he said. “It involves a lot more skill building than you would think, and it’s a great way to network with alumni and learn how to create your own business venture.”
The College’s annual awards are endowed by Antonio Civitella ’91, president and CEO of Transfinder. He was Siena’s first Entrepreneur of the Year honoree in 2014.
“Every year I look forward to this ceremony, because every year I am inspired by the stories of the recipients and the conversations I have with other professionals and Siena students,” said Civitella. “This is why I wanted to sponsor this awards ceremony. Great things happen when we get together, share stories and ideas and learn from each other.”
Entrepreneur of the Year winner Bill Lia earned his Siena degree in finance. He is a co-owner of the Lia Group companies, which consists of five business units: Lia Auto Group, Vent Fitness, Lia Realty Group, Lia Insurance Agency, and BurgerFi. Over the past 35 years, he has been involved in every aspect of the group’s various businesses, including acquisitions, development, construction, management sales, marketing and more. Considered the driving force behind the diversification of the Lia Group, he holds brokerage licenses in real estate and insurance. He is active locally with charitable organizations such as the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, American Cancer Society, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and others.
Impact award winner Mahoney joined NBT Bank as executive vice president and president of wealth management in 2021. She was named regional president for the Capital Region and North Country a year later. She lends her considerable leadership abilities to many local organizations, serving as co-chair of the Regional Economic Development Council, chair of the Capital Region Chamber of Commerce, and as a board member for Albany Medical Center and the New York State Teachers’ Retirement System. She is the recipient of numerous professional awards for her leadership acumen and as a woman of distinction in business and banking.