Joseph M. Hanna, a partner based in Goldberg Segalla’s Buffalo office and a member of the firm’s most senior leadership, spoke to Buffalo Business First about joining the Board of Directors for the Business Council of New York State (BCNYS).

Joe, who joins 41 other leaders from across the state, shared that the board has shifted part of its focus to economic recovery and restoring jobs after the COVID-19 pandemic.

“A lot of us are moving forward and although some numbers have improved, we’re not back to where we were,” Joe said. “With that in mind, there’s an importance on avoiding state legislation in the state that imposes significant new costs, mandates or restrictions on employers.”

Joe, who works with a variety of global businesses and national franchises in his roles as co-chair of the Retail and Hospitality and Sports and Entertainment groups and as the founder of the nonprofit Bunkers in Baghdad, will draw on this experience to assist the council.

“Representatives from almost every business segment are a part of this,” he said. “Recovery needs to stretch across the entire spectrum of industries as we continue to struggle with the new normal under COVID-19. The major concerns of businesses are what we need to focus on and avoid legislation on.”

Joe also shared that following health and safety measures as detailed in the state’s reopening plan are crucial and it’s important that businesses find a means to stay open while dealing with the virus as much as possible. Throughout the pandemic, Joe worked with his retail and sports clients to deal with health and safety measures.

“I think that we’ll be able to work together and identify issues and great things that the [businesses] from Buffalo to New York City and everywhere in between can work together on,” he said.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE:

“Joseph Hanna Takes Focus on Business Recovery to New Statewide Board Position,” Buffalo Law Journal/Buffalo Business First, November 5, 2020

MORE ABOUT GOLDBERG SEGALLA’S JOSEPH M. HANNA:

Joseph M. Hanna is a commercial litigator and legal adviser recognized for his work in retail and hospitality and sports and entertainment law. With a national practice and industry-wide reputation for leadership, Joe is consistently ranked among the top 10 attorneys based in Western New York in Business First’s annual Legal Elite, and in 2015, Joe was the youngest honoree ever to be named Lawyer of the Year in the Bar Association of Erie County’s 130-year history. He has received accolades that include the IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Awareness) Award, Minority Corporate Counsel Association George B. Vashon Innovator Award, the New York State Bar Association Diversity Trailblazer Award, and the University at Buffalo George W. Thorn Award. He is the recipient of numerous honors, including an AV Preeminent Peer Review rating though Martindale-Hubbell and frequently appears on lists such as Upstate New York Super Lawyers Rising Stars.