Month: March 2025

KeyBank’s Buffalo market has been named the bank’s 2024 Market of the Year. This award recognizes the service teammates provide to clients and acknowledges the Buffalo market as the top performer among the 27 markets in the company’s footprint. This is the second time in the past decade that Buffalo has been named Key’s Market of the Year. The market received the award in 2016 following KeyCorp’s acquisition of Buffalo based First Niagara Financial Group.

Home to KeyBank’s Northeast Regional Headquarters, Buffalo is consistently a top performer throughout the bank’s footprint. In 2024, the work done by teammates in Key’s Buffalo market helped clients meet their financial goals while growing revenue in several lines of business, including:

ConsumerCommercial Banking and Commercial PaymentsBusiness BankingInvestment Services

This award was bestowed at KeyBank’s annual Chairman’s Awards celebration in Cleveland on February 25th. It was presented to KeyBank Buffalo Market President Michael McMahon by KeyCorp Chairman & CEO Chris Gorman, KeyBank Head of Consumer Banking Victor Alexander and KeyBank Head of Commercial Banking Ken Gavrity.

“The Market of the Year Award recognizes our teammates’ unwavering commitment to our clients and KeyBank’s steadfast commitment to Western New York,” said McMahon. “I am so proud of our Buffalo team and their tireless work to deliver the best of Key to local clients and our community.”

With the award comes a traveling crystal trophy that will spend the next year at KeyBank’s Regional Headquarters office in the Larkin at Exchange Building.

“Competition for this award is always steep, and our entire Buffalo team stood out as a top performer in 2024,” said Gorman. “Their unwavering commitment to our clients is reflected in their results. We congratulate them on their success, this award and their commitment to serving the community in so many ways.”

ABOUT KEYCORP

In 2025, KeyCorp celebrates its bicentennial, marking 200 years of service to clients and communities from Maine to Alaska. To learn more, visit KeyBank Heritage Center. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Key is one of the nation’s largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $187 billion at December 31, 2024.

Key provides deposit, lending, cash management, and investment services to individuals and businesses in 15 states under the name KeyBank National Association through a network of approximately 1,000 branches and approximately 1,200 ATMs. Key also provides a broad range of sophisticated corporate and investment banking products, such as merger and acquisition advice, public and private debt and equity, syndications and derivatives to middle market companies in selected industries throughout the United States under the KeyBanc Capital Markets trade name. For more information, visit https://www.key.com/. KeyBank Member FDIC

When considering outsourcing your human resources (HR) and payroll functions for your growing business or organization, there are several key factors you should evaluate to ensure you make the best decision for your company. Here are the top seven factors to consider:

1. Provider type evaluation

When evaluating the types of providers, it’s essential to understand the differences between professional employer organizations (PEOs) and traditional HR consulting firms. PEOs offer comprehensive benefit plans and take on responsibilities like payroll, taxes and compliance. However, they also involve co-employment, meaning that the PEO jointly employs your staff. On the other hand, traditional HR consulting firms, like Baker Tilly Vantagen, provide similar HR and payroll services without co-employing any of your workers. This means that you retain all ownership of your employees with the added benefits of trusted advisors and outsourced HR and payroll services.

2. Technology provided

The technology offered by a provider can significantly impact the efficiency of your HR functions. Evaluate the technology offered by the outsourced service and determine which outsourced tasks might best align with the vendor’s service level agreements (SLAs). Ideally, the providers offer the necessary tools to streamline and automate your systems and manage your HR and payroll functions efficiently.

3. Depth of knowledge and experience

An outsourced service provider can bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to your organization at a fraction of the cost of maintaining an in-house team. They can act as a neutral party when resolving employee-related conflicts and issues, provide specialized knowledge in HR and payroll, and ensure compliance with employment laws and regulations.

4. Risk mitigation and data management

Outsourcing HR can help mitigate risks by developing a comprehensive risk management plan and protecting employee data. With a dedicated team, there is always someone available to step in when needed, ensuring continuity and compliance. Providers often have specialized skills and tools to manage risks associated with managing and retaining your workforce, as well as hiring and training new talent.

5. Communication and reporting

Effective communication is essential to the success of any plan. Communication and reporting are pivotal in maintaining a healthy work environment for everyone involved. Assess how the outsourced service provider handles communication and reporting. Regular reporting, transparent communication with employees and the ability to collect unbiased feedback are crucial for maintaining a healthy work environment.

6. Customization and scalability

Ensure that the outsourced HR and payroll services are customizable to your company’s needs and can scale as your business grows. Tailored services allow you to define the scope of services needed and maintain control over changes being made at your company. Ensure that the provider has flexible options to accommodate different payroll schedules and integrates with other HR systems to ensure a smooth transition.

7. Time and cost reduction

Outsourcing HR and payroll services can often be more cost-effective than maintaining an in-house HR and/or payroll department. It reduces overhead costs associated with salaries, benefits, office space and technology, allowing you to allocate resources more strategically toward core business functions and growth initiatives. By leveraging the services of an outsourced HR and payroll provider, businesses can remain compliant and keep their HR and payroll departments running smoothly, while focusing on their strategic goals.

Outsourcing or co-sourcing your HR and payroll functions can provide numerous benefits, including cost savings, access to specialized knowledge and improved risk management. By carefully evaluating the provider options at your disposal, companies can enhance their HR operations while focusing on core business activities. Effective risk management, data management and clear communication and reporting are essential to maintaining a healthy work environment. Providers that offer customizable and scalable solutions ensure that the services can grow with the business or organization. Ultimately, outsourced HR and payroll services provide significant benefits to growth, enabling the business to thrive in a competitive landscape.

If you’re considering outsourcing your HR and payroll services, connect with an experienced Baker Tilly Vantagen practitioner to learn more about how our services can be tailored to your company’s needs.

AUSTIN, Texas, March 12, 2025 /3BL/ – Whole Foods Market Foundation, in partnership with the Kasperick Foundation, is excited to approve $230,000 in funding across five projects that promote and broaden access to innovative savings mechanisms through their High Impact Program. Since 2013, Whole Planet, a pillar of Whole Foods Market Foundation, has authorized $1.75M, with the goal of improving their ability to meet their clients’ needs and provide new, more or better products and services.

For entrepreneurs and farmers living on around $4 a day, there are often a variety of barriers that prevent them from accessing the capital they need to launch and sustain their businesses. Low-income populations tend to have difficulty meeting the requirements of collateral or consistent income, leaving billions of people without access to basic financial services. Ventures like peer-to-peer lending and village savings and loan associations are innovative solutions that address a critical gap in financial inclusion while creating sustainable pathways out of poverty to build financial resilience. Congratulations to the 2024 Whole Planet High Impact Program recipients: CAURIE in Senegal, FUNDER in Honduras, SOS Amazonia in Brazil, Swahili Honey in Tanzania, and YIKRI in Burkina Faso.

CAURIE

CAURIE Microfinance was established in 1999 by Catholic Relief Services and Caritas Senegal and became an independent microfinance institution in 2005. CAURIE Senegal primarily serves rural, low-income clients, the majority of whom are women, through a village banking model. In this model, CAURIE trains rural women’s groups to mobilize their own savings, which are then used to provide small, monthly internal loans.

Today, CAURIE continues to expand its reach, offering a growing range of financial services and products to rural microentrepreneurs, with a strong focus on empowering women. Through the support of the High Impact Program award, CAURIE will enhance its current strategy by making savings and loan products more accessible. This includes on-site savings collection at local markets and providing easy access to small loans, ensuring that financial tools are readily available to their clients.

FUNDER

The Foundation for Rural Business Development (FUNDER) works to champion rural business development in Honduras through efficient and effective training, technical assistance and access to credit for rural savings banks, micro-enterprises, agribusiness and renewable energy initiatives.

Honduras is often subject to severe drought that impacts the availability of water and affects the production of staple crops like beans. FUNDER will use their High Impact Program award to strengthen the savings and food security of 540 families across 20 rural Village and Savings Banks by purchasing 60 metal silos for bean storage, allowing producers to store 108,000 pounds of beans. FUNDER will also use the High Impact Program award to purchase beans from farmers, creating a revolving and sustainable base to shield farmers from inflation and shortages.

SOS AMAZONIA

SOS Amazonia’s mission is to promote the conservation of biodiversity and the growth of environmental awareness in the Amazon. In addition to conservation, SOS Amazonia works to support sustainable farming practices through smallholder farming and in partnership with indigenous communities.

In Brazil, SOS Amazonia will use their High Impact Program award to build a cold storage seed bank, allowing the organization’s nursery to purchase 30%-50% more seeds from local collectors. This seed bank will also allow collectors to store excess seeds while they look for buyers, thus reducing the risk of the seeds losing quality. In addition, the organization will use their award to train collectors in financial literacy, empowering local collectors with the knowledge they need to save money, maximize their resources, and avoid exploitation.

SWAHILI HONEY

In Tanzania, Swahili Honey supports smallholder beekeepers with training, fair pricing, and market access. Over 2,500 Tanzanian beekeepers have benefited from their services, ensuring high-quality honey production and sustainable practices.

Their Beekeeping Savings Groups project, funded by Whole Planet’s High Impact Program, aims to establish 20 Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) within beekeeping communities, primarily targeting women and youth. These savings groups will empower members to pool resources, offer internal microloans and promote financial resilience. The initiative will also provide financial literacy and bookkeeping tools to ensure transparency. By facilitating easy access to funds, beekeepers will be able to maintain loaned beehives and expand their hives, thereby improving productivity and income while reducing dependence on external credit.

YIKRI

Launched by Entrepreneurs du Monde in 2014, YIKRI offers social microfinance to the most vulnerable entrepreneurs in Burkina Faso, focusing on the peri-urban areas of the country where the population is rapidly growing.

Their project aims to encourage YIKRI clients’ savings culture by collecting savings during YIKRI regular group meetings and introducing a deposits remuneration scheme to their savings products. This project will also serve internally displaced persons who have relocated to new regions due to ongoing political unrest in Burkina Faso.

For more information, visit wholefoodsmarketfoundation.org

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About Whole Foods Market Foundation

Whole Foods Market Foundation works to nourish people and the planet by providing access to essential resources to improve nutrition and create opportunities for financial stability. The registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, based in Austin, Texas, encompasses the pillars of Whole Cities, Whole Kids and Whole Planet. For more information on the Foundation’s work, visit wholefoodsmarketfoundation.org. For ongoing news and updates, follow Whole Foods Market Foundation on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter) or LinkedIn.

Media Contact:

Nikki Newman-Sobhani 
Nikki.Newman@wholefoods.com