Misericordia University to Display a Selection of the Harriet and Harmon Kelley Collection

Misericordia University will present a selection of works from the Harmon and Kelley Collection of San Antonio, Texas, one of the country’s major collections of African American art. The exhibition will be on display until Sunday, April 10. The forty works on paper in this exhibition date from the early 1900s to 2002 and feature works by such noted artists as Romare Bearden, Elizabeth Catlett, Aaron Douglas, Henry Ossawa Tanner, William Henry Johnson, and Alma Woodsey Thomas. The Kelleys personally selected each drawing, print, or painting for its ability to share African American history and creativity with viewers. Being able to present this exhibition has special meaning for Mrs. Harriet O’Banion Kelley, whose nephew Charles Louis O’Banion, who passed away in 2019, graduated from Misericordia University in 2006. This touring exhibition was organized by Landau Traveling Exhibitions of Los Angeles, California. Presenting this exhibition at Misericordia University was made possible in part by the Sandra Dyczewski Maffei Endowment Fund for the Modern Visual Arts.

A free public reception with has been scheduled for Saturday, March 19, from 2-5pm. Kas Williams, Misericordia University Assistant Vice President for Mission Integration and Institutional Diversity, will give the University Welcome. Live music will feature vocalists Wendy Hinton and LaToya Martin, accompanied by Patrick Temple, Misericordia University Adjunct Professor of Guitar. Space is limited. RSVP required by contacting Alexandra Svab Isaac at (570) 674-8422 or aisaac@misericordia.edu.

Regular gallery hours are 12-4 p.m. Monday through Saturday or by appointment. Admission is always free. Masks are required indoors on campus regardless or vaccination status. Please refer to the Pauly Friedman Art Gallery website www.misericordia.edu/art for any changes in protocols, and art gallery event and calendar updates. Free tours led by Gallery Director Lalaine Little are available on request. To schedule a tour or private appointment, or for more information, please contact Alexandra Svab Isaac at aisaac@misericordia.edu or (570) 674-8422. 

Lackawanna College Accepting Career Fair Registrations

Lackawanna College is hosting a career/internship fair on Thursday, April 7 from 11-3 p.m.

Location:
Lackawanna College Student Union
500 Jefferson Avenue
Scranton, PA

Registration Fee: $75.00
Payment: Check, Money Order
Registration Deadline: March 24, 2022

Registration Link: Click HERE

If you have any additional questions or concerns regarding the date, please contact career@lackawanna.edu

Quandel Enterprises, LLC Announces Family Succession Plan

Quandel Enterprises, LLC, announces the transition of Gregory Quandel, chief executive officer
of Quandel Enterprises; Jerome Urban, president and chief executive officer of Performance Construction Company; and Michael Murchie, executive vice president of Quandel Enterprises
and chief executive officer of J. Vinton Schafer Construction, LLC into leadership and ownership of Quandel’s family of companies.

Noble (Bud) Quandel, Jr., who served Quandel Enterprises as chief executive officer since 1977, is transitioning leadership and ownership after a successful construction career of more than 50 years. Bud will remain with the company as an executive chair and member of the Board of Directors through 2031 to facilitate a smooth transition.

“These gentlemen are proven leaders and have already been responsible for leading our construction services for Quandel and our Quandel brands. Under their leadership, we have driven outstanding performance. Together they helped put in place a broad range of operational and talent initiatives to position our company for an even more successful future,” stated Bud.

Bud is delighted to have his nephew, Greg; son-in-law, Jerome; and close friend and financial advisor, Michael, transition into this leadership and ownership role. Greg started with the company in 2009 as a project manager, became president and chief executive officer of Quandel Construction Group in 2019, and was named chief executive officer of Quandel Enterprises in 2020.

Jerome joined Quandel Construction Group in 2006 as an estimator and moved to Performance Construction Company in 2016 before being named president and chief executive officer of Performance Construction Company in 2019.

Michael was brought on to Quandel’s leadership team as a consultant and board vice chair and chief executive officer of J. Vinton Schafer, a Quandel Company, in 2020. He has been instrumental in the success of J. Vinton Schafer Construction, including their entry into the acute care construction market, as well as providing leadership experience to Quandel Enterprises. Prior to joining Quandel, Michael was a banking executive at M&T Bank.

“My goal was to have a family business continue and for leadership to have a financial interest and participate in the ownership of the business,” added Bud. “I am fortunate to have a phenomenal and superb leadership team, and I am confident in their intellect, insight, and execution abilities to move our company forward. They have a deep understanding of every facet of our business. Everywhere
I look, we have improved this company and its knowledge base. The quality of this team and their judgement and wisdom is extraordinary.”

The company spends considerable time planning for stability and continuity. Over the next ten years, Bud will continue to have a key leadership role and remain active as executive chair, connected to the Quandel family of companies, and involved in strategic initiatives and development opportunities. Above all, Bud’s wisdom, guidance, and mentoring over the next decade, will assist with the knowledge transfer.

“This is a legacy we are proud of and look forward to enriching, as we embrace the future,” said Bud. “We have been very fortunate to have five generations interested in the family business. This fifth-generation is going to take our business to the next level.”

“We are grateful to Bud for his steadfast commitment and tireless efforts over five decades to help make Quandel the company it is today. Through his efforts, we have a succession plan in place to ensure the smoothest possible leadership transition. On behalf of the strategic leadership team, we thank Bud for this opportunity and look forward to his guidance and mentoring through this journey,” shared Michael.

“With each transition, a commitment to doing the right thing and sustaining integrity and safety stays fixed. Now in the firm’s fifth-generation leadership, we are preserving our core purpose, mission, and values, while changing with the times,” Greg explains.

With this transition, the Quandel family of companies have moved to a limited liability corporation structure. The new firm names are:

  • Quandel Enterprises, LLC
  • Quandel Construction Group, LLC
  • Pyramid Construction Services, LLC
  • J. Vinton Schafer Construction, LLC
  • Performance Construction Company

“Our family of companies reflect our growth over the past 140 years. We work together to capitalize
on our employees’ strengths and business line resources to meet the needs of our clients and
improve internal and external communications for our firm. Referred to by our staff as the “One Team
Approach”, it is a mindset for Quandel Enterprises’ family of companies. While the suffix in our names may have changed, our core purpose has not – Lead. Make a Difference. Build a Better Future,” said Jerome.

Lackawanna Heritage Valley Partnership Grant Funding

Lackawanna Heritage Valley has announced the start of a new spring cycle of partnership grant funding, open for application through March 11 at 12 p.m.

The program is open to members of non-profit and civic organizations, municipal and governmental agencies, and educational institutions with proposals for projects designed to enhance the quality of life within the Lackawanna Heritage Valley. Successful grant applicants will receive up to $5,000 each to conserve, preserve, and educate the public about Northeastern Pennsylvania’s historic, cultural, economic and natural resources.

Lackawanna Heritage Valley, designated as both a national and state heritage area, has provided more than three million dollars in funding assistance to community organizations through its Partnership Grants Program since its inception. Given the dire funding constraints and lack of community programming brought on by the ongoing health crisis, the organization feels this round of grants is perhaps one of its most crucial.

Justin Topa, community engagement and programs manager, hopes that Lackawanna Heritage Valley’s spring grant program will continue the organization’s work toward stimulating the region’s economy, enhancing tourism initiatives, strengthening community organizations and increasing the quality of life for area residents.  

“We are proud to support our creative local partners who help us to tell the region’s story and to preserve and conserve our natural resources,” Topa said. “With each successful grant cycle, we invest in our history, our resources and the families in our communities. In a year that presents unique challenges, we hope that this year’s applicants will find creative ways to showcase our region’s story of perseverance and the strength in working together.”

For general information about the heritage area, or for grant program guidelines and applications, those interested are asked to visit www.LHVA.org or call Lackawanna Heritage Valley’s office, via (570) 963-6730.

Lackawanna College Police Academy Receives Donation

Lackawanna College staff, along with the family of the late Andrew J. Jones, accept a $7,700 donation from Valley Aviation to the Andrew J. Jones memorial fund. Andrew J. Jones, “AJ” is a 2018 alumnus of the Hazleton Police Academy’s 240th class who passed away as a result of injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident in 2019. Jones served as a full-time officer for the Swoyersville Police Department and as a part-time officer for the Exeter Police Department.