Central New York

Senior Vice President Lee Sommerman leads LeChase operations in Central New York, provides executive oversight for the Syracuse and Binghamton offices, and engages as needed in other regions to support growth of the overall business. Lee was named regional operations manager in 2013, having gained extensive experience as a project manager and project executive working on industrial, research and power facilities. He was appointed vice president in 2019 and senior vice president in 2022. A career-long LeChase employee, Lee joined the company as a project engineer in 1995 after graduating from the Rochester Institute of Technology with a B.S. in civil engineering. He also has an A.A.S. in architecture from Alfred State College and LEED AP® (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. In 2002, he completed the Future Construction Leaders program offered by the Associated General Contractors of New York.

As director of business development, Patrick Griffin helps support get-work strategies for LeChase business units covering the Western, Central and the Southern Tier regions of New York State. His responsibilities include client engagement, discovering and tracking new business opportunities, relationship development, sales strategy and management, and key market research and analysis. Patrick joined LeChase as a business development associate in 2017. He holds a bachelor’s degree in writing and rhetorical studies from Syracuse University. A member of the Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) since receiving his Associate DBIA certification in 2021, he currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Upstate Chapter DBIA Liberty Northeast Region. Patrick is active in the business community through organizations that include Greater Rochester Enterprise, CenterstateCEO, MACNY, Greater Binghamton Chamber, Buffalo Niagara Partnership, Invest Buffalo Niagara, Amherst Chamber, National Association for Industrial and Office Parks (NAIOP).

As Chief Estimator for Central NY, Troy Forbes supports preconstruction efforts for projects in the region. This includes responsibility for developing estimates and budgets for both hard-bid and negotiated work, constructing bid packages, evaluating subcontractors and supporting attainment of supplier diversity goals. Troy began his construction career in 2014 working in both estimating and project management prior to joining LeChase as an estimator in 2016. He holds a B.S. in technology management, with a minor in business administration, from the State University of New York at Oswego.