Month: April 2026

Capital Region SBDC Provides Free Support For Small Businesses At Every Stage

April 21, 2026

By Carol Ann Conover

Whether drafting a first business plan, breaking into a new market or handing off a company built over decades, business owners can get help from the Capital Region Small Business Development Center. The service is free, with no time limit and no agenda.

“We have no agenda, we have nothing to push, we have nothing to sell,” said Greg Chanese, assistant director of the Capital Region SBDC. “So, at the end of the day, we’re just here to support you as a small business.”

The SBDC is a national program funded by the U.S. Small Business Administration. It distributes money to every state. In New York, that funding goes through the State University of New York system. The Capital Region center is housed at the University at Albany under the Massry School of Business. There are 20 SBDC centers in New York, and the program has operated for more than 40 years.

Chanese, who has been with the center for six years, said the Capital Region office serves between 1,000 and 1,300 businesses annually. The center currently has four full-time advisers; Chanese also carries an advisory caseload as part of his role as assistant director and said he hopes to bring on a fifth full-time adviser in the near future.

Services are available at every stage of a business’s life. The center’s support reaches well beyond startups. Aspiring entrepreneurs can get help with business plans, financial projections or testing an idea’s merit. Established businesses can work with advisers on expansion, refining operations or pivoting to a new model. When it’s time to step away, the center helps owners prepare for a sale or buyers structure an acquisition.

“There’s really no stage of a small business where we can’t assist,” Chanese said.

Mannix Marketing Marks 30 Years Of Digital Growth And Regional Impact

April 21, 2026

Sara Mannix, founder and CEO of Mannix Marketing, leads the award-winning digital agency.
Couresy Mannix Marketing

By Staff Writer

In 1996, as most businesses were only starting to consider websites, Sara Mannix was already asking how to get found online. The uncertainty of the digital world gave Mannix a unique chance.

Now in its 30th year, Mannix Marketing is known as one of the Capital Region’s top digital marketing firms. The company stands out by offering full-service digital marketing and owning popular regional media sites. This approach gives Mannix Marketing an edge and helps it stay relevant serving 1,500 clients and a staff of about 30 employees.

Sara Mannix built her foundation for entrepreneurship before the internet became widespread. She graduated summa cum laude from the University at Albany with a double major and spent two years studying in Spain and Italy.

After graduating, she moved to New York City and had to choose between two very different career paths.

“I had two job offers: to work in the stock market or at a fashion house as their marketing and PR person,” Mannix said. “Knowing I couldn’t work in the stock exchange upstate, I took the marketing job and fell in love with marketing.”

When she returned to the area, Mannix worked at West Mountain Ski Area and later at Fort William Henry Corp. in Lake George. It was during this time in the mid-1990s that she first discovered the internet.

“In 1995, the internet was just becoming a thing, and I worked with an agency to build my first website,” she said. “I asked them, ‘How do you get us found in the search engines AltaVista, Excite, and WebCrawler?’ They said, ‘Nobody knows how to do that; that’s up to you.’”

REALIZE Brokers Use Tech, Tailored Service To Disrupt Regional Real Estate Market

April 21, 2026

REALIZE Brokers co-founders Nic Ketter and Spencer Bray are growing their Glens Falls firm with a technology-driven, client-focused approach to residential and commercial real estate services.
Glens Falls Business Journal

By Ann Donnelly

In an industry that often clings to older, traditional methods, REALIZE Brokers co-founders Nic Ketter and Spencer Bray are rewriting the rules of real estate in the Glens Falls region. By integrating advanced technology and prioritizing a highly customized, client-centric model, the duo is shifting how local properties and businesses are bought and sold.

Bray, a Glens Falls native with a background in aviation, and Ketter, a Queensbury native who previously worked on emerging technology at General Electric, did not take the standard path into real estate. After meeting at a local cigar bar and bonding over a common interest in cryptocurrency, the two launched a side business flipping computers and electronics. That entrepreneurial drive led them to launch REALIZE Brokers five and a half years ago.

While they embrace digital innovation, their foundation rests heavily on traditional relationship-building. They continue to grow their network organically through face-to-face interactions, from local lunches to networking on the golf course.

TechFirst Insurance Agency Focuses On Service While Leveraging Technology

April 21, 2026

Kevin O’Brien, co-owner of TechFirst Insurance Agency, co-founded the business in 2023.
TechFirst Insurance

By Ann Donnelly

After decades in the insurance industry, navigating family business dynamics, corporate consolidation and shifting market trends, Kevin O’Brien could have easily coasted into retirement. Instead, he co-founded a new venture to blend modern technological efficiency with old-fashioned, face-to-face service.

O’Brien, co-owner of TechFirst Insurance Agency, launched the business in 2023 alongside local entrepreneur Mark Shaw. The agency is located at 543 Queensbury Ave., Queensbury, NY 12801, and can be found online at techfirstInsurance.com. For O’Brien, the move represents the culmination of his extensive career and a deliberate response to an industry increasingly dominated by private equity firms.

A veteran of the industry, O’Brien spent nearly a decade at Travelers before joining his father’s agency, founded in 1957. He was later recruited to Glens Falls National Bank, now Arrow Bank, to consolidate several local acquisitions into what is now Upstate Agency.

Now back to carving his own path as an independent agent, O’Brien said TechFirst Insurance Agency aims to combine strong service with the benefits of technology to offer a “gold seal” client experience by removing the paperwork of the 1980s and 1990s while remaining deeply tied to the community. “We simply want to be more consumer-friendly, because there are more tools out there to make it easier for the customer,” O’Brien said.

However, he emphasized that technology will not replace the personal touch required when disaster strikes. With access to 12 to 15 carriers, O’Brien works to match clients with the right coverage and pricing — a stark contrast to private equity-owned firms, which he said often prioritize investor returns over personalized care.

Belmont Stakes Festival Brings Racing, Entertainment And Economic Boost To Area

April 21, 2026

Belmont on Broadway poster promotes Saratoga’s free June 3 concert during Belmont week.
Courtesy Belmont Stakes

By Paul Post

World-class racing and top-flight entertainment will deliver a significant economic boost as the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival returns to Saratoga for a third and final year.

The 158th Grade 1, $2 million Belmont Stakes headlines five days of racing from Wednesday, June 3, to Sunday, June 7.

Off-track events add to the draw, including a free Belmont on Broadway concert featuring Fitz and the Tantrums with special guest Vertical Horizon from 7 to 10 p.m. in downtown Saratoga Springs.

“Belmont on Broadway has really become the heartbeat of the week,” Discover Saratoga President Darryl Leggieri said. “It brings a critical mass of people downtown, creates energy for our businesses and showcases the very best of Saratoga Springs. It’s a perfect example of how tourism and community pride come together to create real economic impact. It also shows the world that Saratoga can deliver a world-class experience, and our community shows up in a big way to make it happen.”

Los Angeles-based Fitz and the Tantrums deliver a high-energy mix of indie pop and neo-soul, known for hits such as “MoneyGrabber,” “Out of My League” and “HandClap.” The band’s dual lead vocals and dynamic stage presence make it a staple on major festival circuits.

Vertical Horizon, a multiplatinum alternative rock band formed in Washington, D.C., rose to prominence with late-1990s and early-2000s hits, including “Everything You Want,” and continues to draw audiences with energetic live shows.