Category Archives: Uncategorized

By Christine Graf

When leaders of the Veterinary Services division of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) were tasked with improving the agency’s internal culture, they turned to CultureTalk for help.

CultureTalk, a Saratoga Springs-based company, was founded by sisters Theresa Agresta and Cynthia Forstmann. The USDA is among a long list of companies and agencies from around the world that have utilized the CultureTalk Platform to measure and define workplace culture.

Organizational culture refers to the values, beliefs, attitudes, systems, and rules that outline and influence employee behavior within an organization. 

“It’s common for people to talk about culture, but a lot of people don’t fully understand it,” said Agresta. “It is more often found in the ‘unwritten rules’ than the things that have been spelled out. CultureTalk can take something that is difficult to define and make it easy to talk about.”

The sisters came up with the idea for CultureTalk while working together on their first joint venture, brand development company Allegory Studios.

“Cynthia and I developed a niche and expertise in brand development,” said Agresta. “Very early on, we discovered the impact that measuring culture had on the development of an authentic brand. When we were working with a business to differentiate and brand them, the culture was the piece that really stood out to us.”

“If you are selling services, a lot of what you offer is similar to your competitors. It’s your people and your culture that really differentiate you, and that can be why a prospective client might choose your business.”

The Double H Ranch, a nonprofit organization providing specialized programs and year-round support for children dealing with life-threatening illnesses announced the hiring of Alison Wilcox as CEO. 

Wilcox will be following in the footsteps of Max Yurenda, who retired after 30 years leading the organization founded by actor and philanthropist Paul Newman and businessman and philanthropist Charley Wood.

“Alison has a wonderful passion for the mission of the Double H Ranch and a respect for our culture. Her experience developing leadership skills for young girls; financial management; and organizational development will inspire the Double H Ranch to grow upon its reputation of excellence as one of the premier non-profits in the Capital District and North Country. By working with our great Double H Ranch team, I am confident Alison will bring great enthusiasm, energy, and engagement in her new role,” said Charlie Crew, the facility’s board chairman.

Wilcox has over 20 years of global experience in nonprofit leadership and board governance and has been the CEO of Girl Scouts of Western New York for the past four years, and she was COO for three years. 

Prior to that, she was a senior strategy advisor to Girl Scouts of USA, lead development specialist at Delaware North Companies and the senior vice president of program and membership of Girls Scouts of Western New York. 

Double H’s board of directors retained the executive search firm Lindauer to conduct a nationwide search following the announcement of Yurenda’s retirement in June of 2022.

The Sembrich in Bolton was recently selected to participate in the 2023 Museum Assessment Program by The American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the only organization representing the entire scope of the museum community.

Since its inception in 1981, the Museum Assessment Program (MAP) has helped more than 5,000 small and mid-sized museums of all types strengthen operations, plan for the future, and meet standards. With five types of assessments available, over 60 percent of AAM-accredited museums have participated in the program.

To participate in the program, museums choose from one of five institutional assessment types: organizational, collections stewardship, education & interpretation, community & audience engagement, or board leadership. 

All five assessment types are grounded in AAM’s core standards; are inclusive of diversity, equity, access, and inclusion issues as they relate to the assessment focus; help museums look at both functional and strategic aspects of their operations, and present focused learning modules and action plans for the museum to progress through; and include a peer-reviewed site visit. 

By Ann Donnelly

Many entrepreneurs start businesses after years of preparation and dreams of self-employment, but Cheryl Smith had never considered starting her own business. She happily worked for others in hospitality and retail for most of her life.

Still, a series of opportunities presented themselves over a few months in 2021 that led to a new chapter in her life as the owner of Stay in Tux, now located in new space at 2315 Route 9N, Lake George, providing tuxedo, suit, and accessory rentals for weddings, proms, senior balls, and special occasions.

While initially reluctant, she now says, “I feel like I’ve been training for this my whole life.”

Originally from Idaho, Smith moved to Queensbury in 1988 to work as a nanny to two girls. She expected to work for a year and then return to Idaho, but one year turned into four years. As the children started school, Smith went to Adirondack Nautelis gym in her free time. There she met personal trainer Todd Smith and the two were married in 1993.

After leaving the nanny position, Smith worked many years in the office at Adirondack Camping Village and had different part-time retail jobs in the off-season. She decided to take a full-time retail position that offered paid vacation and time to attend her sons’ sporting events.

By Paul Post

Glens Falls was a shadow of the proud, prosperous community people called “Hometown USA” when Ben Miller left home to pursue a music career.

Vacant storefronts lined Glen Street, attractions were far and few between, and dysfunctional traffic patterns made trips downtown a nightmare.

When visiting home, however, Miller saw a steady resurgence that has blossomed, making Glens Falls one of upstate New York’s more vibrant small cities.

“It was really within the last five years that things really started to explode and more and more, every time I came home I saw Glens Falls as a place where I could see myself some day,” he said. “There’s been a huge amount of work done by the business community to make Glens Falls a place where people want to live and have the amenities they’re looking for.”

Paul Scimeca, who has served Glens Falls Hospital for three decades, was named the hospital’s president and CEO after serving in an interim role since Jan. 1. Glens Falls Hospital is a member of the Albany Med Health System.

He succeeds Dianne Shugrue, who retired in December 2021.

Announcing Scimeca’s appointment to staff, Glens Falls Hospital Board of Governors Chair George Ferrone said, “Over his 33-year career at Glens Falls Hospital, Paul has learned every aspect of our clinical and administrative operations. He is respected and admired not only for the depth and breadth of his health care knowledge, but also for his commitment to the Glens Falls Hospital teams he leads, and the communities they serve.” 

“Paul was the unanimous choice of our Board for good reason,” Ferrone added.

Scimeca earned a bachelor’s degree in planning from New York University and a master’s degree in health services administration from Russell Sage College in Albany. He has held positions of increasing responsibility since joining Glens Falls Hospital in 1989 as communications manager.  

Scimeca was promoted to director of community services in 1994 and executive director of Adirondack Medical Services in 2000. He later became vice president of physician practice and community health, overseeing the hospital’s 16 primary and specialty care practices, and led the development and implementation of the hospital’s community health programs. 

By Paul Post

Downtown Glens Falls’ slow, steady resurgence just got a boost with the July 21 grand opening of Queensbury Hotel’s $3.8 million new Adirondack Ballroom.

The 5,200-square-foot facility more than doubles the historic hotel’s capacity for hosting conferences and special events, which can further fuel the local economy.

“We’re already sold out now on Friday and Saturday nights, almost year round, hosting 300 people that need things to do. They want to go shopping, go to restaurants, events at Wood Theater or Cool Insuring Arena,” said Tyler Herrick, hotel general manager. “Before the expansion we were hosting 750 events a year. This is just going to help accelerate that by bringing midweek conventions to Glens Falls, which means more business for our property and all of downtown.”

The New York State Sheriff’s Association was the new facility’s first customer. Scores of law enforcement personnel attended the multi-day event that began Sunday, July 24. Several large weddings and another state conference have already been booked this fall.