In the News

Ryan Van Amburgh is the Entrepreneur-In-Residence for Spark Saratoga, the county’s only business incubator and early stage accelerator. Currently working with over seventy-five companies and entrepreneurs from around the region, Ryan was responsible for it’s creation and launch in April 2017. Since it’s creation, Spark has facilitated over 2,500 mentor hours valued at over $250,000 and provided over $375,000 in direct business investment. Ryan facilitated collaboration from the onset by partnering with Clarkson University, SUNY Empire State College and SUNY Adirondack. In the fall of 2018, Spark Saratoga was recognized by the regional startup hotspot, Innovate 518 as a certified incubator to qualify startups in good-standing to be eligible for state tax incentives. In 2017, Ryan was nominated for Upstate Venture Connects Community Catalyst Award.

Previously, Ryan was the Economic Development Specialist for Saratoga Economic Development Corporation (SEDC). He implemented key strategies such as Career Jam, a groundbreaking workforce development and education initiative that attracted over seventy businesses and 1,800 students from around the region encouraging a firsthand look at careers that are relevant to where we live.

Also, Ryan was responsible for SEDC member and community stakeholder engagement in agency efforts surrounding SEDC announcement in June 2018, a national first – an integrated circuit (IC) design accelerator that will provide access to electronic design automation (EDA) tools at a fraction of the traditional cost for designers, a major initiative to empower world-leading integrated circuit & electronic system design in Saratoga County & New York’s capital region

Previously, Ryan spent almost a decade in the financial services sector working on behalf of small and large employers in the region.
Ryan serves on several boards including Tech Valley Global Business Network and the Leukemia Lymphoma Society (LLS) Upstate NY/Vermont Chapter and serves as a Commissioner for the City of Saratoga Springs Smart City Initiative.

Beth Weise Moeller, holds a BS in Physics and Technical Communication from Clarkson University, an MS in Technical Communication from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and a PhD in Communication & Rhetoric from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.  Her PhD research concentrated on the design of hypermedia (integration of hypertext, graphics, video, and sound) interfaces for optimum user performance.  In 1996, she founded Interactive Media Consulting, LLC, a web design and development firm in Saratoga Springs, NY, that currently services more than 200 clients throughout the Northeast. In 2016, she introduced IMC’s latest project, Arts Spark, a digital platform to help artists with the business side of being an artist.

Beth is a Senior Member of the IEEE and a Past-President of the IEEE Professional Communication Society. She is a 2003 graduate of Leadership Saratoga.  Beth also currently serves on the Dean’s Advisory Council for the School of Arts and Sciences at Clarkson University, as Vice President of the Board at Home Made Theater in Saratoga Springs, and as a Member of the Board of Directors of the Ballston Spa Community Band. She is a Past President of the Board of Trustees for the Saratoga Independent School.

In 2002 Beth was named one of the 40 Under Forty by The Business Review of Albany, NY.  In 2004 she was awarded the Emily K. Schlesinger Award for Service to the Society by the IEEE Professional Communication Society. In 2008 she received the Woodstock Award from the Clarkson University Alumni Association, recognizing personal achievement and loyalty to the university.

Mr. Schwartz concentrates his practice in banking and corporate law, including venture capital transactions, equity/asset acquisitions and dispositions, and general corporate counsel services. He regularly works with startups and technology and emerging growth companies through all stages of their growth, from formation through dealings with venture financing and other capital raising initiatives. In addition to his experience with such clients, Mr. Schwartz represents various capital providers, from angel investors to venture capital funds. He also represents a number of borrowers and banks/institutional lenders in connection with varied forms of financing, including secured and unsecured credit facilities.

PRACTICE AREAS

• Banking & Financial Services
• Corporate
• Mergers & Acquisitions
• Startups
• Venture Capital & Technology

ADMITTED TO PRACTICE

• New York
• U.S. District Court, Northern District of New York

HONORS & AWARDS

• Listed as a Leading Individual in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, 2015-2018

EDUCATION

• Albany Law School of Union University, J.D., cum laude, 1995
• State University of New York College at New Paltz, B.A., 1990

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

• Albany-Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce
• American Bar Association
  • Business Law Section
  • Science and Technology Law Section
• New York State Bar Association
  • Business Law Section
  • Corporation Counsel Section
• Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce
• Saratoga Economic Development Corporation
  • Advance Saratoga Startup Advisory Team
• Upstate Venture Association of New York, Inc.

PRESENT ACTIVITIES

• The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Upstate New York/Vermont Chapter, Trustee
• Spark Saratoga, Mentor
• Center for Economic Growth/RPI Venture B-plan Series, Judging Panel

PAST ACTIVITIES

• New York Business Plan Competition, Capital Region, University at Albany – School of Business, Judge, April 2018

Corporate Law
Commercial Real Estate

Theresa Skaine is an attorney who practices in the areas of corporate law and commercial real estate law.  Her clients are small to medium size companies, real estate developers, banking institutions and economic development entities.

As the sole member of Skaine & Associates, LLC, Ms. Skaine counsels her clients in the areas of business formation and expansion, merger/acquisition transactions, contract negotiation, leasing, property purchases, financing and not-for-profit corporate regulatory compliance.  Skaine & Associates is a NYS Certified WBE.

Ms. Skaine is co-owner of Amanus Consulting Group, LLC, a project development consulting firm that advises private industry, municipal and economic development agencies and utility companies in connection with energy, manufacturing, real estate and infrastructure projects throughout New York State.

Prior to forming Skaine & Associates, Ms. Skaine was a Member of the law firm Lemery Greisler LLC and acted as managing member from September 2009 to April 2014.  There she played an instrumental role in the development of several large-scale projects in the Capital Region, including the Luther Forest Technology Campus and the Great Escape Indoor Water Park.

Education

• J.D. (cum laude), Boston University School of Law, Boston Massachusetts, 1993
• B.A. (Political Science and French), Colgate University, Hamilton, New York, 1990

Affiliations and Awards

• Saratoga Hospital Board of Trustees (Chair)
• Albany Medical Center Board of Directors
• Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors
• New York State Bar Association, Member
• New York State Bar Association Committee on Women in the Law, Member
• 2006 Graduate of Leadership Saratoga – 2013 recipient of Lisa Niles Distinguished Alumni Award
• 2013 Saratoga TODAY Woman of Influence

Erik Budrakey is the Co-Founder of Collar City Craft Media (CCCM) and a Certified Cicerone®. Budrakey has worked in the Craft Beer industry for more than 20 years, including roles as Brewpub Manager, Craft Beer Division Manager for a local beer distributor, and Vice President of Sales & Marketing for a regional brewery. As Managing-Partner for CCCM, he serves as a Marketing & Strategy Consultant for both established and up-start breweries and restaurants. He is also the Co-Founder and Head Writer for True Brew – A Craft Beer Lifestyle Magazine which is a bi-monthly magazine reaching more than 40,000 consumers in the region. Budrakey also regularly hosts beer dinners, educational classes, and seminars as well as beer related programming on local radio stations. He brings with him a vast understanding of not just the beer business, but business, brand building, and marketing strategy in general.

Kristen has over 25 years of experience in public accounting. Her focus is in the Outsourcing department, where she specializes in the Virtual Accounting Solutions (VAS) division. VAS provides companies and not-for-profits with outsourced accounting and Modern CFO solutions.

Virtual Accounting Solutions partners with clients to make their businesses more efficient by streamlining processes and identifying and implementing best practices utilizing cloud –based technology. Outsourcing your accounting functions allows your company to save precious time and money. You will be able to re-direct your resources and staff to support your higher profit, revenue generating activities. Our clients can then achieve greater performance, flexibility and growth because they are provided with the visibility and control that previously could only be achieved by them being at the core of the day-to-day activities of their business.

Kristen is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified Management Accountant (CMA) with a background in Accounting and Tax, and has extensive experience in the wholesale distribution, manufacturing, retail and professional services industries. Kristen is an acknowledged industry leader who has been recognized by the Albany Business Review and The Saratogian.

EDUCATION

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, SUNY Oswego

COMMUNITY

• Graduate of the Saratoga Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Program
• Member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants and the Institute of Management Accountants
• Board of directors for local non-profit organizations
• Involved in many business organizations, including the Women President’s Organization (WPO)

Jason Rotella is a tech community member and leader. Jason is currently focusing his efforts in three main areas: assisting businesses to navigate digital transformation, including modern application and service architecture, as a Senior staff architect with GE Digital; exposing the Capital Region tech community to the latest trends and tools as founding organizer of the Capital Region Google Developer Group; and assisting in the growth of the Upstate New York startup community. Jason has developed hardware and software products and systems, is an advocate for skills growth and awareness of applications of data science and machine learning, holds multiple patents, and is the recipient of the IBM Outstanding Technical Achievement Award.

Jason’s key goal as a Spark Saratoga advisor is to help startups in either the hardware or software realm (or both) to position themselves to serve competitive global markets, by bringing significant industry experience, and a strong network of professional tech industry connections as a resource to the founding teams.

Mike regularly represents employers in state and federal court, defending against actions alleging violations of employment laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, including class actions, as well as collective and class actions under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and New York Labor Law (NYLL). Counseling clients in a wide range of industries—including manufacturing, retail, healthcare, and not-for-profit organizations—Mike provides advice and training on all aspects of the employment relationship. He is also a member of the Wage & Hour Defense Institute, a national network of wage and hour defense litigators.

He has successfully represented employers before:

• The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in several states, obtaining dismissals of charges alleging harassment, discrimination, and retaliation.
• The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), during both inspections and the post-inspection citation process, as well as state agencies that operate their own OSHA-compliant programs, including several high-profile matters.
• New York State agencies, including the New York State Division of Human Rights, the New York State Industrial Board of Appeals, and the New York State Unemployment Insurance Appeal Board.
• Arbitrators from the American Arbitration Association (AAA) and Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) concerning labor and contract issues.

Representative Labor and Employment Cases:

• Colon v. Sabic Innovative Plastics US, LLC, 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 129223 (N.D.N.Y. Aug. 15, 2017). Mike obtained summary judgment for the client in the case of a former employee alleging pregnancy discrimination and retaliation.
• Savoie v. Genpak, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 168691 (D. Minn. Dec. 15, 2014). After removing the case to federal court, Mike obtained summary judgment for the client in the case of a former employee claiming age discrimination and retaliation.
• Dipigney v. AutoZoners, 2014 DNH 214 (D.N.H. 2014). After removing the case to federal court, Mike obtained summary judgment for the client in the case of a former employee alleging national origin discrimination under state and federal law.
• Joiner v. MVP Service Corp., 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 36275 (W.D.N.Y. Mar. 19, 2014). Obtained summary judgment for the employer in a case where a former employee alleged hostile work environment, harassment and discrimination based on her race and gender, and alleged retaliation based on her previous filing of an EEOC charge.
• A wage and hour collective and class action initially brought against a nationwide client on a nationwide basis that was significantly narrowed in scope and size over the course and discovery, and ultimately resolved via court-approved settlement.
• A wage and hour collective and class action brought against a hospital by current and former employees alleging time worked during meal periods, which was ultimately resolved via court approved settlement.

Mike is a 1996 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, and was a submarine officer in the United States Navy until 2004. He served onboard the USS NEVADA (SSBN 733) based out of Bangor, Washington; instructed students at the Naval Nuclear Power Training Unit in Ballston Spa, New York; and was the Submarine Manpower Analyst for the office of the Chief of Naval Personnel in Washington, D.C. Before returning to upstate New York and joining Bond, Mike was an attorney at the Washington, D.C. office of a multinational law firm.

Thad is president of Innovative Manufacturing Consultants (IMC), a product design and prototyping firm that helps inventors build businesses. He holds a BS and MS in Mechanical Engineering from Clarkson University. After 12 years as a senior engineer and business leader for large power generation companies including General Electric and Hitachi, he started IMC to work with tech startups. IMC utilizes the foundation of big business processes to streamline product development and get to revenue quickly. Thad is engaged in the economic development ecosystem and sits on multiple non-profit boards and committees.

Dorothy Rogers-Bullis, owner of drb Business Interiors and founding partner of Saratoga CoWorks, has always had the spirit of an entrepreneur. After working her way through college at Temple University, where she majored in management, Dorothy started her first business in New York City.

She moved frequently with her career, which had an unforeseen benefit: fine-tuning not only her project and management skills, but also her design and renovation talents while she and her husband, Dan, purchased and renovated properties. This experience ultimately inspired Dorothy co-found drb Business Interiors in 2009, a commercial furniture and workspace design company located in Saratoga Springs, New York. At drb Business Interiors, Dorothy leads the company’s business development efforts and oversees design and management.

Hoping to cultivate the entrepreneurial spirit of others, Dorothy undertook another venture in partnership with Dan, opening the doors to Saratoga CoWorks in 2014, the city’s first collaborative coworking space for entrepreneurs, independent professionals, freelancers, and startups. A second Saratoga CoWorks location opened on Broadway in downtown Saratoga Springs in 2018.

Dorothy lives in Saratoga Springs and she and Dan have two adult sons. In her free time, she enjoys practicing yoga and is active in her church. In addition, Dorothy is an avid volunteer, donating her expertise to organizations in her industry and in the Saratoga Springs community. She cofounded Saratoga Women in Business (SWIB), a networking group for female professionals in the area, and serves as a career mentor to students at Skidmore College. Dorothy also is a board member for the city of Saratoga Springs.

Robert Manasier is a serial entrepreneur and brand builder, with experience in over 140 international startups, 400 products/services commercialized, 1000s of acceleration/commercialization campaigns, as the CEO of In Focus Brands. In addition to the In Focus Brands’ portfolio of companies, Robert currently serves as Entrepreneur-in-Residence of the NYS Innovation HotSpot Program (Innovate 518), UAlbany Innovation Center, IgniteU NY and the Sage Colleges; Board Member of the Parkhurst Field Foundation, EDA Labs and Tech Valley Center of Gravity. He also currently serves as Saratoga Springs Recreation Commission Member.

Tyler is the co-founder and Managing Partner for SpringStart, an early stage investor in Saratoga Springs, NY.  Nawrot is also co-owner of Inbox Holdings, a holding company for technology firms with a total of over 50 employees. Tyler was formerly the CEO of Informz, a company that he founded in 1997 and sold to HigherLogic in 2017.  Joe has a BS in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from Purdue University, a MS in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Maryland and is a former US Army officer.  He lives in Greenfield Center with his wife and 2 daughters.

Nawrot is the co-founder and Managing Partner for SpringStart, an early stage investor in Saratoga Springs, NY. Nawrot is also co-owner of Inbox Holdings, a holding company for technology firms with a total of over 50 employees.    Nawrot was formerly the COO of Informz, an email marketing company that she joined in 2005 and sold to HigherLogic in 2017. Nawrot led the growth of the sales, marketing, product management, customer service and operations teams from their infancy to a company with over 70 staff and 1500 clients. Prior to Informz, Nawrot worked in the publishing industry with Delmar Thompson Learning (currently Cengage) and for MapInfo (currently Pitney Bowes). Terry has a BS in Marketing from SUNY Oswego. She lives in Wilton with her husband and 3 sons.

Jim is the President and Founder of Saratoga Human Resources Solutions with more than 30 years of well-rounded human resources leadership expertise. Prior to founding the company in 2005, Jim held several HR leadership roles, including Vice President of Human Resources, Director of Human Resources, Director of HR Services and Director of Compensation & Benefits.

Bryce E. Cutler is Vice-President and Business Development Officer for Capital Bank, A Division of Chemung Canal Trust Company. He has worked for Capital Bank since June of 2017 and has been an active member of the Capital Region community since 1993. Bryce’s responsibilities include the development, implementation and coordination of the company’s development strategy in cooperation with multiple business units within the Capital Region. Bryce is a 2006 graduate of the Rensselaer County Chamber’s Leadership Institute and was honored in 2010 by The Capital District Business Review as one of the Capital Regions 40 under Forty.

Prior to joining Capital Bank, Bryce worked for Bank of America, First Niagara Bank, NBT Bank, KeyBank and started his banking career with Cohoes Savings Bank in 1996 where Bryce started as a teller and was promoted to a Branch Manager in less than 1 year.

Bryce attended Southern Vermont College and graduated in 2012 with his B.A. in Business Management. He currently resides in the Town of North Greenbush with his wife Kerry and has a son Kodi who lives in Vermont with his granddaughter Aubrey.

I am a very creative and motivated person who loves developing entire systems from scratch.
I program in a multitude of languages as well as have 3 patents on my own language. I design systems from the PCB boards to programming the micro-controllers to developing the communication protocols and finally designing and implementing the client GUIs. I have created web applications for Cisco Systems and designed hardware for Apple.

Here are some highlights:

• 20+ years of hardware and software development.
• Inventor with over 10 issued patents and many more patent applications.
• Have won multiple Army contracts as well as SBIR grants.
• Entrepreneur and founder of multiple startups.

Chris Thompson is a serial Entrepreneur and Product Manager with 17+ years of experience working on his own startups as well as for VC-backed startups in SF and NYC remotely from Saratoga. He’s a Real Estate and Angel investor, and perpetual side-project enthusiast.

He has (3) startups under his belt, and just sold his 1st company WorkOrder.es to NYC real estate tech startup Bixby. He’s the co-founder of NY Tech Loop and currently serves on the Board of Directors, and is a founding member of the Saratoga Springs Smart Cities Commission.

Executive Coaching- Helping leaders continue to “sharpen their saw”.

Weekly one on one leadership sessions with a client and his leadership team who were relatively new to their leadership roles. They were each experts in one particular function but needed guidance regarding strategic planning, decision making, employee performance reviews, delegating and effective communication with their team.

Marketing Strategy

Worked with a client’s marketing team and outside PR firm to help shape a national marketing strategy. This included Digital Marketing, Social Media, Print Advertising, National Press, Community Events etc.

Sales Strategy and Training

Strategized and set in motion a national wholesale program for a client that resulted in $8.5MM in additional annual revenue. Did the same for another client that resulted in a 312% increase in their wholesale channel revenue.

Strategic Planning

Made recommendations for a client’s key personnel needs for their rapidly growing organization. (COO, CFO, Director of Manufacturing Operations, Office Manager, Executive Assistant, E-commerce Manager, Production team, HR Consultant, Sales Administrator)

Drafted ad content, designed compensation packages and lead the interview process. Created job descriptions and ORG Chart for the client.·

Efficiency Improvement

. Worked with the production team on the line and identified simple process improvements that raised their output from 2400 units per shift to 4000 units per shift. This was accomplished in one 30 minute session.

Cost, Pricing and Margin Guidance

Helped a client reduce COGS by 45% through strategic outsourcing and negotiating more favorable arrangements. Negotiated a deal with Walmart that yielded an 11% higher margin than originally discussed. This was a $3.5mm/yr arrangement.

Cultural Change Management

Designed and implemented a new meeting structure for a client in all departments that increased communication, morale and inter-department information flow during a period of intense growth.

Mr. Cummins has had extensive senior management experience in several industries.  He has held the positions of President and CEO of three companies in the tobacco and office products industries, President and COO of the second largest US carpet manufacturing company, and Vice President of a branded tobacco and food company.  These companies include publicly held, private equity held and family businesses and range in size from $20 million to $930 million.

Mr. Cummins has had a career focus and substantial senior executive experience in Sales and Marketing across many industries.  He has also held total company P&L responsibility as CEO of two Fortune 500 companies.  His previous positions include:

• RJ Reynolds Tobacco Co., Winston-Salem, NC—Vice President, Marketing
• Salem Carpet Mills, Ringgold, GA—President and COO/CEO
• North Atlantic Trading Co., Raleigh, NC—President and CEO
• Liggett Group, Durham, NC—President and CEO
• AccTech, LLC, Nanuet, NY—President and CEO

Mr. Cummins has also served on 17 Boards of Directors extending across a wide range of industries and ownership profiles and currently sits on the Boards of a family-owned scientific supply company, a software health diagnostics company and a ceramic materials startup.  He has also served on the Boards of two specialty textile manufacturers, a construction tool manufacturer, a bank, a 130-store retail chain, a publicly held food manufacturer and an internet incubator.  These Board assignments include 8 family owned businesses, 7 publicly held companies..

Mr. Cummins began his career with seven years of consumer brands experience with Ogilvy & Mather Advertising in New York.  He was then recruited by RJ Reynolds Industries to manage a troubled billion-dollar branded business—which subsequently turned around under Mr. Cummins’ leadership.  He became Vice President of RJ Reynolds after several years of international marketing in the tobacco business.  He was then asked by fellow Board members at Salem Carpet Mills to become President and COO of this publicly-held (but family controlled) carpet manufacturing company which, under his leadership, reversed a severe downward trend to grow rapidly in sales and profitability, moving from No 6 to the No.2 position in the carpet industry at $430 million in sales.  He then ran a highly profitable branded tobacco products importing and marketing business before becoming President and CEO of the Liggett Group, an old-line tobacco manufacturer and marketer.  Most recently, Mr. Cummins was asked to manage, then sell, an office products portfolio company for a private equity firm and to work on brand turnarounds for a major beer company brand portfolio.  His management expertise includes:

• Turnaround performance improvement work
• Strategic planning and competitive product/service positioning
• Marketing and sales planning/budgeting
• Manufacturing/Operations rationalization
• Advisory Board Consulting

Mr. Cummins received his A.B. degree with honors from Harvard College and an MBA from Columbia University.  He has served as Chairman of CRI (the Carpet and Rug Manufacturers association), as a member of the Skidmore College business mentoring program, as a member of the Tech Valley Angel Investors Association, and as a Trustee of the Fort Ticonderoga Association.

He has served as Adjunct Professor of Marketing at Union Graduate College in Schenectady, NY; Vice Chairman of Garnet River, LLC a software company in Saratoga Springs, NY; and a Member of the Advisory Board of Halliday Financial in Albany, NY.

Jamey Hoose joined the Shipley Center for Innovation in October 2015 and brings a diverse set of experiences in entrepreneurship and collegiate administration to the Center.  In his role as Director Jamey helps to support the mission of the Center as it guides Clarkson University students and faculty, as well as regional entrepreneurs, through the process of commercializing their innovations.  He and his team provide support in relevant areas such as patent research, market analysis, product development and commercialization strategy.  Jamey spent nearly ten-years as an entrepreneur before taking on his first administrative role at SUNY Potsdam in 2007.  Since that time he has continued to serve in administrative positions at both SUNY Potsdam and Clarkson University, culminating in his current role which combines his passion for entrepreneurship, innovation and administration.  Jamey attended Clarkson where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration as well as his MBA.  He is currently pursuing his JD at Albany Law School.