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.”

By Christine Graf

Thirty-year-old Broadalbin native Amanda Triolo was managing the accounting department at Chris’ Coffee Service when she started flipping houses in her free time. It was a risky proposition but one she thrived on.

“I realized I liked rolling the dice to see what I’m made of,” said Triolo. “So, when I got some money under my belt and got the opportunity to take over a commercial install only HVAC company, I decided to give it a shot.”

Triolo purchased PMA Mechanical LLC in 2016, relocating the business from Broadalbin to Albany. Almost immediately, she recognized the  company would have more growth opportunities if she expanded into the residential market.  

“From 2016 until COVID happened, I was trying to figure out how to go from the commercial industry to the residential industry,” she said. “I couldn’t figure out how to do it without going bankrupt. I didn’t have the cash flow to be able to hire residential employees and also pay for the commercial employees and wait for the money to come in from commercial jobs.”

In March 2020, while Triolo was still trying to come up with a plan, construction sites were shut down because of the COVID pandemic.

“In the snap of a finger, I had no business at all,” said Triolo. “I had 12 employees at the time, and I had to lay off all but 4.”

Triolo transitioned her remaining employees to residential work, relying on Google ads to market their services. As the phone started ringing, she was able to bring her laid off employees back to work.