By James Marco
One need not look far to find turmoil, conflict, anger, and in some cases aggression in today’s climate. We can blame it on a lot of things, the George Floyd incident, the coronavirus pandemic, or other reasons.
We hear about shaming, the “cancel culture,” conservatives, liberals, and so on. These issues are dividing friends, families, communities and workplaces.
Many companies have received negative press and have had employee backlash for not releasing a statement that they felt was appropriate for the current issues facing our society. Executives have been fired for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time and igniting a firestorm on social media as a result. Companies don’t like the negative press and poof! Executive gone.
Have you ever been accused of something that you felt was untrue? How did you feel? Were you defensive, maybe a little angry?
All of this controversy has brought issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, racism to the forefront. But while controversy swirls and accusations fly, there seems to be one thing missing. Are we stopping, even for a moment, and listening?

By Jill Nagy
Pinnacle Human Resources last month moved into new offices in Albany.
They now occupy the fourth floor of a co-working space at 418 Broadway called the Beahive. The new space reflects some of the requirements of operating in the midst of the COVID pandemic. The space is divided into two offices and an executive suite and has space that can be isolated by rolling dividers to create a training area.
Pinnacle serves companies in Saratoga and Warren counties. In all, the company has 23 employees, 20 of whom are HR professionals.
“We need space that is fluid and flexible,” said Rose Miller, company president. The desks are spaced 10 feet apart and each one is supplied with hand sanitizer and its own telephone.
“I don’t need an office that houses 23 people,” she said. Most of the work is done at clients’ sites and six desks in Albany are sufficient. A training area is something Miller has wanted for a long time and for the first time, she was able to create it.

Saratoga National Bank is expanding again with a new 3,000-square-foot office for business development and a new branch in Latham.
David DeMarco, bank CEO and president, said the bank is leasing an office at 11 Century Hill Drive as its Capital Region business development office.
The new space is bringing eight of its employees that had been working out of various branches together.
The centralization comes as the bank’s newest branch opens at 545 Troy Schenectady Road in the space formerly occupied by Panda Express. The branch is 2,200 square feet with a full lobby and five offices. It will be the 12th branch for the company.
DeMarco said the decision came along months before the COVID-19 pandemic forced Saratoga National’s employees to work remotely for months.
Patricia Netoskie was named as vice president and branch manager for its new Latham branch opening soon at 545 Troy Schenectady Road.
Netoskie will oversee operations and develop banking relationships for the new Latham office. She brings many years of previous financial services experience to Saratoga National, most recently in banking, and previously in the insurance and human resources industries.