Alliance180, a nonprofit supporting veterans, first responders and frontline health care workers in their journey toward post-traumatic growth, has appointed Amy Amoroso to its board of directors.

Amoroso is program director for the McNulty Veterans Business Outreach Center, supporting the Small Business Association Region II across New York and New Jersey. She leads Boots to Business and Boots to Business: Reboot training programs for veterans, provides client counseling and oversees program operations, compliance and performance reporting.

A business consultant with more than 25 years of experience, Amoroso specializes in business planning, financial analysis, startup and growth strategy, and small business lending. She is a small business owner, a military spouse and a volunteer with the American Red Cross, the Veterans Administration and AMVETS Post 35. Amoroso was appointed by Gov. Kathy Hochul to the New York State Veterans Task Force.

“We are pleased to welcome Amy to the Alliance180 Board of Directors,” said Denise Romeo, Executive Director, Alliance180. “Her experience and thoughtful approach to business development and community engagement will be a valuable asset as our board continues to navigate toward our goals. We look forward to the perspective she will bring as we build on our work and continue moving the organization forward.”

Alliance180 thanked outgoing board member Linda G. Gibeault for her service and leadership. “We are incredibly grateful to Linda for her time, leadership, and unwavering support of Alliance180,” Romeo added. “Her contributions have helped shape where we are today, and we wish her all the best in her future endeavors.”

By Rod Bacon

When some entrepreneurs achieve success, they give back to the communities that have supported them.

For Ed and Lisa Mitzen, that took the form of launching Business for Good, a philanthropic initiative committed to bridging the wealth gap in America.

The Mitzens started with the 2020 purchase of Bread Basket Bakery in Saratoga Springs, creating an entity that not only pays its employees competitive wages and provides free health insurance benefits but also donates all of its profits to local organizations that address food insecurity. In 2021, they duplicated this model with the purchase of Hattie’s Restaurant. That year, they also donated $5.4 million in grants and resources to 25 local nonprofits. In 2022, they registered the organization as a public foundation and purchased the historic University Club in downtown Albany, later donating its use to the newly formed Albany Black Chamber of Commerce and Social Club.

In May 2025, the organization was rebranded as Business for Good Foundation (BFGF), a 501(c)(3) public foundation. As such, it secures external donations and funding.

By Paul Post

Playoff-bound Adirondack Thunder had a franchise-record 18 sellout crowds this year, with one home game left heading into the regular season’s final weekend, April 17-19.

A three-game attendance mark of 15,375 was set during the Friday-to-Sunday, March 27-29, weekend, surpassing the previous record of 14,869.

That was followed by back-to-back crowds of 5,231 and 4,851 on Saturday and Sunday, April 11-12, for five straight sellouts at the 4,800-seat Harding Mazzotti Arena.

“It’s amazing, how great the fan support is for such a small community,” Thunder President Jeff Mead said. “It’s pretty unbelievable when half your home games are sell-outs.”

The Thunder drew 156,316 fans, averaging 4,466 per game, or 93 percent of the arena’s capacity, with one home game left on Friday, April 17.

“These fans are passionate,” Coach Sylvain Cloutier said. “They love the game. There’s no place like it in minor hockey. They come out and support us every weekend. They’re the best.”

Forward Matt Salhany said Kalamazoo’s Matt Knuble couldn’t believe the crowd that showed up for the game on Sunday, March 29, because attendance for Sunday afternoon games is usually much lighter at most arenas, especially when a big crowd turned out the night before.

By Susan Elise Campbell

Over the next year, the leadership of North East Fire Protection Systems Inc. will transition to Stacey J. Fantauzzi, whose parents started the company in 1978.
Jimmy Fantauzzi has been building the company he founded for nearly 50 years and is ready to hand over the presidency to his eldest daughter. The Ballston Spa-based company designs, fabricates, installs, inspects and maintains sprinkler systems for commercial and light industrial buildings and residential developments.

“I’m in no rush to get him out of the company. He’s a great asset,” said Fantauzzi.

In the upcoming year, the elder Fantauzzi will extend his expertise to the next generation of estimators, training them the way he did estimating: drawing by hand. His sketches are then input into a CAD system, she said.

“To understand the whole process at that rudimentary level is a gift to the young folks we have in our office,” she said.

“Jimmy is also helping us with those areas of the business that determine where we are moving forward,” she said. “But at the end of the day, the decisions are mine as to what projects we will take.”

Fantauzzi said her father “never clipped my wings or said I couldn’t do something.” There was no expectation that she or her siblings would join the family business.

“I don’t remember him telling me ‘No’ very often. It was, how are you going to do that?” Fantauzzi said. “He thought it was fabulous that I took my 10-speed bicycle apart and wrote an entire school paper about how it worked. He still likes to learn new things.”

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.

Saratoga Hospital has been named to Newsweek’s World’s Best Hospitals 2026 list, a global ranking that recognizes hospitals for clinical care, patient experience and quality outcomes.

Among thousands of hospitals evaluated worldwide, Saratoga Hospital ranked among the top hospitals in the United States. It is one of 18 hospitals in New York state to make the list and the only hospital in the Capital Region to be included.

“This recognition reflects our extraordinary commitment of our entire team to delivering high-quality, compassionate care every day,” said Saratoga Hospital President and CEO Jill VanKuren. “To be recognized on a global stage, and as the only hospital in our region, is a testament to the culture we’ve built and the trust our community places in us.”

Newsweek said it evaluates hospitals using surveys of medical experts, patient experience data, hospital quality metrics and patient-reported outcomes. More than 2,500 hospitals across 32 countries were assessed.

“This honor highlights what our patients already know, that they can access nationally recognized, high-quality care close to home,” said Chief Medical Officer Robert Donnarumma, MD. “It speaks to the strength of our clinical teams and our ongoing focus on safety and the patient experience.”