Category Archives: Women In Business

By Susan Elise Campbell

Nourish Designs is a mission-based business that sells “gifts that give back.” The name perfectly reflects the desire of its owner, Betsy P. Seplowitz, to nourish and calm the mind and to help lift up local children with food insecurity with donations from the business. 

Through this business model, to date she has provided nearly 306,000 meals to kids in need.

Seplowitz was selling her hand drawn circular designs online and at pop-ups and craft shows before making the move three years ago to a storefront at 87 Milton Avenue in Ballston Spa. 

Drawing was something Seplowitz did at home on short breaks during her busy days as a mother of young children. She does not have an art background like her husband, who has a photography business that she helps to market.

But she does have a retail background that goes back to childhood on the family farm.

“My father had a pumpkin business,” said Seplowitz. “He told me and my sisters, ‘here is five acres. I’ll plant, you sow.’” 

The girls sold pumpkins on a main road just outside of Vermont and managed their business all through middle school and high school, she said.  

“I always thought it would be fun to have a little retail shop someday, but the business evolved later out of my mission to provide funding for meals for kids,” she said.

By Susan Elise Campbell

Frivolous Boutique owner Beth Jameson has proven that when it comes to shopping along Broadway in Saratoga, girls do just want to have fun.

On June 1st, Jameson marks 20 years of successfully navigating the challenges of a sole proprietor of a retail shop in a changing local economy. 

Most of her tenure has been right on 385 Broadway, which she and Thomas Newkirk purchased jointly at auction in 2012. Newkirk developed the 20,000 square foot building. Jameson moved Frivolous Boutique into the storefront. 

So many years later, Jameson remains true to her concept that often the best reason to buy something is “because it makes you happy.”

“The name ‘Frivolous’ can be defined as reflecting something you might want, but don’t need,” she said. “It may not be an impulse purchase, but one you have to have and feel good about.”

The boutique is designed so shoppers discover new and interesting items as they move through the space, she said.

“It has evolved to be more eclectic,” she said. “There are clothing items here, random items there, such as candles and dog gifts,” as well as jewelry, scarves, handbags, and other accessories.

By Ann Donnelly

Sheila Greco’s journey to becoming the founder and CEO of SGA Talent, a Saratoga-based recruiting firm, is a testament to embracing opportunity and the power of networking. Her story began in bond trading in New York City and took an unexpected turn after a chance conversation at a cocktail party. “Someone said, ‘Oh my God, you should be a recruiter,’” Greco recalls. Intrigued, she explored the field, landed a job at New York City firm Goodrich and Sherwood, and quickly discovered her passion.

Life, however, had other plans. In 1989, family matters brought Greco home to Saratoga. Fortuitously, a client offered to support her in starting her own business, and SGA Talent was born. “I started as sole proprietor, and within about three years,” says Greco, “I hired five people, four of which are still with me today.”

SGA Talent started as a research house that provided organizational chart structures and name generation, which involves providing a company with candidates from a list of competitors that they select. “Our clients said, ‘Why aren’t you doing recruiting? Why aren’t you doing competitive intelligence?’” Greco explains, highlighting how the company’s service offerings evolved organically based on client needs.

Over the years, SGA Talent expanded into executive recruiting and, more recently, ventured into the staffing sector. In 2022, an opportunity arose to staff the Saratoga race track. Despite having no prior experience in hospitality, Greco embraced the challenge. “I said, ‘I don’t know anything about it,’ and embraced it,” she says. This leap of faith led to SGA Talent staffing major events like Formula One races in Las Vegas, the Super Bowl, and the PGA. The firm also provides staff for college food service, outdoor festivals, and corporate events. “That business is a lot of fun, and we’re having a great time,” Greco enthuses, “I love the industry.” 

By Christine Graf

AccuStaff has been providing Capital Region businesses with staffing solutions for more than 25 years. An affiliate of Randstad USA, a global leader in staffing and recruitment, AccuStaff has six employees and offices in Albany and Johnstown. 

Owner Heather Rafferty joined the company in 1988, purchasing it in 1997. Since that time, she and her staff have provided services to companies throughout the region, working to identify, screen, and interview candidates for temporary, temp-to-hire, and direct-hire positions.

“We are a staffing agency that specializes in temp-to-hire positions in light industrial, production, and manufacturing. We also do professional roles, direct hire roles, admin support, call centers, and higher education,” said Mesha Brewer, director of business development. “By letting us do what we do best, companies no longer have to spend all of the man hours that it takes to recruit one candidate.”

AccuStaff works with businesses that experience fluctuating workloads or seasonal demands, helping them to find qualified temporary staff members. When working with companies looking for temp-to-hire workers, AccuStaff provides them with the opportunity to “try out” an individual before bringing that person on as a permanent employee.

According to Brewer, the gig economy has made it difficult to fill the many entry-level positions that are currently available in the manufacturing and warehousing sectors. 

By Jill Nagy

April Weygand was at loose ends. Shortly after finishing college, she was back home living with her parents, working part-time jobs and generally miserable. 

“I needed something different to do,” she recalled. 

So, on little more than a whim, she decided to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail, approximately 2,100 miles of some of the country’s most difficult hiking, from Georgia to Maine.

At the time, she had hiked a bit as a Girl Scout and camped out one night in the Catskills. 

“I was not considered a hiker by any stretch of the imagination but I loved the outdoors,” she said. 

She read everything she could find about the trail, including a two-volume, 2,000-page book about the first 50 people who thru-hiked the trail soon after it opened in the 1940s. She made a pilgrimage to a large outdoor store in New Jersey and spent about $1,500 on gear for the expedition. And, she was ready to go.

It took two tries, but she did complete the hike and, 20 years later, she wrote a book about it. The book also required two attempts. The first version was over 1,000 pages, unwieldy to put it mildly. After many months of workshopping and editing help, she produced a lively, sometimes funny, 230-page paperback called Trail Gimp. The book is available, in paperback or as an e-book, at Northshire Books in  Saratoga Springs and  Manchester, Vt., And Weygand is ready to start marketing it further afield.    

By Ann Donnelly

Artistry of Face, a medical aesthetics practice operating in the Capital District since 2016, opened offices at 481 Glen Street, Glens Falls, in November 2023.

 Owner Kelly Heffernan NP saw the potential to restore the Victorian-era home that previous owners had cut into apartments to its original beauty and make a comfortable and luxurious environment for her clients in the area. Heffernan reached out to the family that first owned the property and got access to pictures of how the home looked. She has carefully decorated with furniture and accessories from that era or fit the style.

Heffernan and her staff provide minimally invasive treatments to enhance their clients’ appearance and assist those who have suffered from disease-driven facial asymmetry, such as Cleft Palate, Bell’s Palsy, and severe burns. The latter is a particular passion for Heffernan, who has been a medical professional for 20 years.

After receiving a four-year nursing degree and attending night school to qualify as a Nurse Practitioner, Heffernan moved into medical aesthetics in 2005. She has worked as a Nurse Practitioner, Senior Clinical Specialist, and most recently as Senior Medical Science Liaison for Nestlé Skin Health, traveling the country and teaching doctors, NPs, PAs, and RNs the art of injections. Her experience has allowed her to work and learn alongside the top thought leaders in the dermatology and plastic surgery fields, both in the country and internationally.

She then decided to open her own “med spa.” “It’s a big leap. Very scary and easy to come up with a million reasons not to, but I felt I had to,” she said. 

She started Artistry of Face on the weekends while working full-time. When she felt financially secure, she left her job and opened Artistry of Face full-time. 

With the warmer skies and spring temperatures on the way, the Battenkill Conservancy (“BkC”), a not-for-profit land trust that works within New York and Vermont’s Battenkill watershed, has announced some exciting hellos and some bittersweet goodbyes.  

In January, the organization lost its long time BkC Board Chair, Stuart Bartow, who passed away after a relatively brief battle with cancer.  His dedication to BkC’s mission coupled with his talents as a writer, poet and avid fly fisherman helped guide the organization’s work for over 18 years. A memorial tree planting and a scholarship announcement will take place later this spring. 

Simultaneously the BkC Board in conjunction with Lorraine Merghart Ballard, its first Executive Director, was working to secure her replacement. In 2016 with assistance from the NYS Conservation Partnership Program, Ballard  was appointed BkC’s first Executive Director.  During her tenure, she helped revitalize the organization with popular river related events, increased the public’s river access through the Battenkill Corridor Connections Project and used a simple “Picky Bugs Exhibit” containing macroinvertebrates to demonstrate the importance of cold, clean water and a healthy watershed.  She promoted the Battenkill as one of the area’s most important recreational, cultural, historical and environmental assets.  Advocating for “Clean Water & Open Space for All” became the organization’s motto during her tenure. She will continue to stay involved and act as Board Chair to help with the transition. 

By Jill Nagy

Small businesses need as much, if not more, support than their larger counterparts.  CEO’s and business owners often find themselves struggling with balancing cash flow, managing teams of staff, attracting banks and investors, and so much more. 

The Saratoga Springs -based company, CEFO Advisors, provides a variety of professional staff members that specialize in meeting those needs on a part-time basis. CEFO was built on the very premise that they can put a strong team in place to properly support their client needs using effective and innovative processes.

Amy Roman has owned the company for 10 years. For the first five years, however, Roman was the only employee. Eventually, she realized that her clients “needed more than just me,” and for the past five years, she has been hiring CFO’s, controllers, and additional support staff to place with clients, working within their businesses.

Early on, Roman recognized the benefit she could offer her clients by providing focused CFO support and strategic services that can be achieved through outsourced, forward-thinking business and accounting solutions.  One of her clients commented that “Amy did a good job closing the gap between the CEO and CFO” and thus the company name CEFO Advisors was born.    

Fast forward to 2023, Roman’s company supports over 65 businesses both locally and out of state. Roman currently has 18 employees including managers, accountants, bookkeepers, controllers, CFOs, and staff training specialists, which she matches with companies needing their specialized skills and expertise. 

Many are part-timers, working parents, or semi-retired professionals ready for a second career. They work flexible, hybrid hours that include working at home or in the CEFO offices, while maintaining the availability to work on site at the client’s company as needed, Roman said.

By Christine Graf

Attorneys Karen DeAngelus and Jacqueline Goralczyk opened DeAngelus Goralczyk, PLLC in Clifton Park in 2019, and since that time, they have expanded their firm significantly.

Their law practice now employs 11 attorneys and 10 support staff members. In addition to their headquarters in Clifton Park, the firm has offices in Schenectady, Saratoga Springs, Williamsville, N.Y., and Bonita Springs, Fla.

Although there are other women-owned law office in the area, there are few that are as large as DeAngelus Goralczyk.

“I think that being a women-owned firm of our size is unusual. We credit our success to keeping a laser focus on customer service and trying to serve our clients in a way that allows them to meet their goals,” said Goralczyk.

The pair decided to open their own firm after working in real estate law at different law practices in area. Having worked on opposite sides of transactions, they realized that had very similar ways of conducting business.

DeAngelus Goralczyk had been operating for just 11 months when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. In the early days of the pandemic, the partners worried they would not be able to keep the new firm afloat.

“We were very nervous and had no idea what would happen,” said Goralczyk.

Because residential and commercial real estate is one of DeAngelus Goralczyk’s core practice areas, the pandemic-triggered real estate boom resulted in a surge in an unexpected business.

By Paul Post

Gerald Davis wants to open a second location for his successful heating and cooling business, and document its growth with a long-range goal of having employees partner up with him as franchise owners.

JoAnna Schwartz felt the need for more structure and better processes at Name Bubbles, an e-commerce company that makes personalized waterproof name labels and decals, to ensure the firm’s future prosperity.

These are just two of many area business leaders that have turned to Wendy Waldron to teach, facilitate, coach, lead and direct them through critical phases of their respective operations. 

She owns Glens Falls-based WaldronWorks, and is a Professional EOS Implementer for the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS), whose principles have helped clients around the world overcome business problems as well as identify and take advantage of new opportunities.

“We need Wendy’s help coaching and teaching us to be a great company, not just a good company,” said Davis, owner of Cambridge-based Superior Co-Op HVAC. The firm specializes in heating and cooling systems, using Mitsubishi hyper heat pumps, which maintain a desired  temperature without the use of fossil fuels

Davis began working with Waldron in January after discovering that other successful companies use EOS, too.

Schwartz, Name Bubbles vice president, said the leadership team started the EOS process in spring 2021.