On April 7th, we hosted one of the most candid and compelling conversations we’ve had as a community. The Samuels family — Mitch, Jason, and Ryan — opened their doors and shared the real story behind hiring a non-family CEO at Electri-Cord Manufacturing.
From recognizing when leadership has hit its ceiling, to executing an overnight leadership transition, to navigating the “three hats” of shareholder, board member, and operator — it showed how being a shareholder is our primary role in a family business – it allows us to make the selfless decision operationally to allow the enterprise to thrive.
Thank you to Peter Begalla of JPB Consulting for facilitating the conversation , and a very special thank you to Jennifer Boll of Harris Beach for graciously hosting us. Events like this don’t happen without partners who believe in the mission.
This month’s newsletter is a rich one. You’ll find member spotlights on some incredible people doing remarkable things: Rosie DeFilippo of Albany Management, who has found in curling an unexpected and meaningful parallel to the world of family enterprise; Chris Walrath of Walrath Recruiting, who took the PechaKucha Albany stage and delivered a message about ecosystem building; and Allison and Will Beyer of Beyer Creative, who just opened their new studio in Loudonville — a milestone that beautifully captures what it means to build something as a family.
We also welcome The Family Business Consulting Group (FBCG) – they will be sponsoring our Next Generation event hosted by Carmine DeCrescente from DeCrescente Distributing at his newly renovated offices — a space he and his next-gen brother Matt designed together.
Our Steward Cohort peer group continues to grow in both depth and demand — members have asked to meet monthly rather than quarterly, a testament to the impact these conversations are having. We are honored by that trust and committed to meeting it.
In June, we are developing a Branding in the Family Business event — the Bordenco family from Massachusetts will share how marketing impacts succession at Desco. Meghan Lynch – from Six Point Strategy – will be interviewing the family, discussing the journey they took with her and her firm.
And perhaps most exciting of all: we are deep in planning for Stride’s first-ever regional conference in the Berkshires. This is a milestone moment for our community, and I am grateful to the committee members who are helping bring it to life: Jonathan Phillips of Phillips Hardware, Rosie DeFilippo of Albany Management, Christopher Walrath of Walrath Recruiting, and Eliza Orleans of CFAR — whose firm has also committed to sponsoring the event.
We are also seeing growing interest in Stride from family firms in the Worcester, MA market, and are actively exploring the formation of a western Massachusetts chapter. The ripple is spreading.
Finally, I want to acknowledge two important organizational supporters. Farrell Fritz, a law firm with a local presence in Albany, has stepped forward to support Stride — championed by Matthew Wagoner, a Delmar native whose commitment to this community means a great deal to me personally. We are grateful for their partnership.
There is a lot of road ahead, and I could not be more energized about walking it with all of you.
From the Ice: A Curling Insider’s Perspective
Did you know the Capital Region is home to two curling clubs — one in Albany and one in Schenectady? Curling has become an important part of my routine outside of work. It’s a sport of strategy, precision, and teamwork, but just as importantly, it’s a great way to reset and step away from day-to-day thinking.
A few fun facts: each stone weighs 44 pounds, sweeping actually controls the stone’s speed and direction, and the sport is deeply rooted in sportsmanship — it’s tradition for the winning team to buy the losing team a drink after the game!
What I love most is the people. You’re constantly meeting teammates and opponents from all walks of life, each bringing a different perspective to the ice. And in true family business fashion, family is never far — my brother curls too, which has added a fun and meaningful layer to our relationship.
If you’ve ever been curious about the sport, there’s no better time to explore it right here in the Capital Region!
— Rosie DeFilippo, Executive Manager, Albany Management
Chris Walrath Takes the PechaKucha Stage
At this spring’s PechaKucha Albany — a fast-paced evening of 20×20 storytelling featuring career pivots, community initiatives, and defining moments of growth — one voice stood out for its clarity of vision and passion for the Capital Region: Chris Walrath, Vice President of Growth at Walrath Recruiting, Inc.
In just 400 seconds and 20 automatically advancing slides, Chris delivered a message that resonated well beyond the stage:
“Talent isn’t the problem. The real challenge is opportunity alignment, and that’s where ecosystem building comes in. It’s not about simply finding the best people. It’s about intentionally building ecosystems that connect the right people to the right opportunities at the right time. When that alignment exists within a strong ecosystem, growth, impact, and success follow naturally.”
It’s a philosophy that defines not only Chris’s approach to talent acquisition at Walrath Recruiting, but also his broader commitment to the community. As Co-Chair of the Campus Connect Steering Committee within the Capital Region Chamber’s Young Professionals Network, an Executive Board Member of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region, and a 2025 Albany Business Review 40 Under 40 honoree, Chris walks the talk every day — intentionally building the very ecosystems he spoke about.
PechaKucha, originally created in Tokyo in 2003, has grown into a global movement across more than 1,200 cities worldwide, including Albany. This spring’s edition was a reminder of just how much talent, creativity, and purpose exists right here in our own backyard.
Member Spotlight: Beyer Creative Opens Its Doors in Loudonville
For Allison and Will Beyer, co-founders of Beyer Creative, this month marks the realization of a dream nearly eight years in the making.
Since founding their video production company in 2017, the couple has built a reputation for traveling to clients and filming locations across the Capital Region and beyond — bringing their creative vision to businesses that needed compelling visual storytelling. But there was always something missing: a place to call their own. A home base where clients could come to them, where creativity could take root, and where their work could be truly anchored in the community they love.
This month, that vision became reality with the opening of their new studio at 260 Osborne Road in Loudonville, NY.
For Allison and Will, the significance of this milestone goes far beyond square footage. It is where their first non-family employees will join the team. Where their five-year-old daughter will grow up watching her parents build something meaningful — and perhaps one day envision a future of her own within it. And where the Capital Region’s businesses and creatives will find a collaborative space to build the kind of visual brand reputation that carries them further toward their own dreams.
As Allison puts it: “This feels like the moment we evolve from being a service in the Capital Region to becoming an anchor of it.”
For those of us who believe in the power of family enterprise, Beyer Creative’s new studio is a beautiful reminder of what happens when passion, partnership, and perseverance align. We couldn’t be more excited to celebrate this new chapter with them.
A Note on Stride Membership Pricing
When we launched Stride, we set our founding membership rate at $250/year — a deliberate decision to keep the doors open wide as we built something new together. That bet has paid off. Our community has grown, our programming has deepened, and the demand for what Stride offers continues to expand across the region and beyond.
Effective June 1, 2026, our annual membership rate will move to $500/year — still an extraordinary value for the peer connections, events, expert programming, and community that Stride provides.
If you’ve been on the fence, now is the time. Anyone who joins before June 1st locks in the $250 founding rate for their membership year. This is our way of honoring the early believers who helped make Stride what it is today.
As always, membership includes up to two family members — because in family business, it’s never just one person at the table.
