The Bottom Line Crew

Wally Altes
With more than 25 years of strategic business development experience, including leading his own human resources consulting firm and 12 years as President and CEO of the Albany-Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce, Wally Altes is both known and respected in the local business community. In addition to serving on several boards, he is currently Executive in Residence at the Graduate College of Union University.

Wally was instrumental in branding our area as Tech Valley, a name which captures the emerging technological research and development now occurring.

Fred LeBrun
Fred is an unabashed liberal Democrat whose metro column in the Albany Times Union highlights regional issues, and often focuses on the plight of the common man. Fred admits that he does not have strong pro-business sentiments, and he sums it up by saying that he 'does not believe that tax cuts are the answer to everything'.

Fred is a graduate of the University at Albany, where he also taught for several years prior to his tenure at the Times Union.

Bob Bellafiore
Bob heads Eric Mower and Associates’ public affairs practice and is partner-in-charge of the firm’s Albany office.  During almost 25 years as a journalist, strategist, senior gubernatorial adviser and issue manager, Bob’s reputation is as a communicator and problem-solver. His experience includes tenure as Gov. George Pataki’s first press secretary and later deputy chief of staff, as President of the State University’s Charter Schools Institute, as a state government reporter for The Associated Press and United Press International, and as Communications Director for The Business Council of New York State. He is a Trustee of the State University of New York and regular commentator on Time Warner Cable’s upstate political show “Capital Tonight.”  His analyses have been published in The New York Times and the New York Post.  Bob’s career started as an editorial clerk at the now-defunct Knickerbocker News, where he wrote the popular weekly “Chef’s Secrets” column and typed in entertainment listings.  He lives in Delmar with his wife, Marilyn, and sons Sam and Robert Jr.

Lara Spendiff
It was the quality of life that drew Lara to the Capital Region from a media relations career in Manhattan.

Finding her niche in the entrepreneurial environment of one of Tech Valley’s fastest growing companies, Lara joined LinguaLinx, Inc. in 2006 as Director of Corporate Communications. Serving as media liaison, Lara is responsible for all marketing, advertising, and sponsorship efforts. From her vantage point, Lara is on the front lines in advancing Tech Valley's worldwide impact, as she interacts with business leaders across cultural and geographic divides.

Active in the community, Lara serves as Program Chair of GenNEXT, the Albany-Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce's young professionals' council, volunteers with the Albany Institute of History & Art and The United Way, among other young professionals’ and non-profit organizations.

John Vero
John Vero is a member of Couch White's commercial transactions and commercial litigation practice area group. John Vero is a former member of the Board of Trustees at Albany Law School of Union University. In addition, he is a member of the College of Saint Rose Board of Associates and is on the Board of Directors of the Central Avenue Business Improvement District and he serves as Chairman of the City of Albany Living Wage Compliance Commission. John is a founding member of GenNEXT and was named to the Business Review's Forty Under Forty for 2005. John Vero is a co-author and co-contributor to the Albany Times Union's Workbytes column series.

 

Bill Brigham
As Director of the Small Business Development Center at UAlbany, Bill heads a program that offers no-cost counseling to start-up and existing businesses, and acts as a catalyst to help small businesses access capital. He has also directed the Center’s Manufacturing Field Office, where he specialized in transitioning distressed manufacturers.

A columnist for The Capital District Business Review, Bill serves as adjunct professor for the Graduate School of Business at UAlbany and is a member of several technology, economic development, higher education and small business advisory boards.

 

John Gregory
As Regional Director of Wimmer Associates, John has developed a reputation for successfully assisting middle market companies to cost effectively achieve their growth and financial objectives. He is a graduate of the University Of Illinois School Of Business and serves as a member of the New York University at Albany MBA Thesis Panel.

John is a member of the Board of Directors for Chatham Plastic Ventures, Inc. and the Schenectady County Business Center, and writes the Mind Your Own Business column, with Bill Brigham, for The Capital District Business Review.

Sharon Wolin
Owner of Sharon Wolin Productions, Sharon is an award-winning independent producer, director, writer and broadcast program executive with substantial experience in the development and production of television programming, pilots, documentaries, commercial campaigns and corporate videos. She is also the Producer of WMHT's "The Bottom Line w/ Wally Altes" which airs Mondays at 7:30pm. Among her many production credits are PM Magazine and Carmine's Table, in addition to two WNYT television specials, Now We're Talking and The Great American Heart Test, which were nominated for National Emmys.