As the bad guys get more sophisticated, all businesses, both large and small, are vulnerable. Cybercriminals view large business as a big pot of gold for them to steal and small or medium-sized business as an easy target. McKinsey & Company estimates that cyberattacks will reach $10.5 trillion by the end of this year, a whopping 300 percent increase from 2015. 

In an age of relentless digital distraction, Fair Oaks resident Frank Possemato offers a refreshingly analog antidote. Possemato’s self-published workbook, “How to Live an Analog Life in a Digital World,” delivers sage advice with a simple message.

The biggest challenge of his job? “It never turns off,” says Sheriff Cooper. “It’s always on. My phone rings at all hours of the day and night.” The good news is that he’s wired for this. “I enjoy what I do,” says the sheriff. “I’m not a type-A personality. I’m a type-AAA personality. I can go. I don’t have an off switch.” 

Since being hired in January of 2024, Heidt not only took the helm of an organization with an annual budget of $5.5 million, a 20-member board of directors and a fulltime staff of 10 plus “five contractors who have very specialized skills” — but also began what he calls “an apology tour.”

It’s a wild ride that not everyone has the access, resources, means or the mentality to stomach. Most fall short. But since 2015, some startups in the Capital Region have defied the odds, reaching remarkable heights.

A small electrical contractor that had never had an HR department before hired me as their first HR manager. I’m trying to figure out how to approach this, and I have questions.