Greene County Success Stories

Albany Area Named One of the Best Places for Women-Owned Businesses

April 8, 2015

If you’re a woman looking to start or grow a business, Albany, New York may not be a bad place to start.

The Albany-Schenectady-Troy metro area ranks in the top 50 of the best places for women-owned businesses, according to an annual survey from NerdWallet, a personal finance website.

The Albany area came in at 44 out of 236 cities. The survey looked at U.S. Census Bureau data to find where women-owned businesses are successful, what the business climate is like and the state of the economy. Santa Fe, New Mexico, Boulder, Colorado and Monroe, Michigan were the top three cities in the country for women-owned businesses. Albany was the top metropolitan area in New York state after New York City.

The survey found that 30 percent of businesses in the Albany area are owned by women. The average revenue of those businesses is $149,471.90.

Annese & Associates, a women-owned computer network design and installation company, moved its headquarters from Herkimer in central New York to Clifton Park in 2013.

After moving to Albany, Annese & Associates topped the Albany Business Review’s list of the largest women-owned businesses in the Albany area. The company had $84 million in local revenue in 2013, according to the Business Review’s most recent list. A statement from the company said it had $105 million in revenue company-wide in 2014.

“Women owned businesses are a key component to driving a diverse and vibrant business climate,” said Ray Apy, president and CEO of Annese & Associates. “It comes as no surprise to me that Albany is among the top 50 cities for [women-owned businesses] to succeed. Our region continues to forge its footprint as a command post for high-tech innovation which feeds a strong economy and creates new opportunities for [women-owned businesses] to not only survive, but truly thrive.”