The Albany Roundtable has
selected Tom Nardacci, developer of TroyInnovation Garage and the new Bull Moose Club in Albany, to
receive its prestigious New
Patroon Award for
creating coworking spaces in Troy and Albany “where ideas run free and people
have the resources they need to fully tap their potential.” The award will be presented at the Albany Roundtable luncheon on Wednesday, October 10.
When he launched Troy Innovation Garage
in 2017 Nardacci brought to the Capital Region a coworking community that is as
dynamic as any in the United States. The building on 4th Street in
Troy that sat mostly vacant for 30 years is now is home to 115 members, with
combined wages of over $7.5 million. The Garage has also hosted over 80 events,
including talks about public policy, the video game industry and community
development in Troy.
This year, Tom developed and
launched Bull Moose Club across the street from the New York State Capitol. The
space is catering to enterprise teams that do business with New York State,
associations and advocacy groups, and professionals in downtown Albany.
“Through Troy Innovation Garage, Tom Nardacci
breathed new life into a mostly vacant building and developed a hub where
software developers, web designers, graphic artists, marketers, engineers, and
a mix of professionals can find both focus and fun,” said Christopher Burke,
President of the Albany Roundtable. “Now, he’s bringing this successful model to
downtown Albany with the Bull Moose Club and providing a collaborative
coworking space just steps from the New York State Capitol. We are delighted to
honor him with the Roundtable’s New Patroon award.”
The featured speaker for the
October 10 luncheon is Maureen Sager, the executive director of the Upstate
Alliance for the Creative Economy (ACE). ACE is working with cross-sector,
geographically diverse individuals, private and public organizations,
nonprofits, and community leadership to develop and implement programs that
benefit the people, places, and creativity of the greater Capital Region.
The Albany Roundtable established
its Good Patroon Award in 1988 to celebrate outstanding contributions to the
community by institutions and individuals. While the Good Patroon Award has
traditionally honored organizations and individuals with a long record of
service to the community, the Roundtable launched its New Patroon Award in 2011
to highlight and encourage the work of newer organizations.
The most recent Good Patroon Award winners include the Community Foundation for
the Greater Capital Region; journalist and director of New York Writer’s
Institute Paul Grondahl; WAMC Northeast Public Radio; Historic Albany
Foundation; Hon. John J.
McEneny for his career in public service;
and Ruth Pelham and the Music Mobile. Catherine Hedgeman and The Stakeholders,
Inc. received the first New Patroon Award in 2011, followed by Jeff Mirel and
The Albany Barn in 2012; Edwards Grimes-Carrión and Grand Street Community Arts
in 2013, and All Over Albany in 2014, Albany Chefs' Food & Wine Fest
Organizers in 2015; the Global Institute for Health and Human Rights in 2016
and Clark House Hospitality in 2017.
The October 10 Roundtable Luncheon begins at 12:00 noon and
will be held at the National Register-listed University Club of Albany at 141
Washington Avenue. The luncheon
is open to the public and the cost is $20. The University Club will serve lunch
from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m., with the program commencing at 12:30. Reservations are required by
Tuesday, October 9 and may be
made by prepaying online, by calling 518-992-5360
or by sending an e-mail to albanyroundtable@gmail.com.
“When he died in 1839, Stephen Van Rensselaer III was remembered as ‘The Good
Patroon’ for his benevolent attitude toward the residents of Rensselaerswyck,”
said Burke. “The Good Patroon and New Patroon Awards are the Albany
Roundtable’s means of honoring those leaders who make our community a better
place to live. We are so pleased to be able to present Tom Nardacci with this
award for his efforts to support the Capital Region’s creative economy.”
