ANCA Adds Energy & Development Experts

ANCA Board Adds Energy & Cooperative Development Experts

Alberto Bianchetti and Ryan Demers join the nonprofit’s board of directors 

Press Release: July 19, 2024

SARANAC LAKE, N.Y. — The Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA) Board of Directors has announced the addition of two new members who bring extensive knowledge of the clean energy and cooperative development sectors to the regional nonprofit’s leadership team. Alberto Bianchetti, Regional Customer and External Affairs Director for National Grid; and Ryan Demers, Cooperative Business Developer with the Cooperative Development Institute (CDI); were elected to the board at its quarterly meeting on June 14, 2024. 

“We are thrilled Alberto and Ryan have joined the board, bringing their professional expertise and personal commitments to our region as ANCA continues to identify and impact the critical and long-term needs of our region’s small businesses and communities,” said ANCA Board President Kelly Chezum. “ANCA has been a leader in a broader regional shift that includes more options for business ownership and increased access to clean energy initiatives and jobs. Our work is strengthened by knowledgeable and passionate leaders like Alberto and Ryan and their networks. We look forward to working with them in the years to come to expand the reach and impact of this work across northern New York.” 

Bianchetti and Demers join the board as ANCA continues to expand programming that is responsive to the unique needs of North Country small farms, businesses and communities. With a focus on building economic strength and stability in our rural region, ANCA provides targeted programs that improve access to financing, grant opportunities and energy upgrades. ANCA also offers business development and ownership transition resources, and programs that empower community members to increase diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging across the region.

“This is an exciting moment for ANCA and our team as we begin developing our next strategic plan,” ANCA Executive Director Elizabeth Cooper said. “We are happy to welcome Alberto and Ryan as we look back on the organization’s accomplishments over the last few years, particularly our work expanding clean energy and cooperative ownership opportunities in our region. They each will bring unique expertise and experience to ANCA and our path forward.”

Alberto Bianchetti is Regional Customer and External Affairs Director for National Grid’s Central New York Division, a 13-county region that spans from Cortland to Clinton counties and includes the Mohawk Valley and Adirondacks. In that role, he leads a team of energy utility professionals focusing on relationship management for National Grid’s largest customers in the region including manufacturers, healthcare facilities, educational institutions, real estate developments, municipalities and Native American enterprises. His team is also accountable for engaging with local and state authorities during storms and emergencies, government relations, civic outreach and community giving.

Before appointment to his current role, Bianchetti led National Grid’s New York State Government and Legislative relationship portfolio in Upstate New York. Since he joined National Grid in 1991, he has also held responsibilities in regulatory and corporate affairs, including with teams involved in the company’s regulatory rate filings, divestitures and acquisitions.

Bianchetti also serves on the boards of the Food Bank of Central New York, The Manufacturers Association of Central New York, The Downtown Committee of Syracuse and the Le Moyne College Madden School of Business Advisory Committee and is a past board member of the Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency. He holds a bachelor’s degree in newspaper journalism and economics, a master’s degree in media management from Syracuse University, and an MBA from Le Moyne College. He lives with his wife, Rose, in Baldwinsville, N.Y.

“From expanding the availability of clean energy, to economic development, to the role of inclusion and diversity, National Grid’s commitment to the region neatly aligns with the ANCA’s strategic vision for a place people want to live, work and play,” Bianchetti said. “I’m honored to continue National Grid’s long-term association with ANCA at the leadership level and grateful to learn even more about how we can secure future prosperity.”

As Cooperative Business Developer for CDI, Ryan Demers works with business owners and workers to lead them through the conversion process for establishing worker-owned cooperatives. Demers also supports newly formed cooperatives’ boards of directors, managers and workers-turned-owners to grow and hone their skills as business owners. He previously served as the general manager of the North Country Food Co-Op in Plattsburgh and through this work, developed a passion for the cooperative business model. 

Demers holds a bachelor's degree in Atmospheric Science from SUNY Albany and a master’s degree in Meteorology from Florida State University. A resident of Plattsburgh since 2014, he also serves on the board of trustees of the Strand Center for the Arts and is treasurer for the North Country Food Co-Op’s board of directors. He believes in democratizing the power of workers, climate justice and a solidarity economy. 

“I have lived in the Adirondack North Country for ten years and I love living here,” said Demers. “With the food co-op, I was plugged into the community and all of the people that make it up. I am eager to continue that kind of community involvement and develop relationships with those who live here. I have worked with ANCA staff since starting my work at CDI, and have been thrilled to learn about what ANCA does in our region, particularly the Center for Businesses in Transition program. I'm excited to be a part of ANCA's role in our region's future by serving on its board of directors.”

On Friday, July 26, ANCA’s board and staff invite community members to attend their 2024 Annual Meeting at Fort Ticonderoga in Ticonderoga, N.Y. Meeting attendees will learn about recent accomplishments among ANCA’s team and partners, celebrate the work of community leaders, and help inform next steps in developing the organization’s next strategic plan. Learn more at www.adirondack.org/annual-meeting-24. 

ANCA is an independent, nonprofit corporation with a transformational approach to building prosperity across northern New York. Using innovative strategies for food systems, clean energy, small businesses, and equity and inclusion, ANCA delivers targeted interventions that create and sustain wealth and value in local communities.