Author: Regina Stracqualursi
Senior Communications Specialist
Nancy Carey Cassidy ’89
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute alumna Nancy Carey Cassidy ’89 has been named a 2018 Albany Business Review Achiever. She received the Business Review’s Achievers Award in the category of career achievement and will be formally honored in an awards dinner on Nov. 8 at the Rivers Casino in Schenectady.
The Achievers Awards have been given out annually to outstanding companies and business leaders since 1983 when the first Achievers Award was given to George Low ’48, former president of Rensselaer. The winners of this award are nominated by the community at large before being selected by a final panel of judges. The recipients are recognized for their contributions to the growth of business in the Capital Region.
Cassidy, executive vice president and chief operating officer for the Picotte Companies, wins the award after being with the real estate operator for nearly 40 years. The company has grown to one of the largest real estate providers in the Capital Region, with a mission to provide the best real estate solutions based on individual client needs.
Outside of Picotte Companies, Cassidy has served on a variety of boards including M&T Bank, Albany Medical Center, and the Albany Academies, and she is also part of the Leadership Council for the Lally School of Management at Rensselaer. She joined the Lally Leadership Council as someone who has gone through the MBA program firsthand, after receiving her undergraduate degree from the College of New Rochelle.
Get to know Nancy Carey Cassidy and learn about her achievements as a business leader:
Congratulations on being named a 2018 Albany Business Review Achiever. What does it mean to you to be a recipient of this award? I am quite honored. When I see the previous recipients, it is humbling.
Can you tell me about your role as executive vice president and chief operating officer for Picotte Companies? As executive vice president and chief operating officer, I oversee both the day-to-day operations as well as the long-term strategic planning for the company.
What are some milestones in your career that you are particularly proud of? I started out responsible for communications surrounding a re-zoning project, now known as Corporate Woods. I then became director of development overseeing permitting and eventually took over project management for new construction. One major milestone in my career was the construction of the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) headquarters on Broadway in Albany. I oversaw that project from conception to completion, which was really rewarding.
What influenced your success as a business leader? Both Michael and John Picotte showed faith in my abilities, which led me to have confidence in my endeavors.
What is your biggest piece of advice to today’s business students? Listen! Network! Don’t be afraid of mistakes and learn from them.
How long have you been on the Lally Leadership Council and why do you choose to be part of it? I have been on the Lally Leadership Council since Dean Tom Begley came on board at Rensselaer in 2011. I am part of the committee because I enjoy hearing about how Lally is doing and what their students need in a modern-day business education.
How did your master’s education at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute prepare you for your career? My undergraduate degree was in communication arts and as I took on more responsibility with Picotte, I needed to understand general business topics such as finance, marketing, accounting, etc. RPI taught me that I was not going to be an expert in all of these fields but provided me with a foundation so I knew who to hire and what types of questions to ask them.
What is one thing that most people don’t know about you? Growing up, I wanted to be a professional singer.
What are some lessons you learned on your journey as a business leader? I always feel like I really learned to listen. Additionally, as a woman in a male-dominated industry, I learned that if you respect, you will be respected. Lastly, I learned that if you always offer to help others, they will, in turn, offer that same support and help you.
