To our members and community,
Following a months-long search, working with a local recruiter with extensive co-op, grocery and retail experience, the Niskayuna Co-op Board of Directors is pleased to share that we have hired Shannon Risley as the new, permanent general manager of our 77-year-old community store.
Shannon brings two decades of retail and grocery experience to our Co-op, including national training in store operations. She takes the reins from Dennis Hanley, who joined our store in November 2019 as Interim General Manager while the board conducted a search for a permanent GM.
We want to share a little more about Shannon and why we are so excited to welcome her to the Co-op. Growing up in Saugerties, she began working at Walmart as a cashier during high school and continued while attending the College of Saint Rose in Albany. Recognized for her skill and potential, she quickly rose through the store ranks, taking on various management roles at different locations.
Selected as one of 80 store employees out of 80,000 applicants to attend the nationally recognized Walmart Leadership Academy, she traveled to Walmart headquarters in Arkansas for the intensive year-long program, receiving masters-level management training from the company’s top leaders, industry experts as well as other national companies.
Her accomplishments as store manager include:
- Successfully launching one of Walmart’s first local online grocery sales and store pickup programs, at the Clifton Park location
- Overseeing multiple store renovations while maintaining profitability
- Chairing an annual golf tournament and leading the top fundraising team three years in a row for the Children’s Miracle Network to benefit the Bernard & Millie Duker Children's Hospital at Albany Medical Center
We are pleased to bring a local grocery and retail executive of Shannon’s caliber to the Co-op. What truly made Shannon stand out was her understanding and respect for the vital, unique role our store plays in the community. With today’s ever-expanding array of grocery and food options, she recognizes our deep commitment to providing an exceptional grocery experience to our members and customers is key to our success.
Shannon lives in Altamont with her husband and two young children. She begins her new role on August 5th and we invite you to introduce yourself on your next visit. Shannon will be working alongside Dennis for several weeks to ensure a smooth transition.
As we begin this new chapter, we want to thank Dennis Hanley for his hard work as Interim General Manager. Drawing on his extensive national grocery experience, we tasked Dennis with carrying out a top-to-bottom store review and in his tenure, he has improved all areas of store operations as well as the customer experience and bottom line.
But we will always be most grateful to Dennis for guiding the team, ensuring their safety and health while maintaining a safe shopping experience for our members during the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. We know you have seen the difference as you’ve shopped these past few months.
We wish Dennis the very best and offer our deepest thanks for handing over to Shannon a much stronger store. And while we continue to face tough competition and new challenges, our Co-op is better prepared to continue meeting the needs of our customers.
As always, we thank you for your loyalty and support – and encourage you to invite friends and neighbors to become Co-op members. Together, we keep this community gem in business. We hope you’ll join us in thanking Dennis and welcoming Shannon in the weeks to come.
Niskayuna Co-op Board of Directors
Sarah Bilofsky
Sunny Lee
Co-Presidents
Greg Mattice
Treasurer
Tina Lee
Secretary
Laurene Curtin
Valerie DeSorbo
Barbara Gillen
Beth Greenwood
Ryan Pandolfini
Chris Rooney
Christopher Rust
Jay Utzig
