Albany’s Equinox, ClearView to merge

The Business Review reported that Equinox Inc. and ClearView Center Inc. are merging into a single organization that will take on the Equinox name.

The merger will combine the services of the Albany, New York, nonprofits under a single umbrella, a measure that will make it easier for clients who access assistance from both organizations, or transition from one program to another.

The organizations will use a $300,000 grant from the New York State Health Foundation to execute the merger, expected to be finalized by Jan. 1, 2012.

ClearView Center’s executive director, Dorothy Cucinelli, will head the combined agency. Kathleen Tanner, executive director of Equinox, will assist in the transition.

The two organizations offer related services. Equinox’s services include residential programs for homeless youth and victims of domestic violence, counseling, advocacy, outreach and prevention programs, and delivers thousands of Thanksgiving meals each year for disadvantaged families. ClearView serves people with mental illness.

“We think that being under one roof will be more seamless for our clients,” Cucinelli said.

Both organizations are fiscally sound, she said. Each operates with an annual budget of about $5.5 million, and each employs a little more than 100 people. Once the merger is complete, the new entity will operate with a combined $11 million annual budget. No jobs will be lost, Cucinelli said.

“This is not a situation where one is taking over another that is in trouble,” she said.

The new entity will continue to operate ClearView’s eight locations and Equinox’s four locations. It hasn’t been determined yet where the headquarters will be located. Currently, ClearView’s main offices are at 500 Central Ave.; Equinox’s are at 95 Central Ave.