Berkshire Bank recently recruited a new small business banking team to complement its expansion into New York’s Capital District.

The new small business banking team, which previously worked with Buffalo, N.Y.-based First Niagara Financial Group, will be based out of Berkshire’s regional headquarters in Albany. Karen Zalewski-Wildzunas will lead the team, which will manage and develop the bank’s small business accounts and lending portfolio in the Capital District region. The new team will work closely with the New York Business Development Corp. and the Small Business Administration.

"I am very excited to add a leader of Karen’s caliber and her team of expert business bankers to our group. They have a proven track record of success, know the market and work well together in finding the right mix of small business products and services to meet the financial needs of businesses," Peter Rice, senior vice president of small business operations, said in a statement.

In addition to Zalewski-Wildzunas, the bank has also hired Tracey Costanza, Eric Navarra, Gregory Novitsky and Michael Stefanik, as vice presidents and business banking officers. The team’s market footprint will include Albany, Schenectady, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Columbia, Greene, Fulton and Montgomery.  

Berkshire Bank has 90 full-service branches across its footprint in Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut and Vermont. Of those, 30 are located in the Capital District in New York.