Pinnacle enters the Capital Region and Hudson Valley, while Marshall+Sterling expands into Central New York through a strategic investment and service partnership
October 16, 2025 | East Syracuse, NY and Poughkeepsie, NY
Pinnacle Employee Services (PES), a subsidiary of Pinnacle Holding Company, announced today its expansion into the Capital Region and Hudson Valley, enabled by a strategic investment from Marshall+Sterling, one of the nation’s largest insurance brokerages specializing in business and personal risk solutions.
The investment will give Marshall+Sterling clients access to PES’s full suite of leading human resources outsourcing, payroll, and employee benefits administration services. In turn, PES clients will benefit from Marshall+Sterling’s business and personal insurance offerings, employee health and benefits plans, and private client services.
Marshall+Sterling, headquartered in Poughkeepsie, New York, helps its clients protect what they’ve built, and what comes next, through a legacy of expertise, personalized risk solutions, and a dedicated team, securing them with the confidence to succeed.
Pinnacle Employee Services, a professional employer organization, is headquartered in East Syracuse, New York. Its mission is to simplify employee management, allowing businesses to focus on their core operations while ensuring their employees have access to best-in-class benefits and HR support.
“At PES, we pride ourselves on being more than a service provider, we’re a true partner to our clients,” said Beth Eckert, CEO of Pinnacle Employee Services. “The investment by Marshall+Sterling represents a new chapter and will be PES’s first expansion beyond Central New York.”
“Since founding Pinnacle Holding Company, our mission has always been to bring together great people and great ideas to support businesses and communities,” said Gregg Kidd, Founder of Pinnacle Holding Company. “Marshall+Sterling is a natural partner for Pinnacle Employee Services, and this marks the beginning of the next growth phase of PES becoming a large player in the PEO space.”
“We’re excited to collaborate with PES and bring its valuable services to our clients—while also offering our expertise in personalized risk solutions to PES clients,” said Eric Diamond, President and CEO of Marshall+Sterling. “This partnership underscores our commitment to the Capital Region, Hudson Valley, and New York State as we also expand our footprint into Central New York.”
About Pinnacle Holding Company
For almost 30 years, Pinnacle Holding Company and its subsidiaries have provided all-inclusive solutions to meet the needs of individuals, businesses, and other organizations in New York and beyond. To learn more about Pinnacle, please visit PinnacleHoldingCo.com.
About Pinnacle Employee Services
As the region’s leading Professional Employer Organization (PEO), Pinnacle Employee Services (PES) streamlines complex employee-related tasks through co-employment by contractually assuming certain responsibilities to limit the liability and risk on the employer. PES is a trusted partner who works with businesses to provide payroll, benefits, HR, tax administration, risk management, and regulatory compliance assistance, freeing business owners up to focus on growing their business. To learn more about Pinnacle Employee Services, please visit PinnacleEmployeeServices.com.
About Marshall+Sterling
Founded in 1864, Marshall+Sterling is a 100% employee-owned, national independent risk solutions partner, helping clients protect what they’ve built and what comes next by empowering them to predict, prepare for, and preempt risk. Headquartered in New York and licensed in all states and the U.S. Virgin Islands, Marshall+Sterling is committed to creating a future that’s safer and more secure through business and personal insurance, employee benefits, and wealth management solutions. The firm is consistently recognized by Business Insurance as one of the top 50 insurance brokers in the United States. Follow @marshallsterling on social media.
Media contacts:
Liz Bartlett
Chief Marketing Officer at Pinnacle Holding Company
(315) 295-3826
LizBartlett@PinnacleHoldingCo.com
Robert Melstein
Chief Marketing Officer at Marshall+Sterling
(845) 743-6821
rmelstein@marshallsterling.com
