ARCC Board Tours Lehigh Northeast Cement Company

The ARCC's Board of Directors held its June 2010 meeting in the Board room of the Lehigh Northeast Cement Company, on Warren Street, in Glens Falls. Following the meeting, the Board took a tour of this facility which has land and operations on one property that is within Glens Falls, Queensbury and South Glens Falls as well as within two counties - - Warren and Saratoga Counties. The company is one of the oldest employers in the City and has enough natural resource capacity to operate for decades more in this location. Right now among their many projects, they are providing material that is being used to construct a new runway at JFK Airport, in New York City.

Can't Make It Up

Every once in a while something happens that, despite your renown for storytelling, cannot be embellished or made better. This was the case with a recent email we received after our Career Experience Day. Let us share with you the email in its entirety:

MR Shimkus,

-Thanks for having us participate in the Job Experience event again! I
think the students had a blast and learned something in the process. I
sent a couple of photos to the Post Star and to our state website for submission. The flight simulator is awesome, it costs more than a real Blackhawk (16mil) at 16.5 mil. Each student
"flew" for about a half hour and there were only a couple of crashes. Lots of smiles.

Thanks again-HOOAH!



SFC Arthur Coon
Recruiting and Retention NCO
NY Army National Guard
NYS Armory
147 Warren Street
Glens Falls, NY 12801
Cell; 518-542-4726
-Recruiter of the Finest Soldiers in the NYARNG-HOOAH!

Breathless

Adirondack-size Inhalers Breathe Dramatic Life into Trampoline Design’s Newest Campaign


Trampoline Design went big with a campaign to boost asthma awareness for the North Country Asthma Coalition. Larger-than-life 3-foot inhalers have been positioned in high-profile locations throughout Warren, Washington, Hamilton, Franklin, Clinton and Essex Counties.

Trampoline Design developed the inhalers, along with Creatacor of Clifton Park, as a mechanism for capturing the attention of children and adults alike for what is literally a life or death issue. The Adirondacks present an incredible stage, with towering trees, street-side light poles, and North Country storefronts offering unexpected and high traffic perches for the inhalers, which feature a place for literature intended to be taken by passers-by.


3' inhaler on Route 4 in Hudson Falls Photo credit: Mike Sylvia

The campaign debuts on the heels of the attention grabbing print campaign, “Ease Your Wheeze!” The budget that had been earmarked entirely for print advertising was redistributed to allow the inhalers to complement traditional marketing. The combination of Dr. Suess inspired print ads and quirky, sci-fi movie scaled information vehicles demonstrate the agency’s trademark willingness to explore an unconventional approach to communication.

Example of the "Ease Your Wheeze!" print campaign.

"The reality is that organizations need to evolve their way of thinking, what might have worked even a year ago won't fly with today's audience. There is an expectation to have as-it-happens-access to news, with little tolerance for commercials and pop-up ads. Harnessing the power of a new tool, in this case the backdrop of day-to-day life, is a way to communicate our message before the audience realizes it," said Sean Magee, Principal of Brand Strategy for Trampoline Design.

Later this year the installation of additional inhalers, for a total of 36 will take place. The attached photograph was taken on the traffic circle in Hudson Falls. There is also a list of inhaler locations detailed below.



Inhaler Display Sites to Date:

Glens Falls YMCA
Wilsboro Adirondack Store
Hamilton Public Health
Warren Public Health
Warren Head Start- all 6 locations
Franklin Public Health
Glens Falls Home Therapy Equipment
Mary Dulap Tax Return of Elizabethtown
Clinton County & Franklin County Joint Council for Economic Opportunity (JCEO)]

A Retail Location in Full Bloom.

Binley's Florist & Garden Center has been busy arranging the appearance of their retail location. Take a look at the pictures and then go see for yourself at 773 Quaker Road in Glens Falls.

The Simple Things

A sunny day.
Tree lined streets.
Cheerful faces.
The festive beat of a marching band.

Memorial Day in Glens Falls.

Bourn Soars

Sheri Bourn Named Business Development & Sales Manager at TD Banknorth Branch in Salem



Sheri R. Bourn has been named the Business Development & Sales Manager at the TD Banknorth branch at 204 Main Street in Salem . She is responsible for managing day-to-day operations of the branch, and developing and overseeing small business loans, deposit accounts, consumer lending, investment and insurance services provided to customers throughout a region that includes Washington County (NY) and southwestern Vermont .

Bourn joined TD Banknorth in 1991 and has 17 years of banking experience. She previously has served as an assistant branch manager in Granville, a branch supervisor and a personal banker. Bourn is a Notary Public in the State of New York .

A Granville resident and native, Bourn volunteers with a range of youth sports activities in her community. She is a 1991 graduate of Adirondack Community College in Queensbury, and a 1989 graduate of Granville Central High School .

TD Banknorth Inc. is a leading banking and financial services company headquartered in Portland , Maine , and a wholly-owned subsidiary of TD Bank Financial Group headquartered in Toronto , Canada . TD Banknorth is one of the 20 largest commercial banking organizations in the United States , with over $109 billion in assets. TD Banknorth's banking subsidiaries include TD Banknorth, N.A., Commerce Bank, N.A. and Commerce Bank/North, which combined operate banking divisions in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Virginia, and TD Bank USA, N.A. TD Banknorth and its subsidiary banks also operate subsidiaries and divisions in insurance, wealth management, merchant services, mortgage banking, government banking, private label credit cards, and other financial services, and offers investment products in association with PrimeVest Financial Services, Inc. For more information, visit http://www.TDBanknorth.com.

BOCES Culinary Students Finish 2nd at National ProStart Invitational

Culinary Arts and Hospitality students from the Washington-
Saratoga-Warren-Hamilton-Essex BOCES Southern Adirondack Education Center finished as
national runners up at the seventh annual National ProStart Student Invitational held April
24-26, 2008 in San Diego, California.


Photo Caption: The 2008 WSWHE BOCES ProStart Management Team of (left to right) Jamie Norton, Breanna Donovan, Greg Hutchinson, Ryan Mercado, and Nick Green celebrate their first place finish at the New York State ProStart Competition. The team went on to finish second in the nation at the National ProStart Student Invitational in San Diego, California.


Breanna Donovan of Glens Falls, Nick Green of Hartford, Greg Hutchinson of Argyle, Ryan Mercado of Granville, and Jamie Norton of Argyle represented New York State in the management division testing their teamwork, communication skills, and knowledge of the restaurant and food service industry against 29 other teams from across the country. The competition consisted of two different events over two days. In the case study portion, students were presented with a hypothetical restaurant scenario and given 30 minutes to prepare a response in front of a panel of industry experts. The second portion of the competition, the Quiz Bowl, featured two rounds of game show style questions and answers.

Each member of the team received a medal and scholarships ranging in value from $4,500 to
$14,000 depending upon each student’s choice of college. These totals are in addition to the awards garnered at the state-level competition.

This is the fourth consecutive year a team from the Southern Adirondack Education Center has
qualified for the national competition having placed 9th, 6th, and 4th in the three years preceding. This year’s efforts were once again under the direction of Chef-Instructor Charles Jones and Mentor Casey Thorne.

The ProStart program, administered by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) and state restaurant associations, is a two-year curriculum designed to teach high school students the management skills needed for a career in the restaurant and food service industry. The program combines classroom instruction with mentored worksite experiences, and is currently available in more than 1,600 schools across 47 states, territories, and districts. For more information, visit www.weareprostart.org.

Culinary Arts is one of 24 Career and Technical Education programs offered by the Washington- Saratoga-Warren-Hamilton-Essex BOCES (WSWHE BOCES). The Southern Adirondack Education Center in Hudson Falls is one of two Career and Technical Education centers operated by WSWHE BOCES. Any high school student enrolled in one of the 31 component school districts is eligible for admission to the Southern Adirondack Education Center or the F. Donald Myers Education Center in Saratoga Springs through his or her home school. Adults may apply to the program and location of their choice – admission is granted on a space-available basis. For more information, visit www.wswheboces.org.

# # #

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mike Sylvia, Public Information Specialist
WSWHE BOCES
1153 Burgoyne Avenue
Fort Edward, NY 12828
(518) 746-3857 fax: (518) 746-3855
msylvia@wswheboces.org

There's a new man in town

Another foot. I realize that we do live in the Adirondacks and we're not yet through with February, but last night's snowfall seems just a touch excessive. Folks in downtown Glens Falls are finding a way to have a little fun with it. If you haven't yet been downtown, take a swing through the roundabout and look at Scoville Jewelers latest display. He's dashing to say the least.

TreePaad Goes Out on a Limb for Homeless Youth

TreePaad Family Entertainment Center on Dix Ave. held a benefit on December 31, 2007 for the Warren Washington Counties Homeless Youth Coalition. Over $1,400 was raised to support HYC's mission of reducing the homeless youth population in Warren and Washington Counties . "We were delighted to be able to help.", said TreePaad owner Patti Garrand. "Our business wanted to express our gratitude to HYC for the wonderful work they do with homeless youth and our fundraiser was our way of saying "Thanks!."" For a special price TreePaad patrons enjoyed unlimited play on TreePaad's most popular attractions. Also on hand were volunteers from HYC with information about the organization, as well as the Harrisena Youth Group. Garrand plans to hold another fundraiser for the group in December, 2008. "With HYC's new maternity group home project in the works, I know that our support will be needed." said Garrand. For more information visit http://www.hycwaithouse.org/ or http://www.treepaad.com/.


Photo L to R Patti Garrand, TreePaad, Duane J. Vaughn, HYC Executive Director, Anne M. Fuller, HYC Fund Development Coordinator.

Great Promotions

Officials at The Great Escape Properties have announced the promotion of several management employees.



Kerry Claus has been promoted to General Manager of the Six Flags Great Escape Lodge & Indoor Waterpark. In his new role, Claus is responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations, as well as directing the food & beverage and guest relations departments at the property. Employed at the Lodge since 2005, Claus was most recently the Assistant General Manager. Claus holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from the State University of New York at Fredonia, as well as an associate’s degree in hotel restaurant management from Paul Smith’s College.



Joseph Molnar has been promoted to the position of Director of Food & Beverage at the Six Flags Great Escape Lodge & Indoor Waterpark. Molnar is responsible for directing all food and beverage operations at the Lodge, including directing banquet events; creating and implementing special events; managing themed activities; and managing service staff at each of the Lodge’s restaurants, including at Trapper’s Adirondack Grille and Tall Tales Tavern. Previously the Executive Chef at the Six Flags Great Escape Lodge & Indoor Waterpark, Molnar began his career as an apprentice chef at the five-diamond Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress resort in Orlando, Florida.




Randall Wilke has been promoted to Director of Operations at The Great Escape Properties. A Six Flags employee for nearly ten years, Wilke was previously the Operations Manager at The Great Escape & Splashwater Kingdom. Now reporting directly to the President of The Great Escape Properties, Wilke is responsible for oversight of Admissions, Aquatics, Entertainment, Park Services, Parking, Rides, Safety, and Security departments at both The Great Escape and the Six Flags Great Escape Lodge & Indoor Waterpark.



Steve Krawczyk has been promoted to Director of Administration at The Great Escape Properties. In his new role, Krawczyk is responsible for human resource functions at both The Great Escape & Splashwater Kingdom and the Six Flags Great Escape Lodge & Indoor Waterpark. Krawczyk began his career at The Great Escape as Promotions Manager, and is a graduate of The College of Saint Rose in Albany, NY.
Six Flags, Inc. is the world's largest regional theme park company, operating 21 parks across the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Six Flags has more roller coasters than all other theme park companies combined. Since 1961, Six Flags has provided world-class thrilling entertainment for millions of families. Six Flags, Inc. is a publicly-traded corporation (NYSE: SIX) headquartered in New York City.

Sawchuk Brown Associates Adds Staff

SAWCHUK BROWN ASSOCIATES ADDS STAFF

Emily Shover, a recent graduate of Marist College in Poughkeepsie, has joined Sawchuk Brown Associates as an administrative assistant.

For SBA, Shover will provide support to clients and staff, including research, list management, media monitoring, as well as editorial and administrative services.

As a student at Marist College, Shover wrote for the school’s online news publication, Marist News Watch, and was a member of the Fashion Club where she served as a dresser for local fashion shows. She was also a member of Campus Ministry, providing community services to the local community, and is currently a volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Shover graduated from Marist College with a B.A. in communications with a concentration in journalism.

Founded in 1979, Sawchuk Brown Associates is one of Upstate New York's leading independent communications firms specializing in public relations, public affairs and strategic marketing. The firm, which represents more than 65 clients, has received honors from Public Relations Society of America, IABC, American Marketing Association and others. It is the Upstate New York affiliate of global leader GolinHarris International. Visit the Sawchuk Brown website.

New Appointments at TD Banknorth

Michael Murray Named Commercial Loan Portfolio Officer at TD Banknorth in Glens Falls

Michael D. Murray has been promoted to a Commercial Loan Portfolio Officer in the Commercial Lending Department at TD Banknorth in Glens Falls. He will be responsible for developing and maintaining commercial business relationships throughout the Glens Falls region.

Murray joined TD Banknorth in 2004 as a Customer Sales Representative in the Glens Falls branch. He served as a Commercial Credit Analyst prior to his most recent promotion.

A Queensbury resident, Murray is a 1998 graduate of Queensbury High School. He received his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the College of Saint Rose in 2003, and an associate’s degree in 2001 from Adirondack Community College. He volunteers as a member of the Junior Achievement Adirondack Region Steering Committee.


Timothy Minahan Named Vice President at TD Banknorth




Timothy P. Minahan has joined TD Banknorth as a vice president in Government Banking in Glens Falls. He will be responsible for managing the relationships of the government banking clients, and acquiring new business throughout the Capital Region, Adirondack Region and Northeastern New York.

Minahan has 22 years of banking experience. Prior to joining TD Banknorth, he was the first vice president at Berkshire Bank, serving as the Director of Sales and Product Development. Before that, he worked at Keybank N.A., as an area retail leader in the Albany (N.Y.) District.

An Alplaus resident, Minahan serves on the board of the Schenectady/ Glenville Empire Zone. He received a bachelor’s degree in finance from Siena College and also holds a marketing degree from Hudson Valley Community College. Minahan is originally from Schenectady, where he graduated from Mont Pleasant High School.

TD Banknorth Inc. is a leading banking and financial services company headquartered in Portland, Maine and a wholly-owned subsidiary of TD Bank Financial Group headquartered in Toronto, Canada. TD Banknorth is one of the 25 largest commercial banking organizations in the United States, with over $40 billion in assets. TD Banknorth's banking subsidiary, TD Banknorth, N.A., operates banking divisions in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont. TD Banknorth and TD Banknorth, N.A. also operate subsidiaries and divisions in insurance, wealth management, merchant services, mortgage banking, government banking, private label credit cards, insurance premium financing and other financial services and offers investment products in association with PrimeVest Financial Services, Inc. For more information, visit TD Banknorth.

Local Pride & Racous Laughter

The Washington County Small Business of the Year Awards took place yesterday at Rainer's Gourmet Inspirations at a B&B on the Green. The beautiful space, with rustic columns and elegant table settings was filled with a veritable who's who of Washington County and beyond. Matthew F. Fuller, Chair of the Washington County Business Council took the helm as MC after brief welcome speeches from Todd Shimkus, CEO of the ARCC, and Carl Cedrone, Chair of the ARCC Board of Directors.

The room was lined with stunning autumnal arrangements for the winners and nominees, created by the horticulture department at BOCES, deep earth tone colored pieces of slate served as plaques for the winners and were crafted impeccably by the fine folks at Slateworks and with delectable slices of apple pie from Chef Rainer capping off a wonderful mean, everyone left feeling like a winner.



Carl Cedrone reflects on the things like the small businesses and farms throughout Washington County that originally enchanted his parents and ultimately led to Carl relocating his family to this area.



Ray McKinney, Chair of the Washington County LDC, speaking about the excellence in Washington County.



JoAnn Trinkle, Chair of the Washington County Board of Supervisors, addresses a full house, commending the business community as a whole for its wealth of excellence, as demonstrated by the significant number of nominations received.


Tim Haven of Falls Farm and Garden gave an alternately comedic and sentimental acceptance speech. He was quick to share the pricelessness of a dedicated staff and spoke passionately about the need for the continued practice of buying local. Matthew Fuller followed with a comment that drew great laughter and nodding, "You can sure by anything at Lowe's, but good luck getting it fixed."



Winners at last year's Small Business of the Year Awards, Vermont Timber Frames presented an award this year to Cambridge Valley Livestock Market. An interesting bit of trivia: the saw dust from Vermont Timber Frames has long gone to cushion the beds of the livestock at Cambridge Valley Livestock.



Tom McDermott, owner of McDermott's Harley-Davidson, flanked by John Marcantonio and Matthew Fuller, listens to someone from the audience, after which Tom responded with a zinger that demonstrated a razor wit and had the crowd in stitches.



Neil Orsini of The Anvil presented Dennis Yushak with his award, reminiscing about his first job in a similar store in Glens Falls, and the impact it had on the businessman he is today.



Dennis Yushak accepts his award and shares how taking a page from the Cheers playbook and always knowing everyone's name helps keep customers for 60+ years.




The Winner's Circle.

Building a Bigger Team

Malta-based MLB Construction Services, LLC proudly announces the following appointments:



Stephen P. Bishop of Glens Falls has returned to the MLB project management team as Senior Project Manager after a seven-year stint as Construction Administrator with Crandall Associates. During his five-year tenure with MLB, he successfully delivered several notable projects including The Adirondack Museum Visitors Center in Blue Mountain Lake, the Hyde Medical Center in Malone, New York and the GE Health Care Facility in Schenectady. Steve is an Honors Graduate of the State University in Canton with a degree in construction technology. Mr. Bishop's initial assignments involve pre-construction services on projects for Skidmore College and The Hazelden Foundation.

David Zuccaro


Brian Douglass

Douglass and Zucarro have joined MLB as Project Coordinators. Brian earned his Associate Degree at SUNY Morrisville and Bachelor of Science Degree in Construction Management at SUNY-ESF in May. He is currently working on the Gloversville High School and River Road Medical Arts Building projects. David was a Dean's List student at Hudson Valley Community College where he earned his Associate Degree in Construction Technology in May as well. His initial project assignment is the Wal*Mart renovation in Albany.

MLB is a comprehensive Construction Services firm specializing in education, retail, and health care facilities. Current projects and clients include the Zankel Music Building at Skidmore College, the renovation and expansion of the Malta Price Chopper, Kingston Hannaford and Albany Wal*Mart Stores, the River Road Medical Arts Building, and expansion of the Morrell Science Building at Siena College.

A Prime US Citizen

Stephanie Vogel has been with Coldwell Banker for more than four years. A resident of Speculator, NY since 2002, Stephanie recently became a US citizen.



She celebrated with her husband and the staff at Peggy Blake's Coldwell Banker Prime Properties office in Queensbury.

Congress and Progress at Your Corner

The ARCC played matchmaker and as a result Binley Florist played host to a Congress at Your Corner with Congresswoman Gillibrand this past weekend and receiving incredible exposure through pre-event press and the thousands of calls made to promote the event.



Congresswoman Gillibrand's office had contacted the Chamber looking for a location to host their Congress at Your Corner program in Queensbury.

"We suggested Binley’s and they took us up on the offer. Stewarts which opened their newest store right across the street participated by providing refreshments for those who gathered to meet with Congresswoman Gillibrand," recounted Todd Shimkus, ARCC CEO.

As a result of the Congresswoman's visit and converstaions that took place regarding the efforts of the Glens Falls BID to transform City Park, some of her staff will be assisting the local effort in the coming weeks by working with BID members to draft at least three grant applications to help secure the funding for this project.



Once the event was over Congresswoman Gillibrand took a moment to thank Wally Hirsch for having her at his festive location at 773 Quaker Road in Queensbury.

This Tree is Ripe for Climbing

Tree Paad Family Entertainment Center recently had their Grand Opening with a ceremonial ribbon cutting.



Stop over to see all the fun to be had at TreePaad.

TreePaad Family Entertainment Center
1/4 mile West of Quaker Road

217 Dix Avenue
Glens Falls, NY 12801

TreePaad hours are as follows:
Tuesday - Thursday 10am - 7pm
Friday - Saturday 10am - 10pm
Sunday - 10am - 7pm

Congratulations and Thanks

The ARCC would like to thank all of the amazing exhibitors and attendees we had at our Adirondack Business Show. Special thanks go also to First Niagara Bank, who returned to sponsor our Adirondack $500 contest last week. The Show did incredibly well, with exhibitors and attendees mingling until well past 7pm.

No one celebrated quite as heartily as our night's winner, Billy Parker, seen here with, from left, Gina Prindle, Manager of First Niagara Bank, his wife Linda Parker, Todd Shimkus and Patti Pepe.

Arts, History & Tourism

It was the perfect day to explore arts, history and tourism in downtown Glens Falls. The streets along the roundabout were bustling, with shoppers strolling along the new, brick-lined sidewalks and new storefronts and restaurants boasting a new era in a city that only months ago seemed as if it would always be under construction. And construction still goes on as workers use boom lifts to create the new Crandall Public Library one one side of town, while several blocks over, across the distinct skyline, developer Bruce Levinski's condominium project continues apace.

The day began at the remarkable Charles R. Wood Theater with a presentation from ARCC CEO and President, Todd Shimkus. Eager to engage the class he pulled no punches as he shared the ARCC stance on issues such as consolidation and addressing the astronomical taxes for the City of Glens Falls.


Todd Shimkus and the LAdk class in the theater rehearsal space. Todd also proudly introduced the integration of a more regional approach with Eileen Hannay and Steve Collyer joining the class to share an insider's view of tourism in Washington County, specifically the Rogers Island Visitor Center. They started with laughs, calling their presentation a dog and pony show, Steve being the dog and Eileen the pony, but by the end of their impassioned presentation on the mission they are on for the preservation of land and irreplacable artifacts of historical significance on Rogers Island, they had the class rapt.



Later, our host Bill Woodward, Executive Director of the Wood theater gave a history of the building, an update on its economic impact and then a tour of the facility.

After a morning in the theater the class walked a few blocks to the Chapman Historical Museum. Tim Weidner, Director of the Chapman, gave the class a tour, entertaining and educating as he covered everything from addressing an aging membership to plastic collars, corsets and moaning gramophones.



Before a tour of LARAC, the Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Council, Anne Smoczynski, Director of Grants, Membership and Web Site Services, spoke to the class about the way in which LARAC supports the artistic community.


Emily Koliada of TD Banknorth explores Lapham Gallery at LARAC.

Robert Joy, President of JMZ Architects and Planners, P.C., gave his famous walking tour of Glens Falls.







The day wrapped up with a visit to The Hyde Collection. Interim Director Marijo Dougherty met us at the door, ushering us down to the auditorium for an incredible address from Erin Coe, Curator of The Hyde Collection. The class enjoyed a quick pass through Hyde House.



The finale was a glimpse into how a curator put together a show, via a tour of the in process preparation of the next exhibit, NATURA MORTA: Still-Life Painting and the Medici Collections.