It All Starts with an "A"

The ARCC and ABSP recently hosted representatives from Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) at The Queensbury Hotel. Allyson Peerman, AMD Vice President of Public Affairs and Ward Tisdale, Director of Community Affairs, addressed the nearly one hundred people gathered for the informative breakfast.

Ms. Peerman was the first to speak for AMD and she stressed the need to find "the best and brightest" as being part and parcel to considering this region for a new plant. She and Tisdale both spoke in positive, but politically guarded terms regarding the potential arrival of AMD. Both stressed AMD's belief that "...people are the source of our competitive advantage." They talked about how the success of these moves rely on an ability to partner locally to identify future employees, accomplishing this through collaborations with universities, middles schools and community leaders.

Mr. Tisdale shared that kids usually decide in middle school that they will be engineers and that this is always rooted in a relationship with an adult who demonstrates the possibility of an interesting career in this field. AMD seeks to create relationships with students at this early stage in order to cultivate interest and nurture success.



Mr. Tisdale made several references to Science Buddies, a program designed to engage students at an early age in elements of STEM (Science, Technology, Energy, Math - the elements companies like AMD stress as being critical to success.) Another mechanism for success, or strategy he saw as proving effective was No Gamer Left Behind, a video game based learning aid that is designed to appeal to a generation of video game users.



After a frank back and forth with the audience, both Tisdale and Peerman communicated a desire to return and a promise to follow up on questions that had been asked during the presentation.

Tearing Down to Build Again

Before most commuters had arrived at their desks, camera crews, construction workers and members of BRANNY and the Crandall Park Beautification Committee gathered to watch as the field house at Crandall Park was bulldozed as the first visible step for the groundbreaking on a new field house.





* This video is coming soon. Stay tuned as we continue to cover the progress on the field house.

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.

They Did it for the Kids

Behan Communications, the Glens Falls Hospital Foundation, The Chronicle, The Post-Star, and Trampoline Design came together Friday night at Christ United Methodist Church to put on a show to benefit Feet First, a local organization dedicated to ensuring that every child has shoes that fit and are season appropriate.

Representatives from these companies performed to a packed house, alternately eliciting reverent silence and raucous applause. The event raised over $700 for Feet First and demonstrated that Maury Thompson and Gordon Woodworth can both deliver a message with their voices as well as their keyboards. Mark Behan was no slouch as the master of ceremonies, delighting the crowd with witty commentary on a host of issues. Trampoline Design and Behan Communications proved that their creative extends beyond standard print and web materials and can be showcased in the finest performance halls. Below enjoy a clip, poorly shot from a back row seat, of Glens Falls Hospital's Ray Agnew doing his rendition of a classic U2 number.

Bringing Green to Glens Falls

Barton Mines has, with their arrival to downtown Glens Falls, brought LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) to our area. LEED is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health:

Sustainable sites development water efficiency energy and atmosphere materials and resources indoor environmental quality innovation in design

Plans and methods of note with this building:

Materials and Resources
97% of the existing building structure and shell were reused
Local materials were used
Goal is to recycle 50% of construction demolition and waste
Recycled content materials
Cotton insulation
FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) Certified Wood

Indoor Environmental Quality
Innovative use of daylight and views, large window openings, glazed office partitions
Occupant lighting controls occupant thermal comfort controls
Occupancy Sensors Low
VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) Materials Building Flushout

Energy Efficiency
Building envelope upgrades

Windows with energy efficient glazing
Additional insulation
Green Roof System
White TPO (ThermoPlastic Olefin) Membrane Roof

Geothermal heat pumps Energy efficient lighting
Occupancy sensors
Demand controlled ventilation
High efficiency elevator (consumes 1/3 less energy)
100% Wind power

Water and Site Water
Rainwater harvesting system Indigenous plants
Dual flush toilets
Low-flow lavatories
Waterless urinals (saves 40,000 gallons of water per year)
Reverse osmosis drinking system

Site
Urban setting
Stormwater management
Heat island effect reduction
Light pollution reduction

As you'll see in the video this building is more than just a green building, it's on the cutting edge.

Congratulations and thank you, Barton Mines.

Inside the Hearings - Updated with more video

TESTIMONY OF TODD L. SHIMKUS
PRESIDENT/CEO OF THE ADIRONDACK REGIONAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

PARTNERSHIP FOR COVERAGE – PUBLIC HEARING
SEPTEMBER 5, 2007, GLENS FALLS, NY


The Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce is comprised of nearly 1,100 member organizations with over 23,000 employees predominantly in Washington and Warren Counties, New York. The mission of the ARCC is to help local companies to succeed, grow and thrive and to expand economic opportunity throughout our region.

Like many chambers of commerce, one of the primary benefits of belonging to the ARCC is the opportunity to access our health insurance programs. We now have more than 350 working families that rely on the ARCC for advice and access to health insurance. In particular, it seems important to note that 120 of these working families operate companies that are classified as sole proprietors. The remaining participants have between 2 and 5 employees typically and are clearly family owned businesses.

While I’m sure these numbers are interesting, the one that is shocking is that these local working families pay $2.68 million per year in health insurance premiums. That means that each participant on average is spending over $7,400 per year on health insurance with the amount paid for individual plans being less and the amount for family coverage being more. Noting that rates have traditionally increased on or about 10% per year, these families will be looking at increases next year in the amount of $268,000.

To control rate increases as best we can, we’ve been forced in our negotiations with insurers to reduce benefits and to increase co-pays. So while our members are paying more for health insurance, they and their employees are getting less in benefits. This combination of factors is why our members and the ARCC is so concerned about the future capacity of our current system to ensure that our members have continuing access to affordable high quality health insurance plans.

As you consider options to remedy this situation, we’d ask that you consider the following four points:

1. Rate Review – The Commission of Insurance should once again have the authority to approve and/or disapprove health insurance rates. This review should be administered where both the insurance companies and the state have clearly established deadlines by which rate plans shall be submitted and reviewed. The current file-and-use system has not adequately protected our members from increasing rates and reduced benefits.

2. Sole Proprietors – One of the best vehicles for reducing the uninsured population is to make it easier for sole proprietors to obtain health insurance. Right now, the process of securing coverage is relatively easy but the fact that insurers can charge sole proprietors health insurance rates that are 15% higher than their fellow business owners with 2 to 50 employees is a barrier to securing coverage. If the insurers can in fact present a case where it is obvious that sole proprietors are more expensive to cover, we’d urge the state to see if there is a way to provide subsidies to level this playing field. Perhaps it makes sense to offer such subsidies through grants to chambers that agree to provide this service to their members.

3. Administration – We currently offer health insurance programs provided by three different insurance companies. Each of these insurers has application forms and required paperwork that must accompany any such application. These applications all ask the same questions and ultimately we expect the insurers are looking for the same data and proof of business ownership. Why are these forms not standardized? The fact that they are not adds costs and time to processing such forms for the employer, the broker, and the insurance company. I’m told that the same is true with respect to the filing of claims by doctors offices and hospitals who must deal with dozens of insurance providers all seeking the same information on different forms and with different required attachments. This is clearly an area where costs have not been contained and where standardization will benefit everyone.

4. Partnership for Coverage – Next year, I will have the honor of serving as the Chair of the Chamber Alliance of New York. The Chamber Alliance has nearly 90 chambers of commerce across New York State as members. Many of these chambers provide health insurance as a primary benefit to their members. Collectively, I’m sure we provide health insurance to thousands of employers and even more employees. While I can’t yet officially speak for CANY’s, I think I am safe in suggesting that we’d like you to put chambers at the decision making table of your partnership as you move forward.

5. Access to Care – As I’m sure you will hear from Dr. John Rugge and David Kruczlnicki, our region also faces a crisis of access to adequate care. The ARCC recently participated in a public forum on this issue and we stand prepared to do whatever we can to assist with physician recruitment and retention efforts that our local health care organizations and the state may undertake. We certainly recognize that even if the ARCC is able to offer the best health insurance plans at the most affordable rates possible that this will all be a waste of time if there is no one locally to provide the care our members and their employees need. We’ve reached a point of crisis on this issue locally and hope that you’ll act favorably on the recommendations these two experts have offered.







As always, we appreciate the opportunity to offer these comments to you. We are eager to play more of a role in your deliberations if this is possible. But ultimately, we hope that you are successful in your efforts to find a better, more affordable system.





Now it's your turn. Do you have a health insurance horror story? Challenges getting coverage? Denied claims? Failure to reach a human? Tell us your story and let us share it with others. Together, maybe we can make a difference.

A Special Class

Receive 1 Get out of jail free* card.


Join the WNYT Channel 13 News Team**


Achieve weightlessness


Receive Exclusive Passage to and From Your Destination***


Play Where the Other Half Plays


Toast Yourself in Style


Be a part of making a difference.


You'll be in good company with: TD Banknorth, Glens Falls National, Glens Falls Hospital, Whittemore, Dowen, Ricciardelli, LLP, FitzGerald Morris Baker Firth, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Souther Adirondacks, Girl Scouts of Northeastern New York, United States Attorney's Office, Tribune Media Services and the ARCC already have spaces in the program. Sign up today for the experience of a lifetime.

Contact Amanda Magee with questions at amagee@adirondackchamber.org

* Valid only on the day we visit the Warren County Sheriffs Department.
** Really more like "be a fly on the wall during the noon broadcast...unless of course you misbehave, than you might be featured.
***Did we mention your second destination, after the 9/19 ice breaker at New York Wine Cork and catered by Gourmet Cafe, is The Sagamore?

Rapping About Health Care

R. Randolph Rapple, General Manager/Divisional VP, Barton Mines Co. LLC spoke at yesterday's summit on the North Country's health care crisis.

A Thousand Times, Thank You!

Chef Kevin Bethel and his wife and partner, Patti, prepare to say bon appétit tonight as they head into their 1000th dinner presentation since opening 132 Glen Bistro.

Stop by to celebrate and enjoy the consistently wonderful food offered at this downtown Glens Falls gem!

Snippets from First Lady Silda Spitzer's Visit

During a focus group on the Adirondack Community College campus in Queensbury, Governor Spitzer's wife, Silda, talked about her I Live New York initiative and her hopes about curbing the NY brain drain.

Live it, don't leave it.

The late afternoon sun shone through the windows as a group of twenty local business leaders gathered in the Marshall Conference Room at Adirondack Community College to talk with New York State's First Lady Silda Spitzer about her I Live New York initiative. The signs around the table demonstrated a diverse group, with representatives from health care, medical device manufacturing, legal and financial services, economic development, education, advertising and media.

After a brief welcome, First Lady Spitzer said hello and snickered sheepishly, as the group stood to welcome her, the men wearing suits and the women in equally conservative in dress, that she had dressed down for the intense travel and the more rustic settings further north. She then launched into background on the Brain Drain campaign, designed to complement the efforts of communities throughout upstate New York, in communicating effectively to our region's young people that lives can be made and enjoyed right here at home.

William Flaherty of National Grid and Marcie Dreimiller of Glens Falls Hospital, past and current presidents respectively, of the Adirondack Business and School Partnership, speak about the realities of the disconnect between the business community and the teaching force.

Len Fosbrook, President, EDC Warren County, NY, explained how New Markets Tax Credits could help promote new business in our region, particularly if incentives were taken from the town and city level to the county level, which could effectively diminish the comptetiveness between map lines.

September 18th at SUNY Cortland, the First Lady will host the innaugural I Live New York Summit.
More Coverage:
Here.
And here.

Checks, Balances and DEBT

The continuing pursuit of an answer that won't devastate small business and citizens.


The Warren County Board of Supervisor’s Ad-Hoc Sales Tax Committee met yesterday and the ARCC was the only organization in attendance. The ARCC has sent one of our professional staff members to each of these committee meetings since they began several months ago. The goal was to monitor the work of the committee and to ensure that our opposition to an increase in the sales tax was voiced consistently.

The ARCC has long opposed an increase in the sales tax as it will increase the cost of doing business in Warren County and will not guarantee a decrease in the property tax. The ARCC continues to argue that the only way to control NY’s extraordinarily high tax burden is to control the amount of money government can raise in the first place. Yesterday, the committee of Supervisors recommended that discussion of whether or not to increase Warren County’s sales tax by 1 percent be the focus of a special Board meeting in September.

In advocating for the 1 percent increase in the sales tax, Lake Luzerne Supervisor Gene Merlino offered a suggestion as to how the County could use the $14 million that such an increase will raise annually in an attempt to reduce property taxes. His suggestion included the following: $7 million for property tax relief; $2 million set aside to pay mortgage for health and human services building; $1 million each for the County road department, Sherriff’s department, and a surplus fund. He also suggested that the County reduce the bed tax from 4% to 2% and use $1.5 million from the increased sales tax to fund county tourism operations now supported by the bed tax. His recommendation also set aside $500,000 from the sales tax increase for Glens Falls to use for East Field and the Civic Center. The increase in the sales tax and these mandated uses would be subject to a sunset clause after five years meaning that if the funds were not spent to reduce property taxes that the sales tax increase would be eliminated after 5 years.

Supervisors Nick Caimano, Bill Kenny and Fred Champagne were vocal in their opposition to an increase in the County’s sales tax. One supervisor noted that he had heard from officials in Washington County and indicated that they had told him that they were prepared to follow whatever lead was taken by the Warren County Board. If this information is correct, this means that the success of the ARCC’s opposition to an increase in the sales tax in Warren County may also help Washington County businesses to avoid the costs associated with an increase in the County’s sales tax as well.

Besides wanting to control the spending appetite of government, the ARCC recently released a report it created that documents the fact that many small businesses (those who lease space) as well as households who rent will pay more in taxes if the sales tax is increased even if the property tax is decreased. The report noted that all small businesses typically spend money on equipment, supplies, and other business oriented purchases that are subject to the sales tax and as such their costs will rise if an increase is approved. The ARCC will continue to monitor the work of the committee and will notify members as soon as a special meeting is called.

The united way

ARCC members and the students in the Apprentice Adirondack Style program continue to demonstrate the power of participation. The latest challenge for the students was to create a t-shirt design for the Tri-County United Way. The t-shirts will be used as a sales and marketing tool as the organization works toward achieving its drive for $1 million.

Deanna Endieveri of Sperry Advertising met with the students to go over of the design of the t-shirts which will be produced by Sperry. Her enthusiasm for collaboration and to create a quality product was clear as she discussed the design with the Money Makers team.

An integral part of the process of this program is the interaction with local business people. The opportunity to work with professionals and to witness their ideas being taken and fully realized is something that will inform the way these students approach their future decisions.




The ARCC is proud to have members such as Sperry Advertising and the Tri-County United Way, who are willing to take the time to impact the lives and thinking of our region's young people.

If you would like to find out more about how to support the Tri-County United Way through the purchase of one of the student designed, Sperry produced t-shirt, contact Amanda Magee at 798-1761.

An Olympian Among Us

Dr. Daniel O'Keefe, President of the Glens Falls Tennis and Swim Club recently personified the words of Norman Vincent Peale:

Live your life and forget your age

as he won the gold medal at the National Senior Olympics of 2007 on the third of this month. Playing in the blistering afternoon heat of Louisville, Kentucky just two days after being admitted to the hospital with acute hypertension, O'Keefe and his partner, Ed Gall, handily won the 85-90 year old bracket of the Doubles Tennis competition.

Recently Dr. O'Keefe was kind enough to share his medal with Todd Shimkus during a tour of the Club.



Bravo Dr. O'Keefe, bravo!

Money as Instructional Tool

Ok, so not really, but Hudson River Community Credit Union along with Todd Shimkus, ARCC President and CEO, found a way to use hypothetical money as a mechanism for learning...if only property taxes could be paid from a hypothetical account. The kids learned a great deal as they wowed the thre delighted ladies from HRCC: Dorrie Phillips, Linda Dickie and President, Sue Commanda.

This week at the Apprentice, our two teams selected new project managers and one changed their name to the Money Makers vs. The Mighty Purple Pandas. The challenge was to create a board game for use by the Hudson River Community Credit Union in their efforts to increase the financial literacy of area students. The Money Makers created a game called “Moolah – The Game of Money” and the Panda’s created a game called “Bankrupt.”

Moolah is played by rolling the dice and landing on squares, winning is accomplished by landing on more earning squares than spending squares. To make money, players babysit, mow lawns, get a birthday gift, receive a visit from the tooth fairy, hold a yard sale, receive an allowance, etc. To spend money, players buy an i-pod, candy, and go to the movies. As money is earned players can go back to the Credit Union in the middle of the board to deposit earnings. The first player to save $500 wins. If any player accumulates debt of more than $500, they lose and are eliminated from the game.

Bankrupt has players select a business to open - - car dealer, lawyer, construction or restaurant - - and receive a $50,000 loan from the credit union. Each player travels through their own path to profitability by rolling the dice. They are directed by the board to take cards at random spaces that identify ways to either make or lose money. The goal is to collect enough cards that add revenue to your business, that when you reach the end of the path to profitability you have paid off the original loan. If you still have debt at the end of the path, you go back to the beginning. The game is won when all four players have become profitable and the winner is the player with the most profit after paying off their loan.

Have You Explored What's Next?

Downtown Glens Falls is abuzz with the promise of all to come. The plants and trees in Centennial Circle are a bright beautiful sight in the center of downtown, and despite ongoing repaving of sidewalks, merchants like Davidson Brothers, New York Wine Cork and Scoville Jewelers are festively adorned with bright lush blooms in pinks, reds and purples.

The Hoffmans spruced up the ARCC with hundreds of impatiens, but worry not, you'll find nothing but patience inside. Check Glens Falls Hospital, Women's Care, Adirondack Cardiology Associates, Adirondack Cancer Care, Gastroenterology Associates of Northern New York or Adirondack Radiology for patients downtown.

Between its ever changing landscape, new shopping promotions and a trolley that takes you where you want to go downtown, you have plenty of reasons to come to downtown Glens Falls and Explore What's Next.

Have you taken a spin on the trolley? Have pictures or video? Send it our way.

The 65 Million Dollar Tool

Could it be a Tool for Economic Development?

Will NY’s emerging Tech Valley have any impact on businesses in our region? It already is. Just ask Mark Miller, the owner of Americlean, in South Glens Falls, and a member of the ARCC’s Board of Directors.

Right now, Americlean is putting its high pressure hot water system to work at the University of Albany’s College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering. Americlean’s workers are removing ice buildups that occur throughout the year in chillers outside of the college’s incredible high technology facility.



"And this is just the beginning," as Edward Cupoli, PhD, and a professor at the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, told a group of business leaders from throughout Tech Valley during a luncheon in the college’s rotunda. This facility started up in 2001. They’ve built three new buildings in the last two years and another is on the way. They’ve partnered with firms like IBM, Applied Materials, and Tokyo Electron.

Each day, the facility is the place where highly skilled corporate research and development experts interact with more than 40 professors and at least 120 graduate and PhD students plus scores of other employees. As Dr. Cupoli explains, this facility is designed to accelerate change by serving as a platform for Research and Development that will have spin-off economic development and growth opportunities for the entire tech valley region.
The pride and joy of this facility right now is a new $65 million tool that the university and its partners can use for more advanced R&D.

Won't you come in?

We're having an open house. Ok, not really an open house, more like an open existence. You see, the ARCC is a place that welcomes visitors. Literally.

We recently (and by we, I mean Steve Collyer, Director of Communications and keeper of vast knowledge of local military history) restructured our lobby. The walls are now filled with rack upon rack of brochures, magazines and menus representing our members.

Each day we field countless calls and walk-in visits from people looking for things to do in this area. We also have members pop in for visits. We thought we'd give you a little peek. Stop by, take a look at all we have to offer on the walls, and from our staff, drop off materials for display in the lobby. Let us show you off!



Help yourself to a piece of candy.

Well lookey, there!

Upstate makes an appearance on the radar in a big way as Senator Bruno and Senator Little Launch Upstate Now Initiative.

Who says there is no such thing as a free lunch? Wednesday, Chamber leaders from across the Capital District including Carl Cedrone, Chair of the ARCC’s Board of Directors and Todd Shimkus, CCE, the President of the ARCC, attended a lunch co-hosted by Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno and State Senator Betty Little.

Todd Shimkus, Carl Cedrone, and Senator Elizabeth Little.

The luncheon was designed to highlight the New York State Senate’s recently enacted legislation entitled Upstate Now which is a 10-point plan designed to expand economic opportunity and to help local companies succeed, grow and thrive.




“We applaud the leadership provided by Senator Bruno and Senator Little to lower taxes, the cost of health insurance and energy costs as well as to invest in thriving Main Streets, our aging infrastructure, and to prepare the finest workforce in the nation,” said Todd Shimkus. “While Carl and I enjoyed the free lunch in Albany , we realize that our job now is to encourage the Governor and the Assembly to cooperate with the Senate to take action on the Upstate Now initiative which will be of great value to our more than 1,000 members and their 23,000+ employees in Warren , Washington and Northern Saratoga Counties .”


To read more about Upstate Now check out the Business Council of New York State's Knickerbocker Blog where you'll find an exhaustive list of articles that have been printed recently about the initiative.

The Tornado has Landed

There are funnels, and then there are funnels.

Yesterday the The Great Escape and Splashwater Kingdom across from the Six Flags Great Escape Lodge & Indoor Waterpark unleashed tornado season in truly spectacular fashion. High school students made the inaugural trip down the Tornado, a new funnel water slide ride that measures 50' high and 60' wide. Here's a video, but trust us when we say:

You gotta slide it to believe it.