Summer Camp for Children with Life-Threatening Illnesses

Approaching its’ 19th summer, The Double H Ranch in Lake Luzerne, NY is seeking individuals, organizations and businesses to sponsor a camper's week at summer camp. If you're not familiar with The Double H Ranch... they provide specialized programs and year-round support for children and their families, who are dealing with life-threatening illnesses. Something most of us cannot even begin to fathom. The children participate in camp experiences that are memorable, exciting, fun, empowering, physically safe and medically sound.

Says one camper, “There’s a totally different feeling as you pull onto Hidden Valley and go down the winding road toward camp. There’s a difference in the air. I wish there was more than one week”.

All programs at The Double H Ranch are FREE of charge to these young campers and their families. The Summer Residential Camp program hosts 900 campers, seventy percent who hail from New York State. Because of a medical diagnosis, these children are unable to attend other summer camps so this is truly an opportunity of a lifetime.

Says one mom, ”As a mom it’s awesome to have such a safe place for our kids to go. I can honestly say without Double H, my kids would have never experienced all the great joys of summer camp.”

This year, the Association of Hole in the Walls Camps, the organization Paul Newman set in place to continue his legacy and support his growing international family of camps, has presented the Double H with a new Challenge to raise $60,000 from people who sponsor a camper for the very first time, in return for a $20,000 grant.

Receive your Double H courage bracelet by taking a first step and sponsoring a child for his morning at camp ($125) or lead the way as a TrailGuide ($1,800) by sponsoring a child for her week at camp. In return, you will have the opportunity to spend time at camp and experience first-hand the impact of your gift. It’s a path you choose ― one morning, one week or anywhere in between. Your sponsorship gives a child new-found confidence and pride in sharing accomplishments with their peers and fosters a sense of belonging that will last a lifetime.

For more information on sponsoring a Double H camper, call 518-696-5921 or go to www.doublehranch.org.

Business of the Year Award Nominations

The Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce will be presenting awards to deserving member businesses for their achievements in business, economic and quality of life contributions to our area.

Know one? (we know you do!) We are now accepting nominations for:

Large Business of the Year - Recognition of established business of 51 or more employees.

Professional Business of the Year - Recognition of established professional business (accountants, attorneys, architects, doctors, etc.) of 2-50 employees

Steven M. Sutton Small Business of the Year - Recognition of established business of 2-50 employees

Rookie Business of the Year - Recognition of business in existence for 3 years or less and shows great promise for continued success. 2-50 employees

Independent Business of the Year - Recognition of individually owned and operated business with no employees who is not supported or backed by a corporation or franchise.

Please CLICK HERE to complete the nomination form by Friday, May 13th. Award winners will be announced at the Business of the Year Awards Breakfast on June 22, 2011 at Fort William Henry. We appreciate your nomination.

Join the Fun!

Some say Chambers are "all business"... but not here! We believe you should work hard and play hard. So today, we did just that. We worked hard all day, sent the rain away and then had huge fun at the best place to have fun... aptly named, The Fun Spot.

The proof is in the pics.
Oh... and the video!


Laser tag, mini golf, go-karts and plenty-o-friendly-competition to go around (eh ehm, the green team beat the red team in laser tag... just for the record).

Wanna join the fun? Check out our website and let the games begin!

Facelift for us... Free Gift for you!

The Chamber had a facelift and we're feeling good... a technology facelift, that is. Stored Technology Solutions, Inc. -- or as we like to call them now that we're feelin' tech savvy... "StoredTech" -- came alongside the Chamber and completely upgraded our computers, network and email system.

"Securing a reputable, reliable technology firm to handle our sensitive IT needs was one of my top priorities," noted Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Peter Aust. "Stored Technology offers enterprise-level technology solutions and has excelled at meeting our needs."

And now? ...StoredTech is offering a free gift to all ARCC members. While supplies last, StoredTech is offering all Chamber members a free 1 Gig USB Memory Stick, which is preloaded with a network evaluation tool to allow companies to assess the health of their own computer networks. In addition, any interested ARCC member can receive a free 30-day trial of StoredTech's Managed Services client. Chamber members and future chamber members can obtain their free Memory Stick and additional information about the StoredTech offer at the Chamber offices, located at 136 Glen Street, Suite 3 in downtown Glens Falls (on the 2nd floor in the same building that houses Congressman Gibson's office).

Congressman Gibson Visits ARCC

Just expressed our sincere thanks to U.S. Representative Chris Gibson for carving 90 minutes out of a very busy schedule to meet with 15 area business leaders in our Chamber conference room this afternoon. (pictured at right: Congressman Gibson greets Andy Cruikshank, CEO at Fort Hudson Health System, David Caruso, VP at Stewart's Shops, George Ferone, Executive Director at Tribune Media Services, David Kruczlnicki, President & CEO at Glens Falls Hospital)

The dialogue was not only robust, but personal and insightful. Gas prices and energy in general, health care, broadband, jobs, economy – both locally and nationally – ignited the conversation. Congressman Gibson's view on the recent repeal of the health care reform bill suggests that unless a sound replacement bill can be crafted, congress most likely won’t move forward. His perspective regarding the energy crisis is that we need to generate more energy here in NYS and in the country. Also, the reference to his “Irish Luck” on the proposal for researching alternative energy - including nuclear - added a comic moment to the discussion.

Take an inside look at some of what Congressman Gibson shared...


Our business community was well represented…thanks again, Congressman!


Peter L. Aust, IOM
President & CEO, Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce

If a Tree Falls in the Woods...

The Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce (ARCC), like Finch Paper, appreciates the simple things - quality, value and humor. This morning's monthly Board of Directors meeting at Tribune Media Services was void of none.


ARCC Board Member and Finch Paper's Vice President & Chief Financial Officer John Kvocka brought Finch Paper's Vice President and Senior Forester Roger Dziengeleski (pronounced "Jingle ES key") to share about sustainable forestry.

To set the stage, the group enjoyed Finch’s fastest papermaking video, "From the forest floor to your computer".

A few interesting takeaways:
* Very few paper mills still manage forests today -- and Finch Paper is one of them.
* There is more than one-and-a-half times more wood standing in the forest each year than the year prior, even with all the usage from mills. (note: this includes all trees measuring 5" in diameter and larger)
* Finch utilizes 750,000 tons of wood each year.
* 80% of the wood Finch uses comes from New York State (the rest from Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Canada).
* Regional competition pans out like this: the Pacific Northwest has the most volume per acre. The Southeast grows trees the fastest. The Northeast has the most trees.

To learn about how sustainably managed forests help mitigate climate change, read Roger's "Finch in the Forest" blog. Among other things, he will tell you, "As a concerned citizen, I recognize that global warming is one of the most pressing questions facing our society today. As a professional forester, I take heart in knowing that forests are an important part of the answer."

Thank you, Roger and John for the very informative presentation.

Hyde’s Rembrandt on loan to Louvre

The Hyde Collection's prized Christ with Folded Arms by Rembrandt van Rijn is taking a tour around the globe, chaperoned of course. The Hyde masterwork will be on display in the Louvre in Paris beginning April 18, 2011 as part of a landmark exhibition titled, Rembrandt and the Face of Jesus.

When the exhibition closes at the Louvre, it travels to the Philadelphia Museum of Art where it will be shown from August through October 2011 and then to the Detroit Institute of Arts for exhibition beginning in February 2012.

According to David F. Setford, the Hyde’s executive director, “It is seldom that the Museum considers lending this impressive masterwork, but the exhibition being organized by the Louvre offers previously unparalleled opportunities for comparisons with related works from leading museums around the world.” Setford also noted the exhibition curators specifically requested Christ with Folded Arms because it is “the key image of Christ in Rembrandt’s late work” that “reflects how his idea of Christ had evolved” in a fully realized work.


During the absence of the Rembrandt work, The Hyde will exhibit a painting by the Flemish master Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) entitled Hygeia, Goddess of Health (1615), lent to The Hyde by the Detroit Institute of Arts. For the duration of the traveling exhibition, Hygeia, Goddess of Health will be on view in the Library of Hyde House where it will allow visitors to compare it with the Museum’s own smaller Rubens Portrait of a Warrior, that also hangs in that room.