Month: February 2019

Elizabeth Miller, president of Miller Mechanical Services Inc. and Doty Machine Works is the winner of the 30th annual J. Walter Juckett Community Service Award.
The Adirondack Regional Chambers of Commerce (ARCC) will present the award at the event cheduled for 6-11 p.m. Saturday, March 9, at the Sagamore Resort, 110 Sagamore Road, Bolton Landing.
A cocktail hour runs 6-7 p.m., followed by dinner and a program 7-11 p.m.
A former school teacher, Miller took on the role of CEO at Miller Mechanical in 2007 after the passing of her husband, Myles Miller. She purchased Doty Machine Works in 2014 as an investment in business.
In 2014, Miller purchased the Park Theater building on Park Street in Glens Falls. Her motivation behind renovating the building was not based on her return on investment but on what the investment could do for downtown Glens Falls, Chamber officials said.
Miller is a member of the Adirondack Civic Center Coalition and its secretary. She was integral in bringing key members of the business community together in forming the group to keep the now Cool Insuring Arena and the Adirondack Thunder in local ownership.
She serves on the boards of Glens Falls National Bank, Arrow Financial Corp., and SUNY Adirondack Foundation, St. Mary’s–St. Alphonsus Regional Catholic School.

By Christine Graf
Northern Insuring Agency Inc. recently relocated their Whitehall office to Glens Falls. The 720-square-foot office is located at 136 Glen St. and was previously occupied by U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik.
Stefanik relocated her Glens Falls office to 5 Warren St. in January.
Founded in 1933 in Au Sable Forks, Northern Insuring Agency is a local, family-owned, independent insurance agency. They offer business, personal, and employee benefit insurance.
“We call it a three-legged stool. We are best known for business insurance, but it is very important to have three divisions so that people can do their one-stop shopping, as we say,” said company president and CEO, Deena Giltz McCullough.
According to McCullough, the decision to move came not long after the successful relocation of their Massena office. That move took place in early 2018.

By R.J. DeLuke
The president and CEO of the Business Council of New York gave cautious views of the state and national economy moving into 2019 at the annual economic outlook breakfast held by EDC Warren County on Jan. 31 at the Queensbury Hotel in Glens Falls.
“We’re headed into some very difficult times,” said Heather Briccetti, president and CEO of the Business Council, citing policies enacted by the state Legislature.
She noted that the pace of change in the technological world has accelerated dramatically, and the disru

New Way Lunch in Glens Falls is a diner that will mark 100 years of serving up hotdogs this coming August.
Founded by Greek immigrant John Floro in August of 1919, the restaurant has remained a staple in Upstate New York, having survived through many highs and lows throughout history.
In 2019, New Way Lunch remains a family-run business. John Floro’s grandson, Peter Gazetos, and his wife Susan took over the business in 1990.

By Michael Cruz
The hardest part of hiring is determining fit. By fit, we mean will they work well within this company. That means – Do they fit our culture?
Even people who have the competence for the job, sometimes do not work well within your company. If you have a hard driving culture, someone with a more laid-back personality might find the environment stressful. Perhaps you have a culture that prides itself on detailed analysis before acting. Then someone with a bias to fix things, may feel stifled.
That does not mean you want everyone to have the same personality traits. In fact, personality diversity will help your company in many situations. It does mean that you need to see how the personalities will blend.
I have been working with one of my clients – StoredTech – to help figure this out. We have been using a system from a company called CultureTalk. (www.CultureTalk.com) StoredTech requires candidates to take the assessment prior to a second interview. Now they are better able to ask questions that demonstrate how candidates have been able to react to situations that might have made them uncomfortable. Often, they can show how they have positively reacted. Sometimes, not.

The New York Racing Association has extended the summer racing season at Saratoga Race Course.
NYRA adjusted racing dates for the Belmont Park spring/summer meet and the Saratoga summer meet to ensure the continuity of racing operations in New York in light of proposed timelines for the construction of a new arena at Belmont Park, officials said.
The Saratoga meet will begin on July 11, but the number of racing days remains at 40. In the past, each Tuesday was a dark day when races were not held. This season, Monday and Tuesday will be dark days, except for Labor Day, which traditionally is the final day of the meet and will remain so.
According to NYRA, the adjustment is based on initial timelines presented by Empire State Development (ESD) and the New York Arena Partners (NYAP) for the potential construction of an arena for the National Hockey League’s New York Islanders at Belmont Park.