By Ann Donnelly

After decades in the insurance industry, navigating family business dynamics, corporate consolidation and shifting market trends, Kevin O’Brien could have easily coasted into retirement. Instead, he co-founded a new venture to blend modern technological efficiency with old-fashioned, face-to-face service.

O’Brien, co-owner of TechFirst Insurance Agency, launched the business in 2023 alongside local entrepreneur Mark Shaw. The agency is located at 543 Queensbury Ave., Queensbury, NY 12801, and can be found online at techfirstInsurance.com. For O’Brien, the move represents the culmination of his extensive career and a deliberate response to an industry increasingly dominated by private equity firms.

A veteran of the industry, O’Brien spent nearly a decade at Travelers before joining his father’s agency, founded in 1957. He was later recruited to Glens Falls National Bank, now Arrow Bank, to consolidate several local acquisitions into what is now Upstate Agency.

Now back to carving his own path as an independent agent, O’Brien said TechFirst Insurance Agency aims to combine strong service with the benefits of technology to offer a “gold seal” client experience by removing the paperwork of the 1980s and 1990s while remaining deeply tied to the community. “We simply want to be more consumer-friendly, because there are more tools out there to make it easier for the customer,” O’Brien said.

However, he emphasized that technology will not replace the personal touch required when disaster strikes. With access to 12 to 15 carriers, O’Brien works to match clients with the right coverage and pricing — a stark contrast to private equity-owned firms, which he said often prioritize investor returns over personalized care.

By Paul Post

World-class racing and top-flight entertainment will deliver a significant economic boost as the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival returns to Saratoga for a third and final year.

The 158th Grade 1, $2 million Belmont Stakes headlines five days of racing from Wednesday, June 3, to Sunday, June 7.

Off-track events add to the draw, including a free Belmont on Broadway concert featuring Fitz and the Tantrums with special guest Vertical Horizon from 7 to 10 p.m. in downtown Saratoga Springs.

“Belmont on Broadway has really become the heartbeat of the week,” Discover Saratoga President Darryl Leggieri said. “It brings a critical mass of people downtown, creates energy for our businesses and showcases the very best of Saratoga Springs. It’s a perfect example of how tourism and community pride come together to create real economic impact. It also shows the world that Saratoga can deliver a world-class experience, and our community shows up in a big way to make it happen.”

Los Angeles-based Fitz and the Tantrums deliver a high-energy mix of indie pop and neo-soul, known for hits such as “MoneyGrabber,” “Out of My League” and “HandClap.” The band’s dual lead vocals and dynamic stage presence make it a staple on major festival circuits.

Vertical Horizon, a multiplatinum alternative rock band formed in Washington, D.C., rose to prominence with late-1990s and early-2000s hits, including “Everything You Want,” and continues to draw audiences with energetic live shows.

The Adirondack Thunder, an ECHL affiliate of the New Jersey Devils and Utica Comets, raised a record $60,016 during its annual Stick it to Cancer weekend Feb. 27-28 at Harding Mazzotti Arena.

The total surpassed the $37,323 raised in 2025 by more than 60%.

Proceeds from the weekend’s games against the Maine Mariners and the Trois-Rivières Lions benefited Randy’s Patient Assistance Fund at Glens Falls Hospital’s C.R. Wood Cancer Center, which helps cover treatment needs for cancer patients.

“We could not be more thrilled with the outcome of this year’s Stick it to Cancer weekend to support Randy’s Fund at Glens Falls Hospital,” said Adirondack Thunder President Jeff Mead. “We thank the local community for showing up in a big way to benefit an invaluable cause during one of our most anticipated events of the year.”

Fans could paint the ice after Friday’s game with a $10 donation, and the team wore special Stick it to Cancer jerseys that were auctioned after Saturday’s contest. A 50/50 raffle was also held during both games to benefit Randy’s Fund.

By Paul Post

Great Escape, one of the area’s oldest tourist attractions and largest seasonal employers, is expected to maintain regular operations following its sale to Kansas City-based EPR Properties.

The $331 Million deal includes six other Six Flags theme parks in the U.S. and Canada.

Founded as Storytown USA by the late Charles R. Wood in 1954, the amusement center was renamed Great Escape in 1983. Thirteen years later, Wood sold it to Premier Parks, which later purchased Six Flags and adopted its name.

“This move allows Six Flags to concentrate on the parks that we believe offer the greatest opportunities for growth and long-term success,” company President and CEO John Reilly said. “Since joining the company, I have been clear that Six Flags’ earnings power has been under-realized. This transaction will simplify our portfolio, strengthen our balance sheet and position us to execute with greater clarity and discipline.”

The transaction is expected to close by the end of the first quarter or the beginning of the second quarter.

Great Escape will maintain the Six Flags brand in 2026 and honor all season passes sold, including multi-park pass privileges at other parks within the Six Flags portfolio.

By Rod Bacon

A haberdashery that has kept men looking their best for over 60 years has a new location.

J. Reid Menswear is now at 174 Glen Street in Glens Falls, just two doors away from where they’ve been serving customers for the past five years.

“It’s important that I stay on Glen Street,” said owner Jeffrey Ives. “This store is a small business that specializes in serving the community.”

Ives purchased the multi-story building, which previously housed the local office of Albany-based Aeon Nexus Corporation, for $750,000. He worked with Leslie D’Angelico and Zane Smith at Arrow Financial Corporation on the small business loan. His real estate agent was Christine McKee of  Hunt Real Estate ERA.

Improvements were done by Argyle-based StraightUp Concrete & Renovations, owned by Jack Ash. 

The menswear company was founded in 1965 by Seymour Segan as Jonathan Reid, named after his son, Jonathan Reid Segan. The store was located in Queensbury’s Northway Plaza. In 1975, he opened a store in Saratoga Springs’ Pyramid Mall and soon after relocated his original store to the Aviation Mall. Throughout the 1980s and ‘90s he expanded his business to include 12 stores in New York state, Vermont, and Massachusetts. The elder Segan retired in 1994 and turned the business over to his son, who downsized it to focus on the Glens Falls and Saratoga Springs markets.

“Within six months of starting work I knew I was going to buy it,” said Ives, who joined the company in 2000. “I didn’t know when and I didn’t know how, but I knew I was going to. So I started keeping a log of everything that worked and everything that didn’t. I did that for fifteen years so the day I bought it I was ready. I knew exactly what I wanted to do.”

The Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce (ARCC) welcomed 260 guests at The Sagamore Resort in Bolton Landing, N.Y., for its annual dinner celebration Friday, March 6, 2026. During the event, the chamber honored Dr. Jacquiline “Jacky” Touba with its 37th Annual J. Walter Juckett Award.

The program included a resolution presentation by Senator Dan Stec and Assemblyman Matt Simpson, and a proclamation presentation by Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner. The boards of supervisors of Warren and Washington counties also prepared proclamations for Dr. Touba. A video tribute highlighted Dr. Touba’s accomplishments, including the creation of the World Awareness Children’s Museum in Glens Falls, N.Y.

In her remarks, Dr. Touba thanked family and friends and spoke about working together as a community. She said J. Walter Juckett was among the first donors during fundraising for the children’s museum. With more than 50 years as an artist, Dr. Touba drew on her work as a college professor and her world travels to help children and adults explore a diverse world through interactive play and learning.

By Paul Post

Glens Falls-based Arrow Financial Corp. expects to double its geographic territory with the proposed $89.1 million acquisition of Utica-based Adirondack Bancorp, which has 19 branch offices from the Mohawk Valley north to the Canadian border.

“Part of our strategic plan is mergers and acquisitions,” Arrow President and CEO Dave DeMarco said. “To continue to provide shareholder value in our business, you have to grow. We’re celebrating our 175th year. The timing couldn’t be better to find a willing partner to join forces.”

“We’ve been actively looking for a bank or banks that fit our mold, a community-based bank that looks, feels and acts like we do,” he said.

Adirondack Bancorp serves the same types of communities as Arrow, which makes the deal a good one culturally, DeMarco said.

But with $4.5 billion in assets, Arrow is much bigger than Adirondack ($942 million in total assets) and offers a broader range of services including wealth management and insurance. Based on financial results as of Dec. 31, 2025, the combined company would have pro forma total assets of $5.4 billion, total deposits of $4.8 billion and total gross loans of $4.1 billion.

By Carol Ann Conover

The partners behind one of Lake George Village’s most recognizable waterfront restaurants have added a new chapter to their story, acquiring the Village Mall — the 50-year-old retail complex on Canada Street where their business was born.

Joe Mondella, Mark French and John Grillo, equal partners in GNSD Enterprises LLC, recently completed the purchase of the Village Mall in the village of Lake George. The trio opened The Lagoon restaurant inside the mall in 2018, leasing from the Quirk family, which previously owned the property.

“As we opened the business and started running the restaurant, we quickly realized that the location — right on the lake in the heart of Lake George — had just a ton of potential,” Mondella said.

From its original single-level footprint, The Lagoon has expanded to occupy six of the mall’s 16 storefronts, adding a second kitchen and patio on the lakeside level below. The partners installed a pizza oven, built out a prep kitchen and remodeled the bar as they invested steadily in the space they did not yet own.

“Without owning the property ourselves, it seemed like: are we going to continue to invest in this property that we don’t own?” Mondella said. “After a really short period of time, we said to ourselves, if we’re going to invest all this money and we’re going to be here, it would really be in our best interest to own the building.”