A new event, WinterFest, is planned for the four weekends of February, replacing the Lake George Winter Carnival.
The new event, created because of the impact of COVID-19, entices visitors to attend socially distanced, safe outdoor events such as cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, winter “fat tire” mountain biking and dine in the Lake George area.
Participants will get a wristband, obtainable in advance online, that will serve as the ticket to horse-drawn carriage rides around Lake George and hot cocoa stations.
The website where wristbands will be on sale is www.lakegeorgewinterfest.com.
“WinterFest is the new way to get outside and really enjoy the wide variety of family-oriented socially-distanced recreational opportunities in the Lake George region of the Adirondacks,’’ said Christian Dutcher, who is organizing the event.
Marc Monahan Leads The Adirondack Regional Chamber Of Commerce 2021 Board
Courtesy ARCC
The Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce (ARCC) announced that Marc Monahan, vice president and regional executive of NBT Bank, will again be chairman of its board of directors in 2021.
He replaced Eric Gilbert in 2020.
ARCC also announced the addition of four new board members for 2021.
“The past year certainly has been a challenge, but I believe we have a strong team at the ARCC and an outstanding group of board volunteers to help us make 2021 another successful year. Thank you to all of our members for their continued support of our 100 percent member funded and focused chamber,” said Monahan.
“As we enter into a new year, I am excited to welcome our newest board members and to show our gratitude to our outgoing members for their dedication to the ARCC.”
ARCC President & CEO Michael Bittel said, “We are blessed to have a board of directors who are all passionate about our region and our communities. Under Chairman Marc Monahan’s leadership, the Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce has continued to focus on our mission of loving and serving our entire community. Our four new board members will carry on their passion and legacy.”
Monahan joined NBT in 2010 as a member of the retail team. He has over 18 years of experience in banking in various roles within the retail and commercial divisions of NBT. Prior to coming to NBT he worked in the Capital Region as a member of the management team in KeyBank’s retail bank. Monahan started his career in the finance industry as a member of Citi Group.
Personnel Briefs: January 2021
The Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce (ARCC) welcomed two new team members. Joining the ARCC team are Carol Ann Conover in member services and Karen Mattison as finance manager.
Conover, a South Jersey native, has a professional background spanning multiple business sectors. She began in health care as a nurse’s aide at ACMC through college and went on to become an administrator for a comprehensive cardiac facility by the age of 25 before relocating to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where she began her writing career with a small local paper.
She authored several regular feature columns and she has written food and travel columns and reviews for several newspapers and online journals.
She has worked in hospitality at Davidson Brothers in Glens Falls and most recently The Queensbury Hotel. She has served at the Glens Falls 
Farmer’s Market with Dickinson’s Delights, and has been an active fundraiser, most recently for the Great Cycle Challenge benefiting Children’s Cancer Charities.
She also operates a freelance writing and social media and marketing business.
Mattison, owner of Busy Bee Bookkeeping, LLC, earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the College of St. Joseph after which she worked for a local CPA firm for 13 years. In 2018, she started her own business and obtained her IRS enrolled agent designation in 2019.
Stewart’s Shops Acquisition Of Red-Kap Adds Gasoline Distribution Services, A Few Stores
Stewart’s Shops is announced it is expanding its fuel distribution business with the acquisition of Red-Kap, a locally owned, family run business.
Stewart’s officials said the company will acquire eight convenience stores, three car washes, a 75-plus dealer network and fuel distribution business.
Under the terms of the agreement, Stewart’s will maintain the branding of the Mobil, Citgo, and Sunoco stations and will convert a few of the Red-Kap locations into Stewart’s Shops.
“Stewart’s has always respected the business and our long personal relationship with the Kaplans and their team,” said Stewart’s Shops President Gary Dake. “Doing business with people who respect people is always a pleasure. Both organizations come from long local family histories that have helped form the communities where we live.
“The acquisition will add eight corporately run locations and a significant addition of gasoline supply and distribution to local stations. Stewart’s prides itself on vertical integration and support. In the age of COVID-19, with an ever-changing business climate, we look forward to extending this support to the distributor/dealer network.”
Red-Kap, based in Schenectady, owns eight convenience stores from Saratoga to Loudonville, Troy, East Greenbush, and as far west as the Syracuse suburb of Baldwinsville.
New Public Relations Company In Glens Falls Focuses On ‘Green’ Sustainability Markets
Courtesy Sustainable PR
Sustainable PR, a new public relations agency in Glens Falls, has opened with a focus on fostering “green” business success in the growing sustainability market.
After 30 years of media relations experience in Philadelphia, Tony DeFazio, founder and principal of the agency, started the company.
Sustainable PR is positioned to support companies of varying sizes operating in B2B and B2C industries such as green technology, renewable energy, eco product manufacturing, sustainable investment products and organic food and beverage, according to the company.
Sustainable PR offers a range of services, including message development, media relations, influencer relations, coalition building and thought leadership.
The agency launched with its first client Soho Waterworks, a Brooklyn-based start-up water distributor aiming to redefine the standards of drinking water and help regional bottlers of fine waters access broader markets.
DeFazio said the inspiration for the agency can be traced back to a hike in Philadelphia’s Wissahickon Park at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, when a friend asked him how he wanted to spend his next 10 years. After a lifetime of volunteering and advocating for environmental and sustainable causes, DeFazio decided to put his skills to work to both pursue his passion and meet what he describes as a growing market need.
“I reached a point where I could really take a step back and evaluate where I wanted to head next,” DeFazio said. “After building a strong reputation and an extensive network of contacts, I was ready for a new challenge.”
The Jefferson Project In Lake George Heads Collaborative Effort To Stem Harmful Algae
The state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) in November discovered Lake George’s first harmful algal bloom (HAB) in Harris Bay.
The Jefferson Project at Lake George, a collaboration between RPI, IBM Research, and the nonprofit FUND for Lake George, immediately deployed resources to examine the situation.
More than 20 researchers collected water samples from across the lake for sophisticated chemical, biological, and computer modeling analyses. They also deployed advanced sensors around the lake (including Harris Bay), officials said.
The algal bloom was first observed in Harris Bay on Nov. 7 and dissipated that same day, according to the FUND for Lake George. Additional blooms appeared on Monday, Nov. 9, in Harris Bay, Sandy Bay, Warner Bay, and near shore waters off of Lake George Village, all of which dissipated within 24 hours.
It was verified that the threshold of cyanobacteria concentrations in excess of 25 micrograms per liter were present. IBM and RPI supercomputers and researchers began computationally modeling recent weather and water circulation at all levels of the lake.
All of this effort, officials said, is aimed at answering three critical questions.
“The first question is: Was this a natural event or is this an early warning sign of human activities impacting the lake, due to factors like increasing nutrients or global climate change? Our rapid response to the recent HAB event in Lake George and similar occurrences in lakes across New York state puts us in a unique position to answer those questions and provide insights to decision makers,” said Dr. Rick Relyea, director of The Jefferson Project and a professor of biological sciences at RPI.
Adirondack Trust Community Fund Gives Out Grants To Region’s Nonprofit Agencies
The Adirondack Trust Co. Community Fund has awarded Lend-A-Hand Grants to 37 local nonprofit organizations.
Since 2012, Lend-A-Hand Grants have been awarded annually using community funds from ATCCF’s annual Autumn of Giving Match Campaign.
Officials said because of the economic stresses COVID-19 has placed on businesses and individuals, the Adirondack Trust Co. fully funded this year’s grant efforts, donating $77,000 in lieu of the typical match campaign.
“In a year full of challenges and difficult decisions, the Community Fund is grateful that Adirondack Trust quickly stepped up to fund the 2020 Lend-A-Hand Grants,” said ATCCF Advisory Committee Chair Brian Straughter. “We are so grateful for our community partnerships like this one.”
“There was absolutely no question when it came to funding this year’s grants,” said Adirondack Trust President and CEO Charles V. Wait, Jr. “Ensuring the Community Fund’s perpetuation and its ability to assist so many incredible nonprofits was a top priority, but the best part is that, even though the community didn’t have to donate this year, so many did.”
Lend-A-Hand Grants help local nonprofits throughout Saratoga, Warren, and Washington counties obtain critical funding for a diverse spectrum of needs: combatting food insecurity, improving living conditions, providing medical supplies and personal protective equipment, and so much more.
Grant awards were provided to the following organizations:
Mystic World, Long A Fixture In Lake George, Opens A New Shop In Saratoga Springs
©2021 SaratogaPhotographer.com
By Jill Nagy
Whether nostalgic for tie-dye T-shirts or need just the right crystal to help get through difficult times, Mystic World strives to fill the bill. The business, long a fixture at the Wilton Mall in Saratoga County and in downtown Lake George, recently opened a new store at 423 Broadway in downtown Saratoga Springs.
They are still trying to get settled in at the new location, owner Violet Cannistraci said, and December was a very busy month, sometimes too busy for store employees to answer the telephone.
She said people found the Saratoga location mainly by word of mouth but also through listings on Facebook and Google. “The support for local business is amazing,” she said.
Some shoppers patronized both the Wilton Mall and the Saratoga Springs outlets, searching for just the right crystal. Each crystal is unique, Cannistraci noted, hand picked by her at gem shows.
“My house is full of crystals and I always have crystals with me,” she said. They are the most popular item in her stores. People buy them for their possible healing properties, because they are beautiful to look at and as a way to connect with the earth, she said.
Mystic World offers a variety of items in addition to crystals and tie-dye shirts. There are incense, aromatic oils, herbs, candles, jewelry, singing bowls, statues, and a variety of hand crafted items from around the world.
Cannistraci has particular affection for the hand-crafted items and noted that she got her start importing and selling “items I fell in love with (on my travels) and wanted to share with others.” She began traveling as a teenager, spending time in Ecuador and buying things from members of indigenous communities there.
Her first sales outlet was a holiday season pop-up store at the Wilton Mall. From there, she expanded to a seasonal shop on Canada Street in Lake George. She has been there for about a decade.
Lake Luzerne Designer Thrift Shop Opens Features Name Brand Apparel & Accesories
Courtesy Cre’s Closet
by Jennifer Farnsworth
High fashion has come to Lake Luzerne thanks to Cre Whitty, owner of the designer thrift shop Cre’s Closet.
The business, which opened late fall, is filled with brand name women’s apparel and accessories.
Whitty said her entire life has had a connection to the fashion industry, beginning with her mother, who was a designer in Manhattan in the 1960s and 1970s. Whitty herself worked in the city during the 1980s and it was then that she fell in love with the concept of thrift stores.
She moved to Lake Luzerne a few years ago. When the opportunity presented itself to start her own thrift shop, she said she knew it was time to take it.
Company Owners Should Develop Business Plans That Reflect Their Vision for Future
By Susan Elise Campbell
The fourth quarter of any fiscal year is a busy time for CPAs. But this year, advising clients is posing more than the usual challenges.
“It has been the busiest year-end in 10 years because of uncertainty with taxes and the economy,” said Paul A. Curtis, CPA, a founding partner of CMJ, LLP in Queensbury. “Our firm was in a rush to close business sales because the new administration is thinking of eliminating the maximum 20 percent capital gains rate and raising personal income tax rates.”
“A company that has grown to a million dollar business pays $200,000 under the current tax code but may have a $400,000 tax bill if they wait to cash in next year,” he said, which is why CMJ closed six major transactions in December. Uncertainty scares businesses to death.”
“It is difficult enough for CPAs to get out of 2020, much less plan for 2021, when passing laws pertaining to deductions, depreciation and taxes is delayed,” said Laurie A. Stillwell, a CPA in Saratoga Springs.
“My biggest fear professionally is that it is difficult to advise clients on how to move forward from a business and personal tax perspective,” she said. “I have never been busier, but I want to be proactive and that is nearly impossible.”