Category Archives: Personnel Briefs

Glens Falls National Bank and Trust Company is pleased to announce the appointment of Alex Rusate as Senior Vice President and Director of Internal Audit.

Mr. Rusate is responsible for managing the Internal Audit Department, which provides oversight over organizational risks and controls. He performs the same duties for Saratoga National Bank and Trust Company and Upstate Agency, which are part of the Arrow Family of Companies. Mr. Rusate reports independently to the Board Audit Committee on risk and audit issues and to the Chief Operating Officer on internal and administrative issues.

Mr. Rusate brings more than 10 years of experience to the role, most recently as Senior Internal Auditor for New York Independent System Operator, a non-profit organization that manages New York’s electric grid and competitive wholesale electric marketplace. He was previously a Senior Associate with KPMG.

Mr. Rusate received a master’s degree in accountancy and a bachelor’s degree in accountancy and global perspectives from Bentley University in Waltham, Massachusetts. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) and Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA). Mr. Rusate also attained his Certification in Risk Management Assurance (CRMA) and Certification in Control Self-Assessment (CCSA).

Lorie Gollhofer has joined the Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce  as the membership marketing assistant.

Gollhofer has worked in membership and office management for over 25 years and at local organizations such as the The Hyde Collection, the Lake George Association, Bolton Chamber of Commerce and Bolton Central School. She joined the Chamber team in July.

In addition to regular office duties, Gollhofer provides one-on-one assistance to travelers who call, email and visit the Chamber office. She assists phone calls from visitors helping them find information on what to do in the area as well as where to eat, shop and stay. She also works to ensure members are taking full advantage of their benefits, such as keeping brochures stocked at both the main office and the Lake George Visitors Information Center and keeping information up to date so the Chamber can connect its members with visitors. 

She will also be taking on duties to assist with the marketing efforts for the Chamber, including but not limited to; social media posts, email marketing, website updates, and more.

Originally from Greenwich, Gollhofer now lives in Bolton Landing. 

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Arrow Financial Corp. announced the promotion of Marc Yrsha to chief banking officer for its two subsidiary banks, Glens Falls National Bank and Trust Co. and Saratoga National Bank and Trust Co.

Yrsha retains his position as executive vice president and will assume all chief banking officer responsibilities for the banks. 

He joined the company in 2015 and currently oversees retail banking, which includes retail, consumer, business and municipal banking, as well as small business and home equity lending. As chief banking officer, Yrsha succeeds Dave DeMarco, who was promoted to president and CEO of Arrow in May.

Yrsha is active in the community and currently serves as chair of the Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce. He is also a member of the Council of Business Advisors for the Lake George Association, Warren County Local Development Corporation and Lake George Regional Planning Board loan review committees.

He is a graduate of Castleton State University and the Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce Leadership Class of 2013. Marc and his family currently live in Queensbury.

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StoredTech in Queensbury has made three changes to its management team.

Tom Caramella was promoted to vice president of finance and Katie Roeder was promoted to vice president of operations.

StoredTech also appointed Kimberly Frustere to vice president of sales. 

Caramella joined StoredTech in December 2022 as finance manager. In his new role, he will be responsible for the entire accounting department consisting of five team members. He will help continue driving StoredTech’s growth while maximizing profits.

Beginning as vice president of finance in June 2021, Roeder played a role in beginning to automate financial and reporting systems and assisted in measures that helped drive overall growth by 19 percent while increasing the bottom line by 86 percent in 2022. 

She will play a crucial role in standardizing policies and procedures across the entire organization. She will help ensure the development and implementation of efficient and cost-effective processes, both internal and external.

Frustere will lead and oversee sales teams in the company’s corporate headquarters in Queensbury and offices in Raleigh, N.C.

Before joining StoredTech, Frustere was vice president of sales for iHeartMedia in Latham. She brings over 30 years of experience building and leading successful sales teams that delivered revenue growth by fostering a culture of accountability, commitment, a focus on customer satisfaction, and shared success. She managed and oversaw all advertising sales activities and lead a sales team for iHeartMedia’s Albany market. 

She also  spent nine years as general sales manager at Media One Group in Jefferson, Ohio. She held various executive management positions during her 15-year career working in the newspaper industry, including nine years as director of advertising at The Saratogian in Saratoga Springs.

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Empire State University announced that Kathleen Roberts accepted the assistant vice president for human resources position based in Saratoga Springs.

Roberts will be responsible for the strategic and collaborative leadership of the Department of Human Resources, including recruitment, employment, compensation, benefits, employee labor relations, policy implementation, staff training and development. She will develop and direct the strategic planning and long-range goals for the Office of Human Resources and will contribute to the institution’s organizational strategic planning goals.  

Roberts will lead with integrity and embrace a culture that promotes the highest level of professional and ethical standards, in addition to partnering with the chief diversity officer to foster a climate of diversity, inclusiveness, and respect.  

She currently works as a lead consultant for change and justice where she delivers intercultural education and advises equity consultant groups on frameworks and assessments for cultural change. 

Roberts holds a J.D. from the University of Maine School of Law and a Ph.D. in leadership and change from Antioch University.

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Glens Falls National Bank and Trust Co. announced the appointment of Christine Remington to branch manager of the Chestertown office.

Remington is responsible for overseeing the daily operations of the branch and meeting the financial needs of the community. She has 16 years’ experience in banking, all of which have been with Glens Falls National Bank.

The Patchogue, N.Y., native attended Suffolk Community College. She currently lives in Brant Lake, where she can be found volunteering for many community organizations. She serves as treasurer of North Warren Chamber of Commerce, officer of Tri-Lakes Community Alliance, chair of Chestertown St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee and volunteer of the Spinal Cord Research Benefit.

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Upstate Agency, LLC has hired Rebekah Crewell as a risk advisor.

Crewell is responsible for acquiring and retaining commercial clients within the property services, healthcare, nonprofit, construction and municipality segments. In addition to her production responsibilities, she is instrumental

in the marketing of complex programs and renewals for the agency throughout the greater Capital Region.

Crewell, a designated small business coverage specialist (SBCS), has nearly 20 years of local insurance, risk management and marketing experience. Prior to joining Upstate Agency, she spent her career with large global brokerage platforms and regional brokerage firms located

in the Albany market. She lives in Wells, N.Y., where she serves as town supervisor.

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Tyler Poitras has been named the new senior sales manager at the Lake George Regional Convention & Visitors Bureau (LGRCVB).

Poitras, a graduate of Johnson and Wales University in Rhode Island, began his hospitality career in 2015 at Walt Disney World, Florida, supervising multiple Food & Beverage locations including Hollywood Studios and Wilderness Lodge. He joined the Team at Disney’s Pop Century Resort working as concierge and operations support, eventually shifting to Front Desk Supervisor.

Poitras will prospect and generate new business relationships to achieve booked business and overnight room goals, and secure future bookings that will meet rate and occupancy goals of the destination partners throughout the Lake George Area.

In 2021, Poitras returned to the area, working in the finance sector for Trustco Bank as senior universal banker and eventually transitioning to a business banker. He led multiple branches to grow business in Saratoga, Warren and Washington counties. He then joined KeyBank to enter a training course and complete his exam to become a financial advisor.

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Glens Falls National Bank and Trust Co. announced the recent promotions of Wendy Lanzone to senior vice president, customer experience and director of deposit and loan services and Daniel Segrell to senior vice president, director of consumer lending.

Lanzone is responsible for promoting digital strategy and operational efficiency, while collaborating with other business units and leaders at the bank to identify opportunity areas to improve and promote the customer experience.

She has nearly 35 years of experience, with extensive management, electronic and deposit services practice. 

Lanzone has been with Glens Falls National Bank for 13 years, starting as assistant vice president and manager of the electronic banking department. Most recently, she was vice president, director of deposit and loan services.

Lanzone lives in Stillwater and is an active member in her community, serving on the Tri-County United Way Allocations Committee.

He is responsible for working with Consumer Lending teams and collaborating with other departments throughout the bank in support of continued loan growth, efficient operations and enhancing the customer experience.

Segrell joined the bank in 1990. Throughout his tenure with the bank, he has held various credit and lending positions, and was most recently senior vice president and director of indirect lending.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in international business from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh. Active in the community, he serves on the board of directors of Liberty House Foundation, Tri-County Literacy Center and the Family Service Association of Glens Falls. He lives in Queensbury.

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Glens Falls National Bank and Trust Co. announced the promotion of Connor McCoy to commercial relationship manager serving the Queensbury and Lake George region.

McCoy will manage a portfolio of current commercial customer relationships and work to continuously foster new relationships for the bank. 

He has been with Glens Falls National Bank for six years, starting as a loan services representative and later promoted to corporate banking associate.

McCoy is a current member of the Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce Leadership Adirondack Class. He earned a bachelor’s degree in management and finance from Holy Names University in Oakland, Calif. He is a Lake George native and currently lives in Glens Falls.

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Associates of Glens Falls Insurance announced the hiring of Mitchell Brayman as a new sales and service associate. 

Brayman holds a New York state insurance agents’ license in property and casualty insurance.

Recently graduated from SUNY Adirondack with an associate’s degree in liberal arts math and science. 

Prior to joining full-time Associates of Glens Falls Insurance, Brayman started as an intern at Associates for over a year.

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Northern Insuring, Inc. announced the addition of Rhonda Rosick to the Personal Insurance Division in its Glens Falls office. 

Rosick, of Hudson Falls, holds a New York State property and casualty insurance license.

She comes to the organization with nearly 20 years of experience.

As a senior account manager she will focus on servicing our existing personal insurance books along with writing new business.

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Brown Brothers Automotive, an automotive sales and repair shop in Hudson Falls, announced that Dan Lanoir was hired as a sales associate. 

Lanoir comes to Brown Brothers Automotive with 35 years of experience in the automotive industry.

Lanoir, of Queensbury, attended Ithaca College, where he starred as a linebacker on the football team. He has over 35 years of experience selling new and used vehicles in the  local community. Dan and his

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The Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce (ARCC) hired Ava Kanninen  as membership manager.

Kanninen was formerly employed by Stewart’s Shops, working across upstate New York. She also spent close to a decade working in the wine and spirits field, most recently as a territory sales manager, 

She moved to Warren in 2009 and became a Glens Falls homeowner in 2021. She is a long-term community coordinator for the Red Cross Blood Program, as well as a five-gallon donor herself. She is also an ambassador for C.O.R.E., Children Of Restaurant Employees.

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Lexi Carroll has been hired as convention services coordinator at the Lake George Regional Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Also, Emily Petit Frost was hired as membership manager at the Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce. 

The LGRCVB is a division of the Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce  and serves as an extension of the Warren County Tourism Department to promote year-round group business.

Carroll, of Granville, is a graduate of SUNY Plattsburgh. She began her professional career at Country Meadows Barn in Fort Ann, serving  as a wedding coordinator. She continued her career in the weddings industry at Kate Taylor Weddings & Events, where she served as an assistant coordinator, directing wedding day events, ceremony timing and coordination of all vendors on site.

Her new role involves servicing and supporting all conventions, sporting tournaments and meetings booked and assisted by the LGRCVB sales team and contributing to developing and delivering meeting/convention services. She will work closely with the sales manager, reunion/sports coordinator, marketing coordinator. These services include but are not limited to the coordination of pre-event services and attendance building marketing, providing attendee resources, executing press and media on the event, registration and logistics during meetings/events, as well as post-event follow up.

Frost, of Queensbury, is a SUNY Potsdam graduate. She will be responsible for the evaluation of the Chamber’s dues structure, membership collateral and recruiting efforts to grow the Chamber’s membership.

She will also be responsible for advertising sales opportunities in the Chamber’s annual Four-Season Guidebook, internet sales and brochure display sales at the Village Information Center on the corner of Beach Road and Canada Street in Lake George.

She started her professional career in Syracuse at Techtronic Industries, completed a sales training program and managed a team of 12 representatives for five years. Upon her return to the area, Frost began her career as a real estate salesperson for Julie & Co. Realty.

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