Category Archives: Business News

by Ann Donnelly

Sonya and Ryan McFadden opened the wine bar Kindred at 84 Henry St. in June in Saratoga Springs, at the location where they previously ran Flatbread Social. 

“We first got the idea of opening Kindred because of trends we saw,” said Ryan McFadden. “For the first time in a long time, people under 40 are becoming more interested in wine.”

The McFaddens, who also own Henry Street Taproom, aim to provide a warm and inviting space to enjoy a glass of wine with friends. 

“Wine has a reputation of being an elitist beverage, and we want to help get rid of that stereotype. Ultimately, we want Kindred to be a comfortable place for people,” he said.

 As they do with the beer selection at Henry Street Taproom, the glass and bottle list at Kindred will rotate to allow customers to try wines from different vineyards, focusing on wineries practicing organic winemaking. “There is nothing pretentious or elitist about Kindred. Wine is fun, and we look forward to sharing our selections with our customers.” 

By Sara Mannix

Artificial Intelligence is already being used daily in marketing agencies to conduct buyer persona research, data analysis, create designs and edit photography, and even build code. 

As of this early stage, we have decided that while AI has its strengths, it works best when complementing the skills of a proficient marketer. I share the viewpoint of my colleague Karl Sakas, who aptly stated, “Anyone can create average work with AI. But if you want above-average work, you’ll need humans using AI.”

In the future, I envision AI playing a central role in streamlining various tasks within a marketing agency. For instance, my personal AI assistant would notify me of scheduled calls, such as an upcoming appointment I have with Alessandra in Italy. It would conduct research on Alessandra, her business, and her industry, providing me with valuable information before the call. 

AI would enable real-time translation, voice mimicry, and visual alterations during the video call to ensure seamless communication. Once the call concludes, an email follow-up would be automatically generated, summarizing the meeting takeaways and next steps. These action items would also be added to my task management system and scheduled accordingly. Furthermore, I could delegate the task of writing a proposal to my AI assistant, which would send it on my behalf. Once engaged, the billing process would also be automated by AI.

In the creative department, the collaboration between the creative director and an AI designer would expedite the process of designing logos, taglines, branding colors, messaging pillars, and website concepts, all optimized to Google’s strictest standards. With the assistance of AI, the design process could be accomplished within hours as opposed to days. Subsequently, the website engineer would work alongside a coding assistant, utilizing AI to expedite the website development process, reducing it from months to hours.

By Christine Graf

New York-based Legacy Sports Holdings has announced plans to open an indoor and outdoor pickleball facility in Ballston Spa. 

Located at 4 McCrea Hill Road, Legacy Pickleball Club will be situated on four acres of property that the company purchased for $2.7 million. The site includes a 20,000-square-foot warehouse, one previously occupied by Mullin Moving and Storage. 

The warehouse will house eight  indoor pickleball courts, a locker room, a lounge area with a bar that serves beer and wine, and a pro shop. Legacy Pickleball Club will have both indoor and outdoor courts.

The location was chosen after plans to construct Legacy Pickleball Club on Route 9, across from the Malta Drive-In, were abandoned. The facility would have been located adjacent to  townhouses that are being built by builder Anthony Caruso. 

Michael Xirinachs, Legacy Pickleball Club general manager, said there was also some concern about being located so close to a residential neighborhood.  In some parts of the country, homeowners are lodging complaints about noise generated by early-morning pickleball players. 

“The group didn’t want to spend $4 million, build it, and end up in litigation with the duplex owners. So, we made the executive decision to forgo that piece of land and look for another location,”he said.

The Saratoga Regional YMCA launched the public phase of its capital campaign on  May 5 at its Saratoga Springs branch on West Avenue. 

YMCA staff, members, major donors, volunteers and community partners gathered for a kick-off celebration, followed by a tour of the construction site.

Officials said the pressing need for greater socialization, increased healthy living programming, and safe and affordable childcare options was apparent when the YMCA decided to embark on the expansion project.

Attendees at the May event were able to tour the construction site to envision “a renewed, vibrant and connected intergenerational wellness hub,” officials said. 

The expanded facilities will include a new wellness center that will have several spaces for weight training, group exercise classes, athletic training and chronic disease prevention programming. 

A new gymnasium will help accommodate the growing demand for pickleball leagues, summer day camp, youth sports and before and after school programming. It will also include a new Youth Adventure Center, which will be an indoor play space with a horse racing theme. Parents may use the space for supervised play for children six weeks to 10 years, enabling more families to take advantage of the YMCA.

“Transformation has changed and informed the very way we see the world and our place in it,” said Elizabeth Sobol, president and CEO of Saratoga Performing Arts Center at the board of directors annual meeting on May 18.

At the meeting, SPAC leadership and staff reflected upon a successful 2022 season and considered the trajectory of the institution’s collective efforts to serve art, artists, and the community of Saratoga Springs and the Capital Region.

  “No longer just an amphitheater, we see SPAC as the perfect confluence of human-made and natural beauty,” Sobol said. “We see SPAC as a refuge, a place of healing, a place where all people are welcome, and all cultures are celebrated.   In our hearts, we understand our mission—to connect people to people—and to our planet. And we undertake this important work with recognition of the profound importance of beauty and art in the cultivation of compassion and the creation of a just world.” 

SPAC announced that it ended the year with $470,000 of operating reserves. This was attributed to fundraising efforts supported by members, the board of directors, the general public and the utilization of $1.5 million in critical federal grants for budget relief from COVID. 

The reserves will be used to help SPAC navigate the challenging 2023 season ahead, officials said. 

Arrow Financial Corp.—the parent company of Saratoga National Bank and Glens Falls National Bank—announced that David S. DeMarco is the president and chief executive officer of the company.

DeMarco was chief banking officer and senior executive vice president at the company.

He replaces Thomas J. Murphy, who in May  terminated his employment as president and CEO with Arrow.

The changes were made May 12.

DeMarco, who has been with the company for 35 years, continues to serve as president and chief executive officer of Arrow subsidiary Saratoga National Bank and Trust Co.

DeMarco joined the company in 1987 as a commercial lender and since that time has served in positions of increasing responsibility with the organization. He was named president and CEO of Saratoga National Bank in 2012.

“We are very pleased that Dave has agreed to serve as president and CEO of Arrow and Glens Falls National Bank. Dave has dedicated his career to the company, understands community banking and he is well-known throughout our organization and the communities we serve,” said William L. Owens, chairman of the Arrow board.

“It is an honor to be asked to serve as president and CEO of Arrow,” DeMarco said. “I look forward to working closely with our team to continue to serve our customers and advance our strategic and financial goals.”

Samantha Bosshart, executive director of the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation, was elected chair of the National Preservation Partners Network (NPPN).  

NPPN is a membership-based, independent association of non-profit organizations that advances the growth and effectiveness of the organized preservation movement through communication, education, training, and a common advocacy agenda. NPPN currently has 119 members, representing local, statewide, regional, and national organizations.

Bosshart joined the NPPN’s board of directors in 2018. She was appointed as the chair of the governance committee in 2020 and elected vice chair in 2022.

“It is an honor to serve as chair of the National Preservation Partners Network.  I have benefitted so much from being a part of the network.  It provides valuable educational and networking opportunities to allow historic preservation professionals to learn from one another and advocate for initiatives that will benefit the movement nationally.”   

Bosshart has served for 15 years as executive director of the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation. Prior to joining the foundation, she was the director of preservation services at Historic Albany Foundation. She moved from Texas to New York to attend Cornell University, where she completed her Master of Arts Historic Preservation Planning coursework. Prior to attending Cornell University, she worked at Galveston Historical Foundation where for five years she was manager of the Preservation Resource Center, which offered historic property research, neighborhood information, and technical rehabilitation guidance.  

GlobalFoundries announced the appointment of Hui Peng Koh as vice president and general manager of the company’s semiconductor manufacturing facility in Malta. 

Building on her experience in leading the 1,200 strong engineering team in Malta for the last three years, Koh is stepping up to lead GlobalFoundries’ most advanced U.S. fab that supports a wide range of customers. 

She succeeds long time GlobalFoundries executive and industry veteran Peter Benyon who will retire in early July after more than 40 years in the semiconductor industry including being part of the GlobalFoundries team since the acquisition of Chartered Semiconductor in 2011. 

Koh, an accomplished leader with more than 23 years of semiconductor manufacturing experience, currently serves as vice president of manufacturing engineering at GlobalFoundries. 

Prior to her current role, she was the director of lithography and held various leadership positions at the company’s Malta facility. Previously, she served in several technology development roles at GlobalFoundries’ Singapore campus. Koh earned her master’s degree in materials engineering from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. 

Koh is also the executive sponsor of the GlobalFoundries Malta GlobalWomen chapter, an employee resource group comprised of a worldwide network of women and allies whose mission is to create a sustainable framework for the professional development of women at GlobalFoundries. Throughout her career, she has placed a strong emphasis on operational excellence, talent development, inclusion, and mentoring for GlobalFoundries team members as they grow their careers.