The 2021 B2B Expo of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce will be held this year on Tuesday, Oct. 5, at the Saratoga Springs City Center.

This event attracts attendees representing a wide range of private, nonprofit and public sector organizations.

Chamber officials said it is traditionally the region’s largest B2B networking event of the year. 

“We are happy to report with the recent trend of vaccinations in our region, we are able to bring this event back to our members,” the organization said.

The event will run from 3:30 -7 p.m.

The Chamber has new incentives for those that become sponsors.

Revitalized levels of sponsorships will include:

• New parking spaces reserved at the City Center’s new attached parking garage.

• Food and beverage drink tickets available for sponsor visitors.

• A personal helper to assist in carrying items from vehicles to booth spaces.    

• Logo presented on all B2B-mentioned emailsstarting this summer through October 5 (10,000+ email addresses).

• A chance to hold a seminar at the Expo with a topic of the presenter’s choice, including private meeting space and announcements made throughout the day for attendance.

By Jennifer Farnsworth

After years of working in the restaurant industry, Kyle Geniti is now living his dream as owner and chef of Trattoria Fortunata, and Italian-American restaurant at 21 Phila St. in Saratoga Springs.

Geniti described his restaurant as  small, cozy, rustic and simple. The maximum capacity is 36 people, including staff, so reservations are highly recommended.

“We like to think our space is a quiet and intimate setting just steps away from the hustle and bustle of Broadway,” he said.

Specialities include fresh seafood, pasta and steak, however Geniti said they have had to limit what they can offer on the current menu due to product shortages and price increases.

“I look forward to being able to incorporate some more of the foods that I enjoy the most. I’ve recently become more interested in cooking vegan and vegetarian dishes, and have developed a passion for sourcing ingredients from responsible, sustainable sources, and local whenever possible,” said Geniti.

“I also plan to expand the menu and add more vegetarian/vegan, gluten-free, and seafood options, as well as to add desserts made in-house as soon as we can find the right staff to allow us to do so,” he said.

The inside decor features artwork of three local artists; watercolor paintings by Amanda Engels, landscape photography from the Adirondack mountains by Adam Desorbo, and chalkboard art by Anna Hunter.

He is also working to include menu options that can meet the dietary needs of certain patrons.

The Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation has purchased a dilapidated property at 65 Phila St. in Saratoga Springs and has plans to renovate it.

The group stepped forward after objecting to plans to demolish it. Since the Foundation was established in 1977 it has been a voice for preserving the architectural, cultural, and landscaped heritage of Saratoga Springs.

The Foundation has advocated for the preservation of 65 and 69 Phila St. since the inception of its endangered buildings list in 1998. The group hopes to get the building in shape for a capable buyer who would put it to best use.

The 1851 Italianate-style house at 65 Phila Street was constructed by Alexander A. Patterson, an architect and builder, according to the Foundation. That same year the brick Italianate-style house located at 69 Phila St. was constructed by mason Robert Hunter.  Both houses are listed as contributing buildings to the East Side Historic District listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

At a news conference in late May, Samantha Bosshart, executive director of the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation, said “Now after more than 30 years, both of these buildings will receive the much needed attention they deserve.”

The Foundation has been an advocate for endangered buildings including 25 Washington St., which is now Universal Preservation Hall; 5 Clinton St., a row house; 117 Grand Ave., the former station of the Adirondack Railway Co.; and 15 Church St., now a popular restaurant. 

The Foundation not only advocated for these buildings, but at times undertook the rehabilitations themselves.

Freedom Boat Club Lake George has partnered with the Children’s Museum at Saratoga on a boating and fishing exhibit.

The “Saratoga Lake—Let’s Go Boating” exhibit is an interactive, kid-friendly, and colorfully immersive exhibit. The exhibit helps young children utilize play to enhance their social and emotional development, as well as learn how to communicate, observe and problem solve with one another as they navigate their way through it, museum officials said.

Freedom Boat Club owners Matt and Rebecca O’Hara have been members of the museum for several years and brought the idea to staff last year.

“We are frequent visitors of the museum with our 5- and 3 year-old daughters. We’ve seen the joy they get interacting with the steering wheels and controls on our club boats, we thought it would be great to enhance the interactivity of the boat exhibit at the museum,” said Rebecca. “We were thrilled when Sarah and her museum team were open to the idea of working with us to add not just the controls to the boat, but significantly upgrading the space with the fishing and knot tying panels.”

The exhibit space is on the first floor of the museum. It offers children an opportunity to take a boat ride fueled by their imagination as they discover different animals and plants in their natural habitat. To further enhance the exhibit’s educational value, there are additional interactives for visitors to engage with as they discover life on the lake.

Included is a revamped rowboat utilizing a reclaimed steering wheel and throttle control, an interactive knot-tying panel featuring four common boating knots, an interactive fishing game, and a life jacket station.

The O’Haras feel that the exhibit, and future programming designed around it, will allow visitors to have more hands-on experience with the joys of boating, the value of boat safety, and the importance of learning about and respecting the eco systems around the region’s lakes.

Stewart’s Shops, the locally based convenience store giant, is expanding again with the purchase of the of its Blueox Neighborhood Market convenience store chain.

Stewart’s will acquire seven stores and rebrand six of them to Stewart’s, under the deal.

The Blueox stores have gasoline pumps.

“We look forward to the opportunity to further serve the Blueox market that they have served so well for the past three plus decades and we look forward to welcoming Blueox employees to the Stewart’s family,” said Stewart’s Shops President Gary Dake.

Blueox Corp. President Jared Bartle said the decision to sell “did not come easily. Our stores, and especially the people in our stores, are deeply embedded into our corporate culture and it’s for that reason we sought a buyer whose priorities most closely aligned with ours.

“This was very important to Blueox. As we realign our long-term goals and continue to reinvest in the delivery and service divisions of our company, I’m excited at the opportunities to come.”

Blueox will continue under the name Blueox Energy Products & Services. At one time, it had 11 convenience stores known as Nice-n-Easy.

The company is based in Oxford in Chenango County.

Renamed in 1986, Blueox Corp. grew to 11 stores made up of both Nice N Easy franchise sites and Big Blue Convenience Stores, serving rural markets in upstate New York. Their residential and commercial delivery and service operations will continue to grow and operate under the name Blueox Energy Products & Services.