By Christine Graf

One With Life Organic Tequila has partnered with world champion boxers Teofimo Lopez, Larry Holmes, Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini, and Maureen Shea Carranza to promote and grow the brand.

The four boxers are equity partners in the Saratoga Springs-based business that was started in 2015 by local resident Lisa Elovich.

“All four are world champions, and each of these boxers really embodies the message of what it means to be one with life which is a message of kindness, compassion, courage, strength, and exuberance,” said Elovich.

Lopez is the current unified lightweight world champion and the youngest four-belt champion in the history of boxing. Hall of Fame heavyweight champion Holmes is best known for his historic defeat of Muhammed Ali.

Mancini is a lightweight Hall of Famer and Shea Carranza is a WBC and IFBA featherweight champion. She was also the main sparring partner for actress Hillary Swank as she prepared for her 2005 role in the movie “Million Dollar Baby.”

By partnering with these elite boxers, Elovich is able to combine her passion for tequila and her love of boxing. Her interest in the sport began in 2004 after she joined a boxing gym to lose pregnancy weight. Her boxing workouts eventually led to what she describes as an “accidental career” as a boxing promoter.

By Christine Graf

Whitman Brewing Co. has been named one of the country’s top 10 new breweries by USA Today, an honor that came just months after Hop Culture, a leading craft brewing publication, included the Saratoga Springs craft brewer on its list of the 10 best new breweries of 2020.

“To come from a brewery publication was very flattering recognition for our team. It reaffirms that we are on the right path, and hopefully that we can keep growing. We are humbled and excited by it,” said co-owner Will Crager. “It’s a great affirmation that we are moving in the right direction. We are very fortunate to have a great group of people around us who have a lot of expertise and experience and have helped us to have some great early success in just a year-and-a-half of operating.”

Walt & Whitman Brewing Co. is located at 20 Lake Ave. in the former Saratogian newspaper building which is owned by Saratoga Prime Properties. The Crager family, Philadelphia natives who moved to Saratoga Springs five years ago, chose it as the location. Will and his mother, Kathy, are co-owners and sisters Katie, Jane, and Lily are also involved in operations. Craft beer enthusiast and family patriarch, Bill, works full time in the financial sector.

“We had this vision, and for us it was more about experience and building a space that allowed people to come in and enjoy music and share our love for craft beer,” said Kathy Crager.

Just months after the December 2019 opening, the coronavirus pandemic shut down restaurants and bars. The Crager’s were forced to furlough some staff members. They opened for takeout only. After restaurants and bars were able to reopen with reduced capacity, Walt & Whitman’s spacious interior was well suited for social distancing.

By Jennifer Farnsworth

It might be that Yvonne Manso has the ability to ensure confidence in her customers when it comes to the quality of the product, because quite simply Manso believes in herself.

As a sales director for D.A. Collins, Manso has spent the past 14 years earning a solid reputation in a historically male dominated industry. Her work ethic and spirit brought her to the forefront of the construction materials industry.

She is originally from Michigan. After high school, Manso served two years in the military and four years in the reserves. She later moved to Las Vegas, working in the hotel  industry for 14 years. After meeting her husband, a native of Saratoga County, she found herself moving to the area and in need of a job. She landed a position at D.A. Collins as a sales coordinator.

“The hotel industry is so different and I had no experience in the construction field, but I was lucky enough to find a company that trusted I could learn the business. And I did,” said Manso.

When she first began, she could sometimes sense apprehension when contractors would see a woman show up on a job site. She said she did not let that deter her. In fact, she said it  motivated her to learn the ins and outs of the business. Now when she shows up, contractors know they are dealing with a seasoned pro.