NBT Bancorp Inc. has executed on digital initiatives based on a technology road map with the objective of delivering features and functionality customers want and need, company officials said.
This road map includes the 2020 implementation of several digital initiatives across multiple business lines that will continue to transform the experience NBT delivers to its customers and employees.
“All of our customers expect ever-increasing flexibility, accessibility and speed to manage their finances,” said NBT President and CEO John H. Watt Jr. “Strong adoption of our mobile and online banking services and recognitions like our high ranking on the Forbes 2019 World’s Best Banks list and the 2019 Greenwich Awards in Small Business Banking and Middle Market Banking indicate our customer-first approach to NBT’s digital evolution is being well received.
Charles V. Wait Jr. Named President, CEO At Adirondack Trust Co. Succeeding von Schenk
Charles V. Wait, Adirondack Trust Company’s Chairman of the Board of Directors announced a senior leadership appointment and an officer promotion within the bank’s management team.
Charles V. Wait, Jr., has become the organization’s new President and CEO, an appointment that was approved by the Board of Directors, effective February 12, 2020. Mr. Wait, Jr. succeeds Stephan R. von Schenk, who acted as the Adirondack Trust Company President since 2014 and CEO since 2017.
Financial Advisors Urge People Not To Panic As Coronavirus Causes A Stock Market Stir
By Jill Nagy
Some investors may be panicking, but at least two local brokers are keeping their cool, advising a wait-and-see approach to managing assets.
“Focus on the big picture and don’t react to every headline that comes up,” said Ryan Bouchey, CFP and a vice president at Bouchey Financial Group, on the first day of the market decline in response to news of the coronavirus, which has caused the stock market to plunge.
“It’s still a strong economy and most clients are fairly optimistic,” said Steve Kyne CFP and partner at Sterling Manor Financial. His independent financial planning company has been around since 2006. There have been ups and downs, he said, “We’ve weathered our share.”
Adirondack Trust To Build New Branch In Queensbury, Then Close Glens Falls Office
Courtesy Adirondack Trust Co.
By Jill Nagy
Adirondack Trust Co. is planning to construct a new branch office at 79 Main St. in Queensbury. It will replace the present branch on Maple Street in Glens Falls.
Construction will begin as soon as the weather allows, according to Charles Wait Jr., president and CEO.
“We are stymied by the weather. It’s not exactly the best weather to be digging,” he said. Once construction can begin, they are “targeting an eight-month schedule.”
The new branch will be a two-story building with a lot of glass and open space. It will include a drive-through teller window and a drive-up ATM, neither of which are available at the Glens Falls branch.
U.S. Marine Veteran Went From Serving In Iraq To Running A Local Beauty Salon
©2020 Saratoga Photographer.com
By Susan E. Campbell
At ease with hair cutting shears in hand or applying makeup for a professional photo shoot, it is not easy to imagine Autumn Wright in a combat uniform.
The owner of Seraphina Divine Beauty, 437 Geyser Road, Ballston Spa, and specializing in bridal hair and makeup, Wright had a four-year tour as a U.S. Marine driving trucks in Iraq. When her deployment ended in 2009 she went “wherever the wind” took her. “All around the country,” she said, from New York to Arizona to Tennessee.
Caroline Hommel, Loan Originator, Reflects On 30 Years In Local Home Mortgage Industry
©2020 Saratoga Photographer.com
By Susan E. Campbell
The mortgage market is driven by a variety of complex factors that make the times look more or less attractive to those seeking to buy, renovate or refinance a home.
A mortgage originator for three decades, Caroline Hommel of Homestead Funding has experienced just about every permutation and combination of circumstances imaginable, from severe market corrections to record-setting interest rates.
“There have been so many highs and lows over the years. Mostly highs,” said Hommel. “The relationships with customers are certainly high points.”
Hommel joined Homestead Funding in 1995 after a few years as assistant to the PR and communications director for the New York State Association of Realtors and then as a mortgage broker for a small firm.
Sandra Foster, A Womens Rights Activist, Has Operated The Village Pizzeria Over 30 Years
©2020 Saratoga Photographer.com
By Rachel Phillips
For more than 30 years, diners have been enjoying the age-old family recipes and hand-crafted breads and sauces offered by Village Pizzeria on Route 29 in Galway.
The restaurant, which opened in 1988, is owned and operated by Sandra Foster, along with her partner Joseph Guerrera, and is managed by her daughter, Jessica Mancinone.
Foster’s professional career began in 1969, when she became the first female licensed barber and men’s hair stylist in Waterbury, Conn. At the time, cosmetology and barbering were segregated by gender, and Foster pioneered the transition that brought into being the unisex salons that are now standard today.
Natalie Sillery, Owner Of Saratoga Trunk, Enjoys Helping Nonprofits In The Community
By Andrea Harwood Palmer
Natalie Sillery is in her 25th year as owner of Saratoga Trunk at 493 Broadway in Saratoga Springs and shows no signs of slowing down.
“My husband and I were in print publishing back in the 80s in New York City,” said Sillery. “I grew up in Rensselaer. My parents were getting older and infirmed. Our business ended after 12 years or so, and we moved from New York City to the town of Brunswick.”
“I was caring for my mom, who had slow progressive dementia moving into an Alzheimer’s situation. I also had a great aunt I was caring for. I took my mom in with me, and my dad had 24 hour care. I knew I had to work for myself,” said Sillery.
She put together a couple business plans.
New CEO Of Saratoga Prosperity Partnership Has Passion To Help Business Communities
By Christine Graf
A shortage of new, young talent in the workforce is one of the issues the Saratoga Prosperity Partnership deals with, said Shelby Schneider, its new president and CEO.
The economic development organization was established in 2014 to enhance economic growth in Saratoga County.
Schneider, a mother of four who lives in Wilton, earned a degree in management and business administration from Skidmore College. She entered the economic development field in 2000 and spent thirteen years working at Saratoga Economic Development Corporation (SEDC). During her early years at SEDC, she served as the Empire Zone Coordinator. The Empire Zone tax incentive program allowed qualified businesses to take advantage of a variety of tax credits.
“I oversaw the New York state tax incentive program and administered it on behalf of county,” she said.
Business Report: Consistent Leadership Key To Economic Success
Courtesy Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce
By Kevin Hedley
I first became involved in the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce at the invitation or more accurately the insistence of Jessica Petraccione of First National Bank of Scotia. The Chamber had just formed its Twin Bridges Council and Jessica was the first person to lead it.
Forming the Twin Bridges Council was part of a larger effort to get more business owners with operations in Clifton Park, Halfmoon, and Mechanicville more involved in the Saratoga County Chamber.
Soon after getting involved in the Twin Bridges Council, I was approached about serving on the Saratoga County Chamber’s board of directors and a year or so later became the organization’s treasurer.
And here we are in 2020 and I’m the volunteer chair of the board of directors of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce.
One of the reasons the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce is still thriving as it enters its 102nd year of operation is the fact that it has had tremendous volunteer and professional staff leadership.