Lisa M. Licata with Sterling Homes Inc. has been awarded the Certified Real Estate Brokerage Manager (CRB) designation, a premier brokerage management credential in the industry.
There are 48 individuals in New York state with the designation and Licata is the third in the Capital District area. She is also a part of the Broker/Owner/Manager Council of the Greater Capital Association of Realtors.
The CRB title is conferred by the Real Estate Business Institute (REBI) and is an official designation of the National Association of Realtors. All recipients were required to complete a comprehensive program combining experience with management education and subscribe to the Realtor Code of Ethics.
Owner Of Pack-It-In Dumpsters Opens ‘New Finish’ Sealcoating Based Out Of Glens Falls
Courtesy New Finish Sealcoating
Chaz Wilson has opened New Finish Sealcoating in Glens Falls. A native of the Glens Falls area, Wilson is the owner of Pack-it-in Dumpsters.
New Finish Sealcoating will serve the area including Glens Falls, Queensbury, Lake George, Schroon Lake, Saratoga Springs, and Clifton Park.
He said the sealcoating company will follow in the same footsteps as his dumpster company.
“Folks in Glens Falls can trust that New Finish Sealcoating will deliver the same ethical, reliable service that they’re already familiar with from Pack-It-In Dumpsters,” Wilson said.
“As a business owner, my number-one priority has always been customer experience and satisfaction. That’s why local customers voted for me in the Readers’ Choice Awards in 2018 [Post-Star newspaper]. And it’s why they can confidently trust me to carry on that tradition and deliver exceptional blacktop sealcoating at competitive rates.”
Saratoga Nightclub ‘Soundbar’ Hopes To Appeal To A Crowd Of 35 to 55 Years Old
By Jennifer Farnsworth
The Soundbar at 8 Caroline St. in Saratoga Springs is a new venue for people to unwind on the weekends.
Marketing director for the new dance club Brian Miller said he and owner Joshua Loucks are striving to create a place that mirrors the atmosphere of a good party.
“When we thought about how we wanted Soundbar to be different from The Reserve (the space’s previous incarnation), this is the type of scene we pictured. A place with great music that reaches across a target crowd of about 35 to 55, providing something for everybody. Everyone has fun at weddings, so why not create that same feeling, that same type of fun,” said Miller.
Business Briefs: March 2020
The Saratoga Builders Association will be awarding two $1000 student scholarship in 2020.
One is the SBA scholarship award and the second is the Bob Best Memorial Scholarship award.
The scholarships are open to any high school senior or college undergraduate in Saratoga County who is planning to pursue a construction education at a two or four-year accredited college or university or to students who would like to purchase tools and/or equipment for a career or to start a business in the construction industry.
Students must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher. They must demonstrate current or past involvement in the construction field, including classes taken in high school or college, to be eligible for these awards.
NBT Bank Implements Several Digital Initiatives Across Multiple Business Line
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.