Applications are now being accepted for those interested in being a part of the award-winning Leadership Saratoga program.

Sponsored by the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce, this popular program is dedicated to the development of leaders who will serve their communities today and in the future.

The purpose of Leadership Saratoga is to inform and educate members of the community who want to ensure its success by giving of their time, talents, energy and expertise. This is often in a volunteer capacity such as serving on a board of an impact sector organization, a board of education, a land use board or becoming an elected official. Since the program’s inception in 1985, nearly 700 graduates have completed the program.

The 2024-2025 Leadership Saratoga program will run from September 2024 to May 2025. Program participants are engaged in a nine-month cohort with other participants where they explore team dynamics, leadership, creative problem solving, strategic planning, communications, board governance, development and quality of life, education systems, government and more. Insider tours and experiences, case studies and group service projects are also part of this dynamic development program.

By Jill Nagy

Keuka Spring Vineyard, a Finger Lakes winery, now has a tasting room and bottle shop in Saratoga Springs. Located in the Saratoga Marketplace at 454 Broadway, this is the first offsite tasting room and shop for the 39-year-old vineyard. There was a “soft opening” April 1 and an “awesome” formal ribbon-cutting on May 2.

The vineyard is family-run and owned by area growers. They produce and bottle a “diverse portfolio” of wines from grapes grown on more than 500 acres in Penn Yan, on Lake Keuka, according to marketing director Corinne Marriott. They grow most of their own grapes but also buy fruit from other growers, she said.

Samplers have a choice of three options: dry wines, including a dry Reisling; KSV Classic, a mixed variety; or sweet wines. Each flight consists of six wine samples. The price is $15.  If people like what they taste, they can buy a bottle; wine is not sold by the glass. They also do not sell any food. Much of the wine is from the vinifera grape, an Old World variety that no longer does well in Europe but thrives in New York State, noted Autumn Manning, the manager of the Saratoga outlet. Wine samples include several gold award winners and blaufrankish, a dry red wine that was the best New York State red wine of 2021.

By Jill Nagy

Keith Lamphere, owner of Clean Green Hauling and Removal, LLC, is a junk collector with a mission: to see that the junk he collects gets put to good use.

As he explained, he “make[s] people happy by taking the stuff” (for a fee). Then, he donates it to non-profit community organizations. Some of it, like furniture, kitchenware, and housewares may be used to help formerly homeless clients set up their first household. Other organizations sell the items and use the money for programs like summer lunches for children. Some organizations are happy to receive items even if they are not perfect “ but it’s gotta be clean.”  “Everybody takes different things,” he observes.

Back in 2021, Lamphere and his wife were looking for a way to give back to the community, he recalled. That impulse gave birth to the idea of his current company.

By Jill Nagy

Gabriel Frankewich bills himself as the Blade Doctor and tries to bring military precision to sharpening knives, blades, and surgical tools. Headquartered in several former garages in Ballston Lake, he does most of his work from his van

“I am in my van almost all day,” he said, bringing the business to the customer. He brings some very large jobs back to his shop. He describes himself as “detail oriented. . . . a little on the perfectionist side.” He attributes that to his military training and experience as an MP.

He covers a broad area, roughly from Lake George to the Catskills.

As a boy, he was fascinated by his grandfather’s grindstone and began grinding everything he could lay his hands on, including a shovel. His grandfather taught him how to use the grindstone properly and he was off to a lifetime of grinding and sharpening. In the military, he sharpened his buddies’ pocket knives. Later, when living in Israel, he spent so much time sharpening knives and utensils for other people that his father suggested that he make a business out of it. So, he did. He had a sharpening business in Tel Aviv, Israel, for three years before returning to the United States seven years ago.

Much of Frankewich’s current work consists of sharpening the surgical tools of area dentists, doctors, and orthodontists. He said that he wants to do more of that kind of work and that he expects, in another two years or so, to do that exclusively.

He has also done some training, including an eight-hour course for beauticians, teaching them how to properly sharpen their shears. 

By Christine Graf

After spending more than a decade in Albany, Centrotherm Eco Systems has relocated to 428 Hudson River Road in Waterford. A manufacturer of venting systems and accessories for HVAC systems, Centrotherm opened in Albany in 2009. Its parent company, Centrotec Industries, is headquartered in Germany.

“The company has over 100 years of history,” said Matthew Pryce, marketing and communication manager at Centrotherm Eco Systems. “We are the North American branch, servicing the United States and Canada.”

A plastics manufacturer, Centrotherm manufactures precise ventilation systems as well as exhaust systems and accessories for high efficiency heating appliances. Their products are utilized in the HVAC and plumbing industries in both commercial and residential applications. 

The company has experienced significant growth in recent years, and its staff has more than tripled in size since 2015, growing from 20 employees to 65. Centrotherm is also supported by outside sale representatives.

By Jill Nagy

With the opening of Mittler’s Convenience Store and Bar this month residents of the Congress Park neighborhood of Saratoga Springs will be able to get a quart of milk without getting in the car, owner Steve Mittler promised. The “New York style bodega” and bar at 33 Phila Street will partly revive what used to be a lively commercial area, he said.

In addition to grocery basics, the store will sell soups and salads and meals to go. In the back of the store, children (and adults) will find a candy bar. Food can be picked up or delivered. Up three steps, there will be a full bar serving cocktails, along with “heavy appetizers,” such as dips, hummus, Mexican sweet corn,  deviled eggs, bagels, and sliders.    

The bar area can seat 14 at the bar, another 30 at tables, and, weather permitting, another 40 at tables on the sidewalk. The location is near the carousal and everyone will have a view of Congress Park. In the past, the building housed a gift shop, a health food store, and was the original site of the Max London bakery.

This is Mittler’s first foray into the restaurant business. He explained that he comes from a banking background and many of his clients were in the restaurant business. “I had a lot to learn,” he admits, but adds that local bar and restaurant owners have been helpful. “Everyone asked, ‘you’ve never done this before?’ “ he recalled.