By Paul Post

The Digital Age has made communication faster and more far-reaching than ever with email and various social media platforms.

But it’s also led to a breakdown of face-to-face, interpersonal relations that a strong community bank needs to serve customers most effectively.

That’s one of the biggest challenges Dave DeMarco sees in his new role as president and CEO of Arrow Financial Corp., and its subsidiaries Glens Falls National Bank and Trust Co. and Saratoga National Bank and Trust Co.

“Technology has changed the banking industry dramatically,” he said. “We’re in the relationship building business. It’s hard to do that with someone who’s taking a picture of a check and banking on their cell phone or computer instead of coming to the bank. You couldn’t do that when I joined Glens Falls National 35 years ago.”

“We don’t see customers as much as we used to,” he said. “So we basically have to get out of the office to meet people and build relationships.”

DeMarco, 61, a Saratoga Springs resident, has been intimately involved with many facets of the evolving industry during his lengthy banking career.

A Niskayuna High School graduate (1980), he earned a degree in finance from the University of Texas at Austin (1984) and started out as a commercial lending officer for a large bank in Dallas before returning home to join Glens Falls National, in 1987, as manager of its commercial loan department.

From there he was put in charge of branch offices and marketing, and in 2004 was responsible for building the bank’s insurance operation, The Upstate Agency.

A $1.5 million state-of-the-art fire detection and suppression system has been installed at Grant Cottage State Historic Site, funded by the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

The cottage, in Gansevoort, is the Saratoga County retreat where Civil War General and U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant spent his final days. 

“This new equipment will better protect this National Historic Landmark, and its irreplaceable collection of historic furniture, floral arrangements and President Grant’s personal items from potentially devastating loss,” state Parks Commissioner Erik Kulleseid said. “It is a crucial investment in innovative technology to help preserve the cottage and its collection for the future generations of visitors.” 

The new system deploys a mixture of nitrogen and water mist, rather than streams of water, when sensors detect a fire. In the event of a blaze, the mist rapidly lowers fire temperatures while the nitrogen displaces oxygen, depriving the fire of the fuel it needs to continue. Mist systems also deploy much less water than traditional fire sprinkler systems, reducing the risk of widespread water damage to rooms and contents in the aftermath of a fire.

Northshire Bookstore celebrated 10 years in its Saratoga location of 424 Broadway in August.

The store is an award-winning independent bookstore, founded by Ed and Barbara Morrow on Main Street in Manchester Center, Vt., in 1976. The Saratoga Springs location opened in August of 2013. 

Both Northshire Bookstore locations are now owned and operated by sisters Cathleen Ihasz, Nicole Ihasz and Ashley Ihasz-Austin.

“Saratoga Springs understood the value of a downtown bookstore and effectively lobbied, invested and supported us,” said  Nancy Scheemaker, general manager of the Saratoga store. “We are of course deeply grateful for this passion and vision. We are grateful also for a decade of support that we could only have dreamed of prior to experiencing the real thing.”

Over the last decade, Northshire has presented more than a thousand author events in Saratoga Springs, hosted children’s programming and brought authors into area schools, partnered with local not-for-profits, and has worked with our customers to provide free children’s books to area children via our Book Angels program. 

By Susan Elise Campbell

There is a new 11,000-square-foot building going up behind Mahogany Ridge Dog Training and Daycare’s original leased location at 2983 Route 9 in Malta. 

When the last details are finalized, the entire staff and their furry guests will move into a clean, modern space under the new banner, Charlie’s Stay & Play. 

The project started to take shape three years ago when founder and former owner Jennifer Weis began talks with her friend and client Lisa Mitzen, a fellow animal lover who is known in the area for her business acumen and philanthropy. 

“We have a farm with lots of animals,” said Mitzen. “Twelve years ago we got a yellow lab puppy named Charlie and brought him to Mahogany Ridge for daycare.”

Mitzen “fell in love with the place” and grew fonder of Weis as she trained her dog, she said. Later the Mitzens added another lab and a mixed breed to the family and again Weis helped train them.

In 2021, the Mitzens bought Mahogany Ridge for their personal portfolio and Weis agreed to stay on to manage day-to-day operations and training. The next step was to buy five acres of land from Stewarts Corp. behind the doggie daycare just south of Northway Exit 13. 

By Christine Graf

Beth and Doug Davis, owners of Manhattan Exchange in Schenectady, have opened a second restaurant in Jonesville, east of Ballston Spa.

The Exchange opened its doors at the end of June at 857 Main St. in a space previously occupied by the Main Street Grill. 

Beth Davis is a baking and pastry graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, and her husband, Doug, is a Schenectady native with extensive restaurant experience.

“He worked for the Malozzis, he worked at the Pentagon (restaurant in Schenectady), he was the opening chef of Duke’s at the casino,” said Beth Davis. 

Davis worked at Villa Italia for a decade before the couple opened Manhattan Exchange in January 2020.  That restaurant serves upscale pub food and seats 100. 

“We were working so hard for other people, and we wanted to give ourselves the opportunity to work that hard for ourselves,” she said.

The Davises own both buildings that house their restaurants. They purchased the 1.64-acre  Jonesville property in 2022 for $545,000. The property includes the building that houses the restaurant as well as a second smaller building and a barn. 

By Paul Post

Some people are fascinated by notorious underworld figures such as Lucky Luciano who hung out at the casino nightclub where world-famous entertainer Bing Crosby performed.

Others simply like to hang out with friends, take a swim or experience the thrill of being towed behind a powerful boat on an oversized fun tube.

 These are some of the options Daleys Adventure Boat Tours offers with a new service on Saratoga Lake.

 “I grew up on this lake,” said Mechanicville native and company owner Don Daley. “When I was 14 or 15, my uncle had a camp right down the road … We spent our summers here on Saratoga Lake.”

 In 2016, three years into retirement, Daley founded Lake George Island Boat Tours, telling guests about the lake’s history. 

“Eventually people wanted to go swimming, cliff jumping or tubing so we turned it into an adventure,” he said. “Out of 45 tours on Lake George, we’ve been the number-one tour on TripAdvisor for four of the past eight years. The difference between us and other operators is that we customize tours. We let people do whatever they want.”

By Paul Post

State and local officials say the region’s strong economy should be able to absorb the 300 people forced out of work by Essity paper company’s sudden exodus from New York state.

The Sweden-based company unexpectedly shuttered its large South Glens Falls mill on July 20 and plans call for closing a Greenwich converting facility and Saratoga Springs warehouse-distribution center this fall.

Meanwhile, the union representing the workforce is urging the company to change its mind and not close operations.

Essity is the area’s second large heavy industrial employer to shut down this year as Lehigh Cement, less than a mile away, is in the process of leaving, too. The fate of two large old mills is a major concern as potential public safety hazards if they can’t be repurposed or new buyers found.

Parts of Essity date back to 1864.

“I don’t think having an empty shell of an industrial plant is a good idea,” said state Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner. “The good news is that our employment situation is very strong. We have many unfilled jobs in a variety of different industries. But that said, you want to make sure you aren’t leaving an eyesore in a community that perhaps becomes an environmental nuisance. There’s still a lot of questions about what condition they’re (Essity) going to leave the buildings in and what can be done with them going forward.”