The Saratoga Regional YMCA launched the public phase of its capital campaign on  May 5 at its Saratoga Springs branch on West Avenue. 

YMCA staff, members, major donors, volunteers and community partners gathered for a kick-off celebration, followed by a tour of the construction site.

Officials said the pressing need for greater socialization, increased healthy living programming, and safe and affordable childcare options was apparent when the YMCA decided to embark on the expansion project.

Attendees at the May event were able to tour the construction site to envision “a renewed, vibrant and connected intergenerational wellness hub,” officials said. 

The expanded facilities will include a new wellness center that will have several spaces for weight training, group exercise classes, athletic training and chronic disease prevention programming. 

A new gymnasium will help accommodate the growing demand for pickleball leagues, summer day camp, youth sports and before and after school programming. It will also include a new Youth Adventure Center, which will be an indoor play space with a horse racing theme. Parents may use the space for supervised play for children six weeks to 10 years, enabling more families to take advantage of the YMCA.

“Transformation has changed and informed the very way we see the world and our place in it,” said Elizabeth Sobol, president and CEO of Saratoga Performing Arts Center at the board of directors annual meeting on May 18.

At the meeting, SPAC leadership and staff reflected upon a successful 2022 season and considered the trajectory of the institution’s collective efforts to serve art, artists, and the community of Saratoga Springs and the Capital Region.

  “No longer just an amphitheater, we see SPAC as the perfect confluence of human-made and natural beauty,” Sobol said. “We see SPAC as a refuge, a place of healing, a place where all people are welcome, and all cultures are celebrated.   In our hearts, we understand our mission—to connect people to people—and to our planet. And we undertake this important work with recognition of the profound importance of beauty and art in the cultivation of compassion and the creation of a just world.” 

SPAC announced that it ended the year with $470,000 of operating reserves. This was attributed to fundraising efforts supported by members, the board of directors, the general public and the utilization of $1.5 million in critical federal grants for budget relief from COVID. 

The reserves will be used to help SPAC navigate the challenging 2023 season ahead, officials said. 

Arrow Financial Corp.—the parent company of Saratoga National Bank and Glens Falls National Bank—announced that David S. DeMarco is the president and chief executive officer of the company.

DeMarco was chief banking officer and senior executive vice president at the company.

He replaces Thomas J. Murphy, who in May  terminated his employment as president and CEO with Arrow.

The changes were made May 12.

DeMarco, who has been with the company for 35 years, continues to serve as president and chief executive officer of Arrow subsidiary Saratoga National Bank and Trust Co.

DeMarco joined the company in 1987 as a commercial lender and since that time has served in positions of increasing responsibility with the organization. He was named president and CEO of Saratoga National Bank in 2012.

“We are very pleased that Dave has agreed to serve as president and CEO of Arrow and Glens Falls National Bank. Dave has dedicated his career to the company, understands community banking and he is well-known throughout our organization and the communities we serve,” said William L. Owens, chairman of the Arrow board.

“It is an honor to be asked to serve as president and CEO of Arrow,” DeMarco said. “I look forward to working closely with our team to continue to serve our customers and advance our strategic and financial goals.”

Samantha Bosshart, executive director of the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation, was elected chair of the National Preservation Partners Network (NPPN).  

NPPN is a membership-based, independent association of non-profit organizations that advances the growth and effectiveness of the organized preservation movement through communication, education, training, and a common advocacy agenda. NPPN currently has 119 members, representing local, statewide, regional, and national organizations.

Bosshart joined the NPPN’s board of directors in 2018. She was appointed as the chair of the governance committee in 2020 and elected vice chair in 2022.

“It is an honor to serve as chair of the National Preservation Partners Network.  I have benefitted so much from being a part of the network.  It provides valuable educational and networking opportunities to allow historic preservation professionals to learn from one another and advocate for initiatives that will benefit the movement nationally.”   

Bosshart has served for 15 years as executive director of the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation. Prior to joining the foundation, she was the director of preservation services at Historic Albany Foundation. She moved from Texas to New York to attend Cornell University, where she completed her Master of Arts Historic Preservation Planning coursework. Prior to attending Cornell University, she worked at Galveston Historical Foundation where for five years she was manager of the Preservation Resource Center, which offered historic property research, neighborhood information, and technical rehabilitation guidance.  

GlobalFoundries announced the appointment of Hui Peng Koh as vice president and general manager of the company’s semiconductor manufacturing facility in Malta. 

Building on her experience in leading the 1,200 strong engineering team in Malta for the last three years, Koh is stepping up to lead GlobalFoundries’ most advanced U.S. fab that supports a wide range of customers. 

She succeeds long time GlobalFoundries executive and industry veteran Peter Benyon who will retire in early July after more than 40 years in the semiconductor industry including being part of the GlobalFoundries team since the acquisition of Chartered Semiconductor in 2011. 

Koh, an accomplished leader with more than 23 years of semiconductor manufacturing experience, currently serves as vice president of manufacturing engineering at GlobalFoundries. 

Prior to her current role, she was the director of lithography and held various leadership positions at the company’s Malta facility. Previously, she served in several technology development roles at GlobalFoundries’ Singapore campus. Koh earned her master’s degree in materials engineering from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. 

Koh is also the executive sponsor of the GlobalFoundries Malta GlobalWomen chapter, an employee resource group comprised of a worldwide network of women and allies whose mission is to create a sustainable framework for the professional development of women at GlobalFoundries. Throughout her career, she has placed a strong emphasis on operational excellence, talent development, inclusion, and mentoring for GlobalFoundries team members as they grow their careers. 

By Jill nagy

A new bakery in Saratoga Springs has opened on Putnam Street.

After several years of baking in a rented kitchen and selling online, Alex Gaertner opened Indulgence Bakery at 63 Putnam St. The  official opening took place in May.

Much of her business is still done online, but Gaertner said she wanted to be able to meet and talk to her customers, so she opened the shop. 

She also plans classes, workshops, and parties at the new space.

House specialties include custom cakes, cupcakes, and sugar cookies. 

Now that wedding season is getting into full swing, she and her staff are also creating a lot of wedding cakes. Indulgence has four employees, including Gaertner: bakers, a decorator, and someone to take orders and look after the online business. 

In addition to the baked goods, Indulgence has a coffee station. Seating is outside on the patio where there are four chairs and a ledge to perch on.

Three special honorees were recognized at the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce annual gala in May at the 1863 Club at Saratoga Race Course.

Representatives from area businesses and nonprofit organizations attended the gala, which this year was a newly reimagined event replacing the former annual dinner. The new trackside venue offered guests the chance to experience one of the New York Racing Association’s newer luxury facilities, located at the clubhouse turn of the race course.

Honored were 2023 Joseph Dalton Community Service Award recipient Dr. Bill Long, 2023 Impact Sector Volunteer of the Year Richard Ferguson and the Chamber’s immediate past chair of the board Tara Anne Pleat of Wilcenski & Pleat PLLC.

The gala also serves as a networking opportunity for event goers. 

“Beyond the celebration and recognition of Tara, Bill, and Rich for their tremendous volunteer efforts, this gala is meant to be a powerful and productive networking event for the organizations who sponsored and the individuals who attended,” Chamber President Todd Shimkus said. “This is one of the Chamber’s signature events and an important fundraiser for our organization, so I want to thank NYRA, Mazzone Hospitality, our sponsors, and attendees for continuing to support the work we do to help our members and the community to succeed, grow, and thrive.”

The owner of Northeastern Fine Jewelry, a destination for fine jewelry for more than four decades, has purchased Olde Saratoga Coin  and upgraded his new stores.

Olde Saratoga Coin  has storefronts at 1593 Central Ave. in Colonie and 385 Broadway in Saratoga Springs.

“Coins have always been one of my passions and how we got our start in business back in 1980,” said Ray Bleser, owner of Northeastern Fine Jewelry. “Our original store was Northeastern Coin Gallery in Schenectady. For me, returning to my roots is deeply nostalgic, intensely gratifying and truly exciting.”

In its heyday, Northeastern Coin Gallery carried an inventory of hard-to-find currency, jewelry and estate pieces. In 1985, the business was reincorporated as Northeastern Fine Jewelry, which has evolved into one of the Capital Region’s leading, independently owned jewelers, featuring an extensive selection of world-renowned brands, diamonds, engagement rings, wedding bands, watches and estate items.

Northeastern Fine Jewelry will continue to operate under its own banner with three locations in Albany, Schenectady and Glens Falls, according to Bleser.