Weekly Update from Todd Shimkus on June 8, 2018
Hundreds attend the Chamber’s Centennial Celebration
Last night, hundreds of chamber members gathered for our Centennial Celebration at the Hall of Springs, in the Saratoga Spa State Park.
Our Chamber was formed on June 7, 1918, and our celebration began at the same time as the Chamber’s first ever dinner meeting.
Brian Straughter, President of Turf Hotels and the 2018 Chair of the Chamber’s Board, used a saber to uncork a bottle of champagne. Supervisor Matt Veitch presented a proclamation to the Chamber’s Board of Directors from the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors thanking the Chamber for its work to grow Saratoga County’s economy. Druthers Brewing provided free beer and Mazzone Hospitality served amazing hors d’oeuvres. Garland Nelson provided the entertainment and everyone had a chance to renew old friendships or to make new ones.
We kept the price of this special celebration to just $10 per person so that everyone who wanted to be there could join us. Many in attendance expressed their admiration for the Chamber’s long standing and significant impact leading Saratoga County to become one of the most vibrant places to live, work and operate a business. We want to take this historic opportunity to thank ALL of our members whose support makes it possible for our Chamber to be a visible and vocal advocate and promoter of all of our members and all of the communities across Saratoga County.
Click here to read a story in today’s Daily Gazette about our 100th Anniversary.
Leadership Advice for Everyone
On Wednesday morning, Michael Billok, of Bond, Schoeneck & King, was honored as the recipient of the Lisa Niles Leadership Saratoga Alumni of the Year award for his outstanding personal and professional commitment to our local community. Click here to watch a video of Kate Jarosh, of Bonacio Construction, as she describes why she and Pat Pipino, of Ben & Jerry’s, nominated Michael for this special award. While humbly accepting this honor, Michael offered three keys to being an effective leader in your workplace, family and community that we’d like to share with you:
- As they say in the US Marines, “Officers eat last.”
- Praise publicly and rebuke privately.
- Treat each day as a gift.
Employee Wellness Netwalking Event Next Friday – Join us at 8:00 a.m., next Friday, June 15th, at the Clifton Park – Halfmoon EMS, for our Annual Employee Wellness Walk. This one-mile walk is for everyone and is free to attend. Employers and employees are encouraged to walk together. The walk takes less than 20 minutes. Click here for details.
Bike Lanes on Lake Avenue – The Chamber testified, on Tuesday evening, in Saratoga Springs, in favor of creating safe bike lane on Lake Avenue to connect the downtown with the Bog Meadow Trail. Creating this on-road bike lane is part of the on-road portion of the Saratoga Greenbelt Trail. If completed, the Saratoga Greenbelt Trail will create a one-of-a-kind bike and pedestrian trail that will allow people to travel on foot or by bike on a 10-20 mile loop in and around the City of Saratoga Springs.
Freihofer’s Saratoga JazzFest Friday Lineup Announced – Our first-ever JazzFest Friday lineup was finalized earlier this week and has been posted here. We have nearly 30 locations that will be offering Jazz music, special menus or discounts, on Friday, June 22nd. The Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival will run on Saturday, June 23, and Sunday, June 24th, at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. Click here for ticket information.
Ribbon Cutting: Today, we joined with Wilton Supervisor Art Johnson and officials with BBL Hospitality to celebrate the opening of a new Capital Bank branch, in Wilton.
