QUEENSBURY — Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.  has acquired Cool Insuring Agency, Inc. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Founded in 1857, Cool Insuring Agency provides commercial, personal, and life and health insurance and consulting services to clients across the Northeastern United States from offices in Queensbury and Latham. The agency specializes in serving construction and healthcare industry clients, as well as governments and municipalities, which together account for more than half of its revenues. 

Anthony Mashuta, Ira Neifeld and their associates will continue to operate from their current locations.

“Cool Insuring Agency has operated for more than 160 years and is viewed as the premier independent agency in Upstate New York. Their specialties align closely with our construction, healthcare, senior living and public entity practices,” said J. Patrick Gallagher, Jr., Chairman, President and CEO. 

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., a global insurance brokerage, risk management and consulting services firm, is headquartered in Rolling Meadows, Illinois. The company has operations in 49 countries and offers client-service capabilities in more than 150 countries around the world through a network of correspondent brokers and consultants.

SARATOGA SPRINGS ­­—With 2020 coming to a close, it has become apparent that, now more than ever, it takes a community to get through these difficult times. We have all watched the devasting effects COVID-19 has had on our local businesses and many of those local businesses have had to close because they could not support themselves.

In the spirit of the holidays, Denise A. Coté CEO of Home of the Good Shepherd, has made an extremely generous donation to support the Saratoga Springs Downtown Business Association (DBA) by purchasing gift cards for all of the employees at Home of the Good Shepherd. Home of the Good Shepherd has five Assisted Living and Enhanced Assisted Living Communities located throughout Saratoga County and it is one of the largest employers in Saratoga County with over 300 employees. Coté purchased gift cards for all staff totaling over $17,000 to support our local businesses. 

Coté stated, “I am very thankful to all the staff that have been here day in and day out going above and beyond to keep our residents safe and healthy.” “I also see the devasting effects the virus has had on our local economy and I wanted to not only thank our staff, but also support these businesses.”

Hundreds of local service employees are out of a job or have had their incomes drastically reduced due to the Coronavirus. And even worse, small company employers may never open again.

For those workers, unemployment insurance and possible federal subsidies will not cover their short term and future costs.

An example is Larry Jenks who operates a barber shop on Washington Street. While his overhead costs continue, he has seen a fifty percent decrease in his customers. Larry has followed all government rules on physical safety but has a fear he will not survive as a local business. 

Most Saratogians would like to help these service employers. So, if you can afford it, here are some simple suggestions: shop at locally owned stores, tip generously at restaurants, and leave a couple of dollars extra on the counter for the service employee. 

These local employees are your neighbors, youth sport coaches, and volunteers for dozens of community organizations. Let’s assist them through this crisis.

CORINTH — Hudson River Community Credit Union (HRCCU) announced this week it has made a donation of $20,000 to support local youth centers in the Capital Region. Recipients included the Saratoga Regional YMCA Corinth Branch After School Enrichment Program and the Glens Falls Area Youth Center. Each location received $10,000 to help support their efforts in the community. 

The donation is in line with previous annual contributions made by HRCCU to youth centers in the area as part of its Give4Kids fundraising efforts. Over the past eight years, HRCCU has raised more than $150,000 for local youth centers within the communities it serves. Donations have been used to purchase new equipment, supplies and provide scholarships for students. 

Hudson River Community Credit Union (HRCCU) is a not-for-profit financial cooperative whose mission is to make life better for its members. Anyone who lives, works, worships, or attends school located within Saratoga, Warren, Washington, Rensselaer counties or the Towns of Cohoes, Watervliet or Green Island and their immediate families are eligible to join.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — This year’s Stewart’s Shops Holiday Match Program has topped $1.4 million. 

The Stewart’s Holiday Match Program has no administrative fees and donates 100% of donations received to charities in their market areas. The company matches each donation dollar for dollar and has been doing so for the past 34 years, raising over $30 million for local charities. 

Donations collected through as of Dec. 20 are $724,227, with the Stewart’s match, the total is over $1,448,000. 

Holiday Match funds are collected from Thanksgiving to Christmas Day in each of the 339 shops. Local childrens’ organizations are encouraged to apply for funding online at stewartsshops.com. The deadline for submission is January 31, 2021. All groups applying must be locally based, benefit children under 18, and be a qualified, charitable 501c3 organization. A listing of all the local organizations that received funds last season is available online.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Knox Lane, a leading middle-market investment firm focused on the consumer and services sectors, announced on Dec. 16 a strategic investment in Fingerpaint. 

Founded by Ed Mitzen in 2008, Fingerpaint has provided integrated marketing services to a growing roster of healthcare clients, specifically in pharmaceutical, rare disease and gene therapy, resulting in 12 straight years of significant revenue growth and expansion. 

“We are pleased to welcome Knox Lane as Fingerpaint’s partner, and believe this investment is a testament to the strength of our platform,” said Mitzen, in a prepared statement. “Like our company, the Knox Lane team has a strong sense of culture and values. We look forward to leveraging their operational expertise and unique insights to execute on our shared growth initiatives and capitalize on new and exciting opportunities. Knox Lane is the ideal partner for Fingerpaint’s next stage of growth. This is an exciting day for our team and our clients.”

Fingerpaint employs more than 400 across its five offices in Saratoga Springs, New York, Pennsylvania, Arizona, New Jersey, and California. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

In February 2020, Fingerpaint enhanced its healthcare advisory capabilities through the acquisition of 1798, a market access and commercialization firm that specializes in healthcare consulting services, including patient and provider access services, financial impact analysis and analytics, competitive intelligence, and pull-through solutions. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Adirondack Trust Company Community Fund (ATCCF/Community Fund) announced its independent advisory committee has awarded Lend-A-Hand Grants to 37 local nonprofit organizations. 

Since 2012, Lend-A-Hand Grants have been awarded annually using community funds from ATCCF’s annual Autumn of Giving Match Campaign. Because of the economic stresses COVID-19 has placed on businesses and individuals, the Adirondack Trust Company fully funded this year’s grant efforts, donating $77,000 in lieu of the typical Match Campaign.

“There was absolutely no question when it came to funding this year’s grants,” said Adirondack Trust Company President and CEO Charles V. Wait, Jr., in a statement. “Ensuring the Community Fund’s perpetuation and its ability to assist so many incredible nonprofits was a top priority, but the best part is that, even though the community didn’t have to donate this year, so many did.”

Lend-A-Hand Grants help local nonprofits throughout Saratoga, Warren, and Washington counties obtain critical funding for a diverse spectrum of needs: combatting food insecurity, improving living conditions, providing medical supplies and personal protective equipment, and more.

Recipients of the awards and remarks can be viewed at atccf.org/2020-grants.

BALLSTON SPA — In November, the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors voted on a $250,000 matching grant to the Saratoga County Agricultural Society, to rebuild the grandstand at the Saratoga County Fairgrounds. 

SCAS is in the process of finalizing its plans and fundraising to raise the matching funds for the project. 

For more information or to make a donation, contact the Saratoga County Fair office at 518-885-9701 or email susan@saratogacountyfair.org

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Beyond My Battle (BMB), a Saratoga-based nonprofit providing emotional support to those managing illness or disability and their caregivers, was named as a recipient of a $5,000 grant from the Arnold Cogswell Health Fund of the Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region.

“Those managing any kind of illness or disability, be it as patient or caregiver, are working with limited energy, time, and perhaps mobility. Our offerings at Beyond My Battle are not only great for coping with the stress and sadness of diagnosis, but they are also extremely accessible. People can access our services from the comfort and safety of their home – which is important for this community with or without the presence of COVID,” said Executive Director, Martel Catalano, in a statement.

Among the programs the grant will support are BMB’s weekly virtual support groups, to which there is a group for caregivers and one for patients living with any kind of physical illness, disease, or disability (www.beyondmybattle.org/support-groups). Funding will also support the addition of more e-books and art-based tools to BMB’s online toolkit in an effort to bring more therapeutic strategies to their community. 

Beyond My Battle (BMB) is a Saratoga-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit helping people reduce the stress of serious illness, rare disease, and disability. Through emotional support and educational resources rooted in mindfulness, awareness, and compassion, BMB works to cultivate emotional awareness and provide an engaged, resilient approach to life with health-related uncertainty. To learn more about BMB, visit www.beyondmybattle.org.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga PLAN has been named recipient of two Conservation Partnership Program grants awarded by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation in coordination with the Land Trust Alliance.

The $52,200 in grants will be used to support trail maintenance and protection of natural resources.

A $36,000 Capacity Grant will be used for trail maintenance projects, allowing for the unveiling of new trails, like newly opened Barkersville Trails, and those waiting in the wings, like Glowegee Creek and the Sarah B. Foulke Friendship Trails.

A $16,200 Transactional Grant will be used to officially close out the conservation process for Burke Forest, a gorgeous 80 acres property known locally as Irish Hill.