BALLSTON SPA — The Innovation Center at Saratoga recently announced the launch of “Entrepreneurship is Everyone’s Business,” a program designed to strengthen the local economy by helping small businesses start, grow, and succeed.

“One of the great strengths of any community is the success of its small businesses,” said Beth Moeller, founder of the Innovation Center. “This program is designed to support the businesses that shape our region’s identity and vitality—the local shops, restaurants, consultancies, and creative makers and artists that make our community special.”

“Entrepreneurship is Everyone’s Business” is tailored to support main street, hospitality, business consultancies, and creatives (including visual artists, photographers, jewelry designers, and more). Other business types are welcome, and the program is open to both early-stage businesses and ventures that haven’t launched yet.

Unlike a traditional business boot camp, the Innovation Center emphasizes continued coaching, mentorship, and community accountability over time. The program is structured in four phases:

1) Learn (February through April) with six core business classes and then two elective tracks of three classes each serving the needs of artists and creatives, as well as the more traditional business.

2) Guide (May), where class participants are paired with mentors from SCORE or Saratoga Arts to help refine their business plan and model.

3) Pitch (June), where participants present their finalized business plans and concepts to key regional funding sources, including banks, development groups, and government sources.

4) Support (July through December): This phase focuses on building peer-to-peer support networks and a community of entrepreneurs balancing work, life, and startup growth. The program culminates in Everyone’s Business Demo Day, a public showcase where graduates can gain exposure and present to community leaders, potential customers, and investors as they take the next step toward expansion.

“What sets this program apart is that we don’t just teach you and send you off,” Moeller said. “We pair you with a mentor, we bring you together with other entrepreneurs facing the same challenges, and we stay with you for the full year. That’s the kind of support our local business owners deserve.”

Program details and registration information are available at innovationcentersaratoga.org/entrepreneur.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Local land trust Saratoga PLAN (Preserving Land and Nature) announced last Friday that Executive Director Robert K. Davies will retire in June 2026, following more than four years of leading the organization. As a result, Saratoga PLAN has launched a search for its next executive director, with an anticipated start date in May 2026.

“Rob’s leadership has defined PLAN’s vision for the future,” said Jessica Schwartzman, chair of Saratoga PLAN’s board of directors. “His integrity, dedication, and deep respect for landowners and local communities have built an organization that is trusted, effective, and poised for the future. We are grateful for his service and proud of the legacy he leaves behind.”

Under Davies’ leadership, the organization will have permanently protected more than 2,350 acres of farmland, forests, wildlife habitat, and scenic landscapes across Saratoga County. 

Davies focused on building partnerships with private landowners, municipalities, conservation allies, and community members. These partnerships led to the opening of the new 127-acre Curtis Preserve in the Town of Corinth, the permanent protection of Snake Hill on Saratoga Lake, and the creation of the Graphite Range Community Forest as part of the larger Palmertown Initiative.

Reflecting on his time at PLAN, Davies said, “It has been a privilege to work alongside landowners, staff, board members, volunteers, and partners who care deeply about this region and are committed to keeping it a place where people want to live, work, visit and play. Together, we’ve protected lands that will continue to define the Saratoga region for generations. I am confident Saratoga PLAN is well-positioned for its next chapter.”

PLAN’s board is seeking a mission-driven, collaborative leader with strong strategic, fundraising, and organizational management skills. More information is available at saratogaplan.org/executivedirector.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Therapeutic Horses of Saratoga recently announced a new partnership with The Dake Foundation for Children that will provide equine-assisted psychotherapy sessions for children and young adults up to age 21 who face financial barriers to accessing mental health care.

The partnership will allow participants to engage in equine-assisted psychotherapy alongside a licensed clinician from ECS Psychological Services, P.C. The program is modeled after Therapeutic Horses of Saratoga’s Freedom Rein Project, which provides equine-assisted psychotherapy to veterans and service members.

Founded by Gary Dake, president of Stewart’s Shops, The Dake Foundation for Children has supported local children with disabilities since 2009. In addition to providing individual support to children and families, the foundation’s Community Grant Program assists local nonprofit organizations in expanding access to inclusive and accessible spaces and programming. Through the latest round of community grants, Therapeutic Horses of Saratoga was selected as one of the nonprofit recipients.

In a press release, Therapeutic Horses said that its new program will maintain a strong focus on transparency, documentation, and measurable impact. The number of children and young adults treated will be a key indicator of success, helping to ensure that every contribution directly supports accessible and effective mental health care.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Nil Ghoshal, president and CEO of Polyset, has been elected the 2026 chair of the board of directors of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce. 

Ghoshal assumed the role on Jan. 1 after Tom Bellhouse of West Point Thoroughbreds completed 2025 as chair of the board. Bellhouse stepped in mid-year to fill a vacancy as chair, extending his term of service on the board to a seventh year in 2026 as he now becomes the immediate past chair.

“I am honored and excited to serve as the chair of the board for 2026, which promises to be a prosperous year for the Saratoga County Chamber and our local economy,” Ghoshal said. “This year the Chamber has already reintroduced Health & Wellness Week for the first time since 2020 and will return to hosting monthly networking mixers in partnership with our members throughout the county. We also look forward to marking the 40th anniversary of our Leadership Saratoga program, advocating for state funds to revitalize Mechanicville through the NY Forward program and welcoming the final Belmont Stakes Racing Festival to Saratoga Race Course with an incredible Belmont on Broadway celebration in Saratoga Springs.”

The Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce’s board has a total of nearly 30 volunteer members. New directors include Mike Gestwick of Bonacio Construction, Ryan McFadden of Henry Street Taproom, and Melissa Gleason of Nothing Bundt Cakes, who are all serving one-year appointments, as well as Michael Billok of Bond, Schoeneck & King; Jon Hitchcock of WNYT; Chris Lyons of AIM Services; Terri Stripling of Ten80 Education, Inc.; Najja Thompson of New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc.; Amanda Vitullo of National Grid; and Lisa Vollendorf of Empire State University.

Additional members serving on the Board in 2026 include Heath Ames of Cantina; Sue Commanda of Hudson River Community Credit Union; Matt Cudemo of Saratoga Casino Hotel; Maggie Fronk of Wellspring; Dan Graham of SM2 Development; Matt Gutch of Stewart’s Shops; Alexandra Gutelius of Clifton Park Halfmoon Library; Eric Hennessey of UHY Advisors; Dennis Kiingati of Hamlet & Ghost; Michael O’Connell of Adirondack Trust Company; David Rosenberg of Brix Wine & and Liquor; Bob Serafini of Quick Response; Elizabeth Stauderman of Skidmore College; Kim Tribley of Coffee Planet; Jill VanKuren of Saratoga Hospital; Melissa Ward of New Ward Development; and Andy Wise of Arrow Bank.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Bikeatoga—a nonprofit dedicated to making functional cycling more inclusive, accessible, and safe—announced Monday that it had surpassed two of its records and added a pair of new names to its board.

The group’s volunteer mechanics refurbish used bikes in the basement of St. Peter’s Church and send them back out to the community on a “pay what you can” basis. In 2025, local residents “adopted” a record total of 775 bikes. According to shop manager Brad Beal, that’s more than double the number of bikes adopted five years ago.

The group’s annual Saratoga Foliage Ride also set a record in 2025, bringing in 208 riders from 14 states and Canada. Ride director Ed Lindner noted that nearly 60% of those riders came from either out-of-state or more than 100 miles away within New York State.

“Saratoga Springs is a natural bike tourism destination,” Lindner said. “We’re using the Foliage Ride to get the word out.”

Bikeatoga also announced the addition of two new board members at its annual January meeting: Tina Carton and Pamela DelSignore.

Carton is a grant development manager at ChargePoint, where she works on fostering the growth of clean transportation infrastructure in the U.S. and Canada. She was previously the director of sustainability for Saratoga Springs, where she oversaw the development of numerous green transportation projects including the Downtown Connector multi-use path, the Missing Links sidewalk program, and the Henry Street Bike Pilot.

Carton said she was “excited to join the Bikeatoga board as advocacy co‐chair” and was “looking forward to helping strengthen the local community by promoting safe, accessible, sustainable transportation networks that better connect neighborhoods, schools, workplaces, and Saratoga Springs’ vibrant downtown.”

DelSignore is the finance and administration manager at the Southern Adirondack Library System, where her duties include client support services, project management, and finance. DelSignore said she looks forward to helping grow Saratoga’s biking community.