SARATOGA SPRINGS — Last week, U.S. News & World Report published its 2025 Best Hotel Rankings, including the Best Hotels in Saratoga Springs category. For the third year in a row, Saratoga Arms has taken the top spot as the #1 ranked hotel in the Spa City. The hotel also earned a Gold Badge, signifying the top 25% of ranked luxury hotels within a ranking list.
U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hotels rankings evaluate more than 30,000 luxury properties across the United States, Europe, Bermuda, Mexico, Canada, and the Caribbean. The methodology considers a hotel’s star rating and both expert and guest sentiment by collecting annual awards from travel publications and user scores from various sources, the combination of which helps determine each hotel’s rank.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with Empire State University, announced last week the relaunch of the Saratoga County Institute of Management (SCIM). This program, designed for emerging or new managers, provides the essential skills and strategies needed to thrive in today’s workplace.
SCIM offers new accelerated six-week programs that not only sharpen technical and soft skills but also address some of the most common challenges faced by new managers. Participants will walk away with strategies to boost team dynamics, improve communication, and engage in effective leadership after track one. Track two covers a more tactical skill set, with a curriculum designed to cover finance, legal, human resource, and resource management.
“The Saratoga County Institute of Management reflects our commitment to cultivating management excellence across all sectors of our economy,” said Todd Shimkus, president of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce, in a news release. “SCIM is an incredible opportunity for local organizations to invest in their greatest asset—their people.”
The SCIM program was originally launched as a pilot program prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
For more information or to register for SCIM, visit www.saratoga.org/scim.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — In a statement to Saratoga TODAY, Dehn’s Flowers in Saratoga Springs said that their garden center located at 180 Beekman Street will not be reopening this year for a variety of reasons. The florist shop remains open, although plans are underway to merge it with the company’s Milton store on Trieble Avenue in March while they search for a new Saratoga location.
“We appreciate and thank our many customers over the years for allowing us to meet, grow, and help you with your gardening needs,” the company said. “It has been a pleasure and wonderful experience for us.”
Dehn’s Flowers is a family-owned florist that was established in 1892.
MALTA — GlobalFoundries (GF) announced last week that its Board of Directors has appointed Dr. Thomas Caulfield as executive chairman and Tim Breen as chief executive officer. Niels Anderskouv, currently GF’s chief business officer, has been appointed the company’s president and chief operating officer (COO).
Caulfield succeeds Ahmed Yahia, who will step down from the Board and his role as Chairman after more than a decade in the position. Breen, who has been with GF since 2018, succeeds Caulfield. These changes to leadership will become effective on April 28.
“With a solid strategic foundation and strong execution capabilities in place, it’s the right time to take the company to the next level,” said Yahia in a news release.
“I am truly honored and excited to be appointed as the next CEO of GF,” said Breen. “I appreciate the confidence that the Board has placed in me, and I look forward to partnering with Tom and Niels to expand our portfolio, deepen our customer focus, accelerate our growth, and deliver increasing value for our shareholders.”
Caulfield became president and CEO of GF in 2018. During his tenure he repositioned the technology portfolio to focus on differentiated, essential chips and steered the company to sustainable profitability.
Breen oversees the company’s global operations, including the manufacturing, quality, supply chain and IT teams, based in New York. Prior to becoming COO in 2023, he served in various senior executive roles encompassing strategy, business transformation, and finance as a close partner and advisor to the CEO since 2018.
Anderskouv joined GF as Chief Business Officer in 2023 with responsibilities for leading GF’s product and technology roadmap, business and commercial strategy, as well as the company’s go-to-market execution. He brings more than 25 years of experience in engineering, manufacturing, executive management, and global leadership in the semiconductor industry.
The Willow-Marsh Farm Store in the Town of Ballston. Photo by Jonathon Norcross.
BALLSTON — The Willow-Marsh Farm Store announced on Feb. 4 that Listeria was found in a batch of their raw milk. The store owners, Sara and Chuck Curtiss, said it was the first time in more than 17 years that test results had shown Listeria present in their raw milk.
The store is not selling any raw milk until they receive the results of a retest taken on Feb. 11. The results are expected back at some point between Feb. 14 and 18. Anyone who has purchased milk from the store between Jan. 28 and Feb. 2 should dispose of it. The store also said they would be conducting their own Quality Milk Production Services herd survey on Feb. 11.
“We want to take a moment to express our deepest gratitude for your continued support,” the Curtisses wrote in a Facebook post last weekend. “We are so grateful for all of the messages on our social media, calls to the farm store, and the emails we have received. They have been unexpected, informative…heart-warming, and, well, have given us so much positive energy as we deal with this challenge.”
Listeria is a foodborne bacterial illness. According to the Mayo Clinic, healthy people rarely become ill from listeria infection, but the disease can be fatal to unborn babies, newborns, and people with weakened immune systems. Prompt antibiotic treatment can help curb the effects of listeria infection. Listeria is most commonly caused by eating improperly processed deli meats and unpasteurized milk products.
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, raw milk (otherwise known as unpasteurized milk) can carry bacteria such as Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that “consuming raw milk can lead to serious health risks, especially for certain vulnerable populations.”
Although not widely available, the production and sale of raw milk is legal in New York State, under certain conditions. The state requires all raw milk dealers to obtain a license in order to sell raw milk directly to the public, and the milk can only be sold on the farm where it is produced. The Willow-Marsh Farm Store is subject to monthly, unannounced inspections in which their milk, water, cheese, and cows are all assessed.
Guyson USA’s cabinet-blast machinery has been used to put the finishing touches on Apple products such as the MacBook. A tour of its facility reveals the company’s specialty with robotics and its ability to create a wide variety of products, ranging from golf clubs to joint replacements. Photo by Jonathon Norcross.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Your MacBook. Your golf clubs. The joint replacement your father just received. There’s a decent chance that a Saratoga Springs-based company is responsible, at least in part, for any or all of these things.
Guyson USA in the W.J. Grande Industrial Park is a surprisingly under-the-radar manufacturer given both its 50-year-long presence in the area and the sheer size of its facilities, which measure around 73,000 square feet. Contained within this massive space are machines capable of contributing to almost any industry, from aerospace to automotive to firearms. And after working on top-secret projects with the likes of Apple, Guyson is turning its attention to the Saratoga region.
“There’s a ton of local companies around here that I believe really could use us,” said Caitlin Lewis, who heads Guyson USA’s marketing and business development.
Guyson is an international company with offices scattered across the globe. Its primary specialty is designing and building cabinet-blast machinery used for production by manufacturers. This machinery can clean, finish, and surface treat a wide variety of products. Guyson is also enthusiastic about its work in robotics and engineering. A tour of its facilities reveals a plethora of complicated machinery that includes an entire room devoted to 3D printers that seem to be constantly at work.
Perhaps most impressive is the sheer range of products that Guyson helps create, from airplane turbine blades to dental implants to silverware to 10,000-pound tires.
“We’ve been from one end of the world to the other,” said Plant Manager Matt Bush.
One project that hit closer to home was Guyson’s repair of the U.S.S. Saratoga’s nearly 1,000-pound bell, which saw action in World War II aboard the aircraft carrier named for the famed Revolutionary War Battles of Saratoga. The bell had a crack in it, and the task fell to Bush and company to fix it up before it was placed at the entrance of the Saratoga National Cemetery.
“We put it in one of our machines and we polished it up,” Bush said. “All the support stuff, we built all that here.”
An American flag that flew on the U.S.S. Saratoga, presented to Guyson in 1994, is still prominently displayed in the company’s offices.
And it was perhaps Saratoga’s most defining feature that brought the international corporation to the Spa City in the first place. Guyson’s founders, the Thomson family, are racing fans and a well-known name in the motorsport world. It was the Saratoga Race Course that, in part, inspired the need-for-speed family to open their USA branch here.
“And obviously I think they fell in love with Saratoga because what’s not to love here?” Lewis said.
For more information about Guyson USA, visit www.guyson.com.
The Nanola restaurant in Malta debuted a new menu on Wednesday that includes sliders from Slidin’ Dirty. Photo provided.
MALTA — Slidin’ Dirty, a popular Capital Region slider restaurant, has taken over kitchen operations at Nanola in Malta.
On Wednesday, Nanola debuted a new menu that features ten Slidin’ Dirty’s sliders, in addition to the restaurant’s usual New Orleans-inspired starters, sandwiches, salads, sides, and dinner entrées.
Despite the change in kitchen operations, the current Nanola kitchen and wait staff will remain the same.
Slidin’ Dirty was founded as a food truck and catering service in 2012, then opened a restaurant in Troy in 2014 that closed last year. From 2017 to 2019, Slidin’ Dirty operated a second restaurant in Schenectady. Nanola is the second location, after Ophelia’s in Albany, where Slidin’ Dirty has taken over kitchen operations.
Pitch-In logo provided by the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — On Monday, the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce introduced its expanded Pitch-In initiative; a program designed to connect residents with local nonprofits.
“As we saw during the Chamber’s Leap of Kindness Day in 2024, when you pitch in and volunteer, you’re not just giving your time, you’re helping to build a community we can all be proud of,” said Todd Shimkus, president of the Chamber, in a news release. “Volunteering creates ripple effects that benefit everyone, from neighbors in need to the volunteers themselves.”
Those interested in exploring volunteer opportunities can learn more about Pitch-In and explore participating nonprofits at saratoga.org/pitch-in.
Interior image of the newly opened Familiar Creature wine bar in Saratoga Springs provided.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The first of the Phila Street dominoes has fallen.
Familiar Creature, a Montreal-inspired wine bar from the team behind Hamlet & Ghost, officially opened its doors last weekend at 42 Phila.
The eatery is led by Executive Chef Michele Hunter (a Food Network Chopped Champion), who previously worked at The Adelphi Hotel and Hamlet & Ghost, as well as Sous Chef Alex Johnson, who has worked with top chefs such as Thomas Keller, Jenner Tomaska, and Eric Leveillee.
Co-owners Brendan Dillon and Dennis Kiingati, of Hamlet & Ghost fame, collaborated with New York City-based design firm Post Co. to create a modern space reminiscent of a French bistro. Familiar Creature features indoor seating for 50 patrons, as well as an outdoor patio that can accommodate an additional 30 patrons during the warmer months.
Some signature items advertised by Creature include a white negroni, Manila clams, seasonal ice cream, local meats and cheeses, roasted chicken, and, of course, wine. The restaurant is open Wednesday through Sunday, from 4 p.m. until close. There are plans to expand to a six-day schedule in the coming weeks.
The restaurant’s name is derived from a line in William Shakespeare’s “Othello”: “Come, come, good wine is a good familiar creature, if it be well used.”
The eatery is one of at least four establishments set to open on Phila Street this year. Others include Standard Fare (serving upscale American comfort food and due to open this spring at 21 Phila), Noah’s (an Italian joint at 43 Phila), and Fillies on Phila (a wood-fired pizza restaurant at 39 Phila that’s set to open this winter).
The site of Morcon Tissue’s future corporate headquarters: 18 Division Street in downtown Saratoga Springs. Photo via Bonacio Construction.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Morcon Tissue, a manufacturer of napkins, towels, tissues, and other paper products, is moving its corporate headquarters to downtown Saratoga Springs.
The Albany Business Review first reported the news last month.
Morcon, which recently added restaurant chains Applebee’s and IHOP to its client list, will relocate to a 5,000-square-foot office at 18 Division Street. The company is currently hiring for several positions that will be based in Saratoga.