BOLTON LANDING — Laura Bradigan has been named to The Sembrich’s Board of Directors. Bradigan has worked for many years in government, politics, and nonprofit and for-profit organizations in the Capital District and upstate New York including the Hyde Collection in Glens Falls and Bethel Homes and Services in Ossining and Croton-On-Hudson. 

Bradigan is a resident of Saratoga Springs. She is a member of the Saratoga Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and of the Admission Committee for the Saratoga Golf & Polo Club. She is a former board member of Bethesda Episcopal Church’s Mercy House in Saratoga Springs and of Sculpture Space, a Utica-based residency program for sculptors.

The Sembrich, located in Bolton Landing, features an annual Summer Festival with a mix of world-class musicians, noted musical scholars, a free film series, and the opportunity to enjoy it all on the shores of Lake George. The Sembrich is listed on the National Historic Register. For more information, go to: Sembrich.org. 

We have all seen some version of this in a headline: “Stocks were (up/down/mixed) today as investors (verb) about (current event).” In these financial Mad Libs, an attempt is made to summarize in a few words the reason for the movements of thousands of stocks and interest rates. As human beings, we crave this sort of narrative because it helps us make sense of a very complex system. Unfortunately, a simple explanation is neither pertinent nor useful in the big picture. ‘What’ is happening is infinitely more valuable than ‘why’ something is happening.

By focusing on ‘what’ rather than ‘why,’ you distance yourself from the biases that inadvertently creep into our decision-making process. To start, mental energy might be wasted connecting the dots on something that does not turn out to be true at all. I think back to the people who piled into gold coming out of the financial crisis because the Federal Reserve’s quantitative easing programs would surely lead to hyperinflation and therefore higher gold prices. Gold peaked around $1,900/oz in 2011 and 10 years later, it is currently below $1,800/oz. That is a lost decade for those who have held this entire time. At the time, it was a very reasonable scenario to believe, but it just was not true. Once the narrative took hold, it was hard for believers to recognize that their thesis was not going according to plan.

Recently, we saw an example of this play out in real time when the highly anticipated inflation report came out and drastically exceeded expectations. In such an environment, it would be expected that bonds would be sold. The reasoning behind this is: receiving fixed interest and principal payments in an environment when the value of the dollar is depreciating becomes very unattractive. Instead, bonds were aggressively bought on the news leaving many to scratch their heads. Why were they bought? Frankly, it does not matter. The reality of the situation is that they were and we have to accept that for fact. 

‘Cognitive dissonance’ is a term that psychologists use to explain the psychological stress one encounters when faced with information that contradicts what they believe to be true. We want to be right and will jump through mental hoops in order to convince ourselves that we are, even in the face of opposing information. Being right and making money can be opposing forces at times.  As advisors, we help you look at the big picture and make sure you are on the right side. 

For more information, visit
contwealth.com

David Rath, CFA is the Director of Portfolio Strategies at Continuum Wealth Advisors in Saratoga Springs.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga County Prosperity Partnership President and CEO Shelby Schneider has announced she will depart from the organization. 

“I will be moving on to a new opportunity that will allow me to grow personally and professionally but I will miss the incredible people and businesses I have had the pleasure of working with here in Saratoga County over the past 21 years. I wish them all a bright and prosperous future,” Schneider said. 

Schneider was appointment President and CEO of the Saratoga County Prosperity Partnership in February 2020, after serving as Director of Business Retention and Expansion, and as Vice President of the organization, which she joined in 2016.  Previously, she spent 13 years at the Saratoga Economic Development Corporation as a member of the economic development team that brought GLOBALFOUNDRIES to Saratoga County. 

The Prosperity Partnership is a Saratoga County-based economic development organization. The mission of the organization is to secure sustainable jobs and capital investment by attracting new business to Saratoga County, and retaining existing businesses by assisting them to grow.

“I’d like to thank the Saratoga County Prosperity Partnership board of directors and Saratoga County Board of Supervisors for the opportunity to lead this organization,” Schneider said. “Although the past year navigating the organization during a global pandemic has been incredibly challenging, it has also been equally rewarding.” 

Schneider’s new position is focused on economic development, and a formal announcement regarding her move will be made within the next few weeks, she said. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — More than a thousand small businesses have been started north of the Mohawk because of Bill Edwards and the regional SCORE team he built starting in 2005.

Starting with a single office provided by the Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce in Glens Falls, Edward’s team grew to 30 counselors in four offices.

After being Senior Financial Officer for HP Hood Dairy and International Corporate Vice President and Regional Director for Arthur D. Little, one of the world’s largest consulting firms, Edwards became a college teacher and was selected as the Harder professor of business and management at Skidmore, where he regularly received rave reviews from his students.

Retiring for the second time in 2005, Bill became a volunteer with SCORE, which is a national not-for-profit partner of the U. S. Small Business Administration dedicated to helping small business owners form and grow their businesses. 

Edward’s third retirement comes after a banner 2020. Using Zoom, his team spent more than 6,000 hours and helped start or expand 117 businesses, creating 236 new jobs. These businesses invested more than $4,000,000, more than half of which was raised from local and regional financial institutions which came to respect SCORE for introducing them to entrepreneurs who were well prepared to start or grow their businesses. 

For more information, go online to score.org. 

ALBANY — Tully Rinckey PLLC has announced that Allen Shoikhetbrod has been promoted to Managing Partner of Tully Rinckey PLLC’s Albany office. Shoikhetbrod started as an associate attorney with the firm 2014 and has been a Partner since 2019.

As Managing Partner of the Albany office, Shoikhetbrod assists with day-to-day operations for the firm and provides input on the firm’s long-term strategic vision. He also serves as Practice Chair of Tully Rinckey’s New York State Labor and Employment Practice and Team Leader for the Federal Employment Practice.

Shoikhetbrod has experience representing clients before federal and state courts, as well as before administrative tribunals and agencies such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL), New York City Commission on Human Rights (NYCCHR), the Foreign Service Grievance Board (FSGB), and matters before the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC).

For more information, contact Tiarnan Barrett at 518 640-1225 or via email at tbarrett@tullylegal.com.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Race Course will open all sections at 100 percent capacity, the New York Racing Association announced June 16. The update was made one day after Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the immediate removal of COVID-19 protocols and restrictions for nearly all activities as the benchmark was met of 70 percent of adult New Yorkers receiving at least one shot of the vaccine. 

At the racecourse, the lifting of all COVID-19 protocols includes the requirement for fans to provide vaccination status, and applies to all hospitality areas and venues within the facility, including the popular Saratoga backyard, 1863 Club and The Stretch. Season admission passes, which provide access to the backyard, will be available for purchase and use without the prior requirement that fans provide proof of vaccination status.

The overall capacity at Saratoga Race Course is approximately 50,000. Non-vaccinated individuals will be required to wear a facial covering during their day at Saratoga Race Course, in accordance with CDC guidance.

“We’ve remained operational throughout the pandemic. After a 54-day suspension of racing at the height of the pandemic downstate, we were able to resume live racing at Belmont Park on June 3, 2020 without spectators in attendance, ran the entirety of the Saratoga race meet in 2020 without spectators in attendance – but uninterrupted, without any cases of COVID-19 on the backstretch, among employees or vendors,” said Patrick McKenna, NYRA’s director of communications.

“Being able to welcome fans back to Belmont on May 3, for the first time in 552 days at Belmont, was exciting and in some ways emotional – because of what everyone has been through.  Thankfully now, we are turning the page on the pandemic with the rise of vaccinations, with the easing of restrictions that recognizes the incredibly powerful protections provided by these vaccinations,” McKenna said. 

“On July 15, there will be a very special moment when we open those gates and the crowd comes through at Saratoga. We’re really looking forward to what should be a spectacular summer of thoroughbred racing here.”

The New York Racing Association hosted a job fair last weekend and aims to hire about 2,350 full-time, part-time and seasonal workers for the 2021 Saratoga Race Course summer meet. It is a hiring number NYRA expects to meet.

“We have a large percentage of seasonal employees return year-after-year – some for decades, said McKenna, who was at the racecourse for the first day of the job fair, on June 11. 

“We went on sale with tickets (last week) and saw an unprecedented response in terms of tickets sold. The enthusiasm and the energy we’re seeing that is running through this community is significant in ways that frankly we’ve not seen before, so we’re optimistic that will carry over in the hiring.” 

NYRA was fully staffed for last week’s Belmont Stakes where 11,000 fans were in attendance, and the hiring process downstate went smoothly, he added. 

“Saratoga is a wonderful place for seasonal employment, and we remain optimistic we will see the same level of hiring we’ve been accustomed to. These are good-paying jobs for young people and for those who may be looking for seasonal work and it’s an incredibly exciting and dynamic place to work,” McKenna said. 

The number of employees sought this summer is similar to the number generally hired at the racecourse in pre-pandemic times, he added. 

ALBANY — The Veterans in Economic Transition Conference (VETCON) is returning for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. The conference seeks to assist veterans in their transition from service to everyday life, focusing on providing financial tools, resources, and support returns to the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Albany on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1.

“In this, our first VETCON since the pandemic, our goal is to continue to enable veteran business owners to grow their businesses, build their networks with other veterans and market their products and services to New York State agencies,” said Anthony Kuhn, Founding Partner, Tully Rinckey Kuhn and Chair of the 2021 VETCON Alliance.

In the past, the event has brought together public and private businesses, nonprofit and for-profit organizations, and New York State agencies for two days of hands-on workshops and networking opportunities. Over 100 Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Businesses (SDVOBs) and more than 130 state agency and authority personnel have participated in the inaugural conference and job fair. 

Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in valuable hands-on workshops designed specifically for them, in addition to taking part in numerous informational and networking sessions with businesses, organizations and state agency purchasing personnel. Practical workshops will include information about how to certify a veteran-owned business and obtain federal and state contract set asides, proposal and business plan writing, business fundamentals, and matchmaking between entrepreneurial business and government agencies. All proceeds from VETCON will be donated toward the advancement of veterans’ services. To register for VETCON or to become a sponsor please visit www.VetConNY.com. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — IMC has announced two recent hires to its team of digital marketing professionals. 

Curtis Joseph Metcalf aka “Cujo” has joined IMC as a Web Developer & Technical Support Specialist. He is responsible for implementing content updates, developing website themes, and assisting with client inquires.  Born and raised in Schenectady, Metcalf attended Clarkson University before transferring to SUNY Potsdam where he graduated with a B.A. in Communications. He comes to IMC from DePaula Auto Group, where he was employed on the Merchandising Team. 

Nancy Holzman has joined IMC as Creative Marketing Associate. Holzman’s primary focus is the promotion and expansion of the Arts Spark division and the cultivation of new business for IMC’s affordable and dynamic IMC Express Sites.  A graduate of Hamilton College, she majored in English and minored in Fine Arts. 

Holzman’s marketing background includes employment in both the private and non-profit sectors.  She has held previous positions as the Director of Advertising for a small manufacturing company, Communications Director for Duchess County Arts Council, Community Relations Coordinator for Literacy NENY, and most recently as a freelance marketing consultant and small business strategist.  You may also recognize her as the former Chef/Owner of Good Morning Café. 

IMC is a full-service website and digital marketing firm located in Saratoga Springs. Services include website design and programming (including eCommerce database and custom software integrations), branding, content creation, print collateral materials, and hosting. www.imediaconsult.com

Saratoga Springs — Julie & Co. Realty announced Kirk Francis as the newest member of their brokerage.

Kirk Francis has been an active member in the Saratoga Springs community his entire life. Kirk has lived in multiple areas of Saratoga which has led him in being very familiar within the area. Kirk has worked in residential construction for a brief period of time which has helped him have a deep understanding of the amount of work and care that goes into the housing process. 

When Kirk isn’t making home ownership dreams come true for his clients, he is spending time with friends or family at home or in Lake George. 

For more information, call 518-350-SOLD (7653), email info@juliecorealty.com or visit www.JulieCoRealty.com

Saratoga Springs — Dr. Steven Yarinsky of Saratoga Springs Plastic Surgery, PC has been named a Top Doctor® for 2021 by Castle Connolly and earned the titles of “Best in Plastic Surgery” and “Best Spa” by Saratoga TODAY. 

Castle Connolly Top Doctors® annual award is compiled through peer nominations followed by a detailed evaluation process. Dr. Yarinsky maintains his title as a Top Doctor for the Capital District.

For the ninth consecutive year, Saratoga Springs Plastic Surgery, PC has been named the top plastic surgery practice in its annual “Best Of” issue, which is voted by the local community.

In addition to its status as “Best in Plastic Surgery,” Dr. Yarinsky’s practice was voted “Best Spa” in the Saratoga region. This signifies the team’s medical spa as the fan favorite in the area.

Board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Steven Yarinsky has been practicing plastic surgery in the Albany and Saratoga Springs area for more than 30 years. He provides a variety of cosmetic surgery procedures as well as non-surgical treatments. Dr. Yarinsky is the only “Expert Injector” in the Albany/Capital District area certified by New Beauty Magazine, and personally performs all injectable treatments at his practice. Saratoga Springs Medispa provides a variety of non-surgical body contouring and facial rejuvenation services and massage treatments.

Before establishing Saratoga Springs Plastic Surgery, PC, Dr. Yarinsky graduated from SUNY Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse. He completed his general surgery residency at Ohio State University Hospital in Columbus and Marshall University Medical School, and finished his cosmetic and plastic surgery residency training at the Medical College of Ohio. Dr. Yarinsky takes over 150 hours of continuing education every three years and maintains active memberships in several medical associations, which includes being a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He is available for interview upon request. 

To learn more about Saratoga Springs Plastic Surgery, PC, visit www.yarinsky.com or facebook.com/DrYarinsky.