Category Archives: Business Briefs

NBT Bank is hosting a webinar series educating business leaders on the latest information surrounding all facets of addressing cyber threats from awareness to prevention and response.

Presenters include NBT Bank director of information security Terra Carnrike-Granata, director of cash management and government banking Margaret Scopelianos, information security manager Andrew Frisbie and NBT Insurance Agency president Tucker Lounsbury.

The events are free to attend, and guests may join one or all sessions.

“Are You Covered? Proactive Controls You Need Now” will be held on Friday, April 23. It will outline how to integrate cyber liability insurance into your cybersecurity program while also leveraging banking controls to protect financial assets.

“After A Breach: Effective Incident Response on Friday,” will be held April 30. The team will share the fundamentals of incident response planning, and tips on how to respond to a ransomware attack or an email account takeover in Microsoft 365.

“Cybercrime Survivors: Stories & Lessons Learned” is schedule for Friday, May 7, and will feature a virtual roundtable hosted by all four of our presenters. The team will discuss valuable lessons from actual cyber-attacks, as well as answer questions submitted on topics from cybersecurity to cash management and more.

To register, visit www.nbtbank.com/CybersecurityRSVP.

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Ferraro, Amodio & Zarecki, CPAs, a forensic accounting, business valuation and business advisory firm and Hudson Forensic Solutions, a boutique forensic firm, have announce a merger.

The union, designed to provide the Hudson Valley with expanded services in business valuations, fraud and financial investigations, economic damage analysis, litigation support, expert testimony, as well as business growth consulting, exit planning and investment banking services.

As a result of the merger, FAZ, based in Saratoga Springs, now also operates out of White Plains, covering Westchester County and the entire Hudson Valley.

Saratoga Bariatric Surgery and Weight-Loss Program, a service of Saratoga Hospital, has been awarded the Blue Distinction Center designation as part of the Blue Distinction Specialty Care program.

The designation, from BlueShield of Northeastern New York, is reserved for nationally accredited bariatric surgery programs that meet rigorous, objective standards for quality of care, patient safety and outcomes.

Saratoga Bariatric Surgery and Weight-Loss Program has been a Blue Distinction Center since 2015. The program also is recognized as an Aetna Institute of Quality Bariatric Surgery Facility and is accredited as a “comprehensive” center by the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program.

Bariatric surgeries are among the most common elective surgeries in the U.S.—and the most effective treatment for severely obese patients, officials said. These procedures allow patients to achieve substantial, sustained weight loss. That, in turn, can improve or resolve serious obesity-related conditions, such type 2 diabetes.

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The Adirondack Trust Co. has again secured a 5-Star rating from BauerFinancial, a bank rating firm.

A five-star rating indicates that the bank excels in areas of capital adequacy, profitability, asset quality and much more. Earning and maintaining this top rating for 58 consecutive quarters puts Adirondack Trust in a prestigious bracket as an exceptional performance bank.

BauerFinancial, Inc., based in Coral Gables, Fla., has been reporting on and analyzing the performance of U.S. banks and credit unions since 1983. No institution can pay for or opt-out of a BauerFinancial rating.

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The Adirondack Trust Co. has again secured a 5-Star rating from BauerFinancial, a bank rating firm.
A five-star rating indicates that the bank excels in areas of capital adequacy, profitability, asset quality and much more. Earning and maintaining this top rating for 58 consecutive quarters puts Adirondack Trust in a prestigious bracket as an exceptional performance bank.
BauerFinancial, Inc., based in Coral Gables, Fla., has been reporting on and analyzing the performance of U.S. banks and credit unions since 1983. No institution can pay for or opt-out of a BauerFinancial rating.

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Eighteen members of the Sterling Homes Real Estate team recently graduated from a New Homes Sales Specialist training program. The education consisted of a five-week intensive course with the top new home sales trainer in the country.

The City Center parking facility, under construction since Sept. 23, 2019, is open.
The new facility, located between Maple and High Rock Avenues, has secure covered parking for over 620 vehicles. The building features a pedestrian bridge over Maple Avenue that leads into the City Center.
It has four electric car charging stations, two green spaces, and a roof top area that can be utilized for parking and convention-related events. Evening hours will have a security guard on premise.
The facility has a pay-per-park system, with the first hour of parking free and each additional hour being $1, up to a maximum of $15 per day. Yearly parking passes will also be available.
To help downtown Saratoga Springs restaurants and retail businesses this holiday season during the challenge of a pandemic, City Center will offer four hours of complementary parking on a daily basis until Jan. 1.
A limited number of yearly parking passes are now available for purchase. Pass holders will enjoy many benefits including: covered parking, electric charging stations, video surveillance and overnight security on site.

The Adirondack Trust Co. has again secured a 5-Star rating from BauerFinancial, a bank rating firm.
A five-star rating indicates that the bank excels in areas of capital adequacy, profitability, asset quality and much more. Earning and maintaining this top rating for 57 consecutive quarters puts Adirondack Trust in the most prestigious bracket as an exceptional performance bank.
BauerFinancial, Inc., based in Coral Gables, Fla., has been reporting on and analyzing the performance of U.S. banks and credit unions since 1983. No institution can pay for or opt-out of a BauerFinancial rating.

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The Academy for Lifelong Learning is the recipient of a $3,500 grant from the Stewart’s/Dake Family for COVID-19 relief support. The funds are being used to convert in-person educational classes and social activities to virtual offerings through Zoom.
Twenty classes, most by Zoom, are currently being offered during the Academy’s fall semester and continue through early November. A first-ever winter term is also being planned to start Jan. 11 with registration in November. A spring term will begin in early April. Annual membership through June 30, 2021 is $65. Eight-week classes are offered at $50 and four-week classes are $25.

Whitman Brewing, 20 Lake Ave. in Saratoga Springs, announced the release of its first canned product, New World Water.
The new canning line was scheduled for setup by the manufacturer, Cask Global Canning Solutions, based out of Alberta, Canada, just days before the border was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This delayed the first canning run, but after video meetings with Cask, Head Brewer Nick Meyer had the machine up and running, the company said.
New World Water, a 5.14 percent ABV hard seltzer, is conditioned with pureed strawberries, giving it a subtle pink hue and a slightly tart fruit flavor.
People must be 21 and older to purchase brewery products and masks and proper social distancing are required.

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Saratoga Hospital has again been named a Best Regional Hospital by U.S. News & World Report, taking the top spot in Northern New York and ranking third in the Albany region for 2020-2021.
Saratoga Hospital also is ranked 22nd in New York state and was rated “high performing” in four specialties, procedures and conditions: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart failure, hip replacement, and knee replacement.

Unified Beerworks, a craft brewery on Old Stonebreak Road in Malta, won a gold award for one of its products at the annual New York State Craft Beer Competition for 2020.

The brewery won gold in the Hazy Pale Ale category for “Right Time and Right Place.”

This year’s contest was sponsored by the New York State Brewers Association. The judging was held in Rochester in March.

Some 467 breweries in the state entered a total of 989 beers in the competition. There were 29 medal-winning breweries and 35 total medals awarded. There were 30 judges from across the state. Unified Beerworks was opened in October 2018 by the husband-and-wife team of Jeff Mannion and Erika Anderson.

Due to current circumstances related to the COVID-19 pandemic, Adirondack Health Institute’s Enrollment Assistance Services and Education (EASE) team has stopped seeing clients in person, however, continues to offer health insurance enrollment assistance via telephone.

The Adirondack Trust Co. reported it has once again secured a 5-Star rating from BauerFinancial, the nation’s premier bank rating firm.

A five-star rating indicates that the bank excels in areas of capital adequacy, profitability, asset quality and much more. Earning and maintaining this top rating for 55 consecutive quarters puts Adirondack Trust in the most prestigious bracket as an Exceptional Performance Bank.