While attending law school in Southern California, Saratoga County native Christopher Martell discovered his love for home brewed beer and the brewpub culture. After earning his J.D. in 2003 and master’s in Law, he returned to the Capital Region to work as an attorney.
But in 2012, he and his brother, Brian Martell, had other ideas and took their home brew hobby and turned it into a successful business.
Seven years later Christopher Martell, CEO of Druthers Brewing Co. based on Broadway in Saratoga Springs, was named the recipient of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Syracuse District 2019 Small Business Person of the Year Award.
According to SBA Syracuse District Director Bernard J. Paprocki, Martell was nominated for the award by the New York Business Development Corp. (NYBDC), and selected for the honor based on criteria that includes: leadership, success, growth in sales and employees, and community contributions.

Saratoga County is outpacing the Capital Region and New York state in jobs, wages and economic impact in the manufacturing sector, according to the inaugural Saratoga County Manufacturing Index released in April by the Saratoga County Prosperity Partnership.
Officials said at the same time, it reveals a need for heightened workforce development initiatives to ensure the presence of skilled employees to sustain its growth.

ReWire Energy in Saratoga Springs has announced a new stage in its corporate growth that will align its software development, energy analytics, financial modeling and utility program management expertise with market needs, including serving commercial real estate development and management, municipal and utility customers, and energy and technology customers.

by Andrea Palmer
Debreen and Tony Oliva opened Racing City Brewing Co. 14 months ago and have steadily grown since. The couple also owns Oliva Vineyards winery, making wine for the past decade.
Recently, they have created a Cornhole venue and weekly competition at the brewing facility.
Cornhole leagues meet at the 250 Excelsior St. location in Saratoga Springs every Thursday night. Teams are paired through a blind draw, with names pulled out of a hat. It is a double-elimination tournament with a winner every night. At the end of the eight-week session, a ninth week playoff takes place.
“It’s a real nice group of people on a regular basis,” said Debreen Oliva. “It’s a great activity inside during the winter because there’s not much to do if you don’t like being outside in the cold. And it’s great in the summer when you want to enjoy the good weather outside.”

From connecting families with housing and food resources, to providing valuable mentorship opportunities to local youth, Northwestern Mutual financial advisors aim to lead impactful change in communities across the country.
Through its foundation, the company is recognizing these efforts through its 2019 Community Service Awards program by awarding nearly $300,000 in grants to nonprofits nationwide.
Each year, Northwestern Mutual selects 16 financial advisors nationwide to receive grants to benefit a nonprofit of their choice as part of the program. Local resident Sherry Finkel Murphy, a financial advisor at Northwestern Mutual – Albany, has been chosen as a 2019 Most Exceptional recipient of the award, receiving a $25,000 grant for Wellspring. Wellspring is dedicated to supporting survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, and engaging the community to end relationship and sexual abuse.