Certification obtained
PLATTSBURGH — Ed Davis, CIC, CRM, associate vice president of Northern Insuring Agency Inc. in Plattsburgh, has successfully completed his Certified Risk Manager designation.
To earn this designation, Davis attended five, four-day courses covering all phases of the risk-management process and successfully passed five comprehensive examinations. He is one of 1,500 in the United States to obtain this designation, and is planning on attending the seven Certified School Risk Manager programs throughout the country. Additionally, the National Alliance requires annual attendance in the program to maintain the designation.
Davis is a 14-year veteran of the industry and has been a CIC (Certified Insurance Counselor) since 2004. Also, he believes the insurance/risk management profession is best served by those who acquire and maintain a high standard of professionalism by meeting the continuing-education requirements of both the Certified Insurance Counselors and Certified Risk Managers programs.
Award received
LAKE PLACID — The Crowne Plaza Resort & Golf Club, Lake Placid, has received the IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) 2009 Torchbearer Award, the company's most prestigious award.
Torchbearer Award winners represent top hotels that excel in all aspects of guest service and quality, according to guest surveys.
The Torchbearer Awards were presented during the 2009 IHG Americas Investors and Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C., Nov. 11-13, 2009. The Crowne Plaza Resort & Golf Club, Lake Placid, was one of six Crowne Plazas in the United States, Canada, Latin America and Mexico to win the Torchbearer Award.
"We are extremely proud of the hard work, attention to detail and cheerful service that our employees have demonstrated over the past 30 years, and the Torchbearer Award monuments our collective achievement," Arthur Lussi said.
The Crowne Plaza Resort & Golf Club, Lake Placid, is owned by the Lussi Family and has been in operation since 1969. With more than 30,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, it provides a venue for business meetings and social functions. The hotel's Olympic room accommodates up to 1,200 guests and provides an upscale, formal setting.
The award was accepted by Ray Damp, general manager, and Katy Matthews, director of special projects and services.
Bank ranked
PLATTSBURGH — In a Dec. 30, 2009, article titled "America's Best And Worst Banks," Forbes.com ranked NBT Bancorp as the ninth-best bank in the nation.
Forbes ranked the 100 largest banks, thrifts and holding companies on "eight financial measures that gauge asset quality, capital adequacy and profitability." These financial institutions each have $5 billion or more in assets. The Web site ranked the institutions on each measure and added up the individual rankings.
Forbes noted that NBT Bancorp's reserves as a percentage of nonperforming loans was 165 percent, the "fifth-highest among big banks." NBT Bancorp was one of only two institutions from the East Coast to make the top 10. More information on the rankings can be found at www.forbes.com/bank-ratings.
In an article accompanying the rankings, Forbes stated that it wanted to "drill a little deeper into the health" of the nation's largest banks, especially since some observers may assume that the "banking crisis is just about over." Based on its findings, the Web site said those observers "would be wrong."
"This recognition helps validate our efforts to be a high-performing financial company while remaining safe, sound and secure," NBT Bancorp President and Chief Executive Officer Martin Dietrich said. "The U.S. economy and banking industry face continuing challenges, but we will keep our focus on taking care of our customers and delivering long-term value to our shareholders."
Forbes is one of the world's leading providers of business information. Its magazines and other media reach 50 million businesspeople around the globe.
Health program
PLATTSBURGH — Rite Aid is again supporting the American Heart Association's "Go Red For Women" movement by providing free heart health guides in all of its stores nationwide now through March and online at www.riteaid.com/health/.
More than 4,800 Rite Aid stores also will help raise funds for AHA by collecting customer donations of $1 or more for red dress paper pinups from Jan. 31 to March 6. Pinups include six detachable money-saving coupons.
While Rite Aid's efforts emphasize women's heart health in an attempt to debunk heart disease's myth as being a "man's disease," the national dialogue on heart health benefits both men and women by increasing awareness of a disease responsible for more deaths in either sex than any other cause.
The 16-page heart-health guide includes information about heart health at different ages, the dangers of heart disease and specific advice including:
E Recognizing the tell-tale signs of heart attack or stroke that can help a victim get life-saving medical attention within a critical time window.
E Controlling high cholesterol, especially of the artery-clogging LDL kind, by reducing dietary fat intake, raising the HDL cholesterol levels and getting regular cholesterol checks.
E Reducing high blood pressure and the damage it can cause to internal organs and arteries by increasing fruit and vegetable intake while avoiding alcohol and tobacco products.
E Managing diabetes and the increased risk it brings for stroke or heart disease through consistent checkups and personalized diabetes wellness tips from a Rite Aid pharmacist.
Also at www.riteaid.com/health/, there are links and additional information as well as interactive resources including:
E Support groups for heart wellness and the related topic of weight management.
E Personalized health info including fat intake limits, what type and how much cholesterol is healthy, and a full heart profile from the AHA.
E Tips for eating heart healthy when dining out.
E How caregivers can focus on heart health for seniors.
To encourage patients to take charge of their heart health, Rite Aid is offering a rebate now through March 27. Purchases of $25 or more of select heart and overall health products earn customers Rite Aid gift cards of $10 to $25. More information is available at www.riteaid.com/health/.
"Rite Aid's most important goal as a network of neighborhood pharmacies is to empower its patients to take charge of their overall health and wellness. This entails more than just remembering regular checkups and taking medications appropriately as prescribed," said Robert Thompson, Rite Aid executive vice president, pharmacy. "The research behind our heart awareness initiatives with the American Heart Association clearly shows how a little bit of lifestyle change literally can add years to a patient's life."
As some of the most accessible health care providers, Rite Aid pharmacists are available to counsel patients on heart health, their medications and heart healthy products.
Rite Aid's focus on heart health is part of its yearlong commitment to patient health and wellness. Each year, Rite Aid offers free information, answers and guidance on health and wellness topics including diabetes, allergy awareness, skin care, oral health and weight management.
Nutritional scoring
PLATTSBURGH — The NuVal Nutritional Scoring System featured at Price Chopper supermarkets was officially endorsed by the American College of Preventive Medicine (ACPM) recently.
A leading organization of some of the country's top physicians committed to preventing disease and promoting health, the ACPM recommended NuVal as an easy and effective way to help consumers understand the nutritional value of the foods they buy. Price Chopper, which operates 119 stores in New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Connecticut, was the first supermarket chain to bring the NuVal system to its customers.
NuVal gives all foods a score from 1 to 100; the higher the score, the higher the food's overall nutrition. All NuVal scores are provided on supermarket shelves, making it easy for consumers to compare the overall nutrition of the foods they buy at a glance.
"Price Chopper became the early adopter of NuVal because we know that an informed customer is a satisfied customer," said Price Chopper Senior Nutritionist Ellie Wilson. "Our customers look to us to be their advocate, and NuVal is a wonderful example of just that.
"ACPM supports evidence-based and meaningful nutrition labeling that can guide consumers to healthier eating," said ACPM President Mark B. Johnson, MD. "ACPM has reviewed the NuVal nutritional rating system and found that it meets the ACPM criteria for support."
Johnson noted that with the rising rates of obesity and diabetes, NuVal could be helpful in guiding people to the most nutritious food in a supermarket. "We believe that arming consumers with easy-to-understand, at-a-glance, information about the nutritional quality of the food they purchase, at the point of purchase, can have a significant impact on changing their eating behaviors," Johnson said.
Chamber officers
SCHROON LAKE — The Schroon Lake Chamber of Commerce officers for 2010 have been selected as follows:
President, John Huston, who runs the Northwoods Wilderness Guide Service; vice president, Mike Bush, who manages the Word of Life Inn; and treasurer, Peter Johnson, who represents AGC Printing.
Board of Directors members are Deb DeCesare, who owns DeCesare's Pizzeria; Laura Donaldson, who owns the Rocky Acres Inn B&B; and Rocky Acres Sewing and Alterations; Ed Healy, who owns Veren Services (Web/Internet design/hosting/marketing); Tony Kostecki, who is the general director of Seagle Music Colony; Patti Mehm who owns The Towne Store and the Lakeview Inn & B&B;, Cathy Moses, the Town of Schroon supervisor.
Director appointed
SARANAC LAKE — Nicole Wright of the Adirondack Economic Development Corporation (AEDC) has received certification as Economic Development Finance Professional from the National Development Council.
Certification is a designation given to individuals who successfully complete an intensive economic-development finance training series that is conducted by the council. The courses provide individuals working in the field of economic development with training in credit analysis, real-estate financing, loan packaging, deal structuring and negotiating and the creation and implementation of development programs.
Additionally, on Jan. 1, 2010, Wright was appointed director of lending for the AEDC. The AEDC is a small-business lending and training organization with a 14-county coverage area through the North Country with its main office in Saranac Lake.
The AEDC is a Certified Development Finance Institution and receives funding from U.S. Department of Treasury, Small Business Administration, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Empire State Development Corporation. The AEDC's mission is to help the local economy by providing capital, training and counseling to businesses in the region.
"Over the past 16 months, Nikki has admirably managed our small-business lending activities for the AEDC," said Mike Conway, executive director. "She has grown our loan activity by 140 percent over the past year and has been key to our taking on the loan fund administration of our neighboring communities. Nikki brings a great academic background to this position with her MBA from Clarkson University and math degree from SUNY Potsdam."
Her directorship responsibilities include fund capitalization, operational structuring and strategic-planning activities, in addition to loan-fund administration for the Saranac Lake and Lake Placid loan funds.
The National Development Council training is the recognized standard for the economic-development practioner in the U.S. Each of the four courses are five days in length and end with a written review that must be passed before a certification candidate is allowed to continue in the program. When a candidate has completed the entire four-week series, a comprehensive examination is given.
Marketing partnership
LAKE PLACID — Adworkshop & Inphorm is one of 10 marketing communications agencies nationwide that has partnered to market their services collaboratively in order to increase the range of services available to their clients. The group is called the Alliance of Marketing Communications Agencies (AMCA), and they recently launched a group Web site at www.amcagroup.com to showcase their full range of marketing services.
"Our affiliation with AMCA and the marketing agency members provides our organization with valuable resources and an increased level of expertise now illustrated through a new collaborative Web site," said General Manager Darcy Norfolk.
AMCA's mission is to bring new advantages to its members' clients with a national network of diverse marketing communications firms. With an AMCA member serving as a client's agency, the client gets access to a network of exceptional expertise and support as well as personal attention and local knowledge.
AMCA is an invitation-only network of firms with expertise in market communications, advertising and public relations. Founded in the year 2000, AMCA meets every six months to hear leading thinkers in the field and to share best practices and learn from each other. Until recently, the group functioned primarily as a forum to share ideas and best practices. However, with the launch of the new Web site, the agencies in the network are collaborating to offer more expertise and depth of service to clients.
AMCA's members are headquartered across the United States and present various specialties of marketing services. Together, AMCA members share best practices and improve the quality and depth of services for each of the member agency's clients.
Ice palace contest
SARANAC LAKE —Rob Grant & Associates Real Estate will sponsor the 15th annual ice palace building contest open to all elementary, middle and high-school students in the Tri-Lakes area.
All students are invited to use their creativity in constructing their very own version of the famous Saranac Lake ice palace. Palaces may be any size and constructed of any materials limited only by the students' imaginations.
All ice palaces must be placed on a firm base. Winners from each category will receive an engraved trophy and all honorable mentions will receive ribbons.
Winners from each category will have their palaces put on display in the windows of Rob Grant & Associates at 43 Broadway in Saranac Lake throughout the entire winter carnival week. This contest also receives wide media coverage with winners featured in a variety of publications. Contestants should have their palaces finished and brought to the office by Feb. 3 for judging on Feb. 4. Winners will be announced on Feb. 5. For further information, call 891-3745, visit www.adirondackrealestate.com or e-mail robgrant@northnet.org. To view past winners and pictures of ice palaces, go to www.adirondacks.com/palace.html.
Tax help
MALONE — The Franklin County CA$H Coalition has a goal of increasing family financial health through assets, education and partnership. This aligns the coalition with the SeaComm Federal Credit Union philosophy, and so the credit union will continue its participation with CA$H by hosting Super Saturday on Feb. 6 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Malone branch.
The CA$H strategy involves providing IRS-trained tax preparers to complete tax returns for low- to moderate-income residents, to decrease the percentage of unbanked families and increase family assets through the Earned Income Tax Credit, health coverage, Food Stamps, WIC and HEAP.
IRS-trained volunteers will be on hand to prepare tax returns free of charge for eligible workers and information on a variety of services will be displayed. Financial-service representatives from the credit union will be available to open accounts to facilitate tax refund direct deposit and possibly provide loans for those who need their refund in a hurry. Appointments for Super Saturday are necessary, as walk-ins will not be allowed. For appointments or for more information, call toll free 1-800-764-0566. Information is also available on the SeaComm website, www.seacomm.org.
The credit union will be hosting a similar event in St. Lawrence County at the Canton branch in conjunction with Cornell Cooperative Extension of St. Lawrence County.
SeaComm Federal Credit Union is a member-owned financial cooperative based in Massena with more than 35,000 members and assets of more than $320 million. The credit union has branches in Massena, Potsdam, Malone and Canton. A new branch in Ogdensburg will be opening in February. Membership is open to anyone who lives, works, worships or attends school in St. Lawrence or Northern Franklin County.
