Albany.com/broadcast

Slimdown Challenge

albany.com — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 13:13:50 +0000

Sidney Albert Albany Jewish Community Center announces their 10th Slimdown Challenge

Tuesday, February 10, 2009, at 6:30 pm the Albany Jewish Community Center will kick off their 10th slimdown program. “Slimdown ‘09” is the only program in the Capital Region that offers nutritional seminars, cardiovascular exercise and strength training sessions in one package.

The program is facilitated by a certified personal trainer and a Registered Dietitian. The program includes 12 seminars, 12 workout sessions, expert guest speakers and personalized attention to keep the participant motivated and accountable.

Prizes will be awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place.

“Slimdown ‘09” is open to members and non-members, Non-members will receive a three month gym membership for the duration of the challenge. Space is limited… early enrollment is encouraged.

To register: contact Kerry @ 438-6651 Ext. 130 or e-mail kerrye@saajcc.org.

Cost: $199 for Center members, $249 non-members (including gym membership).

CONTACT INFORMATION:
TomWachunas
Sidney Albert Albany Jewish Community Center
340 Whitehall Road
Albany, NY 12208
518.438.6651 Ext. 123
tomw@saajcc.org

Chamber to Honor Golub Family, Murray

albany.com — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 22:02:30 +0000

The Golub family, owners of Price Chopper Supermarkets and John Murray, chairman and CEO of Rose & Kiernan, Inc., will receive the Albany-Colonie Regional Chamber’s highest honors at its 109th Annual Dinner.

The Golub family will receive the Envoy Salute, which recognizes an individual or group whose leadership, vision and contributions have made a positive and significant impact on the quality of life for residents in our region. Murray will be given the Arthur R. Kapner Spirit of the Chamber Award, which is presented to an individual whose dedicated service and efforts have brought credit to the Chamber and enhanced the Chamber’s standing in the community.

“It is a tremendous honor to recognize the Golub family and John Murray for their incredible efforts toward serving, understanding and appreciating our community,” said Mike Keegan, M&T Bank regional president and chair of the Chamber’s board of directors. “John Murray and the Golub family exemplify leadership, above and beyond the norm. We are grateful that they have chosen the Capital Region to share their time, talent and knowledge to further the development of the Chamber and our region.”

The Spirit of the Chamber Award is named in honor of Arthur R. Kapner, who died in June 2004 after five decades of volunteer service to the organization, including a stint as president of the Chamber’s board of directors.

Each year, more than 1,000 members of the region’s business community attend the Annual Dinner. The black tie affair will be held on Thursday, March 12 at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center in Albany.

Invitations will be mailed next month for the Annual Dinner, which beings with a 5:30 p.m. cocktail reception and is followed by a brief program and dinner at 7 p.m. Registration is also available online at http://acchamber.org/events.aspx.

NBT Bank is the major sponsor of the Chamber’s Annual Dinner. Working Pictures Inc. is the video sponsor.

Corporate sponsorship opportunities are available. For more information, contact Carissa Rosato at (518) 431-1438.

Chamber Elects New Board Members for 2009

albany.com — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 22:01:09 +0000

Ten area business executives have been selected to serve on the Albany-Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce board of directors for terms beginning January 1, 2009.

Michael Keegan, president of the Albany and Hudson Valley division of M&T Bank, will serve as chair of the board in 2009. Ken Desmond, vice president, Desmond Hotel and Conference Center, will serve as chair-elect.

New board members elected to three-year terms by the Chamber membership include:

* Dr. John Bennett – President/CEO, Capital District Physicians Health Plan
* Bob Gaito – President, I-Centrix
* Elaine Gruener – Vice President, Marketing and Human Resources, Hannay Reels, Inc.
* Steve Janack – Vice President, Marketing and Communications, College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering of the University at Albany
* Norman Massry – Partner, Tri City Rentals
* Tim McCann – Director of Operations, Best Cleaners
* Philip Morris – CEO, Proctor’s Theatre
* Ryan O’Donnell – CEO, BullEx Digital Safety
* Kay Stafford – President, CMA Consulting, Inc.
* Jeff Stone – President, KeyBank

Appointed to one-year board terms as council chairs are:

* James Cole (Capital Chamber Foundation) - Partner, BST Advisors, LLC
* Diane Conroy-LaCivita (Business Council of Cohoes – vice-chair) – Partner, Harmony House Marketplace
* Julie DeFruscio (Business Council of Cohoes – vice-chair) - Owner, Pump Wear Inc.
* Candace Adams Grossjohan (GenNEXT Council) – Wadsworth Center/Health Research, Inc.
* Pamela Howard (Small Business Council) – President, At Your Service
* Paul Lundberg (Business Services Corporation) – Secretary/Treasurer, Aurora, Inc.
* Maureen O’Brien-Thornton (Women’s Business Council) – Executive Director, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society - Upstate New York Chapter
* Ray Schimmer (Tech Valley Nonprofit Business Council) – Executive Director, Parsons Child and Family Center

And, selected as officers to serve on the Executive Committee for 2009 are:

* Chair - Michael Keegan, President, M&T Bank
* Chair Elect - Ken Desmond, Vice President, Desmond Hotel and Conference Center
* President/CEO - Mark Eagan, Albany-Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce
* Past Chair - Michael Hickey, President, Pitney Bowes Business Insight
* Treasurer - Timothy F. Pierce, CPA, Partner, Stulmaker, Kohn & Richardson, LLP
* Legal Counsel - Kara Conway Love, Attorney, Law Office of Kara Conway Love

Members at Large:

* Marri Aviza, Partner, Rumors Day Spa and Hair Salon
* Richard Barnett, CEO, Blue Slate Solutions, LLC
* Richard G. Kotlow, Executive Managing Director/CEO, UHY Advisors NY, LLP
* Alan Krafchin, President/CEO, Center for Disability Services
* Bill Lia Jr., President/CEO, Lia Auto Group Inc. and Gold’s Gym
* Norman Massry, Partner, Tri City Rentals

“We are extremely pleased with the outstanding quality of our board of directors, which will undoubtedly be enhanced with the addition of the talented men and women who will join us in 2009,” said Chamber President and CEO Mark Eagan. “We look forward to working with them in our efforts to improve the economic vitality of our member businesses and the Tech Valley region as a whole.”

Rensselaer Opens Center Dedicated to the Search for Life in the Universe

Albany.com — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 21:41:59 +0000

TROY NY — NASA awards RPI $7.5 million grant to create the New York Center for Astrobiology, which will be part of the NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI).

With such developments as the recent detection of snow in the Martian atmosphere by the NASA Mars Phoenix Lander, scientists are advancing toward evidence of conditions for life in space. And as NASA continues to build its search for life, it has also begun to build its partnerships under the NAI. The NAI is a “virtual” institute of universities that combine their knowledge and expertise to advance our understanding of the origin and distribution of life in the universe. It is headquartered at the NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, Calif.

Based within the School of Science at Rensselaer, the New York Center for Astrobiology is devoted to investigating the origins of life on Earth and the conditions that lead to the formation of habitable planets in our own and other solar systems. The center includes researchers and students from a variety of research backgrounds and universities, including regional partners at the University at Albany and Syracuse University and national partners at the University of South Dakota and the University of Arizona.

“The New York Center for Astrobiology builds on a legacy of discovery and collaboration developed over the past half century by NASA and scientists around the world, including right here at Rensselaer,” said Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson. “The scientists in the center will help piece together the fragmented clues that could lead to the discovery of the first extraterrestrial life and the origins of the first life to appear here on Earth.”

Researchers and students within the New York Center for Astrobiology will seek to understand the chemical, physical, and geological conditions of early Earth that set the stage for life on our planet. They also will look beyond our home planet to investigate whether the processes that prepared the Earth for life could be replicated elsewhere, including on Mars and other bodies in the solar system. The center will be led by Douglas Whittet, professor of physics, applied physics, and astronomy at Rensselaer.

“We are extremely grateful to NASA, to Rensselaer, and to our partner universities for their support of our research to uncover the origins of life,” Whittet said. “The new center continues where the original New York Center for the Studies on the Origins of Life supported by NASA left off and will involve faculty, undergraduate, graduate, and even junior and high school students in the exploration of space and the advancement of space science.”

The goal of the research carried out in the New York Center for Astrobiology is to understand the cosmic history of the materials and processes that lead to the development of life. Tracing the evolutionary pathway from atoms to life involves the study of the formation of new molecules within interstellar clouds, the evolution of these molecules as the clouds condense to form new solar systems, and the mechanisms by which they are delivered and combined on planets like Earth and Mars to form suitable environments for life. A major research activity in the center will be to search for ways of detecting evidence of current or past life on Mars, building on current and future NASA missions devoted in understanding and analyzing the Red Planet.

In addition to faculty research, the center will offer undergraduate and graduate students at Rensselaer and partner campuses a breadth of opportunities for research and course work in this emerging area of study. The center also will support a wide range of education and public outreach activities, hosting a seminar series on the origins of life featuring presentations by researchers from around the world and developing partnerships with the Greater Capital Region Teacher Center and with an area high school, to educate students and their teachers in this exciting field of study. The center also runs an annual Astrobiology Summer Camp for pre-college students (grades 6-8) such as last summer’s ExxonMobil/Bernard Harris Summer Science Camp at Rensselaer. As part of the program, young students are given the opportunity to perform research directly in the lab.

In addition to Whittet, faculty involved in the center includes Distinguished Teaching Professor John Delano of the University at Albany, who is also associate director of the center; Professor of Earth Science at Syracuse University Suzanne Baldwin; Clinical Assistant Professor of Physics at Rensselaer Glenn Ciolek; Research Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Rensselaer James Ferris; Chester Fritz Distinguished Professor of Space Studies at the University of North Dakota Michael Gaffey; William Weightman Walker Professor and Head of the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Rensselaer Linda McGown; Professor of Physics at Rensselaer Wayne Roberge; Professor of Planetary Sciences at the University of Arizona Timothy Swindle; Institute Professor of Science at Rensselaer Bruce Watson.

For more information on the center and the research to be undertaken, visit: http://www.origins.rpi.edu/

The Ghosts of Christmas Past

albany.com — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 13:31:19 +0000

Meet The Medium
The Ghosts of Christmas Past

World renowned medium Georgia O’Connor presents Meet The Medium “The Ghosts of Christmas Past” on Dec 21 from 3 to 5 pm at The Inn at Saratoga in Saratoga Springs. Reservations may be made online at www.MeetTheMedium.com or by calling 518-583-0105. Admission is $50 in advance and $60 at the door.

In Dickens’s classic Christmas tale, Ebenezer Scrooge chose to turn his life around after a frightening visit from his dead partner Jacob Marley. In Georgia’s work she has spoken to a dead father who told his daughter that her house is not possessed by demons but that he is the one that tore the door off the hinges of her bedroom in an attempt to stop her drug use.

According to Georgia the dead are able to see their life and ours from a perspective free of selfish materialistic impulses and like the fictional Marley they want to enlighten and assist their friends and family who are still living. Most of their attempts do not have the dramatic flair of Marley’s mournful moaning and chain rattling. But if we refuse to listen…they have no choice but to get louder.

During “The Ghosts of Christmas Past” Georgia will share her stories of communicating with the dead and allow questions from the audience. She will spend the second half of her presentation talking to the dead friends and relatives of audience members. Unlike Scrooge most people attend hoping to hear from their loved ones. She will get to as many people as time allows.

Six Tips to Improve Your “Holiday” Job Search

albany.com — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 14:59:23 +0000

Guest Article by: Dan Moran

Thanksgiving is over. The turkey is gone. We are officially in the “holiday season”. The time of the year when parties abound, there are presents to buy and the time of the year when no one finds a job – an often repeated mantra or myth.

“In our Region, we continue to see stronger job market activity than most other parts of our State and country”, stated Moran who measures job market activity on a daily and weekly basis. “This is the time to keep your activity strong”.

Diffusing the Myth

The true fact is this: Companies continue to hire during the holiday season but job hunters quit looking. As a recruiter and corporate hum an resources executive — and my colleagues will attest to this — job openings continue (if not increase) during December just when many job seekers put their resume on the shelf for the holiday season.

There is no statistical proof that there are fewer new job openings in the month of December versus other time of the year. In fact, many say it is just the opposite. While holiday parties and more time off this time of the year may slow the hiring process, there is little impact to the day-to-day business operations – and that includes hiring. Hiring isn’t driven by a calendar, it is driven by need.

Many companies want to tie up loose ends – and that means hiring

In many companies, hiring actually heats up in December as managers and business owners have money left in their budgets and want to spend their budget rather than potentially losing it. Other companies want their team in place and ready to go in January, so they recruit and hire now. Still others want to tie up loose ends before the end of the year – and this includes filling open positions.

Many are also surprised to learn that the holiday season is also a popular time for people to give their notice and move on, to get a fresh start in a new job for the New Year. Some receive year-end bonuses and leave right after; still others just want the extra time to be with family & friends. The result – more job opportunities for others.

Six Tips for Your Holiday Job Search

So, before you buy into the myth, put your resume on the shelf and don your dancing shoes, consider the following actions:

Use holiday events as networking opportunities – Every event, party, children’s school function, church gathering etc. is an opportunity for you to network, make a new contact. During the holidays there are generally more events – and more opportunities!
Volunteer and make new contacts – There are so many ways to get involved with a charity or group during the holiday season. Often the pillars of the community either attend or help at these events and for you, which means an opportunity to make great contacts – and give back to the community at the same time.
Rather than holding back on search activities – heat up your actions – While I hope I have enlightened you to keep the search activities going, others still won’t and there will be less competition and fewer candidates giving you a better competitive opportunity.
Close down loose ends – contacts, follow-ups, applications – What better time of the year to close down your “to do” list of contacts and follow-ups and tie up you own loose ends.
Make yourself flexible & available and keep in contact – What is miserably frustrating to a recruiter is the inability to get in touch with potential candidates who “check-out” during holiday weeks. They just don’t check their email and messages go unreturned. Check your email daily (if not more often) and keep some flexibility in your calendar for interview opportunities.
Set goals – celebrate wins – visualize success - You may have heard the expression “You cannot manage what you cannot manage”. In career & job search, it is critical that you set goals to keep you focused, and set daily actions to achieve your goals, especially when outside factors – like holiday activities – can be distracting. I utilize the Get Hired NOW! methodology with my clients which focuses on goal setting, drives results through doing simple and planned actions everyday, and celebrates the achievement of goals. As an idea, set a goal for making X-number of networking contacts this holiday season — and celebrate when you hit your goal!

May your holidays be happy — and prosperous!

Dan Moran is President & Founder of Next-Act, a career management & transition firm located in Colonie. He specializes in helping people make career choices, and seek new jobs. He is also a Certified Facilitator for Get Hired Now! and Get Clients Now! programs which helps those in career transition and companies get results. You can reach Dan at 641.8968 or dmoran@next-act.com. On the Web: www.next-act.com

Opening of Shop My Web

albany.com — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 14:50:11 +0000

WATERVLIET NY — Shop My Web, Inc., a company based in Watervliet NY, announced this week the opening of www.shopmyweb.com, a brand-new web site featuring shops unique to Shop My Web. Currently, The Tin Shop, The Bottle Store and Krescent Kreations are three featured shops at www.shopmyweb.com.

The Tin Shop offers a wide selection of metal tins for all purposes and occasions, while The Bottle Store offers many glass bottles in different colors and sizes for a multitude of purposes.

Krescent Kreations features handmade hemp and macramé jewelry and plant hangers, as well as handcrafted Native American-style Dreamcatchers. These items are all handcrafted by the shop owner and can be custom ordered upon request.

Shop My Web, Inc. is based in the Albany, NY area, serving customers both locally and globally. To browse all shops, or to sell your own products on the web, please visit www.shopmyweb.com.

Fishhead Security Services and Investigations LLC NOW OPEN

albany.com — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 14:36:25 +0000

Fishhead Security Services and Investigations LLC has recently opened for business in Rensselaer NY. Located at 340 Columbia Tpk., Fishhead provides professional, affordable and discreet private investigations, background checks and process serving along with the full gamut of services one might expect from a private investigation company.

Along with the private investigations, Fishhead also provides security guards for all types of businesses including construction sites, retail sites, apartment complexes and manufacturing plants.

Tony Ravida who is CEO of the company along with Gary Fish, COO and Matt Owens, V.P of operations, plan on knocking on a lot of doors and making plenty of visits to let the business community know they are here and offering them substantial savings from the current prices they may be paying current providers. “We plan on doing things a little bit different than other companies” said Ravida. “Faster, Better,Cheaper” is what they plan to offer businesses. “Customer service is our number one priority, and well do what ever it takes to keep our current customers happy and to develop new customers” said Ravida.

For more information on Fishhead Security, please visit www.fishheadsecurity.com or call 518-858-1196.

Intel To Sponsor Rensselaer Robotics Tournament for Local Middle Schools

Albany.com — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:16:35 +0000

TROY NY — Intel Corporation will sponsor the 2008 FIRST LEGO® League (FLL) Climate Connections Challenge taking place at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on December 6, 2008. The global competition puts eight weeks of research, design, and programming to the test, giving local middle school students an opportunity to understand the common themes that connect science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

“Intel has a strong history of supporting educational initiatives like the FIRST LEGO® League,” said Robert Richardson, education manager for Intel Massachusetts.

Area children are among the record 135,000 children in 40 countries competing in hundreds of qualifying events and Championship Tournaments. This year’s theme, “Climate Connections,” challenges teams of children ages 9 to 14 to use robotics to unite communities in the research and study of a global atmospheric phenomenon: the climate.

“In order for the United States to remain competitive in a vibrant global innovation and research environment, it must have access to the best minds,” said Eddie Ade Knowles, vice president for student life at Rensselaer, “and all of us must get engaged in the effort to excite, encourage, and prepare young people to pursue careers in STEM fields.”

The challenge encourages teams to program their robots to learn about past climates, delve into questions about the world’s current climate and explore conditions for the future through missions, including connecting research resources, minimizing climatic influences, polar experiments, sequestering greenhouse gases, studying wildlife, preparing for climatic conditions and gathering communities of people.

“Intel has sponsored other LEGO League competitions across the country,” said Richardson, “When we heard about the competition at RPI, we wanted to step in and do our part to ensure that these scientists of the future had an opportunity to compete and share their talents.”

Intel has donated $30,000 that will help to cover costs and plans to award scholarships to eight teams to offset the costs of participating in the competition.

“LEGO Robotics, and other interactive technologies, is the stuff that engulfs 21st century youngsters. The support given to annual tournaments coordinated by Rensselaer’s Center for Initiatives in Pre-College Education (CIPCE) stresses the importance of this technology in the lives of K-12 students,” said Lester Rubenfeld, CIPCE director and professor of mathematical sciences. “These types of activities provide a mechanism for Rensselaer, through its undergraduates, to impact the lives of hundreds of young people.”

Cotton Hill Studios, Inc. wins International MarCom Award

albany.com — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 15:50:17 +0000

(Albany, NY) Cotton Hill Studios, Inc., of Albany, NY recently received the MarCom Gold Award for their movie review podcast, Rick’s Picks. The MarCom Awards is an international creative competition that recognizes outstanding achievement by marketing and communication professionals. This is the second international award Cotton Hill Studios has received for Rick’s Picks.

Rick’s Picks is produced by Cotton Hill Studios, Inc. and October Eve Music Group. It is a weekly podcast featuring reviews of current movies. Rick’s Picks is available via iTunes or on the web at www.chspodzone.com/rickspicks

Cotton Hill Studios, Inc. is a national award winning full-service recording studio. The studio works closely with local, national, and international advertising agencies, video houses, record companies, post-production facilities, television networks and musicians. Cotton Hill Studios, Inc. is a proud member of SPARS, The Albany-Colonie Chamber of Commerce, The Albany Ad Club and the Albany Chapter of the AMA.