ARCC Business Awards, a celebration of community
By: Amanda Blanton, ARCC Vice President, Marketing & Communications
Photos Provided
It was a jam-packed room at The Queensbury Hotel as almost 250 guests gathered to celebrate 44 nominees in 7 categories and learn of the winners at the annual ARCC Business Awards in early October. Held annually, the ARCC Business Awards are a culmination of months of hard work, completed by a group of volunteers and the ARCC staff. The result is a beautiful breakfast ceremony, celebrating the many accomplishments of our business community.
The nomination period began in early May of this year, resulting in 44 businesses & nonprofits receiving nominations.
“This was definitely a record year for nominations,” said ARCC President & CEO Tricia Rogers. “It just warms my heart to see this type of response from our community.”
Throughout the entire summer the Business Awards Nomination Committee, a group of volunteers, met with and interviewed each nominee. After all interviews were completed, they met to discuss highlights from each interview and then score the nominees.
“We are so grateful for this committee and the time and care they put into the process,” said Rogers. “Plus, it is so incredible to take a deeper dive into what these businesses and nonprofits accomplish day-to-day.”
One of the benefits to attending the breakfast ceremony is getting to hear a brief synopsis focused on what each business and nonprofit nominee does. This snapshot often features little known facts, or interesting accomplishments of the nominated businesses. The winners are then announced for each respective category. The ARCC, along with almost 250 attendees, were thrilled to celebrate the winners of the 2024 Business Awards:
Large Nonprofit of the Year: Behavioral Health Services North (BHSN), celebrating 150 years of service, focuses on bringing treatment, rehabilitation and support to families experiencing mental health challenges in the North Country.
Small Nonprofit of the Year: Alliance180, whose founder just received a Congressional Gold Medal for his service in Vietnam, is an organization helping Veterans, first responders, and frontline healthcare workers heal from trauma through a truly unique equine experience.
Steven M. Sutton Small Business of the Year: Hunt Companies, Inc., a second-generation family-run general contracting business that persevered through trials and setbacks, and continued investing in their employees resulting in a strong, successful small business.
Large Business of the Year: Arnoff Moving & Storage, celebrating 100 years as a multi-generational run and operated business, began with one moving truck and has since expanded to nearly 200 trucks and vans, and more than 650,000 square feet of versatile storage space.
Professional Business of the Year: Irongate Family Practice, a private, physician-owned, full-service family practice that was established in 1966 in Glens Falls. Their team of physicians and support staff exemplify the highest standards of professionalism, compassion and dedication to their patients and community.
Rookie Business of the Year: Kopf Property Management began with a pickup truck and a bag of tools and has impressively grown in three years into a property management company with an office location, 5 employees, and a portfolio of 157+ units in four counties.
Community Champion: The Sagamore Resort, giving back to their community in ways that may not be obvious, from providing free use of their rec center to students and donating to Bolton Central School functions, to making considerable donations to the Bolton Landing Heat your Neighbor program assisting with heating costs for their neighbors.
The community really showed up for the 2024 ARCC Business Awards, as you could feel a sense of gratitude and unity in the Adirondack Ballroom of The Queensbury Hotel that morning. A big thank you to the community for coming out to show their support for these businesses. And we look forward to next year’s celebration!