Did you know it is NEVER legal to pass a slow-moving farm tractor in a no-passing zone (i.e. on a double yellow line)? Yes, it can be annoying to be stuck behind one when we are rushing off to a meeting somewhere. It can also be confusing if the tractor eases over to the right as if they are letting you pass them. Perhaps the operator isn’t sure of the rules either. Or (more likely) they are so used to being passed by impatient, angry, ignorant motorists that they instinctively move as far to the right as possible out of concern for their own safety.

Such is the life of a local farmer these days. The reason they are on the roads in the first place is that very few of Saratoga County’s 591 remaining farms operate on contiguous plots of land. Farms have been broken up by various factors in recent decades, and so these tractors are moving between various sections, often interspersed among housing in residential areas. For many, especially those who are coming to this area from more urban surroundings, living amongst farms can be part of the charm and appeal of living here; for others, it’s perhaps a very unexpected nuisance.

Back in March, the Chamber of Southern Saratoga County was a partner alongside the Saratoga County Farm Bureau, Cornell Cooperative Extension and Saratoga Sod Farm, to explain the ever-changing and complex regulations regarding trucks used for agricultural use, farm implements, and rules pertaining to farm tractors on roads. Education is key in any business, and the event helped area farmers understand which rules pertain to them.  Now we need to educate the rest of society what rules they operate under as well.

Expanding communities grapple with the impact on legacy industries like manufacturing and farming.  Agriculture is, after all, a form of industry in itself – raw materials like food, hay, straw, seeds, etc. become farm animals and vegetable plants, and then those are transformed into the steak, eggs, and veggies on our dinner tables. There is waste, there are processes and procedures, potential dangers, lots of training, employee shortages, and rules and regulations to deal with, just as any such business.

Large farm tractors like these are often seen on area roadways during the growing season.  Please be patient and respect their right to share the road, after all, they may well be in the process of growing a meal for your table!

Encroachment of development on farmland is a continuing concern, especially in southern Saratoga County. Declining farmland is evident in the scores of new developments going up on what was previously fields for corn, hay, and other crops. Some town boards have enacted moratoria on new projects while formulating zoning regulations that suit the wishes of town residents and leaders.

Other communities have produced zoning rules designed to encourage the spread of farming including new farms. In late February the Town of Milton revised its R2 zoning to essentially allow unrestricted agricultural uses on properties of at least 2 acres, while smaller properties could apply for special use permits. Jamie Pettis, President of the Saratoga County Farm Bureau, noted at the meeting that half of the county’s farms gross less than $5000 in sales, and these small farms are the ones most encumbered by the cost of complying with onerous regulations. Ballston Town Councilman and accomplished area farmer Chuck Curtis noted, “In the general public there’s a huge disconnect between society and where their food comes from. Questions farmers get every day are astounding.  We need to close this gap between the public at large and where their food comes from.”

Farms are adapting to changing times, but it is slow. A robotic milking machine is now available to dairy farms to provide an alternative to the conventional milking “parlor,” or building that cattle are led into by workers to be hooked up to machines and milked, one at a time. The robotic system is fully automatic and the cows essentially “milk themselves,” since they are quickly trained that walking over to the machine will ease the pressure on their udders. This makes farms less susceptible to labor shortages, and just as “regular” manufacturing made big changes years ago that required less general labor and more trained technicians, this type of system promises to reform agriculture along similar lines. The challenge, though, is to bring costs down enough so that the system produces the same profit that the current, labor-intensive operations do.

Horses are, of course, a huge part of Saratoga County agriculture. And thoroughbreds mean big business for area farms. Mill Creek Farm in Stillwater, for example, breeds many horses on its 100 acres, offering a wide array of services including boarding, foaling, sales prep, breeding, layups and stallions. It is hard work, often with little rest for the weary.  

“Foaling season takes a toll, as we are working 24 hours around the clock for 6 months of the year,” said Samantha Little, co-owner of Mill Creek Farm, which hosted the last in the annual Sundae on the Farm series aimed at introducing the general public to the farm community.

Sundae on the Farm ended because of the challenges associated with disrupting farm operations at a time when the older generations are no longer able to facilitate such events, and their children aren’t always sure they want to continue in the business. However, many young farmers such as the Saratoga County Dairy Ambassadors are eager to show they have what it takes. At the Waterford Canal Festival, held in mid-May, a Saratoga County Dairy exhibit was sponsored by Stewart’s Shops and the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors. Also present was a farm tractor, and information reminding us non-farmers of the dangers associated with acting reckless around them while they are on the road. We are blessed to live in a very farm-friendly county and would do well to remember that coexistence is a two-way street.

PHOTOS BY LINDSEY FISH, SUPER SOURCE MEDIA UNLESS NOTED

The Capital Region’s status as a “brain belt” in the country’s industrial and scientific innovation economy wouldn’t hold up without the connections the Tech Valley Center of Gravity (TVCOG) makerspace has been facilitating for the past decade.

How We Became a Brain Belt

In the 1800’s the region was a hub for manufacturing everything from paper to iron and clothing. 

Two hundred years took its toll on the industry however, and by the early 2000’s only a small fraction of those living in the region were employed in manufacturing. 

To offset the job losses, between 2004 and 2008 more than 4,000 jobs in high tech industries were created in the Capital Region. The growing technology sector was attracted to the area’s pool of skilled workers educated by a system of advanced universities. 

Every Belt Needs a Buckle

By 2013, the region had become known as the Tech Valley.  We were a brain belt without a buckle. 

To continue funneling in the skilled workforce that these companies were looking for, while also creating the next generation of entrepreneurs needed to rebuild a robust economy, it was vital people connect with each other. 

That’s when the Tech Valley Center of Gravity opened, expanding into their current location in 2015. The 15,000 sq. ft. building in Troy houses nine maker zones filled with $200,000 of fabrication equipment, meeting areas, and office space. The electronics equipment, 3D printers and CNC machines here are joined by a wood shop, metal shop, and fiber arts studio that give their more than 200 members the opportunity to mend the skills gap between education and real-world applications. 

“A lot of people at the time were talking about the ‘skills gap’ because the hands-on experience graduates needed was not there. We still need to improve that,” said Dan Falkenstrom, Facilities and Incubator Director, about the Center’s growth. 

Making Progress Practical

In an increasingly digital world, remembering that it is also a physical world is vital to solving today’s most pressing problems. 

“We still live in a world of physical things and need to know how to create physical things,” said Falkenstrom. “Someone who is studying engineering, for example, can still have no idea how to solder. They have the knowledge and the ideas but they need to connect with people who know how to physically bring things to life.”

Others, like Daryian Rhysing, had hands-on experience but needed business know-how. With assistance from TVCOG, Rhysing, a former aircraft mechanic who invented a new electrical Interconnecting Clamp, went on to open United Aircraft Technologies and was recently awarded $1.1 million from the US Army for his clamps’ usage in vertical lift aircraft. 

Innovation for All

The TVCOG incubator program provides targeted mentorship, coaching, and guidance (in the form of risk-mitigation strategies and referrals) so startup projects can get off the ground. 

“Going it alone, people may not realize they’re going down the wrong path,” said Falkenstrom.

Through initiatives like Innovate 518 , TVCOG also helps inventors find funding and tax incentives. 

Their “Maker-in-Residence” scholarship program gives those who might otherwise find the costs prohibitive, free access to equipment and resources, while also awarding them a financial stipend and free training. 

Hatching Next Gen Entrepreneurs 

In her newly appointed position, Executive Director Michele Madigan is planning to open access to TVCOG’s resources to even more in the community. 

Before taking the post, Madigan was Saratoga Spring’s Commissioner of Finance and the Financial Literacy Coordinator at the Saratoga Springs Public Library. 

A firm believer that the city was “ripe for an industry-led non-profit makerspace,” during her tenure, COVID threw a wrench in things.

At TVCOG, the increase in the use of virtual communications that has resulted however, has helped keep technological progress in the region moving forward.

This year, TVCOG was again awarded a $625,000 grant from the Empire State Development Division of Science, Technology, and Innovation (NYSTAR). With potential additional funds from the American Rescue Plan, they are looking to add another full-time employee and a mobile makerspace program for kids in K-12. 

Currently at TVCOG’s “THINQubater” kids’ zone, there are STEAM-powered activities for kids ages 4 to 12. 

For more information on membership, incubators, and programs go to www.tvcog.net.

PHOTOS BY SUPER SOURCE MEDIA UNLESS NOTED

“It’s our business to improve your business.”

Google was founded as a search engine in 1998. Mannix Marketing – a regional giant in search engine optimization – was founded in 1996. Talk about being ahead of the curve! 

Sara Mannix was on to something enormous when she conceived of a marketing company that could help her clients connect with new customers in what was then a unique method: a keyword was entered into a search box and scads of options for further research jumped onto the screen. Mannix’s superpower is being able to predict which keywords will bring her clients’ specific sites to potential customers’ attention.

But even Mannix couldn’t have predicted the impact of a business venture that began in a small Lake George office as a part-time passion project and grew into its Glens Falls headquarters — with remote offices around the country and overseas — employing more than two dozen marketing, creative, and computer programming specialists.

“People told me that internet searches were a fad and that I was quitting a good job for a bad reason,” Mannix remembers. After studying at The University at Albany and abroad – assuming she’d become a teacher – Mannix veered from that course and instead took a position in marketing for Benetton in New York City, a privately held Italian fashion brand with 5,000 stores worldwide. Best known for its “United Colors of Benetton” campaigns, the iconic company was an early corporate proponent of promoting diversity awareness in advertising.

“I had taken Basic (a computer programming code language) in high school, but thought, ‘Who wants to be stuck with a black screen all day?’” Mannix says now. “But in college, I started to relate to the computer as an end-user and I could see its power to reach out. I was no longer just coding, I was using the computer to solve problems.”

It rocked her world.

“I said, ‘This is where it’s at,’” Mannix recalls. 

Although Benetton was a spectacular learning experience for Mannix, the Burnt Hills native yearned for upstate New York, so she migrated back, drawn to promote the region’s robust tourism industry, “and I was just thriving,” she says. “I loved it more than anything.” Indeed, today Mannix Marketing continues to serve the tourism industry as one of its key targeted areas of marketing expertise. The company’s other specialty areas are senior living and manufacturing, although its client roster spans many other businesses and her firm’s website (www.MannixMarketing.com) recounts diverse success stories to illustrate the achievements that search engine optimization (SEO) and social media presence can germinate and sustain. 

Ever-prescient, at the outset, once she understood the direction the web-based information explosion was headed, Mannix reserved and paid for website domains such as Saratoga.com, GlensFalls.com, Saratogawedding.com, LakeGeorge.com, and others, making her a formidable force and resource for clients whose livelihoods are anchored by her drive to creatively, masterfully aggregate and disseminate relevant information.

Sara Mannix has always been determined to work hard for what she wanted:

• At age 13, Mannix was named Parade Magazine’s New York State Paper Carrier of the Year for selling more than 300 subscriptions to the Times Union and delivering them all over Burnt Hills every Saturday and Sunday. Her prize was a trip to Spain with 50 other newspaper carrier winners from across the nation.
  
• At age 14, Mannix was the youngest exchange student in the history of highly selective, nonprofit AFS Intercultural Programs, receiving a full scholarship to spend the summer in Bogota, Colombia. 
  
• Throughout high school, Mannix picked blueberries, then made blueberry pies with her mom and sat at the end of the driveway, selling them to help fund college.
  
• At age 19, Mannix funded her studies abroad by working three summer jobs in Lake George, rising at 5 a.m. to waitress at a breakfast cafe, then walking across the street to work the ticket booth for Parasail Joe’s from 11 a.m.-3 p.m., and finally heading to Lucille’s to wait tables in the evening.

Sara Mannix’s Tips for New Entrepreneurs:

• Find mentors through your local chamber or join a CEO-specific group of peers in your industry through a coach or network.
  
• Attend seminars and conferences and listen to industry podcasts. Make sure you are learning every single day.
  
• Invest in marketing channels where your potential clients are most likely to look for your product or service. 
  
• Invest in an Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant website and get the tax credit for it.
  
• Talk to multiple marketing professionals before hiring one. You will learn from each one, as everyone has a different approach and specialty.

Sara Mannix Explains Search Engine Optimization (SEO):

SEO is a multifaceted strategy focused on increasing your business’ organic visibility on the web. It involves a variety of tactics, including developing consumer- and search-engine-friendly website content, assigning accurate and thorough metadata, implementing concise, fast-loading code, and more to help your site outperform your competitors’.

Build your brand and profits with search engine optimization (SEO) and an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant website that grows your sales. Your website needs to stand out from the crowd and showcase what your business has to offer. You need a site that will turn browsers into buyers, encouraging and capturing leads from interested customers to fuel your sales and grow your profits.

Sara Mannix unpacks social media marketing strategy:

• Reach and engagement are the two main reasons that social media is important for your business. Traditional advertising like print, TV, and radio simply aren’t as effective as the permission-based marketing available on social media.
  
• Your customers want choice, and they don’t want to be interrupted.
  
• With Facebook marketing, Instagram ads, Pinterest ads, LinkedIn optimization, and other social media marketing, your engagements with customers are much more valuable, because customers chose to interact with your brand and are more likely to convert to buyers.

Mannix Marketing offers branding and website marketing services:

• Branding and logo design.
  
• Building ADA-compliant websites that are accessible to people of all abilities.
  
• All sites have built-in search engine optimization so that the sites rank better and drive more traffic and leads.
  
• Sites are built with the latest conversion rate optimization techniques, which increase the likelihood of leads and sales.
  
• Customers are trained to edit their own websites easily.

“I was fortunate to have a marketing background before starting my company,” says Mannix Marketing’s founding CEO. “I had a different perspective than a coder or a creative and was certain getting found in the search engine was the key to success. Figuring out how to do it was the fun part. It’s intuitive for me. I’ve lived and breathed it now for 25 years. I even get up Saturday mornings and work while it’s still quiet.”

(Of course, it doesn’t stay quiet, Mannix and her husband, Mark, have three children with plenty of their own energy and activities. Mark, who has a background in technology, now works alongside Sara for Mannix Marketing. Together, the duo juggles a dizzying mix of home and work demands.)

But it’s not all fun and games. Mannix Marketing and Mannix personally have faced and overcome hurdles as well. For example, Mannix cites having to convert all the websites the company creates to be ADA-compliant so that hearing and visually impaired individuals, as well as people with other disabilities, can use them.

“Tears were shed,” she admits. “But I became obsessed with it and now we’re a leader in ADA compliance. I have staff dedicated to making it happen.”

Too, the pandemic brought unprecedented challenges to her tourism-industry clients, whose businesses were threatened by shutdowns and reduced traffic to their venues. She found herself working pro bono or at reduced rates to help the community. She knew Mannix Marketing could offer ways to reach audiences that needed information about what to do and where to stay safely, which benefited businesses and visitors alike. And she’s been rightfully hailed as a hero, with many awards to her name, including, among others, a Summit Creative Award for B2B Website Design, a Warren County Top Women Award, a coveted Ethics in Business Award, Women of Influence Award from SARATOGA TODAY, a U.S. Search Award for Best Use of Content Marketing – Real Estate Division Adirondack Mountain Land, and, for the past decade, many other top industry awards for SEO, creative, and digital marketing. But she doesn’t take all the credit. Mannix has high praise for her company’s staff and her own mentors: Mark Behan, CEO of prestigious Behan Communications in Glens Falls, and Todd Shimkus, president of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce.

And she’s a collaborator. Mannix views former staffers as “alumni,” not “exes,” and they sometimes take on Mannix Marketing projects; she sees other marketers as potential partners, not competition; and she works closely with clients’ materials produced by other PR or design firms, without trying to eclipse their work.   

However entrenched in her business, Mannix is not a slave to work. She refuels by listening to podcasts on long walks, interacting with inspiring industry leaders, spending “amazing family time,” playing pickleball, and sharing laughter with girlfriends. It also “just makes me feel good,” she says, “to help others, however I can, especially the senior population.”

Current kudos notwithstanding, in retrospect Mannix remembers times when she had one problem to contend with, or seven, or even 20 at a time, but she came away from every one of those situations flourishing. 

“It’s okay to cry,” she advises, “But then you dig your heels in and meet every challenge.”