GOOD NEWS AWARDS
Organizations honored for positive contributions in the community
TROY, N.Y. >> Members of the Rensselaer County business community gathered Thursday for the 2018 Good News Rensselaer County Awards, at the Franklin Terrace Ballroom in Troy.
The awards, presented by Rensselaer County and the Rensselaer County Chamber of Commerce, are meant to celebrate businesses and organizations making positive contributions throughout the area.
Among the award winners highlighted were International Electronic machines Corp., Kay’s Pizza, the Schaghticoke Fair, STRIDE Adaptive Sports and Wainschaf Associates, Inc.
“At the chamber, our goal is to help businesses market, develop and connect,” Rensselaer County Chamber of Commerce President Kate Manley said of the event.
“Their success stories are our success stories, so any chance that we can honor businesses that have either invested in Rensselaer County for many years or are taking leaps and bounds in growing their business is a great opportunity for us to showcase our members,” Manley added of the important partnerships between businesses and the chamber.
Also on hand to help present the awards were Assemblyman Jake Ashby and Rensselaer County Sheriff Pat Russo.
“It’s certainly an honor and privilege to be here today and recognize the businesses that are on the agenda today,” Ashby said to those in atten-
dance. “I’ve had a privilege of working with some of them hand in hand and it’s something that rejuvenates me and my entrepreneurial spirit and certainly as your state representative in government.”
Award winners shared their gratitude to the chamber for honoring them this year.
“I appreciate it very much that the County Chamber recognizes what we do, so it’s exciting.” Founder and CEO at STRIDE Adaptive Sports, Mary Ellen Whitney said of the honor.
“Being able to accept the award in front of a lot of businesses right here in our community and our county is meaningful to make connections, to let people know what we’re doing and how the progress is coming along for our new adaptive fitness center. It’s always nice to be honored, it’s always a nice thing for people to recognize the work that we do. We’re kind of a word of mouth organization that’s grown over 30 years, into a larger adaptive sports organization, so it’s an honor,” Whitney said of the growing organization and its new West Sand Lake location.
“For IEM it’s an important honor,” Kara DeConno of IEM added. “We own a lot of commercial property in downtown Troy and have really worked to make that area up and coming again. We also employ around 30 people and work with companies all over the world, so it’s definitely an honor.”