SBJ P.O. Box 766 Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
SARATOGA BUSINESS JOURNAL
VOL. 29 NO. 2
★★ The Business Newspaper of Saratoga County ★★
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APRIL 2024
www.saratogabusinessjournal.com
The Advances In Golf Simulator Technology Are Arnoff Moving & Storage Will Cut The Ribbon Allowing Players Of All Abilities To Improve On The Next 100 Years As A Family Business
The Bunker on Broadway in downtown Saratoga Springs is the latest indoor golf facility to feature a state-of-the-art golf simulator. There is also a “19th Hole” bar for after game libations. BY SUSAN ELISE CAMPBELL The indoor golf experience that gained momentum during the pandemic continues to delight residents from all around the region. Whether it’s a family out for a few hours of fun, a couple on a date, or serious golfers working to improve their handicap, audiences are being attracted to golf simulators in greater numbers as the underlying technology evolves. Troy Miller has opened five new facilities called The Bunker since Covid temporarily closed the doors of many recreation facilities. The latest is at 307 Broadway in Saratoga Springs. “I read an article recently that golf, for the fi rst time, has more non-green golf interest than the traditional golf course,” said Miller.
Saratoga Business Journal
“People come to have fun and they also come to train and improve their game.” Popularity has much to do with strides in graphics and high defi nition monitors that make the experience more realistic. But as the individual swings and makes contact with the ball, the simulator technology is collecting dozens of data metrics, Miller said. “We have seen advancements with the fl ight tracking technology, which was fi rst developed to afford greater detail and insight with respect to club fitting,” said Scott Hoffman, the second generation to own and operate Northway Golf Center, 1519 Crescent Road in Clifton Park. “That has been our forté.” Northway Golf Center is one of the top 100 Continued On Page 16
A true family business, several generations of the Arnoff clan are guiding the enterprise started by Abraham and Phyllis Arnoff into its second century. BY SUSAN ELISE CAMPBELL Arnoff Moving & Storage achieves another milestone this spring with its 100-year anniversary as a family corporation. What was started in 1924 by generations one and two with Abraham Arnoff and his son Louis is now under the management of generations three, four and five. How future generations will impact the growth of the company when they come on board, time will tell, if they first follow one family rule. “My grandmother Phyllis had the idea, I was told, that any family member has the opportunity to join the business but must have worked for at least a year at another company,” said Dan Arnoff, chief relationship manager and company spokesperson who oversees sales, marketing and human resources. “She is the one who enforced the rule.”
Courtesy of Arnoff Logistics
Phyllis Arnoff has passed away, but her husband Richard, generation three, is the firm’s CEO. The president is their son Michael and his wife Lisa is executive vice president and corporate counsel. Their sons Dan and Craig, the latter a CPA and the company’s chief operating officer, are also operating the firm alongside their cousin Nick, vice president of fleet and safety, and uncle Mark, who manages a separate moving company in southern Florida. The family is preparing a ribbon cutting May 1st to celebrate their golden milestone. “The event will be open to the whole community,” said Dan Arnoff. “We want as many people there a possible.” The Arnoffs plan to open their doors for “tours, snacks, and fun things,” said Arnoff. “We Continued On Page 13
Saratoga Springs Resident Is The First Woman Aneesa Waheed Honored With Small Business Elected President Of Horsemen’s Association Person Of The Year Award For New York State The Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association (THA) held its annual meeting and election of officers in South Florida March 19-20. Tina Marie Bond, president of the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association (NYTHA), was elected president of the national organization. She is the first woman to head the THA since its inception in 1994. “It’s an honor to be elected president of such an esteemed collective,” Bond said. “THA is at the forefront of collaborative decision-making and policy implementation on issues such as racehorse aftercare, equine safety and welfare, and protecting the integrity of our sport. I look forward to leading the organization as it addresses the challenges that horsemen and women face on local, regional, and national levels.” Chris Block, president of ITHA, and David Richardson, executive director of MTHA, were elected as vice presidents. Michael Musto, executive director of NJTHA, and Bessie Gruwell, executive director of DTHA, will serve as treasurer and secretary, respectively. Bond, who with her husband Jim own Song Hill Thoroughbreds LLC in Saratoga Springs, follows previous THA presidents Michael Martin, Rick Violette Jr., and Joe Appelbaum. “We are proud of the leadership role that women play in the THA and our member organi-
Tina Marie Bond, first woman elected president of national Thoroughbred Horseman's Association. zations. Tina has worked with the THA for years and she will be a great resource for the industry,” said THA Chairman Alan Foreman. Established in 1994, the THA is a highly regarded and influential voice for its member organizations in Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, representing more than 20,000 owners and trainers.
BY SUSAN ELISE CAMPBELL Aneesa Waheed has come a long way since she and her husband began selling Moroccan-Indian fusion dishes at a farmer’s market in 2008. Now the owner of six Tara Kitchen restaurants, Waheed is the recipient of the New York Small Business Person of the Year Award for 2024. This year’s award winner runs a woman-owned, minority-owned string of eateries that extend from Schenectady to India. There are more than two million small businesses and potential candidates in New York, but the honor goes to the Capital Region entrepreneur. “It’s great to be nominated and shocking to have won,” she said. “I feel honored and humbled.” Waheed was nominated by Keri Pratico, who is currently senior business development officer for Pursuit and who was approached by Waheed 15 years ago seeking a small business loan for her New York City restaurant. “Back then, the Tara Kitchen empire of today felt like a distant dream,” said Pratico. “Anyone who knows Aneesa isn’t surprised that her tenacity and dedication have led her to this award.” “I’m thrilled to see her recognized on the national stage,” Pratico said. According to Waheed, her family, including her mother, sisters, and children, have been extremely supportive. So have the community of small busi-
nesses, resources that the state offers, and peers like Pratico who have followed Waheed’s entrepreneurial career in their roles at different government agencies. “You survive in a family of locals,” she said. “We are all very dependent on people within a few miles of our business.” “It was a reflective moment for me to think about the amount of people and energies and doors and walkways you have to pass though to get to this point,” Waheed said. “It’s a massive, massive effort of thousands of people.” She has had a SCORE mentor and over the years mentored others. Waheed launched an incubator during the COVID that she still maintains. She works closely with the New York City and Upstate chapters of the Small Business Development Center, now part of Pursuit, and with Empire State Development, which has helped her extensively with her launch in India, she said. She is part of the leadership board for the James Beard Foundation for 2023-2024 and has a mentee getting his restaurant up and running in Philadelphia and another is starting up her sideline cheesecake bakery. She is helping an individual negotiate a real estate deal, and there are others, she said. “I don’t see this as mentoring someone,” said Waheed. “It’s part of business. People are constantly Continued On Page 16