SBJ 9 Broad Street #7 Glens Falls, NY 12801
SARATOGA BUSINESS JOURNAL
VOL. 30 NO. 11
www.saratogabusinessjournal.com
HH The Business Newspaper of Saratoga County HH
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GLENS FALLS, NY 12801 PERMIT #600
JANUARY 2026
Economic Outlook Shows Tourism As Saratoga Casino Holdings Granted License Key Engine For Saratoga County In 2026 For Pennsylvania’s Happy Valley Casino BY DARRYL LEGGIERI PRESIDENT AT DISCOVER SARATOGA As we look ahead to 2026, Saratoga County’s visitor economy is entering a period of both opportunity and responsibility. Tourism has long been a cornerstone of our local economy, but its role today extends well beyond attracting visitors—it is a powerful driver of economic development, workforce vitality, and community sustainability. Reflecting briefly on 2025, the year reinforced resilience and adaptability. Demand for authentic experiences, cultural attractions, outdoor recreation, and vibrant downtowns remained strong. When we look at the numbers for our lodging partners, through November of 2025 year over year, Saratoga County saw steady overall growth. Over the previous 12 months, demand increased by .7 percent, Occupancy was down 2.1 percent, Average Daily Rate (ADR) was up 4.0 percent, and Revenue Per Available Room (REVPAR) was up 1.8 percent. Our lodging partners were able to command year over year rate growth that showed a strong willingness to spend money on leisure and corporate travel, as well as meetings and events. From a destination marketing perspective, tourism is demand generation for the local economy. Every overnight stay supports jobs, fuels small businesses, and generates local and state tax revenue that helps offset the cost of services for residents. In Saratoga County, visitor spending supports thousands of jobs across hospitality, retail, arts, transportation, and recreation. Meetings, sports, and group travel remain particularly high-value segments. These visitors generate consistent overnight stays, support local businesses, and introduce new audiences to
Darryl Leggieri is the president of Discover Saratoga. Courtesy Discover Saratoga
the region. In 2026, destination readiness and strategic group sales will remain essential to maximizing this opportunity. The past year also highlighted the economic power of signature events. The Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, hosted in Saratoga Springs, delivered global visibility and positive economic impact for the region. As we look to 2026, the upcoming Belmont Stakes Racing Festival will mark the final time the event is hosted in Saratoga Springs—making it both a celebratory moment and a capstone for a remarkable chapter in our region’s event history. In addition, the Saratoga Race Course continContinued On Page 8
A rendering shows the exterior of Happy Valley Casino in State College, Pa., which is under construction after Saratoga Casino Holdings received a Pennsylvania gaming license late in 2025. BY LEE COLEMAN Saratoga Casino Holdings LLC has been granted a gaming license by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board to operate the Happy Valley Casino, which is under construction in State College, Pa. “As a third-generation, family-run business with more than 80 years in the horse racing industry and 20 years in casino, hotel and entertainment operations, we are extremely proud to receive our Pennsylvania gaming license,” said Sam Gerrity, CEO of Saratoga Casino Holdings. Gerrity said his grandfather and later his father,
Courtesy Saratoga Casino
Dan, operated the Saratoga harness racing track in Saratoga Springs beginning in the early 1940s. That track later became part of the Saratoga Casino Hotel complex in Saratoga Springs. Gerrity said the Happy Valley Casino is expected to open in April. “We’ve been working on this for over a year,” he said. The Pennsylvania license was granted in late December. The total cost of the project is estimated at $120 million. Upon completion of the transaction, Continued On Page 11
Response Extremely Positive To The Opening Local Writer Authors Book About Corrections Of Bear’s Cup Bakehouse In Saratoga Springs Official Who Reformed Prison Practices BY ROD BACON Living above the New York City Bagel & Coffee House in Astoria, Queens, for 10 years inspired a couple to become entrepreneurs and launch what has quickly become a fast-growing bakery business. Louis and Danielle DeSantis opened Bear’s Cup Bakehouse on Broadway in Saratoga Springs last month and were immediately inundated with customers. “We had the most insane two weeks of winter break,” Danielle said. “The line went out the door and wrapped around the building every day and we could barely keep up. Now we’ve ramped up production and have more pastry available each day.” When the DeSantises first moved to the region, they settled in Bolton Landing, where Danielle’s parents, Dawn and Bob O’Keefe, owned The Huddle Kitchen & Bar. The couple had spent summers there since 2014, visiting and helping at the restaurant. “We had always dreamed of being in business together, and we came to love Lake George so we decided to settle here,” Danielle said. They opened Bear’s Cup Bakehouse on Lake Shore Drive in 2019, living above the shop for several years. The location operates seasonally from Memorial Day to Columbus Day. “I knew we wanted something yearround,” Danielle said. “We’ve lived in Saratoga for nearly two years, including a year spent searching for the right space, which we secured last December.” The space, the former location of Ja-
Danielle DeSantis, the owner who is second from the right is with key staff at Bear's Cup Bakehouse. Saratoga Business Journal
cobsen Rugs, was completely refitted with new ovens and customer service areas. The business was completely self-funded. “We have no investors and no bankers,” Danielle said. “We’re really proud of that.” Louis is the baker in the family, creating treats from scratch that include bagels, scones, cinnamon buns, donuts, muffins, cookies, breakfast sandwiches and the shop’s specialty, bear claws, along with a selection of hot and cold drinks. An open kitchen allows customers to Continued On Page 10
BY ROD BACON A local freelance writer has collaborated with a criminal corrections professional on a book detailing an innovative approach to reducing recidivism within the prison system. Christine Graf, a longtime resident of Malta, partnered with Randall Liberty, commissioner of the Maine Department of Corrections, to coauthor “Liberty’s Prison: The Inmate’s Son Who Radically Reformed an American Prison.” Graf first learned about Liberty in 2017 while working part time for a nonprofit that served veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. She was also a regular contributor to the PTSD Journal. Liberty grew up in extreme poverty with his mother and three brothers in a trailer in Clinton, Maine. His alcoholic father abused his mother and served multiple prison sentences, including time at the Maine State Prison in Thomaston — a facility that would later play a pivotal role in Liberty’s career. While still in high school, Liberty enrolled in the U.S. Army’s delayed entry program and served on active duty from 1982 to 1985. He had three assignments as a military policeman, trained as a paratrooper and later served in a corrections capacity at Fort Riley, Kansas. He remained in the Army National Guard for 21 years. “While I was a military policeman, I enjoyed it, but I always longed for the infantry,” he said. Liberty later joined a Maine-based mountain infantry unit, serving worldwide for seven years. He went on to serve as a drill sergeant and chief instructor at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. In 2004, Liberty volunteered for a mission led by Gen. David Petraeus to train Iraqi soldiers and fight alongside them. He helped recruit and train
“Liberty’s Prison” traces the career of an official who improved Maine’s corrections system. Courtesy of Bloomsbury
772 Iraqi soldiers before fighting with the 1st Marine Division during the Second Battle of Fallujah. After returning with PTSD, Liberty became the subject of what Graf initially envisioned as a magazine article. “The more I learned about him, the more I thought this wasn’t an article — it was a book,” she said. Graf’s research revealed Liberty’s extensive law enforcement background, including service as a front-line officer, prison warden and commissioner of corrections. After completing his Army service, Liberty beContinued On Page 11