Mike Beglin has been on the ROOST board for 10 years, and he’s in the midst of his third year as chairman of the board. After growing up in Long Island, Mike visited the Adirondacks, and he fell in love with it. He only returned home once before moving here for the rest of his life in 1971. He and his wife have run Beglin’s Lake Placid Jewelers and Gifts for 36 years, first in Saranac Lake and for the last 19 years on Lake Placid’s Main Street. Mike serves on the ROOST board because he loves the local community, noting that very few small towns are as full of life and have as strong downtowns as Lake Placid. He sees ROOST as being one of the main players in achieving that strength, and he looks forward to it continuing to help strengthen the entire Tri-Lakes area that includes Tupper Lake and Saranac Lake, as well as the rest of ROOST’s growing area of responsibility. Over his years on the ROOST board, Mike has seen the organization grow and change dramatically, and he believes all the change is for the good. The board is more active and stronger today, and the organization has the ability to promote the Adirondacks as a region rather than just each small town on its own. In the future, Mike looks forward to consolidation of the growth ROOST has taken on and he’d like to see the organization protect the ability to live and grow inside of the Adirondack Park, as this is one of the few parks throughout the country and world within which people live.

ROOST helped coordinate Adirondack Day, an annual event aimed at educating Albany stakeholders about the Adirondacks. This year's event, held Wednesday, June 1, included booths featuring local colleges, attractions and other Adirondack organizations. [gallery size="medium" ids="19068,19067,19066,19065,19064,19063,19062,19061,19060,19059,19058,19057,19056,19055,19053,19052,19051,19050" orderby="rand"]

Motorists are advised that sections of Route 86 in Ray Brook in the town of North Elba, Essex County, will be reduced to one lane starting Monday, June 6, as the New York State Department of Transportation removes dead pine trees along the highway. The tree removal, expected to take one week, will be performed under the guidance of a permit from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The 413 trees along the highway that have been identified for removal are a hazard to the traveling public. During the work, traffic will be reduced to an alternating single lane controlled by flaggers on portions of the 2.5-mile stretch. It is imperative that motorists remember to drive carefully in the vicinity of this construction zone for their own safety and the safety of workers. Motorists are reminded that fines are doubled for speeding in a work zone. In accordance with the Work Zone Safety Act of 2005, convictions of two or more speeding violations in a work zone could result in the suspension of an individual’s driver’s license. For up-to-date travel information, call 511, visit www.511NY.org. Follow New York State DOT on Twitter @NYSDOT. Find us on Facebook at facebook.com/NYSDOT. For tweets from New York State DOT Region 1 (covering the Capital Region), follow @NYSDOTAlbany.

Ashley Andrews The Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism’s Ashley Andrews has been chosen for Destination Marketing Association International’s prestigious 30 Under 30 program. The program focuses on identifying and developing the talent of destination marketing professionals, 30 years of age and under, through increased access and exposure to industry networking and thought leadership. “Our nominating committee reviewed every submission, and ultimately delivered an impressive roster for 2016,” said Bob Lander, chair of DMAI. “I look forward to recognizing these 30 future leaders who have already demonstrated exceptional potential.” Andrews is a Saranac Lake resident who works at ROOST as sales and service manager. She has been a vital part of the ROOST staff for five years selling and managing conferences at the Conference Center at Lake Placid. In August 2014, Andrews became a Certified Meeting Professional, the foremost certification in the meetings, conventions and exhibitions industry. The 2016 honorees originate from a variety of destinations and backgrounds, from National Tourism Bureaus such as Brand USA and the Bermuda Tourism Authority to local Convention and Visitors Bureaus in Victoria, Texas and Macon, Georgia. “Investing in the future generation of destination experts is paramount,” said Welsh. “I am confident that the program we have developed for this year’s Annual Convention will inspire and further educate this incredibly talented team of future destination marketing leaders.” Now in its sixth year, 30 Under 30 is supported by founding program partner SearchWide, and sponsored by IMEX and USAE. The honorees will convene for the first time at DMAI’s Annual Convention Aug. 1 to 3 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Recipients will be recognized Monday, Aug. 1 immediately following the Opening Keynote featuring Abigail Posner.

A brand study meeting, Adirondack Day, and how millennials want to use technology in hotels - read this week's ROOST news!