Origin Coffee Co. proprietor Jecinda Hughes is one of the newest additions to the ROOST board, starting in January of this year. The Saranac Lake businesswoman adds a youthful voice to the group. Jecinda grew up in northeastern Tennessee, venturing to the Adirondacks in 2000 to attend Paul Smith's College. She earned an associate degree there as the college was transitioning into a four-year school, and she took some time off to let the kinks of the program be worked out before returning there to earn a bachelor's degree. During her time at Paul Smith's, she got the opportunity to travel to Costa Rica as part of a travel tourism program, and she stayed on a coffee farm there. She found out that coffee has as many complexities to it as wine does, and started to get into learning about it as a hobby. In typical Adirondack fashion, Jecinda generally worked in a restaurant as a second job while doing office work as a her day job. She always found that she was more passionate about the restaurant work, though, and would wish she was there while in the office each day. She always loved Saranac Lake, and she bought a house here six years ago, knowing it was where she wanted to raise her daughter and stay for the foreseeable future. But she knew she needed to turn her passion into her full-time job. She had always loved Bean-to, Saranac Lake's previous coffee shop, and felt a void in the community when it closed, since coffee shops often serve as such an important community gathering space. So she started working on a business plan, and when the space became available, she took over the lease at 77 Main St. For about four-and-a-half months, she was busy all the time managing and helping with the complete conversion of the space from a retail store to a coffee shop, and finally, Origin Coffee Co. opened on June 11, 2015. In the year the coffee shop has been open, Jecinda has been pleased with space it has carved out in the community. A strong core of local customers helped the shop break even through one of the most difficult winters, tourism-wise, in recent memory. And she looks forward to the Hotel Saranac's reopening, which she hopes will inspire a more vibrant downtown and will take Origin to a whole new level. Getting involved with ROOST Jecinda jumped at the chance to join the ROOST board. She had worked with ROOST in the past, especially when she worked at the Adirondack North Country Association for two years — the two organizations collaborate frequently, since ANCA focuses on economic development, and tourism is such an important part of economic development in the North Country. She was aware that the impact that ROOST has on the region is huge, so she was happy to get a chance to be able to help with that in any way. She has spent her time on the board so far getting familiar with the back end of how ROOST works as an organization and learning its larger, overarching goals that sometimes get lost in general public discussion. Then she expects to be able to contribute more and see where her voice fits in the big picture. Since ROOST's reach has grown significantly and covers so much area, Jecinda thinks it's important to have representatives from each region in that area, and she wants to be a strong voice for Saranac Lake on the board. She also wants to be a voice for the younger generation of business owners, noting that Saranac Lake has seen a whole slew of younger entrepreneurs lately, accounting for 40 new jobs in the area. Check out this video that ROOST created before Jecinda joined the board:

Whiteface Visitors Bureau officials are looking for local businesses to get involved with this year’s Festival of the Colors. The festival, which has become the highlight for the beginning of the fall season in the Whiteface Region, is quickly approaching. Once thought of as a simple craft fair, the event has evolved into a true hometown festival bringing the community together for a day of fun and community pride. Local police, fire, and DEC officials will be on the scene showing off their gear throughout the day. The event also includes live music, a chili cook-off, and entertainment, plus numerous activities for kids, all of which are made possible free of charge thanks to local sponsors. The visitors bureau is looking for more businesses to get involved by: Having booths showcasing their unique products. Sponsoring a charity booth or non-profit group. Both options would help participating local businesses to gain exposure to both area residents and our visitors. It will also give both groups of people an idea of how many opportunities are available throughout the region. Any businesses interested in participating should contact Michelle Preston at the visitors bureau by phone at 518-946-2255 or email at info@WhitefaceRegion.com.

ROOST is helping flood victims in Louisiana by donating clothing to help replace what they’ve lost. Thousands of people in Louisiana have lost everything they own after sudden flooding engulfed their homes, businesses, and communities. Ironman Lake Placid Race Director Greg Borzilleri first got the idea to donate clothing through a Facebook group he follows about event management. An event manager in Louisiana, who was familiar with the fact that many events have leftover branded apparel afterward, posted a call looking for donations. Greg responded immediately, and he sent about 150 shirts down to help. ROOST staff thought that was a great idea, and quickly set about doing the same. Kerry Blinn and Bethany Valenze pack up boxes. After getting the necessary information from Greg, ROOST employees recently boxed up five boxes of apparel: one box containing about 150 Ironman Lake Placid T-shirts, one with about 100 Empire State Winter Games jackets from 2015, and three boxes each packed with about 60 Empire State Winter Games T-shirts from this year’s event. The boxes are scheduled to be delivered Thursday to the group that organizes the Louisiana Marathon, which is helping with flood relief efforts in the Baton Rouge area.

Youth tourney and Summit set to continue lax tradition in two-time Olympic village LAKE PLACID, N.Y. – After 26 years of Summit Lacrosse Tournament excellence in Lake Placid, the 27th year, presented by Subway, not only saw the return of the Summit in early August, but the debut of a Youth Summit Classic in late June. The combination of the two events has now become an even more significant economic driver in the community. The all-inclusive 2016 Summit in August brought over 250 teams, from high school athletes to Masters teams, men and women, boys and girls. But it’s more than the competitors themselves: it’s their families, friends and followers that, all told, created a significant economic impact in Lake Placid. The addition of 30 youth teams for the mid-week Youth Summit in June, together with the Lake Placid Horse Show, serves as a kick-off to the summer tourism season. The Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism has calculated an estimated $6 million in direct spending over the course of both events in Lake Placid. Hotels, restaurants and shops continue to feel the benefits of hosting these tournaments. The debut of an exciting contest featuring Major League Lacrosse alumni, which aired on the Lax Sports Network, provided significant outbound exposure for the region as fans and followers around the world viewed the broadcast. “It’s notable that many of our participants return year after year,” said Summit Lacrosse Tournament organizer George Leveille. “And while many began participating as single, young adults, many now have families who accompany them making this a vacation oriented event. It’s no secret that the many attractions that Lake Placid has to offer adds tremendous value to the overall experience of our participants.” As the books close on the 2016 tournaments, attention will turn to the 2017 editions. The Summit Youth Classic is slated for June 26-28, once again, featuring elementary and middle school competition. Organizers will partner with local interests to expand the overall visitor experience of the attendees beyond the games. The 2017 Summit Scholastic and Adult Lacrosse Classics will take place July 31-Aug. 6. “Though we have just concluded the 2016 Summit Classic, which was perhaps our best yet, our sights are already set on 2017,” said Ashley Gersuk Murphy, CEO of Summit Lacrosse Ventures. “We set the groundwork for a Youth Event which we feel will gain significant traction in its second year, and we are confident that the 28th Summit Classic will again be an exceptional celebration of lacrosse, characterized by the highest level of competition, camaraderie, and vacation experience possible. “We have opened our window of opportunity to lacrosse players of all ages --- from youth, to age 60-plus adults. As a team, we cherish the Lake Placid experience, both on and off the lacrosse field, and we take great pride in offering as many athletes and families as possible the chance to join our community and visit the Village. Once people visit Lake Placid, they understand how special it is, and return for years to come. “In addition to the direct spending delivered by the lacrosse community, having so many younger players coming to Lake Placid helps create the village’s visitors of the future.” "The Summit Lacrosse program supports the region’s recreational sports brand, and rounds out Lake Placid’s status as a national sports center,” said James McKenna, president of the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism. “With the addition of the new youth tournament in June, the event’s value as an economic driver is complemented by its continued ability to introduce new markets to the Adirondacks, and create lifelong destination ambassadors." With lacrosse serving as an introduction to Lake Placid, “Many of our participants have developed their own loyalty to the area, meaning that they come here not just to play lacrosse, but to ski, paddle, boat, fish, hike, get married and have reunions. So the multiplier becomes even greater,” concluded Leveille. For more information on both tournaments, please log on to www.lakeplacidlax.com and www.summitlacrosseventures.com. To gather lodging and activities information, organizers recommend www.lakeplacid.com. About Lake Placid Summit Classic Established in 1990, Lake Placid Summit Classic (LPSC) is one of the nation’s oldest and most highly attended events with 250 teams participating in 2016. The weeklong event is made up of 13 different divisions of play across boys, girls, men and women, and, participant ages range from 15 to 60 and over. LPSC is owned and operated by Summit Lacrosse Ventures, LLC. Learn more at www.summitlacrosseventures.com.

Businesses throughout Tupper Lake, anywhere in the town or village, can apply for microenterprise grants, which aim to create and retain job opportunities. A microenterprise is a business with five or fewer employees, including the owner. Applicants will have to meet income requirements and plan to make an investment in their business, to which they’ll have to contribute 10 percent of the cost. The grants will focus on improving the local tourism economy. For more information and to download the application, click here: Microenterprise application packet.