At its annual meeting in September, the Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA) announced the addition of five board members to its Board of Directors.

Returning board member John Bartow, Executive Director of the Empire Forest Products Association (EFPS), will serve a new three-year term after stepping down for one year. Other new board members are Rob Bloom, Chief Financial Officer at Carthage Area Hospital; William Farber, Chairman of Hamilton County Board of Supervisors; Gerald Haenlin, Manager of Community and Customer Management for National Grid’s Northern Region; and Nichole Richardson, Senior Relationship Advisor of Silicon Valley Bank.

The new board members join ANCA’s board in the regional nonprofit’s 63rd year working to support local economies in the 14-county Adirondack North Country region. Over the past two years, the organization has grown from ten to 16 staff members who are advancing programs in three major program areas: clean energy, regional advocacy and local economies and agriculture.

The board meeting dovetailed with ANCA’s annual meeting, which was open to the public. This year’s meeting, dubbed “Pioneers of the New Economy,” brought together some ninety North Country entrepreneurs and community leaders to discuss challenges and opportunities facing new and existing businesses in the region. Attendees had the chance to share business ideas, network and learn from experts, peers and regional economic development organizations.

Following brief introductions by ANCA Board President Jim Sonneborn and Executive Director Kate Fish, meeting participants broke out into five sessions that dug deeper into the specific challenges and solutions local entrepreneurs encounter during different stages of business development: pre-venture and exciting ideas; business infancy and just starting out; experiencing early growth; looking to expand and actively expanding; and social innovators.

Guest entrepreneurs represented a variety of fields including manufacturing, food processing, scientific research, creative arts and technology.

Representatives from local and state government offices and regional economic development organizations were also in attendance.

For more information about ANCA, visit their website.