Personnel Briefs

StoredTech in Queensbury has made three changes to its management team.

Tom Caramella was promoted to vice president of finance and Katie Roeder was promoted to vice president of operations.

StoredTech also appointed Kimberly Frustere to vice president of sales.

Caramella joined StoredTech in December 2022 as finance manager.

In his new role, he will be responsible for the entire accounting department consisting of five team members. He will help continue driving StoredTech’s growth while maximizing profits.

Beginning as vice president of finance in June 2021, Roeder played a role in beginning to automate financial and reporting systems and assisted in measures that helped drive overall growth by 19 percent while increasing the bottom line by 86 percent in 2022.

She will play a crucial role in standardizing policies and procedures across the entire organization. She will help ensure the development and implementation of efficient and cost-effective processes, both internal and external.

Frustere will lead and oversee sales teams in the company’s corporate headquarters in Queensbury and offices in Raleigh, N.C.

Before joining StoredTech, Frustere was vice president of sales for iHeartMedia in Latham. She brings over 30 years of experience building and leading successful sales teams that delivered revenue growth by fostering a culture of accountability, commitment, a focus on customer satisfaction, and shared success. She managed and oversaw all advertising sales activities and lead a sales team for iHeartMedia’s Albany market.

She also spent nine years as general sales manager at Media One Group in Jefferson, Ohio. She held various executive management positions during her 15-year career working in the newspaper industry, including nine years as director of advertising at The Saratogian in Saratoga Springs.

Adirondack Aromatherapy At Aviation Mall

Sells Oils Sourced From Some 40 Countries

Empire State University announced that Kathleen Roberts accepted the assistant vice president for human resources position based in Saratoga Springs.

Roberts will be responsible for the strategic and collaborative leadership of the Department of Human Resources, including recruitment, employment, compensation, benefits, employee labor relations, policy implementation, staff training and development. She will develop and direct the strategic planning and long-range goals for the Office of Human Resources and will contribute to the institution’s organizational strategic planning goals.

Roberts will lead with integrity and embrace a culture that promotes the highest level of professional and ethical standards, in addition to partnering with the chief diversity officer to foster a climate of diversity, inclusiveness, and respect.

She currently works as a lead consultant for change and justice where she delivers intercultural education and advises equity consultant groups on frameworks and assessments for cultural change.

Roberts holds a J.D. from the University of Maine School of Law and a Ph.D. in leadership and change from Antioch University.

* * * cb20 Inc., Saratoga Springs, announced that Matthew Authier has joined the organization as the MSP sales executive.

He will be the frontline client interface of the company, and will be responsible for managed services business development.

After graduating from Merrimack College, Authier completed his MBA from Norwich University with a concentration in organizational behavior.

Authier has been active in the technology solutions channel for four years, previously managed sales operations centers in the LP industry throughout the northeast, and a successful seal business owner.

BY JILL NAGY

After an 18-month hiatus, Tom and Gretchen Morganstern’s Adirondack Aromatherapy is back in business at a new location. They recently opened a boutique in Aviation Mall in Queensbury.

The shop was previously in the Shirt Factory in Glens Falls.

Like so many other businesses, they closed down during the pandemic and, except for a kiosk at the mall last holiday season, they did business online from their home until two months ago.

Adirondack Aromatherapy sells natural aromatic oils sourced from some 40 countries. Most aromatics are not native to the Adirondack region, Gretchen explained, and if they do grow there, they have a very short growing season. One exception is roses. She makes rosewater when the roses bloom in her garden.

The shop features an “aroma bar,” an array of bottles of essential oils. Customers can sniff and choose what they like or have Morganstern mix an elixir for them. They can then diffuse the aroma in many ways: as spray, soap, roll-on, perfume, etc.

She said she works exclusively with natural scents and claims that the right scent can heal the mind, body, and spirit.

“We do all the traditional stuff, too,” Morganstern added. They sell familiar oils and basic blends, and some special purpose blends, such as insect repellents and scents designed to keep mice away. A collection of books and workbooks is also offered.

In the back of the space is Tom Morganstern’s workshop.

“I just make pretty soap,” he said.

He has been doing it, first as a hobby and then as a business, since 1996. Gretchen noted that Tom was featured in a book called “The Art of Soap” and also included in a giftbuying guide, “Time Out New York.” Both brought in “tons of orders” from many from people who had never ordered online before and had to be guided through the process.

In addition to the retail sales section in front, the shop has space for classes and workshops, and personal healing sessions. Gretchen emphasized that she will provide information and conduct workshops, but not provide formal training or certification.

The wholesale side of the business produces custom oils and products for other small businesses, including a bed and breakfast establishment for which, Gretchen said, she creates hundreds of specialty oils every year.

“I love collaborating with other business owners. It is one of my favorite aspects of what we do,” she said.

Gretchen traces her immersion in the herbal world to the 1990s. She took courses in traditional aromatherapy and in more specialized arts like spiritual and sacred oils. For a time, she contributed to a local newspaper’s “alternative awareness” column.

Tom worked for a soap company for a time. The company used synthetic oils and, he found, they gave him headaches.

He said “there is a lot of science out there,” distinguishing between natural and synthetic fragrances. Today, it is all natural. “I like the smell. It makes me happy,” he noted.

Both business owners had other careers before opening Adirondack Aromatherapy. Tom was a carpenter for a little over a decade. Gretchen worked in early childhood special education.

The boutique is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. In addition, they will be scheduling special events.

The shop can reached by telephone at 518860-5102 or online at ADKaromatherapy. com.