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Volume 8  •  Issue 29  •  July 26 – August 1, 2013

I n d e p e n d e n t

F r e e saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com  •  (518) 581-2480

The Man Behind the Marketing The Story of Fingerpaint by Patricia Older Saratoga TODAY

Ed Mitzen poses inside of the former Borders storefront, which now houses his advertising and marketing agency, Fingerpaint. Photo courtesy of MarkBolles.com.

Food Pantry Tries to Fill Summer Lunchtime Void by Chelsea DiSchiano Saratoga TODAY WILTON — For most families in Wilton, summer is a cool fruity drink with a little umbrella floating at the top of the glass. Summer is sunblock on the beach, lemonade stands, play dates, movies at the drive-in—it is a break from the usual worries and stresses that school, work and extracurriculars can bring. But for families with children who rely on lunch programs to eat during the school year, summer is a wrinkled brow, a sigh of frustration, a head buried in the hands of parents who must find a way to

provide another meal for their children. Parents who have no more time and no more money to fill the lunchtime void that summer brings must find some solution to feed their kids. Luckily, resources like Wilton Food Pantry exist to serve families in situations exactly like this. But for the food pantry, summer means serving more recipients and their children, less volunteer hours and less monetary donations. Debi Zellan, president of the Wilton Food Pantry board, said the pantry has seen an uptick in adults and children coming in to receive meals this summer. See Food Pantry pg. 6

SARATOGA SPRINGS — It was the talk of the town this past spring—what was going on behind those newspapered windows of the former Borders Bookstore—was there going to be a fresh foods market? Or a bunch of retail shops on the lower level and apartments above? Maybe an Apple store had finally decided to locate in the Spa City. Obviously, from recent accounts as being one of the area’s fastest growing companies, a lot of creativity was going on behind those windows as Ed Mitzen’s fullservice advertising and marketing agency, Fingerpaint, prepared

to expand operations and move into the open space storefront at the corner of Division Street and Broadway. According to the Business Review, Fingerpaint is the second fastest growing company in upstate New York, ranked by five-year percent changes in revenue between 2008 and 2012. The area surveyed includes Saratoga, Albany, Columbia, Fulton, Greene, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Schenectady, Schoharie, Warren and Washington counties. Since 2008, Fingerpaint had an almost 1,400 percent increase in revenue, earning $9.5 million in 2012. When the company first started, they had seven See Fingerpaint pg. 15

WINNER’S CIRCLE

Featured Stories Fresh Air Family The Fresh Air Fund has allowed families to host innercity children since 1877. One local family talks about their experiences. See News pg. 14

Blues Hall of Fame Several local blues musicians will be honored August 1 as they are inducted into the New York State Blues Hall of Fame. See Pulse pg. 31

Inside TODAY Obituaries 5 Business 7 RSVP

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Religion 26 Track Opening Day

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Pulse/Local Gigs

30

Weekend Forecast FRIDAY

79|55 SATURDAY

86|66 SUNDAY H. James Bond horse and rider getting serious during training last Sunday. Track season is up and running, see the Winner’s Circle, page 19, for articles and images.

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