Pride Awards 2018

2018

S U L L I VA N C O U N T Y

PRIDE Celebrating 27 years of Great Accomplishments

A Special Section of the Sullivan County Democrat November 2018

In honor of

GLENN SMITH & Family

Business Person of the Year

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Gentleman of a Lifetime Yitzy & Eli Brezel 2 P R I D E AWA R D S

2018

Dear Readers, Sullivan County is rising. Momentum is pulsing through every facet of our community. In a few short years our County has risen-up and continues to rise and surpass its former golden years. Many exciting developments are on our horizon! Partnership work and collaboration will lead us into the future, and I am passionate about leading this charge as the new President/CEO of the Sullivan County Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

The Chamber’s objective is to make lasting contributions to the social, cultural and economic well-being of Sullivan County by bringing community and business together. When businesses collaborate with the groups that are working to make their neighborhoods a better place everyone wins.

Our opportunity is only limited by our effort. The Chamber is one of many important players in nourishing ongoing momentum in developing opportunities in our community.

Join me in celebration of our community, in honoring our 27th Annual Pride Award Winners at our Gala and in the cultivation of our collaborations that make Sullivan County shine! Please reserve your seat today for our November 15 reception at the Eagle’s Nest.

Very truly yours,

Jaime Schmeiser President & CEO Sullivan County Chamber of Commerce 196 Bridgeville Road, Suite 7 Monticello, New York 12701 President@catskills.com http://www.catskills.com

RSVP To The Sullivan County Chamber Of Commerce.

Call 845-791-4200 Or Visit www.catskills.com To Secure Your Reservation.

The Eagle’s Nest Is Located At 58 Eagle’s Nest Road in Bloominburg, NY.

2018

P R I D E AWA R D S 3

Congratulations Glenn on your achievement!

Well deserved!

“A Lifetime of Enjoyment” 28007

CPOO-113868

CPOO-116351

from your friends at the Heiden Project Development.

By Concord Estates Condominiums 66843

Congratulations on receiving the “Businessperson of the Year” Pride Award!

“Office Family” Orshii, Jim and Miriam

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ition nn on a recogn le G s on ti la u Congrat eserved. so very well d Sullivan drive around Whenever we rints” tp e your “Foo County, we se er! ov l al nts” are and those “pri ves el rs ou saying to We are always volved in re e’ ct.” or “W je ro P r ou ’s be the “That nty would not ou C e Th ”. at it. with th eren’t a part of same if you w

Congratulations Glenn Farr Engineering PO Box 302 • Port Jervis, New York 12771

Jim Farr, P.E. (914) 474-1980 • JFarr@Farr-Engineering.com 4 P R I D E AWA R D S

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“Do what you love, Love what you do” 2018

Businessperson of the Year:

Glenn Smith

Story and photo

by Isabel Braverman

W

inning the Sullivan County Chamber of Commerce Businessperson of the Year Award took Glenn Smith completely by surprise. “It’s quite an honor,” Smith said. “My first thought was that there are 1,000 businesses in our county, not sure how my name got in the showing, but it’s an honor to hear that. I’ve been in Sullivan County my whole life, I like it around here; I don’t intend to go anyplace. To be recognized like that is really cool and I really appreciate it.”

Smith was born and raised in Monticello and his family has

In partnership with:

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P R I D E AWA R D S 5

With hout engineeers like Glenn Smitth,, dream ms would be jus j t that.

Congratulations Glenn, an nd all of tonight’s hon norees.

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Yoour friends and colleagu ues at

6 P R I D E AWA R D S

2018

continued from page 5 been there since 1804. Being a licensed professional engineer since 1977 and starting his engineering business in 1986, Smith has invested in not just Monticello but Sullivan County as a whole.

It’s his love for the area that has kept him here running his own business and raising a family. He works alongside his wife, Pat, every single day, as she is the office manager (and also keeps him organized).

His office on Broadway in the Village of Monticello is a converted house which won the Sullivan Renaissance Showcase Award in 2003 for best commercial renovation. This is just one of several accolades that Smith has earned in his many successful years in business.

As a civil engineer, Smith works on projects such as housing developments, site planning and municipal projects, and he manages everything from start to finish, beginning with getting approvals from planning and zoning boards to overseeing construction to getting final inspections.

In fact, it’s those town and planning boards that are an important aspect of the job. Smith is the municipal engineer for Monticello, Neversink and Bethel, which along with his private development projects requires him to work outside office hours and attend night meetings two to three times a week when most board meetings are scheduled.

Smith is the municipal engineer for Monticello, Neversink and Bethel, which along with his private development projects requires him to work outside office hours.

continued on page 9

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Congratulations Glenn L. Smith

2018

P R I D E AWA R D S 7

Congratulations

-Gary Packer-

Glenn L. Smith

Packer Associates Professional Land Surveyors (570) 224-4300

Business Person of the Year – AND –

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Congratulations Glenn!

Congratulations To All!

Corey Gips Young Emerging Leader – AND –

printing • graphic design • service bureau

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Michael & Chris Sutton

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One-Color to Four-Color Process & Beyond From Concept to Finished Product All Done On Premises

ALL AWARD HONOREES

5211 Main St., So. Fallsburg, NY 12779

845.434.4321

fax 845.436.8609

steingar@catskill.net

Hey Glenn Smith!

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You may be the “Businessperson of the Year”, but, in our eyes, you are and (always will be!) the “Papa of the Century”!

Congratulations and WE LOVE YOU!

Love, Katie, Erin, Avery & Brendan Tully (and our Mommy and Daddy, too!!)

s n o i t a l u Congrat ! a P a P r u to oown to others as

We Love You Very Much, Baley & Mason Smith

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8 P R I D E AWA R D S

Smith. .

L n n e l G

2018

Over the past two years Smith said he has seen an increase in business calls as more developments show interest in the county. He spent almost five years working on the YO1 Wellness Center in Monticello, a state-of-theart hotel and holistic resort set on 1,300 acres that opened last June. Other projects include the Chapin Estates Luxury Housing Development in Bethel, The Center for Discovery Hurleyville redevelopment, and large housing developments in the Towns of Fallsburg and Thompson. Smith said he has around 40-50 projects of various sizes going on at any given time.

Smith commented that he is one of only a few civil engineers in the county, which is unfortunate since there is a surge in new businesses coming to the area. In the past he has had many projects that were on the “back burner” because clients didn’t want to commit just yet, but now many of them are becoming active. “In the last year or two everything began popping at once,” Smith said, much of what he attributes to the new casino, the YO1

Wellness Center, Bethel Woods, Monticello Motor Club and the expansion of The Center for Discovery.

This kind of development is not only good for business, but also for our County’s tourism economy as well. As more and more people discover the area that Smith has always called home, it benefits everyone as a whole. “It’s great around here,” Smith said, “I’m going to stay right here,” adding that he tries to make as much time as possible enjoying the grandkids and being outdoors, preferably with a fishing pole in hand. u

Congratulations to

GLENN L. SMITH and all of the 2018 Honorees.

Kalter, Kaplan, Zeiger & Forman

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continued from page 7

Attorneys at Law 6166 State Rte. 42, PO Box 30, Woodbourne, NY 12788 Tel: 845-434-4777 Fax: 845-436-8156 47 N. Main St., PO Box 186, Ellenville, NY 12428 Tel: 845-647-4110 Fax: 845-647-6232 kkz@hvc.rr.com

Still Banking Strong!

Congratulations to all of the 2018 Sullivan Pride Award Recipients:

(845) 482-4000 • www.jeffbank.com www.facebook.com/jeffersonvillebank

2018

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Mr. Glenn L. Smith, Dr. Joseph D’Abbraccio, Mr. Walter Garigliano, Mr. Corey Gips, and Mr. William Zaccari

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Congratulations to all the

Pride Award Winners & Honorees, Sullivan County’s Finest!

South Fallsburg, NY • 1-800-999-6593

ROLL-085414

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CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE HONOREES

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2018

Distinguished Achievement Award

Dr. Joseph D’Abbraccio

Story and photo

by Joseph Abraham n November 15, Dr. Joseph D’Abbraccio will be the recipient of the Sullivan County Chamber of Commerce’s annual Distinguished Achievement Award.

“It’s awesome,” D’Abbraccio said of receiving the award. “I’m very humbled and appreciative to get it. It shows how vital my practice has been in the county, that others acknowledge my hard work and that they appreciate the economic benefit of my practice being in the community.”

Monticello Rotary President Lori Orestano-James has known D’Abbraccio for years. When she was assistant principal at Monticello High School, where she currently serves as school board

O

In partnership with:

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P R I D E AWA R D S 1 1

continued from page 11 president, she fondly remembered that D’Abbraccio was the first student school board member, showing initiative even at that young age.

“There are three things I attribute to his success,” she explained.

The first is a desire to work hard for the betterment of others. The second is a passion for what he does, and third is his empathy and humanitarian approach in everything he does.”

Orestano-James added that because of these traits, D’Abbraccio inspires others to want to achieve greatness. “He’s a great role model and truly a pillar of our community. And we’re very happy he came back. He could have gone anywhere and he chose to come home.”

Dr. D’Abbraccio, now in his early 30s, knew he wanted to work with animals at a young age. Following his graduation from Monticello High School, he went on to SUNY Delhi and SUNY New Paltz for undergrad, then went on to attend St. Matthew's University School of Veterinary Medicine in the Cayman Islands before completing his final year of veterinary school at North Carolina State University. Even though his education brought him to some great destinations, D’Abbraccio was always intent on coming home to Sullivan County.

He saw a need in his own community, but when he returned, there were no jobs in his field. Following some time working in Orange and Ulster counties, D’Abbraccio decided to start his own practice, Catskill Veterinary Services, which initially began with him making house calls. And today, in just six short years, his practice has grown to 26 employees.

“I wanted to create opportunity when the opportunity wasn’t there,” he said. “And I hope other young professionals do the same.

I think that’s an important thing.”

His return home has had a great impact.

Catskill Veterinary Services provides veterinary care at their main location in Rock Hill and ambulatory veterinary services in Sullivan, Orange, Ulster, Delaware, Wayne, and Pike Counties. They care for dogs, cats, birds, exotics, and all livestock.

When he’s not on the job, D’Abbraccio enjoys a variety of hobbies which center around volunteer work. D’Abbraccio is an active member of the Monticello Rotary. He’s also the President/Chairman of the Board of Pets Alive, a no-kill animal rescue in Middletown with a mission to improve the lives of companion animals everywhere by any means possible, including rescue, adoption, advocacy, collaboration, intervention and education.

He is also a board member of the Veterinary Information Network Foundation (VIN). VIN aims to help new graduates, typically heavily laden with student debt, formally entering the profession without a support system to guide them through the transition from being a student to a member of the workforce. D’Abbraccio mentioned how many veterinarians struggle with the stress and challenges of the profession, and have one of the higher suicide rates among careers.

And he’s joined the effort to make things better for his peers.u 12 P R I D E AWA R D S

Catskill Veterinary Services provides veterinary care at their main location, and ambulatory care in Sullivan, Orange, Ulster, Delaware, Wayne and Pike counties.

2018

Congrats to All the Honorees!

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2018

P R I D E AWA R D S 1 3

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newhopecommunity.org 2018

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Congratulations to all of the 2018 Pride Award Recipients

P R I D E AWA R D S 1 5

We are proud of you Dad. Love, Your Family Catskill Mountain Sugar House, LLC 10 Sugarhouse Lane, Grahamsville, NY, 12740 66742

Producers of maple syrup, maple cream & sugar • Supplying local vendors year-round Available locally at the Grahamsville Deli, Monticello Farmer’s Market, Peck’s Markets throughout Sullivan County, Neversink General Store, and GMart in Wurtsboro

845-985-7815

We’re proud of you, Walter!

Barbara, Sue, Suzanne, Jane, Lenore, Tara and Patti The Law Offices of

449 Broadway • P.O. Drawer 1069, Monticello, NY 12701 845/796-1010 • Fax 845/796-1040

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We rise by lifting ot o hers.

— Robert Ingersoll

G R A N IT E A S S O CI AT E S 16 P R I D E AWA R D S

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Coongratulations to all of the h honorees.

Thank you for giving so much to make ouur community strong todayy, and for the future.

2018

Distinguished Service Award:

Walter Garigliano

Story and photo

by Matt Shortall In partnership with:

ecent economic development in Sullivan County is thanks to the hard work of countless individuals over many years. Many of their names are only known by a select few, but their contributions are immeasurable. One name that has worked behind the scenes for decades to improve our local communities is Walter Garigliano.

R

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P R I D E AWA R D S 1 7

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CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF THE 2018 WINNERS! ESPECIALLY WALTER AND GLENN!

Congratulations Walter!

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continued from page 5 The Gariglianos have been a part of Sullivan County since the beginning. They settled in Grahamsville in the early 1800s and have lived continuously on the same land for over 200 years.

The 2018 recipient of the Sullivan County Chamber of Commerce’s Distinguished Service Award, Walter Garigliano, has more than 30 years of legal and business experience. “It felt very nice to be recognized,” he said during a sit down interview at his law office in Monticello.

Garigliano founded Catskill Mountain Sugar House 33 years ago. Today it’s run by his son John, with brothers Jim, Matthew, Joe and Mark also chipping in to the family business. The Sugar House sits on 800 acres between the NYC Rondout Reservoir and The Sundown/Denman Mountain Wild Forest. They supply large businesses like Nana Joe’s Granola based out of San Francisco, and their maple syrups are distributed as close as Peck’s Markets and as far as restaurants in the United Arab Emirates.

Besides his family’s successful maple syrup business, Garigliano Law Offices has been on Broadway in Monticello for more than 30 years. During that time, Garigliano has also served as the attorney for the Town of Neversink for 32 years and general counsel to the Sullivan County Industrial Development Agency (IDA) for the past 20 years.

He also serves as secretary and general counsel for Tomra of North America, Inc. A Norwegian public company, Tomra is the world’s largest recycler of empty beverage containers.

“If you visit the Shoprite in Liberty there’s a little bottle room to the left of entrance. The machines in that bottle room are manufactured by Tomra,” Garigliano said.

Tomra of North America, Inc. is the subsidiary that operates in Canada, Mexico and the United States. Garigliano said the United States is unique in that we have 50 different strategies for recycling our used beverage containers, while recycling is often more streamlined in European countries. “There’s 70odd million people in Germany and there’s one German system. There’s 50-odd million people in France and there’s one French system. In the US there’s 10 bottle bill states and 40 that aren’t. That means we have 40 states that handle used beverage containers by mixing them in with the municipal waste trash stream, destroying their economic value. Aluminum is a high-value commodity, but it’s not a high value commodity when you mix it in with coffee grinds and the rest of your omelette you didn’t eat,” Garigliano said.

Garigliano’s work for Tomra brings him to many different parts of the country. “I think it gives me more than a local perspective on economic development issues. I’ve seen the successes and failures,” he explained.

Garigliano is able to bring the lessons from his travels

He also serves as secretary and general counsel for Tomra of North America, Inc. A Norwegian public company, Tomra is the world’s largest recycler of empty beverage containers.

continued on page 21 2018

P R I D E AWA R D S 1 9

Congratulations to all the Pride Winners Thank you for Your Dedication

Paul Walsh

THOMPSON SANITATION

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Walter Garigliano and all off the 2018 Honorees

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continued from page 19 around the country and the world back to Sullivan County. In his capacity as legal counsel for the Sullivan IDA, those lessons can be applied to creating progress locally.

“We’ve certainly created a significant number of job opportunities through the efforts of the IDA, Chamber of Commerce and county government,” Garigliano said. “Without exception, this is the finest assembled group of business persons and community stakeholders that I’ve ever worked with. How the county legislature was able to convince this group of people who comprise the IDA board to take a pretty much thankless job and only focus on doing the right thing is a credit to the legislature.”

Garigliano said they’ve assembled a group of people who are second-to-none in terms of their ability to think through complex issues. Of the multiple business persons who sit on the IDA, some of them have their experience from living and working in Sullivan County and some have their experience from working out the area. “They each come at problems from a different perspective and often come up with great solutions. It’s my job to implement the solutions they come up with. They’re just a tremendous board and it’s such a great opportunity to represent a group of people who are so good at what they do.” u

Garigliano said the IDA has assembled a group of people who are second-to-none in terms of their ability to think through complex issues.

Congratulations to all the recipients on their well deserved awards!

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from Ed Sykes

Congr Con ong ngr gratulat gra gr rat atu tul ula lat atti tions! tio ion ons ns!

TO O ALL TH HE AWA ARD REC CIPIENTS S f from your ffriends i d att 66976

YOGA | DANCE | MOVIES & MOREE | VISIT HURLEYVILLEARTSCENTRRE.ORG RE ORG FOR INFO & TICKETS! 2018

P R I D E AWA R D S 2 1

We all love you, Perry Gips, Charley Gips, Kara Silverman and Mom Kelley Edkins

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I am very proud of my son Corey Gips He is the true definition of a “Partymaster”

369 Broadway, Monticello, NY www.kristt.biz • 845-794-6639

Les Kristt & Gene Kelly 22 P R I D E AWA R D S

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Congratulations Glenn & Pat Smith Dr. Joe D’Abbracio Walter Garigliano • Corey Gips William Zaccari 2018

Young Emerging Leader:

Corey Gips Story and photo

by Patricio Robayo

F

or 40 years Party Master has been the standard for visual production and DJing in the county. Working with Party Master Founder and his father, Perry Gips, Corey Gips’ work ethic has been second to none, and people have taken notice. So much so that Gips was selected as this year’s recipient of the Sullivan County Chamber of Commerce’s Young Emerging Leader Award.

Starting as shop manager and working his way up in the company, Gips was able to learn every aspect of the business, from inflatables, carnivals and eventually more elaborate tech productions.

According to Gips, when he was around 18 years old, he started to get interested in DJing and with encouragement from his father — who himself was a leader in DJing for the Catskills — Corey pursued his new passion.

“That's when I started to do more events, bar mitzvahs and bat mitzvahs, and weddings,” said Gips. “I got very popular in the industry, and that's how I became a DJ personality.”

“I learned everything from my mentor and father, Perry Gips. He pretty much taught me everything I know,” added Gips.

Gips, a 2007 graduate of Fallsburg High School, attended SUNY Sullivan before moving on to Pace University, where he majored in Marketing and Advertising.

After graduation, he returned to Party Master to help his father

In partnership with:

continued on page 24 2018

P R I D E AWA R D S 2 3

continued from page 23 and fully turned his attention to the business.

“We take pride in our inflatable business, and we are one of the premier New York State and Tri-State area production teams. We offer so many different rides,” said Gips.

With five trucks, Party Master not only works locally, but also nationwide.

Working with other party companies across the country, they have been able to establish connections in other states and still have Party Master be the name for events.

“People trust us, so we do the best we can,” said Gips.

Party Master started from humble beginnings and once used mobile homes strung together as their office. However, for 18 years, they have been a staple in Hurleyville using a former cement factory as a base for operations.

A fond memory that Gips has of his father was when he was six, and attended an air show at Sullivan County Airport, and now as an adult, returned to the event and ran the video and sound production with his father at Stewart International Airport’s Airshow.

“It was pretty cool to see that,” recalled Gips. “He used to bring me along; I was his partner in crime.”

On the future of Sullivan County, Gips said, “I think the county is going to explode and that’s why I am staying here and want to be here.”

Furthermore, he said, “I see more hotels opening up, and the bars and restaurants want younger people coming. I feel the energy here and I’m seeing other people taking pride in the businesses. It's incredible.”

Gips likes to keep his finger on the pulse on what's going on in the video, sound and the DJing industry, “You always have to be cutting edge on what is next. That is what makes you above the rest. You have to take that gamble to get to the next step.”

One new thing that will be available at Party Master are LED video walls. According to Gips, they are four-foot square LED panels that can be strung together to create custom sized video walls for your event.

“I have been doing a test to see if we can create a video wall panels that will be in front of the DJ equipment,” said Gips. “You will be able to have your photos, video or message stream across the front of the DJ booth.”

On the future, Gips says he sees himself building on Party Master’s business and said, “In today's world you can’t stay stagnant,” said Gips. “That’s what I learned working in the industry.”

For those entrepreneurs and future business leaders in Sullivan County, he said,“Put your nose to the grindstone, work hard...hard work pays off. Everything you do impacts your decisions,” said Gips.

“Success is not instant; you have to stick at it and work hard and do the right thing. It will pay off at the end.”

Equally important, Gips said, “If we weren't at your party, then it wasn’t a party.”

For more info about Party Master, visit www.partymaster.us, call (845) 434-6210 or email info@partymaster.us. u

24 P R I D E AWA R D S

Gips credits joining the Sullivan County Chamber of Commerce, Sullivan County Visitors Association, Young Professional Mixers, and the Partnership for Economic Development for helping grow Party Master’s business.

2018

Township Award:

William Zaccari

Contributed photos

Story by Autumn Schanil ach year a business or individual is recognized for their dedication, their commitment, and their effort in contributing to and promoting the community in which they live and work. This year that recognition, the Township Award, is being given to William Zaccari and the Catskill Mountains Resort in Barryville.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s third year in business, The Catskill Mountains Resort, has

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In partnership with:

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P R I D E AWA R D S 2 5

continued from page 25 been steadily growing and blooming from what it once was.

“We bought it four years ago,” stated Zaccari. “It was an old gymnastics camp that was kind of run down, so we were hoping to beautify it again. The grass was three-feet high and the pool had pine trees growing out of it,” he said while chuckling. “The vision was to employ people from the area and open up a small Bed and Breakfast, and it has just continued to grow from there.”

Zaccari was born and raised by his father in Narrowsburg along with his six brothers. His father, knowing there wasn’t a lot of opportunity in the area at the time, encouraged his boys after graduating high school to set out and get jobs elsewhere.

“I went into the Fire Department in New York City, my brothers went into the Police Department, and after 9/11 my life changed,” Zaccari said. “I was injured and I had seven back surgeries, so I decided to come back to where I grew up -- well the next town over -- to settle.”

When he found the old gymnastics camp so close to where he grew up, he took a risk and bought it, hoping to be able to revitalize it, employ local people and bring in visitors from other areas.

“Now we’re building this 5,000 sq. ft banquet hall, and it will be done in two weeks. We’ll be having our first Firemen Installation dinner for the Town of Highland Fire Department on November 9,” Zaccari happily stated. “It will be our first big crowd of about 200. We have 27 employees who are all local and during the summer we staff more people for the outdoor things like the pool and the tiki bar. I just think it brings a lot to both the community and to us.

“We’re looking to expand, as long as the Township is behind us,” Zaccari continued. “We’re trying to keep the country look here. We have 80 acres that we just purchased down the road so we’d like to expand by adding small cabins for people to stay in. We’re taking it one step at a time, we’re trying. A lot of things are happening and it's great.”u

“It was an old gymnastics camp that was kind of run down, so we were hoping to beautify it again.

The grass was three feet high and the pool had pine trees growing out of it,...”

William Zaccari

The Catskill Mountain Resort 26 P R I D E AWA R D S

2018

Focus, Hard Work, Determination!

We applaud the Sullivan County Chamber of Commerce's 2018 Pride Award winners for their outstanding contributions to the success and well-being of Sullivan County.

It’s an honor to be your friends and colleagues.

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