Diane Jorgensen has been named senior vice president for Sutton and Tarantino Insurance Agency. The agency, which has been providing property and casualty services for more than 40 years, is expanding its operation to include a full suite of employee benefits. In her new role, Jorgensen will be responsible for overseeing the development, marketing and sales of the of the company’s employee benefits division. 

Jorgensen has nearly 20 years of experience in the health insurance industry with Excellus BlueCross BlueShield, upstate New York’s largest nonprofit health plan where she held sales and marketing leadership positions.

“Diane is a seasoned health care executive with a proven track record in the insurance industry,” said Rod Sutton, president of Sutton and Tarantino. “I’m very excited about her addition to our team.”

Jorgensen is a graduate of Hartwick College where she earned a business degree.  Upon completion of her undergraduate degree, she was accepted into two professional management programs, in Utica for Fleet Bank and in Philadelphia for First Union Bank in the commercial lending industry. She is a licensed broker in life, accident and health insurance and is certified on the New York State Small Business Health Options Program exchange as governed by the Affordable Care Act.

Jorgensen is a native of Utica. She and her husband, Mark, and two children, Sam and Mia, have relocated to Saratoga Springs. The children attend Saratoga Springs High School.

“Community involvement and giving back are extremely important to Diane,” Sutton said.

In Jorgensen’s short time as a resident of Saratoga Springs, she has served on the board of the Firecracker4 fundraising event and the board of the Saratoga Springs Running Club boosters. She has chaired a fundraising golf event at the Edison Club in Rexford to benefit the running programs, and she’s been the assistant volunteer coach for the Saratoga Running Streaks programs.

--Jennie

 

The Board of Directors of Arrow Financial Corp. has declared a quarterly cash dividend of 25 cents per share payable March 14, 2014 to shareholders of record March 3, 2014. This represents an increase of 2 percent over the cash dividend paid in the first quarter of 2013, as a result of the 2 percent stock dividend of Sept. 27, 2013.

Arrow Financial Corp. is a multibank holding company headquartered in Glens Falls, serving the financial needs of northeastern New York. The company is the parent of Glens Falls National Bank and Trust Co. and of Saratoga National Bank and Trust Co. Other subsidiaries include North Country Investment Advisers, as well as three property and casualty insurance agencies: Loomis & LaPann; McPhillips Insurance Agency, which is a division of Glens Falls National Insurance Agencies; and Upstate Agency. Capital Financial Group, an insurance agency specializing in the sale and servicing of group health plans, is also a subsidiary.

--Jennie

 


Dr. Amjad Hammad at Saratoga Vitreo-Retinal Ophthalmology is the first Capital Region eye-care provider to offer patients the Optos optomap retinal exam. This exam is a scanning laser ophthalmoscope that captures an image of virtually the entire retina.

“Until now, we could see only 30-90 degrees of the back of the eye at one time,” Hammad said. “With this technology, we can see 200 degrees of the eye in one capture. This lets us detect and manage eye diseases much earlier before they progress to become a problem.

“I am extremely pleased to offer this new technology to my patients,” he said. “Most patients feel they should be examined only when they need a change in prescription. In reality, the most important part of an examination is determining the health of the retina. The optomap provides us a permanent digital image that I can manipulate and magnify to have the most comprehensive view of the back of the eye. This allows us to better and more effectively discover abnormalities that may be present.”

The optomap retinal exam noninvasively captures an instantaneous, ultra-wide-field digital scan of the retina, revealing important information for the comprehensive evaluation of systemic and ocular health. The 200-degree internal scan captured in a quarter of a second enhances clinical care, patient satisfaction and practice efficiency. It is quick and easy, letting the doctor spend more time analyzing, diagnosing and educating rather than gathering information.

The optomap scans are performed as an initial step in a comprehensive eye exam, giving the doctor a tool to help discover retinal disease. This also offers an assisted opportunity to diagnose eye condition, as well as other health conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure, early. Importantly, it lets the doctor effectively determine the next course of action.

Hammad is an internationally recognized retina specialist treating patients with diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, retinal detachment, diabetic retinopathy and macular edema. He strives to educate his patients about their ocular diseases and treatment process. He is also the CEO of the New York Eye Surgical Center, the new dedicated center located at exit 16 of the Northway. To learn more and receive free copies of his two new books, “Keeping Your Retina Healthy” and “Diabetes and Your Eye,” call 580-0553 or visit www.saratogaretina.com.

--Jennie

 

 Saratoga Springs salon Brooklyn Attitude Hair & Body has been voted one of “BE! Beauty Entertainment Magazine”'s Hot 100 Salons in America for the sixth consecutive year in a row. The Saratoga salon is one of 25 salons out of about half a million United States salons nominated as a Hot Salon in America.

The salon has also been nominated for a Beauty Maker Award. Feb. 16, Brooklyn Attitude owners Glenn and MaryAnn Guerrier will be in Hollywood, Calif.  at the historic Roosevelt Hotel to be recognized as one of America's hottest Beauty Makers.

All these honors solidify Brooklyn Attitude's claim of putting Saratoga on the map for hair designing, according to Glenn Guerriero. 

--Jennie