Matt Dunne, Sevtlana Filipson and Craig Weatherup (Provided photo — Naj Wikoff)

A year ago, the Adirondack Community Foundation launched the Adirondack Innovation Initiative (A2I) to help build and grow a tech-focused ecosystem within the Adirondacks, a program led by Svetlana Filipson.

On Thursday evening, July 31, the Foundation celebrated its first anniversary at a presentation and reception at the Cambria Hotel in Lake Placid. Attending was a range of people who use digital technologies in varied ways to make their living, or are establishing programs that assist tech-based individuals.

Svetlana Filipson is a graduate of the Lake Placid High School and Syracuse University, with bacjelor’s degrees in biology, public relations and international relations. Before joining the Adirondack Community Foundation, Filipson worked as the senior director and head of the Analytics Department at Delve Deeper. Collectively, she has had nearly 20 years of experience working in data analytics, project management and strategy execution.

The primary goal of A2I is to encourage people with tech-connected jobs to live in the Adirondacks and to assist and connect those already here. A value of such work is that it can be located anywhere in the park. By and large, this work is non-polluting, though electrical energy usage is a priority. Many in this industry tend to be younger, and have or may have families. A2I helps techies become more connected in their communities and with each other, enabling them to share contacts, information, and skills, as well as form social connections with others who share similar interests.

A major driver of this initiative is Craig Weatherup, retired president and CEO of Pepsico and a former seasonal but now year-round resident of the Adirondacks. Weatherup is very mindful of the declining public school enrollment rates, increasing need for affordable housing, daycare, and other regional priorities that include good-paying jobs.

Vanessa and Ryan Hutton with CJ Dates (Provided photo — Naj Wikoff)

“I’ve been working with a small group of people on attracting new residents for quite a while,” said Craig Weatherup. “I believe that without solving the jobs equation, housing, daycare, and having sushi restaurants don’t matter. Without jobs, we can’t change the demographic trends that include falling attendance at our schools. A little over a year ago, the Foundation board agreed that we should own and take a shot at increasing the tech-based industry, and hire an executive, who is Svetlana.”

Weatherup said he heard that such people tend to be reclusive, yet from an initial breakfast of 12, the Foundation has, in less than a year, built a network of over 250 tech and tech-adjacent workers. They are now working on scaling up those numbers through expanding the network and attracting more to the region.

Gregory Hart is helping North Country Community College, one of A2I’s partner agencies, assess the needs and identify possibilities for supporting the growing tech cluster in the region. Hart said the college feels that tech-based work represents a significant growth possibility for the area. Carol Calabrese of the Essex County IDA agreed, applauding Filipson and the Foundation for their efforts in identifying and bringing together the tech-based sector, and is looking forward to learning how they can assist their efforts.

Key to A2I’s efforts has been Matt Dunne of the Center on Rural Innovations, a Vermont-based non-profit organization focused on creating economic opportunities for rural areas through tech-focused ecosystems. Dunne provided a riveting overview of the dire trends within the rural economy, coupled with a detailed reflection on the potential of the tech center and the steps needed to make it flourish over the short and long term.

Dunne applauded the Foundation’s progress in establishing a network of tech-based workers and partnership organizations, like NCCC. He emphasized that developing a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship is crucial for job creation and expanded employment. Critical to attracting and retaining new residents is providing training, mentorships, and technical support.

About 75 people attended the celebration, and it was fascinating to see how spread out they were; they came from throughout the region. Many tech-connected people came to the Adirondacks during COVID for its healthy environment, and, liking what they experienced, stayed. As an example, Ryan and Vanessa Hutton live in Chestertown, his hometown, where he works online with Google. Initially, they had a second home in Chestertown and, loving the area, were looking for a way to live in the Adirondacks year-round.

They joined A2I’s network because they valued its efforts to support rural tech communities and develop a sustainable tech economy for the park, instead of trying to bring a large employer into the region.

“What makes it possible is that Vanessa is an attorney and was able to find work nearby,” said Ryan, “And, we’re not that far from New York City when I need to travel down there, which is once a month for a few days. I also fly internationally a couple of times a year. I’m a program manager; I manage a bunch of technical support services.”

Vanessa, who hales from Long Island, said she loves living in the Adirondacks, and that she took to it like a duck to water.

“It’s much calmer living in Chestertown,” said Vanessa. “There’s less traffic and less aggravation.”

“The Foundation is trying to attract people who bring their jobs with them, and have them dispersed throughout the park,” said Ryan. “I think such a workforce will help grow the economy of the communities without a potential negative environmental impact. I don’t think anyone wants factories built in the Adirondacks, nor do I think it’s feasible. When I look out my window when I’m working, I see a row of White Pines and at times wild turkeys walking by; I love that.”

“I love the sense of community and the friends we now have who have a wide range of backgrounds and ages, way more than we ever had in New York City,” said Vanessa. “We can call on them for any reason, good or bad, if we need help or something.”

Both Ryan and Vanessa have become very active in their community, serving on boards and committees in ways that help them make a difference in the overall welfare of Chestertown.

(Naj Wikoff lives in Keene Valley and has been writing his column for the Lake Placid News since 2005.)