I think of my grandmother, then Climena Preston Alford, who felt there was a need for a hotel that provided fine dining, exceptional service and treating its employees well. She named it the Mirror Lake Inn, and now 100 years later, drilling into those three values has resulted in the Inn being recognized as one of the finest resorts in America.

Throughout her career Climena invested in ideas that she felt could make a difference. Three standouts were Dream Hill, one of the earliest ski slopes in the state; the Palace Theatre, as means of expanding reasons for visiting Lake Placid no matter the weather; and establishing Lake Placid as the national center for training skaters, an idea brought to her by skating pro Cliff Thael.

Climena was an early backer of the 1932 Winter Olympics, winterizing her hotel, providing lodging for the Norwegian team and was a strong advocate for the creation of the Whiteface Ski Center. As a result of her efforts, willingness to invest in others’ ideas, and her willingness to take risks, many people have made a good living, visited Lake Placid and through her mentorship, made their own marks.

In a very real way, the Adirondack Community Foundation, through its Adirondack Innovation Initiative (A21), led by Svetlana Filipson, is taking a lead in investing in innovators — people with good ideas. A21 is trying to sus out creative people, many of whom use digital technologies in varied ways to make a living in the Adirondacks, get them talking with one another and encourage them to pursue initiatives that can improve the economy.

On Nov. 20, A21 held Adirondack Launchpad Pitch Day at Northwood School’s Innovation Hub on Main Street. In late September, the Foundation invited people to participate in a business idea competition designed to support the next generation of Adirondack entrepreneurs. They were not looking for polished business plans, but raw, unproven and impactful ideas.

In all, 38 people responded, their proposals were reviewed and ranked, and five were invited to make their case to a panel of successful innovators. The panel ranked them by innovation and problem-solving fit; market opportunity and scalability; founder quality and execution; and A21 mission and regional impact. An excellent presentation would identify a critical problem and propose a novel/disruptive solution that would be marketable and scalable solution. They sought a presenter who demonstrated mastery, strong drive, excellent delivery and a credible execution roadmap. Finally, the presenter who provided an idea that would result in significantly high-wage job creation and addressed a primary Adirondack need.

James Dewey proposed a residential chimney fire suppression system that automatically detects and extinguishes chimney fires, an idea inspired by a chimney fire that demolished a seasonal resident’s home. Edward Alford, drawing on his experience in the aviation industry, made the case for High Peaks Flight Simulator Center: a dual-purpose tourism and training center offering immersive flight simulator experiences and STEM/pilot training programs. Chip Pulitzer, who makes his living using digital technologies, pitched a scalable B2B software and services firm focused on building, maintaining and securing customized data pipelines and infrastructure for clients worldwide.

Local contractor Greg Simkiss addressed the need for affordable workforce housing by using modular construction and advanced materials to rapidly and affordably manufacture housing components. Finally, another contractor, Tim Jackson, proposed a community-focused maker-space offering specialized tools, collaborative space, and training programs aimed at upskilling the next generation of tradespeople and local makers.

Each presenter had 5 minutes to make their case and respond to questions from the panel of judges. In many respects, all were winners, having made the finals over 33 others. No question, selecting the top two would not be easy. In the end, Greg Simkiss took first place, $1,000; Alford, second, an honorable mention, and $500, which would have brought a smile to his Great Aunt Climena. All left with business development mentoring and a determination to pursue their ideas further.

“I plan to pursue my project,” said Simkiss. “I think trying to create new affordable housing is going to be a great and noble adventure. I was totally blown away when I won. All the others did a great job; they had many interesting ideas I would not have anticipated. I had no preconceived notion of how it would end; winning was a complete surprise as the caliber of the pitches was so high.”

“The process was exciting,” said Alford. “I had the idea in my head for a couple of decades of opening a flight entertainment training center, as there are so few of them in the country. This event provided me the opportunity to share my idea in a local forum, as it’s not just entertainment for visitors, but at its heart, it’s career building, expanding opportunities. The most exciting takeaway from this opportunity is now being able to make the connections with people who can help me move forward.”

Dewey said that being retired is not all that it’s cracked up to be; thus, he enjoyed the opportunity to get out of his house and meet other creative problem-solving people. He found the experience invigorating; it prompted him to consider how he could help others avoid losing their homes to a chimney fire.

“I can’t believe that there are so many people living here with such innovative ideas,” said Ezra Schwartzberg. “Consider Chip Pulitzer’s thinking about an offshore opportunity; it’s neat. Just consider, someone is living here who knows how to do that work; he identified a need that someone could actually do. I thought that was cool.”

“I thought it was a lovely event,” said Victoria Hantout. “It brought together people who are trying to think about how they can make this area more vibrant.

“I was delighted with the turnout,” said Craig Weatherup. “We had no idea how many submissions we’d get, five, 15, or what. We were surprised and pleased to get 38. It demonstrated that people are living here with ideas and the energy to pursue them.”

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