The Putnam Valley Business Networkthanks the Town Supervisor and Town Board for this opportunity to support
and recognize our local businesses - storefront, home and agricultural.
Good business is good for Putnam Valley.
When our Town’s citizens, businesses and government all work together,
all of Putnam Valley benefits.
February, 2015
This month, we are pleased to honor not one but two of our local businesses,
and to recognize them for having been given the great distinction of receiving
the 2014 Trailblazer Award by the Putnam County Chambers of Commerce.
The Trailblazer Awards program honors Putnam County business owners and business employees
who have gone above and beyond in both their businesses, and their communities.
The first business we would like to recognize is one of Putnam Valley’s family businesses,
one that provides some of the same services today as it did in the ‘90s….the 1890s:
Niese’s Maple Farm.
Glenn Niese has been boiling maple sap since he was a boy working alongside
his father and grandfather. And while I’m sure he’s come up with a few innovations
since the single-bucket days of 1892, nothing has reduced the high quality
of both their products, and their service. Seven generations of the Niese family
have taken sap from our local trees, and magically turned them into the most delicious
of maple products. At their store today you can find not only syrups but also honey,
spices, coffees, teas, milk, candy, bake mixes, candles, gift baskets, soaps and more.
As certified maple educators, the Niese family delights in the opportunity to show others
their process for farm to table production, and they regularly offer tours and
demonstrations to groups of all sizes and ages. But it is most likely their wonderful
weekend breakfasts – plated and buffet-style, that make them such a draw to tourists,
travelers, and locals alike. If Putnam County really is where the Country Begins,
then Niese’s Maple Farm is most definitely where it stops for breakfast.
Don’t miss one of their highlights – the annual Maple Festival, held the last two weekends
in March, with tree tapping and sap boiling demonstrations, hayrides, food, fun, and more!
Niese’s Maple Farm is, and has been for seven generations, the best of Putnam Valley.
The second business and businessperson we would like to recognize truly earns
the deepest trust of their patrons and our community each and every day.
We trust them with our children.
We trust them to teach our children with their back to basics approach to learning.
We trust them to help our children develop socially through fun and games
with both other children and adults. We trust them to create a safe and comfortable
environment which, they recognize, is the only environment in which a child can truly thrive.
What does that mean at the Once Upon a Time Preschool and Day Care?
For Director Lisa Rodrigues it means putting aside a book being read at circle time
to give extra hugs to a child experiencing difficulties separating from Mom.
It means rubbing the back of a child having trouble falling asleep at nap time
because it just isn’t his own bed. It means treating each child as if he or she
was their own person, and making sure each child is treated as Lisa would want
to see her own child treated in her absence. We could go on about the beautiful home-like
environment, the many colorful rooms and ever-changing decorations, the great
and talented staff which is constantly seeking out new training and development
to do their jobs even better, the plethora of games and toys and educational materials
of all types, those adorable little chairs – but I think nothing summarizes our respect
for this business, or its owner and Director Lisa Rodrigues, better than something said earlier:
We trust them with our children.
The Putnam Valley Business Network is very proud to recognize two great Putnam Valley Businesses, and great Putnam Valley Businesspeople:
Glenn Niese: Niese's Maple Farm
and
Lisa Rodrigues: Once Upon a Time Preschool & Day Care
Archive of Past Putnam Valley Businesses of the Month
