By Luke Nathan – Albany Business Review
Published September 19, 2024
It’s seldom easy to move to a new place. That can especially be true for people who have
lived in larger metro areas who decide they want to come to the North Country, where
subways and skyscrapers are replaced by longer drives and mountain trails. But as some
newcomers to the region will tell you, there’s plenty to recommend about living here,
too, things that longtime residents might take for granted. Below are the stories of three
people who moved to the region within the past five years.
Tony DeFazio
Age: 58
Job: Founder, Sustainable PR
Location: Glens Falls
Naturally, veteran public relations consultant Tony DeFazio has some ideas on how to
coax prospective residents to Glens Falls.
“People will come here because of the environment,” he told the Business Review. “You
have to market this area with that asset.”
DeFazio knows the allure firsthand. The culmination of what he calls “a lifelong love
affair with the Adirondacks,” which he visited from Philadelphia as a child, DeFazio left
that city and made Glens Falls his home in 2020.
He also made it the home of his newest agency, Sustainable PR, which caters to
companies in the green economy.
DeFazio considered other potential HQs, including Lake Placid, North Creek and Old
Forge, but found the most robust network of support for small business owners like him
in the Warren County city.
The location, he believes, is ideal: close to Saratoga Springs, within an hour of Albany
International Airport and the state capital, and on the cusp of the Adirondack Park.
The firm draws inspiration for its work from the park and leads outings there,
DeFazio said. But putting down roots far from a major metropolitan area has not been
without challenges.
The firm, which has four employees, switched to a remote-work model, DeFazio said,
“because, to be frank, we had difficulty with recruitment. We just couldn’t find a skilled
talent pool [locally] for the type of work we do.”
Local or state incentives could help draw additional talent to the region,
DeFazio suggested.
