Every fall since 2005, Ellms Family Farm opens its gates to welcome people from all over the Capital Region to their farm in Ballston Spa, NY. For many families, the combination of activities, pumpkins, and cider donuts make it a ‘must-do’ event.
Fenimore had the opportunity to partner with Ellms for the 2022 fall season to sponsor the music stage and host a Fenimore Day. During the Fenimore Day, members of the Fenimore team and their families spent a Saturday at Ellms passing out donuts and hosting guessing games for attendees.
‘Supporting our community for generations’ continues to be part of Fenimore’s legacy and the team was thrilled to enjoy a day with their families and support a 3rd generation family business, Ellms Family Farm.
An Interview with FAM 5k Team Captain, Keith Cataldo
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Since 1994, Fenimore Asset Management has held its annual FAM 5K “Fund” Run/Walk each September (except during COVID-19). Preparations for this year’s race on September 24th are already in full swing and we caught up with Keith Cataldo, Director of Trading and Operations at Fenimore and the FAM 5k Team Captain to learn more about why he became the organizer of this race what that means to him.
HOW DID YOU BECOME THE FAM 5K TEAM CAPTAIN?
I was just lucky, I guess!
I am the 3rd member of the Fenimore Family to take over the reigns as Race Director. I had some big sneakers to fill following our previous two directors (George Chelius & Peter Sweetser).
Six years ago, I started to assist Peter with some of the race coordination. Once you understand the impact the race has had and will continue to have on the charities and our community, who wouldn’t want to be part of that?
It’s a lot of work but an honor to be associated with the race.
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AFTER A 2-YEAR HIATUS, THE FAM 5K IS BACK WITH YOU LEADING THE WAY. WHAT IS ONE WORD YOU WOULD USE TO DESCRIBE BEING ABLE TO CONDUCT THIS RACE AGAIN IN OUR COMMUNITY?
Opportunity!
During the pandemic when we were unable to host the FAM5k, Fenimore continued to support these organizations behind the scenes. However, the race is what provides the “Opportunity” to bring attention to five outstanding organizations. Organizations that make the lives of people better; that make our community better.
BY DAY, YOU ARE FENIMORE’S DIRECTOR OF TRADING. EVERY YEAR AROUND THIS TIME YOU TRANSFORM INTO OUR FAM 5K TEAM CAPTAIN – 2 VERY DIFFERENT ROLES. ARE THERE ANY SIMILARITIES?
I think that both roles require someone that can be comfortable with making decisions.
As the Director of Trading my job is to try get all our clients the best possible entry or exit price on an investment. I must decide when to buy or sell a security to ensure that I put our client’s best interest first. I may not always be right, but I will have a reason for making that decision at that time.
It’s the same with my role as race director. I look at all the information and make a decision that I believe is in the best interest of the race that year. It’s impossible to always be right, but you need to be comfortable with your decision and able to learn from any mistakes.
WHAT IS ONE BEHIND THE SCENES DETAIL OF ORGANIZING A COMMUNITY 5K THAT PEOPLE WOULD BE SURPRISED TO KNOW?
People are usually surprised when I tell them that I begin my preparation for the September FAM5K at the end of January. I have built a spreadsheet to help keep me and the race timeline on track. The first order of business is always to sign a contract securing the Cobleskill Fairgrounds (where the race is hosted), followed by contacting the board for that year’s charity race recipient.
I have over 80 separate checkbox items on my sheet that range from ordering T-Shirts to testing walkie-talkies.
There are two certainties as race director:
You can never be too prepared.
You will always forget something.
WHAT’S EASIER TO YOU – RUNNING A 5K OR ORGANIZING A 5K?
I don’t by any measure consider myself to be a runner. But running a 5K would be much easier than organizing one. The FAM5K is also considered a “Run/Walk”. I wouldn’t be setting any new course records (Male: 14:26 & Female: 16:06), but I know I would have a lot of fun competing with family and friends.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF RACE DAY?
Is it bad to say when it’s over? In the immortal words of John “Hannibal” Smith from my favorite 80’s Television show The A-Team:
“I love it when a plan comes together”
Join Keith and Fenimore on September 24th to walk/run and support our mission of endorsing and promoting the qualities of family, health, and service to our community.
At Helios Care, employees and volunteers work towards “Making Life Easier for patients and families facing serious illness or end of life by providing choices, dignity and compassionate care.”
Earlier this month, Fenimore associates worked together in hopes of making life a little easier for the employees and volunteers who travel every day and provide care for Helios Care patients.
Our associates assembled and delivered 150 gift bags filled with portable phone chargers and gifts cards in hopes of making their travels a little easier. Thank you to everyone at Helios Care for your hard work and dedication to Helios Care and our community. We sincerely hope those tokens of appreciation helped to make a small difference in your day.
The Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York distributed more than 51 million pounds of food and grocery products in 2021 — the equivalent of 42 million meals — across 23 counties! The need is great … and growing.
The Regional Food Bank is responding to the surge in demand for their services due to rising grocery and fuel costs, while also handling supply chain issues and rising operational costs. Their mission “is to alleviate hunger and prevent food waste.”
In mid-March, our associates helped Regional Food Bank partner agencies load their food orders. It was a very enjoyable and meaningful morning!
Fenimore’s associates are grateful for our longtime partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Schenectady. It’s an honor to support their life-changing work and help provide state-of-the-art spaces equipped with technologies designed to protect their children and teens.
“The Mission of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Schenectady is to inspire and enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.”
Throughout the month of December and through many organizations, the Fenimore team participated in several opportunities to spread cheer in our community.
01 Joshua Project Adopt-a-Family
Fenimore associates helped to make Christmas merry and bright for 3 families by working with the Joshua Project to provide over 65 gifts.
02 Toys for Tots
Continuing our tradition, Fenimore was happy to fill a box for the Toys for Tots program.
03 Middleburgh Miracle on Main Street
The 23rd annual celebration Middleburgh’s Miracle on Main Street was held on December 10th. The streets were filled with carolers, a musical light show, a petting zoo, and Mr. & Mrs. Claus. Fenimore sponsored the horse and carriage ride that was available to all attendees and we added to the festive glow of the evening by handing out Santa hats and light-up necklaces.
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04 Senior Stockings Delivery for Mechanicville Community Center
Fenimore associates, spouses, siblings, and kids all came together to deliver 60 gift bags to Seniors in the Mechanicville area in partnership with the Mechanicville Community Center. We hope the socks, blankets and warm wishes will help keep everyone cozy throughout the season.
Fenimore associates kept the tradition alive of gathering at the Cobleskill Fairgrounds on the fourth Saturday in September. Fenimore did not hold the Annual FAM 5K “Fund” Run/Walk this year due to COVID-19, but the team met up on Saturday, September 25th to assist in the maintenance and closing of the fairgrounds for the season.
Projects for the Fenimore team included:
Scraping and painting the side of a barn
Building and painting of picnic tables
Fortifying windows
We wanted to extend our support and “thanks” to the Cobleskill Fairgrounds as well as the other local charities the race supports, including:
Catholic Charities of Delaware, Otsego, and Schoharie Counties
The Fenimore team was excited to kickoff summer by planting flowers outside the Cobleskill Regional Hospital. We sincerely hope the beautiful flowers and bright colors serve as a welcome sight for patients, visitors, and our healthcare workers.
The Fenimore team delivered 38 packages to the residents at Springbrook NY, Inc. on a rainy spring morning. We filled the packages with birdfeeders, birdseed, umbrellas, and thoughts of warm weather to come.
Springbrook is an organization that provides support and services to people with developmental disabilities across central NY. Visiting and touring the campus was a delightful and meaningful way to spend a morning.
Despite the rain, we hope we brightened the residents’ day, and we enjoy being part of such a giving community.
At Fenimore, we’ve long found that community service is good for the soul — especially when you’re helping those who help others.
A group of our team members recently donned their gardening gloves, grabbed their tools, and set out to beautify the grounds of Cobleskill Regional Hospital.
It’s our way of saying thanks to our hometown healthcare heroes for their service during the COVID-19 crisis and every day of the year.
