Christine Farah (Provided photo)

SARANAC LAKE — The Saranac Lake Area Chamber of Commerce has a new executive director and she’s hitting the ground running.

The chamber’s board of directors hired Christine Farah last month, but said she didn’t have time to make the announcement until now because she was focused on putting on the 39th annual Sparkle Village craft show and sale at the town hall last weekend.

She’s also been introducing herself to as many of the 235 chamber member businesses as she can.

A news release from the chamber says she was the board’s “top choice” out of around six candidates.

“During the interview process, we were impressed by her professionalism, her leadership abilities, her willingness to collaborate and seek partnerships, and her motivation to find new ways to build and grow the chamber,” chamber board President Jacob Wright said in a statement. “We couldn’t be happier to have her on board.”

The board searched for a new director after former executive director Rachel Karp left in September for a position with the Franklin County Industrial Development Agency.

Farah is from Ireland, grew up in Yonkers and came to the Tri-Lakes to attend Paul Smith’s College. After graduating in 2020 with a degree in Hotel, Sports Facilities, Resort and Tourism Management, she stayed in the area because she loved it. She has since met her husband and they have a child on the way in April.

The Saranac Lake area is unique, she said. She wants people excited about the area and to move here long-term. She sees a lot of talent among the local chefs, artists and shop owners.

“It’s so small that everybody can help each other in different ways,” Farah said.

The chamber’s work is really about fostering community, she said, holding workshops and events to connect.

They hold events for business owners to meet, find resources and advice for their endeavors, advocates for the interests of chamber members and works to keep businesses full of customers.

To do this, the chamber works with local businesses, governments, tourism organizations and economic development corporations to support and grow the small business community.

The chamber also runs the Saranac Lake 6er hiking challenge program on behalf of the village. However, Farah said they’re not currently advertising for the program because the bridge on the Scarface Mountain trail is still closed. The state closed the bridge for public safety reasons in December last year. Farah said it’s not expected to open until next summer.

Farah said she doesn’t plan for any major changes. She wants to hear what people want and implement that, adding that it’s important for her to listen to everyone — chamber members and the general community alike.

After the Sparkle Village fair, the chamber’s next event is the Women in Business Conference on March 7 at the Hotel Saranac. Farah said they are searching for people who want to be speakers, and registration will open in January.

Farah previously worked in guest services at the Whiteface Lodge in Lake Placid for three years and was a senior sales manager for four years at HEI Hotels & Resorts’ voco Saranac Lake, the former Saranac Waterfront Lodge.