Ryan & Ryan's Spotlight is on......

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  13 June 2014

Contact:  Kevin Godbey, Brickyard Ventures

Ph:   845-750-0138            e:  godbey.kevin@gmail.com

Kingston Happenings website:  http://www.kingstonhappenings.org/

On Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/KingstonHappeningsofKingstonNY

KINGSTON HAPPENINGS WEBSITE, NEWSLETTER AND

 SOCIAL MEDIA INTEGRATED IN POWERFUL RE-DESIGN

Kingston, NY -- In today's fractured digital and print media world, a 'hyper-local' focus is needed more than ever to keep a community informed and connected.   For example:

·       How many times have Kingston residents learned about great events, only too late to participate? invest here.

·       How does one keep up with all of the unique and interesting stores, restaurants, services, and other businesses that have recently opened in the city?

·       Wouldn't it be enlightening to know more about active local neighbors, and why they find Kingston to be such a great place to live and do business?

The highly-popular Kingston Happenings media model has been re-designed, re-launched and re-energized thanks to the involvement of many people in the local community, and for thousands of readers every week is rapidly becoming the 'go to' source for information about local events and businesses.  Not only does Kingston Happenings connect our own community, but serves as a vital reference for tourists, weekenders and people looking to invest here.

Kingston Happenings is promoted by the City of Kingston as a comprehensive online source for local event and business information.  Kingston Happenings is advertised in various online and traditional media formats including the City of Kingston 2014 Visitors Guide, city tourist maps, official city website, e-newsletter and more.

Kingston Happenings delivers information in the most effective way possible as a digital-first media channel comprising a website, newsletter, and social media strategy. It is also designed so that businesses can market to the local community and tourists at the fraction of the cost of other media outlets.  By keeping the content 'fresh'

with events in the Kingston area, users check out the site frequently to see what to do locally.  The weekly newsletter-blast and daily social media postings are frequent reminders that drives traffic back to the website.

KingstonHappenings.org is the backbone of this media system as it integrates the following functions:

·        A comprehensive events calendar that allows any business, school, not-for-profit or religious organization to list events from bake sales to happy hours for at no charge

·        A business directory designed for growth to include shopping guides, dining guides, professional services, and more

·       Weekly feature articles about businesses, involved neighbors and community events

Kingston Happenings will reach peak effectiveness with the support of our community.  Here are some things that you can do to make sure Kingston Happenings remains a viable community asset and continues to improve.

·       Click on KingstonHappenings.Org to see all the features, weekly articles and profiles

·       “Like” Kingston Happenings on Facebook and “Follow” on Twitter

·       Subscribe to the weekly newsletter from anywhere on the website

·       Send feedback here:  http://www.kingstonhappenings.org/contact-us/

Also:  businesses can show their support by becoming a sponsor and receiving the benefits of marketing to people who are already interested in shopping, dining, sightseeing and more in the Kingston area whether they are local residents, day trippers, weekenders and tourists.  Sponsorship packages, tailored to any business or organization's budget are link-able here (http://www.kingstonhappenings.org/sponsor/).

Kingston Happenings is a project of Brickyard Ventures whose mission is to fund and develop business and community development projects in the Kingston, NY area. Brickyard Ventures' principal, Kevin Godbey, is a retired senior business analyst for IBM and has extensive experience in the field of Information Technology development in various roles.

For additional information click on:

Kingston Happenings website:  http://www.kingstonhappenings.org/

Kingston Happenings Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/KingstonHappeningsofKingstonNY

Ryan & Ryan Insurance Brokers Inc. ~ Client of the Month

The Hudson Valley provides many extraordinary opportunities for local and non native artists. Among these opportunities is Women’s Studio Workshop, located on Binnewater Road in Rosendale, New York. The m​ission of WSW is to operate and maintain an artists’ workspace that encourages the voice and vision of individual women artists, provides professional opportunities for artists at various stages of their careers, and promotes programs designed to stimulate public involvement, awareness, and support for the visual arts.

In 1974, four amazing women, Ann Kalmbach, Tatana Kellner, Anita Wetzel, and Barbara Leoff Burge founded Women’s Studio Workshop.​They were committed to developing an alternative space for artists to create art and share their skills with others. Back then, in a two story, single-family house, etching was conducted in the living room, papermaking in the attic and screen-printing in the basement. Public programming provided a regular workshop series and special programs that featured the works of women artists. In 1983, WSW moved to a historic building which formerly housed the Rosendale Cement Company Store and Post Office in the town of Rosendale. The new BAC (Binnewater Arts Center) was a significant advancement for WSW as it allowed both exhibitions and studio programs to be housed under one roof. The BAC also made it possible for WSW to offer Artist-in-Residence grants, a well developed Summer Art Institute, and provide opportunities for young women artists through an internship program. These visual art programs allowed WSW to become the leading women’s art facility in the country; a standing they proudly continue to identify with today.

40 years later, the same four women who founded WSW remain actively involved in the day-to-day operation of the studio. Joined by a new generation of vivacious staff, WSW continues to enhance its programing so that they may provide the richest experiences for artists across the country and, progressively from around the world.

When asked why Women’s Studio Workshop has been a customer of Ryan & Ryan Insurance Brokers for the last 5 years, Ann Kalmbach states “It’s really all about customer service. Most insurance agents simply say, “Show me your current policy and I'll see if I can do better.” Bob actually came out to the studio, looked at the buildings and asked about usage and growth. He then built a policy that covered our needs at a much better price than our old policy. He has also made annual adjustments based on changes. He’s not your average insurance broker.

Currently, we are working with Kim. We constantly need Certificates of Insurance for every organization, group, or government agency that we are working with. She gets them out to me pretty much the same day I ask for them, which is a tremendous help.

There is still time left this summer to take advantage of Upcoming Events & Opportunities that the WSW has planned. Visit their website @
w w w . w s w o r k s h o p . o r g ​t​o take a look at their
 ‘A r t i s t O p p o r t u n i t y C a l e n d a r’, Summer Art Institute, Summer Ceramic Classes and August Art Festival.