Courtesy ARCC.
Mark Behan
Mark Behan, owner and founder of the Public Relations and strategic communications firm Behan Communications of Glens Falls, has been awarded the Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce’s highest award, the J. Walter Juckett Community Service Award. The PR firm, founded in the 1980s, has national and international clients. Before founding the firm, Behan held editorial and executive roles at the Post-Star newspaper.
“I was very surprised and shocked and very humbled by the award,” Behan said in an interview yesterday, adding that he knew many previous honorees and respects their work.
Charles R. Wood developer of what is now Six Flags/Great Escape, New York State Sen. Ronald B. Stafford, New York State Sen. Elizabeth "Betty" Little, writer and naturalist Frank Leonbruno, and others have won the award.
Behan is the 32nd recipient. The official ceremony will be held in October.
He has been on the boards of: The Hyde Collections art museum; the Adirondack Regional Chambers of Commerce; the Economic Development Corp. of Warren County; Crandall Public Library; the Chapman Historical Museum; and St. Mary's-St. Alphonsus Regional Catholic School, among others. In 1988, he was honored with the Henry Crandall Award from Crandall Public Library, a statement from ARCC said.
Behan said that he always felt as though he were the beneficiary in his work on boards, finding the creativity and thriftiness of nonprofits to be impressive and rewarding.
“People...know how to get the job done with limited resources,” he said.
ARCC President and CEO Michael Bittel said the ARCC membership was asked for nominations and 30 came in. Behan rose to the top because he represented so much of what J. Walter Juckett, the CEO of the Sandy Hill Corp., also stood for.
Juckett, who lived and worked in Hudson Falls, supported the Boy Scouts of America, New York Business Development Corporation, Salvation Army, Norwich University, Presbyterian Church, Hudson Falls Central School and many other organizations, the ARCC said in a statement.
Bittel said he has worked with Behan on boards and elsewhere. When it comes to dedication and service to others, Bittel said, “Boy, does he [Behan] ever hit those out of the park."
Bittel was also happy that the community and business leaders had nominated a large and diverse group of civic leaders.
He said, “It just makes me happy that the community is so engaged to take the time to nominate people."
The award to Behan will be given at ARCC’s Annual Dinner event, Friday, Oct. 29 at the Sagamore Resort in Bolton Landing.