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TELLING NBC 5 WHAT HAPPENED... JOSH MITCHELL EXPLAINS. <"CAME ACROSS THIS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR POSITION IN PLATTSBURGH."> BOB GARICA IS REFFERING TO THE ROLE AT THE STRAND CENTER FOR THE ARTS.. WHICH HE TOOK ON IN 2018... <"I FELT WITH MY CONNECTIONS IN THE BUSINESS THAT I COULD GENERATE PROGRAMMING TO MAKE THE THEATER A VIABLE ENTITY."> BUT HE SAYS THERE WAS ALREADY A BUMP IN THE ROAD THE FIRST DAY ON THE JOB.. <"UNBENOUNCED TO ME WHEN I STARTED, THERE WAS NO MONEY IN THE BANK ACCOUNT. THERE WAS NO MONEY TO PAY SALARIES. SO I WAS FRETTING ON FIGURING OUT A WAY OF CREATING AND OP ERATING CASH COMING IN TO OPERATE THE COMPANY."> HOWEVER, GARICA WOULD TAKE ON THAT CHALLENGE.. BRINGING IN MORE ACTS TO THE STRAND THAN EVER BEFORE.. <"THE STRAND CENTER THEATRE WAS ACTUALLY ON THE MAP AND RECOGNIZED AS BEING VIABLE PLACE FOR TOURING ARTISTS TO PLAY IN THE MARKET PLACE."> BUT THINGS CHANGED ON SEPTMEBER 3RD FOR GARCIA.. <"WELL I WAS A LITTLE SURPRISED WHEN THE DAY THAT IT HAPPENED."> GARCIA AND HIS BOOKKEEPER WERE FIRED. <"THEY BASICALLY SAID THAT WE WANTED TO TAKE THE STRAND IN A DIFFERENT DIRECTION AND WE WERE NOT DOING THE EXPECTED WORK THEY WANTED US TO DO."> EVEN THOUGH HE IS NO LONGER THERE.. HE STILL WANTS THE THEATER TO THRIVE AND GROW.. <"I HAVE BEEN ASKING PEOPLE TO HAVE NO SOUR GRAPES

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Bob Garcia took on the role executive director at the Strand Center for the Arts in 2018.“I felt with my connections in the business that I could generate programming to make the theater a viable entity,” Garcia said.He said there was already a bump in the road the first day on the job.“Unbeknownst to me, when I started, there was no money in the bank account. There was no money to pay salaries. So, I was fretting on figuring out a way of creating and operating cash coming in to operate the company,” Garcia said.However, Garcia would take on that challenge by bringing in more acts to the strand than ever before.“The Strand Center Theatre was actually on the map and recognized as being viable place for touring artists to play in the market place,” Garcia said.Things changed for Garcia on Sept. 3.“I was a little surprised I was let go the day that it happened,” Garcia said.Garcia and his bookkeeper were fired.“They basically said that we wanted to take the Strand in a different direction, and we were not doing the expected work they wanted us to do,” Garcia said.Even though he is no longer there, he still wants the theater to thrive and grow.“I have been asking people to have no sour grapes. I want the Strand to succeed,” Garcia said.