About Mr. Merlis

Mr. Merlis grew up on Long Island, attending Great Neck Public Schools and then the University at Albany where he majored in Mathematics and minored in Computer Science. He stayed at Albany for his Masters in Secondary Education.

He taught at Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School from 2005 through 2009, teaching Algebra, Introduction to Java, C++, Web Design, and the JAVA AP course.

During that same time, Mr. Merlis was building an endurance event timing and logistics company called ARE Event Productions. The company provides management and automated timing services for running races as well as web design from simple sites to database-driven applications.

In the summer of 2009, he resigned from his teaching position to pursue the growth of the company full-time. He loved teaching at BH-BL but couldn't shake his desire to give his business the full attention it would need to grow. In doing so, he was able to pursue a dream of his from college, namely turning his hobbies of running and computer programming into a bonafide business.

Fast-forward 8 years and the company had assisted over 1,200 events in 20 states, Canada, and Bermuda. He has built a company that now has a large group of individuals with different skill sets working together to help clients produce successful events.

In the summer of 2016, with the company under the general day-to-day management of his dedicated staff, Mr. Merlis excitedly returned to Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School. He looks forward to his third year back at BHBL sharing his unique experiences of running a business with a large focus on sports, technology, and computer programming with his students.