PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE
GBJ P.O. Box 766 Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
VOL. 32 NO. 11
PAID
GLENS FALLS, NY 12801 PERMIT #600
HH The Business Newspaper of Warren and Washington Counties HH
www.glensfallsbusinessjournal.com
JANUARY 2021
Noble Gas Solutions Opens A Facility In South Stec: State Must Help Businesses Hurt In Glens Falls, Adding Warehouse Space, Offices Pandemic, Resist Temptation To Raise Taxes BY CHRISTINE GRAF Albany-based Noble Gas Solutions is planning to open a third location at 15 Third St. in South Glens Falls. The wholesale distributor of gasses and welding supplies also has a location in Kingston. Noble Gas was founded in 1940 as Albany Welding Supply Co. and owner J. David Mahoney worked there for 10 years before purchasing the business in 1986. Approximately 60 percent of the company’s sales are generated from the gas arm of the business, he said. Noble Gas sells medical, specialty, industrial, and consumer gasses as well as gas and cryogenic packaging. Their packaging product line includes cylinders, tanks, manifolds, and liquid cryogenic dewars. “We started by getting into selling specialty gasses for universities and for laboratories, and it just evolved. We sell so many different gasses. We sell helium to florists, gasses to veterinary clinics and pharmaceuticals. It’s very diverse,” said Mahoney. Noble Gas also carries a full line of welding, metalworking, soldering, brazing, and fume elimination supplies. The company sells, rents and repairs welding machines. “We supply manufacturing companies. People like Miller Mechanical, Doty Machine Works, Stonebridge Iron. We also deal with a lot of construction companies,” he said. The company also manufactures and sells dry ice. The quality of dry ice diminishes with time, so purchasing it directly from a manufacturer ensures maximum freshness, according to the company. “Dry ice is a niche, so you want to have enough of a business opportunity to make the investment
Noble Gas Solutions manufactures and sells dry ice, among other business services. Courtesy Noble Gas Solutions
in the equipment,” said Mahoney. He expects dry ice sales to increase as a result of the COVID-19 vaccine. The Pfizer vaccine must be kept at minus 70 degrees Celsius and is shipped in dry ice. “We have had many conversations with the Empire State Development and State of New York about our production capabilities,” he said. Mahoney’s decision to open a store in South Glens Falls occurred after Taylor Welding Supply sold its 22 Lower Warren St. business to Airgas in June. Airgas is a leading distributor of gasses and had more than 900 locations. “Air Gas is the 9,000-pound gorilla,” said Mahoney. “When Taylor sold to them, we felt it left a void and opportunity in the Glens Continued On Page 10
BY STATE SEN. DAN STEC As the 2021 State Legislative session gets underway in Albany this month, the first order of business must be reestablishing its role as a co-equal branch of government. Since March, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has exercised unprecedented authority to deal with the myriad challenges created by COVID-19. He was granted this authority by the Legislature at a time of great uncertainty and when there was a need to quickly respond to mitigate the spread of the illness and avoid our health care system becoming totally overwhelmed. Fortunately, we have moved beyond that critical time. Remaining vigilant to prevent the virus from spreading is certainly still very important. But the coronavirus vaccine now offers great hope that we will be able to get back to ‘normal’ in the near future. As we begin a new session of a newly elected Legislature, it seems to me the time is right for lawmakers representing all regions of our state to discontinue the governor’s emergency power and fulfill their critical constitutional role. We are all well aware of the financial challenges that lie ahead. While revenues for all levels of government are down, the real story is what our businesses, especially small employers and lowerwage workers, have been enduring. Small businesses drive our economy and their recovery must now be our priority. In trying to address its own fiscal problems, state government must resist the temptation to raise taxes. New York leads the nation in total tax burden. We know that prior to COVID, too many families and businesses were choosing lower-tax states to invest in and build their futures. The pace of this exodus appears to have hastened the past six months, especially downstate. The governor has said that New York state has
Sen. Dan Stec’s 45th District includes Warren and Washington counties. Courtesy Assemblyman Stec
paid $116 billion more than it received in federal spending since 2015, a trend which has apparently persisted for decades. Rather than taxing our own more, the governor and legislative leaders must exhaust every opportunity to get more help from Washington, D.C. Infrastructure investment is very much needed. We see throughout our region antiquated water and sewer systems that are very expensive to upgrade, as well as road and especially bridge repairs long overdue. Because of their cost, these projects are put on hold year after year with the eventual fix only growing more expensive. Federal aid for infrastructure would be money well-spent because it would not only get people working quickly, it would have a long-term beneficial impact. Continued On Page 8
In Virus-Impacted Year, Winterfest Replaces Marc Monahan Leads The Adirondack Winter Carnival On Four February Weekends Regional Chamber Of Commerce 2021 Board A new event, WinterFest, is planned for the four weekends of February, replacing the Lake George Winter Carnival. The new event, created because of the impact of COVID-19, entices visitors to attend socially distanced, safe outdoor events such as crosscountry skiing, snowmobiling, w i nt e r “f at tire” mountain biking and dine in the Lake George area. Pa r t i c i pants will get a wristband, obtainable in advance online, that will serve as the ticket to horsedrawn carriage rides around Lake George and hot cocoa stations. The website where wristbands will be on sale is www.lakegeorgewinterfest.com. “WinterFest is the new way to get outside and really enjoy the wide variety of familyoriented socially-distanced recreational opportunities in the Lake George region of the Adirondacks,’’ said Christian Dutcher, who is organizing the event. “Our hotels are open and welcoming visitors. Our restaurateurs will be serving up
great February food and drink specials while maintaining safety precautions. Local beers will be on tap, local bourbons poured. The WinterFest wristband will be your ticket to safe winter fun.” Since 1961, the Lake George Winter Carnival has been a c e nte r of w i nte r events, but its foc u s on l arge group activities was not considered c ondu cive to this year’s social distancing requirements, organizers said. WinterFest is different in that it focuses on individual outdoor activities and offers discounts to make them affordable, Dutcher said. “The health and safety of our guests and community is paramount, and the WinterFest schedule is subject to change based on our response to COVID-19,” he said. WinterFest is funded by Warren County and supported by the Warren County Board of Supervisors, the Town and Village of Lake George, Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce, and major hoteliers and restaurateurs.
The Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce (ARCC) announced that Marc Monahan, vice president and regional executive of NBT Bank, will again be chairman of its board of directors in 2021. He replaced Eric Gilbert in 2020. ARCC also announced the addition of four new board members for 2021. “The past year certainly has been a challenge, but I believe we have a strong team at the ARCC and an outstanding group of board volunteers to help us make 2021 another successful year. Thank you to all of our members for their continued support of our 100 percent member funded and focused chamber,” said Monahan. “As we enter into a new year, I am excited to welcome our newest board members and to show our gratitude to our outgoing members for their dedication to the ARCC.” ARCC President & CEO Michael Bittel said, “We are blessed to have a board of directors who are all passionate about our region and our communities. Under Chairman Marc Monahan’s leadership, the Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce has continued to focus on our mission of loving and serving our entire community. Our four new board members will carry on their passion and legacy.” Monahan joined NBT in 2010 as a member of the retail team. He has over 18 years of experience in banking in various roles within the retail and commercial divisions of NBT. Prior to coming to NBT he
Marc Monahan is the chairman of the ARCC board of directors for 2021. Courtesy ARCC
worked in the Capital Region as a member of the management team in KeyBank’s retail bank. Monahan started his career in the finance industry as a member of Citi Group. He has been involved with the Chamber on many levels dating back to his days as an ambassador when he first started his career in banking. The new members are: Ash Anand, owner and operator of The Lotus Group of Companies, established Continued On Page 13