Glens Falls Business Journal - October 2021

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GBJ P.O. Box 766 Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

VOL. 33 NO. 08

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HH The Business Newspaper of Warren and Washington Counties HH

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OCTOBER 2021

100-Year-Old Minogue’s Beverage Center Adirondack Winery Breaks Ground On $2.6M Business Thrives With Four Area Locations Winemaking Facility And Tasting Room

BY CHRISTINE GRAF In 1921, Irish immigrant Michael Minogue purchased a soda bottling plant and distribution center in Granville, NY. After Prohibition ended in the U.S., he was issued the 34th wholesale beer license in New York state.

Today, the business he founded is thriving under owner John Minogue Jr. He said it is the oldest continuously operated family owned and operated beer distributor in New York state.

This year, it has been celebrating 100 years in business.

Minogue’s Beverage Center has locations in Queensbury, Saratoga Springs, Wilton, and Malta.

Stores carry a wide variety of beer including seasonal varieties and craft beer. They also feature a large selection of ciders, growlers, kegs, seltzers, and sodas.

Minogue was 14 when he first started working part-time for his father, John Sr.. At the time, his father operated just one beverage center in Queensbury.

While Minogue was pursuing a degree in economics from College of the Holy Cross, a friend of his father who was a retired F.B.I. agent suggested that Minogue consider a career with the F.B.I. Intrigued by the possibility, he moved to Washington, D.C., and entered the bureau’s clerk -to-agent program after he graduated from college in 1976.

“You could work for the bureau as a clerk assisting agents in their work, and after a three-year period, you would be given an opportunity to take the (agent) exam,” he said.

After the program was eliminated, clerks were no longer guaranteed the opportunity to take the exam.

As a result, Minogue made the decision to leave the F.B.I. in 1977.

“There were a lot of question marks at that time, and I chose not to take that risk,” he said. “At the same time, I had the opportunity to come back and go into business with my father in the family business, so I chose to do that. At that point in time, when I returned, we purchased the store in Saratoga Springs that was owned by the Ferrone brothers.”

For the past 44 years, Minogue has worked out of that West Avenue location in Saratoga. During the years that he was growing the business, it wasn’t

John Minogue Jr. is the owner of Minogue’s Beverage Center. ©2021 SaratogaPhotographer.com

unusual for him to put in more than 60 hours a week.

“You have to be willing to put in the time, energy, and effort to make it successful. It isn’t going to happen by accident,” he said. “It takes hard work and good planning.”

Minogue has three grown children, and they all worked for their father at some point during their lives.

“The family business was like the family farm,” he said. “They all worked here as kids growing up and while they were in college, but they have chosen not to get into the family business.”

As was the case with his own father, Minogue never pressured his children to choose the family business as their career path. Now, at the age of 69 and with his retirement looming, he has no one to take over for him.

“It’s a lot of mixed emotions for me to be at my age with no plans of succession,” he said.

All four stores are open Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Volunteers Sought To Help Operate Special Olympic Events In And Around Glens Falls Special Olympics New York is seeking 200 volunteers for its upcoming State Fall Games, which will be held in and around Glens Falls Friday, Oct. 22 and Saturday, Oct. 23.

Volunteers must be vaccinated and registered in advance. No sports experience is necessary. Volunteers will be trained on site. People can register online at sonylive.nyso.org/pages/app/VAC. Venue support includes set up, parking assistance, meal distribution, safety assurance, awards, and other specific venue needs.

The following volunteer jobs are available: Friday, Oct. 22, 5:30 p.m. – 8:45 p.m., opening ceremonies at Glens Falls City Park: Help with setup and breakdown of a spectacular event. Assist lining up Special Olympics New York athletes in regional delegations.

Saturday, Oct. 23 Sports Competitions, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.: Bocce at Adirondack Sports Complex, court management, scoring, awards, venue support.

Cycling at SUNY Adirondack, course marshals, venue support; Golf at Brookhaven Golf Course, Caddies, spotters, skills stations, venue support; Cross Country Running at Cole’s Woods, course marshals, venue support.

Soccer at Morse Athletic Complex, scorekeepers, timers; Softball at Morse Athletic Complex and Adirondack Sports Complex, scorekeepers, venue

support; Equestrian at Skidmore College-Van Lennep Riding Center, experienced riders to serve as walkers and leaders, non-experienced volunteers for venue support.

Lunch, safety squad, and photo/video volunteers are needed at all venues. Safety Squad volunteers will ensure Special Olympics New York and venue COVID-19 protocols are being followed, and will disinfect areas and equipment in between use.

Special Olympics New York 2021 State Fall Games is sponsored by Warren County/Visit Lake George, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, Mohawk Honda/Chevrolet, NYSID, SEFCU, Adirondack Oral Health, Albany Medical Center, Glens Falls National Bank, Hannaford, NBT Bank, Price Chopper/Market 32, Queensbury Hotel, and Quick Response.

To support the Games, either by volunteering or making a donation, visit www.specialolympics-ny. org/community/2021-fall-games.

Special Olympics New York is the largest state chapter in the country, serving more than 51,000 athletes across New York with year-round sports training, athletic competition, and health screenings. All Special Olympics New York programs are offered at no cost to athletes, their families or caregivers. Additional information about Special Olympics New York is avaiolable at visit www. specialolympicsNY.org.

Michael Pardy and Sasha Pardy, owners of Adirondack Winery, with, from center, Tim Barber, Marissa Barber and Peter Barber of JAG Construction at the facility groundbreaking Oct. 7.

G rou n d w a s b ro k e n O c t . 7 o n t h e Adirondack Winery project that will result in a $2.6 million, 14,100-square-foot winemaking facility and tasting room at the site of its current Queensbury headquarters.

Company officials said the new building will provide the family run winery with the space it needs to triple its wine production over the next 10 years.

The new building will house an all-new tasting room, where the winery plans to offer new services customers have long desired,

Courtesy Adirondack Winery

such as wine by the glass, outdoor seating, and light dining.

The winery will introduce classes and launch tours of the new facility. There are also plans to rent event space for private events and conferences.

The goal is to complete the construction

by April, in time for the winery’s 14th anniversary celebration.

“This groundbreaking is the start of a new chapter for Adirondack Winery,” said Continued On Page 14

Warrensburg Supervisor Andrea Hogan Gets Award From Wiawaka Center For Women Wiawaka Center for Women located on the eastern shores of Lake George has presented this year’s Mary Fuller Women Helping Women Award to Warren County Supervisor Andrea Hogan.

In keeping with the vision of Mary Fuller, the Wiawaka Center for Women annually recognizes a person or an organization that exemplifies direct service to and impact on local women with the award.

Hogan has many responsibilities in her many roles in our community. She is the supervisor for the Town of Johnsburg, supervisor of the Warren County Board of Supervisors, an appointed Adirondack Park Commissioner and chair of Economic Growth and Development.

In her role as the Economic and Growth chair for Warren County, “she has demonstrated her fierce advocacy for our community. Her efforts impact women across the State, but they especially impact Warren County, Johnsburg and the Adirondacks,” the organization said.

To that end, in the spring Hogan sponsored the first-ever legislation prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion. She works tirelessly to provide countless opportunities for small businesses and zealously advocates for minority and women owned businesses.

In addition to her other positions, Hogan is dedicated to the Girl Scouts in our community, and she helps Adirondack Community Outreach Center provide clothing to those in need, developing community gardens to address food insecurities, providing toys for those during times where they are without and helping mothers and families that are sometimes left not knowing who to turn to for help.

Andrea Hogan is this year’s Mary Fuller Women Helping Women Award winner.

Courtesy Wiawaka Center for Women

Also, Dorothy Burt was awarded the Spirit of Wiawaka award for her many years of support and dedication to Wiawaka.

She not only financially supports Wiawaka by being their very first season passholder for the last 20 years. She has sewn beautiful curtains for several of their buildings and provided her grandmother’s antique curtain rods to hang them, plus she graciously donated chairs she had won at a previous Ladies of the Lake luncheon, that occupy the parlor in Fuller House.

Continued On Page 2

2 • GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • OCTOBER 2021

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Personnel Briefs

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Warren County announced the hiring of two new employees, Kali DeMarco and Rebecca Devaney.

DeMarco, a graduate from Green Mountain College, is the farmto-school coordinator.

Her focus will be to strengthening partnerships between local food producers and area public schools in Warren and Washington counties. The objective of this program is to connect locally grown, fresh, healthy foods to schools and to teach students the importance of healthy eating in an educational setting.

DeMarco will also work to create and implement the Harvest of the Month program, which highlights a different local product each month.

After graduating from Green Mountain College, DeMarco earned a B.S in natural resource management and a B.A. in animal care and conservation, focusing on law and policy. Before her time at CCE, DeMarco worked at The Wild Center, a natural history museum in the Adirondacks.

Devaney, a graduate of Siena College and currently perusing her M.S. in Agriculture and Plant Health Management from Washington State University, is the new community horticulture coordinator.

40 Oak Classic American Grille In Queensbury Introduces Its Fall Menu •

She will oversee Warren County’s master gardener volunteer program, and assists with related programs for CCE Saratoga. She will also deliver educational programs and resources on diverse community-based horticulture topics.

Devaney is originally from Long Island, spent her undergraduate years studying environmental science at Siena College. She went on to spend five years working as an educator at the Queens and Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, where she received a certificate in horticulture. *

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The Arrow Family of Companies announced the appointment of Leslie Munger to director of compliance and risk.

Munger will be responsible for all compliance and risk functions for the Arrow Family of Companies including Arrow Financial Corp., Glens Falls National Bank and Trust Co., Saratoga National Bank and Trust Co. and Upstate Agency LLC. In her new role, Munger will lead corporate enterprise risk management and oversee information security, fraud and regulatory compliance for the company.

Munger started with the company in 2007 as assistant compliance officer and most recently served as vice president compliance manager.

Jim Campione is the owner and operator of 40 Oak Classic American Grille in Queensbury. The restaurant is open six days a week from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.,and is closed Tuesdays. and the house favorite of homemade brie stuffed mushroom caps. The dinner menu lists 28 dishes including steak, pork, chicken, seafood, meatloaf, pasta, lobster ravioli and sausage cacciatore.

Campione is not new to the restaurant business. He previously owned and operated Papa’s Diner in Queensbury.

“From there to here, we’ve gone from 48 seats to 250 seats,” he said. “We already have a fundraising event for breast cancer planned here on Oct. 20 and are looking forward to hosting more group events down the road.” Campione said that he has changed the décor of the place “to make it look less and less like Outback Steakhouse” which previously occupied the building.

Campione also owns the Big Moose Furniture Co. and All Things Home décor shop, both in the Log Jam Outlets, Queensbury; Balsam & Birch gift shop in the Lake George Outlets, Queensbury; and The Big Moose General Store, 3250 Lake Shore Drive, Lake George.

“This pandemic has humbled me,” he said.

“We had to close all of our businesses for a while, but when we reopened many of our customers who have a lot of points in our Shopper Points Program won’t cash them in because they want to see our businesses survive and succeed.”

To see 40 Oak’s full menu or to place a pickup order go to www.40oakadk.com. To book a group event or holiday gathering, call (518) 741-0331. 40 Oak also offers delivery through Grubhub.

Andrea Hogan

retreat for women in America. We are proud to honor our tradition and embrace the future as we work to maintain this historic property and fulfill the mission set forth by our founders, Mary Fuller and Katrina Trask.

Contact Executive Director Doreen Kelly at wiawakadirector@gmail.com for sponsorship, workshop instruction or for volunteer opportunities by calling (518) 668-9690.

For more information about their events, programs, and workshops, visit www.wiawaka. org.

Continued From Page 1 Wiawaka Center for Women is a charitable organization dedicated to enriching the lives of women through wellness, learning and art. Since the early 1900s, artists, including Georgia O’Keeffe, have spent summers painting on Wiawaka’s beautiful lakeside campus.

It is the oldest and longest continuously operating

Discover I Connect I Network The Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce

presents our 2021 Business Expo Wednesday, November 17, 2021 I 4:00—7:00 pm The Queensbury Hotel, 88 Ridge Street, Glens Falls, NY 12801

Exhibitors, drink specials, door prizes & plenty of networking. Come out and show support for our business community! FREE to attend. Bring your business cards. Contact Carol Ann at caconover@adirondackchamber.org or visit our website for details/pricing on exhibiting.

www.adirondackchamber.org

Courtesy 40 Oak Classic

BY LISA BALSCHUNAT 40 Oak Classic American Grille restaurant opened in the spring at 925 Route 9 in Queensbury and for the past few months has been building its staff and fine tuning its schedule.

In October it introduced a new fall menu. It also recently expanded its hours to include breakfast six days a week, and the bar now features five local beers on tap.

“We’ve come a long way,” said Jim Campione owner and operator. “We’re keeping it fresh and keeping it local. We are a family run business. We are not a chain and we look forward to serving visitors and locals here for years to come. We want people to come in, have a seat, have a drink and a great meal.”

The restaurant is currently open six days a week from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., but is closed Tuesdays.

“We have a sign on the front door asking for people’s patience,” Campione said. “Like many other businesses, we are understaffed right now, but are doing our absolute best to serve our customers in a timely fashion.”

The restaurant presently has 20 people on staff and is looking to hire 20 more.

The breakfast menu includes omelet and Egg Benedict variations, pancakes, French toast, Belgian waffles, homemade sausage over biscuits, and classic breakfast sandwiches, wraps and quesadillas.

The “all day” menu features soups, salads, club sandwiches, burgers, baked French onion soup

GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • OCTOBER 2021 • 3

Area Training And Events Sports Complex GTM Payroll Services Aquires Area HR Adds Outdoor Lighted Basketball Courts Company Pinnacle Human Resources LLC

Golden Goal Sports Park is a 196-acre sports complex designed in the style of an Olympic Village, used by local teams and athletes. It recently installed two lighted outdoor basketball courts.

BY LISA BALSCHUNAT Golden Goal Sports Park recently installed two lighted outdoor basketball courts to its complex in Fort Ann, with pickleball courts next on the facility’s installation agenda.

In operation for 15 years, Golden Goal is a 196-acre sports complex designed in the style of an Olympic Village. The property at 495 Goodman Road touts eight outdoor fields for soccer, lacrosse, field hockey and flag football, training, games and tournaments. Four fields are natural grass. Four are artificial turf.

According to Emmie Doin, facility director, the complex—promoted as the Northeast Premier Residential Sports Venue—offers practice times, sports retreats, tournaments, a college internship program, and has 25 cabins that can sleep up to 400 people. Field rentals are available for professional organizations, clubs, colleges, academies, high schools and travel teams.

“Golden Goal gives young athletes a place to fi ne-tune their skills, compete in games and tournaments, and train outdoors,” she said.

Players, team staff and chaperones can participate in 2-day to 7-day programs that include meals and all of the amenities in the Athlete’s Village and staff lounge.

“The Athlete’s Village includes outdoor activities like spike ball, can jam and cornhole and indoor activities include ping pong, air hockey, televisions, Xboxes and PlayStations,” she said. “We also have a challenge course for athletes to work on their team building skills while having fun.” The course includes a 10foot vertical wall and tire fl ips.

“It’s something that someone can do alone,” she noted, “but it’s designed to encourage a team to work together.”

Golden Goal had its own challenges during the pandemic, but found creative and safe ways to operate.

“We adjusted our dining tent by removing the skin over it and the side walls to create an open-air dining space,” Doin said. “We moved

Courtesy Golden Goal Sports Park

our bunks around. We reduced capacity and followed the necessary protocols.”

Golden Goal forged on and established safe policies for its participants that now includes producing a negative COVID-19 test a set number of days before arriving at the complex.

She said, “It was phenomenal this summer to see kids out playing sports they love, carefree and unencumbered. You know, young athletes follow the rules. If we have a mask mandate or a negative test requirement in place, they follow those rules too, so they can play the sport they love.”

Golden Goal employs 20 full-time seasonal staff and five year-round employees.

Each summer, the company mentors college students majoring in sports management, business, sales, fi nance and economics, under its college internship program.

“Last year, we had a student from Georgia.

In previous years, we’ve had local students, as well. It is one of my favorite programs.

College kids are so engaged and enthusiastic about their future careers. We work with them to tailor their experience here to what they’re passionate about,” said Doin.

Jeff Braun, owner of Golden Goal, is on site daily in the summer to talk with the athletes and to get their input about how to make Golden Goal an even better experience.

College, high school and younger participants share their ideas with Braun, hence the installation of the basketball courts this year.

Golden Goal is currently booking team practice sessions and tournaments for next spring.

“You don’t have to be connected to a specific program or tournament to participate at Golden Goal,” Doin added. “Anyone can join in the fun here.”

The complex also offers individual and small group bookings.

For more details, call (855) 355-4625, or visit www.goldengoalpark.com

GTM Payroll Services, a leader in the Capital Region for payroll and human resource information systems (HRIS), will now be able to offer businesses a full suite of human resources support solutions with the acquisition of Pinnacle Human Resources LLC, a leader in outsourced human resources consulting, HR project-based solutions, and leaveof-absence administration services.

GTM Payroll Services and Pinnacle Human Resources will combine best-of-breed payroll solutions with best-in-class HR consulting services to offer an unparalleled spectrum of payroll and human resources solutions for businesses, company officials said.

According to GTM, many companies are reporting how outsourcing all or part of the HR function to subject matter experts is an increasingly attractive and time-saving option as businesses struggle to manage the complexities of an ever-changing legal compliance landscape, managing and retaining local and remote talent, and implementing HR best practices that keep employees aligned with business goals.

Companies also report how they improve infrastructure through the implementation of better payroll technology and the best practices in HR processes, freeing up valuable time and resources. By utilizing HR consultants, companies were able to effect changes more quickly. Pinnacle HR consultants have the expertise to implement systems and make improvements to the entire HR delivery system.

“For 30 years, GTM has been at the forefront of payroll and HRIS technology providing our clients with the best solutions available for their needs,” said GTM Payroll Services founder and CEO Guy Maddalone. “By adding an experienced team of human resources consultants and the customized HR support services offered by Pinnacle Human Resources, we will bring even more value to our clients to help them lower costs and streamline their workflow processes.”

“Human resources best practices and today’s payroll solutions are attached at the hip,” said Rose Miller, president of Pinnacle. “By joining the GTM team, it is a tremendous opportunity to accelerate

our growth. I have admired GTM’s ability to respond to businesses’ changing needs. We are delighted to join GTM, with a similar culture dedicated to achieving ecstatic clients by providing them with a robust menu of payroll and HR support solutions.”

With GTM, businesses are gaining more than just a payroll solution. GTM now delivers a complete, end-to-end human capital management (HCM) technology platform that also combines HR consulting services, the company said. As an independent, local firm, GTM Payroll Services provides high levels of customized service, unmatched by national providers, to suit the needs of its clients.

Miller, a sought-after HR expert, will continue with the company as senior director of strategic partnerships. She is a nationally and locally requested speaker and leader. Miller writes a monthly column “Work Matters” for the Times Union, a Hearst publication in Albany, and is a frequent contributor to the Saratoga Business Journal and Glens Falls Business Journal.

Pinnacle Human Resources’ staff will remain in their roles with GTM Payroll Services.

Founded in 1991, GTM Payroll Services processes more than $1 billion in payroll every year for more than 44,000 employees. Its staff of more than 70 employees includes certified payroll professionals, licensed insurance brokers, PHRcertified human resource managers, employment tax experts, and CPAs. GTM is an isolved Network Certified Partner.

GTM is an active member of the American Payroll Association (APA), Independent Payroll Providers Association (IPPA), Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), and Professional Insurance Agents (PIA). The firm is also an accredited business with the Better Business Bureau (BBB).

Established in 2009, Pinnacle Human Resources provides human resource consulting services.

The team is comprised of certified senior HR professionals, certified HR professionals, certified internal investigators, certified coaches and trainers, a jurist doctorate, certified FMLA/ADA specialists, and a state-certified mediator.

4 • GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • OCTOBER 2021

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Adirondack Regional Chamber Announces Annual Business Awards In Seven Categories

Wellness Year-End Tax / Financial Planning Holidays Publication Date: November 10, 2021

Non-Profits Retirement Planning Holidays Publication Date: December 8, 2021

Call Today To Reserve Space

(518) 581-0600 Fax: (518) 430-3020

GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL 2000 Business Of The Year

Adirondack Regional Chamber Of Commerce P.O. Box 766 • Saratoga Springs, New York 12866 (518) 581-0600 • Fax: (518) 430-3020 • www.glensfallsbusinessjournal.com

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Michael Howard’s Erbessd Instruments won the award in the Professional Business category. The company is an industrial equipment monitoring sensor business in Glens Falls.

The Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce (ARCC) announced the winners of its 2021 Business of the Year Awards.

This annual awards honor deserving chamber members who are nominated by their peers and interviewed by the Business Awards Nomination Committee to determine the winners.

“It was a blessing to honor and celebrate these businesses who give so much to our greater community. These past 18 months were challenging for businesses, but we came together as one people. It really is about community, and the people in it, making a difference every single day,” said Michael Bittel, ARCC president and CEO. The winners were announced at an awards breakfast, on Oct. 7 at Dunham’s Bay Resort on Lake George. The winners, in their respective categories, are: Large Business category winner, Ideal Dairy Farms. Nominees for this category included Morcon Tissue.

Small Business category winner, FISH307. com. Nominees for this category included Better Than New Painting, J. Reid Menswear, Lakota’s Farm Weddings & Events, Massie’s Restaurant, Putorti’s Broadway Market, Saratoga Quality Hardware, Inc./Burgoyne Quality Hardware, and Springbrook Hollow Farm Distillery Large Nonprofit Organization category winner, Hudson Headwaters Health Network.

Small Nonprofit Organization category winner:

©2021 SaratogaPhotographer.com

SAIL (Southern Adirondack Independent Living).

Nominees for the category included Adirondack Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Southern Adirondacks, Charles R. Wood Theater, Crandall Public Library, Family Service Association of Glens Falls, Greater Glens Falls Senior Center, Habitat for Humanity Northern Saratoga, Warren and Washington Counties, High Peaks Hospice, Hudson Headwaters Health Network, L.E.A.P., Salvation Army of Glens Falls, The Glen at Hiland Meadows, Warren-Washington and Albany Counties ARC, and the World Awareness Children’s Museum.

Professional Business category winner, Erbessd Instruments. Nominees included Bartlett, Pontiff, Stewart & Rhodes, PC, and SBLindsell, LLC. Rookie Business category winner, Gazai Media.

Nominees for Rookie Business included HarrisPero & Botelho PLLC, Mullen’s Pub, National Commercial Solar Advisors, Inc., and The Pretty Hot Mess Community Champion category winner, KEENA. Nominees included: Behan Communications and The Lotus Group of Companies.

The ARCC Business Awards is an annual celebration and recognition of member businesses for their achievements in business, economic and quality of life contributions to the region.

Each year the ARCC assembles a committee of Chamber Members to evaluate, interview, and score nominees.

Publisher & Editor Harry Weinhagen Associate Editor R.J. DeLuke Editor Emeritus Rod Bacon Sales and Customer Service Harry Weinhagen

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GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • OCTOBER 2021 • 5

‘Lids’ Features Custom Embroidered Hats, Town Fair Tire Centers Of New York Has Sports Caps At Outlets Of Lake George Plans For A New Tire Store In Queensbury

Lisds is a chain store that sells professional sport hats and caps in a wide variety of styles. An outlet recently opened at The Outlets of Lake George, 1415 Route 9, Queensbury.

BY LISA BALSCHUNAT Lids, a store featuring officially licensed Major League Baseball, National Football League and National Basketball Association hats and caps in a wide variety of styles, is stocked up for the fall and winter season at The Outlets of Lake George, 1415 Route 9, Queensbury.

Hats of most MLB, NFL and NBA teams can be found on the shelves of the 1,000 square foot store. The new store also carries a limited selection of college and hockey hats.

Customers can also walk into the store, order a custom designed embroidered hat and walk out of the store with it in less than 30 minutes.

“With our in-store embroidery machine, we can customize any hat, and with most orders, embroider it right on the spot,” said Joe Refici, district manager. “If you want a team logo on the front and the signature of your favorite athlete on the side, we can do that,” he said. “If you want a local Little League team logo and your kid’s signature on the side, we can to that, too.”

Depending on the design, it takes from 5 to 25 minutes to embroider. “If the needle can go through it, we can do it,” Refici said. Customers can choose from New Era,

Mitchell & Ness and other brand-name caps to have embroidered.

Additionally, the store has a graphic collection with over 1,000 designs that have been created specifically for embroidering.

Lids also embroiders local logos on hats for local teams or businesses when provided with custom design in a digital format.

Refici said JPEG, PNG and PDF files work best.

For orders of 12 or more hats, the turnaround is two to three days.

In addition to hats, Lids sells professional team sports jerseys and branded sportswear

by Adidas, Vollmer, Oakley, Nike and Under Armour.

Nationally, Lids has been in business for 25 years with headquarters in Indianapolis and shops in the major metropolitan areas of Chicago, Miami, Dallas and Ottawa, Canada.

Lids stores are also located at Crossgates Mall and Colonie Center in Albany.

The store is open Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Lids at The Outlets is open Sunday to Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. On-line shopping is an option at www.lids.com.

This is the Town Fair Tire Centers store in Rutland, Vt. The company purchased property on Route 9 in Queensbury where the chain plans to build its second New York tire repair center.

BY JENNIFER FARNSWORTH Queensbury will soon be home to a 7,269 square-foot tire repair and sales center.

Town Fair Tire Centers of New York LLC has purchased a former Pizza Hut restaurant property on Route 9 in Queensbury where the chain plans to build its second New York tire repair center.

Town Fair Tires purchased the property at 863 Route 9 from Orest Boychuk and the Omall Family Partnership. According to Mike Barbaro, senior vice president of the company, the projected timeline for the completion of the project is some time in the summer of 2022.

Barbaro said they chose Queensbury as their second New York location because of the success they have had with the first one.

“We have a store in Plattsburg and thought

the Queensbury and Glens Falls area would be a good second location,” said Barbaro.

Town Fair Tire currently has more than 100 locations in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. More than half of 4,300 square feet will be used for the retail store with the remaining space used for things like tire changing bays.

Barbaro said they plan to hire 10 to 12 employees, adding that the store manager will most likely be a relocated employee, however most of the hires will be hired locally.

Town Fair Tire’s headquarters are in East Haven, Conn. The Queensbury location will be the 100th store for the chain. To learn more about Town Fair Tire visit www.townfairtire. com.

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Business Report Don’t Let Year-End Sneak Up On You

BY MARK SHAW Although it’s the end of 2021, it seems like 2020 all over again, right? Well, this year will have some new challenges.

Don’t let the last quarter of the year leave your business unprepared for growth and support. There are things you can do now to ensure that in the world of technology you are not left out in the cold come December.

During this time of the year, budgets are being built and the last of the year spends are getting planned out. In a perfect world, companies would finalize those purchases in late November or early December, just in time to get the hardware, software, or service in play and being used before Jan. 1. Every business I know, StoredTech included, finds those final hour purchases to help with business financials.

In 2021, with the supply chain tightened and stretched in some areas, a wait-and-see approach cannot be taken.

Right now, chip shortages with car makers are the most visible to the public. The dealership lots are filled with many empty spaces. Go to your local grocery store, or even Walmart, these gaps in the shelves and lack of variety is now commonplace. Years ago, shelf space was at a premium and brands would pay extra to be at eye level. Now retailers are just trying to fill the shelves.

Although, it may seem normal to pick up alternative items when grocery shopping for your family, there are more consequential results when it comes to your business and how it can be impacted. The lack of materials visible in supermarkets, are visible in business technology as well.

Tech hardware is back ordered, slow to arrive, and ship dates keep being missed. The more ‘unique’ the hardware, the harder it is to find.

Business Has Been Good For Companies That Rent Out Office Space For Professionals

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Mark Shaw, president and CEO of Stored Technology Solutions Inc. (StoredTech) Courtesy StoredTech

For example, a high-end Dell server we ordered for a client in July has a Dec. 25 ship date. That cool laptop that converts to a tablet, with a touch screen, and maxed out specs?

Order now and maybe it will arrive by years end. The supply market is so tight, we see common items shipped first, smaller quantities ship quicker, and larger more sophisticated orders ship last, if at all.

What can you do to make sure you have the technology to run your business well into 2022, handle any last-minute capital spends, and not be pushed until the unknown future? Act now.

Factor in the longer lead times, move your purchasing up sooner than expected, pick models that are likely in stock, and if possible be ready to accept an alternative if the items you want are unavailable.

If you are looking for year-end purchases, buy now, don’t delay. Supplies truly are limited.

BY JENNIFER FARNSWORTH The business of providing professionals with a functioning workspace outside of their home or office is a gowing one.

In Glens Falls, the work away from home and office workspace has found its way into a business owned by Christy Alexander.

Alexander is the owner of WorkSmart, now located inside the former First National Bank in downtown Glens Falls. Alexander was also an entrepreneur ahead of the game, opening her business in 2018. She describes it as a co-working and meeting space designed to provide small businesses and remote workers with a sense of community.

“People need to be around other people, to feel connected, especially when they share common goals,” said Alexander.

While it may be something more and more people are seeking in the wake of COVID-19 and the unanticipated work from the home era, places like Saratoga CoWorks have actually been around for years.

Co-owner Dorothy Rogers-Bullis said her business first began in 2014, and has been thriving ever since.

“We have always been busy. The pandemic didn’t really seem to change that, however we do know that people don’t generally like to work from home. In business, it’s always better to be around others, other professionals, and that is what our business is known for, a place for professionals,” said Rogers-Bullis.

Saratoga CoWorks is a collaborative coworking space for entrepreneurs, professionals, freelancers and startups. They have two locations in Saratoga, with a third in the works. She said the business is not a coffee and hang out space, but instead it is a place known for an atmosphere tailored for those who are looking to get to work in a productive, supportive environment.

“Our goal is to meet the needs of those looking for a place to hold an important meeting, connect with another professional or even just to come in and work on an important deadline,” she said.

WorkSmart is a member-driven organization that offers a variety of services from conference room rentals to meeting the day-to-day office needs of working professionals, something Alexander said she saw a greater need for during the pandemic.

“People who were trying to have important calls and meetings while balancing the distractions of being at home needed a space to work from, a place with a productive environment,” she said.

Alexander said moving into the old bank

Christy Alexander the owner of WorkSmart on Glen Street in Glens Falls.

Courtesy WorkSmart

building this fall allowed them to better service their clientele. She said the building is equipped now with a downloadable app that lets people have 24 hour access, choose membership options and more.

The building has been somewhat restored with its natural beauty, complete with partial brick walls and natural light coming through the ceiling. A conference room complete with a fireplace and a view of Glen Street is also a highlight of the new space.

“We want people to enjoy coming here and getting work done. Whether it is a regular client or someone visiting the area, whatever their need is, we will meet it. We are really passionate about taking care of people, that is my focus, providing everything that members need,” said Alexander.

Rogers-Bullis said technology and access are things they know are on top of the list for those seeking out her company. Saratoga CoWorks is complete with state-of-the-art technology including enterprise-class Wi-Fi, rooms equipped with projectors and Apple TVs. They also have whiteboard walls, a kitchenette personal storage space, and free on-street parking.

The WorkSmart website is worksmartgf.com. The are located at 237 Glen St., Glens Falls,and can be reached att 518-480-7849.

SaratogaCoWork’s website is saratogacoworks. com/ or on Facebook @Saratogacoworks. The are located at 426 Broadway and 153 Regent St. in Saratoga Springs.

GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • OCTOBER 2021 • 7

NY State Of Health Will Open Enrollment Local Partnership Offers Computer Coding Period For Health Marketplace On Nov. 16 Education To Unemployed, Underemployed NY State of Health, the state’s official health plan Marketplace, have announced the affordable health insurance options available to New Yorkers in 2022.

Open enrollment for coverage in a 2022 Qualified Health Plan starts Nov. 16 for new and returning consumers and ends on Jan.31.

“Marketplace enrollment has topped 6.3 million people this year as more New Yorkers choose to protect themselves and their families with affordable, quality coverage during the COVID-19 public health emergency,” said Acting NY State of Health Executive Director Danielle Holahan.

“Consumers can begin previewing their 2022 plan options and premiums today through NY State of Health’s plan shopping tool.”

Significantly, officials said, expanded federal tax credits remain available to New Yorkers who enroll in Qualified Health Plans (QHP.) This enhanced American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) financial assistance is available now, including to higherincome individuals for the first time. Consumers who receive premium tax credits, more than 60 percent of QHP enrollees, will see no change in their premium costs for 2022, or in some cases a small decrease in the cost of coverage compared to 2021.

According to the Health Department, one in three New Yorkers are enrolled in health coverage through the Marketplace. Enrollment has increased across all marketplace programs since April 2021, when the state began implementing ARPA tax credit and Essential Plan (EP) enhancements.

All 12 insurers that offered Qualified Health Plans last year will offer them again in 2022.

Consumers who enroll in a QHP between Nov. 16 and Dec. 15 will have coverage starting Jan. 1.

The 12 insurers offering Qualified Health Plans in 2022 are: Capital District Physicians Health Plan; Empire Blue Cross HealthPlus and Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield HealthPlus; Excellus (Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield in Central NY and Univera in Western NY); Fidelis Care; Health Insurance Plan of Greater New York (EmblemHealth); Healthfirst; Highmark (Highmark of Northeastern NY and Highmark of Western NY); Independent Health; MetroPlus Health Plan; MVP Health Care; and Oscar Insurance Corp; United Healthcare of New York Inc. Officials said the Essential Plan will continue to offer coverage with no monthly premium, no deductible and low-cost sharing and will include vision and dental benefits for all enrollees.

The 12 insurers offering the Essential Plan in 2022 are: Capital District Physicians Health

Plan; Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield HealthPlus; Excellus (Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield in Central NY and Univera in Western NY); Fidelis Care; Health Insurance Plan of Greater New York (EmblemHealth); Healthfirst; Highmark (Highmark of Northeastern NY and Highmark of Western NY); Independent Health; MetroPlus Health Plan; Molina Healthcare; MVP Health Care; and United Healthcare of New York, Inc. The NY State of Health Small Business Marketplace (SBM) offers reduced-cost, comprehensive health insurance to small employers, uninsured working individuals, and sole proprietors. There are currently more than 16,000 employers signed on with the Marketplace, the highest level since its inception in 2013, officials said.

Eligible small employers can access small employer tax credits by completing a short application at nystateofhealth.ny.gov/employer and enrolling in NY State of Health-certified plans directly with insurers of their choice.

The nine insurers offering plans on the Small Business Marketplace are: Capital District Physicians Health Plan, Empire (Empire Blue Cross and Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield), Excellus (Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield in Central NY and Univera in Western NY), Healthfirs, Health Insurance Plan of Greater New York (EmblemHealth), Independent Health, MVP Health Care, Oscar Insurance Corp., and United Healthcare (Oxford).

Dental coverageis available for adults and families in some QHPs or through a stand-alone dental plan.

The Marketplace will offer the following eight dental plans on the individual Marketplace: Delta Dental, Dentcare, Empire HealthChoice Dental BlueCross and Empire Health Choice Dental Blue Cross BlueShield, Excellus Dental and Excellus Univera Dental, Guardian, Highmark of Northeastern NY; Highmark of Western NY), Healthplex, and Solstice.

Enrollment for 2021 coverage continues through the end of the year and consumers can enroll or renew for 2022 coverage for QHPs starting Nov. 16. Consumers are encouraged to research and compare their 2022 plans prior to the open enrollment date to jumpstart their application and secure enrollment before the end of the year.

Enrollment in the Essential Plan, Medicaid and Child Health Plus is open all year. For additional information, visit the NY State of Health website at: nystateofhealth.ny.gov or call 1-855-355-5777.

NBT Bank Publishes Cyber Security Series To Help Businesses Detect, Avoid Cybercrimes To mark National Cybersecurity Awareness Month this October, NBT Bank has published a series of cybersecurity webinars addressing the trends and concerns businesses should be aware of.

These on-demand webinars were exclusive to NBT Bank partners and customers until now.

“With the dramatic shift to more people working remotely, this year’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month is more important to consumers and businesses than ever before,” said Terra Carnrike-Granata, senior vice president, director of information security at NBT Bank.

“While we provide our individual and business customers with robust fraud

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prevention tools and information, we felt there was an urgent need to get this information out to all members of our community to help them understand how to better protect themselves from cybercrime.”

NBT Bank’s webinar series comes in four 30-minute videos on the following topics: • The Current State of Cybersecurity: Protecting the Intangible.

• Are You Covered? Proactive Controls You Need Now. • After A Breach: Effective Incident Response.

• Cybercrime Survivors: Stories & Lessons Learned.

To view each webinar, visit www.nbtbank. com/cyber.

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SUNY Adirondack and SaratogaCanCode have joined forces to offer free computer coding education and training programs to serve unemployed and underemployed New York residents.

Funded through a state Department of Labor grant, the partnership will enable coding instruction in two popular courses— Front End Web Development and Python for Data Analytic —to serve up to 45 people starting Nov. 8.

SUNY Adirondack’s Workforce Readiness Academies Program (WRAP) provides free training opportunities for residents of New York state. Included in the program are customized services based on participant need, such as career coaching, academic advising, job-search skills, and accessing resources such as emergency child care and technology support.

The 12-week computer coding programs are offered virtually through SaratogaCanCode, which is part of CanCode Communities, a nonprofit organization dedicated to building a trained software workforce throughout upstate New York and beyond.

“We’re seeing such success with the summer cohort of students who are about to finish their IT boot camp training,” said Caelynn Prylo, Assistant Dean for Continuing Education and Workforce Innovation at SUNY Adirondack. “This program is truly transformational for the participants. With the workforce changes we’ve seen over the past year, more people than ever can benefit from this high-impact training program, expanding their skills and securing employment in a high-demand field and strengthen our region’s pool of trained, talented tech professionals.”

“We are delighted to partner with SUNY Adirondack to deliver computer coding education and training that is truly changing lives,” said Annmarie Lanesey, founder and CEO of CanCode Communities. “This is a wonderful opportunity to provide motivated individuals with pathways to exciting careers in the tech industry, and to build our tech workforce to support the rapid expansion of the digital workplace.”

The Front End Web Development course gives students hands-on practice building pieces of code to connect user experience into back-end processes. Through lectures, individual assignments, tutorials and projects, students will establish solid foundations in key programs for front-end developers, including HTML, CSS, Bootstrap,

jQuery, JavaScript/jQuery and Github.

Officials said the course might be of particular interest to graphic designers and beginning programmers. It meets virtually two nights a week in three-hour sessions.

In the Python for Data Analytics course, students will learn fundamental programming concepts using Python as a tool for collecting, analyzing and visualizing data.

Officials said no programming experience is necessary, although those with experience who are interested in learning new languages and applications are welcome. Students will learn variables, data structures, loops, conditionals and other basics of programming, as well as delve into Python Libraries for data analysis and basic statistics to learn data interpretation techniques. The class meets virtually two nights a week in three-hour sessions.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, New York state has an unemployment rate of 7 percent, among the highest in the country. The state’s underemployed rate—those who work fewer than 35 hours a week but want to work full time and are available to do so—is 16 percent.

Those interested in learning more, including whether they qualify for these free programs, can visit www.sunyacc.edu/greatfutures-it-careers-start-here.

CanCode Communities is a nonprofit organization founded in 2016 as AlbanyCanCode to develop nontraditional talent and advocate for a vibrant, inclusive tech talent pipeline in upstate New York.

Operating on a stakeholder engagement model, the organization designs and delivers workforce training courses and hands-on K12 coding programs in alignment with the needs of employers, educators, talent and the community. The overall mission is to shift mind-set about who can work in technology; to remove cultural and economic barriers to joining the tech workforce; and to establish and promote pathways to tech careers throughout the region. Learn more at www. cancode.org.

SUNY Adirondack is a community college with a growing campus that is part of the nation’s largest university, the State University of New York. With locations in Queensbury, Glens Falls and Wilton, it offers courses in person and online; on-campus housing at the Queensbury campus; and serves students via credit and continuing education programs.

8 • GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • OCTOBER 2021

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Entrepreneurial Women Jade Eddy Made A Success Of Family’s MT Rose Miller Led Her Pinnacle HR Company’s Returnables Business Through Hard Times Growth From Five Employees To 30

BY CHRISTINE GRAF After MT Returnables owner Bob Ball died in a motorcycle accident in August 2020, his oldest daughter, Jade Eddy, spent the next eight months working to reopen the business.

Because Ball had no will and operated his business as a sole proprietorship, the company’s bottle and can redemption centers in Corinth and Queensbury were forced to close.

Ball established MT Returnables in Corinth in 2005 after a 20-year career with International Paper. When the paper company closed, he began collecting bottles and cans to earn money. At the time, bottle redemption centers were a new concept.

“He had a difficult time finding a job,” said Eddy. “He started driving around town and collecting bottles and cans from people and sorting them in the garage. We started calling him a professional hobo. My senior year in high school, he got a building in Corinth, and I thought he had lost his mind.”

Eddy, a Lake Luzerne native, started working part-time for her father when he opened the business. After graduating from high school, she continued to work part-time while enrolled in the business program at Adirondack Community College. At the time, she dreamed of opening her own clothing store. After discovering that she didn’t enjoy working in retail, she decided to work full-time at MT Returnables. In 2012, after Ball became overwhelmed by the administrative side of operations, he put her in charge of the business.

“Thankfully, that prepared me for the last year,” said Eddy. “It made the transition into becoming the owner a lot easier.”

After her father’s death, Eddy faced an uphill battle to reopen the business.

“When we met with the attorneys, they told us that as a sole proprietorship that the business ceased to exist when my father passed,” said Eddy. “Because I had the permission of my sisters, I was able to keep the name and open it as my own. I really got put through the ringer because I had to do everything as if this was a brand new business. I had to get a new DBA, re-register with

Jade Eddy is the owner o MT Returnables with facilities in Queensbury and Corinth.

Courtesy Jade Eddy

the county, redo all of the building permits. It was a lot, and I had a lot of very stressful days with a lot of tears.”

In order to reopen, Eddy needed to raise more than $16,000 in capital. With her father’s business assets tied up in his estate, she sought a bank loan.

“Because of the nature of this business that I had to pay out money to customers, I had to have money to start with,” she said. “So I went to the bank but they wouldn’t even complete my loan application because I had been unemployed since my dad died.”

Eddy was devastated that she would be unable to reopen a business that had meant so much to her father. When leaning on friends for support, they suggested she start a GoFundMe. “I really did not want to do that at all, but I didn’t have a choice,” she said. “Within about two weeks, we had all of the money we need to reopen.

My dad left behind such a supportive group for us girls because we have had so many fundraisers and helped so many people over the years. It just Continued On Page 9

BY CHRISTINE GRAF Before owning her own company, Rose Miller worked in human resources for companies of all sizes. Around 2005, she began to seriously consider the idea of opening her own human resources consulting business.

“You have to do a scout model. Always be prepared and get as many facts as you can,” she said.

Her research revealed that the number-one failure point for HR professionals who went out on their own was loneliness and isolation. A self-described people person, Miller found that concerning.

“I saw myself quickly becoming dissatisfied with working out of my house,” she said. “I also knew that one of my strengths is building great teams. I knew I didn’t want to work all by myself. I wanted to build a company.”

Her first step was to create a business plan.

According to Miller, it is essential for anyone who is thinking about starting their own business.

“So many entrepreneurs don’t write a business plan, but you really need to sit down and go through a professional business plan because it makes you formulize things and delve into areas that you may not be strong at. To put it in writing is an amazing exercise.”

While working on her business plan in 2005, she attended a chamber of commerce meeting and was seated with the managing partner from a local CPA firm. After learning that his firm was interested in starting an HR consulting practice, she told him that he had found the person to run it.

Miller was hired to run the consulting firm, and four year later purchased the business and named it Pinnacle HR. Since that time, her staff has grown from five to 30 employees.

“It’s been steadily growing every single year,” she said. “We tapped into a need in the area, and I think that’s critical that an entrepreneur understand their target market and understand it well.”

And recently, Miller sold her company to GTM Payroll Services of Clifton Park. Her staff will be relocating from their office in Albany to 9 Executive Park Drive in Clifton Park. Miller will serve as senior director of strategic relationships for the newly formed GTM Pinnacle HR. Pinnacle’s target market is small and mediumsized companies that do not have their own HR departments. According to Miller, regardless of size, all companies have the same HR needs.

“I built a model that brings HR best practices and models to any size company,” she said. “Our tagline to these companies is that you can have the same things that a big company has in human resources but in a scalable and flexible way. There was a major need for outsourced HR which is our biggest revenue source. The region is so plentiful in these small and medium sized businesses.”

Six years ago, Pinnacle HR launched what has

Rose Miller says business during COVID was busy for Pinnacle Human Resources LLC. Courtesy Rose Miller

become a very successful leave of absence division that serves clients throughout the country. That arm of the business also works with large companies with their own HR departments.

“When they operate in multi-states, it becomes very complex to administer all of the different forms of leave. Every state is so different,” she said. “Large companies outsource just that piece.”

According to Miller, her firm has been especially busy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The only silver lining of COVID was the awareness of how important an HR function is in an organization. During the pandemic, they weren’t calling their finance people. They were calling their HR people. They needed to know what the laws are.

Who to lay off. Who to keep. For us, the awareness of how critical it is to have HR professionals in the mix to guide them through this quagmire has been a big boost for the HR profession.”

After being recognized as one of the fastest growing companies in the region for multiple years, Miller began receiving inquiries regarding selling her business.

“I’ve always kept an open mind because I think opportunities arise when you keep yourself open,” she said. “I did a lot of talking. I do practice what I preach, and what I see as a failure point for mergers and acquisitions is not having culture align. So, I looked at all of these suitors with that in mind. Did their core values match up with mine?”

After considering multiple offers, Miller decided to sell her company to Guy Maddalone at GTM Payroll Services.

Miller said she has no plans of retiring any time soon. “I’m still having a lot of fun serving our clients, and I have an amazing team of HR pros.”

GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • OCTOBER 2021 • 9

Kylie Holland Gained The Needed Experience Elle Salon Operating In New South Glens As She Prepares To Head The Family Business Falls Location With Room For More Services

BY CHRISTINE GRAF While still a student at Galway High School Kylie (Curtis) Holland started working at the front counter at Curtis Lumber in Ballston Spa. Today, the sixth-generation member of the Curtis family is preparing for the day when she will take the helm of the family business.

Her father, Jay Curtis, currently serves as CEO and president of the 131-year old company that has 23 locations and approximately 700 employees. He took over in 1991, the same year that Holland was born.

During the four years that Holland attended college at SUNY Cortland, she made a five-hour round trip each weekend in order to continue working at Curtis Lumber. After graduating with a degree in criminal justice in 2012, she considered attending law school.

“I was faced with a choice of either you go to law school or you work (at Curtis Lumber),” she said. “Because of the intensity of law school, I knew I couldn’t do both. That was kind of my moment where I had to choose. I just couldn’t imagine what it would look like to walk away from Curtis Lumber. I loved it, and I loved the people. That’s when I decided this was the path for me after all.”

Although her older brother, Christopher, also works for Curtis Lumber, he is not interested in taking over when their father retires.

“He’s worked here his whole life as well doing various things,” she said. “Over time, as we worked in the business side by side, it was a just kind of natural progression that he didn’t necessarily want the responsibility of leadership, and I didn’t mind that idea. We had kind of this unspoken understanding as we both stepped into our own that he was content with what he was doing, and I had a desire to follow in my dad’s footsteps.”

After working her way up to supervisor at the front counter—one of the busiest areas of the store—Holland tried her hand at design.

“I didn’t naturally have the knack for that,” she said. “But I learned from it and got to understand that aspect of the business.”

Her next step was to work in the corporate office where she was able to immerse herself in operations side of the business.

“The best way to learn is to get immersed into the fundamental of how we operate. I did rounds with our different departments to see how they function and how they support the business,” she said. “I got to see a little bit of everything.”

Holland later assumed her role as part of the executive team. She began by sitting in on executive meetings in order to learn as much as she could about how decisions were made.

“Over time, it became a natural progression that I was able to participate in those conversations with a lot more confidence and credibility rather than just being an observer,” said Holland.

After serving in a floating managerial role, she transitioned into a director position.

Today, she serves as executive vice president with members of the executive team reporting directly to her.

Although her father has announced no plans for retirement, Holland believes she will be ready to take the helm of the company when that day comes.

“We have a really good team in place,” she

Jade Eddy

Continued From Page 8 kind of circled back around when I needed it. The community has been so supportive, and they helped us with his funeral and all sorts of things because we were completely caught off guard by everything.”

Eddy was able to use the funds to reopen the redemption center at 71 Ohio Ave. in Queensbury where she leases the building. Because the Corinth redemption center was operated out of a building owned by her father, that location remains closed.

Although the last year has been an emotional roller coaster for Eddy, it was not difficult for her to make the transition from employee to owner.

For her, the hardest part is working there without her father who was also her best friend.

“Things are going well, but it was hard in the beginning,” said Eddy. “I didn’t have any

Kylie (Curtis) Holland will one day be CEO of the family business, Curtis Lumber. ©2021 SaratogaPhotographer.com

said. “In terms of support and being able to take that next step, I have a lot of confidence there.”

As CEO, Holland will be faced with the challenges of operating a business in an increasingly digital word.

“The digital era is upon us which is something that is super challenging for our industry. We sell lumber. We sell commodity items. Putting that into a digital world is a little bit challenging, but that’s where we need to be,” she said.

When she becomes CEO, Holland said her management style—at least initially--will be more “hands on” than that of her father’s.

Curtis became more hands off as he progressed in his career.

“Part of that is because of my newness,” she said. “I just want to be able to absorb everything, and that’s how he started as well.

When he started, he was definitely more involved in things.”

Holland expects the eventual transition to be relatively seamless but acknowledges that she will have to prove herself.

“I think I’ve done right by the company and done right by myself by working in different areas and working side by side with a lot of our people. I’m not just stepping in off the streets.

I do think there has been a level of credibility established. But the pressure of it from my perspective is still that I have something that I continue to have to prove to people to make sure that they have confidence in me.”

Although she doesn’t rule out future growth, her priority when she becomes CEO will be to focus on fine tuning current operations.

“Being able to focus on who we are already serving to me is more significant than focusing on accumulating more locations,” said Holland.

“I’m always conscious that what we have done under my dad’s leadership has gotten us to the successful point that we are at. We are successful for a reason, so I would never come in and say that we should forget how we’ve done things for the past twenty-five years. But I do acknowledge that there is change that has to happen. It will be about incorporating necessary change while still holding true to the traditions and values that have gotten us to where we are.” interaction with customers for probably at least two months. It was too emotional, and everyone who came in wanted to talk about my dad. I’m now at the point where I can talk with customers, and we can laugh about funny memories.”

Eddy has two full-time employees and one seasonal employee for the busy summer season when daily redemptions can exceed 30,000 containers per day. On a slow day, that number is closer to 15,000. The business receives a 3.5 cent handling fee for each container that is processed.

During COVID, MT Returnables introduced car-side service at the redemption center.

Customers are able to have their containers counted without ever leaving their cars.

According to Eddy, she plans to continue her father’s legacy of supporting the community with bottle drives. They are currently support an organization that provides snacks to students at eighteen area schools. Upcoming bottle drive proceeds will be used to provide Thanksgiving meals to needy families and Christmas gifts to senior citizens.

Danielle Kresge is the owner of Elle Salon, which recently moved into new space at 113 Saratoga Ave., Soouth Glens Falls. She has expanded staff, which now totals 12.

BY SUSAN ELISE CAMPBELL Ever since she could remember, Danielle Kresge wanted to run a hair salon and spa.

Half her dream was realized when she started Elle Salon three years ago in South Glens Falls. Now in her new location at 113 Saratoga Ave., Kresge has the room to add staff and services to give clients the full spa experience.

“At the other location, I had a good starting point to get my feet wet,” she said. “I’m actually surprised at how quickly we grew, and proud of it.”

Once she determined to move and expand, Kresge knew she would put her clients first.

The location she found on Facebook was a brand new building in which she could picture clients “relaxing and enjoying themselves,” she said.

“The space is like an open canvas with white walls and high ceilings,” she said. “It has a clean, breezy, airy feeling.”

Since the move the first week of August, there have been a few new hires, bringing the staff to 12.

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Elle Salon and Spa now has four rooms for spa services, including facials, body waxing, eyelash extension, hand-tied hair extensions, brow lamination and make-up. There is also a dedicated room for full body massage.

Kresge has 10 chairs for hair styling, whereas there were five before the relocation. She herself has 11 years experience cutting and coloring hair and her “specialty has always been blonds,” she said.

Her market is not the walk-in customer, she said, but rather a “middle class woman or man who wants to come in and feel pampered without breaking the budget.”

The salon also does haircuts for children.

Kresge said she has reflected on the pandemic and how it has helped her by helping others.

“The pandemic and the isolation has been hard on people mentally and emotionally,” she said. “When they were able to come in, I saw the need to help them feel better about themselves.

That has been a goal of mine ever since I was a little girl.”

Learn more at www.ellesalonsouthglensfalls.com.

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GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL

Commercial / Residential Real Estate Residential Real Estate Is Experiencing A Boom As The COVID-19 Pandemic Eases

BY CHRISTINE GRAF The residential real estate boom that is occurring throughout the country has Capital Region real estate agents scrambling to find homes for their clients.

Much of the demand is being fueled by millennials who are in their prime home-buying years and make up the county’s largest demographic.

The decline in interest rates that took place during the past year has made purchasing a home especially attractive. Mortgage rates dropped in 2020 and reached a record low of 2.65 percent in January. Those in the industry say demand far exceeded supply of homes, and low supply has been the primary driver for the rapid increase in home prices.

“It’s nuts,” said Howard Denison of DeMarsh Real Estate in Glens Falls. “People are offering up to 10 percent more than asking. There was a two-family ranch that sold within four hours. Potential buyers are getting upset and disgusted.”

According to Susan Kassal of Hunt Real Estate, during her 19 years in real estate she has never witnessed such high demand for residential properties. Many of her customers make offers on three to four houses before securing a winning bid, and a surprising number are making all cash offers. Although the majority of the cash buyers are relocating from cities, she said some are local.

“I’ve never seen so many all cash offers. Cash is winning, and if you have cash and come in on the first day or two you can grab it. Even in the $400,000 or $500,000 range, you are seeing cash. We’ve seen people come for vacation homes and pay cash, and they are beating out local people. It’s causing a lot of frustration, but in the last month or so I’ve seen the inventory picking up. And we are finding homes for all of our buyers. But you have to be the first one in.”

As a result, agents and buyers have been rushing to schedule showings as soon as a properties come on the market.

“If it’s listed today, you have to see it today,” said Kassal. “Real estate has always been kind of an oncall job, but this is just over the top. You have to act, and there’s no more waiting for the weekend to show a house. You are going out to see one property at a time.

You drop everything and go see it and don’t wait for the weekend and show five properties anymore.”

Because of the influx of buyers from out of the area, local real estate agents are also doing a record number of virtual showings. Although some buyers have made offers without ever seeing a property in person, Kassal said that is becoming much more uncommon.

According to Janet Besheer, owner of Equitas Realty in Saratoga, even properties that traditionally

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Business Report

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Preserving Vacation Home For Future Generations

Susan Kassal is a real estate agent with Hunt Real Estate.

Courtesy Hunt Real Estate

took a very long time to sell have been snapped up in a matter of days.

“All of these listings in Washington and Warren counties that were traditionally farm land used to take months if not years to sell. They range in price from $300 to over a million. This past eighteen months, those properties were gone in three days.”

The majority of the buyers for those properties were people who were fleeing from crowded cities as a result of the pandemic.

“They were coming out of apartments where their rents were higher than a mortgage on a $900,000 home,” said Besheer.

Although she has seen signs that the market is slowing down, Besheer doesn’t think the “wild ride” that has taken place over the last year is going to end in the immediate future.

“The New York state August 2021 housing report shows that inventory was down 23.4 percent compared to last year. The average home price was $395,000 in August 2021 compared to $204,000 last August. That means that the median sale price went up 29.9 percent. It’s huge.”

No one knows if or when the bubble will burst on the market, but many economists predict that it won’t be any time soon. They point to record low inventory and pent-up demand as the two main factors that will keep the market hot.

“The big question is, ‘Is this the new normal, Continued On Page 11

BY DAVID A. KUBIKIAN, ESQ. When people own something of sentimental value, they are sometimes unsure of how to pass it down to their family for future generations to enjoy.

This is especially the case with a vacation home or camp that has been in the family for years.

Example: You own a beach or lake-front vacation home for years in a now sought-after area. You have seen your children (and grandchildren) grow up there and recall memories of watching sunsets over the water, roasting marshmallows over a campfire, and teaching the kids how to swim. It may be difficult to think that this home will be sold out of the family when you die and would like to preserve it for enjoyment of generations to come.

How can you best insure this property will be there for future generations to enjoy (and at times cohabitate), as your family tree grows or in future after your passing?

Who will be responsible for paying the Insurance? Taxes? Repairs? Maintenance? Fees?

Who decides which family members or friends use it and when?

What impact would future divorces or bankruptcies have on the property?

How can you protect the property from a Medicaid spend down?

While all of your children enjoyed the vacation home or camp growing up, some may no longer live in the area or use it on a regular basis. Other relatives may also like to use the property when it is not in use. If you leave the vacation property as part of your estate and divide it among the children without thinking of the particulars, the risk is that the joy will be replaced with future disputes about the future and use of the property. Some children may not want to pay to maintain an asset they rarely use.

Those that do want to keep it may not be able to afford to buy the others out. It can also create sibling squabbles when it comes to its use.

To alleviate your concerns, there are a number of Estate Planning options you should consider for the transfer and management of a vacation property.

You can always transfer the property to one or more children during your lifetime, or leave it as a bequest upon your death. However, this “direct” or outright gifting strategy comes with many risks and potential tax implications. Since no one can

David Kubikian is a principal with Herzog Law Firm in Saratoga Springs.

Courtesy Herzog Law

predict the future, your family’s vacation home may become a part of future divorce proceedings, bankruptcy, lawsuit or probate. Without proper planning, a vacation home may need to be sold to pay for long-term care costs. The asset may now also be counted for purposes of college financial aid. Worse yet, due to second marriages or death, the house may be inadvertently inherited by in-laws and not stay in the family.

There may be a better legal solution that might work for your family. Several options include: Co-ownership. Ownership among family members could include being tenants in common or joint tenants with rights of survivorship. Risks above may still apply, especially if siblings do not get along.

With the property held in trust, it may be sheltered from future divorces, an unforeseen bankruptcy, a child who needs public benefits, becomes disabled or in case of their unfortunate death, while simultaneously keeping strategic tax benefits. After your death, the property could continue to be managed within the trust.

A Limited Liability Company (LLC) can own the home and would be managed by its members or an independent property manager. The rights and responsibilities of the members are spelled out in Continued On Page 11

GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • OCTOBER 2021 • 11

Commercial Real Estate Market Declines As Pandemic Reigns, But Optimism Exists

BY CHRISTINE GRAF Unlike the residential real estate market which has boomed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the commercial real estate market has experienced a significant decline, according to those in the industry.

The demand for commercial space has been impacted by pandemic-related business closures and the changing demographic of the workforce. According to a Gallup poll, 72 percent of white-collar workers were still working remotely in May 2021.

Many companies are expected to switch to a hybrid model or to allow employees to continue working exclusively from home after the pandemic ends. If this happens, the demand for commercial office space could drop significantly.

The pandemic also led to a dramatic increase in Ecommerce, which was already a threat to brick and mortar retailers who now fear that consumer behaviors that changed during the pandemic may become permanent. A record number of stores closed in the U.S. in 2020 leaving 159 million square feet of retail space vacant.

Despite these concerns, Howard Denison, associate broker at DeMarsh Real Estate in Glens Falls, said the local commercial real estate is rebounding after being “under the weather” for the past year.

He has been working in real estate for 31 years and attributes much of the recovery to the Route 9 sewer project in Moreau. The addition of a municipal sewer system in the town’s commercial corridor is expected to lead to development and economic growth in area where growth had stagnated.

“Now that the sewer project has started, the number of sales and prices have increased substantially. I anticipate that prices will continue to increase.”

According to Denison, the downtown Glens Falls commercial market is also picking up after experiencing a pandemicrelated slowdown. Despite the slowdown, prices have remained stable.

“Properties move, but they move slowly.

Before COVID, the market was getting pretty hot.”

He remains optimistic about the commercial market and expects that many members of the local workforce will tire of working from home. As a result, he believes office space will continue to be in demand.

“People really like to meet each other,” he said. “People are sick and tired of Zoom meetings and want to get back to the office.

I think companies are going to do some hybrid type models where you come in the office one, two, three times a week.”

Denison credits the PPP Loan Program for helping to keep local businesses in the Glens Falls area af loat during the pandemic.

Gerard Wise, associate broker at Roohan Realty in Saratoga Springs, said that has also been the case in Saratoga County.

“The thing with commercial real estate is the prevalence of longer term leases. Last year, there wasn’t a big exodus. The impact on office and retail buildings was somewhat

Howard Denison, associate broker at DeMarsh Real Estate in Glens Falls. muted,” he said. “The PPP loans were huge for these businesses because it gave them the ability to continue to make their rental payments even if they were under utilizing the space.”

Due to the uncertainty in the marketplace, Wise said the standard three to five-year commercial leases are becoming less attractive to his clients.

“In some cases as renewals come up or new businesses are looking at locations, there has been a push towards a shorter duration because there’s still a lot of uncertainty out there. It’s occurring on a case by case basis, but we are seeing landlords being more f lexible especially on renewals of businesses they already have relationships with.”

Another market trend that is occurring in Saratoga County is an uptick in demand for small executive suite office spaces that measure approximately 10 fee x 10 feet.

These offices are especially popular with entrepreneurs and have become more common in the last three to five years.

“With more people working remotely, working at home might not be ideal especially if they have kids,” said Wise. “At the beginning of the year, we had a decent amount of single office spaces available, and they are almost all gone now.”

According to Wise, traditional retail storefronts in Saratoga Springs are increasingly being utilized as office space.

“Certain businesses that may be looking for a little bit more exposure that probably would have never considered a storefront on Broadway are signing leases. For example, I did an lease for an architectural/ engineering firm that you would typically find in a suburban office park.”

Warehouse space in Saratoga County continues to be in low supply and high demand. The demand is being driven in part by Ecommerce fulfillment centers and the local chip fab industry.

“Saratoga County is light on warehouse space. They have been building a lot in Continued On Page 13

Residential Real Estate Continued From Page 10

and will these prices will sustain?’ I think that’s the question on everyone’s mind,” said Besheer. “I think that in certain price points—like in that middle $300,000 range—I can see it sticking. That might be a new normal.”

Besheer isn’t as confident when it comes to higherend properties that sold for well over asking price.

Many of these properties were purchased by people who were relocating from cities in record numbers.

“They were bought up by people who I believe have an abundance of cash and aren’t concerned about the house appraising. A lot of those buyers just wanted to get out of Dodge.”

Denison expects prices to stay fairly stable and demand to remain strong as long as interest rates remain low. Although the Federal Reserve has held interest rates steady so far this year, many economists anticipate that rates will increase in 2022 and again in 2023.

“The real estate market has it curves up and down.

If prices go down, I don’t believe they won’t be slashed tremendously,” he said.

Besheer has observed somewhat of a price correction occurring in the Capital Region market.

Houses are still selling quickly but are staying on the market for several weeks instead of just several

days. As a result, sellers are becoming more willing to negotiate, and houses that have been on the market for more than two or three weeks are seeing price reductions. Although some properties continue to receive multiple offers, that number is no longer in the double digits.

“As we move into the autumn, what is true every fall and winter period is that owners of homes that are on the market want to get out before the snow flies,” she said. “It’s usually this time of the year that sellers are willing to negotiate more readily.”

Local residential home inventory remains low which has proved especially challenging for real estate agents new to the profession.

“If you talk to real estate companies throughout the Capital Region, everyone is down to next to nothing in terms of inventory,” said Besheer. “There’s just not enough inventory right now to go around. Newer agents are having a very tough time.”

Although local real estate agents are busier than ever, that does not necessarily mean that all wellestablished agents are having banner years in terms of sales.

“You don’t have the listings that you would usually have,” said Kassal. “It’s the person with the inventory that’s going to have the best year.”

Vacation Home

keep the vacation property in the family? If no one is interested in keeping the property, it could simply be sold after your death.

2. How should siblings pay for regular maintenance and expenses of the property? Should there be a property manager or will each person pitch in to help with routine and emergency repairs, cleaning, yard work, winter storage, etc.? How are real estate taxes, insurance and utilities paid for?

What about remodeling or improving the home or other structures on the property?

3. How will time at the vacation home be scheduled? Will everyone fit or will each sibling get a certain number of weeks? Is scheduling time firstcome, first-served, rotational or do families “draw straws” for popular times?

If your dream is to keep your cherished vacation home in the family for years to come make sure you have created a plan.

Continued From Page 10 the LLC operating agreement. An LLC can contain specific provisions on the use of the property, sharing of costs, and the transfer, inheritance or selling of member interests. An LLC helps centralize the management function for the property.

Any structure for ownership of vacation property should account for the possibility that eventually, the family may no longer want to own the property, it has become cost prohibitive, or receive an offer that they can’t refuse. A plan needs to be in place.

Here are just some of the questions that families should answer when deciding on a structure for transferring a vacation home to future generations: 1. Do family members get along and want to

12 • GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • OCTOBER 2021

EDC Warren County Disc Golf Tournament Raises Some $10,000 For ‘The Ed’ Fund

Business Registrations •

Jen’s Daycare Jennifer Donigian 82 West Notre Dame St. Glens Falls 12801

Callan Thomas Photography Callan Seaman 27 Lincoln Ave., Apt. 2 Glens Falls 12801

Bring Me A Sammich Donald Saunders 23A Logan Ave. Glens Falls 12801

Diana Sterling International Diana Sterling 56 Wedgewood Drive Queensbury 12804

Lauren’s Care For You Lauren Cronin 8 Mohawk Trail Queensbury 12804

Beyond the Surface Holistic Skincare & Wellness Alisha DelZotto 160 Quaker Road Queensbury 12804

Glen Street Barbers Peter Sluck 484 Glen St. Glens Falls 12801

Hudson Headwaters Health Network team, one of several area businesses entered in the disc golf tournament benefitted the Edward M. Bartholomew, Jr. Memorial Fund.

The disc golf tournament held by EDC Warren County on Sept. 17 at Crandall Park in Glens Falls raised nearly $10,000 for the newly established Edward M. Bartholomew Jr. Memorial Fund to be used for internships at Warren County nonprofits and small businesses.

The fund is known as The Ed. “We had such a wonderful event,” said EDC spokesperson Amy Potter. “For the majority of the players, it was their first time trying the sport. We know Ed was proud of this park as it keeps growing, adding a diverse attraction to the city of Glens Falls.

“Thank you to the Crandall Park Beautification Committee, Elizabeth Little Hogan, and her family for tending to the course just hours before tournament time to make sure the players had the best experience.

Course steward and co-host Greg Hill from Innova provided the necessary structure to run a successful event while also providing pro tips to the players. We thank all our volunteers, Ed’s

Courtesy EDC Warren County

family and close friends, and the event sponsors as we look forward to launching the internship program.”

EDC Warren County board chair and disc golf player Matt Fuller said the event “was absolutely fantastic. You would not have known it was a first-year event and Ed would have loved this.”

There were many local dignitaries on hand at the event as part of the outpouring of support as EDC Warren County President, Jim Siplon, spoke after the tournament honoring Ed’s legacy.

“You are all here today, to not only play great disc golf at this great place, but you are here because Ed has touched your life in one way or another. He would have been so proud of this crowd here today and for the support of his family,” he said.

Discs commemorating the event will be sold at Fountain Square Outfitters, while supplies last, with the proceeds going to the fund.

Intemporal Acvhievements Cadell Polydore 5 Stewart Ave. Bolton Landing 12814 Comfort Cuisines Thad Jankowski 32 Cronin Road Queensbury 12804 B-2 Dirt Works Mary Beadnell 913 Schroon River Road Warrensburg 12885 John Coleman Design John Coleman 32 Ridge Road Queensbury 12804 40 North Farm Daniel Swift Diana Swift 113 States Road Stony Creek 12878 Rainbows Ice Cream Shop Monica LaFountain 175 Broad St., Suite 120 Glens Falls 12801 Amber Aesthetics Amber Wood 155 Broad St. Glens Falls 12801 JMB Howard Enterprises Jesse Howard 21 Fairview Road South Queensbury 12804 Jeremiah Millington Construction Jeremiah Millington 734 High St. Athol 12810 Teddy Bear Adult Home Care Shelli Cameron Jamar Enriquez 11 South St., Suite 104 Glens Falls 12801

Behoff Photo Brian Hoffman 21 Cooper St., Studio 306 Glens Falls 12801 Wynnstar Michael Wynn 4 Island View Drive Queensbury 12804 Jesse’s Stump Grinding Jesse Allen 384 Lake Ave., Lot 23 Lake Luzerne 12846 Planet Offensive Ryan Porter 38 Shewman Ave. Glens Falls 12801 JE Camfield Welding Trevor Hopeck 5 Balsam Drive, Apt. 3 Queensbury 12804 A to Z Handyman Orbin Harrington Jessica Walerstein 7 Monroe St., No. 1 Glens Falls 12801 Farrell’s Fish & More Sandra Farrell 200 Hadley Road Stony Creek 12878 Absolute Design Completion Jamie Walther 3 Briwood Circle Queensbury 12804 Stein Property Services Dylan Stein 63 Valentine Pond Road Pottersville 12860 Willis Snow anbd Lawn Care Ethan Willis 10 Nova Lane Queensbury 12804 Gignac’s Customs Jennifer Gignac 11 Katherine Ave. Queensbury 12804

Upstate Serves Owen Marlow 68 Kettles Way Queensbury 12804

Top Notch Painting NY Dylan Olds 10F Eagle Way Queensbury 12804

Joan Reid Art and Healing Arts Joan Reid 71 Lawrence St., Studio 311 The Shirt Factory Glens Falls 12801

Xtreme Automotive Detailing & Coatings Daniel Brant Michael DiLorenzo 973 Route 9 Queensbury 12804

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GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • OCTOBER 2021 • 13

John Gable Opens Edward Jones Financial Office On Main Street In Warrensburg

Business Registrations •

Skincare by Shari B Shari Butto 61 Grove Ave. Glens Falls 12801

RJ Interiors Robert Jarvis 140 Sherman Island Road Queensbury 12804

Route 149 Bottle and Can Return Andrea Sink 10 Route 149 Lake George 12845

CNL General Contracting Charles Loomis 24 Pine Knolls Road Chestertown 12817

Sumner Home Improvement Nicholas Sumner 19 Glenwood Ave. Queensbury 12804

Papa’s Diner Christopher Smith 398 Corinth Road Queensbury 12804

HD Construction Dana Roberts 8 Elm St. Warrensburg 12885

Hammond’s Hope Diabetes Counseling Wilma Emily Hammond 201 Bird Pond Road North Creek 12853

Rodeway Inn Lake George Outlets Aftab Bhatti 1449 Route 9 Lake George 12845

Stone Saver Plus Miachael Saville 4D Gentry Hill East Queensbury 12804

J&K Supply Janet Kochan 12 Green Mansions Road Chestertown 12817

M&N Construction Neil Dunkley Marc Kenyon Johnsburg 12843

BKS Construction Kyle Suchan 120 Bay St., Apt. 2 Glens Falls 12801

Herbal Alchemy Handcrafted Bodycare Iona Rosu 283 Canada St. Lake George 12845

ATG Professional Detailing Stephen Graves 44 Geer Street, No. 2 Glens Falls 12801

Hometown General Briana Lyons 86 Sheridan St. Glens Falls 12801

CB Electric Celia Brown 2 Queen Diana Lane Queensbury 12804

Northern Diversity Garrett Monroe 110 Mountain Road Athol 12810

TJX Photography Kristen Hedgepeth 869 Lake Ave. Lake Luzerne 12846

Bee’s Mercantile Nicole Rising 26 Harris Road Brant Lake 12815

Junk & Java Sharon Tyniec 3897 Main St. Warrensburg 12885

Griswold Plumbing and Heating Adam Griswold 379 South Johnsburg Road Warrensburg 12885

Northern Septic and Porta John Rentals Gregory Dornbusch 338 Hudson St. Johnsburg 12843

Lake Life Pottery Carrie Barber 22 Horicon Birches Road Brant Lake 12815

McKinney’s Hardwood Flooring Justin McKinney & Christopher McKinney 51 McDonald St. Glens Falls 12801

MCB Industries Michael Otruba 49 Sagamore St. Glens Falls 12801

McPhillips Custom Property Services Frederick McPhillips 17 Sierra St. Glens Falls 12801

Mediation Services Elizabeth Hogan 14 Coolidge Ave. Glens Falls 12801

Adirondack Log Luggers Pet Waste Service Byan Brannigan 38 Sanford St. Glens Falls 12801

I Know A Guy Goddard Anderson 12A Bradley St. Lake George 12845

JD Plumbing & Heating John Rathburn 156 Sunnyside Road Queensbury 12804

Jabot Antiques Cleanouts and More Tyrese Jabot & Kayla Jabot 60 Pinello Road Queensbury 12804

FKE Services Frank Eckard 399 Lake Ave. Lake Luzerne 12846

Blushing Beauty by Ashley Ashley Jameson 9 Smith St. Glens Falls 12801

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BY JILL NAGY Good financial advice from an Edward Jones Financial advisor enabled John M. Gable to retire in his 50s after a 30-year career in the information technology business.

Gable is now one of those financial advisors and, three years into his new career, he looks forward to providing the same kind of common sense investment advice to his North Country neighbors from his new office at 3755 Main St., Suite 101, in Warrensburg.

The office is housed in a 200-year-old building that was, according to Gable, previously many things including a grocery store, a pharmacy, an interior decorator’s shop and a purveyor of rustic handmade furniture.

The Edward Jones Investments office is located on the first floor of the building.

Now, after a $100,000 facelift, the building houses Warrensburg’s first financial advisor.

Although he lives in Lake George, Gable said he considers Warrensburg “kind of my home town.”

The office was located in Queensbury while the renovation work went on. In Warrensburg, “there is a lot of really good positive energy flowing through here,” he said, as well as “pockets of wealth” ready to benefit from his guidance.

He will host an open house from Oct. 18 to 27 and a ribbon cutting at 3 p.m. on Oct. 21. His neighbors include a hair salon, a barber shop, and a variety of cafes and restaurants, and an Oscar’s Smokehouse.

Gable and his wife have lived in the community for more than 30 years and raised their children there. He serves on several community boards including the Warrensburg Chamber of Commerce, the Warrensburg Historical Society and the Our Town Theater Group. He prides himself on contributing to community events, volunteering in civic organizations, and mentoring students about financial literacy.

John M. Gable joined Edward Jones Financial after a 30-year career in the IT business.

Courtesy Edward Jones Financial

As a financial advisor, he said, “I’m inspired by the fact that I can help people make a difference in their financial lives. I help my clients with preparing for a comfortable retirement, enjoying retirement, paying for education, preparing for the unexpected, and saving on taxes.”

His transition from IT guru to financial advisor required a “pretty intensive training and licensing process” over nearly six months.

He received his license in 2018. So far, he said, “things are going extremely well” and he feels that he has received an “extremely positive” reception locally.

He is the only financial advisor in his office, the usual practice of the Edward Jones company.

Trish Gardner runs the office as the branch manager.

Gable can be reached at 518 623-0046. His website is edwardjones.com/john-gable.

Commercial Real Estate Continued From Page 1

the southern part of county in Malta and Halfmoon and Clifton Park, but they are filling up as quickly as they can build them, and the rents are climbing as demand is continuing,,” he said. “And it’s not just light industrial that are looking for those types of spaces. It’s commercial kitchens in the restaurant business. We’ve been working with a lot of clients that are looking for a kitchen to do prepared meals and catering or the wholesale side.”

Wise has been selling real estate since 2004, and some of his clients who had plans to expand or open a new business put those plans on hold due to the pandemic. While several of his clients nixed their expansion plans entirely, others did not.

“I’ve seen an uptick in expansion of event driven businesses—catering kitchens, vendors that service events such

as weddings,” he said. “We did a lease with a new restaurant that opened midway through this year in Saratoga.”

Although 2020 was a difficult year for the commercial real estate business, Wise said investment activity picked up in the second half of last year and remains somewhat stable.

“It took a dip but I think we are back to where we were pre pandemic. I’m bullish on our market across all asset classes of commercial real estate. The expansion of the semi-conductor industry in Malta brings national attention, and all of the spinoff businesses that support them will continue strong for the industrial market.

The multi-family market over the next few years will remain strong, and as the population continues to grow, so will the need for service businesses.”

14 • GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • OCTOBER 2021

New Farm-To-Table Restaurant, Mint, Is On Its Way To Downtown Glens Falls

BY JILL NAGY Mint, a new farm-to-table restaurant at 80 Warren St. in Glens Falls, will be the latest addition to the vibrant downtown center.

The eatery will feature organic or sustainably farmed ingredients and crafted cocktails—“inspired plates and crafted potions,” according to owner Johanna von Geldern.

Plans to open in October have been postponed while von Geldern awaits delivery of windows. “You can’t do indoor work without windows,” she said. She is looking now at a late November or early December opening.

Von Geldern was the owner and operator of Sweet Beet Bistro in Cambridge for almost six years, but both the town and the space were too small to sustain a viable restaurant business, she said. She received good reviews and had a cadre of enthusiastic customers, many of whom traveled long distances to eat at Sweet Beet.

However, there was no space for outside dining and only eight tables inside. There was also no room for a bar and lunch business was sparse, she said. Then there were limitations imposed by the COVID pandemic.

“It was a heart-wrenching decision,” to close Sweet Beet Bistro, she said.

Mint, located in a busy commercial and residential neighborhood with foot traffic and plenty of space for outdoor dining, a bar, and room for “quiet dining,” should avoid the pitfalls of the Sweet Beet venue, von Geldern said.

The building was previously occupied

by Mailings Made Easy, a bulk mail service provider now located at the Center for Disability Services. Developer Peter Hoffman’s Glen Street Associates bought the building soon after the mail service relocated.

He is working with von Geldern on the restoration and renovation of the building.

“He’s amazing,” she said of Hoffman.

He knows construction, the restaurant business, and how to be a landlord.”

Glen Street Associates also owns 67, 74,

Construction continues on a new restaurant, Mint, on Warren Street in Glens Falls. and 79 Warren St. and has its offices in No. 67, the old post office building.

Glen Street is doing most of the outside work, Hoffman said, and von Geldern is supervising the inside work.

The bar is framed, she said, and furniture is on order. Upgrades include new electrical, plumbing, sound, and sanitizing systems and major kitchen work. And von Geldern is working on a new logo, “probably something with a knife and fork.”

Negotiations with a new chef are underway. The potential new chef is someone “on the same wavelength” and von Geldern is confident she will have the right person in the job. She is also looking for a bartender and five more employees to fill out staff.

Two Sweet Beet innovations will carry over to Mint. She said. The restaurant will offer “community memberships,” that will allow people to create a house account and then draw on it for meals at a discount.

Sweet Beet hummus and burgers, two popular items at the previous location, will be available at Mint and von Geldern plans to expand retail offerings.

The business website is mint518.com.

Adirondack Winery Continued From Page 1

Adirondack Winery president and co-owner Sasha Pardy. “This company started as a small family business, making wine in the back room of our Lake George tasting room almost 14 years ago. Now we’ve grown to the point where this new building is the only way we are going to keep up with demand.

“Beyond that, we are very excited for all the new opportunities this new building is going to provide for us. We’re going to create a facility that is unlike anything else in Warren County. We want to be a destination for craft beverage lovers from across the Northeast, and this groundbreaking is the first step toward making that happen.”

The new building will be constructed behind the winery’s current headquarters building on a two-acre lot at 395 Big Bay Road in Queensbury. About 8,500 square feet will be used for winemaking (more than twice its size now); 2,600 square feet for the new tasting room and another 2,600 square feet for a dedicated event space, Pardy said.

The project has created 12 new construction jobs already and will create an additional 13 more at the winery over the next two years.

The JAG Group LLC of Wilton designed and is building the new facility.

An estimated 3,000 square feet of usable green space will surround the new building, and the winery plans to install outdoor seating and firepits in time for summer 2022. The winery will also plant grapevines and apple trees on the property. Solar panels will be installed on the roof, generating enough power to cover the electricity usage at its Big Bay property and its Lake George tasting room.

With its winemaking operation moving

to the new building, the winery plans to remodel its existing headquarters building to expand its office space and shipping area, Pardy said.

With the new building, Adirondack Winery estimates it will increase its wine production from 17,000 cases per year (in 2020) to 50,000 cases by 2031, according to the company.

Its event space on the second floor of the new building will be used for bachelorette parties, birthday parties, private events, club member events, wine release parties, wine education classes, crafting nights and more, Pardy said.

The winery also plans to serve craft beverage products other than wine at the new Queensbury Tasting Room. They plan to exclusively serve locally made New York beer, cider, and spirits.

In addition to its Queensbury winemaking facility, Adirondack Winery has tasting rooms at 285 Canada St. in Lake George at 4971 Lake Shore Drive in Bolton Landing.

Adirondack Winery currently produces more than 35 fruit-infused and traditional varietal wines made almost entirely with New York grapes. Its wines have won over 200 medals at regional and national wine competitions, including a recent Double Gold medal win in June for its Moonlight Lemberger rosé and a Best of Class win for its Stargazer Lemberger red wine at the 2020 New York Wine Classic.

Adirondack Winery wines are available for purchase 24/7 on the Adirondack Winery website at adkwinery.com. The winery ships to 36 states, including Connecticut which it added earlier this year.

GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • OCTOBER 2021 • 15

Business Briefs

•

Cool Insuring Arena and Adirondack Thunder announced their protocols for the 2021-22 The Adirondack Thunder will not permit more than 5,000 fans inside the arena for any game.

Fully vaccinated guests are recommended to wear a facial covering. Unvaccinated guests are required to wear a facial covering at all times except when actively eating or drinking.

In the event of a COVID-positive guest is found to be at a game, the team will work with Warren County health officials to notify all attendees of such a result.

Smoking will not be permitted inside or outside the arena during the season. Re-entry will not be permitted.

Guests will not be permitted to enter or exit through the Oakland Avenue entrance nearest to Glen Street. Guests will not be permitted at any time to gather near the Adirondack Thunder locker room or any of the locker room areas.

Only authorized, credentialed personnel will be permitted inside the ECHL established “hockey operations” area for the season.

“We understand that this season will be unique and potentially challenging for our players, staff, and our fans,” said a team statement. “We pride ourselves on being a community-minded team.

Our players take pride in being close to our fans; being at community and school events, signing autographs, and being a part of our community” *

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The Adirondack Stampede Rodeo is coming to Cool Insuring Arena for the 30th year on Nov. 5 and 6 at 7:30 p.m.

With rodeo action enhanced by a professionally produced sound show, the Adirondack Stampede offers a two-hour performance with hardcore competition and a show for all ages to enjoy.

Doors open at 5:30 p.m. each night. The rodeo performance begins at 7:30 p.m. All spectators party at 10 p.m. in Heritage Hall on both Friday and Saturday nights. Party admission is $2 per person.

Ticket prices start at $20 for adults and $12 for youth and seniors. Group discounts are available by calling the box office at 518-798-0202. They are available through the SeatGeek Box Office at Cool Insuring Arena or via www.coolinsuringarena. com. *

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Glens Falls Hospital has been recognized on the Forbes list of Best-In-State Employers 2021 as one of the best places to work in New York.

This award is presented by Forbes and Statista Inc., a leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider.

America’s Best-In-State Employers 2021 were identified in an independent survey based on a vast sample of approximately 80,000 Americans working for companies with more than 500 employees in the U.S. Across 25 industry sectors, 1,329 employer brands were ranked among the top employers. Brands were able to win in more than one state.

The evaluation was based on direct and indirect recommendations from employees who were asked to rate their willingness to recommend their own employers to friends and family. Employees were also asked to evaluate other employers in their respective industry and state that stood out either positively or negatively.

Glens Falls Hospital is the only hospital in the Capital Region to achieve the award and was ranked number 12 among all hospitals in the state. *

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At the recent Serving New York Awards’ and Excellence in Broadcasting Awards luncheon in Albany, Star Radio 93.3 FM, 1160 AM (and streaming at starsaratoga.com) was honored for their dedication to serving the community through the months of the pandemic.

They were recognized for each of the following: Promotion in support of local business and the local economy during the pandemic. Star Radio created a campaign to help local businesses advertise their company’s reopening through an enterto-win $10,000 marketing campaign contest.

Informing the community of what was happen-

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ing as news of the COVID-19 outbreak emerged.

Star Radio combined with the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce and other leaders in the community for COVID-19 special broadcast. A host of local representatives went on the air to inform and answer questions from the Saratoga community about coronavirus.

Star Radio offered daily COVID-19 special reports, working with the Saratoga County Health Department. The daily reports informed listeners about the latest COVID-19 trends and infection rates. The Daily reports were voiced by Star Radio announcer Walt Adams, researched and written

by Moss Arden, produced by Star’s co-owner, Ricki Lee, and sponsored by Quick Response Restoration. *

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The Granville Community Foundation announced it has received a gift of $100,000 from Telescope Casual Furniture in celebration of the company’s 100 years in Granville.

“This foundation is the perfect way for us to be able to promote our community and to ensure that the future of Granville will be supported as well,” Telescope CEO and GCF advisory board member Kathy Juckett said.

Juckett said major donors are considered at the $50,000 and above range, which can be handled over two years and still enjoy the 50 percent match.

The GCF is a donor-advised sub fund of the Glens Falls Foundation with a seven-member Advisory board. The goal is to evaluate local needs and opportunities and to fund projects that address broad areas of community development, education, art and culture, environment, health or social needs.

The GCF is currently in the midst of a fundraising effort to raise $1 million by Dec. 31 as it prepares to begin awarding grants in 2022.

For more information, visit www.glensfallsfoundation.org/granville.

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Available Commercial & Residential Properties We’d like to promote your commercial or residential property. Call us, 581-0600.

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16 • GLENS FALLS BUSINESS JOURNAL • OCTOBER 2021

Officials Hope ‘Ice Castles’ Tourist Attraction Helps Businesses Stay Open In Winter

is approximately 1 acre in size and consists of more than 25 million pounds.

Officials said the daily process consists of growing 5,000-12,000 icicles that are harvested by hand and individually sculpted into existing ice formations. The blend of icicle placement, temperatures, water volume, and wind result in an ever changing variety of ice formations.

The company said all Ice Castles sites are located next to a natural water source so the water returns to the environment each spring to be used AoG_SBJ_5-02 x 7-87_2021_Layout 1 10/5/2021 again by wildlife, people, and plants.

“Visitors know us as an iconic summer destination, and now we invite them to experience all we have to offer in the winter months,” said Conley. “We expect this magnificent attraction’s frozen spires of light and color over the south shore of our beautiful lake, against the dramatic backdrop of the Adirondack Mountains, to dazzle spectators’ senses. It certainly will be a sight to see.”

Ticket prices will range from $16 for children on weekdays to $28 adult weekend admission.

9:44 AM Page 1 For more information, visit icecastles.com.

Autumn of Giving MATCH Campaign

Ice Castles CEO Kyle Standifird announces details of the new tourist attraction to open in Lake George this winter, as local elected officials and tourism leaders look on.

The Lake George Chamber of Commerce says the winter of 2021-22 promises to be unlike no other in the area as a new venture—Ice Castles— brings its display of sculptures, caverns, ice slides, lighting and more to Charles Wood Park’s Festival Space.

The new winter event that has drawn hundreds of thousands of visitors to numerous communities around the country, officials said, with ice displays that feature LED lights that change color.

Lake George will be its sixth location in the United States, joining sites in New Hampshire, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Utah and Colorado.

The event was formally introduced at a news conference on Oct. 5.

“We are excited to bring the magic of Ice Castles to Lake George this winter,” said Ice Castles CEO Kyle Standifird. “Our mission is to create a fun and safe outdoor experience where people can escape from the hustle of daily life for a moment and step into a frozen fairy-tale world.”

Ice Castles is scheduled to open in Festival Commons in Lake George in early January, with the opening date dependent on weather conditions, officials said. It will combine with Lake George Winter Carnival and Lake George Winterfest.

Local officials hope the new event has a major impact on extending the tourism season into thew winter, helping local businesses.

At a virtual meeting following the news conference, streamed on YouTube, Warren County Tourism Director Joanne Conley said Ice Castles

Courtesy Lake George Chamber of Commerce

“hopefully will entice people to keep their business open in the winter. This could be a game changer this year. We would like you to understand that and consider keeping your business open this year.”

Jared Henningsen, vice president for events for Ice Castles, said the company’s experience is that it is a huge draw for restaurants and hotel “We anticipate a huge influx of requests for accommodations at the local hotels,” he said.

Ice Castles is expected to draw up to 90,000 people from around the Northeast and MidAtlantic states for its ice-borne attractions.

Construction of the elaborate ice structures will start in the fall, and run into December, according to the company.

“We are thrilled to have Ice Castles choose the Lake George area to grow their event brand.

This event will complement the current activities offered around the region while enhancing the winter experience for which visitors come to the region,” said Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce & CVB Executive Director Gina Mintzer. “Lake George is a perfect fit for an event like this that incorporates our natural winter beauty while also being family friendly.”

Depending on the weather, most locations open in early January and remain open until early March.

Each castle is built by hand and takes thousands of man hours to create. The immersive structures are made entirely from ice. Each castle

Join our ninth annual campaign to help our local nonprofits, and Adirondack Trust will match all donations made in October.

Please visit ATCCF.org or our Facebook page to learn more and donate.

Ways you can help: Make a donation during the month of October at any Adirondack Trust branch or online.

Attend our Evening of Autumn Giving event on October 20th at Longfellows Hotel & Restaurant. All ticket proceeds will support the campaign and be matched!

Register at: ATCCF.org/EveningofAutumnGiving Event Sponsor

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