Glens Falls Business Journal - October 2022

Building To House Farmers’ Market Will Be Curved, With Plenty Of Room For Activities

BY R.J. DELUKE

Plans for the building at South and Elm streets in Glens Falls that will be home to the Farmers’ Market and other community events have changed over time.

So have the costs that started a few years ago at about $2.8 million and are now upward of $4 million.

But plans are moving forward toward a building that its designers say will be a unique, cherished downtown center. Devon Telberg of Envision Architects and Peter Loyola, principal of CLA Site Landscape Architecture, Engineer ing & Planning outlined the latest plan to the City Planning Board on Oct. 4.

“We tried to listen to all the stakeholders,” said Telberg. “We want this to be something unique an special for your community.”

The building is at the center of the downtown

redevelopment plan that earned a $10 million state Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant in 2016 for the land on South Street, west of the intersection with Elm Street where the former OTB building stood at 51-57 South St. Jeff Flagg, Glens Falls director of economic development, said the design has gone through different iterations since the first blueprints were developed by JMZ Architects.

He said there were three goals in getting the building designed. It had to be “as flexible as possible” to accommodate many other commu nity events in addition to the Farmers’ Market; “as sustainable as possible” and be able to meet environmental standards that have become more strict even since the city was awarded state money for its development; and a careful eye has to be kept on the budget so it is responsible use

StoredTech Wins Large Business Of Year Award; Six Others Honored At ARCC Event

Seven businesses took home awards at the Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce 2022 Business of the Year awards breakfast on Oct. 6 at Dunham’s Bay Resort, Lake George.

The annual event honors chamber mem bers who are nominated by their peers and interviewed by the Business Awards Nomina tion Committee to determine the winners.

Winners were awarded in seven categories. They were: Large Business, StoredTech; Steven M. Sutton Small Business, KIRSH Helmets; Large Nonprofit Organization, Community, Work & Independence, Inc. (CWI); Small Nonprofit Organization, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Southern Adirondacks.

Professional Business, Mannix Marketing; Rookie Business, The Eden Center of Integra tive Care; Community Champion, Amie & Juan Gonzales of Hunt Companies, Inc.

“There was a true sense of community at the ARCC Business Awards this year,” said ARCC President and CEO Tricia Rogers. “Everyone was so excited to be there, and to celebrate each other. The energy was positive, and it was amazing to see so many people come out to show their support.”

Over 36 businesses were nominated in seven categories. The winners, in their re

The ARCC held its Business of the Year awards breakfast at Dunham’s Bay Resort.

spective categories, were:

In the Large Business category, other nom inees in the category were Amsure Insurance,

Fort William Henry To Upgrade Its ‘Carriage House,’ Making Room for Larger Events

BY PAUL POST

A $3 million upgrade is slated for Fort William Henry Hotel’s oldest building, allowing the resort to host both more and larger weddings and events throughout the year.

The hotel website says Towers Hall, also known as the Carriage House, was built for use as an early 20th century automobile garage on the property’s southwest corner overlooking Lake George.

The structure is used for events such as Americade, Adirondack Nationals Car Show, Lake George Music Festival, theater productions and meetings for various groups. But increased demand for large weddings has prompted hotel officials to move forward with a project that has been under consideration for several years.

“We actually started working with (Albany-based) BBL Construction in 2015,” said Kathy Muncil, resort chief executive officer. “We had most of the plans done and then the pandemic hit. In a perfect world, we’ll start construction by the end of Oc tober and open by May 1. We’re working as hard as we can to accomplish that.

At present, the hotel’s largest wedding venue is its White Lion Room, with a ca pacity for about 150 people. The renovated Towers Hall would hold about 400 guests, Muncil said.

Fort William Henry has never hosted more than 50 weddings per year. It’s hoped that Towers Hall upgrades will allow more than 60 each year, she said.

“Lots and lots of weddings would like to

Special Olympics New York Returns To Glens Falls On October 21 and 22

Special Olympics New York will hold the 2022 State Fall Games in and around Glens Falls on Oct. 21 and 22.

Organizers said the games will bring 1,300 athletes and coaches to the Capital Region— nearly three times as many participants as last year’s event.

The games will kick off with a signature Spe cial Olympics New York Opening Ceremony on Friday night, Oct. 21, in City Park. Competition will take place all day Saturday, Oct. 22, in seven sports: bocce, cross-country running, cycling, golf, equestrian, soccer and softball.

Special Olympics New York President and CEO Stacey Hengsterman and Glens Fall Mayor Bill Collins last month put out a call for volunteers to support the games. The jobs include event setup and breakdown, registra tion, scorekeepers, timers, photographers, golf caddies, and more. No experience is necessary.

Volunteer registration can be completed online at www.specialolympics-ny.org/compe tition/volunteeratfallgames.

“State Games is the competition that our athletes prepare for all year,” said Hengster man. “We are so grateful to the Glens Fall community for welcoming us back as we celebrate the achievements of our athletes and

Special Olympics New York will bring 1,300 athletes and coaches to the Capital Region.

the unwavering support of people with intel lectual disabilities that Glens Falls exemplifies so well.”

Towers Hall, also known as the Carriage House, is Fort William Henry Hotel’s oldest building and is slated for a major renovation to start later this year.

This is a rendering of the building at South and Elm streets in Glens Falls that will be the new home for the Farmers’ market, and a hub for other activities.

Envision Architects

Peter Menzies Is New Chairman Of Board For The Lake George Association

The Board of Directors of the Lake George Association (LGA) has elected Pete Menzies as chairman.

Menzies, who chaired the LGA prior to its 2021 merger with The FUND for Lake George, succeeds Jeff Killeen as chairman. Killeen, who previously chaired The FUND and served as transitional chairman during the first 20 months following the merger, was elected vice chairman.

Menzies will work with LGA President Eric Siy and staff to execute the organization’s multifaceted Lake-protection strategy, which includes providing technical and financial assistance to property owners for lake-protection projects; world-class water quality research and direct protection programs through The Jefferson Project, the Lake George Waterkeeper, and an array of public-private partnerships; public education programs; and public policy advocacy, all with the goal of protecting the lake’s water quality today and for the future.

Of particular importance to the strategy at this time are the LGA’s Lake Protector Program, which educates, inspires and empowers property owners across the Lake George watershed to take direct actions on their properties to protect water quality; and the Education for Boating classroom and other programs to educate area school children, property owners, and other members of the public about water quality protection.

Killeen will focus on working with LGA donors and partners to build and sustain the philanthropic support necessary to ensure maximum programmatic success.

“I have been involved with the LGA as a volunteer, board member, and former chair for the past 30 years and am immensely proud to be part of such an extraordinary organization,”

Menzies said. “We have an incredible team of Lake Protectors on our Board, our staff, and throughout the region who are committed to working together for the sustainable protection of Lake George.”

Menzies and his wife, Gretchen, spend summers at their home on Northwest Bay. They are the owners of the Katonah Reading Room, a bookstore and café in Katonah in Westchester County. Prior to opening the Reading Room, Menzies worked for many years as a producer and director of television programming for MTV and other national cable networks.

To sign up to become an LGA Lake Protector, or for more information on any LGA program or service, visit www.lakegeorgeassociation.org.

Hilton Family Farmstand Moves Its Store From A Tent To A Building And Website

BY ANDREA HARWOOD

Jen Bliss, co-owner of Hilton Family Farmstand in Brant Lake, has expanded her operations, adding a building and an ecommerce website to the enterprise.

Bliss’ father started the farmstand over 25 years ago as a small family project intended to provide summer work for an old friend. He set up a six-foot table and a tent, and put some melons and corn from Schuylerville Farms alongside some of the Hilton family pickles. It grew from there.

“It’s evolved from one little tent to a bigger tent, to a refrigerator, to now two full stores,” said Bliss. “There are people who still come by here who remember buying our pickles out of the little cooler on the side of the road. Now we have a full-sized store.”

In the past, the farmstand sold mostly produce. Bliss’ father sold only local Upstate New York produce, meeting with the farmers in Menands and partnering with Hand Melon Farm in Schuylervillle.

Jen Bliss now runs and co-owns the company alongside her mother, Cindy Hilton.

In 2015, the first store was built, replacing the tent. It is roughly 12x20 feet. An additional building of about the same size was reconfigured to hold things such as T-shirts, knickknacks and gifts. That building is called the Shirt Shed.

“We carry things from the six local lakes – Brant Lake, Friends Lake, Schroon Lake, Loon Lake, Paradox Lake and Eagle Lake,” said Bliss. Items are 100 percent locally made, from people and businesses that Bliss knows personally.

Last year, the Farmstand started selling products from Oscar’s Smokehouse in Warrensburg.

Bliss recently worked with Bailiwick Marketing to develop an ecommerce website to market the

store’s year-round items. The website is www. HiltonFamilyFarmstand.com.

“We’re really focusing on the six local lakes and all of our items related to those lakes,” she said.

“We’ve also partnered with some artisans in the area who do custom woodworking, again with an emphasis on the six lakes. We want people to have a place to get a gift when they’re away from the area.”

The Hilton Family Farmstand pickles can be found locally in what Bliss calls “mom and pop stores.” They can be found as far north as Blue Mountain Lake and as far south as Saratoga Springs. For most of the vendors who carry her pickles, Bliss carries their products in her store. All stores carrying the pickles are locally owned and operated.

“The pickles all started with my mom’s great uncle’s recipe,” said Bliss. “The family was raised up here in Brant Lake. We tailored it through the years. We hand-cut each pickle and hand-make each jar, all in our little 8x10 stuffy kitchen. We did over 5,000 jars last year. People buy cases of pickles to take with them. I’ve had people drive up from New Jersey to buy multiple cases to take back to their family.”

“We make everything ourselves, so we want to make sure everything is delivered properly and stored properly,” she said.

When Bliss’ father passed away, she quit her corporate job to take run the company with her mother. She runs the operations and business development, working with vendors, delivering product, making pickles, running the farmer’s market and running the ecommerce store.

“When you own your own business, you do it all,” said Bliss.

Hilton Family Farmstand is located at 7915 Route 8 in Brant Lake. The phone number is 518-796-9589.

The Hilton Family Farmstand in Brant Lake, sells jars of pickles, coffee, gifts and other locally sourced items from a roadside store and online.

Pete Menzies is the chairman of the Lake George Association.

Courtesy Lake George Association

New Laboratory Services Facility Opens At West Mountain Family Health, Queensbury

SUNY ADK ‘Electrical Maintenance Technician Bootcamp’ Offers Hands-On Learning

SUNY Adirondack has added an Electrical Maintenance Technician Bootcamp to its Workforce Development course offerings.

The course includes a tool kit for each student, as well as OSHA’s Lockout Tagout (LOTO) certification training and examination.

“This is a great opportunity for interested individuals to receive hands-on training in a field that is in immediate need of skilled applicants,” said Caelynn Prylo, dean of continuing education and workforce innovation at SUNY Adirondack.

Career services are embedded in the course and include presentations by area job centers and recruitment opportunities with local employers.

With its new bootcamp, SUNY Adirondack “has taken a strong step in helping to fill a need for this skill set in the Capital Region, and in preparing students for careers in advanced manufacturing,” said Jordan Steller, senior director of human resources at GlobalFoundries.

individuals improve their lives and developing a skilled workforce to meet the needs of regional employers,” Prylo said.

The bootcamp is offered in person at SUNY Adirondack’s Saratoga Center and teaches participants a strong foundation in basic math applications and conversions, measurement and scientific notation skills, an introduction to AC and DC currents, safety protocol, including PPE and LOTO certification, an introduction to PLC equipment and relay communications, hand tool use, and use of continuous improvement models used in modern manufacturing environments including Lean and Six Sigma.

The course is held from 6-9 p.m. Tuesday and Thursdays through Dec. 12 at SUNY Adirondack Saratoga, 696 Route 9 in Wilton.

In Python for Data Analytics, the interactive program is offered virtually and teaches students fundamental programming concepts using Python as a tool for collecting, analyzing and visualizing data. The class meets online twice a week in three-hour sessions.

Hudson Headwaters Health Network and Glens Falls Hospital have opened a new laboratory services facility at West Mountain Family Health.

The renovated lab officially opened in September at 161 Carey Road in Queensbury.

Glens Falls Hospital operates three phlebotomy draw stations at the site, designed to provide efficient service for patients. The new, expanded lab’s hours are Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.

According to Hudson Headwaters’ CEO Dr. Tucker Slingerland, the leadership team at Hudson Headwaters has developed partnerships with many health care organizations throughout the region to collaborate and develop creative ways to provide health care.

“We consistently explore strategies to increase access and improve patient experiences. Our partnership with Glens Falls Hospital allows for increased hours of lab services, which results in greater convenience for our community members,” said Slingerland. “We are grateful for the opportunity to plan and complete this service with Glens Falls Hospital.”

The Glens Falls Hospital laboratory allows patients to have samples taken for testing in support of both primary care services and specialty care. Testing can be ordered by a patient’s primary care provider or a specialty physician and any patient with a valid provider order can access these services at West Mountain Family Health.

Patients do not need to be patients of Hudson Headwaters to receive lab testing.

According to hospital CEO Paul Scimeca, the organizations have experienced positive

outcomes after developing laboratory services at Hudson Headwaters’ Moreau Family Health and Women’s Health in Glens Falls.

“Glens Falls Hospital and Hudson Headwaters share a commitment to providing quality health care to the communities throughout this region,” he said. “The partnership at West Mountain Family Health improves access to both primary care and lab services for local residents and their families, while making it even easier to access additional testing. We look forward to continuing to partner with Hudson Headwaters to support the needs of our community.”

Hudson Headwaters is a nonprofit network of 21 community-based primary care health centers, plus a traveling mobile health center, caring for more than 115,000 patients from Saratoga County to the Canadian border, an area of roughly 7,200 square miles.

The network’s comprehensive services include primary care, urgent care, pediatrics, women’s health, behavioral health, dentistry and other specialties along with laboratory and imaging services. Learn more at hhhn.org.

Glens Falls Hospital, a member of the Albany Med Health System, maintains a service area that spans 6,000 square miles across five counties. Founded in 1897, It operates an advanced health care delivery system featuring 20 regional facilities.

The main hospital campus is home to the C.R. Wood Cancer Center, the Joyce Stock Snuggery birthing center, the Breast Center and a chronic wound healing center. It has over 2,300 employees and a medical staff of over 550 providers. For more information visit www.GlensFallsHospital.org

The Electrical Maintenance Technician Bootcamp is one of three 12-week courses offered by SUNY Adirondack’s WRAP Reimagine grant, under the SUNY Reimagine Workforce Preparation Training Program, fully funded by the U.S. Department of Education.

For no cost, qualified applicants can participate in workforce training programs in electrical maintenance, sterile processing or python for data analytics. Interested individuals must be at least 18 years old and have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. These courses are geared toward people seeking occupational skills for a career in the high-demand industries of manufacturing, information technology and health care, officials said.

SUNY Adirondack offered WRAP Reimagine-funded courses in 2022, in health care and information technology-related fields.

“Seeing participants successfully work toward their professional goals through the WRAP grant is exciting. The college is helping

Terri Squire of Monroe County was among participants in the first Python for Data Analytics program.

“Learning to code by yourself can be daunting,” Squire said. “WRAP helped me get over that hurdle. The program was really well done.”

In the Sterile Processing Technician course, Adirondack partners with Saratoga Hospital to offer free grant-funded training. The program, using content from Condensed Curriculum International (CCI), is offered at SUNY Adirondack Saratoga and Saratoga Hospital, and teaches participants hands-on aspects of processing equipment to ensure safe medical care. The class meets twice a week in three-and-a-half-hour sessions. Nearly every student in the last cohort secured new employment at the end of the course.

To learn more about WRAP Reimagine Grant, visit www.sunyacc.edu/great-futureshigh-demand-careers-start-here. For information on the training programs, visit form. jotform.com/220183711247146.

Hudson Headwaters Health Network and Glens Falls Hospital opened a new laboratory services facility at West Mountain Family Health, pictured here.

Courtesy West Mountain Family Health

Chuck Ciaccia

Jude Gosh

Dave Weiss

Spencer Agan

Dennis Choiniere

Rights to editorial content and

Advokate Communications And Marketing Group Moves Its Offices To Glen Street

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Advokate LLC, a design, communications and marketing fi rm, has relocated to 333 Glen St. in Monument Square from 16C Exchange St. in Glens Falls.

A ribbon-cutting and open house at Advokate’s was held Sept. 28 for the occasion, co-hosted by the Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce.

“We had been remote for two years and it felt like time to scale the office down, but then we found the perfect suite in the Traveler’s Building,” said Kate E. Austin, founder and CEO of Advokate.

“The new office space is accessible by elevator, includes conference room availability, two private offices, and feels like a level-up to us,” she said. “With the size of our team now, it was time to structure the company for growth.

And we realized that once we felt safer meeting in-person that we really preferred it over Zoom.”

Advokate, offers logo design, branding, graphic design, social media, marketing, web design, photography, videography, copywriting, messaging, publicity and PR, and custom illustration.

The company was named Independent Business of the Year in 2013 by the Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce and has been nominated for the award three different times.

Founded in October 2010 by art activist Austin, Advokate is a woman-owned, certified Minority/Women-owned Business Enterprise (MWBE) business operating out of downtown Glens Falls.

The company can be reached at 518-3098616. Its website is www.advokate.net.

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Kate Austin, seated, owner and CEO of Advokate, in the company’s new office with Cam Cardinale the company’s marketing and communications director.

New Owners Of ‘Pure ‘N Simple’ Store Continue To Sell Locally Produced Products

BY CHRISTINE GRAF

Husband and wife Andrew and Kristen Holt are the new owners of the Glens Falls health food store Pure ‘n Simple.

The couple purchased the business from longtime owners Paul and Bonnie Savard. It is located at 4 East Washington Street.

Pure ‘n Simple sells a broad range of vitamin and mineral supplements as well as bulk foods including nuts, fruits, grains, and flours. They also offer an assortment of other grocery items, many of which are vegan, dairy free, and gluten free. Although the store does not currently sell produce or meat, the new owners hope to carry these products in the future.

Kristen is a native of Upstate New York, and the couple moved to the Glens Falls area seven years ago after spending the first four years of their married life living Kenya, Africa.

While in Kenya, Andrew worked as the country director for an NGO (non-governmental organization) that operated schools, orphanages, and medical clinics.

After moving to New York, he was the pastor of a church in Saratoga Springs for several years. He now works full-time for the U.S. Postal Service. Kristen was a stay-at-home mom to their four children before they bought Pure ‘n Simple. She is now the store’s only employee.

The Holt family has always favored all-natural health care remedies. Andrew said that it was during the pandemic they discussed opening their own health food store.

“We were looking at what was going on with economy and supply chain disruptions and increases in fuel costs. We wanted to open a health food store as a place for local farms to be able to sell their produce and beef.”

Two days later, Kristen was shopping at Pure ‘n Simple and a “for sale” sign in the window. She approached the owners and was told that there was another couple in negotiations to purchase the business. Two months later, when she returned to the store, the sign was still in the window.

“She talked to the them again and they said the sale had fallen through and that they were going to be closing at the end of the month. That was at the beginning of May, and we took over on June 6th. It happened very fast,” said Andrew.

Among the stores’ locally produced products are local milk, yogurts, cheese, hot sauce, honey, nut butters, and granola. Pure ‘n Simple also sells locallymade herbal products and essential oils.

“We have a lot of local products, and our goal is to get even more. We would like to get back to how things used to be where local farms and local producers provided the needs for the local city. I think that’s the greatest insulation protection from supply chain crises, rising fuel costs, and inflation. The more local we can keep it, the more we can keep our communities insulated from what’s going on elsewhere,” said Andrew.

Pure ‘n Simple is open Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. They are closed on Sunday and Monday.

Albany Med To Rebrand Hospitals In Its System, Including Saratoga And Glens Falls

The Albany Med Health System is embarking on an evolution of its brand to reflect the unity of its member organizations and its commitment to provide the widest range of medical and surgical services to patients across northeastern New York.

Albany Medical Center, Columbia Memorial Health, Glens Falls Hospital, Saratoga Hospital, and the Visiting Nurses will now share a common visual identity anchored by the Albany Med Health System name and logo.

Th is representation draws upon the identity of Albany Medical Center as the region’s academic medical and tertiary care center. It also conveys the collaborative extension of adult and pediatric specialties from the hospital to community-based locations and to the home.

“Our people are the backbone of our brand,” said Albany Med Health System President and CEO Dr. Dennis P. McKenna. “We are one team, 16,000 professionals strong, standing ready to care for the three million people of our region. When patients see the Albany Med Health System brand, they can rest assured they have a direct connection to the most advanced quality services and the largest team of health care experts from the Mid-Hudson Valley to the North Country. We are partners along every step of the journey—because good health makes anything possible.”

“Being part of the Albany Med Health System means much more than just five institutions sharing a common look,” said Paul Scimeca, president and CEO of Glens Falls Hospital. “It is more important now than ever to show the region we are working together toward a common goal of providing everyone with high quality healthcare—and to showcase the great careers our friends and neighbors can have at all of these excellent institutions.”

Officials said consumers are increasingly seeking easy access to highly specialized care. The Albany Med Health System expands

access through collaboration. One brand identity explains the strength and scope of the system from primary to urgent, hospital, surgical, postsurgical, and home care. It demonstrates the links between community hospitals and Albany Medical Center’s advanced services, which extend additional resources through the region and for patients who require a higher level of care.

The system includes four hospitals, 1,520 beds, nearly 100 specialties, 800 physicians, 125 locations, the region’s only children’s hospital, the Albany Med Health System Visiting Nurses, Albany Medical College and a biomedical research enterprise.

A public awareness campaign was launched with the tagline With You for Everything, that officials said is emblematic of the moments in life the system workforce shares with patients and students and the limitless potential personal health promises.

Hospital names will remain the same and will be shown alongside the Albany Med Health System name and logo. Outdoor signs will begin to transition in 2023.

With a shared identity, hospitals will reinforce their connection through a unified electronic medical record. The implementation of Epic, the electronic medical record that will be used across the Albany Med Health System, will have far-reaching impacts that will lead to better experiences for patients.

The platform allows for a patient’s whole health story—with accuracy and security as the leading priorities—to be accessible by any clinician they see within the system. It also redoubles a commitment to patient-centered care.

According to officials, one electronic medical record will also lead to a singular online portal for patients of Albany Med Health System hospitals. Both are expected to go live in 2024.

The patient portal will be accessible through a new Albany Med Health System website.

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Andrew and Kristen Holt, new owners of the Glens Falls health food store Pure ‘n Simple, pose in the East Washington Street business with their children.

Sally Strasser’s Love Of Music Leads To Design Of Fibhorn High-End Audio Speakers

BY CHRISTINE GRAF

Local artist Sally Strasser has a collection of over 10,000 LP vinyl records and enjoys listening to music so much that she designed her own speakers.

“I believe my speaker design is unique on the planet,” said Strasser. “It employs the Fibonacci number sequence in the internal configuration of the cabinet. Every single musical tone on planet earth falls on the Fibonacci number sequence. Because of that, I thought it made sense to design speaker so that it favored and emphasized and perfectly reproduced all of those numbers when you translated them into the sequences of musical tones. And it works.”

The Fibonacci number sequence is a series of numbers in which each number is the sum of the two that proceed it.

When designing the speakers, Strasser, made certain that “everything inside of the cabinet is designed to fall on that sequence—the area, height, width, length. It truly makes a difference,” she said.

Strasser designs and builds all of her speaker cabinets herself. She developed a love for woodworking while in shop class at Lake George High School.

The interior of the cabinet contains a single driver that vibrates in order to generate the sound.

“The driver is a diaphragm moving in and out. When it moves out, it presses air toward us. When it moves back, it draws air away. But it also generates a back wave, and that’s what goes through the cabinet that I’ve designed with such intricacy,” said Strasser.

Her Fibhorn speakers were inspired by the 1925 Victor Orthophonic Victrola. Although the Victrola was not electric, it was designed on the same principle that Strasser uses when making her speakers.

“I bought one of those machines, and the sound of it was so incredibly real and wonderful that I decided to conjoin that early 1925 design with a modern electronic driver. That was my innovation,” she said. “To my knowledge, I’m the only person who has done that.”

When she built her fi rst prototype and tested it out herself, she said the sound quality was so superb “I stayed up until dawn. I couldn’t turn it off. It was so realistic and so wonderful.”

In 2014, Strasser had her Fibhorn speakers evaluated by a listening panel comprised of skilled musicians. The musicians were asked to compare her speakers to a top-of-the-line speaker made by a well-known manufacturer.

“They all preferred my speaker by a huge margin,” she said.

Strasser holds a graduate degree in music

Stace’s Place Opens In Warrensburg, Owner Of Restaurant Wants To Give To Community

BY SUSAN ELISE CAMPBELL

A series of fortunate and unfortunate events culminated in an opportunity for Warrensburg native Stacey Webster to open the lunch and dinner restaurant she has always wanted to operate.

According to Webster, the newly opened Stace’s Place on 3897 Main St. is her way to give back to her community while honoring her family.

“My husband and I were always on the go to flea markets, camping and fishing as a family,” said Webster. “For 20 years there was no time nor opportunity to begin a business.”

Webster’s husband passed away in 2020. She said she took a full year to “get situated and then started to do something totally different. My mother and grandparents instilled in me that whatever I do, I should enjoy it and give back to the community,” she said. “My family goes back many generations in Warrensburg.”

“They would tell me to feed the customers with love and make sure the food is good,” said Webster.

Webster knew she did not want to buy real estate. As she started researching concepts and locations for her restaurant, she was talking to a friend whose uncle owned a building on Main Street. She contacted him and soon became the new tenant.

Then she came up with an idea: meal seals.

“A meal deal is an entrée, side and drink, all for $6.50 plus tax,” she said. “My prices are lower because this community was wonderful to me when my husband passed away. With the meal deal, you know what you’re getting and there’s always more,” she said. “It helps the local economy

because there is something for everyone.”

“It’s not extravagant, but parents can bring their families and feel they have treated their kids to a good meal,” she said.

She said seniors can sit and visit in “homey comfort among the changing fall colors,” watch people passing by on “a very charming Main Street,” and have a meal or treat with their grandchildren.

Webster offers dishes like the MacDaddy, a hamburger between two deep fried macaroni and cheese patties instead of buns. Another popular item is foot-long hotdog topped with either Michigan meat sauce or wrapped in bacon.

She offers vegan and gluten-free items and off-the-menu specials like tomato tarragon stuffed peppers, chicken and biscuits, and ham with bean soup.

“Everything is made from scratch, like my grandmother used to do every day,” said Webster.

Webster prepares her own soups, rolls and pastries.

Webster has four or five people working in the restaurant at any time, including her daughter and granddaughters.

“I went into this for the enjoyment of it and for the community,” Webster said.“My Mom always said, if you do something do it right, not half-way.”

Stace’s Place is open six days a week including Mondays and Tuesdays, when many eateries are closed. From now through the end of November she is also getting an early start to have breakfast sandwiches ready “for the hunters to grab and go,” she said.

Sally Strasser enjoys listening to music so much that she designed her own speakers, which she sells at The Listening Place, 153 Maple St. in Glens Falls.

Stacey Webster is the owner of Stace’s Place on 3897 Main St. in Warrensburg, which she runs as a place where family and senior citizens can be comfortable while they dine.

Rachel McDermott Builds Strong Craft Brewery Business On Her Farm In Moreau

BY PAUL POST

While many people were at the beach or enjoying backyard barbecues, Rachel McDermott spent Fourth of July weekend harvesting barley for her new craft brewery.

Ninety percent of Dancing Grain Brewery’s ingredients are raised in fields surrounding the farm-based business, located at 180 Old West Road in Moreau, just south of Northway Exit 17.

“This is all hand-selected intentionally to give you something you can’t get somewhere else, from people who have painstakingly suffered all the trials and tribulations to make it possible,” McDermott said. “I want to grow really good crops. I want to share that story with people who come here to enjoy good beer. This is the first brewery I know of where a grain farm is taking on this production aspect of beer.”

Raised in Schaghticoke on her family’s West Wind Ag farm, McDermott studied applied economics and management at Cornell University en route to an exciting investment banker’s career with firms in Houston and New York City.

But upon turning 30, she took inventory of her life’s goals and gave it all up to come back home and help out on the farm.

Quite simply, the long hours, stress and city’s expensive cost of living weren’t worth it.

In 2017, McDermott started a small specialty grains program at her family’s farm. Two years later, she and her family started taking steps toward creating their own farm brewery.

“I’m always looking at things to see how can you take what you do and make more money from it,” McDermott said. “We had tractors, planters, harvesters. I said, ‘Let’s take all the stuff you’ve invested in over the years and make it work for you’.”

Her vision came to fruition in mid-August when Dancing Grain Brewery began welcoming its first customers. In the evening, patrons sit outside and relax, looking westward as the sun dips out of sight over the picturesque Palmertown Range.

Initially, plans called for a 10-barrel brewing system, but it quickly became apparent it would take up too much space and limit the variety of beers that could be made.

“So we have a 3.5-barrel brew system and eight fermenters instead of four, which means we can really pump out a variety of beer,” McDermott said. “A lot of what we do is somewhat experimental. We want to push the boundaries, we want people to think of beer less as an IPA and more about the malt. The fact of the matter is, you can make beer without hops. You cannot make beer without malt. So we want to have more of a maltforward brewery because we want to highlight the ingredients we grow.”

Malt-forward means that malted grains are the leading flavor contributor, as opposed to hops or yeast. With a malty beer, people can expect a range of malt-derived flavors, everything from bread, biscuit and toast to nutty toffee, caramel, coffee or chocolate.

At present, grains raised on-site are sent to a malt house, but McDermott would eventually like to make this part of the operation, too.

“I never worked in a bar, but now I’m running a taproom,” she said. “We’re going to do some lagers, some Belgian-styles and porters. Another

goal is to do two fruited sours a month. Instead of having a list of 10 IPAs, we’re going to keep rolling out these different fruited sours.”

James Dowell is the head brewer.

McDermott owns Dancing Grain with minority partners Bert and Christian Weber, a father-andson duo whose Common Roots Brewery in South Glens Falls has grown over the past few years. The Webers have been willing to share their experience and advice to help McDermott avoid costly and time-consuming mistakes.

Instead of viewing Dancing Grain Brewery as a competitor, they see it as providing critical mass that helps their business by attracting visitors to a “beer corridor” connecting numerous small breweries from Saratoga Springs to Lake George.

Spurred in part by state legislation that makes it easier to own and operate such businesses, the industry has boomed throughout New York in recent years.

Empire State Development says New York is now number two in the country for most breweries, more than 460, and that beer made in New York has a $5.4 billion total economic impact.

McDermott said she’s spent much of her investment banking career savings, about $500,000, to get Dancing Grain Brewery started.

Commuting from Schaghticoke took too much time each day, so McDermott and her husband, Sean, bought a camper and moved to the Moreau property with her son in order to get work done.

And early this year, a friend and fellow Cornell alum, Amy Del Prado, provided help by letting the world know about Dancing Grain Brewery on social media. So when doors first opened, McDermott was overwhelmed by the response.

“We weren’t initially prepared for the turnout,” she said. “It was like, ‘Oh my god, this is great, now I’m terrified. How do I manage this?’ There was a lot of pivoting and changing taking place.”

All Dancing Grain beer is sold on tap at the brewery.

“We don’t distribute our beer at this point, I don’t know if we ever will,” McDermott said. “It’s really important that people come here because every dollar spent here goes back into this place. We have more to do. There are still some old structures on site and landscaping that can be done.”

West Wind Ag LLC owns the land Dancing Grain Brewery is situated on and her father and uncle, James and Bob Czub, do much of the physical farm work.

One surprising aspect that greets visitors, not found at most craft breweries, is the sound of children playing outside in the peaceful farming setting. “Younger parents in particular want to let kids run around in a safe place,” McDermott said. “At a restaurant, they might spend money on things kids don’t want to eat. We don’t serve food, but we let people bring food in. If you let people experience things the way they want to, they’re likely to stay. They’re likely to come back. But if you bring it in, you take it out. We’re not handling your trash.”

By next summer, McDermott hopes to make paths available through plots of grain where people can learn about malting barley, wheat, oats and rye. “It becomes informative and immersive, which is important, connecting to your supply chain. A lot goes into making beer, from fields to the glass. That’s what we want people to see. It’s really important to us.”

Saratoga Scrubs Store Has Medical Apparel And Accessories For Those In The Field

BY ANDREA HARWOOD

Brooke McBride, a nurse practitioner moved to the area with her family from Vermont about a year ago. Upon arrival, she went to look for scrubs, a standard medical wear, for her new job.

“I did a quick Google search and discovered there was nothing anywhere around me closer of a 30-minute drive away,” said McBride. “I told my husband, ‘We should just open our own’. And so we just went for it.”

She opened The Scrub Shop, a medical apparel and accessory store at 462 Maple Ave. in Saratoga Springs on Aug. 19. She said business has been very good.

McBride positioned her retail space on Maple Avenue close to Saratoga Hospital, in an area with over 20 different medical offices. She started a grassroots marketing campaign.

“I went to every office in the area that would let me through the doors and I passed out marketing materials,” she said. “We got a lot of customers that

way. From there, our customer base grew from word-of-mouth and a strong social media presence.”

McBride works full-time in primary care as a nurse practitioner. Her husband and staff run the store when she is at work. This is McBride’s first business, though her husband has a degree in business.

“I’ve learned a ton,” she said. “The hardest part was getting the store ready to open. Now that it’s open, it’s not that difficult to day-to-day things. But there were months and months of preparation.”

The Saratoga Scrub Shop also carries shoes, medical equipment and medical accessories. “Anything a healthcare worker might need during they’re shift, we’ve got it,” said McBride. There are also gift items like jewelry, mugs and stickers.

The store is open Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday noon to 6 p.m.

The Saratoga Scrub Shop can be found on Facebook and on Instagram at @saratogascrubshop. The store can be reached at 518-450-1177.

Rachel McDermott poses in front of her craft brewery at Dancing Grain Farm in Moreau. She harvests the products she needs on her farm.

Paul Post photo

Brooke McBride, right, owner of the Saratoga Scrub Shop, and Chloe Koons, a sales associate, displays some of the apparel that can be purchased at her store.

Shalini Natesan, Esq.

C R E A T I N G V A L U E W I T H C R E A T I V E S O L U T I O N S

Partner & Lead Real Estate Attorney

Commercial / Residential Real Estate

Foothills Builders Will Start Construction Of A 24-Unit Apartment Complex This Year

BY SUSAN ELISE CAMPBELL

Foothills Builders will begin construction of a 24-unit apartment complex with retail space near Northway Exit 18 in Queensbury this fall .

“We are finishing up our construction drawings now and hope to frame up the building before winter,” said Joe Leuci, who has operated the company with his father, Joe Leuci Sr., for the past 10 years. “This project at 80 Main St. is a new challenge for us.”

The Leucis purchased the land in December 2021 with the intention of developing it for mixed use, he said.

Foothills Builders is primarily a residential construc tion company and has built 100 homes in the area and has developed and managed some smaller commercial projects.

“The corridor is being developed for that type of construction because it connects the highway with downtown Queensbury,” said Leuci.

He said properties must be developed for mixed use if they are within a certain distance from Main Street.

“The commercial space follows Main Street zoning regulations,” said Leuci. “We will be able to subdivide to do more local shops to suit the tenants. Based on preliminary discussions with potential businesses, the space will fill up quickly,” he added.

The company is not ready to announce any lease agreements at this time.

Plans call for 20 one-bedroom units and four twobedroom units, all higher end and with upscale kitchen finishes, according to Leuci. The two-bedroom units of fer a full balcony while the others have a juliette balcony that consists of a handrail in front of a sliding door.

The units will be marketed by Leuci’s wife and sister, Jill and Maria Leuci, respectively, who are real estate agents with Coldwell Banker Prime Properties.

“The family is excited to get started on the building,” said Leuci.

Until there is a formal name for the complex, inter nally the Leucis are referring to it as 80 Main.

“This is the anchor building for the Exit 18 corridor as the town has envisioned it,” Leuci said. “We are hop ing the process goes smoothly.”

The company is also pursuing plans to build 77 townhouses on Ridge Road in Queensbury. The property was the former home of Mead’s Nursery and Garden Center. The garden center closed in 2019 after 70 years in business. Foothills Builders plans to build 18 four-unit buildings and one five-unit building on the land.

Visit Foothill Builders, LLC of Queensbury at foot hillsbuildersny.com.

Glens Falls Planning Board Approval Allows Development On South Street To Proceed

BY R.J. DELUKE

The Glens Falls Planning Board approved the architectural site plan for the $30 million overhaul of South Street.

The board’s action took place Oct. 4.

The plan being carried out by SpringCity Development Group, a subsidiary of Bonacio Construction in Saratoga Springs, calls for renovating three vacant buildings while adding a five-story apartment complex.

It is all part of a major, long-envisioned rehabilitation of that part of downtown. The city received a $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant from the state in 2016 to push the project along.

Larry Novik, business development direc tor for Bonacio Construction and SpringCity, said the first phase will take about 12 months. The company is working with Glens Falls Farmers’ Market Association to make sure market vendors are not disturbed in either the summer of 2023 or 2024 by the construc tion.

Approximately 90 apartments will be built, something economic development officials fee is vital to the area. Also, nearly

14,000 square feet of commercial space at the corner of South and Elm streets will be built.

At the Planning Board session, Jim Siplon, president of EDC Warren County, spoke about the need for more residential housing units in the city and surrounding area.

“Somebody needs to stand up the way Ed would have,” he told the board, referring to the late Ed Bartholomew, longtime president of EDC Warren County who was instrumen tal in developing the revitalization concept and getting state funding for the project.

“This is not just of interest to our residents here. It’s a fundamental part of the economic future of northern New York,” he said. “I feel like sometimes we get lost in the minutia of what we have to deal with. I wanted to remind you just how important it is.

“It’s important emotionally because it sig nals what I consider to be the culmination of the swing around for not only for Glens Falls but the entire region. It’s important because it is a visual signal to the community that we’re committed to a brighter, sustainable future that is a better version than even what

This is a rendering of the 24-unit apartment complex Foothills Builders is planning to build near Northway Exit 18 in Queensbury. The project includes some retail space.

Courtesy Foothills Builders

This is a rendering of the Elm Street and South Street area being redeveloped by SpringCity Development Group. It will include much-needed apartment units.

Courtesy SpringCity Development

Area Housing Market On Strong Footing

BY STEVEN LUTTMAN

Former Speaker of the House Tip O’Neil made famous the phrase “All politics is local”. The meaning being that while problems exist on a national level, at the end of the day voters care most about issues close to home.

I would make the argument that real estate, much like politics, is predominantly a local matter. Do country-wide trends matter? Certainly yes. Monitoring data like the monthly Case-Shiller Home Price Index will provide good insight into the overall health of housing.

Does it accurately reflect what’s currently happening in your neighborhood? Oftentimes not at all. Predicting the future of local housing markets can be more art than science. If you don’t believe me, ask Zillow.

The real estate platform lost hundreds of millions of dollars last year due to its iBuyer algorithm overpricing offers made to sellers. As of the writing of this article, publicly traded shares of Zillow Group (ZG) were down 52 percent year to date, vastly underperforming the S&P 500 (SPY) as a whole by roughly half over the same period. Computers are great, but boots on the ground still count for something.

What we do know is that taking a long-term viewpoint, the Capital Region housing market is on sound footing. Our two largest employers (healthcare and local / state government) represent sectors unlikely to see a contraction in staffing, regardless of external economic events. While negative net migration in the state is concerning, this is overwhelmingly a downstate problem.

Census data points to our area as experiencing minimal change, with some outliers like Saratoga County actually growing in population. Recently announced expansions at Global Foundries in Malta, Plug Power in Bethlehem and an offshore wind tower factory at the Port of Albany should all help the cause.

In April, mortgage rates had eclipsed 4.5 percent for the first time since the fourth quarter of 2018. I made the argument that borrowing costs remained very attractive despite the fast runup we had seen. Interestingly, the elevation of rates from the start of the year to the date of that article is very similar in size compared to what we’ve seen since. Lenders are now advertising 30 year fixed rate loans north of 6 percent.

By this point we are all familiar with the Federal Reserve’s efforts to cool inflation by increasing interest rates. Whether or not this policy is already working can be difficult to discern, as many economists believe it can take no less than six months for changes in rates to fully make their way through the system. Meaning the 75 basis point hike Chairman Powell implemented in late September may not truly be felt until the end of the first quarter of 2023.

This aggressive approach to rate hikes (five times so far this year) has three distinct possible outcomes; rates are not raised enough and inflation becomes entrenched within our economy, rates are raised too much causing growth to stagnate and ultimately triggering a recession, or a “soft landing” is achieved where rates are increased sufficiently to slow inflation but not to the point of cratering the economy. Two of the three don’t sound overly appealing.

How are consumers reacting to the rise in the cost of housing? Back in June, John Burns Real Estate Consulting published research that found the monthly payment required to own a single-family starter home had eclipsed the cost to lease a similar property by $839 per month. While this data is heavily weighted toward major metros, the message is still relevant to us. While rents have increased by double digits over the past 12 months, ownership costs have made renting a very attractive option.

While nationally home prices have retreated off all time highs, here in the Capital Region the trajectory remains upward. The Greater Capital Association of Realtors (GCAR) reported an August median sales price of $300,000, an all-time high. Given the current velocity in which sales occur it would take two months for today’s inventory of available homes to be absorbed.

Six months is generally considered to be a healthy market. It’s worth noting that sales data is a lagging indicator. The majority of transactions closed in August were negotiated and agreed to in June and July.

For folks interested in listing their home it’s important to have appropriate expectations from the outset. Transactions historically decrease around year-end holidays, so you may not see as many of-

fers as you’d like and as quickly as you’d like.

For someone interested in buying, my guidance has changed little. Having your financing lined up in advance of touring homes is viewed less as an advantage than it is as table stakes. It’s unlikely your first few offers will be accepted, so become comfortable with rejection. If today’s elevated costs of homeownership will pose a strain on your finances, then consider a property with a short-term rental component.

Predicting the direction of markets can oftentimes be a fool’s errand, but examining trends can provide a helpful working hypothesis. Nobody should hope for a repeat of the double digit gains we witnessed the past two years, as that growth over the long run is both unhealthy and unsustainable. Given the Fed’s appetite to wage war on asset prices, a slight decline in home values is not impossible.

However, given the limited housing supply and steady demand for Capital Region properties, an uptick in prices by a few percentage points in 2023 seems to be the most likely path forward.

Home Prices In New York State Rise Again, According To Realtors Association Data

During August, the Southern Adirondack real estate market saw increased prices and lower levels of inventory compared to August 2021, with homes spending less time on the market and selling above list price.

“Our market’s trend of higher prices and fewer listings continued in August,” said Densay Sengsoulavong, CEO of the Southern Adirondack Realtors that includes Washington and Warren counties.

“While some experts believe price growth may moderate in the months ahead, the Southern Adirondack region is still showing signs of strong demand with high prices and quick sales. Unless we see a spike in inventory or a drop in demand, we’re likely to see a continued seller’s market pushing prices higher for the foreseeable future.”

New listings in the region decreased 13.1 percent in August compared to last year, from 633 to 550. The inventory of homes for sale dropped 31.6 percent, from 1,423 to 974, and pending sales decreased 3.3 percent, from 511 to 494. Closed sales were down 11.4 percent, from 537 to 476. Sellers received 102.2 percent of their list price in August, compared to 101.6 percent in August 2021.

The median sales price increased 6 percent, from $320,900 to $340,000. Homes spent an average of 19 days on the market last month, compared to 29 days in August last year. The months supply of inventory decreased 20 percent, from 3 to 2.4.

Southern Adirondack Realtors Inc. represents over 500 Realtors and real estate industry professionals in New York’s Southern Adirondack region.

For more information, visit southernadkrealtors. org.

Meanwhile, the New York State Association of Realtors said home prices across the Empire State rose once again in August while home sales continued to decline, according to the housing report released by.

Closed sales fell 10.9 percent in August from 15,367 homes in 2021 to only 13,740 units last month. Pending sales of homes dipped from 14,464 homes in August 2021 to 13,740 homes in 2022. This represents a 5 percent decline, officials said.

The median sales price of homes across New York state escalated 3.8 percent in August, from $390,000 in 2021 to $405,000 in 2022. This marks 28 consecutive months in year-over-year comparisons that median sales prices have increased.

Inventory of homes for sale fell 15.5 percent in New York state – from 46,367 homes in August 2021 to just 39,179 in August 2022. Months’ supply of inventory fell 8.6 percent from 3.5 months of inventory in August 2021 to just 3.2 months’ supply last month. A six-month to 6.5-month supply is considered to be a balanced market.

Good news for homebuyers as mortgage interest rates dropped slightly last month. According to Freddie Mac, the monthly average on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell from 5.41 percent in July 2022, to 5.22 in August 2022. This is still over 2 percentage points higher than the rate of 2.84 percent in August 2021.

Additional data is available at www.nysar.com/ industry-resources/market-data.

Steven Luttman, broker/owner of SJ Lincoln Realty, host of The Expected Returns podcast.

Courtesy Steven Luttman

Office / Tech

Brookfield Renewable U.S. Opens Office In Queensbury To Better Serve The Region

BY PAUL POST

Technology, Outsourcing Help

BY MARK SHAW

The economy is bumpy, but technology and outsourcing can make it smoother.

The first thing we all do during uncertain economic times is look for ways to save money and get the most bang for our buck. Just like with anything else, we can seek savings and efficiencies with technology.

All business owners have grown dramatically more dependent on technology to run their businesses, manage their information, and support their remote and onsite workforces. When considering your in-house IT staff, or in many cases what we often call the one-man band, you uncover lack of skills in one area or another. One small team does not possess the knowledge and skills about every aspect of the vastly rapid changing IT world.

Think about the laundry list of items that your in-house IT staff needs to be familiar with to provide daily support for your business. Your IT, telecommunications and security needs go on and on, but below are a few of the items needed to have expertise in:

• Computers and laptops

• Networks

• Security

• Access control (physical doors)

• Cameras

• Phone systems

• Software and applications

• Microsoft or Google email platforms

• Firewalls

• VPNs and remote access

• Cloud based solutions

This list doesn’t even begin to account for the daily support needed to help the  end user who forgot a password or gets an error on a website. These issues need immediate attention for smooth daily operations.

Most small businesses think that one IT person can manage all of their needs. While your existing team might be capable to cover most topics, it will most likely be for a brief period of time. In the consulting world, we see this all the time. One person ends up having ten years of IT background, but not ten years of education, experience, and growth. It is rather one year, replicated ten times over.

We recently sat with a business owner and his top internal IT guy who had an array of problems. The IT guy was screaming at the top of his lungs to anyone who would listen, “I have 27 years’ experience in IT.” He was not wrong; he has been doing the same thing for 27 years. Which is why the server he was building looked directly out of the 1990s.

Internal IT teams and solo IT staff tend to spend

so much time in the business, they don’t see future technology trends or major flaws in the systems they are building. They are moving so fast to just keep it all working. They are unable to take the time to continue their education or obtain certifications.

This often means that your business is getting left behind. It may not feel like it as everything seems to be working well, however, what advancements are you missing? What security flaws are you creating? How can you define the BEST of the BEST in your industry?

Most likely if you ask your internal IT staff any of these questions, they will answer: “It’s covered, I have 10 years of IT experience” or, if they are being more honest: “I don’t really know, I work so hard to keep everything moving, I have no time for anything other than my day to day.”

This is costing you money. It might not be direct but indirectly you are losing out.

If you are a business owner, there is tremendous value in looking at someone else from the outside who can review, support, and offload some of your IT team’s workload. Those in the IT consulting space can often provide you experience and expertise that you otherwise may not be able to afford by adding more staff.

Technology consultants can also help you set a baseline for what you are doing and what your competitors are doing. Using industry standards and years of in-depth knowledge in other firms, they can empower yours.

Cutting costs in a down market is always a quick fix. Investing in the right experience and outside support can not only make sure your business

New York City-based Brookfield Renewable U.S. has moved 50 well-paying jobs from Marlborough, Mass. to Queensbury, where it can better manage power stations across the country including several hydro plants in the surrounding area.

The company’s new national control center, a multi-million dollar investment, opened in late summer at 399 Big Bay Road where a regional office with 35 jobs had already been operating.

Brookfield owns, operates and develops hydro, wind, solar and battery storage facilities that produce more than 7,500 megawatts in the U.S. In New York alone it generates about 900 megawatts, providing enough electricity for 440,000 homes.

Local holdings include Hudson River hydro stations at Spier Falls Dame (56 MW), Sherman Island Dam (38 MW), Glens Falls (12 MW) and Feeder Dam (5W). It also has hydro stations at Stewart’s Dam in Hadley (39 MW) and in Schaghticoke (16 MW), Schuylerville (2 MW) and Johnsonville (2 MW).

“Having the control center in the same location as staff working at our original office on Big Bay Road will enable us to integrate national system control center employees into a regional office with other personnel and duties,” said Anthony Zarrella, National System Control Center senior director.

Warren-Washington Counties’ Industrial Development Agency helped make the transition possible by approving a $513,000 incentive package that includes $210,000 in sales tax exemptions and a $303,000 property tax savings over 10 years.

The 50 new jobs are in operations, project management, information technology and regulatory compliance. Operators will monitor 140 hydro stations across the U.S. along with wind, solar and battery storage sites.

Brookfield has three wind farms in Western New York.

Some 15 positions moved from Marlborough to Queensbury, officials said. Others were hired locally or from other states and located here. The building cost $6 million, not including the equipment inside. The contractor was Joe Gross Electric in Queensbury. There was roughly six months of construction. Site prep work started toward end of 2021 and temporary certificate of occupancy was issued in July.

a downturn but can ensure

The center is continually staffed 24 hours per day, seven days a week to make sure power generation remains constant.

The new location will also foster a synergy between control center operators and field operations, enhance recruitment and advancement opportunities, and promote a better work-life balance for employees, Zarrella said. The region’s highly desirable quality of life in close proximity to the Adirondacks and Lake GeorgeSaratoga attractions was a major consideration in the company’s decision to move operations to Queensbury, he said.

A Sept. 13 ribbon cutting was attended by state and local officials and leaders of Warren-Washington Counties’ IDA, Warren County Economic Development Corporation and Adirondack Regional Chambers of Commerce.

Brookfield Renewable U.S. is a subsidiary of Toronto-based Brookfield Asset Management, which has more than $725 billion worth of assets in renewable power, real estate, buildings, infrastructure, credit and private equity. In addition to Toronto and New York, corporate offices are in Mumbai, Shanghai, Sao Paulo, Dubai and Sydney.

Power stations are found in North and South America, Europe, India and China.

can thrive.

As a fellow business owner, I want to see all our businesses grow and thrive and be as recession proof as possible. Partnering with a provider who

a good fit for your

can help you weather any storm. Technology consultants are here to help modern day businesses and avoid brand-new servers from the 1990s.

A ribbon cutting was held at Brookfield Renewable’s new facility in Queensbury.

Courtesy Brookfield Renewable

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

M&M Digital Printing Moves To More Spacious Location As The Business Grows

Business Report

Employers Deal With ‘Quietly Quitting’

BY ROSE MILLER

There is a term floating around the TikTok work circles. I like to follow TikTok’s workplace trends discussions because I get to hear what employees are talking about. Similar to the way restaurateurs follow Yelp, some employers follow social media such as TikTok, Reddit, and Twitter to hear what the work force is saying about their employers and their work environ ments.

There is a phrase called “quietly quitting” and it is catching on quickly.

What I found as a surprising discovery was that the term doesn’t mean they are actually leaving their jobs. Instead, they have decided not to take their jobs too seriously. Young pro fessionals are stating they reject the idea of going above and beyond in their careers. The idea is to stay at the company but focus time on things they do outside of work. They have decided to pass on promotions, pay and titles.

BY PAUL POST

In response to rapid growth, 10-year-old M&M Digital Printing has moved to a spa cious new location, giving the firm three times more room to work with.

The business was previously housed in the Seeley Office Systems building, 95 Broad St. in Glens Falls, and began operat ing out of the former Community, Work & Independence building on Upper Glen St., Queensbury, on Aug. 26.

“At the old location we were packed in like sardines, on top of each other,” said Matt Flint Sr., company owner-founder. “We only had 950 square feet. Here we definitely have room to grow. There’s more space and it makes the work flow easier. Buying capability also opens up because we have more warehouse space. At the old location we could only stock so much paper, which means we had to pay more for smaller volumes. Now we can buy larger volumes, so that brings the cost down.”

A former Web Graphics production manager, Flint launched out on his own after tiring of the corporate world. He and his son, Matt Flint Jr., the operations man ager, are two of the firm’s four employees.

M&M’s small size and state-of-the-art equipment gives it the flexibility to turn jobs around quickly, which has fueled unprecedented sales.

“We’re probably the only printer in New York state that offers same-day or nextday service on many items,” Flint Sr. said.

“People come in all the time and say, ‘Can I have this today or can I have this tomor row?’ There’s really not anybody else that does that. That’s where we’ve really grown our name and brand, by providing that type of service. Someone calls and says, ‘Hey, I’m really in a pickle, can you get this done?’ Nine times out of 10 we can.”

“We’ll do almost anything that’s a paper-based material, from an envelope,

business card or letterhead to prescrip tion pads, mailers, brochures, flyers, post cards, calendars and everything in between,” he said. “It’s such a huge set of offerings.”

M&M also handles larger items such as banners, signs, stickers, labels, posters and architectural prints.

This month Flint Sr. is traveling to a large industry trade show in Las Vegas to learn about the latest equipment, with an eye toward possibly expanding the types of jobs M&M can do.

“This trade show will show me a lot of things that are available and what the new technology is,” he said. “We could be expanding what we do now, to have more capacity, or we could expand into different offerings such as direct-to-garment and 3D printing. I haven’t really pinpointed that yet. It would mainly be for small quick runs. That’s what we specialize in. Generally, for large runs I tell customers if it doesn’t fit in our wheelhouse, or I don’t feel we can be competitive with big commercial brokers, I’ll forward them to someone else in the industry.”

Flint Sr. had already begun working with digital equipment while still em ployed by Web Graphics and wanted it to be his focus when starting his own small, new business.

“I knew I didn’t want to go into the off set printing world,” he said. “With offset you have such large set-up fees for plates, ink and chemicals. Digitally you don’t have any of those things. And we wanted to specialize in quick turnaround times. In the offset world, you definitely can’t do that.”

“We definitely push a lot of things through here on a daily basis,” he said. “At any given time we could have 200 orders in-house. It’s been a great experience to say the least.”

They are setting some firm boundaries like refusing to work overtime. They insist on leav ing right at five. Others advertise the fact that they will only do enough to get by. Unlike their senior managers, they don’t want their careers to be confused with personal identifies.

Remember these are young professionals and it’s not uncommon for younger employees to, at first, refuse to climb the corporate ladder, only to end up changing their minds later. Gaining a mortgage, spouse and children can change perspectives and priorities in a drastic way.

I’m a ‘70s girl and I can remember my generation saying not to trust anyone over 40 years old. It was a time when young people were “anti-establishment” only to become the establishment later in their lives.

The difference today is the impact of what HR professionals call “learned behaviors.” Gen X, who are now between 40-50 years old and young professionals in their mid-20-30s have watched their parents and grandparents give it their all, be consumed by their work and sacrificed fam ily time, only to be tossed aside when corporate margins decreased, even slightly. They learned people were disposable.

They lived through the tragic 9/11 attack, where devoted employees stayed in the building and held their posts. They learned dedication can kill you. They lived through a pandemic, with all its dislocating effects, which blurred the boundaries between work and life. They learned to disengage.

Are they wrong? Is it bad to refuse to let work worries rule over your life? In listening to some

of the TikTok posts, these workers still get their jobs done. It’s not that they don’t work hard. It’s just that they have decided not to stress over any of the details or deliverables.

They are creating priorities and career is not at the top of the list. And it’s important to note that these same sentiments cross generational lines.

This may be bad news for some employers because studies indicate that employee engage ment is at an all-time low. Quietly quitting means doing the minimum required and not much more. More than half of the workers surveyed by Gallup fell into this category.

Many employees are not signing up for extra training, they aren’t subscribing to the hustle-culture mentality, and they are not even socializing with colleagues.

But fear not. At the end of the day humans are not a one-size fits all species. There will always be slackers, worker-bees, and the very ambi tious. Even some TikTok posts are arguing with the quiet quitters, saying they do not represent the workers who find purpose in what they do.

And there it is—a tip for employers to increase engagement by making sure they communicate the purpose of what they do, why they do it, and especially how the worker contributes to that purpose. When engagement is low, the mission must be communicated and demonstrated clearly and often.

In all fairness, the phrase is not encouraging workers to be lazy. Instead, it is actually a re minder to maintain balance and avoid burnout. I believe any generation can agree with that.

Matt Flint Jr., M&M Digital Printing operations manager, and Andrew Shelton, press operator, prepare architectural wide-format prints. Their service area stretches from Albany to Plattsburgh.

Rose Miller is the president of Suite Advice, LLC.

Courtesy Rose Miller

Stock Name

Closing Price Closing Price

Price

Price 9/9/2022 9/16/2022 9/23/2022 9/30/2022

Albany Int’l $86.01 $83.31 $78.62 $78.83

Arrow $32.62 $32.64 $30.95 $28.82

AT & T $17.03 $16.74 $16.01 $15.34

Ball $59.33 $56.66 $49.14 $48.32

Ballston Spa

National Bank $56.00 $56.00 $56.00 $58.67

Bank of America $34.94 $34.12 $31.73 $30.20

Best Buy $76.24 $72.63 $68.78 $63.34

Citizens Bank $38.32 $36.87 $34.43 $34.36

Espey $14.3 $15.39 $13.50 $13.79

General Electric $74.04 $66.39 $64.55 $61.91

Hilton $135.91 $130.80 $118.33 $120.62

Home Depot $299.77 $275.97 $270.94 $275.94

Int’l Paper $41.72 $35.23 $33.10 $31.70

Key Corp $18.66 $17.70 $16.42 $16.02

Lowe’s $205.65 $191.81 $188.13 $187.81

Martin Marietta $356.30 $330.18 $320.05 $322.09

M&T Bank $187.61 $182.85 $178.91 $176.32

McDonald’s $259.52 $254.91 $245.95 $230.74

National Grid $62.85 $59.97 $56.72 $51.53

NBT Bancorp Inc. $38.90 $39.45 $39.13 $37.95

Plug Power $29.92 $28.25 $22.63 $21.01

Quad Graphics $3.81 $3.39 $2.97 $2.56

Starbucks $88.69 $91.31 $84.17 $84.26

Sysco $83.89 $78.19 $74.92 $70.71

Latham Group Inc $5.45 $4.86 $4.09 $3.59

Target $173.65 $164.09 $152.61 $148.39

The TorontoDominion Bank $67.58 $66.21 $62.08 $61.33

Kaspien Holdings $2.24 $1.79 $1.51 $1.52 Trustco Bank $33.38 $33.81 $33.06 $31.42

Verizon $42.24 $41.25 $39.52 $37.97

Walmart $136.84 $133.19 $130.06 $129.70

This list of quotations is provided through the courtesy of Robert M. Schermerhorn, CFP®, Saratoga Financial Services, Securities offered through LPL Financial /Member FINRA & SIPC, located in Saratoga Springs, NY. www.SaratogaRetire.com

Business Registrations

Rondack Property Management Ronda Dunkley 167 Park Road Johnsburg 12843

Clearview Windows Evan Vantassell 160A Cooper St. Lake George 12845

Just Brenda Brenda Birsett 118 Quaker Road Queensbury 12804

Robinson Lawn Care Christopher Robinson 200 Hudson St. Johnsburg 12843

ASA Adirondack Christine Powers 372 Bartman Road Bakers Mills 12811

Young Harvest Bakery Lisette Young 20 Herald Drive Queensbury 12804

Mulligan Consulting Partners Marjorie Mulligan 7 Highland Springs Way Queensbury 12804

Avyana Light Julie Hensel 6 Murdock Ave. #2 Glens Falls 12801

Sonley Drywall & Fencing Keith Sonley 384 Lake Ave. Lake Luzerne 12846

Cleanr Home Cleaning Service Jamie Wold 190 South St. Glens Falls 12801

MKD Drafting Barbara Davidson 416 Landon Hill Road Chestertown 12817

High Peaks Stone Solutions Trevor Holcomb Matthew MacDonald PO Box 981 Glens Falls 12801

Officiant Maria Pelton 28 Davis St. Glens Falls 12801

C Pierson Digital Cody Pierson 16 Ryan Ave. Queensbury 12804

Bolton Buzz Bolton Pops Eliza DeRocker 4960 Lake Shore Drive Bolton Landing 12814

Jackson Baker Productions Jackson Baker 52 Sunny West Lane Lake George 12845

Fashion Follies Lori Jean Arpey Lisa Anne Caringi 58 Orville St. Glens Falls 12801

Justy-Joe Charters II Joe Greco 376 Canada St. Lake George 12845

East Coast Small Engine & Logging James Monroe 811A Goodman Road Johnsburg 12843

Monroe Family Farm & Equipment Repair James Monroe Tonya Monroe 1531 Schroon River Road Warrensburg 12885

S&G Properties Gregory Leibl Tanya Leibl 320 Big Boom Road Queensbury 12804

Zack’s Drive-in David Madden 150 River St. Hudson Falls 12839

Pawsitively Styled By Sarah Sarah Somerville 63 Quaker Road Queensbury 12804

Sarina’s Spoiled Pets Sarina Cole 63 Quaker Road Queensbury 12804

Blooming Sunflower Boutique Kristen McCartin 1059 Route 149 Fort Ann 12827

Development On South Street

we’ve had in our illustrious past.”

Siplon said it will also address “our most glaring need we have in our economy”—not having enough housing for the workforce that’s needed in the area.

Siplon said routinely there 1,500 to 2,000, and sometimes 3,000, job openings in the county.

“Today, the number of housing units of any type, at any price point, do not add up to 800,” he said.

He said if economic development efforts were successful in filling the available jobs “we would have no place for them to live.”

It t is important to add needed housing in the area “to make sure that the economic vitality we’ve invested in does bot accrue to another community. If we’re going to row into the best version of ourself, we must be able to house people who want to be here.”

The project commercial part of the proj ect is also a key, expected to help attract more private-sector investments and more restaurants, offices and shops throughout downtown.

Libby Coreno, attorney for the Spring

Street Development, said there have been threw iterations of the project as they responded to the city’s concerns and input.

The first phase will cost $7.9 million and involve converting a three-story warehouse at 36 Elm St. into a mixed-use building with eight apartments and 4,677 square feet of commercial space.

SpringCity will renovate the former Hot Shots bar, a three-story brick building at 45 South St., to create four apartments on the upper floors. The lower floor will include about 2,300 square feet of commercial space.

A third building housed the former Sandy’s Clam Bar at 41 South St. It will be converted into a 3,000-square-foot restau rant with six apartments on the upper two floors.

Officials said the second phase, costing about $22 million, will include construction of a five-story building with 70 moderateincome apartments with outdoor courtyards and a pavilion. There will be 3,800-squarefoot commercial area in that section.

SpringCity is applying for state tax credits to help finance that project.

Warrensburg Dealership Is Part Of AgPack Program That Give Farmers Special Benefits

The idea of farmers helping farmers find a return on their truck investment resulted in the creation of AgPack. Seven years later, AgPack benefits to farmers and growers could quickly add up to nearly $30,000 in real operational savings, say those in the program.

Krystal Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram (CDJR) at 3940 Main St., Warrensburg, recently completed the stringent requirements to become a local Certified Agriculture Dealership making them eligible to offer AgPack to their farm and grower customers.

AgPack is a collaboration of agricultural companies who, collectively, organized a specialized package of discounts and rebates on things producers have to buy anyway.

The process calls for a farmer to purchase or lease a qualifying farm truck or SUV from a Certified Agriculture Dealerships. In doing so, they have to verify their agricultural enterprise with the dealer. Once the dealer has notified AgPack, the farmer or rancher will be contacted by an AgPack representative within a week to begin redemptions

“Believe it, or not, AgPack is free with the purchase or lease of a qualifying new, or pre-owned, farm truck, or SUV, from a Certified Agriculture Dealership,” said Pat Driscoll, CEO of Certified Agriculture Dealers/AgPack. “Plus, AgPack can be stacked on top of any incentive, rebate, fleet or VIP program the local dealer can offer.”

“More than anything, farmers and ranchers want—need—the most durable vehicle money can buy,” added Driscoll. “We know because we’re ranchers and farmers, too. And that’s what we want. Our focus is to make sure our agriculture family gets an honest to goodness return on their truck investment.”

This nationwide program is available at Krystal CDJR. Their staff has recently completed stringent training in order to qualify as an official Certified Agriculture Dealership. The training will help the staff to better understand the specific demands farmers, ranchers and growers have of their farm & ranch vehicles.

“While trucks are a critical tool on the farm and ranch, the bottom line for them is also critical,” said Steven Lofgren, owner of Krystal CDJR. “Being able to provide our customers with access to AgPack through a new or used vehicle is game changing. We can literally help the agriculture buyer save thousands of dollars in their daily operations through the AgPack exclusive rebates and discounts on the previously listed products and services.

“It’s not just about working with a specialty agriculture truck dealership when buying a new truck. It’s also about making sure farmers and ranchers have a truck dealership they can trust for parts and service when the truck isn’t so new. A specialty store they can rely on to help keep things running like they do their tractor,

fertilizer or fencing dealer.”

AgPack offers are valid for at least one full year from original date of the vehicle purchase. Farmers and ranchers can cash in one or use them all and they can take their time on any one.

The benefits include:

• Exclusive rebates on Michelin & BF Goodrich tires, from tractors to trucks to toys, a potential savings worth more than $4,500.

• 25 percent off MSRP on Rhino Ag products plus a gift card valued between $100-200.

• Exclusive pricing of 5-10 percent under Minimum Advertised Pricing (MAP) direct from Dixie Chopper on the entire line of commercial mowers.

• One-year subscription to AgriEdge, valued at $5,000

• $2,000 credit toward AgroLiquid crop nutrition, free agronomy consultation and annual soil test.

• $1,000 toward a new Reinke irrigation system and $500 toward parts on any existing Reinke system.

• 25 percent discount on many Gallagher livestock scales and fencing products.

• After-purchase rebates up to $350 on EBY flatbeds, truck bodies and uplifts and up to $1,000 on EBY trailers.

• A $150 gift card after the purchase of a two-year Viasat internet service subscription.

• $500 product credit after $2,000 of combined Mystik lubricant products purchased. The offer also includes lifetime oil condition monitoring of the AgPack purchased vehicle, plus a choice of a Mystik-branded gift offers.

• 15 percent off MSRP on any purchase of Tarter farm and ranch equipment, with a minimum purchase of $3,500 before discount.

• A $1,500 rebate on the purchase of a Walkabout mother bin, plus a 20 percent rebate on accessories like a scale, vibrator, display, low unload option, or an auger sock. Plus a $500 gift card/store credit for Outback Wrap hydraulic hose products

• A 20 percent storewide discount from Outback Wrap for their hydraulic hose identification and management products.

• 10 percent off manufacturer’s suggested retail pricing for the entire line-up of PUTCO truck accessory products, plus free shipping.

Becoming a Certified Agriculture Dealership lets the 33,438 New York farm families know the dealership understands the uniqueness of agriculture and is committed to providing the best total truck solution to meet their needs, officials said.

To learn more about the Certified Agriculture Dealership Program and AgPack go to www.certifiedagdealer.com or visit the YouTube Channel for more details www. youtube.com/watch?v=NZ3g5EKlh3U.

Krystal CDJR can be reached at 518840-0575 and found online at www. certifiedagdealer.com/certified-dealers/ krystal.

In Free Online Cybersecurity Summit Run By U.S.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced that it will host a free, virtual National Cyber Summit on Oct. 26 to help introduce American small businesses to tools, tips, and resources to bolster their cybersecurity infrastructure in addition to exploring new trends and challenges entrepreneurs are increasingly facing.

“America’s small businesses are pivoting to digital technologies and online strategies at historic rates to reach new customers and improve operational efficiencies, but that pivot has also exposed them to significant new threats from cyberattacks,” said SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman.

“Our SBA team has mobilized to support them against these potentially disruptive threats with cybersecurity resources and trainings across our resource partner networks, as well as through our recently launched Small Business Digital Alliance. Launching the SBA’s first cybersecurity summit will help us build on that work and ensure America’s 33 million small businesses and innovative startups can pivot safely online and grow resilient businesses.”

“As our small businesses pivot more and more into cyber space to expand their market, we want to insure that they connect effectively and safely,” said SBA Regional Administrator Marlene Cintron. “This is a timely and responsive effort for businesses trying to regain and improve market share.”

“We are energized to bring actual solutions to the table for America’s small

businesses, which continue to inspire us all with hope and resilience,” said SBA Associate Administrator of the Office of Entrepreneurial Development Mark Madrid.

The summit comes on the heels of the recently announced awardees for the SBA’s new pilot program created to help emerging small businesses steel themselves against cyberattacks.

Registration for the event is open to all and free. Sign up at www.bit.ly/SBACyberSummit.

Comprised of digestible and compact segments, attendees will have the opportunity to network and access practical tips, problem-solving strategies, industry trends, threat avoidance, and small business testimonials in order to learn how to help small business owners defend themselves against cyberattacks.

Officials said cyberattacks are a growing threat to small businesses and the U.S. economy. According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Report, the cost of cybercrimes against the small business community reached $2.4 billion in 2021.

Small businesses are attractive targets because they have information that cybercriminals want, and they typically lack the security infrastructure of larger businesses.

According to a SBA survey, 88 percent of small business owners felt their business was vulnerable to a cyberattack. Yet many businesses cannot afford professional IT solutions, have limited time to devote to cybersecurity, or do not know where to begin.

Dine OutsideLakeside!

Glens Falls Area Restaurants

Glens Falls and surrounding towns have a variety of casual dining opportunities for every taste, budget and occasion. Find a Glens Falls NY restaurant from the list below.

Park 26 Glens Falls, NY Park 26 is an innovative restaurant that offers locally-inspired, modern American cuisine that’s perfect for a date night, business dinner or family celebration. Located inside The Queensbury Hotel in Glens Falls.

O’Toole’s Restaurant Pub Queensbury, NY

Whether you’re looking for a relaxed meal or a night of fun and excitement, you’ll want to come to O’Toole’s. We’ve got the best food, drinks and entertainment in the area! Come on in and experience dining at it’s best. We look forward to seeing you.

Jack’s American Bistro Queensbury, NY

Jack’s American Bistro was the culmination of a lifetime spent in the restaurant business. After several months of planning in June 2004 the doors were open to a new dining experience in the Glens Falls/Queensbury area.

Doc’s Restaurant Glens Falls, NY

Doc’s Restaurant is an upscale restaurant and cocktail bar in the historic Park Theater in Glens Falls, NY. They offer a delicious modern take on classic dishes, along with a hand-picked selection of wines, craft beers, and creative cocktails!

Fort William Henry

From

be on our property,” Muncil said. “We can do two weddings at once because we also have a conference center that’s been totally renovated that’s appropriate for weddings. Its very desirable because you get your own building, behind the Village Blacksmith Restaurant on Route 9.”

In addition to boosting overnight stays, weddings by their very nature are wellorganized events, which makes them more efficient and profitable, she noted.

“It’s the difference between knowing that 100 people are going to sit down at 5 o’clock and eat this food versus opening your restaurant door and wondering if they’re going to show up,” Muncil said. “You don’t prep anything that isn’t already spoken for. That’s the difference between organized food operations and a retail restaurant that says, ‘I hope they’re going to come today.’ You don’t have any waste.”

Plans for Towers Hall come on the heels of a $5 million makeover to 79 of the hotel’s 194 guest rooms since 2019. Renovations enabled the hotel to increase room rates from $250 to more than $300 this year.

In addition, Fort William Henry recently spent $1 million on conference center restorations along with upgrades to the White Lion Room and kitchen.

The work has been made possible, in part, by Fort William Henry’s sale of its former Best Western property.

“We monetized that asset and moved it into renovation and upgrades of our major property right here on the lake,” Muncil said. “We are a very desired product, what’s

known in the industry as a drivable destination resort. We’re not that far of a drive from four major metropolitan areas, which means it’s easier to have a wonderful time closer to home instead of flying to Myrtle Beach. Lake George does a really wonderful job of selling our best attributes in terms of being outdoors in nature.”

Last winter’s inaugural Ice Castles attraction at nearby Charles R. Wood Park did a great deal to promote year-round visits. The event is scheduled to return this winter.

The current hotel, the third in resort history, opened on July 18, 2004. The original Fort William Henry welcomed its first guests in June 1855. Within a few years, major additions were made that increased guest capacity to 900 people. A large veranda, running the length of the lakeside, was supported by 30-foot tall Corinthian columns.

But fire consumed the structure on the morning of June 24, 1909, as the summer season was about to begin. A second Fort William Henry opened for business on June 17, 1911. Towers Hall was built soon after.

In 1969, Fort William Henry Corp. decided to demolish the old hotel and operate a 64-unit motor inn, built in the 1950s. Roughly 20 years ago, owners decided more accommodations were needed in order to host larger conferences, so plans were drawn up for the current five-story hotel.

The hotel is in the village, off Route 9, on the south end of Lake George. Its website is www.fortwilliamhenry.com.

Sally Strasser

Continued From Page 6

history from Williams College and said that her speakers are intended for music aficionados such as herself.

“They aren’t for people who are casual listeners. They are for people who are dedicated to listening to music. I see it as my mission in life to get people to listen and really use their ears. What I consider a success—when I know that I’ve done a good job—is when I make the music so that when you close your eyes, the speakers disappear and all you hear is live musicians in front of you. It’s that good.”

Strasser’s Fibhorn speakers are sold both online and at her shop, The Listening Place, at 153 Maple St. in Glens Falls.

The shop includes a showroom as well as a wood shop where Strasser fabricates the speakers. The Listening Place is open on Saturdays from noon until 6 p.m. and during the week by appointment only.

Fibhorn speakers vary in price with top-ofthe-line speakers selling for $5,000 per pair. A simplified version of the speakers sells for $400

Birch Bark Eatery

Glens Falls, NY

Birch Bark Eatery offers a wide variety of soups, sandwiches, burgers, salads, and baked goods - and it’s all 100% plant-based. They also offer catering!

Davidson Brothers Restaurant

Glens Falls, NY

Located in downtown Glens Falls, Davidson Brothers Restaurant & Brewery is a hotspot for craft beer and food in a laid-back atmosphere.

Morgan & Co. Restaurant

Glens Falls, NY

Experience fine American dining in downtown Glens Falls at Morgan & Co. Every dish offers a unique and innovative twist on original recipes. Morgan & Co. also caters events from weddings to reunions and more!

Fenimore’s Pub Glens Falls, NY

Fenimore’s Pub in the heart of downtown Glens Falls is open daily for lunch and dinner.

per pair.

“The $400-per-pair speakers are a much smaller, simpler in design, but they have much of the quality of the $5,000-per-pair speakers,” said Strasser.

When she’s not building speakers, Strasser is operating her primary business, Wall Works. She specializes in painting wall murals and has developed 100 specialty fi nishes called faux fi nishes. Strasser has a degree in studio art and painting from Williams College.

She also hosts a free weekly Zoom music program called GERM (Golden Era Recorded Music) every Wednesday from 7-8 p.m. During that time, she plays LPs through her Fibhorn speakers.

“When properly played, LP records are capable of astonishing realism and musical beauty—far beyond CDs or any digital sound source,” said Strasser.

For more information or to sign up for Strasser’s weekly Zoom program, visit www. fibhornspeakers.com

The Grateful Den Glens Falls, NY

The Grateful Den offers a different take on traditional pub grub, as well as classic favorites like chicken wings, burgers, and salads. Their menu also includes specialty appetizers, sandwiches, and plenty of craft beer options on tap.

The View Restaurant at Dunham’s Bay Resort Lake George, NY

The View Restaurant at Dunham’s Bay Resort in Lake George offers a front-row seat of its namesake bay and an expertly crafted menu that changes with the seasons.

The Log Jam Lake George, NY

An authentic log cabin serving lunch and dinner daily. Featuring signature sandwiches at lunch and succulent prime rib, juicy hand cut steaks, live lobsters, fresh seafood, chicken,and more at dinner. All entrees include our bountiful salad bar.

Courtesy of GlensFalls.com

Special Olympics

“The return of State Games to Glens Falls will be a highlight of my time as mayor,” said Collins. “I have known these athletes for many years and I assure the Glens Falls community that the Games will be nothing short of spectacular. I encourage everyone to come out and volunteer; there are jobs for individuals, families, and groups.”

“I can’t wait to go for the gold at State Fall Games in my hometown of Glens Falls,” said Special Olympics New York softball player Bryce Reynolds. “I’m excited to have my friends from all over the state here to compete and have fun.”

Area venues hosting State Fall Games are: Glens Falls City Park (opening and closing ceremonies), Adirondack Sports Complex (bocce), Cole’s Woods (cross-country running), SUNY Adirondack (cycling), Skidmore College (equestrian), Brookhaven Golf Course (golf), and Morse Athletic Complex (soccer and softball).

Sponsors of the 2022 State Fall Games include: Warren County Board of Supervisors, New York State Industries for the Disabled (NYSID), Open the Lid, Albany Medical Center,

Taste of NY, Queensbury Hotel, Harris Beach, Highmark, Arrow Financial, Equitable Advisors, Behan Communications, Marshall and Sterling, NY Able, Miller Mechanical, Glens Falls Cooperative Board, and Quick Response.

To support the Games either by volunteering or making a donation, visit www.specialolympics-ny.org/community/2022-fall-games/.

Special Olympics New York is the largest state chapter in the country, serving more than 31,000 athletes across New York with yearround sports training, athletic competition, and health screenings. The organization also partners with about 250 schools statewide to offer Unified Sports, where students with and without disabilities compete as teammates.

All Special Olympics New York programs are offered at no cost to athletes, their families or caregivers. The organization has earned the Platinum Seal of Transparency from GuideStar.com, making it one of the most trusted charities in the business nationally.

For additional information about Special Olympics New York, to learn more about getting involved, or to make a donation, visit www.specialolympicsNY.org.

Farmers’ Market

From Page

of taxpayers money.

The structured is now designed as a curved building. The building will be 5,900 square feet, with about 23,000 square feet of pedestrian space around it. There will be open space in front of it and behind it and will be well lit at night. It has been oriented to get maximum sunlight during the day.

It’s multi-functional design will allow many different kinds of events, and also allow it to be used connected to, or in conjunction with, other events that may be going on in

the city, Loyola said. It will have three access points and be surrounded by space useable for other events.

“We wanted to create this ‘curve of curiosity.’ What’s around the bend?” said Telberg. “We want to make it an exiting site for people to experience the farmers’ market.”

“It’s morphed into a very special project. The building itself has morphed into something other than this big rectangle” into something that will be “an iconic, flexible space,” said Loyola.

NEWLISTING

Lake George & Glens Falls in Queensbury

ARCC Business Awards

GTM Payroll and Romeo Toyota.

Other nominees in the Small Business category were Mr. Electric of Queensbury, Outcast Athletics, Queensbury Cigar & Pipe and Slickfi n Brewing Co. Other nominees in the Large Nonprofit Organization category were Crandall Public Library, Community

and LEAP Services.

Other nominees in the Small Nonprofit Organization category were Community Coalition for Family Wellness, HicksStrong, Inc., The Hyde Collection, Habitat for Humanity of Northern Saratoga, Warren and Washington Counties, Lake George Land Conservancy, The Conkling Center, High Peaks Hospice and the World Awareness Children’s Museum.

Other nominees in the Professional Busi-

ness category were Bartlett, Pontiff, Stewart & Rhodes PC, CMJ LLP, MLB Construction Services LLC and LayerEight. Other nominees in the Rookie Business category were Adirondack Axe Th rowing, Sleep & Spas, The Candy Space and Legacy Nine Realty.

Other nominees in the Community Champion category were James Griffith (Aviation Mall), Vincent Laurenzo (Quick Response) and Wendy Waldron (Professional EOS Implementer/WaldronWorks).

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.

Founded in 1914, ARCC is a 100 percent membership funded organization representing businesses in Washington, Warren, Essex and Northern Saratoga Counties. It serves members and the business community through advocacy efforts and education.

It’s not just insurance. It’s your insurance

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