Glens Falls Business Journal - July 2021

Page 1

PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE

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

VOL. 33 NO. 05

PAID

GLENS FALLS, NY 12801 PERMIT #600

HH The Business Newspaper of Warren and Washington Counties HH

www.glensfallsbusinessjournal.com

JULY 2021

Lake George Chamber Offers Digital Passes Construction Of A Grand Ballroom Is Set At To Tour Craft Breweries In The Adirondacks The Queensbury Hotel; Will Be In Use In 2022 Craft beverage drinkers can gain access to special offers and the chance to win Adirondack Craft Beverage Trail swag through a new digital passport offered by the Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce & CVB. “The craft beverage industry is a year-round attraction that ranked high in consumer traveler surveys distributed by our destination partners to gain insight into what people are looking for when they visit our area,” said Chamber Executive Director Gina Mintzer. “We feel this is an offering that will help visitors find what they’re looking for and gain more visibility for our local craft beverage scene.” The passport is being marketed to a targeted demographic that mirrors the organic traffic to adkcraftbev.com, which draws many website visitors from out of the area. The top location from out of the area is New York City. The digital passport was developed through Bandwango, a company that develops digital passports for destinations around the U.S. and Canada. It provides a simple way for the Chamber to analyze redemption and usage data, spot trends and track leads that can help measure economic impact of programs like this. “We chose a digital passport because we liked the ease of updating the passport throughout the year, the fact that we could continue to interact with users of the passport digitally, analyze data and react to trends,” Mintzer said. “We also like that it can be accessed on a smartphone and isn’t something additional that consumers have to remember to carry with them.” This passport currently features 15 craft beverage producers (with more to be added) in Essex, Warren, Washington and Saratoga Counties. Currently, there are three prizes: Five checkins, an Adirondack Craft Beverage Trail logo window cling; 10 check-ins, a tote bag designed for bottles; and at all locations, entry into grand prize raffle prize

Data gathered through a digital pass for craft breweries can help the Chamber spot trends. Courtesy Lake George Chamber of Commerce

There two prize pickup locations are the Lake George Village Information Center 1 Beach Road, Lake George, Weekends from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and the Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce main office, 2176 Route 9,Lake George, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Participants in the Adirondack Craft Beverage Trail tour are Adirondack Pub & Brewery, Adirondack Winery, Argyle Brewing Co. LLC, Battle Hill Brewing Co., Bolton Landing Brewing Co., Common Roots Brewing Co., Cooper’s Cave Ale Co., Hicks Orchard, Lake George Distilling Co., Ledge Hill Brewing Co., Ledge Rock Hill Winery LLC, Mean Max Brew Works, Northway Brewing Co., Paradox Brewing, Slickfin Brewing Co., and, coming soon, Springbrook Hollow Farm Distillery. The link to sign up for the passport can be found at adkcraftbev.com or lakegeorgechamber.com under the “Attractions” tab.

BY LISA BALSCHUNAT Another phase of expansion is underway at the Queensbury Hotel in downtown Glens Falls. The owners plan to construct a grand ballroom that can accommodate 400 people for a wedding or similar dinner event, 700 people for a cocktail party and 350 people theater style. In addition, the room will be equipped with two breakout rooms. A new banquet kitchen will be built off the ballroom. The facility will be 5,200 square feet. “We are moving full steam ahead,” said hotel general manager Tyler Herrick. “When Spruce Hospitality Group bought the Queensbury in 2016 the first thing Zach Moore and I talked about with Ed Bartholomew was the need for a big room to accommodate community events. Something grander than Heritage Hall, bigger than Great Escape Lodge, but closer than The Sagamore.” Spruce Hospitality is working with the Phinney Design Group of Saratoga Springs and is presently securing funding for the $2.2 million project through Glens Falls National Bank and Trust Co. Herrick said he anticipates finalizing soon the contract for construction with a local company. The ballroom will be located right of the hotel’s Ridge Street entrance. He said the project should begin in late August with plans to accept bookings beginning in September 2022. “We are really excited about this project, as it rounds out our five-year plan and solidifies what we know in the hospitality industry—that a banquet booking offers a predictable, controlled profit. Many people think it comes from the bar. There’s guess work at the bar. There is predictability with an event and a straight percentage that bodes well for our business.” He said the sales team is looking to secure continuing education forums in the space, among other events. “We rely on the leisure market, but our bread and butter locally, is social and corporate events, so we wanted to expand that service to the community,” Herrick said. “We’re looking to draw on state associations to schedule their annual meetings and

This is a rendering of the planned new ballroon at the Queensbury Hotel. Courtesy Spruce Hospitality

conventions here and business associations to come to The Q for their trade shows and special events.” Last year during the pandemic, the hotel hosted the television film crew and participants for Animal Planet’s annual “Puppy Bowl.” The 17th annual event was filmed at the Cool Insuring Arena instead of on a New York City soundstage to provide a smaller social distanced venue. The event is broadcast each year on Super Bowl Sunday. “We are hoping that the smaller venue worked all the way around for Animal Planet and that they’ll schedule their annual filming here instead of in Manhattan,” he noted. Herrick said when a group comes to the hotel for a two- or three-day event, all the downtown businesses benefit “because the city has many choices for walkable restaurants and shops. The Queensbury brings business to other businesses,” When 375 temporary residents of the city are here for an event they are looking for things to do and buy.” He said a rooftop bar may be the next project for the hotel.

Mark Behan Awarded The J. Walter Juckett LARAC To Hold 50th Annual Arts Festival In Community Service Award For 2021 City Park In Glens Falls On August Weekend The Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce (ARCC) announced that the 32nd Annual J. Walter Juckett Community Service Award will be presented to Mark Behan, president and founder of Behan Communications. “Mark Behan exemplifies all that J. Walter Juckett stood for: community, charity and leadership. Mark has long been in the service of so many others in our region through his work on many boards as well as his volunteer commitment in so many other venues,” said ARCC President and CEO Michael Bittel. The Juckett Award, named in honor of the longtime chairman of the Sandy Hill Corp., is the chamber’s highest award for community service. Behan iounded Behan Communications 33 years ago. It serves clients across many industry sectors nationwide. Prior to founding Behan Communications, Behan worked in the newspaper industry as a reporter, editor and executive. Behan serves on the boards of Arrow Financial Corp. and Glens Falls National Bank and Trust Co., the Glens Falls Foundation, the E. Leo Spain Foundation and Kelly’s Angels Inc. For 18 years, he was a member of the board of governors of Glens Falls Hospital and in recent years served as vice chair. He also has served on the Albany Medical Center board of directors.

Mark Behan is the recipient of the Juckett Community Service Award. Courtesy ARCC

More recently, Behan has served as a member of Warren County’s Economic Recovery Task Force and as the leader of the Warren County Hospitality Communications Group, a publicContinued On Page 11

The Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Council (LARAC) will hold the 50th annual LARAC Summer Arts Festival in City Park in Downtown Glens Falls on Saturday Aug. 14 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday Aug. 15. The Arts Festival is free and open to the public. It will run Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, 10. a.m. to 4 p.m. Organizers said this year’s festival will feature over 100 exhibitors, including many new and returning artists offering shoppers a variety of products such as jewelry, home items, food items, fine art, textiles, garden decorations, and more. The festival will also include local nonprofit community booths, arts demonstrations, children’s activities, food concessions, and live entertainment by local musicians. It will have two stages of live music throughout the two-day event, with music from over 25 different acts. In honor of the 50th anniversary, the LARAC Gallery will be exhibiting many photos and memorabilia of past LARAC festivals. The event will accommodate COVID-19 precautions by offering hand sanitizer stations and providing more empty space between artist booths. LARAC is currently asking community members to consider purchasing “Festival Support

This is the scene at a past Summer Arts Festival in Glens Falls. Courtesy LARAC

Stickers” for $20 each to help make this year’s event a success. Stickers can be purchased online at www.LARAC.org or at the LARAC gallery. Sticker art was created by local artists Carol Law Conklin, Rodney Bentley and Tom Ryan.


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